Yes after not posting for month upon month, making everyone think that I'd given up on this thing, I'm making two posts in one day.
Does this mean that I'm joining the world of regular posters?
Nyaaaaaa.
This thing will continue to be posted on the same old schedule. When I feel like it.
So, after my extreme overindulgance in 52, I've moved on to Civil War, which I got in TP form. (I'm slowly shifting most of my books to TP).
So far, all I've read is the main Civil War TP, and then the YA/Runaways one, and I'm just going to focus on the main story right now.
It wasn't honestly that bad, though a bit fast paced. Maybe once I get all the ancillary books read that thought will go away.
The main interesting thing to me is the moral and ethical dimensions to the primary storyline.
Who is right? Tony Stark or Captain America?
At least in my view, the answer is, at the same time, both and neither.
Ideally, Tony Stark is absolutely right. To steal the classic line, with great power comes great responsibility. Now, that's more than just the way Peter meant it, in terms of having to be able to live with yourself (as important as that is). It also means being accountable to the larger society for your actions. The ability of a hero to make a mess and just fly away has been one of the traditional pieces of "unreality" that's attached to comic books. The X-Men back in their heyday joked "you can always tell where the X-Men have been by the mess they make," and that really is the "old school." Heroes can make an enormous mess of any battlezone, destroye homes, cars, even lives, and the very next issue they're back to business as usual.
The series (quite obviously) has taken that unreality and tried to shape it to a more "realistic" way of doing things. In a very real way, what Tony Stark is asking is not in the least bit unusual or troublesome. If we live in a world where Taxi drivers can be regulated and held accountable, why not professional heros? Now, this field of law could get wondefully complex, but the essential idea isn't bad. By complex, I mean things like this: "A hero saves a small child from a rampaging supervillain, but in the process a 3rd party's car is destroyed. Who has accountability for the replacement of the car?"
So, I'm suddenly all in favor of Tony Stark? Not exactly, and I say that for a couple of reasons. First of all, is that Stark played very much too "hard sell". He should have (from all perspectives) been more patient with the holdouts, let them see how the system was working before he started pushing enforcement of the law.
However, more important is another factor. Everything I just said about accountability and the like is the ideal, and for it to work, one essential assumption must be fulfilled. That assumption is that the authorities themselves must be trustworthy. The government in the MU has not proven itself to live up to that very basic, yet vital truth. There are (or have been) renegade groups around, such as SWORD, Onslaught's group, and any number of problems within SHIELD itself. That doesn't even begin to look at other problems within the Congress and Executive Branch.
Full liscensing and disclosure would open any number of catastrophic cans of worms. Not only would the government have all sorts of nifty opportunities to manipulate individual heros, but the power of the government over all society would be massively increased. In a world of superhumans, a superhuman monopoly would be a system without any meaningful checks and balances. It would be a system that would only be workable so long as the person who is at the top of the entire food chain is both highly ethical, and also determined to make sure that the rest of government does the right thing. As soon as either one of those preconditions slip, the avalanche begins.
In effect, what "unregistered" superhumans become is a "check and balance" upon the abuses of the government. However, that system only works so long as there are heros who are willing to "police their own", and take that role seriously. Of course, in the Marvel Universe, the best candidate for that job is the one they killed in all of this, Captain America. Now, by "police their own", I'm not saying vigilante justice, but that they'd make sure that any hero who went "over the line" ended up in court, even if they had to hunt them down and capture them.
If there are no heros who are willing to take that sort of leadership role in an unregulated hero society, you'd end up with the situation the DCU had in the opening of Kingdom Come.
So, who was right? Tony Stark or Captain America? Both and neither. That said, for either system not to be a trainwreck, you need the right person running it. Put in those terms, Registration with Tony Stark, or No registration with Steve Rogers?
No brainer.
I want Steve.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
How to go absolutely insane in one night.
All righty, yes, I live. I had a wonderful computer crash last night, which left me unable to use the thing until I got it into the shop, so I had to find another way to pass my time.
So, I grubbed around in all of my comics boxes, pulled together the 52 issues of 52 that I'd had sitting around (which I'd neglected for a considerable period) and did a kamikaze run of all the issues.
I'm getting too old for this. I was up way too long.
Anyway, I have to say that by and large, I think that 52 was one of the better "large events" I've ever read. That said, it could very easily be "damning with faint praise" since I'm not a big fan of events as a rule, but honestly, it wasn't all that bad. I certainly won't call it the most compelling thing I've read, but I've read far, far worse.
