POBB December 18, 2019

Pick of the Brown Bag

December 18, 2019

by

Ray Tate

Happy Holidays, and Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  For this edition, I look at Batman, Aquaman, Count Crowley, Superman Smashes the Klan, Vampirella and the new book Wellington.  First, a spoiler-free review of Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker.  No time for the Blog? Check me out on Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.

Star Wars Rise of Skywalker

The third of the new Star Wars films set in the respective present day of the First Order is technically the best.  It’s tightly written, well paced and sparkling with comedy provided mostly by Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.  

The acting by Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver is nothing short of astonishing.  This is especially true when the intensity manifests from their light saber duels, which exhibit exceptional choreography. 

Star Wars is not Star Trek.  Star Wars works best when it only pretends to be science fiction.  In other words don’t try to explain The Force scientifically.  It cannot be done.  Happily there’s none of that here.  There’s lip service to science which is all that’s required of Star Wars.  Any unbelievable moments which the filmmakers and actors make believable can be dismissed by two words Jedi Magic. 

The filmmakers in fact have a very good understanding of what makes a Jedi and what makes a Sith.  That distinctiveness becomes the crux of the film and grants a rousing, satisfying finale to the series.

I also like what the film isn’t.  Rey remains inscrutable but also charismatic.  The movie is not about a fan’s choice for her romance.  Though The Rise of Skywalker is a tribute to the Star Wars films that came before, it’s not a mimicry or mockery.  It leaves no loose ends, but it neither precludes the possibility that Rey or her disciple may need to raise the saber again.  As modern times quantify, fascism is a constant threat, waiting for a moment of weakness to exploit.  Good people must in unison deny it an existence. 

Tom King began his run of Batman inauspiciously.  Rebirth featured just an adequate story pitting Batman against a revamped Calendar Man.  When Batman tried to steer a plane in his new volume, debut issue, everything changed.

I never saw Batman attempt anything like this.  Not even from Grant Morrison.  Bereft of super-powered aid, Batman simply dares the impossible.  He's also willing to kill himself in the process. 

Fortunately, Batman encountered new heroes Gotham and Gotham Girl.  These two gifted teens would catalyze the next chapters.

After determining their legitimacy, Batman trains the youths.  For a brief period, they become his apprentices.  Tragedy strikes when an organized attack by Hugo Strange and the Psycho-Pirate turns Gotham from hero to horror.

This turn of events also leaves Gotham Girl in a state of perpetual fear.  

Batman seeks out the Psycho-Pirate.  He needs the Pirate to reverse the damage.  He discovers that Bane already abducted the Bronze Age Earth-Two villain.

The kidnaping forces Batman to build a team.  It’s a curious group to say the least: The Bronze Tiger, Scarface’s dummy Arnold Wesker, Captain Atom villains Punch and Jewlee.  Perhaps the most curious of all, Catwoman.

King reimagined Catwoman as a mass murdering psychopath.  Batman releases her from Arkham Asylum.  He does not believe she's guilty, despite her admission.  He furthermore strikes a deal with Amanda Waller, the inept custodian of Strange and the Psycho-Pirate, to obtain a Presidential pardon her crimes.  

Naturally, as the story continues, we discover Catwoman is  innocent.  She’s taking the rap for somebody else.  King lays the blame on one of Catwoman's former associates.  This likely riled a lot of fans, but I just thought it an odd choice.  The character's fan following arises from more recent Catwoman history, not her past.

It’s at this point that I simply wasn’t paying enough attention. I thought I had been.  Bad enough when I didn’t see the hand behind the cadre of villainy, but to miss all sorts of connections.  To mistake the red herring of Doomsday Clock as important.  Blunders all.  

As a linear ongoing story, Batman was unparalleled.  King produced a new continuity for Batman.  Certain things fell by the wayside.  Bane never crippled Batman.  According to the New 52, Batgirl was crippled for no more than two years.  Batman could only have been crippled for less.  

Bane and Batman seem to be enemies through reputation.  Not old ones.  You would certainly think Bane would remind Batman of his downfall.  He does not.  It's easier to follow Occam's Razor to dismiss the entirety.  King however in a bold stroke restored all of Batman and Catwoman's history.

The moment she arrives in Batman, their history propels the book's narrative as an underlying engine. 

The current and final issue of Tom King’s Batman refers to the moment when Batman and his Outsiders storm Santa Prisca, home of Bane.

It turns out that Batman saw the moves against him, leading up to his fall, a long time ago.  He knew he would lose in a direct confrontation.  Batman instead let himself be beaten. 

In a counterattack, Batman planted spies in the house of Bane.  There is no way I could have figured out the identity of one of the spies.  King kept vital information to himself, revealed here.  The second one though.   King laid enough clues in hindsight, to lead the reader to the identity of the second spy.

The death of one of Batman's oldest friends, the wounding of Dick Grayson were the only things Batman did not, could not predict.  Perhaps he also never thought he would be beaten so badly, to the point of death.

