This Black History Month hit a little different. There was a new spirit, and it’s hard to put a name to or to hold, but I could see it in the bright eyes of my skinfolk, in people’s determination to not just celebrate but spur on change. I know so many people in my community who do amazing work, and comics is certainly no exception. So, when I read this one, I knew I wanted it to be the next thing I covered. 

First, a caution: I am going to discuss domestic and intimate partner violence, so please read and peruse at your own safety and if you feel you can remain intact by the end, even if affected.

From there? Why don’t we get into The Fire Within by Shawn Pryor, George Kambadais, Justin Birch, Tee Franklin, and Justin Stewart.

The Fire Within is a short story about a young Black boy’s experience witnessing domestic violence, perpetrated by his mother’s husband. Starting from a stark reality that the happiness of marriage or a wedding does not mean monsters are gone, we see Andre abused by “Jim” through an act of terrorism in the home: turning out the lights… in the room of a boy scared of the dark. “Jim”’s actions, his violence toward Andre’s mom and eventually toward Andre himself, are rage and harm captured in a bottle, leaving Andre to wonder if there is an escape and what it looks like.

Andre’s mind is occupied as he considers what to do, how he can help, how anyone can help. And his solution? Starting a fire, something which is brave, bold, and incredibly developmentally appropriate. Andre’s plan leads to “Jim” attacking him, which prompts Andre’s mom to fight back, a story not uncommon when there is an abuser in the family. She protects Andre because he can’t do much to protect himself, and it prompts her to leave, sparking a journey of healing that Andre himself points out takes years, and maybe is still taking years.

This short story captures so much within its pages, and the art is laid out in a poignant, transformative way. The space between the doors as “Jim” threatens Andre’s mom, the shift from Andre as a child to an adult, all speak to the rifts and lingering pain when abusers dole out their harm on their families. There’s so much in this story because it speaks to turbulent experiences within and among Black families, and that’s exactly why I wanted to talk about it.

According to a 2011 report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention, 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) annually, with 90% of them being eyewitnesses to the abuse. Experiencing abuse, even witnessing it, is enough to create significant psychological issues for children, and, just like Andre, can create circumstances where the mind is occupied by the stressors of home, interfering with school, social interaction, and other important parts of life.

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in a state report spanning 2010-2012, point out that 45% of Black women have experience violent, sexual, or stalking IPV in their lifetimes. These statistics, coupled with systemic racism, misogyny, and misogynoir, as well as a justice and healthcare system that doesn’t listen to the needs of Black women, highlight dangerous circumstances for many women in our community, especially considering that Black men can be and are particularly dangerous to them.

I appreciate The Fire Within for prompting important discussions around IPV among Black families, because it’s easy to sweep that shit under the rug. From systemic barriers and intra-community factors involving interactions with police to cultural issues like the impact and role of secrecy in abuse (by no means unique to Black people, though the impact may be different than other marginalized communities), there are so many barriers to Black women getting protection or help from their abusers. And there is no way for us to have the vital conversations we need to around liberation without addressing these factors.

In all about love, bell hooks discusses how men seek to dominate because we live in a patriarchal, white supremacist, and classist world that denies men care and connection in pursuit of power. Or maybe that men deny themselves. Or both. All these things said, we come back to the reality that patriarchy among Black people is not new, and it has always been harmful. Cecily Johnson of the Domestic Violence Network points out how the systems around us create and compound conditions of abuse in Black families. There is a necessary re-education and eschewing of patriarchy that men have to pursue in order for us to understand how wide and deep this pain and abuse goes, and without that knowledge we willingly keep ourselves away from and out of the reality that we harm Black women every day, that abuse and harassment are more common than not, and that is it on us, not the people we harm, to change in order to reduce abuse.

This comic painfully highlights the impact of abuse on Black families, and through these brief pages we can begin to form an understanding of what many people live through, the harm Black men can dole out on Black women, and the lingering impact on our children. And, sad as it may be, we are not going to get anywhere without looking abuse in the face and doing something to protect people and/or limit the power and reach of abusers (here, I encourage you to think of this outside of carceral means like calling the police).

Further still, The Fire Within also brings us to the reality that Black men abusing Black women is but one piece of the IPV or domestic violence puzzle. 

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control also point out that 40% of Black men experience IPV across a range of modalities, indicating that as we navigate the gendered power dynamics negatively impacting Black women, abuse happens to, sadly, more of us than we realize. And the aforementioned systemic factors place different barriers in front of men that preclude us from seeking help, whether it be patriarchy and misogyny within ourselves, denying the pain, or in the system, which only sees women as victims (word used very specifically here). 

On top of that, IPV is prevalent among queer relationships, too. While it is not always easy to find information on the direct intersection of Blackness and queerness when it comes to IPV, a 2015 report from the Williams Institute points to 57% of bisexual women and 40% experiencing IPV over their lifetimes, and 37% of bisexual men and 25% of gay men experiencing IPV over theirs. These rates are startling, and they, too, originate from systemic factors of harm and erasure, allowing abuse to proliferate and abusers to sometimes have a cover that we don’t always see among cishet relationships and gendered power dynamics. All these statistics lead us back to the reality that IPV happens far more often than we think, and affects marginalized communities not just through abuse itself, but being rendered invisible by various systems.

The Fire Within prompted me to consider how all these stories and experiences weave together, and what we are able to do about them. It’s never as simple as leaving, considering that, according to the Battered Women’s Support Services, 77% of homicides connected to domestic violence happen around the abused partner leaving, and there is a 75% chance of violence increasing within two years of their leaving. So, there has to be something else, other resources we can offer (we will come back to this).

And, coming back to the reason I wanted to write this at all, these are experiences that abusers create for Black women, Black kids, Black queer and trans people, and Black men. This comic is a discussion of the challenges people face in getting out, and consider that Andre and his mom have a happier ending than many other people. Abuse within the Black community in particular is tied to the same systemic factors that limit our economic, educational, and vocational growth, but we cannot solely blame the system without addressing how Black men benefit from patriarchy and are able to dole out violence, or how Black abusers can use racist systems to dismiss or deny their behavior.

Comics as a medium provide so many opportunities to learn and see. And, though there is a separation for the reader from abuse, unless abusers are active in their lives, there is something we can take from The Fire Within. Leaving isn’t easy, and sometimes what we can or have to do is start a literal fire to make things change. The wealth of factors around abuse for any community are enough of a hurdle, and for Black folx fighting abuse may mean coming into contact with a violent police system, so solutions are not so easy and are often hard fought and hard won.

But, until we reach a world where abuse no longer exists and people are no longer harmed, we should find what we can do to support people experiencing abuse in our lives. Things that do NOT involve just telling them to leave or, worse yet, that there’s something they’re doing to deserve the abuse (no one, truly, ever deserves abuse).

Things like what the creators of The Fire Within offer at the end of the comic. From Shawn himself:

The Fire Within is told from Andre’s perspective because there are children and youth in our world who are exposed to acts of domestic violence daily. These acts can leave a child or youth mentally, socially, and emotionally damaged. According to an article on parents.com, an estimated 3.3 to 10 million American children witness domestic violence in their home, and the effects of it can be devastating. If you need help, there are resources available to you on the following page. Just know that you are not alone. -Shawn

Those resources?

Battered Women’s Justice Project

Child Welfare League of America

Futures Without Violence

INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence

National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network

If you are being abused or harmed in your relationships or family life, I hope you can find a safe way out. I hope you can be and remain or even become intact if you need to. I hope you can find community, find help, and find resources to safely leave, to develop a plan, and to live a life no longer marred by harm from others. You deserve at least that much, to be loved and cared for. And I wish this more than anything for my skinfolk and kinfolk, because racism is a helluva thing, and your abusers shouldn’t be adding to the stress, let alone hiding behind it.

For what it’s worth, you aren’t alone, and my fondest wish is that you are able to find and thrive in community that loves you without an ounce of harm.

Take Care.

The post Health and Inclusivity: Sparking “The Fire Within” with Pryor, Kambadais, Birch, Franklin and Stewart first appeared on Comicosity.

I Think Our Son is Gay  by Okura, who is gay himself, follows Tomoko Aoyama, mother to Hiroki and Yuri and wife to Akiyoshi. She watches her older son, Hiroki, with curiosity, pointing out his reaction to handsome men, his ‘best friend’ Daigo, and his platonic reaction to childhood friend Asumi Ogawa. The manga is basically slice of life, with Tomoko navigating her own thoughts about Hiroki and the ‘possibility’ of him being gay. From affirmation to challenges, she ponders what life is like for him, with the core idea that there’s a reason he cannot be as open as maybe he’d like to be. Her perspective and observations allow her to grow and change, learning to be an advocate for Hiroki in the ways she can. These are the reasons I wanted to tap into the magic that is the manga, because it’s a great roadmap for how to approach the queer and trans younglings in our lives.

Life is hard. Like, that’s a statement in and of itself. And, in 2023, globally it is still tenuous to be queer. The UK and US have been notorious for ramping up what was already a violent treatment of trans people, and as queer and trans people gain freedoms in some places, they are withdrawn in many others. That many, or any of us, are able to grasp joy among how the world interacts with us is remarkable, though never forget that resilience does not arise as a result of marginalization, rather than occurring alongside it out of necessity and survival. Thus, it is paramount that we not just make a better world, though, sadly that sounds trite, we have to do things to ensure our queer and trans youth have queer and trans futures. Things like what Tomoko does in I Think Our Son is Gay.

From the beginning and her initial questions, Tomoko revisits the past and watches the nuances of Hiroki’s behavior to figure out if he’s gay or not. From a distance, she sees how he responds to men and women, who excites him and who he doesn’t think sees him. She considers who he was as a younger child, and also the world around them in trying to understand who he is and offer the safety he needs. Because another thing is clear to her: there are reasons why Hiroki may not want to share that he’s gay with anyone, even her.

I Think Our Son is Gay is wonderful and heartwarming, but the title and premise have a heartbreaking foundation. In a world where queerness and transness is not marginalized, there’s not a need to come out or reveal, because there’d be no framework for the closet. Given that queerphobia and transphobia can and do create harmful realities, it makes the closet necessary. Non-disclosure can mean survival in many places, and as such should be supported in ways that help meet people’s material needs. With Hiroki, Tomoko slowly sees reasons why he may not talk about being gay, while also giving him some room to just be himself regardless of sexual orientation. She becomes more aware of the barriers he may likely face, and her fondest wish becomes just like many queer and trans people’s: that Hiroki can just be.

However, from coworkers to Akiyoshi, her husband and Hiroki’s father, Tomoko can hear things that make it more than rational to stay in the closet, to not talk about being gay. Heartbreak and marginalization are real and painful consequences in a queerphobic and transphobic world, and she can sense Hiroki’s hesitation at engaging with either. These events, though, elicit something powerful in Tomoko and that makes me admire her. 

She becomes a more staunch advocate of her son.

Rather than out Hiroki or ask him point blank, she gives him space to be himself. She grows to challenge Akiyoshi more without alerting anything to Hiroki’s feelings. She talks with her coworkers about being respectful of a gay colleague, and even finds a respectful way to talk with him about Hiroki. She does so many awesome things that I would recommend to any parent, and she does it all through honoring Hiroki’s autonomy and challenging her own misconceptions.

