Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill, Episode #143
Mary Worth: The Aldo Kelrast Saga
(July 2 - October 20, 2006)
by Karen Moy & Joe Giella
King Features Syndicate
Blogger is still giving me all sorts of grief when I try uploading pictures (or even when I'm just trying to open a new post... the very piece you're hopefully reading right now, took over thirty-seconds to actually open. Gotta wonder, am I the only person using this platform having these issues? Rather than attempt at continuing down the path of the Byrne/Mackie Spider-Man Reboot, I decided to share a more personal story today... and also plug a particular episode of the Cosmic Treadmill that is very special to me.
Gen¹³ (vol.4) #1 (December, 2006)
"Best of a Bad Lot, Part One: And on the First Day"
Writer - Gail Simone
Pencils - Talent Caldwell
Inks - Matt Banning
Colors - Carrie Strachan
Letters - Pat Brosseau
Assistant Editor - Kristy Quinn
Editor - Ben Abernathy
Cover Price: $2.99
Another random pick today... this time heeding the call of the Wild(Storm)... and that means, nobody's going to read this one! Oh well, I'll still do my best with it.
Like all of WildStorm's offerings, Gen¹³ was a title that I kinda went in-and-out on... didn't really follow it... though, I did buy it. I'm a sick man, what can I tell ya. The one volume of the book that I'm fairly certain I never even dipped my toe into (insofar as actually reading) was the one we're going to take a look at today.
I'm pretty sure it was a case of "once bitten, twice shy" after that wildly dull Claremont run. Add that to the fact that this is a "reboot"... and man, that's kind of the opposite of "Chris bait". Still bought it though... because I'm an idiot!
Let's finally... after a dozen-plus years... crack this bugger open and see what's what!
--
We open on a scene featuring a couple sitting in a car at one'a them "lookout points" where teen-agers on TV used to go off and neck. One of these kids is 17 year-old, Stephen Oswald... an attempted rapist. There is an IM chat going on alongside the scene, however it is painfully difficult to read... tiny black text on a dark background. The couple is being observed by an organization called Tabula Rasa... which looks as though it's being led by... Stephen Oswald! I mean, I know it's not him (this guy's name is Dr. Cross), but they look damn near identical. There's a young woman there watching as well, who I immediately assumed was Fairchild... but it ain't.
Anyhoo, back to the car, where the attempted rapist... attempts to rape! The girl fights to free herself, and in so doing, appears to have traded in her hands for very sharp blades! She cuts the creep up but good. Dr. Cross and Megan Whatsherface look on, and appear to be quite pleased.
The blade-armed would-be victim then finds herself surrounded by some armed goons, and she asks if they can help her. Instead, they fire a bullet into her dome... or at least, that's what it looks like.
The scene then shifts to Caitlin Fairchild getting knocked in the head by a dodgeball during gym class. Ya see, the other girls don't appear to like her all that much. A gym teacher/coach helps her to her feet and sends her off to the showers... where all the other girls are pleased as punch that "Katie" will be going home with a bruise on her face.
We jump to Fort Lauderdale, Florida... where a white kid with dreadlocks gets bullied for being... a white kid with dreadlocks. Well, let the punishment fit the crime, I guess.
Next stop, Seattle, Washington... where Grunge "yanks it, ganks it... and very nearly spanks it." Alrighty then.
What I think all of that means is, he did some super-neat stuff on his skateboard, though Google Translate isn't much of a help in this instance. Anyhoo, he face-plants in front of a pretty young thing, who calls him a... get this, "skaterboi"... actually spelled that way! I suppose I should just be happy she didn't squeeze a numeral 8 in there!
Now, we're off to San Antone, where Roxy has been arrested for stealing a pack of smokes... again. Looks like, from the names her mother calls her, that she's having a pretty great teen-agery time! Anyhoo, mom picks her up and brings her home, and they argue the entire way... ending with Roxy say she "hates" her. You see where this is going, right?
