Comics, heroes magically lead to reading

Who'd've thunk?

SOMEWHERE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO — My geek flag flew unashamedly last week during a cruise to Mexico with my family. I won a ship on a stick — a shipskabob — as much for my deep and abiding knowledge of comic book lore as for my ability to tell people what they think they want to hear.

The emcee, presenting me with the trophy, pointed out my “Star Trek” T-shirt, and I pointed out I was also holding an old Doc Savage paperback. (In my defense, I came to the contest directly from the pool deck, where I had been reading in between dips in the salt water. If I’d had time to change, I would have worn my Wonder Woman shirt instead).

“Yes, I am a true geek,” I said.

Another aside: The only reason I didn’t tie for the win with my son was because he wrote down the actual correct answers, while I wrote down the nearly-correct answers I believed the emcee was looking for. We will share the trophy.

We had a good showing for the cruise: My daughter won the Harry Potter trivia contest earlier in the week — which included a sudden-death(ly hallows) tie breaker — and received a matching plastic cruise ship simulacrum.

The wins can be attributed to one thing: We love to read. We prefer stories steeped in imagination and heroism, but we also love the beauty of the word under a poet’s hand, the truth of a tale well told.

I can easily point to comic books as my gateway drug to being a life-long reader (and writer). And it’s why I’m excited to see the Northwest Florida Regional Library’s summer reading programs: the Bay County libraries are using super heroes (as well as non-super powered everyday heroes) and comic books to lead kids into reading.

•“Heroes Read!” is a series of sessions suggested for children ages 6 and younger, and includes family storytime, talking, singing, reading, writing and playing. Topics include What’s Your Superpower?, Animal Heroes, and Heroes Live @ Your Library.

•“Every Hero Has a Story” is for kindergarten through grade 5, and incorporates books with art, crafts, special guests and professional entertainment. The sessions include topics like “Mad Scientists.”

•“Unmask!” is suggested for students in grades 6-12. It includes self-directed maker spaces, props, crafts, technology support and a readers’ theater.

For dates, times and other details, check the library nearest you: Panama City Beach Library, 12500 Hutchison Blvd., Panama City Beach (233-5055); Bay County Public Library, 898 W. 11th St., Panama City (522-2118); and Springfield Public Library, 408 School Ave., Springfield (872-7510). Or for a full schedule, visit NWRLS.com

Before you know it, these kids will graduate from reading illustrated stories, to writing their own, making art, shooting photos, directing movies — finding their own paths to creativity and imagination. That’s the goal.

Winning a plastic trophy is just for bragging rights.

Peace.

Come see me at Creative Con tomorrow!

PANAMA CITY CREATIVE CON

What: A gathering of writers, artists, actors, publishers, dancers, musicians and other fantastic creators to meet the public and share their talents

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13

Where: Gulf Coast State College, Student Union East Building, Panama City

Cost: $10 for adults, free to children age 6 and younger

Details: PCcreativeCon.com

Creative Con grows into new venue
Guests include ‘Pluggers’ artist, actors, musicians, more

PANAMA CITY — Having outgrown its original home, Panama City Creative Con shows no signs of slowing down.

This year’s Creative Con showroom will be on the second floor of the Student Union East building at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City. The show floor will be in the main lecture hall with a kids’ art program and guest panels located in two adjacent classrooms.

Creative Con is a day celebrating sequential art, comics, costumes (or “cosplay”), writing, publishing — and tons of other creative endeavors, such as dancing, filmmaking, music and more. Originally housed in the children’s department of the Bay County Public Library, and supported by the Library Foundation, massive attendance last year convinced organizers Jayson Kretzer and Bettina Mead to seek a roomier location.

“The new venue allows the opportunity to showcase more creative guests as well as expand the activities we can have the day of the show, such as live acoustic music in our singer/songwriter series, movie screenings, food on site and more,” said Kretzer, a comic artist, writer and graphic designer.

More than 50 guests are scheduled, representing a wide variety of creative and artistic careers. Special guests are Gary Brookins, cartoonist for the “Pluggers” and “Shoe” comic strips, and Jeff Parker, the award winning co-creator of the daily comic strip, “Dustin.”

“This show is not just another comic convention — it’s a creative career path convention,” Kretzer said. “We have a lot of guests this year who grew up or went to school in Bay County and have gone on to find work in the creative career of their choice, such as Gary Brookins and Michael Pedro (who worked on concept art for the video games ‘Halo 4’ and ‘DCU Online’), so I’m pretty excited to have the opportunity to bring them back to Panama City to share their experiences with our up-and-coming creatives.”

Other guests include:

• Artists Josh Hughes (“Atomic Terrier”), John Russo, Amanda Rachels, Victor Strickland, Mark Maddox, Katie Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Matthew Shelley, K. Michael Russell (“Hack/Slash,” “Justice League”), Clint Hagler, Aaron Hazouri, Brett Brooks (“Dust Bunny”), Randolph Dixon (“Absentee”),  Edmund Dansart and John Holland.
• Writers Chris Arrant, Mark Boss (“One Bullet”), Bobby Nash, Evelyn Rainey, Shaun Phelps, Michael Lowe (LETO-1), Erica Heflin, Chris Widdop (“Velcro: The Ninja Cat”), Wes Locher, Kevin Laporte, poet and professor Lynn Wallace, and this writer (“Tales of the Awakening Dead” and others).
• Cosplayers Alice Infinity, Lozziepop Cosplay, Emerald Coast Cosplay, Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club, and Jo Roberts.
• Actors Dawn Buvurger (“Cremain”), Savana Jade Wehunt (“The Walking Dead”), and Daniel Emery Taylor (“The Return of Swamp Thing”).
• Publishers Martinez/Butler, Inverse Press, and Graphic Knowledge Magazine (gkthemag.com).

Other guests are educator Kat Kan, stuntman Jim O’Rear, podcaster Deadpool Speaks, rock band Rogues Gallery, toymaker Roderick Hall, humorist Teresa Roberts Logan, ghost hunters Panhandle Paranormal Investigations, videographer Lou Columbus, and dancers from Blues and Lindy in the Panhandle.

A children’s activity booth will open at 11 a.m. The costume contest will be at 1 p.m., with three age divisions: Junior (ages 12 and younger), General (ages 13 and older), and Group (two or more people, all ages).

Other events include:

• Two cosplay panels with tips and advice on makeup, custom creating costumes, places to shop for materials, and how to make props.
• Making Comics, the Inverse Press experience using crowd funding to market independent comics.
• Comics to Screen, a panel discussion with Wallace, Arrant and Columbus. 
• Movie screening of “Fat Chance,” directed by guests O’Rear and Taylor, will show at 2 p.m. in the Theater Room (anyone under the age of 18 must have parental guidance due to some mature subject matter).

A full schedule is available at PCCreativeCon.com.

ART AS A CAREER

Kretzer said he has been intrigued by art since he received his first comic book as a pre-teen. However, growing up in the Panhandle, he never had an opportunity to meet professional artists and illustrators or learn about these types of career paths.

