New Comics 3/2/05: Special Blink-And-You-Miss-It Edition

I got three comics this week.

Detective Comics #804 continued David Lapham and Ramon Bachs' "City of Crime," and finished Mike Carey and John Lucas' "The Barker." Honestly, "The Barker" never quite grabbed my attention, not because it didn't have Batman, but because I couldn't quite follow the action. Maybe I are an idiot. Anyhow, "City of Crime" continues to be a really fine, polished look at Batman and Robin. It is dark without wallowing in grim 'n' gritty or presenting Batman as an alienating psychopath. There is one scene towards the beginning of the book where I thought we were getting into Geoff Johns JSA territory, but it turns out to be more suspenseful than disturbing. Not that the book isn't disturbing -- the cover takes care of that. It's little touches like the closing narration ("Right now he is surrounded by a score of unknown enemies ... Right now he is grinning") which make the book work.

Firestorm #11(written by Dan Jolley, with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade von Grawbadger) begins Jolley's last arc on the book, so I take the developments therein with a grain of salt. One way or another, Jolley is establishing Ronnie Raymond's future with Firestorm. Now, although I have every Firestorm issue except the original Conway/Milgrom run from the '70s, I never thought that Ronnie would play that big a part in this series, so this issue was a nice surprise. If it remains the status quo, I won't be unhappy; but I kind of liked the "rotating co-pilot" element which was used early on. The art is fine, although the color (by Chris Sotomayor) really has tied the series together visually. I didn't notice much difference until I looked at the credits. Regardless, this remains a very good book, which of late has balanced nostalgia for the "classic" version with the new character's sensibilities. Here's hoping that Firestorm's new writer brings as much to the character as Jolley has.

This week's (heck, this year's) guilty pleasure is Shanna The She-Devil #2, written and drawn by Frank Cho. Last issue was an excuse to have a hot naked woman beat up dinosaurs. This issue offers similar cheap thrills, but Cho now has Shanna not caring too much about whether anything eats the men who let her out of the lab. Said men have also taken a rather exploitative attitude towards Shanna, which Cho may think lets him off the hook a little for all the cheesecake. If the men's piggishness is acknowledged, then by extension the reader might feel better about the book.

Still, this is still a comic filled with ample bosoms, which at times seem to strain of their own accord against the various fabrics covering them. There's no way around that. Does giving Shanna a substantial dark side help to mitigate the behavior of her bazongas? I'm not sure that it does; but it lends this book a little more depth than I expected, and I'll probably get #3.

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Brought To You By The Letter "M": 'Mazing Man

Dave Fiore has already started showering love on this quirky 1985-86 comedy from DC, but I figure there's enough to go around.

'Mazing Man was (and probably still is) a unique title. It appeared in September 1985 (cover date Jan '86), just as most of DC's line was rocketing towards the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths. As such, it stood out immediately. Sure, 'Mazing Man (or just Maze) was a hero by profession, but he was 4 feet tall and perpetually clad in a golden Galactus helmet with matching cape, boots, and gloves, a black union suit, and white polka-dotted boxers. While he wasn't an imposing figure -- and certainly one you won't see on an Alex Ross collector plate -- he was almost too sincere to mock.

Maze is his neighborhood's local superhero, going around cheerfully doing everyday good deeds, and generally regarded by the residents as nutty but harmless. Narrating his story (the first in issue #1) is Denton Fixx, his best friend. Denton is the second "cartoony" element of the series, because he has the head of an animation-style dog. (This isn't Howard the Duck -- Denton only looks like a dog.) Through Denton's eyes in #1, we see how Maze is teased and pitied, and eventually respected and loved.

In #1's second story, Maze and Denton return to their apartment house to introduce the other cast members. After a couple of brief scenes with K.P. (Denton's single sister) and Guido (local macho man), the story settles on perfect couple Brenda and Eddie (named after the heroes of Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"). Brenda is mad at Eddie for inviting Denton and Maze for dinner, because while they both work she's somehow expected to cook for everyone. Maze saves the day by bringing chicken. (As Denton explains, Maze thought the guests had to bring the food.)

I'm sure that Dave F. could also riff on this next bit better than I, but it's worth noting that 'Mazing Man #1 had its own credible take on "what it takes to wear a costume and fight crime." Keep in mind that this was about 5 months before The Dark Knight #1 and 9 months before Watchmen #1, to say nothing of last week's Seven Soldiers. From #1:

Denton: Maze, I don't want to hurt your feelings! But -- I worry ... I care ... Don't you know they'll all laugh at you? ... Don't you know they don't like you?

Maze: Oh, Denton ... I know they laugh. I know I must look silly. And If they don't like me, well, that's okay. I like them! I do what I do because ... it's my job ... I have to do it!

Now granted, this is basically grounded in a "sitcom reality," but it's definitely not one with a Metropolis or Gotham City. Although Maze is considered different, and sometimes crazy, he's not motivated by anything more than altruism. Considering that The Dark Knight and Watchmen would soon make their respective urban vigilantes into tortured souls, Maze probably came along at just the right time. (Ironically, check out the cover of #12....)

All these words and I still haven't mentioned the creative team. Bob Rozakis (longtime DC writer and "Answer Man") collaborated with then-new penciller Stephen DeStefano. They were ably assisted by inker Karl Kesel (who contributed mightily to the book's look) and letterer Bob Lappan. Rozakis and DeStefano worked together like Lee & Kirby, O'Neil & Adams or Wolfman & Perez. It's especially a credit to Rozakis, who was more familiar for decent but unremarkable 8-page Robin or Batgirl stories and fill-in issues of Green Lantern. Therefore, to me 'Mazing Man was a very pleasant surprise.

In #2, Denton applied to DC for a job writing Krypto, but had to settle for a gig across town at another publisher's eerily similar Splendidpup ("a little erasing and my script was ready for them"). Denton's comics-within-the-comic allowed 'Mazing Man a more satirical perspective. #5 featured guest artists drawing the well-meaning ideas of Denton's friends. #7-10 included "Zoot Sputnik," Denton's attempt to impose continuity on a feature which resisted it strenuously. Denton eventually wrote (and was rewritten on) his employer's version of Crisis, in which they killed all their heroes and brought 'em all back the next month. ("It's just comics," the editor explained.)

Still, the series spent most of its time telling warm, heartfelt stories about its thirtyish cast. 'Mazing Man lasted for twelve monthly issues (Jan '86-Dec '86) and three specials (1987, '88, '90). Maze himself also got a story in Secret Origins and a Who's Who entry. Just enough material for a couple of paperbacks, or maybe even a hardcover, eh, DC? What I wouldn't give to have "'Mazing Man Month" in a not-too-distant-future Previews! The little guy is long overdue for an action figure, not to mention a plush toy. Maybe they could even get Alex Ross to design it....

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Brought To You By The Letter "M": Mad-Dog

Mad-Dog was a comic-book tie-in to the 1992-93 CBS series "Bob," which starred Bob Newhart. He played Bob McCay, a former comic-book artist who created the venerable character Mad-Dog and his sidekick Buddy; and when Mad-Dog was revived as a grim 'n' gritty character, hilarity ensued between Bob and the new editor. I thought the show was pretty funny, but I was alone -- it only ran for one season. Still, it seemed faithful enough to the world of comic bookery, with Mark Evanier writing an episode, and appearances (in another episode) by the likes of Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragones, Jim Lee, and Bob Kane.

The Mad-Dog series (or miniseries, as it turned out) ran for 6 issues in a flip-book format. Half the book was Silver Age-style adventures, written and pencilled by Ty Templeton; and the other half was the "modern" origin of Mad-Dog, written by Evan Dorkin and pencilled by Gordon Purcell. I got the feeling that the modern origin was supposed to be a vicious parody of '90s antiheroes, especially Wolverine, but somewhere along the line Marvel took it seriously. Evan Dorkin has since disavowed his work on the series, and I don't blame him, because it's not very funny at all.

However, the Ty Templeton stuff is pure silliness. The cover of issue #1 sets the tone perfectly -- aside from the unsubtle "Buy it!" and "Worth something!" being emphasized, just what are those old-timey covers really saying...?

• "Featuring Four Almost New Stories!"
• "So Mad Dog ... Since you love America so much, I guess you won't mind being buried by ... TEN THOUSAND APPLE PIES!!"
• "Hey you crummy zombies! Get your evil undead mitts off me! Come on! I'm not kidding!"
• "Hey! Mad Dog's been turned into a gorilla again." [Naturally the gorilla is wearing purple, thus obeying two of Julie Schwartz's Silver Age cover rules.]
• "Look Buddy! One of the aliens is removing his helmet! We finally get to see what they look like!" "Wow, Mad Dog! I hope they're hideous repulsive mutants like in the movies! That would be so cool!"

Inside was more of the same:

Alien: And besides ... I'm holding a powerful, space-powered gun on you, puny human ... pay attention! It's not like you have the chance to do anything!

Mad-Dog: Oh yeah? That's what you think! Buddy! Battle tactic #3 now!!

