A refreshingly fun palate-cleansing read

Dear Justice League
DC Comics
Creators: Michael Northrup and Gustavo Duarte
Release date: August 2019

I just finished this delightfully entertaining and fun graphic novel. That’s right; it was a fun read. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Comics can be fun. They should be fun. There’s no reason you can’t have a serious, griping, nail-biter of a story; I’m not saying those are bad. But if comics aren’t fun to read, what’s really the point?

Dear Justice League is based on the idea of young children writing to their favorite heroes and asking them questions. Most chapters focus on a single hero and his or her response to a different question. But the book also features a plot that runs through its entirety that has the Justice League fighting an alien insectoid invasion. The threat allows the heroes to demonstrate what makes them super while never rising to a “scary” level that might frighten younger readers. And the children’s questions and the heroes’ answers are delightful and well-reasoned to fit their most basic personality traits.

The Justice League for this adventure is made up of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Hawkgirl, Cyborg and Green Lantern Simon Baz. It’s a nice mix of personalities while still in keeping with recognizable faces and power sets.

Dear Justice League is the latest of these thick, digest-sized original graphic novels DC has been putting out targeted at a middle-school audience, but they are just as appropriate for any age. I loved the book, and after telling her about it, my 8-year-old daughter wants to read it next, or better yet, have me read it to her. She’s old enough to read it on her own, but she’s still at the age where she likes to have my wife or I read to her, too, and this type of book makes that easy.

I know she could easily read it herself because I know my daughter, of course, but also because she has been checking out and reading the Secret Hero Society series of books from her school library. These are more of these DC digest OGNs that place teenaged versions of Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince and Clark Kent together in a Gotham City high school setting with several other familiar faces. My daughter has already read “Study Hall of Justice” and “Detention of Doom.” Other titles in the series include “Field Trip Disaster,” “Science Fair Crisis” and “Fort Solitude.” I just found out about the other books in the series myself, and when I told her about them, her eyes lit up and she yelled with excitement.

I’ve also seen her bring home dragon-themed books from the school library. These were also graphic novels, specifically Dragon Girl: The Secret Valley by Jeff Weigel and Wings of Fire Book II: The Lost Heir by Tui T. Sutherland and Mike Holmes. What can I say? I’m trying to raise her to love reading and embrace all forms of storytelling.

This is how we get a new generation of readers interested in comics, folks; make it fun for them!

His inclusion was a nice bonus

Batman Beyond Vol. 5: The Final Joke
DC Comics
Creators: Dan Jurgens, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Cully Hamner, Marco Santucci, Evan “Doc Shaner, Andrew Dalhouse, Val Staples, Jordie Bellaire, Travis Lanham, Viktor Kalvachev
Release Date: July 2019

My history with “Batman Beyond” has been very bumpy.

I was curious when the concept for the new television show was announced in the later 1990s, and I tuned in for the series debut in January 1999. The opening scenes with an aging Batman were thrilling, and it was a nice nod to continuity that Neo Gotham still had a Police Commissioner Gordon in the future. But I wasn’t completely convinced by Terry McGinnis as the new Batman, and I wasn’t a fan of the techno-influenced music that ran throughout the show and its theme song.

I gave the next few episodes a try. Some of the villains were more interesting than the Jokerz gang from the premiere, and it was nice to see the Royal Flush Gang was still around; they’ve always been a favorite villain team for me. But there just wasn’t enough to hook me full-time on the show. I pronounced it “Not my Batman” and moved on.

I grew curious from time to time when I would read that the show was popular in various comic magazines or online. But I stayed away until after the show ended and it was controversially tied into the animated Justice League continuity. My reaction to that episode was mixed, but it prompted me to buy the entire series on DVD, although I still haven’t watched all of the episodes.

I also had very mixed reactions to the direct-to-video “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” movie in 2000. It was fun to see the Joker back facing an aged Batman and his new protégé, but I did not care for how that film treated Tim Drake or how it mashed together his and Jason Todd’s origins and stories.

With all of that, I don’t think I’ve ever picked up an issue of the comics based on the concept. But I’ve again been curious a time or two. I’d heard interesting things about this arc, focusing as it does once again on the return of the Joker to Neo Gotham. And I know I’ve mentioned before that I am a fan of Dan Jurgens. So I decided to give this trade a try.

I was not disappointed. This was a solid story with some nice added bonuses. For one thing, we got the genuine, real deal Joker this time. We also have Terry’s younger brother, Matt, assuming the role of Robin. All of that I knew going into this trade. The best bonus of all, though, was the inclusion of the mayor of Bludhaven, Dick Grayson, in this story. That was a pleasant surprise.

One of my complaints about “Batman Beyond” on television was that I had always wondered what became of Dick. I believe he was name-dropped in the pilot episode when Commissioner Barbara Gordon fills Terry McGinnis in on her history with Batman. But what she said was vague. I don’t believe Dick ever appeared previously in either the show or one of the comics. He’s one of my favorite characters; I always wanted to know what became of him in this continuity.

There are still questions here regarding the former Nightwing and first Robin. For instance, there is no mention of a spouse, but Dick’s adult daughter, Elainna, also appears. Dick and his daughter are not relegated to mere cameos either. Both play pretty prominent roles in this tale. Enough so that I really do wonder if this is Dick’s first appearance in the world of Batman Beyond, if Jurgens has used him in a previous arc, or if some other creative team first dreamed this up, and this crew is simply building on what has gone before.

Someone please leave a comment if you know more about Dick’s role in Batman Beyond; I’d appreciate the info. But either way, this was a fun read, and this trade has made me seriously think about hunting down more of Jurgens’ run on the title.

Something to watch you might find interesting

“Batman: The Scheme Is Sound”
Parkview Elementary School (Van Buren, AR) Music Club
Release date: 2019

 
It has been a crazy couple of weeks, both personally and professionally, and I haven’t had as much time as I would like to read or blog about what I have been reading. Along comes this group of talented fourth- and fifth-grade students to save the day, once again completing a project that touches on topics near and dear to my heart.

The Parkview Elementary Music Club videos are pretty famous in this part of the country, and they have garnered some celebrity attention for their efforts in the past. But there may still be parts of the nation and world who are unfamiliar with these talented students.

