Does This Story Ever End?

A Distant Soil
Image Comics
Colleen Doran, writer and artist

As my monthly buying has slowed recently, I've been making an effort to hunt down more things I've made notes about in the past — things I wanted to try at some point, most often books I'd heard good things about, but that I didn't have time or money to pursue at the time. One such title was A Distant Soil created, written and illustrated by Colleen Doran.

Doran is known primarily as an artist who has worked with writers such as Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Peter David, Joe R. Lansdale and Keith Giffen. I personally have seen her work in books like Wonder Woman: The Once and Future Story, Teen Titans Spotlight, Star Trek and Valor from DC Comics and Marvel Icon's The Book of Lost Souls written by J. Michael Straczynski. She is also a writer, but I haven't read anything else penned by her at this point.

I don't recall now — and wasn't in the habit of writing down — where it was that I heard or read about A Distant Soil. Most likely, it was from an episode of Word Balloon or from a column written by Andrew "Captain Comics" Smith. I tend to think it was the latter as I don't recall a Word Balloon episode featuring Doran, but I might be wrong. Anyway, one note I did write down is "similar to Aquaman." Having now read the majority of A Distant Soil, that comparison puzzles me unless it maybe refers more to similarities with Peter David's The Atlantis Chronicles — a title I own but have not yet read. Once I read Atlantis Chronicles, I'll know if maybe that was the comparison made and my note was only slightly in error, or if the two series are nothing alike and my note was just an example of who knows what.

But getting back to A Distant Soil, I recently decided it was time to finally check this series out. I purchased the three trades I found at a good price, and once they arrived in the mail, I sat down to read them and see just what this series was about. It was not what I expected, but it was good.

The Volume 1 trade, titled The Gathering, collects the first 12 issues of the Aria Press version of the series. It serves to do just that, gather and introduce readers to the majority of the large cast of characters that make up this sprawling sci-fi/fantasy epic.

First, we are introduced to Jason and Liana Scott, 17 and 15 years old, respectively. The teens have spent most of their lives since being orphaned at a young age living in a mental institution. There's nothing wrong with the youths. Both possess paranormal abilities that the authorities can't explain, including a shared telepathic rapport with each other, and so their young lives have been filled with experiments, poking, prodding and confinement.

In the latest of a series of escape attempts, Jason and Liana run into a street gang and a gruff but compassionate cop. The cop, Tony Minetti, and the leader of the street gang, Brent Donewitz, have an uneasy friendship, and the two agree to help the Scott teens lay low for a while. And that's when the aliens show up.

It turns out that Jason and Liana have their unique abilities because their father was secretly an alien fleeing his home planet, Ovanan. A huge Ovanan warship, the Siovansin, has come to hunt down the teens on behalf of the Hierarchy, the rulers of Ovanan and its vast empire of worlds. Of course, there is also a contingent of the aliens onboard the Siovansin who are sympathetic to Jason and Liana's plight and who hope to enlist their aid in overthrowing the sadistic Hierarchy.

What isn't quite so expected is that even the resistance movement onboard the Ovanan warship is splintered into different factions, sometimes to the point that they get in each other's way. Minetti and Brent help Liana escape with two of the sympathetic aliens, Rieken and D'Mer, while Jason is captured by the Hierarchy minions.

The Hierarchy tries to use Jason to find Liana, and in the process, they seem to kill the teenager. However, he is not beyond the healing abilities of Ovanan science. While in the care of the Siovansin medical staff, Jason's body is captured by one faction of the resistance. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Rieken and D'Mer recruit Liana, Minetti, Brent and nine others to their faction of the resistance and attempt to sneak back aboard the Siovansin.

That is a very nutshell synopsis of the first trade and its cast of dozens of characters. The narrative — which text pieces in the volume explain Doran created while still a child herself — is very complex, but still engaging. Doran's artwork, presented here in black-and-white only, is detailed and quite pretty to look at. I stumbled over some of the characters' appearances in these early scenes because so much of the clothing worn by the humans is very dated to some of the most outrageous '80s styles. That took me right out of the story on a number of occasions, and I thought about giving up on the story a number of times early on simply because the costuming was so jarring to me. But otherwise, I have no complaints about the art, and subsequent volumes take place mostly aboard the Siovansin, where even the humans are wearing Ovanan clothing to blend in, so that problem is eliminated.

One other thing that gave me pause in this first volume was an advertisement in the back of the book soliciting the five trades that collect the complete A Distant Soil saga. Up until this point, I'd believed I had the entire story in the three trades I'd already bought. I tried to do some more research into the series and learned that the first A Distant Soil comics were published by WaRP Graphics and the series lasted for only nine issues. Creative control and rights issues led to a split between WaRP and Doran, who tried to start over with another publisher only to have problems there as well. She finally started over a third time, self-publishing under Aria Press and combining some old and new story elements. Then in 1996, the story continued at Image, the publisher also responsible for the trade collections.

The second and third trade volumes — The Ascendant and The Aria, respectively — advance the story with all characters aboard the Siovansin. The resistance faction holding Jason revives the young man and sets him up to assassinate the god-like figurehead of the Hierarchy in exchange for information about his father. Rieken and D'Mer continue to plot with their human and Ovanan allies to overthrow the Hierarchy from within, relying heavily on Liana's help. Some characters are slain along the way and many, many more are introduced.

I managed to track down a copy of the fourth trade collection with the help of my local librarian. That volume, Coda, sees one faction of the resistance discovered and wiped out and the stakes for Liana, Jason and the others raised to impossible levels as the entire planet Earth comes under threat.

There are a few parts of Doran's narrative that feel overly lengthy, but again, the overall story is an engaging one that I would like to finish. The art only gets better and more stunning with each issue. The only problem at this point is I can't seem to find that fifth and final trade collection, Requiem, available anywhere I search. I'm not even sure the fifth volume has ever been published. In fact, I am not even certain if Doran has completed the series in single issue form at this point. Do any of my readers know any more about this series, whether or not it has been completed, and if so, where I might get my hands on the final volume of the story? Leave me a note in the comments if you can help shed some light.

History Really Does Repeat Itself

Essential Captain America Vol. 4 (collecting Captain America Nos. 157-186)
Marvel Comics
Steve Englehart, Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella, Mike Friedrich and John Warner, writers
Sal Buscema, John Verpoorten, Frank McLaughlin, Alan Weiss, Frank Giacoia, John Tartaglione, George Roussos, Vinnie Colletta, Frank Robbins, Tom Orzechowski, Herb Trimpe and Mike Esposito, artists

These massive, black-and-white collected volumes — Marvel's Essentials line and DC's Showcase editions — can be a great way to experience classic stories at a reasonable price. Or they can be a bit cumbersome to get through if you don't really have an appreciation for the character, group or time period being presented.

This volume is one of the good ones. Despite the abundance of names listed above, the vast majority of this volume is the brainchild of writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema, and that helps this volume maintain a unified voice throughout. The books reprinted here come from the mid-1970s when the title featured both Captain America and the Falcon on the cover and the real-life America was in turmoil. The creators used those turbulent times as a backdrop for an identity crisis of sorts for Captain America himself.

This series of issues brings Cap and Falcon into confrontation with a villain named the Cowled Commander and then a new version of the Serpent Society. The heroes quickly thwart the villains' plans only to have one of the Serpent Society hatch a new plan to drive a wedge between the pair and discredit Captain America in the eyes of the public. That latest plot unfolds over several issues leading into a battle with a new group named the Secret Empire, which in turn leads to yet another incarnation of the Serpent Society.