“Finally at age 25, I was able to go to a comic convention,” Kretzer said. “I met many industry professionals face-to-face who helped put me on the right track for my career.”

For 15 years, he has worked from home doing freelance illustration, graphic arts and website design. His work also includes sketch cards created for Marvel and Cartoon Network licensed products, and two self-published books. He often teaches or speaks in local schools and other venues, which gave him chances to share information with younger students.

But he hopes to go further with Creative Con by inspiring young artists the way he was inspired.

“The goal of Creative Con is three-fold,” Kretzer said. “To give young people in our area access to mentors in the field they are interested in; to show K-12 students educational opportunities in our area that will help them fulfill their dreams; and, to provide children with the tools they need to succeed staying right here.” 

Today, comic book movies are on the big screen, which Kretzer hopes will encourage use of graphic novels in the classroom as a learning tool and bring about a renewed interest in sequential art. There is a push from STEM to STEAM education, adding the “A” for arts back into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum.

Creative Con attendees can participate in career discussions in the fields of game development, costume design, sequential art, songwriting, creative writing and more. GCSC will share information about course offerings like the new Digital Media bachelors degree, and Haney Technical Center representatives will address their Digital Design program.

“Art spurs innovation and growth within children of all ages,” said Kretzer, who identified himself as a visual learner. “Art and design are an integral part of many new-age jobs.” 

Shield-slinging hero still stands tall

Note: This is not a review of the new movie. It's my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald this week.

(C) Marvel Entertainment

The movie “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opened this weekend, with many reviewers touting it as “the best” of the recent run of Marvel Comics-based films. I’m looking forward to seeing it soon, as 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” was my favorite of the Marvel films. (Yes, even more than “Iron Man,” and right up there with “The Avengers.”)

I’ve wondered about that, and I think I’ve figured out why.

It goes back to the fact that I’ve always been a DC Comics fan rather than a Marvel fan. For those of you who don’t know the difference, don’t worry. These days, there isn’t much difference between the two companies — but in the 1970s, when I was probably at my most impressionable comic book peak, they were very different animals.

DC is the home of characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman — idealized personalities who were larger than life, self-sacrificing, brave, resourceful and stood for concepts like “Truth, Justice and The American Way.”

Whereas Marvel characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, however, were flawed (arguably more realistic) personalities who squabbled amongst themselves, wallowed in self-pity, and then rose above it all in the last possible moment to save the world.

As a kid, I admired those DC characters for being so steadfast, self-assured and above all, nice to each other. They were friends. “Super Friends,” even. It wouldn’t be until I became a teenager that I’d begin understanding and relating to the problems posed by Tony Stark’s alcoholism, for instance, or Ben Grimm’s self-loathing.

And then there was Captain America, created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1941, a Marvel hero who always seemed like he was living in the wrong comic book universe once he had been transplanted to then modern day 1960s America in stories by Kirby and Stan Lee.

Subsequent writers tried to manufacture problems for Cap over the years, but really, he was the idealized patriot from the Greatest Generation — honor, fidelity and self-sacrifice were essential components of his personality from the beginning. As I read his 1970s adventures, his problems were more with what he saw America becoming — politically corrupt, corporately controlled — and not personal failings or flaws.

So Cap was one of the few Marvel heroes I followed even then, because he fit my notion of what a hero should be. When my son started collecting comics many years later, I was gratified to see him enjoying Captain America — probably the first monthly subscription comic he chose.

From the trailers and early reviews, “The Winter Soldier” apparently merges some of Cap’s storylines from the 1970s — which introduced his crime-fighting partner, the Falcon, and exposed Cap to the dark machinations of political insiders — with recent plots that resurrected a former comrade as a formidable enemy.

And yet, I’m confident Cap will overcome. He believes in America and what it’s supposed to stand for — which doesn’t include the politics of fear — and he remains a symbol of what the Greatest Generation achieved and why they did so. He will stand tall, and we will look up to him as an example of what heroes can be.

Peace. 

From cheesy toys and hobbies to cheese hats

Me and Jayson in his office/studio/play room.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — I have seen the arc of my life played out in a couple of encounters this week, from the cheesy toys in my “man cave” to the items in a friend’s home office to the laments of a newly minted Wisconsin resident visiting the beach this winter.

The upstairs bonus room in our house is filled with books, DVDs, graphic novels, records and CDs, as well as the toys of my childhood (and adulthood, such as it is) displayed on shelves and in shadow boxes. You’ll find items from 1960s Major Matt Mason and 1970s G.I. Joe astronaut figures to 1990s Starman and Doctor Strange, with more recent things like River Song’s sonic screwdriver from “Doctor Who,” Dumbledore’s wand from the “Harry Potter” films, and a “Firefly” flask.

It’s where I retreat to write in the late hours. I call it a library, or sometimes my lair. My wife calls it “a mess.”

This week I had the opportunity to gather in Lynn Haven with some friends and participate in the “Wannabe Podcast,” a look at “geek culture” created by graphic artist Jayson Kretzer as part of his Wannabe brand, which includes a web comic and a new series launching in print and digital formats.

Graphic Knowledge's Brady and Robert with Jayson

We talked about the creative work we’re involved in, joked a lot about comics and movies, and played a game in which we named the comic we’d most like to see adapted for television and who would play the main character.

To borrow an in-joke, we were like a group of trees falling together in the forest where only we could hear each other crash.

Jayson’s home office is full of the tools he needs for work, but it also includes comic-related posters, a shelf-size statuette and dozens of tiny figurines of comic book characters. I asked him if his wife, Heather, gives him the same kind of grief mine does for keeping all the “toys.”

The short answer was “not really,” though she did insist the statuette didn’t fit with the living room décor when he first brought it home.

The next morning, I visited the Ark in Panama City Beach, just at the right time to catch a handful of men (and one woman) having coffee and getting back to their woodwork projects. They weren’t really making toys, but they were clearly at play.

Buddy Dalluge showed me some of his creations, and he joked about having recently moved to Wisconsin from his native Minnesota at the behest of his wife.

“She expects me to wear a cheese hat,” he said with a mock look of disbelief.

I assured him that was deeply unfair. At least she still lets him share his toys with his friends.

We might grow older, but there’s no reason that has to equate with growing bored or losing our sense of play.

Peace.
---
(My Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald for Nov. 22.)

Trick question: Are you a ‘geek’ or a ‘nerd’

Creative Con 2011 File Photo

PANAMA CITY — If you visit Creative Con on Saturday, be kind to the geeks (or possibly the nerds). 

These are my people, but sometimes I don’t know what to call us.

I say tomayto, you say tomahto.

In the olden days of the 1970s-80s, at least where I grew up, the term for the outsider kid was “nerd.” We probably picked it up from “Happy Days,” which is where I first heard it used. It referred to someone a bit weird, socially awkward, with an intense interest in something outside the mainstream (most often, sci-fi or comics).