Each year, they complete a video project employing acting ability, singing talent, choreography and so much more. Last year’s project was the Easter-themed “The Adventures of the U.S.S. Parkview: A Star Trek Fan Film.” It followed the crew of the starship Parkview as they tried to free the kidnapped Easter bunny from a crew of ruthless Klingon warriors. That was when I first heard of the group. Among the luminaries who applauded the students for their video was William Shatner, who tweeted that the video was “impressive.”

This year, the students created “Batman: The Scheme Is Sound,” a video modeled after the cast and themes from the campy 1966 “Batman” television program. All the favorites are there from Batman and Robin to villains Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman and Joker, heroic associates like Commissioner Gordon, Chief O’Hara, Alfred, Aunt Harriet, the Batmobile, Stately Wayne Manor, and even Bruce and Dick and their “fishing trips.”

Check out the Parkview video channel on YouTube for these and many other hilarious, nostalgia-filled, fun videos. They’re great!

A fine sendoff for Ms. Cruz

Green Lanterns Vol. 9: Evil’s Might
DC Comics
Creators: Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins, Marco Santucci, Scott Hanna, Hi-Fi, Andy Troy, Pete Pantazis, David Sharpe and Wil Quintana
Release date: June 2019

I guess you could say that I’m a Jessica Cruz fan.

My first exposure to the character was her debut in the pages of Justice League (The New 52 version) No. 31 during the “Forever Evil” event. She was created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Now, for the purists among you, I know her true first appearance was in The New 52 Green Lantern series, issue No. 20, a few months earlier. But that was just a closeup on her hand, and I didn’t read that issue. So, I was first exposed to Jessica Cruz in Justice League when she appeared in full view both on the cover and the interior.

Jessica stood out among Earth’s many Green Lanterns for a number of reasons. She had issues before taking possession of a power ring; she was introduced as someone so very agoraphobic that she could no longer leave her apartment. Her natural anxiety was only increased when an alien ring from an alternate universe tried to assume control of her life. That’s right, Jessica’s first ring was from the Crime Syndicate’s Power Ring. The Latina heroine was at first terrified of the power the ring gave her and the control of her life it sought in return.

I continued to follow the character in the pages of Justice League. She gained confidence alongside the other heroes of the League while also briefly dating the Flash. She was a fine addition to the team at that time. When the “Rebirth” era came along after The New 52, Jessica and the other newbie GL, Simon Baz, both became stars of their own title, Green Lanterns, with an “s,” and Jessica was also one of the stars to headline the new title Justice League Odyssey following the “No Justice” story arc. As much as I liked the character, though, neither of these titles held my attention for long.

Enter Dan Jurgens, a writer and artist whose work I very much enjoy. Jurgens was the writer of Green Lanterns when that title recently ended. I’d been curious to try the title again when Jurgens took over the writing chores, but “Evil’s Might” was the first arc to really grab my attention. This storyline featured not only Jurgens’ writing, Mike Perkins’ fine art style and Jessica Cruz as one of the lead characters, but it also promised a story featuring the return of Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, a character created by Jurgens way back in 1990 in Adventures of Superman No. 465.

I’m not really giving away spoilers about the big bad of the story since he appears on the cover of this trade. Cyborg Superman is one of those villains I love to hate. He’s right down there with Black Manta, Solomon Grundy and Gentleman Ghost as one of my “favorite” villains. And he’s a great choice for a villain to face off against the entire GL Corps and the Guardians with his ability to access and manipulate any kind of technology. Cyborg Superman, imprisoned in the Arctic Fortress of Solitude, manages to gain access to the Guardians’ central power battery on Mogo and through it, nearly all of the thousands of GLs across the universe.

This trade did not disappoint. The story features not just Jessica, but the entire GL Corps, in a gripping story that held my attention and kept me turning the pages. Perkins’ art was gorgeous to look at. But the real attention grabber is how this volume ends, nicely showcasing Jessica’s growth since “Forever Evil.” At the end of this story, she announces that she feels she has grown enough and is confident enough to leave Earth and seek other adventures and discoveries among the stars.

Perhaps this was meant to explain how she is alone out in space at the beginning of Justice League Odyssey. I prefer to think of her boldly exploring, overcoming the fears that once held her captive back when she was stuck in her apartment. I wish her Godspeed on her explorations and hope this is not the last we see of this fine character.

To trade or not to trade

Superman/Wonder Woman Vols. 1 and 2 (Power Couple/War and Peace)
DC Comics
Creators: Charles Soule and Tony S. Daniel
Release dates: 2013/2014

I picked up these two trades during a recent trip to the library with my family. I wasn’t overly interested in the New 52 versions of either Superman or Wonder Woman, so I didn’t much care when this new title was announced amid the hype surrounding the blossoming relationship between the two heroes. But I thought I would give these two trades a try after seeing them among the growing graphic novel section at our local library.

The first volume is all about Superman and Wonder Woman exploring their new dynamic, and it tells a nice little story about the pair, how they interact with each other and the world, and how their respective world views differ from each other. All of that is juxtaposed nicely against the action scenes that start out with a surprise return by Doomsday, progress into an attack by Kryptonians Zod and Faora, and end with the renewed threat presented by the still free Doomsday.

While some of writer Charles Soule’s scene transitions can be a bit jarring, this is mostly an enjoyable read that moves along at a brisk pace. It was an entertaining read that gave me a satisfying chunk of story despite continuing into another trade. And Tony Daniel’s art is very pretty to look at. The New 52 Superman’s hair always seems too spiky to me, but that is “on model” for the character at this time. Daniel’s Wonder Woman and Lois Lane are drawn beautifully. I’m very glad I decided to check this trade out, and it is a good example of what a collected edition of a modern comic can be.

Then everything went off the rails.

The Doomsday teasers at the end of the first volume and my enjoyment at reading that trade had me glad I had borrowed both volumes from the library. I was eager to continue with the story. But I was immediately lost. The fight with Doomsday was already over when the second trade begins, and Superman is suffering severe aftereffects of that battle.

