Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.11

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday... although this post was late by a bit. Sorry.]

"The Night the Lights Went out in Garfield" is a strangely fitting follow-up to last issue, which ended with Dolby quitting Halo after his first black ops mission as the new Grifter went... well, not wrong, but not how he expected. This issue focuses on Dolby's former fellow accountant, Garfield, who is a very, very angry man. He hates his life and not entirely without cause. The accounting firm he used to work for that was sold to Halo? Yeah, it was his father's firm and it was sold without any notice. Now, his father lives a relaxing life of retirement while Garfield finds himself managing the creepiest office ever. One where the employees pull out guns after he leaves.

Ultimately, Garfield gets caught up in a traffic argument and kills a man. He drives away in a panic, imagines what will happen when he caught, gets drunk and is later found by Jack Marlowe. He informs Garfield that the man he killed was an undercover cop who had gone bad and that killing him was not necessarily a bad thing. Marlowe has altered records to clear Garfield entirely. He did this because Garfield is his employee and he needs him. You see, the office Marlowe has Garfield managing is a CIA shell company and he wants his own person in there to keep an eye on their activity. He's not telling Garfield that he has to keep working there or for Halo, it's his choice.

Next, we see Garfield looking much happier, relaxed and confident in his job.

There are a few other scenes in the issue. Further allusions to Halo buying out Belljar Media. Marlowe deciding that Agent Orange is fit to return to the FBI and Cole Cash pissed off about the Dolby situation. The issue ends with one of the mechanics from the NASCAR team Halo sponsors telling Marlowe about how the car kept going for 124 miles after running out gas, apparently powered by the Halo car battery.

This issue mirrors the last one, because both Dolby and Garfield came from the same place, and reacted entirely different to Marlowe. Dolby took initiative while Garfield just got pissed off. In last issue, Dolby enters into a new situation that results in him shooting and injuring a man, which causes him to sever ties with Halo. In this issue, Garfield shoots and kills a man, but this incident spurs him to embrace his employment for Marlowe. An odd twist.

We finish the first year tomorrow.

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.10

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

Two things: 1) Yes, I know, referring to this issue as "Wildcats Version 3.10" is not entirely correct as, really, it should be "Wildcats Version 3.1" since that zero after the one is implied mathematically. But, you know, screw it, it's issue ten. 2) Notice how this issue's cover alludes to issue eight's cover, which featured a beaten, bruised and bandaged Dolby. Here, he's the new Grifter, complete with his blue mask.

Before I get into it, I want to discuss the blue mask briefly. Why blue? My first thought is to Lou Reed's album The Blue Mask, which is a fantastic album and the title song is a violent, dark song. I know Casey is a Lou Reed fan from the various references that pepper his comics... and that Casey is very music savvy and anyone who's music savvy is bound to like Lou Reed (yeah, I said it). I don't think that's actually connected with the colour choice much, if at all, but it's what occurred to me right off the bat. As I can see it, there are two reasons: 1) Blue is closer to black than red and since Dolby is on a covert mission, a mask that blends into darkness well is a must. Part of the reason why Cole Cash used red is because it's cool looking, it tells people that this is Grifter and you do not fuck with Grifter. Just like how, in last issue, Cash taught Dolby how to hold a gun in a cool way and banter well, the mask was a means of intimidation and avoiding violence, in its own way. It's Cole Cash's brand, his colours, his calling card. Dolby is not there to intimidate or impress, he's raiding a secret FBI base and what matters is secrecy since these guys won't scare easily. Also, red is Cash's colour, it's his brand, and Dolby may be the new Grifter, but he's not Cole Cash. 2) Blue is a colder colour, less violent, less harsh, less related to blood. Dolby is a less violent Grifter, one more passive, unwilling to kill (as we'll see). Blue is his colour, because he's not as good as Cash or as willing to hurt.

Now that I've talked around the issue, let's jump in to "New Grifter's Night Out"...

Unlike other action-filled issues, this one actually contains a lot of character moments. First, we have Cash running the show via infrared monitors and microphones. This is something he'll get used to--being sidelined and stuck running the show from the Halo Building. He obviously finds this frustrating, particularly when Dolby uses a tranq gun on the FBI agents he encounters instead of killing them. He freaks out so much that he considers aborting the entire mission, but Wax talks him down: "I WOULDN'T. / AND I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD GET SO WORKED UP THAT HE'S CHOSEN NOT TO SPILL BLOOD. SAYS MORE ABOUT YOU THAN IT DOES HIM. ACTUALLY, IT'S PRETTY SENSIBLE, IF YOU ASK ME. / YOU KILL A FED ON THEIR OWN TURF, YOU'RE ASKING FOR ALL KINDS OF HELL." Cash is pissed off, partly because he's not in true control of the situation and that his protege is exercising independent thought, but also because he knows that Dolby and Wax are right. It never occurred to him that not killing was an option.

Dolby's decision to get a tranq gun is an obvious display of independence--he's the new Grifter in the same way that these are the new Wildcats: mindless violence is a thing of the past, intelligence is the real weapon here. He seems to get the idea from Jack Marlowe who reminds him that his real job is advising him, not being the new Grifter. Dolby shows reluctance to do Cash's job and Marlowe sympathises (as best he can), "UNLIKE GRIFTER, I DO NOT CONDONE THE INDISCRIMINATE TAKING OF HUMAN LIFE. MY NATURE IS TO PROTECT. / I HOPE YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO RECONCILE THE DEMANDS BEING PLACED UPON YOU. / I'M QUITE CERTAIN YOU'LL FIND A CREATIVE SOLUTION TO YOUR MORAL DILEMMA." After which, Dolby buys the tranq gun, because he is not the new Cole Cash, he is Jack Marlowe's Grifter and falls into that line. Where Cash was Grifter for Emp and followed that lead, Dolby follows Marlowe's lead.

The climax of the issue comes when Dolby is confronted by Special Agent Tyro after they've taken the child, Donovan. The Beef Boys leave with the kid and Dolby is left alone. Tyro, understandably upset, attacks him and Dolby finds his tranq gun empty--and he uses a real gun, shooting Tyro in the face, injuring him gravely. Dolby is so shook up that he just stands there and takes off his mask and is saved by Marlowe teleporting him out just before being shot by agents.

The removal of the mask is important as Dolby rejects his role as the new Grifter. He shoots a man in the face and realises that he can't do it. He's not cut out for a life of violence--Cash was wrong. He has to deal with what happened as Dolby, not Grifter. More interesting is, earlier in the issue, he mistakenly uses a regular grenade instead of a flash one and it doesn't phase him. The impersonal taking of lives using an explosive doesn't affect him like shooting a man right in front of him does. A subtle statement by Casey on the nature of violence and war--subtle because attention isn't drawn there.

At the end of the issue, in Marlowe's office, Marlowe tries to apologise for what happened and Dolby simply says, "I QUIT."

Next issue: Garfield kills a guy in a case of road rage.

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.09

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

A lot happens in this issue. Like, it begins with one of the race cars Halo sponsors doing tests and the car keeps going for over twenty laps (that we know of when the scene ends) after the gas tank says it's empty. And that car has one of those fancy Halo batteries under the hood. Hmm.

The rest of the issue is preparation for next issue where Cole Cash supervises Grifter (Dolby) and the Beef Boys as they infiltrate an FBI base to kidnap a child. This is a family book, of course.

Cash and Dolby's stuff picks up right where it left off: Dolby has a gun pointed at a wheelchair-bound Cash and is threatening to pull the trigger. And then he does. Except there are no bullets left--Cash counted and he's impressed that Dolby pulled the trigger... right up until Dolby pukes.

The next scene has Agent Wax visiting CC Rendozzo in the middle of the night at the behest of Jack Marlowe to let her know that things are proceeding as planned. This is mostly to touch base for the reader, let us know of her personal involvement. Although, there is a great panel where Wax puts on her hat, she says that it's a woman's hat and Wax replies, "I'M COMFORTABLE WITH MY SEXUALITY," which is both a smartass answer and a reference to his using his powers to hypnotise Miriam Downs into sleeping with him--something Wax is very comfortable with.

This segues into the personal aspect of this mission as we get a few pages of Special Agent Tyro and his son--who is also Rendozzo's son. The kid is a chip off the old block, training to become the youngest agent in history (although, would he be considering the Nuclear Family?). What this tells us is that the kid doesn't want to be rescued. But, that doesn't really matter, now does it?

