After switching to its now bi-monthly release schedule, Doomsday Clock returned last week with Issue #4, which picks up straight after last issue’s cliffhanger ending and focuses on the origin of the mysterious new Rorschach. The story jumps between Rorschah’s previous stay in a mental asylum post-Watchmen and his current incarceration in Arkham Asylum.
Of the two plot lines to follow, the flashback story is the most intriguing. Following the newer Rorschach after the New York attack it’s revealed that not every person exposed to the “alien invasion” died instantly. Many suffered from horrific visions and are left severely traumatized. One of these victims is Reggie, a young man whom writer Geoff Johns wisely connects to the original Rorscach through his relationship to his father. Providing Reggie with an interesting perspective on a character most others consider to be a crazed vigilante.
Symmetry as a theme is present throughout this issue in both the art and writing, with Reggie’s confinement in both timelines mirroring one another and obligatory nods to Walter Kovac’s capture in the original Watchmen. Reggie’s decision to spare Ozymandias towards the end is an example of a man not beholden to the same strict code of his predecessor allowing the character to share many of the same traits but with an added element of unpredictability. Where the story diverges, however, is with the introduction of Mothman.
Mothman is used skillfully by Johns not only to provide a mentor for Reggie, but also as an explanation for how he was able to assume the persona of a new Rorschach and obtain the tools required to confront the man responsible for his parents death.
As a character, Mothman provides a warmth and humour in what would be an otherwise dreary setting. Mothman’s eventual fate is heartbreaking in it’s execution, as are his letters to an estranged sister, which serve as this issues epilogue. This is a character whose inclusion could verge too far towards fan service in another writers hands, but thankfully Johns allows the character to be an essential part of the narrative instead of a throwaway gag or lazy reference.
Another character who arrives in the final few pages is Saturn Girl, something of a reward for fans who have been reading DC Rebirth since its launch. Up until this point, Saturn Girl had only appeared in small cameos, hinting at a connection to the wider Doomsday Clock story. It’s nice to see threads like this finally begin to converge, even if her escape from Arkham could throw up more questions than it answers. The final page delivering an image guaranteed to leave readers discussing its symbolism and implications for the narrative going forward.
It is now a given to say that Gary Frank’s art continues to impress this issue. Mothmans late night flight is the obvious highlight and the overall pacing and detail of each page once again compliments Johns writing perfectly, demonstrating a symbiotic storytelling relationship similar to the one shared by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Frank’s smaller details, such as the halls of Arkham resembling those in The Killing Joke, is a delightful example of these two creators weaving a DC universe intrinsically connected to Alan Moore’s previous work.
Doomsday Clock continues to be THE comic book event of the year. If Geoff Johns and Gary Frank continue this level of quality for the entire run, it’s sure to be considered a modern classic.
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One of the most exciting booths Sub-Cultured visited during BEA and had the opportunity to talk with was with JR*Comics about their line of graphic novels. A Korean company, they are offering the “Four Great Classical Novels” of Chinese literature,written between the 14th and 18th centuries, in graphic novel form. They currently have sixty volumes of three of the four esteemed novels, adapted by writer Wei Dong Chen and art by Xiao Long Liang and Chao Peng. Each volume includes informative character lists, maps and appendixes to help the reader; a nifty feature.
The first offering, Monkey King, chronicles the origins and adventures of charismatic Sun Wokong, the mythic monkey king and his exploits during the Journey to the West; the first volume consisting of his birth, tutelage, defeating an ogre, and being dragged down into the underworld, and then some!
The second novelization, Three Kingdoms is based on the historical novel of the same name, showing a romanticized version of the age between 169 AD and in 280 AD during the fall of the Han dynasty and rise of the Three Kingdoms.
The third offering, Outlaws of the Marsh, or Shui Hu Zhuan is about 108 outlaws and bandits, reincarnations of 108 banished and later repented demonic spirits, or Stars of Destiny, who occupy Mount Liang and eventually become heroes for the kingdom.
The fourth classic novel, Dream of the Red Chamber, a courtly romance and drama about the rise and fall of the Jia Clan juxtaposed against the love triangle and friendships between three protagonists is currently in development and expected to be released in English by 2016.
