DCU Concerns...

This isn't going to be a lengthy blog, and it isn't one about anything in particular, just a random collection of thoughts I had while reading Flashpoint #3 and my concerns about the post-FP world and how it will effect certain characters. 

As any one reading comic books knows by now (and as I pondered in an earlier blog (52 Number Ones...), DC is bringing a whole batch of #1's to the buying audience in September following the close of Flashpoint, and starting with a Geoff Johns-penned & Jim Lee-drawn JLA book (hence the image above).  Regardless of my thoughts on putting two paragons of timeliness on your flagship book (that's sarcasm btw), it is a whole lot of exciting craziness going in on the DCU and it is prompting a lot of speculation, the most prominent fear I would say being the potential demise of Superman & Lois Lane's marriage. 

Honestly, about that, I could care less....I'm a Batman guy, have been for a long time now and nothing is going to change that.  I trust in the creative teams behind the various Bat-books to craft a story that doesn't insult the fans like me who have been reading for decades and may bring some new readers to the pages of this character I have come to treasure so much.  With each additional piece of information that is put out there by DC regarding this reboot, reset, restart, or whatever you want to label it, my initial fears of total disregard for history have been mostly assuaged.  And despite that fact that Grant Morrison will NOT be helming a single Bat-Book for the first time since 2006, I think it will still do okay.

It's not the story I worry about, rather it is the fate of a certain batch of characters that I have grown attached to but who have yet to be named in any of the solicits for September's relaunch.  The first:

Batgirl IV aka Stephanie Brown

I think Stephanie Brown has benefited from the post-"Death of Bruce Wayne" world moreso than any character in the entire Bat-Corner of the DCU.  It's been cool as hell to see Dick Grayson step into the cowl but largely he's been the same Dick (laugh it up) that he's always been for the most part.  The Red Robin identity of Tim Drake has been an interesting growth process as he's taken all the best, and some of the worst aspects of Bruce, Dick, & Jason Todd, incorporated them into his own identity. Damian has been an interesting little snot since his debut at the start of Grant's opus and his growth has been one of the high points of the last several years, but I stand by my belief that no character in the Bat-Family has become more beloved (by comparison to where she started) than Stephanie Brown.  Bryan Q. Miller's handling of Steph has evolved her from a character most fans hated, or at least were indifferent about, and turned her into a well-rounded adult who is atypical of any other character in the Cave.  Steph is the only character attempting to have a real life, to go to school and have friends, she still has to lie to her mom, but is now finally being pulled into her "Batman Inc." role hinted at months ago.  No longer is she defined by Tim Drake, or the whole death/resurrection thing, but rather she has grown into her own character capable of carrying a book on her own.  Steph is the star, despite the, basically every issue, appearance of Oracle, or the occassional dip into the pool filled up with the rest of the Family.  Who would have ever thought the Cluemaster's daughter, the friggin' Spoiler would be that character.  Major kudos to Miller for crafting this character and to DC for allowing him the opportunity. 

It is because of all those reason that I worry for Stephanie Brown's future in light of Barbara Gordon's return to the Batgirl tights.  There's no mention of her in any Bat-books, nothing in Birds of Prey, so I hope that all the work put into building her up hasn't all been for naught in the DCnU.  In the vein of Batgirl, my other worry is....

Batgirl III aka Cassandra Cain

...Steph's predecessor as Batgirl, Cassandra Cain.  The formerly mute daughter of the assassin David Cain who became Batgirl following Huntress' failed tenure during "No Man's Land" and who would go on to rock the house in my opinion.  I always thought she was a great character, and one with loads of potential that was only barely tapped when the decision to turn her bad was made.  Buuuut as if that wasn't damaging enough, the decision to then have her be all mind-controlled by Deathstroke only did more damage to Cassie.  Then she became a good guy again after being freed from Deathstroke's mind control, was recruited to The Outsiders by Bruce, disappeared when he "died" but not before passing her costume off to Stephanie, and is only now...after several years off the radar...coming back into the Bat Family.  Retroactively Cassie's whole disapperance was part of Bruce's post-mortem orders, but it was Tim Drake who kept in contact apparently and traveled to Hong Kong to offer her a costume.  In the past couple months, Cassie has adopted the name of Black Bat, begun serving as a Batman Inc. operative, and is now back in Gotham during the "Gates of Gotham" mini-series. 

Just like Stephanie, there doesn't appear to be a place for Cassie in this post-FP DC Universe as of yet, and just like Stephanie Brown, I am hoping that is only a short term thing as I fell like she would be a perfect fit for this new "Red Hood & The Outlaws" series.  I want her to remain viable, and visible, not because there has been some tremendous work to make her relevant, but rather because I see so much potential for the character after so much time away from the spotlight.  Cassie Cain hasn't seen monthly appearances in years, she fits the bill perfectly for DC's diversification initiative (a mute asian, female), and is another character who offers up something fresh to the Bat-World.

