Three months of DC solicitations. Reviews of new Birds of Prey and Secret Six, ancient Superman Family.
News
DC’s three biggest names all happen to have anniversaries this month. What a coincidence! All $5, all 56 pages, including ads. And all featuring A-list creators. Grant Morrison writes Batman #700, paired up with Frank Quitely and two lesser artists. J. Michael Straczynski co-writes both Superman #700 and Wonder Woman #600. James Robinson and Dan Jurgens join him for super-stories, with Jurgens and Bernard Chang among the artists. You’d think Chang would be drawing Wondy, but then he’s not as closely associated with her as two of the guys who are: George Perez and Phil Jimenez. There’s also Joe Madureira, an odd, if high profile, choice, and “others.” I guess they put a bunch of people they don’t care to mention on Wondy’s big issue. “Others” make the credits for writing, too, along with Gail Simone and, bizarrely, Geoff Johns. It’s doubly strange that’s he there and not on Superman. Backwards.
Green Arrow was in the toilet, so DC took a page from Marvel’s book and relaunched it. Two months later. With the same writer and artist. But no, really, it’s an exciting new direction. I’m sure you won’t be lost if you didn’t read the previous series, or Cry For Justice, or all that Rise and Fall business. All by the same two writers, James “editorial fiat” Robinson and new old GA scribe, J.T. Krul.
The Shield and The Web are cancelled after ten issues. It’s about time. For a relaunch, that is. DC didn’t get enough failure the first time around, so they’re lumping all the Red Circle characters together in a team book called The Mighty Crusaders. One month later. With the same writers. Or rather, the writers of The Shield and its backup feature, Eric Trautmann and Brandon Jerwa. Apparently, it’s more profitable for DC to use these characters than not, even if they can’t reach five-digit sales. To ensure failure take advantage of their loyal fanbase, this new title will be regular comic length with no backup story and a $4 pricetag. Originally solicited as a monthly series, the August solicits have this truncated into a six issue mini, which is far more sensible. They’d have had to cancel it by then anyways.
More $1 Reprints
Yay, bargains. Good bunch here. Astro City #1, Flash: Rebirth #1, Fables #6 (start of the second story arc), Jack of Fables #1, and the standout: Detective Comics #854, the first of the Rucka/Williams Batwoman run, complete with backup Question story. That’s a whole lotta comic for a buck.
The Great Ten ends after nine issues. If you’re part of the overwhelming majority of comics fans who weren’t buying it, you might not realize why that’s significant. Each issue spotlights one member of the team. There are ten members. I can’t blame DC for cancelling it – issue six sold six thousand copies – but why stop at nine? Sales were never good, so they might as well have pulled the plug around the halfway point. Maybe they want to put ten out someday, but they can’t commit to it. I could see that.
Mike Grell’s Warlord is cancelled. Yes, it’s still 2010.
Ex Machina ends, as planned, with issue 50. I’ll read it in trade, eventually, but I’ve lost interest.
Speaking of which, Welcome to Tranquility returns with a six issue mini. I bought every issue of the first series and don’t intend to repeat that mistake. Regular artist Neil Googe is replaced by Horacio Domingues, who made Fantastic Four: True Story rely wholly on its writing. I was so disappointed to open that first Niko Henrichon cover and find such crude art inside.
The Losers: Book Two re-collects the rest of the series, issues 13-32, 480 pages for $25. I already have Vol. 4 of the original five trade collection, but I’ll have to seriously consider buying this to complete the series. The three volumes of material here originally cost $15 each, so I’d save money despite rebuying a third of it.
DC Comics August Solicitations
A third Green Lantern ongoing, Emerald Warriors, launches at $4 an issue with no extra pages. Unlike Mighty Crusaders, this will sell. For the first time in over a decade, Guy Gardner can support his own series. The GL brand is that strong.
Air is cancelled with issue 24. The story will reportedly be unaffected, but this is one time a Vertigo book sold too poorly to continue. Issue 20 barely cleared 5000 copies, and it’s been under 7k since issue 10. Unknown Soldier isn’t doing much better through 19 issues.
