The Wrath of The Spectre!

In the 1970's, DC Comics resurrected one of their darkest and most powerful characters, The Spectre. In the 1940's Jim Corrigan (as created by Jerry Siegel and artist Bernie Baily) emerged as one of DC's first detective/superhero characters. His stories were dark even for the Golden Agee, a time when comics were less censored and unafraid of telling edgy stories. In the 1970's he was brought back in this series, masterfully written by Michael Fleischer and drawn by Jim Aparo. These stories were groundbreaking in that they were considered very violent for the time. This series established The Spectre as one of the darkest and probably the most vengeful of all superheroes.

Beginning with the 12-page "The Wrath of ... the Spectre" in issue #431 of Adventure Comics, writer Michael Fleisher, and artist Jim Aparo produced 10 stories through issue #440 that became controversial for what was considered gruesome, albeit bloodless, violence. Joe Orlando plotted these stories with writer Michael Fleisher, and they emphasized the gruesome fates of criminals who ran afoul of the Spectre. The Comics Code had recently been liberalized, but this series pushed its restrictions to the limit, often by turning evildoers into inanimate objects and then thoroughly demolishing them. Jim Aparo's art showed criminals being transformed into everything from broken glass to melting candles, but Fleisher was quick to point out that many of his most bizarre plot devices were lifted from stories published decades earlier in various Golden Age comics.

This series made me an instant fan of The Spectre and I became someone who sought out the work of Michael Fleischer (his 1970's Jonah Hex run needs to be read by all). And then, of course, there's the art by Jim Aparo. Anything with Jim Aparo's immortal name attached to it is instantly going to be good. Anyway, this series was printed in trade paperback in 2005 and went quickly out of print. DC just released an omnibus of this run (with some supplemental material), so it's available again. If you're a fan of darker heroes, like horror comics or ghost characters, you should definitely check out this run.

Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012) - Review and Analysis

Many of my followers have been waiting on my thoughts on this beloved trilogy. So, here we go!

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy that ran from 2005 to 2012 is a master class in dramatic storytelling. These films tell stories of dark, noir-ish, urban crime that are filtered through the lens of the DC Comics character, Batman, in a Post 9/11 world. While these are well-crafted crime dramas they may suffer as Batman movies, depending on one's perspective or preference, due to a hard re-imagining of character and mythos as well as an emphasis on realism. The goal of this series is to place Batman in a less heightened reality, which limits what villains can be used. As a result Gotham City is recast as Chicago with gothic elements, and plot and character motivations are explained to us through dialogue so that we can understand specific intent.

The series starts with Batman Begins, released in 2005. In my opinion, this is the best film in this series, and this is the only exception to the idea (proposed by more than a few fans) that these are not really Batman movies. As the title suggests, this movie focuses on the origin of Batman and to date is the best-adapted origin story of a major comic book character since Superman: The Movie in 1978. This is because the film draws heavily from the popular origin story, Batman: Year One, by Frank Miller, which ran in Batman #404 to #407. The reason this works as a Batman movie is because it mirrors the Year One storyline, which was a grounded and more realistic take on the origin of the character. The other storylines that are drawn from include The Demon Saga from the 1970s, which introduces Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins (here called League of Shadows), as well as The Man Who Falls, both written by Denny O’Neil. Blind Justice, Batman’s 50th anniversary story from 1989, written by Batman screenwriter, Sam Hamm, is where the character of Henry Ducard originated.

The middle part of the trilogy, The Dark Knight, released in 2008, continues the theme of realism in a crime drama setting. This is where the series ceases to be less about adapting Batman and begins to tell its own story featuring supporting characters of the Batman mythos. Sure, characters from the comics appear, and the portrayal of the Joker character by Heath Ledger is phenomenal, but the heightened comic book world is abandoned in favor of a Law and Order style approach. Unfortunately, Ledger’s Joker portrayal is so defining that it steals the show and places the Harvey Dent/Two-Face character, as well as Bruce Wayne’s love triangle with the Rachael Dawes character, far in the background. Particularly brilliant is the fact that the Joker character comes straight out of Batman #1 from 1940. This is the only way that the filmmakers could produce a realistic Joker, though they seem to mistake Joker’s randomness and criminality with anarchy. The Joker should not ever be politically motivated and has nothing to do with left wing ideologies such as anarchism, both in this film or in the comics. It's also interesting to see the introduction of the batcycle, known here as the “Bat-pod”, in this movie. I also appreciated that The Long Halloween was referenced narratively in places as well. 

The third film, The Dark Knight Rises, from 2012 is the furthest departure of comic book Batman yet. We are introduced to the cat burglar/master thief version of Catwoman and loose adaptations of both the Bane character and Talia Al Ghul. Bane’s motivations are similar to Ra’s in the first film but he seems more bent on a genuine redemption for the oppressed than Ra’s ever was. In this film Bane is a terrorist, in line with Talia and her father and, while his motivations deserve sympathy, his actions are appropriately condemnable. The new version of the Batwing, known here as “The Bat”, is a nondescript aircraft, resembling neither plane nor bat. This film brings the story from the first film full circle and wraps up a rather uneven trilogy.

All in all these films are very well made, thought provoking and entertaining as crime stories. The casting of Bale was great for Bruce Wayne, though his Batman leaves something to be desired. His voice should have been closer to Michael Keaton’s gruff whisper than the throat-cancer version that was delivered. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox was inspired casting, even if the character was slightly different from the source material. Gary Oldman delivers what is perhaps the definitive portrayal of James Gordon. Ledger’s Joker was great and is rightly deserving of all the praise he gets. The score, highlighted by an anthemic march by Hans Zimmer, fits this trilogy well though it will never compare to the operatic Batman theme by Danny Elfman.

A Retrospective of The World's Greatest Comics Magazine!

