Tim, now that the WGA strike is in full force, what are you going to do with all of the time not spent watching TV?
Let’s see…I’ve been working, going to the gym, spending time with friends, flying out to Phoenix, and maxing out my Netflix subscription. It’s stunning how much more time I have now.
God…I can’t wait for them to stop striking. This “interacting with the world” thing? Really, really old.
Links!
Tim, are you linking anything this week?
I am indeed. As promised, I have written up my New Year’s Resolutions for the site, and here they are.
What I Read Last Week
Salvation Run #3 – I like the idea of rival villain societies. Naturally I’m going with Lex, so I kind of resent Joker’s meddling. The reveal at the end was kind of blew it for me, because, well I don’t dig the dude’s new look. I am anxious to see what happens in the last four issues of this mini.
The Spirit #12 – Such a good read. I’m totally going to miss Cooke & co. I”m a sucker for lost love, so I really ate this issue up. Such a good issue.
Suicide Squad #5 – Chemo’s second cover, this week! I so dig the intrigue in this issue. I dig the dredging up of forgotten characters. And the art is great.
I concur on all counts.
Simon Dark #4 – I do want to know more about this secret society. I’m digging Simon’s playful side. And while I”m allergic to cats, what Vince did to Kitty was pretty horrific. Poor Simon.
Scalped #13 – I totally dig how Aaron gave us that dialogue free ending. This is a pretty strong opening chapter. I am anxiously awaiting Dash’s coming to terms with his mom’s death.
So glad that this book is apparently doing well in trade because I think it is just great. I know some people complain about the art, but I think it is an almost perfect fit for the content. And yes, that wordless ending was just excellent.
The Exterminators #25 – Interesting version of the afterlife. I liked the delving into the back-story and mythology of everything. I’m really looking forward to Ty Templeton’s return next issue.
X-Factor #27 – I remember when I looked forward to this book. At least we got some Jamie and Layla action.
Atom #19 – Where were the random quotes? I liked the art and the premise of the underground society, but the execution felt off.
Welcome to Fill-In Country. Almost as good, but not quite.
Lord Havok & the Extremists – I really liked the art this time out. I appreciated the look into how Tracer came to be. And those nutty counterparts were pretty cool.
Black Panther #31-33 – Why is the FF still here? First it’s Zombies now it’s Skrulls. Is this the book where things Marvel has run into the ground come to die?
I don’t know, but if that’s not the book’s slogan, it should be.
Green Lantern Corps #20 – Loved the stuff with Mongul and the moment with Ice. Ok, there wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about the issue. Tomasi hits it out of the park again.
I went back and forth on buying this and I’m glad I ultimately said, “what the hell?” because it was quite good. I have no idea if it will stay that way as more space opera is introduced (as it inevitably will), but I’m optimistic.
Countdown #16 – I haven’t read the Jimmy parts in months. I swear if this thing wasn’t close to being over I’d pull the plug. It’s like a horrible blind date; you don’t know why you ever agreed to it but now that you’re there you can’t wait for it to end.
Nightwing #140 – Tomasi had me with the grave robbing, but I like how Talia pops in. I also like how we get inside Dick’s head and he’s not all whiny.
You know, I’m not entirely sure what to make of the statement, “Tomasi had me at grave robbing”.
Anyway, not a bad start. I’m not sold on it, but it was nice to Rags providing art again (and nice looking art at that) and yes, Dick’s voice was finally un-whine-ified so I’ll at least pick it up again next month.
The Programme #6 – See, this is exactly why I’m trying to move out of Las Vegas. I really dig the characters in this mini. And you’ve got to love the story’s title.
Soak1313 loves sordid family histories
What is the story with the Mongul that is in GL Corps? What exactly happened with his father and sister?
Wait, you don’t know the glorious tale of Mongul, Mongul Jr and Mongal? Ok, perhaps you’re more familiar with the American version? American TV producers based Full House on the Warworld original Living Without Momgal. The original was a moderate success. I think it’s got its own wiki page.
