The Pulse Goes In Depth With the Infantino Suit
With former DC Editorial Director and President Carmine Infantino now the latest Golden/Silver Age creator to sue for the rights to characters he created, it may seem like his is just a repetition of the others who have come before, such as the heirs of Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel, Captain America creator Joe Simon, and others. It’s not.
Get the full details at Newsarama
To paraphrase from one message board poster’s comments, are there any Silver Age characters Infantino did not create? In all seriousness, if Infantino is responsible for as many characters as he claims, he is the DC equivalent of Stan Lee. I’m not saying that it isn’t the case, I am just surprised that it would’ve taken this long to come out.
Truth be told on this, I am so out of element with this lawsuit, I can hardly comment. The more I hear about it the more scattershot it seems. However, in legalese, Infantino could be strengthening his case by throwing out such a wide net. I really have no idea.
Johnny DC Returns, Life Finally Makes Sense Again
This July, DC Comics’ mascot Johnny DC makes his first comic book appearance in years on the cover of the Free Comic Book Day edition of TEEN TITANS GO! #1 (APR040018). The issue marks the start of a comeback for the character, who will appear on DC’s all-ages titles beginning in September (and with the solicitation for those titles in the July issue of Previews, Volume XIV #7).
All praise Johnny at Newsarama
umm…YAY?
DC Continues The Second Exclusive Contract Parade
Artist Leonardo Manco, whose credits include HELLBLAZER, Doom, and Apache Skies, has signed a two-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics.
Tip up a cup to Manco in congratulations at The Pulse
Man, do I ever hope that these exclusive contract announcements just never end. Ever. Seriously. Keep it up DC, you’re making my column muy interesante for the readers and for me. Please, never stop.
Simone/Grayson: One on One
One of the great things about working in this industry is you get to shamelessly promote work you personally enjoy. Lately, that work is Devin Grayson’s NIGHTWING, currently undergoing a gut-wrenching story that travels about a thousand miles an hour along a rocky and unpredictable back road somewhere in one of the few places even more desperate and dangerous than Gotham; Bludhaven.
Watch Simone dunk on Grayson all day at The Pulse. Okay, not really. She does interview her though.
I am glad to see Simone start off the interview by mentioning the Batman Plus issue and the Dick/Babs story from Batman Chronicles. They were Grayson’s first two writing gigs and they stand out as two of my favorites from her. The moment in Batman Plus when Batman tells a thoroughly pissed Arsenal, “I miss Ollie too,†is one that will always stand out for me. Not sure if it is top 5 or top 10 or anything, but I do know it was great.
This interview is not half bad either. Simone clearly loves Grayson’s work and that lends an almost teamwork component to the proceedings. Sure, it is not exactly hard hitting, but it is a nice endorsement and it allows for some give and take between the two.
Simone’s awkward labeling of “female-type creators†is also worth a smirk. It is a nice attempt at straddling the line between acknowledging that they are both women who write while trying to avoid calling themselves “women writers.†Grayson’s response is also a good natured jab at that label. All in all, it is a pleasant bit of creator praising creator as interview piece. Just don’t expect 60 Minutes.
Gulacy Has a Touch of the Cat Scratch Fever
Everyone’s heard about “Catwoman,” the critically acclaimed DC Comics series by writer Ed Brubaker and a variety of fantastic artists- from Darwyn Cooke to Cameron Stewart- but it always seemed ignored by much of the comic buying base. With the addition of artist Paul Gulacy as of issue #25, the series saw a sharp upswing in sales. CBR News spoke with Gulacy about all things feline.
Prowl the rooftops with the G to the U to the LACY at Comic Book Resources
Oh, the shame I feel for that headline.
But hey, at least I didn’t steal Comic Book Resources “G-Unit†headline. Brrrr.
Gulacy’s mention of the “too sexy†debate is an interesting one. I disagree with his thesis that Selina in a looser costume is somehow wrong. I think both Cooke and Stewart (and even Jim Lee in Batman) have proven that she can be very sexy in the new digs without going over the top.
