Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "comics"

Back in the 1950s, Captain America returned triumphantly to Comics in the pages of Atlas in 1953, three years after the cancellation of his magazine. But Cap was back with a new enemy.

Commies.

Captain America Commie Smasher appeared in 1953 and 54 and was cancelled in the midst of the waning portion of the golden age of Comic where if you weren't Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman and you were a superhero, you didn't have much of a chance.

In 1963, Captain America returned from the dead literally. The story was that Bucky had died at the end of the War and Captain had been frozen in ice. In Avengers #4, he was brought triumphantly back into the Silver Age.

And what about those few months of comics in 1953-54? Stan Lee claimed to have forgotten about them and that's certainly possible. Lee worked on a lot of titles and very few superhero ones, plus given that he was thinking of going into another line of work before he brought the Fantastic Four to life in 1961, he may not have been as engaged.

Subsequent to Stan Lee, Steve Englehart took over the helm of Captain America and introduced the concept that the 1950s Cap hadn't been real the Captain America but a McCarthyist imposter who'd go on to wreak all kinds of havoc.

However, when you read the pages of Iron Man or Captain America or even the Fantastic Four, you see that the reason for Cap's regeneration had little to do with a lack of appetite for fighting communism. When you I read Essential Iron Man, Vol. 1, I was struck by how many times Iron Man was up against communists such as the Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, and Black Widow. And it was out of a battle with the Vietcong that Tony Stark was injured and Iron Man was born. Then, early on you have Captain America facing off against the Viet Cong. The Fantastic Four did battle with a Soviet Scientist called the Red Ghost in Fantastic Four #8 and Spidey faced off against the Chamelon who was a commie spy in the Amazing Spider-man #1.

Even in the 1960s, there were a whole lot of Commie smashers at Marvel. This is mostly downplayed in Marvel history and fans will often count it a point against the book if Communists were villains.

Some of this is result of a revisionist sentiment that has taken place over the so-called "Red Scare" with some innocent citizens being tarred with the Communist label. The revisionist thought is that all allegations of Communism were unfounded or that Communists were really just harmless and that it was just another political belief system.

The truth is that yes, there were Soviet Spies in America, the Venona project provides evidence of that. Secondly, the harmlessness of Communists may have more to do with them not having won than being Communist in themselves. The TV show Sliders in its premier episode featured the main reality where on the campus of Berkeley a homeless man ranted about the evils of capitalism and the glories of communism. They traveled to an alternate dimension where the Soviets had taken over America and he was high party official oppressing the country.

Even more than that, in their own lands, the Communists wiped out hundreds of millions of people. These were not nice guys, these were very evil regimes. And honestly, actual Communists who supported those regimes really shouldn't get off the hook either in terms of public disapproval at the very least. We really wouldn't care for someone who thought Hitler was great, and it shouldn't be any different with someone who loved Stalin.

Yet, you have comic industry guys and fans embarrassed about fictional stories where these guys are fought. This contrasted with World War II where stories about the War continued to be very popular decades after it. Roy Thomas wrote some retcon World War II stories with the Invaders in the 1970s for Marvel and then went to DC and did the same thing with All-Star Squadron. Sergeant Rock, a World War II military man continued to appear regularly in his own comic book until 1988.

Yet, anything with the Cold War in it in any genre is passe or dated. There's a part of me that would love to write a series of Cold War tales (superhero or otherwise.) The Cold War ultimately was a story of heroes who worked tirelessly and risked everything to "smash Communism" and the high casualty count makes clear that Communism needed smashing.

I've been working through the reviews I haven't posted on the blog in the order I read them for the most part, but seeing that Issue 701 from this story is getting some Internet play led me to bump up it in line.

Superman: Grounded, Vol. 1 by Michael J. Straczynski

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In Action Comics #1, one of the first villains Superman took on was a wife-beater. The early Superman Golden Age stories introduced us to a guy who was concerned about real people and their very real problems. In one early adventure, he helped a down on his luck boxer come back. In another, he took the place of a man who was being pushed around constantly to help him a chance at success and happiness. In one unforgettable story, Superman helped a little boy at an orphanage ran by an abusive headmaster.

However, that Superman hadn't been seen for five decades or more. The drug dealers, gangsters, and abusers that terrorize people in our modern world had been deemed unfitting challenges for the man of steel as they can't really hurt him. Instead, Superman has to fight the big villains: Darkseid, Luthor, and Brainiac. The comic writes decreed Superman was too big, too grand, and majestic for ordinary people with their ordinary problems.

