Green Arrow: Year One

Internet | A website called the Home of the Green Arrow, which supports the far-right British National Party in its "fight to secure a future for the indigenous peoples of these islands in the North Atlantic which have been our homeland for millennia," has co-opted Jock's art from the DC Comics miniseries Green Arrow: Year One for its banner. "This is leaving a horrible taste in my mouth," the artist wrote this morning on Twitter. He has contacted DC's legal department. [Jock's Twitter feed]

Art | Frank Frazetta's original cover painting for the 1967 Lancer paperback edition of Conan the Conqueror sold at auction last week for a reported $1 million. That's nearly four times the previous record price for the artist's work -- $251,000 -- paid in 2008 for the cover to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Escape on Venus. [Spectrum Fantastic Art, via Sci Fi Wire]

The Greatest 1950s Stories Ever Told

Art | As of Thursday morning, bids on the 18 pieces of original art by Joe Kubert had reached $30,000. The auction, held by Heritage Auction Galleries, opens to the public today. [Daily Record]

Awards | Mike Keefe, editorial cartoonist for the Denver Post, has won the 2009 Berryman Award for Editorial Cartooning. [The Daily Cartoonist]

Publishing | Dark Horse Assistant Editor Brendan Wright discusses one of the perks of his job: seeing the doodles and character designs that Stan Sakai occasionally leaves on the back of his Usagi Yojimbo art boards. [The Wright Opinion]

Publishing | Lauren Davis takes a look at celebrities who dip their toes into the comic-book pool. [io9.com]

Retailing | "Superheroes saving comic book stores from recession." Yeah. [Daily Camera]

Creators | Phil Hester talks about his career and his new BOOM! Studios series The Anchor, and offers some advice to young writers and artists. [Surfing the Bleed]

From "Spandex" #1

Creators | Scott Thill interviews Martin Eden, creator of the gay-superteam comic Spandex, which earlier this week had been heralded as presenting "the first gay superheroes." “Let’s not kid ourselves,” Eden said. “Spandex aren’t the first-ever gay superheroes. At the moment, for instance, you’ve got a lesbian Batwoman, a lesbian Question, Rictor and Shatterstar in X-Factor, and there’s been Apollo and Midnighter in the Authority, who were gay versions of Superman and Batman. There are probably a few more, but not many. I mean, I was thinking of pitching a gay series to Marvel a while ago, but could barely think of any gay characters they had, which surprised me.”

Blogosphere | Tucker Stone delivers a special, positive edition of "Advanced Common Sense": "That's what being a hero is all about -- is that sometimes you have to take out a baby." [The Factual Opinion]

Grumpy Old Fan

February finds DC's superhero books gearing up for various endgames. The month begins with the end of the World Of New Krypton miniseries and ends with the final issue of Cry For Justice. Blackest Night and Superman: Secret Origin present their penultimate issues, Titans reaches a stopping point, and the revamped Batman line closes out its third quarter. Given the publisher's track record, I suppose that means a month or two of relative calm before the next round of character-specific events starts. (The 700th issues of Superman and Batman are right around the corner, relatively speaking.)

But that's still in the future, and just like a box of chocolates or a big pile of valentines, there's a lot right here....

NACKEST BLIGHT

I've just about concluded that there will be a big letdown after Blackest Night. There has to be, if these solicits are at all credible. I mean, over the past few years we've gone from a new Multiverse to the triumph of Ultimate Evil and now to the very limits of Death itself -- and what's left after that? Reunification with Vertigo? (Wouldn't it be great to see Death of the Endless put a big hurt on Nekron?)

The solicit for BN #7 does give me a nice thrill: the thought of Hal Jordan as the ultimate pioneer -- "star voyager," even -- out on the farthest frontier imaginable, with only his indomitable will standing between the universe and utter annihilation. Again, stuff like that is a big part of the reason I read superhero comics. You're on notice, issue #7 -- my expectations have been raised!

Speaking of Vertigo, though, did we ever get closure on Daniel/Sandman's advice to Kyle that because he "knows fear," he'll "surpass" Hal? Maybe the revived Kyle is the key to the whole thing, hmm?

Of course, the thing about those Black-Lantern-fied issues of Adventure Comics and Green Arrow is that they could both refer to alternate versions of Superboy (-Prime, perhaps? I read this week's Adventure…) and Green Arrow (Everyman?). In any case, I'm surprised Geoff Johns isn't writing the Adventure issue.

WORLD'S FINEST

I'm sure I'm not the first person to think that "Bruce Wayne lost in time" practically begs for a crossover between Red Robin and Booster Gold. It's one of those things which, on the surface, looks just that simple; but as a practical matter of course it won't be.

