Comic Books: August 2006 Archives

My pick of the week: All Star Superman #5. More genius Silver-Age craziness from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Superman never really appears in costume during the story--instead it's Clark Kent who plays second fiddle to Lex Luthor. Luthor's in prison, awaiting his turn at the electric chair, and spends some quality time with Kent. Fans of the bumbling, stumbling Clark Kent persona in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies will love the scenes where Kent clumsily falls around Luthor's lab and whimpers when the Parasite goes on a rampage. Despite Luthor's genius, he can't see the resemblance between Superman and his alter ego:

I've always liked you, Kent. You're a humble, modest, uncoordinated human. You're everything He's not.

Even in the end, when Kent's glasses are removed, Luthor still doesn't see it. Throughout the issue, Kent looks more like a puffy, overweight post-adolescent than the Man of Steel. Due to Quitely's rendition, you wouldn't think they are the same person, either.

There's no mistaking the allegory in the final pages of the story: Luthor's sending Superman on a trip to hell. Is it just me, or does Luthor resemble Grant Morrison in a few panels? Nuff said.

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Birds of Prey has a history of taking on artists who prove themselves on the title and then go on to bigger and better things. Gary Frank, Greg Land, Ed Benes, and now this new fellow, Paulo Sequeira. I really like both this artwork and his panel layout. As Cousin Dick said last time, his artwork in various panels has touches of Chaykin--is it the drawing or the way the blacks are inked in? I'd love to know Sequeira's influences. I think I see some Golden in there as well.

The story by Gail Simone is fun--Black Alice is on a rampage, fighting the Birds with her magic-stealing powers. I think she may be one of the most powerful people in the DCU. Talia, Cheetah, and Felix Faust are there to cloud up Alice's teenage mind. Canary makes a great comment about Talia:

Batman doesn't talk about Talia. Word around the JLA was that she was his one blind spot. The one evil he couldn't bear to fight. And now his fabled judgment may have doomed us all. But to me, unimpressed by her lineage and hetero to the bone--she's just another witch in a push-up bra.

Can't wait to see what happens in BOP 100 and the identity of the mysterious Batgirl--is it Barbara Gordon? Nuff said.

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I think it was Keith Giffen who recounted the story about Wally Wood and Power Girl. Wood drew several issues of All-Star Comics during the 1970s, when PG made her first appearances. With every issue, Wood made Power Girl's chest bigger and bigger, thinking some editor was going to tell him to stop. No one ever did. I think this tradition continues until today! PG looks ginormous in this double-page spread from Supergirl #9.

Despite the massive cleavage, the story in this issue of Supergirl is the best one since the book started. Joe Kelly really gets into Supergirl's character and how she feels about being a misplaced teen on DC's earth. Supergirl has a fun, flirtatious date with a mysterious red-headed stranger--you'll see his identity at the end, I won't spoil it for you here. In various flashbacks we see the repercussions to Kara's moral compromise in the bottled city of Kandor as well as her various relationships in the DCU (Wonder Girl, Batman, etc). Kelly's off to a good start, if he keeps this up then Supergirl will become a solid monthly comic. Nuff said.

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Today should be declared a national holiday for comic-book fans: it's Jack Kirby's birthday! He would have been 89 years old today (thanks to Newsarama Blog for the info). Funny enough, when I was a kid, I really didn't care for Kirby's artwork or writing. I much preferred Neal Adams drawing Superman, John Buscema on Silver Surfer, or John Romita Sr. on Captain America. Only in my 20s did I gather an appreciation for his incredible artistic style and his unlimited imagination. Now my Kirby mania has extended to all my computer names (Silver Surfer, Black Bolt, Lightray, Metreon, Galactus) as well as this new domain name I've registered (www.attilan.com, more on that later). This particular cover on Fantastic Four #72 has one of my favorite Silver Surfer images.

