IT'S A HARD KNOCK LIFE FOR US; BLACK COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS GET NO LOVE

Once again it's on. I'm Brian Williams...rebellious black comic book scribe with an agenda and an attitude. I'm about to rip for a few bars about the comic book industry. If you are a regular around this blog then you are already hip to my opinions on black comic book characters...if you are new...check out the blogs of days gone by and get yourself up to speed. Last week some things came to pass in the world of comic books that I found humorous and very telling. John Rozum, the writer of Static Shock...DC COMICS NEW 52 title that was unceremoniously cancelled after an 8 issue run, reported in his personal blog, http://johnrozum.blogspot.com/, under the article "Why I quit Static Shock", something that I had always suspected about this title. I stated in this very blog a few months ago http://luciushammer.blogspot.com/2011/11/dc-new-black-52or-has-dc-comics-finally.html that I thought Rozum was phoning it in. I thought that Static Shock was bereft of any redeeming qualities and each issue was an exercise in boredom, mediocre to bad art and perplexing bad decisions. My negative reaction to Rozum's writing of the DC NEW 52 Static Shock was unexpected due to my experience with him in a previous DC Vertigo title, XOMBI, where he had been nothing short of brilliant. This coupled with the fact that he had been involved with Milestone during it's inception and had also been a personal friend of Dwayne Mcduffie almost guaranteed some kind heart felt commitment to the source material of Static (the original comic book title). This bothered me until I read his blog. Rozum left Static Shock after issue 4 because he made the same observation I did... the book was garbage. Static Shock was aborted because the editor and the artist sidelined Rozum (The Fan-Favorite writer) and decided to map out their own new "mythology" for Virgil Hawkins and company. Rozum seemed like he came to the table with a lot of brilliant ideas and possible storylines that would have absolutely made Static Shock a more important character in the DC Universe...here's a direct quote..."

"This brings me to Static. When I was asked to write Static Shock for DC Comics, it was no doubt because of my long relationship with Milestone Comics (where the character originated, as did Xombi) and because of my long, close friendship with Static's creator, Dwayne McDuffie, who died nearly a year ago. I was excited by the opportunity. I loved the character, who I'd previously written in an issue of Kobalt way back when, and was looking forward to writing something so radically different from what I'm usually offered, but still infusing it with my own sensibility and giving the world a comic book series full of creativity, crazy ideas, and a lot of fun and humor unlike any of the other 51 titles that DC would be offering up last September. I thought Static had the potential to be one of DCs A-list characters, and not simply some supporting character incorporated from an outside company's pantheon of heroes. "

 But for some mysterious reason...DC decides to let this editor and artist run roughshod over the writer they hired to shepherd the book creatively. Now I have gotten in a thousand and one conversations with people online and off about this turn of event s but the facts are as follows; Rozum is hired to write Static Shock. He has the pedigree and also the history with Mcduffie to justify his involvement. He is also coming off of a critically acclaimed Vertigo Series. One could say he was establishing a high profile and would be a definite attractive feature to add to the book. This guy was friends with Dwayne Mcduffie. He had also written Static in a few issues of KOBALT. He was a perfect match for DC's MEGA EVENT....THE NEW 52. So why pick now to give "The Artist" the opportunity to try his luck at scripting a comic book when he's never written a comic book before? Why would the "Editor" allow such a thing to happen? Furthermore...why not just fire John Rozum if he's not doing an adequate job and name "The Artist" as the writer. In my opinion...these weren't mistakes. These things happened because DC was not concerned with the welfare of this title from jump. Allowing the creative staff to remove Dakota City as the setting for Static Shock and change it to New York City was the first act of indifference. Any fan of Static the original Milestone book or the cartoon can tell you that Dakota City is as key to the Static Shock storyline as Gotham City is to Batman. Whoever allowed this decision to be made did not want Static Shock to have a fighting chance at survival in this tough, recession crazed marketplace. Next...the art was nothing memorable and in fact...it was sub-par when you look at the other DC titles. Also the most logical advantage a new Static Shock comic book would have is a revitalization of all the other Milestone characters who sort of became his extended family or supporting cast of sorts. When the editor and the artist decided that ideas like these were not in the interest of the book's survival they bumped Rozum out of their plans and he quit. He didn't want his name on that nonsense and I don't blame him. I'm actually relieved that he wasn't behind this debacle but I'm pissed that the "powers that be" got away with dogging out Static Shock.

