This Chat Was Good - George Pratt

George Pratt had a really informative chat over at CBR awhile back, and the transcript just went out. Well worth taking a look at. I especially loved the bit about flying in the back of Herb Trimpe's bi-plane to use as reference for Pratt's Enemy Ace comic. Here is the link to the transcript!

Dealing From the Bottom of the Deck - " Rape as a Plot Device...or 'Brad Meltzer is a Big Fat Liar'"

I prefer not to regurgitate stuff I wrote in the past, but when I came across this discussion on David Welsh's blog, I felt like writing about the topic and realized that I would just be repeating, practically word for word, what I already said after Identity Crisis #7 came out. And since just posting a link would look pretty weird, I am instead reposting what I wrote after the release of Identity Crisis #7. Here ya go!

Here are a few quotes for you (emphasises mine)...

"We thought long and hard about the issue of rape in a comic book magazine. We make it about power, not sex. We show the devastating consequences." - Brad Meltzer

"Meltzer's wife worked in Washington on the issue of violence against women, it was an issue very close to home." - The writer of the article where the above quote came from

"It's all in the execution. I think it could've been done terribly, but I hope I'll do it well. The worst thing is it's about power, it's not about sex. If I come in and just say, 'Hey, guys, this is what I want to do, I just want to sell some comic books,' then I wouldn't want me to do it. It's about the consequences." - Brad Meltzer

"I'm quite sure he plotted the entire mini-series all at once, and that the rape was critical to the plot from the beginning - that it was a defining moment for the heroes who were present, and will be a crucial element going forward." - A defender of Meltzer's use of rape.

Well, Identity Crisis #7 came out today.

And guess what?

Spoilers, I suppose...but I'm not really gonna get much into the issue.

In any event, guess what?

The rape?

NOT IMPORTANT WHATSOEVER.

Consequences?

NONE.

Not only was the rape not important to the story, it was not even MENTIONED in any issue other than #2.

What a bloody joke.

Why does a smart guy like Meltzer just lie like that? Unless...do you folks think that Meltzer actually believes that he DID have consequences to the rape? Do you think that he really, honestly believes that he wasn't just using the rape as a plot device to get the heroes from Point A to Point B?

Do you think he really lacks that much self-awareness?

Here is a link to the original post, as you might be interested in reading the comments.

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Comics from the future!

I got a couple of advance copies of indy comics, and I thought I'd share my impressions. One book doesn't seem to be on a release schedule, and the other one comes out this Wednesday! In case you want to check it out.


The first book is The Miscellaneous Adventures of Stykman by Jonnie Allan, published by a.k.a. Comics. Issue #1 hits the stands on Wednesday, and I doubt if you'll be able to find it many places, but you can always go to the web site and order it there.
 
 

Stykman is a fun little book. Allan obviously has fun with the characters and the situation. Stykman is a wanna-be superhero who is, quite literally, made out of sticks We first see him with his sidekick, Al (presumably short for "alien, as he looks like something from The X-Files), playing Go Fish at home (it's that kind of book). A news report comes over the television explaining that the Jolly Roger, a pirate skeleton with a flying ship, has stolen an "ancient Aztec recipe for the gumdrop!" (Did I mention it's that kind of book?) The news warns potential superheroes to stay away, but Stykman's television is on the fritz a bit, so he doesn't quite catch that last part. One wonders if he would have stayed away anyway, as he seems to live in a bit of a fantasy world where he is desperately needed to save the day. He goes to the scene and, predictably, mayhem ensues. In the end, it's his sidekick that saves the day, but save the day he most definitely does!

There is nothing terribly original about this comic, but Allan's joie de vivre carries it along, and it's goofy fun. And, if you're going to rip something off, Cervantes isn't a bad choice. Because that's what Stykman is, basically - Don Quixote. Part of the fun of the book is Stykman's internal narration and how it clashes with the events depicted on the page. Just a random example (and I mean that, because I just opened a page and took the first thing I saw): when Stykman is confronted by Handsome Dan, Jolly Roger's henchman and someone who is much, much bigger than he is, he gets punched out. His narration reads: "Leave it to Dan to exploit my lack of vigilance. Negotiations went nowhere. Only one option left ... play possum." Lucky for him that he is unconscious!

Stykman is a gleeful book, with a hero who has a rope for a head, a pirate with scantily-clad women at his beck and call, a lawyer with a flaming head, an alien sidekick, and lots of mayhem. It's nothing that is going to change the world, but it's a lot of fun. The art is very crisp and vibrant and suitably goofy, and the story is shamelessly wacky. It's only 3 dollars, and I'm sure Allan would be more than happy to send you a copy. Why not?

The other book is Far-Fetchers by Brian Clopper:
 
 
I haven't seen this solicited in Previews, which may be because it's not big enough. It's also possible it hasn't been solicited yet. I'm not sure - I feel kind of bad about not discussing this sooner, because Mr. Clopper sent this to me late last year and I haven't gotten around to reviewing it yet. It's another fun book, but not as goofy as Stykman. The basic premise is that creatures of imagination are seeping into the real world. It has a bit of a Fables vibe, but these creatures are "becoming" real and they're quite confused. Of course, the government steps in and creates an agency called the Far-Fetchers (nice play on words) to take care of these "figments" before they cause a panic. It's a nice conceit, and Clopper plays it relatively straight - the fun comes from the situation and the interplay between the characters. They consult works of children's literature for how to deal with the figments, and in the preview, they have to deal with an unusual monster that isn't exactly what it seems. After dispensing with that, they return to their headquarters, where they all have to deal with internal politics and a leader who has a hidden agenda. Clopper even manages to add some poignancy, as the Flying Mummy misses the love of his life, who is still trapped in the books. There's a hint of a larger story here, too, as the figments are all from the works of one author, who mysteriously disappeared when they starting entering the real world. It's an interesting read.