Buddy: Right you are, Mad-Dog! Battle tactic #3 ... I kick him wildly in the shins whilst you take savage swing at his head!

Alien: Hey! What are you ... nuts? I've got a gun here ... Ungh!

And from the beginning of #3:

Mad-Dog: Buddy! Are you all right?! I can't see you in all this swirling unearthly mist!

Buddy: This robot monkey is really pinching my leg, Mad Dog. And I'm experiencing constant and tremendous fear.

Mad-Dog: But otherwise you're all right...? Good!

Pretty broad stuff, obviously, but the deadpan delivery (not unlike Bob Newhart himself, come to think of it) really sold it. Excellent use of periods.

Templeton's parody owed a lot to Silver Age DC books and the '60s "Batman" show, and it was flavored with a healthy amount of breathless narration, Silver Age Marvel-style. The last two issues took aim at the then-new Image Comics, with heroes named Darkhawkwulfstrykeknight (who stretched), Femininja, Bloodstream, and Deathprawn, and a villain named Karnivorrr (created by "Dr. Waid," no less). For some reason Templeton also included a very thinly veiled parody of Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy.

While Mad-Dog doesn't contain any deep insights into the human condition -- the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League is probably more subtle -- I thought it was hilarious in 1993, and it hasn't lost much since then. Ty Templeton closed the series by saying "this has been the most fun I ever had with my pants on." If you see Mad-Dog in your local quarter bin, give yourself a treat.

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New Comics 2/23/05

Seven Soldiers of Victory #0 (written by Grant Morrison, with art by J.H. Williams) was the elephant in the comics shop this week. Expectations were high, and I wasn't disappointed. Morrison's high concept -- when does someone stop having a fetishistic death wish and start being a super-hero? -- is drummed into the reader, and it sweeps him along through the new Seven Soldiers' adventure. The ending isn't quite an homage to the original team's most famous moment, but it does set up the seven miniseries coming throughout the year. I can't say much more about the plot without giving the ending away; but Morrison and Williams present everything so as to draw the reader into the story. It's an excellent introduction to what I hope will be an enjoyable series of books.

Batman #637 (written by Judd Winick, art by Doug Mahnke and Dustin Nguyen): Batman and Nightwing fight Amazo, as Black Mask deals with Mr. Freeze and Red Hood. The issue is a foregone conclusion -- ever since Grant Morrison dubbed him "the most dangerous man on Earth," Batman's reputation has gotten more inflated than gas prices in the 1970s. Of course Batman can defeat Amazo; Batman with a broken leg would be simply a fairer fight. Anyway, it's fun stuff, with Nightwing getting in a few licks as well. If this is a setup for a bigger fight later on, so much the better. My one complaint is that the art is a little stiffer than it has been, with the figures not moving as smoothly, but otherwise it's fine.

Nightwing #104 (written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, with art by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens): Dick introduces his new outfit to Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and the Joker, while Batman trains Jason Todd as the new Robin. The point of the issue seems to be that Nightwing and Batgirl have some unresolved romantic issues, which are complicated by Nightwing's relationship with his fellow Titan Starfire. Of course, the effect of Starfire on NW/BG might have been demonstrated more effectively had she been more of a presence than a few references toward the end of the book. As it is, she's almost an afterthought -- which, again, might have been the point, but this storyline should have done more to remind us just how strong Dick/Starfire was at the time. (Heck, Alex Ross in Kingdom Come even postulated that it would produce a daughter.) I almost hate to say it, but the Batman/Jason stuff was more interesting, and it only got a few pages.

Wonder Woman #213 (written by Greg Rucka, with art by James Raiz and Ray Snyder): Diana, once again fighting as a goddess' proxy, squares off against Briareos, the hundred-headed, hundred-armed monster. As with the Medousa duel, Rucka makes sure we know the political implications of the fight -- so while we can guess the outcome, Rucka emphasizes that its consequences are real and can't be avoided by the loser. I wonder if the Amazo fight in Batman is an integral part of the story, or just a set piece; with this title, I know it matters. Raiz' and Snyder do a fine job with the battle scenes, although sometimes I had problems following the action. Still only a minor complaint.

Flash #219 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Justiniano, Livesay, and Walden Wong): Part 1 of the crossover with Wonder Woman, as the Cheetah frees Zoom and Flash goes to Diana for help. There's a lot of setup, mostly explaining the villains' motivations, and giving Diana a bit more of a harder edge than Flash. The guest artists are a pleasant change of pace from Howard Porter (who I still like) -- they provide a more organic, less "clean" look than Porter, which fits with the villains. Cheetah would look almost cartoony under Porter (check out Porter's cover), and Zoom's speed effects might also have come off less well. Still, I'm not sure I needed to read this in order to understand the Wonder Woman conclusion.

Legion of Super-Heroes #3 (written by Mark Waid, with art by Barry Kitson and Art Thibert) focuses appropriately on Triplicate Girl, telling her origin and giving a fun insight into both her social life and her playful personality. Apparently the Legionnaires learn to date from '50s Batman comics, which is both sad and hilarious. Overall very good, and continuing to raise my expectations for the series.

Star Wars: Empire #29 (written by Thomas Andrews, art by Adriana Melo) begins a 5-part storyline starring Luke and Leia. Their mission to convince a planet to join the Rebels is complicated by Anakin Skywalker's history with the planet and its people. While this isn't a bad plot, it's not set up well, with the reader knowing before the characters do that things are going south. The characters are also not immediately recognizable -- the characters in flashback don't look 20 years younger; and Leia looks about 18 inches taller and a lot curvier than she should. However, once things get going they settle into an agreeable groove, and this could turn out to be a fine storyline.

Spider-Man/Human Torch #2 (written by Dan Slott, with art by Ty Templeton and Nelson): Flashing back to Peter and Johnny's college days, Spidey joins the Fantastic Four on an extradimensional mission while the Torch fights Kraven the Hunter and stops drug smugglers. It's all very wacky, but well done.

Fantastic Four #523 (written by Mark Waid, with art by Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel) wraps up the Galactus storyline, but it's not (as I had previously thought) Waid and 'Ringo's last issue. Because I didn't know that, the end of this issue caught me off guard. However, up to that point things felt a little too pat, maybe even forced. Waid and Wieringo have developed a certain style on this book over the past few years, and that style carries the issue, although the plot itself is nothing too new and could be undone without too much difficulty. I'm still sorry to see them go and hope their actual last issue is a humdinger.



Now if you'll indulge my SPOILER,

3

2

1

my friend suggested that the Galactus-energy might find its way into a female host; and at the risk of invoking tired female stereotypes, I thought this new "Gal"actus would be more of a destructive creator, wreaking havoc like an amped-up Genesis Device. We'll see.

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Who Should Be In The Justice League? Part 2: Show Your Work

Continued from Part 1, natcherly.

The first test of the JLA's membership came in 1984, when Aquaman disbanded and re-formed the team, leaving only himself, Elongated Man, Martian Manhunter, and Zatanna. They then recruited established character Vixen and new characters Gypsy, Vibe, and Steel II.

Vixen first appeared in Action Comics #521 (July '81) and joined the League in Justice League of America Annual #2 (1984; let's say Nov '84 because the next regular issue was Dec '84). This would give her 3 years and 5 months' experience -- not enough for the 4-year cutoff but more than Firestorm, Metamorpho, or Black Lightning. However, Vixen was also created by Gerry Conway, who was still the JLA writer in 1984. Therefore, Vixen (like Firestorm) is another case of nepotism.

If we wanted to be charitable, we could have a one-nepotistic-character-at-a-time rule and still justify Vixen's membership, inasmuch as Conway had Firestorm leave the League before Vixen joined. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Steel was the grandson of a hero from the 1940s, Commander Steel, who was (you guessed it) created in 1978 by Gerry Conway. Thus, although Steel was a "successor" (making him Trait 2 without being Trait 1), he was virtually nepotistic himself.

Regardless, it is probably easier to call Steel (and Gypsy and Vibe, Conway's other new Leaguers) "inbred," for being created specifically to join the Justice League by the then-current League writer. If this were any other team, the issue of "inbreeding" would probably not be questioned -- again, why be a writer if you can't create new characters? Given that until this point, all the Leaguers -- including Firestorm -- had been established and gained some experience elsewhere, though, this sudden influx of new blood was a radical departure from the book's traditional format. It's no wonder the second League (or "JLA Detroit," after its new location) wasn't well-received. JLA Detroit got about 2 1/2 years before Justice League of America was cancelled with #261 (April 1987).

The next incarnation of the team came just a month later, in Justice League #1 (May 1987). This Justice League (no qualifier) was basically a 6-month warmup for Justice League International. It marked a return to the book's original intent, with all members being fairly well-known and many having concurrent titles of their own. This has pretty much been the rule since then, with most writers using only one inbred and one nepotistic character at a time. (Gerard Jones used a fair amount of his own characters, Grant Morrison used Aztek and Animal Man, and Joe Kelly created Faith and Manitou Raven for "The Obsidian Age.")

