Comics Roundup

I've been a mild fan of comics since I was little, and though I wouldn't call myself a total comic geek, I do appreciate the medium and have read many an issue in my time. I have an eclectic taste.

I prefer graphic novels. Though I'm a pretty big Batman fan and have read the occasional random issues of characters such as Spider-Man, the Punisher, the X-Men, Superman and more, I've never really been that hot on superheroes and Hollywood's obsession with mediocre origin tales has made me kind of despise them of late. Batman, I think, stands tall above all the rest: his story is so much more complex, real and engaging than any other caped hero, and his mythos lends itself much more to cool one-off stories than slow, laborious serials that never go anywhere. And though I've read and own a number of Batman comics (The Killing Joke, Year One, The Long Halloween, etc.), I was first introduced to him via another medium: the animated series, and it was the same with the X-Men.

Look, don't get me wrong- superheroes are cool and they generate an odd sort of pride in me because they're like the American equivalent of a pantheon of gods or mythic heroes. But the comics... meh. They just don't do it for me. I feel like if I haven't been reading every single Marvel and DC comic since the mid-90s, starting now would be a pointless endeavor. It's actually kind of a bizarre medium of storytelling. Characters never age, their mission never ceases and their goals are never achieved. It's really more a business than an artistic medium, at least at this point.

There are a bunch of non-superhero series I follow: DMZ, Fables, 100 Bullets, Hellboy, but I'm so far behind that I prefer to wait till the graphic novels are released and then pick those up instead. But I do see the appeal of the weekly or monthly comic series- following one gives one the same warmth of kinship and the same titillating anticipation that watching a TV series does.

So while I have been following some series and buying individual issues upon their release, they're all continuations of, or tie-ins for videogames, movies or TV shows. It's a bit embarrassing, I know, but it's how I roll. I like stories that span multiple mediums and aren't just straight adaptations, which is why I was such a big fan of the Assassin's Creed: The Fall comic.

Since I'm already covering movies, TV and videogames, I figured, why not start writing about the comics I'm reading? Even if they're mostly based off of shows and games, I still think I can lend a unique perspective to the medium. Expect to see more of these in the future...

Batman: Arkham City #3

Batman: Arkham Asylum was a sleeper hit and one of my top 10 videogames of 2009, and its upcoming sequel, Arkham City is one of my most highly anticipated games. Never before has a videogame captured the spirit of Batman so wondrously, and as an added bonus it was also simply a great game. Batman, as I may have mentioned above, is my favorite superhero and the one whose comics I have read the most. But it had been a while since I'd picked one up, and the Arkham City tie-in series of five issues seemed like a great way to get back in the game.

Written by Paul Dini, who also scripted the games, the comic bridges the gap between the first and second games and explores the creation of the titular "Arkham City," which by the new game's start is already in full swing. Now in its third issue, the series isn't likely to tell you anything the game won't, but it's got some cool moments and hints at what's to come. Issue 3 was interesting in that it featured Bruce Wayne donning a disguise other than his usual Bat Cowl, as an ex-con looking to move up the ranks in the various gangs of Arkham City. As what can be best described as a bearded trucker, Wayne learns about the structure of the Joker and Penguin's gangs, the two of which are intense rivals. This wasn't something I'm used to seeing Batman do, so kudos to Dini for having Wayne expand his detective skills even further. Dini's also great at writing for Harley Quinn, probably because he is credited with creating the character on Batman: The Animated Series. And if I had to bet, I'd say that's Killer Croc the Penguin has stashed below his secret trap door- the fight with Croc in the first game was one of its best and most harrowing moments.

My favorite issue so far has to be #2, entitled "Breaking Ground," as it has a long scene written from the point of view of the Joker, complete with his inner monologue. Part of why I loved Arkham Asylum was because the voice of the Joker felt so spot on, thanks in no small part to Mark Hamill reprising his role from The Animated Series. I could just be nostalgic because the Joker of the cartoon is the incarnation I'm most familiar with and the one the games' version most resembles, but I think Dini truly has a knack for bringing that character to life. I appreciate that even though the Joker got his shit ruined at the end of the first game and isn't the main villain in game two (Hugo Strange is, so far spending all of this time scheming from behind the scenes), he's still a badass and still a player in the game.

Issue #4 comes out on August 3rd and I'm interested to see where it goes. It's nice to have this portal into this specific Batman universe, as due to my move to California, I may not be able to play Arkham Asylum upon its release. At least I'll know the backstory...

Duke Nukem: Glorious Bastard #1

So, yeah... I bought a Duke Nukem comic... got a problem with it?

I'll be the first to admit the King's return to gaming was less than stellar, but for whatever reason, I have a soft spot for the character. He's like every action movie hero and trope smashed together into a feminist's walking, talking nightmare. He's funny and I figured, hey- comic can't be worse than the game, right?

