Daily(ish) Randomness #7 - Nuclear Jitters

So I'm back after going on vacation and being sick for a few days (and also being lazy).  Hopefully I can get back in the habit of posting somewhat regularly.

Today we're going back in time...

June 1962.  The previous year, the Soviet Union had tested the Tsar Bomba, a 50 megaton hydrogen bomb that was, and still is, the largest bomb ever detonated.  President Kennedy had been emphasizing a missile gap between the States and the Soviet Union, with the USSR winning (that wasn't actually the case, but, you know, politics).  With the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis just around the corner, tensions were quite high.

Joe Orlando was a well-respected comic artist, writer, and editor.  He worked with Wally Wood at EC, was a cartoonist for Mad (and later associate publisher), and editor (among various other things) at DC.  He also designed the famous box art for Sea Monkeys.  For the June 1962 issue of Mad, Orlando had drawn a comic that perfectly captured the fear felt by most Americans.

Kids these days will never know what it was like living with the threat of nuclear annihilation.  Admittedly, neither will I.  Things had calmed down considerably by the 1980s, except for a brief period after Reagan's election, but I was too young at that point to remember anything about it.

But anyway, Joe Orlando was incredibly talented in many different ways.  He captured the zeitgeist of the time and the fear felt by the population.  And he didn't even use dialog!

Daily(ish) Randomness #3

note:  Let's be real.  There's no way I'm gonna post something everyday.  From now on, this will be known as "Daily(ish) Randomness."

Today I'm going to do another action figure team-up that would be awesome.  This one could actually happen, seeing as how Warner Bros. owns both of these characters.

Let's be honest here: this would be an epic 6 issue miniseries.  Geoff Johns writing with Ethan Van Sciver on art.  Come on, DC, make this happen!

What are some other team-ups you want to see?  Let me know in the comments.  Bonus question: what color ring would Space Ghost wear?

Things I Like About the New 52, part 2

Yesterday I rambled on about Aquaman (and could've said more).  Today we're moving on.  More things I like about the New 52!

Expanding Gotham's history

No one knows a city like Batman knows Gotham.  Or so he thought.  Turns out, there was a secret society known as the Court of Owls who had worked their way into the fabric of the city and the social consciousness almost completely unnoticed.  I don't want to spoil any of the story, but just to show how much they infiltrated things, here's Bruce being thrown out of a window from high above the city.

"Owl" be seeing you, Bruce!

Scott Snyder has definitely asserted himself (in my opinion) as one of the greatest writers to add to the Batman mythos.  Greg Capullo's pencils definitely haven't hurt, either.  Capullo has been around for a while and I believe that he's at his prime drawing Batman.

I actually saw this on a tie the other day.  I would rock that tie.

There were some cool moments in the story, like where Batman is trapped in a labyrinth (sans David Bowie) and you actually have to turn the comic sideways and upside-down to read it as he gets more and more lost.  All in all, an excellent story that adds to the legend and also provides the possibility for a change of the status quo in the life of Bruce Wayne.

The Phantom Stranger

The Phantom Stranger is one of my favorite characters.  He just looks so darn cool (especially when drawn by Jim Aparo back in the day).

I need a cape.

Pre-New 52, the Phantom Stranger was a stranger who would show up when needed to do supernatural things.  No one knew where he came from or just what his powers were.  In fact, in Secret Origins #10 from 1987 there are four possible origins for the Stranger presented, but it is never specified which one is true, which adds to the mystery.  New 52 Stranger has a definite origin.  I don't necessarily like the fact that we know where he came from, but we're focusing on the positives here, not the negatives.

Basically (and trying to remain spoiler free), the Stranger is following the commands of The Voice, which usually involve him betraying someone, which makes sense considering his origin.  Eventually, he will be free from his curse and can move on to the afterlife or nothingness or wherever.  So far, he has played a pretty big role in the New 52 universe (or the DCnU, as it's called these days), leading several people to their dooms which will eventually lead them to becoming important DC characters.  He has had run-ins with some of my favorite characters, including the Spectre and the Question.

