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Talkback League of @$$holes goes off on TEEN TITANS, ELFQUEST, DEATH, H-E-R-O!
Hey monkey brains, Harry here... I was actually at a very cool Comic event last night myself. At the Alamo Drafthouse IMAGE COMICS and the creators of their upcoming comic... SWORD OF DRACULA were holding a DRACULA NIGHT to celebrate the master of the hickey. We watched the Frank Langella DRACULA, the ol 1985 MR VAMPIRE 2 and the lesbian vampire film... DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS - which just ruled the fucking Earth on the big screen. Ok, now none of those films have anything to do with comics, but the event was caused by a comic, and the trailer for SWORD OF DRACULA was pretty darn cool. IMAGE has another comic that's coming as a 'sister' release in October called FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER, which I fucking love. Ok, maybe I'm just a tad on the Famous Monster Addiction scale, but I love Horror comics. From E.C.'s to Creepy's and Eerie's to the pre-trend TALES TO ASTONISH and TALES OF SUSPENSE and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY to those wonderful issues of TOMB OF DRACULA, Wrightson's FRANKENSTEINs and WEREWOLF BY NIGHT.... oh... and HOUSE OF SECRETS... god I love HOUSE OF SECRETS! I suppose its part of the reason I love HELLBOY so much... it's just an excuse for a wonderful Horror comic disguised as a superhero comic. Now... on to the other @$$holes...
Hey, folks. Ambush Bug here from the Talkback League of @$$holes. This week we have another offering of reviews of your favorite (and not so favorite) comics. Lizzybeth takes a look at Kurt Busiek’s new series ARROWSMITH and Jill Thompson’s DEATH: AT DEATH’S DOOR. Buzz chimes in about a new online horror comic. Cormorant dares to read a Marvel Tsunami comic (that brave soul) and looks at the new ELFQUEST book. Finally, I babble a bit about two DC titles that hold a lot of promise. So sit back, scroll down, and enjoy the reviews. Then blab about them at the bottom in the TalkBacks. It’s the @$$hole way.
TEEN TITANS #1
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Mike McKone
Inks: Marlo Alquiza
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
As far as first issues go, TEEN TITANS #1 was pretty good. Superboy, Wonder Girl, Robin, and Impulse have been running rampant in the pages of YOUNG JUSTICE for years. Peter David did a decent job of telling the ongoing adventures of the youngest team of superheroes, but in the end failed to treat any of the characters with real depth. The stories were too light and fluffy, and ultimately nothing of real consequence ever happened. YOUNG JUSTICE is more of a direct representation of the TEEN TITANS cartoon premiering this past weekend on the Cartoon Network. I just saw the first episode, and while I admire the attempt to cash in on the Pokemon style, I have to say that this isn’t the TEEN TITANS I grew up reading. The TEEN TITANS I remember grouped together a bunch of young heroes and threw them into dire situations. Real world issues like drug abuse, domestic violence, and murder were handled. It was a book charged with emotion. The classic team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez gave the readers a taste of what it would be like growing up in the shadows of larger-than-life superhero mentors and dealing with the problems of the real world. After reading this first issue, it seems that Geoff Johns is going for those old emotionally-charged days of Wolfman and Perez for this new team of young heroes. And that’s a good sign.
This was your typical recruitment first issue. No real action takes place. Robin knocks out Tweedle Dum. Wonder Girl smashes a desk. Superboy flies above a wheat field. The issue is about bringing together all of the right players in order to get the ball rolling. We’ve seen it a million times: One guy has an idea for a team. He goes around recruiting new members. Some are excited, others join reluctantly, still others bow out only to be caught up in the action later. We even seen it twice before within the last few months. Once in the superb first issue of FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE and again in the less superior, but decent intro issue of THE OUTSIDERS. I don’t really have an issue with Johns’ decision to open the book slowly, but just once I’d love to see a team book kick ass in the first issue to hook us all in and THEN explain how they all came together in subsequent issues.
But, like I said, Johns immediately dives into the emotion in this issue. The Young Justice team broke up suddenly. Two heroes died in the GRADUATION DAY miniseries which teamed up the Titans and Young Justice. Two teams were shattered. For the younger batch of heroes, the deaths were taken hard. Most of them hadn’t experienced that much loss. They teamed up because they had fun together and suddenly, with the death of two heroes, the fun came to an end. Things were left unresolved. So far, this is a series about how a tragic event can tear friends apart and the steps that must be taken to mend those friendships.
Johns makes each core member interesting again (something that the writers of SUPERBOY and IMPULSE failed to do, hence the cancellation of their own series). Superboy is bored with his life in Smallville. He thinks the tedious day to day responsibility of school and chores is beneath him. Wonder Girl is being expelled from school because her public identity draws a super villain to the school grounds every other week. Impulse is trying to gain the respect of Flash, a “mentor” who has never really been present in the impetuous kid’s life. Robin, as always, is level-headed, but simply misses his friends. Johns brings this team together, but they make these steps reluctantly. It will be a few issues before this team comes together, but Johns is making it an interesting mending process to read about.
Meanwhile, older members Cyborg, Starfire, and Changeling (AKA Beast Boy) are along for the ride. It’s good to see the old crew together again. As in Johns’ other team book, JSA, this book is all about legacy. There’s a nice scene where the team meets at the base of a statue of the five founders of the original Teen Titans. It helps remind the kids why they come together and what they are fighting for. The concept behind the book (a team of super kids that come together on the weekends) isn’t the most groundbreaking of ideas, but it gives Johns an excuse to gather these characters together. One thing I like about this book is the lack of a “creator made” new character in the Titans roster. I am sick and tired of a relaunched book starring all of the old crew AND some new character who you just know will get lost in the shuffle as soon as the writer leaves the book. I’m glad to see Johns is not following this horrible trend.
