new comic

DC Comics are bringing back their Letters Page!  Great news as far as I'm concerned.  I've always seen the Letters Page as a sort of fanboy time capsule at the back of every comic, freezing the views, gripes and speculation of fans for future generations to peruse.  Maybe it's just me, but there's something fascinating about reading letters from '90s fans vowing never to read another Batman comic until Azrael is out of the Bat-costume, or '70s fans complaining because Hawkgirl isn't a member of the Justice League.  These were the message boards of long ago and they'll never be deleted!

Also, if you're really lucky, you'll find an old issue with a letter from a fan who will later go on to become a comics professional.  Geoff Johns famously wrote into the '90s Superboy series suggesting that Kon-El should be a clone of Lex Luthor and Superman.  He would go on to make this happen a decade later in the pages of Teen Titans.  Recently I stumbled across a letter in the back of DC Comics Presents #40 from a young fan who would go on to make his mark in the industry.


Who knows, maybe it was the Air-Wave back up story in that very issue that inspired Todd McFarlane's most famous creation?


Probably not though.

But I have another reason for celebrating the return of the Letters Page to DC Comics.  As a child  I always wanted to get my letter published in a DC Comic.  Sadly I never got a single letter published and my nine year old self's complaints about the decision to change Robin's costume went unshared with the rest of the world.  Now I have a second chance!  I've already written to Supergirl and I plan on bothering the DC Offices with more of my half-baked opinions.  Maybe someday soon I will join the ranks of Geoff Johns and Todd McFarlane and get my letter printed in a DC Comic!

I recently decided that, since 2010 was over, it would be a great time to compile a list of my favourite comics of the past decade. I was about halfway through the list when I realised that technically the decade spanned from 2000 to 2009 and so last year would have been a much better time to present such a list. Oh well, here it is anyway.

Before you proceed please take into account that while I love the entire medium of comics, superheroes are my favourite genre. Within that genre DC and Marvel are my companies of choice. In short, I'm what's wrong with comics today.

One thing that cheered me up while compiling the list was how much I had to choose from. 2000-2009 had it's stinkers that's for sure, but even within the sphere of mainstream, DC/Marvel superhero stuff there's plenty of fantastic work. Comics that narrowly avoided making the list included Ultimates Vol: 1-2, Grant Morrison's New X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, Dan Jurgens' Aquaman, Civil War, New Avengers, DC: New Frontier, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis and Kick-Ass  As good as they all were however, they didn't make the final cut.  So without further ado let's check out my own personal Top Ten favourite comics of 2000-2009!

10) Mark Waid's Fantastic Four, 2002-2005

The FF are at their best when they're venturing forth into unexplored territory, purely for the thrill of discovery and being the first.  After all, the whole reason they gained their powers was because of their rush to ''beat the commies'' into space.  During Mark Waid's run the FF were re-established as 'Imaginauts', adventurers and explorers of the unknown.  Over the course of his time on the book, Waid had the team battling mathematics, swapping powers, taking over Latveria and rescuing their loved ones from the afterlife.  That last one was my favourite aspect of the run, the idea that for the FF the afterlife is just another unexplored frontier.  Another highlight was the reinvention of Doctor Doom from a technology based hero to a leather clad sorcerer and Reed Richards' fear as he realised he was out of his depth against the forces of magic.  Along with the late, great artist Mike Wieringo, Waid created not only some of the best Fantastic Four stories ever but also some of the most enjoyable comics ever made.

Best Moment: The FF meet God, and he's Jack Kirby!

Where to read it all:

• Fantastic Four, Vol. 1: Imaginauts 
• Fantastic Four, Vol. 2: Unthinkable
• Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: Authoritative Action
• Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Hereafter
• Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Disassembled
• Fantastic Four, Vol. 6: Rising Storm

9) Dan Slott's She-Hulk, 2004-2007 


When Stan Lee created Jennifer Walters A.K.A She-Hulk in 1980 she wasn't exactly the greatest character in the Marvel Universe.  There's nothing wrong with those early stories, but there's nothing great about them either.  She-Hulk is portrayed as a bit more intelligent than her male counterpart but is otherwise the same tragic, savage, hunted figure.  A few years later John Byrne got hold of the character, first as a member of the Fantastic Four and then in her own solo series.  Byrne had She-Hulk break the Fourth Wall and talk to the reader.  Personally I found that this approach came across as a bit smug and irritating.  Also, John Byrne being John Byrne, he ensured that She-Hulk was tied up or stripped down to her undies at every given opportunity.  One issue saw the character skipping naked for the first couple of pages while the 1985 She-Hulk graphic novel sees Byrne's lecherousness practically dripping off every page.  Frankly it's a bit embarrasing.  But to Byrne's credit he did establish one important aspect of the character that distinguished her from her cousin and probably ensured the character's appeal and sustainability.  She likes being She-Hulk.  It's not a curse for her it's a gift.

This was the She-Hulk that Dan Slott inherited in 2004 and he worked absolute wonders with the character.  Slott made her a sort of Marvel Universe version of Ally McBeal.  She-Hulk worked at a law firm and had a cast of kooky supporting characters, love interests and rivals.  Except She-Hulk's law firm defended super-heroes and super-villains and formed legal defenses based on issues of Marvel Comics.  In She-Hulk Slott took advantage of some of the absurdities of life in the Marvel Universe and gave us such great concepts as a ghost taking the stand as a witness to his own murder, an unbiased jury gathered from the recent past, Hercules getting sued for excessive force by the Constrictor and Peter Parker getting sued for libel by his own webbed alter-ego.  At one point She-Hulk gets promoted to the role of circuit judge for a sector of space that still uses a form of trial by combat as their legislative principle.  But there's more to She-Hulk than soap opera and sci-fi.  Slott takes the idea established by Byrne that Jennifer Walters prefers being She-Hulk and expands on it, exploring Jennifer's insecurities and hidden depths and asking why exactly a woman would want to hide behind a glamorous, green persona. 

