Top Comics to Buy for September 19, 2018

September 17, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — This was an especially strong week, with the penultimate issue of Mister Miracle sort of headlining the books I’m looking forward to. It kind of seems like that book has been going on for years (even though it launched in August 2017) and like we’ll have it for the rest of our days (the last issue is currently due out on Oct. 24...although if recent issues are an indication it's probably likely to slip).

The book has just been so so good, and we will most definitely be sad to see it go. That said, we’re also enjoying the heck out of these final few issues. Tom King is one of the best and most introspective superhero writers, and what he’s done first with The Vision and now with Mister Miracle is work that seems likely to find a wide audience for a good long while. It’s been really rewarding to follow it in monthly issues, even with these minor delays.

Oh hey, and also there’s a lot of other good stuff, too! Let’s take a look...

Top Comics to Buy for September 19, 2018

Crude #6
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Garry Brown
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Thomas Mauer
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Piotr has fought his way across Blackstone to avenge his son's death. Now he faces off against the biggest bastard of them all, and only one will walk away.
Why It’s Cool: This is the finale of a fantastic book about closure, violence, secrets, acceptance, and fathers and sons. If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. Creators Steve Orlando and Garry Brown, however, streamline their many powerful themes into a cathartic and powerful story.

Harley Quinn #50
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artists (In Order of Appearance): John Timms, Whilce Portacio, Agnes Garbowska, John McCrea, Kelley Jones, Jon Davis-Hunt, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Scott Kolins, Dan Jurgens, Guillem March, Mirka Andolfo, Babs Tarr, Tom Grummett, Cam Smith
Colorists (In Order of Appearance): Alex Sinclair, Gabe Eltaeb, John Kalisz, Michelle Madsen, Andrew Dalhouse, Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
In a special anniversary story, "Harley Saves the Universe!"-no kidding! While reading a mysterious Harley Quinn comic book, H.Q. accidentally breaks all of reality. And you know the saying: if you break it, you bought it! Now it's up to Harley to travel through both time and space to fix all the continuity errors she created. Luckily, she'll have a little help, 'cuz riding shotgun is none other than special guest star Jonni DC, Continuity Cop! Good thing, too, because if Harley fails, it means her own mom will be lost forever. Gulp! That doesn't sound very funny!
Why It’s Cool: Listen, I’m not a big fan of Harley Quinn stories. The zany superhero books (ie Deadpool) don’t usually do it for me, but this one takes a gigantic and meta idea, using it to tell a poignant story about the nature of superhero franchises, sprinkled liberally with fun deep cut nods to DC continuity. It’s a must-buy for long-time DC readers.

Ice Cream Man #7
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
"MY LITTLE POLTERGEIST"
Another sullen, sequential short! Here, a little girl's best friend comes back from the dead. Or does she? It's hard to say, ghosts being an unreliable sort.
Why It’s Cool: Ice Cream Man #6 was one of my favorite books of 2018 so far, accomplishing some really impressive feats of comic-making craft. It did, however, leaving me wondering if this book was becoming a bit nihilistic...until this issue put that question at rest. This is the most heartfelt issue yet of one of the best comics on the stands, and I highly recommend picking it up.

Immortal Hulk #6
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Lee Garbett
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
"THE GREEN DOOR" STARTS HERE! Bruce Banner is alive - and everyone knows it. Now he's hunted by the government, Alpha Flight, the mysterious Shadow Base...and the Avengers. And someone's going to find him first. But Bruce has bigger problems. Something terrible has infected him. Something with unspeakable plans for humanity. And the only one who knows about it...is the IMMORTAL HULK.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve liked Immortal Hulk quite a bit from its first disturbing issue, but last month’s Immortal Hulk #5 introduced a new villian that in my opinion gives this story a chilling new sense of direction, one that stands to make it an even more powerful book. This is, quite simply, my favorite comic at Marvel right now.

Mister Miracle #11
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Mitch Gerads
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
If there's one thing popular fiction has taught us by now, it's: never make a deal with the devil! And yet Mister Miracle is still listening when Darkseid approaches him with just such a devilish proposition-if Scott sends his newborn son to Apokolips, there will be peace on New Genesis. Since when has Darkseid been famous for his honesty?! It'll be a miracle if this doesn't blow up in Scott's face.
Why It’s Cool: Our site and many others have spent the past year or so heaping praise upon Tom King and Mitch Gerads Mister Miracle, and that’s not going to stop now that we’ve reached the penultimate issue. This is a series filled with equal parts introspection and misdirection. Expect some answers here, but also expect to wait for Mister Miracle #12 to really get a clear idea of what’s been going on.

Others Receiving Votes

Avengers #8
Batman #55
Black Badge #2
Black Hammer: Age of Doom #5
Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #3
Ether Copper Golems #5
Justice League #8
Lost City Explorers #4
Pearl #2
Skyward #6
Teen Titans #22
Thor #5
Usagi Yojimbo The Hidden #6
Venom #6
The Wild Storm #17

See our past top comics to buy here, and check our our reviews archive here.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

The Saga Re-Read: Saga #6

September 14, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

In Saga #6, the narration continues to do so much work, floating through panels like wisps of nostalgia gently tinging all that's taking place. — In **Saga #6**, the narration continues to do so much work, floating through panels like wisps of nostalgia gently tinging all that's taking place.

By Zack Quaintance and Cory Webber — Let’s talk about Saga’s narration, about the little snippets of Hazel looking back at the story. They just do so much work, both in setting an epic and emotional tone as well as in helping Saga stand apart from other comics, which I think is accomplished mainly through the aesthetic way the font seems to float through the panels, as if it were wisps of nostalgia gently tinging all that’s taking place.

Anyway, my point is that the narration is back and heavier in Saga #6 than it has been in some time, and I’m glad for it. This is the conclusion of the first Saga trade, the one I’ve bought for more than a few people and always been absolutely puzzled if they decide not to move on. How, I wonder, could anyone (regardless of their experience with the medium) stop following this story after these six installments? Then I shake my head and shrug, because, hey, we like what we like and anyway it’s not really my business.

What is my business is continuing this one-issue-per-week plodding Saga re-read. Onward!

Saga #6

Here’s the official preview text from way back when for Saga #6:

The epic hit series continues, as Alana and her baby finally reach the legendary Rocketship Forest, where everything changes forever.

Despite the presence of epic phrases like the legendary Rocketship Forest and everything changes forever, this is still a pretty bare bones teaser for the issue. The cover is decent, though, juxtaposing an indelible sign of nature (a bright green leaf) with the harsh and instantly-recognizable void of outer space. The color contrast works well enough too. I wouldn’t, rush, however, to put this cover up with the best of the series.

The cover for Saga #6. — The cover for **Saga #6.**

Now on to our takes!

A Re-Reader’s Perspective by Zack: Ho boy, the brief interaction between Prince Robot IV and The Will put dread in the pit of my stomach. Oh, the things that come...anyway, here’s a great line about our lovers: Marko, the father, is a force of fucking nature. But it’s the mother who really frightens me. Awesome. In terms of craft, it’s evident in this issue that Staples potential is vast and unlimited. Her linework isn’t quite as clean as it becomes, but she’s really nailing the excellent grandeur, specifically the first shot of the spaceship. The design work on the ship’s interior is also interesting as is the ship in flight and the armor for Marko’s parents. I’m noticing upon re-reading that the domestic drama cliffhangers (And then my grandparents came to live with us) are just as significant (if not more so) than those rooted in action or blood.

A New Reader’s Perspective by Cory Webber: The family expands! I love how Marko’s parents were introduced. I just hope Izabel is okay. After all, we see her get zapped and nothing after that. Also, I’ve just assumed Horrors couldn’t die...again, but I digress. Moreover, I loved the developments here: a wood-based rocket ship with empathetic abilities, Marko’s parents being introduced, and The Will showing human emotion (again!). I can’t wait to crack the next issue and see where the intergalactic saga goes next. Although, I will admit I am pretty anxious about this journey based on the general sentiments regarding the developments in the final issue before the hiatus. For now, I’m buckled in and ready to take this ride for eight more volumes! Wish me luck!

Cory’s New Reader Predictions: Izabel will be okay, right?! I mean, she’s bonded to Hazel. That has to mean something!

Cory Webber is a work-from-home entrepreneur who also reads and reviews comics for fun. Find him on Twitter at @CeeEssWebber. He lives in Lehi, Utah with his wife and three sons.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

Top Modern Superhero Artists: The Sultans of Style at Marvel and DC

September 13, 2018 by Taylor Pechter in Comics

By Taylor Pechter — In comics, there’s always debate over what is more important: writing or art. These discussions can go either way, but they almost always conclude that both are equally important in different ways. Writers give characters their personalities, desires, and struggles, while the artists give motion and create a flow to the story. Artists also give characters different body types, faces, and ticks that writers can’t show with words alone. They are, simply put, storytellers in their own right.

Through the many decades of comics history individual artists have helped inform the style of the time. From legends like Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby in the Golden and Silver Ages, to the sleek photorealism of Neal Adams in the Bronze Age, to the incomparable detail of George Perez that helped usher in the Modern Age of comic art. However, in the past 20 years, a handful of artists have helped push the medium forward, while defining the company they belong to. This has been dubbed house style.

Exactly what is considered house style has changed during the past few years, but, even so, what I’d like to look at today are the artists who who have helped define their respective superhero universes.

DC

1. Jim Lee — Arguably the most popular artist of the 1990s, Jim Lee rose to fame drawing the X-Men for Marvel in the early years of the decade before breaking away to form Image and his company, WildStorm Productions. In the late 90s, he sold his company to DC, bringing his signature style over to the brand. Lee’s style contains heavy linework, chiseled jawlines, extreme detail, and dynamic action. This style has helped define the look of the modern DCU by making it grander and more epic in scale. Currently, Lee serves as Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment.

Notable Works:

Batman: Hush
All-Star Batman and Robin: The Boy Wonder
Justice League: Origin
Superman: Unchained

2. Ivan Reis — Coming to American comics all the way from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ivan Reis has quickly become the go to event artist for DC of the past decade. Combining the sleekness of Neal Adams, the cinematic flair of Bryan Hitch, and the sheer scale of George Perez, Reis is a defining artist of the current generation. He’s also a notable collaborator with modern DC architect Geoff Johns, and his delicate-yet-cinematic style has helped bring new prominence to characters like Green Lantern and the Teen Titans. He’s currently drawing Superman, which is written by Brian Michael Bendis.

Infinite Crisis (With Phil Jimenez, George Perez, and Jerry Ordway)
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War
Blackest Night
Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow

3. Gary Frank — English superstar Gary Frank is a roughly 23-year veteran of the business. Frank got his start at DC helping co-create the Birds of Prey team with legendary Bat-scribe Chuck Dixon. He later honed his craft at Marvel, drawing the Incredible Hulk and also collaborating with J. Michael Straczynski, but he eventually returned to DC to become one of, if not the defining Superman artists. With his keen eye for detail, simple-but-effective panel layouts, deep shadows, and expressive faces, Frank has become a favorite of mine and of many others.

Notable Works:

Superman: Brainiac
Superman: Secret Origin
Batman: Earth One
Doomsday Clock (currently ongoing)

4. Alex Ross — Arguably the most recognizable artist of this bunch, Chicago-based painter Alex Ross combines the photorealism of Norman Rockwell with the grandeur of the DCU. Ross depicts superheroes the way they were always meant to be seen: standing taller than life in the face of adversity. Using vast landscapes, strong postures, and smiles galore, Ross has become a multimedia sensation, not only drawing comics but also creating posters for film and video games.

Kingdom Come
The World’s Greatest Super Heroes
Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come

5. Jason Fabok — The newest artist on the DC block, Canadian Jason Fabok rose to prominence during DC’s New 52. While starting on smaller stories in Detective Comics, he later became popular via the mega Bat-event Batman Eternal followed by a run on Justice League with Geoff Johns. With his blend of realism, glossy texture, cinematic layouts, and brutal action, Fabok has fast-become one of the most acclaimed DC artists of the decade.

Batman Eternal
Justice League Darkseid War
Batman/Flash: The Button
Three Jokers (upcoming)

Marvel

1. Joe Quesada — Coming from New York City, Joe Quesada, much like his contemporary at DC Jim Lee, had a hand in crafting Marvel’s signature style coming out of the 90’. With inker Jimmy Palmiotti, Quesada redefined what street-level Marvel meant, fueling the creation of Marvel Knights. Quesada’s use of overly exaggerated proportions, dense and heavy shadows, and cartoony-yet-expressive faces is part of the blueprint for Marvel to this day. He now acts as Chief Creative Officer for Marvel Entertainment.

