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Pen-Elayne
For Your Thoughts - Week of January 21-27, 1996
This week's digest: KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY #6 KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY #6 Writer: Kurt Busiek This Issue's Firesign Line (because sometimes I just can't resist): "I'm not talking about hate. No, I'm talking about ATE. Dinner at Eight! Let's Eat!" ("More Sugar!") Here's what I thought... With this issue, Kurt comes full circle from the introspective, borderline obsessive Samaritan of KBAC #1 to show us the same hero in very other-directed circumstances, while at the same time filling us in not only on Samaritan's backstory but on the hows and whys behind Winged Victory, at the same time giving us a glimpse of how other AC Universe superheroes are on a typical evening and, of course, supplying yet more texture and three-dimensionality for this marvelous-ever expanding world that he's created. For ASTRO CITY continues to be, above all, a believable world in which superheroes are real and are treated accordingly by the surrounding population - with awe by some, with suspicion and fear by others - as Kurt continues to pay homage to the medium itself through everything from naming streets for famous comic book creators to showcasing archetypical heroic characters to exploring what they mean to themselves as well as to us, their admirers and readers. In this issue, Samaritan and Winged Victory (KBAC's more-or-less Superman and Wonder Woman analogs) go on a date. The story is told in first-person narrative from Samaritan's viewpoint, but is shown from the view of the two heroes, intercut with surrounding onlookers as well as the other superfolk who take care of business so that Samaritan and WV can enjoy themselves for the evening - the speedster MPH stopping a heist at the (Jackie?) Estrada Pavilion exotic car show; Quarrel, Crackerjack (as grandstanding as ever) and the N-Forcer dealing with a nasty Montana avalanche; the Barbie twin Beautie taking care of charismatic villain Goldenboy (more on that later) in San Francisco; Cleopatra stuck in Topeka with a tornado; and, most significantly, the First Family battling an ax- and energy-wielding villain in Chicago. Samaritan shows up, in full costume with flowers in hand, at a predesignated apartment location to meet with WV. Who answers the door in her civvies. She explains awkwardly that, since she didn't know how Samaritan would be arriving, "Well, I thought this was safest all around." We never find out her civilian identity, however, and there's a reason for that. The unnamed woman changes into VW, and the two heroes experience a moment of discomfort at the thought of doing something as wondrous and yet as seemingly ordinary as going on an actual date, before taking off to the skies. Samaritan is still obsessing to himself, "It's like we don't belong together. Not without a supervillain." WV, however, is getting into it. They walts into a fancy-schmancy restaurant in full garb, where they are summarily set upon by other luminaries-cum-autograph-hounds. Well, at least they stayed long enough for drinks. Samaritan's still chafing at the attention, though, and comes up with an alternate plan - he convinces WV to change back from skivvies to civvies, takes her to Beefy Bob's (a sort of Chuck E. Cheese analog) House of Clutter and Clatter on (Manny) Stallman Street, introduces his own civilian identity to her, and - between being jostled by other patrons paying no mind to this ordinary-looking couple, fills her (and us) in on his origin. Turns out Asa, whoever he used to be, is from the future. An alternate future, as it happens, because when he was sent back in time to prevent a disaster that would have far-reaching ramifications for Earth's future, and successfully accomplished his mission, the future he knew was obliterated (as his time's scientists knew it might be) in favor of a glorious utopia in which his family didn't exist (not even his former abode - it's been replaced by Arriola's Taco stand - um, who's Arriola?), and he was left without a past. Or with only a past. Or something like that. Time Paradoxes Make My Head Hurt (TM). The averted disaster in question? The event that introduced Samaritan to the world - his rescue of the Challenger crew compartment on January 28, 1986. Almost exactly ten years ago - hard to believe it's been that long. Anderson reproduces perfectly the picture seared into much of our national consciousness. A fitting reminiscence and tribute, to speculate on What Might Have Been had the crew members lived. "I don't know what