The Teapot Dome Scandal - Laton McCartney

Teapot Dome was members of Warren G. Harding's administration making under the table deals with major oil companies to let them drill in what were supposed to be naval reserves in exchange for cash, basically. McCartney's book looks at how those people - most prominently Harding's Secretary of Interior, Albert Fall - got into those positions, how they tried to pull off their deal, and the efforts of some members of the press and Congress to bring their crimes to light and prosecute them.

McCartney has a lot of threads going, because there are a lot of moving parts in all of it. Harding had appointed his campaign manager, Harry Daugherty, Attorney General, and Daugherty and his cronies where using the Justice Department for all kinds of illicit schemes that were largely unrelated to the oil swindle, but they were aware of it. And when one of them, Jess Smith, started to crack, he just so happened to end up with a hole in his head. But Smith had already confined quite a lot to his ex-wife, and she proved a key witness. The two owners of the Denver Post learned something was up from a man named Stack, who owned rights near one of the reserves that were sold off without his knowledge, and he felt unfairly compensated. The two newsmen agreed to help him shake down Standard Oil's Harry Sinclair (a major money mover in all this), to shut them up.

By and large, the corporate guys dodge any serious punishment. Fall is found guilty of accepting bribes from Edward Doheny, the other major oil man in this mix, but Doheny was found not guilty of bribing Fall in a separate trial. People are consistently able to dodge giving testimony before Congress by being out of the country on hunting trips or some other nonsense, and by the end, a lot of the people involved had died, or simply pretend not to know anything. Still, points for effort.

McCartney takes the approach that Harding was largely ignorant of Fall's misdeeds, but that it was by choice. He didn't bother to read Fall's reports outlining why the government should sell off the rights to these Naval oil reserves, or have them checked by a knowledgeable independent source. He trusted Fall, and wasn't really interested anyway, so why bother? It seems likely Harding realized some of the people he'd placed in power were crooks, but they were hiding enough of his secrets he wasn't going to rock the boat much. And then he died, and Coolidge is President, and if there's one thing he knew how to do, it was keep his mouth shut (Coolidge was apparently the first Vice-President to sit in on cabinet meetings, so he'd have been privy to the battles between Fall and Department of Agriculture head Henry Wallace over who should have control of those national forests and what's in them.)

McCartney occasionally throws in these wry comments in reaction to some development in the story as he's telling it to us, and they always feel out of place. Normally that isn't something I mind, but in this case, they don't work, because they usually take on a vaguely folksy feel, as though he's tellin' the tale while sitting on the porch, and just cain't help editorializing a bit. But it doesn't jibe with the tone of the vast majority of the rest of the book, so it doesn't feel natural, and throws me out of my rhythm when I'm reading. I appreciate the attempt to keep these discussions of Congressional hearings and trying to track down missing Liberty Bonds lively, but it doesn't work in this case.

'This was the first of several payments Fall was to receive from the oilman as reciprocity for the Teapot contract. Instead of cash, however, Sinclair gave the money to the interior secretary in so-call Liberty bonds, government bonds that had been issued to support the U.S. effort in World War I. Fall voiced no objections. After all, these bonds yielded at least 3.5 percent annually tax-free. They also had serial numbers, a detail that both Sinclair and Fall apparently overlooked at the time.'

Not The Brightest Match In The Box

It occurred to me last week, Squirrel Girl went on a date with Johnny Storm. I didn't think anything of it at the time, since it was part of a montage of failed dates for her, but after the fact. . .

Strange enough that Johnny would have a profile on an Internet dating site, but isn't he in a relationship with Medusa right now? Granted, Johnny isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but Medusa doesn't seem the sort to respond to that chicanery well. Although it's hard to tell with her these days. She seems to vacillate between this kindly, diplomatic ruler who says all the right things, to this occasionally brutally indifferent ruler who can barely be bothered to disguise her contempt for non-Terrigen altered people (especially with regards to maybe, possibly, getting rid of the damn Mists drifting across the world and killing mutants).

I suppose Medusa might shrug it off, especially since Johnny botched the date so spectacularly, but if she doesn't, it could get dicey for the Torch. Jim Hammond might go back to being the only Human Torch alive, which would probably make James Robinson super happy, at least.

Zorro 2.34 - The Captain Regrets

Plot: The Governor is out of bed, but still in the de la Vega hacienda. He's very bored, and driving everyone nuts making them entertain him. A man named Gabriel Luna arrives to see the acting governor, and is escorted to Captain Arellano, who is trying on the governor's cloak. Luna expresses concerns about the loyalty oath, which Arellano unhelpfully responds to by stating that if someone is loyal, they will sign the oath. But Luna wants California to break ties with Spain, and for the Captain to do the same with the current governor. Arellano rejects this offer, until the Governor states that he is ready to resume his duties. At which point, Arellano tries to convince the governor's daughter, Leonar, to sign a paper declaring the governor unfit to rule. Only until he's stronger, of course. Leonar is no fool and sees right through the blundering captain. Arellano's fortunes continue to decline when he makes an ass of himself again towards Diego, upon observing him playing the guitar for Leonar. Then he nearly gets shot by an overzealous Corporal Reyes, and then he can't convince the Governor to rest a little longer, or to reconsider his decision that Arellano just isn't cut out for the big time.

With all that going against him, the captain visits Luna, and suggests he kill the Governor. For some reason, he expects Luna and his men to do it for free, which isn't happening. What's more, they expect the Captain to help more than he did last time. So that evening, Arellano offers Garcia and Reyes some wine, after adding a knockout drug to it. Bernardo observes this and warns Diego, and the two split up to cover different entrances. A good plan, because Luna sends his two men in the back way, cautiously, while he and Arellano watch from the front porch. Zorro still gets the drop on Luna easily, and he and Arellano set to fighting. Meanwhile, Bernardo handles the two goons easily, despite them getting the early advantage. Then he rushes back upstairs, a good thing, too. By this point, Arellano has threatened to kill the sleeping Garcia unless Zorro throws away his sword, and once that's done, begins advancing on the Fox. Only for Bernardo to drop a flowerpot on his head. The next day, we learn the assassins "escaped" Arellano and the soldiers, but the governor still thanks everyone who protected him, including Zorro. Bernardo got left out, so Diego proposes a toast to the person who helps Zorro.

Quote of the Episode: Luna - 'One moment, Your Excellency. Now you are speaking in riddles, so let me be frank. If you want us to kill the governor, just say so.'

Times Zorro Marks a "Z": 0 (13 overall).

Other: I don't approve of the governor calling the sergeant an overgrown musk ox (and would the governor even know what a musk ox is?), but I can't fault the guy for dedication to his job. He wouldn't take Leonar or the captain up on the suggestion he wait and rest a little more before resuming work. He brushed off concerns about the danger, and felt he had to press forward with his push for this loyalty oath. I still think the oath is stupid, and that he ought to be more worried with convincing the people the country he wants them to swear allegiance to actually gives a crap about them, but at least he's committed to making his stupid idea work.

I was pleased that Luna cut through Arellano's bullcrap when the captain came to him. Arellano had treated Luna rather shabbily when he visited the captain, pretended to have the moral high ground. And then Arellano tries to use euphemisms when he comes looking for a favor. To heck with that. And he thought they'd do him the favor for free? Come on Captain, these are not ideologues, they're capitalists. They aren't doing anything for free.

It is strange to me that the governor hasn't reconsidered his position on Arellano. He seems to have a soft spot for the guy, in spite of his continued poor behavior around Leonar, and from what little we've seen, Arellano's been largely successful in getting people to buy into this oath thing (with some help from Alejandro grandstanding). The governor is the only one who gave Arellano the benefit of the doubt about riding off with the governor's only two guards last week. And yet, he still think the captain isn't cut out for the role he originally envisioned for him.

