E-MAIL THE AUTHOR

I GOT ISSUES

By Ken Cuperus

September 11, 2002

WHY THE LAST MAN?

Yes, that's right. A pun! I mean, really...what did you expect. After all, I am known as the 'PUNMASTER' in many circles (and by several different shady Government agencies) so it's only right that I get the ball rolling right off the top. And now that it's out of the way...moving on...As you've probably figured out by now (and shame on you if you haven't) the ever-so-clever play on words directly above, and slightly to the left of where you're looking now, is in reference to a new VERTIGO ongoing, called Y - THE LAST MAN.

Written by Brian K. Vaughan, it deals with a virus that targets the male population (specifically The 'Y chromosome,' for all you Reed Richards wanna-be's out there), resulting in the immediate death of the entire male population...'cept for one Dude, named Yorick who is miraculously spared. So how did one guy manage to skip underneath the dirt nap radar? And how is he going to continue to survive in a world solely populated by Women? And is he Man enough to take one for the team, and spend the rest of his being used as a Sex tool for all Women, in order to repopulate the planet? And if not...are they hiring? Hey, what do I look like, Nostradamus? You want answers...Read the book.

So then how does the title of the column relate to the book? It's like this...Vaughan is garnering a lot of attention for this new comic series, and the first two issues have already sold out from the publisher. It looks like a bona fide hit! (By Vertigo's standards anyway...after all, three Goth chicks and a basset hound are the core audience of most Vertigo titles) Yet, this isn't Vaughan's first foray into DC's dark corner of the Universe. He was also the writer responsible for resurrecting the SWAMP THING franchise a few years ago. An excellent title that was grievously overlooked and under appreciated...the title would soon revert to mulch after a brief run of only 20 issues. So why now? What's the secret to his newfound popularity? Why THE LAST MAN? (Ahhh...we've come full circle at last... and now I may rest my weary head).

Vaughan's SWAMP THING wasn't just a relaunch of the character that Alan Moore had molded, only to be left to mold in recent years. Vaughan decided to focus instead on the original Swamp Thing's daughter, the plant elemental/human hybrid known as Tefe. A few years older and all growed up, Tefe was forced to make a terrible choice. Either help the plants destroy the human race, or side with the humans as they continue to devastate the world's vegetation. (a community known as the Green) Tefe walks a fine balance between being Man's greatest threat, and the only one can save them from certain extinction. Along the course of the short-lived series, Tefe teams up with a couple of mis-fits, and heads out on the road to deal with some hard-nosed environmental issues. Tefe is not a hero, nor is she a villain...merely a girl who has to make some tough choices, that often result in death and destruction. Oh yeah, not to mention the plant world decides that Tefe is too dangerous to live, and sends an ancient (and oh so leafy) Samurai Assassin after her, to end the threat permanently! A smart set-up that could have spawned hundreds of challenging, and exciting tales...Unfortunately, it was not to be. The series ended with the 20th issue due to poor sales. So what happened? Were the die-hard Swamp Thing fans offended that Tefe took the title mantle, rather than Alec Holland? Was the title mis-managed, and mis-marketed right out of the gate? I guess nobody really has any answers...but in the end, answers won't make any difference anyway. A solid title packed with interesting characters, topical storylines, and one of the best moral dilemma's ever to hang a book on...but nobody bothered to show up. Now Vaughan has offered us a brand new creation, with no familiar characters and a fairly mundane throughline (clever in its simplicity...but not wholly original. Stephen King's THE STAND comes rapidly to mind.) and the public seems to have bit. Of course, South of the top one hundred on the sales chart can't be called a commercial hit, but the first two issues flying off the stands seems to indicate a likely sales spike for subsequent issues. Again, I come back to why? Great writing? Sure, but Swampy had that too. Timing? Maybe...but Swamp Thing was released even as the mainstream comic culture began to crawl from the wreckage, so the 'state of the industry' (the popular scapegoat of its time) can hardly be blamed. Whatever the reason, I'm certainly glad the Vertigo gave Vaughan another chance, because he's proved (so far at least) that he is a wonderful addition to the house that Moore built. And what have we learned from this? Hopefully, that the failure of a series shouldn't always be carried on the backs of its creators. Sometimes a new series just seems predestined to fall on its face, or soar through the clouds...even before it hits the racks, and there ain't a Damn thing anybody can do about it. However, taking a chance on a new idea (not necessarily a new character...after all, a new spin on an old classic can be just as rewarding. Right HULK fans?) once in a while, and buying a book you normally wouldn't, is what being a comic reader is all about. So be a pal and try it sometime, okay? You might just be surprised.

