POBB: February 5, 2014

Pick of the Brown Bag

February 5, 2014

by

Ray Tate

The Pick of the Brown Bag is a weekly blog where I choose the best and worst of comic books on the rack.  On today's docket Action Comics, Baltimore, Batwing, Forever Evil, The Fox, The Movement, Painkiller Jane, Swamp Thing and new books Loki and Ms. Marvel.

The Fox concludes its bizarre Diamond Queen story in which the multifaceted beauty transported Paul Patton to a surreal world run by an evil Druid that bewitched her King.  The Fox isn't the first hero to walk in the realm.  As a result, the story excuses a Red Circle team-up.  

I get the feeling the tale was meant to explain the absence of the Red Circle heroes from the comic book racks.  It's essentially what the Time War is to Doctor Who.  The writers though quickly hedge their bets by demonstrating that time and space does not flow quite so linearly in the diamond dimension.  Thus, a year in weirdsville is only ten minutes in our world.

Dean Haspiel's and Mark Waid's Fox is essentially by-the-numbers fun albeit with superior artwork, but actually Haspiel and Waid take a few leaps that must be lauded.  For example, the Red Circle heroes distinguish themselves with an attention to previously taboo subjects.  

It's not a huge move considering the people behind Archie Comics introduced Kevin, a wildly popular gay character who genuinely broke new ground in Riverdale.  Still, the diversity is a nice touch.

This issue also surprises with technique.   The Shield stars in the the back story.  The major powers battling for the earth in World War II get representatives, and these avatars of Allied Forces, Nazis and Japanese battle a foe that judges humanity, not just the Third Reich, as a weed to be eradicated through its own machinations.  It's a remarkably cynical aspect from a patriotic hero's tale and sharply contrasts the theme of love in the main story.

Jimmy Palmiotti's and Justin Gray's Batwing shakes off Gothtopia for a straightforward vigilante-hunting-loved-one plot.  Eduardo Pansica is also back on art duties.  So, it's a fantastic looking book. 

Gray and Palmiotti better establish Batwing as a Gotham fixture by bringing in Commissioner Gordon to referee the proceedings.  He doesn't make that much of a contribution, but it's nice to see him in a book where he's not trying to kill Batgirl or deck Batman.

The writers further cement the status of Batwing in a scene where he's mistaken for the more recognizable Batman.   This scenario also allows Palmiotti, Gray and Pansica to flex their funny bones.  The gangstas sound a lot like a low-tier comedy troupe, albeit armed and semi-dangerous.  Batwing puts them down with absolutely no problem, but his viciousness exemplifies the sincerity in his pursuit.  Had not a family member been taken, Batwing probably would have had some laughs and taken his time to defeat the hoods. 

Batwing shows no signs of fatigue.  I wonder if our hero will be taking Nightwing's slot in the Batman Family after Forever Evil ends.  The Year Zero issue established that Batman knew Luke Fox when young.  He also fought beside the youth.  Fox was also Batman's first choice for Batwing.  Hmmn. 

I have no interest in The Movement.  I tried the premiere, and the rodent king turned me off. Vampires control vermin.  Not heroes. The rest of the cast didn't interest me either.  However, Batgirl guest-stars in the story, and I wanted to give Gail Simone another chance to prove that she can still write the Darknight Daredoll.  I will say this.  Batgirl is a lot lighter here than she is in her title book.  

Last I saw she was moping around, if not outright weeping, over the fate of Ricky, the would-be car-jacker with a heart-of-gold and no prospects what-so-ever.  Oh, and her Dad, the Commish, literally wanted to kill her since she sent psychopath-with-a-heart-of-gold James Jr. to his spinal snapping, that is eye-stabbing, demise.  Here, Batgirl's positively quippy, oh and drawn perfectly.

Batgirl travels to Coral City to hunt down a fugitive.  The U.S. Marshals' service in the DCU is apparently as effective as its constabulary.  The murdering-bastard-with-a-heart of gold however is under the protection of the Movement, who also foster one of Batgirl's rogue's gallery.

I'll give Simone this.  

She knows Babs' got legs and knows how to use them.

