AICN COMICS: THE @$$HOLE TRADE SHOW!!

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Darwyn Cook (with inking by Mike Allred)

Publisher: DC Comics

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CATWOMAN: SELINA’S BIG SCORE

Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke

Publisher: DC Comics

Reviewed by Cormorant

When I was a wee lad of five or six and my principle means of transportation was a Batman Big Wheel (it rocked), I thought Catwoman was the bee’s knees. At that point I’d never actually read a comic book, but re-runs of the campy 60’s BATMAN TV show had introduced me to the villainess, ably portrayed by Julie Newmar, with tongue firmly in cheek and a fetish costume to inspire lust in young men everywhere.

The reruns dwindled away though (at least until Tim Burton’s Batman movies revived interest in all things Bat-related), and the handful of comics I read in the 80’s and 90’s featuring Catwoman didn’t make much of an impression on me. Frank Miller’s revisionist origin, which cast Catwoman as a prostitute prior to her thieving days, actually struck me as little too grim ‘n’ gritty for the character. When she got her own series in the late 90’s, writers took her in a more adventurous direction, but I had a hard time getting past the somewhat silly T&A art of Jim Balent. Frankly, the character just seemed uninteresting outside of her role as a foil for Batman, and even the otherwise-brilliant Batman Animated Series didn’t seem to know what to do with her. An animal rights activist?

Honestly.

But things change, and DC apparently decided to get a little bit risky with the character after her previous series ended several months ago. Out went the overtly sexualized costume and the bad-girl art style of the 90’s, and in came indie crime writer, Ed Brubaker and an artist who worked in the slick, cartoony style of the animated series - Darwyn Cooke. Cooke was actually a storyboard artist for the animated series and for a few episodes of the Superman cartoon, but his most impressive claim to fame is probably his work in designing the stunning title sequence for BATMAN BEYOND. If there’s ever been a more kick-ass intro to a cartoon, I’ve yet to see it.

And so the pair have relaunched CATWOMAN not as a high adventure series (as it was before), not as a book to follow in the wake of the various Batman titles, and most certainly not as a suggestive bad-girl title – but rather as a hardboiled crime noir book. Their vision of Catwoman is extrapolated from the Frank Miller revisionist origin, and while I’m not a big fan of that retrofit, they make it work by using Catwoman’s history as a means of finally giving this foundering character a direction.

CATWOMAN: THE DARK END OF THE STREET reprints the first four issues of the relaunched series, and opens with a story told from the point of view of an aging, two-fisted private investigator with the memorable name of Slam Bradley. Bradley’s a forgotten DC character that Brubaker revives as a sympathetic bad-ass that might’ve stepped out of Frank Miller’s SIN CITY, and sets him up to become a recurring supporting player in the series.

Bradley’s investigation swiftly takes us to Selina “Catwoman” Kyle herself, a woman struggling with her past and desperate to figure out her future. Fate takes a hand when a mysterious, perhaps even superpowered individual, begins killing prostitutes from Selina’s former turf, Gotham’s seamy East End. The corrupt Gotham cops don’t give a damn, and while Batman might care, protecting hookers isn’t exactly high on his priority list. Selina also bumps into Holly, the underage hooker from BATMAN: YEAR ONE whom she came to protect, and the fact that Holly’s threatened makes things personal. Thus, Catwoman sets about to become the protector of the poor and unwanted souls of the East End, with the bizarre murders as her first official mission.

Brubaker follows the Frank Miller tradition (which is really just a detective story tradition) of first-person narratives for his main heroes, namely Selina herself and the streetwise Slam Bradley. Brubaker’s writing is clean and tough, and if it’s not strictly realistic, it still seems a perfect fit to the visual world that Darwyn Cooke creates. At a glance, Cooke’s visuals are clearly inspired by the Batman animated series, with cartoony character designs that nail the roguish cast of characters that populate Gotham’s pawn shops, sleazeball bars, and gloomy back alleys. These guys look like the might’ve stepped out of DICK TRACY or TERRY & THE PIRATES, and the unapologetic exaggeration is welcome after years of Catwoman comics being defined by quasi-realistic T&A art. Cooke also amps the film noir elements, seeming to draw inspiration from both 30’s and 40’s film noir and the gritty crime movies of the 70’s.

