With just a couple of days until Halloween, it’s the time of the season to be reading horror comics. With so many titles to choose from it might be hard to pick just one book, but I’ve found one that really stands out on the shelf. Recently, Fantagraphics collected the best 1950s non-EC horror comics into one bone-chilling tome called “Four Color Fear,” and it’s a fantastic history of forgotten horror tales.
Before congress established the comics code authority and ruined everyones fun, horror comics were produced in plenty. Though EC comics has had the most lasting cultural significance from that decade, there was a plethora of other comic company releasing equally horrifying work throughout the McCartry-era. “Four Color Fear” celebrates not only the forgotten comics (the peak period being 51 – 54), but also many of the companies producing these frightening tales, including Ace, American Comics Group, and Fawcett. What’s more, the book also showcases some of the early work from legendary artist such as Jack Cole, Frank Frazetta, Basil Wolverton, Wallace Wood, and many others.
If you’re a fan of EC’s “Vault of Horror” or “Tales From the Crypt,” this collection is perfect companion piece. Thanks to the hard work by Fantagraphics (Who in my opinion put out the absolute best historical collections) and editors John Benson and Greg Sadowski each story comes with an extensively researched history behind the creation of the comics. The anthology is actually worthwhile for the 32 full-sized covers alone, making it almost as much an artbook as it is a collection of comics. So, if you’re trying to get into the Halloween spirits make sure to read “Four Color Fear” all you eerie dearies.
If I didn’t already believe in the redemptive power of comic books, this week would have converted me. I got family members in two different hospitals, long hours at the pencil stand and now I’m gonna have to work on the weekend. And then I crawl home in the dark, and my ten downstairs neighbors are holding a rematch of the knock-down, drag-out brawl that’s been going on every night for the last week.
But I also have a stack of new comics. Maybe it’s the exhaustion/exasperation combo, but this week the comics seemed to be speaking to me. Their message was one of hope and family more than superheroics — and that was just what I needed.
[SEE, BEN, THAT JUST FLAKES RIGHT OFF]
First up is Fantastic Four 584, commonly known in my house as “the comic that’s going to kill Ben Grimm and I can’t stop reading it.” That’s not a spoiler, that’s my gut feeling and as a result, my gut feels terrible. Jonathan Hickman jams every issue full of awesome, and Steve Epting horns in on his act with a bunch of stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks panels. Returning to an earlier plot thread, Ben drinks the formula created by Val’s think tank that will allow him to be human for one week a year, and it works. This is a familiar FF storyline, “the de-Thinging of the Thing,” but Hickman and Epting make it fresh by having Johnny lead Ben on a night of debauchery that includes Ben walking down the street and not being stared at, a football game, a dust-up with the Yancy Street Gang, playing poker with his superhero buddies and eating dinner with “old friends” Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. I’m nerd enough to admit I teared up at that panel. Hickman has made a tradition of putting Stan and Jack’s names in the credits with a goofy and issue-appropriate credit (“good lookin’” this issue), but something about seeing the two of them together again in their greatest shared creation struck me as poignant and wonderful. The fact that seven pages later Ben was absolutely getting laid reaffirmed two things: Hickman is writing the best FF since Jack and Stan, and this is the last hurrah for the Thing.
[I’D LOVE TO SEE THE REST OF THIS PHOTO ALBUM]
Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #4 of 4 (fore!) was obviously also heavy on FF action. I’m gonna lay my cards on the table and admit I have no idea who Kristoff Vernard is — I didn’t read FF for a long time there — but it doesn’t really matter. Christos Gage makes it clear the story of this series has been relationships, and as Dr. Doom’s one-time unwilling heir apparent who also lived with the Richards family for a while, Kristoff is here to show how life could have gone for Ben Grimm and Spider-Man if they hadn’t had their families to help them through trouble. That sounds kind of “very special episode of ‘Blossom,’” but it doesn’t read that way. My pal Benjy gets to analyze his misanthropy from the first two years of the Fantastic Four, and Peter gets to discuss how important it was to have the FF as friends and role models when he was starting out. I am old and tired and nostalgic, and so I find this sort of “honoring the past while keeping things modern” storyline enjoyable. I also enjoy when Peter and Johnny bicker, so this book has everything as far as I’m concerned. Also, Mario Alberti’s art is pretty.
