|
|
Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
Current TOT >>
TOT Archives |
About Tony |
Message Board
TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Monday, June 27, 2005
  
Hey! Where's Superman?
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced the Man of Steel to a soon-to-be-adoring readership in ACTION COMICS #1 [June, 1938]. It took several issues before the publishers of the magazine realized Superman was a super-star and made him the permanent cover feature. That lasted for nearly fifty years.
ACTION COMICS became ACTION COMICS WEEKLY with its issue #601 [May 24, 1988]. Superman starred on but two of the comic book's 48 pages, in a feature designed to resemble a Sunday newspaper strip. Written by Roger Stern, it revolved around a cult of Superman-worshipers. It was penciled by Curt Swan with inks by John Beatty. I recall the story has having a good concept, subsequently weakened by its confining length.
Supes did get the cover of ACTION COMICS WEEKLY #606. Though there was no date on the Kerry Gammill/John Nyberg cover, this was the June 28, 1988 issue of the title.
Five other series were running in ACTION COMICS WEEKLY during June. Green Lantern starred in a depressing serial which saw the brutal murder of a long-time supporting character - naturally, the character was a woman - and pretty much unrelenting misery for Hal Jordan and his friends. Writer James Owsley would later change his name to Christopher Priest for reasons doubtless unrelated to this serial. Gil Kane was the initial artist, but Tod Smith pencilled the final chapters.
The Secret Six serial was written by Martin Pasko and drawn by Dan Spiegle. As I recall, it began with a reunion of the original Six and the recruitment of a new team. Most of the originals were killed. One of the surviving originals, whose son was a member of the new team, was searching for Mockingbird. Or he might have been Mockingbird. Gee, I really liked the *original* SECRET SIX comic book a whole lot more than this sequel.
Deadman's serial was written by Mike Baron, pencilled by Dan Jurgens, and inked by Tony DeZuniga. It started with the ghost of Boston Brand foiling a CIA drugs-for-guns run with the surprising revelation that the CIA section chief could see Deadman. Because she was possessed by a demon or villain named Talaoc, apparently no relation to artist Gerry Talaoc who drew some Deadman stories. And Deadman visited Hell for a chapter or two. Gee, I really liked the *original* Deadman stories in STRANGE ADVENTURES.
It's not just the mediocre stories I can't remember. All that I remember of the Max Allan Collins/Terry Beatty character Wild Dog is that a) he was a vigilante whose true identity remained a secret until the finale of the mini-series which introduced him, b) that I liked that mini-series and this ACW serial, and c) that I loved and wore the promotional t-shirt with Wild Dog's insignia until it went to t-shirt heaven.
Blackhawk was the fifth series to debut in the new ACTION COMICS WEEKLY. It wasn't as sexy as the Howard Chaykin mini-series which preceded it, but I recall it being just as cynical with the added attraction of Cold War paranoia. But, hey, we know what my memory's like when it comes to the late 1980s and, for that matter, virtually the entire 1990s. However, we can be relatively certain - mostly because the GRAND COMICS DATABASE [www.comics.org] says so - that Blackhawk was written by Mike Grell and pencilled by Rick Burchett.
Our salute to Superman has but three days to go. We'll be in 1993 tomorrow and I may make up my own story to fit whatever cover we run. We all create our own realities.
******
COMICS IN THE COMICS
I'm not a huge fan of Darby Conley's GET FUZZY, but the strip does have its moments. During the week of June 6-11, Satchel Pooch created a super-hero called Powerpooch and began writing adventures of this character. Satchel claimed to have written 25 stories of his character before Rob Wilco - his owner? - pointed out that he'd only written 25 titles.
That was the best joke of the week. The June 11 finale landed smack dab into "Comics I Don't Understand" territory.
You can read the entire sequence - and follow the strip on a daily basis - by heading here:
www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html
Lots more COMICS IN THE COMICS to come.
******
TONY POLLS
Every Tuesday, I post new TONY POLLS questions for your voting entertainment. In mid-June, you were asked to pick your favorite of DC's pre-INFINITE CRISIS mini-series...as well as your favorite first-season episodes of JUSTICE LEAGUE, STATIC SHOCK, TEEN TITANS, and THE BATMAN.
Here are the results of that balloting...