His redesign of the Catwoman costume is terrific, dropping the tail and thigh-high boots in favor of a straightforward leather bodysuit, and most distinctively, mod aviator goggles. Cooke’s Catwoman is sexy to be sure, but he doesn’t emphasize her sexuality to ridiculous levels and he isn’t afraid to give her a touch of masculinity with her short haircut and strong athleticism.

My only complaint about the relaunch is that the story has a few clichés in it (Catwoman dressing as a hooker as a lure for the murderer) and a few contrivances (the lure works – well, sorta). There’s very much a sense that this first story arc must be a defining story for the character, and I think that responsibility is what led Brubaker to opt for a few clichés to reach the ending he needed. There are still some great twists and turns, and finally, a humanized Catwoman I can like, but I can’t deny that the story falls into predictability once or twice. Nevertheless, the trade is essential reading, especially for those looking to join the series in progress, which has become phenomenally good in recent months.

As a sister book to CATWOMAN: THE DARK END OF THE STREET, I’m also recommending CATWOMAN: SELINA’S BIG SCORE, which is both drawn and written by Darwyn Cooke. In fact, I’m recommending it slightly more than DARK END OF THE STREET, as it doesn’t bear any of the burden that story does to redefine Catwoman. Instead, SELINA’S BIG SCORE is essentially one big heist story, set between the end of the previous Catwoman series and Ed Brubaker’s relaunch. That means there’s no Catwoman costume, but you’ll still see plenty of Selina as a totally professional thief, and all in the context of a story that draws from influences as diverse as OCEAN’S ELEVEN, THE GETAWAY, and Richard Stark’s Parker novels.

What’s cool about SELINA’S BIG SCORE is that Darwyn Cooke has a full 96 pages to tell his story, so after a stunning opening chase sequence, he lets the story of an elaborate train heist unravel at a slow pace, introducing the colorful cast of players one-by-one, and then building momentum again as the heist approaches. I’m reminded of the 70’s style of filmmaking, where directors took a more measured and controlled approach to crime and caper stories, but the few action setpieces they broke out could be stunning. Think BULLITT or THE FRENCH CONNECTION, as filtered through the remarkably powerful visual style of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES.

Notable players in SELINA’S BIG SCORE include Stark, an aging but merciless thief whose past includes a romantic entanglement with Selina; Jeff, a pretty-boy hipster and gambler, brimming with confidence; and good old Slam Bradley, the two-fisted P.I. who’s fast becoming a guest-star favorite for me. Cooke is obviously a fan of hardboiled crime fiction, and no kidding around, this artist writes better than half the guys who are only writers. He’ll draw you in with the build-up to the heist, creating cool and quirky characters you want to know, pin you down with some serious sparks between Selina and Stark, and take you on a helluva ride when the shit hits the fan at the end. Cooke’s previous writer/artist credits include a prestige format project called BATMAN: EGO, which I haven’t read but must track down, and a Valentine’s Day-themed issue of TANGLED WEB, which I have read and found to be hilarious. This guy’s a double-threat of the highest order, and I’m pretty much willing to check out anything he does from this point on. His art for the book is on fire – even better than his regular CATWOMAN stuff, perhaps because he’s doing his own inking – and Matt Hollingsworth’s colors look electric on the hardcover’s glossy paper. The crowning touch is a pin-up gallery from artists like Adam Hughes, Mike Mignola, Steranko, and Jaime Hernandez.

Final judgment: I was as skeptical about the CATWOMAN relaunch as anyone, but these two projects are proof positive that DC really found the right creators to allow the character to stand on her own. I recommend these projects to fans of crime comics and novels, first and foremost, but also to lovers of the clean-line art exemplified by Alex Toth, Hugo Pratt, and Bruce Timm, and finally to those comic fans who always wanted to like Catwoman but who never found a version that was worthy. Give this one a try. You’ll be impressed.

THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES: THE GREAT DARKNESS SAGA

written by Paul Levitz

art by Keith Giffen, Pat Broderick, Curt Swan, Larry Mahlstedt, Romeo Tanghal

published by DC

reviewed by Buzz Maverik

Resume

Buzz Gaiman Maverik

Violent Ward - Turgis State Hospital

Issues, CA

(555) 555-5150

Attn. Paul Levitz, Head Suit Of DC Comics

Goal/Objective: To write BATMAN and SUPERMAN comics as well as Paul Levitz wrote THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES: THE GREAT DARKNESS SAGA. I am willing to immediately replace Jeph Loeb on BATMAN (working with Jim Lee would be almost as cool as working with Keith Giffen must have been on LEGION) and Geoff Johns and Jeff Waid on SUPERMAN. I'm even willing to change my name to Jef Maverik.