Today, the accepted term for that seems to be “geek.” There’s even a magazine by that name which focuses on imaginative media, including TV and movies, games, books and comics, costuming and more. The words would appear to be almost interchangeable.

Except, they aren’t.

I wondered at first if it’s like the difference between a “Trekkie” and a “Trekker.” The former is a derogatory name mundanes started calling people who were Star Trek fans way back in the 1970s. The latter is how some fans self-identified.

But according to one scientific study widely disseminated on the interwebs, geeks are more social fans and collectors of stuff, while nerds are less social idea people. Geeks would feel the need to defend their interests, while nerds wouldn’t really care what a non-nerd thought.

Jayson Kretzer, organizer of Creative Con, said both terms have taken on a more positive connotation in recent years.

“Geek is now a more broad and socially accepted term for anybody who really gets into something like technology, comics, gaming, cosplay or anything you can get into that a decade ago would’ve set you apart or had you viewed as socially inept,” he said. “Funny thing is that it’s basically become cool and mainstream to be a geek — computer geek, comic geek, geek girl, etc. Too bad this movement wasn’t around 15-20 years ago.”

Meanwhile, Jayson added: “ ‘Nerd’ seems to be directed at people who are acting punchy, goofy or silly, as in ‘You’re such a nerd,’ she said to me when I asked her to dance in Klingon. Both can be directed at intelligent, socially inept folks, but geek is the more positive version, in my opinion.”

I asked my Facebook friends (some of whom I actually know in the “real” world) what they thought the difference was, and whether or not they self-identified as either one. Here are a few responses (you can see more of them in the online version of this column at PanamaCity.com):

Brian: "Nerd=book learning. Geek=passionate about a non-mainstream subject."

Anthony (who tends to be an outlier on the Bell Curve): "Geeks bite the heads off chickens. Nerds are candy. I identify myself as a Starfleet Jedi mugician (musician+magician) driving a Delorian-shaped Tardis. I’m also a writer."

Kathy: "To me, a nerd is a book smart, computer savvy person, and a geek is someone who just does not fit in to what people see as the social mores. I happen to like both nerds and geeks. I may be one, except the computer savvy part!"

James: "There is no real difference. Both are smart, both like games and comics. I think nerd used to refer to someone that studied and got good grades. Today it seems that both terms have merged into the super geeky nerd title and are now all-powerful within the fantasy realm. People are and should be proud of who they are. When I was younger, being called a nerd or geek was pretty degrading, but now I’m proud to be called one."

Renee: "I always think of a nerd as someone who is book smart but a bit too aloof to connect with mainstream. A geek on the other hand is really excited about knowledge, but is able to plug it into context and have fun with it. Or something like that. Nerds are boring; geeks are cool. I think I have a geeky streak."

Mark: "I think the basic difference is that geeks tend to be fans of a subject or a thing while nerds tend to be more practitioners of the thing they’re interested in. … I feel like those terms have, at least in common usage, lost a great deal of their differentiation. But if we were to go with them being different, and in the way that I have described above, I’d say that I’m a geek that’s trying to turn himself into a nerd."

Dustin: "I see nerds as people like me, who are into video games, comic books and action figures, and get excited by their fandom. A nerd’s fandom holds no bounds. Society used to make fun of them, but oddly enough, all those nerdy things suddenly became popular. When I was 13, people made fun of me for still liking Batman. Now at 27, liking Batman usually gets me more friends, so it is now considered cool to be a nerd.

" …Geeks, on the other hand, I associate with them being tech smart. Someone who is really good at using a computer and technology in general. There is a reason why Best Buy calls them ‘Geek Squad’ and not ‘Nerd Squad.’ I also see geeks as more science minded. So to sum up: Nerds typically have strong feelings to the things they like, and a Geek is has an expert intelligence level when it comes to technology and science.

"…And I do prefer to be called a video game nerd, action figure nerd or comic book nerd; if I fix your computer, you can then call me a geek."

Denise: "I see geeks as those who obsessively seek knowledge in narrow or singular fields. I think you can be a guitar geek, etc. My particular brand of nerdiness causes me to assign numbers to everything and quantify the oddest relationships. Red has always been three and purple is eight. I can prove that peaches are better than potato chips and have the numbers to back it up."

Chuck: "I identify as a geek with a hard side as evidenced by my job. (Tony notes: Chuck is a professional fire fighter — and my very first-ever friend.) I relish information of any type, though I have problems dumping it. My P.O. box combination from 35 years ago when I lived in Century? G J A B — see what I mean?"

Another Brian: "Potsie Webber=nerd. Farmer Ted=geek."

Another Chuck: "Geeks are obsessively knowledgeable about particular topics. Nerds are socially-awkward knowledge mavens. They are not mutually exclusive. But I self-identify as both."

**

Some will never accept a label, of course. Call me what you will. Particularly nerdy geeks might even know what I reference when I say, “I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.”

Peace. 

---

(This was my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald this week.)

Flashback Friday: Reviewing the 'Chronos' comic series

(I really miss this comic book. I'm an easy mark for time travel stories, and when they're done right I can't let go of them. I want to revisit them time after time (see what I did there?). I'd love to see Walker Gabriel show up in the current DC "New 52" universe. Anyway, here's my review of the series, Chronos, from the May 13, 1998 edition of The News Herald. This appeared in our "Generation NeXt" section, which often had comic book content.)

From BigRedHair.com

Catching up with 'Chronos'

Time is like light, according to Walker Gabriel.

"It's both a wave and a particle," he explains. "It can be diffused and reflected. The suit I'm wearing generates an energy field that bends time around me."

Walker is the not-too-bad bad guy — who just might turn out to be a hero after all — at the center of DC Comics' new monthly series, Chronos, about the rehabilitation of a time-traveling ne'er-do-well.

Writer John Francis Moore and penciller/co-creator Paul Guinan, joined by inker Steve Leialoha, have woven a tapestry of detailed characters, adventure and pseudo-science supported by artwork and pacing that bring disparate times and places to life with astonishing realism.

The first issue of Chronos was a dense mix of new and old DC characters and concepts. The second was less bewildering — Walker's misadventures trapped in 1873 in Smallville, Kansas, where he meets the Clark and Kent families and runs afoul of a Linear Man, one of the guardians of DC continuity, posing as a U.S. marshal.

(Think Back to the Future III meets The Terminator.)

By issue three — and the introduction of a devilish immortal who seems to have met Walker before — the weave of the storyline's tapestry begins to coalesce.

Walker's travels hold the promise of plenty of guest stars from DC history — from the weird West of Jonah Hex to the far future of the Legionnaires. Still, guest stars galore don't matter if there's not a strong character at the core — which, I think, Walker will come to be.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the story is his journey, not his destination. Walker is on a voyage of self-discovery, learning about how his past and future actions have (or, depending on the era, will have) affected people — and discovering the hero within the jaded young scientist.

