Wednesday, August 26, 2020

POBB August 25, 2020

Pick of the Brown Bag
August 25, 2020
by
Ray Tate

I've been skirting around it.  I've been teasing with tie-ins, but wait no longer, this week, the Pick of the Brown Bag looks at Marvel's number one issue of the Big Stupid Event, Empyre.  Heretofore known as Empire because my spellcheck insists, and the English don't spell it that way either.


To be fair, I don't believe Empire is a horrible Big Stupid Event.  Just an average one.  The Marvel editors were sitting around, shooting the bull in the pen, or maybe they actually tasked writer Al Ewing to come up with something big and boffo about the Power Cosmic.  


Ewing is the goto guy for such things.  He wrote the mostly cool Power Cosmic series The Ultimates before heading to horror with The Immortal Hulk.  Dan Slott likely entered the picture to protect the Fantastic.  Nobody writes the FF like Dan Slott.  


For the sake of brevity, I'm going to assume Ewing and Slott conceived the entirety.  I'm sure somebody like Kelly Thompson may have stopped by the office and gifted an idea or two, but Marvel credits Slott and Ewing as the writers.  So, that's where the buck will stop.


I like a lot of Empire.  The central theme of the Kree and the Skrull laying aside an eternity of racial hatred and consequential war to combat a greater threat to the cosmos is a strong original concept.  We've seen this happen before with enemies such as the Klingons and the Cardassians on Star Trek, but the Kree and the Skrull never entertained such a peace.  So, this is novel.

The characterization of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers rings true.  Everybody sounds and behaves like themselves.  No diversions of personae to serve a plot.  In fact the heroes' blunders arise from their shared history and their personalities.  That's a rarity in Big Stupid Events.  

Though keen about the truce, the FF are suspicious of the Skrull.  The Avengers are suspicious of the Kree and the Skrull.  The FF would be suspicious of the Kree, but they're more familiar with the Skrull. 
 

Every cape and cowl thinks the Kree and the Skrull exploit the naive Young Avenger Hulkling.  If you were wondering who that blonde, green fellow is wonder no more.


The Kree and Skrull claim that the Hulkling united their races because he's a product of both.  The FF and the Avengers believe he's being duped.  The heroes are so blinded by their prejudice against the Kree and the Skrull, that they cannot see the obvious.  

The Kree and the Skrull do not need an excuse to band together in order to exterminate a species they deem inimical.  They could have just done it.  They have no reason to fool Hulkling.  They selected him as a leader because they're thinking ahead to after the war.  What happens then? Do the Kree and Skrull go back to tearing at each other's throat, or can they achieve a lasting peace?

Blinded by bias, the FF and the Avengers battle the Kree and the Skrull.  Most of the fighting is pretty tame because nobody wants to actually hurt each other.  That is refreshing.

Iron Man through the creation of a Thor-clone killed Black Goliath in The Civil War.  No worries.  The current model of Tony Stark is the combination of a new cloned body and a back-up memory recorded before The Civil War.  Thus, this version of Iron Man is blameless for the bloodshed caused by so-called superheroes under his direction.  


The Young Avenger is more responsible than all the adults in the room.  He's even more the hero by giving the enemy a chance to surrender.  This presents a dilemma for the reader.  Do they root for the Kree-Skrull Alliance, or their favorites the Avengers and the Fantastic Four?  

The skirmishes allow for some cool visuals such as a Ghost Quinjet and the demonstration of some major cunning involving Iron Man and Thor's hammer.  Outside of the arena, Ewing and Slott include several satisfying moments such as She-Hulk regaining her wits.


And Black Panther donning the equivalent of Batman's Hellbat.


However, there's no moment in Empire that really wowed me on a gut level.  Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk and Dan Slott's Fantastic Four do that frequently.  Wait a minute.  Did the Hulk just devour a guy? Holy.  Did Ben Grimm just deck the Hulk?  I don't get that feeling from Empire.

Let me just say the art by Valerio Schitti and Marte Garcia  display a wide range of pleasure.  My caveats do not reflect on the vivid visual narrative.  The danger to the multitude is just a let down.  The enemy's lack of gravitas and predictability undermine the potential cinematic quality of the war.  This isn't the Avengers, the FF, the Kree and the Skrull teaming up against Thanos and/or Galactus.

I'm going to try not to spoil things, but you may be able to guess.  So, if you're really intent on keeping things mum.  Stop reading now.  

Empire essentially portrays a Hippie Uprising.  It's the thing that Sgt. Joe Friday feared the most in the latter era of Dragnet.


Dragnet debuted on radio.  It transitioned to television in excellent shape.  Friday used to investigate cases involving serial killers, the mob and murderous bank robbers.  


Early Dragnet was almost noir.  That all changed upon the arrival of color television.  Suddenly Joe Friday began harassing the free love generation.  The show became a kind of Republican pushback against counterculture.  The earnest depiction of the LAPD's pursuit against crime became utterly preposterous.  That's kind of what happens here.  


Wednesday, August 19, 2020

POBB August 18, 2020

Pick of the Brown Bag
August 18, 2020
by
Ray Tate

Empyre heretofore known as Empire, to give my spellchecker a rest, is the latest Big, Stupid Event at Marvel Comics.  I wasn't too happy with the Avengers participation.  However, I'm no fan of the Celestial Madonna saga from the nineteen seventies, which appears to be rooted in Empire's plot.  



Now, the Fantastic Four enter the picture, but here's the difference.  Writer Dan Slott teams with R.B. Silva and Sean Izaakse to produce a Fantastic Four antic that's only tangential to Empire.  In addition, Slott doesn't mention a fern plant let alone the Celestial Madonna.

