POBB: August 6, 2014

The Pick of the Brown Bag

by

August 6, 2014

Ray Tate

Welcome to The Pick of the Brown Bag.  In this blog, I select the best and worst from the week's yield.  On the current docket Angel and Faith, Batman Eternal, Detective Comics, Earth 2, Flash Gordon, Moon Knight, Painkiller Jane, Swamp Thing and Vampirella.

I have mixed feelings about the latest issue of Detective Comics.  The best thing I can say is that the murder mystery's solution results from a logical elimination of possible suspects.  In addition, the artwork of course is striking and effective.  You would expect nothing less from Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, but man, is this dark.

The presence of Batman's suit of armor, the science fiction elements of a giant squid and essentially a lightning man fail to alleviate the film noir miasma of doom that hangs over the story.  Buccellato and Manapul create a pit that swallows innocent people whole.  That pit is Gotham City, prompting the question why would anybody live there?

Annette came to Gotham City, unwillingly.  Her reservations proved correct.  She lost her mother, her innocence and the promise of a new beginning.  At the end of the story, she intends to get out of Gotham City while she still can.  Smart girl.

Annette's suffering is exactly what Batman's supposed to prevent.  Batman became who he is to destroy crime before the criminal element could decimate families, leaving behind orphans such as he.  Any victory he achieves by beating the crap out of the bad guys after the fact is Pyrrhic.  Batman's triumphs lie in determent.  In that sense, Detective Comics is an epic fail for the Dark Knight.

It's as though Manapul and Buccellato looked at Scott Snyder's and Gregg Capullo's optimistic Batman interpretation, the man who finally shattered the Owls, the vigilante who fights crime and corrupt cops like a modern day Zorro, and decided the image and the present needed tarnish.  Too much, if you ask me.

I'm only dipping into Scott Snyder's Batman Eternal for the Batgirl content.  In that respect I wasn't disappointed, but the surrounding material didn't upset me either.  So, bonus.

Batman Eternal features a good bit of Batgirl intrigue.  She teams up with the Red Hood and Batwoman to infiltrate a Brazilian sweatshop.  The head honcho may be involved in framing her father Commissioner Gordon.  He could also be a red herring.  So, don't get your hopes up.  His shtick is mind control, but his rationale for interfering in Gotham City escapes me.  The writers aren't inclined to elucidate either.

Snyder and team emphasize new continuity over the old.  So, fans of Babs' thirty-five year crippling probably aren't going to be too happy.  Screw 'em.   Batgirl fans will want to add this issue of Batman Eternal to their list.  Not only does Andy Clarke illustrate Batgirl beautifully, Snyder and team include the following passage.

The observation exalts Batgirl, validating the appreciation of the character.  Furthermore, the writers treat Batwoman as a neophyte, in contrast to Batgirl.  Batgirl in fact actually finds something for the fledgling heroine to do.  For the first time, Batwoman has a reason to exist.

As well as Batgirl action, Batman, Jason Bard and Killer Croc team-up to find out what's preying on the people of Gotham City.  I like the idea of Croc being a defender and Batman not immediately blaming him for the crimes, when the evidence points elsewhere.

Jim Gordon meanwhile stews in Blackgate.  Harper and Spoiler by the way do not appear in this issue.  So keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to cough up the coin.

Moon Knight ends with a bang.  Warren Ellis concludes his run by going back to his debut and plucking his villain from a maelstrom of jealousy and envy.

The cop, Ryan, one of those attached to the first Mr. Knight investigation in the premiere delves into Moon Knight's past to learn about a man he makes an enemy.  

As a result, we discover the fates of Marlene and Frenchie, Moon Knight's lover and cohort, respectively.  Ellis gives each of the Moon Knight's former associates pretty decent lives, but this is unsurprising.  Ellis is one of the more idealistic Brit writers and realizes that superheroes require at least a germ of humanity's more appealing attributes to justify their crusade.

Once he feels he knows his enemy, Ryan fortifies himself with explosives and darts.  He christens himself the new Black Spectre, and falls headlong into failure.  In the end, Moon Knight proves to be even more altruistic than first thought.  

