Comic Coverage

Friday Night Fights: GRUNDY SMASH!

What's shaping up to be a fun weekly event here in the comics blogosphere is the Friday Night Fights, graciously hosted by our pal Bahlactus and contributed to by just about everyone with a comics blog! As the name suggests, Friday Night Fights highlights some of the great moments in comic book combat. We can pretend superhero comic books are about higher, loftier things...but at their core, it's all about laying the smackdown! Truly something to celebrate.

My first foray into the Friday Night Fights is taken from Superman #301 (1976), which features a nearly full-issue slugfest between the Man of Steel and the savage Solomon Grundy!
Dimly recalling how some superheroes had doubles from alternate Earths, everyone's favorite swamp zombie wonders if there might be another Solomon Grundy out there to pal around with. In his bizarre supernatural fashion, Grundy decides to simply "walk" between dimensions from Earth-2 (his pre-Crisis address) to the Metropolis of Earth-1, bringing most of Slaughter Swamp along with him!

Predictably, his visit gets the attention of Superman, sparking one of the best knock-down-drag-outs I've ever seen in a comic book.

On the left, I've gathered a few random panels from the battle (click on 'em for a much larger view), but you owe it to yourself to track this baby down and read the whole thing. Illustrated by the amazing Jose Garcia Lopez, the dynamic action and cinematic layouts still blow away most of what passes for comic book art today, and with sound effects like "THOMM!", "SPRANK!", and the classic "BARROOOM!" ("bar room?"), it's a book you'll be glad to add to your collection.

BONUS: If Solomon Grundy throwing Superman around like a ragdoll isn't enough mayhem for you, be sure to check out That's Gotta Hurt!, my look at comic book covers from the Pain Hall of Fame!

Point/Counterpoint: Smoking Superheroes

In 2006, Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada defended a controversial decision to remove all instances of smoking from Marvel Comics titles.  In a statement on Newsarama, Quesada went in to some detail behind the decision, best summarized by this rather blunt statement:

"So, the reason our characters don’t smoke in our books is because
I don’t want them smoking in our books, it’s as simple as that.
Say what you will, it doesn’t matter, smoking causes cancer."

Knowing how the P.R. machines of tobacco companies have responded to such challenges in the past, I couldn't help but imagine what such a pro-tobacco campaign might look like...

"Hi, kids!  My name is Jay Garrick, otherwise known as The Flash.  I've been running at super-speed for well over sixty years.  To what do I owe such a long, super-cool life?"

"Why, cigarettes, of course!"

"Ha, ha!  Surprised you, didn't I?  I'll bet some of you are thinking 'But Jay, isn't smoking the number one evil facing our world today?' Not even close, kids!  In fact, let me show you how smoking made it possible for me to gain super powers!"

"My story begins, appropriately enough, back in Flash Comics #1 (1940), as I monitored an important Hard Water experiment late into the night.  As sleep beckoned, I called upon the sweet concentration-enhancing powers of Lady Tobacco...."

"The cigarette's soothing flavor was just what I needed, as the ecstacy of its problem-solving, life-giving vapors caused me to swoon into the nearby chemical containers...knocking them to the ground!"

"The rest, of course, is history.  The Hard Water fumes knocked me out, which by all rights should have killed me...that is, if it weren't for the protective chemical embrace of my precious cigarettes!"

"I can still remember that moment during my recovery, as that freakishly broad-shouldered nurse was serving me mush...how thankful I was to not only be alive, but supercharged with speed...speed I would later channel as The Flash! Thank you, tobacco!

"Don't forget 'contributes
to super speed'!  Ha, ha!"

Update: Sorry, Jay. It looks like DC Comics eventually modified your origin to reflect modern tastes, as reported by K ² Ramblings. Thanks, Kelson!

The Highlight Reel: A Stake of Humble Tin

There's a phrase you've probably heard dozens (if not hundreds) of times in today's hype-saturated comic book market.

"Nothing Will Ever
Be the Same Again!"

You'd think we'd learn after hearing it so many times.  After all, how many "nothing will ever be the same again" stories have actually delivered on that promise?

Well, one comic book story that actually did change things forever was The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122 (1973). The Death of Gwen Stacy not only changed the status quo of Spider-Man forever, but (arguably) of the entire superhero genre as well.

Crazy talk?  Well, I'm not the first one to note how the story seemed to herald (or perhaps spark) a darker form of storytelling. In fact, a similar sentiment was explored in Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross's MARVELS (1993), a brilliant metatextual "history" of Marvel's superheroes from the vantage point of average, everyday people.

Up until then girlfriends were saved, not killed....and supervillains either went to jail or (at worst) ambiguously "died" only to return a few years later. These issues of Spider-Man threw all of that out the window, signalling from that time onward that all bets were off.  Everyone was vulnerable, and nothing (no matter how horrible) was truly "off the table"....not even the death of a prominent cast member or arch-villain!

It's from the final few pages of this earthquake of a story that I've selected my scene for the Highlight Reel. Set-Up: Peter Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy was abducted and killed by the Green Goblin.  Later on, as Spider-Man, Parker explodes into the Goblin's warehouse lair, bent on revenge.  Written by Gerry Conway, pencilled by Gil Kane and inked by John Romita, experience a true comic book classic (click on the top and lower halves for larger views):

Man, that last line still gives me chills!

As intense as this scene remains after all these years, you can imagine what effect it had on me as a kid.  A jumble of triumph, relief, irony and, yes, even pity and horror....but permeating it all, a brutal sense of justice.  Heady stuff for a superhero comic book...especially for the early 70's!

