POBB August 8, 2018

Pick of the Brown Bag

August 8, 2018

by

Ray Tate

Salutations, you’ve stumbled onto the Pick of the Brown Bag, a weekly comic book blog created and run by yours truly.  For this posting, I examine Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Catwoman, Charlie’s Angels, The Fantastic Four, Nancy Drew, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Supergirl, Titans, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Wonder Woman.  I’ll also review the new movie BlackKkKlansman. 

Hey, Baby Doll, I don’t have time to get through all these, I’m sure, fantastic reviews.  You got anything shorter and to the point? 

Not to worry, I’m on Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.

The original Nancy Drew novels never spoke about the death of Nancy Drew’s mother.  Nancy simply needed to be unfettered by parents in order to investigate crime.  Knocking off one of them solved part of the problem. 

Nancy’s father Carson Drew is a successful attorney.  So he frequently travels to meet with clients or go to court.  At home he works on the nuts and bolts of his cases.  Carson serves as Nancy Drew’s moral compass, but his focus and lack of presence allows Nancy to get into trouble.

Trouble for this new Nancy Drew comic book series begins with a note.  The note suggested that Nancy’s mother’s death wasn’t an accident.  

I’m going to spoil something right out of the gate.  Since the revelation doesn’t affect anything.  Pete, the good samaritan that helped Nancy and her friends out of Deadman’s Cliff sent Nancy the note, and he’s on the up and up.  

Pete wanted to lure Nancy to Bayport to solve his mother’s murder.  Authorities found Mariana Vega’s body at Deadman’s Cliff and ruled it a suicide.  

Pete’s been coming to the Cliff for awhile, waiting for Nancy Drew.  So, no accident that he found Nancy and the others.

Oh, and the others, happen to be the usual suspects.  In clockwise.  Bess, Joe and Frank Hardy and Georgia Fayne.

The Hardy Boys of course had their own series of books, but they crossed over to RIVER HEIGHTS, Nancy’s stomping grounds, on occasion.   

Writer Kelly Thompson demonstrates strong knowledge of Nancy Drew and her friends.  However updated, they still reflect the cores of the originals.

The way the creative team depict Nancy’s deep friendship with George and Nancy’s narration describing her could have been written in any era of Nancy Drew.

Last issue, Nancy and Pete found another body.  This time the Bayport PD seem interested.

Although, there’s a good chance, that they were interested in Mariana Vega’s death just as much.  They simply couldn’t find the evidence, or they couldn’t prove suspicion of murder.  Nancy tries to provide information, but the Bayport PD is less than welcoming.

Normally, I hate sleuths.  The know-it-alls of mysteries that lack professional skills but end up being the master solver of the puzzles.  They come in all forms, in all walks of life.  Dog groomers, sales clerks, bartenders, whatever.  My detectives are the police officer, the private eyes, the reporters.  Nancy is a professional.  There’s always been a certain way about her, and she’s a deductive genius.  So, I’m always on team Nancy.  Thompson and Jenn St-Onge convey this ratiocinative je ne sais quoi.

Writer John Layman introduced Charlie’s Angels in classic form on a case involving a nightclub owner.  Though their plan went out the window, they still managed to complete the assignment with action that the Powers That Be wished the television series had.  During the battle, the Angels did not realize that a pair of fraternal twins dressed in white monitored their activities from afar.  Pretty good trick when you stand out like freshly brushed teeth.  Worse, these well-dressed agents took over Charlie’s digs and now express a use for Ted, the Nightclub Owner, that slipped under the radar.

The agents needed the perfect imitator because Charlie would never give such orders even under threat.  One thing that never changed in any of the series.  Charlie loved his Angels as if they were his own daughters.  

The agents suckered the Angels into smacking around CIA agent Steele.  Now, they seek to make amends by infiltrating East Berlin.  Of course, there’s that ink problem on the Visas.

Soon, the Angels are on the run and confirming their suspicions about “Charlie.”  That’s bad news for one of the foreign agents’ operatives.

Layman grants everybody in the story intelligence, and as a result, though it may seem hard to believe, Charlie’s Angels becomes a game of chess, where at the conclusion, the foreign agents introduce new pieces to the board.

Diana and Artemis team up with the latest incarnation of Aztek in Steve Orlando’s Wonder Woman.  

