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Superman: The Man of Steel

Superman: The Man of Steel 

By John Byrne & Dick Giordano (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-84576-128-6

When DC Comics decided to rationalise and reconstruct their continuity with Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985 (ISBN: 1-84023-267-6) they used the event to regenerate their key properties at the same time. The biggest gun they had was Superman and it’s hard to argued that the change was not before time.

The big guy was in a bit of a slump, but he’d weathered those before. So how could a root and branch retooling be anything but a pathetic marketing ploy that would alienate the real fans for a few fly-by-night Johnny-come-latelies who would jump ship as soon as the next fad surfaced? This new Superman was going to suck.

He didn’t. All the Superman titles were cancelled or suspended for three months, and yes, that did make the real world media sit-up and take notice of the character for the first time in decades. But there was method in this corporate madness.

Beginning with the six part miniseries Man of Steel, written and drawn by mainstream superstar John Byrne, and inked by venerated veteran Dick Giordano, the experiment was a huge and instant success. So much so that when it was first collected as a stand-alone graphic novel in the 1980s (now redesigned and re-released as volume 1 of an ongoing series) it became one of the industry’s premiere ‘break-out’ hits. From this overwhelming start the character returned to his suspended comic-book homes with the addition of a third monthly title premiering that same month.

Superman, Adventures of Superman, and Action Comics (which acted as a fan-pleasing team-up book that guest-starred other favourites of the DC Universe) were instant best-sellers. So successful was the relaunch that by the early 1990’s Superman would be able to sustain four monthly titles as well as Specials, Annuals guest shots and his regular appearances in titles such as Justice League. Quite a turnaround from the earlier heydays of the Man of Steel when editors were frantic about not over-exposing their meal-ticket.

The collection itself tells six stories from key points in Superman’s career, newly reconstructed in the wake of the aforementioned Crisis. Starting with his escape from Krypton, his years in Smallville and his first recorded exploit, then his first meeting with Lois Lane and joining the Daily Planet, we get a rapid re-education of what is and isn’t canon.

The third chapter recounts his first meeting with Batman, and the fourth introduces the new Lex Luthor. By the fifth issues Luthor was his greatest foe and this story deals with the creation of Bizarro as well as introducing Lois’ sister Lucy. The final chapter reveals to us and the Man of Steel himself, the secrets of his Kryptonian origin and affirms his dedication and connection to humanity.

John Byrne was a controversial choice at the time, but he magnificently recreated the exciting and visually compelling, contemporary and even socially aware slices of sheer exuberant, four-colour fantasy that was the original Superman, and made it possible to be a fan again, no matter your age or prejudice. Superman had always been great, but Byrne had once again made him thrilling. Rivetingly so. These stories are well worth your time and your money. A must have for any serious collector and reader.

© 1987, 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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CSI: Bad Rap

CSI: Bad Rap 

By Max Allan Collins, Gabriel Rodriguez & Ashley Wood (Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-84023-799-6

The real world Sin City of Las Vegas is as much about show biz as it is gambling, so when a hot new Rap star kills a kid, but is himself murdered before he can be arrested, it’s a criminal matter, but is it also all about money and prestige?

The creative team once again puts the ensemble cast through its paces in an intriguing plot-driven whodunit, rife with twists and turns and, of course a mounting pile of fresh corpses. Fan of the TV show will welcome the cool efficiency of the protagonists, as do I, since it’s a welcome antidote to the overly emotive histrionics prevalent in many comics today.

Good to see crime comics in such a healthy condition, and this is a sharp argument for more licensed properties going the four-colour route.

© 2004 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Alliance Atlantis Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Chronicles of Conan vol 9: Riders of the River Dragons

Chronicles of Conan vol 9: Riders of the River Dragons 

By Roy Thomas & John Buscema, Val Mayerik and others (Dark Horse Books)
ISBN: 1-84576-138-3

This collection of classic Conan reprints features tales from the lusty barbarian’s time as a buccaneer on Robert E. Howard’s analogue of the coasts of Africa. First up is the extended Tarzan pastiche ‘Riders of the River-Dragons’ (originally published in Marvel’s Conan #60-63) in which our hero and his first true love, the Pirate Queen Bélit, battle savage natives and a knowing knock-off of the Jungle-Lord called Amra of the Lions.

