POBB June 20, 2018

Pick of the Brown Bag

June 20, 2018

by

Ray Tate

The Pick of the Brown Bag welcomes you with reviews of Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows, Aquaman, Batman, Green Hornet, Infinity Countdown: Black Widow, Justice League, New Challengers, Red Hood vs Anarky, Simpsons Comics and the newest volume of Iron Man.  No time for the meatier reviews?  Just want a quick answer for an on the fence comic book and not a dissertation on Hawkman’s history? Check out the succinct capsules at Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.

Jason Todd created in the Pre-Crisis as a knock off Robin,  killed in the Post-Crisis as a knock off Robin, didn’t really find his footing until the advent of the New 52.  Resurrected by...insert name here...for the purpose of...insert reason here, Jason promptly assumed the identity of the Red Hood.  

The sobriquet of the criminal who would become the Joker.  Joker you see killed Jason’s mother, and Jason decided to continuously mock him with the guise.  Sure.  Why not?

None of this makes Red Hood a great character.  In fact these amendments undermine the already piss poor history of Jason Todd with even more gimmicks.  Scott Lobdell however in Red Hood and the Outlaws embraced Jason Todd’s absurdity and his status as the crap Robin voted to die.  As a result Red Hood and the Outlaws in whatever iteration became a sometimes outrageous, adult comedy. 

Jason is a cynical, self-deprecating, pragmatist who believed he failed Batman.  For this reason, he estranged himself from his father figure and killed criminals, partly as a rebellion, partly because he thinks its a good idea.

Lobdell examined how Batman would really feel about Jason outside the context of fandom.  The essay resulted in an outstanding dramatic moment.  As far as Batman is concerned, Jason has been and always will be part of the Batman Family.  He never lost faith in Jason.  That’s why Jason earns a Wedding Special.

Writer Tim Seeley adheres to Lobdell’s character plan for Jason.  One of the funniest things about Jason is how he operates.  At first, Jason teamed up with Roy Harper and Starfire.  Starfire left the team.  Roy and he became duet.  Jason pretends to be a criminal to like a wasp eat cartels from the inside.  He's a little like the Green Hornet, though not as resourceful or polished.  He's the Green Hornet if the Hornet were Jim Rockford on his worst day.  

Jason furthermore doesn’t mind snatching ill-gotten money that may be lying around to facilitate and enhance his operations.  Until a brainy Bizarro reorganized the team, Jason worked out of the basement of old Gotham Police Headquarters.  This just distinguished him farther from Dick Grayson and the other Robins.  You want a street-level superhero? Jason used to be the gutters.

For Red Hood vs Anarky, Batman tasks Jason with keeping an eye on Selina on her Girls Night Out Bachelorette Party.  The catch is he can’t be seen while doing it.  Jason of course charges Batman for the privilege, thus adding to his quasi private operator status.  Then goes to work.  He follows Selina and the girls to the male strip clubs and discovers Anarky seeking to cause chaos because he believes Batman exploited his talent.  

This is an invention of the New 52.  An Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle creation from the nineties, Anarky never served on team Batman.  Batman felt that Anarky's philosophy steered him in the wrong way.  

Seeley demonstrates through dialogue that Anarky and Jason appear to parallel each other.  Jason however will have none of it.  With each insult Anarky lodges at Batman.  An insult that seems to be shaped to reflect Jason’s stint with Batman.  He comedically smacks Lonnie around.  The timing is perfect.  It's like the pause before the Coyote realizes he has no footing.

In the end, Jason trounces Anarky’s very devious ploy to ruin Batman’s happiness, and he does so in a spectacularly outside the box kind of way.  Fits Jason to a tee.  The punchline at the end of the book is also not to be missed.

In a thrilling fight staged by artist Mikel Janin, the Joker and Catwoman mortally wound each other.  

While Cat and Clown lay dying on the debris from the Joker’s latest scheme, they conduct a conversation about their shared history.

Batman is as funny, profound and quirky as you hoped it would be.  The dialogue between Catwoman and the Joker is nothing short of remarkable.  It starts with insight into the Penguin.

