Gen¹³ (vol.4) #1 (December, 2006)
"Best of a Bad Lot, Part One: And on the First Day"
Writer - Gail Simone
Pencils - Talent Caldwell
Inks - Matt Banning
Colors - Carrie Strachan
Letters - Pat Brosseau
Assistant Editor - Kristy Quinn
Editor - Ben Abernathy
Cover Price: $2.99
Another random pick today... this time heeding the call of the Wild(Storm)... and that means, nobody's going to read this one! Oh well, I'll still do my best with it.
Like all of WildStorm's offerings, Gen¹³ was a title that I kinda went in-and-out on... didn't really follow it... though, I did buy it. I'm a sick man, what can I tell ya. The one volume of the book that I'm fairly certain I never even dipped my toe into (insofar as actually reading) was the one we're going to take a look at today.
I'm pretty sure it was a case of "once bitten, twice shy" after that wildly dull Claremont run. Add that to the fact that this is a "reboot"... and man, that's kind of the opposite of "Chris bait". Still bought it though... because I'm an idiot!
Let's finally... after a dozen-plus years... crack this bugger open and see what's what!
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We open on a scene featuring a couple sitting in a car at one'a them "lookout points" where teen-agers on TV used to go off and neck. One of these kids is 17 year-old, Stephen Oswald... an attempted rapist. There is an IM chat going on alongside the scene, however it is painfully difficult to read... tiny black text on a dark background. The couple is being observed by an organization called Tabula Rasa... which looks as though it's being led by... Stephen Oswald! I mean, I know it's not him (this guy's name is Dr. Cross), but they look damn near identical. There's a young woman there watching as well, who I immediately assumed was Fairchild... but it ain't.
Anyhoo, back to the car, where the attempted rapist... attempts to rape! The girl fights to free herself, and in so doing, appears to have traded in her hands for very sharp blades! She cuts the creep up but good. Dr. Cross and Megan Whatsherface look on, and appear to be quite pleased.
The blade-armed would-be victim then finds herself surrounded by some armed goons, and she asks if they can help her. Instead, they fire a bullet into her dome... or at least, that's what it looks like.
The scene then shifts to Caitlin Fairchild getting knocked in the head by a dodgeball during gym class. Ya see, the other girls don't appear to like her all that much. A gym teacher/coach helps her to her feet and sends her off to the showers... where all the other girls are pleased as punch that "Katie" will be going home with a bruise on her face.
We jump to Fort Lauderdale, Florida... where a white kid with dreadlocks gets bullied for being... a white kid with dreadlocks. Well, let the punishment fit the crime, I guess.
Next stop, Seattle, Washington... where Grunge "yanks it, ganks it... and very nearly spanks it." Alrighty then.
What I think all of that means is, he did some super-neat stuff on his skateboard, though Google Translate isn't much of a help in this instance. Anyhoo, he face-plants in front of a pretty young thing, who calls him a... get this, "skaterboi"... actually spelled that way! I suppose I should just be happy she didn't squeeze a numeral 8 in there!
Now, we're off to San Antone, where Roxy has been arrested for stealing a pack of smokes... again. Looks like, from the names her mother calls her, that she's having a pretty great teen-agery time! Anyhoo, mom picks her up and brings her home, and they argue the entire way... ending with Roxy say she "hates" her. You see where this is going, right?
Last stop on our tour is Peridot, Arizona... which is way the hell east of Phoenix. We meet Sarah, who has stopped into the coffee shop to pick up a cup... and apparently, the lady barista. Wow, that didn't take long. Anyhoo, the barista informs her that she's into dudes... slump-shouldered Sarah slinks away, while a pair of old white dudes act the way we're told old white dudes act.
We jump back to whereverthehell Tabula Rasa members Dr. Cross and Megan Whatsherface are operating out of. They hear the Gen¹¹'s eat... which leads me to believe they are some ungodly beasts. After checking out the boobal region of some blonde, Cross talks about their next steps... they need to turn their perspective Gen-Actives into... orphans! If only we could get them all into a late-night showing of The Mark of Zorro!
The next morning, the five kids we checked in on (sans Grunge) earlier all wake up... and they're wearing strange costumes... though, none of them seem to realize it right away. Caitlin's parents see how she's dressed, and have a knowing look about them, Grunge's folks plan to run away (he's still asleep, natch), Roxy's mom gives an "uh-oh", Burnout's mother freaks out, and Sarah's parents... well, knowing what's to come, they eat a bunch of rat poison.
