DC : thoughts on the first full week of the new 52

As mentioned elsewhere the real star was Animal Man, very low-key heroics combined with horror.
The other horror title Swamp Thing suffered a little from having to explain the exact status quo of Swampy. And also it features Batman and Superman. Ok, I know Swamp Thing has been away from mainstream comics for a couple of decades and so it pleases some of his fanbase to see him mixing with the big guns but for me I find their presence snaps me out. Scott Snyder is an excellent author though so no doubt we will go interesting places.

Action Comics is the latest rework of Superman. I thought he had been changed a lot in the 80s after the first major revamp.
This Supes though is dressed in jeans and shirt, living in the rough part of town and fighting a war against corporate corruption.
Yeah, the plot isn't complex but it's exciting. And Luthor is uber-cunning.

Men of War was surprisingly good, depicting a troop of humans in super powered conflicts. It is an interesting premise well-executed.

The first Batgirl issue struggles from having to explain (or at least acknowledge) the fact that Barbara has regained control of her legs.

Gren Arrow has had just as dramatic changes to his status quo. He is now seeinbgly Mark Zuckerberg but fighting crime in-between or during board meetings. This character always needs differentiating from Batman and as he has been on Smallville as a young man, it does make sense. That said even as a kid I enjoyed this book's political dimensions which are now absent.

Detective Comics gave us the first look at a Batnan title in this brave new world. It us a feast of unsubtle imagery. And that cliffhanger annoys me because we all know it isn't going to stick.

So all told, a mixed bag but there are some definite nuggets of awesomeness.

Animal Man 1

For me this was the stand-out of the first full week of DC's new 52.
Decidedly off-kilter, it shows a C-list hero living his life in the burbs with his family.
The only other Animal Man issues I have read have been Grant Morrison ones and this reminds me enormously of Morrison's first issue.
Showing us the family. Weirdness in a hospital. Super-heroics kept firmly in check.
However Morrison's first story arc feigns horror before becoming a battle with z-lister B'wana-Beast.
Jeff Lemire though steers this incarnation into creepy horror. Nightmare visions. Grieving father holding a children's ward hostage because his daughter had died of cancer.

And an incredibly sinister last page.
Yeah, he lays on the foreboding and foreshadowing something chronic but it's amazingly atmospheric and should attract people new to comics or lure the Sandman crowd back.
Which was the point of this whole new 52 malarkey....

Justice League 1

I remember as a teenager going somewhat out of my way to get my hands on JLA 1 (Grant Morrison edition) at the height of my Morrison obession and being thorougly entertained by a) the storyline and b) the notion that DC's premier team actually had the company's iconic characters in it. Don't get me wrong I loved the JLI bunch of also-rans and the humour that emerged.
But it felt proper that the League had the big stars in it.

Which brings us onto this week's relaunch of not just this title but the entire DC comics universe.
I am not a huge fan of Jim Lee's art and it did kind of prompt memories of the horrors of Heroes Reborn, Marvel's mid 90s small-scale precusor to what DC are now doing.
And like, the HR characters, I do find it hard to like the new younger "edgier" heroes. Hal Jordan comes off as too much of a cocky sod.
Batman's greener than normal but entertaining enough. And Supes is barely in it.

I know this is relaunching the DCU and comics as a medium but personally I would hope that out of seven coverstars we get more than four in the actual book.
Going from the preview I have seen of Morrison's edgier man-of-the-people take on Superman maybe DC should have started with that. Or at least shown more than a page of him in this issue of Justice League. When Marvel started the New Avengers seven years or so ago, the first issue had the full roster. They weren't a team as yet but they were all in the book and it was a stronger story than this...

'Tis selling well though and it's available for download on Comixology so it's giving a shot in the arm to the industry. Time will tell if it succeeds.

Revamp : Thor

J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) has received a fair old amount of stick lately, particularly for starting two epic DC storylines and then bailing. I haven't read Grounded but the idea of a non-flying Superman reconnecting with America by walking across it reminds me very much of the crazy conditions imposed on Kevin Smith when he was working on a Superman film script in the 90s.

