Issue #33: Six Star Comic Books

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, October 1, 2008:
Supergirl #34 (DC)
Invincible #53 (Image)

I've decided to add Supergirl to my pull list, at least through the New Krypton storyline through the Superman titles. I will have to wait at least until next week. Since the Leesburg location of Bad Apple Comics (http://bacomics.com) closed, until a new location is found by Spring 2009, the Leesburg mamager will be working out of the South Orlando store. However he does not start until next week. I guess he is taking a well deserved vacation. He has been generous enough to his Lake County customers by allowing them to pick up their books from his home, to save a long drive to South US Hwy 441 in Orlando, about an hour's drive.
In the meantime, with the recent publication several weeks ago of the final issue of All-Star Superman, which I reviewed in Superman Fan Podcast Episode #42, http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/2008/10/episode-42-all-star-superman-review.html, and rated at six stars, I decided to use this blog issue to share other titles and Superman stories I rated at a perfect six stars.
What I look for to put a title on this elite list is if I wait anxiously for each issue, saving it to read last in my weekly stack, and never being disappointed.
At the top of this very elite list would have to be the mini-series Wathcmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I would rank this as a required text for learning how to create comic book stories, right up there with all of the how to books and texts by Will Eisner. From scene transitions to panel layout, the Watchmen trade paperback has a lot to teach by example. The first story telling tool I picked up on from Alan Moore was using a scene, word or situation in the last panel of one scene and comparing or contrasting to something in the first panel of the next scene. With the strict nine panel grid layout, when Moore and Gibbons stray from that layout, studying why that panel deserved to be larger is a good way to learn panel layout regardless of the number of panels per page. Not a plot line or character was wasted. Every character has a beginning and an end. Watchmen is the best crafted comic book ever created.
Published the same year as Watchmen was The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This "last Batman story" crackles with energy. The panel layout changes page to page, and a lot of TV screen shaped panels are used for TV reporters or other TV personalities. The meta morphosis of Bruce Wayne from a retired caped crusader, to his traditional blue and gray costume, to a return to the original color scheme of black and gray, without the yellow circled bat symbol, is a guide to the inner change in Bruce Wayne. My only criticism of the story is the portrayal of Superman as a lackey of a senile President Reagan. But that does not take away from this apocalyptic Batman story.
A story at the other end of Batman's career is Batman: Year One. This revision of Batman's origin by Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli is an excellent origin story, showing a Bruce Wayne who has gathered all the knowledge he requires for his crusade but is missing the method. This story peels back all of the bat-gimmicks that have been such a part of Batman lore, enjoyable as they may be. Batman is not the polished crime fighter we are used to reading, after so many years on his crusade. His tools are simple by comparison in the beginning, and his methods are not as polished. Yet his tactical improvisation in every situation sees him through every peril. And the city of Gotham City that is portrayed, with the extreme of crime and corruption, is more frightening than the Caped Crusader himself.
Another limited series on this list is Planetary, written by Warren Ellis and art by John Cassaday. This series mined a century of popular culture to create a world of specially gifted people, all born in the first seconds of January 1, 1900, and how they effect the world. Planetary is an organization that labels itself "mystery archaelogists", uncovering the secret history of the world and using the knowledge and technology uncovered to help save civilization. Led by Elijah Snow, whose name hints at his ability, Planetary's biggest and only nemeses are The Four, an evil version of Marvel's Fantastic Four who use their powers and abilities keeping themselves the most powerful people on Earth, and finding the same secret knowledge and technology to keep themselves superior. Snow leads a field team of two other members who each have their own special abilities. Each issue is usually a contained story where the field team investigate a mystery. Only issues 19 and 20 are a continued story. Each issue moves along a larger story that leads to Snow's final showdown against the remaining members of The Four in issue #26. In a recent post by writer Warren Ellis he said that artist John Cassaday is about halfway done with epilogue issue #27. I'm sure it will be an excellent capstone to an excellent series.
There are two continuing series that are on this list. The first is Powers, published by Icon/Marvel, the story of a former super hero, who had lost his powers, and became a police detective. Christian Walker investigates crime involving super heroes, either as suspects or victims. We don't learn his origin until the series is several years old, and it is one of the most unique origins in comics. The series explores the good, the bad and the ugly about the super hero world. Det. Walker and his partner, Det. Deena Pilgrim see the dark underbelly of super hero life too often, as is the case with real police officers. It is as much a police procedural as it is a super hero comic book.
The other on-going series is Invincible, published by Image Comics. Created and written by Robert Kirkman, co-created by artist Cory Walker, and now drawn by Ryan Ottley, Invincible is Mark Grayson, the son of Earth's greatest super hero, Omni-Man. Mark's powers do not develop until he approaches puberty. After he becomes Invincible, Mark eventually learns that everything he knew about his ancestry was a lie, and his world is shattered. Somehow he continues as a super hero while he masters his super powers. One of the great things Kirkman does is introduce a page of minor plot in the middle of an issue, and then develop this brief plot a number of issues in the future. Sometimes a reader may even forget about the plot point and have to go back a number of issues. As he matures, Invincible has to make some major decisions about his super hero career, and the consequences continue to unfold. Kirkman is also very good at ending an issue with a shocking story development, leaving his audiance to eagerly anticipate the next issue.
All-Star Superman is not the only Superman story on this elite list. The recent story Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes from Action Comics is also on this list. Geoff Johns revises the Legion origin, restoring Superman, instead of Superboy (for legal reasons) as the inspiration of the 30th Century Legion. And we learn that the source of Superman's courage has nothing to do with his super powers. The current Brainiac story in Action Comics, depending on how it concludes, promises to be another addition to this special list.
Finally, there are a trio of Superman stories that are at the top of my list of favorite Superman stories, and are the only ones I would rate ahead of even All-Star Superman.
Number three on the list is Superman Annual #11, 1985, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, explores what Superman's fondest wish is, and what it costs him when he realizes he has to give it up.
Runner up on the list is the story Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Curt Swan. Part I in Superman #423 is inked by George Perez and Part II, in Action Comics #583, was inked by Kurt Schaffenberger. Both issues were cover dated September 1986. This story was the end of the golden and silver age continuity of Superman, done as if Superman comics would no longer be printed. All of the plotlines that were used through almost fifty years was wrapped up as Superman faces all of his enemies, with fatal casualties among friend and foe alike. This was an epic Superman story, and his greatest super power turns out to be his mind, not one of his physical powers. A Ragnarok for Superman lore, it is a timeless story that is as fresh when read today as when it was published just before the Man Of Steel mini-series starts Superman lore all over again.
At the top of my list is The Luthor Brainiac Tean from Superman #167, the February 1963 issue. Superman is threatened by the twin heavyweights of Lex Luthor and Brainiac. In fact Superman requires the help of the Superman Emergency Squad from the bottle city of Kandor to defeat his enemies. What makes this story special is how Superman is challenged more than he had ever been before. With his great super powers Superman is a hard character to create challenges for in succeeding stories. This issue succeeded in doing just that.
Any of these titles can serve as learning tools on how to create comic book stories.

Send e-mail to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman Fan Podcast's web site is http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com. Expanded show notes can be found at http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com. Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.