POBB May 23, 2018

Pick of the Brown Bag

May 23, 2018

by

Ray Tate

The Pick of the Brown Bag welcomes you to another round of reviews including Batgirl, The Good Agent, Legendary Red Sonja, Mera and Scooby-Doo Team-Up.  Yep.  It’s a short one, but maybe not short enough.  If not, check out my tweets: #PickoftheBrownBag.

First, congratulations to Ireland for moving forward and accepting women as intelligent individuals capable of making their own decisions about their own individual futures.  Shame on the Republican Party and the Turnip sitting in the White House trying to prevent American women from exercising their own rights secured by Law.

Before I begin the usual reviews, I want to direct your attention to a charity product that came out this week.  Ricanstruction redirects your twenty bucks to the continuing effort to bring Puerto Rico back strong.   Every cent goes to Puerto Rico.  What makes this project a little different than others, is that DC Comics backed the whopping ad-free one-ninety plus page trade paperback by allowing their characters to team-up with the creator owned Puerto Rican super-hero on the cover.  La Borinquena, named after Puerto Rico’s territorial anthem.  And I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.

Batman is here.  Superman and Supergirl soar.  Wonder Woman isn’t just on the cover.  You get Metamorpho.  Swamp Thing.  The Milestone Universe.  Green Lantern Jessica Cruz.  The Crimson Avenger, believe it or not.  

Harley Quinn.  Aquaman.  Poison Ivy.  Catwoman.  The Flash.  Big Barda.  Adam and Alanna Strange.  Batgirl.  Starfire.  All the art is quality, the majority by known professionals.  The same goes for the writing.  Each tale lasts about three to four pages.  Most of them substantial enough and a good spotlight for the heroes and La Borinquena, who apparently has a life outside of this book: www.la-borinquena.com.  So if you’ve got twenty bucks to spare, buy Ricanstruction.

If you read e-comics, stop by comixology and spend a buck on The Good Agent.  Dan Membiella’s re-entry into comics is a treatise against racism with the title hero battling Nazis who serve under the Big Bad White Mother.  

This issue demonstrates Membiella’s skill at drawing monsters and fine draftsmanship.  Membiella’s story is good with reference to Norse myth.  He’s also slowly fleshing out characters and adding to the cast.

In the late seventies, Hanna-Barbera still ran hot, and they introduced a new Scooby-Doo show that split an hour with two brand new protagonists.  Blue Falcon voiced by Gary Owens, who dramatized Spaaaaace Ghosssst, and his sidekick.  A  robot dog christened Dyno-Mutt voiced by the Frank Welker.  The Falcon was a spoof of Adam West’s Batman.  

Referred to as Dog-Wonder, Dyno-Mutt had little in common with Robin.  He was instead a unique creation and the spiritual ancestor of Inspector Gadget.  Because of the format of the show, Scooby-Doo and the Gang frequently joined forces with Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt.  It’s nice to see the former cohorts partnering up again.

It seems that Blue Falcon is suffering from a bout of grim-and-gritty.

This perturbs Dyno-Mutt who seeks the Gang to uncover what demon possesses his best blue buddy.  The story by Sholly Fisch mostly eschews the typical horror facade of Scooby-Doo and opts for straight up mystery that winnows the clues until a satisfying solution presents itself.  

I presume that Alex Toth did the original designs for Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt.  The Falcon Car is a dead giveaway.  

Regular illustrator Dario Brizuela is nowhere to be found on this issue.  I’d be kicking myself for missing the opportunity.  Able Scooby-Doo artist Walter Carzon is on hand to do justice to Toth’s artistic creations.

Hope Larson’s swan song for Batgirl turns an ordinary domestic disturbance into a potentially deadly trap for the Dynamic Dare Doll.  The story emphasizes how dangerous a science fiction world can be.  It all starts with a special gun designed by an engineer that just doesn’t take no for an answer.

The trap has been a staple of imaginative fiction since the nineteen sixties.  Larson distinguishes her take by cleverly planting multiple chestnuts that she actually used in previous Batgirl cases.  Albeit in a reduced or reinvigorated form.

Larson for example began her run of Batgirl with an old friend we never heard of encountering Babs as she took a vacation through the Asian continent.  

