Superhero Media: The Marvels Project

Not quite a follow-up to the seminal Marvels, The Marvels Project covers the first few years of the fledgling Marvel Universe, as told by Thomas Halloway, aka, The Angel. Even more so than Marvels, The Marvels Project bridges the continuity gaps between the pre-Marvel Timely comics and the "universe" that Stan, Jack and Steve built in the 1960s, not pulling a full "Avengers Forever" thing, but just massaging over the rough patches that you tend to get with Golden Age Comics. For example, rather than Phantom Bullet and The Ferret just dropping off enough in popularity to no longer be published, both characters are skilled by Nazi agents who later target Erskine and Steve Rogers. Clever, huh? Well, I like it. The narrative, whilst framed with Halloway's experience, is clearly focused on Captain America, which makes sense, as the series was written by Ed Brubaker, possibly the best Cap writer ever. That said, there is still plenty of Angel, Namor and Human Torch to keep the comics classicist happy. 

The clever thing about The Marvels Project is that it couches the story around the build-up to the United States entering the Second World War, which works nicely as a meta-narrative about the comics industry, as well as tying to the opening chapter of Marvels. I'm honestly shocked there isn't a Phil Sheldon cameo in there, but appearances from Black Widow (Claire Voyant), The Phantom Reporter and Electro help slide us into the next adventure on our Marvel Golden Age jaunt, The Twelve. Also of note, the story is bookended with appearances of the Two-Gun Kid, occasional Avengers member and good friend of Clint Barton. Probably the only element I'm not fond of in The Marvels Project is the Human Torch and Toro getting to fight during the Battle off Pearl Harbour, which just "feels" a little cheap to me, even if it does suit the story and mirror action happening elsewhere. The pacing is also a little off, but I tend to put this down to trying to match old comics. 

In terms of gaming inspiration, The Marvels Project is excellent, with games at both the high and low ends of the superhero power scale. The Human Torch and Toro versus Japanese aircraft would be amazing to see on the table, and a possible collaboration between supers and historical gamers that I may have to do, if I can get flaming figures in the right scale. And, as discussed in previous posts, I'm keen on some Pulp games, though a League of Adventurers is less interesting to me than a collection of caped heroes, and now I'll have to track down a suitable Angel to round out some kind of Golden Age Defenders for my games. I have also started up some new, plastic, pulpy Nazis to menace my heroes, which I'll hopefully have painted before too long. 

Superhero Media: Marvels

Probably one of the best Marvel comics ever written, drawn and poured over, Marvels is a must-have in any comics collection, even if the Golden and Silver Ages of Marvel comics isn't typically your thing. Telling the story of the 616 Marvel Universe itself, through the eyes of photographer Phil Sheldon, who undergoes his own personal journey with what superheroes, "Marvels", as he calls them, mean to him and the broader world. Every panel of Marvels is hand-painted by Alex Ross, and could well be his best work ever, even if the subject matter is sometimes as mundane as Gwen Stacy walking down a street. Written by Kurt Buisek, Marvels can be read as just an exercise in classic Marvel trainspotting, and my version does come with a list of references at the back, but the story is more about how what came to be known as the Marvel Universe came together out of a bunch of comics written by different people over a series of years. And if Marvels was just a nostalgia trip, it wouldn't be as great as it is. 

Broken into four issues, Marvels uses specific moments of Marvel history to tell its broader narrative, The Human Torch Vs Namor, the first appearance of Galactus on Earth, the wedding of Reed and Sue and the death of Gwen Stacy. Within these larger events, other things are happening, and not just on the scale of the big superhero fights; Phil has doubts about his marriage, works too hard and finally prioritises his family above his obsession with the Marvels, often providing excellent contrast with the world-shaping events happening around him. Readers of Marvel comics "know" plenty of ordinary people, like J Jonah Jameson, Mary Jane Watson and Willie Lumpkin, but Phil Sheldon is different, because whilst his profession often engages with the Marvels, he himself doesn't know any or really have much to do with them. Though a few small moments with Peter Parker and Danny Keltch are fun for that little twist of the fantastic.

Since appearing in Marvels, Phil has popped up here and there in broader Marvel media, from mentions in the Ultimate Alliance games through to a cameo in The Superhero Squad Show, of all things. Marvels started as an analysis and celebration of the history of the Marvel Universe, but has become an integral part of it as fans have embraced Phil Sheldon and his world and enshrined them alongside the very events he chronicles. I don't honestly expect to see Phil in the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon, but once you know about him, he does pop up here and there, just keep an eye out. Various attempts have been made to recapture the brilliance of Marvels, some of which we'll go on to explore soon, but most of which don't really come close. Rather than decry these efforts though, I welcome any attempt to get back to this place, to take another swing at recapturing the unparalleled magic of Marvels.

Superhero Media: Infamous Iron Man

In a world were Tony Stark has sacrificed himself to save the Earth from an alien menace, who will fill the role of Iron Man? The answer is, of course, Victor Von Doom. After the events of Secret War (the other one), Doom is returned to Earth, Latveria is in ruins and he has had the epiphany that being a "villain" has not turned out they way he wanted. The natural conclusion that Doom reaches? Become the new Iron Man. As a big fan of Doom, I like seeing him in the hero role, even if the concept is a little trite. Doom 2099 was great, and I should probably read it again at some stage, but Infamous Iron Man hits all of the right notes and goes about as far as you can in the 616 continuity. Seeing Doom work through his emotional baggage, and struggle to interact like a human sometimes makes from some great quiet moments, and some exceptional character scenes when other characters interact with the "new" Doom. 

The artwork, by Alex Maleev, has an impressionistic look, which suits the theme of Doom's disassociation from his former self, but the action scenes are pretty ugly and hard to follow as a result. And that's when the art doesn't cop-out by cutting away, or just not really showing the climatic fight, a magical battle between Doom and Mephisto with Doctor Strange helping out Doom. That could have been really visually interesting in the hands of a better artist, but really lets down the epic conclusion of the mini-series. Of course, it doesn't help that Brian Michael Bendis barely writes a finale, but I'm willing to cut him a little more slack given how many comics Marvel has him writing every month. Again, the smaller moments, like Doom talking to Ben Grimm or exchanges with Ironheart, are where Infamous Iron Man is strongest, as Doom is one of the smartest people on the planet, making excellent points, while all anyone can remember is the several times he nearly destroyed the planet and/or killed a bunch of people. 