Case in point:  looks like February's Batman And Robin issues might involve that dessicated Batman corpse we saw in Final Crisis….

There's something to be said for the relative simplicity of the secondary Bat-books' solicits. Streets Of Gotham's storyline has been building since the first issue, but it's still straightforward superhero action. Same goes for Batgirl #7, which (appropriately) uses C- and D-list villains. Meanwhile, Azrael tries to broaden its horizons, spiritually speaking, with a Ragman guest appearance.

By the way, the "Batman Reborn" books (Batman And Robin, Streets, Red Robin, and Gotham City Sirens) are all set to hit issue #12 in May, which is perfect timing to set up June's aforementioned Batman #700. The Superman books don't have similar timing. DC's on pace for Superman #700 in May, but World Of New Krypton (the final issue of which might have made a good lead-in) ends right at the beginning of February.

You know, we hear so much about stereotypically intransigent fans making up the core of the Big Two's readership, it makes me wonder about how the solicit for Superman: Secret Origin #5 -- and really? Metallo is your penultimate-issue villain? -- will be received. John Byrne's revisions to Metallo's origin are pretty well-established by now, so you'd think a vocal contingent of readers would protest Geoff Johns' changes. On the other hand, it's just Metallo, right? Who would care that much?

Along the same lines, I'm surprised, but not unpleasantly so, by Helen Slater's involvement with Supergirl #50. Considering the reputation the (now twenty-five-year-old) Supergirl movie has, Ms. Slater sure has been a good sport about it, and seems genuinely to like the character.

AROUND TOWN

I expect the Peter Johnson/Chris Sprouse backup stories in the new Human Target miniseries will follow the format of the new TV show, which eschews the character's traditional disguises. However, by the same token, I'd hope the Len Wein-written lead would be about as traditional as you can get.

Two 48-page issues to wrap up four years' worth of the Milestone Universe? Heroes Reborn got a lot longer sendoff, and it was a lot shorter (and a lot less fondly remembered). At least the original creators are back together.

While I've been critical of J. Michael Straczynski's Brave and the Bold, I liked this week's Batman/Brother Power story and am looking forward to February's Aquaman/Etrigan combo.

Yay, Crazy Jane's back in Doom Patrol #7! I'm cautiously optimistic -- which, appropriately enough, seemed to be Jane's default attitude....

If REBELS #13 means what I think it does, I'm kinda glad Despero's dead. He was okay in Trinity, but he's become a sort of all-purpose unstoppable villain, and that's gotten old.

The cover of Justice League of America #42 reminds me that the Dr. Impossible action figures aren't exactly flying off the Target shelves. More to the point, though, "evil versions of good New Gods" is the kind of thing I'd expect to see in a Justice League book; so I'm really looking forward to this one.  Here's hoping Dr. I. justifies his toyetic status.

And not to be overly pessimistic, but Titans #22 strikes me as an excellent jumping-off point for longtime readers like myself. That said, though, I'm curious to see where the book goes from here. Clearly it won't become DC's loose-knit answer to Defenders, but I don't know who's left from that particular generation to join the new team. It's hard to explain, but I'm getting kind of a "Detroit League" vibe (no pun intended) off the whole transition.

COLLECTIONS

Between reprinting Batman In Barcelona and Batman: The Scottish Connection, the Batman International paperback looks pretty good. (The Legends Of The Dark Knight reprint is "Tao," by Alan Grant and Arthur Ranson, which involves -- get this! -- a flashback to his days training in China!)

Meanwhile, that new Brave and the Bold paperback includes the Batman/Hawk & Dove issue of the original series (#181), written by Alan "I Never Wrote A Bad Batman Story" Brennert, as well as a Flash/Captain Marvel story (set during 1995's Underworld Unleashed crossover) from Flash #107 and an Impulse/Zatanna story from Impulse #17. As for B&B's more recent reprints, the Superman/Catwoman story from issue #16 is especially good.

I notice that the third JLA Deluxe Edition doesn't include the DC One Million miniseries. That's unfortunate, since it was practically an extension of Morrison's JLA, and honestly, JLA #1,000,000 might not make much sense without it.

By contrast, the worst thing about the second JLA By George Pérez hardcover is that it won't be out by Christmas. This volume contains a pretty good Red Tornado story -- and no, that's not a backhanded compliment -- but I'll be getting it pretty much for the phenomenal JLA #200. Although Pérez penciled the main story, featuring the League fighting off a very familiar alien invasion, the other chapters were handled old-school Justice Society style, by artists synonymous with the characters. Gil Kane drew Green Lantern vs. the Atom, Joe Kubert drew Hawkman vs. Superman, Carmine Infantino drew the Flash vs. the Elongated Man, Dick Giordano drew Wonder Woman vs. Zatanna, and Brian Bolland drew Batman vs. Green Arrow and Black Canary. JLA #200 isn't just a landmark for the Justice League, it's one of the most beautiful superhero comics DC has ever published.

