Blog 2.0

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.

In Showcase # 6 (Jan.-Feb., 1957), four men---Ace Morgan, Prof Haley, Red Ryan, and Rocky Davis---survived what should have been a fatal air crash.  Deciding they were living on borrowed time, they continued to cheat death, tackling the riskiest of dangers head-on, as the Challengers of the Unknown.  It was a venture that would last thirteen years, spanning the length of the Silver Age.

Despite the hazards, there were a handful of others who sought a place on the team.  In my last Deck Log Entry, we discussed June Robbins, who early in the Challs’ existence earned a spot as an honorary Challenger.  June appeared constantly over the next five years, and then faded into limbo, when the writers ran out of things to do with her.

This time around, we’ll take a look at the other hardy souls who had the opportunity to join the champ Challs.

F. Gaylord Clayburn III

We meet Gaylord Clayburn in Challengers of the Unknown # 30 (Feb.-Mar., 1963), in a tale appropriately titled “The Fifth Challenger”.

The Challs meet him when they attend a swanky black-tie dinner party, as guests of June Robbins, in Clayburn’s opulent penthouse.  For most of us, being filthy rich would be accomplishment enough, but “Clay” Clayburn is something of an over-achiever.  He’s an Olympic-class sportsman, with a trophy case full of medals and loving cups for tennis, skiing, motor racing, and a dozen other competitive sports.  His entry in the Social Register takes up two whole columns and he’s matinée-idol handsome, to boot.

The Challengers barely have time to shake his hand and order cocktails from the bar when a scream from the terrace announces trouble.

A partially demolished building sits across the street, and a girder has slipped, taking a young man with it.  Now jutting out a dozen or so storeys above the pavement, he hangs on for dear life.

The Challs are about to rush to the boy’s rescue when June points out that Clayburn has gotten the jump on them.  In classic Doc Savage style, Clay scales the outside of the ramshackle building, a coil of rope over his shoulder.  With the surefootedness of a mountain goat, he clambers over the girders above the imperiled youth.  Just as the fellow’s strength gives out, Clayburn lassos him in mid-air and hauls him to safety.

When Clayburn returns to the party, the Challs greet him with hearty slaps on the back for his feat.  It’s a good time, figures the playboy, to tell them that he wants to join the Challengers.  He has the skill set, and he meets the other criterion, too---he survived a crash-and-burn at LeMans, walking away without a scratch when he should have been burnt to a crisp.

The team is split over the idea of making Clayburn a member.  Clay’s rescue of the man impressed Ace and Red favourably, but Rocky and Prof are against the idea.  So the four decide to compromise and give the sportsman a try-out.

The next day, Clayburn further antagonises nay-voter Rocky by showing up for the trials wearing a custom-styled Challenger uniform.  “I anticipated becoming a Challenger,” says the playboy, “so I had it tailored in advance!”

Our Heroes test Clay’s abilities at each of their own special talents.  He comes through like a champ at flying, diving, and mountaineering.  He’s about to square off against Rocky in a boxing bout when real life intrudes.  The radio announces fantastic reports of a giant mechanical eagle menacing aircraft.

The Challengers, with Clayburn in tow, jet to the location where the giant bird was last spotted and arrive in time to save a commercial liner from its talons.  As the team presses on with the case, they discover that the robotic eagle is the invention of a criminal scientist, bent on using the mammoth mechanism to commit air piracy.

As things progress, Clayburn is a fireball, full of guts and talent, but he keeps making tactical errors.  The mistakes result in Ace, Prof, Red, and Rocky becoming prisoners of the scientist’s henchmen.

With the help of June Robbins, who had stowed away on the Challs’ jet, Clay redeems himself.  He clobbers the crooks guarding the mechanical eagle, then takes over its controls from the inside.  He manœuvres the huge bird over the scientist’s hide-out and uses its claws to rip open the vault in which the Challengers are imprisoned.  Freed, Ace and the others make quick work mopping up the rest of the gang. 

Even Rocky is won over, now.  “You came through with flying colors,” he tells the playboy sportsman.  “You got all our votes to join our team!”

The group is dumbstruck, then, when Clayburn turns the offer down.  Still kicking himself over his earlier mistakes, he decides that he just hasn’t got what it takes to be a Challenger.

It wouldn’t be the last time someone rejected the chance to become one of the Death-Cheaters.

Tino Manarry

In 1967, Challs editor Murray Boltinoff made the dramatic decision to kill off one of the famed foursome, in a gripping tale which appeared in Challengers of the Unknown # 55 (Apr.-May, 1967).  Its title---“Taps for Red”---didn’t leave much mystery about which Chall had drawn the short straw.

The circus acrobat-cum-mountain climber’s borrowed time finally ran out when he hand-detonated an explosive charge in order to save half-a-country-full of innocent people from a deadly shockwave.  In a five-panel epilogue to the tragic conclusion of the story, teen singing sensation Tino Manarry is introduced.

In due time, we learn that young Tino has a record of accomplishments that makes Gaylord Clayburn look like an idle slacker.  When he isn’t cranking out million-selling records, Manarry makes guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.  Not that he needs the money.  The young genius---his I.Q. is 179---holds 147 engineering patents, earning him mega-bucks.   In his spare time, he’s the United Nations representative to the Peace Corps.

Not too shabby for a kid not even old enough to vote.

Yet, Tino has one burning ambition left:  to destroy the Challengers of the Unknown!

His stage name, Tino Manarry, is actually an anagram of his birth name---Martin Ryan, as in the kid brother of dead Challenger Red Ryan.  And he holds the remaining Challs responsible for his big brother’s death.

Over the next couple of issues, Tino tries his damndest to knock off the Challengers, laying traps for them during the course of their next mission.  Thanks to their resilient talent for survival, Our Heroes thwart the teen’s deadly efforts, leaving them scratching their heads over the identity of their would-be assassin.

Things come to a head in issue # 57 (Aug.-Sep., 1967), when Tino joins forces with an electrically charged super-villain calling himself Power Man.  In their initial effort to kill the Challengers, Ace and Prof and Rocky manage a hair’s-breadth escape, but not before discovering who Tino really is and his warped belief that they caused Red’s death.  A second attack by Manarry and the monstrous Power Man leaves the Challs at their mercy.  Instants away from being turned into piles of ashes, Prof shows Tino proof of Red’s gallant self-sacrifice.

Realising his terrible mistake, Tino turns on Power Man, and with his knowledge of physics, defeats the villain single-handedly, saving the Challs from flash-fried death.

In the wrap-up, the Challengers show there are no hard feelings by offering the youngster a place on their team.  Tino turns it down flat.  He knows they extended the invitation only out of sentimentality for Red, and he tells them that.

But, probably, the real reason was Tino was just too damn smart to go around dodging death on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, the teen genius manages to insinuate himself into the next couple of Challenger adventures, much to the consternation of Rocky, who never took to interlopers.  Only the fact that Tino was Red’s brother keeps the ol’ Rockhead from twisting the wiry little warbler into a pretzel, genius I.Q. or not.

Tino was also on hand for the dramatic revelation in issue # 60 (Feb.-Mar., 1968) that Red Ryan was alive!

Murray Boltinoff had gotten cold feet.  In a “Let’s Chat with the Challs” letter column, the editor claimed to have received an avalanche of mail protesting Red’s death.  In response, Boltinoff capitulated, forcing writer Arnold Drake to craft an awkward plot involving stone-idol gods, secret societies, shape-changers, and the team’s old foes, the Challenger-Haters.  It was a real reach, but the fans didn’t care.  They were overjoyed that Red was back with the Challs.

Tino wasn’t shunted off to limbo, though.  The Challenger series was about to undergo a thematic shift, and a fateful development in the lives of Red and Marty Ryan would kick off that change---a change which would lead to, for the only time in the team’s history, a new Challenger.

1968 was a watershed year for most DC titles.  Writers and artists were shifted around.  Formats changed.  Series headed off in new directions.  It was a shake-up virtually across the board.  No DC magazine was the same as it had been six months before.

For Challengers of the Unknown, the sea change came in the nature of its stories.  Our Heroes would now face threats from the supernatural.  Gone were the cheesy super-villains and conquering despots, to be replaced by ghouls and goblins, witches and witch doctors, and things that went bump in the night.

The first new Challenger menace under this new theme was the Legion of the Weird, consisting of a vampire, an ancient Druid, a medicine man, an Egyptian sorcerer, and a witch from old Salem.  After failing in its initial attempt to put Ace under its spell, the Legion stops being subtle and dispatches the giant mummy, Tukamenon, to destroy the Challs outright.  In the mêlée, Tino Manarry is blinded by a mystic ruby.  Red donates one of his eyes for a successful transplant operation, and thanks to the gem’s residual magic, the brothers find that they can each see what the other one does, from their shared pair of eyes.

And the weirdness was just warming up.  Subsequent issues pitted the Death-Cheaters against resurrected murderers, an alien Frankenstein’s monster, nightmares turned real, and a rematch against the Legion of the Weird.  It was all rather unsettling, especially since long-time writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, who had been handling the art chores since 1959, were bumped off the title in favour of newer talent, in many cases, less capable but who were deemed to better fit the moodier nature of the series.

In Challs # 68 (Jun.-Jul., 1969), the team tackles a computer-spawned demon in the bowels of a U.S. nuclear detection facility.  It ends with the demon secretly inhabiting Prof’s body.  From then on, it takes possession of Prof’s mind from time to time, causing him to go nutty and try to kill his buddies on random occasions.

That sets the stage for . . . .

Corinna Stark

The next issue begins with the Challs investigating reports of a man-like monster murdering the residents of a hamlet nestled on Skull Mountain, in the Ozarks.  Atop Skull Mountain, they stumble upon a castle and make the acquaintance of its master, Algernon Stark, and his beautiful daughter, Corinna.  The mystery is uncovered when Corinna reveals that her father has been searching for the secret to immortality.  In the process, he created the man-monster out of organic materials.

They find the brutish thing hiding in Stark’s laboratory and, after a titanic brawl, defeat it with that time-honoured technique used to vanquish all artificially alive monsters---by electrocuting it, when Rocky slams it against some high-voltage equipment.  But Stark gets the drop on them with a sub-machine gun.  As he squeezes the trigger, Prof hurls himself at Stark and takes the volley of slugs meant for them all.

Haley is seconds away from dying from his wounds, so his Challenger pals stuff him into a cryogenic unit that Stark happened to have on hand.  The unit keeps Prof alive---barely.

Out of guilt for her father’s actions, Corinna offers to take Prof’s place as a Challenger.  That is, despite apparently not possessing any skill or talent that qualifies her for the job.   Still, there isn’t any time for Ace and Rocky and Red to argue the matter one way or the other for, as it turns out, their problems are starting to snowball.

Over the next couple of issues, the Challs discover that Algernon Stark was actually a servant of an alien being called Chu.  Chu is something out of an H. P. Lovecraft novel, with a head like a cabbage and a pair of auxiliary tentacles which suck the life force out of humans.  Half the local backwoodsmen are members of his cult, and they keep the Challengers bouncing from one deadly situation to another, like pinballs.

Meanwhile, Chu kills Algernon Stark, in a sort of motivational demonstration for his followers.  Then he finds Prof and gives him an injection which sustains his life and kills the computer demon inhabiting his body.  The downside is it turns Haley into one of Chu’s bedbug-loony slaves.  As if things couldn’t get any worse, when the Challs attempt to rescue Prof, an explosion burns the sight out of Red’s remaining eye.

The big finish comes in issue # 71 (Dec., 1969-Jan., 1970), when the local townsfolk capture the Challengers and turn them over to Chu.  That’s when the cavalry arrives, in the form of Tino---who has seen the whole thing in his shared sight with his brother---and his fan club, along with a healthy contingent of state lawmen.  Several dozen rounds from a brace of police specials suck the life force out of Chu and most of his minions.

The loose ends are tied up in the last three or four panels.  Red receives an eye transplant, giving him two working peepers, again.  Prof survives too, mentally restored, but so shot up that he will need months of convalescence.  Thus, by default, Corinna gets to stay on as a Challenger.

That makes things sort of sticky, though.   Rocky’s as smitten over her as a love-struck Saint Bernard.  He’s wrenched, though, when Corinna gives him the “let’s just be friends” speech.  You see, she’s all ga-ga over Red.  But Red regards her presence as threatening to break up the team and snarls at all of her overtures.  The more Red rags on Corinna, the more Rocky gets in his face about it, with the two men often coming to blows.  And with all these personality squabbles, Ace finds leading the Challs a whole lot tougher than it used to be.

To justify Corinna’s presence, it was established that she had some “small ability as a medium.”  She would receive psychic emanations or sense ghostly presences whenever it was convenient to the plot.

Clearly, adding a female to the team was an attempt to insert some Marvel-type soap opera.  Not surprisingly, the arc which brought Corinna Stark to the series was written by Denny O’Neil, who always seemed to approach such things heavy handedly.  For veteran fans, it was dismaying to see the tight-knit, arm-in-arm Challs turned into a group of contentious bickerers.

That, more than the shift to a supernatural theme, killed the heady sense of adventure that had been the series’ strongest asset.  That headlong drive, combined with the easy confidence and sense of humour exhibited by the Challengers, had made it DC’s longest running non-super-hero team magazine.

But not for much longer.  Three insipid issues would follow before the Challengers’ last Silver-Age gasp---one page of new material setting up a retelling of Showcase # 7, in Challs # 75 (Aug.-Sep., 1970).

Red Ryan, it seemed, had been right.  They should have kept the “No Girls Allowed” sign up on the clubhouse.

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Some things never change. One is human nature. Another is the vivid way writer Brian Azzarello brings human nature to life.

“I go back to the same poisoned well over and over,” laughed Azzarello, writer of the critically acclaimed crime noir 100 Bullets, the upcoming dystopian Spaceman and the critically praised relaunch of Wonder Woman.  

The Amazing Amazon, despite being the world’s best-known superheroine, has had uneven sales and quality over the decades.  DC Entertainment is attempting to rectify that with the new Wonder Woman #1 ($2.99), released Sept. 21 as part of the publisher’s 52-title, one-month relaunch of its entire superhero line.