Aztek was a flash-in-the-pan coming thing in the nineties created by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar.  The original Aztek was a kind of Doc Savage/Dr. Fate cross.  Raised by a mysterious organization to fight a predicted evil, his suit and helmet conveyed the usual compliment of Superman mimicry as well as a tap into esoteric information.

The new Aztek is essentially The Greatest American Hero, or Kyle Rayner if you prefer.  The helmet fell into her lap, and she lacked an instruction book.  

The organization didn’t train her as the ultimate weapon against the evil.  Indeed, the original Aztek faced that being and fulfilled his purpose.  The story begins with Aztek experiencing strange visions.

This leads her to seek out Wonder Woman who connects to the present threat in an interesting and unusual way.

Atalanta is a figure from Greek mythology.  Perhaps the first legendary female hero in recorded history.  She wasn’t an Amazon, but the closest thing to DC’s modern versions of the Amazons.  She also provides the myth source for the Marvel version of Red Sonja: you can’t bed her until you win in a fair fight against her.

Atalanta isn’t only Diana’s aunt.  She appears to be important in the foundation of Bana-Mighdall, Artemis’ homeland.  This is a new one on me, but Orlando doesn’t need to work hard to sell it.  Atalanta fits with both tribes of Amazons quite easily.  So as far as excuses go to intersect different characters in a story, it’s a slight one.

Our heroes soon go to South America and a magical temple which serves as an arena for the eternal battle between Atalanta and the forces of darkness.

Though some of the dialogue could be sharper and better edited, Wonder Woman is overall entertaining.  The plot is constructed smartly, and Orlando respects what Scott Lobdell did with Artemis in Red Hood and the Outlaws.

The enigmatic artist Aco honors the female athlete in his depictions of the Amazons and Aztek.  He/She also likes Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman.  Who doesn’t?

Aco furthermore cuts loose with an almost Transformer-like Big Bad that nevertheless reflects Aztec design.  I’m sure that were Erich von Daniken still alive, he’d enjoy these presentations.

Scott Lobdell began the New 52 with Red Hood and the Outlaws.  Against all common sense, he took a hated character Jason Todd, wrapped a blanket around his feet and added some shine and glitter.  Seriously though, for some reason Lobdell loves Jason Todd and he transfers that love in every issue.

He’s the only writer that retroplants Jason Todd/Batman moments and makes them count.  The fact is that Jason Todd is actually a pre-Crisis character.  He was a gen-u-ine knock-off of Dick Grayson.  It’s the post Crisis Jason Todd everybody hated.  The surly one.  The one who never listened to Batman.  Lobdell went out of his way to make the resurrected Jason Todd a much more interesting and affable figure.  First, he dispensed with Jason Todd hating Batman and Batman being disappointed in Jason.  All of that is a perception from the reader.

Oh, well.  Batman and Jason do not see eye-to-eye in this issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws because apparently, emphasis on apparently, Jason killed a classic Batman criminal at point blank range on national television.  I’m still wondering if this is actually a ruse, but that’s debatable.  What isn’t.  Jason is wanted by law enforcement and the Batman Family.

Of course, the book isn’t just called Red Hood.  Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort began and the Outlaws with Roy Harper and Starfire.  Starfire left the team, and after a duet, Jason teamed up with Artemis and Bizarro.  He met both when he attempted to wise-guy into Black Mask’s organization.  For the past few issues, Jason has been working alone, and it’s nice to see the team reunited.

Black Mask intended to train Bizarro to be his weapon.  Jason and Artemis thwarted those plans by befriending and teaching the creature right from wrong.  

Bizarro underwent a strange evolution after Lex Luthor saved him.  He became super-smart, unfortunately, he also became super-dumb.  Bizarro made several whoppers of mistakes, and one of those mistakes is coming down.

To Jason’s credit, he’s got his eyes on the big picture.  Batman does not.  His interference could cost.  Unless of course, Batman figures that he can beat Jason and stop the Outlaws’ headquarters from crashing into Gotham City.

This issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws is like so many others funny, moving and thrilling.  The Batman/Jason Todd relationship and his camaraderie with the Outlaws lies at the heart of a well-constructed payoff.

Dan Abnett starts developing a deeper story in Titans.  It may not rival his memory-schisms resulting from different continuities or the future despot Troia, nor even his revisit of the Brain and Monsieur Mallah.  Nevertheless, it's a little more complex than the setup issues.