Mike McKone has improved a lot since I first saw him in the pages of JLI all those years ago. Back then it looked as if he were tracing photographs in his panels. In this book, each character is unique. Different body types are depicted. Superboy is big and buff. Robin is slender and wiry. Beast Boy is more cartoony while Starfire is statuesque. Each character is drawn classically, hinting at those old ultra-detailed panels of the master, George Perez. It’ll be great to see McKone throw the kid gloves off and draw some action in future issues.
If you’re looking for a balls-to-the-wall action issue, look elsewhere. This issue deals with emotions and re-introductions. And we have more to come. We only saw Cyborg’s eye in this issue and Raven was nowhere to be found. I can’t wait to see how that sexy blue hooded sorceress is going to be re-introduced. It’s a good set up issue, tying up the loose ends from the god-awful GRADUATION DAY miniseries. Johns seems to be treating this group seriously and pushing their characters in new directions. TEEN TITANS holds promise in its spot-on characterization and respect for what has come before. I just can’t wait for the intros to be over with so that the real fun and action can begin.
ELFQUEST 25th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Story: Richard and Wendy Pini
Art and Script: Wendy Pini
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
"The sportos, the motorheads, the geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads -- they all adore him."
--Grace, Principal's Secretary, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
When I was in sixth grade, the first volume of ELFQUEST stories was passed around from student to student until literally every single kid in that class had read it. Pretty amazing. From geeks to sluts to wastoids, we loved the hell out of that thing, and looking back on the series through this 25th Anniversary reprint of the first issue, it's not hard to see why.
Let's begin with the obvious: ELFQUEST was (and still is) sexy.
Now there's a long tradition of chainmail bikini babes in schlock fantasy (what else would high school airbrush artists paint?), but legitimate fantasy works - epics like LORD OF THE RINGS – can be almost painfully chaste; certainly too chaste for sixth-graders first hitting those pesky hormonal spikes. Enter ELFQUEST, with its earthy, long-eared cast of sexually uninhibited elves. They had the large, expressive eyes one might find in the pop-fantasy art of Brian Froud (THE DARK CRYSTAL), but curves and proportions that more closely matched our own, and beautifully-drawn faces. So, yes, there was a prurient interest! What made it okay - what set the series apart from the exploitational WITCHBLADES and LADY DEATHS yet to come - is that it was a very healthy sort of sexuality, even idealized. What else would you expect from a book written by a husband and wife team? The characters in the Wolfrider tribe of elves were fierce fighters, but just as defined by their fierce love of their mates and the familial bondings of the tribe. It was an attractive combination then, and frankly, it's an attractive combination now.
And of course, hand in hand with the sensuality of the series goes Wendy Pini's detailed artwork. Her characters are very individualized, almost like animation models, with simple but very memorable tribal costumes. Of course, Wendy Pini's a terrific craftsmen in all other aspects of the art as well – rich backgrounds, effective storytelling, confident inking, etc. – but you can't help but come back to the characters in ELFQUEST. They look cool. They exude personality and individuality, and pretty much everyone I know who's read the series has found themselves drawn to a particular favorite.
Mine? Skywise, the sly-witted best friend of the tribe's leader and perpetual dreamer of the lot.
Now let's cut past the youthful, fannish appreciation and look at the story. For you mouth-breathers out there thinking to yourself, "Dude, I ain't gonna read no gay elf comic!", you should know that the series doesn't skimp on conflict and violence. In fact, it opens with one of the elves having been captured and tortured, just about to be burned alive by his captors – primitive, tribal humans. See, unlike most fantasy series that take place in generic versions of medieval Europe, ELFQUEST adopts a more innovative setting – the prehistoric world that really existed, dotted with tribes of cavemen, giant sloths, and other denizens of the Ice Age. In this world, in a secluded glade, live the night-hunting Wolfriders, Elves with a mystical bond to the wolves they've domesticated. They don't even know of the world beyond the borders of their forest, and keep an uneasy peace with the nearby humans and an underground troll enclave. With swords flashing, these elves stage a daring raid on the human encampment, rescuing their fellow elf, but humiliating the humans enough to provoke the unthinkable – the humans burn down the forest, the only home the elves have ever known and the source of the game that sustained both elves and humans.
Within the first few pages, this destruction effectively ends the elves' way of life. The Wolfriders are forced to begin searching for a new homeland and ultimately, other tribes of elves (hence the series' title). Now you'll never catch the heavy-handed tones of allegory in ELFQUEST – it's much too spry and charismatic for that kind of seriousness – but it doesn't take much looking to find relevance in the elves' quest for a homeland, in their search for their origin, and in the many culture clashes they'll eventually deal with. The first such clash comes when they take refuge in the caves of the trolls, a duplicitous lot for whom they've hunted game in exchange for steel weapons. The end result of their appeal to the trolls for shelter is a brutal lesson that pretty much kickstarts the entire saga. And even though I know the outcome, I can't help but get a thrill experiencing that first step again.
Now keep in mind, as I lavish ELFQUEST with praise, that it's a very broadly played series. There's surprising depth to be found, especially as the story progresses, but the situations are straightforward and the characters a touch archetypal. There's wit and imagination a'plenty, but those looking for the post-modernist edge of a Grant Morrison or the irony of Warren Ellis will be disappointed. Elfquest is an unpretentious, heartfelt adventure, and in that capacity, it just happens to be one of the best stories ever told in the comics medium.