Early buzz labeled the new Wonder Woman a horror book, but Azzarello disagreed with that assessment. “You need the good to define the bad,” he said. “And that’s where she comes in.” DC editor-in-chief Bob Harras also rejected the label in an interview last week, saying that the presence of horror elements just means “there’s more at stake.”

And there’s no question that the first issue is a shocker. We see Diana – that’s what she asks to be called – in a bloody battle with a mythological twist. Meanwhile, a Greco-Roman god is impaled on a spear. Another uses human sacrifice to achieve his aims.

All that mythology in the first issue promises to play a strong role in the series as a whole. The Greco-Romans are sort of the “original” crime noir stories, Azzarello said, full of “selfish” and “twisted” motivations. “What a family, huh?” he laughed about Zeus and his brood.

Of Diana herself we learn very little in the first issue. Azzarello did warn that Wonder Woman’s usual romantic interest, Steve Trevor, won’t play any role in his version. There will be a Paradise Island, he said, but hinted darkly, “It’s paradise only in name. … It’s not a happy place.”

Azzarello has proved resoundingly that “not happy” is something he does very well. His intricate crime noir 100 Bullets ran for 100 issues, and has proven popular enough to be reprinted once already in 13 trade paperbacks, and is now scheduled to be reprinted again in five oversized, hardcover collections, with volume one arriving in October ($49.99). That 10-year monthly grind was hard on artist Eduardo Risso, but Azzarello himself loved immersing himself in murky criminal thoughts and vile, selfish motivations.

“Oh, I miss those days!” he laughed. “It was so much fun to write those characters.”

But while 100 Bullets is a story with a definite end, it’s not the end of those types of characters. Azzarello is “taking them out again,” not only in Wonder Woman but in a new series titled Spaceman beginning Oct. 26.

Spaceman is set in a near future where children bred for a trip to Mars never go, due to an economic and environmental collapse. It’s not science fiction, Azzarello said, so much as it is “science hell.”

One of those Earth-bound “Martians” is Orson (named for Orson Welles), a huge, lonely loser collecting scrap, who gets caught up in a child-kidnapping case. He “has a good heart,” Azzarello said, “but only Mother Teresa has never given in to temptation.”

Azzarello is paired on Spaceman with his 100 Bullets artist, and he couldn’t be happier. Azzarello said “nobody can touch” Risso’s layouts and “acting” – body posture and facial expressions. “And when you see this sort of crummy world” that Risso depicts in Spaceman, “it’s inspiring.”

Azzarello also brags on his artist on Wonder Woman, Cliff Chiang. “He’s really killing it,” the writer said. “I’m so proud of these books. I’m in love with Wonder Woman!”

Although it didn’t start that way. Azzarello said he went to dinner with DC co-publisher Dan DiDio to pitch a different character. But when he heard the plans for Wonder Woman, he found himself arguing to use his ideas for the Amazon princess instead.

Now he finds himself complicating her life with the most ancient of crime families – the Greco-Roman pantheon.

“Some of those Gods have on one hand the most honorable of intentions,” he said, “and on the other absolute selfishness.” Because whether it’s ancient Greece, Wonder Woman’s present, or a grim future, human nature simply doesn’t improve.

“Those things haven’t changed,” Azzarello said gleefully. “People get just as jealous today as they did then. Emotionally I don’t think we’ve changed. … In Spaceman, in the future, emotionally we’re not going to change.”

Which gives the new Wonder Woman writer a lot to work with.

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

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

DC Entertainment may have saved the best for last in its ambitious revamping of its entire line of superhero comics – and it’s a book that doesn’t have a single superhero.

All-Star Western #1 arrived Sept. 28, taking the place of Jonah Hex on the schedule but still starring the lethal Wild West bounty hunter. The first story varies immediately from its predecessor by being set in the Wild East of the 19th century, Gotham City, a place that will host a certain other manhunter in the 21st century.

And if you think Batman has his hands full in the present, wait until you see his filthy, gritty, crime-ridden home town in the 1880s! And adding to Gotham’s Dickensian misery is a serial killer, dubbed the Gotham Ripper for his grisly work, who’s eviscerating prostitutes. A police force at the end of its rope asks psychiatrist Amadeus Arkham (whose descendant will build the famous asylum) to help, and he promptly hires Hex. That’s really all the set-up you need – that, and the first page showing Gotham in all its seedy glory, as flawlessly rendered by new artist Moritat (The Spirit).

One thing that hasn’t changed is the writers. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti wrote 70 issues of Jonah Hex (plus one graphic novel), all as done-in-one morality tales. In All-Star Western, however, they’re expanding to to multi-issue stories. The new freedom shows in issue #1, which takes its sweet time familiarizing new readers with Hex and Gotham, while amusing those who already know the score.

For one thing, this ain’t no clichéd fish-out-of-water story. Hex is still a shark among minnows, and he doesn’t waste any time showing the teeming vermin of Gotham’s alleys, bars and whorehouses who’s boss.

“It is a slightly different animal in that we’re structuring episodes on a larger scale,” Gray said in an interview, “but to be honest it is fun to have so much more room in a story using a character we’re intimately familiar with.”

Palmiotti agreed. “Telling a story in 22 pages can be difficult at times and there were many circumstances in the past that we wish we had extra pages to build up scenes and characters a bit more. With All-Star Western, we get to do just that … and in a spectacular way.”

Of course, a series with that title will have more than one star. Other Western characters will get the spotlight in back-up stories, starting with El Diablo in issue #2. That will be drawn by Hex alumnus Jordi Bernet (The Torpedo).

 “It is my dream to always work with Jordi till the end of time,” Palmiotti said. “He is one of my personal favorites right now and we have definite plans aside from the El Diablo story.”

While characters like Bat Lash and Nighthawk have been mentioned, no details have been confirmed. Gray said they want to “keep a measure of secrecy to help bolster surprises down the road.” Of the other back-up characters, Gray allows “so far they only have the 19th century in common.”

Palmiotti, too, resists giving anything away – even location. “We will be experimenting with not only the characters in the DCU,” he said, “but we will be looking at other places and cities to have some fun with established and new characters.”

Which they have already begun with All-Star Western #1; the Gotham setting makes the story as much crime noir as Western.

“We’re adding some pulp elements that make sense with who and what Jonah is,” Gray said. Palmiotti added, “The surroundings and locals have changed, and now with Jonah in the big city of Gotham, he has to deal with the fact that being a loner is next to impossible. There are tons of opportunities here because of that to introduce not only cool stories but a boat load of new characters and situations.”

Some of which are the aforementioned back-up characters, some of whom may find themselves in the front of the book with Hex. “We have plans to eventually intertwine some of the stories and there will be guest stars in much the same way we used them during the Hex series,” Gray said.  

“Honestly, each and every issue is going to have something different and special going on, so expect the unexpected,” Palmiotti added. “The format allows us to get a bit crazy from time to time.”

And as All-Star Western shows, Eastern crazy is just as good for Hex as the Western kind.

Photos:

1. Both Jonah Hex and El Diablo continue in November's All-Star Western #3. Courtesy DC Entertainment Inc.

 2. The first issue of the new All-Star Western begins a story of Jonah Hex in 1880s Gotham City. Courtesy DC Entertainment Inc.

3. Jonah Hex is still the lead in All-Star Western #2 but is joined by a back-up starring El Diablo Courtesy DC Entertainment Inc.

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

Last week, I relived some of the famous failures in comic book history.  Now, it’s time to look at the other side of the coin.  Comic books wouldn’t have lasted for more than 70 years without a few successes.  Many of those successes are well documented such as Superman originating the superhero genre or Flash sparking the Silver Age.  I’m going to take a look at some of the more surprising impossible-to-predict successes. 

America’s Favorite Teenager

Superheroes ruled the world in the early 1940s.  However, modeled on the comic strip supplements common in Sunday newspapers, comic books were also dominated by cross-genre anthologies.  It was normal for a superhero like Green Lantern to share space with an airplane humor strip like Hop Harrigan.  But one humorous back-up strip couldn’t be confined to the back pages.  Archie debuted in Pep Comics #22 when the title was the home of the superhero Shield.  In 1943, the Shield welcomed Archie to the cover.  They shared cover duties for 10 issues until Archie finally bumped the Shield off for good with issue #51.  Archie quickly grew into a teen humor empire.  There were spin-offs starring his supporting characters like Jughead, Betty and Veronica.  Eventually, Archie expanded to cartoons and popo music.  The company even renamed itself after its biggest star.  But it all started in a shrewd bit of counter-programming, as the teenage goofball beat out the star superhero.

All-New, All-Different

Marvel didn’t have high expectations when they re-launched the X-Men in 1975.  After helping to put the new team together and writing the introductory giant-size issue, Len Wein handed the writing chores over to Claremont.  He didn’t think it would be a bit hit and preferred to stay on the more established Incredible Hulk.  The schedule was also cautious.  After that first giant-size issue, the X-Men returned as a bi-monthly title.  But the team of international misfits and cast-offs struck a chord with fans.  Claremont’s ongoing plots drew them in and beautiful art by Dave Cockrum and John Byrne blew them away.  The X-Men became a huge hit.  They inspired a superhero renaissance.  They eventually led to an entire line of similar teams of mutants like X-Factor, Excalibur and X-Force.  DC followed suit a few years ago when Marv Wolfman and George Perez turned a similar trick with the New Teen Titans.

Heroes in a Half-Shell

Nobody could have predicted this.  Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird conceived of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1984.  They published the first copies of the comic via a mimeograph machine.  Yet somehow the comic found a cult audience.  It spread quickly among comic book fans.  The title was supposed to be a parody of popular superheroes like Daredevil but within two years, it had inspired parodies and knock-offs of its own.  Comic book stores saw a black-and-white boom with other titles like Adolescent Radioactive Black-Belt Hamsters and Pre-Teen Dirty Gene Kung Fu Kangaroos.  For comics, that led to a black and white glut.  But for the Turtles themselves, it led to bigger and better things.  The Turtles became the heart of a licensing empire, appearing in video games, cartoons, puzzles, lunch boxes and countless kids’ costumes.  By 1990, they were starring in their own movie.  They were like the garage band that has their demo tape turn into a platinum record.  Though they’re no longer a cultural phenomenon, the Turtles are going strong today with a new comic book series.

Marvel Knights

It wasn’t the first time that Marvel had lent some of its characters out to another studio.  They made a big splash in 1996 when Jim Lee’s Wildstorm and Rob Liefeld’s Extreme took over on four of Marvel’s flagship titles.  However, the response to Heroes Reborn was mixed.  Reviews were unfavorable and Marvel made an even bigger splash when they brought their heroes back into the fold with Heroes Return.  So it was something of a surprise when Marvel tried it again in 1998.  But this time, they entrusted some of their second-tier characters to Event Comics.  Though they had a couple of interesting characters in Ash and Painkiller Jane, Event wasn’t as big as Wildstorm or Extreme.  But Event’s Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti had a strong editorial vision.  They returned the Marvel characters to the street, giving them more of an edge.  And they teamed with great writers: Kevin Smith on Daredevil, Christopher Priest on Black Panther and Paul Jenkins on Inhumans.  The new line received critical acclaim.  And Joe Quesada was later hired away from his own company to work for Marvel as their editor-in-chief.

A Real American Hero

The cartoons had been off the air for a decade.  The toys were no longer top-sellers.  So it seemed a little odd when Devil’s Due Studios decided to bring back GI Joe through Image Comics.  But Josh Blaylock’s idea was clearly an inspired one.  The new comic appealed to those who had grown up on the cartoon and comic books.  Those fans were now adults and a good portion of them were comic book collectors.  The new first issue of GI Joe was a huge success.  The popularity of the title inspired others to follow suit and soon comics were deluged with a boom of  ‘80s cartoons.  The Transformers arrived in 2002 via Dreamwave and Image.  Top Cow brought back the Battle of the Planets that summer.   Wildstorm came out with the Thundercats that fall.  And Image showed up with Voltron in 2003.  The boom was somewhat short-lived but the effect was long lasting.  GI Joe and Transformers have been published pretty much continuously for the last decade, though they’re both now at IDW.  Plus, the success of the comic books allegedly inspired Hollywood studios to green-light live-action movies for these properties. 

WEEK THREE

BATMAN #1

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION

Cover by GREG CAPULLO

Variant cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

This was just plain awesome.

The story opens with Batman essentially fighting everyone in Arkham, then there’s a wonderful twist I didn’t see coming. Very quickly Snyder touches all the bases to let us know nothing has changed – Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, all the Robins (Dick, Tim, Damian), the Batcave – then kicks off a mystery with a grisly murder, a rich Gothamite who will clearly be trouble, and a direct threat to Bruce Wayne’s life – with Dick Grayson the prime suspect.

Perfect! Beautiful! Bat-tastic! Throw in Capullo’s art, from the Tony Daniel/Jim Lee school, and this is a Bat-book that hits every cylinder and roars out of the cave. There's not a wasted panel, but enough to get us ready for more.

BIRDS OF PREY #1

Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI

Art and cover by JESUS SAIZ

On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Something about this series feels ad hoc.

Here’s the description: “One is wanted for a murder she didn’t commit. The other is on the run because she knows too much. They are Dinah Laurel Lance and Ev Crawford – a.k.a. Black Canary and Starling – and together, as Gotham City’s covert ops team, they’re taking down the villains other heroes can’t touch. But now they’ve attracted the attention of a grizzled newspaper reporter who wants to expose them, as well as a creepy, chameleon-like strike team that’s out to kill them.”

That’s pretty much what we get out of the first issue. Black Canary and Starling (new character) are a team (no explanation), and they are outlaws, and they save a reporter hired to find them from the people who hired him because they want to kill BC and Starling (no explanation). One of the strike team somehow kisses BC in the middle of a battle and says that will kill her (and she’s feeling sick by the end of the issue). Babs Gordon shows up and things are tense with her and BC, but she recommends Katana. There’s an explosive finale.

