Pick of the Brown Bag

May 15, 2013

by 

Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Nightwing, Simpsons Comics, Supergirl and Wonder Woman are on this week's hit list.

Originally, Bruce Gordon cut by a cursed diamond turned into Eclipso.

As time went on, writers tweaked that origin to suggest Eclipso was a dark god that inhabited the black diamond and possessed the unlucky individual injured by the gem.  

In the Bronze Age, Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn and Ernie Colon created Amethyst the Princess of Gemworld.  

Writer Christy Marx and artist Aaron Lopresti rebooted Amethyst for the new 52.  Marx in previous issues of Sword and Sorcery implied that Eclipso was an inhabitant of Gemworld.

Magical trickster John Constantine, using a portal gem left to him by Princess Amaya, gave Eclipso a one-way ticket back home.  Eclipso quickly re-established himself on Gemworld, what the inhabitants call Nilla, by disposing of various leaders and gathering disgruntled members of their Houses.  Possession also swells his ranks.

Eclipso in the last issue turned his attention to the House of Amethyst, specifically Princess Amaya's aunt Mordiel, the Big Bad since the new 52 debut of Sword and Sorcery.  Mordiel ain't going down fighting, and if she must ally herself with her sister Graciel, Amaya's mother, so be it.

Marx works in an exciting duel effortlessly illustrated by Aaron Lopresti pitting Amaya against Eclipso.  She twists the plot into a serpentine scheme and evolves a satisfying ending to the Amethyst saga that seems as if it were planned since the beginning.  I kind of doubt that because it looked to me like Marx had intended to string along the schemes and villainy of Mordiel for quite a long time.

Lady Graciel trained her daughter as a warrior since she was a child.  Marx characterized the youth as a sharp individual who quickly adapted to her new surroundings.  

These factors made DC's cancellation of Sword and Sorcery a mere nuisance rather than a true disruption to Marx's story.  Marx recoups her plans to make Amaya a real force in the DC Universe within a coherent story that doesn't really sacrifice a shred of the major plot.  Her partner Lopresti having plenty warning produces a vivid lush mural that unfolds a superb visual narrative.

In Birds of Prey Marx creates a tale of betrayal and the reaffirmation of an old friendship.  Starling threw in with Mr. Freeze last issue, but Marx, while abandoning Duane Swierzynski's fine creation, does so in style.  Marx gives Starling a rationale for betraying the Birds.

Starling has a point even if delivered badly.  Getting rid of the Owls can only be described as a good thing.  Marx attempts to humanize the Owls when Mr. Freeze tortures one, but it doesn't work.  Mr. Freeze is no longer the sympathetic character from Batman: The Animated Series, and we've seen what the Owls can do in Batman.  I felt no sympathy either way.

Because Starling sides with Mr. Freeze over a debt, Marx still characterizes her possessing a moral code, albeit somewhat warped.  Starling also refuses to kill the Birds, including Strix, and secured Mr. Freeze's guarantee of mercy in regards to her teammates.  Furthermore, consider a hidden reason behind Starling's turn.

Starling was spying on the Canary for nutso Amanda Waller. She may have decided the time was right to align herself with a villainous colleague from her past in order to remove herself and the Canary from Waller's radar.  Afterall, she can't observe Dinah when she's on the run, and Waller no longer has eyes on the birdie.  

Everything Starling does mirrors the characterization from issue one.  It's a testament to Marx's writing that she can dispense with Starling by having her act the villain yet still make these actions in character.  

Marx's Batgirl is dead-on perfect, and artist Romero Molenaar makes Batgirl's duel against Starling a forgone conclusion.  Starling gets in a couple of good shots, but Batgirl is a master of martial arts ably demonstrated by Molenaar.  It's wonderful how artists and writers embrace the Darknight Daredoll and recognize her resonance.

Daniel Sampere takes over for Adrian Syaf in Batgirl.  Syaf's semi-regular substitute illustrates an excellent Batgirl, aloft, distraught, in battle and momentarily overwhelmed.  

Batgirl is on the receiving end of some pain thanks to the surprising edge Batgirl writer Gail Simone gives to a new Ventriloquist.  I'm a tough sale on Chucky-type stories, and even Simone and Batgirl cannot bring me to exactly cheer this tale of floppy legs.  That said, I still admire Simone's attempts to get around the usual, impossible demonic doll traditions.  

Realistically, somebody like Chucky can only be successful at sneak attacks.  A doll doesn't possess the weight to engage in leverage dependent viciousness.  A ventriloquist dummy cannot throw his weight around because he hasn't any.  You can create a magical exception, but it's still difficult to suspend one's belief over anything that can be punted.

Simone finds a unique murderous method for the doll to employ that's perfectly plausible, and the hidden mechanism gives the vent figure enough weight to make a superhuman push a viable threat.  Still Simone's really asking a lot from the reader.  Dummies just aren't remotely threatening, even to a Batgirl that's emotionally turbulent.

Babs suffers from guilt over, well nothing really.  

It looks like the Powers That Be decided that Simone couldn't orchestrate Batgirl's paralyzation of her brother after all.  According to a colleague from Yamagato Industries Business Report James Jr. is alive and about as well as can be expected in Suicide Squad.  The damage Batgirl inflicted now amounts to putting out his eye.  That's really weak, DC.

