Stormwatch #44 (January, 1997)
Writer - Warren Ellis
Pencils - Tom Raney
Inks - Randy Elliott
Colors - Gina Going
Computer Colors - Laura Depuy & WildStormFX
Letters & Edits - Mike Heisler
Cover Price: $2.50
I was struggling to come up with a preamble that wouldn't simply be a "hey, get a load of that cover... pretty cool, right?"... and, I probably would've mentioned that Stormwatch is one of those properties I was somehow able to sidestep during much of my comics collecting career... and how names like "Jenny Sparks" mean next to nothing to me.
But then... as I sit here, preparing to write... my coffeemaker explodes! I'm just sitting here waiting for my coffee to finish brewing, when all of a sudden... there's this hiss... then a great big blue spark fires out its back end.
And I smirk at the coincidence between seeing a spark... and reading about a Sparks... before the reality sets in that I'm going to have to go shopping for a new coffeemaker at some point today.
Let's do this.
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We open with Jenny Sparks being chatted up by Battalion (not that Battalion) about her past. She says she's both too tired, and too sober to get into it. After a bit of prodding, however, she decides to give in and share her story... which begins in the 1919-1920. Jenny was twenty, and at this point she appeared to have stopped aging. She describes the 1920's as an age of "Scientific Romance"... it is also when the alternate Earth "Sliding Albion" was discovered.
Into the 1930's... where the art takes a decidedly Golden Age tone. Jenny is fighting against corruption. It's here that she meets reporter Clarence Cornwall.
Into the 1940's... things get pulpy. Jenny looks to be modeled after Will Eisner's The Spirit here... and the art is all in black and white (or black and yellowed-white anyway). It's here that she questions Clarence Cornwall about why he attempted to gas an orphanage... and his answer, isn't really fit to be print. She shocks him silly.
The 1950's brought about the British Space Group, a secret organization involving things like extraterrestrials and inter-dimensional exploration. This bit is rendered with Ben-Day dots to evoke the times. Anyhoo, Sparks is questioned about a parallel-England... however, before she can answer an incursion alarm goes off.
Outside, Jenny is met with the news that Sliding Albion is about to enter its Parallel World War One. The initial assault would be bacterial... the war was only expected to last a handful of hours. Unfortunately for Earth, Sliding Albion vented the bacterial fallout there via a shiftdoor.
The sixties began with Jenny attempting to write a book about her life... a very, uh, Crumb-y book, it seems.
As the decade rolled on, several superheroes started popping up all over London... a result of the "gift" of the bacterial fallout from Sliding Albion. Things become Marvel-ous here, and Jenny joins up with a super-team... with all of the trappings of a Silver-Age super-team (ie. costumes and secret identities).
Into the late-sixties, we stick with the super-team for a mission on the Isle of Wight. Via radio, Jenny learns that there are some bikers about with syringes... and her teammate Abel (the macho caveman) decided to "sort it out".
Much to Jenny's surprise, Abel's idea of "sorting it out" was proving that he was macho enough to inject himself with all of the bikers' drugs! While Sparks and the super-team see Abel as a foaming at the mouth goon... he sees himself as something of a Superman.
Out of control, he lashes out... and begins swiping at anything that moves, including members of his own super-team. Jenny makes the executive decision to french-fry him. Something she regrets to this day. The (I believe, unnamed) super-team would break up in 1982.
Into the 80's... the art becomes a bit more, for lack of a better term, "grim 'n' gritty". Since this is London-based, we get a lot of "it's Thatcher's fault"... sorta like we're reading something out of WARRIOR Magazine. The news of the day is... babies have been disappearing... stolen from single mothers. Jenny's got herself a new super-team as well.
Jenny looks into the matter, and chats up an Inspector Bulstrode. Here she learns that one of "her people" was spotted in the area where the babies have gone missing... a fella called Firesign. Jenny ain't buyin' it, and decides to check in on her teammate.
Upon arrival at his flat... er, apartment (Jenny actually "corrects" herself in the issue)... she discovers that there might just be something shady afoot. From the next room over, she hears a few familiar voices talking about being involved in something "Jenny doesn't like".
She stomps into the next room like she owns the joint... and asks for some clarification. Firesign, Matt, comes clean right away... yes, he is stealing babies. He orders some teammates to kill Jenny... and so, they open fire... right there in the apartment! Matt freaks out a bit, because if the bullets go through the wall... they might hit somebody...
... somebody like his wife, and Frankenbaby. Ya see, that Sliding Albion fallout might've given superpowers... but it also made the "supers" sterile. Due to the nature of their work... and the damage it can do psychologically... they weren't really desired by adoption agencies either. And so, with little other choice... and really, placing the wants and needs of a "super" over those of a "civvie"... Firesign decided to keep stealing babies, in order to "create" one.
