The Pulse

Artwork #1

2006-06-30T08:18:00.000-05:00

And now for something totally different.

Here are a bunch of pretty pictures. And since one cannot talk about pretty pictures without mentioning Alex Ross, here is some of his work that I think is mindblowing.

This is a drawing of the old and current JSA members in one picture. This was also used as the covers to JSA #68 and #69.

And now, here are the original Teen Titans. And unlike many other artists, Ross' teens look like teenagers, not short adults.

And the other teenagers - the Legion of Superheroes.
This picture isn't the best quality, but I had to include it. This is Ross' tribute to Alan Moore. All of Moore's creations make an appearance here, from the crew at Watchmen, to Promethea.
Moore also has a whole series of paintings where he has taken classic scenes from Golden Age comics and copied them in his own style. Here's an example.
Finally, a picture that I can't help but gape at even now. This is his vision of The Crisis on Infinite Earths. It has practically every single DC character ever. Even now, I can only identify about 75% of them. Zoom in to it to see the incredibly intricate detail.

Lot of eye-candy all round. Enjoy, until the next long, overly analytical post.

Girlfriend in Refrigerator #1

2006-06-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

It was 1994. Ron Marz was the author of Green Lantern, a book whose sales were slipping. Desperate to improve readership, an editorially-mandated decision was taken to turn the existing character, Hal Jordan into a villain, and have a new character take over the mantle of the Green Lantern.

In the controversial storyline Emerald Twilight, Hal went mad with grief and destroyed the entire Green Lantern Corps before becoming the all-powerful Parallax and unknown cartoonist Kyle Rayner became the new Lantern when he picked up a ring lying in a dark alley.

This decision was greeted with howls of protest. Jordan was a very popular character, and sending him off this way seemed sacreligious to most fans. Much of the anger was directed at Kyle. This was very different from the reaction to the new Flash, Wally West, who took over from his uncle Barry Allen who died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Wally, unlike Kyle, had been Kid Flash in the Titans for many years previously, and in the eyes of the fans, had earned the right to wear the uniform. Not so Kyle, who had the universe's most powerful weapon handed to him on a platter.

Anticipating the protest, Marz needed a way to add depth to the character of Kyle instantly. And he did. Two issues into his his life as a Green Lantern, the government sent Major Force to check on Kyle. Kyle was out when MF showed up, but his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, was home. When Kyle arrived after some superheroics, this is what hapened.

So did it work? That's a difficult question to answer. Sales on the book remained strong for a number of years, and Kyle soon developed his own dedicated fan base. He was part of the reformed Justice League, and soon many people began considering him the one true Green Lantern. However, he was never sufficiently developed as a character and no matter what he did, he never seemed to grow beyond being the boy who just never got a break. Somehow, the writers never managed to make him an interesting character.

Kyle even had a brief relationship with the recently widowed Donna Troy, but that didn't end well either.

Technically, this wasn't really a case of G-i-R syndrome. Donna's death was more for shock value than anything. In fact, when she was resurrected, she had forgotten all about the time she spent with Kyle, something Kyle didn't seem to mind. She even admitted to Jenny Lynn-Hayden, who Kyle was seeing then, that it was entirely a rebound thing.

Finally, in 2005, DC gave up. After stretching the bounds of credibility to breaking point, the writers brought Hal Jordan back as Green Lantern, and effectively wished away his mass-murdering spree of a decade ago. At the same time, they had Major Force put a papier-mache facsimile of Kyle's mother's head in his oven, disheartening him to the point of quitting, while also giving him a permanent phobia of kitchen gadgets. But they couldn't just get rid of Kyle - he had his own loyal fans now. Many recent readers didn't even know who Jordan was, and would raise holy hell if he was killed.

So, during Infinite Crisis, when Kyle and Jenny joined Donna's team to fight the threat from space, a stray bolt of antimatter lightning struck Jenny and...

Remember how G-i-R syndrome ends up making the males stronger? Well, Jenny's death caused her body to disintegrate and her energy to somehow merge with Kyle.

So now Kyle Rayner has become the omnipotent Ion. Ironically, he only came on the scene because a similar thing happened to Hal Jordan. And he's single again, because his girlfriends all had to die (and his mother had to pretend to), for him to become so all-powerful.

Just a word of advice though to any DC superheroine who doesn't have a date on Saturday night. No matter how desperate you are, DO NOT give Kyle Rayner a call. It might just make him stronger in mysterious ways.

India Alert #4

2006-06-06T13:35:00.000-05:00

Chris Claremont.

It is no secret that I do not think very highly of his work. He may have reinvigorated the X-Men franchise but honestly, most of his stories are just plain silly (he created Mojo, for heaven's sake). He also refuses to go away, insisting on completely trampling on ideas thought up by better writers on the X-Men titles.

But this ~~rant~~ post is not about Chris Claremont's work. Its to reveal an interesting piece of trivia about the man.

Chris Claremont has never met an Indian.

No, I'm serious. Surprising as it may sound in this cosmopolitan age - the way the man writes Indian characters makes it amply clear that he does not personally know a single person of South Asian origin.

Lets start with the two biggest Indian characters written by Claremont - NEAL SHARRA/SHAARA and KARIMA SHAPANDAR. No typos, I assure you. That's them on the left. NEAL SHAARA (sometimes spelt as SHARRA - Claremont clearly can't make up his mind), is a boy from our very own Calcutta (which is either in Assam or Bangladesh or both, according to our man). His daddy is the chief of the Indian National Police (huh??) and owner of posh tea estates. KARIMA is a policewoman who Neal falls in love with.

