A PhD in Comic Book Literature....

The Joker's Asylum - The Penguin

2008-07-12T18:28:17Z

With the new Batman film coming out this week, it is no surprise that DC has released a number of comics featuring The Joker. One of the odder titles is The Joker's Asylum which is an anthology series which features the Joker in the old Crypt Keeper host role. The issues feature a full length self contained tale featuring villains from the Batman universe. Issue 1 featured the Joker and it was "ok". The second issue, however, features an incredibly creepy tale of the Penguin. And, oh boy, this is not the Burgess Meredith Penguin of "same bat time" fame.

This Penguin is garishly evil and creepy. And we get to see what he makes him so creepy....his bizarre past (non) relationships with women are a major reason why he is such a psycho. Now, The Penguin has a new girlfriend and she brings the potential for the happiness he long wishes for.

But, of course, you know how that goes....

The "failed past relationships with women/love that was never realized/why can't I have steady relationships with women" are common themes in comic books. (after all, most comic readers are nerds, freaks and geeks and they are notorious for just those same types of relationships in High School) The theme, unfortunately, has been used to the point of it being a cliche. However, it is a popular theme and when done well it can deliver amazing results. The sheer creepiness of this particular look at The Penguin truly does succeed in this regard. This is an offbeat story and it is well worth checking out.

The Incredible Hulk Film

2008-07-11T16:48:32Z

Yes, I finally got around to checking out the new Hulk film and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised once again. Iron Man really was a fun film and the Hulk was a cool adventure yarn. It was serious but not depressing and the basic storyline worked in a thrilling way. Thankfully, they abandoned the awful tone of the first film and basically made a sequel to a remake of the television series that was never made. Actually, it was good to see them snub the first film considering what a travesty it really was.

If you want to see a thrill ride of a movie that stays true to the very best writing of the original Hulk comic book then this is a film to see. Plus it is finally great to see the green goliath say "Hulk Smash!" on the big screen.

Honoring LOTDK

2008-07-06T05:15:31Z

If there ever was an ongoing monthly title that truly deserved a little recognition for being a visionary work it would be LEGENDS OF THE DARK NIGHT. While it was Frank Miller who created the notion of re-examining the early days of Batman in the seminal mini-series BATMAN: YEAR ONE, LOTDK took things a step further and crafted a monthly series examining what may or may not have happened in Batman's formulative years. While some may take this approach for granted these days mainly because this type of storytelling has become commonplace such narratives were not often employed 15+ years ago. This is why LOTDK was such a unique and interesting title.

For 50 years, there were two monthly Batman titles: DETECTIVE COMICS and BATMAN. LOTDK was the first new Batman monthly to debut since the 1930's. (In time, along came the equally excellent SHADOW OF THE BAT) Rather than rehash a "villain of the month" storyline, LOTDK really sought to explore the history and motivations of Batman. Such an approach had really not been taken outside of Miller's work in the 1980's and Steve Englehart's excellent (brief) work in the 1970's.

In fairness, in the 1980's, even the villain of the month formula Batman followed was starting to take on more complex storytelling. While Marvel was more popular in terms of sales, DC, overall, was moving away from weak storytelling. It had to do this; the books had become stale. The DC line needed a shot in the arm and it got in the form of a number of well written and well thought out books.

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT was one such brilliant approach. Long may it reign…

New Conan Series

2008-07-04T14:32:04Z

This entry really doesn’t count in my yet to be finished Dark Horse Conan analysis, but I wanted to squeeze it in here because Conan the Cimmarean #0 has just recently been released. Of course, I am mentioning it because it is an excellent read and one well worth picking up.

Now, some may wonder why Conan the Barbarian was "cancelled" and this new series was launched. The reason (as explained in CtC #0) is that Robert E. Howard broke Conan's years into three segments: the wandering youth years, the adult years and then the King Conan years. This second series picks up where the early days of young Conan end and centers on a wiser, more mature Conan who is approaches life with the experience that his youthful travels provided him.

