Wayne Markley

by Wayne Markley

Since this week leads into a New Year, at least according to the Julian calendar, (I know people who follow the Jewish and the Chinese calendars so out of respect for them I will qualify this). I thought I would take the time to look ahead at what I would like to see from the comic book world and take a peek or two back at 2010 at what I thought were good things.

Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange

One thing I would like to see next year, and to be honest I have little hope for this, is good storytelling. What I mean by this is do not let the format dictate the story. Don’t do a story so it fills a nice trade or hardcover, as with almost every mini-series or major event (take your pick). Use as many issues as it takes to tell a good story. A small example of this is the Doctor Strange Masterwork Volume1. It reprints the early Dr. Strange stories from Strange Tales by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. If you have not read any of these stories you are missing out as Ditko was a true genus (Also check out the Steve Ditko Archives from Fantagraphics to see more of his amazing art and storytelling). These Dr. Strange stories are 10 pages, some are 16, almost all are self contained stories. Towards the end of this collection there is an eight part story with Dr. Strange verses Baron Mordo and Dormammu. Since this epic was told in 10 page increments, and it was SO unusually in comics from the 60s, it stands out as an epic event. The same is true of Fantastic Four #48-50, an almost unheard of three part story. Mind you it did introduce the Silver Surfer and Galactus, but is still stands out because it was special. An example of stretching a story to fit a collection is Time Masters: Vanishing Point, a very good story by the way, but it is six issues. Why? It makes a nice little trade collection. The natural feel of reading the story is it should be four or five issues. I really wish comics  next year would learn a a lesson from Jonah Hex and tell single issue stories with a special event now and then going over multiple issues.

Batman

Another thing I would like to see next year is a thinning of the herd. I am tired of trying to read ten Batman books or eight Avengers books or even three Green Lantern books. I am well aware that the publishers and the retailers need to make money and if a character is selling, let’s add more titles with the same character and make more money. But what is happening is there are so many books that the fans just give up on the character. Week after week I see customers drop Batman from their pull lists and when I ask why, they say there are just too many titles. Plus the stories have not been all that great lately, and key issues are consistently delayed and are getting later are later. Do fewer Bat books, and concentrate on good stories and get the books out on time, be it monthly, bi-monthly, or even bi-yearly. I hear the same thing every week with fans dropping Avengers titles for the same reason as Batman, there are too many titles. But to be fair, the Avengers are a much better read than Batman, at least in my opinion.

X'ed Out

A third thing I would love to see in 2011 is the resurgence of the independent comic. At one time in the late 1990s, there was a wash of great independent comics, with Bone, Strangers in Paradise, Cerebus, and many more. These days there are almost only superhero books out there. To be fair, superhero books are the only titles that seem to sell. There are exceptions such as the Walking Dead, Chew, Echo, and one or two others. It seems the only place that experimentation is taking place is in web comics that then get collected by major publishers, if they are lucky. I did find it interesting that some of the former major players in independent vision, Charles (X’ed Out) Burns (Pantheon Books), Dan (Wilson) Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly), and David (Asterios Polyp) Mazzucchelli (Pantheon) all released new major works, all self contained stories, not drawn out with padded sagas, and mostly from mainstream book publishers.

In 2011 I am looking forward to more classic reprints. Three of the collections I am looking forward to the most are Disney related. The first is the complete Mickey Mouse from Fantagraphics. This will be a complete reprinting of the Mickey Mouse newspaper strips from the beginning. While some of their stories are politically incorrect, Floyd Gottfredson and the gang told some of the most entertaining stories that have rarely seen print. The next two are from BOOM! Studios whom I have complained about non-stop for their treatment of the Disney comics. They are going to do two exciting projects. First is the complete Don Rosa Ducks. This series will reprint all of Don Rosa’s Duck material in order, including a lot that has never been printed in the States before. The second series is the complete reprinting in sequence of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories. There is a treasure trove of material here from Carl Barks’ Donald Duck to Walt Kelly’s Gremlins to Scamp and Chip N’ Dale and so much more. I cannot wait for these series to get started.

Now if only DC would collect Sugar and Spike. WAIT, they are! DC just announced the first Sugar and Spike Archive. At long last. A little side story. A number of years ago I was a judge for the Eisner Awards. During the process of picking the awards we had to pick someone for the Hall of Fame. I personally lobbied and pushed and groveled for Sheldon Mayer, the creator of Sugar and Spike, to be put in. After it was announced, Paul Levitz came up to me and said thank you for pushing for Sheldon Mayer as he was Paul’s mentor early in his career. Paul told me a number of great stories about Mayer. But even though I asked Paul over and over about Sugar and Spike (as well as Bob Wayne, Bruce Bristow and anyone else I could get to listen), I was always told, “Oh, that would never sell”. I am looking forward to proving them wrong, and I look forward to the Sugar and Spike Archive being the best selling archive ever. (I can dream can’t I?)

Rasl

And my final wish for 2011 is that comic books are able to find new readers and expand their reach beyond the current shrinking marketplace. There are a ton of interesting comics coming out each month, and so many fade away without a second thought because they get lost in the flood of family titles (Batman, X-Men, Avengers, etc). I really wish when a comic fan goes into their local store, and there is not much that they normally read that week, they would ask the clerk (or e-mail me) and try something different. Just one issue. Be it Locke and Key or Rasl or Life with Archie. Just try something they normally do not read, and they might find that there are great books out there other than the 10 Batman titles.

Thunder Agents

Speaking of great titles that deserve a second look, this time out I would like to recommend Thunder Agents. When DC announced they were reviving these classic characters, I thought “Great. They are going to ruin another classic comic”, such as Archie’s Mighty Crusaders, which started out well, but quickly became another forgotten book and was cancelled. Or the First Wave books, particularly Doc Savage which has been a major disappointment to me. But with Thunder Agents I was wrong. So far, and we are only two issue into it, Thunder Agents has been an excellent series that I look forward to every month. It is a creative story with nice art.

As always, these wishes and dreams are my and mine alone and do not reflect the opinion or thoughts of Westfield Comics. Please feel free to contact me for suggestions of books to read at MFBWAY@AOL.COM. Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas is over! Hope you had a great holiday season!

Of course, in the real world, the holidays are still several months away! But in the wacky world of comic book advance ordering, pretty much all of the industry’s major wares have already been offered up. Since the last three months have been SO packed with goodness, this month’s offerings pale a bit in comparison. Still, there’s plenty of great stuff if you dig around a bit, so here are my picks, along with a bit of commentary here and there since I haven’t had much chance to talk about current comics lately. On to it…

New Avengers #6

1. Avengers Titles: I am immensely enjoying most of Marvel’s recent Avengers books since The Heroic Age bannering began. (For those of you not playing along at home, The Heroic Age is not a crossover. The Heroic Age is the banner under which many of the Avengers (and other) titles have been thematically linked. All of the books work independently from each other under a common theme of heroic optimism after the very public defeat of Norman Osborn and his evil Avengers dopplegangers. Mostly.) My favorites of the bunch are the relaunched New Avengers by Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen, which comes pretty darn close to being the perfect superhero comic for me, and one of the few out there right now where the writing and artwork aren’t competing with each other for attention.

Which is what I think is happening in the flagship Avengers book. Bendis and John Romita, Jr. (whose work I normally love) aren’t meshing well together yet. Avengers #7 introduces the Red Hulk into the team, which will be good for JR Jr., who excels at the big bulky powerhouse characters (see: World War Hulk).

I’m also really digging the oral history of the Avengers that’s been winding its way though both of the key Avengers books, with Bendis providing character insight to stories that were produced before anybody cared about such things. I’m also greatly amused that Marvel is doing the oral history at all, because I pitched one about the JLA to DC’s book department over a dozen years ago — including actual published quotes from the original stories — and they looked at me like I was a bug. Then they asked me “What’s an oral history?” Bet they’re working on one now. Oral histories rock!

Uh, oh. Somebody dies in New Avengers #6. I’m guessing it will be one of the supernatural dudes (Dr. Strange, Son of Satan, or Brother Voodoo). You have to believe in magic!

I’m loving Avengers Prime for the Alan Davis artwork, but I’m wondering why the story has foolishly split Cap, Thor, and Shellhead into different realities, instead of working on the original premise of bringing the three characters together to resolve their differences. I’m also really enjoying Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, despite the fact that it seems like it’s the slowest produced mainstream title out there (far from it, actually). I think it will be worth it to finally catch up with Wanda, the Good Little Scarlet Witch Girl, and I hope that the popular character is redeemed a bit. Both story (Allan Heinberg) and art (Jim Cheung) are exceptional.

Thunderbolts #150

My other big fave is the revamped Thunderbolts, which is pretty much back to the original T-Bolts concept of villains working to reform/better themselves. In the original series, a bunch of ’em were already headed in that direction, and now the villains are a lot more amped-to-11 hardcore by writer Jeff Parker, with added wildcard potential (Man-Thing as transport?). The current issue is a big 96-page anniversary, with a 40-page lead story guest starring the original Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. Those are quite the anniversary guests! Hope there’s plenty of cake!

I’d also give props to

* Hawkeye and Mockingbird: one part Moonlighting, one part Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and a whole lot of dynamite!

* Invincible Iron Man: every issue better than the next — and did you read that Annual?! Can’t wait to see what writer Matt Fraction will do with Thor!

* Captain America: dragging a bit since Steve Rogers returned, but I think some interesting things will come out in the upcoming “The Trial of Captain America.”

I do have to mention that Heroic Age: Villains #1 is a pretty dumb title, when you think about it, and maybe pushing the concept a bit too far. While there may be a few unnecessary (or pushing it) titles under the Heroic Age banner, at least most of these books do actually have something heroic and positive about them, while most of Marvel’s Distinguished Competition’s Brightest Day bannered books are anything but “bright,” instead largely concentrating on torturing characters and wallowing in general unpleasantness. There seems to be a big disconnect between title and execution there. Don’t get me wrong — I was totally excited by the return of the 12 dead characters at the end of Blackest Night. But that lasted all of a week, until Brightest Day #0 started making their newly re-won lives miserable again. I’d hate to think that the “Brightest Day” concept was just manipulative hype and nothing more. Hope that changes soon!

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

2. New DC Comics Titles: DC mainstream rolls out four new superhero titles this month, two of which will drive fans batty!  Batman: The Dark Knight is a new ongoing monthly, written and drawn by David Finch (in his first writing assignment?) with inking by Scott Williams. Slated to focus more on supernatural and esoteric Bat stories, this new title kicks off with a six-issue arc that explores the ramifications of the murder of one of Bruce Wayne’s childhood friends . . . I’m sorry, but the title of Grant Morrison’s new book makes me laugh. It’s called Batman, Inc. I think it’s funny because I thought that DC was holding that title in reserve for the company itself, for when all their other imprints and character franchises ultimately fail, and Batman is the only thing left. It’s hard to tell what this title is going to be about from DC’s solicitation copy (which has been pretty generally useless for actual information in trying to decide what books to order lately), but it sounds like Batman may finally be cashing in on all that lucrative licensing of his name and trademark. Or something. At least it will look great, as Yanick Pacquette is drawing it! . . . Apparently, DC feels confident in putting Superboy back in his own regular monthly title again. The Superboy storyline in the recent Adventure Comics run was pretty awesome, but this book will be done by the new creative team of Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) and “up and coming” artist Pier Gallo. The initial storyline will explore a side of Smallville that nobody knows about! (Probably not the sunny side!) . . . Just in time for DC’s experiment with the Red Circle characters (Mighty Crusaders) to go away forever, DC lunches yet another venerable old superhero franchise — the all-new adventures of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents! Written by Nick Spencer and drawn by artist CAFU, this new series will present brand new characters who will take over from the original Agents. They have to make some difficult choices — specifically,  will their new powers kill them? . . . Actually, there’s one more “new” superhero book this month, but it’s a Johnny DC book, and more of a relaunch. All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold continues the adventures of the Caped Crusader teaming up with just about anybody in the DCU, although we hear that the new emphasis will be on the “big guns” like Superman or Wonder Woman, rather than the quirky “fan-favorite” (but non-big-selling) characters of its previous incarnation. It’s now written by Sholly Fisch and illustrated by Rick Burchett.

Vampirella #1

3. Vampirella #1:  Honestly, I haven’t been a Vampi fan since the original Warren days a billion years ago, but I certainly recognize the importance of the character in the overall fabric of comics, so a new Vampirella #1 should be a pretty big deal. (Besides, I heard somewhere that vampires are hot right now!) This new Vampi series is written by Eric Trautmann and drawn by Wagner Reis, and since Dynamite is publishing it, it’s going to have ONE MILLION DIFFERENT COVERS!!! Okay, I may be exaggerating a little, but there will be covers by Alex Ross (2 of ‘em),  J. Scott Campbell, Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic, Joe Madureira, and others. (NOTE: Due to possible limited availability, not all covers may be available from Westfied.) The first issue also features a “rare” Vampi story by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. (I like my bloody steaks medium rare, myself.) Sounds like something everybody can sink their teeth into! (NOTE: Westfield is not responsible for the condition of comics that you’ve sunken your teeth into.)

John Carter of Mars

4. Dark Horse Fantasies: Dark Horse is putting some great fantasy series back into print with a couple of new collections. John Carter of Mars features timeless work originally printed in the acclaimed DC Comics Tarzan and Weird Worlds series by a who’s who of fantasy greats including Marv Wolfman, Howard Chaykin, Murphy Anderson, Gray Morrow, Sal Amendola, and Joe Orlando. Meanwhile, Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melnibone collects the long-out-of print comics adaptations of the first two Elric novels — Elric of Melnibone and The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, originally published by Pacific Comics and First Comics — adapted by  writer Roy Thomas and illustrated by artists P. Craig Russell and Michael T. Gilbert. Look for more details on these two great collections in Bob Greenberger’s upcoming previews here at the Westfield blog.

Shockrockets

5. IDW: Danny Husk: The Hollow Planet: Springing out of a recurring character from The Kids in the Hall, Scott Thompson’s Danny Husk debuts in an all-new graphic novel written by Thompson and Stephan Nilson and illustrated by Kyle Morton. In this new story, the unflappable everyman Danny Husk finds himself in a world where his average looks and demeanor make him an exotic and much-sought after individual. With the help of an oddball cast of characters, Danny must rescue his son and escape before the Prince of Mu has them all executed. Watch the blog for Roger Ash’s interview with Thompson for more details — It’s Westfield’s first audio interview! . . . Also from IDW this month, the third volume of Alex Raymond’s incredible Rip Kirby and Volume 2 of Jack Kent’s delightful King Aroo — both new classic comic strip collections from the Library of American Comics! . . . Plus, a personal favorite of mine is back in print (in a nice hardcover presentation for the first time). Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen’s Shockrockets, one of the best miniseries of its era, was originally published by the late, lamented Gorilla Comics. The Shockrockets are an elite squadron of hi-tech aircraft built with a fusion of alien and terrestrial technology and flown by the best pilots available. Operating on an unstable Earth after a devastating invasion from space, the Shockrockets are tasked with protecting the planet, a mission that becomes more intense when an rookie outsider joins the team after a freak accident and makes waves with the rest of the squad. Beautifully illustrated hi-flying action in a 160-page full color hardcover.

Captain America: Man Out of Time

6. Mark Waid: The Kid That No Longer Collects Comics is back to write the character that he was born to write in a new Marvel miniseries. Captain America: Man Out of Time is a five-part story examining in-depth the era just after the Avengers free him from the iceberg where he’s been in suspended animation for half a century. How will Steve Rogers adapt to the world of the 21st century? It’s illustrated by Jorge Molina (Avengers: Initiative) . . . If that wasn’t historical enough, Waid is also teaming up with the father of Marvel Comics himself — Stan Lee! — with a second new title for Boom! Studios — Stan Lee’s The Traveler. (Stan’s Soldier Zero #1 debuted last month.) The Traveler is another classic man-out-of-time story, as the mysterious Traveler battles the forces of evil and finds all of history — and the future — hanging in the balance! It’s drawn by Chad Hardin (Amazing Spider-Man) . . . If that wasn’t enough, Manic Mark is also writing new issues of his regular fan-fave Boom! series this month –  Irredeemable (#19) and Incorruptible (#12). Inconceivable!