Yesterday...mass hysteria ensued in the world of comic books and superheroes when word had dropped that DC Comics would be celebrating the summer of 2012 by publishing BEFORE THE WATCHMEN. I could write for days about THE WATCHMEN. I read the trade paperback in 1991, a few years after its official publication and it's the single best comic book reading experience I have ever had as an adult. I'm not going to discuss here and now whether or not they should do prequels. What I am going to bring to your attention is the fact that Alan Moore and Dwayne Mcduffie were both creators who contributed great characters to the DC Universe. It can be argued that Alan Moore's contributions were considerably greater as THE WATCHMEN not only changed the face of comics but caused them to be regarded with more respect. THE WATCHMEN was a twelve issue maxi-series that has spawned toy lines and big budget feature film. But then too we can say that Static Shock was part of an unprecedented effort headed up by Milestone Comics in conjunction with DC Comics to create a diverse line of commercially viable superheroes of color. As stated before, Static Shock also saw life as a well received and critically lauded animated tv series for four seasons. Both of these writers basically turned over their brainchildren to DC and achieved different degrees of success. However if you look closely at the hoopla surrounding this BEFORE WATCHMEN stuff...you will see that DC Comics has spared no expense in seeing to it that each book has a masterful creative team. Never mind the fact that retreading across Alan Moore's precious and finite tome of  comic book literature is bordering on sacrilege and is definitely a money grab (and I ain't mad at them...we are all trying to get paid one way or another)...but why are they willing to pull out all the stops for a work that really didn't need to say anything else but strip the other of its essence to the point of it being unrecognizable. I know that there is seemingly a huge gulf between the characters of WATCHMEN and STATIC SHOCK but the way I see it...the problems that came to the surface during the Static Shock run will never have the chance to occur with BEFORE WATCHMEN. I guarantee that. If someone tries to go rogue on these WATCHMEN titles and mess up DC's money...their asses will get fired with a quickness. The obvious question here is why didn't that happen when STATIC SHOCK started to unravel? Better yet, since DC is exploding with new sales campaigns and revamps...where is our high powered reboot of the Milestone Comics Line? Is the Dynamic Duo of Dan Didio and Jim Lee planning a sneak attack with HARDWARE 2012? An new and edgier BLOOD SYNDICATE or a mind blowing mythic treatment of ICON? These characters are also viable and have cult followings as well...why not? Because Static Shock and MR. TERRIFIC didn't succeed in the NEW DC 52 roll out. You see ultimately STATIC SHOCK was the "fall guy". It's failure to succeed will be the blanket reason why none of the other MILESTONE characters will succeed either. This is some deep psychological voodoo but you better believe it. BATWING is only hanging around because of his connection to BATMAN. Here's another thought that crosses my brain, so many comic books starring black characters have often been left to white writers and artists to delineate. This is a perfect opportunity for DC Comics to hire some minority and female talent to display their commitment to diversity and broadening their horizons as a company. If John Rozum and company don't prove effective on a title like STATIC SHOCK...maybe that means pushing the envelope a little and letting a black writer and artist apply their sensibilities to the book. I know that I don't have to tell any of you that I could write an entertaining STATIC SHOCK...I also don't have to tell you that I could probably find a banging black artist to assist me in illustrating the book. There's JJ Kirby, Keiron Grant, Sanford Green, Lesean Thomas, Dawud Anyabwile, and Mshindo Kuumba just to name a few. But this never seems to be an option they are willing to explore. I mean...they could have asked Denys Cowan and Larry Stroman to pitch in and get these characters jump started in the memory of Dwayne Mcduffie and for the new initiative but something that progressive only occurs to outsiders looking in. Some fanboys reading this will scream at the top of their lungs..."WHY DOES COLOR MATTER AND WHY IS IT SUCH AN ISSUE FOR YOU?"  And I say to you...because of shit like this. Back in the early nineties when hip hop kids were sporting CROSS COLORS and their MALCOLM X hats...there was a slogan being bandied about on t-shirts that read "IT'S A BLACK THANG...YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND." I hated that slogan because a lot of my white friends used to go ballistic over that shit and ask me over and over again what it meant. Deep down I knew what it meant but I never wanted to address it because it's a very strong statement and of course it doesn't apply to everyone. Oddly enough, I don't think the comic book industry (which I imagine is predominantly Caucasian), nor the white fans out there really see why something like this is a huge deal for a black writer, reader and fan like me. I want desperately for us all to get along and sing "kumbaya" together as we all walk off into the sunset...I really do. But I also want to read a great STATIC SHOCK Comic Book. I also want to see myself or a Christopher Priest writing characters like LUKE CAGE or BLACK PANTHER and for once getting the chance to refract their imaginary exploits through our lenses so it can be seen if there's a difference or not in the execution. It seems like from where I'm sitting that DC never wanted STATIC SHOCK to succeed because of what they allowed to transpire in it's editorial offices. I wonder if Mcduffie had lived to see the NEW DC 52 would they have been any more cordial to him and his creations? To any and everybody out there who's interested in the literary civil rights movement of black superheroes and comics period (fanboys and girls of every color) please reach out and support the indie books you see with characters of color. Black Creators...keep writing and drawing your own superheroes in the hopes that one day we will puncture a hole in the market with our own creations and turn the tables on the game currently being played. It's a hard knock life for Black Superheroes. RANT OVER...for now. Stay up!

