POBB February 19, 2020 Part One

Pick of the Brown Bag

February 19, 2020
Part One

by

Ray Tate

The huge yield of comic books overwhelmed me.  This short  Pick of the Brown Bag is a sampling of the best and the worst.  For the quick and dirty opinions about the rest.  Check out Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.  Today I'm looking at Aquaman, the Old Guard, The Plunge and Superman Smashes the Klan.  

The Old Guard refers to the immortal stars of the book: Andy, Booker, Joe, Nicky and Nile, the youngest.  They're all warriors of some sort who simply cannot die.

This issue introduces two more immortals to the mix.  Andy's former lover Noriko and James, whose relationship to the rest writer/co-creator Greg Rucka leaves a mystery at the cliffhanger.  

The story begins in the past with Andy and Noriko being forever young, immortal and very much in love.  The sea however takes Noriko and threatens Andy and her compadres.

Angel first brokered the idea of the sea being an anathema to immortals.  You drown over and over again.  Co-creator/artist Leandro Fernandez however tops Angel.  He immerses the reader in the hazards of sailing with exciting artwork that contrasts the early idyll.

Fernandez's skill isn't limited to action.  He expresses the present day Andy's shock and the love she feels for Noriko simultaneously.  Noriko you see is alive.

Overall, this is an extraordinary issue of The Old Guard even if it's based upon a misunderstanding between lovers.  Fortunately, new, lethal players with familiar symbolism promise to generate a more substantial nemesis.  

Plunge from author Joe Hill shares a lot in common with other horror sea chanties such as The Meg and the unfathomably underrated Deep Rising.  

A team with special skill sets forms to investigate a mystery. In this case, the resurrection of a lost ship, amusingly named after Weird Tales alum August Derleth.

The team consists of a cool biology expert who's a touch on the insane side.

Her trusty Native American companion.

A snarky salvage team...

...led by an eccentric Captain, and 

Jerry Mathers as the Beaver.

Plunge is tedious and derivative.  If it weren't for Stuart Immonen's beautiful artwork, it would be as forgettable as Bill's occupation.  

What is he exactly? A doctor? An assistant?  Uncle? Secret Dad? That said.  Plunge could be made into a workable movie if Hill dropped the unfunny running joke about dildos.

Russell Crowe portrays the Captain.  Paul Giamatti is obviously the Paul Reiser corporate sleaze from Aliens.  Freema Agyeman can essay the good doctor.

The snarky crew dudes played by any upcoming young actors, with gender switches a potential.  

No.  Plunge is for Stuart Immonen fans only, and they may want to wait for the trade so they don't feel the obligation to read the words.  

Aquaman, the one where Mera has a baby is actually pregnant with quality.  

Mera knocked herself out after she figuratively shoved Black Manta's giant robot, provided by Lex Luthor, up Manta's ass.  The story, its gist we can kind of predict, becomes interesting right at the beginning.

Aquaman immediately, instinctively seeks out human medical care.  That's because Kelly Sue DeConnick treats Aquaman like a human.  A weird human, but human none the less.  He grew up in Amnesty Bay.  He attended high school and bonded with human friends.  He's human.  Entrusting Mera, a watery alien, to human doctors is of course a mistake.  So, the whole kit and caboodle go back to Atlantis where DeConnick demonstrates a chink in the armor of Utopia. 

The overcrowding in an Atlantean hospital sort of makes sense given that the continent is finite.  I'll assume that every hospital in Atlantis is like this.  It's also a pertinent reflection of one of the problems associated with hospitalization in the United States.

DeConnick and artist Robson Rocha introduce their very own Shay Veritas, and she provides a lot of flint for the rest of the cast to spark against.  Also on hand to pay their respects, Ocean Master and Endora from the Widowhood.

As you can see DeConnick plays Endora for laughs, but it's not all a ha-ha-fest.  DeConnick also draws upon the inherent racism from the so-called pure Atlanteans toward the mutated, like Dolphin.  Only one of the germs setting up future storylines.  Of course, yes, there's a birth notice being sent out.  Though complications arise for the Queen, she and Arthur are proud parents by the time the issue ends.  Spoiler alert.  Oops.  Too late.

Welcome to 1946 where families from across America huddled around a radio to listen to the adventures of a "strange visitor from another planet."  This particular episode detailed the Man of Steel dismantling a racist organization thinly disguised as The Clan of the Fiery Cross.  

Superman hurt the Klan.  There can be no doubt about it.  They were so angry that they threatened to sue the station and demanded a Kellogg boycott.  Kellogg didn't care.  The radio station didn't care.  The serial continued.  Kellogg made a steady profit.  The Klan membership took a hit.  The Klan backed way down.  Superman continued the "never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way" for four more years before segueing to television.  That tradition would continue.  Every era sees a Big Red S.  Frequently beating the crap out of racists.

Gene Luen Yang used "The Clan of the Fiery Cross" as the core of his story.  He however did more to enrich the tale and make its anti-xenophobic message even stronger.  

This issue is the best chapter of the three.  Everything comes together. The Superman mythology.  The fight against racism and even Superman's romance with Lois Lane.  This is truly one of the most meticulously plotted Superman tales that I've ever read.

It began with Atom Man--a nod to the Superman serial starring Kirk Alyn and Lyle Talbot as Lex Luthor.  This Atom Man however is not Luthor's sobriquet, but a Nazi Metallo.

The Man of Steel defeats him easily enough until he discovers for the first time Kryptonite.  A save from a black Inspector Henderson is most welcome.  

While this occurs, the Lees, who are facing their own cultural crisis, move into Metropolis.  The Lees will become a remarkable influence on Superman's life, especially young Roberta.

Upon embracing his otherness Superman becomes the familiar alien hero that we all know and cherish.  

Yang's brilliant story ridicules the Klan and shows them as a real threat.  The warm and welcoming art of Gurihiru works equally well when demonstrating the Klan's inhumanity. The story furthermore empowers Roberta and all the lives that become entangled in the machinations of the Fiery Cross.  Superman Smashes the Klan was a truly remarkable achievement.