I went back and looked to see if I was missing issues not collected, but that wasn’t the case. The first trade collects the first seven issues of Superman/Wonder Woman. The second begins with issue No. 8. That’s when I recalled that a storyline around this time and focusing on Doomsday had run through all of the various Superman titles at the time, but none of these other titles were collected in either of these volumes. There weren’t even any editor’s notes or other indications beyond my own memory as to where to look for the missing pieces of the story.

And the gaps didn’t stop there. More of the story apparently took place in other Superman titles between Superman/Wonder Woman Nos. 8, 9 and 10. I was only getting pieces of a multi-title crossover. There was a text page at the beginning of each of these issues masquerading as a Daily Planet article from Lois Lane that might have served to keep readers in the know at the time, but they did little to address the missing action from the trade.

Rather than a cohesive narrative, this second trade gave me interesting snippets of a story, but no matter how well-crafted the snippets were, they just reinforced the notion that there was much more I was missing. As good as the first trade was, as enjoyable as it was to read, the second volume seemed more like a train wreck than a story.

This second trade also collects two Future’s End stories published at the time that have nothing to do with the Doomsday/Brainiac storyline that picks up from the end of the first trade. DC editorial should have excised those tales and left them for another trade, and instead focused on giving readers the complete Doomsday/Brainiac tale that is severely truncated here to very ill effect. Otherwise, they seem to be telling readers who bought the trade, “You’re lost? Sorry. Guess you should have bought all the various issues of the crossover instead.” Not cool.

Glad I gave it a try

Cover tpb Vol. 1
Jinxworld/DC Comics
Creators: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Zu Orzu, Bill Sienkiewicz and Michael Avon Oeming
Release date: May 2019

The advance solicits for this series caught my eye with its mixture of comics culture and international spycraft. Add in the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack, and I was very curious. The fact that the narrative was a fictionalized version based on some actual events from David Mack’s life was just icing. And now that I’ve held the book in my hands and read its contents, I can attest that it did not disappoint.

Mack writes the graphic novel’s foreword and tells a bit about the real-world events that both inspired and led to this book’s creation. As I’m already recommending you go and buy Cover, I’ll let him tell those details for anyone who follows my recommendation and heads to their LCS.

As for the fictionized story, it follows fictional comic book artist Max Field, who is gaining no small renown for his latest creation, “Ninja Sword Odyssey.” Suddenly, he finds himself being recruited by a government spy who wants Field to engage in some basic spycraft under the cover of attending international comic conventions. The novelty and thrill of being a covert spy, however, quickly takes a dangerous turn for Field as he learns that his recruitment is not a unique situation and that not everyone is recruited by the same side.

I’m usually more of a story consumer, and it’s no secret that Bendis can weave quite a story when he is hitting on all cylinders as he is in this book. I’m sure Mack also had a hand in the writing chores here as this is his story. But I have to give a lot of credit where it’s due on the art side of this book, too. Mack uses a more traditional comic book cartooning style for much of this book than I am used to seeing from him, but that feels right in the passages about the conventions and the fictional creator’s everyday life. Mack’s excellent painting skills are also expertly showcased in the sequences of “Ninja Sword Odyssey” that are presented here, and also show up from time to time in the more intense moments of Field’s life (as depicted above). Bill Sienkiewicz and Michael Avon Oeming also lend their talents to portions of the book that need additional styles to further differentiate portions of the narrative. So the art style truly follows and shapes the story being told in different ways at different times in this book.

Overall, it adds up to a very nice, engaging package that was a joy to read. Well done, all!

She’s getting ready for her TV debut … and so am I

Stumptown Vol. 1 hardcover (The Case of the Girl Who Took her Shampoo (But Left her Mini)
Oni Press
Creators: Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth, Lee Loughridge and Rico Renzi
Release date: March 2011

In case you haven’t yet heard, Greg Rucka’s and Matthew Southworth’s creation Stumptown is headed to ABC as a television pilot sometime this next season. The pilot will star Cobie Smulders as the main protagonist, Portland, Oregon, private investigator Dex Parios.

I don’t have any experience with Southworth’s art, at least not that I can recall, but Rucka is one of my favorite writers. I have followed his comics work on titles like Gotham Central, Batman, Adventures of Superman, Wonder Woman and Queen and Country, even following that last series into some of his prose work. He is well known as a writer who can easily handle strong female characters. I can’t argue with that assessment, but I think he handles most of the characters he writes with skill and an ear for dialogue and consistent characterization.

I purchased this first volume of Stumptown a couple years ago with a few other independent graphic novels Rucka authored with the intent of trying them out. They went on that ever-growing “sometime” pile and stayed there. That is, until the announcement of the new pilot made me decide to move this particular hardcover to the top of the stack. It did not disappoint.

Dex is a typical P.I. in the vein of Jim Rockford of television’s “The Rockford Files”; she has a good heart, a lot of brains, a quick wit and really crappy luck. That crappy luck extends to the gambling table, where Dex has racked up quite a debt to the house at the beginning of this story. The owner of the casino, Sue-Lynne Suppa, agrees to forgive Dex’s debt if Dex will find Sue-Lynne's missing granddaughter. This first hardcover includes all four issues of the initial Stumptown series as Dex tries to track down the missing 18-year-old despite opposition from several sides. Players in opposition to Dex seem to know immediately the case Dex is investigating before she has any chance to uncover who or why someone might want to harm the missing girl. Rucka weaves an engaging whodunit that takes readers along for the ride as Dex tries to finally make sense of the forces lined up against her.

Southworth’s art is dark and moody, which suits a title like this one, without being “muddy” like some dark comics can tend to get. Loughridge’s and Renzi’s colors help with the atmosphere, as well. They keep the color palette simple and sparse, except when a few carefully placed bright colors are needed to emphasize a dramatic panel or two.

If you haven’t tried Stumptown and like P.I. fiction, I heartily recommend this volume. I plan to seek out the subsequent three volumes in the very near future, and I also plan to give “Stumptown” a watch on television when it debuts.

No typical mysteries to solve here

Detective Comics No. 449
DC Comics
Creators: Elliot S. Maggin, Ernie Chan, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (PBHN), Mary Skrenes and Dick Giordano
Cover date: July 1975

This is yet another of those older Batman issues I’ve been looking at of late. This one in particular is a comic I bought and read off the stands at the time, subsequently lost track of for one reason or another, and purchased again in adulthood out of a sense of nostalgia.