Believe me, I’m not spoiling anything.  Batgirl also uncovers a super gladiator fight club, where her new friend May participates.

Again, nothing’s being spoiled.  All of these reminisces combine with with a new commentary from Larson that agrees with what I’ve been saying for years.

Before Diane Nelson arrived, DC was more interested in the costume than the person.  As far as the Powers That Be were concerned, Batgirl could be anybody—including a deaf, mute illiterate.  Every pass of the suit kept Babs in the wheelchair.  This psycho-Batgirl-fan represents the next substitute.

The way in which Larson retraces her footfalls is intriguing, and that added psycho fan puts Batgirl over the top as far as I’m concerned.  Maybe you were never as bothered by DC’s sexism if not outright misogyny like I was, but even so, there’s enough cleverness in the story of its type to catch your interest. 

Watery Trump-inspired Corum Rath cannot be the King of Atlantis.  However, even the rational people of the underwater world don’t want Aquaman as their sovereign.  He's simply too progressive for the traditional isolationists.  

Aquaman never wanted to rule.  By mutual agreement, his brother Orm alias the Ocean Master became the King.  Aquaman only took the throne when Orm, duped by advisor Vulko, flooded the surface world to protect his domain.  Orm paid for his crimes during Forever Evil but reacted instinctively, nobly when saving a child’s life.  He in the end fell in love with Erin, Tommy’s mother.  

A whirlpool of political intrigue and super-hero action swirls around Atlantis.  The good people act on behalf of Mera who will be crowned Queen.  Ocean Master in a previous issue took issue with that.  

Thanks to the intervention of Erin, Tommy and Tula, Orm’s sister, he and Mera brokered a truce.  Ocean Master for the first time in his life does not want Atlantis.  He wants Erin, Tommy and a family on the dry land, but there’s a sense of duty acting as a siren call.  

Yes, Tommy.  That would be my reaction as well.

Mera hatches a scheme worthy of a Queen.  Ocean Master is on board with her plan.  She will ally with neighboring water-breathers.  Her own people.  There is just one problem.  No, make that two.

Mera and Ocean Master battle a giant octopoid.  Lan Medina, Norm Rapmund and Veronica Gardini illustrate Tula as a gorgeous bad ass.  So do they choreograph a superb fight sequence--man and woman against behemoth--with equal aplomb.

When the bubbles subside, Mera and Ocean Master stand triumphant.  Yeah. Spoiler, I suppose.  It’s not as Topo's big brother actually had a chance.  You knew that.  The protagonists press their case.  The trouble is that Mera made numerous enemies when she fell in love with Aquaman.  She was sent to assassinate him.

Oddly enough her arranged marriage husband and the leader of the Xebels is actually more ambivalent than her own kin.  He objects to Mera’s new status for numerous reasons, but she being Mera isn’t one of them.

Mera Queen of Atlantis is a kind of flip-side to what’s now happening in Aquaman.  Aquaman deals with the revolt against Rath.  It’s the nitty, gritty of the resistance.  Mera is more about the build up to what happens next.  It’s about diplomacy, the limits of duty and upsetting the status quo of royal lineage.  Though we have fights against giant octopi Mera is more cerebral with the heart being the Ocean Master, of all characters, and what he stands to lose should temptation overcome him.  If I have one beef, it's that Mera is a limited series and not an ongoing title.

Legenderry is the steampunk world created by Bill Willingham for Dynamite Comics.  In fact the build began with various heroes such as Vampirella and the Phantom trying to help a mysterious woman named Magda find her path.  This path led to Red Sonja.  Naturally, the saga budded several miniseries.  

Marc Andreyko is the writer of Legendary Red Sonja.  The first entangled Sonja with the creations of Mary Shelley and explained how she should inherit Captain Nemo’s ship.  

The second started out innocent enough.  Sonja bested gang boss Thorne in a cutthroat game of cards.  He wasn’t too happy about the outcome.  His fury led to an exciting chase through the city and ended up back on Sonja’s command.  

