Signal Watch Reads: Superman #708

Superman #708
 Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI & CHRIS ROBERSON
Art by EDDY BARROWS & J.P. MAYER
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
1:10 Variant Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE

Superman 708

I'll be doing reviews of Superman comics while Chris Roberson is writing the title.  I hope that's okay.

If last month's issue signaled a tonal shift in the Grounded storyline started by J. Michael Straczynski, then this issue seems to begin the separation from either a plodding Act 1 of JMS's invention or Roberson figuring out how to best extricate The Man of Steel from the plot outline handed him by DC Comics for JMS's story.  While many aspects of the comic production process are transparent in this day and age, and the line between fans and creators near-invisible in superhero comics has seemingly disappeared, DC has managed to keep the departure of JMS, and what that means, under wraps.

Issue 708 picks up one panel after the surprise conclusion to last month's introduction of the Superman Squad, the time-traversing legions of heroes who wear the shield and carry the mantle of Superman into the far-flung, distant future (way further than most Sci-Fi dares to tread).  The Squad is a concept Grant Morrison introduced (if only in passing) over a decade ago in DC One Million, bringing DC characters from the 853rd Century to the modern day, and suggesting that a constant string of heroes had filled the space between today and then, all wearing the shield.

What's great is that Roberson doesn't blink at the ideas Morrison has been dropping like Johnny Appleseed across the DCU, and which so many other writers seem to fumble.  For those trying to keep up at home, Roberson manages to un-self-consciously weave in the Squad, drop some exposition along with his own mad ideas (SuperEgo broughta  smile to my face), tinge the tale with a dose of nostalgia for the Superman fan (I about cheered out loud when I saw the keyhole on the outside of the Fortress of Solidarity.  Also:  Fortress of Solidarity.  If you think I haven't found a new name for League HQ, you are wrong.), and propel the story forward in a single bound.

Its a lovely notion that Roberson could be trying to tell his stories while introducing a few new ideas into the Superman mythos in each issue, something that seemed to be a staple of Mort Weisinger's editorial policy during the hey-day of Silver Age Superman. Its also clear that Roberson isn't just a fan of Superman from any single era (a fact which may have hamstrung JMS and other Superman writers), but that he's comfortable with many eras of The Man of Steel.  Moreover, he's been paying attention.  He knows why All Star Superman worked (and, likely, Morrison and Waid's Superman in JLA), he's demonstrated a feel for Bronze-Age Superman in the previous issue, and he seems to be working toward the vision of the new-era Superman that seems to have been hinted at in bits and spurts the past several years - and what that Superman is...  I think that's a discussion for a few issues from now.

The Superman Squad arrives like a bit of a Greek Chorus, commenting upon our story to date and forewarning what could go wrong for The Man of Steel and all else if he doesn't win the day.  The scene certainly pushes the story forward, but it also gives juice to a tale that became unwieldy with the first issue.  The intervention of the Squad acts as a clever way to comment upon the why's and wherefore's of Superman's mental state (especially in the wake of New Krypton), which may have been not overtly commented upon enough in preceding issues.

Too often as writers come and go, the emotional impact of a storyline is left forgotten within a few issues as the new writer wishes to just get on with their own tale.  However, Roberson manages to call back well to New Krypton and plumb the story for depth that may have been lacking even when the Robinson-penned issues were telling the actual story.  Rather than just sweep it under the rug, its good to see a writer go back and squeeze the unused juice from the story.

The second half of the issue becomes more problematic as it ties in loosely with the ongoing Wonder Woman tale, also penned by JMS, but which I have not read at all as the first collection will not arrive in stores for some time.  Wonder Woman does feel shoe-horned in, especially in her current storyline wherein she's unknown in the existing timeline.  A meeting with Diana as the WW we all know and love could have had significantly greater impact as Wonder Woman and Superman have a rich history.

Its not that the rest of the issue isn't enjoyable, but a cross-over in which editorial assumes you're keeping up - and you aren't - certainly slows the reading experience.  I'm inclined to believe that Roberson did his best with a mandated cameo by Wonder Woman, and I can almost buy the fan-girl conversation Diana has with Superman, but I am guessing it will take a while before I see dividends from the conversation as a reader.  

On a more cynical note, I'm not positive that either Wonder Woman or Superman can afford to be less than highly recognizable and at their iconic most in their comics at the moment*, and I'm wondering if less of the re-designed Wonder Woman is more until Diana returns to the status quo.

