Official Handbook Of Who's Who

Today's entry may run the risk of sounding like the "grouchy old man" in my thoughts.  So let me preface my subject coverage by saying this; I love the research resources the Internet has to offer, in terms of what I cover for this blog.  Seriously, it has come through in a PINCH, more often than not, when my memory fails me for specifics about a specific subject.  Thanks to the Internet, and technology in general, finding comic book trivia on the spot has never been easier, and it's truly a fun time to be a geek!  (Not "Nerd", because I'd have to be more smart and less socially adept to be truly considered a "Nerd".)  So, Internet resources for comic book research, here's hoping your news is ALWAYS good news!

Now let's discuss the subject of today's entry: two valuable resources for comic book knowledge when I was growing up.  I realize before these two titles launched, there had existed OTHER resources to pull on for knowledge... to a point.  There are four particular fonts of knowledge I KNOW you could have been "schooled" on:

• Jules Feiffer's "Great Comic Book Heroes"
• Michael Fleisher's three volume DC Encyclopedias, covering Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman

However, the limitation of these research materials was that the information hit a brick wall... in ALL cases... before the 70's.  In the 80's, comic book readers started to become more demanding about their continuity... and their need to fill in every aspect of comic information.  (But if they were asking about Super Baby, their questions were invalidated because they DID NOT count.)  Marvel may have led the charge on this front, but DC certainly was no slouch in the information-providing front, and their shared competition to be their universal sources SUPREME weirdly mirrored each other!  I bring you...

THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE

And...

DC WHO'S WHO: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE DC UNIVERSE

As I mentioned, Marvel beat DC to the punch for their universal tour-guide, with their Handbook being released in 1983.  DC waited until the encroaching 50th anniversary of their company's existence to launch "Who's Who" in 1984.  Both titles served the same purpose, which was to provide an in-house reference guide to future employees about the essentials of the characters, and to give the readers fodder for nitpicking.  So... win-win?  Another similarity is that after the launching of the OHOTMU, both books followed a near-annual update series format.  But the titles had some very subtle differences worthy of note.

The Marvel Universe Handbook was, in my eyes, more obsessive over facts and detailed histories over presentation.  For each entry, you did get an original piece of artwork, but it was VERY static.  Think about it as if your featured character was posing for their driver's license.  Each entry also featured panels from the character's other appearances to provide additional "visual flair".  The fun thing about the main piece of original artwork is you have some surprising entries to the artist roster, depending on when they become Marvel staffers.  For example, the first year of the OHOTMU was FAIRLY heavy of John Byrne artwork, because he was their superstar artist at the time.  I believe it was either for an '87 or '88 update that you start seeing some of the future "Big Names" squeaking out some profile pictures.  Names like Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee... and EVEN Rob Liefeld.  Yes... At one point he WAS a big name artist.

Two particular gimmicks the Marvel Universe guides did that I REALLY admired were exemplified in two divergences in the main annual format.  One was a special issue for the first series, detailing the weapons/technology of the Marvel Universe.  Want to know how Iron Man's armor is put together?  It's in the book.  Want an easy anatomy lesson, by studying the bones of Wolverine's adamantium skeleton?  It's in the book.  Even CARE about what technology the Wizard uses?  IT'S.  IN.  THE.  BOOK.  The second occasional treat was the Marvel "Book of the Dead".  This was a series that offered profiles on characters that were deceased at the time of the writing.  I know it was a two-volume entry for the first series, and I believe it received a near 12 issue run for the second series.  But hey, expanded entries allows you to find out the gory details of what happened to Bucky Barnes, Jean Grey, and Norman Osborne!  ... Wait, they're no longer DEAD?!?  Sigh...

On the DC end of reference handbooks, "Who's Who" may have lacked in fingernail grit detail in their profiles, but they MORE than made up for the lack of anal-retentive factoids with AMAZING presentation.  If you've ever seen an issue of "Who's Who", you know every entry comes with a multi-colored surprint in the form of color-coded dots, and a single-color background matching the main entry.  But every entry had ALL ORIGINAL ARTWORK.  Including art from people not even part of the DC Staff.  (Look up Dave Stevens and "Catwoman" if you want to see what I'm talking about.  Mee-yow...)

There's another fun thing about "Who's Who".  The first volume in particular, which ran 26 issues.  Issues EVOLVED as the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" developed during that first volume.  As the specifics were hammered out for the universal changes, you saw that reflected in subsequent entries.  Sometimes you would find out late in the game that a character that was "cozy" in the Bronze Age would be dead... Dead... DEAD!  And one other addition DC gave to their reference volumes; the reverse page of the back cover offered up a semi checklist for where you can expect to see characters appearing, and in what titles.  So if you were DYING to see where Lady Quark would show up next, that checklist might give you a slight indicator!

As times change, and as volumes are updated, the delivery format changes for both companies.  Gone are the standard stapled magazine format around the 90's, and we now start up the loose-leaf binder format for BOTH companies.

To me, this period of both companies' offerings on the reference front eluded my radar.  That's not to say I felt they were of inferior quality, because they probably could have been just as excellent as the other offerings.  But when I have to invest in a SEPARATE item to even properly store the reference materials... Er... I was only just earning a measly allowance around that time in my life.  I wasn't made of money! 

But after the loose leaf period of OHOTMU and "Who's Who", Marvel was the only company to keep with the format of their reference books, on and off, WELL into the 2000's.  The only issue I had with that version of OHOTMU is that the artwork was amazingly generic between entries.  In fact, the style reminded me a lot of the current Marvel advertising artwork.

But while DC quit the regularly published "Who's Who" reference game early, they DID manage to experiment more with universe specific titles, such as their always complicated... even though I am learning to appreciate it... Legion Universe.

