Wednesday Comics Concludes / More Stuff

Wednesday Comics

With last week's issue of Wednesday Comics, DC's adventure concluded. My favorite turned out to be Supergirl, as I suspected from the beginning. Easy reading, superb art and characterizations, a nice, simple story that worked perfectly in this format, and a very amusing ending, all worked together to make the best of all the features included in the series.

Also excellent: Metamorpho (hilarious sub-dialogue from Java), and the Green Lantern feature. Both were stylish and fun.

Honorable Mention: Batman, Kamandi, Metal Men, Teen Titans, Strange Adventures, Hawkman, Sgt. Rock. Each of these had some great moments, and were all well crafted and great quality.

Superman, Deadman and Catwoman/The Demon were just a'ight for me. They were all nicely drawn, but the story was weak in each. The ending of the Catwoman story was kind of nice, though.

What didn't work for me: Wonder Woman. It just never gelled. The artwork was nice, what you could see of it - but so much of it was obscured by the sketchy technique (usually something I love, because you can see the loose framework of the drawing beneath), weird color scheme, and the incredible amount of dialogue. I could never tell which "panel" was supposed to be next - it just didn't flow at all.

So ends DC's latest foray into weekly serial comics. I felt this outing was superior to Trinity and to DC Countdown. I think the Powers That Be at DC are really enamoured of this weekly idea, and since the success of 52 have continued to try to recapture that lightning in a bottle. Wednesday Comics came closer to doing that than either of the latter two efforts. Will they do it again? My vote for now: no. Let it rest here with a modicum of success. Concentrate on finishing up Blackest Night. Think about doing something new over the summer if you must. What do you think? Does DC need a weekly serial?

Superman: Secret Origin

Ho hum, yet another retelling of the origin story of Superman, which everyone already knows, right? Well... everyone already knows the basics. But this series is different - and worth your time and money.

First off, it's no ordinary retelling. It's Geoff Johns doing the telling. Johns is arguably the best writer working in comics today (standing alongside him are Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, Mark Millar, and a few notable others). Although the others are also great, Johns' vision is perhaps clearer than anyone else's. He has a keen sense of where he is going. His stories begin to pull together almost immediately - you always have a sense of forward motion, that you're being propelled toward new information, new adventure, somewhere that is an actual destination, as opposed to spinning in circles while the writer figures out how to wrap things up. His payoffs are huge - he may make you wait, tantalize and tease, frustrate hell out of you along the way, but in the end, you almost always end up satisfied, saying, "That was good."

Second, it's Gary Frank doing the art. His work is interesting for its realism and oddness (a strange combination, to be sure, but it's true). The pencils have a quirky look, a definite style. The people have true features - he's not just drawing the same generic features on everyone and changing hair styles slightly, or dressing them differently - he's actually drawing people you might recognize if you saw them on the street.

The story contains elements of a lot of different origin stories: the original rocket ship falling to earth, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Lana Lang, Pete Ross, and Lex Luthor from the comics; the images of Jor-El and Lara, the crystals, the look of the young Clark Kent from the Donner Superman movies and the John Byrne Man of Steel series; the development of his powers slowly, also from the Byrne series, and from Smallville; the design of his outfit from the wonderful Superman Birthright. Johns adds some twists of his own: Clark's dismay and apprehension at the development of his powers, using the crystals from the rocket ship as lenses for Clark's glasses because of their useful properties.

It's a great approach - touching on almost all of the backstories available is great, because it makes them all feel as right as this does. Seriously, this could end up being considered the definitive origin story of Superman. There's plenty of fun for the old school fan, and because of the wonderful character development and nice backfilling of info for the newbie, I think it will be quite popular for years to come.

I highly recommend this series for its stylish retelling of the Superman origin - it's a great read, even if you think you know what happened, already!

Power Girl

I suck at this because I'm so busy with the store and my life that I just have no time to do this as regularly as I want to. But -

I'm still pushing through and I want to talk about Power Girl.

With issue #4, I can positively say that this is one of my favorite new comics. Back in other titles, I used to think Amanda Conner's art was hit and miss. I don't know what she did, but her art is as close to perfect as it gets for me. Great facial expressions, very stylish, strong, recognizable style - and can she draw girls!

But this is one of those wonderful books where it isn't just about the art - it really is a match made in heaven, much as the Steve Niles/Ben Templesmith pairing for 30 Days of Night is.. The writing is snappy, light and fun, and it can also be touching and lovely. With all the darkness of the Blackest Night going on, and all the Dark Reign stuff from Marvel, I've had about all the dark I can handle.

Power Girl is a fun romp, and all the grrl power stuff is handled deftly and with great humor and heart. I love seeing Karen / PG developing a real personality aside from all the "who am I and what is my place in this world" stuff she's done over the years. I wasn't loving the bitter/melancholy Power Girl of the past, but this more determined, upbeat Power Girl goes straight to the top of my reading list every time it comes out.

The writing is snappy, the dialogue is witty, and the artwork so elegantly supports the storytelling - it's exactly like a comic book should be. The relationship between Terra and Power Girl is very cute, and it's nice to see PG with a personal life - complete with friends. In this issue, Terra learns a very important lesson (always wear your costume under your clothes), Power Girl is called "Busty Airborne Lass" by a misguided villain (hilarious interchange there), and Terra runs around in her panties, in an effort to make up for the not wearing the costume thing and trying to emulate PG. This issue was so cute and funny, I loved every minute of reading it.

If you're a little burned out on all the zombie stuff (leave it to the publishers to pile on - if one zombie book is good, a hundred will certainly be great, huh?), give Power Girl a try - you will not be sorry, if for no other reason than the wonderful artwork! Certainly, you will find Power Girl a light, refreshing alternative to the current crop of dark and depressing comic offerings.

