Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 79
July 16, 2014
Female Thor: It's Another Marvel Comics Gimmick
o, the Internet is all abuzz about the announcement by Marvel that there’s going to be a female Thor.1
Due to the media coverage, there’s quite a bit of confusion and misinformation out there. A few key issues are worth clarifying.
1) Thor is not getting a sex change. The person who is Thor will still be around with his gender intact, but the powers of Thor will be wielded by a woman.
When it comes to the confusion, the media is at fault for reporting this “story,” because it’s a pure PR gimmick as anyone who follows the comic book world knows. The average person has a view that most heroes are defined by one person: Peter Parker is Spider-man, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Steve Rogers is Captain America, and Tony Stark is Iron Man. However at different times, Ben Reilly was Spider-man, Bucky Barnes was Captain America, Dick Grayson was Batman, and Jim Rhodes was Iron Man. Comic companies like to imagine that a costumed identity can be passed on. Usually, the character people associate with the identity end up returning, as will no doubt be the case with Thor.
Thor is an odd case. While we can imagine a female Captain America, Thor is not an androgynous name. Marvel does have some precedent to justify this, going back to a What If? alternate universe story for the 1970s as well as both the Young Avenger movies, and the MC2 Universe featuring teenage girls wielding Thor-like powers.
2) This will have no impact whatsoever on the upcoming Avengers movie. The movies and the comics exist in separate universes, though it’s probably fair to wonder if this will all be resolved by the time the movie comes out.
3) Why is Marvel doing this? Because gimmicks are Marvel's Twenty-first century substitute for writing good stories that people want to read. Through stories like Civil War, One More Day, Avengers v. X-men, Shadowlands, and the entire Superior Spider-man saga, Marvel has made a habit of telling stories that may violate the characters they're writing but will attract controversy and interest and sell books. Thor is vulnerable to this because the title's sales are weak. In June, Thor: God of Thunder #23 ranked #55 with less than 40,000 sales.
They especially like it if they can start a book off with a new Issue 1. Marvel will have collectors rush to grab it in the hopes that it'll someday be worth something and will lead to a bump in sales. That's why they did a new Issue 1 for Daredevil after 36 issues, for the Incredible Hulk after 20 issues, and Captain Marvel after 17.
As if to emphasize this strategy, the day after word of the female Thor came out, it was announced that the #71 ranked Captain America will feature African-American superhero Sam Wilson as the new Captain America.
Marvel especially likes it when they can start a book off with a new Issue 1. Marvel will have collectors rush to grab it in the hopes that it’ll someday be worth something and will lead to a bump in sales. That’s why they did a new Issue 1 for Daredevil after 36 issues, for the Incredible Hulk after 20 issues, and Captain Marvel after 17.
Like Superior Spider-Man, this is a gimmick that will run until Marvel feels sales slipping, then they’ll go back to the original Thor.
The other thing that drives this is the same thing that drives the, "They should make the next Doctor a woman," calls. It's a belief that women really want to see all male heroes supplanted and have women as the Doctor or as Thor. However, Doctor Who showrunner Stephen Moffat said of the decision not to have a female Doctor, "Oddly enough most people who said they were dead against it – and I know I’ll get into trouble for saying this – were women."
Having a woman take over the lead in an existing TV show or a comic represents an attempt to grow market share among women that’s seen as less risky than investing the time and marketing budget to create a brand for a new character, but there’s little evidence women are really interested in female characters that are derivative substitutes for male characters. While a female Thor may be a great gimmick, what is more likely to excite readers and viewers are unique and well-written female characters.
.
Due to the media coverage, there’s quite a bit of confusion and misinformation out there. A few key issues are worth clarifying.
1) Thor is not getting a sex change. The person who is Thor will still be around with his gender intact, but the powers of Thor will be wielded by a woman.
When it comes to the confusion, the media is at fault for reporting this “story,” because it’s a pure PR gimmick as anyone who follows the comic book world knows. The average person has a view that most heroes are defined by one person: Peter Parker is Spider-man, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Steve Rogers is Captain America, and Tony Stark is Iron Man. However at different times, Ben Reilly was Spider-man, Bucky Barnes was Captain America, Dick Grayson was Batman, and Jim Rhodes was Iron Man. Comic companies like to imagine that a costumed identity can be passed on. Usually, the character people associate with the identity end up returning, as will no doubt be the case with Thor.
Thor is an odd case. While we can imagine a female Captain America, Thor is not an androgynous name. Marvel does have some precedent to justify this, going back to a What If? alternate universe story for the 1970s as well as both the Young Avenger movies, and the MC2 Universe featuring teenage girls wielding Thor-like powers.
2) This will have no impact whatsoever on the upcoming Avengers movie. The movies and the comics exist in separate universes, though it’s probably fair to wonder if this will all be resolved by the time the movie comes out.