We wrap up with Battalion telling Jenny "chin up"... after all, she can still see the stars. Ooooookay.
--
Up until that last panel... this was a fantastic issue! It feels like they simply ran out of pages here, doesn't it? So much awesome story (and Good God, that art)... then, much like my coffeemaker, it just hisses and goes kaput.
I guess if the worst thing I can say about an issue is "I wasn't ready for it to end"... it's a pretty dang good book, and lemme tell ya... this was a pretty dang good book. In fact, it was pretty excellent.
I mentioned going into this issue... I couldn't pick a "Jenny Sparks" out of a lineup of blonde women with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths... but, the way this was written so just so engaging, I couldn't help but walk away from it actually caring about this character. She doesn't seem like the nicest of characters, but the stories she tells here kinda illustrate why that might be.
I love that this is not only a look back on Jenny's long life... but also a look into the history of comics and pulp-storytelling conceits. The way the writing and art were able to evoke the tone and tenor of the various "ages" of comics, without turning it into an exercise in navel gazing, or clobbering us over the head with "references"... just spectacularly done.
I love how "superheroes" as a concept (outside of "mystery men" and "pulp heroes") make their first appearance around the Marvel Age of Comics... and really, they're depicted as spending their first 20-30 years trying to figure things out. You gotta figure, if heroes were to suddenly just appear... we civilians would be a bit wary, and distrusting.
Some of us, like those Syringe-Slingin' Bikers... might see fit to challenge them. If you're a fan of professional wrestling, you've probably heard stories from "back in the day" where some tough guy would try and "challenge" the big tough wrestler while at the bar after a show. I kinda see this the same way.
Moving into the grim 'n' gritty 1980's... the "supers" still haven't really "planted their feet" yet. There doesn't seem to be much agreement as to their "place" in the world. As we see with Firesign... he is so dismissive of human (that is, non-super) lives, that he sees no problem abducting their children... and using their parts to "create" a baby with his wife.
While that story is... very dark, it doesn't feel completely out of place... and also, it lends even more to the shaky and uncertain nature of the first couple of generations of superheroes. It's a weird mix of ordinary and extraordinary... and I feel like it works incredibly well!
Warren Ellis is a writer I could normally go either way with. I will say that I'm surprised this is the first time he's come up here at the blog (982 discussions in!). I find that I grow tired of him launching new series' full of energy and awesome ideas, only to tire of them six or so issues later... usually leaving the book in the hands of a less uh, "sales friendly" writer... and so, the book/concept withers within a year. There's also his cynicism which certainly has the ability to grate on me.
Tom Raney. Ho-lee cow, what an absolute clinic he put on here! Evoking all of these different styles... making them all work, and flow... I really can't say enough how much I appreciated that. Really... the art alone would be reason enough to track this one down. The fact that the story is also pretty great... I mean, I can't think of a reason not to seek this one out. Though... I will warn you, in case you were just skimming the images... the N-word does make an appearance (censored panel above). It's here to depict how gross the person saying it is... but, better safe than sorry.
This issue has been collected (in what I assume is the long out-of-print - though, still rather inexpensive) Stormwatch, Volume 2: Lightning Strikes trade paperback. It has not been made available digitally... which, doesn't really surprise me. Though, I am curious as to whether or not they would censor that panel should they ever decide to upload it.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Action Comics #801 (May, 2003)
"Seeds"
Writer - Joe Kelly
Guest Penciller - Tom Raney
Inker - Walden Wong
Colorist - Gina Going
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.25
Man, we're just truckin' along to April 18th, ain't we?
When I first decided to try this #Action100 thing, it felt like I had all the time in the world to get it done. Now I look at the calendar (which I seem to have a hard time understanding at the best of times) and see just how close we are getting to Action Comics #1000.
Looks like we need to kick it into high gear... and so, random issue of Action Comics, ahoy!
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We open in Little Falls, Colorado where a child is excitingly telling their mother about their day at school. The chat is interrupted by the arrival of... well, neither bird nor plane... but also not... well, you know. Meanwhile in Metropolis, Lois is exhausted after a long night's work... but is still up for some "action" with her (currently unemployed) husband.
Elsewhere, young sorceress... ninja... lizard-wrangler, Traci Thirteen is being treated in a hospital. She is awakened from a nightmare.
Back to Little Falls, where a ski salesman and his daughter are having a contentious little back and forth about some lousy customers they just dealt with. Their chat is also interrupted by... neither bird nor plane, but also not... well, you know.
Back in Metropolis, Lois and Clark are stopped on the street by one of those "The End is Nigh" kooks. This really seems to bug Clark... leaving Lois to wonder aloud, "how long have you lived in a city?"... and, she's totally got a point.
