Comicscape - May 24, 2006

By: KURT AMACKER
Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Greetings fellow comic fiends, and welcome to another exciting installment of COMICSCAPE. By the end, I'll be hanging off of a cliff and you'll have to tune in next week to find out if I survive or not. Actually, I'll run my in-depth and hyperbole-free review of X-MEN: LAST STAND. I just saw it last night and, while I enjoyed it well enough, it never scales the heights of cinematic grandeur reached by the first two films.

Last week, I commented upon Marvel and DC's sometimes naïve and inconsequential depictions of violence. While I concede that their respective shared universes are obviously fantasy, I believe that the ongoing format of so many of their series reduces the likelihood of someone like the Joker surviving. If these fictional universes have both police forces and militaries and, correspondingly, crime and war, it seems unlikely that so many heroes could operate for so long with a ""no kill" policy. At some point, somebody just won't let you tie them up to wait for the cops and you have to take it to the next level before they do. I don't mean that mean that Marvel and DC necessarily need to add more bloodshed, but the ongoing format exposes a series of glaring contradictions about violence and its consequences. Several of you e-mailed me on the subject. My comments are in bold.

A.C. Wisdom writes, "Wonder Woman. Why people cannot believe she killed Max Lord is beyond me. She was being killed by Superman and was badly injured. Wonder Woman had no way to stop Superman short of crippling or killing him. She knew that Max had total control of Superman and that Max would use him to kill everyone else. Max also said that he would never stop trying to get Superman to kill and that there would be no way to undo the control he had short of killing him. So a badly beaten Wonder Woman who had no back-up, who had the only possible answer in front of her decided to save the lives of Superman and those he could have killed if Max lived (which included herself). She killed him."


You'll get no argument from me. I'd have broken his neck and taken his head to prevent a speedy resurrection. However, as DC usually writes her, I wouldn't have expected Wonder Woman to kill someone. She, along with Batman and Superman, usually believe there's always another way.

"Now, some may say why not knock Max out? Again, because Max said he could get Superman under his control again no matter the distance or how long it would take. She saved Superman's life, her own life, and the lives of that Superman could have killed, but the price was Max's own life. This leads into the violence in comic books. I think it is established that comics are darker than when they were first made. I believe DC tried to reflect some of the darker nature of comics today in INFINITE CRISIS. You see the Golden Age Superman become greatly frustrated with how dark the modern age world has become due to the actions or lack of actions from the Modern Age's superheroes. Here lies the problem. The main comic book heroes from both DC and Marvel were created as far back as the 30's and 40's when the world was more black and white. The villains did not commit mass murder, psychotic crimes, or kill sidekicks. The good guys wounded villains, never killed, and always won. As they years went by the villains did kill, violence increased, and heroes even died. Today, in order for villains to be villains they have to do much more to be considered evil or bad. Villains cannot just rob someone, kidnap for ransom, or threaten to destroy the world. They must actually kill, maim, or destroy in order to be viewed as a danger. Heroes, though, have not evolved. They must remain true to the original characters and capture the bad guy and bring them to justice even though the villains have upped the ante by killing their loved ones, their sidekicks, and their fellow heroes...The problem is the villains are as beloved in some cases as the hero or the hero would not be as great as they are without such a vile adversary."

But, they've been updated in other ways to reflect changing cultural norms. Check out Superdickery.com if you need examples. And, with regards to keeping beloved villains alive: ""Money makes the world go 'round, that clinking-clanking sound!""

"Sure sales factor in but from a writing point those villains make the heroes shine more. If violence such as killing the villains enters into the fray, then they stop being heroes we can admire. However, when writers find a way to make it seem justified to kill then you entice the reader to think not of just the moment, but the history of the character and finally what impact it brings to their actions in the future."


I don''t know. I'd probably admire Batman more if he killed the Joker and prevented the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of people. The justice system obviously can't contain him. And while I realize so many villains are iconic, there comes a time when a total lack of credibility mars the story. After a while, it can move from iconic thrills to "Man, this guy isn't dead yet?"

