Comic Book Reviews May 6th, 2013

I've been catching up on my comic book reading for the past couple of weeks, and thought it was time to post a few reviews. We're doing two titles I've mentioned here before, and all three are from DC Comics' current "New 52" continuity.

All Star Western could for the most part have been part of the old DC Universe with only a few tweaks. It is quite possibly one of the top five books being published today. The writing is excellent and the artwork is perfect for the time period. Bounty hunter Jonah Hex has starred in the first nineteen issues, in stories set primarily in 1880's Gotham City, with Dr. Amadeus Arkham, the person who would found the legendary Arkham Asylum, along for the ride. The title features a back-up story set in the same era, highlighting western characters such as El Diablo, the Barbary Ghost, and Bat Lash, as well as a new version of Tomahawk, Dr. Thirteen and an early version of Stormwatch. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have captured the essence of the era perfectly in this series. All Star Western is a series that belongs on everyone's comic pull list.

The biggest disappointment in the "New 52" for me so far has been Justice League. This book is supposed to be the flagship title of the company, but it comes off as the same-old, same-old. We've seen almost all of these stories before, in one form or another, and the original iterations were much better. The artwork, yes, it's pretty darn good. Jim Lee is the only real original Image graduate that actually improved since those halcyon days of artists who cared little for human anatomy. But the book is severely lacking. The Justice League always seems to be bit players in someone else's story. From the hackneyed origin story with Darkseid to bring Cyborg into the JL fold, to the "Throne of Atlantis" storyline, and the current one, which portends to be a retelling of "Tower of Babel" and the Justice League: Doom animated feature, I find myself not caring about any of these characters. Superman and Wonder Woman getting friendly? Yawn. Batman being nosy and underhanded. Ho-hum. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. How about having these people act like heroes again, rather than bit players in other sagas or spoiled brats?

Finally we have The Movement, written by fan favorite Gail Simone, noted for stints on Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and several other popular titles. This book is set in Coral City, a previously unknown municipality in the DC Universe. There's a lot of corrupt cops, one cop trying to do his best, a possibly possessed young man who's a serial killer and a bunch of young metahumans. What there isn't is a cohesive story. I've only read the first issue, but nothing in it makes me want to leave the house to look for the second. I have no empathy for anyone in this story. I've read some of Simone's Batgirl issues, and they made sense and were entertaining. If this is how she writes when creating her own characters, then she should stick to established ones. Freddie Williams III provides some interesting art, very reminiscent, at least to me, of some of the art on Rachel Pollack's Doom Patrol run. But it's not interesting enough to shell out money for the next issue.

I'd have to say that, right now, The Movement is the absolute nadir of the "New 52" imprint, even topping Liefeld's Hawk and Dove for that honor.

I'm so proud of myself for not making any obvious puns on the name of that last book.  Next time around, some of the "Marvel Now!" titles, including Dark Avengers, Indestructible Hulk, and Savage Wolverine.

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Movie Review: Justice League: Doom

Since The Avengers movie seems to be the big thing right now, and since I detest actually going to the theatre nowadays (fat ass + narrow seats = uncomfortable), I thought I'd watch and review another recent super-hero flick: Justice League: Doom.

This is the latest in the DC Universe animated movies, and like most of the recent ones, is only related to any of the others on unique tangents and cameos. The whole series is basically an offshoot of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, the popular animated series on Cartoon Network. There are bits and pieces of iconography from that series all over the place, but this tale is really a combination homage to two things: Challenge of the Super Friends and Mark Waid's legendary JLA story "Tower of Babel". 

The "Doom" of the title is the Legion of Doom, named after Lex Luthor's halfwit team from the Super Friends cartoon. This time, however, it is led by Vandal Savage, the immortal villain. A modern version of Cheetah is the only holdover from that team, which features Metallo, Bane, Ma'alefa'ak, Star Sapphire and Mirror Master as the arch-enemies of each Leaguer. 