3) Why is Marvel doing this? Because gimmicks are Marvel's Twenty-first century substitute for writing good stories that people want to read. Through stories like Civil War, One More Day, Avengers v. X-men, Shadowlands, and the entire Superior Spider-man saga, Marvel has made a habit of telling stories that may violate the characters they're writing but will attract controversy and interest and sell books. Thor is vulnerable to this because the title's sales are weak. In June, Thor: God of Thunder #23 ranked #55 with less than 40,000 sales.
They especially like it if they can start a book off with a new Issue 1. Marvel will have collectors rush to grab it in the hopes that it'll someday be worth something and will lead to a bump in sales. That's why they did a new Issue 1 for Daredevil after 36 issues, for the Incredible Hulk after 20 issues, and Captain Marvel after 17.
As if to emphasize this strategy, the day after word of the female Thor came out, it was announced that the #71 ranked Captain America will feature African-American superhero Sam Wilson as the new Captain America.
Marvel especially likes it when they can start a book off with a new Issue 1. Marvel will have collectors rush to grab it in the hopes that it’ll someday be worth something and will lead to a bump in sales. That’s why they did a new Issue 1 for Daredevil after 36 issues, for the Incredible Hulk after 20 issues, and Captain Marvel after 17.
Like Superior Spider-Man, this is a gimmick that will run until Marvel feels sales slipping, then they’ll go back to the original Thor.
The other thing that drives this is the same thing that drives the, "They should make the next Doctor a woman," calls. It's a belief that women really want to see all male heroes supplanted and have women as the Doctor or as Thor. However, Doctor Who showrunner Stephen Moffat said of the decision not to have a female Doctor, "Oddly enough most people who said they were dead against it – and I know I’ll get into trouble for saying this – were women."
Having a woman take over the lead in an existing TV show or a comic represents an attempt to grow market share among women that’s seen as less risky than investing the time and marketing budget to create a brand for a new character, but there’s little evidence women are really interested in female characters that are derivative substitutes for male characters. While a female Thor may be a great gimmick, what is more likely to excite readers and viewers are unique and well-written female characters.
.
July 13, 2014
Book Review: Batman Chronicles, Volume 3
Batman Chronicles: Volume Three by Bill FingerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book collects the early Batman stories from Detective Comics #46-50 and Batman #4 and #5, as well as World's Best Comics #1 as it continues to collect Batman stories in order. This book covers the period from December 1940-June 1941
These stories are not as good as those in the previous two Batman volumes. Outside of two battles with the Joker, one with Hugo Strange, and one with the Golden Age Clayface, the book mostly features Batman battling thugs in unoriginal stories, though many had a good crime doesn't pay moral. These stories weren't bad but truth be told, they weren't that good considering you could many stories of equal or better value at other companies such as Marvel predecessor Timely Comcics.
Some of the highlights include:
Detective Comics #46: The Hugo Strange story introduces the use of fear as a supervillain weapon. This story represents the first attempt to develop a concept that would come to fruition during the Silver Age with the Scarecrow.
Batman #4: Too interesting stories. The Joker story featuring a crime circus is really carried by the Joker's presence as the concept really doesn't go much more than, "The Joker starting a gang with circus performers." Not a bad concept. Another one involves Batman fighting on a pirate ship.
Batman #5: This issue of Batman redeems the rest of the book which was so boring. When Robin says, "Not much doing in town since the Joker's finished. Ho Hum." He's not just giving a lead in to tell us what the joker was up to since his last supposed death but summing up Detective Comics 48-50. This Issue features a good Joker story than an outlandish fantasy with Batman and Robin travelling to a fairybook World to a save a girl in distress, and the best book in the story.
Titled by DC, "The Case of the Honest Crook." It features Batman helping out a young man who got waylaid into a false conviction and Batman's efforts to clear him. In the process of this, the crooks shoot Robin and Batman's reaction is classic. He really taps into his earlier darker version in his effort to get Robin's assailant. It says something about Batman's character. The character may have softened a bit by having Robin around, but don't think you'll get away with harming him.
Finally, World's Best Comics #1 tells a nice mystery. Published in June 1941, it ties into fears of fifth columnist and is a bit of an early warning from the period.
Overall, the book has some outstanding gems in it. To get to it, you'll just have to endure some average material, but the good stuff is worth the read.
View all my reviews
July 12, 2014
Comic Book Reviews: Mr. T and the T Force, Star Trek, Batman '66, Green Hornet, Iron Man
Mr. T and the T Force #6
Issue 6 wraps up the storylines from Issue 5 nicely and with a little more action. It's not as good as the first four issues, but this one has positive messages and just enough of Mr. T to keep it interesting.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Star Trek Gold Key #36:
Star Trek Gold Key comics were notorious for being nothing like the TV show and could also be kind of repetitive with them facing one generic alien menace after another with early issues even messing up the uniforms.