That being said, I think that he has slid suitably into the book. I very much liked the faux-animated stylings that Cooke and Stewart brought to the series and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t miss that approach. However, I think the complaints of “sexiness†had a lot more to do with Gulacy simply being different and less to do with how he was portraying Catwoman. In other words, I do think you can go too sexy with Catwoman. However, Gulacy’s work has not veered into that territory.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
BIRDS OF PREY #68
I generally avoid spoilers, but…well, screw it frankly. Simone has brought back the one element to Huntress that I had been mourning since Cry for Blood. Helena is a teacher again. And that is most excellent. Don’t misunderstand me here, overall, I loved the work Rucka did with Huntress in that miniseries. The stuff with Batman, Richard Dragon, (pre-de-aging), the Question, Nightwing, etc. was just great. I was just sad to see her job as a teacher had to be a causality of the storyline. Simone has reinstated that aspect of the character with a quick fix that nevertheless seems honest and real. Bravo, Simone.
As for the rest of the issue, it is very good. Despite having come together to save one another at the conclusion of last issue, the Birds are still not what one would call a team. Old wounds are reopened, new ones exposed, and all are generously rubbed with a nice helping of salt. The dialogue is sharp and the characters’ inner monologues are equally engrossing. In particular, Canary’s commentary on her blatant rudeness towards Huntress acknowledges that she knows it is wrong, but cannot stop herself. If you cannot remember being in the exact same position well…you are clearly a better person than I.
The long awaited date between Huntress and parking attendant Josh provides some much needed comic relief. The end of their date however, leaves me scratching my head. Is Simone really intending to reinforce Canary’s comments (that she herself labeled unfair) from earlier in the issue?
My only true complaint is that this issue unfortunately gives away a plot point from an upcoming issue of Green Arrow. It is nothing stunning, but it would have been nice to read exactly how it unfolded in Green Arrow before it being revealed.
GOTHAM CENTRAL #20
Finally, a familiar face I don’t need a scorecard to recognize (by the way, when are they going to put one in the front of the issue? The “last issue†thing is nice, but I can remember events, it is the faces that are killing me on this book). Bullock is back. Not in the best of shape, but back. In the past, he was sloppy, gruff, and known to push the line, but generally a crafty and, more importantly, smart cop. Without the badge, he has spun entirely out of control. He has gained an affection for the bottle (the most popular of literary vices) and has forgotten all he ever might have learned about not rushing into a situation without backup.
This is, unsurprisingly, another great issue of GC. The majority of the praise that I will now heap on Brubaker can be traced to the way he treats Mad Hatter. He makes what was once a figure that was one part literary reference, one part cool gimmick (the whole mind controlled hat thing), and no part character into a being of depth. As a psychologist in Arkham tells Driver and Mac, Hatter may lapse into rhymes as a defense mechanism, but he does not do it all the time. After all, “he’s not retarded.†With one line, Brubaker both justified the writing device as something more than a stylistic choice and gave himself some room to not be married to said device. Thus, for the first time I can remember, I found myself actually reading Hatter’s dialogue rather than just scanning it for the general idea.
What else can I do to convince you to pick this up? Oh, the cover’s great. Did that do it?
JSA #62
Sadly, there is no further references to Zombie Ben Morse in this issue. I know, we don’t want to overexpose him before his new series begins. But damn, the character’s hot like early 90’s Punisher. He can support more than a miniseries.
Zombie Morse aside, I found myself a little underwhelmed by the conclusion of this arc. Why? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with Rebirth.
See, on its own, the issue does good work with the continuing saga of Hal Jordan as Spectre. He has to interrupt his quest for redemption to save the JSA (Alan in particular) by making the alabaster bad ass return to his vengeful roots. Even having felt that Spectral Lantern was a lousy idea from the start, I found his struggle between personal redemption and sacrificing his soul to save others compelling.
Besides Jordan, Mr. Terrific dominates this issue. From the beginning, he has been doubtful of the worth of religion or the idea of holy rewards awaiting one after death. As recently as the start of this arc, he told Dr. Midnite that he would not be able to accept such things until he saw his wife’s smiling face once again. Terrific, for the first time, does find himself experiencing such a moment. The issue closes on a battered Terrific giving church a second try by attending with the religious Midnite. It is a touch contrived, but it is nice to see Terrific finally bow to the incredible situations he has seen and been part of. It took Scully like 8 years to admit that everything she had seen could not be explained by her science. By the end, that had gotten tiresome. Johns has wisely chosen not to render Terrific so unmovable.
