Gen¹³/Fantastic Four (2001)
"Qeelocke's Really Big New York Adventure!"
Storyteller - Kevin Maguire
Inker - Karl Story
Letters - Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colors - MyPlan Animation
Design - Larry Berry
Editors - Scott Dunbier & Jeff Mariotte
Associate Editor - Aaron Watanabe
Cover Price: $5.95
Heyyy, looks like we Fantastic Four fans finally have a reason to celebrate, don't it?
Lots of "internet high fives" going around on the social medias... and I'm not much of a "soapbox guy" but I only hope that half of the folks taking part actually plan to put their money where their mouths are and, ya know... buy the book!
Fantastic Four is one of those special books that I have a complete run of since the day I was born. I can't say that it's ever been my "favorite", but it was more often than not a good time, and I was always glad to have it around.
I'm hopeful that incoming writer Dan Slott has the right kind of love for the property... and that this volume won't go by the recent Fantastic Four fo(u)rmula of... 1) Start Run, 2) Break team up, 3) Characters spend a year learning that they need each other, 4) Team reunites, 5) Book cancelled... rinse, and repeat.
Anyhoo... I'm happy they're finally coming back... and if you are to, do your old pal Chris a favor... BUY the book! Don't steal it online, don't wait for "choice panels" to hit Tumblr, don't just wait to hear a podcast cover it... actually support it. This way, six months from now we won't all be balling our fists and cursing Marvel for cancelling the book... again! Then again, this is Marvel... where we're always 6-8 months away from a reboot.
Off soapbox... and onto today's discussion!
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We open with the Gen¹³ kids hanging out in Time Square. They're have dinner reservations at a very exclusive restaurant, and are heading back to their hotel to get a change of clothes. This is post-Giuliani New York, so comments about the cleanliness of Time Square made. Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building, Thing is... ya know, hoisting something heavy over his head while H.E.R.B.I.E. spot-welds it. Johnny pops in to comment about how it always seems like these stories open with Ben holding something heavy over his head. Ya know, he's got a point!
The Gen¹³ gang arrives at their hotel to change their duds, and it's here that we meet Qeelocke... Gen¹³'s own... er, green monkey-rat thing... looks like Beast Boy if he stopped in mid-morph. Anyhoo, the ladies show up at the boys' room in their... very odd evening wear. Not sure who told Roxy that "Catholic School Girl" is the look one should go for when eating at a five-star restaurant. They say g'bye to Qeelocke and head off to nosh.
We shift focus to the nearby Atlantic Ocean, where... another green-beast lurks. It's close proximity to Qeelocke causes the little bugger to start freaking out! It's incessant "skree-ing" draws the attention of a nearby cleaning woman, who, thinking it's just a couple having some "rough love", heads off to inform the manager. Maybe he'd like to listen in? I dunno...
We soon learn that Qeelocke isn't the only one who knows of this beast's pending arrival. Back to the Baxter Building where Reed is watching his own radar. Sue pops in to ask what he wants for dinner... to which, his answer... I guess, is: adventure. She begrudgingly heads off to fill a thermos with cream of potato soup. And, no... that's not a euphemism.
Back at the hotel, the manager shows up to rap on Gen¹³'s door. When there's no answer, he uses his master key and lets himself in. What he finds is a trashed room... and a crazy green monkey thing! Qeelocke pounces past the hotel staff and makes his escape.
Time passes, and Gen¹³ return from their dinner. Upon arrival, the hotel is still abuzz with the news of the strange green monkey thing trashing a room and escaping into the night. The Gen¹³ kids are, duh, pretty freaked out. They decide to split up and spend the next couple hours searching the streets for their pal.
Elsewhere, the Human Torch has met up with his old pal Spider-Man. They are, as they are wont to do, ribbing back and forth... when they spot that strange green monkey thing running through the streets below. Strangely, it looks as though Qeelocke has grown a great deal. He's no longer around a foot and a half tall... he looks to be about the size of a full-grown human.
Johnny fills the alley with flame... which doesn't seem like the smartest idea. Luckily there were no gas mains or anything... so the worst thing the fire did was freak out poor Qeelocke. During this, Spidey and Torch banter about whether or not it's better to be a loner or a member of a team. Johnny decides to let Pete sleep in the bed he made, and leaves Qeelocke with him.