Katharsis is one of Knightfall.  I'm trying to remember if the winged menace was in the debut of The Movement or not.  I know she didn't register, and that's probably because Simone scrubbed her villainous personality.  Here's how Simone characterized Katharsis in Batgirl.

Keep in mind that Katharsis "marked" a mostly harmless sad sack that's missing his leg from the lower calf down.  One marvels at exactly how this scene played out.  "Hey, kid, I'm sorry about the leg.  That was evil, but I'm just mean.  So, I'm gonna scar your puss a little.  You might need plastic surgery when I'm done, but at least I'm not going to set a bear trap to take out your other leg. Yeah?"

In The Movement, Katharsis is just a bitch who has a severe problem with Batgirl.  She's half a step away from being the Cordelia who trips a book laden Babs in high school.  

So, did The Movement convince me to return to Batgirl? No. Just because Babs is normal here doesn't mean she's better in her own title.  Simone's lack of consistency with Katharsis convinces me that she doesn't keep notes, and that she might in fact unwittingly plague Batgirl with mood swings.  One moment, she's a sobbing Ninja who refuses to wear the bat symbol.  The next issue she'll be the Darknight Damsel we all know and love.  Frankly, Simone is just a sloppy writer, and I'm starting to think those two wonderful opening arcs of Batgirl were the exceptions, not the rule.

Tom Taylor's Earth 2 is engrossing.  The story advances along nicely, and the characterization of Batman and the rest of the Earth Two champions entertain to no end.  

Barry Kitson is what's different about this issue of Earth 2.  I was lucky enough to meet the man at the Pittsburgh Comicon last year; yes, with great reluctance, I gravitated away from Daphne Ashbrook.  Kitson was kind enough to illustrate a Black Canary bust for me.  You can see the image below the reviews.

Barry Kitson's actually fairly unfamiliar with these characters.  He's an old school type of guy, but he does a bang up job visually representing the heroes' personalities and powers.  He nails their costumes.  It also looks like he was enjoying himself immensely when depicting Marella, alias Aquawoman.  His manifestation of the elements is absolutely breathtaking.  You just sit back and go ooo.

The inks by Robson Rocha and the colors by Pete Pantazis enhance the pencils.   However, at the con, I watched Kitson complete a nearly all-day fully costumed Azbat.  I can guarantee that the fluid movement and depth of the water had already been incorporated in his originals.

Kitson next wowed me with his visual narrative of Lois Lane convincing Val the young Kryptonian to step out into the sun and gain his birthright.  Lois is dead on earth two.  Her mind lies in the circuitry of the Red Tornado.  

Kitson's depiction of the gamut of emotion at play through the panels is really beautiful.  It's even more impressive given that he really doesn't have a lot to work with.  The body housing Lois' mind isn't quite as featured as a human face.  Kitson however rises to the challenge.  

No bones to Nicola Scott, Earth 2's regular and remarkable illustrator, but I really wouldn't mind seeing more of Kitson's work on the title.

Greg Pak is turning out to be a helluva Superman writer.  For his run, he reintroduced Lana Lang to the mythos.  She's an electrical engineer in the new 52 and confidante of Clark Kent from Smallville.  She knows that Clark is Superman.  While working on a new power complex, Lana discovered a monster, and Superman quickly darted in to take care of the fellow, just not in the way Lana and the others believed.

Superman saw himself in the misunderstood monster, and that self-reflection paid off.  The creature metamorphosed into the little guy clutching onto Lana's leg.  The trio delved into a lost underworld, and here Aaron Kuder went nuts, creating numerous species and characters as if there were no tomorrow to read about them.

Still in the under world, Superman and Lana meet the Queen.  You know that if she were sealed up.  Something must be rotten, and Pak will get to that in surprising turn after turn of events.  

Pinned to all of this goodness, the interaction between Lana and Clark forges history from scratch.  The byplay between the two Smallville denizens reads genuine, and their humor bridges a masterful comprehension of what makes these characters tick.  Pak couldn't have done any of this in the post-Crisis.  Lana's character there was static, and Aaron Kuder's artwork is too outside the concept of painted musclemen and gravity defying beauties to be welcomed.