Captain America and the Falcon aren't the only heroes in these pages. Various members of the Avengers make a number of appearances, along with Nick Fury and various agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., both named and unnamed. The Black Panther and the X-Men also show up for several issues each. And a number of villains, both old and new, also make appearances at various times forcing our heroes to keep on their toes. These nefarious figures include names like the Porcupine, Madame Hydra, Yellow Claw, the Tumbler, the Eel, the Viper, Stoneface, Lucifer and, of course, the Red Skull.

The stories collected in this volume are some really great reads, but it surprised me, reading through a number of these issues for the first time, how many modern ideas began here and how many themes explored in these pages have also been explored in more recent Cap stories. For instance, issue No. 170 is where the Falcon first gets his Wakandan-engineered wings. Before that issue, he used a rope to swing around the rooftops like other non-flying heroes. And while this earliest version of his wings merely helped him glide, they look quite similar to the modern pair he wore right up until he assumed the role of Captain America in the most recent Marvel Comics issues.

Cap's girlfriend in these pages is former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter, the same as in current Cap comics, although her back story has undergone some revisions over the years. But Cap's former World War II-era love interest, Peggy Carter, is re-introduced in these stories and becomes a current agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., somewhat mirroring events from the modern "Captain America" films and the "Agent Carter" television series.

The conclusion of the confrontation with the Secret Empire — particularly the revelation of the leader of the terrorist organization — leaves Cap shaken in conviction and spirit. This is when Cap first decides to stop being Captain America and creates the identity of Nomad, the man without a country. The Nomad identity would return in several story lines since this time, but also, during this period when Steve Rogers is Nomad and there is no Captain America, a number of others try their hands at wielding the famous shield in his absence. The fates of these folks who try to be the new Captain America are quite different from any of those following the death of Captain America in Ed Brubaker's Cap run from a few years ago or of the Falcon assuming the mantle in the most recent comics, but there are also similarities.

These are really some great stories and some very key issues in the history of Captain America. Much of the credit for that goes to writer Steve Englehart, again the writer or co-writer on almost all of the stories from this era of the character. That single narrative voice allows the various story lines to weave in and out of each other and interconnect in a way that multiple writers would find harder to pull off. This book alone represents two-and-a-half years worth of Captain America comics at the end of Englehart's run on the title; he also wrote several of the previous issues, collected in Essential Captain America Vol. 3.

On a side note, one of the fill-in issues collected in this volume, No. 168, is a nice little diversion co-written by Roy Thomas and Tony Isabella titled "... And a Phoenix Shall Arise." This story, minus a few references to then-current continuity that dated the story, was turned into a Captain America Power Records book and record set, a copy of which I still own. If you aren't already familiar with Power Records, you should check out Rob Kelly's excellent Power Records blog (http://powerrecord.blogspot.com/) for more on these great little sets.

Switching to the art side of things, Sal Buscema lends his considerable talents to giving the look of these stories the same cohesiveness Englehart's writing does on the story side. Buscema had several different inkers on the issues included here, but the consistency in the pencils gives all of the characters distinctive looks throughout. Buscema's Cap is a strong, muscled defender of the American ideals and the quintessential silver age heroic ideal.


The drawback to that consistency shows up to horrible effect in four of the last five issues collected in this volume when penciller Frank Robbins takes on the art chores. I don't mean to attack the man's skill; I am no artist myself, so I have little room to criticize. More importantly, I have seen some absolutely gorgeous Frank Robbins art in some other titles. But his work in these issues of Captain America looks very rough throughout and downright awkward in a number of action panels. I've included a couple of the worst panels. The one on the left shows Steve Rogers in his Nomad guise traveling across the rooftops in a very strange pose, and the right one shows one of the Captain America wannabes traveling in the same manner with the Falcon. Neither image makes the subject look very comfortable, natural or heroic. These images are not typical of Frank Robbins' art in other venues, but his art on these final issues is the only downside I see in an otherwise great Captain America collection!

We Need More Fun Comics

Amazing X-Men: The Quest For Nightcrawler tpb
Marvel Comics
Jason Aaron, writer
Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines and Cameron Stewart, artists

I've talked previously about how much I like Nightcrawler and how he should be a fun, light-hearted character most of the time, at least if he's going to be portrayed correctly. I've also previously mentioned that I am not a regular follower of the various X-Men titles. I've read some of the bigger stories, and I've dabbled with the various titles and characters from time to time, but I typically am not an X-reader. For instance, I know that Nightcrawler was killed off some time ago in the X-books, but I don't know exactly when or how.

Enter the news of about a year ago that Nightcrawler was going to be coming back from the dead  — not a terribly unusual event for a comic book superhero — and I was happy to mark down a note to myself to watch for his latest solo title, hope for the best and try it when it came out. This is the story arc — presented in Amazing X-Men, not a Nightcrawler solo title — that brings the blue, furry mutant back to the land of the living. And it is an epic battle pitting a horde of demons against the combined forces of not only both heaven and hell but also purgatory! You can't get much more epic than that. And you wouldn't think a story could get much more grim than that, either.

But Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness remembered that comic books can be fun. They don't have to be grim and gritty all the time. On top of that, they remembered that Nightcrawler, the focus of this particular little story can — and SHOULD — also be fun! So they made this epic, life-or-death, playing for all the marbles, grand battle not only epic, but also fun!

The story begins with Nightcrawler in heaven, but not exactly enjoying his time there. Rather, he is daydreaming about his many adventures with his fellow mutants in all of the various teams he's fought alongside, as well as his many solo escapades. Another of heaven's inhabitants comes across Nightcrawler and chastises him playfully for not enjoying his — well, heavenly — surroundings more when along comes the aforementioned horde of demons. And who is leading this brazen attack on both heaven and hell? None other than Nightcrawler's own father, the demon Azazel.

Nightcrawler knows he can not hope to defeat such overwhelming forces on his own, and so he summons aid from his former teammates still among the living. Thus various members of this latest incarnation of the X-Men find themselves suddenly in hell, while some are transported to heaven, and still more materialize in purgatory with no explanation whatsoever. Having thus imperiled his friends' very souls, Nightcrawler must gather the various mutants together and lead them in an effort to defeat his father's latest plans for conquest.

What results is a well-drawn, expertly written romp that was FUN to read. In fact, the only weak spot in this trade is the inclusion of the sixth issue, also written by Aaron, but this time illustrated by Cameron Stewart. The change in art style for this epilogue chapter is drastic enough to be a tad off-putting. Add in that the main adventure is over, and this is merely an aftermath type of tale, and I feel that the trade would have been much better without it. It just feels tacked on and serves only to weaken the strong ending of the fifth issue.

Having said that, the rest of this trade was so good and does in fact bring Nightcrawler back to the land of the living, that I only hope the creative team on his latest ongoing solo title — Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck — follows that same formula: Don't forget to make it FUN!

I Took A Chance, And I Liked It

Take A Chance 1-5 (2008-09)
Dabel Brothers Publishing
C.E. Murphy, writer
Ardian Syaf, Aleksandar Sotirovsk and Jason Embury, artists

Here's another book I had written down to try some time without knowing a great deal about the story line. I'm trying to do better about making a note to myself of where such recommendations come from, but in the case of Take A Chance, I believe Andrew "Captain Comics" Smith wrote about the miniseries in one of his syndicated newspaper columns or in his regular feature in the now-departed Comics Buyers Guide.

Whoever it was that talked the book up, I wrote down the title and the writer, and I've periodically checked for a trade collection of the series without any luck. I don't know, maybe the series wasn't successful enough to warrant a trade. But a few months ago, I decided to look for this series in trade format in earnest so I could request a copy from my local library. I couldn't find a listing for a trade on Amazon or anywhere else I looked, so on a whim, I searched on eBay and found a set of the single issues for sale at a reasonable price.