There are so many ways parents harm their queer and trans kids. One of my least favorite is a twisting of the grief that can come with finding out your kids are queer or trans. While, yes, it is an adjustment to learn something new and figure out how to support your child, parents’ own feelings should not be at the center of their kids coming out. But they often are. And that’s one of the better scenarios.

Many parents are still kicking their kids out or cutting them off from resources. Sending them to conversion camps, vile as they are, and encouraging them to stay quiet to protect peace for the family or god knows what else. These things are all harmful, and they create some of the most poignant and painful barriers to becoming that queer and trans people experience. What makes me sad is I’ve never met a queer or trans person who didn’t have one of these stories.

But I have hope that future generations can experience something brighter.

Giving queer and trans youth tools for uncovering who they are is vital, and it has to happen at their pace. Again, given how queerphobia and transphobia have made coming out an unfortunate part of many experiences, kids and adolescents need tools and support to navigate on their own, but also safe adults to talk to and guide them to safe resources. This means backing off, watching what you say, defending queer and trans people in front of them, and removing harmful people from their lives.

While Tomoko doesn’t have to do anything drastic, she does have to challenge her husband more than she maybe expected. Akiyoshi is loving and devoted, and does his best to make up for being away with work. Both Hiroki and Yuri have a positive relationship with him, and all the same Akiyoshi reveals casual queerphobia that has an obvious impact on Hiroki. The first time it happens in the manga, Tomoko isn’t quite sure what to do. But later on she develops helpful strategies for countering Akiyoshi and providing some solace for Hiroki.

I appreciate this manga because it is a helpful guide for approaching the queer and trans kids in our lives. Hell, it’s great for cishet kids too because they can see what their queer and trans peers may likely experience in school, at home, or in life in general. This manga also shows us how to be there for the people in our lives by responding to their needs without projecting our own.

It warms my heart, sometimes to the point of tears, to see Tomoko react in a way I wish my mom had, that any of my parents had. There was no one in my corner to help me, let alone defend me, and I still carry that hurt with me. Sadly, in comparison, these wounds are the ones that are the least painful.

When we react poorly, with anger or sadness or dismissal, when queer and trans kids tell us about who they are, we reveal that we are unsafe. In fact, again looking at what it means to have to come out (on a repeated basis at that), it is an act of trust for someone to tell us they are queer or trans. We have to respond quickly and with care, lest we create wounds that may take time to fade, if they do at all. Feel free to ask me how I know.

One of the things I treasure is the possibility that we can give people what they need to find out who they are on their terms. With queer and trans youth, there are so few opportunities for this that it’s vital we create spaces and tools for them to navigate the world. The internet can be really helpful, but it is not perfect, as there has been a noted presence of queer and trans kids shaped by the puritanical and hateful environments they may find themselves in, adopting queerphobic and transphobic ideals because they don’t have room or space or freedom to encounter healthy and safe adults that can show them the joys of queerness and transness, including appropriate knowledge and resources around sexual health, consent, and boundaries.

I Think Our Son is Gay is a delightful read, though it can hit on some sore spots for me, and I imagine other queer and trans folx. It’s a lighthearted roadmap to helping queer and trans kids have futures where they get to live, at least as best as we can do so right now. And likely due to Okura’s own experiences, it holds nuances that reveal what the coming out journey can be like for those outside of our queer or trans identities, giving some insight into how to help someone without introducing pain into their path.

Just like Tomoko, my fondest wish is that queer and trans people get to be, and that all of our intersections are honored and supported. Until then, I’m glad we have manga like I Think Our Son is Gay because they give us a glimpse into a happier queer or trans life, into better ways to show up for the queer and trans kids in our lives, into a much more hopeful and bright future than so many of us are offered.

It won’t be super easy to hide the title, but if you can sneak this into the life of a queer or trans kid, safely I might add, I highly encourage you to do so. Show them there’s something, someone, who can look out for them, whether in life or on the page. Help give them hope that it can, or will, happen, even if we know that it does not for everyone.

Just like Tomoko, do what you can to give someone the room to ogle gymnasts and have crushes on their best friend. And if you have to ask the question? Keep it to yourself, giving others the room to discover who they are on their terms. Just like Tomoko.

The post Health and Inclusivity: Considering Identity in Okura’s ‘I Think Our Son is Gay’ first appeared on Comicosity.

Some comics are the kind of art which asks the reader to literally, for a moment, question reality and they are useful tools for self-discovery.

Some comics have pushed me to deeply confront issues about where I form my own boundaries as to what I think reality is, how I discuss it, and where my comfort level is at with the world that I live in. This isn’t anything mystical, but my journey with some comics has forced me to take a deep-dive into my own heart and figure things out about my values. And, hey, isn’t that something we can all agree good art should make us do?

The Department of Truth is a 2021 comic series written by James Tynion IV, with art created by Martin Simmonds, letters by Aditya Bidikar, designs by Dylan Todd, and it was edited together by Steve Foxe. The premise of the series is simple. Quantico teacher Cole Turner spends his time monitoring extremist, right-wing groups on the internet between his teaching sessions and has a fascination with where and how people become enmeshed in indoctrinating conspiracies. In short order, Cole finds himself drawn into a new job with the titular Department of Truth after they poach him from the FBI. His new job involves the revelation that, if left unchecked, certain conspiracies that gain enough attention become tangibly real and retroactive to history. In other words, the right conspiracy about the Earth being flat could very well make that the physical, tangible Truth of reality. Cole is brought in to support Agent Ruby, his new partner, and their boss. I won’t spoil who the boss is because it’s great.

Early on in the story, when Cole is being quizzed about his previous job and his interest in right-wing internet culture, he makes this statement concerning the kinds of people who perpetuate certain image-board memes. He says:

This seems like a throw-away line perhaps, but I’ll admit that it has stuck with me. Tynion is asking readers who may not explicitly be “political” to have to glare into an unseemly facet on the jewel that I believe “American” mythology is. If myths are the stories society tells over and over again to generate a stable view of our surrounding, our systems, and our understanding(s) of what our fellow men and women care about, it is undeniably a part of out mythology that America is a completely balanced political environment where true justice and equality is just one election away if we all just push really hard, one last time.  America, like any artistic labor, was crafted by flawed hands in times more flawed that our present and, thus, these smiths created the “art” that is America on an imperfect canvas, just as all nations are made. We strive to paint over the flaws in the canvas, yet these flaws remain visible through the decades of work generations have put into reviving and re-defining our country past its foundations. The struggle towards better tomorrows is always laborious and is seemingly built on the hard work of those who labor under the harshest injustice. I, personally, have issues with the quote “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” because not all actors and agents in this universe, certainly not this country, are moral. What about the arc of those serving the immoral universe, those active agents of decline and decay who want any progress halted or undone? Dear Reader, I feel that, as a philosophical document, The Department of Truth is a piece that dares us to try, on some level, to agree with Cole about the notion that there may be two tiers of actors serving the immoral universe, those who are brought into it and kept within it through deception and those who perpetuate the deception for their own ends. I think Tynion and The Department of Truth makes an effort at forcing readers to at least try and establish a boundary line where it comes to political discourse so they can address what their “truth” even is. Do you agree with Cole? Disagree?

The Department of Truth comic is a sprawling, deep-dive into a huge host of issues, but perhaps the one which is the most difficult and the most vital to our discourse is a plot early into the series, one that takes place in issue number three. Without spoiling too much, the nature of one of the early cases that Cole and Ruby have to handle is how disinformation concerning a school-shooting, disinformation spread by a character whose physical appearance and actions mirror and satirize an all-too-real monster, impact a mother. It is haunting and it made me furious as I read it. It made, in my opinion, a clear case for how I think Tynion wants readers of The Department of Truth to literally see America, it’s mythos, and our own role in it, be it as a complacent bystander, or as an agent of either the moral or immoral arc of the universe. I have made no secret about my passion for Captain America. He is a character I have loved because he represents what America should be, not what it is. He is a positive thought-form, something to believe in. I dare say he is a manifestation, in the best sense, of that arc of the moral universe. Unfortunately, the tangible, real world I live in is filled with the kinds of people who intentionally spread lies about school shootings, it is filled with people who became rich off peddling fabrications, lies, and abuse. Tynion’s work demands we open our eyes and look around, unblinking, at what surrounds us.

How do I deal with … all this? How do I confront the idea that America, as I know and love it, has been as bad in the past as it could be good in the future? How do I weigh the accumulated, real-world cruelties of the present and past against the tangible “maybes” and “possibilities” of tomorrow?

For myself, I read comics. They’re perhaps imperfect messengers at times, but they’re complex, they’re composite pieces of so many skills and passions. The Department of Truth forces me, whenever I read it, like I have recently when I went back to prep for this article, to address evil, to address that there are people in the grip of intangible lies. This comic is a fictionalized example of people coming together to, yes, create a fantasy where anything can happen and many social ills are the fault of shadowy evil post-Cold War villains, but it is showing people fighting a good fight. Tynion and Simmonds could have made any story. They could have made any fantasy. Instead, they opened a huge can of worms for themselves and decided to show a few good people struggling in the aftermath of conspiracy theories that get people killed, preserve dangerous ideas, and drag our spirits down with every news-cycle and they try and stop it. They created a narrative that, as dark as it seems, has hope in its pages.

Tynion and Simmonds are telling people that we need to address the ills in our society without giving us easy answers. Like I said earlier, this is a comic that made me question my reality and to stop, really reflect, and consider why and how disinformation exists, who spreads it, and what I can do about it. The Department of Truth is fictional, but its topics are real, the weight of the feelings I had after the third issue are still real inside me right now. This comic made me inquire more about the world around me because it made me disgusted with some perspectives I tended to, like many, look away from if I stared at them for too long. Art is a mirror that should illuminate the world around us, but it is our job to do our part to clean up whatever evils are revealed. All art is not always perfect, as people who make art are not perfect, but art can guide us to clarity. It can help us re-center our focus and get us thinking about what is important, why we love who we love, and what we can do to make the world around us better. Look, I get it: this is a lot of praise for a comic where a man with a pentagram on his face eats a baby in issue two, but I hope some of what I have shared about it makes sense.

The post Truth-Telling: Tynion and Simmonds’ THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH as Art first appeared on Comicosity.

Many writers came and went over the years, but one madman whose passion for comics has never been deterred just kept cranking out that Hot Five, week after week, for damn near 5 years and I’m proud to say that madman is now going to be driving the direction of this ship. John Ernenputsch is the new Senior Editor of Comicosity, ushering in the next vision of content as this beast continues to evolve, mutate and grow.

In the time of the old magics, when Twitter was less of a dumpster fire, a whole bunch of comics nerds could find each other and start writing like mad about this unique storytelling medium we all love. I’m damn lucky for whatever path (that I no longer remember) had me crash into my good friend John, and just read what he has to say below – you’ll be damn happy with where Comicosity is heading.

– Aaron

It’s been a few years, but I’m excited to announce that Comicosity is back! My name is John Ernenputsch, and I am the new Senior Editor for the site. You may recognize my name from the Hot Five column that was a weekly staple here for years. I have actually been involved with Comicosity for around a decade, and when we went on hiatus I was one of the site’s longest tenured contributors.

