Dickory) leaving their colony world of Huckleberry (where John was an ombudsman) to help the CU start a new colony on the planet Roanoake with an amalgam of second generation colonists selected from ten different worlds. The only problem with that is that the mysterious 400 system alien Conclave have avowed that no one is to colonize in the system anymore…and they threaten anyone who does with swift and powerful retribution. So the crew skipping to Roanoake are headed for certain destruction…or are they. Things start to unravel almost immediately with challenges to John and Jane’s power as leaders from other colonists and with an initial twist that throws the whole story into a spin that changes it entirely.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Book Review: The Last Colony by John Scalzi
Dickory) leaving their colony world of Huckleberry (where John was an ombudsman) to help the CU start a new colony on the planet Roanoake with an amalgam of second generation colonists selected from ten different worlds. The only problem with that is that the mysterious 400 system alien Conclave have avowed that no one is to colonize in the system anymore…and they threaten anyone who does with swift and powerful retribution. So the crew skipping to Roanoake are headed for certain destruction…or are they. Things start to unravel almost immediately with challenges to John and Jane’s power as leaders from other colonists and with an initial twist that throws the whole story into a spin that changes it entirely.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Look, up in the sky...
Christopher Reeve,
Dean Cain,
Tom Welling,
Brandan Routh,
and now, Henry Cavill?
At 28 years old, Cavill is the next Superman\Clark Kent in Zack Snyder’s SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL. He’s British and has a lengthy resume in a bunch of things I’ve never seen. I’m sure the tiny portion of the Internet who cares about these things is busy second guessing the casting. I’m just happy that the deal is done and things are finally moving forward with this project.
So congratulations Henry, I hope you look good in spandex.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Comic book reviews for the week of January 26th in six sentences (or less)
But what I lack in timeliness I make up for in biased opinions and half-assed writing. And today, you’ll get both of those in spades.
THE AVENGERS #9
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: John Romita Jr.
The Avengers continue their quest to discover the identity of the thief who stole the Infinity Gems. Of course all that gets derailed when Steve Rogers discovers the existence of illuminati led by Iron Man who have kept the location of the Gems hidden. Cue several pages of Civil War redux where Rogers and Tony Stark posture and preen and re-ignite their not-so-passive-aggressive hate fest.
Bendis writes 22 pages of talky-talky. JRJR draws 22 pages of pretty drawings. This comic book is exactly what you think it will be.
GREEN ARROW #8
Writer: J.T. Krul
Penciller: Diogenes Neves
Green Arrow is a character that’s had a lot of difficulty finding any stability lately. He’s been a bloodthirsty vigilante, a reluctant father, a proto-Batman, complete with arrow-themed sidekicks, and a confident family man. But none of these interpretations have successfully taken. The character seems cursed by an endless cycle of rebirth that comes complete with a new creative team and a new direction for the hero. Constantly set upon by the whims of editorial it seems like we’re always trying to understand just what it is that makes the Green Arrow tick. Thankfully, J.T. seems to be aware of that fact and he’s chosen to take a slow burn in develop the characters new status quo. He’s reinvented GA as the Robin Hood knockoff that he clearly always been, complete with his own group of Merry Men. The central theme of this title has always been about the various characters exploration of their own motivations and desires. The subject of identity comes to the forefront time and again. ‘Who am I and what do I want’ is a question asked by hero and villain alike. Everyone is searching for something in themselves and a mythical forest, which offers up only more questions, is the perfect backdrop in which to do so.
In this issue Lois Lane drops by to take a look at the magical forest that has sprouted up in the middle of Star City. (An aside: are we officially calling this forest magical now? I thought it was a byproduct of the White Lantern energy.) Sherwood Forest has begun to attract attention from both the scientific community and the DCU’s magic-based underbelly. The two sides collide as each of them struggle to understand the meaning and purpose behind the forest’s appearance. It’s a good issue, a solid attempt to understand and explain the rules and circumstances that GA now has to operate by. It doesn’t reach for the stars but instead chooses to focus on smaller and ultimately more satisfying personal internal struggles.