I never forgot the cover to this issue’s main story, “The Midnight Rustler of Gotham City!,” as it isn’t every day you see Batman depicted on horseback amid stampeding cattle. And re-reading the issue now did not disappoint.

Commissioner Gordon seeks Batman’s help in solving the mysterious disappearance of several herds of cattle from slaughterhouses during a beef shortage. Batman tracks down a suspect and some of the missing cows in less than an hour, but something continues to nag at the back of the Masked Manhunter’s consciousness. This continues for a week before Batman’s sharp mind and keen detective skills ferret out the real mastermind, who is finally brought to justice, but not before the scene on the cover plays out with Batman on horseback trying to round up the remaining missing cattle that are loose on the roadways of Gotham.

One doesn’t usually expect to find horses and cows running through a Batman tale, but I think the reason this story continues to hold up is it again showcases the hero’s brains and his analytical mind. Batman has no powers, and he has honed not only his body but also his mind to allow him to stand side by side with other heroes with fantastic abilities.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the back-up story in this issue. As soon as I saw the title page of the Elongated Man story, “The Mystery Man Who Walked On Air,” I remembered it, too, and started to chuckle. I just hadn’t remembered that it was in this particular issue of Detective Comics. This is one of the few Elongated Man solo stories I recall reading as a kid, but I always liked the character in the satellite-era of the Justice League. This story is a fun romp as Ralph Dibny (the Elongated Man) tries to solve the mystery of this little old man who keeps showing up and defying the laws of physics. Turns out it is all a prank arranged by Ralph’s wife, Sue, for his birthday. It showcases the fun this couple often was in the Silver Age of comics.

So this issue once again earns a “great read” seal of approval from me! Come back in two week for a look at a nearly 10-year-old original graphic novel that is soon to debut once again.

Something a little different — snippets from my pull list

I’m going to take brief looks at six titles on my current monthly pull list, all released during this past month of April. While these six titles do not comprise my entire pull list for April, they are the lion’s share of it. My more limited finances of late have taken a definite toll on what I’m willing to plunk down for today’s comics. But I’d rather save my money for books I’m enjoying reading. That makes sense, right?

Titans No. 36 (DC Comics) — This is the final issue of the Rebirth Titans title. While the book has failed to recapture the heights of the Wolfman/Perez era of the Titans characters, I was one of the people who enjoyed Dan Abnett’s take with the relaunch. His version of the characters read true to their respective personalities to me; the stories just weren’t all that riveting, especially as the title was held hostage more and more by the overall DC Universe. The new mission for the Titans in the wake of the team’s forced break-up and then the events of “No Justice” just didn’t seem as strong as focusing on the bond these people share with each other. Add to that the loss of several key characters other writers had plans for, and this title just seemed doomed several months ago.

Fantastic Four No. 9 (Marvel Comics) — I like a lot of Marvel characters, but I’m sure it comes as no shock to regular readers of this blog that I collect a lot more DC titles. But I decided to give the 2018 relaunch of Marvel’s first family a try based on past writings by Dan Slott. So far, he hasn’t disappointed. His first arc was a bit *meh* for me, dealing as it did with where the FF members have been for so long. But the long-anticipated wedding of Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters, quickly followed by the latest face-off between the FF and Dr. Doom, which concludes with this issue, were both great reads. These books prove once again that comics can be fun. More titles should follow this example.

Justice League Nos. 21 and 22 (DC Comics) — This is one of those titles that is killing others like Titans. Believe it or not, I like more issues than not of the sweeping epic Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV are weaving with Justice League since its relaunch in 2018 following “No Justice.” I do. But there have been a few clunkers in the past 22 issues. And the problem with having your sweeping epic take over so many titles and story lines and months of publishing time without a resolution is that at some point, it becomes easier to simply ignore the entire thing than to keep up with it. I haven’t reached that point yet, but I think about it more with each passing month. Comics are an ongoing medium meant to continue ever onward, but individual stories are not.

Star Trek: Year Five No. 1 (IDW Publishing) — I have liked a lot of what IDW has done with its Star Trek license, including the Year Four series they did several years ago. This is only the first issue, so it is pretty early to judge with much accuracy, but this series debut seems like a good one. There are references to previous episodes of the television series to please the die-hard fans. The characterizations seem pretty accurate, and the premise, at least so far, seems well laid out for any newbies. I have high hopes for this title.

Nightwing No. 59 (DC Comics) — The Rebirth Nightwing title has been hit-and-miss with me, and I dropped it some time back. While some of the stories were good, many of them seemed to be re-treading ground already covered in the title’s previous incarnations. The changes to the title character since his being shot in the pages of Tom King’s Batman did not inspire me to pick the title back up. What did was the promise of Dan Jurgens coming onboard as the writer. I like both Jurgens’ writing and his art. I’m buying the next few issues hoping he will bring back the character I enjoy — one of my top three favorite characters, in fact. This is only the first issue and there’s leftover baggage to be dealt with from the previous writers. This issue wasn’t great, but I’ll give Mr. Jurgens a few more to win me back to Nightwing.

Criminal No. 4 (Image Comics) — No surprise here for longtime readers of this blog, I’m sure. I love most everything this creative team — Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips — has collaborated on from Velvet to Kill or Be Killed to Scene of the Crime to previous incarnations of this very title. This latest version of Criminal is more of the same, and I love it.

So those are some of the titles I’m currently buying. What are the rest of you buying? And have you thought about why lately? Sometimes reflecting on your buying habits from time to time can be a good thing.

Happy collecting! And come back in two weeks for some thoughts on a Batman comic from my youth!

Bendis is hooking me again

Action Comics No. 1010
DC Comics
Creators: Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, and Brad Anderson
Release date: April 2019

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Brian Michael Bendis taking over the Superman titles at DC, but I’ve enjoyed his writing in the past, be it in Avengers titles, Ultimate Spider-man, Powers or Daredevil. So I opted to give his runs a chance.

I very much like the dynamic stories he’s presenting in Superman, first taking us back to the Phantom Zone, then recounting Jon Kent’s adventures with his grandfather, Jor-El. The Ivan Reis and Joe Prado art certainly doesn’t hurt that title, either. I fell in love with these guys’ art when they helped relaunch the New 52 Aquaman title, and they are still at the top of their game.

