Marvel's Myths

It's been a while but it's time to vent.

For a long time I was a Marvel fan. I was not strictly Marvel, I would go through Superman phases, but I was die-hard X-Men, sometimes Avengers, and a few other Marvels would pass my way.

About two years ago I discovered a new universe. This was a universe where things made sense. This was a universe where writers spoke to one another, characters had psychological profiles, continuity was in tact, and stories developed that were the reason I read comics. Two years later, pieces of comics from years ago are coming into play and the world is the most cohesive, coherent, organic world I can conceive of. Welcome to DC comics.

Marvel on the other hand is struggling to keep up. What Marvel's leaders have in mind is beyond me. The way Marvel is keeping up blows my mind to the Nth degree. Let's just look at titles this season, not in the dirty past.

Marvel is going for a Civil War. They are setting up the Illuminati, a secret elite group of leaders. They have Storm of the X-Men getting married. The X-Men are going through an "Identity Crisis" supposedly in Deadly Genesis.

And every single one of these events had to be made up and had to have a history made up, and that is insulting to fans.

The New Avengers Illuminati Special starts with panels of these leaders speaking "years ago," panels which were created for this book, a history which was fabricated and has no basis in reality. These people never had this conversation.

Storm is all together made up. Storm never had this relationship. Being black doesn't make people destined for one another, even if they are two of the three black heroes in the universe. The Storm limited series is in place to give a backstory which never really existed to allow us to believe the wedding makes sense.

And finally, Deadly Genesis, the worst sin of them all. The big mystery about what Professor X did and how it will break the X-Men and reformat the psychological issues these people have to deal with NEVER HAPPENED. Somehow, the writers or the company wish us all to believe that as long as the current storyline shows you the fabricated history, it all makes sense.

DC doesn't fabricate. Threads that were dropped years ago come into play, and anyone can go back and read those comics for a real history, a real backstory, and a real universe.

It blows my mind how it continues to get worse and worse, and when it will ever end.

What I'm Reading This Week (6/01/05)

Uncanny X-Men 460 (Marvel)
Villains United 2 (DC)
House of M 1 (Marvel)
Gambit 11 (Marvel)
Concrete: The Human Dilemma 6 (Dark Horse)
X-Force: Shatterstar 4 (Marvel)
Top 10 TPB 2 (DC / Wildstorm / ABC)
The New Teen Titans 38, 50-55 (DC)
Nowpet 2 In 1 (Awakening)
The Education of a Comics Artist (Allworth)

Review: A Small Killing (Avatar)

A Small Killing
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Oscar Zarate
May 2003
Avatar Press

Avatar has provided a reprint of the original graphic novel "A Small Killing" by Alan Moore and Oscar Zarate, a distinctly different piece of work for Moore, who claims it to be his first non-superhero work. This is a story beautifully painted by Zarate about memory, searching for meaning, and inner conflict (amongst other things). The description makes it sound like a critique on capitalism and little else, but the tale is actually woven into a commentary on life in general during modern times and how to reconcile yourself within that.

The story itself is not a groundbreaking one, but has Moore's unique flair for human drama and insight into psychology. The story develops quickly and progresses throughout a very well polished theater of mixed up memories and flashbacks that is vaguely reminiscent of the movie "Memento," though far less contrived and more interesting.

Zarate's artistic contribution to the piece makes it majestic and something that is visually rich and unique by today's comic and graphic novel standards. The panels are all so interestingly styled and worked, that while the painting at moments is not the best, it is intriguing and complementary to the story. This relationship speaks to the amazing collaboration between the artist and author, explained in detail in the afterword consisting of a few interviews with Zarate and Moore by the publisher.

The resolution of the story is somewhat abrupt and not the most satisfying - in a movie the ending would be anticlimatic, something that luckily the graphic novel gets away with because of the richness of the majority of the book. While Moore never shoots for satisfying, this resolution lacks an element of closure that most of his works conduct beautifully. Having said that, the remainder of the book is a true graphic novel - the kind that Scott McCloud envisions as the literary graphic masterpiece. The dialogue is perfectly crafted, and the majority of the book is a monologue through caption which takes the reader on an adventure through the mind and daily life of the main character. Taking the best elements of Moore's works on "humanity" (typically superhumanity) this text molds what could be a cliche story into an enjoyable, interesting, and valuable graphic novel.