SHAZAM! #1
Writer: Eric Wallace
Penciller: Cliff Richards
The Marvel family, one of DC’s more poorly developed properties, continues its long slide into creative marginalization. Ever since the poorly executed weekly series, COUNTDOWN, Captain Marvel and the gang have been little more than jumped up lab rats for various DCU creators to experiment with. Mary Marvel’s character was altered beyond recognition, Billy Batson was shuffled off into expositional irrelevance, Freddy Freeman’s rebirth as the new Captain Marvel was robbed of any impact whatsoever by a disappointingly received mini series that was plagued by delays and the most successful character of the bunch was the super villain and perpetual faux Superman foil, Black Adam.
In this one off, meant to catapult the Fawcett characters back into the DCU proper X X starts with the germ of a good idea; ‘Why does everyone granted the powers of Shazam inevitably squander their gift’ and turns it into a 22 page slugfest. Nothing of importance is revealed, nothing of consequence happens and nothing about this issue makes me think the Marvel family is on the verge of a creative renaissance. This wasn’t a bad issue, it just didn’t strike me as anything to get excited about. And its a sad reality of comic books in the 21st century that while you may not have to hit a homerun everytime, you definitely won’t get very far doing the same old thing.
WONDER WOMAN #606
Writer: Phil Hester (by way of J. Michael Stracynski)
Artist: Eduardo Pansica
Wonder Woman battles against the Huntsman, a minion of the Morrigan, the god of war personified by three deities.
J. Michael Stracynski’s aborted Wonder Woman character reboot seems to be bearing fruit. Like Green Arrow, Wonder Woman is a character with a long convoluted publishing history. Her execution in her early stories seems at odds with her characterization. That’s not the only contradiction inherent in Wondie’s makeup. It’s a difficult to stand as an icon of feminist ideals when you’re reduced to fighting crime in your bathing suit. Some writers have twisted themselves into a pretty pretzel in order to explain her garb and her backstory, but the truth remains she’s a hard character to write well.
I know it could be argued that rebooting a character is the lazy way out and normally I’d agree. But I’ve seen Wonder Woman as the Amazon warrior, the ambassador to man’s world and the superhero crimefighter. And none of these interpretations works for me. They’re too safe, too pat. Her character is too sure of herself and whenever an author attempts to graft insecurities onto her frame it always comes across as forced. Stracynski’s back to basics approach, an exploration of a woman trying to define her place in a world that isn’t her own, allows for character growth and exploration that the original incarnation just couldn’t handle. I know the reboot won’t stick, but it’s got me reading a Wonder Woman comic for the first time in 31 years. So that has to be worth something.
Doctor Who: The Doctor's First Appearance in 2011!
Considering I am a card-carrying Doctor Who fanboy extraordinaire (seriously, my girlfriend buys me DW paraphernalia for birthdays, holidays and sometimes just to make me feel better when I've had a bad day...) I thought I'd show you guys the Doctor's first appearance in the year 2011.
I bring you VIA the BBC, the intro to the National Television Awards from the UK...which features our heroic Doctor helping the host.
I love this!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Book Review: Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk
(Prepare thyself, no nonsense magical assassin fantasy)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Era End: WIZARD Magazine closes doors immediately
Seems everyone was laid off and the magazine ceases to be...
Check out the full story here:
Book Review: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
Musical Madness: Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer is a singer\performance artists, formerly of the Dresden Dolls but now winging her way through the musical ether as a solo act. I was lucky enough to see her open for Nine Inch Nails six years ago and I walked away from the experience having enjoyed the opening band more than I did the main show.
She is the queen of punk cabaret, a rarefied musical genre with few players in it.