Forever Evil is a weird one.  Lex Luthor and his team of super-villains collude with Batman and Catwoman.  Sinestro, with extreme prejudice, deals against Power Ring, and the Crime Syndicate appears to be splitting at the seams.

Geoff Johns' latest reads like an episode of Challenge of the Super-Friends, if broadcast on prime time television.  There's oodles of death and ghoulish violence in these pages, but you cannot get worked up about it.

All of it is at the expense of the super-villains of the DC Universe, and there's a certain bit of black comedy in the murders, especially for somebody who follows comic book history.

These elements Johns juxtaposes against antagonists who really sound like their old selves on Saturday mornings.  This is especially true of Luthor and Black Manta.  Don't care if the latter is black.  Here, he sounds like Ted Cassidy enhanced by that tinny echo effect that the makers of Super-Friends employed.

How many times have you asked.  Why doesn't a comic book company produce a comic book that actually mirrors what occurs in the offshoot movies? Ask no more.  Loki is that comic book.  

Loki is no longer the evil, cackling bad guy of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby originals.  Instead, he's Tom Hiddleston portraying secret agent Loki.  This works.

If you're asking how does Tom Hiddleston's super-spy Loki jibe with the films, well...In Thor: The Dark World, Loki reveals that he doesn't hate Thor, and he loves his mother, who showed him only mercy.  He hates Odin.  So, in the film, Loki allies with Thor for reasons I won't spoil here, and he also promotes his own agenda that will allow him to one-up Odin.  Still have doubts? Look who the Avengers are.

It's true that Iron Man's color scheme is all wrong, but Marvel thoughtfully brought the Avengers from the movies in to confront Loki.  They all in fact behave like their movie counterparts.  Hawkeye and Black Widow for example just hang out.  None of their past history is ever broached.  You wouldn't know that Natasha was a former Russian spy who seduced Hawkeye into going up against Iron Man.  These two are the SHIELD agents.  Everybody likes the Hulk.  In fact it's only when Al Ewing brings up past Big Stupid Events that the book chimes a false note.  

To be fair, Ewing isn't trying to erase Marvel history.  Loki is.  It's how he's paid, and that's a real clever premise.  Loki doesn't actually want to be that maniacal character of old.  He wants a fresh start, and he's a god.  So by golly, why not?

Given this really funny Loki story, it's easy to overlook Lee Garbett's contribution, but Garbett's art goes a long way to sell Loki's earnestness.  He makes Loki such a young, molded in the image of Hiddleston figure that you can't help but to accept him.  You find yourself even wondering why the Avengers have such angry bees in their bonnets.

Ms. Marvel has been getting a lot of attention for its depiction of a Muslim heroine, but really this is just the old Marvel Spider-Man love of a young, outsider gaining superpowers. It's a good solid read, but it's not actually as groundbreaking as a lot of people claim.

Our protagonist isn't a fundamentalist because heroes can't be.  It doesn't matter what religion.  A fundamentalist Christian can be just as terrifying as a fundamentalist Muslim or Hebrew.  Christian terrorists and Muslim terrorists are just terrorists, and even that is a little lofty a definition.  Terrorists are just plain murderers.

Kamala's a teenager with a moderate Muslim upbringing.  Her father is a businessman.  Her mother is a little shallow in her depiction.  So, I can't really pin-point her.  Her brother is essentially a Muslim hippie.  He's using the faith for his own inaction.  Her sister is a little more reverent to her culture.  Kamala has a Flash Thompson as well.  The rest of the jocks are morons.

A few Buffy the Vampire Slayer nods foreshadow the picture of the independent female super-hero to come.  While cues to Bollywood offer a singular, inviting goofiness.  There is one sharp difference that I don't believe will benefit the future of the character's staying power.  

Spider-Man's origin is a streamlined classic.  Peter Parker gains the hair of the radioactive arachnid that bit him.  Reduced, the original Ms. Marvel is the product of accidental exposure to an alien device, but the new Ms. Marvel's origin is tied to the exposure to Terragen mist.  The problem is that she shares the origin with others.  I would have preferred something unique to her to bathe her in super powers.

