Iron Age Week: Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come is where the Iron Age comes to an end. By Alex Ross and Mark Waid, KC takes as its main conflict the mores of the previous ages and how those do not work with the "grim 'n gritty" of the Iron Age.

The basic plot is that the older heroes are pushed aside in favor of younger, edgier, more violent heroes. However, when a line is crossed, Superman returns to set things right. The problem is that the Man of Steel's intervention may just ignite Armageddon.

In certain ways, KC is a political book, not as overtly political as Ross's Project: Superpowers, but it's certainly there. There are several factions in the book, and they all believe that they have the right means to save the world. Of course, resolution only comes when all the factions come together and put aside their differences. In this way, I think that KC is even more relevant today than books like Watchmen or DKR. There are many groups in America (and around the world) that think they have the right of it. In the U.S., you have the obvious liberal/ conservative dynamic. The thing is, both sides have good ideas, and both sides ultimately want to see America prosper. Kingdom Come illustrates that peaceful coexistence and partnership leads to more fruitful endeavours than constant bickering and struggle. Compromise is not defeat, and this book really drives that home.

Iron Age Week: Nostalgia

As the Iron Age progressed, you could tell that something was building. A slow but steady dissatisfaction with "grim n' gritty" was building, among creators if not fans. In the early '90s, writers and artists took more and more inspiration from the Golden and Silver Ages. Of the writers, the most notable would be Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, and Alan Moore. As for artists, it's a little difficult to pin down, but there were several guys who clearly showcased a cartoony style much different than that popularized by the Image artists. These cartoony pencillers, like Ty Templeton, Mike Parobeck, and Mark Weiringo, owe a debt of sorts to Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series, which itself harkened back to the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940's.

So, why the nostalgia kick? Christopher McGlothlin, author of M&M's Golden Age sourcebook, notes that part of it was minor jealousy. As much as comics were entering a boom period during the Iron Age, sales never quite reached some of the numbers achieved by Golden Age comics (as much as Todd McFarlane might claim otherwise). More importantly, the grim and gritty trend went from innovative to redundant to monotonous. Poor imitations of landmark stories and characters diluted the impact. Creators looked back to a more innocent time.

Now, in my Golden Age week postings, I brought up to examples of this nostalgia- James Robinson's [i]Golden Age[/i] and Gary Carlson's Big  Bang Comics. Here are a few more that I've enjoyed....

Starman (DC Comics): Starman was one of many titles to spin out of DC's Zero Hour crossover, but it was the only one to find any kind of success. It was an odd mix of Golden Age characters and Iron Age sensibilities. I got into it late in its run, around '97 or '98, but I had read some of the earlier Shade tie-ins presented in one of the Showcase minis, and I was amazed how series writer had such a clear vision of what the story would be from start to finish.

Justice Society of America (DC Comics): Not to be confused with the much more popular JSA relaunch that happened in the late '90s, this was a short-lived series that was cancelled after ten issues between '92-'93. While it was on, though, it offered simple, fun stories with art by the late, great Mike Parobeck. It's also notable for containing Jesse Quick's first appearances, who is now an important part of the JSA as Liberty Belle.

1963 (Image Comics): This six issue series by Alan Moore is either an homage to or a parody of Marvel's Silver Age, depending on who you talk to. Each issue focuses on a pastiche of a Marvel title- there's Mystery Inc. (The Fantastic Four), The Fury (Spider-Man), Horus (Thor), etc. There's also a Dr. Strange character who's also a Beatnik, which is absolute GENIUS. The attention to detail in this series is AMAZING, featuring fake editor's notes, letters pages, and advertisements, the latter being especially hysterical.

These are just the tip of the iceberg, as there are more examples of creators looking back to previous characters or just concepts. This trend would become an institution in the current age of comics, as evidenced by guys like Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Alex Ross, and many others.

