King-Size Kirby!

Make sure you check the Diamond Marvel Previews this month. There's a lot coming over the horizon for both the Big Two and the Others, but one of the most notable for students of the history of comics is that a King-Size Kirby hardcover is slated to be available this July. It's going to be a massive 816 pages and $200.00, but it looks like this will be the book to have for fans of Jack "The King" Kirby. I'll start saving the pennies for a review this summer! 

Captain America as drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby. Found the Marvel Previews (February 2015). 

WGTB Reviews Star Wars #1

There is a lot for Star Wars fans to be excited about these days: The Force Awakens trailer went up on the Internet in December, and was a fun taste of what will undoubtedly be the hit film of 2015-2016. Also, just a few weeks ago, Disney which now owns both Lucasfilm and Marvel comics, brought the Star Wars licence back to the publisher who had it from 1977 until 1989 when it was taken over by Dark Horse Comics. Of course, Dark Horse's work with the property from 1994 to 2014 proved they were worthy custodians of the Star Wars universe, but this only means that Marvel Comics' first issue in decades would have to be strong and lasting impression.

Marvel's Star Wars Vol.2 #1 (March 2015) Written by Jason Aaron, art by John Cassaday, colors by Laura Martin and letters by Chris Eliopoulos.

So how did Marvel do? All in all, I would say Marvel didn't do too badly. All the main characters were present -- including Darth Vader -- who is always cool to see. John Cassady's art has a photo-realism that works well, especially given that it's a franchise readers cannot help but bring their old awe-struck memories to the reading experience. The ships and technology was also great, and the fact that Star Wars has always had the best naval architecture of any science-fiction/space opera franchise, was not lost on Cassday and the Marvel crew. Have a look for yourself:

An AT-AT in Star Wars #1

And it's not just the technology: the gang's all here in Star Wars #1...

It's almost a truism to say Jason Aaron is as skilled a writer as comics can get. His work with the various Thor titles since the Marvel NOW! re-branding has lent itself to space-opera and stories of epic proportions, as did Wolverine and the X-Men which was never afraid to go to outer space when needed. So while it's probably too early to tell whether these stories are going to great, I think Aaron is both the right person for the job and at this point is off to a good start. The book is at a $4.99 price point, which seems to be where Marvel is heading these days (Avengers!) which was slightly unpleasant, but this particular edition included sample pages from the upcoming Marvel releases: Darth Vader and Princess Leia, both of which looked like good beginnings to a fresh look at the Star Wars universe. 

... as is Darth Vader!

So while it's probably too early to tell whether these stories are going to great, I think Aaron is both the right person for the job and is off to a good start. In either case, while the Dark Horse material is no longer canon, (Will it become an Ultimate Star Wars universe?) it will be interesting to see how Marvel does with this line of Star Wars comics, especially given the new films are just over the horizon. However, from a first impression, things look to be in good shape. 4/5 STARS 

Happy Birthday to Jack "The King" Kirby!

Today marks what would be the 97th birthday of Jacob Kurtzberg a.k.a. Jack "The King" Kirby. For the few of you who don't know, Jack Kirby is one of the most important artists in the history of comic books and the co-creator of such superhero stalwarts as Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, the Avengers, Silver Surfer and Galactus, and so many, many more.

Jack Kirby in 1993, shortly before his passing. Photo by Suzy Skaar. 

Born August 28, 1917 in Lower East Side Manhattan, Jack was the son of Jewish immigrants from Austria. At an early age he found himself to be a gifted artist and this eventually led to a job working on comic strips and graphic images at a newspaper company. Shortly afterwards, he found work drawing parts for film animation and then moved to the Fox Feature Syndicate where he met writer/editor Joe Simon. From there, the pair moved on to Martin Goodman's Timely Comics where Joe and Jack created the iconic Captain America in late 1940, almost a full year before Japanese bombs sunk the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. 

Private Jack Kirby home safe and sound after the Second World War. 

Jack himself would go on to serve in the 11th Infantry Regiment and would land at Normandy, although not during the D-Day invasion. With entertainment options limited in the theatre of war and comic books easy to carry and pass around a barracks, there are stories of soldiers reading Captain America during reprieves in the fighting, often at complete unawares that Cap's co-creator was on the base close by. Jack returned state-side in early 1945 after honourable service in the US Army, perhaps most notably at the Battle of the Bulge, the last German offensive of that dreadful war. 

Marvel's Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966) which featured Silver Surfer and Galactus.

Once back in the states, Jack returned to his true calling: art. But when the bottom fell out of superhero comics in the late 1940s, Kirby took to other versions of the funny books. Indeed, after they had reunited, Simon and Kirby created romance comics, a forerunner to young adult-themed cultural phenomena that could even include television programs like Friends or How I Met Your Mother. Kirby's work with Simon would come to an end when the latter moved to advertising, but Jack soon made the move back to Atlas (formerly Timely) Comics and when the Silver Age dawned with the publishing of DC's of Showcase #4 in 1956, Kirby was well-situated to reconnect with his former colleague Stan Lee and create a new group of superheroes. 

