POBB September 20, 2021

Pick of the Brown Bag

September 20, 2021

by

Ray Tate


Hello! If you've just discovered the blog, welcome.  If you're a faithful fan, greetings again.  My name is Ray Tate, and I review comic books.  For this latest September volume of the Pick of the Brown Bag, I look at the current issue of Good Agent as well as the premiere of Harley Quinn The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour.  If you haven't time for the blog, seek out the reviews on Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.

Manny Guerrera is the Good Agent in Dan Membiella's online comic book series of the same name.  Killed by corrupt cops, a dose of science fiction brought Manny back to life as a super-hero.  

In the first four issues, the Good Agent squashed a group of racists who worshipped a cross between Odin and Cthulhu.

 

Membiella then revealed the Good Agent's origin and followed up with the introduction of a Moon Knight styled vigilante.  

Issue seven is the first part in an arc, but it's also a very good stand-alone story.  Manny and his confidant, Officer Fatima Chamber, take a road trip with police dog Lincoln and end up in a lawless town. 

That's bad news for the gang of wannabe crime lords.  The Good Agent was just itching for a means to postpone a confrontation with a ghost from his dead past.  Kicking some ass fits the bill.

Membiella intercuts the action packed sequence with more theatrical moments.

Membiella uses the comic book media to his advantage.  Bifurcating a story into two periods of closely related time but visually simplifying the two different narratives.

Illustration by Membiella offers an exemplary use of the black and white medium.  The stark shadows and sunlit areas contrast in a pleasing, polished manner.

Membiella's fight choreography is well thought, and the villains despite being suited up and covered by helmets exhibit a visual personality that characterizes them as mean idiots.  

The more straightforward stage section of the piece intrigues as well.  The drama directly ties in with issue five, and new readers may not feel the weight of the reveal.  Although they will get the gist.

Available at comixology for a buck, the Good Agent is a bargain.

Harley Quinn’s and Poison Ivy’s romance began with the subtext presented in the groundbreaking Xena Warrior Princess.  Oh, lesbian romances between two apparent straight girls/women sparked before Xena.  

From 1931

However, dramatic same-sex relationships didn’t reach geek consciousness until Xena and Gabrielle became an item in the mind, then soulmates on screen.   

Poison Ivy began her comic book existence as a 1960s femme fatale who brainwashed men with poison-laced lipstick.  In the Bronze Age she expanded to plant facilitated crimes using science fiction gimmicky.  

It may surprise people to learn that throughout her tenure, Ivy became sexually obsessed with Batman.  Neither her eventual super-powers nor her larcenous nature earned her a place in Arkham Asylum.  Her pathological feelings toward Batman fit her for a straitjacket.

In Batman the Animated Series, Harley Quinn started simply, as the Joker’s henchwench.  Her creators turned her into the Joker's would-be love interest.  All well and good until, Mad Love.  

First a graphic novel then one of the darkest episodes of The Animated Series.  Mad Love depicts Harley’s devolution from Arkham psychiatrist to the Joker’s horribly abused pawn.  After Mad Love, people wanted Harley to be with somebody else, anybody else.  Poison Ivy was an obvious choice.

The forces behind The Animated Series reimagined Poison Ivy as a self-confident eco-terrorist who only saw Batman as an obstacle, certainly not a love interest.  

Harley first teams up with Poison Ivy in “Harley and Ivy.”  At this point, very little of their relationship can be construed as anything but a common sisterhood.  

Subsequent episodes, Gotham Girls nor Justice League suggest otherwise.  The spin-off comic book series Batman Gotham Adventures planted the seeds and treated the inferred subtext of their relationship dramatically.  Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti in their off tangent universe Harley Quinn presented Harley and Ivy as a couple.  These extrapolations agreed with the LGBT imagery in the mind of the audience.  So, as with Xena and Gabrielle, Harley and Ivy became intrinsically linked as lovers.

Now, some may say that this is a sexist idea borne from the male gaze.  Men cannot imagine women being together except as a sexual fantasy.  Possible, but if you examine the history of these characters, you can see that a rethink of their sexual orientation is quite positive.  