But JMS can create likeable characters that you can relate to as well as stories with depth.
Look at the start of his Amazing Spiderman run. It is a class above preceding writer Howard Mackie's material (though I also get the sense that JMS wasn't having to shoehorn in editorially mandated references to other characters/storylines)

When JMS took over Thor, the character had been out of use for three years, killed in the fan-fic-esque Norse god slaughter-thon that was Ragnarok.
Instead of just reviving all the gods and Asgard, JMS has Thor reappear in the sleepy town of Broxton, Oklahoma. This cuts away at some of the aloofness of the deity concept. Through vignettes we see the long-term residents' sense of wonder as they encounter the gods in town, especially when local lad Bill meets the enchanting Kelda in a run-down carpark. It also doesn't cheapen the Norse gods. We do see them in townhall meetings but we don't see them, say, take human jobs. When we see Hogun walking back from Texas, boar on his back, he refuses lifts as he tries to be Asgardian in this new framework.
There is almost a lyrical quality. (And a debt to Neil Gaiman's Sandman superficially at least)
Yes, there are pacing issues. That first issue has Thor in limbo wrestling with demons and not an awful lot happens. I bought it at the time but was underimpressed until reading the following issues a while later.
There is also litle interaction with the rest of the Marvel world in the first few issues bar a very personal fight with Iron Man. Whilst other characters' fans won't be brought into the book, this is wise as it enables Thor's new readers to learn their way through all the new (to them) characters as well as get to know the locals.
It is a refreshing more poetic take. I was particularly moved by the story of Thor's father Odin and its' theme of paternal responsibility, especially when you see the flashbacks to Odin succeeding his own father Bor.
JMS's dialogue is also mercifully free of the cod-Shakespeare that Thor has been associated with.
All told, it's a solid reimagining.

DC's revamp and the Oracle question

So DC are relaunching their universe.
This was always going to bring in some changes.
Most probably Clark Kent becoming unmarried (kinda like Spidey but without the whole deal with the devil).
Bruce Wayne being the sole Batman wasn't a surprise. Sad but not a surprise.
Though I was stunned by Oracle-gate.
In the 80s Barbara Gordon was shot by the Joker, crippling her. Whilst this meant she couldn't be Batgirl anymore, it wasn't the end of her as a character. Instead she became a tactician, showing that wheelchair bound characters can be just as heroic. And also be romantic.

And far from a saint. As Oracle, Babs became a great character.
Yes, deaths get undone but there was no way Babs would suddenly get better. That would be too tacky.


Erm, well.
We've got a new Batgirl series starting in September, starring a Babs able to swing over rooftops and all that jazz.
At least it's being written by Gail Simone who did such a good job writing Oracle in Birds of Prey. And maybe it will be good.

Change will always upset some and geeks can be conservative with a small c. And change can be beneficial.

But this particular change doesn't seem the smartest of moves by DC, especially when they have publicly stated that they are trying to make their universe more diverse.

Flashpoint : DC's bold gamble

DC comics is currently going through one of its universe shaking storylines as is its wont.
To be honest, I was only paying a little bit of attention as it is an alternative universe story and those are a hard sell for me as I find it hard to care if the giant reset button is going to be pushed.
Which is slightly ironic given one part of DC's announcement yesterday.
They are apparently relaunching all their titles with an issue one. (I say apparently as I doubt they'll reset the numbering on Detective or Action Comics which have run uninterrupted since the 30s - Action is 8 years off an issue 1000)
This is said to boost sales. It certainly acts as a jump-on point to buyers in the store.
They are also reworking some if not all of the characters. Clearing out some of the clutter will help. It worked a treat for Wonder Woman and Superman in the 80s who were controversially but brilliantly reinvented. It hasn't been done on this sort of scale before though.
And you have to be so careful with this. Witness the varied attempts to relaunch Hawkman in the 80s/90s with vastly different interpretations, turning the concept into a bit of a mess. Also if you lose some developments, in a bid to simplify the saga, it reinforces the notion that DC resets all too often back to the 1970s. It removes any sense of growth and also puts off those who grew up with the next-generation heroes. For me, The Flash is Wally West, who was the 80s/90s incarnation, rather than Barry Allen who was, ahem, dead but recently revived (Barry always seemed to be a more interesting character dead than alive and I've yet to change my opinion on that).
And it'll be an absolute shame if Dick Grayson is stripped of his joint-Batman-hood. (That depends on the whim of current Bat-writer Grant Morrison).