Training/Qualifications: Reading incredible comic stories like THE GREAT DARKNESS SAGA (which was originally published in the early 1980s) and learning from the masters like Levitz and Giffen. For example, thanks to their work I know how to pack more action and excitement into a single issue than you see in a whole yearlong story arc of a modern book. Also, they have taught me how to make an overused villain like Darkseid cool by keeping him offstage for over half the stories.

Work History

Current: Reviewing comic books for the Talkback @$$holes on AICN. Duties include enjoying the great characterization of the huge LEGION cast and admiring the clear, detailed artwork in THE GREAT DARKNESS SAGA. Fringe benefits include being able to write sarcastic remarks about comics not as good as the work of Levitz, Giffen and CO.

1992-2002: Remote viewer for a C.I.A. black bag operation. Reason for leaving: I tried to murder my boss when he told me to quit reading THE GREAT DARKNESS tpb and get back to work.

Military Service: Decorated for saving my whole platoon in combat. Just between us, we were all well away from the fighting, stoned and reading L.O.S.

References:

Superboy -- Smallville, Kansas.

Mon-El -- The Phantom Zone.

Dream Girl -- The planet Naltor.

Note To Mr. Levitz: I'm not just kissing your ass here because you’re the grand poobah of DC. You and Keith and Pat and everybody put out a great series of stories here.

BLUE MONDAY: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT &

BLUE MONDAY: ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS

Chynna Clugston-Major

Oni Press

reviewed by: Lizzybeth

When something is described as a “chick movie”, or a “chick book”, it is generally code for “this sucks”. Here is one comic that ruins this code – it’s proudly girly, lots of fun, and one of the most entertaining comics around.

BLUE MONDAY is a manga-influenced American teenage screwball comedy set in the early 90’s. That pretty much says it all, but just for kicks, I’m going to play English teacher and dissect this statement.

Manga: the Japanese graphic format borrowed from and by American Comics. Its distinctive appearance and thematic consistency make it an identifiable influence on a lot of modern art forms, even though there is as much variation within Japanese manga as there is within western comics. BLUE MONDAY is not a manga title in a strict sense, but it does hijack some of the look and themes. Elements such as the large eyes, extreme facial expressions and body language, and a typically cinematic presentation of storyboard-style layout, are all used in some form to add comedy, playfulness, and the occasional pathos to the story. It also uses a similarly nuanced black-and-white shaded color scheme. While many American books will use the manga-style character design to add some life to an otherwise drab and unoriginal product, BLUE MONDAY's look only augments its kind of characterization and swift pacing reminiscent of the best of manga.

American: while there is some resemblance to shoujo manga, the content is distinctly American, taking place in a U.S. high school and featuring kids of a mixture of origins. In this case, there’s a trend towards the Irish decent (Clover is actually from Ireland, while other characters sport names like Finnegan and O’Neal) and a preoccupation with British music and style, mixed with a typical teenager’s attitude and language (read: bad and worse). There is a strong versing in American sources like the 80’s teen comedies and classic comics (Clugston-Major has been heard to refer to her series as “Archie on crack!”), but with enough personality of its own to avoid becoming a bland copy of any of its influences.

Screwball Comedy: pre-WW II American film genre where glamorous men and women fight like cats and dogs. The action is madcap, the dialogue is fast and witty, and the characters tend to be stylish and smart, though with a tendency towards scatter-brained scheming. Basically innocent with an undercurrent of entendre, sex does not enter the picture here but the couples will spend the whole film arguing before they’ll admit to having feelings for each other anyway. All of this translates perfectly into the punk teenagers of BLUE MONDAY, whose idea of flirting is a series of escalating pranks and other contests of one-upmanship. The screwball comedies riffed on social mores of gender and social class, which is echoed in various ways by the teenage rebellion of the Jefferson High characters. Their classmates may think they’re losers, but we know better.

