Monthly Archives: August 2006

Another week spent with my head in the sand. I was off on holiday last week so I wasn’t able to get to the local comics shop and it was an English Bank Holiday on Monday. It was a big week as well what with Wonder Woman and Batman both shipping, but of course it was the first issue proper of Justice League of America that I was really waiting for.

One thing that did surprise me was the number of Michael Turner varient covers left over in the local shop. It wasn’t that they weren’t selling, but there had been a mistake at Diamond resulting in a massive oversend of that one cover – around here its the Ed Benes covers that are the rare ones. If you’re still searching for one try contacting Comics Guru in Cardiff. Both artists have fairly similar styles althrough Benes isn’t quite as stylised as Turner, which I personally think is a good thing. Benes has recently set up an official English language website and he’s posted up scans of the pencil pages for this issue.

One thing that did strike me whilst reading this issue is that its very easy to tell that its written by the same writer as Identity Crisis. Brad Meltzer uses the same camera angles, monolog boxes, and rapid cutting between scenes that he used there. The only thing that seems to be missing is Rags Morales and Benes comes very close, either by accident or design, to emulating him at times. On his blog Meltzer reveals something of his forshadowing in Archer’s Quest and Identity Crisis, namily the early spotlighting of characters he’d later use for his League roster. He’s also interview by Brain Bendis at Wizard Universe with the following quote getting picked up by those who think that Vixen and Black Lighting are perfect examples of ego characters.

Bendis: How does it feel assembling a team like this, though? It’s kind of a cool feeling and kind of unique?

Meltzer: Oh, it’s definitely the ultimate fanboy dream. If someone came to you and said, “You can pick the team of The Avengers, you can pick the team of The Justice League–or if I went back in time and I told the two of us that that’s what we’d be doing–I would basically die right there, even though we’ve been doing it in our heads since we were 10 years old. But again, the hardest part for me was not wanting to just do what I think is cool, but what actually is bigger than me. I think that there is just a history–even in the JLA, even in The Avengers–where you saw what can only be called “The Ego Character.” It’s the character that’s like, “I’m being put on the team so everyone remembers me.” I hate that character. It’s in just about every run of every Justice League and it’s in just about every run of every Avengers. There’s always one character that’s the ego character. I really wanted to not be that guy–and listen, I’m sure I’ll get called on that whether it’s for Black Lightning or someone else–but to me Black Lightning has total business being in that book.

Tom Bondurant’s Grumpy Old Fan Column at the Newsarama blog also picks up the same quote and does a nice run through of the various vanity and ego characters in the history of the Justice League.

Over at Monitor Duty Hutch raises the issue of Traya’s age. The last appearance of the character I can remember was in Young Justice where she’s shown as attending the same private school as Wonder Girl, admittedly she was also shown as a kid genius who had been boosted up to the older kids classes, but she can’t have been much older than ten or twelve (I don’t buy the decompressed twenty year-plus timeline idea as it would put Superman and Batman in their late 40s). Yet, here she’s portrayed as not being much older than she was in her first appearance (issue #152, March 1978, of the old series) where she can’t have been much older than four years old. And is it my imagination or has Traya’s skin colour lightened since she was first introduced?

Brian Cronin’s review at Comics Should Be Good mirrored many reviews I’ve read. He channels the blogosphere by noting that:

The comic seemed ready to be a fun book, and it had quite a few nice character bits, but ultimately, for the debut issue of a major title, with thirty-eight pages to work with, the book had far too much sitting around and talking, and not nearly enough action.

Personally I didn’t mind the lack of action, but it fairly obvious that this relaunch is going to be a different beast from the “widescreen” instant action of the previous relaunch. (A Todd Nauck-esque Doctor Impossible? I didn’t stop it to start with, but now that it’s been mentioned.)

Updated 03 Sept 06: More on Doctor Impossible (From Wizard #180): “‘I love this guy,’ crows Meltzer. ‘Is he an evil Mr. Miracle? We’ll see. Even DC thought he was an old character from years past.’”

So, no Justice League of America #1 this week. Bummer. That means we’ve got to wait another week to find out who’s going to make the new League, although it doesn’t stop us speculating…

First we need a few ground rules: The “Trinity” are in by default, you can’t use anybody from 52, and we’ll stick the historical upper limit of 10 members. Other than that members must currently be active in a DC superhero comic book and they must have some sort of characterisation/story potential. You can also have an eleventh member as a wildcard, but you can’t resurrect them or otherwise break continuity. (We’ll assume that the twelfth member is a new character made up by the writer and who will never be seen again after he leaves).

Personally I’d want a near even split between the different ages. I’d like to include the three archetypes of liberal, conservative, and mediator. The liberal is obvious – he’d have to be Green Arrow (Oliver), but I think I’d pass up on Hawkman and go for Guy Gardner as the conservative. His character has come a long way lately and I think he’d make an interesting foil for Ollie and Batman. The mediator is more problematic as Black Canary is no longer involved with Ollie, so I’ll fall back on Wonder Woman (who is already in as part of the Trinity) as the pease keeper.

We’ve got a Green Lantern, so we’ll need a Flash which mean’s that Bart’s in by default. He’s got his grandfather’s intellect so it’ll be interesting seeing him converse with the upgraded brain of Superman. We know that one of the Teen Titan’s is going to graduate. That could refer to Bart, but it could equally be one of the older Titans. The most interesting would be Cyborg as he really seems to have come into his own during the latest Teen Titans series. He’d still be a bit of a mentor for Bart and I think he’d side with GA in arguements. We also need somebody with wings. Hawkman’s with JSA, Zauriel doesn’t really fit, so we’re left with Hawkgirl by default. Not sure what a writer would do with her, but the more ladies for Ed Benes to draw the better.