I'm going to have to go back and read it in detail to look into some of my personal concerns though. As an overall story, I'm still a touch unclear on how stories were meant to interconnect into the larger issues. Now, it may simply be that they were setting the stage for Countdown, but I'd really like to see things tied together.
So, to look at the major "stories" as we go. Here's the way I "break them down".
Steel/Everyman
Black Adam/Doc Magus
Question/Montoya/Batwoman
Booster
Ralph Dibney
Starfire/Animal Man/Strange/Lobo
(watch me forget something important, I've got a headache from staying up too long last night)
Anyway to consider each of those in turn.
Steel/Everyman. In many ways, the strongest of the substories to my mind, and one that very much goes back to the introduction of John Henry Irons lo so many years ago. I still remember that whole idea that Irons shared Superman's "soul". Now, that was just a goofy little thing that a wacky neighbor said, but it does get to something very simple. There are two characters who deserve to wear the big red "S". Superman is one of them, and the other is John Henry Irons. Conner was just starting to grow into that role when he died, so we'll give him an incomplete.
We see the best of JHI in this story. We see a man who is just leaking nobility from his pores. Yeah, he made a bit of a mess with 'Tasha, but even then, you can see that he truly did want the best, he just wasn't sure how to deal with an ambitious, smart and headstrong teen. I'm not sure anyone could deal with her at that point. His fight with Luthor is the best fight scene in 52 bar none. JHI is to my mind, one of the best characters in the DCU, and can serve as the rock upon which you can build a great team. If he's not the leader of the JLA at some point before all is said and done, someone in the DC offices needs to have his ears boxed.
The entire everyman concept is interesting, and is mining from much the same turf that we've seen before in places like Kingdom Come. I do wonder what further long-term developments we may see out of this one.
Black Adam/Doc Magus: If Steel is the strongest of the Substories, this one isn't far behind. One of the best parts of it is the interconnectedness between the two stories that comes together when we find out what they were creating on the island. Isis is an interesting character, interesting enough that I'm a bit sorry they killed her off. Maybe she'll end up being some sort of a "ghost" for Adam.
Adam is a character I have mixed feelings for. Mostly because they can't seem to get him to settle down. At times, he's achingly noble, even if his code of nobility is barbaric, other times, he's an insane beserker. Still, they've made him one of the most interesting villains that the DCU has, though they may be moving him past Capt Marvel (which is a bad thing). To my mind, this story forms the "public" part of the story of 52, the thing that will influence the people of the DCU most obviously.
Booster Gold: All right, I admit it, I've traditionally hated Booster with the heat of a thousand suns. He barely rates above Venom, Lobo and the Punisher in my book. That said, his personal arc was interesting in this book, and certainly provides a reasonable "boost" for the character in the future. I think it was a mistake to give him Skeets back (at least so quickly). He truly learned responsibility in this story, and to so easily give him back his best friend? That said, Booster's going to be in a difficult spot. He's lost his true best friend (Ted), has probably permanantly disillusioned his other friends (like Bea), and is left without much beyond Rip Hunter, who doesn't strike me as a "best friend" type.
Of course, if Adam's story is the "Public" half of 52, this is the "hidden half" the storyline that changes everything. It's opened up a very specific multiverse. Interesting to see one of the legendary decisions of comics (to close down the DC Multiverse) and reverse it, even if they do try to put some deliberate limits on it.
Ralph Dibney: I have to admit it, they got me good on this one. Though I should have expected it from the moment that Ralph "broke up" the resurrection ceremony, I truly didn't think that Ralph was nearly as "on his game" as he proved to be. I love "ha!" moments, and when he went stretchable and revealed he hadn't gone into booze bottle but the gingold bottle,that was just plain sweet.
That said, I was a bit disappointed with his death. I suppose that binding Neron for a time (I can't see comics writers letting that be permament) is a good thing, but really, it seems a waste for a good character.
Question/Montoya/Batwoman: There's no way to speak of this but with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the view of Renee Montoya (who really is the focus of this arc) as a broken woman? It is outstanding. Perhaps a bit cliche (dive into a bottle? Check. Jump into the beds of strangers? Check.), but overall, it works. I have to admit, I am intrigued with the idea that she's going to end up being the new Question. It will take a skilled writer to pull it off, but that book would have potential.
I have much more mixed feelings about Batwoman, but all of that really comes down to one thing. "Why?" Why is she the Batwoman? It's obvious that she'd already started putting on the Batsuit before 52 started, or, at a bare minimum had made the preparations to do it (getting the equipment, the fighting training and so forth). Yet, we are never once given a glimpse into her head to see what lead her to that decision. Obviously, if they wanted to make a Batwoman series, that's the first thing they'll need to deal with. Until that point in time, the character is so incomplete that I wouldn't even want to say if she's a good character or not. In fact, you can fairly argue that at this time she's more stereotype and character concept than character.