The scene may look familiar to those who've seen the first Spider-Man movie, since its climactic final battle also involved a bat-glider piercing Norman Osborn (though, inexplicably, in the groin instead of the chest), but for sheer emotional impact, it can't touch the comic book version.  Though I appreciate director Sam Raimi's effort to bring it to life, it seemed to lose something in the translation to film.  It's only when you knew the long comic book history between Peter Parker and Norman Osborn, with its cat-and-mouse games of madness and blood, that you felt the true emotional impact of that bat-glider slamming Osborn to the wall.

Of course, as will happen in comics, Marvel foolishly undid the Green Goblin's death some twenty years later, thereby diminshing some of the scene's original power.  However, despite the retroactive tomfoolery, it remains one of the most dramatic scenes I've ever encountered in my three-plus decades of reading comics.

That is, despite my somewhat less-than-serious 30-Second Recap of the scene a few months back.

Comic Book Life Lessons (chapter 6)

Chapter Six:

"Click here for more Comic Book Life Lessons!"

You KNOW comics aren't for kids anymore when...

...you see an ad for a $24,000 SUV on the inside front cover!

Sure, the primary comic book advertisers are still video game equipment, junk food and comic-related merchandise...but this Jeep ad from DC's Countdown #49 a few weeks ago?

Quite the wake-up call. (Click on the ad to get a better look. Come on...I get 5¢ a click from Jeep.  Kidding!)

Despite the ad's juvenile connect-the-dots theme, it's pretty clear they're not targeting the 13 to 18 year-old demographic...unless allowances and Burger King paychecks have dramatically improved since I was a teenager. You know, back in the day when the big advertisers were Bubble Yum, Charles Atlas, Sea Monkeys, and whoopie cushions.

Of course, it goes without saying that the SUV ad is just the beginning.  As the rapidly aging fanbase continues to...well...rapidly age, I'm sure it won't be too much longer before we see comic book ads for retirement condos, Metamucil, or even Depends!

Cover to Cover: Extreme Makeovers!

Superhero Fashion Disasters.

As part of their never-ending battle to sustain reader interest (and sales figures), comic book publishers often resort to their standard bag of tricks to give their titles a jolt.  Some of these stunts include retelling a superhero’s origin, the “shocking” return of an old enemy, killing off a supporting cast member, or that old standby…a new costume!

It goes without saying that many “costume upgrades” were very successful, as an invigorating new look replaced a poorly designed or boring original costume.  Here are some "before and after" shots of successful costume upgrades:

However, not every costume upgrade has worked out for the better.  In fact, many of them are so astonishingly bad, pop culturally tone-deaf and unintentionally silly, I just had to go all “Joan Rivers” on a few of them.

Simply The Best: Goin' to the Chapel...

Who can get married while celebrating his 40th anniversary at the same time? 

Why, Superman, of course!

Celebrating the fourth decade since the Man of Steel first hoisted that green sedan over his head, Action Comics #484 (1978) featured the long-awaited wedding of Superman and Lois Lane!

Making the issue even more special was this gorgeous cover by Jose Garcia Lopez, conveying all the joyous spectacle you'd expect from these star-crossed lovers finally tying the knot.

Or did they? 

Sharp-eyed readers quickly realized something was up.  The Daily Star building in the background and Superman's obscured chest symbol provided clues that all was not what it appeared to be. 

You see, this was indeed a wedding between Superman and Lois Lane....of Earth-2!  For years, the earliest adventures of Superman had cleverly been exported to an alternate Earth, where differing details of his Kryptonian heritage, his workplace (The Daily Star instead of the familiar Daily Planet) and even a slightly different "S" symbol were still the norm.

So, yeah...on one hand it was a bit of a cop-out to marry the Earth-2 version of the couple, but on the other hand it made perfect sense.  When you think about it, these were the characters who appeared in the first issue of Action Comics in 1938, so it seemed natural that they would receive the reward denied the "real" Superman and Lois from the ongoing series (at least until 1995).

But back to that dynamite cover.  As someone who's always been a sucker for sentiment and tradition, this cover hits all of my buttons.  The classic design of the wedding dress, the "Just Married" banner, and the obvious joy of the bride and groom (without a molecule of cynicism or irony) all seem like something imported from another age.

You know, while I'm at it, I might as well make this an unofficial clip for The Highlight Reel, my ongoing effort to chronicle my favorite comic book moments.  There's so much to love about the story inside.  Writer Cary Bates turned in a tight and (at times) unexpectedly moving script, perfectly complemented by the artwork of Curt Swan (who else?) and inker Joe Giella.  However, the part of the story that makes the Reel is actually the final two panels of the story.

Earlier in the tale, Lois Lane had fallen in love with and married Clark Kent who, at the time, had forgotten his life as Superman due to a magic spell courtesy of The Wizard. After Clark eventually regained his memory (and superpowers) and took care of the Wizard, there was only one thing left to do.

Taking his bride to his Secret Citidel (an art-deco precursor of the Fortress of Solitude) Superman and Lois privately reaffirm their vows in a touching Kryptonian ritual (click on the panels for a larger view).  In all the years I've read and enjoyed Superman stories, there aren't many moments with more grace and understated beauty than this one.  All of it done in the shadow of Kal-L's Kryptonian parents, who looked like the reigning gods of some lost 1930's sci-fi pantheon.

Pure class.

The Complete 1977 Shopping List

As the grocery shopper in our house, I usually bring a list the length of a toilet paper roll and end up spending anywhere between two to three hundred dollars.  The other day, as I drove home from the store (exhausted), I thought back to a simpler time, when I had a much smaller list to bring to the store. 