OK, it’s a pretty nice actioner, but it’s depending on us to know who most of these characters are, although they are not the characters they used to be. If Black Canary is a former leader of the Justice League, how long could she remain an outlaw before one of the big guns came to clear her or arrest her? (And they’re in Gotham City, for Pete’s sake.) Who is Starling? No, scratch that. Let’s ask instead, if you’re going to start the show with Starling already a Bird, why not also start with Katana, and explain both of them later? Because this issue feels undermanned, and why drag out the “we’re putting the band back together” scene any longer than you have to?

The art is nice. The action is nice. But the writer depends too much on our affection/familiarity for these people, and not enough time getting us to like them or care about their story.

BLUE BEETLE #1

Written by TONY BEDARD

Art by IG GUARA and RUY JOSE

Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and SAL REGLA

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

I was never a big fan of the old Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle title, but this version threatens to make me a believer.

Our story opens “long, long ago” on an alien planet that The Reach has seeded with a scarab. The scarab has taken over a local, and he is annihilating the planet’s population single-handedly. Afterward, one of his supervisors – for lack of a better word – shows up to congratulate Khaji-Kai (his “scarab name” – he no longer remembers his original one) and to drop a little expository dialogue on us to explain what we just saw. The Reach sends out a bunch of new scarabs to conquer more planets, one of which goes to our solar system, but is fortunately intercepted by the Green Lantern of this sector (apparently one before Abin Sur), who damages it. It escapes, lands on Earth, and goes into hibernation. The scene shifts to El Paso in the present, where we meet Jaime, Brenda and Paco, pretty much the same way we knew them before, except Paco is now a dropout and possible gangbanger. Also, we discover right away that Brenda’s aunt is a crimelord (it took us a while in the old series) and she wants the scarab, which is hijacked by three member of the Fearsome Five (Phobia, Warp and Plasmus), who are now members of the Brotherhood of Evil (The Brain and M’Sieu Mallah are mentioned, but not shown). Paco and Jaime blunder into the hijack on the way to Brenda’s birthday party, and by accident the scarab is activated and it bonds to Jaime. The first thing he says is his scarab name, Khadji-Da.

This set-up is pretty much like the old series, except that we meet everyone much faster, and almost everything is thought through much better. For example, all the adults know something’s up with Brenda’s tia, when in the old series some were clueless that she was AN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LIVING IN A HEAVILY FORTIFIED AND GUARDED MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FORTRESS. So I appreciate that Jaime’s parents aren’t complete morons this time. Also, we learn the relationship between the Green Lanterns and The Reach, which I always wondered about before. Also, there’s a lot more Spanish in this series, and although I don’t speak Spanish, I have lived in Texas, and I appreciate the verisimilitude (and I trust I won’t miss any truly important info). Plus, the dropout thing with Paco – some might not like it, but, again, I think it adds verisimilitude (and adds a more interesting subplot). Further, Brenda – who seemed too smart for Paco in the last series – doesn’t seem to view him romantically in this series, but both Jaime and Paco seem interested in her (which makes more sense). Also, a text piece informs us that Jaime will have a lot more trouble controlling the scarab, so he’ll be less Static and more Damage, which is good, because we already have Static. And Spider-Man. And the Teen Titans. And a jillion other smart-mouthed teen heroes.

Overall, thumbs up for a story that keeps all the good parts of the old Blue Beetle while upgrading the coherence and plausibility of Jaime’s world.

CAPTAIN ATOM #1

Written by J.T. KRUL

Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II

Cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU

On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

This wasn’t bad, but it read like half a first issue.

We open with a rat in an alley, with a pretentious Captain Atom voiceover about how we’re all really animals and stuff. The rat’s eyes glow, and then we shift to the Captain himself fighting an armored villain (new character), which he defeats, but his hand starts to lose cohesion. He goes “home” and we learn he is working with a brain trust in Chicago, led by a Stephen Hawking stand-in (complete with chair and voice modulator), who informs him that he needs to stop using his power or his brain could lose cohesion. However, just then, a volcano erupts in New York City (yes, New York City), and Captain Atom has no choice but to use his powers full out. In the middle of Nate vs. the volcano, we cut to the rat, which becomes a big monster and eats a homeless guy, then we cut back to Atom, who turns red and appears to be losing cohesion.

All right, class, how many mysteries were introduced in this first issue? How many were solved, or even gave us a clue? The first answer isn’t important, but the second answer – zero – is. I simply don’t have enough information to know whether I care about this series or not. I sure don’t meet anyone other than Captain Atom long enough to know if I like them, and DC’s version of Captain Atom has never been a show-stopper. So I’m going to have to read a second issue to know if the story in the first one A) makes sense and B) is interesting. That’s not a very good idea for a first issue.

Still, the story’s title is “Evolution of a Species,” so I imagine Cap’n Atom will go through some changes next issue, so maybe one of them will make him more interesting.

CATWOMAN #1

Written by JUDD WINICK

Art and cover by GUILLEM MARCH

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Most of this issue is typical – and typically fun – Catwoman caper stuff, and the issue ends with, ahem, a bang.

As with most Bat-books, this issue reassures us that very little has changed. Catwoman is still a thief with a heart of gold and she loves to live on the edge. (Also, she appears to own nothing except kittens and brassieres.) We meet her fence (new character), who seems to have a little personality, which is good, since she’s the only supporting character we meet. Then a situation occurs at the end which appears to have the Internet BROKEN. IN. HALF. But I’m not sure why – it just reinforces something we’ve known since Brubaker’s run several years back, but were never shown in detail. Now we have been, and I think it’s a good idea (for its humanizing effect on another character).

However, I think Winick should have realized the possible implications of the phrase “It doesn’t take long” and made more clear what he meant to avoid the sniggers. Otherwise this was a swell issue that even my wife enjoyed.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1

Written by PAUL JENKINS

Art by BERNARD CHANG

Cover by RYAN SOOK

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Deadman needs to break out of the prison of his original conception, and I’m not sure this story gets us there.

Everything you ever knew about Deadman? Still true. But add that he’s now working toward balancing the scales, in that he has to be a better man in death than he was in life, and when he achieves karmic balance, he can move on. Plus, shades of those he’s possessed are hanging around, and he doesn’t know why. He gets Rama Kushna’s attention to ask her about this development in a pretty dramatic way.

I don’t have much more to say, because not a lot happened here. Boston does try to get in touch with the psychic (“Rose”) at his old circus, but only succeeds in freaking her out. (Try Madame Xanadu, Boston. I hear she’s got a place in the Village. Or Dr. Fate. Or Zatanna. Or any one of the many legitimate wizards, psychics, sorcerers and whatnot in the DCU. A carny palm-reader? Riiiiight. So, since she’s pretty, I guess this is just a clumsy set-up to make her the love interest.) Other than that, it’s a 22-page voiceover pretty much explaining the above. Boston does “possess” a guy, as he usually does, but there’s no telling if he’s a temporary player or potential supporting cast. Maybe he and Rose will become an item.

So, it was OK. But given how often Deadman has failed to hold a series, it really needed to be better than OK. He is by definition a pretty limited character, so he’s definitely a writer’s challenge. I’ll need to see more before I know if Jenkins rises to that challenge or not.

Incidentally, there were some Carmine Infantino swipes/homage in the first couple of pages, which I guess is kinda neat. But if you’re going to swipe, why not swipe from Neal Adams? Just sayin’.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1

Written by PETER J. TOMASI

Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and SCOTT HANNA

Cover by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY

On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

This issue felt like marking time.

The series opens with an invisible villain or villains literally cutting one Green Lantern in half and beheading another in the Sciencells on Oa. (Pretty graphically.) Then we shift to Earth, where both Guy Gardner and John Stewart learn that they can’t go back to their old jobs (high school gym coach and architect, respectively) because Guy would be too big a liability for a school (as a target for supervillains) and John has been changed too much by being a Lantern. They both return to Oa, learn about the first two deaths (which has now risen to four) and volunteer to take a squad of Lanterns to investigate.

Here’s another book where we learn that virtually nothing has changed. As to the meat of the story – Guy and John learning they can’t return to their civilian jobs – that seems so blindingly obvious on the front end that I was bored hearing all the reasons why they can’t (even though I was aware this was exposition/history for newbies). But I feel like that could have been covered in a couple word ballons and we could have skipped from Page 4 to Page 15 and not lost a thing. And that’s not good.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

Written by PAUL LEVITZ

Art by FRANCIS PORTELA

Cover by KARL KERSCHL

On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

It’s not often I complain about too much going on in a book, but this one feels a bit cluttered. But knowing Levitz, this will shake out to be epic.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 opens with five Legionnaires (Chameleon Boy, Chemical Kid, Dragonwing, Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy) investigating a Dominator-monitoring station which has gone silent. In the course of the dialogue, we learn something terrible has happened, and that everyone believes that the Legionnaires in Legion Lost are dead.  Then we check back on other Legionnaires to discover A) Colossal Boy has resigned and joined the Science Police after the “death” of his wife, Chameleon Girl, B) Earthman is dead, C) a whole bunch of Academy recruits have been promoted to Legionnaire status, D) Mon-El is no longer a Green Lantern, E) Brainiac 5 wants his job as Legion leader, F) Glorith is a Legionnaire, G) Star Boy is a paraplegic, and maybe some more but it was a lot take in and remember. Anyway, we switch back to the original mission, which goes pear-shaped and then a Daxamite attacks.

I find it interesting that Levitz didn’t bother to re-introduce everybody, and I’m rather glad he didn’t – he’s probably as tired of writing introductory Legion issues as I am of reading them. Instead he jumps right in with massive repercussions from an event we don’t know about yet (unless it happened in the final Legion/Adventure issues, which I haven’t read yet), and it’s enough to make your head explode. That’s good, because with a cast that big it doesn’t make sense to pussy-foot around. On the other hand, as I said in my intro, it’s an awful lot to cram into one issue, especially since all of these plot threads seem to be pulling in different directions. Still, I’m definitely coming back for the next issue, when I imagine Levitz wills start to pull it together in ways I don't foresee.

NIGHTWING #1

Written by KYLE HIGGINS

Art and cover by EDDY BARROWS and JP MAYER

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

This is fine.

We follow Dick Grayson through a night patrol where we learn where he lives now (a loft in the bad part of town), that he thinks he’s better for having been Batman for a year and then he goes on a visit to Haly’s Circus (where he grew up), which just happens to be in town. Then he’s attacked by a hired killer, escapes to change into Nightwing, but the killer beats him as Nightwing anyway – and says that Grayson (he doesn’t realize Nightwing is Grayson) is a murderer. Could this be related to what’s happening over in Batman?

I said this is fine, and that’s what it is – and all that it is. I’ve never been a big Nightwing fan, because I think a glorified acrobat needs more going for him than a clever name. (All the other glorified acrobats -- Batman, Green Arrow, Mr. Terrific -- have some kind of gimmick to explain why they're still alive.)

I understand that in the first issue we’re going to have a lot of voiceovers and references to the past so newbies can learn who this guy is. (Former Batman! Former Robin! Former Circus Acrobat! Parents killed by crooks!) But I wish we didn’t have to. Or if we did, more would happen, so that it’s not just an encyclopedia entry.

I also find it laughable that the hired killer, who sees his prey somersault away, is then attacked by an acrobat who looks JUST LIKE DICK GRAYSON ONLY IN A TINY DOMINO MASK and doesn’t realize they’re the same guy. Must be really dark in Gotham.

Boring. I do like the new threads though. As I teach in my color theory class, warm colors leap out at you, while cool colors recede. So the red is jazzier.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL

Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

When I read the description of this book, I thought I wouldn’t like it. Turns out I have a gift for understatement.

Roy Harper is in a Quraci jail (with no explanation), but is rescued by Red Hood, for whom he has been working (again, no explanation). They escape with the help of Starfire, who is hanging out because … oh, wait, no explanation. They go to Martinique, where it turns out that because Starfire is Tamaranean, she apparently has no long-term memory and can only sense us humans by smell, so she’ll sleep with either of the boys, and does. A mysterious woman called The Essence (who looks like a refugee from an Image comic) shows up and says some stuff about the All Caste that apparently she and Jason used to belong to (no explanation), only now she’s banned, and she shows Jason some magic picture of a dead girl in “The Well of the All Caste” so Jason goes to this Well to, uh … avenge her death? Not sure. (And, of course, there’s no explanation.) Anyway, turns out this Well is in the Himalayas, where he finds the dead girl (whom he used to know) and gets jumped by some bad guys.

So, explain again how Koraind’r can’t remember the Titans, with whom she’s spent the last 31 years? I bring this up because Lobdell did, despite this being a potential fresh start. He decided to address and dispense with Koriand'r's long association with the Titans and her sexual history with Dick Grayson, and his method was to make her a brain-damaged blow-up doll -- and play it for laughs. As Rich Lane said below, this makes it impossible for Starfire to have any character growth, and "turns her into a sex toy for anyone who wants to take advantage of that fact." Well said. The misogyny is stunning.

I'd be more outraged, except that I don't plan to read any more. I'm going to take Lobdell's loathsome treatment of a female character and toss it on the stack of the other stupid stuff in this book, which features a bunch of characters I don’t care about.

SUPERGIRL #1

Written by MICHAEL GREEN and MIKE JOHNSON

Art and cover by MAHMUD ASRAR

On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Nothing happens.

OK, Supergirl’s ship arrives on Earth (and plows through to Siberia). Unseen observers make reference to “the Kansas event” and send out a team in big armor to retrieve her and her ship, and make it clear that they can do this despite it being in Russia. Kara gets out of her spaceship, disoriented, and is surrounded by men in armor speaking a language she doesn’t know. They attack, there’s a fight, she discovers her powers and wins. She believes she might be dreaming. Superman arrives and stops the fight.

OK, there’s some good super-action here, but it eats up the whole book and we learn absolutely nothing. We already knew Supergirl was from Krypton, that she’s Superman’s cousin, and that she arrives here as a teen. And when I say "we" I mean new readers and old readers alike, since even non-readers know that much about a character called "Supergirl." If those three things weren't true, they'd have to call her something else -- Hypergirl, or Tip-Top Girl, or Red Hoodgirl and the In-Laws.

