The Comics Cube!

Reviews: Kal

2012-02-17T09:23:00.000+08:00

Over a year ago, I said that I really wanted to read KAL, an Elseworlds tale by Dave Gibbons and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez that answers the question, "What if Kal-El's rocket landed in Medieval England?"

I was finally able to read it, and wow.

This, dear Cubers, is just what art does to a book. Atrocious art can make the greatest plot and script unreadable. Great art, however, can elevate a serviceable story, and that's basically what happens here. There's not much to the actual narrative other than transposing Superman and his supporting cast (mainly Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen) into the medieval setting, and it's Gibbons' characterization that really makes the story pop — the type of subtle characterization that is executed masterfully here by the Maestro himself, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. (By the way, can I just call him JLGL from now on? His name is long, and that includes just his last name, and since my nephew has a friend named "Jose Luis," it feels weird to type that too. Okay? JLGL it is.) JLGL is adept at depicting any sort of facial expression or gesture, from Kal blushing with a knowing smile to Loisse being smitten by him to Kal tearing down castle gates. It's great, dynamic stuff, and even if the story doesn't actually say anything that substantial, it's a fun read simply because Gibbons has Garcia-Lopez do a lot with the premise. Who wouldn't want to see Superman lead an attack on a castle?

Mastery of the craft is evident in the entire book, from the cover alone making it look like a prized artifact from the era (how I wish they'd gone the full hardcover treatment with this — if any concept just demanded that treatment, it'd be this). The fonts used as well as the narrative balloons being depicted as scrolls really give a sense of "Middle Ages" to this story. I don't want to spoil anything from the book itself, so I'm going to show you this house ad for it. It's rare that an ad will actually indicate how good the book is, but this one does.

And wait till you get to the ending. That's just one rather awesome brain-tickler.

I'm quite surprised DC hasn't come out with a collection of Elseworlds tales yet. You'd think it'd be easy, since 90% of them feature either Batman or Superman, so grouping them wouldn't be a problem. I'd definitely put this one as the first story in a Superman collection. It may honestly be one of my top 5 Elseworlds stories that ended up being a done-in-one. I wouldn't say that storywise, there's more to it than your traditional Elseworlds story, but again, that's just how good the art is: it takes a by-the-numbers plot and pushes the quality up several notches on the strength of JLGL's storytelling.

Good read for Superman fans, great read for JLGL fans!

Dan Didio and Jim Lee Make Some Idiotic Statements

2012-02-16T10:56:00.000+08:00

I want to comment on a couple of things that Dan Didio and Jim Lee have said in these BEFORE WATCHMEN press releases.

Here, they say:

Comic books are perhaps the largest and longest running form of collaborative fiction. Collaborative storytelling is what keeps these fictional universes current and relevant.

And here, Lee says:

One of the key characteristics of the comic book medium is that it is not brought to life by just one voice. These universes are developed and evolved by multiple creative voices, over multiple generations. The influx of new stories is essential to keeping the universes relevant, current, and alive. Watchmen is a cornerstone of both DC Comics’ publishing history and its future. As a publisher, we’d be remiss not to expand upon and explore these characters and their stories. We’re committed to being an industry leader, which means making bold creative moves.

Come on, Jim, who're you trying to bullshit? Even if WATCHMEN weren't a bestselling comic for the last twenty-five years, are you telling me that you would actually continue with "collaborative storytelling" with the following properties if you owned them?

Quit trying to make it sound like "the comic book medium" is the same as the "mainstream superhero comic book industry." The "comic book medium" is far more diverse than your narrowminded statements would have people believe. People actually go into bookstores to see these other comics, while getting lost in your deluge of Batman and Superman trades.

In other words, why don't you just cut the crap and say "We're doing this because we need more money"? I mean, we get it. We really, really get it.

"One of the key characteristics of the comic book medium is that it is not brought to life by just one voice." Sure, Jim. Except when it is actually one voice.

Until the End of the World: The Love Story of Jesse and Tulip

2012-02-14T10:00:00.117+08:00

I don't talk about it much, but if I you pointed a gun at my head, attached me to a polygraph, and asked me to name the comic that means the most to me in the sense of just loving the characters and the narrative, my immediate answer would be Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's PREACHER.

There are many reasons to love this series, such as the compelling hook (Reverend Jesse Custer is off to find God, who has abandoned humanity), the balance of violence and humor (the Irish vampire Cassidy is both the series' most tragic and hilarious character), the shouldn't-work-but-it-does atmosphere of a Western in a modern-day setting with some magic and myth thrown in for good measure, and, most of all for me, the fact that the characters just feel real and connect with you on an emotional level, as I wrote here.

As a part of that last point, today, Valentine's Day 2012, I'd like to focus on my favorite couple in all of comic books, the stars of PREACHER, Reverend Jesse Custer and Tulip O'Hare.

There are spoilers in the next few paragraphs, but they won't go past the second volume of PREACHER.

When PREACHER starts out, Tulip is a hired hitman (hitgirl?) on the run from a botched job, while Jesse is a reverend in a small Texan town that just got ravaged by a deadly supernatural force. A half-angel/half-demon baby named Genesis bonded with him, giving him the power of the Word, which lets him command anyone to do anything he wants. As he's recovering amongst the wreckage, who should coincidentally find him but Tulip, his girlfriend whom he'd left some years before.

After their first adventure, in which we meet the principal players of the series (including the Saint of Killers and the aforementioned Cassidy), Tulip decides to stick with Jesse until such time that she gets an explanation for his abrupt departure. It's an explanation he refuses to give, but is then forced into doing so the moment two guys named Jody and T.C. barge into their lives.

Turns out Jody and TC are from Jesse's past, and that past isn't pretty. Jesse was raised by his grandmother, who believed that as long as she said that what she was doing was in the name of God (to be fair, PREACHER's version of God isn't exactly benevolent), and with this philosophy, pushed Jesse into a lifetime of religious service, all under her control and supervision.

(On a side note, she's probably the creepiest character I've ever seen — a testament to Ennis and Dillon's abilities, considering that all she is, is an old woman.)

Jody and TC and evil creepy Grandma turn out to be working with God (see, I told you — not benevolent), so Jesse's Word doesn't work against them. He and Tulip get tied up, and that's when he can't say no when she demands an explanation. He recounts his past — how his dad came back from Vietnam and met his mom, how he loved Westerns, how his grandmother took them all to her home and killed his dad when they tried escaping, and how his mom was taken away one day and he was raised alone by his grandmother, until he finally ran away and discovered the world.

That's when he meets Tulip, and they fall in love. Deeply in love.

Until the end of the world.

Unfortunately, Jody and T.C. caught up to Jesse eventually and took him from Tulip, hence their separation. She finally forgives him, and then Jody shoots her in the head.

Jesse then spends the next issue gathering his courage to face his grandma and the boys, while Tulip gets resurrected by — who else — God, for reasons that at this point were still unclear. They both make their comebacks in dramatic, adrenaline-rushing ways, first with Jesse going up against Jody:

Then with Tulip shooting T.C.'s brains out:

After Jesse's fight with Jody (which has to be seen, because it's that awesome. It's probably my favorite fight scene in all of comics), Jesse turns around and sees Tulip.

And this ranks in my top 5 favorite scenes in comics, easily.

The love story of Jesse and Tulip gave PREACHER an emotional anchor from beginning to end. Amidst the theological arguments, the Western gunslinging and fistfighting, the cussing, the dirty jokes, the genital removal, it is these two and their love for each other that keeps you coming back for more and seeing where the story goes. And that's one of the reasons PREACHER means so much to me.

How much, you ask? When I got married in December, I replaced "Till death do us part" in the vows. Guess what I replaced it with.

Yep. "Until the end of the world." (Perhaps serendipitiously, Peachy was carrying tulips.)

Comics fans can take their Clark and Lois, their Peter and MJ, Peter and Gwen, Bruce and Selina, Ben and Alicia, Reed and Sue, Matt and Elektra — whatever. I'll take Jesse and Tulip. Any time. Until the end of the world.

Happy Valentine's Day, Cubers!

Reviews: Shazam: The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal

2012-02-09T09:38:00.000+08:00

So I got this book a couple of months ago, and I just finished reading it.

SHAZAM: THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD'S MIGHTIEST MORTAL, written and designed by Chip Kidd with photographs by Geoff Spear, is a chronicle of Captain Marvel–related artifacts from the 1940s–1950s, when Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero on the planet. Regular readers know how big a fan I am of the Big Red Cheese, constantly reminding everyone that this was the one superhero more popular than Superman in the Golden Age. (See my Captain Marvel vs. Superman article)

This is going to be a quick review, since, well, there isn't a story to review, but I would easily call this book essential reading for (1) fans of Captain Marvel and Fawcett Comics and (2) those who truly wish to study comic book history. It's one thing to be told how big Captain Marvel was in the day; it's a whole different thing to see it. From Shazam-related toss bags to mailers sent to potential advertisers to bootleg trading cards from Cuba, the whole production isn't just a time capsule to see how big Captain Marvel and company were; it's a time capsule to see how big comics were at all!

Excerpt from one of the mailers sent to advertisers.
I'm sure the numbers are inflated, but the point stands.

I only have one other book by Chip Kidd, which is MYTHOLOGY: THE DC COMICS ART OF ALEX ROSS, and from there I already saw the kind of design work he was capable of. He brings those skills here, taking Spear's photographs of Harry Matesky's collection and laying them out in the most visually captivating way. In the simplest sense of the word, looking at these old things is fun because Kidd designed it in the most fun way.

In addition to all that, there's some really fun analysis by Kidd in the book. He contrasts Mac Raboy's realist art on Captain Marvel Jr. with C.C. Beck's minimalist style (noting in the process that Raboy could have been a fine artist but decided to do comics for money — how times have changed), lists some key differences between Superman and Captain Marvel, has a whole section on Fawcett's "Batman" (e.g., their second bestselling character), and more.

As an added bonus for every fan of comics, there's a full story in there from CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES #1, which is admittedly unrefined and shows some of the early obstacles they had in establishing the full tone and models for Captain Marvel and company. But there's a dynamism to it that makes it still fun to read — not surprising when you note the fact that it was done by that all-around duo of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, creators of Captain America, among others.

SHAZAM: THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD'S MIGHTIEST MORTAL is a treasure trove for fans and historians everywhere. In a time when the innocence and optimism that Captain Marvel represented is increasingly becoming as undervalued as the Captain is himself, this book is a good reminder of the past, and hopefully, a beacon to the future.

(That's my fancy way of saying that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank better get their Captain Marvel backup in JUSTICE LEAGUE right.)

Interview: PRINCELESS Writer, Jeremy Whitley

2012-02-06T10:00:00.055+08:00

Our guest today, ladies and gentlemen, is Mr. Jeremy Whitley, writer of PRINCELESS. PRINCELESS is the story of a young black princess named Adrienne, who get stuck in a tower by her parents so that she can be saved by a prince who will then be heir to the throne. But Adrienne has a strong, independent streak, and she refuses to play damsel in distress. So she decides to take matters (and her dragon) into her own hands.

Here's my review of the first issue. For the interview, it's after the jump.

All right. One of the things I like to do on the Cube is to spotlight creators as much as the creations, so I'd like to start by asking how you started doing comics and eventually getting to the point of publishing PRINCELESS.

Well, I took sort of the long route to getting started on writing comics. I loved comics as a kid but in late elementary school my family moved to the foothills of North Carolina where there wasn't really a comic shop around. Over time I sort of forgot about reading comics, though I kept my love of superheroes and all things comic booky.

Any particular favorites?

I was pretty standard Marvel when I was younger. Spider-Man and the X-Men were really my favorites. Mostly X-Men, though I had a huge attachment to anything symbiote-related. It gives away my age, but MAXIMUM CARNAGE was very big at the time.

That was my favorite video game growing up.

That game was huge for my brother and I. It caused many a fight over the SuperNES. I remember it was the first video game I ever bought as a gift used, for my brother, for Christmas, from Blockbuster.

On a side note, please do go on.

In high school I decided that writing was what I wanted to do. I went to college for English and Creative writing, but my program had a fairly strict "no genre fiction" rule. So all through college I focused on play writing, a little non-fiction, but mostly that big vanilla-colored box of literature generically labelled fiction.

So your writing was focused on "fiction," do you mean grounded stories with little fantastical elements?

Yeah, mostly. Though, to be honest, my stories were much higher on the fantastic elements than most of my classmates. Everybody seemed to be writing to be published in The New Yorker. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just prefer to have a little more fun with what I write.

Yeah, I can see that — people tend to look for a formula and then follow that theoretical formula in the hopes of achieving success, no?

Exactly. That has never been my forte. Of course, a BA in English and Creative writing resulted in a glorious career at the local video store where I kept trying to figure out what I wanted to do. One of my regulars at the video store was the guy who ran our local comic book store, Mr. Jon Newman. If you've ever read (Mark) Millar and Tommy Lee Edwards' 1985, Tommy actually based the "comic book guy" from that story on Jon. Looks just like him.

Hah, I'll keep an eye out for it.

Anyway, it was through him that I found out about Joss Whedon's new BUFFY comics. My wife is a die hard Buffy fan and if they were continuing the story, I knew I had to pick them up. So I found myself back in the comic book shop.

Where were you at this point?

This was Ultimate Comics of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Now, Jon is that thing that I tried to be at the movie store and I like to hope that every comic book store has, a man who reads a lot of books and isn't afraid to recommend something to your tastes that you might not have seen. I mentioned that I had always been a big comics fan and that the last thing I had really read was THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE. Jon put two and two together and directed me to a large stand of Joss Whedon's ASTONISHING X-MEN. I took the first trade and read it cover to cover twice the first night I had it. The next day I went back and bought the second trade and every individual issue that had come out to that point even though I didn't really have the extra money for that. (I also later bought the trades of AOA, because I had never been able to get my hands on a copy of X-Men Omega, the finale to that event, so for years I didn't know how it ended.) So I became a regular at the store. I subscribed to ASTONISHING, BUFFY, and I started picking up issues of this big event they were doing called CIVIL WAR. Man, was I hooked.