TV / Movies / Torchwood: Children of Earth

I watch a lot of TV. I love TV - I like it better than movies most of the time. Movies of late have become very formulaic: A well-paced or drearily tedious setup (depends on the writing, acting and director), the reveal of the plot device the story will turn on, some sort of love interest (i.e., sex scene - necessary or not), an F-bomb from a grade-schooler or grandma, a pee joke (usually dog pees on hero's/villain's leg), some other potty humor, a car chase, a fight sequence (also well-paced or tedious), a heroic victory, and denouement, the end.

Meanwhile, television has hours and hours to pace its storylines. Character development is richer and deeper, and maybe the car chases are fewer and further between, just like most of the fight scenes. Maybe the sex scenes are tamer (thank God). Maybe there's less language (do we really need that ALL the time - I am a cussing connoisseur and even I find the language in movies egregious and way too much). Maybe there's less money to do CGI effects - and thank God for that, because I am sick to death of obvious and even less obvious CGI - I'd much rather see practical effects (that's when they use masks or suits or puppets to make aliens, instead of having the actors talk to tennis balls and then flying in the character via computer animation later). Television in the past 8 or 9 years has had a more organic quality, one that makes things feel a little more real to me than movies have been able to over the same time.

Because you have more time in TV, the viewer has more chances to get to know and like or dislike characters, understand subtle ideas that are introduced over the course of a season, etc. You get more emotionally invested in the characters. For me, this happened in a big way over the past three years with Torchwood, a BBC spinoff of the venerable Doctor Who. I love this show so much, because it's such fun, so surprising week to week, so quirky and strange. But this season, Torchwood took a big risk, and instead of running a normal 13-episode season, they put all their money and effort into just 5 episodes. Just 5. These 5 remarkable episodes have stuck with me over this past weekend. I still feel this story, way down deep. It resonated on a lot of levels. So I did a review of it and I wanted to share it with you in hopes that you'll watch if you haven't yet.

This is a re-post of the review I did for the Metropolis Comics forums.

Since it began, Torchwood has been a favorite of mine. I love the campy, fun feel which can switch on a moment to poignant and real. Though I've never been a regular Doctor Who fan (I watch from time to time and enjoy it that way), this spinoff has always captured my imagination the same way that X-Files used to. The characters have been interesting and unpredictable - Captain Jack, the leader of the covert unit is dashing and daring as Indiana Jones while being as enigmatic as Fox Mulder. Gwen Cooper, the former policewoman, lends tenderness and a sexy spirit of fun to her role - she has the most beautiful green eyes, and is as lovely as a movie star; then she smiles, and her charming gap-toothed grin makes her feel like the girl next door. Ianto Jones, the "butler" turned field agent was gallant yet innocent, cuddly yet capable.

Children of Earth is the third season. The BBC produces TV programming that is not reliant on advertising dollars - television is produced by the crown; a certain amount of money is allotted per season, period. Rather than doing the usual 13 shows, this year, the Torchwood producers elected to make just 5 shows and tell just one very big, very intense, very compelling story. A very risky gamble by American standards.

But does this gamble ever pay off.

Though unquestionably some of the darkest moments I've ever seen on TV are contained in these five hours, this might be the very best TV I've ever seen, out of the UK or Hollywood.

Briefly, the plot centers around an attempt to destroy the Torchwood agency entirely (assassination attempts on the lives of our heroes), in an effort to contain a terrible secret: in 1965, the British government makes a deal with the 456 - aliens so named for broadcasting on one frequency - the 456 will provide an antiviral agent to to combat an impending flu epidemic that might have a casualty rate as great as the one in the early 20th century. In return, the British government will give the aliens 12 children. Of these, 11 are taken, and one escapes. The official in charge of the handover: Captain Jack Harkness. Today, the 456 have returned. And what they want now is more terrifying than we could have ever imagined.

With Torchwood crippled, the world's governments try to negotiate with the dreadful aliens, but are stymied and feel they have no choice but to capitulate - and cover it up. In the end, of course, a sacrifice is required, and it is here that Jack's dark past catches up, and all the sins of the past must be repaid.

What is normally a camp romp through a monster-of-the week style formula matured into a terrifying political thriller. The scope of the show suddenly became so much larger than it has ever been. You see every bit of that extra money on the screen, every episode, and some of the scenes were so raw and terrifying, I held my breath. Throughout the show, I wondered whether I was more afraid of the aliens or our own governments. All of them - all over the world. Given the choices they had, I wondered about the notion that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. I also wondered whether I'd want to live in a world where this terrible devil's bargain was made and the cover up the governments were trying to arrange came off successfully - at least as successfully as something like this could ever manage to be done.

Torchwood Children of Earth is compelling and disturbing, and it's haunted me every moment since I saw the ending. It was sad, frustrating, and amazing. Torchwood has never been vapid or silly, but this season especially points out the power of television, when it puts its mind to being really, really good. I cannot recommend this highly enough (and I beg you to then go back and watch seasons 1 and 2 so that you can shake off the sorrow and have some fun). It'll stay with you forever. If you have children of your own, make sure you have someone next to you, to hold your hand. You'll laugh a little in the beginning, you'll feel the dread and hopelessness and heartbreak in the end. And if you believe in Captain Jack and Torchwood, you'll have hope, too.