Spearheaded by the energetic JR Han, I was incredibly lucky to be able to sit down with the publisher and talk to him about the comics, which have been a six year process of love to complete and get translated for the English market. I asked him what inspired him to tackle these novels and how long it must have taken to get them here.
” I loved these classic stories, so I wanted to play a role in sharing them, I’ve been very patient.” He said, “It takes about one month to translate a volume, 20 months to translate the entire 20 volumes for each of the three stories. It then takes a year to edit and make sure it’s translated perfectly. We need to be patient when investing and producing in putting these classics in comic form. It takes time.” I wasn’t surprised that it takes so long; the sample volume 1 giveaways JR*Comics was handing out for each series showcase dazzling full color pages. That alone takes time.
I asked why he wanted to share the stories with American readers, particularly teenagers; “We thought they had perfect range. Monkey King is about adventure, Three Kingdoms is political. Outlaws of The Marsh is about outlaws, gangsters, and Dream of The Red Chamber is about love. I want American readers to understand basic Chinese culture, so they can form bonds.” He stressed the need for countries like the US, China, Korea and Japan to be able to work together more and by sharing cultural literary legacies in an easy to read format, it makes learning about other cultures funner and that teamwork more possible. “I have a friend who’s son did not like to read, but we gave him one of the graphic novels and he really liked it and now enjoys reading more.”
JR believes by putting these stories in comic form like Batman and Spider-Man, you reinvent the past for the present but are also encouraging kids and teens to read more than just superheroes. No surprise, he’s an avid comic’s fan himself and admits he’s tried to see as many superhero films as they come out. I asked if he saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2, “Gwen dies!” he cried out, dismayed. He wants the same effect for these classics and to expand young readers, so JR is always looking for classics to reinvent.
I asked about future plans, and Mr. JR Han wants to do a western tale following the publication of Dream of the Red Chamber; Robin Hood. I asked him if there are any ideas for what would come after that and he shook his head and laughed; one great story at a time.
You can find the JR*Comics titles at book stores, libraries, and Amazon.com.
Stay tuned for a giveaway of three copies of the first volumes of the first three books as well as posters!
See you all real soon!
Max Eber
max@sub-cultured.com
Twitter: @maxlikescomics
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Bryan Q Miller, author of Stephanie Brown’s wonderful two year Batgirl Vol. 3 stint and of Smallville (both TV and it’s new Digital First comic) fame has had it a bit rough the past year. His pitch alongside Gail Simone to get Stephanie Brown unbenched from the reboot’s as a member of an all new female group featuring other heroines like Bumblebee and Misfit were shot down repeatedly despite multiple revisions. Then after months of keeping it secret, followed by official announcement, public interviews and an extremely warm response from fans and press; Miller’s attempt to instate Stephanie as Smallville’s canon Nightwing for the digital comic series was suddenly behind the scenes dismissed by editorial and changed (generally in inking only) to that of Barbara Gordon. Bryan was meanwhile also removed from a Superman panel at a convention whilst the news broke. It was a move so petty and spiteful that even non-Stephanie Brown fans and Marvel fans alike, made comments on how the entire thing was truly a raw deal and incredibly unprofessional of DC and outright cruel to both Bryan and to Stephanie’s fans.
But it looks like Bryan has been revving up his engines in secret and has been venturing into the great unknown of “do it yourself”. He has teamed up with the extremely popular and upcoming artist Marcio Takara of Boom! Studios The Incredibles and DC Comic’s own Blue Beetle and a perpetual favorite on tumblr and have together launched a Kickstarter campaign for EARTHWARD, a in their own words; “A full color, 110-page graphic novel celebrating adventure, exploration and family. IN SPACE!”
Look at that cool ship. Sound too good to be true? Well, it is very much real; and it needs your support. Did I mention Takara’s art is gorgeous?
The plot is as advertised; a space family adventure for all ages. And I am floored by what they are attempting to do. From their Kickstarter:
The MERCURY SIX, consisting of Eldest BEN and his hot-tempered sister, ALYSSA; SMACK, the hustler; CODY and TRIN, the learned, proper set of twins; and little DANIELLA, orphaned by a SPACE PIRATE assault, then taken in as one of Mercury’s own.are sent on a standard supply run, but return to find Mercury adrift, and their respective parents missing. The only clue as to what happened – a warning recorded by their trusty TEACHBOT:
“DON’T COME LOOKING FOR US.”