However, this particular was actually a very pleasant surprise as we get a very pleasant break in this pattern as a scientist has traveled back in time to disrupt history but they don't know whether it was to 1855 or 1955. Mr. Scott goes to 1855 and Kirk heads to 1955. The story is a lot fun particularly the part where Kirk thinks he landed in the wrong time and the wrong country. This book actually feels like it could have been on the original series. It's a fun story that captures what people really love about Star Trek.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
Batman'66 Meets Green Hornet #4:
This comic moves along and does what it has to do: Our two villains are interacting, while the Dynamic Duo and the Green Hornet and Kato are converging on the villains
There's not a whole lot special about this but 2/3 of the way through we have somewhat average story. Not a whole lot bad, but not a whole lot really good has happened so far. The only real bad dialogue is the part where Batman has to explain to Robin what a philatelist is. (No way that Robin doesn't know that.) On the positive side, the book does conclude with a decent cliffhanger and I'm hopeful that the last two issues will redeem the time I've spent reading this series.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Iron Man, Vol. 1, Issue 55:
This is a landmark book drawn and co-written by Jim Starlin which introduces the villain Thanos as well as Drax the Destroyer. In many ways, the story seems somewhat out of nowhere, but with all the changes happening on Iron Man at the time, that's kind of par for the course. But as an issue, it's well written and fun, and introduces a character who would be key at Marvel for decades to come.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
Flash #23:
Like in many modern comics, the story is kind of slow and not a whole lot happens although we do have a great reveal of who the Reverse Flash is as well as an idea of what he's aiming for. By rights, we should also have a resolution. However, this is dragged out to Issue 24 due to only 17 pages of story, much of which is taken up by Barry Allen's girlfriend Patti who seems to be more worried that he might miss her parents 30th Anniversary party than that he might get killed by a supervillain who has already murdered several other people with Speed Force powers. Ah, priorities. Got to love them.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Mr. T and the T Force #7:
Mr. T continues his one man crusade against crime. (Though this was supposed to be a group book, I don't miss the lack of T force) as Mr. T goes after a gang of jewel thieves and he suspects someone he knows is involved. As usual, there's a few corny bits but the story works pretty well with a lot more action than seen in the prior storyline. It's a cliffhanger with a decent set up even if it's a little silly (though with a serious message.) We'll see how they wrap it up in Issue 8.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
World's Finest #7:
This book continues on from Issue 6 and finds Huntress and Damian Wayne teamed up on the trail of whoever's been stealing money from Bruce Wayne (other than of course the Huntress who is the daughter of Earth's 2 Bruce Wayne) while Karen investigates a related issue in Africa.
To be honest, I'd been losing interest in this series, but this book was really fun and renewed my interest. Both parts of the story were well-told and Paul Levitz did a great job building mystery, so I'll definitely be back for issue 8.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
Issue 6 wraps up the storylines from Issue 5 nicely and with a little more action. It's not as good as the first four issues, but this one has positive messages and just enough of Mr. T to keep it interesting.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Star Trek Gold Key #36:
Star Trek Gold Key comics were notorious for being nothing like the TV show and could also be kind of repetitive with them facing one generic alien menace after another with early issues even messing up the uniforms.
However, this particular was actually a very pleasant surprise as we get a very pleasant break in this pattern as a scientist has traveled back in time to disrupt history but they don't know whether it was to 1855 or 1955. Mr. Scott goes to 1855 and Kirk heads to 1955. The story is a lot fun particularly the part where Kirk thinks he landed in the wrong time and the wrong country. This book actually feels like it could have been on the original series. It's a fun story that captures what people really love about Star Trek.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
Batman'66 Meets Green Hornet #4:
This comic moves along and does what it has to do: Our two villains are interacting, while the Dynamic Duo and the Green Hornet and Kato are converging on the villains
There's not a whole lot special about this but 2/3 of the way through we have somewhat average story. Not a whole lot bad, but not a whole lot really good has happened so far. The only real bad dialogue is the part where Batman has to explain to Robin what a philatelist is. (No way that Robin doesn't know that.) On the positive side, the book does conclude with a decent cliffhanger and I'm hopeful that the last two issues will redeem the time I've spent reading this series.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Iron Man, Vol. 1, Issue 55:
This is a landmark book drawn and co-written by Jim Starlin which introduces the villain Thanos as well as Drax the Destroyer. In many ways, the story seems somewhat out of nowhere, but with all the changes happening on Iron Man at the time, that's kind of par for the course. But as an issue, it's well written and fun, and introduces a character who would be key at Marvel for decades to come.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
Flash #23:
Like in many modern comics, the story is kind of slow and not a whole lot happens although we do have a great reveal of who the Reverse Flash is as well as an idea of what he's aiming for. By rights, we should also have a resolution. However, this is dragged out to Issue 24 due to only 17 pages of story, much of which is taken up by Barry Allen's girlfriend Patti who seems to be more worried that he might miss her parents 30th Anniversary party than that he might get killed by a supervillain who has already murdered several other people with Speed Force powers. Ah, priorities. Got to love them.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Mr. T and the T Force #7:
Mr. T continues his one man crusade against crime. (Though this was supposed to be a group book, I don't miss the lack of T force) as Mr. T goes after a gang of jewel thieves and he suspects someone he knows is involved. As usual, there's a few corny bits but the story works pretty well with a lot more action than seen in the prior storyline. It's a cliffhanger with a decent set up even if it's a little silly (though with a serious message.) We'll see how they wrap it up in Issue 8.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
World's Finest #7:
This book continues on from Issue 6 and finds Huntress and Damian Wayne teamed up on the trail of whoever's been stealing money from Bruce Wayne (other than of course the Huntress who is the daughter of Earth's 2 Bruce Wayne) while Karen investigates a related issue in Africa.