For this reprinting, which acts as a sort of "sampler" before DC begins reprinting the full saga in a hardcover format, Wendy Pini has returned to completely recolor and re-letter the book, and even jostles the placement of some word balloons and captions for better effect. No George Lucas screw-ups to be had, though – the story and art remain wholly intact, just polished to a superior sheen. I compared the look of the new book to my old Starblaze editions – nicely colored to begin with – and indeed, the new coloring is superior, if a little oversaturated in a handful of panels. Yep, it looks like I'll be picking up the series for a second time in its new format, not grudgingly, but as a happy return to old friends. You newcomers might want to meet them.
DEATH: AT DEATH’S DOOR
by Jill Thompson
DC/Vertigo Comics
reviewed by: Lizzybeth
As Spinal Tap has taught us, there’s a fine line between genius and stupidity. AT DEATH’S DOOR just blurs the heck out of it. I mean, holy shit – goth manga? Mining the two renewable resources of comics in the 21st century at once, while referencing one of the most respected series ever? It’s some kind of nefarious, wicked brilliance at work. Sure, Jill Thompson has drawn big-eyed Endless before, most recently in her LIL’ ENDLESS one-shot, but this is a lengthy volume that is in size, style, and tone a perfect mimic of the Oni Guide to Popular Consciousness, the Americanized manga approach, only with extra cuteness. Death and her siblings are so relentlessly adorable throughout that it’s practically a guerrilla attack, just smacking you in the head with the blunt instrument of cuteness until you have to give in and go along with it. That is, unless you are me, the picky old-school fan who just whimpers when she sees a panel of Delirium, Death and Despair shouting “BY THE POWER OF THE ANKH!” like a She-ra cheerleader brigade, not to mention the trite girl-power page where Death, backed by her sisters, says “Girls can be anything they want to be - even the anthropomorphic personifications of aspects of the universe!” I just have to shake my head. I was so ready to love this - I’ve got total and undiminished respect for Jill Thompson - but this just doesn’t work for me.
First the good. Jill Thompson uses this volume to reinterpret Neil Gaiman’s “Season of Mists” storyline from the venerable SANDMAN series, the arc where Lucifer abandons hell and turns the key over to Dream, and her direct visualizations of Gaiman’s story have some great moments. Seeing Jill Thompson’s renditions of characters like Matthew the Raven, Loki, and the various Endless is a real treat, even if Dream does come off as a bratty teenager for much of the book. What Thompson adds to the “Season of Mists” story is to fill in Death’s activities during this time period, as she copes with the newly-released denizens of hell as they flood back onto the Earth (and into her own abode, being naturally drawn back to the being who escorted them to hell in the first place). Delirium and Despair show up to observe the chaos, and in their own ways, assist. Delirium’s big idea is to throw a party for the dead, because “everyone was probably NOT having a good time in ‘aich ee double hockey sticks’”. As probably the definitive artist for the character of Delirium, Thompson does a splendid job of drawing and characterizing her here (it only makes me wish harder for that long-promised DELIRIUM miniseries!). There are some genuinely humorous parts in the new stuff, especially (to my surprise) surrounding Despair. Apparently she likes Nirvana. That figures. Plus, there's an entertaining sequence of semi-flirting between Despair and a certain raven-obsessed poet recently freed from hell, although it doesn’t end up going anywhere. I can see it having appeal for fans of the current crop of goth comics like GLOOM COOKIE as well as American fans of Shouji manga who aren’t already familiar with the SANDMAN mythos. The volume is very new-reader friendly, as it includes just about all of the relevant information to understand the “Season of Mists” tale without having to trawl through the proper SANDMAN volumes. But is that a good thing?…
The problem is that the most, and almost only, enjoyable parts of AT DEATH’S DOOR are Thompson’s renditions of “Season of Mists”. These scenes are word-for-word, and very nearly image-for-image, retreads of the SANDMAN tale, ostensibly to frame the story for Death, Delirium, and Despair’s little adventure behind the scenes. The contrast between the Gaiman-written scenes and Thompson’s additions really pull the book down – every page from the popular SANDMAN arc outshines Thompson’s additions in both imagination and wit. And the directly Gaiman-written sections are pretty extensive, including everything from scenes from the original story arc to character descriptions (for each sibling of the Endless) to dialogue integrated into the new sections (Green Mouse and Telephone Ice Cream reappears here). As they are word-for-word recreations, it doesn’t feel enough like an homage to dispel the sense that there was simply nothing new to add to the story. The Charles/Edwin boys’ school story is recreated here as well – why? It was an intriguing grace note to the original SANDMAN story arc, but completely unnecessary in a volume that is in itself an elaboration.