And since the company owned the rights to publish the comics, DC even printed a "Who's Who" all about the voyages of the Starship Enterprise!

The closest print equivalent we have to these regular series is the DK Encyclopedias for both of the Universes, and I'm thinking Marvel has that monopoly share, because DC has YET to publish any definitive guide for the "New 52" universe.  (Probably because even after three years of existence, they STILL don't know the complete foundations of the mess of a universe they created...)  But I can still look back at a magic time when even finding out about a company's universe was a monthly treat.

Fanning The Flames And Riding The Waves

Sometimes, I find other media can inspire my reading choices.  For example, in preparation for last summer's release of "Man of Steel", I read probably MORE of a buttload of Superman-related comics than I normally would.  Another example would be the inspiration the Marvel Cinematic Universe gives me to explore... most of their worlds.  (Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and the Avengers have been the most successful on that front.  Sorry, Iron Man, but sometimes your comic material can be kind of boring to me.)  However, I can't often say that... of all things... a PODCAST can inspire my reading choices!  Not only does today's subject illustrate that point, but I also wanted to give credit to said podcast for partially inspiring me to write this blog to begin with!

The Fire and Water Podcast is THE place to stop if you want a fun show... hosted by Rob Kelly and Shagg Matthews... featuring two of DC's more interesting "non-Trinity" characters in Firestorm the Nuclear Man and Aquaman.  As if that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, Rob also maintains his own site, The Aquaman Shrine, while Shagg holds up his end for the nucleic side of the team-up on his site, Firestorm Fan.  Not only does their "Network" feature their regular show about the teaming of elemental heroes, they also have other shows to sink your teeth into.  Let me present you with a menu:

• Power Records, which offers up whole Power Records adventures to listen to, along with some commentary.
• The Hero Points RPG Podcast, which is all about the Mayfair Games DC Universe campaign.
• Who's Who: The Definitive Guide to the DC Universe... which will be touched upon a bit more in detail for my subject, tomorrow...

Now, aside from Rob and Shagg being very funny and entertaining fellows, they also brought my attention towards exploring more about the characters they cover on their main show proper.  Allow me to divulge some of my salient points about each side of the #fwpodcast coin.

Birthed in 1978 in his very own title, Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom presented us with the origin tale of the fusioned form of Professor Martin Stein and high-schooler Ronnie Raymond.  They were unfortunate to be caught in the middle of a terrorist action against a new nuclear plant, and in trying to contain the explosion, the awesome energies unleashed caused Stein and Raymond to transform into the super being, Firestorm.  His powers include flight AND the unique ability to alter any inorganic object.  Basically, the entire world is his "power ring" construct, that is only limited by his imagination and knowledge of chemical compounds. 

Firestorm's first series was part of the DC Implosion, but after appearing two times in "DC Comics Presents", Firestorm gained enough popularity to re-emerge with his own ongoing title in the early 80's.  As if that wasn't enough, he was ALSO included in the ranks of the Justice League of America during this time span!  Not bad for a character that was essentially "fizzled out" by his original seventh issue.  However, the curse of Firestorm... as it will be with the other character of the featured podcast... is that they both seem to have difficulty maintaining a long-lasting series.  I believe the original "Fury of Firestorm" title didn't last to see triple-digit issue numbers, and to date the character has undergone three other separate relaunches.  (Not counting the time where he was a backup feature in "The Flash".)  While his solo time in the "New 52" was all too brief, he DID make the transition to the new universe!

I known, and have been getting to know, Firestorm best as the fusion of Stein and Raymond.  The title is potentially the most "Marvel" book DC was releasing in the 80's, with imperfect characters and continuing drama among the players.  Firestorm was so strong of a player, he even maintained his own rogues gallery of such interesting characters as Killer Frost, Black Bison, Multiplex... and, sigh... Slipknot.  However, to balance that out, you sometimes have to wade through Raymond's rather... irksome... cast of fellow students.  Oh, don't get me wrong; his relationship with Lorraine Reilly AKA Firehawk, but she didn't go to school with him.  And his basketball team buddy Jefferson was a pretty cool guy.  But what did he EVER see in Doreen Day?  And I'm not a violent person... but every time Cliff Carmichael shows up on page, I want to punch him.  Hard.  But that shouldn't stop you from trying out the classic period of Firestorm's existence in the DC Universe!

I do know there was a time where the character was a Russian citizen, and he became the Fire Elemental.  The only other time I regularly followed Firestorm, previous to the podcast, was when the being was a fusion of Jason Rush and his girlfriend... and I met them around the time of "Blackest Night".  ... So if you know that particular story, you'll understand why the current fusion form is actually Jason and Ronnie.  But between "Blackest Night", "Brightest Day", and the Fire and Water Podcast, I've grown to appreciate fanning the flame of Firestorm!

Next up, the King of the Seven Seas... And a long-maligned character of the DC Universe, Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman.  I'd say up until the "Blackest Night", "Brightest Day", and "New 52" stories, Aquaman has been the "joke" character.  (That's not to demean his previous comic book appearances.  I am REALLY growing to enjoy the Peter David 90's relaunch, and he was a well-deserved integral part in the Justice League history, ESPECIALLY under Grant Morrison's run.)  But what did people usually think of when they first considered Aquaman?  "Guy who talks to fish and swims" is probably the first answer you would earn.  And how wrong you would be...

Born... again, based on my past period knowledge... as a product of a relationship between a human male and an Atlantean sorceress, Arthur Curry has been cursed with some unfortunate weaknesses from time to time.  (He could only endure one hour without some form of moisture in his system, at a time.  Who is he, ME?!?  And if that's the case, does Aquaman end up using the restroom as often as I do when I take in excess moisture?)  But even from the beginning, he was MORE than just the guy who spoke to salmon.  Think about it; he's able to perform physical feats of power near the bottom of the ocean.  You know, the parts that could CRUSH most submarines from pressure.  Depending, also, on the era, he has control of water as a physical attack device.  As if that wasn't enough, he can be.. given the period... Lord and Master of a realm that covers THREE-FOURTHS of the Earth.  Yeah... Try telling Arthur face-to-face that all he's good for is sharing gossip with the tuna.

