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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Friday, August 26, 2005
Bright guys and dolls that you are, you have already figured out that yon above opening art means that today's edition of TOT is being turned over to readers who have e-mailed me with comments on my columns and polls. I do this out of a heartfelt desire to give you, the little people, a chance to be heard and a chance to shine. Or, if you're the cynical type, because a column like this one is fairly easy to write.
Shame on you for being so cynical.
On the other hand, if you bought the first reason, I have this fence that needs whitewashing.
Let's see what you have to say.
******
BLONDE PHANTOM, DOMINO LADY
Reading of my interest in Timely's Blonde Phantom, that oh-so-formal crime-fighter from the Golden Age of Comics, my pal ANTHONY TOLLIN sent me this note:
Well, if Marvel won't give you the assignment for a new Blonde Phantom comic, you could always do a Domino Lady revival, since the pulp character is reportedly public domain. My friend Rich Harvey recently reprinted all six of the original 1936 Domino Lady pulp stories (five from SAUCY ROMANTIC ADVENTURES and one from MYSTERY ADVENTURE) in a $14.95 trade paperback, with a new cover painting and graphic design by Steranko. This original pulp cover was painted by Norman Saunders, who later painted the MARS ATTACKS and BATMAN cards for Topps.
The Domino Lady wore that tiny domino mask and low-cut evening gown so people wouldn't recognize her as the beautiful Hollywood socialite Ellen Patrick, daughter of the slain district attorney.
Yeah, I know.
I'll have to score me a copy of that trade paperback, but, as for doing a DOMINO LADY comic book...
Some time back, Eros/Fantagraphics published a comic book by Ron Wilbur called DOMINO LADY. I don't know if it was supposed to be the same character as in the pulp magazine tales - I recall she wore less clothes and had much bigger breasts than the original - but I wouldn't want folks to confuse the relatively wholesome Ellen Patrick with an X-rated identity thief.
Not to fear. Just in case I don't get that call from Marvel, I have a character of my own waiting in the wings. I just need to settle a few character points in my own mind.
******
WHAT'S HAPPENED TO COMICS?
Our "Battle of the Big Two" poll questions brought this from JOHN PETTY, Director of Media Relations for Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers:
It's been a long time since I've had to abstain from nearly all the questions on one of your Tony Polls, but this one really did it. I wish you had included a third choice of "Neither" with each questions, as that would have been very helpful to me.
These questions really hit home for me, as I'm going through a period now where I'm feeling very distanced from the comics that I've loved for the majority of my conscious life. This subject has been debated at length on the CBG boards [www.cbgxtra.com] under the heading "House of M vs. Infinite Crisis," if you want to read all that, but here are my thoughts in a nutshell.
I've been reading comics steadily since about 1975, and off and on since about 1968. Comics taught me to read, and gave me an appreciation for literature and language that transcended comics. I'm a writer today because of the work of Stan Lee and the other writers of the Silver and Bronze Age (yourself included, of course. I still have fond memories of buying IT, THE LIVING COLOSSUS off the newsstand). I'm one of the fortunate few who have actually managed to turn my love of comics into a career, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.
However, over the last few years, I feel the comics I love(d) have been transformed into...something else, some kind of Bizarro version of everything that attracted me to them in the first place. Heroes have been replaced with psychopaths, warriors for truth and justice have been suddenly transformed into bloodthirsty, fascist maniacs. In short, comics just aren't fun anymore.
The mantra espoused by Dan Didio and Joe Quesada is that comics are now more "real" than ever before. Sorry, but I don't necessarily want "reality" when I'm reading about strange visitors from another planet who can fly and shoot lasers from their eyes. Give me Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru's METAL MEN, or Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's FANTASTIC FOUR, or Kirby's Fourth World books, or even Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo's SPECTRE series, or BLACK LIGHTNING (by that guy from Cleveland) or George Tuska's IRON MAN.
Whatever happened to the days when the creators were "Happy" or "Jazzy" or "Ring-a-Ding?" Whatever happened to the complete-in-one issue stories, as opposed to "writing for the trade?" Whatever happened to good, solid storytelling, in which the stories have beginnings, middles, and ends, instead of continual, interminable middles? Whatever happened to the days in which you could buy a copy of a comic featuring your favorite hero, and reasonably expect to see that hero appear in his own book? Whatever happened to the concept of Heroism, of Superman and Batman and Spider-Man being people we could look up to because they did the right thing, even when it would have been easier not to?
Supporters of the current trend say, "Well, the world today is a darker place than it was 30 years ago."
No, it's not. Just in the last 60 years we've seen World War II, the Cold War, Korea, Watergate, Vietnam, Kent State...do I need to go on? 9/11 was a tragic event, to be sure, but it wasn't the only tragic event we've come through as a country. If that's the excuse for making comics darker and less fun to read, I'm not buying it.
The upshot is that I'm buying less and less current comics, as I feel I'm no longer the target audience of Marvel or DC. When you ask, "Which company's books do you enjoy more," I'm hard pressed to answer. When you ask, "Which company is more respectful of its fans," I don't feel like either of them are. I feel that Marvel and DC have both betrayed the legacy that they were bequeathed by 60+ years of creative talent, in that they've cheapened and debased the very heroes they are supposed to uphold and protect. I get the feeling that more and more of today's writers and artists are actually ashamed to be writing and drawing comic books. They seem to have this attitude that being a comic book creator is somehow beneath them, and that they have to justify themselves as "graphic storytellers" or "screenplay concept visualizers" in order to get any respect.
Comics don't seem to be a form unto themselves anymore, just a vehicle for Hollywood money, and that's a shame. I think I liked this hobby better when the greater world ignored us and assumed we were all just a bunch of pathetic geeks living in our mother's basements wearing tinfoil hats. Now that we're part of the "cool crowd," I still feel like the pathetic nerd standing in a corner insisting that comics be fun again, while the hip crowd glares at me over lattes and HOUSE OF M tie-ins, snickering maliciously, secure in their belief that I just don't "get it."
Anyway, I'm sorry about the rant. Like I said, your polls hit close to home this time. Feel free to use any of this as column fodder is you're so inclined.
I'm also sorry to hear about the dry spell you're going through in regards to work. For what it's worth, I think you're an exceptionally talented writer with an extremely impressive body of work behind you, and it's just a matter of time before someone with the ability to publish figures that out as well. I have no doubt that this dry patch will be temporary and short-lived, and that you'll be back on top before you know it.
I refrained from answering the poll questions myself - I'll be running the results on Monday - but, if I had voted on them and if I had included "neither" as a choice, that's how I would've voted on the questions of respect for characters, creators, and readers. However, I wanted to learn if my readers perceived any appreciable difference between the companies in those areas.
I'm a reader and writer who prefers a healthy dose of reality in comic books. But I also prefer heroes who rise above whatever darkness exists in their worlds and, indeed, within themselves, to do the right thing, to set a positive example, to show their worlds that there is a better way.
As a side note, our own world is not lacking in heroes...from Cindy Sheehan...to the American soldiers conducting themselves with far more courage and integrity than the lying cowards who sent them into harm's way...to those who bravely oppose bigotry even when it is cloaked in religion...to the thousands of other everyday heroes we see every day of our lives. I do see a dark and dangerous world more often than I would like, but it is still a better and brighter world than we see in many comic books.
Excuse my mini-rant, but I do so love the smell of liberalism in the morning. It smells like righteousness.
Thanks for your kind words about my writing, John, and thanks to you and all the other TOT readers for spending a part of their days with me.
I'll be back on Monday with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 08/25/2005 | 08/26/2005 | 08/29/2005 >>
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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:
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