Angel and Faith is a good jump-on point where regular writer Victor Gischler introduces new readers to Angel, his new digs of London and his supporting cast.

The story opens with Angel's nightmare.  Angelus, lays waste to a convent of nuns.  Religious icons and people do not seem to particularly bother vampires from the Joss Whedon universe.  Indeed, one may argue in order to burn you have to have your soul returned.  Whedon on the other hand did incorporate one of the seldom used vampire traditions in his cosmology.  Vampires must be invited to the party, unless they seek entry to a public place, like a church.  

The feast is indeed theoretically possible.  Whatever the case, the nightmare effectively foreshadows the demon inside Angel.  For those not in the know, the gypsies cursed Angelus for the slaughter of one of their own.  They called back Angel's soul from beyond to forever combat the demon inhabiting Angel's body.  This is why for example Angel listens to Barry Manilow.  To torture Angelus, which is not to say that Angel doesn't appreciate Barry Manilow.  

Angel begins his day properly at Mos Eisley's Cafe, or it's occult equivalent.  There he meets Inspector Brandt who entices Angel with a strange case.

The facts intrigue Angel.  The vampire stalker operates in broad daylight, something vampires such as he cannot do.  Enlisting the aid of The Watcher Giles' preternaturally young aunts Lavinia and Sophie, Angel lures the vampire into a trap.  The aunts prove to be dangerous bait.  Fortunate since plausible complications arise in Angel's trek through the sewers to seal the trap.

Gischler's story gives him the opportunity to display his strong characterization skills and how he can twist an agreeably predictable plot that still allows the reader to get her feet wet.  Regular artist Will Conrad was unavailable, but Dark Horse acquired the services of able substitute Delris Santacruz.  Santacruz produces a strong ringer for David Boreanaz and does well when presenting the action in a visual narrative rich with realistic detail.

Nancy Collins continues to entertain with Vampirella's quest to rid herself of the spirit of Umbra.  Her age-old enemy Ethan Shroud suckered her into playing host for the shadow demon.  Collins' own creation Sonja Blue also shares her body with a creature she refers to as the Other, but the Other is clearly a part of Sonja.  Not so with Umbra who seductively attempts to possess the noble vampire.  

In order to get expunge the parasite, Vampirella must undergo Herculean labors.  For the first task of her quest, the dark heroine needs to kill and use the parts of specific monsters.  This means the return of an old favorite.

The beastie last appeared in Brandon Seifert's Witchdoctor.  Two appearances of the Asian demon within a few years of comic book reading.  I must be doing something right.  The Krasue is a unique bit of floating folklore that's at once hilarious and grotesque.  I've had a soft spot for the beast ever since seeing the cheapjack special effects stills from Thai films that made her manifestation possible.

The Krasue actually does very little in the story apart from a sorry attempt at strangulation.  From reading the plots of these films, the Krasue often served as showstopping window dressing.  So, in a way Collins maintains tradition by making the beastie a supernatural McGuffin in a story about Vampirella.  Collins generates most of the intrigue through Ella's resistance to Umbra's enticements.  Though she does quench a different kind of thirst.  

Wowsers! Seriously though.  Vampirella debuted as a Warren magazine for mature audiences.  Vampirella having sex shouldn't really be a big deal, and Collins has never been one to shy away from the subject.

I found Collins' wit far more surprising.  Collins' Sonja Blue novels were fairly straight-up horror adventure stories.  The title character might have had a sense of humor but she hid it well.  Vampirella on the flip side is quite funny thanks to the inclusion of the sardonic nostferatu Drago.  

This isn't even the funniest line.

Patrick Berkonkotter illustrates the beautiful and the beastly with equal skill, and his depiction of the antagonist is impressive.  His art makes it look like the Krasue's been animated by way bigger budgets than all the Thai films combined. 

Painkiller Jane and the 22 Brides investigate the mad bomber of New York.  They finally get a break by tracing the phone setting off the charge to the bomber's associates.  Writer/creator Jimmy Palmiotti however diverts the plot from the expected and by doing so tailors the gist to Jane's characterization.  Jane gets fierce when Maureen suffers an injury, however minor.