Best Moment: She-Hulk is put on trial by the the Time Variance Authority with her existence at stake. 

Where to read it all:

• She-Hulk, Vol 1: Single Green Female 
• She-Hulk, Vol 2: Superhuman Law 
• She-Hulk, Vol 3: Time Trials 
• She-Hulk, Vol 4: Laws of Attraction
• She-Hulk, Vol 5: Planet Without a Hulk

8) J. Michael Straczynski's Amazing Spider-Man, 2001-2007

  
Many people's recollections of Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man are dominated by two stories, Sins Past and One More Day.  Both stories have their problems to say the least but it's a shame to let them detract from six and a half years that had some great Spidey tales.  Right from the start JMS showed us he was taking the character to interesting places by introducing Spidey to Ezekiel, a millionaire with spider powers who suggested that the roots of their powers were mystical rather than scientific.  True to his nature, Spidey rejected the mystical explanation but seeing him out of his comfort zone amongst all the magical mumbo-jumbo was fun.  Ezekiel was a fantastic character.  He gave us a glimpse of what a man with spider powers might do without Peter Parker's drive or morals.  Bugger all!  He meant to use them for good but put it off so much that in the end it was too late.  Ezekiel reminded us just what makes Peter Parker so special and for me this was the best thing about JMS' run.

There are other highlights too.  Pete and MJ's relationship is written very well and the issue were Pete travels to Hollywood to win her back is great.  JMS also gives us the best version of Aunt May ever depicted since she first appeared.  May finds out Peter's secret early on in the run and while she is hurt and angry that Peter has lied to her all these years she's still determined to support her nephew in any way she can.  In one issue she's shown writing letters of complaint to every newspaper giving negative coverage of Spider-Man.

Sure, it all started running out of steam a bit towards the end.  I've haven't got much of a problem with the idea of Norman Osborn having seduced Gwen Stacy but did we really have to see Norm's leering, sweaty sex face?  Also, while I quite like One More Day and don't believe it's the travesty it's generally depicted to be, it's still a very flawed story.  The Other would have been a much better story if they'd stuck with one writer/artist team instead of dividing it over all the Spidey books.  But looking at the run as a whole there's so many good bits that I find it easy to forgive its dodgier aspects.

Best Moment: In JMS' first story Peter Parker defeats mysterious, mystical super-baddie Morlun by PUNCHING HIM IN THE FACE WITH SCIENCE!

Where to read it all:

• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 1: Coming Home
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 2: Revelations
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 3: Until The Stars Turn Cold
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 4: The Life & Death of Spiders
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 5: Unintended Consequences
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 6: Happy Birthday
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 7: The Book of Ezekiel
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 8: Sins Past
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 9: Skin Deep
• Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 10: New Avengers
• Spider-Man: The Other
• Civil War: The Road To Civil War
• Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man
• Amazing Spider-Man: Back in Black
• Amazing Spider-Man: One More Day:

7) 52, 2006-2007


In 2006 DC Comics did something that has never, to my knowledge, been done with mainstream American comics before.  They let their best writers, Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid and Greg Rucka loose on a 52 part weekly maxi-series that would chronicle a year in the life of the DC Universe. Each issue detailed an actual week chronicling the events that took place during the missing year after the end of Infinite Crisis.  For a whole year we got the best DC had to offer giving us a glimpse of the lesser seen parts of the DC Universe.  We saw Black Adam getting shown a brief glimpse of redemption and happiness before having it cruelly snatched away.  We saw Will Magnus getting forced to work for Egg-Fu on an island full of mad scientists.  We saw Steel coping with new powers as he took on Lex Luthor in a world without Superman.  We saw Animal Man, Adam Strange and Starfire trekking across the Universe on a long journey back to Earth.  Best of all we saw Booster Gold seemingly living down to expectations before finally fulfilling his potential and saving everyone from a giant, cosmic butterfly.  At the end of it all we were left with a new multiverse brimming with glorious story potential.  In short, we saw one year of pure awesome.

The most amusing thing about 52 was the fact that DC Comics obviously intended for the series to connect the dots between the end of Infinite Crisis and the new status quo established in each DC titles' One Year Later issues. During this missing year many things were supposed to have occured.  For example, Commissioner Gordon got his job back, Aquaman got turned into squid-thing and the Teen Titans got a bunch of new members.  However Morrison, Johns, Rucka and Waid clearly weren't interested in having their creativity directed down these paths and pretty much ignored One Year Later and did their own thing.  And quite right too, 52 was better for it.  As a result a mini series called World War Three was tacked on towards the end that explained all the changes ignored by 52 in one go.   Anyone reading 52 purely for explanations of the new status quo might as well just have waited for World War Three.  Anyone reading 52 for an original, epic and extremely fun story were richly rewarded.

Best Moment: Will Magnus escaping from Oolong Island and taking on Egg-Fu armed with mini Metal Men.  

Where to read it all:

• 52, Volumes 1-4
• DC: World War Three
  

6) Geoff Johns' The Flash, 2000-2005


When Mark Waid stopped writing The Flash I was gutted.  Waid had spent the '90s taking Wally West from a selfish former sidekick stuck in the shadow of his late mentor to a hero in his own right who both continued and surpassed the legacy of the previous Flash.  As far as I was concerned no one could write Wally as well as Waid.  And who the hell was this Geoff Johns guy anyway?  My biggest concern was that Waid had taken Wally on such a perfect journey of growth and maturity that there was very little else to be said about the character.  And in a way I was right, because Johns, perhaps realising that Waid had spent a lot of time in Wally's head, decided to concentrate on fleshing out Flash's enemies, the much maligned Rogues.  Under Johns Captain Cold, Mirror Master and the rest went from B-list villains to a compelling, tragic bunch of baddies, with intriguing back stories and a complex set of ethics that made them unique among villains.  Johns didn't just rely on established Rouges however, he also created his own.  The best of these was Wally's very own Reverse-Flash, Zoom.  Now Wally's predecessor, Barry Allen, has returned from the dead.  It's a shame Wally's taken a back seat, but as I've said before, I feel it's Barry's time again.  And this time I couldn't be happier that Johns is writing it.

