A Late Review of the Latest Superman Movie

            This is the last review you will read of “The Man of Steel”, I would guess. It has been out for several weeks, but I saw it during the July 4^th week. And yes this contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen this movie yet and are still concerned about reviewers ruining the movie for you … then go see the damn thing before reading any more reviews.

            I was off work; the wife was not. So I spent the day shopping and thought an afternoon in a theater would be nice.

            But what to watch? "Giant Whoredog Corporate Blockbuster CGI Slagheap 3" (to quote artist Stephen Bissette on the latest batch of pornographically violent films)? There was not much else to select at the nearby multi-temple. 

            I decided on the new Superman movie, called “The Man of Steel”. I’ve read many reviews raving for it and ranting against it. Most of the people whose opinions I trust did not like it.  

            I expected to hate the movie. I even brought a pen and paper to write down my thoughts while watching; not having my lovely wife next to me to act as Crow to my Tom Servo.

            I liked it very much. I didn’t love it.  I wasn’t gaga and oohed and aahed at the prospect of this igniting a multi-movie franchise. But it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

            Comparisons to previous Supermovies is not fair, but it IS expected nowadays. I liked MoS (as it shall be hereinafter called in this little treatise) as much as I hoped to have liked “Superman Returns” from 2006 - the last big-screen treatment of the character. I was so hoping that movie would do well and be a wonderful experience. “Returns” had its moments – some wonderful moments – but it ended up being a forgettable movie. What was considered a “sequel” to the first two Christopher Reeve-Superman movies ended up being a rehash of the first Reeves movie.         

            Before seeing MoS, I considered it a rehash of the second Reeves movie. Zod and his gang of Kryptonian thugs are bent on conquering the earth. MoS was a little more than that, but that is the plot in a nutshell.

            In the meantime we get a retelling of Krypton’s last days, Zod’s relationship with Jor-El, Kal-El’s life as a youngster on earth and his first few experiences as Superman.

            Reviews of MoS said the flick was dark and brooding, Batman-ifying the Big Red “S”. I bristled at the thought. I still bristle at the thought of Batman being turned into Brooding Sociopath Man. I didn’t want to see Superman turn into a dick.

            One of the first lines in the film has Jor-El speaking to Zod, who was leading a Kryptonian coup d’etat. “I will honor the man you were, not the monster you have become.” I wrote that down. What a perfect line to describe the dark Superdick I will spend the next two hours with…

            But I was happily surprised. Is the film dark? Yes. Is Superman himself dark? No. Here is Superman the way he should be, and the way he has always been portrayed on film so far – our honest and noble protector.

            When Zod threatened the earth with destruction if Superman (at that time a mysterious super-powered benefactor) did not reveal himself, Superman did so.

            When he protected the soldiers who were firing at not only him but Zod’s militant thugs, Colonel Hardy (played by Christopher Maloni with the same unlikeableness with which he infused Detective (un)Stabler in Law & Order: SUV (sic) said “this man is not our enemy”. Superman was grateful.

            (Incidentally, Maloni’s best moment was the look on his face when he realized he was getting in a knife-fight with a Kryptonian but still did not back down. His sacrifice to destroy the terraforming machine was canny. Well done, but expected. I was saddened that the sacrifice also had to include the woefully underutilized Richard Schiff. I would have loved to see him as a regular in the franchise.)

            In between all the explosions and CGI destruction were Superman’s relationships with both sets of parents. His birth-mother Lara was given more lines and emotions than in any previous movie or even the comics. She came this close to refusing to allow Kal-El to go to earth. It was very moving, especially to this new parent. I can barely imagine what she must have gone through.

            Superman got to speak to a simulacrum of his birth father Jor-El, rather than a pre-recorded Marlon Brando made up to look like Charlie Rich. Superman got to actually speak with his birth father.

            For the past two decades Jor-El was portrayed as cold, emotionless and on the cusp of evil – all of Krypton was. This Jor-El, played by Russell Crowe, was noble – a hero that a son could emulate. 

            And although this Krypton was portrayed as a dystopia, it was still sad to see its inevitable end. It’s message of conservation seemed forced; although the skyline view of Krypton’s moon in pieces was, well, kinda cool.

            In the Bronze Age of comics (and before) – Superman’s adoptive parents, the Kents, were dead by the time he became Superman. It was a sober moment and reflected in Superman’s persona. “Despite all my powers, I couldn’t save them.” Superman will do his best to protect us, but there are times when he cannot. It is a basic tenant of his personality.

            Since 1985, when the Modern Age began, comic lore has ordained that his mother has survived. In MoS, Martha Kent has also survived to see his son become Superman. I have mentioned in previous blogs this is not necessarily a bad thing, but his moral compass is now external, not internal. Why would you need a Fortress of Solitude when you can go to Mom’s house for a slice of sympathy and apple pie after defeating Throgg the Omnipotent?

            His relationship with Jonathan Kent was more complex here – Kent was played quite well by Kevin Costner. Rather than encourage Kal-El (or Clark Kent) to use his powers nobly for the benefit of mankind, Kent tells his son to be wary – people will be afraid of him. This is more a reflection of today’s society, I think. During the Reeve’s movies and before, Jonathan Kent and Jor-El would be in agreement: you have tremendous powers, you must prepare yourself to use those powers to benefit mankind. This Jonathan Kent would have preferred Clark wear a mask and hide his tracks. I was pleased to see him proven wrong. “This man is not our enemy.”