Jane's method of detection differs from Sherlock Holmes and the typical gumshoe of old.  Because of her power to heal, she meets things head on, seldom using stealth.  Essentially, she stakes out her claim and calls out the bad guy.

Jane's technique brings Act IV smashing headlong into what should have been Act II.  Cutting to the chase literally involves throwing Jane at a helicopter and ending on a vicious looking cliffhanger.  Believe me, you won't miss the expected padding one bit.

On the planet Arborea, Flash Gordon surreptitiously teams with Prince Barin to lead the first Mongo imperium revolt.  Last issue, Flash prevented the Lion Man Thun and Mox the Rhino Man from losing their intellect to become true enslaved Beast Men.  This issue Flash, Dale and Zarkov decimate Mongo's forces, enact serious property damage with admittedly convenient explosive berries and raspberry Ming the Merciless by daring to resist.

Flash is instrumental in the rebellion, but obviously he could not have turned the tide alone.  Nevertheless, it's very easy to see how Ming will build an animosity toward Flash that's legendary.  Flash is willing to take credit for all the turmoil in order to shield his extraterrestrial allies from reprisals.  Thus, the Flash's grandstanding isn't, and his motives are completely altruistic.  Flash in fact lacks an ego when it comes to matters of right and wrong, and he's unaware of it when he launches into a new challenge.

Writer Jeff Parker's light touch with the Flash Gordon adventures also enlivens Zarkov and Dale Arden.  Zarkov exhibits quite a bit of ego in the story, not unwarranted, and this translates into some funny moments.  Dale is the hard-nosed reporter that Lois Lane wants to be, and she becomes a storyteller again as she recounts the events in the highly recommended King's Watch.  Dale as you can see also displays her comedy chops.

Charles Soule ends the storyarc in which Swamp Thing silenced the Parliament of Trees, regained his status as Champion of the Green and returned past avatars to earth in human form as a reward for their help in changing the guard.

Alas, the Avatars Lady Weeds and the Wolf didn't take too kindly to Alec Holland's present and chose to whittle him down to size.  Each of their plans failed miserably, and in a last ditch effort, the Wolf became less than human to fight Swamp Thing on equal footing.  Joshua, the benevolent Avatar who offered immortal Capucine protection, got caught in the crossfire.

Soule finishes the story with a full flourish of foliage.  Swamp Thing mitigates the damage, and the Wolf demonstrates that even in a hideous form he still holds a glimmer of humanity.  That's not however a guarantee of mercy.  Capucine exacts a crucial delicious revenge on Weeds, and although this issue of Swamp Thing is basically a good guys-over-bad guys- win, the story's neither disposable or predictable.  The characters with robust depth lead the tale of revenge and triumph.

On Earth 2, everybody's on the same page.  Stop Darkseid's forces from invading the planet again.  Writer Tom Taylor however demonstrates that there's more than one way to skin an Apokoliptan War-Rat. 

Lois, her mind ensconced in the Red Tornado, stops "Superman" from continuing his rampage, and Taylor reveals  a secret from our returning Man of Steel.  Suffice to say old Superman fans should be delighted.

Marella, Batman and the Flash however serve as the centerpiece in a strike against the opposition that displays the elegance of a butterfly in flight.

One disappointment is a given.  Though Power Girl appears on the cover of Earth 2, she's nowhere to be found in the pages.

I would be remiss not to mention the colorists of this week's yield.  Whether it's Jordie Bellaire granting power to conflagration, or Blond and his dueling red-heads, with a Red Hood watching from the sidelines, the colorists did a spectacular job.  Pete Pantazis and his wonder hues spark a rainbow in Earth 2.  It would be perfectly acceptable for a black and white Angel and Faith to hit the racks, but the shades of Michelle Madsen on hand, why would you?  Likewise for Vampirella's Jorge Sutil.  His bloody yet varied reds emphasize Vampirella's need, while Matt Wilson's choices bring out a kaiju element that mirrors the Wes Craven Swamp Thing.  To the unsung heroes of the comic book world, the colorists.