The very first issue of Fantastic Four in 1961 ushered in the "Marvel Age of Comics." It signaled more than just the beginning of a new comic book company, it meant a new way to write and draw stories. American comics up to that point had been very one dimensional and, thanks largely to the Comics Code of the 1950's, lacked any real depth. Before the F.F. readers were subjected to Lois Lane trying to figure out Superman's identity every issue or Batman and Robin going to the moon. Comics just weren't very challenging.

Enter Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to kick the comics industry in the pants. The story goes that Stan had grown tired of working in comics and was going to quit. His publisher, Martin Goodman, hearing about the success of the Justice League comic, a book about a team of superheroes from the rival, DC Comics, gave Stan a mandate to write one more story. Stan was disillusioned and, upon advice from his wife Joan, he wrote exactly the story he wanted. But who would draw it? Art duties fell to none other than Jack Kirby, the "King of Comics." In fact, it was the Fantastic Four (often abbreviated as the FF) that helped build his legend.

So, starting with issue #1, the "World's Greatest Comics Magazine" was born. And comics would never be the same. The Fantastic Four featured the first appearance of Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Susan Storm (The Invisible Girl.. later called The Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing). It was a book with an edge, a gamechanger that is as important to comic book history as the first appearance of Superman. Stan and Jack lasted an astounding 103 issues on the title.  The 1970's stories were dominated by writers such as Roy Thomas and Len Wein. The highlight of the 1980's was a run by John Byrne. Over the years, as with any long-running serial narrative with numerous creative teams, it's had its ups and downs. My favorites tend to be classic FF stories but there are a few modern gems too.

With all this in mind, I present my favorite stories of The Fantastic Four.

"The Galactus Trilogy" - FF #48-50... It's been called "the indisputable pinnacle of the so-called Silver Age of comic books" and fans have debated whether it's the greatest Marvel Comics story of all time. It features the coming of an eater of worlds known as Galactus. His herald, the Silver Surfer, debuts and ultimately turns on his master. As a result the Surfer is banished to Earth, having his "space-time powers" removed. The greatest FF epic of all time stands the test of time more than 50 years after its publication. A true masterpiece.

"This Man, This Monster" - FF #51... More than just an exploration of The Thing, this one-off story exemplifies how the best stories were written in the Silver Age. The story solidifies Ben Grimm's personality as he finally comes to terms with what happened to him on that first trip to space. An impostor version of The Thing, from the "anti-matter universe" helps Ben to realize  that Reed has always had the best intentions for those he cares about. Ben finally understands that being fated as The Thing is not so bad, as long as he has his family to lean on.  Stan Lee and Jack Kirby delivered a brilliant character piece about selflessness and heroism with this one, and it probably is the greatest single issue story of the FF ever.. 

"Terror in a Tiny Town" - FF #236... Perhaps the best story of the entire John Byrne run. The story sees the Fantastic Four revisit their origin, all while facing an evil plot of ol' Doc Doom. A terrific story by Byrne and one of the best drawn FF tales of all time. 

"A Small Loss" - FF #267... In this FF landmark, Sue suffers complications with her pregnancy due to the cosmic rays that gave her superpowers. Reed has gathered the world's foremost experts in radiation research to no avail. He then does the unthinkable and turns to Doctor Otto Octavius. Can the infamous Doctor Octopus help the Invisible Girl, or is his mind too unstable to be trusted? Read to find out. For FF fans, this is not to be missed. This Marvel classic, "A Small Loss," guest-stars Bruce Banner (the Hulk), Walter Langkowski (Sasquatch), and Michael Morbius (the Living Vampire), with a cameo by Spider-Man.

"The Overthrow of Doom" - FF #192-200... The tale begins after the FF have disbanded because Reed has lost his powers. The team go their separate ways and do their own thing until a plot in which Reed regains his powers and ultimately has to rescue his family from the clutches of Victor Von Doom takes over. It's an intriguing mix of genres that collects neatly into a cohesive whole. It is part mystery, political intrigue, contemplative soul-searching and redemptive drama with superhero action mixed in.

"Remembrance of Things Past" - Marvel Two-In-One #50... In the first ever Byrne FF story (before he was actually on the FF title), Reed has invented a cure for Ben Grimm. The trouble is that the cure will only work on Ben as he originally was. His appearance has been changing since he first transformed (a clever in-story reason for the varying art styles on The Thing). So, Ben decides to go back in time and cure himself when he originally transformed. He meets himself and the two Things battle it out. The modern Thing beats the original, more lumpy version and forces him to take the cure. When he gets back however, nothing has changed. Reed explains that you can't change the past. Instead, an alternate timeline was created and the original Thing, in that time, is now cured.  The Thing decides he's ok with his failure because Lumpy Thing made him realize that's he's evolved past the worst of the monster look. It's a very touching issue and is a must read.

"The Origin of Doctor Doom" - FF Annual #2... In my estimation this is the greatest supervillain story of the Silver Age. Doctor Doom is one of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe, perhaps THE greatest! In this tale we learn all about Victor Von Doom's motivations and what twisted him into the arch-villain that he has become. It's a tragic tale but also, even by today's standards, an entertaining epic. 

Fantastic Four #1 (1961)... The one that started it all. This is the story that introduced the team and founded the Marvel Universe. Some have said that there is a naiveté to the writing and that the story is too simple and dated. By today's standards? Maybe. Remember though, this was written in 1961. It does so much though. It introduces our protagonists, takes them on an adventure, shows the origin of their powers and shows the formation of the team. As Stan Lee himself might say, 'Nuff Said!   

