Pop Culture Chronicles

Pull List / Reviews July 2011, part 2

My previous post listed the DC comics on my current pull list. Here is what I'm reading from Marvel:

Marvel 

All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes # 1-2- This 8-part limited series is set in World War II, so it's right up my retro alley. A group of super-powered heroes join the army and are led into battle by Captain America. These include Timely heroes The Young Avenger, Invisible Man, Merzah the Mystic, and others.

Even Slow Motion Jones returns. He was the African-American sidekick of the Whizzer back in the Golden Age. He previously appeared in the first issues of USA Comics and All Winners Comics in 1941. In those days Slo-Mo was a racial caricature, but is now re-introduced as an intelligent super-speedster, faster than the Whizzer himself. His re-introduction is handled much like that of Whitewash Jones, renamed "Washington Carver Jones" in The Young Allies 70th Anniversary Special published in 2009. The Golden Age appearances of these African-American heroes are explained as the fictitious comic portrayals they really were, effectively striking the earlier versions from Marvel continuity. 

The new All-Winners story is told in retrospect by the alter ego of the Young Avenger, now in his 90s. He explains how Timely Comics was employed by the U.S. military to write fictional propaganda about his army buddies. The latest issue has a scene taking place in Martin Goodman's office as he sends for his nephew, Stanley. So cool! I love this series.  

FF # 1-6- I heard great things about Jonathan Hickman's run on the Fantastic Four, but I didn't want to jump into the middle of something I knew nothing about. So with the first issue of FF I thought this might be a good jumping on place. I wasn't completely up to speed with the threads that had apparently carried over from the Fantastic Four series, but I was piecing things together through the first five issues. I was especially sold on the Steve Epting art in the first three issues. I love it when artists draw people who look real. Epting's versions of Spiderman and Susan Richards is how these characters should always be drawn. By the fourth issue, however, it seemed that Barry Kitson had taken over the art chores. I wasn't as crazy about his art, but it's been growing on me. 

So along comes issue number 6. What? The FF doesn't even appear in this issue. It centers on an alien race called the Krees and the Inhumans who descend from a segment of the primitve homo sapien population of earth gentically engineered by the Krees. When the Inhuman city Attilan was attacked by the Krees, led by Ronan the Accuser, the Krees were defeated by Inhuman leader, Black Bolt who subsequently became ruler of the Krees. Black Bolt has since died, but FF # 6 is the precursor to his return. 

What this has to do with the current storyline is that Attilan is one of the four cities among whom four Reed Richards of alternate earths are trying to incite war which will (somehow) enable them to return to their own dimensions. The Future Foundation (FF) has assembled the most intelligent of the Fantastic Four's enemies in an effort to stop the Reeds.  

Issue 6 has yet another artist, Greg Tocchini. I wish this series would settle on an artist for the sake of consistency. According to Marvel's website, I can look forward to Steve Epting's return in issue # 8, but only for one issue since # 9 lists Daniel Acuna as the artist. The revolving door of artists is driving me crazy, as did the major departure of storyline in issue # 6. But I'm giving this title every chance before I give up and drop it. The characterization and dialogue are indeed above average.                     

Free Comic Book Day 2011

Saturday, May 7 was this year's annual Free Comic Book Day. Publishers provide dealers with free promotional comics to give away. This allows readers to sample various companies, characters, and titles before deciding where to invest their entertainment dollars.

Some of the free books offered are simply glorified commercials without any real story or just a partial story that is continued to the regular comic series. But each year there are a few books that provide a decent self-contained story along with the commercial. This year's Captain America/Thor team-up was especially good as the two were thrown back in time to Camelot. I wonder why Marvel chose Captain America and Thor? Could that have anything to do with this year's movie offerings? Marvel is still the greatest when it comes to All Ages stories that are really for all ages and not simply juvenile. DC's Young Justice/Batman: Brave and the Bold also had some decent self-contained stories. The Batman story was a good short story teaming Batman with Flash as the opinions of society's upper crust are contrasted with the real Bruce Wayne.