Or maybe Leonar told her father Arellano tried to convince her to declare him incompetent. I like Leonar. She seems completely unimpressed with everyone. She has no time for Arellano (and the fact he thought he could convince her to go along with his plan is probably a sign he's a moron), and she looked kind of bored with Diego's singing. Of course, I thought Margarita was unimpressed with Uncle Estevan's singing too, and I was apparently wrong, so what do I know.

Where'd The Powers Go?

Right before the previous volume of Ms. Marvel ended, Kamala's brother developed superpowers as a result of being exposed to Terrigen Mists. His body didn't react in the normal fashion, but he gained powers nonetheless.

We haven't heard anything about them since then. Even with Aamir sort of in focus here in the new volume, with his getting married and all, it hasn't even come up in passing. Which seems strange. Was that something Reed Richards left out of the recreated universe? Aamir said he was going to learn to get the powers under control, so they couldn't impact his life, did he manage that somewhere in that 8 month gap all the writers are so vague about?

It's the sort of development I'd expect to get a little more play, but so far, nothing. Did Kamala find ways to help him? Was she supportive sister, or did Ms. Marvel just so happen show up to help Aamir out one evening? Did Aamir tell his parents? If he got it under control, how did he manage it, and do it so thoroughly no one even mentions those times when he would explode with green energy when he made physical contact with someone? Even if we're looking at it from Kamala's perspective, it should have some impact. Her brother developed powers, but wants nothing to do with them. Where she thinks having them is great, he finds them a hindrance. Does she have second thoughts about what she's doing, does she try to convince him to use his powers like she does, or something entirely different?

Maybe we'll get some answers after the Big Event is finished.

What I Bought 6/21/2016 - Part 4

The last of this round of reviews. I have nothing substantive to add to this opening paragraph. Maybe I should ditch them entirely.

Henchgirl #8, by Kristen Gudsnuk - Old school Nintendo cartridge cover. Solid choice.

Mari's really getting into being evil since being injected with that serum. Fred is roped into fighting crime with a new hero called Celestial Angel Amelia (Sailor Moon-style character), who hooks him up with a shroud that heals his injuries, which causes Fred to become a little more reckless in his heroing. Mari finds out the two are hanging out and tries to beat Amelia up, only to fail miserably.

So the girl who didn't want to stay on her parents' farm was Amelia, not some previously introduced character I didn't recognize. Good. I hate when that happens, makes me feel I'm not paying attention. I'm guessing Mari is going to try and enlist the Butterfly Gang in helping get revenge on Amelia, assuming she doesn't interfere with one of their schemes first. I'm not sure what's going on with Coco. If Gudsnuk's having her experience regret for what she did to Mari now that they're friends, or if she's just getting tired of being evil. Also, Mari seems less effective when she's trying to be evil, rather than when she just went along with the schemes and tried to get them done in the manner least likely to hurt people. Probably because super-villains typically don't take the logical approach to committing crimes, with the costumes, and big explosions, and grabbing attention.

When Coco starts to tell her origin to Mari (before Mari gets distracted by finding a treasure chest behind the couch), it shifts to Coco standing in a spotlight, with leaves swirling around, and a dark background. Very melodramatic, which made it funny. Gudsnuk's good about using those sorts of cliches for jokes.

Roche Limit: Monadic #3, by Michael Moreci (writer), Kyle Charles (artist), Matt Battaglia (colorist), Ryan Ferrier (letterer), Tim Daniel (designer) - The upside-down sidewalk splitting to reveal the world all the characters are trapped in is a nice image. Solid work there, though I wonder about the use of the shade of purple around the lower edge, since that usually coincides with the aliens, but it's on the "normal" side of things.

Alex dies of his injuries, releasing the pink glowing orb that is his soul, which gives Sonya and her sister an idea. They approach both that doctor and the deceased Gracie's underlings and convince them they need to kill Moscow and replace his soul with Alex', which will fix things somehow. Which requires reaching the tower, and somehow killing Moscow despite his rapport with the aliens. So that won't be easy, especially since he sussed out their plan almost immediately. In the other plot thread, Sasha reached the city with her memory-created husband and child, and finds a way to contact Elbus' ship. Except Elbus and Colt are dead, because it's been who knows how long. But old Hello Danny the android is still alive, and he recalls what Elbus had figured out about a solution. He doesn't tell us, but I guess we'll find out next issue.

So my guess is either Sonya's plan or Sasha's won't work. the question is which one. Frankly, given the power Moscow has on his side, I would bet against him dying. But he's the closest thing to an actual physical incarnation of the threat at this point, so I'd sort of expect him to die, just so we get that moment of the villain being defeated. Or it could be one plan would defeat the aliens, whatever the means at this stage, and the other is the one that's going to keep all these people from dying when this simulation/dreamworld collapses.

Charles' artwork shifts so much in how detailed it is, even within a single issue. Some of the panels with Sonya's face in it during the meeting with Gracie's goons are extremely simplified, almost just some vague dots suggesting noses or eyes. And then other pages, he gets much more detailed, a lot more lines, eyes much more defined, her nose more prominent. It's likely he has a very simplified style, a more detailed one, and another somewhere in between, and which he's using doesn't necessarily seem to have much to do with what section of the book you're in (he doesn't necessarily go simpler as you get to the end, like I'd expect if he was rushing). It's frustrating, because I end up liking some of Charles' work, and then hating other parts of it in the same issue.

Quietly Quality Months Are Fine

Last month's solicitations had quite a few things going on I was interested in. This month's solicits, not so much. First order of business: the Atomic Robo mini-series is "Temple of Od", not "Temple of Ood", which I think is what I typed last time.

Deadpool is finally emerging from the haze of Civil War II tie-ins, so maybe it would be a good idea for me to just wait until then to start picking the book up again. I sat out Axis, but I want to think the creative can make something of this tie-in. Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat is wrapping up its second arc. More importantly, there's no indication the book is ending with said second arc. I worry because I'd read it's not selling in the direct market, but maybe digital sales or critical acclaim is carrying it forward. I'll take whatever I can get.

Detective Comics is going to have a crossover with some of the other Bat-books. Pass. As someone (potentially) buying the book for Cass, Steph, and Tim, I'm disappointed the solicits only ever seem to mention Batman, Batwoman, or sometimes Nightwing. I don't give a crap about any of them, and this makes me think I'd be wasting my time buying the book. Wonderful when I can practically talk myself out of buying something before I've even started.

DC's also shipping the Rebirth issue for Batman Beyond the same month they ship the final issue of the current Batman Beyond series, which seems as though it could cause confusion. I doubt they'll screw it up this severely, but I'd laugh pretty hard if the Rebirth issue ships before the other one. I'm lying, I wouldn't laugh, I'd shake my head like an adult deeply disappointed by their child or pet doing something stupid.

Other than that, Henchgirl, Wynonna Earp, and Darkwing Duck are all chugging along. Nothing else really jumped out and demanded my attention, but that's OK.

What I Bought 6/21/2016 - Part 3

Long day on Monday, thus no post then. But here's a post now!

Darkwing Duck #1 and 2, by Aaron Sparrow (writer), James Silvani (writer/artist), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist), Deron Bennett and D.C. Hopkins (letterers) - Poor Launchpad, he got left off the first issue cover.

The way I understand it, this is picking up somewhere after the end of the second story arc of the Ian Brill/James Silvani volume BOOM! published 6 years ago. But it's ignoring the last arc, where the book crossed over with their Ducktales comic, for reasons I'm unclear on (I'm guessing some powers that be didn't like how that story went, but I don't know).

St. Canard is celebrating opening a new supermax prison for all their super-villains, the Mayor brings a bunch of schoolkids to the celebration, because he's an idiot. Darkwing crashes the party because he's incensed he wasn't invited, which works exactly as Negaduck planned, as he gets the prison to go into lockdown, trapping everyone inside as he releases the prisoners from their cells. Issue 2 is Darkwing trying to recapture the villains while they all try to kill him, as Negaduck watches. There's a few other possible subplots, including Mortimer, a classmate of Gosalyn's who was briefly a super-villain in the earlier volume, enlisting the help of a Hannibal Lecter-themed cat villain, but it's unclear if they're going to end up helping or harming. Probably one, then the other.