The quest to piece their family back together will take them to the edge of known space and back, with the Armada, the Council and Space Pirates, all in hot pursuit. The one thing everyone wants, everyone needs, is the SECRET PROJECT the parents of the Mercury Six were working on:
THEIR PARENTS FOUND EARTH!
The need for an all ages, fun, heartfelt but smart comics for kids and teens (and adults alike) is very much needed. Graphic novels too. DC in particular hasn’t been doing any favors cancelling the relatively new Superman Family Adventures comic. EARTHWARD sounds like a breath of fresh air.
From Bryan Q Miller:
The goal is to create a piece of Graphic fiction that can be enjoyed by both children AND adults, while pandering to neither – a line that is rarely ridden in the current climate.
That said, while trying to make this as all-ages as possible, there is still some danger and space violence (explosions, blasters, etc.) present that may be uncomfortable for a reader younger than age 7. “Earthward” definitely wanders into the “PG”-range of the media spectrum.
The secondary goal, of course, is to have this be the first in a yearly series of adventures for the Mercury Six.
Bryan and Marcio wants to make these wonderful space adventures a yearly reality for young and old alike; will you be joining in to ensure lift-off?
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Previously, on Avatar…
Other than being a mouthful, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise is a three part graphic novel series by Dark Horse Comics that helps fill in the 70 year gap and acts as a bridge between Nickelodeon’s ATLA cartoon and their new Legend of Korra series.
Continuing on from the climactic ending of the first issue, the second part of the trilogy follows the Gaang as they decide how to deal with the growing problems of the Fire Nation colonies that remain in the Earth Kingdom and how this will ultimately effect the previous issues’ Harmony Restoration Movement, as Fire Lord Zuko has just withdrawn his supremely Fire Lord-y support. Specifically, the 100 year old colony of Yu Dao, a western Earth city that was colonized by the Fire Nation. Though Zuko’s withdrawal from the Harmony act puts the Fire Nation citizens of Yu Dao in an incredibly tight spot, I can’t help but feel that he is the only one troubling himself enough to take a closer look at Yu Dao and learn what the citizens themselves want.
The issue opens on Aang and Katara being all lovey dovey on their way to see Earth King Kuei about renegotiating the terms of the Harmony Restoration Movement with Fire Lord Zuko. Which, gross.
Within the first two pages, our favorite foursome decide to split up, as the extreme overuse of the word “sweetie” between Kataang puts the readers and Sokka both on edge. To get rid of his oogies, Sokka decides to join Toph to see her new school, The Beifong Metalbending Academy. And there was much rejoicing of Tokka shippers.
Upon arrival, Toph realizes that her school has been uprooted and replaced by the return of Master Kunyo’s Firebending Dojo. Kunyo scoffs at the mention of the word ‘metalbending’ and Toph quickly demonstrates her Sifu status, much to the shock of the Firebending students. As expected, our favorite spunky Earthbender is ready to fight for her right to teach stuff, and easily accepts Sokka’s suggestion of the building going to whichever teaching method is found to be most effective. Though it was the mature thing to do, I wish that Sokka hadn’t intervened and let Toph and Kunyo battle it out. A matching scarf would look great with his newly metalbent sword hat.
Back in Ba Sing Se, Katara and Aang meet Hei-Won, co-president of the “Official Avatar Aang Fan Club.” Can I quietly drop in how deep my love is for the fact that everything, absolutely everything Hei-Won says ends in, like, a question mark? Genius. Though it acts as mostly lighthearted filler to the overall darker tone of part two, it was a welcome giggle and nice to see that Aang is still able to have fun in the midst of growing up, even if Katara’s jealousy puts a damper on the whole experience. Not so happy pairs in this part, eh? Katara is jealous of Aang, Zuko tells all the lies to Mai, even Sneers upsets his new Earthbending-yet-Fire-Nation girlfriend, Kori. At least Toph finally gets her life changing field trip, even if it wasn’t with Zuko.
While he broods and waits for news from Aang back in Fire Nation Palace City, the ever gaunt Zuko sneakily seeks guidance from his father, ex-firelord Ozai.
