His Thoughts! His Feelings! His Weapons!

It always amazes how reg'lar folk respond to you when you talk about different aspects of our little hobby.

The other night, I met a lovely young lady who happens to be working at The History Channel in their "hour long documentaries about shit that goes, "BOOM!" or "TWANG" division.

Guns were never really my "thing." As a former inner city black child, the only time I've ever held a gun was when I was dragged into the wilds of Virginia by strange men calling themselves, "scoutmasters." They put guns in my hand, forcing me to shoot their guns and toss around hatchets in a contest pitting me against boys my age in order to wear patches proclaiming our supposed mastery of things.

There were no women around, adding to my thoughts that something extremely suspect was afoot.

So, my only point of reference with what this woman does was either the above story or what I learned from comics.

Everything I know about guns I learned from The Punisher, specifically, Punisher Armory.

Yes, once upon a time, The Punisher was so popular that he could carry a comic where all he did was provide DVD documentary-style narration to his fucking guns.

It was sort of cool, actually.

It always went a little something like this, "Whenever I need to sweep a crackspot, I use The Mangulator K-9. It fires shit-covered bullets at a million rounds per millisecond, giving me the extra kick I need to send them all to hell. Just saying, "No," isn't an option anymore."

The look on this woman's face was absolutely priceless and one I wish I could bottle and take back to the initial pitch meeting for "Armory."

Mission accomplished, Marvel. The Punisher bridges all sorts of gaps, Racial. Gender. Philosophical. Sociological. And all with one simple truth:

Comics about comic book characters talking about guns makes girls laugh.

Those Who Do Not Know History...

Like it or not retroactive continuity is a fact of the comic medium at this point. We, the comic reader, are used to have any element of a character's history or background changed on at a moment's notice. Yet it is not a fact that I am entirely o.k. with accepting. There is something about the retcon that has always stuck in me like thorn in the paw.

It is not that I have anything against radical changes in te character or storyline. You say you want to turn Superman blue and red? Go ahead. You say you want Tim Drake to becoming the dark and obsessed Red Robin? You got it. You want to kill Oliver Queen? I will be pissed but if it is decent storytelling I will grudgingly accept it. Change happens in stories. Tragedy, joy and complete life upheavals happen in our everyday lives so why not in the fictional journeys of extraordinary characters? As long as the build makes sense, well comic sense, and it leads somewhere then you could give Lian Harper laser eyes for all I care.

Yet, retroactive continuity flies in the face of the fundamentals of good storytelling. I will actually hedge that statement before I get into too much trouble. Lots of retroactive continuity flies in the face of the fundamentals of good storytelling. Ah, there is nothing like a good hedge.Some of it works for me. Oliver Queen having an illegitimate son that he never knew about?The character was a womanizer for a while so it makes sense. Jefferson Pierce, Black Lighting, having daughters is a whole different story. For almost three decades Pierce was a divorcee with no mention of one daughter, let alone two. However, you hit Outsiders #1 and you suddenly get Anissa “Thunder” Pierce going off to fight the good fight. Jump a few more years forward and now you have Jefferson with Jennifer, another daughter with powers. Oh, he is married as well. There is no explanation for why it happens. It just simply is. This leads into my two issues with the retcon. One, once you allow it, it steamrolls. We go from divorcee, to single father of one, to married family man all on the whim of writers. Too many steps from the original and you lose sight of the heart of the character. How can you rely on the facts, the core of a character, if those base facts are subject to change. What next? Have Bobby Ewing's death turn out to only be a dream? Wait a second...

More importantly, the retcon is a cheat. The writers do not want to work with the base that is given them so they ignore it. You do not like blue Superman or red Superman? Fine, his electromagnetic powers dispersed and he is back to normal. You do not like a crippled John Stewart? Fine, uber-powerful Hal Jordan cures him. These are changes that work within and are believable to the comic genre as we know it. To just ignore though, shows a lack of imagination. To ignore though, shows a lack of respect for what has come before. I was struck by something that came out of Newsarama’s coverage of Heroes Con this past weekend.

“In regards to the upcoming Starro appearances, Cunningham said that despite all of the appearances to date, the real Starro has never been seen…”

What do you have to say about that, Gardner Fox?