[MAMA LIZARD MAY NOT WIN MOTHER OF THE YEAR]
And hey — The Amazing Spider-Man #646 is also pretty and enjoyable. (What do you want? The segue machine is broken.) Spidey finally gets his hands on the Osborn baby, but not before using Doc Ock to defeat The Lizard. I mean that literally and figuratively — Spidey swings Ock like a 240-pound bag of calamari right into The Lizard, but he also manipulates Ock psychologically and just plain outsmarts him as well. Mark Waid is writing a hell of a Spider-Man book, and even though I only started picking this one up to prepare for Dan Slott’s imminent take-over, I’m going to work backwards and pick up the trades for some of this run. How can I not love a Spider-Man who makes a “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for” joke? I’m not made of stone.
[PUGS SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER]
Somehow, I also bought some books that do not feature the Fantastic Four or Spider-Man. The Hellboy/Beasts of Burden one-shot is a rare treat. Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s Beasts of Burden was one of the best mini-series of the past year — haunting, funny, scary and starring talking animals who fight supernatural menaces. Hellboy, well, I’m sure you’re familiar with him. This is a continuation of the Beasts series, but I *think* it works if you haven’t picked that up; *think* because two of those issues were so affecting that I may be blind about how much they’re playing into this story. Thompson’s art is breathtaking, striking the perfect balance between anthropomorphism and realism when it comes to the animals, and her Hellboy is a good one. Mike Mignola worked out Hellboy’s dialogue, but Pugs (he’s a pug dog, natch) screaming joyfully “Lookit this! He’s a skull-cracking machine!” about Hellboy is all Dorkin. It’s a great read, but don’t let the cute animals fool you — death is ever-present in Beasts of Burden, and someone dies in this installment as well. And unlike Ben Grimm, this one won’t be coming back to life in a year.
[THE BIG RED CHEESE DOESN’T STAND ALONE]
I have never purchased an issue of Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam before grabbing #21 this week — I’ve never purchased any Captain Marvel book come to think of it. But if you put Black Adam on the cover, I’m officially semi-interested. Art Baltazar and Franco sealed the deal. This is part of the DC Kids’ line, and just like Baltazar & Franco’s work on Tiny Titans, these books are wasted on the young. Black Adam is definitely a villain in this (last time I saw him in JSA, he was a misunderstood ultra-conservative family man mourning the death of his family), but kids need clearly demarcated boundaries like that. As an adult, these morally black-and-white books remind me of the days when heroes were always heroes and bad guys were always bad. I dunno, I like it. I’m a big believer in the mature audiences comic books with all their shades of grey and their various anti-heroes, but there’s something refreshing about a book where there is no doubt about for whom you should be rooting. Mike Norton’s pencils are big and bold with that kid-friendly animation feeling, and since this issue is essentially a slugfest between Captain Marvel and Black Adam, it’s a showcase for huge punches. Pure, straightforward, comic-book style comic book.
So, having said all that, and considering my fragile mental state, I’m going to say that Comic Books — all of them, including the ones I read but didn’t mention and all the books I didn’t buy — were the best thing I read this week. For more than 30 years, comic books have been there to entertain me, comfort me, uplift me and reassure me that elaborate fantasy realms are better than this horrid world. New Comics Day is the only holiday that comes 52 weeks a year, and this week’s installment was particularly welcome. Thank you, comic books.