Image from Marvel's Fantastic Four #91 (October 1969) This art is classic Jack Kirby. 

"Stan and Jack" would go on populate the Marvel Universe with the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers and many more, with the duo becoming some of the most prolific story-tellers in the history of the medium. They were also the gold standard too, with their tales featuring galactic adventures, large-than-life heroes, god-like villains, a resurrected Captain America and Marvel's calling card of the Silver Age: teen angst. Jack Kirby stayed with Marvel until the early 1970s when he was enticed to cross the street and move to DC. While at the "Distinguished Competition" Jack took the reigns of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (a poor selling book so he wouldn't take anyone's job) and created the highly serialized and archetype-rich science-fiction epic Jack Kirby's Fourth World as well as characters OMAC and Kamandi. In the mid 1970s Jack returned to Marvel for a short, final time where he created fan favourites The Eternals, among a few others.

Kirby art in Pacific Comics' Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers #3 (March 1982).

After a brief stint in animation in the late 1970s where he worked on such awesome stories as Thundaar The Barbarian, Jack returned to the funny books once again to do work that we would now label "creator owned". This choice of phrase is both apt and ironic due to on-going legal issues relating to the ownership of Kirby's co-creations at Marvel, issues that may yet be heard before the Supreme Court of the United States. But that is a sordid tale for another blog entry (or even a book).

Jack Kirby's self-portrait. It features many characters he co-created and developed at Marvel Comics. 

Jack Kirby passed away on February 6, 1994 at the age of 76. When your humble blogger became re-acquainted with comic books after a decade-plus hiatus, it the re-discovery of Jack Kirby's art that drew me in and indirectly led to the creation and naming of this blog. WGTB loves Kirby's larger-than-life characters, his legendary "Kirby Krackle" and the dynamism of almost any page he has ever drawn. So happy birthday, King! You're well and truly missed and have legions of supporters and fans who will ensure your name is never forgotten.

SuperSoundtracks #7: Reed Richards & Deadmau5

Reed Richards a.k.a. "Mr. Fantastic" is without question my favourite comic character. I like him because first and foremost, he's very smart, quite probably the smartest character in the Marvel Universe. But he's also a family man, a good and loyal friend but flawed and imperfect in a lot of ways too. Simply put, he's one of Marvel's most interesting and well-rounded characters. This is why it has been so difficult figuring out a SuperSoundtrack for him. If you can't remember, a SuperSoundtrack is a re-occurring feature on WGTB where we pair a song with a comic book superhero and explain why the two fit together. It's basically a fun way to talk about both comics and music, two things we love here!  

Reed Richards in Marvel's New Avengers Vol. 3 #1 (March 2013) Written by Jonathan Hickman with pencils by Steve Epting and inks by Rick Magyar & Rank D'Armata

Reed Richards was created in the early 1960s. You might remember the (likely apocryphal) story: Martin Goodman, publisher Marvel Comics was playing golf with National Periodical Publications' (DC Comics) Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld when the DC boss boasted about the success of the new Justice League of America title. Goodman, seeing an opportunity for Marvel to return to superheroes, went back to the office and instructed Stan Lee to come up with a new team of science-fiction themed characters. The result was The Fantastic Four #1, released in November 1961 and co-created with artist Jack Kirby. 

Cover of Marvel's The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #1 (November 1961)

Although the Fantastic Four owed their creation to the Justice League, they were unlike them in many ways. Having acquired their powers from bombarding cosmic rays while on a spaceship of Reed Richards' design, they brought to their stories pre-existing relationships and were a family. Reed's girlfriend and eventual wife was Susan Storm, the lone female member of the team, and her brother Johnny, was a hot-headed teenager. The team also featured Reed's best friend from college, Ben Grimm. Ben's power was that he had permanently turned into a rock-like "Thing". Reed's was that he could stretch and change in an elastic-like manner; Sue's was that she could turn invisible; and Johnny became the Human Torch. The Fantastic Four, also in stark contrast to their Justice League counterparts, didn't keep secret identities and were celebrities in their own right. 

Image from Marvel's The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #47 (February 1966) by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

From The Fantastic Four #1, the book would proceed for 611 issues and included some of the most highly acclaimed runs in all of comics. Indeed, Stan and Jack's run of 102 (with 6 Annuals) in so many ways stands atop the podium of the Silver Age and introduced to the Marvel Universe such stalwart characters as the Skrulls, the Watcher, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, the Black Panther, the Kree and so many others. Stan and Jack's collaborative effort also gave birth to what became the "Marvel Method", a teamwork focused way of comic story writing. 

Image from Marvel's The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #358 (November 1991) Story by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Paul Ryan & inks by Danny Bulanadi.  