The first glimmer of this greater man he will (did?) become is seen in issue one, when an older Walker materializes in time to save his younger self from a time-traveling enemy; his first real step toward heroism follows in issue two, when he plans to steal money from the family that gave him a home and a job — but his conscience won't let him.

Monthly from DC Comics
Highly recommended

-------

(Another note: The series lasted only 11 regular issues, plus a "1 million" issue as part of a DC crossover. It ended with Walker erasing himself from history (actually creating an alternative timeline) in order to save his mother's life. It had so much potential. >>Just check out this page, where Walker meets Martha and Jonathan Kent on a dark country road one night just before they see a rocket crashland <<)

>>Also, I recently compared an image from Doctor Who to a cover of Chronos in this blog.<<

Flashback Friday: An early review of 'Starman' comic

(On May 21, 1996, the News Herald printed the following review of James Robinson's revival of the Starman character at DC Comics. It was as much a love letter to that series as a statement in reaction to what comics had become in the 1990s. I remain a fan. (Please ignore the use of the 'x' in 'comix,' which was how we spelled things in the 'Generation NeXt' section back then.))

Jack Knight, From Wikipedia

The heroes of old are, with a few notable exceptions, gone from the pages of four-color comix. That bright world has lost its innocence — and much of its creative energy — to teams of muscle-bound vigilantes toting semi-automatic plasma bazookas, and to impossibly endowed females flirting with loss of circulation if their rubber corsets were any tighter.

 Then came Starman.

As created by writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris, Starman is Jack Knight — a small figure of a man, a tattooed late-20-something, obsessed with all things rare and antique. He'd rather scour rural flea markets for View Master reels and Depression glass than dress in Spandex and duke it out with the villains.

His idea of a costume is night-vision goggles and a leather jacket.

But as the younger son of a 1940s superhero, Jack has become the epitome of the chicken-or-egg question that haunts history: Do great events conspire to create heroes, or do great men and women arise to make history?

In Jack's case, events sought him out and he rose to the challenge. His big brother, David, was first to don Dad's mantle, only to be killed by a sniper's bullet in the first pages of the first issue.

(Jack has since had two surreal visits with his deceased brother — the first as they fought in a grave yard over the right to the Starman name, and the second as David sought to warn Jack of future events.)

With his father injured, his brother dead and his own antique shop razed by the children of an old foe, Jack uses his dad's "star rod" to rout the bad guys and restore order to Opal City.

Through Jack and his supporting cast, Robinson has crafted a book with the multiple layers of history, personality, foreshadowing and drama usually found only in works print-only fiction. His characters are distinct and react with realism — as seen in the frustration and distance between father and son that slowly dissolves into a growing respect and admiration for their individual strengths.

The periodic "Times Past" stories allow guest artists to explore events in the history of Opal and its citizens, giving us a glimpse of the Golden Age of heroes; or a tale of the nigh-immortal. sometimes-villainous Shade and his friendship with Oscar Wilde.

Meanwhile, artist Harris has crafted a vision of retro-deco cities, of characters delineated by quirky swirls and outlines, of shadows and black bordered pages.  No larger-than-life people dominate his panels — save for the lumbering Solomon Grundy. Though stylistically rendered, these are anatomically realistic human beings with an expressive range far removed from the grimacing brain-bashers in other comix.

Like our own shared version of reality, this can be a dark world. People die. Bad guys revel in the pain of others. Some cops are less-than-true to their code. Evil is powerful.

But now there's a beacon in the night.

"Starman has always been around," Robinson said in his introduction to the series, "a light in the darkness, in his own little corner of the DC universe."

Fan Trailer: Kingdom Come

I have a friend and former coworker, Brian Parsley, who is pretty great at making superhero costumes. Great enough that he does that full-time now. He appears in this as "Magog."

From Wikipedia

It's based on a groundbreaking graphic novel (originally a four-part prestige format series) from 1996 that explored a near-future in the DC Comics world that saw Superman coming out of retirement to try to reign in the out-of-control super-powered folks and fight a cabal of bad guys. There's much more to it than that — there kind of would need to be for it to remain a fan-favorite storyline nearly 20 years later — and if you want to read it, just hit this link.

Sometimes you have to punt

I write a weekly column for the print edition of PanamaCity.com that appears in The News Herald every Friday.  Sometimes I write a column weakly. This is one of those times. I had two potential stories and no ability to make more of them, so I included both. When I do something like this, I call it "punting." Here's the result:

Mindlessly kickstarting springtime

PANAMA CITY — My mind has been all over the place this week. I suspect I misplaced it while hiding Easter eggs, and it’s just been wandering around unsupervised ever since. If you see it, please send it home.
Meanwhile, since I’m having trouble focusing, here are a couple of things to kickstart springtime:

• Kickstarter Hero

Local artist and graphic designer Jayson Kretzer has a Kickstarter project under way to bring his “Wannabe Heroes” web comic out of the virtual world and into your hands as an actual printed product. With just about two weeks remaining to fund the project, he’s less than $900 short of his goal. Check it out; you could receive some sweet rewards for pledging.

“Wannabe Heroes is a modern superhero action comedy which follows the adventures of six people entrenched in the geek community,” Jayson said. “Each character represents a different faction, if you will. There’s a gamer, a cosplayer, a wannabe comic creator, a collector, an elitist and, of course, a ninja bear — and as seen in the ‘Wannabe Heroes’ web comic, each have developed their own interesting powers.”

Jayson describes the Wannabe Heroes story (suitable for all ages) as “New Mutants” meets “Calvin and Hobbes.” (I think it also has elements of “Big Bang Theory.”)

 Jayson has been the driving force behind the Bay County Public Library’s annual “Creative Con,” which spotlights comic artists and writers, as well as educational and literary guests. This year’s event (Aug. 24) will feature writer Chuck Dixon, who has written hundreds of titles featuring Batman, Punisher, The Simpsons, Conan, Green Arrow and more.

>>Link to Jayson’s Kickstarter page and the Creative Con homepage<<

• Intrepid Explorers

My wife and I spent part of last weekend following my brother-in-law and his family around the neighborhood, tromping through the woods and along the bay shore as he tried out his new metal detector. He would swing it slowly, then zero in on the spots that made it beep, and finally scratch the ground with a trowel in search of treasures.

He uncovered several aluminum can pieces, bits of rusted steel or iron, and a weathered penny.

We might not have struck it rich, but we did get to feel like explorers for the day. Besides the buried trinkets, we discovered evidence of previous habitation in our neighborhood, such as old tree houses — some rotted boards in a twisted oak limb, some rusted nails on a tree trunk — and piles of rusted poles where a fence once cut through the trees.

On the shore of St. Andrew Bay, my nieces collected shells and watched shorebirds. An osprey skimmed the water, caught a large fish and struggled back into the sky right over our heads.
The only other thing we found was a tick on one of the girls’ shoes, which ran us out of the woods for the rest of the day.

But that’s the danger of exploring: You never know what you’ll find, or what will find you.
 
