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Pen-Elayne
For Your Thoughts - Week of October 22-28, 1995
This week's digest: JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE #30 JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE #30 Writer: Christopher James Priest This Issue's Firesign Quote: "Well, you boys fight it out among yourselves..." Here's what I thought... A few months ago, Priest (hereafter "Jim") started getting some flak from the rac*, as it were, having to do with his interpretation of the character of J'Onn J'Ones, the Martian Manhunter. Jim explained his reasoning to many of us, in the process revealing that he's been thinking about the character as much as, if not more than, many rac* posters who whined about how he "wasn't the old J'Onn" that they were used to reading. I gotta tell you, my "definitive J'Onn," and your mileage may vary (in fact, let me again applaud a wonderful column Mark Evanier did recently for CBG in which he pretty much talks about the "definitive" character of Superman, and how different folks have "their" Superman based on which version they read first, whether they like the movies better, etc. etc.; it was an entire column all about how Your Mileage May Vary), was the one in the two recent miniseries, a much more serious J'Onn than the relatively bland Oreo-munching pussycat from JLA issues past. And, with this issue, my definitive J'Onn has now become the Priest version. Jim wrote this issue - or at least the first four pages - for US, folks. Yes, pros do listen to rac* opinions. I don't think they ought to all the time, I believe in general they ought to follow their own creative instincts (because, let's face it, you'll never be able to please everyone, so you have to go with your own gut first), but I must admit I'm really tickled to feel like I'm such an "insider" in the making of this issue. It's almost (but not quite) as good as finding yourself a character in someone's book... Jim E-mailed me the script pages for the first scene of this issue about four months ago. Naturally, due to my intensely organized life, I can't find them anywhere. I wanted to compare, just for myself, how a script matches up with the final product, but such is not to be... Instead, I will note that I really don't care for Bernardo's pencils this issue, especially on the page 2 splash, and I will also say I can't believe the book had two inkers and the art still managed to come out looking flat. I also remember from the script the little note Jim left for Roo on page 3, that Roo was supposed to presumably fill in "See Underworld Unleashed" as a reference on panel 4. Jim actually wrote that caption "See Underworld: The Slogan Priest Can't Remember" in that script. I assumed Roo would write in the name of the book rather than duplicate what I assumed was Jim's instruction. He did the latter, which amused the hell out of me but I'm almost sure this wasn't intended. Since Jim and Roo are both reading this review, I'm waiting for the explanation behind the decision on this particular caption. :) But I digress. I mainly want to talk about writing, and characterization, and perhaps being a little too much "on the inside" for objectivity. Scene 1, in which J'Onn reassures Wonder Woman "I'm just spooking the kids" (probably my second favorite Priest line ever; my favorite appears later on in this issue) and Gypsy leans over to Triumph and says, "By the way... aren't you fired?" - I got such a kick out of seeing this executed, and I've gone on way too long about it, but I just want to say, Thank you Jim. This was a terrific scene, and I'm glad your time here with us inspired you to write it. J'Onn asked Yazz for use of the JL spaceship so they could attend Desperon's trial. He also asked Yazz to call his team together; Yazz misunderstood, and summoned everyone from Dolphin to Crab-Face Guy. They grumble, J'Onn apologizes, they're gone. Once alone with his charges, J'Onn notes that Yazz screwed up again in inviting Triumph :), as the pterodactyl-head in question blips on the screen to inform the group that there's trouble on Earth and the Justice League is needed. J'Onn suggests they stay on the ship and chill, while he goes to fix matters. Their reactions are great, and get immediately to the heart of their characters. Will is pissed, but Will's spent his life pissed. Ray, flowers in hand for Joha-- er, Kathy Neron, is still inexplicably loyal to his friend, mentally praying, "Shut up, Will, shut up, Will." Gypsy, head in hand, thinks, "Oh no, not again." Oh yes, again. And Mystek, whom I still don't know anything about origin-wise but who's nonetheless becoming my favorite TF member, laughs and gets ready for another rumble. No sooner does J'Onn leave than she gets her wish, as Ray lays into Will. Who lays into Ray. And their verbal fight is