Iron Age Week: New Titans #100

Overall, I have a favorable opinion of the Iron Age. After all, that period of comics is when I started reading and, as such, it formed the basis for how I think comics SHOULD be. It certainly doesn't hurt that there were some real gems during this period. Aside from what has been and what will be mentioned this week, you had stuff like Roger Stern's run on Captain America, James Robinson's Starman, the Giffen/ Dematteis Justice League, John Byrne's She-Hulk, pretty much anything written by Alan Moore, Grant Morrison's work on Animal Man and Doom Patrol, and much more.... Honestly, for much of the criticism leveled at the period, the Iron Age was a almost a second Golden Age, with more variety and quality than had been seen in years. Of course, if you increase the quantity of the good stuff, statistically there is almost definitely going to be some bad.

DC's Teen Titans has always had a special place in my heart. While it wasn't the first comic I ever read, or even the first DC comic I ever read, it was the first DC comic I personally bought. It was Secret Origins Annual #3 and starred, you guessed it, the Teen Titans. The few DC comics I read in the 80's were almost always Teen Titans. When I started getting into DC more in the early '90's, the Titans were a natural starting point. Which brings me to the issue in question.

When it was revealed that issue #100 would feature the wedding of Nightwing and Starfire, I was excited. Of course, this was before the internet became the notorious spoiler/porn factory we know today. If it had existed back then as it does now, I might have been spared such pain.

So, the issue comes out at a whopping $3.50 (in 1993, comics sold for $1-$1.50, if memory serves, and we had to walk five miles to the comic store in the snow, yadda yadda). Something should have made my spider-sense tingle when I looked at the cover....

Hmm. Being a naive, innocent sort, I read through undaunted. The art chores were broken up between two artists- Tom Grummet, who had been the Titans artist in prior issues and this was his final issue, and Bill Jaaska, who was to be the new artist. Grummet did the first half, and Jaaska the second.

The title should've tipped me off. It was the final installment of a 4-issue story called The Darkening, which just sounds so very EDGY and '90s, doesn't it? The title of this particular installment was "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something... Dead!" which is ridiculously long.

The first half wasn't too bad, as we see Dick and Kory prepare for their nuptials. Of course, there aren't many in the way of guest stars, given the status of characters circa 1993. Superman's dead, Batman's in a wheelchair, and many of the other DC mainstays have become whiny, introspective, and self-absorbed. Only Flash and Aqualad manage to show up aside the regular team. By contrast, Wonder Girl's wedding had a much better attendance, and she married THIS clod....

The guy in the green shirt got to bang Wonder Girl, proving that Marv Wolfman and George Perez WERE capable of terrible things during their New Teen Titans run.

Anyway, the wedding proceeds. However, something bad is about to happen, and the reader knows this because the art got really crappy.

Former Titans member Raven shows up to bless the couple, but there are two catches. First, this isn't the Raven we all knew and love, but Evil Demon Lesbian Stripper Witch Raven, sporting a fake tan that would make Hulk Hogan seem pale. Second, by "bless the couple" I mean "kill a bunch of people and make out with the bride". She starts by killing the priest. What's really awful about this is that she didn't even wait 'till the "If anyone objects, speak now or forever hold your piece" part. It's a cliche', I'll grant you, but it's one that almost always works.

So, Raven makes out with Starfire as this is (somehow) part of some scheme to resurrect Trigon the Demon Lord, while Nightwing battles Deathwing, Nightwing's evil, future-self from a dystopian future. You know he's evil because he's got piercings, a shaved head, and a leather jacket.

Anyway, the Titans send the bad guys packing, but Nightwing and Starfire don't get married. In later issues, Starfire leaves for another planet to deal with the demon spawn in her, and things generally get really stupid for a while.

Basically, this issue was the start of DC kidney-punching Titans fans for over fifteen years. Whereas once Nightwing and Starfire were DC's hottest couple, now even suggesting the two of them get back together makes Devin Grayson say "incest" faster than the folks at an Ozark family reunion. Because the Titans are a FAMILY, see, so that's wrong, though having Nightwing knock boots with Barbara Gordon aka Oracle, who used to be Batgirl AND Dick's babysitter, why that's not incestuous at all!

Marv Wolfman wrote this issue, but apparently much of the suck came from editorial mandate, which is something that's plaguing the Titans and DC as a whole in recent years.

Anyway, this whole issue was essentially a slap in the face. Titans fans would be repeatedly slapped in the face for years to come.