[THE BEN AND SUGARY BREAKFAST CEREAL MAKE LIFE BETTER]
By now, you’ve all surely heard about the upcoming death in the Fantastic 4 series. As you may have gathered from the title of this post, one of Marvel’s First Family is going down. And that’s cool and all… I mean, after almost 600 issues, you’d think that one of them should have died by now. And it’s not as if it’s never been foreshadowed. In just about every future timeline, the F4 have always suffered permanent losses to the team. Let’s add to the fact that a variety of “off-brand” heroes have also been apart of the 4 since it’s inception, usually because someone quit or lost their powers. But here, with the coming of issue 587, it would appear that for the time being, there will be no tryouts to fill in the missing position. The Fantastic 4 becomes the Fantastic 3… which sounds awful. Maybe they’ll change their name to something like the Terrific 3 or the Tantalizing 3… Something that starts with a “T” will do.
Now, there aren’t that many comic book deaths left that can make a reader raise her or her eyebrow with interest. I feel that the breaking point for most readers came with the recent revivals of Barry Allen (Flash) and Captain America. Now, for Barry, Flash logic suggests that it would be possible for him to come back. That’s fine, I suppose. Lazy, but fine. But with Cap? As big a fan of Steve Rogers that I am, Marvel did a good thing with having him being replaced by his old sidekick. It worked. But then they had to go and pull a resurrection, probably due to there being a Steve Rogers movie coming out… But are you telling me, that the best idea they could come up with was “Quantum Leap Bullets”? I refuse to elaborate further on that regard. And hell, even with the “death” of Bruce Wayne, why is his return filled with time travel? Anyway, I’m off topic. The point I’m trying to raise is this; who cares about comic book deaths anymore?
Well, I’ve got to say, since Marvel started teasing the big “3″ logo, this has been a topic that people seem alright about. The general consensus seems to be that we will be losing the beloved Mr. Ben Grimm (The Thing). However, I don’t agree with that, and here’s why. Killing The Thing is just too easy. His death doesn’t really affect much. His death equates to one less person who can take a punch from The Hulk. Big Whoop. I personally feel that Johnny Storm (Human Torch) is the one going down. However, I can’t give you much of a reason why though, outside of there being a bunch of other fire people being in the current Marvel status quo. But then there is Mr Fantastic and the Invisible Woman… Most folks feel that Reed Richards is safe from death. His brain being too much of a good thing to just be killed off. I’d think a lot of folks would cry foul if he were axed. As for Sue Richards, that’d be a pretty bold move to kill off the mother of two kids. Especially seeing as the father is almost a bit of an absentee father… I don’t think that sends the right message. But in the end, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Reed was the one who bit the dust. I won’t like it, but it would be a major death indeed.
Which brings me to death gimmicks. Do you remember the death of Superman? The year was 1992. There was news coverage for days…weeks, even. When the day came, there were lines outside of every comic book store, eagerly awaiting the issue that started to change the way comics were viewed in the 90s. When the first printing was released, the comic was released in a black sealed bag with a bloody “S” shield on the cover. Which essentially forced die-hards to purchase at least 2 copies of the book. One to read and one to keep for the eventual resale 30 or 40 years down the road. There was also the black armband that was released so that you would always remember the Man of Tomorrow. Which I personally thought was pretty sweet. This gimmick was a brilliant money making idea, and it did exactly that. It made DC a $#!?load of money. Marvel looks to be following suit with the “death bag” fun with the release of F4 #587. Which I’m totally fine with. Originally, it seems the black bag was pitched as a joke, but it’s also being seen a deterrent to folks who intend to leak the results of the death online before the book can be sold in stores. Which seems like a good idea to me. Remember back at the end of last year, when the the details of Blackest Night #6 were revealed a week before the issue dropped? A lot of folks had to quit the internet for awhile. But that’s about all I have left in me. See ya nest time.
As I may have mentioned before, I have an inexplicable fondness for Wildcat. Ours is a relationship based on unfamiliarity, my own penchant for B-grade heroes and sidekicks, and the simple fact that Wildcat appeared in one of the first comics I bought with my own money.