Stan Kiefer writes, "With everything that had happened in INFINITE CRISIS, when the Bat grabbed a gun, it made perfect sense. He had reached a breaking point. Nightwing was just blasted and Batman had just seen Superboy (Conner) dead, and that was it millions dead, some just no longer exist, hero's falling left and right mostly bench warmers, Nightwing taking the hit for the Bat that did it."

I can see that, but I think there should've been more gravity. If Batman's really so opposed to using firearms, I'd expect him to reflect on his near-breakdown. Without some emotional weight to counterbalance the act, most people will just think, "Batman doesn't use guns."" Comic writers shouldn't write major, life-changing events without considering the likely outcome. And actually, Batman almost snapping and shooting someone opens up richer opportunities for the character.


"As for Wonder Woman, I loved it she did what had to be done. It wasn't murder, it was justice. Sometimes you have no real choice. They are fighting a war, not just stopping your local street dealer or mugger. I love the fact that the super criminals are finally that -- not some idiot in a colorful costume robbing a candy store. They're finally realistic sick, evil, and deadly. I think the heroes in DC and Marvel need to cross that line every now and then to reflect what law enforcement must do on a daily basis."

I think you understood my point, then. Thank you.

"And when dealing with super-villains bent on destroying the world or enslaving it or whatever, then it's war, and should reflect what war is -- bloody and violent and deadly. You fight to survive and you kill the enemy so he doesn't kill you later."

And any reader that wants a shred of consistency will ultimately have to ask if they can really believe that A--hole Man broke out of prison again and killed five people, only to be incarcerated again.

A. Jaye Williams writes, "Number one rule when reading DC and Marvel books: suspension of disbelief. In a real-life logical way of thinking, pretty much all the villains and heroes in Marvel would be dead back in the 70's when Galactus first showed up, if not sooner. And, DC's heroes and villains would've been killed off by Darkseid, Doomsday, Brainiac, Luthor or whomever many times over. You just can't follow either universes with a real-life way of thinking. If the writers and editors did, the publishers would be out of business now."

Or they could, I don''t know, think up some new characters and storylines to write about for a few years before moving on to another batch.

"Superman [would be] dead (and this time for good), no more Batman, Wonder Woman married and living at home with Steve Trevor with six kids, or whatever. The Hulk would've been killed easily by a government assassin putting a bullet in Banners head. Heck, all S.H.I.E.L.D. would have to do is read that ridiculous one-shot THE PUNISHER KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE, recruit Castle for the job, then shoot him when it's over, and that takes care of that!"

Ridiculous? Are you kidding? That was the greatest thing ever!

"And worse of all, we, the reader, would have no DC and Marvel super hero comic books to read. At least none with the classic characters."

Actually, with years of stories featuring those characters already written, there's more than most people could read in a lifetime already available. Maybe Marvel and DC could come up with something new.


"I'm also one of the ones who hated Wonder Woman killing Maxwell Lord, mainly for the reason that it was so poorly justified in doing so. Fearing Max Lord could come back, control Superman again, and BANG, the worlds under his thumb. For some reason, I never saw Max as a greater threat than Darkseid, Brainiac, Sinestro, Bizarro, etc . . . and I never bought the fact that Max couldn't have been subdued, locked far away, and forgotten (heck, isn't that what they did with Superboy Prime? I guess Max didn't deserve that, but Superboy Prime did. HUH!?)."

Quit thinking those logical thoughts! Quit it now!

"Regarding whether heroes should kill: in small order, no. Most are not sanctioned by the government, and to kill anyone, even in the line of self-defense, they'd better be prepared to unmask, testify in court, and get sanctioned (or registered)."

If you have to beat up enough people, particularly if you're strong enough to throw cars, someone will die eventually. And, it goes without saying that CIVIL WAR seems to be dealing with some of these issues.

"I consider the Punisher to be a psychopathic mass murder (if I had my way, I'd write a one-shot that would have Thor bring the guy in and lock him away forever in the Vault). But again, this is fantasy and suspension of disbelief is paramount. There is a line, and I don't think anything should go, with no attention paid to continuity or defined character parameters, as challenging as that is with countless writers, editors, artists all handing the same characters over the years.

