Todd Klein's Blog, page 284

Watching OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Image © Disney.

Disney does not have a great track record with L. Frank Baum’s Oz tales. Their “Return to Oz” had some cool visuals but disappointed me in many ways, including being too dark for the true spirit of Oz to emerge. I hadn’t heard much about this film other than that it was coming, despite being a longtime member of the “International Wizard of Oz Club.” I read one review Friday that seemed mixed, and one from a friend on Facebook that was pretty negative. I was torn about seeing it, but decided that I should. It’s an Oz film. I love Oz. How could I pass it by? So Ellen and I saw it this afternoon.

I went in not expecting too much, and came out feeling I had a good time. It’s billed as a prequel, telling how the man who became the Wizard of Oz got there. The story begins in Kansas in 1905, where we see Oscar Diggs performing his magic act in a small travelling carnival, and not getting along too well, except with the ladies. An angry husband who is also the show’s strong man wants Oscar’s head, but Diggs just manages to escape him in a hot air balloon. A tornado approaches…well, you get the idea. The opening is purposely subdued, black and white and square screen. As in the MGM classic film, it opens up when Oz Diggs arrives in the land with his name, launching dazzling 3D effects and vibrant colors. It’s almost overdone at first, but as the story unfolds, Oz and Oscar both steady down and become more appealing. I felt James Franco did fine in his role, starting out as a suave but uncaring con man, and being changed gradually by his circumstances.

Three witches form an important part of the cast. Only one is familiar at first glance, Glinda, but we meet her last. Before that there are two sisters. One, Theodora, meets Oscar when he first arrives, and helps get him to the Emerald City, where everyone proclaims him as the mighty Wizard who can help them defeat the Wicked Witch. Sister Evanora shows up there too, ostensibly to help, but with her own agenda. Glinda is the one pegged as Wicked in this story, or so Oscar is told as he’s sent off to look for her in the Dark Forest. Of the three actresses in these parts, I thought Michelle Williams was best as Glinda. Mila Kunis as Theodora was not convincing to me either in her original good witch state, or later after things go wrong for her. Rachel Weisz was okay as Evanora except for her British accent, which kept pulling me out of the performance.

There are two CGI characters that befriend Oscar, a flying monkey and a china doll. The monkey is clearly comic relief, and as such I thought worked well. Zach Braff, as his voice, made me laugh a few times, and acted as a good sidekick. The living china doll voiced by Joey King was meant to bring out Oscar’s soft side, and that worked okay, though it did slow things down too much at times. Fortunately there’s enough action and excitement elsewhere to make up for it.

This film could not attempt to get too close the the MGM film visually, they didn’t have the rights for that, but clearly its heart and center is much closer to that film than the books, though things were picked out of the books here and there. Other things were added not from either. There was nothing that I found troubling as an Oz fan, though. The payoff—where Oscar puts together his greatest con ever to take back the Emerald City—was a success in my eyes. In short, I liked the film, as did Ellen. Not a classic perhaps, but certainly an enjoyable journey to a magical place, and a few hours well spent.

Recommended.

Pulled At Random From My Files #2

Image © Rob Liefeld.

Hand-lettered rather large in the style of Ira Schnapp, this appeared on the inside front covers of SUPREME #41-52 and served as the ongoing story title for those Alan Moore-written issues. I no longer recall who suggested going this route, but it was probably Alan. I think I was the one who found appropriate old DC Comics house ads to imitate, pulling ideas from several of them. Scanned from the original lettering in my files. Lots of other Ira Schnapp and Gaspar Saladino lettering homages appeared in the issues.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN CORPS 16, GLC ANNUAL 1

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

Guy Gardner is definitely in a bad place. Lost his ring and Corps membership, thrown in jail by his own family here on Earth, and the Third Army is about to attack. Think he can turn things around? If there’s one thing we know about Guy, he’s stubborn. I wouldn’t bet against him. Meanwhile John Stewart and Violet Lantern Yrra are trying to get Mogo, the planet-sized Green Lantern back together again, while fighting terrorists. Things are moving right along to the conclusion in…

See, it says right on the cover, “Conclusion.” Handy, that. All the Earth Green Lanterns are present and kicking Guardian and Third Army butt, except for Hal Jordan, still missing. Many other familiar Corps members are here, too. The Guardians should have no problem with this, but seemingly they’ve pushed their power source to its breakout point. In other words, that power source is about to turn on them as well.