I’m fairly certain what I bought was a copy of All-Star Comics presents the Justice Society of America. I was familiar with Superman and Batman, and this being the 70s, I also knew Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, thanks to their respective TV shows. All four of those heroes were powerful, competent and straight as rulers — and that was the extent of my knowledge of the DC universe. Wildcat, who probably appeared on all of three pages in that long-lost comic, is the character who made an indelible impact on my young brain. Here was a costumed superhero who was dumb — his JSA friends and teammates often refer to him as “punch drunk,” and they don’t mean it as a compliment — hot-headed and the entirety of his powers consisted of him being a retired heavyweight boxer. Batman was a boxer, and also a genius and the world’s greatest detective — why did the JSA need Ted Grant?
[WILDCAT HAS MASTERED MANY MARTIAL ARTS]
Because Wildcat is one of the pulpiest pulp characters to ever pulp. I didn’t know that then, but on some level I appreciated that Wildcat was special because he was essentially normal. No powers, no alien gifts, no strange visitor from another planet background — he has a cat-themed persona and he didn’t even think to add claws or fangs. All he has going for him is a devastating left hook and dogged determination to always go down fighting. There is something incredibly satisfying about a character whose solution to every problem is to shout at it or punch it.
I recently picked up volumes 1 and 2 of the Justice Society trades that reprint a large chunk of All-Star Comics 70s years. The stories are a hoot, and not just because they’re from the Earth-2 era. Volume 1 features some of the earliest Power Girl appearances, and she takes militant feminism to new heights. Ted Grant, being a product of the 40s, refers to her variously as “girlie,” “chick” and “broad” rather than use her name, leading to various kerfuffles between the two. I suspect it’s because the books had male writers, but Ted comes across as likable even when being spectacularly sexist.
[WILDCAT MAKES A COMPELLING ARGUMENT FOR CONFESSING ONE’S SINS]
Wildcat at his best is like that reprobate old uncle found in most families; he doesn’t eat anything but steak, he drinks scotch at 9 in the morning, he swears in front of the kids, and he relies on the “pull-my-finger” joke way too often. He also punches out TV screens, various walls and occasionally decks a bad guy here and there, because he’s a *hero*. Despite his flaws, Wildcat has a sense of right and wrong (let’s ignore that time he framed a dude for murder, mm-kay?) and an exceptionally old-school approach to the problems of the world.
[WILDCAT BREAKS UP ANOTHER PARTY]
As much as I like the big furball, I don’t buy too many of the modern JSA books, mostly because when I do pick one up I don’t find them very entertaining. Which is a shame, really, but it keeps Wildcat fresh. I still smile every time I see him on a cover, and when I do buy a book he’s in, I enjoy every wisecrack, boxing metaphor and punch he throws. I’d enjoy it even more if someone built a short arc around the very young Wildcat set in the 40s, and made it so pulpy and noir that the ghost of Kenneth Robeson choked on it, but I don’t think it will happen. Wildcat is purely second-string only, and I love him for it.
[WILDCAT JUST WASN’T MADE FOR THESE TIMES]
And just like the nameless jamook in Tom Waits’ “Going Out West,” Ted Grant’s got hair on his chest and he looks good without a shirt.
[WILDCAT IS ALL MAN]
Yeesh. No wonder Power Girl put up with his crap. Ted Grant puts the “sexy” in “sexist.”
If you’ve been reading anything from Marvel in the past month or so, then you may have noticed the Mazda ad on the back that consists of two panels: the top on shows Doctor Octopus webbed up while Spidey poses triumphantly atop a new Mazda. The panel below it shows Peter Parker and Mary Jane, arms full of shopping bags about to get into the same new Mazda car. I just wanna say that I call BS on this image.
Not to take anything away from artist Todd Nauck, who illustrated the ad. I really like his work as evidenced by sharing this link with examples of his superb and very solid work. My problem with this ad should be obvious on the lower panel with MJ and her tiger. First of all, Pete and MJ are New Yorkers (Yorkians?), they never have and never will have need to own a car, let alone a brand new car considering the Parker luck. Not to mention that we all know that Peter’s income is not going to afford him a brand new car and a shopping spree, unless MJ just hit the jackpot with a modeling or acting gig. Also, let’s not bastardize the “With great power comes great responsibility” phrase with “With great fun comes great practicality.” Uncle Ben is spinning in his grave!