Result being, the new generation of manga and goth enthusiasts will probably thrill to the tale of the key to Hell and its various pursuers (Lord Kilderkin, Shivering Jemmy, Azazel, the angels Duma and Remiel) without realizing that all the best parts came out ten years ago. Oh man, I can just get out the rocking chair now… I sound like exactly the sort of grump I can’t stand to listen to. But that’s not my only point – the contrast in tones is nearly insufferable. Gaiman’s dry and morose humor (minus the intellectualizations, Desire is evil, Delight is crazy, and Death is fun) just doesn’t mesh with the kind of manga that Thompson is trying to squeeze it into. Delirium’s silly slapstick was fine in small doses, to offset the gloom, but fitting Death and Despair into it is trickier than it looks. Death as a character has always struck me as too sensible for the kind of manga cutey-pie she turns up as here. While I’m at it, why in hell (sorry, no pun intended) is Death cowering before some lowly demon, when by all previous indications she’s the most powerful being in the universe? Finally, the whole new sequence is pure froth which adds nothing to the Season of Mists story – if we are to think of these as “cut scenes” from the original book, really they were better left out. Covering Death’s side of the story is a good idea for a series - but what did we learn here? Death is shown running around like a madwoman trying to manage all the extra workload, something which Gaiman already demonstrated in a few panels of SANDMAN. The expansion brings a few chuckles, but no memorable innovations. Including the Gaiman sections is a miscalculation that calls attention to just how extraneous these additions are, and it only makes me long for another real collaboration between Gaiman and Thompson.
I’ve really got to stop getting suckered into buying all of these SANDMAN cash-ins. It was my hope that Jill Thompson, being a previous SANDMAN collaborator who had the definitive interpretation of Delirium, would produce a worthy side-project, but neither AT DEATH’S DOOR nor THE LIL ENDLESS STORYBOOK has satisfied that craving. Thompson’s artwork here is delightful as usual, but, speaking for myself, I’m not necessarily looking to this material for delight. There has been a void left behind by SANDMAN’s demise, whether we care to admit it or not. No series since has been so extensively, exhaustively planned and beautifully executed, no serious and literary mainstream project remains save perhaps Alan Moore’s PROMETHEA. Until such a thing comes along, I guess I’m back to waiting for ENDLESS NIGHTS (coming this fall).
H-E-R-O #6
Writer: Will Pfeifer
Artist: Kano
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewed: Ambush Bug
I believe it was an issue of DC COMICS PRESENTS that first introduced me to the world of Dial H For Hero. I remember a story of a boy and a girl, each with magical dials that, when the buttons were pressed in the proper sequence, granted them superhuman powers. Throughout the story, the kids changed over and over into one brightly colored character after another. The hook: these characters were created by the fans. When I was a kid, I loved to make up my own comic book characters. I would draw them out, give them cool names and powers, and imagine that someday I would be able to read about them in the comics. The Dial H For Hero concept played into the imagination that all of us had, bringing our dreams of becoming comic creators to life. It was kind of like becoming a hero yourself. Month after month, readers saw their creations battle it out or team up with DC heroes like Superman. The characters were never that original and the stories were pretty flimsy, but there was a certain charm in the knowledge that these heroes came from people like you or me.
H-E-R-O is a re-imagination of the Dial H For Hero concept. The series' central character is a small golden dial, and the book focuses each month on a new individual who finds the dial and uses its power. This title had the potential to get very old, very fast, but due to the smart writing by Will Pfeifer, the tale of a little dial has become one of the more interesting deconstructionist superhero series in recent months.
As I re-read the first six issues of H-E-R-O, I started thinking about the overall themes of the series and how they compare to the original Dial H For Hero concept. Both have everyday people using a magical dial to turn into heroes, but that’s where these similarities end. The original series was about fulfilling your dreams, being able to fly through the air, and lift mountains. It played off the imagination of the reader, allowing him to go places where he thought he never could go. H-E-R-O takes this a step further. This series deals with the rush of the power and the fun that comes with it, but reminds us all that there are consequences to every action and if those actions are not well thought out the results could be dire indeed.
Looking at it one way, Pfeifer has taken the original “Dial” concept and evolved it into something more sophisticated; something that comments on the concept of being a hero. It teaches the reader that being a hero is not all wine and roses. It shows how the rush of power can be intoxicating, but fleeting and self-destructive. It is a moral tale; one of responsibility. One the other hand, it kind of squelches the appeal one might see in becoming a hero. Every story has ended with the main character either losing the dial due to bad judgment or the tossing the dial away because it was becoming too much of a detriment to their lives. Upon seeing this trend, it makes me wonder what the message is that Pfiefer is trying to tell us in this series. Does Pfiefer mean to say that you shouldn’t be a hero? Is Pfeifer saying that it doesn’t pay to do what’s right with what you’ve got? Kind of the exact opposite theme of the old Dial H concept, huh? The old concept prompted you to dream, while the new one shatters these dreams. You tell me which one sounds more fun.
Although the themes of this book may be debatable, the quality of the stories is not.
There was a moment in issue #3 of the H-E-R-O series that I knew I wasn’t just reading another bland examination of the role of the superhero. Jerry, a down-on-his-luck fast food worker who stumbles upon the magical dial, is trying to muster up enough confidence to call a girl and ask her out on a date. It’s something almost every guy has done. There’s anxiety. There’s fear. There’s anticipation. After a few clumsy practice speeches, Jerry uses the dial to change into an armored super hero and calls her up. This classic moment perfectly illustrates realistic problems dealt with in super-realistic ways, a major theme of the series. If I had the dial as a teenager, I probably would’ve done the same thing. This scene put a smile on my face and reassured me that Pfeifer was a writer who was right up my alley.
In this month’s issue of H-E-R-O, the dial ends up in the hands of a teenage girl. Andrea Allen is the new girl in school. She’s looking for friends and a place to fit in. Andrea shares the secret of the dial with two classmates to win their affection, but soon the dial becomes more of a curse than a blessing. Andrea’s friends fight over the dial and use its power recklessly. Soon, Andrea wishes she never found the dial in the first place. It’s a nice little story, featuring some inspired twists and enjoyable moments. Pfeifer is having a lot of fun passing the dial from one extreme personality to another from month to month. As a stand alone story, this one is pretty entertaining; maintaining the series' themes of power, and the responsibility one must have with such power.
