Musings of a cluttered mind

The limits of C-RPG's

2012-02-04T19:17:00.001-06:00

It's always been obvious that any form of computer "role playing games" are going to be limited. That has been true all the way back to my early days playing Phantasie I,II and III on my Apple ][+, and it's still true today, for much the same reasons.

There's a few reasons for this, but in many ways, they start at the same point. They limit the ability of a player to "create and play a role."

In a pen-and-paper RPG, your character is largely up to you (with a certain amount of input from other players and the GM). You can choose pretty much everything: personal details, personality, powers, the whole works.

Now, think about a fairly traditional Japanese RPG. Final Fantasy VII is pretty familiar, so it's a good starting point. You got to choose none of those things. You were Cloud Strife. The entire realm of choice that a pnp game gives you was gone. There were few if any meaningful choices for the player to make in the game. The gameplay consisted of the mechanics of the gameplay (killing monsters, getting materia, such and so), and watching the story. It was a good story, and the gameplay was enjoyable, but even so, it really didn't qualify in any meaningful way as "role-playing".

Now, some of the more modern games give you a great deal more choice. Mass Effect makes you Shepherd, and you do get a certain amount of choice. You can choose your appearance, your gender and the like. Perhaps more importantly, you've got a great deal more input into the game, as your choices influence the gameplay, and the attitudes of your companions towards you. However, it's still limited. After all, you're still Shepherd. It's the role you are assigned, not the role that you choose.

Now, all of the above is obvious, and there's likely no real reason for me to even mention any of it. What about MMO's though? Don't they give more? That's where things begin to get interesting. They give much more, and at the same time, much less.

Now, in an MMO, your personality choice is far greater than any of the above games. Depending on the game, you can make an enormous series of choices. The process of creating a character in an MMO is potentially greater than anything short of a pnp game. Take City of Heroes. You have great ability to design a true superhero costume, a massive (and growing) list of powers to choose from, the ability to create a personality from scratch, the works.

Yet, at the same time, MMO's take a great deal away from you that a single player game is able to give you. Most importantly, it takes away the ability to make a difference. In both pnp and Solo RPG's, there is potential to have your characters actions reshape the world around them. The decisions you make have the ability to change things in various ways, some of them quite profound. In MMOs? Not nearly so much so.

One of the most telling aspects of this is something that MMO gamers have more or less learned to shrug and ignore. Since it's a shared world, your efforts effectively disappear in a matter of moments. For instance, there you are, a hero in Atlas Park, and see a little old lady getting mugged by a Hellion. You swoop in, and voila, the woman is saved. Hooray! Look back in 5 minutes, and there's the same Hellion mugging the same lady.

It's not just little things like that though. In SWTOR, I've been slowly pounding my way through the planet of Taris, and have been helping the Empire drive the Republic forces off the planet. I've just gotten the big victory, and our troops are victorious! Hooray! Oh, wait, I poke around in the areas where Republic troops spawn, and there's just as many, they aggro just as fast. (That doesn't even count seeing some other guy running around doing the exact same missions I am).

Because it is a shared world, there is no real permanance to your actions. The only way Taris will truly change is if the Devs decide to have an "event" where the entire planet is changed during a patch. (Which is certainly possible, but not for the immediate future I'm sure). You have to mentally suspend seeing all of those things.

So, in the end, you may advance your personal story, but your actions have no larger repurcussions.

This is all pretty obvious, but I'm as much putting this up to think all of this through (it's not like anyone is reading it anyway).

The TOR Elephant in the Corner

2012-01-20T19:38:00.000-06:00

After a comment on my post earlier today (yeah, 2 posts in one day... shocking) I decided to push out a few more thoughts on the limits of the story system in TOR.

As I mentioned in my last post, there are limits to the ability of a player to "shape" the story in TOR. It is "on rails" to a large extent. This is most obvious in your class quest. You complete one part of the class quest and it... sends you to the next piece. You can make choices in the quest, and they can affect how your companions relate to you or the like, but the story continues. A Bounty Hunter stays on the Great Hunt (or the equivalents for the other classes).

Now, I can hear you say, your choices can do something else... they can give you... Light/Darkside points. Yep, they can, but so what? That's the elephant in the corner of TOR. What exactly do Light/Darkside points get you? A few different options in gear. In terms of story? Very little (outside of how you relate to companions).

What makes this such a big deal is that it sidesteps the most profound element of character development the game has to offer. A Sith gaining meaningful lightside points? That's important! A Jedi piling up darkside points? You might remember this guy named Anakin Skywalker. The Fall of a Jedi or the "rise" of a Sith (what *is* a Sith who goes lightside anyway? A fallen Jedi is a "Dark Jedi" but what, a Light Sith?) Your entire story should start to change! Every character should relate to you differently, and frankly, you should get different missions. There is no more profound piece of character development in the SW universe, and the game turns it into a matter of what kind of equipment you get to pack. That's a severe failing and lacking.

My level 33 Bounty Hunter currently is sitting around 3000 Light Side points, but is still employed by a very satisfied Empire. Now, of course, the non-Force User classes are going to be considerably different in how LS/DS works for them. However, it's still led me to a great deal of reflection on why a Bounty Hunter makes the choices they do. I may or may not write it, but I've got a fair backstory sketched out.

Now, for all those limitations I just mentioned, just imagine the amount of work involved in developing the core stories so that they react fully to player choices (even if it's only in terms of LS/DS, and not to specific choices).

Ok, so yeah, that's the elephant.

Musings on Games

2012-01-20T14:08:00.000-06:00

Interesting article on games from games from Raph Koster today: http://www.raphkoster.com/2012/01/20/narrative-is-not-a-game-mechanic/

Assuming I properly understood all of it, and wish to unpack it, his basic thesis is this.

Content like videos, music or the like are not a core part of gameplay. They provide a measure of feedback which can make the game experience better, but they are not the game itself. A game that relies upon such and does not emphasize the play of the game itself will end up lacking.

Of course, right now, the big thing in gaming is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Does TOR fall into this trap? In some ways yes, but not entirely. The story in the game is certainly one of the primary attractions. There's some exceptional storytelling involved in the game, and the reveals can be awesome. That said, I'm sure the second time through the game, the content won't have the same measure of hold over you. You've seen it, and so it's importance to you begins to fade.

However, there are at least two things off the top of my head which go against simply saying that TOR is a "one and done game".

First of all, is the rest of the gameplay elements. The rest of the game (combat, crafting and the like) is a strong and robust system. Now, this is one of those elements where I can see different people having different opinions, but I don't think that TOR matches Koster's warning about a game that is all feedback and little "black box" gameplay. (Black Box being the way he describes the gameplay/problemsolving aspect of a game) The feedback is big, even huge part of the game ("the 4th pillar"), but that doesn't mean that the "black box" elements are lacking.

Second though, is that TOR (like other Bioware games) have at least to a certain extent integrated the game into the feedback. You don't simply see the same video every playthrough. You can shape what you see by your actions and choices.

That said, that is still somewhat limited. One of the great breakthroughs in a content-oriented gameplay like TOR would be for players to be able to deeply shape the game experience. Where your choices create ever widening changes in everything around you. If, as a Jedi, you manage to convince some young Sith to turn from the Dark Side, you might see a cascading change where you see that former Sith grow. On the other hand, if you are forced to kill him, you become the object of a vendetta by other Sith. Now, a game like TOR can easily handle that level of branching. However, it becomes difficult to impossible to create content like that with more than a limited few branchpoints. If you had 2-3 "world changing" decisions per level... just imagine the amount of writing it would take to cover all possibilities. What games like TOR or ME or DA do, is they cut the "key" branches down to a more managable level, where you have a very limited number of truly huge choices.

(Also, an MMO like TOR won't let you deeply redefine the universe the way a SP game might. For instance, imagine a ME-type choice in a situation like this.

Evil General: "If you do not tell me where your base is, I will launch an orbital bombardment of the planet, killing 99% of all life"
Hostage: *choose*
1. I'll never tell! (*boomboomboom*)
2. It's at 47.1N 55.3E (*base boomed, nothing else*)

That would not be a viable MMO choice, because that would rewrite the entire universe, not only for the player but for every other player. On the other hand, it could work in a Single Player game.

Now, this is a dilemma that's not faced at all by other genres of game. Take Europa Universalis III. If you aren't familiar with it, you start in the year 1399 as the leader of one nation, and from there you go on, with a variety of economic, military and political options to extend your kingdom.

One of the interesting things about that game is that there are literally no victory conditions. Your goals in the game are ultimately self-set. Do you want to lead Europe in colonizing the New World? Have at it. Do you want to become the Holy Roman Emperor? Good luck! Lead Han China to being a viable rival for the European powers before the game ends in 1821? Go for it!

The second thing is that your actions in that game have the profound ability to shape the game world. The world map by the end of the game generally directly reflects what you've done in the game.

That game works the "blackbox-feedback" loop in a very different way. You have the "black box" the game problem/play, and a variety of tools you can use to reach your goals. On the other hand, the "feedback" is largely self directed and defined. You can look at the map and see how much turf you have, or how you dominate the world economy or the like, but the game doesn't tell you if you are "successful". You have to decide that for yourself.

A game like HPS Midway is a bit different still. There is no "story" in the game, per se. (Unless you want to define the "story" as your own view of the game developments). You start the game and you have a fairly definitive goal. You want to defeat the enemy fleet. The "black box" then is the problem of how to use all of your assets to achieve that goal. At the end, the game then comes up with a score (based on how much damage you did, how much the other guy did to you, and a few other factors) to see how successful you were.

In Midway, you generally get two forms of feedback. The first is the immediate feedback "I attached that enemy ship, and got 2 hits, and it's smoking in the water" The second is the "final" feedback of the game victory conditions ("ok, I sunk a carrier and destroyed 57 planes. I had a carrier damaged and lost 32 planes. That's a win."

This is my usual long and rambly self (not that people actually read it), but the article gives some interesting food for thought.

What good is immersion?

2011-11-28T15:00:00.001-06:00

A number of years ago, while I was a Supergroup (Guild) leader City of Heroes, I started poking our membership on a few questions, while trying to get a better feel for where people are coming from. Now, the SG in question was a Role-Play group, but it had a bit of an odd history. It had started as a fairly small, very focused group, with a great deal of emphasis on roleplay. However, as it grew, for various reasons, it changed. It's not that it was no longer an RP group, but the "style" of RP changed. So, to kind of poke at people and see where they thought the group should be, I laid out 5 categories of RP players.

1) Run n Gun. A Run n Gun-RPer is more focused on gameplay than RP. IC chatter is a nice "flavoring" to add to the mission, or maybe while waiting for the last laggard to get to the mission door. However, any time not spent actively in mission is time wasted, and "stand around" RP is to be avoided most times. Frequent use of OOC chatter is ordinary and not a problem.

2) RP-Lite. Like the Run n Gun-RPer, the Lite-RPer is focused on gameplay over RP. The RP provides a bit of flavor to the experience. The Lite player is more willing to spend RP time outside of mission, but only to a limited extent. Some IC bonds between characters may form, but it'll be more along the line of saying "old chum" or the like, than anything else. Frequent OOC chatter is ordinary.

3) RP-Medium. This is the person who sees RP and Game Play roughly in balance. They're willing to engage in considerable RP outside of missions, including working on ongoing storylines, events and the like. IC Friendships and Romantic Relationships are fairly common. OOC chat is acceptable, but if it "breaks" the flow of an RP, it's frowned upon.

4) RP-Heavy. The Heavy RPer is the person for whom RP>Game Play. They're perfectly happy playing a Level 50, because while the game horizons may be complete, the personal horizons of the character are neverending. These players will almost always form close IC Relationships (both "friends" and "romantic"). OOC chatter is minimized, and frowned upon, as breaking immersion.

5) RP-Immersive. For this person, the game is almost immaterial. It's all about the RP. These people often go to lengths to avoid finding out any personal information about the players behind the characters they're playing off of, because that breaks their immersion. OOC chat is highly frowned upon.
I was reminded of all of this the last few days as I got a chance to putter around in the Beta for SW:TOR. The above scale was written to gauge how those who would self-identify as RPers at one level or another look at things, but listening to the general chatter in TOR, there were some interesting comments from those who would not be considered RPers at all.

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, TOR is set up a great deal like Mass Effect or Dragon Age in some ways. It's heavily plot driven, with a large number of animated dialogue scenes with actual voice acting. Gone are the days where your contact would present you with a wall of text with a simple "accept mission" button at the bottom. You actually get to interact with your contact, choose responses to shape your conversation (and through that, shape your character and game experience). From an immersion point of view, it's fantastic. It brings you into the story in ways that a Wall of Text never could.

On the other hand, I saw a fair amount of griping about it in the general chat (as I mentioned before). Why? Because for many, it "gets in the way of the game." While my above list describes different approaches to Roleplay, there are other types of players out there as well. You can subdivide them in various ways (power levelers, raiders, such and so), but as a general description, they are people for whom gameplay trumps all. Story and immersion are secondary, and perhaps even unimportant. What they want is the simple act of playing the game systems (combat, crafting, whatever) and any time that the game "forces" them to interact with the plot is time wasted.

This is hardly a new consideration in MMO's. I have one friend in City of Heroes who has the constant frustration of not being able to follow the plot of Task Forces, because much of the time, she's the only person who wants to really read the storytext, and the others are unwilling to "waste" their time doing so.

What TOR does though, is it takes the dispute to a whole new level. Because the game forces you into those dialogue scenes, it forces the Gameplay crowd to interact more heavily with the story than they would like.

Now, I'll openly admit, I'm a very story oriented player. I like the abilty to shape my experience within the game, to interact with the story in ways that are more profound than "go kill 10 Rodians" or whatever. (Though that is in the game too). I do worry about TOR's ability to remain interesting in the long term with this system. I'm afraid that it may be more of a Massively Online Single Player Game, than a multiplayer game, but only time will tell on that issue. (This is wierd from me, who spends more time soloing than not).

What good is immersion? Is the attempt to create a more immersive game a good thing? To me, the answer is a clear yes. It's also clear that there are many who already dislike those elements, because they get "in the way" of the game. What does this mean for TOR in the long run? Only time will tell.

DC loves your anger. It feeds them

2011-10-01T15:35:00.000-05:00

A number of years ago, Eric Bischoff (you know, there's actually alot of common ground between comics and pro wrestling when you think about it.) wrote a book called Controversy Creates Cash. Essentially, his thought that was by being controversial, in your face, you kept people interested and made money. You know, it worked. While his empire in WCW eventually imploded (for a variety of reasons), the entire Monday Night Wars saga proved Bischoff's phrase.
That's the attitude that's behind what's wrong with comics today, all of it. We know that DC looked at Marvel's success with "One More Day" and learned the lesson that "controversy creates cash". People got angry, protested Marvel, blogged in great anger. Yet, sales went... up. I'm not sure if it was all those angry bloggers showing themselves to be hypocrites (I'll never read another Marvel book! Ooooh, all right, I will), or if it was simply new readers who got drawn into things. That's what DC is aiming for, and it may well work. I know initial sales have been strong.
The issues with the depiction of women? It's all part of the same tapestry. More severe than any complaints about exiling the JSA to Earth-2 or the like, but a part of the same process. Slutfire has gotten more attention in a few panels than any version of Starfire has in how long? It's created buzz.. it's created news. It's created attention. The question is... will it create sales? My sad suspicion is, yes. I'm sure there will be a fair number of people who will not purchase the book. However, I also feel that more will buy the book.
The only answer that will make the people in DC sit up and pay attention is to not buy those books. Enraged blog posts? Those are good to their mind. They create more buzz, more attention, and in the end, more money. Only when they look up and see their bottom line shrinking will they consider this to be a bad thing.
(also, if you think that only comics are going this way, here's a thought provoking article I saw yesterday: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/30/opinion/stepp-bunny-tv/index.html )

Clark Kent: Real human

2009-08-28T12:21:00.001-05:00

After reading “Thy Kingdom Come” in JSA, I got to thinking about an interesting contrast between E-22 Superman in this story, and Superman as presented in the movie a couple of years ago.

As I stated back when the movie came out, one of the ongoing themes in Superman Returns is the progressive degradation of Clark’s humanity. He is less and less Clark Kent, more and more Kal-El. The moment that’s meant to show “who he truly is,” is when you see him hovering high in space, ready to descend upon blighted humanity at every need. A demigod among men. The role of the Kents is minimized, the “dead hand” of Jor-El is maximized, even to the point of Superman going to his newly found son and echoing the words of Jor-El to him while he sleeps.
Now, on the other hand, in Thy Kingdom Comes (and also in the original of course), one of the ongoing themes is the way in which Clark “died” the same day that Lois did. The scene where “our” Lois goes to talk to E-22 Superman is one that’s heartbreaking on a few levels. The flashback, adding a few details that weren’t found in KC (the last words of E-22 Lois), and her final words “don’t lose… Clark”.

Then, at the very end, after he decides to return to his own Universe, we’re reminded of the scene from the original, where Diana gives him a pair of glasses, to help him “see” better. Obviously, it’s not the physical “sight” but the more important ways of seeing. The philosophical and spiritual implications of embracing his humanity. That he may have the powers of a demigod, but that his essential humanity is his core. Without that, he loses who he is.

I truly think that gets to the core of Superman better than anything else. Clark Kent is not a “mask” that he hides behind. In many ways, “Bruce Wayne” carefree billionaire playboy is an essentially unreal person. There is no Bruce Wayne, there is only Batman. Bruce Wayne, as much as Matches Malone is just a “face” that he puts on at times to further his mission. However, with Superman, Clark is part of the very core which makes Superman who he is.
It’s odd in a way, that Batman is the one who keeps collecting kids to “raise”. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cassie Cain. Each of them has been stung by their proximity to Batman. Being a human “father-figure” is not a role that Batman wears comfortably, or frankly, especially well. On the other hand, I could easily see Clark stepping into the role of raising an orphan, and doing a far better job of it. That’s because Clark has a better connection to his own humanity. Clark is a real person, where Bruce is not.

Thy Kingdom Come

2009-08-26T21:34:00.001-05:00

Well, after a long absence from reading comics (largely caused by frustration from One Year Later), I’ve spent the last couple of weeks reading through my back inventory of unread books, and it’s been a very mixed bag. There’s been good and bad. I could sit here and pick at my issues with recent events in the Teen Titans, or why I dislike the first LS featuring Renee Montoya as the new Question. Perhaps I will in a few days.
First off though, I find myself turning to the Good. I’ve read some good stuff in the last days, but easily the best has been the “Thy Kingdom Come” storyline in Justice Society. There are some oddities there to be sure, but overall, it was compelling, thought provoking, and just plain well done.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read Kingdom Come (in either TPB form or the outstanding novel). That’s always been a story I’ve greatly enjoyed, and not mostly for the Ross artwork. Honestly, I like the novel better. You spend less time trying to sort out who the next-gen heroes are, and more time thinking about the plot. For obvious reasons, I’ve always liked the pastor character (even though we come from very different branches of the Church…heh). Indeed, he’s one of the things that’s gotten me to think about what it must be like for “everyman” in a superhero world.
When I heard that they were going to revisit that story, and indeed bring it into the “mainstream” continuity, I was a bit skeptical. It’s an outstanding story, worthy of a post unto itself. However, it’s one of those stories that I figured should stay self contained.
Having said that, I must give credit where it is due. The way they brought it into the DCU works… both by designating it as Earth-22, and perhaps most of all, by bringing the JSA into the mix. More than any other team, the JSA is the conscience of the DCU. Not Superman, not Batman, but the three “old men.” Jay Garrick, Alan Scott and Ted Grant. Supes, Bats and WW may be the “Trinity” but Jay, Allen and Scott have their own role in the bedrock of the DCU.
As Kingdom Come played with the issues of power and responsibility, the JSA is the perfect vehicle to work Gog and Magog into things. This is especially true when you consider the stated intent of the new Society to make better heroes.
Yet, when the time comes for the JSA to fracture in the story, notice that the “old school” JSAers are the ones who stand against Gog first. They can sense that too much is being offered, that they were “Hansel and Gretel at the Witches house”. The only “old” JSAer who goes with Gog is Hawkman, who has always been a bit of a loose cannon. (Still, on reflection, that choice surprises me. Yeah, he’d certainly relate to the way Gog turned those soldiers into trees, and Carter wouldn’t shed a tear, but he’s too cynical to really buy into Gog’s offer I think). Otherwise, it’s the “new” members who fall. Damage, Commander Steel, the soon to be Magog (forget the name he takes early on).
Gog preys upon their pain, but at the same time, remember that Damage and Steel aren’t the only people in the Society to have felt pain. When you think about those who listened to the Siren’s Call, it says more about them, than the Siren itself.
At first, it took me a bit to get used to the interleaving of the Ross artwork for Earth-22 scenes with the more “normal” style for the rest of the story. Yet, that created an outstanding ending to the story, with everything coming full circle.
Is it a perfect story? Not at all. I have lots of quibbles and nits, but even so, it’s a story that reminds me while I like comics. Maybe in days to come, I’ll get to a bit more.

Fantasy in a rut...

2009-06-01T21:33:00.002-05:00

I've enjoyed "High Fantasy" for a long time now, but there are ways in which it strikes me as being in something of a rut.

With not nearly enough exceptions to my taste, Fantasy novels are "voyages of discovery" type novels. Now, any character should develop and grow over the course of a book, but what I mean is this.

How many of the protaganists in Fantasy Novels start out as young, discovering they have a power (or destiny or something) and set out on an epic voyage of discovery, finding their "inner hero"

For instance, currently I'm reading The High Lord, which is the third book in the Black Magician Trilogy by Trudy Cananvan. Now, to this point, it's been a most enjoyable series. The heroine is appealing, the mystery is good and the like.

