When last we spoke, I was yammering on about how many comics I bought. Prepare yourself for even more yammering, because I ended up with even more single issues this week. This may take a while, so let’s get right to it.
[THEY’RE A GOOD-LOOKIN’ COUPLE]
The Mighty Thor 2: Olivier Coipel draws a great-looking Thor, there’s no doubt about it. All the Asgardians look great, in fact, and his layouts are visually arresting. Matt Fraction’s story is more of the same stuff we’ve been seeing in this book for the past couple years — the people of Broxton are at risk because Asgard is a trouble-magnet of a neighbor, and now something totally evil is heading their way — but with a touch more humor than I’ve come to expect from a Thor book. I’m fine with the humor, but the whole “Perils of Broxton” storyline is getting stale. Also stale — and I can’t believe I’m about to say this — is the arrival of Silver Surfer with Galactus in tow. I love Galactus, I love the Surfer, but Fantastic Four just recently did a story in which Surfer shows up and announces Galactus is coming and he’s cheesed off. I recognize that’s kinda what Galactus does for a living, but I’d like to see Marvel either space out the “coming of Galactus” stories or demand that writers come up with something slightly less formulaic for ol’ Purple Hat if they’re going to use him.
See You Next Wednesday: Mike Harvey, America’s Minicomics Last Great Hope, told me today that the recent storms (and attendant loss of power) almost forced him to miss an issue. He really had to put his head down and draw this one at the eleventh hour in order to meet his deadline — more comic creators should be so conscientious. Rac the Thief: Lucky 21 stars the buxom bandit Rac and her raccoon partner, Jasper, beating a casino through the use of chicanery and low-cut dresses. It’s not my favorite SYN issue — that would still be any issue of Gene the Cat Genie or the World’s Richest Hobo — but it’s a quick, fun story.
[TOGETHER AGAINST THE NAZIS]
Power Man and Iron Fist 5: This wraps up the limited series, and after the way issue 3 and 4 meandered, I should have anticipated that this installment was going to connect the dots in a hurry; the last two pages are just Danny narrating how he put everything together and solved all mysteries. Would have been nice to see him actually do stuff rather than just have him telling us all about it, but maybe that’s just me. Danny Rand and Victor Alvarez fight some neo-nazis, somehow avoid any sort of confrontation with the Commedia Dell’Morte despite spending several pages standing in the same room with them and clear Jenny Royce’s name. Speaking of clearing names, I was slightly put off by the lead neo-Nazi using the pseudonym Joe Duffy to hide his true identity of Gerry Kammill. Jo Duffy and Kerry Gammill made some fine issues of original flavor PM/IF back in the 80s, so I assume this is both an inside joke for old fans like me and a sly nod to fellow pros (and possible friends) by Fred Van Lente, but it felt kinda gross. I don’t know too many people who are flattered when nazis — fictional or otherwise — appropriate their identities.
[SUE STORM LIKE A BOSS]
FF 4: I’ve been up and down on this title, but mostly up of late. One of my gripes has been the lack of any personal interaction between the characters, all of whom are family. Jonathan Hickman mitigates that complaint this issue with an extended scene between Sue and Peter Parker that shows her as a mother, a friend, a super-hero and an individual. It’s reassuring to see Hickman transition back to dealing with the people inside those suits, and he triples the joy by also giving us a surly Ben suffering through a conversation with Bentley, the pathologically evil kid, and Reed’s council of big-brain villains sniping at each other while figuring out how to kill all the alternate Reeds. This is the kind of stuff that brought me back to Fantastic Four after many years away, and it’s the kind of stuff that will keep me buying FF. Also, Barry Kitson’s art is fantastic. Nothing against Steve Epting, but Kitson is a nice change of pace.
[WHEN HE SHOWS UP, HE CERTAINLY DELIVERS]
Magnus Robot Fighter 4: And here ends the first arc, almost a year after it began. Magnus finally smashes the gang that’s been trying kill him, fights some robots, breaks up with one girl and gets with Leeja, his traditional soul mate from all previous incarnations of Magnus. Let me state clearly that I have enjoyed this series thus far, but I also felt disconnected from it at times. Four issues a year will do that to you. Jim Shooter specializes in dense stories, and it’s a plain fact that the more time between issues, the more difficult it is to follow the plot. I’d really like to see this book stick around for a while, and I’d also like to see it get on at least a bi-monthly schedule. A little regularity goes a long way to helping a book find an audience and keep it.
[THERE’S A LOT OF TRUCK RACING IN THIS]
Butcher Baker Righteous Maker 3 is very regular — I believe this is the third issue in two months. Mike Huddleston’s art is pretty amazing and amazingly pretty on this one. He’s all over the place stylistically, often on the same page — it’s exhilarating, but I wish he had more to work with than Joe Casey’s Martial-Law-meets-Smokey-and-the-Bandit plot. The most entertaining element of Casey’s contribution is his five page (!) essay on comic book sales figures, content, artistry and, uh, “nothing.” I enjoy a rambling discourse as much as the next guy — (looks up and down this page) — more than the next guy, but come. ON. In three issues we’ve seen Butcher Baker negotiate a deal, detonate a bomb and drive a truck; if Casey put as much effort into the script as he does into the essays maybe I’d know what Butcher is all about. All I know for certain right now is he has a mustache.
