Daniel Sherrier's Blog, page 22

Today’s Super Comic — The Flash #134 (1998)

The original Flash takes over for an issue in #134, and it’s an enjoyable change of pace.

The then-current Flash, Wally West, sustained a serious leg injury in the previous storyline, so Jay Garrick comes out of semi-retirement to fill in during Wally’s recovery. And playing the hero again is an absolute hoot for the old man, making it fun for the reader, too. He gets to run around and knock the stuffing out of bad guys, speak to a classroom of children, catch up with old friends, and still make time to celebrate his golden wedding anniversary.

As the cover says, the issue is framed as “a day in the life.” And his overarching goal throughout this otherwise episodic day is to save an old enemy who has become a friend. It’s not so easy, though. His friend, known as the Thinker back during World War II, is dying of a brain tumor…but maybe, just maybe if Jay can find the man’s old thinking cap, the Thinker will be able to devise a cure for his tumor…

Even in his golden years, Jay can still learn a lesson about the limits of what a superhero can accomplish. A solid done-in-one story.

Writers: Mark Millar and Grant Morrison

Penciler: Paul Ryan

Inker: John Nyberg

Cover: Steve Lightle

Publisher: DC Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Comixology; included in The Flash by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 10 and up

Today’s Super Comic — Supergirl #42 (2000)

This series continues to build nicely. Again, you shouldn’t start in the middle, but it rewards you for sticking around from the beginning.

Writer Peter David juggles various plot threads and characters, making all feel important and organic, as demonstrated in issue #42. He plays around with familiar tropes, such as a secret identity interfering with a date, and he includes less common concepts, such as a new church that worships Supergirl as an angel. All are compelling, as is that fantastic cliffhanger.

I’ve neglected to compliment artist Leonard Kirk, who has drawn most of the series thus far. He’s got a nice, clean style that’s not the least bit exploitative. Whether she appears in superhero form or as regular Linda Danvers, Supergirl looks like a person, not an adolescent’s fantasy version of a woman. It’s a refreshing change of pace.

Some of the themes are too mature for younger children (i.e., religion), but you could comfortably show these comics to a middle school–aged boy or girl. And you could read them yourself and not feel the least bit embarrassed.

Writer: Peter David

Penciler: Leonard Kirk

Inker: Robin Riggs

Publisher: DC Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Comixology

Appropriate For: ages 11 and up

Today’s Super Comic — Superman Annual #11 (1985)

Since we’ve entered the holiday shopping season, how about a classic comic that’s basically about giving a gift? And Superman Annual #11, “For the Man Who Has Everything,” is a gift, one given to us by the team behind Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

It’s Superman’s birthday, so Wonder Woman, Batman, and the then-new Robin (Jason Todd) visit him at the Fortress of Solitude, all bearing thoughtful presents. But what do you get the man who has everything? The villainous alien Mongul has the perfect gift for him—a life of contentment, which happens to be all imaginary.

A symbiotic plant called the Black Mercy traps Superman in his own head, where he’s living a perfectly normal life on a Krypton that never exploded. He has a wife and two children, and the weight of the world isn’t constantly on his shoulders. It all feels so real and satisfying.

But outside that fantasy, Mongul begins his quest for world domination by taking on Wonder Woman and the Caped Crusaders. To save his friends, and the world, Superman must abandon the peaceful life he always wanted, rejecting a loving family in favor of his Fortress of Solitude.

When you have a character as powerful as Superman, especially this old-school version, you’ve got to be creative to hurt him and even more creative to make him work for his victory. And trapping him in happiness, and requiring his own strength of will to erode the façade, is perfect.

The comic is so good that Justice League Unlimited adapted it into an animated episode. The comic does some things better, and the cartoon does other things better, but really, just check out both.

Writer: Alan Moore

Artist: Dave Gibbons

Publisher: DC Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Comixology; included in DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 10 and up

Today’s Super Comic — Nova #7 (2013)

So the first issue wasn’t a fluke. Seven issues in, and Nova is tremendous fun.

I appreciate how the creative teams take their time developing this young new Nova into a superhero. Sam Alexander learned a lot in the first storyline, but he’s still got ways to go before he’s ready for the big leagues (i.e., the Avengers, the team his mother prefers he not join at the age of fifteen—very smart mother there).

Issue #7 is framed around Sam searching for an opportunity to save the day in grand heroic fashion. He flies all the way from Arizona to New York City looking for action. He bumps into a Spider-Man who’s not himself (he’s Doctor Octopus in Spidey’s body, which is a whole other long story), but that’s the closest he gets to encountering a super-villain.