What makes Aquaman truly special is that, while he's undergone more than a few series cancellations, he's been a part of the DC Universe for close to 75 years.  And he's not been a MINOR part of the DC Universe!  He's a FOUNDING MEMBER of the Justice League of America.  He's also been part of multiple animated series... both of his own, and as a member of the "Super Friends", and most currently a highlight character in "Batman: The Brave and the Bold", along with a forthcoming JLA animated feature that will focus strictly on an Atlantean storyline he was featured in!

It's not often that I thank specific creators on this blog, but I believe that Geoff Johns' passion for the character helped launch him to new heights in the "New 52" era of Aquaman.  Arthur's so popular these days, he's actually being featured in TWO series!  Both his own self-titled book, along with a team book, "Aquaman and the Others"!  Still, if I had to give three particular Aquaman legacy shout-outs of credit, they shall be the following:

• Peter David, whose concepts kept Aquaman alive and fresh for the 90's and early 2000's.  (And also gave Arthur a beard, which always looks cool on the character.)
• Ramona Fraydon, for not only being a true legend in the area of female comic creators, but for also providing her own magic touch to the Atlantean's adventures.
• Jim Aparo, for giving me... as a reader... a visual Aquaman that rivals his powerful Batman renditions.

So, you see, sometimes you can gain the inspiration for a reading project that's not just based on movie exposure, or television exposure, or even being anal-retentive about crossover titles!  Sometimes all you need is a podcast hosted by individuals whose passion about their subject proves to be infectious.  Again, due credit to Rob Kelly and Shagg Matthews for giving me another way to "find my comic book love". 

To wrap up, the link line-up is represented!
Fire and Water Podcast
Firestorm Fan
Aquaman Shrine

Who Do You Turn To In The Storm? A POWER PACK Member?

I have mentioned before, on this blog, that I cannot distinctly remember my very first exposure to comic books.  I KNOW I did brush up to a random Spider-Man issue in my youth, but the only thing I remember about the issue is that Peter Parker ate some Kentucky Fried Chicken in a panel.  Yeah... REAL helpful...  But I can at least recall one of my first single issue comics I bought upon visiting a corner party store with my parents.  (You remember that time period, where stores actually had spinner racks of comics to browse through?)  Bear in mind, I never read any other comics from this series, previous.  I also didn't immediately follow up on collecting the following issues after this purchase.  BUT this single issue left such a strong impression on me, it stuck with my memory for years on end, and I bring it up for discussion, today.  Plus, it helps to balance out a lot of my personal snark towards that Canuckle-Head, Wolverine!

Maybe it was the vivid cover of "Uncanny X-Men #205" that grabbed me.  Or maybe it was browsing the interior art that made me a purchaser.  Whatever special alchemy possessed me to pick this issue to receive as a treat for being such a generally good lad, it was a piece of comics magic delivered by Chris Claremont and the special guest artist, Barry Windsor-Smith.

Some set-up details elude me.  I have no idea why Wolverine's lost in a New York snowstorm.  I also have no idea why Katie Powers, of the Power Pack, is lost in the storm also.  But when they meet, Logan's in rather bad shape.  Thanks to some quick Internet research, the reason why Wolvie's in such a poor physical state is because he had an encounter with Lady Deathstrike and Cole, Reese, and Macon... later of the Reavers killer cyborg group.  This issue even EXPLAINS how the cybertronic quartet came to be!

Previously unknown to me, Sprial... You know, the multi-armed assassin under the employ of Mojo at this time, ran a "Body Shop".  Lady Yuriko's got a real mad-on for Logan, because she seeks the adamantium bonded to his bones, to reclaim her family honor.  (It involves the theft of the adamantium bonding process her father created).  Now since adamantium isn't exactly easy to damage, Sprial bonds adamantium to her own skeleton, along with a few nifty cybernetic enhancements.  One such that immediately springs to mind is Lady Deathstrike can elongate her limbs, in particular.  As for Cole, Reese, and Macon, you have to turn back the hands of time to when the X-Men battled the Hellfire Club during the "Dark Phoenix Saga".  Remember those poor Hellfire Club guards that were hacked to bits in the Club's sewers by Wolverine?  Well, THEY'RE BAAAAACK!  (And truth be told, they've usually been the least efficient members of the Reavers.  Eh... I suppose Donald Pierce couldn't be picky about hiring killer cyborgs.)  Now what Windsor-Smith does successfully with this sequence is showcase just how truly grotesque the process of becoming half-man/half-machine could very well be.  Yuriko and crew... for their deadly re-imaginings... are certainly more monstrous than sleek for the power they achieve.

We then follow Katie Powers and Wolverine, as they attempt to find shelter from the storm.  I do remember some lines of dialogue involve Katie wondering who she could contact to help out the rapidly fading Wolverine.  (Also, kids... Remember a time when Wolverine couldn't just instantly heal from ANY injury he received?  Ah... Logan has it so easy, in general current times...)  Before Katie can decide on calling... from a pay phone... Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and probably Irving Forbush, the newly pressed cyborg assassins track Wolverine down to finish the job.

What follows is a very stylish battle sequence.  Now while my particulars as to how the former Hellfire trio are handled are fuzzy, the battle between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike are as vivid as ever in my imagination.  AND for added benefit, they are exquisitely easy to find through some internet searches!

