I, Vampire #1 (November, 2011)
"Tainted Love"
Writer - Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist - Andrea Sorrentino
Colorist - Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer - Pat Brosseau
Associate Editor - Wil Moss
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99
Many people took the late-2011 launch of The New-52 as an opportunity to try out a whole bunch of new DC books. Others, like me, saw it as the opportunity to drop out. I went from buying more or less the entire DC line to... having only 3-4 on my pull-list.
More experimental titles like I, Vampire were ones I'd missed out on the first time around. I wound up finding the first few issues in the cheap-o bins over the past couple of years, figure Boo, Haunted Blog is as good a time as any to give it a peek.
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We open in Boston... a man named Andrew is scaling a pile of bodies. When he reaches the top, he plunges an oaken stake into the vampire above. He expresses regret with having to do so, Andrew being a vampire himself. He'd much rather have locked the poor guy away, but alas... it's plungy plungy chop chop time.
From here, we (I'm guessing) jump back in time. Andrew is with a woman named Mary who expresses an interest in starting a revolution against... I dunno, non-vampires? She compares herself to a few revolutionary types from the past, and attempts to justify her murderous ways. Andrew attempts to reason with her... he believes there is a way in which everyone can live harmoniously. Mary ain't hearing it... in fact, she doesn't wanna hear anything from him. She lunges in for a kiss, and playfully flies off while teasing him to follow.
Back in the present, Andrew continues expecting the pile while recounting his conversation with Mary in his head. He comes across a young lady. He advises her that there was an attack... and she was unlucky. She is now a vampire. She doesn't believe him... the Sun is rising... and everyone knows Sunlight kills vampires. Andrew corrects her, and explains that Sunlight only cancels out their powers... it doesn't outright kill them. He promises her that her death will be quick.
Well, she ain't too keen on all that noise... and as such transforms into a wolf... which I didn't know vampires could do... and lunges for Andrew's throat. To which, Andy himself changes into a bestial form... and now holds the young lady by her throat.
Back in the past, Mary and Andrew sit in a cemetery... not too cliche, eh? She is still trying to convince him that revolution is the only way. We learn, through Andrew's rebuttal, that this series takes place in the DC Universe proper. He suggests that her "army" won't have much of a hope against a group of Green Lanterns and Wonder Woman.
Back in the present, the girl in the goozle begins to laugh. She says that "Mommy" told her that he (Andrew) was stupid. Suddenly hundreds of full-blood vampires swarm the scene. Andrew has no choice but to flee, and he does so by heading down a flight of stairs into the subway.
In the past, Andrew and Mary are now standing atop a building. She continues her coercion and turns to seduction to try and sway our man. She winds up shifting her face into one that was very familiar to Andrew... which he does not appreciate. From here, Mary goes full-Queen of Blood... and tells Andrew that she is only able to do so because he set her free.
Back in the subway, Andrew watches as the army of vampires slaughter dozens of innocents on a train-car. He pleads with them, but it is to no avail.
Andrew returns home, and goes to sleep. When he wakes up, he finds a rose and a note addressed to him next to him. It is Mary's declaration of war on the humans. She almost dares him to try and stop her... even saying that if he does, she'll only love him more.
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Definitely not my usual cuppa'tea... but perfectly fine for what it is. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I felt absolutely no connection to these characters. I know, I know... this is just the first issue, and we're in the age of decompressed storytelling... but still, going by this chapter, I am not overly excited to see how it all turns out.
My experience with writer, Joshua Hale Fialkov is pretty limited. I know he wrote one of those stories for Marvel a few years back, when every few months they were teasing us with the end of the Ultimate line. I remember not digging that... I will say that I enjoyed this outing far more. I will say, the skips back and forth in time were a bit tough to follow on my initial read. Not sure if that's due to clunkiness in the storytelling... or in my head.