But the term punk cabaret doesn't do enough justice in describing what this talented artist is capable of producing. Her musical stylings alternate between deeply soulful. cheekily irreverent and refreshingly honest. She's a sort of musical bohemian who can't be confined to any one sound or one taste.
Her most recent album, AMANDA PALMER GOES DOWN UNDER, dropped on Friday and I'm still in the early stages of courtship with it. Expect a proper review of the album soon, after I've had more time to digest it. The video above, Map of Tasmania, is the first single from the album, but a very poor example of what she's capable of creating. (I'd be really bad at marketing wouldn't I? Trying to turn people on to an artist by showing off her less powerful creations)
For a definitive AP album, I recommend her first solo endeavour, WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER? It's a powerful, soulful disc that ensnares you with its rich musical melodies, naked lyrics and captivating arrangements.
If you're looking for something that's a little off the beaten path but still refreshing and charismatic, welcome home.
Here's a link to Astronaut, my fave song from her first album.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Book Review: THE TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
I’m going to give you the Reader’s Digest summary of events for the TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. I figure if you’re reading a review for book 13 of a 14 book series then...
a) you don’t want me to be spoiling too much of the plot for you and
b) you’re probably pretty familiar with the characters involved and where things are heading anyway.
So, let's recap shall we? In this book, Perrin continues to struggle with his new found station as lord and commander over one of Rand’s ragtag armies, Egwene works to bring the fractious splinters of the White Tower under her control, Mat stalks the dangerous assassin known as the Gray Man through the streets of Caemlyn and Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, works feverishly to prepare his forces for the Final Battle he knows is sure to come.
(and much, MUCH more)
It’s clear now that what Robert Jordan hath sewn, Brandon Sanderson is reaping.
This both saddens and elates me.
On his own, Robert Jordan wrote the first eleven books, as well as a prequel title, in the wildly popular THE WHEEL OF TIME series. After Jordan’s untimely death in 2007, battling cardiac amyloidosis, Brandon Sanderson picked up the literary torch with the blessing of Jordan’s widow and has been working steadily at wrapping this lengthy series up.
And I have to say, for the most part, he’s been doing a bang up job.
When I read his first foray into the WoT universe, 2009’s THE GATHERING STORM, I couldn’t help but scrutinize the pages for signs of Sanderson’s personal literary voice.
I was concerned that a new author might not be able to inhabit or seamlessly channel the characters of this distinctive universe without accidentally putting their own stamp on it. After all, Jordan had 12 WoT books under his belt (yes, I’m counting the prequel) and was the sole architect of this expansive world. How could an outsider ever hope to fill those shoes?
But, credit where credit is due, Brandon Sanderson was able to absolutely and unequivocally nail it…kinda.
Before you break out the tar and feathers hear me out.
I think you’d be hard pressed to find a WoT fan who wouldn’t cop to the fact that somewhere around the fifth or sixth book the pace of events started to slow down a lot. This was a result of expanding the series beyond its initial ten books*. Suddenly the same amount of material was expected to be streeeeetched over a greater number of novels.
Presumably Jordan filled the empty pages by padding the development of his central characters. And I couldn’t help but notice that secondary characters suddenly gained a greater prominence in the series, with a large number of chapters being devoted to the resolutions of their own personal sub plots.
Whatever the reason, a series that was previously characterized by its blistering pace suddenly got bogged down in wet cement. Important characters would disappear from entire books, significant plot points would be spun out over multiple novels and rather than actually doing ANYthing, everyone seemed to be content to just sit around and talk about doing SOMEthing.
Now, to be fair, it’s not as if the whole plot came to a screeching halt. Major significant events continued to be portrayed throughout the series. Only now there were far fewer of them and they seem to be confined to climax\cliffhanger type endings, intended to whet reader appetites for the next book.
I’m sure that the ever expanding continuity of the series also played a part in slowing things down. That’s one of the dangers of a maturing literary world, when you’ve got that many story threads on the go it’s impossible to give each one the attention they deserve. So Jordan spread the love around, focusing a little bit of time on developing each one, but not significantly advancing the story of any of them.