Summarily, it is a balancing act between a logical story-telling and fantasy escapism, where our heroes can dispatch a group of armed baddies without killing anyone, but doing it in a way that is believable for that character...There is a part for death in comic books, but it should never be done as a quota or to get off on. It should be there to as an important part of the story. Anyway, I could go on with many more points. Thanks."

What, you don't get off on death? What kind of pervert are you?

Jeremy Jaynes writes, "The whole violence issue is very subjective because, ironically, what surprised me most about recent comics was how adult the books had gotten. Not only is the violence depicted much more realistically than when I was younger, but even the guys who didn't 'kill' were a party to some really graphic stuff (I'm looking at you Superman). That, by the way, is a bold statement coming from a guy who read The Punisher religiously when growing up. So to me, to rant that comics don't depict violence in a realistic enough manner, is oddly funny. Comics when I grew up barely scratched the surface of realism compared to what's out there today."

Just because entertainment depicted the less savory aspects of life with kid gloves and naiveté in the past is no excuse to continue to do so. While I admit that I enjoy a good action movie just as much as the next guy, I think it gets a little tedious when films and comics pretend that nobody bleeds when they take a bullet.

"The depiction of violence in comics evolves with the times. I remember things that were on display in the 80's caught their fair share of flack for being too violent. Now, anyone criticizing current comics wishes they were only as violent as their fluffier 80's counterparts. I see realistic (as far as fantasy is concerned) depictions of violence and consequences in these books. Sue Dibney was raped. Her attacker was lobotomized for it. Now, granted, that's an extreme case, but other actions in recent books reflect similar circumstances. They just aren't realistic consequences in the real world. Then again, Dr. Light wouldn't be able to teleport into an orbiting space station to commence his assault in the real world either."

The circumstances may be fantasy - meaning the obvious science fiction and fantasy elements - but the characters' reactions to them should be human and relatable. That's what makes the story.

"I will agree, the peachiness of 'You shouldn't kill people if you're a hero' is tired. But I don't see it as often I used to, and I always accepted that idea with another in mind. To me the real message was, 'I'm so powerful/skilled, I could kill anyone I wanted. So I kill no one to set an example.' The idea to me was the good-guys (minus people like Wolverine and the aforementioned Punisher) actually show restraint and compassion to be that shining example for others. They are so powerful, to take one life, means they could start to justify a second, a third, so on, and so on. After all, how many times does the world hang in the balance, when it would just be easiest to kill the bad guy to win?"

Except, that's how everyone else on the planet deals with violence. We never invade a country with the intention of beating up their army to teach them a stern lesson. In the fictional universe, those characters may serve as moral beacons, but their credibility as such wanes when the same criminals escape from prison and kill more people.

"I don't feel Wonder Woman was out of character when she killed Maxwell Lord. She just, for one second, didn't show the restraint we're accustomed to, and it was jarring. We saw her as a flawed realistically depicted person for a second. Not the hot chick with the invisible jet. Lastly, in my short novel, I'll state what I've always thought. Comics should end. Each line - every Superman, Batman, X-Men, etc, should have a finale in each generation. Then, just reboot and start over from square one with new stories and new talent. I know that's kind of a controversial argument, but just ponder it. They do it constantly in film and television, which I have no problem with, and, most importantly, comic houses constantly mess with continuity. Instead of re-writing the already established mythos (like CRISIS) why not just start over from the beginning? Start with Superman rocketing to earth. Start with Batman's first night on the job. Start with Magneto's first act of terror. You can point out all the flaws you want, but just look at how good THE ULTIMATES turned out. The Ultimate line has already effectively done this. You could kill your Jokers and Lex Luthors without actually disrupting the entire future of the book. Fans who were disappointed their favorite villain was dead (which is a loose term in comics), knows in the next 10 to 20 years, he'll be back and as brutal as ever. At the same time, long-time fans with investment into these characters would get some closure in the ongoing story arcs. Plus, most importantly to the industry itself, the books would be more accessible to new readers without a 30+ year established mythos. I could keep going with the pros on this issue, but that is a discussion for another day. Overall, I'd say comics reflect our current acceptable levels of violence in society. Whether good or bad, that's yet to be determined."