[DARTH ASSKICKER MISPLACES HIS WIFE AGAIN]
Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command 5: Hayden Blackman’s story about a young Darth Vader — these events take place right after the film, Revenge of the Sith — pays some dividends in the form of Darth accepting responsibility for the death of Padme and their unborn child. It’s a good story that bridges the gap between Anakin and Vader, but after reading it I’m not sure I actually wanted that gap bridged. I know Anakin chose the Dark Side — that’s kind of what Revenge of the Sith was all about — so seeing him choose it again, even harder, isn’t really a shocker. Speaking strictly as a Star Wars fanatic, however, it’s nice to see Vader wreak massive amounts of havoc. So there you go: I claim to want deeper characterizations and better writing in my comics, but when it comes to Star Wars, I just wanna see people and places get jacked up.
[XOMBI -- NOW WITH MORE AX]
Xombi 3: Speaking of characterization and better writing, check out John Rozum’s work in this one. It’s not often you witness a guy loaded with nanobot healing technology play punch out with an antediluvian monster while discussing the fleeting and frustrating ways in which humanity fails to appreciate being alive, so you should take luxuriate in it when it does happen. This is the first comic since Sandman that’s trying to tell you something about the real world; sure, the message comes wrapped in superheroic Asian Americans and punning nuns, but it’s still there.
[METTLE GIVES SPIDEY WHAT-FOR]
The Amazing Spider-Man 662: Christos Gage’s “not a fill-in” two-parter continues filling in for Dan Slott. Spidey and the Avengers Academy fight Psycho-Man and one another while Spidey tries to convince them to not kill each other or innocent people. This leans rather heavily on the super-hero classic bit, “fight the evil power, you’re a hero.” It still works, but I’m buying this book for Dan Slott whizbangery, not guest stars working through developmental problems outside their own title; that’s cruel, but truthful. These days I just don’t enjoy Spider-Man’s voice unless Slott’s writing it.
[ROCK HARD, RIDE FREE]
Planet of the Apes 2: So, after Daryl Gregory and Carlos Magno show us the assassination of the Law Giver, they introduce the ape who’s going to find the killer and scotch whatever rebellion is brewing in the human part of town. Nix, a fearsome gorilla soldier, assembles his commando team to do the dirty work, but not before delivering a lecture on underestimating the humans. It’s difficult — maybe impossible — to not see the racial metaphor Gregory’s going for with this one, but that element is present in every version of the POTA universe. I know I’m supposed to empathize with the humans, but the apes were underdogs for so long (and still are underdogs here in the real world), that I’m pulling for Nix and his team to do a lot of damage to us smug humans. The fact that some of that damage is delivered as a down payment in this issue is satisfying.
[I’M AVOIDING SHOWING THE INTERIOR ART AGAIN, JUST BECAUSE]
Conan Road of Kings 5: I’ve complained about Mike Hawthorne’s pencils for four straight issues now. I don’t want to do it for a fifth issue, but I’m a stickler: I’m not enjoying his efforts. Roy Thomas’ script for this one is all right, but just all right. Now that Conan and company have made it Ophir, we get some bewitching of the king by a beautiful sorceress and a big executioner picking a fight with Conan. I’m pretty sure I’ve read this story before; I’m also reasonably certain that Thomas can make this better in the final issue.
[WHAT’S WITH THE POOFY SLEEVES, CONAN?]
King Conan 4: Yeah, that’s more like it. Tim Truman and Tomas Giorello close out their Scarlet Citadel adaptation with fantastic art and some keen plotting. I absolutely love Truman’s version of an old Conan regaling a scribe with stories of his early kingship all night long, and Giorello’s grizzled depiction of the monarch is perfect. I’m definitely on record as preferring original Conan comics over more adaptations of the REH stories, but the Truman/Giorello team does such a bang-up job at capturing the Hyborian tone and the fury that this one is the better all-around Conan book.
[THE NAME MEANS QUALITY]
Kirby Genesis 0: It is impossible to overstate my deep and abiding love for the work of Jack Kirby. I admire the work of many writers, and I certainly have my favorite artists, but there’s never been anybody like Kirby. At his best, he transcended the restrictions of panels and costumes to spin stories about the unquenchable fire of the human spirit; at his worst, he was still Jack Kirby, meaning more inventive, more passionate and just plain better than pretty much everyone else who’s ever set pen to Bristol board. So I had grave doubts about Kent Busiek and Alex Ross being able to capture some of that glory. Sure, they’re using Jack’s ideas and concepts as a springboard for an impending armada of comics, but neither of them are Jack. Busiek’s prose doesn’t have the blunt rush of Kirby’s, and Ross’ pencils are too pretty and flashy to compare to the immediate, rough-hewn authenticity of Kirby.
[AAAHHHHwesome]
And yet I loved this comic. Absolutely no reservations loved it. Being a zero issue, this is all set-up — those types of stories rarely feel like anything other than a commercial for the forthcoming series. We meet various super sci-fi characters, encounter the human beings who are going to have to deal with these alien visitors and then get some comparison pages of Alex Ross’ breakdowns with Jack Herbert finishes as a teaser for what the series will look like. And in all that, there’s an explosive optimism that resonates like Kirby. I don’t know if they can maintain it, but I intend to stick around to find out. Ross and Herbert have a combined penciling style that’s cleaner and less primal than Kirby’s, but that first image of Tiger 18 just about made me shout with glee — it was so immediately a Jack Kirby moment that I couldn’t help but be excited by it. It was a visceral response to a comic book, something I haven’t felt with that intensity in quite some time; probably not since the New Gods hardcovers came out. And that’s ultimately what I’m looking for in any comic book: I want to feel wonder and optimism in equal measures. It’s a Kirby hallmark, and it’s here in this book. It’s not really the best thing I “read” this week, but it’s certainly the best comic I felt this week. More, please.