Having been around the site for as long as I have I feel as I have learned as to what makes Comicosity special, and I want to carry that into this new era that we are about to embark on. First and foremost we are going to be a beacon of light in an arena that is oftentimes way too dark. In a world where hating on comics seems to drive clicks, we are going to be all about our love of comics here at Comicosity. There are plenty of places on the internet where you can find out why people dislike what they’ve read, so you won’t find any of that here. Instead, you are going to see positivity expressed in any number of ways. That doesn’t mean the topics you’ll read here won’t be tough, and that we won’t be critical. We are going to continue to fight for the smaller voices throughout the entire spectrum of the comics community. If a publisher, creator, or even different groups of fans mess up then we are going to talk about it, even if it’s a difficult topic. That discussion may be borne out of anger, but isn’t going to be rooted in malice or hatred.

Another pillar of Comicosity has been our focus on representation throughout comics. Whether it be within the pages of the issues themselves, behind the scenes with creative teams, or within Comicosity itself, we have always prided ourselves on advocating for voices that might not be usually heard. I personally feel that we are needed more than ever. LGBTQ+ rights are under attack throughout the United States of America, and the library has become a frontline in these battles. We are going to continue to keep a spotlight on LGBTQ+ comics like we have for years. In fact, one of the very first things I will be doing as Senior Editor is to republish the collection of titles we put together as a resource several years back. The goal will be to continually add what we’ve missed over the past few years to the list, and to keep it updated afterwards.

While our mission statement and ideals are staying the same there are plenty of other changes you will notice. The biggest change is that former Senior Editor Matt Santori has passed the torch to me. In many ways Matt was the face of Comicosity, and much of the identity that I’ve discussed here already came from him. He will always have a place here on the site, and I’m thankful that he’s always just a text away for advice.

Another big change is that we are going to be slowing things down for the foreseeable future. We are still putting together our group of contributors, and it might take a minute to get back to the level we were once at, not just numerically, but also when it comes to representation. It’s always something that we are going to be striving to improve, even when we get to the point we want to be at.

Another aspect of this slower pace admittedly has to do with one of the reasons that we went on hiatus for in the first place. Part of what led to some of the burnout we all experienced was the grind that comes with running a full fledged comic book site. The perpetual weekly cycle of news, previews, reviews is a lot for such a small staff who are volunteering their time. We are taking ourselves out of that grind, and are instead going to focus on providing content that you can’t get on every other comic book website on the internet. This means reviews may take on different forms. Instead of individual blind reviews of a bunch of different issues in a given week, you might see different contributors write about several issues they liked that week. You might see some of us write about the joys of an ongoing run, or recently concluded arc. There are plenty of other ways, but I think you get the idea.

That was a perfect segue way into talking about the content we will be producing. Several of your favorite Comicosity columns from over the years will be back. For example, both Allen Thomas’ Health & Inclusivity , and Michael Hale’s The Comics Classroom will be back very soon. I’ve also spoken to Emma Houxbois about her sensational Transmyscira column, and she knows that the door will be open for when the inspiration strikes. With the ongoing columns we are looking for quality over quantity, so you might only see some of them monthly, or irregularly rather than weekly, but they’ll be worth the wait.

The main thrust for new material is going to be our love of comic books and community. You’ll see pieces that talk about why we love a certain comic, character(s), and creators. We are going to invite guests and friends to do the same about something they love. You’ll also see more team ups among contributors who might do a column where they read and discuss a specific series. The old #ComicLove hashtag will be thrown around a bit, because that’s the force driving the Comicosity engine. I know that my first article is going to be about why One Piece is so great, and how the pandemic led me to discovering one of my favorite comics ever.

That’s right, I said my first article is going to be about One Piece. From the beginning, we here at Comicosity only covered the North American comic book scene, but we’ve come to realize that we were ignoring some of the biggest comics from around the world. To put it bluntly, we are going to be covering manga for the first time ever. I’m very excited about this development, and every contributor I’ve talked to is as well. I think opening up an entire giant comic market up to being discussed will reinvigorate our writers, and allow them to really explore the topics they cover by bringing in countless stories to be able to draw inspiration from. Of course we will still be writing about the western comics most of you know and love, but I hope you embrace our new global approach. If you don’t read manga, hopefully you’ll enjoy our coverage and learn enough to embrace it. We will also be making sure to educate on manga to make sure it’s as easy to get into as possible. We’ll be covering the different target demographics, the classics in each of them, some of the past and present creators you should know, series to read if you like specific western comics, and of course the best new releases.

I’ll stop here before this gets too long winded. I hope my excitement for the future of Comicosity was apparent here, and I hope that same excitement continues to shine through with the content we will be bringing you from here on out.

John Ernenputsch
Comicosity Senior Editor
john.ernenputsch@comicosity.com

The post Letter from the Senior Editor: John Ernenputsch first appeared on Comicosity.

This character is very difficult to talk about. The handling of their gender identity is practically on the same level of wrongness as Shvaughn Erin’s was in Legion of Super-Heroes. I want to identify her as a transgender woman, despite the narrative linking her gender identity with mental illness. On one hand, I can understand why DC Comics hasn’t talked about her in nearly 20 years. On the other hand, someone needs to talk about her and how DC completely screwed up.

I will be looking at the brief, unfortunate history of Erika Storn, one of DC’s handful of trans superheroines and how she’s languished in comic limbo after an undignified death.

Before I talk about Erika Storn, I need to first talk about the super team Infinity Inc.

Art by Jerry Ordway

Infinity Incorporated originated on Earth-Two as the children of the Justice Society of America. They were to the JSA what the Teen Titans on Earth-One were to the Justice League of America. This is especially fitting, as the individual members of Infinity Inc. went on to be tortured, turned evil, or brutally murdered years before it became such an editorially mandated and unfunny running gag for the Titans.

The original line-up for Infinity Inc. included Jennie Hayden and Todd Rice (Jade and Obsidian, the children of the Golden Age Green Lantern and his enemy the Thorn), Lyta Trevor (Fury, the daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor), Sylvester Pemberton (the first Star-Spangled Kid, who later became Skyman), Al Rothstein (Nuklon, godson of the Golden Age Atom), Hector Hall (Silver Scarab, the son of Hawkman and Hawkgirl), Henry King Jr. (Brainwave Jr., the heroic son of the villain Brainwave), and Norda (Northwind, the ward of Hawkman and Hawkgirl).

Later additions to the team included Helena Wayne (Huntress, daughter of Batman and Catwoman), Kara Zor-L/Karen Starr (Power Girl, Superman’s cousin), Rick Tyler (Hourman II, son of the original), Beth Chapel (Doctor Mid-Nite II, unrelated to the original doctor), Yolanda Montez (Wildcat II, goddaughter of the original), and Mr. Bones (reformed villain from the group Helix).

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinity Inc. and the Justice Society were folded into a new universe and timeline where they lived together with the Justice League. Two members suffered from a heavy amount of retconning to make them fit into the fabric of the Post-Crisis DCU, while another was outright erased.

Huntress discovered she didn’t exist in this new universe because its Batman and Catwoman were young, unmarried, and had no children. She was abruptly killed off at the end of the Crisis, replaced sometime later by Helena Bertinelli as the new Huntress.

Power Girl spent years trying to figure out where she came from until her Earth-Two origin was fully reestablished.

Poor Fury had her backstory retroactively altered so she was now the daughter of the brand new “original” Fury, a Greek heroine who originated during World War II. To say she was put through the wringer when Neil Gaiman used her in The Sandman would be an understatement.

Art by Tom Grindberg

By the end of the series her husband (Silver Scarab) was gone, she’d been manipulated by Dream of the Endless to become an avatar for the Kindly Ones so they would kill him, and her son Daniel was taken from her and turned into a new aspect of Dream.

Most if not all the Infinitors went on to suffer greatly following the dismal ending of their series. Some were killed off for shock value, others were turned evil. The concept of Infinity Inc. remained irrelevant for most of the 90s and the early 2000s. By Infinite Crisis, Lyta, Hector, Beth, Yolanda, Sylvester, and Jennie were all dead.

Following Infinite Crisis, DC released the maxiseries 52. It ran weekly for a year to reveal what happened during the One Year Gap between the end of Infinite Crisis and DC’s “One Year Later” rebranding. One of its several subplots featured Lex Luthor starting “The Everyman Project,” an initiative where people could pay to have their metagene unlocked and become superheroes.

Art by Shawn Moll

Luthor created his own team of in-house superheroes to act as the spokespeople for the Everyman Project. Initially, Luthor’s heroes were largely uninspired in design. They had no real codenames and nothing to distinguish themselves except their individual powers. Luthor decided to steal-I MEAN, acquire a preexisting team concept, and molded it to fit his means. Which is how Infinity Inc. became the face for the Everyman Project.

Art by J.G. Jones

Sylvester Pemberton previously owned the trademarks. Following his death, the rights passed on to his cousin Jacqueline (the C-List convention hero called Gimmix). Unbeknownst to the world, Gimmix was killed during Seven Soldiers. Because of her disappearance, the Pemberton estate and Infinity Inc. were up for grabs. Why the estate hadn’t passed on to Sylvester’s other relative, Merry Pemberton (Merry the Girl of 1000 Gimmicks) or why Sylvester didn’t make his former sidekick and friend Pat Duggan (Stripesy, a.k.a. S.T.R.I.P.E.) his beneficiary isn’t exactly clear.

Luthor’s new Infinity Inc. had no connection with the original besides several repurposed codenames and powers. The line-up started with:

• Jacob Colby as Skyman (strength and flight)
• Gerome McKenna as Nuklon (strength)
• Erik Storn as Fury (clawed hands)
• Natasha Irons as Starlight (light blasts, flight, strength)
• Hannibal Bates as Everyman (shapeshifter)
• Eliza Harmon as Trajectory (superspeed)

Natasha Irons was the only member of the team with any hero credibility. Known as the second Steel and niece to the original (John Henry Irons), Natasha joined the Everyman Project thanks to a falling out with her uncle John.

During Infinity Inc.’s debut against a new version of Blockbuster (controlled by Luthor of course), Luthor covertly had Trajectory killed off in battle for promotion (and petty revenge for her disrespect towards him). Two later additions to the team were:

• Sierra, a redheaded woman calling herself Matrix (flight, invisibility, strength)
• Nicki Jones, the new Jade (plant abilities, green energy blasts)

(As a sidenote, Matrix’s design as a redheaded woman with flight, super strength, invisibility, an obnoxious personality, and connection to Lex Luthor, seemed to be a subtle jab by Keith Giffen against the Mae Kent version of Supergirl. Giffen’s historically known for his hatred of every non-Kara Zor-El version of Supergirl, which was especially apparent in Reign In Hell and Convergence: Supergirl – Matrix, both written by Giffen).

While Infinity Inc. was initially beloved by the public as media darlings, they and the so-called heroes of the Everyman Project were hated by the cape community. Luthor’s superheroes were incompetent, amoral grandstanders who were more likely to get themselves killed due to their inexperience. Eliza Harmon’s death was half Luthor’s manipulation and half her desperation to prove herself to the Teen Titans as a potential Kid Flash. Lexcorp spent a lot of money keeping the public unaware of the huge number of arrests and lawsuits made against its empowered customers for their recklessness.

The Justice Society and the surviving Infinitors loathed the bastardized Infinity Inc.. Obsidian outright attacked them during the Thanksgiving Day parade when the new Jade debuted (with it barely being a year since his sister – the original Jade – had been dead). While his father Green Lantern talked Obsidian down before anyone was really hurt, the Golden Age hero made his contempt against the new Infinity Inc. known.

