When I mess up, I take responsibility for it. Last week, I messed up. I thought Nightwing: Year One wrapped up in time for the book to come back from hiatus in March. Thus, if the solicitations for March were Nightwing free, it would lend fuel to the “oh goodness, he is very dead,” rumors in reference to the Countdown cover. As it turns out, March is the month that Nightwing: Year One wraps up. Thus, no fuel could be added. My apologies.
That ugliness behind us (I really must learn to count better, mustn’t I?), it is time for the last column before the Christmas holiday. And you know what that means, don’t you? That’s right…absolutely nothing. So let’s get to it.
Winick Starts the Countdown
“What is ‘DC Countdown?’ Who is Batman holding in his arms on the cover?”
It’s the most often asked and debated questions on comic forums since news broke on Friday of this March debuting one-shot. The 80-page one-shot is written by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka and Judd Winick, with art by Ed Benes, Rags Morales, Phil Jimenez, Ivan Reis and Jesus Saiz, a cover by Jim Lee & Alex Ross and edited by Dan DiDio. With DC loading the book up with many of their big guns, and a $1 price point, it’s clear this is an important next step in the DC Universe.
Click the link in 5…4…3…2…1… Newsarama
Let me summarize this article for you: there are some elements of Identity Crisis that will be felt in Countdown. Also, elements of the approach to ID Crisis will be felt in this one shot. That’s the gist of it. Nothing more to see here folks, keep it moving.
For Austen, There Will Be No More Lois/Lana Action
DC Comics has officially confirmed for Newsarama what February and March solicits have suggested, that is Chuck Austen is no longer the writer on Action Comics as of January’s issue #823.
I’d tell you to click the link, but I know you already have. Why? Because almost every comic fan loves to kick Austen when he’s down, which he is at Newsarama
I don’t read Supes’ books, so I can’t really comment on the quality of Austen’s run here. However, it did open to some good reviews (often preceded by the words, “I can’t believe I am saying this, but…) and then seemed to take a downturn. Anti-Austen Syndrome or did he really lose control of the apple cart? I can’t say.
On the most positive side of things, those Churchill covers look just incredible. Probably not “Tim Stevens will finally be buying a Superman title” incredible, but still. Wow.
If This is Manhunter, Then Where Are the Orbs?
With the fifth issue about to hit stands and extra heat on the book, as it picks up loose threads from the mega “Identity Crisis” mini-series, “Manhunter” is poised to become a sleeper hit from DC Comics. CBR News caught up with writer Marc Andreyko to get a preview of the book and get some additional insight on what makes the series unique, and why the titular character (who is a laywer), is not just some female version of Marvel Comics’ Daredevil.
If that ancient computer game reference did not scare you off, then you are truly worth of traveling to LA via Comic Book Resources and visiting Ms. Spenser.
There are certain books that just work for me, for whatever reason. Some are obvious, like Watchmen. Others are less so, the most famous example, in my case, is my oft-mentioned love for the short-lived Aztek series. I can’t define what makes certain books work for me that way, they just do.
Manhunter is this sort of book. I am always excited to read the next issue of it. The stories are smart, the art is top notch. I don’t think it is the best book out there, but only four issues in, it is one of my favorites to read. This interview is so-so in terms of content or reveals, but I urge you to pick up this book this Wednesday. I think you will be very pleased.
Signal the Fleet Footed, The Race is About the Begin
Yesterday when we spoke with writer Ben Raab he told us about the new, creator-owned series he’s got coming out early next year called “Living In Infamy,” about a town created by the Federal Witness Protection Program to house reformed super-villains. Raab’s also hard at work on another series, this time for DC Comics. In March of 2005 Raab and artist Justiniano will introduce fans of the DC Universe to an entirely new super team in the seven issue series “The Human Race.” Raab spoke with CBR News about the series.
Lace up your sneakers (or tennies…if you’re crazy) and take your marks at Comic Book Resources
First, will this be deeply tied into DC’s Countdown? My guess is no. No researched reason for that, just kind of a gut reaction. If I turn out to be wrong, I apologize in advance. I just don’t get that vibe from this book. On the other hand, I didn’t really get a “very important to the future of the DCU” vibe from Adam Strange and all rumors point to that title having something important to do with Countdown or the new Crisis so, we shall see.
As for the title itself, the concept sounds intriguing. My experiences with Raab’s writing have been limited to some of his GL stuff, which, sadly, never connected with me. I just didn’t find myself all that interested. I’ll be watching the buzz on this one, but, for now, I’m not sold.
