LUCIDMEDIA

Lucid Comics Sep 25 2008

Written by Adam A. Donaldson Thursday, 25 September 2008 14:26

Table of Contents:
The struggle to save Superman’s house continues…
Savage Dragon a political sell-out
Vampire Hunter D coming to America
Marvel announces Spider-Man/Colbert team-up
Heroes Vs. The 4400
Throwback of the Week
Whack Controversy of the Week
Viral Campaign of the Week
Reviews
New Releases

In the News

The struggle to save Superman’s house continues…

The third in a series of auctions intended to raise funds to save the Cleveland home of Jerry Siegel closed yesterday adding a substantial amount to the previously collected funds. The third auction raised $17,763 bringing the total to more than $70,763 in donations to go to the repair the Glenville house where young Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman. The original fundraising goal was $40,000. The Cleveland-based Siegel and Shuster Society and novelist/comic book writer Brad Meltzer came up with the idea for the fundraiser, which has sold diverse lots ranging from original comic art, a walk-on role on Heroes and tickets to The Colbert Report. All proceeds will go to pay for the replacement of the roof and to rebuild the exterior of Siegel's former home on Kimberly Avenue on Cleveland's East Side. Leftover money will be used for interior repairs and other work in the future.

Savage Dragon a political sell-out The recent issue of Erik Larson’s Savage Dragon, in which the hero proudly endorses Democratic Senator Barack Obama for President, is going into its third printing in order to meet demand. Issue #137 has been billed as “The world's only super powered presidential endorsement,” and has made news at some very non-comic media outlets like the New York Times and the Huffington Post. "Believe me, we're trying to keep it in stock," said Erik Larsen in a press release. "We've been printing much more than we predicted needing and the demand just kept growing. I'm thrilled to know that whether people agree or disagree with Dragon, they're extremely passionate about what may be the most important US Presidential election yet." The latest reprint in scheduled to be in stores on October 15th.

Vampire Hunter D coming to America

Jimmy Palmiotti, who’s currently scripting the new Jonah Hex, has been announced by Devil’s Due to be the scribe behind the American version of Japanese suck-head slayer Vampire Hunter D. "I was approached by my friend [Devil's Due Publisher] Josh Blaylock and asked if I had any interest working with him on this project," the writer told Comic Book Resources. "I remember the animated movies and the character, and went in over a few weeks and read some of the novels and manga reprints to bring myself up to date with the property. The idea here, for me, is working with another creator on a property with a lot of history — fun on a number of levels." The original manga, illustrated by Final Fantasy series designer Yoshitaka Amano, followed a lone warrior fighting vampires, werewolves and other demons in the post-apocalyptic landscape of the year 12,090 A.D. western, The series draws inspiration from science fiction, horror and high fantasy as well as Lovecraftian mythos, folklore and occult science.



Marvel announces Spider-Man/Colbert team-up

Direct from a Marvel press release mailed out on Wednesday: “Marvel is proud to reveal that Spider-Man and acclaimed television personality Stephen Colbert will join forces in an all new eight-page story featured in the extra-sized Amazing Spider-Man #573! Acclaimed writer Mark Waid and fan favourite artist Patrick Olliffe present Stephen Colbert, a candidate for the US Presidency in the Marvel Universe, teaming up with Marvel’s most iconic crime fighter. What could bring these two together? And what will it mean for both their futures? This issue also features a special Colbert variant by Marvel EiC and industry superstar Joe Quesada! Plus, don’t miss the stunning conclusion to the sold out “New Ways To Die” from the dream team of Dan Slott & John Romita Jr! Don’t miss out on Stephen Colbert’s first full Marvel Universe appearance—in continuity!—and the team up that’ll have everyone buzzing! It’s the extra-sized Amazing Spider-Man #573—and no comic book fan can afford to miss it!”

