Nov
20
2008
It’s amazing to me that a character could become so confusing to readers and creators alike that his name was considered unusable, even on a new character, but this was the case with DC Comics’ Hawkman. Introduced in 1940 in Flash Comics #1, the Golden Age version of the character (American archaeologist Carter Hall) had been a mainstay of the Justice Society of America, and the Silver Age version (alien police officer Katar Hol) had been a member of the Justic League of America. However, while DC managed to cope with having both Golden and Silver Age versions of the Flash and Green Lantern, after 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, there seemed to be a problem with having two versions of Hawkman, and revisions and retcons kept being made to his origins, trying to streamline the character, but actually just making him horribly complicated.
You don’t believe me? Then try this: there was a human Hawkman, but then there was an alien one, and then the human one never existed but the alien one hadn’t arrived yet, so the one who showed up in the meantime claiming to be the original one’s son was another alien, and then they all merged to become a god. Saying that all his appearances between Crisis and the Hawkworld mini-series were actually those of an impostor was a particular gem; but the “hawk-god” thing in the absolutely dreadful Zero Hour was the nadir of character reworkings from DC.
It wasn’t until Geoff Johns’ run on JSA that Hawkman got straightened out, and in the best possible way: rather than trying to explain every appearance of the character in detail, with dates and times, Geoff Johns just brings him back and has him go into action. There is a small amount of dialog about him being a perpetual reincarnate, and having all the memories of every Hawkman ever, implying that all the previous Hawkmen were previous incarnations of the current one, and then they just get on with the story. This is the most essential thing for any retcon or revamp: if the story gets bogged down in explaining what actually happened on this or that page of this or that issue, instead of telling a new story that delivers a viable character, then the retcon has failed because it doesn’t engage. This is why none of the previous Hawkman retcons worked - they were too concerned with the details, not the story.
Nov
08
2008
Legion of Super-Heroes went through a period of great controversy in the early 90s, and no issue was more controversial than#31, the issue in which a long-standing fan question about Element Lad’s sexuality was answered, and another character, Shvaughn Erin, was changed in a very significant way. Dealing as it did with gender identity and sexuality, the revelations of this issue were considered shocking by many, even though, at least according to Al Gordon, not as shocking as they could have been. Some people hated the issue, even citing it as the reason they dropped the title, but for me, LSH #31 had a very beautiful message about love and life.
The story is part of the “Five Years Later…” storyline, which ran through the first 61 issues of the 1989 relaunch of Legion of Super-Heroes, and included a lot of changes that long-time fans did not like. The team had disbanded in the wake of intergalactic economic collapse, and the universe was a darker place, with war, crime and strife abundant. Continue Reading »
Nov
06
2008
Animal Man, aka Buddy Baker, may be one of DC’s most underused characters. He had his own brilliant series, launched in 1988 and running through to the mid-90s, but since then, he’s only been a rare guest star: he had a supposedly major role that amounted to very little in 52 and a big part in Countdown to Adventure, and basically a cameo in a recent issue of Justice League of America. It really is a shame, as he is probably one of their best characters, and he and his supporting cast deserve better, as in a-book-of-their-own better.
Here are my six reasons why Animal Man is a great character, and probably one of DC’s best.
Continue Reading »
Nov
05
2008
Because the reprint trade paperbacks bear the Vertigo label, people forget that Grant Morrison’s run on Animal Man started before the Vertigo imprint was created. It was considered a mainstream DC comic book, with not even a hint of a “For Mature Readers” label on the cover. It was released without a Comics Code seal of approval because of its content, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t on the shelves with all the other hero books. I wonder what other kids in 1988 thought of the comic: I know I didn’t enjoy it at the time.
The Animal Man stories disturbed me. The portrayals of human cruelty to animals were unflinching, without even the safety net of the perpetrators being super-villains: whether scientists engaged in animal experimentation or drunken hunters, it was regular people doing the deed. Even when there were super-hero battles, they were complicated - a dying villain wanting to go out with a bang, for example. The rest of the work - the metafictional examination of the writer as God, and the exploration of the fragility of the human psyche - was beyond me at the time: Uncanny X-Men and The Avengers were more my speed.
Now, as an adult, I appreciate Grant Morrison’s Animal Man as a brilliant, innovative creation. It is one of the best things he has ever written, and the 5th issue, The Coyote Gospel, is the issue that really launched it into new territory. 20 years ago, I read it once and got rid of it; now I re-read it regularly in the trade paperback reprint, kicking myself that I don’t have the original issue anymore.