Adventurous Clark Speaks Again
When last we spoke with artist Matthew Clark, the artist was a little nervous about his upcoming run on Adventures of Superman with writer Greg Rucka. Now, over a year later, the artist is enjoying his work on the Man of Steel and is looking forward to the chance to work on many upcoming story collaborations including one that features fan favorite villain Mxyzptlk.
Swoop through the streets of Metropolis after an inter-dimensional imp at The Pulse
Again, speaking as a non-reader of the Superman titles, I have to say that the trio has some of the best looking art for a line of books in the industry right now. Clark does great work on Adventures (and this interview includes an interesting bit of trivia about why his Clark/Supes face and the shield seemed to have changed from the beginning of the run until now), Lee is Lee, and Reiss is…well, he’s just incredible. The stories might not make me sign up, but I do bow my head to DC and say that with people like Clark on the title, DC is doing right by the characters, artistically.
That Article Above? Yeah, Forget About it
Without saying too much, 2005 will see many changes for Superman, both as a character in the DCU, and throughout his respective three ongoing series. First up in these changes will be a shuffling of the creative teams on the titles, given the previously reported departure of Chuck Austen from Action comics as writer, as well as the conclusion of Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee’s twelve issue “For Tomorrow” storyline on Superman.
Starting with what will be the Superman series with the least amount of creative team turnover, we spoke with Adventures of Superman writer Greg Rucka, who will remain on his title for the coming year. The change in Adventures comes though, as current series penciller Matthew Clark bows out with March’s issue #638, to be replaced by Karl (Majestic) Kerschl, beginning with issue #640.
And yes, for those keeping track at home, the shuffle on the titles means that Rucka is now the senior Superman writer.
Don’t tell him that, though.
Say goodbye, and hello, at the Newsarama train platform in Metropolis.
And moments after praising Clark, I find this article. Well Karl does nice work too.
Dixon/Beatty/McDaniel Take NW Back to the Old School
This January writer Chuck Dixon returns to Nightwing to tell a six-issue “Year One” story that bridges the gap between Dick Grayson’s last days as Robin and his start as Nightwing. Beginning in issue #101, Dixon, co-writer Scott Beatty and artist Scott McDaniel will reveal what really happened between Batman and Robin the day Dick was fired, why Dick chose the name Nightwing, and how this delicate time period impacted Dick’s relationships.
For fans of the open collared NW costume (and who wasn’t) visiting Silver Bullet Comic Books will be like a trip down memory lane…a fashionable trip that is.
Way back when Dixon returned to DC and was re-teaming with McDaniel, I got really excited. Sure, I had only read Richard Dragon in the Huntress miniseries and sure I knew next to nothing about him, but so what? It was Dixon/McDaniel. What else did I need to know?
As it turned out, in all honesty, Richard Dragon has been less than excellent. At first, I thought my expectation were perhaps just too high. But, after a few months, I have reconciled myself to the fact that it is just a mediocre book.
All that being said, I am still wickedly wound up for this. Dixon/McDaniel were great on Nightwing. Absolutely great. The title has been up and down since McDaniel left. Sometimes good, sometimes not, but I never enjoyed it as much as I did during their collaboration at the start of the title. Thus, can there be any doubt that I’ll enjoy this? I think not.
Bair Covers Himself in the Sweet Cloak of Exclusivity
Michael Bair, acclaimed inker of the blockbuster miniseries IDENTITY CRISIS, has extended his exclusive agreement with DC Comics by one year.
Ask to borrow that sweet cloak at Newsarama
Bair does great work and has worked on DC’s biggest mini of the year (ID Crisis) so this is great news for all involved. Huzzah.
For those on you who are disinterested in the exclusive contract press releases (I can’t imagine why you would be though…they are riveting prose), this article is still worth a look for the talk back. Two posters go back and forth on hypocrisy and whether or not it is cool to damn Marvel for their exclusive announcements while being a-okay with DC doing the same. Pretty interesting stuff. It’s just too bad it hijacked Bair’s good news.
Two Inkers in a Single Column? Believe it!
One of the people helping to bring the world of the popular team comic, Teen Titans, to life each month is inker Marlo Alquiza. The inker is very familiar with penciler Mike McKone and has collaborated with the artist on several occasions. He’s working hard to help the artwork shine each month and said he’s trying to do his best on the series. Alquiza talked with THE PULSE about inking Teen Titans, advances in the industry, technique, and lots more.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have seen the enemy and it is digital inking. Confront it at The Pulse
This is just a really great interview. I printed one a few weeks ago and the inker (I can’t remember who) was very “eh” about being an inker. He seemed to view it as a way to pay the bills and had little other feelings towards it. Alquiza, on the other hand, is very passionate about being an inker. He has a great love for the work and a great respect for others who do it. It is also interesting to hear him break down what inkers are often faced with to complete a page, whether it be truncated turnaround times or the cursed “BWS” acronym. It really gave me a better appreciation for the work of an inker.