Stan Lee Universe

7. The Stan Lee Universe: Speaking of Stan, if you’re new to comics (or just old and forgetful like me) and don’t really have a handle on the whole “Stan Lee mystique” thing, check out the new The Stan Lee Universe book, published by TwoMorrows. It’s edited/compiled by Roy Thomas (who was there) and Danny Fingeroth (a True Believer!) and promises to be the ultimate repository of Stan Lee ephemera (i.e. interviews, mementos, and trivia) from the Merry Marvel years — some of which comes from Stan’s personal archive and has never before been seen by the public. The book includes cool swag: Notes from Richard Corbin and Will Eisner on projects that never happened. Pages from Stan’s Silver Surfer screenplay for Roger Corman. Unpublished notes from Stan and Jack Kirby’s Silver Surfer graphic novel. Plus interviews and testimonials from John Romita (Sr. & Jr.!), Todd McFarlane, Roy Thomas, Dennis O’Neil, Gene Colan, Al Jaffee, Jerry Robinson, and others! Available in both 176-page softcover or 192-page hardcover (with dustjacket and 16 pages of material not in the softcover). Face front, effendi!

Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition

8. Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition: The rabbit ronin is celebrating his 25th Anniversary this year, and to celebrate, Fantagraphic Books is publishing a massive 1,200 page, two-volume slipcased hardcover which will serve as the complete omnibus for all of the the character’s earliest adventures — basically the first seven volumes of Usagi Yojimbo, plus lots of bonus material. This will include two Usagi/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover stories, tons of sketches, a full-color cover gallery, and a lengthy career-spanning interview with award winning creator Stan Sakai. It’s not often that charm, whimsy, and epic saga are all part of the same work, but Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo not only combines but defines all of these qualities. It’s a prodigious achievement in comics, and this is your chance to get in from the very beginning.

Return of the Dapper Men

9. Return of the Dapper Men: It’s Anorev, a world between time where machines have worked so long that it’s become play and the clocks have all stopped at the same time, until the day that 314 dapper-looking gentlemen rain down from the sky to start the world again. Now Ayden, the only boy to still ask questions; Zoe, the robot girl all other machines hold dear; and the Dapper Man known only as “41” must discover what happened to make time stop, and to learn what “tomorrow” really means. The sun is setting for the first time in memory, and once that happens everything changes. Return of the Dapper Men is a 128-page hardcover all-ages graphic novel by writer Jim McCann and artist Janet Lee and published by Archaia. Not only is the concept fascinating, Lee has a unique art approach that includes decoupage — which means that her original pages, instead of being the usual paper, are actual blocks of wood! Roger Ash recently spoke to the creators about this new work and that interview — with many more details about the story — will be right here at the blog soon! Be sure to check it out — before we all run out of time!

10. Try something new. No, really. I dare you.

And you pick. Don’t just listen to my picks. Try something new, or something you’ve heard good things about — not just the stuff you normally look at. You might be missing something really big!

Don’t follow leaders, watch the parking meters.

Then write and tell me about it. (Yes, it’s homework. September is back-to-school month, remember?) But when you find something really cool, the best thing you can do is share it.

KC CARLSON asks the musical question: Is it time for the comics industry to have its own self-help book? Giving Up the Ghost: When It’s Time to Lay Your Tired Old Comic Book Character (or Franchise) Down to Sleep (Instead of Relaunching It Over and Over Again). Does comics need a Dr. Kevorkian? Or do comic book publishers think that Euthanasia is a great title for a new war comic about new recruits set in Iraq or South Korea?

As always, Westfield disavows any knowledge of my actions.

DC Comics Year by Year

by KC Carlson

As mentioned briefly last month, we are now at that point in the calendar year where publishers begin showing off their special books for the coming holiday season. So, keep in mind that many of the items we’re talking about here may not actually ship until October or November. Also, with the high cover price of some of the items listed here, this might actually be more of a “Dear Santa…” idea list than anything else.

1. DC COMICS’ 75th ANNIVERSARY ITEMS

DC has always had a fascinating history, so expect a flood of stuff — some of it quite cool — over the coming months to celebrate the company’s 75 years. For example, DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle. Published by DK, this 352-page oversized hardcover tells the entire history of DC Comics, from the dawn of comic books in 1934 to the present. Month by month, it details the debuts of DC’s biggest characters and titles, as well as major trends and events, all profusely illustrated with classic art, covers, and photos. I love chronological histories like this, as you can put so much perspective by knowing not only when something was first published, but also what else was created or introduced around the same time. Written by Daniel Wallace, with an introduction by Paul Levitz and cover by Ryan Sook.

DC Super Heroes Ultimate Pop-Up Book

DC Super-Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book: This book is primarily designed for kids, but you may want one for yourself, as it has some really impressive stuff, including a light-up Bat-Signal, a cosmic Justice League of America battle scene, a twirling Lasso of Truth, and a transparent Invisible Jet! Over 25 impressive scenes are included, all designed by pop-up engineer (I want that degree!) Matthew Reinhart. 12 pages. (Yes, you read that right. There must be multiple pops to a page.)

DC Postcards

DC Comics: 75th Anniversary 100 Postcards Set: This very affordable set of 100 postcards features classic covers from throughout DC’s long history. Samples shown include the Golden Age, Silver Age, and the various modern ages (Copper? Bronze? Iron? West Coast? Dark? Platinum? It’s the new Metal Men!).

Music of DC Comic

The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection CD: Collecting much theme and incidental music associated with DC characters over the last 75 years — all on one disc! (Notable omission: The Adventures of Superman TV theme). Here’s a rough track listing:

1. March of Superman (from the Fleischer cartoon) (1941)
2. Theme From Superman (Main Title) – John Williams
3. Lois and Clark TV Theme
4. Save Me – Remy Zero (Smallville theme)
5. Batman Theme (60s TV Show) – Neal Hefti
6. The New Adventures of Batman Theme (70s cartoon) – Jeff Michael
7. The Batman Theme – Danny Elfman
8. Molossus (From Batman Begins) – Hans Zimmer
9. The Batman (Theme, 2004) – The Edge
10. Batman Beyond Cartoon Theme
11. Batman: The Brave and the Bold Theme Song
12. Justice League Unlimited Theme
13. Justice League Animated Theme (2001) – Kristopher Carter
14. Super Friends Animated Theme (1970s) – Hoyt S. Curtin
15. The All New Superfriends Hour Theme (1977)
16. Teen Titans Filmation Cartoon Intro (1967)
17. Teen Titans Animated Theme (2000s) – Andy Sturmer/Puffy AmiYumi
18. Green Lantern Filmation Cartoon Theme (1970s)
19. Green Lantern First Flight Theme (2009) – Robert J. Kral
20. Wonder Woman TV Theme (1970s) – Charles Fox
21. Wonder Woman Animated Theme (2009) – Christopher Drake
22. Aquaman Filmation Cartoon Intro (1970s)
23. The Flash Filmation Cartoon Intro (1970s)
24. The Atom Filmation Cartoon (1974)
25. Hawkman Filmation Cartoon (1974)
26. Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show Theme – Dean Elliot
27. Swamp Thing Cartoon Theme

2. BOOKS ABOUT COMIC CREATORS

Al Jaffee's Mad Life

Al Jaffee’s Mad Life: Jaffee is Mad Magazine’s most prolific contributor, having appeared in over 450 issues of the magazine. His work first appeared in 1955, and he’s only missed one issue since 1964. His most famous creation — now a cultural icon — is the Mad Fold-In. Unbelievably, Jaffee never sees his painted image actually folded until it is printed in the magazine. He uses one of the oldest and reliable tools available to artists to do the actual layout — his brain. It has served him well over a long and distinguished career. Al Jaffee’s Mad Life is the story of that life and career, one of bringing millions of childhoods to untimely ends with the knowledge that parents are hypocrites, teachers are dummies, politicians are liars, and life isn’t fair. I, for one, thank him for it. Al’s “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” has been a template for my worldview, and my admiration for his crazy inventions (second only to Rube Goldberg’s) has been the blueprint for how my brain works. Buy this book.

Art of Jim Starlin

Jim Starlin: A Life in Words and Pictures: A 312-page illustrated bio of the man who redefined “cosmic” for the comics industry, beginning with Marvel’s Captain Marvel and Warlock in the 1970s and exploding into creator-owned epics in the 80s and 90s. Starlin is one of those special talents capable of single-handedly creating his own universes. This is his story. Co-published by IDW and Desperado (the folks responsible for the incredible Art of Brian Bolland and Art of P. Craig Russell books). Also available in a signed & numbered edition.

Brush With Passion

Brush With Passion: The Life and Art of Dave Stevens: First published in hardcover in 2008 and now out of print (and going for huge collector prices), this is a new trade paperback printing and will probably sell just as quickly. This 288-page, full-color, lavishly illustrated book covers the life and career of beloved and influential Dave Stevens, best known for his creation The Rocketeer. Includes many iconic paintings and previously unpublished artwork.

3. THE SIMPSONS

Simpsons World

Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide HC: This mammoth 1,200-page slipcased hardcover features comprehensive episode synopses for 20 seasons of Simpsons (128 of the shows never before covered!). Plus the largest compendium of Simpson facts and trivia ever compiled! Over 400 character profiles! Screen shots! The best quotes! Song lyrics! And all the secret stuff you may have missed! Plus there are master lists of celebrity guest stars, every “D’oh” or “Mmm…” Homer ever uttered, couch gags, church marquee messages, Krusty the Clown merchandise, chalkboard quips, character designs, production art, and much, much more. Like a complete filmography of Itchy & Scratchy cartoons and a loving tribute to Troy McClure! And best of all — it weighs 8.8 pounds! (Which probably also qualifies it as a weapon!)

Treehouse of Horror

Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror #16: It’s Halloween (Really? I haven’t even seen fireworks yet, much less Labor Day brats!), and it’s time for the Annual fear-fest that is the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. Our hosts this year include Evan Dorkin with a story about Professor Frink called “The Glavin”, Peter Kuper embracing his inner-Poe with “The Tell-Tale Bart”, Kelley Jones and Kelvin Mao telling the story of Flanders’ ultimate revenge on Homer, and Lemmy (from Motörhead) taking Homer on a heavy metal trip to Hell! 48 pages from Bongo, the comic company not afraid to scare their customers to death!

4. MARVEL COMICS

Fantastic Four

I’m enjoying a lot of Marvel titles these days, but nothing new is jumping out at me this month. There’s a bunch of Wolverine and variant titles (not variant covers, variant Wolverines — like Daken and X-23) and lots of Thor miniseries. (I wonder if there’s a movie coming out? Anybody hear anything?) If you like vampires and mutants — you’re in luck! (I’m kinda vamped out these days, thanks.) Think I’ll stick with the Age of Heroes titles I’m really enjoying like Fantastic Four (which adds artist Steve Epting this month) and the offbeat Thunderbolts (who now count Man-Thing (?!) as a member). The two main Avengers titles (Avengers and New Avengers) are reading like new epics in the making, and both Avengers Prime (Bendis & Davis) and The Children’s Crusade (by Heinberg & Cheung) are solicited this month. Lotsa good stuff!

Acts of Vengeance

Marvel Books: Acts of Vengeance from the early 1990s is being Omnibused (is that a word?) this month. This early Marvel crossover had a now-quaint premise — villains decided to attack heroes they didn’t normally fight — and the series offers up some great moments, but it doesn’t really hold together as a whole, since it didn’t really have an anchor title. Still, it’s cool that it’s all collected in one 744-page hardcover, with either a new cover by Alan Davis or a reprint cover from John Byrne . . . The earliest Thor stories by Lee and Kirby (and a cast of other creators) from Journey Into Mystery are also on tap in a new 768-page Omnibus . . . The Marvel Masterworks line celebrates its landmark 150th volume by starting a “new” series to reprint — Marvel Team-Up, the then-revolutionary new series that teamed-up Spider-Man (and occasionally the Human Torch) with the stars of the Marvel Universe . . . The classic hardcover reprint of the month is Captain America: War & Remembrance, which collects the entire Roger Stern/John Byrne run — including the classic Captain America for President story — in one 224-page volume.

5. THE BALLAD OF HALO JONES

Ballad of Halo Jones

First appearing in serialized form in the pages of 2000 A.D. in 1984, and later compiled into many and varied collections — all out of print – The Ballad of Halo Jones remains one of Alan Moore’s earliest, most popular, and in-demand works. Originally developed in response to the testosterone-fuelled strips in 2000 A.D., Moore hoped to create a strip based on a ordinary, unremarkable woman. He didn’t always succeed on those counts — Halo’s subsequent adventures are both remarkable and frequently intense — but the series reportedly did attract a large number of female readers, was also embraced by male fans, and ultimately was considered one of 2000 A.D.’s best strips. I was immediately taken in by the beautiful artwork of the vastly underrated Ian Gibson. Reviewer Regie Rigby sums up the impact of Gibson’s art perfectly: “Halo’s world was a vastly different future to those envisaged in 2000 A.D.‘s other stories. Ian Gibson’s singular artistry gave everything a sort of rounded organic look, but also absolutely breathtaking beauty. Anyone who feels the way to make comics sexy is to draw small clothes and big breasts should take a look at Gibson’s work on Halo Jones…”

This is another in the long line of comic’s great unfinished projects. It was originally envisioned as a nine-book saga, spanning Halo’s life from adolescence to old age, but only three were done. What was completed is remarkable, yet bittersweet. This new collection from Rebellion/2000 A.D. is 202 pages.

6. BLONDIE VOLUME 1

Blondie

IDW’s and The Library of American Comics latest classic newspaper comic strip series (Gosh, they have a lot. Hope they can keep them all going!) is Chic Young’s Blondie. Now a gag-a-day humor strip about a typical American suburban family, primarily focused on goofy dad Dagwood, it was totally a different strip when it first debuted on September 8, 1930. Then, the unmarried Blondie Boopadoop, a flapper who hung around in dance halls, was the star of the strip. (Boopadoop came from the lyric of the popular song “I Wanna Be Loved by You” which later became the signature tune for another popular flapper — Betty Boop.) Early on, Blondie met Dagwood Bumstead, the heir to a wealthy, high society fortune, and they fell in love. The aristocratic Bumstead parents were aghast that their son was dating beneath their class and ultimately refused him permission to marry the blonde.  But the two young lovers eventually hatched a hysterical plan — Dagwood goes on a hunger strike! (Ah! the origin of those ridiculous sandwiches! He’s still hungry from the hunger strike!) Eventually the two were wed — in the classic strips that close this volume — but their problems were far from over. More than two years of daily strips are collected in this 280-page volume, and many of the earliest strips have never been collected!

(Editor’s note: If you want to know more about the Blondie collection, come back Thursday, July 1 for Roger Ash’s interview with Library of American Comics’ Associate Editor, Bruce Canwell, which will be profusely illustrated with classic Blondie art.)

7. THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS: 2010

Best American Comics 2010

Every year, series editors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden ask a well-known guest editor to assist them in selecting the Best American Comics of the period passed. This year, the “name” editor is Neil Gaiman, who will help scour the world of comics (meaning graphic novels, pamphlet comics, newspapers, magazines, mini-comics, and the internet) for the best stories from 2010. So simple. With Gaiman on board this year — a  more “mainstream” choice than usual — there’s a possibility that the choices (always a secret prior to publication) might be slightly less esoteric than in some previous years, although those looking for a book full of Green Lantern or Deadpool stories (or any superhero comics, for that matter) will probably be disappointed. A 416-page hardcover book, published by Houghton Mifflin.

8. POPEYE: THE BEST COMIC BOOK STORIES OF BUD SAGENDORF

Popeye Vol. 1

Historians generally agree that there are three classic presentations of Popeye the Sailor Man: The original comic strip (Thimble Theatre) by E.C. Segar, the animated cartoons by the Fleischer studios, and the 1940s and 50s comic book stories written and drawn by Bud Sagendorf, Segar’s long-time assistant. IDW and Yoe Books is collecting the very best of them in a full-color, 176-page hardcover. Bob Greenberger will give you a detailed run-down of the stories in this book and the history behind them in an upcoming blog post. Bob’s other topic this month will be Dynamite’s Vampirella Archives Volume 1, reprinting the classic Warren magazine. (And how often do you see Popeye and Vampirella in the same paragraph? Gotta love comics!)