Wednesday Comics / Blackest Night

After a lengthy absence (just too much new stuff going on), I return to talk about some of the new stuff hitting the stands. There are a couple of high-profile titles that just started, namely Blackest Night and Wednesday Comics. So let's get into it:

Wednesday Comics

Rather than review single issues, I'd like to deal with the book generally. This is the big, foldout, newspaper style experiment coming out weekly from DC, attempting to capture a weekly audience while evoking old-style Sunday comics. Using a 14x20 format, featuring one storyline of a different superhero per page, and showing off the talents of a tantalizingly eclectic group of creators, Wednesday Comics is a 12-issue extravaganza.

There's no doubt that some of the strips fare much better than others. Superman is a fully painted, beautifully executed examination of our hero's feelings of disconnection from the people he protects. It has everything Super-fans hope for in a great Superman story: a big fight with a super-foe, a sci-fi element - in this case, the foe is a big, ugly alien - and guest appearances by fan favorites like Lois Lane, Batman, and so far, the pacing, the paneling, the artwork are perfect. There's just the right amount of exposition and dialogue, the story seems to read at a glance, and yet the eye wants to linger and take it all in, in all its panoramic, big format glory.

Also beautiful is Supergirl, by Palmiotti and Conner - Amanda Conner has just gotten better and better, and so has Palmiotti. The story is simple and amusing - Supergirl chasing Krypto chasing Streaky chasing ??? Embarrassing problems ensue, and Supergirl spends a lot of time apologizing and mugging impishly, which is very funny and cute. My other favorite is Green Lantern by Busiek and Quinones. Kurt Busiek is a reliably good writer; Quinones' art is stylish and suits the time period the story is set in very nicely.

I'm very impressed with these three strips in particular, mainly because, as I mentioned, these ones seem to really take the best advantage of the unusual format and make the most of it. The others that I like but am not as crazy about as my top 3 are Batman, Kamandi, Metamorpho, Teen Titans, and Strange Adventures. These are also excellent, don't take my "not as crazy" remark as meaning they aren't good - they are. Actually, Kamandi is shaping up to be on par with my Top 3 if it continues on its present path - it may be that it's just a slower starter.

The rest are fine, but they are not the ones I can't wait to read, if that makes sense. I read them, I like them okay, with one exception - Wonder Woman. Coming from an animation background, I want to love this strip. But I don't. Frankly, I don't really get it. I love Wonder Woman. I'm loving Gail Simone's run on the regular Wonder Woman series. But this... it's a mess, in my opinion. It's got so many panels, there is so much dialogue, everything feels so crowded. This is a 14x20 piece of paper, and Ben Caldwell is suffering from Kevin Smith-itis.

It's almost impossible to figure out what's going on panel to panel, you have to really look to see what's happening. Maybe Ben wants us to squint and really really look at his beautiful little drawings, but that's not how comics are supposed to read. The art is lovely and stylish. But if there was ever an illustration as to why an artist needs a writer (or an editor), this is it. I want Wonder Woman to stop being put back in the B and C tier of comics, I want her out front and proud, part of the Big Three of DC's lineup. But this is not the way. Squishing panel on top of panel, and trying to do a novel in what essentially becomes a 12-page story is not smart. I can see DC shrinking down all the other strips and making a trade paperback or a hardcover out of them. If they do, I think they will have to omit Wonder Woman, and that's a shame.

Still, if Wednesday Comics is an experiment, I think on the whole, it's a successful one. So far, the awesome factor of most of the material outweighs the cheesy paper and the few strips that are less than totally engrossing. I love it, and look forward to it each week.

Blackest Night

So far, disturbing and cool. I love the idea of a War of Light, of all these different lanterns, and of the ancient Guardians being shown why it's never a great idea to think you know everything. Geoff Johns is an amazing writer, and he explores things we all feel using superheroes in comic books most of the time, to our very great enrichment.

To me, this book so far feels like a horror story with superheroes - a super-cool concept. You have to wrap your head around how much more horrifying things can get in this world - Sue and Ralph Dibny being the instruments of doom for Hawkman and Hawkgirl was completely ironic and wonderfully horrible as it gets. The Martian Manhunter as a decaying zombie... brrr. Bruce Wayne's skull stolen. Yikes. Who knew he was Batman besides Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian, and Alfred Pennyworth? Jason Todd, yeah? But he's alive. We think. The plot thickens.

For Green Lantern fans, this past few years has been a great ride, and this summer promises to take us places we have never been - that's something long-time comic fans sometimes have a hard time doing. We've seen it, been there, done that. But for this long-time fan, I want to be in for the great romp I see Blackest Night becoming because it feels like something completely new. I can't wait to find out more about the Star Sapphires, the Indigo Tribe, and the other lanterns. I love it.

Let's Talk About Batman ... or not

Battle for the Cowl #3

What a letdown. I want to talk about it for a minute, and probably only a minute. Why? Because, my friends, we have seen every bit of this story before, in one way or another, and it reveals nothing new, says nothing new, and in fact, says it in a very stilted, wooden way. SPOILER ALERT - if you care, I will reveal the ending. But I suspect you wouldn't be surprised by it anyhow.

This story started out with a whimper, and ends with a bang - a whole lotta bang, and not a lot more. The storyline here is tissue thin. If you like action movies, you'll probably dig it, but for me, this entire series was poorly conceived.

As a writer, Tony Daniel does not really excel. As mentioned, the plot is barely there, and what does exist is snippets from Knightfall and No Man's Land. The dialogue is forced and wooden, and the character development - well it's just bad. In the first pages, the Huntress and the rest of the Network are summarily dismissed to track down the mad bomber, or whatever (and btw, we're supposed to believe that some 18 heroes are insufficient to cover for Batman? I know he's a badass, but... really?). The impostor Batman, Jason Todd (wooo surprised? No? me either) is reduced from an interesting character who might have employed different methods in his efforts to emulate his mentor to a one-dimensional, not nearly as interesting Joker wannabe (psycho, doesn't care who he kills, yada yada yada). "Overcompensating." Do ya think? In the last pages we see the most cliched ending possible - Jason falls (voluntarily) to his "death" (yeah, right) and Dick assumes the mantle of the Batman. Just as we knew he would from looking at the cover of BFTC #1. I think I would refer to this book as BFD #3 if I thought anyone would appreciate it.