Anyway, I’ll hook you up with some info. Mongul the 1st is the bad dude that introduced Superman to drugs. Oh sure, you can pretend that Black Mercy is an alien lifeform, but it’s clearly a plant from another place that makes everything feel perfect while you waste away. Black Mercy is opium people!
Soylent Green is people! IT’S PEOPLE!!!!!!!!
Ahem…sorry. I just…couldn’t help myself.
Right. Anyway…
As if getting Superman to chase the space dragon wasn’t bad enough, Mongul also wiped Coast City off the map which leads to two things: Hal Jordan becoming a man, taking the Guardians down a peg and going kinda evil; and giving the Haven a place to crash. And while neither had any really lasting impact, they’re both blemishes on DC’s record.
Sadly that was the highpoint of Mongul’s career. Mongul met his end when he met up with Neron. Neron offered to amp the guy up and Mongul refused and started talking reckless. Neron decided to make an example out of him and killed him.
But DC loves a legacy and Mongul left one behind. When Mongul Jr made his debut he was actually helping Superman prep for Imperiex, the guy behind Our Worlds At War. And unlike Mongul the 1st, Junior managed to escape a “death” during that crossover.
Junior is the guy who appeared in Infinite Crisis #1 and fought Batman, Wonder Woman and Supes.
Mongul’s sister (or daughter, depending on which “Mongul” you’re referring to) Mongal was never Superman’s friend. She came to Earth to have her brother’s back when Junior decided to fight Superman. They beat Superman to death. It was a sad day.
No, that’s not what happened at all. The Mons lost. Though Mongal did inherit Maxima’s throne when the latter died.
Maxima’s dead?!?!?
When Junior recently appeared in Green Lantern trying to introduce Hal and Ollie to intergalactic space dope he failed. Mongul retreated to visit Mongal and promptly decapitated her in frustration. I was the only one to mourn her death.
I’m also the only one mourning Momgal’s death. But hopefully that’s premature. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that she somehow survived the plague that killed everyone one Debstam IV. At the very least I’m hoping that Junior has been sowing his space oats.
Tim, is the Mongul dynasty compelling or lame?
Lame. Without a doubt. Lame, lame, lame.
It’d have been better if they just resurrected the first Mongul since, really, going down to a new character to make that character seem hard is just an awful thing to do to an already established character. Especially one who starred as the villain in one of the best Superman stories ever.
But, what do I know?
Honestly, when I read Mongul, I just pretend that he’s the original and I don’t worry about him being second generation or having a sister. Because, really, does acknowledging that stuff make any part of any story he’s ever been in better?
Kirk prefers a hero with a little blood on his hands
With Zod and crew showing up in Action Comics for what appears to be the first time, it would seem like a major part of the post-Byrne Superman cannon has been rewritten. Specifically, Superman has now never killed anybody. I personally always liked Superman having that one cloud hanging over his reputation, but I’m wondering if you think the rewrite helps or hurts the character?
I was a huge fan of John Byrne’s tenure on Superman. I used to have every issue of every Super title in the Byrne era. I loved it. It was the first time that I actually felt the magic of the character outside of the first couple of Superman movies. So I’m obviously not happy.
I too was a fan of Superman the killer. It worked on so many levels. First off, it wasn’t like he went around announcing it; it was sort of like a secret that Kal and I shared. I knew what he did and why he did. I wasn’t going to rub it in his face, but I knew it was there. It was something I could use to defend the guy against his critics.
It was also cool because it did add something to the character. He faced an impossible choice: compromise his ethics for the greater good or be a boy scout and face a worst case scenario down the road. I liked that Kal took one for the team. I like a hero who’d compromise himself for me. It’s flattering.
And yet, when I stole that car and gave it to you for your birthday you got all, “What the hell were you thinking? Get rid of this right away! I can’t believe you’d be so stupid.”
Well, who’s being stupid now, Mathan? Huh? Who?
I also like how it was followed up on, with him being wracked with guilt and eventually leading to the introduction of the device known as the Eradicator. It was part of a tapestry that was unfolding before my eyes.
But we can still pretend that the story happened, right Kirk? I mean nothing in the yet to be concluded story really contradicts the notion that Kal’s killing moment never happened. Maybe he blocked it out. And it’s not like he’d bring it up, because it’s not like the same strategy would work in this dimension.