My next worry isn't just one characters, it's 6...or 7....or 8 depending on the issue...

Gail Simone's "Secret Six"!  I've written about my love for this book in the past (Secret Six Blog) and now with no sign of its survival, I am a sad puppy.  I won't go into the detail I did in the blog (see that's an internal plug right there), but suffice it to say that the characterization, the stories, the interpersonal relationship developed by Simone have done wonders for a lot of characters that were going nowhere, had lost their way, or were just plain useless to most.  New life has been breathed into Bane and Catman, Ragdoll has been turned into an amazingly rich character, as have Scandal Savage and Deadshot, and a fucking Shark has been the highlight of the past year.  He's like Groot for the S6 or something (read the most recent incarnation of "Guardians of the Galaxy" for Groot). 

So while it warms my heart to see a couple of these characters still kicking around in the new "Suicide Squad" book, I am saddened to see that they will not be a unit, and I am hoping that Bane in particular is not relegated once more to just being the guy who broke Batman's back once upon a time.  The relationship between him and Scandal has been a highlight of the run, and I would love to know where Simone was heading, if she even had an idea for the culmination.

And that's probably the thing that hurts the most with the entire new 52 relaunch, all of the unfinished work.  I'm sure it wasn't a terribly difficult thing for a writer to wrap up a short term story in time for the September renumberings, but I'm just as sure that most writers had long term plans for their books that just got squashed by this relaunchbootstart.  Which brings me to my biggest story concern stemming from this....

...the whole concept of Batman Incorporated.  See this was the brainchild baby of Grant Morrison, and the supposed culmination of years of planning.  Well now we've got Grant shifted over to "Action Comics", leaving the Bat-Franchise without him for the first time since he started "Batman & Son" in 2006, and that Batman Inc. title on hiatus until sometime in 2012.  Now to say that putting a Grant Morrison book on hiatus is just begging for it to never be completed would be an understatement given his history of delays, false starts, and never weres, but I hold out hope regardless. 

My concern, given that we've been led to believe Bruce going public still happened & Batman Incorporated is still in existence, is that the whole idea of Batman Inc. will ultimately fall by the wayside.  Aside from the "Batwing" comic (a barely touched on character I just don't get giving a book to considering the amount of time they spent establishing Nightrunner), none of the new books seem to embrace the concept.  Hell, "Batman Inc." is the only one of the current books that really employs the international flavor as it is...well "Red Robin" to a lesser degree, a much lesser degree. Without Grant to explore the idea of corporatizing Batman, where will this leave Batman Inc. as a concept?  I'm hoping it doesn't just fizzle out, especially not before Grant wraps up his Leviathan arc in 2012, and that Scott Snyder & Tony Daniel (I honestly don't give a damn about David Finch) continue to incorporate...Incorporated...into their future.

Well that ended up a lot longer than I thought it would be....not really shocking given how wordy I tend to be.  Anyway, I guess in September we will begin to see what the future holds for our favorite imaginary friends...and Batman too.  He's real.

Oh yeah, and I know I tend to avoid wrestling related stuff here, but check out my friend Eric Santamaria's Wrestling Roundtable when you get a chance...

Comics' Best Kept Secret (Six)?

I've been reading "Action Comics" since the Lex Luthor arc started.  Suffice it to say that I was very curious about Luthor's quest to capture the Black Lantern energy.  Then a funny thing happened, it crossed over with "Secret Six" just as I wrote up a blog about the use of Bane & other 90's villains.  Then news got out that Bane would be one of the villains cast in "Dark Knight Rises".  Am I mildly prescient or what? 

Anyway, intrigued by Bane's appearance in "Action Comics" and having only read the "Battle for the Cowl" tie-in issue of "Secret Six" a couple years prior, I decided I would sit down and give the series a read.  I had been reading stellar reviews of Gail Simone's work on the book for quite awhile, about how she had turned Bane into a viable character again, and how it is one of the best monthlies DC has.  One reviewer likened it to Peter David's current "X-Factor", which I think is one of the most underrated "hidden gem" books Marvel publishes, so my curiosity was sufficiently piqued.

I started with issue one of the current on-going series, not realizing there was an earlier mini-series as well as several other pieces of set-up, until I was almost done with all 30 issues, and it hooked me pretty much right from jump street.  From the odd opening sequence featuring the thing in a box repeating "They die or you die", to Catman & Deadshot's convenience store venture replete with character establishing flashbacks, to Bane's dead-on characterization towards Scandal, to the "family" birthday party; the very first issue immediately establishes the vibe of the team, particularly in their treatment of Scandal as she copes with her loss. 

Now having not read any of the material that led up to the on-going it would be understandable to not grasp some of the finer points, but Simone does a wonderful job of letting the newer reader in on what has come before without weighing down the story in exposition.  I know Scandal is hurting from her lover's death but is really the center of the team, I know Catman is suffering from doubt and has a bond of sorts with Huntress, and Bane is the new guy operating as the observer of the team's dynamic.  I found myself immediately intrigued by a group of characters with whom I was almost entirely familiar because they are so strongly characterized.  One issue in and it's very apparent what role each person plays in the team....Ragdoll possibly being the most entertaining character in some time...and I wanted to burn through the series in one sitting just to see how their stories progressed.