The confusion about the foul bird opens up a flood of catching up on the past.  Batman auteur Tom King once again surpasses your expectations.  Like he did with Superman/Batman and Wonder Woman/Batman, he types depth to these characters through interaction and  commonality.

Blood loss does the Joker a lot of good mentally speaking.  He’s far more coherent when talking with Catwoman and very little of it concerns the duel.  Perhaps his best occurs when he discusses his rival from the “The War of Jokes and Riddles.”

Catwoman deflects a fascinating consideration with humor and a very simple yet surprising observation.  King through these connections expands the characters beyond mere utility.  

You can imagine a pair of old colleagues, polar opposites agreeing on a frivolity that doesn’t involve the narrative.  The Joker and Catwoman see eye to eye on the fashion of their fellows.  On broader issues such as Batman, they disagree.

King creates a very bizarre mind-set for the Joker that once again fits with his blend of disorganized and organized killer.  It links to the Riddler’s theory about the Joker and makes him more dangerous.  King's Joker is very much like the original from the 1930s and 1940s.  Not the mischievous clown with lethal gags but a maniacal killer that happens to look like a playing card.

The continuity in Justice League is all over the place.  I honestly only have kind of an idea what’s going on.  Surprisingly, that doesn’t affect the entertainment value at all.  There’s just so much in the story to admire.

The story begins with Lex Luthor visiting his father’s haunt from the past.  Frankly, very little has been said about Lionel Luthor in the comics.  Only Smallville and actor John Glover did something with Lex’s father, but adopting bits of Smallville to grant more depth to Lex isn’t a bad thing.  His actions neither conflict with his recent turn as hero and member of the Justice League.  He lets the old coots flee before blowing up the clubhouse.  He after all doesn’t have a beef with them.  Just the property.

Snyder’s tale next cuts to space with John Stewart escorting a Red or Orange Lantern to jail.  John made the cut to the New 52.  He mentions Xanshi and animosity between he and the Martian Manhunter.  

That occurred in Cosmic Odyssey.  You can argue that the Allreds in Bug! restored Cosmic Odyssey to the timeline.  Nothing though actually clashes in that impressive miniseries if you place it properly.  I would slot it before Batman and Superman decide to work together or in their early days of collaboration.

Kendra knows the Flash.  You can argue that the friendship is all reincarnation based.  There’s however so much in Barry’s behavior to suggest that we're seeing Wally from Justice League The Animated Series.  

If so, it explains his body language, masterful gesticulations by Jorge Jimenez who cut his teeth—let’s be elliptical—on the comic book seasonal tie-in to Smallville.  If this is in fact some attempt to resuscitate the League from animation, then no explantation for Shayera’s recognizing the Flash is needed.

All of this is what Justice League may be or may draw from.  What though is so appealing about Snyder’s Justice League other than superlative artwork? 

The flower mentioned by John Stewart’s prisoner conducts Swamp Thing to relay a message.  This is so utterly bizarre and charming that you don’t expect much more until the actual seeker reveals himself.

Depicted in the graphic with Kendra, the Flash is building Speed Buggy for the Titans.  Sure.  He’s calling it something else, but it’s Speed Buggy.  This also lends credibility to the Wally hypothesis since Wally raced Speed Buggy a few weeks ago.  "Vroom-a-zoom-zoom!"

The answer to Barry’s question in the other graphic is utterly jaw-dropping.  You expected a lot, but not that.  Guess what, Batman has one for Kendra as well.  She’s the pilot, but neither hero is alone.  They’re being tailed, and if you knew the environment that serves as the backdrop, you would be dumb-founded by the zaniness.

What’s left after we sort through the easter eggs and call backs? Is Justice League good enough to recommend when whittled back? I can’t really say.  Snyder keeps his cards close to the vest.  The destruction of the Source Wall created the new paradigm for Justice League and Titans.  It catalyzes the creation of the Legion of Doom, which could be another suspicious reference to the animated Justice League, but how does this baby fit into the picture?

