Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
How do you know it's an authentic @$$Holes column? Because I posted it late!! Whooo-hoo!!
Cormorant here, and I want to tell you that despite our group's rep for being @$$holes , we really do love comics! Take this week for instance: Ambush Bug loves FALLEN ANGEL and THOR, Village Idiot loves JSA, Jon Quixote loves FANTASTIC FOUR, Vroom Socko loves DC's forgotten TANGENT miniseries, and I love GREEN ARROW! In fact, only one cantankerous bastard dares to speak ill of a comic, and he's someone we've been thinking of letting go anyway.
Fantastic Four #500
Written by Mark Waid
Pencils by Mike Wieringo; Inks by Karl Kesel and Larry Stucker
Published by Marvel Comics
Jon Quixote: Came here for the waters (but was misinformed)
The best love stories have always been the tragic ones. Romeo & Juliet’s star-crossed lovers would not be so indelibly etched in our zeitgeist if we had been privy to the aftermath of Happily Ever After – Romeo yelling at her for eating all the gelato, Juliet constantly reminding him that she should have listened to her mother and married Paris. Would we still be talking about Casablanca if the lovers decided to go back to the bar and run it together, and we left the theatre knowing full well this was going to end with Ilsa catching Rick with Yvette’s ankles around his neck while Sam worked the camera crank? How many of us would have starved to death watching The English Patient if Kirsten Scott Thomas hadn’t finally died, thereby giving that opus a long-overdue reason to end?
In case you hadn’t heard, Mark Waid has been removed as writer of Fantastic Four. Two-time Academy Award winner Bill Jemas has decided to go in a different direction, one that involves hiring a guy based on his ability to write a play about a gay Archie banging a serial killer to take over the helm of The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine. Needless to say, there was some hullabaloo over this decision.
But perhaps it was for the best. With Waid’s run cut so tragically short, we’ll never see the decline. We’ll never see his Fantastic Four get old and fat, bogged down by decades of wrinkles and bonbon-fuelled cellulite. We’ll never lie next to it at night wondering if we should replace it with our secretary, even just for a weekend. Because the honeymoon had to end sometime. It was not going to stay this good forever.
Right?
Fantastic Four #500 marks the conclusion of the 4 part “Unthinkable” storyline. Dr. Doom has his longtime nemesis, Reed Richards, right where he wants him. Reed’s son is trapped in the pits of Hell, being tormented by demons, and his infant daughter is being used as Doom’s medium. Reed’s family is being tortured in the bowels of Doom’s castle. And Reed himself has been locked in Doom’s library, told that the only way out of this predicament is to learn enough magic to confront Doom on his own terms.
In short, I cannot imagine a better way for Marvel’s First Family to hit the half-millenium mark.
The term “instant classic” comes to mind. Forty years. Five Hundred issues, not including guest appearances in other titles. Waid is finding ways to take the FF to new places. Especially Reed, who Waid has turned into the most interesting member of the quartet. The Smartest Man in the World is finally being written as such, with all the arrogance and confidence and pomposity that would come from such a distinction (without ever sacrificing the character’s nobility and integrity). Waid defined Reed as such, and over the course of the past few issues, stripped him completely bare. It has been a fascinating character study of one of Marvel’s most overlooked flagship characters.
I will always wonder what would have happened if Waid had been able to bring his run to its natural conclusion. I look at the haunting final image of this issue and it makes me ache with melancholy curiosity at where these characters were being taken. A while ago, in a talkback, I brought up the notion that, if Waid was on the title long enough, his run might be heralded a decade from now as definitive. I still stand by that suggestion, that a new generation might have fell in love with the Fantastic Four stories as presented by the current creative team, and that they would carry that image of the Fantastic Four with them as fans for the rest of their lives. It has been that sort of run – capturing the essence, the reason FF fans are FF fans, marrying it with the fresh and the original, producing something magical. Something memorable.
It may have come to an abrupt, undeserved end. I’ll never know what might have been, but I know what we had. The pinnacle that is the “Unthinkable” arc, plus the ones before, and – I’m certain - the handful still to come, they’re not going anywhere, no amount of editorial incompetence can take them away. It’s Paris, and I’m always going to have it.