The other day I bought my first single issue in months. I stopped collecting them regularly a while back, mainly because I find trade paperbacks to be a bit less expensive and a lot easier to store. Every now and then though, whether it’s due to nostalgia or sheer impatience, I find myself buying an issue or two.
This time I surprised myself by buying one of what I normally consider to be the lowest of the low in comics: the movie/video game adaptation series. These are the comics that are always released shortly before or after a major movie or video game adaptation of a series comes out. As a general rule, I’m not a fan of these creations, because even if what there are advertising is good, the quality of this promotional material rarely lives up to the hype. The writing is usually bad, the art so-so, and they add nothing to the product they’re tacked onto. However, every once in a while there is an exception to this rule. The issue that caught my eye in this instance was the five issue limited series titled Batman: Arkham City, named after the upcoming video game sequel to the best-selling game, Batman: Arkham Asylum.
What made me pick up the first issue of this series was largely due to the glowing opinion I had of the original game. Batman: Arkham Asylum was the shining example of what a comic-based video game should be. It had a brilliant and well-constructed story written by Paul Dini, incredible graphics and game play, and it stayed true to the characters. It even united the voice cast of the Batman Animated Series, including Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker.
[It’s all in the laugh.]
If the first issue of the miniseries is any indication, the sequel to this game is looking to be just as promising as the original. Put together by the same creative team of Paul Dini and Carlos D’Anda, Batman: Arkham City takes place a year after the events of Arkham Asylum, but this time the playground has expanded to encompass half of Gotham City.
Unfortunately, there’s not much more I can say without giving some vital information away, and I’m not one for spoilers. What I will say is that while I’m not certain how vital this prequel will be in bridging the first game to the second, it’s a series I plan to finish. There’s a long wait between now and the October release date for Arkham City, and this is just the thing to help pass the time.
Now, just for fun, here’s an epic trailer for Arkham City. Enjoy.
It’s not often that I read all-ages comics. It’s even more rare for me to pick up anything published from Archie Comics. In fact, the last ongoing comic series I read from Archie Comics was the kid-friendly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the early 90s. I had pretty much written off the company, but then 20 years later they go and release the first “Mega Man” ongoing comic ever. Being a huge fan of the blue bomber, I had to at least check it out and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint.
With Mega Man, the first issue’s greatest strength is that it appeals to long-time gamers as well as new readers to the Mega Man franchise. The plot is pretty standard Mega Man fare. Dr. Light and the sinister Dr. Wily create six Robot Masters to assist humans with different production task and research (The Robot Masters are the six from the original Mega Man from 1987, including Cut Man, Elec Man, Ice Man, Fire Man, Bomb Man, and my personal favorite Guts Man). Of course, Dr. Wily secretly reprograms the robot masters and they begin to terrorize the city. Against Dr. Lights best wishes, he reprograms his android assistant Rock (Named after Rock music!) and turns him into the warrior Mega Man to combat the renegade robot masters. Equipped with his newly installed Megabuster, Rock must defeat the robot master and gain their powers to defeat Dr. Wily. The story is streamlined from pretty much every Mega Man installment from the original NES series. It’s easy for kids to follow, and artist Patrick ‘Spaz’ Spaziante’s (worked on the Dreamwave Mega Man comic series that was canceled) hyperkinetic illustrations should be able to keep the attention of a new generation of readers raised on modern video games.
[Who is this guy? Oh... It's Mega Man.]
What’s more, “Mega Man” will also appeal to long time fans of the popular video games, in large part to writer Ian Flynn’s understanding of the series. There are all kinds of in-reference that will catch the eyes of dedicated fans. From 8-Bit images of Dr. Light hidden in panels, to obscure characters like Neige from “Mega Man Zero 4″ making cameo appearances, “Mega Man” #1 is definitely fan service. My favorite part of the issue is the final joke strip on the last page that references the atrocious, non-representative box cover art from the first Mega Man game. That’s been a long running joke about the series and gives me faith that the creative team knows what they’re doing with the comic adaptation.
I’m excited for the next issue and can’t wait to see what little in-jokes might pop up (I’m hoping for a reference to Proto Man aka Blues). It’s also exciting to think this comic might introduce new fans to the blue bomber. Great job, Archie Comics!
I finally got around to reading Junji Ito’s “Gyo,” and for the most part, I thought it was pretty great. There was a bit in the second volume that dealt with a circus that raised some interesting questions about the intelligence of the “new-life” that appeared out of the water. Anyway, while I thought the circus chapters were useful in getting a few ideas across, I just think it’s pushing things a bit too far with there even being a circus at this point in the manga. My other small issue that I have is that the story ended a little too openly. It was as if Mr Ito had more planed but then he got tired. Or maybe there was a sales issue… I don’t know. But if ever the powers-that-be decide there should be a third volume, I’ll be there to read it. I need to know what happened to the main character’s uncle… Moving on, after I finished reading the story, I did a little search to view other opinions on it. That’s when I came across this news item. Gyo is being turned into an animated special.