As the Silver Age turned to Bronze, The Fantastic Four lost much of their lustre. It still sold well and kept the self-proclaimed "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" but it would take British-Canadian creator John Byrne to really revive the franchise. Byrne, stepping-up in the summer of 1981, gave us another long and enjoyable run of the venerable title. Byrnes' run was five years long and had much of the science-fiction that Lee and Kirby's did, but also gave it a more modern feel, reaching its height (in this blogger's opinion) with "The Trial of Reed Richards" arch. Here Reed Richards faced prosecution for saving the life of world devouring Galactus. In his defence Richards offered up this rationale: 

Image from Marvel's The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #262 (January 1984) Here Byrne's unique storytelling comes to a fore with Reed facing criminal charges of a galactic scale.

Byrnes' enjoyable run was followed by subsequent creators who were met with mixed success and gradually the Fantastic Four were eclipsed by the likes of the Uncanny X-Men and the Avengers. However, when speaking of creators, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the great run that Jonathan Hickman put together in the latter portion of the first volume of The Fantastic Four. In this run Richards founded the Future Foundation, the core members being the two children he and Sue had together and a mix of other eclectic personalities. Brian Michael Bendis and Hickman would later introduced us to Reed as a core member of the Illuminati in the New Avengers. This group brought Mr. Fantastic together with Ironman, Black Panther, Dr. Strange, Namor, and Professor X (and later Beast) to deal with threats that only the brightest on Earth could handle. 

Of late, there has been some unfortunate talk of Marvel cancelling the The Fantastic Four comic book. I know the numbers haven't been great recently, but from what I've read, this has more to do with 20th Century Fox owning the movie rights to the characters and Marvel/Disney not wanting to cross-promote another company's product. What comes of this we will have to wait and see.

The final appearance of Reed Richards in the first volume. From Marvel's The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #611 (December 2012)  Written by Jonathan Hickman with pencils and inks by Ryan Stegman. Pictured here with his father Nathaniel Richards.

For Reed Richards' SuperSoundtrack I’ve selected some progressive house by Canadian artist Deadmau5. The track is "Strobe" off Deadmau5’s 2009 album For Lack of a Better Name and while I know it might seem a little strange to go with progressive house when there is a plethora of older music that could be used for the elder statesmen of the Marvel Universe, (here I'm thinking specifically of J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor) I still think there are good reasons to do so. 

Cover of Deadmau5's For Lack of a Better Name. This was the Canadian recording artist's fourth studio album. 

Listening to Strobe, it starts with an ambient piano-infused progression which really allows you to picture Reed in his laboratory, where he is the most happy and effective. At about minute four of the ten minute track, the beat kicks in and it's here where we can envision Mr. Fantastic as a man of action: a scientist who is not above getting his hands dirty and using his towering intelligence to do what his family, friends or the planet Earth needs. By the end, the melody transitions again into an almost hypnotic place and then closes in a final wind-down with a chain of mysterious ethereal and space-like sounds. This is where I've always felt Reed Richards is at home and is best placed to do his work: in outer space. Just as long has he has his family with him, of course! 

Reed Richards in his lab. Image from The Fantastic Four Vol. 4 #1 (January 2013) written by Matt Fraction with pencils by Mark Bagley and inks by Mark Farmer

Although I went with Strobe for Reed Richards, there are some runners-up to be mentioned. The first is the above mentioned organ masterpiece by J.S. Bach, which I think is a direct ancestor of music like progressive house. But more recently Deadmau5's track Errors in my Bread from his June 2014 album While (1<2) also captures a scientist at work. Have a listen to all of the above mentioned music and if you can picture the great Reed Richards talking to Norrin Radd or Black Bolt while doing it, then I've accomplished my goal. Of course, if you have any suggestions about Reed Richards, Deadmau5 or any other SuperSoundtrack then please comment below. Thanks for reading! 

A Female Thor?

I say bring it on! 

Thor comics have never been so much about the man as they're about Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Remember Beta Ray Bill? If not, Bill first appeared in Thor #337 and was a horse-faced alien created by long-time Thor scribe and artist Walt Simonson. Simonson's goal in making Bill 'ugly' was deliberate: he wanted the reader to first think of him as a villain. Then, after lifting Mjolnir, all physical superficiality would be cast aside and a true heroic spirit emerge. It worked and Beta Ray Bill remains a lasting character in Marvel's pantheon to this day.

Thor image taken from the Marvel website. This image is drawn by Esad Ribic.  

Anyone who is worthy of wielding Mjolnir should wield it, regardless if they're alien, human or god. So I think it's great that Marvel has decided to mix things up and with Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman at the helm of this book, we should all be looking forward to it. 

Cover of Marvel's Thor #337 (November 1983) featuring Beta Ray Bill.

