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thegeekerynj · 3 years

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All Death Metal Review (And nothing from Sweden!)

Death Metal: Trinity Crisis One Shot

Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Francis Manapul

‘And who are YOU supposed to be? I’ve faced enough Dark Knights that no Batman scares me anymore!

Ha! Then it’s a good thing I’m not a Batman! I’m his MOTHER!’

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Sweet Christmas! That took me by surprise!

Harley kissing Jonah Hex, that was really sweet, and gods awful creepy, and kinda gross, after the exchange, and some thought…

This is it, Gentle Readers… the Beginning of the End of the Beginning of… Oh, crap, now I’m lost… This is where the story starts rockin’!

The Gang’s all together, and the Black Lantern Bat has determined what they need to do.

The plan? Split up, naturally. That AL-ways works…

When we left them in DM #3, the Lanterns are protecting the Home Base, and taking out the Crisis Energy Antennae on the Earths left in the known Universes, The Flashes are off and running through the Speed Force, trying to find Metron, and stay ahead of the Bathattan who Laughs, while the Trinity (Superman / Antilife, Black Lantern Batman and Warden Wonder Woman) along with Swamp Thing, Harley, Hex and Jarro, head for Castle Bat, to gain access to the Crisis Earths, where the Crisis Energy is being harvested for Perpetua.

**WHEW!**

Getting into the Castle involves getting past an army of Dark Knights… and we have a bunch of real winners here!

Bat Monday - Salomon Grundy in Bat ears, I could have busted a gut laughing, until I thought about what kind of weapon a zombie with Batman’s training could be, and shivered…

Kull, the daughter of Batman and Wonder Woman, corrupted by the Dark Universe…

Ark, the living embodiment of Arkham, with all of the knowledge and abilities of ALL her worst inmates…

Chiroptor, the amalgam of Batman and Chemo (Great Elder Gods!!)…

And the Pearl, Martha Wayne, in the equivalent of HellBat Armor, complete with her iconic pearl necklace.

This is a real mindscrew for Batman, and the panels depict it, most intently.

One nice thing about Scott Snyder… he is consistent about tying up loose ends. Once we are in Castle Bat, we find out what happened to Barbatos, the Big Bad from Dark Nights: Metal. Not that we were actually wondering, since we got Perpetual, and the Batman Who Laughs, but, like I said, it ties up the package nicely.

Then, we are introduced to the character I have been most happily waiting for… the Robin King, and his Utility Belt of Death!

Gentle Readers, this is the story we have been waiting for, the chapter which tells us what the Heroes Plan of Action is, and where the story has been going, for over 40 years. You see, the opening page of this book tells us where this story began… with Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Not to spoil too much, but Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis, ]well… they have all played a part in getting us to this story. It seems, the “Crisis Energy’ has fed Perpetua while she was trapped within the Source Wall, and, now, she wants it all, so she can recreate the Universes in her image.

Great job, if you can get it…

I can’t say enough good things about this story and artwork, as Snyder and Manapul have put together a really tight, hard hitting bottle / lead story, bringing us to the next step in the saga…

Jeebus on a popsicle stick, I hope no one lets me down… that will hurt!

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Multiverse’s End #1

Writer: James Tynion IV Artist: Juan Gedeon

‘Mr. Rabbit?

Yes, Young Lady?

Thank you for saving me.

What a kind thing to say! It was so scary out there, and you stayed so brave. I don’t think I could have done it without your courage.

You’re really, really soft.

I use a special carrot shampoo.

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Once upon a time, about a million, bazillion years ago in cranky fat man years, somewhere around 1982, Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw! brought Earth-C into the DC Multiverse, the earth of anthropomorphic animals… yes, they brought Super-Hero Cartoon Animals to the Super Hero Universe.

Our introduction to this Earth was Rodney Rabbit, a comics writing and drawing hare, who created the Just’a Lotta Animals comic by day, and was Captain Carrot, a Superman-esque rabbit, who got his powers from super charged carrots, when danger struck.

But, I digress… because I got really excited!

So, we have teams on the 6 Earths, each Earth holding a tuning fork, focusing the psychic pain energy of the population to Perpetual, powering her attempts to recreate the Multiverse in her image. The Earths in play, Earth - 3 (Crime Syndicate), Earth - X (Nazi Earth), Earth - 29 (Bizarroworld), Earth - 43 (Blood League World) and Earth - 50 (Justice Lords Earth) are all worlds of pain and suffering.

Their energy is the right flavor for destroying, and creating.

The heroes, organized and led by the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814 (Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz), are working to take down the Antennae before the energy can be fed to Perpetual to power her Cosmic Undoing.

So, teamed with the Lanterns, we have Hawkgirl, Kid Flash (Earth-22), President Superman (Earth-23), Wonder Woman (Earth-6) and Captain Carrot, all hellbent on stopping the respective Antennae.

The problem… Each Earth’s inhabitants have been laced into the antennae, to directly feed the psychic energy to it..since the energy is effectively terror, well, what better way to induce some? Of course, this isn’t the only problem to be contended with…

Leave it to James Tynion IV to come up with a way to make a villain creepier than the Batman Who Laughs… How, you ask? Well, take the true polar opposite of Batman, and make him realize HE IS what Giggles says he is, and you have an interesting new ballgame.

You see, while the Batman who Laughs is the Ultimate CORRUPTED Batman, Owlman is the Anthesis of Batman, the purest EVIL to the Batman’s GOOD. And he plans to make sure that he continues to be the True Opposite…

Gedeon’s artwork is rough, but considering the story being told, and the pain portrayed by the characters, it fits, perfectly. Some times, I see Joe Staton and Nic Cuti in these pages, a little cartoony, but that’s not a complaint… The story concentrates a bunch on Guy Gardner and Cap, so, it seems to fit (and the art is reminiscent of the ‘A Guy and his G’Nort’ storyline from 1991).

All in all, a very good story, and a fantastic use of a truly underused treasure.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Speed Metal #1

Writer: Joshua Williamson Pencils: Eddy Barrow Inks: Eber Ferreira

‘Hey, Flash Family, Is it true a Flash has to die in every Crisis?!’

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And the levels of snark from the Darkest Knight have reached Epic Levels!

The first three pages of this issue give us a rehash of everything having to do with Wally West, since the beginning of the Rebirth Era, from Barry pulling Wally out of the Speed Force, to Barry and Batman finding the Comedian’s Smiley Face button embedded in the Batcave wall, to the events of Heroes in Crisis and Flash Forward.

The action picks up as Barry, Wally, Wallace and Jay leave the Batman’s Vault, in search of Metron’s Chair, with the Darkest Knight hot on their trails.

In the Speed Force.

With the Darkest Knight’s presence corrupting the Speed Force, Barry and Wally bickering the entire time, I’m reminded of why I hated the post Crisis Flash… Wally wasn’t mature enough to wear the mantle of Barry’s fame.

Sure, he had the speed, he was even faster than Barry, but he was still the same jealous little kid inside, the one who needed to be patted on the head, the one who couldn’t get on with the Titans, even though he was probably the most powerful of them.

He was just an immature kid, and here, Williamson dragged that all into the foreground once again.

All so Wally West, the King of the Redemption Arc, could have another Redemption Arc…

Sorry, that did me in.

The rest of the story is pretty good… the art is wonderful, the Jay / Barry / Wallace interplay is really kinda neat, and all the Black Flashes… well, I’m a sucker for Death icons, so a mass of Death Speedsters, well that’s fun with a CAPITAL F!

But, did we need another Wally gets to whine story?

Sorry, this wasn’t the finest arc of the Death Metal Saga.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶

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Death Metal #4 ‘Shot In The Dark’

Writer: Scott ‘Scream King’ Snyder Artist: Greg ‘The Muscle’ Capullo Inks: Jonathan ‘Bloodied’ Glapion

“So, ever wonder why you never see A Harley Who Laughs’?’

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And, that Gentle Readers, is the crux of one of those puzzles about this series… Why don’t we ever see more twisted versions of the Villains who infest Earth Prime?

The Robin King (this is the character who rates SECOND on my memorable Characters list, especially with his own One-Shot—— Who’s First?? Time, Gentle Ones in time…) puts the explanation out there, and it is very simple.

And worth the read… But, I digress.

So, Issue 4 picks up with Sergeant Rock describing what has been happening on Earth - Prime, and we finally get to see who has been carrying him around… AMBUSH BUG! Yes, the character that made the Fourth Wall more transparent than an open Anderson window has been carrying Rock around as his own personal narrator…

Which, if you know the Bug, is a joke unto itself.

So, here we go, the ride is picking up steam, and we are now following 6, count’em SIX, separate story lines. A guy could get whiplash, or Bullwhip or some other third rate character… But, I digress.

We have the Trinity storyline, the SpeedMetal storyline, Multiverse’s End, and the Lantern Storyline from the last issue, the Justice League / Legion of Doom story… am I forgetting anything?

Oh, and of course, the Robin King.

Where to start with this… I guess the simplest place to start is the artwork.

Greg Capullo’s pencils are absolutely wonderful. For anybody who it's to watch the process of drawing I want to watch so he's got a really wonderful touch I recommend Greg Capullo’s Instagram site. As he's drawing pages for these books, he posts the pencils as he finishes pieces of the process . Normally, he has six or seven photo panels showing exactly what he's been doing. In man cases, this involves crowd scenes, with extensive detail. His work is beautiful, it’s easy to see why he is such a sought after talent.

Jonathan Glapion’s inks on Capullo’s pencils are comparable to Austin on Byrne, and Janson over Miller, Janson over Colan… Enhancing, and not hiding the intricate detail rendered in the pencils, adding that last flash of lightning to bring it all together. The balance struck between them is almost organic, a constant growth between the two, bringing them to levels bordering on the true Classic Art teams of the last 50 years.

I do not make these comparisons lightly

Now, to the story. Scott Snyder is powering a roller coaster with a rocket sled. The coordination between the different aspects of these stories is both intricate and daring. With all the different aspects of this story spinning like plates on sticks, Snyder juggles the plot lines, and what is left to him by the myriad of writers as Emmet Kelly did in the heyday of Ringling Brothers.

His deft touch, and subtle influences are balanced by lace covered sledgehammer blows, leaving the reader reeling, and wanting so very much more.

Scott Snyder, much like Tom Taylor, has pulled out all the stops, cut the brake lines, kicked out the jams, insert favorite euphemism for creating a high speed, non-stop mad ride to Hell!

And, much to my wallet’s chagrin, I am very happy about it.

Now, as it crosses to other books, and other writers pick up the reins, I am sure Snyder will still be the whip hand driving the story, not allowing some of these writers to go too far astray (unless it’s Tom King… then, well Woo Hoooo!)

I can’t say enough good things about this story, or the team creating it. I’m beginning t feel a little biased, but, what the heck.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Robin King #1 ‘The Robin Who Would Be King’

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi Artist: Riley Rossmo

‘Aw! Come on, this is the fun part!

Get up and let’s FIGHT!’

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Games, within games, within games…

So, the Batman who Laughs wasn’t infallible.

And the Robin King is going to be the bigger threat to the Darkest Knight than any combination of the Trinity, Flashes or their cohorts.

At least, that’s my takeaway from this issue.

We continue the story of the Robin King, as started in the Tales of the Dark Universe one shot. Bruce has grown up, and grown into his sociopathy, and genius. He has used the family fortune to get all the training necessary, and to accumulate all the tools, to begin his reign as the true Evil Overlord of Gotham.

Utilizing his accumulated weapons, he has taken out Commissioner Gordon, Firestorm, Animal Man, Adam Strange Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), and the Red Tornado, all in truly spectacular and extraordinarily grisly fashion.

While the Black Hole Implosion for Firestorm was a particularly well thought out death, I think, so far, the ‘Mortal Coil’ Death, for the Red Tornado was the most imaginative… making his powers totally uncontrollable, while moving him closer to his ultimate dream, to be a real person, before his form totally destroys itself from the stresses of his own speed.

Marvelous! Fantastic! Gross!

Enter the Batman who Laughs, with the proposition to make the Robin King special, one of his own…

But, he’s a Robin, so, off to the Groblin Pit he goes!