Wow, it's all blending together for me. I'd forgotten that BUFFY was the same time as CIVIL WAR.

Within a few months, it had turned into one of those fifty-dollar-a-month comic habits.

Fifty a month! How did you manage?

Well, not very well to be honest. I could afford it, but we were not in the best of situations moneywise at that point, so I really shouldn't have.

Is this when you decided that you had to make comics to keep up the comics hobby?

I'm not sure if I thought of it like that. I came up with this idea for a comic I wanted to make called THE DREAMER'S DAUGHTER.

What was that about?

It took place in an America where there had been a second civil war between whites and blacks. America had been divided into two countries that were in an uneasy ceasefire the story centered around a biracial girl who lived in the black country and was recruited by her government to become a spy because she could pass for white.

Is race a really important topic for you? PRINCELESS is of course centered around a black character, and now you're describing to me a story that revolves around race relations.

It is. I grew up in a family where half of my aunts and uncles are half Mexican, so I've always been pretty sensitive to the issue. Of course, my wife is black so when we started dating and talking about getting married, it became a pretty deeply entrenched part of my life. My wife and I have always had an unspoken agreement that we talk about race. We don't treat it as taboo. We don't try to pretend that we don't know or care each other's races. It's an important part of who we are, and our daughter isn't going to have much of a choice but for it to be part of who she is.

And as part of that discussion, what you go through as being part of those races, I assume.

Exactly. It's important to understand and acknowledge how we are shaped and affected because of our race, and it's harder to find a place in the world where that's more evident than literature and as an extension, comics.

I (obviously) get that. Oddly, I avoid talking about it on the Cube because I actually dread the possible flamewars. So by extension, how do you feel about the fact that the comics culture is predominantly white-centric?

I think it's weird. I think that it's bizarre how this many years after Milestone we can still have such a white-centric comics world. Black characters and often creators are pushed towards the margin as are female characters and creators. And it's not as if there aren't black or female or black female fans.

It does seem like 99% of their attempts to be more "diverse" really just mean "with more black characters." And more often than not, they're stereotypes. Does this offend your wife at all, or does she just let these things roll off her back? And you, as well?

I wouldn't say it offends her and maybe that's the real problem. She's used to it. She expects it. If there is something really awful or ridiculous than she's not above going on a rant, but her answer has been mostly to withdraw from active fandom and only pay attention when something she really likes comes across her desk.
I probably get much more on my high horse about it than she does. I remember actually having an argument with another fan who was black in which I was ranting and raving about the lack of diversity in comics and he said "Well, they're creators. They create what they want to create." And I said, "Well what if everything they ever create is white and male" to which he responded "Then you get the Avengers."

I get that. I came across Matt Fraction's Iron Man issue with Filipino superheroes, with a scene set in the Philippines, and I really wanted to throw that out the window once I read it. But how do you push diversity? Everyone criticizes "diversity for diversity's sake," but for my money, what else would it be for the sake of? It's not like it's a bad thing to be doing things for the sake of.

True enough. It just seems that for some reason people don't know how to write black characters without stereotyping. For the life of me I can't figure out why Storm is not as popular as Wolverine. She's so damn cool! Yet we keep going back to Wolverine and Cyclops and occasionally Storm shows up for a few issues and disappears. That's my real dream as a comics creator: to write a really good Storm book.

If it's any consolation, she's most likely the most popular female character in Marvel's stable. Granted, that may be like being the tallest dwarf...

Exactly! The fact that Marvel has so many female characters (and really good ones from a basic and conceptual standpoint) and that they have yet to establish a brand on par with Wonder Woman is really a travesty. I'm willing to bet a good ninety percent of people who own something with Wonder Woman's picture on it have never read more than one consecutive issue of Wonder Woman. DC has done everything they can to destroy that brand, yet here she remains.

You would think they would push the living hell out of Ms. Marvel, considering that she has, you know, the word "Marvel" in her name. Not even that she's the best female character they have (that'd be Storm), just that marketing her would be so easy.

Right? Yet somehow they keep trying to make Invisible Woman become a thing.

So we are straying from the topic (though this is interesting). Whatever happened to THE DREAMER'S DAUGHTER?

Well, I needed someone to illustrate it. My wife wanted to do it but she didn't think her art was up to par (though her art is awesome, as anyone who follows our webcomic can attest). So, I posted some fliers and put and add on Craigslist, where I was contacted by my now friend and Firetower Studios co-founder Charlie Harper. He was interested in illustrating the book and asked me to come out and meet with him at a weekly artist meetup he attended at a local coffee shop. We worked on the book for about a year, but a lot of life happened. Charlie had a kid. I moved a couple of times. We both changed jobs at different points. Eventually, we just conceded defeat on that book. I still have twenty some issues written on my trusty comp, just waiting for...something.

Do you plan on going back to it one day?

Yes. I may rewrite the whole thing but someday that book will happen. I just really need the right artist.

DUY'S NOTE FOR ARTISTS: You can address samples to Jeremy Whitley at jrome58@gmail.com. It's not a "contest" though, so no guarantee that he'll pick a "winner."

Anyway, I stuck around for the artist meeting Charlie was going to and met a guy named Jason Strutz. Jason was working on some of his own stuff and I found a picture in his portfolio of Queen Titania from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. It reminded me of another idea I'd had for a story, and I went home that night and wrote up a comic script based on that idea. That became Firetower's first published book, THE ORDER OF DAGONET. Jason and I are still working together and have been running from convention to convention selling THE ORDER OF DAGONET.

We're up to six issues available for sale on www.firetowerstudios.com and through Graphicly, including a printed trade of the first four issues. (Duy here. It's also on Amazon.) The book revolves around a group of modern day celebrity knights how have been recruited to fight the mystical creatures of the world of faerie as they return to modern England. Basically our fate is in the hands of Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, Ian McKellen, and so on.

I do notice that you like to stick pop culture references in your work.Do you ever worry that this would date the work?

I try to keep the references timeless and in character. If the character would say it in the time the character is in, then I feel I'm golden. Most of the stuff in PRINCELESS is either timeless enough or enough out of time that I think it will either feel right or fade into the background.

And that brings us to PRINCELESS. How did this project get started?

PRINCELESS actually had one false start and if you look hard enough on the internet, you can find some of the original artwork. Needless to say, the book did not immediately take off and my artist (who has a relatively successful graphic art career) decided to focus on his art. So I ended up toting around a big pile of number 1s to conventions that year, one of which our booth neighbor Dave Dwonch got for a copy of his book, GNOME. A few months after Heroes Con, Dave sent me an email saying how much he loved PRINCELESS and how it was the sort of book he always wished he could be involved with. My response, having no artist and no possibility of getting an issue 2, was "Guess what? You can!", at which point he had me write up a pitch and took it to the new comic company he'd just founded with some of his comic book–making buddies, Action Lab Comics.

Ah, so that's why there are two company names on the covers.

Yep, Firetower is my independent press and Action Lab are the big boys who actually helped put together to Princeless you see today. They found me a fantastic artist in M Goodwin and Dave and Action Lab co-founder Shawn Gabbourin actually handle the editing duties on the last two issues Dave handled the lettering as well.

Now, how did you get the idea for PRINCELESS? You've covered that the race aspect is because of your and your wife's backgrounds, but what about the story itself?

It goes back to when my wife and I were talking about having kids. I had always wanted to have a daughter and I wanted to be able to share the love I have of comic books with her. Looking around though, most of the girls in my wife's family had never picked up comic books. They had not reason to, there was nothing for them there, nothing they could relate to. I didn't want my daughter to feel the same way. I combined that with the thing that some of those girls have that really creeps me out, the princess culture. I'm really bothered by the fact that so many of the heroes that we provide our girls are helpless, hopeless, and their entire futures hinge on some guy waltzing in to rescue them.

The Disney stereotype.

Yes, Disney. Now Disney is not all bad, there's a lot to like there. In fact, I take a bit of inspiration from the Disney movies I grew up with when it comes to vocabulary in PRINCELESS. I don't shy away from big words or big concepts, because I remember most of the lyrics to "Prince Ali."

Mighty is he?

Just an excerpt: Prince Ali! Fabulous he! Ali Ababwa! Genuflect, show some respect! Down on one knee! Now, try your best to stay calm, Brush up your sunday salaam, then come and meet his spectacular coterie.

They seem to be making a concerted effort to move away from that, but it's difficult to shake off things like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

Jasmine was a step in the right direction as was Mulan, but even in an extreme case like Mulan, she's still so obedient and so much about family and duty. I wanted a character who was out for herself and girls like her.

I haven't seen the latest ones (Princess and the Frog and Tangled). My friend is annoyed at me because she actually worked on those movies and I never saw any of them. Whoops.

I always feel compelled to tell people that I was writing Princeless well before I ever heard about Princess and the Frog, Tangled, or Brave, all of which it shares elements with, and those movies all have serious positives, though I am a little irritated that for some reason the one black princess in the Disney world has to live in 20th century New Orleans while the white Princesses all live in faraway magical worlds.

I'll make sure to note it, although I'm sure it doesn't matter. Using an African-American character is important, regardless of the surrounding context in the mainstream culture.

True, by why can't a black girl have a real castle? It's just not fair.

How does this work though? It seems that you can't use a non-white character without ever hitting on the issue of his or her being not white. Does that add a wrinkle to telling a story with a non-white character?

It does. I handled it by pointing out her nonwhiteness right off the bat and then proceeding to not make a big deal of it when it came to the story.

I loved that, by the way. That's the scene I keep telling people about when I'm describing the book.

Part of my answer has also been that Adrienne is black and shares secondary characteristics like naturally kinky hair but she is not African-American or African,meaning that there is no cultural baggage that comes with a history of oppression, which is actually kind of important to me from a fantasy reader standpoint.

Yeah, it's a different earth altogether without the same history.

Because, as I was printing out with Princess and the Frog earlier, there seems to be this concept that people of color can't exist in a fantasy context. And that's not just black people, not a lot of Filipino people in Tolkien either.

Or anyone, really. And let's just make it clear: females. They're not really characters in these old stories.(And oddly, when they try to rework it so that the girls are in these stories, like with Eowyn in the LOTR movies, it comes off as very forced)

Well, I was actually going to say that ever since the first time I read The Lord of the Rings in sixth grade, Eowyn has been one of my favorite characters. At least up till the end where everybody else goes off to have awesome adventures and she just settles down goes back to being a good little girl. That bothered me even then. Maybe that says a lot about me.

Oh, I never read the books. It just stood out to me in the movies, this overwhelming feeling of "That's not supposed to happen." Of course, I felt that about the 15 of the 17 endings too... and those all happened...

Yeah, she really kicks butt in the books, then in the end she gets married and settles down. Boo to that. Mot that I don't like being married and having a kid, but really.

So how did the creation of PRINCELESS progress, and how did you decide to split it up into however many books it'll end up being?

Well, the way I was writing it to begin with, we were going to have a number of issues focusing on Adrienne's attempt to rescue each sister. Action Lab proposed splitting them up into miniseries so that anyone can pick up the new number 1 and just start where we do. It's something that I'd seen work very well for comics like HELLBOY and THE STUFF OF LEGEND, so I went for it. Plus it gave me a limit where I had to finish each story. I'm bad about allowing my books to ramble on and bleed together.

So PRINCELESS is a project you plan to keep going for years? We can call Book One the Secret Origin of Princess Adrienne?

Yeah, the current story revolving around the rescuing of the Ash sisters is set to run 24–25 issues, so it will probably carry on for a few years at least.

That's cool. It ended on such a cliffhanger, too. My niece was asking me when the next one was.

The next one is slightly up in the air right now, but the plan is to definitely have the next mini going this year. I already have it written and it's nearly edited, so I'm excited to get it into production. After that's done I'm perfectly amenable to writing more adventures for Adrienne if people are still reading.

I definitely have the trade on preorder. I was only able to manage to get the first issue, and only after a lot of drama involving Diamond and lateness. It would almost definitely be easier to get the trade.

The trade should be much more widely available, whether people are looking at Amazon, the comic book store, or hopefully even in the book store.

So PRINCELESS is a subversion of that whole fairy tale convention — and it's gotten very favorable reviews. Have the sales figures been backing that up?

To the best of my knowledge yes. It's certainly the best selling book I've written, not that that's saying a lot. Our Diamond rep says that for the indy market the numbers are quite good. I happen to know that Action Lab has at least made their money back, so hopefully I won't be putting them out of business any time soon.

That's good to hear, because my niece loves this book. And of course,you have a target audience of all ages. Not "primarily for kids" — all ages. How do you find writing that? Is there a balancing act you have to do?

Definitely. I fall kind of into that gap anyway. I like to keep things at a level that people feel comfortable sharing them but they don't have that scrubbed clean feeling. I like for things to feel a bit edgy. My biggest challenge has been writing fight scenes involving a sword where no one ever gets stabbed or bleeds on panel.

One thing I really liked about Princeless is that you keep digging at the conventions of the genre. Everyone can tell you're having fun with it, such as the "Warrior Women Wardrobe" scene. Have these things always bugged you about superhero comics?

They have always bothered me, but it seems even worse in recent years. Not to dig up an overused example, but Harley Quinn had a fantastic costume and now she looks like a crazed hooker.

I always gave Diana a pass though, seeing as how she's invulnerable anyway — and for whatever reason, I never thought she looked sexified. I think she looks more so now, with the choker and everything.

I just never understood what amounts to a one piece bathing suit as as battle armor, though I seem to remember over the years she has had some pretty badass armor.