The Avengers, Omega Flight & Westminster style Executive Government

While rereading Avengers Vol. 5 #10 recently I noticed (remembered!) how the story took the Avengers to Canada where we had an alien force take over Regina, the capital city of the province of Saskatchewan. Canada's Department H had reluctantly called in S.H.I.E.L.D. and the US-based Avengers for help when this little gem of dialogue appeared: 

Image from Marvel's Avengers Vol. 5 #10 (June 2013) Written by Jonathan Hickman, Pencils by Mike Deodato, Colours by Frank Martin, Letters by Cory Petit.

Image from Marvel's Avengers #10.

A military department with nuclear weapons that "his government" (and by this I presume the elected politicians) doesn't know about. Could this even happen in Canada? Could there be such a disconnect between a government department and the elected leadership that, as Logan suggests an "old school" government agency could have access to nukes that nobody knows about? And if so could this thing even be legal? This piece will examine this issue using the history of both the Canadian and British parliamentary systems as well as the current law that governs the Department of National Defence to explain how this in fact could not happen. Legal issues aside, this was an enjoyable story is not an indictment of the actual writing or art in any way. 

Canada is what can be called a Westminster democracy because it is modelled after the UK’s parliament located in Westminster, London. The British parliament has been a model for many democracies around the world, not just those 16 states that share Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state. Naturally, as these different states have evolved they have made subtle changes to better reflect the realities of their geographic and political realities, but in essence Westminster systems tend to remain quite similar. Examples of such changes include Australia, which while sharing the Queen has an elected upper chamber, whereas members of their British and Canadian equivalents, the House of Lords and Senate of Canada respectively, are appointed by the Queen on the advice of their prime minister.  Since 1982 Canada has also had an entrenched constitution with a Charter of Rights and Freedoms which is a legal document that while allowing for both the federal parliament in Ottawa and the provincial legislatures to pass laws, also serves as an entrenched check against these legislatures and their laws have been found to be unconstitutional and struck down by the courts. Westminister style states can also include republican countries such as Israel or India who have presidents yet operate in a similar fashion as their monarchical cousins and have prime ministers who make the political decisions and are elected members of parliament. 

The UK's MI: 13 (The MI stands for "Military Intelligence" and dates back to WWII) would follow a similar chain of command as Canada's Department H, as Canada's system of governance was largely modelled after the UK's. Image from Marvel's Revolutionary War: Alpha (March 2014) Written by Andy Lanning & Alan Cowsill, Art by Rich Elson, Colours by Antonio Fabela.

History

While the history of parliamentary governance reaches back further than the Norman invasion of England in 1066, it's here where we’ll begin our discussion. It was that pivotal year that the Normandy-based duke William conquered England and took the kingship of the realm. Not knowing the country as well as he might, the new king and his descendants set about inviting England’s landowners to join in the governance of the consolidated kingdom. Over time these aristocrats grew robust in the defence of their newly acquired rights and responsibilities and by the early 1200s were in rebellion against one of William's lesser decendents, John. So it was in 1215 that John was made to sign Magna Carta, which subjected him to the law and disallowed him from raising taxes or an army without their consent. From John onwards, certain favourites or competent individuals would assume positions of power and influence and the early stages of ministerial government developed.

But it was in the seventeenth century that things came to a fore. In 1603 James VI of Scotland became the King of England upon the death of his cousin Elizabeth I and this brought a different tone to the governance of England. James was influenced by continental rhetoric that envisioned a more centralized and monarch-centred ideal and soon set out to implement this as policy. This thinking became even more pronounced when James' son Charles assumed the English throne and would culminate when parliamentary and royalist forces went to war in the English Civil War (1642 to 1651). This war ultimately led to Charles’s execution, but when the republican experiment failed, Charles's son (Charles II) was invited to become King. When he died, his brother assumed the throne but being Catholic, was unacceptable to England’s largely Protestant aristocracy. So when James II finally became unpalatable for English nobles, they invited the Dutch Prince William of Orange (who was married to James’ daughter Mary) to become co-regent with his wife. But in order to become King, William was made to sign a contract of sorts – called the Bill of Rights of 1689 – containing a number of provisions of which the king had to adhere. These included a prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, jury trials for criminal matters and other such things.

The marker denoting the site in Westminster Hall where Charles Stuart, King of England was sentenced to death. Photo by Blogger.

Westminster Hall. This is the oldest party of the Palace of Westminster. The above shown plaque is on the stairs. Photo by Blogger.

Giving the crown to William and Mary under such conditions represented a seismic shift in the constitutional status of England. By setting conditions, the nobles and the representative body of parliament ascended into an arrangement with the King that changed the legal landscape. Henceforth, it was the "King-In-Parliament" that had sovereign power in England and not only could the King not act unilaterally (as per Magna Carta), if a law was passed in parliament it was indisputably the law of the land and the only thing parliament could not do is pass a law that bound itself. The Crown's prerogative powers – which was the body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, that was the sole prerogative of the sovereign and included defence, foreign affairs and keeping the peace – were largely maintained and would remain considerable until gradually chipped away by parliamentary statute. But the legal Rubicon had been crossed and parliament was now a sovereign body that could make laws as it decided. Mary died in 1693 and William in 1702 and eventually the crown passed to Anne, Mary’s sister. But when Anne died without an heir, the closest protestant candidate was George, Elector of Hanover, a German who could not speak English. Because of these linguistic issues by the end of George’s reign, much of the responsibilities for the governance of the realm were on the shoulders of a parliamentarian named Sir Robert Walpole and he is largely considered Britain’s (and therefore the Commonwealth’s) first Prime Minister. 

