Wednesday Number Ones 8/8/07
Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Comic Pants. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature.
This week we will cover Black Adam The Dark Age #1, BPRD Killing Ground #1 of 6, Ghosting #1, Glister #1, and Un-men #1.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
The Un-Men #1
Writer: John Whalen
Artist: Mike Hawthorne
Company: Vertigo
Do you want to be slightly confused, a little creeped out and be taken aback by some truly spectacular artwork? Tough question, but if the answer is yes, this part grindhouse insanity, part murder mystery called The Un-Men, whose story feels in some ways like Tod Browning’s film Freaks, is a book you need to read. If nothing else, it’s a creepy little comic to behold with ties coming straight out of Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson’s run on Swamp Thing. Of course John Whalen has expanded on the ideas presented. No longer are the villainous Un-Men just a small band of synthetic men, they now have their own little corner of the world called Aberrance U.S.A., the world’s most prominent sideshow attraction, and are even in talks to produce a reality television series. In a sense, they’ve become a bit more mainstream. Of course all of this good publicity could go South when the death of a young freak brings a government spook into the mix and could ruin all of Cranius’ clever planning. Overall, it’s an average start with some neat characters and some strong art by Hawthorne. Could be worth your time if you’re in the right mood.
Dave Farabee Read and Thought:
Black Adam #1
Writer: Peter Tomasi
Artist: Doug Mahnke
Company: DC Comics
It takes a strong leader to demand that his followers beat his face to a pulp just so he can walk around and not be recognized, but that’s Black Adam for ya. Wanted for war crimes, he needs a new face to walk among the people of DC’s fictional city of Kahndaq in a quest involving his dead lover, Isis. It’s a brutal story, with Black Adam depowered and forced to rely on brains and guile rather than raw power to accomplish his goals. It reminded me of the various Dr. Doom origin stories that crop up periodically (Black Adam having very much become DC’s version of Doom’s villainous nobility), but I honestly found Black Adam’s story more readable than most of the Doom outings. I was particularly taken with Adam’s loyal followers, throwing themselves in front of so many bullets for him that their mortality rate becomes darkly humorous by issue’s end. Ultimately the story’s one more reflection of a DC Universe that’s gone to a dark place I’m not wild about, but judged on its own merits it’s a novel and dark take on the familiar quest story. Strong artwork, too, from Doug Mahnke.
Dan Grendell Read and Thought:
Glister #1
Creator: Andi Watson
Company: Image Comics
Young Glister Butterworth doesn’t live the same type of life that most folk do. A proper British girl, odd things just seem to happen around her, and she takes it all in stride. This issue, a rare new teapot is delivered to her house, and it turns out to be haunted by the spirit of a novelist who has fallen out of favor. Determined to correct his damaged image, the ghost wishes to publish one final novel with Glister’s help, and she agrees, unaware what a trial she’s in for. This is one seriously depressing novel, and before long Glister is doing whatever she can to dump her annoying new companion. Watson introduces a likable new heroine in Glister, and this was a fun read- I can see a lot of potential for plenty of excellent all-ages adventures to come. Mentions are made of trolls, for example, and with Watson’s imagination I’m sure there are plenty of other places to go. The artwork is Watson’s usual excellent sketchy cartooning, with a smart use of gray shading, and it works perfectly for this book. Overall, a great new series for adults and kids.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground #1 of 6
Writers: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Artist: Guy Davis
Company: Dark Horse Comics
I’ve sung the praises of B.P.R.D. before, and Killing Ground is no exception, well-written with some of the best art in the industry, courtesy of Guy Davis and Dave Stewart. However, I’d like to specifically point out that while the ideal way to experience B.P.R.D. is as a series of stories, starting with Plague of Frogs, it’s actually really easy to jump onto any of these first issues that kick off a new miniseries. Newer readers might miss some of the subtleties, like the depth of Ben Daimio’s secrecy and frustration, Liz’s damaged psyche, Abe’s recently resolved quest for identity and Johann’s newfound appetites, but all of these elements are shown clear and strong for the first-time reader as well. There’s some great spooky horror as a prisoner escapes from BPRD custody or Liz Sheridan experiences haunting dreams, there’s also terrific humor in Johann’s new state of being and awkward attempts to charm his female co-workers and while the action is relatively sparse in this first issue, it’s sure not to stay that way. B.P.R.D. is the perfect blend of the superhero and horror genres, with a classic team dynamic reminiscent of Claremont or Wolfman alongside a quirky, informed writing style that will surprise no one who has followed the previous work of Mignola or Arcudi.