Although this is just a mini-series, Victor Von Doom, the Iron Man, continues on in some Avengers comics, but all things being as they are in comics, by the time you're reading this, Doom has likely long-since returned to his old ways. As much as retcons and reboots are something comics fans like to complain about, returns to the status quo are how we get fun little diversions like Infamous Iron Man. Of course Stark will return to the suit at some point, but the comics where Doctor Doom is a hero and everyone is blindsided will sit on my shelves for years to come. Currently there isn't a Heroclix version of the character, but as soon as one isn't a silly price on the secondary market, I'll be sure to be grabbing one for my collection of Dooms. Also certainly a consideration for my "AvengerZ" articles down the track, if I ever get back to them.

Superhero Media: Kings Watch

Ever wonder what a potential, big-budget, Hollywood Defenders of the Earth would look like? Wonder no more, as Dynamite Comics has given us Kings Watch, a thoroughly modern take on a Flash Gordon/Mandrake/Phantom team up that is... pretty good, I guess? Look, the problem with comparing smaller comic production houses like Dynamite to the "big boys" of Marvel and DC is that they don't have the same deep pockets and pools of artists and writers to work with, so rarely deliver work of the same level. For example, whilst Kings Watch has a great plot and decent art, the character dialogue is patchy and the art doesn't always match what the characters are saying. The first time I read the trade, the flaws didn't bother me that much, but each time I go back to it, they're a little more pronounced and spoil my enjoyment that touch more. Ok, so maybe I shouldn't have read Kings Watch right after Invincible, but my point still stands. 

Flash Gordon, Hans Zarkhov, Dale Arden, The Phantom and Lothar are separately investigating strange occurrences across the world when fate brings them together to combat Cobra, a doomsday cult intent on summoning the great god Ming from the nether-realm of Mongo using an ancient device known as the Kings Watch. Even with the help of, possibly immortal, master wizard Mandrake, these impromptu "Defenders of the Earth" are unable to prevent the opening of the portal and the Armies of Mongo invade the world. A war erupts across the face of the planet, with Mandrake, The Phantom and Flash Gordon leading the charge. After some success battling the invaders, our heroes learn that this is only the beginning and that they must go to Mongo and confront Ming themselves. Kings Watch is pretty decent, despite the flaws that hurt the readability, there's some odd plot twists towards the end that I won't spoil, but the real sticking point for me is how this just kind of reads like a script for a film. 

Yes, I admit, I'd nerd-out pretty hard for a big-budget Hollywood Defenders of the Earth film, and I spent way too much time and effort on this blog discussing that very idea in the past, but this kind of "soft-pitch" comic, as a phenomenon, is starting to get on my nerves. Elements like the presentation of The Phantom, Mandrake being played like Doctor Strange and the "epic destiny" of the characters comes across as someone who knows about the characters, but not what makes them beloved, so has fit them to popular film archetypes instead. The adventures of Jungle Batman, Doctor Strange and Batman but just the rich guy part is not what I want from this franchise, I want Mandrake's "Fast Hypnotism", The Phantom calling on the power of ten tigers and Flash Gordon killing bad guys with a spaceship to the heart. Kings Watch is still a good read and worth it for those interested in the characters, but I wonder if it's a sign of things to come for this franchise.

Superhero Media: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Century

I was originally intending to review each of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century volumes (1910, 1969 and 2009) individually, but, truth be told, I only really like 2009, and didn't feel like doing separate reviews of the two I didn't enjoy. Not that I feel Century is a bad read, just that if I don't follow through to the final volume, the first two are dissatisfying. Returning from their travels around the world, the, now-immortal, trio of Alan, Mina and Orlando return to the service of Mycroft Holmes, defending England from the impossible threats that haunt the shadows of the world. Joined, at first, by Carnaki the Ghost Hunter and and A.J. Raffles, the team must, across a century of action, prevent the creation and rise of the Antichrist. Friends have told me that Century is hard to read, and that they find it pretentious, as parts are essentially extended references to things Moore has watched, read and written. There is a truth to that criticism, but as a Literature nerd, I love it. 

Much of the story of Century may not make sense if you haven't also read Black Dossier, as that story comes between 1910 and 1969 in the broader narrative, and is referenced heavily in 2009. The through-line of fighting the Antichrist, however, is centred in Century, culminating with Mary Poppins (aka GOD) descending from the sky to turn the Beast into chalk. Oh, and the Antichrist is Harry Potter, feel like I may have buried the lead on that one. In Century, Harry is the "Moonchild" brought into the world to force the next cycle into darkness by Oliver Haddo, a semi-immortal occultist, whose adventures peel off from the books at some point, ending with Harry becoming aware of his nature and going on a murdering rampage through Hogwarts. If you're a diehard Potter fan, I'm sure it's pretty disgusting, but again, still way less offensive than JKR at this point. The heroes are not the best, they lose and fail repeatedly, but win out in the end despite their failings as individuals; it is certainly an interesting read. 

The prose story in Century is "Minions of the Moon" in which Mina (in her superhero guise of Vull the Invisible), the Galley-wag and his Dutch Dolls travel to the Moon to prevent a war between the Selenites and the Amazon Women on the Moon. I love comics. I'm not as enamoured with "Minions of the Moon" as I was "Alan and the Sundered Veil", but the brief interlude where Mina as Vull discusses the death of Stardust the Super Wizard with Captain Universe (probably not the one you're thinking of) is amazing in all the ways that make the comic nerd in me happy. I'd love a story expanding on Mina's team of superheroes, but we'll get to that soon enough. As a continuation to the first two volumes of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century may leave some fans wanting, with even less heroics and fewer iconic characters, but the series remains ripe with brilliant ideas for superhero games of all kinds. If you can stomach the deep-dive into the mind of Alan Moore, the series is very rewarding, even if it never quite gets back to the levels of the first two volumes.

