COMIC COMMENTARY, COMICS READ WEEK OF 2/6/2017

Modern Marvels

DC Comics Pick of the Week: Action Comics #973

                Superman unwittingly leaves a trail to the Fortress while Lois continues to dig into the mystery of Clark Kent.  Dan Jurgens continues to prove that he has a grasp on Superman as a character like few others.  Since the onset of Rebirth, Jurgens has put several plates into play:

•      How will Superman react to New 52 Lex Luthor?
•      Who is Mr. Oz?
•      Who is Clark Kent?

The last story arc established a détente between Luthor and Superman, with both realizing that their nemesis is not the same man that they have known on both sides.  This story arc drives into the mystery of the second Clark Kent and the potential danger he poses to Superman’s private life.

Honorable Mentions (an above average read): Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #3, Deathstroke #12, Justice League of America Rebirth #1, New Super-Man #8, Red Hood and the Outlaws #7, Wonder Woman #16 (Yes, Rebirth is this good!!)

Other reads:  All-Star Batman #7, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #7, Detective Comics #950, Earth 2 Society #21, Flash #16, Gotham Academy Second Semester #6, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #14, Suicide Squad #11, Supergirl #6, Superwoman #7, and Titans #8

Marvel  Comics Pick of the Week: Ms. Marvel #15

                At first it seems like this issue has dropped the previous thread of Kamala being confronted by a member of on-line guild, and instead introduces a story of cyber-bullying and the levels at which a second-generation immigrant feels they have to over-compensate in modern America to validate their culture and break down stereotypes.  It quickly ties the two together by the online entity threatening to blackmail Kamala being the same one involved in the cyber-bullying.  Ms. Marvel continues to be a delight, an all-ages female-centric title that manages to cover topical issues without preaching.  It is one of the few female friendly titles I feel comfortable allowing my 10-year old daughter read.

Honorable Mentions (an above average read): Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows  #4

Other reads:  All-New Wolverine #17, Black Widow #11, Deadpool the Duck #3, Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #5, Foolkiller #4, Inhumans Vs x-Men #4, Jessica Jones #5, Kingpin #1, Power Man and Iron Fist #13, Totally Awesome Hulk #16, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #17, Uncanny Inhumans #1.MU, and Unworthy Thor #4

Silver Age Spotlight

Marvel Silver Age Pick of the Week: Fantastic Four #56

                Klaw attacks the FF to try and drive the Black Panther to him.  A great issue with a lot of tension.  Klaw appears as he would be until the Modern age with a great design by Kirby, and a fantastic power set.  Lee and Kirby draw tension by having the Fantastic Four separated: Johnny is out looking for Crystal, Reed and Ban are in the lab, and Sue is cleaning up the apartment.  This allows Klaw to ratchet up the menace by taking on Sue and Ben one-on-one.  The only gap in plot is the fact that Klaw attacks at all.  There really isn’t a reason for him to be here, other than this is the FF’s comic.  Klaw knows who T’challa is and where Wakanda is, so using the FF as a go between doesn’t work.  However, the climax kind of uses that conceit to its advantage, as T’Challa sends Reed a needed component to help Reed, as Klaw intended, but the macguffin is delivered via a remote controlled automaton and not in person, thwarting his revenge.  We also get a rare sight, Reed beating a foe hand-to-hand, using the Vibranium bands delivered by the Black Panther to pummel Klaw into submission.

Honorable Mentions: Daredevil #21

Other Reads: Amazing Spider-Man #42, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3, Avengers 33, and Fantastic Four Annual #4

DC Silver Age Pick of the Week: Funny Stuff #35

                I don’t have much to say, but Funny Stuff is probably my second favorite humor title of this area.  Blackie Bear and J. Rufus Lion are strong features, but the stars are Dodo and the Frog, and their strips whether a multi-page story or a strip ad-page topper are a delight.

Honorable Mentions: Adventure Comics #130 (Superboy feature only), Star Spangled Comics #82 (Tomahawk feature only)

Other Reads: Animal Antics #15, Western Comics #4

Golden Age Greats

I didn’t make much progress with my DC Golden Age Reading List.  Green Lantern #6 was a chore to get through.  It surprises me a lot, but this is the Golden Age title I struggle with the most.  The character as he is used isn’t compelling enough to sustain a 60+ page story and the direction is wrong-headed.  Enlisting Alan in the army, severely limits the stories you can do with him, and while I know continuity wasn’t a concern in the 40’s, it puts the quarterly book at odds with the monthly feature in All-American where Alan is still a civilian radio engineer.

Black Dragons, Black Panthers, and Podcasts

This one is an amalgamation of the past few days due to birthday celebrations and all-day work conferences.

COMIC COMMENTARY

Golden Age Greats 

All-Star Comics #12  The JSA, recently renamed the Justice Battalion splits up to save varying inventors and their inventors from the Black Dragon Society and are brought back together in the end to save Johnny Thunder and round up the leaders.  This is the same Black Dragon Society that was name-checked in the recent Atom strip in All-American on-sale the same month.  I noticed that the Sandman strip was not by Kirby and Simon which is unusual for the normal art team to not do their character's All-Star installment.