For their part, most of Infinity Inc. were self-obsessed and apathetic towards the likes of the JSA and other legacy heroes. They heavily disliked “blood brats” such as Zachary Zatara, who either inherited superpowers or identities and supposedly didn’t have to work for them. Gerome McKenna, the new Nuklon, openly bragged about how his generation of heroes wouldn’t make the mistakes of the old. McKenna announced he’d be the one to lead these new heroes on the frontline when the next crisis shook the world. They thought they had nothing to learn from the older generations.

It was clear most of Luthor’s Infinity Inc. was supposed to be disliked by the readers. Natasha Irons was meant to be the most sympathetic as she gradually realized her uncle was right to be distrustful of Lex Luthor. Jacob Colby and later Nicki Jones were the only other members shown to have any semblance of a conscience. Natasha and Jacob were dating, and Jacob took Natasha’s concerns seriously. Nicki Jones was genuinely shaken by her encounter with Obsidian and Green Lantern and began to feel uncomfortable using Jade’s name.

Meanwhile, Gerome McKenna, Erik Storn, and Sierra were just assholes. Hannibal Bates was genuinely evil. Bates’ shapeshifting powers relied on consuming pieces of the animals he turned into. As a reference to his first name, Bates took up cannibalism and murdered Jacob Colby, keeping his body hidden and feeding off it so he could mimic Colby’s appearance. Natasha had no idea Bates murdered Jacob until he’d been impersonating her boyfriend for several weeks.

At the very least, none of the team (save perhaps Bates), were truly aware of Lex Luthor’s scheming. On New Year’s Eve, Luthor deliberately shut off the powers of everyone in the Everyman Project (except for Infinity Inc.) and watched them plummet to their deaths in Metropolis. This was part of a convoluted attempt to draw Superman (who’d spent the year depowered) out of hiding. Luthor would later try to give himself superpowers but was taken down by the combined might of Steel and the Teen Titans. Strangely, the Justice Society was nowhere to be found despite Luthor stealing the names of their children.

Natasha later went back to calling herself Steel, while Bates was jailed after Luthor’s crimes were exposed. The remnants of Infinity Inc (Gerome, Nicki, Sierra, and Erik) later showed up when Black Adam went on a rampage. The Justice Society reminded Gerome of his previous boasting, but the phony Infinitors were too scared of Black Adam and ran. Although Nicki Jones grew a spine and went back to actively help the hero community stop Black Adam, her teammates did nothing.

Rather disturbingly, the new Infinity Inc. seemed to be an unintentional prediction of the sort of corporately mandated and executed “legacy characters” that would start becoming prominent in the 2010s and 2020s. Bland, interchangeable, inoffensive, and supposedly different enough to not alienate people, while also being willfully ignorant of past generations and with no actual connection to the names they’ve taken on. And it’s telling the creators of 52 made it abundantly clear Luthor’s Infinity Inc. was not supposed to be liked.

Following the end of 52, Infinity Inc. received its own ongoing series… which was cancelled after 12 issues. Written by Peter Milligan and featuring art from Max Fiumara, Travel Foreman, Matt Camp, and Pete Woods, Infinity Inc. focused on the surviving members of Luthor’s team. Well, most of them. The series featured Natasha, Gerome, and Erik, but Nicki Jones and Sierra were mysteriously absent and never mentioned.

Milligan’s Infinity Inc. could be interpreted as a poorly executed stealth sequel to his X-Statix work with Mike Allred. If X-Statix focused on fame hungry superheroes and their ongoing pursuit to stay famous, Infinity Inc. focused on what happened after they lost their fame – with all the ensuing mental anguish and trauma you could imagine.

Art by Max Fiumara

Natasha, Gerome, and Erik were all shown suffering thanks to their time in Infinity Inc. None of them had their Everyman powers, but the mental scarring from their ordeal resulted in the manifestation of new powers. Natasha was able to take on a gaseous form (with absolutely no mention to her using the Steel name again), Gerome could create an identical duplicate with a will of its own, and Erik…

Erik became Erika.

Art by Max Fiumara

As Fury in 52, Erik Storn was angry and resentful. In Infinity Inc., Erik was a troubled individual with a distinct stutter and issues concerning feminine clothing. Erik had some altercation with his mother after Erik was found wearing her dresses, which made it difficult for him to stay at home.

Natasha, Gerome, and Erik unintentionally reformed Infinity Inc. to deal with Dale Smith, another victim of the Everyman Project now calling himself “Kid Empty.” Dale was an “id vampire” draining mental energy from people but was especially fond of draining other Everyman subjects. While fighting with Dale’s ally/girlfriend/lackey Kitty, Erik’s body physically shifted until his masculine traits became feminine. In Erik’s place was Erika, who was brash, headstrong, and completely confident in herself and her abilities. Erika was everything Erik was not.

When Infinity Inc. officially reformed with new names and costumes, Erika took on the name “Amazing Woman.”

Art by Pete Woods

The newly minted Infinity Inc. lasted barely four issues when Gerome was killed, and Natasha, Erika, and newbie Lucia were abducted by the Dark Side Club. The captured Infinitors resurfaced in the Terror Titans miniseries by Sean McKeever and Joe Bennett (who worked on the Infinity Inc. subplot in 52). Natasha, Erika, and Lucia were brainwashed by Clock King and made part of his “Martyr Militia,” until they were freed thanks to Miss Martian of the Teen Titans.

As another sidenote, Sean McKeever revealed on Twitter that he never planned to have Infinity Inc. tie in with Terror Titans. McKeever only found out when the final issue of Infinity Inc. announced the story would continue in the Terror Titans miniseries. Which meant Erika immediately became an editorial footnote before the last issue was barely released.

Erika’s last and final appearance was during the “New Krypton” era of the various Superman titles. Jimmy Olsen discovered Erika had been tortured and left for dead by Codename: Assassin. Erika and Natasha had been doing undercover work to help expose Project 7734, a government conspiracy led by General Sam Lane.

The handling of Erika Storn’s gender identity was, without hyperbole, a complete, goddamn mess in every sense of the word. From the Infinity Inc. series by Peter Milligan to Erika’s death in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen by James Robinson, it’s clear no one stopped to ask themselves if this might be a bad idea. Editing was so lax no one bothered to remember if Erika’s last name was “Storn” or “Strom.”

Milligan portrayed Erika’s body biologically shifting as some sort of split personality type of occurrence. “Erik” and “Erika” were treated as two different people. “Erik” was frequently mocked by Gerome McKenna while “Erika” was objectified. McKenna taunted “Erik” by asking “him” to bring Erika back out. There were comments about how mentally screwed up “Erik” was. It reached a point that “Erik” jumped out a window and tried to commit suicide in the beginning of the sixth issue, only to shift to Erika and get back inside the building.

Any implication of transgenderism was seen as a byproduct of the Everyman Project and “Erik” was considered insane. The clawed Fury form was interpreted as a subconscious desire to commit self-castration. There was never any attempt to legitimately discuss Erika’s gender dysphoria, or even daring to approach the subject of the character being gender fluid. I can’t help but think about the situation involving Glenn and Glenda from the Child’s Playfranchise, who were also a gender fluid character suffering from different personalities.

What’s especially frustrating about the case of Erika Storn is how the Fury codename is historically linked with the Wonder Woman mythos. Here we have a character you could argue as being a transgender woman, with connections to an aspect of Wonder Woman’s history, and it’s this cauldron of screwed up transphobic writing. Hell, half of this article isn’t even really about Erika.

Surprisingly, against all odds, there’s been a subtle attempt to try and rectify the Fury situation in a different format. The Young Justice animated series introduced a version of Infinity Inc. largely taking inspiration from Lex Luthor’s bastard copy. Among the line-up is a new version of Fury.

While Fury’s blonde hair and yellow/gold color scheme is reminiscent of Lyta Trevor and Helena Kosmatos, she appears to be a new character due to her dark skin coloring and her civilian name being “Rosa.” However, YJ’s version of Fury has been established as a transgender woman, clearly referencing Erika Storn.

I bought Peter Milligan’s Infinity Inc. series when it was first released, but I barely remembered reading it. After pulling the set out all these years later, I was legitimately surprised by how bad this book was. The portrayals of mental health and self harm are bad enough, but Erika’s situation is an entirely different level of cringe. If anything, this wouldn’t feel too out of place among the many titles which fizzled out during DC’s New 52 era.

I regret that I’d completely forgotten about Erika Storn, a.k.a. Amazing Woman. If I remembered her, I would’ve suggested her inclusion in DC Pride 2022 in a way that wasn’t so utterly transphobic and poorly thought out. While I dig Young Justice’s attempt to properly create a trans woman version of the Fury concept, Erika Storn still deserves a chance to shine with a creative team who cares about her.

The post History of Violence: The Brief History of Erika Storn first appeared on Comicosity.

That all changed when DC erased the characters of Superboy and Supergirl from the DCU following Crisis on Infinite Earths. Ever since, there’ve been multiple attempts to rectify how the Legionnaires were an afterthought to the removal of Superman’s career as Superboy and Kara Zor-El. They’ve tried to retcon Superboy’s role, replace him as the Legion’s inspiration, restart the Legion from scratch, and at one point tried to restore ALL of them by saying they all happened and all mattered. And then THAT changed when DC rebooted everything again with the New 52 in 2011. It never ends.

It’s not easy being a Legion fan, but I still say it’s worth it after everything supporting the Legion’s given me. Yes, it’s hard, and frustrating, and sometimes I want to rip my hair out because it never seems like it will get better. If I’ve learned anything from supporting the Legion of Super-Heroes, it’s that you must keep trying.

I’ve written extensively on Comicosity about my love for the likes of Roy and Lian Harper. Truthfully since at least 2010 the Harper Family and the Legionnaires are the ones who’ve been the closest in my heart as a DC fan. Being a Legion fan introduced me to so many wonderful friends whom I can’t imagine life without at this point. It’s been my dream to write about the Legion as much as it is to write about Roy and Lian professionally. Specifically, there’s one Legionnaire who means the most to me.

Garth Ranzz, a.k.a. Lightning Lad, is historically one of the original three Legionnaires. In every adaption of the Legion, he’s consistently featured as a founding member alongside Rokk Krinn (Cosmic Boy) and Imra Ardeen (Saturn Girl). Lightning Lad’s backstory largely remained the same; one of three siblings who gained electrical powers after being attacked by lightning beasts on the planetoid Korbal.

Garth’s personality has been semi-consistent among the various published Legions, sometimes following the “fiery redhead” trope or being a subversion. He’s the “wild card” of the Legion’s founders compared to the reserved and straightlaced Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl. When written properly, Garth tends to be the emotional and rational founder juxtaposed to Rokk as the overachieving martyr and Imra’s no-nonsense hardass. One reoccurring trait’s his relationship with Imra. Another has been his infamous string of “bad luck.”

To wit, part of what I enjoy about Garth Ranzz are the similarities he shares with my other favorite DC redhead, Roy Harper. They’re emotional redheaded men who are also loving, devoted fathers, often get dismissed as the “weak link” of their respective friends (the Legion Founders, the Fab Five Titans), and suffered through multiple traumatic incidents but kept moving forward.

Due to the fractured nature of time and space in the DCU, it means there’ve been multiple, distinct versions of the Legion. Thus, there’re multiple versions of Lightning Lad. The Garth Ranzz I’m talking about, and the one I’m most fond of, is the original or “Retroboot” version of the character who eventually married his version of Saturn Girl and started a family.
Most versions of Garth Ranzz have suffered through trauma in at least some form.