9. DC BOOKS

New Teen Titans: Games

New Teen Titans: Games: You can now check off another title in the list of “Announced But Never Published” comics projects. Begun in the late 1980s and shelved by DC before being finished, New Teen Titans: Games is now (somewhat unbelievably) nearing completion and scheduled to hit shelves in early November. Set in the Titans continuity of the 1980s, this stand-alone graphic novel by classic Titan talents Marv Wolfman and George Pérez features a “lost tale” of a deadly game with a mysterious villain — with NYC as the game board and the Titans as the playing pieces. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Pérez art pages produced in the 80s side-by-side with the dynamic work he’s producing today. It’s not just a 144-page graphic novel — it’s a missing piece of comic history.

Great Darkness Saga

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga Deluxe Edition: Re-presenting THE classic Legion story in the way it always should have been — with the great stories that surrounded that groundbreaking epic, harkening back to the day when the Legion was one of DC’s best-selling titles. Collecting Legion of Super-Heroes #284-296 and LSH Annual #1 in a 416-page hardcover collection for the first time by the Legion team supreme of Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen.

Boy Commandos

Going way back in time is The Boy Commandos by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby. Created by the team in 1942, combining kid gang comics with stories based on wartime British commandos, it became one of DC’s most popular features, appearing in Detective Comics, World’s Finest Comics, and 36 issues of its own title. Many of those issues reportedly sold over a million copies per issue; it was among DC’s three best-selling titles (along with Superman and Batman). Despite penciling five pages a day of the feature, Kirby couldn’t draw all the stories, so other creators (including a young Gil Kane) were brought in. This collection contains S&K stories from Detective #64-73, World’s Finest #8-9, and Boy Commandos #1-2. 256 pages.

Power Girl

If you’re looking for something a little more current, you can’t go wrong with Power Girl: Aliens and Apes, collecting the final Amanda Conner, Justin Gray, and Jimmy Palmiotti issues (#7-12), which neatly wraps up everything that the team began. It’s a truly wonderful and heartwarming collection of stories, which sadly might be the very last time we actually see anything like this from Depressing Comics, who would rather push their “no fun” agenda and publish more stories about hallucinatory dead cats. (That’s okay, there’s still plenty of fun comics elsewhere across the comics landscape, and I hope Justin, Jimmy and Amanda find a new — and better — home soon.)

10. IN BRIEF

Weird War Tales

Darwyn Cooke writes and draws a short story for DC’s Weird War Tales one-shot this month, as well as providing the cover . . . Two interesting Archie projects this month: Abrams is producing a slipcovered hardcover collection of the recent Archie Marries… story with lots of extras including script outtakes, never-before-seen sketches, annotations, vintage covers, and exclusive creator interviews. One of those will be with artist Stan Goldberg, who is featured in IDW’s new Archie: Best of Stan Goldberg collection of classic reprints, topped off with an introduction by Stan Lee. (Goldberg was a very important part of the formative years of Atlas and Marvel Comics before his Archie career began in the 1970s.) The collection also includes photos, bonus pin-ups, and other material from Goldberg’s own collection . . . Fans of Chip Kidd’s unique books on pop culture should be on the lookout for Shazam: The Golden Age of the World’s Mightiest Mortal. This 246-page hardcover features 300 full-color illustrations of all the incredible early merchandising (toys, statues, buttons, etc.) associated with the Big Red Cheese in his heyday of the 1940s and early 50s.

KC CARLSON would like to remind everyone that Mr. and Mrs. Westfield don’t actually think that DC Comics stands for Depressing Comics, but they don’t really mind too much if he does. Because that way they don’t have to buy him any Christmas presents.

Beau Smith

by Beau Smith

Let’s talk about Marvel and DC characters a little. Depending on your age and when you started reading comics, you no doubt have that time period wired into your brain and it makes a difference as to how you see the characters. Example: If you started reading Batman in the early 1960’s, then a part of you will always think of him with the Batcave, the giant penny, fighting bad guys like Gorilla Boss, and never having a story go more than one issue. A far cry from the Batman of the 1980’s when the “grim and gritty” trend began for him.

Neither is right or wrong, it’s just a matter of when you came to the party.

A lot of the foundation of how I see Marvel and DC characters was built in the 1960’s. I can mark down another change in my perception of them in the mid-1980’s when I became a comic book writer. Add to that even another layer when in the 1990’s I wrote most of the characters that I grew up with.

From 2000 on, I’ve noticed that with my writing and reading, I’ve taken on yet another layer to my thoughts on these characters, one that, to me, encompasses almost every decade of knowing them. I look at that as a very good thing. It gives me a variety of camera angles to look at these characters so that I can enjoy them more when reading their adventures and writing them (Which I need to be hired for more often. Do you hear that, Marvel and DC? Please say you do.)

Avengers #1

Just the other day as I finished reading The Avengers #1, (Heroic Age by Brian Bendis, John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson) I found myself mentally summing up, in just a few words, my thoughts on who these characters and others were. By that I mean who they are to ME, in MY head. We all look at them differently, which is a good thing. If we didn’t, things would be really boring. My/our opinion on these characters isn’t always the way we saw them growing up or as they are written today. That’s the neat thing about it, because it goes to show how our own thoughts influence the way we read and write the characters. It also makes a big difference in why we keep buying comics. I feel that deep down inside, all of us think at some point the characters will one day return to, or change into, the same ones we used to read or want to read. All it takes is one or two panels of the characters acting like we imagined or saying a line or two of dialogue that we think they should say and we’ll continues to buy those books for decades to come. (Or until we take up residence in the Poor House.)

Take a little time to ponder that as you go through your latest comic book buys. You may find that a little of what I’ve said is right. (Being right always makes me happy, especially when others think so as well. Hear my ego inflating?)

Just for fun, I thought I would list a few Marvel and DC characters here and jot down my basic thoughts on who they are to me. Remind yourself of that when you read this. Not all of us will agree, but we’re free to not agree and that keeps thing from getting stale.

Iron Man: Smart, sophisticated, a bit egotistical, and used to being in charge. Admires loyalty and gives it when earned.

Batman: Driven always to be the best, almost to a fault. Doesn’t suffer fools. Not known for his sense of humor, but does have one although at times it’s a little dark and well hidden. Values his time alone, but also knows that he craves being with others, much more than he would ever admit. He is more than willing to be a teacher to those that are truly willing to learn.

Spider-Man: Wears his heart on his costumed sleeve and doesn’t try and hide it. Uses his very witty sense of humor to calm his own fears and angst as most normal people do when faced with dire situations. Even after years of having special powers, not a day goes by that he isn’t amazed that he can do some of the things he is able to do.



Captain America (Steve Rogers): Never has there been a more natural born leader. His presence alone brings out the best in others, even if they are more powerful than him. Although they will rarely admit it, his worst enemies respect him.



Superman: The core of Superman is to do what is right. Even if he had no powers at all, that core would never change and he would still seek to help others.

Hawkeye: Street smart. Emotional. Able to adapt in any situation. It takes a lot to earn his loyalty, but once you do, it’s there for life. Has learned a lot about leadership from Captain America and could step up if ever need be.



Jonah Hex: A man who has had nothing but lemons tossed at him all his life, but instead of trying to make them into lemonade he turns them into whiskey and rough justice. Want to stop him, then you’ll have to kill him. Good luck, amigo.



Invisible Girl/Woman: The mother of Marvel Comics. In reality, the true leader of the Fantastic Four as well as the glue that keeps the shoe together. She knows her teammates/family well and has always been able to inspire them and make them the best they can be.

Nightwing/Dick Grayson: The ultimate pupil. Incredible ability to learn, retain and separate the good from the bad on his own. In many ways he has become to the parent and Batman the son.



Wolverine: The last person you would ever want hunting you.



Wonder Woman: Warrior. Diplomat. Leader and the loneliest hero in comics.

Okay, there are just a few of the heroes and my thoughts on them. I could go on forever as I know you could as well, but they only give me so much space and they’re telling me that it’s time to shut up. Please feel free to post up your own comments here and let us know what your thoughts are on Marvel and DC heroes in just a few sentences. It’s harder than you think.

Your amigo,

Beau Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch
www.flyingfistranch.com

KC flanked by former Legionnaire artists, Cory Carani & Jeff Moy

by KC Carlson

Though we may be inundated by it in current superhero comic books, long-form serialized storytelling is nothing new.

The idea of telling a long-form storyline as a series of chapters originally dates back to somewhere between the mid-8th and the mid-13th century. The work in question?  One Thousand and One Nights, more colloquially known in English as the Arabian Nights. They are actually a series of independent stories gathered together with a framing device, but as originally told, each story was shared over a period of nights, including some kind of “cliffhanger” ending, which would be resolved the following night. Some of the more famous of the stories include “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor”, all of which are probably much better known to several generations of American children as the basis for three very memorable (and historically important) Popeye the Sailor cartoons.

In the 19th century, many writers wrote serialized stories for popular magazines or newspapers. Best known for this was Charles Dickens (The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield, among others) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes). In more recent times, author Stephen King has also experimented with serialization, first publishing The Green Mile in small paperback chapters.

Serialization was popular among writers in the Victorian Age because the more chapters that were written, the more money the writer was paid. This, especially in Dickens’ case, explains why many of his novels are so long. These facts will be interesting to tuck back into your brains for when we discuss decompressed storytelling later in this article. Also of note, Americans were whipped into a frenzy by Dickens’ serials – most noteworthy being the people waiting on the docks for the ship bringing the final chapter of The Old Curiosity Shop to see what became of Little Nell.

Such storytelling was also popular during the 1930s Golden Age of radio dramas, with scores of shows like The Shadow or The Lone Ranger and even Superman spreading their stories over several weeks. As television slowly developed, and eventually overtook radio, the new medium largely avoided serialization for done-in-one dramas, situation comedies, and variety shows. Early drama series also tended to be complete hour-long stories with very minimal subplotting. The big exception to this rule for TV was daily soap operas, which were largely being brought over from radio anyway.

Terry & the Pirates

Newspaper comic strips – especially the action/adventure type like Terry and the Pirates, Buck Rogers, or Rip Kirby – are obvious examples of serialized storytelling. What else could you do with only three or four panels a day? By the 1960s, even the gag-a-day Peanuts gang were off on adventures that lasted a week or more, as were Pogo Possum and his pals. More and more humor strips (Doonesbury, Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes) followed suit as the decades rolled by.

The Golden Age

Early comic books, however, did not tell long stories. Book-length, maybe, on rare occasions. But for the most part, Golden Age comic books were anthologies – collections of many different short stories. Even comics that starred a single character usually told four to six different stories per issue, often by different creative teams. The early Justice Society stories in All-Star Comics were collections of individually produced, kinda-connected adventures, with the team only really coming together for the first and last chapters. (This would change, within a few years.) This formula was successfully repeated for Leading Comics’ Seven Soldiers of Victory and All-Winners for Timely’s All-Winners’ Squad.

Action Comics #1

Obviously, there were exceptions to this. The big one is also incidentally recognized as the first superhero story ever. That’s right, the very first Superman story in Action Comics #1 is directly continued into the next issue. That’s mostly by expediency rather than by design, however, since these first Superman tales were originally designed to be read as daily newspaper strips. They were only later cut and pasted into the comic book format, as the strip was historically rejected by everyone before being bought by DC. The early installments of the Superman feature in Action Comics were, in fact, recycled (but unpublished) newspaper strip continuity.

Other early long-form stories include the ongoing Human Torch vs. Sub-Mariner battles over at Timely (neo-Marvel), a seven-part Captain Marvel/Spy Smasher serial in Whiz Comics and the even longer Captain Marvel “Monster Society of Evil” storyline, from Captain Marvel Adventures #22-46 (March 1943 to May 1945), both of which were originally published by Fawcett. (Hey, whatever happened to DC Comics’ proposed reprint of “Monster Society”?)

Some of the longer stories in comics at the time were being done in the realm of kids’ comics, most notably at the House of Mouse in Walt Disney stories published by Dell Comics. “Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold”, written by Bob Karp and illustrated by Carl Barks and Jack Hanna, clocked in at a whopping 64 pages when first published in Dell’s Four Color #9 in 1942. Many of the classic Barks-written and -drawn Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories were also long by then-current standards – most of these clocked in at 28 to 32 pages when first published. None of the Barks work was serialized, however. His stories were always done-in-one.

This was not the case for the comic strip and comic book adventures of Disney’s flagship character Mickey Mouse. Mickey fist appeared as a newspaper comic strip on December 19, 1929. From the beginning, the strip featured Mickey starring in long adventure tales drawn by the legendary Floyd Gottfredson. These started with the May 5, 1930, strip (Gottfredson’s 25th birthday, incidentally). Initially, it was intended to be a temporary assignment, but Gottfredson would continue to draw the daily and Sunday strip for the next 45 years! Many of these stories would eventually be reprinted in the comic books, serialized in the pages of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories. Beginning in the 1950s, new Mickey Mouse stories were specifically created and serialized in WDC&S, illustrated by Paul Murry, and written by a number of different writers, including Carl Falberg.

Incidentally, a number of the early Four Color comics feature extra-long 67-page stories – the story also ran on the inside covers and back cover!

Long-form comic stories were also popular in Europe during this time period. Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin began in 1929, first appearing in French and serialized in a children’s supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle. Other popular European series included the western Lieutenant Blueberry and the adventure series Corto Maltese. Later on, children’s features like Asterix and the Smurfs became popular. All of these series achieved greater readership once the strips were compiled into albums, which were the forerunners of the modern graphic novels (although that term really didn’t gain any traction until the late 1970s in America).

The Silver Age

Justice League of America #21

Longer stories didn’t take much of a foothold until the Silver Age, when book-length Superman stories started to be cover-blurbed in 1957 (Superman #113) as a “3-part novel”. Even then, with DC’s strict format rigidity, their book-length stores were always divided up into three chapters of seven or eight pages each. Jack Kirby’s early Challengers of the Unknown stories were often book-length, beginning with their first appearance in Showcase #6, also cover-dated 1957. In 1959, a two-part Bizarro story appeared in Action Comics #254-255. The annual JLA/JSA crossovers in Justice League of America were always two-parters, but an early two-part JLA story preceded them in issues #10 and #11. Over in Action Comics, the Supergirl backup was generally only 8-10 pages, but that was occasionally serialized to tell longer stories. The 1961-62 storyline that culminated in Supergirl being revealed to the public was one of the earliest Silver Age serials, running for eight issues. When the story was later reprinted as an entire 80 Page-Giant, pages were edited out to get it to fit.

Avengers #4

Marvel Comics, as we know it today, was just getting started in the 1960s, so experimentation was the name of the game. As primary writer for most of this decade (at least on the main superhero titles), Stan Lee created a verbal stew of ongoing, occasionally interconnected storylines. In an era where DC readers didn’t really know if the Doom Patrol and Superman existed in the same “universe”, it was a radical idea of the time to see Spider-Man swinging by in the background of other Marvel comics. Marvel’s heroes didn’t exist in a vacuum – they inhabited an entire universe together. Dr. Doom didn’t just menace the Fantastic Four; he took on Spider-Man as well. And Stan wasn’t shy about turning to the past, either, introducing Golden Age greats Sub-Mariner in Fantastic Four #4 and Captain America in Avengers #4. (Something magical about the number 4 in the MU.)

Cap’s reappearance in modern times offered the Marvel Universe something else in terms of storytelling – the specter of death. In Avengers #4, it was revealed that Cap’s WWII-era partner Bucky did not survive the end of that war, killed by the villainous Baron Zemo (who in turn met his own death in Avengers #15). These stories, as well as the death of Uncle Ben in the origin of Spider-Man, indicated to readers that the Marvel Universe was going to be a place where major events would actually happen and would play an ongoing part in the lives of the characters. (This being comic books, Bucky is now back as well, although – at last count – Ben and Zemo are still dead.)