Quite Frankly, DC Owns Quitely
Extending and enhancing his relationship with DC, the publisher has confirmed for Newsarama that artist Frank Quitely has signed a two-year exclusive contract, which will allow him to call the various imprints of DC home for his upcoming work.
If this means more killer animal cyborgs, thenNewsarama is the bearer of some good news.
The work Quitely has done on WE3 is the best of his career. And that’s with sciatica? Very impressive.
If Quitely can keep it at that level of play, this is a very good pickup for DC.
From One Bird to Another
After crossing its landmark 35th issue (a number oft associated with cancellation), “Hawkman” is getting something more than a new lease on life- it’s getting new artist Joe Bennett. Joining the acclaimed writing duo of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Benett has received his own share of accolades for work on “Captain America & The Falcon.” The Brazillian-born artist took a few moments to speak with CBR News about just how he got to work on this legendary character.
See how many steps it takes to go from a falcon to a hawk (with a few birds of prey along the way) at Comic Book Resources
Some good looking art there. Sadly, Hawkman remains one of those “just not for me” books.
The People…They Love Their Shocking Violence
Stunning finale to Identity Crisis triggers multiple issue sell-outs! With the shocking events of the seventh issue of IDENTITY CRISIS (OCT040285) hitting comics shops today, DC Comics is pleased to announce that four issues of the blockbuster miniseries have sold out at the publisher.
See how, despite all the outrage over its “content”, ID Crisis is still selling buckets at The Pulse
Wow, The New York Times has covered this baby three times? That’s pretty freakin’ incredible. Go comics.
He’s a Lot of Things, But Calling Byrne a Demon Just Seems Unfair
DC Comics has provided Newsarama with preview pages from John Byrne and Will Pfeifer’s new ongoing Blood of the Demon series, which debuts in March.
The life of a demon, Etrigan did not pick,
So be kind at please, on this link to Newsarama, do click.
I am sure that all of you know that the tagline above is annoying. But did you also know that is ironic? It’s true. Why? Because this version of The Demon will not speak in rhyme, at least not any time soon.
As for the series itself, I doubt I will take a look. It is not an anti-Byrne thing in this case, just a “don’t really have an interest” thing.
Slash and Byrne
I started thinking about the nature of art in comics recently after reading a thread on the John Byrne forum where Byrne slates Warren Ellis, calling him unprofessional for not delivering PLANETARY on a monthly basis.
Scan down to the second headline to read this opinion piece at Ninth Art
John Byrne is one of the only creators who stirs up in me that pathological/primal desire to go on to any and all message boards and flame without rhyme or reason (get it, flame…Byrne? These are the jokes people) and then salt the earth in the wake of inferno. I don’t know why. I have enjoyed a lot of his earlier work with Superman and the FF and generally don’t care a lick about his more recent efforts (Generations is just a concept that was DOA as far as my interests go) enough to inspire any sort of reaction one way or another. I think he’s lost a step, especially in the inking department, but then I feel Claremont has lost a step writing wise and he doesn’t inspire my inner anonymous fanboy in the same way. So, generally speaking, I bite back my impulses and leave the guy alone. Heck, last week I even defended him against what I thought was an unfair sensationalizing of his quotes at a recent convention.
But then I read this article.
Now, I don’t know the context that this quote was offered up in. I don’t know if he was baited into saying it or what. I have no interest in even engaging his central principle, that late work hurts the industry. I think evidence has, sadly, shown that sales are rarely dissuaded by the consistently late, but it is a common belief that lateness is bad for the industry so, whatever. I certainly don’t care if he was lashing out at Warren Ellis.
What does get my goat is this: the language of his post and his proclamation that the industry is dead or dying. I’m no prude when it comes to swearing. I don’t use it here out of deference to the mixed age of readers and in an effort not to make Daron’s head burst, but I am very much whatever on the issue of profanity. However, I do think it behooves any constructive argument to be written with facts and, generally, avoiding the use of words like C**ks***ers. It’s bad enough when fans use blanket profanity in an effort to hide the fact that they have no real basis for their arguments, but Byrne? Byrne’s a creator in his (I believe) 50’s. Certainly the man has enough mastery of the language to mold a cogent argument that does not fall back on juvenile name calling?