Daredevil: Guardian Devil
Spider-Man: One More Day

2. David Finch — Another comics superstar hailing from the Great White North, David Finch started drawing in the late 1990s for Marc Silvestri’s company Top Cow before moving to the House of Ideas in the 2000s. An early collaborator with a young Brian Michael Bendis, Finch’s heavy shadows, musclebound heroes, and cinematic action helped Marvel craft a denser and darker universe. He now works as a freelance artist and is husband to writer Meredith Finch. Most recently he has drawn issues of Tom King’s ongoing run on DC’s Batman.

Avengers Disassembled
New Avengers: Breakout
Moon Knight: The Bottom
Ultimatum

3. Steve McNiven — This is the last Canadian artist on this list, I promise. McNiven has been a Marvel mainstay since the early 2000s, when he did many covers for the publisher. His big break, however, came in 2006, when he was tapped for Marvel’s biggest event of the decade, Civil War. After that, McNiven started a partnership with Mark Millar. He is a king of rendering, using different styles of fabric and metal to do so. He adds many layers of texture that help lend to his somewhat stylized photorealism. His explosive panel layouts and eye for epic moments have led him to become one of Marvel’s blockbuster exclusive artists.

Civil War
Wolverine: Old Man Logan
Death of Wolverine
New Avengers: The Sentry

4. Olivier Coipel — Magical, mythical, grandiose...these are all words that have been used to describe French artist Olivier Coipel’s work. Rising to prominence as a frequent collaborator of Brian Bendis, Coipel helped tear down and rebuild the Marvel Universe many times over. With his delicate linework, his characters move with a certain grace along with detailed architecture and lush landscapes that help create truly stunning comics.

House of M
Thor (2007)
Siege
Unworthy Thor

5. Leinil Francis Yu — Last but not least we come to Filipino artist Leinil Francis Yu, who got his start his start in the late 90’s, his claim to fame being a major stint on Wolverine and other X-Men titles. His style is much looser than the others on this list. Yu uses many different lines to add intricacies. During Marvel’s big resurgence in the 2000’s, he became, much like Coipel and McNiven, a go to artist for the blockbuster events and headlining books. His action is frenetic and that helps greatly set the pace for the books that he draws.

Wolverine
Secret Invasion
Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk
Captain America (currently ongoing)

In the end, these artists have all been mainstays of certain universes with styles that while influenced by many great artists before them, are still uniquely their own. They have all played significant roles in creating the house styles that differentiate the two superhero universes, with DC having a more detailed, almost photorealistic look, while Marvel features a more exaggerated, cartoony, and fantastical aesthetic. These artists have helped redefine their universes; they are true sultans of superhero style.

Taylor Pechter is a passionate comic book fan and nerd. Find him on Twitter @TheInspecter.

Check out Marvel Comics, now at comiXology.com!

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The Saga Re-Read: Saga #5

September 07, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance & Cory Webber — We crossed the 50 weeks remaining mark! Congratulations for all of you who have made this trip with us. I can only speak for myself, but re-reading at this slow and careful pace has been a real treat for me so far, giving me a chance to really live within this story and consider all that I know about what’s to come before moving forward. I hope you’re having a similar experience.

Meanwhile, during this hiatus the creative team is making itself somewhat visible. I highly encourage all of you re-readers to check out this interview from Entertainment Weekly with both Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, in which they discuss that plot point from Saga #54. Also, if you happen to be one of those mythical folks who doesn’t have a gigantic surplus of comics to read, Vaughan and Staples also recently built a Goodreads list for fans of Saga, which contains some other recent favorites of mine such as Ice Cream Man, as well as some other books that are all new to me and soon to join my ever-expanding to read list.

That does it for this week’s preamble. As always, thanks for joining us on our epic journey. Onward!

Saga #5

Here’s the official preview text from way-back-when for Saga #5:

The smash hit ongoing series from Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples continues, as Prince Robot IV's hunt for Hazel and her parents takes a deadly turn.

And boy does it. It’s still so early in this story, and already we have Vaughan and Staples slamming various character motivations around and making their creations pay the price. Good writing is often as simple as giving characters a clear desire, putting giant obstacles in their ways, and depicting how they respond. Saga has always had an impressive command over that, and this issue is a great example. Plus, that cover!

A Re-Reader’s Perspective by Zack: Looking back, the amount of space dedicated to humanizing The Will and Prince Robot IV in the first arc is interesting. It’s easy to think of them both as side characters who were incidentally fleshed out. That’s not entirely the case, though, considering maybe about a third of the very first arc went to giving them human and relatable motivations for who they become and how they later interact with our heroes. This issue is also notable for being the first appearance of Marko’s defining character flaw, his violent bouts of rage. Eep.

A New Reader’s Perspective by Cory Webber: This issue starts off with another signature Saga splash page of the mundane with Prince Robot IV on the toilet. I love that he’s reading the harlequin novel he confiscated as evidence back in #2. Now, let’s talk about Marko, specifically his sword skills. Umm, remind me not to piss him off. Also, I love how he goes all Kill Bill on the soldiers, but Alana shoots him before he can kill them...and he thanks her for shooting him. This pretty much sums up their relationship—she grounds him, by any means necessary. Now, let’s talk about The Will the Lord of shit vacations. It was nice to see him try and rescue the child. I like that Vaughan is creating sympathy for characters who are bad. Nothing about this book is black or white; there’s lots of gray. As for the ending, I definitely did not see that coming.

Cory’s New Reader Predictions: The Stalk is okay. Her heart is somewhere in her large abdomen. And her and the Will will go on endless shitty vacations with their newly-adopted and rescued child.

Thanks for joining us, and be sure to check back next Friday for a discussion of Saga #6! Tweet us @BatmansBookcase with your own thoughts, and we may run them here next week…

Cory Webber is a work-from-home entrepreneur who also reads and reviews comics for fun. Find him on Twitter at @CeeEssWebber. He lives in Lehi, Utah with his wife and three sons.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

The Punisher’s Code: A Look at Frank Castle’s First Appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #129

September 06, 2018 by Theron Couch in Comics

By Theron Couch — Unlike Marvel’s other vigilante heroes, the Punisher has always used lethal means to accomplish his goals. Whether in his own series, a guest appearance in another character’s book, or even during an extended alternate future tale like the one in this week’s Old Man Logan Annual, Punisher always carries the chance for serious casualties. Frank Castle’s history of lethal justice dates all the way back to his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #129, wherein Spider-Man was his target and readers could be forgiven for not being able to tell whether Punisher was good or bad...despite who he was aiming his gun at.

Spider-Man vs. The Punisher

Through a lie that Spider-Man had murdered Norman Osborne, the Punisher was manipulated by The Jackal into trying to kill the wall crawler. Much of the issue focused on Peter Parker, yet I’d still call it action packed, since we are talking about a battle between Spider-Man and The Punisher, after all. And that fight started off decidedly in The Punisher’s favor, at least before Spider-Man summoned the strength to break the titanium bonds Punisher put on him.

Even after getting free, Spider-Man still wasn’t a match for the combined forces of Punisher and Jackal, the latter of which scratched him with electric claws and sent him off the side of a building. Of course, Spider-Man survived, eventually finding a clue planted by The Jackal that leads to a dead friend of the Punisher’s. The Punisher and Spider-Man arrive in the same place, and Spider-Man explains the frame job to Punisher—only Jackal could have planted the clue leading to the body, clearly killed by Jackal’s claws, but it’s Punisher who would have taken the fall. Spider-Man and the Punisher depart tolerably, if not amicably.

The Punisher’s Code

Old Man Logan Annual #1 is now available. — **Old Man Logan Annual #1** is now available.

Even in this first appearance, Gerry Conway establishes a code of conduct for The Punisher that puts him closer to the side of the angels than the devils. The Punisher will only kill murderers. Indeed, his justification for killing Spider-Man was the supposed murder of Norman Osborne. The Punisher’s code is so rigid, in fact, he believes he must kill a target rather than allow that target to die in an accident—such as when Spider-Man falls off the roof following Jackal’s attack. Siding with Jackal may be a stain on Punisher’s shield, but Punisher remarks that he believed they were teaming up to rid New York of a criminal element.

The thing that ultimately lands Punisher in the villain column, however, comes at the end of this issue. Once Spider-Man has revealed the frame job and exposed Jackal, Punisher calls him a hero and leaves him alone, instead vowing to get revenge on Jackal. Unfortunately this set of circumstances does nothing to absolve Spider-Man of the Normal Osborne murder—the reason Punisher was hunting Spider-Man in the first place. To stay loyal to his code, the fight against Spider-Man should have continued.

The Punisher is often likened to a simple villain in Amazing Spider-Man #129, and maybe that’s the case, but I think there’s more to it than that. The Punisher follows his code of conduct throughout the issue, acting in a consistent way with a clear and avowed goal to end crime. If there is a villainous moment, it’s when he decides to stop fight against Spider-Man—abandoning his code—in favor of the pettiness of revenge.

Theron Couch is a writer, blogger, and comic book reviewer. His first novel, The Loyalty of Pawns, is available on Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter at @theroncouch.

The Saga Re-Read: Saga #3

August 24, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance & Cory Weber — The Saga re-read rolls right along this week, as me (the returning reader) and Cory Weber (the first-time reader) continue to share our thoughts and the book continues to settle into the powerhouse comic it would later become. Three is a bit of a subdued issue, albeit one with a pretty excellent cover.

We left off last week with Marko gravely injured by The Stalk, who was in turn chased off by The Horrors, who aren’t exactly what they seem to be. Meanwhile, The Will is heading with Lying Cat to Sextillion (whatever that is!) and Prince Robot IV is losing his cool while integrating Wreath prisoners about what went down between Alana and the escaped Moonie she is said to have fallen for, ultimately giving birth to a child.

Saga #3

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #3:

BKV's and FIONA STAPLES' controversial epic continues! Stranded on a mystical alien world, new parents Marko and Alana encounter their greatest fear.

That’s not a lot to go on, and, really, it’s maybe a little appropriate since this is the first issue where things tend to slow down just a little bit. It’s maybe worth noting that I can’t remember what the controversy was about now. I think it had something to do with breastfeeding? Which is maybe why they ended up putting a breast-feeding Hazel on the first omnibus cover? Either way, controversial epic now strikes me as a mostly quaint way to describe Saga through it’s first three issues. Let’s get to our takes!

A Re-Reader’s Perspective by Zack: Saga’s whole deal, as it were, is just so seamless now, that it’s easy to forget that a big part of what marked the earliest issues was a give and take between action sequences and family drama, almost like a jockeying for territory before we got fully invested in both. This issue is a bit heavier on the family drama side of things, especially the end. It’s definitely a slower issue of Saga (which bums me out, because I recently invested in a CGC-rated 9.8 copy of Saga #3), but it’s by no means a bad issue.

A New Reader’s Perspective by Cory Webber: First off, I just want to say, again, how much I love Staples’ character work, especially her facial expressions. They can almost tell the story without any words. Second, Lying Cat is growing on me, and I have a feeling it will become one of my favorite characters. Finally, as a parent of three children, this issue of Saga hits some strong notes. Parenting is hard, and I have the luxury of a house with running water, electricity and not much threat of war breaking out. Needless to say, I can’t imagine having a newborn, while on the run, on a war torn planet. But I digress, the family drama in this third issue is intriguing, what with a grotesque spirit requesting to bond with a newborn baby, and Marko making an accidental deathbed confession, while being semi-conscious — who the #&%! is Gwendolyn?!

Cory’s New Reader Predictions: I’ll tell you who the #&%! I think Gwendolyn is! It’s Marko’s wife, whom he has conveniently failed to mention prior to this. Also, I feel Alana wants to let him die, but her desire to get some answers will be a smidge stronger.

Thanks for joining us, and be sure to check back next Friday for a discussion of Saga #4! Tweet us @BatmansBookcase with your own thoughts, and we may run them here next week...

Cory Webber is a work-from-home entrepreneur who also reads and reviews comics for fun. Find him on Twitter at @CeeEssWebber. He lives in Lehi, Utah with his wife and three sons.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

The Original West Coast Avengers #1: A True Soap Opera for Superhero Fans

August 23, 2018 by Theron Couch in Comics

West Coast Avengers #1 from 1985. — **West Coast Avengers #1** from 1985.

By Theron Couch — The original West Coast Avengers #1 starts with Mockingbird leaving lipstick on Hawkeyes’s lips...I challenge Kelly Thompson and Stefano Caselli’s new West Coast Avengers to be half as tantalizing!

