Tuesday, February 26, 2008

New Frontier DVD Movie

Wow - that's cool. Justice League: The New Frontier has been released as a 75-minute animated DVD feature. This is another thing that I am interested in reading, but haven't had a chance to read yet.

I have a reason for not having read this one yet - I only have 5 of the 6 issues of the series....not a good reason, but it's a reason. I could always buy the trade, but I can't bring myself to do it when I am that close to completing the series. The pains of being a completist.

I have enjoyed Cooke's work, mostly from his time as artist of the Catwoman character written by Ed Brubaker. It started as a backup feature in Detective Comics (which, amazingly, was only a 4-issue run in Detective Comics 759-762. It seemed longer...), then DC launched a Catwoman title and picked up from that beginning. I'm glad DC was smart enough to do that. The backup stories were quite good and made for an excellent lead-in to the series.

I wonder if they're going to (or have already) collect these back up tales into a trade? It would be a worthwhile effort.


Monday, February 25, 2008

Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers

Well, I kind of got my wish...sort of. I've blathered in these posts about how all I really want from comics is for them to be well written. Now, with the help of a fellow comic fan, I have access to all of the individual issues that comprise Seven Soldiers.

This is a noteworthy aspect of this collection. It was something that I was interested in reading, as it was written by Grant Morrison, and it features obscure, forgotten characters. Just up my alley. Then I saw the trade paperbacks.

What a mess. They (DC Comics) reprinted mixed issues from each of the seven miniseries that are part of the overall SS concept. For example, the first trade could have had something like SS 0, Bulleteer 1, Klarion 1, Mister Miracle 1, Shining Knight 1 and Manhattan Guardian 1.

I know that Grant Morrison may have intimated that he had a plan as to the order in which the books should be read. But he's also the guy who complained to Marvel about fill-in artists on New X-Men when his choice, Frank Quitely, was apparently unable to keep up with the monthly schedule.

Note to DC: If you go to reprint Seven Soldiers again, please please please put all four of a particular mini series in the same reprint volume. Even if this is not the way the story is intended to be read...there's something to be said for cohesiveness.

So far, I have read all of the Bulleteer and the first couple of Klarion issues. I liked the Bulleteer a lot - it explores a lot of superhero traditions and stereotypes and puts some new perspective on things. Plus the Yanick Paquette art is quite good.

Klarion is also looking good, but it has the trappings of Morrison delving into the weirder aspects of an odd assortment of characters...which can sometimes result in good stories, but can also result in something like Doom Patrol, which I didn't like at all.

Still haven't read much of it, but I do like what I've gotten to so far. Based on Morrison's past history, I think I will enjoy this collection. I just need to find the time to read it...

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Hulk: Better Green Than Red

Oh for heaven's sake...

A red Hulk? And according to a February 18th USA Today article, the Jeph Loeb written tale centers on: "the Red Hulk, who may or may not be Bruce Banner and who is even more savage than the green version."

And Loeb himself says: "I wanted to bring a danger back to the book. The Red Hulk is the kind of Hulk we haven't seen before -- a thinking, calculating, brutal weapon-toting kind of Hulk. Everything the Green Hulk isn't, the Red Hulk is."

Hmmm - "the kind of Hulk we haven't seen before" huh? Let's review recent history. Specifically the time frame when Peter David was writing the Hulk. Starting with the great Gamma bomb chase/leader story through to when he introduced Mr. Fixit - who was the Hulk incognito, as much as that is possible.

Thinking - check. Calculating - check. Brutal - check. Weapon-toting - check. So all of these elements of the Hulk were well in place. So we have seen these characteristics before.

Didn't Loeb write the incredibly overrated "Hush" story? He's done a few things I've liked, but I think he's discovered an "inconvenient untruth" here. I understand that he wants to project like he has an original, great idea. But he doesn't.

I seem to also remember a Hulk story where there was a Rick Jones Hulk and a Hulk and a Bruce Banner running around all at the same time. Of course, it was only a matter of time before BB restored the status quo and returned us to the Bruce Banner/Hulk scenario once again.

That scenario has worked quite well for over 40 years - why mess with it now? I'd like to give the writers enough credit to assume that they have the talent to write good stories without rewriting the characters they chronicle. But with the recent events in Spider-Man, Captain America and the Hulk, I am wondering if I've held out too much hope.

I sincerely hope not - I'd still like to see well written stories that don't contradict all that went before. But that doesn't seem to be the current Marvel Method. Too bad - all they really need are good stories. They've had that before...and I hope they will again.