like non-stop Priest'isms. I'm with Mystek: "Man, this is great! You're all a buncha idiots!" It is great. We hear Death Duck's name invoked. We see a ranking match like no other, as Will goads Ray about his father, Ray goads Will about *his* father... I'm just laughin' all the way through this. And you know what? In the course of this argument, we've just been treated to the most seamless exposition I've ever read from Jim. I wanted to say this before making fun of his very seamy exposition on page 13. :) Gypsy tries to break the fight up, and Ray's power Sssszzzaaacck's her onto some kind of platform, which shoots her out of the room and through an airlock. Oops. Mystek: "Ooh. I'm telling." Elayne: BWAHAHAHA. J'Onn deals with Threat #1, Shrapnel in Switzerland. Smashes him in one blow. So much for pumped-up villains. Ray, Triumph and Mystek go looking for Gypsy, and split up within the massive ship to cover more ground. J'Onn deals with Threat #2, Sledge in Madrid. Does that molecular density thing that he hasn't done in ages, right on Sledge's arm. That's gotta hurt Sledge and the folks who claim Priest doesn't remember continuity. He learns the name "Neron" for the first time. So much for pumped-up villains, redux. And we come to the infamous page 13, an unlucky one for Jim. This is the Mandatory Bad Exposition Page of which you've heard tell. Look at it. Look at how busy it is. Nine panels of varying sizes, each one of them crammed to the gills with word and thought balloons. We don't need half these balloons. Ray refers to his own issue #19, which isn't out yet, rendering his internal dialogue and meeting with Neron more confusing than it ought to be, especially since he's supposedly spelling things out for us. I'd lose half the thought balloons in the second and third panels, they seem to serve little purpose and I think Ray's intent and the explanation for the flowers can be sufficiently dealt with by Roo's reference to THE RAY #19 alone. Personally, I'm looking forward to "Ray French-Kisses Satan," but I don't think too many other people would harp on the flowers enough to warrant three panels of explanation... Then again, I'm hardly the tersest of people, myself. :) Mystek slips into something more comfortable and out of her "home" and "away" uniforms (you know, I still can't remember seeing any TF members in the "off-duty" mode) into Seong. I don't know who War Locke is, I don't know what's up with "quark-based elastic proactive matter" (comic book science, gotta love it), but I sure as hell am interested in more Mystek. More Seong please, Jim! :) Does Mystek blow off Neron? Hmm... J'Onn deals with Threat #3, Brimstone in some unspecified location. Ready for a little fire, Scarecrow? Wow - definitely my definitive J'Onn. Nice stuff here, as J'Onn remembers the "fires of purification" and the events referred to in the first MM miniseries. I'm a very happy camper. J'Onn remembers someone giving him condolences (hmm, looks like Gammeron, doesn't it?). He's overcome, and something shoots out of his eyes. The old "ionized particulate matter mapped to a variable density wave packet" trick. Comic book science, gotta love it. As Brimstone is distracted, J'Onn smashes his "techno-seed" and frees his human host, some DOD nimrod who made a deal with Neron. Guy gets around. And he gets to Triumph, in one helluva terrific scene, as Neron, and Jim, manipulates him perfectly into his worst nightmares. "I know you think you're a master planner," one of his taunting phantoms says, "when you're really only a Tuna Sandwich!" Tuna Sandwich - my absolute favorite Priest line of all time, and he knows why. Yay! And Triumph struggles, and says (or is this Jim?), "You're all a bunch of idiots... you have no idea how much work I put into... get off of me!" And the nightmare shifts to a paralyzed Will as Neron's voice taunts him, "You are the single most unlikeable person on this planet" - well, at least on racdu, from what I've seen lately. Neron makes him an offer he'd probably have to be nuts to refuse. My bet is that he opens the box. Wonder what will happen when he does? The possibilities are endless, I'd imagine. Triumph awakens to find Gypsy's caught up with him - the platform on which she'd fallen is actually a vehicle, and we get another patented Priest'ism as she ponders, "Doesn't this joint just give you the creeps? How can the JLA be so... ho-hum about this?" After all, buckos, we're talking about a spaceship here. I mean, it's a friggin' comic book. Hee hee. I think this was my favorite JLTF issue yet. And I wonder how much of it is because I Know Stuff that others reading this book, especially those not on rac*, don't know. And how much of my love for this issue stems from my almost total lack of objectivity about it. But I wouldn't trade that subjectivity for the world, if the