Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 88

Book Review: Black Canary Archives,Volume 1

The Black Canary Archives, Vol. 1 by Gardner F. Fox

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book traces the stories of the Black Canary, one of DC's longest standing superheroines from her first appearance in Flash Comics #86 in 1947 as a supporting character in the Johnny Thunder series through her through her getting her own ongoing feature in Flash Comics and her re-emergence in the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics.

Overall, I have to say the book was not all that impressive. It practically screams, "Lesser collection" from its all two brief 2/3 of a page intro to the end, it's clear that Black Canary is strictly a B-list superheroine.

This isn't to say the book isn't fun. It was interesting to see her rise from the serious character in a comedy strip to the star of her own crime strip. Along the way, her exact "powers" varied. After her appearance in the mystical Johnny Thunder series, she was able to summon a herd of Black Canaries-a power that was used again. Mostly, she was a tough two fisted Judo artist in shorts and fishnet stockings who fought crime. Most of her standalone stories are almost exactly the same: Mystery arises, she changes into the Black Canary to help out detective Larry Lance, the two are caught in an improbable death trap, they escape, catch the bad guys, and Black Canary makes a subtle sarcastic remark in her true identity as Diana Drake. The formula was necessitated by each story having to be 6-7 pages long. The best one in the book was 10 pages long.

70% through, The book also features her return in D.C.'s Team Up magazine Brave and the Bold with Starman, another B character from the golden age. They appeared in back to back issues. Why exactly these two were paired, I don't know. They worked okay together and their adventures were fun.

Finally, we get a two party story from 1971 written by Dennis O'Neil. The story was reminiscent of many of the Batgirl stories he did about the same time in Detective Comics and features the only well-known super villain to make an appearance.

Overall, Black Canary's stories weren't the best and as a character she was far from the best non-super powered crimefighter in the Golden Age of comics. Both Phantom Lady and Lady Luck were far better though their having originally appeared in Quality Comics, we don't hear much about them. However, Black Canary's adventures are good for what they are: fun and strictly formulaic stories with a female protagonist.



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Book Review: Golden Age of Marvel Comics, Volume 1

The Golden Age of Marvel Comics, Vol. 1 by Jack Kirby

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In this short volume, readers are treated to a sample of Golden Age Marvel works. A great portion of the book is focused on stories of the big three: Sub-mariner, the Human Torch, and Captain America. However, there are also appearances from lesser lights of the Marvel era including Marvel Boy, the Black Knight, the Yellow Law, and my personal World War II favorite, the Destroyer.

Some of the highlights from the book include:

-The first Sub-mariner story-which was actually the first real story in the Marvel universe. It's worth noting that DC began with Superman trying to ave the world and Marvel began with Sub-mariner trying to take it over.

The book features the first battle between the Human Torch and Sub-mariner, but the highlight of the book for me was Marvel Comics #17 which features Sub-mariner and Human torch teaming up to battle the Nazis for a full 26 page adventure. While the Justice Society was conducting regular group meetings, this had to be one of the earlier two hero team ups.

The 1950s Atlas Material was interesting for historical purposes and great see anti-Communist messages in books, but the philosophy of limiting stories to 6-7 pages to give good value led to a lot of rushed plot resolutions. In the first return of the Human Torch story, he discovers his former partner's been brainwashed by the Communists and doctors are quickly able to fix the brainwashing in the same seven page story.

Still, despite the weaker parts, this a great overview with a lot of about Marvel's early and forgotten days.



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Dan Slott's Superior Spider Stunt: Did It Work Long Term?

This past week, the New York Daily News reported that Peter Parker will be returning as Spider-man in April with Superior Spider-man #30 being the last issue of the series that featured Doctor Octopus taking over Peter's body as Peter died ignominiously in Amazing Spider-man #700.

I really hated the concept of this. Still, I have to concede that Slott did accomplish some things with this (even though I think 15 months of this a little absurd.)

The impetus for the death of Peter Parker and Superior Spider-man really began with One More Day. Then Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada personally disliked the marriage between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson and so decided to have it broken up through a deal with the demon Mephisto as marriage ages characters. The idea was that this would draw new readers.