But if I had to pick a current favorite Bendis Superman title, it would be the story arc going on in the pages of Action Comics, “Leviathan Rising.” Superman and his wife, Lois Lane, are both embroiled in an espionage tale that also involves all the clandestine groups from DC lore — A.R.G.U.S., the D.E.O., Checkmate, Spyral, Amanda Waller, Sam Lane, Mr. Bones. It’s all here, and I’m loving how Bendis is weaving it all together.

I’ve said before, here and in other forums, that Superman should be a light character. Superman represents the very best of what humanity can be. He is the shining light for which we strive. I believe Bendis gets that. And he’s wisely using the bright, shiny Superman sparingly in this story. Rather, he’s focusing on Clark Kent and Lois Lane, two investigative journalists who sometimes have to root around in the shadows to properly do their jobs and bring things to light. Take it another step darker, and even Lois and Clark are having to utilize assumed identities to go undercover. (That's them in the image above, if you didn't know.) Bendis' storytelling simply adds more and more layers to a mystery that desperately needs to be unraveled.

Getting Steve Epting for the art on this story was a great move, too. I have loved a lot of Epting’s past work, but he thrives illustrating this type of story, with shadows and subtle shifts, all the cloak and dagger stuff. He’s a brilliant choice for this arc.

It doesn’t hurt that this story is promising to explode out of Action Comics into other titles soon, either. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by that prospect, I’m looking forward to new titles like Event Leviathan and Lois’ solo title. That’s how good this story feels, and how excited I am to read each new piece of the puzzle.

I’m hooked, Mr. Bendis; please, don’t stop.

More pleasant surprises to be found

Batman No. 250
DC Comics
Creators: Frank Robbins, Irv Novick, Dick Giordano, Elliot S. Maggin and Frank McLaughlin
Cover date: July 1973

Frequent visitors to this blog know I have purchased a number of back issues and trades throughout my comics collecting history that get tossed on a pile to read “sometime.” During times when my monthly collecting habits ebb, I manage to get more of those “sometime” books read, and this happens to be one of those times.

Most recently, I’ve been reading some older issues of Batman and Detective Comics, specifically ones from the 1970s. Several of these books have held promise of one form or another, be it an oft-seen, familiar cover for which I’m finally getting to read the story behind or a fondly remembered childhood read I’m re-experiencing. Of course, it is always best when the actual read lives up to the anticipation.

The main story in this issue, “The Deadly Numbers Game!” by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano, is a decent, entertaining tale about the Dark Knight that showcases his detective skills nicely. But I was surprised to find that this regular-sized comic included not one story but three.

The second story in this magazine is a quick six-page Robin story by Elliot S. Maggin, Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin. I’m a huge Dick Grayson fan, so I was delighted to see a Robin solo story. But the plot of this story involves Dick’s pre-Robin life, as indicated by its title, “Return of the Flying Grayson.” The story begins with two young boys marveling at an old poster of the Flying Graysons circus act. The boys know Dick Grayson as the Hudson University student tutors one of them, but they doubt the tutor is any relation to the acrobats depicted on the poster. Dick overhears their comments as he is in the same store, staking it out, hoping to catch some art thieves. Then later, when Robin stops the fleeing art thieves, he must also save the two boys who happen to be nearby during the take-down.

As fun as the Robin story is, though, the gem of this issue is the six-page final one. The story, “The Batman Nobody Knows,” by Frank Robbins and Dick Giordano is a simple tale of philanthropist Bruce Wayne taking three inner-city youths camping. Sitting around the campfire, the boys see a bat flit by in the moonlight and begin to share their ideas of who or what the Batman is. If the story sounds familiar to more modern audiences, it is because it was adapted into an episode of “Batman: The Animated Series,” specifically “Legends of the Dark Knight,” episode 19 of the third season of the show. The framing sequence and the children’s tales differ in each version, but both stories involve Gotham City youth relating how they each see Batman.

I had no idea such a significant story was hiding in the back of this issue, or at least, I don’t recall knowing that when I bought it. So it was a very pleasant surprise indeed to “discover” it.

It’s a solid beginning

Mera: Tidebreaker
DC Ink
Creators: Danielle Paige and Stephen Byrne
Release date: March 2019

Let me preface my remarks on Mera: Tidebreaker by saying I’m not exactly the target audience for DC Ink, the new imprint focusing on young adult original graphic novels. I’m not a young adult. It’s been several decades since I was 16 like the title character in the debut title of this new line. My 7-year-old daughter is closer to 16 than I am.

I confess that I felt that age difference a bit when reading some of the dialogue in this book. There was a bit of eye-rolling on my part when it came to some of the drama that was created by these teenagers dealing with their problems in ways that teenagers would; their solutions only created more problems for themselves, but they were solutions or reactions teenagers would likely come up with.

I will also say that this story doesn’t fit perfectly into the established DC Comics continuity for these characters or with the movie continuity, although it more closely resembles the movie casting choices. There are contradictions. But then, no comics fan is a stranger to such contradictions when dealing with characters that have been around more than a few decades. Some elements in one story contradict elements in another when you pile story after story on for that long.

With all of those caveats, this is still a pretty solid read about characters that I very much enjoy. Aquaman is one of my all-time favorites, and I have had an appreciation for Mera and what she has to offer long before what many consider her full-fledged “superhero debut” in “Blackest Night,” “Brightest Day,” and other modern stories.

Princess Mera of Xebel, one of the smaller kingdoms under Atlantean rule, resents all things Atlantis like many of her people do. They see all Atlanteans as smug, cruel overlords who seek only to keep the lesser kingdoms subjugated unfairly. Mera’s father, King Ryus of Xebel, has made a pact with the people of the Trench, another lesser Atlantean kingdom. The Trench prince, Larken, is being sent to the surface to locate and kill the rumored Atlantean prince, Arthur Curry. Once that assassination takes place, Larken has been promised Mera’s hand in marriage, uniting the two lesser kingdoms, which will then revolt openly against the Atlantean queen, Atlanna.

