Happy Canada Day!

We're happy to be back at the blogging game and have a number of feature articles to post in the next little while. In the meanwhile, we wish all of our Canadian readers a very happy Canada Day. Thank you for reading.

Image from Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979).

Hiatus Over!

Just like Magneto, Whatever Gods There Be always bounces back! We'll start posting again shortly, but in the meanwhile, please enjoy this image of Magneto from X-Men #2 (November 1991). You may recall, this is the follow-up issue of the first adjective-less X-title that sold over seven million copies.

Image from Marvel's X-Men #2 (November 1991) co-created by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee, inking by Scott Williams, colours by Joe Rosa and Letters by Tom Orzechowski. 

Addendum to the Previous Post on the Uncanny X-Men, Alpha Flight & Criminal Code of Canada

It's not very often that one can write a blog entry and only weeks later enjoy a conversation with one of the creators you wrote about. But this happened for me yesterday when I had a delightful conversation (and got a few autographs too) with legendary comics creator Chris Claremont at a comic shop here in Toronto.

Some of the autographed comics from Sunday's signing with Chris Claremont. 

I can’t tell you what a thrill it was to finally meet Mr. Claremont. I've been a fan for as long as I've been reading comics (1986?) and found him to be every bit as friendly as I could have hoped. In chatting I mentioned my previous blog entry about Section 16 of the Criminal Code of Canada and we had a nice discussion about it. He mentioned that the point of the story was not to imply that Georges Baptiste would be punished automatically. Rather, that it was to explain that the Canadian justice system would have to go to work and ensure Mr. Baptiste was treated fairly and received the help, punishment or a combination of both that justice required. This is exactly what Section 16 and the mental disorder defence is about.  

Anyways, it was a fantastic little Sunday vingette and I encourage anyone who has an opportunity to meet Chris Claremont to get out and do so. I'm sure he'll be as appreciative of the encounter has you'll be.

Alpha Flight, X-Men and Secton 16 of the Criminal Code of Canada

I was reading the Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past trade paperback by Chris Claremont and John Byrne recently. Alpha Flight fans may remember that the arch immediately prior to Days of Future Past (and featured in its trade) is an Wendigo-focused story that happens in northern Canada and has the X-Men and Alpha Flight working together, something that had been a rarity up until that point. One of the later panels of Uncanny X-Men #141 particularly caught my attention. Have a look: 

Wendigo reverts to Georges Baptiste and is promply arrested in Uncanny X-Men #140 (December 1980).

Later, Guardian explains what will happen to Mr. Baptiste after his arrest. Also from Uncanny X-Men #140 (December 1980).

Alpha Flight has always been somewhat of an anomaly in comics because its an early state-sponsored superhero group. Of course, we saw groups like this in Golden Age WWII comics; the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War event in late 2000s; and even the U.S. government employed Superman in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns in 1986. But from their very beginnings Alpha Flight has always seemed to be working on behalf of the Canadian government in peacetime. Which is what brought these “super-mounties” into contact with the X-Men and Wendigo in the first place. 

But what exactly would happen “under Canadian law” in this instance? Could Mr. Baptiste be held responsible for any crimes while possessed by the spirit of the Wendigo? And what defences could his lawyers use so the courts "aren't too hard on him" as Guardian suggests? In this short piece I'm going to examine Section 16 of the Criminal Code of Canada and how Mr. Baptiste might use the defence of a mental disorder to prove to the court that he should not be found criminally responsible for his actions.

Defences

Simply put, defences are the means by which defence lawyers prove to the “trier of fact” (which in most cases is a jury in Canada, but at times can also be a judge) that the Accused should not be found guilty of the alleged crime. Serious crimes in Canada must have both a Mens Rea (a guilty mind) and an Actus Reus (a corresponding guilty act). This is very important because it's against natural justice, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and even common sense to seriously punish someone who didn't have a guilty mind when they committed a crime.

In Canada, our bedrock document relating to criminal law is the Criminal Code of Canada. This massive tome, while not containing all Canadian criminal law, contains the vast majority of it. First created in the 1892 in an effort to put into statute or "codify" the criminal law of Canada, the text has been amended over the years as Canada's changed. The Code not only contains offences that a person can be charged with, but also defences that can be used by the Accused to prove they are not guilty or criminally responsible. These range from age capacity (Section 13) to the defence of property (Section 40). For the purposes of today's discussion, the defence that applies to the events of Uncanny X-Men #139 and #140 is the mental disorder defence, which is Section 16.  