On the way back to the Baxter Building, Johnny runs into... Roxy! Mistaking him for fellow Gen¹³er Burnout, she calls out to him. He... instantly starts hitting on her. It doesn't go all that well.
Johnny arrives back at the Baxter Building and let's Ben know that they've got a special guest on his way. Moments later, Spider-Man arrives and is "buzzed" in. He has Qeelocke slung over his shoulder, and... hmm, looks like the little bugger had another growth spurt! Ben relieves Spidey of his burden and they toss the green monkey thing into a cell, so Reed can take a look at him later.
Speaking of Reed, we rejoin him as he scans the underwaters around New York. He can't seem to find the critter, but can tell that it's headed straight for Manhattan.
Back at the fabulous Gen¹³ Hotel, the gang reconnoiters. As Fairchild and Rainmaker confab, they see that the Human Torch is now on the case. They overhear Johnny tell the hotel manager that they have the green monkey thing locked up at the Baxter Building.
The rest of Gen¹³ shows up, and they put their heads together about how they might infiltrate the Baxter Building and rescue their little buddy. Roxy decides it might be best to rely on her feminine wiles... and Johnny's libido.
Meanwhile back at the Baxter Building, Qeelocke has had... probably several... growth spurts... and it continues to SKREEE as though it were in heat. Hmm. Anyhoo, Johnny comes flying home to let Ben know what he learned at the hotel... when suddenly, the perimeter alarm begins to sound!
The Terrific Two rush to the windows to find... Roxy. Johnny wastes no time getting outside to chat her up.
Outside, they chat about the green monkey thing a bit... which, doesn't seem to turn Johnny on all that much. Upon learning about the growth spurts, Roxy breaks away and rushes inside...
...spilling poor Ben Grimm's soda, on her way to Qeelocke's containment cell. The "little" bugger is now totally crammed in the cell, without any room to move.
Johnny flies up and tries to pull Roxy away from the cell... and by now, the rest of Gen¹³ has made their way inside... sooooo, it's time to fight. I mean, it was bound to happen, right?
Thing runs toward Burnout... however, Caitlin pushes her teammate out of harm's way... and wallops ol' Benjy with a right. Kind of a cheap shot, considering Ben told her that he'd never hit a woman... but all's fair in superhero crossovers.
Then, Grunge lunges toward the Thing while yelling... you guessed it... "It's Clobberin' Time!" Ben is not amused. Grunge's power set allows him to absorb some of the Thing's power... leading Ben to assume that his condition might be "contagious". It's a pretty cute throwaway line.
In an adjacent room, we have the battle of the fire-guys... Burnout and Human Torch. Fairchild and Grunge enter just as they go super-nova... and when the flames subside, shockingly... Burnout is the last man standing! Not a good look for Johnny...
With Ben and Johnny temporarily out of commission, the Gen¹³ers head over to what they assume to be the control panel for the containment cell. Turns out, no... it's not that at all... it's actually the control panel for entry into the Negative Zone! Whoops.
The Gen¹³ kids are just about to be sucked in when, luckily, Reed and Sue return... and Sue snags the gang in a force field bubble.
That's not the end though... there's still the matter of that other green beast. And so, we shift scenes to some nearby docks where... it rises! It, like Qeelocke, has grown to immense size.
By now, Qeelocke has busted out of containment... and has taken to the streets of New York.
Reed is still interested in getting to the bottom of who these kids are... but Fairchild insists they discuss that later, which is probably the smart play. They rush over to a bank of monitors and see the other green thing stomping through the streets, Rampage style. Reed posits that it might be the mortal enemy of Qeelocke.
Outside, Roxy, Sarah and Burnout try and hold Qeelock back while Ben and Grunge do the same with that... other green beast. All doesn't go according to plan... and before we know it, the greenies are nose to nose!
Only, they're not fighting... but, er... fornicating. Whatta revoltin' development!
Once Qeelocke is... uh, done... he shrinks back to "normal" size. To celebrate the event Grunge gets an authentic Benjamin J. Grimm autograph.
