Wristcutters: A Love Story

I guess this festival favorite finally found a release date.

This is pertinent, why?

Simply because Wristcutters: A Love Story is based on the short story Kneller's Happy Campers.

And...?

The graphic novel, Pizzeria Kamikaze was also based on that short story.

So, while it's not quite a comic book movie, Wristcutters almost makes it.

The Notebooks of Dr. Brain (Minister Faust, 2006)

I just finished a fascinating piece of superhero fiction. The Notebooks of Dr. Brain chronicles the therapy sessions of the superhero team, F*O*O*J - The Fantastic Order of Justice. While the book is hilarious, it digs deep into topics that many writers have trouble finessing.

Meet The Flying Squirrel, Omnipotent Man, Iron Lass, X-Man, Brotherfly, and Power Grrrl, as they tackle racism, sexism, relationships, all while Dr. Eva Brain helps them work through their issues with each other, superheroing, and the world around them.

Minister Faust is an amazing wordsmith. The book is written as a pseudo-psychological self-help book by Dr. Brain: Unmasked! When Being a Superhero Can't Save You From Yourself. I feel that calling this book a satire would limit it - it's so much more. Faust's writing is riveting - not so much because you get lost in the story, but because you get lost in the writing itself. He weaves words together in an amazing fashion leaving a completely absorbing tapestry that the viewer must stare at in awe.

I highly recommend this to anyone who's into superheroes, who's dabbled in psychology, or just loves good writing.

Film Noir, Science Fiction, Horror, Aliens...

I don't post much about comics I'm buying - realizing there are more than enough comics reviews on the web. But, I've been thinking about mainstream comics lately versus some of the lesser known stuff out there. Most of my interests have been with DC comics - primarily Batman - but I've been branching out into other stuff lately. It hasn't helped my hunt that my Local Comics Shop hasn't been very good keeping up my special orders, but I'll keep trying...

First some DC Comics pop culture crossovers that I've been disappointed in.

The Next (5-part mini series)

This was written by Tad Williams, who has a pretty interesting writing career. I read his Otherland novels, and they were simply amazing, so I had high hopes for this mini. Superman teams up with teen Monnika Wong (has she ever appeared in the DC Universe before?) and attempts to help some otherworldly (otherdimensional?) travellers back to their original dimension before they wreak any more havoc. Or something like that. This can't really be a proper review, as it's barely hovering at the edge of my memory at the moment. Suffice it to say, I just wasn't impressed. I didn't think the art (Dietrich Smith) was that great either. I don't know if Williams needs to stick with novels, or if something happened from script to book, but it just wasn't that great. Since I'm picking up Williams's Aquaman arc, I'm hoping for better. (I know #50 is already out, but see my "special orders" note above.) Your Mom's Basement had an interview with Williams last summer regarding The Next, so check out more info there if you're interested.

Superman and Batman versus Aliens and Predator (2-part prestige).

I love crossovers. The first Batman vs Predator and Superman vs Aliens were great books. I ended up picking up the former in trade but was able to pick up the latter as they came out in single issues. As time goes by, though, ideas seem to get stale, and it appears to be more difficult to keep them interesting. Later Batman vs Predator stories seemed to fizzle, and I'm not even sure if I ever read the second Superman/Aliens. Written by Mark Schultz, I found this last story to be ok, with the obligatory banter between Bruce and Clark interesting, but it just didn't stick with me. I had problems with the art here, too (artist: Ariel Olivetti). Was this digital art? It was interesting and different - but the faces just weren't that strong - there were a few panels in the first book were Lois Lane looked just plain deformed. If I wasn't a crossover junkie, I probably should have passed.

But on to some less mainstream good stuff...

Sam Noir: Samurai Detective (Shadowline/Image, 3-part mini)

I ended picking up the trade for this since I missed the minis (see special order problem above), and it had me rolling on the floor laughing. Written and drawn by Eric A. Anderson and Manny Trembley, this is what comic books should be. The writing is wonderful and the art, excellent. It's written like awful film noir - and it's one of those things that you just don't know what to expect going into, but ends up better than any expectations you had.

Boy, was my face red. And not just from the blood.

Great stuff. Of course, now, if I want to get the 2nd series in trade, they've packed it together with the first, so I'll have to buy this first story again. Curse you, Comic Book Company Marketing Department!! Sam Noir is published by Image Comics under the Shadowline brand (along with Bomb Queen, After the Cape, and others).

Darkman vs. Army of Darkness (Dynamite, 4-part mini)

This was a pleasant surprise. Written by Kurt Busiek, it's not as funny as the aforementioned Samurai Detective, but it's a pretty enjoyable read in it's own right. It's funny, and with references to the Darkman, Army of Darkness, and the Evil Dead movies (I think - it's been a while), you just can't go wrong. Check it out if it comes out in trade...

Who Needs a Superhero? (H. Michael Brewer, 2004)

H. Michael Brewer's Who Needs a Superhero?: Finding Virtue, Vice, and What's Holy in the Comics is not exactly what you'd expect. It's a study in contrasts. It attempts to attack deep spiritual issues, but in a light-hearted way. It's a simple read, but with hidden depths. It attacks age-old questions, but is current and relevant enough to reference the recent Dark Knight Strikes Again. It's written for those who are of the Christian faith, yet might be accessible to those outside that.

