Once A Nerd: The Twists and Turns of Action Figure Collecting

Check out my latest column at Nerdvana: just click here!  (Hint: Red Tornado makes an appearance.  Or four.)

Free Comic Book Day 2012: DC Comics

Aaaaand we're back!  The first Saturday in May has become one of my favorite days of the year, because it's Free Comic Book Day!  Although I've spent most of my time away from A Comic A Day creating comics, I can't resist the chance to review a few of this year's FCBD offerings -- so, these posts will come sporadically, but they will come, starting with . . .


DC Comics' The New 52 was exactly what I expected: heady, convoluted, and generally unfriendly to anyone interested in picking up a DC Comic for the first time.  A friend of mine asked what I thought of the New 52 concept yesterday, and this issue represents my opinions perfectly: if the attempt was to establish an entry-level experience for new readers, mission failed.  Generally, in just these past nine months of "the new 52" experience, we've been "reintroduced" to the DC Universe via a muddied five-year timeline for our beloved characters, and, now, multiple earths.  If the goal was to put old and new readers alike on the same page, consider it done, because everybody's confused.

Specifically, the FCBD The New 52 issue was a waste of an effort.  It didn't tell a complete story but rather teased several upcoming stories, and the main yarn is spun around Pandora, a character that has haunted DC's titles since their relaunch.  Here, her origin is told, and basically she is the Pandora of old that opened that terrible box, a sin on par with whatever condemned the Phantom Stranger and the Question to their respective fates, as well.  Of course, if you're a new reader, you have no idea who the Phantom Stranger and the Question are, so that detail would be lost.  Cut to Pandora, today, trying to retrieve her famous box from A.R.G.U.S., which must be DC's answer to S.H.I.E.L.D., then to Batman fighting a Green Lantern that isn't Hal Jordan, then to a four-page foldout that zooms back to the entire Justice League fighting each other.  The issue concludes with a bunch of one to three page teasers of other DC titles.

I know these characters from decades' worth of reading, and in twenty-some pages, I was confused, disillusioned, and ultimately rendered uninterested.  How would anyone that has never read a DC comic feel?  The New 52 has Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman on the cover, and it serves no one looking for a Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman story -- either for the first time, or for the first time since the relaunch.  Again -- what a waste.

The Superman Family Adventures Flip Book was a much more familiar depiction of my favorite superheroes, and since it was primarily intended for children, I don't know if DC is inadvertently calling me a baby for wanting something simpler from my superheroes, or if their comics have simply outgrown me.  Whatever -- Art Baltazar and Franco tell a simple Superman story with the Lois/Clark/Perry/Jimmy paradigm that made these characters timeless, and that's good enough for me.  The Green Lantern story on the other side of this issue was short, sweet, and complete, thus, enjoyable -- and the Young Justice snippet ended too soon, which means I was successfully left wanting more.

Ultimately, between these two comic books, I don't feel like I read even one whole comic book, but instead I flipped through a sales pamphlet of product available soon at a comic shop near you!  I thought it was Free Comic Book Day, not Free Comic Book Samplers Day.  Call me old-fashioned, but I think the best way to get people to read comic books is to give them a good comic book.

KaraokeFanboy Radio episode 2

Notes:

Visit Evermore Nevermore here, and read more about Amazing Arizona Comics here.

Don't forget: Republi-Con is coming!


by Steve Failla

Mudman #1

Everything old is new again. And that isn't always a good thing.

I confess, as a comic reader going on his twentieth year of visiting funnybook shops every week, I've been a bit discouraged lately. I'm in that small but whiny group that doesn't like DC's "New 52," because it renders all of the stories I've cherished these last twenty years as obsolete -- or at least outdated. Additionally, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles recently relaunched under IDW's banner, and while I was excited to pick up the first issue, I was daunted by its focus on a new origin for our half-shelled heroes. Is anything I once knew canon anymore?

Enter Paul Grist's Mudman -- a number one issue you can trust.



I agree with Erik Larsen in his recent response to a letter in Savage Dragon #175. If you're going to start with number one, why not pour that energy into a new idea? Further, if you have a new idea, must you brand it as the end all/be all of everything? Mudman epitomizes both concepts, as a very humble first issue -- a simple cover, the beginning of the young hero's origin story, and crisp, page-popping art. At the same time, you've seen all this before: reckless young person stumbles into a hero's legacy and dons the mantle to discover his own worth in a troubled world. It's the standard superhero premise in new tights . . . oh, and a lot of mud.