In my latter years, I've grown to really appreciate the evolution of Windsor-Smith's artwork.  It took Barry a few years to shed his initial Neal Adams riff style.  But when he developed his own artistic touch, you couldn't deny the magic of what he could achieve.  I may have been all of five or six when I owned this comic, and can you imagine the impact of what seeing such grotesque depictions of cybernetic alterations, and such vivid battle sequences did to my wee little mind?  This book is nearing being 30 years old, and this artwork STILL holds power!  Anyways, since Lady Deathstrike is too valuable a villain to waste on a one-off story, while she is bested by Logan, she is not utterly destroyed.  ... And probably to the chagrin of the forthcoming Reavers, I know the Hellfire trio walk away from this battle with minor wounds to lick.  ... Or get buffed out at the "Body Shop", which Spiral never seems to reopen after this particular story.  But to be fair, Spiral soon starts hanging with the former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, under the governmental rebranding of their team as the Freedom Force.

We conclude with Logan recovering his composure... and his physical well-being... as the storm calms.  He and Katie Power hold hands, and presumably end up reunited with her family, while Wolverine actually makes tracks back to spend time with the X-Men.  Don't you just have the warm and fuzzies?

In conclusion, I believe what makes this comic so memorable to me are a few factors worthy of consideration.  One being this was basically a one-and-done story.  I STILL don't feel as if I needed to know what happened immediately previous to Wolverine... or even Katie Powers... to get the general gist of the story.  You have them lost in a storm, dealing with cybernetic assassins.  Somehow you get the impression that this story would probably elicit a six-issue miniseries if written in the current comics environment.  Another factor being that while the story is very basic... and if you were to be critical, EXTREMELY bare-bones... it's the visceral action that carries the day for the pages.  And one other MAJOR factor is Barry Windsor-Smith's eye-catching artwork.  Not to knock John Romita Jr. as the regular X-Men artist around this time, but can you imagine what it was like for a long-term X-Men fan to see the transition from JRJR's traditional style, to the EXPLOSION of BWS's artwork?  And this won't be the only time he would give creative life to Logan.  Just check out the "Weapon X" storyline that was originally presented in "Marvel Comics Presents" to see what else he had to contribute to the legacy of Wolverine.

My own individual copy was lost to the general travails of time.  I know the last time I had the issue, it was beat to hell, and if I were to have attempted to get it CGC-graded, that professional would've laughed in my face.  But sometimes it's the books that were worn down due to multiple re-readings that hold more personal worth that a monetary value of collectibility.  And also it holds much personal worth as one of my earliest memories of reading a single issue of a comic.  A step towards an interest that would make even the darkest times of my life that much more bearable.  And NO CGC-grade can measure that worth.

Now We're Up In The Big League: A Teen Titans Promotion Profile

In any employment environment... outside of the job of finding a job, mutter-mutter... you have to start off at your basic level.  With due diligence, and positive results, you may eventually find yourself in line for a promotion.  And really, why wouldn't you desire such a change to your status quo?  Higher pay rate?  Increased sense of responsibility?  Maybe even better vacation and health benefits?  Lemme think... Uh, YEAH, it's definitely a positive!  Now, when DC's premiere youth team, the Teen Titans, were united, they sought to make their own place in the world of crime-fighting, outside of the shadows of their mentors.  Our original line-up included:

• Robin the Teen Wonder, to that point the athletically and mentally sharpened ward of Batman.
• Speedy, the arrow-slinging ward of Green Arrow.  (Who, for Oliver Queen's early comic years, was really just a different armed version of Batman.)
• Kid Flash, the cousin to the Barry Allen Flash, and junior super-speedster in his own right!
• Aqualad, Atlantean youthful accomplice to the King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman.
• Wonder Girl... who is very confusing.  For all intent purposes, she was MEANT to be the teenage version of Wonder Woman, with all inherit powers, but at some point she was created to be a separate character of her own right.  ... Makes PERFECT sense.

None of these Teen Titans initially had designs to become anything more than a super team in their own right, with their own identity.  But eventually, promotions can even come to a team of beings that were by-proxy the "Junion Justice League of America".  Let's take an initial look at the core Teen Titans to see who made the cut!

Dick Grayson: It's unusual that out of all of the initial DC Teen Titan "legacy characters", Dick was the one that possibly took the longest time-span to be included in the ranks of the JLA.  What was potentially even MORE irksome was that he had to wait until he assumed the mantle of Batman... when Bruce Wayne was displaced in time by Darkseid, or simply thought dead... to become part of the DC team-supreme!  But still, there's no denying Dick Grayson's qualifications to become part of the World's Greatest Superhero team.  He undertook years of training under the watchful eye of Bruce Wayne.  He successfully managed and led BOTH the original Teen Titans, and the New Teen Titans.  (I guess you could also count the bizarre Bronze Age relaunch of the Teen Titans, which included Joker's Daughter.  ... Yes, that was a thing.)  And he became a Batman city guardian in his own right when he first unveiled his new identity as Nightwing, and became protector to the corrupt city of Bludhaven.  Dick's time on the JLA was all too short, but hey... One COULD say that if you counted the "Super Friends", Robin could well have been just as long tenured a JLA member as any of the Bronze Age team luminaries!

Roy Harper: What a twisty road Roy Harper's life took.  Kid sidekick.  Strung-out heroin addict.  Searcher for a new identity.  Latter-day matured Outsiders addition.  BUT he did manage to weather the effects of "Infinite Crisis", and become a father with DC villainess Enchantress, to transition from the grim-'n'-gritty identity of Arsenal to Red Arrow, the JLA archer supreme in the then-current new DC Universe.  But just like Dick Grayson, Roy's time in the JLA was almost a blink-and-you-miss-it event, leading into his creative degradations in the forms of "Justice League: Cry for Justice" and "Justice League: Rise of Arsenal".  Let's see... His daughter ends up murdered.  Roy loses an arm to gain a trendy cyborg arm.  Roy, after the lackluster "Flashpoint", ends up being stuck in "Red Hood and the Outsiders"... With ANOTHER former JLA member I'll discuss in a little while.