First of all, this book is not a Christian apologetic. It begins from a point of faith, using DC and Marvel superheroes to draw parallels with aspects of Christian life - it's not attempting to prove anything; nor are these parallels are intended to be an objective outsider's look. As such, it may not suit all readers. However, even to those outside the Christian faith, it might be an interesting look from the inside.

Brewer starts with the obvious parallels: Superman as Christ figure; the Hulk embodying the age-old theme of man's dual nature - man wrestling with his own inhumanity, or in more Christian terms, man wrestling with sin. But it goes beyond these more obvious parallels: What do the Fantastic Four have to say about family and community? What do Batman and Iron Man have to say about salvation? It even attempts to answer some of the more interesting questions in comics (from a Christian perspective), like, if Superman is so powerful, why doesn't he save the world?

Also, this short, 200-page book doesn't pretend to be an academic text, but a launching pad for discussion about Christian values. Not the Christian values seen on TV and embraced by the religious right, like humanism, war, intolerence, and legalistic morality; but real Christian values, like love, truth, justice, service, family, and community.

Although it's not intended to be an intellectual treatise, it does deal with interesting philosophical issues, like the nature of God, and how do we reconcile a benevolent God with human suffering. It even ends with a personality test based on the Marvel and DC superheroes. Of course, this book being as light as it is, these things are dealt with at a very high level, in a very simplified way.

But, the intent here is not to plumb the mysterious depths and provide answers to all the questions, but merely to stimulate thought.

Batman Unmasked (Will Brooker, 2000)

I recently finished Batman Unmasked: Analyzing a Cultural Icon, by Will Brooker. The last thing I expected when I picked it up was an academic treatise on Batman's impact on culture.

Brooker starts and ends his book with discussions of readings and authorship - discussing ownership and fandom, interpretation and critique. Who owns Batman? Who determines who Batman is? As much a dialogue on Batman as it is a discourse on interpretation of art and literature, they bookend an interesting cultural chronology. In between, he takes a tour through Batman, beginning with his roots and his participation (or non-participitation) in World War II and on through the censorship of the 50's, the camp of the 60's, and into Batman in the 90's. On the journey, he touches on many things, including the merchandising crazes of the 40's and the 60's, when Batman was not only the best thing since sliced bread, but you could even get Batman sliced bread.

Batman Unmasked is worth looking into for the different spin he gives on Frederic Wertham. While Brooker suggests that he's not an apologist for Wertham, he definitely casts Wertham in a different light, painting him to be less of a villain than he's normally given credit for in comic book circles. He also takes a different tack with Adam West and the ABC television series, attempting to properly put the show in it's cultural setting, along with describing it's debt to pop art and camp.

I won't attempt to summarize these arguments here; if you want to find out about what Brooker has to say, take a look at his book. If you're interested in culture, history, comics, or Batman, this book should provide some interesting reading. After reading this, I've re-evaluated some thoughts about both Wertham and the 60's television show. I've got to do more reading on Wertham, but Brooker sheds some light in some areas I didn't see before.

More Comic Book Prequels

My previous discussion revolved around movies that had comic book prequels; but this time, it's a series of books.

Marvel Previews is soliciting (for release in February), the first of a mini-series prequel to Stephen King's popular Dark Tower novels. The mini will be titled Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born and will run seven issues. It's being written by Peter David and Robin Furth, and is actually being overseen by King.

King's series started in the 80's with a number of short stories, and has grown to 7 complete novels, the last being published in 2004. After reading a little about them, I'm tempted to pick up the comic mini and read the original books. I haven't read a lot of King's stuff, but I have read a few of his books, and have always enjoyed his writing style and the way it sucks you in. Not being familiar with the stories, they appear to lie in a Fantasy/Western sort of genre, but based on what I've read, that's probably too narrow. The Marvel Previews blurb starts out:

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." With those words, millions of readers were introduced to Stephen King's Roland - an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic.

It wasn't necessarily this note that peaked my interest, but after reading the Wikipedia article, and looking at King's Dark Tower web site, I'm definitely interested. Apparently, King based the books on an 1855 Robert Browning poem, and was heavily influenced by The Good, the Bad & the Ugly and The Lord of the Rings.

I think I'll be picking this one up.

Retro-Blog: The Old and the New

Just surfing around, seeing if there's anything new about Ultraviolet (whose release date, BTW, has been pushed back to March 3).

I came across a recent post on IMDB by the writer who will be doing the novelization for the movie. Interestingly enough, she said:

As I understand it, it's based on an obscure British comic. I tried to get my hands on a copy, but failed.

While looking up that quote, I came across another thread where it seems no one could actually figure out whether it was based on a comic or not.

I also found an old comment (the 3rd post in this thread) in March 2004 on the Milla Jovovich forum where a fan said:

I don't know much about Ultraviolet the character other than she's a comic book hero.

Although I know what I think, I'd like to cut the hypothesizing and get the facts straight...

Retro-Blog: The Vicious Cycle

I ran across the novelization of the V for Vendetta movie today. That's odd.

I guess that would make it a book based on a movie based on a graphic novel.

Now I can't wait until the comic book adaptation comes out!

I wonder who'll write it...maybe Ron Marz. I hope Jim Balent does the artwork...or maybe Kelly Jones.