I'm saddened to see that they decided to kill off the Question. With his usage in JLU, I really think they could have made him an interesting ongoing character, with that "Rohrshachesque" quality they gave him in the animated series.
By and large, I liked all of those substories.
Now, to the one I didn't like?
Adam Strange/Starfire/Animal Man/Lobo. Now, this story gets off to a bad start with character selection. You have a character I loathe with a white hot passion (Lobo), a character I generally dislike (Starfire), and two that just don't interest me much (Animal Man and Adam Strange). Well, this story didn't change my mind about any of them in any meaningful form.
My bigger gripe with it though, is what place did it really play in the story? Did it add anything? Not really, at least not to me, unless there's something in those yellow guys who saved Animal Man that's going to be important down the line. Overall, yuck, yuck and yuck.
A few other thoughts and nagging questions.
The Tibetian Monestary: Come on guys? You had just about everyone traipse through there except for Detective Chimp! Is it the only place in the entire DCU where you can get your head together? Yeesh.
Wonder Girl: Sorry, Cassie's subrole just doesn't work. Yeah, losing Conner hurt her, and hurt her badly, but she's too smart and headstrong to fall into that sort of nonsense. Sheer idiocy.
Mr Mind: I'm a bit confused on this one. I hate when writers try to set up inside time loops. Rip and Booster arranged for Sivania to capture Mr. Mind, which gave him the opportunity to become the super-worm, which forced Rip and Booster to do what they did and arrange for Dr. Sivania to capture him.... my head hurts.
Oh, by the way.
Please give me my old school Marvel Family back. Now. Billy is Capt Marvel, Mary is Mary Marvel, Freddie is CMJ, and the Wizard is on the Rock. This is just plain painful.
thank you for your support.
So, I grubbed around in all of my comics boxes, pulled together the 52 issues of 52 that I'd had sitting around (which I'd neglected for a considerable period) and did a kamikaze run of all the issues.
I'm getting too old for this. I was up way too long.
Anyway, I have to say that by and large, I think that 52 was one of the better "large events" I've ever read. That said, it could very easily be "damning with faint praise" since I'm not a big fan of events as a rule, but honestly, it wasn't all that bad. I certainly won't call it the most compelling thing I've read, but I've read far, far worse.
I'm going to have to go back and read it in detail to look into some of my personal concerns though. As an overall story, I'm still a touch unclear on how stories were meant to interconnect into the larger issues. Now, it may simply be that they were setting the stage for Countdown, but I'd really like to see things tied together.
So, to look at the major "stories" as we go. Here's the way I "break them down".
Steel/Everyman
Black Adam/Doc Magus
Question/Montoya/Batwoman
Booster
Ralph Dibney
Starfire/Animal Man/Strange/Lobo
(watch me forget something important, I've got a headache from staying up too long last night)
Anyway to consider each of those in turn.
Steel/Everyman. In many ways, the strongest of the substories to my mind, and one that very much goes back to the introduction of John Henry Irons lo so many years ago. I still remember that whole idea that Irons shared Superman's "soul". Now, that was just a goofy little thing that a wacky neighbor said, but it does get to something very simple. There are two characters who deserve to wear the big red "S". Superman is one of them, and the other is John Henry Irons. Conner was just starting to grow into that role when he died, so we'll give him an incomplete.
We see the best of JHI in this story. We see a man who is just leaking nobility from his pores. Yeah, he made a bit of a mess with 'Tasha, but even then, you can see that he truly did want the best, he just wasn't sure how to deal with an ambitious, smart and headstrong teen. I'm not sure anyone could deal with her at that point. His fight with Luthor is the best fight scene in 52 bar none. JHI is to my mind, one of the best characters in the DCU, and can serve as the rock upon which you can build a great team. If he's not the leader of the JLA at some point before all is said and done, someone in the DC offices needs to have his ears boxed.
The entire everyman concept is interesting, and is mining from much the same turf that we've seen before in places like Kingdom Come. I do wonder what further long-term developments we may see out of this one.
Black Adam/Doc Magus: If Steel is the strongest of the Substories, this one isn't far behind. One of the best parts of it is the interconnectedness between the two stories that comes together when we find out what they were creating on the island. Isis is an interesting character, interesting enough that I'm a bit sorry they killed her off. Maybe she'll end up being some sort of a "ghost" for Adam.