As a nod toward the recent "New 52" revamp, former Teen Titan Cyborg is thrown into the mix. A good chunk of the story is a variation on a plot line in "Tower of Babel": The Batman has contingency plans to neutralize each member of the Justice League, should such a thing become necessary. The aftermath of a staged robbery by the Royal Flush Gang affords Mirror Master the opportunity to get into the Bat-Cave and steal those plans, which Vandal Savage modifies into death traps for each member of the League (which are not the same as in the original story). 

While in "Tower of Babel", Ra's Al Ghul destroyed the most basic of communication abilities in all over the planet. Vandal Savage plans to ignite a solar flare that will devastate half the planet, with him and his Legion of Doom becoming masters of the survivors. 

This movie was as action-packed as most of the other major entries in the DCU Animated line. There's a lot of the same character design work as the previous Justice League movie, Crisis on Two Earths, but the movie isn't directly related to that. There's not a lot of backstory that a viewer needs to know to jump right in and enjoy this great movie. 

If I had to rate this flick on a ten-point scale, I'd easily give it an 8. I think it is a good segue for anyone interesting in the Justice League and perhaps interested in looking at the New 52 comic line. Mind you, the Justice League comic book is a pale shade of most of the other titles, it is still probably the most accessible due to all the familiar faces.

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The Golden Age of Radio: 1,001 Trivia Questions about Old-Time Radio
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by Rich Meyer

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The well-known and the very obscure are featured throughout this quiz book, which is easy to navigate and can be used by the neophyte fan and the seasoned listener alike. The shows in this quiz book cover the entire span of radio performances, from the very first in the 1920s to modern programs in the eighties and nineties, and from soap operas to musical programs to news shows and quiz programs.

This book is now in a DRM (Digital Rights Management)-Free version for your convenience! Now you can convert the book to be able to read it on any platform or e-reader you like!

Book Review: Showcase Presents Metamorpho

Like a lot of folks, the first volume I purchased in DC Comics' trade paperback reprint series Showcase Presents was the first Superman book, since I saw it at the bookstore (back when we had one in this county) for only $9.99.  That was a pretty good book, so I went looking on Amazon.com for others, and the next one I snagged featured nearly all the sixties' appearances of one of my favorite super-heroes: Metamorpho the Element Man.

Metamorpho was part of a metaphorical second wave of creative endeavors that flourished in the Silver Age of comics over at DC Comics. The first wave had such luminaries as the Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, Hawkman, and the Challengers of the Unknown joining the DC universe. I've always thought Metamorpho heralded second wave of heroes, along with the likes of the Metal Men and the Doom Patrol.

For those unfamiliar with the character, Rex Mason was a soldier-of-fortune who delighted in taking the money of entrepreneur Simon Stagg and then showing him up, all the while romancing Stagg's beautiful daughter Sapphire. Stagg and his musclebound henchman Java (a formerly petrified caveman) got their revenge by trapping Mason in an Egyptian pyramid. Inside, Rex was exposed to the radiation of a strange meteor, which changed him into the freakish-looking Element Man. Because of his love for Sapphire, he could wreak vengeance on Stagg, but continued to work for him while the man supposedly tried to find a cure for Rex's condition.

The series was created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon and Metamorpho's first two adventures were really the only stories to interrupt the long-run of team-ups in the pages of The Brave and the Bold (the team-up format ran from issues #50 to #200). This book reprints those two stories, along with his next two appearances in the title, with the Metal Men and Batman. The rest of the book is devoted to Metamorpho's seventeen-issue comic book, along with his pivotal appearance in Justice League of America #42, in which he became the first hero to turn down membership in that elite organization.

The artwork is primarily done by Ramona Fradon, a rare and talented female comic creator of the era. She had a very comical, almost cartoony style that fit in well with the camp-edged environment of sixties' comic books. Joe Orlando and Sal Trapani also take turns at the artistic helm, as does comic legend Mike Sekowsky in the team-up with Batman and the JLA story.