Diana doesn't need armor though. That's always been my reasoning. Same reason Thor has bare arms... although I of course wouldn't want to see Thor in short shorts.

That's the only sure way to stop this costume discrimination: make it equal across the board. For every woman you draw wearing a battle bikini, you have do draw Thor in short cutoff jeans.

Here's a question: since the race issue is very sensitive to you, what made you decide to make the king a very unlikable character? It seems to me that you have essentially taken what could be a racial topic and then shifted it around to make it a gender topic.

Well, honestly the King is not all bad, though he does have some entirely reprehensible opinions, We'll learn over time that he's a complicated man. My only real goal racially with PRINCELESS is representation. I want a character with brown skin and brown eyes and natural hair that black girls can look at and see that there is a hero that looks like them. I don't intend for PRINCELESS to be about racial issues otherwise, but gender issues are front and center.

Yeah, you've made this world one where the contributions of females are not only unappreciated; they're looked down on. So yeah, gender issues.

I think that's something that's much easier for young girls to relate to. While I wish it weren't the case, that's something they are going to deal with. They'll have to deal with little boys telling them they're "just girls" from an early age.

Absolutely. I've always found that racial discrimination is learned, but gender discrimination seems to be — well, I wouldn't want to say it's ingrained, but it's certainly more ingrained...

So that's where Adrienne stats is a world where everything about her life is predetermined because she's a girl and she makes a decision to change her lot.

So you want young girls to be able to relate to Adrienne. Does this also extend to wanting them to see her as kind of a role model?

Absolutely. I think Adrienne is a great role model. She's far from perfect sometimes, but she thinks for herself and has the guts and brains to make her own destiny.

And certainly I'm sure that you would have a really cool feeling reading these stories to your daughter.

Let's hope. Right now she just keep trying to close them and rip out pages when I open them.

What kinds of features can we expect to see in the TPB, if any?

Well, the trade paperback is going to have one really cool special feature in the form of a crossover with the hit Image fantasy comic SKULLKICKERS.

Yeah, that was my next question. So let me say it before you answer it: "What can you tell us about the Skullkickers crossover?"

It's a short story written by Jim Zub (author of Skullkickers) and illustrated by M. Goodwin. It will appear in the PRINCELESS trade and in one of the upcoming issues of SKULLKICKERS.

Did you have any input on it at all, considering it stars Adrienne?

I didn't do anything on it directly, but they ran the script past me and I'm very happy with it. Maybe someday Jim will let me return the favor.

Can you give us a quick overview of the plot?

Well, it's about the perils of being short in the world of action fantasy...but that's all I can say.

Haha, and we should leave it there and wrap up. Any last words for the readers about PRINCELESS and what else you may be doing?

If you like PRINCELESS keep an eye out for other great original stuff coming out from Action Lab as well as a number of other projects I'm working on for Firetower Studios, not the least of which are our daily webcomics. We do five new comics a week for your viewing pleasure. Also, the first issue of THE ORDER OF DAGONET is free on Graphicly right now! You can check it out now! Also, if you're in the eastern US, keep an eye out for me at the conventions this year. I and the rest of the Action Lab gang will be out and about.

Thanks for the interview, Jeremy! Goodnight!

Thank you for having me. Goodnight.

Before Watchmen: Kurt Busiek Addresses a Strawman, Mark Waid Rebuts JMS

2012-02-05T15:34:00.001+08:00

Around 15 or 17 years ago, before Brian Bendis and Geoff Johns came along and writers became the stars of the comic book industry, there was very little question that two of the three biggest writers in comics were Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY, AVENGERS) and Mark Waid (THE FLASH, KINGDOM COME). I'm confident in saying that if they had done BEFORE WATCHMEN back then, these two would have been two of the first people DC asked to do it. (Grant Morrison is the other one.) Seriously, you guys must remember these game-changers, right?

In the last couple of days, they've commented on some statements made in the wake of BEFORE WATCHMEN, and I think they're good points — points that deserve to be posted in an article itself and not left to a Facebook status and comment boxes.

First, here's Kurt Busiek addressing the strawman argument of "Alan Moore uses other people's characters but doesn't like when people use his":

A thought, after seeing reactions to BEFORE WATCHMEN: It seems to me that anyone who thinks LOST GIRLS is merely a sequel to PETER PAN et al in the way that BEFORE WATCHMEN will be a prequel is really missing something. There's a difference between "build and transform and make something new" and "right, that went well, let's have more of that." DC's got good people working on BEFORE. But I suspect if someone did something as transformative as LOST GIRLS or LEAGUE with WATCHMEN we'd be going into a wildly, phenomenally different area.

I'd like to add to that the following. Moore is often ironic in his quotes. This is lost on a lot of readers for the obvious reason: it's not easily communicated in the written word. But you can hear it whenever you listen to him. It's so easy to say, for example, that his "I want no money from the movies they make of my work" is a self-righteous, arrogant stance, but all you have to do is hear him say it to know that he's being ironic. Here's a collection of mp3 interviews and I suggest you listen to them to actually get a feel for his usual tone. Even Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool says it here, after creators and fans alike reacted to Moore's controversial "The comics industry has no top flight talent" statement two years ago:

Alan generally does these kind of interviews in a very self deprecatory, ironic toe. It’s the way he talks. I gave an example of that at the beginning of the interview, because I know how his words can be taken if read in a different manner. Try watching the video, then reading the piece again in that voice. When Alan is talking about the comics industry having no top flight talent – he’s including himself in that analysis. And I don’t think he’s blaming any creator for his problems, or the problems of a retro-looking industry, he’s blaming the companies.

Furthermore, declining money is not a self-righteous, arrogant stance, and anyone who thinks that actually reveals more about themselves than about the creator in question. I can speak from personal experience here: I have turned down generous offers, because (1) I can afford to, and (2) I didn't really want to deal with the people making those offers. And after everything you've read about the case, why would Moore keep wanting to deal with DC? For all the debating, all the posturing on all sides, I do believe it really comes down to that one simple thing: Alan Moore doesn't want anything to do with DC Comics.

Okay, that's done. Now, the most vocal of these creators on BEFORE WATCHMEN is J. Michael Straczynski, of whom, as you know, I'm not a big fan. JMS will apparently, in his DOCTOR MANHATTAN series, answer the oh-so-important question of "Why was Jon so absentminded as to walk into the Intrinsic Field chamber when he is so particular about time, because he's the Clock King for some reason?", and I don't know why he's doing all the talking, really. In any case, JMS wrote a long rant on his Facebook defending his choice to do BEFORE WATCHMEN. As is typical of Joe, no action of his is questionable and all the fault is on Alan Moore, and so he effectively gives a view of history where he can't possibly take any blame. Here's Comics Alliance discussing it.

And here's Mark Waid, a guy who was there, commenting on it:

To be fair:

I find it absolutely impossible to believe that DC, at any point, offered Alan “anything he wanted” as financial compensation, much less “complete creative freedom.” I’m sure they offered him boatloads of cash and I’m sure they offered him “creative freedom within reason,” but JMS is overstating in order to make a better case for his side. Also, in trying to “balance” the comparisons, JMS forgot to add the qualifier, “Let’s also say that, without getting into whether I was right to believe so or just crazy, I believed to my absolute core that the company who was trying to woo me back to Babylon 5 was a corporation who had (in my opinion) already screwed me repeatedly and who I could never in a million years bring myself to trust to deal fairly and morally with me despite contractual language in my favor.”

None of what I have just said is intended to take sides or to especially bolster Alan’s side or to snipe at JMS…but as someone who was on staff during Watchmen’s original publication and first-hand witness to the many growing problems between Alan and DC, I can tell you that it’s a very thorny, very complex situation in which (IMO) both sides have valid reasons to believe that the other doesn’t always deal fairly or sanely. I bring this up only because I bristle at JMS’s assertion that what he offers is a “more accurate” analysis of the overall mess instead of an equally flawed restacking of the deck.

After someone missed his point, Waid rebutted:

You misunderstand. I said, point-blank, "None of what I have just said is intended to take sides or to especially bolster Alan’s side." I'm not here to comment on the overall "should DC/shouldn't DC" debate. I wrote the post because false, uniformed "equivalencies" get under my skin, and I found JMS' line of reasoning stunningly flawed and canted. That's all. To reiterate, from first-hand experience and observation: I can understand why DC, historically, has had problems dealing with Alan. And I can understand why, historically, Alan has had problems with DC. They both believe to their core that the other has behaved in bad faith at times. And whether or not that belief is true and factual is not the point and has zero bearing on the world today. What matters is how those involved now react in light of their convictions, and distrust of the other party always casts a huge shadow over negotiations. JMS's flawed "apples-to-apples" presumes that all parties trust one another to act in good faith. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that.

Saying either "Alan's just nuts" or "DC deliberately swindled Moore and Gibbons" criminally oversimplifies the situation at hand. It's not that straightforward.

To answer your other questions--yes, absolutely, I too believe in standing by the contracts you sign, always have, always will. But I have learned the hard way--over the past two years in particular, with more than one previously trusted company--that even with the sharpest lawyers on your side, sometimes contracts get exploited in ways no one could ever have logically foreseen, and all the precautionary thought and advice in the world doesn't always cover both parties against unpredicted circumstances...especially with regards to emerging media, which "trade paperbacks" certainly were in 1985, every bit as much as "digital comics" are today--no one in the mid-'80s DC Editorial office ever dreamed any comic would stay in print 25 years.

In fact, digital is a great comparison. I myself, like hundreds of others, signed creator-owned deals ten years ago that included rights-reversion after material goes out of print--at a time when neither I nor the publisher could have foreseen that, in a digital-comics world, the phrase "out of print" as we defined it then has a far different meaning now. Back then, "out of print" essentially meant, "Hey, we, the publisher, have exhausted the market for now and aren't receiving enough orders to make newer printings profitable, so here, take your kid back." Now, by the letter of those contracts, a publisher can throw your book on the web at almost zero cost and certainly at no financial risk in order to maintain the rights in perpetuity without selling even a single copy. Not many creators OR lawyers could have foreseen that world in, say, 1999-2000.

And, finally, no disrespect to Dave at all--a fine man of great morals--but under a 50/50 split, Dave's blessing isn't any more "decisive" a factor than Alan's lack thereof.

What, JMS has a view of history that's self-serving and everything is the opposing party's fault? I'm shocked. Shocked, I say. Absolutely shocked.

Don't remember the glory days of Busiek and Waid? Here, these'll refresh your memory.

Before Watchmen: My Reaction

2012-02-02T12:29:00.003+08:00

Well, it's official. WATCHMEN is getting prequels.And it's got these teams on it:

- RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
- MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
- COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
- DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
- NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
- OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
- SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner

You know, I've been thinking about this overnight, which yes, is what I do, trying to see this from all angles, and here's what I've come up with:

A few months ago, I said on the Cube that I'm over the thought of Watchmen 2. I can't stand JMS and he's absolutely wrong about the creator's rights issue just as he was wrong about Spider-Man sales (and of course, nothing is ever his fault), but he's right on one score: I don't think (personally) that the original work is going to get affected; I don't think THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN hampers THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS in any way. The past 10 years of Captain Marvel stories don't ruin the Golden Age Captain Marvel stories. Dead Man's Walk is a horrible, horrible read, but it doesn't change the fact that Lonesome Dove was a great, great read. Just because David Boreanaz sucked as The Crow didn't mean that Brandon Lee's performance was diminished. That's just not how sequels work. I'm sure there were "fan fiction" (and that's what this feels like) sequels to Shakespeare's stuff that just never stood the test of time — and why, frankly, should it? So there, I don't think that anything they're going to do is going to hurt the original book. It will stay intact, forever and ever.
This is an incredibly dickhead move by DC, morally speaking. As with Grant Morrison doing Action Comics as a Siegel/Shuster riff, that's the main reason I won't be supporting it. That and JMS is on it. With Andy Kubert. SERIOUSLY? I honestly can't get over that pairing. JMS AND ANDY KUBERT?? I can't think of a pair of superstar creators that would turn me off to any project more than these two. Maybe JMS and Rob Liefeld. But the Liefeld thing was a gimme. Anyway, it's DC. We knew this was coming ever since they actually did the Watchmen movie and Moore's name wasn't on it. We shouldn't be so surprised now.
On the other hand, few things are bound to get lapsed readers (Note: I said lapsed, not new) into stores. And who knows — maybe the people who aren't comics readers but bought WATCHMEN after the movie came out (one of very few movies that actually spiked the sales of a particular book... V FOR VENDETTA is the other one, making me wonder, when is B FOR BLOOD FEUD happening?) liked the book enough and don't hold it in such high regard as we do (and frankly, how could they? At least 50% of Watchmen's impact is based on the form and technique of comics. How can they appreciate that as much as the narrative elements if they aren't comics readers?) will go to comics stores to buy it, and once there, perhaps the retailers can go point them to other titles, ones that need supporting. In the larger scheme of things, can we really say this is a bad thing?
To add to that, this will give the creators involved quite a bit of coin in their bank, enabling them to pursue more esoteric projects. Darwyn can do more of the Parker GNs. Adam Hughes can keep going on doing covers and commissions. Len Wein is writing again. JMS and Andy Kubert can... uh.... damn. I dunno. Ruin the whole thing on an artistic level? No, wait, a molecular level. That's more accurate. Anyway, point is, it's a cushy job and I can't blame them for taking it.
It should be noted that there HAS been a prequel to Watchmen, only in the form of an RPG. Moore was bouncing around ideas for a Minutemen prequel as late as 1987. It was only later that he changed his mind. Things like this make me dislike the rationale of "It's a complete story." Even Moore thought it could use additions. Am I frustrated at DC for things like how they handle deals with creators? Yes. For the fact that they seem to be totally and completely out of ideas? Of course. But as far as the "There's nothing to add to the story," thing, I find it hard to buy into. But again, I'm one of those "I ignore stuff I don't like and come up with my own canon/continuity" people...
For the record, and I think this deserves its own bullet, I don't see why these top-flight creators are working on BEFORE WATCHMEN. They could be doing something more creative than trying to write prequel fan fiction, which is exactly how this feels. But like I said, it's a cushy job and I don't blame them for taking it.
But on the complete flipside, I was under the impression that Gibbons would be involved. If they didn't want this project to polarize so much, he should have been involved, even on a consultant level. And you know what? They should damn well pay him anyway. When Moore was being given five-star hotels in New York City and a gigantic contract offer, Dave Gibbons was being shuttled around in dirt motels where he got robbed. When it comes to Watchmen, as much as DC has mistreated Moore, they've vastly mistreated Dave, who still comes to them and is loyal to them every single goddamned year. I don't care if he turned the project down, if his statement was the most diplomatic way of saying "Good luck with that shit." They should give him money for it. He fucking deserves it - and has deserved it since 1986. While Alan was writing Watchmen, Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and Miracleman, and making a career out of it, Dave was drawing Watchmen and Watchmen only - and helping Alan MAKE that career. Dave's entire career has been unfair. He should have gotten more recognition, more money, more credit. He should still get it all today. So DC, do something right and make sure Dave gets money for this — I don't care if he didn't sign a contract. And make sure you put in big bold letters in every single issue: Watchmen was created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Check out my buddy Paul Cornish's take on it. He's a bit more optimistic than I am.

