Penultimate reporting on the Mile High mystery box comics:
Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #2
The Crispus Allen version of the Spectre had as dramatic an introduction as possible, Allen’s arc beginning in the pages of Gotham Central where he existed alongside another character named Jim Corrigan (no, not the boy genius!), which led many readers to believe they knew exactly what would eventually happen. But then Corrigan murdered Allen, and Allen became the new host of the Spectre. In hindsight, this angle might’ve had longer legs had Allen accompanied his other colleague from Gotham Central, Renee Montoya, into the pages of 52. But then a lot of other things might’ve turned out differently. So maybe Crispus Allen was always destined for the reboot turnover scrap heap...Then again, so was Montoya. Spirit of Vengeance, where art thou???
Star Trek #1
From 1984, in the wake of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, following that exact continuity, the way the old Star Wars comics at Marvel used to try and guess what was relevant to do between films. Here it’s imagined that in a world without Spock, Kirk just kind of continues on without him. Oh, sure, he struggles with the idea, but...Anyway, like those Star Wars comics, these are tales somewhat instantly negated by the next movie, as Search for Spock would make clear...Mike Barr, the writer, points out in an essay that this is technically the first time Star Trek actually happened without Spock. And while later there would be a lot of Star Trek without Spock, it never seemed to work out the way everyone imagined it in those early years. The TV reboot in the ‘70s that was going to end up repurposed as The Motion Picture, which of course heavily featured Spock. Even his death didn’t prevent Spock from soldiering on! Which is to say, Barr indeed wrote history.
Stormwatch: Team Achilles #9
Couldn’t manage to read more than a few panels, alas.
Action Comics #662
In hindsight it shouldn’t have been so surprising for the Superman writers concluding they literally had to kill the Man of Steel to prevent him from getting married too soon (in case you didn’t know, that was always their story for why Doomsday happened, because Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was just getting started on TV, although ironically everyone loved it until they got married) (then the wedding was ruined anyway)...This is the big issue where Superman finally reveals his secret identity to Lois (who had just gotten engaged to Clark)...and most of the issue is spent dithering over the Silver Banshee. Although also historically interesting as it deals with the aftermath of Lex Luthor’s death, setting up his heir, no doubt quickly revealed to be his “son,” who ended up being revealed as his clone. (Lex died as a result of Kryptonite poisoning, of all the delicious ironies.)
Adventures of Superman #500
Polybagged, and will remain so, even if it’s never worth anything again. This was both the beginning of “Reign of the Supermen,” and the road to Superman’s return, as he spends the issue in the afterlife, talking with Pa Kent, who’s had a heart attack. (I know it’s as traditional in continuity as the reverse, but I prefer Pa, and Ma, alive versus dead. It’s the Lois & Clark fan in me. I love those three-way phone calls!)
Action Comics #849
(Between #662 and this, we’re talking 1991 and 2007, by the way!) I’m just gonna ignore the issue itself, a somewhat misguided effort to talk about matters of faith in relation to Superman. The back page features Peter J. Tomasi announcing that he’s leaving editing duties behind and commencing a full-time career as a writer. Here we are in 2020, and it was a very good decision, Pete!
Superman Confidential #1
Darwyn Cooke & Tim Sale begin “Kryptonite,” a Year One Superman tale that’s really easy to see in the vein of Sale & Jeph Loeb’s collaborations, as of course it features Sale on art and Cooke very much writing the Loeb style. I’m frankly mystified that it’s not one of DC’s evergreens.
Swamp Thing #93
From 1990 and writer Doug Wheeler (in the letters column most of the readers are reacting to his recent acquisition of the job, and reflecting on his famous predecessors, like that chap Alan Moore). Anyway, this was a fun issue, and the source of the title to this post, the moops trying to expose the legendary “Swamp Man,” one of them wondering if the results won’t be famous in that fabled far-off future of 2020, which made it funny to read in 2020...Since, outside of the Charles Soule New 52 comics I’ve never really made a habit of reading Swamp Thing, it’s always nice to be reminded that things like Alec’s speaking pattern and even orange word bubbles have long been part of the mythos. And maybe I ought to read more of them.
Showing posts with label letters columns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label letters columns. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Monday, April 27, 2020
Pandemic Comics #6 “Doc Savage to Green Arrow”
More comics from the Mile High mystery boxes...
Doc Savage #1
Here’s one of the Superman precursors (he even got a Fortress of Solitude first) in one of his later revivals (far as I know, still hasn’t had a movie). DC periodically trots him out (was last seen in the First Wave comics), but he seems particularly hard to translate for modern audiences. Technically, I guess, Alan Moore’s Tom Strong was a version of Doc Savage (though Tom Strong was also, technically, a version of Alan Moore’s Supreme, which was a version of Silver Age Superman...), so there’s that!
Doom Patrol #2
Here’s a concept DC trots out a little more frequently than Doc Savage, but never really seems to stick. The last time it did was Grant Morrison’s surreal take, although strangely later readers were only baffled that Young Animal’s revival thought it was a good act to reprise...This one’s from John Byrne, who’s magic to anything he touches. Which of course means the older he gets the less readers give a damn...
The Exinctuon Parade: War #1 (Avatar)
Here’s the Mile High variant cover comic thrown in as a bonus. Max Brooks, who wrote World War Z, is the son of Mel Brooks. Maybe you already knew that. Maybe I already knew that. But it’s a fact I was recently reminded of, and it’s still an interesting factoid. Anyway, this comic is ruined by Avatar’s typical hack artwork, alas, the kind someone hopes the coloring will obscure. But it never does.
Firestorm #27
Firestorm has always been a favorite of mine, but I never really read any Firestorm comics, much less enjoyed the hell out of them, until the brilliant post-Infinite Crisis run I hold up against the best of any superhero comics from that period. Would love some collection reprints.
The Flash #235
I think I finally figured out why Mark Waid’s attempted reprise was so disappointing. He seemed to forget that Wally West was an excellent protagonist, that he had made Wally West a compelling protagonists. And while expanding the family eventually had...interesting ramifications, Waid seemed to be phoning it in. Gone was the spark that made everything so gloriously personal. In fact, Waid seemed to go out of his way to make these comics as impersonal as possible. I still don’t get it...
Fraction #4
Part of the DC Focus imprint. That’s, uh, that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
Green Arrow #61
I think the letters column in this issue just about sums up everything that’s wrong today: “Every letter in the GREEN ARROW #55 letter column had to do with politics and answering another letter writer’s opinions...” wrote Charles D. Brown. You’d expect this in a Green Arrow comic (and this is another great argument for printing letters columns; the internet dies within days or maybe weeks of any given discussion). It becomes a problem when this is routine public discourse. This is relevant, compelling during, say, big historic eras like the American Revolution or the Civil War. Otherwise it’s a lot of counterproductive hot air...
Green Arrow #26
Here’s social crusader Oliver Queen confronting apparent President Luther stooge Jefferson Pierce, the once and future Black Lightning. They really need to collect major President Luther stories like this. It’s the major DC event of the first five years of the new millennium.