Frustratingly enough, I cannot find a copy of the ad anywhere online! This ad has been running on the back cover of every Marvel comic for the past couple of weeks though, if you’re curious at all about what I’m talking about here. I did dig up the above image in my frenzied search to find a copy of the ad. Not long ago, Image released a comic series called revved, which apparently was a promo campaign to get people to by sporty cars with trashy tribal tattoo graphics on them. Has anyone ever read this, or heard of it?
In any case, I just want to point out that Pete and MJ take the subway, or cabs to get around New York when they’re not web-swinging. Again, nothing against the artist, or even Mazda for that matter, I’m just sayin’…
Mark Millar is back with his third all-new creator owned series from the Marvel imprint Icon. This time it’s “Superior,” and the plot is what Fleet aptly describes as, “the film ‘Big’ meets ‘Superman.’” However, unlike his previous Icon series, “Kick Ass” and “Nemesis,” Millar is going for full blown superpowers with “Superior,” with his main reference points being DC’s Superman and Captain Marvel. When a boy suffering from multiple sclerosis named Simon Pooni is visited by a creepy, space monkey he is chosen for the ultimate intergalactic make-a-wish gift; he is transformed into his comic book movie hero, Superior. Now if he only had to say the magic word “Shazam!” this would really be familiar territory, but with the first issue Millar doesn’t give us much else to work with but a vague point of reference with more cussing than you would expect from a super hero.
I would argue Millar has two major points of criticism. The first and most obvious problem Millar has is his inability to meet deadlines. I’ve ranted about this in the past, but as a quick overview of his two Icon series both “Kick Ass” and “Nemesis” have been absurdly late. That’s with “Kick Ass” having John “never late” Romita Jr. illustrating the series, and “Nemesis” only being four issues (The series launched in May 2010 and still hasn’t concluded). With the help of artist Leinil Francis Yu, Millar has promised to meet the deadlines with “Superior” but I would take that with a grain of salt.
Which brings me to criticism number two. The reason Millar’s projects are often late is because his comics get optioned for film before they even have a conclusion. This is already happening with “Superior,” with talks of St. Louis’ Jon Hamm playing the title character. My concern is that Millar relies too much on shock-factor to garner studio attention and his comics get sidetrack from the core story. Is there really a need for Kick Ass 2 Balls to the Wall? In “Superior,” two bullies relentlessly pick on Simon. I don’t know what Millar grew up with but i’ve known some bullies in my time and most would draw the line at harassing a kid with multiple sclerosis. I liked the first issue of “Superior,” but there was really too little plot to give any sense of what the series was trying to achieve. Hopefully Millar won’t base the whole gimmick of “Superior” on shock-appeal or the longevity of his work will quickly be forgotten as his fans move on to his next distasteful idea.
Continuing the theme of great comic book transportation, who wouldn’t want to travel in style and stealth like the X-Men do in their Blackbird jet?
The first time the X-Men are seen with a flying transport, it was Professor X’s dinky helicoptor and private jet. Both of which got the job done, but were noticeably boring and overly conventional. With the arrival of the new team in 1975 came the new version of the Blackbird, which was based directly off of the specs used by the US military for the very real SR-71 Blackbird.
The X-Men retained this look for quite some time until the 1990’s which brought about the design popularized by the Fox cartoon of that era. I’d have to say that of all the incarnations of the Blackbird, this one is my favorite. It’s simple, sleak, and looks vaguely futuristic, even by 1990’s standards.
Also, one of the most unique features built into the Blackbird is the ruby-quartz windshield installed to allow Cyclops to fire his optic blasts through the plane, which sounds awesome, and ridiculous to me at the same time.
If I wasn’t already half-insane, this week would have made me so. Times are tough down at the pencil stand, and I’m not sleeping well, and — hey, are those new comics and a case of beer? What a great time to be alive.