You don't need to read this Fantastic Four special in order to understand Empire.  You should read this book if you like fun, the Fantastic Four, Marvel's power cosmic genre and/or quality writing and artwork.  

The story doesn't really take place anywhen in particular.  You can slot it practically anywhere in the current Fantastic Four run.  See what I did there? The tale begins at an intergalactic casino. 


Is the Profiteer a new character or an old character? I don't care.  Just look at her.  So elegant, so vibrant an alien figure.  A huckster in haute couture that boils down a chunk of Marvel history in two panels.  Read on, and you'll discover her to be the sister of the Grandmaster, but even that relationship is merely color.


The Profiteer stages a blood match between the Kree and the Skrull, but not just any Kree and Skrull.


This Elder of the Universe pits children against each other, twenty-four seven.  It's pee-wee Ultimate Cage Fighting.  The Cage holographically recreates famous battle sites from the perpetual Kree/Skrull war, but these are not mere reenactments. Anybody can win, fair and square.  The Profiteer lives up to her name.

With the situation briskly established, it's time to see where and how the Fantastic Four end up at Casino Cosmico.  In the best Scooby-Doo Where Are You tradition, they run out of gas.


Make a note.  This is the only time an imaginatively rendered Cthulhu type beastie doesn't have a connection with the dark god.  No Cthulhu here, just a bit of a call back to the Thing's cosmic wrestling days.  Something the Torch quickly takes advantage of.

Very Chris Evans of Johnny.  The FF soon hit the casino.  The Fantastic daughter Val has a great idea.


We'll see how that pans out later.  I also appreciated the playful dig to the phrase Omega Level.  

The FF attend the latest match between the Kree and the Skrull.  Reed though quickly loses himself to the analysis of the strange new peace between the two bellicose races.  Ben makes a startling discovery that upsets the board.


Of course, this cannot be allowed.  The Thing and the Torch soon intervene.  The Profiteer plays the angles.  Reed and Sue meanwhile do what they do best.


And there you have it.  The makings of a superb Fantastic Four adventure.  I'm not going to spoil anything.  Will Val succeed in breaking the bank? Will The Fantastic Four rescue the tykes in the arena?  


Will they get their needed fuel to jet home? What is the fate of the Casino Cosmico.  You'll need to check that our yourself.

Fantastic Four Empire is five dollars, but it's actually worth it.  Excluding the ads, the book is about thirty pages; so it's double the length of a normal comic book.  The art is Spectrum worthy with a plethora of alien extras that would make Wayne Barlowe green with envy.  Kudos go out also the color artists Marte Garcia and Marcio Many.  As to the story, pure joy. 

Monday, August 3, 2020

POBB July 31, 2020

Pick of the Brown Bag
July 31, 2020
by
Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  For this installment I examine the brand new book Danger Devil from Source Point Press.  

Danger Devil begins après midi.  A woman named Beatty drives her charge, a girl named Xenia, to safety.  Safety is a relative term.  



The new arrival is named Jenny Deathwood, a fantastic monicker.  Just looking at her, you know she's no mere supernatural flunky.  This death lady means business, but so does Danger Devil who makes just as an impressive entrance.


Danger Devil has a very Saturday Morning Cartoon feel to it.  Danger debuts with no explanation and no history.  She just suddenly exists to entertain you while you eat your Cheerios.  She has a cool plane.  She's wearing some stylish combat gear, and her younger partner is Kid Diabla.  

That's really all a precocious ten-year old would need to know.  The voice actor would then subconsciously make or break the character along with the animation and the design.  The designs for Danger Devil appeal, as does the animation.



Danger Devil also attracts the reader in a unique way.  The creative team combines two types of superhero genres.  By just looking at Danger Devil, you may surmise that she is a non-powered vigilante.  That's true.  In fact, together with Kid Diabla, Danger Devil sends off a strong Green Hornet and Kato vibe.  That's when writer Tony Doug Wright surprises with a little teleportation, given an unmistakeable occult look by artist Joseph Haemmerle.


Danger Devil uses high tech and swift kicks but she also exploits magical potions.  That is different.  Batman of course augmented his crimefighter status when he joined the Justice League.  He contended against all sorts of inhuman creatures, including those from demonic realms.  Batman however doesn't use magic to fight magic.  Danger on the other hand confidently employs alchemy and acrobatics.  Indeed, Danger Devil benefits from the perfect blend of fisticuffs and the fantastic.

Though you can beat Jenny Deathwood senseless, as Danger Devil demonstrates, Jenny's physically a tough customer.  Her main claim to fame however is to create or call forth demons to command an army.  Jenny's western look combined with the inky black demons works aesthetically.  The demons purposely bear a certain homogeneity so as not to distract from the striking appearance of their mistress.  


Kid Diabla is an asset to Danger Devil.  She's just as athletic as Danger and an ace pilot to boot.  The two female crimefighters exhibit a relationship that differs from the usual hero and sidekick archetype.  I read no sense of blood bond.  While they may be friends now, you get the impression that they were colleagues first.  


Friendship developed later, and Danger Devil appears to be technically the Kid's superior.  She refers to Danger as "Boss" in a defense force known as the Mystic Bureau.  We don't get to see much of the Mystic Bureau, just the technicians and the marines.  


By melding different elements from the superhero and horror genres, Wright and Haemmerle produce something fresh and exciting.  The appealing stars of the book face down a genuine threat that escalates throughout the pages.  The whole plot is basically a knock-down-drag-out fight choreographed with an eye for the martial arts.  Though dialogue lends to a lot of dissing and tactical explanation, it never the less remains sprightly and flows naturally through the narrative.  Ask your local comic book shop to reserve you a copy of Danger Devil.