Easter Eggs in Comics: Phoney Bone in DONALD DUCK!

2012-02-02T08:29:00.001+08:00

Welcome to another installment of Easter Eggs in Comics! Click here for the archive!

Today's Easter Egg is rather unusual, as it's the first time that an Easter Egg preceded the thing that it is reminiscent of. This comes from the really excellent DONALD DUCK: LOST IN THE ANDES, which I just reviewed earlier this week.

Barks' influence comes through in one of the 10-pagers, specifically the one entitled "Truant Officer Donald," where Donald tries to make the nephews go to school. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are constantly a step ahead of him and take to mocking him, at one point with a snowman:

Look familiar? 'Cause it sure as hell looks like Jeff Smith's Phoney Bone to me!

This story can be found in:

Reviews: DONALD DUCK: LOST IN THE ANDES

2012-01-30T10:00:00.177+08:00

I was fortunate to have recently purchased DONALD DUCK: LOST IN THE ANDES, the first volume of Fantagraphics' collection of Carl Barks' works for Disney's comics. I named Barks third on the list of the most influential comics writers ever, and to be frank, second and third place on that list were interchangeable.

I've mostly been exposed to Barks' UNCLE SCROOGE stuff, however, so I didn't quite know what to expect. Donald Duck is, after all, the quintessential "unlikable" character in the Disney universe. This is, after all, what we've been taught through many a Disney cartoon. He's the cranky sidekick, the guinea pig, the butt of the joke. Right?

Wrong. Cantankerous as he may be, Donald Duck has depth in these 240 pages (and that's a sentence I was sure I would never type). And the stories are full of charm and magic that — and here's the amazing thing — still hold up today. When you read a comic from the Golden Age, a lot of the time, you have to take into account the context of the time. Production qualities were low, artists were working for hire with inadequate compensation, and, of course, the language of comics was still in its infancy. I've read a significant number of Golden Age comics, and while some really don't stand the test of time (too many to count), some do once you take the era in the proper context, THE SPIRIT and CAPTAIN MARVEL being the most obvious examples. And then there's Carl Barks, who is the exception, because you don't need to take context into account. His stuff is as good now as it's ever been. And it is mind-blowing.

The first few pages of the main story itself are already full of the aforementioned charm. Donald, working at the Museum of Natural Science, cracks a square stone artifact. When cleaning up the mess, he realizes it's a square egg. This leads the authorities into a frenzy — egg dealers love the idea because they'd be easier to stack. Archaeologists love it because it means there's something to discover. So Donald and his nephews (Huey, Dewey, and Louie) get sent to find a lost Andes civilization where, theoretically, square chickens lay square eggs. The imagination that Barks exhibited is evident in the characters (including a hoodwinker and a guy called "the craziest guy in the Andes") that the Ducks run into even before they reach the lost city they're looking for. And when they do reach that city, that's when Barks' work as an artist blows your mind, because you think that he's just into drawing cartoony stuff? No, sir, not at all.

The Masking Effect may be in play here.

The citizens of this lost town (the name of which I won't tell you, because it's part of the fun) as well as their culture, dialect, and law (intentionally singular) showcase the creativity that Barks was just filled with in this time period (1948–1949). I'm happy to say that I found myself achieving the perfect balance in savoring the art and the story as well as turning the page quickly enough because I couldn't wait to see what happens next. The problems that the Ducks get into are unusual and imaginative; the solutions are even moreso. Barks' linework is clean and fluid, with the expressions and body language conveying the charm and creativity of the story as perfectly as they convey what each character is feeling, thinking, or saying. And the final punchline wraps everything up in a nice, tight manner.

The 32-page "Lost in the Andes" story may be worth half the price tag of $24.99 alone. But then we have three more stories that are at least 20 pages long, nine 10-pagers, and seven 1-page gags. I'm just gonna do a quick rundown of each story.

Long Stories

The Golden Christmas Tree. Donald has to save Huey, Dewey, and Louie from a witch that wants to destroy all Christmas trees. The ending is a little hammy (Barks didn't write it), but the story highlights Donald's bravery in a way that even superhero comics of the time rarely did — Barks showcases a vulnerability, weakness, and fear in his protagonist that he has to overcome in order to save his nephews. Only Will Eisner was doing things like that back then.
Race to the South Seas. In a race to save Uncle Scrooge (an as-yet unrefined, ultra-cranky version), Donald squares off against his cousin, Gladstone Gander, the luckiest person in the world. Despite all of Donald's efforts, everything goes right for Gladstone without his even trying. How can Donald and his nephews win this? (Hint: they can't.)
Voodoo Hoodoo. Bombie the Zombie comes to town to enact vengeance on behalf of his master on Scrooge McDuck, but he mistakes Donald for Scrooge. Donald and the kids have to go to Africa to lift the curse. This story is particularly interesting for me because of the racial depictions in the story, which seem to offend absolutely no one, oddly enough, in a time where TINTIN IN THE CONGO and Ebony White from THE SPIRIT can't stop getting criticized. Regardless of that aspect, the story is yet another imaginative and fun romp through yet another exotic location. Note that Barks has been setting each story in different backgrounds: "Lost in the Andes" is in the Andes, "The Golden Christmas Tree" is on top of a mountain, "Race to the South Seas" is in the middle of the ocean, and "Voodoo Hoodoo" is in Africa. No one short of Herge willingly set his heroes in different locations each time. It's as if — GASP — Barks actually liked drawing backgrounds!

10-pagers

Toyland. Santa Claus takes the Ducks to the North Pole to test out the toys he's making and see if they're still suited to kids of the next generation. Donald's supposed to take notes. The story takes a turn that's just really feel-good. And if you remember playing with toys instead of video games, you may find this particular story a little bittersweet.
The Crazy Quiz Show. Donald studies every fact he can (some true, some false but feasible) to get on a quiz show. The hosts purposefully ask him unanswerable questions while asking his nephews easy questions (that they still get wrong). The kids constantly pick bikes instead of cash, leading into what is probably the funniest punchline in the whole book.
Truant Officer Donald. The kids decide to skip school, but they get caught by the new truant officer, who just so happens to be Donald. Mischief ensues, and the ending of this story is probably most indicative of how comic book Donald differs from cartoon Donald. See, cartoon Donald pretty much always loses. Comic book Donald somehow wins, even when he loses.
Donald Duck's Worst Nightmare. Donald needs to get over his recurring nightmare, and the solution is to find something scarier in real life. Just a fun, funny, and charming story. (I've probably overused the word "charming" way too many times.)
Pizen Spring Dude Ranch. A bunch of horsethieves are running a scam to get more money from Donald, and it's up to the kids to catch them. Again, just a fun story.
Rival Beachcombers. Gladstone Gander competes with Donald and the kids to find a very valuable ruby on a beach. Gladstone is probably my favorite recurring character here; he's just so ridiculously unlikable and it's fascinating to see how Donald and the kids win against someone whom they really, really can't beat. The two times Gladstone shows up, it really highlights Barks' cleverness.
The Sunken Yacht. Uncle Scrooge wants Donald and the kids to lift up a sunken boat. But he doesn't want to pay them for it. Donald exhibits a characteristic pride and an uncharacteristic dignity in this story, and is really played as the underdog. If any story makes you sympathetic towards Donald Duck, it's going to be this one.
Managing the Eco System. Probably the most "typical" Donald story, this has him involved in a feud with his nephews regarding echoes off a mountainside (they're pretending to make the echoes for money, and he wants to expose them).
Plenty of Pets. The kids bring a bunch of pets home from camp and Donald wants no part of it. What could possibly change his mind, and how would the kids like that change of mind?

The 1-pagers. I'm not going to summarize them because, well, they're a page long, but just for the sake of cataloging them, here they are:

Jumping to Conclusions
The True Test
Ornaments on the Way
Too Fit to Fit
Sleepy Sitters
Slippery Shrine
Tunnel Vision

The hardcover is completed nicely by an introduction by Donald Ault, an English professor from the University of Florida, as well as some notes and essays by other professors, teachers, and what-have-you on the stories presented herein. I'll admit to thinking that some of these essays are a bit overthought, but you do get to learn things, like finding out which Hollywood directors/producers were directly influenced by Donald Duck, the origins of the term "zombie," and factoids about Carl Barks' life.

Whether or not this will help usher kids back into comics is debatable (at a $25 price point, I tend to think that it's aimed more towards people like me), but Fantagraphics is doing us a great service here by finally putting Barks' work back into print. It's been too long, and it's about time, and I'm eagerly going to collect every single volume (the first UNCLE SCROOGE volume, ONLY A POOR OLD MAN, is out in June!).

Buy this, folks. You will not regret it.

Write Your Own Toonopedia Article

2012-01-27T12:26:00.000+08:00

Well, a while back, I wrote about Don Markstein, webmaster of one of my favorite sites on the 'net, Toonopedia. He's been in bad health for a while, and I got this comment from his daughter, and it doesn't look good. But here's how you can help keep Toonopedia alive.

Don Markstein's daughter, Rachel Brown, here. Your thoughts and well wishes mean a lot to our family. He greatly enjoys the occasional card, well wishes, or even fan letter. You may continue to send them to him at the address listed in the original post.

Unfortunately, the hope for him recovering is slim at best. He had a history of strokes, then suffered an incident that caused him to be in and out of hospitals for several weeks last February. Stubborn old man that he is, he actually walked out of one the second the ambulance got him there once. Unfortunately, in March of last year, days after his 64th birthday, he suffered a massive stroke while in the hospital. This caused him to be paralyzed on his left side.

His toonopedia was his favorite pastime. He spent years collecting comic trivia and exploring his love for comics. I think I was born as an excuse to continue his love for comics, both in stillform and in animation.

Toonopedia has become everything he ever wanted it to be. Well, it doesn't pay the bills. But it has given him the opportunity to share his passion with others on his terms and given to others a vast repository of toonological knowledge.

In the spirit of keeping his passion alive, my mother, his wife, GiGi Dane, posted yesterday on her Facebook the following:

The time has come to see YOUR byline in the Toonopedia!

If you are a fan of toons then you are probably a fan of Don Markstein's award-winning website -- the Toonopedia (www.toonopedia.com. For over a decade Mr. Markstein has been the creator and sole contributor of the site. He has become too ill to continue but is still interested in seeing the site grow and remain a top source of knowledge for toon lovers in the years to come.

We are now in a position to continue his work but need fresh material to add to our content. Don has asked us to solicit new articles. We are interested in articles on almost any toon that is basically American-bred (although he has made exceptions) that needs a presence in the Toonopedia. Familiarize yourself with the style of the Toonopedia articles. Note the use of artwork with each article and submit a representative piece that reflects the characters personality.

If you have any questions you can contact us at toonopedia@yahoo.com

With many exceptions, my dad has maintained focus on American toons that are at least 10yrs old. His favorite exceptions are things that are returning to the limelight. Submissions will be reviewed by his family members (a couple sons in law, a nephew or two, his wife, etc.) and published upon approval with the name of the writer.

Toonopedia has been one of my favorite sites since I got Internet access. Don Markstein's passion shone through and he was one of the main influences behind the Cube, right beside that Dial B for Blog guy. If you can, please help keep this extensive resource alive.

Reviews: Spider-Island

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

It's a device often used for Superman: surround him with characters who have the same powers and capabilities (or, alternatively, strip him of said powers and make him human) and show, in the process, that he's special not because of those abilities, but because of who he is as a character. It's obviously easy to do with someone like Superman (more Kryptonians! More!!), but with the exception of the random spider-powered foe (e.g., Venom), it hadn't really been done for Spider-Man.

Until Big Time. Until Dan Slott. Until SPIDER-ISLAND.

In SPIDER-ISLAND, Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos bring back the Jackal (a villain long thought dead and done for since the infamous CLONE SAGA) and use his knowledge of genetics and obsession with Peter Parker to infect the entire population of Manhattan Island with spider-powers. All of a sudden, everyone was a spider-man (or woman), and so our hero, Peter Parker, was basically reduced to being a "normal." The result is some damn fine storytelling, an excellent piece of characterization for our hero, and a rollicking, fun yarn that encapsulates the best aspects of the superhero genre.

