Author: Now Read This

By Dan Jurgens & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-670-2

This Skip Week enterprise has been collected and revived due to its inclusion in the expanded DC Universe following the events of 52 and Countdown. A “Skip Week”, if you don’t know, was one wherein no regular comics would be released. This was due to the arcane fact that some five week months clash with regular printing and shipping schedules. Publishers like to ship on the same day/date each month if possible, but the vagaries of the calendar mean that about four times a year the stars just aren’t right. In the 1990s savvy companies, realising that we fans need our fixes, began timing special events for these periods.

The Tangent Universe was a specific re-imagining of DC concepts as tribute to Editor Julius Schwartz, whose invention of the practice created the Silver Age of Comics in 1956. Writer/artist Dan Jurgens was instigator and head imaginer for the nine one-shot titles that launched in 1997. The experiment was repeated in 1998 with another set of one-shots.

So what’s the difference?

In 1962 The Atom, an American superhuman fails to prevent the Cuban Missile Crisis which results in an exchange of nukes. Although he limits the destruction the world is forever changed. Everything from Cuba to Florida is vaporised. Atlanta is destroyed, but eventually rebuilt as New Atlantis. In the oceans the radiation mutates marine life, creating intelligent new species. As a political result the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 is met with American military intervention. The Soviet Union is ideologically strengthened and still controls half the world. It is a world of advanced science, powerful Magic, and fewer freedoms than ours; a much darker place than we’re used to.

This initial volume collects Tangent Comics: The Atom, Tangent Comics: Metal Men, Tangent Comics: Green Lantern, Tangent Comics: The Flash and Tangent Comics: Sea Devils with the balance of the 1997 releases collected in volume 2.

The Atom story ‘Truth’, by Jurgens and Paul Ryan, focuses on the debut of the squeaky clean grandson of the original nuclear superhero, but swiftly reveals the dark sordid truth of the Cuban Event. This look at the nasty underbelly of this world sets the thematic scene for all the titles, which have been created for a much more cynical and pessimistic audience than those of the 1950s.

The Metal Men is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Mike McKone, Mark McKenna and Mick Gray. ‘Secrets & Lies’ reveals the story of a US Special Ops unit whose exploits during the 1968 War saved the Free World, and how those men have continued to affect it since. Green Lantern, ‘From Beyond the Unknown’ sees a mysterious woman whose Magic Lantern can revive the dead to conclude unfinished business in a seemingly unconnected set of tales by James Robinson, J. H. Williams and Mick Gray whilst The Flash tells the bright and breezy story of oh-so-modern Lia Nelson, teen actress-slash-model who just happens to be made of light. ‘Premiere’ provides a welcome change of pace and tone amidst the dire intrigue from Todd DeZago, Gary Frank and Cam Smith.

The final adventure is by Kurt Busiek, Vince Giarrano and Tom Palmer. Sea Devils is the name given to mutated sea-creatures born in the wake of the Cuban Nuclear Exchange. ‘Devils and the Deep’ is a tale of teen-age alienation as the new generation of Sea Devils seek their place both in the human and sub-sea worlds, led by the heroic, moody and charismatic Redfin, son of the awesome Ocean Master, who rules the irradiated depths.

These are tales for a bleak and disillusioned audience, and there is a crying need for an over-reaching narrative arc, but they are still very readable and their inclusion in both the Hyper-Time concept and latterly as part of the 52 Multiverse (their world is Earth #9 if you’re keeping tabs) underscores their relevance to the official DC universe.

© 1997-1998, 2008 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

By Brian Michael Bendis & various (Marvel/Panini UK) – UK EDITION
ISBN13: 978-1-905239-81-8

This collection gathers the Avengers tie-ins to the Marvel Crossover Event Civil War in which a super-hero confrontation results in huge collateral losses including a school and its occupants, provoking a panicked government to rush through legislation to register every super-being. Those who resist are guilty of treason.

This immediately divides the super-hero community, with Captain America as the most prominent dissident and rebel. Each of the five chapters spotlights one Avenger and progresses through the weeks and months of the crisis. Collecting issues #21-25 of the New Avengers comic book series, the implementation of the Superhuman Registration Act begins with an look into the heart of the Sentinel of Liberty, illustrated by Howard Chaykin, before moving on to focus on ex-convict Luke Cage (this one drawn by Leinil Yu), who is forced to separate from his wife and new baby to make a stand.