end result is a comic I really enjoy on so many more levels than I might otherwise. So, what did y'all think? IMPULSE #9 Story: Mark Waid This Issue's Firesign Line: "Ah! He is in your family!" Here's what I thought... So, um, have I mentioned lately that Mark Waid is, like, my favorite comic writer in the whole world? :) Boy, this issue was a pleasure to read. Just Plain Fun, even as something serious brews around the corner in "Dead Heat" (as Mark starts with a foreboding, "This was the day Impulse almost died."). As readers know, Max Mercury was abducted (by Savitar and his "speed ninjas," as we found out in FLASH #108) at the end of the last issue, leaving Bart alone. Does the phrase "kid in a candy store" have any meaning here? And Bart's candy store is, of course, video games. But, whaddaya know - reality seems to be winning out over VR, as Bart, "fighting every irresponsible instinct in his body" (another great line, Mark!), goes out to look for Max. If he's bored, is it Tuesday? (sorry, B&R ADVENTURES ref...) Turns out reality affords Bart a better game than video, as he kicks some wayward biker butt and THWAM's right into... Cousin XS! Roll credits. Nice bit of mixing Interlac (Jenni's first language) with bracketed English. I for one don't think we need any Interlac glossary in the back of this book, and I thank Brian Augustyn for not including one. Bart reluctantly slips into Interlac which we read as bracketed English, as Jenni explains how she found out about him. Seems once she got her bearings she went to the Flash Museum, which she remembered existing from the 30th century and which, in the present, has just added an Impulse Room. (Stupid Question for Mark and/or the Legion Crewe: Has XS visited the Museum in her own time? It would seem not, as she would presumably have known about Impulse beforehand.) She's picked up just enough English to read newspaper headlines and hightail it to Manchester, AL to visit a spell and ask Bart to help her get back home. Good luck, kid. I don't know if I'd ask Bart for a peanut butter sandwich. Meanwhile, we catch up with Max Mercury in a truly gruesome scene, as Savitar has just ordered his minions to off the Zen-Master of Speed. Max vibrates out of his chains, which he then uses to choke the ninjas and break their necks, with extremely resounding Krak's. "Dead Heat" body count rises to four. Not for the squeamish, although the neck-breaking does take place silhouetted and off-panel, as it were. Bart finds Jenni some duds and attempts to teach her English. Honestly, I wouldn't ask the kid for a peanut butter sandwich, much less to teach me English. Thank goodness for the local public library. Everybody support your local public library! Yay, local public libraries everywhere! And I'm not just saying that because my husband is a local public librarian. :) Jenni goes through the See Spot Run primers, through Curious George and then onto a book I didn't recognize, because I'm relatively ill-read m'self, but which DVD tells me is "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeline L'Engel (thanks Dave!). Preston and Carol show up, and Jenni embarrasses Bart in front of his friends. It's an adorable scene, but she still sounds a little too much like some of those Kapitalist Kouriers: "It is my honor to being Bart's cousin"??? Whatever. Of course, in true slapstick fashion the scene can't stop here - they have to run into Helen too, and boy, there's just something in that Allen gene that makes everyone in the family blab, isn't there? Jenni basically does what Bart did his first few days of school - tells Helen the truth, as Ramos delightfully drops Bart's jaw a little lower in each panel... Bart pulls Jenni out of the library at real-time speed, which must've been hard for him considering the embarrassment he was probably feeling, then dresses her down in frustration... she's hit a little too close to home, and at the worst possible time. She's made Bart feel responsible for her. How dare she? Bart takes out his frustration by kicking more biker butt. Of course, he's so intent on what he's doing that he doesn't notice he's falling off a cliff. He's saved by Jenni and her flight ring. "Coooool," notes Bart; time to change tactics and be her friend again. They race back to the house, only to find their speed powers have suddenly forsaken them. Then, out of the blue, ninjas attack. Thank G-- no, wait, that was the other book. :) Too bad they're inside the house, where Jenni can't use the flight ring to escape. To be continued in Flash #109. Next issue should be fun, as Brian reminds us "Bart is forced to experience a day in his life as a normal teen!" Pardon my skepticism - his speed powers may have abandoned him, but Bart is still anything but a normal teen. :) Rollicking good fun. Wow, I haven't used the word "rollocking" in