            Jonathan Kent’s death was the second most controversial part of MoS. My impression from other reviews fed into the “dark” Superman – callously allowing his father to die to prove a point. It wasn’t that way – Jonathan Kent prevented his son from saving him. Kent knew his son was not ready to reveal himself. It was a powerful scene and well done – it showed Superman doing what a superhero is supposed to do. He obeyed his father.

            This led to a period of wandering – I was led to believe this; I don’t know if that is the case or not. Wouldn’t that make a wonderful TV series? Sort of like the 1970s “Incredible Hulk” – a lone stranger wanders into town, resolves a crisis and wanders off again. A “Smallville” on the road…

            I expect he came home frequently. His mother’s reaction to seeing him is hardly that of a mother who has not seen her son in 15 years. She was almost casual about him walking down their driveway. “Why didn’t you tell me, you could have picked up a gallon of milk on your way…”

            There were a few undeniable religious symbolisms and comparisons. Superman-Moses parallels are something of a joke nowadays, but MoS” went a bit further.

            Superman was 33 years old during the film. Like Jesus, he spent 30+ years in the world as one of us before revealing himself. When Zod makes his threat to destroy the world unless the son of Jor-El surrenders, Clark takes solace and advice from a minister in a church. Presumably this was the church he went to in Smallville. As he talks to the minister, his headshot is framed with Jesus to his right facing away from him slightly above and praying with his face and arms pointing upwards. It makes a stair-step: right to left going up – Superman, Jesus, God. If you’re going to do a shot like that – that is the way to do it. Any other way would be awkward or raise eyebrows and create a controversy Warner Brothers did not need. What if Jesus was “below” Superman? What if he was above but praying in the direction over Superman’s head – making a strange triangle (Superman directly below God and Jesus off to the side?).

            My friend Clyde, whose blog about recent superhero movies can be read here, http://playmst3kforme.blogspot.com/, told me WB sent MoS study guides to churches. It would be interesting to see them. I googled the subject and found a few …

            The most controversial part of the movie came at the end in the final confrontation with Zod. Superman had to break the general’s neck to stop his killing civilians with his heat vision. Superman begged Zod to stop (I don’t recall if he used the magic words “please”) and screamed in frustration when the deed was done. It was overlong – to show us how much Superman agonized over the decision. I didn’t mind that – if the scene was done quickly one could argue Supes’ callousness in killing. The argument came anyway, but at least the callousness wasn’t obvious. Batdick, Punisher or Lobo would have snapped his neck an hour ago…

            “Superman doesn’t kill,” critics of the scene wrote. True. Very true. As with the death of Jonathan Kent, I was expecting Superman to be indifferent or even gleeful as shown by the brooding sociopathic “heroes” mentioned above and other so-called “heroes” DC, Marvel and independent comics have been vomiting up since the 1990s. 

            Superman could have thrown Zod into the Phantom Zone or tricked Zod into entering the Zone or destroying himself or his powers (remember how that was resolved in Reeve’s Superman II?), but that is not the way for the fans of “Giant Slagbag Bucket of CGI Ticks 6” (another Bisette-ism) who the producers of MOS need to attract to make money.

            A few minutes showing Superman’s regret would have resolved this. The trouble is, the filmmakers couldn’t linger on such regret. They would need to balance Superman’s facing his decision with his wallowing in pathos. “Oh woe is me.” Rend, rend…

            Perhaps a short scene with General Swanwick … “Have you ever had to kill?”

            “Yes, many times…”

            “How do you think about that?”

            “I don’t think about the people I had to kill, I think about the people I protected.”

            Or something like that.

            Or a brief flashback with his father. Jonathan Kent would have been old enough to serve during Viet Nam (Costner was born in 1955, just a bit too young, but his character could have been five years older…). Perhaps his war experience is what infused his fear of humanity.

            So that is my view of the film. I liked MOS as much as I was hoping to like “Superman Returns”. I was as disappointed in “Superman Returns” as I was expecting to be disappointed in MoS. Will it be as iconic as the Reeve’s movies? No, but that is hardly fair to compare it to those films. Well, the first two at any rate.

            Now, what about a sequel?

            I hope to god they stop with Reeve’s “Superman II”. If “…Returns” was a remake of Reeve’s I and MoS was a rehash of II … well, let’s stop there. Let’s get some new ideas, shall we?

            “Luthor in the sequel! Luthor in the sequel!” So scream the corporate-boot-licking-uberwonks from their parents’ basements.

            No. Luthor is as overused as the Joker.

            The trouble is, who else is there? Braniac? All during the CGI destruction shown in MoS I imagined how these effects could have also been used to show Braniac trying to shrink and “steal” Metropolis. The Lovecraftian-mechanical tentacles would have fit Braniac’s machinations too. A pity. The last thing a franchise needs is such repetition for its second film.

            Clyde came up with a wonderful idea. Bizarro. And in between slugfests we could see Clark Kent interact with his coworkers. We’ll get to know and understand the cast. Perhaps empathize with them.

            What am I saying …

            Some final thoughts:

            1) I like the idea of Lois Lane knowing Clark is Superman from the beginning. She could even help protect his identity. I got tired of the constant toying around with this even as a kid reading the comics. She’s an investigative reporter. She should know. I always felt that way about Commissioner Gordan and Batman.

            “How did you find out I was Bruce Wayne?”
            “I’m a detective, too. A good one.”

            “Obviously…” 

            “Are you going to use your Bat-Amnesia Spray on me?”