FALLEN ANGEL #1
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: David Lopez
Inks: Fernando Blance
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
I have absolutely nothing bad to say about FALLEN ANGEL #1. This is about as perfect as it gets for first issues. Peter David has once again shown the world why he is one of the absolute best writers in comics today. Would I have said that a few years ago? Hell no. Around the end of his HULK stint, when Marvel bigwigs fucked up the flow of his hundred-plus run on the series, it seemed as if David lost his faith in the comics medium. I never really caught on to SPY BOY. For me, SUPERGIRL lost its steam after Leonard Kirk left. YOUNG JUSTICE was fun, but ultimately too light and pointless for my tastes. It wasn’t until last year’s “U-Decide” debacle that David seemed to wake up and take his writing skills off auto-pilot. Since CAPTAIN MARVEL’s relaunch (the hands-down winner of said debacle), David has kicked the skills into high gear and he doesn’t seem to be looking back.
Most series start out with an introduction of characters, a setting where the action takes place, and a tone that sets the overall feel of the story. FALLEN ANGEL #1 does this, but there’s a twist. David doesn’t spoon-feed it all to you. You are introduced to a heroine in a crimson cloak, but we know nothing else about her. We see that she walks the shadowy streets of the city Bete Noire, but know nothing about this place. We automatically know that this world David is introducing to us is filled with questions and mysteries and twists. The lead character’s powers are ambiguous. Is it just skill that she uses to defeat her opponents (I say opponents because we are not even sure who the good guys and bad guys are yet), or it is some form of mysticism at work here? Who knows? I don’t, but this issue makes me want to know.
Usually, I’d throw down a book that has me asking more questions than answers. I’d be pissed and say that this was a lazy writer who doesn’t know where the hell he is going, so he’s throwing in a bunch of weird shit with the promise that all will be explained later. Normally, I’d feel this way. But I don’t, because despite the questions and mysteries that run rampant throughout this book, there is a totally satisfying self contained tale in this meaty issue as well. It’s a tale of heartache and retribution. The series throws us into this world where nothing is really what it seems and instead of telling us this, David masterfully shows it to us in a well thought out story filled with raw emotion and bitter consequences.
And did I say this was a meaty issue? Why, yes I did. In a day and age where you’re lucky to see balls-to-the-wall super hero action once every two or three issues, it is refreshing to see a comic that has not one, not two, but three action scenes! There’s a failed assassination attempt at the beginning, a brawl with a bunch of leather freaks in the middle, and a showdown at the end. And never once did the action steer me away from the story. The pace was never rushed. The tempo didn’t miss a beat. This story flowed seamlessly from introduction to action to mystery and back again.
David also introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters. He doesn’t go down a roster, listing super powers and stats. Instead, David introduces us to the characteristics that make up these characters. He shows us their motivations, their professions, who they are, what makes them tick, and what ticks them off. These are the things that make a reader care if the characters live or die. David knows this and adds this to every character he introduces in this issue. He lets us know just enough to make each and every one of them interesting.
David Lopez and Fernando Blanco’s art is equally superb. Their extreme angles and shadowy panels help convey the sense of mystery that oozes from the staples sealing this book together. It’s not overly-stylistic or flashy. It doesn’t ape the Image-style. The art simply tells the story and adds to it by adding a bit of cinematic magic. The fight scenes have a beat, a tempo that moves and pauses and crescendos. Movements from panel to panel are subtle, but make sense. This is a great example of a writer and artist understanding how to tell the story properly.
I can’t go without addressing the controversy surrounding FALLEN ANGEL. There are a pair of rumors circulating in the wind. One is that Fallen Angel (called Lee in this issue), is actually Linda Danvers (the angelic Supergirl from David’s recently canceled SUPERGIRL series). The cover even has the picture of a woman’s back bearing bloody scars where wings should be. Could it be that David cleverly found a way to continue telling the tale he started in SUPERGIRL which was canceled due to low sales? Another rumor is that Lee is actually Lilith, the mystic hippie chick from the TEEN TITANS. She, too, recently died in the pages of the GRADUATION DAY miniseries. Lee, the Fallen Angel, even looks a bit like the crimson-haired Titan. Only Peter David knows the truth and he ain’t talking. In fact, I don’t know if I want to know the truth. I don’t even have to have all the answers to the questions posed in this issue. As long as the stories stay as good as this first one, I’ll be completely satisfied.
