Archive for December, 2008
I don’t know if it was that hot Markovian accent, or his flowing red hair, or the fact that he was drawn by Jim Aparo and Alan Davis, but in those early days Geo-Force had quite a bit of luck with the ladies.
Seriously, Batman didn’t have that kind of luck, not even with Steve Englehart as his wingman. Geo-Force was hit on by literally every female character he came across.
He got to second base with Halo.
And full-closed with Looker.
But not with Katana.
Because if there’s one thing you learn in those fancy European boarding schools, it’s to stay away from cougars who carry their late husband’s souls in their swords.
Geo-Force was a guy who was usually a gentleman, but with a bit of a dark side. He’s a guy who could marry his college sweetheart, but no one’s surprised when Looker finds this little purple peekaboo number in the back of his closet.
Next time: A handful of things you didn’t know about Geo-Force! Be Here! It’ll be good!
Today’s page is provided by PANELista Craig Bogart.
(click image to enlarge)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/5/2007, 3/12/2007, 3/19/2007, 3/26/2007, 4/2/2007, 4/5/2007, 4/9/2007, 4/16/2007, 4/23/2007, 4/30/2007, 5/7/2007, 5/14/2007, 5/21/2007, 5/28/2007, 6/4/2007, 6/11/2007, 6/18/2007, 6/25/2007, 7/2/2007, 7/9/2007, 7/16/2007, 7/23/2007, 7/30/2007, 8/6/2007, 8/13/2007, 8/20/2007, 8/27/2007, 9/3/2007, 9/10/2007, 9/17/2007, 9/24/2007, 10/1/2007, 10/8/2007, 10/15/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/29/2007, 11/5/2007, 11/12/2007, 11/19/2007, 11/26/2007, 12/3/2007, 12/10/2007, 12/17/2007, 12/24/2007, 12/31/2007, 1/7/2008, 1/14/2008, 1/21/2008, 1/28/2008, 2/4/2008, 2/11/2008, 2/18/2008, 2/25/2008, 3/3/2008, 3/10/2008, 3/17/2008, 3/24/2008, 3/31/2008, 4/7/2008, 4/14/2008, 4/21/2008, 4/28/2008, 5/8/2008, 5/12/2008, 5/19/2008, 5/27/2008, 6/2/2008, 6/9/2008, 6/16/2008, 6/23/2008, 6/30/2008, 7/7/2008, 7/14/2008, 7/22/2008, 8/4/2008, 8/11/2008, 8/18/2008, 8/25/2008, 9/8/2008, 9/22/2008, 9/29/2008, 10/6/2008, 10/13/2008, 10/20/2008, 10/27/2008, 11/3/2008, 11/10/2008, 11/17/2008, 11/24/2008, 12/8/2008, 12/15/2008)
For starters, there’s that thing with his half-sister and that little dustup with Deathstroke. Then there’s the fact that Markovia gets invaded every other year, with coups in the off-years.
He’s seen his father, King Viktor, die:
And his brother, King Gregor:
He was framed for Gregor’s murder:
And his sister-in-law’s — by a vampire, no less.
And then there was that time his mentor betrayed him to the Manhunters.
But he still takes time for the finer things in life.
Next time: Geo-Force — Ladies’ Man! Be Here! It’ll be good!
Over at Newsarama’s blog, Columbus’ own J. Caleb Mozzocco reviews the “furst ishew” of Left-Handed Sophie, by Columbus’ own Phonzie Davis.
I picked up the issue this week, but haven’t read it yet. I dig Phonzie’s minicomics, many of which just featured his manic ballpoint pen illustrations. If nothing else, this book is weird and funky and cool to look at. I suspect the story is going to be of the “experimental” or “non-traditional” variety.
You can check out more at Phonzie’s Beehive Comics website.
A while back I wrote a piece comparing the (then) new Gaiman/Romita Jr. Eternals to the original Jack Kirby series, but ended up shelving it because I felt it was too hard on poor Neil. I almost feel as bad moving forward with writing this particular post because it deals with what was arguably a really respectable thing Marvel tried to do that was ludicrously poor in it’s execution. I speak, of course, of Ms. Marvel.
They were trying really hard back in the day to broaden their exposure outside the bounds of their regular readership. Women readers were the prize which always eluded comic book publishers, and Marvel aimed for that niche with a superhero series with serious feminist overtones, one which addressed gender politics amidst all the mad schemes for world domination and super-powered fight scenes (back when the term Ms. was seen as a political statement). This is the kind of thing I cherish Old Marvel for– for being so darn referential to the real world the stories were set in (there was no “Marvel Universe” back then), the very thing that made for more thoughtful, intelligent, sophisticated stories. Regrettably, they didn’t do so well this time.