Both these characters have their origin told in X-Men Unlimited #27. Neal's entry is accompanied by a little write-up on Calcutta by Claremont that is clearly filched from Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Apparently, he thought that by throwing facts like Calcutta's population density in their face, readers would ignore the fact that he had clearly never heard of the place before he wrote the story.

But all this is besides the point. Can someone please tell me how Claremont got it into his head that SHARRA and SHAPANDAR are normal Indian surnames. Call them Patel or Sharma or Murthy or something. In fact he could have even picked up the nearest issue of the TIME magazine and used the first Indian name he came across - considering he had a throwaway Pakistani character named Benazir in one issue, that's not unexpected even. In fact, naming him Rajiv Gandhi would be better than NEAL SHARRA. Interestingly, Google informs me that Sharra and Shaara are common surnames - in Egypt and Ireland respectively.

Since these two are reasonably major characters, I will devote individual posts to them later. But lets now talk about background characters. Two minor characters in titles written by Claremont within the past 6 months have Indian characters. It seems Marvel have been nudging him to add a little diversity to his titles. Looking at the result, one wishes they hadn't. Here's a panel from Uncanny X-Men #473.

Ladies and gentlemen - meet AMINA SYNGE! One presumes that Claremont intended her name to be Singh, which lessens his crimes somewhat. But again, he has never read any book or newspaper which has a character named Singh, or he would have known how to spell it.

I'm also a bit confused about the religion of this woman. The bindi suggests Hindu - you know how ALL Hindu girls wear bindis all the time, even in Britain. However, she's named Amina, which suggests she's Muslim. A minor quibble, to be sure, but a little research to improve character believability never hurt anyone.

But if you thought Claremont's India Quotient was getting better, observe this panel from New Excalibur #4.

Deep Breath. MUAHARAM!! What the fuck kind of a name is MUAHARAM RAM? Its like a portmanteau between Muahaha! and Ram Ram! But please be sure to notice how Claremont flashes his knowledge of the modern world - Bangalore and IT. How up-to-date we are, no? I have a feeling he got the idea of introducing the chaaracter after seeing a headline in TIME magazine. If only he had actually READ it.

I think there must have been a conversation between Joe Quesada (Marvel editor) and Claremont that went something like this:

JQ: Chris - we've been getting come feedback from new readers, and we think you should have more Indian characters in your book.

CC: But Warpath^[1] is making a comeback in Uncanny, and I think they're using Forge^[1] in New.

JQ: Um, I mean Indians from India.

CC: Oh yeah, that place - but I already put that guy Shaara in.

JQ: Yeah, I'd been meaning to ask - how did you come up with the name?

CC: Oh yeah, so this was a good one. There's this brown guy at my local 7-11 called Shah something. So I took that name and added Raa so it would be musical and Indian like. Sha-Ra, get it?

JQ: (sighs). Anyway, we need some more. Why don't you have someone named Singh? Thats a pretty common Indian name.

CC: Oh right, Synge. Like John M. Synge^[2]? Didn't know he was Indian. Anyway, thats good. But wait - you're gonna love this. So, my nephew lost his job to some IT people in Bangalore. So I'm putting in this IT guy from Bangalore in New Excalibur. And I'm calling him Muharram. You know like those brown people.

JQ: You're thinking of Middle Easterners. And most Indians are Hindus, not Muslim. And I don't think...

CC: Hindu, huh? Then I'll call him Muaharam Ram like that Hindu god fellow. How's that?

JQ: Umm, see Chris - some Indians have objected to having their names spelt incorrectly in our comics, so I thought...

CC: Come on! Its not as if anyone there reads comics. And aren't they all illiterate or something?

JQ: Well, it is the second largest English reading population in the world, but... whatever you say, Chris. (leaves resignedly).

Now before I end my already overly long post, I will point out that Marvel titles not written by Claremont are introducing Indian characters all the time. Rajani Dhama, Reema Singh and Paras Gavaskar (on the right) are all supporting characters in Marvel stories - and they're believably written.

As a final example of someone who can point India out on the map, here's two panels from Ultimate X-Men #100 written by Mark Millar.

Mr. Pandya dies in the next panel. He's completely a throwaway character. But for a man whose life span was exactly two panels, he's remarkably believable. Hell, I know people just like him. Unfortunately, these examples are lost on Claremont.

My final message to Chris is - "Shaala Gandu". Go look it up.

[1]: Native American X-Men
[2]: Thanks to Teleute for pointing out the existence of J.M. Synge

Slice of Cheesecake #2

2006-05-11T13:38:00.000-05:00

This is Phantom Lady.

Phantom lady was the spoiled daughter of a senator, who decided one day to fight crime, as a member of Uncle Sam's Freedom Fighters. She was also the first crimefighter who decided that wearing an outfit which causes your boobs to spill out was a good idea. In that regard she was a trendsetter.

She used to be reasonably dressed until her title was sold to Fox Features, who decided to remove large parts of her outfit. This was in 1948, mind you, when not all superheroines dressed like skanks.

When she moved to DC comics, her outfit actually shrunk further - something that may have been impossible to conceive. Also, it was decided to remove her sole superpower (a blindness ray). Shortly after that, she was given unreasonably high heels to wear too. So she was now a powerless woman who ran around fighting crime in heels with her breasts spilling out. I'm sure this must have seemed like a good idea at that time.

Shortly after this, another character took over the mantle - a student at the school she was headmistress of (yup, thats right - go and knock your head against the wall for not attending such a school). This woman also thought it was a fantastic idea to make the ouotfit skimpier, though it resulted in her being practically naked.

Exactly how brilliant an idea it was, was revealed in Infinite Crisis, when Deathstroke shoved a spear into her wide-open cleavage. Considering she did not have super-invulnerability, or unbreakable skin, or similar abilities like the other super-sluts, its a wonder why no one thought of it earlier. Her last word, as she passes into the realm of the dead was "Why". One assumes, had she lived long enough to complete the sentence, it would have been - "Why the fuck didn't I go with the full-body kevlar?"