JSA #50
David Goyer and Geoff Johns – Writers
Leonard Kirk – Penciller
Keith Champagne – Inker
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Village Idiot
There’s a famous scene from the movie AMADEUS where Emperor Joseph II of Austria listens to one of Mozart’s compositions and then complains to the composer that his work had “too many notes.” Of course, the humor in the scene comes from the fact that the Emperor was a moron, and whatever richness and complexity the piece had was part of its beauty.
JSA #50 also has a lot of notes. In fact, the entire “Princes of Darkness” storyline that has been running throughout the past few months has had a lot of notes. In fact, JSA as a series has a lot of notes. And consequently JSA gets a rap from some comic readers for having too many notes, whether those notes are too many characters, too much backstory, or too much Captain Marvel. With these readers, I disagree. Yes, it’s dense and a bit complicated, but like a work by Mozart, whatever richness and complexity the series has is part of its beauty.
Again, a lot of notes: the “Princes of Darkness” storyline has 3 major supervillains, various supervillain hordes, five fields of battle, the JSA, the JSA reserves, AND the Freedom Fighters (Uncle Sam, Human Bomb, etc.). It’s an extravaganza, an epic struggle of heroes from across the country banding together to stop armies of uncontrollable evil. Yes, there are lots of characters, some as obscure as Vigilante, Nemesis, and Airwave, but the volume of the cast is actually part of the fun, a unique kind of comic book spectacle that is hard to find these days. It’s like CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, but with better writing.
And much of that writing is built on backstory, and here is where we run into problems. In order to fully appreciate a Mozart sonata, the listener may require a trained ear. So too with JSA #50, the reader might be required to have a bit of comic book savvy, if not a modicum of experience with the series itself. One could argue that Johns and Goyer give the novice reader enough evidence to understand the basic values at stake in the situations, and thus they should be able to enjoy the action, and perhaps pick up on the finer nuances later. On the other hand, I would not recommend JSA #50 to Jess Lemon.
But for the more established JSA reader, the complexity and investment required are part of the beauty and appeal of the series. Admittedly, the plot of “Princes of Darkness” arc was a bit intricate: after a month’s time, I’d find myself forgetting some of the story threads and needing to check back issues to remember how we had gotten to certain points (indeed, I think the “Princes of Darkness” might read better in TPB form). But this was not a chore; the world of the JSA was one I had no trouble revisiting. It’s a world almost as dynamic as THE BROTHERS KARAMOZOV, only instead of Russians, it involves people in weird costumes, amazing powers and the occasional Gem World. It’s involving, and with issues like #50, rewarding.
As for the series having too much Captain Marvel...well, you can’t please everybody. (Actually, I haven’t found Cap’s presence to be over-emphasized at all.)
From reading the JSA boards at the DCMB, Leonard Kirk’s art seems to be crowd-pleaser. Many of his panels have a nice realism to them, and all along this arc, the action has been rendered effectively. However, for some reason, the faces in JSA tend to look a bit waxy to me. It’s strange, I know. I’m developing a sneaking suspicion that it’s somehow related to the coloring, which tends to be a bit muted anyway, but I’m still having a bit of trouble diagnosing the problem. However, whatever problems I had with the art never interfered with my enjoyment of the story.
JSA #50 was a fun issue to a fun arc in a fun series. Terrific mayhem, lots of excitement, and even a superhero on a motorcycle (without a flaming skull). It’s a comic with a lot of notes, more notes than a lot of other comics, but just enough to make it pretty terrific.
GREEN ARROW #28
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Phil Hester
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
Dig.
That.
Steamy.
Hoo doggy, I think the happy couple is about thirty seconds away from actual penetration! Is this HEAVY METAL? Is this Marvel MAX? Is this a particularly well-painted Tijuana Bible?
No, no, calm down, people. It's just the latest excellent cover from Matt Wagner, the series' regular cover artist, and the scene in question is just another case of Oliver Queen acting perfectly in character to the tune of enjoying a casual affair with a beautiful woman. That and pissing off the fans who want him to be monogamous with longtime girlfriend, Black Canary. Interestingly, studies have shown that Green Arrow's alleged "skirt chasing" only amounts to having sex with a handful of women over the course of his decades-long history, and compared to a normal guy, his occasional change-up of partners comes across as…well, pretty normal. Which is what I like about him, and why he's one of my favorite DC characters when he's being written well. Which includes right now.