The results? Not quite what we'd expect. Before One More Day hit news stands, Spider-man had three comic books and here were the Sales Numbers (all numbers sourced from Comic Chron)

July 2007:
Amazing Spider-man 106,572
Sensational Spider-man 55,326
Friendly Neighborhood SM 46,449

Five years later in July 2012, Amazing Spider-man had two monthly issues plus a team up magazine called, "The Avenging Spider-man." Sales numbers:

July 2012:
Amazing Spider-man (1) 59,859
Amazing Spider-man (2) 58,976
Avenging Spider-man 37,134

Not only had One More Day not brought on new fans, it had turned off some old ones. Despite making Amazing Spider-man a bi-monthly magazine, they were selling more than 50,000 less books a month.

Superior Spider-man made a big splash, starting off with six digit sales figures for its first three issues before sales declined and level off around 80,000 readers. In addition, new Superior Spider-man titles were added, Superior Foes of Spider-man and Superior Spider-man Team Up. Sales figures will probably rise for the next few issues with a pretty high selling point for Issue 30. Take a look at the numbers from November.


Superior Spider-man 81,250
Superior Spider-man 74,940
Superior Spider-man TU 27,189
Superior Foes of SM 23,694

Overall, the number of books sold looks solid, and after five years of declining fortunes in the wake of One More Day, Slott appears to have brought Spidey comics back. Appears to is the operative word. The big question is whether the new readers will stick for the Amazing Spider-man comic.

I doubt it. I think the idea of Superior fascinated a lot of folks: A villain taking over the body of a superhero and wreaking havoc as he tries to prove himself a superior hero. It's got a kind of anti-hero edge to it. That doesn't necessarily translate into watching our hero return and clean up the mess and restore his reputation.

One clue to that is that Marvel's gimmicky Amazing Spider-man 700.1-700.5, a five issue Flashback Mini-series featuring Peter Parker sold 65,575 for issue of 700.1 and 700.5 sold 59,083 (or pretty close to what Spider-man comics were selling before the Superior Spider-man event.

In addition, the new Superior Spider-man team up book is selling less than the old Avenging Spider-man book, so there's no Spider-man renaissance here.

The Superior Spider-man concept will have proved a sales bonanza at Marvel for about a year and a half. They managed to spike sales of Amazing Spider-man 698 and 699 and sell 200,000 copies of Issue 700. They got curious new readers to Superior Spider-man and had huge sales spikes from collectors swooping down for 3 #1 issues. And the first half of 2014 will look equally good. You can expect big sales numbers for the last few issues of Superior Spider-man and a relatively high number of sales for Amazing Spider-man Vol. 3 #1 and a few months of high sales for that title as the Amazing Spider-man movie makes it way through theaters. You can expect a new secondary Spider-man title with a new #1 which will no doubt sell close to 100,000 copies for its first issue.

But by the time we get to December 2013, what will we be looking at? If I had to wager, I'd say that probably Amazing Spider-man will be selling between 50,000 and 65,000 copies. In essence, for the long term growth, it'll have no good and perhaps even harmed. Long term success is about reader relationship and this hasn't been good for that as the New York Daily News article reminds us:

“To do that for a solid year of my life, that’s the hardest thing I’ve had to do — to look small children in the eye at a convention and lie to them,” says Slott. “One of them with an honest-to-God Little League uniform and a quivering lip. Inside, part of me was dying.”

Yeah, that'll leave a good impression.

Marvel and DC as well have been driven by over-hyped event comics and gimmicks in order to generate sales. Maybe they could consider the old fashioned way of selling comics: telling good stories with characters people like.

Book Review: Essential Astonishing Ant Man

Essential Astonishing Ant Man, Vol. 1 by Stan Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects stories of Ant Man/Giant Man and the Wasp from Tales to Astonish #27 and 35-69.

Henry Pym didn't start out to be a superhero. He was a scientist in a classic one-shot science fiction story in Tales to Astonish, a sci fi anthology comic. However, DC had began to roll out the Adventures of the Atom, so Marvel introduced its own shrinking superhero, Ant Man. The stories ranged from 12-18 pages when the book was at its height.