Slott's take on Spider-Man has been pretty top-notch since the beginning, and it's followed the trajectory in terms of quality that I predicted it to since Slott's first issue. Slott eschews decompression, so every issue is pretty much packed to the brim with storytelling, characterization, and stuff happening. As Spider-Island starts, Peter had been dealing with the loss of his early warning system, his spider-sense, by learning kung-fu from the master, Shang-Chi. But then Spider-Island kicks into full gear as the city is invaded by a bunch of Spider-Man impostors (each wearing a different Spidey suit, natch), and the Avengers show up to stop them. Of course, Peter thinks it's his responsibility, so what happens when he shows up to take care of it?

It would be easy for anyone else to say, "Well, I guess the Avengers will take care of it," but Spider-Man's whole tagline is about responsibility, and if he can't help as Spider-Man, well, he'll find another way.

This sequence leads into just one of many moments that combine clever characterization and writing with a rush of pure adrenaline. Slott's run thus far has been characterized by answering questions that have been so obvious that no one thought to ask them, such as "Why doesn't Spider-Man use his science knowledge to build devices other than webshooters or spider-tracers?", and Spider-Island has been no exception. Wait till you see Reed Richards' introduction to Horizon Labs, Peter's workplace, and Peter's subsequent reaction. It's so obvious and sensible, and it really drives home the idea that Spider-Man is the everyman; how he reacts to his colleagues' reactions when they meet Reed Richards is exactly how the reader would react.

It's difficult for me to talk more and more about the Spider-Man moments in Spider-Island without spoiling anything, since it's just filled to the brim with action-packed goodness, but one of the things I can say is that it really highlights the uniqueness of Peter Parker, even with a city full of people with spider-powers and even his more powerful clone, Kaine, running around. This really underscores what makes Peter Parker such a special character, with his flaws and all, but most of all, his enduring sense of responsibility.

In the sense that he emphasizes both the character's personal traits as well as the awesomeness of his superpowered trappings, Dan Slott is indeed comparable to the great Roger Stern (and frankly, I think Slott's run is the best run on Spidey since Stern's). But there's another thing Slott does just like Stern, and that's his use of the overall continuity of the shared universe. Dan doesn't eschew the parts of continuity he doesn't like (like a top DC writer I know), but he doesn't get enslaved by the continuity he does like either (like another top DC writer I know). Dan is able to take the Jackal and Kaine, two characters from one of the most maligned comics stories ever, and integrate them seamlessly into a story that makes you care (in fact, one of the spinoff series from this, SCARLET SPIDER, is getting very good reviews now). The reveal of who's behind SPIDER-ISLAND also relies on Marvel's history and continuity, but not in such a way that it uses it as a crutch. I had no idea who the big bad was, and the fact that I didn't know did not matter in the slightest.

Nor did it matter that I just bought the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN issues. Significant events are handled in another title, VENOM, featuring Peter's friend Flash Thompson wearing the alien symbiote. But this is handled expertly: Slott depicts the key events happening in VENOM in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, so the readers miss no part of the big picture. It's like a sweet, sweet return to the way continuity was handled in the 80s: interaction between titles, but without the reliance to that interaction that's been omnipresent in mainstream titles for the last fifteen to twenty years.

The thing is, this fight doesn't matter to Peter Parker's narrative,
and so it's not shown in full scale in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.
And you don't need to see it. But you have the option to if you
read VENOM. Isn't that great?? I love it when continuity is
handled right.

One last thing I'll say about it is that there are great character beats in SPIDER-ISLAND that advance the overall Spider-Man saga. From J. Jonah Jameson getting spider-powers (not a spoiler; you knew he was getting them) and what that means for him to Kaine's development as a character to Carlie Cooper (Peter's girlfriend) turning into a giant spider, the storyline really gets you caring about Spider-Man's world. The most significant plotline, arguably, is that of Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man's ex, not gaining spider-powers until it's too late. And when she does, it's a turning point, and you feel it in the story. It's one of those aforementioned adrenaline rushes, and had this particular reader screaming "Yes!" (I know that's probably going to shock people who think I'm not a Mary Jane fan, mostly the crew of people who missed the point of this article I wrote last year.)

Humberto Ramos' art takes a while to get used to, as he takes a lot of liberty with anatomy and technical correctness, but I think he works great for a character like Spider-Man, whose movements are packed with a manic energy and fluidity. I seem to always find Spider-Man to be the one character where I end up liking artists I usually don't (such as Ramos or Todd McFarlane) and not liking artists I usually do (Phil Jimenez comes to mind). In other words, Ramos' manic, energetic artwork is the perfect complement to this rather manic, energetic story.

SPIDER-ISLAND is one of the most fun events in Marvel history. It has excellent characterization, nonstop action, and the correct use of a shared continuity. The hardcover came out two weeks ago to comic book stores, and Comic Odyssey told me it sold out in two days. But the main storyline (which actually collects the VENOM issues) is available on Amazon today, with the Companion (with added tie-ins) coming out next month!

SPIDER-ISLAND is incredibly awesome, and I've read it three times from beginning to end. Would I lie to you guys?

Dynamite Releases THE SHADOW in April, to Be Written by Garth Ennis

2012-01-23T10:00:00.032+08:00

So the news is out that Dynamite Entertainment is releasing a new THE SHADOW ongoing in April, to be written by Garth Ennis (PREACHER, HITMAN, THE BOYS) and drawn by Aaron Campbell (THE TRIAL OF SHERLOCK HOLMES), with covers by Alex Ross (KINGDOM COME, MARVELS). And I was going to write about it — I really was — but my best friend since the third grade, who is the biggest Shadow fan I know, wanted the chance to do it.

So, without further ado, heeeeeeeere's Pig! (That's his pen name. And what're you looking at? My name is Duy.)

The Shadow Returns

by Pig

The Shadow returns courtesy of Dynamite Comics. To be written by Garth Ennis.

There was one thought in my head when Duy broke the news to me.

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD.

WHOOOOO KNOOOOWS WHAT EEEEVIL
LURKS IN THE HEAAAARTS OF MEEEEN?

The Shadow. Garth Ennis. Alex Ross.

Sweet baby Jesus, this is pure gold.

I was introduced to The Shadow in 1994, when the movie starring Alec Baldwin came out (I know Rotten Tomatoes said it sucked, but who the hell cares). I never heard of The Shadow till then, but then later found out that the guy predated the Batman, who actually ripped The Shadow (ripped may sound too harsh, let’s say “templated” or “copied, but with variations).

See link: http://dialbforblog.com/archives/391/

(Duy's interjection: also see link: http://www.comicscube.com/2010/07/reclaiming-history-bill-finger-real.html)

But what makes The Shadow so damn cool?

Is it the mysterious origin? The evil laugh? The scarf, cape, and slouch hat? That piercing eye and hawk-like nose, and mouth covered in scarlet? Those shiny .22s (later turned to be .45s, then Uzis) that he brandishes around? The fact that The Shadow will first toy with the guilty, mess with their mind, and then rain bullets on them? The moral ambiguity of a hero that almost verges on the point of villainy?

Fuck. And Yes.

This is a character that has the mystery of Batman, the powers of Professor X, and just about the moral code of The Punisher. PLUS he has agents. Yes, ladies and gents, AGENTS. And we’re not talking marketing agents. We’re talking about loyal agents who would sooner eat a live snake than disappoint him (direct quote from Chaykin’s The Shadow remake).

You have Harry Vincent, the Hand of the Shadow, whom he saved from committing suicide. Moe Shrevnitz, the Legs of The Shadow, who is the cab driver and chauffer (yes, The Shadow is cool like that to actually be one of the few heroes to have a chauffeur). Margo Lane, socialite (and somewhat “love interest” or sex puppy, don’t exactly know which in The Shadow’s opinion is), who serves as the Shadow’s Eyes. And Burbank, radio operator and communications expert, who acts as the Shadow’s Ears.

Those are only a few of his many agents (read The Shadow 1941 for more info). And this opens a lot of opportunity for plotlines.

And then you have Lamont Cranston. The face of The Shadow.

Note that I said “the Face,” instead of “the alter-ego” of the Shadow. Because unlike Batman, who is in fact, Bruce Wayne, The Shadow stole the persona of millionaire playboy Lamont Cranston.

WHAT?

The real identity of The Shadow is Kent Allard (or so he says), an aviator hired for a sinister mission of smuggling, who crashes in the mysterious East of Shambala and learns to manipulate and cloud the minds of men, and then goes out to steal the very identity of the evil man who hired him for the mission – Lamont Cranston.

His alter-ego is also an alter ego? That’s fucked up.

Hence, we really don’t know who The Shadow really is. Is he really Kent Allard, because he’s not Lamont Cranston either? Or is this one of that “The Shadow is messing with your mind” bit? Most likely.

And really, the history of The Shadow is nothing short of spectacular. The great late Orson Welles voiced him during his radio show in 1937, which launched hundreds of pulp novels in the 40s and 50s. Writers changed, and so did the quality of the novels — intriguing mystery at its mildest, and downright raunchy, hard-boiled and violent at its most edgy. And in fact, it’s the raunchy, hard-boiled, and violent that’s often most remembered of The Shadow. When Gibson wrote The Shadow and stylized him as the dark, mysterious, sinister anti-hero that he is, the fans dug it like gold.

Apart from the pulps and radio show, The Shadow had several motion pictures, and his iconic presence spurred many comic book remakes and GNs. And now, we can all anticipate Garth Ennis’ version of The Shadow. I honestly cannot think of a more appropriate writer to write The Shadow.

The only downside is, as I have learned from Duy, that Dynamite is mighty slow coming out with their issues. But that’s okay for me, as long as they come out with quality material.

So that’s that for me, anticipating with excitement and ranting about The Shadow. I certainly hope it’s going to be a good one, and by the way things look, it almost certainly feels that it will be. But if not, who knows?

THE SHADOW KNOWS. THAT’S WHO, BITCHES.

Reclaiming History: Roger Stern

2012-01-19T08:00:00.002+08:00

Welcome to a new installment of Reclaiming History, an ongoing series where the Comics Cube! tries to balance out what the history books say and what actually happened! Click here for the archive!

A week ago, I spoke about the Bronze Age of Comics and how it may be my favorite superhero age ever, as it seemed to achieve the perfect balance between fantasy and realism, a sense of wonder and a sense of groundedness. Now I'm here to talk to you about the man I feel was the best writer of that time period and, in my eyes, the best superhero writer of all time, Roger Stern.

"Now wait," you say. "How could you call him the best superhero writer of all time when people like Alan Moore exist?"

Rather easily, actually. See, people like Alan Moore have made it a point in their superhero work to take the established conventions and turn them on their heads. People like Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison (and even Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, if you think about it) relied on the overturning of genre conventions, and such an approach would not have worked if these conventions were not firmly established to begin with. Although this approach definitely gets more acclaim and draws more attention to the writer, I think it is also quite a feat to actually be able to adhere to the conventions and to tell the best story you possibly can.

That's what Bronze Age writers did, and that's exactly what Roger Stern did. He did push some of the boundaries of superhero comics and ventured into territory that hadn't been done before, but he never went so far as to give superheroes complex psychological issues, have them meet their creators in a metaphysical tale, or stoop to rape or decapitation as plot points. What he did was to tell a superhero story in comic book form to the utmost capability of his talents. And his talents were considerable.

You can view a full biography and bibliography of Roger Stern's works elsewhere on the 'net (Here's Wikipedia for you), so I'm going to focus here on the comics of his that really grab me.

I recently finished CAPTAIN AMERICA: WAR AND REMEMBRANCE, written by Stern and drawn by John Byrne (when Byrne was in his artistic prime). The first five pages alone will convince you that Stern is one of the best there is at capturing a hero's awesomeness. I'm sure I overuse that word, but there really is no other word for it — Stern is a master at showing, as opposed to telling, just how good and capable a superhero is. In the first five pages alone, Captain America travels from the suburbs to SHIELD headquarters in inner Manhattan.

Stern handled exposition better than anyone.

Right after this particular page, Cap pays the bus driver, even though he's still riding on the roof. In the span of a short sequence, Stern and Byrne use Cap's acrobatics, his thought balloons, and the citizens' thought balloons to get the reader up to speed on the situation and to see what Cap's all about in terms of physical capability. They would continually do this. Note this sequence where the Nazi vampire (ah, how sweet and fun comics are) Baron Blood tries to sneak up on Cap in his sleep:

This was 1981 though, and as evidenced by Baron Blood's actual existence, the Comics Code Authority was relaxing its rules (upon its inception, vampires could not even be shown in a comic). So Stern used this transitionary period to amp up the violent aspects of a comic, though not, in my view, to an overtly graphic level so as to be unsavory. The resolution of the Baron Blood story is one such example. And honestly, this is as "realistic" as I need superhero comics to go — enough to ground the genre and give it real suspense, but nothing too extreme so as to make the fun roots of the genre completely unrecognizable. The moment we get into "Norman Osborn has sex with Gwen Stacy" or "Sue Dibny gets raped" territory, we've crossed the line.

Cap's resolve is displayed even further in Stern and John Buscema's considerably long AVENGERS run. I recently acquired a hardcover of AVENGERS: UNDER SIEGE (if Stern had a critical and commercial masterpiece a la Chris Claremont's DARK PHOENIX SAGA and Marv Wolfman's JUDAS CONTRACT, this would be it, I guess), and just as a primer, this story has Baron Zemo, one of Cap's arch-enemies, assembling a really, really powerful team of the Masters of Evil to take down the Avengers. The story is a real thrill ride, as Buscema's realistic art captures both the subtle moments and the tense moments perfectly. Check out this sequence where Zemo is tearing up one of the few pictures Captain America has of himself and his old (then dead) friend, Bucky.

"I'll remember this, Zemo." What a shot.

Cap wasn't the only hero that shone in this story, as the Wasp and Ant-Man II's standoff against the Absorbing Man and Titania in one issue marks the only time I have ever come to think the Wasp is awesome ever.