To be honest, I'd been losing interest in this series, but this book was really fun and renewed my interest. Both parts of the story were well-told and Paul Levitz did a great job building mystery, so I'll definitely be back for issue 8.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
July 7, 2014
Powerhouse Heroic Adventures Bundle Released and Ebook Sale
I'm pleased to announce the release of Powerhouse's Heroic Adventures Bundle, collecting my first three books, Tales of the Dim Knight, Fly Another Day, and Powerhouse Hard Pressed all for one great price of $5.99.
The ebook is now available on Amazon.
It's also available on Smashwords where I'm participating in the site wide Ebook Sale. The standalone books are 25% off and you use code SSW25 to receive the discount and the bundle is 50% of using code SSW50 Here are all the books I have on Smashwords and all but What Made the Golden Age Shine and Powerhouse Flies Again are on sale.
The ebook is now available on Amazon.
It's also available on Smashwords where I'm participating in the site wide Ebook Sale. The standalone books are 25% off and you use code SSW25 to receive the discount and the bundle is 50% of using code SSW50 Here are all the books I have on Smashwords and all but What Made the Golden Age Shine and Powerhouse Flies Again are on sale.
July 2, 2014
Book Review: Captain America: American Nightmare
Captain America: American Nightmare by Mark WaidMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Having liked Mark Waid's first run on Captain America with "Reborn" and "Man Without a Country" as well as the first volume of his second run on the series Captain America: To Serve and Protect,I Was looking forward to this volume too. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. This book collects Captain America #8-13, Captain American-Iron Man Annual, and Captain America/Citizen V Annual.
Here's a blow by blow breakdown:
Captain America: Issue 8: Live Kree or Die Part 2. This issue is part of the crossover event Live Kree or Die which has Captain America being summoned to Florida by Warbird (Carol Danvers) to fight Kree who are performing experiments on human beings in their efforts as members of the Lunatic legion. Cap shows his fighting spirit and how he always puts others first while Danvers continues her decline to the sad (temporary) end that would result at the end of Live Kree or Die. My complaint with this story has nothing to do with how Waid wrote it but Marvel's editorial decision to include Part 2 of a four part story, and then summaries on either side. To me, that's just not cool. Either reprint the whole story or skip the comic as it doesn't tie much into Cap's main arch. By the way, Live Kree or Die should be reprinted in full somewhere. Grade: D+
Captain America: Issues 9-12: American Nightmare: The title story for this collection has some intriguing moments and includes Cap's new electric shield. There's also a nice plot with Cap discovering that in his absence, his apartment has been over by squatters led by an out of work of father and how he handles it is classic. The way the story actually plays out is a bit weak. The vilain is just bizarre and his plot is based on his equating the "American Dream" with the type of dream people have when they sleep. It also seems to suggest that patriotic people who believe in stuff are ones in danger of destroying everything which is actually kind of awful given the level of cynicism out out there. I have to wonder if this story was some veiled critique of objectivism as people under the spell of this evil allege others are taking advantage of them and one person even destroys his own building at the end of Issue 9 ala Howard Roark in the Fountainhead. Either way, I don't think Waid does a good job fleshing out the point if there was one. Grade: C-
Captain America/Iron Man Annual: Iron Man has a battle with a mind controlling villain and gets in a position where he can wipe out everyone's memory of his secret identity having determined that way too many people know it. However, when he starts retelling them, he finds them less than pleased and none are less pleased than Captain America who doesn't appreciate Iron Man violating his rights and the rights of others. But meanwhile Iron Man and Cap have to battle a villain and learn a lesson. I don't much care for this story due to its relativistic bent which doesn't fit Cap at his bent. It's meant to have circumstances show both heroes the other's perspective but that's not really the point of a character like Cap. The story has some good moments, but still it's only so so.
Captain America/Citizen V Annual: Captain America America ends up teaming up with Citizen V, the grandchild of the original character from the Golden Age. This story is by Kurt Busiek rather than Waid and it's actually a fun story. Baron Zemo had pretended to be Citizen V as part of the Thunderbirds in hopes of taking over the world during the time that the Avengers and FF were in another dimension. However, this is the real McCoy who wants to take Zemo down. There's a great World War II flashback of Cap and the original Citizen V in action and a great story of this mysterious hero battling Cap with Baron Zemo. This is a very fun story. Grade: A-
Captain America issue 13: Plausible Deniability: Captain America tries to help a candidate who had tried to get Captain America's endorsement but wound up with the endorse of a Scrull duplicate instead. Cap wants to find out how to help him and how to avoid having Cap involved in politics. At the same time, he has suspicions about the incumbent Congressman that could include him being under the control of one of the moment powerful forces for evil in the Marvel Universe. Decent and well intentioned. Grade: B+
I should also that the book's enhanced by an illustrated text recap of the life and times of the Red Skull (who actually doesn't appear until the next took.)