Hence, his mistake, and possibly another chink in the boiler plate of his plans… since Bruce Wayne is NO Robin!

Peter Tomasi’s scripting for this issue is simply remarkable. The creep factor he brings to this iteration of Bruce Wayne is almost eviscerating. Reading this was painful to my eyes and psyche, feeling the levels of insanity drip off the page, and scratch across my mind like a little bird’s unnaturally sharp talons.

He really hit all the horror factors.

Then, there was the artwork for this story. Riley Rossmo’s artwork set the mood for this story. His shattered pencil / inks style, which can be distracting, was integral to telling this story. It allowed the Reader to view this story as if it were playing out in Bruce’s mind, its all the fracturing being how he is viewing the world.

For me, this story has been the highlight of the series… thus far. I am anticipating this, which is near the midpoint of things, is setting up the Wednesday Night Episode…so, -

Tune In, Gentle Readers!

Same Bat-Time

Same Bat Channel!

The Best Is Yet To Come!

Did I neglect there is a B-story, with Signal, Spoiler, Orphan and Red Robin taking on Quietus, the amalgam of Batman Ras’ al Ghul and Duke Thimas, from another Dark Universe, written by Tony Patrick and drawn by Daniel Sampere?

This story brings in a plot line for ‘What’s happening for the Other Bat-Family Elements’, as they try to find their way through Castle Bat’s myriad streets…

I am guessing we will start to see more of these stories.

I am completely fine with this, rather than having to recap things later…

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

#dark nights: death metal #DC comics #Batman Who Laughs #Scott Snyder #Greg Capullo

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cubesquareddigital · 3 years

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The Art of the Marvel Logos

Something a little bit different for you. Anyone who knows me (even a little) will know about my life-long love of Marvel (the superheroes, not the powered milk). From reading the comics as a child to the TV shows of the 70s and 80s (I’m looking at you Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk) to the modern day movies that have dominated cinemas for the last 10 years or so, I’m, a life-long member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society.

Whilst the movies, under the stewardship of producer Kevin Fiege, are the epitome of the modern Marvel universe (let’s gloss over the ones that came before or from other studios) and I love them all dearly (maybe not equally, but dearly), there’s an aspect of them that often gets overlooked and that’s the graphic design that went into their logo’s.

Here I want to take a look at some of my favourite logos from the MCU and what I think is so great about them from a design point-of-view. It gives me a chance to geek out a little, tell you what I love about them (the logo, not the film) and hopefully you will come across some details you haven’t seen before that will make you appreciate the design work that goes into something people gloss over. There aren’t many sequels in the list (just adding a ‘2’ to it doesn’t make it any better) but there are a couple of notable inclusions.

Bear in mind this is just my list (in chronological order of release) and my own preferences, so it isn’t meant to be anything other than my own musings! I’ve also tried to track down the person / agency who designed the logo to give them the credit. Apologies if the details are wrong or missing. Once Marvel was bought up by Disney, I imagine they were all designed ‘in-house’ from that point. I haven’t included any of the Marvel TV shows or the Netflix ones either. Not that there’s anything wrong with them (the Luke Cage one is great), but I just preferred to concentrate on the movies within the MCU.

So, let’s start with the movie that kick-started the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with ….

1 - IRon Man (Released 2008)

It’s easy to forget that Iron Man was the first movie that was released by the then independent film studio Marvel had created. Marvel Studios, before it was bought up by Disney, was a newcomer to the world of cinema, and with the more widely-recognised of their characters owned by other studios (X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, etc.), they had to go with what was deemed to be their ‘B’ List characters.

Fast-forward to today and it’s hard to think of Iron Man being anything other than the cornerstone of the MCU, but back in 2008, releasing a movie, their first movie at that, based on a lesser known character was a huge risk. We needn’t have worried.

The Iron Man logo, at least the one accompanied the movie (the logo was slightly different when the initial teaser was released) was created by designer Fede Ponce. As the studios first film, it had to convey not just the title of the film, but a confidence in both themselves and the film itself.

I think what I love the most about the logo is how it manages to combine the aesthetics of the original comic book logo whilst giving it a modern twist. The metallic (he IS Iron Man after all), photo-realistic texture, works perfectly, uniting the past and the present together in a relatively simple design.

Ponce, after reading the script, described the movie as being one of redemption, and he’s right. Tony Stark goes from being the money-focussed weapons dealer and businessman who cares for little except himself but, (SPOILER ALERT) after being captured and coming to see how his weapons are being abused, becomes the eponymous hero we all now know and love.

This redemption is reflected in the logo too, literally. Thanks to the metallic textures and use of sunlight reflecting and breaking through from the bottom of the text, it signifies this rebirth for Tony Stark at the dawn on a new era.

2 - The Avengers (released 2012)

Here in the UK, we had to contend with it being called ‘Marvel’s Avenger’s Assemble’ because of perceived complication with an earlier movie based on an old TV series called The Avengers. Eugh! For the sake of this, let’s just pretend it was called what everyone else was calling in.

Without their ‘heavy hitters’ to call upon, The Avengers brought together Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Thor in a movie that would change what a superhero movie looked like forever, not to mention the culmination of the first real cinematic universe that continues to grow to this day.

The logo for Marvel’s first ‘team-up’ movie is probably the one that most closely resembles the original comic book logo, but that’s not a criticism. If it’s not broke, etc. It’s more of a dynamic refresh, rather than a full reboot of the original comic book design, with the classic Avengers ‘A’ leading the charge.

Within Marvel, this design cue was known as the ‘Big A’, not least because its larger type and the arrow thrusting forward. It was designed way back in the 1970s by designer and Marvel letterer (what a great job title) Gaspar Saladino. Gaspar, who also worked a lot for rival DC Comics, worked most of his life in the comic book industry. This piece of artistry from Saladino debuted in the Avenger’s comic in 1972.

The logo for the movie built on Saladino’s work by placing the ‘Big A’ inside a ring to give it more dynamism. Even the word ‘The’ was italicised to further portray forward momentum, something the studio was also experiencing following the success of Phase 1 movies they had released to great critical and audience response.

As with the Iron Man logo mentioned above, this also features an embossed metallic texture to signify their strength. The sharp edges and corners on the ‘G’ and the tie of the ‘Es’ (notice how the middle of the ‘E’ differs from the top and bottom) also help to define this.

As of writing, we’re now four Avenger’s movies deep and the logo hasn’t really changed that much over the course of those films, other than the addition of a subtitle. A sure sign that they were onto a winner as far back as the 1970s.

3 - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

This might seem like a strange addition to the list; a fairly plain logo for a movie based on a team most people won’t have even heard of at the time, but there’s actually a lot going on here. Allow me to explain.

This was another logo that was redesigned following it’s initial announcement in 2012 (thankfully),like the Avengers, the Guardians was going to be another Marvel team-up movie, but one for a group of ‘heroes’ (or maybe space pirates) based on a relatively recent comic book run (from 2008).

Whilst the name had been around in the comics since 1969, this was (mostly) based on the modern iteration by writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.

The movie and its characters were out of left-field for a studio that had, until now, played safe with its choices (albeit limited by rights issues). Guardians of the Galaxy most certainly didn’t. That meant most people, even those relatively familiar with Marvel, didn’t know what to expect, which is why the logo utilises the fundamental style of the logos that came before it, albeit with some fun subtle twists. The metallic texture isn’t as polished and ‘new’ as Iron Man or the Avengers logos were; it’s worn, almost beaten down and looks a little tatty, just the like the team themselves.

Also look at how ‘of the’ is positioned. It’s clunky and off-kilter, placed far left of centre, just like the team in the movie. It also beautifully symbolises the relationships within the team of Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax. We might not have known what to expect when it was announced, but we so fell in love with them when we saw the movie.

4 - Doctor Strange (2016)

Doctor Strange was the movie that took the MCU into the realms of magic, alternative dimensions and the seeded the multiverse. In design terms, it was also the movie that moved away from the metallic, block capitals that were starting to look a bit ‘samey’, but not eschewed it completely.

Doctor Strange isn’t just the character name, it’s literally the name of the protagonist. He IS Dr. Stephen Strange, a gifted surgeon who, following an accident, leaves him incapable of practising. As he searches the world for a remedy, he comes across The Ancient One who opens his eyes to a whole new world of magic, mysticism and martial arts (in the comics at least).

Dr. Strange isn’t your typical muscle-bound hero like we’ve been used to seeing, and the logo reflects this. The narrow, elegant font (it’s called 'Baker Signet if you’re interested) helps the logo stand out from those that came before, just as the hero does. It’s still reflective, but it’s also reflecting itself thanks to the ridged letters, just as the character reflects on himself to find his place in this new world he finds himself.

5 - Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

For me at least, when I think of Marvel, I think of Spider-Man. Together with the Fantastic Four, he was my ‘go-to’ character when I first starting reading the comics as a child. I think part of the appeal of any superhero character is that, when you see them, you can see yourself being them. OK, even at that young age I knew I couldn’t BE Spider-Man, but I COULD be Peter Parker quite easily.

I loved the comics, I even loved the TV show in the 70s with Nicholas Hammond and I also loved the Tobey Maguire iteration. They were all great, but for me at least still lacking a certain ‘something’; that one factor that would illicit those beloved memories of childhood.

When it was announced that Spider-Man was going to be part of the MCU, I was giddy with excitement. When I first saw Spider-Man: Homecoming in the cinema, it was, I think, the first time that the character I loved as kid in those comic books was truly brought to life on the screen. I loved the film and I loved the logo for it.

Spider-Man’s introduction brought with it a new youthful energy into the MCU. Peter Parker wasn’t a middle-aged white guy with muscles on his muscles, he was a teenager struggling to balance life, school and everything that the teenage years brings with it. He brought that sense of wonder and fun with his wide-eyed, some-would-say naive outlook on the world and the logo illustrates that brilliantly.

Logo’s that came before certainly tipped their hat to their comic counterparts, but were still very much ‘movie’ logos. This one, I think, was the first to fully embrace its comic book roots and not be ashamed of it. The youth of the character is reflected in the curved title and the graffiti-esque uses of the Spider-Man symbol forming the ‘o’ of Homecoming further establishes its younger aesthetic. You could see this logo grace any comic book, now or then. Welcome home Spider-Man.

6 - Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

After the much derided Thor : The Dark World (which isn’t actually as bad as people lead you to believe), the Thor franchise took at much needed twist with the recruitment of the brilliant Taika Waititi to direct the third movie. The logo for Thor: Ragnarok wasn’t excluded from this shake-up, but Taika’s influence is clear. The logo, when the film was first announced, was a much more sombre affair and owed much to the two films that came before it.

Ragnarok didn’t take it self too seriously. It was equally full of ironic wit, self-parody and production design that harkened back to the days of Jack Kirby’s colourful artwork from the comics. The logo epitomises all of this.

It was also part of the continuation of Marvel movie logos that veered away from the typical examples that came before it around this time. This, together with the afore-mentioned Spider-Man: Homecoming and even the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel when announced, all were much more playful in tone and styling.

It might look like a hodge-lodge of retro elements, from its 80s typeset to the jumble of video game colours. In many ways, as a logo, it really shouldn’t work, but it does. It perfectly represents Thor’s latest outing as something different from the masculine, all-too-serious muscle-fests we’d seen before.

7 - Black Panther (2018)

Not content with the first female-led movie coming over the hill (see below), Black Panther was the first Marvel movie with an almost entirely black cast. It proved to be a commercial and critical success and became the first Marvel movie to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards. Many other MCU films had been nominated for the technical categories before this, but not one of the ‘big’ awards. It didn’t win, but it was (and is) still one hell of an achievement for a ‘comic book movie’.

The character of T’Challa was first introduced to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War. For his own solo movie, we got to look at the fictional nation of Wakanda, a mysterious but technologically advance kingdom, hidden from the rest of the world. Black Panther is a logo fit for a king, it’s both regal and dynamic, just like it should be.

You might think it’s asking a lot for a logo to reflect all of these things, but I think this one manages it. The sleek lines matched with the precision of the lettering display the spirit of technological advances Wakanda is known for. The uses of blue and gold, within the 3D letters, ooze majestic splendour. In addition, with the first and last letters of Panther larger than the rest and the elongated point of the ‘N’ gives a static logo a real sense of purpose and movement.