Iron Age Week: Rob Liefeld

Rob Liefeld. The name itself conjures up strong emotions. For some, he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. For many, many others, he's become a symbol of what is wrong with comics. This man:

He kinda looks like an adult Opie.

As one of the founders of Image Comics, no discussion about the Iron Age would be complete without a brief discussion of the man and his work. Now, some of you might have noticed I've already made a few Liefeld jokes. That makes me no different than 95% of comic fans on the internet. The man even has a listing on tvtropes dedicated to him. Why the nerdrage? Well, instead of going into the various criticisms leveled at him, I'll let a picture do the talking....

You've probably seen this already.

Now, let me state for the record- I'm not a Liefeld-hater. I actually kinda like his stuff. Is he my favorite artist? No. But he's not the worst professional artist I've ever seen. Liefeld's art is akin to a meal at Denny's. Sure, no restaurant critic will ever give it five stars, but it's there for you. Honestly, you have other choices, but you keep going back to Denny's. And why not? It's filling. It doesn't necessarily taste great, and it's probably not good for you, but it fills up an empty stomach late at night. Liefeld's work is the same. Do you want him illustrating your piece in which characters expound on the human condition? No. However, he's adequately suited to do pages of costumed lugs beating the stuffing out of each other. So, why make fun of him?

Honestly, it's really easy. I mean, look at that Cap picture. It's so over-the-top ridiculous that you can't HELP but mock it. Rob Liefeld, to me, is sort of like a comedy mine filled with rich veins of humor-ore. I'll trundle a cart down ol' Liefeld Shaft #9 and see what today's take brings me. However, it's not without its dangers. I make sure to bring a canary with me; if the canary suddenly sports exaggerated musculature or an abundance of pouches, I run out as fast as possible.

In fairness, Rob himself invites much of the mockery. In recent years, internet access has allowed him to make comments that are both public and stupid. In one instance, Rob got into a pissing contest with Rags Morales. Rags basically got the better of Rob, including a retort that's best described as "Epic Win".

Pictured: Rags Morales seconds after coming up with a put-down that funny.

In all honesty, they both acted like children, but who among us hasn't acted stupid on a message board? Also, Rags worked on Hourman and Dragon Magazine, so he gets a pass.

Another reason for the mocking is Liefeld's body of work. Now, above, you'll notice I said I kinda like his art. I'm not going back on that. He's a fairly talented artist; he's certainly better than I am. No, what I am referring to is his writing.

There are many artists who also have good writing chops, or are at least good in the plotting and story department- John Byrne, Alex Ross, and of course Jack "The King" Kirby. Rob Liefeld is not one of those men. His writing can be referred to with phrases like "derivative", "juvenile", "uninspired", and "mindlessly violent", to name just a few. For example, as a youth, I made the folly of buying Youngblood #1, written and drawn by Liefeld. In one of the stories, Youngblood goes to a country that's Not Iraq, and one of the members blows up the head of a guy who's Not Saddam Hussein. And compared to some of his other works, that's masterfully subtle.

Like Kirby, much of Rob's inspiration comes from the Bible. Unlike Kirby, Rob's biblical epics are INSANE. Take, for instance, Rob Liefeld's take on the crucifixion. The Lamb of Hosts is on the cross on Calgary Hill, the Crown of Thorns atop his weary brow. A few centurions and slaves pull down the other two criminals, but leave Christ upon his bloody tree. All in all, it's a somber, moving scene.

And then the Greek gods from Mount Olympus show up.

The Olympians proceed to taunt the Messiah, who responds by PULLING HIMSELF OFF THE CROSS AND GETTING INTO A WRESTLING MATCH WITH ZEUS. I wish I was funny enough to be making any of this up.

The English language needs a new word to describe stuff like this... "Blasphenomenal"!

I could talk more about his art, his terrible writing, his ego, or his occasionally hare-brained business decisions, but honestly, others have done so at length. So, here's to you, Rob Liefeld! For good or ill, you helped define the Iron Age of Comics, and you continue to bring your... "unique"... talents to a new generation of comics readers. May your work always be "EXTREME"!