This is the stuff.  Painkiller Jane concludes with a satisfying conflict of character that manifests in a violent duel to the death.

Jane of course survives the fight.  Her hyper healing factor kicks in, but Palmiotti demonstrates that there are fates worse than death for somebody who can survive almost any damage.

When Jane recovers, she displays her detective skills, tracking down the absconded Princess Poonwalla and lover Tony, her bodyguard.

Palmiotti has balls for identifying the tradition in the plot, and it shows he's not frightened of recycling.  So long as it's done in an interesting way.  The simplicity of the gist allowed Palmiotti to play with Jane's characterization, identifying what kind of woman she is; revisit her history with Maureen, her best friend and police "handler"; add modern twists to generate freshness in the tradition and much more.

The new life of Painkiller Jane as an Icon imprint hits just the right mature tone for pulp readers and artist Juan Santacruz is comfortable when depicting anything Palmiotti throws at him or Jane.

Writer Charles Soule splits Swamp Thing with two tales.  He opens the book with the aftermath of Alec Holland's attempts to free himself from the Green and resume his position as Champion.  In order to do that he lulled the Green into dormancy and beat the crap out of his successor.  This leaves him three very rusty former Champions on his hands, and now they have regained their humanity.

The second story reveals the origin of Capuine, and it's a classic that's nevertheless well told and gorgeously captured by Javier Pina.  Capucine is the second new 52 protagonist that's tickled me.  Starling was the first.

Mike Mignola and Ben Stenbeck conclude the first chapter of Lord Baltimore's life with vampire slashing and the reaffirmation of a codependent relationship between vampires and humans that almost seems natural. 

Mignola's conclusion also kicks off the second part of Baltimore's story by manifesting the image of the Big Bad hinted at in the Infernal Train.  He and Stenbeck conclude the tale with one of the most macabre moments in horror lit, and it also serves as a startling finale that reveals Mignola's allusive inspiration for the whole of the tale.

POBB: January 29, 2014

Pick of the Brown Bag

January 29, 2014

by

Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  In this weekly blog I choose the wheat from the chafe on the comic book rack.  Then I kick the chafe.  Today I examine All-Star Western, Aquaman, Bart Simpson, The Flash and Superman.  I'll also look at the new annuals from DC which include Earth 2 and World's Finest.

Batman's parents were originally gunned down by a nameless hood.

Over the years DC added to that origin.  They gave the hood a name.  Batman in fact finally tracks him down and in his own way ends him.

Batman #47

The Powers That Be built on the story even more by saying that mob boss Lew Moxon hired Joe Chill to hit the Waynes.

Detective Comics #235

During a criminal action, a bullet struck Moxon.  His men nabbed Thomas Wayne to remove the shrapnel from his wound.  In thanks, Moxon intended to kill Thomas Wayne, but Wayne overpowered the hood, weakened by blood loss and shock.  Thomas Wayne later testified against Moxon.  The rest is tragic history.

Many feel that the updated history doesn't better the original elegance of having the nameless punk step out of the shadows and kill the Waynes, but I disagree.  Thomas Wayne acted ethically and lawfully.  Moxon's success demonstrates that the legal system is broken.  Moxon didn't even need to corrupt the police in order to carry out his plans.  He posted bail.  While on bail, he made his move.  Batman exists not just to stop the Joe Chills of the world.  He exists to put an end to the Moxons, the criminals who believe themselves untouchable.

The incident impacts strongly on writer Tom Taylor's annual, which takes place in the seventies and ties into modern Moxton crime family the Falcones.  Intriguingly, the seventies influences catalyze the Wayne Family growth in Gotham, and while inevitably crime takes the Wayne's lives, the tendrils are even more far reaching.

Earth 2 doesn't disappoint when it reveals the identity of the new Batman.  Naturally, I won't be spoiling it.  Pick up the annual if you're even mildly curious.  Taylor appears to be a student of DC history and not just a very good writer. He brings in a lot of well-known DC lore to sell the solution to his Batman mystery.  We discover that Batman is in fact a combintion of two superheroes, but not in a Firestorm sense.  Best of all, Taylor provides explanations for every one of Batman's actions.  Taylor gives a reason why Batman connected to Hawkgirl so readily and why he knows Lois Lane.  There are no loose threads to pull.

