It is a brief column this week so I will be kind enough to do the same. Cause that is me, always a giver.
Levitz…and His Desk
As President and Publisher of DC Comics, Paul Levitz is inarguably one of the more important figures in the contemporary comics scene. Following a hectic year of editorial restructuring, best selling books, creator exclusives, and marketplace evolution, Levitz agreed to sit down for a full-length interview with THE PULSE. While he is no longer involved in the day-to-day editorial workings of DC, his is still the guiding vision for the company as it traverses a new world of graphic novels and Hollywood crossovers.
Always thoughtful in his statements, Levitz is rarely one to shoot from the hip, but in the following interview he addresses the issues facing the industry with candor.
Appreciate Mr. Levitz’s candor at The Pulse
This interview really, really frustrated me. It is interesting enough and fairly dense with information, but it just does not seem to be saying much. For a man who’s candor is trumpeted in the prologue to the interview, his responses seemed rather old hat. Now, granted, perhaps he was being honest with them and thus, candid, but I just had higher hopes.
Most of the thing is devoted to the bookstore versus comic book store dilemma that many feel is threatening the industry (whether it be the new “pace for trade†informal initiatives or direct business competition) and Levitz’s response is the fairly standard one. They compliment one another, but neither should hurt the other. Now, again I will say that it is entirely possible that this is an honest, forthright response. In fact, I expect that it is. It is just, from the publisher of DC Comics, I would have hoped we would have been treated to something more than traditional answers. Perhaps it is the questions that fail to elicit new responses. I don’t know.
It is not that I am looking for controversy because there are plenty of things in the industry for us that we see fit to get ourselves up in arms about without Levitz’s comments stirring the pot further. I am just looking for a fresh perspective, and one I think that Levitz can provide.
Well perhaps in part 2.
Palmiotti and Gray Take Flight
Starting this May, there are some new guys working on one of DC’s most popular titles – Hawkman. The duo of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Monolith, 21Down) are teaming up with the art team of Ryan (Arkham Asylum: Living Hell) Sook & Mick (Promethea) Gray – with Greg (Sojourn) Land on covers come on board to put their own creative flavor on the winged warrior.
Newsarama had a chance to talk to Palmiotti and Gray about their upcoming run.
Bash in your enemies skulls with a mace at Newsarama
Great writing team, (check out The Monolith, you will not be sorry), and Sook’s art, with its Mignola-esque influences is certainly an interesting choice for the title. So I am intrigued. But, as mentioned last time, there is that whole “Hawkman not being my bag†issue to push through. Ahh, the trials of a comic book fan.
On a note about Hawkman that has nothing to do with the interview, do you think they’ll bring back the Shadow Thief? I know next to nothing about him, but he’s the only Hawkman villain I can seem to recall. Didn’t he show up in Underworld Unleashed? Hmm…I’ll have to check in with Mathan on that I suppose.
Lieberman Joins the Bat Squad
Hush is making his dramatic return within the pages of Gotham Knights and writer Andy Lieberman along with artists penciler Al Barrionuevo and inker Francis Portela are the ones responsible for the event. Lieberman told THE PULSE it’s not just Hush within this tale but Riddler, Joker, and a villain from the past who has been out of the spotlight but is making a return in a BIG way here.
Be warned to stay out of his city at The Pulse
Ooh, the return on long out of the spotlight villain. I found myself underwhelmed by the first issue of this new Hush arc, but I am a sucker for the representation of a villain that has fallen out of favor in past years, especially if it is a fairly lame villain that the writer mines for hidden depths and coolness (Johns work with Captain Cold or any of the Rogues really, and Loeb’s remolding of Riddler both come to mind as recent examples).
Do you think it will be Killer Moth returned to his pre-Charaxes goodness (two Underworld Unleashed references in one column…what are the chances?)? Ooh, or maybe it will be an Egghead King Tut team-up? That would be, as they say, most excellent. In any case, bringing an old villain back to the spotlight means they’ve got me hooked for a few more issues, I guess. Which I am sure is just a huge relief to them.
Slott Bears Bad News to the Bat
In an interview at Silver Bullet, Dan Slott announced that Batman Adventures was being cancelled. The series last issue is # 17. Slott said, “A new Batman cartoon is coming out in the fall. It will have NO ties to the Dini/Timm continuity. A NEW comic will be developed to reflect THAT continuity. It was decided that TWO different cartoon Batman books would cause brand confusion. So… Whoosh. The Batman Adventures book is going away.”
Mourn Gotham’s loss at The Pulse
Well, this is a disappointment. I mean, I get it. New show with a new style, new book to reflect that. Still, it is too bad. Part of my sadness is certainly connected to the esteem with which I hold the Animated Series and the Bruce Timm style it spawned. The other part comes from my fear that Burchett won’t have work for at least a little while following this. He, like Oeming, Cooke, and Hester, has proven time and again that the more “cartoon†style of comic book art can be well utilized in light hearted and heavy stories alike. His work in No Man’s Land and Huntress: Cry for Blood certainly transcended the supposed limitations of the style and Batman Adventures gave him a steady place to display that work. Of course, talent like that is unlikely to disappear for long, so I wish him a quick return to comics after the series cancellation, if for no other reason then to keep me receiving my Burchett fix.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
Superman/Batman #6
Reviewing this issue makes me queasy. You see, I like Loeb, a lot. I loved Long Halloween and his previous Halloween collaborations with Sale. Superman for All Seasons is one of the best Superman stories I’ve ever read and I am not one to heap kudos on a solo Superman story. This man has earned my respect several times over…and I hate this title.