Check out the slogan that appeared in the trademark of the first few issues: “This Female Fights Back!” As opposed to all the weak sisters out there who just roll over and take it, I guess. Not exactly the most empowering slogan, and one of many details of those first couple issues that were eviscerated by the women writing in to the letters pages. Seems the concept did draw in a bunch of other-gendered newcomers to try out a comic… Unfortunately, it was this one.
The premise of the character is a bit of a handicap as well. Having gained her powers from the Kree alien Mar-Vell, aka Captain Marvel, she is a character who is an extension of a more powerful male figure and doesn’t have an identity that stands on its own. Speaking of identities– her two personas, Ms. Marvel and Carol Danvers, are each unaware of the other’s existence, an attempt at a metaphor for her gender’s search for identity in society; this poor idea was jettisoned after about three issues. To add insult to injury, the same editorial which outlines the series’ lofty goals in the first issue explains that Gerry Conway was tapped as writer because there were no women qualified to write superhero comics. Seriously. I’m sure they looked really hard. After a few good standard superhero comic issues by Conway and John Buscema, creative chores were handed over to noted feminist Chris Claremont and Jim Mooney, which brings us to…
Ms. Marvel #7
Read that last sentence again, and ponder just how many things are wrong with it.
“Red alert! Super-Hero in the cargo bay!” “How did she get through our impregnable defenses?!?” Ladies and gents, I give you Chris Claremont, the most popular comic writer of his day.
Don’t get me wrong, this series is a great read, if only because it is so often unintentionally, ironically funny. Like everything else published in the 1970’s, the character has been revived for a new series of her own. Maybe I’ll check those out to see how the feminist viewpoint is portrayed for today’s comic readers.
That’s right — I’m taking on the entire comics blogosphere. Although his appointment to the JLA was met by widespread jeers, Geo-Force can actually be a pretty decent character.
I’m speaking primarily about Geo-Force during the original 1980s Outsiders run, when he was written by Outsiders creator Mike W. Barr. He was depicted then as being hotheaded, but still willing to admit mistakes and learn from them. His primary “arc” was learning to control and grow into his powers.
He was also depicted as having an strong sense of duty, both to his team and his country. Most early Outsiders storylines include a scene where, despite incredible odds, Geo-Force pushes on and saves the team through some amazing feat of strength.
Re-reading the 1980s series, I notice Geo-Force falls off in characterization as the series goes on. Instead of growing into a competent hero, he gets kind of stagnant. Worse, he suffers from the Worf Effect. Barr established him as the powerhouse of the team, which meant he has to be somehow incapacited at the beginning of each adventure. All that jobbing really weakened the character.
But still … in those early issues, he don’t shiv. Here he is offering the ultimate choice to a cloned Nazi.
Next time: Geo-Force — A Portrait in Pain! Be Here! It’ll be good!
Sometimes I doubt my own taste. I liked the Ang Lee movie, I thought the third X-Men was better than the second, I thought Ghost Rider was fine for what it was, and I really liked Hancock.
But according to Pajiba, I’m sadly wrong about this.
I think the big problem with Hancock is that you expect one thing, then get another. From the trailers, you know it’s about an unlikeable, alcoholic superhero (Will Smith) and the PR rep (Jason Bateman) who tries to clean up his image. But the movie tells a different story. For one thing, the superhero is a lot less likeable than you’d think. He has some weird chemistry with Bateman’s wife (Charlize Theron). He spends a longish stint in jail as part of his rehabilitation. A bizarre origin is hinted at, but never fully explained.
The Pajiba article mentions a tonal shift in the middle — which, personally, I thought of as a good thing. I was genuinely surprised. It’s pretty rare that you’re watching a movie the genuinely surprises you. Later events kind of justify the surprise. Kind of.
One commenter has a comment that I thought was illuminating: “What really is disappointing is that they didn’t really seem to make an effort of expanding on anything. This move is only 92 freaking minutes long, which, as it turns out, is rather fortunate.”
I’m going to again call that a good thing. Superhero origins are usually silly if you spend too much time thinking about them, and I generally think it’s better to just get on with the story. Running 92 minutes is a good thing, too. Tell your story, then get the fuck off the stage.