Overall Grades:
Art = A-
Coloring = A
Overall Writing = B+
Dialogue Writing = A-
Overall Rating = A-

Review: Excalibur 14 (Marvel)

Excalibur # 14
Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Aaron Lopresti
July 2005
Marvel

It took fourteen whole issues and here it is - the reason that people actually like Chris Claremont (people includes myself of course). This is the final issue of Excalibur, an odd situation in which it was not solicited for the last two months, yet the announcement only came last week that it was being axed for House of M. According to the letters page in the book, it will return in November with New Excalibur # 1 (being the fourth incarnation of Excalibur for the x-books) to deal with the House of M after-effects.

This book is called a "House of M" prelude - the Marvel Summer saga which if you have not yet heard about you are living under a rock (and I would like to join you there). For the last few issues of Excalibur, they decided to actually take part in continuity and show us what Magneto was up to with his daughter, the comatose and crazed Scarlet Witch after the events of Avengers Disassembled. This issue wraps all that up and sets the stage for House of M.

Last issue seemed to give a hasty wrap up to the sideline story (well it was a main story, but felt as useless as a sideline) on the other Genoshan characters. Now we get to the meaty part of continuity in which we explore Dr. Strange's arrival to Professor X and Magneto dealing with the fate of Scarlet Witch. The issue opens up in a warped reality of Professor X's mind, offering us answers to questions we didn't know we should have - such as his role in this, Magneto's onset of powers, some great exchange between Gaby Haller and Xavier, and a few more bits and pieces.

As typical Claremont, if you are not steeped in x-history you may lack something. You need to know about Magneto's origin, Professor X's origin, Gabrielle Haller, and more for this to really set in as being quality. Once you have those facts under your belt, the story sets up an intriguing psychodrama and really provides insight into what this House of M is all about. While Marvel is keeping most underwraps, it seems it has to do with Magneto and Scarlet Witch uniting to re-make the world in an ideal form. Here we get to see how and why the two would be intricately linked - and how their powers might play off each other (details and loopholes abound, but with a little suspension of disbelief it seems interesting for now).

Overall not the best X-title for non-diehard fans, and not the best final issue. This issue did give Claremont the chance to write a storyline that is not overly contrived and dialogue that is not painfully "Stan Lee" esque. So with above average art (as the series run has had) and a good story, this issue makes me interesting in these characters again, interested in what the House of M has to offer, and interested (but also wary) of the relaunch of Excalibur.

Overall Grades:
Art = B+
Coloring = B
Overall Writing = A-
Dialogue Writing = B
Overall Rating = B+

What I'm Reading This Week (5/25/05)

A Small Killing (Avatar)
Promethea Entire Series (DC / America's Best Comics)
Global Frequency TPB (DC / Wildstorm)
Transmetropolitan TPB 2 (DC / Vertigo)
Excalibur 14 (Marvel)
Otherworld 3 (DC / Vertigo)
Day Of Vengeance 2 (DC)
The OMAC Project 2 (DC)
Superman / Batman 8-13 (DC)
The Return Of Donna Troy 1 (DC)
Everwinds 2 (Awakening)
Karney 2 (IDW)
X-Men 170 (Marvel)
Outsiders 24 (DC)
Rogue 11 (Marvel)
X-23 6 (Marvel)
New X-Men: Hellions 1 (Marvel)
Runaways 4 (Marvel)

Review: Superheroes and Philosophy (Open Court)

Superheroes and Philosophy
Edited by Tom Morris and Matt Morris
2005
Non-fiction Book
Open Court

Part of the "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series of books (other titles include Buffy, Seinfeld, Simpsons, Lord of the Rings, and so on), this book should be either informative on super hero / comic book culture or even academically charged to provide new intellectual insight into these characters and universes. Sadly the book does neither.

Instead this anthology of essays provides poorly written (for the most part), terribly thought out (on all counts), contrived and useless essays by supposedly well educated people. I reviewed and revised that sentence numerous times and truly could not come up with a less offensive way to say it. This book should have been sharp, interesting, fun, and educational. Enough about what it should have been, let's review what it is.

The book is an attempt to relate super heroes and their worlds to philosophical theories in a very sociological manner. The book is broken into four parts: The Image of the Superhero, The Existential World of the Superhero, Superheroes and Moral Duty, and Identity and Superhero Metaphysics. Each section has between 3 and 6 essays on different characters across the major publishers (and only the major two, Marvel and DC) and how they relate to some larger philosophical issue. The authors are primarily PhD recipients or candidates in academia, though there are a handful of comic book writers and such included as well (and these tend to be the best).

The first section, the Image of the Superhero, reviews Superman and his very human social qualities, the idea of a superhero, memes and the Crimson Viper, and superhero revisionism. From the start, three of these four essays sounded like "woah" and they could really do a lot. Sadly the texts didn't cite much, if anything, fell flat on their faces in terms of readability, and really provided the comic book enthusiast with absolutely nothing to work with. Being a comic book enthusiast and having a sociology degree myself, I learned nothing and felt that no one would have, regardless of their background - these essays simply missed the point of the exercise.