Chance is the name of a non-powered female vigilante operating in New York City. The first issue, mostly set-up, gives a glimpse into the world she operates in. Frankie Kemp took self-defense classes, created a costume and began patrolling the streets at night after a personal tragedy heightened her need for justice. That was five years ago, she explains, and Chance started out taking down simple street thugs, pushers and would-be rapists. Then a terrorist attack on the city left a number of people dead, but also inexplicably granted a percentage of the survivors with super powers. With so many super-powered individuals running around — some good, some not so good — Chance decided it was too dangerous for her to continue attacking criminals directly. Instead, she prefers to prowl the streets documenting crimes, gathering evidence and then anonymously turning that material over to the authorities.

With all of that established, the next four issues of the series follow Chance's efforts on a specific case where she promises to take down a narcotics trafficker if a young junkie promises to stay clean. In order to keep her end of the deal, Chance must again take direct action, confronting both criminals and well-intentioned others, both powered and non-powered allies and threats.

The set-up with the terrorist attack and various people developing powers makes me wonder if Take A Chance was part of a shared universe with other titles, but as far as I know, this is the only story that features Chance. Writer C.E. Murphy is known for writing several supernatural-themed novels with strong female protagonists. Maybe that's where the shared universe idea comes from. Any of my followers out there able to offer any insight on that? Anyway, I don't know if Murphy has any other comics writing credits under her belt, but she did a very nice job on this story, especially if it is her first for the medium.

On the art side, Ardian Syaf is a name familiar to me from some more recent DC titles. He draws the main character as attractive and athletic without going overboard to the hyper-sexualized imagery some heroine books are known for. As always, I'm more of a story-person, but the art in this title services the story nicely. My one quibble was going to be the cover to the second issue, which depicts Chance taking someone down with a powerful kick, but doing it while wearing a short skirt. Chance's costume does not feature a skirt, and I hate when artists get major details like that wrong on a cover image. But when I read the issue, guess what? Chance does indeed have to engage some criminals while wearing a skirt. Frankie was out dancing with friends when they run into trouble. When she goes to change into her costume, she has only brought the top and mask portion of her Chance outfit to avoid having to conceal the full costume.

All in all, this was a great series I'm glad I tried and am happy to recommend to others. As a bonus, house ads in the back of each issue brought some other Dabel Brothers books to my attention that I want to check out. So not only did I get a great read from this story, but a trail to some other possible reads as well. Can't beat that kind of outcome when trying a new title!

My Faith Pays Off

Lazarus Vol. 1: Family
Image Comics
Greg Rucka, writer
Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Brian Level and Santi Arcas, artists

I count Greg Rucka among the writers whose work I usually tend to enjoy. I can't say I've read everything he has produced, but I am a fan of many of the things he brought to the mythos of Batman and Superman while he worked on Detective Comics, Gotham Central and The Adventures of Superman. His run on Wonder Woman is one of my favorite runs on the character and one I consider a definitive take on the Amazon princess. Not limited to DC, I also very much enjoyed his work on Black Widow over at Marvel.

I enjoyed his take on these characters so much, I decided to try his Queen & Country series from Oni almost a year ago. I purchased the entire run of that series in one lot, read it over the course of a few weeks and loved it just as much. Rucka is incredible at writing strong female leads, and I enjoyed the adventures of Tara Chase in Queen & Country enough to make the jump to one of Rucka's Q&C prose novels, "A Gentleman's Game," which was a solid, enjoyable read, as well.

Somehow, though, as much as I enjoy Rucka's writing and watch for his name when I'm placing my orders each month, I completely missed Lazarus when it debuted in 2013. I had no idea it was coming out and no idea what to expect from the series when I finally did learn of its existence. I don't even recall for certain now how I first heard the title without knowing more about it; perhaps I just stumbled across it looking for something else. But this first volume was pretty cheap by usual trade pricing standards, likely because it collects only four issues of the title instead of the more common five, six or more. Nice price. Greg Rucka writing. I decided to give it a try even though I knew not what to expect.

When the trade arrived, I could see by the simple yet dramatic cover that we have another female lead, likely a tough one as she is shown with a bullet hole in her forehead and a rather annoyed expression on her face. This does not appear to be a lady you want to mess with, especially if being shot in the head only pisses her off.

When I sat down to read the book, however, I became a little nervous. If there's teaser or descriptive copy on the front or back cover of a book, especially one like this I'm completely unfamiliar with, I always read that first. Gives me a clue what I'm in for. All of the recommendations were good; no surprise there. But one of them called this title a "clever spin on dystopian fiction." I tend not to like dystopian fiction. Too depressing. Why can't we all get along? Why can't the future be bright and happy?

But then I read the descriptive copy. It promised a world split along financial lines — wealthy families, the few who work for them, and everyone else, the majority, called "Waste." The meaning behind "Lazarus" was also explained. Each family has one individual responsible for defending the family, protecting it. That person is called the family's Lazarus. I was intrigued, and I trusted Rucka enough to dive in, hopeful once again.

So I read the trade. This isn't the kind of comic I might normally choose to read, but I'm glad I did in this instance. These four issues pulled me into this world Rucka has crafted — our world but not quite. This first arc gives us just the barest glimpse into how things work in this world, but it was enough to pull me in. I don't want to spoil any details for anyone who hasn't read Lazarus yet, so I'm kind of light on story specifics, I know. Suffice to say that there is a great deal of intrigue hinted at in these first four issues, and a very rich, complex series of relationships just within the handful of characters we are introduced to at the outset. Much, much more seems to be just under the surface. And I, for one, am looking forward to uncovering more of this world.

They Were This Close To Losing Me

Fantastic Four Vol. 2: Original Sin
Marvel Comics
James Robinson, writer
Leonard Kirk, Marc Laming, Karl Kesel, Rick Magyar and Scott Hanna, artists

I've always liked the concept of the Fantastic Four: it is a fun idea that these four individuals are more explorers than superheroes, and that above all else, they are a family. And I've read a lot of Fantastic Four stories over my collecting years that I have enjoyed quite a bit. But I've never owned and read a run that felt like the definitive FF to me.

I decided to try again when the title was relaunched early in 2014 with writer James Robinson at the helm. Robinson has produced some stories I have very much loved, but also some that have left me disinterested, so his run wasn't going to be a lock. In fact, I'd intended to sample his version of the FF in trades borrowed from the library, but then I found a good deal on the first two trades (issue Nos. 1-10) of Robinson's run and decided to gamble.

The first volume, The Fall of the Fantastic Four, didn't boost my confidence a great deal. I'd read enough advance solicitation information to already know that Robinson planned to take the team down to their lowest point before, I assume, building them back up. The road taken to do the dragging just seemed kind of long and not too inspired. I was getting bored with the story: Some beasties escape from Reed Richards' lab in the Baxter Building and commence terrorizing the good citizens of Manhattan. Eventually, the team devises a way to neutralize the threat, but not before the monsters do a great deal of damage to life and property. And then it occurs to the New York powers-that-be that maybe it isn't such a good idea for these four very well-known adventurers to live publicly in the heart of the city, keeping all manner of nasty weapons and crazy scientific inventions and other-dimensional portals and who-really-knows-what-all-else in what amounts to their back room.

So the FF are put on trial. And even their friend and ally, attorney Jennifer (She-Hulk) Walters, isn't able to defend them against most of the charges. Part of the problem with this first trade was how long the set-up drags on. But also, it becomes kind of obvious early on that someone — we don't yet know who — is manipulating events to turn public opinion and the justice system against the team, but none of the FF seem to catch on to this fact. And neither do their friends, many of whom have been victims of such a strategy before. No, they all complain about how unfair everything happening seems, but no one questions beyond that.