Comics have certainly become more violent in keeping with society's loosening standards for artistic depictions of the same, and I think that's a good thing. I want characters that deal with the devastating physical and emotional results of violence. I want to hear about the thousands of people that died when the Hulk knocks down a building. That humanity infuses any story with real drama and makes the read all the more compelling. And, by the way, I don't have a huge objection to your reboot idea, but I'd rather the publishers create new characters instead of rehashing Batman every ten years. Thanks for writing.

Jeremy writes, "As for violence in comics, I think DC has recently crossed a major line in that regard. Marvel has always toed the line very carefully with characters like Wolverine. When you think he may go too far, he has that attack of conscious that seems to bring him back to his senses. During INFINITE CRISIS, I saw Superboy Prime splatter someone's head and brake spines all in the name of being the better hero. This felt largely gratuitous to me. I know DC has mainly had very family-friendly titles, while Marvel pushes the envelope... and in some cases destroys it with its MAX titles, designated for mature readers. DC has gotten away from what made its books great to begin with, and I think they'll find it won't help their mythos any. DC needs to make their characters more iconic again and less vigilante. Their heroes depend on the fact that the public trusts them, and they need to act up to that standard. Marvel's heroes are more underground vigilantes operating outside of common law, and their occasionally lethal tactics would be more necessary if no one wants to take who they incarcerate to jail."

The darkening of DC has been argued over for the past few years, and both IDENTITY CRISIS and INFINITE CRISIS capitalized on that debate. Obviously, you like your comics a bit more iconic and less brutal. That's fine, and you should support the books that cater to what you like. Personally, I prefer the ""grim and gritty" stuff, because I think it makes the stories more human and serves the reader better.

Adam J. Olivio writes, "I don't think there is ever too much or too little violence in comics, I just think that it's rarely touched upon when we see the consequences of these two spectrums. It's not that the violence is what has been captivating readers of late, more so the choice to look at the consequences (ala IDENTITY CRISIS). To see the depiction of real loss and suffering at the tragic work that death is, from the eyes of someone who is pretty much invulnerable or faces death daily, is massive in its scale of revelation."

I think both the characters and the readers benefit when they have to deal with the consequences of "slam-bang action." Obviously, that doesn't mean you have to show the grieving family of every mobster the Punisher shoots, but I'd prefer more realism. But, as several readers have pointed out, many superhero comics serve as escapism. What level of violence elevates a story from escapism to literature (or exploitation) remains for the individual reader to decide. That's why we have these discussions.

That's it for this week, guys. Check out next week for the smartest X-MEN: THE LAST STAND review on the web!


New This Week


By Al Brown and Kurt Amacker

DARK HORSE

Aliens Book Two DNA War Novel $6.99


Kurt: Licensed tie-in novels always tempt me with their badass cover art and sweet promises to continue the stories of so many characters I love. Then, invariably, I'm let down and find myself shuffling back to Oscar Wilde or one of those brilliant dead white men.

Conan Book Of Thoth #3 (of 4) $4.99

Concrete Vol 5 Think Like A Mountain TP $12.95


Al: ... ... ... ...

Kurt: Al, you've just rendered something both conceptually unique, yet physically impossible. It's like you've redefined the idea of a thinking mountain and shaken off the constraining conventions most of us have about mountains that think. All right, I just saw Art School Confidential. F--kin' sue me.

Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex The Lost Memory Novel $8.95

Al: Wait...you mean, like a book kind of thing? Without pictures or anything? AHH! RUN!

Kurt: Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it hear first. Al can''t read. His mom writes all his jokes, which is why their so painfully un-funny.

Scarface Novel (MR) $6.99

Al: On the other hand, if they're actually gonna type, "Say ello to my leetle fren!" then I'm buying this.

Vampire Hunter D Vol 4 Tale Of Dead Town Novel TP (MR) $8.95

Al: Get it? I was thinking like a mountain. HA! God, I'm so lame.

Kurt: I tried to read a couple of pages of the first novel in this series and it was just...oh Christ, I haven't been the same since!

