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Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

What do sea-going superheroes, mysterious murders and curious cats and have in common? They all make for great comics.

 

Let’s start with Aquaman, a character almost everyone’s heard of – and made fun of at one time or another.

 

12134178470?profile=originalConceptually, it’s deserved. Aquaman debuted in 1941, a cheap knock-off of another sea king, the popular Sub-Mariner over at Timely (now Marvel) Comics. But whereas Prince Namor had a volatile and interesting personality, Aquaman was as bland as mayonnaise. And where Namor was incredibly strong, bounced bullets off his chest and could fly, Aquaman could only … well, all together now: Aquaman swims fast and talks to fish.

 

All of which has dogged the Sea King ever since. He became a household name thanks to cartoons in the 1960s, but nothing could ever overcome his essential boringness. Not only was he overshadowed by his fellow Justice Leaguers, but even his wife was more interesting. (Mera is a gorgeous other-dimensional princess with a fiery disposition and the ability to control and shape water. Given that she and Aquaman live in the sea, that power essentially makes her Green Lantern with gills.)

 

Now, as you’d expect, DC Comics has made numerous attempts to make a potentially valuable trademark like Aquaman more popular. But as long as all he did was swim fast and talk to fish, that wasn’t really going to happen. And so it is, at long last, DC has reached the conclusion I did back in the 1960s: For the Marine Marvel to hold his own in a world with Superman, Green Lantern and Mera in it, he had to be more powerful.

 

And, lo, so it has come to be. DC’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns took a crack at the character when DC re-launched all of its superhero titles last September, and one of the first things he did was make Aquaman strong enough to throw an armored car across several city blocks … and bounce bullets off his chest.

 

Sound familiar? To be fair, it makes sense: Anyone who can withstand deep-sea pressure that can crush a titanium submarine would have to be made of pretty stern stuff.

 

Even more interesting, Johns tackled the Aquaman-as-joke idea head on, with the Sea King facing snark from surface-dwellers about talking to fish and being “nobody’s favorite superhero.” Aquaman crushes that idea pretty early on in this new series, and convincingly so.

Which means I can recommend the new collection Aquaman Volume 1: The Trench ($22.99) – and I am as surprised as I am pleased to say that.

 

12134178695?profile=originalMeanwhile, Rick Geary has released another in his graphic novel series “A Treasury of XXth Century Murder,” and it’s just as deliciously mysterious and well-done as all the rest.

Geary, as I’ve said before, has a wonderfully unique and old-fashioned art style, a sort of cross between cartooning and ancient woodcut – perfect for period pieces, like his “Murder” series. And I can’t say enough what a great historian Geary is, telling us exactly what is known about the various unsolved murders he digs up, and no more, leaving it to the reader to decide.

 

Lovers’ Lane – The Hall-Mills Mystery ($15.99) is just another gem, even though it’s not as famous a crime as some others in the series. This double-murder of an adulterous couple set suburban New Brunswick, New Jersey, all a-twitter with saucy speculation in 1922 – and it has the same effect today.

 

12134179294?profile=originalFinally, the latest in the Blacksad series has arrived from Spain, and it’s just as good as the rest. Blacksad is a feline detective in a world both anthropomorphic – i.e., it’s made up of human-like animals – and crime noir-ish.

 

Blacksad: A Silent Hell (Dark Horse, $19.99) takes our hard-boiled gumshoe to New Orleans for an adventure involving voodoo, hidden family relationships and official corruption. And, as usual, it’s a rip-snorting story by Juan Diaz Canales, where you forget immediately that everyone is an animal in a suit.

 

That’s because artist Juanjo Guarnido is impossibly good at just about everything. This book includes a lengthy essay from Guarnido on how he achieves his amazing watercolor effects, and it’s surprisingly absorbing. The use of animals is sort of a story cheat – you can’t trust weasels, alligators are rapacious, etc. – but not any kind of shorthand for Guarnido, who achieves a believable world, riveting facial expressions, thoughtful storytelling and expressive body language that would work equally well with human protagonists.

 

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

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Comics for 5 September 2012

ACTION COMICS #0
AGE OF APOCALYPSE #7
ALTER EGO #112
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #693
ANIMAL MAN #0
AQUAMAN HC VOL 01 THE TRENCH
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG (NEW) #2
ARMY OF DARKNESS ONGOING #5
ASTONISHING X-MEN GIFTED PROSE NOVEL HC
ATLAS UNIFIED #0
AVENGERS ACADEMY #36

BACK ISSUE #59
BACK ISSUE #60
BATMAN KNIGHTFALL TP NEW ED VO3 KNIGHTSEND
BATWING #0
BEFORE WATCHMEN SILK SPECTRE #3 (OF 4) (MR)
BIG HERO 6 BRAVE NEW HEROES #1
BLACK KISS II #2 (OF 6) (MR)
BLOODSHOT (ONGOING) #3
BLOODSTRIKE #30
BOYS #70 (MR)

CAPE 1969 #3 (OF 4)
CHARMED #23 (MR)
CLASSIC POPEYE ONGOING #2
CREATOR OWNED HEROES #4 (MR)
CROW #3

DAMSELS #1
DAN THE UNHARMABLE #5 (MR)
DARK AVENGERS #180
DEADPOOL #60
DEFENDERS #10
DETECTIVE COMICS #0
DIAL H #0
DISNEY JUNIOR MAGAZINE 8

EARTH 2 #0
EPIC KILL #5
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ASSASSINS #3

FAIREST #7 (MR)
FASHION BEAST #1 (MR)
FATHOM VOL 4 #7
FIRST X-MEN #2 (OF 5)
FLASH GORDON ZEITGEIST #6
FLASH OMNIBUS BY GEOFF JOHNS HC VOL 03
FRINGE BEYOND THE FRINGE TP

GARFIELD #5
GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD #16 (MR)
GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #20 (MR)
GHOSTBUSTERS OMNIBUS TP VOL 01
GI COMBAT #0
GI JOE VOL 2 ONGOING #17
GLORY TP V1 THE ONCE & FUTURE DESTROYER (MR)
GREEN ARROW #0
GREEN LANTERN #0
GREEN LANTERN WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS TP
GRIMM FAIRY TALES #77 (MR)
GRIMM FAIRY TALES TP VOL 12
GUARDING THE GLOBE #1

HARVEST #2 (OF 5) (MR)
HAWKEYE #1 2ND PTG
HAWKEYE #2
HELL YEAH #5
HULK SMASH AVENGERS TP
HYPERNATURALS #3

INCOGNITO CLASSIFIED EDITION HC (MR)
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #524
IRRESISTIBLE #2 (OF 4) (MR)

KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #190

LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #21 (MR)
LOOKOUTS RIDDLE VOL 01 #1
LOVE AND CAPES WHAT TO EXPECT #2 (OF 6)

MANHATTAN PROJECTS TP VOL 01 SCIENCE BAD
MARVELS AVENGERS TP BLACK WIDOW STRIKES
MIGHTY THOR #19 BURNS
MIND THE GAP #4
MUPPETS #3 (OF 4)

NEAR DEATH #11
NEW AVENGERS OMNIBUS HC VOL 01
NEW CRUSADERS RISE OF THE HEROES #1
NIGHT FORCE #7 (OF 7)

PETER CANNON THUNDERBOLT #1
PHANTOM STRANGER #0
PLANET O/T APES CATACLYSM #1
PRINCE OF CATS TP (MR)
PUNISHER #15

RIDE SOUTHERN GOTHIC #1 (OF 2)
ROAD TO OZ #1 (OF 6)
ROBERT JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME EYE O/T WORLD #29

SAVAGE DRAGON #181
SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #25
SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #5
SPAWN #223
STAND TP VOL 04 HARDCASES
STAR TREK TNG DOCTOR WHO ASSIMILATION #1 3RD PTG
STARMAN OMNIBUS TP VOL 02
STORMWATCH #0
SUPERMAN CHRONICLES TP VOL 10
SWAMP THING #0
SWEET TOOTH #37 (MR)

TEEN TITANS TP VOL 01 ITS OUR RIGHT TO FIGHT
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES COLOR CLASSICS #4
THANOS QUEST #1
THE LONE RANGER #9
THIEF OF THIEVES #8
THIEF OF THIEVES TP VOL 01
THINK TANK #2 (MR)
TMNT MICRO SERIES #8 FUGITOID
TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE #83
TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ONGOING #9
TRUE BLOOD ONGOING #4

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #14 DWF

VAMPIRELLA #22
VENOM #24

WACKY PACKAGES GALLERY SC
WAR GODDESS TP VOL 01 (MR)
WESTERN TRIPLE PLAY TP
WONDERLAND #2 (MR)
WORLDS FINEST #0

X-FACTOR #243
X-MEN LEGACY TP FIVE MILES SOUTH OF UNIVERSE

Comics & Collectibles of Memphis posted this list on Facebook. Arrivals at your LCS may vary.

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Comics for 29 August 2012

ALL ACTION CLASSICS WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ GN
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #30 (MR)
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #30 VAR ED (MR)
AMULET SC VOL 05 PRINCE OF THE ELVES
ANGEL & FAITH #13 REBEKAH ISAACS VAR CVR
ANGEL & FAITH #13 STEVE MORRIS CVR
AQUAMAN #12
AQUAMAN #12 VAR ED
AQUAMAN #12 ROBOT CHICKEN VAR
AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #11
AVX VS #5 (OF 6)
AVX VS #5 (OF 6) FIGHT POSTER VAR
AXE COP PRESIDENT O/T WORLD #2 (OF 3)

BETTY & VERONICA FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #228
BANKSY YOU ARE AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF THREAT HC (MR)
BATMAN AND ROBIN #10 2ND PTG
BATMAN AND ROBIN #11 2ND PTG
BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #7
BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #3 (OF 6) (MR)
BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #3 (OF 6) COMBO PACK (MR)
BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #3 (OF 6) VAR ED (MR)
BIG BIG OVERSTREET PRICE GD VOL 42
BIONIC WOMAN #3
BPRD HELL ON EARTH RETURN O/T MASTER #1 (OF 5) MIGNOLA VAR C
BPRD HELL ON EARTH RETURN O/T MASTER #1 (OF 5) SOOK CVR
BTVS BUFFY 2013 WALL CALENDAR

CAPTAIN AMERICA FIERCE CAPTAIN PURPLE T/S XL
CAPTAIN MARVEL #3
CAVEWOMAN GANGSTER #1 (OF 3) BUDD ROOT SP ED NUDE (A)
CHEW SECRET AGENT POYO #1 2ND PTG (MR)
CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #180 J JONAH JAMESON
CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #181 SEBASTIAN SHAW
CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG SPECIAL MOJO
COURTNEY CRUMRIN SPEC ED HC VOL 02
CRITTER (ONGOING) #3
CROSSED BADLANDS #12 (MR)
CROSSED BADLANDS #12 RED CROSSED CVR (MR)
CROSSED BADLANDS #12 TORTURE CVR (MR)
CROSSED BADLANDS #12 WRAP CVR (MR)

DAL TOKYO HC
DARKNESS REBIRTH TP VOL 01 (MR)
DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #13 SCARECROW BLACK PAWN
DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #114 VIXEN
DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #115 HELLBLAZER
DEADPOOL CLASSIC TP VOL 07
DEADWORLD WAR O/T DEAD #5 (OF 5)
DEBRIS #2 (OF 4) (MR)
DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #1
DIABLO #5 (OF 5)
DOMINIQUE LAVEAU VOODOO CHILD #6 (MR)
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FORGOTTEN REALMS #3
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS FORGOTTEN REALMS #3 10 COPY INCV