Having started reading Marvel Comics in 1970, I was mystified by the DC house ads that announced "The King Is Coming!" The New Gods were unlike anything I'd ever read on the comic book newsstands. I didn't really know what to make of it. One concept I really dug was "The Black Racer", a harbinger of death who arrives on flying skis. His touch can kill even a New God. When he's not killing people, he lies comatose in a hospital ward as Sergeant Willie Walker. It was Kirby's contribution to the blaxploitation era, but it was really far out. In many ways, Grant Morrison reminds of me of Kirby, with his wild imagination and out of the box concepts.

Kirby returned to Marvel in the late 70s after his DC contract was terminated. He resisted returning to any of his old characters, except for Captain America, he did grace a number of Marvel covers. This particular cover to Iron Man #80 had a wonderful depiction of Tony Stark in outer space--I think I bought the issue just for this image. I was terribly disappointed with the same old George Tuska art inside--how could anything match a Kirby cover!

Celebrate King Kirby's birthday. Dig out his old comics and read them. Or better yet, create something original. Nuff said.

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We haven't posted on here for a bit--slackers, all three of us. There's a lot of great comics out this week: Justice League of America 1, Wonder Woman 2, Astonishing X-Men 16, etc. The one that stands is Batman 656 by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, part 2 of "Man-Bats Of London". Morrison's recent interview on Newsarama revealed that he is trying to channel "the Neal Adams-esque, hairy-chested love god Batman". In this issue, he certainly succeeds. We see Bruce Wayne trying to woo the Jezebel Jet, who is the Prime Minister of an African nation, but also happens to be a supermodel. Wayne's thwarted by the arrival of "Man-Bats. Ninja Man-Bats. Alarming Twist." After a quick change into the caped crusader, the fight is played out within this museum hosting a Pop-Art exhibition. It's an ingenious twist on the standard superhero fight, having these paintings with the sound effects in the background as Batman takes out the Man-Bats (who carry Shuriken stars and Samarai swords). There are a few James Bond quips throughout the issue, too. Andy Kubert draws this story with a cinematic widescreen flair--Morrison molded this script to his particular talents. What a great time this is, to have Morrison writing both Superman and Batman. Nuff said.

External Link:
Grant Morrison Talks Batman at Newsarama

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Everyone's talking about Doc Magnus' prozac prescription in the latest issue of 52. This is all ancient history--Magnus has had mental problems since the 60s and 70s. This was the subject of one of the single greatest Metal Men stories ever told. The Metal Men's first run ended with issue #41 in 1969, leaving the team in a bit of a quandry. Doc Magnus had been kidnapped by the evil dictator of Karnia (read Russia) and brainwashed to destroy his greatest creations. DC decided to revive the Metal Men in 1976 with issue 45 (42-44 having been reprints) and called upon Steve Gerber and Walt Simonson to bring the team back from comic book limbo.

Instead of ignoring the past, Gerber decided to play along with it. While the Metal Men are back in robotic form foiling evildoers, Magnus is back on U.S. soil in a mental institution.

Despite the best efforts of Magnus' doctors, he can't seem to shake off his violent emotions. Doc shouts three words over and over again: Trample! Raze! Annihilate!

The U.S. military has waited too long for Magnus to recover. They convince his doctors that having Magnus build a robot in the lab might be good therapy. Big mistake--Doc builds The Plutonium Man who reflects his current state of mind. While General Caspar is horrified, a government accountant named Whittier disagrees.

Magnus learns that he's been manipulated by Whittier--a sleeper cell agent of Karnia. Whittier allows the Plutonium Man to be unleashed--presumably so his own country can use it.

Naturally the Metal Men are called into action when the Plutonium Man starts tearing up the city. The Plutonium Man instantly recognizes the Metal Men from Magnus' programming. The Metal Men die one by one in an attempt to halt the Plutonium Man's path of destruction.

This is where the story deviates from the usual Silver Age concept of good and evil. Whittier is horrified that he's about to destroy an entire city. He sacrifices himself by getting close enough to shoot a load of bullets at the PM's chest before he dies from a radiation blast.

Whittier dies, but his bullets have cracked the PM's outer shell. Only Tina-Platinum is left to avert a nuclear meltdown. She contains the explosion by covering PM's body with platinum., but not before bidding farewell to Doc Magnus.