8 - Captain Marvel (2019)

With 2019’s Captain Marvel, we got our first female-led superhero movie. I mean technically it was 2019, but the film itself was set in the 1990s. making full use of the de-ageing technology on Nick Fury, not to mention the logo itself. It’s a nostalgic love letter to the period of Blockbuster video shops and painful computer loading times.

As you would expect for a movie set 20+ years ago, the logo is reminiscent of the the movies of that era. The red and gold colours with the retro (for now, futuristic for then) lettering places the movie in our mind perfectly. Imagine any Schwarzenegger or Stallone film of that time using that same font. Little fact for you; the font is actually called “CaptainMarvel” and was designed by FontStudio LAB.

What I really like about it though is the space between the words. Normally this would be just negative space, but here they have added a glow, an explosion perhaps or a callback to her uniform, but either way it tells us that this is still a superhero movie, with all the crash bang boom you’d expect from it. It’s just subtle enough to let you make your own mind up.

9 - Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame marked the culmination of 20+ movies spanning 10+ years in what came to be known as the Infinity Saga. The movie has to hit so many targets but it managed it (just) and the world seemed to agree, making it the highest grossing movie in history. For a movie so jam-packed with heroes, the logo has an almost wistful feel to it which, if you’ve seen the movie, you will understand.

Marvel kept with the classic Avenger’s logo, but by using a more mature colour palette and the aged look of the texture signifies the passage of time (which, again, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll get) and gives a more sombre feel. Of course, that’s only half the story. The ‘Endgame’ subtitle is also more muted, especially compared to the previous sequels Age of Ultron and Infinity War. You get just a faint hint of a sunset at the top of the lettering. The kern is also wider, more separated, signalling that the heroes we know are closing the curtain on their adventures and finding their own way from now on. Bittersweet maybe, but we love it 3000.

10 - Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

At the time of writing, we’re still waiting to see this movie (I don’t think it’s even been finished filming yet!) but we know it’s coming with Taika Waititi back at the helm of Thor’s 4th solo movie. Fresh (well relatively speaking) from the success of Thor: Ragnarok and its fantastic logo, we have another retro-tastic entry for Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s also too much logo for one film; its over-the-top uses of bold colours tells us what we can expect from the movie. It’s going to be BIG!

Like many of the latter logos, it’s fun, it’s colourful and reminds me a lot of the Marvel cartoons from the 1980s and 90s in its pomp and splendour. I can't wait to see it when it’s released (if movies ever get released ever again - curse you COVID19)

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little jaunt through the MCU with our graphic design glasses on. This obviously isn’t all of the logo’s or all of the movies so if there are any that I haven’t included that you like, let us know in the comments below. Remind us in 10 years and we’ll do it again. Nuff said.

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 4 years

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2099 Alpha #1 Thoughts

This was a confusing set of teaser trailers.

This is partially a post covering the issue and a rant about the entire premise of the series.

Throughout this comic book (and F4 2099) one prevailing question kept crossing my mind.

“Who is this even for?”

It was a question that became louder when I looked at both the cover and the blurb at the back explaining how this project came to be about.

Matthew Rosenberg, author of the most controversial and derided X-Men run in recent memory (so you know that bodes well), pointed out that 2019 was both the 80th anniversary of Marvel comics (even though most people would argue Marvel truly started in 1961 with F4 #1) and also 80 years away from the real life year 2099.

The idea was dismissed but then Nick Spencer decided he liked it and after one thing led to another this event was born.

This event being a ‘reimagining’ of the 2099 universe but with ‘a similar methodology’ to the original 1992 line (that is to say avoiding the ‘common traps’ of descendants of known characters*), with a mind towards how the future was perceived in 2019 vs. 1992.

Right off the bat there are inherent problems with that entire premise.

First of all the original 2099 line presented a version of the future that if anything is MORE relevant now than it was in 1992.

Futurism in any era is never just one thing, but the futurism of 2019 is generally speaking understandably cynical and nihilistic. It’s a world which foresees a future where there isn’t even an illusion of freedom, where the gap between rich and poor has grown even wider than it already is with little-no feasible way to close it, where corporations run the show (more openly than they already do) and where environmental disaster is ravaging mankind if not having already wiped it out. This is to say nothing of a world where artificial intelligence and mechanisation will probably compromise a lot of people’s employment opportunities, and pose direct physical and mental dangers to human lives.

That is the general ethos of how a lot of people and a lot of fiction reflects the future NOWDAYS. And that’s what the 2099 was doing in 1992! Not only was the line set in the future it was literally ahead of it’s time as the world we live in if anything has grown to reflect it more and more.

Secondly when you are approaching the notion of making a futuristic version of Spider-Man and the Punisher in the year 2099 and applying the same ‘methodology’ as the LAST time someone tried to make a futuristic version of Spider-Man and the Punisher in the year 2099 the results at best are not going to be that different, rendering the exercise pointless. In fact in all likelihood you are going to be worse or at least derivative. Even if you are not the fact that the 2099 line resonated with people enough for it to continually pop up every so often for nearly 30 years means that your new take is unlikely to hold up to people’s nostalgia.

And make no mistake, this is a project that exists for nostalgia. It doesn’t exist just for the sake of exploring a possible future for the Marvel universe, otherwise why revive a popular and famous Marvel brand to do it?

And therein lies my fundamental question.

If this project exists because people are already invested in 2099 then why reboot it and thus mitigate their emotional investment?

Nostalgic 2099 fans don’t simply want to see any iteration of these characters. They want something at least mostly in line with the original 1992 iteration, which is why when Spidey 2099 was scheduled for a spin-off in 2014 the fandom spoke with one voice, they wanted Peter David back. And whilst the iteration of Miguel and 2099 as a whole he presented was not identical to the 1992 version(s) it was at least a helluva lot closer than 2009’s Timestorm (a pathetic attempt to essentially do Ultimate 2099) and wound up being more successful as a result.

This is literally the exact mistake the Nu52 made in that it erased the iterations of the DC characters and DC universe people knew and loved and replaced it with new versions (‘coincidentally’ closer to the versions the DC higher ups knew and loved as kids). It alienated readers to the point where DC Rebirth practically reverse rebooted the Nu52, rendering the characters much closer to their pre-Nu52 counterparts, and in Superman’s case having the pre-Nu52 Superman literally replace his successor.

With the 2099 event though the attempt at rebooting is even more wrongheaded considering that this isn’t even a lasting universe that might in theory develop new readers over time. It’s a string of connected one shots associated with a Spider-Man story arc. If there is any aftermath to this event at all it will be fairly minimal and at most follow Miguel O’Hara.

And that brings up the other end of this event’s problems. This holds little appeal to (the already miniscule number of) potential newer fans.

Consider how this event started. You are a newer fan reading Spencer’s ASM run. You pick up issue #25 and randomly this other Spider-Man looking guy you maybe recognize from some video games and the post-credits scene from Into the Spider-Verse shows up, looking half dead.

For less than 20 pages across 3 issues you follow him stumbling about spouting nonsense before he delivers some weird line about possible futures (that you’ll only understand if you already know about the 2099 lines) and then he blows up.

Okay, at best you get the idea. He is a Spider-Man from the future and the present day has erased his future, that’s bad.

Then you pick this up and you maybe figure out that this Miguel character in this comic book is in fact the same guy, or a VERSION of the same guy you met back in ASM. That’s confusing. It’s confusing because you need to deduce that this issue is the newly rewritten timeline, making your investment in the preceding ASM issues kinda pointless. It might also be confusing because time travel stories tend to be confusing unless written with a lot of clarity.

But say you just picked THIS up, maybe because you recognized Spidey 2099 on the cover (and god forbid you picked it up due to recognizing the classic 2099 characters).

Spencer in this comic book doesn’t write a story. He writes a series of teaser vignettes strung together by the Watcher and Doom spouting a load of cryptic nonsense.

Nothing is explained, nothing is clearly conveyed, the world building is quite frankly awful, you merely get an impression of this future, you are not actually organically introduced to much of anything. In comparison the first few issues of Spider-Man 2099 already gave you a great idea of what this world of the future was like.

It’s not just that the presentation is bad and thus likely to alienate newer readers (I was lost with it and I’m familiar with the older 2099 stuff to a degree) but it’s also frankly inferior to the 1992 rendition of the future.

Perhaps the 1992 Marvel line wasn’t the single most original vision of the future ever conceived, but it at least combined older ideas together and presented a consistent vision. Perhaps the microcosm of the 1992’s vision of the future was the notion of the ravaged ruins of old New York being the foundations upon which new super sky scrapers were built, the rich literally living above the poor.

But this issue never brings that up, it doesn’t bring up the narrative and literal foundations of the world this takes place in. My personal impression was that this 2099 doesn’t even incorporate such an idea. It’s a microcosm of how off the rails this reboot is.

Everything feels downright generic sans the city of traffic and the colony of Thor/Asgardian worshippers.

Even those are derivative though. Transverse City rips off (a much better executed) idea from a 2007 episode of Doctor Who ‘Gridlock’ which is regarded as something of a modern classic by fans. And the Thor worshippers was something that came directly from the original 1992 2099 line, but weirdly is being used to tease...Conan the Barbarian???????? Conan hasn’t got anything to do with Thor besides coming from a warrior background. It might as well be Silver Samurai!

Perhaps the best microcosm of this issue’s failings at world building and presentation, can be found in the opening scene.

In the scene Thor’s hammer is frequently relocated and seems to be maybe or maybe not moving on it’s own volition. That isn’t to say the story is building in mystery as to whether or not it is moving on it’s own. It’s just that poorly conveyed to the audience. I honestly have little idea what was happening in that scene sans the authorities going to war with Thor’s worshippers.

The scene also contains a microcosm of this book being for nobody. In said scene a police officer gets their face revealed and is referred to as ‘Jake’. If you didn’t already realize it, this is Jake Gallows, Punisher 2099. He does nothing else in the course of the issue beyond get injured fight and tell his friend a confusing police story. Then the issue ends teasing him as Punisher 2099.

Like I said nostalgic 2099 fans will be turned off by this on principle because it’s not the character you know and love (his costume will also be different too) but if you are a newer reader...what are you even supposed to make of this? He’s just a random cop, it might as well have been his cop buddy who was the Punisher. It was at best a lame first impression.

And that’s true of virtually EVERY character teased in this comic exempting maybe Ghost Rider 2099.

He at least got a little more personality, you got a little more insight into how he operates, but only as a normal guy not as anything associated with the classic Ghost Rider or the 2099 counterpart you know and love.

Miguel’s background was confusing as he seems to already have his powers but is chummy with his dickhead boss/Dad/archnemesis Tyler Stone and the brief flashbacks to his origin are both different to the original 2099 line and nonsensical.

Conan didn’t even appear to my recollection but he’s still teased.

And the F4 tease was laughable as it didn’t even feature the F4 but rather HERBIE and a newly imagined take on Venture, effectively the first super villain of the 2099 line.

When this event was announced I was sad that Peter David was uninvolved.

But now I see why.

They didn’t want him involved and this is frankly an insult to his and the other 2099 creators’ works.

Don’t read this.

*Gotta love that subtle shade thrown out at the MC2 universe, a universe which lasted longer than the original 2099 line and you know....was way better than this reimagining has been so far. Why does modern Marvel punch down on Spider-Girl.

#Spider-Man #Spider-Man 2099 #Marvel 2099 #Nick Spencer #Miguel O'Hara #Fantastic 4 2099 #Ghost Rider 2099 #Conan 2099 #Conan the Barbarian #punisher 2099 #MC2 Universe #MC2 #Spider-Girl #Tyler Stone

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fyeahbatcat · 6 years

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Batman Annual 2: A Romantic Opus About the Transcendence of Love

This past Wednesday, DC Comics released the highly anticipated Batman Annual #2, by Tom King with art by Lee Weeks and Michael Lark. The issue, which promised to “see the early days of the Bat and the Cat”, went far above and beyond a mere Batman and Catwoman date night tale. A story that is less dense in plot but rich in narrative with truly amazing art and breathtaking coloring, the Annual is an emotional game changer that easily inserts itself as one of the greatest Batman and Catwoman stories of all time and opens the door for much broader implications for the future of Bat and Cat.