Here's what my typical shopping list looked like in June of 1977:

A Marvel Superheroes Slurpee® drink.

Pop Rocks: The carbonated candy that literally sizzled in my mouth.  Add a swig of Coca-Cola for extra head-exploding fizzing action.

Zotz: Hard candy in a variety of flavors, each with a fizzy sour center.

A pack of bubblegum cards from that
cool new "Star Wars" movie.

...and last, but certainly not least...

Comic books!  From an authentic 7-11 squeeky spinner-rack, no less!  The trick was to get there before all of the comics had been bent over the wire rack from careless browsers...and to avoid the clerk scolding us that "this ain't a library"!

In case you're wondering, YES...these ARE the very same comics that came out in June of 1977...I remember buying them!

TOTAL:  Oh, this is just a guess...but it was probably three bucks for the whole works.  You know, the price of one comic book today!  Arrgghh!

DC Nation: What the heck was THAT?!

Everyone hates late comics.  Fans, pros, distributors, shop owners...everyone.

But...if there's one thing that's more of a turn-off than late comics, it's a publisher's sulky, existential navel-gazing on the topic.

DC Nation is a weekly promo page in the comics published by...you guessed it...DC Comics.  It's usually hosted by DC front-man Dan Didio, sort of a Stan Lee-meets-Tony Soprano character.  However, this week Dan turned it over to one of his editors, Matt Idelson....whose unshaven, doughy and (judging by the column) clueless visage topped the column.

Behold! The poster boy of Modern Comics Professionalism!

Some quick background:  Both DC and Marvel Comics (a.k.a. "The Big Two") have experienced some rather high-profile bellyflops when it came to late comics, most of which involved A-list creative teams who couldn't seem to get their comic books done on time. 

Understandably, there's been some vocal push-back from the fan and retail community...but as you can see from Matt's DC Nation column (from which I've excerpted below), it's doesn't appear to be getting through.  Instead, Idelson throws up a classic "Gordian Knot" defense...implying that the problem is just too intractable for poor, hapless editors to solve.

As Matt sees it, an editor has only three options:

1.  Use a previously prepared inventory or "file" story.  The problem?

"...nowadays it seems like readers react poorly – they know they're reading an inventory story. I guess part of the reason for this is that stories today are so concretely focused on the present, and how it will impact the future of the character. There's little patience for stories that fill in gaps from the past."

2.  How about bringing in a guest writer or artist to keep the story arc moving forward?  Sounds logical...but Matt begs to differ:

"But that's met with frustration by the readers, who wanted to see a certain team remain intact for this most important of stories."

Well...what's a long-suffering editor to do?

3.  What about not releasing a comic book until it's completely finished, no matter how long it takes?

You guessed it:

"...who wants to go to the comics store and not find their book waiting for them? I know that would drive me crazy when I was centering my week around my next comics run."

So, does Idelson proclaim a bold new commitment on DC's part to hitting deadlines?  Does he offer an apology for all the late books, or report that there might be certain practices (like soliciting books that aren't even remotely close to being finished) that DC will modify or abolish?

Nope.  All we get is, essentially, a shrug:

"It seems like each of the three options is frowned upon by about a third of the reading population."

Gosh....then I guess there's nothing that can be done, right?

Unless you count soliciting the advice of the fanbase you just said was divided into three irreconcilable camps:

"I'm curious to know—how do you, the reader feel we should proceed? What would you want us to do? Regardless of the answer, I guess the bottom line is that you can't please everyone. The real question is: how can we, the editors, please the most people?"

Wow...they really don't have a clue, do they?

Well, since you asked, Matt...here's how you can please the most people:

1.  As we roll into the summer convention season, before you announce your exclusive deals with rock star creatosr, check out their track record.  Can they consistantly perform on a monthly comic book?  If not, what makes you think they suddenly will now??

2.  How about not soliciting stories until they're at least 3/4 completed, so comic shops won't end up holding the bag on ordered titles that are six months tardy?

3.  Why not build in an incentive or benchmark scale into the deal, so if the creative team completes their obligations by a certain date, they are rewarded with a higher page or royalty rate?  Conversely, you could set up a similar system of penalizing benchmarks, where creators are paid steadily less past an agreed upon deadline.

4.  Take a breath.  The Big Two have been locked in this insane "death spiral" of cosmos-shaking mega-events for so long, the fever pitch seems to be overtaking the ability of many to produce or properly edit the stories.

5.  Stop blaming the fans.  Late books are solely and completely the responsibility of the creators and the publishers who hire them.  True professionals will do whatever it takes to get the job done...whether that means skipping a convention, spending half an hour less on a message board or the X-Box, or (most importantly) refusing to take on more work than they know they can realistically complete.

6.  Apologize.  You'd be surprised how far a simple apology for late work can go.  Don't make excuses.  Don't mope or shrug....or imply this is just the way things are going to be for the foreseeable future...or act like nothing's wrong.  "Hey, we really screwed up.  We're sorry. We hope we can get it together and deliver a great product on time, every time."  There....that wasn't so hard, was it?

7.  Heed the advice of the Comic Coverage "How to Create a Comic Book On Time" guide.

Cover to Cover: Déjà vu All Over Again (FF #1)

The Homage Cover Chronicles (part 2)

Comic book covers based upon famous images, from other comics or elsewhere, are commonly referred to as “homage covers”.  As the term implies, homage covers pay tribute to revered “touchstones” of comic book, pop cultural or even “real world” historical imagery.  They also provide a sense of fun and community, as seasoned fans recognize the visual as the hat-tip, the nod, the gentle satire or the arcane “in-joke” knowledge it was intended to be.