In 1989’s “Five Years Later”/”Glorithverse” Legion, the retired Lightning Lad was physically disabled from a disease which afflicted his right arm and leg. Infamously, FYL Lightning Lad was thought to have never actually been brought back from the dead. It was believed his body was being used by Saturn Girl’s pet Proty, who seemingly died to revive Lightning Lad.

(Art by Brandon Peterson)

The younger Live Wire of the SW6 Legionnaires was ostensibly the nastiest of every version of Garth Ranzz. He was mean, unpleasant, and sometimes violent, and our brief look at a childhood incident when he accidentally killed his pet unfortunately didn’t do much to make him sympathetic or tolerable.

(Art by Jeff Moy)

The Reboot Legion’s Live Wire spent years convinced the power he shared with his brother and sister was going to turn them evil. Live Wire believed this was the reason his older brother Mekt became a criminal, up until Mekt destroyed Live Wire’s right arm.

(Art by Jeff Moy)

Years later, Live Wire seemingly died to stop the rampage of the Progenitor (formerly the docile Element Lad warped by millions of years of isolation). Live Wire’s essence somehow survived in Element Lad’s crystalline body, meaning he had to live in the body of his killer which caused alienation from his teammates and friends.

(Art by Oliver Coipel)

The Threeboot’s Lightning Lad struggled as the Legion’s newly elected leader thanks to a bad deal he was stuck in with the United Planets, among other things. His relationship with Saturn Girl took a nasty turn when she briefly cheated on him with Ultra Boy due to feeling neglected. This Lightning Lad skirted the possibility of a rather disturbing rebound relationship with the much older president of Earth.

(Art by Francis Manapul)

Most recently, the Lightning Lad of Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook’s Legion has suffered greatly due to multiple examples of racist subtext in the character’s design. At the last second before the debut of the Bendisboot Legionnaires, it was decided to make the new versions of Lightning Lad and Light(ning) Lass Black. As more of Bendis’s Legion was revealed, it became clear this wasn’t thought out ahead of time. To wit, the Ranzz Twins are now adhering to the stereotype of giving Black comic characters electrical powers. They’re at one point even asked if they know or are related to Black Lightning. There’s also the fact the Bendisboot Winath is not a beautiful, agricultural farm world but is now a dark and dirty cityscape. Bendis! Garth and Ayla come from a huge family that was stuck living in a cramped, dirty apartment, and the two regularly protested police brutality on their homeworld before the Legion was created – as a publicity stunt by President R.J. Brande. This Garth is also genuinely oblivious to the fact his family hated living in their awful apartment until he gets them a new home on New Earth, at which point they announce how thrilled they are to be off Winath.

(Art by Mikel Janin)

It’s galling those arguments about supporting Bendis’s Legion have pertained to it “being for new readers,” when new readers are given the narrative of Black people STILL dealing with inadequate housing in ghettos alongside police brutality. A thousand years in the future. On an entirely different planet. Past Legion volumes have had their share of problems – just look at the creation of Tyroc – but for it to be this bad from the very start is disconcerting.

Still, the original version of Garth Ranzz moving into the “Retroboot Legion,” as in the original Legion moving forward from a different point than the Five Years Later Legion did, is the one with the greatest history of surviving physical, mental, and emotional trauma. Not just surviving, but living, with a history of enduring abuse from as early as childhood before becoming a superhero.

Even before the creation of the Legion, Garth’s suffered abuse in his childhood at the hands of his older brother. On their home planet Winath, twin births are considered the norm. While Garth was born with his twin sister Ayla, their older brother Mekt was a “Solo.” As a result, Mekt was somewhat ostracized from Winathian society, and several stories implied he took his frustrations out on his siblings. Mekt was specifically shown to be physically abusive towards Garth while harboring an unhealthy obsession with Ayla.

(Art by Joe Orlando)

Years after the Ranzz siblings gained their lightning abilities, Garth and Ayla became superheroes while Mekt became the villainous Lightning Lord. He even helped found the Legion of Super-Villains. In Mekt’s eyes, he saw Garth as an obstacle keeping him from having Ayla as his “twin” and in later years frequently tried to murder Garth. Though Mekt’s tried to kill Ayla when she disobeys him, it’s telling Mekt never considered using Garth as his surrogate twin instead after all the times Ayla rejected his demands. Though Mekt at one point pleaded with Garth to find a supposed “lost twin” he was separated from at birth, it’s still clear he doesn’t view Garth as being a worthy twin.

Garth and Ayla represent how lopsided an abusive familial relationship can be. Mekt was hostile towards both, but in his eyes, Mekt viewed Ayla as more valuable than Garth. You could argue about who had it worse, or how Mekt’s abuse from Winathian society led to him abusing his siblings, but at the end of the day Mekt saw Ayla as a prize and Garth as a hindrance. Ayla is the one Mekt wanted in his life while Garth’s the one he wanted to get rid of. Ayla wants absolutely nothing to do with Mekt, while Garth finds himself on some level caring about his brother even though Mekt can’t or won’t return those feelings in earnest. That’s not to say Garth won’t fight Mekt; Mekt’s prejudiced views on Saturn Girl are a surefire way to make Garth go ballistic on his brother. This sibling hatred made Lightning Lord one of the Legion’s most versatile enemies due to how much his sibling obsession defined his behavior.

(Art by Keith Giffen)

Garth’s history with the Legion is a longstanding one of trauma and survival, and, also living. Legionnaires and fans alike dubbed him “The Unluckiest Legionnaire,” and not without a proper reason. He was the first of the Legionnaires to die, and it stuck for several issues until his teammates managed to revive him. Garth’s right arm was destroyed while battling a creature dubbed “The Super-Moby Dick of Space.” He required amputation and a robotic prosthetic until his flesh-and-blood arm was also restored more than a dozen issues later. Criminal mastermind Lars Hanscome once brainwashed Garth into becoming the villain Starfinger, and Prince Evillo of Tartarus also tried (and failed) to corrupt Garth to serve in his “Devil’s Dozen.”

(Art by John Forte)

And this all happened just in the Silver Age.

During the Bronze Age, Garth’s write-in election as Legion leader was marred by several catastrophes that had nothing to do with his actions or inactions. The stress of this calamity string took a toll on Garth’s physical and emotional wellbeing until he resigned as leader. He was briefly hospitalized due to the anxiety influencing his lightning generating abilities. It didn’t help that during his time as leader, the Ranzz parents were killed in an asteroid collision while travelling through space. Though this was also the period where his relationship with Saturn Girl was cemented by marriage, being the second Legionnaires to wed following Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel.

When Saturn Girl’s pregnancy came to term, both parents were unaware the villain Darkseid kidnapped one of their newborn sons without either knowing he existed. As a form of twisted revenge against the Legionnaires for stopping “The Great Darkness,” Darkseid mutated the baby into the monster Validus of the Fatal Five. Darkseid sent Validus back in time to fight his unsuspecting parents when they were younger, figuring Garth and Imra might unknowingly kill their child, or the child might kill his parents. Thankfully, the parents were able to figure out Validus’s identity when the creature attacked them and his brother Graym. Darkseid undid the transformation after Imra stood her ground against the God of Evil.

(Art by Curt Swan)

The height of Garth’s emotional struggles occurred when the Time Trapper, the Legion’s greatest enemy, decided to strike against the three Legion Founders. Orchestrating the abduction of Graym Ranzz, the Time Trapper lured the founders to his fortress at the end of the time. After the Time Trapper separated the Legionnaires, Rokk and Imra located Graym and were shocked to discover he was perfectly safe and well taken care of. It dawned on them that Garth was the true target of this game.

The Time Trapper believed Garth Ranzz was the weak link of the founders, viewing him as “a child pretending to be a man” and rife for a potential psychotic breakdown. Hoping to break Garth and mold him into a double agent to get the Legion’s secrets, the Time Trapper pulled Garth inside-out in a torturous barrage of illusions and gaslighting. Scenario after scenario of Garth being told he was a failure as a husband, father, provider, brother, son, and Legionnaire. This included revisits of his traumatic encounter with the Super-Moby Dick of Space, getting a front row seat to the deaths of his parents, and the Time Trapper threatening to erase Graym from existence.

(Art by Ernie Colon)

Despite literally everything, Garth refused to break for the Time Trapper’s pleasure. No matter the threats, intimidation, or abuse, Garth wouldn’t betray his team or his loved ones. This perseverance forced the Time Trapper to end the “game,” conceding to the Legionnaires and admitting Lightning Lad was a worthy opponent.

Another set of villains, the Luck Lords, also had their eyes on Garth Ranzz. From their perspective, Garth was a chosen individual whose life might tip the balance between science and luck. To the Luck Lords, Garth was exceedingly lucky thanks to how he overcame every obstacle thrown at him – either on his own or thanks to his friends. The Luck Lords conspired to get rid of Garth multiple times to herald the death of science, and order’s, hold on the universe, and each attempt failed.

It wasn’t until Geoff Johns set up the return of the original Legion of Super-Heroes (or as close as one can get at this point) that Lightning Lad was visibly affected by traumatic events. As a result of several Earth-born Legion rejects banding together to spread misinformation about Superman’s origins, the Legionnaires were branded as supposed terrorists making Earth ready for an alien invasion. The Legion was forced underground while this “Justice League of Earth” spearheaded a campaign of hate infecting Earth’s government and police system. Alien citizens were rounded up in detention camps and human children were taught that Superman was “Mother Earth’s champion.”

Due to these inhuman laws and conditions, many of the Legionnaires grew exhausted and ragged as the JLE rounded them up one by one. While the remaining Legionnaires were able to expose the JLE’s lies with Superman’s help, the damage wasn’t fixed overnight.

The Legion Founders suffered the most, especially Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad. Imra lost her assertiveness for the sake of acting as an ineffectual peacekeeper, while Garth grew angrier by the day. It didn’t help that the two needed to send their children to live with the extended Ranzz Family on Winath lest the JLE get their hands on Graym and Garridan. Garth also became separated from his sister Ayla when the Legion was spread thin working underground.

Nevertheless, Lightning Lad’s anger reached a point where he was nasty to everyone – justified or not – in almost every comic he appeared in. He more than once screamed at both Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy like a child. While his rage was framed as his frustrations in dealing with Earth’s openly xenophobic government and how everything he’d been working towards since he was young torn down overnight, it was still disheartening to witness this behavior. Especially when it was aimed at people he normally loves very dearly.

(Art by George Perez)

It must be acknowledged Geoff Johns tried to establish Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl were ALWAYS like this. He framed in interviews and other comics that Saturn Girl was a patient woman who saw the good in everyone and Lightning Lad was a rowdy hothead (comparing him to Clint Barton and Hal Jordan). The fact that their behavior in this period can be explained by extensive trauma and separation from their sons was only a happy coincidence Johns most definitely did not plan from the start.

As much as I hate to admit it, I can relate to Garth’s anger problems during this period. I endured something similar in middle school following my sexual assault. My behavior was erratic and borderline unacceptable, and there were days I was truly nasty and horrible towards everyone around me – even people who didn’t deserve it. The three years I spent in that school were some of the most miserable years of my life, and I’m as ashamed of them in general as I am by the way I acted. So Garth’s temper and raging is something I get on a deeper level, and while I’m not fond of that writing at all because of how Johns forced this onto the character, I do understand it.