So Kirk, let’s just pretend that Kal’s adventure in the pocket universe still happened just as we remembered it. Because if it didn’t then I’d also loose Peter David’s Supergirl and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Buzz and Wally.
Tim, I know which Lex you love, but which Kal is your favorite?
Byrne’s Superman is for me too. Byrne may be an angry, angry man good for bizarre online ramblings these days, but you look at his work on Superman back in the day and it becomes even more difficult to accept how lousy Superman has been written in the days since.
Except for the Big Barda on Superman “adult entertainment” action. I just can’t begin to understand what Byrne was thinking there.
As for the killer angle, are you kidding? That. Was. Huge. Such a big deal and so well done. To lose it for what I would describe as “no discernible reason” is plenty disappointing.
On the other hand, it is not like we really “lose” it though, is it? The story is still out there to be read and, as Mathan points out, it is pretty easy to still include it in your own personal continuity. You know, like how, in my personal continuity, there is only one Mongul; in yours, perhaps, Superman still killed Zod and Co., but he tries to keep that under his hat.
Honestly, try it. It makes the whole continuity thing a lot easier to deal with.
tgc used to hang out around morgues when he was a kid
I just recently, as in last night, read an interview at Newsarama with Keith Champagne where he discussed his fill in issue on Flash. Something was mentioned that I have no intimate knowledge of whatsoever. So who, or what, are The Green Lantern Corpse?
The Green Lantern Corpse is a pretty clever retcon. Basically the Corpse is like a space 21 Jump Street, only instead of Stephen Williams acting gruff as Captain Fuller you’ve got a dispassionate bunch of Guardians. And it’s not set in high school, or even space high school. Well, the Corpse also doesn’t have an amazing theme song, sung by one of its stars…yet! But apart from that it’s just like 21 Jump Street.
Your friends will be there when your back is to the wall.
You’ll find you’ll need us cause there’s no one else to call.
When it looks hopeless, a decision is what you need.
The Corpse is who the Guardians turn to when there’s no one else to call (which kind of makes them sound more like The A-Team, but since the work usually involves deep cover work it’s still way more like 21 Jump Street.) The Corpse does the deep undercover work that’s necessary to infiltrate organized space crime rings and space terrorists.
If I had any sort of Photoshop talent at all, this Mr. T image would be remade to make it appear that one of his rings was Green Lantern approved hardware. Just pretend it is for me. Thanks.
Also, he pities the fool who hasn’t overcome the yellow weakness yet.
They don’t actually have or use power rings because they can be detected. They actually ingest discs that allow them to manifest the abilities of the rings. We’ve really only met two members of the Corpse; Von Daggle, who actually founded the covert group, and R’amey Holl who worked a mission with Guy Gardner.
Despite the kinda corny sounding name it’s a rather cool concept. If the Green Lantern Corps are supposed to be space cops then it makes perfect sense that they’d have an undercover unit. And while I’ve been pretty critical of the whole “cop” angle I dig the Corpse and hope that we get to see more of them down the line. I’d even be happy if Von got his own spinoff like Booker.
Tim, how do you feel about the space cops angle in Green Lantern?
Huh…I guess I’ve always sort of taken it for granted. I mean, Kyle clearly wasn’t a space cop, but once the Corps came back about, I just sort of accepted that that was the way business was done.
I guess I’m fine with it. I don’t particularly love “space” stories and making them space cops seems an oversimplification (they are really more of an army, aren’t they?) but it is nothing I can’t live with.
In the comics, Julian L. Smith is actually John L. Smith, because that played better in the movie.
I know comics align themselves, to my dismay, to some movie elements. I’m guessing this is why Luthor had those growing crystals just before Superman got his powers back. But, is this the same reason for Superman now having a ‘foster son’? I mean, how hokey is that?!? Does DC really expect this to sell comics, or just see how much the real fans can swallow?
It’s clearly not the latter; that’s what Countdown is for.
Oooooooooooooo! Sick burn.
