X-Men: Misfits
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I’ve always wanted to like the X-Men more than I did. I like the characters, and I like the angsty approach (when it doesn’t get too heavy) and the soap opera, but by the time I came to the series, there was too much back history for me to swallow. Plus, when there is an approach I can get into, as soon as I’m following it, they change the creators, and I don’t enjoy it as much. Anyway, that’s a long-winded way of saying that a stand-alone re-envisioning of these characters as teens for a girls’ manga audience is right on target for me.

In large part, that’s due to the writers. I’ve long appreciated the work of couple Raina Telgemeier (The Baby-Sitters Club, Smile) and Dave Roman (Astronaut Elementary, Teen Boat, Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden). They know how to capture authentic voices for young people, a huge plus in this series.

It’s the story of Kitty Pryde, teen mutant with the ability to pass through walls, who has just been sent to a school full of oddballs like her. There’s Jamie, who makes copies of himself that then fight with each other. Devilish Kurt. Cold Bobby. Winged Angel (making his entrance on one of the most stunning pages in the book). Beast resembles an ambulatory teddy bear. Magneto’s another of the teachers.

Strangely, Kitty is the only girl, making this a bit more like a harem manga than may be intended. (More females are promised in volume two.) She falls in with the Hellfire Club, a decadent group of beautiful students who use the Danger Room to pretend they’re on a beach. Should she work hard and study or hang out and party? It’s not much of a conflict, but then, one isn’t really needed, since this volume is mostly a “welcome to this world”. “Choose your friends carefully” isn’t a bad message, if slight.

The art is typical for the genre — lots of expression-filled faces, beautiful boys, cat ears, and chibis. Kitty’s sometimes treated as a pet, maybe because she’s drawn to resemble a mascot half the time.

Anzu previously drew the American manga The Reformed, and the weaknesses I saw there have improved, although she still has problems with structure. The figures look like they’re built from the outside in, that it was more important to get the manga “look” than to give them believable anatomy (especially when it comes to necks, which may be too long, change size, or otherwise not behave properly). The pages are busy, with not much white space for the eye to rest. Individual panels work better as single images than as part of a storytelling flow. She can’t draw older characters. None of these flaws damage the story; they become apparent when you start analyzing the art. If you’re caught up in events, you likely won’t notice.

The bigger problem is that there are so many cool characters that many of them do nothing in the story beyond their introduction. I got amusement out of seeing how elegantly some of the characters translated, but someone who isn’t already familiar with the superhero cast won’t have that. I found it a quick read, but one that left me wanting a lot more. I wish many more of the cast got a lot more space — where’s my instant 10-volume series?

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

   Marvel Divas #1

Given the booby-focused cover of issue #1, and this ridiculous description:

What happens when you take four of the Marvel Universe’s most fabulous single girls and throw them together, adding liberal amounts of suds and drama? You get the sassiest, sexiest, soapiest series to come out of the House of Ideas since Millie the Model! Romance, action, ex-boyfriends, and a last page that changes everything! Let your inner divas out with this one, fellas, you won’t regret it!

I expected typical “treating women characters as blow-up dolls, posing and flirting for titillating enjoyment for the male reader”. That’s what you get in most superhero comics, especially those with that kind of cover, featuring impossible anatomy. Heck, they’re even addressing the boys directly in the sell copy!

However, this is the kind of dialogue-driven character piece that one would expect from writer/playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. It’s a shame that its audience won’t find it, due to Marvel’s incompetent advertising and marketing. The boys attracted by that cover will be disappointed by what they find inside, while those who will appreciate the storytelling will be repulsed by the stupid wrapper.

Marvel Divas #2

Firestar has breast cancer, being treated by Night Nurse and Dr. Strange for a second opinion. Hellcat is writing an article about Firestar’s experience to inspire other women. Photon is getting advice on what to do about her fling with Doctor Voodoo, since they still share sparks. And Black Cat is having money issues, trying to get a business loan with her (now-reformed) past hanging over her.

The interior art is reminiscent of the work of Don Heck. It’s not dynamic, but Tonci Zonjic is good with expression and keeping the camera moving during the many talking scenes.

This is the kind of story long-time superhero fans like, exploring what everyday life would be like in the fantastic world of costumes. Of course, it doesn’t make any sense, for cancer to be much of a threat in a world with real magicians and people coming back from the dead all the time. But it’s rare to see women talk to each other about anything but men, let alone exploring life-and-death issues that don’t involve punching something. It shouldn’t be surprising that Marvel doesn’t know how to sell a story in which the women don’t even put on spandex (at least, not in this issue).

(Why she was my favorite character: She was clearly a big deal in the DCU, but she had her own name, unlike Batgirl or Supergirl, appendages to a better-known male hero. She was brunette and beautiful but not as unapproachable or perfect as Wonder Woman. She seemed the coolest when there weren’t a lot of other choices.)

Huntress: Year One
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After having read this story, originally published as a six-issue miniseries, my overall reaction is: why bother? Writer Ivory Madison tries to bring vendetta mixed with feminism into a world of family obligations, priests, and violent revenge. She’s relatively successful, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter, because there is no ongoing vision for this character in the bigger DC universe. If you like this story, there won’t be any more, and the revelations and motivations of this background won’t have much influence on the character going forward. The promise of a superhero universe is the idea of a never-ending story, of tales that weave as threads into a bigger tapestry. This story is a patch on the corner of the fabric that stands out for its more ambitious attempt at coherent characterization and depth.

A woman who fights back against sexist institutions that have harmed and tried to kill her is a relatively unusual motivation for a female superhero, but the message is undercut by the overall surroundings. Even if the Huntress is made unique by this story (within the relatively limited world of superhero comics, anyway), she’s still going to be used as random plug-in costume chick, regardless of appropriateness or distinction, in references elsewhere.