Once submerged, Sonja learned that they picked up a stowaway Tesla Thorne, the daughter of the gang boss seeking Sonja’s head.  Better yet, Tesla told a tale of woe.  She was a star-crossed lover of D’Nar the son of Khulan Gath.  Yes, that one.  The one that Sonja never actually met.

This corker of a scene milked for all its cheesecake worth by Andreyko, Rodney Buchemi and Adriano Augusto is a pivotal moment in the comic book.  

It distinguishes the two Sonjas.  There’s no way in hell the Hyborean Age Red Sonja would craft a ruse that made a play for Khulan Gath.  No.  Way.  In fact Sonja seldom pretends to be anything than what she is.  A highly, efficient mercenary.  

Legendary Red Sonja’s naked attempts at seduction resemble the ploys of Honey West and Modesty Blaise, good company to keep.  Furthermore, the scenario demonstrates how a civilized Red Sonja behaves.  Although the Legendary world is filled with women and progressive men, it’s still in general a sexist world.  That sexism lends belief.  Sonja thinks she can gain the edge.  She and the reader underestimate all the surprises that Andreyko has in store.

That fallibility also distances Legendary Red Sonja from her barbarian source.  Red Sonja doesn't fail.  She wins no matter the job, sometimes at great cost.  The civilized Red Sonja makes mistakes.  She recovers and learns from them, but that acceptance of mortality results in a less larger than life presentation.

POBB May 16, 2018

Pick of the Brown Bag

May 16, 2018

by

Ray Tate

The Pick of the Brown Bag welcomes you to a fresh posting of reviews including All-New Wolverine, Aquaman, Athena Voltaire, Avengers, Batman, Infinity 8, Infinity Countdown: Daredevil, The Mighty Thor, The New Challengers and X-Men: Red.  If life has got you in a bind and you don’t know whether or not to add The Punctilious Gerbil Man to your weekly yield, consider my Tweets to steer you in the right direction: #PickoftheBrownBag.

In 1957, comic book phenom Jack Kirby created the Challengers of the Unknown.  These four men survived certain death from a plane crash but responded a little strangely.  

Ace, Rocky, Red and the Professor decided to use their borrowed time to partake in all sorts of weird adventures.

For reasons I cannot explain, and I’m a fan, the Challengers of the Unknown scratched a comic book itch.  They outlasted Kirby by decades.  The Silver Age return of the superhero didn’t phase their success.  Neither did the modernization of the DC titles.  

Like many, their book was a casualty of the 1970s DC Implosion—the comic book equivalent of the depression.  Up to that point however, The Challengers of the Unknown with very few changes appeared to consistently carry an audience. 

After The Crisis on Infinite Earths struck, the original Challengers made rare appearances in DC’s new Post-Crisis Universe.  Every once and again, a talent would try to resuscitate the Challengers of the Unknown concept, if not the characters.  Writers Scott Snyder and Aaron Guillesppe team up with artists Andy Kubert, Klaus Jansen and Brad Anderson for the latest attempt.  The New Challengers.

This is the section where I’d normally hash out the plot, but I’m not going to do that this week.  Mainly because the plot is paper thin.  The ideas in the comic book are more complex, but secured in a nutshell.

New Challengers claims to be tied into or arising from Dark Nights Metal.  Maybe so, but I didn’t read that maxi-series and after perusing New Challengers I didn’t feel I missed anything.  That’s a point in the book’s favor.  It’s independent despite branding.  You also don’t need to know a thing about the original Challengers of the Unknown, but I highly recommend the trade paperback collecting Jack Kirby’s entire association.

ISBN: 9-781401-277192

Snyder and Guillesppe change the gist of The Challengers of the Unknown.  

Though paying homage to the original four, Guillesppe and Snyder create a virtual army of Challengers working in secret throughout history.  Of course, all these new challengers could have been inducted after the originals.  Discarding the Post-Crisis miniseries and the Challengers’ subsequent appearances gives the writers about thirty years to play with.

Kirby’s “borrowed time” was a metaphor based on Red’s watch, still stubbornly ticking away after the crash.  In my opinion, that gave the Challengers inherent poetry.  Snyder and Guillesppe make the time limit concrete and demonstrate what happens when you don’t heed the hourglass.