Donna Troy:  Ugh... Detailing her past is almost as frustrating as my recent job search efforts, so I'll just say if you REALLY want to know the details of her past, please feel free to research it on your own.  But somehow she was able to escape being an weirdly time-displaced version of a teenage Diana Prince to become her own person.  Wonder Girl survived two tenures of the Teen Titans into the New Teen Titans.  Donna Troy was ALSO the first Teen Titan to be married... to a major wimp of a character with a SPECTACULAR 80's "sensitive guy" perm and mustache combo!  After that, my knowledge of the character becomes extremely fuzzy, with my solid foundations being she somehow joined an offshoot of the Green Lantern Corps called the Darkstars, and had a relationship with the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern.  But remember how I talked about the unusual JLA team Dick Grayson was part of?  Donna Troy also happened to be part of that untraditional group of post "Brightest Day" Leaguers... and lasted just as long in the role as Dick Grayson managed to do so.  (However, they both outlasted Mon-El as a member of the team!)

Wally West: A freak lightening bolt created Kid Flash, super-speedster sidekick to Barry Allen's Flash.  He was lucky in that he had a more thorough evolution than Dick Grayson.  He started off in a lanky kid's version of the Flash costume, which transitioned into his own costume choice.  Wally was also a transitory figure in both of the Teen Titans periods.  But it was the original "Crisis on Infinite Earths" that pushed Wally... after Barry Allen's sacrifice... into taking over the full Flash identity.  I would dare say that Wally was the FIRST Teen Titan, after the Crisis, to be considered a member of a Justice League team.  He was an integral part of the Justice League Europe branch for a long period of time.  And when Grant Morrison relaunched the JLA for the 90's, Wally was a member of the "Big Seven" best-selling team.  However, current DC developments seem to want us to forget Wally's legacy by needlessly resurrecting Barry Allen, but there's no denying his was maybe the most impactful promotion!

What's that, you say?  I'm forgetting Aqualad?  ... No, I'm not, because he was never included into the Justice League.  Not EVEN when he switched identities to Tempest.  And you people thought Aquaman suffered long-term degradation periods...  But with the New Teen Titans, we received new teen superheroes that would make their own global impacts, and would ALSO be part of a JLA promotion drive!

Koriand'r:  I come and go in waves with Starfire's appeal.  On the one hand, she has a fine power set, and I can't imagine the New Teen Titans without her as a part of the team.  I also can't deny she served as a great romantic interest for Dick Grayson for a stretch of time.  And still also, I can't deny she's not... er... "hard to look at".  But I also feel that, personality-wise, she can be a flat character if not in the right hands.  But that being said, a former slave to the alien Gordanian race did just right by herself on Earth, ingratiating herself nicely into the superhero community.  Enough so that around the period that Dick and Donna joined the JLA, Koriand'r was also included in the "Brightest Day" fun!  ... Or maybe she took advantage of her past relationship with Dick, and wiggled around in her costume for her current promotion.

Victor Stone: I'm not sure if I saved the "best" for last, but Vic Stone as Cyborg is the ONE former New Teen Titan that managed to lock a prominent position in the "New 52" Justice League.  (Albeit with a new origin, and sacrificing a lot of his personality that he carried before the universal transition.)  Vic was involved in a lab accident instigated by his Father and Mother.  His mother died as a result, and Vic was horribly mutilated, having to be rebuilt from scratch into a half human/half machine hybrid.  His abilities include having enough devices built into his body to make any action figure jealous, a VERY hard-to-find "Super Powers" figure of his own right, a starring role in the last "Super Friends" television series, appearances on "Smallville", and from the period I know Vic best... an endearing chip on his shoulder which created a bit of an attitude.  I still sometimes feel that his push to prominence in the current Justice League feels a bit "off", but I don't blame that on Victor Stone the man.  And while he may argue about how much percentage of actual "man" that is, I wouldn't allow him the self-pity, and say he's become a fantastic superheroic MAN in his own right!

Sunday Nights Are Right For Fighting!

Comic books' main appeal is the cycle of the forces of light clashing with darkness.  Every hero tends to have a custom-fit arch nemesis to engage strength and mental prowess against.  (Well... Unless you were part of the 90's Image Universe.  Outside of Spawn and Savage Dragon, many of that company's creations had threats that RARELY appeared more than once.)  But sometimes we crave a different type of conflict.  Sometimes we're interested in battles between two characters that are technically both on the side of the "angels".  Because let's face it; even in our regular lives, we can butt heads with people that are either closely associated with us, or are working towards the same goal.  And in my reckoning, there is a duo of characters that have not lost ANY appeal for any period where they spar.  I've already written about one half of this equation, the rocky idol 'o millions, Ben Grimm AKA The Thing.  But this is the first time I find myself writing about the irresistible force to his immovable object: Jade jaws, Rampaging, Incredible, sometimes Robert... Bruce Banner AKA The Hulk.

 

This won't be a complete "tale of the tape" for their conflicts, but I'll touch on a few select highlights from my reading experiences.  In "Fantastic Four #12", the Hulk first clashed with the Fantastic Four... and by proxy, Ben Grimm.  Though truth be told, this first bout was more historical for its general HAPPENING, not because of its impact.  If memory serves me right, the actual "fight" only lasts two to three pages, with a majority of the issue dealing with the FF being briefed on the threat-level of the Hulk, and with both forces running into conflict with a generic giant robot called "The Tunneler"... who was REALLY the threat of the story that was being pinned on the hounded Hulk.  Also, I feel that the impact of the Thing VS Hulk conflict was understated in this issue, since I believe they only grapple for a grand total of... ONE PANEL.

