DC Preview Review for May – Special Vertigo Edition

Jim: Two things drove me to want to do this sort of spotlight post, one I’m on vacation for a week and that causes me to have to skip a weekly review post. The second is I noticed with recently putting the Unwritten back on my list I’m getting every Vertigo series except House of Mystery. I have now added that back to my list. Vertigo produces top notch series and is probably the best books on the market in general. By that I mean more times than not the Vertigo imprint is a sign of quality.
Gwen: Every once in awhile I get burnt out on mainstream comics and Vertigo is one of the things that keeps me going.

STRANGE ADVENTURES #1
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO, SCOTT SNYDER, PETER MILLIGAN and others
Art by EDUARDO RISSO, JEFF LEMIRE, KEVIN COLDEN and others
Cover by PAUL POPE
1:10 Variant cover by MARK BUCKINGHAM
Don’t miss this eighty page collection of science fiction short stories from some of Vertigo’s all-time greats, as well as the hot new talents of tomorrow! From the far reaches of space to the not so distant future, we bring you eight science-fiction stories as only Vertigo can do them. Plus: the Eisner Award-winning 100 BULLETS team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso reunite to bring you the first chapter of their upcoming new series SPACEMAN!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
One-shot • On sale MAY 25 • 80 pg, FC, $7.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: This type of one-shot a no-brainer for me. Azz, Snyder, Milligan, Risso, Lemire, I mean the talent lineup is great. Plus I would love, love to see a new science fiction anthology become an ongoing.
Gwen: What a great idea. I love sci-fi and this spotlights some excellent talent.

CINDERELLA: FABLES ARE FOREVER #4
Written by CHRIS ROBERSON
Art by SHAWN MCMANUS
Cover by CHRISSIE ZULLO
The hunt for Cinderella’s longtime nemesis leads her from the heat of equatorial Africa to the chilly ski slopes of Switzerland. Cinderella and her companion, the Russian Fable Ivan Durak, have managed to stay one step ahead of the deadly assassin so far – but is their luck about to run out?
On sale MAY 11 • 4 of 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: I loved the first series and the second started off stronger then the first series. Cindy lends herself to a series of mini-series. Plus we can see her missions for today and from the past. Plenty of material is available with this concept.
Gwen: The idea of Cinderella as a secret agent seemed so odd at first and yet it's turned into some really great stories. I look forward to this next installment.

FABLES #105
Written by BILL WILLINGHAM
Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM and STEVE LEIALOHA
Cover by JOAO RUAS
In “Super Team” part 4, Ozma’s super team is ready to fight, but there’s a complication: Mister Dark isn’t the only one of the Great Powers on the warpath. The North Wind just blew into town with bad news for Bigby: His ghostly son must die. Talk about bad timing! Remember when Bigby promised his father that “The next time I come after you, I’ve made arrangements to make sure I’m able to kill you”? That time is here! It’s father vs. son. Will Bigby survive one battle so he can help with the other?
On sale MAY 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: One of the longest running Vertigo series and still one of the best. I love how Bill has made all the familiar characters so relatable. Consistently a very good book, every time out.
Gwen: I was curious as to how long it would take for the truth about Bigby and Snow's zephyr son to come into play. I wonder how Bigby can even fight against the North Wind when he's supposed to be an 'aspect' like Mister Dark.

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #15
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
“Ghost War” continues as Henry and his lost unit fight for their lives against a vicious new strain of vampire. Meanwhile, Skinner makes some unexpected moves and Pearl sets out on a perilous journey. The secret vampire war of The Pacific rages on!
On sale MAY 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: I still can’t believe I’m enjoying a vampire series. Plus I’m enjoying the fact that this series continues to move forward in time. Scott knows how to deliver with each arc while still building towards a larger story and Rafael kills on this book.
Gwen: I love this series.

HELLBLAZER #279
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and STEFANO LANDINI
Cover by SIMON BISLEY
Our newly married urban mage doesn’t know it, but his niece, Gemma, blames him for a brutal assault. Now she’s planning a suitably demonic revenge – and she’s dangerously out of her depth. Meanwhile, Constantine’s got himself a new thumb – but any pleasure this might bring him is cut short when his young wife reveals a terrible secret. Well, what did he expect? That married life would be one long honeymoon?
On sale MAY 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: Milligan has been writing his a** off with this book. I have followed Constantine for a few years and Milligan seems to have the best handle on where he is taking John. I hope his run on the book last a long time as he is taking chances with the character like no one else.
Gwen: I've always enjoyed John Constantine as a character but the Hellblazer series is hit or miss for me. There are definately some interesting plotlines though.

HOUSE OF MYSTERY #37
Written by MATTHEW STURGES
Art by LUCA ROSSI and JOSE MARZAN, JR and AARON CAMPBELL
Cover by ESAO ANDREWS
What happens next hasn’t happened, or didn’t not unhappen, or never was to have happened in the first place. Frankly, the proper tense for what happened to what happens next hasn’t been invented yet. In “Desolation” part two, Fig struggles to exist, but her existence is as problematic as our attempt to explain it! Meanwhile, a gang of mysterious strangers appears in the House of Mystery looking for one Lotus Blossom Mackenzie. Featuring a short story illustrated by Aaron Campbell (Green Hornet)!
On sale MAY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: I fell off this series because I felt like it was taking too long to move the plot forward and I lost track of who was who sometimes. Still I’m willing to give it another shot and jump back onboard.
Gwen: This series fell off for me with the addition of Fig's brother,the serial killer. But, like Jim, I'd be willing to give it another chance as I did like the series early on.