'Course, before Green Arrow can steam up the windows in this latest issue, he's got to deal with the pack of Hulk-like monsters that were chasing him on page 22 of the previous one. Winick hasn't shied away from some good old-fashioned dust-ups since beginning his run two issues back, and I for one salute him. Artist Phil Hester has a great flair for motion, and dammit, that's the kind of thing you want to make use of by being liberal with the action sequences! I'll admit, the tangle with the monsters is a liiiiittle conventional, but ah, when Green Arrow bumps heads with new bad guy, Drakon, later in the issue…now there's a fight worthy of note! Brutal, just brutal. And not for the bad guy.
I've tiptoed around the meat of the story this issue, because really, there's not a great deal of it. This is the all sex and violence issue, my friends. We learn a little more about the nature of the monsters and their connection to the sleazy corporation that Ollie's been fighting through legal means, but it’s a connection that readers are likely to have surmised anyway. It's what happens in the wake of that opening monster beatdown gets the sparks a'flyin' as Ollie pulls the old "visit a beautiful woman after a battle and pretend the blood you're leaking doesn't hurt" trick. Next thing you know, she's helping to bandage him up, and well…you saw the cover. The book's best scene is actually post-coital, however, when Ollie gets a call from son, Conner. Ollie's great with charming the ladies, but not so great at covering his tracks, and Conner has little trouble seeing through Ollie's lie about where he's staying. Whether Ollie's look of guilt comes from lying to his son (a no-no) or sleeping with another woman after recently proposing to Black Canary (bigger no-no) I can't say, but I'm looking forward to the fallout in any case. Winick's run has a been fast-paced fun so far, but it could use a little emotional grounding.
In any case, monogamy fans will be happy to know that following Ollie's little *ahem* indiscretion, he gets his ass royally handed to him by the new baddie, Darkon. Darkon's mostly an enigma – a mercenary in a black suit and sandals with the fighting skills of Daredevil's sparring partner, Bullseye – but his mixture of professionalism and clear enjoyment of his work makes him a pleasure to watch. Enforcer-types come and go, but I think the kid's got potential.
As to precisely what he does to Green Arrow, my lips are sealed, but it's very…not nice. Sure you could just pick up the issue in the store, flip through it and spoil things, but Winick's run is only on its third issue, so why not just backtrack, pick 'em all up, and get the whole dramatic effect? This is one of those fun superhero comics. Fun like Straczynski's AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, fun like Mark Waid's FANATASTIC FOUR, and fun like Geoff Johns' FLASH (up until that last issue – jeez!). Ya like that kind of stuff? GREEN ARROW's your boy.
THE MIGHTY THOR #66 (568)
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Art: Tom Mandrake
Publisher: MARVEL
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Have you ever been watching a movie and there’s that moment where there’s nothing but ominous drum beats, increasing in volume and intensity, signaling a build-up to the climax? Well, if this comic had a soundtrack, it would consist only of these drum beats. THOR #66 is the calm before the storm. When I finished reading this issue, I was literally out of breath. I immediately contacted the other @$$holes, told them how the issue knocked my socks off, and in doing so, sent them flying across the room and through three walls, killing my next door neighbor’s cat. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Over a year ago, Odin the All-Father died. The mantle of King of the Gods was passed down to his son, Thor, the God of Thunder. After years of preparing Thor for this role, the time had come to see if all of those lessons in humility, honor, and responsibility were learned. Being a man of action, Thor could not leave the Earth behind to take care of the affairs of his kingdom. Thor saw this as a problem and used the Odin-force - the power inherited from his father - to fix it. He brought Asgard to Earth. The Kingdom of the Gods now hovers directly over New York City. Thor could now watch over both realms. Problem solved, right? Wrong! But this decision marked the beginning of one of the best damn runs on THOR since Walter Simonson’s classic stint.
This will be my fourth THOR review since I started writing reviews for AICN COMICS. Ask your typical long-time comic book reader when Thor was done right, and you’re likely to hear tales of Walter Simonson’s classic run on the series. That’s the only time people really speak up about the big guy with the winged helmet. From what I remember, those stories focused mainly on the mythic elements of Asgard, the Lord of the Rings/fantasy stuff, if you will. I can appreciate those who think that’s how Thor should be portrayed, but I have to say that I prefer Dan Jurgens’ recent “Lord of Asgard” arc to those fan favorite issues. Jurgens’ has gained my respect by throwing the Thunder God into the real world. The problems that Thor has been facing of late are much more grand in scope, more mature and universal problems. Jurgens has allowed Thor’s character to grow and evolve. He’s no longer the son of the king, trying to prove himself. Simonson’s time with the character highlighted the world of Thor with imagination and wonderment, but Jurgens’ stint is focusing on the character of Thor, what his motivations are, and what the character will evolve into once he's faced with a problem that he can't smash with his hammer.