Is this a good enough story to overcome those inherent limitations and be worth reading on its own? No. Helena Bertinelli watches her family murdered in front of her as an eight-year-old. (Why was she saved? That’s never explained or revealed.) She hides out and trains on a farm in Sicily, mentored by a man who’s like an older brother to her and later shows up as a) a priest, because he fell in love with a nun who then dumped him and b) a hostage, because that’s the kind of world we’re playing in.

Someone sends goons to kill her, waiting 13 years until she’s able to fight back. When she beats them up and finds out the boss is an “uncle”, they have tea. (Didn’t he just send guys to kill her?) Her first superhero mission is an attempt to get all the money her family left her, which makes her seem remarkably greedy (2 million isn’t enough) and rather conflicted (it’s mob money, but it’s still her inheritance?). She takes the title “huntress” after a discussion on how words like “actress” and “heroine” are sexist. The contradiction is never explained.

That’s not the only loose end. Some of her actions are also unexplainable. Who thinks the right thing to do, no matter your emotion or motivation, is to start beating up prison guards when visiting jail? That’s not going to accomplish anything. It’s just plain stupid. In context, it reads like “oh, wait, this is a superhero book, need an action scene here.” The prose is purple at times — literally, with overwrought narration boxes colored that way with white text. The art is competent and tells the story with no noticeable glitches. (Sadly, in the superhero realm, that’s praise, since many artists are more interested in framing figures ridiculously than carrying a narrative.)

Once the rest of the Bat-Family — Batman, Catwoman, Batgirl — show up, I also have problems with the Huntress being the “Bad Bat” because she’s willing to kill and use guns. If you want to keep pushing Batman and his hangers-on towards being darker, you’re going to have to face that wall, and having everyone judge her because she crosses that unrealistic line is ridiculous (and whiffs of sexism, with Batman as the father figure who must be obeyed). Personally, I’d rather none of them kill, but as long as you’re chasing gore the way current DC titles do, that inconsistency sticks out.

As a revenge fantasy, this isn’t very satisfying, because slaughtering the people who ordered your loved ones massacred is ultimately unrewarding and also conflicts with the higher intellect of this story, which aims to be about a lot more than “you hurt me, so I’ll hurt you”. None of these people really seemed hurt to me, anyway — reflecting on it, I’m disturbed by how little I cared about Son missing Mob Father after his death or Helena beating up Goombas A-C because they were ordered to kill her.

In terms of damning with faint praise, it’s more complex than many other superhero origin stories, but I don’t think it needed to be. That complexity leads to loose ends and inconsistencies that come from trying to insert a shaded story of hatred and revenge and standing up for women into an existing, badly treated character with no future.

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the writer.)

I noticed, in the latest Previews catalog, that the new Wonder Woman collection, Rise of the Olympian, is being published simultaneously in hardcover and paperback. It’s due out November 4 at $24.99 for hardcover and $14.99 for paperback, reprinting Wonder Woman #20-27.

Is that the first time DC has done such a thing? Are they experimenting with lessening the delays before they put out collections? Or trying to maximize sales by putting out both formats at once, the deluxe hardcover for the dedicated reader and the cheaper trade for the bargain shopper?

Reading them all at once, I was impressed and entertained with a story about Patsy Walker in Alaska, helping find the missing heir of a tribe of shamans. There are polar bears with antlers, spirit guides, a talking stone calendar wheel, a very bouncy lemming, odd uses for rabbits, a pushy teenage goth witch, and some crazy driving in the snow.

The dialogue is funny, full of distinctive voices. Patsy has a light approach to life punctuated by a wisecracking motormouth and the tendency to talk to herself if there’s no one else around. (It reminded me of how Spider-Man used to be, once upon a time, only without the “woe is me” aspect.) Artist David Lafuente keeps up with the visuals, with some dynamite costuming and gesture.

Before that comes another story, reprinted from Marvel Comics Presents #1-4 and illustrated by Kathryn’s husband Stuart. As she heads out on a first date, Patsy’s various guises come to life to make things difficult. The book also contains the pitch for the series (a very enlightening document — it’s fascinating to see what made it in verbatim and what changed) and a sketchbook section.

I was surprised to see that this collection is direct market only, which means it’s not easily available. That’s unfortunate. Although the second story’s framing device is related to a stupid Marvel crossover premise, something about a 50-state initiative run by Iron Man, the result is fun for anyone who enjoys something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And the first story, about Patsy trying to integrate her various personalities and roles at different ages, is something any woman can relate to.

Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug
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In his first appearance in DC Comics Presents #52, Ambush Bug was a somewhat normal villain in a teleportation suit, not yet the anything-goes goofball he would shortly become. It’s a standard, forgettable superhero teamup, written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Keith Giffen, in which Superman and the new Doom Patrol stop the Bug from destroying a parade.

But by his second story, it’s all-out craziness as Bug becomes a less-powerful version of Mr. Mxyzptlk, sowing mayhem wherever he goes. Keith Giffen takes over writing and drawing the character as he time-travels with Superman to the 30th century, where Ambush Bug bedevils the Legion of Substitute Heroes (those kids who weren’t good enough to get into the Legion of Super-Heroes).

This issue has some classic one-liners and outrageous situations:

• The subs putting Ambush Bug in a futuristic aquarium because their holding cell was broken.
• “The cape will let you fly. You’re supposed to flap your arms … or something.”
• “Unhand those ears!”
• “Not… ready… for… membership… in… the… substitute… heroes. Lord give me strength!”
• “One wrong move and I kill the cake!”
• And my favorite, Stone Boy winding up stuck head-down in the plaza, while his teammates stand around trying to figure out how to get him out.