DMZ #65
Written by BRIAN WOOD
Art by RICCARDO BURCHIELLI
Cover by JP LEON
“Free States Rising” concludes here as the final battle for the city of Manhattan, as well as the fate of the entire country, begins to unfold. Matty Roth, the ultimate embedded journalist, reconnects with his on-again off-again friend Zee, who finds Matty a very changed man since she last saw him.
On sale MAY 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: This is another series I started and left and then came back. Brian is writing a heck of a treatment of what could be a version of America in the near future.
Gwen: This isn't really a series I've paid much attention to so I'll have to take Jim's word on it.

NORTHLANDERS #40
Written by BRIAN WOOD
Art by MATTHEW WOODSON
Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE
In the middle of a long Scandinavian winter, a solitary hunter stalks the forest for what seems like weeks on end. His elusive prey starts to take on added significance as the hunter descends into helplessness and despair, to the point that the skills of even this seasoned outdoorsman are put to the ultimate test. Lavishly illustrated by Matthew Woodson, whose illustrations have appeared in Wired, Spin, Penthouse, Glamour and more, “The Hunt” is destined to be one of the most memorable Northlanders stories to date.
On sale MAY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: Brian Wood again with a series that is as different from DMZ as possible, Viking stories. I love that each arc is another story instead of a continuing character. This allows Brian to explore various parts of Norse history. He also uses modern dialogue which makes the book read easier and yet does not detract from the overall effect.
Gwen: The viking genre is not my favorite (lumped in with the barbarian genre) but I've enjoyed this series.

iZOMBIE #13
Written by CHRIS ROBERSON
Art and cover by MICHAEL ALLRED
This issue marks the beginning of the new story “5 Brains, 5 Months,” which will play out in “real time” over the course of the coming issues. In May, 2011, zombie girl Gwen and her friends solve a mystery just in time to keep an even more mysterious appointment with Amon, the sexy mummy, while the vampire girls add a new member to their number and the monster hunters prowl the streets. And in the first of a series of backup stories, we meet a group of government agents who will soon be making life very difficult for Gwen and company. But who are the Dead Presidents?
On sale MAY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: The heir to Buffy as it takes all the supernatural elements and gives them a cool twist. Every once in awhile I think it gets a little deep into its own mythology but the quirky feel of this series makes it a must read.
Gwen: I've had so much fun with these series. It's the first book I read when it's in my comic stack and the characters just get more interesting the further into the series I get.

SCALPED #49
Written by JASON AARON
Art by R.M. GUERA
Cover by JOCK
The mysterious Catcher has always walked his own path, but for him, time is running out. As another searing story comes to an end, will Catcher finally run out of places to hide?
On sale MAY 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: One of the best books on the stands and when it ends and if it holds up could go down as one of the best series of all time. Yeah, it is that good.
Gwen: A really harsh book but an excellent story nonetheless.

SWEET TOOTH #21
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art and cover by JEFF LEMIRE
Gus reluctantly joins Jepperd on a hunt for the missing girls, but the tension between the two continues to grow. Meanwhile, Singh and Johnny come face to face with a deadly new threat, and Lucy and the girls meet Walter Fish, an enigmatic survivor who may have more to offer than meets the eye. Don’t miss snowmobile gangs, yetis and more as the new story arc “Endangered Species” kicks off with a bang!
On sale MAY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: This series has a flavor to it that no other book on the stands has and that is Sweet Tooth himself. He is an innocent in many ways in a post apocalyptic world. The series started slow but all the mysteries are being slowly revealed as we peel back the onion on what caused the world to go to hell.
Gwen: Jim has a soft spot for post apocalyptic stories.

THE UNWRITTEN #25
Written by MIKE CAREY
Art by PETER GROSS
Cover by YUKO SHIMIZU
“Citizen Taylor,” part 1 of 2! Back in the real world at last, Tom follows Lizzie and Savoy to New York and to the auction house of Christian Bolinbroke. Lots #1 to 200? The worldly goods of Wilson Taylor. And the only thing more dangerous than the other bidders is the auctioneer himself.
On sale MAY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
Jim: I jumped back on about five issues ago I believe. I’m enjoying watching Tom learning about how to enter and exit stories and how this all ties to his father. This is an interesting series that plays with all the meta-textual stuff. Gwen: I feel as if I'm like this series more in graphic novel format because I like the concept but find it hard to follow on a monthly basis.

Jim: One heck of a lineup of books and talent. Some of today’s best writers are doing work under the Vertigo banner which is why I will try out any first issue of a Vertigo book.
Gwen: Vertigo puts out excellent books with a lot of variety.

The List - February 2011

No acedia in this month’s List. Lots of good stuff to read, so here we go.

1. Cinderella: Fables are Forever 1 – Ah, the Bondian overtures, except that the Bond girl is Bond. This story takes place as the Fables are evacuating the Farm before Mr Dark can arrive to kill everyone. Problem is, someone else has already killed a Fable. The murder has a tie to Cinderella and a past mission in the Soviet Union in 1983 in which Dorothy Gale’s true colors were revealed and an undying enmity created. Looks like we’ll have some Russian Fables in this story, though I guess no Baba Yaga, what with Bufkin having killed her already. Regardless, I’m eagerly anticipating more from Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus, given how well their last effort went.