            “I’m not that Batman; I’m the Batman that will break every finger until you swear not to tell anyone.”

            “I’ve known for years and haven’t told anyone yet … OW! You dick! OW! Stop it! Ow! Shouldn’t you be killing off another Robin? Ow!”

            2) Perry White is now a black man?  “What’s his middle name – ‘Ain’t’?”

            Well, why not? Lawrence Fishburne did a wonderful job and fits the role well. As with most comics, especially those created in the Golden and Silver Age, the lack of non-caucasian characters is embarrassing… Comparisons with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury are unavoidable. Tokenism?  Maybe, but as with Fury, it didn’t seem to be a case of “Quick, Africanize someone! Anyone!” Perry White is black. Okay, let’s move on…

            3) Near the end we saw a flashback of a young Clark Kent playing along the laundry-line posing in a cape.  Um, who was he supposed to be emulating?

            In this Superman-less world without superheroes, who was there to pretend to be? I imagine a “Watchmen”-like world where comic books were horror, war, teen and funny animal books only.

            Where else would he turn for imaginary heroes?

            Comic strips? The Phantom? He didn’t wear a cape.

            Pulps? Doc Savage? Ditto. Crime-fighters who wore capes were of the Shadow and the Spider mold – and they were hardly Good Guys. I doubt young Clark stood there, puffed out his chest and said “The seed of crime bears bitter fruit…”

            I avoided getting into arguments about this issue on Facebook with children born after the Modern Age in 1985. DC declared that Superman had only been around ten years while the other heroes of WWII (and before) existed before. The Golden Age Wonder Woman and Black Canary were the mothers of the “current” heroines.

            “He could have been pretending to be members of the Justice Society of America or All-Star Squadron.” They forget their history - if not for Superman, there would have been no JSA or, um, ASS.

            Besides, if there WERE superheroes in this MoS continuity; then why was Superman’s existence such a surprise?  “Who saved the children in the school bus?” “It was probably Hourman passing by.”  “Who was the mysterious stranger at the oil rig?” “Neptune Perkins, I guess.” “Oh, okay, case closed.”

            Now that Superman “exists” in this MoS world, it will be interesting to see how his presence affects this world. Which of Superman’s fathers will be proved right? It will make the upcoming sequels interesting.  In between scenes of CGI Pop Slough (thank you again Mr. Bissette …)

Original material copyright 2013 Michael G Curry

The Synergy of Science Fiction and Horror: the lost potential of “Event Horizon”.

                The film “Event Horizon” was on television over the weekend. I saw it in the theater when released in 1997 and I wondered if it was really as laughably bad as I remembered it.

                Time has mellowed my opinion of it. It wasn’t bad.  It wasn’t good either, but it wasn’t bad.

                Some of the movie’s worst crimes mellowed on the small screen; by that I mean the cheap scare tactics weren’t as bad when not amplified. When I left the theater in 1997 I told my friend (and fellow movie-attendee) Jon, “Next time let’s save some money. Instead of paying to see this movie, we should just randomly startle each other every two or three minutes and achieve the same effect.”

                This led throughout the night and the next week or so with our conversations peppered with the following routine.

                “Jon?”

                “Yes?”

                “BOO!!”

                That was the total sum of the scariness of “Event Horizon” – build-up, build-up, build-up, soundtrack getting more and more ominous ... and then … and then …

                The music stopped, the character’s fear was unfounded. The strange thingie he thought was approaching him was … nothing. Sigh of relief.

                Boo!  Oh no! The thingie attacks!

                Actual scene – Sam Neil hears his dead wife’s voice. The lights fade in and out. “Sara?” Lights on, Sam is on the right of the screen. Lights go out. Lights go on. Sam is still alone. Music swells.

                “Get it over with!” I shouted.

                Lights go up. Nothing. He turns to his right. Oh no! The ghost of his dead wife is to his right, not left! Music swells! He screams! The horror! The horror!

                A member of an as-yet-undiscovered tribe in the Amazon would see that coming. And the movie is filled with this tactic.

                I still dislike the movie despite the amazing cast. Sam Neill, Lawrence Fishburne, Kathleen Quinlin, Joely Richardson, Sean Pertwee (the son of Doctor Who’s Jon Pertwee) and a pre-Draco Malfoy Jason Isaacs.  Richard Jones overplays the black crewmember in all his token glory. He was the first one I wanted to go… Of all the shortcuts taken in this movie his was the worst. The other characters at least TRIED to appear three-dimensional. It was obvious the writers, producers and directors could not handle horror. They apparently can’t handle a black character that possesses dignity and self-respect either. The film made LL Cool J from “Deep Blue Sea” seem like Poitier…

                I was (and am) disappointed. With the right tweeking here and there it could have been a horror masterpiece up there with 1963’s “The Haunting” and perhaps even passing that OTHER famous scary sci-fi movie … the mother of them all ... but more on “Alien” in a moment.

                Horror and science fiction fit very well together. It’s like peanut butter and jelly. Some like peanut butter with other things, some like jelly with other things, some like only one and not the other, some like neither. But you cannot deny their popularity as a team.

                Or compare it to two brothers who are identical yet a decade apart in age.  They go together even though at times they are vastly different.

                “Frankenstein” is arguably the first science fiction novel. If so it is definitely the first science fiction/horror novel.

                Of course, a movie or a book with science fiction elements doesn’t make it science fiction; no more than a book or movie with scary moments makes it a horror flick.