Catwoman targets the Penguin as he returns to power.  Ann Nocenti produces some excellent characterization for the foul bird and his feline femme fatale.  In a brilliant move, Nocenti demonstrates Catwoman's cunning with a carefully concealed bug in the Gotham PD.  This street level heist and eyes on the prize really suit Catwoman's persona.  Her fight against one of the Penguin's demonically possessed henchmen is less Successful but artistically impressive.

Nightwing features serviceable artwork by Brett Booth and a bit of the old Kyle Higgins.  Turning Nightwing into a cardshark thanks to his circus history is clever, original and fitting, but the Chicago story continues to sag with the introduction of an additional character and a goofy attempt to instill empathy in Tony Zucco.

Wonder Woman kicks ass in a really good melee against her namesake as Apollo tries to protect the throne of Olympus from the perceived threat of a "widdle" baby.  There's not much else to say about the story because writer Brian Azzarello lets Cliff Chiang speak for him.

GOOD PLAN!

Michael Alan Nelson returns to Supergirl for a mediocre farce in which Supergirl's underwater Sanctuary attacks the Girl of Steel and her earth two counterpart Power Girl because it can't tell the difference between the two.  It assumes one must be a clone, verboten on Krypton.  If it wasn't for Mahmud Asrar's assured artwork this story would be entirely forgettable.  

Asrar has a way with superheroes that's fresh and clean.  While agreeing with the traditions of anatomy and proportion, Asrar also appears to be a student of Chuck Jones animation where the subtle shift of a brow indicates volumes of emotion.

Finally in a masterful Simpsons Comics Ian Boothby generates comedy out of an absurdity that could be a reality.  Forced to take two jobs at the nuclear plant, Homer finds himself in a very odd situation.

Something even more implausible occurs in Springfield Elementary.  Bart finds the ultimate cheat code.  This leads him on a whirlwind ride that somehow spins him to Homer's place of work.

Boothby's gut-busting gags evolve within the massive joke being perpetuated in the plot, and the means in which he returns to the status quo is a splendiferous slapstick orchestrated expertly by Phil Ortiz and Mike DeCarlo.  Art Villanueva provides an explosion of hue and awe for the candy-colored city of Springfield.

The artists expand a little when turning to Bart's virtual world, but by and large this issue of Simpsons Comics exemplifies what the talent does best.  They explore familiar settings from the television series and sharply stick to the modeling.  Their imagination comes in the form of how they deconstruct the animation.  Converting the fluid into static yet lively panels that issue the illusion of the very movement the artists used as source material.

Pick of the Brown Bag

May 8, 2013

by 

Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  This week Batman, Fearless Defenders, Justice League of America, Legends of Oz: The Scarecrow and Smallville fall under scrutiny.

After defeating Batman in his Bruce Wayne guise, Basil Karlo a.k.a. Clayface tosses the Dark Knight alongside Lucius Fox in the Bat Trash Compactor.  

Even those that do not religiously follow the Star Wars franchise will get a giddy vibe from this homage to the first movie released in the seventies.  The "trash" offers Batman an easy out that's nonetheless plausible and above and beyond.  

The Dark Knight's ploy against Clayface is well devious, and worthy of "The World's Greatest Detective."  The means in which Batman protects his secret identity from the DNA-harvesting criminal exploits cutting edge science that's on the borderline of science fiction.  I'll wager however that Commissioner Gordon at least suspects Bruce Wayne's secret identity, and Lucius Fox must be willing blindness.  

Writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo aren't just interested in the monster-of-the-week or super-hero traditions.  They address the loss of Batman's son, and their way criticizes and denies what's happening in alternate title Batman and Robin. 

Peter Tomasi in Batman and Robin characterizes Batman as a lunatic.  In the last issue of Tomasi's title, Batman disassembled Frankenstein to pursue a means to resurrect his son Damien Wayne.  

Snyder specifically states that Batman does not want to go down the same path he traveled when he believed Jason Todd died.  I'm thinking that undoing Frankenstein would fall into that category.  Snyder and Capullo instead show Batman grieving but also celebrating Damien's life, with Alfred.  It makes for a nice closing scene, literally.

James Tynion writes the backup feature.  He teams Batman and Superman.  He also synchronizes with Snyder.  The ghost in the story identifies Batman quite differently than most have it.

Apart from the characterization, Tynion describes Superman as Batman's best friend, paving the way for the new Superman/Batman title.  The short furthermore jibes with Geoff Johns' five year span of Justice League history.

Superman is in top flight for another title this week.  Smallville begins with Lois and Clark sharing a shower.

It's writer Bryan Q. Miller being clever.  Normally this kind of scene occurs in a television show or movie.  Disembodied double-entendres lace the dialogue.  When the camera pans to the action, the hypothetical couple turn out to be grouting the bathroom or engaging in some equally innocuous activity.  If the makers of the media really want to insult your intelligence, they'll include a musical farty sting.

The joke in Smallville is a good one.  First, Miller draws this faux television show consolidated into a comic book closer to the medium it imitates by employing a broadcast chestnut.  Second, whether or not Lois' apparently ecstatic outburst results from Clark doing her hair as suggested, we're still witnessing a scene of what pop culture believes to be the most wholesome of heroes taking a shower with Lois Lane, his historical intended.  Oh, and they're still not married.  Methinks the Church would be most displeased.

So, yeah, the old joke is in play, but if you think Lois and Clark didn't have squeaky clean athletic sex in a shower so large that it could have only been built to facilitate sexual activity, I'd like to sell you a fine parcel of land. Mind the gators.