Overall, this is a decent book, with some ups and downs-though American Nightmare is probably the biggest down in the whole book and that's four issues of Captain America. For my part, I'll probably try and get the next book in this series through interlibrary loan rather than purchase.
View all my reviews
July 1, 2014
The Best Superhero Animated Series of All Time #2: Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series was absolutely amazing when it first came out in 1990s and still today it stands as an amazing program. It's a show that you don't even have to be a fan of superhero stories to enjoy because it did everything so well.
The original Batman: The Animated Series had the perfect theme music and that amazing art decco style which gave it a fantastic stylish look, with a lot of nice Noir elements. The show was darker than your average kid's fare but it still maintained a sense of fun and excitement. With Batman, particularly in the early years, it was all about the big story, the big moments.
The things that stand out about the series are episodes like, "Joker's Favor," "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy," "Heart of Ice." These are gripping and exciting stories that really succeed in entertaining all ages while being intelligently written.
Harley Quinn was introduced in this series and has become vital part of the Batman mythos and their version of Mr. Freeze was stunning and heart breaking.
In my opinion, the later episodes just weren't as good, but still even those had some gems like, "Judgment Day," "Joker's Millions," and "Mad Love." This series also spun off several successful movies.
Batman: The Animated Series remains one of the most influential series (of any sort) ever and there's a good case for this being the best. Why I think another series was better than this, I'll save for when I talk about the greatest Superhero Animated series of all time. For now, we'll just tip our hat to Batman.
The original Batman: The Animated Series had the perfect theme music and that amazing art decco style which gave it a fantastic stylish look, with a lot of nice Noir elements. The show was darker than your average kid's fare but it still maintained a sense of fun and excitement. With Batman, particularly in the early years, it was all about the big story, the big moments.
The things that stand out about the series are episodes like, "Joker's Favor," "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy," "Heart of Ice." These are gripping and exciting stories that really succeed in entertaining all ages while being intelligently written.
Harley Quinn was introduced in this series and has become vital part of the Batman mythos and their version of Mr. Freeze was stunning and heart breaking.
In my opinion, the later episodes just weren't as good, but still even those had some gems like, "Judgment Day," "Joker's Millions," and "Mad Love." This series also spun off several successful movies.
Batman: The Animated Series remains one of the most influential series (of any sort) ever and there's a good case for this being the best. Why I think another series was better than this, I'll save for when I talk about the greatest Superhero Animated series of all time. For now, we'll just tip our hat to Batman.
Recent Comic Reviews: Batman '66, Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, X-men, Doc Savage, and More
Batman '66 #37:
This is the best concept in the entire run. A new TV series is airing featuring Batman but it bothers our hero as he is portrayed as a grim and gritty hero who gets information by beating up criminals. And people on the street and criminals alike begin to believe this as criminals fear him giving them "the Bat business."
This is a funny portrayal with a nice bit of irony. After all many fans of a grittier Batman insist that the 1960s TV series ruined the character, so how would the Batman portrayed in the TV series react? Nicely executed and with a good cliffhanger. I'll be tuning in same Bat-time to find out what happens.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Fantastic Four Volume 1, #89:
This issue is mostly a battle book featuring the Fantastic Four fighting their classic foe, The Mole Man, and it's good for what it is. There's also some reference to the return of the Skurll. This book definitely does show its age as one of the later Lee/Kirby books as it features four full page flashes which means this has a lot less story than previous issues. Though, credit where credit is due, none of the Splashes are as silly as that one of food that Doctor Doom prepared in the previous story with Doctor Doom.
Rating: 3.25 out out of 5.0
Silver Surfer #3:
Issue 3 of the new Silver Surfer Relaunch was simply a blast as the Silver Surfer rushes to save Dawn, the Never Queen, and everyone aboard the Impericon.
It's a great and fun adventure with some great moments. This is a comic that manages to not take itself too seriously, while at the same time giving our heroes a real problem to solve. The issue ends with lots of hope and anticipation and if the rest of the series can live up to the standard set up by Issue 3, this run of the Silver Surfer could be something very special indeed.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
X-Men (2013-Present) #2:
Issue 2 of this serial continues to tell the story of the mysterious baby and the battle between John Sublime and his Sister Arkea. The story develops nicely, however there are far too many characters and none of them are that well developed by Wood. The Primer storyline feels like it would have been better later on as coming in the first three issues, it's really hard for us to get to know these characters.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Kark Waid's Green Hornet #1:
Veteran comic book writer Mark Waid wrote the perfect first issue with this book. Waid knew that he couldn't assume readers knew who the Green Hornet was, so he introduces the character but does it in a way that's not tedious and that holds our interest. In the first issue Waid does three things very well: He establishes who the Green Hornet is, he establishes what the status quo is for the Green Hornet, and he foreshadows what's to come later on in the series. This is the ideal first issue as it manages to maintain perfect balance.
