Full Frontal Savagery

In light of my love for all things Doc Savage, and the upcoming Malmont written series, I found this strip by Aaron Williams utterly hilarious. Who knew Superman could cook?

Wonder Dog Wednesday

Despite the horse's terror and the lack of a canine-friendly saddle, Rex managed to escape the Federal government's attempt to destroy his base of operations in Opal City. He even managed to rescue temporarily disgraced local lawman, 'Red' O'Dare, forever putting him in his debt. In later years, O'Dare would compare being rescued by Rex as akin to 'bein' plucked outta Hell by Cerberus hisownself'. This opinion hadn't changed by the time O'Dare died of liver failure. WONDER-DOG!

Malmont Gets "Savage"

A nice interview with Paul Malmont (The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril) on his upcoming run on DC's new "Doc Savage" title. Malmont seems to have quite a bit of love for the character, and I'm cautiously optimistic about the title. Go give it a read and see if you agree.

A Groovy Death in Silver

The Groovy Agent has another pulp-tastic offering for us today, with a look at Marvel Comics' version of the Man of Bronze! Go give it a read, it's well worth it.

Damn Straight

Wonder Dog Wednesday

it was only Rex's skilful handling of the reins that allowed the mail to get through on time. Granted, Rex only needed the mail to get there because he'd posted a letter-bomb the day before, but he accepted the medal for heroism nonetheless. Neither hail of bullets, nor sleet nor snow would stay the WONDER DOG from his first step on the road to the complete subjugation of J.P. Morgan's business empire!

Villains With Potential-Electro

Electro is ridiculous. Even his recent turn as 'the power to the people' was a bit lacklustre. This is because Electro, forgive the phrase, is all sizzle and no steak.

Most villains develop some form of personality over time, especially when they've been around for over twenty years.

But not Electro. He's a cipher. He gets used when the plot calls for a villain with a certain power set, but little is ever done to make him more than a punching bag in green tights.

For the past several years, Electro has been the focus of the same few plots, over and over-he's stealing something; he's working for someone; he's trying to enhance/lose his powers. Mostly number two, lately number three (though, to be fair, Mark Waid put an interesting spin on things with his examination of what happens to someone like Electro as they get older).

Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with the 'villain as plot device' concept in and of itself, but when the character in question is just a walking set of powers with nothing behind it, it's hardly interesting.

So, the first step in exploring Electro's potential is to give him a personality. Make him something more than the rent-a-thug who gets knocked into a fire hydrant every other appearance. The Vulture has a personality. Doctor Octopus has a personality. The Rhino has a personality. So why not Electro?

Maybe because there's no easy key to his character. Electro isn't motivated by personal tragedy or spite or madness. He's just a schmoe who lucked into some powers rather than dying like he should've.

Then, isn't that interesting enough? Electro was a nobody who became, at least in his own eyes, a somebody. Almost a broken mirror version of Spider-Man, when you think about it. Only Electro never got over the entitlement issues and adrenaline rush. He could've died. Should have, probably. But he didn't. It was as if God's finger reached down and marked him for greatness.

Electro thinks he's special. He thinks he has a purpose, that he was given his powers to make his life better. So why would he just rob banks? Why would he bother teaming up with the Sinister Six to go after Spider-Man? Is that really what a man like Max Dillon would do if he were given control of one of the fundamental forces that drives our civilization?

Probably, because he's a petty jackass.

But, I think you could also make a case for Electro going out and doing something flashy-a reality show (think Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon only with super-villains instead of serial killers) perhaps. He wants to be famous. To be bigger than the Beatles. Killing Spider-Man is a good way to do that, but there are other ways. Electro should be a hustler, always looking for that next big chance to make his name. He's not looking for money, or respect, or to do his job and go home. For Electro it's personal. It's all personal. Everything he does is about Electro. It's about making Electro important.

In other words, Electro is determined to see that lightning strikes twice.

The Green Goblin: The Long Road to Relevance

The Green Goblin is Spider-Man's arch-enemy. Five year olds know this, let alone those of us who could be called fans. It's a pop culture cachet, like Lex Luthor and Superman or Batman and the Joker.

It's a fact.

The problem is that the moment that cemented the Goblin as Spider-Man's penultimate foe, out of a whole reel of contenders, including the Kingpin, Doctor Octopus and the like, was the very moment that the Goblin crossed the moral event horizon and was summarily disposed of.

The moment Gwen Stacy's neck snapped, the Goblin's fate was sealed. That story only has one ending, and the Goblin got it. Simultaneously disposed of and enshrined.

