Please be gentle with me about this column. See, I write my column over the course of the week. At the end of this week (when I get the majority of my work done) I got a wicked sore throat from my lovely and talented girlfriend Janelle (she was nice enough to not pass along the congestion as well, so I thank her for that). Thus, you may notice that some of the pieces below just don’t have as much heart in them as usual. They were written after the plague overtook me.
I guess that’s enough begging to sympathy. Let’s tackle the NEWS!
The above intro is what you would have read in my column had I had one last week. However, after I finished everything, I went back and read it and realized that, well, it was pretty damn awful. So I threw most of it out and decided to start again. Sadly, I was simply too sick to make any of it good. I then did the smart thing, (finally!) and gave in to the reality of my mortality and called it a night. Two days later I was told that I had a severe respiratory infection and I have been taking meds and recovering from it ever since. As such, there are no reviews this week because I simply have not been together even to write them. Ditto to what I’m looking forward to this week. However, the rest is there and, hopefully, you’ll find it all to be good. Enjoy the NEWS!
Such a Tease
In the last couple of months, DC Sr. VP, Executive Editor DCU has hijacked the last page of DC’s DCU titles with a “DC Nation” page of news, teases, and well…confirmed new series as seen starting in this week’s crop of titles.
Didio plays us hot and cold at Newsarama
Is renumbering really such a big issue? Really? I guess I’m a little annoyed that JSA is becoming Justice Society of America, but that has more to do with not wanting to type so many damn letters. See, I’m lazy, not concerned with the title change.
But, honestly, what is it about comic numbers being reset that seems to drive comic fans into a tizzy. Is it a filing inconvenience? Do the comics somehow feel less “history-ish” if they only have the number 30 on the cover instead of 130? Does that diminish your hobby somehow? I just don’t get it. It can be silly (see Captain America get three new series in about six years), but I don’t think it is ever really all that important.
Here Ends the Therapeutic Relationship
The final issue of DC’s Infinite Crisis hits comic shops today and that means it’s the final installment of Dan DiDio’s Crisis Counseling…
Dido has no more time for questions, only time for shilling at Newsarama
“There are no gaps in anyone’s memory, except one.”
What the heck does that mean? One person will have gaps in their memory? Everyone has one gap in their memory? I demand answers!
It’s funny, Didio thanks Superboy Prime for “cleaning up continuity” or some such, but, if you think about it, it does not feel all that much cleaner to me. It addressed some stuff while introducing new issues. For example, we have Black Canary’s presence in the Justice League. Since Diana was the founding female, where does Canary fit in? And if Diana is the first Wonder Woman on Earth, what of Hippolyta and her JSA adventures? I think the better, more correct way of saying it would be that Superboy Prime cleaned up the continuity that bothered people currently at DC. Which, of course, means that in another 10 or 20 years, people who grew up on the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths universe will address all the continuity glitches caused by Infinite Crisis and “fix” them. And the process will repeat itself onward and upward forever.
The good news is this though: no Hypertime. We can all breathe freely again.
Except then came the cruelest stroke of all:
“The last appearance of Breach in the DCU occurs in CRISIS 7.”
That really is kind of disappointing to me. I mean, I know the character did not catch on in his own series and such so I was hardly expecting him to get a new one, but it would have been nice to still have him kicking around the DCU for a bit. Given the ambiguity of the response, he could end up showing up in the Wildstorm U or Vertigo or something, but I doubt. And he didn’t even get to blow up all proper like Aztek or Firestorm did.
Oh well.
The new costume for Martian Manhunter on the last page of Infinite Crisis is sort of confirmed here. I think I’d be okay with him getting a new outfit if it didn’t, how do I put this correctly, suck quite so much as that one glimpsed in IC #7.
Goodness, that no Matrix Supergirl news certainly has worked many a folk into a lather, eh?
Breaking it Down, One Last Time
One last time.
Okay – the final issue of Infinite Crisis hit this Wednesday, and we’re going into it one final time with out tongue-in-cheek sometimes funny, but more often than not just dumb look at a page-by-page recap of the issue.
As in our previous installments, it’s a good idea to have read the issue before plunging in.
Newsarama tackles Infinite Crisis #7 and does a victory lap.
With all the random deaths happening in tight tight panels (or panels covered in red), this Infinite Crisis wrap up is probably the most essential since issue #2. That’s my opinion, at least.