2. Northlanders 37 – Another new arc in this series. This one should be a bit longer than the last two issue arc, if the pattern Wood and Gane have used to date holds. Of course, I could be wrong, but it seems to me there’s a lot of story to be told in a siege of Paris in 885 A.D. We have Viking mercenaries at the center of this tale, and a battle that is reminiscent of WWI trench warfare. No one’s abstemious in these environs. Plus, a crazy line to rival Rag Doll in Secret Six: “A city under siege is a beautiful thing.”

3. Fables 102 – Still strange to see numbering over three digits. Hard to believe it’s been going on this long. A marathon session of re-reading is calling, but it’ll be awhile. Back to the issue at hand. Pinocchio is organizing a boost in magic power to the fight against the Dark Man. Being a terminal fan boy, he’s convinced that dressing the Fables in super hero costumes will increase their faith in what they’re doing and increase their power, however little bit. They need all the help they can get, after all. Ozma’s the real leader of the fight, of course, and Bigby’s back in the fray. We also get North Wind plotting to locate his grandson zephyr to destroy what he sees as an abomination. Mrs Spratt, now operating for the Dark Man, is throwing her weight around, too. The greatness continues.

4. Scalped 46 – Part two of five in the “You Gotta Sin to Get Saved” story showcases Officer Falls Down, which is a nice fleshing out of a previously minor character. Officer Falls Down appears to be a much more believing man than the rest of our cast, who are downtrodden, cynical, and almost entirely self absorbed. Of course, Catcher is deeply faithful, too, but he’s crazy as sh-t, as Red Crow says. All that movement in the plot was really excellent, but my favorite moment was Lawrence in prison, after he’s told Red Crow he doesn’t want anyone protecting him at Red Crow’s behest. He’s expecting to be attacked at any time but nothing happens, at least the first day. Sitting alone in his cell as lights out approaches, he has to decide which is worse, people wanting to kill him or no one caring enough to want to kill him. Great moment. Another fine piece of Jason Aaron writing, and the usual fine R.M. Guera art.
5. The Walking Dead 81 – Ok, Rick still surprises me. I didn’t think he’d let Jessie stay in his bed, let alone lay the wood. At least it looks like this encounter is helping him get past Lori’s death, but Jessie? It’s like sleeping with Carol, who we’ll all recall fed herself to a zombie on purpose. The larger story of a breach in the wall of the compound is really taking off, too. Looked like Andrea was stuck in the tower previously, but now it looks like she’s got the safest spot around. Time for the zombies to take their toll on the survivors, looks like. Kirkman’s got this thing rolling.

6. Invincible 77 – More Kirkman goodness. Ottley, Rathburn and Plascencia, too. I loved the battle that wasn’t. One of those signs of Kirkman at work, dodging the trite fight in favor of a more interesting resolution. Now Earth is going to be much more populated with Viltrumites, “living among us”, as the Know Nothings might say of whatever enemy they’re scared of at the moment. I love the shots of various Viltrumites trying to fit into human society, especially the woman on a park bench looking angrily at leering young males. With her mission being to repopulate the Viltrumite race through mating with humans, I’d have thought she’d be a lot happier about the attention. More importantly, how is Queen going to explain the return of Freddie Mercury? Sure, he’s a lot more muscular, but he’s still dressing just as flamboyantly. I think the regent’s going to have to work on his blending skills. A shave might help.

7. The Unrwritten 22 – Sill rocking the two page alternating stories. Still working well, too. Part 4 of Leviathan is getting Tom out of Moby Dick and into Sinbad, where we’re literally meeting a Leviathan. That leads to Scheherazade and 1001 Nights, an interlude with Wilson, and Tom meeting Baron Munchausen. We’re really skimming along the tales now. Any moment we might end up in Fables, which would be quite interesting. Somehow I don’t think that’s where Carey and Gross are going, fun as that might be.

8. Atomic Robo: Deadly Art of Science 3 – Speaking of fun, Clevinger, Wegener, Pattison and Powell have the best robot ever created continuing on what are essentially teenage hijinks as he continues to “help” Jack Tarot fight crime in Chicago and NYC. Plus, we get Robo fighting a much larger robot. His squabbling with his “father” and the romance with Jack’s daughter, much to Jack’s dismay, are just like a teenager. And I’m certain crystal skulls will be put to much better use than they were in the last Indiana Jones movie, too.


9. Secret Six 30 – The only super powers title from the Big Two to make The List higher echelons, and quite soon may be the only Big Two title on The List at all. Simone’s writing is great, as always, and I love Calafiore’s art. This is probably the prettiest book on the list. Funny, for such ugly people inside. In a new turn, the Six are hired by a slacker who’s inherited his weaponry from his villainous grandfather, who rocked a Rat Pack vibe in his day. The slacker recruits his loser friends to try to revive that vibe, including taking over a small tropical island, with the Six as their private army. Unfortunately, the Doom Patrol is hunting for its AWOL member, Robotman, on the same island. In very good news, Killer Shark is still part of the team. Oh, and Bane tries to go out on a date with a stripper friend of Scandal’s girlfriend. Hilarious violence ensues.

10. Millennium Edition: Police Comics 1 – Here’s a rarity, and probably a first - a free comic that made the top ten. I actually picked up the pack for the DnA comic mentioned below, but this was a surprising bonus. Reprinting these stories from their 1941 first appearance, the high point is clearly the beginning of Plastic Man. This was not a DC title, but rather Quality Comics. Aside from the great cover by Gill Fox, celebrating the little heard from Firebrand, Phantom Lady also became a mainstay of the early comics. It’s a lot of fun to read these early books in small doses like this. The writing isn’t up to modern standards, but the art is often as good or better. There’s a certain sameness to Firebrand and the Mouthpiece that leave it no wonder they didn’t last long, but Plastic Man was something else.

