Comments on: DC: Action Comics #861, The Spirit #13

By: Michael Grabois

Michael Grabois — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:04:21 +0000

This Legion story is in Action Comics and not the regular Legion title is that this is a story about the Legion that Superman (as Superboy) used to be a member of. The current Legion title is a whole ‘nother team.

By: Rob Barrett

Rob Barrett — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:26:05 +0000

My only qualm here is that people keep discussing Geoff Johns as though he was Roy Thomas–i.e., a man who *killed off* Dian Belmont in an issue of All-Star Squadron to explain why the Golden Age Sandman changed costumes when Kirby and Simon took over the character’s Golden Age book. Geoff Johns has not yet killed a character on camera to explain a costume change, so he doesn’t merit the charge that he’s writing “wank-off, continuity-whore fan-fiction.” He has a long way to go to catch up to 1980s Writing for DC Roy Thomas, my pick for the Gold Standard in Continuity Whores.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:21:58 +0000

You don’t see it in other media because there’s no comparison. The longest running movie series I’m aware of is 45 years and 20 or so entries (James Bond). Compare that to a couple of thousand stories over 70 years (Superman). And readers expect them all to somehow fit together or be explicitly explained away.

Plus, other media are more expensive to produce, so you don’t often see people creating stories just to answer a continuity point. (The genre series novels like the one you mention may be an exception to that.) They write novels to tell an interesting story about involving characters, not to settle which Earth someone really belonged on (like that Black Canary is her own daughter in stasis story). And no other medium has universes the same way comics does.

Someone may want to “just do their own thing”, but they might not have a career that way, given the current publisher emphasis on the shared universe over quality.

By: akd

akd — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:13:34 +0000

When did continuity become such a “bad word” in comics? Why do you not see it in other mediums? For example, I’ve never once heard readers of the Star Wars novels complain that continuity is holding back good stories. I’ve never head the writers of said books complain that they have their hands tied when it comes to telling the stories they really want to tell. I for one think writers giving the “continuity complaint” are either showing laziness or lack of talent. If continuity is holding you back, just stop writing stories with established characters and worlds and just do your own thing.

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 03:14:10 +0000

I used to really like Gary Frank’s stuff, about 10 years ago, but it seems like every character he draws anymore looks scary and deranged.

IIRC, you had positive things to say about a Green Lantern Secret Files story that Geoff Johns wrote a couple of years ago.

I generally like his stuff, but that’s with the full admission that he’s basically doing wank-off, continuity-whore fan-fiction. It just so happens that he and I seem to like a lot of the same stuff from yesteryear so it pushes all the right buttons for me.

Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

By: James Schee

James Schee — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:38:35 +0000

Lightning Saga was the JLA/JSA crossover, that had LSH members popping up and that brought back Wally West, but also aided in the apparent death of Bart Allen.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:15:29 +0000

I don’t remember Lightning Saga — what happened and why was it bad?

I’m with you on Johns. I looked up his credits, and the only one I remembered and liked was Booster Gold, and there are two extenuating circumstances there: it’s co-written, and I’m not sure I’m enjoying the recent twists.

AKD, glad to hear differing opinions so well-expressed. It’s true, there are a good variety of expressions, and that’s a strength.

By: akd

akd — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 05:57:19 +0000

I’ve got to disagree with the Action Comics review. I’ve never been a fan of Superman before, but this story has seriously pulled me in; and I think the art is playing a large part in my enjoyment of it. I love the facial expressions that Gary Frank gives the characters. I find them SO much more expressive and less generic than the typical comic art. I also like how everyone doesn’t appear to have the face of a supermodel. Everyone has a much more average-guy-on-the-street look (other than being perfectly physically fit), and I like that. Beyond the art, I’m really enjoying the story too, but then again, I’ve loved all of Geoff Johns’ recent work.

By: Michael Rawdon

Michael Rawdon — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:49:59 +0000

I assume this is running in Superman and not Legion because this Legion bears little resemblance to the one in the current Legion title. Also because it vaguely spins out of the (awful) "Lightning Saga" from last year. I agree with your review. Lot of potential, mostly squandered. Frank's art is vaguely uncomfortable (especially the toothy smiles and grimaces his characters make). I can't honestly think of anything I've read by Geoff Johns which was genuinely memorable. His run on Flash almost got there at times, but that's all that comes to mind.