You can trust Mudman because of its unabashed embrace of the classic conventions while trying on a new suit; in othe words, it's the best of DC's "New 52" without the headline-grabbing motivation, or the bogged down allegiance to an old icon's integrity. It's a superhero comic for superhero comics' sake, all ages-friendly, and everything the medium used to be.

Everything old is new again. Sometimes it's a good thing.

Blogger's Note: This review was also posted on Nerdvana, a blog for Arizona's East Valley Tribune.

Batman: Snow

Batman: Snow (DC Comics): written by Dan Curtis Johnson & J.H. Williams, illustrated by Seth Fisher

A year and a half into his career as the Batman, Bruce Wayne is both tired yet determined to continue his one man war on crime. When he realizes his few friends in arms are limited by their allegiance to the law (James Gordon as a cop, and Harvey Dent as a lawyer, of course), Batman assembles a small, diverse of talented individuals that could offer research and reconnaissance to his cause, and at first their efforts are successful. Unfortunately, parallel to their efforts in capturing an up-and-coming crime lord, the origin of the villainous Mr. Freeze is unfolding elsewhere in Gotham City, and when the plots collide, the results are certainly a snowball of circumstance Batman can no longer control. In the end, Batman dissolves the group and resolves the only partnership that could really benefit him is one involving someone willing to listen to his every marching -- somebody that can watch his back. Good thing the circus, with their feature act the Flying Graysons, are coming to town . . .!

Seth Fisher's art is this story's true selling point, as the artist passed away way before his time and this work stands along Green Lantern: Willworld and Flash: Time Flies as his most mainstream, superhero work. I hate to say it, but honestly I'm not a fan of Fisher's Batman. His work is simply too detail-oriented to depict the Dark Knight as the living shadow many artists personify; for better or worse, Fisher's Batman is way too human. I do like his Mr. Freeze, and the character's incremental development from scientist to hallucinating madman suit Fisher's eclectic style perfectly. Above all, Fisher's passion for illustration is prevalent throughout the story (originally published in single issues of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight) and is greater evidence that the industry lost a star way too soon.

Mr. Freeze has always been one of my favorite villains, but I hadn't thought of him as Batman's first super-powered villain until this storyline. Indeed, thanks to his suit, his strength and defense is more than an average person could handle, so when Mr. Freeze's bosses and the Gotham underworld work together to weaponize that cryogenic technology, everybody's in over their head, especially Batman. Further, while Batman always brags about flying solo, he is in fact one of the neediest characters in comics, and this story ambitiously and successfully sets the tone for both Bruce Wayne's need to work with others and why he's just so darn picky about it. Batman realizes his limitation as one lone ranger in Gotham, but as events unfold in Snow, he also discovers how a group of conflicting personalities becomes a greater liability than its worth. As much as this is Mr. Freeze's origin, it's also that of Batman's feelings toward Robin and the Justice League. Robin's the kid he was able to mold into the perfect partner; the Justice League is a bunch of adults with different, oft unyielding methods and opinions. Mr. Freeze gave Batman a good reason to have a cold shoulder.

This review was originally published in KaraokeFanboy Weekly #4.

Movie Review: Batman: Under the Red Hood

When I first heard that the next DC animated feature was going to be Batman: Under the Red Hood, I wondered how the film would pull off a story incorporating critical details from The Killing Joke, A Death in the Family, and Infinite Crisis. Apparently, Bruce Timm had similar concerns, or so he confessed at the San Diego Comic Con panel that premiered the film. Fortunately, writer Judd Winick pitched the film thoroughly and excitedly enough (via telephone conference from San Francisco to Burbank, to boot) to earn the green light. As a fan that always prefers the source material to cinematic adaptation, I must say, Under the Red Hood is the exception, and not because of what Winick managed to cram from decades' worth of comics into a mere 70 minutes.

It's because of what he didn't.



First of all, the story of Jason Todd is a cornerstone to my comic book collecting career. I vividly remember buying a Batman comic book three-pack from K-Mart when I was a kid, perhaps even before the box of comics my dad scored at his moving job that changed everything, and, anyway, those three comics were Batman #408-410. On the heels of Year One, which I knew nothing about at the time, the origin of Jason Todd was rebooted to boast more humble beginnings as an orphan surviving in the streets of Crime Alley. As a child on the verge of adolescence, I loved this interpretation, and especially its contrast from Dick Grayson's Robin -- while the Dynamic Duo was still a team, their relationship was truly dynamic now, truly multi-dimensional.