Stern was also a fan of using the lower-tiered heroes. One being Monica Rambeau, the other other Captain Marvel, who would soon be team leader after this story. The other one he would highlight quite a bit in this story was Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, whom I've never been a big fan of, but I couldn't help but think "This is great!" here in this sequence where he saves the Wasp from the Grey Gargoyle.

(Just as a side note, this is also the story that inspired Kurt Busiek to create THUNDERBOLTS.)

Uncle Rog, as he's affectionately known in the industry, probably made the biggest mark of his career on that spectacular and amazing arachnid, Spider-Man. Longtime Cubers will know that I love Peter Parker, and that he's one of my favorite superheroes. In fact, I probably have more Spider-Man in my collection than any other character on the face of the planet. So it is that I can say that I honestly believe that Spidey stories in between the deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin (1973) and Roger Stern's run felt almost like fillers. Not necessarily that they were bad, but that they were treading water. (I haven't read them all, mind you, but that's the impression I get). And that's because Stern absolutely got it: he recognized that the Green Goblin was a key piece of the Spider-Man mythos, and so he decided to replace that — but with a twist. Where the Green Goblin was crazy and knew Spider-Man's secret identity, the Hobgoblin was perfectly sane, cool, and calculated. Where the Green Goblin was dangerous because he could strike at Peter at any time, the Hobgoblin was dangerous because he simply wanted power, and to take down Spider-Man just to prove he was better than the Green Goblin. There was no personal connection other than the one that he himself had manufactured, and in a way, for Peter Parker, this made him more unpredictable. (Almost three decades later, Dan Slott would then take this same formula and turn it on its ear.) It should be noted that the Hobgoblin was the first Spider-villain with staying power ever since that initial Stan Lee/Steve Ditko/John Romita batch (unless you count the Punisher as a villain).

The original Stern-penned Hobgoblin saga, collected in the recent trade THE ORIGIN OF THE HOBGOBLIN, never really reached a satisfying conclusion because Stern left the book before he could reveal the Hobgoblin's true identity (he would then get the chance to do so 15 years later in the 3-part HOBGOBLIN LIVES miniseries, but since the character behind Hobby's mask had faded into total obscurity by then, the reveal was anticlimactic. Other than that, the rest of the series is still pretty good in terms of characterization.), but it doesn't lessen the impact or the quality of those stories.

Stern's Spidey run is also known for a couple more stories, one of them being "The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man," which is a particularly impressive piece of work because of its very nature. This is a short backup tale in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #248, and was meant as an inventory piece. It's really one story just explaining Spidey's origin, his powers, and what he's all about — the kind of story often done when a book needs something to fill up its space, but no one ever takes note of. But this particular story makes "Best of Spider-Man" lists all the time, and that's because Stern was able to take the skeleton of the narrative and craft it into something truly heartwrenching. I've known people who've cried over this very short story. It's that good.

What could cause Spider-Man to reveal his secret identity to a little boy?

The other Spider-Man story Stern is known for is "Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut," a two-parter that is impressive on its own due to the mismatch. The Juggernaut, a villain that the Mighty Thor and the Incredible Hulk have a hard time with, is rampaging through the city and only Spider-Man is around to stop him. How does he do that? Short answer: he can't. He simply can't. But that doesn't stop him from trying.

And doing so, I might add, with style.

The story is a testament to Spider-Man's will, his resolve, and his bravery. I can only think of one other Spider-Man story that encapsulates that better, and it has to do with the Master Planner. (Look it up, folks.)

Over at DC, I don't think I've made it a secret how much I disliked John Byrne's take on the character. But one thing on which I may not have expounded is the fact that I really liked what Stern did with it. Although I may not have liked the framework, Stern's work was still able to grab me. At the time, the Superman books were going through interseries crossovers — meaning what started in SUPERMAN would continue in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN would continue in ACTION COMICS, all with different creative teams — but Stern-written chapters were always top-notch. He was really helped out by having Kerry Gammill (an underrated artist if I ever saw one) and sometimes George Perez on art. One of the stories I really liked that he did was this story with basically no Superman, where Gangbuster fought the Guardian. It made me a fan of both.

Of course, Gangbuster was actually Superman, but that's neither here nor there.

I was also a big fan of "The Day of the Krypton Man," where Superman's mind got taken over by the Eradicator, an ancient Kryptonian artifact that prompted him to erase all of his humanity and embrace his calculating, cold, Kryptonian roots. Stern wrote the strongest chapters, first introducing Maxima (a character with actual staying power) and then doing the conclusion. It was the first time I actually saw something good being done with Byrne's vision of Krypton.

I'd be remiss in not mentioning SUPERMAN #30, which involves Clark exiling himself to an alien world after he'd just killed three Kryptonian villains from a pocket dimension (because this somehow seemed a good idea at the time...). Kal finds a world that looks like something he could tend to using his farming background. It is a testament to Stern's writing (and Gammill's art) that Superman is completely alone in this entire issue, and somehow I reread it over and over, and also, somehow, it made farming seem fun.

And of course, Stern is the guy DC turned to to do the whole "Lois finally finds out Clark Kent is Superman" story.

I'll always be grateful to Roger Stern as well for creating Will Payton, one of DC's many characters to bear the name of Starman. I only knew him from WHO'S WHO IN THE DC UNIVERSE entries at first, until one day I bought the 27th issue off the racks because I honestly thought his black costume was one of the coolest costumes ever. This was also the issue where he met David Knight, son of Ted Knight, the original Starman — making this the one real connection to James Robinson and Tony Harris' second STARMAN series later with Jack Knight, which is my favorite mainstream superhero comic ever. How's that for serendipity?

Stern would drift back and forth in and out of comics and other writing gigs over the years, but he's recently written a few AMAZING SPIDER-MAN issues (including a sequel to his Juggernaut story, aptly titled "Something Can Stop the Juggernaut," which was pretty good) and the time-travelling miniseries, CAPTAIN AMERICA CORPS.

As a point of interest, I decided to poll my Facebook group, the International Comics Society, about Uncle Rog, and this is what some of them had to say:

"The most emotional comics story I've read is still 'The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man' by Roger Stern and Ron Frenz." -Sean Patrick Brady, Werribee, Victoria, Australia

"Just read 'Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut.' The art was great. It was the storytelling that grabbed me. Spider-man was just a regular guy trying his damn best to protect a friend from an unstoppable force. Two issues, done. Stern makes buying his old work worth every damned overpriced comic I bought." -Danry Ocampo, Quezon City, Philippines

"My biggest favorites as a kid in the 70s were THE INCREDIBLE HULK and THE FLASH. The Hulk had the edge, because it was at a time when guys like Len Wein and Roger Stern doing some great work on the book, and Sal's pencils were some of his best; not Sal 'Fill in' Buscema on this title." -Darrell DeWeese, Roanoke, Virginia

"First Spider-Man book I ever had was Stern's AMAZING #244. I was only nine and wondering why the Hobgoblin wasn't green. He's easily my favorite Avengers writer, who brought in a new Captain Marvel, Starfox, added Namor to the team — and that little story where the Masters of Evil invaded the mansion was the best. I loved it when he returned to do some Avengers miniseries back in the 90s and wish to see him on a monthly book again soon." -Jeff White, Newfoundland

"The absolute best, most underrated work of Roger Stern is DR. STRANGE AND DR. DOOM: TRIUMPH AND TORMENT. If you haven't read this story, you're missing out on a true gem in any collection. Also, it features pre-Hellboy Mignola art." -London Elliott, Waynesboro, Georgia

"Cap(tain America) doesn't actually need to appear in any comics that don't take place in WWII or involve the Avengers. Although he has had some memorable solo adventures, mostly involving Roger Stern." -Debra Jane Shelly, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

"Looking back at Roger Stern, he seems to me like the precursor to a writer like Dan Slott. A guy that took continuity and a character's history, and used it to enhance his stories, instead of bog them down. He saw that the Spider-Man books were missing that regular Green Goblin type of menace, so instead of resurrecting Norman or putting Harry back in the suit, he created a new character to fill that role in the Hobgoblin. So there was a new permanent threat that wasn't going to get amnesia and go away, and also it paralleled the original Green Goblin identity mystery from the beginning of the series by keeping the Hobgoblin's true identity a secret. He also took Spider-Man out of his comfort zone, by having him fight a villain like the Juggernaut, and used it to perfectly encapsulate Spider-Man's refusal to give up, no matter the odds. Stern was a guy that wasn't afraid to break the comic book mold, to redefine what had become common comic book tropes by that time. He looked at the Masters of Evil and thought, "Why wouldn't these guys get as many bodies as possible to go at the Avengers, instead of matching them up body for body?" Up until that point, it was largely one hero for one villain at a time, or a group of heroes like the Avengers against one Kang or Ultron. Unless the story specifically called for overwhelming odds, like Spider-Man against the Sinister Six, and even they fought him one by one. (even as a kid I thought that was convenient). But he definitely looked at these characters and thought, no way would these villains play fair with the heroes. Thus is born UNDER SIEGE, another classic Avengers tale. " -Back Issue Ben

Here's the awesome thing about Roger Stern: throughout my entire comic book–reading career (if it can be properly called that), I just devoured his writing. But I never noticed his name, and I never made it a point to follow him. He worked perfectly in the service of a story; he didn't have the tropes that made me think "Who wrote this?" And he was certainly a name who let the characters take center stage.

But one day, I looked at my collection and noticed that I had a LOT of Roger Stern–written comics, and that with very few exceptions, I unabashedly loved them all.

Other people can keep wishing that Alan Moore comes back to DC to write Batman (I personally believe he has nothing left to say in the genre); others may want Grant Morrison to keep turning the genre on its ear (as I see it, the more you do that, the more meaningless doing so becomes); and some people may never get tired of the Brian Bendis/Geoff Johns supershow. But for my money, if I want a writer for a superhero comic book and I just want that comic book to just tell the best story it possibly can, then give me Roger Stern. Any day of the week.

She Is Screaming in the Shower: CABLE&DEADPOOL Review

2012-01-16T13:12:00.000+08:00

She Is Screaming in the Shower is a column written by Robert Leichsenring for The Comics Cube! Click here for the archives!

CABLE & DEADPOOL — Marvel's Finest Moment?

by Robert Leichsenring

Bonjour folks. It is this time of the year again when I talk to you about strange things and yell at my closet for not washing the dishes. It is time for CABLE & DEADPOOL.

A few years ago I stumbled over a trade called IF LOOKS COULD KILL. Fabian Nicieza was writing this little gem, and we had a nice little roulette of artists doing duty on this title, but Patrick Zircher is the only one who did over 20 issues. But whatever. I´m here to talk about the book. Creators can come later.

Let me give you a little summary.

Cable, also known as Nathan Dayspring Askani'son Summers, is on top of his powers. He is literally bursting with it. His telekinetic powers are nearly limitless and his telepathy allows him to scan the whole world at once, without using Cerebro. The soldier from the future is on a quest, and the quest is not easy. But as the first issue begins, he has to learn that not everyone is playing nice or willing to play with him. Wade Wilson, the Merc with a Mouth whom we all know as Deadpool, has been contacted by the One World Church to steal a new virus and deliver it to their enclave in France. The virus is called "the Facade Virus" as it allows to reprogram the DNA of the infected to change their looks. As it is, Cable is after this virus too, to prevent that it falls into the wrong hands (and Deadpool's hands are always the wrong hands).

The first arc, IF LOOKS COULD KILL, sets the stage for everything to come, as Deadpool manages to deliver the virus and, surprisingly, joins the One World Church. Cable, trying to figure out what to do with his nigh limitless powers, infiltrates the church to observe the plans of the Church with the virus, which is fairly simple: to turn the skin of every human on the planet blue. Why? To erase racism, to bring mankind together as one race. For Cable, this is unacceptable and he tries to stop the process and to bring the virus under his control, only to be confronted by a blue-skinned, nonscarred Deadpool, a true believer of the Church. In the course of the battle, Cable is infected with the virus himself and loses the control over the techno-organic virus in him and he and Deadpool have to join their DNA to save both of them. This results in one of the best story devices EVER! Every time Cable uses his teleportation matrix, Deadpool is teleported with him, thanks to the DNA exchange, also giving Deadpool the ability to teleport to Cable's position with the words "Landslide by one" or "Landslide by two".

After putting himself together and leaving Deadpool in France, Cable prepares his endgame by transmitting the virus worldwide and giving everyone pink skin instead of blue, and achieves what he wanted, unifying the world for a brief time. This puts him on the map of every nation and S.H.I.E.L.D., when he created the floating city of Providence out of the wreck of Greymalkin, his old space station.

This marks the beginning of my all-time favorite storyline: THE BURNT OFFERING, which was originally known as THE PASSION OF THE CABLE. Deadpool is hired to steal several pieces of technology from around the world to put together a doohickey to stop Cable. But someone else is already ahead of him assembling the parts: Shen Kuei, aka The Cat, a master thief for the highest bidder. All this is necessary as Cable threatens the world to throw all their weapons in the sun if they do not dismantle them. Refugees arrive at Providence by the thousands, seeking out a new life away from greed and restriction, making Providence a thinktank for peace and innovation and alternative lifestyles.

Uniting the world against him, Cable and the opposing players start to take positions. Scott Summers (Cyclops), the father of Cable, who sent him to the future to save his life from the techno-organic virus and ultimately is responsible for transforming him to the ultimate soldier, is vowing that the first line of defense against Cable will be the X-Men, and that if they should fall, there is no shortage of people willing to try.

The X-Men take in Deadpool after he attempts to steal another piece of the device and manage to use his connection to Cable's teleportation matrix to enter Providence undetected. But they are not the first to arrive. The Six-Pack has already been sent in to scout the situation and was easily defeated by Cable.