DC is publishing four pre-Infinite Crisis mini-series. Now that you've had a chance to read an issue or two of them, which is your favorite?
VILLAINS UNITED.....47.92%
OMAC Project.....31.25%
Rann/Thanagar War.....12.50%
Day of Vengeance.....8.33%
I voted for VILLAINS UNITED, though it does suffer from DC's apparent "no outsiders allowed" philosophy when it comes to their super-hero universe. I reviewed THE OMAC PROJECT #1 in the now-on-sale COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1607, and one or two issues of the other three in not-yet-published CBG #1609.
JUSTICE LEAGUE. Which first-season story of this series was your favorite?
THE SAVAGE TIME.....38.49%
Legends.....17.57%
The Brave and the Bold.....14.86%
Secret Origins.....9.46%
In Blackest Night.....6.76%
Injustice For All.....4.05%
Metamorphosis.....4.05%
War World.....2.70%
Fury.....1.35%
A Knight of Shadows.....1.35%
Paradise Lost.....1.35%
The Enemy Below.....0%
This is one of the few times I voted for the top choice in the "favorite episodes" questions. I tend to favor those smaller and more personal stories over the huge epics.
So why did I go with THE SAVAGE TIME here? Because World War II was a real event. Even seeing it portrayed in such a fantastic manner didn't take away from its essential reality. And, if you're not buying that reason:
Steve Trevor! Sgt. Rock! Blackhawks! The War Wheel!
Need I say more?
STATIC SHOCK. Which first-season episode of the series was your favorite?
SONS OF THE FATHERS.....24.39%
Shock to the System.....17.07%
Replay.....9.76%
The Breed.....9.76%
They're Playing My Song.....9.76%
Aftershock.....7.32%
Bent Out of Shape.....4.88%
Junior.....4.88%
The New Kid.....4.88%
Winds of Change.....4.88%
Tantrum.....2.44%
Child's Play.....0%
Grounded.....0%
I voted for "JUNIOR" in this category. There were a number of fine episodes, but the fate of Edwin Alva's namesake son haunted me for days after I saw the episode. I didn't recall who had written this episode and deliberately didn't check until after I had cast my vote. It was Dwayne McDuffie.
I should have known. That McDuffie's phone isn't ringing off the hook with offers from editors and/or publishers is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the comics industry.
TEEN TITANS. Which first-season episode of the series was your favorite?
MAD MOD.....31.58%
Apprentice.....15.79%
The Sum of His Parts.....10.53%
Nevermore.....8.77%
Deep Six.....7.02%
Masks.....7.02%
Car Trouble.....5.26%
Divide and Conquer.....5.26%
Forces of Nature.....3.51%
Sisters.....3.51%
Switched.....1.75%
Final Exam.....0%
Once again, I voted for the winner. Adam Beechen's "MAD MOD" was just too much fun. I had to vote for it.
THE BATMAN. Which first-season story of the series was your favorite?
THE CAT AND THE BAT.....22.45%
Bird of Prey.....12.24%
Rubberface of Comedy/Clayface of Tragedy.....10.20%
The Big Heat.....10.20%
The Bat in the Belfry.....8.16%
The Big Chill.....8.16%
The Man Who Would Be Bat.....8.16%
Call of the Cobblepot.....6.12%
Q & A.....6.12%
Topsy Turvy.....4.08%
The Big Dummy.....2.04%
Traction.....2.04%
I voted for "THE BIG HEAT" by Christopher Yost and J.D. Murray because of its emphasis on Bruce Wayne. The Batman and the Firefly go at it for the action sequences, but the truly compelling battle is a desperate Bruce Wayne fighting to keep Gotham City's charity work from being taken from his late father's Wayne Enterprises and given to another outfit. I've never been a fan of the "Bruce Wayne as mere mask" theory of the Dark Knight.
Today is your last full day to vote on the current TONY POLLS. Besides asking you to choose your favorite second-season of Justice League, Static Shock, and Teen Titans, I also have a pair of BATMAN BEGINS questions for you. Cast your votes at:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
Look for new TONY POLLS questions tomorrow.