Right now, the Justice League investigate a inter-dimensional force that struck the earth called the Totality.  It’s a cosmic shroud of mystery that may be the savior of the multiverse or the quickened destruction.  Either way, it’s a McGuffin.  

Sinestro and the escalating interminable multicolored ring flavors are the only things that I can’t support in Justice League.  Snyder introduces another hue that’s arbitrarily bad news.  Other than that, there’s oodles of enjoyment in Justice League's latest.

The premiere of The New Challengers left me with no feeling at all.  So, why did I pick up the second issue of? Aquaman.

I always liked Aquaman, and I always will.  Even if he’s cranky, bearded Thor Aquaman, he's still Aquaman.  As to the rest of the book, the New Challengers are mediocre. 

They bonded with each other real fast.  Can't say that I care, nor did I find myself remotely interested in the focus character.  Black guy hacker whose name I can’t remember.  

Wait a minute.  Moses Barber, that’s it.  I do like that his name is Barber but he’s bald.  Clever, clever.

The only Challenger I can remember by name is Krunch.  That’s because he’s a misspelled onomatopoeia.  Surprisingly though, it appears there’s much more going on than originally thought.

I don’t mean the Unknown Soldier platoon that keeps popping up in the New Challengers' lives.  I mean that my original thoughts about how this all seems farcical and that the Prof’s story doesn’t add up to beans.  Aquaman calls the Justice League, and they seem to know what’s going on.  Of course.  As a result, when you reach the final page, you suddenly feel new hope.

A force called the Dark Abyss metamorphosed the Trump inspired Corum Rath.  It also did a number on his henchman Kadaver.  This issue of Aquaman is basically a Pre-Raphaelite styled fight choreographed by Riccardo Federici.

Murk takes a stab at Rath first.  Though drawing blood, our watery Klingon fails to make a dent into the tyrant's lunacy.  He pays for that violent intrusion, but lest we forget whose book this is, Aquaman pays back Murk's rescue issues ago.

The people of Atlantis and the Sisterhood berate and belittle Aquaman for coming to Murk's aid.  Murk has a feel for Aquaman.  He's a good man.  He's a hero.  For that reason, he makes a lousy King.

While Aquaman and Murk attempt to take down Rath, Dolphin and King Shark lead the rebellion, the Undercurrent against Kadaver.  This fight goes much farther toward success.

The civil war in Atlantis isn't an ordinary set-to.  The scope of the battle, which spilled into a new mini-series for Mera, impresses, but there's usually two ways these things end.  Neither is in play.  Writer Dan Abnett's patterning of Rath on Trump forges a villain that abandons his wishes at a whim.

Rath appeared to want Atlantis to be Great Again.  That however isn't the case now.  The Dark Abyss, his patron, shows him how his war will end.  This is the moment when a villain will abandon his schemes on behalf of the object of his desire.  Rath abandons his desire.  With the attention span of a gnat, he follows the Abyss' suggestion.

I sampled Iron Man here and there.  I became an earnest reader during the David Michelinie and Bob Layton run and returned for Kurt Busiek and Sean Chen.  I stopped reading Iron Man after that.  It’s a real surprise to pick up this latest issue and discover that I didn’t miss a single thing and that Robert Downey Jr.’s performance has been a helluva influence.

The story begins way in the past—about fifteen years on Marvel’s sliding scale of time—at a robot soccer tournament where team Bhang seem to be dominating, until a precocious young engineer enters the fray.

Here’s what I expected.  I expected Andy Bhang on the loser team to grow up and be Iron Man’s latest menace.  Resentment over that robot soccer loss, his wife leaving him because he was shooting blanks, the adopted kids don’t respect him, his cat scratches him etc, etc.  Instead, Andy brushed off that loss and continued to brilliantly work in the field of robotics.  That’s why an adult Tony Stark wants him on his team.