Apart from the most awesome shower scene, Smallville is packed with guest stars galore and still manages to spotlight Superman.  Ostensibly it's Booster Gold who teams with the Man of Steel.  As well, Booster's erstwhile partner the Blue Beetle and a freshly resuscitated Tess Mercer cameo.  

Tess has the meatier part in this tale that employs numerous methods of time travel. When the Legion Flight Ring Booster wears undergoes a contingency protocol, Superman and Booster find themselves in the Legion of Super-Heroes' 31st Century.  Booster's robot companion Skeets catches up another way.

The Legionnaires show up in a classic Superman rescue.  The roster includes Lightning Lad and another team member who bears a striking resemblance to the actor that portrayed the character in Smallville.  

It seems that Earth has a beef with Argo City, a home for refugee Kryptonians, the ancestors of the Kryptonians that abandoned Zod and disappeared in Season Nine.  There's no Big Bad in this story, but the Little Bad, correction, the Wee Bad pisses off Superman something fierce when the Man of Steel learns who lies behind door number three.  The identity of our mystery guest will cause many a Smallville fan and fans of the comic book character to grin madly.  I'll be revealing the names of the persons of interest in the next review of Smallville.  Why wait? This book is fun, well-illustrated and the perfect dovetail to the television series.  Uncover the mystery yourselves.

Superman sort of guest stars in Justice League of America.  Surprising nobody, Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman who fought the League of America during the fledgling team's search for the Secret Society turn out to be Professor Ivo's robots.

Geoff Johns really has a flair for writing Catwoman.  This is not to disparage Ann Nocenti, who finally appears to have her footing on the Catwoman comic book, nor Gail Simone who borrowed Catwoman skillfully for Batgirl.  Johns however makes Catwoman the smartest and most cunning human on the team.  She outclasses Vibe easily.  She's more devious than Steve Trevor, Katana and Hawkman.  As to the Star-Spangled Kid, bitch goddess from hell Amanda Waller precludes a comparison.

There's just no liking this woman.  Even when Waller does something that could be construed as heroic, her actions in the final issue of Team 7 for example, she still cannot emit the slightest shred of decency.  That's because she's filled with hate.  She embodies the neocon.

Turning our attention to Marvel teams, the Avengers…Ah.  No.  The Fantastic Four.  Nope.  The X-Men? Certainly not.  Misty Knight, Valkyrie, Dani Moonstar and Hippolyta with archaeologist Annabelle Riggs finish their bout against the Asgardian   Doomaidens.

During the melee, Valkyrie uncovers a secret hidden from her by Odin. Poor Annabelle falls harder for Val, and there may be some requiting going on since Annabelle's attention brings Val out of the remembrance of times past.

On the whole Cullen Bunn's and Will Sliney's Fearless Defenders is an entertaining diversion, and the last pages demonstrating a grin-worthy callback make it outstanding.

This week's Legends of Oz: The Wicked West was a little too chatty for my tastes.  Not so the superior Scarecrow.  I know what you might be thinking.  The Scarecrow in the story is mute. The book can't be chatty.  True, but it could have been dull, uninvolving, pretentious and/or unexpressive.

Writer Pat Shand comes up with a nice, integral short that's a thinly veiled treatise against racism.  The Scarecrow is as charming as ever and her body language which relates the story is expertly choreographed by artist Carlos Reno.  We also get the lovely, vivid colors of Kate Finnegan to boot.

The Scarecrow enters the town of Denslow where she's met with prompt hostility.  Her crime? Being a scarecrow.  Her wanderings take her to an encounter with whom appears to be the Good Witch of the North, albeit a younger version.

After this uplifting meeting, the scales balance with the introduction of a scarecrow that found a brain another way and decided to use it to lord over his people as well as the humans that inhabit the western regions of Oz.

Whereas the original Scarecrow of Baum's Oz sought a brain, this Scarecrow gained self-awareness and already possesses intelligence, even memory.  She's also kind, and it's that kindness that leads her to impede the subjugation of humanity.  The Legends of Oz books hail from Big Dog Ink.  Ask your comic book retailer about them.

Pick of the Brown Bag

May 1, 2013

by 

Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  This week we look at....huh...just Ame-Comi Girls, Earth 2 and World's Finest.  What happened this week?

Aquaman is about everybody but Aquaman.  The new Batwing is okay, but I miss David Zavimbe's tragic resonance.  I do like Batman referring to Batwing as an "agent of chaos."  Heroes should be against total order.  

Jon Layman's Detective Comics pits Batman against one of the dopiest villains ever created.  Legends of the Dark Knight is mostly mediocre, but spotlighting some excellent artwork by Sergio Sandoval.  Gail Simone's new book The Movement adds real-world based novelty to the idea of a hero team fighting a corrupt police force, but it also features one of the most disgusting protagonists I've seen since Brother Power the Geek.

Swamp Thing sports an exceptional cameo by Superman.  Writer Charles Soule characterizes The Man of Steel perfectly and Kano, Alvaro Lopez and Matt Wilson depict him skillfully.  They follow the model of his new 52 look, but they make Kal-El friendlier in expression and non-threatening in body language.

Soule writes Superman smartly.  Under Soule's perspective, the Big Red S utilizes multiple powers at different levels of control.  In a pivotal scene, Kal-El reins in his abilities to mercifully end Swamp Thing's unwitting assault on Metropolis.

The Champion of the Green is unfortunately the least interesting character in the book.  Exposed to fear gas, Swampy takes a mind-trip, and this is the third one I've seen in the new 52 within two months.  Dr. Holland does however regains some of his oomph with a humorous off-the-cuff capture of Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow.