I am happy to be wrong about the Wednesday Comics hardcover. How wrong was I? Well, back in April, I supposed -- rather testily, I must admit -- that "[a] complete Wednesday Comics collection [probably] won't retail for less than $50.00 ($75.00 if it's still 14" x 20") and probably won't be out until next summer … that is, if it's collected at all."  In fact, it'll be out around Memorial Day (which might fit your definition of "summer," but is still, strictly speaking, spring) and it'll retail for $49.99 (oh! that cruel penny). It will be smaller than the original issues (11" x 17.5", not 14" x 20"), but bigger than either an Absolute book (8.5" x 12.8") or those oversized Paul Dini/Alex Ross specials from ten years ago (9.5" x 12.8").  In other words, I think I lost a bet to my LCS' owner.  And yes, I'll want one for my coffee table.

Glad to see the first Hardware collection on the schedule -- but finally there's a Wonder Woman Chronicles series! Now I can enjoy psychosexual superheroics on a budget!

Ironically (in light of the above), maybe inflation has gone to my head, but you know, $150.00 seems pretty reasonable for two volumes of Absolute Planetary. It'll probably be closer to $100.00 at a lot of places, so about $4.00 or $5.00 an issue.

Does it seem to anyone else like the Batman And Robin hardcover was produced rather quickly, while the Mysterius and Tor paperbacks took a long time coming out? Yeah, I know, priorities….

* * *

Anyway, that's what jumped out at me this month. What looks good to you?

Black Dossier

Libraries | The library board in Jessamine County, Kentucky, heard public comment last night about acquisition and borrowing policies and the recent firings of two employees who kept a copy of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier out of circulation. The hourlong meeting was marked by shouting, crying and the presentation of petitions, including one that called for the removal of two books and two DVDs -- Black Dossier among them -- from county library shelves. No action was taken by the board. [Lexington Herald-Leader]

Awards | A controversy emerged just a day before the National Book Awards ceremony as author/blogger Janice Harayda suggested that Kathi Appelt, a judge in the Young People''s category, should recuse herself because finalist David Small had illustrated her novel. In her response Appelt was cryptic, at best, saying that as committee deliberations are private, "I or any other judge might well have excused ourselves from voting on any particular book, if conflict of interest were an issue.” In the end, Small's celebrated graphic memoir Stiches didn't win last night; Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice did. [ArtsBeat, Jacket Copy]

IDW storefront

Publishing | IDW Publishing has launched a digital-storefront application for iPhone and iPod that now features 10 free comics and more than 200 for purchase. Titles will be added regularly. [IDW Publishing]

Publishing | SLG Publishing is holding a "pre-holiday recession sale" through Monday, during which time all items online are offered at a 40-percent discount: "The economy tanking combined with some bits of bad luck has taken it's toll on our small company. We're finding ourselves in a bit of a jam due to some things that are beyond our control. ... Since we are not a bank or a car company we aren't going to get any bailout money from any source other than our loyal fans." Cartoonist Evan Dorkin has more. [SLG Publishing]

Publishing | Speaking of SLG, cartoonist Andy Ristaino writes that low pre-orders for Escape From Dullsville could mean the collection of his seven-issue Life of a Fetus won't see print. [Livejournal]

The Phoenix Requiem

Webcomics | Robot 6 contributor Brigid Alverson spotlights a selection of science fiction and fantasy titles for teens. [School Library Journal]

Manga | Kami no Shizuku ("Drops of God"): Savior of wineries the world over. [Kyodo News]

Comics | This article looks at how "recession-proof" comics -- POW! SPLAT! -- "seem to flower during periods of economic stress." Sigh. [DailyFinance]

Creators | Eddie Campbell chats briefly about Alec: The Years Have Pants, autobiographical comics and what recent releases have interested him. [Speakeasy]

Fables: The Deluxe Edition

Creators | Ron Hogan posts a three-part interview with Bill Willingham in which the writer discusses the popularity of the Fables franchise, the state of the industry, politics in comics, Justice Society of America and his fondness for the character Obsidian. It's a solid interview; go read it. [Graphic Novel Reporter]

Creators | Artist Danijel Zezelj talks about process, influences and working with writers like Brian Azzarello, Jason Aaron and Brian Wood: "Some scriptwriters use more descriptions, some less. For instance, Brian Azzarello, his scenarios are almost exclusively dialogues. ... He uses very little descriptions, more like description of the situation, where and what happens, but practically everything else is left to the drawer. But he can do this, because Brian Azzarello is a big master of dialogue. Basically, through dialogues the characters are being formed. I like the most those kinds of scenarios, because in such cases you have completely opened space for composing images and layouts. I have a lot more freedom within that form." [Personal Cyber Botanica]