What’s particularly interesting to me is how well the Newsarama team dissects the “New Earth” phenomenon. It raises points that I didn’t even think about. Like Bane as bad guy once more. Why? Well, it could be Venom or Psycho meddling or coercion (all of which Mathan and I discussed in last week’s Who’s Who) or it could simply be New Earth. Since New Earth is (in their words) a cherry picking of realities, perhaps Alex simply chose an evil unreformed Bane and dropped him on this earth in the merging. Or it just happened naturally when the tower came crashing down. Either way, it is the cleanest excuse for hiccups since, well, Superboy hitting reality until it changes. And to think, a few months ago we were all up in arms about Marvel using Scarlet Witch as a continuity fixing shortcut (which, by the by, they never really did, did they?). The times, they do a-change, huh?
The funniest part of the piece? The two GLs discussing why they even bother pretending that they have Superboy Prime locked up and under control. Although the lengthy dissertation on an 80’s tune that includes the lyric “I’ve been to paradise but I’ve never been to me,” is a close second.
Yes, They’ve Sold Out… But Why?
Every year to 16 months, they seem to peak – DC’s sold out issues. Currently, DC’s “One Year Later” titles are seeing sold outs nearly line-wide, with (to date) 19 One Year Later issues sold out and going back to press.
How did this happen? Why does this happen? Last week, retailer Brian Hibbs gave some of his thoughts, and this week, we spoke with DC’s Vice President – Sales to once again lead us into and be the guiding light in the world of retailer order numbers, sold-out issues, overprints, and second printings.
Indulge in conspiracy theory at Newsarama
That article was a bit…eh. No surprises, really. It was not as if Bob Wayne was going to come out and say, “Yes, we are totally trying to screw the retailers and/or fans” even if that was exactly what DC’s goal was (and, for the record, I don’t think it was).
What did surprise/disappoint me was that neither Wayne nor Didio saw OYL as an opportunity to garner more fans. That’s not to say that I think they should have been expecting new fans, but I think a little effort might have been good.
Beyond the lack of effort thing, it also speaks to my fears whenever comic company’s go into hyper crossover mode. It becomes less about growing the business and more about simply gobbling up as many of the same people who were already there in the first place. Things end up more insular and storytelling stops pushing boundaries. Now, this is not guaranteed to happen, nor do I think it is on the immediate horizon. However, if you squint a bit, you can see the possibility of it in the Big Two when we have one company proclaiming that they were never really concerned about bringing in new readers
(by the by, what industry on earth, does not want more consumers?) and another openly stumping for static characters (“why shouldn’t new fans read the character in exactly the same state I got to read them” or some such paraphrasing). It’s sad that innovation is usually followed by a period of regression and I fear that, especially in comics, this period is unavoidable.
Boy, I sure got dark there, eh?
Wonder Woman: Exposed!
DC has given Newsarama a first look at the cover to next month’s Allan Heinberg/Terry & Rachel Dodson Wonder Woman #1 relaunch… the “real”, final version of the Dodson’s cover that is.
Newsarama made you look.
So the real cover is…the first cover we saw…but with birds? Wow. That was totally worth the wait. No, seriously. Not a bit of sarcasm here. No siree. Not an iota.
Busiek, Above Us All
Kurt Busiek is no stranger to writing the world of Superman, but just how is his work now in the eight part “Up, Up and Away” different from before? He tells us what Metropolis is like this time around, why he wanted to be exclusive to DC Comics, and lots more in this first of a two-part interview.
Frolic in the sky at The Pulse
How old is this interview that Busiek has to mention that he’ll be staying on Superman after “Up, Up, and Away”? Wasn’t that announced about a month ago? Dammit, The Pulse! Why do you continue this charade?
Busiek, Under the Sea
In the first part of our interview with writer Kurt Busiek, we talked about his vision for the Man of Steel, Superman. Now we’re turning our attention to a very different corner of the DCU to find what will hook readers on Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis.
Watch as Busiek wishes for a pair of human legs at The Pulse
First, are there really a lot of “party hats” with Aquaman on them? Second, if so, where do I find them? I’ll need, like, 8 dozen of them.
As for this “new direction”…while I have tremendous respect for Busiek, I just have not been feeling it.
MISC.
Sell Outs/New Printings
Issues #4 and 5 of JUSTICE, the hit series written by Alex Ross & Jim Krueger with art by Doug Braithwaite & Ross, have both sold out at DC Comics. Now, these hot issues are going back to press for second printings!
Newsarama believes true justice means a comic for everyone
ROBIN #149, the second “One Year Later” issue of ROBIN, has sold out at DC Comics and is going back to press for a new printing!