******
TONY'S MAILBOX
Thursday's column prompted this e-mail from my friend ANTHONY TOLLIN, who was DC's color coordinator from 1976-1981:
In writing about ACTION COMICS #484, You neglected to mention cover colorist Tatjana Wood, who also colored the interiors of this issue. It was one of her fairly rare super-hero jobs. Tatjana far preferred coloring mystery or war stories, but was always a trooper and helped us out when we needed a top-tier colorist to color this special anniversary issue. Tatjana colored virtually all of DC's covers from 1973 - when she took over the cover duties from Jack Adler upon his promotion to production manager - through late 1981 when I went freelance and the covers were evenly split between Tatjana and me.
BTW, DC president Sol Harrison colored most the big tabloid comic-book covers. Sol's final cover was the wraparound LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES cover by Mike Grell; Sol co-colored that cover with Adrienne Roy. Adrienne colored the subsequent tabloid covers under Sol's close supervision.
I don't usually mention the colorists - and letterers - of the comics I write about because I usually don't have anything new to say about their work. I tend to notice coloring when it's really exceptional or really terrible. The same with lettering. However, whenever I can provide useful comment or information, or share the useful comments or information of the professionals and readers who write to me, I'm happy to do that.
******
MORE FROM TOLLIN
After seeing BATMAN BEGINS, I posted to my message board that I thought it was probably the best DC Comics movie of all, but that I would have to watch SUPERMAN again to be sure. In response to my comment, Tollin wrote:
I think I prefer SUPERMAN II to the first Christopher Reeve movie, mostly because it pits the Man of Steel against the Phantom Zone villains. I found Luthor way too campy in the first film. I have always thought the first film would've been more cohesive had it featured Superman battling his father's greatest enemies, rather than utilize the GODFATHER stunt-casting of Gene Hackman as Luthor, re-teaming him with Marlon Brando and scriptwriter Mario Puzo.
However, I would also place the 1951 SUPERMAN VS. THE MOLE MEN in the running. While it lacks the elaborate special effects and name stars of the 1970s-80s films, it portrays a serious Superman in a battle against prejudice and intolerance, truly fighting for "truth, justice and the American way." Of course, it was produced by DC Comics and Robert Maxwell, whose ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN radio series had taken on racial and religious intolerance and even the KKK. The 1951 film doesn't descend into camp as the first of the Chris Reeve films did.
I'm not sure I wouldn't choose BATMAN BEGINS as "the best DC Comics movie of all time," but I wouldn't dismiss the movie that introduced George Reeves as Superman either.
Tollin followed up with this note:
I watched SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN again and am even more impressed with the serious social issues it raises. Considering it was produced four years before the murder of Emmett Till sparked the Civil Rights movement, it deals with prejudice and intolerance - and attempted lynchings - in a way that must have courted a lot of controversy at the time. It's a "B" science fiction film to be sure, but it deals with serious social issues in much the same way as THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.
By the way, did you ever notice the intentional significance of Klaatu walking among humankind as "Mr. Carpenter" in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL? I have to admit that particular bit of Christ symbolism escaped me until I read about it in interviews with the screenwriter. I did recognize other elements (messiah descends from the heavens to deliver badly-needed message to humankind, walks among men, is betrayed by a supposed friend, is executed and resurrected before ascending back into heavens), but had missed the significance of Klaatu's alter ego.
My friend, it's always a pleasure to run your notes here. I'm impressed and sometimes astonished by your wealth of knowledge in so many different areas. Thanks for writing.
Thanks also to all of you for spending part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 06/24/2005 | 06/27/2005 | 06/28/2005 >>
Discuss this column with me at my Message Board. Also, read Heroes and Villains: Real and Imagined.
Recent Columns:
| NEWEST | Finale (06/22/2010) |
| 06/17/2010 | I review Siege |
| 06/16/2010 | Linda Gold 1949-2010 |
| 06/15/2010 | Everett True Tuesday! |
| 06/14/2010 | I review The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks #1: Secret Identity Crisis, Secret Identity Crisis: Comic Books and the Unmasking of Cold War America and The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us. |
| Archives >> |
Current TOT >>
TOT Archives |
About Tony |
Message Board
|
|
THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
Please send material you would like me to review to:
Tony's Online Tips
840 Damon Drive
Medina, OH 44256
|
|
Anything Goes Trivia