The art shows a wide range of styles, but most of it is good. Among the artists on this were Don Heck, Dick Ayears, and Jack Kirby.

While Stan Lee provided all but one of the plots for the first thirteen stories, other writers were responsible for the actual scripts and that difference shows. Until Stan Lee took full charge as writer in Tales of Astonish #49, much of Ant Man seemed like a bad DC book. The locale of Ant Man in those early days was indistinct. The character wasn't even given a reason to fight crime until Tales to Astonish #44 when we were learn that Pym's wife was killed years before by communists. But if that was the motivation, why was he content to be a research scientist until discovering the shrinking pills? The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) was introduced in Issue #44 but again nothing much came of her until Lee took over.

With Lee actually writing this series, the strip became a lot more enjoyable. Pym eventually became the master of many sizes, able to grow to large heights as Giant Man. Initially, he could only reach 10 feet, then 12, then thirty-five, and finally into triple digit feet in height.

More than anything else, Lee developed the relationship between Henry Pym and the Janet Van Dyne. The relationship went from the pre-Lee writing days of, "Woman, stay away, I have science to do," to a very fun relationship, that's probably one of the better ones in the Silver Age in terms of realism and likability of the principles.

From Issues 49-58, the book also became home to a series of quick sci fi adventures told by the Wasp. These are funny Twilight Zonesque stories that really are a treat in this book.

Issue 59 featured a battle with the Hulk and then the Hulk became co-star of the book in Issue 60 which lead to the length of the Giant Man stories being shrunk to 13 pages, though I think the stories actually got better at this point.

Stan Lee left as writer after Issue #68 and Al Hartley wrote the last Tales to Astonish Ant Man/Wasp story in Issue #69 in which Pym used his shrinking power to save the day even though the previous issue explained he lost that power.

Overall, I liked the book. It had cold war intrigue and Pym may have fought communists more than any other silver age hero.

On the other hand, it had its flaws. Compared to other books, it's villains were generally weaker and less memorable than even Daredevil's early rogue's gallery, and certain less than DC's Atom. In addition, it certainly didn't have as imaginative of an exploration of what you could do with shrinking powers at the Atom. However, the book is par with the early runs of those series because of the early appearances of the Wasp. She's fun and occasionally frivolous but she really kept the stories interesting and made this a readable and fun collection.



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Book Review: Batman: Tales of the Demon

Batman: Tales of the Demon by Dennis O'Neil

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This out of print trade tells the story of some of the Bat-man's earliest meetings with Ra's al Ghul. It wouldn't be fair to say they were battles because half the time, Batman is on Ra's side or at least they didn't fight.

Tale of the Demon makes you appreciate the features of many modern day trades. There are no issue numbers and no covers. If you just go by what's in the book, all you know about the stories is that they happened some time in the 1970s.

The big surprise is that Talia al Ghul, Ra's daughter introduced first in a story in which Batman rescues her and she helps save Batman from a criminal.

This sets up the class, "Daughter of the Demon" story that has Robin being kidnapped and Ra's coming to Batman because Talia has been kidnapped. This is a classic mystery story that was adapted into the first Batman animated episode to feature Ra's.

"Swamp Sinister" has Ra's once again coming to Batman for help with a rogue with a deadly biological toxin who has become too dangerous. Batman once again teams with the Ghuls but he's definitely uncomfortable with the tactics.

In "Vengeance for a Dead Man" though, Ra's going too far and Batman goes on an epic three part story to track Ra's down and gets partners to join him and fakes Bruce Wayne's death. The story is solid even if it has its problems. In the end, Batman gets Ra's and takes him to the proper authorities (whoever that might be.)

Then comes the silliest and most out of place story of the book, "I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife." Batman is kidnapped and when he awakes he finds himself on Ra's ship and Ra's said that he's now married to Talia and is Ra's country, only the consent of the Bride and the bride's father is required not the groom. And this is all a puerile ruse so that while Batman's honeymooning ,Ra's al Ghul and his goons can loot the city. So not only didn't they explain how al Ghul escaped from wherever he was taken at the end of the last series of stories, O'Neil decided to have him acting like the Penguin. Ra's al Ghul doesn't do Gotham City heists.