The rest of the issue is Dolby becoming the new Grifter. First, he's told about Cash and Marlowe's past. Then, Marlowe appears, wondering what the fuck Cash is doing. His response is rather amusing when Dolby insists that he "DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT ALIENS OR IMMORTALS OR ANDROIDS...": "MISTER DOLBY, BE ASSURED, I HAVE THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ABILITY TO ADHERE TO YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT, NO MATTER HOW EXTREME THE INFORMATION MAY SEEM..." Normally, this is when threats of physical retribution occur, but Marlowe resorts to business threats.

The training of Dolby is interesting, but not important overall. It is a few pages of "How to be Grifter"--or, relating to the cover, a few pages of Cash building himself a new Grifter. My favourite part is Cash instructing Dolby how to hold a gun: "HOLD IT LIKE THIS... COCKED TO THE SIDE... / REMEMBER, THE COOLER YOU LOOK, THE LESS LIKELY IT IS YOU'LL ACTUALLY HAVE TO SHOOT." The training isn't just about how to kill and how to survive, but how to fit in. There's even a panel involving "witty rejoinders." Casey shows us what it takes to be Grifter and it isn't as impressive as you'd think. It's half skill, half bullshit.

The issue ends with Marlowe chewing Cash out for using Dolby, but Cash insists he knows what he's doing--and why shouldn't he? He's, as I put it last issue, Halo's VP in charge of black ops. If Marlowe wants him to run the mission, he needs to let Cash do it his way--which he accepts.

Of course, Cash is totally wrong. But that's next issue.

The Sunday Open (ON WEDNESDAY!): Second Week of July 2008

[Oooh! Reviews! Yummy! But, they're kind of retarded and random. Remember that, faithful readers.]

"But, Chad, it's not Sunday! It's Wednesday! You do your weekly reviews on Sunday! What the fuck, man? What the fuck?"

I have decided that, because I am a bit of a jackass, whenever comics come out here before they do in the US, I am going to do my reviews then. Why? Because it's fun. Also, that way if I pick up something good, you Americans can see that I said it was good and maybe get it, too. As such, I'll try not to spoil much. Maybe. I dunno. We'll see what happens when the time comes, eh?

Astonishing X-Men #25

It just looks like my shop didn't get any copies last week, because they sure had a shitload this week. So, I picked it up and it was decent. Ellis's writing is Ellis's writing is Ellis's writing. If Joss Whedon's run was a response to Grant Morrison's, this is a response to Whedon's. Whedon's run was big and superheroic, and this is not. This is more hard SF with some gritty detective shit thrown in. How well it will work, ultimately, depends on what comes next. Really did not enjoy Simone Bianchi's art here, mostly because of the colouring. Too dark, too muddied and just didn't work for me. Bianchi's layouts are interesting, but detract from telling the story. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the art to ruin this book for me at all, but it kind of did. I actually wanted to put the comic down halfway through because the art was bugging me that much. I loved Bianchi's work on Shining Knight, but this doesn't do it for me.

Captain Britain and MI:13 #3

Okay, this book had me excited while reading it. You get how hard that is to pull off? I was excited. I was ready to stand up and cheer. How the fuck did Paul Cornell pull that off? I'm asking seriously. If you haven't been buying this book, grab this issue plus the first three. You will thank me, I promise.

Invincible Iron Man #3

Things pick up right where they left off and Iron Man finds out that running SHIELD means squat in China. Stane proves that he's on Stark's level and gears up for a showdown. A really interesting bit with Pepper that's cute in a depressing way.

Joker's Asylum: Penguin #1

I grabbed this because Jason Aaron wrote it and, yeah, it's good. Seems in stupid events like these, there's always one or two solid books, and this is, no doubt, the book of this "event." Aaron makes the Penguin a scary character. He makes the Penguin someone to be feared. There's a page in this issue that made me say, "Holy shit!" aloud because it's that messed up. It's worth your three bucks.

The Last Defenders #5

Casey's deconstruction of the Defenders continues as things are revealed, including the Last Defenders. There's a great scene between She-Hulk and Tony Stark. Jim Muniz's art continues to wow. I dug this issue and will probably discuss it in more depth sometime in the future. But, let's be honest, if you haven't been buying this series so far, you won't be now, eh? Shame.

Secret Invasion #4

Nick Fury and his new Howlin' Commandos (or, should I say, Secret Warriors...) kick some ass. And by "some ass," I mean a whole lot of fucking ass. What's funny is that the cover I have for this issue has Nick Fury with three of the Young Avengers, but those little fucks got their asses handed to them last issue. No, here, we have the Howlin' Commandos taking out the Skrulls without breaking a sweat just as you'd expect to save those little fucks' asses. It's a small victory in an otherwise bleak issue. Not much is revealed, but it's a solid issue.

Young Liars #5

David Lapham's Vertigo book continues to shock. Sadie is strangely sweet in this issue, Danny is still an asshole, and HOLY FUCK DID THAT MIDGET JUST DO WHAT I THINK HE DID????? JESUS CHRIST!

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.08

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

And so we enter our next action packed story as CC Rendozzo uses her knowledge of Jack Marlowe's true origins to blackmail him into helping her kidnap her son from the FBI. It's not that interesting, really, but what is is how Cole Cash adopts Marlowe's mannerisms and style in this issue.

First, we have him visiting the Beef Boys, who we'll remember as the two S&M guys who trashed Dolby last issue, and pays them more, saying, "A GOOD EXECUTIVE KNOWS WHEN TO DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITY. / CONSIDER YOURSELVES ON RETAINER." Does this sound the Cole Cash we all know and love? His injuries have put him out of commission and without his ability to kill people, to cling to his old lifestyle, he immediately begins to adopt another, the one that Marlowe has adopted. While Cash is still the one in charge of putting bullets in people's heads, he's now an executive, of sorts. VP in charge of black ops, if you will. He's even dressed up a little--it's not a suit, but it's a casual collared shirt (unbuttoned, of course) and a jacket. When he, Marlowe and Wax meet later, Wax is teleported into the meeting not fully dressed and Cash says, "JEEZUS CHRIST,MAN... / ...YOU THINK YOU COULD DRESS FOR THE MEETING NEXT TIME? / FUCKIN' UNPROFESSIONAL..." Wax takes that as a joke, but is it?

Marlowe wants to use Agent Orange for Rendozzo's job, but Grifter still doesn't trust Orange and has plans for Dolby. A little corporate recruitment, one would say. The issue ends with him visiting Dolby at a firing range, tells him that he sent the Beef Boys, that he's impressed with Dolby and asks, "SO... ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP UP THE CORPORATE LADDER...?" Cash, in this issue, acts like a corporate exec, because he has no other way to act. He works for Marlowe and since he's in a wheelchair, the only way to get by is to conform to the corporate environment in which he finds himself. That means throwing money around, taking the initiative, and poaching employees... even if that employee already works for your boss.

The other subplot of the issue if Agent Wax's continuing... affair with his boss's wife and his boss beginning to suspect already. This may seem unusual, but he is supposed to be a highly skilled government agent, so his noticing some inconsitencies in his wife's behaviour is believable. If he suspects Wax's involvement is a whole other question. He may, but it may also be his utter dislike for Wax.

There's a scene with Wax and Miriam (which is how he winds up at his business meeting half-dressed) where we learn that this is the first time Wax has used his power in this way--he says to a hypnotised Miriam, "I FEEL DIRTY. / DOESN'T FEEL BAD THOUGH." He also seems to think that Miriam isn't entirely against what happens between them, that, yes, it requires his power, but not that much. Agent Downs and Miriam's marriage isn't a happy one and maybe Miriam would get a kick out of sleeping with someone her husband hates just as much as Wax enjoys screwing his boss's wife. Maybe Wax sees himself as doing something good here, that Downs deserves to be cheated on, that Miriam deserves someone who actually likes her... I don't know. But, Wax does speak the truth when he says things will get complicated.

Next issue: Dolby trains to be the new Grifter.

The Splash Page 22: Vertigo

What do Tim Callahan and I discuss this week's Splash Page? Could it be Vertigo? Why? Why the hell not, sir? Who doesn't love Vertigo? And if you don't, why not? You don't like diverse works of quality that challenge not just the intellects of the readers, but also the boundaries of comic book storytelling? You don't like books that easily compare to the best of television, movies and prose? You're a moron? ...why am I only talking in questions? Does anyone know why I am only talking to questions?

Who knows? THE SPLASH PAGE KNOWS!!!

(Yeah, I have no idea why I wrote that...)