This time around, I thought I'd take a look at the homage covers of The Fantastic Four #1, no less than the “Big Bang” of the Marvel Universe. 

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1961, The Fantastic Four introduced a new kind of dynamic to the superhero genre, one in which characters occasionally made mistakes, argued with each other or, in the case of The Thing, were grotesque, reluctantly heroic monsters.  Even the cover hinted at the new level of emotion, cocksure bravado and pessimistic griping that quickly became hallmarks of the emerging Marvel style.

The first tribute to this cover appeared, appropriately enough, in Fantastic Four #126 (1972), an issue devoted to a retelling of the F.F.’s origin.  Note that this version features all of them in costume battling the Mole Man's creature.

Comic Book Life Lessons: Father's Day Edition

Happy Father's Day!

"Click here for more Comic Book Life Lessons!"

Profiles in Villainy: Darkseid

Rules the planet Apokolips with soul-crushing power and sadistic cruelty.

Seeks the power of the Anti-Life Equation to conquer the universe.

Admits that Disneyland is, indeed,
the Happiest Place on Earth.

Darkseid © DC Comics

Click here for more Profiles in Villainy!

At The Movies: Fantastic!

How do you finish off a fantastic Father's Day weekend?  By seeing the new Fantastic Four movie, of course!

After a busy weekend visiting the old hometown (Duluth, MN), I made it home in time to catch a showing of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.  The ladies graciously bowed out, so it was just Dad and The Lad seeing what the sequel had to offer.

First, some credentials. 

I've collected and adored Fantastic Four comics ever since climbing aboard the Comic Book Crazy Train way back in the early 70's, and I've got every issue (in one form or another) from issue #1 through the mid-300's, plus a smattering of more recent runs. 

In short, I know what the heck I'm talking
about when it comes to the Fantastic Four.

Not that knowledge to the source material is required to comprehend and enjoy the movie...in fact, it would be a crashing failure if it did.

However, the "inside baseball" insight can certainly enhance an already good adaptation when you see many of the defining elements incorporated in economic and clever ways.

From this perspective, I enjoyed the original Fantastic Four movie in 2005.  They did a pretty good job of introducing the characters to the general public through good performances and better-than-expected special effects.  Through it all, the movie never seemed to take itself as seriously as many superhero movies tend to, which allowed alot of the lighthearted spirit and family dynamic of the comic book to shine through.

Okay, now that the set-up's out of the way, what did a self-proclaimed Fantastic Fan think of the sequel? Well, like I did for my Spider-Man 3 review, I think I'll give my impressions of the major characters, all of which will include SPOILERS (consider yourself officially Spoiler-Warned).

Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd): Of the four, the personality of the comic book Reed Richards is often as pliable as his body, and tough to nail down.  Many writers err in portraying him as simply an absent-minded space case, or a coldly logical Vulcan, forgetting the laser-focused intensity and passion of Lee and Kirby's original.  Gruffudd's performance strikes just the right balance between a mildly distracted and intensely driven Mr. Fantastic, as he simultaneously monitors a cosmic conflagration while helping Sue plan their wedding.  With only a hint of the graying temples that define his comic book counterpart, Gruffudd still projects the required maturity and "gravitas" the role requires...despite the inherent goofiness of his stretching powers. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the beard stubble!  Whenever Reed gets really intense in the comics, he ends up with a major case of five o'clock shadow....a great little touch they incorprated into the movie.  Someone knows their stuff.

Sue Storm (Jessica Alba): You know, I see Alba getting knocked left and right by other reviewers, but I don't think she did a bad job at all. Would I prefer someone a bit older?  Sure.  Do those blue contact lenses give Alba a vaguely spooky Children of the Damned look?  Admittedly, yes.  Despite those mild distractions, Alba seemed to get into the Invisible Woman role more than she did in the original.  In the comic books, Sue is sort of a defacto "mother figure" (in a positive, non-creepy way), and I thought they did a good job of suggesting that here and there.  I was disappointed that they (once again) made Sue lose all of her clothes, and actually felt kinda sorry for Alba for having to endure yet another cheap laugh.  Her "Why does this always happen to me?" line was a good question I'd like to see the filmmakers answer. I really enjoyed the scenes of Sue using her powers, which made it clear that she's one of the most, if not the most powerful of the foursome.

Johnny Storm (Chris Evans): As one of the highlights of the first film, Evans once again pulls off a great performance as the impetuous Human Torch. Like many cocky, charismatic cads before him, Johnny learns a Valuable Lesson in humility as his brush with the Surfer scrambles his superpowers...which Evans performs with real heart.  We get a sense that Johnny has finally turned a corner in his extremely long path to maturity.  I noted that the female military officer Johnny was hitting on was named "Frankie Raye", who, in the comics, was one of his major romances (and eventually became another herald of Galactus).

Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis): I have to admit, I was disappointed that the filmmakers decided to use a real-life body suit for The Thing.  If any character cried out for an all-CGI interpretation, it was Ben Grimm.  Perhaps the unconvincing CGI Hulk from Ang Lee's famous bellyflop of a movie scared the F.F. crew away from this approach, or maybe Michael Chiklis wanted to have more of a "real" presense in the movie.  Whatever the reason, I wasn't too thrilled with the smaller version of Aunt Petunia's favorite nephew.  Happily, the Thing suit grew on me, especially with Chiklis' spot-on performance.  Simple without being stupid, gruff without being a complete crank, the movie Thing captured much of the character's humor and disarming vulnerability. 

Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon):  I was surprised to learn that Dr. Doom would return in the sequel, and I certainly wasn't expecting that he would also regain his looks and get a government pardon.  Thankfully, he quickly reverted back to villainous form, echoing a classic comic book tale where Doom temporarily steals the Surfer's power.  I question the wisdom of including Doom at all, but minus any real presence from Galactus, I guess the film needed something the gang could fight, and Doom once again filled the bill.

Doom steals the Power Cosmic
(Fantastic Four #57, 1966)

General Hager (Andre Braugher): Playing Hollywood's 10,478^th take on the stereotyped stone-faced and morally compromised military big shot (ho hum), Braugher wasn't given much to work with here.  He was basically just the "Corrupt Military Machine" foil to Reed's virtuous "Noble Scientist". I think the most memorable aspect of the character was his shockingly graphic death....especially for a mere PG rating.

Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington):  Like Braugher, she wasn't given much to do, which was somewhat disappointing considering Alicia's huge role in the comic book version of the Surfer's comic book debut.  It was the gentle soul of Alicia, not Sue, that inspired the Surfer to challenge Galactus and ultimately save the Earth, and it would have been great for that aspect of the story to make it into the movie.  With Sue now in that role, it worked just fine and accomplished the same storytelling goal, but knowing the original source material actually hindered my enjoyment in this case.  A wonderful, beautiful actress just the same.

The Silver Surfer (Doug Jones & the voice of Laurence Fishburne):  From the first few promotional images I'd seen of him, I've been thrilled with the "translation" of the Surfer from comic book to film.  I still recall way back in the 1970's, Stan Lee had been trying to get a film version of the Surfer made, at one point breathlessly reporting that a "scientist in Australia" had figured out a way to levitate a board a few inches off the ground...which, even with our naturally lowered expectations in the 70's, didn't seem all that impressive.  I'm happy Stan's low-wattage Surfer movie never got farther than that, since nearly 30 years later, I was able to enjoy a near-perfect realization of Jack Kirby's original vision of the character. 

The comic book version of the character has long been "tamed" by writers (including Stan Lee) who later took him in a more philosophical, self-pitying direction, but when he first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (1966), he was a mysterious figure who seemed both noble and a little spooky.  This is exactly the vibe the movie was able to capture, as the sightings and enigmatic activities of the Surfer truly seemed beyond humanity's understanding.  Even in his leaden "non-powered" state (which I suspect might have been one of the original, non-CGI options for the character), he still emanated the mythic, otherworldly grandeur of so many Kirby creations.  Fishburne's voicework complemented the physical presense, giving the Surfer the proper note of "serene fatalism".  I've heard rumors of a Silver Surfer spin-off movie (which the final scene certainly paves the way for), and I think it would work.  That is, if they actually showed Galactus.  Which brings me to....

Galactus:  I was really torn on this one.  On one hand, I desperately wanted to see a "real" version of Kirby's armored space-god, such as the amazing version that briefly appeared in a cinematic for the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance video game (above).

On the other hand, I understand that some comic book images don't translate particularly well to the movie screen, and the elaborate Kirby headgear of Galactus might be one of them.  I don't know how it would have come across...and it seems like the filmmakers might have faced the same dilemma.  As it turned out, Galactus was portrayed as a sweeping "space storm", cloaked in cosmic thunder and smoke like God in Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments.  I can get behind that interpretation just fine, as it really conveyed the awesome "otherness" of Galactus, perhaps much more effectively than a 50-foot man with a bucket on his head would have.  Still, old-timers like me were thrown a bone with a very brief glimpse of his distinctive comic book silhouette during his final confrontation with the Surfer (if you blinked, you probably missed it), so there's at least the possibility of the Big Guy taking on a more familiar physical form in a Surfer "prequel" (chronicling his origin story, I presume).  Whether visible or not, the Galactus concept made a successful jump to the movie screen...something I really wasn't sure would work in the context of a live-action Fantastic Four film. 

Some other stuff to note:

1.  The Fantasticar:  Though not quite as vital to the Fantastic Four as, say, the Batmobile is to Batman, the Fantasticar is still a pretty important detail to get right.  While I liked the general design of the Car, what I really appreciated was how it separated into different mini-fliers, just like in the comics.  Nice touch.

2.  The inevitable Stan Lee cameo was great, as Stan was refused entry to Reed and Sue's building-top wedding ceremony.  Some people are mightily bugged by these, but I love 'em.

3.  The fun quasi-nod to The Super Skrull, one of my favorite F.F. villains. In the movie, the Surfer altered Johnny's molecules, which allowed him to spontaneously "swap" powers with his teammates.  In their battle with a super-charged Dr. Doom, Johnny absorbs all of their powers, becoming a one-man Fantastic Four...an obvious visual tribute to the Super Skrull.  I had hoped the Skrull would be the villain for a (possible) third movie, but I'll settle for this if they go for something else.

4.  The real sense of "family" the film captured.  Unlike most comic book superteams who hang out for awhile at their headquarters and then return to their "real" lives, the Fantastic Four have always lived together as a family.  Like any family, they've had their ups and downs, crazy arguments and bouts of cabin fever, but at the end of the day, their devotion to each other defines their unique place in comic book history.  The film did a great job of conveying that without knocking us over the head with it.

Overall, I'm rating Fantastic Four: Rise of
the Silver Surfer 4 out of 5...er...Fours.

Barry Allen: Answering the Skeptics

Some of the biggest news emerging from last week's Hero Con in Philadelphia was DC Comics' surprise announcement that writer Mark Waid would be returning to write the Flash, sparking a firestorm of speculation (based on numerous clues) that the one wearing the red tights would be none other than a resurrected Barry Allen!