Without getting into an issue by issue detail of how things go down, Simone does an amazing job of establishing Catman's mentality in the second issue as he does battle with Batman, while simultaneously exploring the mentality in which the team members approach each other.  They are all willing to do incredibly stupid & selfless things for the better of the team.  Deadshot is willing to let the team think him a traitor in order to save them all during the "Get Out Of Hell Free" card fracas, he also tries to protect the team from Skinhead bikers during their downtime evening, all while watching him fall for Jeanette.  The first story arc brings a whole different understanding to the character of Ragdoll, the arc that sees Catman's son abducted proves just how much of a psychopath this guy can be when pushed.  Seeing Scandal grow from the sorrowful wreck introduced in the first couple pages of the first ish into the woman that confronts her father in the "Action Comics" crossover is impressive.  But the most impressive thing for me as the reader has been watching Bane, the guy who's main claim to fame was breaking the Bat, evolve into such a complete character.

Aloof, observant, and quiet; Bane started the series by uttering view lines ("She vomits again" had me laughing out loud for some reason), and seemingly involved as nothing more than the team meathead.  But simple lines like "This is not morally defensible" as a stripper comes out of a cake do as much to establish a character's mentality as an entire issue devoted to backstory/origin/meaning of life things.  Bane is set-up as a character willing to do anything as long as he can morally justify it, a man who refuses to depend on the drug that made him famous & destroyed him at the same time, and a man who is disappointed when the Six (and this happens frequently) don't fulfill their contract.  It even drives a wedge in the team, forcing Bane to create his own Secret Six to ensure a contract is fulfilled.  His answers to the "They Die or You Die" question in issue #5 are a great example of the type of character he has become.

But the most intriguing part of Bane's character evolution has been his relationship with Scandal Savage.  Recognizing her need for a father figure, Bane decides to fulfill that role for her, and it makes for some hilarious scenes as well as some of the most awkwardly touching moments I've seen in comics.  Bane questioning his "daughter's" date in "Suicide Squad #67" is one of my favorite moments in the run so far for pure hilarity, and their interaction in issue #10 is sad/touching/weird all at the same time.  He forces Scandal out of her leadership position, as much as out of fatherly protection, as because he is disappointed in the way the Six have handled business.  But he is still weak, he still carries Venom with him in the way "a junkie holds on to their works" I believe was how Deadshot phrased it and still has some fear (or something like it) towards Batman as evidenced in issue #17.  As a huge Batman fan, and a fan of the character introduced way back in "Vengeance of Bane", it is so refreshing to find a writer in Simone who can take the basic essence of Bane (a need for control, strong "moral" center) and make it relevant to something outside the Bat-World.  His was a character I feared lost without attachment to the Bat, and Simone has found a way to make him stand on his own.

And that brings me to another part of her writing that amazes me, the ability to take this motley crew of characters that were essentially written off (look at Catman as written by Kevin Smith), and breath new life into them.  Never was I more astounded by anyone's depiction of The Mad Hatter than I was by Simone's when I finally got around to reading the initial "Secret Six" mini-series and how perfectly it played out into the on-going series.  Hatter has never been a character written as a serious threat, or truly fleshed out beyond being an odd guy with Lewis Carroll obsessions.  The character written by Simone is one that I will always remember, and should serve as a template for anyone using Hatter in the future.  Hell, if the character ever sees the big screen in any format, he should be played like this!  I felt like Simone kind of did the same thing for The Penguin in the first few issues of the current "Birds of Prey" story arc too.  Just reminded the world how much of a threat these villains really can be.

That may be her strongest suit in writing these books: reminding fans what characters are capable of.  The Secret Six has been comprised of some reprehensible characters who have done some terrible things prior to, and during, their memberships in this team.  But what Gail Simone has shown throughout the series are the layers to these bastards.  Deadshot's relationship to his daughter in the mini, the Bane/Scandal relationship, the person behind Ragdoll, the therapist's worst nightmare that is Catman, it's all these things (and more) that Simone has incorporated into her story, and a big part of what makes this book worth coming back to.  A book about a bunch of villains with no redeeming qualities would get tired pretty quick....at least that's what I keep reading about the current run on "Titans" with Deathstroke's crew.

So in the end, I would give this book the highest of recommendations to anyone who hasn't read it, or who is curious about any of the characters.  If you are/were a fan of Bane than this book is especially for you because he hasn't been written this well in a decade.  Kudos to Gail Simone for all the work done on turning this misfits into a band of characters I actually give a damn about.  Oh, and the art has pretty damn good too!

If you're interested in checking out the trades: Secret Six on Amazon!

Next time: Comic Book Delays!