Saturday Splash Page #220

"First Light," in The Ray (vol. 1) #1, by Jack C. Harris (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Art Nichols (inker), John Cebollero (colorist), Stevie Hayne (letterer)

In 1992, Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada introduced a new version of the Golden Age hero, The Ray, via 6-issue mini-series. The character, creatively named Ray Terrill, was the son of the original, but didn't have any idea about that, or his father's past until his father, well, passed.

The first issue I owned was #3, purchased off a spinner rack in a bookstore in a mall. I still can't recall what made me want to buy it; I'd never heard of the character. The cover is probably the least dynamic or eye-catching of the mini-series. But I did buy it, and Ray saving a village from a volcano - plus how cool Quesada, Nichols and Cebollero made his "powered-up" form look - apparently sold me. It took time, but I eventually tracked the rest of the mini-series down.

I discussed this in my Favorite Characters post on The Ray, but in addition to the usual "superpowers as a metaphor for puberty or adolescence," Jack C. Harris is focused on another theme of growing up: "lies my parents told me." Sure there are parts where Ray struggles to control his powers. He tries to chase bank robbers, but goes so fast he lands in front of them without realizing it and gets hit by the van. Also, he burns off his pants in the process. He saves the village by flying into the volcano then carving a tunnel underground into the sea, only to surface and remember he never learned how to swim.

But isn't just superpowers he gains, it's the knowledge so much was held back from him. He spent his entire life up to that point believing the sun would kill him. He was "Night Boy," living indoors, with nothing more than candlelight. His one childhood friend, Jenny, gets hauled away by her mother at his 8th birthday, when a camera flash triggers a reaction in Ray. He learns the truth as his father dies, so there's not even anyone to demand answers from, or to rage at, save his cousin Hank, who shows up at the funeral (and who Quesada draws as basically the Fonz.)

The lies keep coming. The man who died was Ray's uncle. His father shows up and turns out to be the original Ray, but he's a ghost who needs Ray's help, yet keeps running away rather than explaining what he needs help with. Also, he's not actually dead. There's a weirdo with a candle fetish in a mental hospital monitoring Ray through light or flame, because there's something Ray needs to handle, and he ropes Jenny into helping push Ray where he wants him to go. Ray's finally able to go out in the light, but he's still in the dark.

The manipulation gets to the point that, when Dr. Polaris attacks Ray, he thinks this is another kooky test his father lined up. It takes nearly being crushed to death underground to clue him in Polaris really is trying to kill him, but he still thinks Ray Classic set it up.

For all my issues with Quesada as an Editor-in-Chief, as an artist, he's got a distinct style. Ray's eventual costume is a little goofy - the ankle boots and the yellow-on-white pants aren't something I particularly love - but the powered-up form looks great. He shifts to mostly black, with only the yellow highlights on the jacket and gloves for contrast. Where they depict Ray Classic in flight as an upper body with a yellow trail, Ray is a dark form surrounded by a rectangular yellow field with a dark edge, like he flies so fast he cuts the sky.

To this day, I don't really understand the "Light Entity," the threat Ray's meant to confront. There's a whole thing about some wacky scientist in the '30s believing the Light Entity was created with the Earth, and it'll return some day, and that's bad, and they need someone born of the light to communicate. So Ray Classic getting powers was the scientist trying to set that up, because the powers would be passed along to his kid? Ray and the Entity mingle, it's trying to get him to lead it home, but Ray 'shuts the door.' 

I think it's supposed to dovetail with the fact, throughout the mini-series, Ray keeps retreating to his childhood home, even as the family lawyer is selling it and finding him a new apartment. The Entity tries to guide Ray by showing him a vision of the home, and Ray rejects it, shutting the door on that part of his past as well? It's the weakest part of the mini-series, which is kind of a bummer, since it occupies the entire final issue.

31 Days of Scans - Day 17

It finally occurred to me last week I usually haven't been telling you what the category is. I title in the Word document I'm using, but then I don't transfer it over to here. Whoops. So, Favorite Legacy Character. Pretty much has to be a DC character doesn’t it? Marvel has a few characters I like who are legacy characters (Spider-Girl, the current Ms. Marvel will certainly merit consideration before too long), or could possibly be considered so – Patsy Walker wears a costume originally designed for Tigra when she was the Cat, rather than a cat lady, so that might work – but that’s still more DC’s balliwick.