All of that changed with this second trade, which not only continues the downfall of the FF but also ties into a company-wide crossover event, Original Sin. I haven't read Original Sin, but the basic gist seems to be someone killed Uatu, the Watcher, and once he died, secrets he has learned from watching the Marvel Universe all these years become known to some people. In the case of the FF, Benjamin Grimm, aka the Thing, learns that one of Reed Richards' early attempts to cure him of his deformity is accidentally sabotaged by Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.

Maybe part of the reason I liked these issues better than the first five is the focus on the Thing, my favorite of the FF members, but this trade doesn't focus solely on him. There are also continuing troubles for the other three members of the team.

Best of all, we finally begin to see the FF not standing alone against all that is happening to them. The first to stand up against all of the "unfair" charges and accusations is Jim Hammond. For those not in the know, Jim Hammond is an android with the ability to burst into flame, which earned him some fame as the original Human Torch during World War II. Hammond fought Nazis alongside Captain America, Bucky, Namor and his own sidekick, Toro, in the original Invaders team. Being an android, Hammond could still be around, and has recently been reintroduced into the current Marvel Comics Universe as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Along with all of the other charges against the FF, Reed and Sue Richards are ruled unfit parents. Hammond's S.H.I.E.L.D. unit is put in charge of their son, Franklin Richards, and a number of other children Sue had been working with under the Future Foundation program. Hammond not only sees the injustices being heaped on the Fantastic Four, but refuses some orders pertaining to his new charges. In defending his actions to S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill, Hammond learns that she also recognizes the bizarre nature of the events surrounding the FF and is also suspicious of the motivations behind the trial and subsequent developments.

This still may not prove to be that definitive Fantastic Four story I was hoping for, but I'm a lot more interested in the story and where it's going after reading this second trade. In fact, I'm interested enough to order the third volume when it comes out so I can see where Robinson and crew are taking things. Can't say I felt that way after reading the first trade, and if I hadn't bought both books together, I likely would not have bought the second, which would have been a shame!

Will My Green Arrow Please Stand Up

Rather than a specific issue or story line, today I decided to talk about the wandering failure that the New 52 has wrought upon one of my favorite characters, Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen.

I first became aware of Green Arrow in the late 1970s and early 1980s when he participated in Justice League of America stories or his own solo adventures in World's Finest Comics. I missed out on the new "relevant" Green Lantern/Green Arrow series created by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams in the mid-1970s, but the new costume and personality these two creators gave to the Emerald Archer influenced his characterization for the next decade, at least, and the hero I was reading owed much to their work.

Going back and reading reprints of the O'Neil and Adams stories in 1983 is when I grew to really appreciate the character and come to see him as one of my favorites. That affection grew and was nurtured by the Green Arrow miniseries that same year by Mike W. Barr, Trevor von Eeden and Dick Giordano and was cemented by Mike Grell's fantastic Longbow Hunters series in 1987.

Having said that, I don't know why I didn't immediately pick up the Mike Grell ongoing Green Arrow series that followed Longbow Hunters. I swear, I really did love that series right from the start. At this point, I did have a local comic shop I frequented regularly for my comics, but I was not online much and hadn't even heard of Previews at the time, so maybe I simply wasn't aware of the existence of the ongoing for a while. Whatever the reason, I started in on that series about two years into the run reading forward each month as well as backward when I could find copies of the back issues I'd missed.

I was very sad to see Ollie killed off in No. 100 of that series, then being written by Chuck Dixon, and while he was a very different character, I enjoyed the adventures of Ollie's son, Connor Hawke, as the new Green Arrow. I'm not nearly as big a martial arts fan as Dixon seems to be, so some of the Connor GA stories were less to my liking than others, but I stayed with the series until it ended with issue No. 137.

After a few dark nearly-Green Arrow-less years, it was announced that Kevin Smith was going to bring Oliver Queen back from the dead in a relaunched Green Arrow title in 2001. Smith was joined by artist Phil Hester, and while I was less impressed with Hester's more cartoony art at the time, I was glad to have the character back. Smith left the title after 15 solid issues, and we were treated to one of novelist Brad Meltzer's first comics-writing turns with his excellent "The Archer's Quest"  and then after a few issues, Judd Winick took over the writing chores. Winick is one of those hit-or-miss writers to my tastes. I really like some of his books while others just leave me feeling meh. But he did a good job at the helm of Star City's resident bowman and stayed with the title for the remainder of this run and into the 2007 Green Arrow and Black Canary relaunch. That title had the added plus of fantastic art by first Cliff Chiang and then Mike Norton. The Green Arrow and Black Canary series finished its second half with excellent writer Andrew Kreisberg and then J.T. Krul on the final three Blackest Night and Cry For Justice tie-in issues.

All of that background is to show I have a history with the character, reading Green Arrow's adventures, and for the most part, enjoying most of the tales he is featured in. I don't agree with everything that happened in Justice League: Cry For Justice or the subsequent Fall of Green Arrow, but I liked both titles and could see Oliver acting and reacting the way he was portrayed in those stories. Less to my liking was the 15-issue Green Arrow: Brightest Day series where Oliver is all about his forest, but I think most of that series stemmed from editorial dictates and might not be where series writer Krul would have taken Oliver without the whole Brightest Day framework, which I liked with regards to other characters. I base this, in part, on the fact that another writer finished the final three issues of that series. I also haven't read Green Arrow: Brightest Day again since it was new; maybe my opinion of it would improve with a fresh look.

Then along comes the New 52, and everybody and everything is rebooted back to square one. Except Batman and Green Lantern, which were seeing a great deal of popular story lines already, so the rebooting wasn't quite so evenly distributed. But I was all set to accept a new, younger Oliver Queen as Green Arrow. A fresh start didn't have to mean disaster. And the first three issues of the New 52 Green Arrow were good with story by Krul and art by the incredible Dan Jurgens. Oliver has a bit of a team working behind the scenes to assist him, but subtracting a few years and changing up his costume were pretty cosmetic; I could still see this as the hero I liked, just a slightly different guy from a slightly different dimension or something.

The problem was, those three issues didn't last. Issue No. 4 saw a creative change to writer Keith Giffen, who was replaced by Jurgens by issue No. 6. Then we got Ann Nocenti, who's run on the title lasted until issue No. 16. But her run on the book was all about horn-dog Ollie who thought more with his groin than his brains. This guy wasn't really a hero so much as a screw-up. With each creative change, I liked the character less and less. And there seemed to be a lot of creative changes.

Jeff Lemire's run (issue Nos. 17-34) was very dark for my tastes and centered way too much on the mysticism of the various clans he introduced into Oliver's back story. Then elements from the CW television series "Arrow" started to creep into the book. Now, I've watched "Arrow" since the beginning, and I very much enjoy the show and Stephen Amell's portrayal of Oliver Queen. I'm very happy the show has lasted into a third season, and I'll be happy to see it continue for several more years. But it is the television version of Green Arrow. That guy exists in an equally valid, but alternate dimension from the guy I like to read about in the comics. Television and comics are two different media; they have different strengths and weaknesses, and I believe they are best served by different approaches. I love watching the TV show, but I don't want to read the TV show in my monthly Green Arrow comic.

So, why do I keep buying the monthly comic if I don't like what they're doing with the character and haven't for basically the last 30 issues? I guess that means I have more money than sense, but my wife would be quick to remind that we don't have that much money. So maybe I just don't have any sense. But the creative teams change on this title so often, every time I convince myself to just drop what I'm not enjoying, I think, "But wait, a new team and direction are coming next month; maybe it really will get better." Except so far, it hasn't.

I hope the comic will find its niche now that Andrew Kreisberg is back writing the character as I enjoyed his work on the title pre-New 52. But Kreisberg is also one of the producers of the CW televison series. I'm hopeful, but concerned as well. But I'm still buying the title each month hoping for the best. At least, for now ...