Iron Age Week: Kraven's Last Hunt

During the Iron Age, the various Spider-Man books hit all the highs and lows that the period represents. On the good side, you have the symbiote story, probably one of the most influential Spidey stories, and certainly one of the most memorable and popular. On the bad side, you have the Clone Saga, which... Well, let's not talk about it. Of all the Spidey tales from that period, one of my favorites is Kraven's Last Hunt.

I first read bits of the story not long after it came out. It was at my granparents' house around '87 or '88. My cousin Jeff, going to school nearby, was living with them, and when my family came to visit, he'd let me read some of his comics. It was mostly Marvel, as he was a Marvel zombie, but that didn't bother me, because at the time I was pretty into Marvel as well. And he had some great stuff. He had the one Avengers annual, where both the East Coast and West Coast teams teamed up to take on the Grandmaster... Oh, that story was so good. I also seem to recall copies of the Punisher Armory, but since that series didn't start until 1990, I might just be conflating all his other Punisher comics, as he was a huge Punisher fan. I certainly hope I'm conflating, because Punisher Armory was the stupidest spin-off concept ever known to man. Basically, it's pages and pages detailing the various guns and other weaponry the Punisher uses. That's like a comic wherein Clark Kent talks about what kind of paper his typewriter uses. *snooore*

Anyway, aside from those, he also had a couple of Spider-Man comics; the story was Kraven's Last Hunt. Right away, I could tell there was something different about this story. It was creepy, it was weird, but more importantly, it was personal. The stakes, I mean. This wasn't a story about saving the world, it was a story about people. I don't think I ever read the end of it, but I remember liking the heck out of what I had read. Over the years, my opinion of it grew.

However, I never went ahead and re-read it. The memory of it had grown up so large in my mind, that I was scared that reading the whole thing as an adult would reveal numerous flaws. After all, I liked Signs when I first saw it in theaters, but now I realize that it's a really, really stupid movie. I didn't want Kraven's Last Hunt to wind up the same way.

Still, recently I came across the trade paperback and, as it was reasonably priced, bought it, crossing my fingers that it would hold up. I needn't have worried.
Kraven's Last Hunt (also known as Fearful Symmetry, a homage to William Blake) is a phenomenal piece of work. Kraven the Hunter, getting old and knowing death is near, wants to put his affairs in order. Of course, that entails the one quarry that always eluded him- he's wants to kill Spider-Man.

This is a story about death. Nowadays, that doesn't mean much in comics. It's trendy (especially for DC) to kill characters left and right. It's so commonplace that it has no punch. And the old saw "No one stays dead in comics" seems more true now than it ever does. But this story... It's amazing that in a period noted for violence, death was actually fairly rare in Iron Age comics, at least as far as major characters were concerned.

But it's not just that. This is a story about accepting mortality; it's a subtle distinction, but an important one. It's about Kraven and Spider-Man coming to grips with the fact that they will inevitably shuffle off this mortal coil.

The psychology of the characters involved is explored brilliantly. Spider-Man, Kraven, and Mary Jane are all laid bare for the reader to better understand.

Also of note is the continuity. It's a black suit Spidey story (but not the symbiote, I believe) and Peter and MJ are newlyweds, but other than that, you don't really need to have read a single Spidey comic before this one to enjoy, which is something sorely missing in a lot of the stories now. In fact, as the author notes in his introduction, the marriage angle really gives the story the edge it needs to drive home a sense of importance. It's a shame that currently, the Peter/ MJ marriage is a thing of the past, though, admittedly, MJ is something of a hussy

Insert quote from Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog here.

The writing is magnificent. Now, I'm not the biggest J.M Dematteis fan (his run on The Spectre left a bad taste in my mouth), but when he's on, he is ON. He's on for this story. It gets a little metaphysical at times, but J.M. mostly limits it to the realm of the rhetorical. (In settings where gods and supermen and magic are accepted, JM's stories have a tendency to go from theory to ham-fisted allegory REALLY quickly.)
The art is superlative. Mike Zeck isn't that big a name, and that's a real shame, as this story is beautifully drawn. The action scenes pop, and the facial expressions are realistic and nuanced... It all just really comes together phenomenally.