The Superman 2000 Pitch: Table of Contents

Since someone asked, here is how the actual pitch was structered as Tim and I posted sections out of order and jumped around a lot. Well, I jumped around a lot more than Tim did, as you'll see:

"The Pitch"
--My post on "Cycles"
--The last paragraph in my post on "History"
--The very end of my post on "Origins, Family, Friends and Adventures"

"The Concept"
--Tim's post on "The Concept"

"The Characters"
--Tim's post on "Superman"
--The beginning of my post on "History" for "The Costume" and "The Lost Years"
--The beginning of my post on "Origins, Family, Friends and Adventures" for "One Last Detail"
--Tim's post on "Clark Kent" and my post on "Clark Kent, Vegetarian" (overlap)
--Tim's post on "Lois Lane, Mrs. Superman"
--My post on "Origins, Family, Friends and Adventures" for "The Kents," "the Daily Planet" and "the Adventures"

"The Fortress"
--Tim's post on "the Fortress"

"The Villains"
--My two posts on the "Anti-Supermen" with the second one going
first and my first post going second

"The Writing Process"
--Tim's post on "The Writing Process"

And that is the entire pitch in proper order. Nothing was left out in Tim and my discussion. I hope you've enjoyed our look at this lost pitch and what might have been.

The Sunday Open: First Week of July 2008

[Not proper reviews! Chad rambling for fun! HOO-HA!]

After last week's giant Marvelathon, this week is small and DC-centric, mostly. Granted, I didn't get Astonishing X-Men #25, but the shop was sold out. I think. I didn't see any copies, but I also wasn't looking for any. I had totally forgot about it until I got home. So maybe they had copies. Ah well, there's always next week. And the eventual collection. Gotta love comics.

Batman #678

Okay, that isn't at all what I expected. But, hey, that's a good thing, no?

Morrison continues to integrate every Batman story ever told and, in the process, pushes Batman's sanity to the brink. The issue begins with a Black Casebook entry, read by Robin, where he explains just how damaging his superhero career has been to his psyche. This isn't the Batman we're used to seeing. The journal entry is strangely open and earnest... sadly, it reads more like the sort of thing I write in my private journal thing--I say "sadly," because it shows a certain humanity and weakness in the character--not a shot at the writing, but a feeling of sympathy for Batman--does that make sense? And Robin shows off how good he is by taking on a couple of members of the Club of Villains... while Nightwing can't hold his own. It's looking very much like the new Batman and Robin will be Tim and Damian.

Hurt wears Thomas Wayne's Batman costume...

Bruce Wayne has been drugged up and is now the Batman of Zur En Arrh...

Next issue, the Joker shows up...

I forget where I read it, but someone recently said that Morrison is done a disservice over on Final Crisis by the art being so good. Doesn't that seem almost a pattern? Morrison's best work is often done with subpar artists--maybe because they don't distract from the writing? Not to say Tony Daniel is that bad, he's just not that great. He falls in line with the long line of "so-so" Morrison artists. Of course, Morrison has worked with his share of fantastic artists (and his stuff with Frank Quitely is among his best work--and we all know how much I love Marvel Boy with JG Jones), but... I don't know where I'm going with this, actually. Shit.

Good comic.

The Boys #20

The history of superheroes continues ending on September 11, 2001.

Ennis does a good job explaining how superheroes came about here and providing a good overview of the sociopolitical impact of their existence. I imagine next issue will be quite the story since we already know that the Seven's attempt to stop the hijackers from crashing the planes into the World Trade Center will result in at least one of the planes taking out the Brooklyn Bridge.

The other stuff in the issue is alright. The continuing meeting between Butcher and Homelander doesn't really go anywhere. The Annie/A-Train stuff is good, but gives me that uneasy feeling since I like Annie and I really like Hughie... but I know Ennis can be a downright bastard to characters, especially the ones suckers like me get attached to, so I fear the worst.

After this arc is over, I plan to reread the series. Looking forward to that.

Cable #5

This comic is a weird mix of decompressed storytelling in the macro and ultracompressed storytelling in the micro. The larger story is slow and plodding, but the actual pacing (particularly in this issue) is quick to the point of seeming fragmented and almost like a montage. I assume this altered pacing is Swierczynski still getting used to writing comics and maybe even responding to criticisms of writing too slow and decompressed. I don't hate the writing, but it is problematic. I find myself strangely liking this comic because it isn't working. I like watching Swierczynski try new things and discover what works and what doesn't. I also think this book would probably work better with a different artist--maybe someone who's been spending some time over on Ennis's Punisher book. This is Blade Runner SF, which is done a disservice by Olivetti's CGI-esque art. It needs more darkness and grit. The transformation of Sophie from waitress to Punisher is really fucking weird. Where the hell did that come from?

Holy War #3

The weakest issue so far. There is a nice moment when the Weird tries to get the band together officially and everyone's response is to ignore he exists. This story is still all over the place, but it seems to be coming together, slowly. It's still all about various religions preparing for war, but, sadly, the anti-god ray has been sidelined. The heroes fail to see that maybe getting rid of Lady Syx's hold over Rann would help them out. Not as much insanity as the previous two issues. I am a little bothered that this eight-issue series requires at least two one-shots to accompany it, though. Not that I'm complaining about getting some more Starlin stuff, mind you.

Infinity, Inc. #11

I'm thinking that I may do something comparing this work to Milligan's The Programme. Probably not, but once I reread both, I'll see if there's something there. Both twelve issues, both out at the same time, both about superheroes (kind of)... who knows.

This series ends with a two-part story tying into Final Crisis via the Dark Side Club... and Desaad. Yeah, it hasn't been said, but Desaad is Fogel. He says, at one point, "I AM A CHILD OF APOKOLIPS. / I AM PARTNER TO THE MIGHTY DARKSEIF. HIS INQUISITOR SUPREME." So, yeah, Fogel is Desaad.

The art is serviceable. Pete Woods is gone because the book is cancelled. Javier Aranda is alright, but I would have preferred they brought back Max Fiumara or Matt Camp since, well, both are better, in my opinion.

The cover to this issue is strange as it doesn't seem to have anything to do with what's inside. Unless that's supposed to be Fogel... but that doesn't explain the actual body show or the face that seems to have a mask. What's going on exactly?

Oh, and the writing is decent. I'm disappointed that this book is ending as it seems like Milligan had some longterm plans for these characters as they deal with their emotional and psychological problems.

Until next week.

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.07

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

This issue begins with Dolby at a firing range with Garfield, bonding over how fucking weird Jack Marlowe and his associates are. Dolby is hesitant to shoot the gun, but, when he goes, he pretty much hits it dead centre. And Agent Wax sees all. This is how Dolby is recruited as the new Grifter.

Part of that process has Cole Cash hiring the Beef Boys, two LA S&M club guys, to trash Dolby's apartment and beat him up. Dolby acts typically scared, but also puts up a fight. He takes his beating like a man.

The other main plot of this issue is Agent Wax, who is demoted to motor pool after being absent from work at the National Park Service lately. His first assignment is driving Agent Downs's wife, Miriam, to some fund raiser. On the way, Wax stops the car and uses his hypnosis powers to force Miriam to give him a blowjob. The manner in which Casey handles this is strange as there will be no negative consequences to this act. In fact, it continues on and, eventually, has Wax replace Agent Downs entirely--but, that's a good thing. Wax uses his superpowers to rape a woman and then, later, kill his boss... and it's a good thing.

Later in the issue, Wax shops for nasal decongestants and delivers a worthwhile monologue that relates to the series as a whole:

"NOW I ASK YOU... ALL THESE PRODUCTS LITTERING THE SHELVES... / ...HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO CONSIDER THE TRUTHS BEHIND THIS GROSS DISPLAY...? / NASAL DECONGESTANTS, FOR EXAMPLE... / SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM. BUT JUST HOW DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER ARE THEY? / A MILLIGRAM OF PSEUDOEPHEIDRINE HYDROCHLORIDE HERE AND THERE... SOME MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS, SOME MAY NOT... BUT BASICALLY, THEY'RE ALL THE SAME. / YET, SOME OF THESE SEEM TO SELL BETTER THAN OTHERS. THERE ARE DEFINITELY LEADERS IN THE RACE TO PROVIDE RELIEF FROM POST-NASAL DRIP... [/] THE DIFFERENCE IS THE BRAND. / IT'S ALWAYS THE FAMILIAR BRANDS THAT WE FLOCK TO FOR COMFORT AND ASSURANCE. / I MEAN, IT'S NOT EVEN A QUESTION OF QUALITY. GOD FORBID THEY FIND A CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD. IF THEY DIDN'T MARKET IT RIGHT, WOULD IT SELL...? / AND, FOR THAT MATTER, CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT OUR BELOVED BRANDS? ARE WE EMOTIONALLY EQUIPPED TO LIVE WITHOUT THEM...? / CERTAINLY AN INTERESTING ETHICAL DILEMMA... WOULDN'T YOU SAY, MIRIAM?"

