Hello Cosmic Part 27: The Death of the New Gods

[Concluding my two-part look at Jim Starlin's work involving Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters. In this post, I'll discuss The Death of the New Gods. This post fits into a larger look at Starlin's cosmic work.]

Okay, a little bit later than I expected... especially since this has been sitting partly-written here for over a week... Ah well...

Final Crisis has finished and it seems like the right time to re-explore The Death of the New Gods, which... well, didn't really work with Final Crisis at all, did it? But that's only a problem if you care about "Official DCU Continuity," which I don't. No, I can separate all of my comics into their own little worlds. Like Final Crisis actually exists in the Grant Morrison DCU that began with Animal Man went right on through his early Batman work, Doom Patrol, JLA, Seven Soldiers, Batman and, then, Final Crisis. While The Death of the New Gods really just exists, for me, alongside Cosmic Odyssey and not much else. See how easy that is? It leads to far less headaches and a lot more enjoyment. Now, of course, Morrison wrote Final Crisis in a way that explains why it doesn't sync up with Countdown and The Death of the New Gods, but who cares? I sure don't.

The Death of the New Gods features Jim Starlin writing and drawing a murder mystery where New Gods are found dead all over the universe, gaping hole in their chest, but that wound isn't the cause of death. As the story progresses, more New Gods die, suspects emerge and are discarded (including the Infinity Man, Darkseid, and Orion), a second Source Wall is discovered in front of the original with the newly killed New Gods' likenesses on it, Metron discovers the culprit and observes what happens, and, ultimately, Darkseid is the last one left standing.

While I was disappointed in Cosmic Odyssey for its lack of exploration of the idea of these characters as the New Gods, Starlin uses this series to really explore that idea by having the force that's killing them revealed as the Source. That's right, the New Gods' god is killing them... I love that idea. Starlin really plays with it in both a religious and a metafictional manner.

Metron is the first to discover the identity of the killer (although, we're told later that Darkseid figured it out before that, but kept the knowledge hidden so he could prepare to fight back and save himself) and, when he does, the Source says to him, "YOU WERE ALWAYS MY FAVORITE OF THE NEW GODS," a position that Starlin possibly shares? He devotes quite a bit of space to Metron, starting in the first issue with some inventive art. Metron, I guess, uses drugs to "sleep" (aka hallucinate) and, when he comes out of his hallucination, Starlin repeats a panel of Metron looking shocked, but then has it shatter, revealing the pipe behind it. One of those great Starlin touches that you don't see a lot of artists trying these days.

Getting back on track, the discussion that ensues between Metron and the Source is thinly disguised as Metron talking to Jim Starlin (or DC editorial) as the Source maintains that mistakes were made and it's time to begin anew. Much of the conversation is more plot-oriented, but Starlin can't resist a few subtle bits that tells us what we already know: there are plans that require the New Gods to die. The Fifth World reboot, whatever it is, is coming and that means no more Fourth World. The Source doesn't enjoy doing it, but it has to, so... The real reason is that the Anti-Life Equation is part of the Source and it needs to reunite with it, and needs the power source of the New Gods' souls to do so.

Elsewhere, the New Gods are trying to solve the mystery of who is killing them off. Mister Miracle undergoes a transformation after the death of his wife, Big Barda. He changes the colours of his costume from red, yellow and green to black, blue and violet. He also uses his apparent mastery of the Anti-Life Equation extensively, seemingly corrupted by the power. The connection between Mister Miracle and the Anti-Life Equation is one of the most interesting pieces of subtext in this book (and I'm guessing not a creation of Jim Starlin) since it creats an implied connection between Mister Miracle and Darkseid. The focus of Darkseid's father/son relationship is always on Orion, but Scott Free is the adopted son that Darkseid got in return for Orion. You would think there would be some parental issues there and it's really ironic that while Darkseid always obsesses over Orion killing him, it's the son he never thought about, the one he never considered that has mastered that which he aspires to. When Darkseid and Orion clash at the end of the series, it's after Mister Miracle has already bested Darkseid using the Anti-Life Equation in an earlier issue. Darkseid is overshadowed by both of his sons.