END OF NATIONS TP

FANGBONE 3RD GRADE BARBARIAN GN VOL 03 BIRTHDAY PARTY DREAD
FEAR ITSELF TP THUNDERBOLTS
FEMME FATALES STEAMPUNK LEXI PVC STATUE
FERALS #8 (MR)
FERALS #8 GORE CVR (MR)
FERALS #8 SLASHED ORDER INCV (MR)
FERALS #8 WRAP CVR (MR)
FF #21
FIRST X-MEN #1 (OF 5) STEGMAN VAR
FLASH ANNUAL #1
FUBAR SUMMER SPECIAL ONE SHOT (MR)

GAMBIT #2
GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #12
GI JOE / TRANSFORMERS TP VOL 01
GI JOE FIELD MANUAL SC VOL 01
GODZILLA ONGOING #4
GODZILLA ONGOING #4 10 COPY INCV
GOON #41
GOOSEBUMPS GRAPHIX SC VOL 01 CREEPY CREATURES NEW PTG
GOOSEBUMPS GRAPHIX SC VOL 02 TERROR TRIPS NEW PTG
GOOSEBUMPS GRAPHIX SC VOL 03 SCARY SUMMER NEW PTG
GREEN HORNET #27
GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1
GRIM LEAPER #4 (OF 4) (MR)
GUARDING THE GLOBE TP VOL 01 (RES)

HEARTLESS HC (MR)
HELLRAISER #17 (MR)
HELLRAISER MASTERPIECES TP VOL 02 (MR)
HIGHER EARTH #4 MAIN CVRS
HULK #57
HYPERNATURALS #1 3RD PTG

INFERNAL MAN-THING #3 (OF 3)
INVINCIBLE #92 2ND PTG
IRON MAN SILVER CENTURION STATUE
IRREDEEMABLE TP VOL 10

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #642 BURNS
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY TP VOL 01 FEAR ITSELF
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12 BLACK & WHITE VAR ED
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12 COMBO PACK
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12 VAR ED
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL #1

KIRBY GENESIS TP VOL 01

LEGEND OF OZ THE WICKED WEST #6 (MR)
LENORE SWIRLIES HC
LIL HOMER #1
LOCKE & KEY GRINDHOUSE ONE SHOT
LORD OF THE JUNGLE #7 (MR)
LORD OF THE JUNGLE #7 10 COPY PARILLO VIRGIN INCV (MR)
LORD OF THE JUNGLE #7 25 COPY RENAUD B&W INCV (MR)

MACHINE TEEN TP HISTORY 101001
MARVEL PREVIEWS SEPTEMBER 2012 EXTRAS
MASS EFFECT HOMEWORLDS #4 HAWTHORNE VAR CVR
MASS EFFECT HOMEWORLDS #4 PALUMBO CVR
MORNING GLORIES #21 (MR)
MUDMAN #5

NATIONAL COMICS LOOKER #1
NEW DEADWARDIANS #6 (OF 8) (MR)
NEW MUTANTS #48

PENNY ARCADE TP VOL 08 MAGICAL KIDS IN DANGER
PETER PANZERFAUST TP VOL 01 THE GREAT ESCAPE
PHANTOM LADY #1 (OF 4)
POPEYE #4
POPEYE #4 10 COPY INCV
POWERS #11 (MR)
PREVIEWS #288 SEPTEMBER 2012
PROPHECY #3
PROPHET #28

RED SONJA #68
RESURRECTION MAN TP VOL 01 DEAD AGAIN
REX MUNDI OMNIBUS TP VOL 01
RIVEN TP

SEXYTIME HC POST PORN RISE O/T PORNOISSEUR (MR)
SHOWCASE PRESENTS TALES OT UNEXPECTED TP VOL 01
SIXTH GUN #24
SKULLKICKERS #17
SMOKE AND MIRRORS #5 (OF 5)
SNAKE EYES & STORM SHADOW #16
SNAKE EYES & STORM SHADOW #16 10 COPY INCV
SONIC SAGA TP VOL 01 DARKEST STORM
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #240 HORN CVR
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #240 SEGA CVR
SPACEMAN #9 (OF 9) (MR)
STAR TREK TNG DOCTOR WHO ASSIMILATION #4
STAR TREK TNG DOCTOR WHO ASSIMILATION #4 10 COPY INCV
STAR WARS DARTH MAUL DEATH SENTENCE #2 (OF 4)
STEED AND MRS PEEL ONGOING #0 MAIN CVRS
SUPER DINOSAUR #13
SUPERBOY 52 SYMBOL T/S XL
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #1
SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES #4
SUPERNATURAL THE DOGS OF EDINBURGH TP

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES CLASSICS TP VOL 02
THE LONE RANGER SNAKE OF IRON #2
THE LONE RANGER SNAKE OF IRON #2 10 COPY CALERO B&W INCV (NE
THE LONE RANGER TP VOL 05 HARD COUNTRY
THINK TANK #1 2ND PTG
TMNT MICRO SERIES #7 APRIL
TMNT MICRO SERIES #7 APRIL 10 COPY INCV
TRIO #4

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES BY HICKMAN TP VOL 01
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #15 DWF
UNCANNY X-FORCE #30

VALEN OUTCAST #8 MAIN CVRS
VINTAGE MARVEL COMICS 2013 12 MONTH WALL CALENDAR

WALKING DEAD 2013 CALENDAR (MR)
WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #14 (MR)
WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #14 10 COPY RENAUD RED INCV
WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #14 20 COPY NEVES B&W INCV
WARPED ADV OF SANDY AND ANGUS TP (MR)
WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #129.2
WINTER SOLDIER #9
WITCHBLADE #159 CVR A CHRISTOPHER
WITCHBLADE #159 CVR B BERNARD & BENES
WITCHBLADE DEMON REBORN #2 (OF 4)
WOLVERINE #311 2ND PTG BIANCHI VAR
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #15 AVX

X-MEN CHILLAX NEON PURPLE HEATHER T/S LG
X-MEN CHILLAX NEON PURPLE HEATHER T/S XL
X-MEN CHILLAX NEON PURPLE HEATHER T/S XXL
X-MEN LEGACY TP FIVE MILES SOUTH OF UNIVERSE
X-O MANOWAR (ONGOING) #1 4TH PTG (PP #1034)
X-O MANOWAR (ONGOING) #4 20 COPY INCV KRAMER CVR
X-O MANOWAR (ONGOING) #4 REG BRAITHWAITE CVR
X-TREME X-MEN #1 LARROCA VAR
X-TREME X-MEN #2

YOUNG JUSTICE #19
YOUNGBLOOD #71 2ND PTG

Arrivals at your LCS may vary. I copied this list from pittsburghcomics.com.

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12134027688?profile=originalResponding to my Deck Log entry on Adventure Comics # 342 (Mar., 1966), in which Star Boy was expelled from the Legion of Super-Heroes for violating the Legion code against killing, correspondent Commando Cody indicted another Legionnaire for also breaking the code.

 

Cody posted:

 

Didn’t Lightning Lad kill Zaryan the Conqueror in Adventure 304, in the mission that resulted in his “death”?  It doesn’t explicitly say so, but it shows Zaryan in his invasion spacecraft without a space suit along with his crew of non-Asmovian robots.  Moments later, Lightning Lad destroys the invasion spacecraft with lightning bolts.

 

Even if Zaryan left the spacecraft before it was destroyed, Lightning Lad had no way of knowing that the spacecraft was only occupied by robots.

 

12134167065?profile=originalIt’s a valid charge.  Initially, no procedural action was taken against Lightning Lad, due to the inconvenient circumstance of him being dead at the time, killed during his action against Zaryan.  But, while here in the real world, the death of the accused is a reliably permanent bar against prosecution, in the fictional conceit of comics, death isn't always so cut and dried.

 

So why didn’t the Legion pursue Lightning Lad’s violation of the Legion Code?  Especially given the swift and aggressive action it took in the case of Star Boy.

 

In light of this apparent nonfeasance of duty on the part of the Legion of Super-Heroes, I hereby appoint myself as a one-man board of review to investigate the matter.

 

 

 

THE ACCUSED.

 

Garth Ranzz, a.k.a. “Lightning Lad”

Planet of birth:  Winath

 

12134167469?profile=originalLightning Lad, with the super-power to cast bolts of electricity, is one of the three charter members of the Legion of Super-Heroes.  He debuted, along with Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl, in Adventure Comics # 247 (Apr., 1958).  At the time, he was dubbed “Lightning Boy” and had to clap his hands to create bolts of lightning.  These were bugs that, within a couple of stories, were worked out and he settled into his lasting rendition as Lightning Lad.

 

As told in Adventure Comics # 308 (May, 1963), the youth named Garth Ranzz was forced to land on the wild and desolate planet of Korbal when the energy-cells of his space-flyer became exhausted.   One of the life-forms native to Korbal was the lightning-beast, capable of self-generating electrical charges.  Garth lured a herd of the beasts to his ship, hoping that their electrical energies would recharge the dead cells.  Instead, the creatures aimed their bolts at Garth, bathing him in a field of electricity.  Instead of killing him, the force turned Garth into a human dynamo, capable of discharging tremendous bolts of lightning.

 

12134167699?profile=originalLater, following the events which led to the origin of the Legion, Garth assumed the identity of Lightning Lad.

 

Lightning Lad, along with Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl, served as “the Big Three” of the Legion.  Other members were added to the group shortly after its inception, but in the early years, they tended to remain in the background.  So prominently were Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad featured that, to reader identification, they were the Legion of Super-Heroes.

 

The Legion received its own series, starting with Adventure Comics # 300 (Sep., 1962), and the participation of the other members increased.  Yet, the Big Three were still treated as the team’s senior representatives.

 

 

 

 

THE VICTIM.

 

Zaryan, a.k.a. “Zaryan the Conqueror”

Planet of birth:  Brok

 

12134169655?profile=originalVery little is known about Zaryan the Conqueror.  In “The Stolen Super-Powers”, from Adventure Comics # 304 (Jan., 1963), we learn that he was an interplanetary criminal who once offered the Legion a bribe not to oppose his predatory attacks of other worlds.  Enraged when the heroes rejected his offer, Zaryan, with an army of warrior robots, flew an armed space-cruiser towards Earth, intending to attack and enslave its inhabitants.

 

Zaryan was presumed killed in space when Lightning Lad destroyed his ship before the self-styled conqueror could reach the Earth.

 

 

 

 

THE WITNESS.

 

Imra Ardeen, a.k.a. “Saturn Girl”

Planet of birth:  Titan, moon of Saturn

 

12134170865?profile=originalSaturn Girl is one of the three charter members of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

 

Like all Saturnians, Imra possesses the native power of telepathy.  One of the most powerful telepaths of her race, she can read the minds of others with crystal clarity, project her own thoughts across great range, and induce hypnotic commands.

 

Following the formation of the Legion, Imra adopted the identity of Saturn Girl.  At the time of the incident leading to this review, she was the Legion leader, a position she assumed under contentious circumstances.

 

She was the only witness to the alleged violation.

 

 

 

 

THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO THE VIOLATION.

 

The first few pages of “The Stolen Super-Powers” spotlight the election of the next leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes.  This is the first reference to such a proceeding or that the Legion even had someone in charge.  (Cosmic Boy would later be established as the first Legion leader, retroactively, in a text piece appearing in Adventure Comics # 352 [Jan., 1967].)

 

12134172278?profile=originalWith the entire membership present---except for Superboy and Supergirl, who are tied up in their respective time-eras---the vote is taken.  Under vaguely questionable circumstances, Saturn Girl is unanimously elected as the Super-Hero Club’s new leader.  That “vaguely questionable” qualifier is erased when Saturn Girl reveals, in a thought-balloon, that she used her power of telepathy to compel all of the other Legionnaires to vote for her.  As soon as she takes her seat in the big chair at the head of the meeting table, she turns into a self-serving, grade-A shrew.