The question is, does it have to be a happy legacy? Does the character taking the mantle have to be glad of it, and like their predecessor or not? If yes, the answer is Cassandra Cain.

Cass took being Batgirl seriously. At first, because she understood what the symbol meant, and what Batman expected of her, and she worked hard to live up to that. To the point of getting herself briefly killed, even. But Barbara was the one she turned to with questions about things. The scene above actually started with Cass asking Barbara what a soul was, and it went in other directions when Oracle didn’t have a solid answer. I have no idea what would have happened if Cass had asked Bruce that question, but probably nothing good considering the attitude he usually took in her book.

The end result of the conversation is Cassandra gets curious about Babs’ time in costume, which sounds very different from her own, and ultimately steals Barbara’s old costume. Which leads to a sequence where Cass struggles to adjust to fighting in boots with heels on them, and Tim behaves most unprofessionally when they have an impromptu team-up. The costume gets a little torn up, but Barbara’s not bothered at all. Her first real question is whether Cass had fun or not, to which Cassandra replies that she did.

They had their differences. Barbara tried very hard to not only act as buffer between Cass and Bruce’s worst tendencies, but also to introduce Cassandra to things she thought a girl her age should get to experience. Things Cass was not terribly interested in, like vacations and cruise ships. Barbara got frustrated with Cass’ slow-to-indifferent progress learning to read, and Cass was sore at Barbara when she had a falling out with Batsy after War Games. But they reconciled before the end of Cassandra’s series, and were willing to help each other (I’m just going to ignore that whole post-Infinite Crisis stretch where Cass was nuts/brainwashed and Oracle didn’t seem to be doing anything, because that was just a bad editorial decision all around).

On the other hand, there is one DC character I like more than Cass, and he’s also a legacy character.

It just isn’t a real great legacy.

Ray Terrill’s dad was the original Ray. He was also a HUGE jerk, at least throughout Ray’s mini-series and ongoing. He had his brother pose as Ray’s dad and pretend any exposure to light would kill Ray, as opposed to granting him awesome power. Christopher Priest would later explain why Happy feared that outcome, but for a long time the apparent explanation was, “He’s an asshole.” When his brother dies, he finally reveals himself to Ray, but with some nonsense about how he’s a ghost now, and needs Ray to save an island from a volcano.

When Ray sees through that ruse, after almost failing to save the village, and then almost dying in the eruption he redirected into the ocean, Happy tells another load of bull. This time he’s an alien who was stranded on Earth, where he met Ray’s mom. So Ray is half-alien. This also turned out to be a lie, and Priest later revealed Ray’s mom didn’t die in childbirth, but she thought Ray had been stillborn. So when she meets Ray (at the same time he’s learning she’s still alive, living with his dad in the countryside out West), she thinks he’s Happy’s kid from some affair her husband had. Sheesh. Maybe Ray should have asked that New Genesis guy if he could adopt his name as a legacy. He’d only have to add “Light” to the front of his name. Still, a legacy is a legacy, I guess.

Batgirl panels from Batgirl #45, Dylan Horrocks (writer), Rick Leonardi (penciler), Jesse Delperdang (inker), Jason Wright (colorist), Clem Robins (letterer). Ray panels from The Ray #3 (mini-series, not ongoing), Jack C. Harris (script), Joe Quesada (penciler), Art Nichols (inker), Steve Haynic (letterer), John Cebollero (colorist).

I Hope To Scar You For Life With This

But first, I want to give a big round of applause to the New York Giants defense. You guys did a great job keeping the world safe from the Patriots. Congratulations. And Eli Manning should enjoy the love while he can, because the first time next season he has a bad game, the New York media will jump on him with both feet all over again.

I fear I may have waited too long to post this, as it originally came to me as I was trying to go to sleep Thursday night, I believe. Ah good, it's coming back to me now, so let's begin.

I was think of One More Day/Brand New Day. No, that's not what is supposed to scar you, be patient. I was thinking how Aunt May doesn't know Peter is Spidey anymore (until in a year or so, a writer reveals she really does know, she was just waiting for Peter to come clean with her about it). I thought about what a waste that is, since I felt her knowing, and how that affected her relationship with Peter, was the only interesting thing they did with Aunt May to justify undoing her death in Amazing Spider-Man #400 (which I thought was very good). And then I started thinking about whether or not she's regressed to the stage of fretting about that 'awful, awful Spider-Man', which was usually followed by a heart attack. I was pretty sure I'd read that she does hate Spider-Man again, but now I can't find confirmation of that anywhere, so I guess I was thinking incorrectly. But I didn't know that then.