The "Super-Mounties" of the Marvel universe. Here's Alpha Flight from X-Men and Alpha Flight Vol. 2 #2 (June 1998)

Section 16

Taken directly from the Criminal Code, Canada's mental disorder (we do not say "Insanity") defence is:  

No person is criminally responsible for an act committed or an omission made while suffering from a mental disorder that rendered the person incapable of: 1) appreciating the nature and quality of the act or omission or; 2) of knowing that it was wrong.   

Like much of Canadian law, this section of the Criminal Code reaches back to English criminal law, specifically the judgment of M'Naghten's Case of 1843. In M'Naghten, the accused, a Mr. Daniel M'Naghten (pronounced, and sometimes spelled, McNaughtan or McNaughton), attempted to kill British Prime Minister Robert Peel. He was unsuccessful, but in the melee ended up killing one of the prime minister's aides. The resulting trial eventually found its way to the House of Lords, then the court of last resort in the United Kingdom, where the judgment reflected the longstanding idea that mental illness should not be met with retribution, but with mercy.   

Of course, the press and many elected officials vociferously denounced the verdict, something that happened when John Hinkley, Jr. successfully used the defence after his failed assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan almost 140 years later. Congress and a number of states took immediate action to ban the so-called "insanity defence" outright, but the M'Naghten defence still remains on the books in a number of US jurisdictions, just as it is used in Canada and in England and Wales.  

Guardian getting it done in X-Men and Alpha Flight Vol. 2 #2 (June 1998)

Which takes us to the case at hand. In defending Mr. Baptiste, I would say counsel's best move is a Section 16 defence, something Guardian even alludes to. Of course, because the curse of the Wendigo is enacted by the consumption of human flesh, we would have to prove that Mr. Baptiste did not consume the flesh with the intent of becoming a monster, but only out of a desire to survive in the wilderness. This is because we would not want to use the analogous logic of someone using "liquid courage" to commit a crime and then claiming intoxication as a defence. But if Mr. Baptiste didn't understand that his actions would lead to him becoming Wendigo and this subsequent magical mental illness made him loose control of his actions (thereby negating any Mens Rea) I think a Section 16 defence would work. 

It is important to understand that what constitutes a "mental disorder" is a question of law and therefore left to the judge to decide. So while cases involving Section 16 inevitably involve psychiatric experts testifying under oath (and there are provisions to prevent an endless "battle of the experts"), ultimately the judge will decide if there is a disease of the mind in play. She or he will then instruct the trier of fact (jury) to answer: 1) at the relevant time of the crime the accused was incapable of appreciating the nature and quality of his/her action, and if so; 2) he or she did not know that it was wrong. 

And as in all Canadian criminal law, there is case law to guide a Section 16 defence, such as what "appriciate" actually means or how Section 16 relates to specific illnesses, but that is beyond the scope of our piece today. Hopefully however you're leaving here with a better understanding of Canadian criminal law, The Criminal Code of Canada and the Claremont/Byrne run on Uncanny X-Men. Using Section 16 with regard to a magical possession seems a little bit of a stretch, but that's the fun of comics and may even have even been on Guardian's mind he says Mr. Baptiste's actions were those of an "insane man". Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you're having a great September.

WGTB Reviews All New X-Men #1

Marvel NOW! continued this week with All-New X-Men #1, Mighty Thor #1 and Fantastic Four #1 arriving on the shelves of our local comic shops. Because this is a big week for first issues from Marvel, I'm going to try to write more than one review. I'll begin with a book I have particularly been looking forward to: All-New X-Men #1, a comic that brings the original five X-Men from the past and drops them into the present day. 

Marvel's All New X-Men #1 (January 2013) Written by Brian Michael Bendis with pencils by Stuart Immonen, inks by Wade Von Grawbadger, colours by Marte Gracia & letters by VC's Cory Petit. Edited by Nick Lowe $3.99

(Spoilers Below) 

Honestly, when I first heard Marvel was doing this, I was skeptical as it almost sounded a little too ‘comic-booky’. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the premise. Having just witnessed the massive fall from grace that Scott Summers experienced during Avengers vs X-Men, I got thinking how interesting it would be for a younger Cyclops to see what he's become. Of course, with Jean Grey having been gone for years now, I also thought it'd be interesting seeing how those characters who've particularly missed her react to a younger Jean, especially with Brian Michael Bendis writing the dialogue.  