With the X-Men arriving to stop Cable, everything turns upside down when Deadpool betrays them and joins forces with his new gen-buddy to help him survive the upcoming onslaught. Deadpool is still trying to get his hands on the weapon/device that is meant to defeat Cable, only to find an unsuspected ally in The Cat, who helps him in defeating Cyclops and putting together the thingamabob.

Meanwhile, the world governments bring in their wild card: the Silver Surfer, called by Reed Richards to bring down Cable before he can pull the world into chaos.
This is one of the best fights in the last 20 years: a power-bursting Cable against a quiet but determined Surfer, who believes that Cable's hunger equals the hunger of his former master, GALACTUS. Cable nearly defeats the Surfer and even destroys his board, but in the end, the strain of the fight, their destroying nearly all of Providence while Cable is putting everything back together while still fighting, is enough to bring Cable down.

This marks the point where the secret plan of Cable comes into play. The device assembled by Deadpool is designed to teleport out of his head the portion of his brain that is responsible for his increasing powers. These powers are slowly burning out Cable's body and mind, and everything he has done up to this point was to use his powers before dying to give mankind a glimpse of peace. He was taking away the pain of the world via his telepathy and shared his thoughts with the whole world. Deadpool then does the unthinkable and lobotomizes Cable. Cable's last words are published as an interview with Irene Merryweather, and he himself vanishes.

So ends the first metaplot of the series. Pretty cool, hmm? Now let's get to the real thing — what makes this series so amazing, and one of the best Marvel has ever published.

Nicieza's style combines the serious and sometimes ruthless Cable with the insane and moralless Deadpool. He does this by slowly rubbing off the character traits of one to the other and make them more on equal footing. For the first time in his life, Deadpool has a goal that is not money and someone who believes in him just as he believes in what Cable is doing. We see a more mature Wade who is protecting Cable and fighting for the idea of one man who has seen the future.

Nicieza creates some very strong Deadpool moments, like when Deadpool is trying to get Cyclops to trust his son. Or his amazing expository dialogue.

Deadpool is torn in between being a soldier of fortune and the vision of a friend, between his old nature and a new world. You will never see a Deadpool like this again, or better. Up to now, we haven't seen one.

Cable on the other hand is built up as, maybe, the metahuman messiah, putting his life on the line to create a finer world and to help humanity to realize that change is necessary. In the same moment, he is the target of Deadpool's jokes and indulges over time in the banter. He becomes more human and also more like a benevolent god that is looking out for its children. The ridiculous display of huge guns he is associated with from the times of Mr Liefeld is made fun of and vanished in the background as his powers increase and will stay there for a long time as he finds his replacement powers after his "accident" at end of THE BURNT OFFERING. This book made me love Cable as one of the most interesting characters Marvel has to offer, if done right, and is also the excuse for anything Liefeld has done, at least in my book. I love Cable!

The series unfolds later on in a metaplot that has Cable and Deadpool struggle with their roles in the world and the plans that were made. Nicieza is literally going on a tour de force with the reader, throwing in guest stars from the X-Men to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Cap and the Six Pack. We get Luke Cage and Iron Fist in one of the most hilarious stories involving Weasel, the B.A.D. girls, and a chase scene that made me wet myself ... multiple times. Also included are visits to the Age of Apocalypse and other parallel universes, as well as the CIVIL WAR tie-ins and Mike Carey's X-MEN make a brief appearance. New characters a created and, of course, never to be heard of outside this series. Oh, and Bob, Agent of HYDRA, is in there too!

The art is on a stable level and ranges between average and pretty good, without excelling into the higher reaches of the medium. I haven't even noticed the change of pencilers during my reading. The story just absorbs you and makes everything else just an extension of Nicieza's run. Don't get me wrong, art is important to a comic book, but some books are just different and move beyond the point where the art is an "active" factor. The styles of the different artists are all fitting for the stories that are told and help you to read the books without a break in storytelling, which I credit to Nicieza, as he is the only constant on the run.

A recap page can be found in each book, narrated normally by Deadpool himself, but he is occasionally sharing it with guest recappers like The Horsemen of Apocalypse and other in-story characters. Of course, the recap page is not the only instance of 4th-wall-breaking going on. Deadpool breaks the wall every other issue with remarkable results like him referring to looking like Ryan Reynolds years before X-Men Origins: Wolverine or him making fun of the demasking of Spider-Man, wondering what the issue is as they all know he looks like Tobey Maguire.

Okay, let me wrap this up.

You want a book that is a fun read? Here it is.

You want a book with a compelling and engaging story? Here it is.

You like/love Cable or Deadpool? There you go, you won't find an author today that is showing so much love for those two fringe characters as Nicieza does.

Epicness and fights? All in there.

What can I say? I love this series. And I can read it over and over and over again.
This is not Morrison's JLA or Whedon's X-MEN; this is not a book that was thought of as running for 50 issues. And still it does what comic book should do, and does it perfectly. It entertains, it makes you laugh, it makes you want to cry, sometimes, and it makes you forget that you're reading a comic book.

I can not say anymore to make my point, or maybe I can but I think no one is listening anymore.

Hello?

Anyone still here?

Yeah, thought so.

If you want more of crazy fan love and discussion join us in the ICS, Earth Mightiest Facebook Group, or just tell me to stop, please stop, via my profile.

Signing out.

Robert "Nemo" Leichsenring

A Sense of Wonder: The Bronze Age of Comics

2012-01-11T10:16:00.001+08:00

Welcome to the a new installment of A Sense of Wonder, a feature of indefinite length in which I detail the wonderful (and I mean that in the purest sense of the word) and imagination-inspiring aspects of the characters in the comic book medium, which would emphasize the superheroes, but would not be limited to them. Click here for the archive.

Recently, I've been reading a lot of comics from what we call the Bronze Age of Comics, and I have been absolutely loving them. It may be, hands down, my favorite age of the superhero. With runs like Roger Stern's AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Bill Mantlo's SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy's MASTER OF KUNG-FU, Walt Simonson's THOR, Frank Miller's DAREDEVIL, Alan Moore's SWAMP THING, and Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers' DETECTIVE COMICS, I'm convinced that I can throw a dart at a stackful of Bronze Age comics, and whatever the dart hits would be a comic book worth reading.

But what makes that era of comics so good? In short, it's what I (fine, Ben came up with it) call "grounded fantasy." See, the Bronze Age was sandwiched between the fancifulness of the Silver Age, with what some might call its unsophisticated storytelling (which is probably true by and large), and the Dark Age, for which the superhero was constantly deconstructed and revealed to be less super than he was. The Bronze Age gets the balance of both, managing to treat the superhero with realism without going so far as to resort to cheap storytelling tactics such as (narratively) meaningless rape and decapitation.

Now, I'm not saying that every comic book at the time was perfect, but man, in terms of output, I can't find fault with most of these.

Now, for the purposes of this article, we're going to define the Bronze Age as being from June 1973 (which is the date of THE NIGHT GWEN STACY DIED, which is the unofficial end of the Silver Age according to MARVELS) to September 1986 (which is the debut date of WATCHMEN and the start of the Dark Age). Now of course these "ages" don't have a hard-set start and end, but that'll just make the article easier.

First, let's look at the art. Here's a pin-up of Dr. Mid-Nite from an issue of Roy Thomas' ALL-STAR SQUADRON, drawn by Mike Clark and Gerry Acerno.

This is probably my favorite style, artwise, and it also goes into the idea of "grounded fantasy." Before the days of computer coloring, artists relied more on their linework to create the illusion of realism. It's the type of thing that was done so well in the Golden Age by people like Mac Raboy and John Celardo, but which the production values of the time just didn't do justice. In the Bronze Age, the production values still had a way to go, but it was significantly better. And remember, this was in the days before computer coloring, so the coloring could still be rather crude and garish. The pencillers and inkers had to do the best job they could. Check out this cover to PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #84, done by Dave Simons. Sure, the coloring is pretty garish, but it's an excellent cover, building lots of tension and drama — all with the idea of Spider-Man fighting a bunch of muggers at an arcade!

(That's another thing about this time period — the covers still depicted something that went on in the actual comic.)

Inside, the story by Bill Mantlo and Dave Simons is a solid, done-in-one, compressed 22 pages of Spider-Man looking for a missing baby. The catch is that it seems that the woman who kidnapped the baby would have been a more loving parent than the baby's actual dad. I love this sense of ambiguity, and that was present through a lot of the Bronze Age titles, but it didn't bash you over the head with it like comics of the last decade or so have. At the end of the day, the superhero was still an optimistic character, who dealt with the hand life gives him, and then moved on to the next job.

Writers really understood the medium here; fitting in what story they can in what little space they had. There was no trade-writing, and very little decompression. You'd get a full story in 22 pages, and sometimes, if it was really special, they'd go beyond an issue. What would have been told in six issues today would have been told in three back then. This is not to say that creators did not use decompression and other cinematic techniques, but when they did use it, it was in the service of the story, and they never let it take away the space they needed to tell the story. Here's a page written by Doug Moench and drawn by Paul Gulacy for MASTER OF KUNG-FU. Look at that pacing and that drama.

The effect of the compression is that when something was an epic story and necessitated several issues, the fact that it took several issues would be more effective. One of the more famous epics of the age, "The Dark Phoenix Saga" by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, required the several-issues-long buildup after Jean Grey (as Phoenix) obliterated a sun for the characters to really come to terms with how they felt about it. It was such an emotional issue that taking their time (all the while filling up the interim pages with lots of plot-advancing action) gave the readers time to come to grips with it as well. The sequence with Wolverine is, I think, particularly inspired.

This isn't to say that the Bronze Age was great because it was getting darker. In fact, it was great because it was veering off into so many tones and directions, but the underlying one was still one of optimism. In "Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut," Spider-Man fights for his life, knowing full well that he cannot stop the Juggernaut, but hoping against hope that somehow he can beat the odds.

They didn't let go of the sense of fun and wonder of the Silver Age; they just modified it for the times. Check out this exchange from SUPERMAN VS. SPIDER-MAN: THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru.

How about Captain Marvel and Superman mysteriously interchanging costumes?

Still, as I've said, the Bronze Age was the time when fantasy was being grounded, and in a way, its name is appropriate. It's still shiny, but it's not as shiny as sterling silver, and you're forced to examine it a little more down to earth. Perhaps no one exemplified this more than Batman, who went from the campy caped crusader as seen in the Adam West TV show to the Dark Knight Detective, under the pens of Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams.

This emphasis on a more realistic, grounded Batman saved the Masked Manhunter from cancellation and inspired a whole generation of artists. I figured you'd want to hear from one of them, so heeeeeeeere's Ty Templeton!

Denny O'Neil's influence on me can't be overstated. He was comics' greatest writer when I was a kid, with no obvious second, except perhaps Stan Lee, but Stan was writing fluff where Denny was writing meat and potatoes life stories. When everyone else was writing about events, and "Things" that were happening, Denny created memorable characters that stuck in your head who were in the middle of their lives, when events and stuff started happening to them. There was no comic like Green Lantern Green Arrow previous to Denny and Neil creating it. Their characters lived in much the same world I lived in, discussing politics, and religion, and racism, and poverty when everyone else was fighting Galactus. Denny and Neil's run on Batman is still the high-water mark in that character's history (including Frank Miller or Bob Kane's time there). Denny gave the world Ra's Al Ghul (the best modern villain in comics), and Leslie Thompkins, and though Len Wein first used Lucious Fox in a story, it was Denny that picked him up and ran with him. Denny's Superman "revamp" in the early seventies ushered in the period of Superman I still have the most nostalgia for, with Morgan Edge, and the Sand Superman and Kryptonite No More. Denny wrote the Justice League when it was at its classic best, with Dick Dillon on art, and Green Arrow yelling at everyone who wasn't a leftie. Denny's runs over at Marvel on Daredevil, Spider-Man, and whatever else Sergio O'Shaunesee got up to when he was moonlighting, always stood out as the best thing on the stands while he was there.

It was the humanity of his people, and the undisguised liberalism of his point of view that got to me, but it turns out he was a MASTER at complex plots, surprise twists, and everything else that is required of a great writer.

I've only gotten to work with Denny once, on an issue of Spirit he wrote that I got to draw.

Pure heaven.

The humanity and the complexity Ty mentions seems to be the aim for the Bronze Age creators. One of the most famous runs, for example, of the Bronze Age, is Marv Wolfman and George Perez on THE NEW TEEN TITANS (for which you can expect a retrospective series soon, as I've just completed the full run). Issue 38, "Who Is Donna Troy?", is a done-in-one story where Dick "Robin" Grayson uses the detective skills at his disposal to learn as much as he can about the past of his teammate, Wonder Girl. It's a heartfelt story that is rooted in Dick and Donna's friendship, all the while celebrating the fact that Dick Grayson is a master detective.

See, that's one of the things that made superheroes so awesome to me as a kid, and which I see less and less off these days: their pure, unadulterated awesomeness. The fact that these guys are the best in the world and it is great to see them cut loose. That this was displayed in a heartfelt done-in-one story was a treat as well.

Not that everything was a bed of roses for the superheroes in the Bronze Age. Another of the more prominent runs, Frank Miller's DAREDEVIL, continually placed the protagonist in morally ambiguous situations. Sometimes, his hand was forced.

Man, look at that pacing. Check out the rest of the scene here.
It's marvelous what Frank Miller was able to come up with back in the day.

Sometimes even Captain America's hand was forced, as seen in this scene from Roger Stern and John Byrne's WAR AND REMEMBRANCE (which is the finest collection of Cap stories I've ever read, frankly):

Sweet Jesus, look at that art.

Such a scene was indicative of loosened restrictions on comics, both in terms of violence and of sex, as seen here in the Batman story "The Laughing Fish," by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers. Here's Batman walking into the room of Bruce Wayne's then-girlfriend, Silver St. Cloud:

In these examples though, I feel there is a sense of classiness and taste to it that is passed over these days in favor of gratuitous and shock-inducing descriptions of same.