A century and a half later in 1867, when the three colonies of British North America came together to form Canada, its establishing act from the British parliament called the British North America Act stated in its preamble that the newly formed Canada was to be a federal union of "One Dominion under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a Constitution similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom." 

Ministerial Government

Which brings us back to the question at hand: could a Canadian Prime Minister or Minister of Defence not know that the department which he or she ultimately controls has access nuclear weapons? Currently, the Prime Minister of Canada is selected by the Governor-General of Canada (the Queen's representative in Canada) to become PM. This is usually done after an election in which the party he or she leads wins the most seats in parliament. Once this happens, the Prime Minister-elect sets about deciding on who will join him or her to form the Canadian Ministry, which over time by constitutional convention (these are not laws but conventions that have evolved) has taken the prerogative powers of the Crown and become their sole exerciser. These are typically other Members of Parliament and are chosen not just for their competence but other politically calculated considerations which include but are not limited to province of origin, ethnicity, city or constituency.  

All of these Canadian government resources are ultimately under the control of a minister who must answer to the House of Commons. Image from Marvel's Avengers #10.

Once a minister is chosen, he or she is sworn into the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. The Privy Council's active component are those individuals who are responsible for running or assisting with the operations of government departments such as the Ministry of Finance, Justice Canada or the Department of National Defence. Leaders of the Opposition are also sworn into the Privy Council so they can have access to secret information, but they do not head a government department and actively oppose the government in the House of Commons where each minister is held to account. Because of this, it is ultimately the minister who is responsible for its bureaucrats and employees. So if Department H were to acquire nuclear weapons without the Minister of National Defence knowing, this would be counter the National Defence Act, 1985 which reads in Section 4:

 

The Minister holds office during pleasure, has the management and direction of the Canadian Forces and of all matters relating to national defence and is responsible for

• (a) the construction and maintenance of all defence establishments and works for the defence of Canada; and
• (b) research relating to the defence of Canada and to the development of and improvements in materiel.

Remember this law was passed by the heir of the sovereign parliament of 1689 and is very clear: the Minister of Defence is responsible for all matters relating to national defence. So even if Department H was created by a separate statute by the Canadian parliament (to my knowledge Marvel has never stated which statute created Department H) it would most likely be governed by similar language as the NDA and would ultimately have a minister responsible for it. Because of this, Logan's "old school" friends with their secret arsenal are clearly operating outside of the law and counter to centuries of both historical negotiation and constitutional and legal development.

Does It Stand? The Death of Captain Marvel

With the January announcement that comic book legend Jim Starlin was returning to Marvel to write a new graphic novel titled Thanos: The Infinity Revelation to be released in 2014, I got to thinking about one of his marquee works The Death of Captain Marvel and an exchange at a Marvel panel of FanExpo Canada 2012 between Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso and a fan. The floor had opened for questions and the fan asked when was the real Captain Marvel coming back. Of course, the impressive sales Captain Marvel #1 (July 2012) were still on the Marvel minds and that's what probably led to Alonso's curt response: "We have a Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe and her name is Carol Danvers."

Axel Alonso (far left) and other "House of Ideas" dignitaries at Fan Expo Canada 2012

The fan, not taking the hint, persisted and subsequently launched into an ill-thought-out diatribe about how Danvers wasn’t the same as Mar-Vell. Alonso’s tone immediately changed from fan-obliging editor to ticked-off expert and he proceeded to dress the fan down (in as polite a way as possible) explaining how he watched his father die of cancer and would never disrespect such an important part of the Marvel Universe. Alonso also saw Starlin's story as an important tribute to all those who have been taken by cancer and if Marvel were to resurrect Mar-Vell, it would seriously insult those people. As a cancer survivor myself I could not have agreed more with Alonso's statement and afterwards approached him to express my thanks. In my opinion Mar-Vell's death remains both an important moment in the Marvel Universe and in comic book storytelling generally.

The original cover of Marvel's Death of Captain Marvel Marvel Graphic Novel Vol.1 #1 (April 1982) by Jim Starlin. The volume was reprinted in a 2013.

But what of the telling of the death of Captain Marvel itself? Does this early graphic novel stand the test of time? It's over 30 years old now, and we've all read late Bronze age material that isn't quite as readable as today's books. Does The Death of Captain Marvel stand up to today's discerning comic book reader? The following piece will look at this question but also do so through the eyes of a cancer survivor as this aspect of the book is such an important part of the story itself. 