Plus, Giffen draws Superman in an old-school squinty-eyed style that’s both nostalgic and majestic.

Paul Kupperberg gets the Bug back in Supergirl #16, a forgettable story where he tries for the humor but doesn’t quite get it. After that, Ambush Bug winds up with Giffen plotting and drawing and Robert Loren Fleming scripting, and hilarious history is on its way to being made. The team creates the rest of the stories collected here, in which the Bug sets up as a private eye/superhero for hire, a loose framework that allows for unchecked weirdness.

Ambush Bug is the only one who sees Superman and Clark Kent as the same, since he has no respect for any rules (of society, of logic, of fiction). Yet he also arrests a car for invalid parking. The whole thing is a way to make fun of comic book trends. Giffen and Fleming indict those who seek to be meaningful instead of entertaining.

At the same time, they wallow in the weirder aspects of comic history, whether some of Superman’s dumber Red Kryptonite stories; the return of Jonni DC, Continuity Cop; or including editor Julie Schwartz as a character. There’s a whole issue dedicated to some of DC’s more forgettable characters, such as Wonder Tot, the Green Team, Binky, Mopee, and Itty. Nowadays, I’m sure they all have fan pages online, but back in 1985, when DC was working hard to clean up their universe, it was refreshing just to know someone else remembered them. Other guest stars range from Darkseid and Lobo to Death and Sugar and Spike.

Now, this book is not quite the same as reading the originals, since you don’t get to see the Bug’s ugly green mug the same way in black and white, and he doesn’t contrast at all with Superman’s red and blue. (Plus, Color Kid’s presence or the page making fun of their colorist makes no sense at all.) But Ambush Bug succeeds, especially when going up against the super-types, because he pokes them in their sacred dignity. The Bug’s surreal satire brings an often-needed sense of perspective when superheroes and their creators are taking everything much too seriously.

And hey, now I finally understand those Mitsu Bishi jokes! Back in 1984, Giffen was too much ahead of the manga trend.

How disappointing. I wanted to see superpowered animals having amusing adventures. What I got was too tied into other Marvel stories and way too talky. I really didn’t need five pages of Throg origin flashback and two more of him talking himself into joining Lockjaw. Who cares how he got that way? Let’s see him do something! Lockheed is depressed and weepy. Redwing’s a stuck-up snob. Who wants to spend time with these characters? I was hoping that animals would be more fun than the usual Marvel angst, but sadly, no.

I should have known when the book opened with Mr. Fantastic explaining the Infinity Gems. Yawn. An animal book should start with the pets. I did like Throg hanging onto the horn in Lockjaw’s head while riding around on him, though.

The Invincible Iron Man #13

Also overly hamstrung by too much dialogue. The ideas are good. I want to see more of how Pepper uses her super-suit, even if it’s been restricted to avoid hurting anyone. But no one does anything! They all just talk at each other. Or to themselves, with captions. Even when running away. Or stare at computers.

I know, this isn’t a new complaint. And text makes superhero comics seem more adult, as though people were reading for more than punch-em-ups. But what if you want some adrenaline-pumping action?

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #5

Well, then, this is the book for you. I don’t care if it’s three years late, it’s easy to keep up with — Hulk and Wolverine are fighting — and boy, plenty happens! Wolverine has crazy panda dreams, perhaps because he’s been reduced to just a head, while Hulk and She-Hulk battle and someone comes to rescue Wolverine. Some of this is flat-out ridiculous, but at least it’s entertaining and imaginative and makes me wonder what they’re going to come up with next.

New Mutants #1

I like teen team superhero books. Or at least, I used to. Now, they just make me feel old. Especially when they’re written so that they only make sense to people who already know the characters and premise.

You’d think a #1 issue would be fine for a new reader, wouldn’t you? But you’d be overlooking the dependence on history. Who are these people? What can they do? Why are they hanging out together? (Because they once had a comic book together, apparently.) Why are they hanging out with someone who tries to make everyone else miserable? If it weren’t for the opening page, which lists powers and codenames, I wouldn’t even know what some of them are named.

There is very little use of powers or pages in costume. Clearly a new-school Marvel title in the Bendis vein, where the dialogue is copious, forgettable, and interchangeable. Shame.

Kudos to Gail Simone for writing a readable crossover issue, a rare skill these days. I care not at all for “Battle for the Cowl”, because I don’t believe Batman will be gone for any significant period of time or that his absence will have any lasting ramifications. But I didn’t have to care in order to find this story, where Catman and Bane go to Gotham City to fill the hero gap, entertaining.

The two characters are already Batman-connected, so the crossover seems natural, not forced. The allusions — back-breaking, Bane’s childhood — were subtle, a welcome contrast to the usual “look at me, I’m continuity” usage. Bane is surprisingly touching. And Ragdoll as the sidekick is, as expected, hilarious.

The art, by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood, is wonderful to see, easy to read, clear and energetic. But what I like most is that these characters have unique and distinctive personalities. Too many team books are created by people who cannot write in more than one voice. (Bendis and Bedard are two obvious examples.) Here, if you read the dialogue aloud, it sounds plausible (in a superhero situation) and often quite funny, plus, you can guess which character is speaking without seeing the visuals.

I waver on this title because, since it’s based around a group of villains, it’s sometimes too violent and disgusting for me. (I’m amazed some of the previous issues’ material has seen print, frankly, but clearly, my old-fashioned expectations have been superseded by what’s considered standard for “heroic” adventures these days.) But I liked the combination of good deeds and amusing dialogue in this issue. A preview is available from the publisher.

Update: J. Caleb Mozzocco has a great post about the strengths of Nicola Scott’s art with lots of samples from this issue.