Thinking Out Loud: The Overton Phantom-Zone Viewer

An interesting little discussion I get into occasionally is "where do superheroes sit politically"? Now, this is kind of a dumb question on its face, as individual characters would have different political leanings, not to mention that different writers will put their own spin on things. Also there is the Overton window, which shifts over time, further muddying the already fraught notions of the "Right" and "Left" in politics. For example, your average American may consider the Democratic party as "Liberal", though by the standards of Australian politics, the Democrats would still be considered fairly "Conservative". Also, our Liberal party is pretty damn conservative and our Conservative party are a bunch of religious nutbags that no one takes seriously, just to be extra confusing. For myself, being an anarchist, pretty much no political party at home or abroad represents what I want or stands for the same thing I do, so the notion of democratic "Left" and "Right" parties is kind of nonsensical from where I sit, and I honestly consider the "Leftist" parties of Australia to be closer to the "Centre" for the most part.

The argument is, and it's not a bad one, truth be told, that because Superheroes maintain "order", they must be Conservative, as there is the assumption that the society they're helping to protect is worthwhile. Ok, so, yes? You rarely see superheroes raging against the government, and even when you do, in say Civil War or The Dark Knight Returns, there isn't really anyone agitating for the end of capitalism, as I would in their place. Then again, comics, especially Marvel Comics, have a history of being an "outsider" medium, with the Silver Age being replete with support for the Civil Rights, Environmental and Spiritualist movements, all of which are still considered outside of the mainstream, to some degree. Most superheroes are humanist, at least to a certain degree, being against killing their foes and trying to avoid fights, and I tend to place Conservatism and Capitalism as non-humanist, what with the whole letting people die of exposure and starvation rather than pay for them to have housing and food thing. I think if you exist only in the false and inaccurate Liberal/Conservative dualism of politics that is common in Western Democracies, then reading Superheroes as predominantly "leftist" is fair, though not the whole story.

As the internet provides more access to information outside of what is deemed "acceptable" by the mainstream politics and media in your country, (Australian media is weirdly conservative compared to our culture, for example) young people are finally able to learn what terms like "Anarchist", "Fascist" and "Socialist" actually mean, rather than how they are framed by those already in power. I have to admit, I used to have very incorrect assumptions about all of them, and I actually only realised I was an Anarchist when I was actively seeking out a label to help explain my political views to others. Even now, when I tell people I am an Anarchist, there are plenty of assumptions that I find I have to fight, but thankfully, most of my peers are at least willing to consider what I have to say. In the past few years, as the people writing comics get to be of my generation and younger, the politics of heroes are shifting. Be it the MCU Flag-Smashers, Alison Green or even the Immortal Hulk, some heroes are getting more radical in their politics and approach to the status-quo that they once safeguarded. I don't know if this is indicative of a bigger shift in how Superheroes are written, or if it's just a case of companies "going woke" to make more money, but you can be sure that I'll be keeping an eye on it and hoping.

Thinking Out Loud: The Universe of Alan Moore

I was reading The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century 2009 recently, and there were a few panels of Mina and Orlando waiting to meet Norton, the Prisoner of London and the background displays some highly-militarised Bobbies that looked so familiar that I just knew I'd seen them elsewhere. Now, almost everything in the Century books is a reference to something, so that's not really a huge revelation, but this one twigged something deep in my memory, so I had to go digging. I'd been on a bit of an Alan Moore kick lately, so thankfully I didn't have to go through much to find what I was looking for, a bound edition of Marvel UK's Captain Britain. Without going into a major history of Marvel UK and the stuff they were doing in the 1970s and '80s, whilst many of the stories published are considered to be canonical with the 616 Universe, being a smaller and semi-independent operation, they were able to get away with quite a bit. For example, did you know that in the 616 universe, Great Britain entered a fascist dictatorship for a little bit in the 1980s, where mutants and superheroes were put in concentration camps, but no one other than the victims remember it? 

Not only was that a thing that happened in the pages of Captain Britain, and was the origin of his future wife Meggan, but there were some distinctive Dystopian Militarised Bobbies pushing mutants and other "undesirables" around. Ok, so 1984(ish) and 2009 are a little far apart, and Moore is famous for nothing if not using other people's ideas in new and interesting ways, but it got me thinking how "linked" Moore's work may actually be. A lot can be discounted quickly, like V for Vendetta, Watchmen and even From Hell (in the LXG books, Jack the Ripper is also Mac the Knife), also probably anything that happened in the DCU, although I love the idea of Swamp Thing being part of the Blazing World. Moore got his start in comics writing Doctor Who for Radio Comics, writing adventures for the First Doctor, who also appears in Century 2009, in the same scene as the armoured police, so it's possible that there is a cannonical link there, in the same way the Marvel UK comics from the 1980s are connected to the Transformers comics as well as the broader Marvel 616 continuity. 

Much like my previous, "Crafting the Hellboy Cinematic Universe" article, this isn't so much about solid links across diverse media as it is just taking a look at what the options are and having a bit of a think about it. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series is already awash in crossovers and references to anything and everything that engages Moore's interests (24, Little Britain and Harry Potter being some of the more unexpected ones), so cramming more in there is probably a waste of time, but it's kind of my thing and I can't help myself. I haven't read Lost Girls yet, does that work? I'm pretty sure half of those girls died in LXG, but it may be worth a look. Alan Moore himself appeared as an "Anarchist Wizard" in a Hellblazer comic, so does he exist somewhere, probably in a pub? Man, now I want an Alan Moore mini for my modern horror/urban fantasy/superheroes stuff, that would be cool. Something else I need to hunt down, I guess, so look out for that at some stage.

Superhero Media: Infinity

I picked up this event comic from the cheap bins on the trip home from work one night, pretty much because it had Jonathan Hickman's name on the cover and it was only $10 for a softcover trade nearly and inch thick. When I finally slogged through Infinity, I found that it wasn't just the latest event from Marvel, but, in fact, was three or four events squished together in a, frankly, too-long epic that didn't change any status quo or introduce much that was all that new. An enigmatic and ancient race, "The Builders" have returned and are destroying intelligent life for some reason, whilst Captain Universe is being cryptic and trying to get The Avengers in space, also the multiverse is collapsing and the Illuminati can't stop it because Wakanda and Atlantis are at war, and Thanos is coming to Earth to murder his son he now has. As cool as a lot of that is, it's a bit much to follow at times, leaving Infinity a tad disjointed to read and not as much fun as it should be. Hickman is a master of high-concept, space fantasy, Von Danikenite storytelling, but here he probably needed an harsher editor. 