11. American Vampire 12 – Skinner Sweet’s our star here, Jim’s summary notwithstanding. It’s 1919 and Skinner is at a Wild West show in Platte River, ID, watching a re-enactment of his “death”. Doesn’t have anything to do with how he actually died and became a vampire, of course, but a former girlfriend is part of the show, as well as several other has beens. She was supposed to go down with him in a glorious shootout, a la Peckinpah, but it went wrong, and instead she’s a faded beauty. A bit of mercy, in a Skinner sort of way, in this tale.

12. DMZ: The Hidden War (TPB 5) and DMZ: Blood in the Game (TPB 6) – I’ve gone into the former book in more depth already, so I won’t say anything more about it. I’m going to post more on Blood in the Game later, too, so I’ll keep my comment to this: When did Zee hook up with Matty? Last I remember he was with the Canadian reporter who was killed in The Hidden War.

13. Incorruptible 15 – Waid’s better work for Boom is still working for me. Headcase isn’t Headcase any longer? Patel’s loyalties are questionable? Who does Max rely upon? Will it be the Paradigm, who want his help, if they don’t try to kill him first?
Proof: Endangered 3 – Grecian, Rossmo and Zigarelli make a good team. I like where this is going, as Mi-chen-po is a great character. Sort of a cryptoid liberating fighter, with the attendant racism toward humans. And Proof fights Jell-o. Kinda funny, really.

14. iZombie 10 – Roberson and Allred’s series continues to grow on me. Gwen is a very different character from Roberson’s Cinderella, but they’re both very interesting women. Not your usual, either, what with one being a fable immortal of sorts and the other being dead and losing her mind. Ellie’s starting to be a more interesting character, too. Not just the groovy chick hanging around the edges of other people’s lives. Amon looks a little odd, showing up in a track suit that makes him look like a Ken doll from the ‘80s.

15. Haunt 13 – Something’s got Kurt, a neat trick considering that he’s dead. Still having the problem of all Capullo’s females having the same face, but the story is taking an interesting turn. Really short at 14 pages, though. Doesn’t allow much to happen, but I suppose that’s to be expected in an issue that’s pushing a $1.99 price.

16. Justice League: Generation Lost 19, 20 – See, this is what I mean about super heroes. No one believes Blue Beetle is really dead. Hell, I don’t even believe he could have had his helmet broken by the bullet. He’s been shot at lots of times previously and been protected by the armor. I like the interaction among the members of the team here, but I’m glad this series is nearing its end.

17. Birds of Prey 9 – I think this is a good example of the problems with super heroes, too. Simone writes a great book with Secret Six, but I can’t get the same tension of impending permanency out of this book that I get with Six. Sure, the heroes are mostly second or third tier in the DCU, but I don’t think there’s the slightest chance any of them will be seriously hurt or killed. Just not gonna happen, and sure isn’t going to happen with Oracle.

18. Gotham City Sirens 19 – A late entry in the month of white cover backgrounds, hitting in February instead of January. The next issue is the last for me, whether it concludes the arc or not. Not feeling the love anymore.

19. Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes 340-342 – Now we’re into the free stuff en masse. I hear Jim and Gwen lamenting the days gone by for LOSH, and this series was running when I first got into DCU comics during Crisis on Infinite Earths and the Teen Titans heyday. Paul Levitz wrote these books and I did enjoy them. Part of it’s nostalgia, what with its references to Crisis and the death of Supergirl (see above for no one staying dead). Some of it’s the style of the stories told, with the unnecessary exposition to explain what’s going on. I say unnecessary, but I’m never lost for what’s going on in the story as I am with some books today. Good fun.

20. Majestic 12 – This was the Abnett and Lanning book I picked up. I’ve seen many a good thing about the duo, but this didn’t do anything for me. Maybe it’s because I’m in the middle of things and don’t have expository dialogue to help me along. Truth be told, I don’t recall a single thing about what happened in this book.

21. Orion 8 – Walt Simonson has had a place of fondness in my pantheon of writers ever since his great Thor run, but I’ve never come across anything else that came even close to that. Still, what I did get out of this was some nice freaky New Gods storytelling. Probably could switch this with Majestic, come to think of it, but it’s also like Majestic in that I don’t remember anything about what happened.

22. The Spectre 17 – This was nothing but freaky. Why does space and dead people and the like have to be utterly ungrounded by reality in so many tales? It’s like the Warlock thing I read last month. This one was brought to us by J.M. DeMatteis and Norm Breyfogle. It was not the reason I picked up the free stuff packet. And to think, this was only written in 2002. Who knows how many revisions there have been to that character in just 9 years.

23. JLA Incarnations 3 – And now the worst of it all. John Ostrander wasn’t at his finest here. Vale Semeiks is not an artist I recall. This work isn’t doing either of them any favors. JLA in orbit may have some decent reasons behind it, but it kind of obscures the America part of the name. Not that that’s a major point to this book. Just something that occurred to me. The dialogue is hoky. The art is blocky. The plotting is stale. Avoid at all costs. Unless it’s free, I suppose. Hard to believe it was only 2001 when this came out. It seems entirely irrelevant already.

Lines On My Face!