it changed," Asa admits. "Maybe one of the Challenger Seven became a world leader, or had an influential child - but that was the crucial event. That saved the world." Let us hope our world is not so doomed. And how did he save them? Empyrean energy, which suffused him as he passed through the timestream, and even turned his hair bright blue (a *great* take on the "Superman blue hair" bit!). My dictionary defines "empyrean" as "the highest heaven or heavenly sphere in ancient and medieval cosmology, usually consisting of fire and light," or "the true and ultimate heavenly paradise." Kewl. Reminds me of the Speed Force. ;) And for all his soaking in 20th century history, he was unprepared for the media blitz surrounding his feat (as he stammered, "Just call me a good Samaritan...")? Obviously the 35th century folks didn't supply him with enough tabloids. <g> The talk then turns to Beautie's victory over Goldenboy, as we learn how Samaritan and WV remain informed about worldwide happenings, and the focus shifts to her. And suddenly I feel like I'm at a Friends of Lulu meeting, or Johanna Draper's apartment. :) Turns out WV's raison d'etre, to her mind, lies in "protecting women - or... demonstrating that women don't automatically need men to shield them... I've got a message to send, to women. Not just that they can be heroic, but that they matter. They count... I was granted these powers for a reason - to inspire women. I think that's perfectly legitimate." You go, girl! Asa, trying but not quite getting it (or is he just playing Chary's Advocate? <g>), poses a hypothetical "Say you've got a man falling to his death here, and a woman drowning there. You'd ignore the man to save this woman? Consciously?" And just when did you stop beating your wife? WV's response - You bet This exchange is about my favorite scene in the book. Like so much of what makes ASTRO CITY the magnificent piece of art it is, it's All So Real. I've had these no-win discussions with guys (and not a few fellow gals). "If you don't favor women, you'd lose your powers?" Gah! Anderson captures her frustration well, especially once we see the tension between the two diners mount, in juxtaposition to the First Family's struggle with the Norse-looking energy-spewing guy. WV explains the reasoning behind shifting the focus of her shelters into becoming empowerment schools - "I realized the women there were growing dependent on me, looking to me for protection, and I didn't want that." Real good speech against the myth of "victim feminism" (most real feminists I know prefer empowering terms like "survivor" to victimizing terms), and I'm glad it's clarified that the schools are women-only, as I didn't get that from KBAC #4. Also terrific to see woman of all ages, colors and sizes in the panel showing the martial arts class. As the FF's external conflict escalates, so does WV's inner one. Asa starts hitting a few nerves. First he mentions her family - bad move; she hasn't spoken to Mom in almost two years. She accuses Asa of using his secret identity as a "luxury" (which, in fact, he does), since he's so rarely in relaxation mode. Why not stop the pretense, the way she's decided to? "Well," he responds, "there's always hope." And as the FF patriarch (I think) advises Astra to "Hit it! Hit it hard!" Asa delivers the cutting blow - "Hasn't Winged Victory become a kind of shelter herself?" And they have words, very dramatically. Beautiful, strong, emotional two pages here - again, juxtaposed perfectly with the FF's adventure - as we see WV change and fly the coop. She alights at the top of the very Chrysler-building-looking Astra Tower, Samaritan in pursuit. And here, in the quiet night sky, they calm down and admit that each has given the other a lot to consider. WV observes, tellingly, "It's like you're a god, pretending to be normal; I'm a normal woman, trying to live up to the role of a god." But there's room to bend. And, as the clock strikes midnight... ... they kiss. Probably one of the loveliest kisses I've ever seen in comics. Absolute perfection, from characters who are supposed to be looked at as absolute perfection (only now we know better). And they leave each other with Asa's thought: "There's always hope." And so there is. My hope is that ASTRO CITY will return real soon now - Kurt takes the time to explain a little of what's going on in the letters column, but I suspect we'll here a more updated announcement from him on the 'nets very soon, and I look forward to it. Also nice to see so many familiar names in the lettercol, which is well done again by John Gaushell (white type on a dark green-fading-to-aqua