In fact, that first page with the lipstick business would ultimately prove to be consistent with the overall style the old book developed as it charted a course in a separate direction from its parent title, The Avengers back on the East Coast. With the West Coast Avengers returning to Marvel for the first time in ages this week, I’d like to look back today at the original series and at how its debut issue effectively used soap opera dramatics to separate itself from its parent title.

See, West Coast Avengers #1 was essentially a soap opera that just happened to guest star Ultron 12 and his henchmen, Man-Ape and Goliath. Writer Steve Engelhart spent most of the issue following personal drama rather than focusing on action. For instance, in the opening pages—when Hank Pym interrupts the Hawkeye/Mockingbird make out session—Engelhart introduced Hawkeye’s primary goal: find a sixth member to round out the team. Hawkeye then went on to offer the position to ol’ intruding Hank...who resoundly turned it down. These motivations reverberated throughout the issue, coming up repeatedly in both private moments and group scenes.

Speaking of Hank, he actually had the highlight of the issue, that being when his ex-wife Wasp (whom he didn’t want to talk to anyway) not only questioned whether he was joining the team but—unlike everyone else—agreed that he shouldn’t. In similar fashion, nigh-invulnerable Wonder Man spent much of the issue worrying about death—a fear that almost crippled him in the team’s first fight with Ultron, and Tigra spent most of the issue sorting out who and what she had become following her transformation...until she finally stopped, mid-mission, to psychoanalyze herself.

The new West Coast Avengers #1 is out now. — The new **West Coast Avengers #1** is out now.

Artists Allen Milgrom, Joe Sinnot, and Petra Scotese complemented this soap opera scripting with superb rendering of the characters. For starters, everyone was presented consistently, whether it be via shape or shading or color. Most importantly, though, was the attention the artists paid to characters’ expressions. Even some of the best artists today still fail to present character expressions consistently or to connect those expressions to the dialogue and events taking place in the moment. The entire first issue of West Coast Avengers, however, is a study in accurate rendition of character expressions—and good thing too since you can’t very well have a soap opera without ample closeups on stricken characters.

Another soap opera-y quirk in this comic—one often found in spinoffs like this one—is packing the book with references to critical events from the past. In this issue, Engelhardt and editor Mark Gruenwald almost go overboard with 16 (!) issue callouts that see the cast frequently speaking of past events from the parent series. As if a cast of Avengers weren’t enough, Engelhardt and Gruenwald want to constantly remind readers that West Coast Avengers really is a spinoff, one that as the first page says continues the proud Avengers tradition in a west coast way.

Overall, West Coast Avengers featured no shortage of action, and this review shouldn’t be construed to mean that nothing exciting took place—indeed, a lot of exciting things did go down between the drama. This first issue, though, establishes a character style that borders at times on melodrama. The west coast way, it turns out, is the tried and true old-school soap opera. And it’s quite a lot of fun to read.

Read more of Theron’s thoughts about the original West Coast Avengers series here.

Theron Couch is a writer, blogger, and comic book reviewer. His first novel, The Loyalty of Pawns, is available on Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter at @theroncouch.

Hawkeye, West Coast Avengers #1 & Redemption

August 21, 2018 by Theron Couch in Comics

By Theron Couch — Superheroes fighting each other has long since gone from reliable genre convention to outright cliché. Whatever the reason for the fight’s start, it almost always turns into a let’s discuss how best to defeat a villain coffee clutch. Avengers West Coast #69, though, is one of those great examples of superhero fights that have nothing to do with upholding justice and fighting crime, and everything to do with two characters who can’t keep their mouths shut literally picking a time and place to beat each other senseless. So yes, it remains my favorite superhero fight to this day—and it also forever-defined for me a major character who is returning tomorrow in Kelly Thompson and Stefano Caselli’s new West Coast Avengers #1.

Avengers West Coast #69: The A Story & B Story

Screen Shot 2018-08-17 at 7.52.45 PM.png

Avengers West Coast #69 is a glorified team picking. The story jumps back and forth in time, telling two stories concurrently. In the A story—the story that opens the issue—Hawkeye and US Agent dish out a mutual ass beating. In full costume and with arrows and shield, the two fighters hold little back. There is no love lost between them, and since the A story begins before the fight actually starts, it’s clear the whole thing was orchestrated in advance, which leads to the obvious question of why.

Enter the B story, which occurs earlier in the day and is confined to Avengers West Coast headquarters. The team is choosing a new roster, but before they do that General Heyworth has a message for US Agent. Both Avengers teams will operate under the United Nations going forward so the US government is no longer maintaining a representative on the teams. US Agent, who had had a guaranteed a slot on the team before, now has to earn his way on like everyone else. US Agent doesn’t take the news well, and Hawkeye rubs plenty of salt in the wound. Predictably, the voting doesn’t go US Agent’s way, and with only one vote cast in his favor he gets a spot as an alternate. The end of the B story dovetails into the A story as Hawkeye and US Agent set up a fight for later that night.

Avengers West Coast #69: The Fight

The infamous fight in Avengers West Coast #69. — The infamous fight in **Avengers West Coast #69.**

It’s a lean story in Avengers West Coast #69, one that really boils down to two events of consequence: the team selecting its members, and Hawkeye and US Agent fighting. With respect to the first event there’s no real rising action or plot twist; the result of the vote is so obvious that it’s hardly a surprise when Hawkeye makes it and US Agent doesn’t. As for the fight—it’s also clear that it has no real teeth. The story is the fight rather than the outcome, so to an extent it’s overwritten.

To the benefit of both stories, though, Roy and Dann Thomas used a convention that these days is pretty common, but it much less so at the start of the ‘90s: non-linear storytelling. Both stories benefit from being broken up and interspersed with the other, preventing the vote from feeling more important than it is and keeping the fight from feeling too long. It’s a brilliant move, one that makes the issue work.

I’ve never read other issues of Avengers West Coast, so I don’t know if there is additional backstory to the Hawkeye/US Agent relationship. You don’t really need it, though. The Thomases write US Agent as a self-entitled jerk through and through. Even before the general unceremoniously delivers the news in front of the entire Avengers team with no warning, US Agent’s smug attitude goes such a long way to damaging him in the readers’ eyes.

Hawkeye, though, is actually almost worse—and this is where I wish I did know the backstory. Hawkeye starts rubbing salt in US Agent’s wounds immediately, and it’s entirely personal. At no point does he offer a compelling argument for why US Agent is a detriment to the team. Hawkeye just doesn’t like him, and he’s having a good time kicking him while he’s down. The pettiness behind both men’s actions colors the fight and sets it into a special class—a more personal class—of hero combat. There are no lofty ideals here.

Can Hawkeye Be Redeemed?

West Coast Avengers #1 is out Aug. 22. — **West Coast Avengers #1** is out Aug. 22.

Overall, Avengers West Coast #69 has all the makings of a forgettable one-off. And if not for the non-linear storytelling device, I’m not sure it would be so much fun. But it is the comic book that colored my perception of Hawkeye forever. US Agent is a jerk in this story. Everybody knows it. And everybody knows he’s not making it on the Avengers. But only Hawkeye takes the tack that he shouldn’t; he does it very personally and very publicly. Even if he’s right, his attitude in the B story and his willingness to stoop to US Agent’s level is definitely a stain on someone who just got overwhelmingly voted on to the team.

What’s more, the promised suspension at the end of the issue rings very much like the kind of non-punishment reserved for popular members of teams and groups. To me Hawkeye walks away from this fight looking far worse as a character, and to this day I’ve been ambivalent toward him, if not outright suspicious—his defining moment to me is a petty fight on the beach because he was talking shit to someone in a position beneath him.

Here’s wondering if Kelly Thompson can, at long last, redeem Clint Barton in my eyes.

Theron Couch is a writer, blogger, and comic book reviewer. His first novel, The Loyalty of Pawns, is available on Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter at @theroncouch.

The Eye of the Storm: WildStorm Past and Present

August 16, 2018 by Taylor Pechter in Comics

WildStorm is really 25 years old now. Really.

By Taylor Pechter — The 1990s was a consequential decade for comics, a decade of deaths and broken backs, of shoulder pads and huge guns. It was also the decade that gave us WildStorm Productions, an imprint created by then-rising star Jim Lee, who jumped ship from Marvel and DC along with other big-name artists following disputes over creators’ rights. When WildStorm began in 1992, it could have been dismissed as just more large guns, heavily-detailed art, and not much focus on story.

After the company grew in popularity, though, Lee sold it to DC. With this sale, DC editorial took the universe under its watch, ultimately overseeing great experimentation in storytelling spearheaded by writers such as Warren Ellis and Joe Casey and artists such as Bryan Hitch, whose worked helped redefine what comics look like.

Now get ready because today we’re jumping head first into the defining era of WildStorm, looking at the themes and visuals from the imprint that have had such a lasting impact on the comic book industry today.

StormWatch

The year is 1997. The comics speculator market bubble has burst and sales of WildStorm books have stagnated. Enter Warren Ellis, a British writer who had done some work at but was not on many fans’ radars. With his run on Stormwatch starting at #37, however, that quickly changed.

Ellis would completely redefine the team, splitting it into three squadrons: Prime (defense against superhuman threats), Red (members with destructive powers for deterrent displays), and Black (undercover black ops). As the run started, Ellis introduced us to his thematic interests via the words of Frederick Nietzsche, I want to teach men the meaning of their existence; which is the Superman, the lightning from the dark cloud that is man.

Ellis’ run incorporated themes of corruption of power, the relationship between man and superhuman, and ultimately how supherhumans change a world. These themes are primarily conveyed through StormWatch leader Henry Bendix (alias The Weatherman), the StormWatch Black Team (Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, and Swift), and The High and his Changers. As the run progressed, StormWatch’s prominence grew while Bendix became madder with power, coming to view his team as the end-all, be-all of planetary surveillance and defense, akin to worldwide secret police. This eventually leads him down a path of murder and a removal from his position, with former field leader Jackson King (alias Battalion) taking over in his stead.

Meanwhile, the members of StormWatch Black personified rebellion, especially their leader, Jenny Sparks. As one of the proclaimed century babies, Sparks lived through the highs and lows of the 1900s, coming to be known as The Spirit of 20th Century. She’s also seen firsthand how superpowers changed society, with adventures through the decades as a solider in the wars and later a member of the shady Royal Space Program. This history also informs her relationship with John Cumberland (alias The High). The High is the main ideological lynchpin of the run, with his actions in the story Change or Die reflect the theme of the run, as The High actually says, We are Superhumans, just as your modern crimefighters and Covert Action teams. However, we feel a different responsibility than they do… They try to save the world, but make no effort to change it. This speaks to the somewhat hypocritical nature of the modern superhero. As time passed, StormWatch dissolved due to infighting, Bendix succumbing to insanity, and SkyWatch (the team’s satellite command center) being set upon by alien infestation. With most of the team dead, field commander Nikolas Kamarov (alias Winter) made the final decision to the throw the station into the sun. StormWatch was dead, but from its ashes rose a new force, an Authority that would either save the world, or rule it with an iron fist.

The Authority

Out of the ashes of StormWatch rose The Authority, a team formed by former StormWatch Black operatives Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, and Swift. It also included Apollo and Midnighter, The Engineer, and The Doctor. The Authority’s story is broken up into three four-issue arcs, which focus on innate fears with society: the fear of terrorism, the fear of foreign invasion, and the fear of the unknown. Through The Authority, Ellis wove a tale of a team of powerhouses trying to save the world and to also change it for the better. However, their goals came at a cost.

What Ellis also did was break down the glitz and glamour of a superhero team. The Authority is brash, arrogant, and—most of all—violent. Cities were leveled and an entire alternate Earth was destroyed. The Authority, however, considered it just part of the job, losses to make the world a better place. Toward the book’s end, the team eventually faced an alien entity that was blocking out the sun. Jenny Sparks shocked its brain and the day was won, but at a cost that shook the team to its core. As the century wound down, so did the life of Jenny Sparks. After 100 years of being a planetary defense mechanism, she died at the stroke of midnight January 1, 2000, in the arms of Jack Hawksmoor. With a new century, however, came a new generation of defenders.

The Art: While Ellis’ scripts were certainly groundbreaking, so too was the artwork of Bryan Hitch, inker Paul Neary, and colorist Laura Depuy (later Martin). With wide panels, splash pages galore, and cinematic action, Hitch was, and still is, the main purveyor of widescreen comics art. With Neary’s clean inks and Martin’s luscious colors, The Authority is still one of the most visually influential books in modern comics.

