Happy 75th Birthday, Superman!

Seventy-five years ago today, Action Comics #1 was released by National Allied Publications, one part of the company that would eventually become DC Comics. This fine magazine, an effort by Toronto-born artist Joe Shuster and Clevelander Jerry Seigel, was the culmination of a collaboratory friendship that began while both lads attended Glenville High School in eastern Cleveland, Ohio, USA. 

Cover of National Allied Publication's Action Comics #1 (April 1938)

To say Action Comics #1 made an impact on pop culture in both the United States and the Western world is an understatement. This book started a wave of superhero comics that would eventually sell in the millions and become the Golden Age of comic books. From there, Superman and both his heroic associates and villainous competitors would go on to star in a plethora of stories, cross over into other mediums and bring us a deluge of exciting entertainment. Superman is still a big seller at the comic shops today, and if this film trailer is any indication, he will continue to thrill and inspire us for years to come.  

Superman talks to the people of planet Earth in DC Comics' Superman For Earth (1991)

Happy Birthday, Superman! Thanks for looking after us all these years!

WGTB Reviews Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance

I first read Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance sometime back in the mid 1990s. It was dog-eared copy I had borrowed from a friend and to be honest, I didn’t get very far -- keeping it largely as a locker accessory to boost my bona fides when it came to musical knowledge. Since then however, Severed Alliance has become famous and is now considered among the best books on a musical group. And it was with this in mind that upon coming across the 20th anniversary edition, I decided to finally give it the reading I should have decades ago. Having remained a fan of the Smiths (and of both Morrissey and Marr) since, I also knew it would be fun reading about one of the most famous musical duos to come out of the 80s.  

Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance, 20th Anniversary Edition, Johnny Rogan, Omnibus Press, 2012, pp. 624,  £14.95

To say the book is a tour de force is an understatement. Coming in at 624 pages (including extensive footnoting), Severed Alliance begins with a detailed account of Morrissey and Marr’s familial roots in Ireland, complete with smatterings of both Irish and British political and sociological history to provide context for the eventual moves to England. From there it discusses the early careers of both: Morrissey as a prolific writer of letters to the musical press and eventual author of his own pamphlet-book on the New York Dolls, and Marr as an precocious and thorough student of popular music. Along the way we are also treated to a detailed description of the UK’s music scene of the 70s and 80s which provides important context as to backdrop of the Smiths’ development. This all culminates with the eventual first encounter of the eventual bandmates, instigated by Johnny’s friend Rob Allman at Morrissey’s house Stretford, Manchester.

From there it’s on to an account of the rise of the Smiths as a four person ensemble; the writing of their earliest songs and the methods in which Morrissey and Marr went about creating their art. Of course, by reading Severed Alliance in 2013, one is able to do so with the Smiths’ entire catalogue close and this is a real advantage. I can’t tell you how many times I had to stop reading and listen to them. Rogan does a great job analysing the Smiths’ canon and this has led to a new appreciation of music I have literally listened to for decades.  

Along with a command of the music, Severed Alliance is also good at explaining the business side of the group and how important this was to its overall being. In the past, Morrissey has expressed displeasure with this book, and this is probably because Rogan pulls no punches with regard to contractual aspects of the band and in places really airs the dirty linen. In these sections we also learn about the Smiths importance to the fledgling Rough Trade records and Morrissey and Marr’s dominance of the financial affairs of the band, all of which eventually led to the legal case Joyce v Morrissey and Others before the Royal Courts of Justice in the 1990s. The legal aspect of the Smiths' history was beyond the scope of the book, but subsequent research done during the trial shows that Rogan did not let his project end, and the litigation did contribute to the revised edition. 

Reading books on musical groups can seem like a somewhat pointless activity in an era of near instantaneous pop culture information. But even with the internet, Severed Alliance provides in one volume a thorough analysis of the Smiths and the two personalities that drove this band during its short existence. The opening chapters about Morrissey’s Irish background seemed a little excessive in places, but this minor failing aside, the writing is great (at times being as poetic as Morrissey's himself) and this book tells the facinating story of the Smiths in a comprehensive and engaging way. Because of this, Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance is a very enjoyable book and would make a great addition to any indie/alternative music aficionado’s library. 4.5/5 STARS      

RIP Roger Ebert & Carmine Infantino

It was quite the day. In the movie world, we lost Roger Ebert at age 70 to cancer. Ebert was a long-time film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and probably best known for being one half of one of the greatest movie review TV programs ever: At The Movies with partners Gene Siskel and Richard Roeper. RIP Mr. Ebert.