I ask you , Second Printers, am I off base here?

The Avenging Son

Dr. StrangeFate was one of the first places where it first happened.

Where I discovered the power and inker had over a penciller.

I'd seen Jose' Luis Garcia Lopez's art before. Mostly on the sort of generic style guides where Batman was more often than not swooping down on nothing, gigantic grin on his face.

Or Superman was soaring directly your way, smiling as well.

Most of these images were beautifully inked by Dick Giordano.

Kevin Nowlan made Garcia Lopez pop.

To this day, if any asks the standard to which I hold art, I will show you the Dr. StrangeFate one-shot.

It had happened about a decade before when John Buscema returned to The Avengers along with inker Tom Palmer.

Buscema's figure work was flawless. His heroes strode the panels like giants. And his women...

Buscema, in my opinion, was one of comics' most underrated "good girl" artist, mainly because he'd become so well known for drawing so many bad girls and damsels-in-distress in the pages of Conan.

Buscema's women seemed to have a little extra "dip" in their hip, meaning his women looked like they had weight. Good weight. The type of weight an active woman can have. To this day, I am a fan of The Wasp simply because of the way Buscema represented her during the criminally out-of-print Avengers: Under Siege. Buscema imbued this former cipher with a bearing I'd never knew possible. With the news of each fallen comrade, he had her body laguage go from sad, to worried, to distraught and finally when enough was enough, she went from there to determined to triumphant.

These latter traits were usually the province afforded her male counterparts and maybe, in the right hands and attitudinally, Wonder Woman. In Buscema, body language was what it was all about.

A gesture spoke volumes. Every character seemed to have their own way of moving. With Buscema, one never had to guess. It was proven in the panel.

Buscema avoided the usual theatrics involved in drawing superheroes. Buscema drew people in fantastic situations. Buscema's Captain America looked carried himself like a six-foot plus man and when he had him through his shield... maaaaan... you could practically imagine the velocity as it left his red-gloved hand. His inker, Palmer gave every line a classicism that made every line seem fluid.

One of my favorite Buscema moments was when The Wasp, just returned from the gym and clad in workout gear, is caught offguard upon realizing Starfox is on the same elevator as she. For those who know nothing of Starfox, he's a notorious flirt who also happens to have the power to, I'm not kidding you, become a walking roofie. The awkwardness with which he draws The Wasp in the one page allowed in the script is a workshop on how to draw comics.

With Buscema the simple was made glorious.

Who were some of your favorite artist teams?

10 Titles (that have renewed my enthusiasm for comics)

My comics fandom was waning for what felt like a solid six months at least. I was feeling detached from the medium, my enthusiasm at a not-understated all-time low. But I didn't give up, I've seen a glimpse of hope even amidst the $3.99 cover prices, there's still something to enjoy here, even better, something actually worth reading.

Below are ten titles which I've continued or started to enjoy and that have excited me, and a few that are that are coming up that have most intrigued me. In no particular order:

X-Factor
The title has more than recovered after the maligned reunion of 90's X-Factor team of Peter David and Larry Stroman. Yes, it's currently in the midst of another dystopian mutant future, but, really, who doesn't love those. X-Factor can be enjoyed without having to pay any of the other mutant titles any mind, which I love. And what happened to Syrin and Madrox's baby... it still keeps me up at night.

Secret Six
Gail Simone has a dirty, fithly, vile mind, and bless her for it. I'm surprised DC is letting her get away with half of what she does in this title. Basically, it's like Mark Millar's best work if he could actually write good characters. I mean, Simone has actually made Bane interesting.

Captain Britain and MI 13
I don't want to read this book, I keep trying to avoid it. My wife keeps buying it, and it keeps sitting around the house, and ultimately I read it, and generally am kind of bemused by it. But this latest storyline, featuring a Dracula-led vampire assault on England, is absolute gold. But just when it's won me over... whoop, cancelled. Sigh.

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers
Okay, yes, it's a flimsy plot device used to get all of the different pet sidekicks from around the Marvel universe together for a grand adventure, but, why the hell not? Frog Thor, Lockjaw, Speedball's Cat, Aunt May's dog, Falcon's Redbird, Ka-Zar's sabretooth tiger, squaring off against Devil Dinosaur, in search of all the infinity gems. If you've ever forgotten what it is exactly that first made you love superhero comics, this book will remind you, and if it doesn't, your heart is made of coal.