Peace.

What's What Lately

It has been a busy time in the life of the Simmons family. A new home still being moved into/fixed up/maintained, a new job for Debra, school for Jess and work/band responsibilities for Nathan, trying to fit a new church home into that, and still trying to make room for creative endeavors and friends and maybe meeting my obligations with a group of local writers (i.e., reading and commenting on their work as conscientiously as they are on mine).

I've taken to having lunch at least once a week at St. Andrews Coffee House, often with friends like Lou Columbus, Mark Boss, and/or Jayson Kretzer. Yesterday, shared a table and sandwiches with Lou and Michael Lister, and we talked about Michael's new novel, "The Big Beyond," which has one of the best first sentences I've seen; I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it.

Meanwhile, I also have several books, magazines, and/or comics I'm reading at the same time. Right now, besides trying to make my subscription to WIRED worthwhile by actually reading some of it, I'm partway through these: "The Long Man" by Steve Englehart (sequel to his excellent "The Point Man"), "Bicycle Diaries" by David Byrne (essays on the personality of cities observed from bike seats), "Warp" (a comic series from the 80s that I found all the issues to in a discount bin), and "Cthulu: The Mythos and Kindred Horrors" by Robert E. Howard.

Also, writing proceeds on my long-gestating "Caliban" series, with a focus on a rewrite of Book 1, now titled "Giants in the Earth." I have written my way to the end with a leap over the "muddle" chapters in the middle. Now, I'm back in the difficult part of making the beginning line up with the ending.

And in my free time (hyuk-yuk) I've begun serious writing alongside that of a memoir that explores the impact and weird parallels with my life of 1970s TV scifi. Yep, chew on that one a while. You would not believe the craziness my brain gets up to when I'm not paying attention (which seems to happen a lot), and then it demands that I do something about it.

Listening to: "The Next Day" by David Bowie.

Peace.

Awesome Wonder Woman trailer

Peter Stormare as the Nazi interrogator. This is what Wonder Woman could be on the big screen. Why can't DC Comics/Warner Bros. get its act together?
Female Super Hero Fan Film from Jesse V. Johnson on Vimeo.

Saturday is Free Comic Book Day

PANAMA CITY — The best things in life are free. And the proof is Saturday.

On “Free Comic Book Day,” held each year on the first Saturday in May, participating comic book shops across the known galaxy and adjacent alternate dimensions give away comics absolutely FREE (hence, the name) to anyone who comes into their stores. It’s meant to drum up interest in comics, promote art and reading, and basically make the world a better place.

“We use it as an opportunity to give back to the community and say thank you for supporting the store,” said Greg Ray, owner of Comic Emporium. “It’s a chance for first-timers and longtime fans alike to sample titles that they’re not reading.”

Comic Emporium will open early for its regular subscribers, then open to the public at 10 a.m. and continue the giveaways until 2 p.m., giving away comics and other items beyond those specifically provided for the event. Ray said he collects items throughout the year with an eye toward giving them away on Free Comic Book Day.

In addition, comic reviewer Kat Kan will be present to promote a KickStarter project for a comic-style textbook she’s working on. The evening will conclude with a Magic card tournament.

Each store may have different free titles available, as well as different rules for participating and limits to how many you can take (so everyone can go away happy). But each also will have a selection of genres and age-appropriate books provided to the stores at a reduced cost by the publishers.

“There is a larger quantity of products available than Superman, Batman and Spider-Man,” said James Finlayson, owner of Arena Comics & Gaming, where sketch artists and costumed heroes will be on site. “So many good things people lose sight of.”

Among the titles announced for the day are all-ages books (such as “Peanuts,” “Smurfs” “Donald Duck Family” and “Yo Gabba Gabba”), mainstream superheroes (including a “DC New 52” sampler and “Avengers”), sci-fi and horror titles (such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “2000 AD,” “Dinosaurs and Aliens” or a “Star Wars/Serenity” flipbook), and much more. >>You can see previews of the comics here.<<

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., New Force Comics will offer giveaways of “Avengers” movie promotional items and door prizes, as well as special rates on comics, toys, statues, graphic novels and more at random periods throughout the day. Children are encouraged to show up dressed as their favorite costumed heroes.

“Hopefully it will be a little bit of fun for everyone,” said Rick Whitelock, owner of New Force. “It’s an effort to promote the hobby and get more books in people’s hands.”

Whitelock is what Stan Lee used to call a “True Believer” — that is, an unabashed fan. He recalls the first comic he ever owned: “Silver Surfer” No. 1, dated 1968, that his father bought for him at a local flea market in 1973. He still has it. It launched his lifelong love for the hobby that grew into a business.

“I’m sure it had something to do with the fact my Dad bought it for me, but I held onto it,” he said. “I was just learning to read, and how cool is this? Silver Surfer, the power cosmic, gliding through the spaceways? We all love Superman, Batman, the Avengers — but Silver Surfer is the one I identify with the most.”

Peace.

This was my Undercurrents column for The News Herald today.

Short, dark (k)night of the soul

PANAMA CITY — I had an existential crisis Tuesday evening. Somehow, it was appropriate that the Silver Surfer — herald of Galactus, conflicted bearer of the Power Cosmic — hovered in a corner, keeping a passive chromium eye on the proceedings.

For those without access to Wikipedia, an “existential crisis” is defined as “a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value.”

The good news (at least for me): I still reach stages of development.

Such crises can be the result of a sense of isolation; a sudden awareness of one’s mortality; coming to believe one’s life has no objective, purpose of greater meaning; realization of one’s freedom of choice and the consequences of one’s actions; or an experience that causes one to seek meaning.

They can be brought on by a significant event in life: the death of a loved one or birth of a child, a change in marital/relationship status, drug use, empty nest syndrome or reaching a milestone age.

For the Surfer, the crisis hit when he recognized the value of human life, the consequences of his actions, and came to the realization that his own life was meaningless without others. That’s when he turned a corner and became a hero, a knight of the spaceways.

For me, it struck as I stood in the Surfer’s shadow in a comic book shop, surrounded by a couple of dozen shoppers and several hundred bagged and boarded volumes of illustrated stories that were priced 50-percent off for a limited time. It struck as I sorted through boxes and browsed racks and book shelves and watched the others gathering personal treasures by the handfuls and stacks.

In their midst, I alone was empty handed. What was wrong with me?

I had entered a comic book shop under the best possible of circumstances — I had a store credit created by selling a bunch of comics here earlier this year — and could locate nothing I wanted to own.

I know: Madness, right?

As a writer, I recognize that sublimation is my tool of choice when encountering existential despair. I tend to refocus my energy away from the negative, distance myself, examine the moment and use the energy to create something else.

But I also rely on distraction to “prevent the mind from turning in on itself,” as the definition goes. Distraction in the form of easy entertainment.

Comic books, for instance.