S0 May hates Spider-Man. And I thought about how she doesn't realize that she's directing that hatred at her "son", or the closest thing she's had to it. And in that moment, my mind made one of those leaps it makes that I wish it wouldn't and the result was 'It's a reverse Oedipus'. Rather than the son desiring to kill his father, and bed his mother, the mother despises her son, and in this particular case, would want to. . . bed. . . her. . . daughter-in-law, I guess? (I know, it doesn't line up right, but it was the middle of the night, you're expecting cogent thought?) From there I concluded it was good the marriage was undone, for Mary Jane's and our sakes. And since Peter will never get married, what with that aging him too much, we're spared from what would have been a truly terrifying story. And only Joe Quesada possessed the vision to see this disaster on the horizon and take steps to avert it. Except of course, that Aunt May didn't hate Spider-Man before the recent Mephisto-bartering, so it wouldn't really have been looming, but I wanted to make a joke about Quesada's marvelous foresight, so there you are. Sometimes logic must be sacrificed at the altar of our creativities.

And I wonder why I don't sleep well.

I Don't Know Who's Being Clever Here

I've been thinking about Marvel in the aftermath of Civil War, and the dichotomy between what we're being told, and what we're seeing. Quesada and Millar insist Iron Man's side was right, and Cap was wrong, but we see all this... morally questionable stuff the Pro-Reg side did to help their plans come to fruition.

Sometimes Iron Man looks like a hero (hooray!), like when he saved those hostages in Australia in his book. Other times he's lying about Cap being alive to trap his old friends, because 'it's the law'. Then he looks the other way while Warbird helps reunite Julia Carpenter with her daughter, even though Julia had lost custody, thus breaking the law.

The Initiative is supposed to be training inexperienced supers, but then decide to take away those powers (if they can, see that girl from the first issue of The Initiative) if the kids screw up a training exercise. All this while some former Nazi Scientist (or at least stereotypically evil-looking old German scientist) looks on, standing next to the poster boy for Government Jerkwards, Gyrich. Not to mention the absurdity of giving Norman Osborn a government position and control of a super-team.

Marvel is telling us one thing, but showing us quite another. So I'm wondering whether you think that's by design, or whether the guys writing these stories that seem to run counter to the company line are playing at being subversives.

I really wouldn't put it past Joe Quesada to stand there and tell us all one thing, while actually going a different direction with the books, but Millar seemed pretty insistent that Stark's side was "right". Of course, I base that on excerpts of comments he's made, that I've read on the Internet, where I can't read facial expressions, tone, or body language, so he could be joking around too, and I'd have no clue.

The other possibility is guys like Warren Ellis and Dan Slott are being told to write these books; they don't particularly care for the particulars of the assignment (Pro-Reg is right, Cap and his people just didn't get it), and so they're pitching things as part of the story on the grounds that they're "cool" and "edgy" (like that girl, Armory?, having her high-tech arm thing forcibly taken away for accidentally killing one of the other recruits), but really it's intended to undermine what the honchos have been saying.

I have to admit, the subversive idea sounds kind of nifty, but I think I'd prefer if Quesada were messing with us, saying things he doesn't believe, and that aren't true, just to rile us up.

Time For Imagination!

So Kelvin noted in my post from Saturday that the gaffe I mentioned in X-Factor #11 is the sort of thing editors are supposed to catch. Except that obviously, the editors didn't catch that one, the same way they didn't catch that Tony Stark knew about Spider-Man's spidey-sense long before the new suit would've told him about it, or how Annihilation: Silver Surfer said the Skrull Empire had been wiped out by Annihilation Day 20, even though Super Skrull was still trying to save the Skrull Homeworld on Day 68, and I'm sure there are a hundred more you could come up with.

Now most of these are fairly small, and they don't ruin the story, but they do serve to draw you out of it, so for that reason alone, they need to be noticed and corrected. But they aren't, which leads us to tonight's question:

What do Marvel's editors do all day?

My guesses:

1) Giving Joe Quesada pedicures, while assuring him that all the fans are eagerly - but patiently - awaiting the conclusion to Daredevil:Father.

2) Getting Bendis coffee. Coffee? Yeah, coffee. That's it? They get him coffee? Yes, they fetch coffee. Nothing more clever than that? What's not clever about fetching coffee? Everything. You could have a made a joke about them enacting out his convoluted and repetitive dialogue sequences. . . OH, you got me! Yep, I definitely got you. You sure did. You bet I di...