To spare you a tedious summary of Justice League history since 1987, be assured that I've been doing a lot of research and math on the remaining members. By my count, there have been 79 regular Justice Leaguers in the group's history. (This leaves aside one-shots like Antaeus, Moon Maiden, and Tomorrow Woman; and also the rotating members of the Justice League Task Force). Of those 79,

• 15 have all 5 traits
• 11 have 4
• 13 have 3
• 22 have 2
• 6 have 1 (including three "nepotistic" members and two inbreds), and
• 12 (the remaining inbreds) have none.

Therefore, excluding the nepotistic and inbred members, all but one JLAer -- Maxima -- have at least two of the five traits. If we lowered the experience requirement to 2.75 years, she would have two of the five traits and we could then use that as a rule for future members. However, again I prefer to keep the standards and say that all things being equal, Maxima probably should not have been in the Justice League. I know this is a controversial stand, much like the "Battlestar Galactica" stuff, but these things happen. The average experience score for the 60 non-nepotistic, non-inbred JLAers is 18 years and 6 months, which again fits with the "iconic" nature of the group.

If we add a sixth trait -- worked with a JLAer prior to joining -- it would apply to 39 members and change the above numbers as follows:

• 3 members with all 6 traits
• 18 with 5
• 13 with 4
• 27 with 3
• 3 with 2 (Agent Liberty, Maxima, Vixen)
  
• 3 with 1 (Firestorm and the inbred Amazing-Man II and Steel II), and
• 12 (the remaining inbreds) with none
  

Again, every member with fewer than three of the six traits is either nepotistic, inbred, or Maxima.

So where does this leave us? It is safe to say that the first requirement for JLA membership is to be established -- appearing in another title prior to joining. A prospective member should also have at least two of the other five traits --

• Having an ongoing solo feature at the time of joining;
  
• Being a successor to a previous hero;
• Having a direct connection to the JSA either by membership or succession;
  
• Having at least 4 years of pre-League experience/credit; and
• Having worked with at least one League member prior to joining.
  

Of course, it is always possible for a character to be the benefit of either nepotism or inbreeding, and so get a "free pass" into the League. However, a writer should take care not to abuse these privileges (remember how Detroit turned out). How about an unofficial limit of two such characters, whether nepotistic or inbred?

Finally, I cracked open the ol' DC Comics Encyclopedia looking for characters on which to test the system. Obviously all of these are established characters, so they only need one other trait to get in. Characters with "famous names," like the new Supergirl and Firestorm, are pretty much no-brainers.

1. Adam Strange (first appeared Nov '58, first worked with the JLA May '62): There are two analyses depending on when Adam is evaluated, but either way he's in. If he were offered membership in May 1962 (after Mystery In Space #75's "The Planet That Came To A Standstill"), he wouldn't have had the four years' experience, but he would have had a current ongoing solo feature, which would have been enough. If he were offered membership today, he wouldn't have the solo feature, but the experience would make up for it. He has also worked with the entire original League several times, starting with the aforementioned Mystery In Space #75. It probably doesn't hurt that he was an honorary member of the original League.

2. Gangbuster (first appeared Nov '87): He gets in based on experience (being first eligible in March 1991); and he was a fixture of the Superman books for several years.

3. Supergirl (Loeb/Turner edition) (first appeared May '04; predecessor's career May '59-Oct '85) is pretty much a shoo-in under this system. She is a "successor" -- not to Kara Zor-El, ironically, but to the Peter David Supergirl; she has worked with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman; and she would gain the benefit of Kara Zor-El's pre-Crisis career (because she is basically the same character).

4. Firestorm II (first appeared July '04; predecessor's career March '78-Oct '04): The new Firestorm qualifies for being a successor and having the requisite experience credit, but I wouldn't say he has worked with a Justice Leaguer yet. He was visited by a few, and is in the middle of an adventure with Firehawk, but Firehawk was never in the League as far as I remember. (She would qualify, though.)

5. Flamebird (first appeared in Secret Origins Annual #3, 1989; predecessor's career Apr '61-Dec '77): Although she is a contemporary of Nightwing and is the post-Crisis incarnation of the original Bat-Girl, Flamebird doesn't get in. She would be a successor with the requisite experience, but she hasn't worked with a Leaguer. (The only one would be Nightwing, who was only in the League during "The Obsidian Age.")

6. Knockout (first appeared Feb '94): A boisterous woman with a strange connection to Apokolips, Knockout was a frequent guest-star in the 1990s Superboy book. She was last seen in Wonder Woman #175 (Dec '01) as part of Circe's army of villainesses. However, because her experience is the only thing going for her under this system, she isn't qualified to join the Justice League.

7. The "Planet DC" characters: These heroes from various other countries all first appeared in DC's 2000 Annuals. Therefore, each would have the requisite experience. However, evaluating whether a particular hero had worked with a Leaguer would depend on the Annual in which s/he appeared. By my reckoning, Aruna (who met Batman in Batgirl Annual #1); Boggart (Batman Annual #24); Sala (Green Lantern Annual #9); Janissary (JLA Annual #4); Acrata, El Muerto, and Iman (Superman Annual #12); and the members of Super-Malon (La Salamanca, Cachiru, El Yaguarette, Cimarron, El Lobizon, Pampero, El Bagual, and Vizacacha, all first appearing in Flash Annual #13) would all qualify. Nemesis II (JSA Annual #1) met Black Canary, but she has since been killed.

8. The Power Company: Each member of the Power Company first appeared in February 2002, except for Bork (Dec '68). That experience alone wouldn't be enough to qualify under the 4-year rule until February '06. Still, Bork and Manhunter would have enough experience (Manhunter from his predecessor -- Apr '42-July '44; Oct '73-Nov '74) to meet that requirement. Also, each member has worked with a Justice Leaguer (Firestorm, at the minimum, since he was part of the Power Company for a while). Therefore, Bork and Manhunter would qualify for League membership, but the others would have to wait until next year. Of course, creator Kurt Busiek could go "nepotistic" and sign up any Power Company member he created -- assuming he hasn't already sicced the Crime Syndicate on them....

Anyway, there it is. I've heard Busiek wants to expand the JLA, so I'll be interested in who he chooses.

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Who Should Be In The Justice League? or Hey Look! Paint Drying!

Several years ago I read Bill James' The Politics of Glory, about the selection process for the Baseball Hall of Fame. James discussed the shifting standards for admissions and proposed how to reform them. While I'm still not a baseball stats whiz, the book did inspire me to rough out a series of standards for admission into the Justice League of America. Now, thanks to the combination of writer's block and Excel, my work may yet pay off -- even if it's only as an insomnia remedy....

(ahem)

More so than any other super-team, the Justice League is composed of icons. The Fantastic Four is a family, the X-Men are bound by genetics, and today's Justice Society and Teen Titans apparently exist to carry on the legacies of their original members. Even the Avengers (until the recent unpleasantness) were selected to work together as a team, not necessarily for their name recognition.

The JLA is also unique in that for the most part, its members were already established characters. (Since the original League disbanded in 1984, about 18% of subsequent members were "inbred," but we'll get to that later.) Many of them had their own features concurrent with their League adventures.

This is true for all of the original JLAers -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. Flash and GL were new versions of older heroes, and Martian Manhunter had been around for just over 4 years. Although, for all intents and purposes, Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman had been continuously published, with no clear demarcation between their Golden and Silver Age versions, it's probably more helpful to us to consider them successors too. Additionally, Flash, GL, and Wonder Woman's Golden Age counterparts had been regular members of the Justice Society; and Superman and Batman were JSA reserves.

Among the charter JLAers, only Green Lantern lacked his own feature when he joined the League. GL was introduced in a 3-issue Showcase run from Sep '59-Jan '60; the JLA was introduced in Feb '60; and GL got his own book in July '60.

We can draw a few separate characteristics from these observations. Being 1) established is the only common trait, with a 2) concurrent ongoing solo feature being near-unanimous. One could also be 3) a successor; and might further have 4) a JSA predecessor. The question of 5) experience -- probably best expressed in terms of publishing history -- also comes into play.

