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| << February19, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 511.04 |
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----------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Lines On Paper Bruce Canwell bruce.canwell@verizon.net [Freelance writer Bruce Canwell is a New England native who has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics. His essays have appeared in TOMORROW SF, THE CORTLAND REVIEW, COMIC BOOK WEEK, the PORTSMOUTH (NH) PRESS, and AMAZING HEROES. In the summer he is often found at Fenway Park; in the winter, he enjoys playing high-stakes poker against really dumb opponents.] Installment 44: Glass Half Full In the wake of discussing those characters who fail to strike any auctorial spark with me, this is a good time to yak about the characters I YEARN to write. 1. GREEN LANTERN CORPS. While the whole Green Lantern mythos has become a total fanboy pudding ("It's Hal!" "It's Stewart!" "It's Gardiner!" "It's Kyle!" "There's a BIG Corps!" "There's a small Corps!" "There's NO Corps!" "Wait, see . . ."), if I had my shot at the GLC, I'd play it as "HILL STREET BLUES Meets Larry Niven." There would be ten or twelve Lanterns at the series core (no pun intended) who would weave in and out of the narrative, with secondary characters to add spice. I would develop a handful of intriguing opponents to form a reliable Rogue's Gallery, use one- shot villains to keep things fresh, and do some STAR-TREK-NEXT- GENERATION-style "science problem" stories for the occasional change of pace. It would be important to develop depth of setting: "known space" would not only serve as a vibrant backdrop, it would lead the series to explore the question, "What is it like in 'UNKNOWN space?'" I see a CORPS series as the modern-day vehicle best positioned to emulate what Jack and Stan did so well in FANTASTIC FOUR: create "sensawundah" stories with real scope and magnitude, brought into focus by a cast of characters who may not look like us, but whose thoughts, feelings, and actions always resonate with us. 2. CONAN. When I was a teenager, reading the Lancer paperbacks and Marvel's CONAN THE BARBARIAN/SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN, how I used to dream of writing a sweeping "Conan During His Zingaran Pirate Days" story for John Buscema to draw! Big John is no longer with us, alas, but there are plenty of talented artists with whom it would be a blast to produce that tale, and the Cimmerian's pirate days remain a portion of his career given short shrift by comics. Sure, Roy Thomas wrote "the Belit years," but he set most of his stories on dry land; Roy seemingly had little interest in chronicling Conan's high seas adventures. What interests me most about Conan is how he learns from each of the roles he adopts -- thief, mercenary, wanderer, pirate, desert chieftain, military officer -- and how he grows each step along the way. When Conan seizes the crown of Aquilonia, it truly IS the perfect moment -- any sooner and he would have lacked the skills and wisdom necessary to govern wisely, any later and he would have been too old and set in his ways. During his pirate career, Conan learns much about leadership: what melds diverse men into a formidable group, what motivates and inspires them, what breeds loyalty and what discontent. That's the stuff of some heady stories, man. Would I enjoy writing about other phases of Conan's life? Absolutely -- but I salivate at the thought of writing Conan The Pirate . . . 3. CAPTAIN AMERICA. I REALLY dislike the way Marvel is drawing Cap these days, with the "realistic" chain-mail tunic and the stitching on his cowl. Say it with me: "Ugh-LEE!" Visuals aside, CAP continues to present writers with one of the more savory challenges in the superhero game: building and chronicling the balance between "Captain America the symbol" and "Steve Rogers the person." Couple the man-out-of-time aspect created by those years lost to suspended animation with the degree of separation that is part and parcel of being a leader and there is a strong latticework for developing characterization -- and since we're talking Cap, you know that development happens amidst one heckuva lot of furious action. 'Waaaay back in Installment # 18, I chronicled my early '80s visit to Marvel to plot a story with Jim Shooter as part of a spec writing assignment. Shooter gave me my choice of Marvel characters; I picked Cap without hesitating. I still would not hesitate today. 