The other younger characters are harder to choose from. We’ve currently got Firestorm, a new Atom, a new Blue Beetle. Of those I’d pick Blue Beetle as I think he’d get a free pass because of people’s guilt over Ted Kord and his suit’s effect of Guy’s ring would make for interesting tension in the group. I think the new Atom and Firestorm would be an interesting team-up, but it’d be too much, too soon, and with too many rookies you run the risk of Detroiting the League.

Cyborg cover the tech so we wouldn’t need Red Tornado, Blue Beetle is mystically powered so we could get away with not having a sorcerer. It’s been rumoured that Vixen is in the new team, so I won’t argue with that. Besides she seems to add more balance to time team gender-wise and geographically, but most importantly she’s a great character.

That just leaves one wildcard member. I’d love to see Kimiyo Hoshi (the good Dr Light) as I believe she and the League have got unfinished business with Arthur Light (the evil Dr Light) and that it’s a story that should be told in the JLA’s title.

• Batman (Bruce Wayne)
• Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
• Cyborg (Victor Stone)
• Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)
• Flash (Bart Allen)
• Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
• Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
• Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)
• Superman (Clark Kent)
• Vixen (Mari Jiwe McCabe)
• Wonder Woman (Diana)

There are other heroes I’d personally like to see in the League, but these feel like they’d tell the best stories.

The third part of Newsarama’s transcript of DC Executive Editor Dan Didio’s spotlight panel from Hero Con has been published. It’s always interesting to read Didio’s comments as he’s never afraid to point out where he thinks DC has strayed from the path. It’s also very hard to disagree with the fundamentals of what he says, the specific instances he uses to illustrate arguements certainly, but not the underlying point he’s trying to make (case in point: the funny characters piece from the second part of Newsarama’s coverage).

The bit I found most interesting this week was his comment on the three levels of continuity that exist at DC. To paraphrase the interview these levels roughly correspond to Icons, Paraphernalia, and Ephemera. However, I think that the straight leap from Paraphernalia to Ephemera misses out the level of continuity that most fans are most interested in. I’d actually add a level between Paraphernalia and Ephemera and for completeness I’d suggest another more fundamental level.

1. Totems. The raw ideas without name and without expansion. “An alien who fell to Earth and uses his gift to protect us” (Superman, Martian Manhunter, Thor, Jesus); “The masked aristocrat who cloaks himself in fear to protect us” (Batman, the Shadow, the Scarlet Pimpernel)
2. Icons. Specific instances of the Totems. The Icons have names, appearances, themes, and characterisations. These are the immutable things which define the character. Superman is from Krypton, he fell to Earth from a rocket ship, he is the last survivor, his costume is red and blue, his secret identity is called Clark Kent.
3. Paraphernalia. Additions to the icons. Things like the Batmobile, the Fortress of Solitude, Supergirl, a sidekick, these are the things that become associated with the icon, but may have many differeny incarnations or visualisations. These are shorthand tools that writers use to tell good stories without constantly having to reestablish Batman’s car or Superman’s grib.
4. Canon. Specific instances of the paraphernalia – details, events, and plotlines that define a universe and a specific version of each character. The sex of a supporting character’s child, the history of Krypton, whether Lex knew Clark in Smallville, the founders of the Justice League. Change this stuff too much and you end up with a difference incarnation of the universe. Traditionally each specific instance of the DC canon has been treated as a separate parallel universe.
5. Ephemera. Window dressing. Details that do not impinge on the causality of the story. Whether Ollie dyes his hair, Wonder Woman’s top speed, Nightwing’s bootsize.

Almost everybody will know the Icons from the movies or merchandising campaigns that surround them. Just look at the massive prevelance of Superman Shields on tattoos, t-shirts, and in the general conciousness. Paraphernalia will be known by a lot of people who like the character enough to watch the films, they may follow Smallville or Justice League Unlimited, and who may even of read a few comics as a child. The canon will be known to general and casual comics fans. These aren’t fanboys, but they’re aware enough to tell the difference between JLA Year One and the original Silver Age versions of the JLA origin. That isn’t excessive, it’s just paying attention. DC Ephemera will be known by likes of Kurt Busiek and Mark Waid (who have the excuse that it’s their job) and fanboys (who don’t have that excuse).

Getting people to agree on which elements belong to which class of continuity would probably be almost impossible. Some people would think that Batman’s sidekick is an iconic part of his character while others would just consider Robin part of the Paraphernalia. Is Superman’s vegetarianism canon or ephemera? Are a character’s extended family ephemera? Just because a story is told with a radically difference tone does that mean that it’s not part of the canon.

The question then arises as to what level of knowledge a writer should have or display in a story to satisfy the reader. On the above scale I’d suggest that the writer should have one level of knowledge greater than the intended audience or more specifically they should have access to a “series bible” or editor of equivalent breadth. Personally I don’t mind if the writer doesn’t know the ephemera as long as they tell a really good story — “continuity wobbles” are far easier to overlook if the story is good enough to just carry you past them. By the same token, a continuity wobble in a naff story will just make that story even worse.

Anyhow, that’s my two cents on the issue.