"The Wedding of the Fantastic Four" - FF Annual #3... Dr. Doom reads about the wedding of Reed and Sue in the Daily Press. He then decides to ruin their wedding by using his Emotion Charger to cause just about every super-villain in the marvel universe to attack the FF at their wedding. The Watcher intervenes and Reed uses his "Time Displaccer" to return all the baddies back to their immediate past. The wedding of Reed and Sue ensues and cameos from all over the Marvel Universe abound. Talk about the best possible hook book for new readers to Marvel because it gives appearances by every major character. And, it's a hell of an adventure too.

"A Blind Man Shall Lead Them"- FF #39... The pre-Frank Miller Daredevil, the swashbuckling crusader, comes to the aid of the Fantastic Four when a nuclear blast drains their powers. Doc Doom wastes no time in trying to destroy them but Reed has a plan. He whips up a gadget that mimics their powers and with the aid of Daredevil they can now battle their nemesis.

 

"The Battle of the Baxter Building" - FF #40... Part 2 of the Daredevil/FF Fight against Doom, who has now seized control of The Baxter Building, the headquarters of the FF. Reed uses Daredevil to distract Doom and then the FF step in and take him down. By the end, their powers return and with his plot foiled, Doom escapes. These two issues really showcase that the FF is an established team in the Marvel Universe and in cases like this, when they need a little extra help, they can lean on their friends to solve their problems. A great two-parter that stands as one of my personal favorite Silver Age stories. 

"Inside Out" - FF Vol. 3 # 60... Mark Waid wrote an acclaimed run with artist, Mike Wieringo. This is probably the best single issue of the bunch. It's a one-and-done that recaps the origin of the FF while also illustrating why the team does what they do and why they're so... fantastic!

* A few full runs that I think are deserving of everyone's attention... Obviously Stan and Jack's run is A-1... the best! 2nd, check out John Byrne's run. The 70's has some standout stories and the runs of Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and Marv Wolfman all deserve to be picked over. Mark Waid is the best modern FF writer and his run with Mike Wieringo and Karl Kessel deserves a look. After that, Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four epic needs to be checked out too.

My Favorite Classic Spider-man Stories

Listed below are just a handful of what I consider to be the definitive classic Spider-man stories. This includes any story from the so-called "real" Marvel Universe, a.k.a the Earth-616 Universe. This does not include any "Ultimate" stories, alternate-Spider-men etc. (sorry Miles). This is just an excuse for me to geek out on one some of my favorites.

Spider-man: Visionaries by John Romita Sr. - This trade paperback collection features several stories, drawn and handpicked by arguably (he may be tied with Steve Ditko) the greatest Spidey artist himself, John Romita Sr. Featuring iconic moments from Spidey's classic era, including the first appearance of Mary Jane Watson, the "Spider-man No More" story, the first meeting between Spider-man and Doctor Strange and many more. All stories written by "The Man" himself, Stan Lee!

Spider-man: Sinister Six - The trade paperback of this story reprints the first appearance of The Sinister Six in Spidey's first annual (The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (January 1964) and then continues with The Return of the Sinister Six, published nearly 30 years later in The Amazing Spider-Man #334–339. The original story by Lee and Ditko features Spidey's greatest rogues (Dock Ock, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, the Sandman, and the Vulture) teaming up to take revenge on our beloved wall-crawler. Through some clever wit and quick thinking, Spidey brings down their scheme. It's follow-up tale, under the team of David Michelinie and Erik Larson, brings in a rebranded Six (Kraven died and was replaced by Hobgoblin). The story puts Spidey into a compromising situation, while also juggling his shaky relationship with MJ, at this point his wife. It's one of Michelinie's best stories.

Spider-man: Death of the Stacys - This is the set of twin-stories that most people hail as the "greatest Spider-man saga ever told." It truly is Spider-man's turning point! If you want to understand the character of Spider-man, this is the one story you should read. The death of Captain Stacy was one the most intense deaths for Peter after Uncle Ben. To then compound that with the death of the teenager's first love, Captain Stacy's daughter, Gwen, ramps up the pathos and drama to the Nth degree. It cements both Doc Ock and the original Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) as Peter Parker's two greatest nemeses. Gwen's death is Spider-man's moment of realization that his life will never really be without great conflict. The Captain Stacy story was written by Stan Lee and drawn by Romita Sr. Gwen's death was written by Gerry Conway and cements him as one of the greatest Spider-man writers of all time. Art was done by Gil Kane (probably the 3rd greatest Spidey artist after Ditko-Romita Sr.)      

Spider-man: Return of the Burglar - Written by Marv Wolfman with art by Keith Pollard, Al Milgrom, and Sal Buscema, the story told in Amazing Spider-man #193-200 brings Peter Parker full circle, back to the day he caught the burglar that killed Uncle Ben, back to his earliest time wearing the webbed mask. It features a somewhat odd Kingpin interlude, the first appearance of The Black Cat and then it all evolves into a decent Mysterio story. There's a reasonable amount of repetition and it does drag a little though compared with some of the earlier stories it's a lot tauter. Pete is really put through the paces here and, ultimately learns an important lesson, that you can't really ever escape your past. 

Spider-man: Blue - This story is the best of the "Marvel Color Books", written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale. It is a retelling of Peter Parker's reaction and response to The Green Goblin's murder of Gwen Stacy. It's a touching romantic tale. Well-paced and heartfelt, it balances action and drama carefully and helps Peter resolve the loss of his first love.