So all readers coming to this book already know those three things. Which is all that this book tells us. (Actually less – we don’t actually learn that Supergirl is Superman’s cousin, since they won’t interact until next issue.) Man, that’s not much for my $2.99.

Oh, and Supergirl’s outfit is one of the lamest I’ve ever seen – and Supergirl’s had some pretty lame outfits.

WONDER WOMAN #1

Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO

Art and cover by CLIFF CHIANG

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

With apologies to George Perez fans, this is the best Wonder Woman I have ever read.

A Greek god does something terrible to three girls. A girl named Zola is on the run from mythological creatures. A woman named Diana rises to her defense in a brutal, bloody battle. A god is impaled. A golden key proves to be key. Warnings and implied threats abound. Someone is pregnant with Zeus’s child, and many divine eyes are turning to notice. The god at the beginning closes the book with dire, cryptic muttering. Everything has a price, and the gods are only too eager for others to pay.

This. Is. GREAT! Brian Azzarello calls the Greco-Roman gods the “original crime family,” and we know from 100 Bullets that we’re in for a treat.  Wonder Woman as crime noir? With centaurs? Sign me up!

By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Sept. 20, 2011 -- DC Comics is in the third week of re-launching all 52 of its superhero titles in a single month, and it’s reportedly going big guns. But DC editor-in-chief Bob Harras is already thinking long term.

“I think the [52] first issues really are setting the groundwork but we’re building from there with every issue,” Harras said in an interview. “The goal is definitely to keep readers excited and really kind of getting back to that sense of ‘What’s gonna happen next?’ … We’re really just building the base of excitement.”

Not that he’s got his eye so fixed on the big picture that he hasn’t noticed how big September has been.

“Am I happy that the numbers are good?” he said. “Yes, of course. But I really, really – again, not to sound corny – I’m excited more about the sense of excitement about what [the creators] are doing.”

Initial sales reports on The New 52 are huge, with Action Comics #1 alone already hovering around 200,000 before re-orders and foreign sales have come in. Bob Wayne, DC Comics Senior Vice President of Sales, told ICv2.com Sept. 12 “we have sold out of everything that has gone on sale so far, and everything that is going to go on sale next week.” And major titles like Batman #1, Superman #1 and Wonder Woman #1 are still in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, DC’s efforts to reach new readers have Harras excited as well.

 “Readers anywhere interested in comics … can have access to our product on their iPads, on their phones,” he said. Some potential readers don’t live near comic shops, so “that they have the ability to get a comic in their home in the middle of the night is just incredibly important. It’s offering a wider audience the chance to come aboard and read our material and see our characters.”

And when that potential new reader buys that first comic book, online or in print, he won’t have to have a degree in comics already. “We’re looking at our books and making sure as best as we can that when a reader does read it the first time, there’s enough information there they won’t be confused,” Harras said.

Something else Harras thinks is important is bringing long-running character back to what made them popular in the first place – a back-to-basics approach that dovetails with what the general populace knows about them.

One such instance is Batgirl, a surprise hit written by fan favorite Gail Simone. The original Barbara Gordon (the Gotham Police commissioner’s daughter) is back under the cowl, after having been sidelined by an injury since 1988. Since then, at least two other women have served as Batgirl, whose fates have not yet been revealed.

 “It’s going back to the core of who Batgirl should be,” Harras said. “I think people are reacting to that … I think Gail reacted to that, you get something really great out of that. … It’s part of the mythos. It’s part of our job to keep that mythos fresh.”

Another restoration work is Superman, whose early days are being re-told in Action by Scottish writer Grant Morrison – whose recent book Supergods shows he has probably thought harder and deeper about American pop culture than most Americans. 

“I think Grant always wanted to go back to a sense of what Superman was initially,” Harras said. “He was a little bit of a scrapper back in the day. …  I kinda like what Grant has done, where you get this sense of, you know, Clark has rough edges. Clark is a little angry. He’s … finding his way in the world.  … Clark’s in his early 20s, and in your early 20s you’re going through a lot, and if you’re Clark Kent and you have these powers, you’re going through even more than normal, and what would your reaction be?”

But as editor-in-chief, Harras’s brief is the big picture. Where does he want to be in six months?

“Aruba,” he laughs. “Where I want us to be, I still want to still have that sense of excitement out there. I want fans and readers in general to be coming back every month saying, ‘Tell me another story about these characters.’ We want to actually show people out there that DC Comics and the characters here are amazing characters and we will be telling you compelling and amazing stories about them. It’s all about excitement and entertainment, and that’s what we want to be doing, and that’s what we are going to be doing.” 

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

 52 REVIEWS 52

WEEK TWO

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1

Written by PETER J. TOMASI

Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

If this version of Batman and Robin had simply continued the quality of the last, I’d have been happy. It’s close, but there’s one drawback.

[WARNING: SERIOUS SPOILERS HERE.] The story opens in Moscow, where a Russian “ally of the Bat” (presumably part of Batman, Inc.) is interrupted bagging a perp and kidnapped by an invisible man calling himself NoBody. Switch to Gotham, where Bruce Wayne takes Damian Wayne to the sewer beneath Crime Alley. Batman is ending his annual observance of his parents’ death; now he plans to celebrate their wedding anniversary instead. (Evidently becoming a father has made him less morbid.) Damian doesn’t think any of it is significant and is snarky (understandable when you consider that the only grandparent he’s ever known is Ra’s al Ghul). A call comes in from Gotham University, where the research reactor is being sabotaged by three criminals (and I really didn’t understand what they were trying to do). They’re interrupted by the Dynamic Duo, but Robin goes in too soon and gives away the element of surprise. The three escape in a ball-shaped “gyro” vehicle while Batman is busy preventing a meltdown (by breaking the ceiling, where a convenient swimming pool dumps its contents on the reactor). Robin defies orders and follows the vehicle, disrupting something and it promptly catches fire and (presumably) kills everyone inside, far enough away that B&R can’t see what happened. (Whether it was Robin’s actions that killed the men isn’t clear.) Batman sternly lectures Damian, who rejects the criticism. Back to Moscow, and NoBody is dipping the Russian Batman in some sort of green fluid (it appears to be acid), saying “I’m erasing you. It will be like you never existed at all.” Then he threatens to end Batman’s “global circus act” and a bat is revealed on NoBody’s chest.

This is an excellent plot. The pacing is terrific. The art by Patrick Gleason is excellent. This is a darn good book.

My only complaint is the repartee between Damian and Bruce. I understand that this relationship has to start from the ground up, and it was rough between Damian and Dick for a while. That’s part of the plot, I think, and that’s fine. But in the old Batman and Robin, Damian’s nastiness somehow betrayed an underlying vulnerability, an insecurity, a need to be accepted (with too much ego to ask for it). The Damian in this book – well, he’s just a vile little snot.

Again, maybe that’s part of the plot. And Tomasi’s run in the Green Lantern franchise was impressive. I’ll give him some time, and hope this uncomfortable dialogue either straightens itself out or proves to be a plot point. Hey, maybe Robin’s a clone.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/batman-and-robin-1-spoilers

BATWOMAN #1

Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN

Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Lord, this comic book is beautiful.

A ghost-like “Weeping Woman” is kidnapping children for unknown reasons. Kate Kane’s on the case, as is Maggie Sawyer of the GCPD (and the flirting between the two has progressed to an actual date). There’s progress on the Bette Kane front as well – Batwoman is training the former Flamebird, but isn’t sure she has what it takes, and has her dress in a drab uniform and take the name “Plebe” (like in the military, where Kane used to be) until told otherwise. And there’s more: One page indicates that Director Bones of the DEO has assigned Agent Chase (remember her?) to find out who Batwoman is. Another page expounds a bit on the falling out between Kane and her father. There’s also a cliff-hanger involving a certain Dark Knight!

You know, in retrospect, Williams covered a lot of ground and delivered a lot of exposition in this issue … and I didn’t even notice. Not because it wasn’t well done – it was – but because Williams’s design is so impeccable, and his layouts are so dynamic, in addition to him simply being an excellent artist. I find my eyes lingering on pages, following design imperatives, absorbing detail and color, until sometimes I forget I’m reading a story! Anyway, the story was well done. The vignettes progressing C and D plots were brief and powerful; the dialogue, especially between Kane and Sawyer, was convincing; the Weeping Woman was appropriately terrifying. This is just a damned good book.

One last thought: I absorbed tangentially that there was a lot of cheesecake in the book, which I thought nothing of, since that’s fairly common in superhero books, especially those featuring gorgeous women. But I realized on second reading that all of it – all of it – was of Bette Kane. That’s probably just coincidence. Or does Williams think fanboys only lust after heterosexual girls? Or is he protecting Kate Kane from our lurid male gaze? Probably not. But those thoughts flitted across my frontal lobe, and I thought I’d share.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/batwoman-1-initial-reaction

DEATHSTROKE #1

Written by KYLE HIGGINS

Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT

Cover by SIMON BISLEY

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

I don’t like books where villains are presented as heroes. Fortunately, this isn’t one of those. Slade Wilson is really, really, really bad news.

The story is pretty straightforward. We see Slade finish some job in Russia where he kills a lot of people. His “agent” – I guess that’s what you call it – gets him a difficult assassination gig, but saddles him with three up-and-coming assassins in support (against his wishes). They perform the job in mid-air, but it turns out the guy Wilson is to kill (“Jeffrey Bode,” who looks like Klaus Kinski in Nosferatu) has actually arranged the job to get him on the plane to give him a briefcase. (Wilson sees what’s in it, but we do not.) There’s a particularly violent ending, and we’re off to the races.

I liked it. A little mystery, a lot of violence, noir atmosphere, plenty of tough-guy dialogue. There is no question that Wilson is an awful man, but he is awfully good at what he does. So I can marvel at the graphics without rooting for him. I’ll be along for the ride until they try to make a hero of him.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

DEMON KNIGHTS #1

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cover by TONY S. DANIEL

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

I love the premise, but be warned that these characters are not the ones we knew.

Demon Knights opens at the fall of Camelot, where Percival is throwing Excalibur into the lake, and Arthur is being borne to Albion. Xanadu is one of those doing the bearing, but abandons Arthur’s boat to get Excalibur (she fails). Meanwhile, we see the origin of The Demon, as Merlin imprisons him in Jason of Norwich (Jason Blood). Fast forward to the Middle Ages, where someone called the Questing Queen is – well, I guess she’s questing for something, but she’s killing lots of folks in the meantime, along with her consort, Mordru. (Yes, Mordru!) Riding the crest of the refugee wave puts Xanadu and her now-lover Jason Blood in an inn, where they meet Sir Ystin (the cross-dressing Shining Knight from Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers), a Muslim machine-maker named Al Jabr (from whence we get “algebra”), a convivial Vandal Savage and a big woman named Exoristos, who might well be an Amazon. Evidently they will be our team, as a bar fight breaks out, followed by an attack by the Queen. Involving dinosaurs.

This book has been described as DC’s answer to Game of Thrones. I like fantasy just fine, thank you, and I’m prepared to like this book. There are some interesting wrinkles worth mention; for one thing, the Queen and Mordru use babies as skrying machines, who then promptly explode, which makes them terrifically evil. And we’re not sure exactly who Xanadu’s boyfriend is: Jason … or The Demon. (Since all three are immortal, it puts a different slant on “eternal triangle.”) And, then, y’know: dinosaurs. This could be a fun romp.

The downside, as noted above, is that many of these characters are ones we knew from the Old 52, and they have changed -- and not always, IMHO, for the better. For example:

• The Mordru we know would never take a back seat to anyone, Questing Queen or not -- and has a really complicated history that didn't start on Earth. I actually sort of approve of this change, in that Mordru is a major DC villain, but difficult to describe in a sentence. I mean, he first appeared as a 30th century foe of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the planet Zerox (Adventure Comics/Legion of Super-Heroes), but was retconned in later stories as having come from Gemworld (Ametheyst) and again as a Lord of Chaos (various Justice League-JSA stories). Which is he? Final Crisis restored the Lord of Chaos origin, but it doesn't matter -- it's just too confusing. Here Cornell makes him part of Earth's past, streamlining his resume for newbies. And his second banana role is probably temporary anyway (and could prove to be a plot point, if he displaces the Questing Queen down the road as the TRUE Big Bad of the story).
• Vandal Savage is a jovial fellow here, and expresses an appreciation for the example of Camelot, despite being a murderous thug in every other story he’s ever been in, including his origin story set in caveman days. I'm not too crazy about this change, but I can see why it was done: The Vandal Savage of old wouldn't work in a team situation, and this one will. Some on this board have pointed out that maybe an immortal like Savage may have had different “moods” in different eras; perhaps he was a hero in one decade and a villain in the next. Or this is an entirely different Savage than we've known before. *Shrug* Either works for me.
• We know quite a bit about Madame Xanadu’s history from her own series, and this jaunt with Jason/Etrigan doesn’t fit into it anywhere – especially since she’s been mostly into women for most of her immortal life. However, the "mood theory" invented for Vandal Savage can for work Xanadu as well, and even in her old series she was likely bisexual – she had a thing for the Phantom Stranger – so maybe she was just in the mood for male company in the Dark Ages. Or, again, maybe we should just throw out her old history. However, this version is really chipper and chirpy, something she never was before, and i rather enjoyed her air of gloomy mystery. Ah, well. I guess "cryptic" and "gloomy" wouldn't work in a fantasy romp, so it's gone.
• There has rarely been sufficient explanation in most Demon stories for why he acts in a heroic manner. (One exception being Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing story about The Monkey King,where he does. But that was a rarity.) So I guess I can't fault Cornell for not trying to explain it here, either. But maybe he's on his best behavior to score points with Xanadu, or maybe this Demon is simply different than the old one in temperament. Still, in this story he's shown to still be a literal demon from Hell, so I want an explanation for why he's not slaughtering everyone around him, and I want it now.
• Exoristos appears to be an Amazon, and says she's from an island -- so she could be from Themyscira. If so, then it's a different one from the one we know, in that she says men are castrated there, and there were never any men on the old "Paradise Island." So either she's NOT from Themyscira, or the rules are different for that island in The New 52 (we haven't seen Wonder Woman #1 yet), or The New 52's Themyscira changed over time. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/demon-knights-spoilers

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI

Cover by J.G. JONES

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

I’m on the fence on this one.