Wildcats

What happens to covert teams that don’t have a war to fight? What happens when a teammate dies, splintering the rest of the team? Or, when a team’s leader wants to transcend to a higher level of living, one that requires he be killed?

In 1999, writer Joe Casey and artist Sean Phillips took over Wildcats and set out to answer these questions. After a mission gone wrong, Zealot is killed and Grifter is left reeling. Grifter has become a washed-up shell of his former self, trying to find answers about Zealot’s death. On the other end, Lord Emp (known to Earth as Jacob Marlowe, leader of the Wildcats), is asking his long-time rival Kenyan to kill him so he can ascend. Kenyan, however, instead kills himself, and Spartan is forced to kill Emp. In the aftermath, posing as Emp’s great-nephew Jack Marlowe, he is bequeathed HALO Industries and inherits Emp’s fortune. Meanwhile, Priscilla Kitaen (alias Voodoo) and Doctor Jeremy Stone (alias Maul) are living together. Jeremy has locked himself in his lab to to find a cure for a disease.

That’s a lot, to be sure, but overall Casey tells a story about destiny and legacy. Spartan has to deal with running HALO and guilt for killing Emp, which is easy enough because as a synthetic humanoid, he feels no emotion. This, however, conflicts with Grifter mourning the loss of his trainer and lover. Spartan also has to deal with having the Marlowe name, a target since Emp had many enemies. After Pris is nearly murdered by superhuman serial killer Samuel Slaughterhouse Smith, she is visited by a Daemonite, of which she is a half-breed. With that meeting she fully comes to terms with her heritage. Optimism reenergized, she then looks to a brighter future, alongside Jeremy.

The Art: Joining Casey on this book is noir art master Sean Phillips. With deep shadows, imposing figures, and brutal action, Phillips creates a foreboding tone to perfectly match Casey’s script. Sadly, the book only lasted two years before being cancelled but returning a year later as Wildcats Version 3.0. In a short time, however, Casey and Phillips crafted one of, if not the defining runs on Wildcats.

Planetary

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way. This is the mantra for Warren Ellis’s magnum opus, Planetary. A decade in the making, Planetary revolves around a four-person team of mystery archaeologists who explore the world. This team consists of Elijah Snow, our ride along character Jakita Wagner, The Drummer, and Ambrose Chase.

With Planetary, Ellis constructs a story that revolves around genre and—more importantly—pop culture. This journey through 20th century pop culture is seen through the eyes of Elijah, who like Jenny Sparks is one of the century babies. The series has one main through line, but each issue also tackles a certain genre, breaking it down and showing how it has changed the world. These stories included a ghost cop out for revenge in Hong Kong (Dead Gunfighter); the somber Vertigo-tinged To Be In England, In The Summertime; the hypocrisy of vigilantism in The Torture of William Leather, and the metaphysics of superheroes in Zero Point.

In them all, Ellis demonstrates how the aspects of various genres has affected society through use in pop culture. While the macro exploration of genre and pop culture is the book’s driving force, the heart of Planetary is the micro exploration of Elijah Snow as a character, as well as how he becomes more in tune with the world. Snow’s motives, while staying somewhat consistent throughout the first half of the series, shift as we approach the final act. As readers, we are Elijah, not just in terms of the world Ellis is crafting but also the world outside our window. There is so much to explore here, and we’ve barely scratched the surface.

The Art: Not to be outdone by Ellis’ deft scripting are John Cassaday’s art and Laura Martin’s colors. Cassaday shifts his style throughout each chapter to capture the tone. This can mean changing panel sizes, borders, shadows, or expressions. It’s commendable how much work he put into each page, and it’s made even better by Martin’s amazing colors, with bright reds and blues making the art pop. This book was subject to many delays, attributed to both Ellis and Cassaday, but Planetary eventually ended with its 27th issue, becoming one of the most celebrated comic books of all time

The Wild Storm

Twenty years after he helped redefine the WildStorm Universe with StormWatch, Warren Ellis is doing it again with The Wild Storm, which just released issue #16 this week. This time, Ellis is writing a stripped down, no frills, corporate espionage tale focused on three organizations: tech giant HALO (run by Jacob Marlowe), black ops intelligence agency International Operations or IO (run by Miles Craven), and secret space program Skywatch (led by Henry Bendix). This is an entirely new story, rather than a continuation of past titles.

The main conflict in this series is rivalries between organizations, with the story asking how Earth would react if it was ruled by these power structures. There is, of course, a twist. While IO is interested in Earth and its resources, Skywach is more interested in ruling space, even going as far as colonizing other planets. After Bendix starts getting a vested interest in Earth’s resources, IO starts to retaliate. Caught in between this corporate battle is a team of rogue IO and Skwatch agents who have formed their own covert action team, a Wild CAT. Their objective is to stop this war, fearing it will tear the planet apart.

The Art: Joining Ellis on art duties is Jon Davis-Hunt, whose simple yet dynamic style lends to the gritty espionage themes and to the frenetic action that is wonderfully brutal. His linework combines with the gorgeous colors of Steve Buccellatto. With stripping down the universe and giving it a more modern feel, this creative team has given new life to characters Ellis made his name writing.

In conclusion, following its start in the ‘90s, WildStorm went grew from the typical extreme fare of the decade into one of the most fertile grounds for storytelling in all of superhero comics, doing everything from looking at how superheroes have changed the world to how a team can survive in a world that doesn’t accept them. WildStorm also has a history of art that has redefined the style of comics, from the widescreen destruction of The Authority by Hitch, to the noir stylings of Wildcats by Sean Phillips, or the versatility of John Cassaday in Planetary. These artists helped raise a new generation, also contributing to the creation of the modern comics event.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey—hopefully you too will now jump into the eye of the storm.

Taylor Pechter is a passionate comic book fan and nerd. Find him on Twitter @TheInspecter.

How Hawkman Soars: A Five-Panel Explainer

August 14, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — Hawkman by Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch feels like a throwback (in a good way) for a couple reasons. First, it’s a story of a modest scale. This is an odd notion, given we're talking about a comic that spans all of space and time, but at its core Hawkman is a relatively simple adventure starring a character who is unraveling personal mysteries while also combating threats to the larger world. Second, it features killer artwork by Bryan Hitch.

Regarding Hitch: it’s often hard to see how the standards and conventions of a storytelling medium limit it until someone breaks them. This was true of my perception of comics in the ‘90s (a super weird decade, yet not as bad as its reputation...a topic for another day). Hitch’s work on The Authority showed me the freeing potential of excessively splashy spreads brimming with gigantic action and wide perspective. Basically, I’d never realized how claustrophobic most books felt until Hitch blew it up.

Lately I’d forgotten how much a revelation his style once was, especially since it has now become commonplace in superhero stories. Obviously, it’s not a fit for every book, and it has maybe been overdone at times (way overdone), but when used well as it is in Hawkman—look out. And so that’s what I’d like to discuss today via five-panel explainer: how Hawkman soars on the wings of old school adventuring and free-flying artwork. Let’s do it!

Panel One - The Continuity

Like many DC heroes, Hawkman is a great character with a long and convoluted history, one that can potentially act as a barrier of entry for new readers. Venditti and Hitch realize this, and in Hawkman #1 we get this stunning panel, which orients us and conveys the basics while also establishing that this book is about our hero himself coming to terms with his background. Basically, they’re telling us relax...it’s okay to be confused. We’re heading out—together—to explore.

This killer spread from Hawkman #1 does a great job refreshing the current state of Hawkman's continuity. — This killer spread from **Hawkman #1** does a great job refreshing the current state of Hawkman's continuity.

Panel Two - The Journal

From Hawkman #3, our hero pours through his journal, reminding us of the status of his quest. — From **Hawkman #3**, our hero pours through his journal, reminding us of the status of his quest.

This second panel is less visually-exciting, yet it’s just as important as the one above in terms of giving structure to the narrative. If that frenetic spread establishes we’re sorting out our hero’s past together, the journal acts as a device for reminding us what we’ve so far learned. It gives our protagonist an organic means of taking stock of his progress, and it gives Venditti a nice way to craft interesting narration without showing the writer’s hand in the story. It’s been well-done through three issues, and I'm hoping we’ll see more of it moving forward.

Panel Three - The Museum

Not to go too far into the story, but this book is about Hawkman learning he’s been reincarnated not just over time but also throughout space. In any given issue, the story goes to another planet, another time, and then back to present day. It’s a lot and it could become unwieldy...if Venditti and Hitch weren’t so good at creating pedestrian visits to things like subways and museums. Basically, this book positions Hawkman as the Indiana Jones of the DCU, and so it needs the cleaned up scenes where Indie is curating or teaching classes. So far, we’ve gotten them done well. This panel is a personal favorite.

The significant of an epic quest can sometimes get lost if there's nothing present to ground a character, which Venditti and Hitch do well in this museum scene from Hawkman #2. — The significant of an epic quest can sometimes get lost if there's nothing present to ground a character, which Venditti and Hitch do well in this museum scene from **Hawkman #2.**

Panel Four - The Monsters

An old school adventure comic book is nothing without its monsters, and Hawkman is no exception. This was the hardest panel to pick because there were so many good choices, but I went with giant angry ape (apologies to giant angry T-Rex and giant angry flock of automaton birdmen). This is classic Hitch, with larger than life kinetic artwork that explodes through panels and off pages. Love it.

What's an adventure that travels through space and time without giant angry monsters? Scene from Hawkman #1. — What's an adventure that travels through space and time without giant angry monsters? Scene from **Hawkman #1.**

Perhaps the most important panels in the entire series are those in which Hawkman takes to the sky. Artwork from Hawkman #3. — Perhaps the most important panels in the entire series are those in which Hawkman takes to the sky. Artwork from **Hawkman #3.**

Panel Five - The Skies

The best visual bits of this book, however, are the open skies...as they should be in a story about a flying character. There are plenty of closeup action shots, sure, but Hitch and Venditti often pull the theoretical camera back to show us what a speck our hero is against the vastness of the sky he moves through. This framing is used often and clearly not meant to diminish his stature, which it really doesn’t—we’re never more than a panel or two away from him hitting a dinosaur or something with his mace—but instead it aims to show us the freedom of his explorations, the limitless nature of his life and his journey, and it wildly succeeds.

To wrap up, I’ll say that through three issues Hawkman has established itself as a welcome addition to DC’s superhero line, a book that flies a bit beneath the radar, content to function on its own as a rewarding and good-looking read, hard to predict and loaded with mystery. It remains to be seen if the creative team can take the protagonist to meaningful places through a prolonged run, but Venditti has a good track record with long-form superheroics (see X-O Manowar and the recently-concluded Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps), while someone in Burbank deserves a hearty pat on the back for fitting Hitch’s artwork to this character and story.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

The Saga Re-Read: Saga #1 and Foreshadowing

August 10, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

The lewd-yet-mundane opening panel is an ocassional Saga tradition that started way back in issue #1. — The lewd-yet-mundane opening panel is an ocassional **Saga** tradition that started way back in issue #1.

By Zack Quaintance & Cory Webber — Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples recently announced a 1-year (minimum) intermission for Saga, our favorite ongoing comic here at Batman’s Bookcase. To be blunt, we’re ambivalent. We know artistic inspiration is fleeting and intangible, and that one cannot always just will it into being. Great work is often done by creators who are rested, happy, unstressed. Basically, we know even massive talents like Vaughan and Staples need a break.

That’s our logical stance. Emotionally, however, we’re bummed to go an entire year without Saga, and so we’ve decided to occupy ourselves by undertaking an idea we saw on Twitter: during Saga’s 52-week (minimum) intermission, we’re going to re-read the series in its entirety, one issue per week.

We’re going to talk about what happens (briefly), share observations made with the benefit of hindsight, and wrap up each installment with impressions from a first-time reader. We’re going to keep spoilers to a minimum to make this accessible for veteran Saga fans and newbies alike. And we’re going to invite you all to join us—like a massive and amorphous online book club, without the part where everyone meets to talk about it for a few minutes before devolving into unrelated conversations and drinking lots of wine.

Anyway...there you have it. Check back each Friday for the next year (gulp!) as we discuss our re-read of Saga.

Saga #1

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #1:

A rare scene of the two species in combat. The war the series is so heavily informed by is afterward waged mostly off panel.

Y: THE LAST MAN writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN returns to comics with red-hot artist FIONA STAPLES for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. The adventure begins in a spectacular DOUBLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE, with forty-four pages of story with no ads for the regular price of just $2.99!