The pace picks up again with a final multi-part story where a martial arts master named the Sensei (who is also a rival of Ra's al-Ghul for leadership of the League of Assassins) kills Kathy Kane who was the silver age Batwoman and earns Batman's ire. This story has a question as to whether Ra's himself provided information that led to the Sensei's attack. Regardless, Batman is determined to take care of the Sensei, and thus becomes Ra's reluctant ally.

The series had a lot of different artists and all were at least competent. The three stories drawn by Neal Adams were the best in the book and his art helped. The splash page of Batman climbing the mountain from Al Ghul was fantastic as was the scene of them deling.

While the book doesn't feel the type of credits and time markers I like, it does contain an intro by Sam Hamm and an Afterword by Dennis O'Neil. Hamm argues that while some have criticized the 1966 Batman show for departing from the comic book, it's biggest problem for Batman was that it matched pretty well with the comics and that the whole thing looked silly and Hamm credits O'Neil with making a darker Batman.

However, the book isn't as dark as today's Batman (a point that O'Neil basically apologizes for in the Afterwards). O'Neil points out that Stan Lee and Marvel influenced many young writers and that influence shows. It's not as lighthearted as early Spider-man, but Batman is a shade less or more dark than any given Marvel book of the time. Overall, I liked the tone and it makes me want to read more 1970s Batman reprints.

Tales of the Demon introduces a great villain and reprints some solid 1970s Batman stories. The book isn't without its problems. "I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife" is completely out of character for Ra's. There are a few stories where some elements are just unintentionally weird and DC definitely had some issues with keeping a good continuity.

Still, this is good Batman. He's edgier than his 1960s format, but he's still a force for justices who operates by a code. He's also very human and the relationship between him and Talia is pretty fascinating. Overall, it's a solid Batman read.



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Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America, Vol. 3

Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America, Vol. 3 by Joe Simon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 9-12 of the Golden Age Captain America. It also includes a contrast of styles. Issues 9 and 10 were the last for creators Jack Kirby and Joe Simon and Issues 11 and 12 were the first two under the hand of Young Stan Lee as at least editor and perhaps writer.

The Simon-Kirby books were marked by a series of short tales that were a mix between horror and espionage. Under Stan Lee,the stories became more like the superhero stories that were being put out by DC and its predecessor companies, and also a bit longer. One of my highlights is Captain America #12 which rather than featuring three small stories, they featured two full length adventures covering a total of 40 pages. Keeping in mind this was a monthly magazine, that wasn't bad for a dime. All the Captain America stories are typically great.

The Marvel Masterworks collects reprints the whole book with its back up features which doesn't add anything other than for diehard completists. They're pretty tame. We're given four stories featuring newsman Headline Hunter, and two superheroes named Father Time and the Hurricane who believe that being a good superhero means ripping your shirt off for no reason. The Hurricane was another attempt to answer DC's Flash. The reason for Father Time remains foggy. The big weakness of these stories have been the limited space. They only had 5-7 pages to tell them and even the heroes had to rush. In Captain American #11, a woman is shocked that her cousin tried to kill her. The Hurricane (moving fast as always) interrupts with, "Let's forget it about Florence, what are you doing tonight?") There were certainly artists and writers that could make these short stories work. They just weren't working for Marvel predecessor Timely.

The one exception and one really delightful extra appears in Captain America #12 in the Stan Lee story with The Imp, a very cute kids superhero story told in Dr. Suessesque style rhyme.

Overall, the book's upside includes works by true comic greats Jack Kirby and Joe Simon at their prime and some fun stuff by young Stan Lee. The weak extra between detract a little, but not enough to make this book anything other than a Must-read for Captain American and comic fans.