If being well-written wasn't enough, this book was exquisitely drawn and really has a great feel for the era. Overall, this is just a top notch first issue that I heartily recommend.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Batman Adventures #28:
The Joker is bored at Arkham so Harley Quinn hatche a zany scheme. A German psychiatrist shows up at Arkham claiming to have a plan to cure the Joker as well as some city councilmen that have recently gone psycho. There's a fun concept in the story and Harley and the Joker make a good team. The problem I have with this piece is there's no rhyme or reason to the Joker's plan or activities and usually there is some logic even if it's quite twisted. What we have here is a relatively safe Joker story with some zaniness but alas not much of a punchline.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Justice League Unlimited #30:
This is a story in which Mike Baron recycles ideas from previous writers. Want to highlight a lesser known character (or two)? Portray them alone in the Watchtower facing a threat as Adam Beechen did when writing Justice League Unlimited #5. Also, having an annoying teenager (Speedy in this case) learn to respect an elder is a weld-worn meme in this series. Overall, this doesn't work quite as well in this Issue. For one thing, Speedy (or is Red Arrow) is on screen for most the book whining and Booster Gold is very one dimensional and unlike how he was portrayed in the cartoon show or in comics in general. Plus, this younger Speedy contradicts a TV episode that aired a year before portraying Speedy as the older version of the character who went by the name of Red Arrow. The action isn't horrendous but the book itself is not well-executed at all.
Rating: 1.75 out of 5.0
Doc Savage #4:
This issue fast forwards another 18 years to 1979 with Doc Savage embittered by the loss of the cure for death, he finds himself with a brand new team of people we don't care about and haven't seen before trying to stop a former assistant who we've never seen before from completing a dangerous oil rig, and to do so so he has to team up with a cynical teenager who wonders, "Why not just let the world blow up?"
This book really doesn't work. Having read four issues, these are different from what we expect from Doc Savage adventure stories. Not only that, but the author's jumping in time to ensure that a third of each issue has flashbacks and introductions of the characters and the event we missed is really tedious. There's nothing in this bool that makes me want to pick up Issue 5 and find out what happens next. The character of Doc Savage is unrecognizable in terms of personality, and the story is just not that special.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5.0
Daredevil: Road Warrior #3
Things unfold nicely as Daredevil begins to unfurl the truth about the mysterious stranger without a heartbeat he followed from the airport and discovered what classic Marvel villain is behind it all. Can't wait for Part four.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #4:
Issue 4 of Peter Cannon features a Christian extremist taking a pot shot at Peter Cannon because he's nuts and he's abusive and he listens to TV preacher who happens to be part of the General's Cabal. The use of this trope is annoying for several reasons as it's the writer inserting his political and religious agenda into the comic at best, if not just trying to demonize a certain stripe of Christians. to be fair, the writer does balance this somewhat by the fact that he's clear that people in this guy's own church won't have anything to do with him.
The big problem here is that this random walk on character taking a pot shot at Peter Cannon is the only actual action in the story. The rest of the book is actually pretty good as we get a sense of suspense and excitement building up, but the only action is random guy shoots at Peter Cannon. Plus, we have four different views were following. We really didn't waste two pages on this walk on character who served no purpose but to advance the writer's religious views.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
This is the best concept in the entire run. A new TV series is airing featuring Batman but it bothers our hero as he is portrayed as a grim and gritty hero who gets information by beating up criminals. And people on the street and criminals alike begin to believe this as criminals fear him giving them "the Bat business."
This is a funny portrayal with a nice bit of irony. After all many fans of a grittier Batman insist that the 1960s TV series ruined the character, so how would the Batman portrayed in the TV series react? Nicely executed and with a good cliffhanger. I'll be tuning in same Bat-time to find out what happens.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Fantastic Four Volume 1, #89:
This issue is mostly a battle book featuring the Fantastic Four fighting their classic foe, The Mole Man, and it's good for what it is. There's also some reference to the return of the Skurll. This book definitely does show its age as one of the later Lee/Kirby books as it features four full page flashes which means this has a lot less story than previous issues. Though, credit where credit is due, none of the Splashes are as silly as that one of food that Doctor Doom prepared in the previous story with Doctor Doom.
Rating: 3.25 out out of 5.0
Silver Surfer #3:
Issue 3 of the new Silver Surfer Relaunch was simply a blast as the Silver Surfer rushes to save Dawn, the Never Queen, and everyone aboard the Impericon.