Flight Explorer, Vol. 1

Publishing | Retailer Christopher Butcher catches word that Flight Explorer, the younger-readers spinoff of the long-running Flight anthology, is without a publishing home. Although the first volume, published in March 2008 by Villard, reportedly sold through its 20,000-copy first printing, editor Kazu Kibuishi tweeted last week that "the project remains orphaned." Butcher provides commentary on his blog. [Comics212]

Legal | Google and groups representing publishers and authors on Friday filed a revised settlement they hope will resolve a dispute over the Internet giant's controversial plans to make millions of out-of-print books available online.

The original agreement, created to resolve a 2005 lawsuit, was opposed by parties ranging from DC Comics to the U.S. Justice Department to the governments of France and Germany, who argued that its terms could violate copyright law. The revisions address the handling of orphan works, restrict the Google database to books published in the United States, Britain, Canada or Australia, and allow other companies to license the digital catalog.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin is expected this week to set a date for a "fairness hearing" in which arguments about the settlements will be presented by b0th sides. [The New York Times]

Dragon Ball, Vol. 3

Publishing | More details have emerged on plans by Japanese publishing giant Shueisha to sell manga on mobile phones in 28 countries, including the United States, beginning in spring 2010. ICv2.com reports that Shueisha, co-owner of Viz Media, will launch the digital initiative with 20 to 30 titles, including Dragon Ball. [ICv2.com]

Publishing | A writer at Sankaku Complex examines the declining sales in Japan of manga magazines and tankobon, and declares that the country's manga industry is in "dire straits." [Sankaku Complex]

Internet | This morning Time.com launched Techland, a free-standing website devoted to "geek culture," with coverage ranging from science-fiction movies and video games to gadgets and comic books. [Techland]

Female Force: Princess Diana

Publishing | Darren G. Davis, publisher of Bluewater Productions, responds to recent criticism in the U.K. of the company's Female Force: Princess Diana biographical comic. [Hero Complex]

Publishing | James Hudnall takes a broad look at shifts in comics distribution channels, from the newsstand to the direct market to "the digital age." [Big Hollywood]

Retailing | Here's an odd article that's part profile of newly opened comics store, part attempt at a snapshot of the marketplace. The assessment of the industry is a bit ... rosy. [The Boston Globe]

Sales charts | R. Crumb's The Book of Genesis Illustrated remains the No. 1 hardcover on The New York Times' graphic books bestseller list as the eighth volume of Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight debuts as the top manga and Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth climbs to the top paperback slot. [The New York Times]

Events | Matthew Brady covers an appearance on Friday in Chicago by Dean Haspiel and Tim Hall for a screening of The Act-I-Vate Experience, a short documentary about the comics collective. [Warren Peace Sings the Blues]

Comics | Tim Macavoy counts down the Top 10 gay superheroes (though he ends up with more than 10). [Queer Sighted]

(I'm betting he'll be back in a month.)

Peter of My Chaotic Mind sadly looks back at the history of Kyle Rayner:

Towards the end of the issue, Kyle realises he's no better than them. As mentioned, the thugs outclassed Terry in age, size and strength and Kyle outclasses them because he's wearing a Green Lantern ring. That scene alone made it stick in my mind as one of my favourite storylines. I later tracked down to trade, "Brother's Keeper" and while the following storylines didn't quite have a scene to match it, were still good.

Kyle was also DC's answer to Peter Parker, even if they wouldn't admit to it. Two of his three key girlfriends (Alex and Jen) died because of him. He was a freelance artist and it wasn't until the job that lead to him meeting Terry that he got a decent paycheck on a frequent basis. I've never been a big fan of Batman and it's only recently that I've developed an interest in and respect for Superman. Kyle was the best example of a Marvel style hero (one who deals with real life problems) in the DC universe, and acted pretty much as the doorway for a Marvel fan like me to get interested in DC.

Chris Thorn of Registered Weapon is irate:

The death of Kyle is the culmination of DC’s marginalization and disinterest in the character since the return of Hal Jordan (for the uniformed, check out the wiki history). The move wreaks of spite and contempt for fans for preferring any Green Lantern over Hal Jordan and the Silver Age. Kyle has had target on his back for that reason for awhile. He’s the brightest light of an era that DC is hellbent on rewriting out of current continuity: the 90s (I could even argue the post-Crisis era too). One of the prevalent plot devices in that decade was the emergence of replacement/legacy heroes such as Jean Paul Valley, four Supermen, Wally West, Connor Hawke, Ben Reilly, Jack Knight, Artemis, young Tony Stark, The Ray and plenty of other minor heroes. Some of the heroes were editorially designed to be temporary, others were reinventions of characters not printed in decades. Despite being part of a stunt, whether or not the character WAS a stunt depended on the writer. While Emerald Twilight meets the criteria of an ultimate comics money grab with a legendary hero turning villain, killing his brothers-in-arms and destroying the decades old foundations of the intellectual property, the result was far from it.