Mera and Larken are childhood friends who care very much for each other, but Mera resents being told who she will marry and what she must do. Instead, she wants to prove to her father that she can be a ruler and a warrior in her own right, just like her late mother, so she decides to set off on her own for the surface world to locate and kill Arthur Curry herself. But once Mera locates the future ruler of Atlantis, she finds he is not the person she expected.

As I said, Danielle Paige’s story is engaging and full of realistic teenage reactions. It also includes a number of new characters alongside the ones more familiar to Aquaman fans. And Stephen Byrne’s art shows a deceptively simple economy of line and is quite engaging. He doesn’t muddy his panels with an excess of linework, but those panels still include plenty of detail when called for. His characters have distinctive faces making it clear who each is from panel to panel.

If you’re a fan of last year's “Aquaman” blockbuster film, give this book a try. As I said, things won’t line up perfectly between the two storylines, but both are truly engaging, enjoyable tales.

That was a letdown … or was it?

Green Arrow (2016) No. 50
DC Comics
Creators: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Javier Fernandez and John Kalisz
Release date: March 2019

I generally avoid talking about comics that disappoint me. I’d rather tout the ones I’ve enjoyed than waste time dwelling on disappointment. Especially since someone may have liked said book even if I didn’t.

I’m making an exception with this latest issue of Green Arrow, the Rebirth series finale, because I care so much about the character, I dislike the way he has been treated in stories of late, and I hope a change is coming soon. This issue was touted as a huge “event.” Whether or not it truly was remains to be seen. But the story seems a huge disservice to the character whose name is on the book.

Oh, and there will be spoilers, so read on at your own risk.

Green Arrow annual No. 2, released almost a year ago, was a tie-in to the "No Justice" event. The book as a whole depicted Oliver Queen’s activities while much of the rest of the DC Universe dealt with the "No Justice" crisis: Oliver stayed on earth, not really knowing what the other heroes were doing off-planet, but still having to deal with repercussions from those events. The annual ended with the Martian Manhunter giving Oliver a box containing “the key to destroying the Justice League should the need arise” for safekeeping. The exact contents of the box were left a mystery.

Now comes issue No. 50 of the ongoing Rebirth Green Arrow title, an abrupt end to the series, and the contents of that box are revealed when the federal government comes looking for it. It seems the powers that be know Ollie has it, they want it, and they enlist Black Canary’s help in getting it.

Green Arrow goes through a lot to keep the box he was entrusted with from falling into government hands. Along the way, he thinks to himself that he doesn’t even know what is in the box. So he looks. And finds the box apparently empty. This leaves Oliver feeling duped and unappreciated by his peers.

That is a common theme of much of the Rebirth run of Green Arrow. That theme also dominated a lot of the New 52 version of the character. And it is part of why I stopped buying the book on a regular basis. Yes, Oliver can be off-putting and is known for challenging authority and the status quo. But that should not be his sole personality trait to the point that no other heroes like or respect him as a hero. Yet that seems to be how Green Arrow is most often characterized in the last decade.

I’m old enough that my personal “golden age” for the Justice League is the satellite era. The heroes of the DC Universe have strong personalities and may disagree or even fight with each other from time to time. But at the end of the day, these people all basically like and respect each other. They embrace their diversity, and that is what makes them the strongest force for good.

Along with the abrupt ending to the current Green Arrow series, it has been announced that a relaunch will shortly follow. I am hopeful that the relaunch will correct this mischaracterization of Green Arrow. Why? The final pages and the last panel of issue No. 50.

I don’t agree with everything Ollie says as he strips away his GA costume and changes to street clothes in the panels above. But maybe those statements signal a change in how the character will be portrayed going forward.

Even more, that very last panel of the book shows the “empty” box glowing from inside with a green light. My hope is that indicates the box is not empty. Perhaps some security measure conceals the contents from being visible most of the time. And if that is true, it signals that other heroes in the DCU do respect and like Ollie for what he brings to the table.

Please DC, let’s have more of that.

A very pleasant convention bonus

Wonder Squad No. 1
Machine Head Studio
Creator: Bradley R. Hyman

I recently attended the third annual Mulberry Comic Con in Mulberry, AR, as a dealer. This event benefits the Mulberry Public Library and is only about 45 minutes from my home, so I’ve been a dealer there for the past three years, selling some of my overflowing collection. Each year I’ve attended the event, I’ve met several other interesting dealers and many other colorful fans. This year was no exception.

Right next to my Steve’s Comics for Sale booth this year was the booth of a writer/artist from nearby Mountainburg, AR. His name is Bradley R. Hyman, and we visited throughout the day. He and I are about the same age, so we had some similar ideas about collecting and comics, although the samples and sketches he brought for his table proved Bradley has a lot more talent than I possess. Thankfully, I wasn’t there as an artist.

A lot of Bradley’s comic stories appear in YEET Presents, an anthology comic published by Cost of Paper Productions. Bradley also had photocopied mini comics versions of two of his creations — Amie Armageddon and Wonder Squad — both of which are normally serialized in YEET Presents and under Bradley’s own imprint, Machine Head Studio.

The Amie Armageddon issue introduces the post-apocalyptic world of Amie “Armageddon” Geddon, a bounty hunter in what used to be southern Missouri. She tracks down outlaws in the Upper Ozark Cold Zone for a government agency called the Home Guard, which often is just as untrustworthy as the outlaws themselves. The opening installment of this title left me wondering what was going to happen to Amie next, but the other title grabbed my imagination even more.

Wonder Squad was a group of second- and even third-string superheroes several years in the past. One of those former heroes, Fletcher “Dr. Spectral” Pollard, is now retired and runs a talent and training agency for new super-powered folks after being disgraced and falling out with most of his former teammates. The mini comic of the first chapter of Wonder Squad gives readers a little of the backstory along with enough to explain that Fletcher’s business is not doing well and neither is he.

Bradley has crafted a great story that immediately made me like Fletcher and care about his circumstances, and he did it without falling on the popular trope of making his independent characters all be analogs of the most popular Marvel and DC characters. Fletcher’s powers are telekinetic in nature, so he’s not really a Superman or Batman or Spider-man stand-in.

I’m very interested to see where the Wonder Squad story goes in future installments, and I wish Bradley continued success with his efforts. For more from Hyman, visit his Facebook page or check out this recent newspaper column written about Hyman by another friend of mine.

