Off on a Tangent

I'm absolutely sure that is not the case.

Volume 2 of DC's Tangent Comics, collects five of the one-shots from that imprint: The Joker (by Karl Kesel, Matt Haley, Tom Simmons and Chris Eliopoulos), Nightwing (John Ostrander, Jan Duursema, Gloria Vasquez, Dave Lanphear), Secret Six (Chuck Dixon, Tom Grummett, James Sinclair, Ken Lopez), Doom Patrol (Dan Jurgens, Sean Chen, Kevin Conrad, Ray Kryssing, Jason Wright, Dave Lanphear), and The Batman (Dan Jurgens, Klaus Janson, Gregory Wright, Comicraft).

Each one is a different type of story. Secret Six is pretty much a "put the team together" story with a bunch of disparate characters happening to run into each other investigating the same thing. Doom Patrol is your classic time travel story where attempts to change the future only bring it about. Joker is a mystery from the perspective of a cop the Joker seems to have taken an interest in, although the reasons for that seem pretty weak once revealed. But I think we're supposed to take it that the Joker's trying to process some trauma in a less-than-ideal manner. Nightwing is kind of a "shadow war/wheels within wheels" story of people vying for power out of sight of everyone else. And Batman is a monster story and doomed romance thing.

The art leans to standard superhero comic style. Grummett and Chen are the artists they've always been, making sure all the visual information is there, easy to interpret and follow. Duursema's the most distinctive, but also the most '90s in look. Lots of busy little lines and questionable proportions and anatomy for the characters. But Nightwing is the least "superhero" of the books, with the backstabbing, manipulation and working in the shadows, so it makes sense to not look like the others.

I've always read that if Klaus Janson is the inker, the art just ends up looking like his. No matter the penciler, Janson's heavy inks overwhelm it and make the look his own. I've read the Wolverine issues Byrne penciler that Janson inked, and I'd tend to agree, it doesn't look much like Byrne's work. Apparently Dan Jurgens is the exception, because The Batman still looks very much like a Jurgens-drawn comic, just with thicker, messier lines than when Norm Rapamund or someone else inks him. I don't know if Janson dialed it back or what.

Since most of the stories are also the first appearance of these versions of the characters, there's a fair amount of exposition or flashbacks. Four pages spent explaining how Batman is a suit of armor controlled by a knight who was tricked into turning against King Arthur by Morgan le Fay, so Merlin condemned him to live trapped within his castle (The House of Secrets) until he atoned. Exactly how he's supposed to do that if he hasn't managed it after several centuries is not outlined, but Merlin's always kind of a shithead, so that tracks. Dude's just pissed le Fay outflanked his withered butt.

Some integrate it into the flow better than others. In Nightwing, Ostrander handles explaining the mysterious magic-using cabal by having one character pass the information along to the President in a dream. With Doom Patrol, since the characters traveled back in time to prevent the Earth exploding, Jurgens just has them explain whatever particular event they're trying to stop as they're trying to stop it.

The re-imagining of the characters and concepts works better for some than others. The Joker as a female vigilante/pest that focuses mainly on mocking or humiliating authority figures isn't bad. Actually, it feels like some of this has been co-opted into Harley Quinn over the last decade (although Harley's got a lot more 4th wall breaking.) Batman as a true dark or disgraced knight, who carries on his mission endlessly because he sees it as the only chance he's got to be free, rather than from a childhood vow to end crime, that can work. Wildcat as a codename for a young lady who transforms into a feral werecat when she speaks her trigger word (Shazam)? Not so much.

All the issues suffer from what seems like a competition between the writers to name-check as many characters or concepts as possible. In Doom Patrol, the teenage daughter of the doctor leading the attempt to change the past says her mother called her "Firehawk" when she was just a kid. It never comes up again, and the young lady demonstrates no fire or bird-themed abilities, so it really feels like just checking a box. Secret Six references a bio-weapon used against Eastern Europe the year before. Codename? Red Tornado. I didn't do an exact count, but I feel like Nightwing wins, especially once the mage "Hex", starts referencing spells called "The Emerald Eye" or "Ring of Oa."

The re-designs vary in how similar they are to their namesakes. Batman's a big red suit of armor, and instead of pointy ears, has a pair of similar-looking (but larger) spines on the shoulders. Still the same emblem, though tilted on its axis. Joker combines bits of Harley Quinn with the Joker, and the poofy-sleeved coat reminds me of some of the Royal Flush Gang.

On the other hand, Hex (real name: Vincent Lord, don't know if that's a reference to something) looks like Constantine crossed with Gambit, and has the same sort of sleazy yet self-assured air you'd expect from a fusion of those two. Plastic Man's a big, shiny, green-faced living polymer that looks kind of like a robot. The look and the name don't fit, but the name does fit his powers and composition, and it was given to him by his government handlers, so I can see them taking a direct, literal approach.