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If you enjoy reading this blog, you can get more by liking my page on Facebook and/or following me on Twitter. And of course, if you are looking for a good deal on some of the comics I am selling off to make room in our house, please check out my main Steve's Comics For Sale site or the StorEnvy version of the site.

Look At Me, Dropping A Title

Worlds' Finest No. 26
DC Comics
Paul Levitz, writer
Tyler Kirkham, Scott Kolins and Joe Weems, artists

I've enjoyed this title for 24 issues; former DC publisher Paul Levitz is a terrific writer, and he and his various artistic collaborators crafted fun, worlds-spanning adventures for his two heroines, one of which he created several decades ago.

Helena (Robin) Wayne and Kara (Supergirl) Zor-L were the secret weapons of an alternate reality Batman and Superman, respectively. These covert heroines aided the champions of the re-imagined Earth 2 in the New 52 continuity until Helena's father, Kara's cousin and Wonder Woman all fell at the hands of Darkseid's forces from Apokolips. While trying to avenge their fallen mentors, the girls were transported to the main New 52 earth.

True to their natures, the pair continued to fight for justice in this unfamiliar but strangely similar world while trying to find a way to return to their true home. Operating mostly under the radar of the new world's heroes, Helena became Huntress, and Kara assumed the name Power Girl. Huntress, created by Levitz as the daughter of Earth 2's Batman and Catwoman, has no super powers. Instead, she is expertly trained in deduction and fighting styles by her father and prefers to operate in the shadows. Power Girl, on the other hand, is much more outgoing and flamboyant, both in personality and habits. She adopts the public identity Karen Starr and begins to amass a fortune and scientific tech to help the pair find a way home. Despite having a public identity, Power Girl is much less concerned with hiding her costumed identity from those around her, much to Huntress' chagrin. Despite their differences, however, the two mesh well together, much like that other famous World's Finest team, Superman and Batman.

As much as I liked this title when it debuted as part of the New 52's second wave of titles, I quickly lost interest in Worlds' Finest's sister title, Earth 2, which chronicled events on the young women's home world in the absence of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. A new Alan Scott Green Lantern and Jay Garrick Flash joined established second-stringers like Hawkwoman and the Atom. Soon other heroes and menaces began to emerge. But the title differed too much from the previous incarnation of Earth 2 and the Justice Society to give me a true sense of nostalgia, and the writing and characterizations of the new versions of older heroes just didn't grab me on this title, despite Nicola Scott's always beautiful artwork. Since Huntress' and Power Girl's tales only impacted Earth 2 in flashbacks to their younger selves, it became easy to simply drop Earth 2.

Then came DC's latest wave of weekly series, all of which I opted to take a pass on. I am looking forward to the skip month Convergence titles that will be solicited while DC moves its real world offices from the east to west coast in a few months, and if need be to follow that series, I might pick up titles like Future's End and Worlds' End later on in trade form. But the concept behind neither of these titles seemed to have an impact on my favorite characters when they were announced. Then later, when it became obvious that they would at least impact heavily on Earth 2 and Worlds' Finest, I still didn't care; I'd already dropped Earth 2, and it began to look like Huntress and Power Girl would return to Earth 2 before long. Since I was no longer following the main Earth 2 title, I began to contemplate dropping Worlds' Finest when the two linked back up. And sure enough, the story presented in Worlds' Finest No. 25 and this issue do in fact bring the pair back to their own world, and I just didn't care for the story as much as before, likely because I was no longer following events on that world.

Most times when a title undergoes a major change in direction, creative teams or story lines, companies promote it as a perfect jumping on point for new readers. Equally valid, though, is the fact that most natural jumping on points also make very nice jumping off points, too. I've enjoyed these two heroines' adventures in a strange world while they tried to find their way back home. Well, now they are home, and while things are not like they remembered on their world, I've still seen them safely home and enjoyed the ride along the way. Unless something unforeseen happens to once again grab my attention, Helena and Kara are on their own again. They'll be fine; they've proven they can handle themselves.

(Now if only I could convince myself to just give up on the damn New 52 Green Arrow title, but more on that later.)

Pricey, Oh So Pricey, But Still Good

Star Trek: New Visions No. 2: "Time's Echo"
IDW Publishing
John Byrne, writer and photomontage assembler

This is another modern photonovel dreamed up and brought to reality by John Byrne using existing footage and stills from the original "Star Trek" series to create a brand new adventure of the Enterprise crew. Byrne has proven in a number of past comics under the IDW Trek banner that he gets these characters and their respective voices. So far, he has completed three of these photonovel projects and each one feels just like a lost episode of the popular sci-fi series.

This issue finds the Enterprise crew summoned to investigate a 1,000-year-old distress call apparently made by James T. Kirk himself. That story is engaging enough by itself, if a bit predictable in places, but this second regular issue of New Visions also includes a small backup story that gives an in-story reason for the departure of Yoeman Janice Rand from the series.

I wish these volumes didn't carry such a hefty price tag. The first, trial photonovel, "Strange New Worlds," solicited as a special Star Trek Annual, along with each of these first two New Visions issues have carried a suggested retail price of $7.99 for 48 square-bound pages and heavier cardstock covers. I image at least a portion of that price includes some royalties for the use of the stock images, and I also imagine the creation of these volumes is pretty labor intensive, selecting and cropping all of the various raw images into a cohesive narrative. I get all that. And I am enjoying the finished products quite a bit so far. But $8 for these books still seems a little steep for most people's budgets, so I don't know how long this series will be able to continue.

They Reeled Me In; I'm Hooked!

Locke & Key Vols. 2 & 3: Head Games/Crown of Shadows hardcovers
IDW Publishing
Joe Hill, writer
Gabriel Rodriguez, artist

I've previously talked about finally trying the first volume in this series and very much enjoying it. That first volume held a great deal of peril for the Locke family — dad Rendell, mom Nina, uncle Duncan and children Tyler, Kinsey and Bode. After a home invasion on the west coast, the family moved to Lovecraft, Maine, and the Locke family home, a mysterious old house with many mysterious doors, even more mysterious keys, and no small amount of secrets. The Locke children were just beginning to scratch the surface of the house's secrets when one of the home invaders followed them east to their new home.

The second volume in this excellent horror series opens where the first volume left off, but quickly expands the threat beyond the Locke family to many other residents of Lovecraft. Events in the first volume gave a restless spirit a great deal of freedom of movement about both the Locke household and the town of Lovecraft. But as someone who had roamed the town before, "Zack" runs into a few people who recognize him from his previous life as "Dodge." Then it's just a matter of turning them into pawns in his search for one particular key or eliminating the threat they possess in a more final manner.

While "Zack" makes friends with the Locke children in hopes of finding the elusive Omega Key, Bode stumbles across another key in the house that doesn't seem to fit into any of the door locks. This puzzles the youngster until a conversation with his Uncle Duncan reveals something strange — what appears to be a keyhole at the base of Duncan's head!

The discovery of the Head Key reveals a number of new surprises for the Locke family; unfortunately, they share that secret with their new friend, "Zack," who steals the Head Key and uses it for his own purposes, much as he does with the previously discovered Anywhere, Gender and Ghost keys.

Both volumes 2 and 3 of this series give insights into the history of "Zack" and his previous life as "Dodge," growing up alongside Rendell Locke and some of the now-adult residents of Lovecraft. And while the current Locke children do not know it yet, they are obviously in a race with "Zack" to see who will first find and unlock the secrets of the Omega Key.

After reading half of this series in borrowed hardcover volumes from the library, I am hooked enough that I again went in search of affordable copies to buy and own the series. As luck would have it, I came across a new, slipcase edition of all six Locke & Key volumes in trade paperback format, and decided to go ahead and order the series for myself. At $60, it carries a hefty price tag, but that's cheaper than buying each volume separately likely would have been. And based on what I've read so far, well worth the investment!