Friday, February 15, 2008

R.I.P. Fantastic Four - At Least For Me

Well, I've only been half-heartedly picking up Fantastic Four books for the past few years now as it was. J. Michael Straczynski as the writer did not really scream to me as a reason to buy the book. Quite the opposite in fact.

Now Marvel has pretty much given me an out by announcing that Mark Millar is taking over. I've not liked anything that he has written. In fact, have found myself being totally indifferent to issues that he writes.

It's too bad - I'd be interested in seeing the Brian Hitch art. But I guess I can leaf through the issues at the comic book shop to see that. Also, if, as I suspect, these Millar issues wind up in quarter or dollar boxes (as Wanted, Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men have), I'll be able to pick them up for cheap.

At least I'll be able to save money and not wonder if I'm missing something. And my opinion of Millar's work is just that - my opinion. There is no thought that my viewpoint would be largely supported or even accurate.

As for "Kick-Ass" - which "takes the "What would really happen?" approach to the extreme" (this from a February 13th Dallas Morning News article), another Millar vehicle...I could not care less. It's been done. And it's not really interesting to me. Is it to anyone? Why do some writers feel so compelled to explore this?

Per the Dallas Morning News, it stars a character with no superpowers or special training who decides to fight crime.

What would happen? He'd likely die or get arrested. Not much of a story there, is there? Wrap it up in one or two issues. Can't wait for the movie to come out. Maybe they'll rewrite it and come up with an interesting angle. I'll wait.



Monday, February 11, 2008

The All-Star Squadron - An 80s Treat

It was the early 80s - 1981 to be precise. Before James Robinson and Geoff Johns remembered all those classic 40s National Periodical characters.

Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler unveiled one of my favorite comic titles of all - the All-Star Squadron. The comics were set in the 1940s, during World War Two. They featured all these great characters - some I'd heard of and some I hadn't. And they created some new ones as well. All this, and some great Joe Kubert covers as well.

I rememeber the writing was really good - the characters came to life and the plots were very grounded. It had the feel of a comic that had been written in the 40s. Roy Thomas really did a nice job.

And it was fun to see some of these lesser characters on the stage. Robotman. Steel. Atom. Johnny Quick. Hawkman. Plastic Man. Shining Knight. Hourman. Liberty Belle. Spectre. Dr. Fate. Johnny Thunder. Just to name a few.

As the years went on, I thought the title might lose its steam. But the issues in the 20s were just as fresh and interesting as the earlier issues. And this continued throughout the title's 67-issue run.

It was sad to see the title finally quit, but I am sure readership did not warrant its continuance. Too bad, I thought. And I thought that was the end of it.

I was glad when James Robinson started writing comics based on these characters. He is such a good writer, and had done such a great job with Starman, that I was instantly interested. I didn't really know who this Geoff Johns guy was, but I figured...I'll give this a try.

Glad I did. And especially glad the JSA title took off the way it did. It's nice to see these characters in circulation again. And as much as I appreciate the efforts of Robinson and Johns...I don't think you can understate the influence of Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler.

Whatever - there are plenty of good comics with these great characters now. I'd recommend All-Star Squadron highly. Especially if, like me, you liked JSA.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

The Last Y The Last Man

Well, that figures. I saw an article in Publishers Weekly telling me that DC released the last issue of Y The Last Man at the end of January. So what if I just started reading it?

OK - I guess I'll just have to get the trades now and finish the read. I almost feel like I already missed the boat, so why bother? But the first couple of issues were good, and I am curious to see how the story developed...So, I guess that's why.

It's interesting (perhaps only to me)...As far back as I can remember (the 70s and early 80s), comic book titles just went on and on and on and changed creative teams as the years went on. I don't think it ever occurred to anyone to simply stop publishing a title when the well ran dry. This idea - which I think is a good idea - seems to be all the rage now.

Y The Last Man joins such favorite titles (of mine) as Sandman, Shade, Transmetropolitan, Starman, Supergirl, Captain Marvel (both runs) and Hitman in the pantheon of great titles that ran their course, and ended rather than turning the reins over to another writer. In some cases, the artist handled the art chores for the title's run.

There are a few titles, such as Animal Man and Aquaman (Peter David's) where this idea should have been employed.

And one title - Spider-Girl - that is still going strong (100+ issues) with the same writer (Tom DeFalco) for the entire run and with the same artist (Ron Frenz) in a majority of the run.

So, congrats Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra for having such an interesting idea and for having the treat of being able to close it out on your own terms.

In this case, at least, we (creators and fans) all win.



Monday, February 4, 2008

Captain America - Reborn!

Had to take a little time to digest this. It seems that Marvel has, yet again, decided that dramatic character change for the sake of change is better than producing good stories. It's not altogether surprising that Marvel made this move.

