Mary Jane's Wet Ride

This was back during Straczynski's run with John Romita Jr. Gosh, those were the days. In the scan, MJ is heading to New York to talk to Peter about repairing their marriage.

Those were the days!

And, while I have you, check out MightGodKing's take on the first chapter of Brand New Day. He shows no mercy for the travesty!

Reading Green Lantern: Willworld

In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight,
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!

It dawned on me that I haven't really gone over a Green Lantern book. With all the raves for the current work with Geoff Johns and the Sinestro Corps. War, I thought I'd take a look-see in my local library.

Good timing library!

So Green Lantern: Willworld was a four-issue miniseries published in 2001. You might remember writer J.M. DeMatteis for being a part of the Justice League when it was goofy and offbeat.

You might recognize the title, "Willworld." In order to be a Green Lantern, you need only two things: the power of will and the power of imagination.

Okay, I think that's enough intro, let's get to. . .

THE PREMISE
Green Lantern Hal Jordan finds himself in a strange dream-like foreign planet. Think the depth of Sandman meets the Sci-Fi of Annihilation meets the creativeness of Nextwave.

He has no idea why he's in the Land of Odd, and eventually Nowhere Land, but he knows that he has to find someone called Mairwand. Angels and giant heads and propellers play a part in Hal Jordan's tale of self-discovery.

THE ART
The art is fantastic. I love the layouts, and the expressions are spot-on, and they're wonderfully creative. Here's an example:

I love the post-it frowning face.

The six-handed lady there is saying, "eek." by the way.

THE CHARACTERS
When I picked up this trade, I only had an introductory level knowledge of the Green Lanterns. I knew that Hal Jordan was the greatest Green Lantern, that he turned into evil Parallax, and was tragically killed by Green Arrow only to come back as the Spectre? And then he somehow returned in Geoff Johns's "REBIRTH." When Hal was written by then-DC editor Denny O'Neil, he was teamed up with Green Arrow and did some kick-ass CIVIL-RIGHTS-AND-ETHNIC-EQUALITY-IN-YOUR-FACES-GUYS!!!!

What a great moment.

See, during that era, that's when you knew that superheroes could still be superheroes without having to resort to human flaws/vices. They can be relevant without having to be psychologically complex. You can always count on DC for having heroes like that. That's why I think Oliver Queen's so cool. He doesn't use his talents to fight crime vigilante-style. He doesn't use it to fight alien invasions. He uses them for the betterment of mankind at the STREET-level. He doesn't care about the planet; he cares about the people living on the planet.

A few things more about Green Lanterns: Hal was an airplane pilot, while his successor was an artist (How cool is that????), and I think somewhere John Stewart got a ring, because he was so popular in the Animated JLA.

So, well, I kinda knew a lot about Hal, but not so much about his psychology. Thanks to Rachelle, I got the impression that he's a less-than-witty guy with a big ego. I didn't exactly see the big ego, but I certainly saw that he didn't put much thought into his actions:Get off the off-reality drugs, Hal! I love his face in the last panel. Priceless.

THE STORY
A summary certainly doesn't do it justice, but Hal explores the new world, questions the nature of reality, as he remembers that this was all a test of will by the Guardians of the Galaxy so that he'd prove worthy of his Green Lantern Ring. He passes with flying colors, realizing that he is ultimately the creator, the dreamer, of all things, and that reality is dependent on him, and takes shape according to his views.

A subjective view of reality, as opposed to objective, which is basically an exultation of human perception. I think it's reasonable to say that we can extrapolate this feeling to us, because we're meant to relate to Hal. When Hal says he has the power, then we do too.

Who is the dreamer?

Gosh, it may be metaphysical, but don't be afraid. That doesn't make it inaccessible. This may be an unconventional comic, but it's a comic done well.

SO. . . WAS IT GOOD?
It was fantastic! This is the kind of stuff that makes you look twice at a panel before you can come to a conclusion. This is the kind of comic that uplifts you. It was absolutely wonderful to hear Hal say, "Hal! My name -- is HAL!" I have a newfound respect for this DeMatteis guy, actually.

And just exactly who is this Ambush Bug guy? He seems to be popular among all of the seasoned DC fans:Ambush Bwha?

Anyways, five out of five talking heads. This is smart comics, this is fun comics, this is good comics.

Panel by Panel: A Letter to Amazing Spider-Man #549

Dear Amazing Spider-Man #549,

Hi! How are you? Is it exciting to get a new writer and artist for the month? How were Slott and McNiven for you? Are you still reeling from the aftereffects of One More Day?