The comic shop we patronized for FCBD this year really went all out. There were people in costume (most notably Green Lantern & Batwoman), a sketch artist, and photographs with the life-size Spiderman statue. A long table with free super-hero buttons and numerous FCBD offerings allowed patrons to choose up to five titles each. And this comic shop did not stamp the covers with their store name, although there is a place for it. I love it when the covers aren't stamped. Every serious collector knows better than to desecrate a comic in that manner. This shop even had a sidewalk sale with dollar comics and free coffee. I'm impressed! It was like a mini-convention.

In addition to my five free titles (which also included Green Lantern, The Misadventures of Adam West, and Amazing Spiderman) I also had to raid the dollar boxes resulting in a fairly good stack. These included one-shots of Batman and Captain America, the Superman: Last Family of Krypton series, and the Amazing Spiderman issues with the "One Moment in Time" story arc. So FCBD was a real event for our family this year. Thanks to those comic shop proprietors who go the extra mile.       

Captain America Adventure Serial

I just bought a VHS of the old Captain America adventure serial for $1.00 at a garage sale. I watched the first episode last night. I had seen several episodes as a child when our local PBS affiliate would air old adventure serials on Saturday nights. I didn't remember much about it though.

Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for Timely (now Marvel) comics in 1940. Weakling Steve Rogers volunteers for an experimental super serum which transforms him into the powerful and muscular Captain America. He spends the war fighting Nazis. The first issue of Captain America Comics, while dated 1941, was actually published one year before America entered World War II. Cap was retired by Marvel when super heroes went out of vogue, but he was revived in the 60s when Rogers, who had been in suspended animation, was thawed out. 

The serial was the first time a Marvel/Timely superhero had appeared in any medium outside the comics. It is good for nostalgia and maybe one of the best serials of its era. But it is glaringly inconsistent with the comic version. Absent from the movie is Cap's trademark shield. Instead he carries a gun, which seems very odd. The origin story and alter ego is also changed. Cap is a district attorney named Grant Gardner in the serial. While the serial was released during the war (1944) Cap strangely enough doesn't fight any Nazis. 

Of course the forthcoming Captain America: The First Avenger will be more true to the comic origin. Other live action versions have included two 1979 and 1980 TV movies starring Reb Brown. The 1990 movie was the most faithful to the comics in many respects, but was panned by critics. I still haven't got around to that one, but I am looking forward to the latest movie incarnation of Captain America.      

Most Wanted Trades & Hardcovers

While browsing through lists of upcoming comics, I discovered that there just isn't much coming out these days that appeals to me. I don't see many World War II era stories coming out, but that could change with the release of the Captain America movie in May. And what happened to DC's multiverse? Sure there are series like First Wave which take place in some of these alternate realities, but I was hoping for some good crossovers. I haven't seen the Justice Society of Earth Two since Justice Society of America Annual 1 and that was nearly three years ago! Plus it's getting really pricey to collect comics. I hear DC will be drawing the line at 2.99, but even at that a comic had better be consistently good before I drop that kind of money.

My pull list is currently down to a couple of titles: DCU: Legacies and Justice Society of America. The first is a limited series that will soon end and I may drop the second due to DC's recent trend of inserting their bleeding-heart liberal agendas into the stories. So I may be done with JSA very soon.

But I haven't given up comics completely and I was most recently impressed by DC's hardcover one shot Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski. It was a masterpiece, reminiscent of all the best elements from previous Superman origin stories, all integrated into this one streamlined reimagining. The art by Shane Davis is some of the best I've seen. The dialog, especially between Perry, Lois, Clark, and Jimmy during Clark's "interview" was priceless.

So I think I'll start going the trade route in the near future. Then I can read a complete story in one sitting. Here is my most wanted reading list as of today:

1) Crisis on Multiple Earths, Volume 5 - More reprints of the JLA / JSA crossovers.

2) Invaders Classic, Volume 1 - In all there are four volumes of these 70s reprints by Roy Thomas.

3) Bat Lash: Guns and Roses - Western adventure reprinting the 6 issue series.

4) Batman: Earth One - by Geoff Johns, if it ever comes out.