The tight story gets a big artistic boost from World's Finest illustrator Robson Rocha.  Starting off with an impressive classic Batman, Rocha continues by recapturing seventies fashion and depicting the madness of revenge.  

He also gains points for the later moods of the main character seen in flashback as well as imaging the spectacular death of the first Earth Two Batman.

The World's Finest Annual is a little more straightforward but no less entertaining.  Writer Paul Levitz creates three chapters that act as three short stories while interconnecting with each other.

Diogenese Nieves handles the shadows of Gotham and the flames of Metropolis equally well.  He really creates an impression of youth in Helena and Supergirl, and the battles and gymnastics impress with ease.

In the first story, Batman and Robin crash a brothel in the heart of a posh area of Gotham City.  Heh.  This is definitely the kind of thing you wouldn't see in a Batman book pre-Crisis or post-Crisis.  I suspect Levitz is getting away with the seamy specifically because it's an Earth Two story.  Therefore, it doesn't really count in a way.  The past setting also benefits Levitz beause it creates a seedy once upon a time feeling that futher undermines what we'll call modern verisimilitude   It couldn't happen today, but yesterday? Sure.

In any case, Robin quickly becomes overwhelmed, and Batman begins experiencing doubts despite Catwoman's assurances.  She's ready according to his wife.  So Batman silently follows Robin to see what she can do on her own, and he finds her to be quite impressive and lethal.

That's another difference and always has been amidst the Earth Two books.  The heroes have Golden Age mentality.  They're quite willing to kill if the need arises.

In the second tale, Supergirl breaks free from her role as Superman's secret weapon.  She intends to only go dancing and hook up with a nice guy, but an Apokoliptan incursion turns an innocent night out into an explosive threat, which must be confronted by Supergirl.

In the third tale, Kara confides in Helana, and the two teen heroes, watched closely by Batman and Superman, deduce the culprit behind Kara's crime.  Rematch.  The identity of figure naturally brings in Wonder Woman into the fray, and Levitz pulls a reveal in the finale.

Jonah Hex meets Superman, and it goes probably not how you expected.  The knee jerk reaction would be that Hex completely despises Superman because of their conflicting personalities.  However, he did get along with Booster Gold, who started this whole thing by inadvertently transporting Hex through time.

Neither does the opposite reaction happen.  Palmiotti and Gray instead offer Hex in a nuanced moment as he dissects Superman's virtues and faults in a heartbeat.  In a world of relative peace, when comparison to the old west, Jonah Hex turns out to be quite the philosopher.  Gray and Palmiotti also confirm what we already suspected.  Hex is bothered by the spill of innocent blood.

After encountering Superman, Gina, Hex's riding companion, offers the bright idea of taking her man to a surprising exhibition at the Metropolis museum, and in an echo to the past volumes of Jonah Hex, the bounty hunter sees what could be his ultimate future.  He doesn't react well.

The issue of All-Star Western makes the most of the Superman guest appearance.  The conclusion puts the brakes on Hex's return to the past, and I look forward as always to the next issue.

Superman improves from last disappointing issue, but it's mostly due to the shift in focus away from Lois Lane, now infected with super-genius, and Superman's boring battle against the Parasite.

The happenings at Clarkcatropolis are much more interesting.  The Daily Planet recently fired Cat Grant, its go-to gal for gossip and entertainment news.  Clark quit because he didn't like his new boss Morgan Edge or the way his team reported the news.  Sort of Fox light and usually against Superman.

Clark filed a scoop that sent repurcussions through the journalism community.  Sam Lane accepted a high level position in the government.  Now, Clarkcatropolis is a hit, and Morgan Edge has an offer for Cat.

Will she bite or won't she? The temptation must be excrutiating.  Cat's a single mother.  The money would pay for her son's entire future, but I'm betting Cat won't sell.  She was fired, and Clarkcatropolis just may be worth more than Edge is willing to give.