DC COMICS

52 Week #3 $2.50

Al: This week: Green Arrow notices that the driveway is cracking just a little bit on the right side. Should he do something about it? Or is this one of those things that's really not a big deal? What do you do about driveway cracks, anyway? Do you have to call somebody, or is there something you can get at Home Depot to, like, patch it or something? Maybe Green Arrow will just go to Home Depot and poke around. But the people at Home Depot are always so dumb...God, this is really gonna be a pain in the neck. Green Arrow thinks he might just pretend he didn't notice.

Kurt: Maybe Green Arrow can just pay a couple of illegal aliens to hop in the Arrow Car and seal his driveway for him. Then he can call the INS, just to be mean.

American Way #4 (of 8) $2.99
Batman #653 $2.99
Birds Of Prey #94 $2.99
Blue Beetle #3 $2.99<
Cartoon Network Block Party #21 $2.25
Catwoman #55 $2.99

Al: Lesbians! Lesbians lesbians lesbians lesbians lesbians! If you were wondering, "Does Al just buy everything with lesbians in it?" the answer is yes.

Kurt: Okay, do we mean the hot, gay-for-pay, experimental, college lipstick lesbians, or do you mean the flannel shirt and Doc Martens crowd?

Checkmate #2 $2.99

Al: When you think about it, there should really only be one issue of Checkmate.

Checkmate Second Ptg #1 $2.99

Al: And there definitely shouldn't be this.

Sean Connery: What is the very thing Al's mother said the day he was born?

Crisis Aftermath The Battle For Bludhaven #4 (of 6) $2.99

Kurt: Man, this Ghost Rider trailer is taking a while to download. I really hope that movie's good. What do you think?

Green Lantern #11 $2.99

Hawkgirl #52 $2.99

Hellblazer #220 (MR) $2.99

Kurt: I've been saving up this arc before I read it, so I have no snide, tasteless comments about Hellblazer being written by a woman or anything. But, um, Keanu sucked as John Constantine! Ha!

JSA Classified #12 $2.99

Justice Second Ptg #4 (of 12) $3.50

Justice Second Ptg #5 (of 12) $3.50

Legion Of Super Heroes Vol 2 Death Of A Dream TP $14.99

Kurt: Great, now Type O Negative is playing in my head. Way to bring me down.

Loveless #7 (RES) (MR) $2.99

Loveless Vol 1 A Kin Of Homecoming TP (MR) $9.99

Robin Second Ptg #149 $2.50

Secret Six #1 (of 6) $2.99


Al: This is absolutely the best thing to come out of Crisis. Villains United was far and away the best Infinite Crisis miniseries; the Villains United One-Shot was probably the best single issue in the entire Crisis story; Gail Simone still rules your face. If we were still doing the most ass-kickinest book of the week thing, which we are not, this book would win it hands-down. What I'm saying is, buy this book if you like things that don't suck.

Kurt: And rent Al's mom if you like things that do. Boy howdy.

Skye Runner #2 $2.99

Skye Runner Variant Cover #2 $2.99

Supergirl And The Legion Of Super Heroes #18 $2.99

Superman Strange Attractors TP $14.99

Al: Strange Attractors...Like Kurt and penguins?

Kurt: How...how did you know? WHO TOLD YOU!?

Teen Titans #36 $2.99

Tenjho Tenge Vol 7 $9.99

Testament #6 (MR) $2.99

Thunderbolt Jaxon #4 (of 5) $2.99

Young Magician Vol 4 (MR) $9.99

Al: This is not about a college-aged Zatanna discovering fishnets for the first time, so don't get your hopes up.

Kurt: Will somebody do a one-shot where Zatanna discovers fishnets, Smirnoff Ice, and the glories of making out with other chicks? I mean, that''s what college is about, isn't it?

IMAGE

PVP #26 $2.99

Al: Here's the thing with PVP: a) you can get these strips for free online. So this is a comic book for people who are too lazy to check a website. b) It's not really that funny. I mean, there's no joke here. What's the joke? Dogs like to eat cat poop? That's not a joke, it's a fact. The point of humor is that you look at a fact in an interesting way. Or you tack "your mom" onto a fact. That's funny too. Like this: "Kurt's mom eats cat poop!" No wait, that's just another fact.