It was painful.
The first half dozen books in the WoT series were notable because things kept HAPPENING. (And not just in the climax either.) New characters were always being introduced, interesting story elements were being tossed into the mix and characters would noticeably develop and grow over the course of a single book. The series was addictive.
To switch gears from a story that was characterized by its dynamism and energy to one that seemed to be full of endless talking heads and pointless descriptions was disheartening. (Watching my favourite characters vanish in smoke for entire books, even more so.)
For awhile there I was reading the WoT, not because I was actively enjoying it, but because I had invested so much time and energy in the series to date that I just had to see how things finished. And that is the wrong reason to be reading anything.
So the point I was trying to make, before I got caught up in a painfully long diatribe, was that Sanderson’s work on THE GATHERING STORM sure as hell sounded like Robert Jordan, but it didn’t really feel like him. And I think that can all be traced back to the fact, finally, things were happening again in the series. I’d gotten so used to having the WoT spin its wheels that I’d forgotten what it was like to actually to be excited to read these books again.
So well done, mission accomplished.
Now, I believe I was supposed to review the TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT?
The biggest problem with batting clean up on a series like this is that a lot of time and energy is being expended just wrapping things up. You get an idea of just how out of control things were and how many dangling plot threads were kicking about by the fact that its going to take three giant ass books to deal with them all.
It should be clear to even the most cursory WoT fan that Sanderson has done his homework with this book. The man seems to have an unparalleled grasp on all manner of forgotten WoT lore. He resurrects obscure story devices and plot threads that even I’d forgotten about. On the one hand, it’s great to see the author going the extra mile to be true to the WoT world by trying to tie everything together. But the flip side of that argument is with so much material to cover I’d actually forgotten that some of these story points were unanswered in the first place and even needed resolving.
I wasn’t thrilled to see so much time spent on the resurrected Aelfinn and Eelfinn subplot. Even though it had a guaranteed fan approved payoff I’ve always felt that the world of the Aelfinn\Eelfinn was a bit of an anomaly in the WoT and didn’t really fit into nature of things.
It’s also frustrating that in many ways, Sanderson’s work on the series is restricted to wrapping up Jordan’s story. There is an underlying sense in the book that he knows where the characters are supposed to end up for the Final Battle, so he spends his time moving the characters around like an elaborate chess game in order to get them there. So while reading the book I never really felt a sense of threat or danger, as all the central characters seem to have been given a hall pass that guarantees they’ll make it, mostly undamaged, to the final book.
(Now having said that, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the final chapter in this series turns out to be a bloodbath of sorts, with many of our heroes being killed during the course of the Final Battle.)
Yet despite these limitations Sanderson does his level best to ramp up the physical and emotional stakes for our characters. He may be tasked with bringing the whole thing to a close, but damned if he isn’t going to try and earn that standing O in the process. The stakes are for keeps and no one can accuse him of plodding along. Just because these characters might be getting a free pass doesn’t mean he’s not going to make them work for it.
If its seems that I’m only focusing on the parts of the book that were unsatisfying its only because no one wants to read 2,000 words of never-ending effusive praise.
There are so many things that are done right in this book.
The exquisite plotting, the painstaking research, the spot-on representations of a diverse cast of characters and the sheer skill needed to reconcile 20 years of storytelling into 800 pages is awe inspiring.
To point out some of the shortcomings of the book is not meant to tear it down. Rather, given the scope of the endeavour, it is testament to Sanderson’s ability as a writer that there isn’t more to criticize.
Brandon Sanderson has done something for me that I thought was nearly impossible, he made reading the Wheel of Time fun again. And for that, I owe him my thanks.