I started to wonder if this isn’t a giant con, and that the host of this party known as Prof exploits the Challengers of the Unknown legend for his own gain.  The gimmicks that he employs could be science fiction flimflam.  So, the artifice of the hourglass tattoos and this previously unknown legacy could be purposeful.  Clues to the sleight of hand.  The number of each Challengers team also appears to be important. 

The why escapes me.  Quantity is more important with magic than science, but for some reason there must be four in this iteration.  

The adherence also explains the failure to mention Dr. June Robbins, a frequent Challenger guest-star introduced in Showcase number seven 1957.  She becomes an honorary fifth member of the team.  The status is no slight.  Had Kirby known fans would accept June so readily, he likely would have included her on the plane.  He rectified his initial trepidation when creating the Fantastic Four with Stan Lee.  Although differing in personality and intellect, June was Sue Storm’s precursor.  Ironically, the films progressively turned Sue Storm into a scientist.

Kirby included June in as many adventures as he could.  June’s absence amongst the Challenger imagery therefore adds to the suspicion of the Prof, whoever he really is, playing a scam.  June does however appear on the poster cover.

Only time will tell if this is merely a tribute to Dr. Robbins, a nostalgia bite or something integral to the plot.

So, we’re introduced to four Challengers—one amusingly a giant sized MacGyver stand-in.  Herbalist Trina Alvarez however serves as the spotlit.  The New Challengers are all  nice enough and visually striking, but it’s too early to tell if they’ll carry a book or not.  

The Mission Impossible atmosphere coincides with Agents of SHIELD.  Such as when the Prof drops a well-equipped box of Challengers into the ocean.

As such, New Challengers actually seems like an update on the Secret Six, not the Challengers of the Unknown.
  

That doesn’t make it a bad comic book just not what’s advertised.  As of this writing, I’m still ambivalent.

The same goes for the newest iteration of The Avengers.  The art by Ed McGuinnes is a knockout, but only a few things in the book made me stand up and take notice.  I got my wish.  More She-Hulk interaction.

I’ve never seen a visceral fight between Ghost Rider and the Hulk, and this is a neatly choreographed skirmish.  Unlike many hero-on-hero duels, the battle makes sense.  The modern version of She-Hulk lost her coherency.  Ghost Rider in turn is just trying to stay alive.

The Celestial teleported She-Hulk to the Ghost Rider in an effort to stave off the cleansing of humanity.  She-Hulk however did not know that, or she forgot when she gained distance from the Celestial’s mind.  Whatever the reason, when you teleport a Hulk without permission, “Hulk Smash” is usually what you get on the other end. 

I also loved the Rock-Em-Sock-Em Celestial action.  That’s a rarity.  The Celestials, created by Jack Kirby, aren’t known for their violence.  They’re instead famous for standing like monoliths and accidentally destroying things when they casually move.  The kaiju is new or at least newish.

As to the rest, the main Avengers bore me because they’re all doing precisely the same thing.  Attacking a honking huge “robot” and failing at it.  The attacks lack finesse and distinguished power usage.  So, Iron Man, Thor, Captain Marvel and Captain America just blend together.  Lastly, the surprise guest-star doesn’t come as a surprise at all.  The narration makes his appearance obvious.

The Mighty Thor is not the debut of Odinson’s return to power.  Instead, it’s a doublet.  The first is a tour de farce with Thor’s rambunctious time traveling granddaughters: Frigg, Atli and Elisiv.  

Beautiful artwork by Jen Bartel and Matthew Wilson accompanies a sweet story that honors Jane Foster's impressive recent run as the Mighty Thor.  

The second stars the Dark Elf Malekith.  Can't say I gave a rat's ass about Malekith.  He relishes being evil and gloats about his gains in The War of the Realms.  His promise to bring hell to Midgard, Earth, made me wish for a Beta-Ray Bill vignette instead.  Frankly, a focus on Volstagg's wife, who's a fourth tier character at best, would have been more welcome.  So, only the easy-going tale with the ladies makes The Mighty Thor a wise choice when it drops in price and lands in the bargain bundles.  

