Meanwhile...

Over at Joblo, Devon and Graig review comics. Where'd they go? They were just here a minute ago?!?!

Forward Thinking

The Heroic Age, Marvel Comics' return to straight-on superheroics, began with this week's Avengers #1. While I'm a HUGE proponent of the idea of an Avengers where the "Big 3" of Cap, Iron Man and Thor are on-call; the book I'm actually most looking forward to is The Secret Avengers.

Hot on the heels of "Siege," a newly returned Steve Rogers has officially passed on the Captain America mantle to former protege, James "Bucky" Barnes; in his quest to keep the world safe from future "Civil Wars" and such, he creates a proactive counter-espionage team, working entirely in "secret."

Three more agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the forms of The Black Widow, Sharon Carter and The Irredeemable Ant-Man. A mercenary with multiple personality disorder who worships a moon god, Moon Knight. Former Iron Man, military pilot and engineer, War Machine. An immortal Asgardian warrior demi-goddess in Valkyrie. Genius scientist and former X-Man, The Beast and fresh from his involvement in an multiple intergalactic wars, Nova, The Human Rocket.

This book has everything I want in it; the "real" Cap, a writer who understands what a "thriller" should be in Ed Brubaker, an artist who can pull it all together in Mike Deodato, Jr and a premise that looks to be equal parts Avengers and GI Joe.

Adult Devon and teen Devon shake hands, irrevocably screwing up the space/time continuum but...

SOLD!

One of the absolute joys of comics is that at any given moment a writer could have Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom and Dracula standing on the moon, negotiating who takes what of The Earth. That is the power of comics.

And writer understands this better than most, Paul Cornell, late of Captain Britain and MI 13. The man understands villains, what motivates them and ultimately, what leads to their downfall. So, when it was announced that he would be taking over Action Comics featuring... Lex Luthor. A Lex still in possession of an Orange Lantern power ring (Avarice) and on a quest for more power that will lead him into direct conflict with most dangerous villains within The DC Universe. What more do you need?

Lois Lane as Lex's "girlfriend."

Doom. Dracula. Now, Lex as "hero."

I think this guy likes his villains.

SOLD.

What upcoming books are YOU most looking forward to?

Meanwhile...

Over at Joblo, nothing this big should be able to move so fast when Devon and Graig review comics!

Regressive Storytelling, A Response

Over the past week or so, many have given tons of debate material with this post from Chris Sims' excellent piece on the potential of a whitewashed comics universe.

Upfront, I'm going to say that I agree with most of Sims' major points but on an entirely different level, I can see things from a vantage point many can't and quite frankly, would never care to see.

I'm one of those minorities folks like to write about/not write about/represent/proclaim isn't being properly represented. And were I a comic book comic character in any superhero oriented universe, I could quite possibly ascend to the height of replacement hero. Many would argue the role of the replacement hero, where a character of color, steps in and takes up the mantle of hero following a hero's retirement/death/crisis of conscience, is a step in the right direction. Many would argue that it is an active admission that comics need more diversity and the decision by big corporations to offer up minorities as successors to a mantle is a step in the right direction.

And that's where I believe things where we go all wrongheaded. Not entirely but... wrong.

We're avoiding an issue I view as slightly bigger and one that simply, isn't being addressed.

The simple reason is this; that for every white hero a person of color replaces, he or she is simply doing just that; replacing a white hero.

They are stepping into an established history accrued by their predecessor and for all intents and purposes, they play the role of the substitute teacher; not used for their skill but to carry on the assigned super-curriculum of "BAM-POW." We show up, hem and haw, do nothing and then go about the task of talking about how the previous teacher wouldn't have done it that way. Ultimately, the new guy's been de-powered to the point where he simply becomes a nothing more than a placeholding figurehead and all anyone can do is re-instate the original. We learn nothing new in doing so, especially about ourselves.

It happened with Superman & John Henry Irons. It happened with The Atoms. It happened with Iron Man and War Machine. It happened with Green Lantern and Stewart. And God knows, you wouldn't even let it happen with Captain America.

These characters, each and everyone of them, were doomed for demotion from the start.

We, as readers, are in love with ideal of truth and justice and equality but when it really comes down to it; we're only comfortable showing our willingness to accomodate the idea of equality; not uphold it.

And that is my main point. If we truly, truly wanted racial and gender diversity in comics, we could have it. We could have a universe where a Supergirl takes up the sole mantle within the Superman family and simply is Supergirl, Last Survivor of Krypton. Instead, we accepted four disparate male successors, submitted for your approval and we did not blink.

Captain America: Truth would have been what it was intended to be; an addendum to the Cap mythos and not viewed as "the raping of your grandfather's childhood," many made it out to be.

Where was the moral indignation when the original Dr. Light, a white man, threatens to rape a Japanese mother and her children and while she defeats him, the ordeal leaves her naked and lying on the cold ground?

Why are we asking the comic book companies to hold their own feet to the fire and ask no hard questions of ourselves?

We pay tons of lip service to the idea of a level playing field but really, how can this ever occur if all we do is build upon old foundations laid over seventy-five years ago.

We, the readers, are as culpable in the death of Ryan Choi as Titans: Villains For Hire writer Eric Wallace for one simple and overlooked reason.