I wasn’t looking for a spoof of the superhero genre — that’s My Super Ex-Girlfriend. I wasn’t looking for a real-world exegesis on the superhero genre — that’s Watchmen. I got a fun story about a superhero I’d never seen before, with an origin I hadn’t quite seen before, for a $3.99 rental.
Let me check out the Onion AV Club for a third opinion … OK, they give it a solid B+. So maybe my taste isn’t as problematic as I thought.
Tomorrow: Geo Force!
Ok, this week’s page isn’t a “famous artist”, so it’s going to be a guessing game with hints (and please, no guessing if you have this issue and know who it is). Give it a try…
(click image to enlarge)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/5/2007, 3/12/2007, 3/19/2007, 3/26/2007, 4/2/2007, 4/5/2007, 4/9/2007, 4/16/2007, 4/23/2007, 4/30/2007, 5/7/2007, 5/14/2007, 5/21/2007, 5/28/2007, 6/4/2007, 6/11/2007, 6/18/2007, 6/25/2007, 7/2/2007, 7/9/2007, 7/16/2007, 7/23/2007, 7/30/2007, 8/6/2007, 8/13/2007, 8/20/2007, 8/27/2007, 9/3/2007, 9/10/2007, 9/17/2007, 9/24/2007, 10/1/2007, 10/8/2007, 10/15/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/29/2007, 11/5/2007, 11/12/2007, 11/19/2007, 11/26/2007, 12/3/2007, 12/10/2007, 12/17/2007, 12/24/2007, 12/31/2007, 1/7/2008, 1/14/2008, 1/21/2008, 1/28/2008, 2/4/2008, 2/11/2008, 2/18/2008, 2/25/2008, 3/3/2008, 3/10/2008, 3/17/2008, 3/24/2008, 3/31/2008, 4/7/2008, 4/14/2008, 4/21/2008, 4/28/2008, 5/8/2008, 5/12/2008, 5/19/2008, 5/27/2008, 6/2/2008, 6/9/2008, 6/16/2008, 6/23/2008, 6/30/2008, 7/7/2008, 7/14/2008, 7/22/2008, 8/4/2008, 8/11/2008, 8/18/2008, 8/25/2008, 9/8/2008, 9/22/2008, 9/29/2008, 10/6/2008, 10/13/2008, 10/20/2008, 10/27/2008, 11/3/2008, 11/10/2008, 11/17/2008, 11/24/2008, 12/8/2008)
Here’s a peak at chapter 2 of Allied Powers.
I think we still have about five weeks of chapter one to go at the website before you’ll see these beauties in color; barring any natural disasters on unforeseen calamaties, I expect chapter 2 (or maybe 2 & 3) will be in print in time for SPACE.
Peter B. Gillis
He’s best known for his creation Strikeforce Morituri over at Marvel, but I loved the high concept mini-series Tailgunner Jo as well. Gillis was ahead of his time in many ways, usually going for a left-of-center, innovative, or just plain bizarre premise for his comics.
He dropped out of the comics biz at the end of the 80s. These days, you can catch him over at his blog.
…which happens to be really good advice for comic book publishers as well:
Over on the boingboing blog, guest blogger Clay Shirky shares his thoughts on James Gleick’s essay “How to Publish Without Perishing”. Gleick argues that the digital age is going to win the battle over speed, price, and ease when it comes to publishing, so if book publishers want to survive, they should make their niche the “book as object” market. Make beautiful printed books that people will want to own and have.
Shirky argues against this, saying it’s a myopic and self-defeating strategy to just cater to the “older” book buying segment of the market. Because guess what? They’re eventually going to die, and then where are your customers? Sound familiar?
Shirky:”In the same way the internet has forced newspapers into a ‘news vs. paper’ moment, the publishing world is in a ‘readers vs. book lovers’ moment. In this environment, the single most important choice anyone in publishing has to make is this: “How many generations do I want to be in business?” Because hawking Ye Olde Codices to aging connoisseurs is a one-generation business.Businesses don’t survive in the long term because old people persist in old behaviors; they survive because young people renew old behaviors, and all the behaviors young people are renewing cluster around reading, while they are adopting almost none of the behaviors tied to cherishing physical containers, whether for the written word or anything else. Can you imagine a 25-year-old telling a publisher “To get my business, you should stick to a single, analog format? Oh, and could you make it heavy, bulky, and unsearchable? Thanks.”"
There’s a lot there for the big comic book publishers to ponder, considering their entire business model revolves around catering to the likes of us: guys in their 30s or 40s who still love printed books.
