The end of the road. This was Joe Casey's final work not just at Wildstorm but DC as well. Why will become apparent--on both ends--as The Intimates seems to have been a breaking point. Casey frustrated with its lack of success and dealing with corporate policy; DC/Wildstorm with its lack of success and Casey's rebellious attitude as exhibited in this issue's infoscrolls. I'm still surprised they printed some of this stuff, honestly. But, first thing's first: how lovely is that cover? Might as well begin there. Not quite the cover you'd expect, is it? Hell, it wasn't the cover I expected either; just look at the preview of issue 12 in issue 11:
What happened to that cover, I wonder...
I'll get into the meaning of the cover image later, preferring to focus (for now) on the text at the top. Normally, it proclaims characters featured in the issue, but here it reads: "PYRRHUS! MEDEA! HERACLES! OCEANUS! ACHILLES!" This is obviously meant to point to archetypes that the Intimates (all characters?) fall into, and there are some obvious candidates for them, but I'm not exactly sure who would be who. Maybe they aren't meant to match up exactly--I could see Duke being Heracles or Achilles, but also think that Kefong seems more like Achilles since he seems so perfect and while we never really saw his weakness, he must have one. Destra seems like a good candidate for Medea (who's her Jason?)... I'm assuming the Pyrrhus here is Achilles's son, also known as Neoptolemus--is this Punchy? Oceanus was a Titan and the fluidity almost seems a references to Sykes and his null field and powers... or even Empty Vee whose invisibility allow her a certain fluidity in movement. Of course, going by powers seems wrong, but the obvious point to look. I don't know enough about these various mythological figures to really account for personality (although I have read Medea and that really is Destra).
This points to a larger part of this final issue, which seems to be about influences of various types. If it's not mythological, it's '80s comics, or it's our parents and teachers. Nothing is new, everything is recycled, and it all fades away to be recycled again.
The cover of the issue has an issue of Agent Boss Tempo's comic fading away--not the final issue of said comic, though, which we learn is #988 (a number that is twelve away from 1000--the twelve issues of The Intimates? And, also, alludes to 1988...) in this issue as Punchy freaks out over his favourite comic being cancelled. Throughout this issue, we see panels from that final issue, each of which offer an allusion to seminal comics from the '80s. In the first, Tempo confronts his nemesis, Osiris, in an attemt to stop his plan and Osiris responds, "AGENT TEMPO, I'M NOT A REPUBLIC SERIAL VILLAIN. DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK I'D EXPLAIN MY MASTERSTROKE IF THERE REMAINED THE SLIGHTEST CHANCE OF YOU AFFECTING ITS OUTCOME? / I DID IT THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES AGO." This, of course, is a quote of Ozymandias's famous speech in Watchmen (Osiris is a reference to the Egyptian god of the dead--cancellation!). In the second, Tempo lays shot and thinks, "THIS WOULD BE A GOOD DEATH... / ...BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH," a quote from The Dark Knight Returns. The third has Tempo holding a gun to Osiris's head and saying, "...WHEN IT COMES TO THAT ONE FINAL, FATAL ACT OF ENDING YOU... / ...MY GUN HAS NO BULLETS," which is a reference I don't get (a little help?), but I'm assuming is another big one. [Edit: Steve points out in the comments that this is from Frank Miller's Daredevil run, which I should have known.] We do get another Tempo bit, at the very end of this issue, but it doesn't appear to be an allusion to another work, but I could be wrong.
The end of Supersonic Espionage Boom not only matches the end of this series, but the end of Punchy, in a way. Agent Boss Tempo has long been his fictional inspiration/guide and with him going away, how can Punchy remain really? The inclusion of the above Tempo panels happen at key points in the issue and do relate to what is going on with Punchy at the time. When we get to the end, it seems that the end of Tempo's story provides an answer to the question raised at the end of the Intimates' story.
Before we get to the story, I also want to point out the simplicity of this cover. There is no text over the main image, no attempt to mimic a magazine look, no indication of what happens inside... this is a cover that has given up and just isn't trying anymore. Sad, but true.
Now to the actual issue...
This issue is about the conflict between young and old. The Intimates (as we may as well call them that) know that something is wrong with the Seminary. There are three visiting corporate bigwigs including Destra's father and Jack Marlowe. The kids get in touch with Marlowe figuring that he will be willing to listen... he turns in Destra, though. In a sense, it's all about Destra versus Daddy. That's pretty much the motive behind everything she's done... and he does seem like a giant asshole, but it's still a little sad.