 

First, she squanders the club’s $200,000 treasury on medallions bearing her image, which she requires all of the other Legionnaires to wear.  Then she forces them to undergo trials of their individual super-powers, failure of which means suspension from duty.

 

Not surprisingly, given her conduct to this point, Saturn Girl fails each member’s performance for insignificant details.  By the time Commander Loring of the World-Wide Police alerts the team to Zaryan’s imminent attack, she’s the only Legionnaire left on active duty.  The rest of the teen heroes have been benched.  Donning an anti-gravity space suit, S.G. swoops off to meet the threat, but not before tossing her fellow members a few snarky insults over their “incompetency”.

 

12134172680?profile=originalWhat we, and the Legionnaires, don’t know---and won’t find out until after it’s all over---is that, just before the election, Saturn Girl was tipped off to Zaryan’s invasion threat by the ever-helpful Trylop Council of Mernl.  Moreover, the council’s probability computer predicted with certainty that one Legionnaire would die in the coming battle.

 

This explains all of her severe actions.  She deliberately rigged the election in her behalf, so that, as Legion leader, she could suspend the other members.  Nobly, she ensured that she would be the only Legionnaire to confront Zaryan the Conqueror and, thus, would be the fatality foretold by the Trylop Council’s computer.

 

Saturn Girl hedged her bets, though.  The medallions she forced the other members to wear temporarily bestowed her with super-powers identical to theirs.  Armed with the might of fourteen Legionnaires, she hoped to put paid to Zaryan’s invasion effort before she became a statistic.

 

It didn’t quite work out that way.

 

 

 

THE EVENTS OF THE VIOLATION.

 

Back on Earth, minutes after Saturn Girl takes off to meet Zaryan’s attack ship, Lightning Lad emerges from the Legion clubhouse wearing a space suit equipped with an advanced anti-gravity unit.  Defying orders, he launches himself spaceward, in pursuit of the new Legion leader.

 

12134173471?profile=originalCatching up to the girl Legionnaire, Lightning Lad reveals that he is aware of her scheme.  As their foe’s spaceship looms into view, Saturn Girl orders him to return to Earth.

 

Lightning Lad refuses, flashing ahead of her.  “ . . . I won’t let you sacrifice your life for me or the others!”

 

“His anti-gravity power-unit is stronger than mine!” bemoans Saturn Girl.  “I can’t . . . overtake him!”

 

Moments later, the battle is joined.  Lightning Lad unleashes a barrage of electrical bolts at Zaryan’s invasion craft.  In the same instant, the youth is struck by a freeze-ray fired from the enemy ship.

 

An eye-blink later---as Saturn Girl watches in horror---Zaryan’s space-cruiser is destroyed and Lightning Lad is mortally wounded.

 

 

 

AFTERMATH.

 

With Zaryan’s ship reduced to scrap, Saturn Girl carries the stricken Lightning Lad back to Earth and the front lawn of the Legion clubhouse.

 

With his last gasps, the dying Legionnaire explains how Mon-El, the Legion member forced to live in the Phantom Zone, had witnessed Saturn Girl receiving the ominous warning from the Trylop Council.  Observing her subsequent actions invisibly from the Zone, Mon-El deduced Saturn Girl’s plan.  However, sunspot disturbances had prevented Mon from telepathically tipping off the rest of the Legion.

 

Almost too late, the sunspot activity subsided long enough for Mon-El to get a telepathic message through to Lightning Lad.

 

12134173696?profile=original

 

Then, with a final good-bye, Lightning Lad breathes his last.

 

 

It’s a tragic milestone for the Legion of Super-Heroes---the first time a Legionnaire has fallen in the line of duty.  And it gets the kind of send-off you’d expect.

 

12134174872?profile=originalSuperboy and Supergirl, with Lori Lemaris in tow, arrive from the twentieth century to attend the funeral.  Mon-El is there, as well, having taken the temporary XY-4 serum cure, enabling him to spend a few minutes in the corporeal world.

 

Flags across the universe are lowered to half-staff in the Legionnaire’s memory.

 

Lightning Lad’s body is placed in a transparent sarcophagus.  Over his resting place, an electrical arc crashes between the twin spheres of a futuristic Van de Graaff generator, in perpetual tribute to the fallen super-hero.

 

The story ends on this downbeat note.  This is no hallucination or hoax.  There is no last-minute save.  The Legionnaire called Lightning Lad is dead.

 

 

12134175289?profile=original

 

 

 

This review is hereby recessed.  It will resume shortly, with further finding of fact.

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The Greatest Comic Book Legacies

12134227880?profile=originalThere’s nothing quite like a comic book legacy. I enjoy watching the passing of the mantle from one character to another. I admire the interaction between different generations and appreciate the contrast in characters. I know I’m not the only one. Comic book writers often invent legacies for characters that didn’t previously have them. They introduce predecessors, distant ancestors and futuristic descendants. Comic book legacies create a sense of history, of epic scale, of continuity. Here is my list of the best legacy characters in comic books. Your list is probably different. Heck, my list would probably be different if I wrote this article again in a couple of months. But read along anyway and enjoy these reflections about the greatest comic book legacies.

12134229066?profile=original15. Jaguar: The first Jaguar showed up in the Silver Age from Archie Comics. He wore a red suit with Jaguar stripes and his adventures mirrored the Superman stories at the time. In the early ‘90s, DC leased the Archie heroes and introduced a new teenaged, female, Hispanic Jaguar. The diversity replacement doesn’t always catch on with fans but in this case, the new Jaguar was more memorable than her predecessor. The newest Jaguar debuted this year from Archie’s Red Circle comics. Although she has a different name- Ivy Velez- she’s clearly modeled on the DC reincarnation.

14. Atom: The Golden Age Atom is not a great character (despite the fact that we share an alma mater in Calvin College). He’s a short guy with a chip on his shoulder. But the name was too good not to be used again. Ray Palmer became the second Atom, complete with shrinking powers and a cool new Gil Kane costume. In recent years, Chinese immigrant Ryan Choi has worn the mantle. Before that, Adam Cray went by Atom while a member of the Suicide Squad. With four successors, including Atom Smasher, Atom is one of the longest legacies in comics.

12134228880?profile=original13. Wonder Girl: It’s not often that a spin-off character has their own legacy but Wonder Girl is the wonderful exception. Originally, Wonder Girl was a teenaged Wonder Woman. However, once the character joined the Teen Titans, she needed an identity of her own and Wonder Woman’s little sister Donna was introduced. Her origin was rewritten over the years, sometimes de-emphasizing the family connection and sometimes re-establishing it. In the 1990s, a new Wonder Girl, Cassie Sandsmark, took on the name. She was one of the stalwarts in Young Justice and eventually the Titans. The two Wonder Girls have often fought side by side, though the older Donna now goes by the name Troia.12134229876?profile=original

12. Black Widow: Stan Lee often re-used Golden Age names with tenuous or even non-existent connections to the original character: Angel, Daredevil, Vision, and so on. The original Black Widow was a mystical avatar of revenge, the new Black Widow a Russian super-spy. But at the turn of the century, Devin Grayson and Greg Rucka introduced a true legacy for the Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff’s former bosses in the spy world reclaimed the moniker and gave it to a new agent, Yelena Belova. The clashes between the two spies served as the impetus for several excellent mini-series and made Black Widow one of the few, great female legacies.

12134230279?profile=original11. Phoenix/Marvel Girl: The other day, I was explaining the concept of legacy characters to my daughter (she was reading Iron Fist over my shoulder and wanted to know why there was more than one). She immediately assumed that legacy characters were related to one another. That’s not always the case. But sometimes its true that mantles are passed from one generation to the next. In this case, Jean Grey’s daughter from a future timeline took her mother’s name, powers and place on the X-Men. Rachel Grey was the second Phoenix and one of my favorite heroines. Later one, she called herself Marvel Girl as a further tribute to her mom.

12134230292?profile=original10. Human Torch: The Human Torch is one of the most successful legacy characters in comics. The original Human Torch was a Golden Age android who went by the name of Jim Hammond. When Jack Kirby and Stan Lee reintroduced the character in the Silver Age, they gave the powers to a human teenager named Johnny Storm. Johnny quickly surpassed the original as a member of the Fantastic Four and occasional solo star. Later writers like John Byrne explored the connection between the two characters, building on the golden legacy of the Human Torch.

12134231456?profile=original9. Grendel: Legacies are usually reserved for Marvel and DC, companies that have been around for 70 years or so. Plus, they tend to be passed down from hero to hero, not villain to villain. But every once in a while, an excellent legacy is crafted for a new character. Matt Wagner created the villain Grendel for Comico. However, he promptly killed the original Grendel, Hunter Rose, and passed the legacy on to Hunter’s granddaughter Christine Spar. The new Grendel was more of an anti-hero than a villain. She was also the beginning of a long line of Grendels over the years, each one straddling the line between good and evil in a different way.12134214300?profile=original

8. Hourman: Hourman is a pretty typical legacy character but, in this case, that’s a good thing as it’s a name that easily comes to mind when thinking about comic book legacies. The first Hourman, Rex Tyler, was a second-tier star in the Golden Age. His son, Rick Tyler, took the name (and wore one of the worst costumes in history) in Infinity Inc. The name passed to a futuristic android at the hands of Grant Morrison and Tom Peyer. Then, it finally returned to Rick Tyler (in a much better costume) as he joined Geoff Johns’ new JSA.

12134231884?profile=original7. Captain Marvel (Marvel): Captain Marvel is one of the most used names in comic books, however most of those occurred at different companies and have no direct relation to one another. The exception is Marvel’s long line of Captains. The first was the Kree warrior, Mar-Vell, who turned against his own race to defend his adopted home of Earth. The second was New Orleans native Monica Rambeau who could transform her body into light. Mar-Vell’s children Genis and Phyla took their turns with the mantle. The newest Captain Marvel is Carol Danvers, the former air force officer and Ms. Marvel. With so many different characters claiming the name over the years, Captain Marvel is one of the most diverse legacies in comics.

12134232493?profile=original6. Blue Beetle: There are three Blue Beetles. Each one debuted at a different company, yet they remain connected. The first Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett, was a standard Golden Age superhero with a mystical artifact. The second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, was his Silver Age replacement, turning to gizmos and gadgets instead of magic. The third Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, is the current bearer of the title. He wears an alien super-suit that speaks in a language only he can understand. Each Blue Beetle has a distinctive look and role, making the Blue Beetle one of the more interesting legacies in comics.

12134233259?profile=original5. Captain America: Marvel hasn’t had as much success introducing legacy characters as DC. However, there is one huge exception: Captain America. Although most fans agree that Steve Rogers is the only, true Captain America, other characters have worn the mantle with distinction and become noteworthy heroes in their own right. John Walker became the US Agent after a stint as Captain America. Isaiah Bradley was introduced as an earlier Captain America who received the super-soldier serum as a test subject. And James Barnes starred in a very popular series as Captain America before reverting to the name Winter Soldier. Marvel has also retroactively introduced other Captains as a way to explain appearances in the late ‘40s and mid ‘50s when Steve Rogers was supposedly frozen in ice. That’s a lot of Captain Americas- and an incredible legacy to live up to.

12134233478?profile=original4. Green Lantern: I doubt that any name has been passed around in comics more than Green Lantern. Alan Scott. Hal Jordan. Guy Gardner. John Stewart. Kyle Rayner. Jennie-Lynn Hayden. And that’s just from Earth! Numerous heroes and heroines have worn the ring and the lantern insignia with distinction as part of the intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps. There’s a Green Lantern for every generation and every personality.