Not hard to see how this relates to Marlowe attempt to grow Halo as a brand in order to make the world a better place, but this is also a commentary from a frustrated comics writer. Look at the basic core of that monologue and you'll see it easily applies to the comics industry where familiar names sell and quality flounders if it isn't marketed right. The best comic ever created could be published tomorrow and the vast majority of the comics-reading population wouldn't notice if it wasn't published by one of the name publishers. And, come on, are you really any different? I know I'm not. And how fucked up is that?

The issue ends with Marlowe and Cash monitoring the progress of Agent Orange's reprogramming while Cash questions Marlowe's goals and abilities. That is, until Marlowe teleports away as CC Rendozzo is on the roof and wants to chat.

Things progress and we get the initial stages of Dolby's transformation into a gun-toting killer and Wax's journey from lowly chauffeur to important agent and family man through rape and murder. Strange comic.

The Superman 2000 Pitch: Origins, Family, Friends and Adventures

[The final post in my and Tim Callahan's look at the Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Mark Millar and Tom Peyer "Superman 2000" pitch. And, yes, the entire pitch will have been quoted and examined by the end of this post. Tim or I will put up a "table of contents" in the next few days so there's an idea of how the Quartet laid out the pitch. Enjoy.]

Today, I'm going to look at the supporting cast of the books, but we'll begin with "One Last Little Detail":

It’s always bothered us when Jor-El is shown to have knowledge of Earth's existence and even to have pictures of our planet. There's something so much more powerful about the infant Kal-El being hurled into space with only the slim chance that he might find a safe haven out them. The cosmic drama of Superman’s arrival on Earth is diminished, we feel, by Jor-El's aiming the rocket at Earth. There’s something mythical about the seemingly hopeless plight or the tiny alien child through merciless space. What cosmic destiny allowed the escape ship's computers to finally seek out and home in on a planet with the optimum conditions for survival of the Kryptonian infant--the computer, programmed by Jor-El to locate the best possible environment for the development of the child, finally giving up the ghost as it shuts down everything but survival systems and crash-lands on a primitive, technologically challenged planet. By sheer million-to-one chance, Jor-El’s last, desperate attempt to preserve his world, his bloodline, his people, this quite un-Kryptonian act at hope, is validated by Earth and by Superman’s arrival there. For Jor-El to know of Earth seems to strip away this sense of miraculous fate; he's simply posting his kid off to a world where he knows he’ll be great.

The Quartet doesn't take all of Jor-El's agency out of Superman's origin, but makes it more passive: he programs the ship, which then finds Earth. I agree that this does give Superman's arrival on Earth a more mythic and miraculous air, that fare somehow played a role in the whole thing. Like Superman was meant to be Earth's champion.

Although, there already was an element of chance in his arrival on Earth, because the place where he landed played a big part in how he turned out. Millar explored that in Red Son, and the Quartet discuss the role of his adoptive parents, the Kents:

Ma lives on to play an important role as the connection to Superman’s lost past, his own "golden age."

Pa should die. It seems right somehow that his death should mark Superman’s passage into a grander, more iconic phase of his career. Pa gave Clark his values and Superman will carry them to the stars.

Superman needs a little bit of tragedy here. The character works best and stands most tall when he’s forced to deal with things even his powers cannot help with. Frankly, the post-’86 Superman, death aside, has had a pretty sweet life, and the greatest heroes of myth and legend are always shaped as much by adversity as by triumph.

Moreover, as nice as it’s been to have the Kents around as supporting characters, when used poorly, they have a tendency to actually weaken Superman by making him less independent. We’d like to see him wrestle with moral and emotional struggles on his own without always being able to so easily talk them out with the infinitely wise Jonathan and Martha over a piece of rhubarb pie.

This is a compromise between the pre-Crisis and post-Crisis versions of Superman; in the former, the Kents died, while in the latter, the Kents lived. I do wonder about having Pa die, because it reminds me of Spider-Man where Uncle Ben dies while Aunt May lives. There's an obvious point there, of the missing father figure, the constant challenge to live up to that expectation, that yardstick that isn't there anymore. Morrison implemented this idea in All-Star Superman and also showed how Pa could die without Clark's intervention.

As well, from my experience (and I could be wrong, of course), when Clark has needed advice, he's gone to his father mostly, so his death would put him a position where he would need to figure things out for himself more. I do think it raises another level of dependency, though, as having only his Ma alive could make him visit more often and feel the need to take a more protective role.

The other major supporting characters are Clark's colleagues at The Daily Planet:

It's no longer a newspaper--or, if it does publish papers, it does so as an ancillary gesture to the faithful. The Daily Planet becomes the world's preeminent global internet news service, read worldwide. For the first time, the citizens of Fiji can read Clark Kent's exclusive on how Superman capped their erupting volcano. Not nearly as drastic a move as making Clark a TV reporter, Clark (and Lois and Jimmy and Perry) maintain their exact same jobs; only the venue changes, to something a lot more exciting, accessible, and identifiable to young readers.

PERRY WHITE remains the editor-in-chief.

JIMMY OLSEN keeps doing what Jimmy does with a new emphasis on his role as Superman’s Pal and a new way of looking at what that means now that Superman has changed. Part of the fun of Jimmy was that he was the guy who always got to enjoy the same kinds of wild adventures Superman enjoyed but without any of the incumbent responsibilities; we won’t forget that.

Jimmy has a special and unique respect for Clark as well as Superman, since Clark is less dismissive of him than the other staffers. To borrow from the old radio show, Clark is the only person alive who calls Olsen not "Jimmy" but "Jim," and that small gesture--the notion that there’s at least one Planet staffer who treats him like a peer and not a dweeby kid--is not lost on him.

CAT GRANT moves in on Clark while Lois is away. She doesn’t get it. Lois and Clark always seem to be sparring, so why does Clark keep her at arm’s length? Cat should now be the character in the book who suspects something about Clark. Truth is, she can’t figure out why she’s so powerfully attracted to this klutz. It’s like he’s got super-pheromones or something...

STEVE LOMBARD returns to the Sports Page as part of a nostalgic effort to bring back old readers. His column is a huge success. He can’t help trying to bully Clark, who can’t help enjoying thwarting Steve’s pranks. We suggest bringing Steve back mainly because his role in the office was a very distinct and useful one which hasn’t been taken by anyone else since.

Outside of Lois and Clark, those should be the main Planet characters. Banter and interplay at the Planet offices should be succinct, sharp, and to the point, carrying us from Clark’s short scenes into Superman’s adventures. Complex soap operas about the tertiary characters are sometimes interesting in small doses, but the trials of Lucy Lane and Ron Troupe (for example) can too often run the very dangerous risk of pushing Superman out of his own series. On that note...

A strange combination of throw-backs and updates for the 21st century here. The idea of updating The Daily Planet to an internet news service is a bit obvious and, in a way, cynical. Granted, like they've done over in Amazing Spider-Man with "The DB," the internet would play a role, but it's ten years since this pitch was written and newspapers haven't exactly died out yet. A little too forward-thinking? But, it is also less of a drastic step than shifting the cast to television, as was done in the books in the '70s.

I really like that the Quartet places emphasis on the role of Clark here rather than Superman, particularly in relation to Jimmy Olsen, where we'd expect him to be played up as "Superman's pal" given the fondness of the writer's for pre-Crisis Superman stories. Although, they do seem to be scaling back Jimmy's place within The Daily Planet because he was more of a peer by this point in the books, I believe. No longer the "kid," he was a photographer and has since grown in that role to full reporter (again, I could be wrong).

Besides the shift from print to online, the biggest change is the reintroduction of Steve Lombard, who does play a useful role in the interoffice politics. It is interesting that Ron Troupe gets mentioned a few times in the pitch, but doesn't warrant a spot in the Quartet's Daily Planet (or, at least, a mention of what they would do with him--although, there is the possibility that he'll become the new Kryptonite Man, as mentioned later in the pitch).

