2010 March
Kids, cannon fodder and Cry for Justice
Justice League: Cry for Justice #7
Following the conclusion last week of Justice League: Cry for Justice, the widely panned miniseries by James Robinson, Mauro Cascioli and others, Corrina Lawson of GeekDad wonders whether children should be killed off for dramatic effect in superhero comics.
“Death is certainly dramatic,” she writes. “And it’s been handled well in children’s literature many times. The Harry Potter series is full of the deaths of Harry’s loved ones, starting with his parents. But I think it all depends on tone. And I think Cry for Justice, like Infinite Crisis (2005-2006) and Identity Crisis (2004) before that, has completely the wrong tone. It’s not a mature tone that will help children and teens learn about how to deal with death and tragedy. It’s a juvenile tone that throws out serious issues for shock value and temporary angst.”
Lawson then returns briefly to Identity Crisis and the murder of a pregnant Sue Dibny and the revelation of her rape by Dr. Light before concluding: “To me, there’s something inherently wrong with the tone of a mainstream supposedly all-ages universe if they’re basing the next few years of stories on a rape.”
Certainly it’s worth questioning whether it’s cheap, distasteful or just plain lazy for a writer to use the murder of a child (or any character, for that matter) to shock readers or to quickly and conveniently justify a protagonist’s behavior. Likewise, it’s fair to wonder why a creator thought it was necessary to retroactively introduce a sexual assault into continuity as a way to … I don’t know … explain inconsistencies in a B-level villain’s characterization over the decades?
However, Lawson starts from a flawed premise: The universe of Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis, Cry for Justice and dozens of other titles isn’t a “supposedly all-ages universe.” It hasn’t been in a long time, for good or bad. And while the approaching Brightest Day just may turn the page on some of the gloom and gore, I just can’t imagine many writers of superhero comics will suddenly tackle bloodshed with “a mature tone that will help children and teens learn about how to deal with death and tragedy.”
- March 8, 2010 @ 09:48 AM by Kevin Melrose
Your video of the day: Johnny Ryan interview
The mad genius behind Prison Pit and Blecky Yuckarella speaks his mind in an interview with Royal Jelly. (via)
- March 8, 2010 @ 09:00 AM by Chris Mautner
With Superman and Wonder Woman, is JMS set to join DC’s creative trinity?
Wonder Woman #600 by George Pèrez
Well, here’s who Gail Simone was talking about when the departing Wonder Woman writer promised us a successor that would knock our collective socks off: J. Michael Straczynski will be helming the adventures of two of DC Comics’ biggest characters as of July’s Superman #701 and Wonder Woman #601. Comic Book Resources and The Source have the scoop on the move.
Straczynski’s had a rough road in comics of late: He departed Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man and Thor amid disputes over the former’s controversial “One More Day” storyline and the latter’s incorporation into the main Marvel Universe storyline during “Dark Reign” and Siege, while his Marvel title The Twelve remains unfinished.
Since his move to DC, his relaunch of the Red Circle characters and his takeover of The Brave & the Bold haven’t exactly lit the world on fire sales-wise. But add today’s announcement to his planned launch of the new-continuity original graphic novel series Superman: Earth One, and it’s clear that DC has the confidence to enshrine JMS alongside Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison as part of the creative trinity responsible for the company’s core franchises. (Indeed, Morrison was long rumored to be the next Wonder Woman writer, rumors he helped fuel by mentioning plans for the character in multiple interviews.)
Generally speaking, “big name creator” plus “big name character” equals sales success, so it seems like a smart move to me. I wouldn’t mind Superman reuniting JMS with his longtime collaborator Gary Frank, either …
- March 8, 2010 @ 08:30 AM by Sean T. Collins
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Anaheim Convention Center
Conventions | Using next month’s Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con as a hook, Michael Volpe looks at how the city is becoming a “fan festival hub” as it attempts to add Comic-Con International to a convention schedule that includes BlizzCon and The D23 Expo.
“It’s something of an accident,” said Mindy Abel, senior vice president of convention sales for the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau. “Our focus is getting trade groups and corporate events that will bring out-of-town guests, but those same amenities are very attractive to public promoters and consumer events.”