Doc Savage #1
Here’s one of the Superman precursors (he even got a Fortress of Solitude first) in one of his later revivals (far as I know, still hasn’t had a movie). DC periodically trots him out (was last seen in the First Wave comics), but he seems particularly hard to translate for modern audiences. Technically, I guess, Alan Moore’s Tom Strong was a version of Doc Savage (though Tom Strong was also, technically, a version of Alan Moore’s Supreme, which was a version of Silver Age Superman...), so there’s that!
Doom Patrol #2
Here’s a concept DC trots out a little more frequently than Doc Savage, but never really seems to stick. The last time it did was Grant Morrison’s surreal take, although strangely later readers were only baffled that Young Animal’s revival thought it was a good act to reprise...This one’s from John Byrne, who’s magic to anything he touches. Which of course means the older he gets the less readers give a damn...
The Exinctuon Parade: War #1 (Avatar)
Here’s the Mile High variant cover comic thrown in as a bonus. Max Brooks, who wrote World War Z, is the son of Mel Brooks. Maybe you already knew that. Maybe I already knew that. But it’s a fact I was recently reminded of, and it’s still an interesting factoid. Anyway, this comic is ruined by Avatar’s typical hack artwork, alas, the kind someone hopes the coloring will obscure. But it never does.
Firestorm #27
Firestorm has always been a favorite of mine, but I never really read any Firestorm comics, much less enjoyed the hell out of them, until the brilliant post-Infinite Crisis run I hold up against the best of any superhero comics from that period. Would love some collection reprints.
The Flash #235
I think I finally figured out why Mark Waid’s attempted reprise was so disappointing. He seemed to forget that Wally West was an excellent protagonist, that he had made Wally West a compelling protagonists. And while expanding the family eventually had...interesting ramifications, Waid seemed to be phoning it in. Gone was the spark that made everything so gloriously personal. In fact, Waid seemed to go out of his way to make these comics as impersonal as possible. I still don’t get it...
Fraction #4
Part of the DC Focus imprint. That’s, uh, that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
Green Arrow #61
I think the letters column in this issue just about sums up everything that’s wrong today: “Every letter in the GREEN ARROW #55 letter column had to do with politics and answering another letter writer’s opinions...” wrote Charles D. Brown. You’d expect this in a Green Arrow comic (and this is another great argument for printing letters columns; the internet dies within days or maybe weeks of any given discussion). It becomes a problem when this is routine public discourse. This is relevant, compelling during, say, big historic eras like the American Revolution or the Civil War. Otherwise it’s a lot of counterproductive hot air...
Green Arrow #26
Here’s social crusader Oliver Queen confronting apparent President Luther stooge Jefferson Pierce, the once and future Black Lightning. They really need to collect major President Luther stories like this. It’s the major DC event of the first five years of the new millennium.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Pandemic Comics #4 “Twice the Two-Face!”
Here’s the next batch of conics from the Mile High mystery boxes: the Batman edition!
Detective Comics #580
Did you know there was actually a second Two-Face? Literally the most appropriate development in comics history, right? (Not as fun: an issue, or two [ahhh!] of puns on the number two.) And even funnier: Paul Sloane was the second imposter. His origin is kind of like the criminal version of Wally West’s. An actor, Sloane is portraying Harvey Dent in a production that goes horribly wrong at exactly the worst, or best, possible moment when some mook throws acid in Sloane’s face...Eventually of course Sloane goes on a crime spree, just like Dent before him, having copied all of Two-Face’s quirks...Sloane doubles Dent in every regard, including a wife waiting for him to recover and return to a normal life, and the possibility of plastic surgery being able to do just the trick, which of course works twice...(I would absolutely keep the second Two-Face in continuity. Too perfect.)
Detective Comics #581
Naturally I got these in separate boxes, but it’s the complete story. Are you wondering if a story published in 1987 has anything to say about Jason Todd’s time as Robin? Of course it does! Jason’s dad was murdered by Two-Face, so he spends most of it recklessly trying to exact payback, and Batman keeps stopping him. It’s basically exactly Batman Forever (with, Jason rather than Dick Grayson). But Jason seems pretty redeemable, and the whole story seems like an early attempt to reconcile the character to how he had been modified post-Crisis (originally he was quite indistinguishable from Dick), before, y’know, giving readers the option of, oh, killing him off a few years later. What’s really bizarre is how these comics look like they came from the ‘70s rather than ‘80s. It’s proof that Batman’s continuity (other than Jason) remained mostly untouched after the Crisis reboot, just as it would for the New 52 (one of the many pointless fan complaints about the New 52, as far as Morrison’s Batman and Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern were concerned). Funny enough, the letters columns in these issues are full of praise for Mike Barr (who wrote them) and his “Year Two,” which some said was “better” than Miller’s “Year One,” calling Barr’s work “a lot more fun to read.” And...history doesn’t really care about that, now does it?
Batman #433
Batman #433
Yes, two copies, one from each box. I didn’t really mind. It’s the only time anything doubled up, and given the Two-Face story, seemed more than appropriate to have happen with a Batman comic. This is a silent issue, the first chapter in “The Many Deaths of Batman,” and it’s a solid success. Anyway, speaking of Jason Todd, this was published in 1989, and his death was still fresh in the minds of readers. One fan in the letter column writes simply, “I am very, very sad that you made Robin die. I have been crying for a whole day. Why did you make him die?...You don’t kill heroes, you save them! Please change your comic book!” (Letter writer was 8 at the time.)
Batman: Gotham Nights #4
A Batman comic from the point of view of ordinary citizens who seem on the edge of very bad decisions, eventually converging in a moment where Batman essentially saves them in an intervention he didn’t even know he was making. Anyway, the great irony here is a 1992 letter column being saved by an early version of an internet message board (I included “internet” as “message board” itself is now as archaic as regular letters columns). So there’s that! By the end of DC’s use of letters columns at the turn of the century, it had in fact switched from traditional letters to electronic ones, with physical addresses replaced by email addresses. And today, the internet basically complains about every comic made. Yay progress!
Batman #498
This is the issue in which Bruce Wayne formally taps Jean Paul Valley to replace him as Batman, or as he would become known by fans: Azbats. “Knightfall” concludes two issues later with Azbats using his fancy clawed gloves to defeat Bane.
Batman #505
Azbats is in the midst of deciding which of his predecessor’s methods are still useful (the letters columns are savvy enough to conclude that the whole point of Azbats is to prove that those methods are as relevant as ever, as is the man who employed them). He uses detective work to track down Abattoir, who becomes famous later by inadvertently dying at the hands (claws?) of Azbats.
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #26
I never really read Shadow of the Bat unless it was relevant to a crossover, which, like and since I followed the same policy with Legends of the Dark Knight, was probably my loss. This is a good issue, focusing on this era’s version of Clayface (which I had only read about previously, and Lady Clayface, and, apparently, Baby Clayface...! Tangled up in it somewhere is Abattoir, and a neat citizens-reaction to the events of the above issue.
Batman: Odyssey #2
One of the out-of-continuity mini-series Neal Adams has done in recent years (this one’s from a decade ago, and I believe marked his comeback). I had a chance to meet him at one of the area cons, but foolishly passed it up. But he’s as likely to be at another one, which if people are able to do mass events by the fall would make for an even more memorable occasion. This issue’s great. Adams has a casual, conversational familiarity with Batman that breezes through the issue, and his art, with modern coloring, has never looked better. I’ve seen some fans complaining that his sensibilities don’t belong in today’s comics, which is absurd. If you have a master of the medium still capable of delivering at this level, you cherish him. Period.