That’s a decent description, although the Game of Thrones comp is off...there is no dynastic politicking to be found here. Saga #1 definitely has hints of Star Wars, though, including but not limited to this killer line: It was a time of war. Isn’t it always.

This is overall a great debut, one that orients the reader in the world of Saga and also introduces a number of excellent character designs, including Lying Cat, Prince Robot IV, and the utterly fantastical chaos our young family encounters at the Uncanny Bridge. What this debut perhaps does best from a script perspective is establish the relatable dynamic between Marko and Alana, our two central lovers. In fact, a better solicitation might have been Star Wars-style action collides with Romeo and Juliet-esque drama if the star-crossed lovers had managed to have a child…but in 2012 (same as today), George R.R. Martin was a far more relatable reference than ol’ Willy Shakespeare. Sigh.

This foreshadowing is yet to come to fruition, although it is established a few panels later that Alana carries a non-lethal weapon called a heart breaker...

Veteran and First-Timer Perspectives

A Re-Reader’s Perspective by Zack: What’s most interesting to me is the foreshadowing. So much plot is hinted at by via quick lines. I won’t go into detail (spoiler free, after all), but for re-readers I don’t have to. In terms of craft, Vaughan’s preference for exploring family dynamics versus war is evident. Staples art, meanwhile, is noticeably rougher—in everything from colors to linework—but her ambitious and unique designs are here from the start. Last, I’ll just note that a Saga tradition—the lewd-yet-mundane first panel—is the perfect place for our story to start.

Veteran readers who are all caught up show also checkout Why Saga #54 Hurts So Bad.

A New Reader’s Perspective by Cory Webber: Wow! Okay, I get why I’ve heard fans hyping this book since I started reading comics four years ago. First, Saga #1’s world building is uncanny. After just one issue, I feel like I’ve been living in their same universe. Also, Vaughan writes these characters as if they’re real people he’s known for a lifetime. They are flawed, emotional beings—none more so than Alana and Marko—and I find myself sympathetic toward almost all of them (hey, I’m just not sure about The Will and Lying Cat right now, okay?!). Out of the gate, Alana is my favorite...she is witty, feisty, sardonic. I did, however, have to re-read this book a couple of times due to its length. This issue is dense, yet it’s not overly complicated, nor is it filled with any inconsequential fluff. It’s just so detailed that you really have to pay attention. All this, and I haven’t even mentioned Staples’ art. She brings an enormous amount of emotion and humanity to her characters through their faces and postures. Even, surprisingly, for characters that have TVs for heads. I’m excited to finally be starting this journey, and can’t wait to see where this goes...even though I hear the final issue before the hiatus is a real heartbreaking note to end on.

Cory’s New Reader Prediction: The last page shows Alana and Marko with the baby, along with a narration from an older Hazel that makes me think one of them won't make it past #54. There’s no way Alana will be killed off, so I’m guessing Marko kicks the bucket along the way. I sure hope I am wrong!

Thanks for joining us, and be sure to check back next Friday for a discussion of Saga #2!

Cory Webber is a work-from-home entrepreneur who also reads and reviews comics for fun. Find him on Twitter at @CeeEssWebber. He lives in Lehi, Utah with his wife and three sons.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

Fantastic Four #1 (1961) and the Birth of the Marvel Universe

August 09, 2018 by Theron Couch in Comics

Fantastic Four #1 (1961) is universally recognized as a landmark comic and, in many ways, the start of the Marvel Universe. — **Fantastic Four #1 (1961)** is universally recognized as a landmark comic and, in many ways, the start of the **Marvel Universe.**

By Theron Couch — The Fantastic Four returned to comics this week for the first time in years, following the 2015 event Secret Wars, which essentially ended with Reed and Sue Richards, as well as their children, wandering off the rebuild the multiverse. Without an ongoing title staring Marvel’s First Family, comics just haven’t felt the same. One could even argue there would be no Marvel Universe without The Fantastic Four, the first of many memorable characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

With all that in mind, it’s worth checking out the original Fantastic Four #1 from 1961, taking a closer look at how Lee and Kirby did it the first time.

Fantastic Four #1 (1961): The Story

Fantastic Four #1 opens with a call to action: Mr. Fantastic has sent the signal for the Fantastic Four to assemble. Sue, Ben, and Johnny each abandon what they’re doing and race back to headquarters. As the team arrives, the story flashes back to their origin, wherein an ambitious Reed Richards wants to initiate a mission to space. To do so, the foursome sneak aboard a rocket and launch. This trip has unintended consequences, with cosmic rays granting different powers to each of them. Realizing that they are more effective as a team than they are apart, they return to Earth and become The Fantastic Four, using their powers in tandem to benefit mankind.

Once the flashback has ended, the team is off to Monster Isle, where they believe someone is causing cave-ins across the world. This someone is revealed to be the Mole Man, who intends to launch his monsters all over the planet. Fortunately, The Fantastic Four are able to seal the Mole Man away forever, ending his threat.

Fantastic Four #1 (1961): The Art

Kirby’s art in Fantastic Four #1 deserves much praise, which is unsurprising given that this is The King, Jack Kirby. His work here delivers a dynamic opening sequence that showcases the powers of all four main characters. He packs a great deal of visual information on every page with layouts that often exceed six panels. What always strikes me about Kirby’s art—and which is on display in full here—is his ability to convey characters’ emotions through facial expressions. Doing so continues to elude many comic artists even today, and Kirby—whether it is images of the main characters or random soldiers never to be seen again—knocks this trick business out of the park in every panel.

Fantastic Four #1 (1961): The Writing

Writing wise, Fantastic Four #1 is every bit a story from a bygone era. Lee pens an origin for a four-person team as well as an adventure that begins and concludes in the space of one issue, rather than standing as the first part of an arc designed to fill a trade paperback. Fantastic Four #1 has much in common with other Marvel comics of its time, wherein Stan Lee created memorable characters starring in plots that are almost afterthoughts. Indeed, the final battle with the Mole Man is handled in one page and conveyed almost entirely through narration, rather than stunning visuals or complex dialogue. This is a comic book that definitely tells rather than shows. Despite these quaint characteristics, however, Lee displays surprising sophistication in how he tells the story.

The pages in Fantastic Four (1961) all feature more than 9 panels, a stark contrast to today's often less-dense superhero comics. — The pages in **Fantastic Four (1961)** all feature more than 9 panels, a stark contrast to today's often less-dense superhero comics.

Fantastic Four #1 begins, as I noted at the start, in media res with Mr. Fantastic sending out a call for the whole Fantastic Four to assemble. Brief vignettes show each character making their way to headquarters; en route they are put in positions to showcase their powers for the reader. Once the team has assembled, but before the crisis is revealed, the story flashes back to the team’s origin, which cements the relationships between characters and reveals their motives while simultaneously building suspense for whatever threat forced the team to be called together. Following the origin story, the team goes on its mission to Monster Isle only to be split up, which allows for the story to be intercut, preserving the suspense for as long as possible before revealing the Mole Man’s origin and, finally, taking readers through the final battle.

Overall, Fantastic Four #1 is undoubtedly a product of its time. It’s almost hard to take seriously a comic book that features Ben Grimm wearing a rain slicker to a place called Monster Isle, subsequently taking the rain slicker off before fighting a monster, and then putting it back on until he comes upon the next monster. Yet, the way its plot unfolds is also without question an influence on later comics that routinely use time—including flashbacks and intercuts—to tell stories, a technique that was novel back when this issue was first published. The five pages devoted to the team’s origin could almost have been left out, given the action-packed opening Lee and Kirby delivered. In spite of all that, this is just a well-designed comic book, easily one of the best I’ve read from the period, and one that I’d put up against many modern origin issues.

Theron Couch is a writer, blogger, and comic book reviewer. His first novel, The Loyalty of Pawns, is available on Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter at @theroncouch.

Top Comic Book Previews for the Week of July 30

July 30, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — Our previews feature is back after a week hiatus during our trip to San Diego. Last week we did, however, roundup our picks for SDCC 2018’s 10 Coolest Comics Announcements...so check that out if you haven’t already.

Anyway, no use in belaboring it...on to the previews!

*Preview of the Week*
The Sons of El Topo Volume One: Cain OGN
Writer: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Artist: José Ladrönn
Publisher: Boom! Studios
More Info: December 2018
This is a hardcover original graphic novel from legendary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky (Dune) and virtuosic illustrator José Ladrönn (Incredible Hulk) that continues the 1970 Mexican Acid Western film written, scored, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky himself. This sequel, arriving in stores December 2018, tells the story of El Topo—a bandit without limits and a man with no moral compass. But when his journey through the arid west brought him face to face with a series of rogue outcasts, he found enlightenment in the unlikeliest place and was forever transformed, becoming a holy vessel imbued with the power to perform miracles. This was a journey that took him far from his first born son, Cain, and brought about the birth of Abel.
Our Take: We love Jodorwsky (as much for his films as for his candid appearance in the all-time great art documentary Jodorwsky’s Dune), and while this presumably means an end to any chance of Jodo making a cinematic sequel to the first film, his comics are always imaginative and worthwhile. Oh, and the Ladrönn art is is just stellar.

Blackbird #1
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Jen Bartel
Publisher: Image Comics
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / Oct. 3
An all-new ongoing series from fan-favorite writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Harley Quinn, Nightwing) and red-hot artist JEN BARTEL! In this neo-noir fantasy, Nina Rodriguez is positive that a secret magic world ruled by ruthless cabals is hiding just beneath the veneer of Los Angeles. The problem: everyone thinks she’s crazy. The bigger problem: she’s not crazy—she’s right. Can she unravel the mystery before the Great Beast catches up with her?
Our Take: Oooooo, shiny. Sam Humphries sensibilities and Jen Bartel’s art are such a wonderful fit, and look how nice it is washed over with all that neon. We’re not entirely sure what neo-noir fantasy means, but it looks like we’re in for some big magic fight in hella trendy LA. So, that’s cool.

Bone Parish #2
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Publisher: Boom! Studios
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / Aug. 29
As a drug made from the ashes of the dead continues to spread across New Orleans, the Winters family is forced to defend their turf from the encroaching drug cartels. But some mysterious deaths could threaten everyone in New Orleans...
Our Take: Cards on the table...we haven’t read Bone Parish #1 just yet, but it was one of those books that half our Twitter feed (roughly) turned out to tell us to read. So, we’re on board with that and we’ll get to it when we have chance, plus also this second issue, too.

Harbinger Wars 2 Aftermath #1
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Adam Polina
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / Sept. 26
The power's back online and the fighting is over... but who are the real victors of HARBINGER WARS 2, and what was truly lost in the carnage? For those who survived the terrible onslaught - and who must now witness the devastating aftereffects of their actions - will there ever be peace again? As the seismic summer event of 2018 comes to a close, Eisner Award-nominated writer Matt Kindt (X-O MANOWAR, ETERNITY) sorts through the rubble of the most brutal confrontation ever felt in the Valiant Universe - and discover what lies beyond the bloodshed!
Our Take: It’s all in the solicit, isn’t it? Who ARE the real victors? We’ve enjoyed this event quite a bit (more than most Big 2 Events, incidentally), and what kind of savage would read and like an entire event and bail for the aftermath? Not us….not us.

Valiant High #4
Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith
Artist: Derek Charm
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / Aug. 1
Save the last dance! Homecoming is here! For the students of Valiant High - the super-powered preparatory academy where tomorrow's heroes learn what it takes to save the world - that means that the biggest night of their young lives is almost upon them...and that the Immortal Enemy is finally ready to make his move! But as Faith, Colin "Ninjak" King, Peter Stanchek, and Amanda "Livewire" McKee try to stir unity amongst their classmates, can teamwork triumph over ancient evil? From rising star Daniel Kibblesmith (Lockjaw) and Eisner Award winner Derek Charm (Jughead), this side-splitting, all-ages reimagining of Valiant's greatest heroes is going out in style!
Our Take: Save the last dance, indeed! Like the Harbinger Wars 2 event serving as a refreshing alternative to Big 2 events, this 4-part series has been a refreshing proximation of Big 2 fun and irreverent character takes. Kibblesmith is pretty funny guy, both in terms of writing comics and on Twitter, too.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

The Infinite Crisis of Being a Helena Wayne Fan

July 26, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

With DC’s Doomsday Clock halfway finished—and potentially serving as a re-instatement vessel for the Justice Society of America plus other DCU characters—we turned to Diane Darcy, likely the foremost expert on Helena Wayne, who details the history of her favorite character and why she should return.