According to the article, the Wizard convention is expected to attract 30,000 attendees — “small potatoes compared to the San Diego event.” [Orange County Business Journal]
- March 8, 2010 @ 07:50 AM by Kevin Melrose
What Are You Reading?
Little Lulu Vol. 18
I’m currently in the midst of interviewing cartoonist Graham Annable over email for Robot 6 as he has a new book coming out any day now from Dark Horse and thought, as long as I was conversing with him, why not see if he’d like to be our special guest for this week’s edition of What Are You Reading? And so he did! Click on the link to find out what he and everyone else is reading this week.
- March 7, 2010 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs | What Looks Good for May
Cavemen in Space
Time again for our monthly trip through Previews looking for interesting new adventure comics.
AdHouse
Cavemen in Space – You don’t really need to know anything past that title, right? Okay, how about that the main caveman’s name is Washington? This is AdHouse, so it’s likely to be thoughtful, but that doesn’t mean it won’t also be awesome.
Archaia
Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard #1 – It’s a little disappointing having to be patient for the next “real” installment of the series, but getting fill-ins done by Jeremy Bastian (Cursed Pirate Girl), Alex Sheikman (Robotica), and Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, Polly and the Pirates, The Good Neighbors) goes a long way towards softening the wait.
Dark Horse
Thun’da, King of the Congo Archive – Three words: Frazetta Jungle Comics.
Tarzan Archives: The Jesse Marsh Years, Volume 6 – This may take a bit more selling, but that preview art of Tarzan and the Waziri’s rushing an army of giant, hairy-ass spiders will do it.
Hellboy in Mexico (or, A Drunken Blur) – Hellboy vs a vampire luchador and an evil turkey? I’ll take twelve.
BPRD, Volume 13: 1947 – The next installment in the awesome BPRD collections.
- March 7, 2010 @ 07:00 AM by Michael May
Unbound | Zahra’s Paradise creator speaks
Zahra’s Paradise, which debuted on the First Second website last month, tells a story that is at once universal and very particular: A mother searches for her missing son in the aftermath of the protests following the Iranian presidential election of 2009. The creators have chosen to remain anonymous for their own safety, and the comic pulls no punches in its depiction of the brutal treatment of protestors by the Iranian militia.
First Second Books is publishing the story as a webcomic in seven languages, including English, Persian, and Arabic, and will publish it as a print comic next year. With the help of First Second’s Gina Gagliano, I interviewed Amir, the writer, and Mark Siegel, First Second’s editorial director, via e-mail to find out a bit more about the background and the future of this remarkable graphic narrative.
Brigid: What were your inspirations for this story? Were there particular people or incidents that sparked it?
Amir: The inspirations for the story are many. There’s context and culture. I’m deeply touched by the dreams of Iranian youth, by the nobility of Iranian women, the courage of the Iranian people. In one way or another, their stories of trauma and triumph, joy and genius, are woven into the fabric of my being.
- March 6, 2010 @ 07:08 AM by Brigid Alverson
The Fifth Color | The Will She? Won’t She? of Susan Storm
from Fantastic Four 1 2 3 4
Viva la Woman! This is not only Women’s History Month nationally, but a spotlight year for the female force behind Marvel comics. This includes characters and creators, from She-Hulk’s anniversary coming up this month to looking back at the first Bullpen heroines to a who’s who in the industry today.
As much as you or I might put on a knowing look when the idea of ‘girls reading comics’ comes up as a shocker, there are still some who consider the medium a Boys Only Club. The trick is, Women in Marvel is not a fanfare for the media, but for the comic reader. We’re actually advertising to ourselves as I don’t care if I have to call the book ‘Three Toed Sloth Comics’, just so long as fans see more Colleen Coover art. Putting out the press releases, interviews and exclusive art is to delight and tantalize the current comic reader about how diverse and talented our hobby is, not the Joe on the street.
Getting fans to think outside the box is definitely important, especially amongst the Marvel reading public. While some Distinguished Competitors might have Wonder Woman and leave it at that, Marvel characters have a different set of criteria to live up to (I know, the Big Two have different storytelling philosophies, film at 11…). Heroines might be marketed under the ‘grrl’ heading this month, sexy, powerful and dominant, it’s the human element that really makes the Women of Marvel. No matter how vivacious, strong or important any character is, from Captain America to Nico Minoru, they all remind us of the fantastic, mighty or spectacular parts of us, We see ourselves in the pages of our comics and that makes these stories personal, that anyone could find themselves in similar situations, girl or boy, super-powered or not.