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Book Review: Showcase Presents the Atom

Showcase Presents: The Atom, Vol. 1 by Gardner F. Fox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book follows the early adventures of Ray Palmer, a scientist who using part of a white dwarf star gains the ability to transform himself into the Atom, a superhero who can shrink down six inches tall or even to sub-atomic level and back again. This book collects the Atom's three issue tryout in Showcase #34-36 and the first 17 Issues of the Atom.

The Atom stories are just plain fun, as author Gardener Fox uncorks one imaginative plot after another. They are 1960s science fiction at its most imaginative and fun. The book includes the beginning of the time pool stories as the Atom travels back in time on a time magnet and runs into such noted figures as Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne, as well as getting mistaken for the genie of Aladdin's lamp. Some good educational content is mixed to all of the wacky science fiction.

The stories are pleasurable but not perfect. The stories are short (pun intended) on super villains. Also, the Atom Character isn't well-developed, but it didn't bother me too much. With a tiny superhero who can travel through phone lines plus a crossover with Hawkman, this is just a fun book.





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Book Review: Faillstate Legends

Failstate: Legends by John W. Otte

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The teenage superhero Failstate (Robin Laughlin) won his won his Vigilante license as a result of a reality TV show and returns to his hometown of New Chayton facing a brand new challenge: the emergence of zombies on the streets of New Chayton.

Unfortunately, while New Chayton is allotted several licensed heroes, Failstate is the only one available. His liaison officer with the government agency that regulates costumed vigilantes invites a swarm of licensed heroes to New Chayton to assist in the challenge. Can the sixteen year old stand up in the company of legends (including the most legendary hero of all?)

The book works quite well, but is perhaps best in the character development department. Failstate, unlicensed heroes Gauntlet (aka Robin’s brother Ben), and Veritas (aka Mike) all were in the first book. All three characters are changing but in a realistic and believable fashion. It's great to see how the relationship between Gauntlet and Failstate evolves throughout the book.

I also have to give kudos to Otte for a couple new characters. I loved the vigilante Kynetic (Kyn) and Etzal’el was a character I thought I wouldn't like but I actually found to be really fun. Either one of these would be great for a spin-off book.

The story itself is very well-written and fast-paced with a lot of plot developments on its way to the final conclusion. Failstate: Legends has everything you’d expect in a superhero story and all of its well done with plenty of battles, intrigue, and a good deal of suspense get thrown into the mix.

I'm not a fan of zombie stories usually, but the zombies in Legends were a macguffin for our heroes and villains to have a plot around rather than the central point of the story.

The negatives of the story are few. We find out that Failstate's name is a bit of a misnomer as his power doesn't actually create a Failstate, which I guess would be kind of like finding out Spider-man had been by a radioactive ladybug. I'll also admit the set up for the final battle between Failstate and the main villain did stretch suspension of disbelief a little bit, but the stunning conclusion to the story more than makes up for it.

Finally, some people will have a problem with the fact that (without giving away the ending) the VOC (the agency that regulates superheroes in Failstate’s universe) was really incompetent and poorly managed, with the left hand does know what the right is doing, power is abused, and government funds are embezzled and mismanaged with little to no oversight. However, I merely give the book points for realism.

Overall, Failstate Legends is a well-crafted story that continues the coming of age saga with a likable hero, a great supporting cast, and a well-done plot which provides a couple good life lessons along the way.




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Book Review: Essential Black Panther Volume 1

Essential Black Panther, Vol. 1 by Don McGregor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've always had a warm spot for the Black Panther from his appearances in animated films and TV shows, as well as a guest comic I read from Marvel Team Up. So, I was glad to check this book out from my library.

This book is different from other Essential volumes I've read due to the Panthers inability to enjoy a long run. This collects two separate runs. First from Jungle Action 6-22 and 24 from 1973-76 by Don McGregor and then the first 10 issues of Blank Panther's self-titled series in 1977, written by Jack Kirby.

The McGregor stories take up for the first 60% of the book and were fairly dark for the time. The story of Panther Rage occurs over 13 Issues of Jungle Action (including the Epilogue) as T'Challa fights off a revolution led by Erik Killmonger. MacGregor creates a Wakandan rogues gallery of truly stunning and memorable foes. However, more than that, the story is a somewhat moody meditation on the meaning of life, war, and human tragedy. The art by Billy Graham (no relation to the evangelist) is highly stylized and very different for the time, usually eschewing the use of panels. It's groundbreaking art.