House of Mystery #13

Just when I’d decided to give up the series because it wasn’t answering questions fast enough for me, this change of pace refreshed my interest in it. Three stories tackle the number 13. Matthew Sturges and Ralph Reese tell of a world where during the disappearing thirteenth hour, monsters destroy San Francisco. Bill Willingham and Eric Powell tackle the cliche of the mysterious shop that grants your fondest wish, adding in a layer of “don’t believe those who say they love you.” And Chris Roberson and Neal Adams portray two immortals brought back together.

These tales have always been the strongest part of the series so far, and so this issue shows off the book’s strengths: a framework allowing for strange, creepy stories illustrated by great talents. I hope that regular writer Sturges, when he gets back to the main story, brings more of these lessons to it. More answers, more substance, would be welcome in moving that along.

A preview is posted on MySpace.

Superman: World of New Krypton #3

I don’t understand why the triangle numbers are being used when all the Superman-related titles are telling different stories, but that’s just marketing, I suppose.

I hadn’t expected to be drawn into this particular series, but I realized this is just what the character of Superman needs. By putting him into a world of beings, all with his superpowers, writers James Robinson and Greg Rucka are better able to show what still makes him distinct: his morals, his intelligence, his creativity in problem-solving. It’s refreshing to see a Superman story about Superman, instead of those who duck out on the problems of writing the character by writing about his supporting cast or finding other ways to skip.

There are also some ideas in this story beyond “here’s the superhero, here’s a villain, they fight” (although there’s plenty of battle, both weaponized and hand-to-hand), which is similarly pleasant to see. A preview is available from the publisher.

Here I talk about comics from some of the Gold Sponsors: DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Archie.

Blackest Night #0 (DC Comics) — Fans have told me that the Green Lantern stories have been some of the best superhero comics DC has been putting out lately. You couldn’t prove it by this. I felt much like the Flash character, who’s been gone for too long and who no longer knows who any of the players are. The Green Lantern I like is missing. So is the Flash. Batman is apparently dead (yeah, right).

Instead of showing me “hey, here are some neat adventures to follow”, the message of this comic is “we’re not interested in entertaining you unless you do your homework first.” It’s not a story, but a prologue. Plus, what’s so interesting about death, death, and more death? The two lead characters are talking about “when I died, this happened”, so none of it clearly means anything. Success rate: Fail.

The Avengers (Marvel Comics) — Also complicated, with two teams of heroes to introduce, but it seems like a faithful representation of the usual series, both good qualities — plenty of action, big-name characters — and bad — writer Brian Michael Bendis’ over-reliance on chattering dialogue to fill space. It’s a full story, which is nice, if abbreviated and sudden due to the short space. Success rate: Good job, but not for me. I won’t be reading many core Marvel comics until they get rid of an over-reliance on moral flexibility, Bendis, Norman Osborn, and crossovers.

Wolverine: Origin of an X-Man (Marvel Comics) — Nicely targeted for the weekend opening of the movie, except that Wolverine’s wearing the bright yellow spandex, which glares. This is a kid-friendly Wolverine story, something of an oxymoron, and they mention the origin and the memory loss early on to bring readers up to speed. Lots of claw action, but against machines, so that’s ok. There’s an ad at the back for Wolverine: Worst Day Ever, so I guess that’s what I’m supposed to look for if I’d like more of this. Success rate: Very good, if more entertaining to younger readers.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Dark Horse Comics) — This was on my pass list, because I care not a whit for Star Wars, but then someone read it and pointed out that it had more in it. I wish Dark Horse had thought to publicize the Usagi Yojimbo and Beanworld content. Stan Sakai’s stories about the samurai rabbit are always amazing, and this follows the pattern: it’s full of atmosphere, fighting, and suspense. A true gem, marred only by its lead character not actually doing much but observing.

Emily the Strange isn’t for me, especially since she’s an outright rip-off of someone else’s work. The Beanworld segment is just two pages explaining the concept, so skippable. The Indiana Jones story … I don’t like it when the adventurer hangs out with kids, and it gives away much of the power of the character for a cheap gag. Success rate: I’m going to look for more Usagi Yojimbo, but not any of the rest. Overall, this is missable.

The Mighty Archie Art Players (Archie Comics) — Surprisingly entertaining for what it is — a Western, a couple of fairy tales, and an Egyptian flashback retold with the characters — but an odd choice, since it’s nothing like the usual Archie comic, so anyone who liked it would have a hard time finding more. And some of the material is likely unfamiliar or rather old-fashioned (High Noon?) for the young teen audience. I did like the Snow White story with Veronica as the “wicked stepsister”, Betty as the innocent young girl (of course), and a computer taking the place of the magic mirror. Unusually, in almost all the stories, Archie winds up with Betty. Success rate: Confusing.

Update: KC tells me that “The Mighty Archie Art Players” was a recurring feature starting in Reggie and Me in the 70s (as well as other titles through the years), so it’s possible that this was testing the waters for a revamp or reprint.

Leaving aside the obvious appeal of the character, what I want to know is, who gave PG the Carol Channing head implant? (KC says Doris Day.)

Wolverine: Prodigal Son
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Logan is the best in his class at the remote Canadian school where he trains, beating even Tamara, the teacher’s daughter and a talent in her own right. He’s an unusually fast-healing “freak”, but he’s also quite attractive, with tousled long hair, a brooding glare, and a well-built body under leather jacket. As an orphan, he knows nothing beyond his time at the school, and his challenge is to overcome his hubris. After he and his trainer visit New York, the book takes a more superhero-like turn, with the exposure of his claws, a psychic supervillain, and an overwhelming (yet cliched) reason for Wolverine to vow revenge.