This section leads into a short bit on "The Adventures":

While, as with the current run of books, there will always be time for subplots and secondary character development, our take on the SUPERMAN titles is that they aren’t "group books" or "ensemble pieces." Even more than now, we want the focus to be on Superman himself as he takes part in grand, world-shattering, star-spanning adventures which tap into the same sense of awe and wonder we strove to invoke with JLA and KINGDOM COME. Superman is the Man of Tomorrow. He mustn’t stay mired in the fast-passing trends of yesterday’s post-WATCHMEN comics. Superman’s world isn’t the life-sized, realistic world outside our window. It’s a world of limitless wonder, a thrilling circus of amazement in which absolutely anything can happen.

Given the magnitude of the changes we’re prepared to put him through, we can’t imagine running short of Superman-centric ideas once the spotlight is once more firmly focused on him. Once we’re up and at it, there’ll be room to check in on the Ron Troupes and Alice Whites as necessary, but for now, if the kids are going to be laying down two bucks every week, let’s give them the star of the show--saving the planet, defending the weak, and whenever he gets a breather, exploring the mysteries of... [The Fortress]

Here, we'd expect a few plots, but the Quartet discuss Superman's adventures in abstractions, in the general tone they want to achieve. I find this interesting, because if you look at the pitch, as a whole, very little plot is mentioned. The only story we really get is the Luthor/Brainiac one that results in the dissolution of Lois and Clark's marriage. Clearly, the Quartet is interested in telling stories, but want to make it clear what lies behind the stories, what their objectives are, how they view the world that Superman inhabits. Of course, I am interested in what some of their other plot ideas would have been.

***

And that about does it. I will leave you with the final two paragraphs of the pitch's initial section, which outlines exactly what Morrison, Waid, Millar and Peyer wanted to achieve and you can judge if they would have succeeded:

Our intention is to restore Superman to his pre-eminent place as the greatest super-hero of all and to topple Spawn and every Marvel comic that’s currently in his way.

We don’t think this will be much of a problem.

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.06

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

Ah, now this is more like it. "A Month in the Life." is a slower issue that focuses on character and the corporate side of things. It begins with a "Datebook" segment on Halo: it revolves around Halo's batteries which are, essentially, endless. The most important bit is a US senator saying, "I, FOR ONE, WOULD QUESTION THE MOTIVE OF JACK MARLOWE. WHY A MAN -- AN AMERICAN NO LESS -- WOULD DEVELOP GROUND-BREAKING TECHNOLOGY AND KEEP IT HIDDEN IS CERTAINLY A CAUSE FOR CONCERN." This is the beginning of the problems Halo will have with the government, particularly as the company expands into other areas. As well, this quote points to the main motivation for the problem being the advancement of technology beyond the accepted limits as determined by other corporations, those who contribute to the campaigns of politicians. Why would Halo be expected to share its technological secrets--or the idea even raised, except for the nervousness of rival companies who then have their lackeys in congress question the patriotism of Marlowe, owner and CEO of Halo? Is Coke expected to share its formula? The message here is clear: don't fuck with the status quo.

Garfield continues to hate Marlowe and his new job, which he feels isn't worth his time since the office doesn't need a manager. But, we'll learn why exactly Garfield is there later.

On the thinly-veiled "Larry King Show," Marlowe goes about trying to embrace his fame a little more as Dolby suggested. Here, we learn that Halo has sponsored a NASCAR team and is in talks to buy out Belljar, including its subsidiary, Worldwide Media. "King" calls the move huge and Marlowe responds, "THE HALO CORPORATION DOES NOT MAKE SMALL MOVES. WE THINK BIG, WE ACT BIG... AND WE WALK TALL AND PROUDLY..." Very much a superhero thought process, particularly one in step with fellow Wildstorm heroes, the Authority. Note how Marlowe's methods differ, though.

There's an interesting scene where Dolby runs into Grifter and Agent Wax outside of Marlowe's office. Grifter is in a wheelchair and makes it very clear to Dolby what his role at Halo is. This is the beginning of Dolby's induction into the inner circle. It causes him some concern and moves him more in step with Garfield's thinking.

Marlowe wants to reprogramt Agent Orange to act as a mole inside the FBI for him. Grifter hates the idea, because he hates Agent Orange--or, as I've suggested, is jealous of Agent Orange. But, Grifter does pose a question: "YOU'LL HAVE A FED ON THE PAYROLL. PERFECT FOR A MAKER OF BATTERIES. LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING... / ...HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO YOUR PLANS?"

Marlowe responds, "BATTERIES WERE JUST THE BEGINNING, GRIFTER. THIS ENDEAVOR IS MUCH BIGGER THAN YOU REALIZE. / BUT, ONE THING YOU ARE QUITE ADEPT AT REALIZING IS THAT IT'S BETTER TO HAVE A GUN AND NOT NEED IT... THAN TO NEED A GN AND NOT HAVE IT. / I AM LEAVING NOTHING TO CHANCE." We get a hint about the scale on which Marlowe operates and that what we've seen is barely anything. Batteries that last forever are just the beginning of his plans... At the end of the issue, we get a little bit more of his plans as Halo introduces a new personal computer that has more memory than other PCs, an endless power supply thanks to Halo batteries and, of course, is "AVAILABLE IN ONE OF TEN DESIGNER COLORS." Obviously an allusion to Mac, but still another step forward.

Next issue, we meet the Beef Boys and Wax rapes his boss's wife for the first time.

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.05

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's run on Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

I love this issue's title, "www.cacophany.com"--still not as fantastic as "Rocktopia Part 8 of 5," but still nice.

This issue concludes the CC Rendozzo/Agent Orange/Nuclear Family story as Grifter gets beaten by Agent Orange with flashbacks to their encounter in Miami from a year previous... which went pretty much the same way. Agent Orange is what Grifter wants to be, I think: an unstoppable killing machine. Grifter does everything in his power to take Orange down and nothing works--isn't that what Grifter really wants to be?

Which, of course, leads us to Jack Marlowe, who is also what Grifter wants to be, because he is just as unstoppable as Agent Orange, just as single-minded, but also far more powerful because of his union with the Void entity. Marlowe is able to arrive on the scene and dispatch Agent Orange with little effort, teleporting him elsewhere and then teleporting himself and Grifter away.

Before this, though, Marlowe meets with Garfield, his disgruntled accountant. Marlowe wants Garfield to head up a firm recently purchased, which causes Garfield to lash out. Garfield is an interesting character as he is always angry at Marlowe, and for reasons no one can fathom. We'll learn that he is really angry at what his life has become, how he is just a small man with no real purpose. Thankfully, Marlowe will give him one in a few issues.

After Marlowe and Grifter leave the Nuclear Family's house, CC Rendozzo questions Mom and Daughter and learns that the Nuclear Family is an FBI project to create a team of agents as a family and they were charged with housing Agent Orange until the brass could figure out what to do with him. Once Rendozzo realises that Grifter and Orange are gone, Dad and Son show up, some people die, Wax and Rendozzo escape and the Nuclear Family is left to do whatever it is they do.

The issue ends with Rendozzo ready to use Wax against Marlowe... before Wax is teleported away and Rendozzo is left pissed as fuck.

Mostly action with little development, but Casey establishes the pattern for Marlowe's intervention here: he shows up and solves problems without any effort. This actually creates a problem since Marlowe is too powerful, really. What would he need Grifter and others for when he could simply use his powers to obtain what he wants? I think this relates to the idea of the Wildcats as family and Marlowe feeling that he needs to provide a place and a future for Grifter. That he has Grifter do these jobs so that Grifter will have something to do, something to give his life meaning. As well, Marlowe likes to view himself above such situations, preferring to delegate the tasks. He likes to think that he's evolved beyond things like violence and petty disputes. But, has he? Is having employees like Grifter and Wax handle these things any different from doing it himself, really? Is Marlowe just deluding himself?

We'll see.

The Sunday Open: Fourth Week of June 2008

[As always, these reviews are brief impressions, gut reactions if you will, to the books I got this week rather than proper fully-rounded reviews. Read them as such. If, at any point, you don't understand what I mean by something... well, that happens.]

A big week, mostly because Marvel decided to ship everything it publishes in an effort to crush Final Crisis. Not the smartest of strategies (and if it wasn't a strategy, it still wasn't smart) as it almost had me passing up a few of their books. But, whatever, let's get to it...

Captain America #39

Frank D'Armata's colours keep the art looking like that of Steve Epting's enough for my taste. I didn't notice that it wasn't Epting, Mike Perkins or Butch Guice on art for a couple of pages--and was surprised when I realised it wasn't one of those three. I guess it was bound to happen since Perkins and Guice are very talented and working as Epting's fill-in boys probably doesn't pay the bills. Still, it kind of sucks. But, I read that Luke Ross is coming on board and I like his art, so we'll all live. Oh, and the writing continues apace.