Batman and Robin
Grant Morrison recreates the dynamic duo, and makes it work in spite of itself. Forget the other books (Red Robin, Streets of Gotham, Batman), it's all happening right here. Can he make us forget Bruce Wayne? Ten minutes at a time, at least.

G.I. Joe/Cobra and JSA vs Kobra
From the house that Rucka and Brubaker built, here are two sides of the same coin, two books doling out meaty espionage using corporate-owned characters originally designed to appeal to children. It's like the same revelation that was Daniel Craig's James Bond after the increasingly absurd Brosnan run, taking things seriously, and filling the stories with characters instead of caricatures.

Phonogram: The Singles Club
Probably the most satisfying floppy experience on the stands, with its immaculately illustrated main story, the engrossing post-script essay, the ingenious glossary, back-up stories, letter column, and playlist, it makes the more out of its 32 pages than any other title out there. Not everyone's cup of tea, sure, but I could drink a whole pot.


UPCOMING
Wednesday Comics
For the first time in a long time, I have no idea what to expect out of a comic, and it's damn exciting. I don't have any hopes or fears for DC's sixteen-part experimental comic, I'm just excited for something absolutely different to hit the stands.

Doom Patrol
Keith Giffen doing the Doom Patrol, yes please. Plus, a Metal Men back-up feature with Kevin Maguire... can I buy a subscription?



AND FIVE OTHERS I SHOULD MENTION, IN 5 WORDS OR LESS:
The Muppet Show bang-on
Spider-Man: The Short Halloween go get it
Warlord of IO digital download only, boo
The Unwritten hook, line, and sinker
Arsenic Lullaby: Pulp Edition Omega you'll laugh, and hate yourself


So, Second Printers, what's keeping you enthused?
What are you most looking forward to?
Give us your ten...

Is Anyone Else Reading G.I. Joe?

So... I've been reading not 1, not 2, but 3 G.I. Joe titles now for several months. Part of it was that I just needed a break from the big two super-hero gig for a while. Another part of it is that G.I. Joe is a really awesome concept that was way ahead of its time. These comics are not unlike most super-hero comics of our day, in that they delicately toe that line between being true to their original concepts, simplistic and outlandish as they may be, but they inject that edge that makes it readable for the 20 and 30 somethings who have become the backbone of comic readership.

For example, in the same issue of G.I. Joe: Cobra, you have dudes all uniformed up in those cheesy psuedu sci-fi viper costumes from the 80s cartoon, but you also have Jinx pretending to be a stripper to pass info to Chuckles, the deep-cover infiltrating Cobra. See where I'm going with this?

It's not like I'm advocating for hyper-realism in G.I. Joe. Last thing any of us need is to see Flint waterboarding Destro or a picture of Scarlett next to a hooded Crimson Twins in a naked man pile. Ok, that second one would be worth it just for the novelty... but I digress. I suppose the point is that you have to be a comic or cartoon geek to get anything out of these comics. Because who else would appreciate Chuck Dixon's precise use of all sorts of military procedural jargon in the same frame with guys screaming 'Yo Joe!' while defending their underground city of a base from robotic spiders? These comics aren't really for kids... at least not young ones. The sexual subtext, particularly in G.I. Joe: Cobra is a little too much. Besides, the old G.I. Joe effect of lots of gunfire and no fatalities is definitely not part of the most recent reboot. But they're not really for adults either... Destro's minions controlling evil robotic spiders via remote control smacks way too much of the old cartoon series. These comics are made for us... the geeks... the kind of people who want adult themes in kid content...

I guess what I'm saying is that now that I've tried something new, I shouldn't have been so hard on DC and Marvel. Because the truth is, I like these G.I. Joe comics, and they struggle with the same issues I've been hard on the big two for. Maybe the publishers aren't the problem...

The More Things Change...