Yet, on another level, it just doesn't seem to be anything new. Sonea is a young girl who lives in the worst part of the city. The Magic Guild has a monopoly on magic in that culture. However, as a rule they've never tested anyone other than the children of the nobility. Generally, you need to have someone "awaken" your powers in you, but Sonea's powers awaken on their own. So, suddenly, this slum girl is in the Guild, and learning her powers, and the usual threat to the city/nation/world.

How many books have that kind of general plot? Seriously. Young person discovers they have powers, and goes from there.

Offhand
The Belgariad/Mallorean
Most of the books in the Recluse series
Pug in Feist's series
Drake's Crown of the Isles
Wheel of Time

How many more do I need to list?

Now, I've enjoyed most of them (not a big Jordan fan).

Still, though, the sameness is getting... old.

Maybe that's why I think that the Elenium/Tamuli from Feist is better. There, you have Sparhawk... who is a veteran knight. Maybe even a hair past his prime. His nature as a hero is already established. Now, he's about to learn a great deal about himself (Anakha), but still, it is a very refreshing change for a character to start a series as an established hero, and then "get to work", instead of starting off as callow/smartaleck/wise beyond his years type youth.

Future Dystopia

2009-02-20T13:04:00.001-06:00

Future Dystopia...
There are a few things comic writers return to again and again. Evil twins, people returning from the dead (real or imagined), finding out your brother is an archvillain (or maybe just a minion). One of those things is the "dystopia" story.
We've all read them, even if we don't quite get the term. A "utopia" a wonderful place. A place where all are wise and enlightened, where peace reigns, and the society is filled with justice (all the various forms of justice for that matter). A dystopia is the opposite of that. It's a place where everything has gone wrong.
I'm not going to claim that I know what the "first" one is. I'm sure there are many stories in this "genre" that I'm not familiar with. That said, the first one that's truly burnt into my memory is the legendary "Days of Future Past" storyline in X-Men. This is a story that works, and works well.
We have young Kitty Pryde, barely on the team, still full of wonder and innocence, and then suddenly she's switched with Kate Pryde. Kate Pryde, who has seen the horrors that are to come. A woman who has lost family, friends and freedom. No more innocence there, though still the decency that young Kitty exhibited.
The future? Dark and bleak. What's more, the "trigger" makes sense. Mutants killing a major politician would very easily lead to major repression.
Yet, while I consider the story brilliant standing alone, I think it's been destroyed. The stark clarity of the "future" is too cluttered now. Too many additions. I think "Days of Future Present" was a strong addition to the story, drawing out elements of the dark days, without ruining the story. Yet, the "future timeline" of the X-Men has become horribly cluttered. You've not only got the "Days of" stuff, but then the Bishop XSE, the Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, and other "future" stories that clutter the picture, and remove focus from them.
Still, that's far from the only future dystopia story out there. It seems most books have gone into this realm. Some do it very well ("Future Imperfect" in the Hulk was on a par with Days of Future Past"). Others? Not so well (I have little use for "Titans of Tomorrow").
A deeper problem though, is what does having this future nightmare hanging over a book do to the book? If the writers take them seriously, then the entire book loses a sense of hope. What are people fighting for, if not a better tomorrow? Yet, here we have "proof" that tomorrow is not only worse, but catastrophically worse. On the other hand, if the writers discount the future story (alternate timeline, dream, or whatever), that erodes the story. It becomes less. Less powerful, less meaningful, less, less, less.
It's this reason that I generally don't like this sort of story. It either ties the hands of the writer, or it becomes an excursus to nowhere in the development of the book. It can be done well, and can shape a book, as Days of Future Past certainly did in the X-Men. Yet, for that, it just creates too many problems.

The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel

2008-08-30T21:56:00.004-05:00

A friend mentioned something about the Dark Knight movie that got me thinking. She said why she could appreciate the artistry, she couldn't really enjoy the movie because of the hopelessness of it. I really could see what she meant. She didn't go into all the hopelessness she saw, and I'm not inclined to put words into her mouth, but it did get me thinking. She did say how much it made her think about the building chaos in Mexico (huge uptick in violence the last few years).

There are many ways to compare Superman and Batman. Powers, outlook, even the standard color palatte.

Yet, this does tend to point to one of the more fundamental ones. Batman as a character is born out of the failure to society. Superman is born, yes of another planet, but also of the strength of society.

What I mean is this. The entire mythos of Batman is based on the fact that society has failed. Not only in the act of the murder of Bruce's parents, but also in Batman's self-conception and way of acting. Bruce's goal is to be the one who fills the gaps when the system fails. When the Gotham Police is unable to do the job, because of corruption, ineptitude, or the rules that society has placed them under, Batman takes over. Because of those limitations, the Police (in the person of the Commissioner) is complicit in his work. Society has failed, and it is Bruce's self appointed mission to rectify that failure.

Where Bruce is born of the worst, of a random act of violence, Clark comes from the best. He comes from a happy home, a place where he was nurtured, and was taught to look out for others. As his powers developed, he stepped onto his path as a hero out of responsibility, knowing that his powers meant he could help people on a larger stage. He rarely works against the system, and when he does, it's out of the highest of principals.

They are the yin and the yang in comics. Here, as in so many other things.

I return!!!

2008-07-29T23:48:00.003-05:00

Let's see if I can get this thing cranked up a bit more again.

I admit, I've slacked, and to an extent, I've gotten behind in my comics reading.

So, what do we do from here? A long winded post on the nature of pacing? That will likely be coming, but I'd like a bit more time to plot and muse.

Now, instead, it's time for me to return to my favorite old shtick! Yes, Downsides are back!!

Downsides of living in the DC Universe!

5. You spend weeks trekking off to a remote Himalayan Monastery to try to gain perspective to your life, only to be buried in Superheros trying to recover from the latest crisis.

4. Being assigned to write a short summary on all known about the origin of Donna Troy.

3. Being in charge of making up to date maps of California.

2. Taking a tip from your cousin to invest in a high tech firm, only to find out that it just got closed down by the Feds for being a front for some villains no one has ever heard of.

1. Endless debates on alt.fan.wonderbabes "Cassie or Donna"

Ok, ok, not my best set, but I'm trying I tell ya!

Why I love The Incredibles

2007-09-18T12:19:00.000-05:00

I'll freely admit it, I'm a bit of a lump (ok, a lot of a lump). That's the story of my life. I don't get out a great deal, various reasons for that. So, one thing I don't do very often is go to movies. I joke around that I'll go to one movie a year, whether I need to or not. Now, sometimes I may end up being a couple of movies, but seriously, I just don't go to many movies.

Yet, when the Incredibles came out, I went to the theater to see it, either three or four times, I forget. Not because I was going with new groups of friends either, I went alone each time. What was it about that movie that resonated with me so strongly at the time?

I'm not a huge person for literary analysis. I read books and go to movies largely out of a "sit back and enjoy the ride" perspective. When I look at what some people can get out of things, I'm always like "whoa... never would have even thought of that." Yet, there are some things that get my attention and get me thinking in those terms. The Incredibles is one of those things.

It's not just my love of Superheroes that made the movie for me, but the far more profound stories of each of those characters. They each have an "arc" of their own, and each arc is interwoven and fascinating.

The opening of the movie, with the "candid" interviews with Mr. I and Elasti-Girl are in so many ways the key to the movie. In many ways, it's easy to argue that in those "shorts" the characters are either lying, or more likely, self-decieved. Mr. I wants a chance to settle down. His rant about the maid is one of the classic moments from the movie. On the other hand, EG, she's blunt and outspoken about rejecting "settling down".

Yet, as the movie progresses, at first blush, it seems that the truth is the opposite for both of them. Mr. I, when finally given a chance to "settle down," finds himself to be frankly miserable. On the other hand, EG? Of all the characters, she seems to take to domesticity the most readily. However, I have questions about that (see below).

In a way, you can divide the "Incredible Family" by the male and female. The males (Mr. I and Dash), are straining at the bit, wishing for the chance to reveal who they are. Mr. I wants to go and be a hero again. Dash? He knows he's special, and he just wants nothing more than a chance to strut his stuff.

The females are more complex (and frankly, more interesting). Violet is the easy one. Her transformation through the movie is at the same time well done, yet overdone. It's too fast, too profound, but that's Hollywood and looking for a happy ending. The thing though, is that through most of the movie, Violet is pretty obviously ashamed of who and what she is. I suspect that if you'd given her Rogue's choice from X-Men 3, she'd have taken it in a heartbeat. "Normal! What does anyone in this family know about normal?"

That's what brings us to Mrs. I. The family early on is disfunctional at all levels, but I begin to wonder if she's not the most disfunctional of them all. When it comes to the kids' powers, she's the most openly repressive. Mr. I can't help but feel (and express) a bit of pride over Dash's escapades (and speed), while Mrs. I seems to want to shove all of it away into some deep, dark family closet, hidden from all. I've got a sneaking suspicion that Violet's emotional problems have been helped along more than a fair bit by her mother. (By the way, have you ever noticed, that Violet speaks "shrink talk" really well? I take it she's seen a therapist...)

With Mrs. I, I'm starting to wonder if her own "life of quiet desperation" is the most dishonest of them all. She calls her husband to brag that she's finally unpacked (after however many years). Is that really forced? Is there a piece of her that doesn't fully accept the life that they have?

So, the males seem to be accepting of their powers, but frustrated and beaten down by their inability to actually use them. The females seem to be far less accepting of who they are.

Now, as you follow each of them though their arcs, it remains just as interesting. I don't think any of them become "perfect" or even especially healthy, but they certainly grow and mature.

Mr. I: As the central character, he grows in a few different ways. Aside from his frustration at being forced into a dead end life, I think you can also argue that he doesn't fully understand being a hero. The most telling scene in that respect isn't how much self-confidence he gains when he's given that "false chance" to become a hero, but something small and subtle. When his boss at the insurance company is telling him off, he sees the poor guy getting mugged. His "heroic instincts" cry out for him to go out, but his boss won't let him. Up to this point, there's no problem. But, did you catch what he said, "he got away." For Mr. I, heroism wasn't about helping the weak. It was about the glory, the fun and the rush. It was about the "game." Once the game was over, and all that was left was a poor victim, Mr. I's interest waned.

It's obvious that he grows as he realizes the place of his family, where's he's willing to go into the final fight alone, not for glory or the "rush," but because he'd rather fall alone than risk those he loves. However, does he begin to understand the higher purpose still, that he's there for those who are helpless? The movie is unclear. I'd like to think he does, but you can't really say one way or the other.

Mrs. I: She's probably the most confusing of them all. She clearly is willing to "step back" into the fray, but aside from "don't mess with mommabear's mate or cubs," it's unclear why. I guess, it's because she's the most mysterious to begin with, so her arc is the hardest to see. Yet, the final moment of Violet's epiphany is the moment that Mrs. I says she's proud of Violet. (at the plane crash).

Violet: I love Violet, she's my favorite character in the whole movie. I think that her epiphany is a bit "hollywood" in that it is very fast and very profound, where she goes from a scared, neurotic kid to a self confident young woman who dictates the terms of her date with Tony. Still though, her story is really a story of acceptance. Acceptance of herself, who she is, and what she is. It may be a coincidence, but as the movie goes along, her powers shift. While both her invisibility and force fields are established early on, we generally see her invisibility early. (Hiding from Tony, hiding on the plane, hiding from the guards), but later on, we mostly see her force fields (the first time the four fight as a team, breaking out of the prison, when Syndrome's jet crashes, though she did use her invisibility once in the big fight to get the controller). It's almost as if the invisibility is a sign of her self-loathing, while the force fields come along as she accepts herself. Maybe that's reading too much in.

Dash: Dash is easily the one who matures the least, which shouldn't be surprising. He is a pre-teen boy after all, they can only handle so much maturation. Even in the end, his "goodie" is getting to race and get the accolades of the victor.

As you can tell, I just love this movie, and the characters who make it up. There's a side of me that hopes that Pixar makes another one, because this one is so wonderful. Yet, I always have to wonder, how could they follow it up? The character arcs are so deep and profound, that another movie would be very difficult to make and do it justice.

Civil War!

2007-06-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

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.

How to go absolutely insane in one night.

2007-06-06T17:06:00.000-05:00

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.

One of the Great Ones falls

2007-03-07T17:55:00.000-06:00

Wow. The news today. Wow. I'm assuming that he's truly gone, though I know that in the world of Comics, nothing is forever, and there's a decent chance he'll pop up.

I've not been following Civil War (going to get it in trade), so my judgement is a tad limited but.

Why Him?
Why Now?
Why that way?

From some of the comments the Marvel types are saying, they see it as an allegory of the current situation in the world.

Captain America is an incredible character. Maybe today, many would think that the world needs to get rid of things like Cap, since he's so much from another time. Yet, I think he is, and isn't.

He stands for America, but I've always thought in a good way. We all know that this nation has problems (though we may well disagree with what those exact problems are). He's not about what America is to my mind, but, what America could be. He's about those things that are actually worthwhile. He's about honor and integrity, about making the world a better place. As much as Clark Kent in the DCU, Cap is the Moral Center of the Marvel world. This isn't to say he was perfect, but he had honor and integrity, and always stood for what is right.

I find it a bit sad that they are getting rid of him now, when so many members of the Greatest Generation are passing away.

What are they getting at though? Is killing him that way some sort of a statement that "Liberty is dead?" He fought against registration, and lost, and then was killed. If so, that's the wrong message to give. If someone feels that Liberty is dead, then they should have pictured him fighting, even if it is a lost cause.

To die on courthouse steps? That's not a bang, it's a whimper. A pathetic, foolish whimper.

I'll be honest, like most comics geeks, I've thought from time to time about writing them. Back around 1994 or so, I had an idea for a big All-Marvel crossover, based around the Mutant Issue (I called it World War X.. yeah, yeah). Anyway, at one point, I thought of the idea of having the Government turn on Wideawake, the Sentinals. However, the info of that got to Nick Fury, who called Cap... the two old WW2 Warhorses, and their response was "Never Again." I saw Cap leading a mixed force of the Fantastic Four and every Avenger they could get their mitts on to demolish the factory. If you wanted to kill Cap, that's the kind of moment to do it. Fighting the good fight, showing what he truly stands for. Not the victim of an assassin's bullet on the courthouse steps.

I imagine that we'll see a New Captain America soon. It's been done before. I can see it with Cap more than some of the others like Batman or Spiderman. Bats is eternally Bruce Wayne, and Spidey is always Peter Parker. Yes, Steve Rogers is gone. I hope though that they don't decide to put some post modern, ironic character in that slot, who would mock all that has gone before. Man or woman, black or white, it makes no difference. The Spirit of Captain America demands a person who will hold the shield with honor. I only hope that the people in New York understand this.

"Adult Content"

2007-01-19T18:28:00.000-06:00

Just how important is "Adult Content" in telling a story, whether it is in comics, or elsewhere? Of course, I'm a bit fussy, but there are times that I think that people really equate "adult content" with good too much.

One example of this is the first trade book of Supreme Power. I'll be honest here, I haven't finished the trade book, as it didn't grab my interest very much. However, early on, there's a scene where the Superman analogue (I forget the name, I told you I wasn't that fond of the book), as a young child does something that makes it very clear that he could kill everyone around him in an instant... and by accident.

The response of the two people the government has raising him is to run off and for the one time, have sex, and the scene is drawn in a way that leaves no real doubt as to what they are doing. The overwhelming idea is that they are using sex as a way to "feel alive", to get back in touch with the fact that they are alive after realizing what the kid was able to do. The message is rather clear, but it still struck me as being a bit forced, and ultimately, unnecessary.

That's the thing, what adult content (both sex and violence) is used often used for isn't absolutely necessary, in that writers are able to make their point in other ways. Yet, this isn't to say that it's always bad either, as it can be an integral point to building a story.

Take Watchmen for example. The sexual content of the book becomes a very profound metaphor for the development of Nite-Owl as a character. Early on, when his "old life" as a hero is lost, he feels lost, useless, yes, imporent, and he is literally impotent. However, as he starts to get back into things, and take action in the world around him, he is able to have sex once again. Maybe not the most subtle thing ever written, but it makes its point very strongly. I don't consider what is in Watchmen to be in the least bit gratuitious or the like. It is integral to the story, and meshes well with the story.

Yet, at the same time, is it truly necessary? Much the same story arc (to the point that I've heard it called a rip off) is found in the Incredibles. Early on, Mr. Incredible feels "out of touch" with his life. The path of heroism is closed to him, and the only thing he can truly do is help little old ladies who are being take advantage of by the insurance company he works for. However, as he's given the opportunity to be heroic again (as fake as it turns out to be), he "refinds" himself, and the metamorphasis is obvious. He starts working out, he loses weight, he's more attentive to his family... in short, he's happier. The same sort of arc, but the sexual overtones are limited to a few bare hints of "play" between Mr and Mrs I.

For that matter, while Violet's arc isn't "refinding" her self, it's "finding" herself, much the same happens, as we see her grow out of her shell, and become confident, and willing to engage the world.

Which is the better story? Honestly, you can argue that for awhile, both stories have their strong and weak points, but are, in the end, top notch. However, what the Incredibles proves is that you can tell a good, profound, meaningful story without those things, if you want to. Indeed, it is far more Adult than many things I've seen that have much more "adult" content, in that it's smart, well written, aware, and the like.

I return

2007-01-03T15:50:00.000-06:00

I return. Perhaps in time I shall divlulge what dangers I have faced, but you'd be bored stiff reading about it, and I'd be bored stiff telling you, so let's just pretend that I've been preoccupied on the mundane, it's more or less true anyway!

So, what would drag back your fundamentally boring scribe to work his way back here?

The Society is Back!

Yes, as always, I'm behind. The joys of living in places that the boonies consider uncivilized!

Still, there is nothing that can make my little heart quite so happy as to see that the JSA is back in full force!

I have some questions about some things (which I'll get back to), but overall, it lived up to my every expectation.

It hit me viscerally in the gut, when I saw the one person I never wanted to see in this comic. I was not ready to see Mr. America. If you've ever read the classic Elseworlds* The Golden Age, you'll know why.

It made me laugh out loud. The new Red Tornado, she's going to be SUCH a great character, I can see already. It's going to be interesting byplay, considering she's older than Courtney, but she's coming on like an obsessed younger fangirl.

So, the only things that bugged me? Ok, we saw the relationship between Hourman and Jesse Quick hinted at back before the break, so their getting together isn't an issue. I do look forward to seeing why Jesse has gone to Liberty Belle as opposed to Jesse Quick, but I'm patient. That said... oi! They are a truly annoying couple! Who gave them the lobotomy? Young love... bleh. Hopefully they'll grow out of it.. soon. I like both chars, and I like em together... but yeesh.

Ted's Son? Very interesting. We'll just have to leave that one sit.

The new Starman? The jury is out, but the outright loon thing is really hard to pull off for a writer.

So, the big speculation is... who did Mr. America? I'm going to reverse the psychology, and figure it was a previous incarnation of the Manhunter (not Kate). I imagine some of you can see where I'd get that.

All said, woo!

*Yes, I know, there is debate over the status of the book, but my trade paper is under the Elseworlds imprint, so it shall be listed.

Put me in charge!

2006-07-08T23:39:00.000-05:00

All right, every comics geek wants to be put in charge of their favorite company (or all of them). I'm no exception. So, maybe it's time to start thinking about what radical changes my firm, dictatorial but enlightened rule would bring to the world of comics.

#1 Nightwing Reboot

All right, I don't care what depths of Comic Book cheeze you have to go to. It's time to reboot Dick outright. The world doesn't need another sullen, angst ridden, hero. Yes, we know, Batman is a first tier jerk and no one raised by the Bat would ever be happy... blah blah blah.

Phooey. Dick as Robin was a character of joy. Too silver age? Not at all. I'm not saying make him a silly, lighthearted 1967 character. Just give him a bit of joy and exuberence. How do you retcon him to be that way? I don't care. Have Mr. Mind crawl out of his ear in a future storyline... find out that some telepath or another messed with him. Say that this Dick is a clone, or is from Earth-N... I really don't care.

#2 Joker on Vacation

Joker is hereby banned from appearing in any DC book whatsoever for two years. After that, he's banned for another two years from appearing in any book that's not one of the Batman titles, or Birds of Prey (though he hasn't been used much there, the Birds have a definite score to settle with him).

He's simply over used, and over exposed. Every writer wants to take a shot at him, every editor think's he'll "spice up" their book. Give him a well earned vacation.

3. Grace Choi goes back to her bar...

What exactly is Grace Choi's role in things? Sure, she provides muscle for the Outsiders, but really, what does she bring as a character? She's as cardboard as they get. She needs to either be given depth, or shoved to a corner. Her old bouncer job is still there.

4. No major full company events for at least five years.

At least from the point of view of storytelling, there are few things worse than these "big" events that keep coming along. A writer is building an interesting long term story when... zap, the crossover of doom either derails the plot for as long as it takes to deal with it, or deep sixes everything. Look at Marvel with the X-Men at the moment. "House of M" managed to gut Academy X and Excalibur forcing both books into major retooling, dropping major storylines, or even the entire concept of the book. Sure, using these to "shake things up" can be interesting, but let the writers tell their stories awhile. Once 52 is done, sit back and let things roll for a few years.

5. Shoot any writer who pitches a "hero goes to dystopian future" storyline.

Ho hum, it was interesting and innovative when "Days of Future Past" was written. "Future Imperfect" pulled it off nicely. But, now, it's just old and tired. Was seeing the Teen Titans in the future really that great? Nope.