In her latest miniseries, aviatrix Athena Voltaire protects archaeologists Dr. Mordido and Dr. Peters as they search for the pieces of an ancient tablet constructed by the historical magician/scientist Pope Sylvester.  Last issue, after fierce battle, the Nazis absconded with the tablet and left Athena in the dust.  This issue Dr. Mordido dopes out their likely whereabouts through cleverly constructed clues that fit into the ancient world.

In Morocco, our team retrace Pope Sylvester's final steps and confront more puzzles to decipher.  Up until now, everything in Athena Voltaire can be explained scientifically.

For example, the speaking mask or bust can be the result of a wax cylinder recording hidden inside clockwork.  Secret doors and invisible texts are the tried and true trickery of alchemists and scholars of elder times.  

As the story rockets to the finale, there can be no doubt that Bryant takes Athena into the realms of magic.

The menace’s nature is a nice surprise.  Thanks to Indiana Jones, you cannot help but connect Christian mythology and the Nazis that covet relics of power.  Bryant takes a different and lively approach to decidedly older lore.

Because of the sheer omnipotence of the being involved, you must ponder how a mere, albeit skilled mortal, like Athena Voltaire can escape such certain doom.  Bryant plays fair with the reader, and as a result generates a satisfying finish.

Athena Voltaire furthermore benefits from an expertly played wild card that in lesser hands would have acted as a dues ex machina.  Instead, she seems a natural part of the setting.  Likewise the double agent planted amongst the Nazis, smartly curtails revenge against Athena and maintains his cover while serving the Crown.

Added to all these assets along with smashing art by Ishmael Canales and Emily Elmer, is the cast.  Bryant takes a moment to address Athena’s personal life granting her more depth in the process.  He demonstrates Agent Desmond Forsyth’s loyalty to Athena over the mission as well as the Professor’s moral backbone.  If you haven’t followed Athena Voltaire certainly pick up the forthcoming collected edition.

Infinity 8’s first story ends on a nice gooey pulp note with Agent Keren escaping her cannibalistic pursuer in a bio-ship graveyard.

Her vengeance against the miscreant is vicious and comedic, but nothing personal.  When the alien comes to his senses, she’s willing to work with him.  Well, what’s left of him.  

Yeah.  Keren isn't stupid.  This is a hilarious sequence and should not be missed.  Underlying the pursuit and pulchritude, Sagoss the alien besotted with love finally gains Keren’s respect.

This mutual understanding allows Keren to display a thin layer of softness beneath the composition of a personality mostly awash in pragmatism.

As the story reaches its finish writer/co-creator Lewis Trondheim brings up the superpowers of the alien captain of the starship  Infinity 8.  Indicating a wild standard operating procedure to eschew catastrophe.  

The epilogue remarks on the events that unspooled in the past two issues as well as this one and in such a way that nothing seems like a cheat.  The remarkable art by Dominique Bertail draws upon the classic look of science fiction covers found on Astounding, Amazing Stories and Argosy.  Don't pass this by.

Tom Taylor’s final issue of All-New Wolverine is a winner.  Far into the future, Laura Kinney is the Queen of Madripoor, and her dying wish is to go Latveria, kill Dr. Doom and free her second clone sister Belladonna.  

She intended for this to be her last solo mission.  Her first clone sister Gabby alias Honey Badger alias Wolverine has other ideas.  She calls in the cavalry, and Laura begrudgingly admits that working with the team is a better idea.

Also great for the reader.  Through Laura’s interaction with Captain Marvel, The Wasp, the now mature Honey Badger of course and Kate Bishop, Taylor generates thematic humor and tactical cleverness.  What a boon to have artist Ramon Rosanas on board for the finale.  He illustrates all with unique faculty.

Nevertheless, Taylor delivers on his promise.  It all boils down to Wolverine and Dr. Doom.  Taylor first acknowledges Doom’s contingency planning.  It's a classic.

Taylor in a brilliant fair play move counters Doom’s alarming intellect with something foreshadowed that he simply could not predict.  That it’s characteristic of Laura makes the comeuppance that more juicy.

The original Wolverine is coming back to comic books, so Laura will be resuming the X-23 code name in a new eponymous title by former Tomb Raider writer Mariko Tamaki.  Tom Taylor however does not intend to leave Laura and Gabby Kinney’s world any time soon.  With artist Mahmud Asrar, Taylor counts both wolverines amongst the roster of X-Men Red.