'Cause if you are, you're not alone!

But hey, the past is the past, so let's look at the here and now. Let's talk about you!

FIRST OFF, may I compliment both of your covers. Give my regards to Salvador Larroca for, albeit drawing on the Spider-movies for inspiration, refraining from going the full monty and opting to give Spider-Man Romita-esque eyes. They are the most important part after all, and Larroca must understand that I'm quite a stickler about them! Much obliged, Larroca, much obliged.

A complaint about the second one, David Finch's variant cover. MY COMIC SHOP LISTED IT FOR SEVENTEEN DOLLARS! $17.00! Diez y siete dolares! That's definitely price-gouging if ever I saw it. Regardless, it's nice to see MJackpot on a cover, and it's also nice to see some Ditko-esque eyes on Spidey.

AS FOR YOUR CONTENTS, we see this as an introduction:

Forgive me if I'm being blunt, Amazing #549, but who wrote this? Who wrote this drivel? Please firmly and harshly reprimand the perpetrator of this crime. It's immature; it's forced, and it sounds all too phony. "Ya" sounds terribly unnatural, and I don't even have an Xbox for chrissakes.

I know that you want to make amends for One More Day; I know that you want to connect to your readers, but this is not the way to do it.

AS THE BLURB STATED ("WHO'S THAT GIRL?!?"), you talk about the Initiative's new "it" girl, Jackpot (Who is clearly MJ!) It saddened me to see her tossed around by that criminal, but it makes sense, because she's new to superhero-ing, and pretty naive. I sorely hope that you flesh her out by the time you're done with Guggenheim and Larroca, because if you're not, my wallet might not let us see each other again =(.

A good point that you brought up is the possibility that Jackpot is in fact Peter's ex, Mary Jane Watson-Parker. Thankfully, Peter asks her about her suspicious name as well as her pet names ("No problem, tiger." "You could talk about 'hitting the jackpot'.")

I must say, you very gracefully handled the question, but dodged it. That's completely okay, so long as you tell me who this Jackpot lady is by the end of the arc, alright? Flesh her out, you know?

Thanks a bunch.

AS FOR THE HUMOR, it appears to be more clear-cut: it's either hit or miss in this issue. When Dexter Bennett takes over the Daily Bugle and renames it into the DB, there's some great ironic humor when he gives his new staff (including Peter) a speech about work ethics. It's very clever.

On the other hand, you have this incredibly obnoxious one-liner. I know that Spidey's legendary for quipping, but this is too much. Please tone it down; whatever happened to any ounce of maturity that Spidey retained after One More Day? You can't say that he retained none, you just can't.

OVERALL, I'm fairly content with you, Amazing #549. To be fair, though, I liked Slott's first issue, but was ultimately disappointed with the arc. Please don't disappoint me, Guggenheim.

Much love,
Kevin T.

P.S. Could you please remind Salvador Larroca to draw the women better? They all look like their mouths are scowling, or their eyes are too big, or their cheeks are too manly. . . or their hair is brunette after being red after being blonde!!!!

---

Yep, so I'd rate it, about a. . . 3.5 out of 5 falling construction guys. Good for an establishing issue, but more needs to be told in the rest of the arc.

Hawkaaa! Bedard on the Birds

Sooooo how was that Smallville episode? You know, the one involving Dinah Lance, AKA Black Canary?

I have no idea, because I, um, don't watch TV. Anyone willing to enlighten me on our Bird of Prey? Feel free to comment, don't be shy.

Hey, talking about Birds of Prey, check out the new writer following Sean McKeever's run! It's Tony Bedard, which gratifies me to no end. Issue #112, "The Warrior Wake of Zinda Blake," exists because of him! It was the issue that told me I LOVE THIS BOOK. Maybe I'll put it up on the blog someday? Regardless, I have until April or so, because that's around when McKeever's arc finishes. This quote from the interview made me happy:

Yeah, this is regular, ongoing, and they will indeed have to kick me off because I know a great gig when I see one, and this book has everything you could ask for.

It might seem bland, but Bedard has been saddled with a bunch of fill-in work ever since he signed a DC exclusive. From three Supergirl issues to a measly two (is this right?) for Batman and the Outsiders, it sounds great to hear that he's getting a nice, steady book for himself, and it sounds even better that that book is Birds.

Right, Illuminators?

Three of four Marvel's greatest minds approved of this message! (the fourth couldn't speak, because - a mere whisper would but devastate the greatest mountains!)

Hey, continuing to talk about Birds of Prey, let's take a look at my poll. . . Hmmm. . . . so one person voted for Black Canary as their favorite, another Lady Blackhawk. Cool! It's nice to see that people (yes, all two of them) are paying attention to the Birds.