It wasn’t until Paul Levitz returned as writer for the Legionnaires in 2010 that a conscious attempt was made to restore Lightning Lad’s true personality without ignoring what Johns did to the Legionnaires. Levitz put into perspective that Garth and Imra’s recent behavior was the result of exhaustion from what the JLE did to them in a way that Johns failed to do so.

At the start of the 2010 Legion of Super-Heroes ongoing series, Saturn Girl’s homeworld Titan was destroyed and Graym and Garridan were mysteriously kidnapped. At the time, Garth was on Winath investigating the circumstances of his older brother’s birth to confirm if Lightning Lord really did have a twin (a leftover plotline from Johns’ last Legion stories). Levitz also showed Imra returning to her true personality as she privately expressed anger at her husband’s behavior.

Upon being told of Titan’s demise and the disappearance of his wife and children, the (pardon the pun) shock and guilt of almost losing his family seemed to spur Garth out the mindset being on the run put him in. In the process of finding both Imra and their children, Garth strove to overcome his new anger issues for his own sake and the sake of his loved ones. Both Legionnaires went off active duty to focus on their sons and their relationship.

(Art by Yildiray Cinar)

To me, Garth Ranzz is a unique character study in how a person grows not defined by trauma but how they move forward. To outsiders he’s viewed as volatile and unstable, leading people to wonder how and why a person like him managed to help create the Legion of Super-Heroes. The truth is Garth’s perseverance and capacity for love and companionship make him the heart of the Legion’s Founders. His death was the only one that shook the Legionnaires so badly that many of them were willing to sacrifice their own lives to revive him. His own sister even went as far as to pretend to BE him after he died. If that doesn’t signify his importance to his loved ones, I don’t know what does.

Garth’s first and greatest act of self-sacrifice was propelled by a desire to help Imra Ardeen. After discovering Imra’s plan to die fighting Zaryan the Conqueror so none of the other Legionnaires would have to, Garth didn’t hesitate to stop her and died in her place while defeating Zaryan in the process. Imra was willing to die for the Legion, Garth was willing to die for Saturn Girl. Afterwards, Imra spent several issues determined to bring Garth back to life and was going to die to accomplish such a feat. This may very well have been the moment the seed of their future romance was planted, and the two went on to be one of the Legion’s most famous couples for a reason. It’s not just their devotion towards each other, but their respect and love and ability to be comfortable around the other.

Following the birth of their son Graym, and later their recovery of Garridan, it was Garth who chose to stay home to look after the children while Imra went back on active duty as a Legionnaire. This happened during the late 1980s and might’ve seemed progressive to readers at the time. In a way it still is. Nothing about the situation was played for laughs at Garth’s expense. Save for a joke about a food preparation machine, Garth was content to be a house husband while his wife was a Legionnaire. This admittedly didn’t receive as much focus during the Legion issues of the late 80s, but it still stands out as Garth and Imra were the only Legionnaires with children.

(Art by Keith Giffen)

Even during Garth’s emotionally volatile period following the end of the JLE’s reign, there were glimmers of that man driven by a love for the people in his life. Action Comics #864, which may very well be the issue I truly fell in love with this character (thank you, Joe Prado, for your artwork), featured Garth escorting Superman back to the present day DCU. Batman stumbled upon the two in the Fortress of Solitude, relaxing and reminiscing on childhood foibles. The issue from there was a bit shaky; Batman and Garth mutually disliked one another. Batman distrusted Garth as a time traveler, while Garth was unmoved and unimpressed by Batman’s entire persona.

Batman arrived at the Fortress to inform Superman that two dead Legionnaires were found in Gotham City. The bodies belonged to Karate Kid and one of Triplicate Girl’s divergent selves; the two died in Countdown to Final Crisis, which had just ended around the same time Action #864 was released. Garth followed Batman and Superman and was enraged to discover two of his teammates and friends were dead. He was also angry to be in the presence of human cops after all the damage the Science Police of his era created by colluding with the JLE.

By the end of the issue, Garth returned to the 31^st Century with two dead bodies. He apologized to Batman for his behavior without any prompting and tried to give a subtle warning about Batman’s immediate future (as in Grant Morrison’s Batman R.I.P. arc where he would seemingly die). Before departing, Garth earnestly thanked Superman for being able to sit down and talk with him after everything Garth went through recently. More importantly, Garth showed deep appreciation for their childhood friendship and admitted Superman was more of an actual brother to him than Mekt Ranzz ever was.

(Art by Joe Prado)

Even when Geoff Johns was writing Lightning Lad with characters such as Hawkeye and Hal Jordan in mind, and even when the character’s still reeling from months of dehumanization and exhaustion, there’s still the spark of the true character underneath the rage and ableism. It’s easy, and especially tempting, to lose oneself after suffering through trauma again and again. There’s a difference between simply surviving and living, and I think about how Garth’s character represents that.

We have a man who, from one perspective, was incredibly unlucky in life and went through multiple misfortunes. From another perspective, we have this man who kept moving forward no matter what setbacks he encountered and came out of them better than before.

Let me clarify I’m not saying a person should just brush off traumatic incidents as if they were nothing. What I’m saying is that Garth Ranzz is a character defined not by his trauma, but how he moves forward after them. He’s a man motivated by the people in his life whom he openly loves and cares about.

“Reality can be a fragile thing, but… I guess… if love is real… it makes our world stronger…”

Other writers have tried to define Garth based on stereotypes of redheads and electricity wielders in fiction, but the ones who succeed are the ones who recognize the character’s capacity for love and determination. Comics are a medium that, unfortunately, are steeped in toxic masculinity and you can see a lot of that in the way Geoff Johns handled the character in his other Legion stories. Nevertheless, what draws me to this specific version of Lightning Lad is his history of refusing to let trauma interfere with his life and his ability to love. What kept the Time Trapper from breaking Garth was his faith in Imra, Ayla, and the Legionnaires. What broke Garth out of his raging mindset was the horror of potentially losing Imra and their children, because of what they mean to him.

We need more stories about men like Garth Ranzz in comics, but for what he brings regarding views on masculinity, love, and trauma. And as angry as I’m going to be for a very long time over how Brian Michael Bendis’s Lightning Lad lacks that depth while existing as one big racist stereotype, the supposedly infinite nature of the DCU means that hopefully the Garth Ranzz that represents such loving determination to be a better man for himself and his family is still out there and whose story may continue.

If I had to be a man, I’d rather be a man defined by love instead of anger.

The post The Legion’s Lightning Rod: The Growth and Evolution of Lightning Lad first appeared on Comicosity.

6 SIDEKICKS OF TRIGGER KEATON VOL. 1
Written by Kyle Starks
Art by Chris Schweizer
Published by Image Comics
Price: $16.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: For fans of CHEW and ASSASSIN NATION comes a new action-mystery series from Eisner Award nominees CHRIS SCHWEIZER (The Crogan Adventures) and KYLE STARKS (SEXCASTLE).
The world’s most unlikable action star has been found dead, and his previous TV sidekicks are looking to solve the mystery. But how can you catch a murderer when almost everyone hates the victim?
Now, these sidekicks are going to learn what it means to be the stars of the show-that is, if any of them survive the STUNTMAN WAR!

Collects THE SIX SIDEKICKS OF TRIGGER KEATON #1-6

“KYLE STARKS is a treasure. With THE SIX SIDEKICKS OF TRIGGER KEATON, he proves that he’s not only effortlessly funny, but can also craft rich, distinct characters that you can’t help but root for, even at their worst. And CHRIS SCHWEIZER is an astounding artist, mastering both perfect expressions and wild action scenes in jam-packed, eye-popping pages. I highly recommend this book!” -CHIP ZDARSKY (Daredevil)

What I say: What could I say more than what Chip said? And how could I claim to say it better? “Same goes for me, double.”

FALCONSPEARE
Written by Mike Mignola, Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
Art by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Price: $17.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: Jump into an eerie Victorian-style mystery with an off-kilter, charming twist in the next knockout collaboration from Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell! Monster hunters extraordinaire Professor Meinhardt, Mr. Knox, and Ms. Van Sloan have teamed up to slay spooks and investigate the uncanny before, but now they’ll tackle a question that’s haunted them for years: What happened to their friend and vampire slayer extraordinaire, James Falconspeare?

Rendered in Johnson-Cadwell’s signature loose, expressive style, and with gorgeous cover from Mignola and colorist Dave Stewart, this hardcover will be a treat for fans of Mr. Higgins Comes Home and Our Encounters with Evil as well as folks new to the world Johnson-Cadwell and Mignola have created.

What I say: There’s a certain magic that happens when a project with this description comes out, that has had Mike Mignola involved in some stage of the creative process. Warwick Johnson-Cadwell’s unique artistic style with this concept and that Mignola-effect presence…yeah, sign me up.

THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR
Written by Ram V.
Art by Filipe Andrade
Published by BOOM! Studios
Price: $14.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: Humanity is on the verge of discovering immortality. As a result, the avatar of Death is cast down to Earth to live a mortal life in Mumbai as twenty-something Laila Starr.

Struggling with her newfound mortality, Laila has found a way to be placed in the time and place where the creator of immortality will be born.

Will Laila take her chance to stop mankind from permanently altering the cycle of life, or will death really become a thing of the past?

A powerful new graphic novel from award-winning writer Ram V (These Savage Shores, Swamp Thing) and artist Filipe Andrade (Captain Marvel) that explores the fine line between living and dying through the lens of magical realism.

Collects The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1-5.

What I say: How the hell did I miss this in singles? Ram V. taking on a high concept like this, paired with Filipe Andrade delivering magical realism visuals? Hell yeah!

A DIFFICULT THING
Written by Silvia Vecchini
Art by Sualzo
Published by Ablaze
Price: $9.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: Every child, at some point, makes mistakes and must learn to deal with and admit those mistakes. This charming, two-tone, wordless comic deals with that very lesson and shows just how powerful the word “sorry” is.

This beautifully rendered volume is a good lesson for children and adults alike.

What I say: Mistakes are terrifying in this world that we live in, but actually having the courage to admit one, apologize and learn…that’s the kind of skill this world needs more of. One of the beautiful things about comics is that they can, without any words, drive home an important piece of wisdom such as this.

X OF SWORDS TPB
Written by Jonathan Hickman, more
Art by various
Published by Marvel Comics
Price: $75.00
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: A tower. A mission. A gathering of armies. Swords will be drawn in the first epic crossover of the astonishing Dawn of X! Wolverine, the X-Men, Cable, X-Force, Excalibur, X-Factor, the New Mutants, the Marauders, the Hellions and the rest of Krakoa’s residents will all feel the effects – but which ten mutants will wield the blades? Weapons both new and familiar are drawn from their scabbards as the X-Men prepare to do mythic battle against a truly daunting foe! Jonathan Hickman and his fellow visionary creators – who have painstakingly put all the pieces into place during Dawn of X – join forces to smash the board! Collecting X OF SWORDS: CREATION, STASIS and DESTRUCTION; X-MEN (2019) #12-15; EXCALIBUR (2019) #13-15; MARAUDERS #13-15; X-FORCE (2019) #13-14; NEW MUTANTS (2019) #13; WOLVERINE (2020) #6-7; CABLE (2020) #5-6; HELLIONS #5-6 and X-FACTOR (2020) #4.