I'm sure my reign of terror will continue, but that's it for tonight.

Favorite Episodes

2006-07-05T23:31:00.000-05:00

I've been ODing a bit on watching some of the Comic-Book adaptations. So, while I don't always remember names, lets see what my favorite episodes are.

Superman: The Animated Series. This is an easy call, I just watched it. The Late Mr. Kent. It has so many little freaky things. The "death" of Clark, everyone mourning over him, and then the actual execution of Det. Bowman.

Batman: The Animated Series: Pretty hard call here, as there are a number of very good episodes. In the end, I'd have to go with The Mechanic. It's harder to explain why I like it so well, but there it is.

Justice League: I don't recall the name of the two parter... but the one where GL and a few others go and meet up with a faux-JSA. It's really fun to see a Golden Age sensibility overlaid with a more "modern" comic.

Justice League Unlimited: Hm, since I don't have these on DVD, it's harder to say, but the end of Season 2, where Flash kicks it up a notch or three and dismantles Braini-thor. I always love scenes where a character is allowed to take their powers to the limit, and that's the best use of the Flash in all the seasons.

Teen Titans: I've only seen it once, but the episode where Kid Flash gets "captured" by Jinx and friends. Lots of humor, and some excellent character development of Jinx. (That said, when she shows up in the final blowup fight at the end of the season is a great moment.)

X-Men Evolution: There's a few good ones here, but I'd tend towards the one where Mystique kidnaps Scott and takes away his glasses. It has everything, excellent characterization, moving forward with plot (the relationship between Scott and Jean), a great fight seen, and Jean in a really, really bad mood. What more could you want?

More thoughts about Superman Returns

2006-07-03T22:49:00.000-05:00

As I've said before, the most important people in the entire DC Universe are Jonathan and Martha Kent. I say this because they gave Clark (and I use that name consciously) a grounding and his essential humanity. With Superman's power, he'd be a nightmare for everyone if he were much different than he is.

In the movie, one very interesting thing though is that they seem to be robbing Superman of his humanity. It's related to the "religious" discussion in regards to the movie. Now, I could get really theological and talk about it in terms of the "two natures of of Superman"... Human and Kryptonian (though the Kryptonian does have some elements of divine... it's better not to use that term).

Where we see Clark's human nature most strongly is in his relations with Lois (even when he's in his costume). He's bumbling, vunerable and overall a mess. (Not to mention more than a bit creepy, the way he stalks Lois.) However, the movie really seems to slowly but surely reject his human nature in many ways. Even in the early scene with Ma Kent, he's obviously not comfortable with her, disappointed with the failure of his mission, unfulfilled to be talking with the woman that is his mother in most senses beyond genetics.

Notice, that one thing Clark does when he gets back is he never seems to try to set up his human identity again. He never seems to rent an apartment. He does go back to work, but it's an open question why he does that. Obviously, part of it is to be close to Lois, but you can also argue that it's the old "be where you hear the news" thing as well.

On the other hand, his Kryptonian nature is brought further and further to the fore. His great guiding influence is no longer Ma and Pa Kent, but is instead Jor-El. Instead of being raised as a decent human being by the Kents, he's now a Messiah sent to earth to show them the light.

The scene where he's floating in near orbit just "listening" shows this very well. He's separated himself from humanity, until the moment where he needs to show the hand of god...er, Superman.

Even at the end of the movie, we see this. It really struck me that his final visit to Lois' house was not about Lois at all, but to pass on the spark of Jor-El's wisdom to his son.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure I'd be comfortable in a universe with this Superman. He's not all that far from being a Justice Lord, or even a Black Adam.

Superman Returns

2006-06-30T23:20:00.000-05:00

Well, just got home from seeing Superman Returns

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It's certainly not as good as Batman Begins, though in some ways they share one flaw in particular.

Plot: I really liked the plot in terms of how the characters related to one another (I'll get back to that in a moment), but I didn't much like the "scheme" that Luthor was trying. It just seemed a bit unworthy of big Lex, and a bit silly. It was enough to keep the movie moving and give Supes lots of chances to flex his muscles though.

Characters: the strong suit of the movie.

Clark/Supes. I thought that by and large he worked pretty well, though I wasn't really all that fond of creepystalker!Clark. I guess when you spend five years in space dreaming about a girl, it's a bit hard to realize she's moved on. Still, if Lois had ANY idea of how much he'd been stalking her with X-Ray vision all movie, she'd shove that krypto-dagger back in.

Lois: Pretty good, though I'd like to see her a bit more brash. For instance, I'd have had her slap Supes on the plane first out. I think the read in Superman:TAS is a hair better.

Perry White: Pretty much dead on.

Jimmy Olson: Annoying as Gehenna. In other words, DEAD ON.

Richard White: I kind of feel sorry for James Marsdon here. He's had a rough summer for romance. In one movie, his girlfriend turns into the next best thing to a force of nature and obliterates him during a kiss. Now, he's competing against Superman. That said, he was an interesting character, and I thought Marsdon played him very well. A nice change from Cyclops. (Oh, btw, with my wierd sense of humor, I was waiting for a Shiar Cruiser to show up while they're in the seaplane *L*)

They really could have had some fun with him, though it may have opened up lawsuits. A bit of fanboying...
Richard: "What was Superman like? Can he really melt things just by looking at them? Wish I could do that..."

Lex: I'm so used to Lex from Superman:TAS and JLU, but Spacey did a pretty good job overall. I'm not entirely sure why Lex would have a total airhead like Kitty around, but that's minor enough.

The Big Issue: Wow. I'll admit, I was a bit blindsided by it. Early on, I thought that the kid's mop of hair was rather "Clarkish", but I never really followed through on that thought. It never really hit me fully until Lex started waving the kryptonite in his face. It does raise all sorts of questions.. (aside from the Larry Niven questions). First of all, either Richard knows the kid isn't his (which we're given no hint of), or Lois moved on AWFUL fast, for Richard to think it's his.

Second, what do you think? Are we going to see Superbaby in DC Continuity now? I'd imagine it's almost inevitable. Once an idea like that is breached, some writer will run with it.

Also, watching the previews (Venom... BLEAUGH), I was struck with a potential "short" preview for a movie (one I'd pay to see). Start off with a picture of a planet with massive tounges of flame coming out of it... Apokolips of course. Then just have the words "Sometimes even the greatest hero can't do it alone. Then just show the Superman Shield, followed by the Bat, the WW, the Lantern and the Lightning Bolt. Yep... JLA. Ok, I'm dreaming.

Overall, I'll give it a B-, but enjoyable. (Rather have a Capt. Marvel movie, but I'm wierd).

Note: I've not been inspired to get back to my "self-help" thing. I imagine I will, eventually.

The Meaning of Big "Events"

2006-06-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well, Infinite Crisis is gone, we're heading into 52... but what does it all mean? It's a bit early to tell.

One problem that Comics have had for awhile,and has gotten worse and worse is that story events just have little meaning any more. Events and happenings come and go, and things that you would expect to have long term effects are forgotten within a year.

As I've said, I've been reading more back-X stuff of late, and also reading up on some current things I don't have the book for. So, we have Marvel's big "event" in "House of M", where hordes of mutants lose their powers. Now, on the one hand, there's a part of me that really hates it, because it means that a number of interesting characters are likely going to get "written out" of things for the forseeable future (especially Moonstar and Wind Dancer). In fact, it's not impossible that they'll go the way of Stevie Hunter or Alaistair Stuart.

Yet, I've also read that they're already backtracking. It appears that Magneto has powers back, Iceman may have his powers back soon... This sort of thing happens far too often, it robs "events" of their meaning. Dead characters return, depowered characters get them restored. "Events" become a course of profound tedium, because people know that there's little chance of the effects being allowed to stand.

Jean Grey
Colossus
Psylocke
Rogue
Wolfsbane
Magneto

All have been dead, or depowered at one point or another, and they've all returned. I'm probably forgetting a bunch.

*yawn*

I'll return to my "self-help" book in a few days.

Men among demigods!

2006-06-08T00:45:00.000-05:00

{Note, some time back, I speculated on the idea of a book written from the perspective of the "normal" people in the DCU. Well... lets play with that a bit. Any details he gets wrong is intentional. I'll post it along slowly. Hopefully someone out there will be amused eventually}

Men Among Demigods: by Albert McCalvay
Introduction:

There's simply no avoiding it. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, we're confronted with the fact that we walk amongst demigods. Strange visitors from long lost planets, shadowy figured lurking in the nights of Gotham, intersteller policemen with magic rings and many, many more.

Daily we go about our business, wondering if these demigods are going to intrude in our lives. We can't help but wonder if a psychotic clown will decide that today is meant to be our last day on earth.

We could move to some obscure corner of Oklahoma, but would that really solve the problem? After all, even if there wouldn't ever be a metahuman, costumed crimefighter or criminal within a hundred miles of us, that wouldn't change the fact that they walk in our worlds. It wouldn't change the doubts that assail us ever time we turn on the television.

What place do we have in a world of demigods? Is there any room left for humanity? Yes there is! That's what this book is all about, living a fulfilled life in this world. I'm including all the hints and tips I've used for years at the seminars I've held in motels, bowling allies and fine drinking establishments nation wide.

Focus! Focus!

2006-06-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

I've been spending some time trying to catch up with the X-Verse lately and I think that I've begun to see one of the "problems" that is stalking it lately. The same problem also hits Superman and Batman in some ways.

The problem, simply, is focus, or more properly, lack thereof. With so many different books and teams out there, everything just gets too diffuse and confusing. What makes it worse is the fact that those books are usually dragged into self-crossovers. So, instead of there being an Uncanny story, and an X-Men story, there's a story that pulls them together. Indeed, Marvel's been doing this for years, with things like X-Cutioner's Song and X-tinction Agenda.

Even if a book gets a fairly good run, it's really hard to have great focus when you're dragged into the annual crossover kicking and screaming.

I don't necessarily think it's the number of books in and of itself, but the way that they are forced to "work together." At one time, Marvel was running Uncanny, X-Factor, New Mutants and the original Excalibur all at the same time, yet there wasn't a great deal of crossing over between them. In many ways, that worked and worked well. Each book had a focus and theme. Even when they did have crossovers like Fall of the Mutants (of course, this is slightly Pre-Excalibur), they were set up in such a way that each book was focusing on their own little angle, and didn't directly interact with the larger scheme of things until afterwards. In that way, each book had their own focus and themes, and wasn't forced to abandon those things to get dragged into this years mega-super-duper-uber-crossover. Now, INMVHO, Uncanny was the weak sister of the books in that time frame, but that's another issue for another time.

While the crossover-o-mania may not be as bad now as it was in years past with the X-books, from what I can see, they still have the problem of being all piled on top of one another. For instance, I just read the Trade book of the first 12 issues of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men (good stuff). It actually is more focused than the other books, and holds up on its own pretty well, other than out of nowhere Elixir shows up. He was necessary to the plot, but if you weren't reading New X-Men of that era, you could be pretty confused as to what he was doing.

This is only one aspect of focus, and maybe later I'll talk more about focus in terms of the world and threats they face. Or maybe not. You know I'm unreliable.

New X-Men Academy X

2006-06-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

Well, since watching X-3 last weekend, I've decided to splurge slightly and pick up some X-trade books. I'm NOT going to be getting marvel books as a rule, but waiting until the trades hit I think. I need to do more of that in any case.

Well, today had a chance to read the 3 "Acedemy X" books (I have the Hellions one left), and have to say that I found them to be quite enjoyable. Since I've been out of X-continuity for awhile, a fair amount of the background is lost on me, but aside from trying to figure out how Scott and Emma are a couple, it holds together enough for me to follow it. (Note, I do have the New Mutants TP, so I knew a fair number of the characters already).

I will say that the first and third volumes were far better than the second. The second book's storylines (especially the "ghost") were rather weak and annoying. What I did enjoy though was the fact that until the Blob's appearance right at the very end, there wasn't a great number of supervillians running around. In fact, you can argue that there weren't any "bad guys" at all until big Fred (ok, the guidence counselor, but he's being set up for stuff later obviously... which I imagine has played through by this point). The Hellions are often the primary "antagonists", but they aren't evil, just a bit cocky.

What that really did was give the opportunity to get into some nice characterization and interplay. As I've said before, those are the things that tend to last for me far longer than the latest Cyclops 173 point bank shot to nail someone in the back of the head.

I have done a bit of reading on Wiki, and it's a shame that they decided to gut the New New Mutants in the aftermath of House of M. Wind Dancer is a good character, and I hope they bring her back at some point.

Well, as you see, even if I post I still don't have anything too brilliant to say. Just consider your boringblogreading quotent fulfilled.

X-3... I am fire and life incarnate

2006-05-27T17:57:00.000-05:00

Spoilers ahead...

(of course)

(If you haven't seen it, go read something else)

(I warned you)

(Don't complain to me)

Well, by and large, I thought it was a reasonbly good movie, and a reasonably good adaptation of the overall themes of Dark Phoenix. There were a number of changes, most of which made sense within the relatively narrow confines they were allowed by being a movie. First, and most importantly, was that they elimanted the entire "cosmic" aspect of the story. No Sh'iar, no hint that the Phoenix was a truly cosmic force. At least the latter is actually more in tune with the story as originally written (though of course it's long since been retconned to being a cosmic force).

I did find it more than a tad odd that we never saw the firebird in the sky. With modern CGI, that graphic shouldn't have been any tougher than 73000 other things they did in the movie, it would have been impressive, and is part and parcel of the entire character of Phoenix.

So...
The Good: The "younger" X-Men. Iceman, Rogue and Kitty Pryde all showed well in this movie. I'm not surprised by Rogue's choice, and Kitty was a very nice "young" Kitty (c UXM 155 or so). Heh, a battle of wits betwen Juggy and Kitty? There's an unfair fight for ya. Peter didn't get nearly the time to shine that the others did though.

The Bad: Some of the changes in characters. Both Psylocke and Multiple Man are now evil mutants? There were lots of mutants they could have worked in as flunkies. Maybe they couldn't have used the "sat-image" bit, but that was a minor enough thing that it was no great gain. For that matter, bring in Wanda and Pietro.

The Ugly: Ok, this is by far my biggest gripe with the movie. It's really two fold. First of all, why did they get rid of Scott like that? I'll admit, since we never had a body, I kept expecting him to pop up in the ending fight, but he didn't. Why did some bonehead Hollywood director decide that they had to shift Wolverine into the prime role in the movie? What's more, is that they missed the fact that in the original story, Jean found the strength within herself to take her own life, knowing the stakes that were at hand. Instead, it's Wolvie, Wolvie, Wolvie.

Still, I'll give it an overall recomendation. It's not perfect (and not as good as X-2), but it at least understands the overall themes of the X-Books. For recent comic movies, not as good as Bat Beyond (haven't seen V yet... we have a very limited theater selection here, will be forced to wait until the DVD comes out I think). Hopefully, Supes will be better.

(On a side note: My Ex-Girlfriend's a Superhero has a very amusing premise. May be a waste of film, but the premise has serious potential.)

Runaways

2006-05-15T19:27:00.000-05:00

Well, after leaving the Trade Books (including the big hardbound of Vol 1-3) of Runaways sitting around for a month or so with a busy life, I've finally taken the time to read them. I have to say, that they are as good as I've heard. Interesting characters and intereactions. The Pride themselves are a bit wooden (how many shadowy take over the world groups do we really need, anyway?), but the characters are pretty good.

That said, it in a way shows something that I'm not always terribly pleased with in comic books recently (and overall in our culture). There's the constant drive and desire to rip apart, to tear down. Most of all, the ongoing concept that "innocence" is to be discarded as something that is worthless.

Now, my beef is not so much in terms of the main characters themselves (though the book is a bit post-modern for my taste, it's not bad, but isn't in my top 10 list either). The place where it really struck me was when "Excelsior" showed up, and you have this "intervention group" of former teen heros. The appearance of Julie Power (Lightspeed) was more than a little bit grating. The author either had never read Power Pack, or more likely, despised it. In one page, he managed to piss all over the book, and try to bury it. The charm and fun of that book was the innocence. A wide eyed sense of adventure and looking at the world. New York may be a nasty place at times, but they survived it. Sure, they were siblings, and they had spats and problems.

Suddenly, the entire run of the book gets reduced to being nothing more than an excuse for the most together character of the four kids to have years of therapy. She's so badly out of character for what Julie was (or any of them really) it's not even funny. Yet, of course, you cannot have books about innocence, because that's not hip, or cool, or post-modern. Innocence is something that is to be driven from our world, mocked with a post ironic sneer, and discarded like yesterday's sushi.

I'm not saying that Julie shouldn't grow up, of course she should. Indeed, if you really know Power Pack, you know that she was growing up in a very certain direction. In one page, they destroyed that, and just piled offal on the memory of the book. At least she still retained a bit of book-geekiness in the end. That's something.

It should be obvious

2006-04-13T00:49:00.000-05:00

My ability (and inclination) to post is kind of hit and miss here. I haven't found a regular "rhythem" or focus that gives me posts every day, or even every week. As such, I'm just going to not even bother trying.

Does this mean that this thing is dead?

Nah, I'll post here on those occasions I have something to say. I doubt that it'll be worth checking in here on a regular basis, but if you follow it on a feed, or the like, then you'll see it when it does pop up.

That is all.

Utter boredom, that's what I do.

Starfire vs Toonfire

2006-03-12T23:31:00.000-06:00

The adaptation of Teen Titans to TV had some rather interesting character changes. There are two in particular that I find interesting. Next post, I'll talk about Terra. Tonight though, maybe a few thoughts about Starfire vs "Toonfire".

It's really fun the way that they kept so much of he essential nature of the character, and yet made such a fundamentally huge change in the nature of the character. Starfire has always been an elemental character, a character who was always about her passion. I don't think it's an accident that her first true storyline had her kissing of Robin as such a key element of the story.

Now, on the other hand, Toonfire is equally passionate as Starfire, and seems to have much the same temper (view her fights with Blackfire, or Killer Moth's daughter). However, they took her and added a layer of deep naiveite. She feels her passion so strongly (and the ep where she bodyswitched with Raven shows it), but she's essentially an innocent. Sure, she has her goofy habits (keeping odd pets, celebrating Blorthog, and the like), but the character is just much more endearing in the end. I don't know, maybe it seems that underneath all that passion, Starfire's most essential emotion is anger, while Toonfire's is joy. That's probably unfair to Starfire, but that's the feeling I get from them.

JLU

2006-03-11T21:59:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been quiet the last few days. Partially I've just been busy, but I've also been thinking/looking at some health issues. Never get diabetes, it's a bad thing.

Anyway, I imagine that tonight's JLU will be popular, but I found it a bit flat. As I've said before, I'm not someone who is incredibly into big big brawls. The fights play a role, but the story that's carried behind the fight is far more interesting.

That said, what story there was here was pretty superficial. Dinah and Helena are still at one another's throats, and they get dragged into Roulette's arena.

I guess the thing that bugged me the most was the ending. Why did the writers feel that they had have the ladies "prove themselves" with a two out of three falls match? If they'd ended by going out for a burger or something, it would have been far better. Still, seeing those two working together is a good thing. Too bad JLU is ending. This would be a good introduction to start setting up the true Birds. They just need Babs.

I really think that the Birds would be a very good place for WB's next animation (more so than the Legion). It would work well as something for the Adult Swim timeblock, and start off with a version of "The Killing Joke". Maybe interleave Babs' recovery with Dinah and Ollie's breakdown.

Oh well, I can dream I guess.

Power vs Wisdom

2006-03-07T00:48:00.000-06:00

It's getting to be that awkward time of the month for me again. Since I get my books in a monthly box (that generally shows up midmonth), I'm well behind on things. I know there is a pretty major IC issue out there, so it's really hard to discuss things.

Now, I've read some interesting posts (Kasiedo, I'm looking at you), that are dealing with the different philosophical backgrounds of the two Supermen. However, unless it's something that's just popped up in since my last box, there's another question that hasn't really come up.

The two Supermen are discussing their different approaches to using their power, and their ways of dealing with crime and criminals. On the other hand, have they really gotten to the next step? Certainly, Superman has the power to do pretty much whatever he wants. However, does he have the wisdom? Do any of the metas have the wisdom to try to direct or shape society in the E-2 Superman manner? That's the other question that is lurking. Sure, Supes can pick up a planet, and Batman can use the pebble you just kicked to figure out that you jaywalked 13 years ago in Cleveland, but does that give them the wisdom to take a controlling role?

I'd imagine that will be one of the points that comes out in the resolution of the story, but it's the question that needs to be asked.

Turning Point: Black Reign

2006-03-04T00:33:00.000-06:00

As my recent posts should have made obvious, I'm getting to be more and more interested in the "man on the street" aspect of comic books. There's lots of different directions you can do it. I really enjoyed the novelization of Kingdom Come which really fleshed out the preacher character well. In that book, one of the recurring themes was "what place do normal people have in a world of Olympian Gods?"

As I've said, I really think that looking at the DCU from that point of view, JSA: Black Reign should be an absolute turning point. While I prefer large universes to one or two books that define everything, this is a weakness. In the DCU (or MU), there are so many books that important, or even key, developments in one book can get "washed out." These are not only key developments in that one book, but also in the larger flow of the universe.

If you stop and think about it, there should be no way that Black Reign should not have been a "universe turner". Not only do you have a splinter group of the JSA going "rogue", but the JSA itself seems to be an "accomplice" to that. They went there, and they came back without finishing the job. It certainly would appear to the ordinary person that the Society is sympathetic to Black Adam (as opposed to the no-win situation they were in).