Artist Kano (I don’t think it’s the same guy from the Mortal Kombat game, but I could be wrong) has a unique style that reminds me of Mike Allred’s art. The deep lines of his characters faces are damn good. One of my few beefs with this title is the “genericity” of the costumes of these heroes. But I guess if you had to draw an original hero that would only show up for a single panel twelve times per issue, you’d want to save the cool looking costumes for characters who would stick around longer. Kano’s panels are vibrant, depicting the action and inaction of the scenes with precision and style. I also have to give credit to the colors of this series. I don’t usually comment on color, but J.D. Mettler paints the entire series with washes of oranges and grays. These are ambiguous shadings for a truly unique and ambiguous book.
Whatever Pfeifer is trying to say with this book has yet to be determined. I haven’t grown bored with seeing how the dial affects each new owner, although I could see this concept getting old if some type of consistent connecting device is not introduced. Personally, I’d love to see readers write in with character ideas and have them pop up throughout the story. Sure it's a hurky-jerky fanboy hook, but it was one that inspired me as a kid and it might introduce the innocence and fun back into this classic concept. As it is, H-E-R-O is doing a great job of telling solid stories and forcing us to ask ourselves what it takes to be a hero.
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Used to like that. Has it been any good lately?
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I'm right there with you Cormorant. I read Elfquest back when Marvel's Epic line reprinted it, and I can't wait until these nice big volumes come out. It's been years, (I gave my run of the series to a friend) but I still love those elves. The Pinis really knew how to tell a story with equal parts fantasy, emotion, action, and fun. Just can't wait.
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Yeah, Hellblazer is still around. I'm not sure if Brian Azzarullo is still writing it, but his run was supposed to be pretty good. Sorry if I spelled his name wrong.
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Part of Superboy's origin is that he's half Superman Kryptonian DNA and half human DNA. We were led to believe that it was just some Cadmus scientist but Teen Titans #1 revealed that other half and I was absolutely shocked and I can't wait to see what they do with this.
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Jul 26, 2003 4:04:31 PM CDT
I've got an idea. What better way to capitalize on the Smallvil
by zod_is_back
That really pissed me off when Superboy ended. They finally got somewhere that had some potential. Instead of having him living in some stupid underground lab or an apartment building, do a flashback to the silver age. Superboy once again living under the roof of the Kents. The first few pages of Teen Titans #1 show what a good idea that is. They even gave him a real name, Connor Kent, instead of that lame Kon-el name they were calling him for a while. Plus he wears the glasses. Hell they could even introduce Chloe in the DC universe and have her be the editor of the school paper and Superboy's love interest. And how about that ending...
Spoiler Warning...
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Robin receives an email that tells him that the DNA used to create Superboy, which Superboy knew they took part of Superman's DNA and then grafted it to human dna. He thought it was this scientist guy (i forget his name, but he died.) But it turns out his DNA is part Superman, and part LEX LUTHOR!!!!!? How fucking wild is that.
Well like I said, DC, start your own Smallville book in your universe with Superboy/Connor Kent as the main character. Even more importantly, hire me to write it. Just make sure you don't send Superboy to the Legion of Superheroes like you are planning. They already got that one dude who is like him and wears a Superman outfit. Leave Superboy in Smallville where he belongs. -
The series is still running, and it's the best it's been in a very long time. I like Azzarello, but he's good at crime and bad at magic. Also, his entire story arc was set in America, with an "Oz" riff and then a bunch of rednecks. Not his best work. The current writer, though, is Mike Carey of LUCIFER, and he's kicking a lot of ass. He started out with some good ol' John Constantine in England stuff, and now has him traveling the world to investigate an impending crisis. This allows him to see/interact with a lot of interesting types and shows us more than the usual Judeo-Christian angels and devils stuff. Really good--well worth the money.
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I've read your reviews the past couple of weeks and am appalled at not only your opinions, but also the apparent basis of your opinions.
When one of your ilk criticizes Batman, you criticize the character for all the things that establish him as a relevant character to readers, and have since the days of Kane. Lee and Loeb have done a great job on the book as of late, but why not take a look at the full body of work starting with NML, look back at Miller's take on things, Devin Grayson's family perspective, and then begin to speak, because then, and you're getting off light here, might you have the vaguest notion of what a Batman book should be like.
Next, I've read "Dial H for Hero", and I've read "H-E-R-O", and I have to say, your fond memories of the original series are either twisted by time or betray your burgeoning bad taste even at what I'm imagining was a very young age. Read 'em again, then start writing, Sparky. And again, "genericity"? What were you thinking? Currently there are about a quarter of a million actual English spoken words floating around out there. Try and pick some real ones, and give it another shot.
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I picked up that new ElfQuest book about a week ago and I was equally impressed by the new. Looks like I too will be rebuying the entire series as DC makes them available in their new archives series. I'd highly recomend it to anyone who hasn't read the series before.