Best Moment:  Supporting cast member and ally of The Flash, Hunter Zolomon, (present since the start of Johns' run) goes all evil and becomes Zoom.

Where to read it all:

• The Flash, Wonderland 
• The Flash, Blood Will Run
• The Flash, Rogues
• The Flash, Crossfire
• The Flash, Blitz
• The Flash, Ignition
• The Flash, The Secret of Barry Allen
• The Flash, Rogue War

5) Geoff Johns' Green Lantern, 2004-ongoing


DC Comics had spent ten years trying to convince us that Hal Jordan, Green Lantern, was a murdering nutjob and we just weren't buying it.  Not only was Hal responsible for the destruction of the Green Lantern Corps but in Zero Hour he'd tried to rewrite the Universe, and by now he was dead and bonded to the The Spectre, dishing out God's wrath to everyone.  To say he'd come a bit far from his roots was an understatement.  Don't get me wrong, there were some great stories during this period and Hal's replacement, Kyle Rayner, was a great character.  But this just wasn't Hal.  Redeeming Hal and returning him to his role as Green Lantern seemed an impossible task but with Green Lantern: Rebirth, Geoff Johns made it seem easy.

Rebirth was just the start.  Pretty soon Johns surprised everybody with The Sinestro Corps War, a crossover between Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps that saw the formation of an evil yellow ringed Corps based around fear rather than will power.  It also saw the return of Parallax, the Anti-Monitor and Superboy-Prime and introduced concepts and plot threads that would enrich the mythology of the entire DC Universe, resulting in last year's highly enjoyable Blackest Night.

So not only did Johns bring Hal back in a credible and enjoyable way but he returned the mythology of the Green Lantern Corps to prominence in the DC Universe while expanding upon it.  He made Green Lantern into one of DC's top franchises, leading to this year's Green Lantern movie (which looks awsome).  Best of all, rather than kill off or retire Kyle Rayner or either of Earth's other GLs, John Stewart and Guy Gardner, he made them and Hal into a sort of a sci-fi version of the Four Musketeers.  It just goes to show that there's nothing terrible a comic company can do to a character that can't be undone by a good writer.

Best Moment: The Sinestro Corps War was almost gonna be my pick for best moment, but nothing beats the bit in Green Lantern: Rebirth where Hal returns from the dead with "no more fear. But plenty of damn will!"

Where to read it all:

• Green Lantern, Rebirth
• Green Lantern, No Fear
• Green Lantern, Revenge of the Green Lanterns
• Green Lantern, Wanted Hal Jordan
• Green Lantern, The Sinestro Corps War Vol. 1
• Green Lantern, The Sinestro Corps War Vol. 2
• Green Lantern, Secret Origin
• Green Lantern, Rage of the Red Lanterns
• Green Lantern, Agent Orange
• Blackest Night, Green Lantern
• Blackest Night

4) Grant Morrison's Batman, 2006-ongoing

  
When Grant Morrison began his run on Batman he stated that he wanted to return the character to his '70s status of "hairy chested love god".  That was the least of what Morrison acheived.  Morrison has breathed new life into the Bat-Books.  Since 2006 he has completely rearranged the status quo, introduced new characters, created new ways of looking at old characters, merged over seventy years of continuity into one long narrative and yet still managed to keep everything recognisable and iconic.

Morrison set the tone of his run right from the start with a story that featured Ninja Man-Bats and introduced Damien Wayne, the son of Batman.  Damien is a ten year old who has been raised by assassins.  He is initially arrogant and petulant and has no qualms about chopping off a head or two in order to try and impress his dad.  Over the past few years it's been a joy to see Damien mature from an arrogant little psycho into a Boy Wonder who, while still arrogant, is eager to respect and live up to his father's legacy.  His relathionship with his new mentor Dick Grayson, is particularly touching.  Damien has become Robin to Dick's Batman and while Damien is forver critical of Grayson, he has obvious respect and affection for his older brother.  This is in stark contrast to Damien's relationship with his other brother Tim Drake, with whom he has a bitter, and amusing rivalry.

As well as creating Damien, Morrison has brought Dick Grayson into the role of Batman, cleverly emphasising his circus roots and showmanship in order to distinguish him from Bruce Wayne's Batman.  Morrison has also continued his reinvention of the Joker, a process that began in 1989 with Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.  Under Morrison, the Joker posseses a form of super-sanity that leaves him constantly reinventing his personality.  One day he may be a mischievous clown the next he could be a cold hearted killer.  But it is Bruce Wayne who is the star of Morrison's run.  Morrison's Wayne describes himself as "alpha-male plus", he is a man who has pushed himself to the very pinnacle of human perfection.  He is a man so prepared that he programmed a back-up personality into his own brain as a defence against psychological attacks.  Morrison has taken Wayne on a journey that has seen him take on new villain Dr. Hurt, The Joker, Darkseid and history itself.

The best thing about Morrison's run is that each individual issue contains enough cool moments to satisfy on the first read, but truly understanding the plot requires multiple readings, meaning you get your money's worth with each story.  

Best Moment: It's almost impossible to pick one but I'm going to go with Batman: RIP, the story where Bruce Wayne survives being driven insane and buried alive in order to bring down Dr Hurt and his organisation, the Black Glove.     
 
Where to read it all:

• Batman, Batman and Son
• Batman, The Black Glove
• Batman, RIP
• Final Crisis
• Batman and Robin, Batman Reborn
• Batman and Robin, Batman vs. Robin
• Batman and Robin, The Return of Batman
• Batman, The Return of Bruce Wayne

3) Superman and the Legion of Superheroes, 2007-2008


Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have produced some of the best Superman stories of the past decade. This is one of them. Superman goes back to the 31st Century to reunite his old teenage gang, the Legion of Superheroes, and battle super-powered, alien-hating human supremacists.  Since the early '90s the Legion have been through reboot after reboot.  This story ignores the reboots and draws on decades of continuity to return the Legion to their roots.  Despite this it stands alone as a brilliant story in its own right.  The getting-the-band-back-together plot and the array of colourful characters would make this the perfect basis for the next Superman movie, but let's face it, that's not gonna happen. 

