History Lessons

Island of Terror: Battle of Iwo Jima original graphic novella
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Anthony Williams
Cover artist: Gary Erskine
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Price: $9.95 US/$13.95 CAN

This may strike some readers as shocking, even shameful, but my initial education on the Second World War stemmed from comics, specifically from Roy Thomas’s All-Star Squadron. As a result of my participation in a French immersion program throughout my grade-school years, my social studies courses were all presented in French. That meant a focus on Acadian and Quebecois history. World wars weren’t a big part of the curriculum. With this project and others, Osprey Publishing sets out to combine comics storytelling with history education, specifically when it comes to teaching younger readers about significant armed conflicts, key battles from world-changing wars. This graphic novella about the Battle of Iwo Jima is the fifth in the Osprey Graphic History series.

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Quick Critiques – Sept. 19, 2006

52 Week Nineteen (DC Comics)
by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Patrick Olliffe, Drew Geraci & Brian Bolland

This stands out as the strongest issue of the series to date, mainly because it offers such a surprise and establishes a thoroughly creepy tone in a character that was practically invisible up until now. Based on the cover, I had thought this would be about the creation of a new Booster Gold, but instead, it seems a conspiracy of sorts is emerging. Olliffe’s art is perfect for this series, walking a fine line between a brighter, more traditional super-hero tone and a slightly darker, grittier atmosphere. The Brian Bolland art on the two-page Animal Man origin backup was a real treat.  Bolland offered up great covers on Grant Morrison’s Animal Man for years, so it was a special treat to see him illustrated actual interiors, even if it was only two pages. 7/10  

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Letter Bugs – Titan Talk

There’s no denying the importance of Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s New Teen Titans/Tales of the Teen Titans comics of the 1980s.  Not only have those stories heavily influenced the recent Cartoon Network Teen Titans series (and movie), but the characterization and concepts are still being felt today.  Furthermore, DC has announced that among its direct-to-video animation plans are a faithful adaptation of “The Judas Contract,” a classic story arc from 1984.

I was thumbing through my copies of the original comics, enjoying the rediscovery of the writing and art.  I also discovered something else — some familiar names in the letters column.  Welcome to another edition of Letter Bugs, in which we explore the fan letters of yesteryear written by the comics industry pros of today.

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The Mane Attraction

Pride of Baghdad original graphic novel
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist/Cover artist: Nico Henrichon
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Price: $19.99 US/$26.99 CAN

As U.S. casualities continue to mount in Iraq and the issue impacts the upcoming elections, it comes as no surprise that Pride of Baghdad is turning heads.  All I needed to know was that it was being penned by Brian K. Vaughan.  From his super-hero stuff to more thought-provoking fare in Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina, Vaughan rarely, if ever, disappoints, and this original graphic novel isn’t about to put a dent in that winning streak.  Still, Pride surprised me a bit, as what makes the script interesting is a dichotomous approach that balances harsher story elements with a genuinely innocent tone, something I didn’t expect from this writer.

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The Doctor Is Id

Dr. Id, Psychologist of the Supernatural
Writer: Adam McGovern
Artist/Cover artist: Paolo Leandri
Publisher: Indie Ink Studios
Price: $2 US (ashcan)/$2.95 US (comic)

This mini-comic showed up in mailbox not long ago, but it turns out it’s not a mini-comic, but a preview ashcan of a standard-sized comic due for release later this fall.  A superficial glance led me to believe that this was another amateur effort, full of energy and love for the medium but low on skill.  But a closer look revealed the opposite.  Dr. Id is an odd marriage of satire, offering sendups of Silver Age comics storytelling and touchy-feely pseudo-psychology of the 21st century.  That two-pronged appeal is the property’s greatest strength, giving it two chances to connect with readers.

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The Wonder Jeers

In my capacity as a comics critic, news releases from publishers, big and small, and creators make their way into my Inbox.  Since I don’t have a news section, I rarely pay them much heed, but one I received last month caught my eye…

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DC COMICS TO PUBLISH ALL STAR WONDER WOMAN BY NEWLY-EXCLUSIVE SUPERSTAR CREATOR ADAM HUGHES”

Hughes’s involvement in an All-Star Wonder Woman project had been rumored for some time, so it was quite the anti-climactic announcement, especially given that the comic book isn’t slated for release until summer 2007.  But this news release was interesting in that its chosen focus is surprising, given the overall context of the project.

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Trials Judged

Trials of Shazam #1
“The Boy and the Man”
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist/Cover artist: Howard Porter
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Mike Carlin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99 US/$4 CAN

I’ve never been a big fan of the original Captain Marvel.  Though in part the ultimate in childhood wish fulfillment, he was also a clear knockoff of Superman (if memory serves, a court even ruled as much decades ago).  Both the Big Red Cheese and the Man of Steel of whitebread pillars of strength and speed, both with rogues’ galleries full of mad scientists and monsters.  With Trials of Shazam, writer Judd Winick addresses that redundancy, focuses on the main difference between the pair and reworks Captain Marvel into a different kind of hero with a different kind of mission.  It’s a smart move, but I wonder if DC will stick with it in the long term (especially with a Jeff Smith Shazam! project in the future) or allow the changes to last solely for the 12-issue of this limited series.

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