DC NEW "BLACK" 52...or has DC Comics finally figured out how to position it's BLACK SUPERHEROES?

Being as opinionated as I am about "BLACK COMIC BOOKS" and the comeuppance of "BLACK SUPERHEROES" in this POST OBAMA world...many of you might be wondering why I have not yet commented on the bold new direction of DC Comics's African American heroes who have been rolled out in the new "52" package. I have remained tight-lipped regarding these products because I am pretty much disgusted and unmoved by their efforts. This is going to be a rough ride, so please...the following article is not written for the squeamish. This is an important rant and complaint to the establishment or status quo...and I realize most of us have been hypnotized into thinking we are satisfied with "status quo" but let's take the red pill and examine the host of black comics that have been released over the past few months.

DC COMICS has never really produced any black superheroes that were particularly relevant to me. Black Lightning created by Tony Isabella was kind of groovy but even as a kid back in 1977, I always sensed that DC was holding back or "keeping a brother down" as they say. There's always good old John Stewart (THE Black-face GREEN LANTERN) but if you have read any of the previous blogs on this site...Stewart has been categorized as a SECOND Banana hero or a STEP and FETCH it hero...in other words it took the acceptance of a white hero to clear the road for a black version. That's not to say I don't enjoy the recent incarnation of John Stewart but it cannot be denied that his origins were as a funky sidekick to a more serious and noble Hal Jordan character. If you doubt what I'm saying, do your research on the character's first appearance and then we will take it from there. The point is...DC was not very focused or just wasn't very successful creating minority characters...particularly black ones who could stand on their own two feet. Now if you compare the evolution of the BLACK SUPERHERO at MARVEL COMICS during these early periods, you get a vast range of characters like BLACK PANTHER, THE FALCON, LUKE CAGE, and STORM just to name a few...and this is where one can begin to understand that DC is just a conservative, dare I say "stodgy" company who had fallen behind the times. Black Panther was an African King at the head of a technologically advanced empire solely run by black folks. The fact that MARVEL stepped outside the box to even suggest such a concept is still mind boggling. But DC didn't get it...until the nineties.

1990. I was there. A young college student...full of hope and optimism. Full time hip hop fan and film critic (among other things)...my appetite for pop culture during this period was enormous. Spike Lee and Robert Townsend had recently sparked a shocking, out of nowhere BLACK RENAISSANCE in the film industry with flicks like SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT and HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE. These films had been fueled by the growing and outspoken art form of hip hop which was painstakingly pre-packaged for mainstream American consumption by pioneers such as DJ COOL HERC, Afrika Bambaataa, and Sugarhill Gang. This cultural cauldron of African American angst and creativity continued to simmer until there was a full blown explosion. It was amazing. It was powerful. And I witnessed and participated in it all. The flowering of this new "BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS" was also spurred by the new found interest in Malcolm X no doubt instigated by Chuck D and Public Enemy and the fiery chants of groups like X-Clan who encouraged young blacks to investigate their "real" roots. POP CULTURE is contagious...this re-awakening to the contributions, history and talents of African Americans spilled over into many different mediums...including comic books. DC Comics rode the wave by creating Milestone Comics. Milestone Comics was revolutionary and seemed to be an abrupt U-Turn for a company as rigid as DC had proven itself to be. But in a world that had been overturned by an emcee named ICE CUBE, overcome by bold fashion statements reflecting urban street sensibilities like CROSS COLOURS, and interrupted by the brash new television show sporting a predominantly black cast...IN LIVING COLOR...Corporate America had been socked in the jaw by "JUNGLE FEVER" and was thrilled by the economic prospects of appropriating this neo-blak culture. DC COMIC got involved in the feeding frenzy. Static was one of the superheroes introduced in this bold new universe of black capes...an intriguing animated series was spawned by the original comic book series written and created by the late, great Dwayne Mcduffie, and now a new series in DC's NEW 52.  And away we go....