What I Bought 5/18/2022 - Part 1

Work yesterday was pretty lousy, which I knew was going to be the case for weeks, but yeah. Just not enjoyable, dealing with lots of anger and stupidity. So tired. Speaking of tired, here's two comics from this week on their last legs with me.

Iron Fist #3, by Alyssa Wong (writer), Michael Yg and Sean Chen (pencilers), Michael Yg, Victor Olazaba, Keith Champagne and Don Ho (inkers), Jay David Ramos (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - Great, now he's got even more pieces of sword stuck in his arm.

Bishounen-looking guy from last issue is Lie's older brother, who gained power from the destroyer god at some point. The demons work for him, and the one impersonating Min's father tries to steal the pieces of Lie's sword. Lie and the others fight him, but he gains the upper hand and demands the shards. So Lie. . .jams them into his arms. Goddamn, kid, just buy some pouches. Cable and Deadpool can't possibly own all of them.

He tears through the demon, who delivers a message on where to meet his brother. But before they get there, Lie, Min, and the grumpy teen jerk from last issue are caught by Fat Cobra and the Bride of Nine Spiders. Nobody ever captures the Bride's look properly, compared to how Aja drew her. That reserved, creepy look. They always make her too expressive and loudly aggressive. There were other Immortal Weapons for that, except other writers keep killing them. She's carrying knives now. Why?

But with four inkers, things were going to be a little weird. Chen draws the middle section of the book, the part that encompasses all of the fight with the demon, and Yg handles the rest. I don't know which inkers are with which pages, although I'm very curious who drew the last couple, when they run into the Immortal Weapons. Yg's art looks much looser, and there's one panel (above, on the right) like a caricature or cartoon. It was a nice change of pace, although I don't think it was an intentional so much as a necessity to save time. Sometimes shortcuts are good!

Overall, though, I just don't really care. I feel like I should want to find out if Lie will remain Iron Fist, or repair his sword, or why Shou-Lao chose to do him a solid, or at least be excited Fat Cobra showed up, but I'm not. 

Wolverine: Patch #2, by Larry Hama (writer), Andrea Di Vito (penciler), Le Beau Underwood (inker), Sebastian Cheng (colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer) - I feel like landing on flat on his left foot is going to really jar his leg.

This issue is "Patch's Crappy Trek Through the Jungle." He's still trying to heal from the beating last issue. Then he gets shot with some poisoned arrows by the locals, who think he's out to hurt the two Russians. Logan convinces them he's not an enemy and they start guiding him to the Russians' hiding spot. Then he gets shot by some of General Coy's guys, who want the locals to lead them to the Russians. He kills them. Then he gets shot by some Yakuza working for the guy doing monkey experiments. He kills them. Then more of the general's guys show up and he kills them (off-panel). He reaches the Russians, the locals convince them to help, because there's a third one, a little girl with weird powers who goes inside Logan's brain and finds Jean.

I guess some of Logan's time as Patch did happen while Jean was "dead". Or it could just be Logan has her on his mind a lot. In which case, that kid should really get out of there. Not age-appropriate.

Hama uses SHIELD as an almost narrator. I was going to say omniscient, but there's a lot they don't know, so that wouldn't work. The Helicarrier is still just hovering there in the sky, in full view, wondering why they can't find these Russians. All the cigars must have clouded Fury's brain. I went back to check, because I thought I remembered Di Vito drawing Fury smoking, but my mind must have just autofilled that image. Anyway, SHIELD is somehow surveilling all over Madripoor at once and so as they discuss one place or the other, the story cuts to that location, then back, then off somewhere else. 

It's not a bad way, and it works to contrast Logan tromping through the woods, getting more tangled up in all this by fighting guys for reasons he doesn't even know, with everyone else doing reconnaissance or forming alliances to try and achieve their goals. Logan just takes the direct approach. But when all you've got are unbreakable adamantium claws, the whole world looks like something to cut through.

What I Bought 4/4/2022 - Part 1

Alex and I did go the that comic convention on Saturday. Neither of us bought anything; me because I didn't see any of the comics I was looking for, Alex because he forgot to bring more than 4 bucks. But it seemed like a nice enough little convention, so maybe we'll try the larger one they have in the fall.

In other news, I am caught up on new comics for the year! Except for the ones that came out today. Gonna start with a pair of second issues.

Iron Fist #2, by Alyssa Wong (writer), Michael Yg (penciler/inker), Sean Chen (penciler), Victor Olazaba (inker), Jay David Ramos (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - Is that demon in the foreground encouraging use to stare at the new kid's crotch? Creepy.

Lin Lie is still running around Earth killing demons and collecting shards of the sword of his. He's also still struggling to control the Iron Fist, which has some of the natives of K'un-Lun feeling less than kind towards what they see as usurper. Lie's gets a pep talk from his friend Min and the new Thunderer (that's the part of the issue Sean Chen draws). It boils down to not being too hung up on being Iron Fist the way it's always been, and instead focusing on how to actually be good at it. Unfortunately, Lie's brother appears ready to release Chiyou, the Dark Destroyer, so Lie's going to need a better training montage.