Tim Drake gets all popular and such at Newsarama
Following quick sellouts at DC Comics, two issues of the hot new DCU series CHECKMATE and BLUE BEETLE are going back to press for new printings!
Blue equals green at Newsarama
Sell Outs
AMERICAN VIRGIN #1, the debut issue of the provocative new monthly series, has sold out at DC Comics, joining the growing list of sellouts from new Vertigo series.
Written by Steven T. Seagle, with art by Becky Cloonan and a cover by Frank Quitely, this debut issue was called “spiritual and grungy, a wholly original piece of work” by Entertainment Weekly in a review that went on to say “It takes religion, a subject usually approached in pop culture with either bloodless piety or tiresome blasphemy, and gives the matter some hard, honest thought.”
Virgin is in the new naughty, naughty…umm…let’s just leave it at that at Comixtreme
WELCOME TO THE REVAMPING
So, the thing about this Revamp is it is based on a character that has only made one appearance ever. I never read this appearance, but, apparently, loyal reader and big Revamp fan, Brock did. He sent along the suggestion and, you know what, I bit. I read the bio and I was intrigued. It took me a few weeks to come up with something, but I’m pretty pleased with it. Please sit back and enjoy this Revamp of the very obscure, almost never seen…
Swashbuckler
Michael Carter is a Houston native who grew up in the shadow of his idol and uncle Greg Saunders, the original Vigilante. Saunders pushed his nephew as a child to excel in athletics and got him involved in several forms of martial arts all in the name of bettering himself as a person. Then, abruptly, Saunders disappeared, snapped up and tossed about in the timestream. Inspired, however, Carter stuck with his training and eventually followed in his uncle’s crime fighting footsteps as well. Donning a mask and wielding a staff, Carter set about to clean up Houston and was christened Swashbuckler by the local press.
He enjoyed heroics and was good at it. He even kept up with Batman when the Dark Knight came to town following after the Riddler. However, time moved on and Carter felt himself drifting away from the “mission”. Texas is not renowned for its supervillainy and without his uncle for inspiration, Carter yielded to the “normal” life. He got a job and settled down with a woman he met there.
It was not a bad life, per se, but Carter felt restless with it and eventually found a way to sabotage the whole thing and his shot at “normal” came to an abrupt halt after only a few years. He returned to the streets but it just was not the same. Finally, out of frustration, he began to pack up his life and take up stakes. He was nearly done when who should arrive, but Uncle Saunders.
Saunders proceeds to, over the next several hours, weave a story of giant spiders, fallen heroes, seven other heroes who never met but still saved the universe, and his own demise (essentially, the events of Seven Soldiers boiled down into a long, unwieldy monologue). It is wild and bombastic and seems not a little bit insane and Carter says as much. Saunders agrees that it sounds that way, but it is all true, he promises. But, telling Carter that story was not the true purpose of coming here. He has come to Carter to pass on a legacy. There will come a time again that heroes who are not the big names will need to be gathered and it will fall to a Saunders to do that. Being as Vigilante has no children, the responsibility will be Carter, the Swashbuckler’s. It will not be seven heroes this time, but rather ten, and the enemy shall not be the Sheeda, but the stakes are the same. Win or watch the world fall. Again, Swashbuckler disputes the sanity of all of this and Vigilante again assures him of its authenticity. With that, he hands Carter a crumpled up piece of paper with five signs to watch out for and riddles that must be decoded when the time comes to call upon this new team of heroes. Swashbuckler accepts the paper but still does not truly accept his mission.
A few months pass and the frantic, frightening (and possibly post mortem) visit by his uncle is all but forgotten. Then, one by one, the events described in Vigilante’s note start to occur around the globe. Suddenly, Saunders does not seem quite so crazy. But how does a barely in the game vigilante with no superpowers or particular gift for detecting solve the riddles, find the heroes, and inspire and lead them towards a destiny he, himself, barely understands? Can he possibly avoid his uncle’s fate or is death another part of the family legacy?
TIM’S TIRADES
The Great DC v. Marvel Debate
Okay, I’ll own to it right now…I’ve never gotten this one. I’ve never understood why anyone identified with either company so much to feel the need to argue its superiority. I get the Hulk v. Superman arguments, I can understand why, all these years later, people still can’t believe Lobo lost to Wolverine (I’m totally right there with you on that, even if I do loathe Lobo) or how Batman bested Captain America (which I still argue today in the fight, as depicted, it makes sense Batman would win). But I still can’t cotton to the idea of Corporation A v. Corporation B.