All-New X-Men #1 starts with Hank McCoy in pain as he's about to experience his third mutation. We don't see this, as the story quickly moves from the Gold Coast of Australia to Ann Arbor, Michigan where we see mutants appearing out of the blue and Cyclops, Magneto and Emma Frost assisting their new 'brothers and sisters' handle the authorities who are trying to arrest them. This hostility is noticed by the X-Men at the Jean Grey School and we then move to a debate between its leaders who are trying to resolve how to respond to the hostility of their erstwhile leader. We don't see a resolution to the debate, because before this is resolved, we're sent to a flashback of the original X-Men where Beast arrives to talk his colleagues and ask a younger Cyclops to go into the future and talk some sense to the man he has become.

Beast in All-New X-Men #1 (January 2012)

While I typically start my reviews with my assessment of the writing, in his particular case I'd like to start with the artwork. I really enjoyed Stuart Immonen’s pencils and certainly count him as one of my favourite artists in comics right now. The younger X-Men, while having a somewhat retro look, do not look dated or tied to any particular era and this makes their look work. Jean Grey's hair, for example, looks like it could be from either the 1960s Batman show or an early 90s episode of Friends. The lines are smooth, the faces expressive and interesting, and the action sequences enjoyable. Immonen rendition of Beast also has a cool 'early 90s' Jim Lee's X-Men #1 look, which ties the 2012 characters to that important era magnificently.  

Which takes us to Bendis' story, which was good but not great. Again, as a first issue there wasn't too much to really get worked up about. But my sense is that this story could have used a little more packed into it, especially given that it was $3.99. Frankly, it was a 'Scott's at it again' comic which is fine, but I was starting to look forward to moving on from this past summer. Don't get me wrong: there were good parts and the exchange between McCoy and the younger Cyclops was especially well written and captured their personalities very well. I just felt a little short-changed because I didn't get to see the young X-Men move into the future by the end of the story. That would have made a great concluding splash for Immonen and really get us readers pumped for the second issue. 

The younger X-Men argue about their role in the world in All-New X-Men #1 (January 2012)

So All-New X-Men #1 was a decent enough start to what will obviously be a flagship series for the X-books. There's certainly places for this comic to go, and as I said earlier, it will be great seeing the older X-characters interact with the new. Stuart Immonen's art was great, but on the whole the story could have used a little more substance to it. Because of that it only gets  3.5/5 STARS.

Happy Canada Day!

To mark the occasion here are my top five 'Canada and Comics' convergences. Enjoy:

5) Wolverine joins the X-Men.

All Images from Marvel's Giant-Sixe X-Men first published in 1975 and reprinted in 1991.

This could be considered treason by some, but I think by taking a potentially one-off character and putting him in the X-Men, Marvel gave this Canadian front-line exposure which allowed him to reach the prominence he would later experience.

 

4) First appearance of Captain Canuck. 

From Comely Comix Captain Canuck #1 (July 1975)

What's a Canadian comic without a snowmobile? From Captain Canuck #1.

This book featuring a Captain America look-a-like was released by Comely Comix in 1975. It featured a future where Canada had eclipsed the USA as a superpower and was as much science-fiction as it was superhero. Captain Canuck has since been featured on a postage stamp and there's even talk of a feature film. 

3) Logan fights on D-Day

All images from the great book Marvel's Wolverine #34 (December 1990) written by Larry Hama with art by Marc Sivestri.

Probably the least well known of this list; in Wolverine #34 we learn Logan (Wolverine) jumped on D-Day. Canadian troops launched at Juno Beach during Operation Overlord and played an important role in beating back the Nazi menace during the entire Second World War. Go Canada!  

2) Prisoners of Gravity

This Canadian television program remains (thanks to YouTube) a great source for anyone interested in the history of our medium. It has been talked about on such prominent podcasts as Word Balloon and has one of my favourite interviews with Jack Kirby. Have a look.

1) Alpha Flight Arrives!

The story of the first meeting between Alpha Flight and the X-Men. From Marvel's Alpha Flight #17 (December 1984)

From Marvel's Alpha Flight #1 (August 1983)

Alpha Flight first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 (1979). Created by John Byrne, this group would eventually get its own series and give comics readers a number of great characters and moments. Northstar, one of the original Alphans, has come to prominence in recent weeks as one half of the first same-sex marriage in the Marvel Universe.

So there you go. Have a great Canada Day and thanks again for reading.