Clopper has done a nice job establishing this strange world and the dynamic between the characters. Even though they are bizarre and might seem like monsters, they all have insecurities and fears and, of course, they are trapped in a strange new world and have to adjust to that. Therefore, even though there is a true sense of fun throughout the book, Clopper hints at darker things to come - granted, it's not "dark" in the sense that recent DC books seem to think of "dark," but it has the potential for drama in the sense that it won't always be light-hearted. The characters look grotesque, which adds to the sense of wonder and weirdness, but Clopper offsets that with the idea that danger can and will show up.

I haven't mentioned the art, because I'm a story snob, but it's nicely cartoonish with a nice bizarre edge to it. I won't try to describe it, because I can show you some of it:
 
 It's neat.

There's a lot to like about Far-Fetchers. Like I said, I'm not sure if it's out yet - I doubt it, because the preview is uncolored and incomplete, but if you keep your eye out for it, I doubt if you will be disappointed.

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This Comic Was Good - JLA Classified #16

What do you get when you mix a solid superhero story with artwork from not one, but TWO comic art legends? You get a darn fine comic book. In particular, you get JLA Classified #16, a strong opening to the six-part "The Hypothetical Woman," by Gail Simone, with art by giants Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Klaus Janson.

First of all, take a look at these sample pages (click on the pictures to enlarge them)!





Isn't that amazing? Garcia-Lopez has not lost the touch at all, and Janson does his usual superb job on inks (although I would say that he also impressively seems to restrain his inks a TAD bit, perhaps in deference to the great Garcia-Lopez). So just based on the art, this comic would be interesting enough to read, just to see him draw all the Leaguers. Luckily, Simone gives us an interesting story, as well.

The comic opens with the Leaguers showing up to arrest a tyrant, General Tuzik, (the General gets to spout off some interesting lines about how the League operates like an army), only to be thwarted by international relations (what's great about this is the two-page spread on pages 2 and 3, where Garcia-Lopez depicts Tuzik calmly watching the League cut through his defenses - notice how he is clasping the envelope with the treaty allowing his escape...what a storyteller!!!).

You ever watch ER?

If so, there's a joke about how, often, when a topic is repeated on the show (and with a show as long-running as ER, topics are BOUND to be repeated), the positions taken by the doctors almost seem to be randomly drawn out of a hat. You know, like, "This time, Anthony Edwards is for Position X and George Clooney is for Position Y." Then, 3 years later, "Laura Innes is for Position X and Anthony Edwards is for Position Y." Well, there's a bit of the "pulling a name out of the hat" routine in this issue, as Simone needs a Leaguer to express outrage at the injustice of Tuzik escaping on what amounts to be a technicality, so Flash gets the short straw. Don't get me wrong, of the Leaguers available, he's probably the only one who COULD pull off the reaction, but it certainly is not born out some inherent aspect of Wally West's personality, but rather, simply out of the utilitarian purposes of needing a Leaguer to express Position X. As mentioned before, it is a common practice in fiction (particularly serialized fiction), but it still makes me smile a bit when I see it.

In any event, it is not like Wally's position is even all that shocking, more like a basic "letting tyrants get off on technicalities is bad." In fact, an interesting aspect of this comic is how little actual politics is involved in the story. This was a plot that could very easily become politicized, but Simone manages to deftly avoid any such happenstance, and it is quite impressive, really.

Upon his escape, Tuzik holds a meeting with all the OTHER tyrants out there who have not been overthrown yet, and suggests that, rather than each one of the other tyrants dealing with the Justice League on their own with whatever weapons they possess, the other tyrants give HIM all their weapons and research, and he will form ONE "Doomsday device," and attack the League with it, especially since, unlike the others, Tuzik has noting to lose - he does not mind being known as the "villain" of the piece.

The conclusion of the comic begins with the first manisfestation of Tuzik's mystery "weapon," the Hypothetical Woman that bears the title of this story arc. Whether Tuzik created her or found her, this "Hypothetical Woman" (and yes, that is a great name) can create seemingly impossible things, like (in this issue) a town that is plagued by a virus that is made up of microscopic Starros (leading to a line of dialogue, when Flash is infected, of "My god - he's full of Starro!!," which a pal of mine informs me is a reference to an obscure 80s Sci-Fi sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey called 2010, which has the line, "My God! It's full of stars!," which is cool by me, as I am always cool with obscure references that do not interfere with the plot).

The issue ends with the League struggling with the Starro virus (which has infected the Flash, whose metabolism is forcing it to affect him quickly), as Tuzik admires his prize, and we, the reader, wait for what plot will come next.

Nice story idea.

Even nicer art.

Worth picking up.

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This Comic Was Good - Nextwave #1

I think, coming into this comic, there were two groups of people who were interested in this comic book. The first are those folks who like to read fun comic books and/or comics written by Warren Ellis. The second are those folks who are interested in obscure Marvel heroes. For that first group, Nextwave #1 was a good, fun comic book. For the second group, let me state that I am one of the bigger fans of Monica Rambeau you are going to encounter - so I empathize with you folks - and I liked Nextwave #1.

One of the most impressive aspects of Nextwave is how, just through a series of captions, Ellis is able to mold our view of the comic as he sees fit. Through these captions, he is able to achieve the goal of establishing Nextwave as a wacky, fun book. The design work of Stuart Immonen is invaluable here, but I do not know if Immonen is responsible for some of ther design of the book's presentation, like the design of the caption boxes - which often serve as bold proclamations as to the book's intent.

Ellis is not afraid to be all over the place, making jokes in all sorts of different styles, and it is a refreshing piece of letting go, of not allowing oneself to be self-conscious. Ellis occasionally throws in a few shots at superheroes, you know, the sorta bitter ones, but they are covered up by the volume of the other jokes - the over the top stuff (A running away song?!? Priceless), the subversive stuff (Captain Fuck?) and the standard F-Troopisms that worked so well for Giffen and DeMatteis in Justice League (The "fleshy ones" exchange between Monica and Aaron, for one).

