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Year One: Batman/Ra’s al Ghul

Year One: Batman/Ra's al Ghul 

By Devin Grayson, Paul Gulacy & Jimmy Palmiotti (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-254-1

Produced to cash in on the movie Batman Begins this run of the mill adventure is set after the death of the immortal Eco-warrior and criminal mastermind. Batman is sent on a quest to restore a dubiously ‘New Age-y’ balance to the Earth, which he inadvertently disrupted when he destroyed all of Ras al Ghul’s life-restoring ‘Lazarus Pits’, mystical chemical baths which would now appear to be the planet’s way of voiding detrimental energies.

Galvanised into action by a posthumous letter from al Ghul, and the distressing fact that all over the planet dead things and people are coming back to a ghastly semblance of life, Batman goes on a very pretty, monotonously action-packed but terribly silly rampage of action before he restores the natural order. Why haven’t all the mystical busybodies that guard the planet noticed before now? Where are Superman and the Justice League?

Rushed and ill-considered, and with plot holes you could drive a fleet of hearses through, this disappointing jumble from the usually excellent Devin Grayson will hopefully be soon forgotten. Surely this is one graphic novel that only the most non-discriminating Bat-fan could love.

© 2005, 2006 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Batman: Death and the Maidens

Batman: Death and the Maidens 

By Greg Rucka and Klaus Janson (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84023-951-4

One of the biggest problems with the truly iconic characters is that once their periodical adventures are over there’s the inevitable rush to collect the tale as a book. Sadly, a lot of these tales just aren’t that good.

Death and the Maidens deals with the destruction of possibly the last great Bat villain – Ra’s Al Ghul – due to the machinations of his daughters Nyssa and Talia. The latter has been yet another villainess/love interest for Batman since the 1970’s but Nyssa is new and as the tale progresses through a series of flashbacks the reader discovers the hell that the immortal mastermind has subjected her to over the centuries, and how she has responded.

The conveniently dying villain appears to Batman and offers to put him in touch with his dead parents through an (al)chemical solution in return for a cessation of the hero’s campaign of destruction on the sources of Al Ghul’s immortality. How logical is that?

I don’t care how screwed up he is by their death. No one as calculating as Batman stops a ten year all-out war with a monster who intends to destroy the human race – particularly one with a history of using chemical and bacteriological weapons – on the promise of a pharmaceutical séance, especially when he’s on the verge of winning.

More importantly it serves no purpose in advancing the narrative, but seems there solely as a way injecting some heroic angst into the mix. Long story short, after loads of trauma and action the girls succeed and Nyssa replaces her father as head of his organization, and therefore as Batman’s implacable foe. Any bets on how long he stays dead? Creators Rucka and Janson can do so much better.

© 2003, 2004 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Bolland Strips!


By Brian Bolland (Knockabout – Palmano Bennett)
ISBN 0861661508

Brian Bolland is probably one of the best artists in the comics biz, with a precise, almost super-real, photographic style that has won him many fans and probably just as many imitators. His work is meticulous and time-consuming, and indicative of a high degree of self-control. The man himself is gentle, quiet and self-effacing. If you’ve ever met him you probably came away thinking, “Wow! What a Nice, Quiet Guy,” and never for a moment thought that those are the sort of words most neighbours of serial killers use when rabid News-crews shove microphones under their noses during an interview scrum.

With this collection of strip work – not even blackmail or threat of physical force seems able to convince him to draw whole cartoon stories on a regular basis any more – we get a glimpse of the fevered mind locked behind all those ultra-fine lines and rock-solid visualisations. And what a mind it is.

Gathered together from such disparate sources as Escape, A1 and Vertigo comic anthologies, these strips are sly, clever and just plain witty inner explorations that have as much to do with Samuel Beckett, Alan Whicker, Viv Stanshall (for Mr Bolland too knows the sublime mystery of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (“Look over Walls! Wrestle Poodles… and Win!”) and Freud as it does with x-ray vision, spandex, gloved fists and winged boots.

Fans will be delighted to know that there are plenty of knockout naked women on hand, although you will be asked in a positively Crumb-like manner why you want them, as the lavishly rendered tales of The Actress and the Bishop give way to the introspective, therapeutic yet oddly engaging Mr Mamoulian, a loose, experimental and quintessentially English series of short picture essays that explore inner myths, and creativity, rendered directly into ink in a free-form manner and oddly reminiscent of John Ryan’s wonderful Harris Tweed strips for the Eagle.

Mr Bolland’s dark brand of whimsy can be experienced in the latter portion of the book with reprints from Vertigo’s Heart Throbs and Strange Adventures, where even the chore of taking the readership – Americans at that! – into consideration doesn’t fully quell the idiosyncratic nature of his writing. This is a jolly good book of comics.

Beautiful pictures that make you think. What a splendid idea!

