This week we take a radical departure from our usual strolls down Thousand Comic Book Lane and examine a single title, GREEN LANTERN: GANTHET’S TALE.
Now, one of the things I still lament about the return of Hal Jordan and the old familiar status quo (to a certain extent) is that it undid all the things that had come to make the Green Lantern mythology my own during the 1993-1999 period, the first time I could call myself a regular and true comics reader. Ron Marz had been given the task of reshaping the mythos, and after getting Jordan out of the way (at this point I should emphasize how much I appreciated everything that was done with the character in the years that followed, including the genius way Geoff Johns wrote Hal out of this hole, in a way that is still paying dividends to this day), he introduced a new Green Lantern for a new era, Kyle Rayner.
After Hal’s rampage, the Green Lantern Corps had been completely decimated, much as the Jedi were after Anakin Skywalker finally became Darth Vader in ‘Revenge of the Sith’ (a movie that followed “Emerald Twilight” by a decade…not that Star Wars buffs were surprised to see that story lead to such grizzly results). For intents and purposes, there were no more Green Lanterns left. The same could be said for the Guardians of the Universe, the little blue men who inhabited Oa, the center of everything (both the lore of this franchise and that of the DC universe in general). Except one Guardian still stood. His name was Ganthet. This unlikely survivor was responsible for giving Kyle his ring, and guided him along (what else was he supposed to do?) the first hesitant steps toward his heroic career, pragmatic, realistic, and more than a few times a little frantic that Kyle Rayner of all people was supposed to carry the noble tradition and heritage and legacy of the Corps. I came to admire Ganthet’s presence a great deal. I hadn’t read many Green Lantern comics prior to Hal’s meltdown (though I was infinitely familiar with his history), so I didn’t care that Ganthet, like Kyle, now alone carried on where multitudes had once existed.
Ganthet, of course, survived the big revival in fine form, and now stands as an actual member of the Corps, the only Guardian to ever claim such an honor (as he sees it), co-starring in GREEN LANTERN CORPS, ensuring that a new generation of readers feels as warm and fuzzy about him as I did fifteen years earlier. And just how did Ganthet actually get his start? How did he originally warrant the distinction of standing out in a crowd of other midgets?
Well, you almost wouldn’t believe it now. No, really, it almost sounds like a joke. To anyone currently reading GREEN LANTERN, seriously, you almost wouldn’t even recognize him. GANTHET’S TALE is actually the story of debunking the famous tale of Krona, the ancestral Guardian who famously created the multiverse by peering in on the moment of the Big Bang. Krona has, of course, returned recently, the latest of the big revelations concerning the spectral avatars and their attendant corps that Johns has been working since REBIRTH.
The prestige format graphic novel was released in 1992, only a handful of years before Ganthet would gain prominence in a more significant way. Written by acclaimed sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (perhaps one of the last time it was automatically assumed such a writer could bring instant acclaim and legitimacy to a project, something fans of the original Star Trek series still lament, but something that Tad Williams only a few years ago learned simply isn’t the case anymore), it was perhaps the only real comparable experience to the efforts of Johns in that era, when Hal had become such a routine presence that writers rarely exhibited much ambition in his comics. Oh irony of ironies!
Niven bends over backwards to explain how Krona’s actions couldn’t possibly have resulted in the awful consequences that had been attributed to them, twisting this way and that, a mind-boggling display of apparent hard science fiction that really didn’t have much relevance to Green Lantern material (try and follow it now, and even Geoff Johns haters will be kissing his feet in hasty apologies to everything they have ever said about him). In fact, it’s clear that even though “Ganthet” is in the title, “Krona” would have been the more appropriate choice. But the funny thing is, Niven breaks with tradition in a far more significant degree by challenging convention and allowing a Guardian to interact so directly in Green Lantern’s adventures. That’s it, that’s the original significance of Ganthet. Just that he dared to interfere, that Niven did something unexpected, played with the actual mythology of Green Lantern lore. That’s his true lasting impact, and in that way, it’s completely fitting that Ganthet has stuck around since, and seems to have played a hand in every significant development since.
It just so happens that, continuity-wise, GANTHET’S TALE has otherwise proven to be complete hooey. For years I read about or heard it referenced in a way that seemed to rival DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, that if Hal Jordan ever had an equivalent story, this was it, the one that was bigger than him, that had to be read, but wasn’t necessarily part of the canon. Well, now, that’s a little more literal than ever. Still, it deserves another look because it truly has grown relevant. That’s John Byrne on art, by the way, perhaps the last piece of important work he did with DC.
It took me years to finally read GANTHET’S TALE, and eventually, I just ordered it along with a rush of other back issues, an inexpensive oddity and curiosity I just had to finally have my hands on. It was worth the wait, all considered.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Escape Velocity
Okay, so you’ve already slogged through my so-called “Comic Book Memoir,” so you know that I have technically quit the business of reading comics. What further relevance can I have for those who want to read about new comics? For starters, I have not given up completely, even though it’s financially unfeasible to continue the habit as I’ve have pursued it throughout my regular experience. I will continue to read, in altered ways, in a more limited capacity. For instance, I will become the very monster I had once vowed to fight with my life. I will “wait for the collections.” I also work at a bookstore, so I’ve got a limited selection of first-run issues still available. I’ve got DC represented pretty well there, GREEN LANTERN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS, THE FLASH. (Okay, so I’ve got Geoff Johns pretty well represented.) ACTION COMICS is another, which I’m thrilled about, because I love what Paul Cornell has been doing, and that big anniversary issue is coming up. I can still keep tabs on Tony Daniel’s BATMAN (which is a bestseller there, so I need to be fleet of foot, if I want to read it, if not buy it). There are a few others, and of course some that aren’t DC.
But that’s the future, that’s potential and possibility. Back in the present, I’ve made a new vow, and so far so good. I haven’t gotten a comic book in over a week (woo!), whether in a store or via a shipment from Midtown. The subject then, for this week is my last-for-now trip to a store, Escape Velocity in downtown Colorado Springs. I made it in the full knowledge and after canceling all my subscriptions with Midtown. Though I still had one final shipment awaiting me, this was technically how my comics habit came to an end.
I should backtrack a little. I can’t completely acknowledge my motivations for this decision without mentioning the inciting incident. I live in an apartment. I never truly appreciated the differences in postal service from carrier to carrier until I moved to Colorado Springs. I had tremendous experiences, growing up in Maine and in Burlington, MA, with postal carriers, met some really good ones, even had some really good relationships and even friendships with them over the years. When I moved into this particular apartment, however, and started depending on Midtown to read comics, I crossed over the postal matrix, and finally experienced the flipside. Not all carriers are created equal. Unfortunately, it seems most of the carriers here come from the Dark Side. Still, not to dwell too much on the negative, since it was one of Midtown’s random decisions to ship with UPS that allowed some hooligan to steal the package mere hours before I could have taken it into my door that really concluded the series of unfortunate events that seem to have gone hand-in-hand with packages and this apartment, that finally convinced me that peace of mind and security were more important than spending money I did not technically have. So, thank you, hapless carriers, hooligans, and assorted other rogues. Your apathy and devilry helped me do the right thing.
Anyway, the comics I will be writing about this week come from that fateful trip to Escape Velocity, and they all come from either the third week of January or the first week of February, 2011, the former replacing the essentials from that lost package, and the latter representing the fact that I made the trip on a Wednesday (it was both convenient and appropriate).
BRIGHTEST DAY #18-19 (DC)
In many ways, this is the title I most regret not being able to follow, because there are really only a handful of issues left, and I was really enjoying it. As a huge fan of 52, which quickly became one of my all-time favorites, not because of the weekly gimmick, but because the four writers (Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, and Greg Rucka) proved why they were and are some of the top writers working in comics today, I had followed DC’s subsequent efforts at successor projects. COUNTDOWN was the closest until BRIGHTEST DAY (and probably reads better in collections, where it more appropriately takes on the air of a quasi-event, an old-school one, anyway, and maybe that’s why so many current fans found it hard to enjoy). Johns and Pete Tomasi have absorbed the lessons well, and have made BRIGHEST DAY a mix of the two, following semi-obscure characters (which both previous books did) as they embarked on extremely personal quests (which 52 did) that have wide-ranging implications elsewhere (which COUNTDOWN did better; Booster Gold rediscovering the multiverse is not the same as the Fourth World smackdown). These two particular issues help to point out the further direction of the book, especially the surprising act of killing off both Hawkman and Hawkwoman, well in advance of the conclusion (an act similar to the death of Osiris; while lacking in visual impact, infinitely more significant). Then Aquaman finally gets a huge moment, probably the first huge moment he’s ever gotten, building on a lot of his lore, and suggesting that there’s always been more potential in this character than any writer seems to have ever bothered. I would suggest anyone who hasn’t been reading this book to either start now, or join me later in the collections.
CHARMED #5 (Zenescope)
This is a book I’ve been reading/buying partly because I’ve been passing it on to my sister, who’s a huge fan of the TV series. This issue seems to bring about a premature end to the Source arc that helped launch the comic, but in fact plays right into further developments. My sister said she wonders how this would have played out on television. I figure the arc would have been a single episode, and that’s probably it would make most sense. Of course, in comics, this represents pretty much a collected edition (I can’t call it a trade paperback, because there’s almost as strong a push these days for hardcovers), which is a strange way to equate the material covered in TV and comic book formats. But let’s move on, shall we?
DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #1 (DC)
A comic book that’s basically supposed to be a promotional gimmick has absolutely no right to be this good. From Tony Bedard and Marv Wolfman (with art this issue by Howard Porter) comes an extraordinarily compelling story to launch the series about how Lex Luthor comes to regret making a bargain with Brainiac, both as he sets the deal up and then prepares to pay for it, after they’ve actually won. Clearly a story that could not be told in regular continuity, and is all the better for it. Seriously, you need to read this one.
G.I. JOE: COBRA #12 (IDW)
I have no idea why this book has such low readership, and apparently even this landmark issue was virtually ignored, because it has, since the original mini-series, been among my absolute favorites, a psychological thriller that has followed Chuckles’ efforts to explore the mysteries of Cobra, most of the time tracking the activities of the Paoli brothers, Tomax and Xamot. Well, this is the big climax (which I’m hugely grateful to have been able to recover), in which Chuckles finally plays his hand, and assassinates Cobra Commander, an event so unprecedented that IDW will actually (and not just by necessity) be reshaping its whole slate of G.I. Joe books around. Christos Gage, who has been helping shape this book from the beginning, will be moving on, but Mike Costa, the best G.I. Joe writer since Mark Powers (who worked over at DDP; IDW got the rights to the franchise, and trust me, we lost the other great G.I. Joe book of the modern era) will continue on.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #56 (DC)
Tony Bedard also works his magic here. Bedard has quickly become one of the best writers working in comics today; this may be the platform where he is finally noticed. Since taking over from Pete Tomasi, he has been writing one huge event after another, first rewriting the Alpha Lanterns, and now summoning the Qwardians back into Green Lantern lore, with the Weaponer, who forged Sinestro’s original yellow ring, becoming a formidable adversary, and probably the only guy besides Hal Jordan capable of provoking him. This is the kind of work Tomasi consistently aspired to in the book, but only really reached when some big event necessitated a crossover. Bedard can’t seem to help himself.
IRON MAN #500 (Marvel)
I’m not a regular reader of this book and/or character, but I’d heard enough intriguing things about Matt Fractions’s plans for this issue that I had to read it. Unfortunately, it seems to fall into the same trap so many other Iron Man stories do, in failing to completely grasp the potential of the character. Much of Fraction’s work seems to be inspired by the Jon Favreau movies, but without a singular and concentrated vision, that sort of approach doesn’t work in comics, and the bigger the scale Fraction attempts to handle, the less he’s able to grasp it. The story spans several generations of Starks, and maybe it holds more significance either for those who have been reading the book, or the ones Fraction hopes will be reading later, but it just feels desperate to me, a grandiosity assumed but not earned. (I’ll have more such Marvel thoughts in two weeks.)
IRON MAN #500.1 (Marvel)
I don’t really get why Marvel is doing these issues, especially with the potentially confusing gimmick with that numbering. Are they assuming regular readers don’t need to read them? That’s my underlying assumption, anyway. The good news for IRON MAN, though, is that I bought another issue all the same. This one reads better, even if it dips into the incredibly obvious pool, the one that’s rarely actually explored but dipped in whenever convenient, that Tony Stark used to have a drinking problem. Fraction acquaints readers with Stark’s history via an AA meeting. One of the things I hate about Marvel is that every writer is forced to accept every single that every other writer before them ever wrote, dating back decades. It’s literally all canon. No matter how little everything actually gels, it’s all got to fit in. In the retconned context of most of Stark’s history being explained by either his relapses or recoveries, this story really makes sense. Of course, I was reading a little of Iron Man around CIVIL WAR, and I know that his regular comics did everything but actually work on his character. It’s disingenuous to suggest to new readers that they can expect intimate explorations of Tony Stark. That’s the last thing on the mind of a regular Iron Man writer (which again, made it so ironic that the best parts of the Iron Man movies had everything to do with Tony Stark and very little to do with Iron Man) Anyway, still a comic worth reading, good timing, all that.
What sucks about the pilfered package is that it also contained some stuff I would have written about elsewhere in this blog, as part of the regular Quarter Bin column. It contained a few issues of DEATHSTROKE: THE HUNTED and one of GREEN LANTERN: MOSAIC. I really wanted to read those comics. And some day, when I either find or order them again, I will have another opportunity. But it probably won’t be soon. Still, I have plenty of comics to talk about, and plenty more to read. But that’s a matter for the future.
But that’s the future, that’s potential and possibility. Back in the present, I’ve made a new vow, and so far so good. I haven’t gotten a comic book in over a week (woo!), whether in a store or via a shipment from Midtown. The subject then, for this week is my last-for-now trip to a store, Escape Velocity in downtown Colorado Springs. I made it in the full knowledge and after canceling all my subscriptions with Midtown. Though I still had one final shipment awaiting me, this was technically how my comics habit came to an end.
I should backtrack a little. I can’t completely acknowledge my motivations for this decision without mentioning the inciting incident. I live in an apartment. I never truly appreciated the differences in postal service from carrier to carrier until I moved to Colorado Springs. I had tremendous experiences, growing up in Maine and in Burlington, MA, with postal carriers, met some really good ones, even had some really good relationships and even friendships with them over the years. When I moved into this particular apartment, however, and started depending on Midtown to read comics, I crossed over the postal matrix, and finally experienced the flipside. Not all carriers are created equal. Unfortunately, it seems most of the carriers here come from the Dark Side. Still, not to dwell too much on the negative, since it was one of Midtown’s random decisions to ship with UPS that allowed some hooligan to steal the package mere hours before I could have taken it into my door that really concluded the series of unfortunate events that seem to have gone hand-in-hand with packages and this apartment, that finally convinced me that peace of mind and security were more important than spending money I did not technically have. So, thank you, hapless carriers, hooligans, and assorted other rogues. Your apathy and devilry helped me do the right thing.
Anyway, the comics I will be writing about this week come from that fateful trip to Escape Velocity, and they all come from either the third week of January or the first week of February, 2011, the former replacing the essentials from that lost package, and the latter representing the fact that I made the trip on a Wednesday (it was both convenient and appropriate).