POBB: July 30, 2014

The Pick of the Brown Bag

by

July 30, 2014

Ray Tate

The Pick of the Brown Bag is live with reviews of Aquaman Annual, Baltimore, Captain Midnight, Detective Comics Annual, Doc Savage, Justice League, The Shadow and Smallville.  First, though a critique of the latest issue of Justice League.

Justice League in actuality spotlights the newest incarnation of the Doom Patrol.  The fan favorite team originally consisted of Niles Caulder, Rita Farr, Cliff Steel and Larry Trainor.  

There have been other formations, but writer Geoff Johns for the new 52 resets the clock.  Cliff, Larry, Rita and the Chief comprise our team.  

Created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney and illustrated with realism by superb artist Bruno Permiani, Niles Caulder, The Chief, originally was a humanitarian who loved the members of his team as a family. 

Confined to a wheelchair, his intent was to show the world that physical "limitations" did not define the person.  So, the Doom Patrol would travel the world and combat weird menaces that threatened the same until, in a first for comics, the team would sacrifice their lives to save "14 useless fishermen" in "Codsville, Maine," which will be rechristened Four Heroes, Maine.

As it turned out, not all the Doom Patrol died.  Robot Man washed ashore, where Metal Man creator Will Magnus rebuilt his body.  That made sense.  The Chief would have constructed the encasement that guarded Cliff's brain out of the same material black boxes are made.  During the post-Crisis, writers revealed that Larry and the Chief also somehow managed to survive.  

Exemplifying DC's past sexism, Rita Farr became the only member of the Doom Patrol to die, and she with her ability to shrink to the size of a doll is the hero that logically could have survived the blast that historically destroyed the Doom Patrol.  In the waning years of the post-Crisis, writer/artist John Byrne would finally bring her back.

Predating Byrne's clean reboot, Grant Morrison took an altogether different tack with the Doom Patrol.  As far as he was concerned, the Chief was a self-serving bastard that eventually descended into madness.  That version of the Chief held weight in the minds of most writers and became the most influential.  This is mainly because the lion's share of writers prefer cynicism over optimism.  Cynicism is easier to write.

For the new 52, Geoff Johns reverts the Doom Patrol back to their beginnings, but he can't resist tampering with what didn't need to be fixed.  Rita Farr for example doesn't just grow and shrink.  Johns affixes a nastier condition to the character.  Larry Trainor fears being left helpless while releasing Negative Man, and the Chief is a misanthrope.  He catalyzed the creation of the Doom Patrol for his own reasons.  Johns implies, and the feverish design by Doug Mahnke corroborates, that the Chief is a probably a megalomaniac.  At least a control-freak.

Whatever the reason, the Doom Patrol gather to collect the cursed ring from another universe from the new Power Ring.  Standing amidst the Doom Patrol, the former Justice Leaguer Element Woman, who becomes an impediment in Caulder's schemes.  

Element Woman owes the Chief nothing.  So she can afford to be the conscience of the team.  You might ask, and rightly so, where is the Justice League.  There, there is the Justice League.

If it sounds like I'm not wild about Johns' story.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  I don't like his take on the Doom Patrol, but he leaves enough room in their characterization for repairs.  Caulder though acts like a typical mad scientist.  The next writer would have to do a complete overhaul on him.  Maybe a brick to the head to unscramble the wiring.

Given what's in the pages, Johns' story works from an outsider's perspective.  The Doom Patrol want to be super-heroes.  Caulder doesn't want them to fill that role.  They want to save people, but Caulder resists, and they look upon the Justice League as the real deal, whereas they are mere misfits under the thumb of the Chief.  It's a good, frothy tale even if I don't like some of the core elements.

The Aquaman Annual deals with loose ends from the highly recommended second story from Jeff Parker involving an archaeologist inadvertently releasing monsters sealed up in a Hellmouth by none other than Hercules.  While Arthur battled the insane demigod, many of the monsters escaped as others perished.  The head creature, the canniest of the lot, unfortunately was one of the missing.

She got even smarter in the interim and set up her species as special effects for a movie being made.  Thus, not only do they need not hide their monstrous forms, which likely expends enormous amounts of energy.  They also have a ready supply of food coming to their door.   The difference is that they learned to suck the lifeforce like a fine tea rather than just devour like Muppets.  