HANGING UP ON “THE CALL”

I tried...I really did. The concept was interesting: in the wake of 9/11 (And this is the only mention I'll make of it this column, since you'll be seeing more than enough references to it in other media this week), comes a comic that focuses on the real-life Heroes, who bravely (and without benefit of Super-powers...unless you count 'seein' ghosts' as a Super-Power) put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve the public at large. These Heroes include Fireman, Police Officers, and Emergency Medical Workers. The series is called THE CALL OF DUTY, and has been broken up into three separate (HA! I wish!) mini-series, all dealing with a single profession. But whatever you do, don't try to read just one...Or two for that matter! I thought I would give the first release THE CALL: THE BROTHERHOOD a try, as it seemed to be a slice of life story focusing on a tight-nit group of firefighters. And you know, the first two issues were just that! Sure, it continued the storyline of the little ghost girl in the flowered shirt who showed up in THE CALL back-up stories that adorned the last few pages of all the other MARVEL titles I had bought in previous weeks. Whatever. It seemed to be a very small part of the overall series, so I was able to overlook it at first, and enjoy the book for its many strengths. Teamwork, struggle, heartache, disappointment, and triumph of the human spirit...good stuff, all! Writer Chuck Austen really captured the spark that united these Men. I liked it so much that I decided to pick up the second mini-series: THE CALL: THE PRECINCT. After all, it was written by new HULK scribe Bruce Jones and promised more of the same quality story-telling as THE BROTHERHOOD, but from the perspective of a New York City Policeman. Much to my dismay (and boredom, I confess), the little ghost girl showed up again...only this time appeared to be a central part of the story. Blah. I read the second issue to see if it eased into a more-down-to Earth story, and was treated to a shoot-out on a theme park roller coaster sequence that would make even Sylvester Stallone blush, and demand a rewrite, if it turned up in a movie script. I didn't want SUPER-COP...I wanted to see a real cop walking a real beat, and facing real problems that real cops in the real world face. In a word, I was looking for something REAL! And this wasn't even close. I won't be buying the third issue.

Then came THE CALL: THE WAGON, the third and final mini-series that would lead into a monthly ongoing, featuring characters from the three books. Before picking it up, I made the decision that if the little ghost girl showed up on more than one or two pages, I would pass on this installment. I gave the pages a little 'in-store shuffle' and guess what? There she was...in all her transparent glory. The book went back on the shelf. "Hey no problem," I whispered to myself (under my breath, so the other customers wouldn't think I was nuts), "at least I still have THE BROTHERHOOD to look forward to!" I bought issue number three...and to my absolute horror, the story begin to revolve solely around the ever-increasingly annoying little girl, in the punk-ass flowered shirt! Ahhhh! Still, I was committed to continuing with the series (only three more issues after all) in hopes they'd put out this latest misfire, and recapture the mood and feel of the first and second issues. At least I was until I turned to the final page, and read these dreaded words..."TO BE CONTINUED IN 'THE CALL OF DUTY: THE WAGON #2" Holy shit on a shower cap! Did they just do what I think they did? Are they seriously going to continue this supposedly self-contained mini-series in the SECOND ISSUE of a completely different self-contained mini-series...without ANY kind of warning at all? Why didn't it cross over into the FIRST issue of THE WAGON, if they were really that dedicated in their decision to mess with my head? And what about the readers who decided to pick up THE WAGON and not THE BROTHERHOOD? Boy, are THEY in for a surprise when they pick up issue two. (Here you go, comic fans...a completely different story, right in the middle of your current mini-series. Enjoy, Suckers!) If you're going to do three separate mini-series that all interweave with each other, make sure we know up front that all three are essential reading. Don't set us up, so that if we find ourselves enjoying one, we're then obligated to pick up the rest, just to follow the story. That's dirty pool! I'm sure it goes without saying that the experience has soured me on the entire concept of THE CALL OF DUTY, and I won't be buying any more issues of either Mini-Series...or the eventual ongoing. Maybe, just maybe, I'll go see a movie based on THE PRECINCT...but only if Sly calls for those re-writes!