[SOLDIER ZERO NUMBER ONE]
It is 2010 and Stan Lee’s name is on the cover of a comic book that’s not published by Marvel. It’s still weird, right? Marvel’s Mr. Marvel should always be at Marvel. Soldier Zero #1 is a concept by Stan, written by Paul Cornell, illustrated by Javier Pina and published by Boom!, and it’s mildly derivative of X-O Manowar (alien powered-armor suit melds with the body of an Earthling soldier), and also a touch derivative of Iron Man, especially in the suit’s appearance. Those are the obvious knocks. I am disappointed that Stan didn’t write the actual issue; I really wanted to see what a Stan Lee book reads like in 2010. I can not definitively state where Stan ends and Paul Cornell begins, but I would guess that paraplegic veteran Stewart Trautmann is all Stan Lee.
[SOLDIER ZERO, JACKRABBIT DNA ONE]
This being a first issue there is much scene-setting, but the best part of this is a lengthy conversation between Stewart and potential love-interest Lily about the physical and emotional restrictions of Stewart being paralyzed from the waist down. Stewart’s muted anger at the rudeness of people who patronize him or view him as helpless, his frustration with a brother who only now views him as a hero because he’s been wounded in a war and his conviction that there is something fundamentally wrong with a society that shunts disabled people into the background is as honest and non-sappy an expression of the realities of people who can not use their legs as I’ve seen in any medium. There is something quintessentially Stan Lee about making a minority very human — complex, emotional and intelligent — and then giving them superpowers so that their physical difference is erased so quickly that they mentality have not adjusted to their new life. I don’t know yet if it’s a great comic, but it is compelling in its uniqueness and Stan Lee-ness.
[WHERE’S YOUR SCIENCE NOW, DOCTOR SOLAR?]
There are 22 pages of actual story in Doctor Solar #3 — I counted them because it sure feels like more. Jim Shooter continues to build and expand upon his strong start to this book. Doctor Solar is revealed as something of a stalker, checking up on his unrequited crush object, Gail, between bouts of mortal combat with ancient gods Moloch and Surya. Much like his former boss, the aforementioned Stan Lee, Shooter understands that clearly defining the character of your characters is fundamental. Doctor Philip Solar is all-powerful in terms of energy manipulation, but he’s vain (he recreated himself as a much younger and more virile man), he’s insecure (Doctor Philip Solar discovers Gail is dating another man and it eats away at him) and he’s very “scientific method” in his approach to all problems. This all combines to cause him troubles in dealing with Moloch, who is blissfully and intelligently evil. Moloch’s also a bit of a chatterbox, and his dialogue is great. Shooter’s long time away from comic book scripting seems to have done him no harm — I’m really enjoying this book.
[MR. CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED HIMSELF]
I was blindsided by the quality of Loki #1, Robert Aguirre-Sacasa and Sebastian Fiumara’s re-telling of the folktale about the forging of Mjolnir. A beloved and familiar story, it is set on its ear by altering the focus — it is told from Loki’s point of view, and as such it reads less like a funny story about Loki’s cleverness and more like a quick stab of insight into the nature of evil. The realization that Loki knows what he does is wrong and that it will bring punishment upon his head (actually his mouth in this case, which is sewn shut with leather thongs), but that he can not stop himself from doing evil is a brusque one. How culpable are we for our actions? “Entirely” seems a good answer, but our nature drives us to do things our intellect will never explain or rationalize. There are some things that are out of our hands, even for a god.
[ROB-ROB-ROBIN COMES BOB-BOB-BOBBIN’ ALONG]
And then along came Tiny Titans. Issue #33 — “The All Robin Issue” — features more hilarious bursts of DC Universe-centric jokes at the expense of beloved characters Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, and crap-horn reject Jason Todd as well. That’s just what Art Baltazar and Franco do — I know it’s coming every issue and I love it. I’m going to issue a *SPOILER ALERT* and tell you that the Baltazar/Franco image of Jason Todd as Red Hood consists of Jason wearing a cruddy leather jacket, a red bucket on his head and blindly stumbling around the Bat Cave. This is the finest metaphor and cruelest satire I have seen for how useless and dumb the entire Jason Todd story is. The fact that Dick Grayson changes into his Nightwing costume out of shame and then sneaks away from Jason out of embarrassment is the icing on the cake — a delicious, seven-foot deep layer of icing.