There is no other way to say it, this is a title that started decently enough and has quickly sunk like a stone. Why you ask? Well, let’s review the events of this issue shall we?
First off, there is the whole President of the United States in a big green battlesuit. I don’t care if he was drinking venom by the gallon (more on that plot twist later), it just does not fit the character. He sold his soul to the devil (or Neron, anyway) and still kept his cool for goodness sake. But, fine, it is a Silver Age throwback. I’ll swallow it.
But even if I accept that, how exactly should I except the robot built by the Toyman? First of all, the savior of humanity is a robot which is going to punch the meteor? Secondly, even if that is the case, does it really have to be half Superman and half Batman? Does that serve any function besides making the whole thing even goofier?
Does it? It seems like Loeb is trying so hard to give both characters exactly equal time that there cannot possibly be a mismatch, even in the robot’s personal appearance, which actually leads us quite nicely into the third issue, the kryptonite venom. Once again, he seems to be forcing together two bad things, one from each character, so as to make everyone happy. And when we try to make everyone happy, most of the time, no one is.
And I could go on from there, mentioning the gut wound that Luthor should have inflicted on Batman with a blade like that rather than the one he did, or the random reference to Identity Crisis that would have downgraded my excitement for the crossover if I was a more casual fan.
Of course, I won’t be dropping the title. I am a comic book fan and with that comes just a touch of masochism. More importantly, however, is Loeb has earned my respect before. I cannot discount him now because of an uncharacteristic slip-up. It wouldn’t be fair to him or I. So I’ll be on hand for Superboy, Robin, and giant robots next month. And I expect most of you will be as well.
Birds of Prey #64
My favorite DC title of the week. I may long for Chuck Dixon, but as we all know, I am just a huge fan of his. The highest compliment I can pay to Ms. Simone is that I don’t even think of Mr. Dixon when I read her take on the characters. I’m not comparing, because I am just enjoying the story she is telling.
This time out the focus remains squarely on Black Canary as she teams with two of the most dangerous women of the DCU, Lady Shiva and Cheshire, in an attempt to unravel the murder of her sensei and how it connects to a U.S. Senator. A U.S. Senator who happens to now be holding Oracle (as well as 9 other Gotham residents) hostage as he attempts to discern which one (if any) are the one true Oracle.
Dinah shoulders the spotlight nicely, which is hardly a surprise as Simone had the Canary’s rhythm down from her first issue on the title. The work with the other two in the unlikely trio is similarly strong with Shiva still seeking an apprentice (she has tried to mold Batman and Robin into her partners on separate occasions as well) and showing a lot more humanity than you would expect from her unwavering commitment to lethality. Cheshire, meanwhile, toys with Dinah, amusing herself on a 14 hour plane trip across the ocean.
Back in America, Barbara’s plot moves forward, but it is becoming increasingly clear that her computers’ meltdown and weeks of bad intel may not be connected to her recent kidnapping. That is perhaps my only complaint as I am more intrigued with what is going on there then with the Senator’s machinations. Savant, however, is becoming a truly intriguing villain displaying either a heretofore-unseen well of compassion or a true talent for manipulation that was lacking from his somewhat himbo-ish first appearance. Those who remember Dixon’s run fondly would do well to check out Simone’s. And remember, this is coming from me.
Robin #123
There are some very good things about this title. The opening glance at life as Batman’s apprentice/partner is an intriguing take that I do not think has gotten much play in a Bat-title in quite sometime. Alfred improv is always amusing and it is nice to see Tim as a student of the game as well as a practitioner in the field. Of course, this positive only makes the Batman-Robin conversation at the end of the book seem more out of whack. First off, Bruce tells Tim to “quit your blubbering.†Would Bruce ever talk like that? The sentiment of it seems right, that Batman does not want Robin to fall into despair over something he did in the field (I don’t wish to spoil what exactly) especially since it is not nearly as bad as Tim seems to think. However, the tone is all wrong and it is too bad as Willingham seemed to have the Batman/Robin dynamic well nailed in that first scene.
Johnny Warlock gets some more playing time and the result is underwhelming. From the press releases that have preceded this arc, Johnny was being made out to be Robin’s opposite number, his Joker if you will, but I am nowhere near convinced. The first problem, I admit, is really my own as Johnny reminds me a little too much of the mystical/monster elements that hurt the conclusion of Dixon’s and much of Woods’s run for me. So my personal biases are probably interfering at least some with a fair estimate of the character.
However, even beyond that, Johnny just does not work for me. First of all, he seems entirely too powerful for Robin. Tim remains alive not through any particular skill of his own, but merely Johnny’s own desire to torture him first. Johnny could have literally sucked the life out of Robin in an instant, but chose not to. There is no sense of a level playing field ever being a possibility.
Additionally, he does not seem to be more than an energy vampire. There is no spark to him, no underlying personality. From Drake’s narration I know that Johnny is supposed to a special breed, a terror long before he met this talisman, but that never comes across in the text. He was first a low rent thug and now he is a low rent thug with some talking amulet in his chest.
In the end, the characterization of Tim Drake is strong enough to recommend the title, but I hope to see more consistency in his relationship to Batman and villains that, regardless of being his opposite number or not, provide Tim with a difficult challenge, but not one entirely out of his league.