This was a pretty good storyline overall, a few slow moments, but quite a few good ones. My biggest problem with it is…no conclusion. There is no resolution at all here, just the beginning of another (probably crossover) storyline. This seems unfair to me as a reader, and a case of false advertising. Hey, I’ll be reading the next storyline, but couldn’t there have been room for some closure on this one first?

Mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN 16, GL NEW GUARDIANS 16

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

There they are, the Third Army. Pretty creepy, though you’d have to think a good kick to those exposed brains might be effective. Nah, probably not. Kyle Rayner has been gathering the powers of the rainbow of Corps, and is almost there, needing only the violet light of love. Unfortunately he has to face a Guardian, Ganthet, once his close friend but now turned loyal to the other Guardians, in a fierce battle, and as Ganthet tells him, six colors are not enough! This is an all battle issue, but well done, and with a nice payoff. The art by Aaron Kuder is a bit quirky and detailed, reminding me of Frank Quitely. I like it. This issue feeds into the GREEN LANTERN CORPS ANNUAL 1 for the conclusion of the crossover, as does the following one.

In this book, new Lantern Simon Baz gets help from a chipmunk Corps member, B’dg, no doubt the replacement for Ch’p, the one I remember from years ago. Good thing, too, as Simon has no clue about even such basics as recharging his ring. The ring itself is confused, having been given commands by both Sinestro and Hal Jordan that conflict, and Simon and B’dg must sort this out. Simon is wanted in the big battle in space, but before he goes he has some family business to attend to, rounding out the issue in fine style. I admire Geoff Johns’ ability to keep the fight personal amid the crisis. The art by Doug Mahnke and a host of inkers is a wonderful as ever.

Both books are recommended.

Pulled At Random From My Files #1…

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Rejected Batman logo sketch in marker for DC’s licensing department, from the early 1990s. I think this would make a pretty good cover logo, the one change I’d make now is to shorten the center point on the M, as it fights the point on the bat symbol.

And Then I Read: SWAMP THING 16, WORLDS’ FINEST 18

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

Okay, I admit it, I probably shouldn’t be reviewing this comic. It’s involved in a crossover with ANIMAL MAN that I’m not reading, and getting half the story is not fair to the writers.  On the other hand, I enjoyed SWAMP THING until this crossover began, and would like to continue reading it, I simply find what I’m being offered here too incomplete to make it worthwhile, and the kind of story being told (epic battles in a dystopian future) are not appealing to me in any case. If I were buying the book, which I’m not, I’d stop buying it. Guess I’ll see how I like it after this crossover ends and reassess then. The art by Yanick Paquette is great, though his panel layouts are sometimes hard to follow.

In this book, writer Paul Levitz is handling two characters who are quite different in style and power level, but nonetheless friends who help each other when they can, not unlike the original WORLD’S FINEST team of Superman and Batman (with Robin). The obvious cast for the book, and what would probably have been done in past decades, is to team Supergirl and Batwoman (or Batgirl), but this is fresher and more fun. The story begins with Huntress taking a hit from a terrorist sniper while under cover in Manhattan, and continues with Power Girl pursuing the sniper’s funding source in the Middle East. Interspersed among these we have some flashbacks to Huntress’s childhood on a different Earth where she was raised by a different Batman and Catwoman. All three storylines are interesting and well done. The art by George Pérez, Cafu and Cliff Richards is all good, with the Pérez pages as the standouts for me.

WORLDS’ FINEST is recommended.

 

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN CORPS 15, FLASH 15

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

It’s always a welcome break in a crossover when we get some character development, and Guy Gardner gets plenty in this issue. He’s back on Earth, having been banished from the Corps, and not knowing what to do with himself, calls his family for a long chat. That family are all in or formerly part of the police force, and the conversation is well handled by writer Peter Tomasi. No longer a super-hero, Guy still wants to be a hero, and is soon involved in a big crime scene where things get messy. The art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna is excellent, handling all the character acting as well as the action well.