Last stop on our tour is Peridot, Arizona... which is way the hell east of Phoenix. We meet Sarah, who has stopped into the coffee shop to pick up a cup... and apparently, the lady barista. Wow, that didn't take long. Anyhoo, the barista informs her that she's into dudes... slump-shouldered Sarah slinks away, while a pair of old white dudes act the way we're told old white dudes act.
We jump back to whereverthehell Tabula Rasa members Dr. Cross and Megan Whatsherface are operating out of. They hear the Gen¹¹'s eat... which leads me to believe they are some ungodly beasts. After checking out the boobal region of some blonde, Cross talks about their next steps... they need to turn their perspective Gen-Actives into... orphans! If only we could get them all into a late-night showing of The Mark of Zorro!
The next morning, the five kids we checked in on (sans Grunge) earlier all wake up... and they're wearing strange costumes... though, none of them seem to realize it right away. Caitlin's parents see how she's dressed, and have a knowing look about them, Grunge's folks plan to run away (he's still asleep, natch), Roxy's mom gives an "uh-oh", Burnout's mother freaks out, and Sarah's parents... well, knowing what's to come, they eat a bunch of rat poison.
Caitlin's parents kinda treat this as a "business arrangement", and her mother, Kendall decides to head outside to talk to the army of Tabula Rasans about being "reassigned". She gets shot in the head before she even makes it a step out the door.
Sarah, no longer having parents, just gets abducted. Roxy gets to have a heart-to-heart with her "mother" (none of these folks look to actually be the parents of their respective Gen-Actives). It's a fairly touching scene, which we kinda saw coming all the way back when Roxy told her "mom" that she hated her.
As the Tabula Rasans rush his home, Burnout... well, burns 'em out. Back with Caitlin, she overpowers one of the guards and hurls him through a wall. Gotta assume Grunge is still sleeping.
These scenes are, of course, being observed by Dr. Cross. After seeing watching for a bit, he instructs... whoever... to "render unto seizure", which kayos the kids for a bit.
They all wake up some time later, in a darkened cell. They're instructed that should they "act out", the organization will trigger "micro-explosions" in their brains. Huh, Amanda Waller's got nothing on Tabula Rasa.
Initially, the kids distrust one another... and, I suppose considering the circumstances, that kinda stands to reason. Finally, Roxy breaks down crying about the loss of her mother. Caitlin heads over to comfort her, which starts sort of a chain-reaction of trust...
... and a group hug.
--
Ya know, I thought this was really good. This truly feels like a proper reimagining of the Gen¹³ concept for the post-speculator boom generation. We're given a more straightforward backstory (or at least the start of one), and we're only one issue in... and the kids are already occupying the same space.
Felt like, during the 90's, there were a lot of retroactive "surprises" (retsurps? I apologize, that's dumb) where, without even the tiniest of a breadcrumb, things (relationships, characters, powers) would be turned on their ear, all for the sake of the "swerve (bro)". With this outing, I'm sure there are going to be surprises in the offing, however, the way this is being set up makes me feel like they will be organic... and at the end of the day, "fit".
If we flip to the other side, so often during the 00's, the writing was so painfully decompressed that, I honestly didn't expect our Gen-Actives to even meet before the fifth or sixth issue... so, there's another point in its favor!
Really, my only nits to pick here are relatively minor. The art, while really good (I mean, dude's name is Talent) isn't quite as varied as I feel it needed to be. In our opening pages, I wasn't sure who was who... the rapist and Dr. Cross looked too similar... and Megan looked a whole lot like the red-haired girl on the cover... so, if I were coming in blind, I'd have been sure they were the same person. Even coming in not-quite-blind, I was unsure. The fact that so much of the dialogue was delivered in nearly-unreadable panels didn't help matters either.