5) Superman: Secret Origins - by Geoff Johns. I may wait for softcover since hardcover is so expensive.

6) Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, vol. 1 - 3 vol.s with Eaglesham art in the first two.

7) Team ups of the Brave and the Bold by J. Michael Straczynski. Soon to be in paperback, August 2011.

8) Thor by Straczynski (3 volumes altogether)

9) Superman: Grounded, Volume 1 Straczynski hardcover due August 2011.

10) JSA vs. Kobra reprints 6 part mini-series.

11) Legion of Superheroes by Levitiz. Hardcover available in April 2011.

12) Dark Shadows, volume 1

13) Dark Shadows, volume 2

14) Spiderman: The Complete Clone Saga Epic, Book 1 (at least five volumes)

15) Simon and Kirby Superheroes

I think I'll head to the public library with this reading list. 

A New Way to Watch Old TV

Remember the old days when you actually had to wait until your favorite program came on before you could watch it? If you weren't in front of the TV at that time, you were just out of luck. Then came VCRs. We could now record shows while we were away, but there was still that matter of setting the timer and hoping you went through all the steps just right. (The DVR has greatly simplified the recording process).

But recording wasn't fool proof. If the start of your show was delayed by a news bulletin or sporting event in overtime, you might not get the ending recorded. When you did, there was still all those commercials to fast forward through.  

But it wasn't long before programs started coming to video, and later DVD, and still later Blue Ray. Now we can purchase what we really want to watch. But that could run into mountains of money, so the video rental store became popular. But if every copy of what we wanted was already rented, or did not even come to that store, again we were out of luck. Plus we had to waste time and gas driving.  

Then came the mail order video rental, but now Netflix has gone even a step farther offering streaming video as a part of their monthly membership package, the least expensive of which is only around $11.00 a month. This provides unlimited streaming video and unlimited DVD rentals (but only one DVD out at a time. If you want more you must pay more).

What I really like is the streaming video feature, but that doesn't mean you have to watch TV on your computer. You can buy a Roku player for less than $100 which puts the streaming video right on your TV. It is ridiculously easy to install. High speed internet is a must. You can use ethernet if you like, but Roku is also set up to handle a wireless router.

We've had our Roku for over a year now and we have greatly enjoyed it. It's like TV a la carte. Pick what you want to watch, click on it with the remote, and you're in business. You can pause it if you get interrupted. You can even design your own instant queue. The selection of what is available on streaming video does rotate. Shows are on for a while and then replaced just like on syndicated television.

While this is old news to many, I am especially excited about what this means for comic fans and western fans, of which I am both. The available programs include old TV series like westerns that also came to comics. These include Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Have Gun Will Travel, and Wagon Train. Other shows that have since been made into comics include 24, the A-Team, Dark Shadows, Heroes, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and the Munsters. All of these are currently available to watch at any time. Shows whose characters began in comics include Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Incredible Hulk, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and a number of the DC "straight-to-DVD" animated features.

In terms of mail order, our Netflix queue has Superboy, the animated Batman, Superman, and Justice League series, the 1967 Spiderman cartoons, Wonder Woman, Young Indiana Jones, the Three Stooges, Star Trek, Laramie, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, and Gomer Pyle all on standby. Right now the new Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey, Jr. is waiting to be watched and returned. So in case some of you didn't know about this, for me it is a dream come true as I journey to retroville to watch many of the TV series that I have loved through the years.  

Now, all that being said, some of the newer TVs can show Netfilx streaming video without a Roku player, but I would still recommend you get the Roku. New channels are being added constantly, many of which are free. These include Whiskey Media whose offerings include Comic Vine News videos. Local weather and various radio news sites are available as well. With the Roku player you can have Hulu on your TV screen for a small monthly fee. One channel I like is Pub D' Hub (A free channel) which includes an almost endless list of public domain movies and TV series. You can watch the Drive-in variety "Teenagers from Outer Space," "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter," or "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." (I'm not making these titles up! Lots of B variety sci-fi and westerns are available.