There really isn’t much more to say about this. There’s going to be a lot of gross looking walking-fish and I’m going to get a chance to hear what a voice actress does with the role of the complain-y girlfriend. Man, that girl could really whine. But another thing I’m looking forward to is how they handle the sound effects. Without giving away too much, the story actually revolves around a sort-of virus that causes living things to bloat-up and expel gas as a means to replicate the virus, as well as power the machinery that allows the sea creatures to walk. Eventually, the virus spreads to humans… So… You know… All the infected parties are farting and sorta-burping continuously. There are panels in the manga that are kinda humorous because of this… In a bad way. I shouldn’t have laughed, but I did anyway. But you know, that’s a big part of the second half of the manga…. So, are we going to be hearing continuous flatulence for most of the second half of the movie? This is easily the most important question that needs to be asked of this movie. So… That’s it. Animated Gyo. I can’t wait.
When I walked into the shop yesterday, Ben asked me what I was going to write about for this blog post. “There’s nothing pulled for you this week, no viking comics, no Conan on the shelf — what’re you gonna do?”
What I did was end up buying close to 20 books this week. Even discounting books bought for the nephews and graphic novels, that’s still more than I can conceivably read and review in one night and still get a few hours sleep. So I’m gonna drop half of today’s haul from contention because they weren’t even in the running for best thing I read. Of those unmentioned books, I would like to note that while I really like the idea of Skaar and I want to like that particular comic, having characters constantly yelling “Skaar! Skaar!” is tiring. The appearance of Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy almost made up for it, but not quite. And as for Greg Pak’s Silver Surfer limited series, I’ve done some math: on the last page of issue 1, Silver Surfer was depowered; on the last page of issue 4, Silver Surfer regains his power. That means in a 5 issue series entitled “Silver Surfer,” we’ll get exactly 2 issues of actual Silver Surfer (assuming he retains his powers throughout the entirety of the final issue), which works out to a percentage of (checks abacus) NOT ENOUGH.
[HERC’S CONJOINED LION TWIN, HURC, IS BARELY NOTICABLE]
Herc 3 is also written by Greg Pak with Fred Van Lente, and it gives us quite a bit of highly enjoyable Herc action. Which is surprising, because this is a Fear Itself tie-in, and believe me, I’m genetically programmed to hate crossover tie-ins. Pak & Van Lente really have a handle on the nature of Hercules’ personality — likable despite being so supremely confident that he traipses into arrogance. Of course, if you give me a comic with a bunch of 70s-type super villains like Griffin, Basilisk and Man-Bull — c’mon, MAN-BULL — I’m gonna be into it. Herc beats up on everybody in sight, a villainess from Herc’s mythological past re-appears and Man-Bull declares his platonic love for one of his teammates. Fun, fun comic. It doesn’t make me want to read any other part of Fear Itself, but if the rest of these tie-ins are this painless I may not curse Fear Itself as much as I cursed Blackest Night.
[AMAZING SPIDER-TEACHER]
Amazing Spider-Man 661 is not a fill-in issue, but it’s not a Dan Slott funfest, either. Christos Gage and Reilly Brown give us an interstitial story about Spidey teaching a class in superheroics to some of the more troubled Avengers youth, and it’s quite good. Gage sets up an interesting conundrum in that Spidey is an old-timer to these kids, and that the art of teen superheroing is much different now than it was way back in the Silver Age. The classroom stuff is fun, as is the kids’ eventual reaction to seeing ultra-Silver Age villain Psycho-Man — it’s part disdain, part disbelief. The meta-commentary in modern Spider-Man seems to be a recurring feature, and I really like it. I also like Mettle as a character; I may have to check out that Avengers Academy title. (You see, Marvel? It’s not multi-issue tie-ins jammed down my throat that pique my interest in other books I may not be reading; it’s the old Marvel Team-Up/Two-in-One format that gives me a single-serving taste of the character. Bring back MT-U.)
[TANK GIRL’S TRIBUTE TO OLD-TIME PLAYOFF HOCKEY]
Tank Girl: Bad Wind Rising 4 is completely bonkers. We learn why Tank Girl and Booga had their big blow-out (not their fault) and we get a little lesson in both quantum physics and temporal theory (confusing and enlightening). Also, Rufus Dayglo’s marginalia gets so out of control that Alan Martin begins commenting on it, giving us a sideways behind-the-scenes peek at how they work as a team. Easily the most bizarre, unpredictable book coming out, and it must be noted that Alan Martin is a wizard of profanity — that’s a selling point as far as I’m concerned. Anyone can use vulgar language, but Martin makes vulgar language sing.
[YILDIRAY CINAR HAS MASTERED SPLASH PAGE DYNAMICS]
Paul Levitz, however makes superheroes sing. Not literally, metaphorically. His current run on Legion of Super-Heroes — the issue at hand is number 13 — is proof that complex, far-reaching plots can be done well and without dragging every book in the universe into their singularity. The Legion continues to struggle with figuring out who’s trying to destroy the universe this time (Oooh! OOOhhhh! It’s Saturn Queen!) and how they’re going to wreck the joint (with the aid of the magical powers of a little blue person — wait, is that little person from Oa? I hadn’t considered that ’til just this moment.), while the various Legionnaires continue to squabble amongst one another and nurse old grudges. And is one of them seriously considering going rogue and betraying the team? It sure looks like a possibility at this point. As great as Levitz is as a plotter and writer, when Polar Boy uses “dissing” casually in a sentence, it felt weird and anachronistic for the 31st century. It’s not a fatal misstep, but it is uncharacteristic.