Scott Free's struggle throughout the series is interesting and more in line with Starlin's pet themes. He is a man torn between good and evil, psychologically fractured and having a nervous breakdown. He attacks Orion and Superman at one point. He is all-powerful and that power corrupts. When he uses the Anti-Life Equation, he becomes a being of energy and looks nothing like himself. He's a familiar character in the Starlin tradition. In the end, he's the one most betrayed by the Source. He can't contemplate that their god would do this to them and asks for death. As does Metron.

The final confrontation between Darkseid and the Source has Darkseid using the Source's own stockpile of power against it, tapping into that second wall in front of the Wall. He also uses a weird elixir to power himself further. That is, until Orion's soul is called to fight him--as it wasn't collected like the others. Darkseid escapes, presumably to die in the pages of Countdown and New Genesis and Apokolips crash into one another.

The use of Superman is interesting as he isn't a New God. He's the witness to their destruction, the sole survivor of the final conflict that results in New Genesis and Apokolips crashing into one another and merging (strangely, a more fitting end to the New Gods' conflict than the one Morrison provided--at least when looking at his repeated use of symmetries and balance... the merging of good and evil... eliminating the duality). Superman also seems to represent the DC fan, the bystander outraged that this is all happening for no reason. The final issue's cover has Superman on his knees in a rage, floathing in front of the heads/figures of the deceased New Gods, screaming, "NO! / IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!" His feelings are the feelings of fans wondering why this is happening, what purpose it serves... In that issue he's more thoughtful than angry, but the message is still the same: why did this happen? He consoles himself with the knowledge that this may bring about the Fifth World and that, finally, he remembers the characters and "IT WILL HAVE TO BE ENOUGH THAT I HAVE KNOWN GODS."

That's all that readers have left, really: the comics they own and the time spent reading them. Will these characters return? Maybe. But, if not, their adventures still exist on the page. Isn't that enough?

CBR Review: Youngblood #7

I recently reviewed Youngblood #7 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Normally, I try to write all of my reviews for the week on Wednesday. That’s the day comics come out and the day that I get them, so it makes sense to make reviews as timely as possible. That said, it’s Thursday afternoon right now, and the reason for that is the boring mediocrity of Youngblood #7. I tried to write this review last night and stared at the cursor blinking. I tried putting on energetic music and stared at the cursor blinking. I tried putting on The Gonzo Tapes, recordings Hunter Thompson made while writing, thinking maybe they would inspire me and, yes, I stared at the cursor blinking. Blink, blink, blink. Eventually, I went to bed."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Invincible Iron Man #10

I recently reviewed Invincible Iron Man #10 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "After the first six issues of Invincible Iron Man, I decided to drop the book. The writing wasn’t to my taste and I couldn’t stand the art. I gave it a complete story to win me over and it didn’t. But, then I read and reviewed issue seven, which was, quite frankly, a fantastic issue. It fired on all cylinders, but I wasn’t totally convinced. I would give it another chance, especially as 'World’s Most Wanted' looked interesting. Well, the 2.5 stars I gave this issue suggest the odds of me picking up the next."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: The Age of the Sentry #5

I recently reviewed The Age of the Sentry #5 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Issue five contains two 10-page stories featuring the Silver Age Sentry as well as a one-page Marvel Fruit Pie parody ad, and one page that takes place now featuring the narrative frame of the previous stories. Firstly, the Marvel Fruit Pie parody ad: please just stop these. Why is it that every comic that flashes back to the Silver Age feels the need to include a fruit pie ad? The joke has worn thin and, let’s be honest, wasn’t that funny to begin with. It’s just a groan-inducing cliché at this point."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Jersey Gods #1

I recently reviewed Jersey Gods #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Jersey Gods #1 is a charming read, but not quite what was promised —- yet. The solicitation for this issue promotes the story of a cosmic god that’s married to a Jersey girl and lives three doors down from his in-laws. The high concept pitch screams Jack Kirby meets Everybody Loves Raymond. The actual first issue is all set-up and getting to the point where Barock (the god) and Zoe (the Jersey girl) marry and live the wacky sitcom life of the solicitations. Not that there’s anything wrong with that."