The Rebirth of the Bat and the Cat

After more than half a decade spent on the back-burner (the way back-burner) writer Tom King has spent much of his eighteen month tenure as the Batman head-writer reestablishing the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. He made it clear that the relationship would be a major focal point in the Batman books, rather than the standard obligatory romantic subplot when he made the surprising decision to have Batman propose to Catwoman earlier this year. Perhaps even more surprisingly Catwoman accepted Batman’s proposal after a long wait.

The relationship between Batman and Catwoman is long and ever changing. It began in Batman #1 in 1940 as flirtatious frenemies and was established as a canon relationship during the Bronze Age under the tutelage of Len Wein. The relationship broke out of the comics in the 1990s and went on to become one of DC Comics’ most recognized and popular relationships. Having been featured in two live-action television shows, three movies, countless animated series, and thousands of comics the romance between Gotham’s hard line crime-fighter and most infamous femme fatale endeared themselves to fans and writers alike and the relationship was allowed to be pushed forward. In 2003 during the Hush storyline by Jeph Loeb, in a demonstration of trust Batman revealed his identity to Catwoman for the first time. During the time that followed the relationship received more focus and development than in previous eras. However, by the time the Pre-Flashpoint era ended in 2011 things ended between Batman and Catwoman in the finale of the Gotham City Sirens series where it usually ended: in limbo.

Unfortunately, the succeeding era, New 52, saw a baffling destruction of DC’s legacies. Legacies were eliminated, histories were changed, and some characters were erased altogether. Romance was hit particularly hard and nearly every DC relationship was eradicated. Superman and Lois Lane’s fifteen year marriage was wiped out and Lois was virtually exiled from the Superman universe. Green Arrow and Black Canary became strangers and remained that way much to the ire of fans. Although Wonder Woman’s original love interest, Steve Trevor, returned to the comics more prominently than he had been in the previous era, Wonder Woman was quickly shuffled into a relationship with Superman.

In an embarrassing episode in 2013 DC made their new stance on romance abundantly clear when Batwoman writers, W. Haden Black and J.H. Williams III, abruptly resigned from the critically acclaimed, best-selling series after DC refused to allow the titular character to marry her longtime partner and other instances of editorial interference. DC Comics was accused of homophobia and many fans vowed to stop reading the comics. Responding to the controversy, Co-Publisher Dan Didio, said in no uncertain terms that marriage was forbidden at DC Comics.

They put on a cape and cowl for a reason. They’re committed to defending others — at the sacrifice of all their own personal instincts. That’s something we reinforce. If you look at every one of the characters in the Batman family, their personal lives kind of suck…Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon, and Kathy Kane — it’s wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it’s also just as important that they put it aside as they know what they are accomplishing as the hero takes precedence over everything else. That is our mandate, that is our edict, that is our stand with our characters.

Batman and Catwoman absolutely languished during this time. Their relationship which had previously been loving and trusting was reduced to an insulting cross between virtual strangers and friends with benefits. For five years DC Comics seemingly did everything they could think of to avoid the relationship and fans took notice. In 2015 after a series of failed relaunches, a two year sales low, and an increasing market lag behind Marvel it became clear that New 52 had failed to attract and sustain the audience that DC had hoped for in 2011. With the DCEU taking off, mediocrity was no longer an option. In 2016 DC announced Rebirth, yet another relaunch, this time promising for a return to the old and in many ways it did. Superman and Lois Lane’s marriage was restored and a son, Jon, came in addition. Steve Trevor was once again a prominent supporting character in Wonder Woman as well as her main love interest. Even Midniter and Apollo made a comeback.

Batman and Catwoman did not reunite as instantaneously as many had hoped. They were featured in a series of poorly timed variant covers at the start of Rebirth but Catwoman had yet to make any appearances. Relatively new DC writer, Tom King, was announced as the Batman main writer and at New York Comic Con he teased that Catwoman was to become the co-lead of Batman. Catwoman’s eventual debut in Batman #9 as a mass murderer facing the death penalty did not warrant a positive response and diminished the hopes of many fans that Rebirth would be a kinder era to Catwoman and Batman and Catwoman’s relationship. Although it was expected by many that this newest revelation was likely a red herring, after five years of New 52 their patience was wearing thin.

Meanwhile Batman and Catwoman teamed up to invade Bane’s sanctuary to kidnap Psycho Pirate, an encounter that cumulated in the Rooftops arc. Catwoman’s innocence was finally revealed, and for the first time since Heart of Hush was published nearly a decade prior Batman and Catwoman declared their love for each other. While the jury is still out on King’s execution he has undeniably reestablished Batman and Catwoman as a canon romance. His tale is of two lonely, damaged orphans who see and accept the best and the worst in each other who despite their shared traumas find hope and happiness with each other.

All of them can laugh. Mother. Father. Him. The whole world. They can see me in this idiocy and they can laugh and laugh and laugh. But you. Selina. Cat. You wouldn’t. Because you know. You know what this is…And you, Cat. You know. Because if you’ve made that choice, you can see it in another. You can see it in me. I can see it in you.

- Bruce Wayne to Selina Kyle in Batman #12

King’s interpretation of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship differs from almost every other writer’s interpretation because he doesn’t bog the relationship down with the will they/won’t they trope and hyper focus on juvenile sexual tension at the expense of substantial development. Rather than portray Batman and Catwoman as opposites that attract, he understands that they’re similar.

They’re missing pieces in a puzzle and they understand each other in ways that other people can’t. “I need you,” Batman says before proposing to Catwoman for the first time in main canon history.

Batman Annual #2

To appreciate the Annual is to appreciate Tom King’s Bat and Cat. The former half of the issue reiterates King’s consistent interpretation throughout his Batman run. Batman and Catwoman are orphans who see and understand each other in ways that other people don’t and are bonded by their trauma.

Where King separates himself from other writers and takes his interpretation even further is in the second act of the book. An aged and married Bruce and Selina are living a happy albeit seemingly unextraordinary life retired from crime-fighting, and they even have an adult daughter who is operating as Batwoman. Things take a quick, heartbreaking turn when Bruce is inflicted by a nondescript illness. He’s dying and there’s plainly nothing to be done. Mortality is unavoidable. Bruce lived an extraordinary life and died a natural, ordinary, human death.

The tragic part of Bruce’s death isn’t even the fact that he dies. What’s sad about it is how much Bruce and Selina don’t want to leave each other and how they try to stay strong for one another. Even though he is dying Bruce’s only concern is that after he passes Selina will be okay, and that she won’t be lonely. They both muse using magic and time travel to try to cheat death just so they can stay together.

There are those who abhor what King has done to the Batman books by portraying a Bruce that is more vulnerable and driven by things other than crime fighting. Everyone has a favorite version and preference, but it’s baffling as to why anyone would think that something like marriage would take something away from who Batman is as a character or why anyone would think that Bruce is better off as a loner. To quote another blogger, “Geez, what do these people want for Bruce, anyway? For him to die alone and clinically depressed, his body marred and broken from decades of fighting Gotham’s never-ending crime wave?”

I always use the animated Batman Beyond as a litmus test for how Bruce ends up (Does this version of Bruce Wayne end up like Bruce Wayne in Batman Beyond?). In Batman Beyond he ends up a lonely, bitter old curmudgeon who all of his former partners despise and avoid. This is not the ending that Bruce deserves. The Annual portrays a Bruce who breaks the wheel of this portrayal. He dies a natural, wholly unremarkable death surrounded by love after living a long, happy life. It’s what he deserves. It’s the best ending any of us can hope for.

So how did a comic where nothing remarkable happens plot wise illicit such a strong emotional response from readers? It’s because of it’s simplicity that makes it so impactful. For nearly 80 years fans have been told that a simple, happy life for Bruce was asking too much. To finally get to see it happen feels like an affirmation. There is, however, more than enough evidence to indicate that this story is not a telling of Bruce and Selina’s ultimate ending but that this story features a Bruce and Selina of a presumably different universe.

C’mon guys. Tom King made us wait four months just to find out if Selina said ‘yes.’ Did you really think he’d just tell us their entire life story in one issue?

An Alternate Universe?

There is an abundance of evidence within the Annual and the fact that it has been published concurrently with other major DC time altering events to deduce that this story is an AU in some form or another.

The biggest clue to indicate this is a comment Bruce makes after learning that he his illness is terminal. He tells Selina to find Barry Allen (The Flash) and find another version of him that never marries to take care of her after he’s gone. Probably the most well known modern Flash story is Flashpoint, where Barry Allen alters events and timelines by traveling back in time and changing history. This allusion was intentional.

One of the biggest themes of Rebirth has a whole is the idea of merging times and universes. Remember how New 52 Superman was killed off and replaced with a different version of himself? This is also coinciding with Doomsday Clock where Doctor Manhattan has essentially been experimenting with different realities and universes resulting in a merge of timelines, which published just one week before the Annual. This is not a coincidence.

The second clue is the appearance of Helena Wayne.

As you we are all probably aware Helena Wayne is Bruce and Selina’s canonical daughter from Earth-2 who operates as the Huntress during in the Pre-Crisis and New 52 eras. Helena was last seen in Earth-2 Society, which ended publication in September, taking up the Batman mantle. Helena Wayne has never been part of the main universe, although many have hoped that she one day would be. This could just be a glimpse of things to come, but the appearance of any characters that are not from the main universe should raise red flags. Which brings me to the next clue.

When Bruce is on his death bed he is seen surrounded by his loved ones. Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Duke Thomas, even Gotham Girl are all there. Damian Wayne is noticeably absent. Damian was a pretty big factor in Bruce’s decision to seek happiness as he wanted to set a better example for his son as mentioned in The Button, which was also written by Tom King. Bruce even mentions to Thomas that he has a son (singular). He made it a point to single out Damian so it’s very doubtful that Damian being excluded would’ve gone unnoticed here.

In addition to Damian being nowhere in sight: don’t you think it’s a little bit weird that Damian isn’t there, but Carrie Kelly is?

Carrie Kelly, a prominent character in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight AU series, is a famously non-canonical character. As stated before the appearance of characters that are not from the main universe should indicate that things are not likely what they appear, especially when they are there in the absence of main universe characters.

Annual issues are really a grab bag of canon. Sometimes they have an impact on the main stories going forward; sometimes they’re standalone stories. It all depends on what the writer wants to do with it. King has been mum about revealing what the Annual will mean for the future of the Batman books, but he did imply that some parts of the Annual will impact the story in the main universe.

What Does This All Mean?

I seemed to have struck quite a few nerves when I pointed out that the Annual issue features an AU version of Bruce and Selina. I suppose some people were disappointed to realize this and felt like I was ruining the experience. With that said: the Annual issue features an AU version of Bruce and Selina. I do not say this to hurt anyone. I say this because well, for one thing that’s what the evidence indicates. Secondly, to ignore this misses the point of what the Annual is supposed to mean.

To just accept that the Annual is just a quaint glimpse into the future where Bruce and Selina grow old together in some ways reduces the story to fluff that happens for no other reason than to make the readers feel good, which is the conclusion drawn by a few of the negative reviews. We as readers want to take comfort in knowing what the ultimate ending will be but that misses the point of the Annual entirely. Much of what King has done during his time on the Batman books is vitiate what we’ve come to accept as the status quo in regard to Batman and Catwoman’s relationship and the Batman books in general.

Here’s what King said about changing the role of romance in the Batman books:

EW: In comics, there’s this general idea that superheroes shouldn’t be happy. We’ve seen this in Spider-Man, Bat-family, and other places. How did you pitch this story to DC Comics? Was there any pushback?

TK: No, because what you’re talking about is looking at happiness as the end of conflict, right? This idea that if a character is content, then there’s nothing dramatic about them and you don’t want a cliffhanger and you don’t want to turn the page. That’s my whole point as an artist — I’m trying to get you to turn a page. But what makes Batman unique is that happiness is, instead of being the end of conflict, the source of conflict. It’s something you haven’t seen before. You throw sadness, you throw depression, you throw horror at Batman, he’s like, “yeah, yawn, I’ve done that.” You throw happiness at him? That’s something that riles him, that’s something that he’s not used to. That’s throwing gas on a fire, and that’s always how I pitched it. This is not the end of something. This is the beginning of something.

