Superman 701 - Thoughts

Far too often are the abilities to “leap tall buildings in a single bound” and to “move faster than a speeding bullet” the primary signposts we use to describe the first and the greatest superhero in comic books. With his red cape and his blue tights, Kal-El, aka Clark Kent, aka Superman, is an icon of heroism which towers far and above all other characters that have come since (this coming from a Bat-fan). However, J. Michael Straczynski wants you to see beyond the cape. Beyond the tights. Beyond speed and flight. Beyond heat vision and ice breath. To see beyond Clark’s super-strength and bear witness to the simple strength of character that he represents.

The latest issue features a peripatetic Superman traversing the continental United States. As the story opens up, he is surrounded by journalists of all stripes looking to uncover the motivations behind the Man of Steel’s seemingly ordinary gait. This is a populace aware of Superman’s history and mythos. The inquisitive ask if he’s encountered any red kryptonite, if he is on a secret mission, if there is an ongoing crisis (“There’s always a crisis”), or if it has anything to do with magic. Even Lois Lane, the lady love, takes a private moment to ask Superman/Clark the same questions. Supe claims he is merely walking, to no destination in particular, with no crisis in particular looming.

The plot revolves around Superman acting like a regular joe. Naturally this elicits some rather surprised reactions from those he meets, whether he’s eating at a local diner or assisting the police with a potential roof jumper. All throughout, what strikes me, the reader, as somewhat tragic is the populace’s perception of Superman. They are unable to see that it is the man behind the myth, the mild-mannered Clark Kent, that inspires hope to countless millions (in the DC universe and in our own). There is no Superman without Clark, whose simple, down-to-Earth sensibility is what truly awes. It is this perception of Superman as the iconic hero which has become a crutch. The trope of the secret identity, that which guards loved ones from retribution at the hands of a hero’s enemies, is how the average individual foists their responsibility on their anonymous defenders. One pedestrian out walking his dog asks of the Man of Steel:

“World’s going to hell, and you’re on a walk. I mean, shouldn’t you be our saving the world or something? You’re a hero, right? Isn’t that what heroes do?”
(Superman 701 29)

Isn’t that what heroes do? They save us – from alien conquerors, mad scientists, serial killers, thieves, drug dealers. They save us from all that threatens to do us harm, all the evil in this world and all other worlds across the great fictional cosmos. But how do we ask Superman to deliver us from evil when that evil is inside ourselves?

This issue is pretty straight-forward as far as narrative is concerned. Superman is walking across America and he is offering help here and there. But Straczynski’s project seems to be more of a meditation on humanity’s complacency in the shadow of their super-powered guardians. Superman has saved the world countless times from the menace of Braniac, Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Parasite, Metallo, Mr. Mxyzptlk and so very many others over his seventy years of caped crusading. But how do you save the world from apathy? Intolerance? How do you fight our cruelty? How do you fight our despair?

How does an author write that?

I have never read a lot of Superman in my lifetime. Quite frankly, I find that few writers have the necessary skills to make the character relevant in this day and age. He is a symbol of hope and idealism in a period that no longer celebrates those virtues the way they were a half-century ago. However, JMS is a writer who taps into mythological themes and has the capacity to craft new dimensions to familiar characters. This has worked with varying degrees of success – his run on Thor is a delight to read, though his work on Spider-Man became a little strained as he went on (Spider-Totems?). His work in Superman 701 fills me with hope. JMS makes me feel the weight on Superman’s shoulders. He makes me feel Superman’s desire to help people improve their lives. To become better people. JMS’ Superman makes me want to be a better person.

Buy this issue and judge for yourself. It is not a breakout issue with any new talent. The art is good, but not amazing. The writing is not BAM! POW! sensational. But it tells the story of a man who fell to Earth, who was raised by good, honest people and who only wants to help us be good, honest people in return. It tells a story of hope, and it has the potential to be the jumping on point for a truly remarkable story of not just superheroes, but of ordinary, everyday heroes. The kind of heroes you and I can be.

See you in line for Superman 702.

Death of Dracula - Thoughts (Spoiler-Free)

I was unfamiliar with the creative team for Death of Dracula, Marvel's latest big ol’ 48-page one-shot, so I just dove right in and trusted my luck.

I’ve gotta say, it worked out pretty well.

In searching for ways to summarize Victor Gischler’s writing, the best comment I could come up with was this: Death of Dracula is very well paced. All of the players that are to be developed and expanded throughout the narrative are introduced in the first three pages. Right away, the reader knows that there’s some large vampire convocation, knows who’s at this convocation, and knows which characters to be following - Gischler sets up his story pieces quickly and neatly. Now that might seem pretty basic to some; perhaps, but the ability to provide simple, straight-forward narration is a skill that not all comic writers have so I appreciate it when I see it.

My favourite bit of plot is Dracula’s moment in the sun. Hmm, doesn't sound like a very apt metaphor for a vampire, does it? Dracula is introduced with a catty, yet menacing rebuttal to an underling, listens to another underling flap his gums for a page, and then gets stabbed in the chest with a stake. BAM! Three pages between character intro and character outro.