Johns tells you everything you need to know about the Legion and everything you need to know about each Legionnaire through their dialogue and actions rather than relying on monologues and flashbacks. You're in no doubt about each character's personality or role in the team within a few panels of meeting them.  Read this story and I guarantee you will love the Legion of Superheroes!  The best thing about the tale however, is that Superman is without his powers for most of it but you hardly notice because he's so damn hard.

Best Moment: This story is littered with moments so cool that I literally punched the air with joy while reading them. If I had to pick one it would be when a powerless Superman pushes the main baddy, Earth Man through the window of a space station in order to battle him while plummeting through the atmosphere. Balls of Steel.

2) Superman: Red Son, 2003


This is the story of what would have happened if Superman's rocket landed in Soviet Russia and Superman became "the Champion of the common worker who fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact." It's written by Mark Millar, a brilliant writer who has written depressingly little in the way of Superman stories considering he obviously loves and understands the character so much. Superman has always walked a fine line between helpful super-powered pal and scary alien invader, hell-bent on imposing his will on the world. In Red Son, he crosses that line. Despite this Superman is never depicted as an evil power mad Commie. Throughout the whole book he's driven by the same desire to help and make the world a better place that drives the regular Superman. This story shows us what would happen if Superman, removed of the American value for individual freedom, took that desire to it's extreme. This is also one of the best Lex Luthor stories ever. Luthor is the Western world's only hope but, like regular Luthor, he is driven by the same petty obsession to rid the world of the one man who could be perceived as superior to him. It also features Russian Batman in an adorable little Bat-eared deer-stalker hat.

Best Moment: Luthor shows Superman who's boss with just a sentence written on a scrap of paper.

1) All Star Superman, 2005-2008


This is it. The best comicbook story of the last decade and the ultimate Superman story. It's written by Grant Morrison and it features everything that's good about Superman, and I mean EVERYTHING! Clark, Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Krypto, Luthor, Ma & Pa Kent, The Daily Planet, the Fortress of Solitude, Krypton, Metropolis, every aspect of the Superman myth is taken to it's next logical extreme and injected with an extra dose of Grant Morrison awesomeness. 

One of the most successful ways to depict Superman has always been as a sort of 20th/21st Century legend, Western Civilisation's very own equivalent to the Norse or Greek Myths.  Richard Donner did it with his Superman movie, and now Morrison has done it with All Star Superman.  The tale begins with Superman realising he's dying.  He then has to go forth and perform a list of legendary super-feats before he pops his clogs. Along the way he reveals his secret identity to Lois (who refuses to believe him), meets future members of the Superman dynasty, escapes from Bizarro World with the help of Zibarro the Bizarro Bizarro, helps the coolest version of Jimmy Olsen since the days of Kirby and of course, fights Lex Luthor.

Luthor is absolutely perfect, a super genius utterly consumed by hate, just as he should be. In many ways Luthor has always represented Superman's greatest failiure.  Superman's mission is to inspire good in the people of the world, and yet it has always seemed he's inspired nothing but hatred and evil in Luthor.  Morrison addresses this in a very original way, through the character of Leo Quintum.  Quintum represents everything Luthor could be and, according to some interpretations, may actually be a redeemed future version of Luthor.  There's very little else I can say about All Star Superman except of course READ IT!

Best Moment: There's an unforgettable moment on every page.  If I had to choose the best one, it's a toss up between Superman's final super-feat and the moment Luthor reveals he shares his prison cell with an ape in a Superman costume called Leopold.

Where to read it all:

• All Star Superman, Volume 1
• All Star Superman, Volume 2

or if you fancy splashing out, 

• Absolute All Star Superman 

So, there it is? What do you think? Am I crazy? Any of your own favourites left out? Let me know.

SUPERMAN versus BATMAN"Who Would Win?" (DC)Where: Superman/Batman #78 When: January 2011Why: Joe Kelly & Jack Kelly How: Ed BenesThe Story So Far...Violence. The will to fight for survival.It is a trait manifested in nature across almost every level of dominating species. For those who possess it, it is a skill measurable in the darkest aspects of social heirarchy, and equally revered in sport

I saw a trailer for Skyline the other day, this trailer in fact....



I can't really tell if it's going to be any good or not, but it did get me thinking about the new Superman movie.  Imagine a trailer similar to this one.  It starts with a group of ordinary people like you or me, waking up and gradually realising that their lives have changed overnight.  Huge ships are appearing in the sky and abducting people in columns of light.  Metal behemoths are striding across the city, stomping everything in their path and plucking people at random off the street with huge tentacles.   All this is interspersed with news footage and scenes of the alien menace attacking every major city across the globe.  The enemies' faces remains unseen, their motives a mystery.  Panic reigns as people desperately try to flee the cities any way they can.  News readers are weeping, people are kneeling and praying in the street, shops and homes are looted.  Lovers are torn away from each other, parents scream desperately for their children.  All hope is lost.  Amidst all the chaos there is one man slowly walking against the flow of terrified people running for their lives.  His pace quickens, he removes his glasses and the camera closes in as he rips open his shirt to reveal a familiar symbol.  John Williams' Superman Theme begins to play.....

I would love to see Zack Snyder do something like this with his Superman movie.  One of the great things about The Dark Knight is that Christopher Nolan doesn't seem to have set out to make a superhero movie.  He made a crime thriller and stuck Batman and the Joker in it.   We then got to see how the world of the crime thriller was changed by the presence of these two larger than life characters.  I reckon the same could be done with Superman.  Snyder needs to make the best sci-fi/invasion thriller he possibly can, and then stick Superman in it and see how that kind of film is changed by his presence.  At the very least it'll give Superman the chance to face the kind of threat he's never faced before on screen, and give us the chance to see a kind of Superman film we've never seen before.