You can read the rest HERE!

The Splash Page: Final Crisis #7

Over at The Final Crisis Dialogues, Tim Callahan and I have finally posted our discussion of Final Crisis #7 (and, by that, I mean Tim posted our discussion). A lot has been said about that final issue, including thoughts by Tim and I separately, but ignore all of that! This is the final word on Final Crisis! (At least until Tim or I decided to write more about it...) We forego things like "plot" and get to the heart of things: poetry versus prose! Tie-ins! Sonny Sumo! And, of course, we don't always agree, but isn't it better that way?

Plus, it's pretty long. It would have been longer, but Tim has to go to New York and, thus, we suddenly had a deadline. But, rest assured, we could have kept on talking for a whole lot longer! So go read it NOW!!!

Watchmen day 1

I'm teaching my comic class again, and I thought that as I go through each class period, I would post here some of the interesting little observations made by myself and the students. Today was chapter 1 of Watchmen, and here were a few of our insights:

+page 1's slow pull back from the smiley face button is reciprocated in the last page as well, the first page symbolizing death with its blood and the last symbolizing life with Dan and Laurie laughing over drinks

+page 1 also contains hints at two incredibly significant presences in the book: Kovacs walking through the blood (while Rorschach's journal narrates) and a purple Pyramid Deliveries truck goes by (singled out by its purple color, tying it to Adrian)

+panel 5 of page 4 is filled with clues: the newsstand, gunga diner, a knottop, electric cars, Kovacs. it is all important. it's all part of the narrative puzzle. everything is connected and nothing ever ends.

+page 4's last panel and page 5's first are the same two buildings in the day and at night, with one other change: Kovacs is in the former, and Rorschach in the latter

+our introduction to Rorschach sums up his character well. we've gotten insight into his world view in his journal excerpts that run parallel to the action, but in his first actual scene he says little. he slowly and methodically puts pieces together, looking down on them from above

+our intro to Dan: a dork who hangs out with old guys reminiscing about the good old days. he walks home to where he lives alone and has locked all his toys in the basement, in denial about how much happier he would be if he let himself play with them

+the middle panel of page 10, one of my students pointed out, has Dan in silhouette from a distance, and the shape of his coat and his glasses mimic Nite Owl's costume perfectly

+the Dan/Rorschach scenes are essentially the two different sides of Batman (gadget-loving wealthy thrillseeker vs. obsessive grim detective) having an argument

+intro to Adrian: first panel of page 17. skyscraper with his name on it, dialogue coming out of the side like the building itself is speaking. He IS the ivory tower. Lots of purple and yellow too throughout this scene, in his costume and in his present day business suit, the colors of opulence.

+intro to Jon: he's 25 feet tall. he looms large over everything and his presence and uniqueness is undeniable. demonstrations of his powers and his detachment to human concerns (the bit about the number of particles in a corpse) throughout these pages.

+intro to Laurie: in Jon's shadow, arms crossed in confrontational pose. demonstrations of her boredom throughout these pages. (is Jon smiling on the bottom of page 23 because he knows where she and Dan will end up?)

CBR Review: Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #1

I recently reviewed Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The series follows Alice Hotwire, a police officer who specializes in dealing with Blue-Lights that muster up enough energy to cause trouble for the living. The issue opens mid-exorcism as the spirit of a dead child tries to kill its still-living family in order to reunite them all. While it seems routine enough, normal procedures don’t solve the problem and, later, Hotwire learns that the building, although in a poor area, is within the boundaries of a disruptor tower. Something it making Blue-Lights turn up where they shouldn’t and she’s determined to solve the mystery."