Notably when King was asked how he would picture Batman and Catwoman’s marriage he gave a sincere response drawing inspiration from his own marriage rather than relying on the usual excuses for why the relationship wouldn’t work out that writers seem to default to. Compare that to Scott Snyder who said that Batman’s story would always be a tragedy or Dan Didio who said that superheros should be unhappy and issued a departmental ban on marriage.

Batman and Catwoman’s relationship has only marginally progressed in fifteen years. So many writers have hit the exact same rut when attempting to develop the relationship. No matter what the story, no matter who the writer, for one reason or another the relationship just doesn’t work out in the end and they’ve had to invent reasons for why. Batman is too immature. The Joker turns Catwoman evil. Because…reasons. We’ve accepted this as just how things are supposed to be for almost 80 years. If creators are unable to see the relationship beyond everything that’s already been done, then the relationship will never go anywhere.

The Annual is intended to show us the type of life and relationship that Bruce and Selina can have if everyone abolishes their ideas of the relationship they’re expected to have. King is subverting the expectation of what everyone says their relationship must be like. “Batman and Catwoman can’t be together.” “Batman is only dedicated to his mission.” “Catwoman isn’t suited for married life; she’ll just get bored.” He is showing us that this type of life is possible for them. They can have a long happy life together, and the barriers that have prevented that in the past are simple imaginary.

The point King is trying to make is that even though this isn’t necessarily Prime Earth Batman and Catwoman’s story it still can be.

“I’m not sure it’s 100 percent out of canon,” King said. “…To me and to my Batman, this is a story that’s certainly possible. It’s something I think that could and may come true.”

Even if this isn’t main universe Bruce and Selina’s story per se that doesn’t mean that it won’t be. This still very well might be their future. That door is not only still open; it’s probably been opened for the first time ever.

The Timeline

Going by what was indicated in the Annual and by Rebirth’s theme of timeline and universe meshing my prediction is that it will be revealed that the current Catwoman of the main universe is actually from a different timeline or universe or something of the sort. For those who are perplexed by the idea of Selina being from a different universe I’ll remind you that the current Superman and Lois Lane are both versions from a different timeline.

Some initial reactions to this prediction were quite negative with many believing that this somehow changes things. My question is why? In many ways this would seem symbolic of the longevity and range of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship. They have been and continue to be featured in every form of media for nearly eight decades, including a myriad of alternate universes. They were married on Earth-2 which is a version of them that DC Comics thought was within the realm of possibility but couldn’t quite commit to in the main universe.

The fact that Bruce is confident that Selina would be happy with another version of himself shows that these versions of fundamentally the same and their feelings for each other never change. Bruce and Selina’s feelings for each other are authentic and that wouldn’t change. It shows that their love for each other transcends all time and space.

In short Batman Annual #2 is likely to be remembered as one of the greatest Batman and Catwoman stories of all time. The positive response from fans and critics proves to DC Comics that there is a market for this relationship and they can strive for more than what’s already been done. The massive commercial success will hopefully convince the editors that the direction Tom King has taken the book and the characters has been long overdue. Beyond the romantic narrative the Annual opens a world of exciting opportunities for the Batman books. What will occur is yet to be seen and Tom King isn’t saying, so we’ll have to wait to find out.

Reflecting on the Annual I’m reminded of a quote from Kiersten White’s The Chaos of Stars that have been used in a number of fandom edits, that I myself used once. I’ll quote it here because no matter what will come to be I think it fits very well:

I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.

#batcat #batman #catwoman #bruce wayne #selina kyle #batman annual 2 #tom king #meta #text #long post #eff tumblr

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howperfectlyproper-blog · 6 years

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@crimebat yes! agree with this and i think it’s the limit to comic characters especially when they need to be flash frozen to this peak of themselves so they never age. If batman was a book character he would be on his way out, he’d be old. he’d be almost retired. and I agree with the joker part. I admit I love joker being this force of nature, but it has to stay grounded. He has to stay human in some way otherwise, he’s not joker. he’s a super powered guy

I feel there’s a difference between someone feeling like a force of nature and being like a force of nature. The point, I feel, of Batman’s villains is that they all feel otherwise insurmountable. Joker is insane, Riddler is a genius, Penguin is rich and corrupt, Ivy is the earth, Scarecrow is fear, ect. On their own, the point is that they represent something an average person cannot face. They create the persona to seem like a force of nature that cannot be stopped.

Batman, as a hero, is the one that reveals that no, they are human. He is hope. He pulls back the curtain and shows that no, these villains are still just people. And you can defeat people. Batman is a symbol, but that symbol represents the idea that nothing is truly insurmountable. The nihilism that has insidiously infected Batman and his rogues says that no, Batman isn’t a symbol, he’s just a guy in over his head. And that’s counter to the entire point of him and his villains.

Furthermore, I don’t believe there’s a limit to comic characters. Comics have plenty of examples where heroes find ways to prolong their life. And it is consistent with this strange idea that DC has that every universe has to have a Batman and a Superman. That all the universes somehow hinge on the two of them being alive. It’s back to the problem that comes when you mix canons; there’s zero reason age should be a problem when he’s surrounded by people who either possess extreme magical abilities or methods to prolong their life. It also flies in the face of the fact that, despite DC endlessly trying to make Batman into someone smarter than Brainiac, he’s yet to find a real way to keep himself young and alive. Again, it’s hard to believe that someone who has endless resources, and friends inside the magical community, and has access to a Lazarus pit inside his own cave system somehow couldn’t come up with a way to remain young. If half of the Golden Age heroes who fought in WWII are still around and kicking and STILL fighting crime, there’s zero reason he shouldn’t be able to.

But instead of dealing with the issue they just sort of ignore it, which doesn’t make any sense. It causes more problems than just having some reality altering event occur, and they happen all the time. I mean, when Bat-Mite exists there’s zero reason one can say you have no options.

They want to have their cake and eat it. They want to keep mythologizing Frank Millers Dark Knight Returns dark and gritty fascist batman, but they also want him to be a family man with a heart like he was in the old Adam West era, but they don’t ever bother to reconcile these two parts, so he fluctuates wildly depending on the writer.

What Batman, and DC in general needs, is not a reboot or rebirth or whatever. What they need is to sit down and say ‘this is canon and how it happened’ and quit trying to restart things every few years, leaving endless loose ends. Because every new writer just picks up from a different place and we get a mess. Characters stop being characters, and start being ideas; but the problem with using ideas is the old saying that if you always settle for ‘close enough’ then you’ll eventually end up extremely far away from where you were trying to go.

I’m not one to argue that people shouldn’t re-imagine character. I firmly believe in the old Elseworld’s idea, that anyone can tell alternate universe versions of any character with any backstory they feel like, and that works because it’s self contained continuity. The issue is that everyone keeps trying to re-imagine every character in the main continuity, which just doesn’t work at all. I miss the days of a true multiverse; where not everything had to be in one universe and you could play around with things.

This may also be why the most enjoyable portrayals of most heroes are ones that are entirely free of worldbuilding editing; i’m reminded of the initial run of Arkhamverse comics, or the comics based on BtAS or StAS. It’s also why cartoons seem to be far better than the comics they’re based on, whether it is Justice League and then Unlimited, Teen Titans, Young Justice, or any of the many, many Batman cartoons. There have been plenty of Batman cartoons, and having watched most of them, very few of them are actually terrible. Some aren’t my preference, but I don’t feel they’re bad portrayals.

I think the issue is that they start from a certain idea, and comics writers focus on a different idea. And that may be the issue.

#ooc #tw: rant

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cbilluminati · 7 years

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This week over at DC Comics we see a strong of crossover comics starring the publisher’s finest teaming up with some of Hanna-Barbera’s most popular characters, and it should be fun. DC has already found some surprising success with their ongoings based on the animated properties, and the strange team-ups should make for interesting reading. But we always like to look to the future here on the Top o’ the Lot (or TotL, pronounced “Total”) and we’re looking ahead to the crossover specials we may see in the near future from this truly odd couple. So, without further ado, in Outright Geekery’s Top o’ the Lot: 5 Crossovers DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera Could Do Next.

Also see our previous DC/HB TotL list, 5 Hanna-Barbera Cartoons DC Comics Should Use Next

Honorable Mention: Pound Puppies/Arkham Asylum

In 1985 NBC launched a Hanna-Barbera series about a crack team of special operatives with the sole goal of getting back home. Well, not exactly, but the original premise of Pound Puppies was pretty close to this. A bunch of dogs in a pound doing (almost) super-herioc stuff. It was light and friendly (duh, it was a cartoon in the 80s) but add a dark twist and play up the prison angle and you’ve got a comic book series.

Arkham Asylum is the premiere prison of choice for your most dastardly and villainous…villains. Throw some street hardened pups into the mix with the likes of Scarecrow, Bane, and (dare I say) the Joker, and only fun will be had. A long-shot by all measure, we’re never going to see this, but it would be kind of fun if the right writer got a hold of it.

5. Hong Kong Phooey/Karate Kid

Who? Exactly. Hong Kong Phooey…Number One Super Guy. There’s a song and everything (see below), it’s quite catchy, and it’s sung by freakingScatman Crothers. He’s already a superhero, he knows the ancient art of karate, and why not team him up with someone who’s also relatively forgotten?

Val Armorr is a member of The Legion of Superheros, he’s from the future, and he knows (duh!) karate. But more than that, he knows karate from the 31st Century, century, century (echo effect). I’m not sure how an artform that’s already thousands of years old gets better in another few thousands years, but let’s ignore all that and just be content that I found two martial arts characters to team-up in a DC Comics comic. Comics are severely lacking kung fu comics…I’m just saying.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va_Rmpd3PZI%5B/embedyt%5D

4. Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles/Frankenstein and the Agents of S.H.A.D.E.

Forget a single one-shot special, this needs an entire arc with Justice League Dark and Scooby-Doo tie-ins (seriously, how have we not gotten a Justice League Dark Meets Scooby-Doo comics?) S.H.A.D.E. stands for Super Human Advanced Defense Executive, but that doesn’t matter at all. We’ve already seen a few of these characters make their way into DC’s HB comics, but I want to see more.

It would be great to see the DC Frankenstein’s seriousness play off of the complete silliness of Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles. Not really too much to say here. Yes, I know I’m really just playing off the names for the most part here. TotL rules, as always, are in play.

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3. Atom Ant/The Atom

Almost too easy, but I bet you didn’t know that Atom Ant was Hanna-Barbera’s very first superhero, and he’s pretty awesome. I’m not sure we ever got a backstory, so we can start there. Nuclear accident or some shit. Who cares? But he eventually joins the Justice League, takes his rightful place as leader replacing both Superman as the strongest and Batman as the wisest. Eventually we get an Atom Ant based Injustice like scenario. But first, the minute join forces…really tiny forces.

Again, I’m just taking small things and putting them together, but it’s the hook that will grab all of the readers. Get Geoff Johns and a team of artists working on this now. The inevitable WB movie universe based on Atom Ant is the only hope the DC movie universe really has.

2. Aquaman/Snorks – Jabberjaw backup

The Snorks was a show in the 80s, but all you really need to know is it was The Smurfs underwater. Spongebob steals a whole lot from the Snorks. But we can make them serious. Their village is in trouble from some troublesome troublemaker of some sort, and the only one who can help them is Jason Momoa. No, as cool as it may be to see THAT Aquaman kicking it with the Snorks, old orange pants and all his cheese are what’s needed in this case.

Making the Snorks darker just doesn’t work for this team-up, but throwing back to a Super Friends era Aquaman does, and as a cheesy, smart comedy making fun of itself in the best of ways this works to completion. Just a special issue of awesome, OH! and that Jabberjaw back-up story where he tries to join the Legion of DC Talking Animals. Look it up, there’s a lot.

1. The Jetsons/The Legion of Super-Heroes

In the far flung future, two properties – one DC Comics, one Hanna-Barbera – team-up for one adventure. The Jetsons are a world famous future family who have crossed over with every major Hanna-Barbera property, and have solid name recognition. The Legion…not so much. DC Comics has tried over and over again to make The Legion of Super-Heroes appealing to today’s readers, and they’ve failed. The New 52 saw two Legion books, both cancelled relatively soon into that run. While we’re seeing hints of the team in REBIRTH, they need to do more to make this a brand (and it’s a solid brand) work for the publisher. And this sort of crossover could be that synergy they’re desperate for.