12134234253?profile=original3. Robin: It’s amazing to think about all of the characters who have worn Robin’s cape and tights over the years, especially considering that the original Robin held on to the name for almost 50 years. Dick Grayson was the original Robin, but he now goes by Nightwing. Jason Todd took his turn, though he’s now the Red Hood. Tim Drake claimed the mantle. Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler, wore it for a brief time. Carrie Kelley was the Robin in the future setting of The Dark Knight Returns. And Bruce Wayne’s son Damian is the current namesake. Robin got a late start as a legacy, but it has quickly grown into one of the greatest.

12134234093?profile=original2. Starman: Starman is the definitive legacy character. It’s a classic name yet, for a long time, it wasn’t attached to a great character. Ted Knight was a solid second-tier superhero in the Golden Age but in the ‘70s and ‘80s the name was passed on to several characters who had no relation or connection to the original. Then, in 1994, James Robinson introduced a new Starman: Jack Knight, the rebellious son of the first Starman. In a modern classic, Robinson tied all of the various Starmen together in an intricate tapestry that spanned space and time. Robinson showed the depths that could be explored in a great legacy character, blazing a trail for many others.

12134235258?profile=original1. Flash: The Flash is the first and greatest legacy character. Jay Garrick was the original Flash, a Golden Age speedster who wore a Hermes inspired helmet. In 1956, editor Julius Schwartz commissioned a new Flash. The character was completely transformed. Barry Allen worked in a police crime lab, gained powers through a scientific accident, and wore a sleek red costume with yellow lightning highlights. The character quickly caught on and is credited with launching the Silver Age. Barry and Jay then met each other in the classic story, Flash of Two Worlds, which introduced the idea of the multiverse. Yet the legacy of the Flash didn’t stop there. Barry’s nephew, Wally West, took over the costume in 1986. Wally proved to be a popular replacement as Mark Waid expanded on the character’s powers with the addition of the Speed Force and the character’s legacy with the introduction of Max Mercury and Impulse (who would go on to become the fourth Flash).

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By Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

There’s a new Superman in town, and he’s … OK.

 

When DC Comics re-launched the titles comprising its superhero universe last year, they took the opportunity to re-tool the Man of Steel a little bit. Action Comics started over with a new first issue, showing Superman in his earliest days – which, in this new universe, is five years ago. (Superman began again, too, but set in the present day.)

 

12134163452?profile=originalAnd in a stroke of brilliance, DC hired Grant Morrison to write Action Comics. Morrison is famous (or infamous) for gigantic, mind-blowing concepts and ideas (that are occasionally incomprehensible). He’s the author of one of the best Superman stories every written, All-Star Superman. He’s also a Scotsman who’s thought more about American superheroes than any American, penning the instant classic Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human.

 

And at first it seemed we were heading for something memorable. I raved about last September’s Action Comics #1 on my website, which gave us a Superman reminiscent of his 1938 debut – a man “only” as powerful as a locomotive, one who jumped instead of flying, with New Deal ideals and a passion for fighting on behalf of the common man.

 

So I was looking forward to the first collection, out this month. Superman: Action Comics Volume 1 – Superman and the Men of Steel ($24.99) collects the first eight issues of the new Action Comics. And for better or worse, it was not what I expected.

 

Which is perhaps my own fault. I was so surprised – and pleased – to see a Superman with an attitude that I wanted the emphasis on that concept to continue. Not just because I also tend to side with the underdog, but because it’s bold, it’s brash and it’s courageous storytelling – all things you haven’t been able to say about the Superman books for a long, long time. Like it or loathe it, this Superman was feisty, with an edge.

 

12134163653?profile=originalBut that turned out to be an element of the story, not the focus. Instead, subsequent issues of Action Comics went about the business of building major, and familiar, components of Superman’s world. Morrison keeps to the core of elements like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, the Daily Planet, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Metallo, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Ma and Pa Kent, Steel, the Bottle City of Kandor and kryptonite, but retools some of the details for the 21st century.

 

And, since it’s Morrison, this was a lot of fun with some big, big ideas. I liked most of what he did, especially making Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent contemporaries and best friends. (The days when an older Superman and a younger Jimmy can be “pals” without raising eyebrows are long gone.) He re-imagines Krypton as the perfect scientific utopia imagined in 1930s science fiction with modern SF twists, which works on a number of levels. Also, in the bonus material in the back, Morrison says he wanted to recreate the feeling of Superman’s early stories with “nonstop, kinetic, muscular action” – something he achieves with rousing success. (Morrison notes in the back that you can tell when Superman’s in trouble – it’s when he’s not in motion.)

 

As to the art, I’m a big fan of artist Rags Morales, who brings not only tremendous talent and skill to the page, but deep thought to the concepts. For example, Morales says of Superman that he imagined him as a combination of Steve Reeves (the 1950s TV Superman) and the king of rock and roll. “When he’s catching the bullet, he’s got that Elvis light in the corner of his eye.”

 

12134164468?profile=originalSo this is an excellent update to the Man of Steel, especially compared to other such attempts, such as Superman: Earth One (2011), Superman: Secret Origin (2009) and Superman: Birthright (2003). All of those also took the basic story we’re all familiar with and attempted to tweak it for the current century, with mixed results. Action Comics is more imaginative and entertaining on almost every level.

 

So call it the prejudice of high expectations. When you attach the name Grant Morrison to Superman, I expect to have my brain blown out the back of my head. But Action Comics Volume 1 is “only” a terrific comics collection full of action, humor and high concept.

 

This would be a high-water mark for any other book, with any other creative team. With Morrison and Morales, though, I expect the best is yet to come.

 

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

 

ART

1. Superman: Action Comics Volume 1 -- Superman and the Men of Steel collects the first eight issues of the new Action Comics. Copyright DC Entertainment Inc.

2. Superman battles one of Brainiac's robots on the cover to Action Comics #4. Copyright DC Entertainment Inc.
3. Baby Kal-El is launched from the doomed planet Krypton on the cover to Action Comics #5. Copyright DC Entertainment Inc. 
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A legend passes: RIP, Joe Kubert

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

 

The comics world is in mourning this week as a giant has passed. Joe Kubert died Aug. 12 at age 85.

 

12134227675?profile=originalKubert isn’t a household name, but if you’ve ever read a Sgt. Rock comic book, you’ve probably seen his work. In addition to decades on DC’s war titles, Kubert was famed for art on the original Hawkman of the 1940s, and for co-creating the modern version in 1961. He was also know for “Tarzan,” and has drawn virtually every DC character at one time or another, in a professional relationship with the publisher that stretches back to World War II. Kubert also drew award-winning graphic novels, and has been inducted into both the Eisner and Harvey Halls of Fame.

 

But Kubert’s legacy is more extensive than most artists, no matter how long-lived. For one thing, he and his late wife Muriel established The Kubert School in Dover, N.J., in 1976, training new generations of comic-book artists. His sons Adam and Andy are carrying on the family tradition, as both are successful comic-book artists.

 

Further, Kubert is remembered as a generous and gentle man. The outpouring of grief after Kubert’s death was a mix of both respect and affection. On Twitter, artist David Mack referred to Kubert not only as “a legend and master storyteller,” but also as “incredibly kind.” Stephen Bissette, one of The Kubert School’s first generation of graduates, who gained fame on “Swamp Thing,” posted a lengthy and heartfelt tribute on his website (srbissette.com) that ranged from personal affection to professional admiration.

 

Kubert’s story runs parallel to that of the comic-book industry itself. Born in what is now Ukraine in 1926, Kubert emigrated with his family to New York as an infant. He sold his first professional comic-book art at the tender age of 12 in 1938, when the industry was just getting started. He continued drawing for various publishers through his teen years, eventually landing at All-American Comics, which was later absorbed into what is now DC Comics. It was there he did his well-known work on Hawkman (beginning in 1945), but also on characters like Dr. Fate, the original Flash, Johnny Quick, Sargon the Sorcerer, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, Vigilante, Wildcat and Zatara the Magician.

 

Kubert worked for various publishers through the 1950s, co-creating the prehistoric hero “Tor” and pioneering 3-D comics at St. John, then co-creating “Viking Prince” at DC. In 1959, Kubert co-created (with writer/editor Robert Kanigher) the character he is most associated with, Sgt. Rock. Kubert remained with “Sgt. Rock” in one capacity or another until the book’s cancellation in 1988, and was in charge of all of DC’s war books from 1967 to 1976.

 

Typically, the self-effacing Kubert credited Kanigher as the true creator of Sgt. Rock in the Foreword he wrote for “Sgt. Rock Archives Volume 1.” Still, he remembered his time with Rock as “a lot of drawing. A lot of pages. A lot of covers. A lot of late nights. A lot of deadlines. And a lot of personal pleasure and satisfaction.”

 

Kubert’s career only got bigger and more varied from the 1960s on. He drew two comic strips, “Tales of the Green Berets” (1965-67), and faith-based strips for the Jewish children’s organization Lubavitch in the 1980s. Kubert drew a highly-praised run on “Tarzan” in the 1970s, and co-created “Ragman” in 1976 – the same year he founded The Kubert School.

 

Later decades saw a stream of graphic novels, two of them starring Sgt. Rock. In 2007, Kubert wrote and drew “Fax from Sarajevo,” collecting wartime faxes and remembrances from a survivor of the Serbian siege of the capital of the former Yugoslavia, for which he received both Eisner and Harvey awards. 

 

Most recently, Kubert inked the miniseries “Before Watchmen: Nite Owl,” over the pencils of his son Andy. Characteristically, Kubert was still looking ahead to his next project when death overtook him, a six-issue miniseries titled “Joe Kubert Presents” with a new Hawkman story. The first issue is scheduled for an Oct. 31 release.

 

I’ll be there for that first issue, as I have for most of Kubert’s wonderful work over the years. There’s little I can say to add to his stature, but fortunately I don’t have to. Kubert himself has left us an enormous body of stories and artwork stretching back to the 1930s, a legacy that speaks more eloquently than I ever could.