With this new way of watching TV, I think we'll be cancelling our cable soon. Who needs overpriced cable when you can buy a Roku player and then pay $11.00 a month for Netflix? Well, I know there is sports, but for ESPN, live broadcasts are often online at ESPN3.com. But thankfully, we're not big sports fans. If you are, you can still get locals with a digital antenna for around 100 bucks.         

Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos

I have many fond childhood memories of reading Silver and Bronze Age comics. One of those is Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, a premiere war comic of that era. My Sgt. Furys were so beat up by the time of my adulthood that I sold them cheap in a garage sale. Well, I found some good condition copies cheap at another garage sale allowing me a return to those nostalgic retro days. Here is a survey of three issues I just read back to back which gives a good overview of what to expect in this series. 

Sgt. Fury # 51 - (1967) This one is from the Gary Friedrich / Dick Ayers run. Friedrich and Ayers both found their signature series on this book. I met Friedrich at a comic convention where some signed back issues were reasonably priced at his booth. I was unemployed at the time, but if that were to happen again I'd snatch them up. Anyhow, issue # 51 takes place in England, Germany, and the Middle East. In the latter location the Howlers must protect Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin from a Nazi assassin. This story explores some of the negative impact of the Nazi regime on German families during World War II. 

Marvel was ahead of its time on such stories with emotional and human interest appeal. Marvel was also the leader in sub-plot continuity which companies like DC typically lacked at the time. But in this issue we learn that a member of the Howlers is currently a P.O.W. in Japan and another is struggling with a break-up from his girlfriend. The stories were good enough for an adult to read, but without the gore and profanity you could expect today. They were also educational regarding WW II history. 

Sgt. Fury # 92 - Written by Al Kurzrok, this one deals with the plight of Japanese Americans during the War. While some fought heroically for their adopted country, others were confined to internment camps. This was quite an issue for an early 70s comic. But Sgt. Fury says to a Japanese family, "Someday...I guarantee you that most Americans will look back on these camps and hang their heads in shame." Fury shows that he was ahead of his time as a WW II caucasion American, but the comic published in 1971 was even long before compensation and formal apologies were given to affected families. 

A back-up story reprints one from the earlier Roy Thomas run in which the Howlers must rescue their Captain Sawyer from an S. S. stronghold in occupied France as the S. S. attempts to extract information regarding the upcoming D-Day invasion. I love the references in conversation to the stars of the day such as Johnny Weismuller and the Three Stooges.    

Sgt. Fury # 120- Pictured here, this was the final issue of new material before the exclusive reprint run going through # 167. This 1974 story features Larry Lieber on the story and Dick Ayers on the art. By this time Roy Thomas is editing. The story deals with the capture of Gabe Jones, the only African-American member of the Howlers. This special force was well integrated, also including an Englishman, a Jew, an Irishman, a Southerner, and fictional movie star Dino Manelli. Any of these guys would lay down their lives for the others. Troops weren't really integrated in this manner during the War, but the Howlers served as good role models for readers. in this issue, they plan a rescue from a concentration camp in Holland.   

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos were good role models in an educational War era comic that is even fit for all ages. Back issues, especially from the reprint era won't usually break the bank and two volumes of Marvel Masterworks have been dedicated to the Holwing Commandos.             

Invaders Now (review)

Well, I'm back and this time hoping to post more frequently. Summer was busy. I'll start with a review of a comic that just came out last week: Invaders Now # 1 (of a five part series).

This is a great follow-up to the 12-part Avengers/Invaders and the 8-part The Torch. The comics should be read in the following order for the right chronology: Avengers/ Invaders; The Torch; Invaders Now.

Alex Ross is back again for co-plotting and covers which makes this a Marvel / Dynamite collaboration since Ross is exclusively contracted to the later. As usual, his covers are stunning. I'll miss the interior art of Sandowski and Berkenkotter (from the previous series), who I believe drew the definitive Torch (Jim Hammond) and Toro. But the art by Reis isn't too bad.

The writing has been consistently good on all the above mentioned series. It doesn't hurt that the original Vision is back to keep things moving. He is a foreboding presence who appears to be confident and in control.