Thus the dilemma: My method of distraction from existential angst had led me into a fresh crisis. How could I continue? It was a closed space-time loop, a tale of a snake eating its tail, a moebius comic strip. You get the gist. Only something drastic could break me loose —

— Ooh, free buttons?

The moment passed. Inertia overcome by the freebies table. The short, dark night of the soul lifted.

Peace.

(This is my "Undercurrents" column for Thursday's News Herald. See more photos here.)

No apology necessary for 'John Carter'

'John Carter' image from Walt Disney Pictures

BARSOOM — There’s a lot of press this month about “The Hunger Games” film and how it succeeded in adapting its source material to a different medium. The same could (and should) be said for “John Carter” (“of Mars”), which is far from a slavish adaptation but retains the spirit and wonder of the original tales.

The summer I was 12, my mother would take my sister and me to the library in the next town over so we could get books to keep us occupied. (We had only three channels on the TV, no video games or Internet or even VHS. Barbaric conditions.)

Frank Frazetta cover art.

One of the books I picked up was a paperback of the first John Carter novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, “A Princess of Mars.” My interest probably had more to do with the tantalizing Frank Frazetta front cover art (shown at left) than the text on the back, though the red planet was on everyone’s mind in the summer of 1976 because of the Viking probes landing and the first release of the infamous “Face on Mars” image taken by Viking 1.

(You can read the original FIRST EDITION of the book on the Library of Congress website for free. If you set it for 2-page view, the reader allows you to turn the pages of actual scanned pages of the edition.)

Burroughs’ Tarzan novels had caught my imagination in fifth grade, thanks to the abridged and illustrated versions put out by Whitman Publishing. Later, in middle school, the Mars stories of Ray Bradbury enthralled me.

These “Carter” books were like a combination of the two: A man from Earth somehow finds himself on the dying planet Mars, where lower gravity means his Earth-born muscles and bones make him a virtual superman, and where he fights for his freedom and the survival of his new friends.

Thirty-five summers later, “John Carter” (“of Mars”) is on the big screen and pronounced one of the biggest commercial flops in motion picture history. It may never recoup the cost of production and marketing, although whoever got paid for the marketing owes Disney their money back.

Airship landing in 'John Carter.'

I say that because “John Carter” is a good summer adventure flick, which I think the marketing failed to illustrate. (I saw it last week and want to see it again.) It isn’t going to win any of the actors an award, nor is it deep and meaningful — though there are plenty of lessons within and moments that will mean something to the longtime fans (i.e., “Leave to a Thark his head and one hand and he may yet conquer.”) But it’s a good way to spend a couple of hours, and it makes for interesting conversation afterward.

Carter’s is a classic “hero’s journey,” and although the film might go to dark places, it is light-hearted and carries a positive message.

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) of Mars

When we meet him, Carter is a broken man, bitter about the death of his wife and child while he was off fighting for a “cause.” He has no cause now but his own survival. Through the trials of his new existence on a distant planet, he begins to relate to people again — granted, some of them don’t look like “people” at all — and at long last, he regains his compassion and passion alike, willing to lay down his life to save others.

The sequence in which he makes this decision and stands alone against a barbarian horde is simultaneously beautiful and horrific; we see him killing desert warriors in a brutal fight while his mind’s eye replays the agony of finding his family dead and burying them in a driving rain.

The film has been criticized as “derivative,” but only if you would consider a film of “Le Morte d’Arthur” derivative of “Star Wars.” Carter rode flyers before a Skywalker ever jumped on a speeder bike; went native long before the hero of “Avatar” did so; leaped tall buildings at a single bound decades before Superman’s debut.

Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) Princess of Helium

And Carter’s true love, Dejah Thoris, courtesy of Frazetta and Marvel Comics adaptations, taught Princess Leia all she knows about metal bikinis.

Kaor!
***
(This is my 'Undercurrents' column for The News Herald this week. A couple of notes for the uninitiated: 1) "Barsoom" is the native word for the planet we call "Mars"; 2) "Kaor!" is the native word for "Hello" or "Welcome" and is used here in place of my usual sign-off as a punchline to the metal bikini remark. My feeble attempt at a joke. Thanks for reading.)

Been there. Done that. Bought the Comic Book.

Cover art, Chronos No.2, 1998

Screen capture, Doctor Who Series 7, 2012

Something old, something new, something borrowed?
Everything old is new again?
There are no new ideas?

Whatever. I liked the time-travel story of Chronos, which was cancelled too soon (11 regular issues and one special issue). It played with big ideas inside the continuity of the DC Comics "universe." When I saw the cyborg cowboy in the new "Doctor Who" trailer (embedded below), I immediately recalled the comic book series. Imma hafta reread it now.

Reading List for the New Year

The death of Borders contributed to a gigantic haul of reading materials for the family's Christmas presents. Additional books came from Books-a-Million's discount racks. This is a list of the books I received and will be reading in the next several weeks:

Hardback Graphic Novels/Illustrated books:
Instructions by Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess (I love the children's books by Gaiman, and Vess' illustrations are wonderful; if there's a special girl in your family, you should get her "The Blueberry Girl" by these two. "Instructions" is a good one for the adventurous little boy.)
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Storm Front
Angel: The Crown Prince Syndrome
Seven Soldiers of Victory (Grant Morrison)
The Green Woman (Peter Straub)
Black Kiss (Howard Chaykin)
SHIELD: Architects of Forever
Deathlok the Demolisher
Spider-Woman: Agent of SWORD
Captain America: The New Deal
Annihilation: conquest
Doorways (George R.R. Martin) - based on a TV series proposal he wrote in the 1990s.

Devil Dog
Shadow Knights
It's a Wonderful Life

Paperback graphic novels/illustrated books:
Fantastic Four: The End
Exiles Ultimate Collection
Exiles: Starting Over
Exiles: Down the Rabbit Hole
Incorruptible Vol. 2
Human Target
Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympians
Wonder Woman: Contagion
Wonder Woman: Ends of the Earth
Ultimate Elektra: Devil's Due
Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk
Spiderman: Fever
Criminal: The Sinners (Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips)
Zatanna: Mistress of Magic


Hardback Novels:
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles (by Michael Moorcock)
Manhood for Amateurs (Michael Chabon)
From Hell with Love (Simon Green)
Fatal Error (F.Paul Wilson)
Hunting for Hemingway

Paperback novels:
Ghosts of War
The Bloodstained Man
Final Crisis
Torchwood: Risk Management
By the Sword (F.Paul Wilson)
Managing Death
Countdown
Morlock Night
Conspiracies (F.Paul Wilson)

Ghosts of Christmas haunt ‘Batman Noel’

As the new original graphic novel “Batman Noel” opens, Gotham City’s dark knight is tracking a petty criminal named Bob through the snowy streets on Christmas Eve.

Bob is just trying to scrape by, running errands for the Joker so he can provide for his sick son. But while Joker seems the obvious “Scrooge” in this retelling of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” it is Batman who ends up being visited by specters. Indeed, in Bob’s world, Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne is the penny-pincher who begrudgingly gives him Christmas day off.