[KROC’S MORE A CONNOISSEUR THAN A COLLECTOR]
Tiny Titans 40 was also uncharacteristic, in that Art Baltazar and Franco seemed to use the same joke over and over until it was worn out. “Here’s BLANK, here’s BLANK with Kroc,” just didn’t do it for me after the third time. I love Tiny Titans each and every outing, so I’m sure I’m holding this book to a ridiculously high standard — but that’s how it is when you’re phenomenally talented (or so I’ve been told). I laughed a few times, but not like I normally do when reading Tiny Titans.
Mike Harvey’s See You Next Wednesday comics is also a bit of a deviation from the norm, in that this issue — “The Game Of Life” — is more of an allegory than a set-up for a punch line. However, since about the third issue, Mike has prided himself on confounding expectations of what the book will be, so it’s interesting to see how he continues to find ways to do that. And I do like when Mike goes for the more experimental stories, such as this one about an angel and devil playing a game with human beings as pawns — humans that are as featureless and bland as the playing pieces in the board game, “The Game of Life.” As simple and straightforward as Mike’s stories appear on first reading, it’s the little details like that that make them stick with you.
[EPIC IS AN OVER-USED COVER BLURB, BUT THIS TIME IT’S APPROPRIATE]
Superman/Batman 84 is more problematic; this is the final issue of Cullen Bunn and ChrisCross’ Sorcerer Kings arc, and I really want this book to continue. I like the magic sun powered world Bunn has envisioned, I like the sci-fi/medieval feel of the art, I like this determined-yet-not-grim-Batman and I love the whole Superman with giant sword thing. If DC made this the de facto universe for the Supes/Bats book, this would immediately end up on my pull list for at least as long as Bunn was writing it. This is an action-packed, high-concept comic book that never forgets for an instant that it’s also entertainment. Batman rides a dragon and wields a giant Batarang sword — that’s more fun than Batman has been in 20 years. I don’t want to give anything else away, because Bunn has plotted a way out that exhibits a keen understanding of the Bats/Supes interpersonal dynamic and that also works well as a story — and it’s kind of surprising how many arcs end without incorporating one or both of those elements these days — so let’s just say that when Bats and Supes combine to fight the gathered evil magicians dominating this alternate history future Earth, some people die, some people sacrifice themselves for the good of others and the whole thing is eminently and deeply satisfying.
[I’M HEARING QUEEN’S PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE RIGHT NOW -- HOW ‘BOUT YOU?]
If you’ve missed all the previous issues, I feel bad for you. Definitely pick this up when it’s collected, because this is how comics should be done all the time. Superman/Batman 84 is absolutely the best thing I read this week, but more importantly, Cullen Bunn and ChrisCross have crafted a modern classic. This is the kind of comic book arc that people will remember with great fondness in a decade or two.
The 1994 Roger Corman “Fantastic Four” film is the stuff of legends. For years comic fans have attempted to get their hands on the elusive, unreleased film, scouring comic conventions for rare bootleg copies. It’s a valiant search, but the film was never meant to be seen and even the most dedicated convention nerd usually rummaged in vain. Producer Roger Corman financed the low-budget spectacle only to secure movie rights for future films. Unbeknownst to the cast and director, Corman never had any intention to let the film see the light of day. Consequently, Roger Corman’s “Fantastic Four” has sat on the shelf for the last 17 years. Until now, sorta…
On June 24-26, Con-Tamination 2011 will reunite the original cast of Roger Corman’s “Fantastic Four” for the first time ever! Meet Alex Hyde-White as Mister Fantastic, Rebecca Staab as Sue Storm, Michael Bailey Smith as Ben Grimm, Carl Ciarfalio as The Thing, Jay Underwood as Human Torch, and Joseph Culp as Doctor Doom. Whether or not anyone has actually seen the film to make this appearance worthwhile is debatable, but it’s still cool it’s happening right here in St. Louis. I’ve actually been fortunate enough to borrow a VHS bootleg copy from Cinema St. Louis operation supervisor Brian Spath, but I might save my viewing experience until after I meet the cast.
Also, if you were interested in meeting the quirky producer responsible for making the legendary B-movie and maybe even asking him a few questions about Fantastic Four, Roger Corman will be in St. Louis on May 21-22 at the Hi-Pointe Theatre as part of the Vincentennial celebration. Of course, you can see the Vincent Price Present gallery exhibit at Star Clipper right now until June 29.
Alright, So here are my top 3 picks of April, plus another special mention… I think that’s just gonna be a part of this thing… No attempt at humor. Let’s just get straight to it.
First off, we have Nonplayer #1 by Nate Simpson. This was a book that seemed to just ooze buzz from all over the place. In the week before the comic’s release, I took at least 10 phone calls that were asking about the release of this book. I just thought it looked cool. So when I finally purchased it, I was happy to see that whatever was being posted all over the internet about this book, was probably well deserved. What we were given was a beautifully illustrated story about a girl and the online game that she plays. During the course of the story, she ends up killing the NPC (Non-Player Character, which essentially means computer controlled character) wife of NPC King Heremoth, things take a turn for the strange, when the game characters reacted like living beings instead of having a “scripted reaction.” With the gaming session finished, we find ourselves in a distant future where everyone can sorta “jack” into network that allows them to change how they can precept the world. It’s pretty cool stuff. It also looks like the book sold out at the distribution level immediately. But there is hope. The second printing should be out by the time this is posted, so… Here’s your chance to see something cool.