WGTB reviews Defenders, Uncanny, FF & F4, Captain Atom, Superman & Alpha Flight

Recently, while listening to another great podcast by John Sinuntres, Spider-Man writer Dan Slott mentioned how he knows of so many readers will rush through their stack each Wednesday just to get on the blogosphere or message boards to give their opinions. Admittedly, I've also done that -- but not this week. This week, I’m going to borrow a page from the ‘Dan Slott School of Savouring Comics’ and put up some thoughts about books from all of January. Just because I can...  

From DC's Captain Atom #5, March 2012

Defenders #2

I’m really starting to enjoy this comic. I have to admit, back in December I wasn’t as taken with the first issue as I thought I would be, but #2 was great and next week's #3 is certainly anticipated. Overall, I love the 'throw-back' feel to the story and layout and I think Fraction's developing a good story by giving this gifted group of superheroes a challenge befitting of their talents. The art isn't outstanding, but it does the job and because of that the books gets 4/5 STARS. 

From Marvel's Defenders #2, March 2012

Uncanny X-Men #3

Gillen’s writing gave me the loudest ‘lol’ moment of my reading this past week courtesy of Namor, a character who seems to be getting around the Marvel Universe. This X-Men continues to be good, but at the same time, I'm also pleased we seem to be moving on from the Sinister story. Don't get me wrong, I love Sinister -- but I also think the multiplicity aspect of the character was starting to wear thin. Overall, however, the book is going well and has an intensity to it that is very welcome, especially now that it appears this team has taken its rightful place as the preeminent team in the Marvel U. 4/5 STARS

LOL! Namor just doesn't get it in Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #3, February 2012

I've really enjoyed the art in Uncanny X-Men #3, February 2012

FF#13, FF#14 & Fantastic Four #602

Reading these three books this past month was very fun and it has really been great seeing the original Four back together. Jonathan Hickman continues to churn out stories that are big in scope, yet have the personal touch of family that has long been the hallmark of the Reed/Storm dynamic. I would also say that Barry Kitson and Paul Mounts artwork of #602 was outstanding and really seems to work with Hickman’s grand themes. This particular issue was very reminiscent of my old favourite TV program Babylon 5. I also seem to have noticed some Japanese mecha (specifically Robotech) influences which was fun. The FF title has also been a good story, and while I'm not as enthusiastic about it as F4, I’m especially enjoying the relationship between Valeria Richards and Dr. Doom. Being a longtime fan of the John Byrne run of the 1980s, it has been great seeing Hickman’s Von Doom become less of the caricature of the evil genius and become friends with the scion of his old nemesis. 4/5 STARS (Collectively) 

Kitson's art has had a Robotech-type influence in Marvel's Fantastic Four #602, March 2012

Epic space battles in Marvel's Fantastic Four #602, March 2012

More big ideas from Hickman in Marvel's FF #13, February 2012

Captain Atom #5

About mid-month, DC released the list of the New 52 that were being cancelled after issue #8 and I really felt this book was going to be on that list. My information was purely anecdotal, but Captain Atom just didn’t seem to be getting the same attention (and sales) as other books. Well, it wasn't and I am glad because I have been enjoying this book on the whole. That said, #5 didn’t especially grab me story wise: the pace isn’t as quick as it could be and a hero of nearly infinite power certainly can do more than battle giant blobs of organic matter. But where the story has been less inspired, I should say how the artwork of Krul and Williams II has been edgy and highly enjoyable. So, if I could offer these fellows some humble advice, it would be to take Captain Atom into outer space or give him a fast paced challenge worthy of his amazing powers and story. This would keep me enthusiastically slapping down my money and hopefully keep this title going well into the future. 3.5/5 STARS. 

The story was a little slow but the art from DC's Captain Atom #5 (March 2012) was outstanding!

Superman #5

In a similar vein to Captain Atom, I've been enjoying this new take on Superman, but also feel it is suffering from a pace problem. In this particular issue Superman battles an elemental and in the course of that, he inhales his enemy which changes his personality into a Draconian anti-crime near-criminal who starts to hassle Metropolis. Obviously, he is possessed but it seems this series has been too much 'establishing' and not enough real super-action. I know this lands me in a position where I'm critiquing George Perez, a comics legend, but I would like to see more of the great Superman myth and because of that can only give it a 3.5/5 STARS.