What I say: This edition’s big-ass comic, the X of Swords TPB gathers the whole damn X-wide event in one pretty binding! Mutant sword mayhem!!!!!

…and with that, I call this week done. Happy reading, comics fans!

You can find your local comic book shop using Comic Shop Locator here: https://www.comicshoplocator.com

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The post TRADE WAITING #17: Week of January 12, 2022 first appeared on Comicosity.

BATMAN #119
Written by Joshua Williamson & Karl Kerschl
Art by Mikel Janin, Jorge Molina & Karl Kerschl
Published by DC Comics – $4.99

“Abyss” part two! For years Batman used the darkness as a weapon, but now a new enemy turns that darkness against him! Batman must team with Batman Inc.’s mysterious new benefactor to bring the deadly Abyss into the light! Wait…who is Batman Inc.’s new benefactor?

Why It’s Hot: Josh Williamson along with artists Jorge Molina and Mikel Janin started their run on the flagship batbook with a first issue that had the unenviable task of keeping up the extremely high quality that readers have come to expect from Batman. Not only did they pass with flying colors, but were able to do so despite taking the character out of Gotham and away from many of the supporting characters that have made the title so great in recent years. The interesting premise and surprisingly perfect antagonist are built upon here, and that’s to be expected, but the real exciting part about the issue this week is the backup story. MAPS IS BACK! GOTHAM ACADEMY LIVES!!!

THE FOURTH MAN #1
Written by Jeff McComsey
Art by Mike Deodato Jr. & Lee Loughridge
Published by AWA Studios – $3.99

Three dead bodies lay in a rural morgue – all murdered in the span of three weeks. It’s up to two detectives from opposite sides of the tracks to determine who put them there, if the murders are linked and what, if anything, they have to do with a pair of dueling car dealerships. A dark comedy mystery thriller by Jeff McComsey (Grendel, Kentucky) and Mike Deodato Jr. (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Resistance) that is inspired by an outlandish true crime story, The Fourth Man story will keep you guessing till the last page.

Why It’s Hot: AWA is a publisher that hasn’t gotten a lot of ink here on HOT FIVE since their debut. That just might change here in 2022, as their reputation grows, and the quality of their books can be assured to the point where I feel comfortable putting them in the column. It’s easy to think they’ve gotten to that point when you see the talent the publisher works with, and Mike Deodato is just another in a growing list of top talent in their stable. Having a generational talent like Mike Deodato spread his wings on a “dark comedy mystery thriller” made this an easy comic to get excited for. If you’re a fan of his superhero work then you’ll want to make room for this comic on your pile this week.

INFERNO #4
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Valero Schiti, Stefano Caselli & David Curiel
Published by Marvel Comics – $5.99

TO EMBERS!

Jonathan Hickman’s time on X-Men ends with the dramatic conclusion of one of the first and best mysteries he brought to the line. Valerio Schiti returns on art to help bring down one of the foundations of the era.

Why It’s Hot: The final fifty pages of Jonathan Hickman’s current X-Men run has arrived. What will happen? Will the fans be happy? How does this lead into the “Destiny of X” line wide reshuffle? All of your questions will be answered? Whether it’s good, bad, or anything between this issue will still be the most talked about of the week, regardless!

MONKEY MEAT #1
Written by Juni Ba
Art by Juni Ba
Published by Image Comics – $3.99

MINISERIES PREMIERE

DJELIYA creator JUNI BA introduces a new fantasy universe in this ANTHOLOGY SERIES! The Monkey Meat Company made its fortune selling cans of processed meat all around the world. Using that money to fuel their wacky experiments, they turned their native island into a magical hyper-capitalist hellscape where even demons have to pay rent! Follow the lives of the creatures of Monkey Meat Island in this fun, action-packed romp. Each issue is its own story!

“With this follow-up to DJELIYA, JUNI BA delivers a smart, funny, and drop-dead gorgeous satire of capitalism, climate annihilation, and perpetual content culture, proving once again that he is one of the most exciting cartoonists working today.” -SEBASTIAN GIRNER (SCALES AND SCOUNDRELS)

“A showcase of pure imagination and storytelling prowess. MONKEY MEAT is a dream of what comics should be, but it’s here in your hand right now.” -HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU (PanelxPanel Magazine)

Why It’s Hot: The solicitation says everything that really needs to be said about the debut issue of Monkey Meat. If any of the above sounds remotely interesting then you should do yourself a favor and check out this series debut. This comic should not fly under the radar. It is sharp, funny, clever, good looking, and simultaneously both very familiar and completely unique. This won’t be the last time you hear about this comic, so do yourself a favor and get in before you see the buzz growing online.

X-MEN #6
Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia
Published by Marvel Comics – $3.99

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CAPTAIN KRAKOA?

There’s a new hero on the X-Men. Who is he? Why is here? And why does Cyclops not want him on the team?

Why It’s Hot: Since the new volume of ”Adjectiveless X-Men” started, it has found itself stuck between the two worlds of being more of a traditional superhero team book while still being an important part of the current X-line with the Nation of Krakoa front and center. The first few issues may have been a bit clunky in marrying the two worlds, but Gerry Dugan and Pepe Larraz have really started to find their groove with this issue. The concept of Captain Krakoa, what they represent, how they tie back into some of central concepts of this current era of x-books, and how they further the story Duggan and Larraz are telling with this series ticks off all the boxes a fan could want from this book. Then with Hickman saying farewell this week in the final issue of Inferno, it’s great to have an issue like X-Men #6 out beside it, as one can really start to envision it as the flagship title of the line. Then when the rest of the upcoming “Destiny of X” titles enter the equation one can’t help but think that the X-Men are still in good hands.

You can find your local comic book shop using Comic Shop Locator here: https://www.comicshoplocator.com

The post HOT FIVE: Week of January 5, 2022 first appeared on Comicosity.

THE TEA DRAGON FESTIVAL
Written by K. O’Neill
Art by K. O’Neill
Published by Oni Press
Price: $12.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep… but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

Critically acclaimed graphic novelist K. O’Neill delivers another charming, gentle fantasy story about finding your purpose, and the community that helps you along the way.

What I say: For those who have been waiting for it, the next volume of the story started with The Tea Dragon Society comes to softcover! K. O’Neill’s storytelling has touched so many, and if you are unfamiliar…well, fix that.

ENIGMA: DEFINITIVE EDITION HC
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Duncan Fegredo
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Price: $24.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: Enigma is a visceral, post-modern tale of self-discovery and sexual identity told against the backdrop of outrageous superheroes and villains. Michael Smith lives a meaningless life. But when the weird characters from Enigma, his favorite childhood comic seem to come to life, Michael embarks upon an increasingly obsessive crusade to uncover the incredible secret behind their improbable existence . . . and ultimately, his own. Considered a classic and groundbreaking graphic novel for its LGBTQIA+ themes when first released-featuring the first gay superhero in mainstream comics.

• With a brand-new cover by Duncan Fegredo and a treasure trove of nearly 50 pages of extras including development art, color sketches, and behind-the-scenes notes into the making of this celebrated story.

“Beautiful. Literary. Decades ahead of its time. This is the greatest adult superhero comic of the nineties. At least.” -Kieron Gillen

What I say: To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of Enigma prior to writing this column. But when Kieron Gillen blurbs a book that way, it’s going to make it on the goddamn list.

BARBARIC HC VOL. 01
Written by Michael Moreci
Art by Nathan Gooden, Rodison Duke, Jim Campbell
Published by Vault Comics
Price: $16.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: Owen the Barbarian has been cursed to do good with what remains of his life. His bloodthirsty weapon, Axe, has become his moral compass with a drinking problem. Together they wander the realm, foredoomed to help any who seek assistance. But there is one thing Owen hates more than a life with rules: Witches.

Welcome to the skull-cracking, blood-splattering, mayhem-loving comic brave enough to ask: How can a man sworn to do good do so much violence? Hah! F***ing with you. It’s just BARBARIC.

What I say: I once had a tradition of reading volumes of Hellboy during the Christmas/Holiday season, because that just seemed so counterintuitive that it made perfect sense. Well, we’re smack dab in the middle of “The Holidays” and Barbaric Vol. 1 is being released and it just feels poetic in a similar fashion.

MAFIOSA
Written by Sunshine Barbito
Art by Alessia Alfano, Debora Carita, Ronda Pattison, Mariacristina Federico
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Price: $19.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: At the height of the roaring twenties, the daughter of a mafia boss is determined to rise to prominence in her family’s business.

Nicoletta has aspirations to join her brothers in the family business – an organized crime syndicate running the streets of Brooklyn. Though her father objects and a crisis ensues, Nicoletta takes it upon herself to prove she has what it takes, moving steadfastly into a world of brutality. New York has a new player in town, and they ain’t seen nothing yet!

Combining the romanticism of the roaring twenties and Nicoletta’s journey into the brazen violence of mafia-dominated New York, Mafiosa sets the status quo ablaze – with style, class, and a smoking barrel.

What I say: The roaring twenties? Check. A daughter rising the ranks of the mob? Hell yeah triple check. I’m in.

POST AMERICANA
Written by Steve Skroce
Art by Steve Skroce, Dave Stewart
Published by Image Comics
Price: $16.99
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: From MAESTROS creator, WE STAND ON GUARD co-creator, and The Matrix storyboard artist STEVE SKROCE, with colors by Eisner Award winner DAVE STEWART.

The Cheyenne mountain installation, aka The BUBBLE, is the most sophisticated super bunker in the world. It was built to ensure the survival of the American government’s executive branch, as well as America’s most important citizens, should the unthinkable happen. When the world ended, the executive branch didn’t reach the sanctuary, but the elite citizenry did.

Eighty years later, one of them has named himself the new president of the United States. His plan? Subjugate the survivors of the American Wasteland using the same bunker resources meant to rebuild it. The only thing standing in his way is a deadly Wasteland girl, hellbent on revenge!

COLLECTS POST AMERICANA #1-7.

What I say: Steve Skroce’s artwork elicits one of those “oh damn, that’s wild” reactions from me every time I see it. Post Americana is Skroce taking on the future, America and so much more.

STAR WARS DARTH VADER BY SOULE OMNIBUS
Written by Charles Soule, more
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, more
Published by Marvel Comics,
Price: $100.00
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The publisher says: Lord Vader…rise! In the wake of Revenge of the Sith, follow Vader as he ascends to power as a Dark Lord of the Sith! Having lost everything dear to him and now more machine than man, Vader takes his first steps into a darker world – beginning by eradicating the galaxy’s remaining Jedi! But librarian Jocasta Nu is making a desperate effort to preserve the Jedi legacy, and the stirrings of a rebellion have begun in the Mon Cala system! To ensure the Emperor’s grip on the galaxy is absolute, Vader must deal swiftly and brutally with any uprisings – but he has a goal of his own. And as darkness rises above Mustafar, the scene of Vader’s greatest defeat, will the man once called Anakin Skywalker realize his true destiny? Collecting DARTH VADER (2017) #1-25 and ANNUAL #2..
624 PGS./Rated T

What I say: And y’all thought there wouldn’t be an omnibus on this list, eh? Think again, as Charles Soule’s immense Darth Vader hardcover is here to blow your minds! A must read for Star Wars/Vader fans.

…and with that, I call this week done. Happy reading, comics fans!