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Jul 26, 2003 11:13:26 PM CDT
I know Troia died in Graduation Day, but who was the other.
by steal_dragon
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I was the one who argued the merits of the first issue of OUTSIDERS in the wake of Vroom Socko's scathing dismissal (seen here: http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=15554), but I gotta confess...the second issue left me a little cold. It had its moments, like Luthor's blas
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Has anyone read the post-Richard and Wendy Pini stuff? As in, the material that started appearing after (I think) the eighth volume of material, when they started letting other creators into their sandbox? I like the Elfquest setting, but it seems like such a personal thing that I'm wary of seeing it through other creators' eyes. Anyway, DC's gonna be reprinting some of this material *in addition* to the color archives of the core material. They way it works is that the non-core stuff will be printed in black and white volumes that will cover the Elfquest stories as they occurred chronologically *for the characters*. I figured this meant the first collection would go several generations back from Cutter and his tribe, but looking at the PREVIEWS solicit, it talks about stories with Cutter's pappy and with Cutter and Skywise as well, so apparently it's not going *too* far back. Given this, I'm actually a little interested, moreso because the volume will actually have a few stories by the Pinis. But getting back to the original question: has anyone read these stories, and are they any good or just the equivalent of "expanded universe" Star Wars pap like TALES OF THE MOS EISLEY CANTINA?
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Jury's still out for me, but can that Mike McKone draw an amazing Superman or what? I know McKone had his shot on a Supes title, but just imagine what he could've turned out if he'd been working with a stronger writer than Loeb?
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Jul 27, 2003 1:51:10 AM CDT
Nathan: 1) I was the last person to review Batman, 2) What the h
by village idiot
Hey Nathan, Village Idiot here. To my knowledge, I was the last person to review a Batman title around here, hitting both BATMAN #616 and DETECTIVE #784 . Both were positive reviews. Both offered analysis on Batman and how he was portrayed with a reasonable amount of historical context. What exactly is your beef, brother?
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Actually, Morrison has said in a few interviews that he likes Cyclops quite a bit. And to me, he seems more like a real person now than he ever has in the past. But that's just me.
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...I've heard that about Morrison, but I don't know if I buy it. I can uappreciate that Morrison has made Cyclops more approachable by baring his insecurities such that he's not quote the "perfect little soldier," but looking at Cyclops's portrayal throughout NEW X-MEN's run...what has Morrison *really* done to show how he likes the character? Made him cheat on his wife? Shown him to be a whiner caught up in himself? Had him go drinking at the HQ of the villains who paved the way for Phoenix's death? Made him symbolically impotent by having his optic blast "peter out" in the latest issue? Christ on a crutch, the man's got a strange way of showing his fondness for a character!! My theory: what Morrison "likes" about the character is that he perceives that he *IS* weak, and because Cyclops in many ways represents a sort of classicist, stoic hero - a paradigm Morrison probably hates - he enjoys exposing his weaknesses. Given how long it's been since Cyke was cool - probably since the mid-80's - I guess I can see the sort of perverse desire the tear down what he's become, but we ARE talking about the original X-Man here, the one member who grounds the book in its origins. To say I'm not enjoying watching Morrison emasculate him is putting it very fucking mildly. Now Quixote over there...he thinks Cyke's in for some redemptive moment in this current storyline, but I'll believe it when I see it. Honestly, I think Cyclops could laser off the head of Saddam Hussein at this point and it wouldn't make up for the mud Morrison's slung at him. Ubiquitous qualifying remark: I'm still more or less liking NEW X-MEN. I can accept that it's not very close to the X-Men I grew up with and enjoy it on its own merits. That said, last issue was a vague and ambiguous hunk of poop. Does *anyone* actually like this Fantomex jagoff? Morrison's got him doing more camera-muggin' than fuckin' Jackie Chan.
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Damn. The era is ending. I suppose I should be jazzed that Morrison's got other irons in the fire and all, but I really have enjoyed the ride he's taken us on through Xavier's School. I don't think that Morrison has exposed any faults that Cyke didn't have before -- it took him all of one issue after Jean died to hook up with another woman, fer chrissakes. The flaws give the "perfect little soldier" much-needed depth. Here's hoping they find a writer as good as Morrison to take the reins after his departure...say, for instance, Mark Waid???
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Elfquest was a fun read back in the high school days. I still enjoy reading the graphic novels. + BTW the saddest geeks of all are the ones whose girlfriends cheat on them and the cuckolded victims rationalize it as "recognition". + I used to read Cerebus too, but it got to be too much -- Dave Sims is a misogynist and an egomaniac. If there is a hell, I hope he'll spend eternity there eating used tampons. Super absorbency size.
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And originally appeared, I believe, in the old "SHOWCASE" book, the same one that introduced the silver age Flash and Green Lantern
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You wrote: "I doubt I'll buy it again unless Wendy takes up the brush and pen once more and creates the expressive, haunting and enchanting artwork that at one time made me a rapt follower of the Wolfriders." Ah, thanks for reminding me! Amidst all the talk of reprints, I forgot to mention that Wendy and Richard have a new story scheduled to appear before year's end. Kind of a multi-tiered push, as it turns out. Sneaky bastards...
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I'm still a little miffed that Guy didn't make the Formerly Known as the Justice League book. When is this great character going to be given a spot in a team book so he can really shine again? I can't help but think he could have filled a spot in Outsiders a lot better than a few of the slubs in that book. Too bad they are drawing Arsenal exactly how they were drawing Guy at his end.
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It's understandable that you'd be pissed having grown up with a different/better version of the character. I only started reading X-men in the early 90's, so Cyclops has alwas been the leader guy, and that's about it. Any recommendations (trades, issues) where Cyke was cool?