There are some decent one-liners, and the dialogue feels about right. Silvani was always good at the action sequences, but I think he's more willing to loosen up his style some. Really embrace the cartoon aspect of the series he's working with. I might be wrong, it's been a few years since I reread the earlier volume. Either way, he's still doing a good job with expressions and body language. There's something a little different about the colors, but I'm not quite sure what it is. The art has this slightly, greyed out looked to it, like things aren't quite as bright as they ought to be. I think the inking's different, a softer line being used, but again, not sure about that (or whether that would have anything to do with this). It's not awful by any stretch, it just feels more subdued. Maybe it's something about the printing process.

I'm not sure about starting the book by having Darkwing fight his entire rouge's gallery right off the bat (that always seems like it makes a hero's enemies look kind of incompetent), but that misgiving and whatever it is about the shading that's throwing me, I'm enjoying the book.

Destiny of the Republic - Candice Millard

Destiny of the Republic is about the slow, drawn-out, unnecessary death of President James A. Garfield. Garfield was officially killed by a man named Charles Guiteau, who had first convinced himself he was of major importance and should surely be awarded the ambassadorship of Paris, and then, when this didn't happen (because he had absolutely no qualifications or connections, regardless of what he thought), decided Garfield needed to go. Garfield was, after all try to do away with the cronyism that saw important civic posts handed out to lackeys and major campaign contributors, and actually get people selected based on merit.

As it stands, Garfield would likely have survived Guiteau's attempt if not for the attending doctors. Millard weaves into Garfield's story the resistance by the established American doctors to Joseph Lister's ideas about trying to create an antiseptic environment, to avoid getting germs in wounds. The idea had taken hold in England, but for whatever reason, most American doctors in the 1870s thought it was hokum. Which is how you get a situation where one doctor sticks his unwashed finger into Garfield's bullet wound, looking for said bullet, while Garfield is still laying on the 19th century train station bathroom floor.  In reality, Garfield died because his primary doctor, a Dr. Bliss, got him riddled with infection and was too dumb and stubborn to realize it.

Millard brings in several variously connected threads and makes an engaging read of them. The early lives of both Garfield and Guiteau, and the distinct contrasts between them, but also the issue of Roscoe Conkling, a major adversary of Garfield, and the man who was certain he owned Garfield's Vice President, Chester Arthur. Arthur's transformation, thanks is large part to a series of letters from a Julia Sand, is detailed, and so is Alexander Graham Bell's involvement in the attempt to save Garfield's life. It's impressively done, and highly recommended.

'Not only did many American doctors not believe in germs, they took pride in the particular brand of filth that defined their profession. They spoke fondly of the "good old surgical stink" that pervaded their hospitals and operating rooms, and they resisted making too many concessions even to basic hygiene.'

Zorro 2.33 - Invitation to Death

Plot: A tranquil morning at the de la Vega hacienda is disturbed by the noisy arrival of one Captain Arellano, who was providing security for the governor's wagon, which has overturned nearby, gravely injuring His Excellency. The governor is soon brought to the hacienda and set up as comfortably as possible in the sala while Diego fetches the doctor. The captain explains to Diego and Alejandro that he suspects foul play at the hands of a group called the Rebatos, who resent the governor's call for all Californians to take a loyalty oath to Spain. In fact, the governor was coming to Los Angeles to make a call personally for the people to take the oath. He won't be making that appointment, but Phelipe (the captain), will as he is appointed temporary governor. While Phelipe seems uncertain of himself, he makes an impassioned plea in the tavern, and aided by Alejandro vocally and publicly standing up to be first to take the oath, seems to have carried out the governor's wishes. As other citizens line up to take the oath, a Manuel Larios approaches the captain, and asks if he has considered that, were the governor to die, the captain could continue being governor, which might be very good for the captain. Phelipe says that sounds an awful lot like treason, but the idea takes hold in his mind.

Back at the hacienda, poor Sergeant Garcia is stuck as the governor's orderly, which means trying to get him to take his foul-tasting medicine, with poor results. Meanwhile, Diego is outside talking with the governor's daughter, who is concerned for her father's safety and wonders why there is so much political violence. Diego's attempts to lift her spirits catch the eye of the captain, who fancies the young lady, despite her complete lack of interest in him. So he makes a bit of a scene, and implies she's been behaving improperly and that he will not allow her to do so going forward. Which earns him a well-deserved smack in the face from her, and later still, a dressing-down from her father, who has apparently decided Phelipe will never become the man he hoped he would. Having lost the confidence of the governor, Larios' suggestion is much more appealing to the captain, and he soon rides into town, dragging Garcia and Reyes with him.

Fortunately, Bernardo notices and warns Diego. Unfortunately, Larios' men are wasting no time going on the attack, and Diego apparently needs a year to change into Zorro, so Bernardo has to enter the sala through the secret passage and stop the first killer (though not before the governor takes a bottle to the head). Bernardo and Zorro move the governor to Alejandro's room, and Zorro places the first would-be assassin in the bed with the blanket over him. Two more rush in, and while Zorro is busy with one, the other knifes what he thinks is the governor. The two killers then flee, having failed in their mission. Afterward, Captain Arellano gets the third degree from everyone as to why he took away the guards, but the governor tells them to stop, out of pity, perhaps.

Quote of the Episode: Governor - 'This will be an opportunity to show what you are made of, to vindicate my faith in you.'

Times Zorro Marks a "Z": 0 (13 overall).

Other: Little surprised Zorro didn't draw his sword when dealing with two assassins. Yeah, the governor is safe elsewhere, but perhaps you don't want these killers to escape without finding out who they're working for and with. It's the second week in a row he doesn't seem to be taking the actual fight entirely seriously.

I don't know what it is the doctor is making the governor take, but hopefully he won't die because he's making Garcia take it instead.

Arellano correcting Garcia and insisting on being referred to as "His Excellency", but only because of tradition was a pretty great slimeball move. You can tell Garcia doesn't buy that explanation at all, either.

Diego frames the actions of the people trying to kill the governor as those of people looking to claim the considerable natural resources and wealth of California for themselves. I guess as opposed to letting Spain have it all. He's probably right, but people might also resent being told they need to publicly affirm their loyalty to a country that really doesn't seem to give much of a damn about them. It sends them brutal Army officers and corrupt government officials almost constantly. And just because Arellano pulls a JFK a couple of years early (asking the people to ask what they can do for Spain, rather than the other way around) doesn't change that. I'm not blaming the governor for that state of affairs, but he hasn't made a visit to Los Angeles for anything else that we know of, so this is what he's apparently deemed most important, and it really isn't.

What I Bought 6/21/2016 - Part 2

So like I said Wednesday, I didn't buy Deadpool #13 yet because it was too expensive for my cheap ass, even though it was probably a good value, in terms of cost per page, relative to other comics these days. But here's two other Deadpool comics, because Marvel publishes plenty of them.

Deadpool: Last Days of Magic, by Gerry Duggan (writer), Scott Koblish (artist), Guru eFX (colorist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - That is an awful cover. Just boring as shit.

So Dr. Strange is dealing with a threat trying to wipe out all magic in his book. Deadpool has some magic-using friends, plus his wife is a succubus that rules a Monster Metropolis, so this actually makes sense as something he'd get dragged into. He and his friends stave off total annihilation, but the Ghost of Ben Franklin decides it's time to move on to the afterlife (after confirming that story where he and Clea did the nasty in the past-y is in continuity), and Wade's necromancer friend Michael dies stopping the Empirikul's magic-eating machine. Wade does a spectacularly poor job delivering the news to Michael's girlfriend Daphne, who also has magic abilities, and may have actually cursed Wade. Or it may have just been a generic "Curse you!" When things go to shit in Wade's life, it'll be hard to tell.