Andrea Sorrentino, current artist on one of my favorite Marvel ongoings, Old Man Logan is probably the perfect choice for a book like this. Love it on Logan... love it here! I've said it before when reading/reviewing Old Man Logan for Weird Science's Marvel Mondays, I don't know how Sorrentino can turn in such amazing work and still maintain a regular monthly (sometimes bi-weekly) schedule. Truly wonderful work... Marcelo Maiolo, who also works on Logan, provides the colors... and they are fantastic.
Although this didn't really engage me, I must admit that there is likely a solid, if not great story here for folks more into the vampire scene or mythology. I cannot outright un-recommend it... I will suggest, however, if you are interested in this series... maybe look for the trade paperback rather than the single issues. This read in a flash... I'd have to assume getting the whole thing in one gulp would be far more satisfying.
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Superman #372 (June, 1982)
"Superman's History-Changing Mission!"
"Kidnappers in ths Sky!"
Writers - Cary Bates & Bob Rozakis
Pencillers - Curt Swan & Gil Kane
Inker - Frank Chiaramonte
Colorists - Anthony Tollin & Tom Ziuko
Letterers - Todd Klein & Ben Oda
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.60
Ooooh, a Phantom Superman! That's scary, right? Okay, not really...
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It's a beautiful afternoon in Metropolis as we join the airborne traffic chopper on its PM-Drive patrol. All's well until they almost collide with a strange black mass! They veer off course to avoid contact just as Superman hits the scene. The black mass is on the move, and Superman has to get in front of it to ensure it doesn't slam into the Melsley Building. Luckily, it's set to hit it at the 12th floor... which is only used for maintenance!
Superman deduces that the mass is made of antimatter, and should it collide with anything... even a super-Kryptonian... it would make the unwitting target cease to exist! Superman follows it for awhile, when it changes course... flying straight up into orbit. We get a super-hearing exhibition as Superman tracks a strong radio signal back to Earth...
... all the way to a small tropical island. The home of a solitary man who is lounged out with a cute little glass of lemonade. He isn't surprised to see Superman, in fact... he expected him! He introduces himself as astrophysicist, Mason Strath and takes credit for that crazy ball of anti-matter.
Ya see, he's got a proposition for the Man of Steel. He wants Superman to go back in time to August 23rd (presumably of 1981) to stop his young children from being swept away to their deaths by a massive tidal wave. If Superman refuses... that anti-matter mass will transform into a black hole that will swallow the Earth. If Superman chooses not to act quickly enough... well, that anti-matter mass will transform into a black hole that will swallow the Earth. Superman pleads with Strath, claiming that not even he can change the past (hmm... I think we're getting fast and loose with the laws of Super-time-travel here, but we'll go with it).
Left without much of a choice, Superman takes the gig. He creates a special bubble with which to carry a (randomly mustache-less) Mason Strath back in time with him. Upon arrival on August 23, Superman demonstrates that he is nothing more than a phantom out of time... he is unable to stop the tidal wave nor sweep the children out of its path. Knowing that the fate of his children is sealed, Strath buries his head in his hands and sobs.
Not content to just return to the present with the poor fella, Superman flies them to Metropolis where they watch the Superman of that time repairing a falling skyscraper. This proves that there can only be one Superman in a given time... keeping in mind that this is pre-Crisis, ya gotta chuckle a bit here, right?
Now finally, Superman and Mason return to the present... only to find that the console that controls the anti-matter suffered a short circuit... the black holing is about to commence. Strath falls to the ground... he admits that the entire affair was meant to be nothing more than a bluff... and now there's nothing he can do to save the world. Luckily, Superman can go some super-stuff...
... Like travel through time! He flies up to the burgeoning black hole, and takes it with him to a time in which the Milky Way galaxy has moved... letting it detonate well out of harm's way.
Returning back to Earth, Superman reveals that when he went back to August 23rd, he only heard one heartbeat... Mason Strath's. His children didn't have any. He claims to have used his x-ray vision to learn that the children were, in actuality, androids. Wha--? That's pretty convenient, no? Plus... if he was just a phantom, would his vision powers even work?