We did not support him. We were offered a Chinese-American hero, who was witty, clever, handsome; his main flaw was that he was not Ray Palmer. He did not fit into our halcyon/Super Friends world and with a lack of financial support, he was deemed unworthy and thus, expendable.

Blaming the company for taking him out is a bit like prosecuting drug dealers for selling product, it's ignoring the bigger issue.

We are within a hobby addicted to our own nostalgias.

We talk about wanting something new and innovative but we support the reinstatement of what went before with our every dollar. We say, "We didn't really care," when we support events such as Blackest Night where one-time Green Lantern headliners, Kyle Rayner (Half Latino/half-white) and John Stewart (Black) are either killed or relegated to sub-plots, respectively. We ask for "something new," but only if it reminds us of something we've seen before.

We say "We didn't really care," when we accept the norm, all over again, for the sake of nostalgia.

We say "We didn't really care," when offered something new and innovative such as XERO, independent of the greater DC Universe, featuring a black lead, written and drawn by black creators and it barely survives a year.

We own this own. We must.

We must because if we truly wanted a Chinese-American as THE Atom, trust me, as long as we were willing to "put up or shut up," we would have more heroes that looked like Ryan Choi. Co
We made this situation possible with our choices with our every hard-earned dollar. Looking inward, I'm realizing we build the universe we, apathetically and semi-apologetically, deserve.

Meanwhile...

At Joblo, titans clash as Devon and Graig review comics!!!

Detective: Comics

I was the first but three truly was my magic number.


When given a test, I'll ace it on my first try.


Gotham is my home but I've left it behind.


WHO AM I?

Who Died And Made You Green Lantern?

One of the things I'm not loving so much about the Superman: New Krypton/War of The Superman storyline is that it takes away from the uniqueness of Superman. I really dig the idea that any given time, there's maybe two others out there who can do what he does.

And a dog. Cannot forget the dog!

That said; let's take a look at The Green Lantern Corps.

Over the course of two decades, the protection of Earth and the galaxy has fallen to four, count 'em, four Earthmen, begging the question:

"What makes THEM so damned special?"

There's like, a kabillion people (or not-people) who can do what they do!

Depending on when you were exposed to the Green Lantern mythos; he's been Hal Jordan, a test pilot who fought aliens, fell in love with a girl but not really, quit being Green Lantern, came back, went crazy after a Superman storyline, killed the whole damn Green Lantern Corps, committed suicide, became The Spectre, gave that up and became THE Green Lantern, again.

Or he's been John Stewart, a formerly angry black man who was re-introduced as a "not-so-angry," an ex-Marine and architect. He's kinda awesome but only in cartoons.

Or he's been Guy Gardner, a formerly brain damaged, alpha-male, ex-school teacher who who had more attitude than sense, who found out he was the last of an alien race, could turn his hands into bazookas and when that didn't work out, he opened up a bar. And yes, he was sort of awesome.

And then there was the final Lantern. You know, Kyle Rayner, the Gen-X'er with a heart of gold. He was just standing in an alley one day and because of his good heart, his girlfriend was stuffed in a refrigerator. And yes, he was sort of awesome.

Now here's the thing: anyone of these guys could actually headline a comic called, "Green Lantern," and at different points in time, all of them except Guy have been. So, Hal's parent company, DC Comics, decides Hal Jordan needs to come back from the dead and "BIGGREENBOXINGGLOVE" later and he's THE Green Lantern, despite the fact the other were doing just fine without him.

Seriously? What makes Hal so great? He quits things, alot. He's sort of just always there, lurking. Glowering. Being...

I don't know... Hal Jordan?

He punched Batman, you know. In. The. Jaw.
"One Punch!" (© Ted Kord)

Let's look at it. John has his troubles. He can be a little broody, when he wants to be he can be a bit of a bad-ass but lately, he sort of has played the role of "Magical Negro," speaking on things he's familiar with like regret and forgiveness; freeing the hearts of his fellow Lanterns to be OK with themselves, absolving them of all past screw-ups. Stewart was last seen covering someone's ass with a lime-colored, ring generated machine gun.

Guy has been cured of his brain damage and what we're left with is intriguing; the big brother you sort of want. Guy follows his own logic. And like most males, when he's using it, it makes glorious sense to him. In that, he is awesome. He's become the the embodiment The Corps' fighting spirit and that's never been more apparent than when Kyle "died" during Blackest Night. Guy watched as someone who'd become like a brother to him fell and declared war upon everything connected with death. 'Til this day, the image of Guy with a Red Rage chainsaw is still emblazoned on my mind. What it proved was Guy's loyalty to his fellow Corps members and just how scary he could be if he ever, sort of, lost it again.

And what can we say about Kyle. He's a good, good man who's had circumstance beyond his control thrust upon him and did the best with what he had. I've always considered Kyle to be "YOU" as a Green Lantern. His heart has been broken, he's watched those closest to him die, he comes from a single parent household, he was usually in over his head but was always willing to learn from his mistakes. He was a man, that's what a man does.

And Hal? I get why folks like him, I just don't get him. He's brash and loves baseball. He shuns authority, he flies a plane and breaks girls hearts. He quits alot and still gets rewarded. Because of his ability to do these things, he is the face of the Green Lantern Corps.

He's the knucklehead all we wish we could be or could marry.

He's the ultimate American male.

When did it go and become so damned two-dimensional?