I really hope that Johns (or whoever is going to write JSA in the future) returns to Black Adam's situation. What kind of ruler is he going to be? In a sense, I can see him as an almost Dr. Doom type ruler. He'll do his best to develop the nation in a very paternalistic way. However, woe betide anyone who has a different vision of the country, even if it is a fair and valid one. Can you really see Adam allowing an election on any meaningful point? What will he do the first time someone asks to elect the dogcatcher?

Even more important, how has the world reacted? How will they continue to react? Are they screaming for Superman or someone to go in and "clean out" the baddies? Metahumans taking political power by force has got to be a recurring nightmare for political leaders. For that matter, it's entirely possible that some group like Checkmate could be ordered to "deal with" Adam. There's alot of potential there, not only for JSA, but for the entire DCU, and I really hope that they finally pick up on it and use it.

Oh wait, I forget. Earth-2 Superman is a better story.

*sigh*

Quixiotic Heros

2006-03-02T23:11:00.000-06:00

A few days ago, I happened to hear the old standard "To Dream the Impossible Dream". For some reason, I decided to order the "Man of La Mancha" cd (original Broadway cast), and boy am I glad I did. While driving today, I listened to it no less than three times. Even better than the music is the story that's lurking in there.

Now, I'd seen the play many years ago, when a traveling troupe played it one night at my college. I'll be honest, I wasn't deeply impressed at the time. However, after listening closely to the music, and reading the story summary in the notes, I'm enthralled with it.

What struck me as I was driving home though was the way that some of the themes in the music are echoed in my favorite comic book heros. No, not that my favorite heros are all loons (though some might say that). It's that so many (not all, but many) of my heros are "Quixiotic" in a sense.

In the notes, it talked about the Don's way of "seeing the world as it should be, not as it is." That really resonated. I love heros who are deep seated idealists, who will not lose their ideals no matter how dark and ugly the world may get.

Heros like Captain Marvel.

Couldn't you see the big lug singing "Impossible Dream", especially the phrase "To fight for the right, without question or pause, to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause"

You can have your Punishers, Wolverines and Lobos, I want a hero that's more than a bit Quixiotic

The Common Man's perspective

2006-03-01T23:56:00.000-06:00

You know what would be interesting? A book from the "common man's" perspective in either of the major comics universes. I don't mean a comic book. I mean, a book written as if it were meant to be sold in WayneBooks or the like.

The ordinary person would have such a strained perspective on things. Of course, even for us in this mundane, spandex free world, can have sudden destruction come down on us. However, in a super-hero universe, there's always that nagging fear that this will be the time that your house gets flattened by a hero recoiling from the villain of the week's punch, or indeed, far, far worse. What Gothamite doesn't live in secret fear of the Joker? Would there be an entire field of psychology for those afraid of running into a "costume?"

That's only the beginning of the questions. What place does a plain, ordinary accountant have in a world where Superman will buzz your officebuilding every morning at 8:58? Some of these things have been dealt with in one book or another, but to see how the normals would try to cope? The idea itself is just fascinating.

What role baddies?

2006-02-28T23:09:00.000-06:00

For all the focus I've given to villains over the course of my history with this thing, you'd think I'm a major Villain fan.

Actually, I'm not. I'm all about the heros. I don't even much like Anti-heros. I find Wolverine, the Punisher and that ilk to be annoying and pointless.

That said, I do think that Villains in many ways define stories, and even define the heros that they are associated with. I've joked that the true role of Villains is to provide a jaw for the hero to punch, but it really does go deeper than that.

It's obvious, but they provide the tension for the story. After all, does anyone really want a comic book were Batman and Alfred spend all their time in the Batcave playing Canasta?

There are few villains who "define" their hero better than the Joker. The whole "order vs chaos" thing is pretty potent. However, he's a bit of an exception really. In many ways, the best villains for helping to define heros are the true "masterminds." They are characters where it is very believable that they have their "fingers" in the heros life at nearly every moment. Lex Luthor is an obvious example of this. In his role as "richer than Trump," he's able to be involved in nearly every Superman story, at one level or another. He's always there, weaving his web, shaping the world around Superman. Kingpin was able to do much the same for Daredevil.

Now, there are some great villains who are "crosses," in that they are both "masterminds" and direct threats to the heros. Magneto and Dr. Doom would be good examples of this.

Oh well, I'm tired, and rambling, so I'll shut up and leave y'all alone.

Review: Avengers the Movie

2006-02-26T23:25:00.000-06:00

Just watched the new Avengers movie, and I have to give it an overall thumbs up. Now, the animation is rather uneven. On the one hand, the designs and colors are quite good, but the movement seems to be a bit rough.

I've not read the Ultimates, so it's a bit disorienting for me to read. Lots of things that just seem slightly off (like Prof. Betsy Ross). Still, enough of the touchstones are there for me to follow it in good form.

Probably the highlight is the bickering between Hank Pym and Janet. Is there a more disfunctional couple in comics?

I should say more, but I'm a tad tired, so I'll let it be.

Still, a night with Captain America can't be all bad.

One can never have too many boy scouts.

JLU

2006-02-25T21:58:00.000-06:00

Pretty good episode tonight. I'd missed the first Stargirl episode, so this was the first time I saw her and Pat. I can't say that I'm fond of her voice, but oh well.

It's interesting to see this storyline pushed across at the same time as some of the themes in IC that I mentioned last night. In alot of ways, it strikes me as a "truer" story than IC.

I think they pushed the "non-powered" thing a bit too far this time though. It was quite funny to see Speedy, and near as I can recall this is the first time that we've seen someone from the Teen Titans cartoon appear in JLU (other than maybe Kid Flash... is that Wally or Bart in TT?) The byplay between him and Ollie was pretty good, and I liked the way that they pulled out the Silver Age wierd arrows.

Overall, a solid episode, and it's good to see them putting focus on some of the secondary characters. I really think that it's been getting better (though the animation isn't as good as it was to my mind). Too bad the series is going by the wayside.

The role of the "origin" Story.

2006-02-25T11:57:00.000-06:00

Comic books have certain patterns. When a new comic comes out, either the first or (sometimes) second story will be the ever popular "origin" story. In some ways, it's almost gotten to be a cliche.

However, I think that these stories are really a major part in defining a character, and have great value. The odd thing is that I think that people usually look at the "wrong part" of the story. The classic OS consists of two parts. First of all, is how they got their powers, and the second is what led them to become a member of the spandex set. A great deal of the time, the focus seems to be on the way that people got their powers, but I think that's misplaced.

Who are the most important people in the DCU? I think you can make a great case for Ma and Pa Kent. When people talk about Superman's origin, they focus on all the things related to Krypton. Indeed, that story has a great deal of pathos, and the writers have gotten some very good stuff out of there over the years. However, what has really defined Superman is not the powers that he has, but the essential decency of the character. If it weren't for the values that the Kent's raised Clark with, he could have easily become the greatest nightmare the earth had ever seen, rather than the iconic hero that he is. The values he was raised with are part and parcel of answering the question "Why is he a hero?"

You see the same thing with Batman's OS. Here the two parts of the origin are tied pretty closely together. He got his "powers" because of his determination to be a hero (in this case powers being defined as the physical and mental training to fulfill his chosen role.) While the very early stories didn't have his essental aversion to ever killing another human being, even that was an organic outgrowth of his OS. What really defines Batman is the thing that decided he wanted to be a hero.

Much the same is true with the X-Men. The OS of the various characters are varied, and it's gotten to the point that describing how they got their powers is an exercise in handwavium. "They're mutants! And don't think too much about how ruby quartz would actually stop the eyebeam of doom!" However, what unites them all is "the dream." The characters all approach the dream somewhat differently. Charles is the Apostle, Cyclops the Paladin, Wolverine the rather unpleasant cousin that keeps coming to dinner. However, that dream is what defines them as a whole, and their individual relationship to the dream is a major piece of what defines them as individual characters.

On the other hand, we can look at a case where there is no real OS and see how badly it's lacking. Look at Grace in Outsiders. What makes her tick? Why is she a hero? She's been revealed to be a number of things. I'll tempered, cynical about the whole hero thing, seemingly satisfied with working as a metahuman bouncer, and the like. What led her to take Arsenal's offer to join the Outsiders? It's got to be more than the money. She's so cynical about the whole hero "biz" (as has been shown in some of her conversations, such as the one with Thunder after Indigo died), why did she willingly jump into it? There may have been some hints in the "missing child" story, but in many ways, she's a cipher, and because of that, pretty boring to me.

Now, you don't have to reveal all (or even much) at the beginning. The introduction of Raven in Teen Titans would be an example of that. It was clear there was something going on, and that she had a history she was trying to deal with. So, what made her interesting was watching that mystery develop. Grace (at least in my not very humble opinion) hasn't been given that sense of mystery. She's just thrown out there as a "bad girl" with powers.

Oracle is another interesting story, as she in a real way has two OS. I'm going to work under the assumption that Batgirl: Year One is the OS for Batgirl, for the sake of simplicity. There, her origin is really a touch shallow. She wants to be a cop, but when she's blocked from doing that, she practically "falls" into becoming a costumed hero. Still, there seems to be a certain ambivalence about it, even after she takes her "oath" with Batman. She's there for the thrill and the fun, not out of a deeper commitment. On the other hand, her maiming by the Joker forced her to focus, and turn into a deeper and more profound character.

Stargirl is another good example. Her reasons to become a hero are about as shallow as they get, but really the entire run of Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E is her OS, as she's gone beyond her initial silly reasons, and allowed her to grow into something far more. She has an understanding and commitment to who she is and what she's doing.

I don't really care about how someone "got" their powers, I care about why they do what they do.

More IC thoughts

2006-02-24T23:47:00.000-06:00

While out on my walk today, I think I realized what has disappointed me about the way that IC has been playing out. I'll admit that this aspect probably has been played up to an extent in some of the titles that IC is spilling into (I'm only getting the books I normally do, and then a few of the specials that go with it, like Day of Vengance).

In many ways, the "run up" to IC was playing around with the idea of "trust." Think about the "psychology" of living in the DCU (or any superhero universe really). The ordinary people have to show a high level of trust in their heros. These are people who have the power to destroy them at the blink of an eye, and if they ever want to take control, the options of the "rest of us" will be very limited. This vunerability can easily lead to a sense of paranoia on the part of the people. This is hardly a new idea in comics. X-Men has practically lived in this margin, especially in the glory days of Claremont. Likewise, in the DCU, Kingdom Come got into this very heavily. That said, it's still a vibrant place to mine stories.

Now, in the last couple of years, the buildup of storylines in the DCU have begun to "erode" the trust that the common people would have in their heros.

1. Identity Crisis It's a bit unclear how much the man on the street know of the lobotomization of Dr. Light... but it's still an ongoing issue. The next two are clearer.
2. Black Reign(JSA)- When a "hero" goes rogue and takes over a nation by main force.
3. The killing of Max Lord by Wonder Woman.

These elements have come together and would have formed the backbone of a good storyline, of how the heros have to deal with a situation where the trust has begun to erode. In a way, it's the converse of the old X-Men situation, in that they were feared for no good reason, while the DCU heros are starting to give reason to fear them.

In a way, the Black Reign storyline in JSA is the key to my mind. You have two heros from the most "respected" of the teams (if not the most powerful) becoming the nightmare that everyone had to fear in the back of their heads. Now, this story does have some mitagating circumstances. Black Adam was a "reformed" villain, so people could just shake their heads and say "they never should have trusted him." Likewise, Atom Smasher "repented" and is doing his jail thing, so the people can breathe a sigh of relief. The others involved were "minor players" and didn't have the cachet of the JSA.

Still, that could serve as a "floodgate" for an expansion of this theme. It's not that the people are afraid of superpowered people doing bad things. Well, they are of course, but they also know that the heros are there to protect them. The nightmare is if the heros begin to abandon the side of good.

There are elements of all of this in the runup to IC, and some of the side stories. Sadly, IC has become tied up with rehashing COIE, and this focus has really been pulled to the side. Instead of dealing with the nightmare of falling heros, we are instead just treated to platitudes by Earth-2 Superman and Earth-Prime Superboy about how this world is the "wrong" one, that leads heros to fall. It doesn't carry the power or the impact.

To really have a "payoff" with the groundwork that we've seen, we've got to have something that I don't recall in the history of comics. We are going to have to have a major hero fall hard. There have been low and mid range heros fall (Hawk for instance), and there are times that major heros have been framed or misunderstood (Batman every 20 issues or so), but I don't recall a first or second tier hero in either the DCU or Marvel (the ones I know best) who truly fell. Even Black Adam was pretty enigmatic in his hero phase, so he doesn't fully count. I realize that DC would be afraid to have someone as iconic as Superman or Batman fall, but they could have one of the second tier characters fall all the way.

I hope that IC ends up doing just that... but I don't see it, the way the story is developing.

PS: Even if you say Hal Jordan fell, they then turned around and redeemed him... I want a story where a hero falls, and stays fallen)

The Good Stuff

2006-02-23T23:24:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned, last month's issue of JSA was very, very good (I forget the number offhand, it's the one with the Ross cover of Stargirl).

Now, it's not perfect by any means. The entire Jesse Quick/Liberty Belle subplot was a bit of a mess, and was really used as a Deus ex machina to set up the real focus of the plot. However, that focus was excellent.

As I've mentioned before, I thought Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E was a very good comic that got killed before its time. The very last issue ended with some very strong family dynamics, and this issue really picked up from them.

It's nice to see that things between Courtney and Michael are still somewhat messy. In fact, if anything, they are becoming very brother and sister like. They'll fight, and even drag their parents into it. That said, you just know that if anyone outside the family crosses either of them, the other will be all over that person.

What does Courtney's real father represent to her? At first, a hope. A hope of belonging, of something better than the life she had before when she and her mother were alone. It was a bit surprising to see her as an "outsider" at her old school, but it fits in a way. For all of her trouble with Pat Dugan early on, her home and her life is developing into a place where she fits. She's found her place in life, and is comfortable in it, and is confident in it.

It's a sign of her fundamental decency that she's so badly shaken when she found out about her real father. What did she really want? She had her place with her mother and Pat, so it wasn't that any more. Did she want redemption for him? Did she want to understand him? We don't know, but as angry as she'd been when she'd seen him in jail, she obviously hadn't cut him out of her heart, even though she "knew" she was "supposed" to.

Stargirl is one of the best characters going, there's just no other way to say it.

I live!

2006-02-21T20:56:00.000-06:00

Well, I'd apologize for the long delay since a post here, but it would be kind of pointless. It's not like anyone was waiting with baited breath for me to actually post or anything.

In any case, life has been rather insane, and while I've been reading comics, I've not been that moved to post. I'll probably post at one point or another on the Star-Spangled Kid issue of JSA from last month one of these days.

In any case, one of the reasons for the delay is the difficulty of posting in the middle of a long, overwrought company wide crossover. Sad to say, that's what it's turning into. Since I only get my books one time a month, I've been avoiding blogworld to avoid spoilers, but I'm not really joying IC all that much. I'm not going to say that it's down to Zero Hour level, but it's not that good either.

I think part of the problem is that I much prefer focused stories. Even if they are sprawling (like some fantasy novel series I've read), if the focus that underlies the story is clear. Well, to this point, IC is rather shotgunned. The Alex-Superboy-Superman thing is somewhat interesting, but the rest of it is just sort of floating on by. I'm still not entirely sure why they had to scrag Bludhaven (at least it's not in California this time, after Coast City and Sub Diego, I'd be leaving that state...). I'm probably a bit behind, but I sure how that Capt. Marvel doesn't get stuck on the rock. He needs to be an active character, not stuck out there.

Anyway, I've only gotten into a bit of this months shipment, but the highlight easily is Nightwing. I'd really thought that he would eventually go the other way in this. Nice to seem I'm wrong. I still think that Babs can do better, but hey, what do I know :)

Batgirl was fairly interesting. A bit too much use of "bringing back from the dead" for my tastes (and you know that Shiva will fall into the pit soon), but still interesting. I'm glad to see they didn't kill Cassie outright. Whether she uses the name "Batgirl" or whatever is immaterial to me, she's finally growing into being an interesting character. Her original "mute" form was an interesting idea, but not something that can be carried off in an ongoing series.

Oh well, time marches on.

Classic Anime

2005-11-14T22:35:00.000-06:00

While I haven't been getting much anime in recent years, I collected a great deal in years past. Now, it's mostly grabbing selected things that really jump out at me, like the Crest/Banner of the Stars series.

Some of my tastes run towards the rather odd, and I'll admit it. For example, I'm fond of Harmegeddon and Toward the Terra.

One that I really like is Goshogun: The Time Etranger, which has been re-released under the name of Time Stranger on DVD.

What's it all about? Fate and Death.

Yep, that's what I said... Fate and death. It is not a "light" anime by any stretch of the imagination, but it's interesting, and it makes you think. The anime is an interleaving of three entirely different time periods within the life of the heroine, Remy Shimada. They've arrived on a planet where people get visions telling them that they will die. Can she and her friends save their life? Can fate be defeated?

I suggest you get it, it's worth it.

Greatest Evil Plots

2005-11-08T22:37:00.000-06:00

All right, the world of comics is littered with evil plots and plans. Generally, they don't work, because one hero or another manages to stumble over them. Still, sometimes you have to admire them for their sheer cunning.

So, what are the greatest evil plots of all time? I'm sure that I'll miss some, but at least, over the next week or two, we'll get to see some of the classics.

For the first of them, a nice "simple" plan. Nothing fancy. Lure Storm of the X-Men out where the White Queen can "body switch" with her. Have Emma waltz into the X-Mansion, and invite in the rest of the Hellfire Club.

Sometimes, simplicity is the best. Sure, you can always add layer upon layer of complication, but the more things you try to do, the more things that can go wrong.

Of course, the real problem with the plan is that they weren't ruthless enough with it. Foolish villains left Kitty and Storm alive... and well

It was a good plan while it lasted.

(Uncanny X-Men 151-52)

Authors are "running out of ideas"

2005-11-04T20:17:00.000-06:00

You know, thinking about the "fall of Honor Harrington" as I said in my last post, I'm reminded of the fact that so many of my favorite authors have begun to "lose it."

Tom Clancy: Done lost it.

L.E. Modesitt... getting into a severe repetitive rut.

David Eddings... fading fast

Raymond Feist: On life support

David Weber: midair over a shark.

This does seem to point out the fact that what's even harder than writing interesting books, is to keep drawing stuff from the well that's fresh and interesting.

Take Modesitt... still the author I look forward to the most. The sad part is that he's so deep in a rut. You see it in all of his Spellsong books, all the Corean, and most of the Recluse books. The hero learns who he is, and what his powers are. Fights a desparate battle against forces that badly outnumbers him/her... usually at a nasty cost, both in friends dead, but also in terms of what it does to their body (blindness, et al). They keep getting asked to do more and more, and eventually manage to win out at the end.

You know, my favorite "bit" of Modesitt is still the way that Lerris "discovers himself", not in using his powers, but in becoming a woodworker. That's something you just don't see any more.

It makes it all the more impressive when you consider authors who have a long series of books that haven't "fallen apart".... too bad it's hard to name many.

The Shark's been jumped

2005-11-04T17:20:00.000-06:00

All right, going off of comics for a bit, into books.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Honor Harrington has jumped the shark. She's been threatening to do it for a couple of books, but it's official now.

I just got done reading the latest volume, and I have opinions!

(spoiler zone)

(spoiler zone)

Aaaanyway.

I'm not sure which bugged me more... the lost opportunities, the "bigger is better", or the "personal" stuff.

Actually, yes I am. The personal stuff, so I'll get to that last.

Let's start with the first.

I enjoyed War of Honor more than most people I talked to. Yeah, the politics got a bit overwhelming on occasion, but I still thought the book was quite good. However, my main "beef" with that book was that it was taking us back "over old terrain." This latest book is just more of that. We've had book after book after book of Mantis vs Haven. It's time to move up, and move on. Now, this time, there big difference was that the Havenites were actually competant. That said, all we really see is just "more of the same," from what we've been seeing. Yeah, Mesa and Manpower are lurking around, but they are still in the background. Yeah, they're set up to be major protaginists in the next book(s), but it's really time to not just set that theme up, but to run with it.

Also, how do you kill off the character who can easily be called the major villain of the last 2 books in a drunk driving accident? That was totally random. Yeah, he used it to show the idiocy of this war... but it still left me flat.

There were so many things that could have been done in this book, but it was just "MOTS" (more of the same). Not to mention, Weber ran the "Sidemore special" into the ground. (BTW, he copied that one from Isaac Asimov in Foundation.)

2) Bigger is Better.

This was getting silly by Ashes of Victory, and this book just took it yet further. Manties keep deploying bigger/better/smarter systems. Deus ex machina abounds.

Even worse, he decided to do the "big battle". Bleh.

3) The Personal Stuff.

You know, in teaching Bible Class, when people goggle slightly about the way that the Old Testament allowed polygamy, I always make a point. Look at the examples we are given. Rachel and Leah, David's wives, Solomon's wives, even Samuel's parents. These things never end well. You always get some pretty nasty emotional cross currents going. Whether it is "dueling utereses", or "I wanna rape my step-sister," these things always end up being first tier disasters.

So, now we get the institution of Grayson marriage, and the only examples we see (Benjaman's family, and now Honor's), and well... they are nice, and sweet and blissful.

Bleh.

I've been hoping that Hamish Alexander would "pull a Tankersley" for 3 books now. So much for that fond thought.

I'll get the next book, and I truly enjoy the two side series (Saganami and Crown of Slaves), but at this point, Honor Harrington has moved way down on my list of "must reads."

Hope the shark's teeth aren't sharp Mr. Weber.

