The recent controversy over DC’s decision to not allow Paul Pope’s astounding “Batman: Year 100″ to be published in the 2008 edition of The Best American Comics has me wondering: Will mainstream comics ever WANT to be “art?”

The artistic value of comic books has been a debate for decades, with fans of the genre demanding that sequential art be taken as seriously as painting, sculpture and poetry. Comic books’ critics have simply pointed out that it’s difficult to take serious a story about a man beating up a gorilla while wearing his underpants outside his blue tights. But in our postmodern world, the artistic legitimacy of comics as a genre is hard to deny. Ever since Maus won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, there is no mistaking comics have serious merit and that is why we have the many “literary comics” sitting on our bookstore shelves, right next to the capes and yaoi manga.

Superhero comics on the other hand (or “mainstream comics”) (or “pop comics”) on the other hand, is still having a rough time gaining legitimacy. Fans dream of a day they can read their hardcover edition of Planet Hulk on the bus without the vague tinge of shame. They dream of a day in which the power and beauty of superhero comics, regardless of their fanciful subject matter, are seen for the art they really are. But are superhero comics ready to be considered art? Or more specifically, are their biggest supporters, the fans and creators, ready to allow their comics to be taken seriously?

When DC turned down an invitation to be in The Best American Comics, it spoke volumes on the company’s interest in the artistic realm of comic culture. Basically, they are taking the position that “Batman: Year 100″ is not art (and wasn’t, in fact, one of the best comics of the last year) but is simply entertainment, the publishing of which should be tightly controlled to maximize profitability. Forget reaching a whole new audience of “artsy nerds,” DC knows it’s costumer base and will just sell them the softcover trade instead.

But what’s really sad is that 95% percent of Batman and DC fans won’t care about this because they don’t read The Best America Comics anyway. Because the comic that are in those anthologies are “boring.” And yet these are the same fans that want superheroes to be taken seriously. This sort of ignorance (and arrogance) could better be illustrated by someone declaring that Transformers was a better movie than There Will Be Blood, even though they haven’t even seen the Oscar-winning film and forgot that one robot tastefully pissed on a guy.

The truth is, it is the readers of mainstream comic that are not ready for superhero comics to become art. When one imagines a “comic book critic,” they see someone who writes short paragraphs on how good a book’s art is and if the story held together. But a “literary critic” on the other hand rarely makes judgments on the plot or enjoyably of a text. Instead, they cut to the bone and explore what the text says about society, what is says about all of us. Now, if someone were to treat comic books the same way they treat a novel or poetry, fans would not like the results. Firstly, the end result would not be very pretty considering the levels of implicit and explicit sexism and racism in superhero comics. Secondly, as seen by any visit to any comics forum, there is a culture of ignorance in among superhero fans. You are not supposed to “over think” or “over analysis” Superman or X-Men comics.

So what are they, fans? Are they “just comics” or are they art? You can’t have both. If fans want superhero comics other than Dark Knight Returns and Arkham Asylum to be taken seriously, they must learn to get over themselves, their own ignorance and fear of art. Demand more from yourselves and then demand more from the creators and editors.

Nokia, through Verizon, is now selling a special edition of their new Nokia 6205 phone, one which coincides with the July 18 release of The Dark Knight. It is the geekiest phone ever. And I know own one.

While shopping for a new phone to sweeten the bitter taste of resigning my Verizon contract, I stumbled across this sex black handset and could not say no. Part of me wishes I had, as being excited about anything with a Verizon OS is bound to end in disappointment. In any case, I order my phone for $20 and spent the weekend daydreaming about it.

So, what exactly makes this Dark Knight Special Edition phone so special? Here’s the run down:

• An entry code for the game being played at http://fightforgothamcity.com. It’s a Joker card and looks cool once you ignore all the website addresses on it.
• Two battery covers (i.e. backs of the phone), one having the Dark Knight logo, along with the title of the movie and a nice big “TM” at the end.
• Five special wallpapers. They are basically the first batch of posters (Batman staring at a window frame looking over Gotham, the Joker from behind, and the logo graffiti on a brick wall) and promo shots (the backlit logo and the old photo of Batman used to show off the new suit). The two logo wallpapers are nicely edited. The glowing, backlit logo is especially cool on the smaller front screen.
• The first trailer (the one we all became obsessed over last year). Not so impressive on the small screen.
• Ringtones! Oh, I was praying that the Dark Knight theme would be one of the ringtones. But no, they are all nothing but bits of dialogue ripped from the trailer. We have the emo “What will you have me do?” to the sound of the Bat Pod dodging the Joker. Really boring, awkward stuff. At the very least the Joker’s laugh will make a good text alert sound.