Let's get caught up: Thor and the gods have taken care of all of the world’s problems. They’ve cured the sick. They’ve quelled national tensions, brought plant life to the deserts, and fed the hungry. The world should be happy. In a time of apathy and world confusion, Thor has given people something to hope for; some type of proof that there is someone up there looking out for them. For a time, the world rejoiced at the godly interventions of Thor and his ilk. Faith in gods that can actually been seen and whose acts were nothing short of miracles grew while membership of Catholic, Jewish, and Buddhist religions dwindled. Soon millions of people worshipped the gods and the Cult of Thor spread. But the people began to rely on the Asgardians, asking them to take care of any and all problems. This is how “Spiral” started seven months ago. This climactic arc of the “Lord of Asgard” saga marks the beginning of the end of all of Thor’s good intentions.
Dan Jurgens has constructed a highly detailed and thoroughly moralistic tale of the limits and responsibilities of godly intervention and the basic properties of belief itself. Throughout the last seven issues, each issue has focused on one aspect of this larger epic. The pieces have been falling into place to assure Thor’s downfall. Last issue, Thor used his godly power in a way that no god should: he attempted to bring a child back to life after she was killed in a riot between those Thorists and members of other organized religions. After Thor called upon the power of the Odin-force, the dead child moved, but came back as a soulless zombie. The world was shocked. Thor had fixed everything so far. Could it be that this seemingly all-powerful god doesn’t have all of the answers?
Issue #66 deals with the fallout of this dramatic event. The Cult of Thor has disbanded. Belief and worship has turned to dissent and hatred. A secret group of world leaders have a plan to take down the Thunder God and boy, is it a doozy. The events of this issue are so dramatic, so intense, so exciting that I’d rather just give this book my highest recommendation and have the lot of you find out about it for yourself.
What I love about Jurgens’ entire run is that he has never once used clichéd "good versus bad" scenarios. Thor’s intentions are good, but flawed. There are no villains in black and good guys flying in to save the day. This is a tale of decisions, good and bad. Read from start to finish; it’s a story about how even the best intentions can be incredibly destructive if they are not well thought out. For the last few issues, Thor and a Catholic priest have been debating Thor's intervention with the world. This debate is intelligent and insightful. Valid points are made by both parties, but it all comes to an end in this issue. The events that unfold in this issue are so major, I honestly do not know how Thor will ever be the same. The attack on Asgard and Thor is brutal, memorable, and instantly made this issue one of my favorites in recent years.
The art in this issue is equally strong. Tom Mandrake is best known for his expressive work on THE SPECTRE and MARTIAN MANHUNTER. His moody panels exemplify the intensity that unfolds in this issue. I wish Mandrake would have been on board this title since the beginning. The one thing this series has going against it is the inconsistency of the art. Over the last year, we’ve had Joe Bennett, Alan Davis, Tom Raney, a few Jim Lee clones, and now Tom Mandrake on the title. Had one of these artists penciled the entire run, I feel the story would have flowed more easily from issue to issue and given us a more consistent read to enjoy this truly Marvelous story. But, if this series is ever collected in a trade, the thing that will hurt it the most is the fact that Marvel was unable to nail down a reliable artist on par with the superior story.
MARVEL simply HAS to collect the entire “Lord of Asgard” story arc into a trade for everyone to enjoy. Jurgens has masterfully constructed something that is rarely seen in comics today: a massive, multi-part epic with subtle subplots, intelligent debatable issues, and the most dire consequences for the hero and the world around him. I am currently the only @$$hole reading this book, but I can’t stop praising issue #66 for the risks it takes and the sheer ballsyness of Jurgens’ storytelling. Look, I know THOR isn’t flying off the shelves, but I urge you all to check it out. Go to your comic book store and glance through this book. Witness the assault on Asgard. See the gods fall from the sky. I swear you’ll be left hooked and filled with utter anticipation for the next issue.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to retrieve my socks and dispose of my neighbor’s cat.
