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Does anyone else think Obama looks like the Smiler on that spiderman cover?
Banded together from remote galaxies are thirteen of the most sinister villains of all time… huh? Oh, I’m sorry. Sometimes it’s hard coming up with a snappy intro every week, and I’m tired of ripping off Stan Lee, so I figured I’d go the DC route this week with a little Challenge of the Comicscape!
Am I the only one who hears the voice of Ted Knight when I read an old DC comic? Marvel comics too, for that matter. I know he wasn’t the only guy to narrate The Superfriends, but his voice is the most memorable to me. In fact, I think of him every time I hear the word “meanwhile”.
But I digress. Let’s get on with the Comicscapin’, shall we? There are a few news items that I’d like to opine about this week.
The new President pops in for a visit to THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN in issue #583
© Marvel Entertainment
Washington, D.C., that is. Amazing Spider-Man # 583, which will be arriving in your local comic shop today, features a rather interesting guest star: President-Elect Barack Obama. The story centers around an Inauguration Day plot involving The Chameleon.
It isn’t the first time the President has appeared in a comic book; Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy are among those who have been spotted in the four-color world. But it is the first time we’ve had a President who was into comic books. Obama hasn’t made it a secret that he’s a comic book fan and that Spider-Man is among his favorites, a fact which pleases me to no end.
All political arguments aside: how freakin’ cool is it that the President of the United States used to collect Spidey and Conan? Way cool, regardless of what side of the fence you fall on.
President Barack Obama will also be appearing on the cover of Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon # 145, which will hit the stands on February 25. Fans will remember that the Dragon famously endorsed Obama on the cover of Savage Dragon # 137, so it only seems fitting that he’d make his post-election return.
We don't have a proper picture of Bill Willingham so here's a nice FABLES cover by James Jean
© DC Comics/Vertigo
In other somewhat-political news, Fables scribe Bill Willingham stated in a recent blog that he will no longer be participating in “the Age of Superhero Decadence”. Feeling that the ideals of superheroes have been degraded in recent years, Willingham has decided to dedicate his writing to the idea that the superhero genre “… should be different, better, with higher standards, loftier ideals and a more virtuous – more American – point of view.” (To read Willingham’s full blog post, click on the link above)
Hey, I’m a fan of Kingdom Come and a more “Silver Age mentality” when it comes to heroics. I like the notion that heroes should be heroes and not wantonly take lives or act in an inappropriate fashion. So from that perspective, I can dig what Willingham’s saying. However, I also like good storytelling, and I enjoy characters that are three-dimensional and have flaws. The real world is not black and white; it is filled with various shades of grey. There’s no reason superhero comics can’t reflect that world. It generally makes for a far more interesting story too. So in that respect, I don’t dig what William Willingham is layin’ down here. But he’s entitled to write in the manner in which he chooses, and in general, I’ve found that I enjoy the way he writes, so what can I say? I’ve always been of the mind that there’s room for a little bit of everything in the world of comic books.
Now, I don’t want to get involved in a long-winded discussion about Bill Willingham’s politics or his motivation here, because that’s not what Comicscape is about. But I do want to add my two cents to just one other aspect of this story before I move on.
Willingham complains about the fact that while Superman still fights for truth and justice, he no longer finishes the line with “… and the American way”. He brings up the point that Superman is DC’s biggest icon and one of the few fictional characters known worldwide. To me, this is exactly the reason why he should fight for truth and justice, but not necessarily the American way.
Truth and justice are universal ideals. The American way? Not so much. First of all, “The American way” isn’t quite so easily defined in modern times as it was in ye olden days. It doesn’t always mean the same thing to everyone and, let’s face it: the U.S. isn’t exactly the most popular country in the world right now. So it makes sense to leave that part out, if only to avoid making waves when marketing the character in the rest of the world. But that’s not even the point.
Captain America is and should be a flag waving patriot. In essence, he waves the flag every time he takes a step, throws his shield, sneezes or punches a bad guy. He’s the type of hero that should represent America because… well, his name is Captain America. Representing the country is sort of his thing, y’know? And wrapping the character up in an American flag is quite appropriate.
But I feel that Superman represents something bigger than the U.S. of A. As a character, he’s bigger than one country and honestly, he’s bigger than comic books. That’s why he’s so well-known around the world. He is, as Willingham stated, an icon. I think fighting for truth and justice is enough. Superman doesn’t have to fight for the American way; at least, he doesn’t need to proclaim it. Superman fights for all of us, not just Americans.