While Kirk Warren of the Weekly Crisis enjoyed the issue:

Yes, Kyle Rayner actually dies in this issue. There was no pre-hype, no early spoilers and no indication he was set to die in any way. In fact, everyone pegged him as completely safe. He and Guy had their niche in this book and the brother-like relationship was a highlight of the Green Lantern Corps title. Kyle even had some great relationship building moments with Soranik Natu earlier in the issue that had me hoping to see more of it in the future.

Instead, he died saving the corps he helped rebuild with a heartfelt, "I love you.", to Soranik and a, "you've been like a brother", farewell to Guy before taking the fallen Alpha Lantern's core and detonating it in the middle of the Black Lantern's, ending that threat on Oa and saving the Central Power Battery. I know it's hard to take a death seriously in an event like Blackest Night, which hinges on the dead coming back to haunt our heroes, but this hit me like a punch in the gut and Kyle was the character that first introduced me to Green Lantern comics."

So what do you think?

Grumpy Old Fan

I am always glad to talk comics with Carla Hoffman, especially when she makes me think hard -- and that's the case today.

In her capacity as a retailer, Carla has been wondering about the relative accessibility of any given DC title, preferably in single-issue form (to accommodate those who, reasonably enough, might not want to start with paperbacks).

This raised all sorts of questions. What’s the standard for “accessibility” these days? How new-reader-friendly should a single issue be? How deep is the average superhero reader’s knowledge base? During the Silver Age, DC’s books were considered less sophisticated than Marvel’s because they weren’t that dependent on continuity. These days, the roles seem reversed, such that DC’s superhero line appears too mired in labyrinthine mega-stories. Considering the publisher's string of annual Big Events, that criticism isn’t entirely unfair.

DC has also acquired a reputation for spinning its events out of (or basing them around) obscure points of trivia. Civil War was "gubmint outlaws superheroes," but Final Crisis featured the Miracle Machine and Blackest Night is extrapolated from that Alan Moore/Kevin O'Neill story. This is especially ironic considering that DC's characters are pretty simply drawn: "last son of Krypton," "dark night detective," "Amazon princess," "fastest man alive."

Timing is important too. Odds are that any given issue will take place in the middle of an extended storyline, especially this year. In addition to Blackest Night, DC’s most familiar characters are occupied with stories which reach back several months and won’t be over until at least 2010. By that reckoning, the only “accessible” DC titles may be those set apart from the regular DCU: Batman Confidential, Superman/Batman, and The Brave and the Bold. Even among those books, though, only B&B consistently tells single-issue stories.

So should readers penalize DC because it has followed the trend of extended story arcs? Again, it depends on both reader expectations and the publisher's marketing goals; each of which can be self-fulfilling and/or self-reinforcing. Readers can only buy what's published, and publishers only publish what they think will be bought. Today, that means stories "written for the trade," and therefore a new set of pressures on the individual issue.

Regardless, the single issue can still succeed, thanks to a couple of factors. We may be stuck with a fairly rigid single-issue format (22- or 8-page stories, the occasional double-sized issue notwithstanding), but comics professionals can endeavor to make those installments as standalone as possible. If that's not practical -- or perhaps regardless of its practicality -- each issue's goal should be to encourage the reader to pick up the rest. Back issues are still readily available, after all; so who knows? You may be so moved that it's worth it to spend $5.98 on a couple of single issues rather than wait for a $14.99 or $19.99 paperback.*

(Granted, determining whether it's more cost-effective to sample individual issues or go for a trade seems about as complex as deciding whether to go for two, but still.)

With all that in mind, here are my thoughts on the relative accessibility of DC's various superhero titles.

GREEN LANTERN/BLACKEST NIGHT

At this point, I think the two GL books and the various Blackest Night tie-ins are tough calls in terms of accessibility. By now there’s just so much BN material out there that anyone who hasn’t been following the books from at least BN #1 may have a hard time getting on board. On the other hand, the main BN miniseries has been moving pretty slowly, focusing on various Black Lantern attacks and only introducing the Special Surprise Villain in the latest issue (#4). Also, by itself the Black Lantern idea is fairly simple, such that regular series which feature the BLs shouldn’t require a lot of explaining.