With apologies to Peter Frampton for swiping his song title for this week's post, I was startled when "I woke up this morning" (actually Tuesday morning from my perspective) and discovered a radically altered visage of the "Man[n] In The Mirror". Okay, so I just turned 40 last May and sure I'm starting to show signs of age with a few (I'm talking less than five here) strands of gray at the temples (like Reed Richards and Dr. Strange) and the beginning of jowls at the corners of my mouth. However, the progression or is that degeneration is usually so slow that you don't really notice it unless you look at an old photo from 20 years ago. This morning was different and it immediately made me think of the Bronze Age Marvel classic, Captain America #224.

Maybe "classic" is a bit too generous for this tale, but it is memorable, primarily because of it's preposterous (so I thought) premise (and a really cool Mike Zeck cover). You see Steve Rogers wakes up with no memory of recent events, takes off his mask and he now has a completely different face! Not only is his face changed, but his hair color as well (from blonde to black). Who knew plastic surgery could be performed so easily and recovery occur so quickly? Guess that's another advantage of the super soldier serum. I don't recall why it happened, how it happened, or even how it was all resolved -- it just did. One day, one face, the next day, a different face and the next issue everything's back to normal. It was totally unbelievable when I was eight, now I'm not so skeptical. [Update: It was a disguise for Steve to infiltrate a group that was going to hijack MadBomb components led by the Tarantula and Senor Suerte (don't ask).]

Dude, I feel your pain!

What was specifically shocking to me this morning were the wrinkles around my left eye. We're talking Baron Strucker scar-like wrinkles here. It was like the Grand Canyon on my skin. Maybe I just haven't been paying enough attention to the changes. My wife who thinks of me as "handsomely distinguished", did suggest that I start using her Mary Kay moisturizer last night. She specifically mentioned that she had something that would help around the eyes. For you "younguns" (Greg and Gwen) out there, the skin starts to lose its elasticity as you grow older. Moisturizers act as a sort of Gingold or Infinity Formula to keep the skin tighter. If such a miraculous fountain of youth is readily available, why aren't I already using it? Good question and I've got an equally good answer. I'm very sensitive to smells, particularly chemical smells (the detergent aisle of the grocery store is worse than the mutant radiation forbidden zone of the Planet of the Apes). It's the one super-power I share with Wolverine.

I think I'm going to have to try that stuff again, despite the weird fumes, which will swell around my eyes. I certainly don't feel like I'm ten years older than I am, even with the periodic aches and pains (it helps to have a really good mattress). In fact, I usually feel much younger than my age, but maybe that's just the endorphins talking! I should look as young as I feel, right? (non-surgically of course) -- Really, it's just maintenance I need I guess. I don't want another shocking morning like this one. If it happens again, I'll start talking about Travis Morgan and the time he lost 10 years off his life.

Two books that could have been better

Two books that were so close to being great...

The Unknown Vol 1, written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Minck Oosterveer
Story: Catherine Allingham is one of the world’s greatest detectives. Unfortunately, she has terminal brain cancer and is going to die in less than a year. Now she takes cases that may, or may not, prove the existence of something beyond death.

The Results: Overall, Unknown is neither good nor bad. It’s a fine, non descript, non superhero detective book. The main problem with the book is that it suffers in comparison to one of Waid’s greatest works, Ruse. Ruse was the story of a world class detective with an everyperson assistant that grounded some of the sillier aspects of the cases. When compared to the lead in Ruse, Catherine isn’t all that interesting as a lead character. At times, she was mean and obnoxious but not so mean and obnoxious that I disliked her. And, when she was nice, or showed a softer side, it wasn’t fully believable. This left me in a limbo where she was fine, but not enough of any one thing for me to really feel for her.

Luckily, the art was really good. Oosterveer has a style that seems to mimic the body’s of Derrick Robertson, and the facial expressions of Shawn McManus. The mash up works well and this is a pretty book to look at.

Conclusion: It reads like Waid mailed the script in, but the art saves it from being a complete loss.

Die Hard: Year One Vol 1, written by Howard Chaykin, illustrated by Stephen Thompson.
Story: July 4, 1976 was supposed to be an ordinary day for John McClane, hero of countless Die Hard movies, as a rookie cop patrolling NYC unfortunately it turned out to be anything but.. In the right place at the wrong time, McClane gets drawn into a conspiracy to rob some of New York’s richest families at the height of the bicentennial celebration. Can he save the day and win the girl? You betcha!

The Results: Let me start by saying that I can’t believe Chaykin wrote this! Chaykin’s work has been very hit and miss the last few years with more misses than hits. I no longer buy his work on sight so you can imagine my surprise when I finished reading this and realized that the story was great. Chaykin manages to capture the feel of the Die Hard movie with a large cast of interesting good and bad guys that just happen to coincidentally meet over the course of the day. The antics in this book are tame compared to the silliness in some of the Die Hard movies, but there is plenty of movement and action to be seen. It is a Die Hard movie on paper, so if you can believe all the lucky coincidences in the movies, then you can do it here.

The problem with this book is the art. Thompson does a fine job with composition, and his people are mostly the right size and shape throughout the book. Unfortunately, Thompson can’t draw Bruce Willis’s face the same way for more than two pages in a row. To be fair, trying to draw the likeness of any movie star for any length of time is incredibly hard. But, if this book is going to be successful, then Bruce Willis needs to look like Bruce Willis. Not BW today, then BW 20 lbs lighter, then 20 lbs heavier, then older, then younger. I don't care if the face is wrong as long as it's the same wrong all the time.

Conclusion: An excellent caper story that is almost derailed by sub-par art.

SUMMARY, good books with some flaws that are best purchased when your local store has a sale.