Once again, the previous series really knocked the ball out of the park with excellent storytelling that was both mature in narrative structure but still had the feel of an old school Conan comic.

Really, folks, you need to pick up anything from Dark Horse with the word "Conan" on it.

Loeb's The Hulk

2008-07-01T19:48:03Z

Jeff Loeb was the writer of some of my favorite Batman story arcs and he current run on The Hulk is equally impressive. In fact, this new series (The new title The Hulk is not to be confused with the Incredible Hulk series which is now dubbed The Incredible Hercules) actually exceeds World War Hulk as one of the best Hulk storyline in recent years.

This series deal with the mystery of a red colored Hulk who has murdered The Abomination and whose true motivations have not been completely revealed. Who is this angry red Hulk and were did he come from? As of issue #4, we don't know yet. That is why makes the series such an intriguing read. The Hulk has alway been an underrated character although he has definitely been one of Marvel' most popular characters. Part of the reason he is so underrated is because even after many years after the character has evolved from "dumb Hulk", the public is still overly familiar with the old model. Well, if you want to see and evolved cutting edge version of the Hulk, this is the series to check out.

Man With No Name

2008-06-29T18:22:47Z

It looks like western comics are making a comeback. This is somewhat shocking considering that these types of comics lost their appeal many, many decades ago. Dynamite's new series The Man With No Name is a continuation of the classic Clint Eastwood Spaghetti westerns of the 1960's. (Some of my favorite films) There is one huge difference between the comics and Eastwood's cinematic character: the movie version was far, far more misanthropic and almost dislikable. The character in the comic has a more human feel to him and this makes reading the adventures a lot more enjoyable since it adds a bit more life to the character. So, this book gets a huge recommendation.

Thomas Jane as Jonah Hex

2008-06-26T18:30:54Z

One of the cooler DC characters has always been the funky, freaky cowboy Jonah Hex. Ten years ago JR Lansdale wrote some amazing mini-series featuring the un slinger. (If you don't own the trade paperbacks of Two Gun Mojo and Riders of the Worm and Such you really should pick them up) Of course, you could also pick up the current issues of the current Hex series as well.

As much of a fan of Jonah Hex as I am, somehow I missed the news that there is a Jonah Hex film in the works featuring Thomas Jane. After Mr. Jane took a hike from the PUNISHER WAR ZONE film due to the fact he thought the script stunk (and this from a man who apparently thought the script for the first PUNISHER film was good!) he signed on to this new venture.

I'll be looking forward to it......

Moon Knight and Werewolf by Night

2008-06-15T16:40:04Z

Here is a quick heads up. As anyone who reads this blog knows I am a huge Moon Knight and Werewolf By Night fan. Of course, astute fans of Moon Knight know he first debuted in the Werewolf's once awesome comic back in the 1970's.

Even more astute fans know that Moon Knight and the Werewolf met again in Moon Knight's comic in the 1980's.

I am not sure if they have met any more times since then, but the Werewolf will be returning to Moon Knight's current comic in issue #20. Moon Knight is one of Marvel's very best books and I am looking forward to what they come up with ole' Jack Russell.

Rampaging Hulk Magazine Being Reprinted in the Essential Series this Month

2008-06-11T15:01:51Z

About a year ago, I had written extensively on the old Rampaging Hulk Magazine of the 1970's. (You can check out the On Television Classics article and read it for yourself) Rampaging Hulk was another member of a long line of failed Marvel Magazines in the 1970's. Now, when I say failed, I don't mean these were poorly written magazines. In fact, the magazines were general quite excellent. They were also way ahead of their time as they sought to attract an older audience. The Rampaging Hulk magazine featured mature themes and was closer to the character driven television program as opposed to the more traditional superhero oriented comic books. The magazine lasted a very short period of time in the late 1970's and had become all but forgotten. With the upcoming Hulk film being released Marvel mined their back issues and will be publishing The Essential Rampaging Hulk in a low cost, black and white format. I, for one, will be picking it up as soon as I can.