Heroes Vs. The 4400

So people kept telling me to watch this show called Heroes. I had already been aware of the show and it seemed right up my alley; a program about people with super-powers and how they deal with them. At the time I thought, “I’m really not going to invest myself in a show that will be cancelled after three episodes.” And then it became a success. And then many of my friends told me I should watch, but I wasn’t going to walk into a story halfway over. So I picked up Heroes at the start of season two, watched it for a few episodes and was underwhelmed. It sucked and I thought there was something wrong with me. But no, the fans started chiming in; the second season of Heroes did indeed suck. And then writers came out and pretty much agreed saying, “Yeah, this season was terrible. Too bad we can’t make more till September 2008. The unfortunate part is that Heroes, no matter the satisfaction of new fans, was already a success by the time I tuned in. So what I think, and thought, doesn’t, and didn’t matter. I already had a show that filled my quotient of storytelling involving ordinary people with super-powers: The 4400. The 4400, refers to the number of people taken over 60 years and returned all at one in a ball of light near Seattle, WA. No sooner do they return that these people, taken from across the globe, begin to develop super-abilities and unlike the powers of Heroes, we do get an explanation as to why: future humans abducted the 4400, gave them abilities and returned them all to the present to prevent some non-descript catastrophe. What is this catastrophe the 4400 are supposed to prevent? How do they do it? But more importantly, in the meantime, how do they fit into a world that fears what they’re capable of. And for many returnees, the ones taken in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and even the 70s and 80s, how do they find their way in a world that’s now alien to many of them?

These philosophical debates lay at the heart of The 4400’s success as a series. Obviously, the effects budget is limiting on a television series, so The 4400 was loaded with character and ethical dilemmas. The key one being the widespread distribution of promicin, the neurotransmitter that gives the 4400 their abilities; the trick being that there’s a 50-50 chance between getting a power through the shot or having it ending up killing you. Interesting then that this season of Heroes will see one of the main characters, Dr. Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy), a scientist without abilities, discover a serum that grants normal people with powers. Sound familiar?

That’s pretty much the whole problem I have with Heroes: been there, seen that. It surprises me that the show would be a hit amongst comic readers because if you’ve ever read comics on a semi-regular basis than there’s really nothing original about the show. The story beats are the same: high stakes, shifting alliances a revolving door of cast members and team mates. Where as The 4400 had an open and honest dialogue component where the general public knew about people with abilities, all of Heroes takes place in the shadows of society. Indeed, the assassination attempt on Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) at the end of season two apparently has to do with the fact he was about to reveal the existence of the Heroes, which might lead to another disaster.



Plus there’s the benefit of efficiency in The 4400. It only got 13 episodes per season to tell a story, so you couldn’t waste about a dozen and half episodes seeing Hiro (Masi Oka) wander around medieval Japan. It’s an economy of storytelling; there’s no fat, because there’s no time to waste. Meanwhile, with Heroes sometimes it seems like there’s nothing but time to waste. In the total 11 episodes of the second season of Heroes, only four of them really matter, and that was part of the frustration of the second series; just as it was getting going, the season was over.

The saddest part of all is that while the writer’s strike only delayed more episodes of Heroes for nearly a year, it killed The 4400. The fifth season was canned because of low-ratings and strike-related delays, right in the middle of a cliffhanger. Heroes, meanwhile, will toggle on for years, hopefully with lessons learned in the creation of more compelling stories that don’t take an eon to tell. My feelings still remain ambiguous about Heroes, but all I have left of The 4400 are my DVDs.

Throwback of the Week

Dark Horse is distributing a new statue from ReelArt Studios depicting Hal Foster’s classic, Arthurian hero, Prince Valiant. Beginning in 1937, Valiant first appeared as a full tabloid page in the nation’s newspapers, this meticulously crafted, ongoing adventure has continued to run weekly, winning worldwide acclaim for its detailed realism and heroic scope. Valiant, armed with the Singing Sword, joined Arthur, Merlin and other knights on a series of merry adventures. Foster is renowned as one of the most influential comic strip artists of the 20th century for his realistic detail. He passed away in 1982, but Dark Horse President Mike Richardson, who is also a major Hal Foster fan and collector, when he saw the prototype, said, “They picked a tough assignment and really nailed it. This is one of the best Prince Valiant items ever, and that is coming from a tough critic who owns almost everything that’s ever been done.” Depicting Prince Valiant in full gallop waving an unsheathed sword aside a lunging charger, the oversize statue measures nearly 12² in height, stretching 15² deep and 10 ¾” wide. The number of statues produced will be strictly limited to only five hundred hand-numbered and pre-painted units. Prince Valiant is scheduled for release this December.

Whack Controversy of the Week

The cover of Action Comics #869 shows Superman and his human father, Jonathan Kent, taking it easy on the farm, enjoying a frosty beverage. But what kind of frosty beverage? Could Pa Kent and his adult son actually be drinking a beer?! Not actually, look carefully and you’ll see that they’re drinking “soda pop,” but apparently there was quite an uproar that the Man of Steel might be drinking and flying. The original covers showing two adults drinking a beer were destroyed, or “pulped” as they say in the business, and the new, soda pop cover was released in its place. This was the same week of the swear-filled All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder. Clearly, DC cares not for family values, at least according to some. Viral Campaign of the Week “Quite simply, we are here for you. We are here to save your planet and your society from your own actions. We come not as an alien armada, invading your lands as conquerors.” So say the Skrulls as they explain themselves through the website called “Embrace Change.” It’s part of Marvel Comics promotion of the “Secret Invasion” crossover, explaining the motivation of the shape-shifting aliens, while aiming to calm the nerves about their intentions through pictures of humans and Skrulls living together in peace and harmony, and a video promoting the same. See it all fro yourself at http://www.embracechange.org/

Reviews

Deadpool #1 Daniel Way and Paco Medina Marvel Comics Remember when Howard the Duck had a crossover with Civil War? Well, I suppose it’s not so far fetched for Deadpool to get in on Secret Invasion, but still, the ultra-serious alien invasion storyline seems an odd fit for a storyline starring “The Merc with a Mouth.” While this series is not exactly rolling in the aisles laugh-wise, it does have a certain comedic charms as well as a twisted Deadpool ending. Way doesn’t quite write the character up to Joe Kelly levels of infectious absurdity, but he definitely gets off to a solid start. The art is a tad too cartoony at times, which I probably wouldn’t have minded if the tone were more comical, but this Deadpool is more like the films Crank and Shoot ‘Em Up; smirkingly violent but in a nearly bloodless way. Good thing all the victims were Skrulls… for this issue.

Secret Invasion #6 (of 8) Brian Michael Bendis and Lenil Francis Yu Marvel Comics Initially, in reading the sixth part of the mega-crossover Secret Invasion, my reaction was, wow, they really crammed a lot in here and didn’t do much with it. Reading it through a second time, I was more appreciative of the balance in the issue. With so many story threads and so little time left, obviously an economy of storytelling must be employed. So we get a few great moments, like the meeting between the old Thor and the new Captain America, the fate of Skrull-Captain Marvel, and the set-up for the final battle. The issue caps off with two excellent action-heavy splash pages that will fill your fanboy heart with nostalgic pride as you see Cap, Thor and Iron Man lead the heroes into battle.

New Releases

September 24th

Dark Horse

HELLBOY: THE CROOKED MAN #3
MY NAME IS BRUCE
SOLOMON KANE #1
STAR WARS: LEGACY #28
USAGI YOJIMBO #114

DC Comics

ABSOLUTE RONIN
ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER #10
AMBUSH BUG: YEAR NONE #3 (OF 6)
BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE VOL. 3
BATMAN: GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT #5 (OF 12)
BLUE BEETLE #31
CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #49
JLA: SALVATION RUN
KINGDOM COME - NEW EDITION
THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #46
REIGN IN HELL #3
SCOOBY-DOO #136
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: METAL MEN VOL. 2
SUPERMAN #680
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #52
TEEN TITANS #63
TRINITY #17
WONDER WOMAN: THE CIRCLE