Final Crisis #2

I liked this book. While doing this week's column with Tim, I came to the conclusion that we may as well just be totally honest and rename the thing "Tim and Chad Read Comics Better Than You Do" because that seems to be the point half of the time... and we're arrogant fuckers. Strangely enough, I think I'm worse than Tim is despite his having more cause to be than I do. *shrugs*

Oh, my only complaint about the book: the colourist didn't colour Turpin's hair when he was buying his bus ticket. Sloppy.

The Immortal Iron Fist #16

For some reason, I thought Brubaker was co-writing this issue. I was wrong. Great art by David Aja. The first of our various Matt Fraction books for the week. A decent read, but that varied from scene to scene. The charity stuff was alright and a lovely thematic follow-up to Wildcats Version 3.0, but didn't really grab me. The stuff with Danny was fantastic and makes me miss Fraction already. I'm not sure about the new creative team, but I'll give it a shot.

The Mighty Avengers #15 & The New Avengers #42

Hey, yeah, isn't it great when two books by the same writer ship in one week and fuck up the timeline in a story where when someone was replaced by the Skrulls is actually important? In Mighty, we have Henry Pym replaced in England after the "new" Avengers form; in New, we have Pym already replaced when that happens and at Columbia University. Well done, sirs and ma'ams.

I did like the way New Avengers ended, though.

No Hero #0

I'd have rather gotten Black Summer #7 first, especially since No Hero #1 doesn't come out until August (the extra month there, I assume, to allow for people to pick up this issue and then place an order for the first issue). But, you know, let's ignore that.

An alright teaser that is all concept, no character. Which is fine since I like the concept. I'm almost disappointed that the main story won't take place back in the '60s. There will probably be all sorts of flashbacks, though. I do wonder how much of the info given in the backmatter will actually appear in the comics.

I'm on board, but did anyone really think I wouldn't be?

Thor: Reign of Blood

Much like the first Fraction one-shot, I really enjoyed the narrative voice employed here. Thor continues to play a small role until the second story, making the first half of the total story (since there will be a third one-shot, making six stories in total) very light on Thor--an interesting way to go about things. I'm looking forward to the third one-shot.

Thunderbolts #121

And so Warren Ellis ends his tenure on this book... It was really fucking good. Normally, when Ellis leaves a book, I shrug and move on, because that's what he does, but I'll miss him here. He wrote a mature book involving villains better than anyone else I've seen and really hammered home how stupid the entire idea was. He also managed to make Penance work and his Norman Osborn is fantastic. I won't be buying this book any further.

Young Avengers Presents #6

Almost didn't buy this because it was a big week, but Tim made me. It was rather good and made me care about a character I had barely encountered before. It also has great Alan Davis art, which is always a plus. Fraction's Clint Barton is pretty damn good, too. Although, I will say that that last page made the whole issue work and without it, I may have been a little annoyed. But, then again, Eli's rant while leaving the park at the beginning is one I've delivered inside my head many times, just never having the balls to say it aloud, so...

I hate the f-word. I really do.

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.04

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

"CONSUMERS. / THE EBB OF SOCIETAL VIEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS KEEP THEIR COLLECTIVE INSIGHT IN A STATE OF FLUX... / THEY ARE RESTLESS, OPINIONATED AND EASILY BORED. THEIR CONSTANT CLAMORING FOR THE NEXT BIG THING HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE OPERATIONAL NORM. / WE ARE READY." Jack Marlowe begins this issue by saying that. Casey again starts an issue with the most important pieces of information, particularly about the nature of the series, what its views are, where it sees itself within the context of the comic book industry. In a way, this answers the question of "Why relaunch the title?" Because that's how you get the notice of the masses. How many books have we seen go from getting so much press and "buzz" that you can't read a comics site without hearing about it to cancellation by the end of its first year thanks to horrible sales? And things are worse now.

The scene continues between Dolby and Marlowe with Dolby giving Marlowe a key piece of advice: "YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TRUST THE BRAND... / ...THEY NEED TO TRUST YOU," which also speaks to the comics industry, particularly with regards to a title like Wildcats Version 3.0--despite being corporately-owned, by this point, it was treated like a creator-owned book. You want to launch a new title, one featuring new characters, you need to have a name that people know. Casey's approach to The Last Defenders has followed this idea as he's done a lot of press for the book over at Newsarama from the time it was announced well up until after the final issue comes out (I assume). Seems like common sense, but not always.

As well, this piece of advice relates to the concept of "Halo as a superhero," alluding to Superman and the positive press he received from The Daily Planet. People are suspicious of entities that seem altruistic or "too good to be true," so being as open and honest is a must. If Marlowe wants people to see Halo as a force for good, he needs to make sure that they see him, the CEO and owner, as a force for good. Marlowe is Halo.

The rest of the issue is devoted to the Grifter/Wax/CC Rendozzo plot. First, Wax uses his powers to get information out of Rendozzo. She wants to find the rogue FBI agent as a means to get to her son whose father is a fed and currently has the child after kidnapping him. It's all about family for her.

Ramon and Grifter do surveillance on the Nuclear Family and we get a look into the Mom and Dad's sex life as they have Agent Orange watch while they do some BDSM stuff.

The next day, Grifter poses as a delivery man and delivers a package with a smoke bomb or tear gas or something. When it goes off, the team rushes in to find the Mom and Daughter in masks, body suits and carrying big guns. There's a shoot-out where Grifter's legs are shot up to hell and the issue ends with him on the ground, looking up at Agent Orange.

Like previous issues, there's around three pages of content that's excellent and the rest is rather mundane in its own typical way. I've been trying to reconcile the two differing parts of the books and still haven't been able to pull it together. This book is supposed to be a step forward, but still revolves heavily around violence. Granted, it's violence for a different purpose than usual, but it's still violence. Are those other three pages enough to make this book stand-out, really?

We'll have to see.

The Superman 2000 Pitch: More Anti-Supermen

[Another in my and Tim Callahan's look at the Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Mark Millar and Tom Peyer "Superman 2000" pitch. New posts by Tim on Thursdays and by me on Fridays.]

Since Tim discussed the Quartet's plans for Lois Lane and the "big storyline" of their run, I figured I'd follow-up on last week's post by looking at the plans for the three remaining villains. First, they had a few words on the villains in general:

In short, we have a new blanket take on Superman’s foes. We’ve recast many of them as cracked-mirror reflections of the Man of Steel himself, aspects of his character taken to a villainous extreme. Brainiac represents Superman’s alien nature without his human compassion. Luthor is the only man on Earth capable of being Superman’s equal but has squandered his unlimited potential on evil. Prankster fights for Truth and Justice in a demented way, and Bizarro...well, read on...

As I noted last week, the plan was for each to reflect Superman and his weaknesses in their own way, something which has popped up since as well, particularly in Morrison's All-Star Superman run where Superman continually encounters various versions of himself (although not just villains). The first of the three villains for this week will sound somewhat familiar because of Morrison's All-Star Superman as well... Bizarro:

Taking the already existing Bizarro character and spinning off from Peyer's 80-Page Giant story, we can restore the creepy, demented, unnerving quality of the old Bizarro World stories. A little funny still...but somehow, a lot more scary.

Imagine a living planet which hunts through space. The entire world is a sentient system and it preys on other planets like a cancer. This self-aware--but not particularly intelligent by our standards--macro-entity has learned to imitate its prey and does this in order to "sneak up" on a victim in a pleasing, non-threatening shape. Its method is to transform itself into a crude copy of its target, sail in close and then strike by launching self-replicating parts of itself.

Now it's coming our way and it's scanning for life as it prepares to imitate and destroy the juiciest planet in its path.

And the first thing it scans, the first living creature whose mental activity is as sluggish as the killer planet's own...is Bizarro. Bizarro, whose diary, transmitted into the galaxy, attracted the killer world across the void.

And from its rough scans of Earth, combined with the flawed synthetic substance of Bizarro (who has crash-landed on its surface and found himself immune to its assaults), the planet recreates its entire form. It becomes a grotesque, rough-hewn cube with vast distorted continents and oceans in the form of our major continental landmasses.

Dull-witted synthetic creatures, using Bizarro as their model, form in the millions, billions. Odd, unfinished, cities rise. Things break easily and run down and go wrong...everything is topsy-turvy.

Bizarro has at last found his dream world and can't wait to show Superman.