Enough!!! Man, that stuff takes on a mind of its own pretty quickly. You mean it gets out of control fast? Leave now.

3) Bringing Mark Millar goats and virgins. Why? I have no idea, and I don't want to speculate. Just remember what Nextwave told us: Mark Millar licks goats.

Thoughts? Guesses? Ideas? Assumptions? Theories? Things you think might be happening but probably {BANG!}

I told him to leave.

And I Tell You Now, We, WE!!, Have The Power To Stop Him

Chris' review helped me realize that we can defeat the Evil Major Event Civil War. How, you say?

My father grew up on a farm. Once, while on a walk, I asked him what happened if the cows or bulls got angry and attacked him (because he told me he once got kicked by a mule, so I figured he must have had other conflicts with the farmyard populace). He told me that in that scenario, the best thing to do - besides getting out of the way - was pick up a big stick, and hit the offending heifer right between the eyes. That would give them pause. But what does THAT have to do with this, you ask?

Well, Chris reviewed Iron Man #8. His review details that there is something going on with Mr. Stark. This gives me the feeling that it relates to Tony Stark's actions leading up to and in Civil War. But I was able to get that without buying the comic. Likewise, when I review next week's Amazing Spider-Man (look for the review next week!), I may be able to provide my readers with some insights as to how it ties-in with Civil War, again without them spending money on the title. Add in the person who reviews the She-Hulk tie-ins, or the Young Avengers/Runaways book, and people can get a good idea what's going on, without spending a lot of money. So how's that tie-in to my dad's livestock wisdom?

We, the comic bloggers are being imperiled by a large Event Comic, with something like 87-issues spread between over a dozen books. If we share information on the few books we read, it saves others from spending money, which hurts sales, and thus we are the big stick. So guess who gets to play the part of the bovine we're hitting between the eyes?

Sure the easier response would be to get out of the way (just back away from Civil War tie-ins until it's over), but it's much more fun to discuss figuratively hitting Quesada in the face with a big stick, right?

A few things, from Chris' review of Iron Man #8, and my reading it in the store today. If Stark is in fact going nuts, it makes much more sense for him to be on the same said as Hank Pym, Marvel poster boy for mental disorder. But why Reed Richards? Well, Dr. Niles Caulder of the Doom Patrol has the answer. See, reed has been stretching all parts of his body for years (keep your perverted jokes to yourself), and that includes his brain. So much like Elasti-Girl, all this stretching has affected Reed' ability to think straight. So when Tony got the Illuminati together to discuss working with the government, Reed was confused but figured the safest bet was to agree with his genius buddy and fellow "futurist" Tony Stark. If Sue had been there, she'd have set him straight, but oops, they thought it was a good idea to exclude their loved ones from the group.

You might say, but why has it taken Reed so long to show the effects of this Elastic Brain Syndrome*? It hasn't, it's just always manifested itself in the form of Reed neglecting Sue, or failing to permanently cure Ben Grimm (I know, Ben subconsciously doesn't want to be cured, just work with me, I'm doing this on the fly), or when he decides it's a good idea to tell Galactus he can try to come back and eat Earth, so as to get Galactus to defeat the Sphinx. Everyone just figured it was your typical Absent-Minded Professor stuff.

Other thoughts. I believe Stark is suffering from one of the following: One, his becoming Machine God, has enabled his armor to respond to subconscious desires, so it attaches itself in his sleep, and carries out his dream-desire to kill people. Having allowed this subconscious desire to be realized, it begins to flow into the conscious. Two, someone knows about his transformation, and is transmitting subliminal commands on the same frequency that lets Stark get e-mails directly in his head. Three, becoming Machine God is divorcing him from parts of his humanity, thus killing evil people is not a moral consideration, it merely seems logical. I figure two is most likely.

Also, I was very impressed with Spider-Man's attempt to save Captain America. Even if he don't look it, Spidey is stronger, tougher, and has less mass than Cap, so he can withstand more gravity. And throwing himself in the way to protect someone is such a Parker move, because he's got a death wish (Curse you, The Other!). I meant because he's a truly selfless hero who believes it's only right he give his life for Captain America.

That being said, he probably should have realized that Cap was still trapped under him, so it probably didn't matter much whether Cap died from Graviton crushing him into the ground, or from Graviton crushing Peter into the ground, but not before he pushed him through Captain America. Still, points for effort, right?