Abnett’s prior stories relied on the Titans being long-time friends as well as colleagues.  Apart from Dick and Donna, this group of Titans doesn’t actually know each other.  Dick’s and Donna’s friendship doesn’t come into play because Nightwing is putting all his energy into generating friction against Miss Martian the Justice League's hand-picked handler.  Nightwing not informed.

The current mission takes the shape of a familiar tale.  Edward Hinton is a former science fiction/fantasy writer.  He created the Unearth and its characters in a series of books.  The emergent threat now unleashes his imagination on an unsuspecting world, or does it? 

The incursion may seem like part of the ongoing plot thread spooling from Dark Metal and weaving through Justice League.  Abnett though fudges it just enough to suggest that the Unearth always existed and the Titans aren't quite sure what to do.

The dialogue and characterization implies these creatures are more substantial than figments of Hinton’s imagination.  Abnett offers artist Brent Peeples plenty of opportunity for fisticuffs, but Peeples also presents body language that compliments the remarkably entertaining speech of Prince Travesty.

The usually level-headed Nightwing is flummoxed by these new arrivals.  That may be due to Travesty’s flirtations.  The entirety reads as a lark, but Abnett surprises the reader with a dark cliffhanger that likely won’t be solved next issue.  This could be the beginning of Abnett's new baroque.

Framed for murder, Catwoman winded up facing a roomful of lookalikes.  Thus, writer/artist Joelle Jones immediately distinguishes her story from a classic Miss Fury tale.  

One of the Catwomen decides to have a go at Selina.  It’s clear why she thinks she stands a chance.  Bulkier than the others, she also possesses a weapon to give her the edge.  Alas, Catwoman has experience.

Soon, Selina stands alone but not before she finds out what’s going on from one of the captured.  Jones amusingly mimics the scene from Batman Returns, but without the kiss.  In fact, Selina's captive may have actually wanted one.  Selina's not in the mood.

It turns out that the murders were mistakes.  The penalty is an extreme visual cue that Catwoman’s latest nemeses are heavy-weights.  

Jones' story isn’t however entirely serious.  She plants heist elements to appreciate.

The weight of the wedding coils in the narrative, and Selina's voice and emotional trauma distinguishes this volume of Catwoman. 

Blue saturates the pages of Supergirl, and rightfully so.  Like the TARDIS, blue is Supergirl’s signature.  The credit goes to FCO Plascencia as well as Kevin Maguire whose sense of space extends to the human form.

The vividness of Supergirl plunges the reader into a sensory experience.  It doesn’t matter if she’s contrasted with Smallville rustic, the blue overwhelms the panels, and suffusion is welcome.

Marc Andreyko’s story loosely connects with Bendis’ machinations for Superman and Action Comics.  The gist of it from what I can gather suggests that Krypton didn’t die a natural death.  

Some character Rogol Zaar did the deed, and recently killed the bottled city of Kandor.  Supergirl begins her search with advice from her crazy Uncle Bruce.

She then tracks down Hal Jordan, who is on his best Super-Friends behavior.

The ring alert leads to a bizarre minion alien warning a shadowy figure behind a conspiracy.  Since Andeyko keeps the Big Bad in the shadows, we can predict that he or she is a known quantity in Supergirl or Superman lore.

That’s the bare bones of the plot.  Andreyko is much more interested in building the emotional gravitas of the tale through the differences in the cousins.  With Maguire, Andreyko shows that Kara’s decision to leave earth in a hunt for the truth isn’t at all an easy one to make.

Both creators though addressing the drama of the situation keep things light.  Supergirl isn’t a dark hero.  Though she can be even more determined than Kal-El, she should still kindle optimism and hope.  Revenge is a dark impulse, and Supergirl is out for revenge.  So, Superman gives Kara a going away present that will keep her on and even keel.  Every fan will appreciate this thoughtful surprise, revealed at the end of the blog post.

I always assumed that the Kraven in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl was the original Kraven’s son or grandson.  This couldn’t be the same guy that tried to literally bury Spider-Man in Kraven’s Last Hunt and humiliate Tigra, but as last issue revealed, it is.  

Ryan North could have taken the easy route.  Instead, he opts for hard.  He takes the position that people can change if you give them the chance, and he has the philosophical acumen to back him up.