Continue Reading »
Oct
29
2008
The recent Wonder Woman storyline set in Hollywood brought back the Queen of Fables, one of the more interesting villains from Mark Waid’s run on JLA. Gail Simome’s take on the character seemed a little different from Mark Waid’s, but the story was entertaining enough. Reading it did make me want to dig out the Queen’s first appearance, in JLA #47-49, and see just how different the writing on the character was.
The Queen of Fables is a great idea for a villain, especially for Wonder Woman. Incredibly powerful and as cruel as Diana is noble, the Queen is firmly rooted in magic and legend. Continue Reading »
Oct
14
2008
As I mentioned on Sunday, I finally found Birds of Prey issue 42, one of he few issues of the series I was missing and actively hunting for. A prequel to the series, it is set after Barbara Gordon’s time with the Suicide Squad, but before the first time she contacted Black Canary, and it deals with events that have been referenced but never explained in other issues of the series. The readers know that Power Girl had gone on a mission, and things had ended so badly that she had sworn never to do any more work for Oracle. Even much later, in issue 100, when Power Girl receives an invitation to join the expanded roster of Oracle’s team, she simply says “When Hell freezes over,” and dumps the invitation. I was always curious as to the details of this mission gone wrong, imagining all sorts of scenarios, and now I´ve finally had a chance to read the story.
Continue Reading »
Oct
04
2008
One of the parodies in the 6th issue of Marvel’s old parody comic What the..?! had Marvel’s mute Man-Thang face DC’s eloquent Swamp Thang, who gets burned up in the confrontation because “whatever knows over-writing burns at the touch of the Man-Thang”. Part of the joke of the piece was that DC characters stand around talking over problems, whereas Marvel characters get on with the fighting that the readers want to see, or, interpreting it another way, that DC Comics were more cerebral, whereas Marvel comics focused on action. I couldn’t help but be reminded of that parody when reading today’s comic for the Random Review, 1986’s Justice League of America #257. Wordy and weird, it stars three of the Justice League’s least action-oriented characters, and not a punch is thrown in the whole issue.
Continue Reading »
Oct
02
2008
Here are my picks for the seven best issues or arcs of Geoff Johns’ run on The Flash. These stories are the perfect Flash stories, making best use of his speed, his heroic character, and his supporting cast. Most are from the period when Scott Kolins and Doug Hazelwood were doing the art (#170-200, with some exceptions), illustrating the fastest man alive with a flair that’s been missing in recent issues. The issues after #207 are still strong stories, but many are too strongly tied to the Identity Crisis event to recommend to a first-time reader. These are my favorite Flash stories; what are yours?
7. #220-225: “Rogue War” (art and covers by Howard Porter and Livesay) B
An action-packed story with great cliffhangers and dialog, this sees the two factions of the Flash’s Rogues Gallery clash with the city and the Flash trapped in the middle. The story references Identity Crisis without being too caught up in its events, so it won’t prove confusing to readers unfamiliar with that limited series, but it is not ideal for readers new to The Flash, as it references many earlier arcs. Geoff Johns bows out at the end of this story, so it wraps up many plot lines, and gives a lot of the characters the resolutions they deserve. The only flaw is the elements of time travel, which are slightly confusing and weaken the emotional impact of one part of the story. Continue Reading »
Oct
01
2008
When Geoff Johns was writing it, The Flash was one of my favorite comics. It had a heroic yet human star, Wally West, a good supporting cast, a great set of villains, and an interesting and detailed setting. The stories were rich and dynamic: action-packed single-issue stories linked by arc plots that played themselves out quickly; high-stakes multi-issue stories that brought all the characters into play; and a few one-off spotlights on some of the major names in the Flash’s rogues gallery. The writing showed a great understanding not only of Wally West the character, but also of the Flash’s powers, which were always used effectively. From #164 to #200 and #207 to #225, Geoff Johns delivered the goods, leaving the book with a story-telling engine full of potential for many more great stories. Unfortunately, Infinite Crisis was on the way, and The Flash was to be one of the casualties.
Continue Reading »
Sep
28
2008
The Random Review is late this week, and Created to Die was late too: I seem to be running late with everything, which I blame on my first autumn cold. I was even a day late getting in to look at the new comics, which usually means some of the low-selling titles are gone. However, this week, I was in luck, as none of the good stuff had sold out.
For people in the US, new comic book day is Wednesday every week, but here in Europe, depending on the city, it may be a weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly affair. The excellent store in Dusseldorf, Nic’s Comics, gets its shipments every second week, so forgive me if some of these issues are last week’s news to you.
Continue Reading »