Blog Software Program

2008-07-07T06:46:16Z

Just a quick update for everyone. I am starting to experiment with a new voice dictation software program. Due to my work schedule it can be a little tough at times to finish writing and editing some of my longer entries. So, they have a tendency to sit in my unfinished folder. With the voice dictation software I can expand some of the drafts a little easier although it can be a chore to edit such documents. (Voice dictation software is far from perfect and when you add my east coast accent to the mix it confounds the poor program) Hopefully, if I get the hang of a voice dictation system I can speed up the number of entries I do per week. More importantly, a number of my entries do not have to be abbreviated due to time constraints. In other words, I am hoping my little experimentation with the voice operated program will improve the overall quality of the blog and allow me to become more prolific. Hopefully, things will work out exactly like that!

The Vulture's Prey Part II

2008-07-06T05:55:36Z

Due to time constraints, I can not add a lengthy synopsis of "The Vulture's Prey" (The Amazing Spiderman #64) and am going straight into the analysis. The gist of the issue dealt with Spiderman battling the Vulture while only having the use of one arm due to an injury.

The injured arm "gimmick" is more than, well, a gimmick in the story. Actually, it really shows the true brilliance of Stan Lee. Lee understood that you could not tell the exact same story issue after issue even though that is what most comic books did from the 1930's to the 1980's. Most comic books involved a villain of the month storyline that generally worked well. But, in order to make a comic more compelling, there needed to be a few spins on the traditional storyline. Giving Spiderman "amnesia" during a classic Dr. Octopus storyline was one such way this was achieved. Having Spiderman fight the Vulture with only one arm was another unique method. Sure, you knew Spiderman was going to win in the end. With the broken arm gimmick you didn't know how he was going to win. This is what made something as simple as a book length fight scene incredibly appealing.

Also, this storyline adds another unique dimension to Spiderman. The character clearly has no quit in him. He won’t give up no matter what. Yes, fighting the Vulture with both arms is tough enough. Having to fight such a dangerous an psychotic villain with only the use of one arm is insane. Yet, Spiderman does exactly this because he is so driven. He understands the consequences of non-action and can not bear the thought of not confronting the Vulture.

So, forget about the actual narrative for a second and think of the impact such an approach to the character has on its reader. The reader walks away seeing even more character development in a superhero even after five years of publication. Considering that some superheroes had been around 20+ years with NO character development whatsoever this obviously sets Spiderman away from the crowd to a great deal. This is why the character grew to be such an icon and this is why "The Vulture's Prey" remains an unheralded great storyline from Spiderman's early years.

The Vulture's Prey!

2008-07-05T17:04:45Z

Issue #63 of The Amazing Spiderman reveals the Vulture, Adrian Toomes, is no longer dead and is vowing revenge on Blackie Drago. Drago had tricked Toomes into revealing the secrets of the Vulture costume which Drago appropriated in a failed attempt to take out Spiderman.

Speaking of Spiderman…our wallcrawler has a little trouble climbing the walls in the rain. This leads him to taking a huge spill and injuring his shoulder…a little problem which he will have to deal with later.

Toomes later snags a second vulture quit which he brings to Drago's prison. Donning the suit, Drago once again becomes Vulture #2 and escapes from prison with Toomes help. Now, if you think that Toomes has done all this to team up with Drago then you are sadly mistaken. He has done it to beat the hell out of Drago so as to prove who is the best Vulture of them all!

Toomes ends up clobbering Drago just as Spiderman enters the fray. While Drago realizes he is no match for the Vulture and announced his retirement, Spiderman challenges the Vulture even though Spiderman's injured shoulder leaves him with only one functioning arm….continued until next issue!

While the narrative (like most Marvel comics of the era) is rather straight forward, the issue is interesting on a number of levels. First, the villains take center stage while Spiderman takes a more peripheral role. This was certainly not done regularly in comics and it most definitely helped Marvel distinguish itself from DC and other comics.