Now knowing that the kids were dupes, Superman heads of to Washington D.C. to check in with his C.I.A. contact, Cory Renwald. Ol' Cory spills the beans. Strath was sent to the island as he'd become radioactive during a lab accident... only thing is, nobody told Strath. He thinks he was sent to the island to continue his research in complete privacy. His kids were replaced with androids as to not catch the radioactivity. Superman's all "screw that", and offers to bring Strath's real children for a visit... using some nebulous form of superpower to keep them from catchin' the crud. He then vows to find a permanent cure for Mason... who, I doubt we ever hear from again.
Now... after that wacky romp through the past, let's visit the far-flung future of 2021! Five-whole-years from now! Did you know... that in five years, we will be living in floating cities? That we will be driving aircars? That we will get our news on-demand through a scrawl that appears on the dome of our floating cities? Man, I can't wait!
Anyhoo... we join the head of the Universe New System, James Bartholomew Olsen. He mentions that Perry White is now dead, and laments that it's not so fun to tease a computer. Before he can get too deep in thought, a bald goon with a gun shows his face. He demands Jimmy insert an item into the day's financial news. Jimmy, being the virtuous sort we all know he is, refuses. Baldy then reveals that the Olsen twins have been kidnapped! Not those Olsen twins, but Jimmy's grandkids... Lois and Clark. And honestly, I don't know if they're twins... just wanted to make the gag, and they really do look alike.
Jimmy agrees, but triggers a switch that mimics the effects of his old Superman signal watch. The Superman we know and love appears to be AWOL, however, his grandson Jon Hudson is here, and hears the SOS. We get some super-ventriloquism, where Jon tells Jimmy he's on his way.
He makes a half-hearted excuse to his gal pal and Supes' up. He rescues the tots with the quickness... and gives "Uncle" Jimmy the "all clear". Jimmy then socks the creep, the kids are returned... and everybody has ice cream.
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Hmm, I thought phantoms were supposed to be scary! Guess not always...
Let's start with the opener. This was a weird story that really played with the rules of time travel in the DC Universe in ways that were awfully convenient. Having Superman be a phantom "out of time" when he goes swimmin' in the time stream makes sense... but it's seems to only be a rule for this story. I'm pretty sure there have been stories where Superman (or another hero) traveled through time and was able to make contact with others, or change outcomes.
Also, I touched on this briefly during the synopsis... I get that Superman can still fly when he's in the past... and can technically use his powers... but, if his heat vision didn't work on the tidal wave... how did his x-ray vision (and super-hearing, while we're at it) work on the Strath kidroids? Seems like we should never sell short the power of super-convenience!
The back-up feature was equally forgettable. Just a silly vignette where Superman 2021 gets a distress call... and saves the day. No fuss, no muss.
Overall, I'd have to say this a bit of a stinker. The art is nice... at least in the main feature... in the back-up, Jimmy's grandkids look like maniacal puppets whenever they're featured. Really off-putting. Almost like a demonic red-haired Sugar & Spike! If you've got a hankering for some fun pre-Crisis Man o' Steel, there's far better stories out there... that are more worthy of your time.
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Letters Page:
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Young Justice #3 (December, 1998)
"The Issue Before the One Where the Girls Show Up!"
Writer - Peter David
Penciller - Todd Nauck
Inker - Larry Stucker
Letterer - Ken Lopez
Colorist - Jason Wright
Separator - Digital Chameleon
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
Hey I promised a visit to a Hallow-Teen Party hosted by Young Justice, right? Was it worth the trip? Let's find out...
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It's Halloween night, and the streets are full of trick-or-treaters, but they're of no concern to us... no, instead we will go deep... deep down into, well... probably somebody's mother's basement, where a group of cult members are performing a cyber ritual. This is really great, their computers are at the points of a pentagram as they try and summon techno-magic. We get a cute Abort, Retry, or Fail gag before what appears to be a young Mr. Mxyzptlk is printed out of their inkjet. He peels himself off the page, and looks to learn the lay of this strange new land.
