Invincible vol. 2- "Eight is Enough"

Premise: The teenage son of a famous superhero develops powers of his own. Can he balance being a hero with getting through school?

It's been said that good stories entertain and great stories surprise. By that rationale, Invincible is great.
Volume 1, Family Matters is a fun, lighthearted and entertaining story, and well worth your time and money; however, I'm going to recommend that you start with Volume 2, because it is surprising, and therefore great. It is a better example of what Invincible is all about: a well-written series with plot twists that you never see coming, but are still perfectly logical and plausible (well, as plausible as superhero stories get, anyway). The mood of the series can and will shift on a dime, going from funny to heartwarming to infuriating to depressing over the space of a few issues.
People who really want to jump into Invincible with both feet should pick up The Ultimate Collection. It collects the first 13 issues of the series (or the first 3 paperbacks). But if you want a small sample of a great comic, then start with Volume 2.

Recommended for: fans of Buffy, Smallville, the Spider-Man films, and/or John Hughes movies.
Not recommended for: people who prefer a more consitent tone to their stories.

A Brief History of Wonder Woman

(I wrote this for another website back in 2002. I present it here with a couple of minor edits for the sake of clarity and modernity. Perhaps I will do more character overviews like this in the near future, if you'd like...)

I can't explain why I love Wonder Woman like I do. Perhaps it stems from fond childhood memories (The second comic I remember owning was an issue where she fought off an alien invasion singlehandedly; also, I was a toddler when the TV show began). Perhaps it is the admittedly lascivious quasi-dominatrix costume (a beautiful woman wearing red leather boots, a bustier, and star-spangled panties, tying people up is just begging for scrutiny). Perhaps it's because she has been the central character in many imaginative and interesting stories (that ain't it; the comics have been hit-and-miss). In any case, everyone has heard of her and seen her, but nobody really knows anything about her. That's why I am here to help...

Wonder Woman is the brainchild of William Moulton Marston, PhD. In addition to being a noted psychologist, lecturer, columnist, and creative consultant for Universal Pictures, Marston also invented the polygraph (lie-detector). In the early 1940's, he saw that comic book characters such as Superman and Batman were staggeringly popular with young boys. He wanted to create a superheroine that young girls could look up to. He was fascinated with ancient cultures, which would help to explain the heroine's connection to Greek mythology. He based the heroine's appearance on his secretary Olive Byrne, a tall brunette who regularly wore a pair of very large bracelets (He would later have two children with Ms. Byrne). Assisted by editor M.C. Gaines (both he and Marston shared a writing credit as "Charles Moulton") and artist Harry Peter (which, to my knowledge, is not a pseudonym), Wonder Woman made her debut in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941-January 1942). He continued to write Wonder Woman's adventures until his death in 1947.

For those of you who don't know her backstory, this is the most recent version:

Diana is the daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. The gods endowed her with strength, speed, and extraordinary beauty. The amazons live on Themyscira (Paradise Island), which exists outside of time. Around the time she became an adult, the Amazons were planning to open up diplomatic relations with the "Man's World." Hippolyta forbade her daughter from entering the contest to select an ambassador to the "Man's World," so she donned a mask and entered the contest anyway. She won, and was given the title of Wonder Woman, and was sent to teach the Amazonian philosophy of peace to the nations of the world, even if she had to put a boot in somebody's ass to do it.

She has gone through many changes over the years. In the 60's, she lost her amazon powers and became a kung-fu babe ala Emma Peel. She's lost and regained the invisible jet numerous times. She can no longer be rendered powerless if she is bound by a man. As of 1986, her powers have been defined as follows:

• She has been given superhuman strength by Zeus, and, in times of crisis, can draw strength from the Earth itself (she is roughly equal to Superman in terms of strength).
• Hermes gave her superhuman speed and the ability to fly (She's been clocked at about Mach 3).
• She carries an unbreakable magic lasso, forged by the gods, which compels all who are bound by it to tell the truth.
• She wears magic bracelets, which she can use to deflect bullets, energy beams, etc.
• Her tiara is razor sharp, and can be hurled like a boomerang.
• She is highly resistant to blunt trauma, but is susceptible to edged weapons and bullets.
• Her only real weaknesses is her rather black-and-white view of the world (the consequences of which can be seen in current DC comics).