Also, there is a little bit of social commentary as the aged Toomes is constantly taunted by the younger and more arrogant Drago, Yet, the Vulture comes out on top as his blood thirsty nature compensates for his age.

What happens next issue? We'll find out in our next installment.

Dark Horse's Conan Series - A Prelude

2008-05-27T17:07:28Z

Dark Horse's Conan Series was not a book I had originally intending to write about, but after reading several issues over the past few weeks I really did need to make mention of it. In short, Dark Horse has really delivered a tremendous monthly series as well as several solid mini-series as well.

Conan was a character that appealed to me when I was younger for the same reason Conan has appealed to males since he first saw print in Robert E. Howard's WEIRD TALES PULP MAGAZINE stories of the 1920's: Conan was a ripped to shreds, silent, brooding, anti-hero womanizing adventurer. What kid wouldn't want to be Conan and bounce from adventure to adventure in a mythic world?

I first encountered Conan via the Old Power Records CONAN THE BARBARIAN LP circa 1980. This was a real fun LP that I played the hell out of when I was a kid. I later would sit enthralled at the TV when the commercials for the CONAN film played on TV. I didn't see the film in theaters but I did catch the VHS release a couple years later. The movie was an immediate cult classic and an underrated film. When in junior high I discovered MARVEL's CONAN THE BARBARIAN comic. Conan was not a comic title I purchased regularly but I enjoyed every issue I read. Marvel was also publishing another comic book entitled KING CONAN and a long running black and white magazine entitled THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN. I wanted to read both of these titles very much and I was particularly interested in getting copies of SAVAGE SWORD. But, no shops near me carried them so I never read them...yet.

I pretty much stopped reading about Conan for quite a while. Then, in High School, things changed big time when I purchased a slip-cased five volume collection of the Howard, Carter and De Camp Conan tales. These books had sold MILLIONS of copies worldwide since the 1960's. Let the truth be told: it was hard NOT to buy these books after seeing Frank Frazetta's brilliant artwork. It was just too awe inspiring and alluring to not purchase.

I ended up reading about 9 volumes of the Conan series and they had a huge impact on me.

More on that in our next installment.

A Little Heroic Introspection

2008-07-05T08:50:35Z

So what is it that you dig a bad your favorite comic book superhero? No, I am not asking you to remember your favorite story line or discuss the quality of the artwork. Actually, I am asking you to be a little introspective. That is, really look deep down and try to figure out on what it is about certain characters that appeal to you so much. Spiderman, for example, was a hero who drew much of his popularity from an audience that identified with the nebbish title character who had so much to offer yet was rejected by all his peers. If the youthful audience that followed the character did not identify with him so much then Spiderman would be in no more popular than The Flash.

So, and that is your homework assignment from this blog for the week. Really a look at those characters that you enjoy the most in really think about why you enjoy them. Who knows? Maybe this little bit of introspection could actually changer world.

Then again, be even if it doesn't it can kill a rainy Saturday afternoon if you are bored.

Anyone Remember Blackie Drago?

2008-07-05T08:43:20Z

While going through some of my back issues and reprints I skimmed a few of the old Vulture issues that were published in Amazing Spiderman circa the late 1970's. Some of these issues featured the second Vulture named Blackie Drago. Drago replaced the original Vulture Adrian Tombes who died of old age. (The original Vulture died of old age a number of times throughout the years only to get better) While Drago was not all that interesting of a character, this story arcs that featured his version of the villain are actually quite well written. In the second story arc, the original Vulture basically hands Drago his ass and Drago retires.

Out of curiosity, did this character ever appear in any subsequent issues?

While characters have been known to die and rise from the dead with mundane frequency, Drago's retirement was seemingly forever. Honestly, I can not think of any issues past 1967 where Drago appeared as the Vulture.

Does anyone out there know if he appeared as the Vulture in recent history?

Bill Mantlo

2008-07-05T09:10:23Z

Sometimes you get news that is downright shocking. Prior to the internet, the ability to receive information on comic books was limited to a few publications and mail order fanzines. Recently, I was shocked to discover the unfortunate turn of events that befell one of Marvel's top riders of the 1970's and 1980's.