The second part, The Existential World of the Superhero, explore religion and Daredevil, Power, Myths and X-Women, Oracle and morals, Batman and social networks, the Fantastic Four and family, and wisdom. This section proved yet again to have such potential, and no execution. With my own personal bias lying with Oracle / Barbara Gordon and the X-Women, I was very excited for these essays. Yet again I find that nothing is offered here - and even worse they are boring and not even worth getting through. The X-Women essay centers only on the characters from the first two films, a true injustice to such intriguing characters as Storm, Phoenix, and Mystique (though there are far better choices here as well). The Oracle article proves to be one of the better, as it actually explores some dialogue and storylines from the breadth available on the character - yet again contributes nothing to her world or the analysis of it.

The third section, Superheroes and Moral Duty, analyzes (or hopes to) the idea of goodness, the choice to do good, responsibility, morals, and theology. Here the essays take on a more abstract and theoretical series of subjects which proves to be an up-turn in the essay content, but again is freed from any serious insight or analysis.

The final section, Identity and Superhero Metaphysics, features the final three chapters on identity and the Hulk, time travel during DC Crisis, and masks and secret identities. Yet again, the most useful part of these essays is the short length, allowing for a quick (and sadly worthless) read.

Overall the book is an intriguing endeavor, one that warrants credit for simply coming to fruition. As a comic fan and social analyst, I find it shocking that such useless and poorly produced essays were chosen. It almost seems the project may have been rushed in the end and prevented the real meat from being included. The essays occasionally make you go "Hmmm" with intrigue, but sadly I find that Archie comics make me go "Hmmm" the same amount of times as these essays. This does provide some quick and "interesting for the sake of the topics" reading for a comic book fan. Sadly no one but a comic book fan could even read it, as it provides little citation and reference to actual storylines. Definitely a project worth revisiting, definitely not a book worth reading.

Overall Grades:
Overall Writing = C- (Essays ranged from B to D-)
Overall Rating = D+

What I'm Reading This Week (5/18/05)

Olympus TPB (DC / Humanoids)
Slowpoke Cafe Pompous (Alternative Comics)
Global Frequency TPB (DC / Wildstorm)
Teen Titans 24 (DC)
Uncanny X-Men 459 (Marvel)
New X-Men 14 (Marvel)
Cable Deadpool 15 (Marvel)
Manhunter 10 (DC)
Wolverine 28 (Marvel)

What I'm Reading This Week (5/11/05)

Top 10 TPB (DC / America's Best Comics)
Transmetropolitan TPB (DC / Veritgo)
Slowpoke: America Gone Bonkers (Alternative Comics)
Desolation Jones 1 (DC / Wildstorm)
X-Men: The End Book Two 3 (Marvel)
Gambit 10 (Marvel)
District X 13 (Marvel)
Excalibur 13 (Marvel)
Astonishing X-Men 10 (Marvel)
Green Lantern: Rebirth 6 (DC)
Chemistry 1 (Awakening Comics)
Outsiders 23 (DC)
Rann-Thanagar War 1 (DC)
Wonder Woman 216 (DC)

What I'm Reading This Week (5/05/05)

Kingdome Come TPB (DC)
Supergirl 75-80 (DC)
Villains United 1 (DC)
Concrete: Human Dilemma 5 (Dark Horse)
Excalibur 12 (Marvel)
Rogue 10 (Marvel)
New X-Men 13 (Marvel)

News: Promethea Absolute Edition Petition

Based on comments by JH Williams III, there is a discussion occurring about the treatment of Promethea in an Absolute Edition. Check it out for the details of what could be a part of it. Additionally creator Michael Moorcock has expressed support and over 150 fans from 5 countries have become involved in the short time it's been up!

Go sign the petition to support this project to the publisher.

http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Absolute_Promethea/

Spread the word!

Review: Phoenix Endsong Mini Series (Marvel)

X-Men - Phoenix: Endsong # 1 -5
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Greg Land
2004-2005
Miniseries
Marvel

A main X-Men character gets a super duper, universe shattering power and dies. It was a clone. She comes back with that power and dies. Fights clone. Dies some more. Loses power. Gains some back. Gets dark. No longer dark. Later becomes bitter. And finally dies again.

In that order, somewhat, lies the existence of Jean Grey / Phoenix in the X-Titles. So a mini series with anything to do with this character could spell disaster. The potential for nothing new or unique and everything that makes me want to close my eyes is there.