background), but someone screwed up on a paragraph of type where a reader asks the pivotal question: "whereisAstroCitylocated?I'dgottentheimpression-somewherethatitwasin..." Well, you get the idea. :) Until such time as the title re-emerges, though, we're left here with a wonderful feeling of, if this makes any sense, open-ended closure. Much like the students at Winged Victory's schools, I felt empowered after reading this issue. It doesn't get any better, folks. Bravo. So, what did y'all think? THE POWER OF SHAZAM! #13 Writer: Jerry Ordway Here's what I thought... I'm really starting to get into Ordway's humor in this book, recalling this was the sort of thing I liked about his Superman stuff too. He seems to be one of those writers too many people take for granted - pity. I also love the way he provides answers to all the questions I'm thinking about when I read this title. "Where's the Wizard gonna live, now that Ibis is taking care of the Rock of Eternity? What's with the robe and stuff? - I mean, I think it's chic, but he's prolly gonna stand out. Did Mary kill that caterpillar thingie when she squished it last issue?" As they say, all this and more!... We open on the mystery of Sinclair Batson, lying in an experimental gel treatment bubble in Fawcett City Hospital (and you know whenever you see the word "experimental" it's a cue that something's gonna happen soon, probably within the next few issues), while a doctor explains to Cap and "Mr. Natural" (as the proud owner of a Mr. Natural figurine, I 'bout fell on the floor over this joke) that the med team had removed this cylindrical object from "Sinclair's" ear. Well, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but in this case I doubt it. Sure enough, the cylinder's former resident, the aforementioned caterpillar-like creature, now finds himself slinking through the streets without a host, and eager to reunite. Turns out the bug has amazing powers to not only speak in characters that require deciphering (thanks to Mike Chary for rising to the task and making this book a lot easier for me to read) but to control the minds of others. Old CM readers will recognize him as "Mr. Mind." New CM readers like me are clueless (it's not like he's ever identified <g>) but happy to play along. The Marvel family, however, isn't playing at all - they're bickering. Well, not at first. First we see Freddy harrassing Mary, despite her repeated refusal to become romantically involved with him. Big Brother comes to the rescue, and CM Billy bops CM Jr. one as CM Mary politely requests he butt out. Notes Mr. Mind, "This Marvel family is starting to get on my nerves." He knows who they are? CM Billy snarls, "Maybe you haven't heard him brag about the girls he's been with, Mary!" Well, she's not stupid, Billy - she opened the conversation by alluding to Freddy's "many girlfriends." I find it hard to believe she seems surprised that Freddy might want to treat her "like a plaything." On the other hand, she's summarily dismissed as CM Jr. shoves her out of the way to haul off again at CM Billy. Fine - they won't listen? Better get Dad - or, in this case, Shazam. "Don't make me come in there!" BWAHAHAHA! Freddy, who has no sense of humor, flies off in a huff. We won't be seeing him for awhile, is my guess. Good old responsible Mary suddenly remembers she's in deep doo-doo with her folks, and departs to try to smooth things over there, while CM and Shazam alight, CM changes back to Billy and they visit a local Salvation Army thrift store (love the new threads!) before their trip to Mayberry (well, they did say Floyd's Barber Shop, no?). Meanwhile, "Mr. Mind" finally reaches the hospital, courtesy of the dog whose mind he's usurped, and gets stuck on a security guard's leg when the guard gets rid of the pooch. A nurse passes by, removes the creature and puts him in a petrie dish. "Oooh, baby," the creature coos. Yep, it's definitely a "Mr.", I guess. He directs the nurse to take him to the burn ward (where Sinclair is) instead of the bio lab. Yep, Mary's in deep with the 'rents. Surprisingly, it's apparently because they *know* Billy's her brother and thought the two had been dating one another. This subplot fascinates me, especially when Mom Bronfield screams "Call Doctor Chiang, and tell her it's an emergency!" What's up with that reaction? Billy and the Wizard arrive at his place, where they are summarily beset upon by Billy's radion station boss, teacher and J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, posing as Detective Tim Woolfolk, sicc'ed on Billy by the Bromfields. Somehow, the Wizard smooths things over. This didn't