A Moment of Comics

I wish the Brotherhood of Dada stormed the Capitol this past Monday. The Brotherhood steal Paris by way of mystical painting in Doom Patrol #37 by writer Grant Morrison, penciller Richard Case and inker John Nyberg. 

A Moment of Comics

I've been thinking about how the American psyche lays itself out in the comics we (hopefully) read. I've been thinking about the country's self-flagellating need to have our elders continue to lead us far beyond what is either sane or logical and be a constant surrogate Dad in our lives. This was true with Biden until it wasn't, and now (again, hopefully) more than half of America is currently euphoric to potentially not have that be the case anymore! 

How does this apply to comics? For decades, the original Flash, Barry Allen, was replaced by his mentor Wally West. This gave us decades of watching a younger character carrying the torch, growing into the role and bearing the burden of his legacy. Then DC Comics brought Barry Allen, "a white republican from the sixties" as one cartoonist aptly put it, back to life, destroying decades of storytelling and world building. All to satisfy that need for nothing to change.

It's weird. We want our comics characters to become "mature" and get with the times and stay with us as we get older, but we don't want them to grow up and move on. Because we don't want to do that either. 

The above page marks Barry Allen's return all the way back in 2008's Final Crisis (the second issue, to be exact) by Grant Morrison and JG Jones. 

A Moment of Comics

The meta in Geoffrey Fallon's comic keeps escalating. So here's that Suicide Squad page I mentioned last week where Grant Morrison is a character in the story and gets killed by the issue's end. Written by John Ostrander and Kim Yale, penciled by Geoff Isherwood and inked by Robert Campanalla,

A Moment of Comics

Geoffrey Fallon's main characters in his "The Secrets of Skinny People" comic didn't react well to their recent talk with him. It reminded me of when Animal Man met his then-writer Grant Morrison. Don't worry. Grant got better. Then he got killed in an issue of Suicide Squad. Funny story. From Animal Man #26 by Morrison. Penciled by Chas Truog and inked by Mark Farmer.

A Bonus Moment of Comics

Having a hard time getting interview subjects to agree to be interviewed. When they ask for money, I know I've made a mistake. People will do a six hour rant on YouTube or TikTok but won't subject themselves to an email exchange. A panel from The Invisibles, Volume 1, issue #10 by Grant Morrison and Christ Weston.

A Moment of Comics

If pride flags are getting torn down from storefronts, it seems like it's only a matter of time before extremist groups start attacking streets for not having enough macho stores. Sentient Danny the Street is targeted by the Men From N.O.W.H.E.R.E.  in Doom Patrol #35, written by Grant Morrison with art by Richard Case and John Nyberg. Hope you all were safe during Pride Month.

A Moment of Comics

I've been reading Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol again. Here's a page from issue #20 with art by Richard Case and Scott Hanna. Such a game changer, this book going from standard superhero fare to horror the heroes can barely handle.

A Moment of Comics

Something else pride related for this week. This moment is from the infamous Marquis de Sade storyline from Grant Morrison's first volume of The Invisibles (which also features ,Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley). The last pages show a young gay prostitute (likely a runaway, rejected by his family) hoping and trying for a better world. Not having read Stuck Rubber Baby yet, this might have been the first comics-related depiction of gay youth I ever read. This and other aspects of the book (including main character Lord Fanny, a transwoman witch) makes Grant Morrison's recent "coming out" not so surprising. The page also holds a clue to one of my choices for this week's Friday music.

A Moment of Comics

The very first page of All-Star Superman #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietely. For National Poetry Month, I wanted to feature a comics  page that contained poetry. This retelling of Superman's origin story in eight words and four pictures is perfect.

A Moment of Comics

From issue 5 of The Invisibles by Grant Morrison and Jill Thompson. It the first comic I ever read that integrated poetry into its story in such an in-depth way. 

The second page shows the beginning handwritten lines of a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Julian and Maddalo," a poem based on a conversation between fictionalized versions of Shelly and Lord Byron. The following page shows Byron and Shelly having the conversation that would make its way into the rest of the poem. Clever trick by Morrison.

Byron and Shelly's debate over the importance of their work (particularly Byron's pessimism) has stayed with me all these years since I read the comic as a junior in college.

More from Morrison and friends next week to finish off National Poetry Month.

Comics and Sad Thoughts

This is the comic panel (taken out of context) I think about the most when I finish a gig and realize I'll probably be remembered less for my writing and more--far more--for everything I do unseen behind the scenes.

It makes getting back to writing the hardest thing ever sometimes.

But I'm back at it.

I Had Issues! My Tenth Comic Book Haiku

Another haiku covering up for the lack of an in-depth review. Though I prefer his All-Star Superman, I enjoyed much of Grant Morrison's run on the New 52 version of Action Comics. And hey, if you're fretting about how to make Superman relevant, just go with his Super Obama from this run. Hell, you already have Michael B. Jordan interested!

Other note: I thank the person who commented on the original site who pointed out in the original post "[T]he first post-crisis appearance of Mr. Mxyzptlk, it was revealed to be pronounced Mix-yez-pittle-ick," thereby making my haiku one syllable too long. I corrected it. To be fair, I was going by the Superman TAS version, which was pronounced "Mix-Yez-Spit-Lick." A lot of thinking goes into seventeen syllables, no matter how goofy the outcome! Originally published December 10, 2012.

I Had Issues! My Old Review of Happy #1-2

Well, I guess I called it about Happy being made for adaptation. I just didn't think it would be the small screen. Still, this was written before streaming services caught on.  I was heavy on trying to use graphics to write my review for me. That means this review hasn't aged as well in my mind. I did end up enjoying Happy when it was completed, but I'm in no hurry to watch the show. Originally published November 5, 2012. Edited for spelling and clarity.

I Had Issues! My Old Review of New 52's Action Comics #7-12

Though my opinion of this series hasn't changed much when I wrote this review, the Grant Morrison run on Action Comics was one of the few highlights of the New 52. Originally published August 30, 2012. Edited for clarity.

I Had Issues! My Old Review of Action Comics #6

Full disclosure: I screwed up this review. Not only did it originally read like I shat it out in five minutes, but I also made a factual error  that Jim Lee was the designer of the New 52 costumes. It was Cully Hammer. I took all my Jim Lee jabs out in this version (though if you wanted to find it, the original is still up, with all my sins on display). Originally published February 3, 2012. Edited for MUCH needed clarity.

I Had Issues! My Old Review of New 52's Action Comics #4-5

Another New 52 Pick-Up review. Thought I was so clever with a "Draw Two" in the original title. Originally published January 5, 2012. Edited for spelling and clarity. Also, I'm not including the million of links referencing my own work. That was too much the first time around.