Final thoughts... War Games

2005-11-02T20:14:00.000-06:00

Got my War Games pt 3 Trade paperback in the mail, and finally figured out what exactly has me bothered by the book.

It's not simply the "cranky, loner Batman" effect, which has been getting depressingly regular of late. It's not even the fact that it was over written, over complicated, and confusing.

The entire story gives me the impression that it was written to achieve a goal, rather then letting the story dictate the effects.

Does that make sense? It just gives me the impression that one day, the DC types (not sure who cooked up the idea) said, "We need to come up with a way to make Batman more of a loner, with the Police against him, and the Gotham gangs united."

It wasn't... "hey, how about we play around with Spoiler accidently setting off a major gang war," it was "how do we get this result?"

At least to my mind, that ends up with a more artificial sort of story. Now, many stories are written at least with the conclusion in mind. I'm sure JK Rowling has a really good idea how Book 7 will end.

Yet, in many ways, War Games was not a story that was written for a conclusion, but instead one that was built to set up "more to come." Now, by their nature, comics will rarely come to a true conclusion. You can't have a "happily ever after" ending, and then say "come back next issue" very easily. However, this story seemed to be a bit too extreme.

Thoughts on Infinite Crisis #1 (rambling)

2005-10-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

All righty, lots of thoughts about IC #1. Up to this point, I'm not sure what to do with the story. Mostly, it's just a matter that there are lots of things in there, and it's really going to depend on how they play them through in the following issues. I don't think it was a brilliant start, (not nearly as strong as Identity Crisis #1 IMNVHO), but it leaves room for alot of interesting stuff.

However, what intrests me about the story is that it's playing around in some territory that comic books have long "winked" at, though the last few years, as comics have gotten "grittier", we've seen more of it.

The very nature of comic books creates one of the largest "problems" or weaknesses. Of course, the problem is created out of one of comic's greatest strengths (isn't that the way that it always goes?) The problem really comes out of the nature of the conflicts in the books. Superhero comics, are, by definition, about heros and villains. As such, good villains are vital for a book, and can make or break a given issue. That pretty much calls for having villains return again and again. You could have an unending series of baddies who die at the end of their arcs (excuse me, did I just hear Frank Castle's nurse call for another drool rag?), but you really lose a lot by doing that.

However, recurring villains create their own problems. While the great villains, like Dr Doom, Magneto, Lex Luthor or the Joker have stood the test of time, it raises the inevitable question of how they keep coming back. There are several different ways to handle it.

1) Even when beaten, the baddie always manages to escape... (Dr. Doom has a degree in this one)

2) The threat is not an individual, but a group. Take the Skrull. Sure, you can beat a Skrull squad, but that doesn't mean that another squad can't show up in 15 issues.

3) The threat is too big to be stopped, but only pushed aside for the time being. Galactus is an example of this... though his first story really should have kept him away for good.

There are others as well. However, the "breakdown" in the DCU of late is in many ways based upon one of the other possibilities. For all intents and purposes, the legal system in the DCU is absolutely worthless. The Prisons can't keep villains in, and they don't rehabilitate them either. So, after 15-20 issues, the baddie is back at his old tricks. Likewise with Arkham. Has anyone ever been cured there? So, when the heros do the "heroic" thing, and turn baddies over to the authorities for justice, everyone knows it is absolutely worthless. Soon enough, they'll be back on the street.

That's the tension they are using in the DCU to set up IC. Wonder Woman knows that there's no place to put Max Lord where he won't b able to take control of Superman again, so she decides to kill him. Dick Grayson has been a headcase ever since Blockbuster died. People always wonder when Batman (or someone else) will jsut flat out kill the Joker and end his rampages.

There's a huge amount of storytelling meat in there. On the other hand, it is a bit risky, since it's nibbling at one of the primary areas of Willful Suspension of Disbelief that's required to read those kinds of stories. Time will tell how they pull that out.

Of course, it is also opening up the larger ethical questions. "Would it be right for Batman to execute the Joker?" Now, Bats won't, just because of his nature, but the argument is out there now. If Diana is justified killing Max, then surely Bruce can kill the Joker. Those are some heavy questions, and things that are going to be sitting in the foreground of IC.

Combine that with Black Adam's coup, and it's easy to see how the Supers in the DCU are putting themselves into a very "Days of Future Past" situation. I didn't get OMAC (I'll get the Trade), but from what I saw of the crossovers, it's drawing from the same well as the Sentinals, and Max isn't all that different from Senator Kelly.

Oh, my vote for the Baddie in IC?

Earth 2 Superman. I just have a gut feeling that he's going to try to restore order the hard way, and go over the top. Though, it's possible that Alex Luthor will be pulling the strings on him.

Comic Day

2005-10-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

At last my books came, and I can say some somewhat intellegent things.

The biggie of course is IC #1... but I'll leave that for a post unto itself.

THE GOOD: Probably the highlight of my order was Batgirl, with Green Lantern Corps:Recharge a close second. This isn't to say that it was my best month... it really wasn't that great. A fair number of average books, and a few rather weak ones. I really liked seeing Nora come out of the Lazarus Pit... I'm not a big fan of Victor, but this has the chance to make him somewhat interesting.

The Bad: Well, aside from the art in BoP 86 (the Black Canary substory especially), probably the worst was Robin. The "shadow government orginization" thing is overused, and frankly, Tim's a rather poor fit with this batch of guys. Then, they go to all the trouble of setting up Johnny Warlock as a serious villain for Robin, and suddenly... *poof*. I imagine he'll get out of the shadow dimension, but really, that was a pretty weak victory. Darla may end up being interesting... Might be worth writing a story with her and Raven.

The Ugly: The Return of Donna Troy. The entire series was just pretty chaotic, and didn't grab my interest at all. I have to admit, that the "resolution" to her backstory was fairly clever. However, everything else in that story was just plain... eh.

Other thoughts. Villains United had been my favorite book of the "prequal series," but the ending left me a bit flat. Double-Lex just doesn't grab me for Mockingbird. Vandal Savage would have been more interesting. For that matter, any of the "core" members of the Society, using the Six as a counterbalance to Lex would have been good. Of course, all of this is building towards IC, so there will probably be some point to it. On the other hand, Day of Vengance ended pretty well for me. I'd be willing to buy a continuing series with this group. I'm a bit unclear how Capt. Marvel can still exist with Shazam killed and the Rock gone... but maybe they'll explain that in time.

Making changes

2005-10-22T21:19:00.002-05:00

"Change in comics" is (as usual actually) a hot topic of the moment. We have the drastic changes in the DCU that are all tied up in the current Infinite Crisis, then on the other hand, I had the opportunity to read Avengers Disassembled. That's the only Avengers I've read since my last major collecting period. In fact, near as I can recall, the last major Avenger's storyline I read was Sersi's insanity. That dates it a bit.

Of course, AD was a pretty deep "earthquake" of Avengers continuity. Also, it is needless to say, that it's been an extremely controversial book. All of this raises the question, just how much should creators be "allowed" to make changes in books? Whether you are talking about Barbara Gordon (hopefully, I'll have my copy of BoP #87 on Monday), the changes to Wonder Woman, or the changes to the Avengers, the changes have been more than a bit controversial.

In a very real way, change is absolutely necessary. Fiction and storytelling (at least interesting storytelling) are all about the changes in characters. Frodo Baggins is not the same in "The Scouring of the Shire" as he was ithe day of the Party. Likewise, Garion the kitchen boy is far from being the same person as Belgarion, Overlord of the West.

Comic Books should be the same way. The development of the books should also develop the characters. The constant grind should wear on Batman a bit, especially when the Joker is on another of his murderous rampages.

However, those changes should be reasonably organic. Generally, the seeds of what a person will become are found in what they were already like. The essential courage of Frodo can be seen all the way back to Weathertop (or earlier). So, while you can make changes to characters and books, they really need to grow out of who that character has been protrayed as. Superman suddenly growing grim and "batmanish" would be a violence against what the character has been.

The real problem that comics have is that their characters ultimately go through far more than the characters in most novels. Even if you look at characters in continuing novel series (say Honor Harrington) their overall personal arc tends to be shorter. That is what makes comics difficult. If you change characters too quickly, they become unrecognizable too quickly.

So, what of the current changes? I can't say much about Avengers. I've not read enough of the book recently to see if the changes are organic or not. However, I would hope that Wanda's breakdown was foreshadowed. If not, that would be bad storytelling.

Wonder Woman makes good sense to me. I'm not familiar with 1938 style Wonder Woman, but the way she's drawn now, her choice to execute Maxwell Lord is organic to the character.

Barbara on the other hand is a different case. Here, we are not talking about a change in who she is, but a change in her circumstances. It is that change that will shape her future change, so this bears watching.

I don't mind changes, but they do need to be done with respect to what has gone before.

More Downsides

2005-10-20T00:20:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm still alive, just have been out of town again. Not like anyone noticed.

Since I don't have any brilliant ideas, and won't have my next shipment of books for a few days, I can't say anything new or interesting, so back to beating my dead horse again.

The Downsides of living in the DC Universe

1. That annoying question in your Atmospheric Science class where you are to calculate the amount of kryptonite that "evaporated" into the air upon reentry, and what the total background K-rad is at any given time.

2. The great taste of Booster Gold's Special High Fiber Cereal

3. Trying to figure out why anyone would want to deface Wonder Woman's book by taking Occam's Razor to it.

4. Finding out that your financial advisor sold all your Waynetech stock and put it into Kord Industries.

5. Endless debates on alt.fan.reporterbabes: Lois or Linda?

Whither Heros

2005-10-13T23:47:00.000-05:00

A discussion on a friends LJ has gotten me to thinking about something, a bit different than his discussion, so I'll move it over here.

What do heros believe in? What is their vision? Why are they in the hero biz?

Naturally, considering the great number of books that are out there, there's lots of room for individual variations. However, what got me thinking in this direction was the question of "the passion of superheros". How many "modern" heros are really passionate in what they do, and in what they believe in? Yes, many of them are, but it's still interesting to look at the way it plays out.

You have heros like Captain Marvel or Superman who are almost considered "relics", that the things they stand for and are passionate about are "bygones of a lost age." Then, you have Batman, who may be the most passionate person all of comics in what he does. On the other hand, he's also growing darker by the issue, and growing more and more out of control in many ways.

That still leaves many heros, especially the more recent ones that you have to ask "what are they there for?"

Now that I think about it, that strikes me as one of the flaws in Outsiders. What are they really in it for? You have Nightwing who is in the middle of a crisis of faith. I'm not a big Arsenal fan, but I honestly can't figure what he's in it for other than "babe access." Annissa has sort of said she wants to help people in her arguments with her dad. On the other hand, Grace and Shift? No real clue with either. There's no passion in what they are doing, and that's why the book fails in my eyes. The only character to this point who really seemed passionate about what they were doing were Psimon and Dr. Sivania.

Part of being a hero is a belief in something. A belief in a better world, or a belief in helping people now. That needs to be expressed more strongly. Otherwise, you just have a bunch of adrenlin junkies or ill tempered revenge seekers.

Gimme the small stuff

2005-10-13T00:02:00.000-05:00

One problem that I think the common style of telling stories in comic books has is "cosmic overload." In other words, it's the simple overload of stories that have absolutely immense stakes. If the hero loses, the earth will be either destroyed, or at least conquered by the resident baddie. (Think another visit by Galactus)

Yet, story after story like that, and yet the world remains, it's still free, and even the USA is free (or as free as it ever is, but lets not get political). It pretty much has to be that way. No matter what else may happen, we know that the good guys are going to win. After all, could you imagine that the chaos if the latest "conquer the world" plot in Outsiders were actually to play through? (Think when they had to stop a demon horde from entering the world). You know they are going to win out in the end. Those sorts of stories just end up being... ho hum.

On the other hand, if the villians have smaller goals, the writers can afford to let them "win," now and then. For instance, take the good ol bank robbery. Can you have a story where the baddies hit a bank, and then manage to ditch Spiderman, and keep their loot? Sure. You figure you'll end up seeing them again, and Spidy will haul em in, but because there is a real chance of their scheme working, there's actual tension in the story.

Of course, the flip side of that is that with the real over-powered heros (Superman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man or the like), they really need big time threats to go up against. Can you write a decent story with non-metahuman bank robbers in Batman? No problem. They can even be total ciphers. Utterly "normal" villians, not a wierd color or the like in sight.

Now try doing the same thing with the Flash? Hm, gets a whole lot harder fast, doesn't it? There are super-powered characters I like (Capt. Marvel for instance), but as a rule, I prefer the unpowered, or the "medium" powered heros, just because there's more room to give them stories with real tension.

What role villains?

2005-10-11T23:33:00.000-05:00

As you probably noticed, I have some fairly strong feelings about villains. I started this whole thing off with my listing of ten painful villains, and it's been a recurring theme since then.

That said, I'm not really "about" villains. Not at all, I'm all about the heros. You'll never find a poster of Darth Vader, or Magneto, or the Joker around my house. They just don't interest me in that way. A good villain provides a chance for the hero's to show their mettle. Not only in terms of their combat skills, but also in showing what makes them a hero. A good villain is there to create interesting conflict.

That's probably one of the reasons I prefer to see my villains as being recognizably evil. I'm not saying that every one of them has to be some Joker clone, where his madness is obvious to all. Not in the least. I am saying though that it should be clear that a villain really is "the bad guy (or girl)." I don't want the books to sit there and try to make them sympathetic, or that we say "it's not really their fault." Nope, they're evil. Even if they are trying to do "good", they're evil (see Ozymandias).

This is one of the reasons that Toon Terra bugs me, as I mentioned. In the Judas Contract, Terra was your proverbial "bad seed." No explanation what made her such a head case, or why she hated the Titans so badly. Sure she said a few things, but they didn't really answer the question. That worked. Sure, you'll find some more complex, even conflicted villains, but every now and then, it's nice to have a straightforward "bad seed,"

Now, we get to Toon Terra, and they went entirely the other direction. She was entirely conflicted. She was manipulated, yet she knew what she was doing, and did it willingly (for the most part.) Yet, in the end, she "redeemed" herself. An entirely different sort of villain, and one that is, to me at least, less satisfying. I know, the "real" villain in that story is Slade, but it just never quite connected to me as well.

Now, there are two types of villains I truly like to see in a bit "more depth," and those are the villains on the "way up," and those on the "way down." Comics are full of heros who got their start as villains. I'm not going to say Hawkeye was the first, but he's an obvious example.

I'm sure that there are some examples of the opposite as well, heros who have gone bad, bad, bad. Other than Ozymandias, I can't think of any offhand. That's something I'd like to see more of. Especially heros who are fairly "long term." I mean, a hero who shows up, and then five issues later starts to "fall"," is one thing. I'd like to see a hero (even if not a huge name), who has a fairly long history go "down the tubes," some time. Now that'll create conflict for our heros.

My kinda villain

2005-10-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, while I was eating lunch, I happened to turn my TV over to a Sci-Fi network rerun of the original Battlestar Galactica. In the episode I was watching, John Colicos (Baltar) was being his usual smug, evil self, and that got me reflecting on something.

I've not been watching the "new" BSG. I watched the miniseries when it came out, and found myself sadly disappointed. Part of it was my "purist" point of view. However, honestly, I can deal with Lady-Starbuck, humanoid Cylons, and even Cylon-Boomer-Asian-female.

Wierd, but all right, I can buy it.

What couldn't I get past? Baltar.

Perhaps he's been changed in the ongoing series, but I found him enormously disappointing.
"So, Baltar, why exactly did you betray humanity?"
"Well, actually, I didn't think I was betraying humanity. Anyway, she was a REALLY good lay."

Yay.

I know that there will always be fools and patsies about. Villainy requires that there be those sorts around. However, in the original, Baltar was both at the same time. Yes, he was a fool and a patsy, but he was also a villain in his own right. He knew exactly what he was doing, and was trying to reach his own goals. Sure, he was outmanuvered by the Cylons, but that's his bad luck (or idiocy showing through.) That's what a villain should be, one who has his own goals and is trying to follow through on them. He may not think of himself in the terms of being a villain, but he is, pure and simple.

In alot of ways, the "old" Baltar was much like the Enron folks. Willing to destroy countless lives for their own gain and purposes. Yeah, Baltar was willing to go the extra mile to genocide, but the overall mindset was the same. A supremely self-centered desire to gratify ones self, willing to run over anyone or anything in your path.

Isn't that better than a goofball who gets caught thinking with his hormones? To me it sure is.

I have much the same problem with Toon Terra from the Titans as opposed to the one from the Judas Contract. If I'd never read the Judas Contract, I would like Toon Terra alot more. As it stands, it's always a touch grating.

Perhaps some day I'll get the new BSG DVDs. I probably will. Still, unless they've improved greatly over the miniseries, I'll always be a touch disappointed over Baltar the hormonal weeine.

The Confessional

2005-10-06T23:14:00.000-05:00

As a preacher, I'm encouraging people to confess, so I may as well admit it

I'm looking forward to Infinite Crisis

There, I said it.

I'm not sure why, I've been burnted again and again on these crossovers. The only crossover I can recall that I really liked was the Mutant Massacre storyline across the X-books (and a few others). I round Crisis on Infinite Earths interesting a few weeks ago in terms of understanding how the DCU got to that position, but I'm not really *that* enthused by it. I found Inferno, Onslaught, Age of Apoclypse, Zero Hour and the like to be painfully bad.

Yet, there is something in all the setup that's going on that has my attention. I'm not sure if it's the appearance of the Psycho Pirate, or the return of something resembling the pre-Crisis Supergirl, or what. I just have a feeling that something actually interesting is going to come out of this.

I may end up being disappointed in the long run, but I can hardly wait for book #1.

In Defense of the Boy Scouts

2005-10-05T23:49:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, Justice League Unlimited had an episode that featured Captain Marvel, and at the time I found the episode both enjoyable, yet a bit frustrating.

On the one hand, Billy's nobility came out well, especially in his ending speech, where he left the League because he couldn't agree with their tactics. On the other hand, he was played as something of a naive fool in the course of the episode. Of course, there was a much worse example of that in Kingdom Come where he's entirely buffaloed by Lex Luthor, until that one last "redeeming" moment. Aside from the small question of "um, what about Solomon's wisdom..." in both of those circumstances, it bothred me because there seems to be less and less respect for "the boy scouts."

Now, while things are not as bad as they were a few years ago, where we were buried under Wolverine, Lobo, the Punisher and Venom, but it still bugs me. I'll admit, I also like some "harder edged" books, but even then, it's not so much a matter of wanting to see "grittier" heros, as seeing heros stuck in some pretty nasty circumstances.

The essential optimism and decency of the "boy scout" characters is something that really appeals to me. It points us to the hope for a better world. I recognize that not everyone likes them, but I do grow tired of having those characters pushed further and further to the edge, and becoming the butt of jokes. I'll admit, I'm not a gigantic Superman fan, but that's not because of the his being "the big blue boy scout," but because he's just too powerful. It makes it hard to consistantly write good stories for him. I've liked some, been less fond of others.

Anyway, give me Billy Batson over Frank Castle every day of the week.

Book Recomendation

2005-10-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

Among other things, I'm also a fan of Fantasy Novels, and if you haven't read it, I'd highly suggest the Crown of Stars series by Kate Eliot.

What's fascinating is the world she's set up. In alot of ways, it's an inversion of the actual Middle Ages. She has renamed the nations/religions and the like (and reimagined them. The "vikings" are now seafaring lizardmen). The "Daisanite" church is fairly close to the Roman Catholic Church in many ways. While the church is still very powerful and prevelant, it's also
1) Matriarchical
2) closer to gnostic than anything.

On the other hand, one of the ongoing subplots is the rise of a heresy which is more or less akin to orthodox Christianity.

It's a bit dense, difficult reading, but very, very rewarding. It takes three books to even begin to get a sense of what's "really" going on.

On comic notes... it's coming... you've all feared it. I'm not sure when, but the pieces are falling in place. I shall prove to you all why I love Power Pack!

More downsides

2005-09-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back from vacation...

but, on the bad side, I'm too tired (drove 480 miles today) to make a coherent post... so y'all get "treated" to more downsides.

1. Being one piece short of the Booster Gold Gourmet Cooking set that the grocery store is offering. (You missed the Dutch Oven)

2. Being voted "Most likely to work for the Joker" in your highschool yearbook.

3. Your wierd neighbor who keeps putting a lead cowboy hat on your head, telling you that it will keep Superman from seeing your thoughts.

4. You're out walking and see home products Icon "Mr Clean" You no more than yell out his name and find a stiletto heeled foot heading right for your nose.

5. Having the regular meeting of your local chess association (the Checkmate Club), invaded by seventeen low rent superheros.

6. Watching with mounting horror as a news story records that thousands of teens are having major cosmetic surgery just to get the "Psimon look"

7. Endless debates on alt.fan.psycobabes "Harley Quinn or Shimmer"

RIP Power Girl (I think)

2005-09-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

Still on vacation, and not much time to post, but thought I'd throw a short one out, so people knew I still live.

I picked up Crisis on Infinite Earths (finally), and while it strikes me as another fairly standard overblown crossover (ok, the first one), there are some interesting things in there.

However, I'm not in the least bit changed in my thought that Power Girl isn't gonna make out out of Infinite Crisis.

1. Parallel to Supergirl in CoIE
2. Her recent line (forget where, and don't have books here), that it was unfair for Sue Dibney to die, since she had so much to live for... the person who died should have had nothing to live for (no family, et al)
3. The recent appearance of the Psycho Pirate in her book.
4. Pure, unadulterated gut feeling.

My only concern with this theory is that.. it's too obvious.