When the first of the new DC 52 books shipped, I passed on Static Shock. My primary reason for doing so is because times are hard. It's an economic recession and brother man got bills to pay. That being what it is...I picked the book up and just wasn't intrigued by anything I saw in it. I must also confess that when I originally picked up Static back in the nineties...I was geeked for like the first six issues and then the whole notion of neo-blak comic books kind of went sour for me. Static was cool for what it was...but I kept getting the feeling I was reading a cleverly disguised Spider Man story. The new STATIC SHOCK by DC in the NEW 52 is promising but there's something missing. Virgil Ovid Hawkins is our intrepid teenage hero with the crazy bio-electric powers that enable him to levitate, fly and beat the mess out of super-villains. He's still the positive, nerdy, cerebral teen wiz that he was in the original series and the cartoon. I confess I did not actually purchase this book because of the scratchy, uninspired art...but I did something that is considered taboo at the lcs (local comic book store)...I read the whole run, issues 1-3, in the shop. My immediate concerns for Static Shock are the basics...artwork, setting and script. To me this book is just not getting the love it deserves. One very big mistake is pulling Virgil out of the Dakota Universe. One day, I plan to revisit my Milestone Collection and re-read the various titles so I can write a very careful assessment of what I thought was hit and miss about the universe. The one thing I can tell you now though is the setting of all of the Milestone stories was in the fictional city of Dakota. This was an awesome setting and allowed these characters to live and breathe in slightly different air than the DC proper heroes. The midwestern city of Dakota in this new series has been dumped for New York City. How exciting. Another teenage adventurer in the Big Apple. The villains are also kind of blah and Virgil goes through the same things we see most teenage heroes going through. It's awwwwright....but just not good enough DC. John Rozum seems to be a competent writer but he has already left the book and that's cool with me because it felt like he was phoning it in anyway. Whoever writes Static Shock needs to write it with the same passion and love for the character that Mcduffie had, and that person needs to also understand that every time they bang out mediocre product on this title...the harder it's going to be to resuscitate it later.

Next up is Mr. Terrific. Wow. What can I say? This book is stunningly offensive to the senses. It is an exercise in straight up boredom, sub-par artwork and devastatingly bad dialog. I first became attracted to the character of Mr. Terrific through the JSA title he appeared in from time to time. I liked his costume and thought it was cool that he was this hyper-intelligent adventurer who solved crimes with his brains and tech-toys. Was this enough to warrant publishing his own series? Probably not. Mr. Terrific is a horrific mess of a comic that I wish somebody would have had the cajones to put to death before it saw the light of day but the deed has been done. Another thing that just flat out annoyed me throughout the course of Mr. Terrific's exploits is we keep hearing that he is "the world's third smartest man." Third? Who the hell is the first and second? That's just so stupid. Hopefully the book is about to be cancelled with authority. Personally, I would have preferred for DC to have used this re-launch energy toward a new HARDWARE series (My personal favorite Milestone Media character) or even a pimped out GREEN LANTERN in the HOOD title starring John Stewart. Come on DC!!!!!!!

Last but not least....BATWING. The Black Batman of Africa. Batwing was one of the many thought-gasms produced in Grant Morrison's balls out attempt to retro-fit Bat Man and undo some of the harm caused by the DARK-WATCH Syndrome of the eighties. Bat Wing was a cute and interesting thought to ruminate on after closing the final page of a BATMAN INC comic. I think I can speak for us all when I say that there are many other interesting black characters I would like to see depicted in their own series before an African Black-Face Bat Man facsimile. I tried to read the book based on its Morrison pedigree. I did not like it. Nor do I see the potential for ongoing adventures. It's like having a comic book version of Hotel Rwanda or Tears of the Sun. Granted...there could be some really interesting stories told about the continent of Africa (check out Unknown Soldier issues of recent vintage) but they would need to be thoroughly researched and the characters should be more than 2d cut outs of an existing super-hero. Again, this book seems to be getting positive buzz about it's storyline and the art but I'm not feeling it. The art looks like someone is playing with different computer paint programs. I can tell the person is talented but the art is watery and murky.

So as a black writer of my own comic book starring a black superhero...I can definitely say that I'm not hating. I wanted these things to be good. Great even. But it looks like until the big companies start letting minority writers and artists come in and work on these books....you're going to continue to get these half inspired attempts at creating meaningful black heroes. The whole reason I started writing LUCIUS HAMMER is because my main go to comic book companies (Marvel Comics and DC) would not produce the kind of product I'm looking for. I'm sure Dwayne Mcduffie tried to tell them. But they refuse to listen. They probably won't learn even after having to cancel all three of these titles we've discussed. And these titles will be canceled.