An up-side to the first issue of Invaders Now is character development. I love it when comics show multi-dimensional characterization as opposed to an entire issue of fights and explosions. I especially liked the conversation between Bucky and Thomas as they walked down the urban streets sharing impressions of how things have changed since the 40s era from which they came. This is too important for a good writer to ignore and still have any sense of realism at all. Christos Gage is a good writer.  

The scene in which the young mutants are asking Jim Hammond (the original Human Torch) about Hitler is priceless. Hammond's response is not predictable, but is believeable. The creative team has not let us forget that this is a World War II team now brought together for a threat from the past that only they are equipped to handle. 

The roll call includes Steve Rogers, the new Captain America (originally Bucky), Human Torch, Toro, the Sub-Mariner, and British members Spitfire and Union Jack (Joseph Chapman). The series is off to a good start and promises not to disappoint. 

Rating: A  

Pull List and Reviews (June 2010)

Here is a list of my current subscriptions and what I thought of some newer issues:

DC

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne This book picks up where the concluding issue of Final Crisis left off, with Bruce Wayne stranded in the caveman days. Now he makes his way forward through time toward the 21st century in this six-parter. In issue two he stopped off for an adventure involving some witch hunting Puritans, and he is moving on to a pirate's life for one issue, and then to the old west. It's interesting to see the bat-guy in all these different historical settings. History is retro.

Interestingly, Bruce has amnesia, yet his resourceful instincts aren't lacking. He is being pursued through time by Superman, Rip Hunter, Green Lantern, and Booster Gold. They have to somehow intercept Bruce before he unknowingly serves as Darkseid's weapon to destroy the 21st century, whatever all that means. I'm still not clear what Bruce was doing near the end of time unless maybe he was trying to pinpoint a position in time in order to return there and save an accused witch from hanging. Who knows? I don't totally get it, but I think I'm supposed to buy a zillion cross-overs before I do, including the forthcoming Time Masters: Vanishing Point mini-series, and several issues of Batman and Robin. It's all about marketing, but I'm not taking the bait.   

On the positive side, the cover art by Andy Kubert is exceptional. The Sprouse and Story art team did a great job on the first issue, but the Frazer Irving interior on the second didn't do much for me. I don't care for what I call the "sketchy" look, but I suppose it works well for the 17th century mood. For super heroes though, Iriving is not my favorite. In all, I would grade this series a B- but it does have potential.

JSA All-Stars The Johnny Sorrow story arc finally concluded and with some very interesting plot twists. Now we know why he appeared to be in love with Stargirl. It's great to see Atom-Smasher back with a JSA-related team. It will be interesting to see Al and Courtney's relationship develop, assuming it will. Romantic tension is good for a series. We need more of a human element in today's comics.  

I won't be missing Magog or Damage at all. I'm not sure why some characters with no JSA links to their origin are even on this team (i.e, Lightning, King Chimera, Judo-master). I wouldn't mind if they took a hike and Power Girl, Cyclone, Hour-Man, Sand, and Stargirl were returned to the mainline team. But these characters are why I keep reading. I don't care for the art though. While I don't know the lingo to be a good art critic, the lines just seem jagged and choppy to me. My grade: B-

Justice Society of America It's twenty years into the future and the neo-Nazi fourth reich has taken over America. All super heroes have been stripped of their powers. It's the day of Batman's execution in a prison camp where several heroes are incarcerated and Mr. Terrific, Clark Kent, and others are plotting their great escape. 

I LOVE this book! But what's going on? Is this someone's dream, the future of an alternate reality or parallel earth, or a failure that the JSA will travel back in time to "fix"? The next issue (#39) should be concluding this arc since the JSA-JLA crossover is coming up. So I'll be buying both titles for a while. 