 

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

 

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Comics for 22 August 2012

ADVENTURE TIME #7
ALL NEW BATMAN BRAVE & BOLD TP V2 HELP WANTED
ALL STAR WESTERN #12
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692
AMERICAS GOT POWERS #3 (OF 6)
ARCHIE #636
ASTONISHING X-MEN #53

BART SIMPSON COMICS #74
BATMAN INC #3
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #12
BEFORE WATCHMEN DR MANHATTAN #1 (OF 4) (MR)
BRILLIANT #4 (MR)
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SPIKE #1 (OF 5)

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND NAMOR #635.1
CAPTAIN EASY HC VOL 03 SOLDIER OF FORTUNE
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 2ND PTG
CAVEWOMAN GANGSTER #1 (OF 3)
COBRA ONGOING #16
COMPLETE PEANUTS HC VOL 18 1985-1986
COURTNEY CRUMRIN ONGOING #5

DAN THE UNHARMABLE #4 (MR)
DANGER GIRL ARMY OF DARKNESS #6
DANGER GIRL GI JOE #2 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #15
DEADPOOL KILLS MARVEL UNIVERSE #4 (OF 4)
DICKS COLOR ED #7 (MR)
DISNEY PIXAR CARS MAGAZINE #8
DRAGON AGE THOSE WHO SPEAK #1 (OF 3)

FABLES #120 (MR)
FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #263
FATIMA THE BLOOD SPINNERS #3 (OF 4)
FEAR ITSELF TP
FEAR ITSELF TP AVENGERS
FLASH #12
FURY OF FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MEN #12

GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #19 (MR)
GLAMOURPUSS #26
GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #12
GRIMM FAIRY TALES #76 (MR)

HERO WORSHIP #2 (OF 6)

I VAMPIRE #12
INVINCIBLE #94
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #523
INVISIBLES OMNIBUS HC (MR)

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #12
JACK KIRBYS FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS TP V3

KEVIN SMITH BIONIC MAN #12
KIRBY GENESIS DRAGONSBANE #3
KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #189

LIL DEPRESSED BOY TP VOL 03
LOBSTER JOHNSON PRAYER OF NEFERU ONE SHOT
LOCUS #619

MARS ATTACKS #3
MARVEL UNIVERSE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #5
MIND MGMT #4
MMW GOLDEN AGE CAPTAIN AMERICA TP VOL 01
MORTENSENS ESCAPADES GN VOL 02 SANTA FE JAIL
MY BOYFRIEND IS MONSTER GN VOL 06

PLANETOID #3
PROPHET TP VOL 01 REMISSION
PUNISHER #14

QUEEN SONJA #31

RACHEL RISING #10
RIP KIRBY HC VOL 05
ROCKETEER CARGO OF DOOM #1 (OF 4)

SAVAGE HAWKMAN #12
SCALPED #60 (RES) (MR)
SECRET AVENGERS #30
STAR TREK ONGOING #12
STAR WARS DARTH VADER GHOST PRISON #4 (OF 5)
SUPER DINOSAUR #13
SUPERCROOKS #4 (OF 4) (MR)
SUPERMAN #12
SWAMP THING TP VOL 01 RAISE THEM BONES TP

TEEN TITANS #12
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ONGOING #13
TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE ONGOING #8

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #14 DWF
UNCANNY X-MEN #17 AVX
UNTOLD TALES OF PUNISHER MAX #3 (OF 5) (MR)
UNWRITTEN #40 (MR)

VAMPIRELLA #21
VENOM #23
VOODOO #12

WALKING DEAD #97 2ND PTG (MR)
WALKING DEAD #98 2ND PTG (MR)
WALKING DEAD #99 2ND PTG (MR)
WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #129.1
WOLVERINE #312
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN BY JASON AARON HC V2
WOLVERINE ANNUAL #1

X-MEN LEGACY #272

YOUNGBLOOD #73

Arrivals at your LCS may vary. I copied this list from memphiscomics.com.

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Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

 

Comics characters often return from the dead – but sometimes publishers do, too. Such is the case with Valiant Comics, which has burst back on the scene in an explosion of high-quality books.

 

First, the history:

 

12134224087?profile=originalValiant first launched in 1989 with three top creators at its head: Jim Shooter, former editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics; Bob Layton, who gained fame as co-writer and inker on Iron Man; and illustrative legend Barry Windsor-Smith. The line they launched included a host of imaginative original series, including Harbinger, Shadowman and X-O Manowar. All the titles were subtly interconnected and eventually, as title after title was added, a huge tapestry began to form.

 

Valiant’s emphasis was on character and good writing in a field then dominated by artists, and it quickly became the third largest comics publisher in America (after Marvel and DC). But right at its peak, in 1994, the company was sold to a videogame company, which de-emphasized the comics and eventually went bankrupt. And that was that. There were a couple of attempts to re-start the company, but nothing panned out.

 

Until now. Amazingly, two undergrads who were young fans of the first Valiant universe managed to get control of the company’s assets in 2005. Now, after seven years of assembling investors and a professional staff (including former Marvel Chairman Peter Cuneo), Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari have brought Valiant back.

 

12134225461?profile=originalThe new Valiant is putting its best foot forward, by re-launching four of the most popular concepts from its previous incarnations: Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot, Harbinger and X-O Manowar.  Very little has changed in these titles since their first incarnation … including the fact that they are very, very good.

 


X-O Manowar
 #1 came first, launching in May. Written by Robert Venditti (The Surrogates) and drawn by Cary Nord (Conan the Barbarian), X-O stars Aric of Dacia, a Visigoth warrior from the Roman Empire who was, in the first three issues, kidnapped by aliens, joined by the powerful – and sentient – X-O Manowar armor, and returned to Earth, albeit in the present day. It’s kind of an Iron Man-Conan mash-up, with a little Blue Beetle thrown in.

 


June brought Harbinger #1, by writer Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier) and artist Khari Evans. It stars teenage orphan Peter Stanchek, the most powerful telepath/telekinetic on the planet – except for Toyo Harada, the first person with psionic powers, who wants to recruit Stanchek to his worldwide organization of super-powered “harbingers.” Like with the 1990s series, Harbinger operates in a gray area where the scariest people look normal, and it’s hard to know who to root for.

 

12134225870?profile=originalBloodshot #1, by comics and crime fiction writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Manuel Garcia, arrived in July, about a U.S. military blacks op agent who has jillions of microscopic machines called nanites in his system that allow him to rebuild himself from almost any injury, but also allow his minders to implant thousands of false memories to motivate and control him. Codename Bloodshot has now broken free, though, and is on the run while deciding which of the voices in his head is his own – if any.

 


My personal favorite from Valiant’s first incarnation returns this month: Archer & Armstrong, by Fred van Lente and Clayton Henry. Armstrong (real name Aram) is an immensely strong and immortal warrior from Ur, the first city, who has developed a strong taste for alcohol and a stronger sense of boredom over the millennia. Archer is an accomplished martial artist raised by a Christian cult that is a front for a hidden organization searching for the secret to Armstrong’s immortality. Archer is sent to kill Armstrong, but instead the two become partners to discover what’s really going on – providing they don’t kill each other first.

 

12134226073?profile=originalJust like the first Valiant, this version has a raft of accomplished creators, is beautifully drawn across the board and is enormously appealing. And just like the first Valiant, this group of titles can be read entirely independently, although there are already hints in the background how alien invaders, psionic mutants, high-tech assassins and immortal warriors all tie together. Hints that will only grow stronger as this universe grows, first with the much-anticipated return of mercenary intelligence agent Ninjak in September’s X-O Manowar #5, and the re-launch of Valiant’s voodoo warrior in November’s Shadowman #1.

 

Will this version of Valiant succeed where the others have failed? I hope so – because, just like good superheroes, good publishers shouldn’t stay dead forever.

 

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

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X-O Manowar #4, Harbinger #3, Bloodshot #2 and Archer & Armstrong #1, all available in August.

 

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Super Summer Reviews

12134215055?profile=originalAs I read my new comics the other week, I was struck by how many of them were really good.  Some amused me.  Some left me awestruck.  But they all made me happy, as comic after comic was great.  So here’s my surprisingly sunny set of summer reviews. 

 

Avengers Academy 34: The best Avengers book has been on autopilot lately with guest-stars and event tie-ins but Christos Gage has decided that it’s time to kick in the afterburners again.  Jeremy Briggs and Veil invite the current team to meet with them in a quick series of vignettes.  Jeremy then shares his plan to cure their powers and save the world.  But the offer goes awry when half of the team expresses interest while the other half rejects.  The team is torn in two.  And Briggs shows that even a supposedly benevolent dictator is still a dictator when someone disagrees with him.  I love the quick pace, the emotional choices and the balanced use of a big cast.

 

12134215463?profile=originalDaredevil 16: This is a very different Daredevil book, but it’s still great.  Daredevil has been having trouble with his powers lately so he gets Tony Stark, Ant-Man and Dr. Strange to take a look.  The downtime allows Mark Waid to retell Daredevil’s origin and catch the reader up to speed on current events.  Chris Samnee does a great job of keeping the flashbacks both distinctive and interesting.  Samnee isn’t quite Paolo Rivera but their styles are similar enough that he makes a wonderful replacement to the departed Rivera.  Finally, the closing scene in which Foggy confronts Matt about his erratic behavior is a great set-up for future issues. 

 

12134215672?profile=originaliZombie 28: Chris Roberson’s zombie book has had its ups and downs but it ends on a high note.  I lost interest in the book when Roberson’s attention strayed from his main character and he spent too much time with less engrossing sub-plots.  But in this final issue, Roberson returns attention to the star of the series, Gwen the zombie.  This story is about her choices- what she’s willing to do to save the world and how she would do it differently than her mentors.  The supporting cast is used well here too.  I actually thought this was an extra-sized finale because so much happens but it’s not.  Roberson simply squeezes every last bit of entertainment out of this book before he says good-bye. 

 12134216085?profile=original

X-Factor 241: This was one of the few disappointing books I read this past week.  It was alright but it wasn’t as great as I’ve come to expect from X-Factor.  I enjoyed some of the scenes of character interaction, such as Madrox and Havok teasing each other about leadership and Polaris offering romantic advice to M.  I also appreciated Peter David’s attempt to set up the alternate universe trio as a new threat but I’m not convinced yet.  That’s also part of the problem.  This issue was mostly set-up for something else.  It’s a decent middle issue but it’s not a great start to a new story. 

 

12134216692?profile=originalAmazing Spider-Man 690: This was my favorite issue so far of “No Turning Back.”  I don’t find Morbius to be all that interesting and the Lizard hasn’t been much better in this particular story.  However, I was fascinated by the most recent twist in the Lizard’s status quo.  He’s been forcibly changed back into Curt Connors but the Lizard is still in control.  It was a lot of fun to see the Lizard struggling with mammalian features and even starting to enjoy them.  I also liked the visits with the other employees of Horizon.  Dan Slott has been doing a good job lately of building them into interesting individual supporting characters, rather than a nameless band of co-workers. 12134217667?profile=original

 

American Vampire 29: Is it too early to call this the best story of the year?  The Blacklist has been one of the best arcs in one of the comics’ best series.  The two stars, Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones, are working in an uneasy alliance against a coven of Hollywood vampires.  There’s power and ambition, passion and hate, intrigue and surprises, betrayal and brutality.  And it all features characters that we simultaneously fear and love. 

 

12134218070?profile=originalAngel & Faith 12: Compared to American Vampire, Angel & Faith is like comfort food.  But that’s still pretty yummy.  I’ve especially enjoyed the current story, Family Reunion.  It’s been great to see the two leads, Angel and Faith, hang out with old pals Willow, Connor and Gunn.  In this issue, the crew (minus Gunn) has traveled to Quor’toth, the demon dimension where Connor grew up.  It’s a well-told tale that gives us insight into Connor, highlights Angel’s guilt for being an absent father, and contrasts Willow’s sunny disposition with Faith’s surly attitude. 12134218665?profile=original

 

Aquaman 11: I have to say that I enjoyed the first Aquaman arc a lot more than this second one.  Black Manta should be one of Aquaman’s most compelling villains but he’s spent too much time “off-stage.”  Furthermore, they haven’t done a good job of differentiating the flashbacks from the current story.  They could have used a different artistic style or color scheme so that we would immediately recognize if we were in the present or the past.  Without that, the story has been unnecessarily confusing at times.  At least in this issue, they share the origin stories for a couple of Aquaman’s former teammates.  It’s nice to see them fleshed out, even if it’s two or three issues too late. 

 

12134218881?profile=originalAstonishing X-Men 52: This is a big change of pace story for the Astonishing team.  The past four issues have focused on a big battle with the Marauders and with Northstar’s upcoming nuptials.  This issue turns the spotlight on Karma.  Unlike Aquaman, it bounces around in time without being confusing or disruptive.  We learn why Karma rejoined the X-Men and discover how she was infected by one of their villains.  It’s a great time-out and transition from the first to second story arcs.

 
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Green Lantern 11: Hal Jordan and Sinestro make for a great odd couple.  Their dialogue is awesome.  Sinestro is perennially and insufferably arrogant, even when Hal rescues him from imprisonment.  And Hal has perfected the put-upon partner from his days of dealing Green Arrow’s diatribes.  I also admire the way that Johns continually sets up the next threat even as Hal and Sinestro deal with the current one.  In this issue, they finish reestablishing the Indigo tribe but they lose the Black Hand in the process.  It’s a great way of keeping each issue interesting while also providing a hook to the next one. 