Great art from DC's Superman #5, March 2012

Alpha Flight #8

To conclude, we come back to Marvel with Alpha Flight #8, the last book of the eight issue maxi which started in the summer.  All in all, this was a good series, but has also been one of mixed sentiments. From FanExpo’s announcement of a continuing series, to the surprising announcement back to an eight issue maxi, this has been a fun yet turbulent ride for fans of Canada's superhero team. So although I liked the story, and enjoyed seeing my old favourite, Wolverine, I also felt it ended on an abrupt note which could have been played out a little longer. That said, it was a reasonably good series and it was good seeing the group back on the pages of Marvel. Pak and Van Lente did a good job at the story-telling and Eaglesham's art, while not the most innovative, did the job that a comic should.  

From Marvel's Alpha Flight #8, March 2012

At the end of the book Van Lente, Pak and Eaglesham each wrote a ‘thank you’ note to the supporters of the book and briefly addressed the FanExpo announcement; the economic factors that dialled it back; and possible future stories that include the Flight. Of course, I won’t tell you exactly what was said, nor will I include an image of the message (go buy Alpha Flight #8 if you want to see what they said) but all in all it was a nice message and you could tell the three enjoyed working on the book and were somewhat disappointed to see it end. But alas, that is the industry we love! 4/5 STARS for the series.

So there you are: some thoughts on the comics we've seen in January 2012. I'll be reviewing Winter Soldier #1 when it comes out this Wednesday, so stay tuned and thanks for reading.

WGTB reviews FF #12, Uncanny X-Men #3, Swamp Thing #4 & Defenders #1

This past week I crossed the Atlantic to visit to my hometown of Toronto for the holidays. Having purchased FF#12, Uncanny X-Men #3, Swamp Thing #4 and Defenders #1 last Wednesday for the flight, I read them over Iceland and thought I'd write a short review of each on this early jet-lagged morning. 

Let’s start with FF#12. In many respects this is the first issue of a new series because two weeks ago Marvel released Fantastic Four #600, a 100 page mega-comic which spilt the two Jonathan Hickman titles Fantastic Four and FF, the former having been on hiatus since the ‘death’ of Johnny Storm in #587. On December 21, the original title is back with Fantastic Four #601 and now FF is dedicated entirely to the stories of Franklin and Valeria Richards and the Future Foundation. 

From Marvel's FF #12, January 2012

The book was quite good and Jonathan Hickman is by far one of the best at weaving high level science-fiction into comic books. This one could have used a re-read of past issues just to get the story straight, but it was a good tale and Hickman was great at writing for the younger demographic found in this book. Juan Bobillo and Marcelo Sosa's cartoony art matches the youthful dimension to the comic and all in all, I think I'll keep going back.  

 

Uncanny X-Men #2 continues with the Sinister vs Extinction Team on the California coast and I really enjoyed this one. As a Canadian living in London, I further appreciated Briton Kieron Gillen's Nathaniel Essex/Sinister back-story which included a great image of Greenwich. While I wasn’t initially convinced Sinister was the right villain for the X-Men in the lead-up to this series, I really liked the ending of #2 and think the new ‘Sinister Species’ seems like a great nemesis for the X-Men. I’m definitely going to keep this title, which was a success for Marvel because I was considering dropping it after the first issue.  

From Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #2, January 2012 

From Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #2, January 2012

 

Moving to Swamp Thing #4, this was probably my favourite comic of the four books I read. I have to say (AGAIN!) Scott Snyder’s story-telling ability is simply fantastic. Also, as a long-time JRR Tolkien and Alan Moore fan, I really loved seeing the Parliament of Trees (Ents!) again, and I really appreciate how the New 52’s Swamp Thing is drawing on the rich history of the Saga of the Swamp Thing, the great run in the 80s. Moreover, seeing that great duality of the Green v the Rot was just awesome and I can't wait to see the conflict come to the fore. Keep ‘em coming, Scott.

From DC's Swamp Thing #4, February 2012

I close today with Defenders #1, a book I have been looking forward to since I first heard about it. As a long-time fan of the Silver Surfer and enjoyer of Matt Fraction’s work, I knew this book was something I would enjoy. Frankly, it did not disappoint, but because the first issues of team books are rarely more than set-up and introductory stories, I think we will have to wait until #2 to see how good it actually gets. I am looking forward to the battle/meeting that awaits us with the old Fantastic Four/Thor opponent Prester John in the next issue.  

From Marvel's Defenders #1, January 2012

So there you go: some quick reviews for mid December. Have a great holiday and I should be back with a couple more before the end of 2011. All the best!