Overall, Kraven's Last Hunt is one of the finest Spidey stories PERIOD. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and do so. It's great.

Iron Age Week: Watchmen

 Ah, yes. No discussion about the Iron Age would be complete without talking about this work. Watchmen is credited as kicking off the Iron Age. Well, this and The Dark Knight Returns. However, I'll just talk about Watchmen because, frankly, I think DKR is terribly overrated. For all it's purported genius, it still seems to me like Frank Miller's poorly written and shabbily illustrated fan argument as to why Batman is so much cooler than Superman.

Watchmen is a important comic, quite possibly one of the most important comics ever made. It introduced a whole host of themes which other writers and artists would pick up on in the following years. What do these extreme personalities we call "superheroes" do in their personal time? Should superheroes get involved in global politics? Do cosmic-powered blue guys really need pants?

Now, I'm not going to give anyone a plot synopsis, because, really, it's freakin' Watchmen! If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance you know all about it. Partly because of the movie, and partly because there was a period of time when Wizard Magazine would just talk about it every single issue. I'm not sure if Wizard is still doing this; I basically stopped reading it when I realized that it was nothing more than Gareb Shamus' ego trip.

Certainly, it added mature themes to comics, but more importantly, I don't think any other comic series reached the level of artistic merit that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons achieved.

One of the most amazing things about Watchmen is it's verisimilitude. Each chapter ends with a fake magazine article, newspaper clipping, police report, etc, which gives you more insight into the setting and the characters. These show you just how much thought Moore put into the piece while crafting it. For example, in a world where superheroics are an everyday occurence, what kind of comics do those people read? It's a bit of detail that often gets overlooked, but Moore not only answers that question, he makes it an integral part of the story.

How important is the Watchmen? Very. It's one of the few comics you can read and not get called a "nerd". Also, The Simpsons made a joke about it, so it's even further entrenched in the popular culture.

Is Watchmen still relevant? That's a good question. The Cold War is over; there are still nuclear threats, like Iran, but the underlying idealogical concerns behind those threats are much different. Still, as Watchmen illustrates, it's not so much the threat as our reaction to it. The gamut of idealogies is shown within its pages, from Rorshach's Ditkoesque conservatism to Ozymandias' frighteningly practical liberalism. As long as people continue to make the same kinds of mistakes, Watchmen will still be relevant.

Iron Age Week!

Since I had such fun with my epic Golden Age Week, I thought I'd do something similar with the period referred to as the Iron Age of comics.

Of course, there's some debate over the ages of comics; there's usually consensus about the start and stop point for the Golden Age and the start point for the Silver Age, but after that, things get murky.

For the purposes of this blog, we'll go with defining the Iron Age as the period taking place roughly between 1986 and 1996. This works as the two pieces thought to kick off the "grim-n-gritty" era that those ten years represent were released in 1986- The Dark Knight Returns and The Watchmen. '96 is a bit more fuzzy, but it works as that was when Kingdom Come was released. If nothing else, it serves as a critique as to wear comics appeared to be heading at the time.

Instead of doing a brief rundown of events, I've decided to compile a list of characteristics in the form of a handy informational checklist!

Signs That You're in an Iron Age comic
- Visitors from a dystopian future show up with alarming regularity.
- The government is, at best, grossly incompetent; more likely, the government is actively trying to make your life miserable. Essentially, an Iron Age superhero is a Fox Newscaster.
- Your wardrobe will consist primarily of belts, pouches, and belts with pouches. This is mainly due to the influence of Rob Liefeld. If Mr. Liefeld spent half as much effort drawing hands and feet as he did pouches, he'd be lauded as the greatest artist since Van Gogh.
- Expect to have an "extreme" or "edgy" sidekick or ally who shows remarkable similarities to you show up. Failing that, at least one of your enemies will become a good guy.
- There are ninjas EVERYWHERE.
- You will turn evil at least once.
- You will have either a permanent five o'clock shadow (for men) or an impractically large bust (for women and men drawn by Rob Liefeld).