After this refreshing turn of events, Tony introduces Andy and the reader to the marvelous future world of Valerio Schitti and Edgar Delgado.  Modern day Stark Industries.  The artists seem to know that they’re competing with visuals of the cinematic Marvel Universe.  They’ve upped their game.

The red head with the chip on her shoulder is Bethany Cabe.  She’s had that chip since David Michelinie and Bob Layton created her.  That of course was in the seventies.  She should not look this youthful, and if I didn’t know any better I’d be looking for a New 52 angle in the Marvel Universe.

There.  Thanos punched his fist through Jim Rhodes’ body in Civil War II electric boogaloo.  He’s back, and of course he’s back at Stark Technologies.  No explanation.

Team Stark includes Jocasta.  She makes sense.  The megalomaniacal robot Ultron, whom you may recall from the second Avengers film, if you’re not a comic book reader, mind-controlled Iron Man into building him a mate.  He also took over the mind of his creator Hank Pym and ordered Iron Man to kidnap Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp.  Through freaky-deaky science fiction, Ultron transferred Janet’s mind and personality to Jocasta.  The Avengers interrupted the complete procedure, saving Jan and freeing Jocasta to turn on Ultron.  Since her emergence, Jocasta joined the Avengers.  That may sound strange, but Jan holds no resentment over Jocasta.  The lack of animosity also explains why Jocasta took the last name Pym as her surname.  She has better memories of the split up couple than they do.

Writer Dan Slott finds the perfect job for Jocasta, as Tony Stark’s resident robot ethicist.  It’s a brilliant allusion to Isaac Asimov’s robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin.  Put all these characters together and you’ve got rollicking dialogue and expressive interaction.  Throw Iron Man at Fin Fang Foom, and you’ve got a great opening adventure.  Top it all of with a mind-blowing obscure Marvel villain orchestrating events behind the scenes, and Iron Man earns my highest recommendation.

Guardians of the Galaxy scribe Gerry Duggan writes the Black Widow, an Infinity Countdown tie-in worth the coin.  The story begins with Natasha pitting herself against an out of place monk in London.

This is by the way our Natasha.  She remarks on the falsehood of her death in the narrative as she kicks ass and uses the Infinity Stone gifted to her by Wolverine.  Wolverine from the premiere of Infinity Countdown also seems to be the real McCoy.  Obviously no longer trapped in an adamantium cocoon.

The way in which Natasha uses teleportation is very interesting.  She employs it as an extension of her gymnastic skills.  She’s always moving thanks to Nik Virella and Brent Schoonover.  She's always fighting because of Duggan, but you know what's the best thing about this story? It's not Russian.  It doesn't involve the Red Room.  Duggan only gives that notice in a single panel flashback.  Widow in fact finds most of her spy craft useless against magic users.

These failures open up the story for some characteristic quips from Natasha and gives her something challenging to fight.

The Widow discovers the identity of the dance macabre's  conductor.  Thus exemplifying her experience as a field agent.  Naturally, he wants the stone.  She intends to free his victims. 

Natasha is on the money when hilariously defining her situation as "British nonsense."  The possessed kids nod to the British science fiction classic The Village of the Damned.  

As does "Jason King" from the super cheesy Department S.  Great theme song though.  

On the whole Black Widow is fairly straightforward.  Literary spies are frequently killed only to resurface again.  They sometimes deal with cults.  Only the Stone and the magic seem to be the curves thrown.  Until our special guest signs in.  Then, Duggan takes Black Widow through a door to the  unexpected.  This cameo character is a very old Marvel figure from mythology and not that delightfully far fetched given the pedigree of the villain.

Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows starts with Annie-May Parker experiencing a nightmare.

No worries.  Just a phantasm, except her parents seem to be aware of the nightmare.  Because it isn’t.

Annie notably upset that her parents do not accept her innocence storms off.  Peter webs in some extra help.

Wolverine establishes that Annie’s scent lingers on the crime scene.  Maybe.  Peter buys Wolverine that beer, and they discuss the possibilities that only super-heroes face.