Still more downsides

2005-09-18T23:34:00.000-05:00

Going out of town in the morning, so you probably won't hear for me too often for the next 10 days. May have some connect.

So, still more downsides of living in the DC Universe

1. Finding out that Booster Gold has bought out Ron Popeil.

2. Your girlfriend asking you, "Do you think Wonder Woman is pretty?"

3. The irrational fear that one mistake in chem lab will leave you with three arms.

4. Finding out that the wierd kid you used to pick on made that very mistake in chem class.

5. Your best friend dragging you to the Gar Logan all night movie marathon.

6. Wondering when your home town in California will be next to go... (Coast City... Sub Diego...)

7. Endless debates on alt.fan.goldenbabes "Liberty Belle or Phantom Lady?"

JLU Returns

2005-09-17T22:01:00.000-05:00

Have to say, I was pretty pleased with JLU tonight

The first episode was on the whole pretty good. Was great to see the old HQ in the swamps again. Still, it won't feel right until Lex is calling the shots, not Grodd. The only real dissonent note was the stuff with Brainaic. I'd be just as happy if they dropped that.

The second episode? I'll admit it, I should have seen that one coming. I saw the episode descrip that said Shayera would meet an archeologist. How could I forget... Carter Hall was an archeologist. Sheesh. I honestly thought that the big movie with the Thanagarian invasion had pretty much written canon Hawkman out of the picture entirely.

Both eps are better for promise of what is to come, more than what they had themselves.

Comics Day!

2005-09-16T23:14:00.000-05:00

Well, my monthly comics shipment showed up today. (The joys of living 150 miles from the nearest direct market store).

Overall, I find myself a tad... disappointed. Nothing really grabbed me as brilliant, and a few real stinkers.

The Good

JSA Classified 2
All right, this book doesn't get a total pass on my part. I find the artwork a bit distracting. For instance, Mr Terrific has a facial expression in one panel that would be more fitting for Spicolli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Much the same happens to Superman during the discussion at the end.)

That said, the story itself was quite interesting, and while I'm not hugely familiar with the Psycho Pirate, his presence does begin to make sense of all the wierdnesses that have been happening in Power Girl's life. However, it doesn't shake me from my conviction that Power Girl isn't getting out of Crisis alive.

Day of Vengance 5
I'd have liked to see a bit more Dectivtive Chimp, but overall, I liked the story, and they managed to make Black Alice's powers make sense. What's been best in this title has been the character interaction, and that's a bit weaker this time around. Still, a solid entry, and one that sets up the big finale fairly well.

Villains United 5
Well, just when you think this group is actually getting their act together, it falls to pieces. Nice plotting here. I'm not a big villain fan, so I'm not filled with sympathy for them, but it's been an enjoyable read. A touch surprised to see Captain Nazi back. I thought they'd blinded him good. My vote for Mockingbird... Vandal Savage.

Outsiders 28
I'm a sucker for these introspective books. If anything, the "old Outsiders" arc from 26-27 got in the way of this very necessary issue. The team took a gut shot,and they need to react and deal with it. Now, while I love Capt. Marvel and Mary Marvel, Freddie just plain gets on my nerves. Thus, I'm less impressed with the promise of him joining the team. Oh well.

The Bad

JSA 77

Yuck. Normally I like JSA, and I didn't have any real problem with the way OMAC popped up in the last book. However, this mess just derailed everything of any interest. Goodie, a character I could care less about is going nuts, so they have to drag in Hal. The book is more about Hal and Airwave than Alan, and Alan is the only real JSAer in the group. Yay. Let's put it this way, the highlight of the book was Dr. Fate and Fury.

The Ugly

Teen Titans 27

Okay, I remember back in the days where Liefield was one of the names that was supposed to propel Image to the top level. Trying to read this book, all I can wonder is why anyone ever thought he was that hot. I didn't like his artwork in the old New Mutants/X-Force run, and honestly if I were to dig up my trade book with the story where Cable joins the New Mutants, I'd see his art hasn't progressed at all. Indeed, there were some scenes and poses that strick me as exactly the sorts of things I'd seen back then. I kept expecting Shatterstar to show up, and that's not a good thing. The story was somewhat interesting, but not up the standards Gail has in BoP or VU.

I got a few other books, and I may comment on them in the next few days. (Robin is one that gives me very mixed feelings. It was enjoyable, but it also twigged my "stupid plot point" alert. Not to mention, this entire thing with the Veteran bugs me.)

Otherwise, I'll be out of town for about a week and a half, so I probably won't post much (will have some access).

Opportunity Lost

2005-09-14T23:10:00.000-05:00

Moving away from the narrow realm of comic books for a moment, into the newspaper comic strips.

I'm not sure if you read For Better or For Worse or not, but in one of the recent storylines, Liz (the middle daughter of the family) was attacked at work. In many ways, I see it as being an opportunity lost.

I'm not one of those people who says that Johnston shouldn't have written the issue of attempted rape. (Note, they keep using the term "sexual harrasment", but the way the comic shows it, attempted rape fits far better.) However, I just don't think it was smoothly handled. In particular, in two ways.

To give you an idea what happened (it all plays together). One of Liz's co-workers was starting to show some very strong stalking behavior, and eventually, at work, he attacked her. (See the Aug 10-11 strips )

She's rescued by an old flame whose marriage is on the rocks. He then chooses that moment to try to rekindle things with Liz.

From a storytelling point of view, I have two major problems.

1) The Anthony angle really intrudes on what is going on. It removes the focus from the attack and sends it in another direction. It could have worked, but it would have been tricky. If Johnston was creating a situation where Liz was being shown two very unhealthy relationship "styles" (for lack of a better way of saying it), it could have worked, but is rather iffy. Add to that, Liz has a history of bad relationships (at least one doozy).

2) The whole attempted rape thing largely has been dropped. They may come back to it, but aside from one little "side point" where Liz said she'd talked to the cops, we haven't seen any of the consequences play out. Now, in the "letters" on the FBOFW website, we find out that Liz has also seen a counselor, and that the attacker is looking at serious jail time. That's great. That's what I want to see, but those things should be in the strip, not somewhere that maybe 5% of readers will see it.

I don't have a problem with doing the storyline. Stories like this can bring light onto important issues that aren't addressed often enough. My complaint is that it hasn't been followed up on. Show Liz talking to the cops, the counselors, all of those things. Don't just create a situation and then drop it.

As I said, maybe it will come back later in the story, but even so, too much momemtum has been lost.

Review: Superman Red Son

2005-09-13T23:38:00.000-05:00

Picked up this TPB the other day at a store, and had the chance to read it yesterday.

Interesting, and an interesting look at the use of A/U or "elseworlds" sorts of books.

For those who haven't read the book, the premise is that Superman landed in the Ukraine, instead of Kansas. He's raised as a good socialist (and stands for all that is truly good in socialism), and how the world would be different from that point.

The story is interesting, and a strongly concieved A/U. The writer absolutely did homework,and thought things through beforehand.

Probably the single biggest flaw was the usage of Jimmy Olson. I can see trying to work all the primary supporting characters into the mix (and seeing Lana as a Ukranian peasant girl was interesting). However, this idea that Jimmy Olson suddenly becomes this high powered Secret Service agent/Presidential Advisor? I can see where you might argle the lack of Supes would lead Jimmy to move on from his photog job, but I think that's a bit much.

On the other hand, Lois works. Her relationship with Lex is canon, and seeing her move into the editors desk at the Planet works fine. No problems.

There is one really interesting question that comes out of the book, and I'll have to reread it. What is it that allows Superman to keep his perspective in "mainstream" canon, where he loses it in Red Son? Superman has managed to avoid the incredible paternalism that we see in the latter part of Red Son. Is it something with Ma and Pa Kent? Or has Lois kept him grounded to his humanity?

That is what a good A/U story should do, it should make you think about a character in ways that canon won't let you.

It isn't as good as Golden Age as elseworlds type tales go, but it is very good.

More Downsides

2005-09-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

Too tired to make an intellegent post tonight (Sundays are incredibly long), so I'll force you to deal with more downsides. Let's pick on the Marvel Universe this time.

1. Buying stock in a tech company the day before Reed Richards liscences another amazing discovery that makes your companies product look like a horse n buggy.

2. Having to do list every member of the Avengers (active, reserve, retired and deceased), on a test.

3. The lines at the store for the Lockjaw plushie

4. The sad realization that J. Jonah Jameson is considered an icon of journalism.

5. Headaches induced by the psychotic camera angles that the Daily Bugle publishes of Spiderman.

6. Being picked on as a loser because you wore a Captain America T-shirt to school.

7. Endless debates on alt.fan.ffbabes "Susan or She-Hulk"

Yeah, I know, I need new ideas.

Comic Book Characters as athletes

2005-09-09T23:40:00.000-05:00

Some time back The Comic Treadmill talked about an old DC comic book where the heros and villains of the DCU played a challenge baseball game.

In that spirit, what are some sports/positions that major comics characters would be ideal for? (Note, unlike the baseball game, assume that powers are legal.)

The Flash Ok, you could put this guy in any one of about 150,000 things. As they say, you can't coach speed. That said, football wide reciever it is.

Superman Again, you name it, he can do it. I'll make him my running back.

That means that we need a quarterback, and while they may not like playing with villains on their team, is there a better quarterback out there than Bullseye?

Aquaman Of course, he's the captain of the Water Polo team. Poor guy, no one ever watches Water Polo any more.

Cyclops the guy is all about angles... it's not a sport per se, but let him go hustle Jackie Gleason over a pool table.

Spiderman I wonder of being bitten by a radioactive spider would be enough to disqualify him from the Olympics in gymnastics?

We have to have some baseball players... so

Batting leadoff, in Center Field... Quicksilver not as fast as Wally... but fast enough.
Batting second, at Second Base... Nightwing fast, agile, great hand eye coordination. Bet he's good with glove and bat.
Batting Third, in Right Field... Wonder Woman that's a slot you want a good mix of power and average, and good bat control.
Batting fourth, at Third Base... Captain Marvel (DC) Power, speed, he has the complete package
Batting Fifth, in Left Field... Wolverine Every team needs a fireball, Lenny Dykstra type. Besides, no risk of his ever being on the Disabled ist
Batting Sixth, at Shortstop... Brianna Diggers of course, she may be a bit error prone.. but hey
Batting Seventh, at Catcher Solomon Grundy Ok, I don't much like Grundy, but no one is going to steamroll him at the plate.
Batting Eigth, at First Base Rhino ok, he won't hit for average, but great power.
Batting Ninth, Starting Pitcher... Mr. Terrific of course, he wouldn't be allowed to use a T-sphere as a ball.

Manager: The Taskmaster

Finally, one last one

Hockey Goalie... the Blob.

You try getting a puck past him.

Miranda Warnings- Gotham style

2005-09-09T00:09:00.000-05:00

You have the right to remain silent (though you are already bound and gagged)

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. (Of course, you'll probably be out within three issues anyway, so don't sweat it)

You have the right to be speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. (At least the questioning done by the cops... I rather doubt that your lawyer was around while you were hanging from your heel on a 33rd floor balcony)

If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense. (along with a chiropracter, massuese and crisis counselor, after you were hung from said balcony)

More Downsides

2005-09-07T23:52:00.000-05:00

More Downsides of living in the DC Universe

1. Leading people to their seats at a Banquet dinner.
"Sir? You are the Flash. But that distinguished gentleman with the metal cap said he was the Flash."
"Sir, you are the fourth person claiming to be Green Lantern here today, and you're wearing red, not green."

2. Mongoose Rights activists wondering on public access cable why they don't have a superhero named after their favorite animal.

3. Wondering if that puzzlebox you just bought your kid will be a part of the Riddler's latest insidious scheme.

4. The lingering fear that the guy you honked at on the freeway during rush hour will show up at your house with a disintegration ray.

5. Seeing the certificate on your therapist's wall that shows he did an internship at Arkham.

6. Finding out that the "mineral spa" you built your house on is something called a "Lazarus Pit"

7. Endless debates on alt.fan.evilbabes "Knockout vs Blackfire"

random musings

2005-09-06T22:27:00.000-05:00

Just sort of free associating here.

Does anyone remember Todd Marinovich? He was a football player for USC, and had a short pro career. What was notable about him was the way that his father tried to "program" him to become an NFL quarterback from his days in diapers. Almost every step, every meal was choreographed in an attempt to become a great football player. Well, he was a pretty good player in college, but a major bust in the pros, and if you follow football, you may know that his life has been pretty much a train wreck since then. There are other examples in sports of that. There are accusations that the father of the Williams sisters in Tennis, or Tiger Woods' dad did that as well (obviously with much more success, both in terms of their sports success, as well as not turning their kids into head cases).

That might make an interseting hook for a superhero book, or more than one of them. Now, there's been variations of that already. Azrael and the current Batgirl have elements of that in their backstory, but there are major differences in both. Now, it's possible that it's happened and I've missed it, but it would make for an amusing story.

It would work better if played with a slightly lighter touch. However, flashbacks of combat training, intensive strategic training, the whole works, with a more that slightly manic father in the background.

Hm... there may be something there... I'll have to think on this.

Power Mismatches in fights

2005-09-06T01:21:00.000-05:00

Of course, last time around, I mentioned the problems when you have team ups that are just flat "mismatches." You can also have the same with mismatches between the hero and the villain.

It can work on occasion. James Meely over at the Comics Asylum highlighted a fight between Spiderman and Juggernaut some time back, and I'll agree, that fight worked. However, it does push the writers ability to do it.

One variation of this is when a villain is just entirely too weak to stand up to the hero. Now, there are ways to make this work. Even if a villain isn't able to outfight the hero, if he can outthink (or at least make it challenging) the hero, it can make for an interesting story.

An interesting variation of this was the appearance of the Joker in the Kingdom Come storyline. Now, matching Supes up against the Joker isn't something you want to do so often, but in the Joker's absolute chaotic method, he's capable of doing damage (murdering innocents), before Supes is able to track him down. So, while you know that Supes will "get him" in the end, there is legitimate fear that the Joker will do something awful first. Like killing the entire staff of the Daily Planet.

Again, like so many other things, that's a well you don't want to go into too often. That's one of the problems the industry has though. With so many books out there (just between the big two, not to mention any indies), things just tend to get run into the ground.

On the other hand, you can also have a situation where the hero is badly outclassed. Now, again, on occasion this can work. Spiderman suckering Juggy into a thing of wet concrete works. For that matter, Batman going up against Croc also works, even as a regular villain (though I find Croc boring.) However, what happens when Batman suddenly finds himself up against Sinestro? (Not sure it ever happened, but we'll take it as a for instance.) Sinestro is no one's fool, he's very powerful, way, way out of Batsie's weight class.

Probably the worst instance of this that I know of was the "legendary" Dazzler vs Dr. Doom battle. Like Dazzler or not (in her later X-Men days she got tolerable), she had no business playing tag with a villain who is a good matchup for the assembled Fantastic Four. All it did was cheapen Doom.

Wierd Power matches... aka Nightwingus Titanus

2005-09-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know, it's obvious I never did Latin. Whee.

Anyway, one thing that's always made me feel just a tad uncomfortable is teamups where the powers are too widely mismatched. Now, that may seem odd, with my well known love of team books, but it does bother me.

Now, I'm not talking about having very different styles of power. Those sorts of things can be complimentary. No, I'm talking about having very different levels of power.

Take the Old School Teen Titans. You've got a bunch of characters of pretty impressive power. Cyborg, Starfire, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash. Then, you have Robin (or Nightwing). Certainly, well trained, well disciplined, but he just doesn't have the power. Now, the approach that they used was to make Dick the natural leader of the team. In many ways, that works. However, the problem with that idea is that it can start to be run into the ground. You had a de-powered Storm running around as the leader of the X-Men for a long time, you've had Capt. America as a long time leader of the Avengers.

You can just go to the well a bit too often. The worst example of this though is trying to mix Superman and Batman. Now, I've read the first TBP of the "modern series" and it works fairly well, mostly in the contrast between the outlook and style of the two characters.

However, it is still a very awkward and difficult mix. Here you have Superman, with all of those powers... and there you have Batman. Perhaps the best trained ordinary human alive, but that is all. What he does bring to the table is his detective skills (though Supes is no fool). I'm not saing it cannot be done, but merely that it makes for difficult writing.

More Downsides of living in the DCU

2005-09-03T08:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm gonna run this bit into the ground.

1. That nagging fear that the geeky kid you harassed in High School Chem is going to be the next "great" mad scientist... and that he'll remember you shoving his head into the toilet.

2. Telemarketers trying to sell you "Booster Gold's 25th Century Multivitamin"

3. "Celebrity Fear Factor" with "yesterday's news" heros like Argent, Arrowette and Gunfire.

4. Crowds outside of Barnes and Noble lining up to buy "My night with Huntress" by Josh

5. Talking heads on Television saying that if Batman would just stay in his hole, there would be no supercrime in Gotham.

6. Following in the footsteps of Wonder Woman, a slew of books on personal philosophy by superheros... culminating in "Fragging for Fun and Profit" by Lobo (ghostwritten of course)

7. "Hey, wait a minute... I thought Hawk was a guy? Who's this british lady?"

8. Endless debates on alt.fan.teensuperbabes "Wonder Girl or Stargirl"

(I told you I'd run it into the ground, and I'm sure I'm not done yet)

Downsides of living in the Marvel Universe

2005-09-03T00:26:00.000-05:00

Continuing with my theme from the other day...

1. You can't walk more than 5 feet in New York without being run over by the Paparazzi following one superhero or another.

2. If you are anywhere other than New York, you can't get a superhero when you need one. Period.

3. The incredible humiliation of joining an anti-mutant hate group and waking up some morning to find you can bench press your mom's Yugo

4. Ghost Rider sitting in a Non-smoking restauraunt

5. 20/20 Presents... Bucky Barnes, where is he now?

6. Finding out that the Infinity Gauntlet made an evil twin of your mother in law.

7. Not realizing what bar you are in until you hear a guy walk in and say "Justice is Served"

Hm, I'm reaching, so I best quit.

Villain that works: Dr. Sivana

2005-09-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

Celebrating what's good in villains (now that I evicerated my 10 Painful ones), we come to the gleefully evil Dr. Sivana.

At first, I wasn't that deeply impressed with him. After all, ho hum, if you've seen one mad scientist, you've seen them all. Yeah, Dr. S has roots that go back to the Golden Age, so you can't exactly call him a copycat, but even so, whoop de do.

Then I started reading him in the Power of Shazam books, and then his recent appearances in Outsiders. Color me much more impressed.

The story in Power of Shazam that really impressed me wasn't his first appearance, or even when he helped (sort of) defeat the mindworm swarm on Venus. No, it was clearly the story of what he did when he finally got a chance to mess around in the time stream.

Now, most villains, you dump them into the time stream, and give them a chance to pull a Biff Tanner, they'll be glaringly obvious. You see, the good Doctor went back and gave his past self a message about Billy Batson. Most mad scientists would have gone back and said "Make sure that Theo tracks down the Batson brat too. Oh, kill the girl to be sure." Not our good doctor. Even though it would be a couple of years before the Wizard gave the powers to Billy, Dr. S had another idea. His message to his past self? "Whatever you do... DON'T TOUCH THE BATSONS!" Even though the adult Batsons became Capt. Marvels in their own right (interesting timeshift story), he manages to coexist with them, and leave them alone. Because of that, he doesn't lose his wealth, his prestige or his business. A bit wimpy, to just say "hide from your foe," but it worked. Too bad the wizard decided to fix the timeline *L*

Then, his gleefully evil run in Outsiders. This is the way an evil mastermind should work. He's got a team that has given a decent challenge to the Titans in the past, and he's 3 steps ahead of them all. He's blocked Psimon from trying to control him, and the first time the team gets at all restive, he has a remote control laser give Gizmo a fatal lobotomy. His plan? He was having "the boys" attack Lexcorp holdings so he could manipulate the stock. With that, he bought his own tropical island, for his official mad scientist hangout. I could only laugh. Now, that's how a Supervillain is supposed to act.

In a way, I'd like to see the good Doctor as a member of the six, in place of Deathstroke (I like Slade, just think he's misplaced there.) On the other hand, not sure how well he and Lex would coexist.

Downsides of living in the DCU

2005-08-31T23:33:00.000-05:00

Years ago, I did a "downsides of living" in various anime series

While casting around for an idea to post about tonight, I thought this might be worth a small chuckle or two.

So, without further ado, the downsides of living in the DCU

1. No Steroid Controversies in baseball. You think that's an upside? It would be, except it's been replaced by "Is that pitcher a metahuman?"

2. Wal Mart fashions inspired by the latest Superhero outfit crazes.

3. Replacing the windows in your house at least once a year after they get shatted by sonic booms created by Superman, one of the Flashes or the like.

4. Flashbacks to when you caught a "Joker Fish" on vacation.

5. Whenever the Weather Wizard is out of jail, forecasts are "20% chance of sun, 20% chance of rain, 20% chance of snow, 20% chance of sandstorm and 20% chance of absolute chaos"

6. Trouble getting into the mall because Booster Gold is selling autographs ($5 a pop)

7. Endless debates on alt.fan.superbabes "Power Girl or Wonder Woman"

8. Watching a giant gorilla carry a brain in a jar into the house next door.

9. Mysterious lightning bolts in Fawcett City blowing up your computer system... again.

10. Wondering why a mad scientist can easily whip up a device that will vaporize half of Australia, but no one can make a faucet that doesn't drip after a few months.

Good Villain,,, Black Adam

2005-08-30T10:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to be as "formal" as I was with the "painful villains", but lets face it, there are not only bad villains, but also good ones, some really, really good ones, and now and then I'll pop up and say why I think they work.

