Craptain America

So apparently this is Alex Ross' new design for a new Captain America, set to debut in January's Captain America #34. We don't know who's under the mask, although Marvel promises its not Steve Rogers as he's still dead. Putting aside the fact that this new fella is toting a handgun and hunting knife, which is totally not Captain America, what do I think of the costume? One word: Ugh. The black and ultra shiny red, white, and blue don't go together well at all. The triangular design is reminiscent of Ross' unused original movie Spider-Man costume, which I was also not a fan of. Just replace the red, webbed part with the American flag. I can really only think of one thing that would make this aesthetically unpleasing apparel worthwhile, and that's it this new Captain America turns out to be none other than Bucky Barnes. That'd also explain the weapons.

I know there are some people out there who think everything Alex Ross touches turns to gold, but I'm not one of them. He paints pretty pictures of already existing characters and costumes, but his original designs are hit & miss with me.

Did I Miss Something?

After much waiting, Teen Titans #50 came out a couple weeks ago. I was greatly anticipating this issue, as it surely would spell the end of the Countdown-related filler that the book had been sitting on for the past three months. Nothing against the "tragic end" of Duela Dent or the tie-in with Amazons Attack, but the Titans had been a bit aimless for that period, and I was looking forward to them turning a new corner with new writer Sean McKeever on board.

When I read issue 50, though, I felt like that corner had already been turned down and they were taking a break to reflect on another event. Titans finally got around to mourning the fallen Bart Allen, but it was not this that caught me wrong in the book - it was that Supergirl was a member of the Titans. I didn't miss an issue, did I? When did this happen? Then there was Cyborg leaving for his Titans East team. What? When did this come about? Suddenly, the Titans are a drastically changed team (changed from the drastically changed team of the One Year Later jump), with no cohesive story to explain it. These things just happened - deal with it.

The same had taken place earlier in the year when the Lightning Saga started over in Justice League of America. After reading the first issue, I called my friend (and Comicdom Wrecks! conspirator) Casey and asked when Geo-Force had joined the JLA and Black Canary been elected leader. Neither had been pointed out in the story (in fact, it was signaled against in Geo-Force's case), and were simply mentioned in the context of the new story.

I'm not a fan of throwing changes on without having something take place to explain them. Sure the Titans had just fought a Titans East team led by Deathstroke, but there was no setup to create a new team under that name. It seemed like someone had forgotten to set it up, so they just had to say "And this is happening too. Read it!" To further future stories, consistent setup is necessary, or anything can happen for no reason. Continuity must be established and maintained. A sense of stability is needed to maintain a reader's suspension of non-belief that comics so require.

So please, stop with the jumping. It's giving me a headache.

Don't worry - he'll be back in a couple years.

Once every so often, companies take a character that has had spurts of popularity here and there and decide to try again on a solo series. Try again - because all previous attempts have fizzled out not long after the launch. These characters, they think, should be franchise players, but try as they might, they cannot muster a fanbase strong enough to warrant an ongoing.

On that note, it should come as no surprise that Marvel's Blade is (once again) getting the axe after twelve issues.

Marvel has a string of characters that once in a while they will try to push to the top tier, only to fail time and time again. Perennial background players like Ghost Rider, Blade, and whichever Captain Marvel is current are pushed into the limelight, but the fans just don't buy it. The latest incarnations of Blade and Ghost Rider are no doubt thanks to the movie hype the two have gained (though Ghost Rider's wasn't exactly positive, and Blade's was a bit overdue), but for Blade, it wasn't enough. One year, and he's through.

But when thinking about the character, it really shouldn't be a surprise that Blade can't make it as a solo series. The main appeal of mainstream super heroes is that they can fight anyone, anywhere. It takes a story base (Fantastic Four - science, X-Men - mutation, Thor - folklore, Avengers - homestyle heroics) and pushes on. Blade has a very limited scope - he's a half-vampire vampire hunter who, uh, hunts vampires. In a massive event like Civil War or World War Hulk, Blade completely feels out of place. Why should he care about registration? He's not a hero - he simply hunts vampires.