Spider-Woman is the focus of the next chapter as her links to terrorist organisation Hydra are finally clarified in an issue drawn by Olivier Coipel. Sentry and a guest shot by the Inhumans mark a turning point in the saga (illustrated by Pasqual Ferry with help from Paul Smith) before Iron Man takes centre-stage for a tense, beautifully illustrated (by Jim Cheung) but rather confusing final part.

These are well-delineated, edgy episodes that are designed to personalise the Civil War amongst the super-human community, and in parts they work wonderfully well. But unless you are a dedicated follower of the titles involved and read this book in close conjunction with the main text (Civil War – ISBN: 978-1-905239-60-3) you will have only the vaguest notion of what is going on.

© 2006, 2008 Marvel Characters Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Jean de Brunhoff (Egmont)
ISBN: 978-1-4052-3819-9

Jean de Brunhoff’s beautiful, whimsical characters return in Babar The King (first published in France in 1933 as Le Roi Babar) as the forward-looking monarch and his bride, with the dedicated help of the Old Lady, begin civilising and modernising the Kingdom of the Elephants.

Soon the wonderful city of Celesteville is completed, with broad streets, magnificent civic buildings, parks, gardens, theatres, ports and every amenity to delight and edify the populace. There is even a brand new school, but that is not so popular with every citizen!

Now every elephant has a job and vocation, but even such a paradise is capable of misfortune and they must all pull together when a great fire ravages the house of King Babar’s great friend and advisor Cornelius!

Charming and seductive, these venerable adventures are still capable of setting pulses racing and this third volume of the new Egmont editions is a must have item for the young of all ages. In a crowded market it’s good to see books that are both fresh and yet still comfortingly pedigreed.

2008 Edition. All Rights Reserved.

By various & Ramona Fradon (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-943-4

One of the few superheroes to survive the collapse at the end of the Golden Age was a rather nondescript and generally bland looking chap who solved maritime crimes and rescued fish and people from sub-sea disasters. Aquaman was created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris in the wake (Sorry – I simply could not resist) of Timely Comics’ Sub-Mariner, and debuted in More Fun Comics #73 (1941).

Strictly a second stringer for most of his career he nevertheless continued on beyond many stronger features, illustrated by Norris, Louis Cazaneuve and Charles Paris, until young Ramona Fradon took over the art chores in 1954, by which time Aquaman had moved to a back-up slot in Adventure Comics. She was to draw every single adventure until 1960.

In 1956 Showcase #4 (see The Flash: Archive Edition Volume 1, ISBN: 1-56389-139-5) re-fired the public’s imagination and zest for costumed crime-fighters. As well as re-imagining Golden Age stalwarts, DC undertook to remake some of its surviving superheroes such as Green Arrow and Aquaman. Records are incomplete, sadly, so we don’t know who scripted the revamp (“How Aquaman Got His Powers!” – Adventure Comics #260, May 1959) nor many succeeding tales, although Jack Miller, George Kashdan, Robert Bernstein and Bob Haney all worked on the strip.

From that issue the hero had a new origin – offspring of a lighthouse keeper and a woman from the undersea city of Atlantis – and eventually all the trappings of the modern superhero: Themed hideout, sidekick and even super-villains! In this volume are 22 adventures that cover that period of renewal and two of Aquaman’s three full-length tryouts from Showcase which eventually led to his own title and even a brief shot at animated TV stardom.

Always captivatingly illustrated, the stories range from simply charming to simply amazing examples of all-ages action that ranks alongside the best the company could offer at the time. ‘Aquaman Duels the Animal Master’, ‘The Undersea Hospital’, ‘The Great Ocean Election’, ‘Aquaman and his Sea-Police’, ‘The Secret of the Super Safe’ and ‘Aquaman Meets Aquagirl’ are all fine, entertaining tales but with Adventure #267 the editors tried a novel experiment.

At this time Adventure Comics starred Superboy and featured two back-up features. ‘The Manhunt on Land’, saw Shark Norton trade territories with Green Arrow’s foe The Wizard. In a rare crossover both heroes worked the same case with Aquaman fighting on dry land whilst the Emerald Archer pursued his enemy beneath the waves in his own strip. ‘The Underwater Archers’ was illustrated by the great Lee Elias.