Monsters invade a small town, and S.H.A.D.E. summons Frankenstein to go inside their defensive perimeter and rescue the first agent they sent in – Frankenstein’s estranged wife. This assignment is given by Father Time, who no longer looks like an old man, but instead like a little girl, because he “randomly generates new bodies” every so often. But Frankenstein doesn’t go in alone; S.H.A.D.E. gives him a new Creature Commandos as his team. The Baron quickly identified these as the vampire and wolfman from the old Creature Commandos, a mummy from the Walt Simonson Dr. Fate mini-series, and a new character, a female Creature from the Black Lagoon. They invade, there are complications, there is a cliff-hanger.

If they keep this book tongue-in-cheek (or capture the Grant Morrison “vibe” from the Seven Soldiers series) I’ll probably enjoy it, but if it gets heavy it’s going to compare unfavorably to Dark Horse’s B.P.R.D., which has been doing this bit for a long while, and doing it better. But even if they do avoid the B.P.R.D. comparisons, it’s going to be hard to enjoy because I simply don’t care for the art. There’s nothing wrong or unprofessional about it; I just don’t care for this style, which is sketchy and seems messy and there are lots of lines everywhere and everything seems to have the same texture and I sometimes have trouble figuring what’s what. But other (or younger) eyes might like it better.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/frankenstein-agent-of-s-h-a-d-e-spoilers

GREEN LANTERN #1

Written by GEOFF JOHNS

Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

This continues from the previous Green Lantern series with literally no changes; it has the same writer, same artist and continues the same story. I liked what I was getting before, so I like this now.

The “War of the Green Lanterns” ended with Sinestro as the new Green Lantern of Sector 2814, completely against his wishes, and Hal Jordan cashiered from service. (The Air Force, Ferris Aircraft, the Corps -- geez, Jordan must be accustomed to getting fired by now.) That’s how Green Lantern #1 begins. Sinestro fights to no avail to rid himself of the ring, uses the ring to spy wistfully at Korugar and has to defend himself from Sinestro Corps members he runs across who try to kill him – and he knows it’s only the beginning. Meanwhile, Jordan is adapting poorly to post-GL life, especially since he had virtually no life on Earth (no job, he’s been evicted, etc.). Complications with Carol Ferris ensue. Then a surprise ending suggests more fun in the future.

This is a solid tale, as you’d expect from Geoff Johns. Surprisingly funny, too. It’s almost unfair to the other #1s, but Johns has a great set-up from the previous series and is already roaring into his story, which promises to be a good one.

GRIFTER #1

Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON

Art by CAFU

Cover by CAFU and BIT

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

As I said about Stormwatch, why bother to bring WildStorm characters into the DCU if you’re going to change everything about them?

Cole Cash is NOT the Grifter we know; he’s an actual grifter getting by on con games and charm. Then he becomes Roddy Rowdy Piper from They Live, a guy who can see aliens no one else can see. Complications ensue.

Yawn. Seen the premise before. Cash is a whiner. This better pick up fast.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/grifter-1-initial-reaction

LEGION LOST #1

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA

Art and cover by PETE WOODS

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Haven’t we seen this before?

Seven Legionnaires – Chameleon Girl, Dawnstar, Gates, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Tyroc and Wildfire – arrive in the 21st century in pursuit of Alastor of Dathor (new character, AFAIK), who is going to release a pathogen into Earth’s atsmosphere for revenge (revenge for what, we don’t know yet). However, the “Flashpoint Effect” damages their time bubble – permanently, as it turns out – and their 31st century tech (flight rings, transuits, etc.) no longer works. They capture this Alastor too late (the pathogen has been released) who then blows up, and not all Legionnaires appear to survive.

Yes, we have seen this before. Not only a specific title called Legion Lost, but in various stories where Legionnaires are stranded (or choose to live) in Superboy’s time, or Superman’s time. I love me some Legion, but is there some reason for this title? Couldn’t this story have been told in Legion of Super-Heroes or a revived Adventure? The latter title would have the benefit not ending when these Legionnaires get found (because you know they’re going home sometime). I like the book fine, but it doesn’t really pass my “why does this exist” test.

MISTER TERRIFIC #1

Written by ERIC WALLACE

Art by ROGER ROBINSON

Cover by J.G. JONES

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Another book that fails the above test.

Mr. Terrific opens with the titular character in combat with a high-tech bad guy in London. He wins by being really smart. We get a flashback re-telling his origin – the death of his wife, the potential suicide, and the “don’t give up” message (this time from a future son, not The Spectre). He is summoned by the LAPD because an ordinary guy has suddently become a genius, one with the ability to affect the emotional state of those around him (especially inducing rage). Mr. Terrific goes to a party with Karen Starr (evidently the non-powered version of Power Girl on this Earth, who is a multi-millionaire), although they say they are just friends. The rage effect sweeps through the party, affecting Michael Holt as well, and the issue ends with him about to do something reallllly bad.

OK, it’s a pretty decent story. It moves nicely, it fills in the blanks painlessly, the art is pretty good. But why? Why does this exist? What is unique about Mr. Terrific, or what unique stories can be told about him, that can’t be told using Batman or some other character as a vehicle? What is the target audience that is different than a Batman book? What niche does this character fill that isn’t already filled to capacity?

He's a rich, smart guy who uses tech to beat bad guys. Seen it. So I just don’t know why Mr. Terrific exists. Maybe a second issue will tell me, but the first issue should have.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/mister-terrific-spoilers

RED LANTERNS #1

Written by PETER MILLIGAN

Art and cover by ED BENES and ROB HUNTER

On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

I must say, this wasn’t nearly as rage-filled as I expected. But it was still OK.

Rex-Starr is attacked by some hunters, but is overpowered until rescued by Atrocitus. However, Big Red is concerned because he feels his rage waning. With Krona dead, he’s got nothing left to be mad at. He does some sort of Red Lantern hoodoo and gets a vision, in which he will do a sort of Spectre turn – he will wreak vengeance on those who deserve it. However, the other Red Lanterns think he’s getting soft, and an insurrection begins to form.

I guess I was just expecting more of the "Hulk smash" and hissing and blood vomiting from Atrocitus & Co. that they usually do, but now that I think about it, you can’t really have a series about mindless rage-a-matons throwing up on everything in their way. So I suppose it was necessary for Atrocitus to find some sort of raison d’etre for his crew, and for them to get smarter (so there can be dialogue).

And this book achieves that; it remains to be seen if that’s a strong enough premise to hold readers’ interest long term, but Milligan usually delivers so I’m not concerned. Also, the art by Ed Benes is solid Green Lantern-style space opera, and goes down like fine wine.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/red-lanterns-1-initial-reaction

RESURRECTION MAN #1

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING

Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

I feel like this book has never been gone.

Resurrection Man opens with the man doing his thing, which is not only a fast open but clues in new readers what Mitch Shelley does: He resurrects, each time with new super-powers. (Kind of a grisly version of "Dial H for Hero.") This time he’s Magneto, and takes a plane to Portland. En route, an angel or a demon – hard to tell – comes after his soul. Evidently, the constantly resurrecting has “polished” his soul so that it’s quite a prize to “the upstairs office” and “the downstairs office” alike. And it’s not just angels and demons after Mitch; the Body Doubles are in pursuit, just as they were in the last series. He escapes due to his magnetic powers -- well, not entirely, because he dies again. And resurrects as Hydro-Man!

Yep, the Body Doubles again. And Abnett & Lanning are the writers, just as they were for Resurrection Man #1-27 (first series, May 97-Aug 99). And while former artist Butch Guice is otherwise occupied, he clearly influenced Fernando Dagino's (and there’s a strong Gene Colan influence, too). So, honestly, this reads to me like Resurrection Man #28.

Which isn’t a bad thing. Resurrection Man is never going to be a big seller; it’s always going to be a second-tier, acquired-taste kind of thing, which means it has to be the best second-tier book it can possibly be to survive on the bubble. And I think Abnett, Lanning and Dagino have achieved that. They’ve added a man-on-the-run element to Mitch, as he’s chased by angels and demons, an added facet which also ratchets up the conflict level. That’s a pretty familiar turf – from The Fugitive to Incredible Hulk – with the added twist of Mitch’s weird power. Oh, and the Body Doubles for “fun.”

SUICIDE SQUAD #1

Written by ADAM GLASS

Art by MARCO RUDY

Cover by RYAN BENJAMIN

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Wow. Who decided to ruin so many characters and concepts in a single book?

Suicide Squad opens with various characters from the old 52's Gotham City Sirens, Secret Six and elsewhere being tortured to spill the beans on Task Force X (the Suicide Squad), of which they are apparently members now. The characters are Black Spider, Deadshot, El Diablo, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Savant and Voltaic. Everyone has flashbacks as to how they got to Belle Reve’s death row, and then “recruited” into Task Force X with a micro-bomb in their necks. One spills the beans. One doesn’t survive. Eventually, the remainder begin a mission.

So Harley is a stone killer now. The Secret Six is kaput (or maybe never happened). The Suicide Squad is even more mean-spirited than before, with none of John Ostrander’s wit and craft. And I gotta say, I guessed the “surprise ending” on Page 2. These characters deserve better – and they once had it, with Gail Simone on Secret Six. Phooey.

SUPERBOY #1

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL

Art by RB SILVA and ROB LEAN

Cover by ERIC CANETE

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Superboy #1 takes us right back to the beginning of today’s Superboy, when he was being cloned at Cadmus. Only this time it’s at something called Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and a Dr. Zaniel is in charge. Once again, he’s a clone of Superman and a human, and once again the human is likely to be Lex Luthor (as one scientist says, “unless Superboy’s human cells originated in a deeply pathological, megalomaniacal narcissist, the likes of which the world has never known … it means we did something wrong”). Of course, it may not be Luthor, which we’ll find out in time. Meanwhile, the sympathetic scientist in charge is very likely Catilin Fairchild of Gen13, prior to being bulked up, and the security person in charge of killing Superboy should he escape is Rose Wilson, not once called Ravager and with both eyes. Fairchild – or “Red,” as she’s always called – can’t prevent Zaniel from sending Superboy on a mission, which will somehow involve the new Teen Titans, which we haven’t met yet.

Since most of this information is warmed over material from the Superboy #1 prior to the last one, I tended to linger over the new bits, like the relationship between “Red” and her charge, which is complicated. (She’s sweet and protective, but Superboy thinks, “I believe in my heart that her intentions are pure. She’s trying to protect me from them. … [but] a jailor is still a jailor.”) The Rose Wilson cameo was interesting as an indicator of her status in The New 52, and it makes you wonder if she’s knows Deathstroke is her dad, since she hasn’t had the traumatic eye thingy.

But, you know, most of this was set-up, and it’s set-up we’ve seen before, so we won’t really see anything new until next issue. Then, I’m guessing, we’ll see Superboy defect to the Titans, which would mirror the Young Justice cartoon series. I’m guessing that will be the model for the most part, to appeal to viewers of that show.

52 Reviews 52

This is the start of 52 reviews of each of “The New 52” #1 issues. I apologize for the tardiness; The first 13 of The New 52 debuted the same week school started at the University of Memphis, where I am now teaching classes in addition to my job at The Commercial Appeal, my weekly column for Scripps Howard News Service and my monthly articles for Comics Buyer’s Guide. The timing couldn’t have been worse, really, as there is no such thing as “spare time” this month – perhaps all of this semester.

But I am making time for this event, perhaps the most ambitious the industry has undertaken in history, certainly the most ambitious since I began reading comics in the early 1960s. The New 52 deserves the attention.

 Again, I’m getting a late start, and various Legionnaires have already taken the time to comment on various threads. I assure you I have read all those comments, and have linked to them. It is not my intent to usurp those conversations, but simply to go on record with my initial thoughts about this unprecedented effort.

WEEK ONE

ACTION COMICS #1

Written by GRANT MORRISON

Art by RAGS MORALES and RICK BRYANT

Cover by RAGS MORALES

Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

I love this book. Let me tell you why. (And settle in – I have a lot to say about this one.)

DC touts Action Comics #1 as the “cornerstone of the entire DC Universe,” which is entirely appropriate for the title that gave us the first superhero in 1938 – the character that gave his name to the entire genre. Superman’s status as “the first superhero” wore away over the years in-story, with Crisis on Infinite Earths – which inserted DC’s World War II heroes, previously relegated to “Earth-2,” into “our” Earth’s history – putting an emphatic end to that aspect of the Man of Tomorrow. After 1986, Superman was inarguably just one of continuum of superheroes stretching back to the 1930s, if not further (you could go back to the likes of Super Chief, Black Pirate, or even Anthro, depending on your definition).

But writer Grant Morrison restores Superman’s status as “first superhero” – this story is set “five years ago” before any other heroes appear – which does make it the cornerstone of The New 52, as well as a warm and welcome development all on its own. Superman deserves to be the first, and thanks to Morrison, the “new” DC Universe begins with the Man of Steel, just as the original one did in 1938.

But that’s not the only similarity the second Action Comics #1 has with the first. For one thing, Morrison’s story begins with Superman’s appearance in Metropolis, and the reaction of Metropolitans to it, just like in 1938. Well, technically, in this Action Comics #1, Superman is mentioned as having debuted “six months ago,” which allows for his future antagonists to already be mobilizing against him – a time-saving decision probably necessary for today’s faster-paced style, and the audience that expects it. At any rate, just like the original Action, there is no origin story – another time-saving decision of which I heartily approve, not only for its parallels to the original Action, which began in media res, but also because with today’s audience the “rocketed to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton” bit can be treated as a given. Also, intrepid reporter Lois Lane has already named the newcomer Superman, getting that out of the way.