As with most big news that comes down the pike in the comics biz, there's already a chorus both cheering and jeering the possibility of Barry's return.  I'm solidly in the Pro-Barry camp, and after reading a number of objections from people who aren't, I thought I'd answer a few of them here.

Of course, the real nature of what's going on won't be revealed until today's new comics hit the stands...so all of this may be a moot point. 

But when's that ever stopped me before?

---

"Who is this 'Barry Allen' anyway?"

Barry Allen was actually DC's second super-speedster to operate as The Flash.  The first was Jay Garrick, whose adventures were published between 1940 and 1949, ending when superhero comics hit the skids.  Kicking off a new wave of superhero popularity (commonly referred to as "The Silver Age") was Showcase #4 (1956), featuring Barry as an updated Flash, complete with a spiffy Space Age uniform.

Later on, Barry's speed allowed him to bridge dimensions and meet his famous predecessor on an alternate Earth, simultaneously sparking DC's long association with Multiple Earths storylines.

Barry's solo series (picking up on the numbering of Jay's old Flash Comics series) continued on into the 1980's, when the winds of change, paired with DC's incompetent handling of the character, led to its cancellation in 1985. 

Later that year, Barry would appear in Crisis on Infinite Earths, a mini-series designed to clean up and streamline DC's (allegedly) too-complicated continuity.  Despite most heroes getting a chance to shine, Barry was a curiously absent figure through much of the story....appearing as either a weeping spectral figure or stuck in motionless captivity.  Following the double-size Death of Supergirl issue, Barry died the very next (regular-sized) issue...coming across as almost an afterthought or mild aftershock to Supergirl's much-trumpeted demise.  Making matters worse, Barry's final act came off as an odd, metaphysical abstraction rather than a concrete contribution to victory.  Running in circles around a cosmic doohickie (the purpose of which wasn't clear) and then crumbling into a skeleton wasn't exactly the blaze of glory you'd expect for a guy of Barry's stature.

Needless to say, the handling of Barry's death was as bungled and incoherent as the final years of his series.

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"Geez, you're pretty bitter about this, aren't you?"

Actually, no.  I mean, it's been over twenty years, so I've long since gotten over it.  Plus, there's that little detail of Barry not being real that convinced me pretty quickly to move on.

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"Why not bring back Wally West instead? He's already alive!"

There's definitely a case to be made that Barrys' former protege', who began his career as Kid Flash and later assumed Barry's mantle as The Flash, should come back and pick up where he left off.  As of this writing, he's supposedly living in The Speed Force (don't ask) with his wife and kids...so I say let the guy continue enjoying a well-earned sabbatical.  For the past twenty years or so, the character's benefitted from a variety of conceptual upgrades and interesting new directions, so maybe it's time for his mentor to reap the benefits of today's more sophisticated forms of storytelling.

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"I think this bringing back the dead stuff has simply got to stop.  Hal Jordan, Jason Todd, Bucky for Pete's sake!  Bucky?  Come on, Mark, you know that this is getting ridiculous!  Let the line be drawn with Barry.  Or so help me, you know Uncle Ben will be next."

I can understand the concern that death means almost nothing in superhero comics anymore, but we'd crossed that bridge long before anyone seriously thought Barry might be coming back.  True, there are certain characters who simply can't come back to life without undermining the entire narrative of a character...such as your example of Uncle Ben.  In his case, or the case of Bruce Wayne's murdered parents, the death is a cornerstone of the character's beginnings....their "reason for being" if you will.  These, I would agree, are truly untouchable "permanent" deaths.  However, Barry's not one of those essential deaths.  High profile, maybe...but not essential.  His role in a virtually forgotten cosmic crisis has little to no bearing on anything that's happened since, other than garnering a few "Dear Old Barry" sniffles from time to time.

So, why not bring him back for something other than maudlin tributes or time-travel stopovers?

I think one of the treasures of a fictional reality is the ability to bend the rules in a way we could never do here in the "real world".  We all know that physical death is permanent and there's nothing we can do to reverse it.  Do we really need superhero comic books to uphold and teach us that lesson?   Nuh uh.  Instead, if we can bend the laws of physics to allow humans to fly, shrink, climb walls and run at light speed, is it any less an outlandish fantasy to want to beat death itself? Barry's carried enough water for the "We need to respect death's permanency" line.  Do we really need him to stay dead in order to prove that rather obvious point?

At the end of the day, comics are about telling great stories, and Barry has many more left to tell.

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"I think this is just more proof that the Silver Age nostalgia freaks who run the industry are trying to re-live their childhoods."

Now who's bitter?  Sure, the industry (and much of the fanbase) includes those who grew up reading comics in the 60's and 70's, but keep in mind they're also the same people who've been creating the comics you've read from the 80's on up to the present, so they've got a stake in the current status quo, too.  Another thing to keep in mind is that even though so-called "Silver Age Characters" are enjoying more of the spotlight these days, it doesn't mean that the Silver Age era's storytelling style will accompany them.  It's been proven time and again that a truly strong character concept can adapt to any era in the hands of a dynamic creative team, and Silver Age characters are no exception.  Instead of sweeping them under the rug, as DC attempted to do in the early 90's, inventive writers have rescued Silver Agers like Hal Jordan and Ollie Queen from the ash heap and restored them to a vital, relevant presence in the DC Universe.

I don't think anyone is trying to relive their childhood (that's what back issues are for, after all), and one man's nostalgia is someone else's first story, so I don't buy the plea for nostalgia-free comics.  Sure, if you marinate in nostalgia month after month, you're no longer growing or moving forward...but a dash of nostalgia has always been part of the superhero comics "recipe", especially so for the rich traditions that define the DC Comics experience.

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"Barry's return would completely invalidate Crisis on Infinite Earths."