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Mitch - Want a Cool Cyke, here's what you do. Essential X-Men Number Two! This has the Proteus Saga, which contains - arguably - the coolest Cyclops moment. Proteus, a reality-warping soul-sucking mutant, has just handed the X-Men their ass...particularly Wolverine, whose enhanced senses ground him in reality moreso than the others. In fact, the beating Wolvie took has got him so unnerved, he's on the verge of turning coward. Cyke figures that turning yellow is worse than death for a soldier like Logan, so in classic comic book fashion, he decides the best way to save Wolvie...is to kick his ass! And he does. He starts raggin' on Wolvie and then blasting the hell outta him, whipping Logan into such a berzerker fury that all the hairy little Canuck wants to do is kill kill kill. Then it's time to re-sic him on Proteus! Great story, and at the end, Wolvie finally gives Cyke the respect he'd been denying L8derBoi 'til that point. *** Other great Cyke stories are the Dark Phoenix saga (same volume), and the first couple years worth of X-Factor, where Cyke is dragged through the emotional mud as Jean comes back to life, his Jean-lookalike wife & young son go missing, and - in one of my favorite comics of all time - he has to fight Master Mold, alone, while suffering a complete nervous breakdown. Kick Ass!!
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I've been trying to remember the name of a comic I read when I was a kid, and I thought this might be the place to get some help. Reading about Elf Quest reminded me of it. It featured elves and humans in a fantasy setting, and the two main things I remember about it were that: A) It was violent. I think a main character died in the issue that I had, and it was rather bloody. B) There were these elf assassin characters who wore all black and had extremely pale faces and hair... almost albino looking. Does this sound familiar to anyone? It would have been about 15 years ago.
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Oh you mean Raven? I recall her differently. Kind of sexless and chaste in a detached from humanity way.
Maybe if you like that whole nun thing. -
Lilith, the groovy psychic sometimes referred to as Omen.
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This violent elf comic your read as a kid (when was that?)...any chance it was POISON ELVES, or that series' predecessor, LUSIPHUR? I haven't ever followed the series, but I've seen enough to know it matches your description more or less.
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Dude, I don't have my X-Men issues in front of me, but I think you're off by a year or two with the claim that Cyke hooked up with another dame right after Jean died. First girl I remember him going out with was the fisherwoman - Lee something - and that didn't happen for at least a year, right? Sure he was working alongside her for a time, but romantic sparks took a pretty good while if I recall - at *least* a year. Hmm, and when did he date the girl from POWER MAN AND IRON FIST? I know he did, and remember it being mentioned in the X-MEN issue where they got their asses handed to them by Dracula, but I guess the actual foolin' around must have happened outside the pages of X-MEN. To some degree, even Claremont, much as I like his work from that era, is responsible for downgrading Cyclops from his cool status. Sure, the character had been the team's foundation for roughly its first hundred issues, but as Claremont's feminist fetish began to take hold and Storm became his main point of interest, he definitely started to diminish Cyke's coolness.
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Mitch, Quixote's reference is indeed a seminal Cyclops story, and is really about as good as it gets. The character also tends to get fleshed-out when his girlfriends are dying (kinda like Daredevil), so I'll similarly echo the recommendation of the Dark Phoenix Saga, and *add* the FROM THE ASHES trade where Cyclops falls for creepy Jean Grey look-alike, Madeline Pryor. The highlight of the latter: Cyclops taking on the entire X-Men team, who're convinced by illusions that he *is* Dark Phoenix...and watching him mop up the floor with 'em. GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS had some excellent moments with the character, though he's not the star, as does the "Brood Saga," which runs roughly issue 154 through 167 (with a few one-shot stories in between). I've always had a particular fondness for the friendship/competitiveness shown between Cyke and Storm in issue #154, which *almost* seemed like it might have been the beginning of a relationship. Might've been interesting, probably more so than the Madeline Pryor riff to come, but it wasn't ta be.
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Word on the street is that a follow-up to FORMERLY KNOWN AS is already in the works under the title I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT THE JUSTICE LEAGUE, and rumors are already percolating that Guy Gardner will make the scene. Seems I even heard there'll be an homage to the famous "One punch!" scene.
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Those giant-haired little freaks gave me the creeps. Brrrr.... sk
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Jul 28, 2003 9:28:11 AM CDT
YJ was a cool book, and I'm sad to see it replaced with Teen Tit
by johnny_canuck
YJ kicked ass as a book. The Peter David/Todd Nauck team was a great idea. Sure, it was mostly a humour book, but it did show excellent character development and well-written "serious" moments as well. I like to think of it as a more-surreal-early-"Buffy"-in-a-superhero-universe. Normally, I enjoy Geoff Johns' work, but I don't think I like the direction he's taking with some of the characters. My major beef is with Impulse. In the YJ book and his own book, he'd gone through a lot of character development, and while still wacky and (ahem) Impulsive at times, he'd learned there are times to shut up and be serious. Geoff doesn't acknowledge that character growth in the Flash book, and it looks like he's gonna ignore it here, too. Impulse becomes Kid Flash? What's up with THAT? Goeff seems to grasp the other characters' individual personalities, but not their group dynamic. The Teens snubbing each other when they first meet here? That just wouldn't happen, based on their shared history from YJ. I'm gonna recommend that Geoff sit down and read the entire run before he continues on this path. I've no problems with Mike McKone's art, as I'm assuming Titans storis will be 90% more "serious" than your average YJ. I just wish I could see Nauck drawing a big-foot Impulse again. Oh well. "Only constant is change", and all.