As an artist, Daniel is somewhat better, however I find his interior art, particularly the big two-page spreads and splash panels, quite over-posed. It's like he's channeling his Image days, and not in a good way. In other places, he is quite good and does turn out some excellent panels, but his storytelling is so rushed in places... this is one of those issues that needed to just slow down and breathe a little. The pacing was terribly off, and I found myself just trying figure out wtf was going on from time to time. He needs a writer so he can focus on the artwork.

Some mysteries are left unsolved. For example, what happened to the Huntress and the rest of the Network? Who blew everything up? Who is the dude pretending to be Two-Face (is that really Two-Face? Because he doesn't feel like Two-Face to me). And who is the Black Mask?

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn, based on this series. Whatever. Somebody, let me know whenever they reveal it.

Overall, this was a pretty ho-hum experience for me. Been there, done that, wore the t-shirt. Didn't you? Well, if you didn't, you will. I, for one, am pretty tired of the hackneyed "Death of...(insert your favorite character's name here)" which turns out a year later to be a big old hose job. Tim, of course, has survived Jason's attempt to kill him, big surprise, and Damian returned to add his bratty little interjections (which were actually some of the more entertaining bits, between him and the Squire). It all just fell flat for me.

The end.

So let's move on to something infinitely more interesting:

Umbrella Academy: Dallas #6

Loved the whole thing, for the same reasons as I loved Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite. It's really the continuation of that story, and this is the complete opposite of the book we just discussed.

The plot, by Gerard Way, is key to everything here, but perfect counterpoint is Gabriel Ba's odd, angular, and very highly stylized art.

Once again making with very witty dialogue, fun twists and turns, and the wonderfully elegant explanation to the entire conspiracy theory surrounding the Kennedy assassination, Gerard Way weaves a story that involves temporal mechanics that actually does not suck. That's pretty hard to do. Briefly, No. 5 must journey back in time to prevent himself from assassinating the President, or face the end of the world in a fiery cataclysm. As some factions of the very dysfunctional Umbrella Academy seem fractured beyond repair, others seem to be pulling together to fight the future, and there is a deft handling of the sense of accomplishment as well as the whiff of despair running through them. Ba's artwork conveys humor, excitement, and the weary sadness of some characters with equal skill; it is nothing short of a joy to read and study.

Seeing the apathetic, obese Spaceboy rouse himself one more time to try, and then the revelation involving the Rumor in this issue was a rare comic book treat - these characters are quite touching, and I credit the writer with imbuing them with that spark of life that makes a lasting impression. No. 5 builds his model of the solar system - sans Earth. What it means is up for grabs - perhaps it is his comment on just how high the stakes in this thing were. Perhaps it means that he failed to avert the coming disaster and knows it. These are mysteries worth investigating, and I hope to be there to see it all play out. It will have to wait awhile as Gerard Way is now recording the new My Chemical Romance album, plus becoming a father. I'm certain that with both happening at the same time, it'll be a little while before we get another Umbrella Academy. Whenever it comes, on the strength of the 12 issues that exist now, it will be worth the Way-t. Get it?

The contrast between my two picks this week is huge: while one is full of cliched writing, stilted, forced dialoge, and other tired bullshit, the other is chock-full of fun, dynamic action, wit, and great storytelling. Battle for the Cowl attempted to, in Crisis-style, include everyone who's anyone in the Bat-Universe. But to what end? They weren't used - at all. They were simply in there so that they could be seen. Unfortunately, this franchise, like Star Trek before it, has become so strangled by its own mythologies that it is doomed to continue to repeat itself until it breaks the boundaries and does something fresh and new (I cited Star Trek as proof that this can be done successfully). I hope that will be sooner than later, because by the end, I could wait for it to be over, and I never want to read those stories again - for the third or fourth time, I forget which now. Meanwhile, Umbrella Academy added freshness and depth to the characters we met in the earlier series, gave us a bunch of nice, punchy dialogue that people in similar situations might actually be able to say - though being in situations like these would be highly unlikely. The little twist at the end between Luther (Spaceboy) and Allison (Rumor) and Five (00.05) was super cool, and lent a lovely, aching wistful quality to the denoument at the end - the pacing was superb, and when the book ended, I wanted to read it again, and then read another one just like it.

What did you read this week?

Free Comic Book Day - May 2, 2009

In keeping with the theme of discussing comics and pop culture events, I wanted to say a few words about Free Comic Book Day.

First of all, it rocks because it puts three great words together in the same phrase: Free. Comic. Book. Second of all, it rocks because it gets families together, or it gets people to come out - and even if all they think they want is free swag, what they really get is so much more, if of course they go to a store like Metropolis. We do free raffles throughout the day, we have guests in to sign and sketch and just meet folks. We have costumed superheroes (mostly friends of the store, not hired hands) who just get a kick out of being there. And the kids who show up get their pictures taken with their favorite heroes who show up - I have a great story to share from last Free Comic Book Day, and then one about this one.