Caitlin's parents kinda treat this as a "business arrangement", and her mother, Kendall decides to head outside to talk to the army of Tabula Rasans about being "reassigned". She gets shot in the head before she even makes it a step out the door.
Sarah, no longer having parents, just gets abducted. Roxy gets to have a heart-to-heart with her "mother" (none of these folks look to actually be the parents of their respective Gen-Actives). It's a fairly touching scene, which we kinda saw coming all the way back when Roxy told her "mom" that she hated her.
As the Tabula Rasans rush his home, Burnout... well, burns 'em out. Back with Caitlin, she overpowers one of the guards and hurls him through a wall. Gotta assume Grunge is still sleeping.
These scenes are, of course, being observed by Dr. Cross. After seeing watching for a bit, he instructs... whoever... to "render unto seizure", which kayos the kids for a bit.
They all wake up some time later, in a darkened cell. They're instructed that should they "act out", the organization will trigger "micro-explosions" in their brains. Huh, Amanda Waller's got nothing on Tabula Rasa.
Initially, the kids distrust one another... and, I suppose considering the circumstances, that kinda stands to reason. Finally, Roxy breaks down crying about the loss of her mother. Caitlin heads over to comfort her, which starts sort of a chain-reaction of trust...
... and a group hug.
--
Ya know, I thought this was really good. This truly feels like a proper reimagining of the Gen¹³ concept for the post-speculator boom generation. We're given a more straightforward backstory (or at least the start of one), and we're only one issue in... and the kids are already occupying the same space.
Felt like, during the 90's, there were a lot of retroactive "surprises" (retsurps? I apologize, that's dumb) where, without even the tiniest of a breadcrumb, things (relationships, characters, powers) would be turned on their ear, all for the sake of the "swerve (bro)". With this outing, I'm sure there are going to be surprises in the offing, however, the way this is being set up makes me feel like they will be organic... and at the end of the day, "fit".
If we flip to the other side, so often during the 00's, the writing was so painfully decompressed that, I honestly didn't expect our Gen-Actives to even meet before the fifth or sixth issue... so, there's another point in its favor!
Really, my only nits to pick here are relatively minor. The art, while really good (I mean, dude's name is Talent) isn't quite as varied as I feel it needed to be. In our opening pages, I wasn't sure who was who... the rapist and Dr. Cross looked too similar... and Megan looked a whole lot like the red-haired girl on the cover... so, if I were coming in blind, I'd have been sure they were the same person. Even coming in not-quite-blind, I was unsure. The fact that so much of the dialogue was delivered in nearly-unreadable panels didn't help matters either.
Another "ehh" thing for me was, some of the social stuff was about as unsubtle as I kind of expected it would be. I mean, did we even make it two panels between the time Sarah first appeared and when she tried to pick up the lady barista? That to me seems like we're trying to immediately "label" the character, which... to me... feels like a bit of a disservice to both the character and the representation. Though, I guess I can give it a bit of a pass considering there were only so many pages to work with here... and everyone needed to be introduced. I just feel like it perhaps deserved a bit more subtlety. There were also those old white men whose only purpose was to make racist comments... seemed more like a bone being picked than anything.
Overall, besides that one scene (which wasn't necessarily "bad" itself or anything), thought this was a pretty top-notch outing. Plenty of mystery... different from the original Gen¹³ while remaining familiar enough to feel somewhat comfortable... and perhaps most importantly, makes me want to read the next issue. This one is available digitally (for 99-cents!). I think it's worth a look whether or not you'd read any Gen¹³ versions before.
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Superman: The Man of Steel #91 (August, 1999)
"Nemesis"
Writers - John Rozum & Mark Schultz
Art - Charlie Adlard, Doug Mahnke & Tom Nguyen
Letters - Phil Felix & Ken Lopez
Colors - Glenn Whitmore
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Associate Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Joey Cavalieri
Special Thanks - Scott Koblish
Cover Price: $1.99
We've got a weird one today... one that kinda feels like the result of "dreaded deadline doom"... but, very fun nonetheless.
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We open with Lois returning home to find her husband typing away at the computer... with his tights uniform on! She asks him what he's working on, and he explains that it's a "story"... one which he was unwittingly a part of. He prints out a copy so she can give it a (not-so-analytical) scan... and we hop right into it ourselves! We meet a man named Musgrove, who is speaking to a counselor named Dr. Samenpur... remember that name. Musgrove is convinced that Superman... is out to get him.