So instead of dwelling on elements of the Super-mythos most Americans can recite by heart, Morrison dives straight into the story. And it is a fine, and finely crafted, story.

For one thing, it begins with action on the first page, action that hurtles pell-mell throughout the story and doesn’t end until the last page. Even when talking heads take over – exposition has to be delivered somehow – the action continues elsewhere, and it’s referred to, or it’s happening on screen in the background, or Morrison simply cuts back and forth. This book lives up to its name, which is another entirely appropriate touch.

And speaking of appropriate touches, Morrison’s reverence of the mythos extends to particulars that one only notices on close reading (and therefore doesn’t detract if you miss them). For example, Clark Kent’s landlady makes mention of Superman roughing up a wife-beater – a shout-out to events in the original Action #1. And in the course of the story, we are shown explicitly much of the intro to the Adventures of Superman radio and TV shows. Is Superman faster than a speeding bullet? (Sorta.) More powerful than a locomotive? (No.) Able to bend steel in his bare hands? (Yes.) Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? (Yes.) I suppose it’s too much to have had Superman change the course of a mighty river, too!

As must be obvious from the above, Morrison has also cut Superman’s power back significantly. For the most part, he uses the status quo established in the original Action #1, where Superman can leap 1/8 of a mile but not fly; where “nothing less than a bursting shell can penetrate his skin.” (Lex Luthor even mentions that mortars are ineffective, but Superman does sustain injuries in a fight with a tank that Kent’s landlady mentions.)

While this is enjoyable for the first story, I don’t think that level of power would be sufficient for today’s comic-book threats (nor would it allow Superman to be paramount in the Justice League, which he must be). Fortunately, we needn’t worry on that score; stories set in the present show a flying Superman with greater power (see Swamp Thing #1). So for the length of the “five years ago” stories in Action and Justice League, we can have our cake and eat it, too.

But Morrison is not so beholden to the past that he never deviates very far from it – something I think has been the problem with various reboots of the Action Ace from Man of Steel in 1986 to Superman: Secret Origin in 2009. From John Byrne to Geoff Johns, most Superman re-writes have just been some variation of the Mort Weisinger version from the Silver Age. And while I loved the Silver Age Superman when I was a kid, and still enjoy re-reading those old stories, it is no longer the 1960s and neither I nor today’s audience will be satisfied with that character regurgitated endlessly. It really is time for a 21st century Superman to appeal to a 21st century audience, and you can’t do that with simple repackaging.

So despite his obvious reverence for the character, Morrison is showing the guts to radically re-imagine some aspects of the mythos.

One minor way he does so is to introduce Luthor in the first issue. In the Golden Age, Luthor’s first appearance is subject to debate, but it certainly wasn’t in the first issue (and he didn’t even get a first name until 1961). In Morrison’s Action #1, Luthor is there from the beginning, coolly telling Gen. Lane that “a monster … walks among us.” (Of course, we know what the general doesn’t – that the monster is Luthor himself, not Superman.)

But he also deviates from canon in a major way, by writing out Clark Kent’s pose as timid, clumsy and ineffectual.

And I applaud it.  Who believes Lois Lane could tolerate a co-worker like that (much less date him)? For that matter, why would such a man ever be promoted, given any position of responsibility or trusted by his colleagues? It may be a good cover for his Superman identity, but the “mild-mannered reporter” routine is a sure path to failure in an industry (if not a world) that rewards aggressiveness, so Kent’s relative success over the years – heck, his continued employment – has been harder and harder for this 30-year journalist to swallow.

The only time I thought Clark Kent really worked was when he was played by George Reeves in the 1950s Adventures of Superman, precisely because that Kent was not meek. Reeves imbued the reporter with an implicit toughness and serene confidence such that I truly believed this guy could be respected by friend and foe alike. But all other Clark Kents fail the plausibility test, so the character, IMHO, needs to be tougher.

And Morrison’s Kent certainly is. I don’t think I can describe it any better than did editor-in-chief Bob Harras when I interviewed him last week:

I kinda like what Grant has done, where you get this sense of, you know, Clark has rough edges. Clark is a little angry. He’s a little finding his way in the world. And that’s what intrigued all of us. That was kinda what the whole new 52 was all about. We wanted to tell stories about heroes who are at the beginning parts of their careers. And to me that’s much more interesting because again it’s about people who are less sure of where they’re going to end up in life. And that was more intriguing across the line, than people who are actually totally, totally set in their ways. I think that the ambiguity of points of view is something that’s very exciting and I think again will have ripple effects across the line when characters interact. … Clark’s in his early 20s, and in your early 20s you’re going through a lot, and if you’re Clark Kent and you have these powers, you’re going through even more than normal and what would your reaction be? And I think Grant has found an interesting way to explore that. He’s not the Clark Kent you expected, but in some ways he’s a more realistic Clark Kent.

Other changes include Kent working for one of the Daily Planet’s rivals, which – again – we won’t have to worry about beyond this initial story. (Kent is shown in the window of the Daily Planet with Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White in the aforementioned Swamp Thing). And speaking of Olsen, he and Kent are contemporaries and friends, removing the older man-younger man “Superman’s pal” business which occasionally veered toward the uncomfortable.

Lastly, a word about something else Morrison has lifted from 1938: Superman’s politics.

As almost anyone reading this knows, Superman was a New Deal Democrat in his earliest incarnation – mainly because most people in the late 1930s were, judging by election results. Most characters in the late 1930s and early 1940s shared that outlook, but Superman was, in particular, a champion of the little guy. As noted, one of his first adventures was defending a wife from her abusive husband (“you’re not fighting a woman, now!”). He also broke up rackets, terrified grifting politicians, saved innocent men from execution – in short, defended ordinary people from people and organizations more powerful than they were.

Which is exactly what Morrison’s Superman does. He forces a ruthless CEO to confess to white-collar crime against blue-collar people, and saves poor folks from going down with the demolishment of a building. “You know the deal, Metropolis,” he says. “Treat people right or expect a visit from me!”

One post on this board notes that the squatters Superman saved during the building demolition were there illegally. Well, yes, they were. (Most appeared homeless, with their possessions in trash bags.) And, technically, Superman was breaking the law when he stopped the wrecking ball from killing them in a legally sanctioned and properly announced demolition. Less technically, Superman was very much breaking the law when assaulted and threatened a corporate CEO, an act to which the police took a dim view. Then there’s resisting arrest, destruction of public property, assaults on police officers …

This Superman doesn’t care about the law. He cares about what’s right, just as he did in the early issues of Action Comics in the 1930s. He is in 2011, as in 1938, an outlaw. And if some of the people he helps are technically breaking the law, too, it’s because he believes the law is unfair. He even says in his confrontation with the police “tell it to someone who believes that the law works the same for rich and poor – which ain’t Superman!” Those squatters had probably been evicted from those very buildings, and had nowhere else to go. That’s supposition, but it’s not hard to imagine from the premise.

This new/old philosophy for Superman is on purpose, of course. In his book Supergods, Morrison defines the Man of Tomorrow as “a hero of the people. The original Superman was a bold humanist response to Depression-era fears of runaway scientific advance and soulless industrialism.”

I applaud this attitude adjustment in the Metropolis Marvel for a variety of reasons, not just because it mirrors my own politics. First, there’s that historical precedent. Plus, there are very few voices in today’s media that aren’t pro-corporate (regardless of what you hear about the nearly non-existent “liberal media”), and this gives Superman a unique voice (instead of the generic one he’s had for years). And, most important, this humanizes Superman in a way I haven’t seen before (except in reprints). Whether you agree with his politics or not, at least they’re recognizable. They’re human. His decades-old job as bemused and detached protector of the status quo was fine during economic boom times, but doesn’t make sense during the Great Recession, nor are most people as strangely and avowedly apolitical as the Weisinger Superman. His new/old attitude gives him a more human face.

But there is a danger in Superman’s politics being recognizable, in that it may drive off those with a different philosophy. For years superheroes have been fiercely apolitical, for this very reason. Remember Marvel being forced to apologize to the Tea Party for Tea Party signs depicted in Captain America, signs that were lifted from photos of actual Tea Party events. Politics is always tricky ground, especially in today’s divisive climate.

Perhaps the retailer who threatened to boycott Grant Morrison comics because he interpreted a grunt as blasphemy is a lone nut. Or perhaps it’s the beginning of a smear campaign to force the Man of Steel – or rather, his corporate owner – to remember which side their butter is on. After all, that retailer revealed his own politics when he called Morrison a “liberal Scottish schmuck.” The political reference – and his use of “liberal” as a pejorative – suggests his complaint wasn’t really about religion after all.

I hope that doesn’t develop, especially since it’s likely to be a moot point after the “five years ago” stories are done. I don’t think either right-leaning or left-leaning readers will long accept a Superman who enforces his opinions by main strength, because none of us are in favor of “might makes right.” I think most Americans believe it’s the other way around, a philosophy I’d bet money Superman will adopt ere long.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy a Superman who is a champion for the little guy. We haven’t seen that fellow in 70 years, and it’s a breath of fresh air to see Grant Morrison take him out for a walk.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-political-aspect-of-morrison-s-new-superman

https://captaincomics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/dc-s-bold-gamble-gives-us-a-superman-of-the-people

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/dcnu-action-comics

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/action-comics-1-initial-reaction

ANIMAL MAN #1

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by TRAVEL FOREMAN and DAN GREEN

Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Animal Man is a surprise hit of The New 52, and after reading the first issue it’s not hard to see why.

Before delving into the actual comic book, it might well be worth noting how many different takes there have been on Animal Man. He was created in the 1965 in one of DC’s second-tier suspense titles, Strange Adventures, as a rather lame superhero, a movie stuntman named Buddy Bland Baker who was given super-powers by aliens. He made occasional cover appearances, but didn’t even get a costume until 10 issues into his run, and it was a pretty hideous one at that. Buddy was booted out of Strange Adventures after the advent of Deadman, with his final appearance being in issue #201. He was virtually forgotten for a couple of decades except for rare guest appearances, especially in a 1980s concept called (appropriately) “The Forgotten Heroes,” a team comprised of other marginal characters like himself. Fortunately, he was resurrected in 1988 in an eponymous title written by Grant Morrison, who revamped Buddy as vegetarian animal-rights activist and an everyman in bizarre situations, with a strong emphasis on his family life. That took a turn for the weird when the title fell under the new Vertigo umbrella in 1993, and writer Jamie Delano wrote Animal Man as a horror book. After the title folded, Buddy moved back to the DCU, where he was a fairly standard superhero, serving in Justice League Europe and going on an extended space adventure with Starfire and Adam Strange in the pages of 52.

All of which is neatly summarized on a full-page text piece presented on Page 1 as a faux magazine article on Baker. Granted, it’s not a very attractive Page 1, but I appreciated the effort at streamlining Baker’s confusing history and getting all of us on the same page – even Baker, as he is introduced reading the magazine article on page two, and discussing it with his wife.

What follows is some back-and-forth family dialogue for several pages. The adults talk careers and goals, the little girl wants a pet, the little boy is – well, he’s a little boy, running about excitedly.

In the second act, Baker does a superhero turn (in a new uniform that is marginally less hideous), wherein we learn that there is something wrong in “The Red” (the animal equivalent of Swamp Thing’s “The Green”). We know this because Baker’s eyes bleed mysteriously when he uses his powers.

In the third act, a dream sequence reveals the problem: “The Hunters Three” are stalking The Red, who way they represent a rot at the heart of the DCU that will have terrible consequences. They threaten Baker’s children specifically, which rachets up the drama. Baker awakens in a cold sweat to discover the nightmare has only begun; there is a truly disturbing revelation about his daughter that ends in a cliff-hanger.

Did I like it? Yes.

The story is by Jeff Lemire, whose Sweet Tooth is so absorbing that I love it despite my dislike for Lemire’s art style, so I expect good things. From Sweet Tooth I know Lemire is good at both  interpersonal relationships and horror, the two elements he juxtaposes in the first issue to good effect. I suspect that juxtaposition will be a theme of the series, as it was in the Morrison Animal Man – Baker attempting to defend his family from horrible weirdness, while maintaining some semblance of normality – and that’s a good hook.

Not every writer can write family dialogue with verisimilitude, but Lemire’s first few pages were perfect. That sort of thing may bore some readers, but I found it charming, and the dialogue rings true. Plus, I suspect it’s the last time we’ll see this humble domestic scene, and those few pages are there specifically to show us what Baker is fighting for: that warm, rumpled, homey contentment.

In case you missed how important Baker’s family life is to him, Lemire helpfully spells it out for you in a thought balloon: “It’s Ellen who lets me be who I am. I can be an actor, a superhero, a stuntman, an activist. It doesn’t matter because as long as I’m with her, I’m anchored. I know who I really am.”

If I have a complaint, it’s that the first issue is a little slow. Also, the art by Travel Foreman (Immortal Iron Fist) is excellent in virtually all scenes except The Hunters Three reveal, which could have been a little more horrible.

Those nits aside, I have very little to pick at in Animal Man #1. It’s a decent set-up, and I’ve seen Lemire follow through before, so I’m confident this is a keeper.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

BATGIRL #1

Written by GAIL SIMONE

Art by ARDIAN SYAF and VICENTE CIFUENTES

Cover by ADAM HUGHES

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Let’s get this out of the way in a hurry: Yes, The Killing Joke is part of the “new” Batgirl continuity. She is out of the wheelchair due to an as-yet-undescribed “miracle.” Moving on now.

Can we? That’s what writer Gail Simone is trying to do, and by and large, I want her to succeed. The New 52 is supposed to be a new beginning, and the absolute last thing I want – and I presume what DC wants – is to have to know 40 years of comic-book history to understand something with a #1 on the cover.

Since we’re starting over, this first issue is lots and lots of set-up. The villain is introduced. Barbara moves out of her dad’s apartment. We are introduced to the zany roommate. Barbara has two outings as Batgirl, and we learn some details (one being a lack of money). There’s some unexpected psychological baggage revealed. The villain returns. Then a cliff-hanger.