Frankly, as positive as I am that Roberson gets and understands Superman and could be THE guy to steward the character for a while, given Wonder Woman's history, I wish another page or two had been devoted to Diana making the leap from warrior to superhero, and why she felt as she did seeing Superman leap to the rescue. Interrupting the scene of discovering heroism to interject our mysterious villain felt forced and drained what-could-have-been from making maximum impact.

There is something interesting about an indecisive Superman puzzling out the Sophie's Choice issues of responding to an emergency, even when we've just been told some of that lack of resolve may be coming from an external source.  For all the talk of "Superman can do everything", its always been the struggle to decide upon the right thing that keeps the character interesting, what I felt was the inherent gem of interest in the Grounded storyline.  I'm glad to see Roberson polishing that gem a bit, as when Superman freezes momentarily looking at rising flood waters versus a growing tornado.

By the way, Eddy Barrows was a welcome return this issue on pencils.  The Barrows illustrative art style works so well with Superman and other DC characters that its a welcome sight to have his style back in the pages of Superman after a few months of fill-ins as the story bounced from writer to writer.  You don't appreciate what you have until its gone, I suppose.

As I believe I said last review, Superman is now Roberson's to make or break.  I'm currently very much on board with what it seems like Roberson would like to do, but I do have to recognize that he's hemmed in by editorial and seeing JMS's story through to completion.  I choose to have faith in Roberson, and I'm now looking forward to next issue with a zeal I don't think I've had on this title since before Robinson put Mon-El in the spotlight.




*and I really am not sure how onboard I am with any long-term reimagining of Wonder Woman.

Confusion over Arcade Fire Grammy Win is Nothing Short of Magical

Firstly, you have to go to the tumblr site accumulating the Twitter-Rage over Arcade Fire winning whatever Grammy they won.

Secondly, who over the age of 15, thinks the Grammies have any particular value?  I can remember my moment of "oh, ha ha, seriously?  I give up" when it came to the Grammies, and it came in the form of Sheryl Crow winning album of the year* back around 1994 or 1995. 

I don't know if Arcade Fire had the album of the year.  I certainly didn't listen to all of them.  Or even some of them.  The complaint was that nobody had heard of Arcade Fire.

Full disclosure: I've only seen Lady Antebellum's name in print, so I can sort of understand how you can have a question mark over your head when someone you don't know is nominated.  But of three of the top nods, Gaga, Perry and Eminem are better known for their personal lives and antics than their actual music (sorry, Marshall), and its arguable that Gaga and Perry's albums are forgettable pop, secondary to the merchandising and performance aspect of the music industry (and I am not bagging on Perry or Gaga for being very good at what they do, but when you don't include the visual, Gaga's music is pretty standard issue disco stuff and Perry sounds like any pick-of-the-week female pop artist of the past 20 years).

If you give a damn about music, at some point I can see getting tired of throwing in votes for boring records because its "good for the industry".   It isn't. 

But, if the public hasn't heard of Arcade Fire, its kind of refreshing to see that's the case.  It likely means two things.
1)  The mix of Arcade Fire's refusal to do ad spots, perform on Nickelodeon awards shows, stay out of jail, etc... has meant that they lack celebrity, which has nothing to do with quality of an album
2)  The music industry is amazingly and hopelessly splintered.  That isn't alarming, that's more or less always the state of the industry.  I don't expect for people to have ever heard of the bands I listen to  if they don't actively seek out music (ie: they wait and see what gets dropped in their laps).  A lot of people do seek out music, but as enough people do not, clever marketing has a significant effect.

Is it good for the Grammy to go to a more-Pitchfork friendly album than, say, Taylor Swift?  I doubt it helps the TV ratings much and most certainly will turn off mainstream radio listeners, but maybe its good.  American rock has been about turning to something new and different, and while Arcade Fire are establishment favorites by alt-rock standards, its a kick in the pants of another auto-tuned Lady Gaga performance with a disco beat or Eminem (who is good) winning for doing what he's been doing since I was an undergrad.

I'm always amazed by the narrow view of the listening public, but its something I got over very quickly working behind the counter of a mall record shop.  People come to music for different reasons, and none of them are bad reasons, even if it means that you wind up making regrettable purchases.  But most people generally believe that what they and their friends listen to is what everybody listens to, and that, of course, is kind of dumb.

Its wrong-headed to think that Perry or Gaga fans will be inspired to check out Arcade Fire (a band that supports concert hall shows, for those who say they've never heard of them).  But you can sit back and enjoy the confusion and remember what it was like to be sixteen and see your folks get bunged up when a band you liked made it onto TV.