In Bialya, a shadowy man in a shadowy room watches a bank of monitors... and waits. I hate scenes like this... I mean, this dude must've dropped out after only taking Super-Villainry 101.
Back to Little Falls... where inside a car, a young boy plays with the World's Finest action figures. Meanwhile outside, an unhappy couple (probably the tot's parents) argue about his upcoming birthday party. Their argument is interrupted by neither bird nor plane, but also not... well, you know. This time, however, it's clear whatever it is... it's deadly.
Then, we're off to Pokolistan where Avruiskin (Zod) hovers... and waits. He must've gone as far as Super Villainry 202.
Back in Metropolis, Clark makes Lois coffee... before, I dunno, hearing something weird coming out of Colorado? I mean, he bursts through their window, shattering it, without even a word! At the same time, back in Little Falls... a glowing man hovers in the fetal position above a massacre.
Superman arrives on the scene immediately and tries to stop the glowing fella. This whole thing is being watched by some kids from a classroom window. They turn to address their teacher, who has undergone a rather horrifying metamorphosis herself!
Superman rushes into the classroom to try and get control over the situation. Seems as though the teacher is conflicted... she still seems to know who she really is, and wants not to give in to her new baser insectoid instincts. They are then joined by... the daughter of the ski salesman... and, there's definitely something not right about her! She sneezes... causing a very green explosion.
Next stop, Washington D.C.... where (hell yeah) President Lex Luthor is being given intel from DEO Agent Cameron Chase. She advises him that there has been a sudden boom in Metagene triggering... registering between a four and an eight on the "P.M. Scale". Between a four and an eight? That's a pretty wide margin.
Back in Little Falls, it's revealed that Superman was able to save all the tots, however not the Sara the Sickly Sneezing Ski Salesgirl. No word on the teacher either. One of the kids goes into Aerobic Arrest... and Superman goes to rush him off to the hospital. He is stopped, however, by an officer "pulling rank" (yeah, right). They are then approached by some goofy slacker kid... who just sprouted wings! He tells Superman that he'd like to take the boy to the hospital for him... and so, he does.
That evening, after all the dust has settled, this group of new-Metas is corralled into a place for safe-keeping. They're all freaked out (duh), and wonder if there might be a cure for their new "conditions". Superman has no answers at this point.
Back in Washington, Agent Chase (and Secretary of Metahuman Affairs, Amanda Waller) continue to fill President Lex in on the day's events. He learns of the Little Falls incident, and dismissively compliments Superman for his work their.
We wrap up with Chase directing Lex's attention to the latest... the Metagene "boom" has exploded, leaving 1:1000 Americans with strange powers beyond those of mortal men!
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Seems to be a trend these days... so much of what I'm reading, old or new, can be described as "Not bad... but boring". That, unfortunately leaves a goofball like me with precious little to say about it. Maybe that was their plan all along?!
In revisiting this issue, I can recall that this was where I started to fall off a bit with Superman. I kept buying it for a couple more years (I think I finally "tapped out" when Chuck Austen was writing it under a pen-name (do I have that right? That was the popular opinion back in the day))... but at this point, I kinda stopped caring.
I guess it's natural to have a bit of a malaise after a "big" issue (Action Comics #800)... but, I'd assume they'd want to come out of the gate with a bang... if only to hold on to some of the "looky-loos" who might've picked up #800 on a whim, and came back for more. Though, to be fair... this was during comics self-loathing period where "milestone" issues weren't really hyped up anymore. Another example of over-correcting.
What we get instead is... a whole lot of table-setting, and a fairly uninteresting/uninspired story... complete with shadowy man in a shadowy room watching a bank of monitors. Was this already played out by 2003? I can't remember. Bendis hadn't yet foisted Maria Hill on us by this point, right? Because that's when every single Marvel comic started having a scene of a darkened room and a bank of monitors in it (because she seemed to "guest-star" in every single Marvel comic). Man, what a horrible time.
Back to this issue. It's good... not great. The cover is pretty cool... but has nothing to do with what's going on inside. Tom Raney's "guest" art is really good... and I enjoyed the scenes with President Lex (as I always do!). Worth tracking down? Well, that's a toughie. You won't get any sort of resolution here... and since the story hasn't been collected, you'll have to buy a few issues to get the full story. It is available digitally though... at $1.99, which in my mind, is a bit steep.
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Outsiders (vol.3) #2 (September, 2003)
"Role Call, Part Two: Lawyers, Guns, and Monkeys"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Tom Raney
Inker - Scott Hanna
Letterer - John Workman
Colorist - Gina Going
Associate Editor - Lysa Hawkins
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
Didn't dislike the first issue of Outsiders... and I could've sworn that, at one point, I did! Maybe I'm softening... or maybe it was a bit later on in the series that I started disliking it! Let's find out...