I feel like Koblish was homaging/doing a parody of Barry Allen's death in Crisis on the Infinite Earths with Michael's death, mostly the panels at the bottom of page 23 where Michael slowly crumbles to dust. Except Koblish's art makes it seem slightly less heroic, slightly more comical. I don't know that it's intentional, although most of the moments for Michael up to then are making fun of him. Puking after using the teleportation spell, failing to try and heal someone (because the spell doesn't work anymore), the echo of the Ancient One facepalming at Michael planning to use Togbon's Journal. I think that's the point, he looks like a screw-up, and he isn't any sort of great mage, but he still saved a lot of people (albeit temporarily if Strange doesn't get his shit together and deal with this problem). Anyway, Koblish does an excellent job on Deadpool's desperation to try and help his friend, and his sadness when he can't. His immediate turn to Doctor Voodoo to find some way to bring Michael back, the way he stands there and takes Daphne's hatred. And the moment when Michael promises to make the Ancient One proud before teleporting away (followed by that facepalm), he had such a look of happiness, it was heart-wrenching. Guru eFX softened the color scheme a bit for those two pages as well, which helped. It's a quieter moment, the colors aren't attacking my eyes, things don't feel as frenzied, and so it lets everything sink in.

It's an effective tie-in, I just would have preferred it not whittle down the parts of Wade's supporting cast I actually care about.

Deadpool #14, by Gerry Duggan (writer), Mike Hawthorne (penciler), Terry Pallot (inker), Jordie Bellaire (colorist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - I went with the Koblish-drawn continuing adventures of Deadpool and the UPC code through time. This issue, they landed in the worst story in Simonson's Thor run, that one with Justice Peace of the Time Variance Authority. If they erase that story and replace it with something better, the whole thing will be worth it.

The Ulysses kid with the precog stuff warned all the heroes about a Celestial (I think?) showing up, and the day was saved. But Wade is not being properly appreciative to his Mercs and they're planning to go into business for themselves. Oh no, please don't, you are such an integral part of my enjoyment of this book, he said with no emotion whatsoever. That's pretty much it, other than the Mercs trying to convince Cable to fund them, and Adsit leaving to return to SHIELD. After a half-dozen issues, where he did almost nothing as the guy running Mercs for Money day-to-day. I suppose this could all be part of the curse, shit falling apart rapidly for Wade, although, again, it's hard to tell. Deadpool is the last person who should be trying to run a business, given his lack of attention span and routine indifference to the problems (like bills) of others. But given Ben Franklin's warning of dark days ahead before his departure, and Ulysses telling Wade he wouldn't want to be believe in predicting the future either, if he had Wade's lifeline, yeah, it's probably the curse. Still, the rapid dumping of Adsit feels like I'm back in Daniel Way's run on Deadpool, where he careened one way then the other with seemingly no plan. That's not something I wanted to be reminded of.

At the end of the day, Duggan hasn't done enough with the Mercs for me to care if they stay or go. There's a lot he could do, since all of them represent different facets of Wade (which is no doubt why they were picked), but so far, it hasn't materialized (except with Madcap, I guess). The Mercs are just baggage distracting from the cast members I'd actually like to see Wade interact with (because it's actually been established how they play off him, resulting in me giving a crap about them): Preston, Eleanor, Adsit, Michael, whoops he's dead, oh well. If it's a point about Deadpool getting everything he thought he wanted, and losing all the stuff he really cared about (Last Days of Magic points out Wade has pretty much dropped his friends from the previous volume now that he's a big Avenger), fine, but it doesn't make it anymore enjoyable.

The high point of the issue is Cable explaining to the Mercs how he has money, which involves a flashback to Cable traveling back to the 18th Century with some cash, which he deposits in a bank, and draws from when he returns to the present. Not so much for that explanation, but Mike Hawthorne drawing Cable in a top hat and coat with tails, plus an eye patch to cover the glowy eye. I had not realized I ever wanted to see Cable dressed up like that, but it was great. Deadpool thinking precognition is a bunch of crap feels appropriate too. Otherwise, he'd have to acknowledge what everyone's been telling him about how it's all going to end badly for him, and I don't think he wants to do that.

That turned out very angry, but the books happened to combine to form a perfect combination fo everything that's frustrating me with Deadpool right now.

Jack Staff - Everything Used To Be Black And White

One of the occasionally frustrating things about reading Jack Staff is how many plates Paul Grist has spinning at one time. Normally, this isn't the sort of thing that bothers me; I grew up on '80s Marvel comics with multiple subplots. But Grist moves back and forth between them so frequently that just as I'm settling into one thread, he jumps to another*.

What helped though, was an introduction Grist had on the inside cover of an issue of Weird World of Jack Staff. He explained his approach was the book was essentially a whole lot of different comic strips, which all just so happened to be taking place in the same universe, and all of them were kind of happening around the title character. So Jack isn't necessarily the main character, he's the lucky (unlucky) fellow who keeps getting sucked into other people's problems, in addition to some of his own. The structure of the story made more sense after I that.

That actually isn't an issue in Everything Used to be Black and White, which contains the first 12 issues of Jack Staff, those published under Grist's own Dancing Elephant Press. It's just a particular thing that keeps cropping up in my mind as I reread the issues. In those early stages, Grist has to go through the process of introducing these characters to us for the first time, sketching out personalities and quirks, backstories, making us care, and getting the ball rolling.

He's very successful at all that. He starts with a story that moves between a wartime adventure of Jack's and the present, when the threat seems to have reemerged. From there, some of the characters have to deal with the fallout of the battle, the injuries, changes, or even deaths they incurred, and then it moves into a couple of odder stories. One about a book actually coming to life and trying to construct a physical form for itself. Then one about a "time leech", which had tangled with a master escape artist a century ago, and is just now starting to get back into circulation (as is the escapologist).

I'm very impressed with how Grist weaves it all together, bringing in new characters, who end up starting their own arcs and progressions, but it doesn't feel forced. He introduces them smoothly, and then later starts devoting more page time to them. So we're introduced to the Q Branch (who investigate "question mark crimes") in the initial story, but we don't necessarily know that much about them. Then Grist gives them a little more page time, and we see how Harry Crane and Ben Kulmer got into it. If we don't learn the same about Helen Morgan just yet, we do learn about some of her abilities, and her personality**. Or we meet Detective Inspector Maveryck's partner, "Zipper" Nolan as they investigate a murder, and the story hints at something going on with Nolan, but that also won't come to the forefront until later. It's all very skillful, and I wonder at how mapped out Grist had all this beforehand, and how much he pulled together as he went along. Either way, it seems to run together very well, one story creating situations that lead naturally into another.

I think, on the whole, I prefer the book in black and white, compared to the later volumes published through Image in color. Not because the color work is bad - it's vivid and bright, and used effectively to create mood. Like I've said before, I'm a sucker for using negative space, or letting shadows or their absence suggest at things, and Grist does that quite well. And it seems more natural when the whole book is in black and white. Either way, Grist has a good sense of page layout and design, and he's able to create distinct characters who all seem as though they can occupy the same world, be it a regular cop, a demon, or a giant robot person.

I really like the page above, with the Spider's lair shown as this cavernous place where anything could be lurking, and you're stuck navigating by moving from the platforms. Which are in a web motif, so Jack is caught in the web, even when it appears his old foe is being entirely polite and open with his intentions. And the image of Jack on the monitors, which could be the appearance of him being a barred gate, suggesting the Spider's possible eventual plan (I'm not sure if he counted on Maveryck to that much of a crooked cop as to try burning evidence that exonerates a suspect).

* Also, coming to the series now, after the fact, there's the knowledge a lot of those threads are not likely to ever be resolved. Which, again, is something I should be used to from Claremont if nothing else, but it's still a little irritating.