Here's a thought DC...why don't you try hiring a few black writers and artists to produce these books? What could it hurt? Is racism still that strong that black creators are not even recruited to delineate the adventures of superheroes of their own race. Playing devil's advocate, I can see the trepidation in letting a black man take over the writing chores of say...The new DC 52 Superman. But Static Shock? Black Lightning? Bronze Tiger or Green Lantern? I challenge DC and Marvel to make a commitment to it's characters of color and employ folks of more diverse backgrounds so we readers can read more diverse stories. Hell....Judd Winnick can't write everything!            

DC NEW 52 PART DEUX...Should I stay or should I go/ Swamp Thing and BATMAN

What's good people? I tell you what's good...the surge of vitality that DC COMICS has brought to comic book shops in the past four weeks. If you are a novice and need some lessons in what being a comic book fan/ writer/ artist or all around aficionado is all about then please check this link to another article I wrote for the Examiner. Com . If you are following the current events unfolding in the comic book industry right now, you will know that DC Comics has damn near done the unthinkable and rebooted their entire universe of characters. I am so blown away by the audacity and out and out reckless abandon of this move that I had to dedicate a series of articles to this historic and balls out undertaking by a company that's always carried the unofficial title of " Your Dad's Comics." If you haven't read my reviews for Action Comics # 1 and Detective Comics # 1...have at it...http://luciushammer.blogspot.com/2011/10/dcs-new-52should-i-stay-or-should-i-go.html. SWAMP THING # 1 and 2...I am a long time Swamp Thing fan. Came across my first issue of Swampy at a garage sale and have been an off and on fan ever since. I will say that my first exposure to the shambling, monster of muck and mire was under the creative direction of comic maestros Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. Swamp Thing started out as a one off, Tales from the Crypt type story that morphed into a full blown sci-fi, gothic anti-hero soap opera that kind of borrowed elements from both Marvel's The Thing and The Incredible HULK in the tragic, monster turned hero department. Swamp Thing was a regular man trapped in a monstrously deformed figure composed of soil, vegetation and swamp muck. Of course he began his exploits as a scientist who invents a bio-restorative whatsamajigger that can resuscitate plant life. Somewhere along the way...the scientist whose name is Alec Holland runs afoul of some thug types who want the formula for themselves and their greedy boss man and the rest is history. The thugs ransack Dr. Holland's swamp laboratory, destroying it and setting him ablaze as he carries the formula to his bitter end....descending into the bowels of some forgotten bayou. Of course he rises as the Swamp Thing and lives on to battle his arch enemy and naked, creepy scientist...Arcane. He battles a creature who looks a lot like Frankenstein's Monster. Another who resembles a wolf-man like Lon Chaney Jr. and he even meets Batman. Swamp Thing was on some crazy, high concept horror shit! And it worked. Later on after it was revamped in the eighties by comic book demi-god, Alan Moore...Swamp Thing not only got much more deeper into psychological horror but became more high minded in terms of what the creature actually was. The conceit that Moore craftily and eerily alludes to in his classic run on Swamp Thing (MUST BUY READING...BOTH THE MOORE RUN and the WEIN and WRIGHTSON stuff) is that Alec Holland died as a result of the laboratory explosion and as his corpse sinks into the fetid murk of the swamp...the combination of the bio-restorative formula and the ever resilient powers of the life force present in the swamp attempt to reinvent Alec Holland and spat forth the elemental entity we all know and love as Swamp Thing. Alan Moore turned Swamp Thing into this kind of eco-connected super-hero monster that was a weird reinterpretation of man from the point of view of a plant. He even created a collection of creatures that are vaguely reminiscent of the Ents in Lord of the Rings called The Parliament of Trees. Deep heady stuff. And that brings me to my review of Swamp Thing 1 and 2. I love Alan Moore's stuff. I sincerely do. But it was Alan Moore. Only Alan Moore can be Alan Moore. The guy currently writing Swamp Thing in the NEW DC 52 is Scott Snyder and so far he strikes me as channeling the deep philosophical ideas Moore once mined for this title. But whereas Moore came off as brilliant and cerebral....Snyder seems to be trying to hard to