Reviews
New-Type Books
[DC] Birds of Prey Vol. 2 #1
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Ed Benes
This is how you launch a series. I love the mini-bios for the main heroes. I wouldn’t want to see the same ones in every issue, but they’d be a welcome addition to any comic where it can reasonably be assumed that readers don’t know every person who jumps around in skintight spandex. First issues especially need this or a recap page. If you can work it into the page organically, I say use it every time you introduce a new character to a series. Single issues don’t stand on their own anymore, with some exceptions, but a given series could be the only one someone reads or his first foray into DC. They need stuff like this if they’ve any hope of competing with Marvel for fans.
In story, this is a Brightest Day tie-in, as it shows us what the original Hawk, Hank Hall, is up to following his resurrection at the end of Blackest Night. In that way, this will continue to be a tie-in for the foreseeable future, as Hawk and Dove will soon join the team. In tone, this could scarcely be more different from Brightest Day. That is to say, it’s actually bright. Uplifting. And that’s with a serious plot where stakes are high and failure means disaster. I don’t expect the heroes to fail, nor do I expect a huge body count on the way to the conclusion.
Old school superheroics adapted for modern times. Firing rubber bullets and fighting to subdue bad guys when killing would be so much easier. Drawing a line and refusing to cross it. Superheroes have that luxury. They can entertain us without being hopelessly mired in darkness or obscured by clouds made of kittens. Dismantle enemies without literally pulling off parts of their anatomy. Amaze without showering themselves and the audience in blood and gore and senseless death. I’m glad someone at DC remembers that. Simone’s kung fu is strong. Her peers would do well to study her style and adapt it for their own use.
The Birds are most certainly back. I don’t mind sacrificing Wonder Woman for this. If every issue’s as good, it could rival Secret Six. I knew next to nothing about Hawk and Dove going into this and didn’t much care to see them, especially Hawk, taking time away from more familiar cast members. I already want to know more. Dove’s my favorite type of character, the paladin, and Hawk presents interesting opportunities for character growth. Will he stay a brooding, self-loathing brute with a hair trigger? and if he didn’t, would he have any relevance? Maybe you can round his edges, or maybe the order/chaos dynamic only works with careful balance. I’d hate to see Dove dragged down to level out Hawk.
[DC] Secret Six Vol. 4 #21
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Jim Calafiore
Daniel LuVisi turns in his best cover to date. It doubles as an excerpt from the story and a perfect summation of the plot.
If Thomas Wayne had been a monster who heaped emotional, psychological and physical abuse on his wife and son, maybe Bruce would’ve ended up like Catman. That’s the essence of Catman’s character arc, which continues here. Is he a broken Batman, or did nature neglect to supply him with a soul?
Part one was setup, so this is effectively part two of three, or the second of three fights. Catman hunts down another of his son’s kidnappers, and it’s hardly a spoiler to say the kidnapper loses. The conclusion will pit Blake against the last of the trio and answer all those nagging questions. He might still save his son. His actions in part two (of four, or the first part of the story proper) ensured that. Much like Glenn Ford in Ransom!, he put the kidnappers on the defensive by refusing their demands, and like Liam Neeson in Taken, he’s now on a mission to deliver brutal vengeance to the kidnappers with a side chance of recovering his child. Neeson’s character lost his wife before the kidnapping, his dangerous lifestyle proving too much to bear. Blake had no relationship with the mother of his child and couldn’t if he wanted to. He has, however, plenty to lose. If he sinks far enough, into darkness and self-loathing, women like Cheshire might be all he thinks he deserves, and he might not be far off. Or he could swear off relationships, as Bane has, convinced that no one can love him.