Detective Comics #580
Did you know there was actually a second Two-Face? Literally the most appropriate development in comics history, right? (Not as fun: an issue, or two [ahhh!] of puns on the number two.) And even funnier: Paul Sloane was the second imposter. His origin is kind of like the criminal version of Wally West’s. An actor, Sloane is portraying Harvey Dent in a production that goes horribly wrong at exactly the worst, or best, possible moment when some mook throws acid in Sloane’s face...Eventually of course Sloane goes on a crime spree, just like Dent before him, having copied all of Two-Face’s quirks...Sloane doubles Dent in every regard, including a wife waiting for him to recover and return to a normal life, and the possibility of plastic surgery being able to do just the trick, which of course works twice...(I would absolutely keep the second Two-Face in continuity. Too perfect.)
Detective Comics #581
Naturally I got these in separate boxes, but it’s the complete story. Are you wondering if a story published in 1987 has anything to say about Jason Todd’s time as Robin? Of course it does! Jason’s dad was murdered by Two-Face, so he spends most of it recklessly trying to exact payback, and Batman keeps stopping him. It’s basically exactly Batman Forever (with, Jason rather than Dick Grayson). But Jason seems pretty redeemable, and the whole story seems like an early attempt to reconcile the character to how he had been modified post-Crisis (originally he was quite indistinguishable from Dick), before, y’know, giving readers the option of, oh, killing him off a few years later. What’s really bizarre is how these comics look like they came from the ‘70s rather than ‘80s. It’s proof that Batman’s continuity (other than Jason) remained mostly untouched after the Crisis reboot, just as it would for the New 52 (one of the many pointless fan complaints about the New 52, as far as Morrison’s Batman and Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern were concerned). Funny enough, the letters columns in these issues are full of praise for Mike Barr (who wrote them) and his “Year Two,” which some said was “better” than Miller’s “Year One,” calling Barr’s work “a lot more fun to read.” And...history doesn’t really care about that, now does it?
Batman #433
Batman #433
Yes, two copies, one from each box. I didn’t really mind. It’s the only time anything doubled up, and given the Two-Face story, seemed more than appropriate to have happen with a Batman comic. This is a silent issue, the first chapter in “The Many Deaths of Batman,” and it’s a solid success. Anyway, speaking of Jason Todd, this was published in 1989, and his death was still fresh in the minds of readers. One fan in the letter column writes simply, “I am very, very sad that you made Robin die. I have been crying for a whole day. Why did you make him die?...You don’t kill heroes, you save them! Please change your comic book!” (Letter writer was 8 at the time.)
Batman: Gotham Nights #4
A Batman comic from the point of view of ordinary citizens who seem on the edge of very bad decisions, eventually converging in a moment where Batman essentially saves them in an intervention he didn’t even know he was making. Anyway, the great irony here is a 1992 letter column being saved by an early version of an internet message board (I included “internet” as “message board” itself is now as archaic as regular letters columns). So there’s that! By the end of DC’s use of letters columns at the turn of the century, it had in fact switched from traditional letters to electronic ones, with physical addresses replaced by email addresses. And today, the internet basically complains about every comic made. Yay progress!
Batman #498
This is the issue in which Bruce Wayne formally taps Jean Paul Valley to replace him as Batman, or as he would become known by fans: Azbats. “Knightfall” concludes two issues later with Azbats using his fancy clawed gloves to defeat Bane.
Batman #505
Azbats is in the midst of deciding which of his predecessor’s methods are still useful (the letters columns are savvy enough to conclude that the whole point of Azbats is to prove that those methods are as relevant as ever, as is the man who employed them). He uses detective work to track down Abattoir, who becomes famous later by inadvertently dying at the hands (claws?) of Azbats.
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #26
I never really read Shadow of the Bat unless it was relevant to a crossover, which, like and since I followed the same policy with Legends of the Dark Knight, was probably my loss. This is a good issue, focusing on this era’s version of Clayface (which I had only read about previously, and Lady Clayface, and, apparently, Baby Clayface...! Tangled up in it somewhere is Abattoir, and a neat citizens-reaction to the events of the above issue.
Batman: Odyssey #2
One of the out-of-continuity mini-series Neal Adams has done in recent years (this one’s from a decade ago, and I believe marked his comeback). I had a chance to meet him at one of the area cons, but foolishly passed it up. But he’s as likely to be at another one, which if people are able to do mass events by the fall would make for an even more memorable occasion. This issue’s great. Adams has a casual, conversational familiarity with Batman that breezes through the issue, and his art, with modern coloring, has never looked better. I’ve seen some fans complaining that his sensibilities don’t belong in today’s comics, which is absurd. If you have a master of the medium still capable of delivering at this level, you cherish him. Period.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Reading Comics 239 "My Fourth Forbidden Geen Mystery Box"
My fourth Forbidden Geek mystery box actually is sort of my fifth. The fourth got lost in transit. Realizing it was not going to come when Forbidden Geek was setting up the next shipment, I contacted the company, which responded promptly and shipped a replacement box immediately. That was cool of them!
The resulting box had a Funko statue from Shazam! (I think it was Eugene), a copy of the Batman/Superman: Their Greatest Battles trade collection (a duplicate for me, so I earmarked it as another eventual gift for one of my nephews in Maine, whenever I get to see them and/or ship off the stuff I've been collecting for them), and the following comics:
(Nothing older than 2011 this time, but that's okay.)
Ame-Comi Girls #1 (DC)
from December 2012
The bulk of this is the Palmiotti/Gray/Palmer version of Wonder Woman's origin, with Amanda Palmer happily on art. Until, for whatever reason, a far inferior artist fills out the issue. I've mentioned before how inexplicably terrible I find the title of this series, but the contents are good.
Batman: Arkham Knight #8 (DC)
From November 2015
One of several Howard Porter covers in this selection. Even though Tomasi is writing, I don't really care about this one.
Before Watchmen: Moloch #1 (DC)
from January 2013
I love being a fan who isn't pissed off that Before Watchmen happened. I have a theory that the New 52 wasn't officially written off by fans until Before Watchmen happened. Anyway, I was very happy to see this comic in the selection, as I'm pretty sure I didn't read either issue of Moloch on original release. The creative team is J. Michael Straczynski and Eduardo Risso (a typically strong team for Before Watchmen, typically performing at peak capacity). This first issue explains Moloch's origins, how being treated as a freak (because of those ears, chiefly) led him astray, and how he entered a path of redemption. Until, y'know. At its best, Before Watchmen brilliantly expanded (rather than needlessly duplicated) Watchmen lore (here I'm thinking of Comedian, which I recently reread), and Moloch, it seems, was Before Watchmen at its best. I'm not always Straczynski's biggest fan, but this really is him functioning at peak potential.
Birds of Prey #12 (DC)
from July 2011
One of the 2011s! I'll get back to the significance of this a little later, but as for this comic: Gail Simone. I'm just not a fan.
Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #4 (DC)
from April 2018
Because blogging, I somehow ended up following Tony Isabella's blog. Isabella is Black Lightning's creator, and is still basically all he's known for, including his periodic revisits of the character (including a great-looking '90s run that I still want to check out). If not this issue specifically, then this mini-series was featured on his blog just before I got the box, so it was pretty fortuitous when I opened it up and found this comic. But, alas, I didn't much care about its contents. Sort of like the CW series (although it was still great to see the character finally show up in the Arrowverse during Crisis).
Earth 2 #24 (DC)
from August 2014
Still one of my favorite things from the New 52, this issue is from the Tom Taylor period (years before he wowed readers with DCeased), already proving his dynamic understanding of DC lore. This issue is pretty neat, as it features both the new Earth 2 Batman (Thomas Wayne) and Superman (Val-Zod), which sort of stole the thunder from the quasi-Justice Society but still made for fantastic developments in that continuity.
The Flash #55 (DC)
from November 2018
The other Howard Porter cover in the selection (this time a variant), featuring the budding expanded "forces" concept Josh Williamson brought to the Scarlet Speedster, sort of his version of the emotional spectrum in Green Lantern lore.
Green Lantern Corps #19 (DC)
from June 2013
The final issue in the Green Lantern family of titles before Geoff Johns' final issue of Green Lantern, as "Wrath of the First Lantern" weaves its way through them. Volthoom! Still a great name, right up there with Larfleeze. I'm not kidding! (I still want another Larfleeze series!)
Red Robin #21 (DC)
from May 2011
Tim Drake borrowing the name and costume from Dick Grayson's Kingdome Come future, but it's not all one-way, as the issue also features an appearance of a version of the red variant of his own costume Nightwing was going to sport in the New 52. Don't think I didn't notice, DC!
Superman #20 (DC)
from July 2013
Clearly DC thought this issue was going to leave a far bigger impact than it did (hyped in the "News Channel 52" feature as it was, a war between Wonder Woman's "two suitors"), as the Man of Steel clashes with Orion! But it's a fun story all the same, which makes the New Gods' lackluster presence in the New 52 all the more painful. There was such potential!
The Unwritten #29 (Vertigo)
from November 2011
I just read the two collections from The Unwritten: Apocalypse, the sequel series that ended this saga, so it was great to get a further glimpse into more of what happened previously (someday I will probably read the whole thing). But more importantly: 2011! So here it is. Just before the New 52 era, DC tried a few things to lure fans back, including "drawing the line at $2.99" and...bringing back letters columns! Which means, all three comics from 2011 featured...letters columns! DC quickly dropped them again with the New 52, which was kind of disappointing, but not before making it clear that they did have their value, a concentrated forum for fans (not angry internet people) to share knowledge and appreciation (which again, not angry internet people). I remember visiting DC's official message boards when they had switched from letters columns to the belief that the internet somehow replaced them, and that's where I found the fans hopelessly devoted the return of Hal Jordan as a clear-cut good guy (I think there was even a dorky name for the movement, but I don't remember what it would have been). I just don't think anyone realizes what's lost when there are big shifts in how things are done, that it matters that some things are lost even while other things are gained. I never understand the rush to shuck off old things, things that can't be replaced, no matter how much change improves things. On the other hand, we now live in an era where the margin for success is wider than ever, that things with a smaller audience can still thrive for years, where they would've been aborted quickly before. So the more things change, the more they stay...interesting. I bet DC brings letters columns back, again, at some point. After all, the more things change, the more they stay the same, too. Sometimes you just have to wait. Like those Hal Jordan fans.
The resulting box had a Funko statue from Shazam! (I think it was Eugene), a copy of the Batman/Superman: Their Greatest Battles trade collection (a duplicate for me, so I earmarked it as another eventual gift for one of my nephews in Maine, whenever I get to see them and/or ship off the stuff I've been collecting for them), and the following comics:
(Nothing older than 2011 this time, but that's okay.)
Ame-Comi Girls #1 (DC)
from December 2012
The bulk of this is the Palmiotti/Gray/Palmer version of Wonder Woman's origin, with Amanda Palmer happily on art. Until, for whatever reason, a far inferior artist fills out the issue. I've mentioned before how inexplicably terrible I find the title of this series, but the contents are good.
Batman: Arkham Knight #8 (DC)
From November 2015
One of several Howard Porter covers in this selection. Even though Tomasi is writing, I don't really care about this one.
Before Watchmen: Moloch #1 (DC)
from January 2013
I love being a fan who isn't pissed off that Before Watchmen happened. I have a theory that the New 52 wasn't officially written off by fans until Before Watchmen happened. Anyway, I was very happy to see this comic in the selection, as I'm pretty sure I didn't read either issue of Moloch on original release. The creative team is J. Michael Straczynski and Eduardo Risso (a typically strong team for Before Watchmen, typically performing at peak capacity). This first issue explains Moloch's origins, how being treated as a freak (because of those ears, chiefly) led him astray, and how he entered a path of redemption. Until, y'know. At its best, Before Watchmen brilliantly expanded (rather than needlessly duplicated) Watchmen lore (here I'm thinking of Comedian, which I recently reread), and Moloch, it seems, was Before Watchmen at its best. I'm not always Straczynski's biggest fan, but this really is him functioning at peak potential.
Birds of Prey #12 (DC)
from July 2011
One of the 2011s! I'll get back to the significance of this a little later, but as for this comic: Gail Simone. I'm just not a fan.
Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #4 (DC)
from April 2018
Because blogging, I somehow ended up following Tony Isabella's blog. Isabella is Black Lightning's creator, and is still basically all he's known for, including his periodic revisits of the character (including a great-looking '90s run that I still want to check out). If not this issue specifically, then this mini-series was featured on his blog just before I got the box, so it was pretty fortuitous when I opened it up and found this comic. But, alas, I didn't much care about its contents. Sort of like the CW series (although it was still great to see the character finally show up in the Arrowverse during Crisis).
Earth 2 #24 (DC)
from August 2014
Still one of my favorite things from the New 52, this issue is from the Tom Taylor period (years before he wowed readers with DCeased), already proving his dynamic understanding of DC lore. This issue is pretty neat, as it features both the new Earth 2 Batman (Thomas Wayne) and Superman (Val-Zod), which sort of stole the thunder from the quasi-Justice Society but still made for fantastic developments in that continuity.
The Flash #55 (DC)
from November 2018
The other Howard Porter cover in the selection (this time a variant), featuring the budding expanded "forces" concept Josh Williamson brought to the Scarlet Speedster, sort of his version of the emotional spectrum in Green Lantern lore.
Green Lantern Corps #19 (DC)
from June 2013
The final issue in the Green Lantern family of titles before Geoff Johns' final issue of Green Lantern, as "Wrath of the First Lantern" weaves its way through them. Volthoom! Still a great name, right up there with Larfleeze. I'm not kidding! (I still want another Larfleeze series!)
Red Robin #21 (DC)
from May 2011
Tim Drake borrowing the name and costume from Dick Grayson's Kingdome Come future, but it's not all one-way, as the issue also features an appearance of a version of the red variant of his own costume Nightwing was going to sport in the New 52. Don't think I didn't notice, DC!
Superman #20 (DC)
from July 2013
Clearly DC thought this issue was going to leave a far bigger impact than it did (hyped in the "News Channel 52" feature as it was, a war between Wonder Woman's "two suitors"), as the Man of Steel clashes with Orion! But it's a fun story all the same, which makes the New Gods' lackluster presence in the New 52 all the more painful. There was such potential!