Is it worth it? If you love Batman and don’t expect much from your phone (or your phone carrier) this phone is totally worth your $20. But, if you’re on Verizon and want a phone that you can actually do something with, I suggest saving up for the activation fee for another company, but a different Nokia phone and put on your own Batman-related content.

I was shocked when I read that Micheal Turner had passed away on Friday night at the age of only 37 years. Honestly, I thought I was thinking of the wrong person, that there was some other, older, Micheal Turner that I had not known about. I didn’t even know he had cancer.

Micheal Turner has been a bog part of the comic world these last few years, especially in the comic blogosphere, where his work often caused controversy. Whether it was the size of Power Girl’s chest, the absence of feet or the Thing’s jaw, people were always talking about Micheal’s work and, sadly, these last few years have been filled with a lot of negativity. I don’t think it’s fair to pretend those controversies never existed (well, whining about the Thing’s jaw was pretty stupid), but it is good to see that, now that we know what we’ve lost in Turner, there are only good things to say about him.

While I never followed his work closely, I have always loved the way he would render his characters. I remember being a kid, copying the lines from Fathom concept stetches from a Wizard magazine because I loved how Turner was able to make the characters seem both fluid and whole at the same time. Turner’s work was never very “realistic” but you could really get a sense of completeness from his drawings. His work was strong and dynamic and it’s a real shame to be losing out on that strength in the future.

The following panels from (a scanlation) of Parasyte (the best manga currently being published in the US) gives us a peek at what a Mr. Fantastic/Flash Amalgam character would be like.

Smokin’!

Secret Invasion: Runaways and Young Avengers #1: Looks to be so much better than the first team-up miniseries during Civil War. Chris Yost does a fine job writing the kids and Takeshi Miyazawa’s art is a nice blast from the past. I especially love the focus on Xavin during this issue as she may be my favorite character but he’s usually regulated to the team grouch. This series will definetly keep me happy until the next Runaways series is released.

Runaways #30: Forgetting the insane delays on this book, this issues (and the story arc in general) is pretty good. But that’s all I want to say about it. Read my feelings on Joss Weadon and this issue here.

New Avengers #42 and Mighty Avengers #15: The real story of Secret Invasion is all in the tie-ins, especially these two series. I especially like these flashback issues that give us the backstory of the invasion, show us how the Skrulls have influenced the Marvel Universe recently andjust how long each imposter has been in place. If only the main miniseries were like this.

Final Crisis #2: I’m now warming up to this series. I think Grant Morrison may be loosing his touch as a storyteller as some panel-to-panel transitions are pretty rough, I still think the ideas of this series are what places it above all else. Lots of thrills and surprises. I don’t care too much about the reveal at the end so much as the results of the explosion just before it.

No Hero #0: I’ve been a big fan of Warren Ellis’ work for the Big Two but I’ve never dipped into his independent work. With the realease of this $1.00 preview, I thought it was time to remedy that. No Hero looks like it will be good. Maybe the idea isn’t totally original (I mean, how many gitty “real-world” superhero comics have there been since 1986?) but Warren’s delivery is worth giving the series a look. And Jaun Jose Ryp’s artwork is astounding, even if the final splash page looks like the house was blown up with a Tang bomb.

1985 #2: This book really isn’t doing it for me. It seems to not know what it wants to be: touching real-life drama or superhero fantasy by way of the Monster Squad. Really, the only thing that keeps me reading this is geeking out over the 80’s continuity references. Remember: Juggernaut’s got nards.

Hulk #4: This comic opens with the Watcher getting punched out and ends with the Hulk bitting a gun barrel to disarm his attacker. What more needs to be said?

It would seem that I haven’t posted here in over a month. Wow. I supposed that I didn’t have much to say. Or maybe I was simply becoming two depressed in unemployment or Rock Band was taking up all my free time. One of those things.