In comics we also lost legendary artist Carmine Infantino. Born in Brooklyn in 1925, Infantino's sizable opus included work on Detective Comics, Batman, Superman, The Avengers, Captain America, Star Wars and Spider-Woman. He was a member of the Comic Book Hall of Fame and considered by both fans and historians as one of the greatest pencillers of all time. 

The spash from DC's Showcase #4 (October 1956). Reprinted as a Silver Age Classic in 1992. All images from the Silver Age Classic reprint. Written by Robert Kanigher and John Broome with art by Joe Kubert & Carmine Infantino. 

Cop turned superhero Barry Allen

Modern comic book fans likely know Infantino best for his contribution to the resurgence of superheroes in the post-war period. This started in 1956 when DC's editor Julius Schwartz assigned Infantino and Joe Kubert to work with writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome to resuscitate that genre which had been reduced to a scattering of titles. They did so with the creation of Barry Allen as a new "Flash". In this story, Allen was a police officer of Central City who was turned into the "Fastest Man Alive" when a science experiment and bolt of lightening combined for some unexpected results. The Flash would go on to use his powers to fight crime and without the success of Showcase #4 we arguably wouldn't have the Flash becoming a founding member of the Justice League and that fateful golf game that led to Marvel's reposte, The Fantastic Four and an expanded Silver Age of comics. 

So in thanks to Carmine Infantino and his work in our medium, I thought I'd scatter this post with images from Showcase #4's including the splashes of both stories which featured Barry Allen as the Flash. RIP Mr. Infantino.

WGTB Reviews Marvel Comics: The Untold Story

Hello, friends. First off, my sincere apologies for not writing in the last little while -- it has been a very busy winter for me. But while taking a brief sabbatical from WGTB, I did manage to read a book that was released in the latter half of 2012 called Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by journalist and former editor of Entertainment Weekly, Sean Howe.  

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, Sean Howe, Harper, 2012, 485 pp, $26.99

Beginning with Timely Comics, the first incarnation of the company, Marvel Comics: The Untold Story takes its reader on the journey of Marvel from its conception to its current incarnation as one of the jewels in the crown of the Disney empire. The book itself is divided into five parts, each with their own manageable chapters. These parts, logically divided, cover the company’s origins; its renaissance during the 60s rebirth of the superhero genre; the mostly dreary and sometimes incomprehensible 70s; the sometimes acrimonious but always interesting period of Jim Shooter as Editor-in-Chief; the boom and bust period of the 90s and finally, the modern period of corporate restructuring and Marvel’s apotheosis in the cinematic world.   

The book itself is compulsively readable and does not seem the nearly five hundred pages it is. It is meticulously well researched and especially good at detailing the complex and often vitriolic drama that has dominated much of Marvel’s history. Of course, most of us know of the intellectual property disputes that still dominate Jack Kirby’s estate, but Untold also does a great job at explaining the many similar conflicts that occurred in the 70s and 80s that are much less well known. Further to that, it takes careful attention to document the fascinating history of the Editor-in-chief tenure of Jim Shooter. I knew much less about this but was absolutely enthralled while reading about it. 

But for me, by far the most interesting section of the book was Howe’s examination into the boom and bust period of the 90s when, after selling millions of comic books, Marvel nearly collapsed upon itself in a fury of corporate overreaching and greed. Readers of this blog will note that this has long been of particular interest to this blogger, but even with that background, I was impressed by Howe's research and the considerable depth of his explanations. Naturally, with Marvel's top books now selling a fraction of what they did in the early 90s, there’s an instinct to think that a comic book bubble will never happen again and therefore a warning is not necessary. But exposés of any boom and bust are always important and always serve as a warning to any industry or business -- especially those were demand is rooted in the ebb and flow of what is popular. 