So with all these pros, (as well as a nice scene of Alan and Jay discusses Flash’s lingering guilt over the first Terrific’s death) why do I find myself disappointed? Well, with Rebirth just over the horizon, I cannot help but feel that Hal’s sacrifice here will be quickly rendered moot. The power of giving up on one’s own redemption to save ourselves is lacking when, as a reader, I am aware that Hal’s days as Spectre are numbered. Perhaps, once I read Rebirth, I will appreciate this issue more in retrospect. Until then, however, it does color my review.
HUMAN TARGET #11
I love this series. A lot.
I love this issue. A lot.
All of you not buying this, you break my heart a little more everyday.
That is all.
SEAGUY #2 (OF 3)
Are we sure that this is part 2 of 3? Cause I feel like Grant’s get many more miles to go before he puts this baby to sleep. Especially since all semblance of what I expected to be the plot seemed to have been dropped from the book. The living Xoo has returned home and, assumedly, secured the freedom of himself and his people. So there goes that.
I suppose we still have the issue of Mickey Eye and the hieroglyphic decorated rock throwing moon to deal with, but you wouldn’t know that they were anything to be concerned about if you only read this issue.
What Morrison does do well (as one would expect) is create some more of his patented cool, weird moments. The Easter Island heads talk and show a penchant for tobacco products. The effects of global warming are being halted at the poles by surpluses of dark chocolate. Bioengineered wasps intended to produce oil to keep Atlantis running.
These are great bits of creativity.
The problem is that is all they are…bits. Ultimately, sadly, they do not add up to much.
EX MACHINA #1
I have been excited for this issue for quite some time. Excitement can be a dangerous thing as it can pretty quickly lead to over anticipation, which leads to horrific disappointment.
Thankfully, Ex Machina dodges that bullet.
The characters are rich after just one issue. The story is complex but not confusing. The art is gorgeous. The last page is heart stopping. It may not compare to the end of, let’s say, Thunderbolts #1 for shock factor, but it is undeniably powerful. It is also a brilliant way to drive home the idea that “real world superheroics†need not mean that the fictional world reflect ours exactly. This is a real world story where we can see how one superhero would change the path of things.
All this plus Vaughan has been using this issue to get people to register to vote? Pure sweetness.
A great first issue by a great creative team with an altruistic secondary mission…do you really want to miss this one?
Boy, that was just one big DC lovefest, (well, except Seaguy…sorry Grant). I’ll try to be harsher in the future. Now, on to the letters.
TAKING AIM AT THE GRIMACE
Well like you I hadn’t touched JLA till Morrison’s run, then the JLA Wizard special had me checking out some of the older stuff…but all that aside I never got into Elongated Man, didn’t know a lot about his background or even the fact he revealed his secret ID to the world, all that aside I nearly cried during the murder scene, overlapped with him giving their history it’s actually a very touching scene and it does break your heart but also puts you into almost the same frame of mind as Ralph, and it also has your backtracking that early in the book to start looking for clues anything that could be a give away of the guilty party, yes even the Luthor Armor makes me start doubting the whole Dr. Light thing…especially with the ending of Superman/Batman 7….over all I think this will be as defining as CoIE but on a level that I think DC does very well, the Human level, for every Superman and earth shattering danger there is a Bat-Family and a neighborhood that needs to be retaken from some two big thug. Well thanks for listening to me ramble
–The Gnome
No sir, thank you for choosing us to ramble to. As far as Luthor’s role in the proceedings, I too am intrigued. I had forgotten about Luthor’s prediction of an upcoming “Crisis†on the final pages on the opening arc of Superman/Batman, but you are right, there it is. At the time, I was both, “Hey neat,†and “Ugh,†about the quote (perhaps the Ugh was due to my feelings about the arc as a whole). Now, well, I am most certainly curious to see how it all connects. And how the hell did Luthor already know about it, way back then? Questions to be pondered til next chapter.
“Why did 411 only get one vote?â€
Because I was the only person that voted for us!
–Ian Burnside
Well, my excuse is that I didn’t even know about the voting in the first place. Everybody else here at 411, what’s your excuse? And you, yeah, you reading there. Why on earth didn’t you vote for us, huh?
In a world without Un Gajje, there is no justice, there is only fear.