Black Adam is one of them. I'll be honest, right now, I'm a touch worried about Adam, due to overexposure. That's always a danger with any villain, that once it is seen that they work, and work well, they get dragged into everything.

Still, Black Adam works, and it's rather odd. It would be easy to dismiss Adam as just a variation of the "evil twin" theme. He is, and he isn't.

What works with Adam is the way that he contrasts with Cap't Marvel. In many ways they are alike, and it is easy to "see" why the wizard would have chosen both of them. For both of them, justice, honor and taking care of your people are defining concepts. The difference is that they just don't match up on what those concepts mean... especially that first little word... "justice."

You could simply say that Adam hearkens back to an earlier day, but not really. Yes, his concepts of justice are very, very direct and a touch brutal, but the difference isn't really "new versus old." It is the old saw "do the ends justify the means?"

Billy says no

Adam says yes

I'm not going to say that is the sum total of the differences, but it is indeed a large chunk of them. It is that contrast that defines Adam, and what makes him interesting.

His current plotline is also interesting, because it plays in much the same turf that recent episodes of JLU have been playing in. Why did the world react so strongly when Adam invaded Khandaq? There are lots of debates about "was it an invasion, or a coup or what?" However, that's missing the point.

The real issue is this. A running fear among the nations of any world with Superheros has to be "What will we do if they decide they want to run things." Of course, villains have either run (Dr. Doom) or tried to run (1,000,000 examples) countries at one point or another. However, when it is the heros that do it? (And Adam's status is a bit vague at that point) What happens when Superman decides to take over? Is the Justice League the great defenders or the greatest threat?

The Khandaq storyline opens up all of those questions, and more (how WILL Adam reign anyway?), and all of those questions provide a great deal of meat for some really interesting storytelling, and I look forward to seeing it.

I do find it interesting, that with the development of Black Adam, there's probably more people out there really interested in him than in Capt. Marvel himself, though I'm actually not one of them. I'm fascinated by both of them, and hope that we get a new Capt. Marvel book coming out of the Crisis.

Birds of Prey 85

2005-08-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

Yep, you know, spoilers and all that.

Aside from the Spoiler/Leslie stuff that's going, the biggest "issue" in the books I even remotely follow is the big last page reveal in the latest issue of BoP.

I have to admit, that I have deeply mixed feelings about it. Babs being in the wheelchair is so deeply iconic for her, I think that there is a risk of losing a great deal if they let her back onto "her feet" as it were. We've seen more of her grit and determination in her relearning to live her life, than we ever saw in her kicking around baddies (though I'd like to find the issues where Cormorant nearly killed her). She's not only learned to survive, but to thrive, and she's found herself a place in the world.

I'm not going to be preachy and say that she should stay there, as a "inspiration to all of those who have physical issues." That's really beside the point.

My deepest concern, is that if they do indeed get her out of her chair, that she doesn't suffer from Xavieritis. In other words, the never-ending stream of taking someone out of the chair, then putting them back, then taking them out, then putting them back. Whichever they decide, make it stick.

I'm willing to sit back and "enjoy the ride," the book has been good enough lately that I'm more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Talkingout my ear (or something)-Batman spoilers

2005-08-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

Have a couple of minutes before I have to leave on a very long day, and I've been thinking about the big "news" with the death of Spoiler in the Bat-books.

Now, I haven't read the book, and don't plan to do so until it comes out in TP form, but I'm troubled by this story, and it finally struck me why.

Stephanie's story in War Drums and War Games was a very nice little tragedy, not in the common maudlin sense, but in the formal literary sense. Perhaps her pride was not to the level of Oedipus, but in her pride, the seeds of her downfall were sown. Not a pretty death, but it gave her entire story structure and meaning.

Now, with one little revelation, the entire story is transformed, away from being about "the fall of Spoiler" to being about "the relation between Batman and Leslie." The entire "fall of Spoiler" is pushed to the side and made secondary.

Now, you could argue that the "Fall of Spoiler" is just a prelude to the "Fall of Batman", in a greek sense, and that might not be so bad, but at this point, I just find myself bothered by the marginalization of Spoiler and her death.

"Those who the gods would destroy, they first make proud," had such nice resonance.

Problems in storytelling- time travel

2005-08-27T23:54:00.000-05:00

My naming of Extant as the #1 Painful Villain brought to mind one of the problems that Time Travel can bring into writing comic books.

Now, there are a few different types of time travel.
1) Distant Past travel. Basically, this is going back to any time before the grandfather of the character was bone (for the sake of argument). This can make for an interesting story. Imagine dumping Jade into a Ducal court in Medieval Germany for instance. However, this type isn't really want I want to focus in.
2) Recent past time Travel. As it sounds, basically any time since the grandfather of the character involved was born. Now, in this you can play all sorts of games. Anything from a Back to the Future inspired "you cannot meet your counterpart" idea, to actually working with them, as we saw in the recent Degaton arc in JSA. Also interesting, but not really want I'm interested in.
3) Distant Future travel. Pretty obvious, duck into the far future and look around. Nifty, but not my concern either.

4) Near Future Travel. By this, I mean any future where the overall shape of the world is recognizible. This is what I want to focus on a little bit.

It seems that most books have done some form of a "near future" storyline at one point or another. They can range from the Brilliant (Future Imperfect in the Incredible Hulk, or Days of Future Past in X-Men), to somewhat less than brilliant (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix).

The problem with writing these kinds of stories is that they can begin to "limit" the future shape of the book. If you plot a future story, you are almost forced to push your story in that direction, even if better ideas come to the fore.

Yet, the bigger problem I've seen isn't so much of "handcuffing" writers, but that any future story you may see, you can write off as "well, in a year or so it will be forgotten." The characters who got the glimpse of it will obsess over it for a time (as the Teen Titans are now), but then as the writer moves on to new interests, it gets left behind.

Take X-Men for instance. When I quit reading X-Men five years ago or so, there were at least three major "future" timelines floating about,that were at least somewhat contradictory. There was the one all the way back from X-Men 137, which is one of the classic stories in comic history. Then you had the Bishop inspired XSE future, and finally the Apocalypse inspired stuff we see with Cable, Stryfe and the Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix. Which of them are we supposed to pay attention to? Or are we supposed to try to shoehorn all of them together?

Writing a "future" story for a book can be a very exciting idea, but it is also a dangerous one. Too many of these stories have been left behind over the years for us take them seriously. It can leave us more than a bit jaded. I'm not sure what needs to be done, but I think a bit more care and thought needs to be spent before writers go digging into that well.

The Worst of the Worst, Painful Villain #1

2005-08-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

Imagine you were sitting around at a high-powered creator's conference, and decided to create the ultimate painful villain.

What sorts of things would you put onto your list?

1. Former hero
2. Time Travel based powers
3. Incomprehensible powers
4. Spawning copies of himself off into the time stream
5. The "star" of a massive, company wide, crossover "event"

Our last, and worst, is all of those things and more. With Infinite Crisis impending on all of us, it is time to hearken back to the last time that DC tried to clear up continuity. The incredible, incomprehensible, indescribable.... Zero Hour! Oh, the pain that those words create, and a great deal of the pain starts with this buffoon.

Yes, you knew he had to appear at one point or another... and I give you...

Extant!

Is there any way to desribe the utter pain that this fool brings about? Take a 4th tier hero, and drive him nuts. Suddenly, he comes up with powers that have no relation to anything that he showed back in his heroic days, and have him run amuck in the time stream.

Build a gigantic, incomprehensible storyline around him, and then, in a classic bait and switch, reveal that he wasn't even the big cheese, that he was nothing more than a Flunky of Parallax

Then, just to top the whole thing off, he is given the lamest villain death on record. Okay, lets see, this is a guy who dismantled the "old" JSA, was a major threat to anyone and everything that he came across, and you kill him by.... dumping him into an airliner that's about to be shot down.

Um... yeah.

The worst part, is that there is no reason to assume that we'll never see him again. Just because he's dead doesn't mean he's dead. After all, remember the two rules of dead comics characters.

1) Unless you have a body, he's not dead. If you have a body, he may be dead. Oops... no body.
2) The only character to die and stay dead is Bucky Barnes. Considering the rumors coming off of Marvel readers, this rule may need to be expunged as well.

So, for all of these reasons and more, I present to you the worst of the worst, the toast of the town, the pathetic, the painful, Hank Hall, Hawk, Monarch, Extant... loser.

Painful Villain #2

2005-08-26T19:39:00.000-05:00

The great comic book heros are known by their villains. I say Batman, you say Joker. I say X-Men, you say Magneto. I say Superman, you say Lex Luther. What sets the truly great heros apart isn't just that they have a good villain, but that they have a great rogues gallery. Batman doesn't only have the Joker, but then you start looking at people like Ras al'Ghul, his always enigmatic relationship with Catwoman (though she's turned of course), Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and of course, the always fun Scarface.

Now, you look at Spiderman, and he seems to be the exception that proves the rule. I mean, yeah, he has one great villain. I'll tip my cap to the Green Goblin. I also like Kingpin, though I'm never sure if he's a Spiderman or Daredevil villain. After that though? You have Kraven the nauseating, a guy who is dressed up with a gigantic star for a hat, a moron who grafted a bunch of clumsy metal arms to himself... and then the great "revolutionary" villain was his old suit, after it grafted to a reporter. When they turned that buffoon into one of the never-enough-to-be-cursed anti-heros, they then found some way to spawn another version onto a psycho. When that wasn't enough, they made even more, for "Maximum Carnage".

Huzzah, huzzah. Now, that Rogues gallery is going to turn Batman green with envy.

Yet, as lame as all of them are, none of them compare to the horror that is the flying geezer himself... the Vulture

I'm sorry, he's got an ugly green costume, and looks like he should be resting on the porch of the Shady Acres Rest Home rather than trying to trade blows with a superhero. At the worst, he should be the guy who yells at the neighborhood kids for daring to ride their bicycles past his house. The indimidation factor just isn't there.

There's "suspension of disbelief," but that can only go so far. Put this idiot on a prune juice IV and send him his Social Security Check.

Tomorrow: The Worst of the Worst. He's incomprehensible, he had an awful "death", and with another "reboot" about to start, it's time to remember the worst of them all. Can any of you guess what buffoon is about to make an appearance?

Painful Villain #3

2005-08-25T23:38:00.000-05:00

We're coming into the home stretch, and the villians are just reeking with boredom.

If you've been reading this, one theme that we've seen a few times is "one trick ponies." Those are the villians that can make a good storyline. Sometimes, with good writing, you can drag a couple of more stories out of them. After that, their abilities, or motivations, or nature just make them absolutely redundant.

What's even worse, is when you get "one trick ponies" who are stupid to boot. I mean, if a guy who only has one gimmick in his bag is at least a bit clever, you can put a little variation in that way (we're talking about you) . However, when you start getting into the characters that even Gilligan thinks are idiots, there's only so much you can do with them.

That's where you end up with Number three on our list To find this schmoe, you have to go hunting in the rogue file of the Big Blue Boyscout himself. I'll be honest, it's got to be pretty tough to come up with decent Superman villains. Sure, Lex is top shelf, and Brainiac isn't bad either. It's after that when things get a bit tetchy. So, why not come up with a villain that can suck the power/life/knowledge out of our hero? Sounds like an idea, right? Well, it might have, except that they also made him an utter idiot. On the one hand, that makes him beatable, but it also making him boring. Yep, our exercise in tedium today is the Parasite.

It's not that the idea is bad. It really isn't. It's that, once you've told the story, what else is there to do with him? Sure, you can then send him off to do the superhero circuit. "Ok, I couldn't beat Superman... I'll try Wonder Woman... er Flash...er Black Lighting, er, Green Arrow, er Speedy!", but even that would get old.

So, someone give the DCU a nice deworming and put this parasite out of my misery.

Tomorrow, #2, and we're dipping into Spiderman's rogues gallery. A group I've always found to be sadly overrated. I'd live to make Kraven #2, but frankly, I get violently ill every time I even see that character, so it's another one. Bring the drammamine!

Painful Villain #4

2005-08-24T22:07:00.000-05:00

Never has any villian managed to do less with so much. Such incredible power, such potential, but a never ending run of losses.

He could kill almost any enemy he comes across with just a thought, but he manages to keep losing. I haven't seen it, but I wouldn't be surprised if he even managed to lose to Rick Jones (without Mar-Vell).

Lame, pathetic, and you just know that any story he's in is going to leave you screaming...

"OH COME ON! JUST TURN THE AIR IN THEIR LUNGS TO CONCRETE AND BE DONE WITH IT!

Yes, kiddies, I'm talking about the Molecule Man

After all, he only has near absolute power over any non-organic molecule. Lots (LOTS) of ways to frag pretty much any hero short of the Silver Surfer without even trying. (Against the Surfer, he'd have to try).

He just keeps losing.

And Losing.

And Losing.

Ok, that can make an amusing story... once. Like so many of the Painful 10, this is a guy who makes a single good story. Yeah, chuckle at the moron. But he shows up again, and all you can do is cringe. Another round of idiocy. Huzzah. Nice when you give these incredible powers to a guy who can't outthink a 1957 Studebaker Coupe.

Up next... another "good for one story" sort. Off to the land of Superman...

Painful Villain(s) #5

2005-08-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

All right, I'm going to "open" things up a bit here, and pick on an entire class of villians. A type of villian that it seems that every hero has run into at one time or another. People must think that they make for interesting stories, but in all the years I've read these, I can remember exactly one storyline that I found remotely diverting.

What are these villains of boredom? These pointless malefactors? Well, can you smell the brimstone? Yes, it's demons. (Sabbac being just one example of the horde of them that are out there).

You either get this gigantic powerful thing that goes burning/thrashing everything in sight (see Sabbac's recent appearance in Outsiders. Or, else you get these overused Faustian plots where the demon comes along and starts making offers to villains who are always willing to make a deal. Um, guys, hasn't anyone heard, "never trust a demon?" On occasion, you'll get a Silver Surfer esque storyline where the demon is trying to devour some pure soul for their own fiendish purposes. Now, those stories make the theologian in me cringe. No pure souls out there for the demons to play with... but that's another topic for my regular LJ, not a comics blog.

I mentioned that there has been one "demonic" storyline that I found at least interesting, and that was the long ago limited series about Illyana Rasputin's time in Limbo. That was wierd, and almost enjoyable. That said, as I hinted back in Villian #10, I did enjoy the "fall" of Illyana, but as the story got more "demonic" it annoyed me more and more. I mean, her armor growing, and having more trouble restraining her more troublesome impulses? That was working great. Then they started giving her goat's legs (and worse). That storyline went downhill from there. Of course, considering how little use I have for demons as a whole, I consider Inferno to be one of the most painful X-storylines I ever read.

I'll admit, that in some books (like something with Dr. Strange, or Dr. Fate), the demonic fits better. Of course, I don't actually read those books.

You show me a demon story, and you'll be lucky is if all I do is yawn. Cringing is far more likely.

Tomorrow.... Painful Villain #4... and he's another loser from the pages of Fantastic Four

ETA: Yes, I finally realized that I've been making a moron of myself by misspelling "villain". *sigh* I've gone back and edited some, but it's not complete.

Painful Villain #6

2005-08-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

All right, I've never seen this guy do a good story. Not one. The only thing that keeps him from being far higher on the list, is the fact that his daughter is actually an interesting character, and has added quite a bit to the books over the years.

Yes, it's the Puppet Master Another guy, all you can do is wonder why authors just keep dragging him back, and back, and back, and back and back and back and back. Not only are mind-control stories weak, but this guy just brings the ugly to my comics pages.

I'm sorry, but mind control stories do absolutely nothing for me. Yay, all we do is make the hero look like a buffoon, have people wonder if they are really heros or not, and when all is said and done, you get some third rate angst.

I'm trying to think of a good mind control story, any comic... and while I may be forgetting something, I really can't come up with a good one right offhand.

It's not so bad when someone like Mr. Mind is using meaningless unknown cameos to pull off their stuff, but when the worm actually crawls into the head of a name character for 3-4 issues? I'll pass thank you.

Still, I do like Alicia...so be thankful Puppet Master, you at least managed that much, or else you'd be lurking in the top 5.

Tomorrow... an entire class of "villians". It's a hot topic.

A villain that works

2005-08-22T18:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm working my way through my list of "painful" villains, so I need to step back and give kudos to one that really works.

He's really kind of pathetic in a way, when you think about it, but it makes him even nastier/creepier in his own way.

Who am I talking about? Per Degaton (note, the page hasn't been updated of late, but pages on this guy are lacking) I got JSA TBP Vol 9 today, and it has the opening of the Degaton arc. I'm impressed and amused.

This is one seriously warped puppy. With the ability to travel through time, he shows up outside of Stargirl's window and watches Capt. Marvel break up with her. Then he sits there and watches her bawl her eyes out.

So, when she's done crying, what does Degaton do? He goes back in time so he can enjoy the whole show over again. Now, this is a piece of work. Spending his time rattling through the time stream, watching the members of the JSA die, just so he can enjoy it the show. Sick, sick puppy. I'm looking forward to seeing much more of this guy.

On the other hand, in his sickness, he's still kind of pathetic. He decided to become the Chronal Voyeur, simply because he finally figured out, that he'd never be able to actually beat the JSA. He can't do it, so he at least wants snapshots of when someone else did the job for him *L*

Great fun, and beats a whole host of Solomon Grundy Appearances, any day of the week (btw, Green Arrow #52 loses 100 enjoyment points for not only bringing the goof out, but then making a "new" one. Yay.

I'll be back later with my painful FF villian, I won't string you along much longer.

Big Day

2005-08-22T18:35:00.000-05:00

Well now, big, big day in the old mailbox. Not only did my monthly comics shipment come in, but some other things I'd ordered also found their way here. A few TPB's in particular, as well as the Countdown special. I'll have comments on all of those at some point. Suffice it to say, that this is probably more proof that my tastes don't run quite the same as most. I really liked Countdown... at least Ted had a good death.

Anyway, the first book I'd like to talk about is JSA #76. Now, I've read a fair amount of kvetching about this book since it came out, but I'm not nearly so negative with it as many. I can see where they were annoyed, especially with the OMAC appearance, but I can look past that. It certainly wasn't good, but it wasn't exactly mind-numbingly bad either. It was just sort of there.

I'm not sure where Booster finally found out about Beetle's death (I assume JLA, but I'm not sure), but that's a scene I don't mind in the least. While it's not "central" to the plotlone that JSA is pushing, it does bring out the humanity of Power Girl, and deals with her as a character. That works. One reason I like the "big" companies is the ability to have those sorts of interconnections. I realize that crossoveromania drives people beserk, and I appreciate it, and will even agree much of the time, but there are things, like the death of a character, that really should resonate across all the books.

The "main" storyline works for me until the very, very end. Atom-Smasher is a mess, and I think it is admirable that he's decided to take responsibility for his crimes (though I have no idea what he's doing in a US court, or a US prison...) One thing that's not been touched on in this storyline isn't simply that he killed people, but that metahumans had decided to take the law into their own hands and take over a country. Sure, the villians try that all the time, but it's something different when the heros do that. That's got to be an ongoing fear in the minds of many. What happens on the day that Clark decides he can run things better? Atom-Smasher taking responsiblity for being part of that is a very worthwhile thing.

What annoys me is that they really seem to be going back to the old Atom-Smasher/Stargirl romance that was hinted at way back when. The whole idea leaves me flat, but the last pages really push in that direction. Courtney says "I'll be waiting", and while that can be understood "as a friend," it's a bit of a stretch. Then Al is sitting there looking at the picture of the JSA, and he's focusing on Courtney.

What's my problem with this? Simply stated, there isn't really any chemistry between the two of them. Yeah, you can see signs that Courtney had a teenybopper crush on him early on. That's cool, no problem. Since then though? There's been very little established. Yeah, they were friends, perhaps closer than they were to anyone else on the team (though especially with Courtney that's arguable).

What's even worse, is when you contrast that with the Billy/Courtney thing that they teased us with. It's really wierd that they "broke up" that couple, using the age issue. The age thing was an illusion with Billy, but it's very, very real with Al.

However, the chemistry that was lacking with Al? It's there with Billy, in spades. From the moment that Billy's identity was revealed, you could see it. Billy's shyness, and Courtney actually being a bit more "aggressive," in pushing the relationship. It just felt natural, and "right." I also got Vol 9 of the JSA Trade books today, and there's more chemistry in the 3 page breakup scene then there has been in all the interaction between Al and Courtney. She even understands how badly Billy's being messed up by being Captain Marvel. She begs him to change back to being Billy. It works, it really, truly works. Is the door slammed on those two? I'm not sure, recent issues have rather "hinted" towards something coming up, but that's up in the air. It certainly works far, far better than Atom-Smasher, at least up to this point. Normally, I'm not a huge "shipper", but there will be times that certain things will reach out and grab me, and this is one of them.

Painful Villain #7

2005-08-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

All right, not all of my "painful villain" list come out of the world of Marvel Comics. Actually, #1 will be a DC character, but his/her/its name will be revealed.

Anyway, one type of character that annoys me is the "big, idiotic muscle" sort of villain. (BTW, no I've never been a real Hulk fan either. Only run of Hulk I ever collected was one stretch where you had Bruce's brain in the green body. That was the first time I was ever remotely interested).

Anyway, there are lots of these kinds of villians around. Of course, Marvel has good ol Juggernaut, but honestly, he's too smart for this. Yeah, he has some telepath issues, but at least he has a chance of adding 2+2 and being right. I know, that doesn't explain the whole Black Tom thing, but give the poor goof a break. You'd be messed up too if you lived with lil Chuck.

