Number 987


Alex Toth's Zorro


IDW has issued Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell, editors. It's available from IDW, Amazon.com, or Bud Plant. I haven't seen it yet, but how can it miss? According to the promotional material it includes Toth work on the legendary Zorro comics from Dell.

Walt Disney's Zorro was a solid favorite TV show of mine when it came out in 1957. (Wasn't Disney a genius at getting his name in front of other people's creations? Zorro was created by writer Johnston McCulley, and originally appeared in the novel, The Curse Of Capistrano, in 1919.)

Actor Guy Williams became the Zorro for me. I had bought a couple of the Dell Four Color issues featuring Zorro which pre-dated the television program, but when the show came out the Disney marketing machine went full throttle. Dell's annual Zorro one-shots became Walt Disney's Zorro. Alex Toth did the origin story, and several stories for the series over the years. Warren Tufts did some very significant and fine work on the comic, also.

My copy of that 1957 Walt Disney's Zorro Four Color #882 is long gone, but I managed to pick up the series again in '65 when Gold Key reissued the comics beginning with #1, "Presenting Señor Zorro."

Number 986


The friendless killer and the killer goriller


"Kid Melton" would be just another anonymous crime story from an average issue of Lawbreakers Always Lose, which came out of the Timely/Marvel/Atlas bullpen of the late 1940s, but it achieved some notoriety when the splash panel was included in the infamous Seduction Of The Innocent by Fredric Wertham, M.D. I've had several postings featuring this book, and if you want more information click on Fredric Wertham in the labels below this posting.

Seduction Of The Innocent affected the comic fan world, and books with SOTI panels are highly valued. I'm always interested to see the stories behind the panels and usually wonder why the panel was singled out. Lawbreakers Always Lose #7 was published in 1948, several years before the 1954 publication of SOTI, and probably unavailable to most comic book readers when it came out.





Like "Kid Melton," "The Killer Who Walked Like A Man," from Lawbreakers Always Lose #10, also has artwork unidentified by Atlas Tales. It's footnoted on the listing as being very like "Murders In The Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe. It wasn't included in SOTI, and I have no idea how Wertham would have reacted. Would he have recognized the influence and did he consider Poe's work, even with its macabre subject matter and violence, an important part of American literature?

Poe aside, it has a gorilla, which Pappy's readers know is one of my personal non-guilty pleasures in comic books. A murderous gorilla in a suit, top hat and opera cape...that's all it needs to make the story stand out for me.

The New Yorker of April 11, 2011, explains Pappy's gorilla fetish.

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[The fifth in our series of guest reviews on Grant Morrison's The Invisibles by Zach King, who blogs about movies as The Cinema King]

With the fifth volume, Counting to None, the seven-volume megaseries The Invisibles begins its road to the final issue. After the resounding success of the last two volumes, Entropy in the U.K. and Bloody Hell in America, Counting to None has a lot of work to do as far as living up to expectations. Fortunately, consistent artwork from Phil Jimenez and more of Grant Morrison's traditionally off-the-wall ideas make the book work, though it's not quite as good as what came before it.

"And so we return and begin again." Counting to None is fairly neatly divided into three sections -- an untitled arc which finally explains Robin's mysterious past; "Sensitive Criminals," in which we meet an Invisibles cell from 1924; and "American Death Camp," in which the Invisibles are betrayed by Boy, who steals the Hand of Fate, a mystical superweapon of great power. In the first, we finally learn that (in case you haven't figured it out already) Ragged Robin is from the future, as the Invisibles rush to defeat armageddon cultists and save Takashi, a scientist destined to discover time travel. In "Sensitive Criminals," King Mob travels back in time to retrieve the Hand of Fate while cooperating with a vintage Invisibles cell, meeting Edith Manning for what might be the first time (depending on your interpretation of "chronology" and "linear time"). Finally, in "American Death Camp," Boy's betrayal surfaces as she undergoes brutal deprogramming that unpeels the layers of her already fractured psyche.

Counting to None is an extremely unpleasant read, with some delightful character moments in the "Sensitive Criminals" arc, but overall the series is beginning to show signs of wear. The characters -- and, the reader senses, Morrison himself -- are all growing disillusioned with their lifestyle; the stylized violence, which had heretofore been as enjoyable as any Hollywood blockbuster (as in Bloody Hell in America, which showed no remorse for its action-hero goriness), takes on a level of grotesque and often senseless grittiness. Both the reader and the Invisibles are starting to realize the inherent ugliness in their world and their way of life, epitomized brilliantly by the "little sliver of Quimper" infecting Ragged Robin after the events of the last volume's raid on Dulce. The discomfort is accomplished largely thanks to artist Phil Jimenez's extremely nuanced pencils, which spare no corpuscle of blood but rather blast gunshot wounds and arterial sprays in lavishly ornate detail.

