Frankenstein faces the perils of small town America

By far the greatest rash of first issues this month comes of course from DC and their ‘soft reboot‘, and I would be remiss if I failed to take a look at them. Two of the titles that really grabbed my interest are ones that I feel may be overlooked while in the store. If you miss these, it would be a great shame. Both titles promise to be ones that may disappear quickly at first glance, but if you give them a chance, I think they will sink their hooks into you just as much as they have me.

The first recommendation from this week’s shipping has to be Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.  Combining elements from Grant Morrison’s portrayal of the constructed creature in the Seven Soldiers epic and of course the odd panel in Final Crisis; with the dark mythology of the last three Freedom Fighters series, we get to see our favourite not-quite-zombie teamed with a smattering of Creature Commandos straight out of Flashpoint, on a quest to save his intemperate wife in a scenario that reminds me of the Feast movie-trilogy. Let me add, this story is far better than those three movies combined, considering that is possesses elements of plot and characterisation that goes beyond the two-dimensional stereotypes.

Guest starring Ray Palmer, wait until you see what they have done with Father Time! I foresee many black comedy moments ahead.

Meanwhile, DC have decided to flesh out their Arthurian mythos with the Demon Knights. Continuing the Seven Soldiers riff, we have the presence of Sir Ystin, the female Shining Knight. Seven Soldiers established that Camelot has fallen many times throughout history as part of a repeated cycle, and whether her ‘fall’ is the same as Jason Blood’s is open to discussion.

But the greatest member of this cast is not Sir Ystin, Xanadu (I think is it the Madame) or even Jason Blood and his demonic other half. Here we get to see the immortal Vandal Savage, who looks as if he will be forced to take a stand against the evil Queen Morgaine.

In the passage of the single issue, plots and counter-plots abound. Very little depends upon your knowledge of the characters, but of course if you have that knowledge, the experience is greatly enriched. The slightest arch of an eyebrow can speak volumes.

Last week, we saw the release of Animal Man, which goes to show just how blurred the line has become between hero comics and horror comics. True to the later issues of the Vertigo series, the final panels end with a spine-chilling scene that you may have seen before, but deserves a second visit. After all, what is scarier than a small girl who can animate dead carcasses?

It makes me wonder about the thinking behind the revamp. The best age to capture is new comics reader is when they are young, but I would not wish for a child under the age of say, fourteen to read this. Do we need the ‘Mature Readers’ label back? Or some form of rating system?

Dipping into these pages will reward older readers like myself, but we are hardly a new market. DC has upped its game on the page, but as a strategy for new readers?

I hope so, but I doubt it.

Guardians Of The Galaxy #19

I was going to title today’s column ‘Pointless Comics Books’ after reading the finale of The Last Days Of Animal Man. I said before how much I like Buddy Baker, but after reading all six issues, I feel cheated. Gerry Conway, pleasant as his writing is, is no Grant Morrison, so the appearance of the yellow aliens (who I would like to see more of) did nothing to satisfy me, or give me a reason why I have bought the entire series.

However, Blackest Night has continued apace, enough for me to forgive DC. In the conclusion of Blackest Night Titans, we have seen it’s not just the assembled corps of the emotional spectrum that can conquer the Black Rings, but also Dove (formerly of Hawk and Dove, erm, twice) has access to a power that is equally as devastating to the Black Corps. This is not without precedent either, after her role in the downfall of Extant back in JSA a few years ago.

What has really blown me away however is the latest Guardians Of The Galaxy, and the culmination of the Adam Warlock/Magus storyline. Despite the previous issue seeming a little tenuous, the conclusion more than justified the arc with a big story. One surviving Time Keeper; Kang leading an army of Starhawks (with a cute little aside between him and Mantis); a Cosmic Cube and Phyla Vell / Martyr (yes, it’s a silly name) receiving her comeuppance.

Looks like I was right the first time when I observed the Magus will not be featuring in the Realm Of Kings storyline. I should be disappointed, but after this issue, I’m not. We all know that Adam Warlock will be reborn, and thus so will the threat of the Magus, but that is in the future.

I also like how it is left open that Phyla-Vell may have got everything horribly wrong. The Champion of Life has been defined as the Magus (as he opposed Thanos in his own timeline) as well as Warlock. Maybe she killed the wrong guy. Still, it’s all moot now.

get a raw deal.

If you have been reading The Last Days Of The Animal Man, you will already know that Buddy’s life has once more taken a turn for the worst.

Fortunately, #3 has revealed to me (maybe I missed it before) that this series is actually set fifteen years in the future. We also see a progression of the relationship between him and Starfire, (fast moving there Buddy), and the deterioration (again) of his relationship with his wife Ellen.

So far with this series? As nice as it is to see Buddy have his own title again, I’m withholding judgement. Power Girl suddenly a scientist? Maxine with no powers? And the League Of Titans? I so hope this turns out to be Doctor Destiny or some other reality warping force at work.

Still, it has its moments. The art is crisp, and Buddy facing the way his life has affected his family over the years are nice touches. So, I do recommend this, if only to bump up sales so we can see an Animal Man series set in the present. No more alternate realities, potential futures or imaginary stories, but putting Buddy back in the centre of the DCU like Fifty Two and Countdown To Adventure promised. Get him into the Justice League already, and prove that he deserves the limelight.

Plus now Sue Dibny has passed, wouldn’t Ellen Baker make a good replacement?