Spider-man Vs Doctor Octopus - This is a trade paperback reprinting the best Spidey/Ock encounters ever. It's another cheat because it features multiple stories. Featured are Amazing Spider-Man # 3 (Doc Ock's first appearance), 54-56 (reprinted as MARVEL TALES) and 130-131 and Annual 15. It was collected in conjunction with the Spider-man 2 movie. This book gives you every major important Doctor Octopus story from the silver and bronze age. After the origin story (one of the best Spider-man stories by Stan Lee) Ock swindles May Parker into almost marrying him (the start of the legendary and wonderful Octopus/Hammerhead war by Conway/Romita) and convinces an amnesia-ridden Spider-man to work for him (this story was adapted as an episode of Spider-man: The Animated Series in the 1990's). Plus: the debut of the short lived and comical Spider-mobile. Great work by the legendary John Romita Sr. on art and wonderful writing by Stan Lee and Gerry Conway. And then there is the annual... Annual #15 is one of my favorite Spider-man stories of all time. It's Spider-man vs The Punisher and Doc Ock. This was written by the delightful Denny O'neil and remains one of the few Frank Miller drawn Spider-man stories.

Amazing Spider-man #241: "In the Beginning"- Published in 1983, this story reveals the origin of Adrian Toomes, The Vulture, one of Spidey's earliest and greatest villains. It's a compelling origin and culminates in a very entertaining battle between Spider-man and Vulture. It's beautiful to look at to, considering John Romita Jr. drew the story. It also happens to be written by one of the greatest Spidey scribes ever, Roger Stern.  

Spider-man: The Origin of The Hobgoblin - Probably the greatest mystery story ever published featuring the Wall-Crawler, this one introduces one of Spidey's most memorable foes, The Hobgoblin. Spidey fans in the early 80's had been begging to see the return of Norman Osborn as The Green Goblin. Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. gave them something new and different. A new "Goblin" who steals all of Norman's tech. This is one of the greatest Spidey stories of the 1980's and, the only trouble with it is, you don't find out the actual identity of this new Goblin, until much later, and under a new writer. Stern would return later to pen a story that features the true identity of Hobgoblin 

Spider-man: Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut -  This two-issue Spider-Man tale, again by the Roger Stern/John Romita, Jr. team was published in The Amazing Spider-Man #229–230. It is the ultimate underdog story. Juggernaut verses ol' Webhead features Spidey using his wits to stop Juggernaut, despite never really being able to defeat him. It's action-packed, humorous and inspirational.

Amazing Spider-Man #248: "The Kid Who Collects Spider-man"- Published  in 1984, it's yet another Roger Stern story, this time with art by Ron Frenz and inks by Terry Austin, in which Timmy Harrison, a terminally ill child and Spider-man's biggest fan, meets Spidey and reminds Spider-man why what he does is so important.  

Spider-man: Best of Enemies - Spectacular Spider-man #200 shows just how mad Harry Osborn has gone after losing his father, inheriting the Green Goblin role and finally confronting Peter Parker over his deep-seeded resentment. Peter has always felt very guilty over what happened to his best friend and things finally come to a head in probably the best story published in 1993. J.M DeMatteis always writes some of the most psychological comic book stories. This is no exception. The gorgeous art by Sal Buscema only helps.   

Spider-man: Kraven’s Last Hunt - Another J.M. DeMatteis masterpiece, this is the darkest Spider-man story ever told. It's less about Spidey and more about obsession, particularly the obsession of Kraven The Hunter.  Published as "Fearful Symmetry" in 1987, it shows Kraven desperately trying to understand Spider-man's motivation. It culminates in the the final battle between Kraven and Spider-Man. SPOILER ALERT: Kraven dies. Originally published in Web of Spider-Man #31–32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293–294, and The Spectacular Spider-Man #131–132 during Spider-man's dark age. The art by Mike Zeck is delicious and DeMatteis doesn't forget to lay the psychological drama on thick either. 

The Adventures of Tintin: Europe's Greatest Adventure Comic Strip

The Adventures of Tintin, as created by Belgian cartoonist, Herge, is, in my estimation, the greatest adventure comic strip to ever come out of Europe. First appearing in a 1929 issue of Le Petit Vingtième (a French magazine called The Little Twentieth), the character of Tintin and his supporting cast, would go on to become a legendary myth in Europe. The series spans 24 albums (or volumes) and was originally published between 1929 and 1976. 

The early stories feature colonialist attitudes and give off negative stereotypes and connotations in regards to The (former) Soviet Union, Africa and its people, and early twentieth century American life. They were written by a very young man (Herge was only 23 when he began Tintin) who was politically motivated in his early years; very Euro-centric and perhaps even xenophobic. As he matured however, he began to tell some amazing adventure stories. 

Today, the Tintin strip is regarded by comics aficionados as probably the greatest children's comic of all time (to European audiences anyway) but during it's heyday it was read by both children and their parents. In America, this strip's greatest rival is probably Carl Barks' Duck comics (Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck etc.). Now, what makes them great is not just the deliciously detailed art by Herge, but also the brisk pacing and sprawling sense of adventure that the character and his supporting cast always seem to go on. 

Tintin is a young Belgian reporter who, along with his dog, Snowy,  a white Fox Terrier, becomes embroiled in dangerous cases in which he helps solve crimes, recovers lost treasure or generally just saves the day. Throughout many of his adventures he is aided by Captain Archibald Haddock, a drunk fishing boat captain, the absent-minded Professor Calculus, and the incompetent detectives known as Thomson and Thompson, who provide much of the comic relief in the series. Herge also used real life events and real people to influence and enhance his stories. Famous figures sometimes appear in the strip (such as Al Capone in Tintin in America). World War II also served as an infuence during the war years. 

The series twenty-four volumes are listed below. My favorites, the ones I feel tell the best stories, are in bold.