Harley obsessed with the Joker.  Ivy obsessed with Batman, at least historically.  Both in need of a fresh start.  Both in need of independence from their pasts.  Finding a healthier love, not a psychological condition, on the way shouldn't be considered a detriment.

Based on the new Harley Quinn animated series on HBO Max, Harley’s and Ivy’s relationship is one of the two best things about The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour.  

That's the sort of heat you expect to radiate from a fan's art page, not a certified Harley Quinn book.

You can argue these images exist for the sake of the male gaze.  I disagree.  

Harley and Ivy are not doing anything that different from a male and female couple in a 1970s PG film.  The consummation of Harley's and Ivy's scene even occurs between pages and panels.  Just like that hypothetical movie may have been staged with a segue of time passing.. 

Traditionally such heterosexual suggestiveness appeals to men and women.  Not saying that's a fact, Jack.  This is the standard conclusion based on statistics.  

Maybe those statistics are skewed.  Maybe on an instinctive level, we're drawn to sexual imagery.  Any sexual imagery.  Maybe the attraction or lack is selectively based on the individual's personal taste.  I don't think that matters.  What matters is cerebral.  How does the scene effect the story and the characters.

Harley's and Ivy's closeness and sexual expression dramatically represent love, which is far more powerful than an exploitative dalliance.  Even Harley's dialogue comes from a selfless place.  You cannot deny that Harley and Ivy love each other.  The way Harley's love manifests differs from the behavior she exhibited toward the Joker.  Harley isn't afraid of Ivy.  You cannot be in love with a person you fear.

Tied for best thing about The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour.  The art.  This is the best straight-up cartooning I’ve ever seen for these two characters. 

Eschewing the styled Art Deco motifs of Bruce Timm, Max Sarin opts for a cross between Chuck Jones.... 

....and John Kricfalusi of Mighty Mouse, Ren and Stimpy fame. 

The detail, the expressions, the colors by Marissa Louise all merge to breathe rambunctious life into Harley and Ivy.  

The illustration looks this amazing on the paper stock of the floppy comic book.  I have no idea if it will look better or worse in a trade paperback with a shinier medium.  My advice.  Get the series now.  Don't wait.

Other moments in Harley Quinn stand out.  Their mercy.

Harley's saner alter-ego Dr. Harleen Quinzel speaking to Harley is an inspired touch.

The attempts at comedy however fail.  I am not and never have been ga-ga about Harley Quinn.  I like the character.  I love Arleen Sorkin’s hilarious voice acting for the cartoon, but I don’t have an affinity for Harley Quinn as is.  I'm more prone to pick up a guest-starring Catwoman book than a guest-starring Harley Quinn book.

Likewise for Poison Ivy.  I’ve never been a Poison Ivy fan until Batman The Animated Series.    

I never sought out or watched Harley Quinn on HBO Max.  I therefore do not know how accurate the comedy styling in the comic book may be when compared to the series.  

What I know.  I don’t like the overall attempts at humor in The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour.

I don't like Commissioner Gordon being turned into a vainglorious buffoon.  Neither am I keen on Gotham reporter Summer Gleason's replacement, nor the slapstick violence.  

I'm not opposed to slapstick violence.  I happen to love classic Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck tomfoolery.  As well as the Stooges.  I just cannot enjoy the material presented in Harley Quinn.  

Why is this scene supposed to be funny? Is it a punchline? Is the pun intended? It just seems uncharacteristically mean to me.  The police officer did nothing to Harley and didn't deserve a punch in the jaw that dislodged a tooth.  When Wile E. Coyote hits dirt, it's usually a comeuppance of his own making.  

I approached The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour with an unbiased mindset.  Having never seen the cartoon series, I think I came to a different conclusion than most will.  Harley Quinn works as a surreal dramatic romance.  The elements many will see as comedy such as the dialogue and conflict within the car chase incorporate into the personalities of the stars and the odd situation in which they find themselves.

POBB February 16, 2021

Pick of the Brown Bag

February 16, 2021

by

Ray Tate

Welcome to a new Pick of the Brown Bag.  For this posting, I look at The Good Agent and the remaining two issues of Danger Devil.  No time for even the blog? That's all right.  I'm also on Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.