work for me - he says, "Billy's my responsibility" and they all just up and say, "Oh yeah sure, no problem" and leave without even checking the guy out? Then again, Fawcett City denizens didn't bother doing a background check on "Sinclair Batson" either. Guess Shazam's spell on the city must have slowed down a few brain cells too. In any case, we learn the Wizard's real name was/is Jebediah of Canaan ("O'Keenan!" Billy quickly transposes), and as we look in on ol' Jeb and Billy sitting down to eat, we find that all of his wizardly powers cannot prevent the runs as a result of cheapo chili. I laughed out loud at this page, but still found it kinda... well, it's toilet humor, after all... "Mr. Mind" has reached the burn ward, knocked the nurse unconscious (powerful li'l thing) and found his former host, but "Drat! My host is sealed off from me!" Don't you hate when that happens? He retrieves the cylinder, pops himself inside and makes a bug-line right for the semi- erect body of old fuddy-duddy Ebenezer Batson. Uh oh. Eben proves more than compliant, and instructs the med personnel to pretty much go nuts or kill themselves. I'd like to hope CM saves them... ...but he's chosen to visit Mary and find out if she's okay. Freddy's still nowhere to be seen. The radio comes on by itself in the middle of the night to crackle about some space mission, in one of the most awkwardly shoehorned examples of pointless exposition I've seen in many a month, and it's not as if either Mary or Billy comments on it. Billy vows to find and retrieve Freddy, whose adventures in #14 will be pencilled by Gil Kane! Yay, and congrats to new dad Krause! Pencils show much improvement, but I wasn't thrilled with the very heavy-looking inks this issue. Shadows on everything. It was like, too *much* definition, and too inconsistent. Coloring was nice, though. "If Mr. Mind is back, can Thaddeus Sivana be far behind?" asks Chris Duffy after shilling for the Decoder Card. (Nice to be on Usenet, where we don' need no steenkin' card.) I don't know, can he? And will we need a damn card for him too? :) So, what did y'all think? NEW GODS #6 Writer: Rachel Pollack, with thanks to "Highfather" T. Peyer Here's what I thought... At first I wasn't going to review this at all. I was very disappointed by the last few issues but, as I said in #5, I'm such a Fourth World devotee that I've decided to keep picking up the book just because. Until now, it's kind of been like watching a slow car wreck. This time out, however, I was actually pleasantly surprised. I don't know what changed. I don't think it's the shift to Rachel writing solo, as I'm sure Peyer is still helping with the plotting. It may be the shift of character focus. We open on Evil Lightray (and I yawn), spouting some crap about purity that nobody believes but him and his fanatic followers. The Bugs aren't buying it, certainly. They crowd him with taunts. "You are the arrogance of every god. Each one thinks his power will rule the world. Each of you with your special powers. Light. Or Rock. Or Darkness. Or Snakes. But the Bugs know true strength lies in numbers. And sacrifice." Wait a minute, I start to say - this is good stuff. When did this happen? Speaking of Rock, the god of that, Aarden, attacks Lightray to defend the nature-based divine populace, who then join in against the Sons of Light from the sky city. Finally, the conflict of heavenly power vs. "earth"- based power is addressed. Rock may smash scissors, but does it cut light? I ain't talkin'. And Mother Herrae is saddened by the conflict... "Even Aarden..." Didn't she star in "Our Miss Brooks?" Herrae does note a fundamental difference between the sky gods' battles and their own, however. "The sky gods fight for conquest, and this twisted thing they call purity... while we fight for our homes. And for all the helpless creatures of this Living World." Very nice how she makes a contrast not only between methods but between vitality and sterility, a comparison to which she later returns. And here I start to sense Rachel's strength as well as (what is to me) her weakness. Herrae, never (as I recall) any sort of major character back in Kirby's day, is becoming a fully-realized character, every bit as vital and interesting as any of the "Sky Gods" who formed the core of Kirby's New Genesis stories. I never remember any really kewl female gods on New Genesis, and here we're starting to see them - first Herrae and later, to a somewhat lesser extent, Atinai. And it gives a nice balance to see Herrae as Izaya's equal - even his better in some ways. This balance was, I felt, sorely lacking from the past few