Though he deduced one of the minds behind the scheme, and far earlier than I did, Batman also did not see the other.

So now that it’s over we can assess.  King’s run is quintessential and original in that it's a revitalization of Batman and his supporting cast.  

King’s Batman is the world’s greatest detective.  The successor to the Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow.  He misses little, and damages crime.  Throughout King’s run Batman thrills us with feat after feat.  Even in defeat, Batman secretly wins.

In King’s run, Catwoman becomes the world’s greatest thief.  However, she fights crime, and prefers to be by Batman’s side.  She is pivotal in transforming Batman.  She challenges him with unpredictability when he’s still fresh to the hero game.  She dopes out his secret identity way before they begin a relationship.  She sacrifices herself for a friend before emerging as Batman’s one-true-love.  

Her intellect makes her Batman’s perfect partner.  Selina is more impressive than ever.  When King lifts the veil of the orchestrator of the puppetry she’s unfazed.  Catwoman became a superhero in King’s run, and she learns to live in a superhero’s world and speak a superhero’s language.  It’s no wonder she becomes fast friends with Lois Lane.

Batman and Catwoman face a plot like no other.  Kobra opened the salvo, but it turns out the Big Bad of the piece simply used the cult for his own purpose.  Disposing of them before they can become THE threat.  Hugo Strange and the Psycho-Pirate seemed to be working for Amanda Waller.  Neither however was.  Then there’s Bane’s part in all of this.  It all links into an unbroken chain until King produces the wild card.  No, not the Joker.  Such a solution would be pedestrian.

Sometimes the Player on the Other Side makes sense.  Other times he does not.  His motives are questionable, but King demonstrates that the Player is quite mad.  Is that satisfying as a rationale though?  I would have to say no.  On the other hand, I’ve seen far worse.  

The Player’s role is truly bizarre, complex and insane.  There’s also the question of when he became the motivating force.  My theory is that he’s been the unseen enemy since day one.  It’s the only thing that adds up.  This would imply that the lieutenant Big Bad’s rescue of the major Big Bad occurred from two different perspectives.

That said, I can’t help but wonder if King knew how fragile the discovery would be and proceeded regardless.  Perhaps, this story wouldn’t be so riveting if not for its affront to the usual Batman story.  Time will tell, but I don’t believe I’ll see anything better than this run of Batman unless King surpasses himself with his new Batman and Catwoman book.

Our story begins in the 1940s when an Anglo-Saxon and Chinese family move to Metropolis.  This includes children Tommy and Roberta.  Tommy becomes a natural pitcher for the local baseball team.  His talent angers the former arm Chuck, a white kid who also happens to be the nephew of the Grand Scorpion, head of the Ku Klux Klan's chapter infesting Metropolis.  Because the Klan are a bunch of dicks with dunce caps, they fire up a cross at the homestead and  kidnap Tommy.  Tommy escapes, but ends up drowning in a lake, if not for Superman.

Superman isn't quite the Superman you've become accustomed to.  He can only leap tall buildings in a single bound.  He's super strong, super fast and super tough.  

Superman Smashes the Klan continues to be a charming illustrated put down of monstrous racists.  

At once writer Gene Luen Yang demonstrates the threat of the Klan, their weakness, stupidity and their outright insanity.

The Klansman is a nuisance alone but together they commit acts of terrorism on Superman's turf.  Superman must however confront racism on several fronts.  Not just the Klan but also the children they pervert.

Superman is a symbol of hope.  He's the hero of all, and he instills in Chuck the nephew of the Grand Scorpion the will to break the cycle.

The Klan isn't the only blotch of racism in the book.  Superman must confront his own racism.  A Xenophobia that forces him to deny the images he sees and hears.

Confused by the antenna, bug eyes and green complexion? Don't worry about it.  If it's a metaphor, it's a metaphor.  If it's the truth, Yang will explain.  The key is that Superman by denying his heritage, denies his power.  Similar to Smallville, the Kents are hopeful that nobody discovers young Clark's abilities.  So they try to downplay his strengths.  They never intended this but religious zealotry forces their hand.  

If the anti-racism credo of the book fails to interest you, there's plenty of enjoyment to receive elsewhere in the book.  Lois Lane intrepid reporter trying to dig out the story on the Nazi Atomic Man that threatened the dam last issue.  Jimmy Olsen following her lead in amusing scenes.  Perry White crusading editor of The Daily Planet.  A street smart Inspector Henderson, who happens to be black and super scene where Superman gives Roberta a special gift and sparky appearance in the past by Lana Lang.

Aquaman isn't too bad.  Kelly Sue DeConnick juggles three different stories.  One, Queen Mera's pregnant with Aquaman's child.  Two, Black Manta's got a giant robot with the personality of his dead dad.  Three, the immortal founder of Amnesty Bay, who is the custodian of monsters brings it to Manta.