The second issue though is the bigger one for me. How and why does this man, a giant of the industry, a legend, by anyone’s estimation, so casually and callously declare that comics are dead or dying? I admit that comics have seen higher sales figures. There is no denying that. I just do not equate that alone with the industry being on its last legs. Creativity wise, I think we are thriving. Marvel has dug itself out of bankruptcy and is running profit margins that seemed unlikely, if not impossible, a mere 5-7 years ago. DC has upped the ante, preparing its universe for a major overhaul that, it seems, will live up to the building hype. I do not and cannot side with a creator who seems all but ready to declare that the final nail has been hammered and the coffin is closed.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
My reviews of BIRDS OF PREY #77 and EX MACHINA #7 can be found here and there, respectively.
Now onto the DCNV exclusive ones.
IDENTITY CRISIS #7 (OF 7)
My first thought after I finished this issue was, “Well, that was oddly paced.” Which, it is, for a single issue; especially given the conventions of superhero story arcs that we have all grown used to. If Meltzer was going for that, the killer would have been revealed and a massive fight sequence or game of cat and mouse would have ensued. However, after I read all 7 issues together, I was sold on the odd pacing of #7. As Meltzer has said from the start, this wasn’t about murder or people hitting each other. I mean, those elements were there, but they weren’t the point. The point was to expose the world of superheroics, its triumphs and its sins, and how that world affects the world that the heroes live in when they aren’t wearing the mask. Issue #7 is a fulfillment of that idea, of a world where not everything is solved with fists or arrows or power rings and sometimes, just because a story is over, does not mean that we have to wrap it all up with a bow and put it back on the shelf.
HUMAN TARGET #17
What can I say that I have not already? Month in, month out, this book is all sorts of excellent. This time, we get a great fill in effort from Cameron Stewart (last seen on Seaguy) and a story of a woman, Maggie, in the witness protection program who comes to Christopher Chance for guidance. What she rapidly finds out is the guidance he can give her requires a lot more sacrifices then she would have expected. A very smart one-off issue that switches POV from Chance to Maggie and provides another perspective on how deep the loss of identity really is when Chance “plays dress up.”
TRIGGER #1
Another fine effort from the Vertigo label. It’s too early for me to say whether or not the series is going to be great, but the setup is effective and the art is exceptional. Watkiss should take a bow for this one.
BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #185-186
I should note that you continuity fans will have a bear of a time reconciling this Riddler with the Hush story, the after-Hush story and the Riddler-Poison Ivy back up story. The events precede War Games and there is a reference to Hush (not by name, very offhand), but how the old look Riddler and new look Riddler timelines reconcile themselves, I will leave to you.
Now on to the story. I’ve always been pretty open about the fact that I am okay with stories that build (the so-called decompressed technique), but it seems to me for a story that is the “Ultimate Riddler” arc, there is blessedly little Riddler to be seen.
Sure, he and Bats do share a tête-à-tête, but it is a bit pedestrian in the storytelling and seems to be there purely so Riddler can remind Batman that, “This sh!+’s chess, it ain’t checkers,” which I think Batman is pretty clear on already. Or at least, I hope so, ’cause otherwise someone needs to strip him of the World’s Greatest Detective title and quick.
The “new” look is a bit confusing to me. The tattoo’s cool. I don’t think he needed it, but it does not bother me either. Riddler being very male model androgynous is weird to me too, but, again, I can deal. The birthmark begs me though…a lot. It just seems very…superfluous. Cindy Crawford might not have gotten rid of hers, but I doubt she would have requested one be added if she was not born with it. Also, as I mention last week, the all black look does not work for me without the presence of at least a few green question marks on the shirt or a jacket similarly adorned.
I’ll give credit where credit is due though. The art is good and the two prong trap that Riddler sets up at the conclusion of the second issue is pretty ingenious and provides a smart, tense cliffhanger. I’ll finish off the storyline, but there is nothing here, yet, to make me believe that this Riddler tale is “ultimate.”
I’m out. Enjoy the holiday with your family and friends, if that is your religious thing to do. If not, I cannot recommend Chinese food and a trip to the Cineplex enough. The Incredibles is a first-rate choice or Closer, if you are in the mood for brutal, brittle, and quite well written dialogue, is another fine film. I am sure there are more, but those two stand out to me.
See you all next week.
King Kong Ain’t Got Nothing on Un Gajje!