** In general, Helen seems like the sort of person I'd want to trust, because she seems to be generally decent, but I don't think I could ever be certain she wasn't just setting me up to be used for something down the line. Has that air of constantly appraising whether everyone around her is useful or not. With reason, which makes her both a sympathetic and frustrating character, in addition to frequently being very cool.

What I Bought 6/21/2016 - Part 1

I didn't get every book I intended to from the last 3 weeks. Deadpool #13 and Detective Comics #934 were far more expensive than I was willing to accept. Maybe next time (although I've seen scans of Detective Comics, and can't decide whether it's going to be for me or not.) Better to deal with the comics I have than the ones I don't, right?

Black Widow #4, by Mark Waid (writer), Chris Samnee (writer/artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - I like the two birds watching the whole thing. Don't know why.

Natasha doesn't die of her wound, because she's saved by an old friend. Said old friend also tells her who is behind the little kid that stabbed her, where to find them, and hooks her up with some equipment. Which Natasha says is really old, but we didn't really see her use any of it, so I don't know what it was. She retrieves the file she was after, because the head of this new training program was waiting for her and gave it to her. Maya wants to kill Natasha, as a "prove myself" thing, but is advised to do it when Natasha is 100%. So Natasha has what she needs, but her comes that one SHIELD agent. Is he the Weeping Lion? Probably.

Things are starting to gain momentum, though I'm surprised by how many old friends Natasha has, given the mortality rate for espionage. But every time you turn around (or every time she gets a new series), there's another friend, still alive. And another enemy. The situation with her and Maya is going to be ugly, considering the very attitudes Natasha took to keep herself alive in the Red Room, are what helped her make an enemy of Maya in the first place.

The panels Samnee did of Natasha breaking in, set within a larger panel of a maze, was obviously some good work. I notice that when Natasha retrieved the file and went to the spot to drop it off, she started wearing some sort of eyeliner. Either that or she's really tired. Does it subtly alter her face, so people might not recognize her as readily, or is she just more relaxed now? I also like how Wilson colors the outfit Natasha uses for the break-in. The interplay between black and red in this series seems like something I need to look into more, when I get a chance. The red tends to be intense, but sometimes, even when a character is standing in a spotlight of it, if they're wearing black it doesn't seem to be affected. Anyway, I'm enjoying the book more the farther in we get with it.

Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat #7, by Kate Leth (writer), Brittney L. Williams (artist), Megan Wilson (color artist), Clayton Cowles (letterer) - I can't quite parse Jessica's expression there. It looks slightly weary to me. I'd be more befuddled, wondering how Patsy got into the Blonde Phantom's wardrobe, but whatever.

Jessica offers to help Patsy by going to visit Hedy (who of course owns some stupid froo-froo dog) and see if she can find anything they might be able to use to block Hedy's attempt to discredit Patsy. She also convinces Patsy to do a book signing at Tom's store, which is painful enough for Patsy she compares it to being dead. She and Jess try breaking into Hedy's apartment, and get caught. Smooth. Patsy finally blows her top, but sadly, does not kick Hedy in the teeth. Right about then, She-Hulk discovers Patsy's mom was doped up out of her mind on morphine when she signed the rights over to Hedy, so the contract is void. Well then, all's well that ends well, until next month when the book has to deal with Bendis killing or making comatose a member of the cast.

I admit I expected Patsy and Hedy to have some heart-to-heart, and Hedy would reconsider, and they'd mend fences, because Patsy's been making friends with enemies some of the time in this book. But no, I don't see that happening after how this ended. Which actually bums me out a little, I liked how they were portrayed as actual friends by Steve Engelhart when Patsy first came back to life.

I laughed at Luke Cage's reaction to reading the (I'm guessing) fan-comic of him and Iron Fist as a romantic couple. C'mon Luke, do you not spend any time on the Internet? Right, he has a kid, meaning he has no free time. Never mind. Huh, I just noticed Squirrel Girl came to the celebration at the end of the issue. Will Marvel do a crossover between those two books, or at least a team-up? C'mon, they had Squirrel Girl team up with X-23, sorry, Wolverine.

Williams uses the bit where she's goes a bit more exaggerated with character expressions judiciously, which I appreciate. It makes it more effective. Like the panel of Hedy being huffy and put off after Jess leaves at the end of her first visit. It's different enough from her regular style to catch the eye, but still recognizable. And I laughed at her drawing herself getting to meet Patsy. I wonder if that bit where she says she loves how mean Patsy and Hedy were is reminiscent of something she experienced at a convention (being complimented on something kind of awful), or something else.

Also, there's two panels in this issue where the character is placed in front of a solid black background. One is when Patsy mentions that her mother tried to make a deal with a demon to steal Patsy's body, and the other is when Hedy, having heard this, reacts with a blithe, 'Is that all?' The two panels are pages apart, but revolve are the same selfish (possibly drug-induced) act, one framing it as the fairly hurtful thing it is, and the other completely dismissing it. It's like two ends of a conversation the characters weren't even necessarily having with each other at that specific point in time.

I continue to greatly enjoy this book, and hope that it continues for a long time

Fraud of the Century - Roy Morris

My dad sent more books, so brace yourselves.

Fraud of the Century covers the extremely questionable election of Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden in 1876. Tilden by basically all accounts won the popular vote handily (by over 250,000 votes, in an election with roughly 8.5 million votes cast). Unfortunately, there were three Southern states where there were extensive claims of fraud, violence, and generally illegal activity, on both sides. The return boards were dominated by Republicans, and so threw out many thousands of votes for Tilden. The Democrats, who were winning most of the state offices, disputed this, it went to Congress, an Electoral Commission was formed, the attempt to make it even between Democrats and Republicans failed, the Republican majority voted to award all 20 of the electoral votes to Hayes, and he was given the Presidency, basically in exchange for the feds agreeing to back off and let the southern Democrats do whatever they wanted in their own states. "Whatever they wanted" translated to, "Oppress black people as much as they possibly could," which turned out to be quite a lot.

So it's all a massively depressing mess. There are some interesting parts, such as the fact Hayes won the nomination by being the potential candidate who had avoided making any enemies, even if he didn't necessarily stir strong passions, either. he was the candidate all the republicans could compromise on, just like Warren G. Harding would be 45 years later. In general, I don't think it's a good thing if you can apply the phrase, 'just like Warren G. Harding' to someone, but here we are. Tilden seemed unwilling or unable to use the passions of his voter base or the party. He was deliberate, calm, sensible, but he needed to rally support at key moments, and instead went about things at his own pace, which let key moments pass by. I kind of wonder if he really wanted to be President, or just felt it was a duty/burden he should take on. Credit to him for resisting the suggestions he rally armed supporters to him. That would have ended badly.

There is one thing about Morris' arguments that bothers me. He mentions early on that other recent histories of the election have argued that the Republicans were merely countering the southern Democrats' many violent efforts to suppress other voters, and that he doesn't truck with such 'moral relativisim: many wrongs do not make one right.' OK, fine, fair enough. But it feels at multiple points in the book as though he handwaves some of the violence that does occur. And some of it is probably made up by Republicans to give them excuses to question the voting results of particular districts, so those votes can be excluded. And some of them are by Republicans (white and black) against Democrats (white and black).

But it still has the feel of him dismissing all of it as paling before the actions of elected officials, especially when he argues that the numbers of votes lost as a result couldn't equal the number of Tilden votes thrown out by the return board in Florida, for example. But if the violence doesn't excuse the fraud, then by the same token, the fraud doesn't wipe away the violence. Also, it feels as though he's only counting votes that might have been lost to violence or intimidation during the actual 1876 election. But how many were lost to people being killed or bullied in all the years leading up to it. Morris discusses the actions of white Democrats in the south after the Civil War, the killings and intimidation, along with many states instituting Black Codes as a way to keep African-Americans from exercising their constitutional right to vote. I don't know what all that adds up to, and no, it doesn't excuse electoral trickery, but it felt like it wasn't given the proper weight by the book.