Have Elroy find something at school, it’s dangerous, from the future, and he takes it home. Throw in some George hating on work, Jane needing a vacation, Judy’s new boyfriend, and then bring in some time-traveling, dimension-hopping Legionaries to save the day. Adventure ensues as the team goes on some adventure or another. Hey, I’m not a writer, more of a big picture kind of guy, but this works, and it works well. Listen up, DC Comics, and do yourselves and the readers a favor.

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See a mistake? Disagree with the choices? Let us know!

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TotL – 5 Crossovers DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera Could Do Next

This week over at DC Comics we see a strong of crossover comics starring the publisher’s finest teaming up with some of Hanna-Barbera’s most popular characters, and it should be fun.

TotL – 5 Crossovers DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera Could Do Next This week over at DC Comics we see a strong of crossover comics starring the publisher's finest teaming up with some of Hanna-Barbera's most popular characters, and it should be fun.

#5 Crossovers DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera Could Do Next #comic books #comics #DC comics #Hanna-Barbera #list #Top o&039; the Lot

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outright-geekery · 7 years

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Also see our previous DC/HB TotL list, 5 Hanna-Barbera Cartoons DC Comics Should Use Next

Honorable Mention: Pound Puppies/Arkham Asylum

5. Hong Kong Phooey/Karate Kid

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va_Rmpd3PZI%5B/embedyt%5D

4. Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles/Frankenstein and the Agents of S.H.A.D.E.

3. Atom Ant/The Atom

2. Aquaman/Snorks – Jabberjaw backup

1. The Jetsons/The Legion of Super-Heroes

See a mistake? Disagree with the choices? Let us know!

Send emails to [email protected] Find us on Facebook at the Outright Geekery Page Join the discussion at the Comic Book Illuminati Leave us a comment below

#5 Crossovers DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera Could Do Next #comic books #comics #DC comics #Hanna-Barbera #list #Top o&039; the Lot

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comicsrelaunched-blog · 7 years

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The 5 Books We Need from DC Rebirth

Rebirth is exactly what it needed to be for DC. DC had lost its footing since its hard reboot in 2011. Relationships had been broken off, characters were missing and the quality of storytelling was down on what it was before. Now it’s not to say that everything from DC’s New 52 and You eras were bad, far from it. Some of my most beloved runs come from the New 52 like Snyder’s Batman (before DC You) and Azzarello and Chiang’s Wonder Woman. It also contained some great moments like Forever Evil and The Darkseid War. And let’s not forget about Rob Williams excellent 12 issue Martian Manhunter series.

Now we are in full swing with Rebirth, and the goal of Rebirth was to bring back the heart of DC, what truly means to be a DC comic. The Pre-Flashpoint Superman returned, so did Wally West, Green Arrow and Black Canary finally got to meet and instantly fans were rejoicing that they were back together, the Justice Society Of America were teased to return, and Ted Kord got back behind the wheel of the bug. While some are working better than others, i’m looking at you Blue Beetle, the initial novelty of a nostalgia filled DC line-up is starting to drop. So what can they do to grab the attention back, i have 5 book suggestions that DC could use to really elevate this new status quo of the DC universe.

Blue and Gold

Where is Booster Gold? Well the Pre-52 version was last seen during convergence, where along with his New 52 doppelganger, his sister Goldstar and son from the future Rip hunter were key to the fall of Telos and Braniac. During this time the Pre-52 Gold fell into the earth-4 dome where he met the Charlton comics version of Ted Kord Blue Beetle a nice tease of what once was.

Ted Kord was reintroduced into the DC Universe at the end of Forever Evil where he refuses to sell Kord industries to Luthor, since then he has developed the beloved vehicle known as ‘The Bug’ and has become the mentor of the current Blue Beetle Jaimie Reyes. This however is the New 52 version of Kord, so he has never actually been the Blue Beetle and does not have the history with Booster Gold.

So where would this book come from? Well Jaimie doesn’t really want to be the Blue Beetle anymore, we could see Ted reunite with the Scarab. This is where we innovate, this time Ted finally bonds with the scarab giving him all the powers that Jaimie has. As for Gold, similar to how Wally has managaed to bring back the stolen memories of Barry and his fellow Titans, Booster when reunited would trigger Ted to remember his true best friend.

I argue for this book because while the whole line up ha become a bit more optimistic, DC are currently lacking comedy titles. Blue and Golds relationship has always been a fun but yet endearing and genuine aspects of the DC universe going way back to the days of the Justice League International. DC is really missing a big best friend duo and this book could be the answer.

Justice Society Of America

Team books have been great in Rebirth and the JSA is what started team books. Way back in the 1940s these heroes were keeping the world safe and while for many years they were made redundant, they made an epic return in the modern age and became a beloved aspect of the DC universe once again. In the new 52 the gang were re-imagined in Earth 2 as the Wonders Of The World, however many DC fans really didn’t like this.

Now DC have set the stage for the return of the JSA, Johnny Thunder was seen in DC rebirth as an old man in a retirement home where he is told to find the Justice Society, Kent Nelson Doctor Fate has been turning up in Blue Beetle and when Barry Allen entered the Speed Force he saw Jay Garrick’s hat.

So the premise, once they have all returned it would be nice to see them back in full force in a similar position to that of the JSA run by Geoff Johns where the older veterans were training newer heroes as part of the team. It would be nice to see Jay, Carter, Ted and Kent dealing with this new universe and training some new members, while reminiscing about their times in the war. Possibly using the same technique of the Wonder Woman comic telling two separate stories.

Wally West

When we talk about Legacy there is no character more important than the Flash. For 20 years, Jay Garrick was the flash, then for another Barry was the flash, but after the universe altering Crisis On Infinite Earths Wally West took the mantle. He stayed as The Flash for years to come and for a younger generation Wally is often seen as the definitive Flash.

In the New 52 Wally was replaced with a younger more brooding version of himself. This change did not please fans and for 5 years people were waiting for the return of the original Wally West. DC gave us that with the rebirth one-shot. Barry and his nephew were reunited and everything felt right again, Wally went on to reunite with the Titans and down the line hopefully rekindle his love with his wife Linda Park

While Titans first 6 issues has mainly dealt with Wally, it looks like it is about to head into some important Rebirth developments. For this reason it would be nice to see Wally break out into his own solo series where he can fight classic rogues, outsmarting their every move because he knows them all so well, while also trying to restart his relationship with Linda. Also we still await for the moment that Wally and Iris are reunited.

Black Adam

DC needs a Doom equivalent, a villain that is more complex than your average criminal but also has the capacity to do good. With Luthor tied up trying to be Superman and being the ruler of Apokilips, this role should go to Black Adam.

With DC now planning on splitting the Shazam movie into two with one focusing on The Rock’s Black Adam, now is the perfect time to launch this book. Following Black Adam being the ruler of Khandaq, where people worship him like a god, and having run ins with the some of the biggest names in DC. As Shazam himself hasn’t had the best of growths since the New 52 I feel it he would struggle to hold his own title. However that doesn’t mean he can’t face of with Black Adam, this book could reintroduce the Marvel family and even possibly Black Adams love Isis (they may want to change that name though).

Legends

Now i’m not usually a fan of cashing in off the movies or TV but sometimes it works. Legends could be a very special book. While a books called Legends Of Tomorrow gave us 4 ongoings in one including Metamorpho, Firestorm, Sugar and Spike and The Metal Men, this book would be a team book. It wouldn’t necessarily have to have the same roster but it should be a similar premise

Where this book could shine is ability to showcase unused characters, just imagine Rip Hunter could lead a team of Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, Red Tornado, Zatanna, Fire, Ice and Mister Miracle on an adventure through time. The roster could be ever changing and could act as more of anthology series showing short stories of the team stopping time aberrations.

The Show has taken a bunch of lesser characters and turned them into something really special, hopefully this book could do a similar thing.

So there you have it 5 books that could elevate the DC Rebirth line-up, and while some are more likely to happen then others (i’m looking at you again Blue Beetle) i truly believe that they would grab back those few DC fans that still haven’t found new hope within DC. While you wait for the slight possibility that these books come out, we are getting some new rebirth books in February. Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion take on Batwoman, Steve Orlando takes gives us a new Justice League Of America and Jorge Jiminez hits us with a new generation of World’s Finest with Super Sons. We also have Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman centric JLA event and Geoff Johns Watchmen story to look forward to.

DC are back on the rise with Rebirth and we can only hope for more greatness as DC continue to unravel the mysteries of this new status quo.

#dc comcis #DC #comics #rebirth #dc rebirth #blue beetle #booster gold #jsa #justice society #flash #wally west #black adam #shazam #legends of tomorrow

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davidmann95 · 7 years

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What would be your DC Starter pack?

I’ve put together equivalent lists for Superman and Batman in the past (and in deference to that I’m leaving them off this list; take Superman: Birthright/All-Star Superman and Batman: Zero Year as what I’d put on here), but this is obviously an entirely different ballgame. DC is BIG, with all manner of different corners and subgenres to it - getting into it as a whole is a pretty substantial undertaking even for those who’re already fans of a handful of given characters. But as before, here’s a set of springboards - 15 this time instead of 10 given the scope of the undertaking - for getting a sense of how DC as a whole works, and what aspects of it you might want to pursue further, almost all of which should be available on Comixology or at a local comic book shop. Two caveats up front though:

* I’m sticking to titles that can claim at least some sort of tangential, secondhand connection to the ‘main’ universe, if even by the absolute slimmest of threads, so I’m not including the likes of Astro City, Transmetropolitan, Preacher, Ex Machina, etc., even though they’ve all been published by DC and absolutely deserve your attention.

* Since this is for prospective new readers, I’m with a singular exception sticking with comics from the mid-1980s or later.

1. The World’s Greatest Superheroes

What it’s about: A group of six oversized all-ages comics by Paul Dini (critically involved with many of the DC family of cartoons, especially the beloved shared universe of shows extending from Batman: The Animated Series to Justice League Unlimited) and Alex Ross; four stories focusing on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel handling ‘real world’ issues, the Justice League trying to stop a very different kind of global threat than their usual supervillains, and a set of origins for most members of the classic Justice League of America.

Why you should read it: If you’re in the market for a one-stop shop of “what’s the deal with DC Comics?”, then this is as good as you’re gonna get. A set of introductory stories with their biggest icons by proven crowdpleasers, along with a set of storybook-esque explanations for a bunch of their other biggest heroes (at least among the ‘classic’ crowd) to boot.

Further recommendations if you liked it: This is more a “getting your feet wet” example than a direct gateway to other material (especially since most of the all-ages titles I’d suggest following up on this I mentioned in those Superman and Batman starter packs), but it’s notable that Captain Marvel plays such a prominent role in here given how scaled-back his presence has become over the years. He’s terrific when handled properly, and past his original 1940s comics, I’d recommend Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil, The Multiversity: Thunderworld (while that’s part of a larger series this issue works perfectly well standalone), and Convergence: Shazam! (ditto).

2. DC: The New Frontier

What: In the 1950s the age of heroes seems to have come to an end - most of the Justice Society of America retired following congressional inquiries, Superman and Wonder Woman have grudgingly aligned directly with the United States government so that they can continue operating somewhat unobstructed, and the Bat-Man has gone underground, while human champions such as the Challengers of the Unknown, the Blackhawks, Task Force X, and the Losers now carry the day. But with the dawning of a new era, the first stirrings of a new generation of extraordinary individuals, and the creeping emergence of a new threat, all of America’s heroes must unite to defend and shephard in its future if it is to have any future at all.

Why: A radically different origin for the Justice League set against the backdrop of McCarthy’s America and the beginnings of the space race, it’s largely considered to be the late Darwyn Cooke’s masterpiece, and one that perhaps more than any other story demonstrates the breadth and potential the larger universe offers. It’s a rugged, heartfelt, soaring story of our strive to reach farther and better ourselves in the face of a world that would fight back against that impulse, and one that draws on every corner of the world it’s set in to show old and new fans alike how it comes together as more than the sum of its parts when handled right.