Then, Jason died.

I knew Jason was going to die, because I'd seen issues of A Death in the Family on newsstands a few years prior, but I never knew the whole story: how he and Batman met, his controversial role as the second Robin, and the circumstances around his death. The trade paperback of A Death in the Family cleared up everything, and as a young person still developing his concept of death, not to mention how these make-believe superheroes affected my real life, I cherished these tales. As I grew familiar with the flakiness of death in comics, I grew particularly fond of writer/editor Denny O'Neil's quote on the back of the trade: "It would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back." That's how I knew; Jason was dead, and death carries permanent consequences. It's everybody else's job to live with those consequences.

Then, Jason returned.

Through a series of convoluted cosmic circumstances, DC Comics found a way to bring Batman's second ward back, but it wasn't as quick as that beloved four issue story that killed him. No, DC took years to hint at Jason's resurrection, first in the high profile Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee collaboration Hush, then through a series of stories and finally an annual that offered the final piece of the mystery to Robin's defiance of death. Ready? When an angry Superboy from a parallel earth punched the multiverse (the hub of endless multiple realities), Jason Todd from a realm where he survived slipped into our world -- that is, the one where he was six feet under. He clawed his way out of the grave, was recovered by Ra's Al Ghul, and after a maddening jolt from a Lazarus Pit, when a bit nuts and became him own man. I told you they were convoluted circumstances.

For Under the Red Hood, Judd Winick put that story on a diet. First of all, no cosmic crises. Too much indigestion. Secondly, he kept the return to Jason Todd linear, without offshoots like Hush getting in the way. He presents the story as chronologically as possible: Batman has a new partner, Robin was captured and murdered by the Joker, then a mysterious man wearing a Red Hood (like the Joker did before he became the Clown Prince of Crime) rapidly takes over Gotham's underworld. I won't elaborate and spoil the minute details, but stripping this story to its bare bones makes it much more emotionally effective, and from a marketing perspective, more universally approachable.

That the action kicks butt certainly helps. The Red Hood is very explosion-happy, but the fisticuffs are what makes this cartoon not your daddy's Batman. From Batman and Nightwing's scrap with Amazo (one of my favorite recent comic book bouts, and one I'm grateful made the transition to film) to the climatic battle royale between Batman, the Red Hood, and the Joker, every blow has fluidity, purpose, and impact. The fighting actually moves the story along, rather than breaks it up to keep your interest, and since both elements are good independently, watching them work together was even better.

I will say, though, that I was amused by how every action sequence ended with a shot of a tight-lipped Batman, trying to process it all. It became redundant and therein kind of hilarious.

The film is quick witted, too, thanks in no small part to Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing. When you think about it, Dick Grayson is comics' first and most prominent child star, and like NPH he has found a career in adulthood independent of that image. I wasn't as nuts about Joe DiMaggio's Joker as the crowd at the screening was, probably because I, like many others, am used to Mark Hamill's high-pitched inflection and cackle. DiMaggio's Joker was a bit more understated and even-toned; in short, it was masculine, as only DiMaggio could be, and I've never perceived the Joker as something less than a force of nature before.

Now, I'm a sucker for last lines. Forget Dickens' "best of times, worst of times" shtick; anybody can write a poignant first line. I'm most interested in all-encompassing last lines, those that sum up the tone of the piece perfectly, and maybe leave you a bit wanting. I won't ruin it, but Under the Red Hood has it. I feared the typical pan upward toward the Gotham skyline, or the standard swinging superhero sequence, but Winick was wise enough to give us something more, something that practically explains the entire motivation behind the film, not to mention the Batman/Robin partnership. Further, the way he pulls it off really couldn't have been done in the comics, not in established continuity. So, I'm grateful for this retelling. It doesn't make bringing back Jason Todd any less of a stunt . . .

. . . but now it seems a little less sleazy.

Batman: Under the Red Hood will be released on DVD, BluRay, and On Demand July 27.

