Blog 2.0

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

The Flash has always been an important character in DC Comics mythology, and Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, co-writers of the super-speedster’s newly re-launched title, plan to keep it that way.

“I think he’s a central character,” Buccellato, who is also the Flash colorist, said in an interview. “Through the course of history, The Flash has meant an awful lot to the DC Universe. He’s been a part of a lot of landmarks. And also in terms of powers, the dude can do a lot of things. I think he gets sold short a little bit. Power-wise, I think he’s up there with Superman.”

Manapul, who is also the Flash artist, agreed. “The Flash has been there for major turning points in the comic-book industry,” he said. “In terms of how I look at him, I think what I really like about The Flash is the sense of hope and optimism that the character brings.”

The Flash has a long legacy, stretching back to 1940, when the first Wizard of Whiz was introduced and appeared in various books for 11 years. The second Scarlet Speedster began in 1956 – launching a superhero revival called the “Silver Age” – but was killed and replaced in 1986 with yet a third (and later fourth) Flash. But in 2008 DC’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns resurrected the second Crimson Comet, a forensic police scientist named Barry Allen, who stars in the current “Flash.” That series is only now approaching its third issue, as it was re-launched with DC’s other 51 “DC Universe” titles in September.

Now, the knock against Barry Allen – and why he was “dead” for 22 years – has always been that he’s so perfectly heroic that he’s perfectly boring. But Johns added some angst with the recent Flashpoint miniseries (available in hardback, $22.99), which included a shocking development in the death of Allen’s mother that has added considerably to his personality and motivations. And clearly Manapul and Buccellato don’t think Allen’s true-blue heroism is boring; in fact, they consider it a plus.

“What makes him special is that he comes from a time when a hero was a hero because that was the right thing to do,” Manapul said. “It’s the kind of hero that I think a lot of us, when were kids, aspired to. Now with the way the industry is, there are a lot of anti-heroes. It’s cool and it’s popular, but it’s not at the core of what a hero is about. I think [that heroism] is what The Flash represents to me. I think you’ll see throughout the first year that we’re constantly putting that in contrast both in terms of the thematic story as well as visually. He is the brightest thing that you’ll see on the page, and that’s not by accident.”

“Flash doesn’t have any other agenda than to be heroic and to do the right thing,” Buccellato added. “He’s very simple in that way and I think it’s refreshing. Because, like Francis said, we’ve had a lot of tortured heroes for a while and it’s nice to see somebody who’s going to stand up just because it’s the right thing to do.”

And crack off the bat Manapul and Buccellato have added to The Flash’s bag of tricks with “augmented cognition;” it’s a logical progression that a man who moves faster than the speed of sound would think faster, too.  The pair are using the real science of augmented cognition as a guide, which will have some unexpected ramifications beginning with issue #3. Using realistic science, Manapul said, is one of the “anchors” the co-writers hope will keep this fast-moving book grounded.

And, of course, a book written by two artists will be one of the most visual on the stands.

Writing and drawing in conjunction is “very natural,” Manapul said. “I feel like both are so integrated that I find it hard to separate them. … We’re using every aspect to tell our story. We’re using paneling and layout to expand the story. … We’re using color to help us tell the story. We’re using everything.”

“It’s not an accident that Flash is the only thing that’s red in the story,” Buccalleto added. “It’s clearly an intentional thing and it helps you understand that he’s the focal point.”

And it’s a hopeful one.

“What really inspired me as a comic-book reader when I was a kid … was hope,” Manapul concluded. “I want people to come off reading our comics feeling a sense of hope. That’s been our goal from the beginning.”

Art:

1. The Flashpoint story put The Flash through an emotional trauma. Courtesy DC Entertainment

 2. Flash was re-launched with this first issue in September. Courtesy DC Entertainment

Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com.

I’m not the Silver Age expert on this site.  We have Captain Comics, Commander Benson and Mr. Silver Age for that.  Hey, I wasn’t born until almost halfway through the ‘70s.  But I thought it would be fun to put together a list of the best characters from the ‘50s and ‘60s anyway.  Consider it an outsider’s perspective on which characters were interesting, timeless, noteworthy or at least quirky enough to appeal to a latecomer like me.  Have fun reading.

1. Adam Strange (DC, 1958): He’s a science fiction action hero in the vein of Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and John Carter of Mars, yet he’s also comfortable in the superhero milieu of Superman, Green Lantern and the Justice League of America.  The mechanism that transported him back and forth to Rann was a little contrived but it did result in fast-paced adventures and a tragic emotional hook.
   
   
2. Alfred E. Neuman (EC, 1954): His dim-witted, slightly mischievous mug had been featured in advertisements for half a century.  Even the catchphrase “What, Me Worry?” had been around for decades.  But in 1954, EC made the character their own.  They gave him a name and turned him into the mascot for MAD.  He’s still grinning today, making fun of Justin Bieber and The Walking Dead.
   
   
3. Animal Man (DC, 1965): Maybe I just like the color orange.  Buddy Baker was a late addition to the Silver Age and wasn’t elevated to leading status until Grant Morrison got ahold of him in the 1980s.  Yet the man with the power of any animal is a classic superhero staple.
   
   
   
4. Ant-Man (Marvel, 1962)
5. Atom II (DC, 1961): I’ve always liked the underdog.  That’s probably why I’ve always had affection for these often-belittled little heroes.  They weren’t the first to shrink down to size but they did bring a scientific sensibility to their superhero adventures.
   
    
6. Batgirl (DC, 1966): Barbara Gordon could have made two of these lists.  Her reinvention in the 1980s as the information broker Oracle practically constitutes a new character.  Yet I also love her as the light-hearted adventurer Batgirl.  She brought a sense of joy and wonder to her escapades.  Plus, I have a poster of Batgirl hanging above my home computer.
   
   
7. Beast (Marvel, 1963): Hank McCoy wasn’t that interesting in his initial incarnation.  He was another in a long line of Jack Kirby creations who demonstrated their intelligence by using big words.  But he came into his own in the 1970s when he was reinvented as an actual beast with real fur and then joined the Avengers with a sense of humor that matched his super intellect.
   
   Side-bar: The original X-Men were boring.  Oh, a few of them will make this list but that’s mostly because of what was done with them by later creators.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love them all- even the ones that people mock like Angel and Iceman.  They’re like family.  But they’re great by association and they don’t all deserve entries.
    
8. Beast Boy (DC, 1965): He was the rare standout in a world of sidekicks.  He didn’t copy the powers of his adult mentor.  He was the sidekick to an entire team rather than an individual hero.  And he was a natural comedian, treating the entire superhero scene as a big lark.
   
   
9. “Big Ethel” Muggs (Archie, 1962): I don’t think there’s anyone in comics quite like Ethel Muggs.  She wasn’t gorgeous.  She was incredibly tall, lanky, and a little buck-toothed.  She didn’t have boys chasing after her, unlike Betty, Veronica or
   the other ladies of Riverdale.  Instead, she was the one trying to get Jughead to go out with her.  She bordered on boy-crazy but even at her most intense, she was relatable as the average-looking girl who has to make her own destiny.
    
   
10. Bizarro (DC, 1958): Me no like Bizarro.  Him no make list of stupid characters.
    
     
11. Black Bolt (Marvel, 1965): The silent leader of the otherworldly Inhumans, the Black Bolt is a model of restrained power and nobility.  He’s also a model of artistic restraint.  Jack Kirby’s character designs were often convoluted, but the Black Bolt
    has just enough detail to be distinctive while staying sleek.
    
12. Black Panther (Marvel, 1966): The first black superhero remains the best.  He’s an African
    monarch and an American immigrant.  He has royal dignity and street credibility.  He rises above clichés.  He can stand shoulder to shoulder with heroes like Captain America or world leaders like Dr. Doom.
    
     
13. Black Widow (Marvel, 1964): The Soviet spy who made almost every Marvel superhero fall in love with her at one time or another (not to mention, quite a few comic book fans), she’s an incredibly competent agent, spy, superhero and team leader.
    
     
14. Blue Beetle II (Charlton, 1966): Charlton followed the DC blueprint to success: take a Golden Age character, divest him of mystical elements and
    invest him with science and technology instead.  Ted Kord may have inherited a name from Dan Garrett, but he was a gadget-wielding inventor who fought crime with knowledge and wit.  And a pretty cool costume.
    
    
    
15. Bouncing Boy (DC, 1961): The Legion of Super-Heroes could have contributed a legion of entries and most of them would have been square-jawed heroic types.  But the charm of the Legion came from their offbeat members like Chuck Taine.  As Bouncing Boy, he was impervious to both physical damage and sadness.
    
     
16. Brainiac (DC, 1958): The Silver Age was a great
    era for Superman villains.  Bizarro showed up earlier on this list.  A third villain will make a later appearance.  But Brainiac was arguably the best.  The alien genius was arrogant, callow and extremely dangerous.  I prefer his later robotic look, but in any form he was one of Superman’s most perilous foes.
    
    
17. Brainiac 5 (DC, 1961): What a brilliant idea!  Brainiac 5 was the descendant of Superman villain Brainiac except this time the super-genius was on the side of the good guys as one of the Legion of Super-Heroes.  However, even though he was one of the good guys, the heroic Brainiac 5 remained arrogant, selfish and snide.
    
     
18. Captain Atom (Charlton, 1960): This nuclear-powered space hero created by Steve Ditko, has been a major player in several incarnations for both
    Charlton and DC.
    
     
19. Captain Comet (DC, 1951): He’s not a super-hero.  Captain Comet was a science-fiction star with pulp fiction inspiration.  Then again, he is a superhero.  He has a vast array of powers including clairvoyance, telepathy and telekinesis.  Captain Comet expertly strides the two worlds, which is kind of fitting for a character that was introduced in between the Golden and Silver Ages of comics.
    
    
    
20. Captain Flash (Sterling, 1954): The Captain was one of best new characters to come out of the short-lived superhero revival of 1953-55.  His sleek costume and his radiation-based powers presaged the Silver Age.  Oh, and most of his adventures were drawn by Mike Sekowsky.
    