He keeps looking to lend a hand somewhere, and he keeps failing to be of any use—in the big situations, anyway. But when he thinks smaller and stops aiming too high, he manages to perform a good deed of genuine value, and he matures just a smidge.

Much more interesting than reading about a superhero who’s perfect from issue #1.

Writer: Zeb Wells

Penciler: Paco Medina

Inker: Juan Vlasco

Cover: Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines, and Marte Gracia

Publisher: Marvel Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Marvel Unlimited; Comixology; included in Nova vol. 2: Rookie Season (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 11 and up

Today’s Super Comic — Captain America #2 (2004)

I reviewed the first issue of this series over the summer and was reminded just how fantastic Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America was. So it’s past time I resumed re-reading, and issue #2 validates that decision.

Brubaker’s portrayal of Cap is spot-on, and the excellent artwork of Steve Epting and Michael Lark bolsters the writing’s effectiveness. Captain America has gravitas here (which will make key events later in the run all the more meaningful), and he never seems like anything less than a hero.

Cap and SHIELD investigate the assassination of an old enemy, one who has tried to kill them all a ridiculous number of times over the decades. No great loss for the world, but the death brings Cap no joy. Though not exactly torn up, he feels the loss of someone who had played a major role in his life. And yeah, he’s appropriately skeptical, given death’s unreliability in the Marvel Universe. It all combines into a reaction that’s perfectly in character, and perfectly human, while further enhancing that gravitas.

I’ll have to follow through with this series, too. (What’s one more to juggle?)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artists: Steve Epting and Michael Lark

Cover: Steve Epting

Publisher: Marvel Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Marvel Unlimited; Comixology; included in Captain America: Winter Soldier (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 14 and up

Today’s Super Comics — Death: The High Cost of Living #1-3 (1993)

Neil Gaiman does Death Takes a Holiday in his distinctive Neil Gaimany way.

Death, or Didi, is an off-kilter teenaged girl who gets to be mortal one day a century. She befriends a depressed young guy with the unfortunate name of Sexton. A very old madwoman seeks Death’s help in finding her heart. And a blind, creepy guy wants Death’s sigil.

And by the end, it’s all remarkably uplifting.

“It always ends. That’s what gives it value.”

Though this is a Sandman spinoff, Death: The High Cost of Living stands entirely on its own. I can’t say for certain, but it might even be more effective without prior knowledge. There’s almost nothing in these three issues that’s blatantly supernatural. The fantasy elements exist entirely on the periphery, which you hardly even realize until after the fact because everything feels so magical. If you read just this story, you might almost believe that Didi is merely a troubled girl who has retreated into the delusion that she’s Death.

An excellent read from the early days of DC’s Vertigo imprint.

Writer: Neil Gaiman

Artists: Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham

Cover: Dave McKean

Publisher: DC Comics (Vertigo)

How to Read It: back issues; Comixology; Death: The High Cost of Living (TPB)

Appropriate For: ADULTS ONLY

Today’s Super Comics — Batman #404-408 (1987)

I’m a bit pressed for time, so forgive me for going with a super-obvious one today. But Batman: Year One deserves all its many accolades.

Originally presented in Batman #404-408, this is writer Frank Miller’s other great Batman story, focusing on his early days rather than later days. But while The Dark Knight Returns seems to be the consensus favorite, I’ve always preferred the more down-to-earth Year One (though DKR might very well appear here before my year of positive reviews is over).

In Year One, Batman himself is the weirdest thing about his world. This is before the Joker, Mr. Freeze, and other colorful scoundrels have descended on Gotham City. (We do get some morally ambiguous Catwoman action, though.) Then-Lieutenant Gordon is the co-lead, and it’s basically a story of two flawed but good men trying to help their crime-ridden city in two very different ways. But maybe they can find some common ground and forge a productive friendship?

Artist David Mazzuchelli draws in an appropriately gritty style that produces several memorable Bat-images, and Miller’s tight story is constantly moving forward and gaining momentum.

Too often, writers portray Batman as so competent that he’s borderline superhuman, and that can be fun, but here we see an inexperienced Batman making mistakes and learning the ropes. This Batman is skilled but undeniably human, and that suits the character well.

If you enjoyed Batman Begins, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by reading this.

Writer: Frank Miller

Artist: David Mazzucchelli

Publisher: DC Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Comixology; Batman: Year One (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 14 and up

Today’s Super Comics — Marvel Premiere #47-48 (1979)

When Hank Pym debuted as Ant-Man, his early stories were kind of lackluster compared to those of the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, and others. There were several reasons for that, but a big one was Pym’s lack of a clearly defined motivation.