1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets - (Tintin au pays des Soviets) (1929–1930)
2. Tintin in the Congo - (Tintin au Congo) (1930–1931)
3. Tintin in America - (Tintin en Amérique) (1931–1932)
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh - (Les Cigares du Pharaon) (1932–1934)
5. The Blue Lotus - (Le Lotus bleu) (1934–1935)
6. The Broken Ear - (L'Oreille cassée) (1935–1937)
7. The Black Island - (L'Ile noire) (1937–1938)
8. King Ottokar's Sceptre - (Le Sceptre d'Ottokar) (1938–1939)
9. The Crab with the Golden Claws - (Le Crabe aux pinces d'or) (1940–1941)
10. The Shooting Star - (L'Etoile mystérieuse) (1941–1942)
11. The Secret of the Unicorn - (Le Secret de la Licorne) (1942–1943)
12. Red Rackham's Treasure - (Le Trésor de Rackam le Rouge) (1943)
13. The Seven Crystal Balls - (Les Sept boules de cristal) (1943–1946)
14. Prisoners of the Sun - (Le Temple du soleil) (1946–1948)
15. Land of Black Gold - (Tintin au pays de l'or noir) (1948–1950) ¹
16. Destination Moon - (Objectif Lune) (1950–1953)
17. Explorers on the Moon - (On a marché sur la Lune) (1950–1953)
18. The Calculus Affair - (L'Affaire Tournesol) (1954–1956)
19. The Red Sea Sharks - (Coke en stock) (1956–1958)
20. Tintin in Tibet - (Tintin au Tibet) (1958–1959)
21. The Castafiore Emerald - (Les Bijoux de la Castafiore) (1961–1962)
22. Flight 714 to Sydney - (Vol 714 pour Sydney) (1966–1967)
23. Tintin and the Picaros - (Tintin et les Picaros) (1975–1976)
24. Tintin and Alph-Art - (Tintin et l'Alph-Art): Unfinished work, published posthumously in 1986, and republished with more material in 2004.

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL... HORROR COMICS FOR THE SPOOKY SEASON!

 

I've always been fascinated by Halloween. The holiday holds great power for me and every year my wife and I sit down to binge on junk food and classic horror films. I tend to appreciate and be fascinated by the darker side of life. Horror films are my favorite movie genre. And I love horror comics too because they can go places that the usual superhero books can't. Horror comics, like crime comics, are the special niche outside of superheroes that make comics rival any other entertainment medium. 

The earliest comic books from the 1930's showcased horror and dark themes. Horror became such a popular genre in the medium that it bled into the popular comics like Batman, sometimes even Superman or even still, Will Eisner's Spirit stories. The first actual comic book that was specifically a horror title, Eerie, was an anthology book... a collection of short comics by different writers and artists. From there the floodgates were opened and other books quickly became popular. Creepy, Adventures into the Unknown, the Warren publications, and many other horror anthologies became the most common comics of the 1950's that kids would read in the schoolyard or on the playground. 

It wasn't until one publisher came on the scene though that horror comics got major attention. EC Comics (Entertaining Comics), best known for publishing Tales From the Crypt (originally known as The Crypt of Terror), The Vault of Horror, and The Haunt of Fear, rivaled DC Comics and the pre-Marvel company, Timely Comics. These comics were far more graphic, far more violent and more adult than the Golden and Silver Age superhero books could ever hope to be. Murder, dismemberment, and sexuality were often on display next to classic monster stories featuring zombies and vampires. It probably wasn't a good idea to market these things to 12-year-old boys, but that's who read these books. When the U.S. government stepped in to create the self-censorship body that was THE COMICS CODE, nearly every horror comic was forced to end. EC Comics' business was so harmed by the new code, and their content was such a target, that EC nearly died. The company had to limp along with neutered romance comics or western comics. 

For a long period, from the late 1950's to the early 1970's, the horror genre waned in the U.S. unless you ventured into the Black and White anthologies of Warren Publishing and other famous books like Vampirella. There were some British horror comics published in the 60's and 70's that are based in the Gothic tradition, but they are quite obscure and hard to find these days. But it wasn't until DC and Marvel reignited horror in the mainstream that horror became hot again. DC's Golden Age pulp-superhero title The Spectre was revived in a moody series called Wrath of the Spectre in 1974 (Adventure Comics #431-440). Horror anthology magazines were revived by DC in House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Ghosts, and Forbidden Tales of The Haunted Mansion. Marvel jumped on the horror bandwagon with some of the more shocking 70's comic books. Titles like Chamber of Chills, Marvel Horror, The Legion of Monsters, The Son of Satan, Tomb of Darkness, and Fear. 

By the 1970's an attempt to meld the superhero characters and teams with monsters, mystery, sci-fi, and horror became a very popular idea. Marvel and DC unleased titles like Tomb of Dracula, Ghost Rider, Werewolf By Night, Wrath of the Spectre, The Phantom Stranger, and my favorite horror-inspired series, Swamp Thing. 

As comics grew up and matured in the 1980's books like Alan Moore's Swamp Thing gave way to the popular comics titles of today like Hellblazer and Sandman and other works like Mike Mignola's Hellboy, Garth Ennis' Preacher, or The Walking Dead. Horror themes can also be found in nearly every comic today, as today's books are far more sophisticated. 

Horror comics have influenced everything in our culture and their influences can be seen in the classic horror films of the 1970's and 80's like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Dawn of the Dead, or The Evil Dead. Modern television shows like The X-Files or American Horror Story also take inspiration from a lot of what has been done in darker, spookier comic books. 

I would encourage you, if you're a comics fan, and have only read superheroes to broaden your horizons and seek out some of the above titles. The modern horror comics are some of the best comics ever published.

In Defense of Superman!

 

Despite being the first superhero and one of the most well-known fictional creations of all time, the Man of Steel is sometimes seen as a stodgy, overpowered, boring character. From the late 1990's to very recently (and perhaps even now), some superhero and comic book fans  have had an unfavorable opinion of Superman.