D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:
Ghosting #1
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Charles Carvalho
Company: Platinum Studios
With the new politically correct atmosphere making hazing and binge drinking less than popular, the greek societies of Epsilon Epsilon Epsilon and Omega Kappa Delta need a new way to test their pledges. The new method, ghosting, is intended to use fear to test the pledges. The concept is a simple one; Van Lente creates an atmosphere where it’s difficult to tell the “Ghosting” from the real supernatural. He does a decent yet unremarkable job. The plot is formulaic and predictable, but still manages to entertain. The art falls into a similar catagory of not being poor but not being impressive in any way. If you’re a big fan of horror and suspense, and you don’t mind things being a bit formulaic and predictable, it’s worth a flip through. Otherwise, skip it completely.
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Good reviews, might pick up some of those comics.
A question, why is it okay for Marvel Universe to be dark while DCU can’t? I haven’t read the comic yet, but I expect Black Adam comic to be just that since he’s been developed that way before 52. Btw, I love both Marvel and DC, so this is not a Marvel vs DC thing.
About Un-Men, I don’t know if I want to pick up a mediocre issue. Well I guess, I will have to wait how the first arc goes and pickup the trade.
08 Aug 2007 at 5:12 pm
Quoteit’s not that it’s not ok for them to be dark, I think the problem is that it’s the overall theme of dc, save a few comics, to be overly dark, there’s no let-up in this tone. DC tries very hard to be more “realistic” and instead seems to be tarnishing its characters for the sake of shock value, and with more shock value there is less need for a plot or anything that makes an y actual sense to sell a comic. I would say that Marvel’s early approach to realism in comics was far closer and better executed than dc’s current campaign, but both of these companies are trying hard to be dark and more adult oriented for the new audience, and this is most likely because kids aren’t as interested in comics as they used to be. you could ask a kid where the justice league is from and they would most likely only know that they’re from television and be unaware of the comics, with all the adaptations of comic heroes and characters. these adaptations make the characters more popular but are doing little to spark interest in comics for kids. thusly all we have left is an adult audience who continually buys these more “mature” stories, supply and demand. but what are the stories really doing to the characters that have lived through so many years? and is this reversible? (in dc’s case, more crises!!!)
08 Aug 2007 at 6:31 pm
Quotesorry that was so long heh
08 Aug 2007 at 6:31 pm
QuoteI noticed that Ghosting is published by Platinum studios. I looked into them a little bit and they haven’t been around too long. Less than a year I think. Their website, however, is very advanced for a new company. They even list their comics with the majors, just after Image and the general gist I got from their website is that they are trying to turn independent comics into movies. They also seem to be the master mind behind http://www.drunkduck.com and http://www.brokenfrontier.com. Both these sites are top notch for what they are. This company seems to have come out of nowhere and already has a major presence. Does anybody have any information about them? Who the hell are these guys? They seem to have major backing.
08 Aug 2007 at 6:53 pm
QuoteWell, the chairman is Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, who founded Malibu Comics then later sold it and its Ultraverse characters to Marvel before heading to Hollywood to sell things like Men in Black. Platinum bought DrunkDuck.com and retained its founder as director of software development. The focus at Platinum is basically on using comics to sell properties to Hollywood. That doesn’t mean they don’t put out quality material, just that the company has a very specific business model.
08 Aug 2007 at 7:05 pm
QuoteThanks Dan, I appreciate the reply. I’m going to keep my eye on them. Haven’t read any of their comics yet. Soon will.
08 Aug 2007 at 7:10 pm
QuoteDo we really need more of this?
08 Aug 2007 at 8:00 pm
QuoteHmm, I’m not quite sure where you got that sentiment. I’m adverse to pervasive gloom from both of the Big Two and I’m sure I’ve expressed similar sentiments in Marvel reviews.
I will say that darker stories tend to be a better fit at Marvel, though. DC’s always kept one foot in the Silver Age, from costumes like The Flash’s to Legionnaire names like “Cosmic Boy” to the persistant presence of that ultimate icon of pure heroism - Superman. It’s one of the things I LIKE about DC, but it does mean the setting doesn’t handle the grimmer side of realism that well. So, yeah, I’m probably a little more forgiving of doom ‘n’ gloom at Marvel than DC, but that said, I still think ideas like Spider-Man: Reign and Hulk-as-killer are utter dreck.
08 Aug 2007 at 9:33 pm
QuoteYeah, sure would hate indy level comic guys to actually make a living….