Last year, I approached my niece, Ashley, about asking her boyfriend, Ryan, to put on a Superman costume for the event. Ryan is 6'5", 270 pounds of brawny hunk. His face is ... well, it's him in my profile pic with me. His face is perfect, I think. He's so handsome it's crazy, but he's not so pretty that he's offputting. His features are kind and open, and he is quick to smile. At first, he was absolutely against it. He was embarrassed just thinking about it - he's only 20, after all, and Superman is not thought to be cool by his generation. He was shaving his head at that point (it was Easter and there were only four weeks until Free Comic Book Day - definitely not enough time to develop a spit curl in front). I told him I didn't care, just to grow his hair out for the month. I didn't care if he came in with a scruff on his chin. The thing for me was that he just felt right.

Partly because I was okay with some of his objections, I think, and partly because he loves Ashley so much, he finally agreed (after much coaxing). I rented the best suit I could find for him (it was the only one that would come close to fitting him, at any rate). When the day came, as he was putting it on, he started freaking out, saying it was retarded, and he looked stupid. Ashley came to get me to see if I could calm him down. I took one look at him, and my niece tells me I actually took a step back. He was perfect - so perfect I just wasn't prepared. When he turned around, and the cape swirled behind him, I forgot all about the fact that the suit wasn't perfect. He was. I grinned and said, "Ryan, please trust me on this - you are not going to look stupid out there. You are going to be a rock star today. People are going to clap, and they're going to want to touch you, and they're going to stare and want their picture taken and ask for autographs. I guarantee it. Plus I'll give you $50 if you do it."

He calmed down finally. We did a big buildup, played the Superman theme, and one of our guys called out a big introduction, "He's a strange visitor from another planet, he's come all the way from the Fortress of Solitude to be with us today...yada yada" As this was all happening, we were behind a curtain, waiting for the cue. Ryan looked at me nervously. "What do I do?" he asked. "Once I get out there, I mean?" I just smiled. "Just be nice." Finally we heard them say, "The one, the only ---- Superman!!!"

Ryan stepped out from behind the curtain and stopped, a little uncertain. When he did, just as I had, the crowd took a step back, and I heard more than a couple of people gasp. He looked back at me, and I just nodded and motioned for him to go ahead and walk in among them. As he took a step forward, the crowd cleared to let him through, as people just gaped in awe. He looked very impressive. One little girl was frozen in her place. She was dressed all in pink, and she just looked up with eyes as wide as saucers and her mouth forming a little pink "o".

Ryan looked at me for a hint as to what to do. I just nodded and said again, "Just be nice." He stepped up to her and smiled. She was still just a statue. He knelt down and ever so gently, held his hand out to her. Almost in slow motion, she placed a tiny hand in his giant one, and his big fingers closed over it as his eyes twinkled in a sweet smile for her. "Hello," he said to her. Then she just fell into his arms, doing her best to get her arms around him. "Oh, Superman," she sighed, "I've been waiting for you!" Ryan just folded his arms around her.

Ashley was in tears, the little girl's mom was in tears, I was in tears, it was just so sweet. Ryan looked up at her mom and softly asked, "May I?" he motioned to pick her up. The mom nodded, so he lifted this little girl up onto his shoulder and paraded her through the store, while everyone applauded, and the little girl just beamed like the sun. It was bliss for everyone. Ryan couldn't stop talking about it. I think he was very surprised at the way he was received by everyone - people were trying to touch his cape all day, trying to get close to him - just like a rock star. And that little girl was one happy little kid. And all because of Free Comic Book Day.

And by the way - when I offered him the $50 I'd promised, he waved it off and asked for $20 - just for gas money. I slipped the rest to my niece and told her to take him to dinner. He deserved it for being such a great sport.

And as I predicted, Superman was the biggest thing to happen to everyone that Free Comic Book Day - and this year, when I asked Ryan if he would consider an encore, he quickly agreed - no coaxing necessary. He was terribly disappointed when we discovered that the Superman outfit we'd rented the year before had been destroyed. He tried it on but it was ruined. I asked if we might do a "battle-damaged" Superman. He said it would be more like a "homeless" Superman. No good.

So we improvised a peek-a-boo Clark Kent outfit - again, he was perfect. It wasn't as visually stunning as last year's, but it was just as wonderful. Next year, Ashley wants to be Supergirl, and I think she'll be perfect - a beautiful little blonde. I'll have to remember to tell her that she's Superman's cousin - otherwise it'll be a little creepy.

But this year's story was a little boy named Jacob who came for Free Comic Book Day. Jacob's grandmother told us that Jacob is suffering from cancer, so finding ways to keep him smiling can be a challenge. But Jacob was all smiles on Saturday, and grandma told us that the little boy was more excited and happy than she'd seen him in a while. Dude, it just doesn't get much better than that at a comic shop - kids happy are what we are all about.

Free Comic Book Day is more than just a retailing opportunity - it's a chance for everyone to get out of their homes and go to a book store where they are much more likely to see something amazing than in any other book store. It's a chance to get kids excited about reading. It's a chance to get parents involved in stuff their kids can be interested in without it being a grind - let's face it, Candyland is fun, but after a while, the folks want something a little more substantial.

Long live Free Comic Book Day!

Action Comic #876, Walking Dead #60

Action Comics #876

A lot has been made of the current run of Action Comics, DC's most venerable ... well, at least their most aged title. Frankly, I thought it was a bit silly to make so much of it, considering they've already done the whole World Without Superman schtick - way back in the Death of Superman days.

Back then, they came up with a fun, engaging storyline - the Reign of the Supermen was an action-packed mystery with superheroes, all claiming to be Superman. It was great, even though I didn't like the Death story at all.

Today, I was more skeptical, having been through the first time around, and figuring there would be little they could do to top the Reign of the Supermen.

But still... so far, so good. I'm not saying this does the trick and tops that great story. But it's good so far. Greg Rucka is a wonderful writer, and in his hands, the book is building a solid foundation for the entire run.