As the story continued along new paths, the Goblin's previous relevance (or lack thereof) was coaxed into something monstrous. He became THE symbol of Spider-Man's guilt-the image of the Goblin, laughing triumphantly as Gwen Stacy fell appeared in practically every issue that dealt in some way with Spider-Man's internal turmoil. Too, the image of the Goblin dangling from the end of his own weapon became the central facet around which Harry Osborn's deteriorating personality revolved. In a single moment, the Goblin had destroyed not one, not two, but three lives and damaged the lives of all those they connected.

For a villain, that's not a bad way to go out.

And later writers only added to this...Harry's perennial descents into the Goblin Madness only served to further illustrate the satanic damage wrought by a dead man. His eventual demise was just one more wound, and the passing along of his madness-his father's madness-to his own son made it seem positively supernatural. The Goblin went from being a goon in a mask to being the spectral curse which haunted the lives of those whom he had assaulted. Almost half of Spider-Man's supporting cast would have moments where that curse set their wheels spinning in dangerous directions.

Slowly, but surely, the Green Goblin became something other than just another colourful would-be crime-boss-he became the symbol for all that was wrong in Spider-Man's world. The chance mistake that led to a war with losses on both sides and final, blazing pyrrhic victory that would forever stain a hero's life with ashes.

Then, they brought him back. And the whole thing fell apart.

In death, the Green Goblin was a demon. In life, he was a nut-case. Jack-the-Ripper syndrome at its finest-as an unknown monster, uncaught and mysterious, the Ripper can be as bad as we want him to be-a savage, a nobleman, a sorcerer. As a man, he was a pathetic butcher. Nothing special about him, nothing to make him unique from any other sexual predator. The same goes for the Green Goblin.

His legend, and his relevance, grew in the aftermath of his death to epic proportions within the confines of the overall story. But by bringing him back, he is revealed as nothing more than a tougher-than-average maniac. A beast no different from Carnage or Venom, his only ace in the hole being his awareness of Spider-Man's alter-ego. By enabling Spider-Man to once more come to grips with the author of so much pain, the curtain was jerked back, and Mighty Oz at last revealed as sad Norman Osborn, failed business man, schizophrenic and psychopath.

In effect, when Norman Osborn returned, the Green Goblin died and whatever relevance he had, died with him.

Now, this isn't to say that Norman Osborn as he is now hasn't been compelling at some points. Warren Ellis' depiction of him was intriguing, though it veered into Joker-territory at times, and the current status-quo makes little sense, given that Osborn was outed as a murderer and psychopath in the international press before he became head of HAMMER (though, considering that many of Marvel's events of late have been, on the surface, little more than forced political jokes, that may make sense), still it's interesting.

But, the Green Goblin, as a symbol of Spider-Man's guilt and impotence in the face of evil, is done, perhaps permanently. In spreading the Goblin Curse to 616 as a whole, it has been rendered less potent. And even if Osborn once more dons the green and purple, will he have the same relevance he enjoyed as a dead man, or will he be overshadowed by newer threats?

Time will tell, I suppose.

Wonder Dog Wednesday

In the years to come, Rex's signatures would eclipse those of other deadly signatories , including Otto Von Bismark, Trotsky and Fantomas. Indeed, it was rumored that Aleister Crowley had used that bloody red paw-print in his Moon-Child workings, seeking to infuse whatever elemental fury drove Rex in his exploits within his century-baby. What Rex thought of this became unpleasantly apparent during the events of the infamous Showdown in the House of the Red Woman. It was said that Crowley could never look at a dog again without shrieking. WONDER-DOG!

Scarlet Who?