Ultimately, they rescue Destra, break into the teleportation lab mentioned back in issue two and are about to escape when Marlowe teleports the faculty into the lab... and there is a major shout-off until the Intimates either teleport away or are incinerated by the cancellation button (there even's a panel of Punchy screaming "YO! NOT THE CANCEL BUTTON--! / I CAN'T TAKE ANOTHER CANCELLATION, MAN!"). Casey provides some insight into this in the infoscroll: "THE FINAL FRONTIER: PREPARE FOR WHAT SOME LIKE TO CALL, THE 'KAFKA GAMBIT'..." and "TELEPORTATION OR DISINTEGRATION? U-DECIDE!..." Automatic Kafka ended with Casey and Ashley Wood taking the character off the board for fear that another creator would use him--and Casey does the same thing here with these characters. As a result, The Intimates and Automatic Kafka don't actually fit into Wildstorm continuity really despite taking place in the shared universe.
The teachers/students conflict isn't all unified as Miss Klanbaid argues on behalf of the students (or, as Casey puts it in the infoscroll: "WE HAVE JUST WITNESSED MISS KLANBAID'S ULTIMATE FUNCTION IN THIS SERIES: ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS' RIGHTS...") and Professor Bentley doesn't immediately push the cancellation button.
Marlowe's role is a bit more complex. He doesn't supercede the wish of Destra's father, but he also isn't in line with the other adults. On one page, he teleports Punchy to a mental institute where Dead Kid Fred is staying. This scene is juxtaposed with the allusion to The Dark Knight Returns, suggesting that Punchy does pity Fred, but also looks down on him in a way. After all, Fred didn't die, which Punchy says--how could he be strong enough to live but not strong enough to keep on living in a meaningful way? Punchy can't quite understand.
One of my favourite parts of the issue is a page where Casey can't help but rewrite the dialogue to mock Ale Garza's art. The panel is supposed to show the teen crawling through an airduct, but the dialogue reads:
Empty Vee: "AND, UH, WHY ARE WE JUST FLOATING HEADS IN HERE...?!"
Punchy: "TAKE A WILD GUESS..."
Kefong: "WHAT ABOUT THE LOOK ON MY FACE? YIKES...!"
The art is truly horrendous. On one page, Destra's father looks like a child or one of those Mii avatars on the Nintendo Wii. This is a comic where the fill-in pages by Carlos D'Anda are the best pieces of art (and I have a history of hating D'Anda's art).
Another notable event is when Sykes uses his null field to activate the teleporter. Empty Vee is impressed and says, "I KNEW HE WAS WITH THE PROGRAM...!"
The infoscroll of this issue is my favourite as Casey uses it to discuss the series in general. The information he shares amazes me, mostly because they printed it. This bunch of infoscroll items will be plentiful in number and say quite a bit about the book:
* "ANATOMY OF AN INTIMATE IDEA: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU WANT TO BUCK TRENDS AND SELL BOOKS...?"
* "ANSWER TO THE QUESTION POSED IN THE INFO SCROLL ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE: YOU CREATE A TEEN SUPERHERO BOOK WHERE NOTHING MUCH IS MEANT TO HAPPEN..."
* "THE CONFUSION IN THE MARKET COMICS OFFICES [publisher of Supersonic Espionage Boom] IS LEGENDARY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY..."
* "FIRST SMART MOVE: GET ONE OF THE HOTTEST ARTISTS IN AMERICA TO DESIGN THE LEADER CHARACTERS, DO COVERS, ETC. TO ENSURE CONCEPT LONGEVITY AND INTER-COMPANY PRIORITY AND MARKETING SUPPORT..."
* "OF COURSE, THE WRITER PUSHES FOR A MINI-SERIES TO TEST AN UNCERTAIN, SOMETIMES HOSTILE MARKETPLACE, BUT OTHERS ASSESS WITH MORE CERTAINTY THAT IT SHOULD BE A FULL-ON MONTHLY SERIES (GOTTA LOVE THAT KIND OF OPTIMISM!)..."
* "FINDING AN ARTIST: ALWAYS A RISKY PROPOSITION, BUT FATE SMILES AND A GREAT ONE CLIMBS ONBOARD..."
* "IN THE 'ALL SYSTEMS GO' DEPT: EVERYTHING'S IN PLACE, DESPITE AN INTERMINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (THE WHEELS CAN TURN SLOWLY AT THE BIG CORPORATIONS), AND THE LAUNCH IS GOOD..."
* "A CULT BOOK IS BORN: CREATOR CHEMISTRY IS APPRECIATED, IF NOT REWARDED (BUT, HEY, SOME CREATORS ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THEIR CULT STATUS)..."