It would have been far more hilarious had someone the likes of Dan Deacon won album of the year.  That would have been TV gold.


*I would apologize to Sheryl Crow fans, but somebody has to tell you.  Yes, my taste in music better than your own.**

**not really***

***well, maybe.  I mean, Sheryl Crow?  Put down the Dave Matthews and back slowly away.

Happy Valentine's Day - The League tells you about LOVE

Ah, c'est l'amour.

oddly, this happened early in our courtship as well

It is that magical day of the year when the expression of love is wrapped up in overpriced doo-dads in color combinations which nature never intended and the day when the un-coupled among us insist that the coupled-up among us are rubbing our relationships in their faces.*

Well, love is grand. Here in year 15 or 16 with Jamie, I have been told we're getting a pizza and watching a movie. That is what I call a successful Valentine's Day.  She got her bouquet Saturday, and she'll get a card tomorrow.  That, people, is love.

And today I want to talk about love.  This video more or less encapsulates my feelings about Jamie.



Really, when you can find a girl who wants to also sit and watch Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast and/ or Cartoon Planet with you, you hold onto that girl with both hands and do not let go.

As Jamie and I have been together for a good, long while (every day is magical, my dove!), I have no real concept of dating in the 21st Century. Heck, texting didn't exist when Jamie and I began a-courting.  Cell phones weren't part of the equation, and back in my day, kids, we had a land line and an answering machine, and we liked it. We certainly didn't have the option of iDUMP4U had it all turned sour.

If Jamie were abducted by aliens tomorrow and I were suddenly on the market, I presume I would come across as a crazy person, which is why, for selfish reasons, I am very glad that Jamie is a very patient person who puts up with ALOT.

Jamie and I are far from perfect, and I am certain that when we're not around, people have their opinions of us each individually and how they see us operate together.  But all I know is that for whatever reason, many years ago, I found the little pale girl across the table genuinely funny, very cute and very smart. 

I do not believe I've ever revealed the tale of how we met, but its a tale frought with romance and mystery.

To begin with, I was very, very drunk.

Actually, its not a very good story. Never mind.

I am averse to talk of predestination, "the one", etc... That stuff is for poets and 17 year old girls dating 21 year olds with Camaros and iffy facial hair. Instead, what I will say is: when you do meet someone with whom you are perfectly happy, who makes you happy, and with whom you realize you'd take a bullet for and they'd do the same - do not @#$% it up. Do what you can to make it work.

Jamie is, absolutely, my best pal. A pal I get to smooch on. The magic doesn't come in some lightning bolt or mystic power. The unexplainable bit comes in the fact that we've been together for what most in the US consider the entirety of our adult lives, and that she's still an inspiration and someone I learn from all the time, and even then she goes on to be oddly supportive of all of my nonsense.

I am very much a guy still head over heals for a kooky, pale little girl who is still full of surprises.

Happy Valentine's Day, Jamie.  I love you, indeed.

Brak explains exactly how I feel about love (seriously, stick with this one):



*and let me tell you, after spending money on flowers an overpriced meal, and god knows what else, what we really want to hear is how we were doing this intentionally to make you feel bad about yourself.  This is strictly between me, my lady-friend and Bank of America, trust me.

Awesome News! The World is Ending! Everybody PARTY!!!

So, we were driving back from grabbing lunch at Curra's here in Austin, and at the intersection of Congress and Oltorf, three trucks were parked in a lot, all with the same graphic.

I could only get one of the trucks with my cell phone.

the most oddly depressing strip center in Austin gets a little added spice

In case you can't read the graphic:

Guarantee is a very strong word...  I'm just saying.

As if that wasn't wacky enough, Andrew - a guy I am 6 degrees away from being a relation (uh, Jamie's brother's wife's brother.  Yes, that sounds right)  also posted images on Facebook of himself next to exactly the same truck in Virginia.  He says there were five at his location.  So, people, let me know if you're spotting this fleet of people declaring the Earth will end before the Green Lantern movie gets released.

As Jason said "well, there's been somebody predicting the end times are about to happen since time began".  But I'm not exactly sure what the hook is here other than some mash-up of Mayan snake-god calendaring getting mixed up with Poltergeist-2/ tent revival/ end-times fun.  And, look, if its a financial scam, three months isn't really much time to maximize your profit.

On the one hand, if the world were ending...  Just imagine how kooky the next three months would really get.  I tell you what, I wouldn't feel very incentivized to show up at work or fill out my tax return.