*My google fu appears to be broken. I can’t find the reference that backs me up on this. Maybe someone else can step up and point me in the right direction.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
iPoddery: Scott's musical tastes
Lissie
Within Temptation
Thievery Corporation
Nine Inch Nails
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Comic book reviews for the week of January 19th in six sentences (or less)
SUPERIOR #4
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Leinil Yu
I know, right? Trust me, I’m just as surprised as you are. Welcome to the continuing adventures of Mark Millar’s Superman analogue, Superior, and this week’s Six Sentences or Less... Best of the Week. In this issue Superior meets his Lois Lane counterpart, Maddie Knox, helps his friend out with the local bully and, oh yah, volunteers to help end the war in Afghanistan.
With that last point Millar is clearly riffing off some of the material he was exploring in ULTIMATES 2, namely if superheroes really existed would they feel or be compelled to enter into their country’s war efforts? This is hardly virgin territory. Take a look back at some of those World War II era comic books where your favourite DC heroes stepped up to take on the Axis armies. But after the Comic Code came along it was deemed that superheroes were destined to stop bank robbers and fight their way out of elaborate death traps. And so the motifs of the modern superhero were forged.
Having said that, I think the question of why mainstream superheroes don't fight in wars is one worth answering. Thorny and nuanced political motivations aside, surely its not that big a leap to go from stopping an alien invasion to routing out terrorist cells or fighting alongside soldiers. The basic principles at play are the same. There are people with weapons trying to inflict damage on other people and you need to put your life on the line to stop them. If superheroes existed in real life are we so naive to believe that they would be blind to the good they could do on behalf of their fellow countrymen during war? Patriotism doesn't vanish just because you can bench press a tank. Its hard to belive that the Justice League would go out and stop a genocidal alien conquerer but then draw the line at meddling with wars on Earth, because, you know, 'politics are scary.' Hell, even Superman isn't immune to call of home and hearth, fighting on behalf of Truth, Justice and the American Way.
Some comic books sidestep the issue of superheroes and war by portraying the government as corrupt or the soldiers bloodthirsty quasi-criminals, thus giving the hero a moral reason to remove themself from the fray.
Aside from the fact that war is bloody, graphic and fairly unheroic, if hyper-powered heroes actually did decide to wage war the whole thing would probably be over fairly quickly and it would beg the question 'what took you so damn long?' Periodically Superman does develop a god-complex and sets out to protect the entire world, but somehow events always transpire to show him that he’s better off sticking to his little corner of the globe.
No, better our funny books ignore the issue altogether and go back to giving us our four colour slug fests.
The great thing about Millar’s reinvention of Superman is that he’s not trapped into the traditional prudish trappings of the character. Superior can swear, threaten little kids with death and volunteer to go to war on behalf of his country and its all totally believe within the confines of the character.
Some bloggers like to talk about how today’s modern superhero comic books are violating the sanctity of their childhood. A sentiment that I see repeated frequently is that in the rush to make long established characters dark and edgy the core elements that define these characters are often abandoned. That’s only part of the story. In reality, writers were handcuffed for decades and the freedom to take characters to darker places was often was often denied them. So all that’s happening now is that the depths of these decades old characters are now finally being fully explored. Unfortunately that means portraying them in a fashion that readers are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with, hence the angry backlash.
What makes a character like Superior so great is that Millar is able to play around with all of Superman’s powers but bypass his restrictive mid-western upbringing and stupefying continuity. All things considered, given Millar’s history of extreme subject matter in his comic books, SUPERIOR is relatively tame. Sure there’s some swearing but what human being wouldn’t drop the F-bomb given the discovery that they have superpowers. And considering that DC is so anal retentive about their intellectual properties that they editorially mandated that an adult Clark Kent can't be shown sharing a beer with his father, its refreshing to see an adult version of the character that doesn’t treat its readers like they’ll be emotionally traumatized if their idol ever does something human.