Black Manta has really become a boring character.  He still looks cool, but Geoff Johns altered his origin to one of blind revenge.  His best occurred in Forever Evil where he turned quasi-hero.  His hatred of Aquaman who killed his father consumes him and makes him a one-note villain.  DeConnick can't do much with him, but she does the best she can by making him a lodestone for Maurer.

In the oddest melange of genres.  DeConnick presents a kaiju battle that's mixed in with Lovecraftian horror.  

Queen Mera behaves as such, and she and the new Aqualad, the son of Manta and a Xebelian team-up to give him what for.  

In the end the robot has more sense than the son, and Aquaman is almost overwhelmed by the more interesting characters.  Nevertheless, I admire DeConnick's ability to relate a multitiered story succinctly and understandably.  I furthermore applaud the choice of Robson Rocha.  If not for the two talents, the plot would have been swept under.

Count Crowley is the Midnight Movie host for KSKB.  She didn't start out that way.  She was Jerri Butler Bartman ace reporter turned alcoholic.  Her brother owns the station, and gave her one last chance to do good.  Take the place of Richard Barnes, the missing former Count Crowley.  She actually became a hit.  Yay, Jerri.  Except, she discovers much like Kolchak, the Nightstalker.  Monsters are real.

As you can see, in Lukas Ketner's and Laura affe's evocative art, Jerri is a natural monster fighter.  Like Kolchak, she doesn't want to be.  She must.  

This issue, Jerri continues her deep dive investigation of Richard Barnes.  She connects with Barnes' friends and colleagues and finds him less than receptive.

This isn't breaking the ice either.  The cantankerous Vincent Fries, no relation to Victor or Price, puts Jerri down with sexist tirades.

Calling her a silly girl is the least of it, and she's far from silly.  She's pissed off.  His lack of support just fuels her anger.  Count Crowley just hits every note for me.  I can't help it.  I'll probably never say a bad work about the book, and it helps to have a writer/co-creator like David Dastmalchian behind the crystal ball.

Christopher Priest employs a writing technique that's like a fingerprint.  He skips forward and backward with modern silent movie notecards in place of a segue.  

His style doesn't usually get in the way when he's on his game, and for the most part in Vampirella, Priest has been on his game.  

Unfortunately, this issue something's missing, and his technique becomes increasingly staccato.  The story begins with the nuns with guns infiltrating a wreck off the coast believed to be the host of evil.

So far so good, but then Shelly confronts Vampirella with that question about feeding that seems so off.  Vampirella feeds on blood.  Duh.  She rarely however feeds on humans.  Unless she's pissed off.  Shelly appears angry at Vampirella for some reason.  Vampirella seems to think they were an item.

Shelly doesn't know what she's talking about.  Is it the mind fuckng or the dreams she's worried about? I have no idea.  It may have something to do with this confusing scene in a prior issue.

Shelly seems to crush Vampirella, but she's not enacted on these thoughts.  She never broke her stupid vow.  

The scene cuts organically to Vampirella's brother Drake, a Nostferatu like vampire Nancy Collins created, watching from the coast.   

Then the story snaps to his conversation with Lilith, his and Vampirella's mother.  This isn't verbatim since it's all coming from Vampirella's narrative to her TSA appointed psychotherapist Daktari.

Turn the page and we find the recently resurrected Mistress Nyx enjoying her new body.

Nyx is partly human and not a total monster.  Though her humanity may not play a part.  There are plenty of people out there masquerading as humans and not doing a good job of it.  Kriest's crew forces her to do the unthinkable, and she promises they will die.

Turn the page, and we get a hostage situation involving Vampirella's new lady love Victory.  

This is where I think things go wrong.  First, it's too much of a leap in time.  Second, the gunman isn't the one Lilith hypnotized.  She hypnotized the officer who murders his partner.  He gives the prisoner his gun.  V should be able to hypnotize him without an issue.  If Lilith hypnotized them both, then Vampirella uses lethal force on a victim.  She could have just snatched the gun and crush it.  In addition, if Lilith hypnotized the officer and the prisoner, why didn't she also hypnotize the officer's partner? A lot of that scenario doesn't make sense.  It's just meant to be a demonstration to Victory and the reader that V isn't really a superhero.  Which is silly because she is. She's just a different kind of superhero.  

Giving Priest credit where credit is due.  He actually exploits her newfound status of urban legend very smartly.

Wellington alleges that Lord Arthur Wellesley the first Duke of Wellington was a demon hunter.  Okay, but why?  Who dreams up a supernaturally themed mystery starring the Duke of Wellington?

Sherlock Holmes is a public domain figure.  Why choose a historical personage instead? Wellington is basically Sherlockian, especially with a devil hound lurking on the grounds near the mines.  Hell, I can even imagine hearing Basil Rathbone speak as Wellington.

For what it's worth, Wellington is well written by Delilah Dawson and ornately illustrated by Piotr Kowalski and colorist Brad Simpson, yet the question remains.