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If you enjoy reading this blog, you can get more by liking my page on Facebook and/or following me on Twitter. And of course, if you are looking for a good deal on some of the comics I am selling off to make room in our house, please check out my main Steve's Comics For Sale site or the StorEnvy version of the site.

Getting A New Lease On Life (In My Collection)

Green Lantern: Rebirth 1-6 (2005)
DC Comics
Geoff Johns, writer
Ethan Van Sciver and Prentis Rollins, artists

Getting back to actual comics this time out, today's subject was a surprise for me. I don't mean I'd never read this miniseries before; I read it when it came out. But these issues had been placed on the "sell" pile as part of my ongoing effort to winnow down my collection. I remembered liking the story that returned Hal Jordan to Green Lantern prominence, but Hal isn't one of the core characters I intend to keep following on a monthly basis. I've previously discussed how just because I'm selling an issue does NOT mean I did not like it; rather, I am selling off quite a few comics I liked very much. Again, I just don't have the space to continue to keep the thousands of comics I own(ed).

So there I was, taking some time to scan cover images prior to adding issues to my site of comics to sell, when I came to the cover of Green Lantern: Rebirth No. 4 and noticed Green Arrow on the cover. "Oh yeah, Ollie made an appearance in this series, didn't he," I thought to myself, and flipped the book open while issue No. 3 was still being scanned. Low and behold, issue No. 4 opens in the middle of a scene with Ollie in it that is obviously continued from the previous installment.

Now, Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen, IS one of the characters I have a pretty extensive collection of and plan to continue with, although his personal New 52 reboot has been pretty hit-and-miss so far for me. I hadn't remembered that Ollie had such a presence in this story arc, but flipping through issues 3 and 4 made me decide to re-examine the series more closely before putting it up for sale. Upon rereading Rebirth, it is clear that this is primarily a Green Lantern story, as expected. First and foremost, it is a Hal Jordan story. It is also a pretty important story for the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. And while it is not a critical piece of Green Arrow history, his involvement in the story is a pretty major one. But what finally made me decide to put this series back into my collection to keep is how key this story is to the overall DCU.

Many members of the Justice League and Justice Society play roles in this story and several other heroes from across the DCU have cameos. And while the exact nature of what is to come is not revealed in this story, seeds planted here play a major role in the Sinestro Corps War, then Blackest Night and finally Brightest Day, other series that affect the greater DCU and that I intend to hold onto.

One development in particular — the changing relationship between the restored Hal Jordan and Batman — begins in this series and is continued in a number of places including early issues of the 2007 relaunch of The Brave and the Bold, another favorite series I am holding onto. I'm not a fan of Batman never getting along with anyone, ever. But as one of the few non-powered members of an elite fighting team, I think the Dark Knight would have a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to a former comrade turned rogue announcing that he is "all better now." True to that characterization, Batman was slow to trust Hal Jordan again after the whole Parallax episode, and that begins right here.

Is this series without flaws? No, it's not perfect. But as I've come to expect from a Geoff Johns-penned story, it is a good read that takes you on an emotional roller coaster and plays up many key aspects from what has gone before as a treat for long-time readers while still being accessible to newer fans. And while I don't care for Ethan Van Sciver's interpretations of a handful of characters, by and large, his work on these larger, "epic" story lines is very pretty to look at and pulls a reader into the story quite nicely.

As I'm going back through my collection of comics, I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do with most of them. There might be a few I wish to reread one last time before selling them, but in the end, they will still be sold. Space in our house is a finite commodity, and now that we've added a third person, albeit a small one, my share of that space is shrinking. But there have been a few that will catch my eye as I work my way through characters and titles that will grab me and make me question my initial judgment. This was one of those stories. Check it out for yourself and see if you agree.

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If you enjoy reading this blog, you can get more by liking my page on Facebook and/or following me on Twitter. And of course, if you are looking for a good deal on some of the comics I am selling off to make room in our house, please check out my main Steve's Comics For Sale site or the StorEnvy version of the site.

Once More Unto The Breach

The Comic Book Podcast Companion (2009)
TwoMorrows Publishing
Eric Houston, writer

Another prose volume discussed in another short post this week, but this was another great find.

I first mentioned my interest in podcasts, particularly comics-themed podcasts, a while back. I started with Word Balloon posts through Newsarama, and my appreciation grew from there. For a few of my favorites, you need look no further than the listing to the left.

It's hard to imagine too many fans who aren't already familiar with podcasts. But my own interest is only a few years old at this time, and new fans discover the joy of graphic literature all the time (I hope), so the topic bears another hashing, and this tome gives me the excuse.

Eric Houston explores the world of podcasting by interviewing the creators of several popular shows. They discuss how they got into podcasting, how they go about producing their shows, and what they think of the state of comics in general. Along the way, there are also some creator interviews, reflecting the penchant for comics podcasters to frequently interview creators. And there's plenty of art, putting faces to many of the familiar voices of podcasting.

I found the book an interesting look behind the scenes of some of my favorite shows and also found a few new shows to try. I borrowed this book from the library as it didn't seem like something I would return to again and again. Still, I'm glad I checked it out, and freely recommend it to any of you who haven't already given it a try.

Who Knew Ultimate Evil Could Be So Good

Batman: The Ultimate Evil prose novel (1995)
Aspect/Warner Books
Andrew Vachss, writer

This isn't your typical Batman story, but it is a very good read. The ultimate evil in the title refers to child abuse and the use of children in human trafficking and the international sex trade, so it's not light fare for younger readers.But if you're a fan of the character, this novel is well worth seeking out.

I've also read "The Further Adventures of the Batman," an anthology of Dark Knight prose stories written by a number of authors not known for tackling superheroes before. The book first came out around the time of the 1989 Tim Burton-Michael Keaton "Batman" film and was popular enough to have a number of sequels spotlighting Batman, the Joker, Superman and Wonder Woman. All of the contributors to these anthologies were well-respected, previously published authors, and most of the tales offered some unique takes on the characters presented. Some handled the superheroics better than others, though.

In this book, Andrew Vachss handles the superhero genre like a pro, keeping a number of the Batman's signature tropes — things like the Batcave, the Batmobile, Batarangs, his stick-to-the-shadows motif, his keen, analytical mind, among others — but also uses the best aspects of prose fiction to craft a Batman that feels unique while familiar at the same time. And Vachss makes the Dark Knight's mission in this novel all the more personal by tying child abuse and child prostitution into the very origins of the Batman in a way that adds depth but doesn't disrespect anything that has been done before with the character.

I don't want to reveal specifics and spoil too much for anyone who hasn't read this book before. But I stress again that this book is well worth seeking out for any fan of the character.

Six Degrees Of Kate Spencer

Manhunter 1-38 (2004-08)
DC Comics
Marc Andreyko, writer
Jesus Saiz, Javier Pina, Brad Walker and Michael Gaydos, artists

This series revolves around federal prosecutor Kate Spencer and her growing sense of frustration as juries fail to convict powered criminals based on a variety of technicalities. For instance, in the first issue, Kate is prosecuting Copperhead, a mutated snake-like villain, suspected in a string of multiple, recent homicides. The jury finds him not guilty because of his mutation, a condition his defense attorney argues compelled him to kill and over which Copperhead has no control.

Finally deciding she has had enough, Kate sneaks into a police evidence lockup and removes a number of items she uses to fashion a superhero costume and arm herself. Kate then takes to the streets in pursuit of Copperhead, who escaped from custody following his trial. Kate is able to follow the trail of blood Copperhead has left behind, and after a touch-and-go battle, manages to deliver some justice on behalf of the villain's victims.