In the early 1990's, former Marvel writer turned public defender Bill Mantlo suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him in a coma. He suffered major brain damage and is not expected to make a recovery. The reason I looked up Mantlo's name was I was really curious as to what happened to him. He was a major staple of Marvel's bullpen for years and then disappeared. (It turns out he entered law school and that is what was taking up his time)

Bill was a tremendous writer who scripted excellent runs on Spectacular Spider Man and The Incredible Hulk. I always looked forward to reading his work and he was a favorite writer of mine.

I'll write more about my thoughts on Bill's work later. For now, check out this excellent article on his work on the Hulk:

Mantlo and the Hulk

When The Vultures Clashed

2008-07-05T15:13:32Z

Sometimes it takes a long, long time for me to get around to writing an article. In this case, it took me seven years. Ok, maybe that is not a fair assessment. After all, this blog has only been in existence for seven months. But, it was seven years ago when I picked up Vol 3 in the Essential Spiderman series and read the classic two-part storyline from 1968 where the two Vultures – the original, Adrian Toomes, and the upstart, Blackie Drago - had their clash to determine who the real Vulture was.

I am not sure what the reason was, but apparently Stan Lee opted to "kill off" the original Vulture and replace him with Blackie Drago a couple years earlier. There really was no difference between the two other than Drago was younger and wore that goofy helmet. (Then again, Drago looked kind of cool on the old 1967 Spiderman animated TV series) The original Vulture was darn creepy looking with his aged visage and freaky bald head.

Therein lay the uniqueness of the character of the Vulture. On the surface, the Vulture is a dopey villain. He is a guy in a bird suit who can fly. Shouldn't Spiderman be able to knock this joker out with one punch? Yet, the Vulture jumped to the "A list" of Spiderman villains appearing repeatedly over the years. Why was this? The character was creepy. He had a demented evil streak that made him far more sinister than silly. Perhaps this is why Stan Lee opted to bring Toomes back and retire Drago after only a few appearances.

To be fair to Drago, the story arc where he teamed with Kraven the Hunter to face Spiderman was quite well done. So, it is no surprise they brought him back. What was a surprise was the fact that he and the original Vulture had a duel to the finish. It is this classic story line that will be examined in the next installment…

To be continued.

Marvel Role Playing Suit

2008-06-11T08:32:24Z

Here is something I think we all saw coming but also never really expected to actually happen. it would seem that Marvel has filed suit against an online role playing company due to the characters of the game being too similar to Marvel characters. You can read about the details of the suit at MSN Games. (yeah, I know the article was originally published in 2004 but I didn't read about it until today)

I really don't know the details of what went on behind the scenes, but in a lot of instances many infringements are not really planned. Often, creative teams will subconsciously borrow traits of other characters simply because years of exposure to the characters somewhat hard wires the brain to see things a certain way. This is why people who play roleplaying games will try to design characters "similar" to the Hulk and end up re-creating with the only difference being the name.

Speaking of The Hulk....look at the Hulk's gamma bomb origin and then watch the opening of the 1950's sci-fi film The Amazing Colossal Man....

New Feature Coming Soon...

2008-06-11T08:23:48Z

Just a brief heads up…

I am going to add a new feature to the blog that involves brief comments about new releases. Previously, I limited the inclusion of "coming soon" type blog posts mainly because the focus of this blog is centers more on critical analysis of brilliant comic book story arcs. Of course, it takes quite a bit of work to compose these types of articles. So, rather than have large gaps in the blog I will be adding brief comments on new releases to the blog. Hopefully, the quality of writing will not be rotten and you will dig it. Trust me, I will do my very best to avoid writing any material that would be dubbed rotten. Promise.

Health Ledger as the Joker

2008-04-13T08:51:19Z

A unique new photo of Health Ledger as the Joker in the upcoming release THE DARK NIGHT has surfaced. You can check it out at the Daily Telegraph's website along some cool new facts about the film.