BATMAN

Apart from the big changes behind the Batman and Robin masks, the Bat-books themselves are about as reader-friendly as they've ever been. In fact, Batman himself (ex-Robin, ex-Nightwing Dick Grayson) is more friendly, although the prickly new Robin (Damian Wayne, Bruce's illegitimate son) balances that out. Essentially, there are a handful of "fiefdoms" in the Batman line. The Grant Morrison-written Batman And Robin sets the tone for the new Dynamic Duo, especially Damian/Robin. Batman itself is currently in the hands of writer/artist Tony Daniel, with writer Judd Winick set to return next spring. Paul Dini writes two ancillary titles, Streets Of Gotham (with Marc Andreyko writing a Manhunter co-feature) and Gotham City Sirens, which stars Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy.  A couple more degrees separated from the main Bat-action are Batgirl, Red Robin, and Azrael, each of which is encumbered by backstory.  For the traditionalists, classic Bruce Wayne stories appear in Batman Confidential; and under Greg Rucka, Batwoman and the Question have a new home in the original Bat-book, Detective Comics.

Indeed, if I had to give a new reader only one Bat-book, it would probably be Detective. Not only do Rucka and artist J.H. Williams III produce a stunning 22 pages every month, they are essentially building Kate "Batwoman" Kane from the ground up. There's a lot more to the character than was revealed in 52, so this is an excellent opportunity for folks to get into the series. It'll cost you about $20.00 retail (5 issues @ $3.99 each), but it's worth it.

(Actually, since the most recent issue kicked off a new arc, detailing Kate's origin, you could even go cheap for just $3.99.)

If my hypothetical new reader wanted more Batman in her Bat-book, Batman And Robin is my no-brainer recommendation. The sixth issue just came out yesterday, so for about $18.00 she'll be up to speed. She can even take her time reading those six issues, since the series will be on hiatus until January.

Otherwise, if only Bruce Wayne will do, Batman Confidential just started a new arc (involving the Blackhawks), and it's also still $2.99.

SUPERMAN

For all practical purposes, there are four monthly Superman titles, each having something to do with the overarching “New Krypton” storyline. Here's what you need to know:  thanks to an Evil Government Conspiracy, the Kryptonians (Brainiac's prisoners until recently) hate us and we're not too keen on them.  Thus, Superman's gone to live on New K. while some of his friends pick up the slack back in Metropolis.

In Superman: World Of New Krypton the man himself is part of the Kryptonian military and must deal with local and interplanetary politics, like having his aunt rule New Krypton. Meanwhile, Action Comics stars the Kryptonian soulmates Nightwing and Flamebird and co-features Captain Atom; Superman stars Mon-El and the Guardian; and Supergirl, oddly enough, still stars Supergirl. Personally, I’m enjoying the heck out of “New Krypton,” but I don’t know where to tell a new reader to begin.**

Actually, that’s not true: the 4-issue World’s Finest miniseries, which started last week  (written by Sterling Gates and drawn by various artists) may be a good way for readers to sample the new Superman and Batman players, if not the status quos themselves. The first issue featured Tim “Red Robin” Drake and Chris “Nightwing” Kent, and subsequent issues will have similar team-ups. Classic World’s Finest-style action can still be found in Superman/Batman, and Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are only two issues into Superman: Secret Origin. Finally, Johns and artist Francis Manapul are spotlighting Conner “Superboy” Kent in the fairly-new Adventure Comics – but they won’t be on the book too much longer.

If I had only one book to recommend, I suppose it’d be Secret Origin. It’s the Superman setup most familiar to the general public, and I bet it will have some effect on the regular titles.

WONDER WOMAN

I don't know whether Wonder Woman would be "starter-level," because right now there's a bit of backstory. Diana has been "voted off the island," pretty much literally, and in the latest issue so has her mom (replaced as Amazon ruler by Achilles).  Also, a bunch of Amazons are mysteriously pregnant, and Donna Troy is still mad at WW for reasons which probably boil down to mind control. Basically, there are a lot of subplots, but I don't think they're terribly hard to follow.  If collections were part of this equation, I'd recommend starting with the Rise of the Olympian collection, which came out last week.

JUSTICE LEAGUE and JUSTICE SOCIETY

All things considered, this is as good a time as any to sample Justice League of America.  New writer James Robinson and new penciller Mark Bagley have begun (in last month's issue #38) a 3-part Blackest Night crossover which is also supposed to segue into January's new lineup. While that lineup includes a few characters from the Superman books (Mon-El, Guardian, Doctor Light) and some from the Cry For Justice miniseries (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Congorilla, the Atom), everyone still has to be introduced to each other, and thus to the readers. It might be redundant for those who are reading the other books, but that's not the hypothetical new reader, now is it?