The Unwritten #29 (Vertigo)
from November 2011
I just read the two collections from The Unwritten: Apocalypse, the sequel series that ended this saga, so it was great to get a further glimpse into more of what happened previously (someday I will probably read the whole thing). But more importantly: 2011! So here it is. Just before the New 52 era, DC tried a few things to lure fans back, including "drawing the line at $2.99" and...bringing back letters columns! Which means, all three comics from 2011 featured...letters columns! DC quickly dropped them again with the New 52, which was kind of disappointing, but not before making it clear that they did have their value, a concentrated forum for fans (not angry internet people) to share knowledge and appreciation (which again, not angry internet people). I remember visiting DC's official message boards when they had switched from letters columns to the belief that the internet somehow replaced them, and that's where I found the fans hopelessly devoted the return of Hal Jordan as a clear-cut good guy (I think there was even a dorky name for the movement, but I don't remember what it would have been). I just don't think anyone realizes what's lost when there are big shifts in how things are done, that it matters that some things are lost even while other things are gained. I never understand the rush to shuck off old things, things that can't be replaced, no matter how much change improves things. On the other hand, we now live in an era where the margin for success is wider than ever, that things with a smaller audience can still thrive for years, where they would've been aborted quickly before. So the more things change, the more they stay...interesting. I bet DC brings letters columns back, again, at some point. After all, the more things change, the more they stay the same, too. Sometimes you just have to wait. Like those Hal Jordan fans.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Quarter Bin 118 "Fan Fuel"
Batman: Master of the Future (DC)
from 1991
Master of the Future is a sequel to Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, a Victorian Age tale that has stood the test of time from the Elseworlds era, the unofficial multiverse that existed between Crisis On Infinite Earths and its sequel, Infinite Crisis. Gaslight was part of the 1989 barrage (along with Batman, the movie, and Arkham Asylum, the Grant Morrison tale). Like Master it's written by Brian Augustyn, who otherwise is best known as editor of Mark Waid's Flash, and the first guy who tried succeeding Waid in that series. Gaslight was one of Mike Mignola's DC projects (other notable examples: Cosmic Odyssey and the covers from "A Death in the Family"). The artist for Master is Eduardo Barreto (other notable works: Martian Manhunter: American Secrets and Superman: Under A Yellow Sun, like Master both prestige format projects). There's a DC animated film based on Gaslight in production at the moment. Master, as I've never actually read Gaslight, doesn't particularly read as terribly noteworthy. I don't know if it reads better as a sequel. But it's still interesting, having finally read something Gaslight related.
The Flash: Our Worlds At War (DC)
from 2001
Our Worlds At War was at the time intended to be a next-level Crisis event, redefining the concept in a modern, literate manner. Lead writer was Jeph Loeb, in-between Batman: The Long Halloween and the one-two punch of "Hush" and Superman/Batman, the three major works that still define his legacy (Marvel fans seem to remember him only for his later Ultimatum, which is a huge shame). But the concept was overshadowed by the coincidental real-life catastrophe that was 9/11, which occurred in Our Worlds' aftermath. The comic ended up looking like just another of the unfortunate reminders of that day. But it's always fascinated me, as I wasn't reading comics at the time. A couple years ago I read an omnibus of the event, so finally got caught up. I forget if it was in that or a Geoff Johns Flash omnibus where I've read this particular extract previously. I don't think it's a great way to sample Johns except to see Cyborg pop up in another of his stories; later, Johns had him join the New 52 Justice League as a founding member, which is how he shows up in the upcoming movie, too. The dramatic heft of the story, actually, belongs to the New God known as the Black Racer, who is best known as the guy who inexplicably skis everywhere. But he's got a great, emotional story, being tied to a human trapped in a hospital bed. I'm not sure if Johns used him again in his "Darkseid War," but not as I remember or have read (haven't read that whole story yet, either).
Justice League of America #58 (DC)
from August 2011
This is from the Brad Meltzer relaunch era, but once James Robinson, post-Cry for Justice, had taken over, in its final days before the New 52. Robinson had cobbled together his own League, including Congo Bill, whom he doesn't seem to have made relevant again (six years later and no additional Congo Bill, right?), but basically another B-League, which has always been curious to see even considered again post-JLA. But Robinson certainly seems to have also used the opportunity to subtly promote his best-known work, the 90s Starman, although not with lead character Jack Knight (alas). The Starman here is the blue alien, whom a letter writer (this is the brief era in which DC brought them back!) celebrates for helping make gays visible. And also the Shade, who is somewhat absurdly praised as being basically the most powerful dude around. But Robinson would later produce The Shade, a fascinating maxi-series during the New 52 that curiously never really got much love (fickle fans!). I'd always wanted to sample this work, as Saint Walker, the Blue Lantern, is also a member of the team. And on the cover? Seven Soldiers of Victory's Bulleteer! But...not so much in the issue. But Zauriel is! Also funny to see all the Green Lantern movie hype in the issue. And...! Josh Williamson writing a Subway comic ad insert! After an...unfortunate formative interlude with Dark Horse where I may have questioned his ability to produce distinctive comics, he's now become one of my favorite writers of The Flash...
Justice League of America #3 (DC)
from June 2013
...This incarnation of the title started off with a bang (it's the Justice League's opposite number!), and was even written, in the beginning, by Geoff Johns, who of course was also writing the New 52's Justice League at the time. (Yet another iteration of the title launched in the Rebirth era, where it looks like the curse may have finally broken; fingers crossed!) Anyway, so aside from reading another Johns issue (I had only read the first, previously, the one with covers for every state in the United States), I was eager to read it mostly for Vibe, who was hyped with his own ongoing series simultaneously launched with it. Vibe was previously known as a joke from the Justice League Detroit era. Thanks to this revival, he gained a third chance at relevance, where as far as I'm concerned he's earned it, in the second TV Flash series, where I think he may actually be the best character, aside from maybe the many incarnations of Harrison Wells. Anyway, the art is by David Finch, who was brought in by DC with little clue, at first with what to do with him, so he was given his own New 52 series, at first, Batman: The Dark Knight. Eventually, he did Forever Evil with Johns, Wonder Woman with his wife, and finally Tom King's Rebirth Batman. Where, I think, the signing finally really paid off.
Superman Special #2 (DC)
from 1984
From classic creators Cary Bates (a legend at DC in the '70s) and Gil Kane (a classic Green Lantern artist), this one features Brainiac tricking an alien civilization into thinking Superman is the bad guy. It's the kind of storytelling that feels quaint today, but served as the backbone of comics for decades. Which is kind of way a lot of fans still have a problem with how comics read today. They lament the British explosion in the same breath they celebrate it, without really realizing it. Alan Moore was credited with making superheroes perhaps too mature, but he and his cohorts were really guilty of one thing and one thing only: making this stuff permanently more sophisticated. Fans still want to argue this alienated the inherent juvenile audience of the medium. But, again, comics were never actually intended for kids. Funny joke in hindsight, Wertham. You convinced the fans...