World's Finest rocked, and it wasn't even the best issue of the series.  Writer Paul Levitz picks up right where he left off, Karen Starr also known as Power Girl fell for DeSaad's glamour in which he looked like Michael Holt, but a kiss is telling.  With the scientific spell broken, Karen breaks out the Kryptonian while Helena backs her up by keeping Holt security away Huntress style.

Kevin Maguire illustrates these scenes with experienced gusto and takes a moment for pure aesthetic as Power Girl and Huntress make their escape.  

DeSaad's presence indicates several elements of interest.  It confirms that there is one Apokolips in the new 52, and that Darkseid's forces invaded Earth 2 first and ultimately killed that world's Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman before the Justice League on Earth 1 handed Darkseid his ass.  Darkseid however still has his sights set on Earth 1.  DeSaad appears to recognize Huntress and Power Girl as champions of Earth 2, but I doubt he knows them as Robin and Supergirl.

As indicated in the flashback, Huntress tracked Hakkou, the Apokoliptan-enhanced villain from the World's Finest debut to his previous life in the Japanese Yakuza.  A nice moment of realism indicates Huntress can be overcome by assault weapons and numbers.  Power Girl though is always there to support her friend, and while the World's Finest clean up the Yakuza, Karen enlightens Huntress with a characteristic explanation on why she made her secret identity so public.

That makes sense.  The art won't look familiar to you because it's provided by newcomer Geraldo Borges.  Borges' demonstrates tasty illustration at both ends of the gamut.

Back in the present, the media attacks Power Girl's persona for what they see, and no doubt DeSaad informed, as a public debacle at Holt Industries.  Unfortunately, the World's Finest team does not have time to fret over Karen Starr's ego.  Her Cambridge Lab faces an assault, and Levitz demonstrates how deadly and devious Darkseid's forces still are.  The display costs Power Girl and Huntress an ally, and the two make a vow of revenge.  All three of the episodes in the Worlds' Finest's lives co-mingle and deliver excitement.  At the same time, Levitz presents heroes that are far more potent than previous incarnations of Power Girl and the Huntress.

In Earth 2, Khalid dons the Helm of Fate, and writer James Robinson treats the hero more like Firestorm than the more cohesive wizard of old.  Khalid resists Nabu's influence, and instead becomes a separate entity known as Dr. Fate, the champion of Nabu.  I like this twist better than the old possession/madness shtick.  It shows that Khalid bears a strong persona, and while he listens to Nabu's advice, Khalid's knowledge combined with the magic of Nabu makes him a formidable foe, amply exemplified in Nicola Scott's awesome artwork.

While Dr. Fate battles Wotan in the sky, the Justice Society run interference against the authorities.  Robinson in these scenes distinguishes his heroes from the champions of old.  Green Lantern teamed up with Kendra, the new Hawkgirl, to look into the death of his lover Sam.  Kendra proves to be a superb detective, and it's clear she'll take Batman's role in the new Society.  I approve.  The Silver Age Hawks from Thanagar were alien police officers, which is why their adventures frequently appeared in Detective Comics during the seventies.

Robinson looks to another hero to separate his Green Lantern Alan Scott from the space corps of Earth 1. 

The dialogue and Nicola Scott's flourishes evoke the imagery of a Golden Age character known as the Flame, last seen in Dynamite's Project Superpowers.  The Flame could manifest from any source of fire, like a djinn.  I like that Robinson connects the Green Lantern more with the Green Flame that is the source of his powers instead of the ring.  It makes him unique amongst the various takes on the Original Green Lantern.  Norse legends influenced the Green Lantern's co-creator Mart Nodell.  That and seeing the distorted light of lanterns in the fog.

As to the Flash, young Jay Garrick proves to be an inspiration as well as a natural when employing his speed.  He exhibits little of the ego that he previously demonstrated in his civilian guise.  He steps up to honor the Flash legacy, and his mother makes for an enjoyable guest star.

Ame-Comi Girls introduces a Green Lantern to the feminized universe of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray.  Gray and Palmiotti choose a Chinese woman for their Lantern, and I couldn't be more pleased.  A Green Lantern, the representative of Oa, the defender of all earth should not be a white American.  It just smacks of jingoism and sexism, and while Hal Jordan was  predicated in a far too homogenous 1950s, there is no reason for him to wield the ring in the modern day melting pot, unless he's just one of many earth Lanterns.  That's not however how the Green Lanterns work.  One Lantern, one space sector usually spanning multiple galaxies, teeming with planets.

Rapidly, yet economically Palmiotti and Gray detail Jade Yifei as the perfect Green Lantern.  She's exactly who you would want to represent the planet.  Her entire outlook is one of acceptance and adaptation, which if you ask me would be the most important aspects for one tasked to save alien species from menaces far and wide.  A great moment occurs when the Chinese government demand that she forfeit the ring.  That's the scene that defines exactly where the Green Lantern will stand.  She doesn't see nations.  She sees planets.  She sees the whole not the portions.

Wonder Woman and Power Girl also see the planet as one.  A feisty Diana expresses the same attitudes as Green Lantern albeit in a louder way.

Ame-Comi Girls is absolutely delightful.  Smart and funny, it also has a comic strip feel.  Gray and Palmiotti aren't just writing a book about a few heroes.  They're covering an entire cosmos of them, and as Power Girl and Wonder Girl address the United Nations, you realize that the writers cover the story on a day to day basis, just like a comic strip.  Thus, they're giving us something rare by resuscitating a form: the adventure strip, whose prominence fell to the humor strip long ago.