Briefly, this installment is kind of a long fight scene - but in it, we do learn some interesting and intriguing things about our new main characters. The new Nightwing and Flamebird (a takeoff on the waaaaaay olden days stories of the heroes of the shrunken city of Kandor) turn out to be one of the Kryptonians and none other than Lor-Zod, the son of Ursa and Zod, but whom we all know very affectionately as Christopher Kent, the foster son of Lois and Clark Kent. Chris has grown up quite a bit. Literally. He's, like, years older than when we last saw him. Still a very young man, but a man, not a little boy any more.

Ursa goes hunting for them and when she learns it is her own son in the Nightwing outfit, she shows her displeasure and disappointment in the boy by attempting to murder him with a kryptonite dagger. Unfortunately for Ursa, Chris (as he insists she calls him), having been born in the Phantom Zone, does not react to kryptonite quite like other Kryptonians. He also has some other strange quirks, which are not fully explained.

The story is well-written and fast-paced without feeling rushed. The art... well, I have to say that there is a two-page spread that I know was intended to be very dramatic, but... It was just too much. First of all, I'm tired of all the blood flying everywhere all the time. It's just like a My Chemical Romance song - "Give them blood, blood - gallons of the stuff! You can give them all you've got and it will never be enough!" Between this trend and the Red Lanterns barfing it up all the time (great superpower... oy), I've had about all I can take. On top of that, the anatomy was really hard to make out - it was a large enough spread that everything should have been crystal clear, but there's so much extraneous stuff going on that even though I scrutinized it hard, I was unable to find Ursa's "payoff" hand (the one holding the knife), and unable to distinguish whether or not she had hit home with her blow. Artists - note: you're supposed to be drawing an action, not a pinup poster for your portfolio. No matter how cool you think it looks to shower us with a gazillion unnecessary details, the first thing on your mind - and on the drawing board - really should be the action you are illustrating, and making sure that action "reads" coherently.

Please don't dismiss that notion in favor of putting out eye candy. I will remind you of the Image stable - most of those guys are now working for others, and the Image-style, over-rendered, overdrawn, overblown action pinups is not really the vogue these days. I point now to Andrew Robinson's vaguely spooky cover on this issue. Not a lot of action. Not over-rendered. But evocative, and highly effective, imho.

Overall, I'm looking forward to finding out what is happening to Chris Kent, how Ursa will fare knowing she's being poisoned by the kryptonite she's been carrying, and how Greg Rucka pulls his story together over the next few issues. It's a good read, even without Superman being featured - it does have the flavor and spirit of a Superman book present and accounted for. This issue is a bit bloody for little kids, so keep it to teens and up.

The Walking Dead #60

Let me just make it clear one more time that I really don't like zombie shit - I am just not a fan of the whole genre.

That re-established, The Walking Dead is one of my favorite comics, and goes to the top of my Read list every month.

Why?

Because, most of the time, it's not about the zombies. It's about what's left of the human race surviving alongside the zombies. Zombies are brainless, shuffling, creepy, nasty nothings. But people are fascinating.

And again, that said, in this issue, the zombies are front and center, and the number of times I had to shift in my chair shows just how uncomfortable that made me. As Rick, Abraham, Carl and Morgan try to get back to camp, they are beset by a gigantic "herd" of them. The shuffling horrors are relentless, and in numbers like this, almost impossible to elude. Rick wants to take a different way around to camp to avoid leading the herd right to it, but they soon realize that a direct approach is the best - they must reach camp and help everyone escape as quickly as possible, because this herd is too large and too close to take any chances with. Meanwhile, back at camp, Dale wants to settle on this lovely farm they've taken refuge in. He figures the twins will flourish here (though they are picking at the remains of a dead cat or something awful like that) and doesn't want to keep moving. Maggie and Glen finally talk about "the elephant in the room" (her suicide attempt), and she affirms she wants to live after all.

It's nice that Robert Kirkman can visit these characters very briefly and really create a feeling that is personal and real and touching in the midst of the horrors all around. For Kirkman's survivors, finding the will to go on can sometimes be a real challenge, and he really nails that point in very poignant ways. I would like to find out a little more about the Doctor in their midst - the guy who supposedly understands so much about these zombies. He's been around several issues now, and we know precious little more than we ever have after five years. That's a minor gripe in general, not about just this issue, which is intense and exciting from cover to cover.

That's right - five years! That's quite a milestone for a black and white comic, by any standards! Charlie Adlard's consistent work makes the book a breeze to read - very much in contrast to some of the more popular superhero books.

This book is HIGHLY recommended for adults. Though it is thankfully presented in black and white, it is far too graphic and intense for children, even some older ones.

Okay, that's all I got right now. Except...

Are you watching Harper's Island? That's a bit of fun.

Echo 11, World Of New Krypton 2, Green Lantern 39

So, I'm a little lax - I've been busy, people.

But here are a few reviews for books out this week, and in a much more timely manner than I've been able to do this past couple of weeks (tax time, kids). For your perusal:

World of New Krypton #2
In only two issues, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods have created what looks to be a new classic.

World of New Krypton is a fascinating look at morality, an all-but-extinct civilization, family values, and the character of Superman. Most people who know me realize that I'm a big fan of Superman. I've always felt like writers who call Superman a character so powerful he's boring are just not big enough themselves to write a character this potentially exciting and fun. Now, with a 70-year old character, Rucka begins to show us how fascinating Superman - now living as Kal-El among the Kryptonians - can really be in a way no one so far, except Grant Morrison in the excellent All Star Superman - has.