© 2004 Brian Bolland except The Princes & the Frog/The Prince and the Witch, The Kapas 1999 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Ark Angels

Ark Angels 

By Sang-Sun Park (Tokyopop)
ISBN 1-84576-452-8

This is the tale of Shem, Hamu and Japheth, three magical sisters from another dimension who have a mission to save the Earth. With their individual spirit totems they must rescue the last surviving members of endangered or nigh-extinct animal species and remove them to a wondrous and improbable Ark. The matter is complicated by the fact that they can communicate with the souls of all animals, and quite frankly, they’re often as screwed up and obnoxious as human beings.

Their omnipotent Lord has charged them with this mission, as each saved species will contribute to the overall salvation of the planet and the universe. To further this divine plan he has placed the sisters in an average Earth school so that they can better understand the world. Naturally this leads to lots of joy and embarrassment of the sort beloved by school-aged manga fans everywhere, but there is also an ever present danger from an unknown enemy, and the sisters’ mundane travails are compounded by sinister counter-agents from their home dimension intent on letting – or helping – Earth die!

This Shojo manga – or story for girls – is a breezy wheeze that is a blend of Powerpuff Girls and Charmed with lots of beautiful creatures, humanoid and otherwise, being clever and dramatic by turns. Although probably not to everyone’s taste the combination of slapstick and schooldays humour, plus the uplifting sentiment and ecological message of this magical romance is quite likely to carry the most cynical reader along for the ride.

© 2005 Sang-Sun Park and Tokyopop K.K. All Rights Reserved.

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Villains United

Villains United

By Gail Simone, Dale Eaglesham & Val Semeiks (DC Comics/Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84576-232-0

One of the interlinked miniseries that form the protracted prologue to the Infinite Crisis publishing event, this book deals with a select band of super-criminals and their mysterious, anonymous leader who resist the mobilisation of the DC villains into an unstoppable organization.

Said Super-Mob, calling itself “The Society” determines to wipe out these independents and the result is an exceptionally cool caper tale where, since the Good Guys are Bad Guys, the best lines don’t get scooped up by the antagonists, and for once you can start your read genuinely not knowing who’s going to be breathing come the final curtain.

Gail Simone’s script is full of canny plot-twists and strong, credible characterisation, the art is smooth and dynamic, and the situation is refreshingly believable. Also invaluable are the “previously on” and “scorecard” sections that bring edited highlights and identifying cameos from other sources to the mix so that non-fanboys can keep the ninety or so characters in mind without suffering a debilitating embolism.

This is a great little book, and shows how modern, superhero comics can and should be done.

© 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Superman: Man of Steel 4

Superman: Man of Steel 4 

By various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-128-6

I thought I’d give this compilation series a belated and much-deserved recommendation when the latest volume thumped onto my desk. If I have such a thing as a regular reader out there, he/she/it probably knows I’ve been a fan of the character since 1962 or thereabouts. All of which meant that when DC announced a fundamental reworking of the Man of Tomorrow in the wake of their 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths project, I was more than a little alarmed.

Sure the big guy was in a bit of a slump, but he’d weathered those before. 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-latelys who would jump ship as soon as the next fad surfaced? That new Superman was going to suck.

He didn’t. After the six part miniseries by John Byrne and Dick Giordano, the saga returned to monthly titles Superman, Adventures of Superman and Action Comics – which latter acted as a fan-pleasing team-up book guest-starring other stars of the DC Universe. Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway joined Byrne to create thrilling and visually exciting, contemporary and even socially aware slices of sheer exuberant, four-colour fantasy that were impossible to hate. Superman had always been great, but he was once again exciting. Rivetingly so.

This volume features not only the usual quota of Superman tales (Superman 7-8, Action 590-591 and Adventures of Superman 430-431) but also includes two issues of the Legion of Super-Heroes (#37-38) to reprint a classic back-writing exercise that solved an impossible post–Crisis paradox whilst giving us old geeks a chance to see a favourite character die in a way all heroes should. Paul Levitz, Greg LaRoque and Erik Larsen augment the regular creative teams in a classy, unrepentant super-feast.

As I’ve previously mentioned, a major problem that most non-fans have with super-hero comics (apart from them actually having super-heroes in them) is the insane convolutions of in-house continuity. This all-readers-start-here opportunity to show doubters how good this genre can be is one all comics missionaries should exploit to the fullest. So that’s your wife/girl-friend/mother’s next present sorted then, no?

© 1987, 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Transformers: Maximum Force

Transformers: Maximum Force 

By Bob Budiansky, Jose Delbo and Frank Springer (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84023-955-7

Following directly on from Trial by Fire (ISBN 1-84023-950-6), this volume reprints issues #40-42 and #44-45 US Marvel monthly comic of the 1980s. The beleaguered Autobots seek to resurrect their deceased leader whilst dealing with the twin debuts of new character – and of course, toys – The Pretenders and The Powermasters!