issues. On the other hand, Rachel doesn't really take the time that I think is necessary to introduce her characters. A simple caption on the last panel of page four stating something like, "And, as the battle rages, Herrae, the Mother of the Living World, watches in sadness..." would have gone a long way towards making this comic more accessible for new readers. With something as rich and potentially complex as the Fourth World, I think Rachel really needs to work on this accessibility factor. It hounded her writing on DOOM PATROL as well, albeit to a lesser extent coming on the heels of Morrison's weird-for-weird's-sake. But this ain't Vertigo, and you can't assume your readers are going to be able to fill in all the mythological blanks - for instance, the significance of the monster-destroyer S'ivaa? Yes, some of us are aware of the Hindu god Shiva the Destroyer, but many readers aren't. I think Herrae is supposed to conjure up Hera (as Izaya recollects Zeus) and, in terms of her power, Gaia, but this is just guesswork. I have no idea about Atinai. I don't know that more exposition wouldn't destroy the "fun" of mythological speculation, but I think it would help move the story along better. Herrae confronts Izaya in the sky city - "You just couldn't accept the basic reality of dirt, could you? You had to make a city, so clean you've drained the very life out of it." Nice stuff. But as she sees, all is far from perfect in the hub of New Genesis. Izaya gives Herrae the lowdown - really bad pencilling on page 8, by the way, she suddenly looks extremely male - and Herrae gives him what fer. She chastises the way he's used Atinai as his Master Builder (although, frankly, I think having a woman as Master Builder is kewl) and warns him that S'ivaa's really close to that Dance o' Death if they don't watch out. Might even happen in NG #11. Highfather explains he can't call off his sky gods - he can't even control his own temper, because the Source is so darn tainted. Herrae flies off as she responds, "Then I will have to act alone - before it becomes too late." You go, god! Izaya visits Atinai, who wears a neck brace and a carpal tunnel brace on her left wrist for decoration but appears to need back surgery even more. I get the feeling the only reason Herrae is drawn decently (except for page 8) is that she's wearing a full-length robe. Please, someone loan Luke Ross an anatomy book! Highfather, having presumably picked up something from his brief trip to Earth (hope it's curable), tells her he'd like her to build an Asylum for Gods. He tells her ominously he may be checking himself in as the first patient. So, not a bad outing on New Genesis after all - much stronger, as I said, than last issue. Meanwhile, things on Apokalips have really gone into high gear, with Orion fighting off Granny Goodness' orphans about as gently as he could, gloating to Granny, "You failed - they still live." Unfortunately, her minions still call Orion a murderer (well, he ain't far from that characterization anyway) and the guy in green with the goggles whom I should know but I don't have my old issues in front of me (see, Rachel, introduce these people to us again) attacks him very badly. After he dispatches Greenie, he checks out his own body - that grey matter has spread. He's real broken out now - well, almost broken out, but I'm getting ahead of myself. And the image of Darkseid-who- we-know-isn't appears to him and tells him to fight Kalibak. It's an extremely boring and one-sided fight, so the reader concentrates on the spectators in the audience - hey, there's Greenie again! Lots of Orwellian signs ("Darkseid is Peace," etc.) - always a fun part of the old Kirby issues. Granny's teeth are badly darwn, and Doctor Bedlam gets a measly three lines - oh well, maybe it's one of his clones. Kalibak yells a lot - yawn. Orion bids his Motherbox goodbye - WOW. "Forgive me, but I no longer deserve your love." Very heavy. Nice. The grey has spread. Is Orion about to turn into Darkseid, or just turn inside out? Well, we all know he has his father in him, but we're about to find out just how much. Suddenly Darkseid-who-we-know-isn't appears. Orion laughs menacingly, and exposes the image of Darkseid as the cowardly DeSaad. And the fickle crowd turns - hee. "Kill DeSaad! Kill Orion!" Kill Me! Heh. So like, remember I was saying stuff about breaking out, and Orion having his father in him, and like that? Go on, take a guess what happens next. It's cool. It makes total sense. It's utterly predictable, in retrospect. But isn't everything? And it's fuuuuun. Very well-paced issue, with the possible exception of the