There are a great number of intriguing ideas being explored in this series, the best of which are the morality ideas. Pete Woods' art is clean and his storytelling style is clear and well suited to Greg Rucka's pacing in the plot department. We get a lot of information about the Kryptonian Guild system - a caste system at odds with the supposed advanced nature of this civilization. We get some insight into each of our characters, sometimes in unexpected ways. And we get a lot of story packed into each issue - all in all, completely worthy of DC's flagship character and franchise.

The very provocative problem of Kal-El being assigned to the Military Guild under General Zod, despite his personal code against killing of any kind begins to come front and center in this issue. After putting a stop to the "initiation" of Non into his unit (by stopping the teasing and torture of an animal), now placed under Kal's command, Superman establishes his leadership. Soon, Kal is ordered to put a stop to a stampede of Kryptonian Thought Beasts before they can destroy an atmosphere-generating station - "by any means necessary." All of his unit agree that the easiest way to stop the frightened, angry animals is simply to kill them, but Kal insists that his soldiers follow his lead and do some "ranching". This entails a little laser-eye ditch-digging, which one man remarks with distaste "is work for the Labor Guild." Kal takes it in stride, saying there's no shame in that. With the beasts finally contained, the unit grudgingly sees that perhaps killing off a herd of creatures who already close to extinction is not a good idea. A parallel is drawn between the Thought Beasts and the Kryptonians themselves (near extinction) - another provocative idea.

There are two moments in the story that were quite touching - one with Alura, and one with Supergirl. And there's plenty of Action here (get it?) - as the Labor Guild decides that, with a new beginning on this new world, they should stand as equals and peers to the other Guilds, and not be treated like second-class citizens any longer - the start of a revolution, or at least, an uprising. All readers should find something to love in this book, and it's particularly appropriate for 10 and ups - read it with your kids and talk about the situations presented!

I recommend this book for ALL readers except the very youngest!

Echo #11

Terry Moore's ASIP (After Strangers In Paradise) indie book is a mixed bag for me, so far. The first few issues were a little slow building. The concept interested me, and I trust Moore as a writer - and as always, his art is impeccable - so I stuck with it despite the slow start.

Briefly, Echo is the story of Julie, who went out into the desert with her camera one day, and saw something she wasn't supposed to see - an explosion, caused by an experimental weapons test. She took some pictures - again, not really supposed to - and got caught in the "fallout", which was like silvery drops of metallic rain. But what hit her didn't just roll off - it stuck to her and then coalesced around her shoulders and bust as a sort of half-shield. Scared and confused, and also grieving the breakup of her marriage, Julie is at a loss as to what to do. She doesn't realize it, but some government officials are looking for her - they want their silvery stuff back. What the government doesn't realize is that the silvery stuff contains the residual intelligence - an echo - of the woman who helped design it, and who was testing it at the time it went ballistic. That echo is trying to make contact with Julie, and later, with Dillon - the boyfriend of the echo's former self, Annie - who has met and is helping Julie avoid the authorities until they both get some answers about what happened.

The thing is, Julie doesn't know or understand what it is that has attached itself to her, and so she has no control over the things it does. Anyone with violent or ill intentions who touches her gets blown back violently, and ... well, let's just say that when the feds caught up with her last issue, it wasn't pretty. And if that weren't enough, another guy - a crazy looking "prophet" sort of dude - who has part of that silver stuff on him appears - and not in a good way. With last issue's frightening developments, I was curious as to how Moore would begin to pull some of the threads of his story together.

The story is definitely ramping up and getting better as more is revealed, and now I'm actively interested in the next issue. Still, the book is a short 18 pages per issue, and each issue ends so abruptly that I end up turning through every one of the following 4 pages of ads, not believing there's no more there. I'm sure it reads great as a collection, but man, it makes for some confusing reading issue by issue. I find myself going, "Wha hoppen'?" and "Is that it?"

That's a bone of contention that I think is rather minor, considering, though - if the worst thing you can say is that you wanted another couple of pages, well, that's a pretty good book! As I mentioned earlier, Moore's art has only improved over the years. His lovely, sensitive facial expressions, body language, and all the little details that really make the work live are right at home here, and you hardly notice that the book is black and white. His line work is the most elegant in all comics, I believe - young inkers, take note. And his stuff is not overworked or overdrawn at all - young pencillers, pay attention.

I recommend this book for older readers - 15 / 16 + - because of violence; adults will certainly enjoy the book on many levels.

Green Lantern #39

The Agent Orange story kicks off with a huge bang! I have to admit, I've been breathlessly waiting for this story to get underway - Green Lantern has been great since Geoff Johns has been writing it - best it's been since the long-gone days of the Hard Traveling Heroes.

The beginning of the story is just creepy and great - we open with some Darkstars-looking dudes called The Controllers, heading down into a cavern-like underground palace. Meanwhile, the "voiceover" is someone in an orange box saying "Mine Mine Mine" basically. Delicious! When the Controllers find Larfleeze (the Orange Lantern's ring-bearer)... they wish they hadn't. And all because nobody taught Larfleeze to share. It's really fun. In a really gruesome sort of way.

We then discover what has happened to Hal Jordan since he was taken over by the red ring - apparently the red rings don't ask permission, they simply take their chosen host and impose their power on him or her. Jordan, resisting, was aided by Saint Walker, who jammed a blue ring on his finger. It forced the red rage out of him, and he shed the red ring, but now he is stuck in a sort of blue-green limbo - the blue ring does not have any power other than flight and a sort of protective aura so the wearer can fly through space, unless a Green Lantern is nearby. Apparently, hope is useless without will.