Another "ehh" thing for me was, some of the social stuff was about as unsubtle as I kind of expected it would be. I mean, did we even make it two panels between the time Sarah first appeared and when she tried to pick up the lady barista? That to me seems like we're trying to immediately "label" the character, which... to me... feels like a bit of a disservice to both the character and the representation. Though, I guess I can give it a bit of a pass considering there were only so many pages to work with here... and everyone needed to be introduced. I just feel like it perhaps deserved a bit more subtlety. There were also those old white men whose only purpose was to make racist comments... seemed more like a bone being picked than anything.
Overall, besides that one scene (which wasn't necessarily "bad" itself or anything), thought this was a pretty top-notch outing. Plenty of mystery... different from the original Gen¹³ while remaining familiar enough to feel somewhat comfortable... and perhaps most importantly, makes me want to read the next issue. This one is available digitally (for 99-cents!). I think it's worth a look whether or not you'd read any Gen¹³ versions before.
--
Interesting Ads:
1083
JSA #81 (March, 2006)
"My Heroes"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Pencils - Dale Eaglesham
Inks - Art Thibert
Colors - John Kalisz
Letters - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Stephen Wacker
Cover Price: $2.50
Going to take a look at a later issue of JSA today... and that's thanks to reader, Peter Garcia Sanchez... who recently commented on my ancient Angel Love #1 post with:
Now, me... being the foremost fake-ass Angel Love historian on this here internet, sat dumbfounded... shaking my head while staring at this reply. There's just no way this can be real... right?
I almost didn't want to believe it because... c'mon, I really should've known this!
So... is it true? Have I been living in a fool's paradise? Well, we're just going to have to read on and find out.
--
We open at the Dugan home in Nebraska. Stargirl and her mother are watching news reports of some dangerous stuff going on in the world... and Courtney is getting ready to join her teammates in the JSA to deal with some of it. In the basement, Pat Dugan and his son Mike are arguing... about something we'll discuss in just a little bit. Mom rushes off to grab her camera to snap a picture of Courtney before she heads off. Courtney seems embarrassed, but gives a big ol' smile regardless. So, either she's a ham... or just a good daughter.
Back in the basement, Pat Dugan is working on his S.T.R.I.P.E. armor, preparing it for a night out. His son Mike (Courtney's step-brother) is ticked off that he isn't allowed to take up the S.T.R.I.P.E. mantle. Pat tells him 13 is too young... which, ya know... kinda flies in the face of every DC sidekick ever.
We rejoin Courtney as she's flashing back to her youth... her real father... and how her mom and Pat became an item. This scene is also the entire reason we're looking at this issue today! Ya see, Courtney was given a locket with a picture of her biological father... and wondered why he never came to be with her. Courtney's mom, being a single-mother, had to work a couple of jobs to support them... and so, Court was kind of a latch-key kid. Anyhoo, we see her watching various television shows... one of which is ANGEL LOVE!
Courtney recalls one night in particular where her mother came home a bit late... this time, however, she didn't come home alone. Enter: Pat Dugan.
They growed-ups dated for awhile... and Courtney fell back on cliche angsty teen-age behavior to get her mother's attention. This went about as well as it always does. Pat and Mom would be married... and move from Beverly Hills to Nebraska. Upon arrival in their new digs, Courtney discovered Sylvester Pemberton's Cosmic Converter Belt in the moving boxes...
... and would become the all-new Star-Spangled Kid!
Back in the present, the Dugan men continue to argue. Mike asks Pat why he was sent to Military School a couple years prior. Pat cops to just not being able to give him the attention he needed. Mike was acting out and becoming a delinquent... Military School was the only option. Fair enough, right? Well... when Mike came back, he found his dad busy trying to be a father to... another kid (Courtney, natch).
Mike stomps upstairs, and passes Courtney on his way... and tells her that her thighs look fat in her tights. Hey, pal... that's your sister... don't be checkin' out her business! She freaks out (because she's scared she looks fat... not because her brother just checked her out). Pat tells her she looks fine... and the word "fine" is bolded. I'm going to assume that's just for emphasis, and he wasn't stretching out the "i" or anything (fiiiiiiiiine).