And if I can be “that guy” for just a minute… you guys do realize that America is a continent, right? Two, actually: North and South. So does Superman fight for the South American way, or the North American way? ‘Cause those are two totally different things. Come to think of it, North America alone is made up of more than one country. Is Superman fighting for the United States way or the Canadian way? And what about Greenland?
Hey, I don’t have a problem with Supes flying around with the American flag while replacing the roof of the White House after saving us from an attack by the Phantom Zone villains or singing the Star Spangled Banner on the 4th of July. It’s cool by me if he wants to salute an American flag once in a while; the guy lives in the United States and his books are published here, so it’s not like its inappropriate or offensive behavior on his part. But let’s not forget that when Superman gathered all of the nuclear weapons in the world and threw them into the sun, inadvertently creating Nuclear Man, he didn’t do it to save the United States, he did it to save the world. He wasn’t following any All-American edicts, he was just doing what Superman does best, which is help people. ALL people.
I mean no disrespect to Bill Willingham or the United States of America. I don’t mean to come off as some sort of flag burning radical. I just feel that at this point in his career, Superman is a symbol that the whole world should get to enjoy. We don’t need to hog him all to ourselves.
Norman Osborne takes charge on this Leinil Yu variant cover for SECRET INVASION #8
© Marvel Entertainment
For years, Norman Osborne, aka The Green Goblin, was the A-#1 Spider-Man villain. The arch-rival, if you will. He had a personal vendetta against the wall-crawler and he held nothing back in his attempts to destroy ol’ web head. But these days, Norman’s got a much bigger agenda. These days, he’s not just a one-hero villain.
As part of the Dark Illuminati, Norman Osborne is currently playing a much bigger role in the Marvel U. He’s the head of H.A.M.M.E.R. and is in charge of the Superhero Registration Act. He’s shut down the 50 State Initiative and bought out StarkTech, renaming it Oscorp. He’s got access to government documents and Stark’s own tech specs, including the Iron Man armor. As a member of the Dark Illuminati, he’s also got the top guns of the villainous side of the Marvel U backing him and pulling the strings.
All of this is well and good, and makes for a pretty interesting read. It sort of puts Norman Osborne in something of a Lex Luthor position: respected businessman and patriot by day, twisted evil genius by night. Actually, he’s probably doing the evil genius stuff by day too. At any rate, it seems like Norman is too big for Spidey these days. He’s got bigger fish to fry, namely, the entire Marvel Universe. But it’s kind of bittersweet for me. It’s like watching a child graduate from high school and move out of the house to attend college. Lil’ Normie’s moving up in the world.
But something tells me that in the end, Spider-Man will likely end up playing a fairly large role when it comes to removing Norman from his lofty position.
Mickey Rourke in THE WRESTLER
© Fox Searchlight
Last week, an article right here on Mania suggested that Mickey Rourke might be in the running for a role in Iron Man 2 as either the Crimson Dynamo or Whiplash.
I’m a big fan of Rourke’s work, and adding another talented actor to the Iron Man sequel certainly won’t hurt its chances of being a hit. The current buzz surrounding Rourke due to his stunning portrayal of a down-on-his-luck professional wrestler in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler won’t hurt either (and for the record, I’ve seen the movie and it’s awesome).
I don’t mean to make light of anyone’s personal demons, but does it kind of seem like the Iron Man franchise is becoming the Celebrity Rehab of superhero movies? Now, I’m all about giving people second and third chances… hell, even fourth and fifth chances. And Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke are among the great acting talents of our time, so I’m cool with it as long as the talent level remains where it’s at. But the minute I hear that Daniel Baldwin has signed on to play the Living Laser, I’m done.
That’s all for this week’s Comicscape. Come back next week for more news, reviews, tomfoolery and shenanigans. Until then, please enjoy The Spinner Rack and the sage advice of Bold n’ Beautiful Ben Johnson!
By Ben Johnson and Chad Derdowski
Ben: OK, I’m trying something new again, without screwing up like I did last week. Let me know what you think.
Chad: Every time you screw up, Baby Jesus cries. Please don’t make Baby Jesus cry again, Ben.
AVATAR PRESS
Gravel #8 (Mike Wolfer Regular Cover), $3.99
Ben: First your road, now your driveway. It’s right at your door.
Gravel #8 (Mike Wolfer Incentive Black Magic Edition), AR
Gravel #8 (Oscar Jimenez Wrap Cover), $3.99
BOOM! STUDIOS
Fall Of Cthulhu Apocalypse #2 (of 4)(Cover A), $3.99
Ben: Come on! Nothing can stop Cthulhu.
Chad: Except naptime in his house at R’lyeh.