As far as personalities go, Ellis is treating 3/5th of the team as blank slates, with only Monica and Tabitha getting some measure of a nod to their past histories, and there, of course, Ellis does not put any REAL effort into it, besides the basic "Tabitha used to have a lot of codenames" and "Monica used to lead the Avengers." Still, as a Monica fan, while I, of course, noticed all the changes to her backstory, they were just silly ones, mainly for a gag. This is not like when Monica was stripped of her Avengers leadership for the sake of making Captain America look good. There was no maliciousness to Monica in this issue. Any change in her past or personality was done just for a gag. In fact, a close comparison would be Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. People nowadays think of them as the comic duo from Justice League, but neither character (ESPECIALLY Beetle) was considered comic relief UNTIL Justice League, and in fact, Giffen played pretty fast and loose with their personalities to fit them INTO the comic relief structure, but people seem to be okay with THOSE changes, so I don't see why the changes to Monica and Tabitha should be that significant.

Dirk Anger, and the agents of HATE (who are tied up with the Beyond Corporation) are good for a lot of laughs, my favorite being when Dirk tells them he has been director of HATE since before they were alive - except for one guy, maybe. Comic timing is a bitch in comic books, and Ellis pulled it off swimmingly.

With this and the recent (EXCELLENT) Fin Fang Four, Fin Fang Foom is on quite the comeback trail!!

Finally, besides Ellis' fun script (and dialogue), the other star of this comic is Stuart Immonen (with great respect to his inker, Wade Von Grawbadger, who manages to hang with Immonen even as Immonen tries drastically new styles). I do not think I can even come up with a word to describe his ability in this book to be cartoonish while extremely detailed. I think I will have to just make up a word. Scarmtistic.

There you go.

I just made up the word.

Stuart Immonen's ability to mix cartoonish art (Dirk Anger in most scenes) with an extreme devotion to detail (notice the detail in the engine that Elsa breaks later in the comic) is quite scarmtistic.

Nextwave #1 was a really cool book.

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This Comic Was Not Good - X-Men: Deadly Genesis #3

I will cop to occasionally having a macabre sense of humor, so there was a scene in this comic that really made me laugh. I'll get to that later. Anyhow, as to the actual comic book....well, I have read this comic before. Many times, actually. And each time, it was awful. However, Ed Brubaker did not write those comics, and Ed Brubaker is a good comic book writer. Therefore, he is talented enough that he manages to raise the level of quality of this comic that, by all means, should have been terrible, and instead, made the comic just "not good."

First off, I wish to mention how impressed I was by Marc Silvestri's cover to the issue. I think it is probably the best cover I have seen from him in AGES.



Granted, this scene does not appear in the comic, but still...that is a striking cover, I think.

ANYways, as for the comic itself, the killer to the story is the structure. The pace of Deadly Genesis is clearly slow, but that does not mean that it is BAD. In fact, Brubaker is currently writing a comic, Captain America, that has an equally glacial pace, plot-wise, but the differences between the two titles is dramatic, and it can basically be summed up by a single word - depth.

The structure of Captain America is similar to the TV show Lost, as the plot does not progress all that much, but through character interactions and flashbacks, we learn so much about the characters that they seem almost like real people to us. That is the effect that Brubaker has achieved with Captain America, giving even throwaway characters like Jack Monroe (who I liked a lot in Fabian Nicieza's Nomad series) deep emotional resonance with the reader. That depth is lacking in Deadly Genesis, and I think that is due to the structure of the series.

This issue #3 is basically the same exact structure of #2!!! A little kibitzing with the government at the mansion, a few segues with Vulcan and Cyclops and Marvel Girl, some scenes with the secret info Banshee was bringing back to the States, some secretive flashbacks - it's all here in #2 AND #3. And #2 at least had the benefit of having a death (even though it was presented fairly lacking in luster).

I have seen this same structure - this same lack of depth - many times. Essentially in every major X-Crossover of the past decade and a half. Occasionally, writers will manage to squeeze a little something interesting out of it (as Scott Lobdell did during the Generation Next storyline), but most of the time, it is a matter of "Here's an idea - work a series around it." Some writers totally botch it, and we get sad, sad comics like the Astonishing X-Men mini-series (A new X-Men team forms for no reason - and Wolverine is Death!!). When you have someone like Brubaker, he cannot just write hackwork, so instead, he still manages to infuse what little room he has to work with here with as much depth as possible - sadly, it is not a lot. So a slowly paced comic that repeats the same structure of the previous issue without any in depth characterizations? Not a good comic book.

In addition, we have Trevor Hairsine "drawing" the comic without actually DRAWING the comic. In #2, Mike Perkins handled it, in this issue, Scott Hanna and Nelson take over, and both do a fine job, I thought, but it is like having three comic issues drawn by four different artists - #1 by Hairsine, #2 by Perkins and #3 by Hanna and Nelson...and yet Hairsine is credited for all three. Anyhow, it is not a big deal, so long as the result is good art like this comic, and it WAS good art (although there was a funny bit early on where Beast's pants were not drawn, so the colorist had to just draw his pants onto his fur...funny stuff).

Finally, the thing that made me laugh? Last issue, Banshee collided with the X-Men's plane, the Blackbird, in an attempt to save a passenger flight (as the Blackbird was headed towards the passenger plane which Banshee was a passenger on, to prevent Banshee from sharing some info with the X-Men). He managed a feeble scream before the plane plowed right into him, still causing a collission that killed the passengers on the plane (What is this, a Debby Downer skit from SNL?). Anyhow, we got a big explosion, in which Banshee was presumed dead. However, this is comics - there's always a chance, right? Well, remember the episode of the Simpsons where the kill off Poochy? And then Krusty comes on to the screen to assure kids that he is really, really dead? There's a scene in this comic where Nightcrawler and Wolverine come across Banshee's corpse....it reminded me of the Simpsons episode and made me laugh. "SEE! He is really, really dead!"

Hey, I SAID it was macabre!!

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This Comic Was Good - Godland #7

I do not know if I ever have mentioned it before (lord knows I seem to talk about it enough), but I have a real soft spot for comics that make Bob Dylan references. I loves me the Bob Dylan references. Well, Godland #7 had some heavy duty Dylan mentions, so even if it wasn't a good comic, it would still have a soft spot in my heart (I still remember fondly this Moench issue of Catwoman where Selina says, "If you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose," and that era of Catwoman was awwwwwwwwful). However, luckily, Godland #7 was good anyways.