     
21. Captain Marvel (Marvel, 1967): It’s one of the mostly widely used names in comics.  This is the Marvel version.  Mar-Vell was a Kree soldier sent to spy on Earth.  But after observing the planet, Mar-Vell decides to defend its people instead.
    
    
22. Chameleon Boy (DC, 1960): Our third Legionnaire, Chameleon Boy was a shape-shifter from the planet Durlan.  Over the years, Chameleon and his home planet became the focus for meaningful stories about xenophobia, isolationism, impersonation and paranoia.  Thankfully, he eventually dropped the “boy” from his name.
23. The Creeper (DC, 1968): Steve Ditko took villains that he had created for Blue Beetle (the Madmen) and reworked them into this antihero for DC.  The Creeper was sometimes good, sometimes bad and always unpredictable.
    
     
24. The Crypt-Keeper (EC, 1950): As the host of Tales from the Crypt, the Keeper introduces the stories and teases the readers.  He’s just creepy enough that he’s part of the show, suggesting that even greater horrors await
    those who are about to turn the page.  He’s also a multi-media star having made the leap to television and the movies.
    
    
    Side-bar: I’m not sure why everybody thought it was necessary but every horror comic needed a host.  The Crypt-Keeper shared a neighborhood with the Vault-Keeper from The Vault of Horror and the Old Witch from Haunt of Fear, though they frequently crossed from one comic to the other.  DC brought the brothers Cain and Abel in as the hosts of House of Mystery and House of Secrets.  Warren had Uncle Creepy.  And Charlton had a whole battalion of horror hosts, including Doctor Graves, Mr. Bones and Countess Von Bludd.
     
25. Cyclops (Marvel, 1963): He’s the straight-laced leader of the X-Men.  He bottles up his emotions for the sake of the team so that he’s sometimes considered a little stuffy.  But he also has one of those powers that everybody wishes for (who hasn’t wanted to shoot beams out of their eyes at some point?) and that’s endlessly imitated (ie. The Incredibles’ Gazerbeam).
    
     
26. Daredevil (Marvel, 1964): The first time I tried to invent my own superhero for a role-playing game, I came up with a blind hero who “sees” everything with super-senses.  The games-master replied, “So you want to play Daredevil?”  Then he let me know that Stan Lee beat me there by about 30 years.
    
     
27. Doctor Doom (Marvel, 1962): Honestly, Doctor Doom is not one of my favorite villains.  He’s full of bluster more than actual menace.  But he is the standard for tin-pot dictators from fictional countries.  And it would be weird to put a list together without him.
    
     
28. Doctor Solar (Gold Key, 1962): Doctor Solar was an odd fit in the Silver Age.  He didn’t wear a costume initially and his skin turned green whenever he used his powers.  But a 1990s revival by Jim Shooter and Valiant Comics demonstrated that the guy in the red pajamas might just be the most powerful hero of them all.
    
     
29. Doctor Strange (Marvel, 1963): After an accident robbed him of his ability to work as a surgeon, Dr. Stephen Strange found a second career as the master of magic.
    
     
30. Dynamo (Tower, 1965): He was the linchpin of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.  He was their most powerful member and their star.  His powers, including super-strength, came from the Dynamo belt that he wore.  He was also a very loyal, honest, hard-working hero.
    
     
31. Elasti-Girl (DC, 1963): She’s the biggest star of the Doom Patrol.  She was the one who held the team together when one of the boys got mopey or 
    threw a tantrum.  She was a surrogate mom to Beast-Boy and a friend to everyone.
    
    
    
32. Enemy Ace (DC, 1965): Every once in a while, you might read a story reminding you that the soldiers on the other side are decent, honorable fellows a lot like the guys on our side.  DC took that concept and turned into one of their most compelling features.  The Enemy Ace fought for the Germans in World War I.  Yet he fought with honor, class and excellence.
    
    
    Side-bar: War comics were big business in the ’50s and ‘60s.  DC specialized in them. Marvel dabbled in them.  EC and Warren published noteworthy titles.  And Charlton practically drowned in them.  Many of the titles were anthologies with a new lead for every story.  But several titles focused on specific characters.  In addition to the few, proud men who make this list, we salute Gunner and Sarge, the Haunted Tank, Leatherneck Jack, the Losers, Mademoiselle Marie, Willy Schultz, the Unknown Soldier and all the rest.
    
     
33. The Falcon (Marvel, 1969): Don’t call him a sidekick.  The Falcon was Captain America’s partner, a member of the Avengers and a solo hero in his own right.
    
    
    
34. Fighting American (Prize, 1954): Joe Simon and Jack Kirby jumped into the superhero revival with the Fighting American but they couldn’t take themselves- or the character- as seriously the second time around.  The Fighting American quickly became a parody of superhero comics, fighting communists such as Poison Ivan and Hotsky Trotsky.
    
     
35. The Flash II (DC, 1956): Here’s another Silver Age hero that I find kind of boring.  Sorry.  But there’s no doubting Barry Allen’s place in history.  As a revamp of a Golden Age character, he paved the way and provided the template for the return of superheroes.
    
     
36. The Fly (Archie, 1959): Another Simon and Kirby creation.
    
     
37. Galactus (Marvel, 1966): Galactus is one of great super-villains.  He’s virtually unstoppable.  He
    exposes an ethical quandary- how much responsibility does he have for the lower life forms that live on the planets he eats for sustenance?  And he has a huge, freaking helmet!  Have you seen the size of that thing?
    
    
     
38. General Zod (DC, 1961): Kneel before Zod.
    
     
39. Gorilla Grodd (DC, 1959): Gorillas were pretty popular in the ‘50s so it’s not surprising that at least one of them became a classic foe.  But what makes this gorilla so special is that he has mental faculties that exceed most humans, plus a dash of telepathy on the side.
    
    
    

    Side-Bar: I would have loved to include the Flash’s Rogues.  However, they’re more interesting together than they are individually.  Yet they were introduced one at a time in separate stories (and different years).  So they don’t cut it as individual entries or a truly fit as a group.  Even so, they’re the gang that every group of super-villains aspires to be.
    
     

40. Green Goblin (Marvel, 1964): Spider-Man’s greatest foe.  He’s got a great look, a great set of gadgets (exploding pumpkins and a glider, how cool is that?) and a great laugh.  He’s also got one of the greatest moments in comic book villainy as the one who killed Spider-Man’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy.
    
     
41. Green Lantern II (DC, 1959)
42. Guy Gardner (DC, 1968): They’re arguably the two most popular ring slingers: Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner.  Hal is the buttoned-up, law & order guy, except he also has a fierce independent streak.  That makes him a great test pilot, but also means he runs into friction with authority figures.  Guy is brash and arrogant and a bit of a jerk.  Except he’s also insecure and tenderly romantic.  That makes him one of the most interesting characters to ever light the lantern.
    
     
43. Gyro Gearloose (Dell, 1952): The world of Donald Duck and his Uncle Scrooge kept expanding and adding interesting, new characters.  Most of this expansion happened in the late ‘40s or onscreen (ie. Professor Ludwig Von Drake) but Duckburg’s resident inventor made his debut in Dell Comics and has stuck around ever since.
    
    
     
44. Havok (Marvel, 1969): He’s more than Cyclops’ younger brother.  Alex Summers has a great look, an awesome power and a cool name.  He also has interests outside of the X-Men, like archaeology.  And, like a lot of younger brothers, he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
    
     
45. Hawkeye (Marvel, 1964): I love guys who stir things up, whether it’s Guy Gardner in the Justice League or Hawkeye in the Avengers.  Hawkeye teases his co-workers and agitates those in charge.  Yet he’s also a very effective leader when given the opportunity.
    
    
     
46. Hawkman II (DC, 1961): Another reinvented hero, the second Hawkman is Katar Hol from Thanagar.  The alien origin is interesting though it hasn’t always meshed well with the Egyptology aspects that were left over from the original.  Then again, there are Americans who are experts in Chinese history so why not a Thanagarian expert in Earth history?
    
     
47. The Hulk (Marvel, 1962): One of the greatest anti-heroes ever created, in comics or anywhere else.  Hulk smash!
      
48. Human Torch II (Marvel, 1961)
49. Invisible Woman (Marvel, 1961): This brother and sister tandem is the heart of the Fantastic Four.  Sue Storm (now Richards) started out as the weak link on the team but an expansion of her abilities to include invisible force fields turned her into the resident powerhouse.  She’s a great wife, mother, big sister and friend.  She’s the team’s conscience and it’s real leader.  Johnny was supposed to be the breakout star (he was the first to get a solo gig) but he didn’t realize his potential until the recent movies.  He’s the one who reminds us that this is supposed to be fun.  It’s cool to have powers.
    
     
50. Iron Man (Marvel, 1963): Tony Stark is the natural evolution of technology.  The Golden Age gave us robots and heroes with gadgets but Tony truly became the man inside the machine.  Astonishingly, with his womanizing and alcohol addiction, the man inside the machine is sometimes more interesting than the superhero.
    
    
    

    Special Side-Bar: While compiling this list, I tried to be representative of every era and multiple genres.  But, perhaps not surprisingly, the list is heavily represented by the early ‘60s.  That’s mostly because of the Silver Age superhero boom-though not entirely as non-superheroes like Ethel Muggs and Enemy Ace hail from those years as well.  As for comics’ dark decade, four years in the ‘50s make the list only once and one year, 1957, doesn’t make the list at all. 