BRIGHTEST DAY #18-19 (DC)
In many ways, this is the title I most regret not being able to follow, because there are really only a handful of issues left, and I was really enjoying it. As a huge fan of 52, which quickly became one of my all-time favorites, not because of the weekly gimmick, but because the four writers (Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, and Greg Rucka) proved why they were and are some of the top writers working in comics today, I had followed DC’s subsequent efforts at successor projects. COUNTDOWN was the closest until BRIGHTEST DAY (and probably reads better in collections, where it more appropriately takes on the air of a quasi-event, an old-school one, anyway, and maybe that’s why so many current fans found it hard to enjoy). Johns and Pete Tomasi have absorbed the lessons well, and have made BRIGHEST DAY a mix of the two, following semi-obscure characters (which both previous books did) as they embarked on extremely personal quests (which 52 did) that have wide-ranging implications elsewhere (which COUNTDOWN did better; Booster Gold rediscovering the multiverse is not the same as the Fourth World smackdown). These two particular issues help to point out the further direction of the book, especially the surprising act of killing off both Hawkman and Hawkwoman, well in advance of the conclusion (an act similar to the death of Osiris; while lacking in visual impact, infinitely more significant). Then Aquaman finally gets a huge moment, probably the first huge moment he’s ever gotten, building on a lot of his lore, and suggesting that there’s always been more potential in this character than any writer seems to have ever bothered. I would suggest anyone who hasn’t been reading this book to either start now, or join me later in the collections.
CHARMED #5 (Zenescope)
This is a book I’ve been reading/buying partly because I’ve been passing it on to my sister, who’s a huge fan of the TV series. This issue seems to bring about a premature end to the Source arc that helped launch the comic, but in fact plays right into further developments. My sister said she wonders how this would have played out on television. I figure the arc would have been a single episode, and that’s probably it would make most sense. Of course, in comics, this represents pretty much a collected edition (I can’t call it a trade paperback, because there’s almost as strong a push these days for hardcovers), which is a strange way to equate the material covered in TV and comic book formats. But let’s move on, shall we?
DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #1 (DC)
A comic book that’s basically supposed to be a promotional gimmick has absolutely no right to be this good. From Tony Bedard and Marv Wolfman (with art this issue by Howard Porter) comes an extraordinarily compelling story to launch the series about how Lex Luthor comes to regret making a bargain with Brainiac, both as he sets the deal up and then prepares to pay for it, after they’ve actually won. Clearly a story that could not be told in regular continuity, and is all the better for it. Seriously, you need to read this one.
G.I. JOE: COBRA #12 (IDW)
I have no idea why this book has such low readership, and apparently even this landmark issue was virtually ignored, because it has, since the original mini-series, been among my absolute favorites, a psychological thriller that has followed Chuckles’ efforts to explore the mysteries of Cobra, most of the time tracking the activities of the Paoli brothers, Tomax and Xamot. Well, this is the big climax (which I’m hugely grateful to have been able to recover), in which Chuckles finally plays his hand, and assassinates Cobra Commander, an event so unprecedented that IDW will actually (and not just by necessity) be reshaping its whole slate of G.I. Joe books around. Christos Gage, who has been helping shape this book from the beginning, will be moving on, but Mike Costa, the best G.I. Joe writer since Mark Powers (who worked over at DDP; IDW got the rights to the franchise, and trust me, we lost the other great G.I. Joe book of the modern era) will continue on.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #56 (DC)
Tony Bedard also works his magic here. Bedard has quickly become one of the best writers working in comics today; this may be the platform where he is finally noticed. Since taking over from Pete Tomasi, he has been writing one huge event after another, first rewriting the Alpha Lanterns, and now summoning the Qwardians back into Green Lantern lore, with the Weaponer, who forged Sinestro’s original yellow ring, becoming a formidable adversary, and probably the only guy besides Hal Jordan capable of provoking him. This is the kind of work Tomasi consistently aspired to in the book, but only really reached when some big event necessitated a crossover. Bedard can’t seem to help himself.
IRON MAN #500 (Marvel)
I’m not a regular reader of this book and/or character, but I’d heard enough intriguing things about Matt Fractions’s plans for this issue that I had to read it. Unfortunately, it seems to fall into the same trap so many other Iron Man stories do, in failing to completely grasp the potential of the character. Much of Fraction’s work seems to be inspired by the Jon Favreau movies, but without a singular and concentrated vision, that sort of approach doesn’t work in comics, and the bigger the scale Fraction attempts to handle, the less he’s able to grasp it. The story spans several generations of Starks, and maybe it holds more significance either for those who have been reading the book, or the ones Fraction hopes will be reading later, but it just feels desperate to me, a grandiosity assumed but not earned. (I’ll have more such Marvel thoughts in two weeks.)
IRON MAN #500.1 (Marvel)
I don’t really get why Marvel is doing these issues, especially with the potentially confusing gimmick with that numbering. Are they assuming regular readers don’t need to read them? That’s my underlying assumption, anyway. The good news for IRON MAN, though, is that I bought another issue all the same. This one reads better, even if it dips into the incredibly obvious pool, the one that’s rarely actually explored but dipped in whenever convenient, that Tony Stark used to have a drinking problem. Fraction acquaints readers with Stark’s history via an AA meeting. One of the things I hate about Marvel is that every writer is forced to accept every single that every other writer before them ever wrote, dating back decades. It’s literally all canon. No matter how little everything actually gels, it’s all got to fit in. In the retconned context of most of Stark’s history being explained by either his relapses or recoveries, this story really makes sense. Of course, I was reading a little of Iron Man around CIVIL WAR, and I know that his regular comics did everything but actually work on his character. It’s disingenuous to suggest to new readers that they can expect intimate explorations of Tony Stark. That’s the last thing on the mind of a regular Iron Man writer (which again, made it so ironic that the best parts of the Iron Man movies had everything to do with Tony Stark and very little to do with Iron Man) Anyway, still a comic worth reading, good timing, all that.
What sucks about the pilfered package is that it also contained some stuff I would have written about elsewhere in this blog, as part of the regular Quarter Bin column. It contained a few issues of DEATHSTROKE: THE HUNTED and one of GREEN LANTERN: MOSAIC. I really wanted to read those comics. And some day, when I either find or order them again, I will have another opportunity. But it probably won’t be soon. Still, I have plenty of comics to talk about, and plenty more to read. But that’s a matter for the future.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Quarter Bin #3 "Bargain Comics"
I mentioned in passing last week that it was at one point incredibly easy for me to find and read comics, and that’s basically how I read comics from 1993 to 1999, because for most of that period, I almost literally couldn’t go anywhere without bumping into some vendor, either a comics shop, or a place like Sam’s Club or Toys R Us, places where you definitely won’t find comics so readily available now (I think Toys R Us has made some deals recently, but nothing compared to what was available back then, when they and the Wal-mart bulk club packaged comics for your convenience or, at least, for mine).
Well, a few years ago, I stumbled into the holy grail once again, when the major bookstore chain I’ve worked at since 2006 actually randomly had some packaged comics available in its bargain section. I snatched them up. It didn’t matter that I was knee-deep in a then-thriving association with first-run comics. I snatched up as many of the bargain packs as I could. Granted, it wasn’t many, but I didn’t even think twice of it. I didn’t care what was in those packs. It was just so unexpected, and right up my alley, that I couldn’t possibly resist. What follows are the contents of those packages:
SUPERMAN #197 (DC)
From November 2003, this was one of my favorite finds, not simply because it was a DC comic, and a Superman comic, but a Superman comic from the period between 1999 and 2005, when I had generally not read Superman comics, even though the Man of Steel had been the central figure of my original run with comics. Many things had happened. Lex Luthor became president. Mark Waid did an acclaimed version of his origin to sync up with SMALLVILLE. He became unexpectedly culturally significant again, in the aftermath of “Our Worlds at War,” when the issue where he deals with the fake devastation of those events coincidentally coincided with 9/11. General Zod had his first twenty-first century crack at comics. But I had stayed away for all of that. Both because it was technically unlikely, and because I was abstaining. Comics simply weren’t around for that period. So here’s SUPERMAN #197, from 2003, in this bargain pack. The creators, Steven S. Seagle (who would truly leave his mark on the character with IT’S A BIRD…, a graphic novel of uncommon genius) and Scott McDaniel (the main reason while I read it that I really cared, because I have truly loved McDaniel’s comics work since his run on NIGHTWING); a story that really didn’t make me feel as if I’d missed anything. But still. Pretty awesome.
BIRDS OF PREY #54 (DC)
From June 2003, nothing much to speak of here. Happy to see Nightwing as a guest star, though.
JSA ALL STARS #1 & 2 (DC)
From July and August of 2003, so this isn’t the later spin-off book that (kind of needlessly) gave the Justice Society a second ongoing series, but rather a mini-series where David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns help readers become a little more acquainted with individual members. Now, again, this is from the period where I wasn’t reading comics, and the Geoff Johns/others JSA comics are some of the ones I most keenly wish I had been around to follow, not just because Johns really began to leave his mark on DC with them, but because…well, because they’re the comics Johns really started to leave his mark on DC with, and even his later reboot didn’t really have anything to do with them. It’s like a whole generation I missed. I know there are the trades to catch up with, but that’s another series of trades I need to read, joining the likes of Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN, Grant Morrison’s INVISIBLES, and James Robinson’s STARMAN, which this book (or rather, its parent book) was an almost direct continuation of, at least in spirit, the only time Jack Knight was really allowed to exist outside of his own book, and be a “regular” superhero. So this was basically Johns being allowed to play in the rest of the sandbox. Also, #2 features Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, working their magic on Hawkman. Clearly, these two and the Superman comic were for me the real bargains in the packs.
FALLEN ANGEL # 3 (DC)
Peter David being Peter David. I really loved Peter David, back when I was a little more impressionable, and willing to overlook the lack of true inspiration. Well, that pretty much sums up Peter David.
STAR WARS - JANGO FETT: OPEN SEASONS #2 (Dark Horse)
From May 2002; like Peter David, Star Wars that wasn’t George Lucas was something I eventually grew out of and/or became disillusioned with, so I generally haven’t read a lot of Star Wars comics. But I guess it was inevitable that I would find a few of them in these packs. Here’s one that features Boba’s dad, I guess from just before audiences actually met him in ATTACK OF THE CLONES.
STAR WARS - X-WING ROGUE SQUADRON: THE PHANTOM AFFAIR #4 (Dark Horse)
From June 1996. Generally, the reason I don’t care for Star Wars that isn’t by George Lucas is because only George Lucas has proven that he has any real vision for the Star Wars universe. Anyone else just seems to do generic material that just happens to be set in the Star Wars universe. Apparently, enough people really get off on that, because that’s exactly why the prequel films were ultimately rejected by the original fans, and why there’s still a deluge of Star Wars material that isn’t by George Lucas. Personally, I find that pretty darn depressing, in the same way those fans hang their heads in shame over the prequels.
STAR WARS: EPISODE I - QUEEN AMIDALA (Dark Horse)
From May 1999. Hey, and so speaking of which…! This is basically an interlude set during Amidala and L’il Annie’s first meeting on Tatooine.
SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #59 (Valiant)
From March 1996, this features what is probably an early Tony Bedard script. The Tony Bedard of 2011 probably isn’t all that impressed by it. I know I certainly expect far better from one of my favorite comics writers. Got two copies of this one!
DIRTY PAIR: FATAL BUT NOT SERIOUS #2 (Dark Horse)
From August 1995. This is how embarrassed I am by American culture: This was back in 1995, and already the insidious influence of manga on American readers was evident. Manga is basically the monotonous alternative to regular comics, something that is probably legitimately culturally relevant to Japanese readers, but comes across as ridiculously uniform and tediously expansive (that’s what all those volumes look like to me, anyway; a typical comic book can be read by issue or by volume, and no comic I know of has as many volumes as a tenured manga). Manga became popular once the initial 1990s comics surge went into backlash mode, and has become a staple ever since. It’s probably better than I give it credit for, but c’mon. Adam Warren was doing the American version more than fifteen years ago, and it’s still seen as perfectly acceptable for American readers to wait for their translations of popular Japanese series. Manga is seen as exotic. Manga is a stupid cult. I hate manga. It’s more than past time for American readers to either be honest with themselves, fully embrace it, or move on already. Give American culture back to comics!!!
CANNON GOD EXAXXION: STAGE 1 #1 (Dark Horse)
From November 2001. Oh, and not that it’s particularly relevant here so much as with Adam Warren above, but a lot of these Americans reading manga do it for the pervy underground opportunity to sneak in cartoon porn into the quasi-mainstream. It’s kind of pathetic.
TALES OF THE DARKNESS #1 (Top Cow)
From April 1998. Can we just admit that Top Cow doesn’t have any good ideas and/or execution already?
SERGIO ARAGONES ACTIONS SPEAK #2 (Dark Horse)
From February 2001; on the other hand, this dude will always be awesome.
ANGEL #3 (Dark Horse)
From November 2001, and the initial wave of Buffy-verse comics, and therefore about as relevant to today’s as the above JSA ALL STARS to the current comic that bears that title. I got to two copies of this one, too! However, at least I got different covers, one photo, the other illustrated. On a more sober note, this one also holds letters dating back to the events of 9/11. Weird little synergy going on here…A reference in one bargain comic reaction to actual relevance in another…
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #16 (Dark Horse)
From December 1999.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #21 (Dark Horse)
From May 2000.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER # 22 (Dark Horse)
From June 2000. Seriously, do you fully appreciate that all of these comics were produced while these shows were actually on the air? Doesn’t that seem a little quaint now?
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS #1 (Dark Horse)
From September 1999. My memory’s a little hazy, but from the contents of this issue and what I remember about the conclusion of the TV show, I think these events coincide. I’m not really sure. I was never a fan of Xena. While it’s cool that Kevin Sorbo’s HERCULES actually got a spin-off, and Lucy Lawless definitely had the magnetic appeal to support her own show…XENA was basically exactly the same show, supported by more people, and less inspired. Anyway, remember Xena?
That’s it. That’s the twenty comics (with only two overlaps!) that I scored in those bargain packs. Most of them I would never have come within sniffing distance of without those packs, which certainly helped to make the whole experience interesting.
Aside from one more collection of actual quarter bin comics from Escape Velocity, this is basically the last time I will apparently fill a whole post with a random assortment and/or listing of comics. From here we’ll be delving into some targeted material, and a little expanded thoughts, on comics I specifically went out of my way to read. Should be fun!