'It was a coarse, even cynical reduction of the campaign to a single divisive issue, but Hayes had not won three statewide elections for governor and two terms in Congress by being overly subtle or idealistic. Besides, as his advisers told him, he had little hope of winning any southern states anyway. He would be better served by shoring up his base of support in the East and Midwest - and that meant waving the bloody shirt as long and hard as he possibly could.'

Who's Up For An Inventory Issue?

*It's a sunny day, a month ago, a few scattered clouds, and enough breeze to keep the temperature just below the point it might start to get unpleasant. Calvin and the Clever Adolescent Panda have left Calvin's car at a locked gate and are walking steadily along a deserted paved road*

Clever Adolescent Panda: . . . and so I just got by on my exam for Understanding Societal Trends. I guess I don't really understand them very well.

CAP: {Hmm.}

CAP: But my work with Lufonz getting his new body ready is going well. It'd be going better if the panda who filled in for me when I came to visit last time hadn't blown up half the workspace.

Calvin: {Really?}

CAP: [No direct human translation, roughly corresponds to, "deeply flowing current"] tries hard, but he gets distracted easily, and engineering isn't his strong suit.

Calvin: {Then why sub him in?}

CAP: He's pretty good at the math part, when he concentrates. He just isn't good with his paws.

Calvin: {Hmm.}

*The panda looks around, noticing the old telephone poles, all with the wires gone. There's no other human structures in the surrounding woods.*

CAP: This place is pretty neat. It's like some mysteriously abandoned colony. All the people and their possessions gone, and just the road to show they ever existed. *moment's pause* The road's in surprisingly good shape, though. How long ago did they shut this part down?

Calvin: *shrugs* {Couldn't tell ya.}

CAP: There's no signs left. How do you know where we're going?

Calvin: {Looked at a map online, put a dot on my map. Now I'm just guessing which road will take up the right way. Cut through the woods if we have to.}

CAP: That seems remarkably like winging it, coming from you. You aren't Pollock in disguise again, are you?

Calvin: *silent smile*

CAP: Don't make me hit you.

Calvin: {The fact I'm doing a geocache thing without using a GPS is Luddite enough to prove I'm me, isn't it?}

CAP: I guess so, Captain Flip-Phone. I'm surprised your ancient laptop can even pull up maps. *pause* I didn't even think you were into this kind of thing.

Calvin: *shrugs again* {I know the people who set it up. I want to help it be a success, so I'm participating. *walks silently for a few seconds* And it's something to do.}

CAP: That's it?

Calvin: *shrugs*

CAP: I figured you were expecting trouble. Bandit bears, or sky pirates.

Calvin: *mock-serious* {There are no bears here, and what, I can only call you to come visit when I'm expecting trouble?}

CAP: *hastily* No, it's just that's how it usually works out.

Calvin: {I think you've got it backwards, chum. You usually show up, and then things start exploding or punching me.}

CAP: Don't start with that! Pollock tried that once, and it really bothered me.

Calvin: {Fair enough. But you do like to fight.}

CAP: Besides, it makes you sound like one of those jerk Marvel citizens that says the superheroes creates the supervillains.

Calvin: {That's hitting below the belt. And I don't believe I ever described you as a "superhero".}

*The pair continue the jibes as they amble down the road for another 10 minutes. Birds call steadily from the woods, squirrels make a surprising amount of noise moving through the leaves. Eventually the road turns into a loop in the remains of a campground. The parking areas are still distinguishable from their gravel, and there are even some stone tables left around, most of them tipped over or broken apart.*

CAP: *getting excited* Look! There's a fresh, well-worn footpath! I bet it's down there!

*The panda dashes ahead, Calvin picking his way through the high grass more carefully, trying to avoid ticks as much as possible.*

CAP: *jumping in the air* I found it! I found it! I mean, I think I found it. It's an orange box right?

Calvin: {Yep.}

*The box is sitting next to the broken remains of a tree trunk. Still partially attached, it forms a nice diagonal platform to stand on, providing an excellent view of the cliff face ahead of them, and the lake it overlooks. A hawk flies by to the right, and directly ahead they can see the far side of the lake, covered completely with more trees. The illusion of being all alone is somewhat spoiled by a powerboat zooming past in the middle distance. CAP opens the box as Calvin takes a couple of photos.*

CAP: Do you want a cool name written down in the log book?

Calvin: {Nah, use the real one.}

*The panda dutifully fills in first its name, then Calvin's, while Calvin continues to watch the lake silently.*

CAP: What are the tags for?

Calvin: *absently* {You collect 'em all, you get a special coin.}

CAP: *tackles Calvin* You mean there are prizes?!

Calvin: {Yes?}

CAP: Well then let's go! Let's get the rest! Right now!

Calvin: {Hang on a sec, would ya? Can I take a moment to enjoy this place? They picked it for a reason, ya know.}

CAP: Oh yeah, I guess so. Sorry.

Calvin: {Sheesh, so impatient.}

*The two sit quietly, enjoying the breeze off the lake. It's a well-chosen spot, and Calvin feels more relaxed than he has in weeks. The panda is still being a little twitchy.*

CAP: *looks around* I still keep expecting someone to attack us.

Calvin: *exasperated sigh* {You keep bringing it up, they probably will. *enjoys the view for another few moments* All right, let's go.}

CAP: Yeah, onward! *pumps fist, charges ahead*

Calvin: *watches the panda rush off, starts to follow* {Maybe this is why we only hang out when I'm about to die. You'd kill me from exhaustion otherwise.}

Zorro 2.32 - The Sergeant Sees Red

Plot: Sergeant Garcia returns to Los Angeles with Padre Simeon after a two week absence to discover almost the entire town shut up in their homes with measles. Corporal Reyes is the only soldier not afflicted, and reduced to sleeping outside the cuartel gates. As Garcia puts Reyes through his paces, the padre returns to the church, and Diego rides up, having been busy making delivers to the sick in the ranches. The padre wants to go along, and bring a gold chalice he brought back from Spain for the christening of a church. He shows it to both Diego, and the padre's cook/servant, a man named Carlos.

That evening, Diego and Bernardo drop the padre off at the church, promising to return to pick him up in the morning, then stopping to laugh at Garcia and Reyes sleeping under and on a collapsed tent in the square. Inside the church, the padre gets a rude surprise as Carlos decides to steal the chalice and melt it down. The padre implores him not to return to crime, but is locked in his bureau. Carlos then leaves a "Measles, Keep out" sign on the door, so no one will find the padre for two weeks. In the morning, Diego finds Garcia putting his lancers through their drills by yelling through a hole in the gate. He's preparing them for the Military Forces Day parade, but mentions the padre must have come down with the measles. Diego is suspicious of how the padre could have contracted them so quickly, and barges in (over Bernardo's concerns), and finds the padre. Simeon is still hoping Carlos will reconsider and return, and Diego is certain the man's conscience will speak to him.

Sure enough, Carlos' conscience finds him, assuming Zorro qualifies. After a fairly intense struggle on Carlos' part, he yields, and agrees to return the chalice. Zorro, in turn, allows this, but vows to be watching Carlos from now on. And every time Carlos considers changing his mind, he looks up and sees Zorro watching him. So the chalice is returned, and Diego, Bernardo, and the padre enjoy the Military Forces Day parade, consisting of Sergeant Garcia and Corporal Reyes.

Quote of the Episode: Padre Simeon - 'A man's conscience will often assume many shapes and forms.'

Times Zorro Marks a "Z": 0 (13 overall).

Other: I would imagine in the 1820s that the measles are nothing to scoff at.

Even though Garcia is, as usual, not being as nice to Corporal Reyes as I'd like, I appreciate that once he understood the situation, his first concern was whether the sick soldiers had all the supplies they would need to see them through their quarantine. Garcia is pretty consistently portrayed as caring about the well-being of his men (it was a snag in the Eagle's plans, to the point the Magistrado ordered their mole among the lancers to do something to spoil the food so the soldiers would become discontented).