Anyhoo, S.T.R.I.P.E. is switched on-line, and the pair'a heroes head out into the fray. As they draw nearer to Philadelphia (the place where the hinky stuff's going down) they hear a terrific BONGG, which knocks them for a loop... and also, temporarily deafens them!
Turns out the "bong" is emanating from the Liberty Bell... and, uh... Liberty Belle!
Ya see, Liberty Belle gets her powers from the ringing of the actual Liberty Bell. Her powers kinda went on the fritz in the nebulous Infinite Crisis-y era... and so, she visited the City of Brotherly Love to give herself a jumpstart. This... didn't work as expected, and now she's kinda stuck on the Bell.
Off to the side, Courtney notices Liberty Belle's daughter, Jesse Chambers (Jesse Quick). She compares their relationship to the one between she and her biological father. While Courtney (claims to) feel nothing but hate for her old man, Jesse still loves her mom. Courtney takes this as evidence that Jesse's a better daughter than she is.
After another tremendous BONNNGG, we shift scenes to Opal City. There's a terrible electrical storm going on, and the Shade is saving some citizens from being crushed by a falling statue. Shade, of course, claims that he's actually just concerned with saving the statue itself. In a nearby apartment building, we see Courtney's biological father watching news of everything going down in Philly. Just as he hears that Stargirl is approaching the Bell... the TV loses reception. Moments later, the building is struck by lightning.
Back in Philly, Stargirl approaches Liberty Belle... and the Liberty Bell. She takes Libby's hand and calms her down... by telling her that she's gotta stick around, if only for her daughter's sake. Daughters need mothers, and all that jazz.
After one final explosion... everything stops. Pat looks on from a distance and wonders aloud where his "daught--" is. Then, from the smoky horizon, two silhouettes form... Stargirl and Liberty Belle emerge, no worse for wear.
Pat pulls Courtney to the side and gives her a halfhearted lecture. Sure, it was a dumb thing to do... but, it's the kinda thing heroes do... and what's more, it worked! They chat some more, with Courtney trying to impart on Pat that he's a good dad, no matter what Mike said earlier.
Then... the Shade arrives on the scene, with bad news. Her father's apartment building wasn't just hit by lightning... it collapsed. Her father... is dead.
Stargirl then does that thing where she pretends not to care... after all, why should she? It isn't long, however, until she breaks down crying. She turns to Pat and asks why she can't not care...
... he replies that it's because she is a wonderful daughter.
--
Well, I'll be a sonuvagun... Angel Love is mentioned here! Huge thanks to Peter for the tip! If there are any other Angel Love mentions/appearances that I don't know of... please let me know!
Before we get into the story of the issue... I do wanna say, I really dig the idea of Angel Love being a television show in the DC Universe... I can see it sorta being in the vein of Degrassi Jr. High or something... heck, they deal with some of the same issues! Drug abuse, unplanned pregnancy, estranged families, sick parents... if only Ed Koch was the mayor of Toronto, we'd be pretty close!
And since it's really tough to reconcile Angel Love within the wider DC continuity... it having been a TV show might just be the best way to make it "fit". It all happened... it was just on TV. Here's a better look at that panel:
Now the story itself... perhaps a bit heavy-handed... maybe a little melodramatic... but, I gotta say... I loved it!
I'm definitely a sucker for this kind of story... and the evolving dynamic between Stargirl and Pat Dugan has always been a great one. I like that they share this closeness, especially in light of their frostier relationship early on. The panel where Pat, without thinking, refers to her as his "daught--" was especially telling. After all they've been through together, there's no doubt that they're "family".
The Liberty Belle stuff was really just a means to an end, I feel. Going into the next volume, Jesse would abandon her "Jesse Quick" persona and take up her mother's Liberty Belle mantle... so, this is likely just a faciliatory (that's not a word!) measure to connect this to that.