     

27 SECOND SET #3 (OF 4)
5 RONIN TP

ALIENS FAST TRACK TO HEAVEN HC
ALL STAR WESTERN #3
ALPHA FLIGHT #6
ANNIHILATORS EARTHFALL #3 (OF 4)
AQUAMAN #3
ASTONISHING X-MEN #44
AVENGERS ORIGINS SCARLET WITCH & QUICKSILVER 1
AVENGERS SOLO #2 (OF 5)

BART SIMPSON COMICS #65
BATGIRL TP VOL 03 THE LESSON
BATMAN THE BLACK MIRROR HC
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #3
BETTY PAGES ANNUAL SC VOL 01 (MR)
BILLY TUCCI A CHILD IS BORN ONE SHOT
BLACKEST NIGHT ACTION FIGURE BOX SET
BLACKHAWKS #3
BPRD HELL ON EARTH RUSSIA #3

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY #624
CAVEWOMAN COVER GALLERY #4 (MR)
COMIC BOOK COMICS #6 (OF 6)
CURIOUS CASES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES GN

DAKEN DARK WOLVERINE #17
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #6
DARKWING DUCK DUCKTALES DANGEROUS CURRENCY
DC COMICS PRESENTS LIFE STORY OF THE FLASH #1
DC HEROES WAVE 19 STRIPE AF SET
DEADPOOL MAX 2 #2 (MR)
DIABLO #1 (OF 5)
DMZ #71 (MR)
DOCTOR WHO BRILLIANT BOOK OF DOCTOR WHO 2012
DOCTOR WHO ENCYCLOPEDIA HC NEW ED
DOCTOR WHO ONGOING VOL 2 #11
DOMINION GN (MR)
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS #13

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 2 #5

FANTASTIC FOUR #600
FLASH #3
FREAKY MONSTERS MAGAZINE #6
FURY OF FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MEN #3

GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD #6 (MR)
GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND HOOK #2
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS TP VOL 02 SONG OF THE SIRENS
GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #3
GREEN LANTERN OMNIBUS HC VOL 02

HAMILTON & BRACKETT STARK & STAR KINGS HC
HELLBLAZER #285 (MR)
HELLRAISER MASTERPIECES #2 (MR)

I VAMPIRE #3
INCORRUPTIBLE #24
INFINITE #4
INVINCIBLE #85
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #510
IRON MAN 2.0 #10

JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #4 (OF 5)
JESUS HATES ZOMBIES JURASSIC KINDA LIFE GN VOL 02
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #3

KAPOW GUINNESS WORLD RECORD SPECIAL #1 (MR)
KICK-ASS 2 #5 (MR)

LAST PHANTOM #10
LIFE WITH ARCHIE #15
LITTLE LULU TP V29 THE CRANKY GIANT AND OTHER
LOCKE & KEY GUIDE TO KNOWN KEYS ONE SHOT
LOVECRAFT LIBRARY HC V1 HORROR OUT OF ARKHAM

MARVEL MINIMATES SERIES 42 ASST
MIGHTY THOR #8
MILK & CHEESE DAIRY PRODUCTS GONE BAD HC
MMW X-MEN TP VOL 04

PARKER MARTINI ED HC
POGO COMP SYNDICATED STRIPS HC V1 WILD WONDER
PREACHER HC BOOK 05 (MR)
PRINCELESS #1

RASL #12 (MR)
RED SONJA #59
RICHELLE MEAD DARK SWAN #4 (OF 4) STORM BORN (
ROBERT JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME EYE O/T WORLD #17
ROCKETEER JETPACK TREASURY ED
ROYAL HISTORIAN OF OZ TP

SAVAGE DRAGON KIDS ARE ALRIGHT TP
SAVAGE HAWKMAN #3
SCALPED #54 (MR)
SECRET AVENGERS #19
SHADE #2 (OF 12)
SHOWCASE PRESENTS GHOSTS TP VOL 01
SIXTH GUN #17
SKAAR KING OF SAVAGE LAND TP
SONIC UNIVERSE #34
SPIDER JUDGE JURY & EXECUTIONER HC
SPIDER-MAN #20
SPIDER-MAN ORIGIN OF HOBGOBLIN TP
STAR WARS KNIGHT ERRANT DELUGE #4 (OF 5)
STAR WARS OMNIBUS TP V2 AT WAR WITH THE EMPIRE
SUPER DINOSAUR TP VOL 01
SUPERMAN #3

TANK GIRL CARIOCA #2 (OF 3) (MR)
TEEN TITANS #3
TEEN WOLF BITE ME #3 (OF 3)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULT COLL HC V1
TERRY MOORE HOW TO DRAW #2 EXPRESSIONS

ULTIMATE COMICS CAPTAIN AMERICA TP
ULTIMATE COMICS HAWKEYE #4 (OF 4)
UNCANNY X-FORCE DARK ANGEL SAGA PREM HC BK 1
UNWRITTEN #31.5 (MR)
USAGI YOJIMBO #142

VENGEANCE #5 (OF 6)
VESCELL #4 (MR)
VOODOO #3

WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #47 (MR)
WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK HC V1 LOST I/T ANDES
WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #8
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #2 XREGG

YELLOW LANTERN 1/4 SCALE POWER BATTERY & RING

This list is a copy of the list posted at memphiscomics.com. Arrivals at your LCS may vary.

'Marzi' demonstrates life behind Iron Curtain through child's eyes

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

I doubt very many of us have wondered what it was like to grow up as a little girl in Communist Poland, but after Marzi: A Memoir (DC/Vertigo, $17.99), I doubt many of us will ever forget it.

Marzi is written by Marzena Sowa as an account, as she remembers it, of her coming of age in the 1980s behind the Iron Curtain. That alone is fascinating enough – clearly, life under Communism is and was an experience completely alien to our own. But Sowa also completely captures the perspective of a child, one universal to us all. That viewpoint is held with marvelous consistency throughout, grounding the reader in the shared, while experiencing the unique.

Reading Marzi, one is immediately struck by its similarities to Persepolis, a similar tale of another little girl growing up under a repressive regime (Iran). In addition, both Marzi artist Sylvain Savoia and Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi use a fluid, cartoony style, which serves not only to invite the reader with its gentle charm, but also to serve as a counterpoint to the harsh, serious world in which the protagonists live.

But there are strong differences as well. Persepolis, for example, gives us enough of the adult perspective that we understand both the little girl and the forces acting on her. But Marzi eschews the latter almost entirely, allowing us only what she herself witnessed, and how she understood it.

That could be a handicap, except that Marzi differs from Persepolis in another way: length. Marzi is a long read, and necessarily so. It’s the accretion of detail that allows us to understand Marzi’s world in ways that she herself didn’t understand until she was an adult.

And what a world it is. From the first scene, when her father wrangles a carp on the black market, we understand what a colorless, strange place she inhabits. The fish is a big, big deal, not something Marzi’s family can afford or even find most of the time. But the family is splurging for a celebration – one assumes Christmas, which is not recognized in the officially atheist state – and the carp is kept alive in the bathtub as a pet, until the big day … when they kill it and eat it.

This is Marzi’s Bizarro world, and we see it through her eyes.  It’s the skill of the adult Marzena that brings that to us, capturing both the childlike wonder and earnest confusion of those early years. It’s a mesmerizing read.

Also:

Occasionally I receive an art-instruction book for review, but I don’t feel I have the expertise to review those, so I usually refrain. However, I’m willing to make an exception for Watson-Guptill’s How to Draw Chiller Monsters, Werewolves, Vampires, and Zombies ($19.99).

I took enough art classes in college to know that Chiller is pretty much Drawing 101, with chapters on blocking out figures, perspective, contrast, texture, lighting, composition and so forth. Any of a dozen books on my shelf do the same.

However, Chiller has two other things going for it that the others don’t.

One is that it focuses on – well, what the title says it does. Which gives it an added oomph, in that you learn how to draw the handsome guy, and then how to draw the handsome guy after he becomes a decomposing, worm-riddled, brain-eating zombie. In the newspaper trade, we call that “value added.”

The other advantage Chiller has over the competition is the author, J. David Spurlock. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Spurlock is founder of Vanguard Publications, which specializes in art books from, and history books about, famous comic-book artists. In the course of that job, Spurlock has forged relationships with many of the biggest names in the field over the decades, and those artists (or their estates) have contributed work as examples to emulate.

So, you know, it’s nice to be shown how to draw a vampire by Spurlock, who is an art teacher and illustrator in his own right. But it’s even cooler to be shown how to draw a Gene “Tomb of Dracula” Colan vampire! Other big names found in the book include Dan Adkins, Jack Davis, Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, Basil Gogos, Kerry Gammill, Gray Morrow, Jim Steranko, Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, Wally Wood and Bernie Wrightson. Toss in the foreword by heavy-metal musician and horror movie director Rob Zombie, and Chiller is a pretty comprehensive package.

Art

1. Marzi: A Memoir is an autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in Communist Poland. Courtesy DC Entertainment.

2. How to Draw Chiller Monsters, Werewolves, Vampires, and Zombies includes art for an all-star cast of comic-book artists. Courtesy Watson-Guptill.

Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com.

Short films featuring DC comics' characters will be shown on the Cartoon Network channel in 2012.  It would be interesting if persons from the indie film and indie comic book industries would be invited to use  the company's characters.to tell stories.  

"We have met the enemy and they are us" -- Pogo Possum

The latest episode of The Walking Dead had me thinking about the line above, perhaps the most famous quote from Walt Kelly's long-running comic strip, Pogo. It reminded me of a thought that occasionally flits across my frontal lobe about how so many of our iconic monsters seem to represent the threat not just of death, but also -- and maybe moreso -- turning Us into Them. If you squint just right, it seems to suggest that what we're most afraid of is ourselves.

Vampires. Werewolves. Zombies. All of them turn Us into Them, turn friend into foe, turn our numbers against us. Yes, death is an element as well -- you have to die to become a vampire or zombie, and being torn to ribbons is the first, immediate danger of lyncanthropy. But, tellingly, you don't die to become a werewolf, and we're still afraid of that. Jekyll/Hyde dispensed with "the other" altogether and kept it in the (homo sapiens) family -- Hyde is the animal (and the enemy) within. If we want to stretch the concept further, we can include Frankenstein's Monster and The Mummy; the former is made up of fellow humans (albeit dead ones) and the latter is a human, or was. You'll note that The Mummy isn't a super-power resurrected animal of any kind. Because it isn't animals we're afraid of, werewolves notwithstanding. No, once again it's US that is the enemy, or potentially so.