Marvel was much more liberal in the use of continued stories, with the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and Thor titles prominently featuring two- or three-part stories on occasion. Continued stores were a necessity, as unfortunate business deals limited the number of comics that Marvel could publish each month, leaving many of Marvel’s biggest or most interesting characters (Captain America, Iron Man, Giant-Man & the Wasp, the Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange, and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.) sharing space with each other in Marvel’s famous anthology titles, Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish, and Strange Tales. Since each character only had 10 pages a month to work with, most of these characters were forced into serialized storytelling as a matter of survival. An early, epic 17-part Dr. Strange story in Strange Tales #130-146 was especially notable.

Fantastic Four #49

Marvel’s most famous multi-part story in this era is the “Galactus Trilogy”, appearing in Fantastic Four #48-50 and introducing both Galactus and his herald, the sensitive and tortured Silver Surfer. This was hailed by many as an innovation in storytelling for revealing Galactus on the final page of FF#48 as a cliffhanger/teaser of what was to come (although this was not the first time this technique had been used). The most interesting storytelling technique in the “Galactus Trilogy” was that the actual Galactus story begins at the bottom of page 7 of issue #48 and is pretty much wrapped up on page 13 of FF #50 — indicating that stories could now begin and end wherever the hell they wanted to.

Meanwhile, DC Was Napping…

DC was slow to pick up on Marvel’s revolutionary storytelling style. Historians note that DC’s executives at the time were so slow on the uptake because Marvel’s books looked so much crappier than their own that they couldn’t believe that they were being outsold by this obviously inferior product. Granted, DC had amazing production standards and some legendary artists, but their characters and their writing seemed old, tired, and produced by 50- or 60-year-old men. (Because they were.) Marvel’s, on the other hand, were full of action, drama (or melodrama), and in-your-face excitement. The big secret was that, for the most part, Stan and many of the artists producing the Marvel books were about the same age as the DC folks — the difference being that guys like Stan and Jack Kirby refused to act their age! The most telling thing about this era at DC was that they had Neal Adams kicking around the offices for years, and they couldn’t figure out what to do with him. (He was drawing Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope comic books. I am not making this up.) When Adams started drawing Superman and Action Comics covers, and the sales shot up because of it, the DC brass couldn’t figure out why.

One of the rare exceptions here was 14-year-old Jim Shooter’s work on the Legion of Super-Heroes in Adventure Comics, beginning in 1966. Shooter continued the use of frequent two-part stories, while slowly adding issue-by-issue continuity to his memorable Legion stories.

Fortunately, things changed in a big way for DC around 1968. Most of the old management was out. Carmine Infantino, the artist known for drawing Batman, The Flash, and Adam Strange, was on the way up the DC corporate ladder, and people were listening to what he had to say. He brought in artists to be editors, an experiment that provided big dividends, at least in the short run.

Two of those editors were Dick Giordano and Joe Orlando. (A third, Joe Kubert, really revolutionized DC’s war titles, but that’s not the focus of this article.). I covered Giordano’s accomplishments in an recent article on his passing. Joe Orlando’s accomplishments were more subtle in the short run, but Joe was a guy who could really work well with young artists, which was something DC needed as, also around 1968, they got rid of a lot of their older editors, writers, and artists – and not in the most gracious (or morally correct) way. Suddenly, the doors of DC were open to younger talent, and guys like Joe, Joe, Dick, and even venerable Julie Schwartz (who like Stan, also had a young spirit) were prepared to welcome them – and more importantly train them. (Neal Adams, while not on the DC staff, also did much to train and support new talent at this time.)

Deadman

Many core DC books were often “in transition” as new talents struggled to learn their craft, so the lesser, cult titles at DC became the ones to watch. Virtually overnight, minor titles like Aquaman, House of Mystery, and Teen Titans were suddenly interesting, and new concepts like Anthro, The Creeper, Deadman, Secret Six, Enemy Ace, Bat Lash, and Hawk and Dove were not like any other DC title (not really like anything Marvel, either). Meanwhile, even the concepts that didn’t quite work (Wonder Woman’s mod Diana Prince era, the Metal Men becoming “human”) were at least fascinating to watch. Aquaman became interesting when writer Steve Skeates and artist Jim Aparo were assigned to the series (long-time Aquaman artist Nick Cardy remained on the striking covers). They began a nine-issue quest storyline as Aquaman (no longer the polite, benevolent Sea King) set off after the unknown criminals who kidnapped his wife, Mera.

When Deadman ran its course (it was unique in comics at the time because the series had a built-in conclusion, similar to that of the extremely popular TV series The Fugitive), Neal Adams finally got on a regular Batman title (The Brave and the Bold), which eventually led him to Detective and teaming with writer Denny O’Neil, and a history-making creative team was born. The pair did a series of great one-shot Batman tales, and in 1970, they went on to create the award-winning Green Lantern/Green Arrow series, after Adams (with writer Bob Haney) performed a character makeover on Green Arrow in one of Adams’ last Brave and Bold issues. GL/GA became one of those “do anything you want to do” books (like Frank Miller’s later classic Daredevil run, incidentally edited by O’Neil) where the book was going to be canceled so they should at least have some fun before it went.

Green Lantern #85

What O’Neil and Adams wanted to do in GL/GA was talk about the issues of the day – especially the ones that mattered to the era’s young people. So, becoming more news commentary and political allegory than superhero comic book, GL/GA set the comic world on fire – an early example of the outside world realizing that there was something interesting in those funny books. Format-wise, there wasn’t anything really revolutionary about the series. Most of the stories were done-in-one, the exception being the powerful two-part “Snowbirds Don’t Fly” where Green Arrow discovers that his ward Speedy (who he has ignored of late) has become a drug addict. What was revolutionary about the series was that the characters acted, argued, and fought like real people, not the cardboard cutouts that most DC heroes were at this time. This series forever altered those characters in the best way possible – they became “real” in the reader’s eyes.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t last. And didn’t – the series was canceled two years later. By that time there was another revolution brewing – Jack Kirby had left Marvel. And was going to write and draw Jimmy Olsen for DC Comics. No, really.

The 1970s: The King Has a New Kingdom

In August 1970, the first Jack Kirby-produced issue of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 hit the newsstands and spinner racks, and comics fandom collectively scratched its head in confusion. (Sharp-eyed fans also noticed that Superman and Jimmy’s heads were redrawn by Superman artist Al Plastino, an insulting thing to do to Kirby and frustrating and anger-inducing to fans, who wanted to see Kirby’s “take” on Superman. But it was DC’s policy at the time to keep their iconic characters “on-model” at all times for licensing purposes. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.) Several months later, Kirby’s Jimmy Olsen was joined by what would become known as his Fourth World titles – Forever People, New Gods, and Mister Miracle. It was an exciting time.

New Gods #7

For this 14-year-old reader, the Kirby books were a tough slog. Oh, there were amazing concepts and wonderful characters and Kirby was doing a great job in anchoring these books to the larger DC Universe, but there was this underlying feeling that not everything was gelling properly. People started whispering that Kirby was a bad writer. He wasn’t. He excelled at coming up with new and entertaining concepts and characters – which is a writer’s primary function. But Kirby had a tin ear for dialogue. His conversations often ran false or seemed like shorthand (actually, like people normally speak). But comic book dialogue in that era was becoming more and more “sophisticated” (which nowadays we see as mannered purple prose, but then, it was a step forward), and what might have served Kirby well in the late 1950s and early 1960s was no longer cutting it with the more experienced comics fans.

It took me (and much of fandom, as it turned out) a while to figure out what Kirby was actually up to. The first real knockout Fourth World story for me was “The Pact” (New Gods #7, Feb/Mar 1972), where we discovered the secrets of both Orion’s and Mr. Miracle’s origins and heritage, as well as much history between the worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips. It was a quantum jolt to discover that Kirby was plotting all of these seemingly individual books as one massive story. Further, Kirby was creating concepts that were spilling over into many other DC comics – the Intergang/Morgan Edge storylines having a big effect on most of the Superman titles. It was another major step forward in the growing maturity of comic book storytelling.

Had they been more successful, these Fourth World books might have been the first to claim the Never-Ending Story title. As it was, it seems that Kirby never got to tell the conclusion the way that he wanted, due to premature cancellations. Eventually, he was able to bring the series to a conclusion of sorts, first in 1984 when the New Gods series was being reprinted in a six-issue miniseries. However, Kirby and DC clashed over how the story should end, DC insisting that all the characters remain alive for future use, while Kirby saw Orion and Darkseid battling to a fiery death on Apokolips. What eventually saw print was the compromised “Even the Gods Must Die” 48-page story, originally printed in #6 of the New Gods reprint series. It acted as the lead-in to the 1995 graphic novel The Hunger Dogs, which was Kirby’s last story with the characters (and the principals were kept alive as per DC’s mandate). So Kirby envisioned the entire New Gods saga as an extremely long-form story, with a beginning, a middle, and a definite conclusion. The end we got just wasn’t the conclusion he envisioned.

DC recently did the deed themselves. Due to editorial incompetence, the characters were killed off in different ways in different comics. Apparently, Death of the New Gods has been reconned out of existence due to the events of Final Crisis #7. Their attempt at creating a Fifth World seems largely stillborn at this writing. Truly a sad legacy for these once-great characters. For once I’m actually wishing for a “it was all a bad dream” story.

Marvel Marches On

Despite Marvel losing Kirby to DC at the dawn of the 1970s, Marvel pretty much ruled comics in that decade. Much of this dominance was due to the growing sophistication of the Marvel writers, who experimented with story forms for most of the decade. By this point, Stan Lee was largely weaning himself off regular writing assignments, as he became Marvel’s Publisher and had more executive activities behind the scenes to contend with. These eight writers changed the face of Marvel comics and set new expectations for what comic storytelling could be:

Avengers: Kree/Skrull War

Roy Thomas first began writing in the 60s with long and interesting stints on the Avengers, X-Men, and Doctor Strange. In the 1970s, Thomas was at the helm for one of Marvel’s most famous long-form stories, “The Kree-Skrull War”. Told in nine issues of The Avengers (#89-97), the story sprawled all over the Marvel Universe and featured dozens of characters. Interestingly, Thomas – either knowingly or unknowingly – also planted some “Easter Eggs” (although they weren’t called that back then) in the storyline (such as clues to the Vision’s origin) that would pay off in subsequent storylines for years to come – another writing innovation of the era.  Elsewhere in the 70s, Thomas’ primary work was on the various (and exceptional) Conan the Barbarian (which was written like an ongoing saga, rather than a series of random adventures) and Red Sonja titles. While serving as Marvel’s second Editor-in Chief, he was instrumental in launching many memorable characters and titles including The Defenders, Werewolf by Night, What If, The Invaders, Iron Fist, Ghost Rider, and later in the decade, Star Wars.

Other newcomers began to make their mark on Marvel in the 1970s, including Steve Englehart, who broke into Marvel writing the memorable Beast series in Amazing Adventures. From there, he went on to Captain America, developing many long and involved storylines. Some proved controversial, such as the Secret Empire storyline which revealed that the President of the United States was actually the secret leader of the evil organization, who subsequently committed suicide in Cap’s presence. Which, in turn, led into the powerful Nomad/Man Without a Country story.

Englehart replaced Thomas on Avengers and wasted little time in messing with time – by adopting time-travelling Kang the Conqueror as his major villain. Englehart began changing the conventional “rules” of time travel by having Kang attack the Avengers time after time (and not always in the same order that the readers were reading). The Kang story dovetailed into Engleheart’s “Cosmic Madonna” storyline, featuring the enigma that was his new character Mantis. At the same time, Englehart was lavishing much time on the budding relationship between the android Vision and the mutant Scarlet Witch. They married during his Avengers run, and later, he wrote the miniseries in which (they thought) they gave birth to twin sons.

Avengers #116

Englehart also initiated one of the first cross-book crossovers when his Avengers and his Defenders went to war in the (duh!) “Avengers/Defenders War”. Englehart was very active as a problem solver of tangled Marvel continuity, penning stories which explained how there was a Captain America in the 1950s, when Stan said that Cap was actually frozen in an iceberg then, as well as the story where it is revealed that the Vision is actually based on the android body of the original Golden Age Human Torch (picking up the torch – so to speak – from Thomas). Englegart also scripted an awesome Doctor Strange arc that was so cosmic and intense, that I don’t think I can do it justice here.

Tomb of Dracula #10

Marv Wolfman’s comic career finally kicked into full gear at Marvel when he wrote several of their flagship titles, including Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Dr. Strange. But he’s probably best known for his long-running work on Tomb of Dracula with artists Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. It was a unique series in that it was primarily written about a frequently evil antagonist rather than the usual heroic protagonist. This is also where Wolfman developed the popular Blade character, a vampire hunter who would eventually star in a series of major films starring Wesley Snipes, as well as several comic book series. Wolfman’s other original work of the era was Nova, a sci-fi superheroic series seemingly based on a lot of major influences and starring a teenage boy, aiming to re-create the magic of Spider-Man for a new audience. It didn’t quite succeed at that, but Nova is still a popular, if somewhat cult, character who has been regularly featured somewhere in the Marvel Universe (either as a New Warrior or a cosmic adventurer) over the last several decades.

Oddly enough, Steve Gerber was one of the more traditional storytellers of the bunch. His unbelievably out-there concepts and ideas won him his well-deserved reputation as one of the best writers of this era. He started out writing traditional superhero fare for Marvel like Daredevil and Sub-Mariner, but fans began to suspect something was up with Gerber during his run on The Defenders. The Defenders was a pretty strange book even before Gerber got to it, it being a team book of characters (The Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer) who didn’t want to be a team. Gerber soon loaded the book up with elves with guns, characters based on old Atlas-era mad scientists, and other absurdist situations, while at the same time telling stories about xenophobia and cosmic gamesmanship. Modern fans tend to look at it as pre-Morrison deconstructionism. I say it was just good old fun.

Howard the Duck #8

Howard the Duck, on the other hand, is probably Gerber’s autobiography. Or at least the tag-line (“Trapped in a world he never made!”) is. At the very least, it was his masterpiece, most likely the most pleasing and frustrating thing he ever was associated with. Hopefully, you know the history, as I don’t have the space to do it right here. I can say that Howard was a tour de force for Gerber. It had everything in it: Politics, stupid superhero tricks, allegory, slight-of-hand, real emotion, a villain named Dr. Bong, pianos, cigars, ostriches, and some of the most unique storytelling ever in comics. A giant tabloid edition featured the Defenders and somebody called Tillie the Hun. Why the hell not?

Gerber’s Man-Thing was another great book about a monster that looked like a movable swamp, couldn’t talk or think, and burned you to death if you were afraid of him (which most normal thinking people were). Since his lead character was totally useless in terms of storytelling, Gerber instead told stories about real people. Troubled, scared, and confused people. People like you and me. It was one of the most unique series in comics, because you never knew what you were going to get in each issue. Howard the Duck was born here. So was Bessie the Hellcow. Great comic? Or greatest comic?

More Marvel Madness

Amazing Adventures #28

Don McGregor wrote both Killraven (in Amazing Adventures) and  Black Panther (in Jungle Action) as if they were ongoing, serialized novels, with amazing levels of depth and characterization Thus, it was no surprise that he was instrumental in developing the modern graphic novel format in 1978’s Sabre (with Paul Gulacy) for Eclipse Comics.

Doug Moench was equally adept at writing superheroes – but with a twist (Moon Knight, Deathlok) – old favorites (notable runs on Fantastic Four, Thor, and Hulk magazines), monsters (Werewolf By Night and Frankenstein), and even off-the-wall licensed properties (Planet of the Apes, Godzilla). But my favorite Moench series of this era is the criminally underrated Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. Co-created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin as a bizarre combination of the Kung Fu TV show and Sax Rohmer’s pulp novel villain Dr. Fu Manchu, Master of Kung Fu told the saga of Shang-Chi, the son of Fu Manchu. Other characters from Rohmer’s novels were used in the series, but no characters from Kung Fu ever appeared – just concepts from the show. Since Marvel no longer licenses either property, Shang-Chi’s (an original Marvel character and trademark) actual parentage is kept vague in current storylines. Because of the licenses, this is one Marvel series that will probably never be reprinted.