Ya see, it all started not too long ago, when Musgrove worked for Wackyland Toy Company. He was an "idea man", who came up with new concepts for board games and the like. He worked for a man named Morgan, who had no issue taking complete credit for Mussy's ideas. As you may imagine, this rubbed our man the wrong way.
And so, he decided from that point on to never to share an idea until it was ready to go into production... this way, he'll be able to get full credit. The paranoia is setting in... only compounded by the fact that he's noticed Superman flying past his apartment window three times in a single hour. He's convinced that Morgan has hired Superman to "keep an eye on" him.
The next day, Morgan visits Musgrove's cubicle and asks what he's working on. Tight-lipped, our man doesn't say much... to which, the boss comments that he's sure, whatever it is, it's bound to be "Super". Uh-oh. According to Musgrove, the way he said "super" was very suspect.
And so that evening, Musgrove returned home to his apartment... and realizing that he didn't have the resources to completely line his apartment with lead... he lined a box for his game ideas instead. He then worried that maybe Superman could read his thoughts, meaning he'll still be able to steal his game idea... and so, it's tinfoil (and lead) hat time!
He became so obsessed with his new game idea, that he quit Wackyland Toys and devoted all of his time to it. Some time later, his game was finally done... and ready to be shopped around. Wouldn'tcha know it, while on his way to try and sell the thing, he finds himself stuck in the middle of a(n on-foot) jewel heist getaway! Superman takes up the tail, and catches the baddies... but not before all of Musgrove's notes are flung all over da place! Superman does his thing to recover them... but, as far as Musgrove is concerned, all Superman wanted to do was get a peek at his idea.
Dr. Samenpur asks Musgrove what his game's all about, and we learn that it's called "Invasion Earth"... and get this it's based on what he believes Superman is up to! He explains that the game is sort of like Risk... only, instead of countries, it's a battle between planets. So, yeah... it's exactly Risk, with a re-skin.
Ya see, Musgrove isn't convinced that Superman was the sole survivor of Krypton... and, ya know, judging by how many Kryptonians are running around at this time, it's hard to tell him that he's wrong. What he's actually thinking, is that the Kryptonians are laying in wait for Superman's "signal" to invade and take over. That's where "Invasion Earth" comes in. Musgrove compares Generals using Chess as a means to employ strategy, and he figures that once "Invasion Earth" gets some play, folks will be able to fight off the supposed Kryptonian invasion. Ya follow?
Only one problem with that plan though... ya see, kids ain't playing board games anymore. Upon visiting with Felix Walton of Brad Lee Norman Games, our man discovers that it's all about the video games nowaways. Which, I mean, if he could turn "Invasion Earth" into a video game, it might actually "train" people to fight off the aliens, right? I mean, the military uses 'em, don't they?
While Musgrove is getting the bad news, he notices a copy of the Daily Star on Walton's desk. He learns that Superman will be at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Children's Hospital, and decides that might just be the place to confront his foe.
As Superman delivers his speech, he realizes that there is a building on fire nearby. He cuts the ribbon with his heat vision, however before he can take his leave, Musgrove runs up to shake his hand. While shaking, Mussy pins a tracer to Superman's sleeve. He also whispers that he's "on to" him. A confused Superman flies off.
Musgrove checks in on his tracer... and is shocked to learn that Superman is actually headed directly for his apartment building... ya see, that's the building currently on fire. Musgrove runs in for another confrontation... and, assuming Superman burned down his building to keep "Invasion Earth" from hitting the public, even throws a punch at the Man of Steel's jaw...
Superman warns the fella that he's got a few broken digits, and suggests he see the paramedics before taking off. When he does, however, Musgrove stabs one of them in the eye... and bites off the thumb of another. Uh-oh... dude's lost it. Ya see, this session with Dr. Samenpur, is actually court-ordered.
Musgrove is starting to lose his patience, and asks that Samenpur deliver his message... get his game out into the ether. Frightened, and perhaps looking to diffuse the situation, the Doc agrees. Then, Musgrove thinks on it a bit... ya see, Samenpur... is just Superman with the letters rearranged!
Enraged, Musgrove throws Samenpur out the window! Lucky for her, Superman just happened to be flying by.
Next thing we know, Musgrove is being wheeled into the Mount Hope Home... where he tries to pitch his game to some other troubled souls.
We wrap up with Superman and Lois, having finished going through this weird story... and Superman taking inventory of just what it means to be a "symbol".
--
What a strange little story! Had a lot of fun with this one.