Grodd and his gorilla warriors finally bring Barry Allen down, despite help from other forces both good and bad. That part of this issue is quite good, but what really blew me away was the extended title sequence of connected art covering pages 11 to 20. An artistic tour-de-force, a brilliant encapsulation of Flash’s life and problems, and all in panels made of large, angular letters for the most part. Way cool!  Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are doing innovative and fascinating work in this title, you shouldn’t miss it.

Both books are recommended.

And Then I Read: THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE by Jacqueline Kelly

© Jacqueline Kelly, cover illustration by Beth White.

I picked this up at a used book sale partly on the strength of the great cover art, partly because it’s a Newbery Honor Book, usually a sign of a good read. The heroine, Calpurnia Tate, is eleven years old, living in a small town in 1899 Texas, and from a well-to-do but not rich family, her father owns a large farm. Calpurnia is a tomboy, more interested in science than sewing or cooking, which is a trial for her mother, as she’s the only daughter among seven children. The title refers not only to her personal evolution but also her discovery of real scientific ideas in Charles Darwin’s classic book “The Origin of Species,” lent to her by her granddaddy, who shares Calpurnia’s interest in such things. In fact, the two strike up a sudden friendship and bond after hardly talking to each other previously, and begin spending lots of time together either out in the woods and fields collecting insect and plant specimens or in her grandaddy’s “laboratory,” a shed back of the house where he conducts research and experiments.

This new line of activity does not go over well with Calpurnia’s family and friends. They all find her interests strange and inappropriate for a girl. No one understands her desire to avoid the life laid out for her: finding a husband and raising a family. Instead she dreams of going to a university and becoming a career woman, a goal that seems far out of reach. Meanwhile, Callie gets along as best she can with her siblings, parents and friends, having adventures in a small town way, and enjoying time with her grandaddy whenever possible. On one of their collecting expeditions, they find and bring home a plant that Grandaddy believes might be a new species. They send it off to The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and then spend many long days waiting for a reply. Callie’s mother keeps trying to get her to buckle down and learn to be a young lady, and perhaps that’s all the future will hold for her, unless she can somehow prove to them she can be more.

Well written, a nice picture of a life and time I knew nothing about, and Callie reminds me a bit of both Jo from “Little Women” and Anne of Green Gables: feisty yet sensitive, smart and funny at times, awkward and temperamental at others. I think many young girls would enjoy this book as much as I did, probably more. If you’re a nature lover you’ll like that aspect as well.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: IRREDEEMABLE Volume 10

Image © Boom Entertainment, Inc. and Mark Waid.

It’s been a long race, but writer Mark Waid brings it home in winning style in this final collection of his series, which also features fine art by Diego Barreto and Damian Couceiro. IRREDEEMABLE has seen many ups and downs in the struggle against The Plutonian, a powerful superhero turned villain. The struggle has caused massive damage to his Earth as well as its other heroes and villains, both physical and psychological. They’re still fighting him, but Plutonian has proved impossible to defeat or even stifle for long, even by his greatest friends and enemies alike, united against him. After such a long build-up, the finale had to be clever and satisfying, and Waid has delivered just that, with a capper of an epilogue that’s completely perfect in every way. If you haven’t been following this series, start at the beginning, not here, but let me just say, Bravo, Mark!

Highly recommended.

 

And Then I Read: B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH: RUSSIA

Image © Mike Mignola.

I don’t know how they do it. Dark Horse, and Mike Mignola, keep finding artists whose style is close enough to Mike’s own to make their Hellboy-related comics seem right in line stylistically with what has come before. Tyler Crook is the latest in this line, and his art looks great on this volume of the B.P.R.D. saga. The story is as good as ever, too.

Strange things are going on deep in a mine in Russia. So strange that the investigator the Russian version of the B.P.R.D. sends down into the mine becomes a deadly object of fear himself. Russia asks our team for help, and they send Kate and Johann. They don’t even make it to the site before weird, dangerous things are attacking them, but it’s Johann the Russians really want and need. His essentially ghostlike self can’t be corrupted as their human forces have been, and he may hold the answers to their problem. Whether Johann and Kate can survive the mission is another matter that’s far from certain.

Great stuff, and I should add that the Mignola books from Dark Horse are remarkable consistent and entertaining, and are all recommended.