Of course, you can't keep a good character down. Now there's a new Phantom Lady doing the rounds in Battle for Blüdhaven, and who is soon to appear in a new title. The current bearer of this famous mantle has decided that the outfit needs a minor revamp. Of course, her breasts are also so much larger than previous Phantom Ladies, that the net effect is quite negligible, displaying enough cleavage to drive a truck through... or any suitably sharp stabby object, if you're a supervillain.

Sigh! Some people never learn.

Spot the Reference #2

2006-05-03T07:30:00.001-05:00

I came across this scan on a discussion forum, and I couldn't resist posting it. This is from Legionnaires #0. The legionnaires enter a seedy part of town and see...

Its... ECCENTRICA GALUMBITIS, THE TRIPLE-BREASTED WHORE FROM EROTICON 6. Yippee. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about please go and leap from the nearest tall building, as you have no right to exist.

Alternatively, read this book immediately.

And to find out more about this woman, read this.

And for those of you who don't even know who the Legionnaires are - you should be reading The Legion of Super-heroes. For a primer, go here.

International Character Watch #2

2006-04-20T06:06:00.000-05:00

Country of the day - France

France is one of those unfortunate countries that Americans don't particularly like, and love to make fun of. A French character in a sitcom just needs to open his mouth, and you can start the canned laughter. At the same time, the USA has much to be grateful for to France. This strange love-hate relationship also shows up in the characterisation of French characters in American comics, with many of them being cast as anti-heroes.

Character 1:

Name: Marie-Ange Colbert
Code Name: Tarot
Type: Likable character on villainous team
Powers: Can transform two-dimensional images into three-dimensional illusions.
Introduced: In 1984, in New Mutants by Chris Claremont
Currently in: No team. Died, was resurrected and is now depowered.

Background: She was a young girl who was a member of Emma Frost's Hellions, rivals of Xaviers' New Mutants. Each of the Hellions had powers similar to one of the New Mutants - Tarot was matched against Mirage (Danielle Moonstar). She was portrayed as shy and sweet girl, even though she was one of the New Mutants' main antagonists.
Current Status: Was killed along with all the other Hellions by Trevor Fitzroy. Has appeared briefly since then but without explanation.

Stereotype Quotient: Tarot's French origins were never played up - apparently Claremont reserves that for his Asian characters. She was also never a major character.

Character 2:

Name: Georges Batroc
Code Name: Batroc the Leaper
Type: Villainous Comic relief
Powers: Martial Artist.
Introduced: In 1966, in Tales of Suspense by Stan Lee

Background: Batroc was a buffoon, whose villainous exploits were never taken seriously. He used to regularly get his butt kicked by Captain America. He claimed to be an expert martial artist, but it never showed.
Current Status: Batroc is rarely seen nowadays. His fighting skills were hyped up for a while, but he was still only important as comic relief.

Stereotype Quotient: Batroc was the ultimate French caricature. He had an extravagant moustache and spoke in the silly accent that Americans think all Frenchmen speak in, peppering his sentences with French words, mostly out of context. He was also never taken seriously as a villain.

Aside: Batroc also has a blog.

Character 3:

Name: unknown
Code Name: Fantomex
Type: Anti-hero
Powers: Vague.
Introduced: In 2002, in New X-Men by Grant Morrison

Background: Fantomex was created by the Weapon Plus programme, and was classified as Weapon XIII (Wolverine being Weapon X). Apart from that, his exact history is difficult to ascertain. He is a master of deception and misdirection. Has helped the X-Men on a couple of occasions, and has teamed up with Wolverine and Mystique for adventures. Keeps getting killed and coming back. In his own words - "That is what I do."
Current Status: Unknown

Stereotype Quotient: Fantomex has admitted that he speaks French because it annoys people. This casts a doubt over whether he is actually French. Otherwise, he is cultured, sophisticated and a smooth talker, and yet a thief and manipulator. Quite the picture of the charming rogue.

Comments: Fantomex was one of the more disappointing creations of Grant Morrison. His poweres were vaguely defined and seemed too low-key to justify his being a successor to Wolverine as the ultimate warrior.

Character 4:

Name: Laura De Mille
Code Name: Madame Rouge
Type: Schizophrenic Villain/Hero
Powers: Shapeshifter
Introduced: In Doom Patrol #86 by Arnold Drake

Background: Madame Rouge suffered from MPD, with two distinct personalities - one good and one evil. In the war between the Doom Patrol and the Brotherhood of Evil, she was used by both sides, each of whom used artificial means to bring one of her personalities to the forefront. She even had a romantic relationship with Niles Caulder. Finally, when she learnt all that had been done to her, her evil form became dominant and she destroyed both groups. She was hunted down and killed by Beast Boy as revenge, though her good personality was dominant at that point.
Current Status: Dead. Her daughter has since joined the new Brotherhood of Evil, swearing revenge on Beast Boy.

Stereotype Quotient: Not a great deal. For reasons not entirely clear, most of the members of the Brotherhood of Evil were French, and as she was found by Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, it was only natural that she be French.

Character 5:

Name: Monsieur Mallah
Type: Villain
Powers: Strength of a Gorilla, with the mind of a human
Introduced: In Doom Patrol #86 by Arnold Drake

Background: Monsieur Mallah was a gorilla who was turned super-intelligent by The Brain, and then recruited into the Brotherhood of Evil. He and the Brain later fell in love. He was killed along with all other members of the Brotherhood, but has since reappeared.
Current Status: Is a member of the Society, a conglomerate of all villains, and was part of the team that nuked Bludhaven.