Dan Membiela's Good Agent available at Comixology returns with a sixth issue.  In previous chapters, the Good Agent thwarted machinations of the White Mother.  The White Mother is a modern Nazi with connections to the Norse Gods, obviously not styled in the Jack Kirby model.  

She and her gang of fascists intended to literally suck out the life from the citizens of Estrido.  The current Good Agent acts as an epilogue for that story and as an introduction for a new antagonist.

Rumors of a beast stalking the city begin to proliferate. 

Unbeknownst to the Good Agent, somebody is watching the detectives.

The fellow with the cape refers to himself as the Night Cleric.  He's an admirer of Moon Knight, if one knows the history of Moon Knight that is.  Soon, the hunters and the hunted find themselves at odds and in battle.

The Night Cleric counts himself on the side of the Good Agent, but their methods conflict.  This friction at heart is philosophical, which the Agent underlines in an excellent speech.

That's only the beginning of the hero's talk.  It's inspired by a powerful statement from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, included as an epilogue.  

Membiela's prose is bolstered by excellent draftsmanship, artistic perspective and character design, along with some knockout fights.  Furthermore, Good Agent reflects an up to date look at our society.  

The hunted's reaction for example mirrors the disillusionment of some conspiracy adherents after after being confronted by the ice water of hard facts and realizing they threw away their lives for nonsense.

The first issue of Danger Devil knocked me out.  The conclusion to what I hope only to be a first series impresses as well.  With any luck, you can order copies from your local comic book shop.  If not go to Source Point Press and click the comics button, which will shunt you to a secure shopping site.

In the premiere of Danger Devil, Danger and Kid Diabla proceeded to kick the ass of Jenny Deathwood, a lethal supernatural bounty hunter employed by the occult big bad Methalia.  Methalia's keen on leaving her spectral prison and ensuing the whole killing and subjugating humanity business.

In the process of the ass-kicking, Danger and the Kid secured an asset for their organization the Mystic Bureau.  

The actual kid Xenia is a gifted youth who unfortunately gets herself and others into trouble when she tries to exhibit her independence.  That said.  Her talent comes into play when translating an ancient text that reveals Methalia's plans and the way to stop her.  She however isn't enough.  Head honcho Sebastian Coronado believes the Bureau needs to work with Nick Logan.  Danger puts forth some mild objections.

In the end Nick requires saving.  

Danger Devil is an acrobat/martial artist.  Most of her rescues and attacks rely on physical assaults, but the creative team also add to her flavor.  

Unlike other unpowered costumed heroes, Danger uses magical artifacts to enhance her efficacy as a crimefighter.  Danger employed a teleportation potion in the premiere.  In the second issue, she pays the price.

Ouch.  The link also appears in the third issue.  Methalia's psychic attack on Danger sets a double-edged tone.  On the one hand, Methalia would like to upset our hero and force her into making mistakes.  On the other hand, why bother if you're sure your tactics will work?  Methalia fears Danger Devil like no other.

In Danger Devil, superhero is a rank.  It's a novel idea, and I like it.  The concept at once gives weight to the role and eschews the idea of amateurs belittling professionals like FBI agents or police inspectors, which happens so often in fiction.  You can buy it when somebody like Sherlock Holmes manifests, but not a pet shop owner who sleuths as a hobby.

The concept of the superhero rank allows for some good character building drama without undermining the action quotient of the superhero genre.

The blonde is Kid Diabla, Danger Devil's partner and ace pilot.  She's less like Robin and more like Kato.  As a result, she and Danger have a more even association.  Eve Austin the tech in the white coat is her girlfriend.  In the third issue, Eve takes an even greater role, although not as a costumed hero.

The gal piloting the blue ship is another of Danger Devil's rank, the Rebel Raider.  

As you can see, this idea of superhero ranking allows for some definite fluctuations in the cast's emotion levels.  Writer Tony Doug Wright introduced Danger Devil as a sort of stalwart, no-nonsense Captain America type.  He adds nuances to her character as the series progresses.  Now, in this third issue he debuts Rebel Raider, who is Danger Devil's opposite but not lesser.  