Because this week was a little lackluster, I'm including a bonus review.  I've spoken about Carol Lay's Wonder Woman book several times in previous reviews of her work.  Well, here's the actual review, unabridged, just spell-checked.  Oh, and the ISBN is still good.  Enjoy.

Subj: Wonder Woman: Mythos

Date: 2/4/2003 7:29:41 PM Eastern Standard Time

Wonder Woman: Mythos

Author: Carol Lay

Publisher: Pocket

ISBN: 0743417119 

One of the best comic books starring Wonder Woman I've read does not feature a single overt picture. All the artwork is in the mind's eye. Carol Lay's novel in terms of entertainment value easily comes a close second to Chris Moeller's JLA: League of One and ekes out by a golden strand Paul Dini's and Alex Ross' Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth as well as Alan Grant's debut Justice League novel Batman: The Stone King. It's that good.

The plot to Mythos is well crafted. The male partner of a diving couple on their Honeymoon discovers the male counterpart to Themyscria (Paradise Island) at the cost of his former life. Wonder Woman becomes involved in the search for this "missing" person. I like the idea--and always have--of no problem being too small for the Justice League to solve. If a miscreant snatched a woman's purse before the eyes of Superman, surely he wouldn't dismiss such a crime as being not worth his time; instead, he'd be more likely to melt the thief's shoes and trip him up. Ms. Lay starts her novel small and naturally, and with grace, builds on the disappearance to create a conflict that demands the League's attention.

Ms. Lay makes it clear that although Wonder Woman is the star of her story, the League is needed. She makes it clear that without the League's presence, the earth would become veiled in blood. Their influence shows how their power can change the course of history, and it is this kind of writing that brings a smile to the face and thrill to the mind.

The most disappointing story I can read is one in which the world's finest team fails to triumph over evil. If there is a menace that Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, the Flash and Green Lantern cannot defeat then the writer in my opinion hasn't been paying attention to forty years of history. Thankfully, the early grim mood accented by horrific imagery shifts as the League, carrying almost sixty years of experience, move in to investigate. We know these heroes will not fail. Somehow no matter how difficult the battle these heroes always win. If they did not the reader would feel cheated.

Mythos will not meet everybody's approval, but when writing from the heart rather than from the dictation of an artificial cosmology, you should not expect to please everybody. Ms. Lay employs what elements from the history of these characters' works. The interaction of the League is friendly and respectful like the animated incarnation or the bronze age pre-Crisis classic version The mess that is the post-Crisis is mainly ignored though not utterly forgotten. Artemis plays a cameo-part in the book. Oracle is indeed a member of the League. Her existence is however easier to stomach since there's no reason to believe that magic users such as Dr. Fate or Zatanna ever were. The main characters however belong solely to Carol Lay.

Ms. Lay's Batman does not jibe with the psychotic running around in the topsy-turvy continuity of the so-called Original Universe. Lay bases him on her own beliefs on how he should behave. Green Lantern in the story considers him "a gentleman" which suits the idealization of his social status. He's also portrayed as heroic. He is a master of dark deception and of all strategy. Best of all, he can be touched. He can be moved. He is sane and definitely Batman; not once would anybody consider this incarnation the killer of Vesper Fairchild.

For Superman, Ms. Lay reminds readers of his power. A fantastic scene she creates involves Superman lying in fire. Naturally, he will stubbornly not burn, but the imagery is magical. This sublime moment does more to exemplify the Man of Steel's invulnerability than tens of thousands of pages of his being hit through skyscrapers. She takes his power down to a human level of understanding. We cannot perceive of ever being smashed through walls or even to the moon, but we have all touched something too hot at one time. We can see that what hurt us does not hurt Superman. The technique makes the Man of Steel despite having powers that seem to defy physics more realistic.

While the Flash and Green Lantern are only briefly given the spotlight, Ms. Lay captures the characters' humor and sincerity. A scene for instance details the Flash's prediction of the unspoken race: who will arrive at the arena after he. Another scenario shows Green Lantern's love for Alex--she who would kick off Gail Simone's Women in Refrigerators website--as well as his attraction to the charming and nice Ana Lindstadt. Too often the victims are written as deserving their punishment. Ana deserves none of what happens to her except her contact with the League.

Carol Lay's Wonder Woman again is a character who was created solely by the author not continuity. Wonder Woman in the story is sharp and powerful. At times she can be purposely hilarious, such as when she imagines herself painting a smiley face on a particular character. Lay while not eliminating the mythologic and Greek connections to the character still makes Diana thoroughly modern. She bears no naiveté which I always felt was a failing in the post-Crisis Wonder Woman. She is more integrated in Mythos to the real world and will sometimes use catch phrases that will confuse her fellow Amazons, especially her mother Hippolyta. Lay simply makes Wonder Woman more cosmopolitan and sophisticated. Again, the characterization smoothly fits like a golden girdle around the waist.

Mythos is a triumph of heroic characterization and shows how well a reduced DCU works within a strong story. Fans of the old League and the animated League as well as the Grant Morrison avatars will be delighted by the book. Generations of Wonder Woman fans will also rediscover their favorite hero in a warm and brighter light. 

Pick of the Brown Bag

April 24, 2013

by 

Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  This week we look at All-Star Western with Jonah Hex, Bart Simpson Comics, Batman: Dark Knight, Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave, Bionic Woman, Justice League Dark, Superman, the final issue of Witch Doctor Mal Practice and Juipiter's Legacy.