Teenagers: Yes, they tend to be annoying, self-centered, obnoxious jerks. But the BLUE MONDAY characters, while immature enough to be realistic, are the kids we wish we were: the cooler, sharper, livelier revisions of ourselves in high school, back when music was life and clothes were intense personal statements. They’re awfully funny. Where other comics will draw humor from a zany high concept, BLUE MONDAY’s humor is character-based, and with these characters there’s a deep pool to draw from: Clover, the Irish madwoman / soccer hooligan, Bleu the dreamer / obsessive, Erin the prim manipulator, Alan the deludedly confident, Victor the adorably infatuated, poor Monkey-boy, and the Jesus-heads. Let’s not forget the Jesus-heads. This comic makes me laugh out loud more than any other right now. It’s jam-packed with humor and action on the high-school level, which isn’t terribly adventurous (unless you count breaking into the Adam Ant concert, trading naked videos of your friends, and holding public soccer humiliations, which you may) but it’s definitely amusing.

Early 90’s: This aspect will work best for anyone who was in school between the late 80’s and early 90’s, but I think quite a few folks here could appreciate the cultural references, particularly the soundtrack. Music will never sound as good as it did when you were seventeen, regardless of when that year happened to fall. For the BLUE MONDAY kids, we’re in 1990, and the soundtrack of their lives is The Cure, New Order, Social Distortion and an assortment of old faves like Roxy Music and the Buzzcocks. This may not matter to anyone else, (it’s not like the comic plays the songs) but it’s a nice touch for me.

BLUE MONDAY started out in the ACTION GIRL anthology and has put out two collections: “The Kids Are Alright” and “Absolute Beginners”. Both collections are highly recommended. While there is no continuing series, the kids are carrying on in a string of one-shots like last February's "Lovecats" and the upcoming Halloween release. Also look for Chynna Clugston-Major's SCOOTER GIRL project, and the IT GIRL special.

THE TOWERS OF BOIS-MAURY VOL. 1: BABETTE

Written and illustrated by Hermann

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Reviewed by Vroom Socko

What is it about French comic book artists that both draws me in and drives me nuts? Hergé, Moebius, Hermann; they sure seem pretentious, with their single names and their European living. But goddamn are they talented. Amazingly talented. The Tintin books have been favorites of mine for twenty years, and Moebius… hell, you’ve all seen Moebius.

As for Hermann, this is the first story of his I’ve read. I knew that Jeremiah, that show JMS does for Showtime, was based on one of his books, but this is the first time I’ve held his work in my hands. What work it is, too. There are moments where the art just sucked me in, made everything outside the book vanish. There’s one panel of a guard leaning against a wall, his spear held in the crook of his arm. There’s something about the shadows, the look on his face, his body language that tells a story of it’s own. Just one panel, on the eighth page of a 46 page story, but this is the image that comes to mind first when I think of this book.

The story itself is even more engrossing, not necessarily because of the subject matter, but how the story flows. The hero of the book is Sir Aymar, a wandering knight, whose only desire is to return to his homeland and look upon the titular achievements in architecture. While visiting an old friend, a knight in the friend’s service is murdered. It turns out that the knight in question was about to rape a peasant when her mason boyfriend skewered him with his own lance. Aymar, whose concept of chivalry differs from the others, does what he can to prevent the mason from being put to death. I don’t want to spoil any more of the story for you, but the way the story unfolds is part of what makes it so enjoyable. Aymar is all but gone from the story by the halfway point. From then on, the focus is almost entirely on the peasant who managed to come out of this ordeal alive, but not unscathed. We get to see how one almost random act by a noble causes this person’s life to spiral out of control into despair. By the end, they accept that they have no control over their live, no choice about where to go and what to do.

A bit dark, isn’t it? And yet, there is hope to be found in Sir Aymar’s quest. His search for home, his yearning to see the towers of Bois-Maury, is a search for beauty in a world of ugliness. Truly, any story whose protagonist values honor and beauty above all else is an uplifting one in the end.

Dark Horse will be releasing the second volume in the series relatively soon, and September will see the release of a Jeremiah book as well. I’m planning on picking them both up, along with any other books by Hermann that I find.

Oh, and before some talkbacker goes berserk over my opening paragraph, I already know that only Moebius is French, Hermann and Hergé are Belgians. I also know that Hergé’s real name was Georges Rémi. Give me some credit.

Great stuff, guys. Thanks. Next week we’ll be back on our regular schedule.

"Moriarty" out.