Blade's a perfect character to show up as a guest star when a title like Amazing Spider-Man or New Avengers enters a vampire-based storyline (which hasn't happened in quite some time). As for his own, Blade deserves a mini-series at best, but when you push beyond, there's not really much else you can do with the character. It's a fate, no doubt, that Ghost Rider will (once again) be meeting before too long.

So farewell, Blade. We'll see you in a few years when your movie trilogy comes out in a special edition boxed set.

Some titles just won't stay dead.

Remember back in 1992 when the first wave of Image books debuted? I saw Youngblood for the first time, and I thought it was awesome. Nevermind that it had the artwork of Rob Liefeld, several characters that looked like rip-offs of existing characters (like nobody noticed the similarities between Cable and Battlestone:








The title, like many of Image's early books, was plagued with mediocre stories, ridiculous amounts of action, underdeveloped characters, and heavy delays in release. The title made it 10 issues, with a spin-off inexplicably putting out double that number. Since then, the book has seen numerous attempted revivals, none of which making it to issue 15. Actually, most of them didn't make it to issue 3. With so many aborted revivals, it was almost impossible to keep up with the characters, the plot, and pretty much anything else needed to keep a franchise afloat.

So, of course, they're going to try again.

Written by Joe Casey and drawn by Derec Donovan, we're going to be treated to yet another Youngblood relaunch to see if this time they can make it consistent. The funny thing is that Youngblood's past is so messed up, Casey has said that they're going to go forward without trying to deal with the past. If they can make it work - good for them. I thought Youngblood was cool when it first came out - but of course, I was 10.

I'm not sure Youngblood's going to have enough of a fan base to make it for any significant period. It's had so many misfires over the years, this one may quietly fade, and take with it the legacy of Youngblood. It's about nine years overdue.

Fear the CRISIS! Fear the CRISIS!

There are some terms that should trigger some kind of recognition for every fan in the Comicdom. Marvel fans will acknowledge a Secret War as important (though strangely enough, very few have any clue who the Beyonder is), and will fear the Infinity Gems. For DC fans, one word strikes fear into their hearts: CRISIS.

This rampant fear stems back to 1985 mini-series that attempted to clean up the clusterf*ck that was DC continuity. The event quite literally changed everything, and represented a new era for DC Comics. Until, of course, they screwed up the follow-up, and kept doing so for the next ten years.

It was then that Dan Jurgens (you know him as the guy who killed Superman) decided to fix everything with his infamous Zero Hour. The result killed most of the Justice Society, ruined Hawkman, screwed with Atom, and basically changed nothing, universe wise. The only bright spot was that it allowed the 40 year old Legion of Superheroes to ditch their convoluted history and relaunch.

No one will ever accuse Crisis or Zero Hour (identified as a Crisis itself) of being easy to follow, especially for the casual fan. Despite that, the two storylines solidified the term in DC lore. If something was identified as a Crisis, it was a big deal. Period.

DC was well aware of this when they put out their Identity Crisis storyline that tore apart the bonds between the early members of the Justice League and killed one of the most adored side characters in the DCU. All the whilst, a bigger, badder Crisis was in the works. After great hype, a lead in issue and four mini-series to set the stage, DC busted out with Infinite Crisis, where a whole lot of crap went down, but nothing really happened. It was exactly as its predecessors had been: a mega event that allowed all titles to make any changes deemed necessary with no storyline excuse whatsoever.

And once again, DC had solidified the Crisis as something to be taken very, very seriously.

These universe-changing events had taken place well apart from each other. Crisis on Infinite Earths was in 1985, Zero Hour in 1994, and Infinite Crisis in 2005. It seemed that DC was aware that this was something to hold onto in case of emergency. A mega event ready to be used, as long as it had enough time to build. And with the enormous scope of the potential storyline, it would need quite a bit of building.

So, of course, now it's tossed out every available chance.