 

12134219857?profile=originalGreen Lantern: New Guardians 11: This is the big one.  Kyle Rayner and the New Guardians attack Larfleeze’s home of Okaara.  It’s a huge battle with all-out Lantern action.  Tony Bedard works some nice beats into the story as well.  There’s a great sequence where Munk, the Indigo Lantern, tries out everyone else’s powers to see which would work best against the orange constructs.  There’s an emotional reveal when Kyle discovers Glomulus’ connection to Larfleeze.  And there’s a great twist when the New Guardians discover who actually stole their rings.  New Guardians has been giving us wonderfully colorful action and this issue is no exception. 12134220284?profile=original

 

Near Death 10: Jay Faerber’s noir series has specialized in done-in-one adventures but with this issue he proved that he can write a great cliffhanger too.  I don’t want to say more than that.  Trust me.  This is a really good series and it’s worth picking up before it’s prematurely canceled. 

 

12134220090?profile=originalStar Wars: Darth Maul: Death Sentence 1: I was excited about the return of Darth Maul.  He’s a great villain and I was sad that he was killed so quickly in the prequel trilogy.  But it’s possible my expectations worked against me as I wasn’t impressed by this story.  I don’t know enough about Darth Maul’s brother to care about him as a character and the conversations between them didn’t tell me enough to make me interested.  I’m also ambivalent about Maul’s new body.  His physical presence was part of his appeal and that seems to be diminished by new robotic legs.  At least the last panel was great.  Darth Maul’s hatred for Jedi is intense.  That bodes for more exciting action in the future and means I might not give up on this series quite yet.   

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Wolverine and the X-Men 14: I’m skipping the huge Avengers vs. X-Men event but that doesn’t mean I’ve been entirely successful avoiding it as it keeps popping up in books I read regularly.  In some cases, it’s an annoying digression.  In other cases, it can be an amusing interlude.  Count this one among the latter.  Jason Aaron presents a date between the Phoenix-empowered Colossus and regular ol’ Kitty Pryde.  Colossus tries to impress her with his otherworldly powers, resulting in some great visuals and awkward moments.  Meanwhile, we see the havoc that this ongoing battle has brought to the community as Kitty tries to hold the school’s staff together with guest instructors Doop and Deathlok.  Aaron uses a light touch to show us- and his key characters- the corrupting influence of absolute power. 

 

12134221866?profile=originalWinter Soldier 8: Ed Brubaker’s Bucky is a cool spy thriller.  It owes more to James Bond and Jason Bourne than it does to Superman or Spider-Man.  It’s dark and moody, with great twists and surprises.  The Black Widow makes a great co-star.  And I really like the way they’ve used Jasper Sitwell as the SHIELD contact and supervisor.  I also like the post-cold war feel.  Bucky and Natasha are former Soviet agents who are now free agents in a wide-open world.  It sets up all kinds of old animosities and new possibilities.   12134222301?profile=original

 

X-Men Legacy 270: Not a lot happens in this issue.  At least nothing that important.  Magik has imprisoned a number of Avengers in limbo.  Rogue is invited to tour the new super-prison but decides to rescue the Avengers instead.  She focuses on Miss Marvel and they set aside their past differences in a show of friendship.  That’s it.  Despite what could have been a strong emotional hook- the final reconciliation between Miss Marvel and Rogue- this issue felt like it was marking time until the crossover finished with a lot of superfluous fight scenes. 

 

12134223058?profile=originalHawkeye 1: It’s hard to come up with new ways to say, “this was great” all the time.  The new Hawkeye is awesome.  It’s excellent.  It’s cool.  It’s even a little humorous. I enjoy this street-level view of Hawkeye (we barely see him in costume).  I love the stripped down approach and the human-interest angle (the big story is that Hawkeye adopts a dog).  I love the juxtaposition between action and boredom- fighting bad guys in one panel, falling asleep in the vet’s waiting room in another.  I hope that we see Kate Bishop (aka Hawkeye II) soon but that’s a relatively minor complaint for a comic this much fun.  Did I mention it’s great?

 

12134223088?profile=originalBloodshot 1: The new Valiant is taking an inspired approach to storytelling.  They’re reviving their classic characters from the ‘90s but they’re stripping them of most of their superhero connections.  Yet they haven’t made the mistake of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  These are still exciting comics.  They’re straight science fiction or action-adventure tales that are both familiar and refreshingly new.  Bloodshot is a former warrior whose body has been resurrected like a Frankenstein monster to become an immortal super-soldier.  But reviving someone and controlling them are not the same thing.  Bloodshot rebels against his new masters only to be killed and resurrected again and again and again.  It’s not a nice comic.  But it’s definitely an interesting one- one that has something to say and one that doesn’t feel like anything else on the stands today. 

 

12134223854?profile=originalBefore Watchmen: Nite Owl 2 and Comedian 2: It’s hard to separate the discussion about Before Watchmen the project from Before Watchmen the stories.  Personally, I always thought that the proof would be in pudding.   Are the stories interesting?  Are they inventive?  Do they approach superheroes from a slightly different angle?  If the answer is “Yes,” then these stories and comics were worth doing.  So far, I’ve been suitably impressed.  The series have been markedly different from one another but they’ve each been excellent in their own way.  The Nite Owl series is about Nite Owl’s partner Rorschach as much as it is about the title character.  We watch their current adventures.  But more importantly, we’re treated to scenes from their childhood.  We learn that these two masked men have more in common than we ever realized though they’ve reacted it to in different ways.  It’s a strong story and I’m certainly enjoying the trip so far.  The Comedian series is even better.  Comedian, who was one of the least-developed characters in the original Watchmen, is given surprising depth here.  We see inner turmoil that we hadn’t expected.  And Brian Azzarello does a great job of weaving the Comedian into historical situations in surprising ways.  These are worthy comics, and I’m glad I get to read them. 

Read more…

Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

If Dark Knight Rises gives you a hankering for some more terrific Bat-stories, you’re in luck.

 

The much-anticipated Batman: Earth One is out ($25.99), and it lives up to the hype. Written by DC’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, it re-imagines the Dark Knight’s origin in the modern day, just as Superman: Earth One did for the Man of Steel last year. And it’s a corker.

 

12134211890?profile=originalYes, we all know the outlines of the story: Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered in an alley before his eyes, and he vowed to protect others from the same fate by becoming a masked vigilante. But this updating makes a few changes that not only make the story more plausible, but rams home the emotional punch of the story.

 

One thing artist Gary Frank does is eliminate the whited-out eyes look on  Batman’s cowl and allow Wayne’s blue peepers to show through. As any actor will tell you, allowing the audience to see your eyes heightens the emotional connection. The whited-out eyes – which has been with Batman since the beginning – is cool looking, but this book is going for emotional impact, not a coolness factor.

 

Another change, obvious in retrospect, is to imbed a great many Bat-elements that accrued over the decades right at the beginning. Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon were there from the first story in 1939, but Alfred Pennyworth, Det. Harvey Bullock, Oswald “Penguin” Cobblepot, Lucius Fox and Arkham Asylum were added piecemeal over the decades. They’re integrated here into the origin story, fleshing out Batman’s world immediately in an organic and convincing tapestry. Also, it all rings true, in that Alfred is a former Royal Marine, Arkham is Martha Wayne’s maiden name and Bullock’s fall into nihilistic cynicism is horrifically foreshadowed. 

 

Further, this Batman is a genuine amateur – and out for revenge. For Batman to be heroic, and to believably survive, he must become the consummate professional and protector of the innocent we know him to be today. That is, in fact, his story arc – and it is played for maximum drama, rather than anti-heroism or pratfalls.

 

I make no secret that I was greatly disappointed by Superman: Earth One. But this take on Batman is so powerful I sure wouldn’t mind reading more.

 

Meanwhile:

 

12134213064?profile=original* Batman and Robin Volume 1: Born to Kill ($24.99) does something I never expected: It allows Batman to grow. The premise of the series is that Batman’s 10-year-old biological son, via Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter and raised by the League of Assassins, is the new Robin. The friction between the Bat and Bird is palpable, as Batman struggles to rein in Robin’s homicidal training and recklessness without alienating him completely.

 

That’s pretty interesting, but what I found amazing is that writer Peter Tomasi shows Bruce Wayne becoming something he never was with the other Robins: a father. His new perspective allows him to bury some old ghosts and re-connect with his softer instincts, making for a kinder, gentler Dark Knight. I don’t know how often that particular card can be played, but it sure made Born to Kill an eye-opener for me.

 

12134213277?profile=original* The controversy over the first lesbian character to headline a comic book sometimes overshadows just how good that book is. I heartily recommend Batwoman Volume 1: Hydrology for the sheer skill of writer/artist J.H. Williams III. Not only is he an excellent craftsman and storyteller, but his ingenious use of panel shape and structure, which can be irritating in the wrong hands, adds another layer to his story.

 

Which itself is pretty cool. Batwoman is a unique Bat-character, and not just for her sexual orientation. Her hypercharged relationships – from her estranged father to a wannabe sidekick to an aloof Batman who is reserving judgment – keep the book tense even when there’s no fighting going on. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of that, too.

 

12134214455?profile=original* I absolutely love everything writer Gail Simone has ever done, so maybe I set the bar too high anticipating Batgirl Volume 1: The Darkest Reflection ($22.99). Don’t get me wrong: It’s a good book, with a likeable lead character who seems very close to Simone’s heart. But it doesn’t include the delightful, sometimes shocking, weirdness of Simone efforts like Birds of Prey and Secret Six.

 

It’s no secret that Batgirl returns Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara to the role, after 24 real-life years (but three in the comic book) of being confined to a wheelchair after being shot in the spine by The Joker. How and why she’s on her feet again is only hinted at, but the net effect is that this collection works more or less as an origin story, as the lead character re-establishes her life in both identities.

 

It’s not as Simone-y as I would like, but it’s still a decent, mid-level Bat-book.

 

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

 

ART

1. Batman: Earth One re-imagines Batman's origin as if it took place in the modern day. Copyright DC Entertainment Inc.

2. Batman and Robin Volume 1: Born to Kill collects the first eight issues of the new Batman and Robin. Copyright DC Entertainment Inc.

3. Batwoman Volume 1: Hydrology collects issue #0 and the first five issues of the new Batwoman. Copyright DC Entertainment Inc.

4. Batgirl Volume 1: The Darkest Reflection collects the first six issues of the new Batgirl. Copyright DC Entertainment Inc.