How "experienced" are the League members? Again, let's look at GL. The character of Green Lantern (that is, Alan Scott) had been published from 1940 to 1951; but the GL in the JLA was Hal Jordan, who first appeared in Showcase #22 (Sept-Oct 1959) shortly before the League's first appearance in Brave & Bold#28 (Feb-Mar 1960). Hal was 1) an established 2) successor to 3) a JSAer, which objectively seems to have been enough to justify his induction. Still, he was in-between features at the time, and he was only a few months old besides. Thus, it may make more sense to give Hal (and similarly situated Leaguers) partial credit for their predecessors' careers. If Hal could claim half of Alan's tenure, he could add 5 1/2 years to his experience at the time of joining. This would make the Martian Manhunter the "youngest" Leaguer, at 4 years' experience, and would give additional weight to the team's "iconic" status:

• Superman (June '38-Feb '60): 21 years, 8 months
• Batman (May '39-Feb '60): 20 years, 9 months
• Aquaman (Nov '41-Feb '60): 18 years, 3 months
• Wonder Woman (Dec '41-Feb '60): 18 years, 2 months
• Flash II (Golden Age Jan '40-Feb '51; Sep '56-Feb '60): 5 1/2 years + 3 years, 5 months = 8 years, 11 months
• Green Lantern II (GA July '40-Feb '51; Sep '59-Feb '60): 5 1/4 years + 5 months = 5 years, 8 months
• Martian Manhunter (Nov '55-Feb '60): 4 years, 3 months

Here it is for the later original Leaguers, again giving half-credit for predecessors where there is a clear break between incarnations:

• Black Canary (Aug '47-Nov '69) = 22 years, 3 months
• Hawkgirl II (GA Dec '41-Feb '49; Feb '61-Sep '77) = 3 years, 7 months + 16 years, 9 months = 20 years, 4 months
  
• Green Arrow (first appearance Oct '41, joined April '61) = 19 1/2 years
  
• Zatanna (Oct '64-Dec '78) = 14 years, 2 months
• Elongated Man (April '60-April '73) = 13 years
• Hawkman II (GA Jan '40-Feb '51; Feb '61-Nov '64) = 6 1/2 years + 3 years, 9 months = 10 years, 3 months
  
• Atom II (Golden Age Oct '40-Feb '51; Sep '61-Sep '62) = 5 years + 1 year = 6 years
• Red Tornado II (Aug '68-July '73) = 4 years, 11 months
• Firestorm (March '78-June '80) = 2 years, 3 months

Firestorm's 2 years and change is the minimum, Elongated Man's 13 years is the median, and the mean works out to be about 12 1/2 years. (Similarly, the average for the original League was just under 14 years.) Because some members who joined sooner have a lower score than the longer-suffering members, this reflects more of an "it's about time" factor. This is certainly true for Hawkgirl, but it also reflects the longevity (and relatively unchanged nature) of Black Canary and Green Arrow. Hawkman and Atom were sufficiently different from their Golden Age versions that they warranted the "partial credit" treatment.

Let's go back to the other traits. Of the non-charter Leaguers, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and (arguably) Zatanna were successors to Golden Age heroes; and Black Canary and Red Tornado were themselves members of the Justice Society. Naturally, because the JSA was the JLA's inspiration, giving a preference to a member who would make the League look more like the JSA seems appropriate. It may be worth noting that Elongated Man, Hawkgirl, and Zatanna had also worked with other Leaguers prior to joining, but I don't feel like drawing a trait out of that.

Therefore, I see five traits, at least two of which apply to almost every original Justice Leaguer:

1. Being established (appearing in another title before joining the League);
2. Having a concurrent ongoing solo feature (appearing there at joining);
   
3. Being a successor to a previous hero (including continuing one's own Golden Age career);
4. Having a direct connection to the JSA either by membership or succession; or
5. Having at least 4 years of pre-League experience/credit.

Specifically,

• All five traits: Atom II, Batman, Flash II, Green Arrow, Hawkman II, Superman, Wonder Woman
  
• 1, 2, 3, 5: Aquaman
  
• 1, 2, 4, 5: Martian Manhunter
• 1, 3, 4, 5: Green Lantern II, Hawkgirl II, Red Tornado II
  
• 1, 4, 5: Black Canary
  
• 1, 3, 5: Zatanna
• 1, 5: Elongated Man
  
• 1: Firestorm

Each hero is evaluated using the circumstances under which s/he joined the team. Thus, Black Canary is not considered a successor, because when she joined she was still the original (with retcons yet to come). I am also not considering later retcons involving Wonder Woman, Superman, or the Hawks.

Firestorm, the odd man out with only one of the 4 traits, is a case of "nepotism" -- his co-creator, Gerry Conway, was also the Justice League writer who inducted him. While I don't think writers should be free to stack the League with their characters, I do believe there should be an allowance. Furthermore, although Firestorm's statistics may be helpful and/or illustrative, he gets a "nepotistic" pass, so ultimately they don't matter. Besides, I don't feel like lowering the four-year experience bar just for Firestorm, because one of the perks of being the JLA writer should be getting to use the characters you created elsewhere. You shouldn't overdo it, but you should have a reasonable opportunity.

Firestorm also has less than four years' experience, which is nevertheless comparable with the two characters who declined membership in the original League. Metamorpho first appeared in December 1964 and declined in February 1966 (14 months); and Black Lightning first appeared in April 1977 and declined in December 1979 (2 years, 8 months). Each would also have had only one of the four traits, being neither successors nor JSA members.

Now, I went ahead and started trying this system on new and old DC characters, but it pretty much let everyone in. Basically, I postulated that two of the five traits were enough, because Elongated Man only had two of the five. (He's joined by 25** more of the 79 Leaguers to date.) However, any character I could imagine would be 1) established and 2) either a successor or sufficiently experienced (including using a predecessor's career credit). Thus, the system would only exclude established characters who were not successors and who had first appeared later than cover-date May 2001.

In other words, it's not exclusionary enough. Guess I'll keep working out the bugs....




* All dates come either from the DCU Guide or GCD. The DC Cosmic Teams site was also a big help.

** Other notable members with only 2/5 traits include Big Barda, Booster Gold, Fire and Ice, Lightray, Metamorpho, Mr. Miracle, Orion, Plastic Man, and Rocket Red.

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Battlestar Galactica -- still only half good

[SPOILERS for last night's show, and for others too.]


Last week the Sci-Fi channel did one of its daytime marathons on "Battlestar Galactica." You may remember that on the original show, Starbuck or Apollo would crash-land on some random planet that still happened to be inhabited by humans, and at the end S. or A. would return to the rag-tag fugitive fleet, leaving the people behind on the planet. I'm thinking of the Old West planet where a Cylon was the local strongman's hired gun; or the smuggler who tricked Starbuck out of the experimental Viper.

I might be wrong, but I'm not sure the fleet ever made a point to tell these people that the Galactica and its charges were fleeing from Cylon tyranny and on a lonely quest, etc., and by the way would any of them like a ride so the Cylons didn't exterminate them like they did the other 12 colonies? At those moments "Battlestar Galactica" clearly strayed from its original premise, which was to get every human in its corner of the galaxy the heck away from the Cylons.

The new "Galactica" never lets you forget its premise. There will be no Old West planets or comical smugglers on this show for the foreseeable future. Instead, it's been a grim sequence of events, charged with emotion and the drama of the human condition.

Oh, and also a lot of sex. Starbuck had sex with Zac. Boomer 1 was having sex with Tyrol, but they broke up after Tyrol was thought to be a Cylon agent. Last night Boomer 2 had Cylon red-spine sex with Helo. Billy, the President's aide, lusts after Dualla. And, of course, Number Six had both real and virtual sex with Baltar, the oh-so-tormented scientist who basically opened the door for the destruction of civilization. Baltar's basic plot has involved trying not to call attention to how insane he acts because he has an ostensibly hott invisible blonde licking his ear and reminding him of his many betrayals. Twitching with barely repressed sexual tension, as if he'll have an ejaculatory explosion at any moment, he's still basically Darrin Stevens or Major Tony Nelson played straight.

But we can't hate Baltar, the show seems to say! Look how wracked with guilt he is! He wants to be good, but he's apparently o.d.'d on what American Flagg! called Foreignade (TM) -- "puts your mind in mothballs and your gonads in gear."

Last night was the episode where Baltar Gets His. The basic plot felt ripped from the climax of the Kevin Costner/Gene Hackman movie No Way Out, with a race against time before a photographic blur gets analyzed to the point it incriminates our protagonist. I am so, so tired of Baltar and his tragicomic ways that not only did I want him to be found out (as his 1970s ancestor was), I wanted him hung out to dry. But like so many episodes where Gilligan at the last minute screwed up a rescue yet again, Baltar was exonerated and his tiresome subplot lives on.

The new "Galactica" makes a point to show that Baltar is a more interesting character because he's not all Snidely Whiplash evil like his predecessor. However, while the old show started out with Baltar on a Cylon base-ship sending squadrons after Galactica, he was eventually captured and the show found other adversaries -- among them, the millions of Cylons who still wanted to Kill All Humans. It would be more suspenseful at this point for the new "Galactica" to find something evil for Baltar to do, because right now he's more of a sideshow than a threat.

In fact, this show is starting to remind me of the early "X-Files" in the way it can portray dangers without actually taking a lot of effort to showthem. In the seven episodes aired in the U.S. since the miniseries, the robotic Cylons have only been villains in two -- "33," when they showed up regularly to torment the fleet and kept it from sleeping; and "Act of Contrition," when a small group of Cylons shot up Starbuck's Viper. (And even then, the Cylons were only secondary to the conflicts among Starbuck, Apollo, and Adama, which continued in "You Can't Go Home Again.") In "Water" and "Litmus," humanoid Cylon agents were the antagonists, and in "Bastille Day," it was terrorists aboard a prison ship. Of course, there is the ongoing Boomer 2/Helo plot on Caprica, which is one of the new show's innovations I am really enjoying -- partly because it involves the robotic Cylons trying to kill the humans. In short, the new show's message seems to be "we can do the ships better, and the space stuff is more realistic, and our sets look cooler, and we've got CGI Cylons -- but most of every show is going to feature our main cast arguing with each other."