ages. I'm turning into such a strange quote-whore. Buy this book. Read it. IMPULSE is the best new title of 1995. Thank you, Mark & Brian and crew. So, what did y'all think? BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES #2 Writer: Paul Dini This Issue's Firesign Line: "Unfortunately, the dime was in Mr. Rococo's pocket." Here's what I thought... Boy, this one starts mean. I'm so used to thinking of this as "the only Batman book" that I forget it's not necessarily all sweetness and light. I mean, yeah, it's the Dark Knight and all, but he's not all brooding and angst-ridden most of the time in this book. He's real nasty at the start of this issue, though, as he questions area hoods about Two-Face's whereabouts. Crude, but effective. There's a very interesting interplay in the Batmobile between Bruce and Dick, where Robin scoffs that Harvey is no closer to a "cure" for his problem than he's ever been. "Think about it - if Dent was really cured, it'd take more than a little nudge to send him over. He was waiting for something to happen." I agree with him, but Batman doesn't. I guess there are two sides to every story. After being dropped off at Gotham State, Dick heads off for a good few hours' sleep, and Two-Face obliges by knocking him unconscious and kidnapping him to lure Bruce. When phone contact is established, Dick subtly clues Bruce in as to his and Grace's whereabouts, and Bruce agrees to come quietly and allow himself to be put in danger too. Somewhere along the line, Grace is freed and given a second chance. After the villains depart, as we know they must, Bruce and Dick get out of their chains just as the clock strikes 2am and the building they're atop gets bombed. They escape in the Bat Wing just in time. On the boat Double Fortune off Gotham Harbor, Two-Face watches the area go up in flames. Suddenly there's a searing yellow light from above, as Batman and Robin descend from the Wing. I can't say enough about the effective use of colors on this page - the light shining down to eradicate the darkness. Nice. B&R make short work of the henchmen, but can't get to Two-Face because he's still got Grace hostage. Then Grace does something very clever - she grabs hold of Two-Face's lucky coin in his left pocket and scratches the already-mangled side of his face with its serrated end, providing the distraction B&R need to take him out. Not the happiest of endings, but we see the resolve on Grace's face as well as the tears in that final panel when Two-Face is carted off again, and we figure there's hope for her future without Dent. Not a bad story, but not one of their greatest either. A good read in any case. Hope they get back to more one-issue stories after this. So, what did y'all think? This Issue's Firesign Line: "What kind of chump do you take me for?" "First class!" Here's what I thought... First story: Supergirl in "Rust Never Sleeps" Writer: Charles Moore A pleasant little tale about a very tired Supergirl saving Charlotte, NC from all manner of disaster, including a monster made of living rust. Pretty standard stuff, with a nice Silver Age kinda feel about it. I just wanted to mention how much I loved the art. Pencils and inks are terrific on this - clear, nice depth, nice detail, faces and bodies are well differentiated... very pretty stuff. The Shade in "Incident In An Old Haunt" Writer: James Robinson I think all of us STARMAN fans were looking forward to Robinson's take on The Shade Meets Neron. Suffice it to say Robinson & co. do not disappoint. Very nice, clean art from von Grawbadger, which isn't easy to do when your protagonist deals continually with shadows. Neron attempts to make a deal with the Shade, but he has nothing to offer that the Shadw wants. We get Robinson's view on Neron's motivation, which he explains as "I intend to make this world in my image... by increasing [villains'] powers, I tip the balance of good and evil. The tide will begin to turn and ultimately a tidal wave will wash the white, bright, good that exists on this planet away forever." Nice work if you can get it. It's just me, but I wouldn't have used "tide" twice in the same sentence; besides, it'll never get out those shadow stains alone. They appear to be mm-mm-good, however, dripping down from the panel borders onto Shade's white glove, as he licks some off and declines Neron's offer. "You dare refuse me?" thunders Neron. Don't be ridiculous, the Shade responds: "To dare would imply that I feared you to begin with." Delicious. Neron threatens him, but it's doubtful he can figure out a way to make good on this threat. Lovely little piece - worth the price of the book. Bravo. Maitress in "Dream a Little Dream" Writer: Chris Claremont I don't know who Maitress is, aside from supposing she's in Claremont's SOVEREIGN 7. I don't care who Maitress is, if this dream