Recommendations: Two of the three main heroes presented here - Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern - have quite a stock of classic adventures of their own, which I made some recommendations from here and here (on top of those I’d recommend Tim Seeley’s tenure on Green Lanterns, which just began last week with issue #33). For the beginnings of the “superheroes dealing with Relevant Social Issues” strain of comics that this delves into, there’s the classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow run, which has aged awkwardly but was a seminal moment for DC, and established Green Arrow as he’s known today (who I understand has been doing well in his current Rebirth title under Ben Percy, if you want to pursue him further). And for large-scale DC sagas drawing from across the scope the universe and interrogating the place of superheroes within it, I have to mention Kingdom Come, Mark Waid and Alex Ross’s end-of-days vision for the latter-day Justice League and their world that proved one of the company’s most enduringly popular and influential books.

3. Wonder Woman: Year One

What: When pilot Steve Trevor crash-lands on the hidden island of Themyscira - a mythical paradise where immortal warrior women live in peace and prosperity under the protection of the Greek gods themselves - Diana, daughter of queen Hippolyta, volunteers to escort him back to Man’s World and serve as their ambassador knowing that she may never return. Finding her place in a strange new culture, discovering the depths of her power, and detecting the hand of the gods in mortal affairs, these are the first steps towards a girl fashioned from clay becoming Wonder Woman.

Why: You know who Superman and Batman are, so you should get a decent grasp on the other member of the ‘trinity’ that props up the rest of the universe too, and this is as fine a place to begin with Wonder Woman as it gets thanks to Greg Rucka’s fantastic handle on the character and Nicola Scott’s absolutely gorgeous, iconic artwork. It tells you everything you need to know and shows you everything you expect to see, and it does the best job of it that anyone yet has.

Recommendations: For another take on Diana’s early days and adventures I can’t recommend enough The Legend of Wonder Woman, a recent all-ages take on her origin set in World War II that brings more depth to Paradise Island itself than I’ve seen elsewhere and serves as an at least equally fine introduction; I chose Year One since it’s both contemporary and the current ‘official’ origin. The rest of Greg Rucka’s run here is fine, but a lot of it is essentially cleaning up the larger mythology since Wonder Woman’s background and world had undergone some major revisions in prior years; his original run is what I’d recommend, essentially him handling her as a political drama. Aside from those two, Gail Simone’s run on the character is I believe easily the most universally-beloved modern take on her, and what I’ve read absolutely lives up to that. I do also have to mention her original 1940s adventures, which were bizarrely playful and politically unusual in a way that little else with her has been since. Steve Orlando’s work with her, while segmented, is also among her best.

4. History of the DC Universe

What: A recording by the woman Harbinger, one of the only survivors of a cosmic crisis that shredded and reassembled reality to recall the full extent of what was lost, detailing the ‘new’ history of humanity from the dawn of civilization to the end of time.

Why: I don’t want to make too many concessions with this list to what’s ‘important’ over what’s good, and large chunks of this are long since out of date anyway. But in terms of getting a sense of the world as a whole, having a basic outline of what’s a big deal and what happened when certainly helps.

Recommendations: If you want more that can give you a sense of the history of the larger world, I’d recommend Flash of Two Worlds! as the introduction of the multiverse, Crisis on Infinite Earths as the (temporary) dissolution of that multiverse and a truly major event that’s still being referred back to, The Multiversity Guidebook which - in spite of some connections back to the main story that’ll only make so much sense without reading the rest of it - outlines the history and current cosmological setup of that multiverse (though even that’s since been upheaved with the official reintroduction of an infinite multiverse around the ‘core’ 52 universes, even if it hasn’t been taking center stage), and DC Rebirth, which sets up and foreshadows most of the big stories happening right now. I’d also suggest trying Supreme: Blue Rose, a pseudo-sequel to Alan Moore’s classic run on Supreme (a book that under his direction was essentially one long riff on DC Comics and Superman in particular) which takes a much heavier and stranger look at a new version of that world from a ground-level perspective, telling the story of what it feels like to live in a universe constantly subject to reboots and revisions in the way DC is.

5. JLA

What: The return to an iconic Justice League lineup under Grant Morrison after years of second and third-stringers, this run pits them against some of the wildest, weirdest, and most definitely BIGGEST threats of their considerable careers, from a new Injustice Gang and Solaris the Tyrant Sun to renegade angels and warring higher-dimensional colors.

Why: The template for 21st century Big Action Superhero Comics, defined by excellent characterization and incredible setpieces, it’s the premiere example DC’s big guns working together alongside allies from across the universe against the worst the universe has to throw out them. A lot of what defines modern DC’s approach to how these characters are supposed to work together and what constitutes a threat to their entire universe traces directly back to here.

Recommendations: In the immediate aftermath of Grant Morrison’s run, Kingdom Come writer (and already part-time fill-in writer on the book) Mark Waid took over with existing artist Howard Porter and The Authority big gun Bryan Hitch, in a run that’s similarly worth your time and in many ways just as influential for its first story, Tower of Babel; you can and probably should collect both runs across JLA Deluxe Edition Volumes 1-6. Speaking of The Authority, both Warren Ellis/Bryan Hitch and Mark Millar/Frank Quitely’s original runs on the team represent the refinement of the widescreen formula JLA pioneered to a brutal science, and Steve Orlando’s handling of series breakout star Midnighter in his own title set in the DCU proper - along with the followup mini Midnighter and Apollo - pushed it even further. Orlando’s gone on to write JLA himself, starring an eclectic lineup led by Batman trying to hang in there against the kind of cosmic horrors the classic model fought back against, and that’s definitely worth your time, as are numerous arcs of JLA Classified (particularly Morrison’s opening that acted as a prequel to his book Seven Soldiers of Victory, Warren Ellis and Jackson Guice’s New Maps of Hell, and Gail Simone and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez’s The Hypothetical Woman). Meanwhile, Christopher Priest and Pete Woods took the Authority’s influence on the team in an entirely different direction with a brief, clever, politically-flavored run. On top of those, I’d suggest Aztek, a short-lived series by Morrison and Millar around the same time as the original JLA that ultimately figured into it, and Geoff Johns and Mike McKone’s Teen Titans, which mixes the broad strokes of the approach with the requisite teen soap opera and yields probably the best take on that group outside the mid-2000s cartoon. Most substantially however is Scott Snyder’s extended Justice League run (with a number of recurring partners, primarily cowriter James Tynion and main artist Jorge Jimenez) spinning out of his Dark Knights: Metal event comic with Greg Capullo, a gleefully sincere supercharged jolt of color to the DCU that takes the best of Morrison’s approach and runs in a completely different direction with it.

6. Tom Strong

What: Born at the turn of the 20th century on the island of Attabar Teru to a pair of scientists and raised in a gravity chamber, the stories’ titular hero was freed in an earthquake that killed his parents and raised by the natives - journeying at 21 to Millennium City to learn of the legacy his parents left for him, he found himself a “science-hero” to the beleaguered metropolis. Now at the dawn of the 21st century, kept in his prime by the mythical goloka root alongside his wife Dhaula, they, their daughter Tesla, steam-powered servant Pneuman, and talking gorilla Solomon still use their wits and skills to defend their home in Millennium, and unknown realms far beyond.

Why: With the recent announcement of the Strong families’ integration into the DCU in some fashion it’s likely these comics are going to be reprinted, and that’s a darn good thing - as far as I’m concerned, they’re the platonic ideal of classic-flavored superhero books. Fun, funny, adventurous and warm-hearted, while it wasn’t intended as part of DC it represents its arguable baseline tone and approach as well as any comic ever has; if this ends up doing it for you, it’s likely to be a gateway to plenty more.

Recommendations: If Tom Strong does it for you, then that’s really a sign that you might be up for older DC titles in general; I made suggestions in that regard for Superman and Batman in their respective starter packs, but I’m also especially inclined to mention the likes of Metamorpho and Legion of Superheroes, alongside other titles you can pick up in DC’s inexpensive black-and-white Showcase Presents reprints (a list of which you can read here). For something more modern with a similar tone, I’d suggest Mark Waid’s 12-issue run on The Brave and the Bold with George Perez and Jerry Ordway, and for more period-piece style heroics with heart, try the currently ongoing DC Bombshells (currently running as Bombshells United).

7. Solo

What: A 12-issue anthology, each stars a beloved artist with whichever collaborators they wish doing whatever they please, the only restriction being that at least one story must involve some permutation of some version of a DC character.

Why: I recommended Tom Strong as representative of the baseline for how DC Comics generally aspires to work; this represents the farthest possible afield territory from said baseline. Treating DC’s biggest names as broad iconographic tools to be shaped and reshaped at a given creators’ whim for the sake of their stories, this is DC as indie comics, and it’s a valuable perspective.

Recommendations: Along with Batman: Black and White, DC’s other big project in this vein was Wednesday Comics, a 12-part set of 15 running stories presented one massive page at a time in the oversized format of Sunday newspaper comics; some of them indisputably stink, but for every one of them there’s at least one fun title and one borderline-masterpiece, and nearly all of them are at least interesting. Another title significantly varying in style and content was Tomorrow Stories, from America’s Best Comics along with Tom Strong and operating in a completely different mode with each story, whether the Eisner-flavored Greyshirt or the Kurtzman-esque shenanigans of First American. And if Solo’s anarchic spirit and artistic variety appeal, I’d also have to give a shout-out to World’s Funnest, where a feud between goofball super-imps Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite reaches multiversally catastrophic proportions.

8. Watchmen

What: Set in a 1985 that has significantly diverged from our own - first in the 1930s and 40s with the emergence of costumed crimefighters inspired by comic book heroes, and much more radically in the 1960s with the creation of the world’s one superhuman, the near-omnipotent Doctor Manhattan, who has spent the last two decades changing the technological landscape and securing American interests even as his mind grows more and more detached from any human perspective - Edward Blake is murdered. An investigation by the unhinged vigilante Rorschach uncovers that Blake was the Comedian, one of the only ‘superheroes’ to join with the government rather than be driven into retirement or forced to operate outside the law, and the detective becomes convinced that this is sign of a larger plot against the former costumed community. As the terrible secrets of the one-time crimefighters are unearthed, the question becomes not whether Rorschach is correct or as demented as his one-time comrades believe, but if it matters in the face of a Cold War escalated by Manhattan’s presence into the very real possibility of a nuclear apocalypse.

Why: Reading superhero comics at this point means reckoning with Watchmenone way or another: realistically speaking, if you’re reading this you’ve probably either already read it, already intend to get around to it, or have actively chosen not to. As a meticulous artistic construction it’s the standard by which all other modern comics are measured; as an interrogation of the genre its influence is for better or worse incalculable across the breadth of popular culture as a whole. Even minus the upcoming efforts to somehow merge these characters into the larger structure, there is no comprehensively understanding DC Comics in 2017 or beyond without reading Watchmen.

Recommendations: The most obvious suggestion - if also by far the most questionable one - is the upcoming Doomsday Clock, the thoroughly unexpected sequel where Doctor Manhattan and likely other figures from this world are revealed as having interacted and tampered with the ‘main’ DC universe, leading to some form of confrontation between Manhattan and Superman and their radically different cosmic viewpoints and representations of the moral nature of the superhero. As far as the structure and ambitions of the comic itself go, you’d likely be better served looking into the likes of Omega Men by Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda (another grimly political and acclaimed superhero comic operating on the unifying structure of the nine-panel grid), Top 10 by Moore and Gene Ha (another ABC title, this one a police procedural in a city where everyone in a superhero, it’s another 12-issue attempt by Moore at showing how superheroes would ‘really’ be using many of the same artistic tricks, but on an altogether wilder and more overtly optimistic wavelength), Miracleman (not a DC title but a book by Moore based on DC characters, and his other seminal superhero ‘deconstruction’ alongside Watchmen of the 1980s), and The Multiversity: Pax Americana (another standalone Multiversity issue, this one stars the Charlton Comics characters that inspired Watchmen’s leads and pushes its concerns and structural tricks even further in a time-bending overview of one man’s life and death that attempts to deconstruct superhero deconstructions themselves). And while not published by DC, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt was once one of theirs and the inspiration for Ozymandias, and Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard’s 5-issue series with him is easily one of the best, most fascinating responses to Watchmen of all time.