Well, a few years ago, I stumbled into the holy grail once again, when the major bookstore chain I’ve worked at since 2006 actually randomly had some packaged comics available in its bargain section. I snatched them up. It didn’t matter that I was knee-deep in a then-thriving association with first-run comics. I snatched up as many of the bargain packs as I could. Granted, it wasn’t many, but I didn’t even think twice of it. I didn’t care what was in those packs. It was just so unexpected, and right up my alley, that I couldn’t possibly resist. What follows are the contents of those packages:
SUPERMAN #197 (DC)
From November 2003, this was one of my favorite finds, not simply because it was a DC comic, and a Superman comic, but a Superman comic from the period between 1999 and 2005, when I had generally not read Superman comics, even though the Man of Steel had been the central figure of my original run with comics. Many things had happened. Lex Luthor became president. Mark Waid did an acclaimed version of his origin to sync up with SMALLVILLE. He became unexpectedly culturally significant again, in the aftermath of “Our Worlds at War,” when the issue where he deals with the fake devastation of those events coincidentally coincided with 9/11. General Zod had his first twenty-first century crack at comics. But I had stayed away for all of that. Both because it was technically unlikely, and because I was abstaining. Comics simply weren’t around for that period. So here’s SUPERMAN #197, from 2003, in this bargain pack. The creators, Steven S. Seagle (who would truly leave his mark on the character with IT’S A BIRD…, a graphic novel of uncommon genius) and Scott McDaniel (the main reason while I read it that I really cared, because I have truly loved McDaniel’s comics work since his run on NIGHTWING); a story that really didn’t make me feel as if I’d missed anything. But still. Pretty awesome.
BIRDS OF PREY #54 (DC)
From June 2003, nothing much to speak of here. Happy to see Nightwing as a guest star, though.
JSA ALL STARS #1 & 2 (DC)
From July and August of 2003, so this isn’t the later spin-off book that (kind of needlessly) gave the Justice Society a second ongoing series, but rather a mini-series where David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns help readers become a little more acquainted with individual members. Now, again, this is from the period where I wasn’t reading comics, and the Geoff Johns/others JSA comics are some of the ones I most keenly wish I had been around to follow, not just because Johns really began to leave his mark on DC with them, but because…well, because they’re the comics Johns really started to leave his mark on DC with, and even his later reboot didn’t really have anything to do with them. It’s like a whole generation I missed. I know there are the trades to catch up with, but that’s another series of trades I need to read, joining the likes of Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN, Grant Morrison’s INVISIBLES, and James Robinson’s STARMAN, which this book (or rather, its parent book) was an almost direct continuation of, at least in spirit, the only time Jack Knight was really allowed to exist outside of his own book, and be a “regular” superhero. So this was basically Johns being allowed to play in the rest of the sandbox. Also, #2 features Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, working their magic on Hawkman. Clearly, these two and the Superman comic were for me the real bargains in the packs.
FALLEN ANGEL # 3 (DC)
Peter David being Peter David. I really loved Peter David, back when I was a little more impressionable, and willing to overlook the lack of true inspiration. Well, that pretty much sums up Peter David.
STAR WARS - JANGO FETT: OPEN SEASONS #2 (Dark Horse)
From May 2002; like Peter David, Star Wars that wasn’t George Lucas was something I eventually grew out of and/or became disillusioned with, so I generally haven’t read a lot of Star Wars comics. But I guess it was inevitable that I would find a few of them in these packs. Here’s one that features Boba’s dad, I guess from just before audiences actually met him in ATTACK OF THE CLONES.
STAR WARS - X-WING ROGUE SQUADRON: THE PHANTOM AFFAIR #4 (Dark Horse)
From June 1996. Generally, the reason I don’t care for Star Wars that isn’t by George Lucas is because only George Lucas has proven that he has any real vision for the Star Wars universe. Anyone else just seems to do generic material that just happens to be set in the Star Wars universe. Apparently, enough people really get off on that, because that’s exactly why the prequel films were ultimately rejected by the original fans, and why there’s still a deluge of Star Wars material that isn’t by George Lucas. Personally, I find that pretty darn depressing, in the same way those fans hang their heads in shame over the prequels.
STAR WARS: EPISODE I - QUEEN AMIDALA (Dark Horse)
From May 1999. Hey, and so speaking of which…! This is basically an interlude set during Amidala and L’il Annie’s first meeting on Tatooine.
SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #59 (Valiant)
From March 1996, this features what is probably an early Tony Bedard script. The Tony Bedard of 2011 probably isn’t all that impressed by it. I know I certainly expect far better from one of my favorite comics writers. Got two copies of this one!
DIRTY PAIR: FATAL BUT NOT SERIOUS #2 (Dark Horse)
From August 1995. This is how embarrassed I am by American culture: This was back in 1995, and already the insidious influence of manga on American readers was evident. Manga is basically the monotonous alternative to regular comics, something that is probably legitimately culturally relevant to Japanese readers, but comes across as ridiculously uniform and tediously expansive (that’s what all those volumes look like to me, anyway; a typical comic book can be read by issue or by volume, and no comic I know of has as many volumes as a tenured manga). Manga became popular once the initial 1990s comics surge went into backlash mode, and has become a staple ever since. It’s probably better than I give it credit for, but c’mon. Adam Warren was doing the American version more than fifteen years ago, and it’s still seen as perfectly acceptable for American readers to wait for their translations of popular Japanese series. Manga is seen as exotic. Manga is a stupid cult. I hate manga. It’s more than past time for American readers to either be honest with themselves, fully embrace it, or move on already. Give American culture back to comics!!!
CANNON GOD EXAXXION: STAGE 1 #1 (Dark Horse)
From November 2001. Oh, and not that it’s particularly relevant here so much as with Adam Warren above, but a lot of these Americans reading manga do it for the pervy underground opportunity to sneak in cartoon porn into the quasi-mainstream. It’s kind of pathetic.
TALES OF THE DARKNESS #1 (Top Cow)
From April 1998. Can we just admit that Top Cow doesn’t have any good ideas and/or execution already?
SERGIO ARAGONES ACTIONS SPEAK #2 (Dark Horse)
From February 2001; on the other hand, this dude will always be awesome.
ANGEL #3 (Dark Horse)
From November 2001, and the initial wave of Buffy-verse comics, and therefore about as relevant to today’s as the above JSA ALL STARS to the current comic that bears that title. I got to two copies of this one, too! However, at least I got different covers, one photo, the other illustrated. On a more sober note, this one also holds letters dating back to the events of 9/11. Weird little synergy going on here…A reference in one bargain comic reaction to actual relevance in another…
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #16 (Dark Horse)
From December 1999.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #21 (Dark Horse)
From May 2000.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER # 22 (Dark Horse)
From June 2000. Seriously, do you fully appreciate that all of these comics were produced while these shows were actually on the air? Doesn’t that seem a little quaint now?
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS #1 (Dark Horse)
From September 1999. My memory’s a little hazy, but from the contents of this issue and what I remember about the conclusion of the TV show, I think these events coincide. I’m not really sure. I was never a fan of Xena. While it’s cool that Kevin Sorbo’s HERCULES actually got a spin-off, and Lucy Lawless definitely had the magnetic appeal to support her own show…XENA was basically exactly the same show, supported by more people, and less inspired. Anyway, remember Xena?
That’s it. That’s the twenty comics (with only two overlaps!) that I scored in those bargain packs. Most of them I would never have come within sniffing distance of without those packs, which certainly helped to make the whole experience interesting.
Aside from one more collection of actual quarter bin comics from Escape Velocity, this is basically the last time I will apparently fill a whole post with a random assortment and/or listing of comics. From here we’ll be delving into some targeted material, and a little expanded thoughts, on comics I specifically went out of my way to read. Should be fun!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Comic Book Memoir
My comics experience is changing again. Seems like that’s what it’s been doing from the start, an endless cycle of desire and reality, an intermingling quasi-marriage constantly denying me while giving me exactly what I want.
Well, let me start over. It seems a little weird to say this, because I’ve really only just begun this blog and it seems like something like awkward timing and an even worse admission, but as of yesterday, I’ve basically gotten out of the business of comics again. What I was saying earlier is relevant because the origins of Tony Laplume and his interest in comics don’t really have, specifically, comics themselves involved. Born in 1980, I had a lot of opportunities to catch up with all the stuff TV had been doing during that period. From the regular syndicated reruns of Adam West’s Batman to cartoons like SUPER FRIENDS and SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (gosh, there sure were a lot of friends back then, and this technically before the Cold War ended!), and any number of the animated adventures of action figures, I was sated on the subject before I truly had a chance to grasp what it was I was enjoying. And speaking of toys, more than a few of them came with mini (and I do mean mini) comics, and so, technically, before I actively read comics, I had some in my possession.
As the first decade of my life came to a close, some events that were relevant to serious fans (not to denigrate cartoons or Adam West, but serious fans probably didn’t care too much about them) came to my attention. Robin was killed off. Years later I learned all about Jason Todd, but to a mind that had grown up with Burt Ward, it was pretty sad news, even though, again, technically speaking, I had no real basis, other than a treasured action figure, to care all that much. I was no comics reader at that point. Then, of course, Tim Burton gave us the black-clad Batman on the silver screen.
My brothers started buying comics around the time Jim Lee helped make X-MEN #1 a historic blockbuster (before moving on to Image not a short while longer). They liked Marvel. Kids at school liked Marvel. Heck, as a kid, one of my favorite characters had been Spider-Man, because of the cartoon, other confluences. But I was a DC kid, even then. They also liked Star Wars comics. I didn’t agitate a lot to read these. My sister had at some point acquired a copy of THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, a comic that had absolutely fascinated me, so Marvel, so the comics world that didn’t involve DC, really did interest me. But personally, I was denied, always denied. There were no comics shops around, besides, nothing to tempt me.
And then there was. I got a few (and I do mean a very few) Green Lantern back issues. Green Lantern had been another favorite, simply because he happened to share my favorite color. Well, I don’t know how Hal Jordan ever thought of the color himself. It never seemed to come up. But there they were, my first real comics. My brothers did a little more DC themselves, including JUSTICE LEAGUE, Dan Jurgens’ version of the Bwahaha Generation. I rarely actually mention this in public, but I immediately gravitated to the mysterious Bloodwynd. I mean, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle were a fine comic duo (and this was probably their golden age, though everyone seems to have forgotten all about it, except that Doomsday dropped by on his way to killing Superman, but more on that in a moment), and Guy Gardner was a true jerk, but Bloodwynd, the first character I truly got to experience firsthand in a comic, thanks to brothers who grew slightly more accommodating to a younger brother (or perhaps I just stole a few opportunities, which I would continue to do for the next several years, especially when one of them ran up complete collections of all the zero issues, or “Knightfall”).
To mirror the newspaper reports of Robin’s death at the start of my comics experience, what truly dragged me in was, of course, the death of Superman. I had hardly read any comics at this point, but I knew, just like everyone else did, that I could not miss this. The difference between me and so many others being that it was only the beginning, and not just a curiosity, rubbernecking at the scene of an accident. Comics had become easier to find, and there were certain funds available to me, to help me along when I couldn’t get them myself. So Superman died, yeah, and then Bane came around and crippled Batman. Then Green Lantern went crazy. Every DC character experienced some kind of personal, crossroads-style crisis. Over at Marvel, I was aware that Spider-Man was undergoing a clone saga, but as I said, I was a DC man. Even if Spider-Man had been a favorite, I only really cared about DC, when I could finally manage to become a comics reader. There was plenty of DC to keep me interested.
For many readers, even those who stuck around comics, the saga of Superman in that period ended when he returned. For me, “Doomsday” and “Reign of the Supermen” was just the start of a series of events, from a series of committed and talented creators, that would keep me hooked for the duration of the decade. “The Fall of Metropolis,” “The Death of Clark Kent,” “The Trial of Superman,” the Electric Superman saga, which might as well be synonymous with that clone saga, for all the respect it gets.
Batman, of course, went through similar paces, but once Bruce Wayne reclaimed his mantle from Jean-Paul Valley, the writers were clever enough to keep the intrigue going. They immediately traded the cowl onto Dick Grayson, and then tried a new look for Bruce’s Dark Knight, and then set about a series of crossovers that would continue for about a decade, from “Contagion” to “Legacy” to “Cataclysm,” all the way to “War Games,” which effectively set the stage for Grant Morrison.
Sometimes, the comics I read meant I didn’t read others. I didn’t read SANDMAN, or STARMAN. I skipped over BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN. While I was avoiding those, I read Mark Waid’s FLASH religiously. Kyle Rayner was absolutely my Green Lantern, thanks to Ron Marz. I got into Morrison thanks to JLA, along with probably everyone else who will admit it. Wasn’t even aware of INVISIBLES, much less his work on DOOM PATROL or ANIMAL MAN, for years. In fact, much of the mystique I would later lend to him was over what I had missed in INVISIBLES, when there was talk about making it into a TV show. (Just imagine!) I read a few issues of BONE on the strong recommendation of a friend, but carried a torch for it longer than that, waited through several printings of the one volume edition before finally completing the epic for myself.
In all, I was a comics reader roughly from 1993 to 1999. There was a lot of stuff I truly loved that I haven’t referenced here, but there’s always time to circle back later. The reasons why 1999 was an end date were mostly practical. I was winding up my senior year in high school, and my parents figured that it would be a good idea to start saving for college. I had literally spent almost all of my money on comics to that point. They were absolutely right. Not that I would have ever said I had wasted any of it. So in the early months of 1999, I gave up the seven year habit that I had worked so hard to acquire. There were some stories I left in mid-sentence, and yes, I have been trying to track down some of those conclusions ever since. No, I am not obsessive in the sense that I would turn the earth upside-down, or look for the likeliest source to simply order missing comics or trade collections, but yeah, I am a little bad at letting go. I was not very happy that summer.
I read WIZARD to help pass the time, to wean myself from my addiction. Lots of interesting things kept happening. Geoff Johns just so happened to begin making his name exactly during this early transition period. He wrote a lot of comics for DC, but it wasn’t until I read what he did at Marvel, on AVENGERS, when I really noticed him for the first time. I didn’t like what I heard. Comics didn’t seem to be doing very well in my absence. Sure, there were a lot of noteworthy developments, and some pretty interesting comics being done, but all of it seemed to be passing me by, not in a sense that I was missing it, but that maybe, they no longer interested me. I read about them in a magazine, and they were meant for someone else. Nothing seemed to quite capture the spirit of what I had once known.
I graduated from college in 2003, and 2004 was a transition year. I had been reading about Geoff Johns again, how he had tackled The Flash, of all characters. But instead of sacrilege, or some poor imitation of Mark Waid, he really seemed to be making it his own. This was something new. On all the books I used to follow, the ones that were still around, there didn’t seem to be a lot of truly relevant material being done, but all of a sudden, there was. Brad Meltzer began to be talked about, IDENTITY CRISIS. And so, at some point, I had an excuse to step foot into a comics shop again, and I gravitated toward these two books. So it was that 2004 saw me dip my toe back into the pool. Sobriety was cracking up.
In 2005, I moved, it seemed, right next door to a comics shop, and I really fell off the wagon. The developments of that year are perhaps still fresh enough so that you’ll remember. Ed Brubaker relaunch CAPTAIN AMERICA. DC began revving up for INFINITE CRISIS. In 2006, I began to write about comics regularly for the first time, on the Internet. I wrote about them, and I started to read a lot of them, more than I ever had before. So it seemed. Maybe it was comparable to my earlier period, more than I realized at the time. I branched out from DC in a big way, more and more. I acquainted myself with many of the classics that I had heard so much about. When it became impractical to visit a local comics shop, I began buying my comics online. The economy, of course, tanked. I kept buying. Ridiculously, shamelessly, I kept buying.
