Brief one this week so let’s get right to it.
So Dead is…Not So Dead?
As far as “What th-?â€s go, the final page of DC’s Manhunter #27 was as good as any comic fans have been seeing lately.
In the recently saved from the edge series which was pulled back from cancellation for a four issue arc that could lead to more; Kate Spencer (a.k.a. Manhunter) has found herself in an interesting spot: defending Wonder Woman against murder charges. Yes, a little over a year after the video footage of Wonder Woman killing Max Lord (back in The OMAC Project miniseries) aired, the Federal government (motivated by parties unknown) has files charges against Princess Diana for the murder of a Federal agent…which Lord was at the time of his death.
Wonder Woman has hired Kate to defend her against the murder rap. A defense strategy has been planned, and by last week’s issue #27, Kate and Wonder Woman were watching as the prosecution presented evidence to the grand jury.
Oh – and by the last page, as Kate and Wonder Woman were leaving the courthouse…
Go all hysterical at Newsarama
Let me just get this out of the way now. The Blue Beetle, the one on the cover and the last page of this book, is 99% probably not Ted Kord. So please, don’t lose your mind when it turns out it is, in fact, not him. I am begging you, comic websphere, enjoy the story and don’t focus on this possible resurrection. No one will probably listen to me on this, but… it is worth a shot.
Moving on…
Isn’t Manhunter just excellent?
I have to give up for any book that completely blows its last page with a very funny cover AND still manages to make the reveal pop. Very cool. The story was engrossing enough that I stopped worrying about what the cover was all about and that’s a nice of book that is going behind theatrics. Not to say I don’t love a good twist or cliffhanger, but it is also nice to see a book confident enough in itself to give away the end and still tell a bang up good story.
But yeah, guys, it is not Ted. Sorry.
Dixon on a Gay Superhero. Oh, This Will Be Good
Beginning in March, Wildstorm Universe mainstays Midnighter (The Authority) and Grifter (Wildcats) team-up (or is that face-off, or both?) in the six-issue limited series Grifter and Midnighter, by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Ryan Benjamin.
Newsarama recently chatted with Dixon to discuss the series, and the action-packed adventure he has planned, as well as his views on his starring characters. Dixon’s attachment to this series has raised some eyebrows in fandom because of public comments the writer made in the past regarding the portrayal of homosexual characters in comic books, and the fact one-half of this series’ main cast is in fact, homosexual.
Dixon handles the topic head on, as well as discusses Midnighter’s “left wing rageâ€, and oh yeah, talks a little about the story too…
Just sit back and watch the calamity at Newsarama
I have to give Newsarama credit. I give them crap all the time for interviewing techniques and such, but they did a bang up job here. They asked tough questions without being mean spirited or combative, they stuck on topic, they asked follow ups that made sense…I would hazard to say it is a damn near perfect interview. The people in the “mainstream†press that spoke to Mel Gibson could have learned a thing or two from this article.
For those not in the know, what I mean when I say “tough questions†is “questions that refer to the fact that Dixon is somewhat notorious for being anti-gays in comics (I can’t speak for beyond that) and he is now writing a very out of the closet superhero in Midnighterâ€. I hope that clears it up.
Of course, predictably, the interview brings out all sorts of anger on both sides of the issue in the talkback section. Despite Matt Brady’s warnings, things do get spirited in a big hurry. In other words, comics fans show themselves to be the gloriously reactionary people they are. And lest you think I am only picking on those who are anti-homosexual (or homophobes or uncomfortable with homosexuality or religious zealots or whatever you wish to call them) those who should be arguing for tolerance are quite fond of overstating things to near blinding levels of unreasonability as well.
Personally, I thought Dixon composed himself very well for a man who I fundamentally disagree with. I think his beliefs, when it comes to homosexuality, are wrong headed and regressive. However, he does state them, here at least, in an even, reasonable, and in a not the least bit inciting manner.