Artist Yvel Guichet follows Paul Pelletier's example and creates some remarkably revolting monsters.  I don't know what's worse the design of the flying thing's head or the way it licks the leader of this danse macabre's hand.  Whatever the reason, the artist doesn't just draw a comic book but also a gut reaction from the reader.  That's the power of art.
  

Aquaman and Wonder Woman in--we'll call it disguise--infiltrate the monsters' base of operations and while the Justice Leaguers subtly cement their friendship, they kick monster ass in remarkable scenes of awesome superhero violence.  Wonder Woman and Aquaman aren't holding back.  In the new 52, monsters that would feed on humans have no rights.  Lifeforms they may be, but their lives are forfeit.  New 52 continuity mavens may also like to note that Hercules is a hero, albeit a now demented champion, who had nothing to do with the Amazons.

In addition to this visceral tale of pounding plug-uglies, Parker returns for a back up story that's actually even more rewarding since it's pure super hero might against monsters.  Parker concludes the main story with trite banishment and atonement for the archaeologist that released the demons in the first place.  That's fair given the premise, but it's not nearly as satisfying as watching Wonder Woman and Mera decimate the deadly creatures using pure power.

As you can see artist Alvaro Martinez is no mere traditional backup artist.  The ladies are the ideal combinations of beauty and brawn, and there's a nice little nod to Shark Week.

Detective Comics Annual is really a Detective Comics one-shot that cuts back and forth to an "Icarus" prequel.  Batman hunts down a gang known as the Blackgate Bastards.  They've stolen a cache of high-tech weaponry from Caldwell Industries.  Regular readers of Detective Comics will recall the name.

On the trail, Batman encounters young Aden, the son of an abusive criminal thug named Julian.  Naturally, Julian's treatment of Aden doesn't sit well with the Dark Knight, and he takes a time out to assume the guise of Matches Malone and beat the crap out of dear old dad.

Aden's information gives Batman a solid lead.  He suits up to follow the trek to its end.  The tin can tech recalls Iron Man, but it's undeniably cool.  Buccellato isn't reinventing the wheel here.  He's just sticking Batman in his natural element and throwing in a little real world crime that's not so easy to solve.

The rest of the book tangentially ties into "Icarus."  So, you have things like Annette Aguilar demonstrating her dirt bike skills.  The scenario's really just sort of nothing because Buccellato and his partner Francis Manapul properly debuted Annette with artistic fanfare in their premiere of Detective Comics.  

Annette's doomed love affair with Dante, as in Dante's Inferno, get it, takes up space.  She arrives sans partner in Detective Comics.  Annette's mother Elena is alive.  Her murder starts the whole ball rolling in "Incarus."  Sid the Squid is hale and hearty.  In Detective Comics, the Kings' Gangboss shoots him.

It's a weird schism that doesn't really work.  Best just to pay attention to the Batman centerpiece.  That's a lot of fun.  Batman beats up an abusive father.  Who wouldn't want to see that? His rage burns from the fuel of his own loss.  So, it's also a great little character moment, and his kindness with Aden frames him as more than just a Dark Knight Detective but also as a Caped Crusder.  Batman can be badass and genial.  There's no need to assume a preclusion. 

"The weed of crime bears bitter fruit" in the infamous H.P. Lovecraft towne of Innsmouth.  This is the friendly little place where Cthulhu's servants the Deep Ones, every so often arise from the waters and stage a rape-invasion of all the female townfolk.  

The concept has been immortalized in Roger Corman's incredible classic Humanoids from the Deep, and the less exploitative Dagon from Stuart Gordon.  

The Deep Ones appear to visit a stranded Margo Lane, Shadow operative and significant other.  One may question why instead of being raped, Margo merely suffers from one of her concussive encounters with the opposite side.  That turns out to be a clue to what's really going on.

This is easily the best Shadow story I read from Dynamite, and that's mainly because Ron Marz drops the supernatural abilities of the Shadow that most of the Dynamite writers chose to imbue.  He sticks with the basics established by Shadow progenitor Walter B. Gibson.  