It's worth noting that these comics are the first ones I bought as, once again, a resident of Florida, this time on an ongoing basis. I was last here two years ago. I haven't actually visited a comics shop yet. These came from a kind of vendor shop at a mall.
from 1991
Master of the Future is a sequel to Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, a Victorian Age tale that has stood the test of time from the Elseworlds era, the unofficial multiverse that existed between Crisis On Infinite Earths and its sequel, Infinite Crisis. Gaslight was part of the 1989 barrage (along with Batman, the movie, and Arkham Asylum, the Grant Morrison tale). Like Master it's written by Brian Augustyn, who otherwise is best known as editor of Mark Waid's Flash, and the first guy who tried succeeding Waid in that series. Gaslight was one of Mike Mignola's DC projects (other notable examples: Cosmic Odyssey and the covers from "A Death in the Family"). The artist for Master is Eduardo Barreto (other notable works: Martian Manhunter: American Secrets and Superman: Under A Yellow Sun, like Master both prestige format projects). There's a DC animated film based on Gaslight in production at the moment. Master, as I've never actually read Gaslight, doesn't particularly read as terribly noteworthy. I don't know if it reads better as a sequel. But it's still interesting, having finally read something Gaslight related.
The Flash: Our Worlds At War (DC)
from 2001
Our Worlds At War was at the time intended to be a next-level Crisis event, redefining the concept in a modern, literate manner. Lead writer was Jeph Loeb, in-between Batman: The Long Halloween and the one-two punch of "Hush" and Superman/Batman, the three major works that still define his legacy (Marvel fans seem to remember him only for his later Ultimatum, which is a huge shame). But the concept was overshadowed by the coincidental real-life catastrophe that was 9/11, which occurred in Our Worlds' aftermath. The comic ended up looking like just another of the unfortunate reminders of that day. But it's always fascinated me, as I wasn't reading comics at the time. A couple years ago I read an omnibus of the event, so finally got caught up. I forget if it was in that or a Geoff Johns Flash omnibus where I've read this particular extract previously. I don't think it's a great way to sample Johns except to see Cyborg pop up in another of his stories; later, Johns had him join the New 52 Justice League as a founding member, which is how he shows up in the upcoming movie, too. The dramatic heft of the story, actually, belongs to the New God known as the Black Racer, who is best known as the guy who inexplicably skis everywhere. But he's got a great, emotional story, being tied to a human trapped in a hospital bed. I'm not sure if Johns used him again in his "Darkseid War," but not as I remember or have read (haven't read that whole story yet, either).
Justice League of America #58 (DC)
from August 2011
This is from the Brad Meltzer relaunch era, but once James Robinson, post-Cry for Justice, had taken over, in its final days before the New 52. Robinson had cobbled together his own League, including Congo Bill, whom he doesn't seem to have made relevant again (six years later and no additional Congo Bill, right?), but basically another B-League, which has always been curious to see even considered again post-JLA. But Robinson certainly seems to have also used the opportunity to subtly promote his best-known work, the 90s Starman, although not with lead character Jack Knight (alas). The Starman here is the blue alien, whom a letter writer (this is the brief era in which DC brought them back!) celebrates for helping make gays visible. And also the Shade, who is somewhat absurdly praised as being basically the most powerful dude around. But Robinson would later produce The Shade, a fascinating maxi-series during the New 52 that curiously never really got much love (fickle fans!). I'd always wanted to sample this work, as Saint Walker, the Blue Lantern, is also a member of the team. And on the cover? Seven Soldiers of Victory's Bulleteer! But...not so much in the issue. But Zauriel is! Also funny to see all the Green Lantern movie hype in the issue. And...! Josh Williamson writing a Subway comic ad insert! After an...unfortunate formative interlude with Dark Horse where I may have questioned his ability to produce distinctive comics, he's now become one of my favorite writers of The Flash...
Justice League of America #3 (DC)
from June 2013
...This incarnation of the title started off with a bang (it's the Justice League's opposite number!), and was even written, in the beginning, by Geoff Johns, who of course was also writing the New 52's Justice League at the time. (Yet another iteration of the title launched in the Rebirth era, where it looks like the curse may have finally broken; fingers crossed!) Anyway, so aside from reading another Johns issue (I had only read the first, previously, the one with covers for every state in the United States), I was eager to read it mostly for Vibe, who was hyped with his own ongoing series simultaneously launched with it. Vibe was previously known as a joke from the Justice League Detroit era. Thanks to this revival, he gained a third chance at relevance, where as far as I'm concerned he's earned it, in the second TV Flash series, where I think he may actually be the best character, aside from maybe the many incarnations of Harrison Wells. Anyway, the art is by David Finch, who was brought in by DC with little clue, at first with what to do with him, so he was given his own New 52 series, at first, Batman: The Dark Knight. Eventually, he did Forever Evil with Johns, Wonder Woman with his wife, and finally Tom King's Rebirth Batman. Where, I think, the signing finally really paid off.
Superman Special #2 (DC)
from 1984
From classic creators Cary Bates (a legend at DC in the '70s) and Gil Kane (a classic Green Lantern artist), this one features Brainiac tricking an alien civilization into thinking Superman is the bad guy. It's the kind of storytelling that feels quaint today, but served as the backbone of comics for decades. Which is kind of way a lot of fans still have a problem with how comics read today. They lament the British explosion in the same breath they celebrate it, without really realizing it. Alan Moore was credited with making superheroes perhaps too mature, but he and his cohorts were really guilty of one thing and one thing only: making this stuff permanently more sophisticated. Fans still want to argue this alienated the inherent juvenile audience of the medium. But, again, comics were never actually intended for kids. Funny joke in hindsight, Wertham. You convinced the fans...
It's worth noting that these comics are the first ones I bought as, once again, a resident of Florida, this time on an ongoing basis. I was last here two years ago. I haven't actually visited a comics shop yet. These came from a kind of vendor shop at a mall.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Quarter Bin 114 "Omega Men #38"
Omega Men #38 (DC)
from May 1986
So this is how the story originally ended. I love that cover. As a huge, huge fan of Tom King's Omega Men, it looks relevant. Reading the actual comic, the contents are relevant, too. Surprisingly relevant. There's Primus and Kalista leading a popular revolt against the Citadel. I mean, that's the crux of the story even in King's version. Put aside everything else, and King was telling exactly the same story. I mean, clearly he tells it differently, but it's the same story all the same. So that's really, really good to see. I mean, there's plenty I don't recognize, whole characters, but there's also Tigorr and Doc, regardless of how different they are here. Planets in the Vega System like Karna and Euphorix. I mean, obviously King was drawing on existing material, but it's just...really great to see some of that stuff, and identify it so easily, and see the connective tissue...
It's fascinating, it really is. So I get to the letters column, and I see what readers were thinking, and...
"Today I found out DC is cancelling..."
"It lacks direction."
"Even I felt my loyalties waning after the poor showing this issue."
To think even when everything was done absolutely right, Omega Men still suffered poor sales, it's kind of like the concept is cursed, really. The letters and their responses from the editor present a heartbreaking portrait. It's easy, in letters columns, to see how passionate creators really are, which is half of why they're so valuable. I mean, sometimes they're clearly just the creators blowing smoke up their readers...well, you know, creating a cult-like atmosphere (which has become all too common in the columns being put together these days), but sometimes they seem absolutely genuine.