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Comics for 15 August 2012

68 SCARS #2 (OF 4)

ADVENTURES OF A COMIC CON GIRL #1 (OF 3) (MR)
ALABASTER WOLVES #5 (OF 5)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #691
AVENGERS #29 AVX
AVENGERS ACADEMY #35
AVENGERS VS X-MEN #10 (OF 12) AVX

BAD MEDICINE #4
BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM TP VOL 03 HOUSE OF HUSH
BATTLE BEASTS #2 (OF 4)
BATWOMAN #12
BEFORE WATCHMEN RORSCHACH #1 (OF 4) (MR)
BETRAYAL O/T PLANET O/T APES TP
BIRDS OF PREY #12
BLOODSHOT (ONGOING) #2
BLUE BEETLE #12
BODY SHOTS ART OF TC COR SC (MR)
BOOTY SC PIRATE QUEENS (O/A) (MR)
BPRD HELL ON EARTH TP VOL 03 RUSSIA
BUTCHER BAKER RIGHTEOUS MAKER #8 (MR)

CALL OF WONDERLAND #3 (OF 4) (MR)
CAPTAIN AMERICA BY ED BRUBAKER TP VOL 01
CAPTAIN AMERICA TEE CAPS NAVY T/S
CAPTAIN ATOM #12
CAPTAIN MARVEL #2
CATWOMAN #12
CLASSIC POPEYE ONGOING #1
CONAN DAUGHTERS OF MIDORA & OTHER STORIES TP
CREATIVITY OF STEVE DITKO HC
CROSSED BADLANDS #11 (MR)
CROW #2

DAREDEVIL #17
DARK AVENGERS #179
DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER MAN IN BLACK #3 (OF 5)
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #12
DEADPOOL #59
DEADPOOL KILLS MARVEL UNIVERSE #3 (OF 4)
DEADWORLD WAR O/T DEAD #3 (OF 5)
DEFINITIVE FLASH GORDON & JUNGLE JIM HC VOL 02
DOCTOR WHO DAVE GIBBONS TREASURY ED #1

ELEKTRA ASSASSIN TP
ELEPHANTMEN #42 (MR)
EMPOWERED DELUXE ED HC VOL 02
ESSENTIAL WARLOCK TP VOL 01
EVERYBODY LOVES TANK GIRL #2 (OF 3) (MR)
EXTERMINATION #3

FAKK 2 MOVIE SPECIAL SIMON BISLEY ARTBOOK HC (MR)
FATALE #7 (MR)
FERALS #7 (MR)
FLASH ARCHIVES HC VOL 06
FOUR HORSEMEN O/T APOCALYPSE SC VOL 02 (OF 3) (MR)

GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD #15 (MR)
GI JOE DISAVOWED TP VOL 06
GI JOE VOL 2 ONGOING #16
GREEN LANTERN #12
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #12
GREEN LANTERN GREEN ARROW TP
GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES #5

HARBINGER (ONGOING) #3
HAWK AND DOVE TP VOL 01 FIRST STRIKES
HELLBLAZER #294 (MR)
HOMECOMING #1
HULK #56
HULK SEASON ONE PREM HC

ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE #38

JERICHO SEASON 4 #1 (OF 5)

KILL AUDIO TP

LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #20 (MR)
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #12
LIFE WITH ARCHIE #22

MANARA LIBRARY HC VOL 03 (MR)
MARVEL SUPER HEROES #3
MICHAEL AVON OEMINGS THE VICTORIES #1 (OF 5)

NEW MUTANTS #47
NIGHTWING #12

PATHFINDER #1
PEANUTS VOL 2 #1 (OF 4)
PIGS #8 (MR)

RED DIARY RE(A)D DIARY FLIPBOOK HC
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #12
REVIVAL #2
ROBERT E HOWARDS SAVAGE SWORD #5
ROGER LANGRIDGES SNARKED #11

SAGA #6 (MR)
SAUCER COUNTRY #6 (MR)
SCARLET SPIDER PREM HC V1 LIFE AFTER DEATH
SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #33.2
SHADE #11 (OF 12)
SIMPSONS COMICS #193
SONIC UNIVERSE #43
STAR TREK 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR SUMMER 2012
STAR WARS THE CLONE WARS SITH HUNTERS TP
SUPERGIRL #12
SUPREME #66

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES CLASSICS TP VOL 01
TREASURY 20TH CENTURY MURDER HC V5 LOVERS LANE

UNCANNY X-FORCE #29
UNCANNY X-FORCE TP VOL 04 DARK ANGEL SAGA BOOK 2

VAMPIRELLA VS DRACULA #6
VOLTRON #7

WALKING DEAD #101 (MR)
WONDER WOMAN #12

X-FACTOR #242
X-MEN #34

ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #11 (OF 12)

Comics & Collectibles posted this list on Facebook. Arrivals at your LCS may vary.

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Andrew A. Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

 

Clinical psychologist 'examines' Bruce Wayne in new book

 

Is Batman crazy?

12134210664?profile=originalThat’s the central issue in a new book by clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, textbook writer, book author, lecturer and certified hypnotist Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD. What’s the Matter with Batman? An Unauthorized Look Under the Mask of the Caped Crusader applies professional criteria to the questions that have always swirled around the sanity of a man whose response to tragedy has been to dress up like a flying rodent.

And Rosenberg is precisely the person best suited to do it. In addition to the curricula vitae listed above, she is also series editor of the “Superheroes” line at Oxford University Press, and editor of the anthologies The Psychology of Superheroes and The Psychology of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

She is also a major Bat-fan, given that she is conversational with terms like “the Dick Grayson era” of Robin, and can explain in depth the differences between Batman’s 1939 origin in Detective Comics #33 vs. his origin in the 2005 film Batman Begins.

So, back to the book: Is Batman crazy?

Well, first, Rosenberg was quick to tell me in a phone interview that psychologists “don’t actually use the term ‘crazy,’” preferring phrases like “diagnosable disorder.” (I assume “nutso,” “bonkers” and “taking the cray-cray train to Koo-Koo Town” are equally off limits, but was afraid to ask.)

Secondly, we have to establish which Batman we’re talking about. There have been a lot of versions of Batman, from Adam West’s campy TV turn to Frank Miller’s aging, ultra-violent Dark Knight Returns. It turns out Rosenberg examines more than one version of Batman at once.

“I focus on an amalgam,” she says. “Basically what I was trying to do was find, in any version, enough symptoms of various disorders.”

Those disorders include Dissociative Identity Disorder, clinical depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder. She also discusses Batman’s guilt, workaholism and occasional poor judgment (hint: Robins).

So is Batman crazy? Well, you’ve probably figured out by now that I’m not going to spoil the book by telling you what Rosenberg concludes. Instead, I’ll regale you with a few of Rosenberg’s Bat-impressions from our interview:

Is Batman messianic, thinking he is so necessary for Gotham? 

“In the film Batman Begins," Rosenberg said, “Gotham City … is basically a mess, and the Gotham police [have] not been able to fix it. So if [Bruce Wayne] can fix it, then he’s justified in his messianic beliefs. … it’s an accurate self-assessment.”

Isn’t his anger a problem?

“Anger can be a very powerful motivator,” she said. “Anger in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. When people who end up becoming doctors or cancer researchers have been motivated because that they were angry that a loved one died of cancer, does that make anger bad? No. … It’s OK to be angry. It’s really important being in control of it … to make it work for you, versus working against you.”

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In Batman Begins, it’s implied the Bat-mask is a totem of sorts. Is it?

“I think partly it just depends on the wearer,” Rosenberg said. “[Bruce Wayne] chose the bat, it’s not simply a mask that he’s putting on. It’s a meaningful mask, so it may be when he puts it on there is a totemic-like aspect wishing to imbue himself certain bat-like characteristics. I mean, if he were wearing a princess mask, he might feel a little differently!”

What’s your opinion of the Christopher Nolan films, from a professional psychologist’s perspective?

“Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer … are really good lay psychologists. In Batman Begins … I thought it was absolutely brilliant to have Bruce Wayne as a young child be an anxious and fearful kid, temperamentally. We know a lot about anxious and fearful temperament and here … he fell into a cave of bats and was traumatized by that, and then he goes to the opera [which] has people dressed as bats going up the walls of the stage, and he has a panic attack. And having that … was absolutely brilliant, because that’s the part about his guilt. … He understands that if he hadn’t had the panic attack his parents wouldn’t have ended up in the alley with Joe Chill.

“And they had him master his fear by the technique called exposure, where you expose yourself to what you’re afraid of in a controlled way. And that’s the totem of him taking on the bat as his animal costume. It added a whole other veneer to the Batman mythos, the meaning of his becoming Batman. I thought that was absolutely psychologically brilliant.”

Finally, I had to ask her about a recent Playboy interview, where long-time Bat-writer Grant Morrison made the startling claim that “gayness is built into Batman. I’m not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. There’s just no denying it. Obviously as a fictional character he’s intended to be heterosexual, but the basis of the whole concept is utterly gay.”

I’m not sure exactly what Morrison meant by that, since he also wrote Batman as a heterosexual. And my own opinion is that when people see gay dog whistles in Batman comics it says more about them than it does Batman, whose adventures were originally aimed at pre-adolescents.

As it happens, Rosenberg seems to agree with me. She dismissed the homosexual charge in her book, saying “writers of Batman stories have stated they wrote Wayne as a heterosexual character.” So what did she make of Morrison’s remarks?

“Here’s the great thing about superheroes or fictional characters in general,” she said. “They’re like Rorschach ink blots. There’s a form to the inkblot, but you infuse a meaning into it. … People bring their own perspectives to the characters, and they fill in the blanks, if you will. Like with comic panels, we fill in what happens from one panel to another. We fill in the back story or the elements of the character that aren’t provided for us. So someone who wants to see certain elements, will see those elements. And there’s not a way to refute it, because that whole point is that the information isn’t there. You’re … filling in the blanks of a structure. I think even Grant Morrison would say that, because from the lens that he is wearing that is what he sees in the blank spots. It’s what he brings [to the table]. You and I don’t see that, we see something else, because of what we bring. … That’s one of the neat things about humans, right? We’re all different!”

And some of us are crazy. But is Batman? Buy the book, and find out. And if you have any suggestions for Bat-stories that can add to the discussion, send them to Rosenberg, and she’ll include them in a second edition.

 

Art

1. What's the Matter with Batman? examines the Dark Knight's mental state. Copyright 2012 Robin S. Rosenberg

2.  CHRISTIAN BALE stars as Bruce Wayne in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' action thriller "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics. Photo by Ron Phillips 

 

Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics@aol.com. For the full interview, see Comics Buyer's Guide #1694-95.

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The Best of Chuck, Part II

12134199296?profile=originalWelcome back! Last week, I started ruminating about the best episodes from NBC’s spy comedy Chuck. This week, I finish the job by reflecting on the best moments from seasons three, four and five.

Season Three

12134199891?profile=originalChuck vs. the Angel de la Muerte (3): Season three of Chuck is notable for increasing the international scope of Chuck, an angle that would continue through to the end of the show. In this episode, a Central American dictator comes to LA. The dictator has a brutal record and a long-simmering rivalry with Casey. However, while the team is keeping an eye on Premier Goya (played by Armand Assante), Chuck’s brother-in-law Dr. Devon Woodcomb, aka Awesome, saves his life. The episode provides interesting background for Casey, some wonderful twists and a fun mix of family and action.

12134200693?profile=originalChuck vs. First Class (5): For the third time in three seasons, Chuck is given a romantic rival for Sarah. In this case, he flirts with Kristin Kreuk in the first class section of an airplane while on his first solo mission. However, the show simultaneously set up a possible romantic interest for Sarah in their new spy supervisor, Shaw, played by Brandon Routh. The relationship complications increased to almost absurd levels, which was perfect for a show that was as comfortable with farce as Chuck.

12134200897?profile=originalChuck vs. the Beard (9): One of the major changes in season three is that an upgraded Intersect gave Chuck access to skills as well as knowledge. However, the new Intersect develops a glitch and Chuck is temporarily sidelined from the team. At the same time, Morgan fires Chuck as his best friend due to his inexplicable behavior. The crisis allows Chuck to finally come clean to Morgan, setting up a new dynamic for the show in which Morgan first covers for Chuck and then eventually becomes a part of the spy team.

12134202076?profile=originalChuck vs. the Tic Tac (10): Season three spent a lot of time building up Chuck’s supporting cast: Awesome, Morgan and now Casey. In one storyline, we learn about Casey’s history as a soldier and a spy. We also learn that he faked his own death when he joined the CIA in order to protect his loved ones. In the present storyline, Casey is framed for murder and the team has to clear his name. However, the operation involves Casey’s former fiancee and Casey discovers that he has a daughter named Alex. It’s a great character episode, with a lot of emotion and a lot at stake.