The Definition of Change

Just the other day, Jim wrote here about the illusion of change and how it’s killing comics.

He noted the drastic changes that happened in the early years of Marvel on titles like Spider-Man and Fantastic Four. However, if Jim wants an example of a mainstream superhero title committed to lasting, actual change, he’s barking up the wrong tree.

Stan Lee has explained what happened here. When they were creating those first titles, they simply did not expect for them to last for 40, 50, 60 years. They thought they were working on stories for a couple years, and then they would move on to something else. Once they realized that these characters could become cultural institutions like Superman or Batman, they adopted the approach of the illusion of change, in lieu of actual change.

But the one modern mainstream superhero book that was committed to real, lasting, long term change was Chris Claremont’s X-Men. Yes, really.

Eventually, the X-Men became the premier franchise in comics and it became a static parody of itself that recycled the same plot lines over and over (Will Gambit and Rogue ever get together? Check back next year). However, until the book became a victim of its own success, it took more chances than any mainstream superhero book I can think of.

From Giant Size X-Men #1 until the time that Marvel created the X-Factor spinoff (which was somewhere in the early 200s of Uncanny X-Men), this was a book that had a roster constantly in flux, with relationships that were constantly changing. If you look issues that are a year apart, it’s shocking how much would be different. It is clear that after the Dark Phoenix saga that Cyclops was intended to be written out of the book and only used as an occasional guest star in the future. Magneto was evolving into possibly a hero. Villains were reformed. Punk Storm was totally unrecognizable from the character’s first introduction. Xavier was slowly being nudged out of the book. Swashbuckling Nightcrawler was also deeply religious. The team faked their death and moved to Australia. Even a character like Wolverine, who we are all sick of today, had evolved dramatically, from some Canadian scrapper into this noble savage/warrior with ties to feudal Japan and almost a team leader.

If you read X-Men #200, featuring the Trial of Magneto (which culminated in Magneto becoming headmaster of the New Mutants), it is incredible how far it had come and changed since Giant Sized X-Men. Only when Marvel sought to fully exploit the value of that franchise and create spin-offs did it start to grow stale. Years of development were undone in an instant to justify a new creative team’s take or a new book’s premise.

FF and Spidey were filled with so much change because Lee and company thought they were writing finite stories, or at least over a finite period of time. Claremont deserves a lot of credit for writing a book that, until Marvel started capitalizing on its success with 800 spinoffs, radically changed over long periods of time. What he shared with the early Marvel creators was the ability to do long term story telling with a group of characters and relatively little interference.

Today, creative teams do far more limited runs on titles, which, alongside a heavy dose of nostalgia for the comics of their youth, invariably lead to focusing on the strengths of a character or concept. Typically, this means a back to basic approach that ignores the years of development and creates a sense of constant reset. Let’s call this the “Johnny Storm effect.” Every FF run starts with him as immature and ends with him as a responsible adult. And the next run, no matter how good the creators are, always resets it.

Of course we still get changes in comics, like new heroes in old identities, but more often than not, these changes are sudden and abrupt, instituted by a new creative team with little set up or development. Even Morrison’s switch of Dick Grayson into Batman, which I have largely enjoyed, was barely set up before hand in Morrison’s run on the Bat books.

In today’s ADD audience, I’m not sure if we have the patience for something as long and developed as Claremont’s X-Men run. And if we did, I’m not sure if the companies have the self-restraint to allow those books to change naturally.

Dark Horse Previews Review for May 2011

Lee: It is definitely getting to be summer time because DH is really diversifying the offerings again. A good month awaits everyone.
Thomm: I could go for a good month. I’ve been whittling down my superhero reading, so there’s some potential for new things.

THE ART OF DOUG SNEYD
Doug Sneyd (W/A), Hugh Hefner (W), and Lynn Johnston (W)
The scintillating cartoon works of Doug Sneyd, an artist for Playboy magazine since the eary 1960s, are now collected in this stunning art book. This book features the most lush, sumptuous, striking, and hilarious of Doug’s full-page cartoons. Readers will be charmed with the lovely scantily (and even non-) clad “Sneyd” girls and the one-line jokes they so ably illustrate. Don’t miss this collection by one of Playboy’s veteran cartoonists! This book includes a foreword by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, an introduction by Lynn Johnston, cartoonist of the nationally syndicated strip For Better or For Worse, and reflections from the artist himself! Nearly three hundred full-color cartoons! The deluxe limited-edition collection features an exclusive print inside the book that is signed by the artist, presented in a handsome slipcase, and limited to one hundred copies FC, 248 pages, $39.99, HC, 9" x 12"FC, 248 pages, $100.00, Ltd. HC, 9" x 12"
Lee: Now this is a great art book, and I mean that even beyond the material. Sneyd is an excellent artist and the jokes are really quite funny. If you can get past where the cartoons first appeared, this is a fun book to both see and read.
Thomm: Why would you need to get past the cartoons appearing in Playboy? It’s a respectable publication. Pretty tame, really. What throws me is Lynn Johnston’s involvement. The frumpy characters of For Better of For Worse are a far cry from what I associate with Playboy and Sheyd. All that being said, this sounds like a good buy.