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #500
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciller: Salvador Larocca & Frank D’armata
Marvel continues its proud tradition of renumbering their series with their latest issue of IRON MAN. I’m not an IRON MAN reader so I was grateful to see that this quincentennial issue was a (mostly) self contained story. The art was good, the writing passable. So I’ll probably check in again in another 500 issues. See you then.
Cover Art: Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk
Book Review: Tome Of The Undergates by Sam Sykes
Lenk kind of sums up his leadership of these adventurers in one sentence early on. It is one where the Captain of the first ship they are on says that he is the worst of the lot of them…and he says that’s why he’s their leader. That kind of sums up the rest of the band too. This really is a casting call for a D&D raid. A warrior with a cool sword, Elvish-like cat chick archer, young wizard, altruistic priestess healer, cowardly rogue, and species-hating dragonman. That, however, is where the D&D comparison ends. This is D&D if you played it with a bunch of frat boys who spend the night getting steadily more and more drunk and belligerent. That’s actually a compliment, for where this book could have easily slipped into the tropes of every day D&D quest style sword and sorcery, it doesn’t. In fact it rails against those tropes hard. Yes they are on the hunt to kill demons, and obtain the Tome of the title, but the journey there is much different than you’d expect.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
WOT First Reads: Book Review: The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (AKA buckets of awesome)
Doctor Who: Series 6 News: Sontarans?
A fair-sized bit of news from the set of the now-filming DOCTOR WHO series 6 dropped today. It appears that an old enemy is returning. Yes, that is a Sontaran on set. Though my guess is that it is again part of the alliance that was formed between enemy alien races trying to contain the Doctor in THE PANDORICA OPENS episode from last season. I certainly hope we don't get a purple-tinged Russel Davies Era style Sontaran episode with silly poison gas.
In other news: Apparently there will be the return of the ORIGINAL Mondasian Cybermen..and the rumour is that they will be Officer Rank..and overlords to the Davies Era New/Cybus Cybermen....which would be a cool twist...bringing back a classic scary enemy to replace its rather non-scary revamp. Nice.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Film Review: The Green Hornet
Trailer: Game of Thrones
Upcoming: Cover Art of The Departure by Neal Asher
Happy Monday! Neal Asher is a name in sci-fi that seems to garner praise on level with Alastair Reynolds, Richard Morgan and Ian M. Banks. While I have not yet read his Skinner books, somewhere in my To-Read pile is GRIDLINKED, of which I hear great things.
Well, cover art has debuted for his forthcoming new Polity book THE DEPARTURE, and here's the synopsis as well.
And didn’t Chairman Alessandro Messina himself say that we are more free than ever before; community political officers conducted a survey only last year to prove this point. The Press has greater freedom too, now being government run and unburdened by financial concerns. People don’t disappear, see, they always come back from Inspectorate cells, ready to sing the praises of the Committee.
But Alan Saul knows that twelve billion are due to die, that the Committee has decided the Safe Departure clinics, the ‘sectoring’ of zero asset communities, the reader guns, razor birds and nightmarish shepherds will not be enough. The Argus satellite laser network is their answer, and he intends to take it away from them.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Comics/Movies: First Look @ Andrew Garfield in the Spiderman suit!
Just sayin'.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Cover Art: Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel - James Patterson
That said, the cover art for them is just this side of ridiculous. I'm not kidding. It is probably the WORST assembled cover art for such a high profile author I have ever seen. There is literally NO thought involved and my niece could assemble a better collage of images and fonts.
Here is the cover for the 7th book in the series (the first 5 had differing names, then Patterson started naming each one after each of the main characters, starting with book 5 MAX, and book 6 FANG) titled ANGEL.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Comic book reviews for the week of January 12th in six sentences (or less)
Writer: Chris Roberson (by way of J. Michael Straczynski)
Penciller: Allan Goldman
The problem with Superman is that he’s just too powerful. This is hardly a shocking revelation. Superman has two basic methods for getting out of a scrape. Punching something really hard, or using another of his many powers in a unique and inventive way, usually to help him circumvent some elaborate deathtrap. In far too many aspects the Superman of today is the Superman of 10, 20 or 30 years ago. His supporting characters are mostly the same, his powerset is the same. His origin? The same. I think out of all the big name comic book characters being published today his is a story whose basic elements have hardly changed at all. Which means, after nearly 80 years, his adventures carry a certain repetitiveness and staleness to them.