Is that enough? It is for me. Batgirl #1 has to deal with a ton of exposition, and I think Simone does so as well as can be expected – especially since she manages to work in two action scenes, both thematically linked by a thorough understanding of Barbara’s psyche (which you’d expect with Simone’s long association with the character), presented with quirky humor, sparkling dialogue and squirm-worthy horror (which you’d expect if you’ve ever read anything by Simone, especially Secret Six). All of this ties together just as we’re treated to the cliff-hanger, and I’m ready for the next issue.

But beyond that, the real star of the first issue is Barbara’s joy at returning to the cowl, which bleeds right through the pages as if she’s a real person. Chalk it up to Simone’s insightful script, or to Ardian Syaf’s full-page reveal on Page 4, or to my own fondness for the character, but I finished Batgirl #1 happy and satisfied. So like I say, it’s good enough for me.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/dcnu-batgirl

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/batgirl-1-initial-reaction

BATWING #1

Written by JUDD WINICK

Art and cover by BEN OLIVER

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

The best part of Batwing #1 is also its greatest drawback: It takes place in Africa.

Before I explain that, let me get the summary out of the way. We are introduced to Batwing – the Batman of Africa – in combat with a ferocious enemy called Massacre. Massacre is wielding a machete, which from what little I know of African conflicts means he deals in horror, intimidation and terrorism as well as plain old murder. Batwing has Bat-armor and wings with which he can actually fly, which he helpfully informs us were provided by the Dark Knight himself (presumably as part of Batman, Inc.)

In the second act, we flash back to a visit from Batman as he aids Batwing in an ongoing investigation of brutal massacres. (No points for guessing who did it, since the heroes haven’t met Massacre yet and you have.) We learn about Batwing’s “Batcave” (The Haven), his “Alfred” (Matu Ba, formerly of The Children’s Harbor, a child-soldier rescue organization) and his secret ID, David Zavimbe of the Tinasha Police Department, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A potential love interest is introduced, a fellow officer named Kia Okuru.

In the third act, something really awful happens. Then there is a really awful cliff-hanger. I mean it, what happens is seriously awful (in a good way).

This is all pretty standard superhero fare – except none of it works the way it does in other superhero books, because this doesn’t take place in a Western democracy. Batwing takes place in Africa, and not even in one of the nicest places on that huge, complicated continent. The rules are different there. It’s like a parallel universe, like the old Earth-3, where up is down, black is white, good is evil.

Nothing really slaps you in the face in that regard; Winick isn’t on a soapbox. But the dialogue and the stone walls Zavimbe hits reminds you that the cops here aren’t necessarily the good guys, that violence is pretty much the norm and people are worrying about a lot more than their cell-phone service.

And I find that exciting. Like any parallel universe, everything you learn is fascinating, every bit of information important. And I spent my youth learning about parallel universes, so why not this one? The only difference between Batwing and “Earth-3” or the Ultimate universe or Kingdom Come is that the Congo is a real place, with real politics and real problems – this parallel universe is just a plane flight away. Wow!

Of course, for some people, that’s a reason to drop the book. Not in the U.S.? Pfft, adios.

I understand that. Ethnocentrism is a tribal instinct built into our lizard brains. And it takes time to learn about a foreign culture. It may strike some as a dull and useless waste of time. So they won’t read Batwing no matter how good it is.

And I think it is good – a solid superhero book set in an exotic locale, written and drawn by a veteran team. I was a little dismayed at Batman guesting, but I suppose it’s somewhat mandatory from a sales perspective. Thankfully he acted as an ally and a guest, not as a patronizing white superior telling a black guy how to do his job.

And the Batman appearance is just about my only quibble. I already knew from Vertigo’s Unknown Soldier and First Second’s Deogratias graphic novel that the story potential of Africa is astounding. Batwing threatens to mine that rich resource, and I want to be along for the ride.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/batwing-1-initial-reaction

DETECTIVE COMICS #1

Written by TONY S. DANIEL

Art by TONY S. DANIEL and RYAN WINN

Cover by TONY S. DANIEL

On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

HEY! What the hell is going ON here?

Oh, wait. We already know. This is Detective Comics, starring Batman, like it has since 1939. And the Dark Knight we see here is the familiar one of recent vintage, doing familiar internal dialogue in grim, clenched-jaw fashion and taking on The Joker. For a #1, there’s not a whole lot of “new” going on here.

Which is not a complaint. The Bat-books have been very good lately, going back at least to the advent of Grant Morrison, and this book continues the quality. I particularly like Tony Daniel’s Batman: powerful, sleek and intimidating.

And, OK, there are some new things here. We readers are in the know on something Batman isn’t: There’s a new bad guy in town, and he’s really, really bad news. He’s called the Dollmaker, and at the end he and The Joker …

Hey, wait. Wait! HEY! What the hell is going ON here?

Wow, that’s some cliff-hanger!

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/detectice-comics-1-initial-reaction

GREEN ARROW #1

Written by J.T. KRUL

Art by DAN JURGENS and NORM RAPMUND

Cover by BRETT BOOTH and ROB HUNTER

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

My first reaction to Green Arrow was: Whew! The second was: Meh.

The “Whew” was a sigh of relief that they’ve completely divorced Oliver Queen from the unworkable and inexplicable character he had become prior to The New 52. I won’t get into all the ways previous writers ruined the Emerald Archer, as it’s history now. (But I will mention A) punting his marriage for no reason and B) committing murder for no reason are two things that made the character toxic.)

Green Arrow #1 makes all that moot – this is a much younger guy, with an entirely different temperament, and an entirely different status quo. (How much of his past holds over from the previous “universe” – especially with the Justice League and Roy “Arsenal” Harper – remains to be seen.)

We open with the CEO of Queen Industries, a fellow named Emerson, griping at a meeting about Oliver Queen not being at the meeting, a fellow who I suppose tends to miss a lot of meetings, even though he’s the head of “Q-Core,” the R&D division of Queen Industries, because he’s also secretly, duh, Green Arrow. (Why the guy with his name on the letterhead isn’t the CEO, or can’t get rid of this CEO, who clearly has it in for him, is not something I understand. But then, I’m a journalist, not an MBA.)

Anyway, what Queen is doing instead of attending the meeting is tracking three super-villains in Paris, and then proceeds to capture them over the course of a number of pages while participating in the meeting by phone, with the help of his two partners back at Q-Core, Naomi and Jax (new characters, as far as I know). These three super-villains are really quite powerful, but Green Arrow captures them almost with ease, thanks to a variety of high-tech toys.

In the final act, Queen returns home to meet with Adrien, an older employee whom he assigns to be liaison with Emerson “to keep Queen Industries as far away from Q-Core as possible.” (Again, this doesn’t make sense to me, since Emerson is the CEO of Queen Industries, and Q-Core is described as a division of Queen Industries, so it seems to me he can get as close as he wants, or fire everyone there including Queen, or just shut it down, or whatever. He’s the CEO! Man, I need to take some business classes – or writer J.T. Krul does.) We get a little more chit-chat with Naomi and Jax (revealing a little more of their background and relationship with Queen, none of which is very interesting), and then we shift to the three super-villains in jail, where a cliff-hanger occurs.

So, yes, I heaved a sigh of relief that Green Arrow was no longer the schizophrenic moron of recent years. There was definitely a Smallville vibe to this version instead, which is a definite improvement over that homeless guy wandering in a forest near Star City. (Who should have been in jail. Hello, “Justice” League, he killed someone.)

But following the “whew” was the “meh.” I like cool toys as well as the next guy, but the set-up here seemed terribly familiar and cliché: Rich guy uses toys to fight crime, abetted by standard sidekicks, with an arch-foe businessman. (Frankly, it read like 1980s Iron Man. “Clytemnestra and your brother whose name I forget, help me figure out how to beat Obadiah Stane!” Sometimes I thought of Naomi and Jax as Wendy and Marvin from Super Friends and Teen Titans.) There was nothing particularly original or interesting about the super-villains. There was nothing particularly original or interesting in here at all.

It may have just suffered in comparison to the other New 52 books, where there was a lot more meat – and, it seemed to me, craft. Green Arrow seemed shallow and by-the-numbers, a single-act book surrounded by three-act books with lots more information.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

HAWK AND DOVE #1

Written by STERLING GATES

Art and cover by ROB LIEFELD

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

I didn’t like Hawk & Dove the last time Rob Liefeld worked on it, and nothing here changes my mind. This book is for people other than me, and that’s OK.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/hawk-dove-new-old-spoilers

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1

Written by DAN JURGENS

Art by AARON LOPRESTI and MATT RYAN

Cover by AARON LOPRESTI

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

This book can’t seem to make up its mind what it wants to be, but I still enjoyed it.

The first act involves two people (Andre Briggs and Emerson Esposito, new characters AFAIK) trying to sell the United Nations Global Security Group – which consists of three of the Security Council members, France, UK and China – on a UN super-team. They discuss various members, dismissing a few for various reasons. They decide on ones that are easy to manipulate, especially the leader, Booster Gold. The act ends with the introduction of the problem, a mysterious hole in Peru that swallows a UN research team.

The second act is the gathering of the team, which is mostly the old Justice League International with a few new faces. Specifically, it’s August General in Iron (from China’s Big Ten), Booster Gold, Fire & Ice, Godiva (from the Global Guardians), Guy Gardner, Rocket Red and Vixen.

The third act is the team going to Peru to investigate the mysterious hole. Batman appears and effectively joins the team as Booster’s Jiminy Cricket. Once in Peru they are attacked by Lava Men – which first appeared in Avengers #5, at another company, which is kinda strange – and then a giant robot. That’s the cliff-hanger.

Let me get my complaints out of the way.

As I said in my lead, this book doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. It veers toward Bwah-ha-ha here and there, but it also wants to take itself seriously as a standard super-team book. They present the characters as heroes, while simultaneously suggesting they are little more than easily-manipulated puppets. It seems Jurgens wants to have it both ways – the Giffen-DeMatteis humor, but the drama of Justice League: Generation Lost.

Also, a number of character act oddly or out of character, not for story reasons, but because of plot necessities or needless drama:

• Guy Gardner, for example, storms off – although everybody, in story and out, knows he’ll be back. So what’s the point? If you want to remind people he’s an arrogant hothead, you could do that with dialogue – you know, writing – and use those panels for something constructive.
• Batman acts as a wise old mentor for Booster instead of his usual take-charge self. Which is way out of character. Plus, he’s a lot less competent than usual, so that the team can shine. If this was Dick Grayson I’d buy it, but it’s not.
• Godiva is so over-the-top in the flirtation/snark department (isn’t that Fire’s job?) that she should have been kicked off the team by now. I know, I know, it’s comics, and super-teams always have at least one trouble-maker. But her “characterization” is really heavy-handed.
• Speaking of Godiva, when the Lava Men attack she’s in there fighting with the rest of the team. In the very next panel, Batman chides her for not pitching in – which she was clearly depicted doing – and she tells him to “sod off” because she doesn’t want to ruin her nails or something. I’ll write off the miscommunication between writer and artist (Godiva should have been shown not participating), but I won’t write off the clumsy way a Batman-Godiva tiff has been set up. Seriously, it’s Batman – if he doesn’t like Godiva, she’s gone.
• Speaking of tiffs, I agree with The Baron that the Chinese and Russian guys bickering is ham-handed and annoying, instead of amusing, and I’m tired of Russian guys who talk like Boris Badenov. (You know, some Russians are actually smart enough to master a second language. True fact!) Plus, it requires August General in Iron to act in a petty and undignified way, which is the opposite of how he’s been presented to date. He’s China’s Superman, not their Green Arrow.
• The whole point of Booster’s last title was to establish him as “the best hero you’ve never heard of.” Again and again we were shown that despite his growing maturity and competence, the world didn’t know what he was doing in the timestream and still thought of him as a clown. Now he’s suddenly the leader of the highest profile team on the planet? I guess the UN was reading Booster Gold comics, not his press clippings.
• Which, if nothing else, should make Booster suspicious of this sudden offer. He’s egotistical, but even he should suspect something.

OK, enough of that, because I still want to complain about something else. Specifically, the “10 impossible things before breakfast” the book requires for you to believe. There are just too many.

For example, the United Nations is going to form a super-team? You’re joking, right? For one thing, it would have to get by the Security Council – which includes Russia and the U.S., not just the three members of the fatuous “Global Security Group” – which can’t agree on anything. Plus, it’s United Nations Research Team Three that’s swallowed in Peru, which means the DC Universe United Nations has about three more research teams than our world does.

Also, people are protesting the Hall of Justice being given to the new JLI, because it’s a public building. How dare the U.N. use a public building for the public good? That always drives me to violence.

The UN thinks Green Arrow is too likely to cross the line and rejects him … although they accept Fire, who as a member of Checkmate, has crossed that line so many times she’s crippled with guilt.

I could go on, but at this point you’re probably wondering what I like about this book. And the answer is simple: I love these characters. I didn’t even realize that until I read this issue, so it’s a fairly recent conversion, which I blame on the latest Booster Gold series, which gave him a status quo and a purpose I could respect, and Justice League: Generation Lost, which showed these guys believed in themselves when nobody else did – so convincingly that I began to believe in them, too.

That sounds corny, and it is. It’s also probably tenuous, because these are fictional characters who are only as good as their last issue, and if they continue to be mishandled I will stop liking them. So far I’m only annoyed, and I’ll give Jurgens time to get his feet under him. And who knows: Maybe I’ll start to like Godiva.

Naw.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

MEN OF WAR #1

Written by IVAN BRANDON

Art by TOM DERENICK

Cover by VIKTOR KALVACHEV

40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+

My hopes for this title were only mid-high … and I was still disappointed.

I asked for a war book, I want a war book and I will buy a war book. The genre has been ignored for far too long and even *I* get tired of superheroes now and then.

So we get a series starring Sgt. Rock’s grandson, and what’s that I see on Page 9? A superhero. Which one, we don’t know, but that’s not what I wanted. And I’ll bet these guys are in “Qurac” or someplace, not Iraq or Afghanistan, also not what I wanted.