4. POPEYE. Given the creative indifference he's received over the past thirtysome years, it is a testament to the enduring charm of the spinach-eatin' sailor that he remains visible and recognized world-wide, almost eight decades after his debut. As child and adult, I have been constantly delighted by the Fleischer POPEYE two-reelers; my hardbound copies of Fantagraphics's reprinted Segar comic strips remain a treasured portion of my library. How I would cherish the opportunity to chronicle the adventures of Popeye, Olive Oyl, J. Wellington Wimpy, Swee'Pea, Geezil, Poopdeck Pappy, and the rest of the THIMBLE THEATER cast! "Adventures" being the operative word -- I like Popeye best when he is in far-flung climes, doing things that are as exciting as they are funny. I would give Popeye back more of his original brashness, reflecting his rough-and-tumble background and building contrast with his sentimental side. I would once again squarely plant him on the side of the downtrodden and oppressed: Popeye will challenge any bully, from sea raiders to desert bandits to "dictipaters" holding their people in an iron grip of terror. If Popeye gains reward or recovers lost treasures, he'll keep enough to outfit his next excursion, then give the rest to "homes fer widdies and orphinks." These days, when the call for the public to give to those less fortunate is greater than ever, I would use Popeye's kind heart and simple generosity to make him the poster boy for charity. I believe Segar and the Fleischer brothers would approve. 5. NIGHTWING. I have already had something to say about Dick Grayson -- hey, I'm the guy who wrote the chronologically-first Robin story -- and I suspect I have more to say about the rising and advancing of Dick's spirit, though I am not sure how many others agree with my take on the character. I see Dick's story as ultimately being one of hope, because years in the future, when all is said and done, Nightwing does not become Batman's equal -- he becomes Batman's BETTER. Dick, after all, has grown up observing Bruce Wayne. He understands what being a hero does for you, as well as what it does TO you; he knows the pitfalls to avoid (though he may not avoid all of them). Unlike Batman, Nightwing works to counteract the dark sides of Man's nature without becoming absorbed by them. Before him lie myriad challenges and multiple tests of his loyalty and inner beliefs, but I believe in the end, Dick emerges from the crucible with his humanity firmly in place. And that -- not saving the Earth with the Justice League, or ending the threat of Ra's al Ghul, or stopping The Joker once and for all -- would stand as Batman's greatest legacy. After all, what parent doesn't want his child to have a better life than he himself had . . .? 6. DOC SAVAGE. I maintain the reason Doc Savage has never been overly successful in the graphic-storytelling medium is that writers keep dropping him into standard comic-book plots. I would approach the bronze man from the opposite direction, telling pulp-style Doc Savage stories in the comic book medium. By melding the "feel" of the original pulps with the visuals and pacing of comics, a DOC SAVAGE series would stand out amidst the competition. I almost had the chance to do just that, too . . . For a short period in the early 1990s, a small company called Millennium Comics bought rights to the Man of Bronze and produced a DOC series. I sent Millennium a presentation for a three-issue story arc called "The Light Masters" that involved many familiar pulp tropes: a misanthropic inventor, his bombshell daughter, a mysterious invention, and a ruthless gang out to seize the infernal machine at all costs. Doc and his friends are smack in the middle of it all. Doc unravels the invention's mystery; Monk and Ham woo the daughter while trading insults; the boys battle the mobsters from the streets of Manhattan to the deserts of the American Southwest. Millennium's editor called me to share good news and bad news within a week of receiving my presentation. The good news: "The Light Masters' blew him away. The bad news? Sales on their DOC SAVAGE series had been too low, forcing Millennium to relinquish the rights. They would be buying no new DOC material. Since then, Dark Horse had Doc's rights for the proverbial cup of coffee, too short a time for me to pitch to them. While it doesn't look good for Doc to make a return to comics any time soon, I hold out hope that eventually some company will give me my shot at making Doc a comic book success. (Y'know, Geoff Darrow is a Doc fan . . . and he would do a GREAT job of bring "The Light Masters" to life!) # There is one character, even more than the half-dozen listed here, I would not only love to write, but am perfectly positioned to write. We won't talk about that character here, however -- he is part of a story best told another day . . . _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Suspended Animation Michael Vance & Mark Allen MiklVance2@worldnet.att.net [Michael Vance, a professional writer since 1977 and has been published in dozens of magazines including Starlog and Jack and Jill, and as a syndicated columnist and cartoonist in over 500 newspapers. His history book, Forbidden Adventure: The History of the American Comics Group, has been called a "benchmark in comics history". He ghosted an internationally syndicated comic strip, and his wrote own strip, Holiday Out, that was reprinted as a comic book. Vance also wrote the comic books Straw Men, Angel of Death, The Adventures of Captain Nemo, and Bloodtide. He is listed