You can read the rest HERE!

Hello Cosmic Part 26: Cosmic Odyssey

[The first of two posts devoted to Jim Starlin's take of Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters. In this post, I look at Cosmic Odyssey, a 1988 four-issue prestige format series Starlin wrote and Mike Mignola drew. This post fits into a larger look at Starlin's cosmic work.]

A year after completing my look at Jim Starlin's cosmic work for Marvel, I'm back with two posts examining Starlin's take on the New Gods--twenty years apart. The New Gods seem like the perfect cast for a Jim Starlin comic book since they combine the cosmic and the mythic in that way he loves to--never mind that Thanos was clearly inspired by Darkseid (although, I'd say has become a much better character over the years). Really, the right mix is here for a fantastic story, which Cosmic Odyssey isn't quite. It's not bad, but it doesn't quite work in the way that nothing I've read of Starlin's DC work has... I am honestly mystified as to why Starlin's DC stuff fails to live up to the skill he displayed at Marvel, but that's how it goes.

However, Cosmic Odyssey is an interesting and decent read. What's most telling is that Starlin immediately sets about making Darkseid more like Thanos by making his coveted Anti-Life Equation a sentient being, something to aspire to and worship ala Thanos's relationship with Death. Starlin never quite pushes things that far, because Darkseid's motivation is control and power, while Thanos's motive was love--but that Starlin immediately makes the Anti-Life Equation (and isn't "anti-life" death?) an entity, a being, something that lives clearly shows that he wanted to make these characters more to his liking, more in his comfort zone. Cosmic Odyssey comes between Starlin's last cosmic work at Marvel, The Death of Captain Marvel and his next work, Silver Surfer where he resurrected Thanos and Adam Warlock and began his long "Infinity"-themed stories. Was he already missing those characters? Thankfully, his reworking of the Anti-Life Equation is his only major overhaul here as he prefers to stick close to the established identities of the characters involved.

The plot is rather simple: the Anti-Life Equation wants to eat our universe after Metron accidentally opened the door for it on one of his knowledge quests. The Equation sent in four aspects of itself and is trying to destroy four planets in the Milky Way galaxy, which will collapse the galaxy and allow it to enter our universe. The kicker is that it only needs to destroy two of the planets to succeed. So, Darkseid and Highfather have gathered a bunch of Earth heroes: Batman and Forager (a "bug" on New Genesis) have Earth; Superman and Orion have Thanagar; Starfire and Lightray have Rann (and meet up with Adam Strange); and John Stewart and the Martian Manhunter have Xanshi.

The most well known ramification of this series was the Stewart/J'onn mission where John Stewart is so arrogant and reliant on his ring that he leaves J'onn behind at one point (because taking him would slow him down) and, when he gets to the Anti-Life Aspect and its giant bomb, he discovers that it's painted yellow, the one weakness of the Green Lanterns! And there goes Xanshi. Starlin really does some good work with this subplot by having J'onn bitch Stewart out, while Stewart contemplates suicide later in the series, even going so far to send his ring away and put the gun to his head. Not at all what one would expect (then... now, I think Stewart would have pulled the trigger...) and quite good.

There's also some great moments between Superman and Orion where the Anti-Life Aspect mind-controls the population of Thanagar, sending them out to stop Superman and Orion. Superman goes on ahead, burrowing underground to get past the defences, while Orion is left to distract the Thanagarians. When Superman returns, he finds every soldier slaughtered and Orion unapologetic. He says that there are no innocents in war and with stakes that high, he wasn't going to play nice. Superman responds by hitting him. Not the last time a DC hero would deck Orion in this series. Orion is a racist. As Forager is a "bug," Orion treats him with disdain. This pisses Batman off after Forager sacrifices his life to stop the Anti-Life Aspect on Earth, so Batman let's fly a punch and is then held back by Superman. The book ends with Highfather informing Orion that he would accompany Forager's body back to his home in a lesson of tolerance.