An X-Men villain from the past sabotaged Jean Grey’s attempts to broker a peace between Homo sapiens and Homo superior.  This time the nemesis makes an error in taking over Storm.

The team overcome Storm, but leaves the powerful mutant alive in the process.  This grants Jean and new mutant Trinary the opportunity to discern what’s going on.

Taylor demonstrates that Jean doesn't actually need the Phoenix to be impressive.  Taylor imagines Jean to be so experienced in the use of her power that she can be the most versatile and awe-inspiring.

As Jean’s team gets closer to uncovering the identity of the opposite side, they realize that Wakanda is no longer a safe haven.  Fortunately, Jean and her team have another option.

The excursion to Atlantis allows for numerous funny and light moments as the team gels and becomes more seasoned about the enemy they face.

X-Men Red is that rarity of X-Men titles that will please the newly invested and the die-hard X-Men fan.  Taylor treats the X-Men as superheroes and widens their appeal with the inclusion of familiar faces and all-together new creations.  Though the problem is mutant related, it’s an easily understood attack that’s linked more to straight up science fiction rather than esoteric continuity.

Murk, loyal to the throne, nevertheless could not follow orders and kill Aquaman.  He instead wounded him out of commission and hid him in the undercurrent of Atlantis.

Murk hoped Arthur would recover, take Mera and get out of range to make a new life far away from Atlantean politics.  He felt Arthur made a lousy king, but knew him to be a good man and a good superhero.  This is precisely what worries him in his new collusion with Arthur to oust Trump like usurper Corum Rath.

The odd couple dialogue is the main draw to this issue of Aquaman.  Writer Dan Abnett clearly loves writing for Murk.  He’s made him an entertaining submerged Klingon throughout the Aquaman saga.

Neither Aquaman nor Murk knows what Rath has become in the interim of their fight and reconciliation.

Rath used the dark magic of Atlantis to, inadvertently, transform himself into a monster.  The development offers an out for Arthur’s noble ethic.  Even Batman killed monsters.  Will Arthur be forced to do the same?

Tom King brings the latest interlude with Booster Gold in Batman to a close.  As with previous issues, I can’t actually say what happened.  All of the events are spoilers.  Vaguely, this final chapter is an arch farce of time travel clean-up.

Though as darkly comedic as previous chapters, in this last act, King gives Booster genuine pathos.  Throughout "The Gift" Booster Gold benefited from one saving grace.  He didn't mean for any of the hell that transpired.  His gift-giving was sincere.  It just blew up in his face.

Batman’s and Catwoman’s silence as Booster relates his mistake is more expressive than words can convey.  "The Gift's" covers made you laugh with a "Booster Gold must die" meme, but Batman's actually not like that.  Especially now, since he found happiness.  King's Batman is pensive and caring, and you get the impression that Batman feels genuinely sorry for Booster and understands the weight he carried.  Catwoman probably feels the same, and she doesn't even know Booster as well as Batman does.  Not just another in the long line of great King Batman stories but also one of the best Booster Gold tales.  

Gerry Duggan’s Infinity Countdown: Daredevil is quite frankly disappointing.  It’s not bad.  It simply isn’t funny or moving.  It’s just kind of there.

Duggan is the mastermind behind Guardians of the Galaxy.  Almost every issue of Guardians earned my praise.  That’s because Duggan frequently reaches the hilarious heights of the cinematic Guardians of the Galaxy.  He also nuanced the comedy with character and emotional depth.

In this Daredevil one-shot, Duggan plays it straight.  He wastes the comedic potential of long time Daredevil nuisance Turk possessing an Infinity Stone.  Furthermore, Duggan makes Turk almost competent, and he's not. 

Even with an Infinity Stone, Turk proves no match for DD.  I presume that the best Turk can do is mentally push Daredevil away.  Else Daredevil let's Turk keep the Infinity Stone, and that makes no sense.  If you're a fan of artists Chris Sprouse, Phil Noto or Lee Ferguson you may wish to add this one-shot to your collection.  Nobody else need apply.