in the Who's Who of American Comic Books and Comic Book Superstars. His short stories have appeared in dozens of magazines and recorded by actor William (Murder She Wrote) Windom. Suspended Animation, has been published for more than sixteen years, and Vance worked in newspapers for 22 years as an editor, writer and advertising manager. Mark Allen lives in Western Oklahoma with his wife and daughter. He has been a Baptist minister for over 15 years, and has also written for the Oklahoma news industry. Having indulged in comics for nearly 30 years, Mark now enjoys using the written word to share with others what he believes is a true, and extremely under-acknowledged, art form.] Nick Mag Presents: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events/$4.95 & 58 pgs., Nickelodeon Magazine Group/various artists and writers/available at comics and book stores. Suspended Animation's mission is to find and review comic books and strips that adults will enjoy. The current issue of Nick Mag Presents isn't one of them. It adapts the motion picture Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events that, in turn, is based on a series of successful children's books. In addition to the adaptation, this issue features an interview with actor Jim Carrey, Unfortunate movie props, an article on how Carrey's make-up was applied, several puzzles, and a one-page comic strip called Vicky's Five Dollars. Having not seen the movie or read any of the books, this review of the adaptation can at least be unprejudiced. I didn't like it. I didn't like Sam Hiti's very flat art. Perspective is almost non-existent and therefore destroys even the illusion of depth. His visual storytelling is strong, but his art is minimalistic and crude and looks like it was drawn by a ten year old. To make certain that my assessment was correct, I gave the issue to my ten-year-old niece. She said the art was "cool." I didn't like the story either. Sure, the dialog is fine, and the pacing is adequate. But Lemony Snicket and cast lack the high imagination of a Dr. Seuss or Frank Baum. Count Olaf is an unbelievable stereotype of 'bad guys', and even the orphans he terrorizes to steal their inheritance lack depth of character. My niece thought the story was great. So what qualifies an old fuddy-duddy like me to know what to recommend for young readers? I mean, let's face it, I don't get Bob Square-pants cartoons either. I listen to a niece who is smarter than me. Nick Mag's mission is to produce features that children will enjoy, and does so. This issue is recommended for preteens. MV For information on Vance's short stories, comic books, and available work, query Miklvance@Yahoo.com. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [8] ComiX-Fan Reviews Eric J. Moreels X-Fan Editor-in-Chief x-fan@bigpond.net.au From ComiX-Fan: http://www.comixfan.com/xfan [Editor's note: Some of the following reviews have spoilers to plot details. This is a TEXT ONLY newsletter so those spoilers are not hidden by HTML code. - D.L.] GAMBIT #7 Reviewer: W. Molstad mols0019@umn.edu Story Title: Voodoo Economics Part 1 of 3, "Players Club" "I swear! That boy be late to his own funeral." Writer - John Layman Penciler and Cover Artist - Georges Jeanty Inker - Don Hillsman II Colors - Tom Chu Letters - VC's Cory & Chris Assistant Editors - Stephanie Moore & Sean Ryan Editor - Mike Marts Editor In Chief - Joe Quesada Publisher - Dan Buckley Cast: Gambit (Remy LeBeau), Emery James Arcenaux, Detective Fredrickson, Detective Noreen Tanaka, "Auntie", and Madame Camille. I frankly was not looking forward to this zombie-themed storyline, but I'm surprised! Gambit hits the mark! A must have for fans of the Cajun. The first thing different from the beginning storyarc is the disappearance of Greg Land on the covers. Considering that the man has a lot on his hands, as well as his own full book now, we'll have to live without. The cover is serviceable, and nicely laid out. But once we get inside we find Georges Jeanty at his finest. There is a great amount of attention paid to the individuality and expressions on the character's faces. So many "hot" artists these days - Turner, Finch, John Romita Jr., and of course someone like Liefeld - draw characters' faces in a way that makes them look the same as others drawn by that person. There was a lot of time here put into making the many scenes with dialogue flow. Even the gestural actions - finger pointing, a detective wrestling Gambit during an interrogation, another woman putting on the moves - they all receive great attention. Once again the colors and inks are done by Don Hillsman and Tom Chu. I feel weird often mentioning the inker and colorist in my reviews, but they are a great team. Paired up with Jeanty, they always get the theme of New Orleans perfectly right. Also, Virtual Calligraphy have sent a couple of pros on this one. I am surprised at how well the lettering on this issue brings out the dialogue! Even the few corny lines are given weight by the way that they are punctuated. I love the