                If that were the case “Godzilla” and almost every monster movie would be labeled “sci-fi/horror”. They are monster movies. Some are very good monster movies, but not sci-fi/horror.     (“Deep Blue Sea” could be considered a sci-fi/horror film, but it was more of a monster flick…)

                Any sci-fi/horror blend has to be compared to the movie “Alien”. Isn’t that a monster movie too? In a way, but only in the way that a serial-killer movie is a monster movie. If “Alien” is a monster movie, then so is “Silence of the Lambs”.

                “Alien” had horrific situations folded in science fiction trappings. Want an easy way to describe it? “Jaws” in space. Or better – “Halloween” in space.

                But making it that simple misses the greatness of the movie. In “Alien” we have solid characters (not necessarily likeable one, which is important) and truly frightening and/or intense scenes. Hitchcock would have approved of the monitor scene. The alien is shown as an electronic blip slowly approaching the captain in an access crawl space. We see it coming and all we can do is what Ripley did, “Run! He’s getting closer!”

                It is good science fiction and scary as hell. The sequel “Aliens” is also a good movie, but it is works better as an action movie than a horror movie. That’s not a bad thing, but it does make a difference. You watch “Aliens” to be thrilled and cheer on the good guys, not to be scared or creeped out.

                The bad guys in “Event Horizon” were originally written to be an alien race. The movie-makers wanted to wisely avoid the “Alien” comparison and decided to get their horror from another vein. They went Lovecraftian.  The pitched it as “The Shining” in space.

                This is why I had such high hopes for the film. The few moments of true creepiness were overshadowed by “the startle” – the cheap way to get a scare (“Boo!”).  They should have let a horror writer come up with ideas.

                Ironically, Sam Neil appeared in one of the most genuinely scary movies out there - “In the Mouth of Madness”. A flick firmly ensconced in the Lovecraft/Stephen King mold. Plus it was directed by John Carpenter. That kind of fear-making should have been incorporated into “Event Horizon”.

                I’m reminded of an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” called “Night Terrors”. The crew finds a missing Federation starship as a derelict with the crew missing (except one). They discovered that the crew of the missing ship killed each other and the Enterprise crew starts exhibiting the same symptoms – paranoia, violence and hostility. That’s the plot of “Event Horizon” too…

                There are moments when the “Star Trek” could have been horrifying. When Dr. Crusher was in the morgue with the dead crew of the missing ship, she hallucinated the bodies had sat up (the audience never sees the bodies move). She clenched her eyes shut and the scene pans out to show the bodies lying on their slabs again.  I waited for the next inevitable moment, but it never happened. The show moved on to the next scene.

                The bodies should have flailed.  They should have thrashed around while the doctor screamed her pretty red head off. A scary moment missed.

                That was “Event Horizon” – the scary moments were right there. Right. There. Ready to be exploited. But it went for the “Boo!”

                Or it went for the gore. Evisceration is not scary. The before and after, if done right, can be.

                A shame, really. Such potential. That’s why I still don’t like “Event Horizon”.

Copyright 2013 Michael G. Curry

Cover Charges: My favorite comic book covers…

     

               Recently Facebook pages and groups devoted to comic books have listed “Top Ten Comic Book covers” from professionals and fans.

               My friend Clyde and I discussed this topic one Saturday night and resulted in his blog post that you can view here. http://playmst3kforme.blogspot.com/2013/06/weve-got-you-covered-10-great-comic.html

               I stand by what I said. It would be very hard to do. But as I flogged my memory it became easier. I ended up with quite a long list. I could either go with comic book covers that have become iconic – Brave & Bold #28, Amazing Fantasy #16 and Action Comics #1 …

               I could have gone with comics that I love as a work of art, such as this beauty – Batman #241 with
art by Neal Adams. It’s a comic I do not own, but is definitely one of my favorite covers. Wow!

              

               Or this famous cover from World’s Finest #7 from the 1940s. It’s another comic I do not own, but it IS one of my favorite covers. If only because it never fails to elicit a sophomoric giggle. Hee-heehee-

hee…

               Robin does look quite proud, doesn’t he?

               I wanted to do something more personal. These are ten comic book covers that made me want to buy the comics. Something about the cover attracted me enough to say, “Oh I’ve got to get that.” Some are iconic, some are beautiful pieces of art; some just pressed my buttons (in a good way). If a comic book cover is supposed to entice you to purchase and/or read it, these worked … for me …

               You may notice the distinct lack of Marvel comics. This is because I did not read much Marvel growing up. I got most of my comics for free from Sparta Printing – who printed National Comics (they officially changed their name to DC Comics in 1976), Harvey and Archie. So Marvel comics were only picked up in the grocery store.

               And all of the comics were from the 1970s. This was when I was a boy into my very early teens; comic book covers mattered more to me than they do now. I haven't been excited by a comic book cover in many decades. Maybe older and wise, maybe not.  A cover may intrigue me but it is the interior art or story that catches my imagination. That is too bad, I suppose, but it helps keep impulse buying in check...

                Someone might say, “How could this cover excite you? It’s silly! Now Spiderman #28 – THAT gave me the willies!”  Really? Tell me more about it! I'd love to read your lists!

               So these are personal favorites only. Maybe someday I’ll do my favorite list of “iconic” or “classic” covers, but for now, this is all about me! Haha!