The Bizarro Planet, the Cube Earth, attacks by firing parts of itself at its target world. These parts then infect any life form on the host world and reduce it to the same state of imbecilic hunger as the killer world itself. Plagues of Bizarros shuffle through city streets, making everything like themselves, reducing scientists to drooling halfwits, tearing down streetsigns and replacing them with dangerous gibberish. Suddenly the Bizarros are nightmarish, unstoppable plague carriers...who also happen to be a form of life which is only trying to exist on its own terms and which Superman knows he cannot simply destroy.

The Cube Earth shouldn't attack often, but we know it's out there and we can visit again with or without Superman. Bizarro #1 himself is the only one of the Bizarro creatures who is not himself a contaminant to humans. He is the Cube Earth's crazy ambassador.

The Bizarros should have a Cronenberg/Lynch quality of blackest humor and gut-wrenching dread, mingled with the sad, sinister charm that Tom's story worked to evoke.

I'm not familar with Peyer's story, but it's typical of the Quartet to build upon previous stories, to use what has already happened rather than simply start from square one. As well, at this time, these four writers were very friendly and often bounced ideas off of one another or did projects that led to one of the others taking over. Millar wrote the Zauriel mini-series, Peyer wrote Hourman after Morrison introduced him in JLA, Morrison and Waid came up with Hypertime, Waid was the go-to fill-in writer on JLA, Morrison and Millar wrote a year of Flash while Waid took a break, plus the various stories contributed to the 80-page giant books that were fashionable at the time. In a way, these four working together on the Superman titles would have been the culmination of years where they worked closely but separately.

This version of Bizarro is familar to anyone reading Morrison's All-Star Superman where he gave the concept two issues. The idea of the Bizarro World imitating as a means to pacify wasn't accomplished quite as planned, but the rest is there, pretty much.

For our next villain, most of his role is discussed in the portion of the pitch related to Lois, but the Quartet included a few more words on Brainiac:

Lex Luthor builds a green-flesh computer brain and body to house the dying Brainiac. The space-villain becomes Luthor's Frankenstein Monster, a heartless machine whose intellect and cosmic reach dwarfs even his creator's genius. Unlike Luthor, Brainiac hasn’t a shred of compassion and is the only enemy whom Superman genuinely fears.

Not explicitly stated, but the Quartet implies that Brainiac is what Jonathan Kent feared Clark would turn into in Elliot S. Maggin's novel Miracle Monday: a cold, detached superbeing without any compassion or morals, viewing all living things as specimen to be studied and used for his own purposes. Since Superman is defined by his compassion and devotion to life, Brainiac is very much his opposite number.

And that leaves us with Lex Luthor, Superman's arch-enemy:

We see Luthor playing chess with twenty grandmasters simultaneously while reading untranslated Il Principe and teaching himself Urdu via a Walkman he made for himself in five minutes back in 1962. Luthor is so smart we don't even have a WORD for what he is yet; calling him a genius is as insulting as calling him an imbecile.

Here’s a secret about Luthor no one yet knows. Despite his born ruthlessness, he was once salvageable, once redeemable--until Superman arrived. Though even he doesn’t consciously realize it, every iota of Luthor’s self-esteem was pinned to achieving that most lofty goal: to be considered the greatest man who ever lived. And he was on his way--until Superman appeared and outclassed him, triggering the scattershot sociopathic tantrum that is his criminal career.

Here’s another secret. Luthor's Lexcorp empire? All the corporate-baron stuff we see him doing routinely? Six minutes of his day, maybe less. He’s not the Kingpin. He only pretends to be. Luthor the businessman is the tip of the iceberg, a smokescreen generated to give the public and his enemies a false, easily digested persona which masks his true depths. In other words, Luthor conquered the financial world largely in order to project a "secret identity" designed to make people underestimate him. Lexcorp is but one of a thousand projects Luthor attends to every day.

In time, once Superman learns of Luthor’s depth, he will come to understand Lex as a tragedy of wasted potential. Though he realizes he could not have handled his earlier, formative encounters with Luthor any differently, Superman carries a new weight around in his heart. He knows now that Luthor, but for the path he chose, could have been his equal, his only true peer on this earth. And though Superman’s greatest priority will always be to stop Luthor’s schemes, his greatest frustration will be his continuing inability to rehabilitate Lex for the good of all mankind.

Not just Superman's arch-enemy, Luthor is also his foil: a superior being who never reaches his full potential because of emotional weakness. In Superman's case, his desire to be humble and fit in; in Luthor's, his desire to be the best. Both are limited by opposing desires related to pride, but Superman channels his to better the world, while Luthor focuses only on destroying Superman, the only obstacle to achieving his goal. There's an irony here, that he will team up with Brainiac who is not only more powerful physically, but mentally as well, to defeat someone who is only more powerful physically. There's no question that Luthor is Superman's better intellectually, but all he focuses on is Superman's physical abilities.

I'm actually not a fan of the idea that Luthor only spends "six minutes of his day, maybe less" on Lexcorp, but I've always found that aspect of the character to be far more interesting than Luthor as supervillain. One thing I thought the creative team of Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly, Joe Casey and Mark Schultz did right was making Luthor president since that demonstrates the level Luthor plays on, which is one entirely different from other villains. He can attack Superman in ways no one else can, but I seem to be in the minority with my preference since the character has since reverted to wearing his green and purple armour and acting rather mundane. Even in Morrison's All-Star Superman, he isn't much more than a regular supervillain--which is where the character began, so there's just cause for that. Even in Morrison's JLA, he was a supervillain, but he employed means (particularly in "Rock of Ages") unlike those of other villains. Part of what makes him so frustrating is that Superman and the other heroes are the only ones who know the true Luthor, that he always walks away with a smile and clean hands.

The idea that Superman is trying to rehabilitate Luthor is fantastic and adds another level to their confrontations: the goal isn't simply to thwart Luthor's schemes but to make him see the error of his ways. This is almost similar to what Casey eventually did by turning Superman into a pacifist: since the character is one built on providing inspiration and hope, wouldn't Superman try and rehabilitate every criminal he encounters? Would that be a logical point of evolution in the character?

Until next week.

The Splash Page 21: Final Crisis #2

In this week's Splash Page, Tim Callahan and I discuss Final Crisis #2 and I discover that it and Secret Invasion are the same stories. If you don't believe me, go read the column and you'll see that they totally are. Sure, they're told in two completely different ways, but, really, it's the same story. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

All that and more in this week's THE SPLASH PAGE!!!

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.03

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

This issue focuses almost exclusively on the CC Rendozzo storyline as we pick up where we left last issue: Grifter and Wax in the sewer, trying to track down a rogue FBI agent that's grown in a vat when CC Rendozzo and her muscle show up with guns out. Casey has some fun with the cliche nature of this exchange, having Wax say stuff like "THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE? YOU'RE A BUNCH OF THIEVES...? / ANOTHER CLICHE..." and, when Rendozzo points a gun at his head, he mutters "OH, FOR GOD'S SAKE..." while rolling his eyes. A lot of the dialogue is both sides posturing for the sake of the other; lots of "You think this is the first time I've had a gun pulled on me?" and "I know all about you and you're not that great." It's mildly amusing, but also points to situations like these being nothing but worn-out cliches that fail to entertain. How many times have you see Grifter shoot some guys? This book is supposed to be past that, but it can't move on because of convention--but it can mock the convention.

The stand-off is resolved by a sonic pulse. Grifter and Wax wake up on Rendozzo's compound with all problems solved--they'll all work together on this. They'll all track down the rogue agent and then... who knows? It's obviously a delaying action by Casey, but allows the plot to move forward.

We also get some insight into Rendozzo's little family with Ramon, her tech guy, a test tube baby who's now, like, ten and an obvious substitute for her son, who we'll get to in a few issues. Again, though, Casey plays with the family...

Including the "nuclear family," which is introduced in this issue. They have Agent Orange (the rogue agent and Grifter's favourite guy in the world, if you'll remember) and seem right out of a '50s sitcom. A stay-at-home mom, a dad who works in an office of some kind, two kids... it's all so nice. Their true nature is revealed in an issue or two.

Casey includes a two-page scene where Jack Marlowe walks off of the Halo building and ascends to space to ponder things while gazing at the world. Exactly what he sees we don't know. But, his next appearance in the issue is at a restaurant where Garfield and Dolby are having some drinks--and complaining about Marlowe (or, Garfield is). Marlowe shows up via holographic projection right in the middle of their table. Marlowe is bold and fearless it seems in showing off his abilities.