This terrible event snaps Magnus back into reality when he realizes that he has killed the Metal Men--and his robotic lover. The preceding panels really show the genius of Walt Simonson--his skill at panel design really enhanced the emotions in this story.

The tragic story ends on a glimmer of hope. Doc Magnus will rebuild the Metal Men as well as his own life.

I think this is one of the finest DC Bronze Age stories that I've ever read. Gerber's script was pure genius--a nice little self contained story that reintroduced the Metal Men and resolved a six-year old dangling plot thread. Simonson was the perfect artist to draw the Metal Men and inked his work on this story. I think this and the remaining issues of the revivial deserve reprinting--Simonson did some good work there, too. Nuff said.

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OK pardners, it's time once again to round up the herd...

52 Week 14: 52 changes from issue to issue--some weeks it's good, sometimes it stinks worse than Tofu Turkey at Thanksgivin'. This one's purty good, mostly 'cause it's got Doc Magnus tryin' to revive the Metal Men. The Khandaq scenes with the Question and Montoya are so borin' that I'd rather watch my dog chase his tail all day! Maybe I just think the perfect Question was on the Justice League Unlimited series (played by the ex-cell-ent Jeffrey Combs) and his perfect partner was the Huntress.

Annihilation 1: In ten years I will forget everything but this one scene in which Richard Ryder (Nova) nails Gamora. Gamora half nekkid! I've been waitin' thirty years for this day. Thank you, Jesus! I also liked the return of Starlord, but I hope Giffen gives him back his costume and raygun.

Beyond! 2: News flash--Spidey ain't dead! This here mini-series is a hoot and a half. If any of you fellers figured out who "Michael" was halfway into the story, you deserve a No-Prize. Michael is one of Dwayne McDuffie's favorite Marvel characters, and a classic FF supporting character also shows up. The scene where Medusa punishes Venom will no doubt feed S&M fanfic writers for an entire decade.

Civil War Frontline 5: A lot of people think this here's the greatest tie-in book since "Left Behind", but I just gotta tell ya that this dog ain't wearin' nothin' but a choke chain. Ya do get to see what Reed Richards was buildin' to keep the anti-registration heroes in custody--it's a doozy! Ya might say that alone is worth $3, but I liked seein' Wonder Man back in action. Simon always asks the right questions!

Crisis Aftermath The Spectre 3: This mini almost got me to forget about the lost opportunity with Jim Corrigan. Crispus Allen did his best to win me over when he vomited money on that evil millionaire. I ain't at all sure about the goatee. I ain't never seen a ghost with a goatee before!

Firestorm The Nuclar Man 28: Now if this ain't the classic Firestorm--Professor Stein is back in the Matrix! It doesn't matter if it's Jason Rusch or Ronnie Raymond, this series needed a young hero and someone to call Daddy. I ain't sure who those Dollie dudes are, but I can't wait to find out!

JSA Classified 28: I ain't too sure what this story's all about. It's got some gimmick to allow the Golden Age Flash and Green Lantern to fight Wildcat. Wildcat proves he's still the nastiest hand to hand fighter in the DCU--Beau Smith has got to be proud! As for myself, I just kept starin' at Vixen's hooters. I think Halle Berry's next superhero movie outta be Vixen.

Martian Manhunter 1: Sheee-oot, they say this is J'onn J'onzz, but this ain't the Martian Manhunter I grew up with. He looks like a green Conehead to me. Is Dan Ackroyd under all that makeup? Bring back ol' Oreo-lovin' JJ! Is he still trapped in that ginormous pitchfork? If I was DC, I'd give this book to Dwayne McDuffie to write.

She Hulk 10: Anyone remember Creatures on the Loose and the mangy Man-Wolf? John Jameson's alter ego is back and Pug's in his way. That opening scene with She-Hulk flaggin' down Hellcat for her Superhero Registration forms is funnier than hell. I love this book!