I'm surprised the Church would send such a nice chalice to a church in Los Angeles. It's a decent-sized town, but doesn't really seem like a major metropolis yet.

I have to give credit to the padre. Nearly died of heat stroke or something in that cabinet he was locked in, but still blaming himself for Carlos' return to crime.

Nothing good ever seems to happen in a blacksmiths' shop in Zorro's world. Always crimes going on, or about to be going on. On the plus side, there are plenty of implements to throw, or try to bash someone's head in with. Not that it helped Carlos, and Zorro didn't even need to draw his sword. Maybe not a surprise; it's a safe bet only one of the two of them has any significant training in fighting, but it does speak to Zorro's restraint, his attempt to carry out the padre's wishes that Carlos return the chalice himself. Zorro could easily batter or kill this man and return it, but the padre would still feel he had failed. Better for Carlos to return it, although if he explains what happened, will that nullify the effect?

I did find it interesting Zorro drew his sword after Carlos surrendered. I know he's making a point - no pun intended - about the consequences if Carlos doesn't follow through. It still felt a little like unnecessary, like if Batman goes ahead and drops the thug he's dangling from a rooftop while interrogating him (while having a line of rope around the guy's ankles). An added bit of terror to an already beaten opponent. Maybe it was necessary, and I definitely understand why Zorro might not have been too worried about it, given Carlos was fully willing to lock the padre in a dresser for two weeks, which would, you know, kill him, I don't know.

I guess it bothers me because it implies Carlos is only repenting out of fear, rather than an actual recognition he did wrong. Which, OK, seems pretty bog-standard for Catholicism to me, but not really what I'd like to see. It seemed as though initially, when Carlos surrendered, that he'd been jolted enough to think about what he'd done, and perhaps felt guilty. And that was why he was going to return the chalice himself. But then Zorro threatens to watch him constantly, and basically threatens to run him through if he steps out of line, and so now Carlos is acting because he fears what will happen if he doesn't toe the line. Which is something different altogether.

No Fair Keeping Secrets From The Reader, Wade

At the end of Deadpool's recent, aborted attempt to kill Sabretooth, Magneto was preparing to kill Deadpool, only to be stopped by Sabretooth mentioning Deadpool's daughter is a mutant (something Wade did not know, fyi). But once he's free, as Mags mentions never expecting to have a reason to keep Wade alive (namely, to be a protective father of possibly one of the last mutants), Wade grabs Magneto by the shoulders and says he has one more reason.

I thought, given the aggressiveness with which he grabbed Mags, and Magneto's surprised expression, Wade was about to knee him in the groin. Not sure how that was going to qualify as a reason not to kill him, but I expected there would be some joke in there. But no, Wade whispers something to him, Magneto is surprised, says he'll hold Deadpool to his word, then leaves.

The question is raised, what did Deadpool tell him?

I know Gerry Duggan is also writing Uncanny Avengers, and the Red Skull, still possessing telepathic abilities from Xavier's brain (or something) is moving around in the background, doing stuff. And just from bits I've seen posted online, it seems as though Deadpool might know something's up*. Which would make sense, as it's been long established Deadpool's brain is pretty resistant to telepathic jiggery-pokery. And given Magneto hates the Red Skull, what with the Skull being a huge Nazi, and having Erik's best buddy's brain or whatever, Deadpool might have mentioned he knows the Skull's around and up to something, and he's going to take care of it.

Part of me thinks it's something much more absurd, except this is Magneto we're talking about. He doesn't really have a sense of humor, at least not the kind of one that would appreciate Deadpool's. But it could be something else, so if you have an idea, let's hear it. 'Cause I'm just guessing here, as usual.

* The Skull was able to deceive Rogue by appearing to be Gambit, though she's had enough training to, on a subconscious level at least, realize something is off. And the Skull was able to hide himself from Quicksilver when he went to check the old Avengers Mansion vault on the suggestion of, you guessed it, Deadpool!

As If Skateboarding Orphans Don't Have Enough To Worry About

I picked up this hardcover collection of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca's Street Angel a couple of months ago, because I'd seen some panels from some the current issues they're releasing online, and it looked interesting. I'm ten years behind the curve, but that isn't anything new. I was pretty sure I was going to like this a half-dozen pages in, as the title character kicks in the door of the mayor's office, then delivers her half of the conversation through a megaphone, just to be a jerk to him (he deserved it).

Street Angel stars Jesse Sanchez, a junior high aged orphan who is also an ace skateboarding, kung-fu crimefighter. None of the 5 issues in the hardcover are connected to each other, and each one seems to be playing with different tropes or common superhero comic concepts. Mad scientist threatening the city, time-travelers (who are conquistadors), spacemen, killer robots, demons trying to make the plucky female lead their bride, randomly capricious religious figures. For the most part, Jesse reacts as someone who has seen all of it before, and is just annoyed by most of it. She'll point out the stupidity of some of it, but for the most part, it's just one more problem to deal with, like homework, or food..It feels a bit like Rugg and Maruca are pointing out how ridiculous this gets, while also gleefully embracing it for the sake of having cool stuff in their stories.

It reminds me of other comics from the mid-2000s where everyone was adding whatever random weird stuff they thought of because it would be cool or awesome. A lot of times it involved Tesla, I think. I did it in some of the stuff I wrote, in my own limited way, so this isn't a complaint. I love that Rugg and Maruca will decide that time-traveling conquistadors invading Wilkesborough isn't enough, they should hate and fight ninjas they find there, and also, an Irish astronaut should show up. And Jesse's plunked unwillingly in the middle of this, wondering how the hell to get all these idiots out of her neighborhood.

Rugg's art works well for both the more action-oriented and quieter parts of his and Maruca's stories. He has a good sense of pacing in the fight scenes, and he can vary it up. Go with the full-page splash that shows a sequence of events, or a bunch of small panels focusing on different moments in the progression of the fight, or a combination of both. Sometimes the violence is graphic, other times it's over-the-top to be funny (in a sort of dark way), but it works whichever way. Rugg also likes having the sound effects react similarly to the objects they're related to. Door gets kicked in, the sound goes flying along with the pieces. Jesse gets hit by an ambulance, the sound is going to get scattered all over by that same front bumper. He doesn't do it all the time, and it doesn't distract from the story, it's just a nice touch he throws in.

Since the whole thing is in black and white, he does the same thing with using negative space, scenes where Jesse's in a dark place, and an object of person is indicated by the absence of more shadows. Again, not all the time, but occasionally, and effectively. Although it frustrates me since I always find that kind of thing very cool (it's something I like about Joe Quesada's artwork too, maybe the only thing), but I can't quite get right myself.

I like that transition in the panels above. From the white to black background in an instant, even as the guy is finishing his sentence, and helps draw the eye to the fist. And the unfinished sentence's placement carries over to the actual violence, which is why that schmuck didn't finish that sentence.

Really, It's Kind Of Her Job

So the crossover with Howard the Duck was not my favorite Squirrel Girl story in the Henderson/North tenure. That said, there is one element I would like to see carried over, and that is Weapon II. Not because I want a Wolverine in the book that is also a squirrel. Well, maybe that is part of it.. But that main reason is it makes sense to me that Doreen and Tippy would want to help Weapon II readjust to no longer being someone else's weapon/experiment.

It was in the Weapon Plus program, and we know what they did to Logan and Deadpool, among others. It wasn't pretty. And Weapon II is still at the stage where it wears that VR helmet and slips into berserker rages every five minutes. So the other squirrels should be trying to help it reacclimate, and since Doreen is very concerned with squirrels, she should be helping when she can. And if this mean she gets an occasional helping hand from an angry squirrel with adamantium claws, well, that's a perk. Or a side-effect she's just going to have to tolerate.

Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling

Tony Cliff's initial entry in this series, Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, was my #4 trade paperback/graphic novel of 2013. Which I'm sure means much more to him than those accolades on the back cover from people like Kate Beaton. I didn't review that comic, because I'm bad about getting around to reviewing larger comics, but I'm going to review this one, yes sir!

This one is set in 1809, as Delilah and Erdemoglu Selim (the "Turkish lieutenant") are in Portugal, helping a family be reunited with their grandson. They've been working together three years, and this is largely how it goes: They explore what strikes their fancy, and help people in trouble that they hear about. The rescue goes off with only a minor hitch, but does prompt a brief disagreement between Dirk and Selim. His concern was to complete the job, and preserve their health. Delilah had been wounded by the boy's father, and was more concerned with wounding, possibly killing the guy in retaliation, framing it as necessary to maintain her good name.

Not long afterward, they run afoul of an English officer who successfully frames Miss Dirk as a French spy, and gets her branded as a traitor to the English. Which means he's tarnished her reputation, so she's dead set on undoing the damage. Once in England, Selim learns Delilah has been keeping many things from him, like her real name, and is forced to constantly adjust to playing roles that will keep her two worlds separate like she wants them. Which quickly begins putting a strain on their partnership at a point when they can't really afford it.

It would have been very easy to make Delilah a complete villain in her disagreements with Selim, but it's to Cliff's credit that even as she is being entirely stubborn and more than a little selfish, she still retains a lot of her positive qualities. She still tries to take the majority of the risks, she still tries to assure Selim's well-being, and she is trying hard to stop the Major, who has other schemes in action. It's a little harder to handwave not telling someone you've been traveling with for 3 years your real name, but I can understand keeping parts of oneself secret, and seeing how much she struggles fitting back into upper class English society, I can see why she's reluctant to open that can of worms if she can possibly avoid it.

Selim still comes off as a real trooper, though. He's not at all good at smoothly maintaining a deception or that sort of spycraft stuff, but he tries. And his naturally polite demeanor fits much better than Delilah's blunt approach. Although hers is much funnier, throughout the book. Her explanation to Major Merrick of how she and Selim avoid French patrols in the picture above cracks me up every time. Cliff's very good at body language, and at knowing when to zoom in on a face for a good reaction shot. There's one a couple of pages before that, after Merrick has insisted on being referred to as "Major", where Delilah tacks it on at the end of some remark, and Cliff leaves it for a separate panel entirely, so he can really show how contemptuously she's doing so.

I like how Cliff does the sound effect lettering, too. Not so much the particular sounds he chooses - at times he uses the actual verb that describes what the character is doing, like "LUNGE" - but the lettering of them. The thin, sort of loose font for noises like the swing of a sword, versus that big, block lettering for a solid punch in the stomach. It's "thin" noises versus "thick" ones in my head, if that makes sense. The ones you can only hear, versus the ones you could feel, if you were there. I think it's the shading on the bigger sound effects that works, gives it a feeling of three-dimensions, more weight, more solidity. But the effect is also a little ragged around the edges, like it's vibrating from the force of whatever is generating it. And it's supposed to be sound, so it is vibrations, so that's appropriate.

I generally enjoy Cliff's artwork all around. He occasionally does some nice bits with panel layout, but mostly I think it's solid focus on expressions, body language, action, comedic timing. There is one thing he does I'm not a huge fan of (which the picture above is meant to illustrate, and that's sometimes he'll have a panel along the top half of the page that crosses both pages. Then on the bottom half of the two pages, the other panels don't follow suit. They go left to right and down on one page, then you switch over to the other page and do the same. I feel that, if you're going to tell the reader to just go across two pages on the top half, you shouldn't switch it around on the bottom half. There's nothing wrong with what Cliff's doing within the panels, it simply doesn't seem like the best way to guide the reader around.

That minor complaint aside, I love this story, and I've reread it multiple times in the two months since I got it. You don't need to have read Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant to follow what's going on here, though I would recommend that book as well. It's been a year or two since I last read it, but I didn't have any troubles with King's Shilling. Cliff admits in a little piece at the end the book isn't entirely historically accurate, but I don't know enough about the era or the locations to know that, so I can't speak to whether it'll detract from the enjoyment of someone more well-versed. I wouldn't think so.

I Might As Well Make The Argument

Comics Alliance did a "100 Greatest X-Men" poll that wrapped up a few weeks ago. Their panel of five judges rated the characters on 1-10, and their scores added up to half the total. Everyone else could vote, and we made up the other half. I did vote, but only once on each character, though I considered stuffing the ballot box for Stacy X. But this blog does not support electoral fraud!

I didn't always understand the rationales behind how their panel was voting. Some characters were getting credit for actions on various X-Forces or Excaliburs, but Strong Guy, for example, who get knocked for most of his best stuff happening with X-Factor. Mystique got high scores despite all the panelists lauding her work as an X-Man villain, which seems like it should result in low scores for being a great X-Man. It's almost like the whole thing was a silly and completely subjective fun exercise!

Really, my biggest issue was their panel was 80% Cyclops fans, which is some Olympic ice skating levels of slanted judging.

Also, someone actually described Jean Grey as "the heart and soul of the X-Men," which, ha, no

To that end, I thought I'd argue Deadpool's case for Greatest X-Man. He has an extremely limited resume, partiallu because the X-Men are jerks who won't let him on the team (even though they welcome people like Magneto, and Namor, and Mystique, and Gambit. Freaking creepy scumbag Gambit!) However, the few things he's done could be argued to have an unexpectedly large effect.

Point #1: When Hope was born, as the first mutant since House of M, Cable rescued her from not only a bunch of racist Purifiers, but also Mr. Sinister. But he wouldn't have managed it without Deadpool's help. Now, however you feel about Hope, or Avengers vs. X-Men (I'm not particularly a fan of either), Hope was pretty instrumental in making it so there could actually be more mutants. If only anyone had bothered to ask those folks if they wanted to be mutants. . .

The fact this was also hamstrung within what, three years?, by this Terrigen Mist nonsense is not Deadpool's fault.

Point #2: Evan Sabahnur, possibly to become Apocalypse in the future. Or maybe not. I know Fantomex set him up to be raised initially in a more peaceful environment to try and stave that off, but from what I can tell, Wade is the one playing the (bizarre) older brother supporting Evan's efforts to avoid that fate. Probably because Wade knows a little something about people trying to make you into something they want, rather than what you want. Also about how it can be easy, but ultimately suck, to play into others' low expectations for you (basically, don't start acting like a world conqueror, or a buffoon, just because everyone thinks that's what you are or will be).

If Evan does avoid becoming Apocalypse, I'm going to credit Deadpool as one of the major positive influences. When Evan got inverted during AXIS, became Apocalypse, and rampaged, it was Wade who tried to talk him down (and got torn up pretty badly, even by his standards). And Wade who found a place for him to hide after he reverted to his usual self, with everyone now freaking out about Apocalypse. And Wade kept urging him not to take this as some sign he was destined to become Apocalypse.

So, might have helped block the return of a serious X-foe, and helped keep the possible jumpstarter of the mutant line out of the hands of one of their other serious foes. I think that's a pretty solid couple of things to hang one's hat on. And it doesn't even include the time he gave the X-Men a serious PR boost by pretending to be a dangerous lunatic who thought he was an X-Man, allowing them to save the jerkass father of one of their students from Wade (see Daniel Way's Deadpool run). Or all the help he gave Cable during his "show the world a better way" phase, even when Cable would act like a dick and treat Wade like a chess piece to manipulate.

So yeah, limited resume, but it's a good one. Like, "solved cold fusion", and "found Grand Unified Theory". OK, fine, maybe it's more like, "built coffee pot that turns on automatically when your alarm clock goes off", and "women's jeans with practical pockets". Although I've been told that last one would be pretty popular. Point is, he's doing more with less.