A year after Infinite Crisis wrapped up (and the completion of the 52 mini-series that followed several side characters), DC was once again ready for a Crisis using the same Monitor characters from Crisis on Infinite Earths. This time it would be following the return of the Multiverse (52 parallel worlds brought about by Infinite Crisis) and the Monitors' efforts to stabilize the world from any and all possible threats. The word Crisis is thrown around repeatedly, and everything seems ready to change again.

And this time, it doesn't seem important at all.

Countdown lacks pretty much everything its parent series (Infinite Crisis and 52) had going for it. The novelty of a year long weekly comic is long since gone since the book started the week after 52 ended. The mega, everything changes event? We just had one. Actually, more like we just had two. It simply feels like they're going through the motions now. The drama's gone.

After Infinite Crisis and 52, we're all ready to settle in and enjoy our regular titles. Instead, just after we finish adjusting to the Infinite Crisis changes, all the titles start crossing into Countdown, to give it its status of mega event. But there's nothing new here. The heroes have gathered and prevented the destruction of the universe this way so many times already, it's not fun anymore. It's time to do something else, and give the universe a little bit of time to recuperate before blowing it up again.

So this time next year, hopefully DC will give it a rest and let their universe be for a while. Crossover events? Sure, have at them. But for the love of the big red 'S', give the Crises a break. We've all had enough for a while.

Rant: Give it a rest!

When the smoke settles, nothing will ever be the same!

How many times have we heard this catchphrase, or a variation of it? If you've been keeping up with comics over the past couple years, then more often than you probably should have. Marvel readers have been following House of M, then into Civil War, keeping a side look on Annihilation, and are now preparing for World War Hulk. DC fans followed the entire lead up to Infinite Crisis, the event itself, then jumped ahead a year with the characters, but still kept up with 52 to bridge the gap, and gearing up for Countdown to keep the story going.

Both companies have been featuring a ridiculous amount of "major events" and show no signs of slowing. Sure, the events are major, but in the process, they may be overwhelming the fans who they're bombarded upon week upon week. Both companies have their own way of doing such, but both take a toll on the readers.

The mega-crossover is nothing new for Marvel. The company that brought us Secret Wars, Secret Wars II, the Acts of Vengeance and many others have largely followed a uniform process. The main story is presented in a mini-series, while some regular monthly titles will tie in to flesh out the event. It was extra, but not too much of a burden. After all, it was a special event.

House of M strayed a bit. Besides the regular books and self-titled mini-series, the event spawned numerous other minis to keep some regular titles from sacrificing their issues to contribute. Fans of Spider-Man found a new four-issue mini on their buy list, which really added nothing to the story or the character. Aftermath minis (Son of M, X-Men: the 198) came as well, showing the changes that the event caused since, of course, the regular books couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters.

If you haven't caught it yet, the changes hyped so heavily in the extra books didn't do a whole lot to the big picture.

Of course, the effects didn't have very long to take root, since Marvel immediately jumped into Civil War, again promising that everything would change. Again, side minis were solicited along with the main one, but this time Marvel promoted that most books were important to get the entire story. Civil War stretched out for almost a full year, but at least did change certain aspects of the Marvel Universe.

So, of course, they're immediately gearing up for World War Hulk, with the same promises of mass change coming forth.

If that wasn't enough for fans, side-mega events also have been popping up. Along Civil War came Annihilation, which featured many of Marvel's cosmic characters. Next to World War Hulk will be Endangered Species, an X-Men crossover that will deal with the fallout of House of M, as well as an Annihilation follow up series.

Unlike Marvel, DC chose to spend a lot of time on a single event. Before their major event, Infinite Crisis, DC launched four mini series leading up to the main story. When it was taking place, nearly every DC book was drawn into it. Unlike Marvel's tactics, though, this meant that it was a fair bet that readers would be missing at least a part of the story if they didn't pick up most of the main DC books to follow the story.