I don't really have anything witty to say.  This is just awesome.

 To recap: while I don't really like the fact that we know his origin, the Phantom Stranger is an interesting character who looks way cool.  His book is one of my favorites, especially since J. M. DeMatteis took over writing duties from Dan Didio.

Martian Manhunter

I'm not really gonna say a lot about this.  Just look at him.

 

Ethan Van Sciver drawing Batman

This is something that I've been wanting to see for a while.  Ethan Van Sciver, who forever left his mark on comics with Green Lantern: Rebirth in 2005, is one of the only artists today, in my opinion, carrying on the Neal Adams tradition of a dark, scary, manly Batman.

The cover to Legends of the Dark Knight #1.  My copy is autographed.  Be jealous.

His Bruce Wayne is excellent.  Manly is really the only word I can think of to describe his look.  I just feel like Bruce shaves with broken glass, uses Old Spice, and probably taught James Bond a thing or two about women.  Also, look at this page layout.  Bruce's girlfriend is a pianist and Ethan flawlessly brings that into the design of the page.

Even without the words, you can tell what's happening on these pages.

Ethan's Mad Hatter looks like a creeper, which fits perfectly with Gregg Hurwitz's story.

I feel like I need to take a shower after looking at him.

Not only is he an excellent artist, but Ethan is one of the best Facebook friends you can have.  He's hilarious, posts his artwork, and is a conservative!

I hope some of the things I have pointed out have made you maybe want to read comics if you never have before, or stop hating on the New 52 if you're a hater.  If not, then I'll just have to give some more reasons later!

Things I Like About the New 52, part 1

I have collected comics off and on for about 20 years now.  I started collecting in junior high, quit some time in late high school, started again in college, then quit again a year or two after college for financial reasons.  Around 2011 I was really wanting to get back into collecting and it just so happened that DC provided the perfect jumping on point.  They were rebooting their entire universe with Flashpoint (Google it if you want more details) and all their titles were starting over at issue 1.  I started out getting Batman, Detective Comics, Justice League, and Aquaman (also the non-DC titles Wolverine and the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic that I'll write about some other time).  I have since added several more titles to my monthly haul, all but two or three of them being DC New 52 books.

A lot of people hate on the New 52.  Those people are crazy.  Here are a few reasons why I love the New 52.

Aquaman

Ah, yes.  Aquaman.  He has been the butt of many jokes throughout the years.  In the New 52's first issue of Aquaman, writer Geoff Johns tackled this very topic right out of the gate.  Since then, I believe that Johns has successfully shown why Aquaman deserves to be among the likes of Batman, Superman, and Martian Manhunter in the Justice League.

For the record, yes, Aquaman is standing, triumphantly, over Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern.

 Not only has Geoff Johns made Aquaman the character a legitimate force to be reckoned with, he has also made Aquaman the comic the most consistently good comic month in and month out.  Story arcs like "The Trench" have introduced tough new villains while "The Others" introduced a new team (oddly enough called the Others) that is just begging to have their own book.

The Others.  Come on DC, please give them a book.  Please?

The art has also been top-notch.  Ivan Reis was the original artist on the rebooted series, and he killed it.  He made Arthur really sleek and...regal, I guess.  Also, his Mera is greatness.  Add in Rod Reis' fantastic, bold coloring and you get the best looking book on the stands.

The family that slays together, stays together.

Following Ivan Reis on the title (after he took over Justice League from Jim Lee) is Paul Pelletier.  He had just finished an arc on Wolverine and I was not too impressed with his art.  I guess drawing the King of Atlantis brought out the best him in though, because his Aquaman is stunning.  He's responsible for one of my favorite covers of the past, I dunno, forever.

Yeah.  That.

Bottom line, if you're not reading Aquaman, you should.  Even if you're not a comic fan.  "The Trench" and "The Others" have both been collected into trade paperback (or hardcover) form.  Go get them.

This ended up being longer than I thought.  Looks like the things I like about the New 52 will be a multiple-part blog post.  Stay tuned for the next one!