Ya know, concepts like "paranoia" can be pretty fascinating... and perhaps don't get enough play in superhero comics. I mean, if we look at this story, and consider that Harvey Musgrove is just one guy... gotta wonder just how many Metropolitans are there that are constantly looking over their shoulder expecting that Superman is watching them?
Now paranoia isn't an altogether alien sensation for me... I've been known to partake in delusional worries and irrational frame of mind myself. I think we all do to an extent... which is why a story like this might resonate so well, even if it's amped to the nth degree. I'll concede that I've looked over my own shoulder a time or two... but, I promise you that I've never bit anyone's thumb off.
Now Superman as a "symbol"... not the ending I was hoping for. I wanted there to be introspection, sure, but the symbolic nature of Superman kind of hinders the nuances that this story could have. I mean, lets take Superman out of the equation altogether...
... I think it's safe to say we all have certain people in our lives that we really don't want to look foolish in front of, right? And doesn't it always wind up being those people who see us screwing up or looking foolish? There's this confluence of coincidence... almost a joke on a cosmic level, that the people we want to look our best for are the ones who see us at our worst. It's almost without fail!
Let's look at Harvey Musgrove. Superman just always happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to feed into his delusions, his paranoia, and his victimization. He feels as though he's a target... perhaps a bit like how many of us feel on the highways and expressways when we notice a "speed trap". We feel singled out, even though there are hundreds of vehicles passing the Officer every minute. Though, perhaps I'm paranoia-ly projecting!
Maybe it's because I grew up in New York... I mean, who didn't feel like they were being watched by... this guy?
Though, with Musgrove... there sure was an awful lot of coincidences, I'm not sure even a rational person in his position wouldn't become a bit unnerved. Though, a rational person probably wouldn't lock themselves in their apartment to work on a game to stop a supposed alien invasion... but, whattayagonnado?
Anyhoo, It's rare that an issue that so clearly feels like a fill-in can be so captivating. This was an interesting transitional period in the Superman books... one that I'm always tempted to go back and re-experience. Maybe one'a these days, when I discover the 25th through 30th hours of the day! This issue is well worth a look, and is available digitally.
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Letters Page (featuring a familiar face):
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New Titans #86 (May, 1992)
"If This Be Chaos!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Pencils - Tom Grummett, Curt Swan & Kevin Maguire
Inks - Jerome Moore & Al Vey
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Letters - Bob Pinaha, Pat Brosseau & John Costanza
Editor - Jonathan Peterson
Cover Price: $1.75
It's been a few months since we discussed Titan's Hunt... figure I might've shaken enough of the burn-out off so we can pop back in on the post-Titans Hunt/pre-Total Chaos era.
Here's a question: What's better than an epilogue to an overlong story? How 'bout a whole bunch of epilogues?!
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We open during an ordinary day inside an ordinary office building. New has spread throughout the company that a mysterious fellow walked in, talked to the C.E.O., and within a matter of minutes... talked himself into the top gig! For those of us who read Total Chaos, we already know who this dude is. Anyhoo, he calls the entirety of his new staff into his new office... and fires 'em all! Once they're gone, he takes on his more "godly" form, and promises to kill Donna Troy.
Speaking of whom, we shift scenes and join Donna and the rest of the Titans as they stand bamboozled around the Baby Wildebeest they rescued from the Society at the end of Titans Hunt. Pantha is keen on just gutting the little bastard... which is certainly one way to go. The rest of the Titans (and the Beestie itself) put a stop to her homicidal urges.
The Baby begins to wail, and the Titans haven't the foggiest idea what to do with it. Thankfully, Steve Dayton wanders into the scene, carrying a tremendous (like comically large) jug of milk... this, conveniently, winds up being the ticket to getting the Beestie to quit kvetching.
Pantha still wants to kill it. If you recall, the Wildebeest Society conducted experiments on her... gotta figure, the last thing she wants to look at is yet another 'Beest. Donna suggests that the Baby is just as much a victim of the Society as Pantha was... after all, the thing was created to be the vessel for Azarath, or whatever-the-hell. Pantha's all "screw you guys, I'm going home", and reminds the Titans that they're going to have to start buying diapers. Our man, Terry realizes that she's right.
We rejoin "the C.E.O." (we're just going to call him "Lord Chaos", is that cool?), as he vows to kill Donna Troy... again. Talk about a one-track-mind. Anyhoo, he recoils in pain... and at that very same moment, Donna is in the middle of some "flu-like symptoms", including puking her guts up. Terry knocks on the bathroom door to check on her, which... probably doesn't help to settle her stomach.