By Diane Darcy — I’ve made no secret that I’m a huge fan of Helena Wayne (see my blog, Tumblr, and Twitter), and today I’d like to share my interest with all of you. Let’s start at the character’s beginnings: Helena Wayne was created by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton, and Bob Layton in 1977, originally conceived as the daughter of the Golden Age versions of Batman and Catwoman—a very intriguing background from which to build a character—and as a member of DC’s original superhero team, the Justice Society. She is, essentially, a character built upon DC’s Golden Age lore.

Helena Wayne’s Relationships

In the Bronze Age, The Huntress and Power Girl together were a second generation World's Finest team. — In the **Bronze** **Age**, The Huntress and Power Girl together were a second generation *World's Finest* team.

People are often defined by their relationships and Helena Wayne is no exception. Her most significant are her friendships with the Earth-2 versions of Kara Zor-L (Power Girl) and with Dick Grayson, the original Golden Age Robin who continued with that identity into adulthood.

With Power Girl, Helena provided a contrast to Kara’s outspokenness, impulsivity, and more assertive personality, but she also loved and respected Kara for those same qualities. Kara connecting with Helena in a meaningful way created character development opportunities for both women, effectively allowing them to cement their place as the second generation World’s Finest team.

With Dick Grayson, Helena provided a different contrast. Whereas Dick maintained unwavering loyalty to her father—never challenging Bruce’s authority—Helena didn’t hold her father on the same pedestal. When she felt her father stepped out of line, she refused to accept it. She either challenged his authority or worked to diffuse the situation another way. We saw this most notably in All-Star Comics #69 and especially in America vs. the Justice Society. When it came to Batman’s legacy, Dick considered it his responsibility to continue his mentor’s work as Batman, whereas Helena felt she could more meaningfully carry on that legacy on her own terms as Huntress.

Part of what makes classic Helena Wayne such a compelling character is her status as a superhero and a working lawyer.

Helena Wayne and the Crisis on Infinite Earths

Apart from Helena’s time as a caped crusader, I found her civilian life just as interesting. When she wasn’t fighting the good fight as Huntress—or stopping major crises with the Justice Society—she had a day job as an attorney, which also created interesting conflicts. She had a stronger preference for her work as the Huntress and often found it difficult to balance that with her day job. Her double life also created relationship problems with her boyfriend Harry Sims, who was Gotham’s District Attorney.

This was all established in Helena Wayne’s first eight years of publication, and writers used it to tell incredibly fun stories that went in interesting directions. You can imagine then how devastating it was when she was one of the characters sacrificed in DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot in 1986, later to be retooled in 1989 as Helena Bertinelli, the character we know as The Huntress today.

Helena Bertinelli

While not a bad character, there's no denying that apart from physical appearance, nothing of the original Helena Wayne Huntress survived via Helena Bertinelli. She was completely retooled. In fact, by the time DC reinstated the Wayne origin two decades later (during Flashpoint) we still ended up with a completely different character. Post-Flashpoint, Helena Wayne had a new origin and the same post-Crisis Helena Bertinelli personality. Also, her relationships with both Power Girl and Dick Grayson were profoundly changed.

Between two cosmic reboots, Helena Wayne moved further away from the compelling character Levitz, Staton, and Layton created in 1977, and her situation was made all the more complicated by being retooled into Helena Bertinelli post-Crisis.

Part of the promise of Rebirth and Doomsday Clock, however, has seemed to involve restoring all of DC's characters to their iconic statuses. What, then, would DC need to do with Helena Wayne to restore her to her original compelling stature while also saving her future? I have a few recommendations…

Four Ways to Fix Helena Wayne

Classic Helena Wayne as The Huntress contemplates crime and its causes in South Gotham City.

1. Make Helena Wayne and Bertinelli Separate Characters

Step one is to stop treating Helena Wayne and Bertinelli as the same character with two different origins. They are—at their cores—profoundly different. They are two very different women with different backgrounds and significantly different motivations.

Helena Wayne became Huntress to honor her family legacy. Helena Bertinelli, meanwhile, became Huntress as a way to reject hers. Essentially, Helena Wayne embraces where she comes from and Helena Bertinelli does not. Helena Wayne is a legacy heroine whose core values and motivations are shaped by her upbringing as the daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. Helena Bertinelli is a tragic heroine with a conflicted identity, molded by Italian-American heritage, her Catholic identity, and her roots within a crime family.

Quite literally the only thing Helena Wayne and Helena Bertinelli’s origins have in common is they both became Huntress after seeing their parents killed. The reasons and circumstances that led to the deaths, however, are still profoundly different, inevitably sending them on very different paths with different potential for stories. Simply put, Helena Bertinelli—while still a compelling character—does not satisfy the needs of Helena Wayne fans anymore than Wayne does Helena Bertinelli fans. The answer is to let these two women co-exist separately.

2. Reinstate Helena Wayne’s Pre-Crisis History

Maintaining Helena Wayne's legacy and motivations for fighting crime is vital to ensuring she remains a compelling character.

In post-Flashpoint continuity, a version of Helena Wayne was created in which she served as Robin. While it was cool to see what Helena as Robin looked like fighting alongside her parents, this is better as an Elseworlds or What If story. Making her Robin changes too much of her character.

In pre-Crisis continuity, Bruce and Selina marry only after reflecting on their lifestyle choices and concluding they were not happy with where their futures were going. They also reflected on who they were as people, realizing that Batman and Catwoman were outlets for pain, not true identities. When they became parents, they retired their costumes to give their daughter a normal upbringing. Making Helena Robin changes Bruce and Selina from responsible to irresponsible parents who brought their daughter into their dangerous lifestyles—a regressive change.

Making Helena Robin also drastically changes her motivation. Pre-Crisis, Helena became Huntress both in response to her parents' deaths and in response to their legacies. She felt that with the upbringing she had, she had a stronger chance of making a difference in Gotham as the Huntress than as a lawyer in a courtroom. Why wait for a crime to happen when she could actively prevent it? The decision to become a costumed hero was entirely her own. It was very powerful. As Robin, the decision was made for her by her parents when she was a young age.

Finally, it’s simply more interesting having Helena Wayne as a Harvard graduate and a successful lawyer. She just has so much more agency than if you make her yet another sidekick whose choices were made for her while she was a child. Seeing Helena try to balance her life as a lawyer and as the Huntress created a conflicting and compelling dichotomy that affected her most intimate relationships.

3. Reinstate Her Original Identity, Personality, and Relationships

Speaking of her identity and relationships, the change I want most is to see them reinstated. I love when Helena Wayne’s Huntress showcases her detective skills, combat training, and, of course, her signature pistol crossbow, but her civilian identity is just as important. It’s the Helena Wayne side of that Huntress that most strongly attracts me to her character vs. Helena Bertinelli when she occupies the same costume.

What makes the Helena Wayne identity so special? It goes back to what I said at the start. She is the daughter of the Golden Age Batman and Catwoman, and she originated the Huntress identity as a way to continue their legacy. In being the original Huntress, she even provided the base template for Helena Bertinelli. (I always think of Helena Wayne as the Jay Garrick to Helena Bertinelli's Barry Allen.)

I also like the fact that she is a lawyer because it positions her as a working woman who earns her own money as opposed to living on her family's fortune. She even differs in this way from her father, who seemed to spend more time fighting crime as Batman than working a real job. (Golden Age Bruce started working a real job after he retired his Batman lifestyle.)

On the personality front, pre-Crisis Helena Wayne was never a dark and brooding heroine. Even when she experienced low points in her life, she still maintained a high level of self-confidence, which always spoke to me. She remained happy and optimistic in the face of grave troubles, which is another way she differs significantly from Helena Bertinelli.

While not as important as her relationship with Power Girl, Helena's friendship with Golden Age Dick Grayson is also worth revisiting. — While not as important as her relationship with Power Girl, Helena's friendship with **Golden Age** Dick Grayson is also worth revisiting.

What was also vital to her personality was her relationships, which brings me to another vital point—Helena Wayne needs Power Girl in her life and vice versa. They enrich each other's lives by being the legacies of the Golden Age Batman and Superman, and their friendship also makes their tragic circumstances a little less sad. If Power Girl in particular is going to return to her status quo of being the Earth-2 survivor of the Crisis reboot (a development we’ve seen hints of), having Helena is vital.

Another relationship that would definitely enrich Helena's life on the main Earth would be rebuilding her friendship with Dick Grayson. Even though Nightwing is a different character from the guy she knew as her big brother on the original Earth-2, the Prime Earth Dick still embodies the charm and appeal of the Golden Age Robin (perhaps with a better fashion sense). Of course, DC could also just retcon the current Earth-2 Grayson back into the pre-Crisis original and settle for having two Dicks on the main Earth instead of one. I mean, why not? We already have two Wally Wests. Just let the Earth-2 guy grow a beard and call him Richard. But I digress…

One more classic Huntress panel for the road...

4. Return Her to the Justice Society

Last but not least, reinstate Helena’s membership into the Justice Society. The Justice Society was her superhero family from the beginning, and putting her back on the team would allow her to reclaim her place within DC's Golden Age lore. She was always a character built on that history. Now we have a main Earth that erases the Trinity from the Golden Age, but putting an Earth-2 Helena Wayne Huntress alongside Power Girl, along with Lyta Trevor as Fury, would help make up for that.

I am, however, a realist, and I know it is unlikely that any of the things I want to see happen for Helena Wayne post-Rebirth will actually happen. If there is, however, a creator or editor at DC who’s thinking of Helena Wayne fans (like me), we’d absolutely love to see the classic character return. Her existence would benefit other characters in the DCU, and, most importantly, she is still so ripe with the potential for good stories.

Click here for a reading list of comics starring Bronze Age Helena Wayne.

Diane Darcy is a huge fan of Bronze Age DC, Earth-2, the Justice Society, Power Girl, and especially Helena Wayne as the Huntress. When Diane isn’t obsessing about comics, she enjoys music, writing, animals, and researching exoplanets, multiverse theories, and time dilation. You can find her at @HelenaWayneBlog

Rogue and Gambit in Love: A Look at the Iconic Couple's First Appearance

July 23, 2018 by Theron Couch in Comics

By Theron Couch — A bad drink is often saved by the right chaser. In fiction, happy endings make great chasers, able to cleanse and forgive any unpleasantness in the story that came before. Rogue and Gambit, after years of will-they-won’t-they tension, took a major step forward in their relationship in the recent Rogue and Gambit mini-series, before finally hitting real pay dirt with their spontaneous wedding in X-Men Gold #30.

As if all that wasn’t enough, though, now they’re headlining a brand new series that starts Wednesday, Mr. and Mrs. X by Kelly Thompson and Oscar Bazaldua. This happy ending is one hell of a chaser, one that forgives a series of past missteps related to how these two have been depicted, including villainy, underdeveloped characterization, and an arguably disturbing first meeting between them. It’s that first meeting—as well as the first appearances of each character—that I'd like to discuss today.

Rogue’s First Appearance

Note how the cover teases a shocking mystery guest! — Note how the cover teases *a shocking mystery guest!*

Rogue’s first appearance was Avengers Annual #10, and there was very little in that book to indicate she would spend decades as one of the most popular X-Men. Rogue shows up as part of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in an issue that starts with Carol Danvers being found unconscious, thereby kicking off a mystery that culminates in a confrontation between the Avengers and Mystique’s aforementioned Brotherhood.

Before the main event battle, though, Rogue assaults the Avengers’ heavy hitters all on her own, using her powers without the restraint commonly seen in her X-Men years. Rogue single-handedly eliminates Captain America, Iron Man, Vision, and Thor. But for all that power, her place in the story is essentially just as muscle for Mystique’s team, with no real character development aside from use of her powers. As she flees at the end, there’s no suggestion of redemption in her future; Rogue’s first impression is that of a powerful enemy to be seen on a recurring basis.

Gambit’s First Appearance

It would have been hard to predict at the time that the mutant called Gambit! would both enter and stay. — It would have been hard to predict at the time that *the mutant called Gambit! would both enter and stay.*

Gambit, on the other hand, first appears as a hero. Sort of. Uncanny X-Men #266 opens with Storm in the custody of the Shadow King and his Hounds. Gambit is engaged in thievery at the mansion where Storm is being kept—a perfect setup for him to help her attempt an escape. This Gambit, however, is a man of few words, lacking the flirtatiousness that later becomes a hallmark of his depictions.

When Gambit chooses to help Storm, it’s not because she’s an X-Man or a mutant, but rather because he suspects that she is Ororo Munroe, herself a famous thief. In this issue Gambit is little more than a cipher. The reader is given no special reason to care about this new character—except, perhaps, that he’s an active thief; Storm could have been rescued by anyone. Mutants come and go in X-Men, and there is nothing in Uncanny X-Men #266 to suggest Gambit would stick around.