Fall Of Cthulhu Apocalypse #2 (of 4)(Cover B), $3.99
DARK HORSE
BPRD Black Goddess #1 (of 5), $2.99
Cleaners #2 (of 4), $2.99
Ghost Talkers Daydream TP Vol 3, $10.95
Pigeons From Hell TP, $13.99
Solomon Kane #4 (of 5), $2.99
DC COMICS
Action Comics #873 (Faces Of Evil Tie-In), $2.99
Ben: You know what? I have really been getting into the awesome that is Superman lately, and now I have to miss an issue because I refuse to buy anymore cross-overs or tie-ins. Thus, my interest will wane, and Superman will be removed from the greatest pull list ever, mine.
Chad: It’s just a label on the cover, not a crossover! You can keep buying Superman!
Army @ Love The Art Of War #6 (of 6), $2.99
Batman Confidential #25, $2.99
Booster Gold #16 (Faces Of Evil Tie-In), $2.99
Ben: Seriously, screw you DC.
Cartoon Network Action Pack #33, $2.50
Classical Medley Vol 2, $9.99
Dark Knight Batman Original Suit Vinyl Statue, $125.00
Ben: Not a nipple to be seen.
DMZ #38, $2.99
Eclipso Music Of The Spheres TP, $19.99
Fables #80, $2.99
Ben: I kind of want to make out with Bill Willingham.
Chad: As long as you’re waving the American flag, I’m sure it’s cool.
Faces Of Evil Prometheus #1 (Faces Of Evil Tie-In), $2.99
Ben: I even hate this character. It’s a two-fer.
Final Crisis #6 (of 7)(Cover A Character Cover), $3.99
Ben: Crap, now I’m a liar because I’m going to buy this.
Final Crisis #6 (of 7)(Cover B Story Sliver Cover), $3.99
Gen 13 #26, $2.99
Green Arrow Black Canary #16 (Faces Of Evil Tie-In), $2.99
Ben: Eat it!
Green Lantern Corps #32 (Faces Of Evil Tie-In), $2.99
Ben: Beat it!
House Of Mystery TP Vol 1 Room And Boredom, $9.99
Ben: Remember this title…
MAD Magazine #498, $4.99
Manhunter #38, $2.99
Nightwing #152 (Faces Of Evil Tie-In), $2.99
Push #4 (of 6), $3.50
Resistance #1 (of 6), $3.99
Showcase Presents House Of Mystery TP Vol 1 (New Printing), $16.99
Ben: WTF?
Chad: This is the old House of Mystery. The other one is the new series. They’re both good, and there’s no Faces of Evil tie-in, so it’s a win-win situation!
Simon Dark #16, $2.99
Suihelibe Vol 2, $9.99
Chad: Huh? Are you sure you didn’t spell that wrong, Ben?
Super Friends #11, $2.50
Texas Chainsaw Massacre TP Vol 2, $14.99
Ben: What a bloody mess.
Titans #9 (Faces Of Evil Tie-In), $2.99
Titans Old Friends HC, $24.99
Trinity #33, $2.99
Young Liars #11, $2.99
Ben: But Chad’s getting older everyday.
Chad: Tell me about it, brother.
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Battlestar Galactica Cylon War #1 (of 4)(Stephen Segovia Regular Cover), $3.99
Battlestar Galactica Cylon War #1 (of 4)(Nigel Raynor Regular Cover), $3.99
Death Defying Devil #2 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.50
Death Defying Devil #2 (Edgar Salazar Regular Cover), $3.50
Death Defying Devil #2 (George Tuska Regular Cover), $3.50
Death Defying Devil #2 (John Cassaday Regular Cover), $3.50
Death Defying Devil #2 (Alex Ross Incentive Negative Cover), AR
Death Defying Devil #2 (John Cassaday Incentive Negative Cover), AR
Ben: Really? 6 covers? Did you know if you put them all together you get a picture of Dynamite Executives laughing at you?
Chad: Okay, seriously… that was the best joke ever. All kidding aside, I feel the need to take a moment and compliment you on that one. Bravo!
Terminator Revolution #1, AR
Zorro #9 (Foil Cover)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $19.99
Ben: Oh good God no. But you know what’s worse than someone paying $20 for a foil cover?
Zorro #9 (High End Foil Cover)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), AR
Ben: This.
IDW PUBLISHING
Angel After The Fall Cover Gallery, $3.99
Doctor Who Classics Series 2 #2 (Dave Gibbons Regular Cover), $3.99
Ben: A double dose of the brown.