Though the Shadow's creation depended on the imagination of other men, Gibson redefined the radio version of the Shadow from invisible "clouder of mens' minds" to an arch stage-magician that destroyed crime with two forty-five automatics and a brilliant tactical brain.  That's what we get here, gustily rendered by artist Ian Rodriguez, and the Shadow's better for it.

Marz characterizes the Shadow as a Hanzo samurai sword that cuts through criminals.  He however differs from the traditional idea of the Shadow being completely aloof to normal feeling.  

Marz's Shadow and Margo Lane are a couple, and he's devoted to her.  This relationship works quite well in the story, adding a level of unexpected depth that completes the picture.

The Shadow's contemporary Doc Savage persists in the present day in the cerebral yet lively conclusion to the story and series by Chris Roberson.  In the previous issue a well-meaning idiot who worked at Doc's Crime College went on the air to expose Doc's method of capturing criminals and then treating their strikes against society as a disease or malignancy.  

Doc, the most humane of the pulp heroes, performed brain surgery and re-education techniques to rehabilitate his charges. Congress forced Doc to release the records of those he worked upon, and other doctors reversed the process.  So, everything was hunky-dory, right? Wrong.  

The scum returned to their criminal ways as quick as water rolls off a duck's back.  Begging the question, how could these reformed criminals undergo brainwashing/lobotomies if everything was so easily reversible?


Lester Dent, the mirror to Walter B. Gibson when concerning Doc Savage, didn't think of lobotomies or brainwashing when he created Doc's techniques.  It was simply Dent's potent attempt at an ultimate solution by a Man of Bronze determined to make the world a better place through mostly peaceful and rational means. 

As the story proceeds, humanity drops into the pit of madness, but Doc's been burned before, and he anticipated an attack like this.  Although the exact nature momentarily flummoxes him.  

Framing his reversal of the damage with one of many inspiring speeches to the narrator of the entire series, Doc, nevertheless, takes the onus of responsibility and blame, world leaders are quick to shoot his way.  Doc however continues to do what he believes is the right thing.  An impressive end with Bilquis Evely's best artwork on the series to date.  He underplays Doc, but nevertheless shows the nuances of emotion in Doc's demeanor.  It's not an easy artistic balance, but Bilquis succeeds.

Cajoled by Agent Jones, Captain Midnight reluctantly returns to battling crime.  The criminal in question is the villain behind the Ghost/X/Midnight team-up "12 to Midnight."  You don't need to know that.  The fiend acts like a typical criminal lunatic and uses Midnight's own technology subverted during the Captain's long absence against him.  This institutes a terrific battle ably illustrated by artist Manuel Garcia.  Good solid super-hero action with a gritty cliffhanger.

In Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden's Baltimore, a damsel in distress runs from a husband that won't stay dead.  The woman bumps into Baltimore and his entourage gathered from the previous adventure, and they provide cannon fodder to up the threat of Baltimore's occult opponents.

As usual, the gist of the story isn't what's key, it's how Mignola and Golden unfold the tale that keep the reader rapt.  Flashbacks appear to provide an answer, but is there more than meets the eye? 

Smallville introduces John Constantine to the television based universe.  If this is the character that will appear in the Constantine television series, fans of the DC character as opposed to the Vertigo Hellblazer will have much to be grateful for.  Miller presents Constantine as a kind of lawful neutral figure, who generally sides with the overall good.  Miller's Constantine as a collector and seller of unusual occult objects, literally haunted by the ghosts of those he has gotten killed during his quests.

Zatanna already appeared in the series.  Bryan Q. Miller characterizes her as you expect.  Opening with her stage act and turning it into true bewitchment.  She's on the hunt for one of her father's magic books; this slams her headlong into an encounter with Constantine, and the villain also picks a fight with the Mistress of Magic.  The villains will be immediately recognized by Teen Titans readers and Arrow watchers.

Excellent artwork accompanies a whimsical tale that bears a nasty streak, and it's also a vehicle that demonstrates how the real world begins to deal with existence of extraterrestrials and sorcery in a previously thought of ordinary planet.  Surprisingly epic on scale, the scope of the battle is huge and not the throwaway tale you expect.