When even King Mob expresses discomfort with, for example, the psychological torture Boy undergoes, the series is headed toward a different kind of conclusion. It's not unlike the moment in the Star Wars trilogy when Luke Skywalker decides not to fight his father but forgive him; similarly, each of the Invisibles is beginning to realize that their approach may be all wrong, that physical violence may need to be subordinated to psychological warfare -- "ontological terrorism," as King Mob puts it. The effect is such that the trip to 1924 practically feels like a vacation; the Invisibles cell of that era is fresh and entertaining, and we finally get to meet some of the characters we've been hearing so much about (Beryl Wyndham, for instance, who's eventually central to the cosmology of the whole series).

But for readers who aren't accustomed to Morrison's esoteric style -- and even for those of us who've read nearly everything he's ever written -- Counting to None marks the volume at which the series begins to get very strange indeed. Almost as if he knows the end is coming (and perhaps the writer really felt this way, with the impending millennium and all its magical connotations facing his publishing schedule), Morrison begins to take stock of the cards still up his sleeve and throws them into the story without devoting too much attention to the details. On repeat readings, things like Takashi's time machine or the Harlequin -- mysterious figures in a variety of disguises, who seem to know everything there is to know -- don't make much sense, and Morrison doesn't seem too invested in unpacking them. Perhaps the best manifestation of this is the short tale which concludes this volume, "And We're All Policemen," which seems not to fit into Invisibles continuity and which remains, for me, entirely a mystery.

There are, however, answers in this volume -- the truth about the relationship between King Mob and Edith Manning begins to unwrap itself, and by the end of the volume there's no question to whom Boy owes her allegiance -- but increasingly they're no longer the focus of the series. Instead, Morrison seems more interested in interrogating our notions of how the world works, layering his own unique philosophy over our own and ultimately asking questions about the nature of reality itself. Diehards might not object, but less cooperative readers may find the series getting a bit too heavy. With Counting to None, The Invisibles is becoming a series about, rather than simply with, a message. This certainly isn't the series we began reading in Say You Want a Revolution . . . ,but at this point I'm not entirely convinced that's a bad thing. In retrospect, it's jarring, to say the least.

[Contains full covers and a "Story Thus Far" page. Printed on non-glossy paper.]

That's Volume Five, loyal readers. Up next: Kissing Mister Quimper, in which the series begins to conclude itself, but not before wading through some murky territory -- and bringing us back to that nasty diminutive devil, Quimper.

Read Zach's full Invisibles review series. Next week, join us as we begin to delve back into Brightest Day and its related tie-ins. Don't miss it!

Go on, call it the "Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus." You know you want to.

Among the latest DC Comics collections solicitations news is Batman & Son vs. The Black Glove, a hardcover collection which must undoubtedly collect the individual Batman & Son and Batman: The Black Glove hardcovers.

Two previous collections in one? Sounds like the start of a "Batman by Grant Morrison" omnibus series to me ...

* Don't miss our recent news on the Flashpoint and DC: The New 52 collections, and the Flashpoint tie-in hardcover collections. *

Collecting Around the DC Relaunch
No word on collections of DC Relaunch material just yet (they have only solicited the second issues, after all!), but obviously DC's 2012 collection plans contain a couple of books meant to pick up on DC Relaunch excitement.

* WILDC.A.T.S. Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition
* Stormwatch Vol. 1

Both of these are hardcover, and it hardly seems fair (to me) that WILDC.A.T.S. warrants the oversized deluxe format while Stormwatch is just a "regular" hardcover; I'm personally more interested in Stormwatch. I'm sure it has mostly to do with the fact that Jim Lee provides art on WILDC.A.T.S., and not on Stormwatch.

* Deathstroke, The Terminator: Assassins
* Hawk & Dove: Ghosts & Demons

We've just been talking on this blog lately about whether we might ever see additional collections of the Karl Kesel Hawk and Dove or Marv Wolfman Deathstroke series. I do have some concern that Hawk & Dove: Ghosts and Demons might just be a reprint of the existing Hawk & Dove collection (collecting the initial miniseries) since the first issue of that mini was titled "Ghosts and Demons." The second story arc in Wolfman's classic Deathstroke series (after the collected Deathstroke: Full Cycle) was called "City of Assassins," so I'm holding out hope that the above Deathstroke collection contains newly-collected material.