NEW MUTANTS #3
Writer: Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir
Artist: Keron Grant
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
I gave it its shot. Really. Now I've heard tell of folks who'll give a new series five or six issues to prove itself, but not me - I'm impatient and outright mean. If I'm not hooked in three issues (that's three issues max), then I'm outta there. Well, the new NEW MUTANTS has reached that landmark "yea or nay" issue…and it's still just as pedestrian and boring as it was in the first issue. I can't completely blame the writers – they're operating under the Nu-Marvel regime, and Nu-Marvel has had a Hulk-sized hard-on for extended origin stories every since they decided that any formula that works for Brian Michael Bendis will of course work for every other book they put out.
I wonder if they'll still be telling themselves that when this series gets cancelled within a year or two? I figure nostalgia and the nice covers will drive it at least a few more issues – nostalgia kept me going this long, and that's after having an extremely lukewarm reaction to the first issue (reviewed here). That first issue was a competently-written introduction of a new teenage mutant burdened by typical anti-mutant hysteria. Despite a cover depicting four members of the original team, we only saw one of them – Danielle Moonstar - at the very end. She recruited the new girl to Xavier's school, eased her burden, and that was that. Now I knew, I knew we wouldn't be seeing any of the crazy, fun stuff from the old series coming from the newer, more sedate, more mature Marvel - no lost Roman cities, trips to Asgard, or Demon Bears. I was prepared to accept this because I liked the relaunch premise of bringing back the old team members to become teachers at Xavier's school. But when I finished that first issue I got scared. Only one old member introduced…only one new recruit – had I just read the template for the entire first arc? One recruit per issue as the rule?! Surely even post-Jemas Marvel wouldn't go for such an utterly bland, paint-by-numbers formula?!!
But that's precisely what they've done.
Three issues, three angst-filled new recruits.
This latest issue does bring back one more member of the original team, but she's comatose - doesn't count. So okay, it's clear that the new NEW MUTANTS is a big fat tease about bringing back the classic characters and has all the pacing of a PBS comedy of manners - does it at least succeed on its own merits? Not really. So far every issue has had an "after school special" vibe, with cartoonish bullies and bigots preying on goodhearted mutant kids. As the stories draw to a conclusion, Danielle Moonstar inevitably makes the scene, offers some sage advice that makes everyone smile, and Xavier gets a new recruit for his compound. It's all very pat, very trite, and issue three's no exception.
In fact, it's particularly painful because the new recruit is a kid who, by all rights, should not be a candidate for a pat ending. His unlucky power is that his touch decays organic matter instantly, and among others, he's accidentally killed his father and a dog. But y'know what? With a few kind words from Danielle Moonstar, the mutant Florence Nightingale, all that nasty ol' angst is forgotten and the little guy thinks it's pretty darn cool that he's gonna get to hang with the X-Men. No joke - literally three or four sentences after he acknowledges killing his dad, he's grinning and ready to jump into his new life at the X-mansion. Over the last year I've seen the husband and wife writing team of DeFillipis and Weir produce good material for Oni (SKINWALKER, THREE STRIKES), but whether as a result of editorial mandates for post 9-11 realism or their own inexperience with superheroes, NEW MUTANTS is just not working out. The handful of neat scenes that arise (a glimpse at the Beast teaching algebra for instance) end up curtailed in favor of Disney Channel teen angst.
And the art? Not helpin'. Keron Grant seems to have perfectly solid foundations, but his style is simply too cartoonish and exaggerated to lend weight to the proceedings. This isn't a minor gripe about a style that just doesn't grab me. See, the stories thus far have no action component, and as a result are completely reliant on reader identification with realistic problems of bigotry and emotional isolation. When the artist trying to convey this has a style that innately suggests lightheartedness, I'm afraid it's a deal-killer. If the book had the wonky tone of Peter David's recently cancelled YOUNG JUSTICE, that'd be one thing, but this is a comic where a kid hugs his pappy and turns him into ashes. Needs some gravity, I think. On a more snide note, I can't deal with a rendition of stately Professor X that suggests Moby ransacking Michael Jackson's 80's jumpsuits.
Can the book be saved? Maybe. Needs some seriously amped-up pacing, a deeper poignancy to the teenagers' interaction, and for God's sake, a driving force beyond issue after issue of recruiting! Give me a growing threat, a mystery unraveling as a subplot, even the rise of a gang at Xavier's school - ANYTHING but a series of pedestrian tales of teen alienation that would get Bendis booted off of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN.