I know what you are thinking.  Ben Hatton? Ben Hatton writing? Ben Hatton writing about a change in the creative team of the Justice League?  Is it 2006? Did I go back in time?  Am I Marty McFly?  Don’t go grabbing those orange lifejackets yet, Second Printers.  I am not remarking upon the current iteration of the Justice League with its fighting Milestone characters or facing off against Starbreaker or trickster gods. No, today I am looking forward, into the future.  A future of flying skateboards, a future where vests make chicken sounds, a future where James Robinson and Mark Bagley are handling the Justice League.

Now I will admit it, I dropped Justice League of America after the Injustice League arc ended.  At that point it just was not working for me.  There was something about the stories, the line up, the what-have-you that just never clicked.  After hearing about Dwayne McDuffie’s unfortunate firing, I went back and read his run.  What is amazing is that you could tell he understood the problems with the book.  He was stuck with this editorially mandated cast of characters who should not have been in the title. Yet he was exploring why it did not click.  He was exploring what makes the Justice League the Justice League and not simply The Outsiders.  He was a writer who was rallying against his situation and little by little he was managing to take apart Meltzer’s bull and make the league his own.  It is a testament to how much bull Brad threw into the book (and how much editorial walls were put up) that McDuffie was still cleaning up his mess almost two years later.  TWO YEARS!  I digress.  As I said – we are looking towards the future.

I am of the belief that James Robinson can do no wrong.  I believe that in my heart of hearts.  I think that Starman is the epitome of what comics can do.  I think since he and Rucka (my other writer crush) have started steering the Super-books they have been gold.  Robinson does not merely write comics, he crafts worlds and communities.  He takes the flawed hero and gives him or her enough weakness, pain and subtlety into the character to really put the “human” into “superhuman.”  It does not hurt that he is obviously as much of a pop culture junky as I am.  So I was tentatively excited when they announced his taking over the book. I was then a little disappointed when it was relegated to the Justice League of America: Cry for Justice mini.  I say disappointed but not surprised. After all can you really leave Congorilla on the Justice League for an extended period of time?  I guess not.

Then yesterday The Source announces that Robinson, along with Mark Bagley, will become the new creative team. Hooray, right? I have tentative hopes; hopes that the editorial will let the team do what they need to do to make the book the jam.  I say tentative hopes because the revealed sketch does not fill me with confidence.

Vixen is still there.  Really?  Not only is she still on the roster apparently but she is the last one standing.  There is some off-panel big bad that has taken out Zatanna, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, AND a painting of the Big Three yet Vixen is only hurt (you can tell a superhero is hurt in comics when their costumes rip.)?  This smacks of fingers still being deeply into pies – up to the second knuckle.  I say again I have hopes though; hopes that Robinson will be able to continue the work of McDuffie and get the Justice League back where it should be. He can do it.  After all he is the writer who turned a junk shop owner into one of the awesomest awesomes who ever awesomed.  That’s right. I just used the word awesome as an adjective, noun AND verb. Suck it, Correct English.

P.S. Don’t you think it is weird that Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman posed for a painting?  Also, how do you think Superman managed to make his cape stay out like that for the whole time the painting was going on? I am just wondering. 

World Without A Superman... Again.

The bi-annual culling of the comics has begun anew.

Things I've discovered amidst the devastation:

I don't like Superman comics that aren't currently featuring Superman. On the give-away pile.

I really don't miss reading Spider-Man anymore.

Spider-Man is, forever, in the same place where you left him. Sorta like a pothead friend.

Pot would explain alot about Peter Parker.

Eddy Barrows (Action Comics, Justice League of America, Green Lantern, Teen Titans) is a great artist but DC uses him as a "jobber to the stars" alot.

No matter how bad it gets, I can't give up on Teen Titans. It's like the family member you hope someday will wake up and get its shit together.

I'm becoming less enamored with the monthly comic, dropping drawn-out storylines, midway through.

I miss reading The Avengers. Well, The Avengers as I PREFER them. You know, not as fugitives or "dark."

Ed Brubaker's Daredevil run got good again with the "Lady Bullseye" storyline.
After nearly some twenty-five years, my crush on She-Hulk was finally eclipsed by mediocre writing and even more mediocre art and an inexplicable reboot/legacy character.

I am willing to give away an entire run of the current Justice League of America or throw it at someone I hate.