Anyone Can Be Chosen

If ever a single sentence has evoked so much fanboy ire, it's, "Anyone can be chosen," the tag line on the Green Lantern movie promotional materials in the latest issue of Global License magazine. (Check it out here at /Film.) Of course, true fans understand that not just anyone can be chosen to wear the Green Lantern ring, but if the comment threads I've read are any indication, just about anyone can have an opinion about it. More cool-headed fans have tried to assure our peers, this is just a trade magazine, and that tag line may not be the final slogan used in public to promote Green Lantern, but the seed of doubt has already been planted.

Unlike my fellow fanboys in cyberspace, if this is the new mantra of the Green Lantern, I totally understand. Simply put, comic book fans alone cannot sustain comic book movies. Yes, we are legion, but we aren't as numerous as we think we are -- and if we were, too many of us feel entitled to bootlegging movies over seeing them in the theater anyway, decreasing the revenue studios need to see to keep a franchise alive. What big budget films like Green Lantern need are general audiences -- literally, anyone. As impossible as it is for us commoners to think in numbers like that, those are the millions of dollars Hollywood needs to spin a profit from a venture like Green Lantern. So, we can't have an exclusive attitude like the Guardians of Oa. We have to let everyone in . . . or there's no green. Ah, see what I did there?

Now, does this mean Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern is a Joe Blow that just comes upon the most powerful weapon in the universe? I hope not, as much as I understand that niche feature films need general audiences, I think they also need to retain the spirit that made the property timeless in the first place. For all of the special effects we should expect from Green Lantern, I hope Warner Brothers remembers Hal's most effective weapon: his fearless will. Without it, he couldn't even muster up a boxing glove. Maintain the character's integrity, and folks will be lining up to watch a regular guy like Hal Jordan kick the crap out of a cosmic terrorist like Sinestro whether they've heard of Green Lantern or not. As for us fanboys . . .?

We can say we were there first. We've been here all along.

Justice League: Generation Lost #1

Justice League: Generation Lost #1, DC Comics
by Judd Winick (writer) & Keith Giffen (writer/breakdowns), Aaron Lopresti (penciller), Matt Ryan (inker), Hi-Fi (colorists), Sal Cipriano (letterer)

I was lucky to collect the entire Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis Justice League International run when a comic book shop in Placentia, California shut down and sold its back issues for 10 cents each. I devoured their entire run, including some Justice League Europe crossover issues, and developed an affinity for many of the characters, those lesser known in the DC Universe but still at one time a part of the prestigious JL . . . well, I, but the League nevertheless. Giffen and DeMatteis' dialogue made the characters believable, approachable, and more human than super -- an innovation that took what Alan Moore did in The Watchmen and infused it with the emotion he forgot: humor. The Justice League International has become a retrospective inside joke among fanboys, but Giffen and DeMatties resurrected comics' first super-team, before Morrison did, before Meltzer did (and that's New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer). That's no laughing matter.

I confessed on Wednesday that I didn't read "Final Crisis," nor did I read "Identity Crisis," but the ramifications of those tales still ripple through the DC Universe, and know that they've essentially deconstructed everything Giffen and DeMatties developed in Justice League International. How many of those key characters were tortured and killed? The Elongated Man and his wife . . . Blue Beetle . . . Max Lord -- Were writers using the JLI roster to target characters that would have just enough emotional resonance with readers, but not destroy the sanctity of DC's core properties? Just as I enjoyed seeing these characters in their heyday, I grieved for them. I didn't grieve their deaths -- because they aren't real, you know -- but I mourned that loss of realism. In the mix of a cosmic crisis, they were simply less like me.

In the wake of "Brightest Day," I think Justice League: Generation Lost is trying to reclaim that spirit. Max Lord, JLI benefactor turned mind-controlling super villain, is back from the fatal neck twist he experienced by Wonder Woman's hand, and all of the earth's heroes are on the look-out for him. Booster Gold feels neglected in the search, but he also knows Lord best and actually succeeds where even Batman fails -- and finds the guy. Of course, he's too late, and Lord accomplishes the seemingly impossible: he makes the world at large forget he ever existed. Only Booster, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice know of Lord's legacy now, which will undoubtedly make them look a little nuts -- like the laughing stocks they were before, perhaps? Either way, by putting them against their more mainstream counterparts, Winick and Giffen have made them more like us again. Really, they're the only four heroes in the DC Universe that know what we know. Talk about being able to relate.