Superman: Grounded is therefore a throwback to the Superman of the 1940s and 50s. Superman left Earth to fight to save New Krypton in a previous issue. After that failed, some felt that Superman wasn't really loyalty to Earth: that he was alien and concerned with the affairs of alien worlds. Yet, when a widow blames him for the death of her husband (in a way that's rather far fetched), Superman makes a decision to start walking across America, getting in touch with ordinary people and their problems.

At first, when he started walking, I was reminded of the scene from Forest Gump when Gump began to run, but then as the story began to play out, I smiled. Superman's walkabout saw him helping people wherever he went, setting a good example and helping people in need. Sueprman's deeds were not hugely mighty, but they captured the often-forgotten heart of the Man of Steel. He spends hours on top of people talking to a suicidal jumper, he helps a man diagnose the problem with his car, takes on some crack houses, teaches a disturbed stalker a few lessons, and encounters an abused boy whose waiting for Superman or perhaps for anyone with enough compassion.

At its best, the book inspiring, moving, and evocative. It also gives an up close look at Lois Lane as she concludes she's a "bad feminist" as she comes to term with the choices in her life that have left her in Superman's shadow. We have a Perry White story that doesn't work quite well and seems to detract ever so slightly from the tone of the book while still working in a few humorous moments particularly when Perry acknowledges he could get fired from the Planet and he determines to start his own "blob" if that happens.

While this type of story couldn't go on forever, it was something wonderful while it lasted, it's an amazing story for its time and a must for everyone who loves to see the warm heart of Superman.



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o, the Internet is all abuzz about the announcement by Marvel that there’s going to be a female Thor.1

Due to the media coverage, there’s quite a bit of confusion and misinformation out there. A few key issues are worth clarifying.

1) Thor is not getting a sex change. The person who is Thor will still be around with his gender intact, but the powers of Thor will be wielded by a woman.

When it comes to the confusion, the media is at fault for reporting this “story,” because it’s a pure PR gimmick as anyone who follows the comic book world knows. The average person has a view that most heroes are defined by one person: Peter Parker is Spider-man, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Steve Rogers is Captain America, and Tony Stark is Iron Man. However at different times, Ben Reilly was Spider-man, Bucky Barnes was Captain America, Dick Grayson was Batman, and Jim Rhodes was Iron Man. Comic companies like to imagine that a costumed identity can be passed on. Usually, the character people associate with the identity end up returning, as will no doubt be the case with Thor.

Thor is an odd case. While we can imagine a female Captain America, Thor is not an androgynous name. Marvel does have some precedent to justify this, going back to a What If? alternate universe story for the 1970s as well as both the Young Avenger movies, and the MC2 Universe featuring teenage girls wielding Thor-like powers.

2) This will have no impact whatsoever on the upcoming Avengers movie. The movies and the comics exist in separate universes, though it’s probably fair to wonder if this will all be resolved by the time the movie comes out.

3) Why is Marvel doing this? Because gimmicks are Marvel's Twenty-first century substitute for writing good stories that people want to read. Through stories like Civil War, One More Day, Avengers v. X-men, Shadowlands, and the entire Superior Spider-man saga, Marvel has made a habit of telling stories that may violate the characters they're writing but will attract controversy and interest and sell books. Thor is vulnerable to this because the title's sales are weak. In June, Thor: God of Thunder #23 ranked #55 with less than 40,000 sales.

They especially like it if they can start a book off with a new Issue 1. Marvel will have collectors rush to grab it in the hopes that it'll someday be worth something and will lead to a bump in sales. That's why they did a new Issue 1 for Daredevil after 36 issues, for the Incredible Hulk after 20 issues, and Captain Marvel after 17.

As if to emphasize this strategy, the day after word of the female Thor came out, it was announced that the #71 ranked Captain America will feature African-American superhero Sam Wilson as the new Captain America.

Marvel especially likes it when they can start a book off with a new Issue 1. Marvel will have collectors rush to grab it in the hopes that it’ll someday be worth something and will lead to a bump in sales. That’s why they did a new Issue 1 for Daredevil after 36 issues, for the Incredible Hulk after 20 issues, and Captain Marvel after 17.

Like Superior Spider-Man, this is a gimmick that will run until Marvel feels sales slipping, then they’ll go back to the original Thor.

The other thing that drives this is the same thing that drives the, "They should make the next Doctor a woman," calls. It's a belief that women really want to see all male heroes supplanted and have women as the Doctor or as Thor. However, Doctor Who showrunner Stephen Moffat said of the decision not to have a female Doctor, "Oddly enough most people who said they were dead against it – and I know I’ll get into trouble for saying this – were women."

Having a woman take over the lead in an existing TV show or a comic represents an attempt to grow market share among women that’s seen as less risky than investing the time and marketing budget to create a brand for a new character, but there’s little evidence women are really interested in female characters that are derivative substitutes for male characters. While a female Thor may be a great gimmick, what is more likely to excite readers and viewers are unique and well-written female characters.