The stories are typical sixties' DC fare. You can really feel for Rex's predicament in the early stories, but can see him gradually get accustomed to his new abilities. The tales have just the right amount of angst-to-action. The last few tales have Rex being joined by Element Girl, his female counterpart. Element Girl went on to a much more glorious fate at the hands of Neil Gaiman's Death in the pages of the award-winning Sandman in the late eighties.

Metamorpho hasn't yet appeared in the "New 52" continuity of modern DC Comics, at least to my knowledge. Hopefully they won't completely revamp Rex Mason beyond the point of recognition when he does make that first fateful appearance.  Showcase Presents Metamorpho is a good reprint volume and a fun read for any comic fan of the Silver Age who enjoys good, reliable story telling with just a hint of comedy.

Book Review: The Official Batman Batbook

There are a lot of books out there on classic television shows nowadays, but few of them are as informative as Joel Eisner's The Official Batman Batbook. There are also few that come off as such a labor of love as this little tome.

As you might guess from the cover, this book covers the heyday of camp TV that was the Batman television show, starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the iconic Dynamic Duo. It details all three seasons of the show, along with the 1966 Batman movie.

Each two-part storyline (at least for the first season) is covered in detail in terms of plot, guest-stars, background information and even a list of Bat-Equipment used in each show. There are loads of photos in both black-and-white and color, and even a list of all the sound effects that were flashed on the screen during the fight scenes. You'll also find an exacting list of every "Holy __, Batman!" utterance the Boy Wonder ever made.

The detail that Eisner goes into in this book is amazing! This man was obviously a fan extraordinaire of the program. Considering this book was published in 1986, before a lot of programs were readily available for review on video or DVD, this was some undertaking. Simply for the immense amount of trivia alone, it's worth a read. But if you want to see the creation of a popular program (the first two seasons, the show was broadcast twice a week), and the inevitable slide to cancellation, this is a perfect opportunity. Eisner includes a lot of behind-the-scenes events and information that really lets a reader into the know on this still somewhat mystifying process.

Unfortunately, the book isn't available in an electronic edition yet, but I hope that soon it will be. This is a great book to just sit down with and page through, though, so any edition is a good one. And if you remember the show as fondly as I do, you'll want a copy of The Official Batman Batbook in your library.

Comic Book Review: DC Comics' I, Vampire

Well, eventually I'd get around to profiling something that might interest all the vampire fans out there. I had no idea it would be a re-imaging of a late-seventies vampire comic book.

I didn't really have high hopes for the I, Vampire title when I saw it in the listings as one of DC Comics' "New 52" revamped comic books. I was sort of assuming it was just going to capitalize on Twilight and all the sparkly vampires that are so popular nowadays. I also held off on doing anything more than just paging through them until the first story arc was complete. After six issues, the story is still on-going, and leading into the series' first crossover (with Justice League Dark), so I decided to sit down tonight and read the series. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

For neophytes and non-fans, I, Vampire was originally a back-up series featured in House of Mystery. It told the story of Andrew Bennett, an English nobleman who was turned into a vampire over 400 years ago. Instead of allowing the passions and power of being a vampire to overcome him, Bennett instead only killed animals for blood and strove to just live what remnant of his life he could. The turning point in his story came when he transformed his beloved Mary into a vampire, so they could live together forever. Unfortunately, Mary succumbed to the lure of the power being a vampire offered and started a society of the undead known as the Blood Red Moon, becoming known as the Queen of Blood. Bennett was horrified by what he did, and swore to kill Mary and all of her followers. At the end of the series, which also featured a team-up with Batman in the pages of Brave and the Bold, one of Bennett's assistants was able to kill Mary, allowing Bennett's spirit to finally rest.

This new series is apparently close to the original in plot, but with definite stylistic and artistic differences. Bennett is still striving to kill Mary, who has plans to become the ruler of the planet and use the human population as cattle. Bennett has a professor friend who is also a vampire hunter (after Bennett saved his life), and they are later joined by a young girl who was seeking vengeance on all vampires for the death of her mother and father. The series begins in modern day Boston and heads out for Gotham City, firmly establishing the continuity in the newly-rebooted DC Universe.