Orion/ Kalibak arena scene, and even that came through at the end. Lots of good revelations, but I would have tweaked the dialogue here and there to offer a bit more exposition and accessibility. Overall, though, it's almost like night and day compared with #5. And the cover is very misleading, as Orion and Lightray don't even appear on the same planet during this issue, much less fighting each other. Bad cover choice. I could have wished for better pencilling, but I suppose the inking was smooth as I couldn't tell one style from the other. The coloring was magnificent - it's Trish, the coloring is always magnificent. So, what did y'all think? HELLBLAZER #99 Writer: Paul Jenkins Here's what I thought... I love the way Paul Jenkins has taken John Constantine and actually made him a social person now, interacting with friends. If you're constantly in the realm of the fantastic, without the ordinary to set it off, it can become quite dull indeed. And I'm learning an awful lot about Paul lately, based on the fact that he has described his work on HELLBLAZER as semi-autobiographical (without, I'm assuming, the magickal aspects). We begin with a typical Jenkins "ordinary moment," as John, Straff and Rich emerge from the London Underground, John and Rich snickering. Seems Straff is wearing a "no wire hangers" shirt and was under the impression the symbol stood for "do not drip-dry this shirt." (Could've been worse, I guess, he might have thought it represented the Joan Crawford fan club.) Naturally, here he is with this pro-choice T-shirt, and they happened to be sitting across the car from some nuns... Interesting that Jenkins assumes (or at least his characters do) that all nuns are anti-choice, but let's move on. Now, page 6 establishes Constantine's current political leanings and, while I'm in total sympathy with the sentiments Jenkins espouses, I don't see where this particular rant advanced the story any. It seemed like an excuse to get a lot of anger out, especially vis a vis the British assholes in power who break up peaceful raves and other gatherings. Like I said, I can appreciate the politics, and can sort of see how it advances and deepens John's character, but it has no bearing on the rest of this story so it winds up feeling awkward. (Although I will say that Phillips' work on the almost-full-page panel here is marvelous - shades of "Eleanor Rigby" with the multiple men-and-brellas. Very striking.) A much better set-up to the story occurs on the first four pages, as we're introduced to Sadie and Terry. I'm assuming Sadie is named for the fabulous Sadie O. of CompuServe and MAGIAN LINE fame, as Paul writes, among other things, of her admiration for Constantine's derriere, and Sadie and I have a sort of running gag about Paul's bum on our Wednesday night conferences. But whereas Our Sadie is an extremely erudite and together woman, the Sadie in this issue is, alas, a very battered woman, and bears many scars of a physical as well as emotional nature due to her mistreatment at the hands of Terry, who is a prick and a junkie. But back to John, who wonders, "What have I got to offer that can't be found in a dole check and a nice, fat spliff?" I may swipe this line as a .sig someday. :) He looks around at current conditions, and decides to treat his friends to a day in paradise. Or, in this case, as close as John has gotten - Abaton. Of course, there's trouble there - what would paradise be without it? Jack i' the Green is torturing his creation Harlot, setting up an eerie parallel to the situation of Sadie and Terry. Who just happen to be in the car with John on the road to Abaton (after they've just gotten reacquainted, John seeing Sadie's scarred face for the first time as well as discovering that she and Terry are now married). Well, Jack Green is royally pissed that Constantine's brought his friends to play - I mean, there goes the neighborhood, you know? Retorts John, "Believe it or not, no one cares about Abaton any more. You're not the essence of Britain these days - they are." Jack mutters something about making sure John's guests know the rules, the most important one being that they cannot remember their stay in this fairyland, and John agrees. Naturally, the first thing most of them do is retire to the pub. Hey Jenkins - Pot, kettle, black. Look into it. :) John's starting to become exasperated, and finally gathers the group together to explain The Rules one more time. Unfortunately, Sadie and Terry miss this pivotal piece of advice, as they've wandered off. And suddenly Terry's system is cleansed of the smack, and Sadie's face is once more beautiful. (And I mean