This is followed by ‘Fiends of the Feathered Serpent,’ loosely based on one of the author’s non-Conan tales “The Thunder-Rider,” and features more blood-thirsty natives and hellish magic on a mist-shrouded isle. The next story is adapted from Howard’s horror short “Out of the Deep,” illustrated by then-newcomer Val Mayerik and a score of deadline-busting inkers, as Conan recounts a truly chilling account of his younger days when a coastal village was invaded by an monstrous interloper from the briny depths.

‘The City in the Storm’ and ‘The Secret of Ashtoreth’, adapted from the novella Marchers of Valhalla, delve into the murky arenas of politics and religion to close the book, as John Buscema returns to illustrate a classic tale of lost cities and scurrilous priests. As always the guiding principle is breakneck action, beautifully drawn and engagingly written. Dark Horse’s new colouring techniques add incalculable value to the art and as always, Roy Thomas’s fascinating and informative Afterwords are an eye-opener for historians and fans alike.

These hearty slices of derring-do are classy and undemanding servings of good old-fashioned fantasy fun, always worth re-reading and a superb treat for first-time readers.

©1975, 2005 Conan Properties International, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Comics Creators on X-Men

Comics Creators on X-Men 

By Tom DeFalco (Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-84576-173-1

This concoction of pop-cultural history from ex-Marvel Editor-In-Chief Tom DeFalco gathers together the reminiscences of a broad band of those creative types that turned the X-Men from a quirky cult-comic into the multi-media branding juggernaut of today. From Lee and Kirby, via Roy Thomas and Neal Adams, through the Cockrum, Claremont and Byrne years, and beyond to the dramatic re-thinkings of Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, the articles are peppered with personal anecdotes, and a frank bewilderment at what the franchise now means.

This is a thoroughly readable, heavily illustrated companion tome that doesn’t really add anything to the collecting of X-Men comics, but does give some salutary insights into working on a major comic book title. Released to coincide with the release of the third X-Movie, it nonetheless still has interesting meat for the dedicated fan.

© 2006 Tom DeFalco. All Rights Reserved.

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Comics Creators on Fantastic Four

Comics Creators on Fantastic Four 

By Tom DeFalco (Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-84576-053-0

There’s something of a misunderstanding inherent in this line of products that give the inside skinny on the process of creating some of most popular comic characters. Many people I’ve spoken to will eventually admit that a big factor in these books’ appeal is the slim possibility that the reader might stumble onto The Secret.

I think it’s fair to suggest that most people reading comics harbour strong desires to actually work in comics, and after twenty-five years teaching comics skills to a variety of ages, I can reveal the answer to those hungry urges is work hard to improve, persist — and be very, very lucky.

So why buy this book? If it can’t teach you how to write like Warren Ellis or Mark Waid, or draw like Jack Kirby or Jim Lee what use is it? If it doesn’t teach you a secret hand shake or how to get a submissions editor to answer your letter, what’s the point?

The point is certainly knowledge. But that answered question is not “how”, it’s “why”.

Why has a certainly unoriginal concept lasted so long and generated so much good work from so varied a band of creators as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott, Roy Thomas, Keith Pollard, John Byrne, Doug Moench, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Walter Simonson, Ralph Macchio, Mike Wieringo, Warren Ellis, Jim Lee, Paul Ryan and Mark Waid among so many others?

Why devote so much time and energy and zeal to something so ultimately transient? That is a question all would-be creators should be asking themselves.

As a jolly, nostalgic cultural coffee-morning reminiscence this book is a welcome slice of approachable documentary. We comic fans will read, and nod or demur at someone’s opinion, and ponder sagely at the minutiae revealed by this stellar list of comic makers.

I know I did.

© 2005 Tom DeFaco. All Rights Reserved.

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Catwoman: When in Rome

Catwoman: When in Rome 

By Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-4012-0432-5

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale continue their continuity reworking shenanigans with this vivid, if lightweight, piece of eye-candy that discloses what Selina Kyle got up to between the end of Batman: The Long Halloween (ISBN: 1-5389-469-6) and Batman: Dark Victory (ISBN: 1-56389-738-5).

Confused, and on the run, Catwoman and the Riddler fly to Italy to escape the wrath of the Gotham City Mob and to track down a new lead into the secret of the slinky one’s (and that would be Selina, OK?) lost and anonymous parentage, only to find themselves co-opted into a major heist whilst trying to avoid being killed by what seems to be Batman’s (other) worst villains.

It’s a stylish homage to Film Noir and Gangster chic, with the odd overtone of late Hitchcock, and readable enough, but lacks the strength and vivacity of the regular Catwoman books, especially those by Brubaker and Stewart, and is not a patch on The Long Halloween.