I phrase it like that to begin to explain why this column marks the end of that era. Roughly 2005 to 2011. I had to quit again. This time by my own hand. It became financially responsible to say, “enough is enough.” Maybe it helped that many of the comics I was following had reached natural transition periods. Or that the surge in available collections made it that much harder to claim that if I didn’t catch the single issues, I would miss out forever. I knew it wasn’t true. I knew I had to dial it down. And I did, I even did that. But it finally came down to, “enough is enough.” It’s not that I realized I don’t need comics, but that I realized, whether I’m there or not, they’re still there. I finally got to see Green Lantern popular! All three incarnations (well, all four, really) of Robin, even, are alive and kicking! I followed Spider-Man through “Brand New Day,” the first time I have ever read the Webslinger regularly. Grant Morrison led Batman through his greatest stories ever. I watched Jeff Smith shape a new landscape of indescribable intrigue.
I don’t want to write about too many specifics. This blog isn’t going away. I have plenty more to write about. But it’s another transition time, a good time to reflect on my comics experience, how it keeps coming back to the fact that, technically speaking, I’m one comics reader who keeps coming back to not actually reading comics. It’s true and it’s not true and I guess that explains me, exactly where I fit in with the rest of the crowd. I don’t pretend to be an expert on everything, but I have a passion that can overcome just about anything, even this, even giving up, technically speaking, comics all over again. I’m not one of those readers who got fed up with what the creators were doing, or the publishers, or just ran out of funds. I can fake funds. But I can’t overlook the fact that as a comics reader, for me it sometimes means so much more than actually reading comics.
I will continue to write about comics, and I will continue to read the occasional issue, the collection, even the graphic novel. I will just be doing it from a distance, from the shadows, as it were. It seems appropriate. For every Booster Gold, there is a Simon Dark. There are plenty of worlds left to explore.
Well, let me start over. It seems a little weird to say this, because I’ve really only just begun this blog and it seems like something like awkward timing and an even worse admission, but as of yesterday, I’ve basically gotten out of the business of comics again. What I was saying earlier is relevant because the origins of Tony Laplume and his interest in comics don’t really have, specifically, comics themselves involved. Born in 1980, I had a lot of opportunities to catch up with all the stuff TV had been doing during that period. From the regular syndicated reruns of Adam West’s Batman to cartoons like SUPER FRIENDS and SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (gosh, there sure were a lot of friends back then, and this technically before the Cold War ended!), and any number of the animated adventures of action figures, I was sated on the subject before I truly had a chance to grasp what it was I was enjoying. And speaking of toys, more than a few of them came with mini (and I do mean mini) comics, and so, technically, before I actively read comics, I had some in my possession.
As the first decade of my life came to a close, some events that were relevant to serious fans (not to denigrate cartoons or Adam West, but serious fans probably didn’t care too much about them) came to my attention. Robin was killed off. Years later I learned all about Jason Todd, but to a mind that had grown up with Burt Ward, it was pretty sad news, even though, again, technically speaking, I had no real basis, other than a treasured action figure, to care all that much. I was no comics reader at that point. Then, of course, Tim Burton gave us the black-clad Batman on the silver screen.
My brothers started buying comics around the time Jim Lee helped make X-MEN #1 a historic blockbuster (before moving on to Image not a short while longer). They liked Marvel. Kids at school liked Marvel. Heck, as a kid, one of my favorite characters had been Spider-Man, because of the cartoon, other confluences. But I was a DC kid, even then. They also liked Star Wars comics. I didn’t agitate a lot to read these. My sister had at some point acquired a copy of THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, a comic that had absolutely fascinated me, so Marvel, so the comics world that didn’t involve DC, really did interest me. But personally, I was denied, always denied. There were no comics shops around, besides, nothing to tempt me.
And then there was. I got a few (and I do mean a very few) Green Lantern back issues. Green Lantern had been another favorite, simply because he happened to share my favorite color. Well, I don’t know how Hal Jordan ever thought of the color himself. It never seemed to come up. But there they were, my first real comics. My brothers did a little more DC themselves, including JUSTICE LEAGUE, Dan Jurgens’ version of the Bwahaha Generation. I rarely actually mention this in public, but I immediately gravitated to the mysterious Bloodwynd. I mean, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle were a fine comic duo (and this was probably their golden age, though everyone seems to have forgotten all about it, except that Doomsday dropped by on his way to killing Superman, but more on that in a moment), and Guy Gardner was a true jerk, but Bloodwynd, the first character I truly got to experience firsthand in a comic, thanks to brothers who grew slightly more accommodating to a younger brother (or perhaps I just stole a few opportunities, which I would continue to do for the next several years, especially when one of them ran up complete collections of all the zero issues, or “Knightfall”).
To mirror the newspaper reports of Robin’s death at the start of my comics experience, what truly dragged me in was, of course, the death of Superman. I had hardly read any comics at this point, but I knew, just like everyone else did, that I could not miss this. The difference between me and so many others being that it was only the beginning, and not just a curiosity, rubbernecking at the scene of an accident. Comics had become easier to find, and there were certain funds available to me, to help me along when I couldn’t get them myself. So Superman died, yeah, and then Bane came around and crippled Batman. Then Green Lantern went crazy. Every DC character experienced some kind of personal, crossroads-style crisis. Over at Marvel, I was aware that Spider-Man was undergoing a clone saga, but as I said, I was a DC man. Even if Spider-Man had been a favorite, I only really cared about DC, when I could finally manage to become a comics reader. There was plenty of DC to keep me interested.
For many readers, even those who stuck around comics, the saga of Superman in that period ended when he returned. For me, “Doomsday” and “Reign of the Supermen” was just the start of a series of events, from a series of committed and talented creators, that would keep me hooked for the duration of the decade. “The Fall of Metropolis,” “The Death of Clark Kent,” “The Trial of Superman,” the Electric Superman saga, which might as well be synonymous with that clone saga, for all the respect it gets.
Batman, of course, went through similar paces, but once Bruce Wayne reclaimed his mantle from Jean-Paul Valley, the writers were clever enough to keep the intrigue going. They immediately traded the cowl onto Dick Grayson, and then tried a new look for Bruce’s Dark Knight, and then set about a series of crossovers that would continue for about a decade, from “Contagion” to “Legacy” to “Cataclysm,” all the way to “War Games,” which effectively set the stage for Grant Morrison.
Sometimes, the comics I read meant I didn’t read others. I didn’t read SANDMAN, or STARMAN. I skipped over BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN. While I was avoiding those, I read Mark Waid’s FLASH religiously. Kyle Rayner was absolutely my Green Lantern, thanks to Ron Marz. I got into Morrison thanks to JLA, along with probably everyone else who will admit it. Wasn’t even aware of INVISIBLES, much less his work on DOOM PATROL or ANIMAL MAN, for years. In fact, much of the mystique I would later lend to him was over what I had missed in INVISIBLES, when there was talk about making it into a TV show. (Just imagine!) I read a few issues of BONE on the strong recommendation of a friend, but carried a torch for it longer than that, waited through several printings of the one volume edition before finally completing the epic for myself.
In all, I was a comics reader roughly from 1993 to 1999. There was a lot of stuff I truly loved that I haven’t referenced here, but there’s always time to circle back later. The reasons why 1999 was an end date were mostly practical. I was winding up my senior year in high school, and my parents figured that it would be a good idea to start saving for college. I had literally spent almost all of my money on comics to that point. They were absolutely right. Not that I would have ever said I had wasted any of it. So in the early months of 1999, I gave up the seven year habit that I had worked so hard to acquire. There were some stories I left in mid-sentence, and yes, I have been trying to track down some of those conclusions ever since. No, I am not obsessive in the sense that I would turn the earth upside-down, or look for the likeliest source to simply order missing comics or trade collections, but yeah, I am a little bad at letting go. I was not very happy that summer.
I read WIZARD to help pass the time, to wean myself from my addiction. Lots of interesting things kept happening. Geoff Johns just so happened to begin making his name exactly during this early transition period. He wrote a lot of comics for DC, but it wasn’t until I read what he did at Marvel, on AVENGERS, when I really noticed him for the first time. I didn’t like what I heard. Comics didn’t seem to be doing very well in my absence. Sure, there were a lot of noteworthy developments, and some pretty interesting comics being done, but all of it seemed to be passing me by, not in a sense that I was missing it, but that maybe, they no longer interested me. I read about them in a magazine, and they were meant for someone else. Nothing seemed to quite capture the spirit of what I had once known.
I graduated from college in 2003, and 2004 was a transition year. I had been reading about Geoff Johns again, how he had tackled The Flash, of all characters. But instead of sacrilege, or some poor imitation of Mark Waid, he really seemed to be making it his own. This was something new. On all the books I used to follow, the ones that were still around, there didn’t seem to be a lot of truly relevant material being done, but all of a sudden, there was. Brad Meltzer began to be talked about, IDENTITY CRISIS. And so, at some point, I had an excuse to step foot into a comics shop again, and I gravitated toward these two books. So it was that 2004 saw me dip my toe back into the pool. Sobriety was cracking up.
In 2005, I moved, it seemed, right next door to a comics shop, and I really fell off the wagon. The developments of that year are perhaps still fresh enough so that you’ll remember. Ed Brubaker relaunch CAPTAIN AMERICA. DC began revving up for INFINITE CRISIS. In 2006, I began to write about comics regularly for the first time, on the Internet. I wrote about them, and I started to read a lot of them, more than I ever had before. So it seemed. Maybe it was comparable to my earlier period, more than I realized at the time. I branched out from DC in a big way, more and more. I acquainted myself with many of the classics that I had heard so much about. When it became impractical to visit a local comics shop, I began buying my comics online. The economy, of course, tanked. I kept buying. Ridiculously, shamelessly, I kept buying.
I phrase it like that to begin to explain why this column marks the end of that era. Roughly 2005 to 2011. I had to quit again. This time by my own hand. It became financially responsible to say, “enough is enough.” Maybe it helped that many of the comics I was following had reached natural transition periods. Or that the surge in available collections made it that much harder to claim that if I didn’t catch the single issues, I would miss out forever. I knew it wasn’t true. I knew I had to dial it down. And I did, I even did that. But it finally came down to, “enough is enough.” It’s not that I realized I don’t need comics, but that I realized, whether I’m there or not, they’re still there. I finally got to see Green Lantern popular! All three incarnations (well, all four, really) of Robin, even, are alive and kicking! I followed Spider-Man through “Brand New Day,” the first time I have ever read the Webslinger regularly. Grant Morrison led Batman through his greatest stories ever. I watched Jeff Smith shape a new landscape of indescribable intrigue.
I don’t want to write about too many specifics. This blog isn’t going away. I have plenty more to write about. But it’s another transition time, a good time to reflect on my comics experience, how it keeps coming back to the fact that, technically speaking, I’m one comics reader who keeps coming back to not actually reading comics. It’s true and it’s not true and I guess that explains me, exactly where I fit in with the rest of the crowd. I don’t pretend to be an expert on everything, but I have a passion that can overcome just about anything, even this, even giving up, technically speaking, comics all over again. I’m not one of those readers who got fed up with what the creators were doing, or the publishers, or just ran out of funds. I can fake funds. But I can’t overlook the fact that as a comics reader, for me it sometimes means so much more than actually reading comics.
I will continue to write about comics, and I will continue to read the occasional issue, the collection, even the graphic novel. I will just be doing it from a distance, from the shadows, as it were. It seems appropriate. For every Booster Gold, there is a Simon Dark. There are plenty of worlds left to explore.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Quarter Bin #2 "From an Actual Quarter Bin, Part 1"
I’ve got to say, I’ve been excited about this column, because the comics I’ll be slogging through come from an actual quarter bin, boxes I pawed through and selected personally. It’s the first of two such collections I got last year at Escape Velocity, the shop I sometimes visit in Colorado Springs. Some of the comics are still a little more interesting than others.
ACTION COMICS #596 (DC)
From January 1988, this one has “Millennium Week 4” stamped on the cover, which helps prove to weary event book readers of the present day that fans of yore also had such troubles. This was an event that saw Manhunters from Green Lantern lore becoming interlopers among the human population, really not all that different than Marvel’s recent “Secret Invasion” with the Skrulls. John Byrne was the creator, and the Spectre guest-starred. It’s mostly about Superman freaking out over Smallville being directly affected.
ACTION PHILOSOPHERS #6 (Evil Twin)
From June 2006, this is the book that helped establish Fred Van Lente as one of the next great comic book writers, a predecessor to his other Evil Twin book COMIC BOOK COMICS (which details the messy history of, well, comic books). In this particular book, Van Lente made reading about great philosophers fun, and in this particular issue, he writes about Kierkegaard, St. Thomas Aquinus, and Wittgenstein, who is probably the most fun (not that he would have agreed).
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN ANNUAL #5 (DC)
From 1993, this was part of the Bloodlines project (and part of the Earthplague phase, for those keeping meticulous score). Reading this particular comic helped put me into a massive Sparx (who debuts this issue) craze last year, which will be reflected in later installments of this back issue column, trust me. I developed a whole comic I would still love to do for Vertigo, assuming my impossible mission of one day writing for comics actually comes true…
ASSASSINS #1 (Amalgam)
From April 1996, “Amalgam” actually means DC/Marvel, for those of you too young to remember MARVEL VS. DC, one of the biggest events of that decade, a comic both companies actively collaborated on, which led to a series of books that combined characters from them into slightly new and exciting concepts! This one features mash-ups of Catwoman, Daredevil, Elektra, Deadshot, Bullseye, Kingpin, and the Riddler (reading it, especially when the combinations make sense, this nonsense really was fun), among others. But what still jazzes me is that the artist on this particular book was Scott McDaniel, who was at the time and continues to be one of my favorite artists.
BATMAN: THE OFFICIAL COMIC ADAPTATION OF THE WARNER BROS. MOTION PICTURE (DC)
From 1989, I’ll be you’ll never guess in a million years what this was. What’s really interesting is that the adapting was done by Denny O’Neil and Jerry Ordway. I’m betting that even those who had no interest in the movie might have gotten a kick out of this comic. I am the night!
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #9 (DC)
From July 1990, this was one of those really great finds, the fourth of five installments of Grant Morrison’s “Gothic,” some of Morrison’s work that I haven’t actually read yet (I only just read ARKHAM ASYLUM last year, for honesty’s sake).
BLACKHAWK - BOOK TWO: RED SNOW (DC)
From 1988, this was a Howard Chaykin prestige format effort, based around a character that was probably fairly obscure even in 1988, but then, good stories really don’t care if their subject matter is well-known or not, do they? Chaykin is an undeniable treasure in the industry, and I’m not sure enough fans realize that. What little I’ve experienced of his work continually attests to this, so this was another treasured find.
BLUE DEVIL #1 (DC)
From June 1984; I didn’t even have to be a Shadowpact fan to be jazzed about this one, the debut and origin of the character. Now, of course I’ve been fully aware of Blue Devil’s origin for as long as I’ve been aware of the character, but it’s still a little surprising that he really does have such a wonky origin…
CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKOWN #4 (DC)
From June 1991, this was the first time Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale ever collaborated. In fact, I’m pretty sure this was Jeph Loeb’s first ever (or at least first regular) comics gig, and quite frankly, it’s a lost gem. The second wave of Escape Velocity quarter bin comics I’ll be writing about in a later column will detail the other issues I was able to snatch up from this book. I’m still in the process of tracking down the remaining issues, but suffice it to say, this one was my biggest find, and the one I most recommend for others to read.