The comic book is presented in a very cinematic manner. It reminds me of The Last Man on Earth in the way the world around the vampires is a very drab and grey world. Few bright colors are used, with a preponderence of greys, blacks, whites and of course reds dimly illuminating the landscapes of I, Vampire. The vampires themselves, at least the older ones, are the vampires of popular legend, turning into wolves, mists and bats. Sunlight doesn't kill these vampires; though it does removes most of their powers. The only thing that does is a stake through the heart, followed by a quick decapitation. This isn't Bela Lugosi, but it also, thankfully, isn't Twilight.

The story skillfully uses flashbacks to give us the information we need to know why things are happening. It features some very intricate page layouts, but is surprisingly easy to follow. The artwork is realistic, but the coloring and harsh shading gives it a Expressionist lean, much like the films Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.  The book is a very interesting read, somewhat reminiscent of the original 30 Days of Night series. I'm not the biggest vampire fan, but the way this book has been re-imagined makes me want to keep reading it. So far, I can only say that of about a quarter of the "New 52" series.

I, Vampire #6 was a "prelude" to the crossover with Justice League Dark, and apparently will feature the Batman as well, since he was a guest star in the last two issues of this series. Considering Andrew Bennett met John Constantine a few issues earlier, I have to say that I'm looking forward to the "Rise of the Vampires" story line.

If you haven't already tried reading an issue of I, Vampire, I'd recommend giving it a try, especially if you are a modern horror or vampire fan. It might give you a little insight into the proper way vampires should be handled. Which is primarily sparkle-free.

Book review: Showcase Presents The Elongated Man

Time to pull out another reprint volume to review. This time, we've got an interesting choice, in the only reprint collection of DC Comics' Ductile Detective.

Showcase Presents is the DC Comics equivalent of Marvel Comics' Essential line of trade paperbacks: thick, books of newsprint featuring usually about 20-25 issues of continuity in a particular character or title. They're often referred to as "phone books" by both fans and detractors. The only disadvantage is that they stories are reprinted in black-and-white. But if you get that many issues of a comic for a relatively low price ($9.99 to $19.99), I personally think that's a small price to pay.

This particular edition features the lead stories from four issues of The Flash and the back-up feature from FORTY-SIX issues of Detective Comics. Most of these stories have not been reprinted anywhere before, and probably never will again.

For the uninitiated, the Elongated Man was a super-hero who gained his ability to stretch any part of his body from drinking a special elixir he concocted called Gingold. At the times of these stories, he was first based in Central City (the home of the Flash) and then roamed around the world with his wife, Sue. In sharp contrast to most super-heroes of the day, the fact that he was amateur sleuth Ralph Dibny was public knowledge. His shtick was that his nose wiggled every time he found himself on the track of a good mystery.

The character has always been one of my personal favorites, ever since I first read about him in Justice League of America #100. In these early appearances, Ralph is a happy-go-lucky kind of person, just enjoying a good mystery with his wife. He was wont to stretch odd parts of his body, like an elbow to hit a thug, or an ear down a chimney to get the goods on a crook. Heck, sometimes he even stretched parts of his body that didn't move, like a knuckle. It was goofy, but it was all good fun and great comic book reading.

Most of the artwork in this volume is the work of Carmine Infantino, who was one of the major artists who helped Julius Schwartz create DC's Silver Age of Comics. The Elongated Man is among his most memorable work, right up there with Batman and, of course, The Flash. Most of the stories in this volume were written by comic legends Gardner Fox and John Broome. Fox's name should be said in the same breath as Stan Lee, given the creative force he exerted on the media in his forty-some years as a writer and creator. Don't expect a lot of angst-driven drama in these stories. For the most part, these are just fun little five-minute mysteries that just happen to feature a guy who stretches all over the place.