But the next time the Hulk met up with the Thing, the story was SO huge, it had to be divided between two issues, and the Avengers had to contribute to the conflict.  But THIS two-parter should be considered the official first fisticuffs between Ben and Bruce.  In the first issue of the storyline, Reed Richards works himself to illness... and to think I work at finding WORK until I feel sick..., Susan Storm plays nursemaid, and that leaves Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm to hold the fort against a Hulk that has made his way to New York to layeth the smackdown on his former buddy, Rick Jones.  (And can I say that while I do dislike Jimmy Olsen for a majority of the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics, Rick Jones I have NEVER liked in any period of comics he was involved in?  At least Jimmy was a groupie for only one character; Rick hung off the heels of ANYONE he could be "friends" with.)  Johnny gets knocked out of the game fairly early, leaving the Thing to engage the Hulk for an extended battle.  Now THIS was the fight we were itching for!  It takes up about half of issue 25, and another half of issue 26 before the Avengers show up to lend their assistance... but this being the Marvel Universe, the Avengers have to have a little tussle with the FF BEFORE they combine their efforts to tackle the Hulk.

Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong in that this two-parter took place between either "Fantastic Four #166-167" or "Fantastic Four #167-168".  All I know is it was another battle that took place between two issues, featured predominantly slobber knockers between The Thing and The Hulk... and also was brought to life by the INCREDIBLE George Perez as the artist.  Because if there's an artist that lives to create scenes of mass-destruction with gleeful joy, it has to be George.  And I remember that this battle ends with the FF realizing the Hulk was involved in a misunderstanding, and when all hostilities are forgotten, they go their separate ways with mutual feelings of guilt.

The rivalry between the two powerhouses of the Marvel Universe even helped give birth to Ben Grimm's team-up title "Marvel Two-In-One", when they were both kidnapped to partake in a one-on-one battle game engineered by Hulk's massive craniumed foe, The Leader... and I can't remember the other party involved in recruiting The Thing.  (And thanks to Wikipedia, I did find out it was Kurrgo.  ... Which STILL is no help to me.  Ugh...)  An abandoned ghost town is the victim of their brawling, until... in the tried and true Marvel method, they both realize they're being jerked around, and pool their resources to take on the Leader and goofy-named schmoe, Kurrgo.

Now I KNOW Bruce and Ben battled a few times in the 1980's, but I never actively read those particular stories.  I can say with certainty, researching this subject, the clashes took place both in the "Fantastic Four" title and the "Incredible Hulk" title.  And both fights took place while The Hulk was dominated by the "Joe Fixit" personality, making things more difficult for The Thing, since up until this point, Ben Grimm had the edge in the "smarts" department, whereas The Hulk specialized in getting madder... and thus stronger.

One last bout visit I want to talk about comes in a rather... unusual time for both our battlers.

I'll illustrate to you some of the unusual traits of this fight in a bullet-point spread:

• The Hulk was in his "Banner Brain" phase of his career, where the personality of Bruce Banner had fully merged with the body of The Hulk.  Bruce was also the leader of a team of demi-gods called the Parthenon. 
• The Thing was horrendously scarred in a battle against Wolverine, requiring him to wear a rather silly helmet to hide the fresh scars.  (Yes... a rocky hide is APPARENTLY subject to grotesque body scars...)  This was also during the time where the FF had the worst costume designs of all time.  Just do a search of 90's Sue Richards to see what I mean, because while Sue ain't ugly in any regards... seeing her "tarted" up for the 90's was... uncomfortable.
• Herb Trimpe was an iconic artist for "Incredible Hulk" for a vast majority of the 70's, and his art style was pleasing and impactful.  But for some strange reason in the 90's, Herb's artwork became almost... Rob Liefeld-ized in tone.  Meaning you just throw away any notions of proper anatomy, sport ridiculous costumes, and FORGET the fact you ever had feet as part of your body.

But what's interesting about this particular issue of "Fantastic Four Unlimited #4", is that you get TWO fights in one issue!  One being a charity virtual reality conflict, but the other... due to emotional manipulation from the Puppet Master... being a genuine tussle.  So if you can overlook some of the bulleted elements I illustrated, you can at least treat yourself to one comic that offers you a rematch in the same pages!

So what makes this rivalry so appealing, in the end?   I think it comes down to the strength VS strength angle, because while Ben is technically "more weak" than Bruce, they are both tremendously powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.  But whereas The Hulk specializes in brute, spontaneous battle, The Thing specializes in having an agility and strategic advantage.  And both factors, when they collide, mean we readers get to win out on another chapter of comicdom's most enduring war of attrition!

Sympathy For The Devils: Is "Humanizing" Villains A Good Thing?

In between my high-intensity Thursday, I did swear that when I got the time, I would write about this particular subject that day.  Needless to say, the time either didn't present itself... or I didn't ALLOW myself that time to breathe.  But what exactly made me change my original notebook-scheduled plan for that day?  Finishing up a trade paperback collection written by Jason Aaron, with artwork by Simone Bianchi...

"Thanos Rising"... I'm going to give it some general good-will, due to the ALWAYS stunning artwork by Bianchi.  Seriously, I think Bianchi is incapable of a bad illustration.  However, my most glaring issue with the mini-series is the concept, itself.  I don't want to knock Jason Aaron, since I'm not overly familiar with his work... but I KNOW he isn't on my short list of writers I go out of my way to avoid.  I just ponder if the story of Thanos REALLY needed to be retold in this fashion.  I also had a MAJOR pet peeve with this story, that I consider emblematic with modern comic book writers as a whole: the humanization of villains of all walks of life.

