Comix Portal: DC Comics And Beyond

Written by Wayne Hall on February 4, 2010 – 12:00 pm -

Yup, February is here, all right!  We just had two snowfalls, and now we are supposed to get another 1-2 foot storm Friday through Saturday in the Washington, DC, area. Sounds like a great time to curl up with new comics, so here goes:

1. Tales Of The Starlight Drive-In #6. It just strikes me as ironic that I said, not too long ago, that digital comics won’t replace the paper versions. Ever since then, I’ve been reading more digital comics.

Published by Visionary Comics (or VCS), this comic is not for people who require “longjohns” characters (commonly referred to as superheroes) before they will open the issue.

But for me, who enjoys variety, I found this book to be interesting.  It breaks all kinds of comics conventions. For instance, the bulk of the book is set in 1985. Then. too, the main characters are June, a black woman who runs a drive-in; Billy, the patriarch of a mobile family who takes June at her word when she includes in her rules, “stay just as long as you like;” and Neil, the drive-in’s projectionist. Also, the comics-illustrated section is bookended by mostly text stories that delve into June and Neil in 1990, several years after what happens in the comics section. Doesn’t June look an awful lot like Amanda Waller in DC Comics?

The truth is, you don’t need to wear a costume to be part of an interesting story.  And it is fascinating these days to see a tale that has no violence in it of any kind, just character conflict that holds my interest.

Both the story and the art are created by Michael San Giacomo, who says he felt the text sections worked better that way, so he did them that way.  That’s different for comics these days.

San Giacomo does a good job in both script and art, which are also easy reading.  The people in this comic “breathe,’ which I mean: they feel like real people I know.  That’s not always easy to accomplish.

At the end of the book, we learn that June will be back.  There’s one thing I know — I want to see what she is up to next.

By the way, Visionary Comics, which has C. Edward Sellner as its creative director, is officially looking for new books to add to its line-up.  You can submit either finished books or individual portfolios.  Contact submissions@visionarycomics.com for a complete set of guidelines.

2. Superman: World Of New Krypton #12 of 12. Superman has been going through something of a renaissance these last few years, including Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman, Superman: Secret Origins by Geoff Johns and Gary Franks, and this title, written by Greg Rucka and James Robinson, with art by Pete Woods and Ron Randall.  Still, every once in a while, I bump into someone who says, “All the Superman comics are just rehashes of what we’ve read before.  He’s a dead character.” If you say that, you couldn’t be more incorrect.

This book deserves a mention for several reasons.  First, it will be important when we get to the War Of The Supermen event in a few months. Second, it is Superman where we have never seen him before – among equals in power.  Even in the Justice League, Superman is almost always the most powerful guy on the planet.  That isn’t true in this comic.

And it has been a rocky ride for Kal-El on New Krypton. First, he gets put in the Military Guild (not the Science Guild like his father), then he has to work for General Zod, then he has to investigate a murder.  It’s been a busy 12 issues for Kal.

In this final issue of the run, some storylines resolve, and others tease us about events to come, which makes for fun reading.

As I said on Tuesday, it can be fun to go off the beaten path at times when the stories are interesting.  This is just such a case.  But it is getting to be time for Superman to return to Earth, so the Man of Steel can get back to being Earth’s mightiest hero.

Also out this week of note are a bunch of great comics from DC, including Batman Confidential #41, Justice Society Of America Annual #2, Jonah Hex #52, and Red Tornado #6 of 6.  But wait, there’s more! You can also get Criminal Sinners #4, Daffodil #2 of 3, and The Torch #5 of 8 from Marvel; Dingo #3, Toy Story #1, and Wizards Of Mickey #1 from Boom! Studios;  Authority #19 from WildStorm; and Zorro #19 and Zorro: Matanzas #1 of 4 from Dynamite.

Here’s the first Blackest Night report for the month of February: This week is a slow one, with only Blackest Night: The Question #37 and Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 of 3.  If you have fallen behind, this is a good time to catch up!

Be sure to tune in to this Sunday’s SciFiPulse Radio on blogtalkradio.com.  I’ll be talking with host Ian Cullen about even more comics. You won’t want to miss it!

Related posts:

  1. Comix Portal: DC Comics And Beyond
  2. Comix Portal: DC Comics And Beyond
  3. Comix Portal: DC Comics And Beyond
  4. Comix Portal: Whither Comics?
  5. Comix Portal: Why I Read Comics

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Comic Book Corner, DC Comics And Beyond | No Comments »

Post a Comment