[CONAN SETTLES AN ARGUMENT, THEN FLEXES HIS GLUTES FOR AN APPRECIATIVE CROWD]
Conan #24 is the penultimate issue of this iteration of the title. Perhaps it is my longstanding fondness for the character, perhaps it is because Tim Truman and Tomas Giorello are really firing on all cylinders for this arc, perhaps it is because this is the most action-heavy this title has been in some time — whatever the reason, I enjoyed this issue with a fervor that had been lacking up ’til now. Trapped on an island with murderous pirates, murderous statues and a murderous hulk lurking somewhere out there in the jungle, Conan does his thing with a verve and bloodthirst that I love. I can not wait until Truman and Giorello’s new King Conan title comes out. CAN. NOT. WAIT.
If you’ve been paying attention, that’s five books I read and relished this week. I’m not going to declare a tie, a two-way tie or even a three-way tie. Instead, I’m going to say that Soldier Zero was the best thing I read this week. It is way after midnight and I have dranken many beers and whiskies and yet I can’t shake the frisson I experienced when I hit the middle of that book. They say you can’t buy happiness, but Stan Lee’s name and fingerprints all over a new comic book seems to be proving them wrong.
[STAN LEE, WE HOLD OUR BANNER HIGH FOR THEE]
Should I? Really? It seems so corny, but I’m gonna do it anyway. EXCELSIOR, EVERY BODY. Excelsior, everyone.
Sometimes, in the wee small hours of the night, I worry about Hawkman. (That’s the first sign of mental illness, right? I knew it.) I like Hawkman, I like him quite a lot, actually. If I were to rank my top five favorite DC characters, Hawkman would definitely be top two on any given week; what can I say, I have a pretty illogical fondness for Wildcat. But we’ll discuss that some other time.
In theory, the current retcon of Hawkman is a great character. A perpetual reincarnate who remembers the details of all his lives, along with the commensurate skills and languages — that’s pretty nifty. Throw in the power of flight, increased strength and moderate healing factor that Nth metal grants him, and top it off with a giant pair of wings and some medieval weaponry and you have a well-rounded, visually interesting character. Personality-wise, Carter has been established as a conservative intellectual who’s just a touch uncomfortable with his own propensity for violence, but who often gives in to those urges and raises a ruckus.
[MACE IN YOUR FACE]
Unfortunately, every time DC has a Crisis, Hawkman is the first fatality. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has read JLA, JSA or any related title — compared to your Power Girls, Supermans and even your Batmans, Hawkman is a light-middleweight. He’s constantly the first into battle and the first one incapacitated. This point was driven home when I recently picked up JSA volumes 1 and 2; these classic Earth-2 adventures feature an older, wiser Carter Hall, who continues to get knocked out with alarming frequency — and this was in 1976, before power boosting of heroes was de rigueur.
Also, yellow cowls were very hot in that era.
[YES, THAT’S A SMALL BIRD ON HIS FOREHEAD]
But it makes sense that this happens from the writer’s position. If you’re going to have a villain tough enough to take on the JSA, that villain is by definition going to be too much for someone like Hawkman to take out on his own. Incidentally, Wild Cat always walks through these battles pretty much unscathed, and his powers consist solely of being a heavyweight boxer. Go figure.
Hawkman fares better in his own title, but he hasn’t had one in a number of years. I’d like to have a regular Hawkbook on my pull list. This is what I was worrying over in my mind when I stumbled over a possible solution to the Hawkman Conundrum.
The last time he had a title was Geoff Johns’ relaunch about five or six years ago. In issue 18 of that series, Johns had Hawkman return to Germany to recall the particulars of a specific life, that of a 16th century warrior — Carter’s always a warrior (this is available in the softcover Hawkman Volume 3: Wings of Fury). It was an interesting issue because instead of a narration box telling us about Carter’s many lives, we actually got to *see* him briefly use the memories of that life. Showing, not telling, is the hallmark of strong writing.