The Justice Society books are also at a crossroads, with the team having split just in time for December's new title, JSA All-Stars. I haven't been reading regular old JSA, so I don't know how much buildup the new book has gotten. Obviously a new series has to cater to potential new readers, but a lot of the characters on the cover of issue #1 were introduced in the existing Justice Society book, and that may mean a steeper learning curve. My impression of Justice Society of America is that it trades very heavily in character interaction among an ever-expanding cast, so I'd be extremely hesitant about giving it to a new reader who didn't want to dive right into the deep end.

Two Justice Socialites have solo series, Power Girl and Magog; and of the two, I'm tempted to give the accessibility edge to Power Girl. Her origins are a continuity tangle -- she's basically a more mature Supergirl from a parallel-universe's Krypton -- but since they're pretty much off-limits, that makes her a somewhat generic superhero. Her first storyline (issues #1-3) was a straightforward "villain holds Manhattan hostage so he can hijack hero's body" tale, and in fact it devoted the bulk of an issue to the villain's origin. The second arc, which wrapped up last month, apparently involved a trio of extraterrestrial party-girls. Power Girl is taking November off and returns in December with an old Superman supporting character, the gregarious Vartox.

TEEN TITANS and TITANS

Personally, I’d hold off on both of these for a few months. Titans is about to go through a significant roster change, because half its membership will be joining the Justice League. Teen Titans’ roster is more stable, but Raven and Beast Boy are about to come over from Titans and I suspect Superboy and Kid Flash will be rejoining before too long.

SECOND-TIER TEAMS

At first glance, Doom Patrol (written by Keith Giffen, penciled by Matthew Clark) looks like a stereotypically impenetrable DC title, “revived” by way of rolling back its status quo to the Silver Age. However, the book has several things going for it. The DP is based on Oolong Island, an independent nation made up of mad scientists. The Patrollers are all longtime DC superheroes, well-known to their peers, but each with various types of neuroses. The series is still new enough that finding all the issues shouldn't be a problem, and the current issue (#4) does a good job incorporating Blackest Night into the proceedings.

I have to admit, I don't read either Outsiders or REBELS, and neither seems especially new-reader-friendly. They're both revivals from decades past, so the characters aren't particularly familiar to begin with. Outsiders was organized around (classic) Batman, and without him the title seems to have lost a lot of direction. Word about REBELS is more positive, although again, it stars Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Brainiac's son Vril Dox, and other space-oriented heroes (including the Omega Men) with whom a new reader probably isn't conversant.

Accordingly, in this category I'd recommend the anti-heroes of Secret Six. Last week's issue #15 (guest-written by John Ostrander and guest-drawn by Jim Calafiore) was a standalone spotlight on Deadshot, but it was also a good example of the dark, complex characters which populate the book. Besides, next issue begins a new arc, and the Sixers have a new leader, Batman's ostensible opposite number Bane. Regular writer Gail Simone and regular artists Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood consistently produce one of DC's best books month in and month out, so a new reader could do a heck of a lot worse.

THE PROFESSOR AND MARY ANN

I've drifted away from Green Arrow And Black Canary for various reasons, including budget; but it's not an overly difficult book to get into. Currently the eponymous characters must deal both with Cupid, Green Arrow's murderous stalker, and a Green Arrow impostor whose involvement recalls the book's inaugural storyline. Writer Andrew Kreisberg and penciller Mike Norton produce 30 pages of story and art every month, so you get a lot for your $3.99.

You remember The Brave and the Bold from last week, right?

DC's "Red Circle" revival started in August and continues with ongoing series The Shield and The Web. Both are $3.99 titles with 22-page leads and 8-page co-features.  These are venerable characters once published by Archie Comics, and DC is basically introducing them new, so you'd think they'd be fairly accessible.

Much the same analysis applies to The Great Ten, the new miniseries which just debuted last week, over three years after the characters debuted in 52.  Hey, it took Batwoman a while to get going....

However, my there-can-be-only-one recommendation goes to Booster Gold, written and drawn by Dan Jurgens. In this week's issue #26, Blackest Night gives Jurgens (with an art assist from Mike Norton) an opportunity to recap Booster's origin and the origins of two Blue Beetles, as well as surveying Booster's supporting cast. Probably the most obtuse scenes involve Booster's ancestor Daniel, who's also the misfit superhero Supernova; but that's a minor quibble. For a series rooted firmly in esoteric DC history (including the mysteries of Rip Hunter's blackboard), Booster Gold excels at making that history meaningful.

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As always, your results may vary. I thought Trinity was pretty accessible to casual superhero fans, but I know a lot of folks disagreed. Regardless, there's a lot out there for the superhero reader who wants to sample DC's fare. Booster Gold might make all that history less intimidating. Power Girl is full of old-fashioned action. World's Finest and Justice League are designed in part to sample other books' heroes, while Batman Confidential, Superman/Batman, and Superman: Secret Origin deal in classic interpretations. Finally, Secret Six and Detective Comics are simply excellent examples of the genre.