I enjoyed this issue, and though it isn't of the "bwah-ha-ha" variety, it was just light-hearted enough to maintain the spirit of the superhero genre that I love. Whatever Max has in store, I think it has the potential to bring out the best in everyone, including this creative team. If this truly is a brighter day, I may be on board. An entire Giffen/DeMatteis run on Justice League International? Ten cents an issue. A series that drags me back into the DCU at large? Priceless.

Free Comic Book Day 2010: War of the Supermen #0

War of the Supermen #0, DC Comics

by James Robinson, Sterling Gates, Eddy Barrows, J.P. Mayer, Rob Reis, John J. Hill

Who cares about Superman?

I mean, really? Superman is to comics like The Simpsons is to South Park -- just when you think you've thought of something new for a superhero to experience, you realize Superman has already done it. First of all, he's comics' first orphan, so the whole "avenge me" theme is taken -- and technically was before even Batman, as you can say Supes' heroism is his attempt to make sure another planet isn't destroyed under the weight of its own ignorance. Further, how many times has Clark Kent's identity nearly been compromised? That story's been done to death. The love triangle? The fallen teammate? The reformed nemesis? Death itself? Superman's been there, done that . . . and survived, not only as a franchise, but as the first and most well known superhero of all time. So, why should I care about him? No matter what you throw at the Man of Steel, I know he'll pull through.

Enter War of the Supermen.

I haven't read a Superman title in years, but based on this Free Comic Book Day preview, I understand that the bottle city of Kandor recently burst from the bottle and a full fledged civilization again, somehow ruled by Superman's enemy, General Zod. Therein lies a blatant defiance of one of Kal-El's trademark characteristics -- he is no longer unique. Sure, readers were introduced to Supergirl, Krypto the Superdog, a few super cats and horses and monkeys here and there, but Superman was really the one and only of his kind, an alpha male with god-like powers among men. Zod and the thousands of other Kandorians now affected by Earth's yellow sun diminishes that strength completely! When everyone else is super, too -- you're really just a man, Superman.

Now, these Kryptonians are waging war on Earth. Even the Justice League has just one Superman, so what hope do they have against an army? And will Superman be willing to take the life of a fellow Kryptonian in battle, knowing every casualty marks one more step toward his being an endangered species -- again? Perhaps that's what's best, after all -- not so much "a world without a Superman," but a world with only one Superman, the one with the moral compass that points in humanity's favor.

This free zero issue doesn't address these questions directly. No, it's just the launching pad for the inevitable multi-title epic assured to consume the Superman titles this summer. Sure, Zod and Supes bandy about punches and philosophies, but asute readers can tell some crises of conscience are on the horizon, and with writer James Robinson at the helm, I hope the best is yet to come. Yes, I'm interested. I actually care about Superman again.

Thinking Outside the Long Box

I'm alphabetizing my comics again.

Until now, I've had them divided by companies, with DC, Marvel, and Image in their own boxes, and a slew of indies in the rest. Now I'm putting them all together, like in most comic book shops, so I can easily file new purchases. This is no easy task; this random pic represents a third of the collection. Makes me wonder how other collectors do it, if at all. Suggestions?

April Fool's Day . . . A Few Days Late

I really glossed over April Fool's Day here, but I'd like to take this opportunity to share my favorite comics-related gag from the day, courtesy Action Figure Insider. Click the link to enjoy. Great job, guys.

More Comic Book Movie News . . .

. . . this time, of the blue-and-red tights variety. Christopher Nolan is at the helm of the latest Superman film, as Warner Brothers decides to put the world's finest golden eggs in one basket.

Paul Pope's Car Crash

Car Crash by Paul Pope, lettered by Gary Kato (published in Oni Double Feature #2-3)

Boy meets girl. Boy gets in car crash. When you strip everything else away from Paul Pope's Car Crash, that's the body of the tale -- but, trust me, you don't want to strip anything away. You want every painstakingly water-colored panel, every dancing dark shadow stain, every emotive thought that comes through Pope's ongoing inner monologue. See, I really just discovered the wonder that is Paul Pope. Frustrated with the countless crossovers plaguing my favorite superhero comics, I've begun looking elsewhere in the comics medium for entertainment, and I'm finding it in the works of Paul Pope and Mike Allred. Both obviously appreciate comics' campy roots (see their respective Solo issues from DC Comics), but Pope takes the autobio trend to the next level in this brief tale of love, lust, recklessness, and regret. Car Crash is both transcendent and down to earth, both epic and mundane. Frankly, that he trusts us with this part of his life is an honor. I guess that's what comics are all about -- from the mainstream superhero books on the rack alongside indies like this, to stories ripped from personal experience, it's all about sharing . . . finding a meaningful collision.