The rush from her first outing convinces Kate to hang onto her new gear, and she adopts the costumed identity of Manhunter. And all of that is just the first issue!

I followed Manhunter as it came out and really enjoyed the tone Marc Andreyko brought to the title. If you were reading comics at the time, you've probably heard of the title before as almost any of the podcasts and reviewers I followed then talked the series up at every opportunity. Despite the positive word-of-mouth, the title seemed to always be on the verge of cancellation. In fact, it was canceled at least twice, only to be resurrected through fan outcry before its final cancellation with issue No. 38.

Part of the appeal of the book was the supporting cast helping to make Kate a more rounded, engaging character. Most superhero books have their recurring characters beyond the main hero or heroine. But Kate had a family around her.

First and foremost was Kate's son, 6-year-old Ramsey. Kate shares custody of Ramsey with her ex, Peter Robinson, an author. Peter isn't in the book as much, but does make some pretty major appearances and enjoys primary custody of Ramsey. So Kate only has occasional time with her son, but he's a pretty precocious kid who quickly stumbles upon his mother's costume stash.

Readers were later introduced to more of Kate's family members, many of whom served to further complicate her life. For instance, her estranged father comes back into the picture midway through the run of the title, and in addition to having some inherent powers of his own, he is not a nice man. That leads to the introduction to the series of a couple golden-age DC characters who just happen to be Kate's grandparents. But I won't spoil that surprise any more than I already have.

The second major supporting player in Kate's life was Dylan Battles. Dylan is a reformed henchman who has previously worked for such infamous characters as Queen Bee, Two-Face, Killer Frost, Black Manta — even the Joker at one point. Dylan has since testified against many of his former "employers" and is now a part of the witness protection program. Kate runs across him accidentally early in the series then tracks him down when her energy staff is damaged in battle with the Shadow Thief. It seems Dylan was in such demand from all of these villains because of his tech-savvy. So Kate blackmails Dylan into helping keep her gear in working order and upgrading her suit's various capabilities.

Let's talk about Kate's suit a little bit. As I mentioned previously, Kate pieced together her outfit and weapons from a police evidence lockup, so she has a bit of a mish-mash of items. For instance, her power staff was once used by a previous Manhunter, Mark Shaw, who also makes a number of appearances later in the series. Kate must have known the staff's history, and that helped lead her to her chosen hero identity. The suit itself is a former Darkstar outfit; the Darkstars were a band of space cops much like the Green Lantern Corps and were featured in a 39-issue series in the mid-1990s. Added to the Darkstar outfit, Kate wears some armored gauntlets that feature distinctively sharp fingertip claws. These gauntlets were part of the Batman costume worn by Azrael during the time he assumed the mantle of the bat from Bruce Wayne. For more on the Azrael-Batman, check out the mid-90s "Knightfall" story line in the Bat titles. And for more on how all of these various items ended up in that evidence room, check out Manhunter No. 15.

Need more name dropping? Kate's co-counsel throughout the run of the book is a man named Damon Matthews. Damon is a great character in his own right, but if you haven't read Manhunter, his name probably means nothing to you. But during the series, Damon meets and begins dating Todd Rice, also known as Obsidian, super-powered son of the golden-age Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Both Todd and his heroic alter ego make several appearances in the pages of Manhunter.

There are more ties to the greater DC Universe. Kate went to college with Cameron Chase, the title character in a short-lived series in 1998. Chase was a special agent with the Department of Extranormal Operations in DC continuity. In her own 10-issue title, Chase learned that her father was a little-known superhero, Acro-Bat, killed by a member of his rogue's gallery. That same villain, Dr. Trapp, had kidnapped Chase when she was younger. In Manhunter, Kate comes to the attention of the DEO, and Chase becomes a regular recurring character, continuing her story.

Speaking of the DEO, elsewhere in DC continuity, it was established that Mr. Bones, a character with convoluted ties to the superhero group Infinity Inc., assumed the role of director of the government agency and is Chase's boss. During the "One Year Later" jump all DC titles made in 2006, Manhunter began doing some work directly for the DEO, and Bones became another recurring character in the series. On Bones' order, Kate switches jobs during the "One Year Later" jump and becomes a defense attorney, taking a number of cases referred to her by the DEO.

Once she switched to being a defense attorney instead of a prosecutor, Kate came to the attention of Wonder Woman. Diana needed a defense attorney when international officials charged the Amazon with the murder of Maxwell Lord, leader of Checkmate. Diana snapped Lord's neck in the "Sacrifice" story line that preceded Infinite Crisis.

Still not enough to establish Manhunter firmly in the DCU for you? Other connections to the wider DC Universe passing through the pages of Kate's series include the Crime Doctor, Phobia, Dr. Psycho, the Suicide Squad, Batman, the Birds of Prey, Blue Beetle and several members of the Justice Society and Justice League, just to name a few. Some of these might have been cameos engineered to boost sales along the way, but Andreyko always made the guest appearances spring very organically from ongoing plots and story lines. He seems to have a talent for that kind of thing, making his creation, Manhunter, very tied into the DCU.

Keeping Up With Family Traditions

Locke & Key Vol. 1 hardcover: Welcome to Lovecraft (2008)
IDW Publishing
Joe Hill, writer
Gabriel Rodriguez, artist

This book has been around for a while, but it wasn't even on my radar when it debuted in 2008. I'd later heard some good things about the title without ever learning much about the plot beyond the fact that it was a horror series. That I'd already kind of suspected from the subtitle of the first story arc.

I enjoy horror movies — not gore-fests, mind you, but really good scary, suspenseful pieces — but I've read a few horror comics that just didn't seem to work. That generalized rule only made it better when I happened to find a comic horror series that I felt genuinely DID work. Sorrow from Image Comics, Skinwalker from Oni Press and Rachel Rising from Abstract Studios would be some examples of some good, scary comics stories I've tried and really enjoyed. But they continue to be the exception, not the rule, from my own experience.

Enter a friend of my wife's from her college days, Todd. She thought he and I shared some broad interests in sci-fi, television and comics, and introduced me to him through his blog several years ago. One of the comics that he talked up quite a bit was Locke & Key, which I learned from him was a series of limited series — six of them to date with a seventh in the works. Based on how much Todd liked the series and talked it up, I finally added it to my list of things to try at some point. For several more years, however, there was always something I wanted more or could get a little cheaper when placing orders or going shopping.

That is, until I decided to start getting serious about getting some of my books, especially things I was trying out to see how much interest I'd really have, from the library instead of the store.

Well, I recently asked our local librarian — a very nice lady named Charlotte — to request the first Locke & Key trade via interlibrary loan, and she came through with the hardcover version of the book. Man, am I glad I finally tried this series! I have to say, this first volume is so good, I was tempted to just buy an entire set of trades to read the rest. I like it that much. Well, that is until I did some quick web-surfing and found that bargain hunting this series would take a while. There are plenty of the books for sale, but most of them carry a pretty hefty price tag, even for used copies. So, I've decided to stick with the library for now, but if future volumes continue to be this good, I may be tempted to start looking to buy again.

The story starts out on the west coast where the Locke family lives. There's the father, Rendell Locke, a high school guidance counselor; his wife, Nina; and their three children, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode. Tyler and Kinsey are high-schoolers; Bode is in elementary school. But after Mr. Locke is killed during a home invasion, the family packs up and moves to the Locke family home, currently occupied by the kids' Uncle Duncan, in Lovecraft, Maine.

That family home is a sprawling structure with a rather large number of rooms and doors, many of them with their own keys — hence the second half of the series' title. Hints are dropped along the way that the house may have a supernatural aspect. Rendell and Duncan have long told the children about their own childhood in Lovecraft and the fantastical adventures they shared there, doorways that led to far-away places and mystical lands. The two adult brothers tell the stories as remembered play, but the stories have the air of more truth just beneath the surface.