TIM
08 Aug 2007 at 9:44 pm
QuoteI dunno, Tim, after having to sit through Men in Black, Ghost World, Art School Confidential, 300, The Mask, Road to Perdition, Sin City, Hellboy, The Crow, A History of Violence, American Splendor, and more I’m sure I’ve forgotten, it looks to me like people just can’t make good films from indy comics.
Or maybe not.
08 Aug 2007 at 10:28 pm
QuoteYou forgot Tank Girl.
Seriously, the indies have had a better track record in terms of quality film adaptations compared to Marvel and DC. Hellboy and Sin City may not have been blockbusters like X-men or Spider-man, but I much prefer the former movies to the latter. It seems like the filmmakers adapting the indie comics are far more respectful and faithful to the source material (e.g., Sin City) than the filmmakers making the $200 mil superhero flix.
Its also nice to see the creators making money from their creations and having some influence in the production of the films (Mignola, Miller, etc.).
I have really high hopes for the Watchmen movie.
09 Aug 2007 at 12:28 am
QuoteAnd Mysterymen, maybe not as true to the source as some of the others mentioned but still a very fun movie.
09 Aug 2007 at 7:16 am
QuoteI agree with Lambo. I feel like too many indie comics are glorified movie pitches these days. I wouldn’t be so jaded as to say people are ONLY looking at comics as a stepping stone to a bigger payday, but it does seem like a lot of creators have one eye on a bigger prize, to the point where they don’t pay 100% attention to the medium they are actually in.
I of course have no proof of this whatsoever, it’s just a nagging feeling I consistently get when I flip through some of these books.
I’m not really blaming anyone or wagging my finger either. It’s hard to make a living as a writer. You’ve got to do what you can.
09 Aug 2007 at 8:35 am
QuoteHere’s the thing, I think there are two different things going on here:
One is the movie options being picked up on so many comics. In general, I see this as a good thing. For one, as Dan notes, it has given us some damn fine films. For another, as Tim notes, it allows indy creators (who all too often aren’t making much money and are working another job to support their comic book work) to actually make a living on their creations.
It does suck when a movie option sells and the comic just disappears, as the creator becomes so involved with the movie that the original reason the movie is being made and all the fans who helped garner its buzz, are left in the dust. If that happens, that creator (or the company, if it’s company-owned) deserves to be called on the carpet for essentially “using” the medium and its fans. If someone thinks “I’ve got a great idea for a movie… I’ll do a comic until Hollywood notices me!” or something like that? Fuck ‘em… we don’t need those types.
But when the comic continues to come out and the movie is just a separate thing? Hey, that’s a win-win. Hack/Slash is a perfect example… the movie is clearly moving forward, but so is the comic, having launched as a (very good, IMO) ongoing for the first time in its history.
The other are the companies who seem to exist as “intellectual property developers.” It comes off as a little derisive toward the comics medium to build a company where the whole point is to get movie-worthy ideas out in storyboards that your fans subsidize, essentially. It can feel to indy comic fans like these companies are just slumming with us, and the movie is the real project. Worse, too many of the ideas at these companies aren’t all that original, and too often the stories are bland and predictable (in the way that so many Hollywood movies are) and it helps to lower the opinion of indy comics amongst the folks who buy these pitches in comic form, which makes them less likely to try out work from artists and writers who are putting their heart and soul into work because they love comics.
Of course, I don’t think making a company where the movie/TV rights are a money-maker is necessarily an evil thing, either. Yes, in many ways, Platinum seems like a lot of flash and sizzle with not a ton of substance, but their books come out on time (I believe), they’re professionally produced and they complete their runs rather than disappearing leaving a story half-finished. That’s a benchmark that a lot of companies (even Marvel, hello Daredevil: The Target and Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk) can’t claim. I’ll admit that nothing I’ve read has made me jump up and say “woohoo, great Platinum comic!” but I don’t think they’re doing the industry any particular harm, even if their market is really the TV/movie option biz.
Yeah, I’m as skeptical of anyone of Hollywood “ruining” good comics properties or stealing talent and ideas… but I think that the notion of comics-to-film isn’t inherently evil, and it provides a viable source of revenue for creators who all-too-often get paid only in fan/critical appreciation and self-satisfaction in their work. Which is nice and all, but you can’t eat it or use it to pay rent.
09 Aug 2007 at 7:14 pm
QuoteExactly. That was well said, man.
09 Aug 2007 at 8:43 pm
QuoteGuys I SWEAR Hell on wheels is a COMIC made by a guy who could NOT give a rat’s wisker about moives. That rumor of my 40 million dollar Hell on wheel movie totally fake…AND hopefully speading (grin)
http://www.howcomics.com
09 Aug 2007 at 10:32 pm
Quote