I'm not sure I can really break down the story of Infinity in any way that would fairly represent the event, because of how much goes on, so this one's going to be more a summary of my high and low points of reading it, so that you can decide to pick it up or not for yourself. If you're one of those weirdos I meet who are big fans of The Black Order from Infinity War, they have a lot more going on in Infinity, especially Ebony Maw, who I almost like as a character now, even if he's basically Mephistopheles from Doctor Faustus crossed with Count Orlock from Nosferatu. I don't keep up with The Avengers anymore, but it's nice to not only see Shiang Chi on the team, but also to see him punching robots to death in space gives me a thrill of child-like glee. Infinity makes a lot of references to Annihilation, which I want to like, as referencing my favourite event comic of all time should make me happy, but it has me drawing negative comparisons to the original and all of the less interesting versions that have come out since. I don't get why Wakanda and Atlantis are at war, but that's a cool idea, so I was on-board, but very little of it is seen in the comic, so I may have to wargame Merpeople with crab mechs Vs Afro-futurist soldiers in cat costumes on my own dime sometime. 

Like many events, Infinity features dozens of characters, but few get much time to develop. The above-mentioned Ebony Maw is interesting, and my boy Ronan gets to kick arse and take names, but the stand-out for me was Black Bolt, king of the Inhumans. It can be difficult to present a mute character well in a visual medium, and that's led to Black Bolt getting sidelined quite a lot, so it's great to see him flex. An all-too-short fight between him and Thanos is one of the highlights of the book, as well as the reveal that he's been playing the rest of the Illuminati for a long time. In case you can't tell, I'm torn on Infinity, it's not a bad read, strictly speaking, but I feel major events in comics should be a good point for new readers to get engaged, and this really isn't that. There's too much happening, too many characters that don't do much and a lot of pre-reading that needs to go into enjoying the story fully. I'm glad I read Infinity (a few times, actually) and don't regret the money I spent, but it's not for me and there's no shame or harm in it's not being.

Thinking Out Loud: Phantom Continuity

I'm not a comics fan that is particularly engrossed in the idea of continuity for its own sake, but I do tend to appreciate it when it is left to be neutral or positive. For example, having to read tie-in comics and events to fully enjoy a run of Fantastic Four is tedious and distracts from the fun, but Spider-Man making a joke about clones in The New Avengers is fun, because I only have to know about the Clone Saga to get a little chuckle. Aside from Avengers Infinity War and Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe does a great job of this kind of continuity, with little "hat-tips" like Aaron Davis talking out his nephew (Miles Morales) or Thor offhandedly referencing having been turned into a frog at one point. There is one comic and publication house, however, that has even Marvel and DC beat for continuity, Frew Publications, the people behind the continuing The Phantom comics. Yes, for those that don't know, Frew has kept The Phantom in print continually since 1948, and, what's more, it's all in continuity. No, Really. 

Sadly, The Phantom isn't as popular as it once was, but here in the Asia Pacific region, the character has always had a strong following and is pretty much the only comic that can be purchased at a Newsagent or Milk Bar anymore. I grab the odd issue where I can, especially the wonderful Giantsize volumes which contain comics from the 1940s through to today. I was reading the 2020 Giantsize Annual and was delighted to see Cat-Man, Sir Falcon and The Shadow (more on them later) turn up, and during some exposition there was one of those little boxes explaining a continuity link people may not be aware of. Although this story was first published in 2019, the little box reads "Cat-Man & Kit met Dr. Claux and Brutus in CAT-MAN #10 1958", because the same Cat-Man that appeared in the 1950s is still running around in the 21st century. Now, obviously, the design, tone and writing has changed in 70 years, but the fact that there has never been a "Line-Wide Reboot" at Frew is pretty impressive in its own right. 

The fact that Frew's boom in the 1950s, due to some weird import laws that made American comics pretty much impossible to get in Australia, birthed so many characters that they still use is pretty cool. None of the characters are all that unique at the end of the day, but being the only real Australian comics that have lasted, I have a soft spot for Cat-Man, The Shadow (no, not that one, the other one) and The Raven and I hope they get a shot at being on the big screen one day. C'mon Film Australia, superhero movies are all the rage, and most of these characters are just people in masks! That's money on the table! Cleverman got two seasons and it was dense and slow, Cat-Man could be up and running in a weekend, just rip off Batman stuff no one cares about anymore because it isn't "gritty" enough. If you have the chance to pick up some Frew stuff, give it a go, there's a lot to enjoy, and some editing of the older stories means the racist and sexist elements are downplayed somewhat. At the very least, you may get to read some comics that are vastly different to the typical Marvel and DC fare. 

Superhero Media: Captain Britain and MI13

Been a long time since I ran my SuperSystem RPG campaign based on this comic (and Alan Moore's run on "Captain Britain"), but if you haven't heard of it, Captain Britain and MI13 may well be one of the best comics you've never read. Written by Paul Cornell, decent Doctor Who novel writer, poor Doctor Who television writer and reasonable comics writer, Captain Britain and MI13 starts in the middle of the Secret Invasion crossover event, as British heroes battle the Skrulls for the control of Earth's magic. Answering the call are Captain Britain, Union Jack, Spitfire, Black Knight and Pete Wisdom, having to battle the Skrulls in their midst as well as the invading forces, before Avalon and the Fae realms fall to the enemy. Through the death of Captain Britain, the freeing for Merlin from the dark realms and Brian Braddock being reborn more powerful than ever before, and wielding Excalibur, Britain is saved from the Skrulls and a new team is born, MI13. 

Union Jack makes his own way with MI5, but pops up in the story here and there, with Dr Faiza Hussein joining the team as the new wielder of Excalibur and Blade, yes, the Daywalker, signing on as well, because he's actually British, believe it or not. In the second volume the team takes on obscure magical foe Doctor Polkta, a Duke of Hell and Master of the Mindless Ones, who has taken over a Birmingham block of flats, before the dial gets turned to eleven and the team battle Dracula himself, with his army of vampires invading England from the Moon. No, I didn't make any of that up. In a smaller title like Captain Britain, Paul Cornell is free to go nuts in a way a writer never could in a more popular book, which is great, but the only thing better than Captain Britain punching Dracula in the face, is that the whole series is actually well-written, with compelling characters and good moments of humour. 