beautiful - it practically shines with inner light. Kudos to Phillips once more.) Then suddenly, they hear a voice. Uh-oh. It's the Harlot, promising she'll "pay you a truth" if they set her free; moreover, that they'll remember their stay and be able, they figure, to remain. Their truths: Terry will "return many times to this place." Sadie will "go to the blue." Constantine runs up, but too late to warn them away before Jack shows. Harlot pleads for them to take her away with them, but Jack's just too powerful - he's the Lord of the Green, after all. He pretty much smites her down before turning his attention to John, Sadie and Terry. And we find, via his remarks to Sadie, that not only is he a sexist but a racist. You tell *me* how that makes the Green better than modern Britain. Jack emits spikes from his body, and suddenly the B&W panel at the bottom of page 19 almost exactly resembles the one at the top of page 10 - they've jumped back. John knows he's "fucked up badly... everyone makes mistakes, I suppose - I just keep making the same one, over and over again." At least his heart's in the right place. Sadie becomes the latest in a long series of women to confront him with what he's done and demand he fix it, which of course he can't. He can't sway the prick i' the green any more than he could have prevented Terry's abuse, or changed the political situation in Britain... But we see the Harlot's promise came true - Sadie did remember. As for Terry - he simply vegged out. Sitting and staring at the telly all day long, his mind kept returning to the Green, and he was lost to reality. And Sadie's truth came about as well - she succumbs to her despair and "gave herself instead to the blue," drowning scarred-face-first in the wintry sea. God, how I cried. Was Sadie's fate inevitable? Was her wish for wholeness such a function of vanity that she deserved to be punished for it? Granted, Jack was so nasty that there was no other way around it, but Sadie's fate was spelled out by the scarecrow Harlot before he even entered into it. I wish Jenkins could have found a way to save her, even to heal her. On the whole, I hate sad endings. Even so, it was beautifully written and drawn, and I hope Paul keeps John as social as possible. We know he's a class-A screwup, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to see him come out on top now and again. So, what did y'all think? CHIAROSCURO: The Private Lives of Leonardo
da Vinci Writers: David Rawson and Pat McGreal Here's what I thought... One of the things that makes this book so hard to follow, as Dave Rawson admits in the letters section, is its jumping around in time. The second-to-last chapter in the saga of Leonardo and Salai takes place some years after the ending of Chapter 8. We are now in Cloux at Amboise, France, in 1519, in residence of King Francis. And we open with Leonardo's old familiar dream, only less disjointed and more detailed than ever. Troug, Kayanan and especially Feeny do a marvelous job in recreating the stream-of-consciousness flow and vibrant colors of the dream realm. This is kinda how my dreams work too, only not as scary, and usually not as symbolic. :) The Maestro is awakened from his nap by his new protege, Francesco Melzi, then again by a courier carrying a letter to Leonardo - from Salai. Melzi attempts, badly, to hide the letter behind his back, and believes he's succeeded as the talk suddenly turns to the preservation of da Vinci's journals (as well as to what a horse's ass the king is, but of course that's par for the course.) Naturally, Leonardo's old but not stupid, and demands Melzi hand over the letter. Startled to learn whence it came, he's just about to open it and read it, when -- In waltzes King Francis, eager for his anatomy lesson. The pages that follow are not for the squeamish. As the cadaver is cut open and Leonardo gives his standard lecture (with Melzi refreshing his memory from the textbook - great moment), we're taken again to the dream, which begins to take form and make sense. We're never quite sure if Leonardo's voice in these captions (as opposed to the balloons) are his actual words or thoughts, but we discover he was startled, as a babe, by a falcon appearing by his basket before being shot down by his father. As the autopsy continues, we see Leonardo as a boy being abandoned by same father due to his being a bastard and the elder da Vinci wishing to redeem the family name in society. The young Leonardo straddles a nearby horse and takes after Papa, but loses him in the pouring rain. As Leonardo talks of a cave, we see more of his dark past, this scene having to do with