Next up is the release of Superman/Batman Annual #5 by James Robinson and Miguel Sepulveda. Readers of the Star Clipper blog should know by now that I’m a big fan of Superman and his variants, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I’ve been enjoying the “Reign of Doomsday” event that’s been going on across the DC books. This one may be a favorite entry of the whole thing, seeing as it’s the first book since the Steel One Shot that came out a few months back that has been able to dedicate an entire issue to the Doomsday plot. The other books have had other plots going on that have ranged from interesting to kinda boring. I wont name names… But this entry saw Supergirl and the Cyborg Superman going toe-to-toe with Doomsday while Bat-Grayson was getting beat-up by JLA Satellite holograms (like when the holodecks in malfunction in Star Trek). Here we saw the Cyborg Superman actually fighting for pride, instead of wanting to die. It was beautiful. And I felt for him. I wanted him to win, even with the knowledge that he killed millions, it just seemed like the right thing to happen. But… That just wasn’t to be…
Which brings us to the third comic, Action Comics #900. This comic’s main story brought us a couple of really cool things. The first being that all the various Supermen were placed in the same room for what I believe was the first time ever. The second cool thing was that we learned who was behind the appearance of Doomsday and the secret why Doomsday kept showing off new powers. And lastly, we saw Lex Luthor win. He beat Superman, he beat the universe, and he even brought peace to it. But only for a moment. Luthor’s downfall was his rage that couldn’t be stifled when he learned of Superman’s secret identity. Yes, Lex Luthor finally discovered that Clark Kent was also Superman. No tricks would be played here. But… I wonder how long that’s going to last… Seeing as Flashpoint is right around the corner, and I, like most others, expect for the history of the DC Universe to be changed once more. I guess, since they didn’t put “Crisis” in the title, they thought that it would be ok. But I’m off topic. I enjoyed the primary story of the book. I also really enjoyed the Jor-El story that was included as well as the story that took Superman to the Middle East and back to Camp David.
Now, with that being said, I’d just like to point out that I didn’t choose this issue because of the controversy that revolves around Superman wanting to renounce his US Citizenship. No. He can do whatever he wants. He’s an alien, and what he had to say about the matter had some truth to it. That’s just how it is. This past FCBD, we had superheroes hanging out at the store the entire day. One of them was Superman. When I asked him about the comic situation and if people give him crap about it, he told me yes. He gets a lot of crap over it, but his responses for those hecklers are very much those that would come from Superman. He’s handling it very well. But come on people? Some of you out there should have better things to do than to call Superman a traitor while you’re downtown at a Cards game. And I’d imagine that every city’s Superman is getting the same grief as well. Cut it out and think of the children that are watching you badmouth Supes.
Now for my special mention… That honor goes to Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #2. Why? Because some little bastard of a child choose to steal a prehistoric egg from a museum during an “earthquake”. When he got home, he took the egg out of his backpack just in time to see a baby Rodan hatch. Being the “good” kid that he is, he decided to feed the baby Rodan his neighbor’s cat. Hours later, when he was finally able to steal the cat, the boy returned home to find that the baby Rodan was no longer a baby, but full grown. The Rodan ate kid, destroyed most of his home, then left the cat behind. This is what a Godzilla comic is supposed to be. Because if there is no chaos, then why bother? And I’d like to think that eating a child in any context is chaos. That’s why Godzilla: KOM #2 gets a special mention.
Black Dynamite. If you don’t know him by now, then it’s about time you go and figure out who he is, because he’s coming at you with with a comic book with a story ripped straight out of the 70s. What started with an independently made homage to the Blaxploitation flicks of the 70s & 80s, has become something of a modern cult classic (which is a stupid term… “modern-classic”) with a following as large as a canceled sci-fi television show (That means a lot of followers). Everybody knows that if someone is hit with a boomerang whilst standing indoors, clearly someone must have thrown the item before they walked into the room. Classic. But Micheal Jai White’s (Spawn, The Dark Knight) little movie-that-dared has earned enough praise to have earned itself a 48 page one-shot as well as a season of a cartoon series set to debut on Adult Swim in 2012. (That’s the plan, anyway) And while I can tell you nothing about the cartoon, I can tell you about the comic, Black Dynamite: Slave Island.
Ordinarily, when I think of a “Slave Island,” I tend to think of a place that is filled with buxom lady-servants and muscled man-servants that would be taken straight out of a 60’s sci-fi comic book or a movie that plays about 16 times a month on Cinemax. This story does not feature that Slave Island. No. The Black Dynamite comic features an island resort designed for white folks who yearn for the “glory days” of the pre-Civil War South. Undisturbed by the rest of the world, there exists an island where the North American slavery of Africans never ceased. Anyway, our story begins with a slave escaping the island and making it to the shores of America. He is later found and examined by Roots author, Alex Haley. Black Dynamite makes a promise to Mr. Haley to find the sinister Slave Island and burn it to the ground.
From there, the story goes the way you pretty much expect it too, with a few unexpected turns here and there. For instance, Black Dynamite has a fight with a Shark while underwater. And to be honest, out of all the human/shark fights that I’ve seen, this one has the most absurd ending. Granted, I’ve only been witness to 4 or 5 other shark vs human fights, and one was actually shark vs zombie… But yeah… Like most comedies or satires that are built on the foundation of racism, Black Dynamite isn’t for everyone. If you feel that there is no humor in what I’ve just described, then there’s no hard feelings. But the content in the story is displayed with such an absurd level, that really, there’s nothing to be angry or ashamed about. So yeah…
Many people involved in the comic book industry will analyze how Free Comic Book Day went this year and determine if it was a success using various metrics. Most of those metrics are based on number of issues moved, news coverage, or sales figures, and those are all valid measurements — those are industry measurements, though, and they don’t take into account what FCBD was like from the point of view of the general public.