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Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor - Volume 1 by Stan Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the first eighteen Thor stories which appeared in the anthology series Journey Into Mystery Issue 83-100. Overall, these are impressive stories with great art by Jack Kirby. Kirby brings Thor and all these amazing Asgardian characters to life with some of his best work for Marvel in the 1960s.

Having read the first adventures of a variety of Marvel heroes, it seems to me that these early Thor Adventures are the most DC-like creation Stan Lee came up with. Throughout most of these stories, Thor is much more iconic than he is human, a lot more like Superman than Spider-man.

The romantic relationship stuff might have been the only thing that was Marvelesque because the general template of Don Blake's relationship to Jean Foster was the same as Peter Parker to Betty Brant, Matt Murdoch to Karen Page, and Tony Stark to Pepper Potts.

However, the villains really work well and provide some of the books' strongest moments. Loki (and his dupes) are perfect foils for Thor and they're in a lot of stories. This book also sees the first appearance of Mister Hyde and the Radioactive Man. The writers also wrote, "Tales of Asgard" which gave Marvel adaptations of Norse legends which was helpful since Norse mythology was not nearly as well known as the Greek or Roman

Overall, this book was a lot of fun. It doesn't rise to the level of emotional engagement of the best Marvel books and it's not quite as fun as DC's most entertaining books, but it's still a very enjoyable read with great art and a good concept for a character.



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Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Vol.1 by Nick Abadzis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book features adventures of the 10th Doctor set sometime after Series 4.

To start off with, let's talk about the art: Wow! Elena Casagrande nails the art. Her likeness of Tennant, of the TARDIS interior is perfect. She puts so much into each character. The art throughout this is incredibly complex and rich. I've rarely seen a comic look this good unless it was painted by Alex Ross.

The stories are fairly good. Gabby makes a great new companion. She's a likable and interesting character who you can easily relate to. The stories were fairly clever themed. I'd like the first one centering on New York's celebration of the Day of the Dead, and the second one on another planet involving a reclusive artist and her insane assistants. There were some decent concepts, with the second story revisiting the idea of block transfer mathematics from the Fourth and early Fifth Doctor era without seeming too wistful.

The biggest problem is that while Casagrande captures the physical appearance of the Tenth Doctor, Abadzis really struggles that Doctor's unique voice. There are a few parts of the book that are a bit verbose, and I should there are some elements in the second story parents might find problematic. Still, this is a gorgeous book and gives a wonderful new look at Titan's 10th Doctor Title.



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Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Volume 1 by Scott Tipton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book collects the first four Issues of the 50th Anniversary Prisoners of Time story in which the Doctor's companions disappear, kidnapped by a mysterious foe, at the end of each adventure:

1) Unnatural Selection: The First Doctor travels back in time and meets Thomas Huxley and goes underground to fight the creatures from the Web Planet along with the Ian, Barbara, and Vickie. The story isn't all that engaging. Not bad either: C-

2) Bazaar Adventures: The Second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe land the TARDIS at the one place where the TARDIS' broken Chameleon circuit will pose no problem: a space mall that sells nothing but Police Boxes. However, not all merchants are so benign and the Doctor and Zoe have to rescue Jamie from the slave trade and stop the horrific trade. A little busy but pretty entertaining. Grade: B

3) In With the Tide: The best story in the book. It really has the most authenticity to its era of any of the tales in this first volume as in a brief comic story, this tale manages to capture the Spirit of a typical UNIT story from the 1970s brilliantly as the Brigadier's behaving strangely and he and Sarah Jane look into it along with Liz Shaw who has returned to UNIT temporarily. I love the art on the front page and the picture of the Third Doctor in a cape. With an alien invasion and the threat of global destruction, all this is missing is some good nature banter from Sgt. Benton. Grade: A-

4)A Rare Gem: An interesting situation for the Fourth Doctor and Leela that has the Fourth Doctor meet the Judoon (who first appeared in the new series.) That's the main appeal of the story, which also features Leela fighting the Judoon which is very cool. What weakens the story is that their presence is superflous as the problem was well in hand and its on way to solving that plus the dialogue for Leela on page 97 (No hard feelings and all that, right?) is something she'd never say. Still, I'll give a grade of C+.

So overall this first volume is a bit of a mixed bag with the third story being best and the rest being decidedly mediocre.



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Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Volume 1 - Gaze of the Medusa by Gordon Rennie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith find themselves in London in 1887 and at the center of a mad plot by Lady Emily Carstairs to re-awaken an ancient entity for her own purposes.