Meanwhile, Annie meets Chelicera.  That’s a real word, by the way.  Look it up.  Jody Houser’s straight up superhero adventure takes a trope and uses it to create a plot thread of parental responsibility.  In the tale the evidence forces The Parkers to consider an unappealing possibility, that their daughter abused her power.  

When Spidey confabs with Logan, they pool their considerable experience to examine a host of possibilities.  One provides the only bit of humor in Houser’s cut-to-the-bone, excellent story.

Scott Koblish known more for his inks takes on the pencils as well.  Readers will be surprised to see how good Koblish is at a full rendering.  Ruth Redmond enhances Koblish’s illustration with vivid colors and an unusual but attractive scheme for Chelicera's costume.

The Green Hornet first buzzed on radio as Britt Reid the publisher of The Daily Sentinel.  That only changed when Topps became the comic book custodian of the character.  In that notable series, the Hornet identity transferred from uncle to nephew.  Dynamite opted for a more traditional father to son methodology.  Red Sonja’s Amy Chu decided it was time for another makeover.

Britt Reid at first disappeared from a party of an old friend.  At the same time, a hostile takeover threatened The Daily Sentinel.  Meanwhile, on the streets, the Hornet’s disappearance caused a vacuum to be filled by wannabes.  The Hornet for those not in the know pretends to be a racketeer who demands a taste of the honey if you want to work in his city.  In truth, he breaks the gangs and keeps the peace.  Well, she does now.

Though Britt Reid reappeared with the explanation of the Espana, an organization of would-be world dominators, he’s happy with Kato’s daughter Mulan taking his place.  

On the run from the authorities and a new hero named Oko, the Hornet and her team end up in Hong Kong, where her cousin Clutch takes them on a tour before ending up at one of his worldwide satraps, a Hornet’s Nest.

There, the team listen to Kato senior and his plans to take care of their problems in all one fell swoop.

Kicking off the latest with a callback to Kung-Fu Hustle, Chu and her art team of German Erramouspe and Brittany Pezzilo generate a momentum that mimics the high charge of the Green Hornet television series.  

She wastes no time on such frivolities of romance between Mulan and Britt, presumably introduced in a previous volume.

Chu and Company instead exhibit interest in family, tradition and velocity as well as undefinable coolness that leads to the superb cliffhanger.

This doozy of a Simpsons Comics splits the book evenly with A side and B side.  Given that they're the same level of comedic and smart quality, I will simply designate the A side as the story that opens the book.  

Lisa makes the simple request of a healthy snack from Apu at the Kwik-E-Mart.

The sorry looking banana soon ends up in the gullet of Krusty the Clown's trusted sidekick Mr. Teeny.  Any guesses as to where Mr. Teeny ends up?

The very fact that we learn from Ian Boothby that Springfield has a fully equipped ape ambulance is almost worth the price of the book.  

Bart and Lisa accompany Krusty to the hospital where Bart picks the wrong moment to express empathy.

This is about the time when the B side begins at the Springfield Nuclear Plant where Mr. Burns is hatching mischief.

In terms of evil schemes, this one doesn't even rate a boo, hiss.  It's a harmless prank that pokes fun of the idiots that doubt the facts of the moon landing.  

It's ridiculous that Boothby doesn't actually need to explain why or how Burns picked Homer to be the head of this project.  Homer really is Springfield's resident astronaut.  That's actually canon.  "Flexible reality" indeed.

After working disastrously with Lenny and Carl, Homer recruits Lisa to help his project take flight.  So to speak.

Meanwhile, Bart learns that the ape outfit is a gift that keeps on giving.

At this juncture, we will close the spoiler kit.  Homer's employ of Lisa results in an unsurprising but satisfying thwarting of Mr. Burns' plotting.  The kids at Springfield do not sympathize with Bart's plight, but that comeuppance is short lived.  

The plots are both uproarious.  In addition, Boothby doesn't forget the heart of The Simpsons.

Homer doesn't just brush off what happened.  He knows he hurt Lisa, and he seeks her out to make amends, in a tender, kind moment that underpins the series.