One of those regrettable situations where something designed to be hilarious does not even bring a weary smile to your face. Several friends whose opiOne of those regrettable situations where something designed to be hilarious does not even bring a weary smile to your face. Several friends whose opinions I respect and usually share like this book a lot, which is a good reminder of just how subjective humor can be.
It’s not that I generally dislike over-the-top violence or political incorrectness in fiction - I tend to enjoy Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Johnny Ryan, etc. Still, this did not click with me for some reason. Part of it is probably the fact that I am not comfortable with Marvel/Disney putting a well-meaning, likable, amusing, dude-next-door-type (if super-powered, ultra-violent, and a little dumb) face (that of Deadpool) on the government’s alleged need for certain people to do their dirty (but necessary, of course) work in secret: "You're not the hero we want. You're the scumbag we need." War mongering, institutionalized torture, and illegal global surveillance systems immediately come to mind � not the best context for what is presented as gory but light-hearted, ultimately hilarious entertainment.
The covers by Geof Darrow are obviously fantastic, but they just made the whole enterprise feel even more shallow and cynical to me....more
Cosmic, iconic, humane, playful, silly, sweet - I love it! Early on, I was a bit concerned about the rather homely and lighthearted tone of this relauCosmic, iconic, humane, playful, silly, sweet - I love it! Early on, I was a bit concerned about the rather homely and lighthearted tone of this relaunch: it felt inappropriate for somebody as alienated and brooding as the Silver Surfer, more like friendly-neighborhood-Spider-Man material. In this second volume, though, things fall into place nicely, and the result is a highly enjoyable story line that strikes a wonderful balance between human and cosmic concerns - a balance between the physical and the philosophical, the mundane and the extraordinary, humor and drama. I am hooked!...more
It can be fascinating when a good writer makes a silly concept work. For most adults, I guess that is the main appeMoon Knight: A Crazy Good Superhero
It can be fascinating when a good writer makes a silly concept work. For most adults, I guess that is the main appeal of superhero comics. I mean, I don’t think many adults take superheroes all that seriously, and I don't think they read superhero stories primarily for the power fantasies and the pleasures of identification. Warren Ellis can be a very good writer when he actually puts his mind to a story, and Moon Knight is a particularly silly superhero � a second-banana Batman in white, basically, with some Egyptian mythology thrown in for good measure. Sounds like an interesting challenge for Ellis!
Marvel history has it that Moon Knight owes his life to the Egyptian Moon God Khonshu, and thus becomes the God's avatar on Earth, that is, another super-powered crime fighter. Like Batman, though, he is not the most approachable or psychologically stable guy. Ellis has a ball exploring both our hero’s scrambled, mixed-up head and his nutty connection with the Egyptian godsphere. He gives us six interrelated, surprisingly complex one-shots that all play by the rules of the genre but refuse to provide easy answers, hinting at larger issues that even a superhero cannot resolve.
What is more, Ellis and artist Declan Shalvey take full advantage of the comic-book medium’s unique language. Shalvey's page layouts and use of negative space are a rare treat, and the second issue in particular conducts some of the most inventive only-in-comics storytelling I have come across in a while. I’d recommend this book not only to superhero fans, but to anybody interested in the formal aspects of comic-book storytelling. ...more
According to the back cover, �Scarlet is the story of a woman pushed to the edge by all that is wrong with the world� A woman wRevolution Marvel Style
According to the back cover, �Scarlet is the story of a woman pushed to the edge by all that is wrong with the world� A woman who will not back down� A woman who discovers within herself the power to start a modern American revolution!!� Wait a minute, a REVOLUTION? Against ALL THAT IS WRONG with the world?? In a MARVEL comic book?!? Yeah right, a politically relevant, socio-critical comic book published by Disney-controlled Marvel: as if� But wait, it’s by Bendis and Maleev � hmm, I kinda like those guys... Bendis is a smart guy, writes great dialogue, and he might actually get away with stuff lesser-known writers would not get away with, subversive stuff� And it’s published through the Icon imprint, doesn’t that mean more creative control? Who knows, maybe Bendis and Maleev have actually pulled this off! I mean, maybe even Disney, one of the world’s largest media conglomerates, is finally forced to acknowledge that radical change is desperately needed, maybe the time is ripe for Scarlet� I must read this!!