I think that DC is just trying to make the Superman comics more friendly and appealing the fans of the movies and the Smallville. That’s why DC is introducing Chloe and Black Pete Ross into the DCU.
Oh wait, only Chloe is making her way into the DCU. Because even in the DCU a white female is a more viable candidate than a Black male. But I suppose I digress….
“What? Aww, man.”
Anyway, making comics more in line with the television and movie portrayals makes more sense. The number of people who went to see Superman Returns dwarfs the number of people who read a Superman comic on a regular basis. And the number of people who are familiar with the John Stewart from Justice League Unlimited is much greater than those who pick up Green Lantern hoping that he’ll show up in a panel or two. And that’s why the John Stewart of the DCU used to be in the Marines. Isn’t it also the reason why Peter Parker was sporting a black costume in comics last year?
Imagine the bump in the readers if even 5% of the people who watch Smallville decide to try out Superman. It’s a chance that DC is willing to take. And while I personally don’t dig it at least it’s an attempt to bolster the book and look outside the loyal and dwindling fanbase.
Tim, care to reiterate your views on synergy?
I generally think we, as comic fans, do bet a bit too wrapped up in it. For example, in the aforementioned Spidey goes back to black saga, the whole net was rending itself, shouting, “This is just because of the movie!” Well, yes…and? At the end of the day, if the story is good (please note, I’m not saying Back in Black was or was not good. I, personally, didn’t read it) synergy is fine. Learn to live with it.
On the other hand, it has been shown several times that this mystical bump coming from appearances in other media is a bit like Bigfoot. Plenty of people talk about it, no one has really seen it. So that makes synergy seem like a lot of work for little payoff.
Overall, I think synergy is a very weird thing, especially these days. Stories at both of the big two are becoming increasingly event and continuity based, which tends to be an insular thing. However, synergy is about being open to new readers. Now, ignoring for a moment the inherent insult of “new or casual readers won’t be able to process something if it is not the same as the movie/tv show they just saw” (imagine if people treated books the same when movies were made about them), those tactics seem contrary to one another, no?
Glen likes his monkey men a specific way
Is the Anthro wearing the Mr Terrific style jacket in Booster Gold #3 the same guy who falls off a mammoth in the original Crisis? Why does he look so much more ape like in BG than in Crisis?
Maybe there was some intelligent design at work?
I’m guessing Anthro’s change in appearance is due to the artist. In COIE, I’m guessing that George Perez was sticking to the Anthro’s original designs. Where as in Booster Gold #3 Dan Jurgens is basing his design on what the incomparable Cliff Chiang’s work in Dr. Thirteen: Architecture and Mortality (now in trade paperback, go pick it up!)
How do you feel about Anthro’s appearance, Tim?
I thought it was fun acknowledgement of the Dr. Thirteen story, but that Azzarello’s lampooning of the big deals going on in the DCU was still wittier than Johns returning the favor with the Dr. 13 cast.
Colin sees green all over
How cool would it be if Green Lantern, Space Sector 2814 was a certain Martian? J’onn’s powers combined with the ring would be insane, and isn’t he over his fear of fire?
I don’t know if J’onn would make a good Green Lantern. From a personal standpoint, J’onn in a GL uni would fit smack in the middle of his old and his current look; much more form fitting than his current look (good) but not nearly enough skin showing (bad).
Also, I don’t think that his powers and a power ring would necessarily go together that well. J’onn’s selling point is pretty much his mental powers and I don’t know how mentally formidable he’d be if he were using his ring to its fullest potential. I mean keeping a mental link between JLA teammates seems to be a passive act considering how he does it with ease while using other abilities, but I doubt that J’onn would be able to concentrate on ring constructs while simultaneously using his mental abilities. It just seems too much for a mind to take, even a Martian mind.
Plus I’m sure there would be beef with Green Man over who was biting the other’s style. And when you factor in the tension between the Guardians and Martians it really doesn’t seem like a good fit.
But, then again, since Mars is devoid of Martians, theoretically the Guardians wouldn’t have to worry about a single planet monopolizing J’onn’s attention while the rest of the sector was patrolled by a single GL.