sequence-or- is-it consists of her in her nightgown, which is then ripped in just the right strategic places as she battles monsters. Apparently there's something in this plot about some sort of pact she's made with Darkseid, but... yeah, you got it, I just don't care. Sorry, Wootinie. Even if it is dedicated to Neal Pozner. So, what did y'all think? UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED: PATTERNS OF FEAR Writer: Roger Stern This Issue's Firesign Line: "They've been taken apart, stacked up and labelled!" Here's what I thought... Short review this time. I think this book is pointless to buy unless you want an index. As an index into the Neron-pumped-up villains, it's probably a good reference tool, and I will keep it as such. As a story, I found it a bit wanting. Most of the book consists of Neron looking through Oracle's files. As even Oracle notes, "There's nothing on those monitors that he doesn't already know..." And we're not given any clues as to Neron's motivation for torturing Barbara with images of her father on a cross, her wheelchair growing arms to trap her, or phantom Batgirls being formed from her floorboards. Of course, her temptation is that Neron will make her spine heal again. Of course, she refuses. There's no suspense here, and the tension all seems faked. I don't see Barbara ever giving Neron or anyone else the satisfaction of seeing her lose her cool, much less show fear. I found the profiles interesting for reference purposes. That's about it. See, I told you I could do a short review. :) So, what did y'all think? THE SIMPSONS #13 Writer: Gary Glasberg This Issue's Firesign Line: "You know, Dagwood, he later became a millionaire..." Here's what I thought... I think I've grown a little jaded of late with stories that infinitely regress into staring at their own navel. This is a comic book story about a comic book story. It makes a few cute points, such as when Bart winks real hard at the reader when saying, "Whoever heard of a guy becoming a millionaire because he created a silly cartoon character, anyway!!" and a cameo by Groening ("How much for the Mothma-zilla, pal?") at a comic con, but the only part which really made me giggle was the "panel" at that same imaginary comic con featuring a green-mohawked Brit with a snake tat on his arm, rings in his ears and nose and a smarmy attitude, saying "Any bloke that doesn't like my work can choke on his own vomit!" Sounds like half the guys who show up on CompuServe Conference every Wednesday... ;) The plot concerns a comic book creation of Bart's and Milhouse's which is stolen by a couple unscrupulous portfolio reviewers and made into a franchise. When the initial excitement (i.e., the stuff originally conceived by B&M) dies down and the comic goes into the toilet, Bart and Milhouse are kidnapped by Boffo Comics and forced into child labor. Yep, a pretty wacky subject for a kids comic... Anyway, all's well that ends well, as usual, and I loved the takeoff on the MAD magazine back covers - yes, I did fold that comics page, deal with it. :) The flip side features Jimbo Jones and his hoodlum gang in WEDGIE COMICS, with a nice Archie logo takeoff. The story is: "Rebel Without a Clutch" Writer: Barry Dutter One thing that Barry left out of his marvelous book "Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Television" (do buy it if you see him at a convention, end of plug) might have read, you shouldn't focus on "lead" characters who aren't interesting. When poor wedgied Martin gets more laughs than the protagonists, something's a little askew. The hoodlums learn nothing from their escapade (which involves stealing a motorcycle), Martin gets off a few funny lines (my favorite being, "Alas, I am the agent of my own misfortune!") and everyone ends up pretty much where they started. This is a very nice comic for kids, but it really lacks the bite that I think a Simpsons tie-in should have. Too much parody/homage and sight gags and not enough story can get you in this kind of trouble. As a friend of mine would say, "metza-metz." I wish they'd coast a little less. So, what did y'all think? STATIC #30 New Writers: Adam Blaustein and Yves Fezzani This Issue's Firesign Line: "...two lovable old hermaphrodites of indeterminate sex and height..." Here's what I thought... I thought I'd do something different this time - a little comparison/ contrast thing, if you will. I made sure that things were okay with both former STATIC writer Ivan Velez and new co-writer Addie Blaustein before running this. Said Ivan after #29, "I wish I had been allowed to finish my run and the next issue... but I wasn't. This is the way I had ended it... at least a summary. "The last page of last issue had originally been pencilled as such... Dusk took five bullets... and one in the chest. Larry only took one in the upper arm. "Static, freaked