Another announcement of note was the creators, or specifically what has been announced for Superman. That Morrison man again.
Why so thrilled? Morrison wrote All Star Superman, an out-of-continuity tale of Kal-El that was stunning in both spectacle and emotional power. You must go sample it on Comixology now.
I am waiting to see where they put Paul Cornell though... And Chris Roberson.
The biggest thing though is that new issues will be available to buy online on the same day they reach the store. This is a bold move. Great for consumers but damaging for retainers. Especially British ones given that digital is cheaper than paying for printed copies to be shipping over. It was only this year that UK retailers got issues on the same day as the states. DC govern and DC gaiety away.
Yes the convenience could increase sales.
But, crucially, the new issues need to be good and genuinely feel fresh.
Here's hoping....

On media and Action Comics (but bear with me)

The caravan has recently returned from an excursion to the Mediterranean island nation of Malta.
There is nothing worse than someone gassing on about how they had a lovely time on their hols (but we did and you should try to go if you like sun, sea and churches but with a relaxed non-pushy attitude to tourists)
So to the point.
The main island of Malta is a small place. It takes 45 minutes to cross by car. The airport takes up a fair bit of it.
And the media there makes the country's size quite clear. Page 3 of Wednesday's Times of Malta (the national paper) had a piece on a postbox being damaged but the mail inside being ok. It also named and shamed an employee who had just been convicted for what seemed to be minor fraud against his employer.
Yeah, it's easy to point and laugh at such a parochial media.
But maybe this contributes in some small way to why the place is so safe. If you're a local and you get caught, not only will your friends and family know about it but so will the whole country.

That might seem a bit scary. A bit 1984.
It's symptomatic of being such a tiny country, I guess.
Though it also shows that the media can be a positive influence kind of.

I needed to remind myself of that when seeing the coverage of Action Comics 900.

DC decided to celebrate 900 issues of the comic that Superman first appeared in, which is a great achievement (even if they did slightly cheat by having it weekly for a while in the late 80s).
So in addition to their regular writer Paul Cornell (he who wrote the two stone-cold classic Dr Who stories Father's Day and Human Nature ), they brought in other writers for back-up stories including David S. Goyer (who wrote Nolan's Batman movies as well as the upcoming Superman movie).
Goyer's story appears to feature Supes renouncing his US citizenship saying that he is getting tired of being mistaken as an agent of American foreign policy.
Now, I haven't read this but nor have various other commentators who seem to have created a mini-storm. Here's potential Presidential candidate Mike Huckerbee being asked about it on Fox.
The Weekly Standard also jumped in. Admittedly their writer is clearly a comics fan (I disagree that the only thing interesting about Superman is that he's devoted to America though it's a theory) but as he acknowledges, the media is taking a back-up story far too seriously. There's a lot of angry comments on Comics Alliance's coverage.
DC have now made efforts to clarify that the character is still committed to America.
Which they kind of needed to, given the heat generated.

But it does make me wonder what DC were thinking. In the 90s they released Superman : Red Son, an imaginary story (aren't they all - to quote Alan Moore) in which his rocket landed in the USSR instead. Here in the UK, I remember reading articles implying that this would be the new status quo. (Which was never going to be the case).
So maybe DC should have thought that this would be a THING.
Ach well...

The Nightly News

Every now and again, there's a graphic novel that attracts people in who tend to poo-poo comics.

The Sandman series did it. As did Preacher.

Me, I'm slightly surprised I've not seen so much take up of The Nightly News.

It's a one volume book written and drawn by Jonathan Hickman. 

The book is an angry attack on news media. He augments his claims with not only an appendix but also beautifully designed tables and diagrams in the main body of the comic. 

In fact, the entire thing is stunningly well designed. You can just drink in these pages.