Englehart and Starlin left the series pretty quickly, and Moench stepped in and wrote over a hundred issues before the series ended. Moench was fortunate to have many excellent artistic collaborators, including Paul Gulacy, Gene Day, Jim Craig, and Mike Zeck. Gulacy, a noted film buff, snuck in dozens of likenesses of famous film stars (including Marlene Dietrich, David Niven, and Marlon Brando) as supporting characters. And Shang-Chi himself was modeled after martial artist/actor Bruce Lee. Moench joined the in-joke fun by developing characters modeled after Groucho Marx and W.C. Fields, since this was produced in the days before celebrity likeness licensing became big business (and when you could get away with doing stuff like this).

Master of Kung Fu is worth seeking out in back issues, as this is yet another excellent example of long-form, saga-like, sophisticated storytelling. Although Moench didn’t write the final issues, the original series comes to a definitive and thoughtful conclusion.

Warlock #10

Jim Starlin was a major writer/artist for Marvel in the 70s, concentrating on Marvel’s cosmic characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock. He developed an ongoing saga involving his character Thanos that wound in and around the Marvel Universe over a number of years and several different books. Starlin’s work encompassed big themes, including life, death, religion, and politics, as displayed to great effect in The Death of Captain Marvel - Marvel’s first graphic novel. Later, Starlin would develop the long-form Metamorphosis Odyssey, originally for Marvel’s Epic Illustrated, and eventually published as a series of graphic novels. It also spun-out Dreadstar, another creator-owned long-form storytelling project, published by Epic and First Comics.

Chris Claremont was one of the luckiest guys in comics when he stepped into the world of the X-Men, right after the publication of the book that re-established the mutants in the Marvel U., Giant-Size X-Men #1. Claremont went on to earn the slot by becoming one of the best, most popular, and best-selling comic book writers of the era. But it didn’t happen overnight. Claremont, with his artistic collaborators Dave Cockrum and John Byrne (both of whom would develop into fine writers themselves), spent years building the just-off-to-the-side world of the Marvel Mutants to the point where there were so many different comics, characters, and concepts that the mutants threatened to dwarf the rest of Marvel from time to time. Besides the core Uncanny X-Men title, Claremont also wrote New Mutants, Wolverine, and Excalibur, and he created literally hundreds of characters and concepts for the franchise. But he was no one-trick-pony either, writing memorable runs of Iron Fist, Marvel Team-Up, Fantastic Four, Spider-Woman, and Ms. Marvel for Marvel over a long – and still ongoing – career.

X-Men #115

Although characterization as a storytelling tool was not a new thing at the time, Claremont was a master at it, filling his characters with hopes, dreams, loves, and emotions, most of it conveyed through his character’s dialogue, something else he excelled at. Marvel’s mutant characters became so popular because there were so many wonderful characters, it was easy for us all to identify with at least one of them. Claremont’s work in this area is testimony to that. Read now, it’s very much a product of its times, but then, it was a major step forward. If it’s now become a cliche, that’s because it was so frequently reused and homaged.

DC did have a few interesting things going on in the early 1970s in the Superman and Batman books, as well as a groundbreaking new series called Swamp Thing. And that’s where we’ll pick up in Part 2!

COMING UP: Next week (on Tuesday because of the holiday), I’ll have my monthly Ten Things column, looking at new comic items for the month of August. Then on June 7th, I’ll be back with Part 2 of the Never-Ending Story (which is turning into the Never-Ending Column), where we’ll finish up the 70s and bring us up to date on how comic book storytelling has evolved throughout history. New formats (graphic novels! limited series!) lead to new storytelling opportunities (and problems). And what happens when you have a party and everybody in the universe shows up? Not enough cheese dip, that’s what!

KC Carlson has been working in comics since 1972, where, at the age of 16, he was employed at the local magazine distributor, stripping the covers off unsold comics to return to the publishers. Since then, he has worked for DC Comics, Westfield Comics, Capital City Distribution, and many other places, continuing to destroy comics at every step.

Special thanks to Bob Greenberger.

All classic covers used in this article came from the Grand Comics Database.

Superman #700

Trinity Anniversary
DC somehow finagled their publishing schedule so that their Big 3 characters all have Anniversary Issues the same month – so look for Superman #700, Batman #700, and Wonder Woman #600. All of these are 56-page comics with several creators pitching in, and all three promise major changes in creative direction as well. Both Superman and Wonder Woman feature the first work on the characters by recently new-to-DC superstar writer J. Michael Straczynski. For Superman, this couldn’t have happened at a better time, as I’ve felt that the Krypton storyline was dragging on far too long. (DC apparently did as well, as they scuttled their plans for a major War of the Supermen event that would have happened over the summer and collapsed the storyline to wrap up in May before JMS’s new direction is previewed in Superman #700.) Also in this issue is a story written and drawn by longtime Superman creator Dan Jurgens, and James Robinson’s run on the book concludes with a touching story, drawn by Bernard Chang, all topped off with a cover by Gary Frank.

Wonder Woman #600

There’s not much story detail about Wonder Woman #600 yet, but we do know it features the wrap-up of Gail Simone’s run on the series, a story written by Geoff Johns, JMS’s first Wonder Woman story (an early clue to the new direction), and art by George Perez (including the regular cover), Phil Jimenez, Joe Madureira, and others, including a variant cover by Adam Hughes.

Batman #700 doesn’t feature a new writer, but a returning one -Grant Morrison kick starts the return of Bruce Wayne. But first there’s a trio of stores about Batmen past, present, and future (a motif of all three Anniversary issues). Art is by Tony Daniel, Andy Kubert, and Frank Quitely, and the book features covers by David Finch (regular) and Mike Mignola (variant). Will we actually start getting answers to the lingering questions from Morrison’s previous Batman run and Final Crisis? Even if we do, will I need Cliff Notes to understand it all?

New Avengers #1

Heroic Age: Month Two
The Heroic Age at Marvel continues its big rollout with even more new titles and at least one surprise return (well, not really). That big return is New Avengers, starting over with a new #1 issue, but with the same great creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. The cover features a few of the same characters from the other Avengers comic (Spider-Man, Wolverine) and a couple that have been so far unaccounted for (Ms. Marvel, Luke Cage), plus the Thing, who was featured in the pre-solicitation information so I’m not sure if he’s in the other book or not. Methinks that there is going to be a big shakedown period among all the books before we learn what’s up with all the various team line-ups and such. But we now know this – one of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers will be joining the New Avengers. Meanwhile, in Avengers #2, a new member joins already – and it isn’t Wonder Man (but he’ll be there too!).

Avengers Academy is another new Avengers-related title starring founder Hank Pym and his new pack of trainee heroes (mostly new guys, but maybe a familiar face or two). It’s by writer Christos Gage and artist Mike McKone, and the first issue promises a last-page shocker that may affect the whole Marvel U.

Avengers Prime #1

Avengers Prime is being described as a sort of Siege: Aftermath book, where we will learn the details of how Thor, Iron Man, and Steve Rogers find themselves reunited – after being the bitterest of enemies. This five-issue bi-monthly series features the first creative pairing between superstars Brian Michael Bendis and Alan Davis, and it’s KC’s “Pick Hit to Click” this month. (If there actually was that sort of thing.)

Longtime Avengers Hawkeye and Mockingbird star in their new ongoing series, where they’re in the midst of assembling the all-new West Coast Avengers team when they are confronted by the supposedly long-dead person who split them up years ago: the Phantom Rider! It’s by writer Jim McCann with pencils by David Lopez (the team behind New Avengers: The Reunion).

Young Allies #1

The Heroic Age is offering up a new team of teen heroes in Young Allies #1. Writer Sean McKeever (who specializes in teen heroics) teams with artist David Baldeon to present the new Marvel kids on the block! Nomad, Arana, Toro, Gravity, and Firestar join forces for the youth perspective on the New Heroic Age.

New Products Cause Big Questions

Marvelman

Also from Marvel this month is the Marvelman Classic Primer with articles and background info on the past, present, and future of Marvelman stories, featuring some new pin-ups of classic Marvelman characters. Said to be coming soon is Marvelman’s Finest #1, a collection of his greatest early adventures, presented in the United States for the first time, and the Marvelman Classic Vol. 1 Premiere Hardcover, reprinting all the classic tales starting from the beginning. All this is well and good, and the original Mick Angelo stories from the 1950s will be fun to see, but this still doesn’t really answer the questions about the Marvelman/Miracleman stories that everyone wants to see – the long out-of-print Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman-written material previously printed by Warrior magazine in the UK (the Alan Moore material) and Eclipse Comics in America (the work of both writers). So, Marvel – Whassup with Miracleman? Do you have the rights to reprint and release new stories, or not?
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Superman vs. Muhammad Ali

Long thought to be one of those projects that would never be reprinted (mostly due to perceived rights issues pertaining to the dozens of celebrity likenesses on the cover), 1978’s Superman vs. Muhammad Ali will be available to new generations of comics and sports fans alike this November (but available for pre-order now). Written by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams with art by Adams, Dick Giordano, and Terry Austin, the unlikely story involves potential alien invasions and the temporary de-powering of Superman to determine who is truly the greatest fighter in the Universe. While not the most logical of stories, there are plenty of emotional twists and turns (as well as all-out action!) to have you cheering by the end!

DC presents this lost gem in two different formats: The 80-page Facsimile Edition hardcover is printed at the original Treasury tabloid size for $39.99. Then there’s the 96-page Deluxe Edition, which is printed smaller (near standard comic size) for $19.99, but it includes 16 pages of unpublished artwork and other related material, plus a new cover by Neal Adams.

I’m really disappointed in DC’s decision to split materials in this way. As a big fan of the original, I would love to have the large, sturdier modern reprinting to see the gorgeous artwork at faithful publication size, but I am dismayed that there is no additional material in this edition. (What, for 40 bucks you couldn’t squeeze in 16 extra pages?) If I was cynical (and I am), I’d think that this is deliberately being done to get fans like me to buy both editions. So, bottom line, whether I spend $20, $40, or $60, I’m gonna be unhappy about it, one way or another. It’s like DC suddenly created their own Blu-Ray format for books.

I do understand why DC would want to have a lower-priced version for people who aren’t nostalgic for the original, and ultimately this smaller, cheaper version will most likely be the version that is kept in print (as well as the only one that goes to the book market). But why is the cheaper version of the book called the Deluxe Edition? And shouldn’t the actual deluxe material be in the obviously more lavish version of the book? This decision flies directly in the face of all the Absolute editions DC has put out over the past few years. Or have I accidentally stumbled onto next year’s Absolute Superman vs. Muhammad Ali publication a year early, making us buy it again, probably for $99?

Also, DC is also soliciting a Superman vs. Muhammad Ali Statue based on the original cover that looks really cool. It’s priced at $250. Obviously, there’s a reason that this column is named what it is.

But what I’m really excited about…

Brave & the Bold #35

Pardon me for a minute while I put my geek hat on. Hands down, the book the that I am most excited about reading this month isn’t one of the new Avengers books or part of any big mega-crossover. It isn’t even JMS’ new takes on Superman or Wonder Woman. It doesn’t even have any major characters in it – nor any characters that anyone who started reading comics in the last 10 years would even know about. But it is written by JMS. It’s The Brave and Bold #35, and it stars The Legion of Substitute Heroes and The Inferior Five. I’ve been waiting to hear more about this since Dan DiDio teased about “the Five” in a DC hype page a month or so ago. (I’m a good guesser.) But I never conceived that they would be paired with DC’s other brilliantly stupid super-team, the Subs. Genius. I already have the cover art as wallpaper on my computer, so I giggle every morning in anticipation.

Back story: The Inferior Five were created by writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Joe Orlando in 1966. The series was an obvious parody of superhero comics (both DC’s and Marvel’s), but it was done in a relatively straightforward way. Or as straightforward as these characters could be…

The Blimp was a large overweight man who inherited his father’s power to fly, but not his super-speed, so the best he could do was hover, unless it was windy. He’s usually seen being towed by one of the other members like a balloon on a string. Awkwardman was super-strong but super-clumsy, and constantly tripping (probably because he always wore a too-long cape with swim-flippers). Dumb Bunny is as strong as Wonder Woman, but a stereotypically dumb blonde dressed like a Playboy bunny (hence the name), but she has a good heart. White Feather was a master archer – when no one was looking. At all other times, he was a coward, and almost everything made him nervous. Especially women. (Hmmmm…) Merryman was the leader, a physical weakling with no super-powers. He looked like Woody Allen, and he dressed like a jester because he thought super-heroing was a joke, although he came from a long line of costumed adventurers.

The Legion of Substitute Heroes (The Subs) were the heroes that weren’t good enough to be in the Legion. Considering the Legion inducted Matter-Eater Lad and Bouncing Boy before these guys, you can imagine how bad they were. Actually, they were pretty noble characters, working in secret to help the Legion when they needed help, until Keith Giffen got hold of them around 1985.

The core members of the Subs aren’t too bad – except maybe for Stone Boy, whose power was to turn to stone, so the other Subs used to carry him around and drop him on things, an idea also used in a National Lampoon comic parody called Dead Man (not the one you’re thinking of), a corpse which a team of guys in jumpsuits used to carry around and drop off buildings. No, really! It was drawn by Neal Adams! And Chlorophyll Kid – who could make plants grow super-fast – was a little lame also, I guess. It was the latter-day characters like Porcupine Pete, Double-Header, and Infectious Lass that Giffen really went to town on. I’m not sure if they’ll be in JMS’ story or not.

Anyway, both teams come from a time when comics weren’t so serious, so you could have a little bit of fun reading about characters who were dumber than you, but when it came right down to it, they still got the job done. So if you still like your funny books a little bit funny, the Inferior Five and the Legion Subs are for you. Check ‘em out!

And one more thing…

Simon & Kirby Superheroes

Simon & Kirby Superheroes is a new book of classic forties and fifties Simon and Kirby stories by Titan Books, the same folks who published the wonderful Best of Simon & Kirby a while back. I’d tell you more, but Bob Greenberger called dibs, so he’s got a whole column on it coming up soon. All I can say is it’s got some really great stuff, including some unpublished stories, a famous story printed in color for the first time, and that Neil Gaiman writes the Introduction. Oh, I can also say – BUY IT!

Detective Comics #866

CREATOR WATCH – Denny O’Neil returns to Batman for a stand-alone story with art by Dustin Nguyen in Detective Comics #866 in a special story about Dick Grayson: then and now! . . . The new creative team on Power Girl is writer Judd Winick and artist Sami Basri, beginning with issue #13 . . . Fabian Nicieza is the new regular writer on Red Robin beginning with issue #13 . . . Marc Guggenheim (Amazing Spider-Man) is the new writer on Action Comics and Pete Woods is the new artist . . . Eric Powell’s Buzzard character (from the pages of The Goon) gets his own three-issue series in June (with the first issue listed now). Also in each issue is a new Billy the Kid Old Timey Oddities story, by Powell and artist Kyle Holtz, which will become its own four-issue series later this year . . . Ted McKeever’s newest project, Meta 4, about an amnesiac astronaut and a woman who dresses up as Santa year-round looks to feature the usual McKeever mystery and dark humor set against a background of wretchedness and hope. The first of five issues is available in June from Image.

Namora #1

YOU’RE COVERED! – Silver Age great Ramona Fradon provides a cover for Namora #1 from Marvel . . . What’s Black Lantern Firestorm doing on David Finch’s cover to Brightest Day #4. Didn’t he get the memo? . . . Bryan Hitch draws this year’s Fantastic Four Annual #32 . . . Darwyn Cooke returns to Jonah Hex to provide the cover to issue #56 . . Carlos Pacheco illustrates the cover to Atlas #2 . . . Red Sonja reaches a milestone 50th issue from Dynamite with a 100-page issue, fronted by four different covers: one each by Joseph Michael Linsner, Art Adams, Joe Jusko, and Johnny Desjardins.