Stereotype Quotient: He's a smart ape with a French accent who has a gay relationship with a disembodied male brain. What more do you want???

Character 6:

Name: The Brain
Type: Villain
Powers: Brainy
Introduced: In Doom Patrol #86 by Arnold Drake

Background: The Brain is exactly that - a disembodied brain who is kept in a tube. Occasionally he uses robot bodies. Like boy(?)friend Mallah, he died with the rest of the Brotherhood of Evil, but then reappeared
Current Status: Same as above.

Stereotype Quotient: See above.

I have not incuded characters like Crimson Fox and Warp who are not very interesting, and more importantly, I don't know much about them. But otherwise, these characters show that the representation of French characters range from the cartoony to the sympathetic, but they are never outright heroes. On the other hand, even the villains, no matter how evil, are never of the kind who inspire revulsion, but who are quirky enough to make you smile.

Interestingly, four of the characters (the last four), were principally used by Grant Morrison, who isn't American, but Scot. Given the ludicrous over-the-top antics that he made them perform, it seems that like all Britons, he considers the French a national joke.

What was that again? #3

2006-04-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

More Supergirl. What can I say - she's fascinating.

This is from Supergirl #4

Science lesson, people. Very smart of Supergirl to run out on the moon where there's no air and everything - see how she disabled the Flash so easily. Ain't she cool?

Um, but if there's no air on the moon (which there isn't), then HOW is she TALKING? Sound waves, medium, etc? No?

Someone needs to read their Class 6 Physics text.

Uh-oh #2

2006-03-30T15:41:00.000-06:00

Zinda Blake, the Lady Blackhawk, is a character I was introduced to through Birds of Prey. Since I'm not terribly clued in on Golden Age characters , I did some background reading, and found the following picture on a Blackhawks fansite.
This image is from Who's Who Update 1987, with art by Brian Bolland, the man who drew many of the Blackhawk's adventures. Not an unusual drawing, and the artwork is reasonably good. Yes, Zinda's outfit looks more dominatrix than fighter pilot, but this was the Golden Age, so I could let it pass.

Until someone drew my attention to the bottom left corner.

Um, yes. So thats Lady Blackhawk parachuting down in a miniskirt while the rest of her team (all men) stand on the ground and cheer.

While that is wrongness enough, there is still the question of why anyone whose job description includes parachuting would hang around in a short skirt. Looking through old issues, I found that she did this quite often.

Yes, gasping is an appropriate response.And the leather mini isn't the only fetish.

But then, superheroines aren't really known for sensible outfits. Parachuting in a skirt may be silly, but so many others like Supergirl and Marvel Girl actually fly around in barely-there skirts. At this point I will remind people of the time when Lady Blackhawk temporarily gained superpowers.

See the men stare.
OK, I'll stop now.

Finally, as an aside - notice the funny Oriental man hanging on to her chest. That's Chop-Chop - one of the worst examples of racial caricatures in comics. Maybe I'll do a post on him later. But only after one on Supergirl's skirt.

Priceless #2

2006-03-20T04:19:00.000-06:00

This is a scene from Fantastic Four #532, by the supremely talented J. Michael Straczynski. There's not much backstory here. Just that the Four are going through hard times, especially Sue, who is afraid that Child Services might take away their kids.

Anyway, like a good hubby, Reed decides he has exactly what the doctor ordered.

And in case you've forgotten - Reed's power is... STRETCHING.

Bwa-ha-ha!

No wonder Sue never left him for super-hunk Namor.

Soundbytes #2

2006-03-13T23:28:00.000-06:00

For those of you who remember reading this post - Frank Miller's rewriting of the origin of the Dynamic Duo in All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, ruffled quite a few feathers. Not only for its depiction of Batman as a complete and utter arsehole who thinks nothing of kidnapping, terrorising and beating up an already traumatised kid,

but also for turning intrepid reporter and Bruce Wayne's one time love-interest, Vicki Vale, into a sex kitten.

I won't go into the details right now, but there were some who suggested that the artwork was that way because of how Jim Lee draws all his characters - gorgeous and hyper-sexualised. And its not like we don't have shots of hunky Bruce Wayne. Frank Miller may be a number of things, they said, but he's not a misogynist.

Ahem! Recently, a copy of Miller's storyboard instructions to Lee were published. And they are, well... incriminating, to say the least. Here, for your viewing pleasure - once again - are the offending pages from All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #1, but this time with accompanying commentary from Mr. Miller himself. The highlighting is mine.

"Nothing Vulgar". Nope, nothing at all. Frank Miller respects wymmyn, and don't you forget it. Here's what a popular webcomic had to say on the issue.

Ha! Nothing to say, Frank? How about - "I'm shameless, Jim!"

Cool Link #2

2006-03-07T13:23:00.000-06:00

Always Remember...

Tags, memes, the works. They ask you to list everything from the number of books you own to your most embarassing moment. Everyone who's anyone has been tagged. But now I present a meme that has escaped the notice of the Great Indian Blogsphere. This is the "Always Remember" meme that is exclusively for comic book readers. Its a little hard to explain, so I'll redirect you to the page of the man who started it all. Here is a compilation of all contributions to date. After you read a few, I think you'll get the drift.

Unfortunately, I haven't been tagged by anyone. But the Gamesmaster plays by his own rules. So I have decided to add my own two bits to this. Here's my contribution.

And what's a meme without some taggees? Since I can only pick those who know their comics well, I pass this on to Apna Bhai Anang, Abhimanyu I-know-Neil-Gaiman Das, and the wonder twins Momo and Bini.

Spot the Reference #1

2006-02-27T04:46:00.000-06:00

From Ultimate Spider-Man #88, by Brian Michael Bendis.