One aspect of these monsters that's so frightening is that they look familiar, but don't act in a familiar manner. Your former friend is now a zombie, say, and while he looks like your friend (mostly), his behavior and priorities have changed radically. He's joined another team, and become a stranger. He wants to kill you, or worse, make you join his tribe. It's not really a stretch to substitute "John became a flesh-eating zombie" with "John joined a different church/worships a different God." It's the familiar turned un-familiar -- and the threat to make you do the same -- which frightens us. 

Maybe it's that last part that is what is most frightening, the transformation of Us into Them. Maybe this is all just a huge metaphor for our fear of betrayal by our friends, of being victimized by other humans, and/or being too weak to live up to our own principles and becoming a betrayer, a monster, ourselves. It seems to me that one of our great fears is that we're not as strong in our faiths, creeds and beliefs as we'd like to believe. Many people grow most angry in a political discussion when the other guy's points begin to make sense.

We have actual industries in place to reverse these transformations. We have "de-programmers," for example, that kidnap family members who've joined a cult and essentially brainwash them into being like they used to be. That kinda creeps me out, too, and not just because it suggests how programmable -- how malleable and potentially transformational -- we all are. It's also because virtually all major religions were considered cults when they began, and only lost that tag when they became large enough to be institutional. In other words, from a classification perspective, all religions are cults until they become popular.

So who's to say we're right and they're wrong? As an illustrative example, I daresay we'd all be outraged if a de-programmer kidnapped a Southern Baptist and brainwashed him or her into becoming, say, Catholic. But what about an unpopular religion? What about a Hare Krishna? A polygamist Mormon? A Muslim? (It's now the second-most populous religion on Earth, but I bet a lot of Christian parents would gladly pay a de-programmer to "fix" a child who joined Islam -- and probably many of their neighbors, and the police, would look the other way.) What's the cutoff point where we say, "Oh, OK, that religion is all right. But those other ones have got to go."? Food for thought.

Another example of an anti-transformational industry, I believe, are the so-called "pray away the gay" groups. Your son or daughter comes out? Changes before your eyes into a "stranger"? Drag them to a religious-oriented programmer, who transforms them back into what you want. Evidently the "transformation" scares some parents, and even some gays, and they want to change it back. The parents long for their world before the transformation, like Rick & Co. in The Walking Dead, and struggle to re-establish it.

Speaking of The Walking Dead, creator Robert Kirkman has consistently maintained that the title refers to the surivivors, not the zombies. His intent is to explore what honest, decent people turn into when forced to do terrible things to survive. Ultimately, I assume, he will confront us with the question of who the monsters really are.

So there again we have the fear of transformation, of people becoming monsters, twice over. What does this say about us as a species? Does it mean that, despite hopeful fictional future utopias like Star Trek, that deep in our hearts we fear our lesser instincts will win out? Or is it a conservative impluse, of preserving the status quo and never changing? Or is it a fear of the stranger, of the unknown he or she represents? Or is it simply a tribal thing in our lizard brains, where we demand loyalty to our tribe, and what we hate most is those who join the other team? Or is it some sort of species-wide form of self-loathing? Or is it bigotry, a need to define others as something lesser so we can feel superior?  Or is it all of these? Or a combination? Or something else?

To tell you the truth, I don't know. I have questions, not answers. What do you guys think?

I read an article last week on Grantland.com in which editor Bill Simmons tried to challenge the conventional thinking on film star Eddie Murphy.   He argued that Murphy had one of the greatest runs ever for a comedian and that a swoon later in his career doesn’t take that away.  He claimed that Murphy’s later work, while inconsistent, hasn’t been entirely bad (Bowfinger and Dreamgirls stand out as late-career highlights).  He also noted that Murphy has become one of the most bankable actors in family comedies (see The Nutty Professor, Dr. Doolittle, Shrek and even Daddy Day Care).  That may not get him the same kind of critical accolades he once enjoyed but it’s still impressive- especially when you consider that it’s been about 17 years since David Spade quipped “catch a falling star” on Saturday Night Live in response to a photo of Murphy.  

​It was an admirable attempt.  But I don’t think it had much of a chance.  And that was before Murphy’s latest movie, Tower Heist, debuted to lower-than-expected box office and before Murphy pulled out of the Academy Awards in solidarity with his friend, Brett Ratner.  

​It’s really hard- almost impossible- to change conventional wisdom.  It’s broadly accepted, even if it isn’t entirely accurate.  That’s what makes it “conventional” wisdom.  Once that kind of thinking has set in across society, it becomes fossilized.  One well-meaning article- or even two- isn’t going to sway broad-based opinion.  
​Bill Simmons demonstrates this in his own article.  While trying to sway conventional thinking on one entertainer, he buys into the conventional wisdom regarding another.   Simmons makes the statement that the Rolling Stones haven’t made a good album in 30 years.  That’s about right… according to conventional wisdom.  

The last good Stones album is supposedly Tattoo You in 1981.  But I remember when Steel Wheels came out in 1989.  It was promptly declared the sign of a Stones’ comeback and their best album since the beginning of the decade.  Voodoo Lounge and Bridges to Babylon received similar, if not universal, accolades.  When A Bigger Bang came out in 2005, it was called the greatest Stones album in 25 years.  But I doubt the critical acclaim for A Bigger Bang did much to change conventional thinking.  I suspect that if the Stones come out with another album, it too will be heralded as their best album since Tattoo You.

Conventional thinking affects comic book characters as well.  This character is the do-gooder. This character is inherently flawed. This character can’t hold their own title.  And so on.  

That’s one of the reasons I’ve admired Geoff Johns’ new Aquaman title.  He’s directly confronting the conventional wisdom.  Aquaman may be a superhero but most people think he’s useless.  That’s partly because of artificial limitations originally placed on the character (he used to lose his powers if he was out of water for an hour).  That’s partly because of the intrinsic limitations of his best-known ability (how often do you need to talk to fish?).  And so Aquaman has been the butt of jokes for decades.  

Geoff Johns has taken those jokes and made them a part of the current series.  They’re not an accurate reflection of Aquaman’s abilities but they are part of the conventional thinking of citizens in the DC Universe.  Various characters have made off-handed comments about Aquaman’s supposed weaknesses.  Some have made jokes at Aquaman’s expense.  Aquaman has dismissed the comments- sometimes casually, sometimes stoically, sometimes coldly.  He’s not out to change the world’s opinion of himself but he’s also not going to put up with being mocked.    

I think it’s admirable.  I realize that some comic book fans disagree.  For them, Aquaman’s reputation has already been rehabilitated.  Peter David orchestrated a new vision for Aquaman- he gave him long hair and a hook while ditching the orange shirt.  He emphasized Aquaman’s other abilities, such as enhanced senses and strength from enduring the ocean depths.  Grant Morrison brought this version of Aquaman into the Justice League, giving even greater exposure to an Aquaman who could kick butt.  

Yet, as much as I enjoyed David and Morrison’s approach to the character, it didn’t change much in the larger picture.  Sure, some comic book fans had a new appreciation for Aquaman.  But they weren’t going to sway the tide of public opinion.  They weren’t going to change the minds of people who laughed at Aquaman jokes on Saturday Night Live.  
Plus, it’s been a decade since David or Morrison worked with the character.  It’s been a decade in which Aquaman “couldn’t hold his own title. “  It’s been a decade in which Aquaman has been depicted as a water elemental and a fantasy character and anything except a powerful, classic superhero.  David did incredible work with the character.  But it didn’t stick.  It didn’t change conventional wisdom.

I doubt Geoff Johns will have much success in that regard either.  It’s hard to swim upstream against decades of conventional thinking.  But maybe it’s not impossible.  David changed the minds of one generation of comic book fans.  Johns might shape the opinions of another.  Plus, Johns’ new Aquaman is part of DC’s high profile “new 52.”  That’s still not SuperFriends level, but it’s more exposure than the character has experienced in decades.  The cumulative effect might eventually change public perception.  

I’m not holding my breath though.  Once public opinion has set in, it’s almost impossible to change.  But I can still enjoy a great Aquaman series.  And I can still appreciate the attempt to showcase him as a real superhero.

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

It doesn’t seem probable, but a new graphic novel with Batman at the center of a classic Christmas story is simply terrific.

Lee Bermejo writes and draws Batman: Noël ($22.99, DC Entertainment) which tells of a Batman/Joker battle through the lens of A Christmas Carol. At first blush this sounds like a terrible idea; the schmaltz of Charles Dickens would seem a poor fit for Gotham City. Amazingly, Bermejo makes it fit like a glove.

Well, a glove with brass bat-knuckles crunching into the face of a cowardly criminal, that is. On the Batman Grimness Scale – with Adam West’s campy Caped Crusader on one end and Frank Miller’s psychotic Dark Knight Returns on the other – Bermejo’s Batman leans strongly toward “Heartless.” Almost Scrooge-like, you might say.

So alert readers will realize immediately that Batman has a lesson to learn, and a voice-over – we don’t know whose voice until the end – tells the familiar tale of Scrooge meeting three spirits that change his perspective. There’s enough variation from the original to leave little doubt who is “Scrooge,” but it’s muddied enough that the Dickens tale remains largely intact. The “spirits” are characters everyone will recognize, and moreover, they work well metaphorically in plain old flesh and blood.

Bermejo has graphic novels like Luthor and Joker under his utility belt as an artist. Here, in his authorial debut, he pulls off the nearly impossible, scraping the barnacles off the most oft-told Christmas tale and successfully applying it where it would seem least likely to work.

Even if it didn’t, though, I’d still recommend Noël for the art alone. Bermejo has always been exceptional, but in this book we see a plausible leather-and-metal-clad Batman (his suit fairly creaks) and a Gotham rendered so lovingly that it, too, feels real.