Ozai reminisces about young Zuko and oddly enough offers up some sage, Iroh-like wisdom about Zuko’s apparent indecisiveness. While Zuko is still conflicted and allows his emotions to get the best of him at every turn, Ozai has been in this position before and is correct in his assessment of the Earth King’s actions. This whole humanizing Ozai thing is kind of creeping me out.
Zuko is still not confident enough in himself to support the decisions he feels are necessary to make as a newly instated Fire Lord. Critics will assume this is poor character development, but arguably, when you live for sixteen years struggling to see the world in black and white, right and wrong, you’re going to come to roadblocks along the way. To think that Zuko will be able to put aside his demons so easily now that he’s a part of the Gaang is to really simplify the character. “Oh hey, Aang is my friend now, I’ll just follow suit in whatever he does!”
Zuko is starting to realize that Aang may be the Avatar, he may have done amazing things, but he is still just a boy with a boy’s view of the world. Zuko’s trust in himself is something that he needs to grow into, and he certainly will have lapses in judgment and regress back into his comfort zone. I feel that it is a good move on the writer’s part to make this a point in Zuko’s journey of self discovery and hopefully lead him on the path to trusting in his own instincts in part three.
Major WTF Moment: Suki?! Zuko?! …ZUKI!? SUZUKI!
Best Line: “Normally I’d pummel you for hitting me in the butt, but in this case, good job!” Pretty much every line Toph has is gold.
Most Interesting Character: Ozai, hands down. Moral grey areas are my favorite parts of any villain.
Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise, Part Three hits bookstores both tangible and interweb on October 3, 2012!
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It’s Christmas Eve, and you’ve put together that final mini-build from the Star Wars Lego advent calendar. Now it’s time to settle in and bring the minions down to a dull roar with a little holiday story, complete with hot cocoa by a crackling fireplace.
My recommendation for geek moms with kids hovering around age 9 and older is Lee Bermejo’s nest graphic novel, “Batman: Noel.” Bermejo (“The Joker”) is one of the trade’s finest illustrators and he’s woven and excellent story to boot, with the Dark Knight’s own take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” It’s Christmastime in Gotham City. Time to break out the cocoa and Bactine.
I know, I know. You’re thinking that story has been done to death… brought back to life and done to death again. I can’t argue there. However, this take on it is so fresh and so Fanboy/girl friendly, you will feel like you are reading the plot line for the first time. And some of your younger Padawans may be!
The story places Batman himself in the Ebenezer Scrooge role as the wealthy loner, so obsessed with his personal demons he not only has robbed himself of any worthwhile personal contact, he has forgotten that those around him also possess a soul. The Bob Cratchit character is a small-time criminal, struggling as an impoverished single father of an upbeat but young son with a bum leg. The remainder of the classic “Christmas Carol” roles are seen via giveaway the “Past, present and future” ghost cameos, but I’ll give you one spoiler hint: Batman only has one “late” partner suitable to don this tale’s yuletide tights.
This story worked for me and my younglings on a couple of levels. First, it satisfied the gritty world of The Dark Knight, particularly for someone who keeps up with at no less than three “Batman” comic titles at any given time. Next, it left me with that toasty warm marshmallow feel that comes with Christmas time — yet without any saccharine sentiment to ruin it. Lastly, it was an impressive piece of comic book eye candy: especially the glimpses of the retro-style Batman (and Catwoman) costuming as well as the very believable present-day garb of the winged vigilante.
I will say I found the reverse white font a little hard on the eyes a couple of times, but in Bermejo’s defense, text boxes and bubbles would have really damaged the visual integrity of the book.
Read it with the family as a way to wind down before the Christmas morning mayhem, or get a blankie and curl up with a hot libation and pour yourself into a few moments of escape once the troops are in bed.
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REVIEW | Doomsday Clock #2
Top 10 Comics of 2017
my shoddy pasted together map of the realm
This article has been a long time coming. I meant to write this just as we (IHOGeek) were starting out but got distracted by Game of Thrones on HBO and by catching up on the last book of the series, a Feast of Crows. Then as I started a rough draft, George R.R. Martin released A Dance with Dragons, an installment fans have been waiting EIGHT whole years for. Needless to say, I devoured it in roughly two days, and was glued to my computer for any coverage of the show or book at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Now, my life has that bittersweet empty feeling after consuming everything within reach and I have a brief moment of quiet in which to write this. Let’s delve into the realm of Westeros, shall we? (more…)
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