Silver Age Spotlight

Fantastic Four #52  Reed and team are lured to Wakanda to by King T'Challa in order to prove his readiness for something.  Lee and Kirby have been on a role since the beginning of the Frightful Four trilogy round #36.  This is the first one that wasn't bad, but hasn't lived up to its recent peers, especially the stellar #51.  I think what lets it down for me is Lee's dialogue.  The Panther is mister smug pants, "Ha, Ha I'm so smart and better because you can't defeat me because I laid traps."  Its bit like Kraven and Spider-Man.  Let me prove I am your better by ensuring a less than even playing field.  The story also ends abruptly for T'Challa to tell why he really wants them here in a forced cliff-hanger.  I really like that Black Panther has the classic full face mask here and not the Avengers half-mask.  I thought it was a more recent design aesthetic, but I should have trusted Kirby's design sense to have come up with it first.

PODCAST PROPS

Give Me Those Star Trek #1 The Cage click here to download Siskoid and Gene Hendricks examine the Star Trek Pilot, The Cage and muse what it might have been like if that was the Pilot that went to series.  A strong debut for the podcast.  My personal opinion is that it would have been a lot more serious Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea type of show and lasted 2-3 series.  I just don't think the type of cast would have allowed for the type of stories that made Star Trek a classic.

Film and Water Podcast: High Fidelity click here to download The episode makes me want to watch this movie.  I think I saw the latter half one night on cable when I woke up in the middle of the night one night.  It was also intersting to hear Rob have a guest on who had the same appreciation for the film, but who had different interpretations and take aways from different scenes

Palace of Glittering Delights: Enterprise  click here to download Andrew Leyland covers a recent watch-thru of key Enterprise episodes in honor of the 50the anniversary of Star Trek.  I've never seen Enterprise and this makes me want to check it out.  I think it would be interesting to watch it as kind of a Trek continuity order (ie watch Enterprise, then Star Trek TOS, then Star Trek Animated. etc.).  I do agree with Andy about the unsuitability for older shows to be binge watched, and I've started mixing and matching nights of TV from old series for fun and variety.

Also, I've listened to Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men episodes 103-105.  I may discuss them in more detail later, but I wanted to focus on some shows that haven't received as much coverage from me.

Podcast Reactions (Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men and Fantasticast

PODCAST PROPS

Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men #101: I’m Not Bad, I’m Drawn That Way click here to download

Jay and Miles look at the Gossamyr storyline from New Mutants.  This storyline I have a particular relationship with because this was where my subscription to New Mutants kicked in.  After a few years of getting the Sears Marvel packs for Christmas from the annual Sears Wish List Christmas catalog, I asked for subscriptions one year to all of the X-books running at the time.  Honestly, it was a bit of a letdown and led to some buyer’s remorse.  Luckily it was followed by Inferno and a great Asgard storyline.  My recollection and read of Gossamyr was different from Jay’s.  The take presented on the episode was one of a creature from a manipulative society who couldn’t help but repeat learned behavior and didn’t understand what was wrong.  I think Gossamyr was explicitly and propsefully playing the New Mutants against each other and knew exactly what she was doing.  While I agree that it was tragic, I think there was some irony in Gossamyr seeing her family fall prey to a physical manipulation and exploitation to mirror the emotional manipulation she was bringing against the team.

The Fantasticast #195: Fantastic Four #155, Battle Royale click here to download

There is no such thing as a bad Fantasticast episode.   Andy and Stephen are about 100 issues ahead of my Marvel Silver Age reading, but I always make sure to listen when a new episode drops.  They touched a bit on how underused Medusa feels during this period.  I think it is because of a fundamental problem with the character on this particular team:  She brings nothing to the table except for gender.  I don’t mean that to come off as sexist, but once Reed stops keeping to the lab worrying and agonizing over Sue she doesn’t have unique skillset.  It’s like the tropes in RPGs and multi-player videogames that themselves were influenced by comics.  To make a workable unit and give everyone a chance to shine, everyone needs a unique skillset.  It’s normally some variation of the following: strong person, technical person/utility player, stealthy person, skilled fighter/stealth, long distance blaster, healing/defense.  Now look at the FF:  Strong person?  Thing.  Technical person/utility player: Reed and to a lesser extent Sue and Johnny with the versatile ways they use their powers.  Skilled fighter? Ben Stealth? Sue Long Distance Blaster? Johnny with Sue to a lesser extent Healing/Defense? Sue.  Each is good at multiple things but stands out in one thing.  Medusa?  She doesn’t replace the function Sue played re: defense and stealth.  She isn’t as strong or as good of a fighter as Ben and she isn’t as versatile as Reed.  Once Sue is reintroduced and Crystal marries Quicksilver, she stops being the confidant of the male characters, and they do nothing to make her relatable to any female readers that might exist.  She has no relationships, no background other than being an Inhuman [which never revolves around her], nothing.  She is literally there just to fill a fourth spot.

    Oh, and Colorforms, sweet, glorious Colorforms, the little semi-magnetic clings you could create scenes with on a little easel.  The easel would have a backdrop, and there would be clings of characters, props, and sound effects.  Colorforms and Shrinkydinks made up a good bit of my childhood.