What do you think?

That's not Stewart Lee with Alan Moore, it's my pal Mike.  He got to meet Moore and I didn't! Lucky git.  Photo by Rosie Reed Gold.

Stewart Lee is the best British comedian around today, FACT.  He's probably most famous for co-writing Jerry Springer the Opera but he's also a massive comics fan.  In fact he's even pitched ideas to Marvel, including one about the teenage years of Agatha Harkness that sounds awesome.  Five years ago he interviewed beardy comics legend Alan Moore for BBC Radio 4.  The interview can be found here on Lee's website.  Moore discusses his influences, how he got into comics and his various great works such as From Hell, Swamp Thing and V For Vendetta.  They also talk a great deal about superheroes and the various goofy aspects of Silver Age comics that first drew them to the medium.  Moore remembers Ace the Bat-Hound, "Batman's dog had a mask, in case any of the other dogs recognised him", while Lee fondly recalls the classic Legion of Superheroes story,  The Super Moby Dick of Space, much to Moore's amusement.  It's really fascinating stuff and very funny so I thought I'd share it here.

The interview can be heard by following this link.

There's also an unbroadcast snippet where Moore talks about Superman and Mort Weisinger and another where he discusses The Killing Joke.

I had a ticket to see Stewart Lee performing a few weeks ago but a family illness meant he was forced to cancel.  I'm looking forward to the rescheduled gig in March and I hope the family illness wasn't too serious.  Here's a clip of his comedic might from the ol' Tube of You.  It's NSFW with lots of swear words,

Listen out for the Marvel Comics reference....



And here's part two of that clip...

Bleeding Cool have just made it known that Zack Snyder is directing the new Superman movie!  This is fantastic news.  Snyder is just what Superman needs.  While I'm a fan of Superman Returns there's no disputing its faults.  A Superman movie in the 21st Century has got to be more than just feelings and crystals.  In 1978 Richard Donner made us believe a man can fly, a modern Superman film has to do more than that.  Superhero movies are ten a penny these days, Superman should be taking the genre that one step further.  A modern Superman film should be showing us things we've never seen before.  I believe Snyder is the man to do this.

I'm basing this opinion mostly on 300 and Watchmen.  Watchmen definitely has its faults, mainly a script that contains far too much exposition and a godawful sex scene!  But these are balanced out with some great moments, such as the excellent opening montage and just about every scene Rorschach's in.  300 has a few morally dubious scenes, in fact it's fair to say that anyone who takes the film at anything other than face value is going straight to hell.  But who cares when a film is this much fun?! Watching 300 was one of the most fun movie experiences I've ever had.  Every single gory, homoerotic, over the top scene is just beautiful.

I usually refrain from using words like sumptuous to describe films for fear of sounding like a wanker, but it's a very appropriate word for Snyder's films and its exactly the quality that needs to be brought to a Superman film.  When I think of Superman Returns, despite some of the beautiful sets on display in the film, all I can bring to mind are the muted, dull colours of the Fortress, the muted, dull colours of Luthor's Island and the muted, dull colours of Superman's weird burgundy cape.  A Superman film needs to stand out and burn itself into your brain.  Superman's world is a world of robot duplicates, gorillas with laser vision, cube shaped planets and tyrant suns.  Superman has one foot in reality, the other in a '50s sci-fi wet dream.  Based on the look and feel of 300 and Watchmen, I think Snyder's the man to provide us with this vision.

There is however, one more reason that I'm thrilled with the decision to let Snyder direct the film.  In 1992, Zack Snyder directed the music video for Morrissey's Tomorrow.  He's directed the living music god that is MORRISSEY and now he's directing Superman! Sounds good to me!


Morrissey - Tomorrow
Uploaded by samithemenace. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

This is an updated version of a post I wrote last year after the first issue of Superman: Secret Origin was released.


Last month DC Comics published the final issue of the six part Superman: Secret Origin, a retelling of Superman's early years by writer Geoff johns and artist Gary Frank.  Every time I see this series mentioned on the web I notice that there's always someone complaining "Oh no, not another Superman Origin revamp, Superman continuity is a mess blah, blah, moan, moan, bitch, bitch". I never understood the "mess" accusation. DC could put out a new Superman origin every year for the next 100 years and everyone of them would involve Krypton exploding, raised by the Kents, going to Metropolis and meeting Lois Lane etc, etc. DC will never reveal that Superman is really a reincarnated Egyptian Prince or the son of an Ancient Wizard. You want messy origins, try being a Hawkman or an Aquaman fan. As for the accusation that there's too many origin stories, how many is too many? Because in fact, while Supes' origin is perhaps the most retold origin in comics, there have only been two other official origin revamps in the past quarter of a century, Man of Steel and Birthright.

 
Man of Steel by John Byrne is the reason that I'm such a big Superman fan. Before reading it I preferred Batman and always thought that Superman was a bit of a pompous douche-bag. Byrne trimmed down Superman's power level and emphasized the importance of the Clark Kent side of his personality. At that point in my life I don't think I had ever read a version of Superman that was so easy to identify with. However despite it's awesomeness it's worth remembering that Man of Steel came out in 1986, 24 years ago. There's as much time between Secret Origin and Man of Steel as there is between Man of Steel and this version of Superman....


My point is, as great as Man of Steel is, a lot of time has passed since then. What's wrong with updating the myth a little bit?

Which is what happened in 2003 with Superman: Birthright. There's a lot to admire about Mark Waid's version of the origin. Interesting Silver Age aspects such as Lex Luthor's childhood in Smallville are placed back in continuity while new additions to the myth are added as well. For example, Superman has a new power, a sort of soul vision. This ability to see the life literally leaving a dying body led to Superman's decision to become a vegetarian. Familiar characters are given intriguing twists. For example, Pa Kent is initially resentful of Clark's developing powers, feeling that they are driving a wedge between him and his son.