Luckily Marvel got Greg Pak and Greg Land to make me go - "wow, that's why I read comics" with the Phoenix Endsong mini. The story, from start to finish, had impressive art, impressive dialogue, gorgeous coloring, a near perfect story, and simply every factor that makes a comic book a classic comic book. The book doesn't feel too contrived (a constant problem these days) or even like it exists only to increase Marvel's profits and exposure (hello, X4 mini series).

(Spoilers ahead)
With the most insightful depiciton yet of Emma and Scott's relationship in issues 1 and 4, through the insight into Jean and Scott's sense of closure in issue 5, the psychology of these characters is explored more in depth than the last 100 issues of Uncanny X-Men combined. Without resorting to a review of the plot here, it is clear that the key elements of conflict, drama, love, universal destruction, death, and then some are all there.

The return of Quentin Travers started off as a sideline plot that, at first impression, seems as though it may just be a functional twist to help the Phoenix storyline progress. In the end this is proved wrong as Quentin's motivations grow more and more interesting, and the conclusion in which he (and the reader) is reminded that he is just an adolescent and returns to his "hibernation" don't leave any pressing questions unanswered. The return of Quentin ties into continuity, while separating itself just enough so that we now have insight into his character, a look into another form of power, and the progression of the Stepford Cuckoos characterization.

Overall the book takes you on a journey in which you finally begin to understand Soctt and Emma, Scott and Jean, and a whole lot more about the Phoenix Force. The only other place where there have been moments (thought not enough just yet) of such needed and well deserved psychological evaluation has been Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men. The resolution was also one that, while possibly upsetting to those in the "die and stay dead" camp, took the strands of this Phoenix / Jean Grey mess and tied them up so that whether she returns or not (of course she inevitably will) it can be done differently and hopefully permanently. It is still unclear if the phoenix force (and the powers that come along with that) are still in Jean Grey - but it now seems apparent that the force within Jean no longer hungers and has been somewhat resolved - she became the White Phoenix, a force of love and humanity. It is unknown where she is going to deal with this and how long that will take, but she has progressed to a new place, something that Jean has been denied for some time and could contribute to the overall plot, not hinder it, if (and when) she does indeed return.

So with a resolution which truly moves the story along, progresses the characters, and leaves doors open (Jean's return, White Phoenix, Quentin, and the Stepford / Phoenix relationship), this book is a must for any X-Men fan, or any fan of a truly well written and beautiful book. Plus, who knew Emma Frost would make such a chilling, sexy, interesting Phoenix Force? Now that is a follow up mini series worth waiting for.

Overall Grades:
Art = A- (so close to an A+ but Land's women all look identical)
Coloring = A+ (some of the best up there with Promethea)
Overall Writing = A+
Dialogue Writing = A-
Overall Rating = A

What I'm Reading This Week (4/27/05)

Otherworld 2 (DC / Vertigo)
God The Dyslexic Dog 1 (Bliss on Tap)
Age of Apocalypse 6 (Marvel)
New Avengers 5 (Marvel)
X-Force: Shatterstar 3 (Marvel)
Phoenix: Endsong 5 (Marvel)
Day of Vengeance 1 (DC)
Wonder Woman 215 (DC)

Commentary: Why You Should Read Birds Of Prey (DC)

Birds of Prey is a truly groundbreaking title for a multitude of reasons but what it really all boils down to is the writer. Gail Simone has done wonders with a potentially flat title, and having a woman writer in comic books step to the forefront like Simone has really shows you the difference. (Spoilers ahead)

Simone took over Birds of Prey about 2 years ago with issue 56 (81 just came out). This is also when I read from, as I intentionally went back to read all of Simone's seamless run thus far. Birds of Prey follows Black Canary, Huntress, and Oracle on their various missions around Gotham (until the recent destruction from War Games) and around the country. To start off, the characters are an odd blend here, and without Simone's intricate character designs, these personalities would fall flat. We have the potentially intriguing Barbara Gordon / Oracle - intriguing because of her relationships to the other heroes, her history, and so much more. Black Canary really has little to offer, but with Simone she became another interesting persona who struggles with her lineage, her skills and powers, and so much more. And finally Huntress, who while arguably an already developed character, has now become so complex that her struggle over being powerless and even weak, her faith, and her motivations are psychologically enthralling.

Now for the writing overall. This is truly the first time you can hear a woman's voice. It's not sexist, it's not feminist - it's simply something that you rarely (if ever) hear anywhere else. Who can even name another big deal, major publisher female writer? I certainly can't, especially in the world of Marvel. The difference is almost impossible to pinpoint, but is evident in the dialogue between these women feeling more real and more natural than anything else I've read (including, sadly, Wonder Woman). This is not the woman through the male gaze, this is the woman as a person with intricacies, complexities, humor, struggle, and personality. You really need to pick the book up to see this in action.