It's tempting to say that the past and present "Galactica"s are apples and oranges. The old show was a Sunday-night action-adventure, with fightin' and shootin' every week. The destruction of the Colonies was just the catalyst for the ships to head out into the universe so they could run across Old West planets and Nazi pastiches. The new show is more of a Drama, with serious looks at how realistic characters would react to the apocalypse. It's The Stand in space, with killer androids instead of a disease.

Still, while the old show could have used more realism, this new one could sure use more fantasy. If I want to see pretty people arguing every week, there's always "ER."

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(Late) New Comics Reviews, 2/9/05 and 2/16/05

There's a lot of ground to cover, so I'll try to be brief for each of these.

THE WORLD OF GEOFF JOHNS

Green Lantern Rebirth #4 pretty much is what it is. If you see deep emotional resonances in the cover (Green Arrow wielding a GL ring, and standing over the unconscious Kyle Rayner), you'll appreciate the book. Reading this issue, I realized that Johns had already done most of the heavy lifting to explain the whole Parallax thing, so this issue's dose of plot was much easier to take. As for the art, it seems a little less disciplined than it has in the first few issues, and some of the characters look oddly proportioned, but nothing inexcusable. I like the Green Lantern mythology, so I continue to enjoy this series.

Speaking of Green Arrow, he's in Teen Titans #21, captured by Dr. Light as part of Light's revenge on the Titans for humiliating him in the past. It's also the new Speedy's first day with the Titans, which means there's a lot of exposition both about her and about the team. (Oddly enough, there's a one-panel shot of the Wolfman/Perez Titans which features both Terra and Jericho. Given the circumstances under which Terra "left" and Jericho joined, that image couldn't have existed. I'd have expected more from a continuity cop....) Anyway, Light's characterization is pretty decent, so he becomes the most interesting character in the book. The storyline has potential, so I'll see where it's going.

Finally, JSA #70 continues the trip to the '50s, where apparently there was a lot of racism. Now, I don't mean to be flip about the subject, but why do both of the black Justice Socialites have to be chased by angry white people? That's just lazy plotting. Anyway, this felt a lot like a middle-issue plot-advancement installment, so much so that I couldn't tell whether the JSA was winning or not. For suspense to be built, shouldn't there be some sense that the good guys are losing?

I must mention Johns going meta on the reader when he has Degaton say "Even now, forces are at work. Retrofitting continuity. Forces like me." Way to be self-aware, Geoff. As for my own future with JSA, I see paperbacks....

JUSTICE LEAGUE

JLA #111 really picks up the pace of "Syndicate Rules." It features a titanic battle between the two teams, and it connects the Qward subplot more firmly with the main plot. (The Qward subplot feels in hindsight a little like "Mageddon" from the last Morrison arc, but that's probably just superficial.) Kurt Busiek has really brought the big-event scope back to the Justice League. This issue felt like the best of his Avengers work, and that's saying a lot. However, Ron Garney's art is almost up to the task, but occasionally falls short. His Superman and Ultraman are particularly hard to tell apart, and sometimes his approach is a little too sketchy and impressionistic (probably misusing that term) for a story with such cosmic elements. Still, this is the best JLA has been since Mark Waid left.

JLA Classified #4, Part 1 of "I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League!", is pretty much "All-Star Justice League." It will mystify and possibly infuriate the continuity-minded, but it's still good clean fun from the old Justice League International team of Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. The plot, such as it is, involves a supervillain opening a bar next door to the Super Buddies' headquarters, but the issue is an extended series of character-based comedy bits and rapid-fire one-liners. It's about as good as the first issue of its predecessor, Formerly Known As The Justice League, and if that's any indication, this six-parter should be quite a hoot.

BATMAN

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and Batman: Gotham Knights are both books which have strayed from their original missions. For many years, LOTDK was "All-Star Batman," an anthology book which told stories that didn't have to follow continuity. (I kept waiting for the definitive "sci-fi '50s Batman" story in its pages, but no such luck.) Similarly, Gotham Knights was the book where Batman teamed up with Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Oracle, and the other spun-off characters. No more. Now both tell garden-variety in-continuity solo Batman stories, which makes me wonder how they differ from the flagships Batman and Detective.

Anyway, LOTDK's current Riddler arc reaches its penultimate chapter in issue #188, with Batman racing through a security system to reach a MacGuffin before the Riddler can. There's some more intriguing psychological issues explored with regard to the Riddler's motivation, and the Batman stuff is decent too. Still, the arc so far has been up and down and I'm waiting until the end to see how it all plays out.

Gotham Knights' arc involves Poison Ivy's "children," who apparently are the subject of a big military-industrial conspiracy to make them super-soldiers, or some such. It's not as bad as A.J. Lieberman's other Batman work, but it all feels very familiar. The focus on Ivy's origin also gives me flashbacks to the Batman & Robin movie, which is never a good association for a Batman title.

Now, in terms of origins, Batman: The Man Who Laughs, written by Ed Brubaker with art by Doug Mahnke, is a faan-tastic updating of the first Joker story from Batman #1. Mahnke draws one of the best -- and creepiest -- Jokers I've seen in a very long time, and Brubaker uses the restrictions of continuity to his advantage. (The conceit is that this is Batman's first "supervillain," and he has to adjust from facing gangsters and street thugs.) My one complaint is that this could have been a $3.50 Batman Annual, instead of a $6.95 Prestige Format special -- but I guess nobody does Annuals anymore. Probably still worth the $6.95.

Retroactive continuity continues in Nightwing #103, with Part 3 of "Nightwing: Year One." In this issue Dick Grayson goes back to Haly's Circus and runs into the Brand brothers, one of whom is dead. Scott McDaniel draws a suitably eerie Deadman (and Deadman-inhabited people), and the issue as a whole is fun, but it basically just tells the origin of Nightwing's costume. There's also a brief scene with Donna "Wonder Girl" Troy that further reinforces her role as the Monica Geller of the New Teen Titans.

Finally, Gotham Central #28 kicks off "Keystone Kops," an arc involving a member of the Flash's Rogues' Gallery. Written by Greg Rucka and drawn by Stefano Gaudiano, it goes more deeply into the superhero/villain elements than the book has been for a while. It almost feels like last week's "Alias," where you wondered if Sydney would actually have to fight a vampire, even though vampires weren't "real" despite the show's other fantastic conceits. Still a good read, and it will be fun to see how the GC crew handles the world of "real" superpowers.

SUPERMAN

Action Comics #825 is the penultimate installment of the Preus storyline. I shouldn't have a problem with the general plot, because it sounds like an exciting setup -- Superman is aged prematurely, and therefore weaker; Preus is at full strength; and Doomsday is once again causing all kinds of trouble in Metropolis. In fact, it's executed fairly well, because the issue is one big fight between Supes and Preus. Still, the entirety of Austen's run (and I presume this issue was written by Austen, under a pen name) seems to have been Superman fighting somebody and getting unexpectedly beaten down by them, only to come back stronger and madder. It's like having 9 cleanup hitters in your lineup. Thank goodness for Ivan Reis and Marc Campos' art.

Adventures of Superman #637 keeps the Ruin arc going, but brings in almost-forgotten supporting characters Jimmy Olsen and Pete Ross. (Professor Hamilton comes back for a cameo too.) There's also a revelation about who shot Lois in "Iraq." Greg Rucka's script is on a par with his Wonder Woman work, but I think what's distracting me is the art. Matthew Clark is a fine artist and does a good job with the material, but I'm not sure that his style -- which is very clean, thin, and active -- is a good fit for the subtleties that Rucka puts into the scripts. We'll see if things change when Karl Kerschl comes aboard in the next couple of months.

MARVEL

Incredible Hulk #77 is Part 2 of the Peter David/Lee Weeks "Tempest Fugit" story. I really like Weeks' art -- very moody and almost expressionistic, but grounded in reality. It suits David's script, which builds the mystery while maintaining his trademark sense of humor. As with part 1, the action bounces between Bruce's childhood and the present-day island adventure. I've been out of the Hulk loop for the past 4 years or so, but I felt right at home with this story.

Captain America #3, by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting (with art help from Michael Lark) advances the latest Red Skull/Cosmic Cube storyline, although no one in the story has made fun of the villainous A.I.D. acronym. Cap and Sharon Carter go to London and Paris tracking the bad guys, and Cap (horrors!) sticks up for the French along the way. Very nice retro-'60s feel to the whole affair, with kudos to the colors of Frank D'Armata (who gets cover credit) for enhancing Epting and Lark's linework. Epting in particular does a great job with an aerial fight sequence. I'm sticking around as long as these guys do.

Astonishing X-Men #8, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, is basically another Sentinel fight with a subplot involving the X-Kids. I'm sure there are deeper meanings and subtexts to which I, not being a longtime X-fan, am blind, but there you go. Cassaday does draw a very spooky Sentinel, though.

(Whew!)

Now, about this 100-thing list....

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At least they went boldly

[This post originates from the York County (VA) Public Library. Saa-lute!]