Well, I can be naïve sometimes. I guess the hip, stylish, scantily-clad, sexy, gun-toting chick on the cover should have been a hint � is this really going to be about politics and revolution? But okay, it’s just a cover, let’s open the book and read Scarlet’s analysis of the situation: “Everything is broken. Everything. Good people are victims. Bad people are heroes. Dumb is a virtue. Food is poison. Corruption is a national past time. Rapists rape. The poor are left to rot. Religion is business. No one is safe and everyone thinks it’s funny. Why is the world allowed to be this way? (�) Why is it like this? Why did it happen? And then it hit me. It doesn’t matter why. ‘Why� is the cloud. The redirect. The shell game. ‘Why� is the bullshit. (�) The question is� what am I going to do about it? I’m going to stop it. All of it.� Sounds cool, doesn’t it? A little vague, maybe, but some of this rings true, and it certainly sounds ambitious and ready for action. Attagirl, we’ve had enough, it’s time for action, too much thinking is for pussies! The only problem is, how exactly are you going to stop “all of it� if you don’t know anything about the “why�? I mean, what exactly are you gonna do if you have no idea why things are as messed up as they are? Well, apparently the answer is simple: why, you’re gonna kill a few corrupt cops, of course. That should solve it, right? At least that’s what Scarlet decides to do, and Bendis ensures that her victims are despicable enough for us to cheer her on.
But is killing corrupt police officers really the answer to the “everything-is-broken� dilemma? There are two contrasting sociological theories about the roots of widespread forms of corruption � the bad apple theory and the iceberg theory. According to the bad apple theory, corruption arises from the flawed personalities of “bad� individuals, and all you need to do in order to get the problem under control is to remove these “bad apples� so they do not spoil the whole barrel. In contrast, the iceberg theory argues that the known cases of corruption are merely the tip of the iceberg, and that the real problem is a system that encourages, and possibly even relies on, corruption. As you can imagine, the bad apple theory is favored by those who do not want the system to be investigated and ultimately changed, and thus have an interest in the creation of scapegoats, while the iceberg theory makes a case for the necessity of actual social change.
Despite her observation that “everything is broken,� our sexy self-proclaimed revolutionary decides to embrace the status-quo friendly bad apple theory. At least in this first volume of the series, she devotes herself exclusively to the removal of bad apples, claiming that it would be “bullshit� to investigate the “why,� that is, the bigger picture, the macro-level roots of the sorry state of affairs. Ultimately, then, she is not a revolutionary at all. She does not try to change the status quo but merely takes extreme measures to clean up its ugly excesses, desperate for it to shine in new splendour after the restoration.
I guess it was silly to hope for a truly revolutionary Marvel comic book, one that actually provides a critical in-depth analysis of the topics that really do call for a global revolution � environmental degradation and mass poverty. I should have listened more closely to Gil Scott-Heron’s 1970 proto-rap anthem, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.� It will not be televised, and it certainly will not find its way into a mainstream comic book. But hopefully, we'll make it happen anyway....more
Not sure why I am supposed to care about any of this. A slick fictional world that is defined by aestheticized violence and has absolutely nothing in Not sure why I am supposed to care about any of this. A slick fictional world that is defined by aestheticized violence and has absolutely nothing in common with the world I know; a cool and stylish heroine without any kind of comprehensible psychology; a bunch of underdeveloped, dehistoricized, random espionage and "anti-terrorism" jobs; a Russian killer-monk with a childhood trauma and a huge bazooka. I'm afraid this does not add up to anything for me....more
I like many of these creators (and I am sure they can use the paycheck from Marvel/Disney), but I don't get the impression that they have many interesI like many of these creators (and I am sure they can use the paycheck from Marvel/Disney), but I don't get the impression that they have many interesting things to say about Marvel superheroes. Kochalka's hilarious Hulk shorts were the only contributions that really worked for me - especially the one that has him taking on the rain that falls from the sky: his most epic battle yet!...more
Jungle comics from the 1940s and 50s are a real treasure-trove! If you are interested in the histories of imperialism, racism, and Hail, Jungle Queen!
Jungle comics from the 1940s and 50s are a real treasure-trove! If you are interested in the histories of imperialism, racism, and sexism, that is: "Far from the safety of her native land... deep into the unknown dangers of the dark jungle comes a beautiful girl to reign as Queen of that Jungle," and the (white) girl's name is Lorna.
First things first: Sexy, buxom Lorna wears a tight, sleeveless, vertically striped choker top, bends forward a lot, and while her waist size and skirt appear to be shrinking throughout the book, her bust size is definitely growing. Just like Lorna, by the way, Playboy was launched in 1953.
What else? Like every good jungle queen, Lorna devotes herself to protecting the childlike and superstitious native inhabitants of the jungle who are - obviously - in desperate need of Western rescue and guidance: "Hail, Jungle Queen! Only you can save us from the Devil of the Lagoon! Our bravest men have died... killed by him! You are our Queen! Save us!" Lorna is well aware, of course, that the threat really originates from the natives' own primitive nature: "The tribes are starting up again... going back to their ancient ways... I don’t like it one bit!"