accusations of immoral conduct and, presumably (my knowledge of history is a little fuzzy here), his imprisonment as punishment for said conduct. And then we get to the heart - of both the cadaver and Leonardo's live. As he holds the no-longer-pulsing organ (and I try to banish thoughts of Lehrer's "Masochism Tango" line, "My heart is in your hands - yeech"), we see Leonardo confronting Salai, and the Maestro speaks of two overriding emotions - "Fear and Desire." Emotions constantly in conflict, and constantly manipulated by Salai, as we have seen in previous chapters. And speaking of the heart... Leonardo suddenly grabs his own (well, not literally, as he drops the actual heart he's holding) and collapses. Francis and Melzi help him into bed, where he starts babbling about how men are nothing more than vessels of putrefaction and defecation... there's cheery talk for you. Melzi bids the royal ass goodbye before returning to Leonardo's bedside. Seems the Maestro has read Salai's letter, and tears form below his shut eyelids. Which pains Melzi, not only because Salai has hurt Leonardo so much in the past, but because it's obvious da Vinci cares for the manipulative prick much more than he'll ever care for faithful Melzi. His protege gone, Leonardo opens his eyes once more and prepares to reread the missive, which we'll get to see next issue. Well, looks like we're finally nearing the heart, and I know for a fact that Everybody Dies, 'cause heck, we all do - but I want to see Salai get at least some kind of contemporary one-uppance, and Leonardo go with at least a little peace in his own heart. I look forward to, but am saddened by, the imminent conclusion of this saga. So, what did y'all think? By Scott Roberts I keep trying to think up a good analog for the character of Patty Cake, when I describe this book in an effort to get people more interested in it. The closest I can come is, she's sort of a cross between Dennis the Menace and Madeline-as-done- by-Tex Avery. Patty Bakerman is at the cusp of that optimum girl age (which I define as 7 to about 11 or 12), is possessed of a vivid and wicked imagination, plays up the "Daddy's Little Girl" bit to the hilt, and delights in getting her friends and sometimes her self in a little harmless trouble. Her adventures are such a delight to follow that I've even joined her fan club, which means I get a kewl micro-mini comic every month in the mail so I know when to look for the full-size one in the store. <g> And, for those of you wondering, Patty is a Friend of Lulu - Roberts even did a delightful illustration for us which I hope will see print someday in the FoL newsletter, and gives us a great plug on his letters page! Thanks, Scott! In "She's Back," we meet Patty's prodigal 13-year-old sister Sandy (full name Alexandra), a charming but mostly harmless juvenile delinquent who's just been kicked out of finishing school. As much admiration as we know the sisters must have for each other, it would be an understatement to speculate that Patty's happy about no longer being the center of attention. The page wherein she trashes Sandy's room thoroughly then, anger released, proceeds to clean the whole thing up is priceless. The scene in which Dad comes home from work, not knowing of Sandy's return, and Patty rushes to meet him and win his complete love before sis and Mom come back, is even better. Next we get a Birdy cartoon, "A Peck of Trouble." Wow, it's just like being at a Sunday matinee! Like RAGMOP, this is a great book for fans of animation - it uses quite a few of the same storytelling techniques. Next we're treated to a healthy dose of Patty's imagination as she plays "Outer Space" with buddy Irving. We also find out that her friend Jose just may have a teensy crush on her. Well, I know I do. This is a great "let's pretend" story, and reminded me a lot of my own childhood, where everything had to make logical sense or else! The last two pages, "Ties That Bind," feature the two sisters and are precious beyond words. Which is a good thing, as they're captionless. And the inside front cover consists of a still picture and the poem "Back Seat," describing Patty's feelings riding in a car at night after a long day. It's gorgeous. As ever, highly recommended. So, what did y'all think? [These reviews are reprinted, with permission, from the rec.arts.comics Usenet newsgroups and are copyright 1996 Elayne Wechsler-Chaput, who is grateful that someone finally told her how a Lynx Bookmark file worked so she could at last save the Pen-Elayne Web site (thanks, Bastian, looks great!)...] |
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