The book has interesting plots that seem to steer away from the serialized good vs. evil battles (again, I find myself saying this about DC, kudos to them). The plots don't feel contrived and the outcomes interest me and matter to me. It is rare these days (at least with the books I've been reading for the last 15 years) to find a story that I care about. Birds of Prey gives it to me. It interweaves pieces of the DC Universe (with guest appearances by Batman, Nightwing, Wild Cat, Superman, Blue Beetle, and more) with a new sensibility and story telling that is utterly refreshing to find.

Read this title if...
You like Wonder Woman for its kick ass woman and femininity
You like Astonishing X-Men for its natural dialogue and psychological characterization
You like Xena: Warrior Princess for its action and female camaraderie

Commentary: Why You Should Read Wonder Woman (DC)

You should read Wonder Woman. End of story. (Spoilers Ahead)

Wonder Woman has quickly become one of my favorite titles and I've only read from #160 on (the title is at 215 now). I find myself buying as many back issues as I can to read the whole series, though back stock of Wonder Woman is thin in stores. Anyways, back to the main point - how you can enrich your life by reading Wonder Woman.

Aside from the amazing stuff that Greg Rucka has done since taking over (we will get to that later), the title is becoming a major focus in the DC Universe. Any fan of DC or any part of that universe will want to get in on what is called the "Trinity" (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman), as that is supposedly going to the be the major focus of the year with the Infinite Crisis drama. Rumor has it we will explore what this trinity means, how it can fracture, and what repercussions these characters will have for one another and the universe as a whole. This, combined with the return of Donna Troy this Summer, is bringing Wonder Woman to the forefront and finally establishing her as the intriguing and dynamic character she was meant to be. As Black Canary in Birds of Prey said - everyone sees Batman as the dark and Superman as the light - but Wonder Woman is both of those things. She has compassion but she is war. She is active, intelligent, powerful, violent, and real.

Over the last two years Wonder Woman has taken a turn towards in depth story being favored over two dimensional, serialized battles (a DC wide shift). My favorite storyline to date is Wonder Woman's autobiography release and role as ambassador (around issue 200), with all its stark social commentary on activism, social justice, heroism, celebrity, feminism, and more. You can read some of Rucka's Wonder Woman stories in dozens of ways because they contain so much.

Another amazing addition to the Wonder Woman universe is the streamlined integration of Greek mythology into the universe. I am always so intrigued to see how the Gods and Goddesses will appear interact, from the younger, charming, manipulative Ares, to the flitty and flirty Aphrodite, to Athena and her struggle between wisdom and war and eventual overthrowing of Zeus. All of this has yet to come to a head and continually plays out in the background, adding so much to each issue without crowding it.

To take a character so long established and bring her to the forefront, making her title rife with possibility is a feat in and of itself. To then take that title, and have the courage as a writer to make her blinded by her own choice, that is simply provocative. Wonder Woman has become an intriguing character in which we get to see the conflict and tension between Superman's classic hero role and Batman's dark vigilante come together.

In the recent Flash / Wonder Woman crossover (an amazing story in which the heroes stop for a moment and realize they may have lost) Diana and Flash have what is the most poignant and subtle conversation explaining this duality. Flash is dragging Diana by her lasso so he is inclined to tell the truth - and in this single moment we see Wonder Woman's insecurity as she admits that she knows what the others think of her. This, coupled with the Wonder Woman / Superman interactions of recent (and forthcoming crossover battle) will make for some intense storytelling. And that is what DC has finally learned how to do - tell the best story for everyone. Wonder Woman can be read for fighting, sex, glamour, feminism, social activism, justice, heroism, conflict, darkness, mythology, and so much more. But in the end it is nothing less than near perfectly rich, intelligent and fun.

Read this title if...
You like Promethea for its femininity and mythology
You like X-Men for its super-heroism and social commentary
You like Buffy The Vampire Slayer for its intelligence and kick ass sexy women

What I'm Reading This Week (4/20/05)

V For Vendetta (DC / Vertigo)
Birds of Prey 78-81 (DC)
New X-Men 12 (Marvel)
Superman 215 (DC)
Uncanny X-Men 458 (Marvel)
Wolverine 27 (Marvel)
Teen Titans 23 (DC)
Manhunter 9 (DC)
The OMAC Project 1 (DC)
X-Men 169 (Marvel)
X-23 5 (Marvel)
Runaways 3 (Marvel)
Cable and Deadpool 14 (Marvel)