Reed... spoilsport that he is... still wants some answers. Caitlin gives a bit of clapback, insisting that if Qeelocke wasn't locked in containment... he and the other green thing might've just "done it" in the Ocean or something. Reed's feeling especially submissive today, so he's all "she's got a point". Johnny and Burnout shake hands... then Roxy lets Johnny down, gently.
We wrap up... and everything is hunky dory. The Gen¹³ kids just hope that Lynch doesn't find out about any of this... unfortunately, by now it's hit all of the major news outlets!
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More fun than we oughta be allowed to have!
Had an absolute blast with this... it took all of the cliche "supergroup team-up" stuff and, with a humorous bent turned it on its ear. Sure, there's some fighting... I mean, it is a comic book... but the entire thing came off as light-hearted. Thing was less "Clobberin' Time!" and more "Why I oughta!"... and I definitely appreciated that!
Any time I grab an inter-company crossover, I sort of expect the worst... maybe it's a self-defense thing... like I expect it to be bad, so I'm not too terribly disappointed when I'm done. I think I can safely say that this story would satisfy even with higher-than-normal expectations. It was just a good time! No world/universe ending threat... no prolonged hero vs. hero fights to the death... none of that! This was just a humorous look at a chance meeting between Gen¹³ and the Fantastic Four... and, it's definitely something I'd read successive issues of!
The green monkey love... was a neat subversion, though not entirely unexpected. If you've ever had an pet whose gone into heat... the symptoms are pretty identifiable. That doesn't make the story any less enjoyable... it just heightened the build for the ultimate "punch line". At least it did for me! The reaction shots... were pretty amazing too! After all, this is Kevin Maguire... and if you're looking for emotive faces, you ain't gonna find anyone better.
Continuing with the art... the whole shebang was awesome to look at. Seeing Maguire work on some Marvel characters was an absolute treat... I really don't have any complaints. Just a wonderful, high-quality work.
Overall... I'd definitely recommend checking this one out if you come across it. Even though I just spoiled the whole thing, I'd still say it's worth having in your library... and really, just having the art in your hands is something special.
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Et-Cetera:
790
The Originals: Special Ashcan Edition (May, 2004)
By Dave Gibbons
Edited by Pornsak Pichetshote & Karen Berger
Even some five-six months after moving house, it's crazy how much of my life is still in boxes... and not just those long white ones we like to stack to the ceiling, either.
Came across the book we're going to discuss today in a random box, along with some of my "Press" materials from when I volunteered at the Phoenix (Cactus) Comicon back in the md-2000's... and hadn't the foggiest clue what it was!
My "ashcan" collection is... pretty small, I guess. Just a handful of 'em. I never quite know where to "keep" them, you know? I suppose I could bag-n-board them, and just file them in the longboxes... well, yeah... that's probably the smart thing to do. Problem solved!
That's what we do here at our humble blog... find problems, and talk our way to solutions! Today ashcan-filing, tomorrow... low -fat cookies that taste good and world peace!
Anyhoo... any time I cover an ashcan or a "special preview" here, I feel like I'm cheating a bit... I mean, we've covered 100 page issues here, and today... I think this bugger weighs in at less than 10! Oh well, I guess it's not a terrible thing to take it easy every now and again. After all, we've been at this for 789 days straight...
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We open with a young fella named Lel waxing... er, petulant? We get a bit of him complaining about the generation that came before him... he comes across here as very angry... very teen-agery. He also mentions his good friend Bok. Bok's a guy who was picked on because he is black.
Lel would stand up for Bok... and as such, found himself becoming pretty good at fighting. He an Bok shared many interests... including the desire to join The Originals!
The Originals are a gang of oddly-dressed folks who ride "Hovers"... which are basically hovering motorcycles/scooters. We see Lel (I assume), in full Originals regalia standing before a tagged wall.
We flash back to when Lel and Bok tagged that wall with The Originals logo. Bok expresses a bit of concern... and Lel assures him "The Dirt" won't show up to put a crimp on their good time. I can only assume that "The Dirt" is slang for police here? Maybe some other governmental authoritarian unit? Who knows?