The histrionic hokum is superbly augmented by tantalising behind-the-scenes features which might be the spark that ignites future Kirbys, Moores or Millers. Nice thought, no?

There just aren’t enough entry level comics for kids these days and it’s always a pleasure to see solid tales competently told and delineated. It’s great that comics have “grown up”, but we must treasure the golden age of reading, which is of course, seven to ten years old. Buy for your kids but don’t forget to check them out yourself.

© 2004 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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Transformers: Trial by Fire

Transformers: Trial by Fire 

By Bob Budiansky, Jose Delbo and Frank Springer (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84023-950-6

The Titan Books collections of the Transformers tales which took America by storm more than twenty years ago are worth another look as the Major Motion Picture looms large. Since the mutable mechanoids are experiencing something of a revival the publisher’s recent collections of the best of the UK comic adventures are also sound reading choices for the younger reader, and I’ll get to those too.

Trial by Fire reprints the four issue miniseries that introduced the “Headmasters” line of toys to the reading universe and numbers #38-39 from their US Marvel monthly comic of the 1980s. Fortress Maximus brings his war-weary band of Autobots to the utopian world of Nebulos, tragically leading the marauding Decepticons of the evil Scorponok there too.

The cosmic civil war of the Evil Decepticons and benevolent Autobots was the entry level strip for many of today’s most dedicated comics fans – and some professionals – and hopefully they can work their simplistic magic for the next generation too!

© 2004 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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Transformers: Perchance to Dream

Transformers: Perchance to Dream 

By Simon Furman & various (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84576-062-X

This digest-size (they’re calling them Manga Format these days) collection of the British-originated strip adventures of the shape-changing robots from the stars features tales from the weekly comic (issues # 230-233, 241-242, 255-260 and 287-289) published by Marvel UK in the 1980s and 1990s.

Simon Furman seems inextricably linked to the fortunes of the warring Autobots and Decepticons, and in conjunction with artists Jeff Anderson, Staz Johnson, Pete Knifton, Geoff Senior, John Stokes, Lee Sullivan and Andrew Wildman he concocts page after page of dizzying all-ages action for the young at heart.

The main body of the book deals with the manipulations of a mysterious mechanical mastermind who is trying to subvert the will of various Autobots by invading their dreams. Over six chapters Prowl, Silverbolt, Sunstreaker, Ironhide and Wheeljack face individual traumas before that insidious plot is defeated and the secret villain revealed.

The book’s theme is continued in a pastiche of Raymond Chandler’s classic Noir thriller ‘The Big Sleep’ as robotic private eye Nightbeat and his assistant Siren find themselves solving the mystery of an unidentified body on a beach in ‘The Big Shutdown’. The Autobot Micro-masters star in ‘A Small War’ on the home planet of Cybertron, and Thunderwing leads an ‘Assault on the Ark’, before the concluding tale of an ambitious (human) reporter out of his depth, closes the book on a lighter note in ‘Inside Story’.

Although originally targeted at younger children these tales are full of in-jokes and crafty wit, as well as the requisite action and ubiquitous strident name-checks and dramatic posturing, which makes them a comfortable read for any fan of the brand or comic strips in general.

© 2006 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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Spider-Girl: Legacy

Spider-Girl: Legacy 

By Tom DeFalco, Pat Oliffe, Ron Frenz, Al Williamson, Bill Sienkiewicz (Marvel)
ISBN: 0-7851-1441-6

Marvel has had precious few critical, not to say financial, successes since the dark days of the company’s brush with bankruptcy in the 1990’s. That hasn’t affected their long tradition of rapid reprinting. Case in point is this pocket paperback collection of the adventures of Peter Parker’s daughter.

Not that it’s the Parker we all know. In that aforementioned critical time Marvel tried everything to garner sales. One scheme was a pocket universe of titles featuring the offspring of mainstream characters such as The Avengers and Spider-Man. May “Mayday” Parker is the child of Peter and Mary Jane Parker whose super powers develop whilst she’s still a High-Schooler, giving writer DeFalco a chance to rehash the teen angst shtick of those hallowed – and successful – Lee/Ditko days.

What with disapproving parental units to dodge, vengeful enemies to tackle, lots of guest stars and the hell that has always been school days to wade through it feels like a pretty cynical attempt to recapture the glory days.

Worst of all is that it just doesn’t work. These are not memorable classics. They’re merely average fodder for comic book junkies and thus just like the proverbial Chinese takeaway. It’s fine going down, but ultimately fail to fully satisfy and you just end up craving something else.

Of course the comic series is the only survivor of that sidebar universe and I’m reviewing the first six issues as a graphic novel, so what do I know?

© 1998, 1999 & 2004 Marvel Characters Inc. All Rights Reserved.