So far, so good. Issue #1 of "Glorious Bastards," which was just released yesterday is actually pretty entertaining and if nothing else, captures the voice of the character to a tee. The title is an obvious riff on Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, itself a play on an old grindhouse WWII flick, and has the Duke traveling back in time to help a hot French resistance chick, a British major and an American Buffalo soldier stop aliens and Pig Cops unleashed by Nazis from overtaking humanity.

Yeah, I know it's ridiculous, but what did you expect? It's Duke Nukem. Plus it's a comic, so it's only $3.99. But it's good, trashy fun, and has some particularly hilarious lines of dialogue. Asked if he knows much about aliens, Duke responds "Know 'em. Hate 'em. Kill 'em." And there's one particular line of dialogue that's not only funny, but also seems to dissect Duke as a pop culture figure, as well as his sordid history as a videogame icon, in a very metaphysical manner:

"Look, Lady, I've kicked alien ass from here to the edge of the solar system... and back again. I've blasted robot sharks into bloody sushi and I've sexed whole platoons of babes into moaning masses of skin and sweat. I've done and seen a lot of crazy things in my time, so nothing really surprises me anymore, especially if it's got my name attached to it."

'Nuff said. Always bet on Duke, baby.

Farscape #21

Farscape is one of my all-time favorite shows, way up high on my list, probably even above LOST now that it has shamed itself (seriously, that show should perform Seppuku on itself). Generally I'm not a huge fan of expanded universe stories, where a tale that has actually reached its resolution continues solely to give its creator, i.e. George Lucas, more greenbacks. The worst offender in my mind is the Star Wars' Dark Empire arc, a comic series that had the Emperor resurrected (he had a bunch of clones, see?) and trying to regroup the Empire while seducing Leia to the Dark Side. Yeah, bullshit. Not only did this story feel cheap and forced, it also goes against Yoda's prophecy in Episode I that Anakin will be the Chosen One who eliminates the Sith and returns balance to the Force. That prophecy was fulfilled when Vader chucked Palpatine into that chasm in Return of the Jedi, but if Palpatine has an endless supply of clone bodies, it kind of makes Anakin Skywalker's entire story and death pointless, and trivializes the entire Star Wars saga as a whole.

So I was a little cautious when BOOM Studios announced their Farscape comic series, but my fears were slightly alleviated when I learned creator Rockne S. O'Bannon was involved. That made it seem a bit more legit than the crap Lucas authorizes while he sits atop his Iron Throne on Skywalker Ranch, rubbing his jowly fingers together and muttering "Good, good..." But the truth was, the Farscape saga had been pretty elegantly wrapped up in the mini-series The Peacekeeper Wars, which had Crichton bringing an end to the conflict between the Peacekeepers and Scarrans and his son being born into a galaxy of relative peace.

But the resolution wasn't quite as resolute as Star Wars', and the closing scene left things open to possibilities. Sure the war was over, but John and Aeryn now had a son, and I found myself longing to see how that particular story would play out.

Fortunately, for the most part the Farscape comics have been pretty stellar. The first series concluded one of the loose ends from the mini-series: Rygel's quest to reclaim his throne, and writer Keith R.A. DeCandido (who I met at Comic-Con 2009) is a master at capturing the voices of the various characters, though the art of the first four issues was pretty lackluster. A new subplot was set up: a mysterious assassin sent to kill John and Aeryn's son (who's nicknamed Deke) as the babe seems to possess mysterious time-altering powers. Sure, there were some unnecessary D'argo spinoffs, but the main series at first consisted entirely of four-issue volumes that acted as stand alone stories, much like your average "alien of the week" episode of the show. And the art got progressively better.

Then DeCandido and O'Bannon decided to create a more serialized arc, which in concept was a good idea because after a while even your most devout Farscape fan would get tired of watching Crichton doing goofy shit and making pop culture references every month. However, the arc revolved around a new species, the Kkore, a legendary race no one had ever felt the need to mention before, who had a devious plan to invade the galaxy from some weird region called "Grey Space" and conquer everyone. This made me nervous. The concept stunk of Dark Empire and other bullshit expanded universe stories. Our heroes had gone through so much, lost so many friends to bring an end to war and see their son born in peace- personally, I kinda wanted the Crichtons to settle down on some moon planet like they had been talking about.

But "The War for the Uncharted Territories" as the series has been called, is actually a lot better than one might expect. Unlike Dark Empire, it seems natural- the Kkore have been lying in wait, studying the various races they plan to subjugate and chose this moment to invade because the two greatest powers in the galaxy: the Scarrans and Peacekeepers, are severely weakened after their war. Plus the race has a decently cool design (the best part about them is that they're huge, like nine feet tall) and a mysterious backstory. My favorite part of the whole arc is how the Kkore invasion has forced the various races of the galaxy, friend and foe alike, to band together and put their differences aside in the interest survival. Scarran and Sebacean, Luxan and Scorvian, Hynerian and Charrid- all must ally themselves if they wish to defeat the Kkore.