After all, their cowardly thought process (remember "Marvel claims that a married Spider-Man made life difficult for the comic's writers and has been a source of regret ever since the couple's big day in 1987"?) on the "One More Day" storyline in Spider-Man lends itself to this not-real-inventive storyline.

It seems the "House Of Ideas" has a new way of doing things: If things get tough - make some major change (i.e. kill someone, reveal an identity, injure a loved one) and move forward.

So it is that Bucky (the last "dead" person in the Marvel Universe) has now taken on the mantle of Captain America. It is kind of an interesting idea - but it's hard to say that it was hard to see this coming. I mean, it's like the 1986 mini-series "The Man of Steel" - what comic fan wouldn't have made those changes?

Some of the articles I am seeing are going on and on about Cap carrying a gun. I am not overly concerned about this. As always, I will doggedly cling to my stance that all I want is good writing.

I remind myself of how much I disliked the idea of Jason Todd returning in Batman, only to have Judd Winick win me over. Simply put, he took an idea that I hated and made me enjoy the hell out of it by writing such good stories.

Ed Brubaker has done this before. Catwoman was great. So was his Batman and Gotham Central work. And, lest I forget, Scene Of The Crime, my first exposure to his work.

I have faith that Brubaker will make me like this plot development in Captain America. And if not...I can join the annoying ranks of the naysayers who have been commenting on speculation. And while I am not above doing that, I will reserve judgment in this case. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.


Saturday, February 2, 2008

A "Brief" History Of Captain America

I've read Cap on and off over the years, and it's been pretty bleak for that character overall. Quite honestly, I've felt sorry for the Cap fan over the decades.

The 60s and early 70s weren't so bad. You had Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko and Steve Englehart as creative forces. And before that you had Joe Simon and Kirby. That's not bad at all.

Then in rolls the mid-to late 70s. Here we get Frank Robbins art, a not-so-great Jack Kirby, a hit-or-miss J.M. DeMatteis (more miss than hit, but when he was good, he was very good) and Mark Gruenwald.

Let me step back a bit, as I don't really want this to be seen as me slamming these creators.

Robbins is a great writer - he did excellent work on Batman in the late 60s / early 70s, and along with Denny O'Neil, he helped recast Batman (I seem to be the only person noting that O'Neil was not alone in this effort) to be the great, dark character he is today.

Most will consider my assessment of Kirby here as comic book blasphemy. But I read CA 193-215...it wasn't pretty. Some interesting things in there, but mostly...just killing time.

J.M. DeMatteis had a lengthy run, with notable storylines including the Red Skull/Nomad story in issues 261-263, the Deathlok story in issues 276-279 (really good comics) and the Skull story that led into issue 300. Other than these issues, I don't remember much about the DeMatteis run at all.

As for Gruenwald, I seem to remember him justifying a lengthy, but largely uninteresting, run on CA by proclaiming that he was the longest-tenured of CA's writers. True and noteworthy for sure - but other than having Cap giving up his identity in issue 332, there isn't any truly classic CA tale to be found in his 100+ (not sure about this number) issue run.

The years from 1975 - 2008 weren't all bad. We had some great CA stories in the early 80s with honorable mention going to excellent writers Roger MacKenzie (pre-Frank Miller Daredevil guy) and Roger Stern (from about issue 220-255), and the aforementioned DeMatteis efforts.

Then, in the late 90s, came the excellent Mark Waid issues. Too bad that was so short-lived. I'd heard that Waid was really pumped about getting to write Cap. I'd also heard rumors that he was heavily interfered with by Marvel at the time. The readers loss, whatever happened. His run at the end of CA volume 1, and the first 15 or so issues of volume 2 were some of the best CA comics since the 70s.

And don't even get me started about how good Fabian Niceiza's Sentinel Of Liberty mini-series was. This may be one of my favorite Cap comic arcs ever. It was excellent and any and all Cap fans should seek it out. Since a lot of comic readers don't seem to know what a good story is, you might be able to find these issues in 50 cent/dollar boxes. Sad.

Then Cap went through a weird period where he couldn't sustain a readership. Or that's what I imagine must have been the case. I can't think of any other reason that Cap was stopped and started so much in the late 90s / early 2000s. I believe the Brubaker Cap is volume 5.

I've enjoyed Brubaker's writing on titles such as Catwoman and Batman, and I fully intend to get some of his Daredevil issues. And I've seen some of his CA work, and I liked what I saw. I don't have his entire run, so I have not had a chance to read much of it. But I look forward to it.

Except for the Winter Soldier / Bucky parts. But that's a subject for another post. This "history of Cap by a demented fan" post has already gone on too long. Sorry about that. To be continued...