BLACKJACKED AND PISTOL-WHIPPED: A CRIME DOES NOT PAY PRIMER
Bob Wood (W), Charles Biro (A), Jack Alderman (A), Dan Barry (A), George Tuska (A), Carmine Infantino (A), Dick Briefer (A), Bob Montana (A), Fred Guardineer (A), Pete Poplaski (Cover), and others
Gangsters, kidnappers, maniacal killers, and thugs of all stripes had their lurid stories recounted in Crime Does Not Pay! Featuring thrilling, brutal tales and disturbing, despicable characters, Crime Does Not Pay enthralled a nation and was the most popular comic book of its time. The series was a favorite target of Dr. Fredric Wertham and other censors and is partially responsible for the creation of the Comics Code Authority—yet it was also an inspiration for Harvey Kurtzman’s reality-based EC Comics. See why this series was both revered and reviled in this unique “best of” primer! Contains a selection of stories from across the series’ run in the 1940s, a new cover, an illustrated essay, and an introduction. FC, 224 pages, $19.99, TPB, 6 5/8" x 10 3/16"
Lee: OOOOHHHH yeah, I cannot wait to get this! Everyone talks about how bad EC comics were, but their partner in crime was this book. Crime Does Not Pay was full of great stories and great art. The best part is, unlike golden age superheroes, these stories will still read very well.
Thomm: From what I read this was really much more the reason for the Wertham insanity than the EC comics. Definitely well worth the buy in to see what got all the panties in a bunch.

CREEPY COMICS VOLUME 1
Joe R. Lansdale (W), Doug Moench (W), Joe Harris (W), Dan Braun (W), Michael Woods (W), Nicola Cuti (W), Bill Morrison (W), Jason Shawn Alexander (P), Greg Ruth (P), Angelo Torres (P), Rahsan Ekedal (P), Hilary Barta (P), Michael Kaluta (P), Eric Powell (Cover), and others
Creepy Comics Volume 1 gathers all of the new material from the first two years of Dark Horse’s celebrated new Creepy series and collects it into one gargantuan book! This 184-page monstrosity features a spellbinding assortment of gory stories about all your favorite terror-inducing topics, including cannibals, lurking demons, werewolves, zombies, and psychotic murderers, illustrated in glorious black and white, following the great tradition of classic Creepy, with twenty bonus pages in full color! Collects Creepy #1-#4 and the two full-color stories from MySpace Dark Horse Presents. b&w, 184 pages, $19.99, TPB, 7" x 10"
Lee: There was a lot of buzz when this first came out and then the book was never heard from again. But, the first collection is here and the names/art sound too good to pass up so I am gonna try this.
Thomm: It does have some good creators attached to it, but I’ll wait to see what you have to say. I’m not a big horror reader in the first place, so it’ll have to have some good feedback for me to delve into it.

CREEPY ARCHIVES VOLUME 10
Various (W/A)
In this new, cranium-cracking collection, our award-winning Creepy Archives run continues to bring classic Warren horror anthology stories to modern readers! Collecting Creepy magazine issues #46-#50 and featuring a terrifying cover by acclaimed horror and fantasy illustrator Sanjulian, our latest excursion into terror brings us face to fang with the bizarre concoctions of Richard Corben, Doug Moench, Reed Crandall, Tom Sutton, Jerry Grandenetti, José Bea, and other familiar monsterminds and fan faves. This archival edition will also reprint all color covers, color “Loathsome Lore” stories, fan-art pages, letter columns, and essays from the original magazines, making our series essential for hardcore horror collectors and new readers alike! b&w, 248 pages, $49.99, HC, 8 3/8" x 10 7/8"
Lee: And since we’re on the topic of Creepy, if you have skipped this series now is the time to come back. This is the start of the era that has defined Creepy for an entire generation. It’s got Corben art at the height of his abilities! This is not to be missed.
Thomm: If it’s your thing, it’s not to be missed. Me, I can wait.

THE DAMNED HIGHWAY: FEAR AND LOATHING IN ARKHAM
Nick Mamatas (W) and Brian Keene (W)A hilarious, shocking, terrifying thrill ride across the American landscape, The Damned Highway pays homage to the gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompson and the uncanny terrors of H. P. Lovecraft! Horror legend Brian Keene (The Rising) and cult storytelling master Nick Mamatas (Move Under Ground) dredge up a tale of drug-fueled eldritch madness from the blackest depths of the American nightmare. On a freaked-out bus journey to Arkham, Massachusetts, and the 1972 presidential primary, evidence mounts that sinister forces are on the rise, led by the Cult of Cthulhu and its most prominent member—Richard M. Nixon! Brian Keene is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winner. Nick Mamatas has been nominated for Bram Stoker, International Horror Guild, World Fantasy, and Hugo Awards. 232 pages, $14.99, Novel, 5 1/4" x 8"
Lee: It isn’t often we talk about books sans pictures but this sounded really good. It’s a cross between Hunter S. Thompson and Cthulhu! What’s not to like?
Thomm: Richard M Nixon, cult leader. Hee hee.

HELLBOY LIBRARY EDITION VOLUME 4
Mike Mignola (W/A/Cover), Richard Corben (A), Dave Stewart (C), and others
The oversized Hellboy hardcover series continues, collecting Mike Mignola and Richard Corben’s award-winning The Crooked Man story. Hellboy has racked up multiple Eisner Awards, numerous spinoffs, a prose line, video games, animated series, and two feature films. Hellboy Library Volume 4 collects two complete trade paperbacks full of short stories: The Troll Witch and Others and The Crooked Man, as well as an extensive selection of previously unreleased sketches and designs. FC, 312 pages, $49.99, HC, 9" x 12"
Lee: Sadly, I love the stories and hate the format. It’s just toooo big. I like oversized hc’s as much as the next guy but these are unwieldy and monstrous. It’s a heck of a bargain for the cost though.
Thomm: Yeah, I’m really a trades aficionado. I’ll stick to that format.