I think it’d make a great Elseworlds though. And I’m sure that somewhere in the Multiverse there’s a GL J’onn.
Tim, would J’onn make a good GL or not?
Well, he couldn’t be worse than Guy Gardner.
HOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ahem…sorry.
I think the poor guy has enough trouble standing out as it is (Superman with green skin and all that), so that last thing he needs is to be like thousands of other heroes in the DCU. That said, I think he’d be damn good at wielding the ring if the offer ever came down the pike.
Julian L. Smith remembers Fernus the Burning and for that should be pitied
Martian Manhunter. One day he is cowering from fire, the next he is taking down a platoon of White Martians using fighting skills he has never shown before. In this New Earth, did the White Martian thing ever happen, much less *shiver* Fernus The Burning? And have the Oans even mentioned this little intervention again?
If I had to make a guess, I’d guess everything J’onn related has played out pretty much the same on the New Earth. I can’t think of any reason why his past would have been altered. I mean it’s not like the guy is a marquee talent in the DCU. His past is barely memorable enough to be noted much less retconned.
I’m pretty sure that the Oans want to forget that whole incident with the Burning. I mean when you do genetic manipulation on a grand scale like that it’s not something that you’re necessarily proud of. Plus the Guardians have both died and been reborn since then, so there’s a chance they are using that as an excuse for not bringing it up. Though Ganthet can’t use that one.
But I’m guessing that J’onn’s miniseries also won’t be mentioned again. Not only did it give us the new look J’onn, but it was a dark and convoluted tale. Sure it introduced a female Green Martian hellbent on killing J’onn named Cay’An, (Seriously? As in Cayenne? Wow…awful. Bad, DC, bad!) but that doesn’t excuse the boring tale. Poor A.J. Lieberman, he follows up “Hush Returns” with a universally panned J’onn miniseries.
Poor AJ? Isn’t that more like, “Par for the Course AJ”? I can’t be the only one who thought Hush Returns was just not good, can I?
Tim, don’t you think that J’onn needs a trip to The Revamping?
I do. In fact, I think he’s so in need of a Revamping, I’m going to give him one right this very moment.
The problem with J’onn Jonzz is that everything he’s good at, someone else is too (and usually better). A super strong flying alien who’s (almost) the last of his kind? Well, Superman’s got him there. A shape shifter? Apparently Plastic Man can do it with more ease (although J’onn has no problem with colors). A detective? Oh, right, Batman.
There is, however, one aspect of the Manhunter’s character that few DC characters have ever tapped into. He’s a cop, and by all accounts, a damn good one. Unfortunately, given his frequent leaves of absence, John Jones has been bounced from the Denver police and most other stations won’t consider me without a demotion if at all. There is one exception though.
The “sick” city of Vanity.
Following the events of that awful miniseries, it begins to dawn on J’onn that his disconnect from humanity has left him even more lonely and a less effective hero. Anxious to reconnect and make a difference, J’onn reassumes his identity of John Jones and becomes a detective in Vanity. Long without the one true hero ever to darken its door, Vanity has continued to get weirder and more dangerous. The police force isn’t corrupt as much as it is utterly beaten (and several members quite a big crazy). In a city that is almost literally driving its citizens to their doom, can the Martian Manhunter, he of great logic and reasoning, find a way to make sense of it all and save Vanity’s citizens?
This isn’t a story of one cop standing up to corruption, this is a story of one cop standing up to an entire system of living. The “man” isn’t aligned against him, the very structure of the city is. How does someone, even someone like J’onn keep hope alive and bring about change in a place that is built to be sick and in residents who have gotten used to the idea of being sick, and, might even like it a little? Most importantly, how does an already vulnerable Martian not fall prey to the very system that has rendered so many Vanitians crazy or bad or dead?
I think that is probably a good place to end the column. As usual I’ve got no idea what next week’s column will feature. That’s really up to you.
So send me your questions via email at mathan@4sternstaging.com, or you can post your questions our thread. It’s a fun place to contribute.
Before I go, here’s my question to you; is there anything comic related that you’re looking forward to in 2008?
“But all I’ve ever learned of love is how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya.”