Compare Superman to someone like Batman who has seen so many incarnations he never seems to grow old. Over the years we’ve seen Batman portrayed as a light hearted crimefighter, a dark and brooding vigilante, a crack detective, a billionaire playboy and a focused martial artist. And nearly every re-interpretation of the Batman mythology manages to work for its time.
And that’s the key phrase there, ‘for its time.’ In comic books it seems that a constant cycle of renewal and rebirth is necessary in order to reframe characters within the context of the present day. How else could you explain the resurgence of Hal Jordan and Barry Allen within the DCU? (Ok the short answer is there Geoff Johns, but a longer explanation would show that these characters have newfound relevance because, although their core traits remain the same, the world they function in has been reshaped to provide the perfect dramatic counterpoint to their personalities and abilities.)Their characters and lives are no longer frozen in amber, in a era that most contemporary comic book readers never even lived through.
Superman gets no such character revamp. Oh, occasionally he’ll turn blue, grow his hair long or even work at a television station. But even his death in the 90s didn’t significantly alter the world he was living in. After he was done fighting crime for the day he still went home to Kansas to stop in on Ma before meeting up with Lois and filing tomorrow’s headline for Perry. No major overhaul of Superman’s existence has ever stuck. Which is why we constantly feel like we’ve seen it all before.
It’s a shame that DC is so frightened of destroying the bankability of their most recognizable character that they will allow him to atrophy and wither away into irrelevance, rather than take a chance at re-examining his makeup.
Now you could make the argument that a great storyteller will always find new and interesting stories. But the problem is, after 80 years, new and interesting stories are a lot harder to come by. And in the meantime, hundreds of other writers, some of lesser ability, have played in the Superman sandbox and had their own uninspired crack at new and interesting.
In fact, Superman’s world actively resists reinvention. Readers have become so ingrained to seeing Superman look and behave a certain way that we get uncomfortable seeing him step outside of his little prefabricated box. We’re like the old time convicts in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, too acclimatized to the way of doing things to ever really feel comfortable out in the real world. Oh sure, we can read and love our ALL-STAR SUPERMAN and our Elseworlds stories, but those are temporary and impermanent, a refreshing look at what could be and never a serious threat to the Super status quo.
Which is why the ‘Grounded’ storyline currently running in the Superman titles is so grating. Instead of seeing Superman going around being, well super, we’re treated to the incredibly ho-hum sight of seeing him try to reconnect with humanity. And that’s not his job. That’s Clark Kent’s job. The whole reason Superman persists in keeping up a secret identity is so that he can walk amongst the rest of us without being recognized for who he really is.
Its completely disingenuous for Superman to be hanging around in his cape and tights pretending to be one of the guys. Its a bit like going drinking with your boss. He might be funny and great to hang around with, but you never really forget he’s your boss. So you drink and laugh at his jokes and you have a good time, but you secretly wish he’d move along so you can just relax and be yourself. Having Superman just walking around as Superman is exactly like that. It’s almost as if he wants to be recognized for his ‘sacrifice’ of being regular. But no one’s buying it. We all know what regular people look like, because that’s who we are. We look to Superman for greatness, to be more than regular - because that’s who we want to be.
‘Grounded’ can’t end too soon.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #19
Writer: Paul Cornell
Penciller: Scott McDaniel
The first of two offerings from Paul Cornell this week. Batman and Robin conclude their struggle against the new Bat-villian, The Absence. It’s always a treat to see Scott McDaniel working on a Batman related title. And although sometimes his pencils can seem a bit rushed I find that most times their energy and dynamism really adds another level to whatever project he’s working on.