If this is true, I am done with Marvel Comics

Comics rumor-meister Rich Johnston is reporting that Marvel stated at Comics Pro (a comics retailer summit currently happening in Dallas), that they plan to kill off a major character every quarter.

Its not that I want Marvel to go away because I read more DC... 

Look, I have my opinions about creative bankruptcy, the sort of stories and the tone at Marvel as the Ed Hardy of comics publishers of late.  I know these are fictional characters, etc...  that the deaths are fictional,  and before anyone says "gee, you're really in the bag for DC":  I grew up on X-Men and Spidey, smidges of Punisher and small doses of Cap (I was never a Hulk, FF or Avengers reader), and I'm happy to talk Marvel credentials any time.

But I don't think I like what a planned "death-per-quarter as selling point" says about what Marvel thinks about me as a consumer.  If true, its so breath-takingly cynical. 

I get that when you're of a certain age, your definition of hero and bad-ass come down to certain ideas about the world being a hard, cold place, and you can idolize characters or people who seem to represent a perspective that seems able to embrace that perspective, and thus you get folks who skew really far one way and get guys who shop at Hot Topic and think My Chemical Romance is really on to something, and other folks who think MMA cage-fighting represents some keen problem-solving abilities.   And so, yeah, if the world is cold and dark and whatnot, and if your superheroes are for adults, then some of them have to die (not like stupid little-kid superheroes).  So why not kill your fictional characters on a schedule fit to meet quarterly demands by your corporate overlords who want to know why the quarter where Cap died seemed to go so well? 

Does death create a new space in which to tell stories?  Absolutely.  Right up until its a corporate mandate insisting "this is good comics".

While there is a certainly poetry to scheduled hero-cide to fit corporate revenue cycles and to serve stock value, its all a little...  sad, isn't it?  I'm not saying product placement meetings with Popsicle and DC Comics going on right now to create GL ice cream treats don't seem a little goofy...  but its also sort of weird to hear Marvel just come clean and give a peek behind the curtain (if true).  The meaninglessness of frequent character deaths in comics has become a corporate mandate far beyond the editorial bullpen.

I'm not kidding.  I only read Cap and a smattering of other Marvel stuff these days.  I'm looking for an excuse to just quit looking at Marvel's offerings, and if they really want to believe the only way I can get my kicks anymore is by watching characters get snuffed and watching wide-eyed at the fall-out?  Maybe its time we part ways.

DC Insists I not Read Their New "Static Shock" comic

I wasn't reading superhero comics when the Milestone line was introduced.  I remember looking at "Static" in his Malcolm X hat on the rack, thinking "if I were reading superhero comics, I would try out this new line."  And then "Why did they put him in a cap that's part of a fashion fad?".

Static would go on to get picked up as a Saturday morning cartoon on the Kids WB!, which I really liked.  Static was always a bit in over his head, and somehow the show managed to make him likeable despite its many cliches and trappings of the teen-aged superhero schtick (including the best friend who just happens to be a techno-wiz).

I've since read some of the earlier Static stuff, and its pretty good.  I'd pick up a new series, or would I?

A while back, DC started hiring TV writers who feigned enthusiasm about comics, including writer Felicia Henderson, whose credits include Family Matters, Sister, Sister, and Gossip Girl.  Not just shows outside the superhero milieu, but not shows known for their superior plotting or character development.*

So, yeah, great.  TV credentials.  I blamed this mostly on Dan Didio, who came from TV and tried to bring the serial sensibility with him, and what passed for his Hollywood connections to get TV writers on board.  the results were pretty much uniformly unreadable, and, sadly, I'd include the few issues of Henderson's Teen Titans I tried to read once they added some of my favorite DC characters like Blue Beetle and Superboy into the mix.  Frankly, those issues were "I am becoming angry this was how I spent $3"-bad.

She has been handed Static, which is a bit of a disappointment, but then DC is putting Scott "look how fast I can draw!" McDaniel to the art is one of those things...  some people are into McDaniel's work, which I find...  perfunctory.  I mean, that is definitely comics art, but when DC hires him it often seems to be because time is of the essence, and if a leg looks like a ham, then, okay.  He's just not my cup of tea**

I genuinely don't know what DC is thinking launching Static under Henderson, except that its possible they severed their better connections with Milestone originator Dwayne McDuffie during the JLA fiasco of 2007-2008.   And while I see no reason Static shouldn't be tried out again (although it seems a little too little, too late when the show has been off the air for years), why launch under Henderson?  What could she bring to the table that a hundred hungry young writers couldn't? 