Points go to colorist Barbara Ciardo too; her frozen, blue-white Gotham sucks the warmth right out of you. She wields the complementary colors just as well, giving a certain Kryptonian an inner glow entirely appropriate for a man fueled by the sun.

Batman: Noël hit comic shops Nov. 2 and bookstores Nov. 8. It’s not your typical holiday tale, but Batman isn’t your typical Scrooge.

Elsewhere:

* I’ve never been the biggest fan of Lewis Trondheim, the French cartoonist best known for his role-playing-game parody series Dungeon. But his latest Little Nothings Vol. 4 (NBM, $14.99) was so entertaining that I’m going to have to re-read his oeuvre with fresh eyes.

This collection of one-pagers illustrates Trondheim’s adventures in a trip across the U.S.  It’s a travelog comprised of both the exotic and the mundane, and throughout we are treated to Trondheim’s curmudgeonly reactions. It’s like Andy Rooney commenting on a trip to France, only in reverse.

Little Nothings is illustrated in a cartoony style that would feel at home in a children’s book. But Trondheim’s urbane, self-deprecating humor is so dry it would go over the heads of children (and many adults). The French may be enamored of the broad comedy of Jerry Lewis, but you wouldn’t know it from Trondheim’s subtle and sarcastic wit.

* Sometimes a comic-book story based on a videogame rises above its obvious limitations. Then you’ve got Bleedout Volume One (Archaia, $14.95).

Written by Mike Kennedy, Bleedout contains 10 chapters by 10 different artists that sets up what I presume is the premise of the game, detailing a world run out of oil and how Sunrise City, U.S.A., is now run by a criminal cabal. The 10 chapters explore the different factions and leaders who jointly control Sunrise, narrated by the mysterious Pilot, who wants to kill them all for revenge, and whose back story we piece together over the course of the book.

The problem with any graphic novel based on a videogame is that it can’t end – it just sets up the game, which also doesn’t end, so you can play it over and over. And that’s the problem with Bleedout. It’s all set-up, with no payoff.

Further, Pilot’s narration is the only voice we hear, so we don’t really “meet” anyone else – all the other characters are simply described, like (cough) players in a game. And the author’s tendency to use lines from Jesus’s betrayal in The Bible to describe Pilot is both pompous and wildly tone-deaf.

What redeems Bleedout is the art, which includes luminaries like Ben Templesmith and Howard Chaykin. If you’re looking for an actual story, though, you may need to wait for Volume Two.

Photos:

1. Lee Bermejo somehow combines the Dark Knight and Charles Dickens to good effect in Batman: Noel. Courtesy DC Entertainment.

2. Little Nothings Volume 4 gives free expression to Lewis Trondheim's sardonic wit. Courtesy NBM Publishing.

3. Bleedout Volume One, based on a videogame, makes you wish you'd bought the game instead. Courtesy Archaia. 

Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com.

68 HARDSHIP ONE SHOT

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #674
AMERICAN PIN UP HC
ANDREW LOOMIS FIGURE DRAWING FOR ALL ITS HC
ANNE RICE SERVANT OF THE BONES #4 (OF 6)
ARCHIE BEST OF SAMM SCHWARTZ HC VOL 01
ARKHAM HORROR DANCE OF THE DAMNED
ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BK 2 BROTHERS IN ARMS
ATOMIC ROBO GHOST OF STATION X #3 (OF 6)
AVENGERS #19
AVENGERS ACADEMY #22
AVENGERS ORIGINS LUKE CAGE #1

BACK ISSUE #52
BATMAN #3
BATMAN A DEATH IN THE FAMILY TP NEW ED
BATMAN AND ROBIN TP VOL 02 BATMAN VS ROBIN
BIRDS OF PREY #3
BLUE BEETLE #3
BLUE ESTATE #7 (MR)
BOB POWELL TERROR HC
BONNIE LASS #3 (OF 4)
BOYS BUTCHER BAKER CANDLESTICKMAKER #5 (MR)

CAPTAIN AMERICA #4
CAPTAIN ATOM #3
CAPTAIN SWING TP (MR)
CARBON GREY ORIGINS #1 (OF 2) (MR)
CATWOMAN #3
CONAN ROAD OF KINGS #10

DARKNESS ACCURSED TP VOL 05
DC COMICS PRESENTS SUPERMAN THE KENTS #1
DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #17
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #3
DEADPOOL #46
DEADPOOL TEAM-UP TP VOL 03 BFFS
DEADPOOL TP VOL 07 SPACE ODDITY
DEAN KOONTZ NEVERMORE #5 (OF 6)
DOCTOR WHO A FAIRYTALE LIFE TP
DRAWING DOWN THE MOON SC
DREAM REAVERS #2 (OF 4)
DREAMER TP VOL 02

ELEPHANTMEN #36 (MR)
END OF NATIONS #1 (OF 4) (RES)
EPOCH #3 (OF 5)

FEAR ITSELF FEARLESS #3 (OF 12)
FEAR ITSELF #7 POINT THREE
FLASH THE ROAD TO FLASHPOINT HC
FRACTURE OF THE UNIVERSAL BOY GN (MR)

GENERATION HOPE #13 XREGB
GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #3
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #172
GLADSTONES SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS TP V1
GODZILLA LEGENDS #1 (OF 5)
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #3
GREEN LANTERN WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS HC

HAUNT #18
HAWKEN #1 (OF 6)

I AM CAPTAIN AMERICA #1
ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE #35
INCREDIBLE HULK #2
IZOMBIE #19 (MR)

JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #3 (OF 5)
JOHN CARTER A PRINCESS OF MARS #3 (OF 5)
JUGHEAD #210
JUSTICE LEAGUE #3

KEVIN SMITH BIONIC MAN #4
KEY OF Z #2 (OF 4) (MR)
KIRBY GENESIS CAPTAIN VICTORY #1
KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #180

LADY DEATH ORIGINS TP VOL 02
LEGENDS O/T DARK KNIGHT MARSHALL ROGERS HC
LEGION OF MONSTERS #2 (OF 4)

MASS EFFECT INVASION #2 (OF 4)
MMW GOLDEN AGE ALL WINNERS HC VOL 04
MORNING GLORIES #14 (MR)
MUDMAN #1
MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #2 (OF 6)

NEW MUTANTS #34 XREGB
NIGHTWING #3
NORTHLANDERS #46 (MR)

PLANET OF THE APES #8
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST COMEDY OF DEATH TP
PUNISHER #5

QUEEN SONJA #24

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #3

SANDMAN TP V1 PRELUDES & NOCTURNES NEW ED
SERGIO ARAGONES FUNNIES #5
SEVERED #4 (OF 7) (MR)
SIMPSONS COMICS #184
SIX GUNS #2 (OF 5)
SKULLKICKERS TP V2 FIVE FUNERALS & A BUCKET O
SNAKE EYES (ONGOING) TP VOL 01
SNAKE EYES ONGOING (IDW) #7
SPEED RACER CIRCLE OF VENGEANCE #1 (OF 4)
SPIDER SATANS SEVEN SWORDSMEN GN VOL 01
SPIDER-MAN TORMENT TP NEW PTG
STAND NIGHT HAS COME #4 (OF 6)
STAR TREK 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR
STAR WARS INVASION REVELATIONS #5 (OF 5)
SUPERGIRL #3

TEEN TITANS TEAM BUILDING TP
THOR WORLD EATERS TP
THUNDERBOLTS #165
TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #30
TRANSFORMERS TIMELINES #6 STUNTI CON JOB

ULTIMATE COMICS DOOMSDAY TP
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #3 2ND PTG
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #3

VALVE PRESENTS SACRIFICE & OTHER STEAM POWER
VENOM #9

WALKING DEAD #91 (MR)
WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #46 (MR)
WAR GODDESS #3 (MR)
WHO IS JAKE ELLIS TP VOL 01
WOLVERINE BEST THERE IS #11
WOLVERINE PUNISHER GHOST RIDER OFF INDEX MU #4
WONDER WOMAN #3

X-23 #17
X-FACTOR #227
X-MEN #21 XREGB
X-MEN REGENESIS #1 2ND PTG CYCLOPS VAR
X-MEN REGENESIS #1 2ND PTG WOLVERINE VAR
X-MEN SCHISM #1 (OF 5) X PTG VA
X-MEN SCHISM #4 (OF 5) X PTG VAR
XENOHOLICS #2 (MR)

YOUNG JUSTICE #10

ZATANNA TP VOL 02 SHADES OF THE PAST
ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #5 (OF 12)

This posting is a copy of the list Comics & Collectibles posted on Facebook. Arrivals at your LCS may vary.

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Occasionally someone executes a standard storytelling device with such dazzling skill that it reminds you why that device became standard in the first place. Rebecca Guay is that someone, with A Flight of Angels (DC/Vertigo, $24.99).

An award-winning fantasy artist, Guay has set up an anthology of five stories on a single theme, with the narrators gathered together in a framing device that amounts to a sixth story. This is an approach to anthologies at least as old as The Canterbury Tales, so it is well-trod ground – a minus if it feels clichéd, which this does not. And it’s a plus when you consider how quickly the reader will grasp the ground rules.

The framing story begins with a wounded, unconscious angel falling into a forest in Faerie. Various characters – faeries, a pixie, a hag, a hobgoblin, a trickster, etc. – gather to determine what to do: Heal it, or kill it?

They hold a tribunal, where five characters spin tales on who or what they imagine this angel to be. Each of these stories is written by a master of fantasy, including Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Louise Hawes (Vanishing Point), Alisa Kwitney (The Dreaming), Todd Mitchell (The Traitor King) and Bill Willingham (Fables). Each quickly establishes a fully-fleshed, entertaining world of magical rules and mythical characters, wherein they place a complete story, with beginning, middle and end.  Of course, each story has something to do with angels, but otherwise no two are alike.

To drive this home, Guay uses five different artistic techniques on the five different stories. Even to a novice they are all obviously by the same artist, but just as obviously Guay chooses a different media or style to reflect the tone of the story. The result is a breathtaking artistic tour de force.