While clearly the Jack Kirby influence is there in Tom Scioli's art, I often think that the more "Silver Age" feel to the book is the sheer quantity of story in each issue of Godland. Each issue generally has about five-six plots all going on at once, and Casey handles the transitions between them all quite well.

What I also like is that the "Recap Page" on the inside front cover is extremely limited in information. This is because Joe Casey doesn't need you to have paragraphs of info to pick up on what is going on in Godland. A basic description of the book (similar to those little descriptions Marvel used to do on the first pages of their comics in the 90s...you know, a little description and then "Stan Lee Presents...") and then a roll call. That's it, and then right into the story. It's a bold move that Casey backs up with his highly accessible story.

The hero of the book, Adam Archer, has cosmic powers, and Casey and Scioli make sure to ratchet up the cosmic "trippy" aspects of the books. The site of cosmic rain falling on New York is very striking. In addition, the way that Archer defeats the bad guys is interesting, as is the fallout of the event. Very "Ditko Spider-Man." Good stuff.

The highlight of the issue (and, in my opinion, the series so far) is the interaction between Archer's two biggest villains, Nickelhead and Basil Cronus. On their own, each villain is very interesting. Together, playing off each other, especially with Cronus just being a disembodied head carried around by Nickelhead? Brilliant.

And the fact that a scene is played out as Nickelhead sings along with "Subterranean Homesick Blues"?

That's just extra awesomeness.

Good issue.

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Unnecessary Guide to Nextwave

Warren Ellis is basically not following any set continuity or anything like that with his new team book, Nextwave. However, what he IS doing is working off the basic continuity of each established character, so I think it might be slightly worthwhile to give a primer to the established characters Ellis is using, even though it is certainly unnecessary to one's enjoyment of Nextwave #1.

Here goes!

Monica Rambeau (Currently using the superhero name Pulsar, but when Nextwave began, she was going by Photon. She used to be known as Captain Marvel).

Monica was a lieutenant in the New Orleans harbor patrol who accidentally gained superpowers in this Amazing Spider-Man Annual.



Captain Marvel possesses the power to transform her body into any form of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to x-rays and every wavelength in between, simply by willing it. By assuming an energy-form, she gains all of that energy. For instance, if she becomes light, she is blindingly bright. Some of her energy-forms permit her to pass trough solid objects. All of her energy-forms enable her to fly. In all energy-forms except visible light, she is invisible. The electromagnetic spectrum is compriside of cosmic-ray photons, gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, infrared radiation, microwaves, and radio waves.

Basically, she's super powerful.

Right after her introduction, she joined the Avengers as a member-in-training.



She served as a member for quite a long time (under the pen of her creator, Roger Stern).



Eventually, she even became LEADER of the Avengers!!



However, as relayed in an old Urban Legends Revealed, the editor of the Avengers decided that he wanted Captain Marvel out as leader, and also shown to be not that good of a leader, presumably to show how not EVERY hero can make a good leader (unlike Captain America).

So Monica was de-powered (she has since regained her powers) and sent off into limbo.

Besides a couple of trademark-saving specials, that is where she has remained.



Except, of course, for the time she showed up to give up the name Captain Marvel to the next Captain Marvel.



Monica at that point in time took the name Photon (she has since moved on to the name Pulsar). Currently, she has been working with her parents on a business in New Orleans. At least up until Next Wave.

Tabitha (Currently going without a codename - formerly went by names such as Boom Boom, Boomer and Meltdown)

Tabitha Smith is interesting, as she made her first appearance as a throwaway character in Secret Wars II!!

She then became one of the various mutants who hung out with X-Factor (like Rusty Collins and Skids).

After a few run-ins with X-Factor, she showed up in Fallen Angels under the name Boom Boom.



Her powers are as follows:

Meltdown can create balls of energy of an unknown kind, which she calls her "time bombs." These "bombs" explode with concussive force. She can produce marble-sized "bombs" which have little concussive impact and which she uses for playing pranks. She has produced "time bombs" ranging up to the size of beach balls, which, when they explode, can smash tree trunks and even metal objects. To at least some extent Meltdown can control the amount of time between the creation of one of her "bombs" and the time it detonates. She can also mentally muffle the sound of the detonation to a limited extent. The limits on her power to create and control her "time bombs" are as yet unknown.

She then went back to X-Factor, and eventually all the young mutants who X-Factor let hang around for their protection formed their OWN little group, called the X-Terminators.



Most of the X-Terminators (well, at least the older members) then ended up joining the New Mutants, Boom Boom being one of them.



She was one of the few members who stayed with the team when they became X-Force (although her former X-Terminator teammate Rictor also later joined X-Force, as well as her Fallen Angels comrade, Siryn).



She later changed her name to Boomer, while she was romantically involved with Sam Guthrie, her teammate, Cannonball.



Later, after a brutal shock to her system when, after caring for Sabretooth for months (after he was lobotomized), she learned that he was faking his injuries (or at least was faking them for a good period of time), and watched him not only escape from X-Men custody, but gut Psylocke when Psylocke prevented Sabretooth from murdering Tabitha. This event echoed Tabitha's past life with her abusive father, and the shock caused her to redo her look, and get a new name - Meltdown!



She was later a member of Warren Ellis' reworked X-Force team.



Besides a few cameos, that was her last signifcant appearance in comics.

Aaron Stark (Currently going with a codename - formerly went by names like Machine Man and X-51)

Aaron Stack first appeared in Jack Kirby's series, 2001: A Space Odyssey.



Soon, he gained his own 19-issue series from Marvel.



Basically, a team of scientists developed a series of robots. One of the scientists, a Dr. Able Stack, took number 51 home with him, and programmed him to basically be Able's son, Aaron Stack.

However, the robots mainly were lame, so they were ordered to self-destruct. Able managed to save Aaron, but he died in the process. In honor of his "father," X-51 tried to live a human life, and basically lived the life of an adventurer, while always one step ahead of the government.