Or maybe it's just me reading into this one, because I know what happened next, well, several nexts later, and I find it so easy to find parallels...
The creators of the original Omega Men series have interesting legacies. Todd Klein, the writer, ended up having a hugely distinguished career as a letterer. He's singled out in these letters, as indicated above, as failing to present a clear picture of the series, which is kind of funny, since King clearly picked it out years later so effectively, and this issue proves that he didn't have to look very hard to find it. Which means it's sad he never really got a chance to pursue writing in comics, even though he now seems like a visionary. Still, legendary status in any creative capacity is no small potatoes.
Shawn McManus, the artist, did "A Game of You" in Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and so he's guaranteed to be remembered, too. Seems he caught a number of bad breaks while working on Omega Men, necessitating apparently inadequate fill-in replacements on a number of issues. But that cover...!
So I'm very, very glad I found this issue and decided to read it. Knowing the Omega Men existed before Tom King is one thing, but to see what they actually were, and how they originally ended their stories, is quite another.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Moon Knight #9 (Marvel)
This is kind of the issue where Jeff Lemire lays out the rest of the series, and so it's fun reading it now after having already read four of the remaining five (the fifth being published on Wednesday) issues, seeing how he immediately delivers on its promise.
I love how easily he explains each of Marc Spector's personalities, especially the sci-fi one that for all I know Lemire actually invented for this series. I admit that I don't know Moon Knight well enough to answer that mystery for myself, but the letters column seems to suggest that he did. And can I just say how glad I am that this comic has a letters column? I know he's had one in the pages of Descender, so clearly it's an important legacy for Lemire, a way for readers to know what other fans are thinking, and clearly Moon Knight inspires a lot of interest, and even a lot of interaction between readers, who are reading the letters columns too, responding to printed letters, so that actually becomes part of the fun. The responses Lemire and the editors give are kinda weightless, going for the positive no matter what, sometimes outright ignoring what a letter actually said just to plug this or that, but that's a part of letters columns, having a response (I hate it when they don't), so the actual content of the responses doesn't really matter.
Well anyway, this issue is all about Marc deciding to take on Khonshu, the moon god who made him Moon Knight. The early issues I loved so much actually featured Khonshu pretty heavily, and I'm just now realizing that he's largely absent in later issues. Those earlier ones had Khonshu talking a lot about how he was using Marc's mental issues against him, which in hindsight sounds kind of bad, so to see Marc in a position where he seems in control, even when he isn't, is actually more fun to read, and so all over again I'm glad I made the decision to keep reading.
And all the more curious as to how Marc resolves this conflict with his creator...
I love how easily he explains each of Marc Spector's personalities, especially the sci-fi one that for all I know Lemire actually invented for this series. I admit that I don't know Moon Knight well enough to answer that mystery for myself, but the letters column seems to suggest that he did. And can I just say how glad I am that this comic has a letters column? I know he's had one in the pages of Descender, so clearly it's an important legacy for Lemire, a way for readers to know what other fans are thinking, and clearly Moon Knight inspires a lot of interest, and even a lot of interaction between readers, who are reading the letters columns too, responding to printed letters, so that actually becomes part of the fun. The responses Lemire and the editors give are kinda weightless, going for the positive no matter what, sometimes outright ignoring what a letter actually said just to plug this or that, but that's a part of letters columns, having a response (I hate it when they don't), so the actual content of the responses doesn't really matter.
Well anyway, this issue is all about Marc deciding to take on Khonshu, the moon god who made him Moon Knight. The early issues I loved so much actually featured Khonshu pretty heavily, and I'm just now realizing that he's largely absent in later issues. Those earlier ones had Khonshu talking a lot about how he was using Marc's mental issues against him, which in hindsight sounds kind of bad, so to see Marc in a position where he seems in control, even when he isn't, is actually more fun to read, and so all over again I'm glad I made the decision to keep reading.
And all the more curious as to how Marc resolves this conflict with his creator...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Quarter Bin #50 "Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Bloodwynd, Waverider, Etc."
Comics featured in this column were not necessarily bought in a quarter bin. This is a back issues column.
Armageddon 2001 #1 (DC)
From May 1991:
DC tends to be obsessed with superheroes from the future (Booster Gold, Legion of Super-Heroes) who are obsessed with superheroes of the present. Waverider is no exception. Armageddon 2001 was Waverider's big story. It was all about one of the icons of today turning into tomorrow's tyrant (sort of like Harvey Dent's line in The Dark Knight: "You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"). They say the original plan was for Captain Atom (the basis for Alan Moore's Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen) to be revealed as Monarch (something that ended up being done in the pages of Extreme Justice anyway), but instead (because it was always going to be someone obscure) it turned out to be Hawk, as in Hawk & Dove. Hawk/Monarch eventually became Extant, who was the other villain in Zero Hour. Still, like I said this was much more about Waverider. The whole event was basically a crossover in the 1991 annuals (a yearly bonus issue that used to be a staple and has been staging a sporadic comeback). Like the "Night of Owls" or "Death of the Family" or "Wrath of the First Lantern" crossovers recent fans might be familiar with, these annuals basically featured the same story with slight variations each issue, making it all the more relevant to care about Waverider himself, which is why this issue recounts his poignant origin, the Kingdom Come of its time.
Heroes & Legends (Marvel)
From October 1996:
The whole point of this jam issue is to commemorate the 1965 wedding of Reed & Sue Richards. Although I suspect the real reason this was released was because of Superman: The Wedding Album released at the same time, featuring the long-awaited marriage ceremony between Lois Lane and Clark Kent, which featuring a similar jam session. Every conceivable Marvel hero appears to make the Fantastic Four event pull off with as much incident as possible, just as DC's heroes gathered in Metropolis to give Superman peace of mind and a honeymoon. I got this one because the cover was so vague I had no idea what was inside. I just hoped it was interesting. Another notable appearance in this issue is Phil Sheldon, the reporter who served as the guide in Marvels.
Icon #16 (Milestone)
From August 1994:
Milestone was the DC imprint filled with black superheroes, and Icon was its Superman. In 1994 there was a crossover between the Milestone line and the Superman family called "World's Collide" (and that's...pretty much the whole story). This issue was part of that. The writer was the late Dwayne McDuffie, while the artist was M.D. Bright, who previously worked on Green Lantern. I'd previously had a copy in my collection of a Superboy installment featuring the Boy of Steel's encounter with Icon's ally Rocket. I guess Superboy could make a memorable encounter with any young female hero (his relationship with the Supergirl of that era was the highlight of any month it happened). Here Superman and Icon are deathly dull and the story around them the epitome of paper thin crisis. If DC wanted people to care about Milestone, this wasn't the way to go. Milestone is better known today for Static, the teen hero who later starred in the Static Shock animated series and was briefly a part of the New 52 relaunch (and perhaps in hindsight it was a bad call to have artist Scott McDaniel figure out how to be a writer at the same time in the title).