A SKETCHY COMPARISON

During my time spent at this year's TORONTO COMIC BOOK/ANIME EXPO, I was positioned at a booth just across from artist's alley. Being in the neighborhood and all, I dropped by to chat with a few of the pros, and admire their work. Most of them are there to chat with the fans, while selling pages of their comic work, and sketch work by request. What I found the most interesting about this was that all the artists set different prices for the sketch work they do. For example, current HULK artist Stuart Immomen was doing free sketches for anyone who was gracious enough to buy one of the books from his table. (He happily signed the books in question, to boot) So the average cost was $3-4 bucks for an oh-so-sweet Immonen original. (I myself requested, and received, a simply spiffy THOR sketch...full-bodied, and fully detailed on over-sized paper) Other artists (Yanick Paquette, to name but one) were asking in the $15 - 20 dollar range for their handi-work. Then, on the far side of the spectrum, was LEONARD KIRK whose asking price for a standard sketch was $40 bucks. Ouch. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a criticism by any means. These are professionals after all, and they have a business to run, and bills to pay just like everyone else. I just find it fascinating to see which artists come to conventions as a thank-you to their fans, for supporting them in their endeavors...and which artists use conventions primarily as a way to supplement their income.

COVER KUDOS!

A recent cover that caught my eye recently was for WONDER WOMAN #184. A wonderful golden-age tribute by artist Adam Hughes made this one irresistible, leading me to buy my first issue of the Amazing Amazon's adventures since John Byrne displaced William Messner-Loebs just after the 100th anniversary issue, rendering the book near-unreadable in the process. The cover features a modern take on the title character, staring aghast at her golden-age counterpart, amid an army of Nazi soldiers. The whole background is scratched and washed to give the book an aged-to-perfection look, that completes the illusion. Great stuff! Unfortunately, the story inside doesn't quite rise to the level of excellence that the cover boasts. Largely due to the fact that the story (drawn and written by Phil 'Don't call me George Perez' Jimenez) is a time-traveling adventure that deals heavily with left-overs from John Byrne's run. Wonder Woman goes back to the Second World War, and meets her Mom, Hippolyta (AKA: The golden age Wonder Woman...don't ask). In order to prevent a time ripple that could alter the future (a major time travel faux pas!) Diana takes on the disguise of Miss America, another obscure Golden Age hero. (Lets hope the real Miss America doesn't show up...that would just get messy, dont'cha think?) Oh yeah...and their are some dinosaurs too. Could someone please explain to me why every DC time-travel story has dinosaurs in it? They show up in recent issues of both BIRDS OF PREY, and SUICIDE SQUAD. I don't get it. I mean, maybe if they're at least traveling back to the Jurassic period it would make some sense...but WWII? Are they with the Allies, at least?

Well, that's it for this week. Thanks everyone who has sent me mail. I do appreciate it, and will try to respond to everyone. Things are heatin' up here at work (What with the new Fall TV season almost upon us!) but I'm doin' my best to get to all of your questions and comments. (for instance...Yes BOB GREELY of Tucson, Arizona...I do in fact enjoy the view, with my head stuffed up my ass.) In the meantime keep 'em coming. Now that the "shoot-backs" have been discontinued, it's the only indication I have that anyone is even reading this rag. What's your opinion... Dig the new 'comics commentary' direction? Or did you prefer the straight humor pieces? Should I aim for a better balance of both? U-DECIDE. In the meantime...I'll see ya in seven with more 'o the same!

E-MAIL THE AUTHOR | ARCHIVES