Growing up reading comics, Thanos was a character that I only knew the basics about.  He was a nihilist, had a bizarre romantic relationship with "Death", killed his own mother and destroyed his home planet, and could NEVER finish a plan of conquest, because he subconsciously gave his plans an out for the heroes battling his schemes.  Did he have a deeper level of depth than your average "planet conqueror"?  I believe so.  But did I NEED a story about Thanos having an idyllic childhood, in general, but because of his mommy issues, and his need for "love", he became the destroyer of present day?  In a word, NO.  Reading this story reminded me of the issues people had with Rob Zombie's "Halloween" remake.  Sometimes a character should just be "pure evil" for evil's sake, because superhero comic books are... at their core... tales of absolute good battling absolute evil.  And it's not just Thanos that undergone this sympathy "facelift".

I do so admire Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's collaboration on "The Killing Joke".  Before this story, the Joker was only known as a guy who robbed a chemical plant in a red helmet and a cape, before a dunk into a vat of chemicals, turning him into a twisted clown.  In "Killing Joke", Moore gave the character a background of desperation... wanting to succeed as a comedian, wanting to make a better life for his wife and forthcoming baby..., and because of some horrendous turns to his life, it broke the man, and created the Joker after the acid bath.  Now this hasn't remained the definitive "origin" story for the Joker, because if there's ONE thing I totally agree about Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight", it's that the Joker should be impossible to pin down origins of.  But it was a solid basis for creating a deeper Joker.  However, it was this seed that caused some writers to want to try to create FURTHER sympathy for a homicidal killer.  Case in point?  The "Villains' Month" issue featuring the Clown Prince of Crime.

Y'know, for a "New 52" universe, it seems like some writers are quick to fall back on old tricks.  This issue essentially served as a "Killing Joke" prequel, dealing with how the Joker suffered a horrible CHILDHOOD, as well.  Geez... Really?  Have we gotten to the point where in order for a villain to be a horrible person in comics, we have to travel back to a traumatic time in their youth?  Do we, as readers, need the complete "serial killer background" tale for people we want to see receive their comeuppance from our heroes?  ... Not only that, but the issue was bloody weird, with the Joker raising a baby ape to become a crime accomplice... and to serve as a surrogate child that he could raise as the Joker was failed as a child.  Ugh... Cry me a river, Clown Prince...  But let's talk about an on/off buddy of the Joker, and Metropolis' main thorn in its side!

For Lex Luthor, his origin was almost the opposite of Joker's, in that it STARTED with an innocent background... if not for a bad turn with Superboy and hair-loss.  (Sad that Lexie existed in a day where bald wasn't considered beautiful.  If the hair accident happened in this day and age, Lex would have been DROWNING in high school ladies, regardless of a bald pate!)  But before that accident, Superman and Luthor were solid mates, giving one good turn to the other.  It was after the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" that Lex's ties with Superman and Smallville were erased, and he just became the manipulative mogul of Metropolis on his own.  And we were happy with just the corporate slimeball that messed with people because... well... he COULD.  However, certain people decided to complicate that basis for their own creative purposes...

Normally I do support Brian Azzarello as a writer.  I LOVED his run on "Wonder Woman", and "100 Bullets"... fogetabotit!  MASTERPIECE!  But... when he got into the head of Lex Luthor, I just didn't feel it.  I don't buy that if it weren't for Superman's appearance, Lex Luthor would have become some sort of compassionate benefactor to Metropolis, concerned for its citizens.  I also lay some blame at the feet of Mark Waid and his "Superman: Birthright" series, making sure that... in case you forgot the trend... Lex Luthor had an ABUSIVE FATHER that helped make him such a hardened person.  ... Because, again, a person can't just be "evil" in a simple medium like comics.  Heck, even DEITIES aren't safe from current "sob stories" explaining their evil!

Sigh... "Villains' Month", you were such a mixed bag.  Another example is the "Darkseid" issue, which showcased Darkseid being an assistant to Highfather and Izaya.  DARKSEID.  LORD OF APOKOLIPS.  UNREPENTANT EVIL TO THE CORE.  And now even HE has to start off as an "innocent babe" before fate caused him to become possessed by an evil force?  Compare this to issue seven of "New Gods", where we did see a younger Darkseid, but even as a younger being, he was still manipulative and power-hungry.  It was entertaining to see a character that was so black in spirit that even as a "young pup", he only had power and his own self-interests in mind.  Now, forget the fact that Darkseid appeared in a HORRENDOUS launching arc for the new "Justice League", but this "Villains' Month" issue just bugged the living heck out of me, because if we can't even keep an evil deity "evil" from the start... what a joke.

I only presented a few examples of this bothersome trend for me.  Not EVERY SINGLE comic book villain needs a complicated backstory of the loss of innocence.  If used sparingly, it can provide some genuine motivation for a being who has forsaken the path of righteousness.  But as it seems to be OVERUSED in today's creative environment, it becomes maudlin and tiresome.  (I won't EVEN go into Spider-Man's rogues gallery...  I guess to become a foe for Peter Parker, you have to have as much emotional baggage as Spidey carries.)  I am at least thankful that one of my all-time favorite villains has remained relatively unchanged in about 50 years of existence, and even he started off with a sympathetic background of "what if...", but again, HIS tragic background was refreshing, because it was brand new at his creation.  That may explain the Monarch of Latveria's lasting appeal in my regards... I think you know him best by his official name, Doctor Doom.

Friday "Funnies" Foolishness: Copyright Infringement Is The Best At What They Do...