This series has made Bill Willingham one of my favorite writers. The art team of Jesus Merino and Jesse Delperdang is outstanding. My grade: A 

DCU: Legacies This ten-part series which retells the history of the DC Universe is off to a great start. What could be better than a Len Wein story with the art team of Kubert and Kubert? Paul Lincoln narrates the start of the Golden Age with an appearance by Crimson Avenger and an exciting team-up of Sandman and the Atom who prove themselves to be heroic in character as well as in braun. A backup story features the Spectre and Dr. Fate with art by J. G. Jones. I like the way Inza was incorporated into the story and the art has a definite retro feel. My grade: A 

Marvel

The Torch This series concludes with its final issue in early June. Will the Torch survive and why does Thomas Raymond have the Horton cells? One of the highlights of this series for me was to see the original Torch and Toro team up with the Johnny Storm Human Torch for one issue (# 5). I can't wait for the conclusion. My grade: A+ 

Captain America: 1940s Newspaper Strip. This forthcoming 3-part series by Karl Kesel explores the newspaper strip that never was. With a story reflective of a 40s newspaper strip, I'm hoping for an age appropriate story that I can share with my kids. I'm also hoping for a fun read. 

Dynamite

Project Superpowers, Chapter Two I continue to read this, but I'm a little behind. My grade: B+  

Creative Talents: Roy Thomas

In this new category of posts I'll be blogging about some of my favorite creative talents in comics through the years. I'll begin with one of my favorite writers of all time.

Roy Thomas- I first began reading Thomas when he was writing The Invaders for Marvel back in the 70s. Having always been a fan of nostalgia, even as a child, the World War II setting intrigued me. Plus, I love Captain America and the Human Torch. As a fourth grader I picked up my first issue and wondered what Johnny Storm was doing back in World War II. Then I discovered that wasn't Johnny Storm at all, but that Storm was not the original Torch.  

Reading this comic sparked my interest in all things World War II. I am by no means an expert, but Thomas, by integrating his vast knowledge of war history with comic history, has inspired me to learn more about both. I plan to get the trade collections of this series soon.  

Thomas later did All-Star Squadron for DC, in which his knowledge of war history was brought to bear upon DC's Golden Age heroes. Add retroactive continuity to the mix as Thomas filled in the historical gaps of DC's history and I was hooked. Thomas solved such mysteries as why some JSAers dropped out for a time during the Golden Age and why the original members have aged at a much slower rate than normal. Thomas added narrative reasoning to what originally might have been publisher expediency. 

Infinity Inc. and Jonni Thunder were a couple of other Thomas titles that I loved in the 80s. He was also responsible for adapting Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonja for comics. He has written nearly every notable character for Marvel and DC including some classic story-lines like the Avengers' Kree-Skrull War. 

Most recently, I hear that Thomas has been adapting classic literature for the Marvel Illustrated series. He is also editor of the comic fanzine Alter Ego, from TwoMorrows Publishing which focuses on Golden and Silver Age comics. The May and June issues will be Earth-Two companions. Thomas will be writing volumes for TwoMorrow's new series "American Comic Book Chronicles." He is one of the major comic historians of our time.  

Free Comic Book Day

I'm writing this post on the first Saturday of May. Our family has awakened on this date over the last several years in anticipation of the annual Free Comic Book Day. This "holiday" is celebrated by comic shops and bookstores around the country. Samples of offerings from various publishers are offered free of charge.

To demonstrate the variety and the broad appeal of each year's Free Comic Book Day, I will now give the break down of what my kids and I got this year:

12-year old son:

• Ironman / Thor (Marvel)
• Ironman / Nova (Marvel)
• G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero # 155 1/2 (IDW)
• Toy Story (Boom Studios)
• Shrek / Penguins of Madagascar (Ape Entertainment) 

10-year-old daughter:

• Archie (Archie Comics)
• Owly & Friends (Top Shelf)
• DC Kids (DC Comics) 
• Toy Story (Boom Studios)
• Shrek / Penguins of Madagascar (Ape Entertainment)

40-something-year-old dad (that would be me):

• Ironman / Thor (Marvel)
• Green Hornet (Dynamite)
• G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero 155 1/2 (IDW)
• War of the Supermen # 0 (DC Comics)
• Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom / Magnus: Robot Fighter (Dark Horse)

I'll let you know how some of these titles were after I've read them. So how was your Free Comic Book Day? Hope it was happy.