I’ve had people tell me that it is like cheering for the Red Sox over the Yankees and I can sort of see where they are coming from on that. I grew up in Connecticut and had an uncle attend the University of North Carolina. As such, I love me some Huskies and Tarheels and wish horrible things upon the Blue Devils of Duke (well, not horrible perhaps, but certainly bad). But I understand what churns up the blood in sports rivalries, what with the allegiances, the memories, the vicarious living. I don’t get that from comics.
The whole thing feels a bit, to be brutally honest, juvenile to me. I know that sounds both snobbish of me and ironic given my love of comics, a thing that itself is labeled juvenile, a label which often causes me to bristle. But that’s the vibe I get from it. It is a bit like me claiming that my father can kick your father’s ass (even though that is probably true. My father is a huge individual capable of crushes a skull in his bare hands). It’s the kind of taunt that kids who have no real reason to argue or fight but are still socially or biologically driven to throw back and forth on the playground.
Part of it, no doubt, is that I grew up a bit of a traitor for both camps. My first comic was a Web of Spider-Man book (which is why, even today, I feel the need to compulsively seek out Web of Spider-Man back issues despite the fact that most of them aren’t all that good and I have little to no interest in buying them). My first comics movie was Batman. I loved them both equally and while I got that they were from “different universes” (don’t ask me why or how I knew this…I no longer remember) I never felt that there was any inherent need to pick sides. As I grew up, Batman and Daredevil quickly became my favorite characters. However, these were decisions based on very little comic material. I didn’t really start reading comics until early high school besides a book here or there, snagged from a friend or on a spinner rack at the Cape. I was attracted more to the essence of the characters. That’s probably just as well because much of the Batman and Daredevil material being put out during my formidable years might have led me to reconsider my choices (especially the Daredevil stuff). So, even as a young superhero fan (but not really superhero comic fan) I had a foot in both camps.
And so it has continued to go. When I first dove into comics as a full time hobby, it was Grant Morrison’s JLA that did it. I don’t even remember what Marvel books I had on my pull list at that time. I guess Thunderbolts would have been then, right? Anyway, I do recall that my list always was split pretty fifty-fifty between the two companies. That’s a tradition that continues today. I probably have a larger monthly addiction to DC books, in part because of this column, in part because of DC’s imprints, and in part because, generally speaking, I don’t give a damn about mutants. However, on the other hand, Marvel puts out what is my favorite book these days, Runaways. I’d walk on hot coals to snag a copy of that baby (and most of the time my comic shop makes me…they are a cruel people, they are). You move down to my second tier (perhaps the books I would lay on a bed of nails for) and those are mostly Marvel too. My favorite DC book is probably Manhunter and I think I’d rank that as a second tier-er but not one that shoots into that spot with a bullet, certainly. In other words, I don’t get the debate because to side with either means I don’t get as much joy as I do from simply being neutral.
The other problem I have with the Marvel v. DC debate is that it is predicated on a nonsense ideal that no longer applies. Over and over again, the difference is trumpeted to us: Marvel makes books about humans who happen to be superheroes, DC makes books about superheroes who happen to be humans. The thing is, that dark line of distinction just ain’t true anymore. In Stan Lee’s day, you bet it was. Today though…not so much. DC and Marvel have so cross pollinated each other over the years that that oft-quoted difference is simply a fable. It’s like claiming Coke and Pepsi are fundamentally different at their core. They taste different, definitely, and always will. However, in their heart of hearts, they are both just colas. Pepsi is not really the choice of a new generation (nor can it raise the dead as that has been mistranslated to) and Coke is not “the real thing”. When you claim DC is stories about “iconic superheroes”, you are swallowing the company line, an advertising slogan. Those rules don’t apply anymore.
But, like I said, I may just be full of it. I mean, really, we argue about everything else on the net from characters’ “Mary Sue-ness” to whether or not a particular creator deserves the reputation they have, good or bad, so what difference does it make if we argue about this? For me though, that’s the point. We argue about everything else. Can’t we, for once, let this one just…go?
And now our journey is over. I hope you enjoyed taking it as much as I (eventually) did. As always, drop me a line at parallax2@juno.com to let me know your thoughts on my Revamp or my Rant or anything else in this column. Also check out the Welcome to the Revamping thread or the DCNV Message Thread if you prefer to comment that way. Either way, I’ll love you much.
Un Gajje, All Better Now (And an Uncle Too!)