Tom Strong

SHORT TAKES – Tom Strong returns in Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom, a new six-part miniseries written by Peter Hogan and drawn by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story. Yay! . . . The Batman Beyond universe returns to the pages of DC comics with a new Batman Beyond six-part miniseries by Adam Beechen and Ryan Benjamin. The Batman Beyond universe is also a big part of this month’s Superman/Batman Annual #4, written by Paul Levitz . . . Spider-Ham returns in a special one-shot to celebrate his 25th Anniversary. I just read somewhere that you really shouldn’t keep ham more than a week . . . The Penguin appears in Birds of Prey #2. Well, it does say Birds . . . Justice League of America #46 is Part 1 (of 5) of the annual JLA/JSA crossover . . . Lobo appears in Green Lantern #55. . .Titans #24 finally returns to the DC schedule as Deathstroke takes on Lex Luthor. Um… any Titans in this issue? . . . The Rawhide Kid returns in a four-part mini written by Ron Zimmerman and drawn by Howard Chaykin, with a first issue cover by John Cassaday. Looks cool! . . . The long-dead Thomas Wayne returns in Batman and Robin #13. Funny, I don’t remember seeing him in Blackest Night . . . . The regular Punisher comic book is changing its name to Franken-Castle. Really. Shouldn’t Franken-Castle be what happens when somebody sews together a lot of old European fortified buildings and strikes them with lightning? Or sews together a bunch of Nathan Fillions and- Okay, okay! Moving on . . . Manhunter’s back-up feature comes to an end in Batman: Streets of Gotham #13 . . . The Shield and The Web are both canceled with issue #10.

Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark

THIS AND THAT – My favorite tag-line of the month is from Image Comics’ Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark #1: “They got mixed up!” See, it’s about a shark that thinks it’s a bear and a grizzly bear that likes to swim and eat stuff. It’s by Ryan Ottley and Jason Howard. I think they’re missing a bet by not including promotional pick-a-nic baskets and John Williams soundtracks . . . Fans of classic old-school Hercules (i.e. the constantly drunk version), will be happy to hear that Bob Layton is returning to write a four-part Hercules: Twilight of a God miniseries, and that it’s, also like the old days, set in the far future. Art is by Ron Lim and Layton . . . Speaking of Hercules, fans of Colleen Coover (and there should be a fan club!) will be pleased to know that she’s writing and drawing a Herc back-up in Thor and the Warriors Four #3 (otherwise known as the latest Power Pack miniseries) . . . Dave Sim’s Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing is back in print with a new Expanded Edition, primarily addressing the pros and cons of the recent computer revolution in comics. 120 pages from Aardvark-Vanaheim . . . You wouldn’t think that there were any stories by Robert E. Howard that haven’t been adapted to comics, but somehow BOOM has found one with Robert E. Howard’s Hawks of Outremer #1 (of 4), featuring the adventures of renowned fighter Cormac FitzGeoffrey. It’s adapted by Michael Alan Nelson and Damian Coucerio . . . Harvey Kurtzman’s wonderful beatnik take of The Grasshopper and the Ant gets a new hardcover printing from BOOM. One of the best graphic novels of all time, this new version includes an introduction by Denis Kitchen (the previous publisher) . . .

Cages

BOOKSHELF – Dave McKean’s Cages is back in print after a long absence, in a newly remastered (rescanned and cleaned-up) edition from Dark Horse. Almost 500 pages of McKean’s stunning paintings, Cages tells the intertwined stories of a painter, a writer, and a musician all living in the same apartment building, as well as providing new insights about art, cats, God, and the cages we build for ourselves. Cages was McKean’s first solo work and was the winner of multiple awards for Best Graphic Novel in its original printing . . . Dark Horse also has a couple of cool new comic book archives this month. Mighty Samson Archives presents the first seven issues of this classic 1960s series originally published by Gold Key Comics. (Bob Greenberger has more details in an upcoming blog post.) Also, Volume 1 of the Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives presents seven classic comics from 1947 through 1953, originally published by Dell Comics and featuring work by Paul Norris, Jack Lehti, and Frank Thorne . . . The classic Avengers: Under Siege story, where the Masters of Evil destroy Avengers Mansion and almost kill a few Avengers (including Jarvis!) is being collected in a new hardcover edition. It’s by Roger Stern and John Buscema . . . Peter David and David Lopez’ earliest Fallen Angel stories are being reprinted in IDW’s new Fallen Angel Omnibus. This 464-page volume collects issues #1-20, originally published by DC Comics . . . DC’s got Volume 2 of classic Batman Annuals coming up in the next DC Comics Classic Library hardcover . . . DC also has a Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold hardcover, including the first seven JMS-written stories featuring Dial H for Hero, Brother Power the Geek, the Blackhawks, Dr. Fate, Batgirl, and Zatanna – none of whom are on the cover, oddly . . . Wonder what super-heroic romance and marriage would really be like? Check out Thom Zahler’s charming Love & Capes Volume 2 from IDW. Collecting issues #7-12, it features evil twins, secret wars, superpowered ex-girlfriends, and other disasters . . . Rebellion/2000 A.D. is getting many of its classic series back into print, starting in June (but available for order now). The first book is Judge Dredd Case Files Vol. 1, featuring the original adventures of this classic character – from the beginning, and in chronological order – by John Wagner, Brian Bolland, and Ian Gibson. 336 pages. Also available, and one of my favorites, is The Complete D.R. and Quinch, the twisted tales of two psychotic reprobates as presented by Alan Moore and Alan Davis (with Jamie Delano). In coming months look for more Judge Dredd, ABC Warriors, Nemesis the Warlock, and The Ballad of Halo Jones among others . . . The title of TwoMorrows’ latest creator biography, Carmine Infantino: Penciller, Publisher, Provocateur makes me laugh, but it’s certainly an accurate description of the man who drew The Flash, Batman, and Adam Strange, as well as led DC Comics through the late 1960s and early 1970s as its publisher. Written by Jim Amash (Alter Ego) and Eric Nolen-Weathington (Modern Masters), the book promises to “uncover details about the comic industry never made public until now” which, given some of Infantino’s other interviews over the years, should have comic historians and fans buzzing for years.

Archie Classic Newspaper Comics

STRIP TEASE – Original Archie artist Bob Montana was the perfect choice to write and draw the adventures of Archie and the gang on a daily basis in your favorite newspaper! IDW is collecting all the early Montana strips – from 1946-1948 – in the first hardcover volume of their newest strip reprint series: Archie: The Classic Newspaper Comics. Watch for Roger Ash’s interview with IDW’s Bruce Canwell about the genesis of the project, and no doubt, I’ll be back with a review of the first volume upon publication. I’ve been looking forward to this project for a long time! . . . Also from IDW this month is the Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy, Vol. 10 (featuring Itchy and Influence) from 1945-1947, as well as a moderately priced collection of select Tracy stories in the Best of Dick Tracy, Vol. 1 . . . Titan Books have a couple of new hardcover classic strip collections out this month. Beetle Bailey: The Dailies and Sundays 1965-66 by Mort Walker features strips from the height of its popularity, just as the strip hit the magical 1,000 national newspapers milestone. Also available, The Wizard of Id: The Dailies 1970-1971, by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart, and also from the creative height of the strip . . . Krazy Kat: A Celebration of Sundays serves as a Krazy Kat’s Greatest Hits, as the very best of Sunday strips are collected and reprinted at their original size (huge!) and colors. This is another gorgeous hardcover art book by the fine folks at Sunday Press Books and also includes never-before reprinted works by creator George Herriman, as well as contributions by Michael Tisserand and Art Spiegelman. 160 pages.

Felix the Cat

FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES – IDW collects over 200 full-color pages of early Felix the Cat Golden Age comic book stories, written and drawn by his original artist Otto Messmer in Felix the Cat: The Great Comic Book Tails. Felix’s complicated origins will also be examined in introductions by Don Oriolo (son of noted Felix artist and writer Joe Oriolo, whose work is also included in this book) and comics historian Craig Yoe . . . Archie #610 re-introduces a great old concept from the past when Archie reappears as The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. – The suave (ha!), debonaire (what?) spy and ladies man (not hardly!), battling the evil spy ring C.R.U.S.H., in a story written by comics great Tom DeFalco . . . Archie also plans on continuing the popular adventures of “The Married Life” storylines (both with Betty and Veronica) at sometime in the near future (look for a July launch) . . . Darkwing Duck returns in the “series that you demanded” from BOOM Kids! in Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns #1 (and, yes, there is a Frank Miller-inspired variant cover!) . . . BOOM Kids! also revives another kid-vid concept when Duck Tales returns in the pages of Uncle Scrooge #392 . . . Another long-standing Disney comics tradition is revived with BOOM Kids!’ softcover and hardcover versions of the Tim Burton-directed Disney’s Alice In Wonderland graphic novel (120 pages).

KC CARLSON: Buying and reading comics since 1960. And typing this way-too-long column since around 1997.

KC Carlson’s opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Westfield’s. In fact, we’re wondering if having that 16 ton weight dropped on him while learning to defend himself against someone armed with fresh fruit has affected him more than we realized.

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger #1
Sean Phillips incorporating aspects of Jae Lee’s style, colored by Richard Isanove? You’ve got to be kidding me if you don’t think that’s amazing! Conveniently, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born is coming out in soft cover soon.

Galacta: Daughter of Galactus #1
I have to admit, it was Adam Warren’s cover that caught my eye, but then I saw art was by Hector Sevilla Lujan! You may recall his work from the amazingly drawn Lullaby series from years ago. Also, for some of Warren’s most entertaining writing, check out Empowered Volumes 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, and/or Volume 5. If you don’t trust my judgment that much, there’s an inexpensive one-shot, too.

Iron Man: Extremis Director’s Cut #1 & #2
As a process junkie, these are right up my alley. If you aren’t, though — or you’re as impatient as I can get at times — check out the Iron Man Extremis hard cover!

X-Men Origins: Emma Frost #1
The colors on this cover are amazing, but I’m even more jazzed to know Karl Moline is drawing the interiors! Most people probably recognize his work from Fray and Buffy Season 8, but he also did amazing work on Route 666!

For more Emma Frost greatness, checkout the X-Men: Firestar Digest.

Civil War: Avengers Hard Cover
I’m tempted to buy this for the Casualties of War one-shot and the Civil War: Confession one-shot. If I didn’t already own the Captain America omnibus with the other material I wanted, I’d be buying it for sure. I do plan on buying the Iron Man/Captain America soft cover, however.

Avengers: Red Zone premiere hard cover
Red Skull-centric story? Check. Gorgeous Oliver Coipel artwork? Check. Written by DC Entertainment’s new Chief Creative Officer? Check. Now would be a great time to get the Avengers: World Trust and Avengers: Standoff premiere hard covers, if you’ve passed them up before now!

Marvel Adventures Black Widow & The Avengers digest
All ages Avengers fun featuring the Black Widow? Having flipped through some of the single issues, I can think of worse chances to take on a book.

Iron Man Armor Wars II soft cover
I’ve been looking forward to a collection of these stories ever since I started reading comics! It’ll look great on a shelf with the Armor Wars Prologue and Armor Wars soft covers.


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josh@westfieldcomics.com

Westfield Comics
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______________________
Josh Crawley is the tenured Master of Disaster (whether he’s heroic or evil remains to be seen) for Westfield Comics, not to be confused with Josh Crawley, the keyboardist for Everclear.

Heroic Age

by KC Carlson

This month, the Big Two launch their newest big initiatives to attempt to collect all our money, Marvel’s The Heroic Age and DC’s Brightest Day. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – it’s just that both companies also have several other things brewing this month, and you might miss them in all the hubbub, bub. But, like it or not, that’s what you have me for – I’m the guy who always says “Hey! What’s going on over there - behind that curtain!” More on that in a minute. Lemme get Brightest Heroic Age Day out of the way first.

I’d like to be able to say that both of these events are shiny new original concepts – and it may be true that elements of both may be things that we’ve never seen before – but both stunts build on what has come before and both are just the next big chapter of what has become the never-ending storylines of both the MU and DCU. I do find it fascinating that both companies have decided to push the big RESET button at virtually the same time, however. (More on this and “The Old Order Changeth” in an upcoming KC Column.)

And yet, I find some of the individual offerings of both new events some of the most potentially exciting comics in a long time. I guess I’m really concerned about the sheer tonnage of what may be coming our way in the next few months.

Marvelous

Enter the Heroic Age

By my count, there are 17 different titles (not counting variants) being published under The Heroic Age banner this month. Here’s my handy checklist:

Heroic Age Magazine
Deadpool #23
Avengers #1
Avengers Assemble #1
Avengers Spotlight #1
Atlas #1 (Watch for Roger’s interview with writer Jeff Parker!)
Captain America #606
Black Widow #2
Fantastic Four #579
Age of Heroes #1
Enter the Heroic Age #1
Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1
Invincible Iron Man #26
Origins of Marvel Comics #1
Avengers, Thor & Captain America: Official Index to the Marvel Universe #1
Secret Avengers #1
Thunderbolts #144

Granted, a lot of these are one-shot, supplementary (and technically non-comics) items about The Heroic Age, including features, interviews, indexes, handbook pages, origins, and other ephemera. But that’s still a big chunk of books! And remember, Heroic Age is a marketing title, not one big Event, so most of these books have independent storylines (at least right now!). If you bought them all at cover price, it would cost you $68.83! Aren’t you glad you’re a Westfield subscriber with a discount? And if you’re not – why aren’t you?

X-Men Legacy #236

Also consider that this month Marvel is also listing:
* 21 titles (14 of which are listed as “chapters”) of the new, major mutant storyline: X-Men: Second Coming
* a mini-Hulk event (no, not about a tiny Hulk! Stay focused!) of three titles essential to World War Hulks
* a new imprint (Astonishing) with just two titles (for now)
* more projects in their Women of Marvel Comics push
* 11 Spidey-related titles (including some new ones, and not counting Ultimate or Astonishing titles)
* as well as 654,430,279 new Deadpool titles! (Not really. April Fool!)

I feel for ya’, dear readers, for the decisions that have to be made in ordering books these days. I’m right there with you. I had to cut back on my reading and collecting in a big way a few years ago, which made it seem easy (at the time) to just cut off all of Marvel’s “cosmic” books and characters – which I felt were going nowhere. But that was before Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (and Keith Giffen and others) re-set Marvel’s cosmic corner of the universe in a big way. Now, I hear how great all of these books are on virtually a daily basis, but it seems that too much time has passed to catch up, and I still don’t have the money to go back and get them all at this point. I kinda wish I had gotten these books instead of some of the over-hyped and ultimately disappointing books that I did get. So, just another reminder of how important it is to choose carefully and buy what you actually might like and enjoy rather than just buying some series by rote because there’s a big splashy marketing campaign.

Thanos Imperative: Ignition

I also bring this up to mention that D’n’A’s cosmic corner books (notably Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy) are taking some well-deserved time off this month – except for the opening blast in their next cosmic event: The Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1, which looks like it will be taking off in a big way next month. A word to the wise, if you’re looking for something different.

Avengers #1

The most interesting thing about the new Avengers title isn’t who’s a member. We’ve known for a long time that the whole point of this was to get Cap, Iron Man, and Thor all back on the team together. Hawkeye back in his Hawkeye persona is a plus as well, and Spidey is just gravy. I’m sure that there will be a couple of other membership surprises in Avengers #1 (or within a couple of issues). But the most interesting thing about the series takes place behind-the-scenes. Both Brian Bendis and John Romita Jr. have been Marvel superstar creators for a decade or more, but this incarnation of the Avengers will be the first time the two have ever worked on a long-term project together.

Secret Avengers #1

More of a mystery: Who are the members of the new Secret Avengers series written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Mike Deodato, which I am also recommending? Marvel has been teasing the fans with a series of images showing the shadowed outlines of the characters in question. After serious study of these images, I have come to the conclusion that these are the members of the new Secret Avengers: The Silhouette (either the Marvel or the Watchman character), the Phantom Blot, Felix the Cat, The Shadow, The Shade, and Splash Brannigan. Either that, or all six of them are Venom.