The story itself is about the mad-as-hell declaring war on the CNNs, the FOXs. The Nightly News.

It's compelling but is essentially a vehicle for Hickman's argument. It reminds me of the non-fiction Who Runs This Place? The Anatomy of 21st Century Britain (which whilst seven years old is still jaw-dropping). 

And also Hickman's work is very darkly hilarious. Especially the intro into his little fact boxes. 

It's delicious and stimulating, even if you don't agree completely with the politics therein.

Go buy it now and be prepared to lend it out to all your friends.

San Theodoros - land of the Picaros

Thinking of Bialya last week made me think of that other comics dictatorship of my youth, San Theodoros from the Tintin books.

San Theodoros is a Central American republic, very much of the banana republic school and roughly where Guatemala is.
It only appears in two books The Broken Ear and Tintin and the Picaros but it is mentioned from time to time.
The country's leadership oscilates between General Tapioca and General Alcazar, the latter a recurring ally of Tintin.
So, yes, one of Tintin's posse is a seemingly right-wing General prone to coup d'etates.

During the near fifty years the books were published, the book's political attitudes clearly altered, particulary in its depiction of non European countries. Tintin in The Congo is especially guilty in its portrayal of African characters.
In many ways, the change over times in the books' depictions of foreign cultures reflects the changes in European societies.
The last completed adventure, Tintin and the Picaros, implies that Alcazar and Tapioca are pretty similar. They both have armed police patrol the slums and there's seemingly no concern on either leader to lift their people out of poverty.

Whilst I enjoyed Alcazar's appearances, especially his turn as a bad stage magician in The Seven Crystal Balls, it is Tintin and the Picaros which really seals the deal.
We had seen San Theodoros before in The Broken Ear but the later story shows Tapiocapolis to be a very Rio-like capital, full of colour. The carnival scene in particular is fantastic. And the countryside is just spectacular. 
Also, because as a kid I knew Picaros was the final completed story, the stakes were very high. Especially as Boduria from King Ottokar's spectre makes a reappearance, giving a feeling of storylines being visited in a last hurrah. Perhaps this makes it even more vivid in the memory. (Even though this wasn't intended to be the final story)
So maybe not the most accurate depiction of Latin America but it lingers in them there memory banks.

Kapow! thoughts

Flicking through the Guardian of my lunch hour, I spotted this preview of Kapow!, the Mark Millar fronted comics convention thing happening in London this weekend.
It's not quite as stereotypical as some coverage but it inadvertently highlights to me one of the reasons why I'm giving it a miss for this inaugural edition.

Don't get me wrong.
I would love Kapow! to become a UK version of the San Diego ComicCon, but preferably with less of a movie and TV focus.
But the guest list is too Millar-centric.
Nick Spencer aside (and his presence would have been tempting),  the non-British stars have worked with Millar. Leinil Yu and John Romita Jr. will be a draw for some, especially the latter, but I'm more of a writer guy.
Me, I would prefer some more foreign stars.
The original publicity highlighted the presence of Jonathan Ross and other Clint contributors. Clint, for the uninitiated is Millar's UK magazine.
Which would be all well and good but I deeply don't care for it. I enjoy Millar's non-creator owned work, especially the first two Ultimates series and Aztek but his Icon stuff (KickAss etc.) leaves me cold and that forms the back bone of Clint.

There's an impressive range of UK talent : Peter Milligan, Paul Cornell, Mark Gattiss, Bryan Hitch (again Millar connection)
But I kind of would prefer something less Anglo-centric.

Let's see how it goes next year.

Bialyan nights

I remember in the 90s reading a DC letter column in which an editor explained that the reason why increasingly comics characters visited fictional foreign locations was not to upset the locals if there was a research failure.
Which kind of means laziness.
However fictional countries do allow creators to world build and create gems.

In the late 80s Justice League, writers Kieth Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis did that with Bialya, a Middle Eastern country ruled by Colonel Rumaan Harjavti, a military dictator who had a habit of trying to rile his public against the US.
This era of the League was notably more humorous than previous versions but was unafraid of delving into more serious storylines from time to time.
Harjavti fitted right in.

Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire

Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire

He was inspired by figures like Gaddafi and Saddam. This being the 80s, Harjavti was allies with the USSR, who seemed to barely tolerate his antics.

Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire

Harjavti was only in the comics for a year or so before being overthrown in a coup. However, during his brief run, he would pop up as frequently as, say, the pirates in Asterix.

The Bialyan storyline took a darker turn in the aftermath of the coup with his successor, Queen Bee, using a Leaguer as a Trojan horse for an attack on the team. It sounds hackneyed but Giffen and DeMatteis make it extraordinarily tense and the Queen Bee, being a youthful female leader, opens up more story opportunities and gives a freshness that a military dictator can't supply.

Nowadays it would be hard to imagine a mainstream comic using a character like Harjavti as a figure of fun. Which is understandable, especially this year.
But his appearances were fun back in the day

Morning Glories

Ignore the innuendo-y title.
Morning Glories is the story of a mysterious boarding school and it's somewhat influenced by John Hughes, Lost and The Prisoner, with hints of Glee's satirical edge.
Writer Nick Spencer has stated that he's trying to create a big mystery saga to fill the shoes of Hurley, Locke and co.

The story begins at a great pace, showing a break-out attempt.
As you can see, Joe Eisma's art is wonderfully expressive, as befits what is a very character-driven series.

The first five issues are the strongest so far. The mysteries start from the get-go as soon as the new intake arrives. As does the humour.

Yeah, Zoe (the black haired character) is reminiscent of Cordelia from Buffy.
And Casey, the leader of the rebels, owes a lot to Ms. Summers. It's hard not to be moved by her journey from excitement at joining a prestigious school to her forming a gang as she's confronted head-on by the horrors and ahem questionable ethics of the Morning Glories academy.

Some of the mysteries are easier to swallow than others.
But that was true of Lost as well (for the polar bear on a tropical island, read a character's curse that causes him to see 8:13 on every clock and not hear alarms for other times).
The trick of these things for me can be to ignore the bits you find wildly improbable and focus on the good stuff of which there is a lot.

There's one collected edition thus far and all the issues are available on comiXology.

Action Philosophers

Philosophy can be a bit of a hard sell.
It's fascinating but can be dry.
I remember enjoying Sophie's World though I found, as a novel, it fell apart in the second half.

However I adore Action Philosophers by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey.
The strip is an attempt at the sort of comics that used to come with Masters Of The Universe toys in the 80s, though intended for philosopher toys instead.














It's a very playful approach, showing lots of popular cultural references from Peanuts to, well, I'll let the below speak for itself.

 
They have a sample PDF here. At the same link, you can also buy electronic versions of Action Philosphers.

Walking Dead

Zombies.
They're hard to do something fresh with.
Unlike vampires or werewolves they don't lend themselves readily to character development.

But Robert Kirkman has managed to reinvigorate the zombie story with his Walking Dead series from Image.
The focus is on survivor Rick and the band of survivors he gathers.

Sure some of the characters are portrayed in broad strokes but Kirikman still allows you to warm to them, frequently before zombie attacks.
And he doesn't shy away from showing the worst that humans can do. Often the most danger is posed by the living.
I'm halfway through volume 4 (there are 13 volumes with at least one more on the way) but it's already brutally clear that Rick is becoming increasingly psychologicaly damaged.
Seeing the everyman darken makes you wonder just what you would do to survive.

There's a surprisingly high body-count amongst the supporting cast (but there is time for good character pieces). And there is the female version of Wolverine, Michonne, a mysterious wanderer who uses swords because gun shots attract too many zombies. Michonne injects new life just as Captain Jack does in the first series of the revised Who.

There are flaws, mostly in the dialogue department.
But it's a masterclass in how to sustain tension.
And the images are stunning :

It's also inspired a fairly faithful TV adaptation, starring Andrew Lincoln (Egg from This Life)
Here in the UK, the TV series is sadly stuck on FX.

The originals are available for the iPhone on comiXology for just over £5 a volume and are worth a try-out.