Four More Years . . . Or Just 15 Fifteen More Minutes?

The celebrity of Barack Obama during last year's Presidential election enticed the attention of the comic book industry more than any other real world event in history. While I persist that Erik Larsen first used Obama in Savage Dragon, rather naturally since his series has always been set in Chicago, so many other comics exploited the President-elect's likeness that the line between fantasy and reality became blurred -- and just Google old CNN headlines during the Amazing Spider-man cameo ruckus to prove it. Fortunately, DC Comics' avoidance of ties to reality dodged the Obama gravy train, but they still took advantage of the election to explore a corner of their universe oft untouched -- their heroes' politics.

In DC Universe Decisions, when the Justice League endeavors to protect Presidential candidates in the crosshairs of assassination, the media twists their varied public statements into endorsements for the election. The Green Arrow/Green Lantern dynamic established in the "hard travelling heroes" era propels the series, with Superman's tight-lipped perspective billed as a bigger mystery than the killer. In the end, little more is confirmed than the obvious -- that superheroes are both celebrities and vigilantes, so while their opinions are coveted, they're ineffective in their legal hypocrisy -- but at least it was entertaining to watch.

Wedged between Final Crisis and Blackest Night, Decisions hasn't carried much if any weight in the DC Universe, but its parallel to pop culture happenings is still important in our world as the line between politician and celebrity becomes more and more blurry. This Presidents' Day, as Obama still appears in comics if only now as a barbarian (thank you, Larry Hama), the question persists: Which is a more reliable Washington news source, CNN or TMZ? The decision really is yours.

Weekly Haul: Batman and Robin #8

Batman and Robin #8, published by DC Comics, by Grant Morrison, Cameron Stewart, Tony Avila, Jared K. Fletcher.

The snippet of exuberant conversation I overheard between two kids in the Target toy aisle became an inadvertent prologue to a train of thought I rode last night on the heels of reading Batman and Robin #8. In the second of a presumably three-part story arc, Dick Grayson fights his crazed resurrected mentor, or at least a clone thereof, after discovering the existence of and immersing "Batman's" rotting corpse in the last Lazarus Pit.

If you don't know, for the better part of a year, Dick Grayson, the first Robin, has been Batman, as Bruce Wayne was supposedly killed by Darkseid during DC Comics' latest cosmic crisis. Wayne's son, Damion, has become the latest Robin, and the dynamic between Batman's surrogate and biological children has been an interesting relationship to witness. Basically, both proteges are trying to out bad ass each other in transparent homage to their father, and while Dick has the experience, Damion has the blood, so it's hard to tell who wins. Ironically, in this latest issue, writer Grant Morrison unravels those leaps forward in character to betray just how much all of us need the Batman.

See, Dick Grayson has adopted the Batman mantle before -- back in the '90s, when Bane broke Bruce Wayne's back -- so this direction isn't new and different, at all. Damion is the wild card, as the constant reminder that Dick is only Bruce's adopted son, and now another prince is the eventual rightful heir to the throne. If only Grayson had some guts to be a headlining hero rather than a sidekick with big boots to fill; his years as the defiant Nightwing are practically undone in these two sequences from Batman and Robin #7 and #8, respectively, depicting Dick in grief.

Admittedly, DC Comics's core characters are founded on grief and tragedy, from the destruction of Superman's homeworld, to the murder of the Waynes, to countless other atrocities that made would-be heroes vow the pursuit of justice. Dick's recklessness in the face of mourning show how emotionally stunted DC's heroes are, how none of them can live with change (like so many of the geeks that love them, but continuity is a topic for another day). When he realizes that this Batman clone isn't his resurrected mentor, will he actually take the time to grieve, or instead find some miracle cure for the apparently temporary condition that is death?