[RALPH SPEAKS FOR ALL CHILDREN AFTER FCBD 2011]
Let me tell you as a customer, a long-time comic buyer and an uncle who brought four nephews with him, FCBD 2011 was a monumental, earth-shattering success. We attended FCBD last year as a gang, and I got the feeling the boys liked it just fine, but they weren’t quite sure what it was all about. With one under their belts, they couldn’t wait for this year’s version; two of ‘em skipped playing hockey to attend, that’s how serious they were (much credit to my sister and brother-in-law for being cool with that, by the way).
We arrived about ten minutes before Star Clipper opened, and they were thrilled there was a line of people waiting to get in. It felt like an event to them, and they were dancing around on the sidewalk with excitement. When they door opened, the 12-year old whooped “Free comics!” — I couldn’t have been prouder of him. Or so I thought; the line snaking around the tables was pretty slow moving, and they were extremely patient and didn’t jostle or grab anything until it was right in front of ‘em. Incidentally, all of the kids — and there were quite a few — were well-behaved, while several people old enough to know better reached over kids’ heads to grab issues and skip the line (adults, you can’t take them anywhere).
[HERE COMES THE JUDGE]
There were a lot more comics this year that were aimed at a young audience, which was also a welcome change. If there’s going to be a next generation of comic buyers out there, the majority of the freebies on FCBD should be kid-friendly. The four-year old went home with seven comics, everything from the Simpsons to Sonic the Hedgehog, while the six-year old and the eight-year old had five each. Although I did have to talk the six-year old out of grabbing a copy of 2000 A.D. — something about Judge Dredd on the cover captivated him, but I thought it was a little too mature for him. We also bought some comics and milled around for a bit watching the crowd. The 12-year old saw Mike Harvey’s See You Next Wednesday Comics on the counter display and had a lot of questions about what it was and how it got there; I pointed out Mike to him and explained that that was the guy who wrote it, drew it, printed it and distributed it. (His shyness kept me from introducing Mike to him — and Mike was pretty busy anyway.) But seeing a b&w, photocopied comic that was made by a real person he could see went a long way towards demystifying the process for him. You don’t need a printing press, full color interiors or glossy covers for it to be a comic book — that’s a valuable lesson to learn, and I’m glad Mike’s comic taught him that. I could see the moment when the light bulb went off over his head, and I have no doubt he’s going to try his hand at his own minicomic — that’s one of the big reasons why FCBD should exist. Kids should leave the shop inspired to make their own books, and I’m positive that all the excitement of the day helped fire his imagination and his desire to make his own comic.
[SO GREAT IT MADE AN ANTI-READER READ]
The ultimate measure of FCBD’s success happened on the car ride back to their house. I had four brothers who squabble and pick at each essentially non-stop in my car, and we made the 30 minute drive back to Affton in silence. All of them were engrossed in their new comics, even the four-year old, who can’t read anything except his name. The eight-year old has told me countless times how much he hates to read, and there he was happily reading the Captain America/Thor freebie. (If I were vindictive, I would point out again how stupid it was for Marvel to cancel Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee’s Thor the Mighty Avenger book what with the Thor movie and a bunch of kids out there looking for a Thor comic, but I’m better than that. Instead I will compliment Marvel on getting Langridge and Samnee together again on the freebie, and merely mention that it’s not too late to undo their boneheaded decision — which is a rarely-seen example of short-sightedness and utter stupidity — and get them going on a revived Thor all-ages title.) You can’t have a more successful FCBD than one that gets brothers to stop fighting and lose themselves in a comic book.
As great as this year’s was, I would offer one suggestion for improving Free Comic Book Day on behalf of my 12-year old nephew. He thinks, and I quote, “They should do this more than once a year. Maybe near Christmas.” See? Once you get ‘em hooked, they’ll keep coming back for more. Massive success. And huge thanks and credit to AJ and Ben and the hard-working Star Clipper team for making FCBD such a big deal that was welcoming to all ages of comic lovers.
I don’t know if I’m still enjoying a contact high from Free Comic Book Day or if I’ve finally sloughed off four decades of cynicism — you know what, even typing that caused me to snort derisively. Of course I’m still on a FCBD high. Regardless of the underpinning reason, this week’s comics were particularly thrilling and entertaining.
[IT’S EITHER YOU OR HIM, DEER]
NorthlandersNORTHlandersNORTHLANDERS. Hey, look: A new issue of Northlanders came out this week. Issue 40 is a standalone issue by Brian Wood and Matthew Woodson documenting the interior life of a Swedish hunter who can’t stop himself from pursuing a deer that’s very determined to not get caught. This is a contemplative, even philosophical, character study that drops you into the mindset of someone who’s not hunting just to survive, but rather hunting because it’s the only part of his life that hasn’t fallen by the wayside. It’s about addiction, honor and the survival instinct that drives humanity to dare to go ever farther, and how even when you think you’re in charge, nature is right there to remind you that you control nothing. It’s kind of the ultimate encapsulation of the Northlanders experience. Also, Woodson’s art is fantastic — he draws a preternaturally expressive deer. Beautiful and thoughtful comic book making, right here every month in Northlanders.
Mike Harvey’s See You Next Wednesday Comics once again stars Gene the Cat Genie and his human, Katie, in a story about being cool. In eight brief pages, Mike effectively satirizes what it means to be cool and how obnoxious people who believe themselves to be cool are to those of us who know we’re not cool. Also, all of the problems caused by cool people are solved by one punch to the mouth. I KNEW IT. All you cool people are due for a shot in the chops. Mike Harvey makes comics that say what I want to say, and they also make me laugh.