It was the aftermath, though, that really made Infinite Crisis feel important. After the final issue of the mini series, every DC book's story jumped forward one year. Mass changes were widespread, and a new direction was being traveled. To cover the gap in space, DC put out a truly unique concept. A limited series, 52, that would be released weekly for an entire year. Fans were willing to drop the extra three bucks a week to follow it, and it's been quite successful.

However, at the close of 52 (47 is being released this week), DC announced that they would immediately start another 52 issues of an event called Countdown that would, you guessed it, change everything. That's 104 issues, coming out every week for two straight years. They're pushing their luck.

The problem with these repetitive 'mega-events' is that it's just too much, too fast. Sure, an event that changes everything breathes fresh air into a setting that can occasionally become somewhat stale. But once those changes have been done, readers want to take a little while and get used to them. To change them so soon after being done takes away from the event itself, and it makes future ones seem less important that creators are trying to make them out to be. If the after effects of Civil War are washed over by the effects of World War Hulk, why did I spend so much money picking up all the extra issues to follow it?

So let's get through Countdown, World War Hulk and all the other upcoming events, then let's take a break and get the whole picture back together before rushing out to shake it up again. I, for one, could use the break on my wallet.

Rant: Delay, delay, delay!

I remember back in mid-July when I picked up my copy of Civil War #3 and was shocked to see Thor standing tall on the final page. Wow, I thought, this story is getting really good! I couldn't wait for the next issue of Civil War to see how Cap's team was going to deal with that. So I waited. And I waited. And I waited.

This story comes to mind because in less than 24 hours, I'll be posting my review of the Civil War mini-series. That's right, the same one who's third issue caused me to walk to a comic shop in the sweltering mid-July heat. And this issue will be only the fourth one to come out since that time. A seven issue mini-series. It launched back on May 3rd, 2006. Depending on who you talk to, this extended scheduling may have been purposely done by Marvel. I don't think three months past a monthly format was the intent, but it did allow all the stories around the Marvel Universe to be told in their own ways. Problem is, most of those stories wrapped up a few months ago. Much of the Marvel Universe has gone past the Civil War, making the final issue slightly lackluster. Even major tie-ins like New Avengers and Spider-Man have begun their post Civil War stories, leaving everyone else scratching their heads.

Marvel is the major example of the declining importance of regular schedules in high-profile books. As shown of late, the higher profile the comic, the less likely it is to actually come out on time. While rank and file titles, in no means lacking in quality, crank out an issue a month (or more), the highly advertised books will make their debut date, then whenever they feel like it. It's gotten to where many fans have come to expect hyped-up mini series to vanish before they end their stories.

A big part has become the popularity of getting writers from other fields to write comics. Kevin Smith, once a highly praised comic writer, has gotten a lot of flack over this. Two of his mini-series, Daredevil: The Target and Spider-Man/Black Cat, came to an unexpected halt in 2002, after one and three issues, respectively. The latter was finished three years later, with an obvious shift in tone over the lull, and the former has yet to have a second issue. The ridiculous delays have damaged Smith's prestige in the eyes of comic fans, and few people are actually expecting him to finish his Daredevil book.

A more recent example would be Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, a mini-series written by David Lindelof (co-creator of Lost). The book had two issues, then nothing. Marvel continued to solicit, then push back the release date of the third issue, until finally at the end of 2006, it cancelled the book until further notice. While they assure it will eventually be finished, skeptical readers are not holding their breaths. Another highly-anticipated story gone due to inability to put out stories.

The trend is not limited to mini-series, either. After Grant Morrison left New X-Men for a DC-exclusive deal, it was announced that the retooled X-Men would be headed up with a new flagship title called Astonishing X-Men, written by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, amongst other things). The first story arc (issues 1-6) came out in a timely manner, and was highly praised by X-Men fans. However, the second storyline (issues 7-12) started meeting delays that the other X-Men titles (Uncanny written by Chris Claremont and X-Men written by Peter Milligan) did not suffer. Therefore, the flagship title began falling behind the other books. Six main characters (Cyclops, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Beast, Colossus, Wolverine) found themselves in something of a limbo, awaiting the next issue. When the storyline completed, Whedon and penciller John Cassaday announced they would be returning for 12 more issues, but with a more spaced out pace (bi-monthly issues). However, the second issue, even with two months between, was still delayed. The book is now on issue 20, where other books launched at the same time are in the mid-30s. It's still promoted as the flagship X-Title, though. That should say something about the X-World.