As they tag, they discuss their goals... chief among them, coming up with the scratch to afford a "Hover" so they might join The Originals. Some kid called Warren shows up to deliver some Dirty news... The Dirt yanked one of "Ronnie's boys" off their Hover. Not sure if Ronnie is tied up with The Originals... but Lel and Bok aren't pleased regardless. They tell Warren to beat it.
Lel and Bok return to the task at hand when suddenly... Hovers approach!
It's... The Originals! And we're out of time...
--
Well, that was short and sweet! Not at all what I expected, either! Looking at the cover, I'd have bet money we were about to read about some weird band... not a futuristic motorcycle gang!
We don't get a whole heckuva lot here, but what we do get is pretty good. I could do without the whole "screw you, dad" sentiment from Lel. I find it hard to root for the petulant bratty type.
The setting here is kinda weird... we definitely get the vibe that we're in the future, but the only thing that seems futuristic are the Hovers. Everything else appears to be "normal-ish".
I find the use of lingo a bit weird for an introductory piece such as this. Referring to "The Dirt"... I mean, we might assume they're meant to be something akin to a police force... hell, they might just be a different gang. I really couldn't say. I'm never really one to request an "info dump", but if this is supposed to convince me to drop $25 on a 160 page hardcover... you're gonna have to give me something. Otherwise, what's the point of even making an ashcan?
So... did this ashcan steer me toward shelling out the bucks for the hardback? Well... I dig the sorta-kinda Akira-ness, and I'm a sucker for rise and fall... and rise again stories (which I get the feeling this is going to be), but I can't see myself paying full price for this. We really didn't get enough to make this feel "must read". That doesn't mean it isn't... it just means this ashcan didn't really "move the needle" for me.
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Introduction Piece:
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Action Comics #584 (January, 1987)
"Squatter!"
Storyteller - John Byrne
Embellisher - Dick Giordano
Colorist - Tom Ziuko
Letterer - John Costanza
Editor - Andrew Helfer
Cover Price: $0.75
Well... yesterday we discussed the final post-Crisis issue of Action Comics, so I figured why not spend today talking about the first!
It's pretty nuts (and refreshing) to see a book emblazoned with "First All-New Issue!" branding... without a #1 in the issue-number box. It's almost as if they realized that no matter how big a "#1" you put on the cover... you're still going to be getting a story and character that has a half-century worth of history to it.
Imagine an industry that actually embraces its history... rather than trying to disguise it for a to tempt an unwitting (and non-existent) "new" fanbase? It's almost too good to be true... which is probably why it isn't!
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We open on a Metropolis scene where reporter Carol Samuels is doing some some "on the street" reporting. It doesn't look like it's of much urgency... just a lot of "by golly, my town" sorta stuff. Ya know... I'm not even sure she has a cameraman with her. She might just be insane. Anyhoo, her monologue is interrupted by the arrival of... not bird nor plane, but... Superman! And, he's wrecking the city!
The crowd below watches as Superman proceeds to pulverize some buildings. Lucky for Metropolis there's a certain Titanic Teen among them!
Cyborg takes to the skies and is able to pulverize much of the building debris to ensure the folks below don't get smooshed. Then, on the roof... he faces off with the rogue Man of Steel. This doesn't go well for ol' Vic. In fact, Superman dismembers and literally bodyslams Cyborg from the top of a skyscraper to the street below.
Vic uses this newfound space between he and his foe to make a phone call to Titan's Tower. Gar and Donna answer the call, and after some of our usual Gar-cringe, they're on their way to lend a hand.
Seemingly moments later, Superman finds himself attacked by a giant green elephant. Considering that he's, ya know, Superman... this doesn't really slow him down.
Then Donna jumps in... well, actually she lifts and throws some poor Metropolitan's car in Superman's direction. This, naturally, doesn't do much to slow him down either. Superman refers to Donna as an "inferior creature", which she immediately takes as him being a sexist. Ya know, rather than just him considering everybody else an "inferior creature". Seems like Donna's got some built-up frustration, don't it?