No evil shall escape my sight

Brightest Day

Meanwhile, let’s break down DC’s Brightest Day, with 10 titles, for a combined cover price of $32.90. Here’s the list:

Brightest Day #1 & 2
Green Lantern #54
Green Lantern Corps #48
Justice League: Generation Lost #1& 2
Birds of Prey #1
The Flash #2
Justice League of America #45
Titans: Villains For Hire Special #1

Not quite as many as Marvel’s Heroic Age, but this does include two bi-weekly ongoing titles, representing a major buying commitment. Also, if Blackest Night ends up the way that I and many other readers are expecting, I wouldn’t be surprised to see many other new (or returning) titles added to this list in the next few months. A revamped Titans for one.

DC Universe Legacies #1

Here’s a sampling of what else is going on in the DCU this month: DC Universe Legacies #1 (of 10) is much-needed look at the history of the DC Universe from the dawn of the Mystery Men (the original Justice Society era) to the present day, written by Len Wein and drawn by Andy Kubert, Joe Kubert, and J.G. Jones. It’s a dream project for DC continuity geeks (like me), and I can’t wait to see how the new details of the mysteries of the DCU will unfold here, especially in the hands of these great talents.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1

Many of the DC selections this month are doing a kind of “What year is this, anyway?” thing in my brain these days, as I’m faced with the prospects of ordering titles starring Barry Allen as the Flash; my favorite era of the Justice League is again written by Keith Giffen; the Birds of Prey are back again with both Babs and Dinah, and both Gail Simone and Ed Benes. But the biggest brain shock of this month for a longtime Legion of Super-Heroes fan (and former LSH editor) is the excitement of seeing legend… (wait for it) …dary Legion writer Paul Levitz return to his favorite book for the third time. Another Legion “bouncing boy” with multiple visits to the 31st century, Keith Giffen, once told me that there was something about the concept that keeps bringing people back to it over and over again. Hopefully, this is true of the Legion fans as well. I’m deliberately trying to stay away from advance info on the series (other than hearing that Yildiray Cinar (with that name, he could qualify as a Legion member!) and Wayne Faucher will be the new artists on this go-round).

I’m a little sad that Geoff Johns had a fairly limited run on the Legion, but he took on the very important role of resetting (not rebooting) the LSH continuity back to roughly where Levitz had left it decades ago (amazingly without undoing anything that went afterwards) in the Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds series and collection. This new Levitz series picks up on those mysteries, as well as Johns’ Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes storyline, as well as new questions – like the one posed by the first issue cover. Whose hand has both a LSH flight ring as well as a Green Lantern ring? I get chills…

Zatanna #1

The other DC project that I’m excited about is Zatanna #1. DC has been attempting to launch an ongoing title about the Mistress of Magic since the late 1990s, when I was still on-staff there. I’m pretty sure that writer Paul Dini was attached to the project even back then. Since then, Dini has been using Zatanna on and off in his Batman stories over the years. At the same time, she’s been getting more and more “screen time” as a member of the Justice League in recent years. And now with the gorgeous artwork of Stephane Roux and Karl Story, and Dini at the keyboard, it looks like Zatanna’s time has come at last. Nioj eht nuf!

Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne

DC’s also got two other “big” projects this month, that I’m sure lots of fans will be very interested in, but not so much me. First up are the first two issues of the six-part Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne story. That will be the ultimate epilogue for Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis as well as the payoff of his Batman: R.I.P. storyline. There are some great artists lined up (Chris Sprouse in #1 and Frazier Irving in #2) that I am excited about. But for me, this storyline has gone on way too long (with way too much extraneous stuff between the key elements of the story). I’m ready for the big wrap-up, but really more interested in what comes afterwards.

Superman: War of the Supermen #1

Also coming this month is Superman: War of the Supermen, a four-part weekly series written by James Robinson and Sterling Gates and drawn by a passle of artists. This one finishes off the year-long “New Krypton” storyline that, quite frankly, has bored me to tears. A long political struggle that has taken Superman out of his familiar distinctive costume for most of the year and put him in some sort of jackbooted neo-nazi looking uniform, exiled him from Earth (and from the comic that bears his name), and has him standing around for most of that year being ineffectual and indecisive is not really my idea of a great Superman story. (Really enjoyed the Supergirl title this year, however!) I chalk both of these series up to “forgone conclusions.” Let’s move on to something else. Both characters deserve better.

And in other parts of the comics continuum…

Brody's Ghost

I know that many of you out there are fans of Mark Crilley, especially his acclaimed work on the wonderful Akiko series for young adults. He’s been doing a lot of projects away from traditional comic book publishers in the past few years, including the four-volume manga series Miki Falls, among other projects, but he’s now working on a new project for Dark Horse Comics. Brody’s Ghost is the first in a six-volume series. It tells the story of a young man named Brody who encounters the ghost of a teenage girl who needs help tracking down a dangerous killer. First, Brody must be trained by the spirit of a centuries-old samurai to unlock unbeknownst supernatural powers. Roger Ash has the details of this great new series in an interview with creator Crilley, coming up soon, right here at the Westfield blog.

Best of Dan DeCarlo

A couple of weeks back, I wrote extensively about Dan DeCarlo and his struggle to claim creative ownership of his creation Josie (of Josie and the Pussycats fame), a character based on his wife. I mentioned that IDW was compiling a collection of DeCarlo’s work for Archie Comics. That collection, Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo, Volume 1 is now available for ordering and is highly recommended. You may not know his name, but everyone who’s read comics for more than 15 minutes is familiar with his work.

Dan DeCarlo had a nearly 50-year career working for Archie comics, most of it in total anomonity (except for his very distinctive style and his facility in drawing the female form). During that time, he drew over 400 consecutive issues of Betty and Veronica, over 100 issues of Josie, was the primary artist on the Archie comic book in the 70s and 80s, and took over the Archie syndicated comic strip after Bob Montana retired. His style became the “Archie style” and other artists were instructed to “draw like DeCarlo.” Further, DeCarlo drew virtually every Archie cover, from the mid-60s to the mid-70s, and many more for the next 30 years. Almost every one of the classic Archie character Pin-Up pages in the 60s, 70s, and into the 80s were his as well. Even if you didn’t know his name, you knew his work.

Just as Carl Barks was the “good Duck artist” before his identity was revealed as the artist of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge, for most of his career DeCarlo was known as the “good Archie artist”. This 152-page, full-color hardcover features reproductions shot from the original artwork and recolored, and it does a lot for setting the record straight and giving this great artist the recognition that he has long deserved. All of the stories are from DeCarlo’s generally accepted best period – from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. A wonderful volume for everyone in your family to share.

Moving Pictures

Kathryn and Stuart Immonen’s Moving Pictures is now available in print form for ordering, after originally appearing as a weekly webcomic. Here’s the catalog description: “During World War II, the Nazis pillaged much of Europe’s great art collections. Museum curator Ila Gardner and SS officer Rolf Hauptmann are forced by circumstances to play out an awkward and dangerous relationship in a public power struggle. Moving Pictures unfolds along two timelines which collide with the revelation of a terrible secret, an enigmatic decision that not many would make, and the realization that sometimes the only choice left is the refusal to choose.” 144 B&W pages, published by Top Shelf.

Overstreet 40 Batman

Overstreet 40 Captain America

With the seeming collapse of Gemstone Publishing last year, there has been buzz around the comics community about whether its most famous publication, the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, would continue. Apparently, we needn’t have worried. The 40th Annual edition of THE comic guide to comic book pricing will be published in July, but you can pre-order it right now. As usual, there are two covers to choose from: a classic Batman and Joker piece by Mark Chiarello or a WWII-era cover of Captain America and Bucky by Darwyn Cooke. They’re hard to choose between! In addition to the hundreds of pages of comic listings, this volume also includes articles on Conan the Barbarian #1 and a look at the important comics of 1970. More than just a price guide, Overstreet is an essential comic book reference guide to the publication history of graphic storytelling, with information reaching back over a century. As always, the Price Guide is available in either hardcover or softcover. Always recommended.

X-Men Forever Giant-Size

CREATOR WATCH – Harlan Ellison and Kyle Baker team up for a Spirit Black & White story in The Spirit #2 … Booster Gold gets a creative makeover when writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis and artist Chris Batista take over the title in Booster Gold #32. Giffen & DeMatties’ old JLI crony Kevin Maguire provides the cover … Mike Grell takes on some rare Marvel work when he provides pencils and cover for X-Men Forever Giant-Size #1 … Frank Frazetta fans should be all over Dark Horse’s new Thun’da, King of the Congo Archive, collecting all six issues of the legendary master’s work, as well as scattered Thun’da back-up stories from other comics. Also features the work of Bob Powell and Gardner Fox. 224 full color pages in Dark Horse’s gorgeous hardcover Archive series.

Justice League: Generation Lost

YOU’RE COVERED! – David Finch’s first work at DC will be covers for Brightest Day #1 & 2. But before he gets to DC, he’s also doing a boatload of variant covers for the X-Men: Second Coming books … Other DC ongoing cover assignments include Tony Harris on Justice League: Generation Lost, Andy Kubert on Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, and Andy and Joe Kubert on DC Universe Legacies … Darwyn Cooke provides a variant cover to DC’s newest Vertigo ongoing: I, Zombie #1 … Walter Simonson provides the cover for Jonah Hex #55.

Thor

SHORT TAKES – A “beloved X-Men” dies in X-Men Second Coming. Didn’t a beloved “dead” X-Man just come back? Talk about your beloved revolving door policy in the X-books … Pepper Potts (aka Rescue), one of the best things about the current Invincible Iron Man series, gets her own one-shot this month, written by Kelly Sue Deconnick and drawn by the ubiquitous TBA (who has been getting more and more work at Marvel lately, no?) … Supergirl battles Power Girl in Justice League of America #45. Could it be because the JLA is in Brightest Day and the JSA is not? I bet that’s it … Thor #610 promises Thor vs. Thor as the real Thor battles the insane clone of Thor and hopefully more Thor’s as well, as I haven’t typed Thor nearly enough in this sentence. Did you know that Jan Brady had an unknown sister named Thor? Thor! Thor! Thor! Anyway, I don’t think that I’ve ever really wanted a comic character dead before (comic creators, yes!), but this insane Thor clone has to go! (Or at least form the Insane Thor Posse!) That’s enough about Thor. My fingers are Thor … Catman fans should not miss Secret Six #21! I don’t know why. They just shouldn’t … Wonder Woman #44 leads into Wonder Woman #600 (Auggh! I hate New Math!), but don’t miss #44, because it looks like something important happens there as well. Wonder Woman has an eyepatch on the cover for one thing! … Speaking of New Math – Wolverine #900! Wasn’t X-Factor #900 and Deadpool Team-Up #900 enough? I say yes! The only real #900s? The upcoming Action Comics #900 (later this year!) and Detective Comics #900 (a couple of years down the road)!

Spectacular Spider-Girl

THIS AND THAT – The Marvel comic that would just not die is back again (with a slightly modified title) – Spectacular Spider-Girl #1 is written by Tom DeFalco and drawn by Ron Frenz. But the creators aren’t making it easy for her new debut – she takes on the Punisher! … In addition to their new #1, the Legion of Super-Heroes also appear in Adventure Comics #11 and team up with the Doom Patrol in The Brave and the Bold #34 … Somehow, I don’t think Luke Cage’s so-called retirement is going to stick for long. He’s currently starring in his own miniseries (New Avengers: Luke Cage) and will be the head honcho of the (mostly) all-new Thunderbolts … Speaking of Thunderbolts, Man-Thing pops up in issue #144. I’m thinking lots of scared burnt villain flesh. The perfect opportunity for a scratch & sniff cover variant, no? … The Shield, Inferno, Hangman, and The Web team up for the first time in The Mighty Crusaders Special #1, which I’m guessing will lead to the Crusaders’ own regular title … Speaking of the Shield, he battles Magog in Magog #9 … Most cramped comic book of the month? The Many Loves of the Amazing Spider-Man #1 is only 48 pages. Who are they kidding? … House of Mystery #25 presents an old-fashioned writer’s Round Robin story as five scribes (Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, Alisa Kwitney, Dave Justus, and Paul Levitz) try to write each other into a corner. Art is by Luca Rossi and Jose Marzan Jr. … Wanna play poker with Adam Hughes? DC has imprinted his artwork onto playing cards and poker chips and produced the Cover Girls of the DC Universe Poker Set as a new and unique DC Direct item. But you gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em! … Speaking of DC Direct, Amanda Conner fans should check out her design for a new Power Girl bust (And when they say “bust”… never mind.) … Other cool comic statuettes this month include Klondike Uncle Scrooge and Classic 60th Anniversary Charlie Brown. Both are from Dark Horse and are part of their classic collectable tin box line. As always, these are sculpted by Yoe! Studio and are beautiful collector’s statues, limited to 950 numbered pieces … DC’s Earth-Two has always been one of my favorite comics concepts, and Roy Thomas’ legendary Alter Ego #93 zine takes a look back when DC needed just two universes to entertain hundreds of thousands of fans. Plus, a revealing discussion with the seldom interviewed DC editor George Kashdan! BTW, did you know that TwoMorrows publications (including Back Issue) now include a color section?

Blackest Night

BOOKSHELF - DC unleashes 7 (7!) Blackest Night-related hardcovers in July, but they are available for pre-order now! … My personal pick for DC hardcover this month is Adventures of Superboy Vol. 1, a shoulda-been-an-DC-Archive collection (but I don’t really mind paying $40 instead of $60, either). It contains the earliest adventures of Superman when he was a boy from More Fun Comics #101-107 and Adventure Comics #103-121. Several stories here are by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and many of them have never been previously reprinted. Highly recommended! … Meanwhile, Bob Greenberger’s pick of the month will most likely be DC’s long-awaited (and finally resolicited) Showcase Presents Suicide Squad. Bob edited the original series, as he will tell you all about in an upcoming column, here at the Westfield blog … Bob is also spotlighting the Thor: Warriors Three collection from Marvel, featuring the work of John Buscema and Charles Vess, among others. Watch for his review in a couple of weeks … The second collection of Nancy comic book stories written by John Stanley is now a part of Drawn & Quarterly’s acclaimed John Stanley Library. Collecting 152 pages of the best kid’s comics in a handsome hardcover collection featuring stories about the spooky Oona Goosepimple, Spike, and Mr. McOnion. Everybody loves Nancy! … Also for kids of all ages is BOOM! Studios’ new hardcover Walt Disney Summer Classics, featuring 112 pages of great summertime stories with Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, and Bucky Bug! Just the thing to keep you occupied during this year’s seemingly weekly blizzards! … Product Update: The 100 Greatest Looney Toons Cartoons by animation historian Jerry Beck was originally scheduled to be released last year. It’s now on track for May and is being re-listed this month. The 246-page hardcover includes more than 300 color illustrations for the 100 must-see cartoons featuring Bugs, Daffy, Road Runner, Tweety and Sylvester and many more, selected by cartoon fans, animators, and historians from around the world.

KC CARLSON: Buying and reading comics since 1960. And won’t shut up about it!

Avengers: The Korvac Saga HC

by Robert Greenberger

It had been quite a while since there was a major Avengers arc that had people talking. It was probably the Steve Englehart-written Mantis Saga from the early 1970s so the World’s Mightiest Super-Heroes certainly were due for something big. The Korvac Saga, which ran in The Avengers #167 – 177 (Jan. – Nov 1978), fit the bill. As a result, the storyline has been collected from time to time and is receiving a brand new edition this fall, available for order this month.

Written by Jim Shooter, who was just dipping his toes as editor-in-chief at the time, the storyline uses Michael Korvac, who had been floating around the Marvel Universe since 1975. Originally conceived as a one-time character by Steve Gerber in Giant-Size Defenders #3 (January 1975), he wound up coming back in 1977’s Thor Annual, written by Roger Stern, who just so happened to be editing The Avengers at the time. The story acted as a prelude to the Avengers tale.

Shooter, aided by David Michelinie, brought Korvac, who operated in 2997 on a parallel world, to the 20th Century of Earth-616 (got that?). By then, he had betrayed humanity to the Badoon, who rewarded him by making him into a cyborg. When he initially encountered the Defenders, he was pawn of the Grandmaster. Stern’s Thor story had Korvac arrive and find Galactus’ universe-spanning space station. There, he is bathed in the Power Cosmic and gains powers and abilities far beyond those of cybernetic mortals. He first alters his appearance so he could pass as a human and traveled to Earth, intent on turning the world into a utopia.