[HAWKMAN HANGIN’ WITH HIS BROS]
And do you know how many super villains there are in the 16th century, aside from a lurking Vandal Savage? Do you see where I’m going with this? If DC would allow for a non-continuity book that allowed Carter Hall to live these past lives or revisit them — let’s call it Hawkman: Elseworlds for an easy reference point — Carter would become the heavyweight, and he could knock others unconscious before they have a chance to do so unto him. I could see myself seriously digging a Hawkman book where he’s a medieval crusader for three issues, followed by a short arc during his Egyptian phase (Black Adam guest stars!), followed by a Hawkman by Gaslight, and so on. This would also allow for easy creative team swapping, as well as being a book that constantly reinvented itself for new readers.
And honestly, he less he has to do with the mainstream continuity, the better off he’ll be. The past 30 years have been a tiring series of resets, resurrections and retcons that always end in Hawkman’s death and the cancellation of his series. With stories about Hawky’s past lives, DC could kill him two or three times a year and they wouldn’t have to jumpstart their entire universe to justify it. Kill him in April’s issue and he’s back in May — it’s a win-win.
What’s happening folks? How’s it going? That’s good. Check this out. Until recently, I could say without a doubt, that I hadn’t read anything from Top Cow since 2005. The comic in question was J. Micheal Straczynski’s Rising Stars. And that’s only because it took 2 years for the last three issues to come out in the series. So, it would’ve been 2003. And it’s not like I ever had anything against Top Cow books, its just that there wasn’t anything that could hold my attention. As I recall, Top Cow was and still is known for their beautiful artwork in their products. Of note, Marc Silvestri, Joe Benitez, and the late great Micheal Turner led the way for the company. And while I should have been attracted to the majority of their products (like Witchblade, The Darkness, Tomb Raider, Fathom, and Battle of the Planets), the artwork and sexy ladies weren’t enough for me. And I was fine with the way it was.
Flash-forward to the summer of 2010. Something happens to where I suddenly find myself in the possession of 6 Top Cow single issues to read for review. Eventually I got around to them, and I was surprised to see that I actually enjoyed a few of them. Of those few winners, one comic stood above the rest for me. The book was called Velocity, and it featured the Cyberforce character of the same name as the main character. It was one of the winners of Top Cow’s Pilot Season program. Now, Velocity’s road from Pilot Season to Ongoing Series is long and rocky trail that I wont go into here, but the end result led the book to be written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Kenneth Rocafort. And let me tell you, if not for Rocafort’s art, I wouldn’t even be talking about this. Long story short, I currently have Velocity in my comic pull list. And I’ve picked up a few more products from Top Cow since then, most notably, the Madame Mirage trade and the Pilot Season 2008 trade (recently released). I’ve enjoyed both and that has led me to keep an eye out for Pilot Season books. Which leads me to the point of this blog.
7 Days From Hell is one of the final releases for this year’s Pilot Season and is written by St. Louisan Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin while illustrated by Phil Noto. The story features a mercenary who makes a deal with a demon in order to survive mortal wounds he had received. In return, the merc must serve as the demon’s assassin, forced to rid the world of the worst criminals in existence. However, the man only has 7 days at a time to hit a target, or else it’s bad news for him. Now, you might be thinking that you’ve read/seen this story before. I wont argue with you there, however, this is one of those comics where the written portion and the art portion are balanced. I can easily say that I’ll be buying this, not because of the art or the writing, but because of them both. I’m even thinking that I’ll even log into my long-abandoned MySpace account to take part in the voting this year. You could probably say that 7 Days is my endorsement in this years grouping, and I stand confident that I won’t be disappointed. Also, it doesn’t hurt that Hill is a local guy, so that’s like a double endorsement. Anyway, that’s it for me. 7 Days From Hell hits the bookshelves this week, so don’t miss out!
One of my favorite bookstores in St. Louis. Star Clipper offers not only the best selection of comic books and graphic novels in the city, but also a cornucopia of art, design and pop-culture related books and magazines. 