COMICS INTERVIEW #88 (Fictioner)
From 1990, this was another neat find, an issue of this magazine that covers THE FLASH, the short-lived but excellent TV series that was a result of the brief superhero craze Tim Burton’s BATMAN (from a few comics earlier!) kicked off. If you have never seen this show, imagine THE CAPE but with an established character, and a little more affection from the creators, who happened to be Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo, who happened to write actual Flash comic books a few decades after their brief experience helping to extend the franchise’s legacy. What’s funny is that they ended up writing Bart Allen, not even Wally West, who was the Scarlet Speedster at the time of the one season the TV show had a chance to chronicle for new fans the experience of Barry Allen behind the cowl. What’s sad is that about a decade after the show’s failure, CSI made it cool to watch police forensics on TV, and that was half of what the series was about, when Barry wasn’t running around in red, er, rubber. But COMICS INTERVIEW #88 really didn’t know how awesome the show was, either, so the lack of viewers wasn’t so surprising. For a generation of fans, this was Barry Allen. Truth be told, I think even Geoff Johns would be proud.
DARKSTARS #1 (DC)
From October 1992, this was another lucky find, the debut of what was for a short time something of competition for the Green Lantern Corps (John Stewart actually became a Darkstar for a while, as did Donna Troy). It was a concept that I found pretty interesting during that early period of my comics experience, which eventually disappeared. But there are always chances for revivals in this medium, aren’t there?
ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN #1 (Marvel)
From August 1986, credited by me to Marvel above, but actually one of the books that helped launch the short-lived Epic imprint. This was, of course, a Frank Miller project, which was another awesome find, and that title helps further explain the Amalgam book from a little earlier. You see how I could love the random fate of quarter bins?
FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #19 (Marvel)
From 1985, this was another John Byrne comic, featuring Skrulls and Avengers, plus the first family of comics!
GENE RODDENBERRY’S LOST UNIVERSE #1 (Tekno Comix)
From April 1995; it’s such an old trick by now, to try and launch a new comic book company by glomming onto some established name or property, but it’s always interesting to see the permutations. This was from a period just before some of Roddenberry’s files were investigated to bring a pair of new TV shows (EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT and ANDROMEDA, both of which I enjoyed and lasted for a good number of seasons each, but garnered little respect from the fan community, not having enough “creator cool” to satisfy they) to life, so the idea of creating some comics out of his ideas probably seemed like a pretty good idea. Then again, the company also had Leonard Nimoy collaborating on one of their books, so who’s to say what their real motives were? At the time, Star Trek wasn’t yet run into the ground (I say that in the context of its popular appeal, which in 1995 was about to take its first hits, not out of a personal opinion), so it’s fair to say that Tekno really hoped to latch onto properties it didn’t even have…
G.I JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS #1 (Marvel)
From October 1986, apparently while Marvel was celebrating its 25th anniversary. Yet another book available to me because some eager fan in the distant past bought some first issues out because they were stung by the Buzz Bee, and not apparently out of some personal interest.
HOUSE OF M #8 (Marvel)
From December 2005, this was the conclusion of the first of many Marvel event books inspired by the rise of Bendis, the very issue that followed “No More Mutants,” which for me now serves as a prelude to AVENGERS: CHILDREN’S CRUSADE.
JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE #1 (DC)
From April 1989, another of those Buzz Bee stings, and so once again I come up the winner in this temporal exchange.
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL #3 (DC)
From 1989, what I extrapolate as possibly the only other Giffen/DeMatteis comic that fan got. All told, they probably could have done better. If they only knew…
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL (DC)
From 1990; but wait, there’s more! This one features Mister Miracle, in one of the many attempts to make Jack Kirby’s New Gods popular with readers (sadly, it has never worked).
LEGENDS #1 (DC)
From November 1986, this is actually relevant to viewers of SMALLVILLE this season, as this is the event book that directly inspired this season’s arc. A number of legends happen to work on this book, including John Ostrander, Len Wein, John Byrne, and Karl Kesel.
LEGENDS #4 (DC)
From February 1987, it’s another issue!
MARVEL AGE #35 (Marvel)
From February 1986, this was an in-house magazine similar to COMICS INTERVIEW; featured is “A day in the life of Marvel comics!” I got a little bored after a while…
MARVEL AGE #56 (Marvel)
From November 1987, featuring a bunch of new G.I. Joes, which I’m sure the Tony of 1987 would have been more excited about. But I kid. Part of the real fun of back issues is discovering and/or reading about developments (which are now history) that can be found in such comics, and these MARVEL AGE books are chalk-full of that sort of thing. Referenced in this one, for instance, is that predecessor to “Grim Hunt,” Kraven’s last fight with Spider-Man. On the back of both issues are calendars of the very same style Wizard Magazine would copy for one of the periods where I was a regular reader, thereby once again confirming that, at least for a time, Wizard Magazine was virtually a Marvel fan magazine. I mean, it was in those pages where the recently sacrificed Sentry essentially debuted…
NEW X-MEN #115 (Marvel)
From August 2001, this was Part 2 of the three part “E is for Extinction,” the debut of Grant Morrison (along with Frank Quitely) with comics’ favorite mutants. Morrison worked on this book almost exactly during the period I wasn’t reading comics, so I missed this whole thing, but then, I missed a lot of Grant Morrison comics, which is okay, because I’ve also had a chance to read a lot of Grant Morrison comics. It’s nice to know there’s a lot more of them out there.
NEW X-MEN #152 (Marvel)
From March 2004; such as this one! Part of the “Here Comes Tomorrow” arc, the one that brought about the conclusion of Morrison’s run. It’s such a shame that Marvel basically decided to ignore everything he did with the X-Men, almost immediately backpedaling on the whole Xorn thing, for instance. I ask, what, other than “No More Mutants” and the Hope saga, has anyone actually done since?
NOMAD #1 (Marvel)
From May 1992, this series featured Jack Monroe, a character touched upon in the early issues of Ed Brubaker’s CAPTAIN AMERICA, and a version of Nomad that wasn’t Steve Rogers or that alternate Bucky from the Heroes Reborn era currently running around with the name. Brought to you, most importantly, by Fabian Nicieza, who had a full Marvel career before he came to DC, where I became familiar with him as more than just a name, one of my favorites.
OWLHOOTS #1 (Kitchen Sink)
From 1990, a Western ditty that I figured was worth a look. It was.
RISING STARS #½ (Top Cow)
From August 2001, one of J. Michael Straczynski’s early stabs at comics was one of those universe books with an assortment of original superheroes, and this was something of a promo, possibly originally offered by Wizard Magazine, but definitely a reprint by Top Cow with a $2.95 cover charge. But it does contain an interview with Joe, in which he discusses his writerly origins, emphasizes his notions of total creator control, and kisses a little Top Cow ass.
SUICIDE SQUAD #10 (DC)
From February 1988, featuring Amanda Waller, who underwent something of a renaissance some years later thanks to the Justice League cartoons (a way of saying, “was rescued from obscurity,” and can now be seen on SMALLVILLE), owning Batman in ways modern Batman comics would never in a million years allow. That’s another funny thing about reading older comics. Their versions of characters can sometimes seem somewhat quaint, or at least very different from what modern readers will be used to. Another appearance by John Ostrander.
SUPERMAN #4 (DC)
From April 1987, featuring Bloodsport, a character who would about a decade later return to a facsimile of prominence when two villains claiming the name would square off, during a period where I was reading firsthand, so this was a nice find for me. Featuring the work of John Byrne (and once again the Compositor figures that John Byrne was something of a hobby).
Entering Titans county!
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #42 (DC)
From May 1984, this is a comic I had randomly come across previously, so now I have two copies, and it’s just as well, since the issue marks the start of the famous “Judas Contract” arc, with Terra and Deathstroke. It figures that the Compositor would have at least a few Teen Titans comics, since they were one of the hottest things in the 1980s, no foolin’.
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #48 (DC)
From Nov 1984, featuring a “bonus Flash Force 2000 comic” with art by Denys Cowan, either advertising a forgettable toy line, or a forgotten spin-off comic based on said toys, sandwiched in the middle of a story that history does not record as significant as “Judas Contract.”
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #50 (DC)
From February 1985, featuring the wedding of Donna Troy, and Terry, who might as well have been gay. Suffice it to say, really significant at the time, but not really all that important anymore. I think Terry came back during Blackest Night, so there’s that.
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #52 (DC)
From April 1985, featuring Cheshire and Jericho, Marv Wolfman, but not George Perez. Apparently, the next issue of the series was to feature some iteration of Azrael. I didn’t know one existed before Jo Quesada. So I will have to do some research.
TEAM TITANS #1 (DC)
From September 1992, featuring Mirage. Now, I know that comic book women are not real (unlike the vast majority of fans who were caught up in the bad girl craze, which has since morphed into the sexy girl subgenre, were the bad girl craze in truth began; a highlight for this crowd is the alternate cover, the one where this illustrated girl…is nude!), but certain characters (and I’m not talking about a Vampirella, Witchblade, or what have you) are drawn so consistently attractively, I tend to remember them somewhat fondly. Mirage is one of those characters. This book, however, could not survive on Mirage alone. This book, in fact, was about ten years irrelevant, and so that’s probably why you don’t remember it.
THE WEB #14 (Impact)
From December 1992; the final issue of the series. Impact was an imprint of DC. Tell me if some of its characters sound familiar: The Shield, the Crusaders, The Web…Yeah, so the company has been trying to revive these characters for a while. I was a fan of the latest incarnation of The Web. This version, not really comparable.
WILDC.A.T.S #1 (Image)
From August 1992, Jim Lee’s big contribution to the fabled launch of Image, a company that now exists almost as a shell of itself. I mean, it’s great that the whole creator-owned concept still exists, but if the guys who conceived of the company had realized that all their superheroes except for Spawn and Savage Dragon would be virtually forgotten in less than twenty years (which, admittedly, isn’t bad, considering that WildStorm, which became an imprint of and was subsequently shuttered by DC, and Top Cow, which survives on the strength of Michael Turner’s legacy and a Witchblade franchise, have recently still been viable commodities based on the original model) they might have thought twice. Most of them scrambled back to the Big Two after realizing they weren’t the creative dynamos they thought they were, and I say this not to insult them, but to suggest they hadn’t exactly thought everything through. After the giant explosion and implosion of the artist’s market, comics swung back to writing, and writing was never Image’s strong suit, unless you’re talking things not created by the original creators. And again, in that sense, Image was a huge and sustained success. But from the point of view of the average fan, Image really wasn’t. But to move onto another comic…
X-MEN #1 (Marvel)
From October 1991; hey, there’s Jim Lee, and the Buzz Bee again! Getting back to the Image question again, I can’t imagine greater hubris from a bunch of creators who had only barely made their names to suddenly claim the future belonged to them. I think Jim’s the only one who could legitimately claim that he has a viable legacy. No offense to those who still like Spawn, but even two hundred issues won’t make up for the fact that Spawn is a character with no actual direction, and whose purpose ran out a long time ago, when Todd and others just started spinning their wheels instead of writing comics that actually mattered. Jim, meanwhile, ditched those WildC.A.T.s and became simply a superstar artist again, the only one still capable of drumming interest among fans, and on a consistent basis. To blur the line between Image and what I mentioned early with Joe Straczynski, creator control only really matters when you’ve really got something to offer. I could write a column about Joe, but for now, I’ll simply leave it at the thought that sometimes, if really does end with that thought about legitimate contribution versus mindless vanity.
X-MEN 2099 #25 (Marvel)
From October 1995. The 2099 comics were some of the best things Marvel ever did; they were like the Ultimate line but without the illusion and/or pretension to suggest they alone were going to bring in a new generation of readers. What ruined them was when the creators and/or Marvel got bored, dropped the ball, decided to end and/or ruin them. X-NATION, the highlight of the experiment with Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos for the first couple of issues, was the one that really suffered from this meltdown. Spider-Man 2099 has made something of a comeback, but that doesn’t mean he deservedly has his own book back. And that doesn’t mean that anyone remembers that X-Men 2099 was a book that actually returned the mutant franchise back to the original point: a bunch of outcasts lost in a sea of bigotry and uncertainty. Which actually makes at least their fate fairly appropriate.
YOUNG JUSTICE SECRET FILES & ORIGINS (DC)
From January 1999, this was , beyond one of those Secret Files specials I wish DC were still producing, the predecessor, as it now stands, to the new cartoon series, but originally an intended replacement for the tired Teen Titans franchise, featuring Robin, Superboy, Impulse, and a bunch of characters Peter David created and/or used, including the still-improbable original incarnation of the current Wonder Girl. The problem with Peter David is that he has an inclination to juvenile instincts, which on the surface made him appropriate for this kind of book. It also makes him something of a junior version of Joe Straczynski, and sometimes, even Joe Straczynski can’t pull of Joe Straczynski…Anyhoo, there’s something of a joke in this particular Secret Files, since Pete’s got a character named The Secret in this team. Another character lost to the annals of time…
Most editions of this column won’t actually be this long, or lists of a thousand different comics, but what can I say, I’m giddy about quarter bins, and I rarely have the opportunity to indulge. So my pleasure is your pain!
ACTION COMICS #596 (DC)
From January 1988, this one has “Millennium Week 4” stamped on the cover, which helps prove to weary event book readers of the present day that fans of yore also had such troubles. This was an event that saw Manhunters from Green Lantern lore becoming interlopers among the human population, really not all that different than Marvel’s recent “Secret Invasion” with the Skrulls. John Byrne was the creator, and the Spectre guest-starred. It’s mostly about Superman freaking out over Smallville being directly affected.
ACTION PHILOSOPHERS #6 (Evil Twin)
From June 2006, this is the book that helped establish Fred Van Lente as one of the next great comic book writers, a predecessor to his other Evil Twin book COMIC BOOK COMICS (which details the messy history of, well, comic books). In this particular book, Van Lente made reading about great philosophers fun, and in this particular issue, he writes about Kierkegaard, St. Thomas Aquinus, and Wittgenstein, who is probably the most fun (not that he would have agreed).
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN ANNUAL #5 (DC)
From 1993, this was part of the Bloodlines project (and part of the Earthplague phase, for those keeping meticulous score). Reading this particular comic helped put me into a massive Sparx (who debuts this issue) craze last year, which will be reflected in later installments of this back issue column, trust me. I developed a whole comic I would still love to do for Vertigo, assuming my impossible mission of one day writing for comics actually comes true…
ASSASSINS #1 (Amalgam)
From April 1996, “Amalgam” actually means DC/Marvel, for those of you too young to remember MARVEL VS. DC, one of the biggest events of that decade, a comic both companies actively collaborated on, which led to a series of books that combined characters from them into slightly new and exciting concepts! This one features mash-ups of Catwoman, Daredevil, Elektra, Deadshot, Bullseye, Kingpin, and the Riddler (reading it, especially when the combinations make sense, this nonsense really was fun), among others. But what still jazzes me is that the artist on this particular book was Scott McDaniel, who was at the time and continues to be one of my favorite artists.