Let's get this project funded

Mike Grell has a new Kickstarter campaign that launched March 22. The project promises the return of his popular character, Maggie the Cat, and if successful, the conclusion to a story which began in 1996 and has yet to be finished. You can find out more about the Kickstarter campaign here.

I've discussed before how I first became aware of Mike Grell's storytelling and artwork with his Green Arrow miniseries, The Longbow Hunters. From there, I discovered his earlier work on The Warlord and later Jon Sable, Freelance.

Maggie the Cat began as a secondary character in a Jon Sable story, but the character proved to be popular with her creator and readers. It would be easy to dismiss Maggie as a Catwoman knock-off for someone who has not read her stories. But the character is much more than that in Grell's hands.

Maggie is an American woman who married into the British aristocracy. Her husband is now dead, which is no great loss in Maggie's life. But much of her family's wealth and possessions have been scattered. She becomes a very accomplished cat burglar in an attempt to reclaim the various heirlooms and crosses paths with mercenary Jon Sable several times in his comic.

In the mid-1990s, Grell moved over to Image Comics, where he launched such series as Shaman's Tears and Bar Sinister. Image was also home to Maggie the Cat's first solo series in 1996. But the limited series was cut short by the comic implosion in the mid-1990s. Only the first two issues were published, and Maggie's solo story was never completed — until perhaps now.

In her solo story, Maggie is coerced by the British secret service into helping them thwart a terrorist plot. She is teamed with an SAS agent who bears a striking resemblance to a famous Scottish actor who portrayed an equally famous fictional British spy. This first Kickstarter project promises to update and re-release those first two issues with additional pages in a single volume. A few months later, a second Kickstarter will finally resolve the storyline. And based on response to these two volumes, more Grell Kickstarter projects may soon follow.

I encourage you to go check this project out at the link above. It's already well on its way to being funded, but if you have an interest in the storyline and are in a position to do so, I also encourage you to support the project. Grell is a proven writer and illustrator with a long history in comics. He has more stories to tell; let's give him an outlet to do so!

The best of the bunch

The Owl trade
Dynamite Entertainment
Creators: J.T. Krul, Heubert Khan Michael, Alex Ross, Vinicius Andrade and Marshall Dillon
Release date: 2016

This book was a happy coincidence. Three other trades caught my eye while surfing the web a few months ago. I added this trade only in an effort to raise my purchase total to a level that would net me free shipping. The other three trades ended up being mere eye candy without much substance. But this gem ended up making the entire purchase worthwhile.

The story springs out of the Project Superpowers concept Dynamite used to bring back a number of characters that were no longer in print and free of any copyright constraints. I read the initial series from 2008 and wrote about it here, but in a nutshell, a huge number of golden-age comic characters were locked away in an urn for half a century before being released back into the modern world. Following the initial series, a Volume 2 version was published alongside a number of limited series spotlighting many of the characters in solo adventures.

This trade collects the four-issue limited series focused on the Owl, a vigilante from the early 1940s. Much like Batman, the Owl has no special powers or abilities in his original incarnation. Rather he had a costume meant to shock and frighten criminals and a number of themed gadgets that helped the hero keep his advantage and defeat his foes. By day, the Owl is Yorktown police detective Nick Terry, and he is frequently joined in his later adventuring by Owl Girl, his real-life girlfriend and confidante, Belle, a newspaper reporter.

Like most of the other costumed heroes trapped for decades inside the urn, the Owl emerges slightly changed. His costume is more dramatic and modern-looking, and the Owl now has some new abilities that help him stun and subdue the more jaded criminals of today. This series focuses on Terry’s efforts to fit back into society and help mankind while haunted by the past he has lost. Owl Girl was not trapped inside the urn as the Owl was, thus robbing this hero of the happy ending and possible family he’d been fighting for. His story is very much one of a man out of time trying to find his place.

Complicating matters for the Owl, is his discovery that the criminals aren’t the only ones who have changed in his absence. A new brand of hero flies through the night skies over Yorktown. And the Owl fears this new crimefighter is no better than the criminals she maims and kills with abandon.

This trade was a joy to read, and I’m glad I finally discovered it. If you aren’t familiar with Project Superpowers, everything you need to know to follow this story is right here in these pages, and J.T. Krul weaves a truly engaging tale. The artwork, while not the best I’ve seen, isn’t bad. I especially like how Heubert Khan Michael switches up his style for the flashback scenes of the Owl’s earlier life, giving those panels a true golden-age feel.

Will there or won’t there be more? I hope there will

Near Death Vols. 1 and 2
Image Comics
Creators: Jay Faerber, Simone Guglielmini and Ron Riley
Release date: 2012

I guess I’m on a bit of a dark kick when you consider the last post was about the Netflix version of the Punisher and now this one is about a story about a hitman called Near Death. But it wasn’t planned that way. Instead, it all came about rather serendipitously.

I won’t go into my whole explanation of how I listen to podcasts here. In short, just know that I listen to a lot of older shows when I have a chance to listen. And sometimes, I will be inspired to try a book based on a podcaster’s thoughts and reactions to it. Such was the case recently when I heard a 2012 podcast review of the then-current Near Death series.

The series is about a hitman who gets shot and dies. Turns out his death was very brief but had a dramatic impact on the man. While dead on a makeshift operating table, the hitman sees what he believes to be hell. He comes back willing to do whatever it takes to balance the scales of his life in an effort to avoid ever going back to that place again. His solution, try to save people’s lives rather than taking them, ideally saving one person for every one of the many lives he’s cut short.

The concept piqued my curiosity. So next time I was placing my monthly order with my online comic shop, I decided to look for and found two collected editions of the series available among the back issue stock. I added them to my order and went on with my life. Then I got a small surprise the next month when I placed my next pre-order. There among the new solicits from Image Comics, the publisher of Near Death, was a solicitation for a forthcoming third trade. I added that to my order, and when the first two trades came, I set them aside to wait until I had the third in hand, too.

Obviously, I didn’t stop to consider the math of the situation right then. If the series was new in 2012, why would it just now be reaching the point of a third trade collection? I didn’t delve into that question until another month had passed by and I received word that the third Near Death trade had been canceled by the publisher. No mention of whether it was merely being delayed and would be resolicited or canceled due to lack of interest/orders.