Bonus points for not actually having the two predictably mix it up.  It's much more fun and fitting, with the pilot rivalry, for Kid Diabla to be the irritated one.  Regardless of egos, Rebel Raider is a team player and important hero with the Mystic Bureau.

Danger Devil establishes a magic based universe, three intriguing super-heroes, a planet-shaking threat and a meaningful supporting cast all within three issues.  Art by Joseph Haemmerle is vivid and exciting with strong character designs and accomplished fighting sequences.

POBB September 14, 2020

Pick of the Brown Bag

September 14, 2020

by

Ray Tate

Dan Membiela's online comic The Good Agent debuted as a straightforward tale centered around a non-powered superhero in the key of Daredevil or Nightwing.  

That unlucky fellow gets bopped by the Good Agent often, one of the book's running gags.  

The Good Agent becomes rapidly more complex as its four issues develop.  The anti-racist undercurrent, however explicit, swells to prominence.  Membiela also takes advantage of the headlines and patterns the Agent's enemies on modern fascists.

Remember how the Tiki Torch people grew horrified when pudgy, angry white guys started using their fine products during their Nazi/Klan rallies?  I do.  

Membiela's story evolves fast, but at a natural rate.  He starts to diversify the cast early.

He also increases the threat level.  The Good Agent in issue two battles a werewolf.

In the third, the Good Agent trades blows with a Berserker.  

Membiela knits these menaces together under the villainy of the White Mother.  At first the White Mother just seemed like a pulpy skull-masked bitch who spouted racist garbage.  

She's that, but she's also got some powerful supernatural backing.

One derivation of the days of the week arises from Norse mythology.  Thursday, easily translates to Thor's day.  Wednesday though derives from Wotan, an old Germanic name for Odin.  

Membiela's Wotan is a little bit squishier than expected.  You may ask and quite rightly how does this...

...transform into this.  

Modern racists at heart believe themselves as pure as the Nazis felt they were.  Both groups are hopelessly wrong.  Our ancestors embraced love over hate early on and interbred with a different species.  We Homo sapiens are twenty percent Neanderthal.  The "extinct" Neanderthal survive in us.

The Nazis always tried to add gravitas to their belief system by rooting it in superstition.   Modern fascists attempt the same.  As such, Membiela decided to use the pantheon's public domain status in an inventive and original way.  Because there's nothing more frightening in literature than Cthulhu and his ilk, Wotan gets an H.P. Lovecraft styled makeover.  

So, what does slithery, slippery Odin get out of all this?  He's not gifting psychos power for giggles.  Look closer at the depiction.

Last issue the Good Agent, with the help of Officer Chamber and police dog Lincoln, thwarted White Mother's occult bomb.  Thereby scotching her sacrifice to her tentacled speculator.  That's going to cost her.  

The Good Agent has been an exciting, timely ride, but Membiela purposely left a dangling question.

Just who is the Good Agent?

Knowing that he's some guy named Manny doesn't actually help matters.  This issue Membiela provides an origin for the Good Agent.

The who isn't important without context.  The why and the how are.  

The events surrounding the birth of the Good Agent echo the Lone Ranger's beginnings.  The narration alludes to Jerry Siegel's and Joe Schuster's original intent for the Superman/Lois Lane relationship.  So, Membiela a student of comic book and pulp lore puts together a satisfying blend.

Most importantly, he answers the question why now.  Why now is the Good Agent plying his trade?  Why has he just started to defend his city against a racist gang that snowballed to a spectral level of destruction? These answers also satisfy.  

The Good Agent's origin like the four past issues make use of the schism between authoritarian ideals and progressive action.  Were the Good Agent a real person, you can imagine him becoming a spokesman against power abuse and fascism.  Perhaps consolidating his life and ideas in a bestselling book, becoming a global figure of respect.  The Good Agent however is a comic book character.  Thus, he becomes a superhero, or adventurer if you prefer, since his level of superpowers is left debatable.  He chooses a more hands on approach to combat the parasites that feed on a wounded society.  At the same time, Membiela is entirely fair to each side.