Pain, self-pity, frustration and fear are just some of the emotions Mar-Vell goes through when coming to terms with his cancer diagnosis. All subsequent images from Marvel's  The Death of Captain Marvel (April 1982)

I'd say that The Death of Captain Marvel does stand up for today's reader. Starlin’s writing could be counted in the "gifted" category even back in the early 1980s and while script does have some self-reflective bubbles that one normally doesn't see in today's books, the dialogue does not have too "Uggh the 80s" of a feel to it and could match contemporary comic book storytelling. 

The sentiment is similiar for Mar-Vell's friends.

Moreover, the basic storyline – one of reflection and contemplation – is still very poignant. The story begins with Mar-vell on a spaceship, recording his thoughts about the life he has lived. We then track back to his days when as a hero he was exposed to a canister of nerve gas while fighting a villain named Nitro. This happened seven years prior, but now the exposure's legacy has finally come out of remission and presumably metastasized (become a secondary tumor of similar cells) and is killing him. It also becomes apparent that the Negabands which had previously held the cancer at bay, were no longer effective and the inevitable would soon arrive. Once the reader learns that it's the "Inner Decay" (call that by the Titans), the "Blackend" (Kree) or cancer, we are then introduced to Mar-Vell's efforts to come to terms with his impending death, his friend's efforts to use their considerable talents to save him, his final good-byes before one last challenge from his old foe, Thanos. When that is all completed Captain Marvel dies.

Mar-vell of the Kree dies surrounded by heroes in The Death of Captain Marvel.

As mentioned, I read this book through the lenses of a cancer survivor. My personal experience with the disease started in May 1995 when I threw a baseball and twisted my leg, experiencing a pain that I never quite experienced before. From there I met with a many different doctors who eventually referred me to one of the biggest research hospitals in Canada where I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. With that I immediately started an intense regime of chemotherapy. This went on for three days at a time with three weeks between each session. After the third, I had an operation to remove the infected tissue and have a titanium prosthetic inserted to hold my leg together. After three more chemo sessions, I started the long road to recovery and 18 years later, I'm still here. I now walk with a slight limp and cane, but otherwise live a relatively normal life. 

Very much like Mar-Vell's experiences in The Death of Captain Marvel, the external reaction to my own illness was quite mixed. Some friends walked away not sure how to deal with the gravity of my condition. Others did whatever they could to make me feel better. Again some other friends simply sat with me and were quietly and patiently my friends. Indeed, I think Captain Marvel is a story that most people who have been diagnosed with cancer can relate to and Starlin does an excellent job taking his readers through the journey of feelings and emotions of so many people who have undergone treatment. Pain, self-pity, frustration and fear is all very normal for anyone who has cancer and not even the greatest of us – superhero or mortal – is immune to them. Being a long-time volunteer with numerous cancer organizations and currently in a position where I sit on a committee of fellow survivors who advise doctors who treat cancer patients, I can tell you from personal experience that Jim Starlin hit on some universal feelings when he wrote how Mar-Vell saw his own life slowly slip away and how powerless he felt about it.

A Marvel-616 Universe without cancer would be unfair to  both the heroes and us readers. In this scene Starlin makes it clear that even the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe cannot stop cancer. 

In fact, I would go as far to say that The Death of Captain Marvel is an important comic reading experience and most certainly stands for the reader in 2014. The art is typical of what you would see in the early 1980s, but the real power is the experience of watching a formerly (near) invincible individual, reflect on his passing and then die. Fortunately, this is something I have yet to experience, but reading this graphic novel did remind me of many of my cancer-related trials and is valuable for anyone wanting to understand what it's like for someone living with cancer. Kudos to the list of Marvel editors who have keep this book so powerful by not resurrecting Mar-Vell (on a permenant basis at least) and to Axel Alonso for coming to its defence in 2012. As always, thank you for visiting WGTB and below are some links to cancer organizations you might consider supporting. They're from countries where the readership of this blog is greatest but if you would like to suggest another, please leave a comment with its website below. 

Sarcoma Cancer Foundation of Canada 
Sarcoma UK
Sarcoma Foundation of America 
Teenage Cancer Trust (UK)
Australian Youth Against Cancer

Happy Thanksgiving...

...to all of my American readers. May your holiday be filled with the very best of friends, family and FOOTBALL! I actually got into the NFL (I've always watched the Canadian game) when I lived in the United Kingdom and American Thanksgiving was one of the few days when we could watch the NFL at a normal hour! 

Cover of Marvel's Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #564 (April 2009)

We Canadians are fantastically lucky to have the Great Republic to our immediate south. We've been through a great many things together -- and while we don't always agree on everything -- Canadians could not ask for a better neighbour. Safe travels to anyone away from home this Thanksgiving and have a wonderful long-weekend. 