We shift scenes to the Gramercy Street School for the Hearing Impaired... which is apparently a place that really exists... or existed, it might be called something different these days. There Jericho is helping some youngsters practice their Ameslan... which is a name for American Sign Language I'd forgotten all about! I'm so used to "ASL" (not in the chat room kinda way), that Ameslan just looks weird! Anyhoo, he learns of what's going down... and heads off to join his fellow Titans.
Back in mid-town Metropolis, Superman and the Titans tussle. Superman clearly has the upper hand... until Jericho arrives on the scene! They lock eyes, and then... Contact!, Jericho takes residence in the Body of Steel.
Unable to move, Superman begins to rage. The Titans wonder what could've gotten into him, when suddenly... a man appears. He is a small man on crutches... who claims to have the answers the Titans seek. Ya see, that guy in the Superman costume? He ain't the Real Steel Deal... it's this fella on crutches who should be wearing the cape!
The Titans... somewhat surprisingly... let the fella talk. He claims that Clark Kent received a call from David Gundersen with a request to contact Superman so he could help him complete an experiment. Turns out... it was a trap! Superman and Gunderson wound up trading bodies. Soooo... the rampaging Supeman was actually Gunderson, and the man on crutches is really Superman.
The Titans take Superman and Gunderson back to the lab so they can trade back. Once everyone is back in the right body, Superman gets to lecturing... I mean really... look at this bottom panel!
We wrap up with Lex Luthor being informed that Superman has been exonerated for the events of the day. He thinks to himself... there might just be a connection between Superman and Clark Kent.
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Nothing says "Welcome to the post-Crisis era!" like rehashing a story that must've happened dozens of times during the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages, right? I mean, how many times do we have to see a "Superman's body taken over" story? I feel like the only Superman story that we see more is (a take on) the origin!
In spite of that... this was a good time. I'm always down for some Titans... and I guess it made sense for Byrne to include one of DC's hottest properties into this "First All-New Issue" of Action Comics. It's almost a can't-miss situation... folks are either going to come to see what this "new" Superman is all about... or they'll want to see the New Teen Titans. Either way, they're going to check this out.
For the story, well... there's not a whole lot to it. Like I said, it's nothing we haven't seen (many times) before. The Byrne-art is what we'd expect from him in mid-late 80's... and looking at that Gundersen fella... has there ever been a more "John Byrne character" ever put to paper? I mean, there's no mistaking who drew this guy!
Overall... for such a "landmark" issue, I find myself at a loss. There just isn't all that much to say. This is post-Crisis... it's the start of the Action Comics-as-a-Superman-team-up-book... it guest stars the New Teen Titans. I'd expect more from a "launch", but at the same time, can't really get mad at it. This issue has been collected in Superman: The Man of Steel, Volume 2 and is available digitally.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Action Comics #836 (April, 2006)
"Superman This is your Life, Part Two"
Writer - Joe Kelly
Pencillers - Dan Jurgen, Dick Giordano, Ed Benes, Ian Churchill, Phil Jimenez, Tom Derenick, Renato Guedes, Lee Bermejo & Doug Mahnke
Inkers - Kevin Conrad, Jose Marzan, Norm Rapmund, Andy Lanning & Drew Geraci
Colorists - Guy Major, Dave Stewart Renato Guedes
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Jeanine Schaefer
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
Sometimes we can get a little too "close" to our comics. For the longest time, this was a Superman story I couldn't bring myself to reread.
I mean, as comics readers (or fans of any consumable entertainment/media), I think we've all experienced that feeling where we have an idea where a story is headed... and knowing that we're powerless to stop it. That's how I felt reading this back in 2005-2006.
I remember the first time I heard (in comics) that a Crisis was on its way. It was an issue of Teen Titans by Geoff Johns... and from that point on, my DC-reading fell into sort of a fog. I wasn't around for the first Crisis... so this was really my first time not feeling "safe" as a DC Comics fan.
Of course, these days that almost seems quaint. DC is getting just as bad as Marvel when it comes to reboots/relaunches/re-whatevers... and the industry has become so knee-jerk reactionary that I can't even remember the last time I felt "safe".