It's a great and fun adventure with some great moments. This is a comic that manages to not take itself too seriously, while at the same time giving our heroes a real problem to solve. The issue ends with lots of hope and anticipation and if the rest of the series can live up to the standard set up by Issue 3, this run of the Silver Surfer could be something very special indeed.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
X-Men (2013-Present) #2:
Issue 2 of this serial continues to tell the story of the mysterious baby and the battle between John Sublime and his Sister Arkea. The story develops nicely, however there are far too many characters and none of them are that well developed by Wood. The Primer storyline feels like it would have been better later on as coming in the first three issues, it's really hard for us to get to know these characters.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Kark Waid's Green Hornet #1:
Veteran comic book writer Mark Waid wrote the perfect first issue with this book. Waid knew that he couldn't assume readers knew who the Green Hornet was, so he introduces the character but does it in a way that's not tedious and that holds our interest. In the first issue Waid does three things very well: He establishes who the Green Hornet is, he establishes what the status quo is for the Green Hornet, and he foreshadows what's to come later on in the series. This is the ideal first issue as it manages to maintain perfect balance.
If being well-written wasn't enough, this book was exquisitely drawn and really has a great feel for the era. Overall, this is just a top notch first issue that I heartily recommend.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Batman Adventures #28:
The Joker is bored at Arkham so Harley Quinn hatche a zany scheme. A German psychiatrist shows up at Arkham claiming to have a plan to cure the Joker as well as some city councilmen that have recently gone psycho. There's a fun concept in the story and Harley and the Joker make a good team. The problem I have with this piece is there's no rhyme or reason to the Joker's plan or activities and usually there is some logic even if it's quite twisted. What we have here is a relatively safe Joker story with some zaniness but alas not much of a punchline.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Justice League Unlimited #30:
This is a story in which Mike Baron recycles ideas from previous writers. Want to highlight a lesser known character (or two)? Portray them alone in the Watchtower facing a threat as Adam Beechen did when writing Justice League Unlimited #5. Also, having an annoying teenager (Speedy in this case) learn to respect an elder is a weld-worn meme in this series. Overall, this doesn't work quite as well in this Issue. For one thing, Speedy (or is Red Arrow) is on screen for most the book whining and Booster Gold is very one dimensional and unlike how he was portrayed in the cartoon show or in comics in general. Plus, this younger Speedy contradicts a TV episode that aired a year before portraying Speedy as the older version of the character who went by the name of Red Arrow. The action isn't horrendous but the book itself is not well-executed at all.
Rating: 1.75 out of 5.0
Doc Savage #4:
This issue fast forwards another 18 years to 1979 with Doc Savage embittered by the loss of the cure for death, he finds himself with a brand new team of people we don't care about and haven't seen before trying to stop a former assistant who we've never seen before from completing a dangerous oil rig, and to do so so he has to team up with a cynical teenager who wonders, "Why not just let the world blow up?"
This book really doesn't work. Having read four issues, these are different from what we expect from Doc Savage adventure stories. Not only that, but the author's jumping in time to ensure that a third of each issue has flashbacks and introductions of the characters and the event we missed is really tedious. There's nothing in this bool that makes me want to pick up Issue 5 and find out what happens next. The character of Doc Savage is unrecognizable in terms of personality, and the story is just not that special.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5.0
Daredevil: Road Warrior #3
Things unfold nicely as Daredevil begins to unfurl the truth about the mysterious stranger without a heartbeat he followed from the airport and discovered what classic Marvel villain is behind it all. Can't wait for Part four.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #4:
Issue 4 of Peter Cannon features a Christian extremist taking a pot shot at Peter Cannon because he's nuts and he's abusive and he listens to TV preacher who happens to be part of the General's Cabal. The use of this trope is annoying for several reasons as it's the writer inserting his political and religious agenda into the comic at best, if not just trying to demonize a certain stripe of Christians. to be fair, the writer does balance this somewhat by the fact that he's clear that people in this guy's own church won't have anything to do with him.
The big problem here is that this random walk on character taking a pot shot at Peter Cannon is the only actual action in the story. The rest of the book is actually pretty good as we get a sense of suspense and excitement building up, but the only action is random guy shoots at Peter Cannon. Plus, we have four different views were following. We really didn't waste two pages on this walk on character who served no purpose but to advance the writer's religious views.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
June 27, 2014
Book Review: Batman in the Sixties
Batman: In the Sixties by Gardner F. FoxMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This third Batman decade collection collects a generous amount of comics and had some nice features. Including a look at the first Batgirl (Betty Kane), the first Poison Ivy story, the return of the Penguin after many years in retirement, two Joker stories, a Scarecrow story,and a Catwoman story. Few books have given such a wide range of Batman villains and that's to the book's credit. Although not all of these are high quality.
There are also stories featuring Barbara Gordon as the best known Batgirl. She appears in, "Batgirl Breaks up the Dynamic Duo" which is a kind of a silly story and a more serious solo story which has Batgirl facing a team of criminals dressed as the Justice League and she has been set up by a red haired member of their gang who was supposed to come dressed as Batgirl.
My favorite story in the book in addition to that tale is, "The Riddle-less Robberies of the Riddler"in which the Riddler tries to commit crimes without giving the game away with hilarious results. The story, "One Bullet Too Many" i sees a shift in Batman as Dick Grayson goes to college and the series takes a new direction with the shuttering of Wayne Manor and the Batcave as Batman works more on the street level in a key story.