The story so far being - there's a bit of a scare down at Peter's school, and the cops show up to do a random bag-check. At the top of the panel, you see Peter being hassled by big scary cops who are just seconds away from opening his bag and fishing out his costume, thus totally blowing his cover as a super-hero.

However exciting this may seem, please draw your eyes down to the bottom of the panel, where a nondescript youth scowls as a cop searches his bag, which is full of books. Now look closely at the book he is fishing out.

Yup, that's a replica of Watchmen, that most pathbreaking of graphic novels, by Alan Moore, published under DC's Vertigo imprint. The cover shown here, just to escape copyright infringement, has the book titled as Machomen, and the publishing company as OC. But we all know that this is Brian Bendis tipping his hat to the book that turned comics from juvenile reading matter to works of literature. For those of you who haven't read it, click on the link above, and buy it off of Amazon. I could also tell you at length exactly why the publication Watchmen was such a milestone in the history of graphic novels, but I'll point you to this entry at Answers.com instead.

And for those of you who hate unresolved plot threads - Peter is saved by a random guy who runs out in a Spiderman costume, in an attempt to gain publicity for his band. The cops turn their attention to him, allowing Peter to slip away. For real geeks - the guy in question is Mark Raxton, who is the villainous Molten Man in the 616 universe. And as if two references weren't enough - please note the name of the club he mentions.

Yup, thats a reference to the legendary father-son artistic duo of John Romita Sr. and John Romita Jr. Thats makes three references in a matter of three pages. Whew!

Thesaurus #2

2006-02-07T00:49:00.000-06:00

Girl·friend-in-re·frig·er·at·or Syn·drome (gərlfrĕnd-ĭn-rĭ-frĭj'ə-rātər-sĭn'drōm')

noun
1. A condition afflicting comic-book writers (sometimes extended to writers in other media). Characterised by a tendency to inflict death, rape, or other forms of gruesome torture on female characters, with the sole aim of improving the characterisation of related male characters.

This term was coined by the incredibly talented Gail Simone - arguably one of the best comic book writers in the industry today (Superman, Villains United and the brilliant Birds of Prey as well as stints on Action Comics and Teen Titans), and definitely the top woman in the profession.

Being one of very few women in an industry where men create stories about male characters for a male market, Simone was able to observe firsthand the overwhelming misogyny present in a boys' club where she was part of a tiny minority.

Of course, this is an era of equality and political correctness, so overt displays of sexism are impossible. However, Simone did notice a disturbing trend. A surprisingly large number of female characters - mainly in supporting roles - ended up dead, dismembered, tortured or brainwashed for little to no good reason. Usually, these incidents were used by authors to better flesh out the character of the men in their lives. Often such incidents would lead to an immediate surge in sales, thanks to fans whose immediate reaction was "Oh my God, I can't believe they killed so-and-so". They also allow the writer to take the easy way out by writing a whole series of issues in which the hero sits around and broods, considers giving up superheroing, but finally decides to come back. The incident also provides plenty of material for later issues, where the hero can remember it and start to angst.

Simone and some friends set up a website where they chronicled such incidents, and get feedback from other comic book writers (respondents include Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, John Byrne and Marv Wolfman among others). The website was named- "Women in Refrigerators", in reference to one of the most prominent such cases, from Green Lantern #54, in which the new Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, comes home to find his girlfriend murdered and stuffed in the fridge by homicidal maniac Major Force. This was seen as a quick-fix way to add depth to the character who was already unpopular with fans just two issues after his introduction.

This particular case stood out for its sheer brutality, but it was by no means the first case. The credit for that goes to the now celebrated death of Gwen Stacy, Spiderman's girlfriend in Amazing Spider-Man #121.

In the now-classic sequence, Stacy is pushed off the Brooklyn Bridge by the Green Goblin (a similar scene was shown in the movie). She is caught by Spiderman, but when he pulls her up, she is already dead. This scene has been dissected for years by comic-book fans everywhere.

There have been many other notable cases. Green Lanterns are among the worst sufferers - Hal Jordan's girlfriend Carol Ferris was turned into his arch-enemy Star Sapphire and John Stewart's wife Katma Tui, herself an accomplished Lantern and a character with plenty of potential, was killed by Star Sapphire. Kyle was at the receiving end again - two more of his girlfriends have died and though the death of Donna Troy doesn't really fall into this category (her relationship with him is almost completely forgotten), the recent death of Jade was the trigger that transformed him into the godlike Ion. Clearly in the refrigerator.

Over at Marvel, Bruce Banner's wife, Betty died of radiation poisoning from being too close to him - leading to huge amounts of guilt for the already angst-ridden Hulk. Daredevil has lost two girlfriends to this syndrome - Karen Page and Elektra. The first was even turned into a junkie and used in a porn film before being killed, compounding the misery. I will be running a regular column focusing on each of these cases.

DC's big event of 2004, Identity Crisis, brought the website back into the limelight, because its main plot was the murder and retroactive rape of Sue Dibny, wife of the Elongated Man. Once again it seems that big suggest sugest hard times for comicbook women.

Some people have contended that this is an exaggeration - the deaths of Jason Todd, Bucky and Uncle Ben being examples of notable deaths of male characters. The difference here is, however, that in all these cases, the characters who were affected by these deaths were all male. Also the sheer number of women who die pointlessly is much, much higher than the number of men.

My own take on the matter is that while the Girlfriend-in-Refrigerator Syndrome may or may not be a case of misogyny in the industry, it is certainly indicative of another serious problem - unimaginative writing.

Uh-oh #1

2005-10-15T03:16:00.000-05:00

There are no words to describe the wrongness here.