Under these circumstances, Lorna not only has the right but the moral obligation to take control of the jungle and its inhabitants - a scenario that, in the 1950s, served to endorse and justify America’s broadened imperial strategies and desires. "The jungle is my domain," Lorna insists, "and I have to know everything that goes on in it!" As it turns out, there are even a few "dirty commies" hiding in the jungle, but fear not, we can count on Lorna to bring them to justice: "Well, you three will never rule the world!" Way to go, Lorna!
...Oh, and could you please bend forward one more time?...more
How do you follow up the ultimate Thor story? The cosmic scope of the spectacular two-parter that was The God Butcher and Godbomb obvDisney Takes Over
How do you follow up the ultimate Thor story? The cosmic scope of the spectacular two-parter that was The God Butcher and Godbomb obviously cannot be topped, so the one shot that opens this third volume wisely shifts gears to tell a much more low key story. Gone are the ambitious meditations on the changing status of religion, gone the travels though time, gone the sweeping landscapes and epic battles. Instead, the reader is invited to sneak a peek at Thor’s personal and surprisingly quiet interactions with various people whose problems cannot be solved with a giant hammer. Yet while the change of pace in theory certainly makes sense, I did not find the actual results quite as charming and touching as I was supposed to.
The real problems, however, start with the main storyline that follows - by far the weakest Jason Aaron story I have come across so far. It feels forced and out of place, as if Aaron reluctantly phoned it in at Disney's misguided request to superficially link the series to the awful Thor: The Dark World movie. The reintroduction of the generic villain Malekith (that coincides with the character’s appearance in the movie) appears arbitrary to say the least, the fantasy plot and its characters underdeveloped. Ron Garney’s artwork, though not bad when compared to your average superhero comic book, also looks rather pedestrian next to the scope and grandeur Esad Ribic established in the first two volumes.
To make things worse, "The Accursed" contains dangerously naïve overtones of America’s recent military operations. We are introduced to a society of so-called dark elves who are portrayed as notoriously incapable of self-rule, and who are thus in desperate need of Thor's divine intervention. When this intervention - due to the dark elves' "unteachable nature" - does not show the desired results, Thor nevertheless receives reassurance that he has done the right thing for all the right reasons: “You saved lives, Thunder God. Do not doubt that. You ended the bloodshed... If there is ever a lasting peace made between the realms, they may say that it began here, with us. With you.� It is the kind of fictional justification for hawkish militarism gone haywire you'd expect from Disney but not from Jason Aaron.
So why did I still cough up a second star for this book? Well, it concludes with a second one shot, and this one � illustrated by Das Pastoras in suitably gritty yet colorful fashion � marks a surprising return to form for the title. Battling a devastating hangover and covered in vomit, the young, Viking Age Thor comes to his senses in the mouth of a befriended dragon, desperately trying to recount the events of the previous day. It is a funny and ultimately touching story that ties into some of the themes of the previous volumes - here's hoping it also sets up a return to these themes in the next volume! ...more
Thor is a superhero, of course, a member of the Avengers. He is also more than a superhero, though: He is a god. For starters, The Ultimate Thor Story
Thor is a superhero, of course, a member of the Avengers. He is also more than a superhero, though: He is a god. For starters, he has lived much longer than any other superhero: “There are thousands of years worth of memories rattling around inside my head.� As a result, his priorities and values and attitudes and language differ from those of, say, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Thor has a completely different perspective on life: “For a god, the lives of mortals seem to pass by in the blink of an eye.� He thinks in cosmic terms, and a good Thor story must be large enough in scope to allow him to do that.
Thankfully, The God Butcher provides all the scope and grandeur Thor could possibly hope for, and then some. It spans millennia, features Thor at three different stages of his long life, and pits all three incarnations against a villain who is almost as old as Thor himself and has brutally tortured and butchered all the gods of the universe, until only Thor is left alive. The God Butcher perceives himself as the “good guy,� though, as a proponent of the Enlightenment destined “to liberate [humanity] from the yoke of divine servitude!�
In this context, the inevitable, spectacularly realized showdown between the God Butcher and Thor becomes a larger-than-life battle between a seemingly unstoppable Enlightenment movement and the last god standing, a meditation on the gradual decline of religion in the western world. This decline of religion manifests itself in the three incarnations of Thor: a youthful, cocky, overconfident, brash, boastful, vain, and slightly dim-witted Thor who takes worship for granted during the Middle Ages, at a time when religion ruled supreme; a more enlightened, moderate, even doubtful Thor in the present; and a lonely, weary, disillusioned, paranoid, desperate Thor in the future. And it makes perfect sense, because any benevolent god would have to be devastated by human beings who come to view the divine sphere as an instrument of oppression that needs to be abolished.
In summary, Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic may have created nothing less than the ultimate Thor story. I have never read Walt Simonson's highly regarded run from the 1980s and hope to get around to it one of these days, but at this point I find it hard to imagine a story that suits the character better than this one....more
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