So I finally researched that timing question. Turns out the 11 issues collected in the first two trades were the only issues of the ongoing series published before Near Death went on hiatus. The third trade I had seen solicited was intended as a standalone original graphic novel that would continue the story. If successful, a series of one-shots might have been the future of the stalled story. I certainly hope more are forthcoming as this is a great story. And the art is great, too. Artist Simone Guglielmini reportedly said he was trying to mimic the style of books like Criminal and Gotham Central, both of which I liked. So no surprise I like Near Death, too.

Markham, the hitman in the story, has few friends. That’s not surprising for someone who makes his living killing people. He does have a large number of work contacts, though. Many of those work contacts are less than thrilled by Markham’s change of heart when he starts saving people by thwarting some other hired killers’ efforts. Most heroes who work on behalf of others do so with the assistance of the police. That doesn’t work so well for Markham who is known as a contract killer by many law enforcement officials. All of these factors make it very challenging for Markham to live up to his new mission in life.

Near Death is written in an episodic format, with most issues being done-in-one tales. But Markham’s universe slowly grows over the course of the 11 issues as some folks who benefit from Markham’s new savior tendencies become recurring characters. Along the way, readers are given glimpses here and there into Markham’s past — nothing major, but little vignettes that help flesh out his character. And Faerber does his best to keep the story interesting, throwing some twists and turns I did not see coming. Many of the stories call into question conventional wisdom of right and wrong. This is the kind of story that leaves you thinking after you finish reading.

I’ll definitely be watching for future Near Death stories, and I sincerely hope I don’t have to wait long. This is a story worth telling and one I very much would like to continue reading. Can you hear me, Image Comics?

Update: Maybe Image Comics can't hear me, but Jay Faerber did. He tweeted this response to my tweet about this blog post when it went up: "We’re planning a new Near Death-related graphic novel. Stay tuned...!" So more is coming!

I miss you, bro

“Marvel’s The Punisher” Season 2
Netflix
January 2019
 

Shawn died in 2000, nearly 20 years ago now. He was a son, a husband, a musician, a Marine, a prankster, a police officer, and he was my younger brother. He was 28 at the time of his death, so in just one more short decade, he will have been gone as long as he lived.

Time has passed. Life goes on. And there are many days when he doesn’t cross my mind at all. That’s life. But there are also random things that will bring his memory to the front of my mind.

One of the losses I feel most consistently on behalf of my brother are movies and television properties that he would have loved but missed. He was a huge Star Wars fan, yet he never got to see the second and third prequel films or the more recently realized but long-rumored sequels. He very much enjoyed “Phantom Menace,” and I have no reason to doubt he would have been thrilled by and enjoyed all of the films to follow.

The plethora of comic book films is another thing I think he’d have enjoyed. He was always more a Marvel fan than I was growing up. I remember crying when I saw “X-Men” in the theater for the first time in 2000 because he wouldn’t get to experience it, and he was always a huge Wolverine fan. The “Spider-Man” films began in 2002. Then the modern Marvel cinematic age began in 2008 with “Iron Man.” I think he would have loved the explosion of films since then from the various “Avengers” and “Captain America” films to “Black Panther” and “Infinity War.”

Another of my brother’s favorite comic book characters was always Frank Castle, the Punisher, and I’ve been thinking of my brother as I watch Netflix’s second season of "Marvel's The Punisher," starring Jon Bernthal. This is a phenomenal show, and everyone involved deserves kudos for the excellent product they have created.

The Punisher first appeared in Marvel Comics in Amazing Spider-Man No. 129 and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The character went on to appear in various other titles for several years before starring in his own limited series in the mid-1980s. At the peak of the Punisher’s popularity in the late 80s and early 1990s, he starred in three concurrent monthly titles: The Punisher, The Punisher War Journal and The Punisher War Zone. There was also a short-lived black-and-white Punisher Magazine and other limited series and one-shots at various points along the way.

Shawn collected most of these titles by a number of creators, but the book that struck a chord with me was War Journal. This title, initially written by Carl Potts and illustrated by Jim Lee, would later feature creators such as Mike Baron, Mark Texeira, Chuck Dixon, Steven Grant, Tod Smith, Ron Wagner and others. Potts and Dixon stand out in my mind the most when I think back about favorite issues.

I’m not as familiar with Billy “Jigsaw” Russo, although I know he also existed in the comics. I’m not certain if the comic Jigsaw played a role in the deaths of Frank Castle’s family as he does in Ben Barnes’ portrayal of the character in the Netflix series. If not, the inclusion of that detail helps bring the two characters’ lives full circle in the show.

As far as I know, most of the other characters in the Netflix version of the Punisher are original to the program, but may have been portrayed in comics in some form or fashion. But I love how the ancillary characters add to the show’s drama. Karen Page and Brett Mahoney show up from the cast of Netflix’s “Daredevil” to add cohesion to the shared universe. And Curtis Hoyle, Dinah Madani and Krista Dumont add dimension to the proceedings of both seasons of the show.

Netflix’s “The Punisher” is definitely more gritty and bloody than I typically like my comics stories, but so was the Netflix version of Daredevil. Both worked well in the realities established for the series, and the visceral visuals of the programs don’t glorify violence. Rather they use it to emphasize the physical and emotional toll of these peoples’ lives and choices.

Jon Bernthal does an exceptional job of bringing Frank Castle to life in this series. The later comic series added some nuance and character beats to what could have easily been a one-note, disposable caricature. Bernthal and his supporting cast help do the same with the on-screen Punisher. Bernthal portrays an efficient killing machine on a deadly mission, to be sure. But he also shows Frank’s caring side without turning the brutal vigilante into a parody of the original creation.

I can watch this show for what it is and enjoy it. I tend to think Shawn would have seen it as a more pure expression of the character than some of the various movie attempts. Believing my brother would have liked the show adds a level of appreciation to watching it. But it also makes me sad that my brother will never be able to see one of his “heroes” brought to life on the small screen in such an effective way.

I’m also very sad all of these Netflix Marvel shows have been canceled due to business concerns and we won’t get more of this version of the Punisher, Daredevil or Jessica Jones.