The issue ends with a commercial for the new Halo car battery. Things progress and the car battery is very important.

This issue advances a few things, but isn't spectacular, particularly with regards to the ideas I'm interested in. Still, some interesting things happen, I suppose.

Myriad #3

Issue three is back from the printers!
The story is entitled "Gone for Good" and it features artwork by Mike Murphy!





If you want a copy, contact me after Chicago this weekend. It's three bucks, plus another dollar for shipping.

OR if you're in the neighborhood, you can buy it AND the first two issues at my booth at Wizard World (table #3518 in Artists Alley). Just look for the guy in the avatar photo!

Or keep an eye out as you scan the tables for these issues!

(Curious kitty not included)
Mention GraphiContent and get a special discount!

Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats Version 3.02

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's Wildcats Version 3.0. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

The second issue kicks off with an important scene between Agent Wax and Grifter as Wax explains the importance of Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad. This speech/dialogue (mostly one-sided, but still) outlines one of the major concepts of the book. Wax discusses the role of the corporation in American history, how the Boston Tea Party was not just an act taken against the British government but British corporations as well, and how the rights of corporations were severely limited until the Civil War where corporations were able to take advantage of the political chaos to buy judges, expand, etc. Casey includes a quote from Lincoln that warns of allowing corporations to gain too much power. All which leads up to the 1886 ruling where corporations were granted the same rights as persons under the constitution, except since corporations have resources far beyond any person, they were really granted rights far above and beyond the average person.

This establishes a key concept: the corporation as superhero. If corporations are, in essence, persons in the eyes of the law, then what happens when a corporation tries to save the world? To use its advanced power to do good? Jack Marlowe's superhero guise is Jack Marlowe, his costume a business suit, and he uses Halo to advance his goals, to make the world a better place.

In this issue, he makes a few key moves: he dissolves Garfield and Dolby's accounting agency, moving the staff to Halo's building--and also gives both a chance to get ahead when he solicits their opinion--a chance Dolby jumps at, while Garfield refuses, preferring to be pissed off at Malowe.

Marlowe also learns that his attempts to "grow the brand" are failing because Halo doesn't have the relationship with ad buyers at television networks necessary to reach the masses effectively. This sets up the upcoming plot surrounding Marlowe's acquisition of Beljar Media.

There's also a meeting of characters as Grifter and Wax run into CC Rendozzo as all want to find the rogue FBI agent mentioned in issue one. The issue ends with guns drawn and everyone looking very serious.

A little bit lighter than the first issue, but the first three pages alone make this issue worth it as it has Casey explicitly stating what he's going for, what he's discussing and what the point of the book is, in a way. He also introduces a plot point (the media) that won't come into play until toward the end of the first year, and begins Dolby's ascent within the Halo ranks.

The Sunday Open: Third Week of June 2008

[Yeah, this is a post of reviews of the comics I got in the past week. It is random (well, in alphabetical order, actually, but I meant random in what I have to say, not the order in which I discuss the books) and not any real attempt to review in any traditional sense of the word. Really, it's me looking through the stack and talking about what occurs to me. Not to be taken seriously by anyone.]

Anna Mercury #2

Not quite what I figured it would be after the first issue. Was expecting something along the lines of Grant Morrison jumping into a fictional world and shit like that. Not that this is worse, just not what I was expecting. It's an alright comic, but I strangely prefer the stuff in the real world to Anna Mercury's adventures on the moon or whatever. Backroom politics, secret government programmes... in this world, all of the G8 countries have stations like this, so I want to see them. I want to see the Canadian one, I really do. What?

ClanDestine #4-5

Rather enjoyed this series. It told a complete tale, but also didn't satisfy really. Mostly, I want to learn all about Vincent, I do. The end of issue five suggests future stories and I hope low sales don't kill that chance. Of course, I didn't get these last two issues until this week because the shops in Windsor are fucking sold out of the things. That happens with a lot of books I enjoy: can't find them here and can barely find them in London. Um, maybe some books are a little underordered maybe? (And yeah, I know I used the word "maybe" twice there.) Weird guessing game, I know, but when I'm not getting certain new books on Wednesday or Thursday... well, something isn't right. And, funny enough, big seller books tend to sit on the shelves, overordered. Not that I blame retailers, because who knows what people want really. But, yeah, good comics. When the trade if out, pick up the mini. Well worth your time, effort and money.

Doktor Sleepless #7

Things move to a head... hahahahahahaha... oh, I love horrible puns. Okay, I don't, but I didn't even catch that one until I wrote it. Ah well. Decent issue, we'll see what issue eight brings.

Ghost Rider #24

Motherfucker broke into prison and starts a riot indirectly. I love the brutality of the character here. Jason Aaron makes no attempt to give Blaze any redeeming characteristics, really. All we've got is a guy who got fucked over and wants revenge--and is brutal in getting it. Lovely comic.

Gødland #23

Alternate reality! Squeeeeeeeeeeeee! I love those alternate realities and about damn time one has shown up here. I am a little bothered that Adam can sense things are amiss since that's the oldest trick in the book, but he also has special cosmic superpowers, so... I love how goddamn selfish Neela is. Seriously, ever since issue one, she's just been focused on herself at the price of everyone else--and now she's rebuilt reality just so she's the hero and her brother isn't. That's messed up.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2

Gave this a second issue to win me over and it kind of has. Almost. Maybe. I dunno. It reads alright on the surface, just isn't getting me in my special areas is all. DnA aren't touching my special areas and that's a bad thing.

The Programme #11

The Russians are fucked. Fucking right. USA! USA! USA!

...er...Milligan will surprise us all I'm sure. A weird comic.

Punisher War Journal #20

Frank purposefully fighting unlike himself is a great touch. The rest of the issue was all kinds of meh.

Rasl #2

I strangely like this book. But, it does involve alternate realities, so... Alternate realities where Bob Dylan went by Robert Zimmerman and still somehow recorded Blonde on Blonde. What are the fucking odds? No, really, that is freaky. Since he wasn't called Bob Dylan, his life should be very different--probably still a musician, but even the time displacement of Zimmerman instead of Dylan should be enough to ensure that Blonde on Blonde never got made. Weird. But, yeah, good comic.

Scalped #18

Again, Tim, thank you.

Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust?

I got this for the Noh-Varr story and it wasn't the horrible piece of shit I expected. It wasn't any good either, but it didn't piss me off. Nothing here pissed me off because it all so stupidly unnecessary and bland. Really, was there a point here? Any point at all? Because I sure as hell can't see one.

Gotta love the title's throwback to Civil War, eh? While I'm thinking about that, why is that new mini-series by Christos Gage called Civil War: House of M when it should be the other way around? That makes it sound like it takes place during Civil War when really it's a civil war during House of M. It's fucking backwards, you morons.

Oh, and Marvel is releasing Marvel Boy in hardcover come September, which is... oh, around eight months late. They should have had that fucker out before Secret Invasion and Final Crisis to capitalise on both. Yes, use DC to move books, fellas. I'm probably going to buy a copy because I love that series and, well, I said I would in a Splash Page. But, still, Marvel's release schedule of trades is fucked. They really botched the whole Eternals thing as far as I'm concerned. For one thing, the Gaimain mini's trade should have came out BEFORE the new series began, not the week after. That's dumb. And don't tell me a printing issue moved things around, because it should have been out several weeks before--or, ready to be out weeks before, but purposefully shipped one week before. But, you know, whatever, not my company.

Tiny Titans #1

Finally found an issue of this series after reading Tim's praise for a while. It's a cute little comic that had a few moments that made me laugh. Especially Robin asking Speedy if he can run fast. That name makes no fucking sense. Good little book. If I come across more issues, I'll buy them.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #4

I do hope everyone notices that most of this book is people talking. The fights are short, brutal and utterly without glamour. This book lives between battles. It's a bit more subdued than most Ennis stuff I've read. But, it's good.

Young Liars #4

...Sadie was a virgin? Jesus. Freddie is a bit of a douche. I'm enjoying this book more with each issue.

And, yeah, I got some trades somewhere in there, I think, I dunno. I know I got a cheap copy of Pride & Joy and it was good. I reread Mike Carey and Denise Mina's runs on Hellblazer and enjoyed them for different reasons. They're both still the weakest writers on the book that I've encountered--but, well, maybe my love of Constantine blinds me and makes me unable to dislike the books. Although, the weird one-off issue in the middle of Mina's run is fucked up.

This upcoming week is big just as money is getting tight. Fucking hell.