Issue #21 (33 if you include the 12 issues that preceded before the series was granted "ongoing" status) sees Chiana finally reunited the crew on Moya after many, many issues of palling around with her "kreshta" Roiin and being super, super annoying. This led to a pretty great scene between her and Crichton, who basically speaks for the audience and asks her: why are you being so weird and annoying? Why is this douche youe one true love? And moreover, just what the frell is wrong with you, Chiana?

Other than that, not a whole lot happened other than the arrival of a sweet-looking Delvian ship carrying Rygel, Stark and Scorpius, plus the issue had one massive twist: the Delvians used to be the Kkore.

What what WHAT??!!

Yeah, I know. That smells of "random comic book expanded universe twist," but dammit, I just can't help myself. That is one hell of a reveal. That explains why the Kkore are so afraid of the Delvians, I guess... What excites me is I can't tell where this storyline is going to go, though I imagine the Kkore will probably get their asses handed to them.

Only three issues remain in the "War for the Uncharted Territories." After it concludes in October, I'm not sure what will happen to the series. Technically it's ongoing, and thus, could go on indefinitely, but issue #24 is the the last one BOOM has announced. Frankly, after two massive intergalactic conflicts in the span of one year, I think the Crichton family deserves a little break. Also, what the hell ever happened to that webisode series?

Jurassic Park: Redemption

Oh, Jurassic Park: Redemption, how much promise you had. It was a genius idea: with Jurassic Park 4 in development hell (probably for the better) it was the perfect moment for a Jurassic Park comic to continue the franchise's saga in a new, exciting format. The title, Redemption, seemed not only to refer to Tim Murphy's quest to restore honor to his grandfather's name, but to an unspoken mission to tell a JP story worth telling. Sadly, such is not the case with Redemption.

Published last year by IDW, well known for their movie, TV and videogame adaptations, Redemption takes place in 2006, thirteen years after the first film. Why? I don't know. But the story it tells is convoluted, oddly structured, and at times somewhat bizarre. Scripted by first time writer Bob Schreck, the dialogue is passable, but only just so, and a lot of the Texan characters, like the sheriff, are pretty hammy.

Basically Redemption follows the Murphy siblings, who are now super rich thanks to the inheritance left to them by a now-dead John Hammond, and are struggling to forge new paths for themselves. Lex and Tim are putting their money to very different usages: Lex has used it to form the sillily named Lexcrops, an agricultural company that uses genetic engineering and is putting union workers out of jobs. Tim, desperate to return his grandfather's image from a power-hungry billionaire that sent several people to their doom to the philanthropist and conservationist he was known as before the Jurassic Park fiasco, has teamed with a mysterious partner to create a new park in Texas. This time the park will feature exclusively herbivores, you know, to be "safe." Of course the shadowy benefactor has ulterior motives, and is secretly developing carnivores, the most prominent of which is the Carnotaurus.

I give Redemption props for featuring mostly new dinosaurs, but in every other regard it fails. The art is pretty bad and makes the confusing script even more convoluted, and the dinosaurs look like they're from a Ray Harryhausen film. Some old supporting characters like Dr. Wu make cameos, but none are memorable and Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler are kind of thrown in randomly at the very end for no apparent reason. There's also a really ridiculous cameo that I won't spoil here, one that doesn't make a lick of sense and makes the climax very anticlimactic.

It's sad that this franchise has given us such a mismatched array of products after the first film. The original Jurassic Park wasn't exactly a film that cried for a sequel- in fact author Michael Crichton's own sequel, The Lost World, which barely resembles the film Spielberg made that shares its name, was also not nearly as great as the original. But as sequels, merchandizing and appearances in ancillary media were inevitable, Universal, Viacom or whoever it is exactly that owns the rights, should have made a more concerted effort to give us quality entertainment while filling their coffers.

Even a cover drawn by legend Frank Miller can't save Redemption from mediocrity (though it is a pretty awesome cover). It's not bad, it's just as I said- mediocre, and not really worth the list price unless you're a diehard JP fan like me. Redemption is a pretty disappointing first foray into comics for the series, though hope isn't entirely lost. Another series was released earlier this year, this time scripted and drawn by John Byrne, a more accomplished figure in the world of comics who's worked on everything from X-Men to Hellboy. Expect to see a post on that in the near future. There's also the upcoming Jurassic Park: The Game, produced by Telltale Games and slated for release this fall. It doesn't sport next-gen graphics or innovative mechanics, but it does have an emphasis on story: it's set during the first film, and surrounds the dino DNA-filled aeresol can Denis Nedry was planning to smuggle out of the park before he became Dilophosaurus chow.

If anything, Redemption has made me realize that I, in all my naiveté, could write a WAY better Jurassic Park comic or script. Maybe it's high time Rob Malone and I got back to writing JP4...

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That's all for now. Check back soon for my take on the first volume of Neil Gaiman's classic Sandman, as well as the sixth volume of Brian Wood's DMZ.