The many fight scenes are dramatic, but I couldn’t always tell the details of what I was supposed to be seeing due to the number of speed lines. I didn’t mind much — I’m ok with fight scenes being confusing and off-putting, since that’s true of the underlying violence, too. The reactions are exaggerated, stereotypically manga-ish, and events heightened.

The introduction, credited to “the Del Rey Manga team”, suggests that manga readers aren’t exactly the target audience.

… whether you’ve read X-Men comics or you’re coming to this book from seeing Logan in films, it doesn’t matter much. You’re going to find something entirely new here.

And that makes sense. A manga reader interested in the story of a young martial artist avenging the death of someone close to him has many many other options, most of which don’t have the baggage of the licensed name. And many of them go on for more than two volumes, providing a longer, more in-depth experience. A superhero reader, on the other hand, is used to alternate versions of favorite characters, so this might seem like an intriguing spin, especially given Logan’s history of interaction with Japanese culture.

I also think this is an excellent choice for anyone attracted by the movie. Unlike the Marvel superhero comics, it’s a simple selection that captures key elements of the appeal of the character without a lot of extraneous material or overwhelming history. Although the story isn’t concluded under these covers, there’s a substantial amount of story here. (As there should be, since it’s $12.99, $2 more than the usual Del Rey manga.)

I think this is also the only Wolverine story I’ve ever read with an actual wolverine in it.

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

Sigh. I find a series I like, and it gets sucked into whatever the latest bottom-line-enhancing “event” is. I don’t know what “Dark Reign” means, nor do I think the Marvel Universe makes sense any more, so I’m not interested in anything that ties it more together.

Hera and Athena are battling over control of the Olympus Group corporation. So now Hera wants to kill Hercules (and Amadeus, just because he’s there). This is an amusing way to translate mythology into modern-day heroics, complicated by the twisted family relations of the gods, and Hera is written as chewing the scenery beautifully.

I was hoping that this would be a “red skies” crossover, where the characters mention something is happening but go on with their own story, but then Norman Osborn showed up. Now, admittedly, he and Hera are funny together, but again, I don’t care. That’s doubled when we get cannon-fodder hero deaths. So I guess I’m dropping the series until I hear there’s a new storyline that’s more interesting.

Captain Britain and MI13 #12

Spitfire, Lady Jacqueline, is under Dracula’s control and captive in his castle on the moon.

A couple of months ago, there were cancellation rumors about this book that were declared not true in favor of promoting this storyline. Which is a cool idea, but it’s proceeding much too slowly. I suppose that ties in with the British approach, but I don’t think it’s keeping up with its competition. Just because the book is surviving through this set of issues doesn’t mean it’s safe, and the way it’s going, I wouldn’t be too hopeful.

My problem with it remains: not enough team interaction. Instead, we get exposition. And big mystical plans that ultimately mean nothing, because the good guys will have some other big mystical stopper. Magical storylines are troublesome for that reason. Can I have more character work, please?

Exiles #1

Five about-to-die heroes — Polaris, a feline Beast, Black Panther, Forge, Scarlet Witch — are plucked from alternate worlds and assembled under the leadership of Morph, a hilarious shape-shifter. Blink’s there, too, but doesn’t say much beyond explaining her powers.

I found the beginning, where everyone gets an individual couple of pages of action just before the moment of their death (as expected, no one dies quietly in bed), necessary but slow-going. I like team books for the interactions, and I had to be patient enough to get them all together.

The alternate world background is a great gimmick to use interesting characters without all their continuity baggage. The writer — Jeff Parker, the reason I tried this book in the first place — can also tweak problems with them if so desired or explore writing them in a different voice. This Black Panther, for example, doesn’t have that whole “I am the King, worship me” tone to his voice, instead sounding more like, well, a superhero.

Mostly, though, I like this book because of Morph. A creative creative team can do great, funny stuff with him, like when he turns into Doctor Who or the Timebroker from the previous series while explaining the premise (taken out of time) to the new team members. It’s a shame that he’s not a real team member, only their guide. I’d like to see more of him, but he does work best this way, I suppose. He doesn’t match well in some of the grim worlds the team will be sent to. This first one, they have to help Wolverine overthrow Magneto, only the regenerating superhero isn’t exactly available at the moment.

Senseless Acts of Tourism!
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PS238: Senseless Acts of Tourism!, the latest installment, takes its characters to Las Vegas. (It reprints #28-33 of the series.) Miss Kyle, the pint-sized teacher of these heroes-to-be, just wants a little time off, but her charges misunderstand and follow her to prevent her making what they think is a bad choice. The makeshift team includes Poly, a Plastic Man-like stretcher; Julie, who’s a bit discouraged she has the same standard set of flying/strength/speed powers it seems many other heroes have; and by mistake, the always-amusing Zodon, a super-smart kid in a floating chair who aims to rule the world and has a bizarre verbal tic. Due to a previous bout of misbehavior, whenever he wants to curse, he comes out with some random noun instead. Really bad cussing leads to show tunes.

That kind of imaginative take on things keeps the basic premise fresh, while the rubbery Poly is an excellent choice to show off Williams’ cartooning chops as she shapes and reflows her fluid form. She’s also got an innocence that makes her quite funny. There’s a cuteness to these little people that keeps things light, yet there’s also subtle depth between the lines.

For instance, Poly makes off-handed remarks about what her parents say that indicate how much of a challenge they’ve had with such an unusual daughter: “My mom always says there has to be a bright side. She says that a lot, really.” Children are little sponges, and Poly’s soaking up her environment without realizing it. Her attempt to pass along her mother’s wisdom (which works as a remark on its own) also sketches a whole background of hinted-at concern and uncertainty. I see a woman sometimes near the end of her rope trying to remind herself of better moments ahead. These kinds of lines indicate how much more of this world there is than just the pieces we see.