tell an intellectual horror story. In his newly revamped take on the character...somehow Alec Holland has returned to his human form (BOOOO!) and there is a bunch of pretentious mumbling about ecosystem life webs called The Green and The Red which I must admit sound cool...but I'd much rather see Swamp Thing shambling through the swamp fighting zombies and chained to some ancient pillar in a mad scientist's castle. My point is...this stuff doesn't always have to be so overwrought and complicated. Sometimes, simple and straightforward is much better. I'm not saying that I won't eventually come to dig Scott Snyder's take on Swampy; he is a good writer who is competent and could be on his way to being great...my only thing is...borrow from Wrightson and Wein's original incarnation more than you do from Alan Moore's. Why? Because Moore is a master and we have already been down the dark psychological path with this character. Let's get back to his origins from the original guys that created the comic. In other words...Let's have some fun. Yannick Paquette is the artist on this book and his work is nothing short of brilliant. He draws a powerful, primal Swamp Thing and every page is an epic and lush representation of this new universe we are in. The art is so good that I am praying that Snyder can rise up to bring a great story to match these amazing pencils. Paquette evokes Wrightson and Alan Moore collaborator Stephen Bissette; I get goosebumps thinking of what this guy could do with Arcane and the rogues gallery of beasties that usually populate Swamp Thing comics. And that's my whole point...THIS IS A MONSTER COMIC. MAKE IT ABOUT MONSTERS. SWAMP THING ISSUE 1 WRITING: B- ART: A+ SWAMP THING ISSUE 2 WRITING: B- ART: A+ This review sends me careening into the first two slickly produced issues of Bat Man, also written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo. Bat Man is what I would call a full course meal as opposed to some of the other disappointing titles that leave your stomach growling and wanting for more. Scott Snyder has warmed up for his fresh run on Bat Man by writing the excellent Detective Comics run before the relaunch and then the mini-series Gates of Gotham. Snyder is obsessed it would seem with Gotham City and is determined to create a mysterious yet potential laden mythos that will provide Bat readers with generations of new stories regarding Bat Man's home turf. As a fellow writer I must admit the book is eloquently written. Snyder immediately lets us know that Bat Man is a detective and this book comes across like an action packed, hard boiled crime novel that happens to be about a costumed vigilante. There are great scenes involving the Bat Cave and bat tech; Arkham is used in issue one sparingly but beautifully to remind us we're in the House of the Bat and everything is not well. I enjoyed the new character Lincoln March...although he looks a little bit too much like Bruce Wayne so it is difficult to distinguish between the two when they are in the same scene. I also got a kick out of all the "ROBINS" getting together for a benefit that Bruce is attending. It appears to me that Snyder knows all the cool toys he has to play with in this sandbox and he knows just where to set them up for maximum entertainment value. Issue 2 was not as entertaining to me as number one but still a good read. I had some real problems following the visual action scene Capullo draws of Bat Man taking on some thugs in a helicopter while he's riding his motorcycle on the overhead train tracks of Gotham. Normally I have no problem suspending disbelief but when Bat Man defies gravity and other known laws of science...it's distracting. At the end of issue 2 he falls from the top of Wayne Tower in his civilian clothes and lands on a gargoyle outcropping...saving him from becoming street pizza....but wouldn't he have probably also been killed by landing on this stone monument without any protective body armor or anything to cushion the impact? These are things that irritate me in my own stories so I sure as hell don't let other writers get away with it. Bat Man/ Bruce Wayne is flesh and blood. Write him as such. Other than the implausibility of some scenes...Capullo is handling his business with this book. Bat Man is fun to look at and watch. There's a sly animated swagger to Capullo's pencils that give Bat Man a sort of freedom he's not had since Mcfarlane was drawing him in the eighties. The other thing I like is that Bat Man is not some huge, lumbering, steroid pumped hulk like Frank Miller or Jim Lee are fond of drawing. He looks like an athletic dude with some muscle definition...and that's how it should be. I'm digging this book so far...but don't get too