Paul Tobin better meshes his two storylines running through Bionic Woman.  Previously, I said that the threat to Jamie Sommer's school chum seemed tangential to the revolt of the Fembots.  Tobin though through stronger narrative control and casually delivered dialogue smooths the flow of the story so that it seems perfectly reasonable that these two threads would weave simultaneously.

Jamie does not seem so surprised when her school chum appears to be in on the setup.  Jamie's nonplussed attitude subtley characterizes her as an experienced secret agent enured to betrayal and things being not as they seem.  Still, she seems quite willing to  help her friend, recognizing that she's way outside her depth when tossing in with the terrorist organization Bratva.  

Taking these elements into consideration, Tobin shocks the reader with an unexpected moment violence, and in this way he frames Bionic Woman as a genuine drama.  Like Justified and Burn Notice, events can play overall light and funny, but when the atmosphere turns serious, it's deadly serious.  Because of the contrast, the switch carries greater impact.

Tobin's partners artists Juan Antonio Ramirez and colorist Mark Roberts facilitate the feeling by portraying Jamie as a warm, perpetually bemused individual.  Her facial features lean toward smiles and friendliness, even when dealing with cold-blooded killers.  Piss her off though, and you get scenes like this.  

Nope.  Not going to tell you what Jamie's doing.  It's too cool.

Ramirez and Roberts lend this feeling as well to the Fembots.  Generally speaking, the lady A.I. are supposed to behave non-threateningly.  They are subterfuge assassins swathed in sensuality and style.  Ramirez and Roberts deserve special credit for multiplying Fembot Katy's comely countenance through a plethora of sister androids yet never once forgetting to imbue each with lively body language.  The Fembots despite their sobriquet do not move stiffly or stiltedly, and you'll get no blank stares from these lovelies.

Worst Batman Dark Knight ever.  The plot inches along like a snail with congestion.  The incremental calcification includes Batman tagging Natalya with a tracer, the Mad Hatter targeting Natalya in one of the most contrived twists I've seen from writer Gregg Hurwitz and a mass murder similar to the Joker's much more horrifying act of homicide in "Death of the Family."

In order to get to these scintillating nuggets--excuse me a moment whilst I yawn--we must wade through the guest artist's lack of skill.  The Mad Hatter portion of the story exacerbates his madness, adding homage to the Silver Age Lex Luthor. 

Stupid in itself, and the fierce, eye-scorching color try and fail to hide the illustrator's shortcomings.  

In contrast, the Batcave is almost pitch black.  A Windows laptop throws off more light when unplugged.  The issue was clearly put together in an act of desperation to meet a deadline, and you shouldn't reward the people behind this slapdash for sloppy work.  Avoid this unnecessary waste of coin.  Skipping the issue won't disrupt the totality of the story.

Batman's partner in crimefighting, Superman must deal with a confusing alien invasion filled with bad puns.  On the plus side, Superman thwarts the visitors by using his noggin in conjunction with his superpowers.

Unfortunately, Superman then talks to himself.  

Meanwhile, Superman's paramour Wonder Woman attends a party Lois Lane throws.  For some reason, she impresses everybody just by standing in the doorway. 

I don't get it.  What's the hubbub, bub?  Rocafort illustrates Diana as a normal woman.  Sure, she's got a bigger bust than Lois, but it's not like a drumbeat accompanies Diana's sashay.

Never-the-less, the scenes with Wonder Woman offer some genuinely enjoyable moments.  Wonder Woman quickly assesses who's who and charms the cast with her savvy.  That's not a euphemism. 

Soon, though everybody acts abby normal--except Superman and Wonder Woman--because traditional Green Lantern villain Hector Hammond throws his psychic weight around the city to tamper with normal intelligences.  

Countering Hector Hammond, Orion who's "on a mission from god," head honcho Highfather that is.  The New God quickly diverts his attention from the brain-dead Hammond to a very surprised Man of Steel to kick off what looks to be an exciting and ludicrous battle between the titans.

Underused Justice League member Cyborg guest stars in the epilogue of The Flash.  Regrettably, the epilogue is really the only thing memorable.  Cyborg gains a bit more personality.  Batman gets name-checked in a surveillance routine that coincides with the Flash's loss of powers, and the Reverse Flash of the new 52 introduces himself ominously.

Before the final pages, non-powered, Barry Allen foils an attempt to break Trickster out of Iron Gate prison.  It's a mostly by rote plot with decent artwork but nothing spectacular like previous issues.

The Flash however makes for a great guest-star in this week's explosive Justice League Dark.  Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes team up again for a strong story in which somebody scampers off with the House of Mystery, JLD's TARDIS-like headquarters.

The issue is a great jump-on point.  Lemire and Fawkes essentially reintroduce Justice League Dark to new readers, without being obvious about it.  

Constantine opens the book at the races, where an attempt on his life turns out to be a comedic, cunning means of sorcery.  At the same time, Deadman, demonstrating his possession powers, chats to the JLD's former government liason Steve Trevor in an amusing moment that also clues the reader into the schism between the Justice League and the Justice League of America, created to destroy Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest.  The League unlikely feel the same about the JLD, who exist to combat magical threats to the world.

Constantine calls the team together to meet at Madame Xanadu's, and this is where Lemire and Fawkes issue a change with the talented title artist Michael Janin.  