Sounds like a soap opera: "Will Hope find the Will to live, the Hope to go on? Or will Will have to settle for hope if Hope can't find the will to live?" Heh. Anyhow, interestingly, the blue and green are not the only rings that form a symbiotic relationship - the blue rings supercharge the green, and the green enable the blues to be used as weapons. The indigo are also a part of this little trinity, as Hope evidently should be working with Compassion. Whew! Lots of emotion here! I can only imagine what the Star Sapphires (Love) will bring. And now with the orange (Greed/Avarice) in the picture, will it feed the Sinestro Corps? Doesn't Greed breed Fear (of loss), and vice versa?

And what has happened to Green Lantern Stell, since his encounter with Larfleeze? He's looked better.

The things I love: All the colors/emotions. The Controllers. Larfleeze. The artwork. The writing (dialogue is crisp and realistic, not stilted, story is compelling).

Things I hate: Jordan and the Guardians are all dumb. Jordan just rails and rants all the time any more - come on, Johns. "I have nothing to hope for." Really? For crying out loud, why not just hope that the blue ring will come off soon, or that you can get Carol Ferris alone someplace for a quickie?

I know this writer can do better than this in terms of character development. The Guardians continue to stubbornly refuse to believe all that's happening, despite the evidence right in front of them. Some Guardians, huh? With Guardians this stupid and stubborn, it's no wonder Earth is in such a mess. Why do they continually say that Jordan's will is strong enough to power the entire Green Lantern Corps, yet expect us to believe he cannot summon the will to take off that blue ring? Huh? Sigh. Things like this, as much as I love the overall story, make me a little crazy.
Still, this book is recommended - I think it's the best superhero book going, except for JSA. It's a bit violent (Larfleeze tears some people in half) so I don't recommend it for younger or more easily disturbed kids, but it is really good for older kids, perhaps 14 +. I like it and I'm way older than that.

Superman #685

The beautiful, sad, almost iconic cover of Superman #685 seems a little puzzling at first, but once you've read the entire issue, it'll make more sense - perfect sense, really.

The story kicks off the World Without Superman story as New Krypton gets underway. The story starts with a jolt as Mon-El lays dying in Superman's arms, in an eerie replica of the cover. This, I felt, lent gravitas to Mon-El's re-entry into the living world, and along with another, later development, gives the reader an emotional pull, which will hopefully sustain us as we now watch Mon-El assume Superman's duties while Superman deals with the Kryptonian issue.

Most of the issue deals with Superman wrestling with the news that Earth has passed a resolution banning all Kryptonians - except him. Knowing that Zod is among the Kryptonians, knowing that Alura is behaving like a facist-in-the-making, he believes he also knows what he must do, but he needs to talk it over with Lois and Martha Kent. Superman desperately wants to help his people, but is torn and filled with sorrow at the way he feels he must do so. Nevertheless, he makes the difficult decision, and the stage is set for New Krypton.

It was a great issue, story-wise. I didn't feel the artwork really stood up to this story, however - it was very ... plain. I mean, I am not a fan of super-busy, overworked pencils, but I do like some details. I do have to admit the facial expressions were very good, it's just that there wasn't really much else there, most of the time. The art on the backup feature was very good, however, more detailed, and just felt a little more complete.

New Krypton looks like it will provide nearly as much fun as first time we saw a World Without Superman - that was way back during the Death of Superman. The Reign of the Supermen was the most fun I'd had reading comics in years, and I can only hope to say the same of the New Krypton storyline once it's done! Let's hope so...

Finally - Down to Business!

I set this blog up awhile back, intending to review new and old books alike, and then promptly forgot about it. Rrrrr. But now that I remember it, I guess we should get started:

Wonder Woman #29

In an odd disconnect, this issue seems to have last month's cover (it features Wonder Woman fighting Genocide, who opened a large can of whoopass on the Amazon Princess last issue), while last month's featured Cheetah (who faces off with WW this issue). Weird.

Still, even though it's the mid-point of an 8-issue story arc, it's a good read despite the cover confusion. Apparently, Genocide leaves some sort of residual depression or rage, and Donna Troy flies off threatening to kill Diana if she sees her again - and Diana looks only a little worried. The plot is thickening around Genocide, her abduction of Etta Candy, the return of Steve Trevor, and the taking of Wonder Woman's lasso. Elsewhere, Zeus went medieval on Kane, the Polynesian god dude. That's bad, because I like Kane. But maybe it is finally getting to the point - it is called "Rise of the Olympian," no?

Gail Simone is so good at what she does, and nobody could illustrate that better than Aaron LoPresti, whose art is a delight to behold. The plot here is almost incidental to the revelations of character. As Donna flies off, Diana's expression is dazed, confused - but still regal. Her murmuring "Be strong. Be Amazon." as she contemplated Etta Candy being held by Genocide was so lovely, and so perfect in the wake of the poor fragile seeming creature whose very core seemed to have been shaken by Genocide. I want my Wonder Woman strong, heroic - Amazon. And it looks like Gail Simone is about to give her back to us this way - her defeat of Cheetah paves the way there.

The only thing I didn't care for so much was - as usual - the always-superfluous Tom Tressor. Sorry, he just doesn't do it for me - the pairing feels forced, like Worf and Troi on Star Trek The Next Generation. A little creepy like that. Here's hoping Tressor soon dies a valiant, heroic death. Sorry, Tressor fans.

The Origins and Omens story was, at first glance, the backup feature version of Tressor (superfluous), since Simone just recounted Diana's origin story in the last arc. But look again, Fellow Reader: Hippolyta fights a dread creature to get the clay to create her baby. And there's the payoff. That's the whole reason the Circle thought she was going to be this horrid demon baby and turn into a monstrous dragon - because of where that clay came from, and what it did for the creature guarding it. So it's worth looking at, after all!

Looking forward to the rest of this story - and that's a great way to feel after the very shaky start to this volume of WW's adventures.