Finally, I have to say that it's not simply guest writers from other industries causing problems. Take NYX, the supposedly regular series by Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. After four issues, the book simply vanished. Missing so long, high-profile artist Josh Middleton left for DC and the book was eventually retooled as a mini and finished with little cheer after seven issues...two years after it began.

DC isn't completely innocent of this either. Mainstream books like Teen Titans and Justice League of America often miss their regular weeks due to delays, but are usually followed by two issues released within two weeks of one another to make up. It is rare that a DC book will simply vanish. For a shining example of DC's dedication, their 52 mini-series, set to be released once a week for 52 weeks, has not missed a single week (as of issue 41). In this field, DC is a much better example of making deadlines.

So should we sacrifice timely comics in exchange for high-profile creators? I say no, no, a thousand times no. What's the use of an exceptional comic if it doesn't come out at all? Hopefully the fling of such creators will die down and we'll enjoy our better titles at a more regular pace. If I wanted to see the work of the creator of Lost, I'd watch Lost.

NOTE: Is Bryan Singer ever going to do a run on Ultimate X-Men? It was announced like two years ago. God, I hope not.

Rant: Return of...

Death in comics has become an almost laughed-about topic. What used to be an incredibly important event that often changed the course of a title, death has become an overly used and mainly ignored regular in today's comics. The reason is that characters don't stay dead. Sure, in comics anything can happen.

A very long time ago, I made a list of deceased characters who established by belief that death was still somewhat important in comics. As long as these characters stayed dead, I was a believer. They were:

• Gwen Stacy - Spider-Man's first love, killed when a save by Spidey went awry, snapping her neck.
• Robin (Jason Todd) - Hot-headed replacement for Dick Grayson, he was blown up by the Joker after fans voted for his death.
• Ben Parker - Spider-Man's beloved Uncle Ben's death at the hands of a robber he could have stopped is the focal point of Spidey's origin.
• Bucky - Captain America's WWII sidekick was blowed up real good during the same mission that Cap was frozen in a block of ice.
• Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) - In one of Marvel Comics' most touching stories ever, this hero was diagnosed with cancer and died surrounded by friends and enemies alike.
• Thunderbird - One of the second wave of X-Men, he was the first ever killed in action, when he detonated a plane he was on in mid-air.
  

Some notable deaths were left off my list for various reasons. For example, Barry Allen, the longtime Flash didn't make it because he was pretty much exactly replaced by the former Kid Flash, Wally West. If you didn't know that there were two of them, you'd never have guessed. In fact, that's why there is only one DC character to five Marvel characters. DC will recreate it's characters, almost identically, just with a new origin. With little difference in the characters, there's little reason to bring them back. Jason Todd was the exception because his death still affects Batman's character, even after almost two decades later.

Gwen Stacy was eliminated early when I learned there had been a clone of her made. Sure, it's not exactly her, but it's really close...and the clone's still alive. Jason Todd's return was hinted during the acclaimed Hush storyline (it was actually Clayface in disguise), but then he was brought back for real as the mysterious Red Hood. Bucky, it turns out, never really died, but was instead captured by the Soviets and transformed into Winter Soldier. Captain Marvel was inexplicably brought back during the Civil War story with no reason other than...because.

And with Marvel's return, the list passed the halfway point and my faith was gone. Sure when a big name hero like Thor or Colossus dies, you expect their return. However, these deaths were all important parts of the big picture, and being done away with, it's like what they had achieved in death (legacies and whatnot) were utter rubbish. It really takes the fun out of death...or something.

So next time I see a character die, even in a major way (like Goliath in Civil War), I'm not going to think another thing of it. No doubt they'll be back in a matter of time.