serious about making Gotham its own entity...and let's see Bat Man act more like a superhero and fight villains suited to his style of crime-fighting. Also...Bat Man is just a human being dude...if he falls off a building with no batarangs or grappling hooks...he's ass out. Sorry. BATMAN ISSUE 1 WRITING: A ART: A+ BATMAN ISSUE 2 WRITING: A- ART: A+

DC's NEW 52...Should I stay or should I go?

Last week on this blog...I, the fearless writer and creator of Lucius Hammer...tried my hand at writing honest and hard hitting reviews of the new DC Comics re-launch. My reviews I thought were insightful, thought provoking and truthful...but I was very liberal and scathing with regards to the adjectives I used when a book was supremely disappointing to me and my partner and co-host here at Ravenhammer Headquarters, Christian Colbert, sent me a nice e-mail saying that I should pull the blog post out of respect to the creators that I ravaged. His point was..."You never know if we might have to deal with these people in the future. You'd be surprised how quick things get around on the web." Well...he was right. I pulled down my passionate yet acerbic rants because I also know what it feels like to be raked over the coals of a critic. But my internal argument to this point is that bad is bad. I will hopefully never release a comic book that is knowingly garbage in my lifetime, but if this were to happen...I would want someone to tell me so that mistake would never be made again. I decided to revisit some of those DC 52 books again this week with reduced vitriol but with the same opinion and something extra that I didn't include on the last go round...HOW I WOULD RE-LAUNCH THE DC 52 including what titles I would have chosen and omitted compared to the ones they are actually publishing....so....let's try this again. Action Comics # 1 in terms of its significance is most likely the most important book in this overhaul of the very established yet stodgy DC Comics Universe. We will discuss why DC Comics is "stodgy" a little later but I must admit that going into Action # 1, I was already a bit biased. Grant Morrison is the writer of this brand new take on everyone's favorite Kryptonian and if you know me.. you know that I was insanely satisfied by his modern masterpiece of superhero literature, ALL STAR SUPERMAN and that I consider it canonical SUPERMAN text. It explains SUPERMAN in a nutshell to the unwashed masses and restores the impossible wonder that often lies dormant in SUPERMAN comics written by lesser scribes. When I first read ALL STAR SUPERMAN...I was hooked from page one. ACTION COMICS # 1 has that same jaw dropping thrill surging through it. Rags Morales is the illustrator and he is extremely competent in depicting Metropolis as a classic city going through some growing pains. This is not the pristine Metropolis of old...this is a real city or being treated like one. We get our first glimpse of Superman as he is administering some tough love justice to a banker who is taking advantage of the common man in his capacity as a trusted public figure. Superman is not happy with this cat and he demonstrates his disappointment by dangling him over the side of skyscraper balcony. I have heard many complaints from fanboys and comic shop nerds that this not their daddy's Superman. Whatever...if you are a true and die-hard Supes fan then you know in the original first issue of Action Comics, Superman was a no holds barred, pimp slapping, door busting, brawling bruiser who would pull your card in a minute. In fact the notion of Superman being an overgrown boy scout doesn't really take hold until a handful of issues later. Morrison, once again in his efforts to reflect what is so amazing about these characters and their literary DNA, resurrects the notion of SUPERMAN the SOCIAL ACTIVIST/ENFORCER. This is exciting to me because it's a seldom explored nuance of Superman's character that separates him from the others in the DC Pantheon. You have this all powerful twenty something running around a big city with a blue t-shirt, a red cape and construction boots taking the law into his own hands...this sets the tone for DC's explanation of the first superhero...and I found it very compelling. Some complaints because in the end...it's not yet as good as ALL STAR SUPERMAN...the art was uneven in places. And sometimes the younger version of Clark Kent comes across as a variant of Peter Parker. In fact ...in a lot of ways, this whole re-vamp smells like the Marvelization of DC Comics. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. ACTION COMICS is full of action and it delivers. Story Grade; A- Art Grade- B+ Next up is Detective Comics # 1...which is, as we all know the showcase for Batman. I am a huge Batman fan. Isn't everybody? As a kid, I was probably a bigger Spiderman and Superman fan but as I got older...Batman crept up on me. I grew up reading Denny O'neill's atmospheric, pulpy and dark Batman adventures. Neal Adams and Jim Aparo helped paint the picture of what The Dark Knight should look like during the seventies. Then something happened when I graduated from high school...Frank Miller released his graphic novel magnum opus...The Dark Knight Returns. When this happened...Batman was incontrovertibly changed forever and thus giving birth to a whole slew of misguided, overly violent, nihilistic superhero comics that have culminated in what we have here with Detective # 1. Tony Daniel is the artist and the writer, and while I applaud his efforts as a fellow creator...I can't help but point out that this book is not Batman to me. This book is tonally more at home with Red Dragon or Kiss The Girls (you know...those serial killer novels)...Batman is his usual hellbent, shadowy sentinel of Gotham..."I am the night." is something he utters throughout the course of this book and I get it...he's a bad mo fo and all that jazz but it's getting kind of tiresome. And catch phrases like "I am the night." if not paired with the right scenario or accompanied by an awe inspiring piece of art can be so terribly cliched or "nineties". The artwork