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We open at J.F.K. Airport where we get a lesson on the specs of Air Force One... ya see, the President of the United States is in town. Looks like even with all the amenities it boasts, the First-Flyer is no match for an angry gorilla!
We shift scenes to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel where President Lex Luthor is about to deliver a speech he's not terribly happy about. Not so much because he's evil or anything... he just feels his Hollywood speech writers might perhaps be a tad overblown in their writing style. Turns out it's a moot point, however, as the Secret Service calls in a "Red Evac"... probably has something to do with Air Force One going boom.
From here we get a bit of a quick and dirty on Gorilla Grodd, you know the deal... accelerated evolution... super-genius... murderous gorilla. It's confirmed that he and his army are currently invading New York. No duh. Anyhoo... answering the call, the definitely-not-the-Titans leap into action. Boy howdy, is Grace annoying...
A Blackhawk helicopter lands allowing a confused and annoyed President Luthor to board. He is informed that Air Force One went boom... but he's so happy to be leaving New York that he doesn't seem terribly bothered. Meanwhile, Indigo and Metamorpho cause some gorillas to projectile vomit.
Elsewhere, Grace and Thunder have paired off... and elsewhere even still, Dick and Roy take the fight to the baddies. Roy gets some pretty bad "tough guy" banter with a gorilla who has him by the throat... then reveals that his team has been outfitted with psychic dampeners to block Grodd's hypnotic suggestions. Handy, that. Grodd decides if he can't use his telepathy, he'll just fall back on scientific know-how. With the push of a button he raises a dome over New York City... it's gettin' Convergence-y up in here!
Okay, not really... this dome is actually an energy field, so everything electronic/mechanical will cease functioning... including President Luthor's chopper! Lucky for him, Jade just happened to be flying by... and she begrudgingly saves the Commander in Chief. Not much of a surprise here... seeing as though she was on the cover of the previous issue.
As Jade sasses Luthor (imagine somebody talking to the President like that? Never happen!) his airborne security detail enters the energy field... and, ya know... starts to plummet out of the sky... at dazzling speed. On the ground, Grace comes up with a plan... she has Thunder grab hold of her, and increase her density to the point where they embed into the ground. This will allow them to catch the jet before it does any real damage to New York City.
And whattayaknow... it works!
We conclude the chapter at one of the President's safe-houses. Upon arrival, Lex hears several gunshots go off... and notices that his entire Secret Service detail has been murdered. Who could'a done such a thing? Well, lookit that... it's the Joker. I remember a time when a Joker reveal was something of a novelty... now, I can't recall the last week where he didn't appear on at least one cover of DC's new releases!
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Another "not bad" issue here. Just like with Outsiders (vol.3) #1, this is fundamentally sound, hits all the right beats, and is expertly drawn... buuuut, the dialogue still kinda irks me.
Seems like Winick really wants to establish "his" characters. Here we have Grace acting (and speaking) like a complete bad-ass. It's... fine, but... I mean, asking Metamorpho if he "wants to bitch"... c'mon already. This is Grace's first time out... hell, the Outsiders aren't even an official team yet, and she's talking down to established and experienced heroes as though she's been doing this her whole life. Don't like that... not that I want her to be wide-eyed and cautious... but, perhaps a little calibration could have been used in her introduction to superheroics. This bit of dialogue is also a bit "try-hard" to me. Winick's a young man, but some of this chatter comes across as post-2000 Chris Claremont shoe-horning "You go girl"'s and "strike a pose"'s into his writing. Kinda corny.
I'm hesitant to roll out the "Mary Sue" term, because I doubt Grace (or anybody here) is an "author insert". There are just certain characters here that have "all the answers, all the time". Winick's Josie Mack back-ups running in Detective Comics around this time rubbed me the same way. And like I said yesterday... it's not bad... just, personally something I don't enjoy.
Roy doesn't get all that much play here... which, again... is fine. Hell, the less I have to look at that Doritos crumb on his chin, the better! The one scene he does get is... ehhh... tough-guy talk, outsmarting the bad guy... pretty standard stuff. Not sure who's running the show here, either... last issue, it seemed as though Roy was taking the charge... here, however, he appears to have deferred leadership to Dick. Guess we can write that off as "growing pains" in the team formation.
Jade shows up here, fashionably late... but we're still in the opening arc, and we are writing for the trade... so, whattaya gonna do, right? Her exchange with Luthor was a bit precious... but again, whattaya gonna do? These days it requires far less effort to complain @ the President of the United States... so I suppose this was a bit novel for the time.
Overall... still not hating this. Not sure why I remember myself really not digging this back in the (relatively) long ago. Maybe I'm projecting how I felt about Winick's Green Arrow onto this book... hell, maybe I'll reread his run on Green Arrow and discover that I actually like it... who knows? Is this worth reading? As a single-issue, nah... in collected edition, probably.
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