Guardian and Captain America from Marvel's Alpha Flight Vol. 1 #39 (October 1986)

WGTB Reviews Thor: The Dark World

As 2013's comic book movies go Thor: The Dark World was the one I was most looking forward to. As a long-time Thor fan (this blog was named after a Thor splash page) and someone who enjoyed the first film very much, I figured Marvel Studios would be able to capture the same magic in the bottle they did in 2011. Which is why, even though I'm a little late with this particular review, I felt compelled to write and give an opinion of the film. You see, I was very disappointed with Dark World finding it a convoluted mess plot-wise, loaded with gratuitous and needless destruction (yes, even for a comic book movie) and weighed down by weak and disappointing female leads.

Thor: The Dark World (2013) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Huddleston, Stellan Ksarsgard, Christopher Eccleston, Rene Russo, Jaimie Alexander and Anthony Hopkins.  RATED: PG-13,  TIME: 112 Minutes 

(spoilers)

The plot tells the story of an ancient Dark Elf named Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) who, long ago having been conquered by the Asgardians, returns to look for a key source of his power, a weapon known as the Either. Taking place in modern London and Asgard, we learn that in ages past right to the present day, the Nine Realms occasionally converge to make it easier for travel between them. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her fellow researcher Darcy (Kat Dennings) stumble into an area in the British capital where a gateway between worlds has opened and Jane is taken into one where she somehow merges with the Either. Thor shows up and takes Jane back to Asgard six hours later with the remainder of the story involving Malekith trying to get his weapon back and destroy his ancient enemies. 

To start the substantive portion of this review, let's look at the positives. The visuals of Dark World are fantastic (Asgard looks especially good) and the battle scenes were also very well done. Unfortunately, these elements could not make up for a plot that didn't make a whole lot of sense. Nobody explains why Foster acquired the Either or why all the doors between realms always happen to be exactly where the heroes need them to be, among so many other plot failings.

And, of course, no-one in the Marvel films has yet to explain why the Norse gods are real while the Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Japanese, Hindu, etc. pantheons are not or why the regions that originated the Norse gods have yet to be mentioned. I know filming in Oslo or Reykjavik might be cost prohibitive (and this point is somewhat tangential) but I'm really starting to get frustrated that the peoples who worshipped Thor, Odin, et al, are not mentioned in these films. Just a throw-away line about how the doorways to the Nine Realms of the ancient alien God-Heroes was once located in Scandinavia would do the trick. But I digress...

I found the real issue with Dark World is how plot takes a back-seat to gratuitous violence and destruction with no real point. Let me be clear: action scenes that drive the story forward are good and necessary for action films. But in Dark World we watch the Royal Naval College, one of the most spectacular locales in London get destroyed, but I still can't understand why except they needed a nice place to wreck. The 'all-star' nature of 2012's Avengers lent itself to the cataclysmic events of Manhattan being torn apart, but Dark World, like its summer cousin Man of Steel, didn't need so much violence to make the point. So I need to ask: has destroying large metropolitan areas become the pro forma climax of comic book films? Perhaps. But I think it's the wrong way to go. Both Marvel's and DC's characters are great and deserve writers who treat them as such. 

This magnificent structure, the Royal Navel College (now the University of Greenwich), was destroyed in Thor: The Dark World. It remains one of your humble blogger's favourite areas of London. 

I also found the female lead characters weak. Yes, there were some of the funny one-liners we now expect from Marvel’s movies and Kat Denning offered some comic relief that levitated the story. But Jane Foster was feeble and this is especially odd considering Natalie Portman is one of Hollywood's most intelligent and self-assured actors. Unfortunately, in Dark World, while not being devoid of strength, Foster comes across as a needy weakling who is hung-up on Thor. An example of this is seen early when, upon meeting Thor for the first time in two years, Foster slaps him in the face and seconds later appears hopelessly in love with him and starts talking about how she cried when he left. Also, Sif (Jaimie Alexander) while given a prominent position in the movie poster and subsequent marketing of the film, is a tertiary character at best and hardly the presence she is in the Marvel comic universe. Indeed, the strongest female character is Thor's mother, Frigga, Queen of Asgard and she dies mid way through the film. 

Consistent readers of this blog will know that I hate panning films. But I needed a cathartic release after this recent offering by Marvel Studios. If you think I'm off-base or missed something please leave a comment and I'll reply when I can. Things have been busy on this end, so I haven't been as frequent with the blog as I would like. But thank you never-the-less for reading and please keep visiting. The visuals save Thor: The Dark World but it still only gets a 2/5 STARS overall.

Marvel 1602 & Treason in the Common Law World

Neil Gaiman is one of those authors who is great at taking an everyday concept like history or religion and turning it into a fantastic romp of thought provoking fiction. American Gods, the story of America’s antiquated religious traditions, remains one of my favourite novels and we recently heard some great news from New York Comic Con about reprints of Gaiman's time on Marvelman. Recently, I got around to reading Gaiman’s Marvel 1602, an eight issue mini-series published in 2003 and 2004 that takes the mainstay characters of the Marvel Universe and drops them into Tudor-Stuart Britain and America. 