               These are in no particular order:

Superman vs Spider-Man: the Battle of the Century. 1976.  What comic book fan did not soil themselves upon seeing this cover? Even the house ads in other DC and Marvel comics brought a chill. It was this iconic cover with the words, “THIS … SAYS IT ALL!!” It helped that it was a rollicking good read that lived up to the hype! The cover was by Carmine Infantino (layout), Ross Andru (finishing and pencils) and inked by Dick Giordano – all hall-of-famers.

               Occasionally a comic cover lives up to its hype. This is one of them.

Superman #317. 1977? Neal Adams art. A later part of a multi-part issue, which was a better-than average story; so I would have gotten the issue anyway.  , but I was so wooed by the cover! An angry Superman!?  Wouldn’t you run away, too?

               Adams is a wonderful artist. Look at those muscles.  You can almost hear the cords creak as Superman flexes…

Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-56). 1978. How can you look at this and NOT say, “Oh, I’ve got to see what the hell this is about…”. Iconic cover by Neal Adams. He was asked to redo this for a millennial-end issue of “Sports Illustrated” with the 20th century’s greatest sports legends. Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan boxed in that one. Babe Ruth was in the forefront. In the audience were Sandy Koufax and a legion of others.

 

Superman Family #182, 1978? Neal Adams art. Are you sensing a theme here? This was DC’s first “Dollar Comic”. A dollar? For a comic book? Yeek! It would blow the budget of any teenager, but I couldn’t resist the cover. The stories inside ranged from great to mediocre. Neal Adams draws Supergirl.  Ooo-la-la. Plus it had Krypto on the cover. 

               You gotta love Krypto!

Marvel Team-Up #74. 1978. “Is this a joke?” Talk about a cover that

screams “I’ve GOT to get this one.” Art by Dave Cockrum & Marie Severin. A fun issue that never wallowed in silliness.

Justice League of America #137. 1977. Ernie Chua (Chan) pencils and Frank McLaughlin inks.

               Nowadays Superman and Captain Marvel (Shazam) fight each other annually. But this was the first time they shared a story – how could I resist it? It was also the first time they “really” shared a cover (earlier comics had Supes “introducing” Cap or their posters were hanging side-by-side, that sort of thing…).
              This was part 3 of the traditional JLA/JSA team-up with Cap and other Fawcett characters appearing and fighting alongside our favorite heroes. It was the first time I had heard of or read about Spy Smasher and Ibis the Invincible – who have gone on to become two of my favorite comic book characters!

  

Batman #253. 1973

Oh.

My.

GOD!!!

Mike Kaluta art (no one – NO ONE – would have been able to do this better).

Richie Rich and Casper #1. 1974. Artist unknown. Oh, wow! Together! Oh, WOW, said my nine-year-old self!

               The story was fun and the artwork well done. Surprised to see a non-superhero comic on the list? Me too. But I still remember how thrilled I was seeing this and reading it. Forty years later I still remember the entire series with fondness.

Detective Comics #468. 1978? It’s hard to believe this is the only comic on this list drawn by my beloved Jim Aparo, inked by Tatjana Wood.

               The Calculator! Over the past five issues this villain fought other DC heroes in the back-up feature (Green Arrow, Hawkman, etc. – all of them beaten and lying unconscious on the cover) and NOW he’s fighting Batman in a book-length battle! I was so excited seeing this cover when it came out! Great conclusion to a fun story line! It is in no way an iconic cover or a legendary story – but this youngster loved it!

Star Wars #1. 1977. Cover by the legendary Howard Chaykin, inked by Tom Palmer.

               Great cover as always by Chaykin, especially considering the flood of Star Wars comic art to come. But imagine the impact of this cover on this 12 year old kid …  

               Star Wars? As a comic book? Star Wars! As a comic book! STARWARSASACOMICBOOK!! “Earl to Aisle 3, Earl to Aisle 3. We have another boy passed out in front of the book stand. Earl to Aisle 3.”

Oh, ok, one more.

Batman #291. 1979 or 1980? Look at this beautiful Jim Aparo art (I felt bad about only having one other Aparo cover on the list and this issue immediately sprang to mind…). Tatjana Wood again inked.

               The cover made me snap this up – only to find out it was part one of four! Rats! Even so, it was a great story arc. I wish it would be released in a graphic novel. The Bronze Age gets a bad rap nowadays and that is too bad. There were some wonderful stories that a lot of fans missed during that late-1970s era. This is one of them!

Honorable Mention:  Power Records, 1975. This is not a comic book, but dig the cover! Another Neal Adams classic. When I saw this album I had to have it! It took the Beatles (or my discovery of them in 1979) to knock this off of my record player once and for all. I still have it!

                If this were a comic book cover it would rank in any Top Ten!

 Honorable Mention #2 - the entire run of Marvel's "What If..." 1978?  The whole point of this comic series - tales of alternate endings to the various Marvel Universe mythos - was to goad the reader into buying this anthology series. "Ooh, aah," was often heard at the newstands when a new issue came out - What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four? What if Captain Ameria had not "disappeared" after WWII? What if Shang Chi served Fu Manchu? What if Bruce Banner had always kept Bruce Banner's intelligence? What if the New X-Men never formed? What if someone else had been bitten by that radioactive spider?

               Others will muse over “great” covers and “iconic” covers, but these captured by heart and imagination more than the others. There have been better covers – there have certainly been better stories on the inside. But just looking at the covers on my list brings back good memories.

               Isn’t that the whole point?

Hey Comics! Kids!

                The recent death of Robin the Boy Wonder got me thinking about superheroes and children. This Robin was the illegitimate love child of Batman/Bruce Wayne and Talia al-Ghul, the daughter of his enemy Ras Al-Ghul.