On the flip side, the fight pitting Superman against the Parasite isn't very engrossing, and it's not because of Ed Benes excellent artwork, probably done with limited time, since Superman apparantly lost a regular artist.  Rather, Parasite at best was the Venom of his time, and he's always been inherently dull.  Even the cartoon series couldn't inject much intrigue to Parasite.  He's defined by his name.

Usually Parasite has a jones for Superman, the most powerful being on the planet and therefore dinner.  This year Lois is the entree, after being infected with Brainiac's "gift" of psionics and super-intellect.  I'm not absolutely sure that I buy mind boosting to be filled with higher calories than a sun induced gamut of abiltities, but whatever.

Superman protects Lois, but her boyfriend Jonathan steps up to the plate in an inadvertently hilarious twist.  Jonathan's like the whole Whitney thing on Smallville, but on steroids.  Whitney was a small impediment to Clark getting together with Lana Lang, but the writers had to soften his jockiness and give him a little bit more depth in order to end his arc satisfyingly, without it being detrimental to Clark's and Lana's relationship.

Jonathan is Lois' boyfriend.  So Scott Lobdell must beef him up a bit to make him a palatable choice, when standing next to Superman.  Of course, he makes Jonathan a soldier, and he almost cares too much about Lois, as if he's proving a point.  If Jonathan were the main character in a novel, I'd call him mediocre.  So, he gets no pass here.

Lobdell exploits the whole fiasco in a pedictable manner to cure Lois Lane.  I'm not really spoiling things.  If somebody explodes with super-power and the Parasite is in the vicinity, I'd be surprised if the writer wasn't going to solve that character's problem with the Parasite's predilection.  Lobdell however makes a bad choice by muddying Superman's waters.  Did Superman hope the Parasite would cure Lois Lane or did he wish the exposure would wipe out the knowledge of his secret identity from her mind?  The answer is no.  Superman is above board and we shouldn't question his motives.  I resent the implication.

Patrick Zircher's and Matt Hollingworth's art accents the moodier tone for this week's Flash.  Barry upon defeating two loser villains discovers a serial killer's burial ground.  The cold case leads to a murderer already caught and executed by the state, but he just may have had an accomplice.  This killer could have been responsible for the murder of Barry's mother.  During the course of the investigation, Captain Dylan admits to what we expected all along.

While this is a perfectly solid story, I don't really consider it Flash material.  Rather it looks like the writer was auditioning for Detective Comics.  You can imagine Batman in Barry's place quite easily, gathering the facts and observing silently.  

There's very little speed-related action apart from the prologue, which is fairly timid in comparison to Barry's other more impressive feats.  So, yeah.  This issue of The Flash won't hurt you, but it won't wow you either, and Flash fans I think will be disappointed.

Aquaman unfolds as an exciting battle between Aquaman and a sea beast.  It turns out telepathic commands do nothing more than inform Aquaman about the beast's intent.  There's no malice in the creature.  It's just hungry, but it won't stop.

Parker set up the idea that this monster is Atlantis' legendary protector the Karquan.  Maybe so, but it still means death to the surface world, and Aquaman isn't quite so sure it's the same monster.  Whatever the case, it must be stopped. Atlanteans romantacized it in legend.  It's really just ravenous.

Aquaman fights the monster and saves innocent lives in the process.  He gains a lot of respect from the Icelandic people, and he entertains the reader to no end via the energetic artwork by Paul Pelletier.

Meanwhile, Dr. Shin turns into the conscience of Triton Base, a scientific organization that Parker's shaping into the nefarious Big Bad of the series, and the reporter searching for Aquaman in Amnesty Bay, gets a little closer.  Action-packed, terrific artwork  and with interesting sub-plots, Aquaman is a winner.

Two tales comprise this week's issue of Bart Simpson Comics.  The latter's a goofy super-hero spoof with a few amusing gags but nothing spectacular.

The opener however begins thusly:

Martin serves as the prosecution against Bart Simpson, represented at first by Ralph Wiggum.  Damning testimony and hilarious judicial gags courtesy of writer Matt Davison, including a Matlock joke, added to Ryan Rivette's, Mike DeCarlo's and Art Villanueva's superb cartoons with special focus on Ralph's antics makes the story a riveting laugh fest.