This version of the Batman is a weary veteran, emotionally scarred by his war on crime. He has lost his compassion for the victims he once swore to protect, focusing instead on winning the war at any cost. He has isolated himself from his friends and distanced himself from the common people of his city. All he cares about is the bottom line, and he will sacrifice anyone to achieve his ends — even the safety of a sickly child.

The story of “Batman Noel” (hardcover, 112 pages, $22.99) uses “A Christmas Carol” as the bones for a desperate adventure tale exploring what it means to be a hero. Batman must come to terms with his past, present and future as he battles villains from the campy 1960s to the dark and brooding menaces of today.

Download a preview of the book here.

It’s a familiar trope to longtime comic book readers to see their heroes involved in holiday-themed adventures, but this goes one better. “Batman Noel” gives readers a realistic variation on the Dark Knight (the designs are very similar to the current movie incarnation), as well as his enemies and allies from different eras of his career. Robin, Catwoman, Superman and Joker make appearances, filling roles similar to characters in Dickens’ tale.

This fast-paced and beautifully illustrated book was written and drawn by Lee Bermejo, who also illustrated the best-selling “Joker” graphic novel with writer Brian Azzarello in 2008. His Superman story in “Wednesday Comics” was serialized in USA Today.

The story doesn’t require an encyclopedic knowledge of the characters, and it doesn’t get bogged down by their negative aspects. There’s more gravy than grave about it, Dickens might say. Rather, it’s a good introduction to one man’s interpretation of the icons, a story anyone with passing interest in comics will enjoy, and a real gift for a true fan.

Creative Con is Coming

PANAMA CITY — Saturday promises to be a noisy one at the library, as superheroes descend on the facility for the second annual Creative Con.

 

Creative Con is the Bay County Public Library’s effort to recognize the growing popularity of the graphic novel format — and the fact that lots of kids started reading because of comics. Event organizer Bettina Mead (who generally signs her emails to me with lots of Xs and Os) said it was important that the library provide relevant information to all the citizens of Bay County, no matter their age.

“Many adults are still under the impression that a comic format automatically means juvenile content, but the average age of the comic reader is 30, therefore this is certainly not true,” Mead said. “Libraries are the first and best place for diversity. We play an important role in introducing the public to new formats.”

Not only are comic books “valid literature, expressing both the written word as well as art,” Mead said, but they are also valuable educational tools for children — especially those who are struggling to read.

“I believe partnering with Creative Con, we are creating a new cadre of library supporters among the young people who read graphic novels, and as you know, libraries are for everyone — young and old alike,” she added.

Superheroine with art card by Cassandra Collins.

Guests of Creative Con will be given two blank sketch cards to get free sketches of their favorite heroes or cartoon characters from the artists at the show. Costumed heroes will be on site, and visitors can register for giveaways including T-shirts, graphic novels, comic books and more. Josh Hughes, a local artist who writes and draws the web comic AtomicTerrier.com, will be one of the guests.

Bring your favorite pencils and try your hand at drawing a sketch card in the All Ages Sketch Off. There will be creative activities throughout the day, including a belly dance lesson and demo, with a panel discussion on comics beginning at 5 p.m. Details are still being finalized.

Local graphic artist Jayson Kretzer (who is working on character designs for a graphic novel version of my novel, "The Book of Gabriel") helped Mead organize the event. Kretzer has more than 12 official sketch/trading card sets on his resume, including cards for a recent Marvel Comics set. His work has appeared in the “Art of Voltron” book and online in a weekly web comic, “Wannabe Heroes.” He regularly participates in a drawing “jam” at Arena Comics in Panama City. (Check out his Deviant Art gallery.)

Art card by Jayson Kretzer

“I never quit drawing after kindergarten,” Kretzer said.

Mead said last year’s inaugural gathering was a success in many ways. She received notes from parents thanking the library for “creating something special.” One patron told her it was a great way to show children and teenagers “how cool” the library is.

“Everyone had such a wonderful time last year,” Mead said. “You couldn’t move for all the young people sketching their own cartoons, trading their comics or their sketch cards, and parents with little ones just having fun coming together.”

The final 13 of the New 52 (updated)

Today is new comics day all over the U.S., and here is a brief rundown of the comics I have read from the latest batch of DC's New 52 relaunch. (Read about the first release, Justice League, here; the 13 issues released on the first full week here; 13 more issues in week 2 here; and 12 more issues of week 3 here.)

The Good:

Justice League Dark No. 1: Dislike the title, which comes off like a joke from the movie "Mystery Men," but the art is strong, and the characters are coming together organically to face a threat superpowered heroes can't punch into submission. Always liked Xanadu, Zatanna, Shade, Deadman and Constantine, and this looks to be a decent adventure for them.

Aquaman No. 1: In which we see regular folks making jokes about how lame an idea Aquaman is, and we see how powerful he truly is. I used to enjoy the Jim Aparo Aquaman adventures in the 1970s, and this seems to hearken back to that (an attempt to make the hero less Silver-Age wacky and more modern). The art is excellent.

Teen Titans No. 1: Kind of liked this, although I feel like they've made Tim Drake (former Robin, now "Red Robin" and looking more like the old Black Condor) look too old. He should be a younger teen. But anyway, he's gathering other teen heroes to take on the forces of N.O.W.H.E.R.E.; lots of action and attitude, and worth a second look.


The Meh:

Flash No. 1: In which Barry Allen makes mistakes, finds out an old friend is now a clone trooper or something. 't's'alright. Wish they'd lay off all the lightning effects.

Superman No. 1: Eh. Too much shoehorned into too few pages, and lots of posturing about the "death of print" in this new media world. Also, why is it that DC's definition of "modern liberated woman" = "sleeps around," while the definition of DC's heroes seems to = lonely guy.


I haven't read these yet (expect an edit here when I do):
I've read these now, and wish I hadn't, for the most part:

Batman: The Dark Knight No. 1: Meh. Another Batman story about him fighting goons trying to escape Arkham Asylum. Been there. Done that.

Voodoo No. 1: AWFUL. JUST AWFUL. The whole book takes place in a strip club, where the title character strips while people talk about her, then she has a discussion with more strippers in the (un)dressing room, then she gives a lap dance to a guy who reveals that he's had her under surveillance, then SHE KILLS HIM and takes on his form. Feel like I spoiled that one? You'd feel worse if you'd read it. I plan to write a whole blog entry about this book and why it is representative of what went wrong with DC's rebooted universe. TERRIBLE BOOK, unless you're a sex-starved 13-year-old or a man with a cartoon fetish.

Blackhawks No. 1: Bad. And that's from someone who likes the idea of secret organizations fighting behind the scenes to keep people safe (i.e., Doc Savage, Buckaroo Banzai, etc.) And I liked the original Blackhawks okay, just not enough to buy a series about them. These Blackhawks are kind of dumb, though, as they fly around in aircraft with big Blackhawk emblems on them, then get upset if people take a photo of the emblem.