India Alert #2

2005-10-08T03:12:00.000-05:00

I have already mentioned the utterly fantastic Fables, written by Bill Willingham. Well, last month saw the release of Fables #39, an issue that took a break from the ongoing story arc to introduce a character we are all familiar with - Mowgli.

And why does this have me so excited? Well, its yet another appearance of an Indian character in mainstream comics, and Willingham has absolutely nailed it. Brilliant, I say, brilliant. Not only has he remained absolutely true to Kipling's Mowgli, he has added some of his own spins to it which are absolutely consistent with the character's background, and yet add much to him.

And not to mention - Lan Medina has drawn Mowgli REALLY HOT. And not superhero beefcake hot, but regular everyday guy who happens to be incredibly handsome hot. He also manages to totally outshine the clean-cut pretty Prince Charming and the rugged Bigby Wolf.

Of course - all Indian men look like that. Yeah right.

Willingham also proved how much research he has done with this bit of dialogue from the opening page.

Trusty John is waiting for Mowgli at JFK Airport. He holds a sign which says "Vipinbehari"
Mowgli: Trusty John, how pleasant to see you again. Wrong name, though. I'm going by Jagatbehari now.

For the linguistically challenged, let me point out that "Vipinbehari" means "Jungle Wanderer", and "Jagatbehari" means "World Traveller". A perfect name, given Mowgli's history.

Shortly after Mowgli arrives, he goes off to meet Bagheera. However, Bagheera is now in jail, having taken part in an ill-conceived revolution led by the Three Pigs against human fables.

Again, a little exposition - "Mowgli" means "Little Frog".

Then there is a piece of dialogue that directly references Kipling.

FINALLY! A writer who actually reads the source material.

Upon being asked why he chose jail over working off his sentence through community service, Bagheera replies - "I refuse to labor in the fields like some common draft animal", which is exactly what I'd expect him to say.

The last page spread also suggests that Willingham has big plans for Mowgli in the future. He's given a very important task to handle. Also, with the ongoing arc, in which non-European fables land up and racial tensions are stirred, I can see Mowgli playing a very important role as mediator.

Also this last page shows just what a wimp Prince Charming looks like next to our own Desi Baba.

I've said it before and I say it again - Willingham rocks (in spite of Batman #644)

World's biggest fanboy #1

2005-10-04T06:48:00.000-05:00

Nicholas Cage is a serious fanboy.

I learnt yesterday that he named his newborn son Kal-El.

For those who crashlanded into an Amish farm as a baby, this is the original Kal-El. Seem familiar?

But this is not surprising for Cage. Everyone knows by now that he was born Nicolas Coppola, but chose to change his name to hide his association with his famous uncle, Francis Ford Coppola - wanting to make it in Hollywood on his own steam.

What many do not know is that Nicolas chose the surname Cage, after B-list Marvel hero Luke Cage, a.k.a. Power Man.

Luke Cage was the first black superhero to have his own comic, and to also not have the word "Black" in his superhero name. He was introduced during a period when there was a boom in literature about the exploitation of blacks in America, in an attempt to jump that bandwagon.

Born Carl Lucas, he was a thug who was experimented upon in prison, and got unbreakable skin and superhuman strength as a result. He escaped from jail and took on the name Cage, as a memory of his torture in prison by racist guards. Unlike other superheroes, he demanded a fee for his services and started Heroes for Hire. Later he had a long-running partnership with Iron Fist under his new codename Power Man. He was later made a member of the cast in Alias and The Pulse, together with long-time girlfriend Jessica Jones - both fantastic books.

Interestingly, Luke Cage has recently returned to the spotlight, having been made a member of the Avengers last year.

Here's wishing his namesake a similar streak of good luck.

How to be a succesful comic writer #1

2005-09-29T02:26:00.000-05:00

Step 1: Get out those razors and polish off that pate. Excess hair on the head clearly inhibits creative thinking, graphically speaking.

Young Turks Grant Morrison, Brian Azzarello, Brian Michael Bendis and Brian K. Vaughan illustrate.

So is smooth and shiny the only way to go? Not all the writers we asked felt that way. Alan Moore, that granddaddy of graphic novels reacted with utmost horror at the suggestion.

"What! Lose my hair. Only Scotsmen and people named Brian would consider something like that", said the great man, as he lovingly stroked his luxuriant chin curtain.

But the last word on this hairy issue was had by enfant terrible Warren Ellis. Suggestions that he lose the facial foliage were met with the following:

"Between Alan and myself, we have enough active follicles to more than compensate for those eggheads", he commented. I think that pushes the average scalp hair for a comic writer back to normal.

(Dedicated to that other creative genius who sacrificed follicles for phraseology - JAP)

Priceless #1

2005-09-22T03:17:00.000-05:00

This is a scene from Marvel's Young Avengers #6 - one of the best books around these days. Widely expected to be just another sad Avengers knock-off, this team of kids have ended up being far more interesting than their adult counterparts.

Before I post the scene that had me rolling on the floor, here's a little background information you'll need. These kids are the team members - Eli, Billy, Teddy, Kate and Cassie who were each a copy of a different Avenger. Their old codenames were Patriot, Asgardian, Hulkling, Hawkingbird and Ant-Girl, which were, respectively, equivalents of Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Ant-Man.

Now after their first adventure, they decide to stick together as a team, but with new codenames. Here is a snippet from their discussion on new codenames.

HAHAHAHA!

OK, did you not get it?

Ahh, I forgot to mention one crucial fact - Billy and Teddy are a gay couple. Now go read it again.

So where were we. Ahh, yes - HAHAHAHAHA! Priceless!