* "SUB-IMPRINT BLUES: THEY HAVE NO STAYING POWERS, NOR THE LURE OF BIG CHARACTERS (PLUS, SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO STAND UP STRAIGHT)..."
* "ARTISTIC INTEGRITY VS. THE BRIGHT AND SHINY OBJECT: NO CONTEST, MY FRIENDS (THE LUNCHBOX CHARACTERS ALMOST ALWAYS WIN OUT)..."
* "CORPORATE ATTITUDE IN ACTION: DO WHAT THEY WANT WHEN THEY WANT AND DON'T ALLOW NOTIONS OF 'LASTING ART' TO STAND IN THE WAY..."
* "ANOTHER CULT FAVORITE: SOME SERIES AREN'T MEANT TO SELL BIG, BUT THAT DOESN'T NEGATE THEIR IMPORTANCE (NOR DOES IT NEGATE READERS' AFFECTION FOR THEM)..."
* "GETTING SUCKED IN: STRETCHING A MINI-SERIES PREMISE INTO AN ONGOING CONCERN CAN BE A CHALLENGE (ESPECIALLY IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE)..."
* "INFO SCROLL ITEMS ARE GENERALLY WRITTEN FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, BEFORE THE WRITER IS TRULY AWAKE AND CAN FULLY ACCEPT THE LITERARY NIGHTMARE THAT HAS BEEN UNLEASHED..."
* "CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE: LACK OF PERSPECTIVE AND AN IGNORANCE OF THE LONGTERM VIEW KILLS TIMELESSNESS EVERY TIME, AND THE EXAMPLES ARE EVERYWHERE..."
* "THE QUALITY OF AN ORIGINAL SERIES WILL ALWAYS BE IN DIRECT PROPORTION TO THE COMMITMENT OF THE CREATIVES INVOLVED..."
* "THE FACTS OF LIFE: CHARACTERS' LIVES EXIST ON THE PAGE AND WITHIN THE IMAGINATIONS OF INVESTED READERS..."
* "QUALITY-VS-QUANTITY: DOES A BOOK HAVE TO BE A HIT TO BE GOOD? AND IS THAT THE ULTIMATE QUALIFICATION FOR COMMITMENT TO SERVICE? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW..."
* "FOXHOLE MENTALITY (INSIDE JOKE): AS THE RATS JUMP FROM THE SINKING SHIP, WHO IS LEFT TO SAIL THE OLD GIRL HOME...?"
* "LIMPING TO THE FINISH LINE: ASSESSING THE SITUATION, ONLY CERTAIN CONCLUSIONS END UP MAKING SENSE TO RETAIN ANY SORT OF CREATIVE CONTROL..."
* "THIS IS THE FINAL PAGE OF INTIMATE INFO SCROLL MATERIAL; OPEN THE CHAMPAGNE AND BREAK OUT THE GLASSES..."
* "PERSPECTIVE TIP: TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS, NOT ALL SECRETS ARE REVEALED AND NEVER SAY NEVER..."
As to whether or not the Intimates die at the end, the final page of the comic features a full page of Agent Boss Tempo escaping (just barely) an explosion. The final two panels offer a bit of commentary as Tempo thinks, "THESE MISSIONS GET MORE AND MORE COMPLEX. I WONDER IF I'VE OUTLIVED MY USEFULNESS... / I GUESS I COULD TAKE THIS AS SOME SORT OF SIGN! AFTER ALL, HOW MANY SUPER SECRET AGENTS DOES THE WORLD NEED...?" The commentary here seems to be about Casey himself, about how these creator-owned (which Wildcats Version 3.0 basically was) aren't worth the effort at Wildstorm anymore. And does the comic book world need another teen superhero book? In the final panel, there is a bit of hope offered as the captions reads: "AGENT TEMPO LEAVES THAT FINAL QUESTIONS HANGING IN THE AIR... UNANSWERED AND UNRESOLVED. / WITH THE VAST, DARK OCEAN STRETCHING OUT BEFORE HIM IN ALL DIRECTIONS, AN EERIE CALM COMES OVER THIS OLD SOLDIER OF FREEDOM. / WITH THE SOLEMN ACCEPTANCE OF HIS OWN FATE, THERE ALSO COMES THE AFFIRMATION THAT ALL IS NOT LOST... THAT SOMEONE WILL FIND HIM... THAT SOMEONE WILL RECOGNIZE HIM... / ...SOMEDAY." I think that can apply to both Casey and The Intimates.
That about does it, but I'll leave you with a final link to Casey discussing the issue and series with Matt Fraction in a Basement Tapes column.