He has arms and legs that can expand and stretch, with weapons that can come out of his hands. He is also super strong.

Here is a cool series dealing with an alternate universe. It does not really tie in, I just love this Barry Windsor-Smith cover...hehe.



Recently, Machine Man was seemingly destroyed by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but ended up surviving by merging with a dying SHIELD agent named Jack Kubrick (I know, I know).



That is basically the last anyone has heard from Machine Man until this series.

Elsa Bloodstone (Always has gone by her real name)]

Elsa's father was Ulysess Bloodstone (seen here)



He lived for 10,000 years, due to the alien gem that was embedded into his body, which gave him superhuman strength (about 5 tons) and vast regenerative powers.

He gained the gem from the alien who killed his tribe 10,000 years ago. He tracked down the alien for years, becoming a famous soldier of fortune and hunter in the meantime, often fighting monsters sent after him BY the alien.

Finally, he killed the alien, but also perished in the process.

A few years later, in the Bloodstone mini-series...



his daughter Elsa gained the Bloodstone gem, and as a result, has all the same powers her father had.



The final member of Nextwave is a new character named the Captain, who is supposed to represent all the minor characters named Captain _____ over the years.

Well, that's it! Hope some of y'all learned SOMEthing!

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It Is To Laugh for 1/27

Okay, I freely admit, this shtick is a bit mean, but whatever. Each week, I will pick one piece of comic book hyperbole that made me laugh in its silliness, and I will share it with you folks.

This week's winner?

Mark Millar, step right up!

"Mike Turner is the best superhero cover artist ever. It's that simple. He's the reincarnation of all the old Image guys for this generation and his covers just blow everything else off the shelves. And if he's any kind of man he'll send me the original of this piece for blowing him like this."

Yes, folks....Mike Turner is the best superhero cover artist.

Wow.

For the record, here is the cover he is referring to...



Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

It is to laugh.

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Pimpin' again

It's Friday, and that means there's a chance I have a new column up at Buzzscope. In fact, I do: Comics You Should Own: The ClanDestine! Go read about the Alan Davis goodness and why you should own these issues. Then go buy them!

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #35!

This is the thirty-fifth in a series of examinations of comic book urban legends and whether they are true or false. Click here for an archive of the previous thirty-four.

Let's begin!

COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Elliot S! Maggin's first comic book work was originally written for a college class.

STATUS: True

Awhile back, in this here space, I talked about Elliot S! Maggin's big breakout work in comics ("Must There Be a Superman?"). However, Maggin's FIRST comic work also has a very interesting pedigree.

Appearing in Green Lantern & Green Arrow #87 (which was also the first appearance of John Stewart!!!), Maggin's first story was a Green Arrow back-up story, illustrated by Neal Adams.



I will allow Maggin himself to explain the genesis of the story (from this interview with Jayme Lynn Blaschke):

"What Can One Man Do?" was a term paper at Brandeis. My junior year there I took an American history course that involved a section on mass media taught by a graduate student. I wanted to illustrate that comic books were useful as an ideological tool. I had read that comics in South America and elsewhere were used by governments and anti-government insurgent groups to make their cases through story narrative to their constituencies, and I thought that countries with lower literacy rates probably did not have a monopoly on the medium's effectiveness. So I chose Green Arrow because he was the most overtly politically aware of the popular characters of the time. I gave him a left-leaning personal crisis -- imposing pretty much my own political philosophy and my own speech patterns at the time (the latter were a bit quirky, even by the day's standards) -- and had that determine the direction of his public life. It was a simple story, but I particularly liked the little touches that I used to try to make it distinctive: quoting Hemingway (as Denny had quoted Mailer a few months earlier) and using a bit of contemporary jargon.

I got a B+ on the paper and thought I deserved an A. So I sent it to DC to make that point to my instructor. I did, as it happens, but the semester was over by the time I got my answer from Julie Schwartz and the publication never affected my grade. Not that I thought it would.

I wonder if anyone else's first two comic stories have that interesting of a background?

COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Wolverine's costume was patterned in part on the uniforms of the Michigan Wolverines football team.

STATUS: False

A few years back, a reader of Bob Rozakis' column asked the question, "Was Wolverine’s costume inspired by the University of Michigan football uniforms? If you look at the “flying wing” design on their helmets, it’s quite like the shape of his mask."

Bob did not have an answer, but to show what the reader was thinking, here are the Wolverines' helmets and Wolverine as he first appeared...





A little while later, another reader offered up, "Dunno about Wolverine's costume being inspired by the U Michigan football team's helmets, but either his yellow (or more properly, maize) and blue costume colors were inspired by the U Michigan's team colors being those and the team nickname being the Wolverines or else we've got a major ridiculous coincidence."

Here are their team colors...



Luckily, Bob had Len Wein ready with a reply, "Trust me, the U of M football team was in NO WAY an influence on the design of Wolverine's original costume. Since I stood at John Romita's shoulder as we designed it together, I can absolutely guarantee it. We were just looking for images that evoked a Wolverine, hence the black slash/stripes and the earlike black thingies that have evolved into huge earwings. Just thought you'd like to know."

So Wolverine and Tom Brady have one less thing in common now.

COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Ernie Chan had to be credited under a different name for years due to a typographical error.

STATUS: True

Since his debut on issue #26 in 1973, Ernesto "Ernie" Chan has inked more Conan pages than any other artist in comic history.



However, for a number of years, Chan was forced to go under a different name, all due to a typographical error.

Born in the Philippines in 1940, Chan worked in the Philippines comic industry, along such great Filipino artists as Alfredo Alcala, Tony DeZuniga, Nestor Redondo, Danny Bulandi, Romeo Tanghal, etc.

DeZuniga was one of the first Filipino artist to hit it big in America, so Chan came to America to apprentice with him in the very early 70s, and eventually Chan got work at DC Comics and then Marvel, eventually becoming the longtime inker on Conan.