Anyhoo... this issue (and the story it's a part of) comes from a very... shaky time in my (and likely some others') DC fandom. Things were weird... and nebulous at best.
Let's give it a look and see if time has soothed this fan's soul.
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We open with three... kinda different tellings of Superman's origin story... it's a tale of three Kryptons... three families of El... three rockets, and three sets of Kents. Yeah, there's definitely something weird going on here. It's almost as though we're in the midst of experiencing a... Crisis of sorts. Hmm...
We jump ahead to the events(ish) of Man of Steel #1, where Lois and company are about to crash the "space plane". They find themselves saved by a strange flying man, who upon setting them down gives Lois a peck on the cheek and introduces himself to her as "Superman". Well, that's not right... right?
We briefly pop into the present, and find Superman in the heat of battle with... somebody. This somebody is commenting on the corruption in the world... and is wondering why Superman hasn't done more.
We hop back to the past... this time, it's the first meeting between Superman and Batman. This is a contentious meeting, so clearly post-Crisis. Batman tells Superman if he steps near him, it will set off a bomb that will kill an innocent. Superman calls his bluff, because he knows the bomb is on Batman's person. They agree to team up.
We briefly check in with the Earth-2 Superman, who is holding vigil over the ailing Earth-2 Lois Lane.
Back to the past! We relive an... altered version of Lex Luthor's Kryptonite Ring saga. It starts similarly enough, Lex taunts Superman with the one thing that appears to hurt him. He (Lex) then contracts cancer due to the Kryptonite exposure. Then, on his death-bed, Superman makes Lex an offer he can't refuse... he'll use Kryptonian technology in order to grant Lex a quarter-century of life. Lex accepts.
Then... a couple of versions of Lois Lane learning "the secret". They both end the same way.
Then... Doomsday! It's a greatest hits (pun!) from Superman (vol.2) #75... right up until the ending. Ya see, the titans both land their "finishing blow"... only, this time around Doomsday's punch isn't enough to keep the Man of Steel down.
We jump ahead... though, still in flashback... to the events of Identity Crisis. The satellite-era League is arguing about what they ought to do about Doctor Light. Just as in the original story, half of the team seems a-okay with the mindwipe... and the other half ain't exactly on board. Superman arrives to offer a third alternative. Well, he doesn't so much offer it as "invoke" it. He zaps Doctor Light... and banishes him to the Phantom Zone!
This, somehow, is viewed as the worst option by the League. Mindwiping is totally cool... but Phantom Zoning is "crossing the line". It's not that I disagree, but, c'mon... the League was acting a bit shady in the original Identity Crisis story. It's not like they have all that much room to talk. Anyhoo, the League holds an intervention with the Man of Steel... it seems as though the "Phantom Zone banishment" has become something of a go-to for him. Superman decides to disband the JLA... to which, Zatanna attempts to put Superman "to sleep"... but cannot seem to muster the words.
Then we meet Superman's new running buddies: The Elite. Well, the Justice League Elite.
We wrap up back in Metropolis where Jimmy Olsen and friends are having drinks and trying to ride out the apocalypse. Jimmy tells his pals that Superman has the situation under control... and there's nothing to worry about. Then... something happens.
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Such an... uncomfortable read.
This entire issue just feels "off", which I suppose is the point. It's like the "fun-house mirror" version of the post-Crisis Superman story. Added the "jam" of artists here... I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.
I get that this is just running alongside the actual Infinite Crisis event book... so things are being left purposely nebulous, but today... just as over a dozen years ago... I really can't talk myself into liking this. Perhaps it is the years of hindsight we now have... or maybe I just never let go of my reboot-bitterness. We've definitely hit, at least in my opinion, the point where these sort of things have diminishing returns.
I think back to the early days of the "Berganza era" and the influx of, what many post-Crisis fans referred to as "S.A.S." (that's Silver Age Sh-tuff)... and how that didn't really bug me. I felt like that was adding something, where I feel like this is only taking away.
Overall... this is a difficult one for me to recommend. I will say, if you do decide to give this a whirl, read the entire three-part story... and not just the middle chapter like we're doing here. It's available digitally, and has been collected in the Superman: Infinite Crisis trade paperback.
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