As entertaining as this origin is however it never seemed to take. Perhaps it was because of the lack of appropriate advertising. When the first issue came out it seemed to come out of nowhere. DC dropped Birthright on us without commenting on whether it was "official canon" or not. This was later confirmed by Waid nine months after the first issue came out. Personally, it was Lenil F. Yu's art that prevented me from warming to the series. While Yu is a fantastic artist I feel his style is inappropriate for Superman. It's too dark in tone and lacks that iconic, timeless feel of Byrne's art. This is no more evident than on the cover of the first issue where Superman is drawn without pupils in his eyes. This happens a lot with Yu's Superman, it pops up once again on the cover of the trade paperback. While removing the pupils from Superman's eyes can be a most effective image when drawing angry Superman, generally speaking he has lovely big blues that radiate kindness. Batman is the guy with eerie white slits.  Despite this I do like Yu's art.  He's currently working on a Superman analogue called Superior with Mark Millar for Marvel Comics, which I'm looking forward to greatly.



Which brings us then to the latest attempt, Geoff Johns' and Gary Frank's Secret Origin.  I've argued that, at least in my opinion, there is a place for another Super-Origin tale, but is this one actually any good?  The answer is yes, yes, yes!  Rather than dump this one on our lap DC have wisely spent the past five years weaving the changes wrought by this origin into continuity and teasing fans as to what this new origin might involve. And it involves everything great about the origin from the past 70 years. Secret Origin contains aspects of Man of Steel and Birthright, for example the way Byrne let Lana Lang in on the secret identity and the way Waid returned young Luthor to Smallville. It contains aspects of the Silver Age, for example Clark's indestructible glasses, Superman's indestructible costume and the Legion of Superheroes. It brings in fantastic touches from other tales of Superman's youth.   Clark flies for the first time rescuing Lana from a tornado, just as he did in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Superman For All Seasons.  Perhaps most obviously Secret Origin uses a lot of imagery from the 1978 Richard Donner movie.  Frank's Superman is the spitting image of Christopher Reeve and Lois meets Superman for the first time while being rescued from a helicopter falling over the side of a building.
 

This isn't just a collection of greatest hits however.  Johns brings lots of new touches to the Superman myth.  The Parasite and Metallo are both given much needed updates.  Rudy Jones has always beeen depicted as a faceless nobody before he was transformed into the Parasite.  Johns depicts him as a parasite by nature even before his accident.  This new version of Rudy Jones is a chubby spunger who mooches sandwiches from Clark Kent and his transformation into the Parasite seems very fitting.

John Byrne gave Metallo a great update shortly after Man of Steel.  Byrne wrote him as a petty criminal who was rescued from a near fatal accident by a mad scientist who placed his mind in a robotic body in order to defeat Superman.   This is a perfectly good super-villain origin, but I was always disappointed that Byrne's Metallo design made him look like a Terminator rip-off.  In Secret Origin Johns returns the character to something resembling his classic look whilst simultaneously updating his backstory.  Metallo is now Sgt. John Corben, a military bully who was jilted by Lois Lane.  Whilst battling Superman on behalf of the military he is fatally wounded and subsequently revived and upgraded by Lex Luthor.  I like that Luthor's now involved in his origin, after all if you're gonna use a mad scientist, use the best.  I also like how Metallo has more of a personal grudge against Superman, it always makes for more interesting villains.


There's plenty more to admire about Secret Origin.  The inclusion of Lois' dad, General Sam Lane as an early adversary was particularly interesting as was Johns' depiction of Superman's relationship with Lex Luthor.  The final confrontation between the two of them in issue six is absolute gold.  But one of my favourite aspects of Secret Origin is the relationship between Lois and Clark.  Lois is not an idiot and she sees right through Clark's meek and clumsy act straight away.  Okay, she doesn't quite figure out he's Superman, but she understands that he's not a man to be underestimated and she's fascinated by his efforts to make everyone do just that.  Johns gives us an interesting new twist on Clark and Lois' relationship.  Clark is meek and mild but Lois doesn't just dismiss him out of hand as she did in the Silver Age comics or the Donner movie.  This Lois is clever enough to see that there's more to Clark than meets the eye and it's easy to believe that her curiousity will one day turn to admiration and then love.

One of the biggest stars of Secret Origin is the city of Metropolis.  Johns' Metropolis is a grubby, cynical place before Superman shows up.  It's as if Lex Luthor has poisoned the city from within.  Of course Superman changes all that just by being Superman.  His presence inspires Metropolis to reject Luthor and become the greatest city on Earth once again.  Johns understands that Superman's greatest power is his ability to inspire.  He can't save the world by ending all poverty and overthrowing dictatorships.  If he heads down that path he's just an alien imposing his will on mankind.  Through his example Superman inspires people to change the world for the better themselves.  For me, this is what Superman's all about.  The following speech that Superman gives in the final issue sums it all up for me. 


There's countless more reasons why I love this story.  It's filled with large, iconic images and beautiful small moments that all absolutely nail the characters and their world.  I haven't even mentioned the art of Gary Frank yet.  Frank's art is clean, clear, timeless and iconic, just as it should be. A lot of people have complained about his Superman looking like Christopher Reeve but I say, who the hell else are you gonna make him look like? Dean bloody Cain?!

I honestly can't write enough good things about this story.  As much as I love John Byrne's Man of Steel I honestly believe it was time for a new origin story.  Superman: Secret Origin is an origin story that will endure, hopefully even longer than 24 years.

I've had a very pleasant week!  This has mostly been due to Rich Johnston who runs the brilliant comic news and rumours site, BleedingCool.  He very kindly showcased my Amalgam Age of Comics blog and as a result the blog was also covered on io9.com! This has brought me more internet attention than I've ever received before and I'm very, very grateful to Rich Johnston.

Check me out on BleedingCool here.

Check me out on io9 here.

Rich has also very kindly featured a few Photoshop Amalgam thingies done by me on the theme of Vertigo's characters returning to the DC Universe.  Check them out here.

Also, if you haven't already done so, check out and bookmark BleedingCool.com right now!  It's awesome!