Of course, it's not always wise for any work to be completely upfront with its readers.  When I was getting back into comics after what seemed like a long time away, I enjoyed catching up on what I'd missed.  I still pick up back issues and collections of old books in part because I miss that thrill of discovery.  Today, the Internet makes a lot of that research more efficient, but somewhat impersonal; so I envy those folks who can come to a new superhero comic with truly fresh eyes.

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* [Prices not adjusted for whatever discount(s) you may enjoy.]

** [Look at this week's Action:  a character returns from being thought dead, a couple of longtime DC characters are brought more fully into the storyline, a new/old villain is (re)introduced, and everybody's wearing "S"-shields on their costumes again.]

Batman #1 logo

As you may have guessed, we're big fans of the Logo Studies feature letterer Todd Klein runs over on his blog, where he looks at various comic book logos and how they evolved over the years. Yesterday he shared a bit of history about the original Batman logo from the 1940s, which was designed by comics legend Jerry Robinson.

"One of the things I expected when I started doing my Logo Studies was that I would never be able to find out for sure, or at all, who designed many of the original comics logos from the 1940s," Klein wrote on his blog. "Today I proved that expectation wrong when I spoke to Jerry Robinson, one of the first Batman artists, and involved with the character almost from the beginning."

Klein had originally gotten in touch with Robinson to ask about the Robin logo that appeared on the Boy Wonder's first appearance, and Robinson told Klein he also designed the original Batman logo, seen above.

Check out Klein's complete rundown of the Batman logos over the years here and here, and his commentary on the Robin one here.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Legendary artist and editor Dick Giordano says he regrets his role in popularizing "grim-and-gritty" storytelling in mainstream comics.

Giordano, 77, was vice president/executive editor of DC Comics from 1983 to 1993, during which time the company published Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen.

"The Dark Knight Returns ...  helped start the 'grim and gritty' trends in comic storytelling that still exist today," Giordano said in a brief exchange with the Toronto Star about Disney's planned makeover of Mickey Mouse. "That was an unintended result, and I am truly sorry it happened. Comics are much too dark today. Er – in my opinion."

When asked why we are "suddenly" so enthralled with good guys turned bad, Giordano responded:  "Who's 'we'? Not me! I miss the heroes of yesteryear. Maybe that's why I don't get much work. ... I think readers have become inured to the mindless violence on TV, the movies, and are comfortable with the anti-hero ... and the fact that there are so few heroes on our planet, the concept seems kinda silly to them."

Gorillas!

Artist J. Bone teases an upcoming project he'll be drawing with a series of sketches of DC's various mad geniuses, including the Sivanas, Hugo Strange, Gorilla Grodd and Ultra-Humanite.

"These guys are all scientists in the DC Universe? No wonder it's all screwed up," he quips.

Black Dossier -- The Absolute Edition

More than a month after two Kentucky public-library employees were fired after refusing to allow a child to check out The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier, details surrounding their dismissal finally are emerging.

In a lengthy article in the Lexington Herald-Leader, we learn the story didn't begin on Sept. 22, when Jessamine County Library circulation-desk attendants Beth Bovaire and Sharon Cook decided the graphic novel was inappropriate for the 11-year-old girl who had reserved it.

Instead, events date back almost a year, when the 57-year-old Cook, appalled that children had access to the Alan Moore-Kevin O'Neill book, challenged its inclusion in the graphic-novel section, which apparently is tantalizingly close to Young Adult Fiction. When that didn't work, she checked the book out of the library -- and kept renewing it, effectively removing it from circulation, until Sept. 21. That's when Cook tried to renew Black Dossier again, only to discover the computer wouldn't permit her to do so because the book had been placed on hold ... by a child, no less.

According to reporter Amy Wilson, on Sept. 22 Cook spoke to two of her colleagues about the problem, and Beth Boisvert, a part-time employee, decided to remove the hold, prohibiting the child from checking out the book. The next day, Cook and Boisvert were fired.

Cook still has the library's copy of Black Dossier, and is being charged 10 cents a day in late fees.

Wilson's article includes plenty of background on the library's policies, and Cook's efforts to challenge the book according procedure, which required her to, y'know, actually read it: "People prayed over me while I was reading it because I did not want those images in my head."

Cook and Boisvert contend the graphic novel amounts to pornography, and that the library could be committing a felony by making it available to minors. They want the citizens of Jessamine County -- "we are a conservative community," Boisvert says -- to determine whether Black Dossier, and presumably other works, meet community standards for obscenity, and to decide what books their children have access to.

In short, they want county taxpayers to select what appears on library shelves, and where.