This manifests itself in many ways. The sales of Superman comic books have ebbed and flowed with a large decline happening since the New 52 relaunch in 2011. Arguments on the interwebs, these days, usually favor heroes like Batman, Spider-man or Deadpool to the "Big Blue Boy Scout." He's fallen out of fashion again, as he had many times since his debut in 1938. It happens. Societal values change over time and, for many fans, he hasn't evolved enough to remain as relatable as other characters have. 

The biggest indication that Superman has lost popularity among some is shown in 2 flawed and misinformed ideas: 

1) There are very few good Superman stories.

The only real way to refute this argument is to recommend a bunch of amazing Superman stories. Here are my top 20 Superman stories to convince his naysayers that "good Superman stories" are in abundance. These stories span comics, film and cartoons.

-- Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow (a farewell to the Bronze Age Superman by Alan Moore and Curt Swan)

-- Superman: The Man of Steel (the 1986 six-issue miniseries by John Byrne that retells the origin of Superman)

-- Peace on Earth by Paul Dini and Alex Ross (Superman tries to dedicate himself to solving one of humanity's greatest problems in just 1 day: ending world hunger) 

-- Superman #1 (from 1939, this is an expanded version of the debut story from Action Comics #1)

-- Superman Vs The Flash (from Superman #199, this showcases the race between Superman and The Flash. Written by Jim Shooter with art by Curt Swan)

-- For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (the story of how Smallville and Ma and Pa Kent shaped Superman. A retelling of his origin)

-- For The Man Who Has Everything by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (A Superman birthday story in which an alien entity shows Superman an alternate reality. Culminates in a battle with the warlord, Mongul. Guest stars Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman)

-- Kryptonite Nevermore by Denny O'neil and Curt Swan (a saga from 1971 where Kryptonite disappears and Superman is depowered)

-- Superman: Brainiac (a modern retelling of the first meeting between Superman and Brainiac by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank)

-- All Star Superman (the modern love letter to the Silver Age by Grant Morrison)

-- Superman: Exile by various writers/artists (a classic saga where Superman exiles himself from Earth, compelled by remorse and guilt over his greatest personal failure)

-- Dark Knight Over Metropolis (a story where Batman and Superman meet and come to an important understanding about their differences) 

-- The Death and Return of Superman Saga by various writers/artists (the classic 1990's Saga)

-- The Wedding and Beyond by various writers/artists (the mid-90's event where Superman and Lois Lane finally got married)

-- Last Son (a five-issue comic book story arc written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, with pencils by Adam Kubert. The story introduces the original character, Christopher Kent and adapts the classic Superman film villains, General Zod (His appearance modeled after the actor, Terence Stamp), Ursa and Non into the regular DC Universe continuity)

-- Superman-Shazam: First Thunder (a modern retelling of the first meeting between Superman and Captain Marvel [Shazam], written by Judd Winick with art by Joshua Middleton) 

-- Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (a five-issue monthly limited series written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, which explores Lex Luthor as the protagonist)

-- Superman: The Movie (from 1978, this classic film is often regarded as the greatest superhero movie of all time)

-- Superman (aka The Mad Scientist, this is Superman's first ever cartoon from Fleischer Studios in 1941)

-- The Last Son of Krypton ("The Last Son of Krypton" is the three-part series premiere of Superman: The Animated Series. It depicts the origin of Superman, his coming to Metropolis, and is a great springboard to the animated series)

2) The second argument is that Superman is a hard character to write because he's too moral or too powerful.

This is not an objective argument. Superman is supposed to be moral. He's a symbol of what we as humans should aspire to. His stories should showcase his power but also demonstrate that he is different from the grimness of characters like Batman. He doesn't have the problematic life of Peter Parker either. His best stories offer a sense of hope and optimism about the world and ourselves but also delve into his complex and fantastic mythology. 

In closing, I'd like to argue that Superman is an exciting and broad character with a compelling mythos. If you're not a fan of what he represents, fair enough. But to many, myself included, he remains one of the greatest comic book characters of all time. Some even see him as the greatest superhero. If you have ever found yourself on the side of the "Superman is boring" argument, I would encourage you to dig a little deeper. You just might open up a whole new world of mythology to explore. 

Examining Mike Mignola's Hellboy

The year was 1993. In comics, Superman had died, Batman's back was broken, Spider-man had clones, the X-men were becoming a convoluted mess, and dark and gritty ruled the day in titles like Spawn and Savage Dragon. It was in this climate that Hellboy was born. The lovable red demon became a household name and would eventually be the main part of Mike Mignola's Mignolaverse, a universe that, as of this writing, includes hundreds of comics and dozens of characters. Today, the Mignolaverse is the largest creator-owned comics universe, inspiring 3 live-action films, 2 animated films, toys, and even a video game or two.

But, where did it all begin? What inspired Mike Mignola to create Hellboy? Before this, he was an artist who was known for doing fill-in art jobs on major comics titles like Superman, as well as being a cover artist for various Batman comics. To hear him tell it, he got into comics to draw monsters and wanted to create something where he could just draw monsters all day, everyday, for forever. 

There was some initial hesitation on Mignola's part however, because, initially, he didn't believe that his concept was strong enough. Nor did he believe enough in his abilities to actually tell a story with his new creation. As a result, Mignola enlisted John Byrne to write and script the first Hellboy story, based on Mignola's own plot. This became the wonderful debut known as Seed of Destruction.

Hellboy's debut does everything an origin story should. It introduces the main character, gives a compelling backstory, introduces Rasputin (yes, that Rasputin), along with other supporting characters, and tells one hell of an adventure. Hellboy (who appears in 1944 during an American operation in Germany) loses his adoptive father, Professor Bruttenholm (pronounced "Broom"). He then goes to investigate a mystery at an old castle, along with Abe Sapien (a fish-man), Liz Sherman (a pyro-kinetic), and other members of the government agency, the B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense). Hellboy discovers his link to the Nazi occultists and must stop the resurrection of Rasputin as the ultimate evil to bring forth the return of Nazism.