at what happens, rushes to Dusk's aid. He traps the shooters and snatches Dusk up and flies her away towards a hospital (something she keeps trying to stop him from doing). Larry makes it away, freaked that his employers would try to kill him. "Static takes Dusk to the hospital, and rushes her to the emergency room. He deals with the public hospital menatality as the folks working are less than helpful, especially in Dakota. Dusk is rushed into ECU, where she promptly has a heart attack (many bullets, etc...). The doctors do what they could, but she dies on the table. Static, freaked, sees her eyes lose the life in them. He knocks the doctors out of the way and zaps her, yelling something about about her being stronger than that. All the time, he's crying and not even knowing. "Dusk revives in true comic book form. Static goes into the waiting area and buries his head in his arms, to hide the rush of tears and phelgm (after all, he is a man). "Meanwhile, Frieda is still at Larry's mother's house. It's getting real late, and they all know he won't show up. His mother talks to Frieda, telling her that he's just like his father was... all bullshit but with a sweet smile. She loves him. Frieda knows what she's saying, and loves him too. "Meanwhile, Larry is wandering the streets, scared and paranoid. He thinks over his options and comes to one conclusion... he has to go to the police.... maybe make a deal... turn state's evidence or something. He knows his life isn't worth anything right now. "He goes to a phone and decides to call the cops. But first, he wants to talk to his mother ... maybe make up some lie to explain why he didn't show up...maybe make her feel better. "As he picks up the phone, a gun presents itself in his face. We hear it go off. "We cut back to the hospital, where Static patiently awaits Dusk to come through. She awakens, paranoid and wanting to leave. She asks if they took any blood. She's feeeling a lot better. Static tells her they did, and she starts to feel very antsy. She has to get out of there. Dusk explains that the Feds have her blood type on file, that it's unique to her family, and that if they find out they'll put her away... or try to. She confesses that she's wanted for murder. Static is surprised. She tells him that she did do it, but the person deserved it, and it was the only way. Static thinks, and gets her out of there. Dusk starts telling him more about herself, showing him how the wounds are already almost closed... "He takes her to her house, somewhere in the burbs, and he sees that Ducky is her brother. He panics, telling her that their mom is coming any minute and she'll be real pissed if she finds out someone knows about them. Static leaves, telling her he'll visit again. "Static is tired, but decides to go by Larry's house. Maybe he'll see him. He wants to have a chance to talk to him... to make him think about what he's doing.... "He changes to Virgil and walks to Larry's house. He sees that there is a cop car there, and that Larry's mother and sister are crying hysterically on the porch. Frieda is there, and sees him. "It takes a second for Virgil to figure it out, but when he does, he collapses on the lawn. All his strength just leaves him as he realizes Larry is dead. "There was another scene that I had to add, if I got the chance to do another pass at it. Two scenes actually: One, where it's weeks later, and Virgil and Frieda and the crew are talking, and they notice the empty spot where Larry usually sat. Virgil also notices the spot where Ducky used to be. Static goes back to Ducky and Dusk's house and sees that they have moved. It's an empty house." Okay, here's how it went down in Adam & Yves' take... Instead of snatching Dusk up, Static decides to get mean ("tears and electricity don't mix," he concludes) and attack the gunman. Larry runs off but doesn't make it. Static chases him to save him from danger, but he's too late - Larry is shot multiple times and is dying. We're "treated" to a very bloody full-page panel. Static gets meaner, to the point where we don't even see his face in a panel, just the flash of his eyes and the lightning crackle on the front of his costume. He barely stops short of killing the thugs who've shot down Larry. Virgil returns to his friend, who reveals he knows Static's true identity just before he kicks. Larry asks Virgil to get rid of his gun ("Why didn't you use it?" "Same reason you never use it.") and take care of Frieda. While I'm glad Larry did get a "death scene," I'm sorry the decision wasn't made to focus more on Frieda at Larry's house... Virgil notices Dusk has gone, and has no idea what happened with her but decides he can't do anything about it. He's real down on himself, and decides he's going to give up being Static. He throws Larry's gun in the river. Meanwhile, police