The story is layered as well. Zodon is being trailed by a suspicious group of super-soldiers for some unknown purpose, and they’re in turn being tracked by the Flea, a boy who talks to insects who’s being guided by another mysterious adult (this one a hero). Las Vegas in this world has a strict “no fighting” rule imposed on the many powered beings visiting it, which complicates everyone’s plans. It all happens at the Masquerade Casino, where the head wants some help figuring out a card-counting scam as well.

All that’s only half the book. There’s also movement on ongoing storylines about a non-powered child infected with a deadly space virus, a competing school for super-kids with less altruistic motives than PS238, and a court outside time and space to determine the fate of humanity. See, it’s not just the everyday moments with Williams, but philosophical big picture as well. This is what a superhero comic should be.

You can read the comic online. I’ve also reviewed the first and fourth volumes.

Supermen!
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Until recently, what was available was either historically significant, at least to fans of the genre — the early appearances of Superman or Batman, for example — or ridiculously goofy, like I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets! Supermen! changes that by reprinting a random sampling of interchangeable superhero stories from the early days of comics. (All from the public domain, too.)

They’re crude, rough action tales, with a surprising number of images of people standing around. I found them numbing in their primitiveness. The included house ads from the period were most interesting to me, just because of their direct sales approach.

Companies represented include the barely remembered, like Novelty Press or Columbia Comic Corporation, as well as Fiction House, Fox, and MLJ. The artists were selected for name recognition: Bill Everett, Basil Wolverton, Jack Cole, Fletcher Hanks, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, and the like.

We live in an era where almost everything from the past is becoming available. Seeing the history for oneself can be enlightening — just because something’s old, doesn’t mean it’s any good. There are endnotes on the stories, but anyone interested in this period is likely already familiar with the history they cover.

In this interview, editor Greg Sadowski talks about how the artists “were really inventing a new art form, and to me that’s the exciting thing. The heroes themselves are a lot of fun to wrap a book around, but in the end they’re kind of incidental and I feel ill at ease trying to pontificate on them.” It can be exciting to see the roots of a genre, but it can also be frustrating when you’re familiar with much more mature work. Just because something may be historically significant (although I think it’s stretching to make that claim for these stories) doesn’t make it a good read.

See a sample story and a slideshow at the publisher’s website. (This review was based on a preview PDF provided by the publisher.)

I bought this issue because it has the new female Black Panther on the cover. So I expected to see a new female Black Panther inside. I was misled. This is a Marvel comic, written for a 4- or 6-issue arc, I’m guessing, so of course, this issue, even though it’s labeled #1, is all prologue.

Writer Reginald Hudlin alternates between A) scenes of former Black Panther T’Challa’s wife and mother standing around watching him in a coma after his spaceship crashes and B) flashback scenes that apparently tie into this latest Dark Reign event, with Namor trying to recruit T’Challa into some cabal. They’re repetitive, and I don’t care. I just want what I thought I was promised by the cover: a kick-butt female action hero. I was disappointed. (Especially after Storm fails to stop the crash. I thought, after Superman’s rewritten debut, every superhero worth the name could save a plane from crashing.)

I’m also concerned about how well he can handle a lead female character. We’ve already got the exoticism of the techno-paradise of the African natives; I hope this new Panther, whoever she is, is someone who seems like someone I can relate to in some fashion.

X-Men: First Class: Finals #1

Disappointing. Knowing that this is a limited series, ending the stories I enjoyed about the original X-Men as a young school team, means it’s bittersweet to start with. But this issue seems more interested in dropping in villains and references from other stories than in focusing on what drew me to it in the first place: the character interplay.

The boys wind up in Jean’s dream, which they figure out soon enough, but with too much literalism and explaining things to the audience. The second half is too much fighting, not enough fun, and the surprise revelation is completely unknown to me.

Thankfully, there’s a one-page Jeff Parker/Colleen Coover backup strip in which Scott and Jean go on a date. It’s not enough to make up for the let-down of the main piece, but it’s a sweet after-dinner mint.

The Mighty Avengers #21

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this more. It’s a gathering-of-the-troops issue, where Young Avengers Vision and Stature start following the Scarlet Witch around, while Biblical-style disasters strike the earth.

One of the reasons it works for me is that it doesn’t assume I follow all of this stuff. I’m given everything I need to know, and I don’t feel like I’m losing a trivia game because I don’t recognize character X. Writer Dan Slott also has an advantage because the Avengers are pretty well-known.

The conversation is entertaining and funny and touching when it should be. I liked seeing Jarvis’ importance acknowledged, and Hercules and Amadeus Cho seemed in character. With so many big-deal heroes making appearances, not much actually happens, but plenty is hinted at.

I don’t think I agree with Hank Pym calling himself Wasp after his dead ex-wife, and I didn’t need so much space given to him, since he’s never seemed that interesting a character, but perhaps this is an attempt at redeeming him. I’d read more of the group that results … if they have adventures that make sense without having to read any other comics.

The Incredible Hercules #125

They’re still in the alternate world where women run the show, meaning all the major heroes are female. It’s a shame that we only see such setups in a context where they’re presented as WRONG and something to be reversed to get things back to normal. While we’re all of course rooting for the evil power-hungry Amazon queen to get what’s coming to her, I liked seeing the variety of other characters and the twists on the male-centric Marvel world we normally see.

The problem with magical beings is that, sooner or later, someone undoes the spell or makes the right wish and poof! it’s all back to normal. Makes for some predictable endings. In this case, the two male leads are just spinning time until a Gorgon (whom we unfortunately will probably never see again, since she was brave and daring) fixes it all back up.