Nor does Guay short-shrift the framing device, which is written by Black. Here the artist opts for a duotone wash that reflects the story’s location – the ethereal land of Faerie – and is a clever, subliminal shorthand to remind the reader of transitions into and out of the five stories, which are in full color. Further, the framing device is a fully-realized story in itself, as we learn the origins of Faerie (it goes back to Lucifer’s rebellion), the relationships among the characters (including a bitter faerie lord and the faerie girl who dumped him), character development (a naïve, unworldly faun who becomes less so by the end) and a shocking conclusion.

This is a book that is simultaneously as old as campfire tales and as fresh and full of possibility as the dawn. It’s the sort of book that makes me proud to be a comics fan.

Elsewhere:

Somebody else who likes comics is the U.S. government! It discovered as long ago as the 1940s that comics were a good way to disseminate information, even to those who would never take the time to read a manual – and it’s been publishing them ever since.

Earlier this year, Abrams ComicArts did the world a favor by assembling a collection of government comics created by comics legend Will Eisner (P.S. Magazine: The Best of Preventive Maintenance Monthly). Now they’ve added Government Issue: Comics for the People, 1940s-2000s ($29.95), an overview of the zillions of other comics the government has produced. And it is a gold mine of the serious, the silly and the truly strange stuff the government thinks we ought to know.

Want to know how to duck and cover during a nuclear war? How to properly salute? How Social Security disability works? How to clean and operate an M-16? How to know you have syphilis? If so, Uncles Sam’s got a comic book for you, and you can find it in Government Issue!

Some of these comics are incredibly cheesy, which is worth a laugh. But some are by top-flight cartoonists who lend their characters to the cause, such as Al Capp’s “Li’l Abner Joins the Navy!”,  “Dennis the Menace Takes a Poke at Poison!” and the Peanuts crew explaining amblyopia (“Security Is an Eye Patch”). You’ll also run across big-name artists like Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates”), Joe Kubert (Sgt. Rock) and Kurt Schaffenberger (Lois Lane).

The comics are selected by Richard Graham, an associated professor and media services librarian at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with a foreword by Sid Jacobson, co-creator of the 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. The comics are separated by category, but united in their importance to pop-culture history – and, too often, their painful sincerity.

Art:

1. Vertigo's A Flight of Angels is an anthology of fantasy stories. Courtesy DC Entertainment Inc.

2. Government Issue is an overview of the comics Uncle Sam has produced over the last seven decades. Courtesy Abrams ComicArts. 

Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com.

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

They say crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Does Not Pay sure did. Now, thanks to Dark Horse, we can see what made this particular comic book so successful – and notorious.

Crime Does Not Pay began in 1942 at small Lev Gleason publications, co-edited by Bob Wood and Charles Biro, who contributed stories and art as well. It was the first “true crime” comic book, which is to say it purported to relate actual crimes committed by actual criminals, occasionally famous ones like Lucky Luciano and Baby Face Nelson. Of course, reality often took a back seat to fiction when the story called for it, or out of sheer sloppiness. It was a comic book, not a history book!

But fiction or not, Crime Does Not Pay sold like gangbusters, with reports of anywhere from one to four million copies a month at its peak, even when there were dozens of imitators on the stands. The secret was its sheer luridness; covers showed bullets flying, brains exploding, faces pushed into burning stoves, you name it. Given the title, there was always some sort of coda at the end explaining how the criminal was killed or imprisoned, but nobody was fooled that this was a Sunday school lesson, given how the preceding pages would glorify the criminal’s short, fast life full of sex, violence and money. Plus, the word “CRIME” was huge on the cover, with “Does Not Pay” almost an afterthought.

The gusto with which Biro and Wood delivered the goods made Crime a target for censors, and it was a favorite example of such notables as Fredric Wertham, author of the anti-comics screed Seduction of the Innocent. The outrage against comic books like Crime culminated in 1954 with the infamous Comics Code, which nearly killed the industry and definitely put a bullet through the “true crime” genre. Within a year, Crime Does Not Pay and its ilk were out of business.

In a strange coda, co-editor Wood murdered his girlfriend in a style reminiscent of a Crime Does Not Pay story (he bludgeoned her to death with a clothes iron in a hotel room during a long drinking binge). After serving time, Wood was himself murdered, probably over gambling debts.

Which, in a roundabout way, brings us to Blackjacked and Pistol-Whipped: A Crime Does Not Pay Primer (Dark Horse, $19.99). This collection of Crime Does Not Pay tales is the first such I’ve seen, and the cover – a recreation of the style of the day by Pete Poplaski – depicts Wood’s horrific act of violence. The interior contains an introduction by 100 Bullets writer Brian Azzarello; a lengthy foreword by comics publisher, historian and editor Denis Kitchen; and 24 representative stories from Crime Does Not Pay at its most lurid.

These stories are utterly absent any redeeming value, which is probably why they’re so incredibly entertaining. They are the guiltiest of guilty pleasures. But another factor is the talent – not only were the stories short and punchy, but the art was often by the likes of Dan Barry (Flash Gordon), Carmine Infantino (The Flash), Fred Guardineer (Zatara the Magician) and George Tuska (Iron Man).  

And the influence of Crime Does Not Pay lives on, although not in obvious ways. The apex of violence found in 1940s comic books doesn’t hold a candle to what you can see on TV and in the movies today, so we’ll likely never see another successful “true crime” comic book. But supposedly Crime inspired Harvey Kurtzman’s critically acclaimed war comics from EC Comics in the early 1950s, a high-water mark creators are still trying to top. And the host of Crime – Mr. Crime, a ghostly, ghastly figure in a sheet with “CRIME” emblazoned on a top hat – preceded and probably inspired the three punny “ghoulunatics” who hosted EC’s horror comics, which in turn served as models for the legion of horror hosts that have followed.

Which is not to say Crime Does Not Pay was itself wholly original. Mr. Crime was a rip-off of “Mr. Coffee-Nerves,” the corporate mascot of Postum coffee substitute. And the name “Crime Does Not Pay” was lifted from a series of MGM movie shorts which were turned into a long-running radio show.

But who cares? Kids bought Crime for the crime, and the rest didn’t matter. Even in today’s more jaded times, the guilt-free exuberance the creators poured into every bullet and blood spatter is infectious. This Crime pays, with hours of fun.

Art:

1. Blackjacked and Pistol-Whipped is a guilty pleasure from the 1950s. Courtesy Dark Horse Books

 Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com

There’s a saying in the comic book world that every fan wishes they were a comic book writer.  Supposedly, the axiom is exponentially true for comic book columnists.  Those who write about comics wish they wrote comics themselves.  However, lately, I’ve gotten the impression that the reverse is also true.  I think that a lot of comic book writers secretly wish that they that had my job.  (By job, I mean the thing I do on my day off for fun and for free.) 

            Comic book writers wish they could comment on the comic book industry.  They entertain fans by writing stories but they don’t have the opportunity to offer perspective on the industry as a whole.  They can’t talk about trends.  They can’t criticize clichés.  They can’t speculate on the future.  When it comes to the bigger picture, comic book writers don’t always have a voice.

            Some writers, and former writers, are able to double as columnists.  Peter David maintains his “But I Digress” column for Comics Buyers’ Guide.  Jason Aaron and Ron Marz write columns for Comic Book Resources (“Where the Hell Am I” and “Shelf Life” respectively).  Grant Morrison outdid every comic book pundit with his non-fiction book Supergods.  That’s only a small sample. 

            Yet a lot of writers don’t have that kind of outlet.  Therefore, in a time-honored tradition, several writers have taken to writing about comics in comics.  This can be done well.  It can be done humorously or self-reflectively.  This can also be done poorly.  It can disrupt the narrative or upset the feel of the book. 

            Bill Willingham’s Fables is, unfortunately, an example of botched commentary.  “Fables” has always been something separate.  It’s not a superhero title and it’s not part of a shared superhero universe.  As such, it was a wonderful alternative for both superhero and non-superhero fans alike.  But, this year, Fables tried to be something it wasn’t: a superhero book.

            After failing to defeat Mr. Dark on numerous occasions, Pinocchio had the idea that the only way the good Fables could beat him was to form a superhero team.  So Pinocchio ran his fellow Fables through a series of superhero auditions.  They devised costumes and codenames.   Pinocchio argued with Ozma for the inclusion of certain Fables based on their ability to fulfill comic book conventions.  Ozma, unaware of those conventions, criticized them and exposed their pointlessness.  The ongoing arguments became a running commentary on superhero clichés and comic books in general. 

            Theoretically, it could have worked.  Regrettably, it didn’t.  Although it wasn’t out of character for the perpetually childish Pinocchio to be a comic book fan, it was a completely new addition to the character.  It felt like an insertion, imposed on the character for the sake of this particular story.  It was also completely new for there to be any reference to superheroes or comics at all.  Willingham failed to establish that this world even had comic books, let alone the well-defined superhero genre of our world.  The tone was therefore inconsistent with the title up to that point.  It wouldn’t have been nearly as out of place in the sister title, Jack of Fables, which routinely commented on the conventions of literature and myth.  But there was no precedent for it in Fables.

Yet the biggest problem was that the whole idea of the superhero team turned out to be irrelevant.  Mr. Dark was defeated, but not by the superhero team.  They didn’t even get into action before they were disbanded.  Perhaps that was Willingham’s intentional comment on the uselessness of superheroes.  Whatever the reason, it was also a failure of Story-Telling 101.  Willingham introduced a huge digression that had no eventual impact on the story or on the characters in it.

            Happily, Robert Kirkman’s Invincible is an example of how this can be done well.  Like “Fables,” “Invincible” has always been something separate.  Invincible is an independent superhero.  Although he’s had a few spin-offs (Atom Eve, Guarding the Globe) and guest-stars (Tech Jacket, Savage Dragon), Invincible is primarily a self-contained story.  This year, Kirkman took a brief moment to comment on the state of comic books and superheroes.