In a couple places the book it could use more dates or year descriptions to assist the reader who is not as well versed in 70s or 80s comic book lore. Likewise, with so many names, it was helpful to have a tablet computer close just to periodically check when another unknown artist, writer or inker’s name surfaces. But these small matters aside, Marvel Comics: The Untold Story is a great work of comics journalism and fascinating survey of an area of pop culture and creative genius that has left an indelible print on the modern world. It is not to be missed. 4.5/5 STARS.

WGTB Reviews Green Arrow #17

The creative team of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino began their run on DC's Green Arrow this week and it certainly got off the ground with a bang. Now, I had been looking forward to this team's work since I first heard about the change in late autumn. Lemire is a writer who I've been enjoying to increasing levels over the past few years and recently happened upon his graphic novel The Nobody, finding it a quirky and odd science-fiction story that could've happened (okay, not really) in any of the small Southern Ontario communities in which I spend my youth. Lemire is also responsible for one of the sleeper hits of the New 52 and Animal Man was another reason to get me optimistic about Green Arrow #17. 

DC's Green Arrow #17 (April 2013) Written by Jeff Lemire, art and colours by Andrew Sorrentino, letters by Rob Leigh, edited by Joey Cavalieri & Kate Stewart

(Warning: Some Spoilers Below)

This is also the first Green Arrow book I’ve bought since I left the title sometime in 2011. The previous teams were okay, but just didn’t seem to mesh with what I wanted from the comic. I understood the Q-Core/high-tech Seattle-based Oliver Queen and thought it was a great modern spin on things, but I just found those books devoid (in both art and writing) of the gritty enmity that has long defined the Green Arrow and made him such an innovative character in the Bronze and early Modern ages. 

Sorrentino's menacing art is a stand-out...

...feature of Green Arrow #17 (April 2013)

So did I like #17 and did Lemire and Sorrentino live up to the hype? The short answer to this question is a resounding "Yes". It begins with a quick recap of the series which was of marginal value, but then quickly transitions into a conflict between Oli and his corporate boss, who is subsequently murdered by a flying arrow. The rest of the comic tells the tale of the Green Arrow looking for the culprit, until he comes face to face with him only to learn that every step along the way he has been two steps behind. Just when the book is about to end, Oli is saved, but it's very clear the arc is only in its early stages. 

 

Lemire and Sorrentino’s Green Arrow #17 is a well-crafted first effort and certainly has the booster-shot of grittiness I had been craving. The enemy, Komodo, is much better than anything I've seen from past Green Arrow efforts and without question Sorrentino's fantastic art made the book enjoyable on multiple levels. Indeed, the art (as you can see) makes a quicker impression on the reader, but overall, the Trent Reznor-esque tonal intensity to the writing tells me Lemire has brought his 'A' game and I'm already looking forward to the next issue. This is a must get for the week of February 6th and I think we can expect great things in the months ahead. 4.5/5 STARS 

Does it Stand? The Infinity Gauntlet

Recently I reread Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet, a story that if you collected comics in the early 1990s you've probably read at least an issue as well. Written by Jim Starlin with art by George Perez and Ron Lim, this six issue mini was released between July and December 1991 and told the story of the earthly and celestial superheroes and gods teaming up to battle (and then join) a Mephisto-influenced Thanos who's six gem Infinity Gauntlet has given him God-like powers. The legacy of this series was a lot of Infinity themed stories in the early 90s but can also be seen today in series like Marvel NOW!'s New Avengers.

Cover of Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #1 (TPB - January 2005) Written by Jim Starlin with art by George Perez and Ron Lin. Originally published July 1991-December 1991

While reading I wondered if it was worth writing about a series that has been out for over twenty years. Comic books are a nostalgia driven hobby and so many of us remember fondly those stories of decades ago. But what of the period when comics were almost everywhere and all those guys in your grade-school class stumbled into the hobby just when you thought it was yours? Remember that moment when you were ticked off that a friend -- let's call him 'Adam' -- had the ‘next big thing’ when you couldn’t afford it? Have those books stood the test of time like Stan and Jack's run on The Fantastic Four or Neil Edward’s Green Lantern? Or do they now just look rushed and silly?