                My favorite comic book eras were the Silver Age and the Bronze Age, roughly comics released from 1956 – 1985.  During those eras, superheroes did not have children; with only two exceptions. The end of the Bronze Age saw the end of that – but more of that later. “World’s Finest” brought us the sons of Superman and Batman; and Superman and Lois seemed to have a super-powered kid every few issues; but these were imaginary stories (as opposed to the “real” stories), not canonical progeny.

                And during those years we had the adventures of Superbaby and Wondertot (no lie), but those were our beloved heroes as toddlers, not the children of an existing superhero.

                Why no kids?  It was probably because of the readership – oh, yes, some comic book readers enjoyed romance comics. Also, at this time Archie was always pining over Betty or Veronica. But to actually marry? And have a baby?

                No. Keep your reality out of my fantasy.

                Did we want to see Superman changing a diaper? Did we want to see Flash literally racing to the store to buy more formula? Probably not.

                The two exceptions signify the two extremes why such things did not happen otherwise in those eras...

                In the “Fantastic Four”, Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) married Sue Storm (Invisible Girl/Woman). An entire special issue (an Annual) was made of their wedding. The birth of their first baby, Franklin, was on the blurb of their comic a few years later. It wasn’t an event on par with Lucy and Ricky’s on early television, but in comicbookdom it was big stuff. It was a superhero’s (and thus comic books) first baby. Every few issues the child was threatened; or he and his babysitter were kidnapped or disappeared. The stories always turned out well, but the easy plot devise was used again and again.

                Aquaman was not so lucky.

                He married Mera and had Arthur Jr. Sometimes AJ he would be called Aquababy. In the mid-1970s, some years after the cancellation of his own title, his character was revived in “Adventure Comics”.  Like Franklin Richards, he was shown at the beginning and ending of most tales playing with Mommy and Daddy or their friends/partners/sidekicks. But Aquaman wasn’t the Fantastic Four. He was a secondary character in a low-selling magazine. Writers could get away with things here they couldn’t elsewhere.

                Baby Arthur was kidnapped. Ho-hum. Aquaman vows vengeance. Yeah yeah.

                Aquaman smacks the shit out of Black Manta and opens up the pod in which Manta put Arthur.

                He was too late. Arthur was dead.

                Whoa.

                What? He’s a baby! Well, a toddler. That can’t be. This is a comic book for chrissakes!

                That’s the trouble with children in comics even today.  I’ll be frank: putting children in life-threatening jeopardy should be off-limits. Isn’t it bad enough I have to see talking heads blather about the children of Sandy Hook on the idiot box? I don’t want to read about this stuff in my comics.

                Maybe I’m just turning into a crabby old man, but that’s my stand on that subject. Superheroes having kids can make for wonderful stories and great personal drama – but once born, leave them alone.

                Was the death of Arthur Junior done for shock value or publicity or a sales boost? Probably not. It was a second-string character in a second-tier comic book. The cover gave no indication as to what would happen. It wasn’t hyped in other comics in the line or other media (such hype was non-existent then anyway…). The next issue’s cover showed Aquaman in mourning at the gravesite of his son with a furious Mera in the background.

                As mentioned in a previous blog, death in a comic book is not always a bad thing. Most of the time, yes, but occasionally it can make for a great story. Arthur Junior’s death shadowed Aquaman for the next thirty years. It was even part of Aquaman’s legacy in the Batman TV cartoon “The Brave and The Bold”.

***

                By 1980 or so – the end of the Bronze Age – a child of a superhero was not such a rare thing.

                The Batman from the 1940s had a daughter. By the time we meet her she was a grown woman and fighting crime on her own as the Huntress. We saw more and more children of superheroes, but not as infants ripe for kidnapping. These were adults fighting crime on their own. Either flesh-and blood progeny, step-children or foster kids put on the cowl and became the next generation of crime-fighters.

                Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, even the Atom all had kids. They formed their own group called Infinity Inc.

                This was all DC Comics. The other big comic book producer took a different tact.

                Their children came from the future – alternate futures. The comic book based on the upcoming X-Men movie “Days of Future Past” featured a grown Franklin Richards. Scott Summer/Cyclops has so many children-from-alternate-futures-who-now-live-in-the-present they could form their own comic book line.  He has five at last count – if you count the clone of one of his sons.  And why wouldn’t you count the clone of one of your sons as your own?  I managed to say that with a straight face…

***

                In the Modern Age – the past twenty-plus years – our comic book heroes have lots of babies. Franklin Richards has a sister. “Astro City” featured a story arc with superhero Jack-in-the-Box and his pregnant wife. And more and more superheroes find their children taking up the trade – the aforementioned Robin, Green Arrow has a son in spandex, so does Plastic Man.

                Yes, Plastic Man … I expect that was one satisfied woman…

***

                Looking back at the later Bronze Age, I wonder why they didn’t tinker more with the caped ones having children? Especially so-called second-stringers?  Hawkman and Hawkgirl/woman were one of the few married comic book characters around. They were married when introduced! Why didn’t they have a baby? Granted they didn’t have a regular feature of their own at the time, but it could have been done in the pages of “Justice League of America” or “Detective”.