Speaking of strange, we now join the boys of Young Justice (and,
yes... as the title states, it's just the boys for now) as they chaperone the Hallow-Teen Party at the community center. Kon is running his yap about his tactile telekinesis and Bart gets all up in everybody's business.
A girl dressed as a cheerleader starts puttin' the moves on our man, Robin... which gets the attention of her boyfriend, a larger boy dressed as a football player... which is pretty much exactly what she wanted. He starts giving Robin some lip, but rather than fight back, Robin apologizes and backs off.
The goon and his pals start razzin' Robin, which gets Superboy and Impulse involved. Kon gets pretty hardcore, breaking the goon's hand with a steel-high-five and Bart strips the man naked. I mean, not down to a pair of heart-covered boxer shorts... really naked. Well, he did leave him his shoes and socks... but close enough. Our 5th Dimensional buddy is watching from afar and taking notes.
We shift scenes to the Red Tornado. He is in flying the skies of Chicago in search of somebody. On this night his target is his adopted daughter, Traya... who is trick or treating as a witch. It is here that we learn that even an android can cry... or something.
Back at the party, Robin lambastes his teammates for their assault and humiliation of the bully. He tries to remind them that as the hosts, they need to act more responsible. He's also upset that by their actions, it appears as though Kon and Bart don't think he can take care of himself.
As Robin goes on... and on... and on, Bart notices that there's something strange going on. Half the teens at the party have been transformed into old people while the other half are dancing out of control. Then they see our visiting 5th dimensional imp...
There's a bit of a tussle... mostly comedy spots. He ties weights to Superboy's feet and negates his vaunted tactile telekinesis before Bart runs him into a window, and Robin whistles for the Super Cycle... which crashes through the wall and crushes poor Mxy. So much for being responsible, eh Tim?
We rejoin young Traya as she trick or treats... at night... by herself. I mean, she's gotta be under ten years old... that's just not a good idea. I think here we learn that she's not quite in Chicago... but Springfield, because she runs into some very familiar bullies who want her candy. These doofs give chase... it's really pretty sad. As she runs, she finds herself swept up in a tornado... she flies away in it while sitting on her witches broomstick.
Back at the party, the boys try to figure out just what is going on with this younger Mxy. Robin concludes that he'd been plucked out of the time stream sometime in the past. They decide to take advantage of this by informing him what he is to become in the future. This Mxy is shocked and appalled, after all... he's a scholar, not a trickster. He vows that he will devote his life to the sciences and learning... and never turn to being a devious little twerp.
All's well and good until the boys peek outside and realize what changing Mxy's past does to the Earth. Outside of the school the world is absolutely destroyed. Now they gotta undo what they just undid... but how?
Well, that's easy. They show Mxy some Three Stooges shorts. Easy peasy, right? Well... it works in a pinch. He gets all goofy, and his black hair turns the paler shade we're all accustomed to... and he vamooses. But... did it work?
Well, sure... I guess. Outside, the work is almost back to normal. There's no more dead Earth... but the immediate area is now a Mr. Mxyzptlk-themed amusement park... not sure what's worse... okay, the dead Earth is probably worse.
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It's funny that this book is Halloween themed, because reading it was like eating candy. This is such a fun book... the kind we just don't get anymore. It's almost a shame that when people see or hear the name "Young Justice" anymore, the first thing they think of is the animated series rather than this wonderful comic.
From beginning to end, this was a weird and fun ride. We get a geeky computer cult, Superboy boring everybody with his tactile telekinesis, the bullies from The Simpsons picking on Red Tornado's daughter Traya, and Mxy "finding himself" while watching Three Stooges shorts. What's not to love here?
Not much more to say... the dialog is David, and therefore... ya know, very good. The story is fun... and the art is exactly what we've come to expect from Todd Nauck, also... ya know, very good.
I'd definitely recommend this... and much of this entire run. This truly filled a Teen Titans-sized hole in many fans hearts... even keeping in mind that there was a Titans title being published alongside this... Great book, great fun... one to keep an eye out for.
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