It’s still difficult for me to root for Kraven knowing what he did.  Especially regarding Tigra.  However, North makes his point eloquently, and new artist Derick Charm backs him up with visuals of discussion and pre-empted violence that are rare in comic books.

Mr. Sinister took over Normie Osborn’s labs to create Spider-Clones.  Renew Your Vows for this issue presents some satisfying punching and use of Spider-Powers.

Writer Jody Houser unites these superhero traditions with a family of spiders and characteristic Parker humor.  She also inserts some Dad specific comedy involving a complete misunderstanding of the situation.  

During this scene, artist Scott Koblish fashions some excellent cartooning regarding Annie-May Parker’s reaction.

The Fantastic Four are still the Terrific Two in the debut of Dan Slott’s and Sara Pichelli’s latest foray into Marvel’s First Family adventures.  Slott though assures the reader through a fitting Scottie Young Impossible Man single pager that the FF will reunite in the second issue.  This is good news because the lightness and frivolity in the debut is a portent of enjoyment for the entire series.

First, Slott throws out a lot of garbage foisted on the Four by other writers.  John Byrne changed things for the worse when he split Alicia and Ben up back in the nineties.  Slott finally gets them back together again and pays tribute to the similarities between Hellboy and the Thing during the process.  Artist Pichelli and colorist Marte Garcia make their physical mismatching yet perfect pairing a delight to experience.  

We check in with Johnny Storm and Wyatt Wingfoot at a Mets Game when all of sudden, the world goes crazy.  In a good way.  Ben’s not buying the signal, but Johnny finds disappointment instead of his sis and bro-in-law.  The incident however allows the story to split into two directions.

The first direction presents Slott with the opportunity to clean up Jen Walters.  Ryan North did this somewhat in Squirrel Girl, but Squirrel Girl’s always been tangential to the Marvel Universe proper.  This is the first time since the events in her new series that we see Jen Walters as sane and sharp.

Ben during the moment reminisces about a hilarious adventure from the FF’s past.  The episode gives Slott the leave to characterize Reed and Sue without their actually being in the book, so to speak.

Slott’s original means to show the sibling rivalry between Johnny and Sue is quite inventive and rewards the reader in more than just a throw-away gag.  The story inspires Ben to do something momentous.  With the permission of the Powers That Be at Marvel, Slott gives the fans something they’ve wanted for a long time.

Saturday Afternoon at the Movies

BlackKkKlansman

Spike Lee presents BlackKkKlansman, based upon the true story of Detective Ron Stallworth portrayed by John David Washington.  Stallworth was a black police officer in the 1970s who with his white partner played by Adam Driver infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan.  

By now, you’ve seen the trailer, and after attending the film, I can honestly say that the entire movie is even better.  

The acting is across the board excellent.  Since I grew up in the nineteen seventies, I’m acutely aware when people go too far into parody, and Lee evokes the accurate atmosphere of the seventies.  

It’s easy to get  the costuming and the cars right when research and seamstresses are available.  That’s all superficial, but Lee is honest in his time capsule.

Lee’s direction is for the most part subtle and nuanced. There’s a danger when presenting metaphor and symbolism to cross the line into hyperbole, but when Lee speaks up as the director, it’s usually visually rewarding.  

The cinematic narrative of Lee’s latest is pure police procedural, but far superior to what you would get on Law and Order.  

Lee’s work in terms of a detective story is akin to Peter Yates’ and Steve McQueen’s Bullitt.  However, this is more than an cop-action movie.  The action is presented more realistically because the story is based upon a memoir.  Furthermore, there’s an astounding amount of laugh out loud humor in the film delivered with perfect timing.  Reality is often absurd.

Lee does not shy away from horrible moments of white authority’s collusion against black people.  He however is also aware of law enforcement’s interest and opposition against the Klan’s activity throughout history.  So, it should come to no surprise that the police in Colorado are positively delighted to expose the Klan and prevent their violence.  Simultaneously, Lee shows that the Nazis in all their various guises are still an ever present danger to our society.

In terms of surprises, there are many.  Bit parts with big name actors amuse.  A love story makes its way through the story in a believable fashion, and Lee sharply skewers two movies I loathe while paying homage to Blaxploitation cinema in a perfect way.

"Death is Your Gift."

Nope.