Before I begin today's blog entry, I wish to apologize for a lack of an update, yesterday.  Long story short, I spent most of the day fretting about a job interview, and an evening working on-and-off with registry and testing for an employment agency.  (The testing was by FAR the worst part.  Geez... I didn't expect it to take NEARLY as long as it did.)  All this combined into a perfect storm of frustration and tiredness... and a lot of perspiration... that not only failed to result in producing product for this blog, but also made me very irritable in general.  I DID calm down... if for no other reason than to calm down my girlfriend and her pets, who thankfully didn't beat me with bars of soap in socks, overnight.  I've done my best to apologize to them for my grouchiness, and now I do my best to apologize to you blog readers for not taking the time to BREATHE and do something I enjoy.  What this means is MAYBE I might shift the two alternating blog designs I had in mind for yesterday to later this weekend.  Enough drama fer ya?

Now, for today, I AM still sticking with my guns for another FFF entry.  I admit, it WILL be another entry picking away at the creations of Rob Liefeld.  I can't help it; sometimes you just need an easy target to base a day of mockery around.  Just because I don't think he's the worst comic creator in the industry... that may come for a future FFF entry... doesn't mean I don't recognize that a lot of his creativity has a basis on a certain "homaging" of other creations.  ... And the inability to recognize feet on people.  BUT a major difference about today's blog, and my usual targets of mockery, is Wolverine gets a break, today!  Do I feel Logan is rather overplayed in comics for the past 20-some years?  I still do.  But can I still feel sorry for a character that has inspired rather... um... "creative" riffings on their source existence?  Indeed I can!  I remember reading about how DC used to FUME about such infringements back when various fly-by-night companies from the 1940's would create their own "Supermen".  Just because comic companies, and creators, don't seem to outright go on the warpath for similarities between creations doesn't mean us fans can't rib them for the less-than-stealthy connections.  So I bring you five examples of the goofiest Wolverine rip-offs!

 

1. Feral:  Maria Callasantos was first introduced in the pages of "New Mutants #99".  And she hit the scene like a chimpanzee flinging its fecal matter at an offending party.  Have you ever spent nights wondering what the result of a ménage a trois between Wolverine, Sabretooth, and Wolvesbane would result in?  (Add in more kitty-cat than wolf, obviously...)  That's the gap Feral fills for your imagination.  All you need to know about her power set is she IS Wolverine's copy... outside of a prehensile tail.  Tell me... What cats do you know of that possess prehensile tails?  This anthropomorphic puddy-tat sure did!  Some other traits of hers was that she turned up the berserker meter to eleven for her social interactions.  And when she WAS being nice, she would slip into a thick accent that makes Gambit seem outright restrained in his dialoguing.  After she switched loyalties from the X-Force team to the Mutant Liberation Front, I lost all track of the character.  But sometimes it's best that the cat DOESN'T come back.

2. Cougar: Daniel Tsuchida just happened to receive an insane break for appearing in the record-setting "Youngblood #1", to help initiate the 90's Image tide.  I WILL give Cougar a break for the fact that he isn't quite as ludicrous as Feral.  His abilities were just general feline-based enhancements from his heritage of being a half-breeding between a human female and an anthropomorphic feline male chief of a hidden "cat people" tribe.  (If ONLY I was making that up...)  Still, you can't deny that any character that still resembles Logan unmasked, and still prefers up-close combat, doesn't bear some umbilical links to the "Canuckle-Head".  ... And no, I don't know what Cougar's ultimate fate was, in between what felt like twenty relaunches of "Youngblood" as a title between the late 90's, and now.

3. Wildmane:  Er... AKA Wildmane.  I've got NOTHING on this character's background.  All I can offer you is he first appeared with the rest of the Berzerkers in "Youngblood #2".  I can also offer he came from the same dimension as the big threat of that initial Youngblood opening arc, Darkthorne... who also wasn't a "subtle" riff on Darkseid and Thanos.  More on that in the future...  There is nil information about the character on the Internet.  I was even lucky to find ONE picture of him!  What I can tell you is he appeared in that opening Youngblood mini-series, and a "Berzerkers" mini-series of their own.  I can only surmise that the character has the general "Wolverine" power set, with less of a bipedal stature.  DEEP characterization!

4. Deadlock: What?  You say characters that resemble Wolverine's traits and unmasked appearance weren't enough for your appetites?  How about a character that is BLATANTLY wearing Wolverine's costume, only with long sleeves, random wrist and leg straps, and a palette swap?  Then I have just made your day with Deadlock.  This character is unusual in that he has TWO first appearances.  There's the version that had links to the villain team "The Four" that appeared in "Youngblood #1".  But there's also the version that was an undead soldier in association with the Bloodstrike team, from "Bloodstrike #1".  What's the difference?  The Bloodstrike title NEVER answered the question it postulated, but know that there were apparently two versions of the same character.  And their characterizations were equally as "deep": both were characters quick to blood-lust and bad tempers.  I SUPPOSE one difference that Deadlock carries over the other knock-offs is he actively uses firearms.  Not even Logan often packed heat!

Last, but not least...
5. Faust: John Jaspers sprang from the imaginations of David Quinn and Tim Vigil as an independent comic from the late 80's, debuting in "Faust #1".  I will give the character of Faust credit for being a precursor to the character arcs that "The Crow" and "Spawn" would later take to the banks; deals with the underworld to wreak havoc with the forces of crime and corruption that ruined their lives.  The main difference with John is that he didn't have to DIE first before being gifted with his powers.  ... Which seem to be the standard smorgasbord of Wolverine-ish abilities, with a Batman cape added to the mix.  What also sets this character aside from the rest of the "knock-off" listings is that his title was SUPER-MATURE.  Sex, violence, and naughty words... They were all assembled in the pages of "Faust" to a degree... for the 80's... that even Logan would blanch at.  (The books were also, to my perception, rather full of themselves with extended text pieces establishing background for the characters, exploring themes of human degradation.  Yes... Quinn and Vigil... I get it.  Humanity ISN'T perfect.)  But one can't deny a character... mature-elements aside... that sports a horned mask and even just a set of MECHANICAL claws doesn't owe some of his formation to Wolverine.