Book Plug #1

2005-09-20T03:14:00.000-05:00

(yet another rehash)

Step aside Helen Fielding, Candace Bushnell, and all you other pretenders. The real queen of chicklit is the eminently capable Gail Simone, who is currently the brains behind DC's delightful 'Birds of Prey' series. Bringing a woman's touch to a very male industry, Simone has managed to pull off a successful superhero comic with an all-female cast. What stands out is not the action (which is good), or the cheesecake art (Drool!), but the elements of girl-bonding that the characters regularly indulge in, in between wiping the floor with a long list of (mostly male) supervillains. Putu thinks it should be renamed Sex (plenty of that), Violence and the (Gotham) City.

Here's a heads-up to the cast of this fantastic book.

Oracle: Barbara Gordon. Redhead. Glasses. Brainy as hell, but confined to a wheelchair. Used to be Batgirl, but was shot by a homicidal maniac which ended her career. Always the strong one, she conducts all operations and is the ultimate information source. The only man in her life was her adoptive father, James Gordon, until she recently started a relationship with the younger Nightwing, who she's known for over a decade. But Nightwing's recent guilt issues have made her push him away.

Black Canary: Dinah Lance. Bleached Blonde. Black leather and fishnets. The most mature of the lot, and by far the best fighter. Is a trained ninja but too ethical to kill. Was down on her luck until Oracle asked her to join the team. Daughter of the original Black Canary, and is very much like her mother, except for the fact that her mother had a long and happy marriage - something that Dinah tries hard to live down. Dinah was married young and divorced within a year. She then had a long relationship with the much older millionaire playboy, Green Arrow, but it never lasts, mainly because he insists on protecting her, and she rightly thinks that she can take care of herself.

Huntress: Helena Bertilleni. Brunette. Badass. Slut. Daughter of a crime boss, who was gunned down in front of her eyes. This turned her into a vengeful woman with serious attitude, leading to many showdowns with the biggest gun of all - Batman. Is also a trained fighter, but far more ruthless. Will sleep with just about anybody. Her conquests include Nightwing and Arsenal, who is a very close to Canary, thus making it difficult for them to accept her at first. However, her dependability and belief in justice have made the three of them best of friends.

Lady Blackhawk: Newest member of the team. Pilot. Feminist. War Hero. Was the only woman in a special team of agents assembled to fight the Nazis in a more unequal age. Surpisingly has managed to fit in well with a bunch of much younger girls, and can hold her own against any of them, but prefers to sit back and let them do the fighting.

And the Supporting Cast

Batgirl: Cassandra Cain. Daughter of a trained assassin. Knew only the language of violence until Barbara helped her out. Speaks very little or not at all. Is usually with Batman, but is always on call.

Nightwing: Dick Grayson. Mr. Right. Batman's protege. Moved out of Gotham to make it on his own in Bludhaven. Had a relationship with old friend Oracle, but has recently been under stress thanks to his guilt after a one-night stand with Huntress, and attraction to Tarantula.

Catwoman: THE most dangerous woman in Gotham. Does her own thing always. Occasionally helps out, but has been known to indulge in not-entirely-legal activities. Her special relationship with Batman makes her off-limits.

Wildcat: Everybody's favourite uncle. Taught canary a thing or two. Always on call.

Blue Beetle: Ted Kord. Millionaire. Nice guy. Has a huge crush on Oracle, but has never told her, though everyone knows. Oracle isn't averse to flirting with him, though.

Batman: The big daddy. Runs the show. Superhero, but complete jerk. Thinks Canary isn't good enough, and Huntress is a cheap slut. Tells them that often. They tolerate him because he is THE BATMAN.

Pick this one up NOW, if you haven't - especially the ladies. I realise the cheesecake art could fool you into thinking its for fanboys, but the stories have a solid feminine touch, which makes it stand out. And Gail Simone is definitely one of the best writers around.

Alternate Sexuality Watch #1

2005-08-26T03:16:00.000-05:00

Arnab pointed me towards the following exhibition, which explores the idea of a gay Batman and Robin. DC comics were not amused and have proceeded to put legal pressure on the dealers to stop the exhibition. You can read the article here.

The question that now arises is - how far off are these guys from the truth? Doesn't Batman's preference for little boys in hotpants seem more than just a little odd? Also consider how he's blown of every woman who's tried to enter his life. Its also a fact that when the Comics Code was established with its strong stand against deviant sexuality, Robin was gently moved out of Batman comics. What exactly were DC worried about?

Well, people started getting hints when Batman started giving the innocent little tyke instructions that seemed more than just a little strange.

Very obedient little kid that. Maybe thats why Batman picks them young - easier to mould.

But come on, that could have meant many things. How do we know that Batman's intentions were anything but honourable?

Well, how about this?

Sputter! Good question, Batman. WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU DO TO THAT LITTLE BOY? Was it similar to what these other fine gentlemen did to the ones they're thinking of?

Not at all - Batman loved Robin like a father. And there's no evidence at all that he was gay. So this is complete speculation.

Well as for the gayness bit, Batman did give hints sometimes. Like this for example.

The RAINBOW Batman! If that isn't a gay pride thing, I don't know what is. And that outfit looks distinctly more pink than red.

Hmm, so he has lousy fashion sense. Doesn't make him gay.

Perhaps not, but we weren't the only ones who thought so.

Just way too much innuendo here. The women of Gotham have surrounded Batman and are trying to force him into holy matrimony. Notice Batman's expression of horror at the thought. Robin seems quite pleased, though. Perhaps he decided to 'expose' Batman once and for all. Even Batgirl gets in on the action - he loves Robin more than he loves me? This is wrong at many levels.

Oh please - Batman was a renowned misogynist. He didn't believe in the institution of marriage. Why does that imply he's gay?

You want implications - do you wonder what was going through Superman's mind here?

Bruce - is there something I need to know?