Naturally, this series, sadly canceled early, is way up the top of my list for properties I want adapted into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, there are a lot of great Captain Britain stories, and it would be great to see the Corps and The Fury show up, but Captain Britain and MI13 is almost perfectly set up for a big screen trilogy already. The first adventure need not be tied into the "Secret Invasion" plot, but could piggyback onto any big Avengers moment, then the next two films follow on into "Hell Comes to Birmingham" and "Vampire State". The cast is already reasonably diverse, a little fiddling of the Meggan elements is needed, but even dropping her and bringing Faiza and Black Knight's relationship more into the fore is a reasonable possibility. Sadly, the three volumes of Captain Britain and MI13 aren't all that easy to get your hands on, with the print runs of all but the first volume being pretty small and not in the typical Marvel covers, but if you can find it, it's a great series that I go back to again and again. Hopefully, Cornell will get another run at the team one day, but what is there is great.

Thinking Out Loud: Serial Killer Villians

In the grim and dark reality of 1990s comics, a new kind of villain emerged, edgier and more dangerous that what had come before it; the Serial Killer. Murderous villains had been a thing since the Golden Age, of course, with even The Owl and Egghead racking up the odd kill, but with the change in tone and market that came with the Dark/Iron Age, things changed. Suddenly, rather than taking on costumed criminals or mob bosses, Daredevil and Batman were fighting The Surgeon General and Mr Zsasz. Now, a superhero fighting a murderer isn't the worst thing in the world, especially for the more detective style characters like Batman and Daredevil, but how about someone more lighthearted in tone, like Spider-Man? So I, personally, find Venom to be a pretty uninteresting villain, but much of his original run is good and as the "glass darkly" version of Spider-Man, he does well enough. Naturally, Venom wasn't hardcore enough for the 1990s, so along came Carnage. 

Not only was Carnage even "worse" than Venom, his first host was a serial killer (Cletus Cassidy), he was red, and his super powers let him make nasty bladed weapons. Yawn. Sure, there have been a couple of decent Carnage stories, I remember one where the symbiote was hopping people to escape attention that was a fun mystery, but "edgier Venom" can never be that interesting when Venom is just "edgier Spider-Man". But back to Mister Zsasz, who immediately gets points for having a palindrome name, he's enjoyed something of an upswell in fans thanks to his appearances in Arkham City and Birds of Prey, and I actually don't mind him as an antagonist; most of the time. In the tie-in issues for Batman: No Man's Land, there's a story where Dr Leslie Thompson elects to treat an injured and unconscious Zsasz despite the danger; it's an interesting story with some ethical dilemma and is a nice break from the main story. That is, unit Zsasz starts killing people in his sleep. Yes, he's so deadly, he murders people whilst unconscious. Odin's beard is that dumb. 

So what am I getting at will all this complaining? Well, the 1990s were not a great time for comics, though I maintain there was plenty of gold if you looked, but it's still pretty much all stuff that happened, and comics love keeping track of stuff that has happened. So now, when we look back and go, "man, Maximum Carnage is really pretty bad", it kind of doesn't matter because Carnage is still here, he never went away. In fact, pretty much all of the Serial Killer Super Villains are still with us, and will now be forever. What's bugging me about that is how much I see the trope pop up in indy comics, even when it doesn't really fit. Hell, as great as it is, Invincible is already pretty violent, so did Conquest really add anything as a character or was it just a fun fight? I know when we homebrew our settings, we want a Joker or a Venom, but does that really fit? Hell, is it at least interesting? What does Zodiac or BTK in a colourful costume add to your story other than an excuse for buckets of blood? Think on that and we'll examine the flip-side of the coin later down the track.

Superhero Media: Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible

Excelsior! It's amazing that reading about Stan Lee's life, in his own words, can still strike a nerve after all this time. What else should Stan Lee's memoir be but a graphic novel? Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible isn't as well produced as a nice Marvel (or even DC) book, but the less iconic style enables the aping of other artists, like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and John Romita, who feature in the story of Stanley Lieber's journey to icon status. Every panel of Kirby has his cigar trailing a cloud of "Kirby Dots", which is a lovely touch. Speaking of Kirby, Lee does address some of the controversy attached to his time at Marvel and some creators not receiving due credit; I'm not so sure that "we had no idea at the time and it became an issue only much later" is the best of excuses, but it does ring of honestly to me. So if you're looking for the tell-all confession of an industry insider, Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible probably isn't the one for you. 

For all his years as Marvel's "Hype Man", the tone of Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible is shockingly humble, with Lee coming across as genuinely grateful for the life he's led, warts and all. As much as we nerds tend to worship Lee almost unreservedly, for most people, struggling to get comics onto shelves and negotiating Intellectual Property rights wasn't always a good time, and the apotheosis only came much later.  For those who came to love Lee only through multimedia, Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible is not only a cornucopia of the rough road to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but confirms Lee's line from Teen Titans Go! to the Moves, "I love cameos!" For those wondering, his favourite at the time of Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible's writing was from Avengers: Age of Ultron, though Big Hero 6 gets a shout-out as well. 

I think we nerds need to remember that Stan Lee was a person, not a mere icon or figure of worship and deserves no more praise for his creative works, or derision for his faults, than anyone else. Lee's role in the movement of comics from disposable children's literature to the biggest pop culture of the 21st century is undeniable, which makes reading about him and his work highly informative, even if you're still more of a Bob Kane or Steve Ditko person. Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible is not just a book for Marvel fans or Stan Lee fans, it's for anyone interested in the history of comics, or the development of pop culture, or even just the creative process of writing. If you have a comic collection and Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible isn't in there somewhere, you're missing out, it's right up there with your Essentials and Showcases in that it is a major part of the medium's history and informs what we're reading and seeing to this day.