Kurt: Dude, I told you to find another pet name for your fiancé. She doesn't like being called "Kurt's mom" anymore.

Rising Stars Vol 4 TP $19.99

Rocketo Journey To The Hidden Sea #8 $2.99

Spawn #156 $2.95

Witchblade #98 $2.99

MARVEL

Annihilation Ronan #2 (of 4) $2.99

Avengers & Power Pack Assemble #2 (of 4) $2.99

Al: If the Avengers actually assembled, like Voltron, into like a giant killer Avenger robot or something...that would be awesome.

Kurt: In this issue, the Power Pack assembles to tell the Avengers about the very private things Al Brown did to them when he babysat. Captain America is not happy. He says Al Brown will be crapping out his shield very soon.

Black Panther #16 $2.99

Black Widow Things They Say About Her TP $15.99

Daredevil #85 $2.99

Kurt: You know, follow-up writers shouldn't rock this hard, but Brubaker has pulled it off in spades.

Eternals Sketchbook $1.99

Al: Okay, and why would anyone buy a sketchbook? What they're asking you to do here is buy the record of someone practicing to do something else. It's like asking you to buy a DVD of King Kong where instead of the giant ape, there's just Andy Serkis jumping around in a green bodysuit.

Exiles #81 $2.99

Al: Okay, actually, I would buy that.

Kurt: I have some swampland in Florida I'd like to sell you, if you're interested.

Fantastic Four A Death In The Family $3.99

Iron Man #8 $2.99

Last Planet Standing #2 (of 5) $2.99

Marvel Masterworks Fantastic Four Vol 10 HC Var ED 62 $54.99

Marvel Masterworks Fantastic Four Vol 10 New ED HC $49.99

Marvel Milestones Black Panther Storm & Ka-Zar $3.99

Al: WEAK! Weak weak weak weak weak weak weak weak weak! I hate this so much that I don't even have anything to say about it except WEAK. I'm gonna go to Marvel's headquarters and picket it with a sign that says WEAK. Oh my God, this is so weak. Now I've typed "Weak" so much that the word's starting to look really weird. I hate when that happens. Let's move on.

Kurt: Al, maybe you'd better switch to some nice herbal tea in the morning.

Marvel Zombies 2nd Ptg Var #5 (of 5) $2.99

New Avengers #19 $2.99

New Excalibur #7 $2.99

New Thunderbolts Vol 3 Right Of Power TP $17.99

Nextwave Agents Of Hate #5 $2.99

Nextwave Agents Of Hate Crayon Butchery Var #5 PI

Al: Yes, this is exactly what you were hoping it was. It is the new issue of Nextwave, with no colors, so that you can color it yourself. With crayon, ideally. Let's say this really big to show how much we mean it:

Warren Ellis is awesome.

Kurt: You can put it on the shelf next to your My Little Pony coloring book.

Powers #18 (MR) $2.95

Sensational Spider-Man #26 $2.99

She-Hulk 2 #8 $2.99

Spider-Man Black Cat Evil That Men Do Marvel Premiere HC $19.99

Al: I can't believe I used up this week's quota of weak before I even got to this. Luckily, I have a thesaurus handy. LAME! Lame lame lame lame lame lame dudes, there is nothing "premier" about this awful, awful story. In fact, here's my Top Five Things I'm Pretending Didn't Happen list (Marvel Edition):

5. "Draco"
   
   
4. Hawkeye's lame-ass death scene
   
   
3. That page where it's strongly suggested that something untoward happened to Rogue when she got captured in Genosha in Uncanny X-Men #236
   
   
2. This
   
   
1. Gwen Stacy's bastard twins
   
   

Special jury prize: Peter Parker conducts a little experiment of his own.

Make your own list in the Comments area!

Kurt: What about that baby Peter and Mary Jane may or may not have had?

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #6 $2.99

Squadron Supreme #3 $2.99

Wolverine #42 $2.99

X-Factor #7 $2.99

X-Statix Presents Dead Girl #5 (of 5) $2.99

Kurt: "One Dead Girl, here for your astonishment and amusement! Only a nickel a gander!" I'm off like a prom dress.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@cinescape.com.