Xanadu used to be very tight lipped, but with her rejuvenation comes more openness about her prophecies.  She can still be cryptic, but most of her foresight is useful rather than color commentary.  She might have even said to Barbara Gordon, "Hit the Dirt when the Clown knocks in the Dark."

We have two monsters on the team this week.  Frankenstein Agent of SHADE continues to aid JLD.  Frankenstein resigned from SHADE during Rotworld, but that timeline no longer exists.  So, Frankenstein is still fighting on behalf of the secret organization.  Constantine also calls Swamp Thing, and this is a momentous occasion since Swamp Thing doesn't really know Constantine, except from Rotworld.  Ironic, since the occult conman was introduced Swamp Thing's post-Crisis title.  It's the new 52, baby.

The whole shebang turns out to be a clever shell game perpetuated by a classic Justice League foe that foreshadows Justice League Dark's participation in the Trinity War.  It just occurred to me that the Trinity may not be who we expect but may represent the three Justice League groups.

Jupiter's Legacy will soon be a christened a critical darling.  I'd expect nothing less in response to a calculated, cynical, exploitation of the superhero concept.  Rubbish is often mistaken for art.

Sheldon Sampson in 1932 takes siblings and college chums to an island where they inexplicably receive superpowers to become Golden Age crimefighters.  I say inexplicable because writer Mark Millar feels that the origin itself is unimportant, as long as we get from point A to point D.

Millar skips points B and C which likely consisted of champions of justice shutting down the Nazi war machine.  If Millar actually showed the Golden Age superheroes of his fiction fighting Nazis, the reader might consider those superheroes as forces for idealism and want more.  This would diminish Millar's central treatise: superheroes are actually a malevolent phenomena when not useless.  

I'm really, really sick of this argument.  It does not hold a drop of water.  For all the claims that superheroes represent fascism, not a single pulp hero from Doc Savage to the Spider supported the Nazis.  Not a sole comic strip hero from Dick Tracy to The Phantom ever once lifted a finger to help the Axis Powers.  Not one comic book hero from Aquaman to Zatara threw his lot in with the Third Reich, and the Ku Klux Klan's secrets were revealed on the Superman radio show.

The facetious drivel expounded upon in Jupiter's Legacy cannot be traced to the most minuscule shred in the fabric of history.  The heroes throughout time destroyed crime even if that crime was on a global scale, and that's because the heroes' creators and contributors frequently suspended their passions to go and do their part to fight goose-stepping terrorists, whom they disdained.

Let's see if I can discern Millar's complex argument.  I'm not that cunning after-all.  It appears that Mark Millar is saying that if superheroes existed in our century, indeed throughout history, they would make no difference and succumb to the same pressures that affect normal people; turning them into a kind of sanctioned thug brigade…

...and/or hypocritical, egotistical prima donas, represented by kid heroes who abuse their powers to become celebrities and slackers.

James Bond saves the world 24/7.  He deserves all the sex he can handle.  The layabout toad in Jupiter's Legacy deserves conjugal visits with porcupines. 

His sister isn't much better.  She reflects the airhead celebutantes of the world, but you know what, celebrities that are frequent targets of media ridicule often do lots of good.  For example, Paris Hilton very quietly supports several worthwhile charities such as Cancer Research UK, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Starlight and Clothes off Our Backs.  

In the fiction, Chloe Sampson supports an endometriosis foundation, if we're to believe her brother for brand recognition.  Endometriosis is an incurable real life condition, and to make light of it would be inexcusable, but I don't think endometriosis lies in the same category as cancer or AIDS.  Birth control pills reduce the risk of endometriosis.  Numerous medications can control the symptoms.  Surgery can be employed when the condition manifests severely.   

In real life, endometriosis organizations exist, but I must ask why would Millar pick endometriosis and not cancer, AIDS or a rape prevention organization.  I think the answer can be found in the overall unfamiliarity with endometriosis.  By picking a condition that's not as instantly recognizable as say leukemia, Millar eliminates the possibility for sympathy with Chloe Sampson.  Whereas if Chloe supported for instance victims of domestic violence, she would be doing something that a superhero would do.  Such a move would undermines Millar's entire premise.

Jupiter's Legacy tarnishes the actual legacy of the pulps, comic strips, comic books and the large family of artists and writers that gave us such entertaining adventures.  Because of Kickass, Mark Millar can write what he wants.  He chose this thing.  I hope that one day, he'll once again see superheroes not as the enemy but as the inspirations that they are, such as when he wrote Superman Adventures:

Superman Adventures #23

The dialogue burns with strong emotion as opposed to schmaltzy melodrama, and Superman may never have been so enraged as he batters Brainiac into the Arctic Circle...

Superman Adventures #35

Mark Millar winds the clockwork of a twisted little mystery that relies upon the Toyman's psychosis in Superman Adventures.  The Man of Steel in Mr. Millar's hands makes a surprisingly--well, not really. This is afterall Mark Millar--talented detective, fitting his reporter persona, but he is also a man who speaks with the voice of one who can defy gravity.

Without a doubt the most entertaining read this week is All-Star Western.  We begin the book with Jonah Hex investigating a recent shooting of gold prospectors.  He suspects this to be the work of Clem Hootkins and his Gang.

Clem thanks to artist Moritat bears a striking resemblance to Klaus Kinski's Loco from The Great Silence.

The most bizarre thing about All-Star Western is that this analogue from one of the darkest spaghetti westerns ever made, mosies into a pitch black comedy slaughter in what's essentially a throwback to The Brave and the Bold.  