Back to Pat... I guess there's still the question as to whether or not he's a good father (to Mike). That's kind of a toughie, innit? We can tell there's a definite affection there... Pat cares about his son, certainly... buuuuut, he's kinda just in the background, no? It's been awhile since I read this Infinite Crisis era JSA... so, I dunno if this leads anywhere or not. It's Johns, so I assume it does.
Speaking of fathers, good and otherwise... Courtney's biological Pop gets popped in that Opal City electrical storm. I think her reaction to this was... the right one. I'd never say that someone should or shouldn't react a certain way... but, this just felt like the right way... for her.
The art here was phenomenal... as we've come to expect from Dale Eaglesham. He's definitely up there on my list of top artists. From dynamic action to incredible emotion... just as close to perfect as it gets!
Overall... so very happy to have revisited this issue, and even though I only did it to search out the Angel Love mention, I loved the actual story as well. This issue is available digitally.
--
Interesting Ads:
1036
All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder (Special Edition) #1 (February, 2006)
"Episode One"
Writer - Frank Miller
Penciller - Jim Lee
Letterer - Jared K. Fletcher
Assistant Editor - Brandon Montclare
Editor - Bob Schreck
Cover Price: $3.99
We haven't really discussed (or discussed at all, really) DC's "All Star" line from the mid/late 2000's. Back then a lot of readers looked at this as DC's answer to Marvel's Ultimate Line of Comics... and it's pretty easy to see why.
I largely ignored both this and All Star Superman... mostly for financial reasons, however... if I'm being honest, I probably also wasn't looking for a "new take" on either character.
Today we're going to be taking a look at the Special Edition version of ASBARTBW (yeesh) which is not only shot from Jim Lee's pencils (wait'll you see this... it's some amazing stuff) but it also includes a very detailed script that's sure to trigger the dreaded "current year cringe" in some folks. We'll wrap up by taking a look at some of the "choicest" directives from Miller to Lee.
Without further ado...
--
We open with Dick Grayson flying high above Haley's Circus on the trapeze. Gotta say, with just the pencils here, you can really appreciate how much work and detail goes into a page like this. It's almost a shame there are only like twenty words on it! Elsewhere, Vicki Vale is dictating her next article into an earpiece... an earpiece which is like one of the four things she's wearing at the moment. I mean, you gotta see this. She's giving a show to countless telescope-having neighbors here.
She's comparing Metropolis' hero Superman to Gothams... G-D Batman. Yeah, this is the first mention of the "G-D Batman"... all the while she seductively eats the olive out of her martini.
Then... she gets a call! It's Alfred, and he's here to whisk her away for her date with Bruce Wayne... and so, we enter into a dressing montage.
Alfred leads her to the car... and to the date. Bruce has decided to take Ms. Vale to the most romantic of locations... the Circus! While there, the see the youngest of The Flying Graysons miss a trapeze and proceed to plummet toward the ground. Thinking fast, Dick throws a line, catches the trapeze... and is able to land safely. Vicki comments at how amazing the boy is... to which, get this... Bruce informs her that he's "had an eye on him (Dick) for awhile"... which, I mean... that's weird, right? Even Vicki's all "Wha--?"
As the Flying Graysons soak in the applause and adulation... Richard and Mary are... shot?! Wait, that's not how it goes... is it? Either way... it puts Dick in that iconic shot of the youngster stood between his dead parents. This doesn't feel right, does it?
From here, Bruce sneaks off to change clothes and... immediately finds the shooter, Jocko-boy Vanzetti. He fills the goon with some snake-poison before heading off to find that boy he's... had his eye on.
Meanwhile, Vicki Vale has a run-in with a policeman so evil and corrupt I'm surprised he doesn't have horns and a forked-tail.