BATMAN: THE OFFICIAL COMIC ADAPTATION OF THE WARNER BROS. MOTION PICTURE (DC)
From 1989, I’ll be you’ll never guess in a million years what this was. What’s really interesting is that the adapting was done by Denny O’Neil and Jerry Ordway. I’m betting that even those who had no interest in the movie might have gotten a kick out of this comic. I am the night!
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #9 (DC)
From July 1990, this was one of those really great finds, the fourth of five installments of Grant Morrison’s “Gothic,” some of Morrison’s work that I haven’t actually read yet (I only just read ARKHAM ASYLUM last year, for honesty’s sake).
BLACKHAWK - BOOK TWO: RED SNOW (DC)
From 1988, this was a Howard Chaykin prestige format effort, based around a character that was probably fairly obscure even in 1988, but then, good stories really don’t care if their subject matter is well-known or not, do they? Chaykin is an undeniable treasure in the industry, and I’m not sure enough fans realize that. What little I’ve experienced of his work continually attests to this, so this was another treasured find.
BLUE DEVIL #1 (DC)
From June 1984; I didn’t even have to be a Shadowpact fan to be jazzed about this one, the debut and origin of the character. Now, of course I’ve been fully aware of Blue Devil’s origin for as long as I’ve been aware of the character, but it’s still a little surprising that he really does have such a wonky origin…
CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKOWN #4 (DC)
From June 1991, this was the first time Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale ever collaborated. In fact, I’m pretty sure this was Jeph Loeb’s first ever (or at least first regular) comics gig, and quite frankly, it’s a lost gem. The second wave of Escape Velocity quarter bin comics I’ll be writing about in a later column will detail the other issues I was able to snatch up from this book. I’m still in the process of tracking down the remaining issues, but suffice it to say, this one was my biggest find, and the one I most recommend for others to read.
COMICS INTERVIEW #88 (Fictioner)
From 1990, this was another neat find, an issue of this magazine that covers THE FLASH, the short-lived but excellent TV series that was a result of the brief superhero craze Tim Burton’s BATMAN (from a few comics earlier!) kicked off. If you have never seen this show, imagine THE CAPE but with an established character, and a little more affection from the creators, who happened to be Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo, who happened to write actual Flash comic books a few decades after their brief experience helping to extend the franchise’s legacy. What’s funny is that they ended up writing Bart Allen, not even Wally West, who was the Scarlet Speedster at the time of the one season the TV show had a chance to chronicle for new fans the experience of Barry Allen behind the cowl. What’s sad is that about a decade after the show’s failure, CSI made it cool to watch police forensics on TV, and that was half of what the series was about, when Barry wasn’t running around in red, er, rubber. But COMICS INTERVIEW #88 really didn’t know how awesome the show was, either, so the lack of viewers wasn’t so surprising. For a generation of fans, this was Barry Allen. Truth be told, I think even Geoff Johns would be proud.
DARKSTARS #1 (DC)
From October 1992, this was another lucky find, the debut of what was for a short time something of competition for the Green Lantern Corps (John Stewart actually became a Darkstar for a while, as did Donna Troy). It was a concept that I found pretty interesting during that early period of my comics experience, which eventually disappeared. But there are always chances for revivals in this medium, aren’t there?
ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN #1 (Marvel)
From August 1986, credited by me to Marvel above, but actually one of the books that helped launch the short-lived Epic imprint. This was, of course, a Frank Miller project, which was another awesome find, and that title helps further explain the Amalgam book from a little earlier. You see how I could love the random fate of quarter bins?
FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #19 (Marvel)
From 1985, this was another John Byrne comic, featuring Skrulls and Avengers, plus the first family of comics!
GENE RODDENBERRY’S LOST UNIVERSE #1 (Tekno Comix)
From April 1995; it’s such an old trick by now, to try and launch a new comic book company by glomming onto some established name or property, but it’s always interesting to see the permutations. This was from a period just before some of Roddenberry’s files were investigated to bring a pair of new TV shows (EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT and ANDROMEDA, both of which I enjoyed and lasted for a good number of seasons each, but garnered little respect from the fan community, not having enough “creator cool” to satisfy they) to life, so the idea of creating some comics out of his ideas probably seemed like a pretty good idea. Then again, the company also had Leonard Nimoy collaborating on one of their books, so who’s to say what their real motives were? At the time, Star Trek wasn’t yet run into the ground (I say that in the context of its popular appeal, which in 1995 was about to take its first hits, not out of a personal opinion), so it’s fair to say that Tekno really hoped to latch onto properties it didn’t even have…
G.I JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS #1 (Marvel)
From October 1986, apparently while Marvel was celebrating its 25th anniversary. Yet another book available to me because some eager fan in the distant past bought some first issues out because they were stung by the Buzz Bee, and not apparently out of some personal interest.
HOUSE OF M #8 (Marvel)
From December 2005, this was the conclusion of the first of many Marvel event books inspired by the rise of Bendis, the very issue that followed “No More Mutants,” which for me now serves as a prelude to AVENGERS: CHILDREN’S CRUSADE.
JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE #1 (DC)
From April 1989, another of those Buzz Bee stings, and so once again I come up the winner in this temporal exchange.
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL #3 (DC)
From 1989, what I extrapolate as possibly the only other Giffen/DeMatteis comic that fan got. All told, they probably could have done better. If they only knew…
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL (DC)
From 1990; but wait, there’s more! This one features Mister Miracle, in one of the many attempts to make Jack Kirby’s New Gods popular with readers (sadly, it has never worked).
LEGENDS #1 (DC)
From November 1986, this is actually relevant to viewers of SMALLVILLE this season, as this is the event book that directly inspired this season’s arc. A number of legends happen to work on this book, including John Ostrander, Len Wein, John Byrne, and Karl Kesel.
LEGENDS #4 (DC)
From February 1987, it’s another issue!
MARVEL AGE #35 (Marvel)
From February 1986, this was an in-house magazine similar to COMICS INTERVIEW; featured is “A day in the life of Marvel comics!” I got a little bored after a while…
MARVEL AGE #56 (Marvel)
From November 1987, featuring a bunch of new G.I. Joes, which I’m sure the Tony of 1987 would have been more excited about. But I kid. Part of the real fun of back issues is discovering and/or reading about developments (which are now history) that can be found in such comics, and these MARVEL AGE books are chalk-full of that sort of thing. Referenced in this one, for instance, is that predecessor to “Grim Hunt,” Kraven’s last fight with Spider-Man. On the back of both issues are calendars of the very same style Wizard Magazine would copy for one of the periods where I was a regular reader, thereby once again confirming that, at least for a time, Wizard Magazine was virtually a Marvel fan magazine. I mean, it was in those pages where the recently sacrificed Sentry essentially debuted…
NEW X-MEN #115 (Marvel)
From August 2001, this was Part 2 of the three part “E is for Extinction,” the debut of Grant Morrison (along with Frank Quitely) with comics’ favorite mutants. Morrison worked on this book almost exactly during the period I wasn’t reading comics, so I missed this whole thing, but then, I missed a lot of Grant Morrison comics, which is okay, because I’ve also had a chance to read a lot of Grant Morrison comics. It’s nice to know there’s a lot more of them out there.
NEW X-MEN #152 (Marvel)
From March 2004; such as this one! Part of the “Here Comes Tomorrow” arc, the one that brought about the conclusion of Morrison’s run. It’s such a shame that Marvel basically decided to ignore everything he did with the X-Men, almost immediately backpedaling on the whole Xorn thing, for instance. I ask, what, other than “No More Mutants” and the Hope saga, has anyone actually done since?
NOMAD #1 (Marvel)
From May 1992, this series featured Jack Monroe, a character touched upon in the early issues of Ed Brubaker’s CAPTAIN AMERICA, and a version of Nomad that wasn’t Steve Rogers or that alternate Bucky from the Heroes Reborn era currently running around with the name. Brought to you, most importantly, by Fabian Nicieza, who had a full Marvel career before he came to DC, where I became familiar with him as more than just a name, one of my favorites.
OWLHOOTS #1 (Kitchen Sink)
From 1990, a Western ditty that I figured was worth a look. It was.
RISING STARS #½ (Top Cow)
From August 2001, one of J. Michael Straczynski’s early stabs at comics was one of those universe books with an assortment of original superheroes, and this was something of a promo, possibly originally offered by Wizard Magazine, but definitely a reprint by Top Cow with a $2.95 cover charge. But it does contain an interview with Joe, in which he discusses his writerly origins, emphasizes his notions of total creator control, and kisses a little Top Cow ass.
SUICIDE SQUAD #10 (DC)
From February 1988, featuring Amanda Waller, who underwent something of a renaissance some years later thanks to the Justice League cartoons (a way of saying, “was rescued from obscurity,” and can now be seen on SMALLVILLE), owning Batman in ways modern Batman comics would never in a million years allow. That’s another funny thing about reading older comics. Their versions of characters can sometimes seem somewhat quaint, or at least very different from what modern readers will be used to. Another appearance by John Ostrander.
SUPERMAN #4 (DC)
From April 1987, featuring Bloodsport, a character who would about a decade later return to a facsimile of prominence when two villains claiming the name would square off, during a period where I was reading firsthand, so this was a nice find for me. Featuring the work of John Byrne (and once again the Compositor figures that John Byrne was something of a hobby).
Entering Titans county!
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #42 (DC)
From May 1984, this is a comic I had randomly come across previously, so now I have two copies, and it’s just as well, since the issue marks the start of the famous “Judas Contract” arc, with Terra and Deathstroke. It figures that the Compositor would have at least a few Teen Titans comics, since they were one of the hottest things in the 1980s, no foolin’.
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #48 (DC)
From Nov 1984, featuring a “bonus Flash Force 2000 comic” with art by Denys Cowan, either advertising a forgettable toy line, or a forgotten spin-off comic based on said toys, sandwiched in the middle of a story that history does not record as significant as “Judas Contract.”
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #50 (DC)
From February 1985, featuring the wedding of Donna Troy, and Terry, who might as well have been gay. Suffice it to say, really significant at the time, but not really all that important anymore. I think Terry came back during Blackest Night, so there’s that.
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #52 (DC)
From April 1985, featuring Cheshire and Jericho, Marv Wolfman, but not George Perez. Apparently, the next issue of the series was to feature some iteration of Azrael. I didn’t know one existed before Jo Quesada. So I will have to do some research.
TEAM TITANS #1 (DC)
From September 1992, featuring Mirage. Now, I know that comic book women are not real (unlike the vast majority of fans who were caught up in the bad girl craze, which has since morphed into the sexy girl subgenre, were the bad girl craze in truth began; a highlight for this crowd is the alternate cover, the one where this illustrated girl…is nude!), but certain characters (and I’m not talking about a Vampirella, Witchblade, or what have you) are drawn so consistently attractively, I tend to remember them somewhat fondly. Mirage is one of those characters. This book, however, could not survive on Mirage alone. This book, in fact, was about ten years irrelevant, and so that’s probably why you don’t remember it.
THE WEB #14 (Impact)
From December 1992; the final issue of the series. Impact was an imprint of DC. Tell me if some of its characters sound familiar: The Shield, the Crusaders, The Web…Yeah, so the company has been trying to revive these characters for a while. I was a fan of the latest incarnation of The Web. This version, not really comparable.
WILDC.A.T.S #1 (Image)
From August 1992, Jim Lee’s big contribution to the fabled launch of Image, a company that now exists almost as a shell of itself. I mean, it’s great that the whole creator-owned concept still exists, but if the guys who conceived of the company had realized that all their superheroes except for Spawn and Savage Dragon would be virtually forgotten in less than twenty years (which, admittedly, isn’t bad, considering that WildStorm, which became an imprint of and was subsequently shuttered by DC, and Top Cow, which survives on the strength of Michael Turner’s legacy and a Witchblade franchise, have recently still been viable commodities based on the original model) they might have thought twice. Most of them scrambled back to the Big Two after realizing they weren’t the creative dynamos they thought they were, and I say this not to insult them, but to suggest they hadn’t exactly thought everything through. After the giant explosion and implosion of the artist’s market, comics swung back to writing, and writing was never Image’s strong suit, unless you’re talking things not created by the original creators. And again, in that sense, Image was a huge and sustained success. But from the point of view of the average fan, Image really wasn’t. But to move onto another comic…
X-MEN #1 (Marvel)
From October 1991; hey, there’s Jim Lee, and the Buzz Bee again! Getting back to the Image question again, I can’t imagine greater hubris from a bunch of creators who had only barely made their names to suddenly claim the future belonged to them. I think Jim’s the only one who could legitimately claim that he has a viable legacy. No offense to those who still like Spawn, but even two hundred issues won’t make up for the fact that Spawn is a character with no actual direction, and whose purpose ran out a long time ago, when Todd and others just started spinning their wheels instead of writing comics that actually mattered. Jim, meanwhile, ditched those WildC.A.T.s and became simply a superstar artist again, the only one still capable of drumming interest among fans, and on a consistent basis. To blur the line between Image and what I mentioned early with Joe Straczynski, creator control only really matters when you’ve really got something to offer. I could write a column about Joe, but for now, I’ll simply leave it at the thought that sometimes, if really does end with that thought about legitimate contribution versus mindless vanity.
X-MEN 2099 #25 (Marvel)
From October 1995. The 2099 comics were some of the best things Marvel ever did; they were like the Ultimate line but without the illusion and/or pretension to suggest they alone were going to bring in a new generation of readers. What ruined them was when the creators and/or Marvel got bored, dropped the ball, decided to end and/or ruin them. X-NATION, the highlight of the experiment with Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos for the first couple of issues, was the one that really suffered from this meltdown. Spider-Man 2099 has made something of a comeback, but that doesn’t mean he deservedly has his own book back. And that doesn’t mean that anyone remembers that X-Men 2099 was a book that actually returned the mutant franchise back to the original point: a bunch of outcasts lost in a sea of bigotry and uncertainty. Which actually makes at least their fate fairly appropriate.
YOUNG JUSTICE SECRET FILES & ORIGINS (DC)
From January 1999, this was , beyond one of those Secret Files specials I wish DC were still producing, the predecessor, as it now stands, to the new cartoon series, but originally an intended replacement for the tired Teen Titans franchise, featuring Robin, Superboy, Impulse, and a bunch of characters Peter David created and/or used, including the still-improbable original incarnation of the current Wonder Girl. The problem with Peter David is that he has an inclination to juvenile instincts, which on the surface made him appropriate for this kind of book. It also makes him something of a junior version of Joe Straczynski, and sometimes, even Joe Straczynski can’t pull of Joe Straczynski…Anyhoo, there’s something of a joke in this particular Secret Files, since Pete’s got a character named The Secret in this team. Another character lost to the annals of time…
Most editions of this column won’t actually be this long, or lists of a thousand different comics, but what can I say, I’m giddy about quarter bins, and I rarely have the opportunity to indulge. So my pleasure is your pain!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Batman without Grant Morrison
For some people, I guess, this isn’t a problem. They think of Grant Morrison, and they think of that crazy writer who can’t even begin to be coherent to them, the one with wild ideas (and maybe predilections) who is best avoided or ignored all together. He’s the comics master who has never quite managed to join the ranks of Frank Miller and Alan Moore, from whose generation he comes. Where Miller and Moore have numerous iconic projects to their credit that fans are able to point to, Morrison alone among the three is still incredibly active…but without the same credit line. You can say ALL STAR SUPERMAN, maybe, or THE INVISIBLES, or even point to ANIMAL MAN, DOOM PATROL, ARKHAM ASYLUM, JLA. All these are famous Grant Morrison projects, and there are others worth mentioning, too, along the same lines, but they don’t really help or hinder my point, and that would be, Morrison tends to be a little harder to grasp than Miller or Moore. He hasn’t found the project that beyond a doubt can be called a classic, someone everyone can at least claim to love. He’s the consummate and ultimate comic book writer, will perhaps one day become the patron saint or even god of that forsaken clan. He’s perhaps too good.