Adam is a character I have mixed feelings for. Mostly because they can't seem to get him to settle down. At times, he's achingly noble, even if his code of nobility is barbaric, other times, he's an insane beserker. Still, they've made him one of the most interesting villains that the DCU has, though they may be moving him past Capt Marvel (which is a bad thing). To my mind, this story forms the "public" part of the story of 52, the thing that will influence the people of the DCU most obviously.
Booster Gold: All right, I admit it, I've traditionally hated Booster with the heat of a thousand suns. He barely rates above Venom, Lobo and the Punisher in my book. That said, his personal arc was interesting in this book, and certainly provides a reasonable "boost" for the character in the future. I think it was a mistake to give him Skeets back (at least so quickly). He truly learned responsibility in this story, and to so easily give him back his best friend? That said, Booster's going to be in a difficult spot. He's lost his true best friend (Ted), has probably permanantly disillusioned his other friends (like Bea), and is left without much beyond Rip Hunter, who doesn't strike me as a "best friend" type.
Of course, if Adam's story is the "Public" half of 52, this is the "hidden half" the storyline that changes everything. It's opened up a very specific multiverse. Interesting to see one of the legendary decisions of comics (to close down the DC Multiverse) and reverse it, even if they do try to put some deliberate limits on it.
Ralph Dibney: I have to admit it, they got me good on this one. Though I should have expected it from the moment that Ralph "broke up" the resurrection ceremony, I truly didn't think that Ralph was nearly as "on his game" as he proved to be. I love "ha!" moments, and when he went stretchable and revealed he hadn't gone into booze bottle but the gingold bottle,that was just plain sweet.
That said, I was a bit disappointed with his death. I suppose that binding Neron for a time (I can't see comics writers letting that be permament) is a good thing, but really, it seems a waste for a good character.
Question/Montoya/Batwoman: There's no way to speak of this but with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the view of Renee Montoya (who really is the focus of this arc) as a broken woman? It is outstanding. Perhaps a bit cliche (dive into a bottle? Check. Jump into the beds of strangers? Check.), but overall, it works. I have to admit, I am intrigued with the idea that she's going to end up being the new Question. It will take a skilled writer to pull it off, but that book would have potential.
I have much more mixed feelings about Batwoman, but all of that really comes down to one thing. "Why?" Why is she the Batwoman? It's obvious that she'd already started putting on the Batsuit before 52 started, or, at a bare minimum had made the preparations to do it (getting the equipment, the fighting training and so forth). Yet, we are never once given a glimpse into her head to see what lead her to that decision. Obviously, if they wanted to make a Batwoman series, that's the first thing they'll need to deal with. Until that point in time, the character is so incomplete that I wouldn't even want to say if she's a good character or not. In fact, you can fairly argue that at this time she's more stereotype and character concept than character.
I'm saddened to see that they decided to kill off the Question. With his usage in JLU, I really think they could have made him an interesting ongoing character, with that "Rohrshachesque" quality they gave him in the animated series.
By and large, I liked all of those substories.
Now, to the one I didn't like?
Adam Strange/Starfire/Animal Man/Lobo. Now, this story gets off to a bad start with character selection. You have a character I loathe with a white hot passion (Lobo), a character I generally dislike (Starfire), and two that just don't interest me much (Animal Man and Adam Strange). Well, this story didn't change my mind about any of them in any meaningful form.
My bigger gripe with it though, is what place did it really play in the story? Did it add anything? Not really, at least not to me, unless there's something in those yellow guys who saved Animal Man that's going to be important down the line. Overall, yuck, yuck and yuck.
A few other thoughts and nagging questions.
The Tibetian Monestary: Come on guys? You had just about everyone traipse through there except for Detective Chimp! Is it the only place in the entire DCU where you can get your head together? Yeesh.
Wonder Girl: Sorry, Cassie's subrole just doesn't work. Yeah, losing Conner hurt her, and hurt her badly, but she's too smart and headstrong to fall into that sort of nonsense. Sheer idiocy.
Mr Mind: I'm a bit confused on this one. I hate when writers try to set up inside time loops. Rip and Booster arranged for Sivania to capture Mr. Mind, which gave him the opportunity to become the super-worm, which forced Rip and Booster to do what they did and arrange for Dr. Sivania to capture him.... my head hurts.
Oh, by the way.
Please give me my old school Marvel Family back. Now. Billy is Capt Marvel, Mary is Mary Marvel, Freddie is CMJ, and the Wizard is on the Rock. This is just plain painful.
thank you for your support.
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