The worst story in here is the boring two part Robin solo story from Detective Comics #390 and #391. The other fault of this book is the lack of information on the decade. Previous installments in this series and the Superman series up through the 1960s had a well-written introduction from a comic expert. This was foregone for an introduction by Adam West. I like having the intro from West but a more informed intro would have made for a better reading experience.
While this was the worst of the decade collections, it was still a decent book.
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June 26, 2014
Book Review: Action Heroes Archives, Volume 2
The Action Heroes Archives, Vol. 2 by Steve DitkoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This second volume of Steve Ditko's work at Charlton comics collects a ton of work involving characters Captain Atom, the Blue Beetle, and the Question. This is a massive nearly 400 page book, the largest of the DC Archive books which usually clock in at around 250 pages.
Captain Atom had been in previous volumes and he's streamlined somewhat here. For pure comic enjoyment, the Captain Atom stories are the money books. Captain Atom's powers and costumes change as a result of a radiation accident. He also garners some public suspicion as a menace giving him perhaps a bit of a Marvel feel. The character's two part adventure. "Finally Falls the Mighty" and "After the Fall A New Beginning" are great as are his adventures in battling the ghost. It appears on page 249, this will never be resolved as there are no more issues of Captain Atom, but the Charlton Bullseye stories towards the back of the book.
The Blue Beetle is Ted Kord who replaced Dan Garrett and I like the sense of mystery about what happened to Garrett, the original Blue Beetle. IT gave the character interesting problem. It would be like if with no explanation given to readers or the public, someone else became Batman and Bruce Wayne was missing.
The Question is Danny Gage, a local reporter who has a mask which allows him to see and breathe normally but completely hides his feature. The gas allows changes the color of his clothes for some reason. The Question's an interesting character but these early stories are a tad repetitive.
Ditko does the art but doesn't script most of the book. He does get into some class objectivist polemics when he does some of the later stories. This becomes problematic in Blue Beetle #4 and #5 in particular. In Blue Beetle #4, you have the closest thing you get to a team up as the Blue Beetle battles someone who wants to destroy works of art that suggest that there are heroic men or someone are better or achieve more than others. The story had something very important to say about the lowering of standards and the idea of self-esteem run amuck. And that way, it was almost prophetic. But the script was horrible for a comic as page after page was filled with overflowing text bubbles. Issue 5 focused on people objecting to scientists doing crazy things and was a defense of science and it had the same problem. Ditko could escape verbosity in scripts. While the stories are "wrong," it's wrong in a way that's interesting and worth reading to just wonder why Ditko thought this was a good way to communicate his message.
In this end, this is still a fun book and worth reading for the rarity alone. While there aren't classic villain and the only truly great story is the two part Captain Atom story that began the book, it's a fun look at some comics which provided the reading public an interesting alternative during the Silver Age of comics.
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June 23, 2014
Book Review: Doc Savage: The Jade Ogre
The Jade Ogre by Kenneth RobesonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this book, Doc Savage faces a deadly challenge when he battles the Jade Ogre, a strange being whose decapitated arms fly on their own and deal a horrible green death to the Ogre's enemies.
This book is unusual in that Will Murray adapted the idea from a story original Doc Savage writer Lester Dent had written about a private detective, so this story has a bit of a mystery element in it and some detective tropes that play a role such as Doc explaining the solution to his aides at the end. However, the mystery is much more a matter of how rather than who as Murray provides more than enough clues to figure out who is behind the Jade Ogre. Also this makes more sense understanding it was based on a serialized story as it does have a very strong serialized feel.
In addition to the mystery, the book delivered the usual things we expect from Doc Savage with plenty of action, adventure, gadgets, and some great interaction between Doc's assistants. Here, as in the other more recent books, the number of supporting players is kept down to a minimum with Ham, Monk, and Pat Savage appearing. Murray is even more careful about overusing assistants as for most of the book, only two are "on stage" at once with Pat and Ham together early and Monk and Ham late. This allows enough interaction between the Bornze Man's two most beloved assistants (Monk and Ham) without their carping on each other becoming monotonous.
As always, Murray achieves a great period feel and this book succeeds in transporting readers back to the 1930s.
The story has one major plot hole and that comes from the whodunit plot. We learn that when Doc gives the solution that several others had figured out who the guilty party was. This leads the question of why everyone followed a crazed murder blindly into a trap.
Beyond that, there are more things that could be nitpicked, but at the end of the day, this isn't great literature, it's Doc Savage. And this book lives up to the high standards set by other installments in this series. So if you have a love of 1930s Pulp fiction in your soul, this book is for you.
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Christians and Superheroes
I'm a Christian who writes superhero fiction (some parody and some serious.)
On this blog, we'll take a look at:
1) Superhero stories
2) Issues of faith in relation to Superhero stories
3) Writing Superhe ...more
On this blog, we'll take a look at:
1) Superhero stories
2) Issues of faith in relation to Superhero stories
3) Writing Superhe ...more
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