However, as you might notice from the number of covers Chan did for DC in the mid-70s (and he did a LOT of them), he had an interesting credit - Ernie CHUA.



As Chan explained in a 1992 Marvel Age (#109) interview with Barry Dutter:

BD: Originally you worked under the name of Ernie Chua, is that correct?

EC: I started out using Ernie Chua as my name, because that is the name I had on my passport. I had to go by my legal name, for tax purposes and stuff like that.

BD: Is Chua your real name?

EC: No, that was a typographical error on my birth certificate that I had to use until I had a chance to change it to Chan when I got my citizenship in 1976.

BD: Now your name is legally Ernie Chan?

EC: That's my legal and true name, yes.

As you can see, those covers first started popping up in 1977, credited to Ernie CHAN.



According to Bob Rozakis, Chan told him the reason that the immigration officer did not just correct the typo was because he thought it would be better for Ernie, as "there are too many Chans in the U.S."

Pretty scary, eh?

Well, that's it for this week, thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to drop off any urban legends you'd like to see featured!!

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100 Days of Justice League Day 7: JL #6

Justice League #6
Story: Massacre in Gray
Plot & Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Script: J.M. DeMatteis
Penciller: Kevin Maguire
Inker: Al Gordon
Letterer: Bob Lappan
Colorist: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Andy Helfer

I think I’m starting to notice a trend. It seems like the more action one of these Justice League issues has, the less time I need to spend talking about what happened. Most of this issue is devoted to battle and not so much to plot development. There are a few points to consider though.

All of the wacky buildings in Stone Ridge, Vermont? They’re the original buildings that have been transformed by the “gray dreams” of those people whom the Gray Man and his “gray-selves” have robbed of their dream-essence. That doesn't really make much sense to me, but whatever. He’s incapacitated Captain Marvel and Doctor Fate and has them floating there in the local bijou while he rants and taunts them. What do Justice League villains like so much about the “floaty” thing? “Mwahaha! I’ve captured my enemies, so now I’m going to suspend them in mid-air and gloat!”


Meanwhile, the rest of the team is making their way into town, so the Gray Man sends a mind-controlled Captain Marvel to attack them.


The Martian Manhunter, being the next strongest, engages him. The rest of the team is tipped to the Gray Man’s whereabouts by the Creeper and they go into the theater where he ends up dispatching them with his other selves. All along though, Doctor Fate’s been sandbagging. Turns out he was trying to rehabilitate the Gray Man. When he faces facts and realizes the Gray Man is a lost cause, he makes the theater -- superheroes, villain and all -- disappear! The Manhunter with an unconscious Marvel heads back to League HQ.

There’s also a scene with Hal Jordan registering his disapproval with Maxwell Lord and his involvement with the League, particularly with regards to Guy Gardner and his place on the team roster. Get a load of that sweater. He’s the Green Yuppie!

So that’s pretty much it. It may not seem like much, but lemme tellya. DeMatteis did some brilliant work this issue. There’s some dialogue that crackles. I guess you could read the comic yourself, but what the hell. I’ll save you lazy bastards the trouble of digging through those long boxes.

The Batman…jokes?

Booster Gold: If we keep standing around out here in the open, he’s gonna be finding us pretty soon.

Batman: Good idea, Booster. We’ll stay right where we are and let him come to us.

Booster Gold: But I wasn’t suggesting—

Batman: I like the way you think. Keep up the good work.

Booster Gold: Was he kidding or what?

Black Canary: Well, I seem to remember him making a joke once. It was…let me see…four, no, five years ago. He’s about due for another…and that might’ve been it.

The Creeper obfuscates…

Batman: You showed up here before we did, Creeper, and I want to know why.

Creeper: Why?

Batman: Why.

Creeper: Why what?

Batman: Why did you show up here?

Creeper: Show up where?

Batman: You’re not going to tell me, are you?

Creeper: Tell you what?

Batman: Never mind.

Booster Gold and the Black Canary airborne…

Booster Gold: Uh, Canary, I’m not really up on everyone’s powers. You can fly, can’t you?

Black Canary: No.

Booster Gold: No?

Black Canary: No!!

Booster Gold: Oh.

The team regroups…

Blue Beetle: Everybody okay?

Booster Gold: My nerves are shot, but otherwise…

Zing!

Blue Beetle: It’s a basic rule of the trade that levity lightens a serious situation!

Black Canary: Is that why you wear that costume?

This Batman, This Nursemaid!

Mister Miracle: What about Marvel?

Batman: J’onn can handle it.

Booster Gold: You hope.

Batman: J’onn J’onzz has been at this game even longer than I have, Booster! He’s the only member of this team I don’t feel I have to nursemaid!”

Blue Beetle: Gee, whiz. That sure makes the rest of us feel good.

Batman: Spare us the jokes, Beetle.

Blue Beetle: I wasn’t joking.

The Martian Manhunter belts Captain Marvel…

Martian Manhunter: Captain Marvel?

Captain Marvel (whose head is imbedded in a brick wall): Uh-huh.

Martian Manhunter: Is it really you?

Captain Marvel (weakly): Uh-huh.

Martian Manhunter: I’m sorry. I was dazed. I didn’t notice the shift in minds at first. Did I hurt you?

Captain Marvel (fading into unconsciousness): Uh-huhhhh...

The Creeper appears on the theater marquee…

Creeper: Yoo-hooo!! Fellas! Over heeeeeeeere!!

Black Canary: What the hell are you doing up there?

Creeper: The “Watusi.”

Black Canary: Stay right there. I’m coming up to break your legs.

And those are some good examples of why this run was so great. I laughed out loud at all of those.

Next issue: Justice League International #7 -- Justice League International!

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What I bought - 25 January 2006

Let's see - a comic I can't imagine many people are buying continues to do its fine work, a comic I probably won't be buying soon annoys me, a comic with a long-running creative team ends on a weird and unsatisfying note, a comic that got a second chance at a different company ships its second issue, with the usual goodness and questions, one of the best comics on the market continues its cosmic wildness, another comic that is on the fence with me shows up in a different city, a comic about B-list superheroes rocks, a comic that should make a lot of people angry finally comes to an end, a mini-series that you should all be buying ships its penultimate issue (and I didn't read it), and a comic that disappointed me with a perplexing revelation and the return (yawn) of a crappy villain - what did I buy? Guess before you look!