All-Star Western No. 1: Featuring Jonah Hex in a Wild West version of Gotham City. Er, pardon? I thought Gotham was on the East Coast? This is a good book. I should've expected no less from the creative team that has been knocking Hex stories out of the park consistently. Hex is hired to come to Gotham and find the "Ripper." He gets mixed up in a secret society that runs the corrupt city. Well done. Add to the "GOOD" list.

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men No. 1: 
Meh. Two guys who used to be firestorm in old continuity both become Firestorm in a new reboot of the idea. Kind of generic.

Green Lantern: New Guardians No. 1:
Meh. A reboot of the Kyle Raynor GL character in which he is chosen by rings from the spectrum of power ring-wielders. 

I, Vampire No. 1:
Meh. Disappointing, as I have fond memories of this title when it was just one of the stories running in the DC mystery comics of the 1980s. The art is moody and dark, sometimes too dark to tell what's going on or even who is supposed to be speaking. And not very much happens except talking.

The Savage Hawkman No. 1:
Meh. Good to see them trying to give us a clear and concise origin of Hawkman; a reboot of this character was needed long ago. But the execution was off.

12 more closer to 52

Got another shipment of new first issue comics in the NEW 52 relaunch of DC Comics' superhero universe earlier this week. Finally had a chance to work my way through all of them. This brings us to -- what? -- 39 total, leaving 13 more for next week.

The Good:

Wonder Woman. Spookiness and action meet in a story mixing Greek mythology with X-Files conspiracy (and giving me the first indication that this reboot is going to represent the gods of myth as akin to what we recognize in today's culture as "grey aliens" with high, rounded heads and big black orbs for eyes. Compare Hermes in this issue to Rama Kushna in the Deadman story below.) The art by Cliff Chiang is stylized and strong, and the story by Greg Rucka  Brian Azzarello (Rucka was a previous WW writer) makes our favorite Amazon a force to be reckoned with.

Birds of Prey. Strong art and a story with flashbacks used in a cinematic fashion introduce only two of the regular team this issue, although there's a visit from the team's former leader, Barbara Gordon. This is action adventure that could easily translate into film, which I maintain is the primary reason behind these reboots: Making the DC Comics universe more multi-media friendly, and more accessible to readers who like their books to reflect their video games and movies rather than vice versa.

Supergirl. (Am I seeing a pattern here? This week's best books seem to feature female characters?) This is another origin story for Supergirl, who was just relaunched a few years back in the pages of the Superman/Batman title (a story that was also adapted direct to DVD.) What can I say? The art is very good, and the story drops you in the heroine's thoughts as she wakes from a long sleep in a crashed spacecraft in Russia, only to discover she has frightening powers when she is attacked by armored goons. There's fun in her discovery, her confusion, and the way the goons react to seeing her costume. Worth a second look at least.

DC Universe Presents: Deadman. Boston Brand was a prima donna who died by an assassin's bullet and gained the power as a ghost to possess living people. In this new 52 version, he has a mission to complete in order to balance the scales; he just isn't sure what that mission requires, and he feels like a failure. Good storytelling, atmospheric art, and a blue Avatar alien for Rama Kushna. I want to know what happens next. (My understanding is that this series will tell a complete story about a DC character -- Deadman's tale is set for five issues -- and then begin a new mini-series that focuses on another DC character.)

Batman. Some reviewers are touting this as the second-best book of the New 52 (after Grant Morrison's Action No. 1). I don't know if I would say that, because it's just a pretty average Batman comic, with the exception of a teamup in the first seven pages that will make you go WHAT?! That was well-played, DC. The final panel drops a big bomb on the Batman family that will be interesting to see play out. You should see this one for sure.

The OK:

Nightwing. Dick Grayson goes back to fighting crime in a new costume that's closer to Batman Beyond than the original Nightwing suit. He visits old friends at the circus where his parents died. Nightwing fights a mercenary hired to kill Grayson. All solidly told and illustrated, but not enough to make me want to grab issue No. 2.

Legion of Super-Heroes: I'm familiar with the Legion, so this tale was not outside my realm of experience, but it was still a little thick with characters and catching up on continuity. This is not a reboot. It's a continuation apparently unaffected by the events of "Flashpoint," the recent mini-series that reset the DC universe. There's even a comment to the effect that the Flashpoint event has made time travel to the past impossible, meaning they can't expect backup from Superman again. Still waiting to see a reason why I should want to pick up a second issue.

Green Lantern Corps. I have a coworker who always pronounces the "p" in "corps." I think that would be appropriate with this book, which seems to be about piling up the body count so the heroes can make up things with the power rings. Never liked the Guy Gardner character, and don't understand why people keep reading him. Otherwise, solid art and portions of a decent story (John Stewart's portion).

Catwoman. Great art. Sexy character. Starts with a bang. Good action. But this one is definitely not one you want young readers picking up. Hint: The first issue is titled "all the costumes don't come off" and the second issue is supposed to be called "the morning after."Between the main character showing off her boobs at every opportunity and the three-page spread as she and Batman strip each other for some sexy time, this is a grown-up story ripe for a PG-13 (soft R?) movie adaptation.

Captain Atom. I picked up the 1980s launch of this character; DC had bought the Charlton Comics characters and introduced them via "Crisis on Infinite Earths," then launched them in solo comics as part of its combined and streamlined universe of 1985. If you read (or saw the film of) The Watchmen, you'd recognize a version of him as Doctor Manhattan. This comic brings the good captain close to Dr. Manhattan depth as he begins to see his body as atoms connected only by cosmic forces, and learns he can change matter into other arrangements by thought alone. Intriguing concepts and execution.

Blue Beetle. Another Charlton character, but this time rebooting and reintroducing a latter incarnation created only a few years ago by "Leverage" producer/co-creator John Rogers as a Mexican-American teenager. I'm familiar with the character as interpreted on the "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" TV show, but haven't seen much of him in comics, so this is pretty new. However, I don't read or speak Spanish, so much of the dialogue is beyond me. Doubt I'll give it a second look.

The Bad:

Red Hood and the Outlaws. Oh, this is just awful, especially if you have any history with the main characters. Red Hood is a jerk (but then, he always has been, which is why callers voted to kill him off when he was Robin back in the 1980s). Roy Harper (the former Speedy) is a douche, willing to hop into bed with his buddy's girl because she invites him. And Starfire, the former Teen Titan, interstellar princess, fierce and honorable warrior, and love of Dick Grayson, is now a slut from outer space who apparently cares so little about earth and its people that she can't be bothered to remember any of them for any length of time. Which makes it easier, I think, to forget about reading a book featuring her.

Next: Coming to comic shops on Sept.28 are ALL-STAR WESTERN #1, AQUAMAN #1, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1, BLACKHAWKS #1, THE FLASH #1, THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #1, GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1, I, VAMPIRE #1, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1, THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1, SUPERMAN #1, TEEN TITANS #1, and VOODOO #1.