Unfortunately, the number of collected volumes of Wonder Woman comics is low, and for the most part, those that do exist are mired in continuity and are not that good. My personal favorite Wonder Woman collection is "Paradise Lost" by Phil Jimenez. It's a fantastic introduction to the character, the art is excellent, and the stories are intriguing. Batman, Robin, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor show up at various points in the book, and are used to good effect (particularly Lois Lane).

(Wow, I was a wordy person back then. Well, there have been a few more good Wonder Woman comics since then. I'll review them for you soon.)

Noble Causes vol. 1 - "In Sickness and In Health"

Premise: What happens when a normal woman marries into a famous (and dysfunctional) family of superheroes?

Superhero comics and soap operas actually have a lot in common. Both feature larger-than-life characters. Love triangles and outrageous plot twists are staples of both. And nobody EVER stays dead in either genre. So it was only a matter of time before someone decided to create a superhero comic that was an homage to soap operas.
Noble Causes centers around the Noble family. They are a rich and popular family who are as dysfunctional as they are powerful. The father is cold and distant, the mother is a media whore, the oldest son is recovering from a disfiguring accident, and the daughter is pregnant by an unnamed father. Writer Jay Faerber includes all of the elements of a worthwhile soap opera: romance, bastard children, death, and infidelity. And for the guys in the audience, there's demons and killer robots.
I mean, really: Sex AND killer robots? What's not to love?!?

Recommended for: soap opera addicts; people who grew up reading X-Men in the 80's and early 90's.
Not recommended for: people who don't like heavy melodrama.

Yet Another Comics Blog

Thanks to Yet Another Comics Blog for the link. The favor will now be returned.

Arrowsmith - "So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms"

Premise: What if World War I was fought by wizards instead of generals, airmen flew into battle with dragons instead of biplanes, and the Germans sank ships with sea serpents instead of U-Boats?

The story is your typical hero's journey. A spry young farm boy named Fletcher Arrowsmith runs away from home to join the Overseas Aero Corps. While fighting in Europe, he experiences life, love, and the horrors of war. Much like J.R.R. Tolkien and George Lucas, writer Kurt Busiek pushes the setting to the forefront and populates it with classic archetypes (the naive young hero, his cocky rival, the bored socialite, the wise old farmhand, etc.) to act as the reader's window to this strange new world.

What really drives this book though, is the art. Carlos Pachecho (penciller), Jesus Merino (inker) and Alex Sinclair (colorist) do some of the best work of their careers in this book. Their work truly gives the book an epic, cinematic feel. I really can't say enough good things about it.

Recommended for: Fans of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or war movies; history buffs.
Not recommended for: people who don't like fantasy, people who prefer more traditional fantasy stories.

"What is a Graphic Novel?"

A few years ago, Jessica Abel wrote and drew this two-page comic strip for the now-defunct Artbomb.
It is an excellent primer for non-comics fans. It will also be linked in the sidebar from now on.

The Authority vol. 1- "Relentless"

Premise: Explodo!

In my previous post, I described how Warren Ellis renovated StormWatch. Well, critics loved it, and Ellis developed a loyal cult following, but it still wasn't lighting the sales charts on fire. So he ended the series and began a new series with the same creative team and some of the same characters that he introduced in StormWatch. He wrote scripts with less political intrigue and more "explodo". The series was called The Authority, and it was a huge hit with fans.

The team is led by Jenny Sparks, "the spirit of the 20th Century," a 99-year-old British woman who looks about 20. Like most of Ellis' protagonists, she's a hard-drinking, chain-smoking cynic. She is joined in her quest to create a better world by her former StormWatch teammates Jack Hawksmoor ("The God Of The Cities") and Swift (a winged huntress), former StormWatch antagonists The Apollo and Midnighter (picture Superman and Batman as an openly gay couple), and two new heroes: The Doctor (a wizard/drug addict) and the Engineer (who can create weapons out of thin air).

The two stories in this first volume are not very deep. Some things destroy a city, and the Authority beats up on those things, as well as whatever sent the things in question. This series isn't about depth, though. It's about atmosphere, style, and explodo. Lots and lots of explodo.