                Same with the Flash. He and his wife Iris exemplified the white-picket-fence existence. Their parents appeared frequently, as did other family members. Kid Flash was Iris’ nephew. A child would have been a perfect fit in that book. Then again, they did (temporarily) kill off Iris at the end of the Bronze Age … I wouldn’t expect a comic book editor to be merciful to their child …

                I am surprised a young man didn’t walk up to the Silver-Age Green Lantern and say, “Hi, I’m your son.”  It could have been from the days Hal Jordan was a truck driver or an insurance salesman when he and his original/current paramour Carol Farris were broken up.

                I think they would have made for some great stories. But with “The New 52” rebooting the entire line, the Silver Age/Bronze Age characters and their characteristics are gone, perhaps for good.

                A son for Hal Jordan would still make a good story though – make him a late teen or older. The power ring could check his DNA.  The son could be the reader’s link to GL’s world. We could see it through his eyes.

                Jordan would have to hide his identity again. The son would look for him in the months GL was away on a space mission. Jordan could start to feel … worried? Is that the phrase? Fear? Me?

                The conversation with Batman would make for an iconic scene, especially with the slight animosity between the two (which is getting better – the subject of another blog):

                This could take place in Justice League HQ.
                “Are you sure he’s yours?”

                “Yes, the ring (taps at his ring) and Clark verified it.  Well, see you at the next meeting, Batman.”

                “Jordan…”

                “Here we go”, GL thinks. “Yeah?”

                “Hal.  Don’t give him a ring. Don’t let him put on a mask. Make him go to school, go to work. Make him get married, give you a grandson or granddaughter. Don’t turn him into one of us.”

                Trouble is, nowadays, within three or four years someone would kill him off. Or make him yet another Green Lantern. Or a different hero altogether. But it would make for some fine issues if done well; if they respected the characters and the genre. 

                Aye, there’s the rub.

Copyright 2013 Michael G. Curry

The Pros and Cons

                In April St. Louis held its first Wizard Con.

                In all my years as a science fiction and comic book nerd I have never been to a convention of any sort. A few years back there was a “convention” in a meeting room in a Holiday Inn in Chesterfield, Missouri; but it was just dealers and individuals selling comic book and related items. I found some good stuff, but it wasn’t a convention in the … er … conventional sense.

                But THIS was Wizard Con. One of the biggest convention companies around. My friends were eager to go and, since this would not involve a long trip and a motel stay, I wanted to go too!

                Not being a major con, and being the first in a new city, the guest list was not too impressive.  Philadelphia gets William Shatner; we get a wrestler and a Power Ranger.  Stan Lee was the biggie. The fact that he and the other media guests charged for autographs and photos riled me a bit. It’s one of those things that I suppose I will have to accept as “the way things are nowadays”.

                None of the media guests impressed me that much. I didn’t really feel like paying $80.00 to Lee and stand there smiling while he pontificated …

                “You know, I created the comic book convention!  I helped arrange the very first one in New York.  Well, by “helped arrange” I mean I did it all myself…”

                “There are a lot of folks in line, Mr. Lee, could you just sign the comic?”
                “You know, I created the Sharpie…”

                Most of the other guests I flat-out didn’t know. The prostitute from “Firefly”, Lou Ferrigno (was it worth getting his autograph … nah … now if Bill Bixby was still around…), Henry Winkler (the Fonz charging for an autograph? I thought he was supposed to be cool…), James Hong (“Seinfeld, four!”), Juliet Landau (I remembered her from “Ed Wood” – others know her from “Buffy”), professional wrestlers and the like.

                I was much more excited to meet the writers and artists scheduled to be there:

                Gary Friedrich – creator of Ghost Rider (Marvel barred him from stating that but they didn’t bar me…), Michael Golden (artist who drew the best “Star Wars” issue in its run, he also drew “Micronauts”, “Marvel Premiere” and the Marvel poster I had on my college dorm wall for years. I bet I threw it away…) and Neal Adams.

                Yes, Neal Adams.

                My backpack was loaded with comics to sign and my wish list of comics to purchase.  Neal Adams’ booth was near the entrance with no line. I went there first. He autographed the postcard I brought with his Green Lantern stamp and my copy of “Superman vs. Muhammad Ali” (if you don’t know, don’t ask). He showed me the special “Sports Illustrated” cover he did as homage to that comic featuring the “Greatest Athletes of the Twentieth Century” with Michael Jordan replacing Superman. I asked if he knew of Ali read and enjoyed the original comic. “Yes, he loved it. I met with him while I was drawing it.” It was a thrill to talk to him!

                Overwhelming is putting it simply. It was very crowded at the con and at times the crowds moved like cattle past the exhibitors. I ran into the friends I intended to go with (I had missed the turn to the meeting place and ended up taking the train into downtown St. Louis alone) but was very pleased to see my sister, her husband and my nephew there! I spent the rest of the day with them.

                THEY were please to see the guests from Buffy and Power Rangers and others. By now I had bought my comics and had by belongings signed and saw the convention through my nephew’s eyes. He pored over the Doctor Who exhibits and we discussed our individual favorite Doctors (mine had died before he was even born…).

                I had a wonderful time but left disappointed. Wizard Con St. Louis was, basically, a large and expensive flea market. Very crowded and not very organized. At the time I doubted I would go back. I can get the comics I need on ebay.

                For example: there was no information kiosk. Apparently Gary Friedrich had canceled. He was nowhere on the information map (he has health problems – were he allowed to hype himself as the creator of Ghost Rider he might attract some work without Marvel losing a penny of their billions … but no).

                The point is if there was a kiosk I could have asked if Friedrich was there or not.

                Another example: the next day Neal Adams told his Facebook fans what a great time he had. He even got to talk about some movie deals he is working on at the panel at which he was featured.