So, the Saga kicks off with the arrival of Michael and the beginning of his efforts to alter the strife-torn planet. As you might imagine, not everyone agrees with his idea of utopia and oppose him, which is how the Avengers get dragged into this. Then there’s the Guardians of the Galaxy (the original team, not the one currently in print) who travel through time to apprehend him. Korvac’s arrival also confirmed to the Collector that his vision of two beings able to challenge the Elders of the Universe, was true (the other being Thanos). To thwart Korvac, the Collector turned his daughter Carina into a powerful weapon and is sent to Earth.

Avengers: The Korvac Saga HC variant

See, this has the makings of a huge tale. Shooter, to his credit, does a nice job of keeping the characters the focal point and goes a long way towards humanizing Korvac, adding a touch of poignancy to the tale. But for the large battles, he was lucky to have George Pérez and David Wenzel as the art team, since, after all, George is known for his epic sweep (actually starting with this saga).

Korvac has been making fairly regular appearances in the Marvel Universe ever since, a testament to the effectiveness of this storyline. Speaking of appearances, this is when Henry Peter Gyrich also makes his comic book debut, named after a buddy of Shooter’s and a permanent part of the firmament these days.

When the story was collected for the first time in 1991, Marvel actually added an epilogue. When the story was next reprinted, in 2003, executive editor Tom Brevoort had it removed, deeming it unnecessary. This new edition will also run without the epilogue.

These days, epics run for years and can be found in every title. Back then, this was HUGE and is still fondly remembered. If you have never read this, then treat yourself.

Purchase

Avengers: The Korvac Saga HC

Avengers: The Korvac Saga HC (variant cover)

Captain America #600 cover

by KC Carlson

We’ll return to our discussion of Big Comic Book Events, and specifically, Marvel Comics’ current Big Events, after this slight digression – which I promise will make sense later. Thank you.

The Digression

In the summer of 1992, I was back working at DC and living in Northern New Jersey in a small town that had no comic shops, although it seemed like there was a sports card shop on every other block. At this point, most card shops hadn’t gotten involved much with comics, but that was all to change with the increasing influence of many superstar artists and the speculation around their high-profile projects, like Todd McFarlane on Spider-Man. Smelling money, many of the card shops started putting in racks of comics – mostly just the top sellers, the obvious Marvel, DC, and Image titles.

This is exactly what happened at the card shop in my neighborhood. While walking by one Saturday afternoon, I noticed the comic racks in the window. I stopped in to check it out and quickly realized that the selection was what I just described above. With not much to interest me, I think I picked up the current issue of WildCATS (then with Image), which confused the clerk. I quickly discovered he was the owner as we struck up a conversation. He was obviously new to comics and was fishing for information about what was popular and why people were buying what they were buying. For me, he wanted to know, “why are you not buying any DC or Marvel comics?”

I explained that I worked for DC and that getting comp copies of most of the DC and Marvel comics was one of the perks of the job at that time. “Oh, so you read them, then?” he asked, like it was a foreign concept for him. I told him that, yes, I indeed read them and that I had been reading them since I was about five years old. “Really?” he asked, and I began to think that I was the first person that he had ever met that read comics. Speculation on comics as an investment was huge in those days, and apparently, that was the only kind of comics buyer he was getting.

It was a very strange conversation, almost like two people talking different languages. He also had trouble understanding that I was only buying WildCATS because I liked the artist (Jim Lee). I explained that there were many reasons that people bought comics, but that the major ones were because people really liked the characters, the stories, or the artwork.

“You don’t buy them for the money they will be worth later?” he asked.

“No, that really doesn’t enter into it for me,” I replied. “I generally like to read them.” I acknowledged that the investment angle was becoming a bigger part of the industry, and it was also a main reason for people buying comics in those days. But I warned him that generally only very old and/or very scarce books would be worth real money and that speculating on which current comics were going to be valuable someday was a potentially dangerous thing to do, as only a very few ever got to be worth anything.

“So you’ll help me then, okay?” he asked me.

“Well, no, I can’t really do that, because I’m really not interested in what comics are worth,” I said. “I can tell you what comics I like to read, but that won’t help you much, because my tastes aren’t always in the mainstream, and I don’t always understand why some comics get popular and some don’t.”

“But you work at a comic company? You must be smart about these things.”

I laughed. “No one really knows about these things. They just happen sometimes.”

And then The Death of Superman happened.

And then my “friend” at the card store wasn’t happy that I hadn’t told him about that. “I missed out on that,” he said, kinda blaming me without saying the actual words.

In actual fact, almost everybody missed out on that. Certainly, no one at DC suspected that it would take off like it did. The creators themselves thought that they were just doing another in a long line of “Death of Superman” stories, a tradition going back for decades. This time it was presented a little more elaborately – with Superman not appearing in his own comics for several months – which inadvertently fanned the flames after the mass media picked up the story on a supposedly “slow news day.” The death book itself, Superman #75, sold out instantly, leading to multiple reprintings, special editions, and collected editions – and increased sales for all of the other Superman books and widespread speculation on the part of “investors” as well as many comic shops.

Because there were so many inexperienced retailers (like my card shop “friend”), many people over-ordered on the reprints, leading to an eventual glut in the marketplace, which led to the inevitable devaluing of the books. It was a nasty learning experience for many, especially for those who weren’t around for a previous glut of over-ordering on the Jim Lee X-Men #1 and Rob Liefeld X-Force #1, egged on by various incentive covers and gimmicks. To this day, there are still unopened cases of these two comics sitting in the backrooms and storage areas of shops that were around back then.

I certainly didn’t have any knowledge of what the Death of Superman story or stunt was about. It was already all worked out and completed while I was temporarily away from DC in early 1992. Using the Time Machine function of my favorite comics research site, Mike’s Amazing World of DC Comics, I was reminded that the first DC book during my editorial run, Legion of Super-Heroes v. 4 #38 (a book that I barely worked on, yet earned the co-editing credit after saving it from being killed) shipped just two weeks before Superman #75.

And yet the Superman speculation wasn’t over – the upcoming Adventures of Superman #500 was promising a big culmination to the Death storyline, which most people (rightly) speculated would be the return of the character.

The Saturday after Adventures of Superman #500 shipped, my weekly visit to the local card shop was vastly different. First of all, the normally neat and clean shop had a mountain of comic boxes stacked up about six feet high in the center of the store. I was horrified to discover that all of the boxes were labeled as being AoS #500, and that they were all unopened. “Uh, oh. This is not good,” I thought…

Then the owner spotted me and it got worse. “YOU!” he screamed. “Look what you did to me!”

“I didn’t tell you to order these.” I actually never told him to order anything.

“No, but you never told me not to order them either!” he shouted, as I quickly realized that this was not going to go well.

Actually, we never really discussed the Superman situation at all, except for me telling him that it was a complete fluke and yet it was an amazing phenomenon. But he was still upset that he had missed out on the big Superman #75 pay-out, and it was obvious that he wasn’t going to miss the next one. So he kept bumping up his orders on AoS #500, which left him with a mountain of unopened and non-returnable boxes of comics. He obviously needed somebody – other than himself – to blame. And so I let him yell at me for a few minutes, and when he asked me to leave, I did. And I never went back.

Several months later, the card shop was gone, the storefront empty. Not too much later, several other card shops in the area that had been carrying comics were gone as well. I wasn’t that surprised – there were just too many card shops in too small of an area. Once they got into something that they really didn’t understand, it wasn’t surprising that they all couldn’t last. Only a couple, those who put more thought into their comic stock and orders, survived.

I stuck to comic shops pretty exclusively after that.

End of Digression

That is why, when I started seeing the solicits for Captain America #600 and Rebirth #1, that little “Uh oh” in the back of my head started to bring back this particular bad memory. Bottom line, while the announcement of the death of a cherished fictional character will probably always be news, the announcement of the character’s return almost always becomes cliché. Especially in today’s comics world of seemingly meaningless demises and the ongoing attitude of the “revolving door of death” of current publishers and many creators.

(In the real world, it’s amusing to realize that the exact opposite is true. Death is an every day, although sad, thing, but the resurrection of a beloved dead person would actually be the real news story!)

It wasn’t surprising to me that the media announcement of Cap’s return wasn’t the huge spectacle that his death had been, or even as big as Marvel hoped it would be. To be fair, this was a real no-win situation. Marvel pre-announced (or more accurately, hinted at) media coverage because they probably felt that they had to warn comic retailers that there was going to be an announcement coming. (There was no warning – and lots of grumbling after – regarding the death announcement, and plenty of folks were caught unaware when the story took off.) The absolute truth is that no publisher can control the media, nor does the media have much control over what the general public considers important on any given day, what with the internet, texting, and social networking. Some news outlets didn’t even cover the return story until the day after the announcement.

As a result, it looks like there was neither a huge glut nor massive rush on the books in question, with the books pretty much falling into the normal sell-out and reprint cycle that’s become an industry standard of late. I do suspect that the books did sell better than the immediate previous issues. And I haven’t heard of any unopened cases of Cap #600 sitting around, so it’s good to know that the industry in general is getting better at handling these things and learning from past experiences.

Cap Is Back?

Is anyone really surprised that Captain America is back? I’m not. I was mostly surprised at how long he was gone (and was very amused to read in Ed Brubaker’s recent Marvel Spotlight interview that he was originally only going to be “dead” for a few months).

Captain America #600 was a little disappointing after all the build-up, since there was no actual appearance of the man in question, just the possibility that he may still be alive. The chapterized anthology approach actually worked against the story, I thought. (Although that made it much easier for the many hands working on the extra-length story to all hit their deadlines.) It was the only way to go with the fragmented-by-necessity nature of the story. The story went off in too many directions and spent too much time setting up other stories or recaps rather than just getting to what everybody wanted to see – Cap’s return, which we didn’t get.

I was very happy to see that Roger Stern and Mark Waid’s stories weren’t reprints, as I originally feared. (Note to Marvel Previews: Please spend more time being precise with issue descriptions instead of being – allegedly – clever. Thank you.)

Stern’s story was a touching tribute to the characters of one of my favorite “eras” of Cap, the Brooklyn Heights era, and I was very happy to see them again, if only for a few minutes. Waid’s story was also excellent, a touching and multifaceted tale about memorabilia and its true value.

Captain America: Reborn #1 was a little shocking in how super-hero-y it all was, which on the face of it is a pretty ridiculous thing to say since Cap is pretty much the ultimate superhero. I had become so accustomed to Brubaker’s espionage-like stories in Cap’s regular title over the last couple of years, accompanied by noir-like character treatments and artwork by Steve Epting, Butch Guice, Luke Ross, and others. After their potent-yet-old-school art treatments, it was surprising to see the in-your-face superhero dynamics of Bryan Hitch – although Guice inking Hitch was a great idea. Although we’re seeing a lot of Cap “unstuck” in time here, he’s still not actually back to being the Captain America. The excitement of actually seeing that is still a few months away. So, while I rate this series very highly, my delayed expectations are keeping me from totally raving about this book until I see its outcome. I anticipate this will be much better read as a graphic novel, upon its completion.

Secret Reign

“Delayed expectations” seem to be a watchword at Marvel these days as actual storyline resolutions seem rarer and rarer. I’ve come to expect that the one-story-leads-to-another method of serialized storytelling has been more and more elongated by decompressed, for-the-trade pacing, but it now seems that actual resolutions only happen when creators decide to stop their run and move on to something else. Nowhere is this more evident than in how Marvel’s Secret Invasion begat the current Dark Reign “storyline”. (The reason for those quotes later…)

Secret Invasion Cover

Secret Invasion was great in the way that old ‘50s sci-fi movies and roller coasters are – they’re a lot of fun and even scary while they’re happening, but they wear out their welcome and can even make you sick if you do too much of them at one time. Thus, I was really happy to see the Skrull Invasion storyline come to a conclusion at the end of SI, because it was just long enough. I am much less happy to see the unresolved threads of SI still lingering, including the status of many of the replaced-by-Skrulls characters, most notably the delayed explanation of the what and when of Jessica Drew: Spider-Woman. There’s also the matter of the Skrulls’ role in the larger Marvel Universe (alluded to in Secret Invasion: Inhumans and – I guess – being dealt with in the War of Kings event (that I have not read – sorry, Marvel, I cannot afford your entire line of books anymore). Plus, there are the ramifications of the Wasp’s death and Hank Pym’s return from Skrull captivity. And then there’s many-pronged storylines arising out of the last-minute rescue of Earth by Norman Osborn and the handing over of the keys to the planet to him and all the fallout thereof, including the fall of Tony Stark and the fall of SHIELD. It’s all these lingering loose ends that are giving me that queasy “I’ve been on this ride too long” feeling.

Handily, Marvel has collected all of these dangling story threads under the banner of Dark Reign – the Event that isn’t. So if it isn’t an Event, then what is it? you may ask. Well, for better or worse, Dark Reign has become the standard, every day status quo of the Marvel Universe. Need proof? Count up how many Dark Reign banners there are in any given week of Marvel Universe books. Kind of a lot, hunh? And the ones that don’t have the banner are generally long-in-place ongoing storylines (Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Daredevil) or all the SF/space books (Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc.), which have been involved in the War of Kings Event. And the X-books, which mostly have all been off in their own little world for a while now.

Dark Reign Accept Change cover

So Dark Reign has become the catch-all designation for the stories involving either Norman Osborn (who really gets around these days for a formerly dead guy), his team of villains as Avengers (Dark Avengers… pretty scary, huh, kids?), or leftover Secret Invasion storylines (many of the Dark Reign mini-series). The Dark Avengers really crack me up, as they are just an extension of the hoary old Avengers and JLA stories where criminals would clobber the heroes and put on their duds and cause trouble, usually in less than 22 pages.

The thing about Dark Reign is that there is really no over-arcing storyline here, other than when will Norman and his Dark Goons finally get their comeuppance, and from whom. To my mind, the only really satisfying ending would be Cap and Shellhead, finally working together again, CRUSHing Norman. But for that to happen, we first have to wait for Cap to get out of the timestream and get his bearings back and for Tony to regain his self-respect – and that could take years with today’s storytelling! Good grief!

Oh wait, I almost forgot about Utopia, the X-Men/Dark Avengers/Avengers crossover, except without much Avengers in it (at least so far). I seem to remember reading somewhere that the intent of this series was to move the Dark Reign “story” from the Avengers-centric books over to the X-Men franchise to help put the Mutants back into the spotlight again (at least Event-wise). The whole plan strikes me as a weird sort of football lateral. Here, I can’t actually throw the ball right now, but If I toss it backwards to you, and then you throw it, it might confuse everybody!

Excellent plan! It’s certainly confusing me!

New Avengers #56 cover

The weird thing is, some of the individual books/arcs contained in Dark Reign are really well done. The core Avengers books by Bendis are continuing the outstanding run since Secret Invasion, and Mighty Avengers by Dan Slott is quirky fun too. And I can’t wait for my old pal Stuart Immonen to start pencilling New Avengers after his stellar run on Ultimate Spider-Man! Secret Warriors is a constant high point, especially for a new title. Iron Man is back on my must-read-first list. And the recent Amazing Spider-Man American Son arc was well-thought-out, because it was weird that Norman was back and not really paying any attention to Spidey – but I really didn’t need to see the very pregnant Menace on the cover of #598. Ew.

So, there is some good Dark Reign stuff. There’s just too much Dark Reign stuff.

I’m also not really pleased to see the recent creation of the Dark X-Men, although I’m happy to see Namor getting something interesting to do other than being a lust object for Sue Richards. The whole villains-as-heroes thing has a limited shelf life and, frankly, has been much better done elsewhere. (I miss Classic Thunderbolts!) Dark Avengers: Fool me once, shame on… me. Dark X-Men: Fool me … uh … Don’t get fooled again!

Something like that…

KC CARLSON really wants summer to be over — right now! Humidity sucks! The title for this week’s column is based on a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Purchase:

Secret Invasion SC

Dark Reign: Accept Change SC

War of Kings: Road to War of Kings SC

Death of Superman SC