Then, Batsie has the ever "popular" Killer Croc, but even so, he just doesn't quite rate.

No, painful Villian #7 is so bad that they had to use him in the rather painful Supergirl #1. Yes, #7 was born on a Monday...

Yes, it's Solomon Grundy

A big mound of muscle, with no real character. He exists solely to give the artist something to do while the writer does character exposition on the hero (again, see Supergirl #1, or the JSA issue where Grundy attacks Stargirl and Jakeem Thunder).

*yawn*

Tomorrow, the most painful of all Fantastic Four villians

Painful Villain #8

2005-08-20T20:38:00.000-05:00

All right, our next contender isn't so much a bad villain as one that's truly a "one trick pony."

There are certain things that work once, but just shouldn't be repeated. Home Alone was a sort of clever movie. A bit of a stretch conceptually, but not entirely unreasonable. Now, make a second movie of the same kid getting left behind again? Bad idea.

The same hold true in comic books. There are villains that can make a single story, and make it work. The problem is that any attempt to bring them back starts stretching the point.

So, our award winner, is none other than...

Yes, indeed, Galactus.

His first story? Brilliant. After that, there's only really been one story that worked... the entire John Byrne "Trial" storyline.

Otherwise, it's just "same old same old." Truly, a one trick pony. Great trick, but that horse has been beaten to death.

Painful Villain #9

2005-08-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Staying with our X-theme for the moment (face it, aside from Magneto, and then Mystique's version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the X types have had a lack of high quality villains, and some of the good ones they had, they ruined )

We come to this fool

Yay, we get someone who is even more feral, more brutal, more of a scrapper than Wolverine. Woo! Someone, stop the presses.

I have to admit, he has had a few good moments. Getting KOed by Jack Power (yes, of Power Pack) was an awe inspiring moment. If I had a scanner, I'd share it with you, just for the fun factor. Kitty Pryde did a number on him as well one time. Heh, kinda hard to rip apart a woman who is intangible, right Sabes?

Anyway, they tried and tried, gave him kids and partners and dragged him into the X-Mansion, but you just can't make this guy any more than he originally was. He makes a usable sidekick. He's not bad at going and being a real villian's dumb muscle (see his role in the Mutant Massacre), but as a villian unto himself?

He just oozes boringness. Typical Sabertooth "story"

Eeek! Sabertooth is here!

*menacemenacemenace*

Hero shows up, gets into knock down drag out fight, beats Sabertooth. Sabes is unable to say anything more intellegent than "I'm going to feast on your entrails."

Woo.

The Ten Worst Villains #10

2005-08-18T23:31:00.000-05:00

All right, who are the worst of the worst? The vilains,that as soon as you see their names in the "coming next issue" blurb, you cringe, and write off that issue as having any entertainment value?

Now, by this, I'm not talking about lame villains that only appear in one or two storylines and then fade into the woodwork... (like this bozo) but, the ones that you see again and again. The ones you just wonder... "Why doesn't grab these authors and tell them, that this guy is an automatic -50 points in enjoyment factor?"

So, #10 of "painful villians".

Stryfe

Now, I don't really recall what his mutant power was, (I've tried to forget this joker), but I think it may have involved having super-neck muscles. That helmet is enough to make my neck start throbbing just looking at it.

Can anyone name a single good Stryfe story? That's what I sort of thought. Still, he is a prime example of one of the worst cliches in all comicdom. The evil twin/clone/alternate version of a hero.

I recall, back in the early 90's, Marvel was gearing up for one of their annual crossovers (I think it was one of the Infinity ones, not positive), and at the same time, the short lived Marvel UK imprint was getting ready for their own "blow out" event. Oddly enough, both focused on having large numbers of evil twins around. In one of their house mags, one of the editors said "evil twins are always a good idea."

Nope, they are almost always a bad idea. A truly bad idea. If you want someone to go fight their Id, let them do it the old fashioned way, a bit of soul searching and all that. While it ended badly (and we'll see why later on in the 10), Darkchilde Magik (Illyana), was a far more effective way to play in that bit of territory than any number of evil twins.

So, Stryfe, take that Buick Hood Ornament you call a helmet, and set up chairs for the other nine.

Continuity people!

2005-08-18T01:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm something of a continuity freak. Not a total one... I'm not going to sit here and debate things that were back in a long forgotten storyline from 1982.

On the other hand, on the big stuff... I'm pretty fussy.

So, this is a bit of Nightwing's "internal voice"...from his book. It's from the TBP "A Darker Shade of Justice".... I'm guessing issue 30, but I could be wrong (it's the first story in the TPB).

He's just been hanging with Supes, and when Clark flies off

Bruce always tried to warn me about Superman. "Superman's not from our world. His loyalty will always be in question. He's not Human."

I'm not so sure about that. He may be the most human guy I ever met. The flying bit still freaks me though.

Excuse me???? He's freaked out by a flying alien?

Um... wasn't he sort of well... you know... engaged to one? Starfire is a WHOLE lot more Alien across the board than Clark ever was. Not just in her look, but in her outlook as well. Now, I can see Bruce being a bit paranoid, but he's smart enough to know that the "alien" card wouldn't fly with Dick.

Anyway, that doesn't even mention that Dick hung around with a bunch of other people with some pretty freaky powers. If you can get used to Changeling, Superman is nothing.

I'd heard that Chuck Dixon tended to write as if the Titans never happened, but this really seems to prove it. Of course, I did see his recent run in Nightwing where he managed to destroy a pretty large chunk of the "Judas Contract" arc in Teen Titans. Oh, it's not important, just because that arc holds a place in Titans lore akin to "Dark Phoenix" in X-lore.

Yeah, that's the big stuff.

The Job Interview

2005-08-17T17:21:00.000-05:00

"Gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. My name is Edgar Whittlebot, and I'm the personnel director of this fine institution. You are our final two candidates for the job of security guard here. As you may know, we host a number of highly dangerous patients, and keeping them here is vital for the well being of Gotham City. At this time, I'd like to take you on a tour of the facilities. One of your tasks will be to determine what security concerns you may see."

One Hour Later...

"Ah, Mr. Brown, what did you see?"

"Thank you Mr. Whittlebot. I must admit, that I noticed a number of problems in the security arrangements for the patients. There were signs of loose dirt on the trousers of Two-Face. It would be well worth checking his cell, to see if he's possibly been trying to tunnel his way out. Also, do you really think it is a good idea to have the Condiment King working in the kitchen? I know he's pretty harmless as insane types go, but there was that unfortunate incident where he tried to bomb a mall with mustard gas not too long ago. Finally though, when we going past the Joker's cell, there was a clear chemical odor. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but it is certainly something that is well worth checking into."

"Ah, I see. Well, thank you for your frank words. Now, Mr. Smith, what did you see?"

"Um, that Ivy chick is really cute."

"Very well. Mr. Brown, what sort of compensation were you looking for?"

"Ah, well, considering the nature of the job, I'd say that $70,000 a year, with full vacation, benefits and a company car would be fair."

"Mr. Smith, what sort of Compensation did you want?"

"Uh? Compensation?"

"Yes, compensation, you know, pay."

"Oh, well, I'm getting minimum at LexBurger right now. Maybe another quarter an hour?"

"Mr Smith, you have the job."

Rhetorical Tuesday

2005-08-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Why would any criminal ever want to work in Gotham?
For that matter, why doesn't every supervillian in the Marvel Universe move to Cleveland, or Topeka or even Cheyenne? Anywhere but New York.

Why do mad scientists insist on trying to take over the world, instead of patenting their ideas, liscensing them off and becoming richer than Bill Gates. "I, Victor von Doom used the proceeds from my micro fusion generator to buy Cleveland!"

Are there any support groups for superhero spouses? "Lois, I know what you mean, sitting up worrying all night. When Peter fought the Kingpin... *sob* I couldn't sleep"

Is every guard at Stonegate, Arkham, the Slab and the like a minimum wage, barely qualifed fool who can't even hold down a job at 7-11?

And, finally...

Is there a rule that requires every female superhero to have at least a DDD cup?

What's in a Name?

2005-08-15T00:38:00.000-05:00

I suppose I may as well take a moment and explain, since I'll get asked eventually anyway. Where does the name Ashtur come from?

Actually, it's the short from of the name Ashtur an'Vangan, which doesn't help one little bit. Back when I was in college, (ack, 20 years ago), I had a story idea. That was years before I even began to fool around with writing, but a story started to form in my head.

The story has long since been abandoned, on the grounds of being terminally boring, derivitive and pointless. It was a fairly standard Fantasy story, the usual swords and sorcery thing. Post apocalyptic, in that a large scale fire spell had gotten a bit out of hand (whoops!), but otherwise, meh.

Anyway, the story had your usual stock issue, older mentor/wizard, Ashtur an'Vangan. The "an'Vangan" isn't actually a name, but a title. It referred to the order of wizards he came from.

Well, to make a long story short, the world will never see Kaliar Machlar-Ashtara, his sister Celana an'Vangan, or any of the others who were in the mix. You may all breath a sigh of relief. The only remnant is that I've adopted the name Ashtur an'Vangan as my "net nick." It means nothing, but I'm used to it.

It's better than some other things I get called.

The Angst Shell Game

2005-08-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

Recently, I picked up the better part of the run of Power of Shazam, and I found it to be generally enjoyable.

I already picked up a bit of a dislike for Freddie *L* not entirely sure why.

Anyway, one thing that did aggrivate me a bit was when they pulled out the tried and true "angst shell game."

I don't have the issues in front of me, so I don't recall the number, but at one point, Mr. Mind* sends the robot Mr. Atom to Billy and Mary's hometown and he blows the whole town up in one big nuclear explosion. While Billy and Mary were out of town, their adoptive parents (and they'd just brought Billy in not too long before that) were in town. Well, as you can expect, Billy and Mary go practically nutso with grief. Even more pathos since they were already orphans of course.

So, you go an issue or two, with Billy and Mary in deep, deep mourning, when suddenly they find out their adoptive parents were actually out of town (looking for them) at the exact moment.... awwwwww, all is good, Billy and Mary are happy.

Now, first of all, considering that even if their adoptive parents were still alive, their town, school and friends (especially for Mary, since she had roots) were gonegonegone. But, as soon as Billy and Mary heard the good news, they were thrilled, and the mourning/guilt trip was gone. (Guilt because Billy blamed himself, Mr Atom was trying to get him).

Second, that's an example of an all too common shell game. How many times have we thought a character was dead, only to find out that they are really alive? I'm not talking about bringing a character back after a long absence (Hi Hal!), but within an issue or two, voila! Often it is the cliffhanger from an issue. That trick can be very, very effective on occasion, but frankly, it is so badly overused that it carries very little weight any more. Indeed, most comics readers are so jaded that they go by the philosophy "They aren't dead unless you have the body. Even if you have the body, they probably still aren't dead for good."

I realize that with dozens of books coming out a month between DC and Marvel, much less the indies, it's hard not to overuse things like that, but it would be nice if they dug a bit deeper into the well.

---------------------

* By the Way, just imagine how much use that little worm would be for Retcon-o-mania. "Why did Jean Loring go nuts? Mr. Mind was in her head!"

Review: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E

2005-08-12T21:18:00.000-05:00

As my first post (mentioning Power Pack) indicated, my tastes don't always fully run to the norm. To that, I have only one answer. Nyaaa.

Ahem, and now that I have that silliness out of my 38 year old blood, on to business.

As I was saying, my tastes run a bit different. I'm not hugely fond of "grim n gritty," for instance. Oh, I'll read some of that now and then, but honestly, those sorts of things leave me a bit meh. On the other hand, one thing that I really do like is books that are fun, with an overlay of innocence to them. Power Pack (the original) of course is the ultimate example of that, and one of these days I'll expound on the brilliance that my favorite sibling team brings to the printed page.

So, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E is another book that is in something of the same mold (fun, a bit light, and with a bit of innocence and discovery). I just got the complete series today (thank you eBay), and while we were having some storms, took the time to read them.

Now, I was a fan of Stargirl/Star Spangled Kid already, from her JSA appearances, so this was a series I wanted.

I won't go through issue by issue, but bring out some of the things I really liked (and some things that leave me a bit flat). Overall, for the series, I'd have to give it a nice solid B, or even a B+. It's not brilliant, but it has some great moments.

The overall premise of the book is a bit of a stretch, I'll admit right out. "Angry teenaged girl finds out her new stepdad used to be a superhero, and has nifty power belt lying around. She steals the belt and goes off to annoy him to no end. Oh, and he has a flying 'bot that he follows her in, trying to keep her head and shoulders attached to one another." Heh, of course, you can make anything sound lame if you want to write a summary that way.

The first issue (#0) is rather interesting, and would have served well to set up the characters. I already knew Courtney, so I didn't need to be introduced to her. Still working on getting the Starman graphic novels, so no comment on Jack in this book (if he's good or bad).

Issue #1 brings us to what is easily the largest plot hole in the series. All of these kids are disappearing and being brainwashed into the baddies private army. But they are the "middle" kids, so no one will notice. Um, not even their parents? Sorry, you'd have had the FBI, Director Bones' outfit (I forget their name) and probably half the superteams in the DCU going over the town inch by inch.

I found the two "Young Justice" issues to be a huge disappointment. The best moment was when the resident supervillian blew up the invaders, just because no aliens would invade his town.

As a general rule, a book is only as good as the villian that's running around, and in this case, that's not a strong suit. The "breakout" villian of the series is obviously meant to be Shiv, and she just never quite "resonates" for me. I think one of the biggest things is the artwork. She honestly doesn't look like she's Courtney's age. She looks like she's 30, maybe 35. Still, she makes a fairly good protaganist, both as supervillan, as well as the school's popular girl.

Doesn't sound like I liked it all that much, does it? Well, I did, because the thing that I really liked in this book was the personal development and relationships. As I said before, those are the things that really "hold" me in a book. I can go past the big fights and not ever really worry about it. "Oh, neat, Cyclops pinged his eyebeam off of 5 mirrors before hitting Toad in the butt. Nice shot." It's there, but very, very rarely is it what grabs me in a book. The way that character's relate to one another? That's what I really am around for. Wonder Girl hugging Robin after he reveals his dad has just been murdered is worth more than 50 scenes of her going medieval with her lasso. For instance, in recent comics, my favorite scene (by a fair margin) was in Birds of Prey a few months back, where first of all, Dinah went to Bats, and acted as a real "momma bear" defending Helena and Babs to his face, and then later on, when she said what she'd like to do to the Joker. Too bad the chemistry between Helena and the others went to pot after that, but we'll see how that story comes out.

Anyway, back to Stars, what really held me was the development of the relationships, especially the "triangle" of Courtney-Pat-Mike. It's wonderful to see Courtney come to respect and actually like Pat Dugan. The scene where she "hugs" S.T.R.I.P.E (in 13) after having torn it apart a few moments earlier is just great.

Issue 14 was a really good way to end the series for all of those reasons. The return of Courtney's biological Father was a really well done moment. I'd already seen him in JSA All Stars (more on that a bit later), but this was great. Her father showed himself to be utter scum, tracking down his daughter, just so that he could get her to give him a family heirloom (which presumably was hocked within the hour). What's great is the scene where Mike and Pat are down in the garage, and check the security monitors. Seeing Pat irate at the vision of Courtney crying on the porch was good enough. Seeing Mike looking no less upset is even better. You can get a real sense of this "family" bonding. I don't have the entire Degaton Arc in JSA (yet), but I can see how "killing" Courtney's family would have really hit her. Having read S&S brings the scene where she rushes home even more impact.

When I finished issue 14... I was reminded of the Stargirl short in JSA All Stars, where Courtney meets her dad again. Without digging it up, the line that she uses to Pat at the end. "You're doing it again. Every time I don't think I have a father, you remind me that I do."

Wow.

For all of the limitations of the series, that's why I really enjoyed it.

Team vs Solo Books

2005-08-11T00:11:00.000-05:00

I have a very strong preference for Team Books, vs Solo books. Oh, there are Solo books I've read over the years, and still do. (Currently, Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing). However, I've always enjoyed team books much more, and the reason for that is fairly simple.

When it comes right down to it, I'm much more interested in character interaction than anything else. Yeah, the whole "hero vs baddie" thing is interesting, and provides a nice backdrop, but I find myself more interested in how the heros connect and relate to one another. Team books give much more room for that sort of thing. Of course, any solo book also has its cast of characters. Spidy has Mary Jane and Aunt May, Supes has Jimmy and Lois and Lana, and so forth. However, the fact that the character's in team books are "more equal" helps establish the connections more strongly.

I find that as I read, there are certain connections and friendships that I look to again and again. Sometimes they are the romantic ones, and sometimes they are simple friendships (as if that's ever really simple.) They are the ones that reach out and grab me. Perhaps that's why Outsiders hasn't really grabbed me. The interactions are so utterly disfunctional (other than Shift and Indigo), that it's not even funny. Of course, it doesn't help that I can't stand Arsenal. Naturally, with the events of issue #25... well.. oi.

So, current "connections" that I'm really interested in:

Capt. Marvel and Stargirl. I don't have the issue (yet) where Billy really fouled this one up, but this is such a nicely convoluted relationship it's great. I'd really like to see Mary stick her nose into things at some point. I've been reading through a partial collection of Power of Shazam I got the other day (I'm also a sucker for boy scouts.. that's a future post). While Billy hasn't really been "drawn" as being quite so neurotic, you can really see the reason for him to make the decision he did, considering his own past. Living on the streets for those years, it's easy for him to desparately want to hold onto any place where he belonged and was accepted. Of course, he would have been accepted anyway, but the poor kid is a teenage boy after all. I think the relationship is over, but I still hope they can come to some resolution with the friendship. It could be really well done.

Black Canary and Oracle Obviously this one goes in the friendship category. It's been great to see them develop, not only respect for one another, but also a real, deep seated caring for one another. Misguided at times (when Babs tried to "fire" Dinah), but still, very, very real. In the last issue of BoP I have we can really see Dinah's heart breaking out of all of this. I know it's cheap melodrama, but I hope that Dinah's the one that finds Babs with that scalpel stuck to her throat (as I said, I tend to be behind).

Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy I don't have the old Young Justice issues, but just from what I've seen in Teen Titans this is a pretty interesting setup. You have the "best friends" thing with Conner and Tim, the budding romance between Conner and Cassie, and then there seems to be an almost sister/brother sort of feeling between Cassie and Tim (thinking of the way they related to one another win Tim told what happened to his Dad, and then later, when Cassie was trying to process beserk-Conner)

Well, I need my sleep, or I could keep this up for awhile.

Suspension of Disbelief

2005-08-10T23:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'll jump into things with one of my bigger "pet peeves" in comics. I realize that it's almost inevitable by the mix of things, but it's still really annoying.

The isolation of books from one another can drive you absolutely beserk.

For instance, take the "legendary" No Man's Land storyline from the Batbooks. Aside from the fact that no Congress would ever consider "walling off" an entire city and leaving it to its fate, the thing is absurd on the face.

There is no way that Bats would be left "hung out to dry" in Gotham like that. For instance, Superman would have done everything he could to "end" No Man's Land within a week. Superman would have addressed Congress, or the nation. Clark Kent would have written scathing editorials, and Superman would have been all over Gotham trying to fix what he could, whether Bruce liked it or not.

Or, the recent storyline in Robin where Tim's had a whole run of assassins after his hide. Instead of falling in with this rather weak storyline of (yet another) governmental spy agency, he'd have handled it by getting on the phone. "Yo, Conner (or Cassie, or Bart, or Vic...), can you give me a hand for a bit? Thanks."

Robin's situation brings out one of the worst reasons this happens. When you have someone who has both a team book, as well as a solo book, it's hard to understand why their solo adventures are every really "dangerous." Sure, if you are dealing with your garden variety muggers, do it yourself. No big. But, if things get big, Bart can be along to help out in oh... half a sec.

I realize that we more or less have to "grin and bear it," but that doesn't make it any easier sometimes.

Greetings and Salutations

2005-08-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

Well, just getting this thing "up at at em" as it were.

As the intro space says, I'll use this to comment mostly on comic books, but to a lesser extent on anything else that interests me. Perhaps I'll take some time to talk about my favorite fantasy novels at some point.

I've collected comics off and on over the years, but I can hardly say that I'm nearly as well read or informed as many others. I've been "out" of things pretty much for 5-6 years and have just started to work into the mix the last 6-8 months. Believe it or not, Identity Crisis is the thing that really got me back into things.

That's one thing about me, I'm not as negative as many in the Blogosphere about things. I enjoyed IC, even if it did have some holes in it.

Favorite books of all time?

Claremont X-Men up to #211 (the Mutant Massacre is sort of the 'breaking point' for me with that title, I love that story line, but the book fell to pieces after that)
Davis Excalibur, especially from 1-25 or so.
Power Pack up until about issue 40 or so. Yep, that's what I said. So sue me.
New Mutants from around 11 through 50.

Now, in the more recent books I've been reading, there are some things I like, but it really focuses on two books.

JSA I love this book. I've seen alot of comment that it's getting a bit "tired", but I've been spending time catching up on it, and I find it consistantly entertaining.
Birds of Prey If Identity Crisis got me back into things, the Birds have kept me there.

What do I look for in books? Oddly for someone who is a comics fan, I'm not a hugely visual person. Oh, there is art I like, and don't like, and there are things that will "set me off", but writing and story are for me the biggest issue. I'll take a well writing but average book in looks over a pretty book with rotten writing any day of the week.

I'll update now and then with thoughts and the like. However, I live sorta in the boonies, so I have my pulls on a monthly mail order (to save postage), so I'll usually have a bit of a time lag on everyone.

Well, I'll make my first "real" post here in a bit.