*Did I do thaaaaaat?
**While I like the Shane Davis/ Ivan Reis school of design, I do appreciate stylized work.  I grew up thinking Breyfogle and Miller were pretty keen, after all.  McDaniel never feels so much stylized as he feels rushed.

My final days (as reported by social media)

A brief tale of social media and my final days, inspired by a conversation had with friends while watching the Super Bowl

-Ryan has checked in at St. David's Hospital (South) ER
-Ryan
"Ate some fish at the sushi place on Manchaca.  My face and toes are numb, and I barfed."
-Ryan
"I am tired of barfing."
-Ryan has checked in at St. David's Hospital (South) ICU
-Ryan
"Oh noes!"
-Ryan has checked in at St. David's Hospital (South) coroner's office
-Ryan has checked in at The Weeping Fern Mortuary
-Ryan

"Don't know if you guys have used LegalZoom, but I am way out ahead on this."

-Ryan

"Ok.  Jamie changed a bunch of stuff.  So no shrimp buffet, and they don't have coffins with airbrushed flames, but it should still be fun, so ya'll should come."

-Ryan

"Not many folks here yet, but we're going all night, so ya'll come on down."

-Ryan has checked in at The Pearly Gates
-Ryan

"Wow, this line is crazy.  Customer service clrly not a priority."

-Ryan

"Just noticed, I have no pants.  WTF?"

-Ryan

"This St. Peter guy is kind of judgy."

-Ryan has checked in at Firey Pits of Unending Perdition
-Ryan
"That went poorly."
-Ryan has checked in at The Hoary Hosts of Pandemonium
-Ryan
"I totally just saw Howard Taft."
-Ryan
"Just remembered, I was kidding about leaving my life insurance to @JefftheCat on the form.  I don't really have a corporeal form anymore, so someone should make sure that gets sorted."



and, scene

Quick Wonder Woman post

I wound up watching "The Line Up", a film noir with Eli Wallach. It started very slow, but its a pretty good picture once Wallach shows up. By today's standards, perhaps a bit clumsy, but its got its clever bits, too, and uses San Francisco to good effect.

The picture above is an Adam Hughes cover to Wonder Woman.  Frankly, I don't remember the story behind the cover, but ever since Waid and Ross's Kingdom Come, armored Wonder Woman has been sort of one of those "oh, she's really going to kick-some ass now" signifiers, like, I guess when the lions finally come together and form Voltron. 

I can take or leave CosPlay, as so much of its done poorly, but this young woman has been showing up as Armored Wonder Woman, and I tip my hat.

Reminder: Sunday 7:00 PM - "Big Trouble in Little China" at the Alamo Ritz

What better way to get a jump on Valentine's Day than to take your sweetie-pie out for an evening of thrills, chills, and romance? John Carpenter's seminal 1980's masterpiece, Big Trouble in Little China is mostly forgotten by people who don't like things which are awesome. However, those of us who do like things which are awesome will be at the Alamo Ritz on Sunday evening for a screening of one of the best flicks Hollywood ever produced.

Join us at The Alamo at 7:00! Jason, Jamie, AmyD and SimonUK will all be there!

SimonUK sends along this music video featuring the end credits theme song to the movie. Yes, Carpenter likes to do his own music for his own movies. Your mileage will vary.

GL Halloween Costumes Are Astoundingly Bad

If these are our intergalactic saviors, we are in trouble

Well, this just doesn't inspire much confidence or say "Galactic Guardian" to me.  Looks like promo images for Halloween costumes are already making their way to buyers, and costumes from the summer film Green Lantern are making the rounds.

First:  That is not the actual head of the guy on the left.  That dude's head is way out of proportion, and his body is lit and colored much differently than his head.

Second:  Good lord, why did you paint abs onto those sack-like outfits?  Its just a reminder of what is not happening under the flame retardant material.

Third:  The white dots on the fellow on the left make it seem as if he's supposed to be an animal of some sort.

Fourth:  The Sinestro mask looks less like Sinestro and more like "Functionary from a post William Powell Hollywood picture".

Fifth:  I will be very curious to see what kid and/ or party-going adult says "Oh, @#$%, yes.  I'm gonna be Sinestro!".  You know how I would have been Sinestro as a kid?  Jason would have found the GL costumes, and I would want to be Hal, also, and he'd be all like "no, no.  We can't both be Hal.  You can be Sinestro."  And then when the sequel rolled around, I'd be all sad because, @#$%...  Sinestro.