Following Seed of Destruction, Mignola took over for 11 more stories (the main Hellboy canon) as writer/artist, publishing sporadically throughout the 90's and into the 2000's. Several now-legendary artists like Duncan Fegredo and Richard Corben sometimes helped with art chores. Throughout the stories, Hellboy encounters all kinds of monsters from folklore. He battles the Baba Yaga witch, corpses, demons, the troll witch, and others, until the Queen of Blood causes his death. Wow! From there, Hellboy enters Hell and has several adventures.  

Mignola moved on to scripting two spin-off series, B.P.R.D. that occasionally told stories of a young Hellboy and his relationship to the Bureau, and my favorite series, Lobster Johnson, Mignola's tribute to sci-fi/pulp crime fighters.

All in all, the Hellboy canon is incredible storytelling with varying quality in art. This is a gothic horror masterpiece that elevates the comics medium and has been compared to the best Jack Kirby characters. Mignola's art is very Kirby-esque at times. Fans of monster stories definitely need to check it out, if they haven't already.

Batman: Hush! Modern Classic or Mediocre Myth?

I was thinking of some of my favorite modern Batman stories and while there are many, I was thinking of one in particular that deserves analysis. Batman: Hush, as published in issue #608–619 in October 2002 until September 2003, is very polarizing. The story arc was written by Jeph Loeb with art by Jim Lee. Scott Williams did the inking chores and Alex Sinclair was the colorist.  

These days it seems that the Batman Hush storyline is derided more than it is praised due to Loeb increasingly being seen as a hack writer by many fans. It wasn’t always this way. When Hush first came out it was extremely well received, due in no small part to the slick artwork of Jim Lee, whose rendition of Batman began to appear on Batman merchandise outside of the comic books.

It is often said that Batman Hush is just an excuse to get many of Batman’s best known villains together in a single storyline [the same has been said lately with Loeb’s wonderful Long Halloween series] and that the identity reveal of the Jason Todd-Robin character at the end is a cheat. While that may or may not be true depending on your interpretation, there is a very decent mystery here.

Loeb and Lee manage to introduce a new villain in the Thomas Elliot/Hush character and add a new wrinkle to Bruce Wayne’s past in the process. We also get wonderful appearances from guest stars, including Superman. Unfortunately this is the only real story of note to feature Hush as no other writer, including the wonderful Paul Dini in his Hush Money story, can seem to get a handle on the character.

Despite those recent unfavorable reviews of Hush, a lot of original fans of this story hold it up as one of the best stories of the early 2000s era Batman comics and I can agree. The story is engaging and Jim Lee’s art is some of the best Batman art since the late 80’s and early 1990's when giants like Norm Breyfogle, Jim Aparo, Alan Davis and Dave Cockrum drew the character. Hush was a shot in the arm for Batman comics at the time as late 90's comics were often mediocre. The only thing to be aware of is that you should avoid the Hush Returns storyline or anything else that tried to resurrect Hush, as those stories are inferior.

In 2019, an animated film was released that updated the story for a Post-New 52 world. It's not a great adaptation as it waters down the lengthy story and sets it in the modern context of the New 52 era. 

Hush will forever be one of the first stories I recommend to new Batman fans as a gateway into Batman comics because it's very accessible.  I rate this 5 out of 5 stars. Have you read it? What's your opinion?

Savage Dragon: A 1990's Masterpiece - The Overlord Saga

The Savage Dragon comic was first published in 1992 by Image Comics as one of the fledgling company’s founding books. The comic is a perfect example of what was great about early 90’s comics. It’s also a book, along with pretty much every Marvel comic published around this time, that foreshadowed the 1990’s as THE decade that either changed comics forever, destroyed comics forever or just plain ruined comics forever, depending on your point of view.

 (The) Savage Dragon was part of a wave of overpowered, over-muscled, overly grim, dark, and violent superheroes that were the comic book industry’s answer to the success of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore’s Watchmen. Dragon, along with Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, rode the wave of popularity known as “the grim and gritty era” or “The Dark Age of comics”. Stories in this era were trying to be as deep as Watchmen, Dark Knight  Returns, and other notable books of the 1980’s, but rarely matched their  greatness. Savage Dragon is one of the few books that comes close. Sure, it doesn’t have the depth of the best 80’s work, but its darkness and psychological complexity make it feel like it belongs in the pantheon of the best (or at least most remembered) comics of its era. In other words, this comic comes closest to being a spiritual successor to the groundbreaking work of Miller, Moore and their contemporaries in tone, even if it lacks much depth.

The 3 issue miniseries that presents The Dragon’s origin combine with the first 21 issues of the Savage Dragon title to form what is probably the best overarching comic book story published in the early 90’s: The Overlord Saga. This beginning period of The Dragon’s title has still never been topped and remains the definitive Savage Dragon saga, according to many fans.  

The story concerns an armored crime boss named Antonio Seghetti, alias The Overlord. He has Chicago in a vice grip. Dragon, a Hulk-like, green-skinned man with a giant fin on his head is found by a cop named Frank Darling in a burning field and joins the Chicago Police Department because he has no memory of his past or who he is. Dragon combats crime and corruption, as well as Overlord and his band of mutant creatures and deformed freaks known as “The Vicious Circle.” Along the way Dragon meets the Image Comics version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sees his girlfriend get shot in the head, battles a giant talking spider called Arachnid, and nearly dies several times.

So, there it is. The Dragon's a hulking, super-strong green guy with a healing factor and resistance to injury. He started out as a cop who’s just trying find his place in the world and make sense of his past while working to clean up the streets of Chicago. The story may not sound particularly ground-breaking by comic book standards, but it has just the right amount of intrigue and complexity to be as exciting as anything pblished by Marvel or DC.