[HELLBOY PLAYS STRAIGHTMAN FOR ROGER]
If there’s a greater writer/artist combo than Mike Mignola and Richard Corben to appear in the past couple years, I can’t think of who it would be. Mignola is the definitive Hellboy artist, natch, but Corben has to be number 1A on the list. His moody, creep-inducing art suits Mignola’s storytelling beautifully. Being Human is a flashback one-shot to Roger the Homunculus’ first B.R.P.D. mission with Hellboy, which involves a Southern family that keeps getting together around the dinner table despite having been dead for quite some time. It’s the sort of story that Mignola might have done as an eight-page back-up a decade ago, but now he gives it room to breathe and the results are fantastic. Roger doubts his ability to function in the real world, while Hellboy reassures him that it’ll be easier than he fears; it’s the sort of character-building story that reveals a great deal about both characters. It also made me really miss Roger.
[REEDS IN THE WINDS OF TIME]
FF 3 continues this book’s return to glory as far as I’m concerned. The unconvincing “death” of you-know-who a few issues ago really wrecked my relationship with this book, but a comic all about Dr. Doom convening a seminar of Marvel’s brightest supervillains (Mad Thinker! High Evolutionary! The Wizard!) in order to brainstorm ways to kill Mr. Fantastic, and Mr. Fantastic is present as guest of honor? Oh, and Val Richards is leading the discussion, and it’s all taking place at the Baxter Building? This is the sort of Fantastic Four I want to read. It seems all the alternate versions of Reed Richards have done some bad things in the future, and this world can only be saved by destroying the Reed Richards responsible for the worst of it. Dr. Doom loves the idea, to say the least, and Jonathan Hickman once again picks up plots he set aside a few months back in order to move the story forward (remember the stuff with the various Inhumans and Atlantean/undersea peoples from about six months ago? Totally relevant now.). I admire the breadth of Hickman’s ambition, but I sometimes wish there was a little more humor in the book. FF has been very dark and serious for quite some time now, and I miss the lighter touches Hickman used to throw in here. Remember when Johnny fought a supervillain in a toy store amidst a sea of Fantastic Four action figures? Oh, right — that’s why it’s so heavy all the time in FF. Dead brother/uncle/friend/brother-in-law.
[LOOK AT THIS ROLLICKING GOOD TIME]
And yet, Dan Slott writes an FF story that features all sorts of jokes and shenanigans while still delivering action and suspense in Amazing Spider-Man 660 as the FF take on the Sinister Six — go figure. Slott also delivers a great page that demonstrates the fundamental difference between the FF and Spidey; Spidey always laments what he does wrong in any situation, while the individual members of the FF focus on the larger picture and concentrate on their successes. It’s Slott’s attention to the human beings inside those ridiculous costumes that makes him such a fun writer. Two things about this issue, though. One: Having Peter Parker be the calm, let’s-talk-this-out half of a romantic partnership is a nice thing. Too often male superheroes do explosive anger or the stoic thing, so it’s refreshing to see him be a grown-up about his relationship troubles. Two: I don’t know who retouched the tattoo on Carlie, but it looks worse than a Colorform stuck on the page. Additionally, I don’t want to think about Peter Parker being aroused by the sight of his own mask.
[ALAN SCOTT LIKES TO WATCH]
The only Green Lantern I care about less than Kyle Rayner is Alan Scott — nothing about that dude makes sense, up to and including his magic ring that doesn’t affect wood. And yet how much did I enjoy The All New Batman the Brave and the Bold 7? Very much, thanks. Alan Scott shows up to school a younger Batman on the proper way to fight crime in Gotham, while Batman takes Alan to task for always fighting evil magicians and deranged burlesque queens (I’m basing this on a single panel of his rogues’ gallery in this book; I have no idea who Alan Scott’s nemeses are, nor do I care to find out) instead of taking on the thugs and hoods who run the town. It’s as interesting and as elegant a depiction of the difference between Silver Age and Bronze Age superheroics as I’ve seen. Also, Justice League as babies? Oh, I’d buy that book if it were a monthly. Sholly Fisch and Rick Burchett are not just making a great kids’ comic book, they’re making a great comic book. I think I’ve said that four months in a row now about TANBTBATB, but it bears repeating.
I loved reading each and every one of these books, no lie. I also picked up the new King Conan vol 2, collecting Marvel’s King Conan comics from the early 80s, and I know I’m going to love that. This FCBD afterglow is amazing. All right, here’s the deal: If I have to pick just one of these as the best — and I’m basing this on which one I want to re-read right now — I have to say Amazing Spider-Man. Dan Slott is crafting an immensely enjoyable arc, and the fact that the entire extended Richards/Grimm clan is in it being awesome is just too much for me to resist.
The 1994 Roger Corman “Fantastic Four” film is the stuff of legends. For years comic fans have attempted to get their hands on the elusive, unreleased film, scouring comic conventions for rare bootleg copies. It’s a valiant search, but the film was never meant to be seen and even the most dedicated convention nerd usually rummaged in vain. Producer Roger Corman financed the low-budget spectacle only to secure movie rights for future films. Unbeknownst to the cast and director, Corman never had any intention to let the film see the light of day. Consequently, Roger Corman’s “Fantastic Four” has sat on the shelf for the last 17 years. Until now, sorta…
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. 