Metaphor makes a lot more sense now, don’t it?

Artist Giuseppe Camuncoli is another argument in favour of picking this issue up. His style is rough around the edges, which serves the characterization of the different vampire sects well. Must have been all that gritty Hellblazer work on his CV. His pencils give rise to different creatures in order to emphasize different tropes: some vampires are grotesque, others are sensual; some are exotic and mysterious, others are demure and peaceful. Camuncoli leaves little doubt in the reader’s mind as to the variety of Marvel’s vampire community nor to the danger it presents.

The title of the one-shot is Death of Dracula, and this creative team ain't fartin’ about. Big D is out early because what is important is putting Marvel’s undead house in order. This is a “Bigger Picture” issue, pure and simple: a new day is dawning for Marvel’s vampires (as it were...), and Gischler and Camuncoli are here to ensure we have a greater perspective on the events to follow.

Anyone interested in the Curse of the Mutants arc should definitely pick this up.

Curse of the Mutants - July 7 at the Stands

As X-Men: Second Coming wraps up in X-Force 28 (July 7) and X-Men: Second Coming Finale (July 14), we watch as five years worth of X-Stories come to a close. But as this chapter closes, the opening salvos of Marvel’s new summer X-Event: Curse of the Mutants hit the comic stands this past Wednesday!

So, here’s the plan:

First Step: head on over to your Friendly Neighbourhood Comic Shop and pick up your copy of X-Men 1. Marvel has launched a new adjectiveless X-Title, what with the old book becoming X-Men Legacy back in early 2008. It’s got a big ol’ Curse of the Mutants banner running down the side, and a rather awkward depiction of Cyclops’ package that eerily draws the eye. Still with me? Okay good.

Second Step: find a copy of Death of Dracula on the comic stand. Does it say X-Men on it? No. Does it refer to the Curse of the Mutants arc? No. Just a golden banner for Marvel’s The Heroic Age and a prominent picture of Dracula with a stake in his chest. Found it? Alright, add it to your weekly stack. It is the official prologue to the Curse of the Mutants storyline. The storyline it in no way references.

Third Step: thank your Friendly Neighbourhood Comic Shop employee for ringing you out, and go get to reading!

Comics You Should Read 1: Beasts of Burden

Big or small
Short or tall
Here's what happens to us all
We go to sleep
We close our eyes
And leave behind a nest of flies.
- Traditional Canine verse

Beasts of Burden just came out in a very nice hardcover that isn't even expensive. Is it on your shelf? No? Why on earth not?

Want to check it out? The first few stories are online at Dark Horse.

The Premise
A group of dogs and one cat live on Burden Hill, a place being increasingly plagued by supernatural happenings.

This isn't your normal talking animal story. It is creepy, it is sad. It is also weird and funny.

The dogs all have different personalities and different breeds to emphasize that. Also of note is that they seem to have their own religion and legends. That being said, sometimes they act like typical dogs, and it never feels so personified they might as well be humans. The comic wouldn't work if they weren't animals.

The Characters
There's a whole slew of interesting charming characters. I happen to like them all.

It does take a while to match er, muzzles to names, but because of the difference in breeds, you always know who is who.

It also subverts expectations a little; the doberman Rex is a coward.

The Art

Jill Thompson, watercolours.

The art is gorgeous, evoking a fairytale feel while having enough leeway to be downright creepy and sometimes gruesome.

The art seals the deal, and the comic wouldn't be half as good without it.

More artists need to use watercolours for the entire comic (I'm looking at you Dustin Nguyen). Just because you can use digital colours for everything doesn't mean you should.

Just as the comic wouldn't be the same without the art, it wouldn't work if it wasn't for the writing.

The Writing

The dialogue is pretty good - all the dogs have individual voices. The plots are all very interesting and unique, the shorter stories and the longer stories are both paced very well, no bits that stick out as unnecessary or overly melodramatic. The narration, something I usually shy away from in this medium, is rather well done.

What really gets me, what's really important - is that you care about the characters. You believe these characters. Some scenes are genuinely heartbreaking or heartwarming, and that counts for a lot. So kudos, Evan Dorkin.

Other

One weird little nitpicky thing I have is with the lettering. The original lettering for the short stories is done by Jill Thompson (I'm pretty sure), and she's pretty decent with lettering. Her lettering has a character to its own that is hard to replicate. I get the feeling she hand-draws it like she does everything else, so it looks awesome. If you look closely at the bolded words you see inconsistencies and gaps that make a rather neat effect. The lettering itself is unique and carries a lot of emotion like everything else in this book.

For the main mini, the lettering changes. I'm assuming this is Jason Arthur here. While it's not bad lettering, per say, it looses a lot of the character and you can tell it was computer made. So for me it's a little jarring. It makes sense that you'd want to lift the burden of the lettering off of Thompson's shoulders, especially considering she's doing the colouring too, but I still miss it.

The extras are few, but neat, and not anything you haven't really seen before in terms of works in progress.



So all in all, Beasts of Burden is a good, unique comic that you really should be reading.