Superhero Media: Annihilation

One of the biggest events to ever hit Marvel Comics, at least in term of impact, is one that many have never heard of, Annihilation. When Annihilus and his army punch into the 616 Universe, the Nova Corps, Skrull Empire and Omega Corps are wiped out immediately, and only a handful of Cosmic heroes remain to fight back against an endless wave of death. Published at the same time as Civil War, Annihilation never garnered as much interest, but as an event, would have a much longer legacy; namely, the rebirth of "Marvel Cosmic". Birthed through the tireless work of Jim Starlin in the 1970s and 80s, Marvel Cosmic is the expansive 616 universe beyond the confines of Earth, and brings us characters as vital to the Marvel brand as Thanos, Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Until the publication of Annihilation, most of these characters had languished in obscurity for years, but with sharp writing and a universe-upending story, Nova, Drax the Destroyer, Thanos, Starlord, Gamora and others were thrust back into relevance. 

Across three volumes, a cosmic war of epic scale is fought, with the narrative woven around Nova (Richard Rider), Silver Surfer, Ronan the Accuser and Super-Skrull, with a massive supporting cast of old classics and new characters, with some really deep cuts; Stellaris and Morg, anyone? Like most event comics, Annihilation varies in quality depending on the artists and writers working on each issue, but the main comics, as well as the lead-in stories dealing with Nova and Drax, are excellent. I could honestly use up the rest of my space just listing the awesome moments in the series, like Galactus screaming for blood and he wipes out an Annihilation fleet, Ronan smashing the Universal Weapon over Ravenous' head and Starlord lamenting not having any super-powers in the middle of a fight, but I'd quickly stray into spoiler territory and you really should read this one for yourself. Few superhero stories I've read really manage to parse the difference in power between characters as well as Annihilation, with Drax and Gamora being incredibly deadly when compared to a human, but not being able to hold a candle to the Heralds or Seekers. 

Of course, Annihilation is a major inspiration for my own games, with my eventual goal to run a, very long, series of games telling the story, but including all of the non-Marvel heroes I have along the way. In fact, I'm only waiting on a handful of minis to get the ball rolling, but finding some of the characters is a major pain. Chasing down 3D prints and commissioning sculpts is time-consuming and expensive, but hopefully, I'll be there one day soon. The follow-ons to Annihilation vary in quality, from the excellent Conquest to the lazy Thanos Imperative, but the original remains excellent and one of the best introductions to Marvel Cosmic out there. The best known legacy of Annihilation, of course, is The Guardians of the Galaxy film series, which is based on a reboot of that comic which spun out of this event, with the new version of Drax being born in the run-up to the coming of the Wave. Hopefully, there will be a version of Annihilation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point, but if it will have all of the lore and references of the original, only time will tell. Until then, grab yourself a copy of this and get reading.

Superhero Media: All Star Superman (2007)

One of the best comics ever written. Review done, go home. Ok, so how do you tell a story about Superman that celebrates his past, looks to the future and remains true to the intention of the character? You write All Star Superman. I've heard All Star Superman described as "a Superman story for people who don't like Superman", but there's so many deep-cuts and Silver Age references, I tend to describe it more as "the ultimate Superman story". During the course of twelve issues, Superman travels through time, battles Parasite, Bizarro and Luthor, and finally cures cancer before ascending to secular godhood. For many potential readers, hearing "Superman Cures Cancer" can turn them off, fearing that the comic will be ridiculous, but really, it's par for the course for this Superman. The Superman of All Star Superman battles time-traveling gods, goes to alternate universes and does all those great, classic Superman things that modern cinema tries to erase from the character. 

The story begins with Superman rescuing Professor Quintum from the surface of the sun, overloading his Krytonian cells with Yellow Solar energy, which will slowly kill Superman over the course of the narrative. Knowing he will die soon and that the world will be left without its greatest protector, Superman undertakes a series of "Labors" in the manner of Hercules, to leave the world a better place after his passing and to light the way for humanity to come after him. "The Man of Tomorrow" is the best description for the Superman of All Star Superman, as more than just his strength and speed is on display; this Superman displays his great intelligence, compassion and creativity, allowing his foes to have moments of epiphany as well as defeating them more traditionally. When battling Solaris, the Tyrant Sun, Superman already has seen the future where Solaris is an ally, so he withholds his power and his anger to create the path to that future. Despite the temptation, I don't read this Superman as Messianic, he's here to light the way, not die for our sins, more of a Bodhisattva, lifting humanity up, so that we can all be better. 

If you're considering a comic collection, the two trades of All Star Superman are pretty much a must-buy, not only because it's one of the greatest Superman stories of all time, but also because it is a great example of how superheroes can be used to tell a great story without stripping away all of the colour, camp and continuity. Forget your preconceptions, find a red towel to tie around your neck, hide the Kryponite and put your faith in the man with heat vision. All Star Superman is not only a great story, but is a powerful tale of humanity, compassion and hope. You may have seen the page from this comic where Superman takes time out from saving the world to save the life of a suicidal teenage girl (it does the rounds on social media pretty often), it pretty much perfectly sums up the tone of this comic; that of the Superman who saves the day, be it for everyone or just one person whose world is falling apart.

Thinking Out Loud: In Justice

What if Superman were a bad guy? Fans have been asking this question since the Golden Age of comics, but there never seems to be a satisfying answer. Well, honestly, the answer is "boring", but most won't appreciate that, so let's talk this through, shall we? As I've discussed more than once, Superman is "The Man of Tomorrow", the ideal to which humanity can strive, representing compassion as much as strength; a shining light for all mankind. Any attempt to shift Superman away from this history and iconography tends to fall flat, like Man of Steel or Injustice, which focus only on Superman's powers and not his humanity. That's not to say that Injustice is bad, or even the target of my ire, the comics I've read are really quite good (I haven't played the games), but they're not good because Superman is the villain, but in spite of it. It honestly baffles me that some of the same voices that claim Superman is a boring character because he can do anything, then turn around and laud versions where the character is a villain; he's still all-powerful, so how is that any different? 