At this point, I don't think anyone's losing too much sleep over what this does or doesn't do to Crisis.  Nothing will change its status as a mind-blowing milestone event, but it's influence over the current DCU has been radically diminished by recent events...most notably the return of the multiverse concept, the whole reason for Crisis in the first place (and not to kill off Barry Allen, as some seem to believe).

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"I don't want the squeaky-clean Barry Allen getting 'tainted' by the more ambiguous, darker morality of modern comics."

I see this one alot. Sure, Barry would encounter a starkly different moral climate than he did in the comics of thirty to forty years ago, but it doesn't follow that Barry would automatically be changed into some kind of sneering anarchist.  So cheer up...lots of writers are still in the "uplifting and heroic" business, and Mark Waid is definitely among them.

Who's to say Barry's upright character won't have an effect on the world around him?

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"C'mon...Barry was as square and uncool as it gets.  I can't see anyone making Barry cool enough for kids today."

Well, if "cool" means making him a "Guitar Hero II" maestro with an emo haircut, I guess he's not going to pass muster.  However, if we're talking about Barry's reputation for a coherent moral perspective and his domesticated, average-guy sensibility, that IS why he's so cool!  Want to be a non-conformist in today's crowded superhero market?  Be a well-adjusted, confident guy who's comfortable in his own skin! 

Add to that Barry's career as a forensic scientist, which (based on the hundreds of procedural crime dramas on TV) is cooler than ever.  Add to THAT the fact that the fresh, luminous artwork of Daniel Acuña will be featured in the rebooted series, and I think Barry's all set in the "cool" department.

(click the panels for a larger look)

So, by the end of the day today we'll know for sure if it's Barry, Wally or someone else entirely taking over for the hapless Bart Allen.  My money's on Barry, because if anything is going to live up to DC's hype, Barry returning from a 20 year death trumps Wally coming back from a one-year sabbatical any day of the week.  Come on, DC...get it right this time!

Whatever happens, you can bet I'll have plenty to blather about on Thursday.

Flash Facts

Well, yesterday I feverishly picked up the fateful comics (Flash: Fastest Man Alive #13 and Justice League of America #10) to see if good ol' Barry Allen had been brought back to life. 

As you might recall from my previous post, I'm a big fan of the character and was hoping mightily that he would be the "new Flash" DC's been crowing about.

For those of you who haven't read the comics in question yet, I'll go into spoiler mode after the jump, but I will say this:  While the issue of Flash was pretty "meh" (much like the entire short-lived series itself), the conclusion of "The Lightning Saga" in Justice League featured some top-notch, nitro-powered storytelling.  "Suspenseful Intensity" might be a good way to describe it.

Okay, time to jump to some spoiler-
filled blather.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Friday Night Fights: It's Clobberin' Time!

After a brief interlude, the mighty Bahlactus has sounded the battle cry for another round of Friday Night Fights....and when Bahlactus calls, the teeming hordes of the Comics Blogoverse rise to the challenge!

My spine-crushing contribution is taken from Fantastic Four #77 (1968), the final chapter of The Second Coming of Galactus!

Sent by Galactus to find the reclusive Silver Surfer, Reed, Johnny and Ben journey into a bizarre sub-atomic Microverse, where they encounter the emotion-manipulating threat of Psycho-Man.

This ridiculously entertaining tale was published during the high tide of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's classic run, featuring their insane concepts, rollicking dialogue, non-stop action and brilliant artwork (made even better by the sublime inking of Joltin' Joe Sinnott). These panels give you just a little taste of that magic, so spend some time looking them over (click on the panels for a Galactus-sized Mega-View).

Now, without further ado, let's join The Thing as he introduces Psycho-Man to his left and right fists, otherwise known as
"The Brothers Grimm!"  

Be sure to grab a helmet and safety goggles to protect you from the sheer seismic insanity of that final panel. You can feel the impact all the way from here, nearly forty years later! Take it away, Benjamin!  

The Highlight Reel: A Family Instead of a Freakshow

In my previous post, you had a front row seat to the rip-roaring "Clobberin' Time" side of The Thing, the Fantastic Four's resident rock-encrusted curmudgeon.   However, there's another side to Ben Grimm you may not be quite as familiar with.

Raised as a streetwise scrapper on New York's Lower East Side, Ben Grimm's tough-guy exterior became a literal reality following his cosmic accident.  Ironically, Ben's rocky outer shell became the catalyst for a softer side to emerge, as the love of his Fantastic Four "family" and girlfriend Alicia gradually smoothed his jagged outlook.

Adding to Ben's joy was the arrival of Reed and Sue's baby boy, born in Fantastic Four Annual #6 (1968).  Soon afterward in Fantastic Four #94 (1969), the proud parents bring the baby home to the Baxter Building. Let's join them as they announce what they've decided to name their son, a special day for Ben Grimm as well as an unforgettable scene for the Highlight Reel.

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Original Art: Slice It, Dice It, or Give It Away for Free

While spending a few stolen moments of leisure time leafing through my Flash collection, specifically the Flash-Grams letters pages, I was reminded of an alarming practice that (as far as I know) occured only in that particular title.

First, a little set-up. In today's comic book marketplace, we're all aware of the value of a comic book's original artwork.  In fact, most artists supplement their income by selling pages of their original art to fans and collectors.  When a comic book publisher has printed the issue of a comic book, they'll typically give the penciller and inker a portion of the artwork to do with as they see fit.  Some keep it for sentimental or professional reasons, some sell it for fun and profit. Everyone's happy, right?