Squadron Supreme 6: The best part of this here revamp is Nighthawk. Spoutin' Malcolm X philiosophy while torchin' a drug den was darn cool to read. After that, it's downhill with a lot of sub-plot spinnin' and yakkin' and schemin' and Zarda/Power Princess lookin' at Mark Milton like he's a Chippendale dancer on Friday night.

Superman 655: Hooray for Mr. Kurt Busiek--he's made Clark Kent more interestin' than ever. That super-brain power and the microdots in the book gave me goosebumps. Joe Bob finally broke down cryin' at that unrequited love scene with Lana Lang. You fellers who remember Arion are gonna be mighty pleased--that boy really knew how to party in Paris! Oh yeah, there's a monster who can make Superman bleed, too.

Wolverine Origins 5: I still think this series is like a steer with a bum leg, but this issue's the best one to date. Not one but two important factoids from Wolvy's past are revealed! They're purty good secrets, too. I just can't believe that Cap is fightin' Wolverine while they're on the same team (pre-Civil War). Call me loco, but I just wouldn't trust a feller who put a blood clot in my leg!

To sum it all up, here's the best and the worst...

US1 Utilitarian Union Brand of Excellence: Superman 655
Near the Front of the Herd: Firestorm 26, She-Hulk 10, Beyond 2.
Won't Read It In The Outhouse: JSA Classified 28.

If you're keepin' score, that's 2 for Mighty Marvel, and 2 for the reformed Dumb Communists. See ya at the virtual Drive-In next Wednesday. Nuff said.

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This has already been mentioned on Newsarama's blog, but it can't be repeated often enough. There's a blog titled "A Spirited Life", written by Will Eisner's biographer, Bob Adelman. Adelman is interviewing a series of comic book greats (Howard Chaykin, Denis Kitchen, etc.) about Eisner's impact on the graphic novel medium. The latest interview with Darwyn Cooke is really full of great news about Cooke's plans for the new Spirit series. Apparently the Spirit/Batman special will be forty pages long and set in a past era. Cooke does plan on bringing Ebony back into the ongoing Spirit series, but will update that character along with bringing the series into the modern era. If anyone is good at doing a modern look with a retro feel, it's Cooke.

I can't wait for the new Spirit--I got hooked on Eisner's creation ever since The Spirit #1 was published by Warren Magazines. Cooke mentions the cover of The Spirit #3, which had this dynamic image of Denny Colt trying to outrun a train (click to see it a little larger). One day I'll create a gallery of those Warren Spirit covers. Nuff said.

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Welcome back, pardners, to the rowdiest review column in East Biggs, Californy! We're gonna try to make this a regular feature. Now, let's round up some comic critters for review. I might be updatin' this later in the week as I can't read all my funny books in one sittin'. Most of these came out this week, but we had a few stragglers from last week that we just couldn't miss...

52 Week 13: I'm gettin' flashbacks to 1980 and Iran Hostage Crisis--week 13, DC comic fanboys held hostage! I just listened to Mr. Greg Rucka on Fanboy Radio and he can't convince me that this series ain't anything but a turd. Most of this one focuses on Ralph Dibny, tryin' to get Sue to come back to life, kinda like Kim Cattrall in the movie Manniquin. Ya gotta see it to believe it. Ralph's lost his marbles. And why doesn't anyone in the Superboy cult notice that there are five superheroes among them? Those green masks really make a feller stand out! It's like the scene in Blazing Saddles. The backup by Mark Waid and Kevin Nowlan was great, wish they did the whole book!

Agents of Atlas: Hoooooboy, I never thought I'd see Agent Jimmy Woo again. How the heck did Jeff Parker get this pitch by Mr. Joe Quesada, who seems to hate any kind of nostalgia? Especially with all the trouble Parker goes through to explain the ancient history with Marvel Boy, Venus, the Yellow Claw, etc. Not that I'm complainin'--heck, I lived through those days. You young fellers may like this book cause it's got a talkin' gorilla.