9. Planetary

EDIT: This list was written prior to allegations made against Warren Ellis. It’s your money, but while I’d still recommend checking the book out of the library - the quality of the work isn’t going to change now that it’s out there in the universe - if you’re looking to pad your bookshelf I might recommend Al Ewing’s El Sombra trilogy in its place.

What: Elijah Snow has spent over a century bearing witness to the world’s hidden wonders and horrors, and now that he’s been recruited by the mysterious Planetary organization he has a chance to make use of that experience. Alongside the invincibly powerful Jakita Wagner and the eccentric technopath The Drummer, they are “mystery archaeologists”, investigating beneath the grim, ‘realistic’ superhero surface of the Wildstorm universe to uncover the buried, wondrous mysteries hiding in its corners, from Kaiju graveyards to lost underground city-ships from beyond the cosmic fields we know. As well as hunting the greatest mystery of all: the force that has conspired to keep these miracles a secret.

Why: Essential to an appreciation of a superhero universe is a well-developed sense of wonder: Planetary built itself on distilling artifacts of 19th and 20th century pop culture (typically by proxy) down to their most essential ideas and iconic values as mysteries to be unveiled, whether 1920s pulp heroes, Godzilla, Sherlock Holmes, 80s and 90s Vertigo comics, James Bond, John Woo revenge flicks, or any of a dozen others, so as to best allow them to be appreciated in that regard. It’s a celebration and reinvigoration of the base genre components that have made up American comics for lifetimes, an articulation of an approach that merges the intimate and grungy with the cosmically fantastic, and a masterwork of one-shot comics storytelling.

Recommendations: The immediate things that come to mind are, well, other Wildstorm comics by Warren Ellis, specifically his original run on Stormwatch where he turned a generic edgy ‘realistic’ superhero black-ops book into a bizarre political sci-fi adventure series with a bloody black wounded heart that later became the far more popular The Authority, and his fascinating relaunch of the universe line in The Wild Storm and assorted titles under the imprint of the same name; I also have to recommend by reputation Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Wildstorm crime comic Sleeper. Also, there’s Wildcats 3.0, which similarly converts a formerly achingly 90s title into a corporate drama as a gaggle of superhumans deal with the obstacles in attempting to provide a boundless energy source.

10. JLA/Avengers

What: When the manipulative Grandmaster and the amoral cosmic seeker Krona decide to settle their titanic dispute via proxy, the greatest superheroes of two worlds find themselves pitted against one another in a conflict that leaves each of their realities’ at stake.

Why: There’s little better way to understand something than through contrast, and that at its core what JLA/Avengers is about: enmeshed within a fantastically written and drawn fanpleasing crossover adventure, easily the best of its kind, is a story on just what it is that separates the worlds of Marvel and its distinguished competition on a basic conceptual level, and how they overcome those barriers just once in the face of an unthinkable threat. Above any other comic, this defines what it is that separates DC superheroes from the rest.

Recommendations: For another exercise in contrast, Jonathan Hickman’s massive Avengers saga critically involves a crossover of its own with DC, at least in spirit, with the volume New Avengers: Perfect World. As the Illuminati (a gathering of many of the Marvel universe’s top minds alongside preeminent experts and political leaders) attempt to rout the threat of the Incursions, destructive collisions between parallel universes that can seemingly only be averted with the prior annihilation of one universes’ Earth, they discover another reality home to a far more morally forthright group of heroes known as the Great Society whose powers match their convictions, and who thus far have saved their world without compromise. But when the Society and the Illuminati find themselves in opposition, will their ideals win out? And if not, what is to become of the Illuminati when they make a choice no man can live with?

11. Jack Kirby’s Fourth World

What: On numerous fronts across the cosmos, a secret war rages - with Jimmy Olsen and Superman investigating the Wild Area alongside the Newsboy Legion, with a group of bizarre teenagers landing on Earth, with a mysterious young man taking up the mantle of the fallen world’s greatest escape artist Mister Miracle, and with the mighty space god Orion arriving on our planet with a mission of direst import. For when the Old Gods died their world was torn asunder into the warring planets of New Genesis and Apokolips, and as the ultimate tyrant Darkseid seeks the utter domination offered by the Anti-Life Equation, the New Gods’ gaze turns to the Earth…

Why: The king of comics’ Jack Kirby’s unfinished masterpiece, the Fourth World Saga - soon to be recollected in a single titanic omnibus as several of the concepts make it into the upcoming Justice League - spans from the slums of Metropolis to universe-shattering wars in epochs long since past. It’s a treatise on youth and free will that’s perhaps the most purely ambitious DC publication of all time in its attempt to create a new myth for our times, and one of the only superhero stories to truly deserve the title of epic in the classical sense. I’ve only had a chance to read a fraction of it myself as of yet, but from that fraction it’s clear it not only has the combined brains and energy of nearly any dozen modern comics, but was and remains one of the most powerful testaments to the potential of the genre ever put to paper. And Superman and Jimmy Olsen fight a planet of horror movie monsters in it so evil it grew devil horns, so you really have no excuse not to take the plunge.

Recommendations: The King contributed plenty of concepts to DC such as the Challengers of the Unknown, the Boy Commandos, and an incarnation of Sandman; most promising if you’re sucked into his Fourth World material would be his other 1970s DC books, The Demon (where the immortal Jason Blood’s spirit is caught in an eternal tug-of-war with the dread Etrigan), OMAC (where Buddy Blank is forcibly conscripted to become the One Man Army Corps and stop the threats of tomorrow from becoming wars that would end the world, by way of punching like seven dudes at once), and Kamandi (where the last boy on Earth struggles to survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland where mutated anthropomorphic animals have long since come to reign supreme). The Fourth World itself has been followed up by numerous creators, usually weakly as they attempt to warp the characters to fit more traditional superheroic archetypes; some exceptions that fit with the King’s vision and ambition include several works by Grant Morrison mentioned above and below, (by what I’ve heard of its reputation) Walter Simonson’s Orion, and the current Mister Miracle by Tom King and Mitch Gerads.

12. Books of Magic

What: Twelve-year-old Timothy Hunter is met by the ‘trenchcoat brigade’ of the Phantom Stranger, Mister E, Doctor Occult, and John Constantine, with an unbelievable prophecy: that he has the potential to become the greatest sorcerer of all time. Taken on a tour over twelve issues of the magical side of the DC universe, Tim will ultimately have to decide whether to turn away from his potential destiny and live a normal life, or accept it knowing the horror of the price that always comes with magic.

Why: A small, self-contained story by the pretty dang beloved Neil Gaiman starring an archetype that many should find themselves familiar with (while Hunter preceded him by a few years and both Gaiman and Rowling have denied any inspiration, many have noted his undeniable similarities to Harry Potter), it’s not exactly the meatiest story, but it serves perfectly for its intended purpose as an introduction to the magical side of the DC universe. If you enjoy this - even if you don’t but could imagine the same tone, aesthetics, and general approach yielding interesting results under a different premise or creators - it may well open the doors to an entirely new set of fantastic comics for you.

Recommendations: Books of Magic is a single branch on a mighty tree of magical DCU books inspired by and connected to one another, appropriately beginning with Alan Moore’s transformative run on Swamp Thing, which itself introduced John Constantine who would go on to a great deal of acclaim in his own title Hellblazer. Swamp Thing in turn beget the titanically popular and influential Sandman, which had its own phenomenal spinoff title in the form of Lucifer. Books of Magic continued as well under different creators, and while only now tangentially connected to DC via Tom Strong, Moore and JH Williams III’s book Promethea is brilliant and very much of the same breed.

13. Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold

What: In the years leading up to their deaths (and subsequent resurrections, though they weren’t in effect at the time this story was written), Barry Allen and Hal Jordan were friends through thick and thin. Here, from their early days in the JLA to their twilights, these are six stories showing how that friendship changed and endured over the course of their careers.

Why: Two big things come with big superhero universes: histories, and the relationships that come with them. Both can go wrong, whether in the form of purely continuity-driven comics or soap opera titles driven entirely by the old faithful, but when creators handle them properly they’re an essential part of the magic of the shared world, and few comics are better examples of how to do it right than this.

Recommendations: For starters, this mini is itself a sequel of sorts to JLA: Year One, an origin for the team that while no longer their official history is regardless an excellent character-driven Justice League story. For the culmination of preexisting history being used as a tool for great storytelling, you’re in the market for Starman, extrapolating a D-list superhero lineage into a century-spanning family odyssey (and if you enjoy it, you’ll want to check out James Robinson’s book Golden Age, showing the retirement of the Justice Society in what many consider their definitive story). And Brave and the Bold is in many ways the final gasp of an era of phenomenal 80s and 90s character-driven DC titles, including (both from personal experience and shining reputation) the likes of Hitman, Hourman, Justice League International, John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad, and Chase.

14. Seven Soldiers of Victory

What: A set of seven interconnected miniseries plus bookends, this is the story of seven minor superheroes forced to band together and punch far, far above their weight in the face of a cosmic apocalypse that only they by prophecy can stop. And the catch on top of it? None of them know they’re on a team. Or even meet each other.

Why: Seven Soldiers is a tour-de-force in just about every regard, but even beyond its incredible quality, it just as importantly serves to teach the final, most important lesson of all when it comes to the DCU: there are times it gets buck wild. Superhero worlds are crazy as hell, and to a certain extent you’re going to have to not just accept that on the journey to loving them, but embrace them. And nothing’s going to help you learn that better than a crimefighting newspaper mascot unwittingly working alongside the likes of Frankenstein and the god of escape artists to save the world from evil fairies.

Recommendations: Past the 1970s and truly weird superhero stuff falling out of fashion, Grant Morrison’s the master of this kind of bonkers material - alongside material by him I’ve mentioned before and in the final recommendation, I particularly have to bring up Final Crisis, the event-comic sequel to Seven Soldiers and his JLA that brings his incredible, bizarre vision of the DCU onto the largest scale possible. That itself spins out into the incredible Multiversity, and the aforementioned Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo DC event book (overseen to some extent by Morrison) Dark Nights: Metal; if you want to check out the latter I’d suggest Return of Bruce Wayne, another Morrison-written Final Crisis spinoff that ends up planting some very important seeds even outside the context of his larger Batman run.

15. Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery

What: Gifted with the superpower of being able to do anything by flexing his muscles and posing dramatically (with the incredible mental discipline of muscle mystery!), Flex Mentallo was brought to life by a the dying wish of young boy Wally Sage into the real world - albeit a ‘real world’ far stranger than any we might know - but faced with apocalyptic cynicism and a seeming message from an old ally in his fictional days, Flex finds himself on an odyssey to find where all the superheroes have gone and how to save the world the way they used to. Meanwhile, punk rocker Wally Sage is ODing in an alley and babbling away on a suicide hotline about the comics he loved as a child…most of all his own creation, Flex Mentallo.

Why: Grant Morrison’s ultimate statement on superheroes and the potential they hold in our own lives, Flex Mentallo is perhaps the most important comic of all on this list, because while the rest of the recommendations illustrate aspects of the history or genre possibilities or characters that will make you fall in love with the world of DC, Flex is the definitive text on Why This Superhero Comics Shit Actually Matters.

Recommendations: Well, most of Morrison’s other DC work, which I’ve suggested plenty of above alongside his Superman and Batman material in their respective starter packs; the big two I haven’t brought up are his run on Doom Patrol, the headtrip freako comic that introduced Flex in the first place, and Animal Man, his first DC book and alongside Flex his most foundational. If you enjoy Flex you might also be the market for more of DC’s odder Vertigo output meshing the superheroic with the supernatural and horrific; much of its best material was under the Books of Magic entry, and it’s not a field I’m that acquainted with, but I’d also recommend the volumes of Doom Patrol, Shade the Changing Girl, and Eternity Girl under DC’s Young Animal imprint, which carried on the tradition once Vertigo mostly switched to creator-owned work prior to its shutdown.

#DC Comics #Wildstorm #America's Best Comics #Vertigo #Young Animal #Opinion

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