In the meantime, just like that action figure at Target yesterday, no child can pick up this issue of Batman and Robin and find the Dark Knight they know from mainstream media, assuming that Batman is much more than a costume, anyway. What makes a good Batman? Is it his tireless pursuit for justice? Is it fighting skills and immeasurable smarts? Is it just perpetual brokenhearted youth? If so, then maybe Dick Grayson isn't too far off after all.

Talk About a Dented Package

You don't have to be a fanboy to know that ain't Two-Face! Either a greedy collector snuck a faux return under some Target jockey's nose, or somebody at Mattel needs to pick up a comic book.

DC Universe Classics Eclipso

I hope the first week of A Comic A Day was indicative of this year's direction, what with mini reviews of issues old and new, a little superhero TV, reflections of comics' parallel with current events (a la the Superbowl), and of course the random merch that thrusts comics in our faces every day. This week starts a little differently, furthering the eclectic flair with a glimpse of my extensive action figure collection!

A few weeks ago, I had an apartment warming party at my new digs in Arizona, and a fellow fanboy friend of mine gifted me a Mattel DC Universe Classics Eclipso. I opened the figure tonight, and despite my general apathy toward the character as a whole I'm pleased to add him to the shelves in my living room. First of all, he's a bad guy, and I learned to appreciate villains when my grandparents first gave me my Super Powers Superman and Batman back in the day, and they had nobody to fight. Had Eclipso been a part of the picture, he could've turned them against each other with his evil black diamond . . . before defeating the true baddie together, of course!



Secondly, Eclipso is a well sculpted figure, and though I'm usually against props built into the character (think Two-Face's coin), this one makes sense, especially since it's so small and critical to his persona. If children are actually still playing with toys like this, they need that diamond to make Eclipso the formative foe he was meant to be.

Alas, if Eclipso clouds my collection in any way, it's in his driving me to collect the rest of the figures in his wave and complete the Darkseid their respective loose parts build. Aw, who am I kidding . . . Even without Eclipso, I'd still be a man possessed.

Putting the Super Back in Superbowl Sunday

DC Comics Presents Superman #1, by Stan Lee, Paul Levitz, Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone, Al Milgrom, Dave Stewart, Jared K. Fletcher, Ken Lopez, and Lovern Kindzierski

Continuing the Superbowl Sunday tradition I kicked off (heh heh) with my reviews of NFL Superpro #3 and Strange Sports Stories, I'm pleased to review DC Comics Presents Superman #1, a football-oriented comic book remembering the dearly departed Julius Schwartz's impact on the medium. In this issue, a dream team of writers and artists tells two tales inspired by the Schwartz-helmed cover of Superman #264 originally illustrated by Nick Cardy.



Firstly, Stan Lee, Darwyn Cooke, and J. Bone tell the story of Professor Harold Gorky, who, fed up with society's glorification of muscleheads like superstar quarterback Tank Torgan and charitable-guest referree Superman, creates an invisible robotic football player to best them both in the field and win the heart of his secretary Tiffany. He succeeds, and when Superman gets to the bottom of things, he decides no punishment is better for the borderline mad professor than letting him win the vapid vixen of his dreams. Darwyn and Bone's definitively retro art is the perfect compliment to Lee's cooky script, creating a nostalgic yarn that respects the power of the mind -- in the midst of a game that celebrates getting one's skull bashed in.



The second story is pretty heavy by comparison, as a washed up football player ups his dose of experimental steroids to become an energy-crackling juggernaut, but fortunately Superman is in the neighborhood and uses his cosmic treadmill to run the wayward runner's energy out. Levitz and Giffen tell an engaging tale, with campy Silver Age staples that shine under an otherwise potentially dark fable about faded glory. I suppose any of us are just a washed up career away from becoming the phantom quarterback.

In conclusion, Wanda Sykes mentioned me on her Fox talk show last night, describing folks like me that watch the Superbowl for the commercials "like someone that orders pizza for the box." Hey, the game itself is really just one long commercial for spandex-clad team-ups . . . and we comic books geeks certainly understand that.

Fantastic Four Klik Candy Dispensers

Here we go again.

Today A Comic A Day begins its third incarnation, as a study of comics' influence on every day life. Fortunately for me, the blundering blogger responsible for this mess, that direction is open interpretation, from the way comics shape pop culture, to the comics I'm reading on any given day, to the comics-inspired merchandise one might find just shopping at the 99 Cents Store -- like these Fantastic Four Klik candy dispensers. If you look hard enough, surely you can find a comic a day.