This book is a great piece of nostalgia. Featuring the Doctor and his most beloved companion, Sarah Jane Smith, the story feels like something that could have been aired on Doctor Who during Season 13. Every page has that gothic horror feel that was so characteristic of the Philip Hinchcliffe era on Doctor Who: the settings, the monsters. In that way, it's perfect. The story and the human guest villain are solid, but not particularly great other than in their design.

My main criticism of the book is that Sarah Jane is taken out of the action for nearly two full issues out of five in the book. In a limited series, having Sarah Jane is a big deal and so taking her out of the action seems ill-advised, and the substitute companion is okay but there's no real good substitute for Sarah Jane.

Other than that, the book is worth a read for how brings a long ago era of Doctor Who to life in comic books.



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Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines by Bob Gale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the initial four issue mini-series of the Back to the Future comic book series as well as the fifth issue. It's written by Bob Gale, the co-writer of Back to the Future, and he gives the entire book an authentic feel.

Gale decided to write a series where there was no real thru storyline. The stories are all things that occurred before the movies or in between films, thus the title. Were given more short vignettes such as how Doc and Marty met and we get to see the newspaper that led Doc to a cheap used Delorean as well as how Doc's how burned down. These stories aren't bad, but they're not particularly funny or brilliant. There's a reason why they didn't film this. Still, the book is never bad or boring, but most of it was kind of so-so. The best most of the stories did was be slightly amusing. However, if you're a bigger Back to the Future buff than I am, you may enjoy this more than I did.

However, the last of these Untold Tales story is really good and addresses a great question as to what happened when Doc went back to the future and how did he get the money for all the improvements to the DeLorean. It's actually pretty finally.

The final issue blew me away. It gave us Clara's story. I'd just always thought of her as the woman who married Doc Brown who was a schoolteacher, but Gale gives her a very moving and poignant backstory that draws on a lot of ideas from the movie and show the challenge she faced growing up a woman with her interests in the 19th century. It also offers more insight on Doc's trip to the dystopian 2015. This issue is outstanding and makes the entire book worth reading.

So overall, I'd give it a 3.5 star rating.



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The Incredibles: City of Incredibles by Mark Waid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


City of the Incredibles collects the first of the Incredibles story arc in their ongoing series. In light of Incredibles 2, all the comics have to be considered non-canon but that doesn't make them unenjoyable.

In Issue 0 we get to see a pre-movie Parr family awaiting the birth of Jack-Jack and heading to a Doctor who specializes in helping supers only to find bad guys in need of foiling, so Helen can get in and have the baby. In Issues 1-3, we meet some of the world's supervillains who are staging a comeback and hope to take advantage of Jack-Jack getting a virus that transmits superpowers.

Overall, this is a fun book. It feels very Silver Age with its villains and plot. It's not very deep at all, and it's more geared towards kids than the all ages feel of the movie. Still, for a fun read of non-canonical adventures with the Parrs, this is worth a read.





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Firefly: Legacy Edition Book Two by Joss Whedon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After the movie, fans of Firefly wanted to find out what happened next and the comics were declared canon, so that seemed like a good bet. Yet, Serenity/Firefly comics had given us two mini-series set between the TV show and the movie and a graphic novel providing backstory on the Shepherd and a few free comic book day one-shots all (except for one one-shot) set before the movie.

However, with this book, we finally catch up to the crew of Serenity, as we get two six-issue miniseries and a one-shot.

Leaves on the Wind: As the first mini-series ends Zoe's expecting, a new resistance movement is looking for Mal and the crew, and Jayne has gone home. They take Zoe to a hospital to deliver and the alliance captures her, and they have to figure out how to get her back. Leaves on the Wind is just perfect. It's a worthy continuation from the movie with great art, and perfect dialogue. Jubal Early and the Operative both appear and neither appearance feels like a gimmicky fan service idea, but rather they work well in line with the entire narrative.

The Warrior and the Wind: A short story where River is babysitting Zoe's baby and tells her a story, a fairy tale about the crew of Serenity and her dad in particular. It's a beautiful, very emotional story for its short length.

No Power in the Verse: In the second mini-series, times are getting even harder for the crew of Serenity and the jobs they can get even less profitable, they come to the rescue of a friend they met in the previous mini-series and find themselves caught between a ruthless rebel leader and a dangerous new force from the alliance that has designs on River. This is not quite as good as the first story, but its still solid, with a lot of interesting twists. Some character relationships are frayed and several characters shift in significant ways (including Mal) but I think the change is realistic.

Overall, this book was just superb and left me hungry for more. I hope Boom Studios eventually follows up on the foundation laid here, because this shows there are still a lot of great Firefly stories be told even if they can't be told on screen.



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