Bender: Why is [Star Trek] so important to you?

Fry: 'Cause it taught me so much. Like how you should accept people, whether they be black, white, Klingon, or even female. But most importantly, when I didn't have any friends, it made me feel like I did.

Leela: Well, that is touchingly pathetic.

-- Futurama, "Where No Fan Has Gone Before"

"Enterprise" is cancelled, and I'm sad but not surprised. Star Trek hadn't really been viable for about 10 years. (Yes, UPN is 10 years old; "Voyager" launched it on January 15, 1995.) There are probably several reasons why the franchise as a whole has petered out, but unfortunately for "Enterprise" it had started to tell really good, involved stories which advanced both the characters' arcs and the larger story about the Federation's origins. Thus, the sadness from me.

Still, given that Star Trek began as the little show cancelled before its time (to make room for "Laugh-In" -- oh, the indignity!), it's hard to shed too many tears for the 10 movies and 25 seasons' worth of TV which followed. There is a bit of deja vu with "Enterprise"'s situation, but it still got one year more than the original did.

Of course, you have to wonder how long it will take for the next Trek series to come along, and what form it will take. Sounds like another post, doesn't it? Trek is somewhat unique in that it included not only pre- and post-Kirk Enterprises, but also entirely new ships and settings spun out of the basic format. It was no longer just "the voyages of the starship Enterprise," but a more meta examination of how "real people" would react in the Pollyannic ideal postulated by Gene Roddenberry.

See, Trek's macro story has always been humanity's reaction to the dangers and wonders it would encounter as it explored space. It tests whether we can uphold our high standards of conduct in a realm where they may no longer apply. It's more than just navel-gazing about how many decks the ship has or whether one captain is better than another. If anything, "Enterprise"'s premature demise will allow us remaining fans (fewer than Democrats, apparently) to do what Trekkies do best -- take a step back, examine the franchise as a whole, and immerse ourselves in a future filled with promise. Besides, according to Futurama, there's a religion to found....

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How do you honor the original?

(Today's post is made possible by Computer #7 -- Liberty Bell 7? -- at the Virgil I. Grissom branch of the Newport News Public Library.)

Monday night I stayed up to watch David Letterman's tribute to his mentor and greatest hero, Johnny Carson. Dave talked to Peter Lassally, who executive-produced The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for most of its run. The musical guests were Carson's musicians Doc Severinsen, Tommy Newsom, and Ed Shaughnessy.

It's no secret that Letterman idolized Carson and did his best to emulate Johnny. He said as much that night, observing that while Johnny didn't invent the late-night talk show, he sure perfected it. Now every show of this kind uses a desk and a couch, with maybe a cityscape behind the host, and opens with a monologue and a couple of comedy bits. Letterman's own "CBS Orchestra" (which on NBC was The World's Most Dangerous Band) is a reference to Carson's "NBC Orchestra."

So basically the show was a tribute to this giant of television, characterized by Letterman as "like a public utility" in the sense that no matter what else was going on in the world, we all wanted Johnny Carson to "tuck us in" at the end of the day. The whole thing was very moving without being maudlin.

And yet here was an hour's worth of air time devoted to nostalgia and memorial. My embryonic critic within, which is now used to asking "how does this advance the medium," was on alert. If Johnny Carson perfected the late-night talk show, and (as Letterman said in a statement right after Carson's death) everyone who followed him is just a "pretender," how should he be honored?

Letterman did it by remembering a friend and resurrecting, if only for one show, the trappings of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The CBS Orchestra played "Johnny's Theme" and all the monologue jokes had been written by Carson (who had been sending Letterman jokes for a little while). Dave showed clips of Johnny from both Letterman shows, and an extended clip from a 1986 Tonight Show where Johnny stole Dave's truck.

I stopped watching Jay Leno's Tonight Show soon after he took over. When Jay appeared on Late Night With David Letterman, he was hilarious; but forced into the more restrictive Tonight Show, he lost something. He definitely stopped being funny, at least to me. He seemed more workmanlike, milking jokes that got laughs until he squeezed the humor out of them. Over the years, nothing NBC did to advertise the show made me think he was doing anything more than pleasing the lowest common denominator -- for example, the Dancing Itos. Jay Leno never wanted either to ride Johnny Carson's coattails or be stuck in his shadow, but to me, despite his eventual success, he never seemed like more than a caretaker. After Johnny made The Tonight Show his own, he left it to someone who was unwilling or unable to go beyond its basic format.

Letterman, of course, had already made his reputation at 12:30 a.m., and only toned things down a little when he moved to 11:35 p.m. on CBS. Consider that 1986 clip of Johnny stealing Dave's truck. It was, in fact, a prank worthy of Letterman's elevator races or Velcro suit -- the Tonight Show cameras filming this dingy old pickup and towing it away, only to unveil it onstage and embarrass Letterman further. However, where Letterman laughed and sputtered throughout, Johnny was perfectly calm and collected; and when the two walked over to the truck at the end of the bit, you could see that while Johnny was immaculate in his blazer and khakis, Dave's outfit was undercut by his Adidas sneakers and white socks. At 12:30 on NBC, Dave was still the understudy, so when he put away the Adidas for the earlier timeslot, it wasn't so much a concession to taste as it was a recognition that he had to grow up a little. I'll be interested to see how Conan O'Brien changes when he takes over The Tonight Show in a couple of years.

(Speaking of Conan, he probably handled being Letterman's successor better than anyone. His first show began with an inspired sequence of friends and passersby both wishing Conan well and muttering that he'd never be as funny as Dave.)

So how did the critic within evaluate Letterman's Monday-night show? I thought it was entirely appropriate, given Letterman's love of his mentor and long association with him. I will always consider David Letterman to be Johnny Carson's true successor, because while he respected Carson tremendously, he built on what Carson had established. I am finding out that I walk a fine line with nostalgia, between wanting to preserve what is important and learning when to jettison what no longer works. Letterman used the Tonight Show format for his own experiments in television, and when he was passed over as Tonight Show host, simply adapted his own show accordingly.

What's this have to do with my beloved superhero comics, whose current creators have to deal with decades-old legacies? Beats me....

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New comics 1/27/05

This almost turned into another "theme week." It may be that I just read the same things over and over again, but these weird synchronicities keep popping up. Batman and Nightwing featured the Bruce/Dick relationship. Planetary focused on the ancestry of its Johnny Storm character, and Fantastic Four featured Johnny actually behaving like a mature adult. Legion of Super-Heroes and JLA both tried postmodern takes on classic superhero tropes, and Flash tried yet again to update a goofy Silver Age supervillain. LSH and Fantastic Four were both written by Mark Waid, who used to write Flash. Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy, and Kennedy had ... oh, okay, the horse is dead now.

Batman #636, written by Judd Winick, with art by Doug Mahnke and Dustin Nguyen: Part 2 of the Black Mask/Red Hood (what, no Mad Hatter?) storyline advances the plot nicely, while throwing in some not-very-cliched interaction between Batman and Nightwing. It veers sharply away from the gritty urban realism to which the entire Bat-line had aspired, and more into "superhero reality," acknowledging that Batman exists in a world of (for example) superintelligent gorillas.

Winick is approaching how I would like Batman to be handled -- not so grim, or at least knowing how grim he can be; and with someone around who can call him on the grimness. The Nightwing/Batman banter is appropriate, and Batman even gets to smile grimly at the nostalgia of having Dick around again. However, for some reason Winick has turned Mr. Freeze into a psychopath who murders cavalierly, getting away from the more tragic figure the character had become. The art continues to be good, with Mahnke giving Batman some very dynamic, almost Neal Adams-esque poses; but my one complaint about it is that Nightwing's costume isn't black enough. The grays almost blend into the blues, which makes the overall effect very bland. Still, these are minor complaints, and I have to say I'm enjoying this creative team.

The aforementioned superintelligent gorilla is, of course, a nod to JLA Classified #3, finishing up the arc by Grant Morrison, Ed McGuinness, and Dexter Vines. I was slightly disappointed in this issue because the first two had been so good; and this one is just a big fight among the JLA, Grodd, and Ultramarines. Morrison's commentary on "whatever it takes" crimefighting also has the JLA "punish" the U-Marines in a screwy, if not irresponsible, way. It's all high-concept action, which in Morrison and McGuinness' hands isn't all bad, but there are fewer wild ideas flying around in this part. It might work best as a commentary on the Super Friends -- certainly, anyone only familiar with the JLA through that show/comic would get a kick out of Aquaman and Wonder Woman looking very familiar but kicking serious tail.