BONUS MINI-REVIEW!

"Tall Tale" by Paul Pope, colored by Lee Loughridge, lettered by Clem Robins
originally published in Weird Western Tales #1, Vertigo/DC Comics

Keen comic book enthusiasts might appreciate my using the Fantastic Four (albeit in candy dispenser form) in a new year's inaugural post, since they're often dubbed the first family of funnybooks and in fact launched the brand we know today as Marvel Comics. Similarly, this weird western short by Paul Pope explores the origins of heroes as a whole, but in a genre we often underestimate as the beginning of such things. The first few panels in this eight-page yarn explain that tall tales about Paul Bunyon and John Henry were the first superhero stories, and their compilation in spaghetti western pulp magazines, the ancestor of the comic book.

Now, when a drunken sop decides to call out a homely bartender he believes to be Wild Bill Hickok . . .



He discovers that some tall tales have pretty short fuses.



Paul Pope's style befits a short, weird western tale like this, and his premise that folks in the Old West were just as mystified as these tales then as we are now is a great way to breach the proverbial fourth wall . . . and make a simple Bronze Age title relaunch amazingly relevant.

One can only hope it's as effective with a certain blog. Giddy up!

Getting Over the Hump: Wednesday Comics #1

I worry for Wednesday Comics' safety. No, I'm not concerned about its success; I think this title is innovating enough to maintain a core readership's attention for its intended twelve consecutive weeks. I mean, I worry for my copy's safety. If you haven't heard of Wednesday Comics, you probably don't read comics, so you may be interested to know that the title is a weekly newspaper-sized anthology starring some of DC Comics' most popular characters, like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. It's printed on newsprint, too, which implies an inherent sense of importance and mobility, like the newspaper a businessman might tuck under his arm getting on or off the subway. As such, I'm tempted to bring this thing with me where ever I go, to share its art and format with others -- but we fanboy folk are trained to treasure our comics, to "bag and board" them against the elements, as if the value of the paper they're printed on is more than the story or art within. Now you see my mid-week dilemma.

Of course, when the second issue hits stands tomorrow, I'll probably feel less attached to this first one. I certainly don't intend to lug all twelve issues around with me when this series is said and done. Yet, DC's plan to offer mainstream comics in a more mainstream way has reignited my love for their characters, especially when the monthly titles we geeks are accustomed to browsing are mired in crossovers and continuity. Oh, yes, I'm as excited about Grant Morrison's new Batman and Robin as much as the next guy, but I can't very well share this spirited new title with just anyone -- not without explaining that the Dark Knight is now former Robin Dick Grayson, and that the Boys Wonder is Bruce Wayne's son Damien. Wednesday Comics looks like the Sunday funnies everyone read as a kid, and its content is just as approachable. Oh, Batman is present and accounted for, but as the troubled hero he should be . . . not a continuity victim forced to play pass-the-cowl.

So far, at least. With only one issue available, and with every story only one newspaper-sized page long, these tales promise to move at a snail's pace compared to the usual twenty-two page chapters most familiar to longtime fans. Also, considering the instant accessibility of the Internet, I wonder if the average reader can hold on for twelve long weeks; the most common criticism I've read of this first issue is how either nothing really happens, or it seems something is just about to happen. Uhm, that's kind of the point -- to establish characters and concepts, either through the introduction of a dilemma or a sudden explosion of inexplicable action, all with motivations to come. Me, while I'm usually a story-first kind of guy, I'm willing to fork out the controversial $3.99 every week for the chance to see how these all-star artists are using the bigger format to pace their respective adventures. Some, like the Wonder Woman piece, crammed in as many panels as possible; the Hawkman and Sgt. Rock pieces sought more spacious ambiance than that. I liked both, presuming the story will find a favorable pace once it gets over the hump of week one.

There's the rub. This first issue is experimental, in style and substance, and as such will be hit or miss for many fans, new and old. If Wednesday Comics finds distribution outside the standard comics shop, I wonder if it would become as important a pop culture piece as that well-tucked newspaper. Any comic with the right gimmick can make the news. The distinction between marketing gimmick and legitimate artistic exercise will be in its ability to be the news, to be as important and exciting to read as any other daily headline.

Wednesday Comics #1 was written and illustrated by way too many contributors to list here and was released on July 8, 2009 by DC Comics.