* Elastic Brain Syndrome is a registered trademark of Dr. Niles Caulder, but I'm here, and he's in Prague, so what's he gonna do if I don't have express written consent? That's right, nothing. Take that, you manipulative bastard!

The Sanctity of Marriage

Pardon me as I go mildly berserk (is that a contradiction in terms?). Lots of talk about Joe Quesada's latest dumbass statements. Seems Joey Q said Peter Parker and Mary Jane being married is a mistake, and they need to fix it. Only problem is Joe Questionable-Intelligence feels there's too much history to be able to split them apart.

To which I say, no shit Joe, you tried killing MJ off once, then had to retcon it to a kidnapping/blowing up an entire airliner to trick everyone into thinking she was dead to get out of that one. You tried sending her to Hollywood; that lasted 20 issues before she and Peter get back together (not counting Peter and Aunt May's visit to La-La Land).

I really don't see what the big deal is about Peter being married. He's supposedly "everyman", right? Well, everyday people get married too, same as millionaires and actors, they just don't divorce quite as quickly, or as often. Yes MJ is ludicrously hot, but look at the women around the Marvel Universe; they're ALL freaking smoking. Except Cassandra Nova. Guh. At any rate, there are good stories you can tell about Peter/Mary Jane. So here's what you do.

One, get the Parker trio out of the Avengers Tower. May can still see Jarvis if they like, nothing wrong with that, though I think it shouldn't go farther than a good friendship. Two, emphasize Peter's work with the school and the Bugle on a part-time basis. No Stark International; those two don't seem likely to be buddies after this Civil War anyway, so let's just forget it. Three, keep MJ doing the theater acting, but as that can be a less than lucrative career, give her something else. Maybe she gets a degree (I know, she tried once, in psychology, but I think being married to a man who dresses like a spider and fights crime could skew your views on that). I was thinking something in fashion design. According to the Spider-Girl universe, she's pretty damn good at that, so give her that to work towards. Besides, it gives you hilarious scenes of her using Peter to model homework assignments. Four, bring in some friends for Mary Jane and Peter. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not the same as friends for Spider-Man and His Wife. Avengers do not count.

What pisses me off is they had this worked out. Before JMS came on board, Mackie and Jenkins had Peter rooming with Randy Robertson, Robbie's son. They experienced the typical madcap Parker-style adventures of trying to make rent, pay utilities, and eat. In addition, they often went out with Jill Stacy and Glory Grant. Randy was interested in Glory, and supposedly the writers were trying to set up a Jill/Peter relationship. Well, forget that, but there isn't a reason those three can't be friends with MJ and Pete. Go out, do things that 20-something people in New York do together. That doesn't even include that weird "Smelly Cat" Peter found right before Mackie left. Pet, or annoying pest they can't get rid of, either way it's another everyday element.

But JMS came on the book, and moved Peter out of the apartment, and that was pretty much the last we saw of those three. Fortunately, Paul Jenkins gave Peter wacky neighbors, and had him providing a place for the now comatose Flash Thompson. When MJ came back, the two of them each helped the nurse care for Flash. The interaction was sometimes limited, but it was something, the neighbors knew Peter and Mary Jane, and they knew their neighbors, what a concept.

Then Jenkins left. Then they destroyed Aunt May's new apartment (Millar's Marvel Knights Spider-Man). Then the Molten Man wannabe destroyed Peter and MJ's apartment (JMS on Amazing Spider-Man). Then he destroyed Aunt May's house. Then Stark showed up. And the Parkers became effectively cut off from ordinary people.

I give Peter David points for trying. We've seen Jamesons, Jonah and John, Robbie, and a non-comatose Flash. Unfortunately, Flash has reverted back to his high school age (apparently a milder form of Guy Gardner's problem), which rules him out as a friend, for at least a while. Still, there isn't really anyone for our couple to interact with as friends, and that's the problem.

Speaking as someone who has seen it with his parents, when a married couple doesn't have anyone but themselves, it can tend to wreck things pretty fast. You don't have anyone else to spend time with, it magnifies all the little problems, and things start to get ugly. It helps to have other people to have fun with, to talk to about problems. So I guess that's Quesada's solution right there: Keep them cut off from normal people, let them feud and argue and start to despise each other, then do an ugly divorce where Mary Jane spitefully plans to out Peter's identity, except Peter has. . . You know what, I'll just stop here before Quesada gets any ideas.