Just so this post isn't just me promoting myself in a shamelessly self indulgent fashion, there now follows several pictures of Superman busting out of chains.  I leave you with a question; who the hell keeps chaining him up?

Superman #330 art by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte

Fellow blogger and internet chum X-Man75 has written a great post on his blog discussing which cities of the DC and Marvel Universe contain the dumbest residents.  He argues that the residents of Metropolis must be among the dumbest, particularly the journalists of the Daily Planet and Lex Luthor, because of their failure to recognise Superman and Clark Kent as one and the same.  After all, how can a pair of glasses make you look like a different person?  This is one of the main observations that most people have made regarding Superman over the years, it is however one I would dispute.  In fact I would go as far as to say that pulling off such a disguise successfully would be perfectly possible in real life.

DC Comics have attempted to explain away the apparent flimsiness of Superman's disguise on a number of occasions.  Lois Lane's attempts to confirm her suspicions regarding Clark's secret were a staple of Superman's Silver Age adventures.  Perhaps this was the writer's way of saying "Look, she at least suspects, she's not a complete idiot!"  By the end of each story however Superman had put Lois' suspicions to rest (at least for another month) usually through the aid of a Superman robot.  Sometimes Batman put her off the scent by wearing a rubber Superman mask, which he of course wore over his own bat-eared mask.  In 1990 Ma and Pa Kent confronted Lois' suspicions by telling her that they raised both Clark and Superman at the same time.  Frankly I find it easier to believe that Lois would be fooled by Batman's magic chin putty than by the Kents' unlikely tale.

Action Comics #650 art by Curt Swan

What about Lex Luthor?  Why would the cleverest man on the planet be taken in by a pair of glasses.  John Byrne gave us the definitive answer to this in 1987 in Superman #2.  Lex built a super computer and hired a team of scientists to work out the secrets of the Man of Steel.  The computer's conclusion was one simple sentence.  Clark Kent is Superman.  Lex refused to believe it.  Apparently Lex is such an arrogant bastard that he refuses to believe that a man with such power would want to pose as as a mere mortal. Grant Morrison took this one step further in All Star Superman.  During this series Clark actually takes his glasses off and shouts in Lex's face.  Lex is so blinded by arrogance that he literally can't see what's right in front of him.  Amusingly this series also contains a scene in which Clark reveals his secret identity to Lois and she also refuses to believe that meek, clumsy Clark could be the super-man of her dreams.

All Star Superman #5 art by Frank Quietly

Possibly the least satisfying explanation for the success of Clark's disguise came in 1978, in Superman #330.  In this issue it's revealed that Clark is unwittingly hypnotising everyone he meets to see him as a skinny wimp whenever he wears his glasses.  This effect also works on photographs of Clark and assumably on Batman's latex rubber Clark Kent masks.  The hypnotic effect lingers for awhile, even when Superman loses his powers.  I find the notion that someone as powerful as Superman is wandering around messing with everyone's perception of reality without even realising he's doing it quite disturbing.  Even in that really dodgy bit in Superman II when Superman hypnotises Lois into forgetting they'd had sex, Superman is at least in control and responsible for his actions.  But in the comics Superman could accidentally lobotimise you just by putting his glasses on!  Unsurprisingly this aspect of the Superman myth has been completely ignored over the years. 

Superman #330 art by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte

In my opinion all this apologising DC Comics have done over the years for the glasses disguise is completely uneccessary.  I have no problem accepting that a man could disguise himself from even those closest to him simply by wearing his hair different, changing his posture, body language and voice and putting on a pair of glasses.

Let's put it this way.  Imagine you worked with me in a London office.  Imagine I looked exactly like Prince William except I had a beard.  You may have noticed these similarities when observing pictures of him in the press.  You may have met William on several occasions and noticed these similarities up close and in person.  You may even have noticed that I've never been around during all the royal visits the young Prince has made to our hypothetical office.  But would you really seriously consider it likely that the heir to the British throne puts on a fake beard and comes into work every day and inputs data into spreadsheets and drinks his coffee white with no sugars and has a crush on the office temp and discusses last night's episode of Doctor Who with you over his lunch of marmite sandwiches and so on and so on.  Of course you wouldn't!  Why would Prince William do that?! Why would anyone?!  Now take this hypothetical scenario and replace me with Clark Kent and Prince William with Superman.  See what I'm getting at?

Just for the record, I don't look like Prince William and I don't work in an office.

This post is ultimately unneccessary however.  The most compelling defense of Superman's secret identity has already been argued successfully by one man.  Christopher Reeve, with his brilliant performance as Clark Kent/Superman in the Superman movies.  Take for example the scene in the first movie where Clark almost reveals his secret to Lois, or the scene in Superman II where Clark actually does reveal his secret to her.  Reeve doesn't just take his glasses off (Dean Cain please take note).  He takes off the glasses, broadens his shoulders, deepens his voice and seems to grow a foot in height!  If I was working alongside Reeve's Clark I'm confident that I'd be living in complete ignorance of his double life.

Christopher Reeve- Better than Dean Cain

So what do you think?  Never mind 'You will believe a man can fly'.  Have I convinced you that a man can fool the world with a pair of glasses?  Or am I letting my love of the character blind me to the bleedin' obvious, much like Lex Luthor's hatred and arrogance blinds him?  Leave a comment and let me know your opinion. 

Fellow blogger and internet chum Jason Todd has a fun, regular feature on his blog that involves asking his followers to submit their Top Five lists in a comics related category of his choosing. Categories have included Top 5 writers, Top 5 villians and even Top 5 bromances. But it was one of his recent categories, Top 5 characters with untapped potential, that got me thinking about the Forgotten Heroes.