Such a long-lived and well-rounded character is worthy of more than tinsel and whips, surely?

© 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Crescent Moon vol 1

Crescent Moon vol 1 

By Haruko Iida – story by Red Entertainment/Takamura Matsuda (TokyoPop)
ISBN: 1-59182-792-2

This slight fantasy manga features the trials and tribulations of Mahiru Shiraishi, a young girl who seems to have the peculiar ability to lend luck to whoever asks for it. Perhaps as a consequence of this, she leads a sad unlucky life herself.

All this changes when she meets the mystical ‘Lunar Race’ – kids who are actually demons in the shapes of Werewolves, Vampires, Foxes and Bats. They reveal that she is the descendent of a human princess who once loved and betrayed a demon boy, and enlist her aid to recover the source of all their power – the “Teardrops of the Moon” which have been stolen. Can she help these wonderful beings and expiate the sins of her ancestors and race before it’s too late?

Gently blending schoolgirl drama, romance, real world adventure and high fantasy, this is a charming fairytale in the traditional manner, and suitable for older kids of all ages.

© 2000 Haruko Iida. © RED 2000. English text © 2004 TokyoPop Inc.

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Batgirl: Kicking Assassins

Batgirl: Kicking Assassins 

By Andersen Gabrych & various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-203-7

Following on from the events of the Batman: War Games quartet of novels, this volume sees Batgirl relocated to the notorious Gotham City suburb of Blüdhaven, for a measure of autonomy but still the same old high-octane crime-busting. Also new in town is arch Bat-foe the Penguin, who is seeking to carve himself a new criminal empire free of the depredations of the Dark Knight.

That’s pretty much all the scene setting you need for these eminently readable action romps, collected from issues #60-64 of Batgirl’s own monthly magazine. In short order she establishes her own sanctum, resources and snitches as she strives to clean up those wicked streets.

En route she tackles assorted thugs, learns a few lessons from Batman’s sometime assistant Onyx, battles the bizarre criminal band known as the Brotherhood of Evil and narrowly survives an encounter with the super-assassin Deathstroke the Terminator, who has his deranged daughter, the Ravager, in tow.

Light on plot but wonderfully packed with martial arts mayhem and snappy dialogue, this just book buzzes with simple heroic exuberance. This is a light snack to offset some of the more ponderous and pompous super-hero fare.

© 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Batgirl: Destruction’s Daughter

Batgirl: Destruction's Daughter 

By Andersen Gabrych & various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-327-0

The adventures of this particular incarnation of Batgirl (Cassandra Cain, daughter of the world’s deadliest assassin, full face mask – post No Man’s Land – if you’re keeping count) conclude with a martial arts and parental-angst ridden melee as the reading impaired super-heroine goes on a quest to discover her mother’s identity only to fall in, and afoul of, the daughter of Batman’s greatest foe and a somewhat unimpressive new League of Assassins.

Muddled and slapdash, this story (comprising Batgirl #65-73) feels as if it was axed half way through, and as the comic was cancelled with that 73rd issue that may well be the case.

For completists only, I fear.

© 2005, 2006 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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DNAgents: Born Orphans

DNAgents: Born Orphans 

By Mark Evanier & Will Meugniot (About Comics)
ISBN: 0-9716-3387-8

Every twenty years, give or take, there seems to be a burst of comics creativity that raises the overall level of the industry and also helps sales. We’re about due for another any minute now, in fact.

The last time was the mid 1980s, and one of the first hits of the then nascent direct sales market was a series called DNAgents. Creators Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot told sharp superhero/sci fi tales of corporate skullduggery resulting from the creation of artificial teenagers with wonderful powers and a built-in sense of alienation guaranteed to appeal to the X-Men/Teen Titans set.

Lots of cheesy and salacious semi-nudity and Evanier’s sharp, sardonic scripting didn’t hurt either. Now the stories are being collected in black and white pocket sized editions and they actually stand up pretty well. A bonus is that this series created a true ‘lost classic’ character.

Crossfire – a shabby gumshoe/bail bondsman who stumbled into super hero-dom debuted as a support character in this series, and his own adventures – by Evanier and the magnificent Dan Spiegle was one of the high points of the decade.

Lets all look forward to the republishing of all those stories too. In the meantime you could do worse than track down these sly, sharp and savvy alternatives to the X-Men and Teen Titans.

© 1983, 2004 Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot