bedsitter23

I often write reviews of first issues of comics I have read, and I usually wait until I have 2 or 3 and write them at the same time. Still, it is probably worth an exception to write about this one now. Snyder is one of my favorite writers going now. Indeed, perhaps my favorite writer of the last 2 years. He currently writes Astonishing Ant Man and completed a series called Superior Foes of Spider-Man. Both are hilarious, and although it’s all been done, Spencer seems to find new and interesting ways to make light of the comic universe, and yet still bring in all of the trademarks of a quality writer- plot, characterization, pathos, etc. He also has started a comic for Image called The Fix, which I reviewed not that long ago, and is a bit over the top, but for the most part brings to life characters that would fit well in an Elmore Leonard novel.

All, high marks for Spencer, though of course, going forward he will be known as the guy who made Captain America into an agent of HYDRA. I have often lamented that comic books have certain boundaries that keep the market where it is. I don’t get it, but it’s pretty obvious. Thor can’t be female, Spiderman can’t be Hispanic, etc. I am hardly on the internet these days, but I know this is only the tip of an iceberg. I am mainly talking about my experience though of people who say The Thing can’t “act” that way, or Daredevil would “never” do that. Well, I feel like if an author has drawn up The Thing to act like that or explains why Daredevil does that, then it’s the writer’s story to tell.

These are well loved characters, so maybe I am the weird one, but that is why I love comics. Batman is the most obvious example. Batman can be a procedural detective. He can be a cold gothic loner. He can be overly cartoony liked in the animated version, or even campy (I suppose) like the ’66 version. I have read and loved very different takes by the likes of Frank Miller, Ty Templeton, Scott Snyder, James Robinson and Grant Morrison, to name a few.

Anyway, let’s get down to that big reveal. It went viral. How could Spencer do this? How could Marvel let this happen? There was outrage. The outrage I saw was mainly from non-comic book fans Ok, ok, comic book fans were outraged too, but I saw a lot of postings from people who haven’t been to a comic book store on a Wednesday for years (if ever). Sure, they watch the newest X men movie, but they have never put down $5 (yeah, outrageous these days) to buy a single issue comic, and they certainly did not read any of this particular comic except the very last page. They saw Captain America was a Hydra Agent, and they were hitting the “share” button on social media.

So what did happen in the book? Well, I rarely have seen reviewers so all over the board on an issue- there were raves and there were one-star reviews. I mostly fall in the rave category.

SRCA is a tricky book in that as a Marvel title with this character and that art, it appears to be a serious work. Yet, Spencer peppers the book with plenty of humor that I think most people aren’t expecting, or would cause reviewers to think it “clunky”. I think it will end up elevating the book. There’s also a lot of stuff crammed in the first issue. There’s two intertwining main plots and a host of characters introduced that are well-established Captain America players (though not likely known to many readers). I understand the drawback of this, and maybe that is one of the things that moves me from saying this is a Great to a Very Good comic.

But that Hydra thing? Well, for starters, Spencer has modernized Hydra in that they resemble a mix of a modern day American neo-nazi group and an ISIS type terrorist group. Hydra is led by classic CA villain The Red Skull who is busy in issue 1 laying out his plan to Make America Great Again, if you know what I mean, while Baron Zemo has plans for the group, and there seems to be a power struggle.

Obviously part of the lightning rod for this issue is Red Skull saying everything short of “we’re going to build a wall and make The Avengers pay for it”, but that’s actually nothing new- as Spencer bright that to the Capverse last year. The point is Hydra has always been a variation on the Nazis, while Captain America steers up more patriotism than perhaps any other superhero. Some see this all as a slap in the face to the creators of the character- Simon and Kirby- two Jewish Americans.

To those who haven’t read the comic, it seems ludicrous that Steve Rogers would be a Nazi, which brings a point I want to bring up again- I have read the comic. It would be ludicrous to write Steve Rogers as a Nazi. There’s no hint that Spencer is going down some blasphemous road. He gives Rogers a strong moral background. The reveal, lest we forget is simply one panel on the last page of the first issue of a series. There will be an explanation. Likely, it’s Cap undercover as a plant, though there are other possibilities- perhaps the man in the mask isn’t Rogers, perhaps he’s mind-controlled, etc.

Given Spencer’s track record, I think this is going to end up being a worthwhile series. The fact Spencer is taking a chance with a plot that has led to him getting death threats may mean I like him even more.

Chrononauts #1 – written by Mark Millar (Image)- Millar continues to crank out hit after hit. I don’t necessarily have a problem with it, and Hollywood seems to open their wallets for him, it could be worse. Millar has made comments (I possibly am misrepresenting here, but don’t intend to) that people shouldn’t complain about the days Stan Lee cranked out story after story, and new character after new character, and Millar just wants to follow in that tradition.

In this case, it’s time travel. This book has gotten a lot of five star reviews. For me, I don’t see it as one of his better works. Time travels stories can be tricky, but Millar doesn’t seem to bring much originality to it (at least not yet). Millar is often profane and hilarious, but here he seems to be stretching abit.

Most will know Sean Murphy from his Punk Rock Jesus work, and this similarly gives a Vertigo-ish vibe. I am fine with it, though the visuals don’t grab like some of Millar’s other contributors. 

That said, Millar even on a downnote, still puts the best books on the stands, and I am going to stick with it to the end. Good, not great.

Convergence #0- written by Dan Jurgens and Jeff King (DC)- Convergence was a big event in the DC Universe, interacting with all of the major titles. I don’t read many DC that much anymore and this is why. This is a multi-universe event featuring Superman and Braniac and spilling out over everything.

Fans will say it is going back to classic characters, but the story is confusing and neither feels like the realism of Marvel or the groundbreaking work done by Image and the indies. It doesn’t feel like a jumping on point for newbies (which it is supposed to be). Nor if DC is trying to make this a “Big Event” kind of splash, does this really feel like that. I did read #0 but surprisingly did not pick up ay subsequent issues.

Injection #1 –written by Warren Ellis (Image)-  it’s always a good thing to have something new from Ellis on the shelves. It’s hard to get a grasp on Injection based on the first issue. Sci-fi, thriller, horror,… umm British, team dynamic, magic. Invisibles/Planetary type stuff maybe? Ellis is masterful as always. The dialogue is sharp. Characters are distinct and memorable. It’s all helped out by incredible art and colorwork by Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire (I don’t know Shalvey’s name off the top of my head, but I know Bellaire is typically great)

You don’t get a lot of explanation on issue 1. This may deter a lot of people. It’s Ellis’s storytelling purpose though. He’s going to get there. Indeed, that is the only minor complaint here, and this is not Moon Knight. It’s not Ellis’s intention to reveal all in the first issue. Overall, this is off to a great start. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

Jupiter’s Circle #1- written by Mark Millar (Image)- This is ostensibly a prequel to Millar’s Jupiter’s Legacy, which was a pretty good book, that sort of did a twist on the Classic Superhero kids and figured that the children of Superman, Wonder Woman, et al would be Paris Hiltons and Kardashians if they existed today. In this book, Millar goes back to the 50s to tell the story of those heroes.

In which case, this is a perfect Millar book- in that issue 1 will get you hooked or will absolutely abhor it. 

For starters, I think selecting artist Wilfredo Torres is inspired. It gives the book the perfect vibe- epic Blockbustr movie-style storytelling with a mix of Dick Tracy-ish inspired vibe.

What will offend most people is that Millar takes these comic archetypes and plows into James Ellroy-ish territory. These are manly men. They are young, strong, and good-looking, but like the other heroes of the day, they are also the Johnnie Rays and Rock Hudsons of their day. If you know what I mean.

It’s not all about secret lives in the bedroom though. Millar brings in other elements of the time that pop up in Ellroy-ish noir- there’s J Edgar and the FBI, the Space Race and Golden Age comics. Personally, I liked this one a lot and am curious to see where it goes. But this is very much the Millarwork that most people who hate Millar will be turned off by.