 

From Marvel's The Infinity Guantlet #4 (October 1991) 

That’s what WGTB's “Does It Stand?” feature is going to be about. We're going to write about those comic stories published in the mid 80s and early 90s boom and let you know if we think they stand the test for today's discerning reader. They won't be called reviews per se, but just short commentaries (with lots of images) on how the medium has changed is that period. 

From Marvel's The Infinity Guantlet #3 (September 1991)

So let's get at it. There's no doubt that sequential art storytelling has changed a lot since the 1990s, but as a modern reader I'll say The Infinity Gauntlet, while not outstanding is somewhat enjoyable. The first three issues were clearly better than the rest, with a couple silly moments throwing the plot off in the latter issues and some obvious deus ex machina to wrap up the series. But on the whole it wasn't bad. The art is certainly very different than what you see today (even from George Perez who is still working) with the colours being much brighter and less realistic. Indeed, even when something terrible happens, it is never as menacing and dark as you'd see today and unfortunately high concept material like the Celestials or Galactus especially suffer in the brighter themes of a decade ago.

 

From Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #5 (November 1991)

From Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #3 (October 1991)

The characterization of Thanos as the maniacal yet (nearly) goofy God-like antagonist is also something that doesn’t really stand up, and I certainly don’t see Jonathan Hickman or Jason Aaron writing that character today like Starlin did then. Likewise, Adam Warlock, the closest thing we have to 'hero', was also unremarkable and someone I couldn't really enjoy seeing successful. But on the whole it does stand up as a piece of nostalgia-driven fun and if you have old copies of it kicking around The Infinity Gauntlet might be worth an hour or so of your time.

From Marvel's The Infinity Gauntlet #6 (December 1991)

The Trial of the Watcher: A WGTB Retrospective

Uatu, commonly known as 'The Watcher', is one of those great Marvel characters who always seems to pop up during the big events. He's long been a favourite of mine because I just love the idea of a race of space historians flying around recording important events in galactic history. As an aspiring lawyer, I'm also interested to see how legal trials are portrayed in comics, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I'd be drawn to a story where Uatu is put on trial. This story happened during the mid 1970s run (numbers 37, 38 & 39) of Captain Marvel and I thought I'd post some images, as well as use it as a little teaching moment about one of the first things one learns in a criminal law class. 

Marvel's Captain Marvel #39 (July 1975) Written by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom & Tony Isabella. Pencils by Al Milgrom, inks by Klaus Janson, colours by Phil Rachelson, letters by June Braverman. Edited by Len Wein.

Co-written by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom and Tony Isabella, the story has the Watchers finally calling Uatu to account for his consistent interference in events of the universe, one of the most serious crimes any Watcher can commit. When the indictment is read, the readers are treated to a nice little history of Marvel in the Silver and early Bronze ages which was pretty fun in itself. Have a look: 

All images from Captain Marvel #39 (July 1975)

 

But the story also offers a lesson into one of the first things a student learns in criminal law: the mens rea and the actus reus. Mens rea is Latin for 'guilty mind' and this is basically the malice that a prosecutor must prove for a crime to have been committed. For example, if I am cutting veggies in a kitchen and suddenly have a seizure and stab my friend in the process, I would not be convicted because I did not have the mens rea for that offence due to the medical condition. The actus reus or 'guilty act' is the criminal act but, again, I can be very angry after a heated argument, but until I decide to act upon that anger and commit a crime, the state cannot prosecute me.* In common law jurisdictions such as the United States, England and Canada, the combination of the two must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt by the trier of fact (be it judge or jury) before there is a conviction. In Uatu's case, it was a large jury of his peers (seen below) that did indeed determine he had both the mens rea and actus reus for what he was accused, and he was found guilty. His punishment, however, was very light because his colleagues are always able to 'watch' him and make sure he didn't do it again. Which he did, of course!   

It is a fun comic arch but also a little dated in places. There is a secondary story which was rather difficult to follow, but for being almost forty years old, I did enjoy it. I'm not sure if it's available in trade, but I know there are copies in your local store now and you'd certainly be able to find it at a convention. It'd probably be pretty cheap too. Thanks again for reading WGTB and please look our for the new reviews I've been working on.

*Obviously, this is a very simple way of talking about the mens rea and actus reus as there are things such as inchoate offences, recklessness offences, etc. which also find their way into criminal law too.