"But what about Red Son?" I hear someone cry from the back. Yes, Red Son is really good, brilliant even in places, but Superman isn't a "bad guy" in it. I know decades of propaganda has made it difficult for some, but being a Communist doesn't automatically make the otherwise completely-altruistic Superman a villain. The comic has Superman turn most of the world into a Communist Utopia without hunger or labor, how is that "evil" behavior? Yes, Luthor overcomes this world order with a supercharged capitalist dictatorship, but he's clearly the villain, he's Lex freaking Luthor. I know I'm an avowed anarchist, but it's not as simple as "Capitalism Good, Communism Bad", ok? Anyway, if one of the best alternate takes on Superman has him save the world and institute broad social welfare programs, where does that leave our "evil" version? Well, we have Ultraman, Zod and Hyperion, but these just don't seem to be what people want, because they're not *strictly* Superman. 

I think a lot of this comes back to most readers being more interested in seeing Supes punch things than actually be Superman. It's a lot easier to justify Superman taking the violent way out if he's bad to begin with. And again, for those in the back, it's not that you can't get interesting stories out of this idea, I enjoy both Irredeemable and Brightburn on their own merits, but they're not Superman stories for a very good reason. I know this is a trend that will never really go away, but I'd like it to, as it's just tiresome and only demonstrates a misunderstanding of who and what Superman is. There are plenty of alternate takes on a similar character, even in addition to those mentioned above; check out Supreme Power, Super Folks or even Invincible if you really need that in your life, because each of those at least does something novel and unique with the concept. Superman is all good. Any other take is usually a waste of time.

Superhero Media: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Volume 2

For gamers of all stripes, the second volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is well worth a read, if not a purchase. Hot on the heels of the last volume, the titular League are sent to Working to investigate the impact site of a supposed meteor, only to discover a metal cylinder filled with cephalopod alien life-forms. Faster than you can say "but still they come", heat rays are deployed and the army is called in. Soon, Tripods stalk the land and the British government is scrambling to defeat the Martians before the country is overrun. Allan and Mina are dispatched to look for Doctor Moreau, whilst Hyde and Nemo battle the tripods from the Nautilus, but the Invisible Man has disappeared... I'll leave it there, because the second volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is worth reading for yourself, but be warned, this volume contains even more extreme violence and sexual content. 

Now, say you were running a campaign for Victorian age and/or VSF/Steampunk superheroes, a Martian invasion, complete with Tripods, red weed and black smoke sounds like a hell of a challenge for your players to face. Even the ones that can't physically stand up to the Tripods, like all of the League, can rescue civilians, research Mars and the history of the Martians or look for new weapons and powers to overcome the invaders. Maybe it's just me, but more and more as a Game Master or Campaign Arbitrator, I'm looking for non-combat solutions for players to find and use to "win". At the end of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, despite overcoming the Martians, the League is split and broken and the air is more of loss than victory, at least, until you hit the prose section. Rather than a single adventure, like "Allan and the Sundered Veil" in the previous volume, the feature this time is "The New World Travelers' Almanac", a guide to the fantastic places of the world to be found in classic fiction, like Gulliver's Travels, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and even Noddy. 

To take a cynical look, "The New World Travelers' Almanac" is simply a list of locations from literary and popular fiction viewed through Moore's lens, but what it really does is lay the groundwork for the later volumes of the series. Many of the entries describing fantastic lands are "written" by members of various Leagues, not just Mina and Nemo, but also Gulliver and even Prospero and Orlando. The introduction of Orlando is important as Mina, Allan and Orlando form a polamorous triad that will form the main body of the League through to the end of the Century series of the comic. For those looking for inspiration for pulp games, "The New World Travelers' Almanac" is worth a peruse for more exotic locales than the typical Atlantis, Mu and other "Lost Cities". Also introduced for the first time are Les Hommes Mysterieux, the French answer to the League, which includes Jean Robur, Arsene Lupin, Monsieur Zenith, Fantomas and the Nyctalope, which I'm sorely tempted to recreate in miniature.

Superhero Media: Irredeemable

Written by Mark Waid, famous for epic stories in the DC Universe, Irredeemable does one of the better jobs of answering that eternal fanboy question, "what if Superman turned evil?" Rather than a single inciting incident, like in Injustice, the "Superman" of Irredeemable, Pultonian, is worn down over years to the point where he breaks. The other superheroes of the world, The Paradigm, struggle to save as many people as they can from the rampage of a mad god, as they're picked off one by one. The first few trades of Irredeemable performed really well, even garnering Esiner Award nominations, but as it continued, the fans dropped away and it finished with something of a whimper. Rather than continuing on as a kind of superhero "survival-horror", Irredeemable soon morphs into a Kirby-esque space opera before finally becoming a story of hope in the face of the inevitable. Whilst I can see why many fans drifted away with the tone change, I quite like that a thoroughly "Iron Age" concept like "Evil Superman", ends with a Silver Age message of hope and saving the planet one last time. 

 

Yes, Irredeemable is not the great "Evil Superman" story that people are, for some reason, still demanding, but is more a collection of ideas about superheroes that Mark Waid has had over the years and needed to get down somewhere. Probably the most recurring concept, which may be the closest thing to a thesis of the story, is "it only takes one mistake to condemn you", which not only happens to Plutonian, but other characters, like Qubit and Survivor. The answer seems to be that it is the degree of mistake and what one does to makes amends that matters, but Plutonian isn't human and has grown up being abused and feared, so he reacts badly and makes the situation worse and worse. I need to mention that there is a companion series to Irredeemable, entitled Incorruptible, which follows one of Plutonian's villains, Max Damage on his journey to becoming a hero. The two series set up a confrontation between Plutonian and Damage that never happens, the actual finale being more esoteric and less violent. If you really wanted something closer to Injustice, Irredeemable is not what you're looking for. 

What I like best about Irredeemable are the characters, which, in a pleasant twist, aren't merely takes on existing heroes in the DC and Marvel pantheons. Gilgamos is an immortal, winged man with superhuman strength and endurance, married to Bette Noir, a gunslinger with magical ammunition. Survivor wields energy and Volt controls electricity, fairly generic, but not lifted whole-cloth from anywhere. Kaidan is a Japanese woman who uses her family's curse to summon ghostly warriors to fight on her behalf and Qubit can make any machine into any other machine, using "teleportals" most often and being a pacifist for most of the piece. It is the characters that tend to draw me back to Irredeemable, rather than the narrative, though I'm more forgiving of the flaws than most, Qubit and Modeus (the Lex Luthor stand-in) especially, as their journey of needing to work together, but doing so for their own reasons, is probably one of the more interesting "Good Guy/Bad Guy teaming-up through necessity" stories I've read in comics. I feel Irredeemable is better than many give it credit for, but I do think it's imperfect and not something everyone will enjoy.