You see, the surly Jonah Hex isn't accompanied by constant source of consternation Professor Amadeus Arkham.  Instead, Hex encounters, and that is the right word, time traveler Booster Gold.

I should explain that over the years I came to hate Booster Gold.  His self-serving attitude as he competed against Superman grated on me.  His role in an interminable company wide crossover and its dependence on football passes as the major turning point vexed me.  In Booster Gold's second volume, DC used the time traveler to explain why Batgirl's crippling actually made perfect sense in a DC Universe, filled with scientific wonder, magic and time travel.  Yeah, I pretty much loathed Booster Gold after that.

It's the new 52, and Booster's first foray involved the formation of Justice League International.  We know how that went down, but writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray get Booster just right.  This is how a time traveler from a Utopian future should act, and I think it's how comic book fans would behave if given the opportunity to wield great power.  

Booster pops up all smiles, wanting to have fun.  He accepts the responsibility given to him and tries to do the best he can, even though he's clearly out of his depth.  He has issue with Jonah Hex's use of guns as well as his cavalier attitude about the worth of life, but Booster recognizes the bounty hunter as more experienced.  At the same time, he's not about to just bow out.  Originally, Booster was no better than the bastards in Jupiter's Legacy.  Here, he's actually a good representative of the superhero community.  

The back up feature introduces Cody Barrow, ace circus gunfighter and trick rider.  This brilliant character made up from nothing and bearing the resonance of a Silver Age cowpoke fights werewolves.  Really, do I need to say any more than that?

In the latest issue of Witch Doctor's letters page, writer Brandon Siefert hopes that he tied up all the loose ends in Mal Practice.  Let's see.  Had the title character Dr. Vincent Morrow, his assistant Eric Ghast, the demonically infected Charlotte and cute consulting necromancer from Resuscitation kick the assess of the Big Bad's flunkies, check.  A Bram Stoker Award worthy moment from Penny Dreadful, check.

Imagine looking at Penny's actions and realizing that there was nothing you could do to save yourself from that thing.  Siefert and artist Lucas Ketner just send chills up the spine.  The Loogaroo in Penny's sights is going to die, and she knows she's going to die.  The fact that the creature is cogent makes this feeling even more uncomfortable to experience.

The good Dr. Morrow himself goes off to face the Big Bad that intends to spread the supernatural plague through an entirely plausible and practical method.  Siefert deserves kudos for the original means in which the battle between good and evil plays out.  Evil cheats, but Dr. Morrow while down isn't out.  The finale leads to a very humorous epilogue in which unknown forces plan bad things for Dr. Morrow and his crew, the Witch Doctor strikes a bargain with Charlotte, who gains a friend, and more embarrassment for Eric.

The latest issue of Bela Lugosi is a treasure trove for horror fans.  As always, the late great Dracula narrates the anthology, and all the writers of these voiceovers capture Lugosi's plum, dramatic delivery.

In the first story the talented Michael Leal reanimates the noveau zombie genre. "The Last Survivor" has all the trappings of a zombie film in which plague appears to bring back the dead, gruesomely illustrated by Nik Poliwko.  The twist however cleverly turns the idea on its head.

"The Mummy's Ring" by Sam F. Park facilitates Henry Mayo's illustration of a zaftig femme fatale about to discover that a mummy's curse cannot be broken.  I have a special fondness for mummy stories, and this one is an excellent reshuffling of Universal mummy tropes.

"Second to One" by Benton Jew is reminiscent of an EC nasty.  The tale of two long distance runners gains suspense from Jew's ghoulish sensibilities as well as comprehension of the runner's world.

Mike Hoffman known as a babe artists cannot help but add a strange nymph amidst a two-man play that looks to be shot on the Red Planet Mars turned green.  "Those Crazy Kids on Vlad 7" is a short but sweet gag horror with some notable monster art.

The awesome "Further Adventures of Dr. Vornoff and Lobo" by Joe Freire is a single page Robot Chicken inspired sequel to Lugosi's and Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster.  Freire soundly captures the voices and the unintelligible grunts of the stars as they seek out new blood for their experiments.

Finally, "Bloodwatch" by Lugosi descendent Jonathan Sparks is a juicily descriptive vignette that should not be skipped.

In "The Martin Chronicles" Ian Boothby bases his story on Martin's want for popularity, evinced in a subplot for The Simpsons episode "Bart of Darkness."  Martin coldly calculates that all he needs to do to gain popularity is to eliminate the second least popular kid in Springfield Elementary, one Milhouse Van Houten.  This leads to a battle of the brainy and the brainless for Bart's esteem.  The whole thing goes to phooey when Boothby introduces a hilariously contrived school rule.

As always Phil Ortiz, Mike Rote and Nathan Hamill bring the cast to life and make use of some infrequent guest stars, such as Allison Taylor from "Lisa's Rival."  Note also how the artists portray Bart's anxiety over making an ill-fated mistake that likely could not be avoided.

Tony Digerlamo in "Springfield Babies" spoofs the original Deadzone movie.  This leads to artist Dexter Reed's spot on Christopher Walken impression through a Matt Groening lens.

Ian Brill's "Nights of the Dinner Table" posits a midnight encounter that beautifully employs the chemistry of Homer and Bart.  This terrific father and son antic is enlivened by Rex Lindsey's sharp imitation of The Simpsons design and a sight-gag of fashion as the two dim male Simpsons attempt to disguise themselves.