His most concerted effort for the last half decade has been with Batman, and perhaps, here, he might find that missing piece of the puzzle. God knows he’s been working at it. Ed Brubaker is the only other creator who has been making the same kind of effort, or at least comparable. Brubaker, of course, has been doing it with Captain America, a project I followed for a while, but Brubaker is no Grant Morrison. He has the focus, but he doesn’t, ultimately, have the inspiration. His one idea was the return of Bucky Barnes, and now that Bucky is Captain America, it’ll be anyone’s guess if the writer who ultimately succeeds him will respect anything that he’s done, sort of like Ron Marz and Kyle Rayner. I would actually argue that the longer Brubaker stays on CAPTAIN AMERICA, the more his weakens his legacy. He needs someone else to prove writing Bucky is possible. The problem with writing Captain America at all has always been that it’s difficult to prove that Cap is actually an interesting character. Interesting idea, sure, and many writers have proven that, but as a character, there just isn’t that much to work with, and Brubaker has proven that much repeatedly.
No, what Grant Morrison has done with Batman is different. The way others wrote Batman, at their best, was always in some separate, sometimes alternate, continuity. Miller achieved it with YEAR ONE and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, of course. Loeb did THE LONG HALLOWEEN. Moore did KILLING JOKE. Morrison himself did ARKHAM ASYLUM. But now he’s done a whole series of stories, his own “Knightfall” saga in “R.I.P.” being the most obvious of them, but he’s also taken the idea of Bruce Wayne having a son and actually made it work. Damian is like Bucky Barnes done in 3D. Lots of other writers have thrown themselves over wet sidewalks just for a chance to write Damian. Dan Jurgens wrote Damian, and Dan is the version of Alex Ross that can actually write. Morrison has advanced and articulated the continuing legacy of Batman so that he no longer seems like a static concept but something that actually seems worthy of the hype.
Recently, of course, he finished a time-spanning saga that saw Bruce Wayne come back, but in such a way that didn’t totally through away everything that had been done in his absence, expanding it and evolving Bruce one step further, and that story is only just beginning. That’s what Grant Morrison has done with Batman. He’s completely owned the concept.
The funny thing is, unlike Brubaker, he hasn’t monopolized it. This isn’t to say that other writers haven’t been allowed to write a little Captain America here and there. There was an excellent CAPTAIN AMERICA: PATRIOT from the underappreciated Karl Kesel recently, for instance, but it was a throwback tale that didn’t even involve Bucky, much less Steve Rogers (so yes, there is now a rich legacy that could really be exploited by a Mark Waid, given the right and ongoing opportunity). Geoff Johns sort of goofed in an unintentional Brubaker fashion when he was writing ACTION COMICS. He created such an expansive version of Superman that no one DC was at the time employing to write the same character and/or family could compete with him (except, of course Morrison, on ALL STAR SUPERMAN). Kurt Busiek suffered in comparison. Greg Rucka and James Robinson stumbled all over themselves trying to finish what he started. So it’s a good thing, in some sense, that Brubaker has maintained his monopoly. It preserves the mystique, in one sense, and prevents any immediate need for comparisons. But I hate to be the poor sap who follows him, unless they are equally inspired by a singular and extended vision.
It just isn’t that way with Morrison, even though it seems like, more than any other example, it really should be. Okay, it was in the beginning. I like Paul Dini, love him for helping give us the animated Batman, but his DETECTIVE COMICS could never truly compete. It wasn’t until after “R.I.P,” when Morrison opened the table to other writers, that it truly became evident, what he was doing. He literally made it possible to consider Batman, one of the most established characters in modern fiction, a tabula rasa.
Instead of detailing how exactly that evolved, let’s skip to the present. Now, as we all know, Dick Grayson took on the cowl (for the second time, after his prior attempt in “The Prodigal,” a storyline that followed the whole “Knightfall” saga), and as was nothing like Bucky becoming Captain America and staying so even after Steve Rogers returned (any scholarly account of the parallels between Brubaker and Morrison’s writing would not favor Brubaker), kept it even after Bruce Wayne returned. So currently, you can read any number of Batman books and they might star either Dick or Bruce under the cowl. The book actually called BATMAN is currently being managed by Tony Daniel, a creator who first came to prominence as an artist working alongside Morrison , but who has since taken on the dual assignment and begun writing as well. He’s one of a handful of creators capable of doing so (Phil Hester and Stuart Immonen are two others, but they rarely do both at the same time), and he’s kept the book a bestseller since beginning the effort, to some initial surprise. But the real surprise is that he’s been doing so by continuing all sorts of legacies, none of them directly related to his work with Morrison, of all things. In fact, he owes more to Jeph Loeb (continuing the Falcone saga begun in THE LONG HALLOWEEN) and drawing artistic inspiration from Frank Miller and Jim Lee. The results are nothing short of astonishing, because Daniel would otherwise be a complete unknown, and to be doing this kind of work is unbelievable, and he hasn’t, beyond sales, gotten near enough credit for it.
It’s the only way he falls under the shadow of Grant Morrison, because otherwise, Tony Daniel has proven beyond a doubt that he’s as much a part of Batman’s continuing legend as Morrison, as crazy as that might sound. But you should be reading his BATMAN. Your future self will thank you.
Dini, by the way, is also still working on Batman, this time in BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM, where he’s been continuing the legacy of Hush, along with Dustin Nguyen. It’s more work that deserves more recognition.
There’s also Scott Snyder, who burst onto the scene with the high profile AMERICAN VAMPIRE, but who recently inherited DETECTIVE COMICS. His first few issues prove that Dick Grayson is not as difficult a character to write as some writers have sometimes suggested. As a fan of Grayson and the Robin legacy in general, I couldn’t be more happy.
That’s some evidence, anyway, that there really is life for Batman outside of Grant Morrison. But yeah, Grant Morrison rocks.
Here’re some quick takes on comics from the period that inspired this week’s column:
BATMAN #705 (DC)
The Tony Daniel effort that introduced the Riddler’s daughter, Enigma, but also features other Daniel originals Peacock and I-Ching. Peacock’s characterization of Dick Grayson’s Batman is priceless.
AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE #4 (of 9) (Marvel)
I don’t really get why fans no longer seem to care about the Young Avengers, especially now that Allan Heinberg and Jimmy Cheung have finally returned to them. Heinberg gets to write the sequel to HOUSE OF M, and nobody cares? That’s what all that undiluted Bendis will get you.
WHAT IF? #200 (Marvel)
I’m a DC partisan if there ever was one. It’s not as if I haven’t given Marvel a lot of chances over the past five years, but the House of Ideas keeps finding ways to bungle them. Ironically, I have never really gotten into this particular idea, so I was happy to at least help celebrate this milestone. Poor Sentry finally gets to prove that he was at least a powerful character, if not a compelling one.
RED: EYES ONLY (WildStorm)
Cully Hamner throws his hat into the writer/artist arena with this prequel to the project he originally began with Warren Ellis, a little treat for those like me who loved the movie.
GREEN ARROW #7 (DC)
Okay, I may actually believe the hype surrounding J.T. Krul now. This comic was pretty awesome, and is exactly the kind of story Oliver Queen should be starring in. If Green Arrow is to walk around with a conceit like that, he might as well stumble into whole scenarios that can really exploit it, and having a whole forest and even one or two new supporting characters (who aren’t just sidekicks and/or love interests) is pretty awesome.
DETECTIVE COMICS #871-872 (DC)
Did a little creative catching up here, the first two Scott Snyder issues, where he syncs up with Dick Grayson and finds a unique way to explore the legacy of Batman’s war on crime to boot. Also features a Commissioner Gordon backup.
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #79 (DC)
Chris Roberson conjures some good juju by revisiting DC One Million, a Grant Morrison concept that I particularly enjoyed.
AZRAEL #15-16 (DC)
The “Killer of Saints” arc made this book immortal last year. Here, David Hine rounds out some of that story in anticipation of the upcoming cancellation. It’s too bad, but at least now there’s a useful legacy for the Azrael concept.
WEIRD WORLDS #1 (DC)
DC has been trying to do books with its space heroes for a while now, perhaps because Marvel has developed something of a cult around theirs. Well, this book actually has Lobo, so this time it will probably be worth sticking around for. Also, Kevin Maguire gives us Tanga, who looks like another troublemaker worth a thing or two.
STEEL #1 (DC)
I don’t know what DC has planned otherwise with “Reign of Doomsday,” but this appears to be the death of John Henry Irons, and I for one mourn the guy. This is a pretty worthy tribute to some of his forgotten history, making me wish all the more that he would’ve been a little more loved by fans, so there would be more stories to treasure.
STARMAN/CONGORILLA #1 (DC)
James Robinson, I don’t really know what he’s been doing in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, because I haven’t been reading. CRY FOR JUSTICE was a classic (until it turned into a vehicle to help relaunch Green Arrow, which in itself turned out to be a pretty good thing), and with the right characters, Robinson is golden (ah, no pun intended). Word is he’s working on another project that might be more up his alley. This one was like a cross between James Robinson “good” and James Robinson “meh.”
OZMA OF OZ #3 (of 8) (Marvel)
Love, love, love Shanower and Young on these adaptations.
IRREDEEMABLE # 21 (Boom!)
I like reading this book, but I can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be a little better a little more compressed. Still, consistently pretty interesting.
BRIGHTEST DAY # 17 (DC)
Somebody called this, and other weekly(ish) books that DC has done ADD comics. I would counter that anyone who can’t follow them suffers from their own attention disorders.
His most concerted effort for the last half decade has been with Batman, and perhaps, here, he might find that missing piece of the puzzle. God knows he’s been working at it. Ed Brubaker is the only other creator who has been making the same kind of effort, or at least comparable. Brubaker, of course, has been doing it with Captain America, a project I followed for a while, but Brubaker is no Grant Morrison. He has the focus, but he doesn’t, ultimately, have the inspiration. His one idea was the return of Bucky Barnes, and now that Bucky is Captain America, it’ll be anyone’s guess if the writer who ultimately succeeds him will respect anything that he’s done, sort of like Ron Marz and Kyle Rayner. I would actually argue that the longer Brubaker stays on CAPTAIN AMERICA, the more his weakens his legacy. He needs someone else to prove writing Bucky is possible. The problem with writing Captain America at all has always been that it’s difficult to prove that Cap is actually an interesting character. Interesting idea, sure, and many writers have proven that, but as a character, there just isn’t that much to work with, and Brubaker has proven that much repeatedly.
No, what Grant Morrison has done with Batman is different. The way others wrote Batman, at their best, was always in some separate, sometimes alternate, continuity. Miller achieved it with YEAR ONE and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, of course. Loeb did THE LONG HALLOWEEN. Moore did KILLING JOKE. Morrison himself did ARKHAM ASYLUM. But now he’s done a whole series of stories, his own “Knightfall” saga in “R.I.P.” being the most obvious of them, but he’s also taken the idea of Bruce Wayne having a son and actually made it work. Damian is like Bucky Barnes done in 3D. Lots of other writers have thrown themselves over wet sidewalks just for a chance to write Damian. Dan Jurgens wrote Damian, and Dan is the version of Alex Ross that can actually write. Morrison has advanced and articulated the continuing legacy of Batman so that he no longer seems like a static concept but something that actually seems worthy of the hype.
Recently, of course, he finished a time-spanning saga that saw Bruce Wayne come back, but in such a way that didn’t totally through away everything that had been done in his absence, expanding it and evolving Bruce one step further, and that story is only just beginning. That’s what Grant Morrison has done with Batman. He’s completely owned the concept.
The funny thing is, unlike Brubaker, he hasn’t monopolized it. This isn’t to say that other writers haven’t been allowed to write a little Captain America here and there. There was an excellent CAPTAIN AMERICA: PATRIOT from the underappreciated Karl Kesel recently, for instance, but it was a throwback tale that didn’t even involve Bucky, much less Steve Rogers (so yes, there is now a rich legacy that could really be exploited by a Mark Waid, given the right and ongoing opportunity). Geoff Johns sort of goofed in an unintentional Brubaker fashion when he was writing ACTION COMICS. He created such an expansive version of Superman that no one DC was at the time employing to write the same character and/or family could compete with him (except, of course Morrison, on ALL STAR SUPERMAN). Kurt Busiek suffered in comparison. Greg Rucka and James Robinson stumbled all over themselves trying to finish what he started. So it’s a good thing, in some sense, that Brubaker has maintained his monopoly. It preserves the mystique, in one sense, and prevents any immediate need for comparisons. But I hate to be the poor sap who follows him, unless they are equally inspired by a singular and extended vision.
It just isn’t that way with Morrison, even though it seems like, more than any other example, it really should be. Okay, it was in the beginning. I like Paul Dini, love him for helping give us the animated Batman, but his DETECTIVE COMICS could never truly compete. It wasn’t until after “R.I.P,” when Morrison opened the table to other writers, that it truly became evident, what he was doing. He literally made it possible to consider Batman, one of the most established characters in modern fiction, a tabula rasa.
Instead of detailing how exactly that evolved, let’s skip to the present. Now, as we all know, Dick Grayson took on the cowl (for the second time, after his prior attempt in “The Prodigal,” a storyline that followed the whole “Knightfall” saga), and as was nothing like Bucky becoming Captain America and staying so even after Steve Rogers returned (any scholarly account of the parallels between Brubaker and Morrison’s writing would not favor Brubaker), kept it even after Bruce Wayne returned. So currently, you can read any number of Batman books and they might star either Dick or Bruce under the cowl. The book actually called BATMAN is currently being managed by Tony Daniel, a creator who first came to prominence as an artist working alongside Morrison , but who has since taken on the dual assignment and begun writing as well. He’s one of a handful of creators capable of doing so (Phil Hester and Stuart Immonen are two others, but they rarely do both at the same time), and he’s kept the book a bestseller since beginning the effort, to some initial surprise. But the real surprise is that he’s been doing so by continuing all sorts of legacies, none of them directly related to his work with Morrison, of all things. In fact, he owes more to Jeph Loeb (continuing the Falcone saga begun in THE LONG HALLOWEEN) and drawing artistic inspiration from Frank Miller and Jim Lee. The results are nothing short of astonishing, because Daniel would otherwise be a complete unknown, and to be doing this kind of work is unbelievable, and he hasn’t, beyond sales, gotten near enough credit for it.
It’s the only way he falls under the shadow of Grant Morrison, because otherwise, Tony Daniel has proven beyond a doubt that he’s as much a part of Batman’s continuing legend as Morrison, as crazy as that might sound. But you should be reading his BATMAN. Your future self will thank you.