When reading Jim Starlin writing the New Gods, particularly Darkseid, I can't help but compare it to how he would handle Adam Warlock and Thanos. People often say that Thanos is just a rip-off of Darkseid, which, in a very superficial way, is true. However, where Thanos is self-loathing and psychologically complex, Darkseid is simple. He's self-serving and evil--evil in that way where he says that he's evil and revels in death and destruction. His is the ugly face that he wants the universe to share. If you actually read Starlin's Thanos and his Darkseid, there isn't much similarity despite Starlin making the Anti-Life Equation an entity.

His New Gods are very much like the gods of myths. They are brash, arrogant, very human in their qualities. We don't see many of them here, just Highfather, Lightray, Orion, Darkseid, Metron and, briefly, Lonar (and Desaad for, like, a panel--lurking in the shadows). Metron is out of it for the story, his mind broken by his encounter with the Anti-Life Equation. Only Highfather and Darkseid seem in check of their emotions much of the time, both composed--Darkseid goes off the rails a little towards the end. Since one of Starlin's pet themes is religion, I went into this wondering how he would handle the idea of these characters being called the New Gods, if he would really explore that idea in any depth, but he doesn't, sadly.

One small moment of interest: the story begins with a group of Apokolips Storm Troopers invading Gotham only to be repelled by Superman and Lightray. However, one is left behind. Later, Batman is on the trail of various missing persons and comes across this monster in the sewers. After the Storm Trooper drops its gun, Batman, clearly out of his league, picks it up, narrating, "I NORMALLY DON'T LIKE USING WEAPONS... / ...ESPECIALLY FIREARMS. / BUT I'M FLEXIBLE, ABLE TO ADAPT TO THE SITUATION." At which point he blasts a giant hole in the Trooper's chest and leaves it for dead.

I should mention Mike Mignola's art, which is just as good as you'd think it would be. He really does a great job here, using interesting layouts and repeating panels effectively. His Darkseid looks like a creature of rock. He uses shadows well and I particularly enjoy his Metron.

Ultimately, I don't know how much influence this book had on the New Gods and the DCU (aside from the John Stewart stuff). But, it does influence the next series I'm looking at, The Death of the New Gods. I'll get to that sometime in the next few days.

I Bought Comics: End of January 2009

[Me saying whatever I feel like about some recent comics I got and didn't review for CBR. Not reviews. I do reviews elsewhere where I have to be coherent and nice and civil. Here, I just talk.

Not a whole lot of non-CBR-reviewed books from the past two weeks, but I figured I'd at least give some thoughts.

Dark Avengers #1

Okay, this comic raises the idea of: does having enough of a brain to figure out the contents ahead of time make this a poor read? Because, let's be honest, the contents were pretty easy to figure out. The only question was if Norman Osborn would be the guy inside the Iron Patriot armour, which he is. I kind of dug this comic. It wasn't very good in that literate sense, but it's stupid fun. Absurd and retarded. But in good ways. Like a lot of other people, I wonder where this book really goes and what makes it different from Thunderbolts except now the world is kind of paying attention. Is that all?

But, it's got Noh-Varr, the alternate reality Kree spaceman who was never actually called Marvel Boy, but is now Captain Marvel--which we all knew would happen, except we all figured he would have just done it, not that Osborn would suggest it.

Not sure if I'll pick up the next issue. Probably will, because I've got that weird Noh-Varr obsession going on, but... I do honestly wonder how this book will compare to Warren Ellis's Thunderbolts since does anybody think that Bendis can match Ellis's twisted vision? Sure, these are all characters half a step away from killing tons of people, but... I'm just unsure about Bendis's ability to capture that well. Who knows.