Recommended for: people who enjoy mindless entertainment from time to time.
Not Recommended for: homophobes; conservatives.

StormWatch vol. 3 - "Change or Die"

In the mid 90's, Warren Ellis was hired to revamp StormWatch, a mediocre comic about a team of UN-backed superheroes. He immediately pared the cast down to a manageable number, added a few new characters of his own, and infused the comic with a sense of political awareness (the growing tensions between the UN and the U.S. Government was a recurring theme in many of the stories). The resulting comics generated a great buzz, and helped Ellis to build a cult following (I fully admit to being a member of said cult).
While StormWatch volumes 1 and 2 (Force of Nature and Lightning Strikes respectively) are quite good, Ellis really hit his creative stride with "Change or Die". In the lead story, a band of superhumans emerges from the shadows and attempts to tear down society in order to rebuild it. Over the course of the story, numerous philosophical questions are asked. Is a superhero supposed to change the world, or just protect the status quo? Is the status quo worth protecting? Can idealism and realpolitik co-exist?
One quick warning to new readers: these stories do build on threads that were started in the previous two volmes, but they do a pretty good job of recapping for anyone just coming in.

Recommended for: iconoclasts; conspiracy theorists.
Not Recommended for: isolationists.

Astronauts in Trouble

Recently, Larry Young (creator of this series), published Master Flight Plan (pictured here), which compiles all three of his Astronauts in Trouble story arcs ("Live From The Moon," "Space:1959," and "One Shot, One Beer"). Since I have each of these story arcs collected in separate volumes, I will be basing my review on those, rather than Master Flight Plan.

"Live From The Moon" takes place in the year 2019, when Ishmael Bennett, the world's richest man, asks the Channel 7 News Team (anchorman Dave, cameraman Heck, and segment producer Sparky) to follow him to the moon to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin's celebrated landing. Unfortunately, the eco-terrorist organization known as Greensleeves sabotages their trip, and that's when things get interesting. Despite its futuristic setting, the story has very few science-fiction elements, focusing more on action and character development. The pacing owes more to "Moonraker" than "2001: A Space Odyssey". This is the longest story in the book, and my personal favorite.

"Space: 1959" is sort of a prequel story (I'll give you three guesses as to what year it takes place), which follows the original Channel 7 News team as they stumble across a top-secret military operation in the middle of the Space Race. It's a pulpy, action-packed yarn that can be read or skipped at your leisure.

"One Shot, One Beer" takes place 10 years after the events of "Live From The Moon." Someone opened a bar on the moon, and the patrons of the bar tell anecdotes that serve as an alternative view of events that happened in the previous two stories. It's a fun, quick little read, but not essential.

By itself, "Live From The Moon" makes Master Flight Plan worth the cover price; think of the other stories as the second disc of a 2-disc DVD set.

Recommended for: fans of the James Bond movies, Armageddon, or any other big, explosive summer blockbusters.
Not Recommended for: anyone who already owns "Live From The Moon."

Powers vol. #1 - "Who Killed Retro Girl?"

Premise: a pair of homicide detectives (Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim) investigate superhero murders.

On their first case together, Walker and Pilgrim are assigned to investigate the murder of Retro Girl, a Wonder Woman-type heroine whose popularity is equivalent to that of Princess Di in the real world. The two detectives have to brave the resulting media circus, various lawsuits, and uncooperative superpowered colleagues of hers to get to the truth.

Brian Bendis (who is writing many of Marvel's best comics these days) delivers solid, noirish scripts with sharp, spiky dialogue. Michael Avon Oeming's art is bold, simple and full of contrast, and is reminiscent of the Batman cartoon from the early 90's. If you want to follow the series month to month, the creators are very good about alerting the reader when a brand new story arc begins on the cover; however, I recommend picking up the collected volumes instead. Not only do you get the complete story, but Bendis, a notorious film buff, treats each collected volume like a DVD, and loads it with extras: interviews with the creators, Oeming's original sketches, and some of his original scripts, which are almost as entertaining as the actual issues.

Recommended for: Fans of any of the Law & Order or C.S.I. shows; regular readers of The Smoking Gun.
Not recommended for: children (there's lots of sexual references and strong language, and the murders can be rather grisly).