Rogue and Gambit in Love

Mr. and Mrs. X (out July 25) looks to be a sweet chaser to one of the most famous-yet-tumultuous romances in the X-Men world. — **Mr. and Mrs. X** (out July 25) looks to be a sweet chaser to one of the most famous-yet-tumultuous romances in the X-Men world.

Over time—and despite mutually rough beginnings—both Rogue and Gambit find a home on the X-Men, and eventually their characters are fleshed out. Being on the same team, it’s only a matter of time before the two start appearing together. Their first interaction takes place in the Chris Claremont and Jim Lee X-Men #1 and their romance begins in X-Men #4, several years after Rogue’s first appearance and roughly one after Gambit’s. To have a romance start so quickly, one can only assume it was love at first sight.

Well, it was something at first sight, if not exactly love.

In the recent Rogue and Gambit mini-series, it is revealed the couple actually first became entwined during the Muir Island Saga—which pays off machinations at work in Gambit’s first appearance. The entire X-Men team is on Muir Island during Uncanny X-Men #278 - 280, and the Shadow King has taken control of all of them. To avoid spreading himself too thin, those in the Shadow King’s thrall are free to act on their own when he isn’t in direct control. Their personalities, however, are dark and violent reflections of their normal selves.

These are the conditions under which Rogue and Gambit first meet, according to Rogue and Gambit #2—first meet and, it’s suggested, first make love. On the surface, the encounter can be see as one of simple lust and little more—but not to Gambit, who points out that even under mind control the two were drawn together. And maybe he's right, because they did start their little dance soon after.

Ultimately, Rogue and Gambit have experienced almost every permutation possible both as individuals and as a couple. Their fictional history began in a much different (and darker) place than where we find the couple now. In some ways, this makes their wedding the best happy ending of all. Rogue and Gambit have never quite forgiven themselves for what they’ve done. Perhaps they never can. But if a marriage is a leap of faith, maybe the message is that they each forgive the other, even if they can’t forgive themselves. Anyone who’s followed their histories knows that Rogue and Gambit have often been a rough drink. In that regard, Mr. and Mrs. X looks to be one hell of a chaser.

Theron Couch is a writer, blogger, and comic book reviewer. His first novel, The Loyalty of Pawns, is available on Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter at @theroncouch.

On Writing Lois Lane: The Significance of an Icon

July 19, 2018 by Maya Kesh in Comics

By Maya Kesh — Since Lois Lane first debuted in 1938’s Action Comics #1, right alongside Superman and Clark Kent, she has been a lightning rod for how society views strong women. Through the years, this significance has been a double-edged sword, with Lois’ characterization reflecting both progress and limitations in various eras. As the Superman comics pass to a new writer this summer amid much media coverage and fanfare, I think it’s important to look at how Lois has been written historically, what it means to write her well, and why her depiction is so important for Superman stories.

Lois Lane Through History

In the early Golden Age comics (1938 - 1955), we see Lois Lane very much steeped in the working dame mode of that era. This is familiar to us through old movies like His Girl Friday.

In the Silver Age (1956 - 1970), Lois becomes a caricature of this idea, a desperate career woman who needs to marry to be happy. Lois having an end goal of marriage isn’t a problem, but it is a problem how that end goal is defined, as if when she marries Superman, she will have achieved the sum of all her ambitions. Marriage basically became an obsessive goal, one that wasn’t portrayed sympathetically at all.

Next came the Bronze Age (1970 - 1985) and the women’s liberation movement. During this time, Lois was seen through those changing progressive attitudes. Groovy, right? I am woman hear me roar. She was navigating slowly-evolving attitudes toward women in those years.

Wife/Mother vs. Career Woman

In the Modern Age, we’ve come to another turning point for Lois. She’s currently married to Clark, and they have a son, Jon. There has been a lot of discussion lately about what this means for Lois Lane, and it often comes back to this idea that being married to Clark and raising a child somehow limits her character.

This begs a question: Why? I think it goes back to the Silver Age idea that marriage is somehow an end for her. If she’s married, she can’t be everything she could be. That notion, however, brings us to another question: Are husbands and dads primarily defined by those roles, too? Or, are they written as multifaceted complex characters who are able to be many things to many people? The answer to the second question is decidedly yes. They can be career men (which isn’t even something men are called), as well as husbands and fathers. Women, however, are still often defined by stereotypes within labels, as if Lois Lane being a career woman means that she can’t also be a mother and a wife.

When Lois is written as a mom, for example, there is this idealized version of who mom is. And usually in the Superman-verse, this means Martha Kent, the stay-at-home mom who kept house and baked pies. Trying to fit Lois into that mold means writing her in an inorganic way that belies her personality. One’s personality doesn’t change after you have kids—my own teenagers can attest to that. Do priorities change, though? Of course.

Being a mother, however, shouldn’t turn Lois into Martha Kent. They’re entirely different people, and Lois doesn’t have the same skillset Martha does, nor does she need it to be a good mother. Basically, Lois might not be able to bake a perfect pie (although Clark probably can because he grew up with Martha as his mother), but she may be better-able to show her son how to pick a lock or hotwire a car if he ever loses his keys. This doesn’t make Lois any less of a mom. The definition of mother/wife should broaden to include all types of people. Just as dads are not inept stereotypes, neither are moms an idealized throwback to Leave it to Beaver.

In general, I think Lois often suffers from baggage writers bring when they think of her character throughout history. Some remember her as the abrasive pest she sometimes devolved into in the Silver Age, never mind that Superman was just as culpable at that time (so much so a site was dedicated to his Superdickery). Some seem to remember her as a man-hungry husband hunter, or as somebody who only loves Clark’s powers (I’d argue she always loved the man behind the disguise, no matter which persona that was).

How to Write Lois Lane Well

It sounds simple, but I think this bears emphasizing: to write Lois Lane, it is important to know who she is and the traits that have long defined her. Lois is strong, tenacious, compassionate, and ethical. She also wears her own masks. She’s vulnerable but doesn’t want the world to see it. Lois is fiercely dedicated to truth and justice, using journalism as her own superpower. She also understands there are shades of gray. Truth isn’t binary. There are some truths worth protecting from the public.

Clark’s identity, for example, isn’t for public consumption, as it doesn’t have any bearing on public welfare. There are, however, lies that exist to destroy people (ahem, most of what Lex Luthor does), and she is out to expose people who hurt others as they quest for power.

There are recent examples of Lois being written this way. This scene from Mark Waid’s Birthright shows us a Lois who stands up for injustice no matter where she sees it.

And this scene from Kurt Busiek’s Action Comics #850 shows us Lois’s early days with Clark. It’s a great example of how to write the triangle for two while giving empathy to both players, rather than turning Lois into an unsympathetic person only interested in Superman and his powers.

These are just two examples. Teenage Lois in Gwenda Bond’s young adult Lois Lane prose trilogy also gives us a multifaceted portrayal. In live action, for all of Smallville’s ups and downs, the TV show ultimately captures Lois’s complexity pretty well.

In the end, I think it’s important to remember Lois Lane was originally created alongside Clark Kent and Superman for a reason: she provides the audience with a narrative bridge between his identities. Through Lois, we as readers see the wonder that is Superman, while we also see the everyday life of Clark Kent—a dichotomy filtered through one character to create a consistent perspective.

This all speaks to why I believe it is so important for Lois to be written well, because it is through her that we gain access to all that is Superman. When Lois is allowed to reach her potential? Superman stories truly soar.

Maya Kesh is a lifetime comic reader and a writer whose articles often focus on how women are portrayed in comics. You can follow her on Twitter at @mayak46.

Amazing Spider-Man #1 Brings the Funny: A 5-Panel Explainer

July 17, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — The with great power comes great responsibility ethos of Amazing Spider-Man is almost universally relatable, especially for middle class Americans who’ve had even minor opportunities. It definitely resonated with me as a kid in a blue collar suburb of Chicago. The sum total of my power back then was manipulating my brothers into unholy pacts to combine birthday money for new video games. Yet there I was, reading ASM and nodding along, like, This story gets me.

That deeper meaning, however, was only half of why I loved the comic. I was also there because Spider-Man’s jokes were funny. Last Wednesday, a new team of writer Nick Spencer and artist Ryan Ottley took over Amazing Spider-Man (we loved the first issue), and while a more holistic view of their run will ultimately determine whether they do justice to that ethos, it’s immediately clear the humor is on point. I, for one, chuckled while reading...chuckled!

Anyway, today we're looking at five funny panels from Amazing Spider-Man #1. It’s not as insightful as some other recent Tuesday analysis pieces (ahem, see this thing about Deathstroke, please!), but like Spider-Man, we are also here to bring some funny (plus we're at San Diego Comic Con next week, so we have to do five day's worth of posts this weekend).

Let’s do this!

Panel 1 - Kiss B-Sides

The previous Amazing Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott, had a good sense of humor, to be sure, but you try writing 10 years worth of quips for the same voice and see how your results are toward the end. What struck my as different about Spencer's humor right away was how it extends past Spider-Man to include jokes at the expense of or said by other heroes in the Marvel Universe.

Take, for example, this excellent bit with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The writing here is funny, first as the Guardians banter and Groot lets slip something speciesist, and next as Hawkeye (a quippy fellow himself) mocks the way '80s music has become part of the Guardians' DNA via their depiction in the movies.

Panel 2 - Workshopping Jokes

This was a nice little set them up and then knock them down kind of joke, wherein Spider-Man admits to workshopping past jokes to evaluate whether they're fit to be used again (although his ability to perceive their reception is a little questionable). Oh and stick with this, it's a long one...

Panel 3 - Doom-ocracy

In the (almost) words of the immortal Kent Brockman of The Simpsons, if Doom has said it before, he'll say it again...democracy simply doesn't work.

Panel 4 - Pop Culture

Now, I'm not saying that Spidey should become Deadpool (oof, no thanks, one is enough), but it's nice when his books have a little pop culture perspective in them. There's this quote—and I can't remember its exact wording nor who said it—and its gist is that comics are sort of a fast and immediate reflection of the pop culture zeitgeist at any given time (ignore that the panel below quotes dialogue from a movie released in 1977, please!).

Also, I for one have always been curious about how superheroes manage to find the time and nutritional obsessiveness to stay in such great shape. Nice to get a little nod to that here.

Panel 5 - The Magic Chair

This is absolutely the bit that made me chuckle. It should be noted that while I've placed these disembodied panels beside each other, this third panel is separated from the first one by quite a bit of narrative, making this joke what we who have listened to podcasts about the business like to refer to as a call back.

Peter's chair (much later) finds a good home.

But Not So Fast

This is the part of this feature wherein I take a step back to taper my excitement. I must admit, however, that it's pretty challenging here. Spencer and Ottley's Spider-Man isn't yet demonstrably superior (heh) to Slott's. It's been one (very very very good) issue for them, while Slott did his thing with varied level of success for almost 10 years. So, I guess I'll pump my enthusiastic brakes here a moment by noting that they need to show they can perform at this high a level for more than just one outing.

Still, what a great start for the new team. It's a comic review cliche in an industry that runs on nostalgia, but this really is much closer to the Spider-Man stories I remember reading and watching when I was a kid.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia…A Greek Tragedy Told in Comics

July 12, 2018 by Taylor Pechter in Comics

The physical battle between Batman and Wonder Woman in this story is less meaningful than the ideological conflict.

By Taylor Pechter — “…But all tragedies end the same way…”

This is the theme that permeates the 2002 original graphic novel Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia, scripted by Greg Rucka, illustrated by J.G. Jones & Wade Von Grawbadger, and colored by industry veteran Dave Stewart. It’s a story told in comic form, yet it possesses many of the essential elements of a modern Greek tragedy, including impossible situations and a heartbreaking downfall.

This story follows Wonder Woman/Diana Prince as she becomes honor-bound to a woman named Danielle Weelys through the ritual of Hiketeia, an ancient tradition from Greece in which a poor or destitute individual supplicates oneself to a wealthy benefactor who must then protect them. If either the supplicant of supplicated disobeys the commitment, the Furies come to inflict punishment. From here, we enter Diana’s story.