Alas, I'm not a person who has the patience to stick around waiting for improvements unless something radical happens. Could...could maybe the Demon Bear go ahead and attack the kids?
TALES FROM THE CREVICE: BOOKS THAT FELL THROUGH THE CRACK
By Vroom Socko
I’m a sucker for a good “What If?” style storyline. The old Marvel book, DC’s Elseworld’s line - I just can’t get enough. I still remember how much fun I had the year DC made all their annuals Elseworld stories, and you all know of my fondness for the Age of Apocalypse. This week’s Tale, however, is an effort that goes beyond Elseworlds, a series of books where only the names are the same. No, it’s not Just Imagine Stan Lee Phoned In His Work For A Buck, it’s the much earlier effort from DC: Tangent Comics.
Masterminded by Dan Jurgens, the books all took place in an alternate reality where the Cuban Missile Crisis ended in the destruction of both Cuba and Florida. The city of Atlanta is now the coastal town of New Atlantis, home to a variety of superhero types. There’s the Flash, a Britney Spears-like superstar who can transform into and manipulate light; The Atom, a third generation superhero whose grandfather was mutated by nuclear testing; and the Joker, a young female anarchist who’s despised by the cops yet adored by the people. There are, of course, villains as well, the most prominent being the Illuminati-esque organization known as Nightwing.
The book I think you should start with, however, is Green Lantern. This comic features a mysterious woman who wanders the graveyards of the world, using her magic lantern to raise the dead. Those resurrected are given the chance to complete one last task that they couldn’t complete in life, allowing them to rest peacefully in death. J. H. Williams III handles the artwork on this book, and it’s easily the best looking of the initial nine Tangent books.
Of course, not all the Tangent titles are great. Sea Devils is probably the worst book ever put out by Kurt Busiek, which means it’s still ten times better than the Doom Patrol. DP features a group of time travelers who go to the year 1997 in order to prevent the destruction of the Earth in their own time. Of course, in the oldest SF cliché known to mankind, their very presence initiates the event they’re trying to prevent. Bleah.
There were nine Tangent books published in ’97, and in ’98 a second set of nine was released. This run included follow-up books for the Flash, Joker, Nightwing, and Green Lantern. There were also new characters based on the Big Three. The first was a ghostly knight living under a curse that cannot be lifted until he atones for the sins of his past. Unable to leave his castle, he acts as a protector of the city of London via an enchanted set of armor that bears the standard of the bat. Then there’s the strange alien half-breed, who crashed to earth in the middle of the Vegas strip. Her tendency to spend all her time (even time spent defending herself from those trying to kill her) contemplating existential philosophy earned her the nickname Wonder Woman.
Finally there’s Superman, easily the best book from Tangent’s second go-around. The result of an experimental pregnancy by Nightwing, Harvey Dent appeared to be completely normal, until an accident triggered his vast mental abilities. He became a superhero at first, but soon found it to be too limiting a role, as he grows more and more powerful. Soon, his marriage becomes affected, as he grows more and more distant from humanity. This book was illustrated wonderfully by Jackson Guice, and was written by Mark Millar, proving that when he’s not courting controversy for its own sake (which unfortunately seems to be always nowadays), he’s one talented sonuvabitch.
Really though, this series is just about having fun with DC and its characters. If you’re a DC fan from way back, these books will be a blast, especially with all the company in-jokes that can be followed from book to book. As for those of you who aren’t fans of the company, well, you’re not going to pass on a Millar book, are you?
Addendum I:
A few weeks ago, the comic featured in the first installment of this column was published in TPB form, Vic and Blood: A Boy and his Dog. Not only has color been added to the Richard Corben art, but Harlan Ellison’s included some new written material, as well as the original short story "A Boy and his Dog." I recommended this book a year ago, and I’m recommending it now.
Addendum II:
Most likely by the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to San Diego for Comic-Con 2003. The Village Idiot and myself will be running amok all four days, so be on your guard, especially if you’re getting stuff signed. There’s no way I’m leaving without Neil Gaiman’s scrawl next to Terry Pratchett’s in my copy of Good Omens. You have been warned.
Question for Discussion
If you were to write a Tangent Comic, what superhero would you pick, and what would their abilities be?