Ghost Rider #31

You know what, fuck shark-riding Ghost Rider. It's a one picture joke. I miss the way this book began. I miss Roland Boschi, who draws five pages here to remind us all that, yeah, the art was better then. I miss the grindhouse insanity. I keep threatening to drop this book and I think next issue, which "concludes" this storyarc, will be the deciding issue. This isn't bad, but it's not good enough. We've yet to see anything about any of the members the League of International Ghost Riders involving personality or character, something that isn't "Hey! Look! CHINESE GHOST RIDER!" Who cares? "Angel trying to take over Heaven!" Again? This run began in a very unique and energetic manner, but has just become a mish-mash of stories I've read before--and didn't care too much then.

Punisher: War Zone #6

This ended pretty much like I'd expect. I'm still thrilled that my idea for each of the CBR reviewers to do an issue actually worked and the series averaged just over 3.5 stars per issue, which considering the variety of tastes and interests between the six of us says "YEAH, READ THIS FUCKING COMIC!" Is it brilliant and life-changing? No, but it's a lot of fun and done with skill. It's Ennis and Dillon, for fuck's sake. If you didn't buy it (nearly) weekly, get the trade.

And that's it. I told you it wasn't much.

CBR Review: New Avengers #49

I recently reviewed New Avengers #49 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Huh. Well, that’s a surprise. Just when you think you have Brian Michael Bendis pegged, he does something unexpected. Normally, he’s known for a decompressed style of storytelling where plots like the whereabouts of Skrull Jarvis and Danielle Cage, or the Dark Avengers usurping the identities of many New Avengers to play out over six (at least) issues. But, here we are, two issues after Luke Cage and Jessica Jones’s daughter was abducted and one week after the debut of the Dark Avengers, and both plots get dealt with directly here. Quelle surprise. "

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: glamourpuss #5

I recently reviewed glamourpuss #5 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "The real draw here is Sim’s continuing exploration of Alex Raymond’s photorealistic style, which Sim concludes in this issue by reproducing five of his favorite 'Rip Kirby' strips (with a thanks above each to Heritage Auction Galleries for their scans of strips) and discussing what about each makes them his favorite. Here, it may be best to pull out the previous four issues of glamourpuss as Sim references them quite heavily, these analyses acting as a summation of everything he’s discussed so far."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Final Crisis #7

I recently reviewed Final Crisis #7 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Though it endured delays, multiple artists, and some confused reactions, Final Crisis has finally ended, and it has ended well. This final issue may require multiple readings and bit of effort, but that work is rewarded as Grant Morrison trusts his readers to rise to his level, using a fragmented 'channel surfing' technique that jumps around a lot, but does provide all the information necessary for comprehension."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Captain America #46

I recently reviewed Captain America #46 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "When I reviewed last issue of Captain America, I wrote, 'The book is so consistent that it’s difficult to find new and interesting things to say about it. It's almost easy to forget about this title as it is taken for granted that, each month, Captain America will come out and be quite good.' Those words remain true this month and almost make me regret signing up to review the latest issue. The key word there is ‘almost’ as there’s nothing more than pleases me in this gig than having the chance to rave about a great comic, particularly one that’s been so good for nearly four years straight."

You can read the rest HERE!

The Splash Page: Superman Beyond 3D #2

[Welcome to another addition of the Splash Page, the column that I do with Tim Callahan. We're in full Final Crisis mode and are giving you three weeks of discussion on the topic: this week, it's Superman Beyond 3D #2. Here is the first half of our conversation; Tim will post the second bit on his blog at some point. Enjoy.]

Chad Nevett: Week two of our three-week wrap-up of Final Crisis continues with a book that actually falls after issue three and during the same shipping month as issue four (you can tell by the logo and how decomposed it is). Not that matters, but I just wanted to point that out, because I'm weird like that. Now, I reviewed this issue over at CBR, so why not start with your response to that review, Tim, and go from there.

Tim Callahan: I think your review was waaaaaay off base, especially when you categorized it as a "just...no" and said it "makes brains hurt." That's a shallow reading of the comic, and why is making a reader think somehow a negative???

Oh wait, that was CBR's own Hannibal Tabu's review I was reading.