12134202467?profile=originalChuck vs. the American Hero and Chuck vs. the Other Guy (12 & 13): The Shaw storyline comes to a dramatic height in the middle of season three. For most of the season, Shaw has been a romantic rival for Chuck and someone who might possibly lure Sarah back to Washington DC. He’s also been a professional rival, occasionally supplanting Casey’s place on the team and bossing Chuck around. But on a mission in Rome, Chuck learns that Sarah was the agent responsible for the death of Shaw’s ex-wife. Even worse, Shaw knows it and is setting Sarah up for revenge. The team is fractured and Chuck is all alone. Yet somehow Chuck has to stop Shaw, save Sarah and prove himself as a spy. It’s a thrilling two-parter, full of action and intrigue. And it’s an important moment for Chuck as he finally fulfills his potential.

12134203097?profile=originalChuck vs. the Subway and Chuck vs. the Ring Part II (18 & 19): Shaw returns for this two-part finale. Their former ally is now working for the terrorist organization The Ring and is out to destroy the entire team. Meanwhile, Chuck continues to 12134203286?profile=originalexperience glitches with the Intersect which could potentially destroy his mind. Scott Bakula returns as well for this intense, fast-paced finale.


Season Four

12134204456?profile=originalChuck vs. the Anniversary (1): Chuck and Ellie’s dad had been an important character for two seasons. With season four, we finally meet their mother Mary, played by Linda Hamilton. Her introduction is wonderfully complex. We don’t know if she’s an undercover spy, an assassin or something worse. The failed reunion brings a lot of emotional baggage to the fore for Chuck and Ellie. It’s one more way in which Chuck stays connected to its core audience- the Generation Xers who were raised on Star Wars and video games, but many of whom also grew up in broken families.

12134204285?profile=originalChuck vs. the Coup d’Etat (4): Every once in a while, I have to break with the crowd. The consensus is that the first appearance of Premier Goya in season three is better but I preferred the second appearance when the team traveled down to Costa Gravas. I loved the dynamic of a dictator trying to transition to democracy against the wishes of his inner circle. More than that, I loved the secondary storyline in which Morgan begins to show romantic interest in Casey’s daughter Alex. Casey and Morgan had been a wonderful odd-couple for much of season three 12134204878?profile=originaland this added an amusing complication to their relationship.

Chuck vs. the First Fight (7): Chuck and Sarah are finally a couple but that doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly between them. They have their first fight in this episode and Chuck looks for advice from an unlikely source- the frumpy British analyst Gregory Tuttle played by Timothy Dalton. Dalton was wonderful as Tuttle, cringing in the midst of a firefight in a mockery of his time spent as James Bond. But the twist was even better: Tuttle was a front and Dalton was really Alexei Volkoff, the international arms dealer they’ve been trying to find since the end of season three.

12134205468?profile=originalChuck vs. the Balcony (11): Sometimes I love everything about an episode. But sometimes I develop an affection for an episode based on one particular moment or scene. In this case, Chuck and Sarah are sent on a mission in France. Chuck decides that it’s the perfect place to propose- a beautiful balcony with vineyards in the background. Of course, nothing can ever go smoothly and a few gunmen spoil the romantic rendez-vous. For me, it’s a great example of the way in which Chuck’s spy life complicates his personal life and vice versa.

12134205668?profile=originalChuck vs. the Push Mix (13): Chuck was never a ratings monster. It escaped cancellation on multiple occasions. But one side benefit was that the show had multiple big endings. This mid-season finale was planned as a series finale before they were given yet another reprieve. The result was an excellent episode in which multiple loose ends were tied up and Chuck had his final confrontation with Alexei Volkoff. It was full of exciting action and also emotionally satisfying.

12134206457?profile=originalChuck vs. the Masquerade and Chuck vs. the First Bank of Evil (16 & 17): The second half of season four as a little inconsistent as the writers had to figure out what to do next. Personally, I liked the introduction of Vivian and I loved the twists at the end of these two episodes. In the first, we learn that the British heiress targeted by Volkoff’s men is actually Volkoff’s daughter. In the second, we watch as Chuck unwittingly turns a potential ally into a new nemesis. These two episodes are excellent examples of how Chuck could play against expectations, surprising the audience with new directions at the drop of a dime.

12134206861?profile=originalChuck vs. the Last Details and Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger (23 & 24): Season three ended with Ellie and Awesome’s wedding. Season four ended with Chuck and Sarah’s. Once again, it was a wonderfully fast-paced finale, with multiple obstacles to overcome, returning villains and high comedy.

12134207260?profile=originalSeason Five

Chuck vs. the Hack-Off (5): There are three reasons to love this episode. First, it was
12134207469?profile=original
one of several to showcase Carrie Anne Moss as security mogul Gertrude
Verbanski and the first to feature her as an uneasy ally instead of a caustic rival. Two, it included a great guest appearance by Community’s Danny Pudi as a geeky new tech specialist at the BuyMore. Three, it highlighted Chuck’s ability as a computer programmer in a humorous way as he binged on a big bottle of white wine while trying to out-hack a gang of geeks.

12134207897?profile=originalChuck vs. the Curse (6): I’m a big fan of Chuck’s supporting cast, whether it’s his spy team, his quirky co-workers or his perfect family. This episode showcases Awesome and Ellie on a date night. Like a lot of couples with a baby, they’re looking forward to some private adult time. Instead, they get mixed up in one of Chuck’s spy adventures. However, they aren’t aware of what’s going on and mistakenly think the spy adventure is a role-playing game to spice up their relationship. The episode is full of humor, drama and yes, romance.


12134208500?profile=originalChuck vs. the Santa Suit (7): Certain scenes simply stick in the memory. In this case, it’s the completely unexpected and totally hilarious scene in which General Beckman kisses Chuck while he’s wearing a Santa suit. In season five, Chuck’s team has set out as private security consultants. However, in this episode, Chuck needs Beckman’s help to break into a CIA facility. Beckman is willing to bend the rules for one of her former agents. But, of course, it’s never easy. One of Beckman’s counterparts starts to hit on Chuck and the only way she can extricate him is to plant a big kiss on him herself. It’s all part of an excellent episode that balances humor and tension in a wonderful way.

12134208297?profile=originalChuck vs. Bo (10): There are two main stories in this episode. In the one, Chuck and Morgan go to Vail to investigate Morgan’s earlier actions when he was in possession of the Intersect. They uncover a few surprises, including a tryst with Bo Derek (playing a spy version of herself). Meanwhile, Jeff and Lester have been investigating the BuyMore’s connection to the CIA. However, whenever they get close, Casey knocks them out and leaves them in the desert hoping that they’ll think they blacked out after a Las Vegas bender. The repeated desert scenes are hilarious. And the confrontation with Bo Derek is pretty good too.

12134209684?profile=originalChuck vs. the Goodbye (13): After so many finales, it wasn’t easy for the final ending to measure up to some of the great episodes of before. The penultimate episode didn’t have quite the pizzazz of earlier season-enders. However, the finale did provide some important emotional closure. They didn’t wrap everything up neatly with a bow. That would have been too pat an ending for a show that upended its status quo as often as Chuck. But they did hint at the possibilities of a real, peaceful family life for Chuck and for Sarah- something they’ve wanted from the beginning but always worried was just out of reach. The closing scene brought tears to my eyes and was a fitting way to say good-bye.

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Comics for 8 August 2012

ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE SCREAM QUEENS #2
AMERICAN VAMPIRE LORD OF NIGHTMARES #3 (OF 5) (MR)
ANTI #1
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG (NEW) #1
ARTIFACTS #20
ASTONISHING X-MEN TP VOL 08 CHILDREN OF BROOD
ATOMIC ROBO FLYING SHE DEVILS O/T PACIFIC #2 (OF 5)
ATOMIC ROBO REAL SCIENCE ADV #5
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #6
AVENGERS VS X-MEN BY BRADSHAW POSTER

BATGIRL #12
BATMAN AND ROBIN #12
BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED #5
BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS #2 (OF 6) (MR)
BERNIE WRIGHTSON MUCK MONSTER ARTIST ED PORTFOLIO
BLOODSTRIKE #29
BLUE ESTATE #12 (MR)
BOMB QUEEN TP VOL 07 END OF HOPE (MR)
BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #12

CAPTAIN AMERICA #16
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND IRON MAN #635
COMIC BOOK LETTERING THE COMICRAFT WAY ONE SHOT SC
CONAN HC VOL 12 THRONE OF AQUILONIA
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #7
CREATOR OWNED HEROES #3 (MR)
CREEP #0

DANCER #4
DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1
DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS TP VOL 03
DEADPOOL KILLS MARVEL UNIVERSE #2 (OF 4)
DEADWORLD WAR O/T DEAD #2 (OF 5)
DEATHSTROKE #12
DEATHSTROKE TP VOL 01 LEGACY
DEMON KNIGHTS #12
DOCTOR ATLANTIS GN VOL 01
DRAW #23

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ASSASSINS #2

FAIREST #6 (MR)
FANBOYS VS ZOMBIES #5
FANTASTIC FOUR #609
FEVER MOON GN
FLASH CHRONICLES TP VOL 03
FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #12

GAMBIT #1
GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD TP VOL 02 (MR)
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #181
GI JOE V2 COBRA COMMAND TP VOL 03 AFTERMATH
GODZILLA HALF CENTURY WAR #1 (OF 5)
GRENDEL OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 HUNTER ROSE
GRIFTER #12

HOAX HUNTERS #2

IDOLIZED #1
INCREDIBLE HULK #12
IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #1

JIM BUTCHER DRESDEN FILES FOOL MOON #7

KEVIN KELLER #4
KISS #3

LEGION LOST #12
LENORE VOLUME II #6

MAGIC THE GATHERING SPELL THIEF #2
MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS EARTHS HEROES #5
MASSIVE #3
MEGA MAN #16
MHSG CASE FILES CHUPACABRA
MIGHTY THOR #18
MIGHTY THOR BY DAVIS POSTER
MMW DEFENDERS HC VOL 03
MOONSTONES MODERN MYTHS THOR THUNDER CHRIST #1
MOUSE GUARD BLACK AXE #5 (OF 6)

NEAL ADAMS THRILL KILL ARTIST ED PORTFOLIO
NEW AVENGERS #29 AVX
NIGHT FORCE #6 (OF 7)

OMAC TP VOL 01 OMACTIVATE

PANTHA #3
PROTOTYPE 2 HC
PUNK ROCK JESUS #2 (OF 6) (MR)

RASL TP VOL 04 LOST JOURNALS OF NIKOLA TESLA
RAVAGERS #4
RED SONJA ATLANTIS RISES #1
RESURRECTION MAN #12
REVIVAL #1 2ND PTG
RIGHT STATE HC (MR)

SCARLET SPIDER #8
SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #24
SCOTT PILGRIM COLOR HC VOL 01 (OF 6)
SEAVIEW 50TH ANNIV TRIBUTE VOYAGE BOTTOM OF SEA SC
SENSATIONSAL SPIDER-MAN #33.1
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SUICIDE SQUAD #12
SUPERBOY #12

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ADVENTURES TP VOL 01
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TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ONGOING #8

VAMPIRELLA #20
VAMPIRELLA ANNUAL #2
VENOM #22
VOLTRON YEAR ONE #4

WARRIORS OF MARS #4 (MR)
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WORLDS FINEST TP

X-FACTOR TP VOL 14 SUPER UNNATURAL
X-MEN FF TP
X-MEN LEGACY #271

from memphiscomics.com

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