Atomika #6 (of 12) by Andrew Dabb and Sal Abbinanti
$2.99, Mercury Comics
 
 
I'm still reading Atomika, even though it's technically a mini-series, because each issue, although it advances the storyline, does so slowly and with plenty of one-and-done goodness that people raised in the MTV-short-attention-span-1980s crave. Atomika goes east in this issue to fight Baba Yaga, and although he defeats her, he gets an unexpected gift from the battle that may bode ill for him in the future. We're up to 1980 now, so the alternate history of the USSR is coming to the present day, and I wonder if it too will fall short of its global goal. Atomika continues to be interesting because of its uncompromising look at our gods and what we do to create them and maintain them. It doesn't matter that these are Communist or Russian icons - the principle is the same in every culture. Atomika feels that he is growing irrelevant in the modern world, and with the end of this issue, he may have regained his focus. It's a fascinating read, and you might want to pick up the trade paperback of the first six issues when it comes out (which will be soon). Plus, the art is gorgeous.

Catwoman #51 by Will Pfeifer and Pete Woods
$2.50, DC
 
 
I mentioned this last issue - I really want to like Catwoman. I really do. The art is spectacular, Pfeifer has a nice handle on the characters, both the creators seem like swell guys - I want to support it. There just continues to be something missing. It don't got no zazzz!

Take this issue. Selina breaks into Wayne Manor to have a chat with Bruce about what she learned last issue. They both say all the things you would expect. Nothing really shocking or new there. Meanwhile, Black Mask kidnaps someone and tortures them. We're supposed to believe it's Holly, but really, no one's buying that. Could it be Slam Bradley, who is back in town? You think? Catwoman and Bradley's son end up crashing Roman's party (separately) and Selina learns his identity. The whole issue is just kind of ... there.

The nice thing is, next issue is the last one before the whole OYL thing. So I can buy it, see what happens, and decide then. I do not have high hopes.

Daredevil #81 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev
 
 
Um, is that it?

Don't get me wrong. I like that Bendis didn't feel the need to end his long and mostly excellent run with some apocalyptic issue that left nothing for Brubaker to work with. This feels like an old-school ending to someone's work on a title, where he just leaves with little fuss, as if in the middle of a story. Well, that's all well and good, but did it have to be such a weak issue? I mean, for the past few issues Bendis has been treading water, but this was just dumb. This almost makes me angry about the whole run. Matt goes to jail. Wilson Fisk gets arrested. That's all that happens. We don't see Urich, we don't see Milla (except in a stupid fantasy sequence in the middle), we don't much of Foggy - I just don't get it. Am I missing something? Is this much more subtle than my poor, Dr. Pepper-addled brain can see? I'm starting to think Bendis should have left the book when he had Matt go all "Kingpin" on Hell's Kitchen. Sigh. Occasionally I'll re-read Jinx. Bendis is a good writer, right? That's a good book. What the hell is he doing these days? I guess I'll see what Brubaker and Lark bring to the table. I know the art will be pretty.

Fallen Angel #2 by Peter David and J.K. Woodward
$3.99, IDW
 
 
I can understand why people don't read Fallen Angel or Peter David's work in general. He can be too clever for his own good (of course, so can this guy, but no one holds that against him) and he is enamored with long, meandering stories that test your patience. However, part of the reason I like him is because of those long stories - he makes each chapter of the story just fascinating enough that you want to come back, and usually the pay-off is well worth the wait. That's how it was for the first 18 issues of the DC series (the last two were okay, but not great), and that's how it appears to be now that the title has moved to IDW. Juris wants to kill Lee because she had her son and didn't tell him. Black Mariah shows up and we find out that she and Lee have buried the hatchet - but then we find out that Mariah is not all that she seems. Jubal, who thought he was Juris' firstborn, is a bit peeved about being pushed aside. And Jude shows up in Bete Noire looking for his mother. It's all very operatic.

David manages to keep all these balls in the air while still adding the tense showdown in the bar between Lee, who is very drunk and doesn't quite know what's going on, and Juris, who is quite pissed off and gets more so when Lee doesn't know what's going on. This remains a very interesting book and one that is worth the patience you approach it with.

Gødland #7 by Joe Casey and Tom Scioli
$2.95, Image
 
 
Ah, Gødland. Whenever I'm cranky about, say, a comic about incest and rape, I can always turn to Gødland to chase the blues away. The trade paperback of the first six issues came out yesterday, too, so do yourself a favor and pick it up. Would it really kill you?

Now, with issue #7, Adam begins to explore his abilities a little more, with the help of his big puppy friend Maxim, who instructs him how to stop a weird invasion from outer space. It's all very, well, you know, cosmic, and just when we think the nostalgia is too thick, Casey reminds us that we are living in a cynical age - not enough to depress us, but enough to make sure we remember that Adam has to deal with things that even Peter Parker at his most hated didn't. Meanwhile, the subplot with Discordia and her accident (I still won't give it away) continues to simmer, as Friedrich Nickelhead gets involved. It's not to difficult to imagine what he plans to do, since he's been carrying around Basil Cronus' head for a few issues, but we'll see. As usual with the best stuff, the glory of the book is in the details - who knew Basil got choked up at the end of Field of Dreams? Such a fun book. Go read it. Put down that Bendis monstrosity with Spider-Woman on the cover and read this!

Local #3 by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly
$2.99, Oni Press
 
 
And then there's Local. I'm torn.

On the one hand, I like the stories. They are little slices of life, and I'm not terribly sure if the presence of Megan in all of them (which is kind of annoying) is supposed to tie them all together somehow, or if they are completely independent of each other. I suppose we'll find out at the end. This issue, about what band members do after the band breaks up, is pretty nice. It's a quiet look at people getting on with their lives and how they handle it. Nothing wrong with it.