What I wanted was ‘The Nam. Or the recent Sgt. Rock minis that take place in real battles of World War II. Or Harvey Kurtzman's Two-Fisted Tales or Archie Goodwin’s Blazing Combat or Garth Ennis’s Battlefields. Our folks in uniform – especially the special forces – virtually are superheroes, with the training and weaponry they have. I want to read about them, not fictional characters in a fictional country fighting a fictional war with superheroes overhead. At worst, I want moving and realistic war stories from any theater in any war.

The second story, about Navy Seals is more along the lines of what I wanted. I’m not too crazy about the leads – they’re a little clichéd, and they talk too damn much – but I’m more interested in that than I am the lead feature.

I can’t hold DC accountable for my expectations, and I don’t. I’ll try to adjust my perception to what they’re giving me instead of what I want them to give me. I’ll give Men of War more time, in the hopes that occasionally I’ll see the kind of story I want. Because if I don’t support it at all, it’ll be a million years before I see another war book.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

O.M.A.C. #1

Written by DAN DIDIO and KEITH GIFFEN

Art and cover by KEITH GIFFEN and SCOTT KOBLISH

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

I thought I’d hate this book sight unseen. Turns out I like it.

It’s not a very deep book. The story in issue #1 is that Cadmus is invaded by O.M.A.C. (one similar to the Kirby original, not the recent ones). A voice is instructing O.M.A.C. to download Cadmus’ computers, and giving him all the power he needs to overcome each obstacle that comes up. In the meantime, a Cadmus employee is concerned for her missing boyfriend, while a mutual friend (that she has slept with in the past) is snarky about it. O.M.A.C. succeeds, there's a Big Reveal on the voice, The End.

This is pretty paint-by-the-numbers. O.M.A.C. is exactly who you think he is (the missing boyfriend). The voice is exactly what you think it is (Brother Eye). It’s a one-act play with no subtleties whatsoever.

And it’s written by Dan DiDio, who has only written Outsiders before that I’m aware of, and I didn’t care for that (especially his character creation Freight Train). I knew Keith Giffen was going to draw it in his Kirby pastiche style, and that has always annoyed me. So I expected to dislike the book.

Instead, I found something I wasn’t expecting, and even if had expected it, wouldn’t expect to like: Wackiness. Full-bore, Kirby at his Don Rickles craziest, Three Stooges wackiness. DiDio took a bunch of Kirby Koncepts from different series and threw them in a blender. O.M.A.C. and Build-A-Friend from O.M.A.C. Mokkari, Cadmus, Gobblers and Dubbilex from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen. Nebbish protagonist Kevin Kho from – well, just about every Kirby series. Even the Cadmus minions looked like World Peace Officers from O.M.A.C.

All of this was thrown together, and it all having the same “dad” and a guy drawing like “dad,” it all kind of worked. I thought Giffen’s Kirby swipes would bother me, but they actually helped. (And points for drawing the “pretty girl” like Kirby would – which isn’t all that pretty.) Also, there are visual hints that O.M.A.C.'s mohawk is an antenna  to keep in contact with Brother Eye -- which explains that odd fashion choice, and is kinda cool.

I don’t know where the series is going, and I don’t know how long DiDio can continue rifling through a dead man's closet, without coming up with his own stuff. It’s a high-wire act, and either writer or artist could fall at any time. Or we could all just get bored.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the wackiness. Bwah-ha-ha!

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/dcnu-omac

STATIC SHOCK #1

Written by SCOTT McDANIEL and JOHN ROZUM

Art and cover by SCOTT McDANIEL and

JONATHAN GLAPION

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

I love Static! If Scott McDaniel is true to the character, I will love this book.

And so far, so good. The story’s not much – mostly just set-up, where we learn A) Static’s family has moved to New York, B) Virgil’s an intern at S.T.A.R. Labs, and C) he’s being mentored long-distance by Hardware. There’s a fight, Virgil wins, the bad guys plot to kill him. The End.

Terrific! Not because of that flimsy plot, but because Virgil read like Virgil, and I love Virgil. Also, I loved that Dakota was acknowledged, and that Hardware is (indirectly) progressing as a character as well. Plus, Virgil’s sister is as nasty to her sibling as ever, and I had two sisters, so those scenes had me chuckling. (I love my sisters and they love me, but MAN we were mean to each other growing up!) Keep this coming, and I’m a happy camper.

Did I mention I love Static?

STORMWATCH #1

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art and cover by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

I was never a big fan of Stormwatch, although I appreciated what Warren Ellis and others did with it – at least philosophically – as it morphed into The Authority. (The actual execution was somewhat depressing.)

So why go backwards? That’s what this Stormwatch is, an anachronism from its pre-Ellis days. And I didn’t much enjoy it.

For the record, the story is as follows: The Engineer, Adam One (a new character) and a girl who was never named are in Stormwatch HQ in The Bleed monitoring three missions. In the first a new character named Eminence of Blades discovers something called “The Scourge of Worlds” on the moon, with that celestial body somehow transforming into a giant claw. In the second mission, Jack Hawksmoor (who now has tire treads on his hands as well as feet), Martian Manunter and a new character named The Projectionist attempt to recruit Apollo in Moscow. In the third, Jenny Quantum and an immortal black man whose name was never mentioned (c’mon, Mr. Cornell, names are Storytelling 101) are transporting a gigantic horn from the Himalayas to HQ for study. The other two missions are unresolved, but in the second Apollo defeats Manhunter’s team and meets a fellow named Midnighter. The End.

Wow, that was tedious. Lots of bickering, and an insistence – twice – that this team was somehow not superheroes, were better than superheroes, when they don’t behave any differently than the Justice League. But Hawksmoor says they’re “professionals,” not superheroes (although Apollo defeats them easily enough), and Martian Manhunter says he’s a “superhero” when he’s with the Justice League, but a “warrior” when he’s with Stormwatch (*Snort!* But at least they didn’t eliminate his entire history.) There’s also indication that Stormwatch has been around for centuries, like Jonathan Hickman’s S.H.I.E.L.D., and at least one incarnation is related to Demon Knights.

With stories like this, it won’t be around much longer. Hey, if you’re going to bring WildStorm characters into the DCU, have the courage to make them those characters, instead of re-inventing them. I’ve read The Authority and even liked parts of it, but I don’t know who these guys are, and with a beginning like this, don’t much care.

A “warrior.” *Snort!*

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/stormwatch-1-initial-reaction

SWAMP THING #1

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Swamp Thing has had numerous incarnations, and therefore has been all over the map in quality and enjoyment. Based on this first book, I’m hopeful this will be one of the highlights of the moss-encrusted mockery of a man’s career.

We begin with mass extinctions all over the globe. Not MASS mass extinctions, but like when those birds all dropped dead in Arkansas a while back. LITTLE mass extinctions. Birds in Metropolis, bats in Gotham, fish somewhere near Aquaman and (we’re told later) cattle near Coast City. Superman takes the initiative to go ask Alec Holland, newly resurrected in Brightest Day, if he has any ideas. Although, since these are all animal deaths, Superman should have gone to Animal Man. Not that it matters, as Holland makes the new status quo crystal clear: He is not Swamp Thing, and he never was Swamp Thing. Just like we discovered in Alan Moore’s “The Anatomy Lesson,” Holland died in Swamp Thing #1, and the monster-cum-Defender of The Green simply thought he was Holland for a while, due to some planarian worms. However, since his resurrection, Holland has flashes of Swamp Thing’s memory, for reasons unrevealed. Holland is now working in construction, trying to get far away from his previous life, although we do learn that he has re-created the bio-restorative formula, which seems important. This remains unresolved, but meanwhile some force animates a mammoth fossil in Arizona (that’s “mammoth” as in the animal, not “mammoth” as in size, although it is that, too). Three diggers are attacked by swarms of insects, which fly into their ears and make them twist their own heads backwards, killing them. However, they remain animate, following orders from something unrevealed. In the last few pages, Holland’s hotel room is overrun with plants while he sleeps, and he threatens the plants with the bio-restorative formula, when he is stopped … by Swamp Thing.

OK, I’m having fun. This is CREEEEEE-py! Especially the bugs thing, which harkens back to Moore’s run, when Abby’s dead husband was animated by flies for a time as an agent of Hell. It also reminds me of The Amityville Horror, which has nothing to do with Swamp Thing, but Rod Steiger’s death-by-flies was the best part of that movie.

It was interesting to see the Superman parts, as it established what we didn’t know from Action Comics #1, which is that in his current incarnation he can fly, and he works for the Daily Planet. Also, he was shown being in immediate contact with Justice League friends Batman and Aquaman, information we didn’t have yet from Justice League of America #1. So, that happened.

And it happened fast. I admired Snyder’s economy in covering all that info in just a few panels, completely silent. The story rocketed along without wasting any time on exposition. That came with Superman’s chat with Holland, a necessary evil, I’m afraid, but Snyder handled that pretty well, too – if you have to have two talking heads, it helps visually if one of them is in a Kryptonian battle suit and is hovering four feet above the ground.

It also helps that I know Snyder is a terrific horror writer from American Vampire, which you should be reading if you’re not.

Anyway, as mentioned, the flies thing was ultra-creepy. Yanick Paquette’s art is superb, and his horror scenes convey the chills that the ones in Animal Man did not. And Swamp Thing’s appearance at the end – sorry for the spoiler – raises more questions than it answers, which just whets my appetite for issue #2.

Other threads on this board on this topic:

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/the-new-dcu-begins-now

https://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/dcnu-omac

This is supposed to be a high point for team-up titles in general and Marvel Team-Up in particular.  This was the year that Chris Claremont and John Byrne worked on the series, which led in turn to their magical pairing on Uncanny X-Men. In retrospect, these issues reveal the limitations of a team-up title more than the possibilities.

            Before Claremont and Byrne were paired together, they each worked on several issues separately.  John Byrne partnered with writer Bill Mantlo on a short run that began with Marvel Team-Up Annual #1 at the end of 1976.  Chris Claremont then took over and teamed with artist Sal Buscema for a couple of issues.  Finally, Claremont and Byrne worked together for 12 consecutive issues (#59-70) and one last coda (#75). 

            The Mantlo-Byrne team begins with a fairly prosaic story in Annual #1. Spider-Man and the X-Men are brought in separately to investigate an energy experiment that went awry.  They’re defeated; the villains explain their plan; the heroes then escape and defeat them.  There’s little about this story that’s original or enlightening.  I suppose there’s something unique about the first meeting between Spider-Man and the all-new X-Men but that’s not enough to carry the story on its own.  It’s a little bit interesting that Mantlo uses the Hindu gods as villains but he has them possess ordinary scientists so it’s more of a half-hearted attempt.

            Fortunately, the stories improve from there.  Mantlo sets up a series of obstacles that prevent Spider-Man from getting home to New York.  He’s sidetracked first by a Hulk rampage in New Mexico and later accidentally sent to the Blue Area of the Moon.  The way in which one story leads into the next is a lot of fun.  It’s not quite a rollercoaster but it is a bit of a carnival ride.  Unfortunately, it’s annoying that both Hulk and Woodgod constantly refer to themselves in the third person.  One feeble-minded hero might be interesting.  Two is aggravating.  More notably, the stories are innocuous and inconsequential. We know that anything important will happen in Spider-Man’s own title.  It’s a problem that has dogged many a team-up title, including Mark Waid’s most recent attempt to re-start The Brave and the Bold. 

However, John Byrne’s art is a bright spot.  It’s already polished.  And it’s occasionally brilliant as on a splash in which a delirious Spider-Man hallucinates miniature versions of his rogues’ gallery.

            The Claremont-Buscema team is an awful mess.  Claremont’s stories are uninventive and formulaic.  A villain-or two- commits a common crime like robbing a bank or an armored car.  One hero is tracking the criminal.  Another hero stumbles onto the crime accidentally.  They fight, make up and team up to defeat the bad guys.  I know that comic book writers used to compare work-for-hire to playing in someone else’s sandbox but Claremont didn’t have to take the metaphor literally.  The plots are about as interesting as a HeroClix scenario.  They’re less interesting than watching a kid play with their toys as the child might actually surprise you. 

Finally, Claremont and Byrne are paired together.  Claremont and Byrne give us a pretty good tour of the Marvel Universe.  They alternate between kung fu and the cosmic (an adventure with the Super-Skrull, Human Torch and Ms. Marvel is followed by one with Iron Fist and the Daughters of the Dragon).  They pair Spidey off with established veterans and bright newcomers (founding Avengers Yellowjacket and the Wasp appear in the first story while the first American appearance of Captain Britain occurs a little bit later).  And they manage to balance human concerns with godlike wonder (Spider-Man squares off against the Living Monolith with Havok and Thor).  Byrne shows excellent range as an artist, depicting urban landscapes, aerial dogfights and hand-to-hand combat. 

The stories are a marked improvement over the previous issues and not just because of John Byrne’s art.  Claremont expands his horizons as well.  He begins to experiment with two-issue stories, allowing more room for plot twists and cliffhangers.  And he brings weight to the stories by focusing on the guest-stars more than Spider-Man.  We know that Spider-Man won’t die, break up with his girlfriend or lose his job at the Bugle in a secondary title.  But we don’t know that something essential won’t happen to a guest star.  A minor character might very well be killed off or lose his powers.  This intensifies the stakes in a story, bringing greater conflict and drama.

Individually, the two-part stories work well.  However, read in sequence, Claremont’s new formula eventually becomes repetitive.  It might have been nice if they had alternated the pace of their stories a little more (there are a couple of one-shots guest-starring Tigra and the Man-Thing near the end of the run).  It definitely would have been better if Claremont had occasionally shifted the focus back on Spider-Man.  He feels like a secondary concern in his own title, continually caught up in other people’s adventures.  At times, Team-Up starts to feel like an advertisement for other comics.  “Hey, check out Ms. Marvel or Iron Fist in their own titles!”  Claremont also makes the mistake of completing abandoning Spider-Man’s supporting cast.  Sure, they’re not going to play a significant role.  But without them, he stops being Peter Parker.  He’s just another hero with a smart mouth and a mask.

Marvel Team-Up can be pretty good.  But it’s never great.