captain Gil Summers investigates the scene of the fight and decides Static "might be just what I'm looking for." I have no idea where this particular subplot is going. Cut to Larry's funeral, where I admit I wasn't as moved as I wanted to be, and I'm not sure why. Maybe the reader is supposed to feel a little deadened by this point. Virgil snipes at a couple friends, has a little heart-to-heart with Frieda (who tells him he can never stop being Static, even though she sometimes wishes he wasn't), and returns to Larry's gravesite a week later. Dusk shows up there too. She's using a cane and her leg is still bandaged up, as she tells Virgil she has to go away. (Yeah, he might as well forget about not being Static any more, it's like half the town suddenly knows his identity. :) ) She confesses she's wanted for murder, and explains no further. She also says, "We've both been tangled up together for a reason, and maybe one day we'll find out why." She calls Virgil "my dawn," and reassures him, "You'll see me in your shadow" every time he fights crime from now on. We can't tell (yah, right) if Virgil is crying, as it's raining so hard, but we're pretty sure he's going to continue being Static. It's hard to tell in what direction this new team will be taking Virgil. Looks like there may be relationship trouble for him and Daisy; I hope not. Looks like he and Frieda may become even closer, but it's too early to say as yet. Looks like Static may go public with his secret identity, which I don't think would be a bad idea at all. But I don't have a summer home in these wacky gals' heads, so I'm going to wait for them to tell me. Good luck to us all. Hope you enjoyed the story comparison. So, what did y'all think? THE BOOK OF BALLADS AND SONGS #1 Illustrations by Charles Vess This Issue's Firesign Line: "And the way his cheeks turn up like a protective baby button, and his eyes the color of sky-blue sky and oatmeal..." Here's what I thought... Sometimes I imagine there must be an Alternate Universe Elayne who took a slightly different life path than the one on which I decided. I spent a grand total of about six months in science fiction fandom circles, for example. Always loved folk music, fantasy, things like that, but didn't really pursue this mania much past my college days, half of which were spent listening to Renaissance albums and trying to imitate Annie Haslam's voice (this poor alto was doomed). When I pick up a book like this, I feel like I've gotten back in touch with that AU Elayne, the one who decided not to be so scattershot, to focus more on myths and ballads and folk tales and fantasy and less on Everything Else that's cropped up in my life since then. I no longer have the mental resources on which to call and say, "Aha, yes, I know the entire ballad of Thomas the Rhymer" or "Oh, Fairport Convention definitely roolz over Steeleye Span." I confess to only the most passing of familiarities with this stuff, as opposed to be obsession and expertise which so many others bring to it. Even so, there is much of wonder and delight in this book to make it more than accessible to mere fantasy hobbyists such as myself. Vess is one of the most exquisite illustrators I've ever seen, and this much- anticipated self-published title doesn't disappoint. Vess' work is complimented nicely by chroniclers Sharyn McCrumb ("Thomas the Rhymer"), Neil Gaiman ("The False Knight on the Road") and Robert Walton ("Skade"), and his style varies slightly with each tale told (or sung, I suppose I should say). I liked the first entry best (wherein the art reminds me much of James Owens' work on STARCHILD); the second tale left me a bit uneasy and seemed to end a bit abruptly; and the last one, I must confess, quite lost me. I found Terri Windling's essay on "The Music of Faery" at the end of the book of much interest, especially when she mentions that Celtic ballads seem to dwell overly on tragic or gruesome themes. For someone who grew up with the notion of all fairy tales having of necessity happy endings, I was surprised and a bit saddened to learn this. I hope that Vess maintains a bit of balance in future issues, and concentrates more on the sense of wonder and awe that these stories can invoke rather than on this or that unhappy demise. I highly recommend this anthology series to fans of fantasy, Celtic lore and beautiful art and words. So, what did y'all think? [To let Elayne know what you think, feel free to e-mail her and give her heck; she's not quite up to hell. This review is copyright 1995 Elayne Wechsler-Chaput, and is reprinted with permission from the rec.arts.comics groups on Usenet. If this had been an actual emergency review, you would have been instructed as to where... no, wait, that's the Emergency Broadcast System. Never mind.] |
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