The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives
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This early teen team was originally made up of sidekicks of Justice League members: Batman’s ward Robin, Aquaman’s partner Aqualad, and Kid Flash. With the team’s second appearance, Wonder Girl joined the group, and things started swinging.

The language is aggressively hip, with plenty of out-there slang (obviously written by an adult). Of more significance is how the stories attempt to capture the generation gap. We’re only three pages into the comics before Batman is describing teenagers as “spoiled brats” while Robin calls him “an old square” and asks for adults to listen to the grievances of the young. Flash chimes in that “only another teenager really understands their problems!” That sets the tone for future stories, with the young heroes aiding kids their own age.

The villains are dementedly imaginative. Mr. Twister starts things off by kidnapping a town’s teenagers with his tornadoes, causing the two generations to miss each other and appreciate the other more. During Teen Government Day, the Separated Man sends his giant body parts to sabotage the kids’ leadership, but he’s defeated with transistor radios, scooters, and surfers. The Teen Titans clear The Flips, a rock group framed for stealing; aid the Peace Corps in South America; encounter a defrosted teen caveboy; prevent drop-outs from being led astray by Ding-Dong Daddy’s hot-rods; find a missing Olympic athlete; and save a camp that aides troubled youth.

So, Daddio, are you with-it enough to make the scene with Wonder Chick, Twinkletoes, and the rest? Dig it! How else are you going to find out how Wonder Girl’s ponytail saves the day?

These stories, plus reprints of another 13 issues, can also be found in black-and-white in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Volume 1. If you’re just in it for the laughs, that may be a more affordable way to sample the tales … but it’s just not the same without the colorful costumes.

I liked this setup — a grumpy real mystic in today’s society — and the characters, especially his assistant Ella, who’s a skeptic and yet three-dimensional and very cool. And I like the work of the creators, Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler, a lot. But these days, when I’m so far behind on my reading that I’m just now talking about a Christmas comic (below), why would I buy a six-issue miniseries? I’d much rather have the eventual book collection.

However, this is good enough to not want to wait. Magic is real, but unpredictable, and Mysterius’ motives are disconcerting at best, possibly uncaringly malicious. The dialogue is very strong and the art more than ably supports it. There’s a preview at the publisher’s website, and more information at the writer’s blog.

Hellblazer #250

Neat idea, to get some impressive creators to do holiday stories featuring the grand grumpy git of comics. And it’s the first Vertigo title to reach that milestone number, which roughly equates to over 20 years the series has been running. That’s pretty darn impressive.

It’s a shame that I just don’t like the character enough to truly relish seeing stories by writers Dave Gibbons, Jamie Delano, Brian Azzarello, Peter Milligan, and China Mieville and artists Sean Phillips, David Lloyd, Eddie Campbell, and others. I’m old-fashioned enough that I don’t want magic and demons and nasty people on Christmas. I know lots of people have a more jaded take on that time of year, and I hope they enjoyed this much more. There’s a preview at the publisher’s website.

Captain Britain and MI: 13 #9

The problem with big magical threats is that no matter how hard you work to make the ending seem meaningful, the likelihood is that it’s going to come across as “they all tried really hard and believed in themselves.” And so this does. I liked this book because of the characters, but when they’re all split up during most of the issue, that appeal is lacking.

The interesting part about this issue is foreshadowed on the cover, which would have been better suited to last issue. And the hint here is really just a repeat of what happened then. The new relationship feels rushed and presented ham-handedly, given Lady J’s “Doesn’t that make things more interesting?” It sounds as though she’s talking to the reader, which I didn’t care for. Then the final page is meant to be a cliffhanger, only it’s already been revealed in solicitation copy, and it’s perhaps the most over-used guest star ever. So I guess the bloom is off the rose for this series for me. I hope next issue sparks things up again.

Do You Want to Know a Secret?
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Mark is the Crusader, the best-known superhero in town. Abby is a detail-oriented bookstore owner who somehow has missed figuring out his secret identity. They’re deeply, believably in love, and he trusts her, so he decides to stop hiding important things from her.

I love the way he shares his secret — when taking off his clothes to reveal his costume, she ignores what it means until he sits down on thin air. It’s great visual interplay that fully uses both art and text. The comedy here is honestly funny because it comes from the characters, nice people that are already familiar to the reader but have their own personalities. Abby’s not above taking advantage of Mark’s ability to create an instant Hawaiian vacation, for example. But it’s his inner self (especially his senses of humor and flattery) that makes him such a catch.

The book is structured as a series of comic strips, with two punchlines per page (made up of eight panels). Zahler’s cartoon-influenced style is appealing and well-suited for both action and comedy. There’s a lot of humor to be had in daily life with a superhero. (Presents are never secrets with x-ray vision, for example.) Also entertaining are Mark’s relationship with his best friend, hero of the night Darkblade, and Abby’s interaction with her observant younger sister Charlotte.

The chapter where Mark and Abby are trying to figure out the perfect Christmas gift for each other is very touching. Then comes setting up Charlotte with a date; attending the newest superhero movie (starring the Arachnerd); and Abby taking a role in a local theater production. Plus, Abby has to work out how to get along with Mark’s parents, who know their kid is perfect, and the superhero Amazonia, Mark’s ex-girlfriend.

The best part about the couple is the way they accept each other. Mark treats Abby as a partner, not an accessory. Too many people have made fun of Lois Lane, calling her an idiot for never proving Clark Kent was Superman; instead of that insulting approach, Zahler creates two well-rounded people who have to navigate a complex mix of careers, hobbies, skills, and personality traits, just like real life. The reader can easily see why they fell in love with each other — they have fun together.

Amazing Spider-Man #579

This is part two of a story written by Mark Waid. As such, I had high expectations, and they were fulfilled.