Sometimes the fight isn’t with Galactus, it’s with our hearts. Peter Parker is going to be my first example of the struggle between being a hero and staying true to your loves and losses. In fact, he’s pretty bad at it in the long run; Peter Parker’s love for his Aunt May caused him to make a choice that fans still haven’t forgiven him for to this day. Our family and loved ones weigh heavy on our hearts, more than the pressures of cosmic powers, so let’s look at the heart of one of Marvel’s favorite sweethearts. Put your hair up, grab a box of bon-bons and let’s talk affairs and triangles like they do on the E! network!
- March 5, 2010 @ 03:00 PM by Carla Hoffman
Marvel DCU to offer faux 1940s Captain America strip
Faux 1940s Captain America strip
Remember the 1940s Captain America newspaper strip? No? That’s probably because there wasn’t one, until now. ComicsAlliance has the details on a faux long-lost Captain America comic strip that Karl Kesel will write and illustrate.
“Bringing together a blast from the past (newly discovered strips from the ’40s) and the cutting edge future (Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited) is a match made in company synergistic heaven,” said editor Bill Rosemann, who described the book as “shield-slinging star-spangled Captain America joining his loyal, wise-cracking sidekick Bucky for a daily jolt of awesome action, daring drama, femme fatales, rampaging robots and no-good Nazis!”
Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited will post a new “Captain America” strip every day for three months, for a total of 85 comics including special Sunday-sized editions.
This sounds really awesome; hopefully they’ll be collected into print soon after. Head over to ComicsAlliance to see Laura Hudson’s interview with Kesel.
- March 5, 2010 @ 02:23 PM by JK Parkin
Quote of the day | Dwayne McDuffie on race and writing
Dwayne McDuffie
“I’m conscious of race whenever I’m writing, just as I’m conscious of class, religion, human psychology, politics — everything that makes up the human experience. I don’t think I can do a good job if I’m not paying attention to what’s meaningful to people, and in American culture, there isn’t anything that informs human interaction more than the idea of race.”
– Dwayne McDuffie, addressing how conscious of race he was while working as a writer, story editor and producer on the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited television series
- March 5, 2010 @ 12:30 PM by Kevin Melrose
Comics cavalcade: Roller Disco Devils and that other kind of devil too
Every day, people post comics on the Internet. Three times a week, we try to link to the ones that catch our eyes.
Grime Does Not Pay by ???
Miss Peach: Fiscal Fitness by Jack Mendelsohn
- March 5, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Mautner
Straight for the art | All six Return of Bruce Wayne covers, in full color
Three of the six covers for "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne"
We’ve previously posted black-and-white versions of Andy Kubert’s covers for Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, but now the DC Universe blog has released the final colors for all six — linked together “in all their glory” (click that link to view all of them, super-sized).
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, by Grant Morrison, Chris Sprouse, Frazer Irving and other artists, debuts in May.
- March 5, 2010 @ 11:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Robot reviews: Smile
Smile
Smile
by Raina Telgemeier
Scholastic, 224 pages, $10.99
The thing that strikes me the most about Smile is how utterly and completely normal it all is. Telgemeier’s chronicle of her dental problems and general angst during her junior high and high school years, though entertaining, and certainly fraught with melodrama, wouldn’t exactly fall under the realm of trauma, on the same level that, say, Stitches does. And while few of us have had our front teeth knocked out and spent our formative years in a variety of dentists offices, most of have had the other sort of problems Telgemeier narrates, like trouble in school, unrequited crushes, dysfunctional friendships, etc.
Perhaps the most striking thing is how Telgemeier handles these occurrences with relative intelligence and grace. Not that she doesn’t fret mind you, but rather that she so rarely trips herself up on the way to adulthood. So congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Telgemeier. You raised your daughter right.
- March 5, 2010 @ 11:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Straight for the art | OMAC meets Astro Boy
OMAC meets Astro Boy
Artist Luis Chichón shows what OMAC might have looked liked if he was drawn by Osamu Tezuka. Via & via.
- March 5, 2010 @ 10:00 AM by JK Parkin