The art is prime 1990’s in the best sense of what that means for comics. Lots of detail and cross hatching really serves the story well. The panels are well-placed and the pacing is near perfect. Some people might be put off by the 90’s style of hulking heroes and villains, incredibly busty and curvaceous women in barely-there clothing, giant unrealistic guns and even more unrealistic fight scenes, but hey, comics in the early 90’s had started to abandon subtly.

Erik Larsen came to prominence as an artist on Amazing Spider-Man, taking over from Todd McFarlane and, later, crafting some of Spidey’s best stories with David Michelinie. When Image Comics was founded, Savage Dragon became one of its first books and, along with Spawn, remains one of only two of the original books still being published, as of this writing.

Since this is a cartoon blog, I’d be remiss not to at least mention the animated series. I remember seeing the Savage Dragon cartoon in the mid 1990’s and being entertained, even if I was clueless as to what it was. It seemed like every superhero was ripe for a cartoon back then, and, while this show was terrible and not very faithful to the comic, it did feature popular voice actor, Jim Cummings, as the voice of Dragon. That’s really all that can be said about it. It was pretty generic Saturday morning fare.

All in all though, the Savage Dragon comic, debuted as a great series. The Overlord Saga remains one of the most well-told stories of the 1990’s and the high point of the series, in my opinion. While I don't think the series was ever as good after this first arc, it has managed to keep being published and has even gone into different iterations, with Dragon’s son, Malcolm, eventually taking over as star of the book. So, if you’re looking for over-the-top action, a decent police procedural, colorful villains and an interesting hero, track this book down. Give The Overlord Saga a chance. You never know, you just might become a fan.

4Kids TMNT (2003-2010) - Review and Analysis

The 4Kids TMNT series premiered on February 8, 2003 as part of  the FoxBox programming block (later branded as 4Kids TV) and ended on March 27, 2010. It was produced by 4Kids Entertainment in conjunction with Mirage Studios, and spearheaded by Lloyd Goldfine with significant input and approval by Peter Laird himself, co-creator of the TMNT.

Since Laird was so heavily involved throughout production, seasons 1-4 are probably the “purest” versions of the property outside of Mirage. In fact, the series is so Mirage inspired that seasons 1-4 are probably the best way to get a grip on what Mirage made without actually reading the comics themselves. Unfortunately, The stories for seasons 5-7, Ninja Tribunal, Fast Forward and Back To The Sewers are quite heavily removed from what came before, as the animation changed, characters were redesigned and the stories were less engaging. That said, season 5, the Ninja Tribunal Saga, is the best of the latter series.

The 2003 show was markedly different for mainstream, non-comic book, audiences because up to that time the turtles were remembered most as a childish, goofy cartoon of the 80's and 90's. And, again, while this show took a lot from the Mirage comic books, it is not a direct adaptation of those comics, because it never attempts to capture the grit and darkness that the original comic series had. It does however adapt several issues into episodes, so, in spirit, it is, as much as American children's cartoons can allow, the most faithful version.

The magic of this show is that it was able to blend the humor and wit of the 1987 cartoon with a more mature tone. The character portrayals were a very faithful blend of the Mirage turtles, the 1990 movie turtles and the 1987 turtles. Their take on The Shredder, however, was a new idea created specifically for this show. Firstly known as ninja-master Oroku Saki, as he was in both the original comics and the 1987 cartoon, he was later revealed to be an utrom alien known as Ch’rell. This revelation bugged me a lot at first, but later grew on me. Utrom Shredder works well for this series, but I would have preferred if he had remained a human ninja master. April not being a reporter confused me at first as well, but now, knowing the source material, I prefer her as the computer scientist/former assistant to Baxter Stockman.

There were also other major characters introduced for this show. Bishop, government agent for the E.P.F. (Earth Protection Force), Hun, leader of the Purple Dragon gang and eventual enforcer for The Shredder, as well as Angel, friend to Casey Jones. Each of these characters would go on to play major roles in the IDW comics and also appear in the later volumes of Mirage. Karai, the high-ranking Foot Clan assassin that debuted in the Mirage Comics City At War storyline, also appears here.

I remember watching a couple episodes as a teenager when this show aired but by the early 2000’s I had long been out of TMNT fandom. By the time I rediscovered TMNT and saw this show again I was blown away at how different it was from the turtles of my early childhood. When I later discovered the Mirage books I saw exactly how faithful a lot of this cartoon was to the source material.

The music of the show was very well done and fit the mysterious, action-oriented and sci-fi aspects of the show well. The majority of the show's soundtrack consists of moody oriental theme music. It's very fitting for a show about ninjas. Lighter musical cues signal when the show needs to be humorous. Occasionally, there will be lyrical songs sung during brief bits of action that give certain episodes a fun "teenage" flair too.The most annoying part of the show, however, is the opening theme, a hard-rocking piece of Saturday morning fluff that introduces the character and plot. It really undermines the otherwise mature nature of the show. In fact, once you've heard it about ten times it becomes unnecessary and painful to hear again. 

As of this writing there have been 4 cartoons. I would consider the 2003 4Kids Series to be the truest representation of what the franchise is outside of the Mirage comics. The show’s humor, action, maturity and characterization sets it apart from all other TMNT cartoons and makes the show feel less like it’s aimed at kids (despite the name of the production company) and more like it’s an all-ages show. It even went on to inspire the overall tone and atmosphere of the newer IDW comics too. My wife and I still try to binge watch this show at least every couple years, but we only really watch the first 5 seasons because the final 2 seasons were a major departure. If you’ve never seen this show, I would recommend watching it, particularly the first four seasons, and give the 5^th season a try. It will forever remain a treat for ninja turtle fans.