                Panel?

                Panel!?

                There were panels?

                Oh yes, there were panels, movies, seminars, all kinds of things!

                There were?  Nowhere on their website did they mention panels – let along tell the public what they were about and where they were. I looked and looked before going. I would have loved to watch panels on artists, upcoming events and the like.

                I hear from my friends who go to bigger conventions (even the granddaddy-of-all-conventions at San Diego) talking about seeing previews to new movies, TV shows, guest speakers hyping their latest books and films. Sometimes there are seminars on writing and publishing.

                But I had no idea such things were at Wizard Con St. Louis.

                But this was the first and was quite a success. They are already hyping next year’s con. They already have a line-up - more actors I don’t recognize from shows I don’t watch … with the exception of Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). Him I know.  I don’t want his autograph – my sister already got me his autograph at another convention in 2011 – so I’ll once again look forward to meeting the artists and writers I have loved in the comics!

                Perhaps they will strive to improve the Con next year and in following years. A bigger venue is a start – or at least open up more space. An information kiosk. A list of events – preferably online so we plebs can plan our day (“Sorry, Chewie, I gotta head for the panel on writing short stories in the digital age.”)

                “You know, I created the short story …”

                “Shut up, Lee.”

                I’ll go next year now that I know how it works.  It’s just too bad this one left a bad taste in my mouth.  

Copyright 2013 Michael G. Curry

Fall of the Titans

            In the last two months we’ve lost some giants. They were icons of their individual fields that were imitated and emulated but stood alone on their own shelves – no one coming close to their level.

***

            Ray Harryhausen died in May at the age of 92. His stop-motion animation made the fantasy sequences of his movies real, especially to an impressionable youngster with a love of fantasy and monster movies. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was real. Mighty Joe Young was real. The skeletons that fought Jason – real. The Kraken, Medusa and Pegasus from “Clash of the Titans” were better actors than Olivier.

            And “The Valley of Gwangi”. Ray assured himself a special place in heaven with “The Valley of Gwangi”.

            Without him I would be taking Jean-Luc Godard and Dziga Vertov seriously.

            A friend’s mother went to high school with him. Her mother still has the year book. Isn’t that cool?

            It’s very easy in this cynical age to look back and say how cheesy his artistry was. “Look at Lord of the Rings,” one would say, “how can any of his work compare to that?” The answer is simple – the son always strives to be better than the father. Peter Jackson would be the first to agree.

            Watch the battle between Jason of “…and the Argonauts” and the undead skeletons near the end of the movie. Imagine you are eight years old. Did you fold your legs under you on your seat?  Were you afraid of a boney hand brushing your ankle from under the sofa? No? You are lying.

            He made me believe in monsters said “Shaun of the Dead” director Edgar Wright in a memoriam.  Thank you, Ray, for making us believe.

***

            George Jones died in April at age 81. He was one of the last great country singers of his era. For almost sixty years he ruled the country music roost. If there was an award, he won it. His music was of a kind only imitated now.

            His signature tune, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” has been called the greatest country song of all time. It is certainly one of the saddest songs of all time. But that is saying the same thing, isn’t it?

***

            Jonathan Winters died in April at the age of 88. He was a comedian. No one, no one, has been able to match his styling. He didn’t do stand up, he didn’t do monologues, he didn’t do wry political commentary. He did one-man acts; skits with his own sound effects.

            Some comedians start with, “two Jews walk into a bar…”  Winters started with “Colonel, the Apaches are lining the hills...”, or

            “(affecting an elderly lady’s voice) Oh, what a lovely day for a drive…”, or

            “Did you ever undress in front of your dog?”  I laugh out loud still thinking of this bit. I smiled while typing it.

            “Are you queer?” “No, I’m homosexual. My little brother’s queer. He collects little bugs.”

            Marvin Kaplan, his co-star in “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” said he worked with two geniuses in his life – Charlie Chaplin and Jonathan Winters. Watch him discuss his time in that movie with Winters giggling alongside at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD5WeFCcu68.

            Jonathan Winters was on Scooby-Doo, he was Papa Smurf, and he was on the Muppet Show. You can see the exact moment Frank Oz as Fozzy Bear gave up trying to improvise with him. The crew’s laughter drowned out the laugh track.

            Robin Williams is the only comedian who has come close to the weird and manic ways of Winters comedy-style; and even he admits he didn’t come close.

            Was he insane? He spent time in a mental institution. But he channeled any mental illness he suffered into a useful and beneficial way. He made us laugh. He made us laugh until our bellies hurt.  Goodbye old friend.

***

            We've lost two other artists who I will miss as well. Not the titans of their genre, but I was still saddened by their deaths.

            Richie Havens was a folk artist with a very unique guitar playing style. He died in April at age 72. He will be renowned for being the opening act at Woodstock, but he should also be known for his music. Among his accomplishments include something extremely rare: He remade “Here Comes the Sun” in a version more beautiful that the Beatles’ version.

            Ray Manzarek died at 74 in May. If he had not founded the Doors with Jim Morrison, he would have been known as a great keyboardist – either in rock or jazz. If he would not have stayed in the music business he probably would have been a professor of music at a distinguished university.  I interviewed him in the late 1980s and he was extremely intelligent and funny. He talked about the influence for his opening riff on “Light My Fire” and his relationship with Jim Morrison. He sang on a few Doors song – notably “Close To You”. 

Copyright 2013 Michael G. Curry