Doctor Who Classics Series 2 #2 (Dave Gibbons Incentive Retro Art Variant Cover), AR
Dreamer #3 (Jenny Frison Cover), $3.99
Dreamer #3 (Lora Innes Cover), $3.99
Dreamland Chronicles IDW #7 (Cover A Scott Christian Sava), $3.99
Dreamland Chronicles IDW #7 (Cover B Karen Krajenbrink), $3.99
Ghost Whisperer The Muse #2 (Brian Miller Cover), $3.99
Ghost Whisperer The Muse #2 (Photo Cover), $3.99
Ben: I think boob variant would be more appropriate.
Ghostbusters The Other Side #4, $3.99
GI Joe #1 (Regular Cover A), $3.99
GI Joe #1 (Regular Cover B), $3.99
GI Joe #1 (Gabriele Dell'Otto Regular Cover C Wraparound), AR
GI Joe #1 (Dave Johnson Incentive Virgin Cover), AR
GI Joe #1 (Gabriele Dell'Otto Incentive Sketch Variant Cover), AR
GI Joe #1 (J Scott Campbell Incentive Pin-Up Book), AR
Ben: Just the massive tree death involved in this makes me sad.
Chad: Ummm… Yo Joe?
Locke & Key Head Games #1 (Gabriel Rodriguez Regular Cover), $3.99
Ben: Joe (Stephen King’s son Joe King (Joe King, Joeking, Joking, haha)) Hill returns to the old house. Can I get a HELL YEAH!
Locke & Key Head Games #1 (Gabriel Rodriguez Incentive Sketch Variant Cover), AR
My Grandparents Are Secret Agents GN, $11.99
Ben: That sounds like the worst Spy Kids sequel yet.
Presidential Material Barack Obama (3rd Printing), $3.99
Ben: What? No new printing for McCain?
Sparrow William Wray HC, $11.99
Speed Racer The Next Generation Birthright #3, $3.99
Speed Racer The Next Generation TP Vol 3, $7.99
Star Trek The Next Generation Last Generation #3 (Cover A), $3.99
Ben: WTF does that mean.
Star Trek The Next Generation Last Generation #3 (Cover B), $3.99
Terminator Salvation Movie Prequel #1 (of 4)(Nick Runge Regular Cover), $3.99
Terminator Salvation Movie Prequel #1 (of 4)(Klaus Scherwinski Incentive Variant Cover), AR
Transformers Armada TP Vol 2, $19.99
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen Movie Prequel Alliance #2 (Alex Milne Regular Cover), $3.99
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen Movie Prequel Alliance #2 (Josh Nizzi Regular Cover), $3.99
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen Movie Prequel Alliance #2 (Alex Milne Incentive Variant Cover), AR
IMAGE COMICS
Elephantmen #15 (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $2.99
I Hate Gallant Girl #3 (of 3), $3.50
I Kill Giants #7 (of 7), $3.99
Invincible #58 (resolicited), $2.99
Parade With Fireworks TP, $12.99
Perhapanauts #5, $3.50
Walking Dead Omnibus Vol 2 HC, $100.00
Walking Dead Omnibus Vol 2 HC (Signed & Numbered Limited Edition), $150.00
Ben: Now I know what I’m getting my daughter for her 3rd birthday. Thanks Image!
Witchblade #123, $2.99
Zombie Cop GN, $14.99
MARVEL COMICS
Adam Legend Of Blue Marvel #3 (of 6), $3.99
Amazing Spider-Girl #28, $2.99
Amazing Spider-Man #583 (John Romita Sr Regular Cover), $3.99
Amazing Spider-Man #583 (Barack Obama Variant Cover), $3.99
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Laughing Corpse #4 (of 5), $3.99
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter TP First Death, $14.99
Annihilation Conquest TP Book 2, $34.99
Big Hero 6 #5 (of 5), $3.99
Captain Britain And MI 13 #9, $2.99
Civil War House Of M #5 (of 5), $2.99
Ben: I wonder if you’re the writer that gets assigned to this if you also assigned to suicide watch?
Daredevil Premiere HC Born Again, $24.99
Daredevil Premiere HC Born Again (Variant Edition Vol 19), $24.99
Deadpool #6 (Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99
Ben: I used to like Deadpool. Then I turned 13.
Chad: Thank you!
Hulk Visionaries Peter David TP Vol 6, $29.99
Immortal Iron Fist TP Vol 3 The Book Of The Iron Fist (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $16.99
Lords Of Avalon Knights Of Darkness #3 (of 6), $3.99
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #47, $2.99
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #7, $2.99
Marvel Adventures TP Vol 1 Triple Threat Digest, $9.99
Marvel Illustrated Odyssey #5 (of 8), $3.99
Marvel Masterworks Avengers HC Vol 2 (New Printing)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $54.99
Marvel Masterworks Avengers HC Vol 2 (New Printing)(Variant Edition) $54.99
Marvel Masterworks Daredevil HC Vol 5 (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $54.99
Marvel Masterworks Daredevil HC Vol 5 (Variant Edition Vol 110)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $54.99
Nova Origin Richard Rider (One Shot), $4.99
Ben: I love Nova, oh yeah.