It’s not all about Catman, though. There’s more of Black Alice struggling to control her nigh-omnipotence – she gets more endearing all the time – and our first look at the Substitute Six. With most of the team busy with the Catnapping, Bane and Jeannette carry on being mercenaries. After all, that is the premise of the series. Six supervillains do work for hire. Tends to get lost among the details. I won’t spoil who they hired, except to point out that they’re all characters Simone has used before. I like doing that. Two are culled from the many villains Junior sent to kill the Six in Unhinged, and two are rescued from the pages of The All-New Atom, which tragically imploded after Simone left, its existence steadfastly denied by DC editorial. If they weren’t appearing here, those two might disappear in a puff of logic. It’s an interesting group, though I’d only want to see one retained as a regular member, and she’d probably fit in better elsewhere. Again, kudos for naming everyone when they first appear. These aren’t the most familiar faces, in part because they aren’t always attached to names when we see them. I couldn’t have told you two of those names if I wanted to, had I not read them in this issue. None of the four are named in dialogue, which is perfectly fine on its own, so long as you compensate as they have here.
Trade
[DC] Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 2
Writers: Otto Binder (Jimmy Olsen #23-34, Lois Lane #1-5, Showcase #10), Jerry Coleman (Lois Lane #3 & 6-7, Showcase #10), Leo Dorfman (Lois Lane #1), Robert Bernstein (Lois Lane #5 & 7), Alvin Schwartz (Jimmy Olsen #33 & 34), Bill Finger (Lois Lane #6), Unknown (Lois Lane #2-5 & 7, Jimmy Olsen #30, 32)
Pencilers: Curt Swan (Jimmy Olsen #23-34, Lois Lane #5), Kurt Schaffenberger (Lois Lane #1-7), Dick Sprang (Jimmy Olsen #30), Wayne Boring (Showcase #10, Lois Lane #2, 4 & 6-7)
Sometimes, you can judge a book by its cover. I saw the cover of this one, with Superman, Lois Lane and Perry White all claiming to not know Jimmy Olsen, who is flabbergasted by his friends’ behavior, and I was intrigued. A look inside revealed more of the same, stories so crazy, so wacky, so… cracky, they could only have come from the Silver Age.
This volume collects Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #23-34, Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #1-7 and Showcase #10, comics published from September 1957 to February 1959. They’re reproduced here in black & white, though the originals were in color, as with all Showcase Presents editions. The tradeoff is a $17 pricetag for 20 issues, 518 pages of material, covers included. Each issue starts with its cover, teasing one of the three stories within, and each story is preceded by part or all of a page telling you what you’re about to read. Then you find out how this shocking, unbelievable situation could have come to be. Exciting!
Well, kinda. There’s plenty of action, adventure, and fantasy trappings, but little in the way of character, logic, or depth of any kind. These stories are from an era where comic books were for kids and kids only. Each issue reminds us that Clark Kent is secretly Superman, plots are exceedingly simple, and no problem is too great for deus ex machina to solve. The Jimmy Olsen stories place Olsen in the role of every little boy who wishes he knew Superman. If you can’t be the man of steel, at least you can be his pal, signaling him with your super-watch every time there’s trouble. Surrounded by mobsters with guns? Call Superman. Missed the bus? Call Superman. Lawn needs mowing? Call Superman. He’s never too busy saving people to serve your every whim.
Olsen’s stories are fun, though, if you put your brain on cruise control. He frequently gains superpowers of his own, until Superman figures out how to take them away at the end of the story. Each story is a one-parter, so you can flip anywhere and read a complete yarn. Continuity is used sparingly; you don’t need to read one story to understand another, and reading them all won’t grant you any special benefits. It’s a refreshing change from the false narrative presented by many modern superhero comics. In both cases, the publisher insists on adhering to a static premise, but here they don’t pretend to progress the characters before snapping them back to the status quo. Jimmy’s always the cub reporter, Lois is always the ace reporter who loves Superman, Perry’s always the gruff editor, and Clark is always secretly Superman.