Your review is, not surprisingly, a lot more receptive to the metafictional aspects of the comic. It is indeed a story of competing narratives, and it seems to be a commentary not only on what Morrison has done within the DCU, but a commentary on the DCU itself as a complex meta-narrative. This is a comic about the way in which these kinds of stories have been told before, so we get the recursion of Morrison's ever-popular character-senses-the-presence-of-the-reader trope along with an explanation of the Monitors as cosmic vampires feeding off the lives of fictional characters.

I think my own review would have tended more toward yours than Tabu's.

CN: I think nearly every review of yours would tend more towards mine than Tabu's...

But, yeah, this was a bit more obtuse in its presentation, but it's the same story Morrison has been telling for years. Your latest "When Worlds Collide" named a few precursors to Final Crisis, and you could have easily thrown in a whole bunch of other Morrison tales, but he keeps exploring these same ideas over and over again in different ways. This time, it was through the ultimate superhero fighting for life against a being that is anti-life through the lens of some metafictional commentary. Superman's fight here (and the decision he makes to win) is mirrored in Final Crisis by Batman's choice to shoot Darkseid. Both characters reach beyond their typical morality to "save the world," although, in Superman's case, it's save the... hyperuniverse?

And even if you don't get everything, it all comes down to: Superman fight evil Monitor to obtain magic potion that will save his wife. That's easy. Ignore the captions and look at the pictures then... even on just that level, there's still a lot to appreciate in this comic.

TC: Since this comic is clearly about the art of narrative -- specifically the art of the superhero narrative as embodied in the character of Superman -- what do you make of Morrison's portrayal of the Monitors here? I've seen critics refer to it as a commentary on fandom, feeding off a fictional universe for their own intellectual (and emotional) sustenance. And I've also seen people compare the Monitors to superhero comic book writers, who simultaneously feed off the lives of fictional characters (a writer's gotta get paid and buy food) and also manipulate the destiny of the characters they "monitor."

Do you think such a specific allegorical reading works for this comic?

CN: I'm not sure either really works, because of the use of the "corruption" the Monitors experience. Do readers or writers experience something similar? Especially because it's clear that the "corruption" isn't actually a negative at all, which the Monitors seem to realize because of Superman. I think you can see a broader commentary about feeding off of characters and watching them, but it's far too general to be about a specific group.

TC: What role do you see this story playing within the larger Final Crisis context? On its surface, it seems to have nothing to do with the greater Darkseid plot, and the Monitors see Earth as the "germ-world," a term which implies contamination and insignificance (simultaneously) yet they realize also that it's the keystone to the multiverse (and presumably the keystone to their existence as well). So how does the Monitor plot -- the Mandrakk plot -- echo/relate/reflect the concerns of the overall Final Crisis?

CN: It seems to mirror the plot of Final Crisis with the return of the "dark god" type figure, don't you think? This is the metacrisis that causes all of the various crises that are happening not just on the Earth the heroes we follow inhabit, but, apparently, on all of the others. Because of Mandrakk's return, every Earth is experiencing a crisis... Also, that Mandrakk is basically called the embodiment of "anti-life" surely points to Darkseid, don't you think? It also makes me wonder about the solution to Final Crisis being a combination of "good" and "evil" since it required Superman and Ultraman to coexist to defeat Mandrakk.

[Read Part II at Tim's blog. As well, check out all of our past Splash Pages regarding Final Crisis at The Final Crisis Dialogues!]

John Constantine as Byronic Hero

Last semester I taught British Literature II (which begins at 1800 and goes to the present day). Very early on in the year, we were talking about Byron and how he ushered in a new type of hero. It was a character type based in part on his own persona (he "debuted" this new kind of hero in his semi-autobiographical work Childe Harold's Pilgrimage), but it was one that rang true for a great number of people. Audiences of the time really responded to Childe Harold because the main character felt a bit more real than the heroes of yore. And because it resonated so much with readers, it is an archetype that has been repeated in several varying forms ever since, as it is seen by many as a precursor to the anti-hero, perhaps a slightly more altruistic version of such.