In the next issue ‘The Adventures of Aquaboy!’ we got a look at the early years of the Sea King, and following that a permanent sidekick, Aqualad, was introduced in ‘The Kid from Atlantis!’ In quick succession came ‘The Menace of Aqualad’, ‘The Human Flying Fish!’, ‘Around the World in 80 Hours’, ‘Aqua-Queen’ (scripted by Jack Miller), and the intriguing mystery ‘The Interplanetary Mission’.

Originally appearing in Adventure Comics #275 – a few months after the debut of the Justice League of America in The Brave and the Bold #28 – the story concerned a plot to secure Kryptonite from the sea-floor. Although Superman did not appear the threads of shared continuity were being woven. Heroes would no longer work in insular solitude.

‘The Aqua-thief of the Seven Seas’, ‘The Underwater Olympics’, ‘Aqualad Goes to School’, ‘Silly Sailors of the Sea’ and ‘The Lost Ocean’ were a fairly mixed bag which just served to set the scene for a Big Event.

In Showcase #30 (January-February 1961) Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon expanded the origin of Aquaman in the full-length epic ‘The Creatures from Atlantis’, wherein extra-dimensional creatures conquer the sunken civilisation. From this point on the fanciful whimsy of the strip would be downplayed in favour of a more character-driven drama. The final Adventure Comics story in this volume (from #282) is a tense thriller entitled ‘One Hour to Doom’ before we bow out with the first appearance of Nick Cardy who would visually make Aquaman his own.

‘The Sea Beasts From One Million B.C.’ (Showcase #31, March-April 1961) is a wild romp of fabulous creatures, dotty scientists and evolution rays that presaged a new path for the King of the Seas, but that is for another time and another volume.

DC has a long and comforting history of gentle, innocuous yarn-spinning with quality artwork. Ramona Fradon’s Aquaman is one of the most neglected runs of such accessible material, and it’s a pleasure to discover just how readable they still are. Why not treat yourself and your youngsters to a timeless dose of whimsy? You won’t regret it.

© 1959, 1960, 1961, 2003 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

The Illustrated History of the Statue of Liberty

By Henry Gibson & Alfredo P. Alcala (Blackthorne Publishing, Inc)
ISBN: 0-932629-45-8

I’m a sucker for the unusual and a stickler for quality so how could I resist reviewing this impressively informative and readable graphic novel from 1986?

Produced in conjunction with a documentary TV special, actor/writer Henry Gibson scripted this slim album (48 pages) to commemorate the anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, for which comics superstar Alfredo Alcala turned in one of the best art-jobs of his illustrious career. In a tale markedly devoid of fist-fights and chases, the magical monochrome pages reverberate with grandeur and solidity as they recount the passionate quest of French sculptor and artisan Frederic Auguste Bartholdi to build a monument to match and even surpass the monolithic achievements of the ancient world’s Seven Wonders.

Simple, concise and surprisingly compelling, this is a superb example of the educational power and potential of the comic page. This is yet another book that should never be allowed to go out-of-print.

© 1986 Liberty Features International, Inc. Packaged and produced by S. Richard Krown and Richard Cramer. All Rights Reserved.

Adapted by Tsai Chih Chung , translated by Alan Chong (Foreign Languages Press?)
ISBN: 7-80028-904-4

Here’s another irreverent and sassy adaptation of Chinese Literature from cartoonist and film-maker Tsai Chih Chung, whose newspaper strip boasts more than 40 million readers worldwide.

Journey To The West is considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. It is attributed to Wu Cheng-en and was most successfully abridged and translated as Adventures of the Monkey God, A Folk Novel of China and The Adventures of Monkey by Arthur Waley. (The others, if you’re interested are Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh – also called The Water Margin, and either Dream of the Red Chamber – better known as The Story of the Stone – or The Plum in the Golden Vase/Golden Lotus depending on whether you’re a literary critic or an historian).

Buddhist monk Xuanzang goes on a long pilgrimage to India to secure religious texts, accompanied by Monkey, Piggsy, Sandy and a Demon Prince who atones for his past sins by becoming the Monk’s horse. The story has remained popular for centuries due to its brilliant combination of comedy, action, adventure, allegory, philosophy and satire. It’s a tale that can be read on many levels.