And another solid effort from Paul Cornell as well, who’s been playing a bit of a shell game with both Batman and Robin as well as the reader, seemingly telling the story of the Absence’s obsession with getting revenge on Bruce Wayne. In reality, the Absence has much more easily obtained goals in mind and delaying Batman and Robin will only help to further her cause.
Can I just say how nice it is to see an honest to goodness olde tyme death trap in comic books again? Without making it seem hackneyed or clichéd Cornell creates a tight scene between our heroes and the villainess, which reveals a heck of a lot of characterization by all the players involved while still moving the plot forward. Loved it. What a great way to play with the tropes of the genre without falling victim to their weaknesses.
GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #6
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Fernando Pasarin
Have you heard the news that DC is developing an ongoing RED LANTERN series? Apparently three ongoing GL titles aren’t enough to satiate the hunger of the hundreds of slavering Green Lantern fans. Out of all the possible series to emerge from the newly minted post-Blackest Night Rainbow Warriors a Red Lantern series comes at the absolutely end of my list. A corps built around rage, violence and a tendency to vomit up blood? It sounds like a rejected high concept 90s Image title. I’d much rather see a Larfleeze or even a Sinestro ongoing before I skim over the adventures of Mr. Ouchies and the gang.
Abandoned by Kilowog and Arisia for keeping them in the dark about the true nature of his mission in the Unknown Sector Guy Gardner is forced to take Bleez with him to confront the unknown force that is slowly draining the power from the Green Lantern rings. If you’ve read the first five titles of this series you know exactly what you’re getting into here. Dynamic penciling, snappy writing and a ripping good tale. Of all the GL stories currently being told, Warrior easily stands out from the rest of the pack.
KNIGHT AND SQUIRE #4
Writer: Paul Cornell
Ever heard an embittered comic book blogger to tell you to vote with your dollars? Or that bad comic books continue to be made because fans who don’t any better continue to throw good money after bad when it comes to questionable titles? Well, with KNIGHT AND SQUIRE I’m happy to be proven wrong. Initially I found the title uninteresting and its very Britishness detrimental to my enjoyment of the read. However, after time, its grown on me like a fungus and all the things that used to detract from its readability have now become its greatest strengths. I’m so glad that I stuck with this title as Paul Cornell has really managed to define the essence of this British Batman and Robin and define them in their own right, rather than portray them as cheap knockoffs of DCs biggest money maker.
In this issue Knight’s mechanized costume becomes possessed by a corrupt memory engram of Knight, causing the suit to believe that he is the real deal. Only the memory engram seems to be masochistically focused on reliving Knight’s greatest failures and mistakes. Cornell does a great job presenting us with a different take on what makes a superhero. So many heroes seem to be defined by the need to fight crime because of some injustice in their past. While the Knight is a legacy character who manages to overcome his own doubt and failures and be a hero in spite of his fears. Rather than giving into an emo, woe is me take on the character Cornell presents him almost as a recovering alcoholic (which in a way he is), cheerfully optimistic and determined to take each challenge one day at a time. A great read.
Through The Door: Review Copies from PYR!
Just a bit of a heads up about a new category here at Iceberg Ink, Through The Door is going to handle the review copies that we get here from various publishers. Since I received my first shipment from the awesome folks over at PYR, I thought I'd post which ones. So, these are all going to be reviewed in the next couple of months. A couple of them are older titles, but most are either new, or fairly new.
PARAGAEA: A Planetary Romance - Chris Roberson
TOME OF THE UNDERGATES - Sam Sykes
THE BUNTLINE SPECIAL: A Weird West Tale - Mike Resnick
AGE OF MISRULE 1: Worlds End - Mark Chadbourn
DIVING INTO THE WRECK - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
SHADOW'S SON - Jon Sprunk