Sure, now they're happy...but decades ago, a publisher's original art policies were very different from what they are today.  Shockingly, depressingly and horrifyingly different.

Opposites Attract

So…is that old saying “opposites attract” really true?

If we’re talking romance?  Probably not. 

If we’re talking about me and “Opposite Number” supervillains?  Absolutely!

Rest assured, I love all the obvious A-List Bad Guys like The Joker, the Green Goblin, the Doctors Doom and Octopus, and all the rest.  However, there’s just something about those Evil Duplicates, Dark Reflections, and Twisted Doppelgangers I can’t get enough of.

What could be the Deep Psychological Underpinnings for that fixation? Could Opposite Number villains mirror the struggle between good and evil that rages in every human heart?  Are they a symbolic representation of how easy power can corrupt? Is it the sense of cosmic symmetry these equally powerful yet morally twisted characters represent?

Frankly, I have no idea.

Here’s what I do know.  One of the first dozen comic books I’d ever read was Marvel’s Greatest Comics #57 (reprinting Fantastic Four #75), which dropped me right in the middle of nothing less than the Second Coming of Galactus.  As you can imagine, I had absolutely no idea what was going on…but thanks to the charismatic scripting of Stan Lee and the eye-popping Kirby-Sinnott art, it didn’t seem to matter.

Then, about midway through the story, the off-world Galactus creates an eerie distraction to occupy Reed, Johnny and Ben (Sue was pregnant and on bed rest at the time). Rising from the ocean shore like zombies, a trio of dark duplicates ruthlessly attacked the boys using powers identical to theirs.

Of course, the evil counterparts were eventually defeated, but not before sparking a fascination with Opposite Number villains that continues to this day.

So, what exactly is an Opposite Number Supervillain? As I see it, we’ve got four broad categories...

"Welcome...to my Sinestro Corps."

I typically don't plug or review new comics (I'll leave that to the other 200,000 comic book blogs), but every once in awhile a special one comes along that's so entertaining, so incredibly well done, that I've just gotta crow about it.

At the very end of my previous Opposite Numbers post, I mentioned how much I was looking forward to reading Sinestro Corps Special #1, which hit the stores this week. I knew I would enjoy it (being the Green Lantern and Opposite Number fan that I am), but man alive, I had no idea it would turn out to be the best comic book I've read in ages!

Writers Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons have done more to invigorate and expand the Green Lantern mythos than anyone else has in decades, exploring new directions and introducing fascinating new concepts (such as the color/emotion/power "spectrum") while at the same time instilling a new level of cosmic grandeur, far surpassing anything I've seen before in all the years I've been reading Green Lantern. Sinestro Corps Special is the payoff for their months and years of laying the groundwork, as multiple threads relating to DC's recent Infinite Crisis event, their current Countdown storyline and the various Earth-based Green Lantern characters come together with spectacular results.

Of course, even if there were no words supplied by the writers, the book would still be a home run, thanks to the amazing artwork of Ethan Van Sciver. Starting with Green Lantern: Rebirth (the 2005 kick-off to the grand Green Lantern reboot), Van Sciver has set the visual standard for this era's Green Lantern with his solild storytelling and highly detailed, cinematic artwork. Need proof? How about this face-melting center spread featuring Sinestro's dark reflection of the entire Green Lantern Corps? (click on the panel for a larger view)

Insanity, thy name is Ethan Van Sciver!

At his point, the only questions remaining are: Why aren't you at the comic shop buying this?...or, if you already did, what did you think?

Friday Night Fights: EGO TRIP!

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Marvel's THOR, a character most of the self-proclaimed sophisticates view as hopelessly passe'.

Naturally, I haven't lost a wink of sleep over that.

In fact, the cornball amalgamation of Norse legend, swashbuckling adventure, Shakespearean dialect, chivalrous morality, and hi-tech Mardi Gras headgear is precisely why I enjoy the Thunder God's tales.

One of the pillars of Thor comics is the "Epic Quest" storyline, in which Goldilocks and his pals have to journey somewhere, find something, or defeat someone (or sometimes all three), invariably with the fate of the entire cosmos in the balance.

One such quest took place in Thor #226-#228 (1974) in a tale written by Gerry Conway (which character didn't he write in the 70's?), pencilled by Rich Buckler (in full Kirby-pastiche mode) and inked by Joe Sinnott (Kirby's greatest inker). Sent by the quest-happy Galactus, Thor, Hercules and Big-G's herald Firelord are sent to find EGO, an insane sentient planet roaming the universe destroying other planets (essentially stealing the food of Galactus). 

Their mission once they found Ego? Shut 'im down!

After the trio spent most of issue #227 fighting their way onto the surface of Mr. Planet McGrumpy Face, then smashing through armies of demonic "anti-bodies", Thor finally muscles his way into the core, hurls the mighty Mjolnir, and blows up Ego's giant brain!*

(click on the panels for brain-exploding bigness) 

Be sure to check out Mighty Bahlactus for more Friday Night Fighting!

*  Again with the "BARROOM" sound effect?  Man, the 70's were all about the subliminal pro-alcohol messaging, weren't they?

Memewhile: Eight Mindblowing Facts

So my pal Heidi at Comics Fairplay "tagged" me the other day with the latest meme sweeping the ranks of comics blogdom. 

In the spirit of fair play, who am I to refuse?

It's called "Eight Questions of Blazing Death" (we comic book people are a melodramatic lot), and here are the rules:

1.  Each player starts with eight random facts about themselves.
2.  Those who are tagged need to write in their own blog about their eight facts and post these rules.
3.  At the end of the post, choose some people to get tagged and list their names.

Got it?  Good.  Now gird yourself for my shocking revelations!...