Sadly, the Elongated Man and his fun-loving attitude are no longer with us. For a while, Ralph and Sue were mainstays in Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis' Justice League Europe. Then they made an excellent guest-starring appearance in the pages of James Robinson's Starman (which if you haven't read by now, go do so now; it is the single best comic book of the past twenty years). With a promise of a new career as a protector of Opal City, things looked good for comicdom's best married couple. Unfortunately, then Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis came along. Mind you, I think it is an excellent tale. But killing a pregnant Sue Dibny was over the line. From there, Ralph made a steady fall into insanity and death, culminating in his appearance in the year-long Countdown series, where he was at least reunited, even just in death, with his wife. The current revamping of the DC line with the "New 52" books have yet (after six months) to mention anything about the Dibnys.

Still there's always hope. Elongated Man appeared in several episodes of Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and even has a few action figures to his name. So you never know what might happen.

DC Comics: The New 52 - Justice League #1

I have to say that I can’t recall seeing commercials on TV for comic books since the early eighties, when Marvel Comics did one for G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1. I didn’t see much point to that one, and I didn’t see much point to the current one for DC Comics’ “The New 52” line. And after reading Justice League #1, I can’t see much point to that whole idea, either.

It’s been very hard to be an old-school comic fan over the past decade. The few remaining writers that we could count on for quality stories have gone completely commercial and sold out. I suppose I can’t blame them, considering what a dying art form and hobby comic books and comic book collecting has become. But when I sit back and read fantastic tales stories in the pages of Starman or Doom Patrol or JSA or even New X-Men and see the kind of confusing, monotonous tripe that writers like James Robinson, Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns are putting out now, it saddens me.  I quit reading most Marvel Comics after the lingering “Civil War” crossover event, and stopped reading most DC books after the fiasco of “Final Crisis.”

The hobby is in a downward slide. For example, back in 1968, the first Doom Patrol series was cancelled for selling only 250,000 copies a month. The version of the series that was cancelled in 2002 was only selling around 15,000 copies. The best seller that month sold around 148,000 issues. Huge crossover events that are so convoluted you need a scorecard haven’t helped matters. Readers want solid stories of the characters they enjoy - they don’t want to buy a bunch of comics they’ve never read in order to follow the plotline of a single story. And since new comics are about as valuable as new baseball cards, there’s not even a speculator market anymore.

Let’s take a look at the first issue’s story, written by Geoff Johns and featuring art by Jim Lee, which is set five years before the current continuity. For some reason, Cyborg is set to be a major player in the Justice League this time around. I hadn’t realized that Victor Stone, who has gone through lord knows how many transformations over the years, was suddenly a major commercial star. But we’re going to be seeing his origin over the course of the next few issues. I’m betting some major accident involving some of the other soon-to-be JLA’ers. As for the “heroes” we also see in this issue, not a single one of them have any original qualities that make them endearing to me. The Batman is, well, the Batman - stuck-up and overbearing. Superman appears to be a jerk as well, and Green Lantern Hal Jordan is pretty much an idiot. Batman even pulls a stunt he did in All-Star Batman and Robin by stealing GL’s Power Ring. At least this time, Robin wasn’t around to nearly kill the “Emerald Gladiator”...

If this book is representative of the New 52 continuity reboot, I’m very scared for the future of DC Comics. It has the scent of the disastrous revamping that Marvel Comics tried in 1996, giving their flagship titles to Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld of the then-popular Image Comics to remold into something new. That was a creative fiasco, no matter how you look at it. Having Jim Lee as a player in any reimaging of any comic book is not something I’d call a move that inspires confidence in the whole. I’ve also read where they’re bringing in Liefeld, who is perhaps the single worst artist in the history of comic books, to do another of the New 52 titles (The Hawk and the Dove), so I’m having the distinctly ominous feeling that this is a venture that is doomed to failure.

There’s nothing in Justice League #1 that makes me want to pick up issue #2. Much like Marvel did, DC Comics is completely abandoning the remains of their hardcore, old-time fan base. I hope that they realize that in this economy, it’s a bad thing to lose steady readers for the sake of bringing in a few short-term sales on a bunch of #1 issues. And I also hope they realize that in this age, even those old-time fans can find plenty of other diversions to make them forget about new comics, and stick with the old ones they can rely on for solid entertainment.