Dini, by the way, is also still working on Batman, this time in BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM, where he’s been continuing the legacy of Hush, along with Dustin Nguyen. It’s more work that deserves more recognition.
There’s also Scott Snyder, who burst onto the scene with the high profile AMERICAN VAMPIRE, but who recently inherited DETECTIVE COMICS. His first few issues prove that Dick Grayson is not as difficult a character to write as some writers have sometimes suggested. As a fan of Grayson and the Robin legacy in general, I couldn’t be more happy.
That’s some evidence, anyway, that there really is life for Batman outside of Grant Morrison. But yeah, Grant Morrison rocks.
Here’re some quick takes on comics from the period that inspired this week’s column:
BATMAN #705 (DC)
The Tony Daniel effort that introduced the Riddler’s daughter, Enigma, but also features other Daniel originals Peacock and I-Ching. Peacock’s characterization of Dick Grayson’s Batman is priceless.
AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE #4 (of 9) (Marvel)
I don’t really get why fans no longer seem to care about the Young Avengers, especially now that Allan Heinberg and Jimmy Cheung have finally returned to them. Heinberg gets to write the sequel to HOUSE OF M, and nobody cares? That’s what all that undiluted Bendis will get you.
WHAT IF? #200 (Marvel)
I’m a DC partisan if there ever was one. It’s not as if I haven’t given Marvel a lot of chances over the past five years, but the House of Ideas keeps finding ways to bungle them. Ironically, I have never really gotten into this particular idea, so I was happy to at least help celebrate this milestone. Poor Sentry finally gets to prove that he was at least a powerful character, if not a compelling one.
RED: EYES ONLY (WildStorm)
Cully Hamner throws his hat into the writer/artist arena with this prequel to the project he originally began with Warren Ellis, a little treat for those like me who loved the movie.
GREEN ARROW #7 (DC)
Okay, I may actually believe the hype surrounding J.T. Krul now. This comic was pretty awesome, and is exactly the kind of story Oliver Queen should be starring in. If Green Arrow is to walk around with a conceit like that, he might as well stumble into whole scenarios that can really exploit it, and having a whole forest and even one or two new supporting characters (who aren’t just sidekicks and/or love interests) is pretty awesome.
DETECTIVE COMICS #871-872 (DC)
Did a little creative catching up here, the first two Scott Snyder issues, where he syncs up with Dick Grayson and finds a unique way to explore the legacy of Batman’s war on crime to boot. Also features a Commissioner Gordon backup.
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #79 (DC)
Chris Roberson conjures some good juju by revisiting DC One Million, a Grant Morrison concept that I particularly enjoyed.
AZRAEL #15-16 (DC)
The “Killer of Saints” arc made this book immortal last year. Here, David Hine rounds out some of that story in anticipation of the upcoming cancellation. It’s too bad, but at least now there’s a useful legacy for the Azrael concept.
WEIRD WORLDS #1 (DC)
DC has been trying to do books with its space heroes for a while now, perhaps because Marvel has developed something of a cult around theirs. Well, this book actually has Lobo, so this time it will probably be worth sticking around for. Also, Kevin Maguire gives us Tanga, who looks like another troublemaker worth a thing or two.
STEEL #1 (DC)
I don’t know what DC has planned otherwise with “Reign of Doomsday,” but this appears to be the death of John Henry Irons, and I for one mourn the guy. This is a pretty worthy tribute to some of his forgotten history, making me wish all the more that he would’ve been a little more loved by fans, so there would be more stories to treasure.
STARMAN/CONGORILLA #1 (DC)
James Robinson, I don’t really know what he’s been doing in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, because I haven’t been reading. CRY FOR JUSTICE was a classic (until it turned into a vehicle to help relaunch Green Arrow, which in itself turned out to be a pretty good thing), and with the right characters, Robinson is golden (ah, no pun intended). Word is he’s working on another project that might be more up his alley. This one was like a cross between James Robinson “good” and James Robinson “meh.”
OZMA OF OZ #3 (of 8) (Marvel)
Love, love, love Shanower and Young on these adaptations.
IRREDEEMABLE # 21 (Boom!)
I like reading this book, but I can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be a little better a little more compressed. Still, consistently pretty interesting.
BRIGHTEST DAY # 17 (DC)
Somebody called this, and other weekly(ish) books that DC has done ADD comics. I would counter that anyone who can’t follow them suffers from their own attention disorders.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Quarter Bin #1 "DC Grab Bag"
One of the things I best like about comics is how random it can be to find and read back issues. There are so many years, so many creators, so many stories, it’s much more difficult than with books or movies to always have at least an idea of what to expect, and so many ways to search. Only music really compares. But this is not a music site. It is a comics site. And this particular column will detail my adventures with back issues, some of them coming from actual quarter bins (because there’s a certain thrill associated with those), others from any number of other origins, some that I specifically sought out. So this will be a pretty eclectic column.
The inaugural batch comes from a random assortment bought from Midtown Comics, a grab bag of DC titles, because DC happens to be my publisher of choice. Without further adieu, and in no particular order:
THE OMAC PROJECT: INFINITE CRISIS SPECIAL (DC)
From May 2006, there’s not a lot to say about this except that it was a special that was put out after the initial mini-series that helped launch INFINITE CRISIS. Written by Greg Rucka during his period of greatest influence with the company, it helped launch the modern Checkmate, which has since become a subplot for the resurrected Max Lord.
RANN-THANAGAR WAR #2 (OF 6) (DC)
From August 2005, this was obviously a companion series of the one that resulted in the above comic, from Dave Gibbons and Ivan Reis, during the period where DC really didn’t know what to do with Kyle Rayner after Hal Jordan’s return. Eventually, of course, Jade is sacrificed, which opened the door…to her recent return.
INFINITE CRISIS SECRET FILES & ORIGINS (DC)
From April 2006, this special was anchored by an account of how Earth-3 Alex Luthor tricked Earth-2 Superman and the soon-to-be eeeevil Superboy-Prime into causing Infinite Crisis, thanks to Marv Wolfman, Dan Jurgens, and Jerry Ordway. Whatever happened to these Secret Files specials?
NORTHLANDERS #13 (Vertigo)
From February 2009, this is a comic I never read on purpose, and I guess I don’t really care to, even with this sample, even though it’s had good buzz. I saw nothing in this issue to change my opinion, anyway.
TINY TITANS #12 (DC)
SUPERGIRL: COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE 8TH GRADE #3 (OF 6) (DC)
BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM! #3 (DC)
SCOOBY-DOO! #139 (DC)
DC SUPER FRIENDS #10 (DC)
Ranging from February to April 2009, I guess for some reason Midtown either thinks these grab bags are being bought for family consumption or they really think the persons purchasing them want a complete survey. Either way…
MIRROR’S EDGE #3 (WildStorm)
Based on a video game, but not really that bad.
STORMWATCH: PHD #18 (WildStorm)
From March 2009. The recent shuttering of WildStorm caused a few people to unleash some laments about how little the studio was appreciated, especially because of that period where it was responsible for a whole slew of comics inspired by SQUADRON SUPREME (not that they were ever described that way), and Gen-13, which was extremely popular for about fifteen minutes. Otherwise, WildStorm really was just responsible…for another superhero universe. I would wager to say no real loss.
BANG! TANGO #1 (OF 6) (Vertigo)
From April 2009, this was a Joe Kelly project that was somewhat hyped by Vertigo at the time. My verdict? If Howard Chaykin had provided more than just the covers, it probably would have been relevant.
WONDER WOMAN #26 (DC)
From January 2009, this was the start of Gail Simone’s “Rise of the Olympian” storyline, which was the beginning of a very swift decline in quality for her work on the title. It was basically a very, very uninspired version of “Doomsday.” I honestly don’t know what she was thinking. Or perhaps what Aaron Lopresti was thinking, assuming he designed the horribly designed villain. Lopresti is usually better than that. But at least Simone is finally off this book.
100 BULLETS #98 (Vertigo)
From February 2009, this was one of the final issues of this acclaimed series. Personally, I didn’t really see the point of it.
THE WINTER MEN WINTER SPECIAL (WildStorm)
From February 2009, this was pretty interesting. I remember reading it when I originally got this random collection, but it is definitely worth revisiting, so I will probably do that. That, ah, means it’s probably worth looking at in general.
SUPERMAN/SUPERGIRL: MAELSTROM #4 (OF 5) (DC)
From February 2009, aside from a terrible title and a worse logo, is part of the strong push Supergirl got into being a legitimate member of the modern Superman franchise, from Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with art by Phil Noto.
SCALPED #24 (Vertigo)
From February 2009, the conclusion to the “Gravel in Your Guts” storyline. I was a semi-regular and then a regular reader of this Jason Aaron book (his best work in comics to date), but I got a little tired of things pretty remaining status quo indefinitely, like a bad TV procedural. I’m not saying this series isn’t worth reading, because it truly is one of the best comics being published today, but that it’s simply not something I can read on a regular basis.
52 #31 (DC)
From the week of December 6, 2006, a series I followed religiously when it was originally published, and still contend is a seminal work of modern comics. This particular issue centers on the horrors of Lady Styx, who admittedly didn’t really develop into anything special, but does feature the grizzly end of Captain Comet. Captain who? Well…exactly. That’s why that particular character was sacrificed during this series.
DRAGONLANCE #15 (DC)
From January 1990...based on a role playing game.
HAWK & DOVE#15 (DC)
From August 1990, and the married Kesels, who for years tried to make some incarnation of this DC duo relevant. Hey, so at least one version is technically relevant in the pages of BRIGHTEST DAY…
That’s the twenty comics included in the grab bag, and thus concludes this inaugural edition of this new incarnation of my Quarter Bin column, which if you were wondering if the origin of the “QB” in the QB50 ranking from last week. From here on out, I’ll be alternating between talk on new comics, spotlighting (as currently planned) one title or creator per week, and new editions of Quarter Bin. This is the only Midtown grab bag I’ve gotten so far, but as always, because that’s how I am with back issues, it may not be the last…
The inaugural batch comes from a random assortment bought from Midtown Comics, a grab bag of DC titles, because DC happens to be my publisher of choice. Without further adieu, and in no particular order:
THE OMAC PROJECT: INFINITE CRISIS SPECIAL (DC)
From May 2006, there’s not a lot to say about this except that it was a special that was put out after the initial mini-series that helped launch INFINITE CRISIS. Written by Greg Rucka during his period of greatest influence with the company, it helped launch the modern Checkmate, which has since become a subplot for the resurrected Max Lord.
RANN-THANAGAR WAR #2 (OF 6) (DC)
From August 2005, this was obviously a companion series of the one that resulted in the above comic, from Dave Gibbons and Ivan Reis, during the period where DC really didn’t know what to do with Kyle Rayner after Hal Jordan’s return. Eventually, of course, Jade is sacrificed, which opened the door…to her recent return.
INFINITE CRISIS SECRET FILES & ORIGINS (DC)
From April 2006, this special was anchored by an account of how Earth-3 Alex Luthor tricked Earth-2 Superman and the soon-to-be eeeevil Superboy-Prime into causing Infinite Crisis, thanks to Marv Wolfman, Dan Jurgens, and Jerry Ordway. Whatever happened to these Secret Files specials?
NORTHLANDERS #13 (Vertigo)
From February 2009, this is a comic I never read on purpose, and I guess I don’t really care to, even with this sample, even though it’s had good buzz. I saw nothing in this issue to change my opinion, anyway.
TINY TITANS #12 (DC)
SUPERGIRL: COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE 8TH GRADE #3 (OF 6) (DC)
BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM! #3 (DC)
SCOOBY-DOO! #139 (DC)
DC SUPER FRIENDS #10 (DC)
Ranging from February to April 2009, I guess for some reason Midtown either thinks these grab bags are being bought for family consumption or they really think the persons purchasing them want a complete survey. Either way…
MIRROR’S EDGE #3 (WildStorm)
Based on a video game, but not really that bad.
STORMWATCH: PHD #18 (WildStorm)
From March 2009. The recent shuttering of WildStorm caused a few people to unleash some laments about how little the studio was appreciated, especially because of that period where it was responsible for a whole slew of comics inspired by SQUADRON SUPREME (not that they were ever described that way), and Gen-13, which was extremely popular for about fifteen minutes. Otherwise, WildStorm really was just responsible…for another superhero universe. I would wager to say no real loss.
BANG! TANGO #1 (OF 6) (Vertigo)
From April 2009, this was a Joe Kelly project that was somewhat hyped by Vertigo at the time. My verdict? If Howard Chaykin had provided more than just the covers, it probably would have been relevant.
WONDER WOMAN #26 (DC)
From January 2009, this was the start of Gail Simone’s “Rise of the Olympian” storyline, which was the beginning of a very swift decline in quality for her work on the title. It was basically a very, very uninspired version of “Doomsday.” I honestly don’t know what she was thinking. Or perhaps what Aaron Lopresti was thinking, assuming he designed the horribly designed villain. Lopresti is usually better than that. But at least Simone is finally off this book.
100 BULLETS #98 (Vertigo)
From February 2009, this was one of the final issues of this acclaimed series. Personally, I didn’t really see the point of it.
THE WINTER MEN WINTER SPECIAL (WildStorm)
From February 2009, this was pretty interesting. I remember reading it when I originally got this random collection, but it is definitely worth revisiting, so I will probably do that. That, ah, means it’s probably worth looking at in general.
SUPERMAN/SUPERGIRL: MAELSTROM #4 (OF 5) (DC)
From February 2009, aside from a terrible title and a worse logo, is part of the strong push Supergirl got into being a legitimate member of the modern Superman franchise, from Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with art by Phil Noto.
SCALPED #24 (Vertigo)
From February 2009, the conclusion to the “Gravel in Your Guts” storyline. I was a semi-regular and then a regular reader of this Jason Aaron book (his best work in comics to date), but I got a little tired of things pretty remaining status quo indefinitely, like a bad TV procedural. I’m not saying this series isn’t worth reading, because it truly is one of the best comics being published today, but that it’s simply not something I can read on a regular basis.
52 #31 (DC)
From the week of December 6, 2006, a series I followed religiously when it was originally published, and still contend is a seminal work of modern comics. This particular issue centers on the horrors of Lady Styx, who admittedly didn’t really develop into anything special, but does feature the grizzly end of Captain Comet. Captain who? Well…exactly. That’s why that particular character was sacrificed during this series.
DRAGONLANCE #15 (DC)
From January 1990...based on a role playing game.
HAWK & DOVE#15 (DC)
From August 1990, and the married Kesels, who for years tried to make some incarnation of this DC duo relevant. Hey, so at least one version is technically relevant in the pages of BRIGHTEST DAY…
That’s the twenty comics included in the grab bag, and thus concludes this inaugural edition of this new incarnation of my Quarter Bin column, which if you were wondering if the origin of the “QB” in the QB50 ranking from last week. From here on out, I’ll be alternating between talk on new comics, spotlighting (as currently planned) one title or creator per week, and new editions of Quarter Bin. This is the only Midtown grab bag I’ve gotten so far, but as always, because that’s how I am with back issues, it may not be the last…
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