was not up to par for me...Batman seems to be out of proportion in some panels...and in other he looks decent...but nothing special or ominous which is how I like my Dark Knight. The Joker in his most recent incarnation is obviously about as crazy and violent as Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees and Hannibal Lecter. Within the first two or three pages of the story we see him wielding a butcher knife that would make Michael Meyers blush with shame. Once again, I feel this portrayal is a bit off key and does a little bit of pandering to the recent takes on the Joker's multi-faceted persona. The Joker is a maniac; a homicidal one at that...but he is subtle and is an artisan of murder. He is not an over the top...blood soaked...corpse bludgeoning ghoul. This is how he is written in Detective # 1...a rabid, bloodthirsty beast who is wildly flailing about with a steak knife. If you like darkness and the whole grim and gritty scene just for the sake of grim and gritty...this may temporarily satisfy your appetite but as far as Batman goes...in my opinion this book is closer to Silence of the Lambs than the Caped Crusader. Story Grade; D Art Grade; D Now...the fun part! How would I have treated these same books had I been given the carte blanche to re-launch and redirect. ACTION COMICS was good but not great and I think it wasn't great because it was missing a few things. I think Rags Morales is a great pick as artist...even if he showed some really rough spots here and there in his panel work. I however might have been tempted to secure someone like Bryan Hitch...or Frank Quietly. Superman is an EPIC comic book and that epic atmosphere must permeate the art and writing. These guys hit home runs every time they step up to the plate. As far as plot changes...I believe I would have included at least one transition scene from Smallville to the Metropolis contrasting the two key locations in this hero's journey and play up the country mouse/ city mouse paradigm. I also would have waited to introduce Lex Luthor much later in the story...right now I feel like they are trying to shoe horn him in and it feels kind of awkward. To me, Lex Luthor has always been one of the greatest comic book villains right up there with The Joker and Dr. Doom. I would take the time in a re-launch and set him up as someone whom Superman despises...a guy who has no powers per se but always makes Superman lose his cool and act outside of his character which is what all good antagonists do. I didn't see much that excited me about Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen either. Both of these characters are kind of hit or miss for me...Olsen will eventually become Superman's "pal" and Lois Lane his girlfriend...I think there could be some interesting storylines within that little triangle. I also think that Jimmy's fascination with Superman is a rational explanation for him getting involved with different aspects of the superhero community as Jack Kirby suggested years ago when he was working for DC. But this book should be about country alien boy comes to the big city...city tries to eat boy...but boy becomes Superman. That's the formula...now in addition to Lex Luthor...there's Braniac...a classic and ingenious idea...sort of a HAL 9000 in humanoid form from Krypton. There's also prisoners of the Phantom Zone. Zod, Ursa and Non? I would definitely play up the whole lost survivors of Krypton thing with Supergirl, Kandor, and Mon-El. There's so much to play with in the Superman universe it's ridiculous. As for Detective Comics...I would definitely have used Ivan Reis or Eddy Barrows for the art chores. Ivan Reis is blowing it up on Aquaman and Eddy Barrows has Nightwing looking like a classic run in the making. Right now...I feel that Batman needs a facelift. His adventures are dark and dour...most of his exploits revolve around murderers and psychopaths, and while that can be fun in an escapist sense I believe Batman needs some light and maybe more adventure and intrigue than the grim and gritty. I would love to see a well illustrated run chronicling Batman's adventures with the League of Shadows and more definitive encounters with Ra's Al Ghul as the mastermind of some overarching year long plot. Clayface and Killer Croc would also be Rogue's Gallery members I would consider for possible revamps and incorporate in more stories. Cat Woman, to me, has lost her bite in terms of being a dangerous and engaging villain for Bats. I would nix their romantic connection and perhaps make their relationship more toxic. She would definitely become Bat-Man's fatale attraction. The Joker has been all over the map...but is my favorite super-villain of all time. I would definitely take cues from Chris Nolan and Heath Ledger's Joker and turn him into that chaotic terrorist who's motivation is to promote disorder. Arkham Asylum is a great fixture in Bat Man's universe...but I would make the Joker this mysterious, uncontrollable force of nature that continues to be a pain in the ass to Batman, and to be problematic to Bat Man he has to be on the loose. He has to be threatening to the point where Gotham is constantly worried about this dude and when he's going to rear his ugly head. Last but not least...Commissioner Gordon would become a major character through which we can see the dilemma of working with Bat Man, needing Bat Man, but also being leery of him because he is a vigilante. If it were up to me I would go for a mixture of Gary Oldman's cerebral, understated Jim Gordon and the righteous, two fisted Commish from Batman Year One. Another thing I would strive for above everything else is to make Bruce Wayne as interesting as Bat Man. I am captivated by Christian Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne. He's got this slow burn kind of obsession thing going on that you can see right below the indifferent rich guy facade that is fascinating. I think Bruce Wayne has to be interesting for us to dig Bat Man. Anyway...that's it for now. When I review the DC New 52 again...we'll take a look at Swamp Thing and Animal Man.