But Marvel got it right in the second draft, when ex-con Scott Lang took over the role in Marvel Premiere #47 and 48. Like in the movie, Scott steals the Ant-Man suit from his predecessor, but the circumstances are different. His nine-year-old daughter is suffering from a life-threatening heart condition, and there’s one specialist who might be able to operate on her…if Scott can rescue this doctor from her kidnappers.

That’s a pretty compelling motivation driving the story, and it gives us a Marvel superhero different from most others at the time—a single dad who’s a reluctant thief. Importantly, he’s a thief who’s willing to turn himself in after his daughter is safe, but Pym lets him off the hook…perhaps a bit too easily. Then again, Pym lacking clear motivation for his actions brings us full circle in a way.

The action is solid throughout. The villain shares the name of the movie’s villain, Darren Cross, although here he’s a pink brutish Hulk sort with a much higher IQ. He, too, has a heart condition, and he’s willing to steal people’s hearts to replace his own. He’s a true monster inside and out and a formidable obstacle for the rookie superhero, who has to rely much more on ingenuity than brute strength.

Definitely a much more interesting Ant-Man all around.

Writer: David Michelinie

Artists: John Byrne and Bob Layton

Publisher: Marvel Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Marvel Unlimited; Comixology; included in Ant-Man Scott Lang (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 10 and up

Today’s Super Comic — Nova #1 (2013)

Marvel is on a roll with the teen books lately. I’ve previously praised the new Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man a few times each…but now it looks like, as Yoda once said, there is another.

I’m not overly familiar with Nova. I could pick him out of a lineup. I could tell you he has something to do with an outer space–based police corps of the same name, not entirely unlike the Green Lantern Corps. I’ve seen this young new Nova in All-New, All-Different Avengers. And that was the extent of my knowledge as I began Nova #1.

We begin on Earth. The previous Nova—now working as a high school janitor—tells his son Sam stories about his glory days saving the galaxy as a member of the Nova Corps. Naturally, Sam thinks he’s making it all up—his unreliable father is no hero in his eyes. And Sam is feeling stuck in his small hometown, hoping to escape someday.

It’s a great entryway into the fantastical outer space adventures to come, making it all seem too good to be true.

The book includes many essential ingredients of a successful teen superhero book. We’ve got the bleeding of fantasy into reality, a flawed but good-hearted parent who isn’t making the teen’s situation any easier, and a powerful desire to escape life’s limits and do something amazing. We also get a cameo by some of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which certainly doesn’t hurt.

Very strong start here.

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inker: Dexter Vines

Publisher: Marvel Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Marvel Unlimited; Comixology; included in Nova vol. 1: Origin (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 11 and up

Today’s Super Comic — Superman #76 (1993)

The Death of Superman storyline was a missed opportunity. Ample media coverage got tons of people interested, people who didn’t normally read comics. The whole world was watching. This was DC Comics’ chance to prove that comics could be more than musclebound men punching each other to death.

And how did they choose to kill of Superman? By having him and a monster punch each other until they both fell. Ugh.

But when it came to the events after the death, the Superman creative teams knew exactly what they were doing. They understood the real meat of the story wasn’t the death itself, but other characters’ reactions to a world that no longer had Superman in it. The Funeral for a Friend arc, followed by Reign of the Supermen, defined Superman through his absence, demonstrating just how irreplaceable and inspirational the character can be. And this was during a time when characters like the Punisher and Spawn were gaining in popularity, so taking time to reflect on what makes the original superhero super was indeed warranted. (It still is.)

Superman #76 occurs in the middle of the funeral storyline, shortly after the funeral itself. The Justice League honors Superman’s memory by carrying on one of his Christmas traditions—reading letters written to Superman seeking his aid, and helping as many of these people as they can, even though not a single plea involves pounding a super-villain into submission.

Meanwhile, the only civilians who know Superman’s identity—the Kents, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang—share their grief and discuss whether to reveal Clark’s secret. Jimmy Olsen bonds with a teenager who was saved by Superman during that final battle and is experiencing survivor’s guilt. Attention-seekers try to capitalize on the national mourning. And nefarious scoundrels steal Superman’s body (had to be something comic booky in there).

It’s a shame most people stopped reading after Superman and Doomsday punched each other out.

Writer/Penciler: Dan Jurgens

Inker: Brett Breeding

Publisher: DC Comics

How to Read It: back issues; Comixology; included in World Without a Superman (TPB)

Appropriate For: ages 9 and up