The writing continues into the next story of the Black Panther v. the Clan which ends up unresolved when Jungle Action was cancelled.

Kirby returned to Marvel after having gone to DC and took over the Black Panther title. He took the series in an entirely different direction, abandoning the moodier tone of McGregor as well as all the supporting cast. The stories took on a more retro feel, like a 1940s Adventure Sci-Fi serial as T'Challa meets up with collectors who are collecting some dangerous objects that threaten to destroy the world. Meanwhile, a problem is arising back in Wakunda that leaves the Panther's hapless ruling family to pick up the slack in comic relief.

While Kirby essentially chucked McGregor's continuity, the two seem to agree that all things considered, it may not be a good idea for a head of state to leave the country to play superhero.

Overall, this books offer at two very different approaches to the character by MacGregor and Kirby, and great art by Graham and Kirby. It's a worthwhile artistic effort, but not as fun as many other Marvel Essential books.



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Book Review: What If? Classic Volume 1

What If? Classic, Vol. 1 by Roy Thomas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In the Gold and Silver Ages, DC had imaginary stories. One off adventures that if ever seriously treated as real would fundamentally shake up the DC universe.

Instead imaginary stories had no impact. In his introduction, Author Roy Thomas wants to be clear that What If was no imaginary story.

The premise of What If is that the events DID happen, however they occurred in an alternate universe. The Watcher serves as our guide. As I read the comic, I imagined him as almost a TV host introducing the stories. The concept of the series was solid. And this no doubt played into DC's creation of similarly themed "elseworlds."

The execution could be a little inconsistent. Lets break down the six stories contained herein:

1) What if Spider-man joined the Fantastic Four? In Amazing Spider-man #1, Peter Parker was desperate for money to help his Aunt May. He decided to put on an exhibition against the Fantastic Four to earn a position on the team and some money. Spidey proves his mettle by the FF isn't interested, so Spidey swings away. In What if #1, we see that and then we see what would have happened if he had joined and how it would have altered the lives of both teams. It was okay but spent too much time explaining how individual issues and criminals would have gone differently rather than telling a greater macro story. Rating: B-

2) What if Hulk always had Bruce Banner's brain?: Another solid concept answered fairly well. It did tell a very story of Bruce Banner,the Hulk, his enemies, and his allies. The nice thing is that they acknowledged that the lack of the Savage Hulk could have a negative impact on history. An interesting story, though perhaps a little fatalistic at the end. Grade: B

3) What if the Avengers had never been? In mainstream continuity, Earth's mightiest heroes went after a combination of the Hulk and Namor in Avengers #3 as they'd been chasing the Hulk after he'd quit as an avenger in the second issue. In this story, Thor as well as Giant Man and Wasp quit. Iron Man however carries on and tries to counter the great threat represented by the two superhumans. Rarely has Iron Man ever been so heroic than in an alternate universe that brought him to an ultimate test. A very powerful story Grade: A-

4) What if the Invaders Had Stayed Together After World War II?: Roy Thomas said this could be considered more a "Why not?" story as it's possible that the Invaders did stay together and that there was a replacement Captain America in Marvel's now hopelessly confused Captain America timeframe. Good solid story. Grade: B+

5) What if Captain America and Bucky had both survived World War II?: In mainstream continuity, Bucky died at the end of the War and Cap was frozen to be thawed out by the Avengers. In this story, we see both Captain America and Bucky live through the war like normal. The only thing that remains somewhat unclear in the story is why Nick Fury ends up dying in Korea in this story and never becomes director of S.H.I.E.L.D. which is a key plot point. However, that little problem aside, this is a great story about patriotism, love, and brotherhood between Captain American and Bucky. Grade: A

6) What if the Fantastic Four had different Superpowers?: A look at how the Comic rays might have reacted differently. An okay story and nice to see Ben Grimm getting some powers he would enjoy as Dragon Fly. Grade: B




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