Bode is the first of the next generation of Locke children to uncover some of the property's secrets. First, he finds a locked well house with a rather unusual echo. Shortly afterward, while exploring the house itself, Bode makes another discovery: "I found a secret door and when you go thru you turn into a gowst. It's fun to be a ded persin," he writes for a school project.

Before long, other family members discover strange things about their new home. But before they can learn much, they must contend with another danger: the young man who killed Rendell Locke has escaped from prison and is making his way across the country, tracking the family's movements east.

Joe Hill has crafted a very engaging narrative with characters a reader can connect with easily. This feels like a satisfying chunk of story while still being Hill's opening salvo only. There is still much more to learn from the Locke house, and I fear, much more for this family to endure.

And Gabriel Rodriguez's artwork is clear and easy to follow. Despite some of the graphic violence in the story itself, Rodriguez does not illustrate too much gore. He doesn't shy away from showing the violence at times, but I never had an issue with feeling like the depictions were overly graphic.

In case you couldn't tell already, I say give this book a try if you haven't already!

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Side note: It wasn't planned this way, but Locke & Key makes for a nice Halloween week post. But just in case the spookiness in this title isn't enough to put you in the Halloween mood, then check out this Monster Pin Up Girls kickstarter project I came across last week. There's still time to back the project, so give it a look.

Pass The Popcorn; I'm Ready To Watch

Velvet 6
Image Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Steve Epting, artist

Another short post today. I've praised this series before, and it continues to be a solid read.

Ed Brubaker is crafting an intriguing story about a former spy who re-enters the game after one of her colleagues turns up dead. Complicating her search for answers, Velvet Pendleton quickly finds herself framed for the murder she is trying to investigate. And along the way, she is finding out that much of her life has revolved around lies she never suspected as untrue before. It is a story that I was quickly sucked into and am thoroughly enjoying.

Add to that Steve Epting's wonderful, cinematic art, and this series is like watching a favorite old action movie for the very first time.

In fact, my only real complaint about this title to date has been the lag between this issue and the previous one. This title seems to be following the Image trend of taking a break from the single issues during the month that a new trade comes out. If it gives the creative team a break, that's great; but I want my Velvet every month, if possible.

Well Done, Good Sirs

Star Trek Special: Flesh and Stone
IDW Publishing
Scott and David Tipton, writers
Sharp Brothers, artists

 
I don't have a whole lot to say about this "Star Trek" one-shot, but wanted to take a post to extend my kudos to the creative team all around for not taking the easy way out with this story. Of course, why even do the darn thing if you're not planning to "do it right."

This was solicited as a "Star Trek" special that incorporated all of the doctors from every incarnation of Trek television program ever aired. (Technically, they didn't include Dr. Mark Piper from the second Original Series pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," or Dr. Philip Boyce from the first Original Series pilot, "The Cage," but since neither of those gentlemen appeared for more than one episode, I have no problem with glossing over them.)

I fully expected the special to take place in the era that would allow the easiest access to the most Trek doctors. The "Next Generation," "Deep Space 9" and "Voyager" television programs all happened around the same time frame, so Drs. Beverly Crusher and Katherine Pulaski (TNG) were contemporaries of Dr. Julian Bashir (DS9) and the Emergency Medical Hologram program that gained sentience while serving on the lost Voyager.

The problem would be including Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy from the original series. McCoy is shown briefly in the first episode of "The Next Generation" hitching a ride aboard the latest version of the Enterprise, but he is at that time an honorary admiral and 137 years old. I expected the main medical problem that brings together the other contemporary docs in this story would force that team to turn to some notes or case files left behind from the now-deceased McCoy.

That's close to what happens, but these guys not only found an even better way to incorporate McCoy into the medical mystery threatening the entire Federation, but they also used that clever ploy to include Dr. Phlox, the ship's physician from "Enterprise," the "Star Trek" prequel, which I had completely forgotten about when anticipating this one-shot. (Slams his forehead with the heel of his hand while saying, "D'oh!") No, I'm not going to tell you how the Tiptons and Sharps pulled it off; I'll just say again that I was pleasantly surprised by their solution and encourage you to read the issue for yourselves. It's not like you have to invest in a 20-issue epic to find out.

My only complaint, and its a minor one, with the issue is once the medical mystery is solved, there is still a bit of detective work left to do, the final resolution of which feels a bit rushed — particularly a single sequence of panels near the end where a button is pushed. One can assume what happened from the artwork, and maybe this was a production error or something, but there is no dialogue in the panel where the button is pushed or labels on the buttons or anything else to directly clue readers in to what is being done by the pushing of that button. Again, I can make a pretty good assumption from the next panels, but some more visual direction would have been nice.

Overall, a good issue though, and one I recommend to fans of Trek.

I Admit I Continue To Be Curious

Teen Titans 1
DC Comics
Will Pfeifer, writer
Kenneth Rocafort, artist

I grew up with the members of The New Teen Titans in the 1980s. I don't pretend that I followed the team in their Silver Age incarnation (1966-1978), although I have since read and enjoyed most of those issues. I wasn't even on board in 1980 when the New team debuted in DC Comics Presents No. 26 between the pages of a Superman/Green Lantern tale. But I discovered the title in 1983 in a story I've told here before and followed the title going both forward and backward, eventually collecting the entire run.

I decided to try the next incarnation of the team (1996-98) led by a de-aged Ray Palmer Atom when Dan Jurgens relaunched the title shortly after Zero Hour, and I enjoyed the new characters he introduced to the team name, although in all honesty, my favorite issues were the later ones when the original team members came back into the narrative.

I liked even more when Geoff Johns relaunched the title (2003-2011) with the next generation of Teen Titans. A big part of the appeal of that version was the continuity that was established with the formation of Young Justice, and then those characters' "graduation" to the name Teen Titans, while the original group members dropped the no-longer-accurate modifier and became just the Titans for a couple more iterations.

But I dropped out when the New 52 came along. One of the goals of the relaunch was to shake things up and draw in new readers. Teen Titans was one of the titles that changed the most. Despite some early confusion, the entire history of the group was jettisoned, and the personalities of the existing characters were changed pretty drastically along with bringing in a number of newer characters. I'm not going to say the title after the makeover was bad, but I'd lost my connection to the characters and thus, the title.

Then, a few months ago, I reread the H.E.R.O. series from DC written by Will Pfeifer. Not long before that, I'd reread his fantastic run on Catwoman. After both those titles, I decided to give the fresh relaunch of the New 52 version of Teen Titans a try with Pfeifer at the helm. It's too soon to know much about the direction of Pfeifer's run with only one issue under my belt, but he does have me curious.

As far as I know, not having read more than an issue or two of the previous series, it seems that Pfeifer has elected not to drastically reboot the team again to start his run. I know some of the names, but that is about it with the members of the team so far. But in this age where real teens' lives are consumed by electronic devices, Pfeifer has chosen to make said devices a commanding presence in his story — the Titans use social media and electronic gadgetry to communicate with each other as they take down a group of terrorists holding a school bus of students hostage. Bystanders on the street also record many of the events using their own cellphones and tablets. It even seems that the leader of the terror group is using tech-savvy to lead and control his or her own minions (the lead villain's gender wasn't clear to me from the art, but I think the character was referred to as "she" once).

While I'm not familiar with the revamped history of older characters like Beast Boy, Red Robin, Raven and Wonder Girl or the back story for New 52 newcomer Bunker, I liked what I read in this issue. And Kenneth Rocafort's art, while not always to my liking, works in many scenes of this book. I'm sticking around for more before passing any kind of final judgment, but I'm sticking around.