Cover of Marvel 1602 #1 (November 2003) Written by Neil Gaiman, art by Andy Kubert, digital printing by Richard Isanove, letters by Todd Klien, cover by Scott McKowen and edited by Joe Quesada.

One of the key plot points of Marvel 1602 revolves around the well known yet little understood crime of treason. Set against a tumultuous transitional period -- one which saw the end of the last Tudor, Queen Elizabeth I and the first Stuart, King James I (VI of Scotland) -- the story captures the religious, political and dynastic turmoil of early modern Britain very well. Because Elizabeth’s forty-four years as the Queen of England did not result in an immediate heir to her throne, the kingdom of England was inherited by the next in line, Elizabeth's first cousin once removed James Stuart, King of Scotland. Upon Elizabeth's death in 1603, England and Scotland entered into what is called a “personal union” with both countries sharing the same monarch, yet maintaining separate parliaments, judges, laws, etc. Because England was much bigger than Scotland, as soon as he was declared king, James moved south to reign in London. 

Counsel to Queen Elizabeth I in Marvel 1603 include Sir Nick Fury and Dr. Strange. Image from Marvel 1603 #1 (November 2003)

But even before the new king arrived in London he set about making a mark on his new country. For example, as he travelled south he named knights along the route to London, and in one instance extra-judicially executed an alleged thief who had been hounding the royal procession along the route. This was disconcerting for many in the English political and legal establishment, but the example of Sir Walter Raleigh, a one time favourite of Queen Elizabeth and someone who Sir Nick Fury appears to be a surrogate for in Marvel 1602, quickly convinced them to keep their mouths shut. The most serious crime alleged against Sir Walter was treason. 

Sir Nick and Queen Elizabeth I in Marvel 1602 #3 (January 2004)

Raleigh’s trial saw the prosecution use hearsay evidence and judges who were plainly on the side of the Crown. The case itself was led by Attorney-General of England Sir Edward Coke, but uncharacteristic to Coke's stellar judicial work years later, the trial involved procedural irregularities that would only be found in the most backward and rule-of-law deprived states of today. The treason alleged in this case involved Sir Walter's supposed involvement to replace the Scottish king with his cousin Lady Arbella Stuart. The word treason comes from the Latin trāditiōn or trāditiō meaning "a handing over or betrayal" and is an ancient crime involving disloyalty to the monarch and state. In the common law world it was first codified by the English parliament in the Treason Act 1351 with the law distinguishing between two forms of the crime: High Treason, which involved various forms of disloyalty to the Sovereign and Petty Treason (which will not be discussed beyond this point) which involved disloyally towards a Lord, employer, etc. The biggest difference between the two was that High Treason meant a death sentence with hanging, drawing and quartering for a man or the burning at the stake for a woman. 

Crimes against the king were considered as equal as a crime against the state in early modern Britain. The essence of that still survives in the treason laws of today. Image from Marvel 1603 #5 (March 2004).

The Treason Act of 1351 enumerated treason as working towards the death of the sovereign or members of the sovereign's immediate family; levying war against the sovereign in the realm; joining with the sovereign's enemies or giving them aid and comfort; and killing senior public servants or justices. Perhaps the most striking pillar of early High Treason was that it was also illegal to have sexual relations with the sovereign’s immediate family, thereby contaminating the royal bloodline. One hundred and seventy odd years later, the framers of the United States constitution -- undoubtedly cognizant of their revolutionary origins -- mentioned treason by name in Section 3 of Article 3 of that document, the only crime given that honour. Naturally, the founders of the young republic omitted the bit about having sex with the president's family. It read: 

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted. 

Currently, treason can be found in Section 80.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 in Australia, Section 46 of the Criminal Code of Canada, and in the Treason Felony Act 1848 of United Kingdom. In all of these constitutional monarchies one of the key themes of the crime is that it's against the Queen and country and manifested in some type of revolutionary activity. This is what differentiates treason from crimes such as murder which while running counter to laws passed in the name of the monarch and prosecuted in her name (as in Regina v Smith) it is never-the-less not against her per se and therefore not treason.    

Behold the Traitors' Gate of the infamous Tower of London on the River Thames! Originally built as a palace for the Norman kings, it eventually became the a prison for the monarch's enemies.

And in modern democracies where people are free to vote against their government; protest the wars in which their countries participate, or even argue that the President of the United States is ineligible to hold his office, creates a situation where treason cases are exceedingly rare. The last treason trial in the United Kingdom was in 1946 and the last Canadian treason trial was in 1947; both of which had to do with activities in the Second World War. However, in the United States, treason has made a come-back with the Department of Justice recently issuing an indictment for one Adam Gadahn, an alleged American-born Al-Qaeda operative. He is currently at large, so we will have to wait to see what happens at any trial, but it will never-the-less be interesting.