I'm a big fan of foresight. Y'know, the concept of planning ahead, trying to cover all the bases. It would not be far off to say that I've lived my life by the concept.
So yeah, big fan.
Yesterday, I mentioned that I thought that Marvel's dispensing with the character of Ben Reilly, AKA the Scarlet Spider was a mistake. Especially given recent events within the Spider-Man titles these past two or three years.
The whole clone thing wasn't anyone's favorite story. It was a terrible mess, in terms of plot, script and editorial mismanagement. But it produced some interesting results. Basically, we had the old Spider-Man back...a Spider-Man free of marital entanglements or convoluted continuity, but with an interesting supporting cast to provide drama. And we had the other Spider-Man, the one with a wife and a daughter and solid supporting cast. Two Spider-Men for the price of one, both of whom are essentially the same character.
So, of course, one of them had to die.
Now, while editors have changed since then, and creative teams and such, imagine, if you will, if the Scarlet Spider had still been around for the One More Day/Brand New Day storylines, which were put into play solely (according to the Marvel EiC, at least) to remove the obstacle of the dreaded Spider-marriage. Now, whether you agree with that decision or not (and I think it was a bad one, but not for the same reasons you probably do), you have to admit, if the Scarlet Spider had still been around, this wouldn't have been necessary.
You simply have the characters switch identities once more, with Parker taking over Reilly's life and moving his family somewhere out of the line of fire and Reilly taking over for Parker. Then, you add in some sci-fi hand waving (Reed Richards invents a thingamajig that alters memories-hey, it worked for the Sentry!-wiping out the public knowledge of the Peter Parker identity), and hey-presto-problem solved. Single Spider-Man, no baggage, Aunt May in place.
But, of course, that couldn't happen, because the Scarlet Spider had to die.
Why was that, I wonder?
I've read various explanations, mostly along the lines of 'two Spider-Men are confusing to readers' or 'movie coming up, we need Peter Parker back in costume'. Basically, decisions which make sense from a corporate standpoint, i.e. devoted to protecting the brand, but which could have been handled in a much more resourceful manner by the creative teams authorized to enact them.
Instead, they let a potentially viable character get killed in order to illustrate the return of Norman Osborn (another decision which, to me, seems ill-conceived, though again, probably not for the same reasons as those of you reading this). I may talk about that tomorrow, actually.
The Scarlet Spider could have simply been quietly shuffled offstage via injury or personal drama (he was a clone after all-or was he?), then brought back when needed. Such as in the case of a desire for a return to the 'loose-and single' Spider-Man.
...
Foresight. Never kill someone when you might need them later.

Monday Spider-Musings

Ah, Spider-Man. He used to be my favorite four-color character. I must have read that issue of Secret Wars where he beats up the X-Men's entire first string roster a hundred times (then, I really don't like the X-Men. Morality plays on race and acceptance ring false when everyone is white and pretty).
Of all the characters around, I always thought he was the easiest to relate to as a kid. Even as a young adult. Money problems, girl problems, problems, problems, problems. Some issues it seemed as if Spider-Man was beaten before he even started to fight. Those were good issues, mainly because you knew he was going to fight anyway.
That was what he was all about, right?
Long odds, long hours, fighting the good fight. Fighting to survive. Different kind of hero, there. Spider-Man never struck me as the type of guy who wanted to fight, but more as the guy who had no choice. He fought because somebody had to. Because the Avengers were busy and Daredevil didn't leave Hell's Kitchen and the Hulk wasn't a hero and if you weren't a mutant, the X-Men weren't interested.
The Uncle Ben guilt was always there, but I don't think it registered on me. It was just the reason he did what he did. Captain America was a patriot, Wolverine liked to fight, the Hulk wanted to be left alone, and Spider-Man was trying to live up to the ideals of a dead father-figure. They'd mention it every so often, but the character had passed beyond the point of angsting over it. It was just a facet of his back-story, summed up in one to two panels. Or, to switch things up, it'd be Gwen Stacy.
When Aunt May died (the first time) I was impressed. I thought 'here we go, we'll replace guilt over a death with honoring the memory as the motivating factor'. As a character, May Parker had literally outlived her usefulness. She, like Gwen Stacy, would have more of an impact on the ongoing story as a motivating force. Living up to Aunt May's ideals would have kept Spider-Man lifting girders and fighting past the point of exhaustion for years to come. And, frankly, it's a much purer motivation for a flagship character than crippling guilt. The guilt wouldn't have to go away entirely, but the focus could be shifted off it and onto other facets of the character's personality.
So why'd they bring Aunt May back?
I don't have an answer for that. Editorial fiat, I assume. Someone somewhere thought that it was a good idea to keep all the elements of the mythos in play. Whatever the reason, it weakened the gains (if any) which had been made.
As soon as they brought May back, I stopped reading Spider-Man. I knew what was next, mainly because I read a lot and I know a ret-con when I see one. Writers do it all the time. And I was right. The systematic deconstruction of the existing status quo in order to reassert the original. It took a while, as these things do. The Green Goblin came back, despite his importance as a villain hinging on the very act which removed him from the overall story. The Spider-Baby removed from continuity completely (unless you read Spider-Girl), Mary-Jane shuffled offstage several times until it finally stuck.
The Scarlet Spider killed. I think I'll talk about why that was a dumb mistake tomorrow.
Regardless, I've never understood the logic. There were other ways to get back to basics (Ultimate Spider-Man ring any bells?) that didn't involve changing things back. It was possible to have cake and eat it too.
Perhaps I've never understood the logic of how a sickly relative is any more an obstacle than a stressful marriage and a child. As far as providing secondary plot fodder, the latter has far more potential.
Then, maybe they just really like wheat cakes. Who knows?
Like I said, that's when I stopped reading the title. I picked it up again briefly during JMS' infamous run, which had a lot to recommend it, but dropped it again soon after the Civil War Event. Once the character was shoe-horned into the plot in order to perform a specific function, as opposed to his function resulting from a natural character progression, I stopped caring.
It'll be interesting to see how Spider-Man fares in the coming 'Heroic Age'. The stressed back to basics approach that's being touted most likely signals a return to the previous status quo, but perhaps not.