            Invincible had spent almost a year in space fighting the Viltrumite Empire.  With the war over, Invincible returned home.  However, after his long absence, Mark Grayson (aka Invincible) had to put a lot of the pieces of his life back into place.  He reconnected with his girlfriend.  He visited old friends.  He checked in on his former college roommate.  And he stopped by his local comic book shop to pick up a pretty full pull list.  While there, Mark talked to other comic book fans about what was going on and what he had missed.

           
This little bit of commentary fit right in with Invincible.  Kirkman had long-established that comics were a part of this world and a part of Mark’s life.  Mark’s father wrote superhero novels in his secret identity.  Mark was a big comic book fan- he even had a poster in his room of his favorite hero, Science Dog.  Kirkman had also previously bent the wall between superhero fiction and superhero commentary.  He had Invincible fight his fictional hero, Science Dog, before revealing that this S.D. was a shape-shifter or something like that.  So it was in character for Mark Grayson to have an opinion on comic books and well within the established tone of the book.

            Kirkman was also wise to keep his hand partially hidden.  As readers, we might think that Mark or the other characters were acting as a mouthpiece for the writer.  But Kirkman left just enough room for us to acknowledge that Kirkman’s opinions were maybe not the same as his characters.  In that way, Kirkman was able to have his cake and eat it too.  He wrote about comic books in a comic book in a way that was consistent with the established setting of that title.  

Spider-Island has been a ton of fun.  It’s possibly my favorite story of the year.  I especially appreciate the story’s wit.  It’s even demonstrated in clever covers with J. Jonah Jameson and Mary Jane Watson displaying their newfound spider powers (Amazing Spider-Man 670 and 671). 

  Those images reminded me of some of my favorite covers from the past.  I also went ahead and looked up others.  So here, for your viewing pleasure, a dozen each of the best covers to feature Mary Jane Watson and J. Jonah Jameson:

J. Jonah Jameson:  Amazing Spider-Man 29, 52, 169 and 192 (1965, ’67, ’77 and ’79)

Mary Jane Watson: Amazing Spider-Man 59, Annual 19, Annual 21 and Web of Spider-Man 42 (1968, ’85, ’87 and ’88)

J. Jonah Jameson: Spectacular Spider-Man 57, 80, Amazing Spider-Man 246 and Spectacular Spider-Man 121 (1981, ’83, ’83 and ’86)

Mary Jane Watson: Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 51, 52, 500 and 515 (2003-05)

J. Jonah Jameson: Spectacular Spider-Man 152, Web of Spider-Man 52, Amazing Spider-Man 624 variant, Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man 2, Web of Spider-Man Vol. 2 #9 (1989, ’89, 2009, ’10)

Mary Jane Watson: Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man 4, Amazing Spider-Man 532, 537 and 639 variants (2006, ’06, ’07 and ’10)

And a couple of bonuses to end on from Web of Spider-Man 9 and Amazing Spider-Man 641 (both 2010).

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Oct. 18, 2011 -- Batman: Year One is one of the most critically acclaimed and fan-revered stories about the Dark Knight. Wisely, Warner Bros. has hewed closely to the original for its animated adaptation.

Originally published as a four-issue miniseries in 1987, BYO was actually two stories: One dealt with how Bruce Wayne began his Bat-career; the other was the story of a young Lt. James Gordon rising through the ranks as he tackled corruption in the Gotham City PD. The latter answers the long-standing question of how a by-the-book, family-man cop comes to trust a masked vigilante.

Weaving in and through these parallel tales are a (possible) origin for Catwoman, a scene with assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (a Bat-ally, before he becomes Two-Face) and the introduction of Carmine “The Roman” Falcone’s crime family, an element that has become a staple of the Bat-books, cartoons and movies. All of these characters clash in a huge Shakespearean drama involving murder, infidelity, blackmail and lies.

BYO was penned by writer/artist Frank Miller (300, Sin City) at the top of his game, after he had written and drawn the game-changing Dark Knight Returns a year before. It was drawn by David Mazzucchelli, a brilliant delineator of gritty, atmospheric, street-level crime noir. Together they created a plausible, unforgettable origin not just for Batman, but for his entire milieu, most of which has been adopted by DC Comics as the official story. (The Catwoman origin, which posits Selina Kyle as a dominatrix and prostitute before becoming a cat burglar, is still held at arm’s length by the DC powers-that-be.)

The animated adaptation, released Oct. 18, was also created by an all-star team. Bruce Timm (Justice League Unlimited) brings his clear-eyed vision of the DC universe as executive producer. Veteran directors Lauren Montgomery (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse) and Sam Liu (All-Star Superman) are on board, as is Apocalypse screenwriter Tab Murphy. Andrea Romano does her usual amazing job casting voices, with Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as Gordon, Ben McKenzie (Southland) as Batman, Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) as Catwoman,  Alex Rocco (The Godfather) as Falcone and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) as Det. Sarah Essen.

This talent pool is necessary, because bringing Batman: Year One to the screen successfully is no ordinary job. As noted above, there is a huge amount of story to pack into 64 minutes. Some elements (Dent, for example) get such short shrift that they depend on the audience’s knowledge of the Bat-universe to fill in the blanks. The story’s structure is a little shaky. And at times you’re being whisked along too quickly, as the film really could have used another 30 minutes to let this sprawling story breathe.

But Montgomery and Liu do slow down enough for some scenes to shine through. Batman vs. the Gotham SWAT team is epic. Gordon’s hunt for the man behind the mask lingers on Bruce Wayne long enough to become an instant classic. Every scene with the outraged Catwoman – whom the press initially characterizes as Batman’s “assistant” – is a keeper.

As to the animation, BYO is only ordinary, typical of what you see on Saturday morning TV. But it does seem to utilize Timm’s “dark deco” style that he developed for Batman: The Animated Series, and – despite the lack of detail – manages to capture the spirit of Mazzucchelli’s brooding original. Many scenes clearly used the print version as a storyboard, resulting in a thrilling shock of recognition for long-time comics fans.

In short, Batman: Year One is far too truncated, and some (especially newbies) might find it boring or hard to follow. But Warner Bros. has puts its best vets on a task Bat-fans have anticipated for years, and you can’t ask for better than that.

Batman: Year One is available as a Blu-Ray Combo Pack ($24.98) and DVD ($19.98), On Demand and for download through iTunes, Xbox Live, Zune, VUDU HD Movies and Video Unlimited on the PlayStation network & Sony Entertainment Network.

BYO is PG-13, for violence and sexual suggestion, especially in the Catwoman short included on the two-disc packages. One scene takes place in a strip club, which I’m beginning to think is mandatory in modern entertainment. But, as I’ve argued about Catwoman the comic book, she’s the one character I’ll give a pass to for being depicted in what I’d normally call a sexually objectified manner, because she does it on purpose – she’s the original femme fatale in comics, using her looks as a weapon going back to 1940.

Photos:

1. Warner Home Video's animated adaptation of Batman: Year One was released Oct.18. Courtesy Warner Home Video

 Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com.

The Games are finally over. 

            More than 20 years in the making, Marv Wolfman and George Perez have finished their New Teen Titans original graphic novel.  For a long time, Games was one of those lost projects that comic book fans fantasized about.  But now, the Titans have defeated writer’s block, artist’s burnout, other creative obligations and a stalled-out restart.  The Games are here.

            “Was it worth the wait?” Anacoqui asked me after I finished reading it. 

In a word, “Yes.” 

“Games” is a classic Titans story.  It features the familiar, favorite characters and the ideal creative team.  Yet there’s more than nostalgic appeal to this graphic novel.  It’s a solid story in it’s own right.  It may not quite live up to “The Judas Contract,” “The Terror of Trigon” or “Who Is Donna Troy?” but it’s reasonably close. 

That isn’t to say it’s a perfect story.  There are a few noticeable weaknesses:

1. A Slow Start

            “Games” takes a while to get going.  There’s a good opening scene in which the Gamesmaster destroys an Arctic base in Greenland as his opening move against CBI agent King Faraday.  But the second scene is redundant.  Wolfman even repeats the line “Your Move, Faraday” at the end of it.  We then see all of the villains get into place as well as each of the heroes in their private lives.  The cuts between heroes and villains could build up tension, but with this many characters it takes too long to get through all of them.  It would have been better if Perez had given a half page to each character.  That would have created stronger contrasts, while moving the story forward at a quicker pace.  Faraday doesn’t meet with the full roster of Titans until page 21.  Nightwing asks the question we’re probably all thinking, “Now can we get started?”

2. King Faraday’s Strong Armed Recruitment Drive

            Surprisingly, the answer to Nightwing’s question is “No.”  After Faraday tells them about the Gamesmaster’s plots, the Titans initially refuse to help him.  This leads to a second round in which Faraday harasses the Titans in their private lives in an effort to coerce them into helping him.  The sequence doesn’t make any one look good.  Faraday is a bully.  And the Titans get bullied.  The menace of the Gamesmaster was significant enough that the Titans could have gotten involved right away.  It’s not a good sign that they needed to be coerced.  But if the Gamesmaster wasn’t a significant foe, it’s not a good sign that they gave in to threats.  

3. Tenuous Ties

            The eight villains are supposed to be a part of one grand plot.  And there are vignettes in which Dick and the rest of the Titans decipher clues that lead them to the villain’s targets.  But there’s not a consistent theme among them.  Are they trying to isolate Manhattan by attacking bridges and ports?  Are they trying to make a statement by attacking points of interest like museums?  Or is their target the Titans themselves as some of them are attacked in their personal lives?  The afterword reveals that there was an original connection based on an anagram but that was discarded for being verbal instead of visual.  Unfortunately, nothing replaced it and the various villain plots remained unconnected. 

4. Uninteresting Villains

            Wolfman and Perez created eight all new villains for this graphic novel.  On the one hand, it makes for a unique story.  After all, the Titans aren’t fighting the Brotherhood of Evil or Brother Blood again.  On the other hand, some of the new villains are little more than ciphers.  They’ve been hired to fight the Titans and that’s about all we know.  They’re not all awful- and I’ll get to the good ones later- but it’s not the strongest line-up.