Infinite Crisis #1 (DC)
From December 2005:
Obviously I read the complete Infinite Crisis as it was released. I even made the rare decision to buy multiple covers of each issue. The sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths was an epic examination of generations and perspective. The classic line from this issue is Batman speaking to Superman: "But they need to be inspired. And let's face it, 'Superman'...the last time you inspired anyone was when you were dead." The truly memorable thing about Infinite Crisis, though, as that it truly did focus on Superman and Batman, as well as Wonder Woman. Yes, there were thousands of other characters at play, but the Big Three were the focus. They weren't the focus of Crisis on Infinite Earths. In fact, they were rarely the focus of these crossover events. Geoff Johns can sometimes be described as a fanboy by his detractors. In this instance maybe it indeed took a fanboy to finally do an event centered on the three central figures of the DC landscape. It sounds so obvious to do that, but it's one of those things that are so obvious that no one had really thought of actually doing it before. So here's what it looks like, and it's glorious.
The Invisibles #21 (Vertigo)
From June 1996:
This counts as the second issue I've ever read of Grant Morrison's Vertigo opus. Technically I've read the entire first collection of stories, but individually just the first and now this one, and it really figures. The Invisibles is about discovering the scary truths hiding just beneath the surface of the mainstream, and our guide for the journey is initiate figure Dane. This issue catches up with him as he's trying to process it by revisiting his regular, mundane life of friends and family from the time before he got to look behind the curtain. Part of the real charm of reading individual issues from the series is having a look at the letters columns. Back in yon olden days, this was the window into the fan community behind a series. In these Internet days, everyone thinks they're experts (or just cynical) about everything, and so they don't tend to know or talk about anything in particular except in snide, condescending remarks that mean nothing. Letters columns were like monthly Wikipedia entries, talking about events and the significance of those events from individual issues. The best creators used these columns as their personal forum, not only as an open dialogue but a way to express their personalities outside of the stories that were their first impression. Today it's a mark of distinction to include them against the new standard; Brian Michael Bendis and Brian K. Vaughan are perhaps the best practitioners of this new underground vibe. I mention all this because Morrison was one of the creators in those days who absolutely made the most of it, and sometimes he used it to craft a dangerous version of himself I contend may or may not have been true. These days it's not as much fun as I once thought to reread old letters columns, but Invisibles is probably as reliable a forum as you'll find in that regard.
Justice League America #88 (DC)
From May 1994:
One of the best creative teams I've ever read in comics was Dan Vado and Marc Campos. They briefly collaborated in the pages of Justice League America and Extreme Justice. Fans will know the Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire era and to a lesser extent the Jurgens era (mostly thanks to "Doomsday"), but the sheer awkward humanity reached a crescendo in the aftermath of all that as Booster Gold struggled to recover from losing his original costume, which was really about losing all faith in the superhero community. Booster and pal Blue Beetle were previously the very incarnation of the carefree spirit, two of the goofiest bastards ever. In a lot of ways, the forgotten Justice League crossover event "Judgment Day" was the culmination of the Vado/Campos era. This was the event where beloved neophyte Ice was temporarily killed off (she and Fire...yes, Fire & Ice...were another signature element of this era). It was also the culmination of the Bloodwynd mystery. Bloodwynd was a mysterious (hence the mystery) new member created in the Jurgens era. Some fans will always be convinced that Bloodwynd was finally revealed to be an alternate persona for Martian Manhunter, but that's a stupid misunderstanding. Bloodwynd was awesome. By the way, Grant Morrison takes Bloodwynd for a joke of a typical '90s character, and possibly he has the Vado/Campos era in mind (Campos might be said to resemble the typical Image style, but in a DC context he was pretty unique). If you ever wanted conclusive proof that I'm not a slave to all things Morrison, know that we differ on the subject of Bloodwynd (although the character apparently appears in Morrison's upcoming Multiversity, which will mark his first appearance in...two decades?). "Judgment Day" in some ways was kind of the story that finally forced everyone to face the elephant in the room. Was he worth all the mystery the team put up with all those years? I still hope he makes a triumphant return.
JLA: Our Worlds At War #1 (DC)
From September 2001:
Our Worlds At War was the signature crossover event of 2001, but if it remains notable at all today it's because of the eerie parallels with a far more significant event from that year. The parallels went so far as several issues of Superman comics being released soon after 9/11 with still more hauntingly relevant images. This issue is from Jeph Loeb and features the complete text of Franklin Roosevelt's address to Americans following "the date which will live in infamy," interspersed as captions through the story. Seems pretty heavy, but Loeb is also quick to put Superman at the front of the story (making this the precursor to Infinite Crisis). This was a time when DC was paranoid about the Man of Steel's continuing relevance, so it tried to make him as edgy as possible. Goading him into an all-out state of war seemed to be the best way.
JLA Secret Files & Origins 2004 (DC)
From November 2004:
Speaking of making Superman edgy, the other notable story from the period involving this instinct was the saga of Manchester Black as depicted in Action Comics #775. When DC realized that the story could probably continue, Black's sister Vera helped found the Justice League Elite, which as you might guess was the Justice League but more...edgy. Actually, there were only two bona fide League-worthy members, Green Arrow and The Flash. The Secret Files specials were a favorite of mine, primers that included profiles and short adventures (and sometimes handy timelines). This one put the JLElite in the spotlight, plus a few other notable upcoming stories, including the then-forthcoming return of Grant Morrison's Ultramarine Corps in the pages of JLA Classified.
JSA #49, 51, 70 (DC)
From August & October 2003, April 2005:
Geoff Johns did a lot of notable material before I caught up with him, and his long work with JSA lasted until the Justice Society of America reboot that I actually did read (notable for the "Thy Kingdom Come" arc that heavily featured an in-continuity Magog from the original Kingdom Come). His JSA was the first time I read unabashedly good things about what he was doing, fun stories that involved a return to prominence for Hawkman and the emerging menace of the complicated Black Adam. The first two issues are part of the "Prince of Darkness" arc that might have been the culmination of anyone else's run. It featured Mordru and focused on elements like Dr. Fate (one of the coolest and most versatile designs for any superhero; check out the Helmet of Fate event for a primer) and Eclipso. Mordru's name doesn't resonate no matter where you look (except King Arthur lore), but in a lot of ways this whole story was like Geoff preparing for Infinite Crisis, where Mordru would be the prototype Superboy-Prime. I got the latter issue because it because the modern and Golden Age Mr. Terrific on the cover. Mr. Terrific was my favorite member of Geoff's Society (although he was an unfortunate victim of the New 52 launch, he did finally receive his first ongoing series...for a few issues). The issue itself doesn't really feature him so much as include him. The best inclusion is Walker Gabriel, star of another short-lived series, Chronos (which demands a complete reprint collection). The villain this time is Degaton, another villain best known to Society aficianados.
The Possessed #4 (Cliffhanger!)
From December 2003:
This was the period in the career of Geoff Johns where he was pretty much doing whatever he wanted. He was working on The Flash and JSA at DC, Avengers at Marvel, and side projects like this, which was basically his Image work (Cliffhanger! was an imprint of WildStorm, which was at one time a founding imprint at Image). Actually, The Possessed reads a lot like Robert Kirkman's later The Walking Dead, although there's a little more emphasis on the bogeymen around which the regular human characters are trying survive. Like Olympus, Geoff co-wrote this with Kris Grimminger. These days it's superheroes superheroes superheroes (with the odd Vertigo anthology tale), but the existence of material like this is like a promise that one day he'll try something different again. We'll see.
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