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...the reason the characters aren't really speaking to each other is they've been torn apart over the deaths of two characters in the craptastic ass-fest that was GRADUATION DAY. Some of them feel guilty, some of them blame others, and nobody's in the mood for Impulse's shenanigans. I can't blame Johns--he did a hell of a job writing the characters and addressing the fallout from the shiteriffic mini that Judd Winick "wrote" to give himself a reason to suck on THE OUTSIDERS. It seems like Johns likes working with him, and I'm sure it's because Judd's a really nice guy. All I know is that he sucked on GREEN LANTERN, the most recent issue of GREEN ARROW had some horrible groaners, and GRADUATION DAY is the worst comic I've read since OUR WORLDS AT WAR. Point is, don't blame Johns for bad writing--he's actually done a really good job of writing about stuff somebody else came up with that happens to suck.
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Thanks! As time has gone on, I have read so many reviews of Elfquest that try and compare to to the type of comics that exist now. Religating it to a "kid's story", before even attempting to read it. It's the first comic I ever picked up (the magazine size #3 - bought that and #2 that day in 1982) and I love it to this day. Granted, they cashed in on it at the end. But the first few arcs are brilliant! Happy to hear it will be getting another go around. Would like to say that I find it interesting, to say the least, that Elfquest is picking up again as Cerebus is ending.....Lastly, fuck DC/Vertigo for the constant cashing in on Sandman with books written by other people. They think because the title doesn't say "Sandman" that we won't care. Well, we do care. I quit buying all the crap they put out. Release as many new toys, statues and other various collectables as you like - even publish books like Lucifer (it at least passes for an OK book), but were the Endless are involved, leave the dirty work to Neil. Please.
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...I don't blame you. Buuuut, the little guy got what he deserved! Mostly. I will have to re-read the last 50 issues about 5 times to fully "get-it" I'm sure. But lately, as I keep saying, it's starting to make sense again...a little. The end of ONE OF THE most important pieces of art in the 20th century is coming to an end. You may not agree with Dave and his ramblings. In fact, you may hate Dave and his ramblings, many people do. But what he and Ger have done is important and impressive. How many of us have followed a dream from thought to reality to it's conclusion. Dave did it. And it was no small feat. Yes, the book changed, A LOT. But don't just throw it away as Dave being an anti-social, mysoginistic, egomaniacal nutter. Even though that me be the case, it's part of the point! It's real. Especially if you buy the monthlies and read all the letters columns, essay's and various rants. The decline, or the awakening, of Mr. Dave Sim is half the fun and half the point.
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I did miss an issue recently though, and I didn't even notice. sk
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Jul 28, 2003 2:50:17 PM CDT
The letters column in Cerebus is half of why I stopped reading t
by gypsytrobot
When the letter columns seemed to make up at least half the book, I had to wonder who was doing more work - Sims or the person typing up the letters??
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I'll start loading up on the next comic run.
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That comment about the letter column in Cerebus is idiotic. The price never went up regardless of the size of the issue and every single issue of Cerebus from day 1 till now has 20 pages of story. So if the letter column affected neither the story size or cost of the comic, why would it affect your buying decision?
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Jul 29, 2003 6:31:28 PM CDT
Crom, Cyclops Did Have A Girlfriend Between Jean's Death & The I
by buzz maverik
Her name was Lee Something and she was the captain of a fishing boat in Florida. Cyke joined the crew as a deckhand. They fell for each other when Cyke was menaced by the demon D'Sparye (or whatever). Later, then boat was sunk in a storm created by Storm when she was encased in metal after her dinner date with Dr. Doom (weather went nuts all along the eastern seaboard). Cyke and Lee washed up on an island that may or may not have been R'yleh but contained a creepy city with monolithic Cthulhu figures for ornaments. They were greated by the master of the island, Magneto who was using the place for a base and as a comic book genius did not recognize Scott without his X-suit on even though he'd seen him several times in continuity without his X-suit on and as a genius should have figured out that he was keeping his eyes bandaged shut because he was Cyclops. A true cool guy, Cyke sort of forgot about Lee. Later, after Warlock and the Magus crashed through Asteroid M, Magneto splashed down in Florida and was hauled out of the drink by Lee. She hooked up with Maggie (evidently being non-denominational when it comes to putting out for both superheros and supervillains). Magneto sort of forgot about Lee when Secret Wars 2 started and Xavier asked him to lead the X-Men and New Mutants against the Beyonder. Maggie then joined the X-Men because if you've ever tried to kill the X-Men it automatically qualifies you for membership. I don't know if Lee ever showed up again, but somebody ought to give her superpowers and have her hunt down all the the superheros and villains who pooched her then forgot about her. I can imagine the list : Ant Man, Giant Man, Yellowjacket, Goliath, Hawkeye, Black Goliath, the Man Thing, Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu, the Grey Gargoyle, Volstagg, the She Hulk, the Son of Satan, Nighthawk, the Guardians of the Galaxy...
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Jul 29, 2003 6:40:19 PM CDT
I Know I Addressed My Post About Cyclops' Sex Life To Conan's Go
by buzz maverik
...but I was really addressing it to the President of the Talkback @$$holes of America. However, if you're reading, O Crom, "I nebbah prayt to yoah befoah. Now I do nod hab der time. Id dosch nod mattah dot ve ver guht men oah badt, oah ib ve lieb oah die. All dot mattahs isch dot two schoodt uhgainscht many. Bodt I aschkt yoah vun ting, Crom. Guhrahnt me rebinge. Und ib nodt, den der heil mit yoah!"
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Jul 29, 2003 7:15:06 PM CDT
don't know if Lee ever showed up again, but somebody ought to g
by jonquixote
Can't...stop...laughing. ...pooched.. bwahahahahahahahaa
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