Back at Dayton's, Gar and Steve are having a bit of a heart-to-heart about Vic's condition. If you recall, he was 'sploded and put back together during Titan's Hunt... and, when he was reassembled, they left out his personality. We can see that this chat is being observed... by Terra!
We shift scenes to Dick watching Kory stand by a stream. He thinks to himself how much he loves her... but, of late, she views his "love" as smothering... coddling, even. He goes to approach her, and gets a rather frosty reception. This little back-n-forth is being observed... by Mirage!
We jump ahead to Donna, Terry, and Red Star visiting S.T.A.R. Labs to check in on Victor. As they approach his room, Donna doubles over... more "flu-like symptoms". Oh, and at the very same time, Lord Chaos also doubles over... so, there's that.
Dr. Sarah Whatsherface plops Donna onto a gurney and wheels her off to take a look at her most-definitely-not "flu-like symptoms". This leaves Red Star alone to check on Cyborg. He learns that Vic is stronger than ever, but fears that his new cybernetic parts might actually be killing him. This visit is being observed... by Redwing!
From here, we jump into a trio of epilogues... that's an awful lot of epilogues for an epilogue issue itself! Anyhoo, during the first, we get more of Gar and Steve's chat. After they part company, Terra decides that the time is right to reveal herself. Gar, as you might imagine, is beside himself with disbelief.
In our second epilogue, we follow Dick Grayson... as he follows Starfire. He hops off his motorcycle and, distracted by a bemulleted Terry Long, bumps into an individual wearing a full-on flasher outfit... ya know, trenchcoat and hat.
After a few confusing panels (which will make sense down the line), Dick both leaves Kory's apartment... and knocks on her door. Veddy interesting. Or not.
Then, in our third (and final epilogue)... Dick Grayson is stood at the wreckage of Titans Tower. He is joined by Deathstroke the Terminator... and they exchange pleasantries. Dick's upset that Slade didn't even attend his son's funeral. We know he was there, but Dick doesn't.
What's more, Dick really lays into Slade for the whole "murdering his own Son" thing. I mean, someone had to, right?
Dick and Slade fight for a bit... well, actually... Dick fights, Slade really only defends himself. After swatting Dick into some wreckage, he reminds him that after everything that happened... and everything he did, he still lost a(nother) Son. Dick wonders aloud how and why people like Slade (and Bruce) keep things bottled up inside of them. One of those rare moments where we're reminded that Slade knows "the" secret.
Deathstroke reveals to Dick that he must constantly tell himself he didn't kill Joey... but instead, he freed him. Otherwise, he'd go crazy. All he wants now, is to go home... which is something Dick isn't even sure he has anymore.
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Ya know, when we cover an issue like that, it shines a light on one of the weaknesses of this blog's format. It's hard to feign ignorance or surprise, when we've already discussed how all of this is going to wind up during Total Chaos! So, let's just cover a few bits and pieces here...
I mean, we know what Donna's "flu-like symptoms" are going to wind up being... though, even without hindsight, anytime a woman gets "stomach sick" in media, there's like a 99% chance that she's pregnant.
The addition of Baby Wildebeest to the cast... ehh, whatayagonnado, right? Seems like another instance of adding an a "Cousin Oliver" (oddly enough, not too far removed from the last time... when they added pretty much the embodiment of "Cousin Oliver"). Unfortunately Baby-Beest, like Danny before, suffers from... a rather unpleasant to look at design. It's not like this could be the Titans "cute" mascot, when it isn't terribly cute to begin with.
The Team Titans lurking on the sidelines was pretty neat... kinda made me flashback to a time when subplots would bubble alongside the primary narrative... though, it's pretty clear here that the Teamers will be the focus before long. If you ask me, Terra revealing herself to Gar (minds outta the guttah), probably should have been the last page of the issue. I feel like ending on a cliffhanger rather than a maudlin Dick muttering on about "home" would have been more satisfying.
Actually... I probably could have done without the Dick 'n Deathstroke scene at all. Felt like a way to justify the cover... which was misleading at best. "--And Only One Shall Lead!" sayeth our cover copy... though, leadership of the team was never even in question. Oh well, ya gotta sell copies, and Dick 'n Deathstroke on the cover would probably more more units than anything else going on in this book!
Overall... a pretty decent issue, which I gotta figure fans of the day found a welcome change from the seemingly never-ending Titans Hunt story. There is a real feeling of progression here... something that I feel was seriously lacking during the second-half of "Hunt". This issue is available digitally.
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