The Batman/Nightwing relationship permeates Part 2 of Nightwing #102's "Nightwing, Year One" (written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, with art by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens). First, though, I must admit my shame at having this story spoiled for me by its big continuity violation. The issue, which is pretty decent, has Dick Grayson heading to Metropolis for a chat with Superman about what to do in his post-Robin career. The problem is, in the current DC timeline, Batman and Superman didn't learn each other's secrets until well after Dick had become Nightwing. (It was right before Supes' first date with Wonder Woman, in fact.) Now, it would have been cool if Dick -- trained by the World's Greatest Detective, remember -- had deduced that Clark was Superman, and genuinely surprised him; but that's not what happens here. Anyway, Dick and Supes stop a couple of terrorists from assassinating the President, and Supes tells Dick about the ancient Kryptonian hero Nightwing. (Dick's super-hero disguise is a red-and-blue hoodie and blue jeans, which seems like an obvious, but bizarre Spider-Man movie shout-out.) Dick then goes back to the circus to work as an acrobat. The Metropolis and circus sequences are fine, but Krypto-Nightwing's situation fits Dick a bit too closely. (Not to mention raising all kinds of other Superman continuity wrangles, which I am choosing to ignore.) The jury is still out on this story for me, although I would probably have enjoyed it more if I were further away from the source material.

More retroactive continuity is explored in The Flash #218, featuring the origin of Heat Wave as told by writer Geoff Johns and artist Peter Snejbjerg. This villain profile is a bit more tolerable than the earlier ones, because it advances the larger plot, but it was still annoying to find that Heat Wave -- one of the original Rogues' Gallery members -- has just as twisted a past as the second Mirror Master or the more recent Murmur. I mean, can't we just have a villain who decides to use fire for his motif just because, and skip all the weird psychobabble? What would Johns do with Paste-Pot Pete?

A Silver Age super-team is the inspiration for Legion of Super-Heroes #2, by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson, but this issue that team was the original Teen Titans. See, back in the '60s, the Titans would hear about some super-crime that particularly affected teenagers, and after dealing with it, would explain to the adults that teens were people too, etc. While Waid and Kitson do a great job with it, that's basically the plot of LSH #2. It's not a bad issue -- the comparison and contrast between Brainiac and Dream Girl is the highlight -- but it came dangerously close to having a "meddling kids" ending.

Waid is much better on Fantastic Four (#522), so naturally it's his next-to-last issue. Johnny Storm has never seemed like the most logical person to lead the team -- not even in the alternate future of Fantastic Five, when he was the leader -- but here Waid manages to make him both smart and smart-alecky. Another fun read, and I am dreading the possibility of a deadly-serious J. Michael Straczynski run.

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A note about e-mail

I've noticed some issues with how Eudora (my e-mail program) filters the "brainallgone" e-mail -- basically, sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. This has only come to light in the past couple of days, now that I have returned to the home computer.

It's not like I get a lot of e-mail anyway, but then again, if Eudora is screwing it up, how would I know? Therefore, I apologize for not replying to any of you who have sent unrequited e-mail. I'm working on fixing the problem.

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Notes From Afield

This post is brought to you through the good graces (and public-use computers) of the Newport News Public Library (serving all your library needs since ... I don't know). Big ups to the library for giving me a sweet, sweet blogging fix after what seems like an eternity away.

I have been able to do some surfing over my cell phone, but it has really screwed with my eyes. They still cross involuntarily.

During said surfing, I was able to look at the Ninth Art shipping list and send an e-mail to my local comics shop to reserve this week's books. However, JLA Classified was on the Diamond list but not the Ninth Art list, so I might not have it reserved. Not a big deal, but just one more thing to think about. (There are quite a few shops here, but we have been more occupied with finding a house.)

P2 over at Hey Grownups -- Comics! was nice enough to put me on his linking list (notice how I avoided the obvious "linkin' log" pun?) so I shall do the same, once I get back to the home computer.

Finally, I know it's a little late, but it was very sad to hear about the death of Johnny Carson. Johnny was one of my heroes growing up, because he always seemed to be just a regular guy who happened to interview famous people. As a kid, I'd have to stay up real late to see Tom Snyder (who was boring) or David Letterman, but more often than not I could catch at least Johnny's monologue and maybe even a Mighty Carson Art Players or Carnac sketch. When my family got a VCR in the mid-'80s, I made a point to tape Letterman, but I didn't forget about Johnny. He was a big influence on my attempts to be funny and cool, and since those appear to have borne at least some fruit, I'm in his debt. Rest in peace.

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Up, up and away

Just a quick note to say there will be periodic interruptions in service over the next few weeks. The Best Wife Ever has gotten a new job and we are moving 600 miles to Newport News, Virginia. We're very excited, but it is a big move for both of us and we have a lot to do before we are settled (finding a new house, for example).

Any comments, observations, etc., regarding the Newport News/Williamsburg/Hampton Roads area would naturally be appreciated. Talk to you soon.

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New comics 1/12/05

Action Comics #823 (written by Chuck Austen, with art by Ivan Reis and Marc Campos): Continued from last issue, Superman, Superboy, and Krypto defeat a hulked-out redneck with an inferiority complex. There's really nothing else to the plot, except for a gratuitous shot at Lois (and at Lana too, but Lois comes off worse) and a setup for next issue's showdown with Preus.

(You may remember that Superman fought a villainess named Maxima, designed by no less than George Perez. Now there's Preus.* Who's next, Corolla?)

Reis and Campos turn in their usual clean, dynamic performance. Ma and Pa Kent look younger every day, although in a bizarre nod to the Reeve movies, Lana looks more like Annette O'Toole than Ma Kent does. (Ma resembles K Callan, her "Lois & Clark" TV counterpart.) As for the script, how long until Gail Simone comes on board?

Gotham Central #27 (written by Ed Brubaker, with art by Jason Alexander): The Catwoman/Josie Mac story is concluded satisfactorily, although there are some unsurprising revelations about the victim's sexual fantasy life. I suppose the point is more for Josie to deal with hiding her psychic abilities, and Catwoman gives some knowing advice about keeping secrets from those close to you. Still, having read Brubaker's first two Sleeper paperbacks this weekend, Gotham Central almost feels like he's slumming. It's not bad by any means, but Sleeper was much better. As for Alexander, his art reminds me of Randy DuBurke -- sort of scratchy and shiny, with lots of thin lines and blacks. It's easier to follow than last issue, and hopefully it will keep improving.

Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #187 (written by Shane McCarthy, with art by Tommy Castillo and Rodney Ramos): It's Hump Issue for the 5-part Riddler story, and this part goes a long way to having the thing make sense. The first page finds a flaming Batman falling off a bridge, which is a good start to any Batman book. Anyway, the storytelling is sorted out between the present (with the Riddler hologram) and the past (in which we discover E. Nigma's dark childhood secret -- very close to being a cliche, but thankfully not quite). Still not quite sold on this story, but perhaps it will grow on me. Also, Riddler's hologram looks less like Freddie Mercury.

JSA #69 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Don Kramer & Keith Champagne): Time-traveling Socialites Stargirl, Mr. Terrific, Hourman, Atom-Smasher, Dr. Mid-Nite, Sand, and J.J. Thunder meet their inspirations and try to convince them to re-form the Justice Society after Congress forced it to disband. There are complications and mysterious circumstances, and honestly it doesn't add up to much. Starman's situation was established by writer James Robinson, who used it in The Golden Age and Starman (1994) before helping kick off this title. However, Robinson made it an organic part of the character, and here Johns uses it more as a gimmick. Stargirl and Starman get the bulk of the issue, and the rest feels like a continuity checklist. This will probably play better in the paperback, which is how I'm thinking about buying JSA in the future.

JLA #110 (written by Kurt Busiek, with art by Ron Garney and Dan Green): Hilarity ensues when the Kryyme Syndicate impersonates the Justice League. Somehow the League doesn't catch on right away, even though the Syndicate does some high-profile things. Because the Syndicate and the Qwardian subplot have crowded the JLA out of the book the past couple of months, honestly I didn't notice that the League was missing. Anyway, the Syndicate's impersonations are both darkly funny (especially Johnny Quick's stilted "Flash" dialogue) and infused with a ticking-time-bomb suspense. There's also a bedroom scene with Owlman and Superwoman which cleverly inverts and subverts the Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman "trinity" DC's been pushing for the past few years. It's three issues into the storyline without a JLA/CSA fight, and I feel neither shortchanged nor decompressed.

Spider-Man/Human Torch #1 (written by Dan Slott, with art by Ty Templeton and Nelson): This 5-issue miniseries takes a look at the Spidey/Torch relationship through the years, which means it's a healthy dose of Mighty Marvel nostalgia, and that ain't all bad. Slott and Templeton do a perfect-pitch impression of a '60s Marvel book, hitting all the right beats while emphasizing Spidey's troubles and the Torch's comparatively easy life. (It doesn't hurt that Slott's Torch isn't too far removed from Mark Waid's.) Ty Templeton's pencils are clean and efficient, and while his normal "cartoony" style might have worked better, Nelson's inks make the pencils look more like Paul Smith's (who, coincidentally, does the cover). It doesn't matter -- this was a joy to read.