5. Gar Logan’s Hair

            Wolfman and Perez started work on “Games” back in 1987 or ’88.  In a lot of ways, the story feels timeless.  Yet there are a couple of ways in which it feels dated.  The most irritating is Gar Logan’s mullet.  I know that it’s the hairstyle he had at the time.  And I realize it’s a minor complaint.  I get annoyed when reviewers spend too much time on hats or haircuts instead of the focusing on the heart of the story.  But I don’t think anyone would have been upset if the inkers had turned it into a buzzcut.

            With the weaknesses out of the way, it’s time to tell you what I liked about this story.  “Games” has real strengths.  Some of these strengths recall the Titans’ glory days.  Others are the product of a well thought-out modernization: 

1. Modernization

            Earlier, I complained about the lack of motivation for some of the villains.  But the main villain, the Gamesmaster, has a great back-story.  He’s a former writer who was hired by the CBI to dream up terrorist scenarios.  When his warnings were ignored, the Gamesmaster went rogue.  Now, he’s putting his own plots into action.  It’s a wonderfully timely take on a villain.  It brings the story into the post 9-11 world.  Yet at the same time, it’s kind of timeless as the Titans are fighting a terrorism-inspired super-villain rather than real-life terrorists.  Plus, we know that the CIA and FBI actually hire writers like novelist Brad Meltzer. 

            Marv Wolfman also does a great job of updating the dialogue to reflect the changes in gaming culture.  There are still references to Dungeons & Dragons style role-playing.  But there are also references to first-person shooter video games.  If anything, games have become a bigger part of our culture than when Wolfman and Perez first dreamed this story.  

2. Set in the Past, Not Stuck in It

            “Games” is set in the Titans’ past.  That’s part of the charm.   Fans want to see George Perez draw Nightwing, Cyborg and Raven.  But, unlike a lot of stories set in the past, “Games” has an astonishingly significant impact on continuity.  This isn’t merely a trip down memory lane.  The status quo is not the same by the end of the story and that makes “Games” a very compelling read.  This is partly because the story was originally conceived in the late ‘80s.  Wolfman and Perez were moving their characters forward and that’s reflected in the final tale.  The result is some major changes to the Titans, their supporting cast and their setting.

3. The (Partial) Redemption of Danny Chase

            Marv Wolfman acknowledges in his foreword that fans didn’t like Danny Chase.  He was written to be a typical annoying teenager and that rubbed fans the wrong way (shocking, I know).  But Chase was part of this story and Wolfman had to find a way to make him work.  He played up Danny’s connection to the CBI.  And he gave Danny a star turn when he selflessly disregards his own safety in order to save everyone else.  It’s not a complete redemption of the character.  He’s still annoying and his rivalry with Gar Logan makes Gar look bad.  But Wolfman at least gives Danny Chase a good exit. 

4. George Perez Art

            George Perez is a modern master and his artistry is on display on every page.   There are stunning angles, like a bird’s-eye view of the Guggenheim museum.  There are creative page layouts, such as a jogging scene in which Dick Grayson is alternately depicted in full color and shadow.  There are the distinctive facial features and varied body types for which Perez is renowned.  Perez wows us with intricate details like a mountain of skeletons.  He amazes us with visual playfulness such as a villain who is made out of TV screens.  Perez is one of the best, and he’s at his best in “Games.”

5. Seamless Transition from Old to New

            I know that George Perez had finished drawing 70 pages back in 1988.  I know that he had started up on the project again about 5 years ago before being called in to help Phil Jimenez finish Infinite Crisis.  So I know that this story was drawn during three separate periods spread over more than 20 years.  But I can’t tell by looking at the story.  A lot of the credit has to go to the three inkers: Al Vey, Mike Perkins and George Perez himself.  They create a seamless transition from one era to another so that the book has a strong, consistent look.

6. Azarath

            One of the most memorable stories in Titans’ history was their journey to Azarath.  George Perez utilized a new artistic style so that the other dimension would stand out as something truly different.  He skipped black ink, opting instead for a rich red color.  With “Games,” Perez did it again.  However, he did it differently.  This time, Azarath is depicted in black and white charcoal.  Once again, the artistic change conveys the sense that this is an otherworldly dimension.  Plus, Perez did it by using a new trick instead of repeating an old one.  

7. Hero Specific Foes

            I admit that I didn’t like all of the villains.  Danny Chase’s antagonist didn’t have much going for her.  And Knight and Squire seemed like an odd choice for Jericho.  But I did appreciate the way in which Wolfman and Perez paired the heroes up with villains who would challenge them.  Cyborg, who is both man and machine, fought Mekken, who is a man inside a machine.  Nightwing squared off against a fellow strategist.  Raven fought a dark version of herself.  And Gar Logan, the former television star and frequent comic relief, faced cartoons come to life and a villain made out of TVs.  The specifically chosen villains were good foils who highlighted the heroic qualities of their opponents. 

8. Heroes Helping Heroes

              After setting up the individual clashes, Wolfman and Perez did a good job of avoiding the same well-worn rut.  When one hero had defeated their own villain, they quickly rushed to the aid of the nearest Titan.  That mentality moved the story along- the second half of the book had a much better pace than the first.  It also demonstrated the Titans’ teamwork.  We witnessed the creative use of powers in combination.  Yet we never got the impression that some Titans were weaker than others.  It was apparent than any one Titan would have defeated their specific villain in time but they were happy to rely on help.

9. The Twist

            I don’t want to say too much.  There should be some surprises.  I will say that Wolfman and Perez do a good job of upending our expectations before the story is done.

10. The Extras

            This is a hardcover original graphic novel.  Like the DVD set of a television season, we expect more than the story.  “Games” delivers.  There’s a great foreword by Marv Wolfman, recalling what made him fall in love with the Teen Titans in the first place (mostly Nick Cardy and Wonder Girl).  There’s an excellent afterword by George Perez.  However, the greatest treat was the original treatment as typed up by George Perez.  It was interesting to read the initial ideas, and it was informative to read Marv Wolfman’s footnotes detailing the changes from 1988 to today.  It would have been nice to get a few art extras as well, like some pages comparing Perez’s initial pencils to the final inks.  But there’s no question that DC did a lot to make this book feel special.

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Oct. 11, 2011 -- It’s not often a graphic novel can bring me to tears. Stargazing Dog, by Takashi Murakami, did just that.

It’s the story of “Daddy,” an ordinary Japanese man whose life slips a gear and he loses everything: his health, his job, his family, his home. All that’s left is his car and his every-loyal dog Happie, whose thoughts narrate the first part of the story. So Daddy – that’s how the dog refers to him – goes on a road trip to nowhere as his scant resources dry up and he becomes another casualty of Japan’s “lost decade.”

I’m not spoiling anything to say that this doesn’t end well for anybody, since the book opens with the fates of the principals revealed. And I’ve read some reviews that call this maudlin or manipulative. I disagree: I think Murakami shows enormous courage in being relentlessly downbeat in the first part of the story. Had it been sappy I’d have been annoyed, but this story is told with such sincerity and honesty that instead I found myself weeping.

And the second part of the story, while also gloomy, shows glimmers of hope. It involves a social worker assigned to find out who Daddy was, since he died with no ID on him. Almost despite himself, this bureaucrat becomes invested in the story of the man and the dog that had only each other during a long, downward spiral. The social worker has plenty of time for it because, like Daddy, he is also a bit of a loser, one with a bland job and virtually no social life. While investigating Daddy, he remembers his own childhood dog with guilt and regret.

Again, this is a bit depressing.  But on the other hand, it’s possible that Daddy’s story ignites a little fire in the social worker, and one hopes that one day he’ll get another dog, one he will treat better. And, while he’s at it, maybe grow a little.

Murakami says as much in an afterword, one where he notes that this is not meant to be a story of failure, “not the howl of a losing dog.” This is highlighted by the book’s title, which a foreword informs us is “named after the dogs that tend to stare at the stars wistfully. Just as we all wish for something that we will never possess.”

So there is something positive to take from this. I admit I found the first part so emotionally wrenching that it took me two weeks to force myself to read the second part. But afterward the story kept bubbling up in my thoughts, demanding that I think about it, learn something from it.

And as America suffers its own economic doldrums, Stargazing Dog has a lot to teach. Murakami points out that Daddy isn’t particularly talented or hard-working; he’s a bit too lazy or unimaginative to keep up with the times. But for all that, he says, he does not deserve his fate. He was not a bad man, Murakami says, but “a normal, simple kind of person. … In the past, he would have been an ordinary, good father. However, in today’s environment, it’s adapt or die. And that’s not right.”

The story seems to have struck a chord in stressed-out Japan, where Stargazing Dog has already sold more than half a million copies and been made into a movie. Now NBM has brought it to stressed-out America, where it ought to resonate as well.

Elsewhere:

Another affecting tale comes in the unexpected form of the Archie Freshman Year Book 2 trade paperback ($9.95).

The Freshman Year series depicts the Riverdale gang in ninth grade, when the boys were a bit smaller and the girls a bit less, ah, robust. Also, writers have more leeway to vary from canon, like in the first story, where Jughead’s family moves to Montana. Moreover, Archie’s oddball friend finds his dream girl!

Of course, we know this would-be romance is star-crossed, because we know that the Jones clan is destined to return to Riverdale. But we also know that Jughead is reluctant to date – and now we know one reason why. (I won’t spoil it here.)

Freshman Year features stories on the rest of the gang, too, including some characters who exist only in this series. But it’s the poignant Jughead tale that makes it a keeper.

 “Poignant.” “Jughead.” There are two words I never expected to put in a sentence together!

Photos

1. "Stargazing Dog" is a powerful, emotional story of a man and his dog. Courtesy NBM Publishing.

2. "Daddy" loses his wife. Courtesy NBM Publishing.

3. "Archie Freshman Year Book 2" features a story of young love story starring ... Jughead! Courtesy Archie Comics

Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com.