This, of course, does not excuse prejudice. People are entitled to their opinions, true enough, and being that this is America they are equally entitled to state them. However, a lot about how Dixon views homosexuality is bothersome. For one there is the problem that he cannot see beyond the sexuality aspect of it. In other words, he seems to associated being gay with sex and those you cannot have a gay character in comics because it means you are putting sex into comics. This is especially problematic because he clearly does not feel the same way about heterosexual relationships. His solution is not comics completely devoid of sexuality (think Casper the Friendly Ghost or Tom and Jerry cartoons) but comics devoid of homosexuality because homosexuality equals overt sex. It just isn’t true and it is a shame he feels that way.
Second, and more troubling for me, is his citing of Maggie Sawyer, during her MCU days, as being an example of a gay character done well. Why? Because they were so “a degree of deniability†there. What?! In other words, a gay character is fine if YOU CAN PRETEND THE CHARACTER IS NOT GAY! Not right. Not right at all.
In the end, the whole thing boils down to this, Dixon views being gay as being different from the norm and being different from the norm as being inherently wrong. So while he states his points well and composes himself like a rational person, I can’t get behind his interpretation of sexuality. I can’t support the idea of marginalizing approximately 10% (if not more) of the population purely because they are different from the other 90%.
However, the whole left-wing rage thing? I like that. A lot of talkbackers hated it, but it is a cool interpretation of the character. I have not really seen it in Midnighter yet, but I’d like to. As far as how Dixon got to this conclusion with the character, I hate to say it, but I suspect is again a matter of sexuality. Midnighter has to be liberal because he’s gay and he obviously has rage so…liberal rage. Dixon also mentions Midnighter’s love of striving “for a better world†but I hate to say what that indicates about conservatives if they are not striving for the same thing. Still, even if it is not the best impetus for a character interpretation, I do think it would be interesting to see it in practice.
If I was to buy the book, I mean. Which I am fairly sure I won’t be doing.
What’s the Best Sort of Fan? Why an Ionic Breeze One, Of Course
If anything the first nine issues of DC’s Ion miniseries have proved that the only constant in Kyle Rayner’s life is change.
Seriously.
Within the first four issues, readers met up with a Kyle Rayner – now Ion, thanks to changes in Infinite Crisis – who was acting…weird – blackouts, attacking and killing his friends, decimating planets, all in all, acting kinda Emerald Twilight, but without gray hair at his temples.
Speaking of that (formerly) gray-templed guy, Hal Jordan showed up in issues #4-#5, and helped sort things out, revealing that Kyle’s old enemy, Alex Nero, was actually impersonating him as Ion, and was responsible for the badness exhibited. Thing was though, Nero had zero idea what had happened, only that someone had done this to him. A trip back to earth, an encounter with a similarly confused Effigy, a rescue and an almost score with an alien princess, and his mom apparently dying of a mystery illness later, and the maxi series lobbed out it’s latest bombshell with issue #9 – the Tangent Universe.
For those who remember spotting it in Infinite Crisis – the “green lantern†from the Tangent Universe (Earth-97, which was a collection of fifth week specials which re-created the DCU in a reality where the Cuban Missile Crisis led to nuclear war) made it to the earth that survived the Crisis, where it was found by a couple of kids. One mysterious explosion later, and the Tangent Flash and Atom are back, and, by the end of issue #9, so’s the Tangent Green Lantern.
But wait – hold off that “Huh?†that’s welling up inside you. We sat down with writer Ron Marz to have him tell us what the heck is going on.
To avoid any more lame jokes like the headline I used, run to Newsarama
I am convinced that these 12 issues were plotted out as an ongoing and nothing anyone can say will make me feel differently. It is just way too all over the place to be a mini. I like it, but it does not feel like a limited series at all.
Like I said, it was a brief one this week. I expect the whole Dixon thing is very fertile ground for conversation though. Join us at the message boards (see below) or shoot me a line at parallax2@juno.com and let me know what you think.
Un Gajje Is Brief and To the Point…Occasionally