So now that that poll is over with, I've got a new one. Below's a duplication of it:

WHO IS JACKPOT?

-Who else? MJ, my good sir.
-Carlie Cooper? That explains the erratic hair color, at least.
-Some nobody. It's a red herring can't you see?
-You thought she only tended to that soup kitchen? She's clearly Aunt May.
-Peter Parker. At least that explains the personality change.
-Jackpot doesn't matter to me. This Day is anything but Brand New.
-Wha? What's a Jackpot?
-A very attractive Skrull.
-CLAYFACE.
-Menace, ruining two legacies at once! You're a wily one, Mr. Guggenheim!
-OTHER (comment on post)

Aaaaand there you have it. May I remind you that you can select more than one option, allowing for wacky combinations, such as. . . AUNT MAY AS MENACE.

Thus far, Amazing Spider-Man appears to be about Spidey's dangerous adventures in the streets of New York, and #549 is no exception. We don't know much new about Jackpot. I'll get it reviewed by week's end.

Cover to Cover: Lesbionic bloodbaths! How characteristic of life!

Reviews: always better late than never, am I right?


Hack/Slash #8
by Tim Seeley (w) and Rebekah Isaacs (a)

Did that cover grab your attention? People look at the covers for Hack/Slash and all they see is a book solely for T&A, but it's more than that: it's both a glorification and a spoof of the horror genre.

That doesn't change the fact that it's always embarrassing to pick up, though!

Anyways, in this issue, the two protagonists, Cassie and Vlad, patch up their friendship. It's really sweet how much Cassie cares about Vlad, who just got bludgeoned in the head by a birdbath.

There wasn't too much humor in this issue, which disappoints me to no end, but Cassie explores her possibly-budding lesbionic sexual orientation, at least. Can't go wrong with that, can you?

Along with her sexuality, Cassie explores the mystery of the "Tub Club," a society/cult (sociecult!) that sacrifices girls for "immortality and divinity." The plot point provided us a gratuitous shower AND death scene, but I'm still kinda disappointed.

Regular artist Emily Stone is on hiatus or something, and Rebekah Isaacs is covering for her, and it might be just me, but Rebekah Isaacs really does NOT like drawing backgrounds. Every other page had a blank background, I swear! The comic felt empty to me. . .

TWO out of FIVE closet lesbians. The writing is average, the plot doesn't move, and the art appears lazy. Here's hoping the next ish, the conclusion to the arc, is better!


Silver Surfer: In Thy Name #4 (0f 4)
by Simon Spurrier (w) and Tan Eng Huat (a)

Hey, this issue concludes the most recent Silver Surfer miniseries, in which our sullen sentinel of the spaceways found two warring races, the homely Brekknis and the royal Ama. I'm not kidding, the two races are so willing to wage war, they'll fake incidents for the sake of it.

Out of his noble nature, the Surfer tries to get involved. He even summons, uh, Galactus, threatening that if they ever did wage war, that he'd sic the devourer of worlds on 'em.

And what do the Brekknis and Ama do? THEY ATTACK GALACTUS!

There's a wonderful plot twist in this issue which explains why the Surfer might summon a being such as Galactus, but, to be honest, very little ground was covered.

We see nothing new about the Surfer. He's an idealist who sometimes borders on the cynical. He's traveled the cosmos, and yet he can still be naive. He holds noble ideas and tries to implement them, but it comes at the sacrifice of his own happiness, or it doesn't work at all. While this does have the ingredients for a "classic" Surfer story, it was kind of fighting an uphill battle with the premise (two alien races duking it out).

So people are primitively flawed. Okay, I get that. So it's "characteristic of life" to destroy. Okay, fine. There's no need to philosophize on that for four issues.

This mini might have been a good story in an ongoing, but certainly not a mini. A mini should be more important, I'd expect. It's an insightful character piece on the Silver Surfer, but not much else.

-Also, while artist Tan Eng Huat is not fun to look at, I think he made his style clearer as the issues went on. The guy's still no fun to look at, though =(.
-Much to my surprise, while the issue was solicited as $3.99, it was actually $2.99. Cool beans!

THREE hungry, hungry Galacti out of FIVE. Only Surfer fans would really recognize this story, because it's basically a character piece, and there are more clearer character pieces on Norrin than In Thy Name, such as the Essentials.

The ending is very slice-of-life-ish. The Brekknis and Ama continue their war, as the Surfer leaves them, disillusioned about the nature of rationality. It's well handled.