Superhero Media: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Volume 1

Why did I decide to talk about this series? Seriously, I could make each of these properly written and referenced literature essays with Harvard footnotes if I really wanted to. The depth to these comics is staggering, with meta-criticism, commentary on literary academia and Moore's nascent radical politics. For me, with my literary background, the "superheroic" elements of the story are almost secondary to parsing the meaning of a particular sequence. If you've heard anything about The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it probably has to do with the violence and sexuality portrayed in the books, which can be extreme and often brutal. The number of rape sequences and other violence perpetrated against women in the first volume is pretty off-putting, but knowing Moore's politics and leanings, this is clearly intended as commentary on what is (and isn't) considered "classic" literature; which has always been very patriarchal, at least up until the late 20th Century, when things began to swing away from this trend. Moore clearly also has a fondness for pulp literature and how it transitions to classical status, like The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde or Sherlock Holmes. 

The characters for this first outing are Mina Murray (Dracula), Allan Quatermain (King Solomon's Mines), Jekyll/Hyde, Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and Hawley Griffin (The Invisible Man), brought together by Campion Bond to battle the machinations of Fu Manchu. Of course, there is a twist and the League end up caught between Fu Manchu and Professor Moriarty's airborne forces. There's plenty of scenario fodder in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, for both supers games and VSF/Gothic Horror/Pulp, using the League themselves or other characters, though the majority of the characters are pretty low-powered, even including the fabulous technology on offer. The real gem in the trade paperback collection, however, is the prose story "Allan and the Sundered Veil", in which Quatermain, high on a magical drug, drifts into the space between worlds and joins with John Carter, Raymond Carter and The Time Traveller (The Time Machine), to battle Morlocks and hold off the influence of the Great Old Ones. There's not much action to speak of, but I can't help but get ideas for a VSF "Fantastic Four" and all the great games I could play with that team. I already have Allan and John Carter, once funds allow, I'll be grabbing a Time Machine with pilot and Raymond Carter for some games. 

Although the team of Victorian literary "heroes" has become somewhat trite and overdone, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen remains a masterwork from two of the medium's most masterful masters. For those more familiar with the pop-culture ephemera of the characters, the visceral nature of the comic may come as a shock and deter further readership, which is a shame, as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is well worth the time to read, and further time learning about the literature that inspired it. As much as I honestly don't mind the LXG film, it is a bit of a shame that it is the limit of most people's exposure to the franchise, as it really does have a lot to offer, even if it has inspired dozens of sub-par imitations over the years. Of course, that's not to say that your own adventures with the League need to be metatextual explorations of the changing role of classic literature in the postmodern world, fighting Tong and Martians is a perfectly valuable use of your time if that's what you want to do. Either way, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a solid read, just packed with inspiration for gaming. 

Thinking Out Loud: Skimpy Costumes

I must have started and discarded this article at least a dozen times. I think that representation of women in comics is a big issue, especially if it's putting women and girls off the medium, and I think the physicality of how female heroes and villains are drawn is a big part of that. However, I also believe that the issue is a lot bigger than just skimpy costumes, and laying the problem at the feet of a single problematic trope is not only a bad approach, but only makes the problem worse. Before we get too much into it, we need to discuss two things that the internet hates, Privilege and Feminism, as I believe it's a misunderstanding of both of these which can cause issues for many. First up, let's check my own privilage and credentials on this one; I am a heterosexual, white, cis-male who grew up middle class in Australia and went to private schools. Being Poly, I "technically" come under the Queer banner, but I almost never experience any detriments from this, so it's not really part of my identity. I don't know what it's like to grow up as a women and experience the constant barrage of bullshit about appearance and beauty standards and I never truly can understand, but I can do what I can to bridge that gap of understanding with learning, which I do through my profession as a Mental Health Youth Worker. 

Also, I love superhero comics, and I want them to continue, but also continue to get better. Sadly, Power Girl's boob window and Carol Danvers' Warbird costume are part of the history of comics, and I don't want to erase that, but creating an environment where readers and creators understand that sort of thing isn't good enough anymore should be a priority for the industry. The flip side of all this, which is something that does tend to bug me, is that any comic with a female character in a state of undress is quickly held up as being "part of the problem" and the entire comic is disregarded. Probably what bugs me the most about this is the (often literal) judging of [comic] books by their covers; but also, any subtlety is lost and the debate quickly becomes binary, which is never a good thing. One comic often held up for ridicule is She Hulk, especially the brilliant Dan Slott run, which had cheesecake covers of the titular heroine, much as previous incarnations had, though this time, the intention is clearly ironic. A friend of mine once posted one of these parody "He-Hulk" images on Facebook and when I pointed out that the comics in question were quite feminist internally and well worth a read, I was told, in response, that if the covers were like that, why bother to read them? 

Was that an extreme response? Certainly. An irrational one? Not really. The medium of comics (especially Superhero comics) is less than a century old, but the only real efforts to produce gender diverse comics in the mainstream started in the late 1990s, change has been slow. At least things are changing, like Janet Van Dyne starting out as an airhead fashionista and now being a powerful fashion-mogul and occasional leader of the Avengers. She-Hulk has gone from a jokey pin-up to a competent lawyer and beloved celebrity. Gwen Stacey has gone from a fetishised corpse to probably the best version of Siper-Woman. The industry is getting better, and the popularity of the television and film adaptations of characters is helping, with Supergirl demonstrating a college-age heroine with a job and complex issues instead of a midriff-baring teenage cheerleader. I mean, I will defend the miniskirt and crop-top version of the costume for teenage Supergirl, but only because I've worked with enough teenage women to be all to aware of the pressures and issues that encourage that kind of behavior in some. Things will keep getting better, hopefully, until then, encourage the women in your life to get to know Spider-Gwen, Atom Eve, Kate Bishop, Kate Kane and all of the other great women of comics past and present, even if the art is a little off-putting at times.