I don’t normally like Spider-Man, as a character, especially given what’s been done to him lately. Here, though, I got the essentials of the premise, and I understood why he’s got so many fans. The story gives you almost everything you need to know, too, with no need to study history or read anything else to enjoy the action. (I say almost because there was no room to explain why the J. Jonah Jameson connection was so significant, but that’s ok.)

Spider-Man is trapped underground with a group of civilians. A subway car containing a special jury hearing the trial of a mobster was bombed, and Spidey has to get everyone out safely. That’s a creative, unique premise, and yet it also has ties to essential Spidey stories of the past. (Yes, there’s a scene where he has to hold up an immense amount of rubble, beyond the point of his usual strength, although that took place in part one, issue #578.) It also directly ties the hated vigilante to defending the cause of law and justice.

Waid also captures the sound of Spider-Man, in his dialogue and concerns. It seems like it would be easy to write wise-cracks, but not every joke suits the character. Moreover, in the funny and the tension, Waid never forgets his heroism. There’s one particular sequence in the dark (while Spidey is lifting everyone out of increasing floodwaters) that gave me shivers, due to artist Marcos Martin’s skills. It’s very true to the setting but still really creepy.

I haven’t said enough about Martin here. He does an athletic Spider-Man that I really like, giving him a bit of an insectoid feel but not in a non-human way. His storytelling is clear but evocative of the underground setting. Between the two creators, this is an impressive achievement that will likely be overlooked, since it’s just a two-issue fill-in.

The Incredible Hercules #124

As part four of a storyline where the Amazons are trying to take over the world, there’s not as much to recommend here. I’m still enjoying reading it, but I’m more interested to see how the cliffhanger — an alternate world due to a changed timeline — plays out, since it also promises an all-female Avenger team with Sue Storm, girl Wolverine, Spider-Woman, and some chick in pink underwear I don’t recognize.

Namora and Hercules are funny in their fighting, but there’s not enough Amadeus Cho for my taste, since he’s just a chip being fought over. (Personally, I don’t understand why the bloodthirsty Amazon queen doesn’t just kill him, since he doesn’t seem to be of use or interest to her.)

The best part is the short glimpse into what everyone’s ideal worlds would be as they bobble catching the Maguffin.

The Spirit Archives 23
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Volume 23 includes the Spirit supplements from July – December 1951. By this time, Will Eisner was busy with other things, as series editor Dale Crain mentions in his introduction. That piece was the best thing about the book, since it presents a brief history of DC’s work on the series and how they made it happen. It’s a lovely look back and summing up.

As Crain says, by this point, Jules Feiffer was doing “virtually all of the writing”, and the art was handled by a mixed studio. Favorite characters continue to appear — P’Gell, Commissioner Dolan, his daughter Ellen (now mayor), Silken Floss — but racial caricature Ebony is gone but not missed. The topics are timely for the period, covering the rise of television, psychoanalysis, bullfighting, corruption, and tales of being lost on a desert island, although none of the stories are particularly memorable.

The end was clearly near, and like many things, it would come not with a bang but a whimper.

The Spirit Archives 24
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Volume 24 contains the last of the original Sunday supplement stories from January 1952 until October 5 of that year. This book is promoted as containing Wally Wood’s art, which it does — he took over with July 27’s installment. However, after four weeks, the feature dropped from 8 pages to 4, until its abrupt end less than two months later. So there’s fewer than 60 pages of Wood work here, in a 272-page book.

Wood’s art takeover came along with a change of focus, in which the Spirit is sent to the moon to supervise prison laborers supporting a scientific mission. It’s a dumb idea, even for a culture space-crazy at the time. The character just doesn’t work without his mean streets and overhanging brownstones.

Before then, there are a couple of curiosities worth mentioning. In the second tale, a writer pitches a story of a heat doomsday to “Will”, a pipe-smoking editor/business type, with the writer’s efforts intercut with the illustrations he’s describing. It’s notable mainly for the ending, in which the writer builds to an explosive big finish. The editor then points out that the writer didn’t consider one thing: “What about next week?”

Another early story parodies science fiction action heroes with the goofy Captain Isotope, ironic in light of how the Spirit ended. Several others evoke memories of similar, better earlier stories. (We have the advantage of having the whole series to reread to remind ourselves.) One from June has a broken cartoonist bragging about how he used to be carried by 500 papers (now down to 40) and don’t call him a has-been. His apprentice steals his files and replaces his strip in the papers. Most directly, the story just before the switchover has Eisner himself trying to create while taking phone calls from the syndicate directing him to marry off the Spirit.

The Spirit Archives 25
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The feature was 11 years old by this point, and it had been dropped by papers as Eisner’s attention and personal creation turned elsewhere. The sci-fi storyline seems like a last-ditch effort to seem relevant before everyone gave up and the strip sputtered to a stop. Unfortunately, according to the introduction, “the major shift of subject and style … inspired other papers to finally drop the ailing feature.”

So what’s in Volume 25, then? As it’s subtitled, “The Complete Daily Strips from 1941-1944″. I didn’t even know there were daily Spirit comics! According to Tom Spurgeon’s introduction, that may be because they weren’t very good. In the smaller, black-and-white space, Eisner couldn’t do fancy layouts, his strength, or use expanded timing (pauses, etc.). Instead, we get adventure, comedy, and Super-Ebony.

Plus, Eisner only did the first six weeks before he went into the military, after which it was taken over by Lou Fine, then Jack Cole (Plastic Man).

(A note on pricing: the standard Archive price was $49.99 for about 200 pages of material. Volume 24 expands the page count in order to complete the series and raised the price to $59.99. Volume 25 stays at that price but goes back to the 200-page size. Plus, there’s no color for most of it.)