* Resurection Man Vol. 1
* I, Vampire

DC's also starting a collection series, apparently, of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's first Resurrection Man series, in time for this character's DC Relaunch rebirth. Though the original series lasted twenty-seven issues (plus a DC One Million tie-in), I don't recall it garnering much acclaim, as opposed to Chase published about the same time. DC's motivation, of course, is the relaunch, but to an extent I see this as the very kind of bloating DC's trade list that Brian Hibbs complained about recently.

Admittedly I have no frame of reference for J.M. DeMatteis's I, Vampire, or what connection there might be between the old and new DC Relaunch series. Undoubtedly this makes someone happy.

Did someone say something about a movie?
With The Dark Knight Rises on the horizon, it seems like every other trade coming out from DC these days is Batman-centric (compare their Batman output with their Superman, Wonder Woman, and even Green Lantern output, a result to be sure of how many Batman periodicals they publish at the front end).

* Batman Versus Bane
* Catwoman: Vol. 1

Two most specifically movie-related include these Bane and Catwoman collections. Bane is another we've been clamoring for here on the site, and will hopefully contain the Chuck Dixon Vengeance of Bane and Bane miniseries that have languished in DC limbo for a while now (what can bring DC and Chuck Dixon back together? A high profile movie can bring DC and Chuck Dixon back together).

The Catwoman collection, while paperback (for now), looks to bring together some of the separate Catwoman collections by Ed Brubaker, and will hopefully go farther than where Catwoman: Wild Ride ended. I wouldn't be surprised if the graphic novel Selina's Big Score ends up here, too.

* Batman: Dark Knight Vol. 1 Deluxe
* Batman: Gates of Gotham

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I have really no interest whatsoever in DC's umpteen Batman titles, and specifically the most recent, Dark Knight, which (A) seems mostly there for movie-name recognition and (B) will only last five issues before it's somewhat ridiculously restarted for the DC Relaunch. That said, I do love DC's deluxe hardcover format -- big enough to be widescreen, small enough that you're not reading with a brick on your lap a la their Absolute format. So when I see Batman: Dark Knight Deluxe, likely collecting the five pre-relaunch issues of this series ... it gives me pause.

Ditto for Scott Synder's Detective Comics. I mean, Greg Rucka did a bang-up job with his Batwoman stories on Detective while Grant Morrison wrote the main Batman story in Batman & Robin, but I do at some point get tired of DC releasing what are obviously tertiary Batman stories when the forward action is taking place in one title only. However -- people are raving about Snyder's Detective, and also I'm fairly interested in the "first families of Gotham" stories taking place in Gates of Gotham and filtering in, as I understand it, to Detective (not to mention that I'll probably sample Synder's DC Relaunch Batman, which I believe also ties in to Gates). So despite my reluctance, chances are I'm in for this one.

* Batman & Robin: Dark Knight, White Knight
* Batman Beyond: Industrial Revolution
* Batman: Gotham Shall Be Judged
* Gotham City Sirens: Division

No doubt some of these collect right up to the DC Relaunch, and bear an update of our "Trade-Waiting at the End of the Universe" post. Gotham Shall Be Judged seems to contain, at least, the recent three-part Batman/Red Robin/Gotham City Sirens crossover.

* Batman: Birth of the Demon
* Batman: Through the Looking Glass
* Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Vol. 1

Is it interesting or coincidental that DC plans a reprint of Batman: Birth of the Demon around the time Dark Knight Rises is to come out? The book is accompanied by a picture of the most recent Son of the Demon printing, and credit goes to both Mike Barr and Dennis O'Neil -- maybe this is a grand collection of the entire Batman: Demon saga.

More from the End of the Universe
* Superman: Reign of Doomsday
* War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath

We can now see the recent "Doomsday" crossover between Action Comics and Steel, Outsiders, Justice League of America, Superman/Batman and Superboy will be collected with all the latter issues in a Return of Doomsday paperback, and the Action Comics issues in a hardcover bannered with writer Paul Cornell's name.

War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath lists both Tony Bedard and Peter Tomasi as its writers (it's a former DC Editors party!), so chances are we've got both the Aftermath series and related issues from Green Lantern Corps or Emerald Warriors here.

* Green Arrow: Salvation
* Justice Society of America: Monument Point
* Power Girl: Old Friends
* Red Robin: Seven Days of Death
* Secret Six: The Darkest House
* Titans: Broken Promises
* Wonder Woman: Odyssey Vol. 2

These, too, no doubt run up right to the DC relaunch in most cases.

Various and Sundry
* Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns Vol. 2
* Justice League International Vol. 7

* DC Universe: Secret Origins
* DCU by Alan Moore

Last but definitely not least, the next Flash by Geoff Johns Omnibus lands in 2012, as does the next (paperback, sadly) edition of Justice League International. JLI is still a ways away from its "Breakdowns" finale; Flash ought collect the Rogues and Crossfire trades, about issues #177-191.

Hard to say what we're looking at with Secret Origins -- I'd like to see a collection of the 1980s series, but that would seem ill-timed amidst the DC Relaunch. The Alan Moore book has seen multiple reprintings, but this is the first time, I believe, it's in hardcover.

Whew, quite the list! Between these and the Flashpoint collection and the DC: The New 52 hardcover, what will you be picking up?

Also this

Number 985


Tomahawk begins


For a non-super character, Tomahawk lasted a long time for DC Comics. He was featured in Star Spangled Comics as a back-up strip, but soon took as cover feature. His own comic book lasted over 20 years, until the early '70s.

I liked the idea of Tomahawk set in a time frame of the American Revolution, a white man trained by Indians. But as we've shown before, DC Comics, who never met a wild concept it didn't like if it involved dinosaurs or gorillas, went far afield of the original frontier concept. A typically wild Tomahawk tale of the Go-Go Checks DC Comics of the 1960's was shown in Pappy's #848.

But this is the original Tomahawk tale, shown in Star Spangled Comics #69, from 1947. It's written by Joe Samachson and drawn by Edmond Good. Later on Tomahawk was taken over by writer France "Eddie" Herron and artist Fred Ray, but this first story paved the way, establishing Tomahawk for the next 25 years.

Right on the heels of news that DC Comics will release a massive 1,216 page collection of all their September #1 issues in December, and confirmation that DC will release the hardcover collection of the Flashpoint event in October, comes word that DC will release (at least) five hardcovers collecting the Flashpoint tie-in series ... next March.

This means that whereas Flashpoint concludes at the end of August, DC's relaunch begins in September, and fans can read the Flashpoint collection essentially one month later in October, it will be essentially six months later (when DC's new #1s reach #7) that trade fans can read the tie-in issues.

Despite that some of the Flashpoint tie-in books introduce concepts that will continue into the new DC Universe, I think DC's waiting too long to release these. These books tended toward irrelevance anyway in the shadow of the DC relaunch, and delaying them this long only worsens that; also, to release the the main Flashpoint collection and then to release its tie-ins six months later must affect reader enjoyment of the story as a whole (imagine if they'd done the same for Blackest Night!).

On to the books, however -- here's a list of what's been solicited so far:

* Flashpoint

* Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Batman
Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso

Chances are this contains more than just Azzarello and Risso's Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance miniseries. I'd venture we'll see JT Krul's Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons here, too.

* Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Green Lantern
Pornsak Pichetshote and Mark Castiello

Interestingly, the Flashpoint: Green Lantern collection lists as its author Pornsak Pichetshote, the writer of the Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries one-shot. I think it's a safe bet we'll see Adam Schlagman's Flashpoint: Abin Sur - The Green Lantern and Flashpoint: Hal Jordan here.

* Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring The Flash
Sean Ryan and Ig Guara

Again, early notes have this as written by Sean Ryan, who's only contributing the Flashpoint: Grodd of War one-shot. There's a lot that could also be in this one -- Sterling Gates's Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost, or Scott Kolins' Flashpoint: Reverse-Flash one-shot or Flashpoint: Citizen Cold miniseries.

* Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Wonder Woman
Tony Bedard and Ardian Syaf

Tony Bedard writes Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1–3, while Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning write Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies. Unless we see a Flashpoint: Aquaman collection come down the pike, probably this is where we'll find both miniseries.

* Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint Featuring Superman
Mike Carlin and Rags Morales

Carlin is only the writer of the Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket one-shot, so possibly that's collected here along with Scott Synder's Flashpoint: Project: Superman and Abnett and Lanning's Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance, or another of the more Superman-centric Flashpoint miniseries.

On the horizon ...
That still leaves a number of Flashpoint miniseries potentially unaccounted for, including most notably villain books like Flashpoint: Legion of Doom and Flashpoint: Frankenstein & the Creatures of the Unknown. You heard it here first -- keep watching Collected Editions, and we'll update as soon as there's new information.

UPDATE 11/14/11 - DC Comics solicitations reveal these books will contain all the Flashpoint miniseries plus issues of Booster Gold, arriving in stores in March 2012 along with the Flashpoint paperback.

Which books will you be buying? How would you like to see Flashpoint and its tie-ins collected? Still considering that giant $150 paperweight?

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