new characters here. Detective Tanaka, or, "you can call me Noreen" is a tricky new "contact" for Gambit. Her charm is really well infused into this issue, and you get the feeling that Gambit may have met his match in that department. I'm wondering if she'll be a foil or friend in the issues to come. This chapter moves quite speedy compared to the beginning of "House of Cards". Solicited at three issues, I'm excited that this one is breaking out of the six issue storyline requirement. It's funny - the story seems to trip-up a few times, until you find out later as to why a line or moment seemed unusual. I enjoy how Jeanty works so well with Layman's comic and dramatic timing in this regard. And our writer doesn't ignore the last storyline - Dan Down is treated as more than just a throwaway guy who made it through four issues. The best part of this issue by far is the wannabe evil mutant. How Gambit deals with this situation - and how it ends, really works well. It reminded me a bit of some moments in X-Statix. I know how these solo books quickly become cancellations, and I'm happy that this title has so far survived along with District X. I want to see at least a few more storyarcs! Hine and Layman really have the potential to be future Marvel superstars. This book is fast paced to become the "classic" take on Gambit. Considering how many different volumes there have been, that's saying something. ART: 4.5 STORY: 4.0 OVERALL: 4.0 _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [9] Rich's Reviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca [Rich has been collecting comic books for about 25 years. He belongs to two comic book clubs Jazma and ORCA. He has been writing reviews for Jazma's paper newsletter for about 2 years and has his own review page at www.jazmaonline.com] SPOILER WARNING: Some plot details may be revealed in these reviews! Title: Vampirella Magazine # 9 Publisher: Harris Publications Price: $ 3.95 US Rating: 2 stars out of 5 stars Comments: The first comic story is written and drawn by Batton Lash. Its a black and white tale that might just put you to sleep. Vampirella is charged with indecent exposure and hangs out with two lawyers and that's it. The art is so so. The only really good thing is seeing Pendragon in his role as an imbibing magician. The second story Vampirella/Sword of Dracula is written by Jason Henderson and drawn by Greg Scott. Well this story is worse than the first one. Most of the art is just black filler. The story is pretty much non-existent. The Constantine write up is interesting as well as Cube Zero's. Both articles are informative. Both movies look great. Title: New Avengers # 3 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Penciler: David Finch Inker: Danny Miki with Allen Martinez & Victor Olazaba Price: $ 2.25 US, $ 3.25 Can Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars Comments: As Captain America and Iron Man talk about the prison break you can feel the electricity building. Cap wants the Avengers reformed. Captain America never gives up. So you know whats coming. Your skin starts tingling as the tension builds. Who can say no to Cap. Not Spider-Man, not Cage, not Spider- Woman. Daredevil does but the team has enough acrobats and skilled hand to hand fighters anyway. Iron Man is in of course after all their new club house is in his tower. Cap's presence and his enthusiasm are infectious. What the heck is going on who is Spider-Woman reporting to? For who and why is she spying on S.H.I.E.L.D. and now the Avengers? Has she been brainwashed again? The intrigue and mystery are already starting. Having the Avengers going hunting for the 42 escaped super villains will make for tons of great battles. So stay tuned. Title: Marvel Age Spider-Man # 20 Publisher: Marvel Plot: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Writer: Mike Raicht Penciler: Valentine DeLandro Inker: Pat Davidson Price: $ 2.25 US, $ 3.25 Can Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars Comments: The colors by Hi-Fi will immediately catch your eye as soon as you open this comic. The Beetle is prepared for the Human Torch but not for Spidey. This is excitement in the mighty Marvel manner. The Beetle does not really seem a worthy foe for these two. Maybe one but definitely not two. It was nice to see Spidey rescue the Human Torch from him though. The Beetle by being prepared was able to take down the Torch. Brains do beat powers. And the Torch can be a lame brain some times. And Spider-Man can be a real hero. Title: X-Men Fantastic Four # 3 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Akira Yoshida Penciler: Pat Lee Backgrounds: Edwin Garcia Inker: Rob Armstrong Price: $ 3.50 US, $ 5.00 Can Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars Comments: The transformed X-Men have the powers of the FF. Wolverine has learned to use his stretching powers real quick. His instincts tale over. The art does not make it easy to make out the features of the characters. At times parts of the bodies appear to be missing. The