Free Flow Friday

Daredevil annoys me.
Not the character, mind, but his portrayal in recent years-
No, I lie. The character annoys me as well. He's a super-hero whose power is that he's not quite blind. I mean, depending on the writer, his power vacillates between "guy who can see good in the dark" and "I just heard a mosquito fart". Is that even useful?
He's basically the Black Bat without the .45s and the hard-on for mayhem. Really, he's ridiculous. A blind man who hits people with a stick. Then, afterward, feels bad about it.
I suppose that's why they ladled the drama on him. The whole Catholic guilt/gangsters/ninjas/dead love interests thing that works sometimes but mostly just seems like the same song over and over again. How many people know Matt Murdock is Daredevil now?
How many people care?
Better question-why does the Kingpin care? I mean, I get the sadism angle, but really...it's just excessive. Blind man. Stick. Not exactly the FBI there, is he?
I mean, is the evidence gathered by Daredevil admissible in court? Bendis did something with that, didn't he? Or Brubaker? And then Mr. Hyde ruined everything. Because he's a jerk.
And why ninjas? Why does every street hero in Marvel have to fight ninjas? Are ninjas the new muggers? Was there a ninja explosion I'm unaware of, scattering ninjas far and wide?
Maybe it's all the same ninja. Ninjas. Ninji. What's the plural of 'ninja'?
Another thing-between Daredevil, Electra and Wolverine shouldn't the Hand be severely undermanned by now? It's not like there's an infinite number of ninjas (I'm going with ninjas) out there. They're not a renewable resource.
Well, I suppose they are, but only in the loosest sense.
Man, think about their training budget...somewhere, poor Hattori Hanzo is trying to balance the books, and saying, "For God's sake, stop dying! We can't afford it!" And why can you kill ninjas, but not other people? Is it like zombies or Nazis? I hate ninjas, but come on. They're people too. Unless they're zombies. Or cyborgs.
Great title? Zombie Nazis vs. Ninja Cyborg-in 3D. You'd watch it. Admit it. I wouldn't, because I hate ninjas. Except for American Ninja...whom I loathe.
Who decided Daredevil should be a ninja? Was that Frank Miller? Can we blame him for that? Maybe not. We can blame him for Nuke, though. God almighty, Nuke. Hey, it's Eighties Action Movie Cliche guy and he's killing everyone. Awesome.
I kid. I love Nuke. He's like a Bizarro Captain America, and if there's one thing we need it's another evil opposite number for Captain America. And hey, let's tie the whole thing into Wolverine, because, y'know, Wolverine.
I hate Wolverine.
Not hate-hate, but, y'know, I dislike him as a character. Unless he's getting punched through a wall, because when is that not funny? He's like a hairy, hockey-loving punching bag.
What was I talking about?
Daredevil. Right. Man he annoys me.

Old School

Say what you will about Dark Secret Civil Siege , but hot d@mn it's good to see Taskmaster doing what he does best. Being practical and whooping the fool out of people who should know better. I mean, granted, he got put into the hospital by Doctor Doom a few issues ago, but who hasn't had that happen to them? And I mean sure, it's not like Tasky is going to survive this, but let's just bask in his warming, loving, warming glow while we can, yes?

Godspeed, Taskmaster. If any super-villain deserved his own series, it was you. Shine on you crazy diamond, you.

Wonder Dog Wednesday

Rex often thought nothing of using humans as bait during his all-too frequent cougar hunts. When a dog has a taste for cougar-meat, there's just no reasoning with him. Even if he is a WONDER DOG!

Bill Watterson Interview

Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin & Hobbes, gives his first interview since 1998. It's a short one, but go give it a read regardless.

Skeletor...

DOESN'T HAVE TO TAKE YOUR SASS, MISTER!