Finally, I read Nightwing #101 (written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, with art by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens). It's Part 1 of the 6-part biweekly "Nightwing Year One," telling the story of Dick's metamorphosis from independent sidekick to independent leader of his own teen group. Never mind that the story was already told in the 1983-84 issues of New Teen Titans, Batman, and Detective Comics -- this is the Post-Crisis! version and the What Titans Didn't Tell You! version to boot. Unfortunately, it's also the Batman Is A Jackass version, which makes it pretty much predictable from page one. McDaniel and Owens do a fine job with the art, however, making it much less cluttered than I'm used to from McDaniel. Most of the issue is a fight between the Dynamic Duo and Clayface, and while Clayface's "personae" are confusing at first, the artists make everything clear.

I'm interested to see whether Beatty and Dixon really bring anything new to the story, since it's already been covered pretty well. I'm not saying they can't do it, but if their characterization continues to be of the "Bruce yells at Dick" variety, it'll be a long three months.



*Yes, I know the car is "Prius." Let an old man have his fun, eh?

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Marcia Cross vs. Geoff Johns

Last night's "Desperate Housewives" illustrated for me one of the tenets of soap opera -- namely, that it's investment in the characters, and not the plot, which sustains interest. A good character can carry a lousy plot, but not vice versa. With that in mind, let's examine last night's subplots individually.

1. Gabrielle has to use her modeling skills on the cheap, hawking Buicks at the mall, and when she sees Lynette tries to hide her shame. I can understand how this would be humiliating, but a) Lynette -- who also had to give up her high-paying job -- should understand Gabrielle's situation and be supportive; and b) if Lynette and Tom are the only people at the mall from whom Gabrielle wants to hide, how humiliating is it really? It only provides an opportunity for Gabrielle to act spoiled and entitled, which is arguably at odds with her previous "I pulled myself up from nothing" statements of empowerment. Bah.

2. Susan tries a truce with her cruel, doltish ex-husband Karl. I liked this one, especially since it connected Karl and Edie -- the Luthor and Brainiac, if you will, of Susan's life. I really enjoyed the karaoke scene for turning what could have been yet another public humiliation into a public triumph. Of course, Susan's happiness will be mitigated somewhat by the frame-job Paul is trying to lay on Mike, but still. Good for you, Susan!

3. Lynette learns that Tom accidentally saw the nanny naked, and ends up firing the nanny for it. While I understand the mechanics of this plot, and they make sense, it still seemed forced. Technically, Tom only saw the nanny covering her boobies, which is about a Janet-Jackson-level exposure (specifically, this one). Granted, perhaps he should have told Lynette immediately what had happened, and explained then that Lynette was his lobster, and who cares about the nanny since she's just a guest-star, but I thought Lynette was a little rough on him. What do I know? I am but an ignorant, good-intentioned male. Anyway, I like Felicity Huffman a lot (r.i.p. "Sports Night"), but Lynette still needs to lighten up and get that homely nanny in place, or her character will get even more frustrating to watch.

4. Finally, Bree decides to have her own affair, with George the pharmacist. This subplot was played so well by Marcia Cross, Steven Culp, their son Andrew, and George, that I can't do it justice with a one-sentence summary. Marcia Cross completely rocks this show and consistently turns in fantastic performances -- all the more amazing considering how ripe the character is for one-dimensionality and broad parody. Cross/Bree is the Spock of "Desperate Housewives," getting the most out of a person who adheres strictly to particular codes of ethics and conduct. She is the best reason to watch, and some weeks the only reason to watch.

To me, a kind of alchemy happens with a new show -- it becomes less about situations and more about character. A viewer has to be entertained by the show's characters, because after a while the situations will start repeating themselves. Just as there are only so many times James T. Kirk can talk down an omnipotent entity, there are only so many pratfalls Susan can take.

Apparently the same principle governs my comics reading. I've been frustrated with Geoff Johns on The Flash for a while, but I'm not considering dropping the title as much as I am his Teen Titans and JSA. I have been a Wally West fan since his New Teen Titans days, and there is too much emotional investment in the character for me to drop the book entirely. Johns also writes a passable Wally and manages to keep the rest of the book from being unreadable, so my frustration comes from Johns' overall tone and the direction of the larger plot. The art is a redeeming factor too, so it's not like I don't get anything out of the book.

If the Waid/Wieringo Fantastic Four or the Morrison JLA is the Marcia Cross of recent comics, Flash is now the Felicity Huffman. Basically I keep getting Flash because I would miss not getting it, and I haven't become frustrated enough with it that I wouldn't miss it. Maybe not the best comics-buying strategy, but at least I recognize the problem.

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New comics 1/5/05

The guys who do the Tony Kornheiser show have food delivered to them in the studio. This morning, they had ordered pizza, and Mr. Tony was wondering where it was. When told it was on the way, he then asked, "Did I get the same thing I like?" The response came back, "Yes, Grandpa, you did."

So, it's a new year. Did I get the same things I like? Just call me Grandpa....

First up is The Flash#217 (written by Geoff Johns, with art by Howard Porter and Livesay). The issue picks up on the events of Identity Crisis in several ways. Flash's wife Linda comes back and the Rogues' Gallery holds a funeral for Captain Boomerang. It's equal parts epilogue and setup, in other words, even containing a scene with Zoom that follows up on the similar scene in the last Wonder Woman. (Nice bit of dovetailing there; presumably the two scenes will flow together in the paperback.) Flash also gets to give advice to Batman, who comes very close to having an actual emotional moment. Anyway, this was a good momentum-building issue, but next month is yet another villain biography, so what's the use?! Seriously, what has been the macro-plot of Flash for the past 17 months? Wally gets his secret identity back, and then all this Rogue stuff gets BLEARGH-vomited forth, with a little Grodd and Identity Crisis mixed in. Ye gods.

The second issue of writer David Lapham and artists Ramon Bachs and Nathan Massengill on Detective Comics (#802) wasn't as tight a story as the first, but it was still very good. Picking up from last issue's tenement fire, the victims' identities spur Batman to avoid a similar tragedy. There's not much more to say about the plot without spoiling it, but as with last issue, Lapham has Batman interact with a "civilian" in order to show how ordinary Gothamites feel about him, and he about them. It ends on an unusual, almost absurd, image, but that image seems to summarize Lapham's intentions with the storyline. The art and colors continue to be excellent, handling this more personal story just as well as last issue's more panoramic moments. Finally, Lapham uses Robin to good effect, giving him a bravado which is entirely appropriate for the character.

I hear that Jamal Igle is the new regular penciller on Firestorm (#9). That's good, because he and writer Dan Jolley have turned in a suspenseful, action-packed issue. However, one of the book's unsung heroes has to be colorist Chris Sotomayor. Igle paces the art well, and his inkers (Rob Stull & Lary Stucker) give his pencils their proper weight, but Sotomayor really brings the art to life. The figures have three dimensions; the characters' powers are given special effects; and because the action all takes place at night, the use of light is excellent. There's a last-page surprise that anyone who reads Previews should be able to predict, but Jolley has set up the surprise in a very fun way. I'm really looking forward to #10.

The flashback pages of Captain America #2 reminded me -- why didn't Bucky, Cap's World War II sidekick, ever have some kind of bulletproof doohickey? Cap was the Super-Soldier, with muscles and abilities enhanced by science, and an unbreakable shield made of a unique alloy which would probably outlive cockroaches. Bucky? Bucky wore a blue-and-red suit and occasionally got to carry a rifle.*

Come to think of it, sidekick du jour Sharon Carter gets pretty much the same deal in this issue, except she can call for backup and she's always armed. Agent Carter starts the plot rolling by alerting Cap that his old foe the Red Skull is dead. The two investigate, foiling what looked like the Skull's last evil plan until a new wrinkle is thrown in at the end.

Steve Epting's pencils move things along effectively, especially in the fight scenes where Cap uses his shield imaginatively in close quarters. Nice use of computer graphics on the SHIELD helicarrier too. Still, the issue is dark -- lots of scenes underground, and lots at night, so kind of hard to tell who's who at first. (The villain's mask reminds me of an old Spider-Woman baddie from the '70s, or maybe the Taskmaster, but those are probably coincidental.) I also have to say that writer Ed Brubaker has come up with a dumb acronym for a criminal organization. (I won't spoil it, but do they have a Mechanical Organism Designed Only for Wuv?)

Finally, I picked up writer Peter David's return to The Incredible Hulk (#77), joined by artists Lee Weeks and Tom Palmer. I haven't read a Hulk comic since David left the title about six years ago, but this story doesn't need much setup. It's a moody, atmospheric affair which mostly takes place underwater, as the Hulk walks along the bottom of the ocean to a mysterious island. Along the way he deals with various predators and flashes back to Bruce Banner's repressed-rage high school days. Because the arc is titled "Tempest Fugit," I'm guessing there will be more surprises on the island, even beyond the surprise on the last page. All told, a good beginning -- but I hope the later chapters are less decompressed.

Wow, two more Marvel titles added to the list! Looks like Grandpa is branching out.




* Reminds me of the old Batman joke. He's asked, "So you wear this dark-colored costume -- why the bright yellow oval on your chest?"

He replies, "The oval covers a bulletproof plate. It's a target, so crooks shoot at the plate and not my head. I don't like to get shot."

Interviewer: "Then what's up with Robin's costume? It's all bright colors!"

Batman: "I don't like to get shot."

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