On the other hand, there's something missing. I can't put my finger on it. I'm trying to, but I can't. The series doesn't excite me like it should. Am I being too opaque? I guess I could be, but there's just something missing. I read it, I appreciate the skill, I appreciate the art (although am I the only one who has noticed that everyone looks exactly the same?), I appreciate the message - but I'm not blown away. It's bugging me. Is Local like Allen Ginsberg? You know, we should all appreciate it, but no one really likes it? I don't know.

Nextwave #1 by Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen, and Wade von Grawbadger
$2.99, Marvel
 
 
Isn't that cute? Warren can have some fun if he wants to!

And this comic is fun. Oh sure, I've mentioned before that every male Ellis writes is Spider Jerusalem and every female is Jenny Sparks, but the point about that is - if you drop those archetypes into a Marvel superhero comic, it's kind of fun. That's why The Captain telling Captain America his "real" name (I presume it's a naughty word beginning with "f" and ending with "uck" - and no, not "firetruck") and ending up in a dumpster with a bar of soap shoved in his mouth is funny. That's why Boom-Boom yelling "They all sucked!" about her codenames is funny, even though this characterization of Tabitha doesn't necessarily jive with the other ones. Who cares, right? These are bottom-barrel Marvel characters anyway, and if Ellis pisses off the "Boom-Boom Fan Club," tough shit.

As I said, this is a fun comic. Fin Fang Foom shows up, so you know it's fun. Everyone comments on the fact that he's wearing purple underpants, too, so you know it's fun. The concept of the book - that an organization called H.A.T.E. - Highest Anti-Terror Effort - is fighting terrorists but is really controlled by bad guys, so its top agents need to go rogue - is certainly fun. Dirk Anger, the director of H.A.T.E., is better at being Nick Fury than Fury himself. He gets the best line: "The cook serves me an entire animal and I fight it bare-handed and tear off what I want and eat it and have the rest buried." Beat. "In New Jersey!" Oh, the horror!

Now this is fun stuff. And it certainly won't kill you to buy the first issue. If you don't, the terrorists win.

Spider-Man and the Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #1-6 by Kevin Smith and Terry and Rachel Dodson
$2.99, Marvel
 
 
Rape Is Bad.

That is all we get from six issues. Hey, guess what? Rape is bad. And guess what? Incestuous rape is even worse.

Blech. Rape as a plot point is a delicate issue, and it has to be handled carefully. In this series, it is not handled carefully. All Smith wants to do with this entire series is tell us that rape is bad. If we didn't already know that, we're not going to learn it from a comic book. This is a completely misguided series, because this is the kind of thing that should not be done in a mainstream superhero title. Yes, I'm belittling mainstream superhero comics. "Come on, Greg!" the masses cry. "Comics are a serious art form." Well, sure. But mainstream superhero books aren't really the place for them to be serious. By their very nature, they aren't really that serious. At any point, Peter Parker dressed as a spider could show up, and then everything gets goofy (and I love Spider-Man, by the way). This is fine for the most part - superhero comics can address plenty of "real-world" issues, including rape - but as I pointed out, it has to be handled well. It's not here. Blech.

Finally, if any writer brings Joey Q. or any other Marvel editor any story involving a woman on the Queensboro Bridge ever again, Joey Q. should go at that writer with a blowtorch and a pair of pliers. Dear Lord, spare us from that crap! Please!!!

Oh well. This is just a dull, ugly, nasty, pointless exercise in giving a fun character a stupid motivation. Did no one learn anything from Identity Crisis?

Oh. I liked the ending. The very end, that is. We'll see if anything comes of it.

The Surrogates #4 (of 5) by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele
$2.95, Top Shelf
 
 
So I didn't read it because it's the middle of a mini-series. You should still buy it, though. It's been good so far, so why would it go in the tank now? WHY?

Next issue I'll tell you about the whole series and why it's good. Trust me.

X-Men #181 by Peter Milligan, Roger Cruz, and Victor Olazaba with Don Hillsman III
$2.50, Marvel
 
 
This was the first Milligan X-Men issue that I was really disappointed with. He's had some weaker ones, but this one bugged me pretty much from start to finish. First, the art. I mentioned last time that Cruz has gotten better since his mid-1990s heyday of hackery. Well, in this issue he reverts to that. Seriously. This looks like something from 1995, and that ain't good, let me tell you.

But I can live with it. He's only a fill-in, after all. What disappointed me was the big reveal of Doop, which is what Lorna saw in outer space. I'm not entirely sure, but I would think that since he and Logan hung out for a while, Alex might know who he is. Maybe not. The whole thing with Lorna understanding him and Alex not and Doop reacting unfavorably to Alex using his powers is a bit weird. I know, it's Milligan, so it's supposed to be, but it's not weird in a good way. Then we have Apocalypse. Gawd, I hate Apocalypse. If I'm a reasonably intelligent writer of the X-Men (that time will come soon, I swear!), I'm not sitting around thinking, "Wow, Apocalypse is cool - let's use him!" Was this forced on Milligan by the editors? I'd like to think so. What would have been really cool is if Apocalypse woke up, but was one of the mutants without powers. That would have been interesting. Anyway, the Leper Queen gets involved with Alex and Lorna, and bad things happen with her. She's an interesting character, but I wonder if she'll be disappointing when we actually find out her whole story. Milligan does well with these off-kilter characters, though, so I have hope for her. And Mystique returns to the mansion with her stud bull for Rogue. That scene is the worst part of the issue. It's just dumb. Remy standing around shouting, Scott being stupid (does he have any other characteristics?), and Mystique admitting to all that she wants this guy (Augustus, his name is) to hook up with Rogue - yeah, that's a good way to get her to on your side! Just dumb.

So. I guess I'm a sucker. I will think long and hard about continuing with my purchase of this title. One issue shouldn't kill it, but I just have a feeling this book is not going the way of quality comic literature. Larroca's back next month, and I'll take a look. I want to like this. I really do. That's the theme of this week's purchases - books I want to like but can't bring myself to. Oh, the travails of a comic-book-buying nerd!

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