Batman 655: The new creative team of Grant Morrison and that Kubert feller (don't ask me which one cause they all look alike) is better than breakfast on Angie Dickinson's tummy. Something pretty shocking happens to the Joker on the first few pages. I don't think he's really dead, but Morrison is just pushin' that durn turd off to the side for new frontiers. Joe Bob and I found the renewed relationship between Bruce Wayne and Alfred to be kind of touching, but we stabbed ourselves with paper clips to keep from cryin' in our beer.

Birds of Prey 96: Last year, Gail Simone created a great character called Black Alice. She can transform into any DCU magical being and co-opt their powers--in that Day of Vengence series, she even became the Spectre! In this issue, Talia, Cheetah, and Felix Faust try to recruit Alice in the Secret Society of Bad Dudes. Naturally, the Birds can't let that happen! There's a heckuva fight when Alice channels Wonder Woman. I think Alice's greatest superpower is the ability to change WW's costume into a dark, kinky, belly-button revealin' version that Britney Spears would have worn before K-Fed. Artist Paulo Sequiera seems like a natural for the Birds. The fight scene and Alice's WW costume seem a bit Chaykin-esque to me. And if this ain't enough reason to buy BOP 96, there's a nice little butt shot of Canary in fishnet stockin's. Oh lordy, this book outta be a top ten megahit!

Detective Comics 822: Another neat little mystery story by Mr. Paul Dini. We all loved Don Kramer's artwork on JSA, and I kinda think that Kramer works better with Dini than J.H. Williams. The Riddler's in this story, but he ain't a villain--he's a detective! I almost spit out my corn flakes this mornin' when I saw ol' E. Nigma standin' in Bruce Wayne's mansion. Apparently the Riddler forgot that Bruce Wayne is Batman due to a knock on the head or somethin' like that. Ain't that convenient? I bet Mel Gibson wishes all the world would get a bump on the head like that. I liked this story, especially the S&M club scene. Hey, I am just wonderin' somethin'. Batman can find those blood spots on the carpet, analyze hair fibers, etc. What the heck are the Gotham Police doin'? Eatin' doughnuts?

Fantastic Four 539: Ben Grimm makes his fateful decision about which side he's on in this terrible Civil War. If you read the San Diego Con reports, you would know he's about to pull a Johnny Depp. And the people that help make up his mind are the Yancy Street Gang! Most of the story rehashes what you saw in Civil War #3, but from different points of view. It's almost like a visit to the ol' homestead when you see the Puppet Master and the Thinker (who is no longer mad) show up.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: More Civil War fallout, but longtime Spidey fans will find one scene is worth the cover price. Dodgeball with Flash Thompson and Peter Parker. Sheesh, I'd buy that for a dollar.

Hawkgirl 54: Ever since I heard Howard Chaykin was comin' on board, I've been waiting for something sexy to happen! Well pardners, it finally did (starting in issue 53) when Kendra gets her top ripped off by an Amazonian tattoed wrestler. Kendra wrassles this purple Hulk-gal in her bra. It's sexier than Raquel Welch on a cold Nebraska night. Don't know what else happens here and Jimmy Cracked Corn, But I Don't Care!

Moon Knight 4: The boys over at Marvel are pumpin' this sucker up to be the second comin', but I don't get it. Each issue is more depressing than a country western song. "My legs got brokin', Marcine just left me, Frenchie is out strokin', Oh Khonshu please save me!" David Finch's artwork is very nice, and this here is my favorite panel, the flashback to Moon Knight's first appearance in Werewolf By Night.

Uncanny X-Men 477: None of the X-Men appear in this issue except for flashbacks. It's all about the big mad-on that Vulcan has for the Shiar. I kept thinkin' at the end of this arc that Vulcan just might wind up becomin' an X-Man. But the way he's killin' people left and right, it just don't look pretty. Brubaker succeeded into makin' this the space opera X-Men title; as Archie Goodwin once said, "It's Space Opera and I like it!" This is a pretty good issue, but I seemed to read it faster than my usual potty break. Maybe I'm eatin' more fiber!

Until next time, onward and upward, True Believers! Nuff said.

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