Forgotten Heroes by Paris Cullins and Gary Martin

The Forgotten Heroes were a DC Comics super-team formed in 1983 that consisted of seldom used heroes from DC's huge stable of characters. In their original incarnation the team members were Immortal Man, Animal Man, Dolphin, Congorilla, Cave Carson, Dane Dorrance, Rip Hunter and Rick Flag Jr. Since the '80s many of these characters have found themselves not quite as forgotten as they once were. For example, Animal Man was successfully revamped by Grant Morrison in the late '80s, Rip Hunter is a regular supporting character in Booster Gold, Congorilla is a member of the Justice League and Dolphin was a prominent member of Aquaman's supporting cast who most recently appeared in zombie form in the DC mega-crossover Blackest Night.

Jason Todd's untapped potential lists inspired me to consider which DC characters I would choose to put in a modern incarnation of the Forgotten Heroes. This proved tougher than I initially imagined it would be. After all, titles such as Shadowpact, Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters and Justice Society of America regularly feature such obscure delights as Detective Chimp, Mr America and Doll Man, and in this age of the internet is there truly such a thing as a Forgotten Hero? I decided that in picking my team I would set a few goals for myself. I would pick at least five characters that would be obscure enough to justify the title 'Forgotten Hero' and yet alive in current DC continuity, at least to the best of my knowledge. After much head scratching I finally settled on a team. I present to you now, the NEW FORGOTTEN HEROES....


Brother Power, The Geek

Brother Power by Keith Giffen and Malcolm Jones

Brother Power is a wonderful character that was created by comics legend Joe Simon in 1968 in a perhaps misguided attempt to get 'down with the kids'. He's a tailor's dummy that was clad in hippy clothing and brought to life by a lightning bolt. Brother Power's title only ran for two issues before it was cancelled but during those issues the character got into plenty of groovy shenanigans involving hippy protestors, biker gangs, circus freaks and space rockets. He was brought back briefly in the '90s by Neil Gaiman in a Swamp Thing Annual and then featured in his own Vertigo published Special. He turned up last year in a fantastic J. Michael Straczynski penned issue of Brave and the Bold. Despite having shown up quite recently I feel he deserves a spot on the team as his appearances have been few and far between. As for his merits as a character, he's a super strong, living mannequin who talks like a stereotypical 1960s hippy beatnik, if that's not comics gold then I'm a lip flappin' cube, daddy-o!

Captain Strong

Cap'n Strong by Marshall Rogers and Jerry Ordway

In 1973, five years before Superman's famous fight with Muhammad Ali, the Man of Steel battled another legendary pugilist, Popeye the Sailor Man! Sort of. Captain Horatio Strong was created by Cary Bates and seems to have been conceived in an attempt to get as close to Popeye as possible without getting sued. Instead of spinach Strong's strength was derived from consuming an alien seaweed called sauncha. There was however an interesting twist. Sauncha was extremely addictive, it drove Strong insane and caused him to suffer from severe withdrawal pains. Don't panic though, Superman helped him to kick the vile weed! The idea of Popeye as a drug addict fascinates me though and I'd love to see a modern version of the character. Legally speaking though it's probably in DC Comics' best interests to leave Captain Strong to sail the high seas of obscurity.

Chunk

Chunk by Greg LaRoque and Jose Marzan

Chester P. Runk was a podgy scientist who invented a matter transmitting machine that accidentally got absorbed into his body. While Chester was given super strength and the ability to teleport he was forced to constantly consume dense material or risk collapsing in on himself into another dimension. After a brief spell as a villain Chunk was befriended by Wally West, The Flash, and became Wally's best friend for a short period during the late '80s/early '90s. The way this naive, humble, easily manipulated nice guy, was contrasted with the self absorbed ego-maniac version of The Flash that existed at the time made Chunk a very likable, endearing character. Sadly, aside from a brief appearance in Flash in 2001, Chunk hasn't been seen in a comic since 1992. It's not all bad though, Chunk is engaged to Wally's super-model ex-girlfriend, Connie. In your face West!

Joe Potato

Joe Potato by Norm Breyfogle

During Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle's legendary run on Detective Comics and Batman in the late '80s/early '90s they created many memorable characters. Anarky, Cornelius Stirk, Kadaver, The Corrosive Man, The Ventriloquist and Scarface all came from their brilliant brains. One of my favourite products of their legendary collaboration however is the seldom used Gotham City private eye, Joe Potato. Joe was a gruff, hard-boiled but loveable detective that would use a rubber potato peeler to bluff confessions out of terrified crooks. His face was scarred and pock-marked and he was carrying a bit of extra weight. Basically, he looked like a potato. But this didn't stop him being a great supporting character in the handful of Batman stories he appeared in. The main reason I love this character is that he's an excellent example of Scottish writer Alan Grant showing his 2000AD roots. The name Joe Potato is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to appear in a Judge Dredd strip. Despite the fact that Joe's an American, the way the name and concept straddles the line between cool and ridiculous is very British. That is why he should return!

Mopee

Not a dream! Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story!

The final character on my list is the ultimate forgotten hero. In 1967 writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino revealed that the lightning bolt that endowed Barry Allen with the super-speed of The Flash was sent by Mopee, a magical imp from Heaven who looked a bit like Woody Allen! And some fans think the Speed Force is a dumb idea! Mopee's been briefly mentioned in a dismissive fashion in a Flash fact file during the '80s and a few jokey references have been made here and there, but Mopee's pretty much been totally ignored since his first appearance. It's pretty much a case of no writer wanting to touch that mess with a ten foot pole. Mopee has been swept under the rug of DC history. If anyone deserves the title of Forgotten Hero, it's him. One interesting aspect of Mopee's story in Flash #167 is that Barry Allen observes that while Mopee's magic is responsible for his powers, Wally West's speed was derived from a genuine, naturally occuring lightning bolt. So there you go Wally fans/Barry haters! Next time someone's bigging up Barry on a message board at Wally's expense you can tell 'em, Barry's powers were the result of a ginger imp's mad whims but Wally is the real deal!


So there we have it! Brother Power, Captain Strong, Chunk, Joe Potato and Mopee! I don't know about you but I'd buy it. What about you? If you had to pick five obscure but "alive" characters from DC Comics history to star in a new series of The Forgotten Heroes who would you pick? Leave a comment and let me know.