Vicki tries getting to the boy... who is very much in shock, and... get this... the officer punches her! Right in the mush!
She runs off to the Alf-Mobile, and after commandeering it, drives out into the country hot on the trail of the Gotham P.D. and their captive (?) young Dick Grayson. Along the way... we can see the officers trying to "spin" the events Dick just witnessed... for reasons that I'd assume/hope become clear at some point.
When Dick doesn't come around quick enough... the officers pull over, form a circle around him... and go to beat the hell out of him! I mean, the kid's twelve. Anyhoo, before they can swing their first baton, they find themselves surrounded... by bats?!
The Batmobile roars into the scene, and the cops flee. Batman then... grabs Dick by his shirt... hoists him into the air, and informs him that he's just been drafted into a war. Ay yai yai.
--
So... well, um this wasn't the most subtle of stories now was it?
I suppose we could go "all in" on the sexualization of Vicki Vale... we could talk about Miller taking a little too much from Film Noir to depict "the real life" strutting around her apartment... we could talk about some of the silly Sandra Dee dialogue "What is a girl to do?"... I dunno. I felt like the backlash to all of this was a bit overblown... while at the same time, I'm a little bit gobsmacked to finally be seeing it in all its glory.
I will say, Lee's depiction of Vale as an attractive woman is pretty solid. I might be projecting, but I feel like he did the best he could with what Miller gave him (you can see his directives below). After reading the script... I think if Miller did this himself, it wouldn't have been treated with half the "class" Jim Lee gives it here.
Let's talk about that creepy comment from Bruce about Dick. He's been "keeping an eye on" some random kid performer at a traveling circus. There isn't any way to write that where it doesn't sound weird as hell, is there? I mean, just being able to identify a performer at a traveling circus might "out" you as a weirdo... much less actually tracking and "keeping an eye on". Especially when you're some aloof billionaire... and the character you're "keeping an eye on" is a 12-year old boy. Even taking off our "current year goggles", there's just no way this isn't... at the very best, a little bit skeevy.
The Gotham P.D. being behind (or complicit) with the murder of Richard and Mary Grayson? Ehh... I'll withhold judgment for now. It's a different take to be sure... but, that's kinda what this "line" is all about. Can't fault it for that, regardless of just how "wrong" it all feels with all we know.
The "Ultimate" comparison... does it match up? Well, yes and no... Yes, in that we're sorta starting fresh here. I mean, Batman's already established... but his is an origin that most people reading this will already know. Dick Grayson's origin is shown... and tweaked a bit, which fits in with the Ultimate comparison. Where it doesn't quite match up is... the Richard and Mary murder happened in the first issue. If this were a Marvel-Ultimate Comic, it would've taken at least six-issues before they hit the ground.
Onto the "choicer" Script Bits...
Some wild stuff here, no? Now... I'm not a guy who is offended by any of this... but even I've gotta say, this isn't really a good look. While not as tone-deaf in 2006, today this makes for a pretty weird read.
I'd never presume to tell Frank Miller how to write his scripts... where I'm stuck is DC deciding to publish said script. I mean, it's at best... a little embarrassing, isn't it? I mean, the pandering comments "It'll drive them crazy." and "Make them drool." This feels like something out of Jemas-era Marvel's "Bad Girls for Fan Boys" initiative.
Without saying it outright, this feels very much aimed at that "Mom's Basement" demographic... which, is more annoying than offensive... but still, not sure why DC thought this would be a good look. Maybe they knew it was ridiculous, and just wanted the cheap laugh? Who knows...
Overall... this feels like one of those "love it or hate it" books, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it at full cover price. Jim Lee's (pencil) art is really amazing... I don't think I'd mind seeing more "Special Editions" shot directly from pencil-art. It's quite striking. The art might be worth the price of admission... but, I'd recommend keeping an eye out for it on the cheap. This issue has been collected, and is (the "non" Special Edition) is available digitally.
--
Interesting Ads:
884