This story also bridges the silliness of the Silver Age with the all-too-real stakes of the Dark Age. The Joker has crafted a poison that changes the faces of fish to look like him. Thus, he wants a share of the profits, or people will die.

The Joker here is clearly insane, and clearly dangerous. This is a far cry indeed from the Joker seen in the campy versions of Batman. But his style is original; it's highly imaginative. It perfectly encapsulates the kind of criminal he is. Once again, I feel this type of art has been all but lost in today's comics, where supervillains constantly threaten or actually do such things as rape and decapitation, all of which involve much less imagination and are far more unsavory.

No article covering this time period would be complete without mentioning the rise of Alan Moore, and even on a horror comic like Swamp Thing, Moore would push Swamp Thing to his utter potential as a character, transforming him from a muck-encrusted Hamlet to a plant elemental who was actually appreciative of being a plant elemental. In one issue, he featured the Justice League, and Moore's descriptions of them manage to encapsulate their grandeur, even when the whole point of the story was that they were taking a back seat to Swamp Thing.

There is a house above the world, where the overpeople gather.
There is a man with wings like a bird. There is a man who can see
across the planet and wring diamonds from its anthracite. There is a
man who moves so fast that his life is an endless gallery of statues.

In the 2005 edition of BATMAN: YEAR ONE, David Mazzucchelli expresses in his afterword that perhaps YEAR ONE and other such comics post-WATCHMEN went too far in making the superhero "realistic." He states: "The more 'realistic' superheroes become, the less believable they are. It's a delicate balance, but this much I know: superheroes are real when they're drawn in ink."

As far as I'm concerned, by and large, that balance was achieved in the Bronze Age of Comics. It was an age that still shone, though with less luster than the Silver Age, and provided a groundedness to the superhero genre without losing that sense of wonder. And as such, it may be my favorite age for superheroes.

Some great Bronze Age comics here:

Comics' Biggest Boners: A SANDMAN Misprint!

2012-01-08T23:38:00.003+08:00

Welcome to the first edition of Comics' Biggest Boners, in which we showcase some of the biggest goofs and gaffes in comics! Click here for the archive!

And now, your host, 1950s Joker!

In SANDMAN #17, "Calliope," by Neil Gaiman and Kelley Jones, a writer named Richard Madoc is visited by Dream of the Endless and given a most terrible scare. Here are the last six panels of the story.

In Germany, however, someone looking at the translated version decided it would be funny to doodle something in that empty penultimate panel. The publisher, however, thought it was for real, and so the German-translated version ends with this.

Now THAT, dear Cubers, is a boner.

And to mark it, my friend Paul Cornish of The Last of the Famous International Fanboys and The Amalgam Age of Comics made this animated GIF! Click on it to view the animation.

This can be found in:

Tony DeZuniga Benefit Sale for Typhoon Sendong victims

2011-12-26T00:12:00.000+08:00

Tony DeZuniga is holding a benefit sale for the victims of Typhoon Sendong. You can find out more over here.

We are having an Open Studio on December 26 and 27, 2011 from 10 AM till 4 PM. We will be selling our Comic Collections, Prints and some Original Arts and proceeds goes to the Typhoon Victims. Please join us for a good cause. -Tony DeZuniga

This takes place at Abel Nosce, BF Resort, Las Pinas in the next two days.

Limited Edition print from Alfredo Alcala's VOLTAR.
Isn't that gorgeous?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T16:00:00.012+08:00

Today, for Christmas, here's your favorite Transformer, my favorite Transformer, the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Christmas Countdown: Here's a Big Tiger Hug for Being My Best Friend

2011-12-24T16:00:00.012+08:00

And for the second year in a row, the Christmas Eve post goes to Bill Watterson's CALVIN AND HOBBES.

I guess I could have saved this one for tomorrow, but be honest, how many of you are online tomorrow?

There's one more post tomorrow, but if you're not coming online, Merry Christmas in advance!

One more day till Christmas!

Christmas Countdown: Hellboy says Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T16:00:00.008+08:00

Thanks to Robert Leichsenring of the International Comics Society, here's Mike Mignola's Hellboy, wishing you all a happy holiday season!

Two more days till Christmas!

Please Extend What Help You Can to the Victims of Typhoon Sendong

2011-12-22T16:26:00.001+08:00

This has nothing to do with comics, but I have a website that is read by a fairly good number of people, and I believe this occasion calls for it.

On December 17, 2011, the worst typhoon of the year struck Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City, in the southern part of the Philippines. The people to blame — illegal loggers, the authorities, whoever — are irrelevant as of the moment because over 1,000 people are confirmed dead, almost 45,000 are staying in 60 evacuation centers, and over 232,000 are displaced by the storm's floods and are not in evacuation centers. The estimated damage to the infrastructure, agriculture, and school buildings is estimated to be 1 billion pesos, so the effects of this typhoon on these people will be long and far-reaching.

Please help. I'm aware that The Comics Cube's readers are global, and only about 25% are from the Philippines (and most of that is from Metro Manila), so I've compiled the ways to help if you're nowhere in the area.

You can doDonate to the Philippine Red Cross through online transfer- http://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow

You can donate to the Iligan Bloggers' #oneforiligan campaign at PayPal. Their PayPal ID is singcol.inquisitor@gmail.com.

You can donate to the CDO Bloggers’ #HELPCDO drive through PayPal. Their PayPal ID francis.siason@gmail.com.

For those of you who do live in the Philippines, sending help is as simple as sending a text:

That's Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah by Carlo Vergara

No one should have to suffer this much, especially before Christmas, guys. It's hard to imagine, but please help however you can.

Christmas Countdown: Corky and Skeezix meet ... Santa Claus?

2011-12-22T16:00:00.000+08:00

In this GASOLINE ALLEY Sunday Strip, Skeezix and Corky trek to find Santa Claus. Do they find him? Well, you be the judge.

Look at that artwork. Frank King knocks it out of the park again.

Thanks to the Professor for this image!

Three more days till Christmas!

She Is Screaming in the Shower: Growing Up

2011-12-21T16:30:00.101+08:00

She Is Screaming in the Shower is a column written by Robert Leichsenring for The Comics Cube! Click here for the archives!

Growing Up

by Robert Leichsenring

Welcome back, folks. Today we will dive deeper into the superheroes. I love superheroes. Really, really love them. So when I was a wee lad back in the good old grey East Germany, at one point I got my little dirty and sticky fingers on ... dundunduuuunnnn ...Spider-Man, of course. Ahhh, the mid-90s. What a time. And seeing my first superhuman swinging around this amazing city was enough to make me addicted for life (give or take a few years of rehab).

I spent my early years in the 90s with Spider-Man and had my first trade of the Avengers, published in Germany at this time mostly black and white in little books half size of a normal comic book. I loved the Clone Saga and Maximum Carnage. I fell in love with Hawkeye in a solo story and with Ultron as a villain. I even remember Rage (what a stupid character).

And then my mom happened. All my beloved comics just disappeared.

So I was forced into my first 2- or 3-year rehab. until I found this strange comic at the airport of Dresden saying DC VS MARVEL #1. I still hear my Granny asking me if I would like a comic book and I just said "No, I don't need one." Stupid me. One month later I bought #2 and collected the whole run. (I never managed to get a hold on #1 ... idiot, eh?)

From there, I had two choices at this time: do I follow DC or Marvel? As I didn´t like the way Marvel's comics were printed in Germany (the paper sucked, and it was all stupid covers and wahwahwah), I chose DC and picked up JLA #1 by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter.

Boy, that was awesome! I was like 12 years old, and for the first time in my life I thought I could watch real superheroes. The art was amazing, the stories were taking me on a rollercoaster ride from Starro to the New Gods, from the 5th Dimension to the 853rd century and to Heaven and Hell. What a run. Morrison really got me hooked with his take on Aquaman and Kyle Rayner. I loved the chemistry between Flash and Green Lantern. His Batman was cool and dark and awesome. And ultimately, he took me on long journeys through the universe, rooting sci-fi even deeper in my heart. I was enthralled, and thus started my second life in comics.

I started for the first time searching for back issues and extending my horizon. ZERO HOUR was my first event (it does not age very well), and I loved it. Then I went out to get more. In a matter of a years, I had a solid pull list of 5 to 6 titles. BATMAN: CONTAGION and NO MAN'S LAND were sinking their claws deep into my brain. TEEN TITANS, which I could view as backup stories for JLA, started okay and then just drifted into utter stupidity and too many characters (CM3? Really?). GREEN LANTERN was never as good as the JLA stuff. FLASH : CHAIN LIGHTNING (my first contact with Mark Waid) had a new/old Flash and a cool cast including Max Mercury, Jesse Quick, and the one-note-Flash, Impulse. YOUNG JUSTICE (hey, I was a little bugger, I can read those) was just teeny fun. And all the while, I was searching for back issues in between.

My idea of superheroes started to grow. But I was still green and had, honestly, no exposure to the good stuff, the groundbreaking area of the graphic novel.

So I spent maybe four years learning everything I could about the DC universe and superpowers and all this, and then Morrison's run ended. I could no longer afford most of the comics as Panini flooded the German market with DC books. (Marvel's publisher in Germany had hard times since the beginning of the 90s, and they had to switch multiple times until they ended up with Panini as well)

So I stopped reading comics. for maybe eight years — Eight years of rereading my old stuff. (except for Spider-Man. Thanks, Mom!). I watched the movies, of course. I still knew most stuff. But I was out of the game for a long time.

And when I was drafted into the military, a little miracle happened: in the newspaper section of a supermarket in Heide near Hamburg, where I served as an instructor, I saw this cover of Steve McNiven featuring a strange team of AVENGERS and the SENTRY (whom I didn´t recognize at this point) titled "SPIDER-MAN UND DIE NEUEN RÄCHER". The NEW AVENGERS. I looked at the price, €4, and said "Fuck it, I'm buying it."

The next day, I came back to the same store and bought all the comics I could find. Some X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN and went straight back to the barracks and started reading.

You know how you do not offer a drink to a recovering alcoholic? Same goes for comics. I was hooked again. It took me nearly 3 years to totally dive back into my superhero love and collect the needed back issues from Marvel. This time I ignored DC. Bendis' run on the NEW AVENGERS (from Finch to McNiven to Cho to Yu... and guests like Chaykin and Coipiel), Mike Carey's X-MEN (with the amazing Bachalo and Ramos), Joss Whedon's ASTONISHING X-MEN, Nicieza's CABLE & DEADPOOL
(for me still the best Marvel book of this decade, balancing the serious CABLE with the funny unstable DEADPOOL), JMS's SPIDER-MAN, Millar and Romita Jr.'s WOLVERINE - ENEMY OF THE STATE and AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. — Man, I got them all.

At this point it was only a matter of time before I picked up the Ultimate Marvel line. And I started with THE ULTIMATES. Millar and Hitch did a tour de force with some of the coolest ideas for superheroes around, and maybe one of the best-planned and finished runs on a superhero comic. A popcorn summer movie on paper. Only better.

At this point I learned to follow authors rather than fictional characters. So I picked up Brian Michael Bendis' POWERS, illustrated by the top-of-the-game Michael Oeming. And boy, did he push the limits of what I thought you could do with superheroes. Seriously, I read like the first 2 or 3 years (maybe more) in two nights and nothing was the same. The pure scope of the world and the powers at display was invigorating. Every move, every conversation meant something and had consequences for the later story and characters.

The logical conclusion for me was to search for more. More superhero stories, without the the burden of a decades-old continuity.

Enter STORMWATCH. A book that was never really special. The typical battle book of the 90s. Pouches, cybernetic implants and stuff going all over the bodies of the characters and silly names.

But then something magical happened: Warren Ellis and Tom Raney transformed it into a character-driven military espionage drama in a single issue, and the start of something glorious, featuring characters who do not fight for the status quo but to build "A Finer World" (the trade you should buy for the legendary first appearances of Apollo and The Midnighter). With the artistic change from Raney to Bryan Hitch, the series went on for an amazing second season and a breathtaking conclusion, leading to the birth of the superhero team of the new millenium: THE AUTHORITY, a team so fresh and new that every story is a first and everything is possible. Even a hostile takeover of the United States of America.

And so we come to a close, as I later found more stories to please my lust for a different kind of superhero. Stuff like Christos Gage's ABSOLUTION, the superhero trilogy of Warren Ellis, Mark Waid's IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE, and many many more.

And now I'm a happy comic book reader who can go from the sometimes flat monthlies of the Big Two to the epic serial graphic novels and normal series of the indie labels.

There are superheroes out there for all of you. Dark and gritty. Funny and light. Funny and gritty. Dark and light (couldn´t resist). You just need to find them. I found mine and so will you.

You want to hear more? Join the discussion on Earth's Mightiest Facebook Group, the ICS, or just threaten my life via my profile.

Signing out.

Robert "Nemo" Leichsenring

Christmas Countdown: Larfleeze's Christmas Cookies

2011-12-21T16:00:00.010+08:00

Today's Christmas image was requested by Debra Jane Shelly, and provided by Danry Ocampo, both members of the International Comics Society! Here's the Orange Lantern Larfleeze sharing his recipe for Christmas cookies! This is from the LARFLEEZE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR from last year. Try it out!

Four more days till Christmas!

Christmas Countdown: Christmas With the Superheroes

2011-12-20T16:00:00.009+08:00

Today's Christmas image comes from Jennifer Kelley of the International Comics Society, whose art site you can visit here. This is the cover of CHRISTMAS WITH THE SUPERHEROES 1988, drawn by John Byrne. Robin's boot hanging off the fireplace and Superman trying to look through his lead-lined present — classic!

Five more days till Christmas!