You can find your local comic book shop using Comic Shop Locator here: https://www.comicshoplocator.com

Any purchases made via retailer links provided in this article may result in this site receiving a share of that sale, which is truly appreciated! As a Bookshop.org Affiliate, this site earns from qualifying purchases.

The post TRADE WAITING #16: Week of December 22, 2021 first appeared on Comicosity.

And Icemaiden.

Yes, I do not necessarily identify with their sexual and gender identities, but the general non acknowledgment of these characters despite their roles as queer characters when it was still a battle to have them openly recognized on page as queer rubs me the wrong way. As someone still struggling with their sexual and gender identities, I’ve long felt closer with these characters due to their sincerity and struggles.

Regarding Icemaiden, my initial belief was that DC did not wish to remind everyone of the rather deplorable way Scott Beatty and Rags Morales essentially fridged them in JSA Classified. Yet imagine my delighted surprise to see Andrew Wheeler and Meghan Hetrick’s JLQ story in Tis The Season To Be Freezin’ was all about giving Icemaiden a chance to shine after being forgotten for so long.

It also gave them a chance to be enraged over the way they’d been treated.

Icemaiden, a.k.a. Sigrid Nansen, has a rather convoluted publication history due to a simple editing mistake. Icemaiden debuted in the Super Friends comic tie-in, created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon. A blue-skinned Norwegian capable of creating ice, they aided the Super Friends as a member of the Global Guardians.

When the Global Guardians were incorporated into the regular DC Universe, Icemaiden and their teammate Green Fury joined Justice League International as Ice and Fire. The trouble is, Icemaiden’s name had been previously established as “Sigrid Nansen,” but the creative team on JLI were unaware and called them “Tora Olafsdotter.” As a result, they accidentally created a new character.

The Sigrid Nansen concept was forgotten for years until Ice was killed off in Justice League America after being controlled by the evil Overmaster. Writer Mark Waid famously admitted that killing Ice off was a regrettable mistake.

The people who were hit hardest by Ice’s death were her gal pal Fire and her boyfriend Guy Gardner. As a result of Ice’s death, this allowed for a chance to readdress the naming mistake by bringing back Sigrid Nansen. Sigrid returned in Justice League America when Fire learned of criminals stopped by blue individual who could create ice. Sigrid’s backstory was expanded upon, explaining they were empowered via experimentation from their scientist mother.

Sigrid joined the Global Guardians as the first Icemaiden and befriended Fire, but when Tora Olafsdotter joined the hero scene things got complicated. Tora came from a race of magic users; her powers were natural and stronger than Sigrid’s. Feeling overshadowed and redundant, Sigrid left the Global Guardians while Fire became friends with Tora.

Fire reacted with rage when Sigrid met with her following Ice’s death, thinking she’d been duped. She then quickly went in the other direction trying to push Sigrid to fill Tora’s shoes in the Justice League. Complaints and uncertainties about how quickly Fire rushed Sigrid’s inclusion in the League were met with even more hostility from Fire, while Sigrid was more understanding. It was clear Fire’s mood swings and treatment of Sigrid were unresolved feelings of loss over Ice’s death. Sigrid was pushed back and forth figuring out what Fire wanted and what Sigrid wanted of themself. They became frustrated with Fire’s orders of what Sigrid could and couldn’t do while becoming stronger.

Eventually, Sigrid made a bizarre move to force Fire to finally put an end to her efforts to mold Sigrid in Tora’s image. Dressing up as Tora Olafsdotter, down to a wig styled in the same manner, Sigrid offered to truly pretend to BE Fire’s dear, departed Ice. This was the smack Fire finally needed to realize how much time she wasted, trying to force Sigrid to fill the role Ice left behind and how her grief was making her act out of control.

Sigrid’s relationship with Bea and growing friendship with Nuklon (later called Atom-Smasher), brought forth the reveal that they were bisexual. They were obviously romantically attracted to Fire, and seemed to grow close with Nuklon. Having discussions with him about his Judaism, Sigrid later admitted to Nuklon that they’re both attracted to women. Sigrid also shared a mutual attraction with Olivia Reynolds, an ex-girlfriend of Green Lantern Hal Jordan who showed up to discuss a line of Justice League action figures.

Sigrid discussed their sexual orientation with Nuklon, who was confused due to the revelation AND his teammate and friend Obsidian’s apparent queerness as well. Interestingly, while Sigrid admitted to being attracted to men and women, they asked why they needed to be “put in a box.”

Well, Sigrid’s role with the Justice League ended with a bang and a whimper when Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’s JLA began. To make way for Morrison’s new League, Sigrid and the rest of the former team were almost killed by the Hyperclan. Sigrid attempted to join another Justice League in the pages of James Robinson’s Starman, as part of a new version of Justice League Europe. This new JLE was doomed to die when Sigrid was tricked into leaving by the new Mist, who then pretended to be Icemaiden to kill the team off.

Sigrid’s last appearance in any published format from DC Comics up until recently was from JSA Classified. The two-parter Doctor Mid-Nite arc “Skin Trade,” written by Scott Beatty and drawn by Rags Morales, focused on a ring of metahuman organ thefts.         Some of the victims included Argus and Loose Cannon of the New Bloods, Godiva of the Global Guardians, and finally Icemaiden. To wit, Sigrid was skinned alive and left for dead, kept comatose inside a tank at S.T.A.R. Labs because no one knew what to do with Sigrid.

The perpetrator of the organ thefts was revealed to be Delores Winters, initially remembered from back in the Golden Age as a victim of the body-snatching Ultra-Humanite. “Skin Trade” expanded on Winters’ life after her brain was removed, revealing she’d spent decades as a body-hopping ghoul herself after one of the Humanite’s henchmen took pity on her remains.

Winters’ obsession with having a perfect body escalated to stealing from superheroes, her first victim revealed to be Icemaiden. It should be noted that Winters wanted and was drawn with alabaster white skin, which made no sense because Sigrid’s skin is blue. Having been captured by Warp of the Fearsome Five, Sigrid was strapped to an operating table – their powers neutralized – and flayed while completely conscious. The odious Delores Winters thus rechristened herself Endless Winter, and somehow got Sigrid’s ice powers (which also made no sense).

Despite Doctor Mid-Nite dismantling Endless Winter’s organ snatching operation, the villainess disappeared, and Sigrid was left forgotten and ignored while the other victims were implied to have been healed. Endless Winter would make one final appearance a few years later in Justice League: Cry for Justice by James Robinson, Mauro Cascioli, and Scott Clark. Batwoman reported to the Justice League that she’d recently fought Endless Winter when the villainess began bleeding from her nose and dropped dead. It turned out she was one of many villains being controlled by Prometheus, who remotely disposed of her when she was no longer necessary. Following the death of Endless Winter there was absolutely no mention or allusion towards Sigrid being restored now with their victimizer captured and dead.

Distressingly, Sigrid’s mutilation at Endless Winter’s hands would be copied in the very same story where their tormentor died. To show that Prometheus was now once again a credible threat, he at some point off-panel managed to slaughter the entirety of the Global Guardians. Prometheus went as far as to have Tasmanian Devil skinned alive, with the fallen hero’s pelt used as a rug in Prometheus’ hideout. This was one of many poorly received aspects of Cry for Justice, and the only one Robinson tried to atone for when he restored Tasmanian Devil to life in Starman/Congorilla #1. However, while Tasmanian Devil was revived, similar efforts were not made for Sigrid.

It needs to be acknowledged it is genuinely distressing how the Global Guardians and the Justice League shared two openly queer members who were both skinned alive and left for dead by two completely different villains in two completely different books.

Sigrid Nansen proceeded to be one of many victims of the New 52’s erasure of DC’s history. Up until the release of Tis The Season To Be Freezin’, Sigrid was a non-entity with no indication there was any version of “Ice” before Tora Olafsdotter. The DC Pride anthology held no mention of Sigrid at all as one of their earliest bisexual heroes, which unfortunately made sense as the Pride anthology lacked mention of many early queer characters.

Andrew Wheeler and Meghan Hetrick’s “Break The Ice” is the first time in over a decade and a half to focus on Sigrid’s disappearance, long after at least two continuity reboots. Rather than establishing a new version of Sigrid or trying to brush off what was done to them, the JLQ story tackles Sigrid’s loathsome handling from JSA Classified and the stories which came afterwards. Interestingly, Wheeler and Hetrick would further establish Sigrid to identify as nonbinary. The story begins with Sigrid referred to with she/her pronouns, before switching to they/them at the very end. Wheeler confirmed on twitter that Sigrid’s indeed nonbinary.

Tasmanian Devil, now married to fellow gay superhero Gregorio De La Vega (formerly Extrano of the New Guardians), went on a mission to locate Sigrid’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, Tasmanian Devil returns to his husband and the rest of JLQ with low level Wonder Woman villain Minister Blizzard on his heels.

With Icemaiden in tow.

The near-catatonic Sigrid is used to bolster Minister Blizzard’s power as he hopes to usher an “everlasting winter” on the planet. Note Wheeler wisely avoids calling it an “endless” winter. Gregorio’s protégé, Sylvan Ortega, manages to connect with Sigrid’s mind. Sigrid is understandably feeling traumatized and justifiably enraged over what was done to them, especially regarding the fact that no one, not Fire or Atom-Smasher, cared about what happened to them after Sigrid worked so hard to be what they wanted. Minister Blizzard even notes Sigrid was left for dead at S.T.A.R. Labs. It’s noticeably horrid in Fire’s case, as she managed to get a reunion with Ice following Ice’s resurrection in Birds of Prey by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott.

At Gregorio’s urging, Sylvan makes a true plea of empathy to help Sigrid break free from Minister Blizzard’s control, affirming they suffered greatly but can still grow and heal. When Sigrid initially calls themself “a glacier” believing they are dead inside, Sylvan retorts that glaciers have the power to create life by forming rivers, oceans, and even protecting the earth sleeping beneath them. At this prompting, Sigrid breaks free and takes the name “Glacier” as a representation of their hopeful future. The story ends with it clear Sigrid’s healing has started, now with people who remembered them and wish to help.

Since Tasmanian Devil and Glacier were both treated as queer cannon fodder, it’s appropriate that Tasmanian Devil was the one who found Glacier when no one else cared.

I was truly delighted and moved to tears upon realizing someone made a conscious effort to address the horrid treatment of one of DC’s earliest, forgotten queer characters. In the years since their last appearance, Sigrid Nansen was solely remembered by the fandom as a poor man’s substitute for Ice and a creepy, manipulative woman due to their relationship with Fire. Reading their stories all I saw was a lost, confused person who felt nothing they did was ever good enough and had to fight to assert their own identity while struggling to do the right thing. Sigrid cared about, most definitely loved Fire and tried to help her but realized they were sacrificing their own identity to appease Fire’s tormented grief.

The catharsis I felt on seeing Sigrid’s anger over their abuse was almost on the same level as watching Carol Danvers calling out the Avengers for the Marcus Kang incident.

Instead of being regarded as one of DC’s first openly queer heroines (to the point they could even be outright called bisexual), Sigrid was only regarded as cannon fodder and forgotten once Tora Olafsdotter was brought back. Whatever misgivings I may’ve had about the DC Pride anthology, I’ve felt a sense of true joy from Tis The Season To Be Freezin’ knowing Sigrid finally has a space where they can receive the recognition they deserve, the healing they need, and the catharsis to finally confront the people who abandoned them.

The post Sigrid Nansen: Icemaiden to Glacier first appeared on Comicosity.