Image Comics

BACK TO BROOKLYN #1 (of 5)
DEAD AHEAD #1 (of 3)
GOLLY #2
I KILL GIANTS #3
M-THEORY #1 (of 3)
PROOF #12
RED ROCKET 7 TP
SPAWN #183
SPAWN, VOL. 6 TP
THE PERHAPANAUTS #4
YOUNGBLOOD #5

Marvel Comics

ANGEL: REVELATIONS # 5
AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE # 17
BLACK PANTHER # 41
CAPTAIN AMERICA # 42
DAREDEVIL # 111
DEADPOOL # 2
FANTASTIC FOUR # 560
FANTASTIC FOUR: TRUE STORY # 3
HULK # 6
IMMORTAL IRON FIST: ORSON RANDALL AND THE DEATH QUEEN OF CALIFORNIA # 1
MARVEL 1985 # 5
MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR # 40
MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES # 3
MS. MARVEL # 31
NEW AVENGERS # 45
NEW WARRIORS # 16
NOVA # 17
POWERS # 30
PUNISHER KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE ONE-SHOT # 1
RUNAWAYS # 2
SAMURAI: LEGEND # 1
SHE-HULK # 33
SKAAR: SON OF HULK PRESENTS - SAVAGE WORLD OF SAKAAR # 1
THUNDERBOLTS # 124
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR/ULTIMATE X-MEN ANNUAL # 1
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN # 126
ULTIMATES 3 # 5
WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS # 7
WOLVERINE: ORIGINS # 28
WOLVERINE: ROAR # 1
X-FORCE # 7
X-MEN: LEGACY # 216
Collections
BLACK PANTHER: BACK TO AFRICA
CABLE VOL. 1: MESSIAH WAR PREMIERE
IRON MAN: LEGACY OF DOOM PREMIERE
MARVEL BOY PREMIERE
MARVEL ILLUSTRATED: MOBY DICK PREMIERE
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA HEROES VOL. 3 HC
MARVEL MONSTERS POSTER BOOK
MARVEL PREVIEWS
MINI MARVELS: ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS # 1
SPIDER-MAN FAMILY: ITSY-BITSY BATTLES
UNCANNY X-MEN: DIVIDED WE STAND
WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS - THE ROOKIE
X-FACTOR: THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN PREMIERE

October 1st

Dark Horse

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 8 #19
THE HELM #3

DC Comics

BATMAN #680
THE BATMAN STRIKES! #50
BLUE BEETLE VOL. 4: ENDGAME
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS VOL. 3
DC UNIVERSE: DECISIONS #2 (OF 4)
EL DIABLO #2 (OF 6)
GREEN LANTERN: REVENGE OF THE GREEN LANTERNS
JONAH HEX #36
JUSTICE VOL. 2
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #25
LOONEY TUNES #167
MANHUNTER #35
NIGHTWING #149
THE SPIRIT VOL. 2
SUPERGIRL #34
SUPERMAN: THE THIRD KRYPTONIAN
TERROR TITANS #1 (OF 6)
TRINITY #18
VIXEN: RETURN OF THE LION #1 (OF 5)
THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT #6

Image Comics

A RED MASS FOR MARS #2 (of 4)
FOUR EYES #1
INVINCIBLE #53
VIGNETTES: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT TP

Marvel Comics

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER: THE LAUGHING CORPSE # 1
CABLE # 7
CIVIL WAR: HOUSE OF M # 2
ETERNALS # 5
MARCH ON ULTIMATUM SAGA # 1
MARVEL APES # 3
MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE # 16
NEW EXILES # 12
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL # 24
SUB-MARINER: THE DEPTHS # 2
VENOM: DARK ORIGIN # 3
Collections
AMERICAN DREAM: BEYOND COURAGE
DARK TOWER: THE LONG ROAD HOME PREMIERE
MARVEL ZOMBIES TPB
PUNISHER MAX: FROM FIRST TO LAST
SPIDER-MAN MAGAZINE # 3
ULTIMATE IRON MAN II PREMIERE