Punisher War Zone #5 (of 6), $3.99
Spider-Man Brand New Day #4, $3.99
Spider-Man TP Amazing Friends Digest, $9.99
Chad: A digest, but still no Amazing Friends DVDs. Sigh.
Wonderful Wizard Of Oz #2 (of 8), $3.99
X-Force TP Vol 1 Angels And Demons, $15.99
X-Infernus #1 (of 4)(Giuseppe Camuncoli 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
X-Infernus #2 (Of 4), $3.99
X-Men Spider-Man #3 (of 4), $3.99
Does anyone else think Obama looks like the Smiler on that spiderman cover?
I wonder if the folks are Marvel are trying to tell us something?
I can't believe you invoked Superman 4 as a proof why having Superman be for the American way is passe (yes, there should be an accent mark over the e; I can never remember how to do it).
I applaud Willingham, both for his position on superheroes and his willingness to speak out publicly on it. He has more than adequately demonstrated that he understands shades of gray (the current storyline in Fables proves that), but he also grasps that superheroes are SUPER HEROES. Think about those words. Hero: the chief character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize. Throw in the adjective "super" and you have the concept of a hero raised exponentially. A superhero, by definition, should be an ideal figure, and, yes, that means they're going to protrayed in a less gray kind of way.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone argue that a character such as the Punisher is a hero, so does it really make sense to be degrading superheroes into watered down versions of the Punisher?
fenngibbon - I can't believe I invoked Superman IV either, but it was intended to put a smile on your face as well as make a point. But I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say with the rest of my comments.
I don't have a problem with a hero being portrayed in a "less than gray" way - in fact, I'm in favor of it when it comes to a character like Superman. All I'm saying is that I just don't think that we need the words "... and the American way" tacked on to his mantra.
As I said - I don't think Superman represents the United States of America and I don't think he should. I see Superman as the guy who represents the best that humanity has to offer. He doesn't need to be restricted to a particular continent, country or political ideology. That's all I'm really saying. I'm not trying to attack Willingham or his stance, and it is absolutely his right to speak out about his feelings and write stories the way he wants.
Let Captain America be the All-American guy. Or Iron Man, Green Lantern or Firestorm or Spawn. I just see Superman as being bigger than that.
(and don't worry about the accent mark in passe ... I can't figure out how to do that either)
I like the new page setup. Much clearer. I like the 6 covers joke too. Good one Ben.
I thought it was strange for him to use "The American Way" as well. I think that politics have been so divisive in past years that now I have a knee jerk reaction anytime a label that can be considered political gets attached to something, even when it's our own country. Too used to looking for why it's being used, like if someone is trying to maniplulate by use of a political label. If anything, I think Superman should be something America (and the world) are supposed to aspire to, not the other way around. Superman shouldn't have to be all about being American, but it wouldn't hurt for Americans to want to be like Superman.
Also, shame on you for giving that Spidey plug. The only comic fans that better have bought that are people who normally read that book every month anyways. What a shameless fucking cash-in and it's just ridiculous. Larsen's books seem alright because that came off as real to me, but it comes off as a shameless marketing tool from Marvel. Where was their Obama cover pre-election? Did you see the solicitation from Liefeld for an Obama Youngblood cover? Y'see what this shit's leading to? The poor guys at the comic shop I go to were having to answer the phone every two minutes to answer questions about that book from people that "wanted a piece of history" which translates to "collector's item" which translates to "worth money" which translates to the 1990's. And the amount of shamelesness in the 1990's almost destroyed the industry. So will you people out there who started buying the multiple and variant covers of crap just knock it off? Really, you'll be doing yourself a favor in the long run.
Well said, 'Fist.
Re: your Spidey/Obama comments. I agree, but I kind of felt like I had to mention it. It is somewhat newsworthy after all. Shameless? Sure, but does that surprise you? Marvel doesn't seem to have a lot of shame these days. I agree that if felt more "real" when Larsen did it, probably because it seemed more like a genuine endorsement... because it was.
On the other hand, if one or two people who've never read a comic before find themselves in a comic shop and they end up picking up something else in addition to their Spidey/Obama book ... I guess it's worth it.
It's strange. Why is there a delay in the Spinner rack rack up when the main artice is there. Shouldn't they be attached? Guess i'll check back later and hope the boss doesn't catch me.