faces look as if they are covered in dirt. The battles with transformed X-Men against the FF and ordinary X-Men needed to be drawn better. The fight itself does have some nice moves from the combatants. The comic seemed to be missing any sense of urgency while the heroes deal with these situations. Title: Wolverine: The End # 6 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Paul Jenkins Artist: Claudio Castellini Price: $ 2.99 US, $ 4.25 Can Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars Comments: Brother vs brother as John and James battle. Its a fierce and bloody fight. Wolverine and his brother were pretty evenly matched. Adamantium vs bone claws. Even though the fight is close there is never any doubt as to the outcome. The battle back and forth between these two brothers is intense. You can feel the raw emotions from each of them. The art is gritty and grimey. Its not a pretty picture. But it is realistic for these two. Title: Wolverine # 24 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Mark Millar Penciler: John Romita Jr. Inker: Klaus Janson Price: $ 2.25 Us, $ 3.25 Can Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars Comments: Wolverine vs Daredevil. Wolverine is right skills count more than fancy powers. These two can't fly or shoot beams but can they fight. Wolverine, Daredevil, Elektra we get to see them all in action. Gorgan a new villain on the scene who may end up running Hydra is an even better fighter than Elektra. Hydra, The Hand, Dawn of the White Light Mutants are all working together for Strucker and his wife. Together they have the resources to take down any in their way. Wolverine was the best choice for brainwashing. Their plan is well delivered and carried out and brought across nicely. The art showcasing these heroes may be a bit darker but for these street fighters it fits. They are not shining examples of virtue. They just do whats right. They do the best they can. Title: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes # 6 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Joe Casey Artist: Scott Kolins Price: $ 3.50 US, $ 5.00 Can Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars Comments: Baron Zemo's hatred radiates from him. Its like a living thing around him. And its all directed at Captain America. His hatred has made him insane. His blood shot eyes certainly add to his maniacal appearance. This issue starts the fine tradition of old members leaving and new ones coming to take their places. The new ones show us that there is always hope. They are criminals, mutants, low lifes and they also have what it takes to rise above what they are to become something better. This issue shows us that anyone can become a hero. Hawkeye looks every bit the carefree hero he will become on the cover. Title: Amazing Spider-Man # 516 Publisher: Marvel Writer: J. Michael Stracynski Penciler: Mike Deodato Inker: Joe Pimentel Price: $ 2.25 US, $ 3.25 Can Rating: 2 stars out of 5 stars Comments: There is a real heartwarming story here with Peter and his uncle before Peter became Spidey. He expects honesty from those he helps. This issue is really slow. There is next to no action. Spidey doesn't see any action at all. The art uses little black dots for shading. They do not look that good. Some of the faces use to much black filler. Title: Stoker's Dracula # 3 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Roy Thomas Artist: Dick Giordano Price: $ 3.99 US, $ 5.75 Can Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars Comments: As Dracula roams the streets of London, England the tension builds. He is not the only one his victim Mis Lucy does as well, the press have called her the "Bloofer Lady". You will find yourself riveted as you follow Van Helsing and friends as he stakes out Lucy's final resting place. And they finally put her to rest. The black and white art is very atmospheric. You can always feel the horror that is Dracula on every page even when he is not present. The comic stays faithful to Bram Stoker's novel. It would be impossible to do a more faithful adaptation. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/S.QlOD/3MnJAA/Zx0JAA/bGIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Thanks for subscribing to the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine (CBEM) --------------------------->Disclaimer<--------------------------- This is an ANNOUNCE only mailing list, only the Editor can send messages to the list. No one else has access to the subscriber list. Replies to these messages will be received by the Editor ONLY, so you must CC: individual contributors if you want them to get your E-Mail. The E-mail to the E-mag MAY be used in future issues at the Editor's discretion UNLESS you specifically request that they not be. It is our policy to withhold names and/or Addresses, by request only, from letters of comment. All contributors are required to use their real name and have a valid Email address for their columns to be published. 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