That’s his main role in these stories. Superman’s there to help out his friends, who in turn help him, but at times it seems he barely tolerates them. He can’t treat them as equals because he must always safeguard his secret identity, no matter what outlandish acts it requires. He must always guard it and it must always stay secret, lest the premise be altered. Lois’ stories are held back by the immutable status quo, since they tend to revolve around her trying to suss out Superman’s secret and entrap him in marriage. Although nominally his girlfriend, Lois can barely be said to be dating Superman at all. It’s more like he isn’t dating anyone else, so he can occasionally show the most puritanical of affection to Ms. Lane. Again, we’re talking boyhood fantasies. There’s no proper romance to confuse little boys, just some girl who keeps trying to kiss them Superman. Her stories have more “girly” elements, but they aren’t tailored to girls at all.
Lois tends to fail. At everything. In most stories, it’s hard to believe she’s reputed to be a good reporter. Her attempts to go above and beyond for scoops are discouraged. Jimmy gets similar treatment in that regard; it’s fine to report on the latest Superman feat after he drops the story in your lap, but actual investigative reporting is bad form. One story has Jimmy struggling to write a book about fictitious adventures with Superman until his pal takes him into the future, where the book is already written. Naturally, this inspires Jimmy to buckle down and redouble his efforts, knowing that perseverance will result in success. Hah! Just kidding. He takes the book back with him and copies it word for word. It’s technically still his story, but the words don’t enter his head until he reads them, so he effectively skips the real work. Well, maybe the story was in him already, looking for a way out.
Lois wins some, but her stories have a more tragic bent than Jimmy’s, and she’s less capable of getting herself out of a jam without super-help. Both characters excel in dropping Superman like a rock at every opportunity, which only seems fair with all the “lessons” he teaches them and the tricks he plays to keep his identity secret. It’s never as bad as it sounds, though. In the rare case that deception isn’t involved… what am I saying? Deception is a part of every story here, from disguises to acting to outright lies. These are basically good people, underneath it all. They donate to charity and help others. Superman’s friendly enough when he isn’t stuck on the ID business.
They like to learn the same lessons over and over. Meaning they don’t learn anything. One story has Lois turned fat by a growth ray, and she spends the whole time whining about how awful it is and Superman won’t love her now because fat people are a blight upon the landscape. Then she’s turned back and that’s it. No moral. If you aren’t thin and beautiful, wow, sucks to be you. When Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams wrote all those Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories dealing with serious issues in the 70’s, it was seen as groundbreaking because it was. The goal with these super-stories was to string together correctly spelled words forming a more or less coherent plot, get someone to draw it, and publish the thing as soon as possible. It’s hard to find any of it offensive in the same way it’s hard to get mad at oatmeal.
The various artists all have a similar style so as not to confuse or repel readers, but reading enough will numb you to such petty details make each one stand out, some more than others. Swan sets the standard with subtle nuances that make each story more memorable than it has any right to be. Schaffenberger has a slightly cartoonish style that excels on stories where Lois becomes fat or a witch or has pretzel fingers. Sprang is Sprang – he’s hard to miss, although he only draws one story. Lots of angry eyebrows.
And then there’s Boring. The worst artist of his time? Perhaps. He doesn’t seem to draw so much as copy and paste. Superman has one flying pose, whether he’s going right, left, up or down. And if he tried to go through a window the way Boring draws it, he’d smash up the frame. An open window, mind you, and he still misses. As does Lois when she gains superpowers in a Boring story. He draws well enough that you can tell what’s going on without the captions explaining it (which doesn’t stop them trying) and everyone’s recognizable, but it’s only passable. Everyone’s stiff and lifeless. Going from Swan to Boring is like night and day, another reason Olsen’s stories are more enjoyable than Lane’s. Superman’s pal has all but one of his stories (the one by Sprang) drawn by Swan, who draws covers for both series, while Superman’s gal gets a good artist if they have one lying around.
Truncation
Birds of Prey – Superheroes as they should be: superpowered and heroic.
Secret Six – Catman continues to spiral downward. Bane seeks other options as the drowned try to save the drowning.
Showcase Presents: Superman Family – Crack for kids.
Additional Links