As I was reading the textbook's definition of this character type, a thought struck me. I read the following passage (which comes from page 608 of the most recent edition of The Norton Anthology of British Literature, vol. 2):

"In his developed form ... [the Byronic hero] is an alien, mysterious, and gloomy spirit, superior in his passions and powers to the common run of humanity, whom he regards with disdain. He harbors the torturing memory of an enormous, nameless guilt that drives him toward an inevitable doom. And he exerts an attraction on other characters that is the more compelling because it invokes their terror at his obliviousness to ordinary human concerns and values."

We then started discussing more modern examples of this archetype as seen in British literature, and a perfect example from comics came to me: John Constantine. This might not come as a surprise to some people but it was a revelation to me in that moment, and I had to reign myself in so as to not steer the discussion off-topic too much. But in my mind Constantine, especially as written by Garth Ennis, seemed to tick all the boxes.

Mysterious? Definitely. Few people really know his character deep down because he doesn't really have friends beyond Chas. Superior to the common run of humanity? Yes. He knows more about the secrets of the world than most people and in fact is more than a little arrogant about his superiority. and guilt? Man, he has it in spades. He is haunted by the ghosts of those whose deaths he was indirectly responsible for, and he blames himself for many of those incidents (even when they weren't completely his fault).

If you look at the checklist on Wikipedia of what it takes to be a Byronic Hero, there are even more characteristics that stand out: cunning and able to adapt, disrespect of rank and privilege, a troubled past.

It's unfortunately been too long since I've reread my run of Hellblazer, so I can't think of any particular examples off the top of my head of his exhibiting any of these behaviors. Obviously his guilt can be traced back to the Newcastle incident (detailed in Hellblazer #11), and in Ennis's run his self-criticism is at its highest when Kit leaves him. If anyone would like to chime in with a few more examples, I'm all ears.

CBR Review: X-Files #3

I recently reviewed X-Files #3 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "This issue improves over the last two mostly in the skill and knowledge about writing for comics that Wolfman brings with him. Spotnitz’s issues seemed to suffer mostly because he didn’t know how to write comics yet, while Wolfman has been doing it for years and it shows. His pacing, while brisk, never feels rushed. In fact, he seems to draw upon movies and TV by entering scenes at the last possible moment and leaving before things get boring."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Punisher: Frank Castle MAX #66

I recently reviewed Punisher: Frank Castle MAX #66 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Now, had this issue actually delivered this plot in a stronger or more effective way than the above sentences, I would be more forgiving, but it doesn’t, it just goes through the motions and moves from point A to point B so that we can move onto Point Frank Castle Kills a Whole Lotta People in the next five issues. Really, this issue is three or four pages of story, at most, drawn out over 22 pages. It’s high concept and, as such, getting to the concept as soon as possible is a must. Reading this issue, the question of when Castle is going to be poisoned always looms and the wait is tedious."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: The Brave and the Bold #21

I recently reviewed The Brave and the Bold #21 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Is it fair to judge a comic by what’s on the cover like I am? Well, when the sole reason for this particular title existing is to offer readers a new team-up in each issue and which characters are teaming up may draw in new readers wanting to see two specific characters have an adventure together, then, yes, it is fair. It’s entirely fair and, as a result, this comic is a lie. No doubt there are people who picked up this book because they’re a fan of team-ups between Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen, two characters with a long history of working together and, thus, having a certain fan following as a pair. That doesn’t happen here and readers would be right to be upset over that."

You can read the rest HERE!

CBR Review: Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D #2

I recently reviewed Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D #2 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Not only is this a fight between good and evil, it’s a battle of stories, of narratives. The Monitors were 'corrupted' by narrative, but they learn here that it wasn’t a corruption, not really. Some may be turned off by Morrison’s descriptions like 'I’m inside a self-assembling hyper story! And it’s trying its best to destroy me,' but that just points to the central truth of the story: Superman, defender of life against the Mandrakk, the anti-life."

You can read the rest HERE!