In any case, here are 17 things I have thought in the past month:

1. I should do a “reveals reviewed” for Secret Invasion #2. Oh wait, their aren’t any!
2. Parasyte is the best manga currently being published in America. I doubt I will ever tire of it.
3. Final Crisis #1 is confusing but has some good ideas.
4. “Batman R.I.P.” is confusing but has some good ideas.
5. All-Star Superman is still awesome.
6. The Robin/Spoiler Special was the best Robin comic in the five years, at least.
7. Should I be doing a “reveals reviewed” for the Secret Invasion tie-ins since that’s where all the story is?
8. Umbrella Academy is really, really good. My Chemical Romance still sucks.
9. Comics are too expensive for someone without a steady job.
10. Chuck Dixon is leaving DC? Robin will go back to sucking.
11. Fabian Nicieza will be writing Robin? Maybe there is hope after all!
12. People are just now noticing the insane continuity errors that occur during major event books?
13. Final Crisis wins if we are talking only about the main series. Secret Invasion wins if we add tie-ins.
14. I doubt I will ever pick up another Joss Weadon comic again.
    
15. Two Runaways books on one day = best week ever.
16. Showcase Presents and Marvel Essential books can be very tiring.
    
17. I can’t believe I missed out on the Supreme Powers MAX series before now. It’s like the Ultimates with Superman.
    

In the time is took for Joss Weadon to write and release six issues of Runaways, my wife and I have moved three times. Given, we’ve had pretty bad luck when it came to living quarters, but if I can remember picking up the second issue of Joss Weadon’s run two apartments ago, something is seriously wrong.

But it’s finally out, and Joss is done with the series, so I should be looking on the brightside, right? Okay, let’s do just that:

What I liked about Joss Weadon’s run on Runaways (pst, there will be spoilers):

• He writes a lot like Brian K. Vaughan, so there was no shock in the creative team change.
• Classic Weadon dialogue.
• He fixed Chase! Tech-enhanced jock is good. Emo-jock with death wish is bad.
• Steampunk was really cool when this series started, so it appealed to me on a very geeky level.
• Didn’t add the team member we expected.
• Molly taking down the Punisher.
• He didn’t kill anyone.
• There is only one Runaways title, so there would be no necessary spoilers (see: Kitty being dead in Uncanny X-Men months before dying in Astonishing X-Men).

But I can’t be positive forever, so here is What I hated about Joss Weadon’s run on Runaways:

• I actually had to read the “Previously” pages because I could not remember what happened in the previous issues, which never happens to me. And even then I would be confused. And when the very beginning of the arc is referenced in the last pages of #30, I was completely lost.
• By the time this run ended, Steampunk got boring.
• He broke up Nico and Victor, which may be for the best but I’m a ’shipper at heart.
• The next Runaways issue will be an unnecessary #1 to generate hype after Weadon’s delays killed the book’s appeal to new readers. I hate unnecessary #1’s.

Looking back, Weadon’s run was really quite good. It’s really just the mutiple-month delays that will cause me to forever look back on it with distain. I look forward to reading the trade that will be coming out in a matter of weeks, as it would be nice to read all the chapters together. (I would read the individual issues, but they were packed away during the last move six months ago.)

How is it the internet didn’t explode yesterday with the release of Robin #174 and the big reveal of who has been running around as the Spoiler lately. Oh, you haven’t read it yet. Okay, major Spoiler spoilers below the fold.

Alright, if you’re still reading you already know the big reveal or you don’t want to bother with a trip to the comic shop. So what do I think?

I think it’s cheap. Real cheap. So cheap it boarders on Doctor Who levels of oh-look-everything-will-be-alright-after-all cheapness. It’s a easy way to explain the clusterfuck that was the last act of War Games and War Crime and appeal to all the fans who were up in arms about the death of a beloved character and her subsequent banishment from the Bat-mythos (except when someone writing Robin would sneak her in).

But, you know what? I don’t care. I still like that Stephanie is back, even though her soap opera-style semi-resurrection is incredibly sloppy, the end justifies the means. I might actually get back to reading Robin on a regular basis now that he has his girlfriend/foil back. In fact, that upcoming Robin/Spoiler Special looks like a lot of fun.

It seem fitting to have a meaningless and sloppy resurrection to counteract a likewise meaningless and sloppy death. Welcome back, Steph. We missed you. By the way, you may want to hang low during Final Crisis.

Ayre Force follows the adventures of super spy/billionaire playboy Calvin Ayre and his team of likewise super spies. Co-written by adventure journalist Adam Slutsky and Joseph Phillip Illidge, best known for his work on the Batman books, Ayre Force has a perfect balance of drool-worthy scifi weaponry and real-world manliness to keep the reader very happy. Yes, this a good comic.