In this first volume we see the birth of the irrepressible Sun Wukong, called Monkey, from a magic boulder atop Flower-Fruit Mountain, and how after becoming king of all the simians who live there he goes to Heaven to become an Immortal. After learning their ways and aggravating almost all of the Gods and Demons in creation he is chastised by the Buddha and eventually sent as a monk’s bodyguard to retrieve Sacred Scrolls from the fabled Land in the West (believed by most scholars to be India.).

There are more respectful graphic adaptations than this ebullient and jolly interpretation, but even so the gag-a-day format still informs and elucidates as well as amuses. In a style very similar to Sergio Aragones, Tsai Chih Chung repackages the action and wisdom of China’s mythical and imperial past in funny, exuberant and contemporary instalments, his greatest weapons puns and a manic use of creative anachronism.

One word of warning: Although the cartoons are translated into English (with Chinese subtitles) and copiously footnoted to explain points of detail, literary style, and even some of the more obscure puns – and there are so many – the English captions have a few spelling and grammatical mistakes. If you’re particularly picky about punctuation this might drive you mad, but do try and go with the flow because this is a fun look into a world classic cultural landmark.

Who knows, it might even entice you to read the original book or a recognized translation?

© 2006 – Tsai Chih Chung – presumably – my computer can’t reproduce the Mandarin symbols, I’m sure they know who they are. If anyone can tell us we’ll happy correct this oversight. All Rights Reserved, I suspect.
Available from Guanghwa Company Ltd. Email: info@guanghwabooks.co.uk

By Jack Kirby, Dick & Dave Wood, Wally Wood & Dick Ayers (Pure Imagination Publishing)
ISBN: 1-56685-009-6

Sky Masters of the Space Force is a beautiful strip with a chequered and troubled back-story, which you can discover for yourself when you buy the book. Even comics-god Jack Kirby spent decades trying to forget the grief caused by this foray into the newspaper strip market during the height of the Space Race before finally relenting in his twilight years and giving his blessing to collections and reprints.

I’m glad that he did because the collected work is one of his greatest achievements, even with the incredible format restraints of one tier of tiny panels per day, and a solitary page every Sunday. Fifty years later this hard-science space adventure is still the business!

Against a backdrop of international and ideological rivalry turned white-hot when the Soviets successfully launched Sputnik in 1957, the staid George Matthew Adams syndicate decided to finally enter the 20th century with a newspaper feature about space. After approaching a reluctant DC Comics (then known as National Periodicals Publications) a deal was brokered, and Jack Kirby, inked by Wally Wood – later to be replaced by Dick Ayers – and initially fed scripts by the brothers Dick and Dave Wood (no relation to Wally), began bringing the cosmos into our lives via an all-American astronaut and his trusty team of stalwarts.

The daily strip debuted on September 8th 1958 and ran until February 25th 1961 (a scant few months before Alan Shepherd became the first American in Space on May 5th), and the Sunday colour page told its five long tales (The Atom Horse, Project Darkside, Mister Lunivac, Jumbo Jones and The Yogi Spaceman) in a separate continuity from February 8th 1959 until 14th February 1960.

Sky Masters, burly Sgt. Riot, astronaut’s daughter Holly Martin and her feisty brother Danny (who do they remind me of?) were all introduced in The First Man in Space and the human tragedy of that moody tale informs all the following stories, even as grim yet heady realism slowly grew into exuberant action and fantastic spectacle. Sabotage, Mayday Shannon, The Lost Capsule, Alfie, Refugee, Wedding in Space, Weather Watchers and finally The Young Astronaut form a meteoric canon of wonderment that no red-blooded armchair adventurer could possibly resist.

This volume also contains an abundance of essays, commentary and extras such as sketches and unpublished art, which more than compensates for the Sunday pages being printed in black and white.

Quite honestly I can’t be totally objective about Sky Masters. I grew up during this period and the “Conquest of Space” is bred into my sturdy yet creaky old bones. That it is also thrilling, challenging and spectacularly drawn is almost irrelevant to me, but if any inducement is needed for you to seek this work out let it be that this is one of Kirby’s greatest accomplishments. Now go enjoy it…

© 2000 Pure Imagination.