SCARY GODMOTHER COMIC BOOK STORIES
Jill Thompson (W/A)Jill Thompson’s award-winning children’s series, Scary Godmother—widely known from the Cartoon Network animated feature—is back with more entertainment for readers of all ages in this complete comic-book collection! Collecting Scary Godmother #1–#6: Ghoul’s Out for Summer; Scary Godmother: Holiday Spooktacular; Scary Godmother: Bloody Valentine Special; Scary Godmother: Activity Book; Scary Godmother: Wild about Harry #1–#3; Scary Godmother and Friends Ashcan; Scary Godmother: Six Feet South of the Border from Action Girl #13; and more! Collection includes a nineteen-page, full-color sketchbook section! b&w, 312 pages, $24.99, TPB, 6 5/8" x 10 3/16"
Lee: I think I already have most of this in one format or another but I am going to get it again. For the kids of course! If you’ve never read SG then you don’t know what you are missing. Great stories and great art. This is well worth the price of admission.
Thomm: It’s not calling me, but it sounds good and it’s a good deal. I’ll have to eyeball it and see what I want to do.

Lee: DH is just churning out good material these days. I really need them to stop because I don't have the budget for all of this!
Thomm: Definitely a very good month for DH. A lot of good stuff to check out.

The Illusion of Change

The story goes that after Marvel became number one in the industry Stan Lee told all the staff no more change, just the illusion of change. This happened somewhere in the seventies I believe, which means nothing has happened in 4o years. Whether the story is true or not that is essentially what happened with Marvel comics. I have talked ad nauseam on this topic, but I keep hoping some editorial high up will read my missive and have an epiphany.

I guess what drives me crazy is that I have been a fan since the very early years of Marvel. I was a kid of six years old (or maybe five) when I started getting into comic books. At that age I enjoyed some DC stuff, but Marvel comics were the bomb. DC comics were episodic in nature and each issue told one or maybe two stories about the hero. You could miss an issue and never notice it because the stories were all stand alone with only the barest hints of any continuity from issue to issue. Marvel comics were the exact opposite, each issue lead into the next issue and the changes to the characters were coming fast and furious.

The Fantastic Four went from a group of freaks to having a headquarters in New York City. Within three years Reed and Sue were married and Johnny Storm was growing up. They went from a group of adventures to a group that was a family first and foremost and their identities were known to everyone. The fact that they had no secret identities was a big deal, I can’t think of any other super hero who operated so openly. The family aspect was also very strong and we had Reed and Sue get married, the Thing has a steady girl and Johnny Storm has a true love with Crystal of the Inhumans. Heck Reed and Sue have a child together. It was a great time to be a fan; I couldn’t wait for the next issue. Now forty years later Johnny Storm has supposedly been killed (give it a year) but he is still about 20 years old. Reed and Sue have two children, but Franklin is still around five to seven years old after 40 years. The Thing is still dating the same girl and we have the series re-launching as the Future Foundation with Spider-Man filling Johnny’s spot. The illusion of change, but no real change, because the Torch will be back and they will go back to being the Fantastic Four and renumber to hit issue #600. Jonathan Hickman is certainly trying to reinvigorate the FF as have others, but they are all handcuffed because it is only the illusion of change. We can’t have the kids get older, we can’t have Johnny become an adult of 30 plus, so it is all sleight of hand.

Spider-Man is the most egregious of all the characters because in the span of his first 28 issues he finished high school and headed off to college. He went from wimpy Peter Parker, to a more confident young man and became a heck of a hero. Spider-Man #31-33 will always be one of the great stories of all time as Peter does whatever it takes to save his Aunt May, regardless of the personal cost it takes on his life. He grows up, goes to college and graduates, ultimately even getting married (and that is after the seventies). Still 40 years later Peter appears to be in his 20’s with a steady girl-friend and right now has a great job, but stuck in this stage of his life forever. I say Spider-Man is the most egregious since recently they magically erased half of his life. Now Spider-Man is still single Peter Parker, with his Aunt May still around, Flash Thompson still there and again differences, but all just a twist or a turn, nothing really changing.

Iron Man is still Tony Stark, Thor is Dr. Donald Blake, Giant-Man is Hank Pym, Hulk is Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers is within a hair’s breadth of taking back the mantle of being Captain America. When you look at the X-Men we still have Cyclops, Iceman, the White Queen (filling in for Marvel Girl), the Angel and the Beast floating around in the MU. It is like growing facial hair or changing your hair color is the extent of any changes allowed to “franchise” characters.

It is sad because the fan base continues to shrink, especially for print versions of these characters, and effective lasting and permanent change and growth could be a panacea for comics. DC is a better at creating the next generation of heroes, but still are stuck in ruts. Heck, Dan Didio wiped away much of the progress in moving forward. He rolled back and killed momentum that they had on a lot of characters (has anyone seen Connor Hawke?) pleading that the iconic version is the only one that should be allowed or featured.

Now I’m enjoying Spider-Man again, but it is vastly different than it used to be. Before I was invested in the character, now I’m following it for a little while as light entertainment knowing I can drop it and never really miss anything. The illusion of change has caused this long time fan to have less and less vested in these characters. As the economy, digital media and other changes continue in the real world we can always check in anytime and still find the same characters in the same costumes from Marvel, forever.

Well maybe not forever, as ultimately sales may fall off the cliff and then they will try for real change.