I'm still confused as to why they don't remove the sword shards from Lie's hands if they are not only causing intense pain, but messing up his chi flow and thereby making it harder for him to use the Iron Fist. I guess because they react to the presence of other pieces, so that helps him find them, but couldn't he just carry them in a pouch?

I assume Wong's going to reveal it wasn't a fluke that the chi of Shou-Lao wound up in Lie. The first page of this issue shows some past Iron Fist fighting the dragon, which narration boxes talking about having to face fear and transcend it. So that's probably what Lie has to do. He feels he failed by letting the sword be broken, and that he's not cut out to be Iron Fist, either. He doesn't really defend himself from the accusations he's not fit to be Iron Fist, and I get the feeling it's because he's afraid he might fail miserably if he tried. Let his mouth write a check his skills can't cash.

I don't know if there was a particular reason Chen drew the pages he did, or if it just worked out that way to get the issue out on time. He and Michael Yg's art are close enough (possibly helped by Olazaba's inks softening Chen's work a little, the characters don't all look like you could cut a roast on their jawlines), there isn't a jarring shift. Yg adds a little more detail to hair, though. Lie's evil brother definitely has a bit of that bad boy manga heartthrob look.

Step by Bloody Step #2, by Si Spurrier (writer), Matias Bergara (artist), Matheus Lopes (color artist), Jim Campbell (glyphologist) - At least the giant taught to her to run from unmarked flying battleships.

The giant and the child continue their journey. The child grows increasingly resentful of the giant dictating their path. There's more going on than just the two of them, though. There seems to be a war between at least two peoples, or maybe an invasion by a group that look like basically white humans, of a group of people that are shaped similarly, but their skin is green and the eyes have no pupils. Not sure if they're like elves or zombies or what. The invaders seem to have an idea where the giant's going, and start taking steps to intercept it. As of the end of this issue, they haven't succeeded - yet.

So it's pretty clear this is some cyclical thing. Before they cross the sea, the child carves a picture of herself frowning in a tree, but notices other carvings in nearby trees. Possibly each child eventually becomes the giant who then retrieves and ferries the next child to wherever they're going. To what purpose, I don't know. The child's blood sparks growth of plant life. Does it sustain people the robed invaders are trying to subjugate, or do they just want that for themselves? But her blood landing in the ocean also sparked a berserker fury in the giant. Something exclusive to it, or the sort of thing it can prompt in any person?

Has the giant explained any of this? My guess is no. I'm not sure the giant can speak at all, or that it would tell her anything if it could. The girl is becoming more accustomed to being herded, but not any happier about it. She looks back with dull eyes when he keeps her in the shadows at the end of the issue. Of course he won't let her meet anyone else. In the first issue, the child tended to hang back and watch the giant fight with an awed or curious expression. In this issue, Bergara draws her more often glaring at the giant, or sitting to one side staring sullenly at something else. That something else may become the woman in the carriage she saw at the very end.

There's fewer scenes of the two of them just traveling peacefully, but they're still here. There's a two page splash that is just an ocean at night, with a couple of rocks rising from the water, and a trail of white showing the passing of the giant and the child. But as they're being actively hunted, I suspect those moments will grow sparse in the second half of this series.

Sunday Splash Page #55

"The Hand That Stole The Galaxy!", in Avengers Infinity #4, by Roger Stern (writer), Sean Chen (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Steve Oliff (colorist), Richard Starkings and Troy Peteri (letterers)

I picked this four-issue mini-series up out of a dollar bin early last year. It revolves around a threat that gets mentioned at some point in Avengers Forever, the Infinites, and involves a real makeshift roster of Avengers.

They're drawn in because Quasar finds a planet devastated by a bunch of self-replicating robots and calls for help from whoever he can get. Thor, Monica Rambeau (going as Photon at the moment), Moondragon, all happen to be available on Earth, and then Tigra and Starfox are jaunting around the cosmos. Why the hell anyone would willingly hang around Starfox with his creepy powers I don't know.

The team struggles to get on the same page, even as their problem escalates rapidly. Thor seems more headstrong than normal, possibly because he feels guilty about another Rigellian world being destroyed so soon after Thanos had done so. Moondragon doesn't work well with others, especially Thor, who has ample reason to distrust her. Photon's trying to take a leadership role, but getting Thor to listen would be a problem even if she was fully confident she should take command.

It's one of those stories that involves calling on a Cosmic Abstract to help, and then convincing the threat that mortals are special and shouldn't be treated like scraps to be discarded whenever. My mileage tends to vary with stories like that, but for the threat as presented here, there isn't another option.

Sean Chen's faces tend to be very similar, but he's a solid comic book artist. He handles the action sequences in the earlier issues well, and he's pretty good at drawing angry faces. Which is good considering so many of the characters are angry at each other throughout the story. He's good at giving the sense of the immense scale of the Infinites compared to everything else, really makes the challenge seem daunting.

It's an inessential mini-series, but entertaining.