The team of Illidge and Slutsky build an incredibly engaging story, which is quite the challenge when most comics come prepackaged with decade old characters that everyone loves. Sure, it can sometimes feel like a Nick Fury comic at times, but Arye Force is a surprisingly original read. And yes, the dialogue is a bit cheesy at times, but the well-paced plot more than makes up for that.

But I have to say that the best part about this book is the artwork by Shawn Martinbrough. I tend to steer clear of action-oriented title from small publishers because, frankly, the art tends to be terrible. But that’s not the case here. Take, for instance, when Calvin Ayre blows the fuck out of the owners of a bear bile farming factory for being evil dickheads.

Very pretty.

Okay, now what I’ve established that this is a good comic, I must tell you that something bugged me the whole time while reading this. Here is the panel at which my unease firmly set in and sadly it was only on the second page:

Yes, you read that correctly. Bif Naked. This Bif Naked:

Here’s the deal, Bodog, the publishers of this comic, is not a small, up-and-coming comic company like I had thought. Turns out it is a multi-billion dollar corporation specializing in music, gambling and fighting entertainment. And all the members of Calvin Ayre’s crack spy team are real-life employees of the real-life company. And Calvin Ayre happens to be the actual founder of Bodog.

So, having found that out about a quarter of the way through, my reading experience of the book was severely soured by the idea that I was spending my time reading what seems to be little more than an elaborate branding experiment. An advertisement. No matter how much I enjoyed the story and artwork and general craftsmanship of the book, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being sold something the whole time. (But the same can be said for any DC comic in the past year.) A billionaire envisioning himself as a badass spy, getting top talent to produce it, having several corporate money-makers written into the story and then selling it as a $20 hardcover has to be the biggest case of corporate wankery I have ever seen in my life. But, truth be told, if I were filthy rich I’d do the exact same thing.

And then I read the page in the backmatter on how all the proceeds of this graphic novel are going to the Calvin Ayre Foundation to fight the inhuman trade of bear bile farming and promptly felt like an ass. So instead of this being one company’s celebration of itself, it is an incredibly awesome means of raising funds, complete with celebrity cameos, kick-ass fight scenes and card game-related puns.

I’m afraid that most comic fanboys will ignore this book for not being a “serious” comic and that’s a real shame. Yes, the heavy corporate branding is awkward at times, but once you take it for what it is, a balls-to-the-walls spy spectacular for a good cause, it hard not to love it. With solid art, great plotting and fun concepts, this graphic novel should not be discarded for more of the same old crap from the same old publishers

So, if you’re looking for a good read and you’ve Googled bear bile farming by now and know how much it sucks, you can order a copy of Ayre Force from the Bodog website.

And with that, I leave you with perhaps the greatest panel I’ve read this week.

Is it just me or are there an awful lot of Iron Man comics being published now a days? What’s that all about?

Out of them all, the most heavily hyped has been the second ongoing Iron Man series, the Invincible Iron Man, written by comics superstar Matt Fraction. Any you know, overall it’s a really good read. The premise (which doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the silly “open source vs proprietary software” pitch we had been teased with) is interesting, the villain seems to be a good match against such a powerful protagonist, Tony’s voice is smart and engaging. Plus, the art is pretty good.

Now, I haven’t been reading Iron Man comics very closely since, well, ever but I’ve gotten to know the shellhead pretty during Civil War, World War Hulk, Secret Invasion and everything in between. But has Tony really been this oversexed lately? I thought he was too busy running the Marvel Universe for gratuitous sex scenes (in a rated A book).

You know, it’s almost like the writer was told to portray Tony a certain way to appeal to a new audience who’s only familiar with the character from something like a big budget movie about Iron Man’s origins in which he is portrayed by a bad boy Hollywood actor. I dunno. And another thing I thought was a little strange was the tension between Tony and Pepper, particularly concerning wardrobe choices.

Wait, what?

Is Tony able to hear this, because I’m pretty sure he’s able to hear anything said on a SHIELD carrier or anything next to a computer for that matter. And if that’s the case, Pepper is looking at some serious sexual harassment charges. And if Tony can’t hear it, that means Pepper is kinda creepy. Or Tony is so damn hot he makes professional women with years of experience act like girls stripping for a trucker hat.

In closing, Matt Fraction is at the helm of a great, engaging and fun Iron Man comic. New readers, old fans, and panty fetishists will love it.