Our narrative starts at its end. Diana is Themyscira’s ambassador to Man’s World. As she stares out her window at the Erynies or Furies, she recalls all that transpired to lead her to this moment, as well as how it could have been different. We transition then to three weeks ago in Gotham City, where for the first time we see the character Danielle. We know little about her at the start, save that she hunts down and ultimately murders a man. She is then confronted by Batman, who for all intents and purposes is the villain of this tale. A chase ensues, and Danielle throws herself into Gotham Harbor. She then supplicates herself to Diana using Hiketeia, thereby setting into motion our central ideological conflict.

Again, Batman is unofficially the villain of the story. What Rucka does more than anything in this story is contrast Diana’s sense of duty and honor with Batman’s sense of justice and righteousness. This ideological conflict drives the story as Danielle eventually becomes caught between her loyalty to Diana and her own sense of justice.

In a very emotional scene, we watch as Danielle explains her story to Diana, who uses the Lasso of Truth to extract it. We learn about Danielle’s younger sister, Melody, who moved to Gotham City from Webster Groves, Mo. to try and make it big. Insidious Gotham, however, swallowed her: she was taken advantage of, raped, and later murdered. It is here Rucka deconstructs modern day American society: we see police finding a needle that was used to drug Melody during her assault and making immediate presumptions, ultimately labeling her just another junkie whore…all of which Danielle describes.

Batman's hard-line stance against murder puts him into conflict with Wonder Woman, who is honor-bound to protect a woman who kills to get justice for her lost sister.

Danielle subsequently sets out to get justice for her baby sister by killing the men who hurt her. This revelation does not hasten Diana’s resolve to protect Danielle—it doesn’t need to, as they are still bound by the ritual. Soon a second confrontation with Batman occurs, wherein Danielle defends her actions to the Caped Crusader. Danielle’s predicament is much like the old paradox of a poor man breaking into a pharmacy to get medicine for his sickly family…is he wrong because his actions are against the law, or is he right because he is doing what is best for him and his family? Is Danielle right for murdering those men because they did the same to her sister, or is she motivated by selfish vengeance? This is the paradox. While Wonder Woman is forgiving of Danielle’s situation, Batman is not. As we all know, Batman’s views on killing—even when killing seems more than justified—are quite staunch.

We now reach the climax of the story, as the ideological tension between Diana and Bruce finally builds into a fight. This fight is a footnote, however, with Diana making quick work of her mortal foe. Batman tries to appeal by supplicating himself, but Diana denies the request. In the commotion, however, Danielle runs. With the Erynies whispering in her ears, she leaps off a balcony onto the rocks below. As the book draws to close, we see Diana in contemplation again—much as we did at the start—wondering: Why is Man’s World so cold…It was never this cold on Themyscira.

With Hiketeia, Greg Rucka weaves a quintessential Wonder Woman tale. We see Diana struggle with Man’s World and her obligations, as well as with her own sense of duty and honor. It creates a poignant contrast with Batman’s own sense of justice, which has been explored time and again in comics, leading to a central conflict that is engaging and emotional. J.G. Jones pencils and Wade Von Grawbadger’s inks infuse this story with both bleakness and hope, while Dave Stewart’s hues give it added weight.

Following Hiketeia, Rucka went on to write two critically-acclaimed Wonder Woman runs (one that began in 2003 and lasted for three years, and another that started with DC Rebirth and ran for 25 issues), solidifying himself as a preeminent voice for not only Diana, but for female superheroes in comics.

Taylor Pechter is a passionate comic book fan and nerd. Find him on Twitter @TheInspecter.

Priest’s Deathstroke: An Epic of Fatherhood and Regret

July 10, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

From the start, Christopher Priest's run on Deathstroke has been about fatherhood and regrets. — From the start, Christopher Priest's run on **Deathstroke** has been about fatherhood and regrets.

By Zack Quaintance — This week’s Deathstroke #33 made absolutely clear what writer Christopher Priest’s run on this book has long been about: regret and fatherhood. The comic’s current arc posits Damian Wayne may be the son of Slade Wilson Deathstroke, rather than Bruce Wayne Batman. The truth is foggy (and probably doesn’t matter), but in searching for answers, Damian joins with Slade, subsequently ushering in a poignant moment of growth for our central character, which is what we’re looking at today.

See, even now Slade continues to insist any involvement with Damian is because the boy can help with the only thing that matters to him: working as a mercenary/assassin. This is telling. Throughout this run, Slade has taken the same attitude toward many youngsters, some of whom are biological children and some of whom are surrogates (more below). This time, however, something changes.

Ed Benes expertly illustrates the regret on Slade's face as he sleeps atop a gun that serves as metaphor for his violent lifestyle.

Wintergreen—arguably Slade’s only real friend—guilt trips him about Damian, telling him the boy is...grandson of Ra’s Al Ghul—raised by the League of Assassins...his own mother had him killed once, Slade...this is a severely damaged young boy. We don’t see Slade react, not immediately, but artist Ed Benes soon illustrates a closeup of Slade’s concerned face, his head on a pillow with a gun beneath it as young Damian intones rhetoric about being a warrior, sounding both traumatized and borderline insane (standard for Damian, but still…).

There’s a clear implication: Slade is recalling past kids who’ve been damaged in his care, as far back as his first fight with the Teen Titans (which is in continuity again?). Protecting children—or failing to—has been central to Deathstroke from his start, and so Priest logically centers this run on the deaths, losses, disillusionment, all of which is traumatizing, even for one as hardened as Slade.

Change, however, does occur. When Damian is nearly lost in a magical shadow realm that causes insanity (yay for superhero comics!), Slade hears echoes of Wintergreen’s words—this is a severely damaged young boy—and saves Damian. Got you! After so many failures—some due to selfishness, others to circumstance—it’s a powerful moment of growth. It’s also expert storytelling patiently executed by Priest. So, with that in mind, let’s look now at the narrative tools that helped build this payoff.

Man vs. Self: Slade Wilson’s Efforts to Deflect Emotional Damage

The simplest tool Priest uses is depicting Deathstroke as removed from the pain he has suffered. Essentially, Slade Wilson’s constant insistence that young people in his life mean less than nothing is an invincible Ikon suit for his feelings. Whereas the actual suit protects his body, his repeated insistence he doesn’t care protects his psyche, also distancing him from past regrets.

Slade is a cold person, to be sure. He kills for money, etc. Being emotionally removed is obvious. To flesh Slade out, however, Priest also cracks his exterior, putting hesitation or clumsiness near his worst moments, including when he alienates his young hero team Defiance (a who’s who of kids he’s failed), or when he contracts a hit to get closer to his estranged daughter. Priest puts in work to build a compelling dichotomy within Slade, showing rather than telling us he is conflicted by peppering subtle but consistent moments throughout this lengthy run.

The Kids in Deathstroke’s Care

Those aforementioned moments are best examined via the other kids involved with Slade before Damian, specifically by looking at how Deathstroke fails them each. They are..

The first panel of Priest's run: Slade's doomed son Grant in the cold, being cast away for weakness by his father.

Grant Wilson (biological son): It’s incredibly significant the first panel of Priest’s run (back in the Deathstroke Rebirth one-shot!) is Slade’s now-dead son Grant curled in a fetal position, cold and alone in a truck during a hunting trip. Slade bursts in and demeans the boy, the least grandiose of his failings. He’s just a bad dad, insensitive, uncaring, mean-spirited, but it creates an effective starting point for his hero’s journey. For full effect, compare Slade then to the man who saves Damian Wayne...powerful.
How Deathstroke Fails Him: Slade’s cold (heh) parenting pushes Grant to run away, join H.I.V.E., and get superpowers that later cost him his life.
Joseph Wilson (biological son): Having the most interactions with Slade, Joseph (a.k.a. Jericho) also has the relationship that is arguably most complicated. Of all the kids in Slade’s orbit, Joey is possibly most like him, although obviously not as cold.
How Deathstroke Fails Him: When Joey is young, The Jackal comes looking for Slade, finds Joey, and slits his throat. When he’s older, Slade sleeps with his fiance (it was complicated, but still…), and the list goes on from there.
Rose Wilson (biological daughter): Rose is the first character that causes a real crack in Slade, showing us growth from the painful mistakes made with his sons. His methods are clumsy, but, ultimately, Slade is trying to get closer to Rose.
How Deathstroke Fails Her: He’s absent most of her life. As an adult, he puts a hit on her so they can investigate it together, assuming it won’t endanger her because she’s clairvoyant (but still…).
Wally West a.k.a. Kid Flash: Deathstroke comes into Wally’s life as a fatherly mentor, which makes sense because Wally’s own biological father was an actual villain.
How He Fails Him: By letting Defiance fall apart, leading to an apparent suicide by Power Girl (more next). Basically, he was not a great mentor.
Power Girl a.k.a. Tanya Spears: Power Girl’s case is the saddest of this bunch. She has little else in her life, before being set upon by Slade, who oscillates wildly between helping her and needing help, misleading her throughout.
How He Fails Her: Slade deceives her constantly, taking one redemptive step forward and two back, before putting her on a path to being lost in another dimension (I think?).

Christopher Priest’s Flashbacks

Time jumps are used to great effect throughout this Deathstroke run, using the past to convey Slade's interiority. — Time jumps are used to great effect throughout this **Deathstroke** run, using the past to convey Slade's interiority.

Priest has a unique style, jumping fitfully through time. This is fairly common in superhero comics. Priest, however, uses more precision than most writers. If Deathstroke is consumed by regret over failing young people around him, his head would logically be in the past. There are myriad examples of how Priest shows this, but perhaps the most effective is in the Rebirth one-shot, wherein a man begs for life, telling Deathstroke, I have sons...and Slade hesitates, recalling the long ago hunting trip and his lost boy. It expertly sets the tone for how meaningful flashbacks will be moving forward, for how Slade’s past will inform his present and future for the next 30-plus issues.

Ultimately, it’s this flashback structure that is Priest’s most interesting use of graphic storytelling, deployed not just for exposition but to convey our hero’s interiority, especially in memories of that cold day Slade took his sons hunting, how he treated them, and how he could/should have been a better man. The setting is frigid and so is Slade, and as the story progresses, this significance becomes painfully clear in the context of Deathstroke’s flawed decisions.

The Future of Priest’s Deathstroke

Lastly, I'm predicting the Deathstroke vs. Batman arc is a finale for Priest’s run on this book (my predictions are always wrong, but still...). Issue #35 drops in September, concluding the Damian Wayne story while possibly bringing to a head all of Slade’s issues with fatherhood, responsibility, trauma. There’s an interesting mirror structure between Deathstroke #33 and Deathstroke #4, which share similar openings—Slade disguised on a road trip with a kid.

The opening to Deathstroke #4. — The opening to **Deathstroke #4.**

The opening to Deathstroke #33. — The opening to **Deathstroke #33.**

Could the entire run be mirrored? Is it winding down the way it was ramping up the last time we saw this opening? We’ll see.I’ve said many times that I hope Priest gets a long character-defining strech on Deathstroke, a la Jason Aaron on Thor, but if this is how it ends, I’ll be satisfied with all he has accomplished. It’s so rare that a superhero (supervillain?) comic gets to show this many careful and quiet moments of hard-earned personal growth.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

Top Comics to Buy for September 19, 2018

Recommended New #1 Comics for September 19, 2018

Others Receiving Votes

Saga #6

DC

Marvel

Saga #5

Spider-Man vs. The Punisher

The Punisher’s Code

Saga #3

Big 2 Books That Read Like Indie Comics

Avengers West Coast #69: The A Story & B Story

Avengers West Coast #69: The Fight

Can Hawkeye Be Redeemed?

StormWatch

The Authority

Wildcats

Planetary

The Wild Storm

Panel One - The Continuity

Panel Two - The Journal

Panel Three - The Museum

Panel Four - The Monsters

Panel Five - The Skies

Saga #1

Veteran and First-Timer Perspectives

Fantastic Four #1 (1961): The Story

Fantastic Four #1 (1961): The Art

Fantastic Four #1 (1961): The Writing

Helena Wayne’s Relationships

Helena Wayne and the Crisis on Infinite Earths

Helena Bertinelli

Four Ways to Fix Helena Wayne

Rogue’s First Appearance

Gambit’s First Appearance

Rogue and Gambit in Love

Lois Lane Through History

Wife/Mother vs. Career Woman

How to Write Lois Lane Well

Panel 1 - Kiss B-Sides

Panel 2 - Workshopping Jokes

Panel 3 - Doom-ocracy

Panel 4 - Pop Culture

Panel 5 - The Magic Chair

But Not So Fast

Man vs. Self: Slade Wilson’s Efforts to Deflect Emotional Damage

The Kids in Deathstroke’s Care

Christopher Priest’s Flashbacks

The Future of Priest’s Deathstroke