Umm, just a little harmless fun. Batman would never do anything to any of those boys.

No, but sometimes the boys can get overzealous.

He can't hold himself back any longer.

What nonsense! He's saving Batman from... I don't know... some projectile. That's all!

But lets hear the testimony of Robin himself.

Doing his best now, is he? Maybe he doesn't have to try too hard.

He meant something else!

Oh really, then what about all the other boys?

You've opened your mouth once too often, Robin. All right, lets get the other little swimmers in. And put some clothes on, you lot.

The prosecution rests, your honour.

Thesaurus #1

2005-08-23T03:13:00.000-05:00

Mun·dy (mŭn-dē)
noun
1. A person belonging to the Mundane world, i.e. one who is not a Fable.

adjective
1. Relating to the Mundane (non-Fable) world.

In the world of Fables, Vertigo's exceptional ongoing series, written by Bill Willingham, all the fable characters you read of as a child do exist among us. Driven out of their homelands by a character known only as the Adversary, the surviving Fables moved to the new world, and set up two settlements - one in the fledgeling city of New Amsterdam, where the human-looking Fables stayed, and one a few miles away in a rural area, where the non-human Fables reside.

Centuries pass and New Amsterdam becomes New York City, but the immortal Fables are still with us. In a city teeming with Mundies (see above), their self-governing community manages to keep their existence secret from the Mundane world.

This series tells their stories. All the characters are from established fables, but they may not be exactly the way you remember them in the story. Favourites like Snow White and Prince Charming are here, as are Mowgli, Ichabod Crane, Robin Hood and a host of others. Read it NOW!

Cool Link #1

2005-08-20T03:13:00.000-05:00

The people at UXN have created an updated Mutant Relationship Map as part of their birthday celebrations. Clearly a lot of work has gone into this, and I, for one, think they deserve a round of applause for this.

Before you look at the map, here's a pop quiz. Answer without looking, and then see how many you got right.

a) Who is the only woman Wolverine married?
b) Cyclops and Magneto have both dated this person. Who is she?
c) Who's the hottest mutant? 10 different people have been interested in this one.
d) How many women has the mild mannered Professor X had serious relationships with?
e) Who was Mystique's only true love?
f) Why does Iceman hate Havok so much?
g) She dated two brothers and one of their sons! Who is this harlot?

Now lets see how you did. Select the text below to see the answers.

a) Nope - not Mariko or Rose. Both died before the deed could be done. It was the villainous Viper. But he was blackmailed into it, so it doesn't really count.
b) The winsome Lee Forrester comforted both men during really bad times in their lives.
c) The silver-haired Kenyan goddess, naturally. Storm it is.
d) No less than four - a nurse, a diplomat, a scientist and an empress! . Not bad for a man stuck in a wheelchair.
e) In spite of fathering children with Sabretooth and Azazel, Mystique's heart beat only for another woman - Destiny.
f) Well, you would too if he stole not one, but two of your girlfriends (Lorna and Annie).
g) That would be Madelyne Pryor, the clone of Jean Grey. She married Cyclops (and gave birth to Cable), but also had a fling with his brother Havok, and later had a thing with Nate, his son from an alternate reality.

There's a larger version of this map on their site, which allows you to zoom, search for specific mutants and do all kinds of other cool things. Take a look at the rest of the site too. They have impressive databases on all characters and issues as well as articles, a custom figure gallery and previews.

STOP THE PRESSES: Shadowcat and SPIDERMAN! I definitely did not see THAT coming. And yet, it makes perfect sense to anyone who's been following the goings-on in the Ultimate Universe. Bendis, you're a genius.

What was that again? #2

2005-08-17T03:12:00.001-05:00

From Supergirl #1, by Joseph Loeb

Stargirl to Supergirl: "I like how you went with the bare midriff. Keeps the other guy’s eyes off your fists."

Ummm... yeah, thats EXACTLY the reason. Eyes on the fists people. No, I said FISTS, FISTS!

The many faces of... #1

2005-08-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

Sushir Rahaman has the following request - "In the Justice League serial in Cartoon Network they showed the Green Lantern to be a negro and here he has blond hair - I am confused...could you explain?"

Since Sushir forms 20% of my blogs readership, it becomes my bounden duty to respond. Also gives me a chance to kick off yet another section - one that covers characters whose identity has been donned by different people over the ages. I planned to start with Supergirl, but since Arnab has pointed out the excess T&A here, I shall leave that for a later date and instead begin with Green Lantern.

The various Green Lanterns have occupied a very important place in the DC Universe. They are the ultimate team players - each has been a member of the Justice League/Society in their time. More importantly, each Green Lantern is a member of an intergalactic space corps known as the Green Lantern corps, headquartered on Oa, and managed by a race of immortal guardians. The guardians pick out the most suitable (usually the most fearless) candidate from each sector of space and give them a green ring of power which draws from the central power battery on Oa. This candidate patrols his/her/its sector, keeping the peace by any means possible (with a few riders of course). I shall only focus on the Green Lanterns of Earth (in sector 2814) who served for a considerable span of time.

I: Waverly Sayre
First Appearance: Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #2
Profession: Hermit
Initiation: Waverly Sayre was an Earth-based Green Lanter in the late 1700's. He was given the ring by his predecessor, Laham of Scylla, who fell in the line of duty. Very little else is known about Sayre.

II: Alan Scott
First Appearance: All-American Comics #16
Profession: Engineer
Initiation: Alan Scott is unique among the Green Lanterns of Earth in that he was not recruited by the guardians, and so is not technically a member of the corps. Quite by accident, he stumbled across a mytical element of green flame called the Starheart that was connected to a former Green Lantern of the sector. Alan fashioned a ring out of it and took on the mantle of Green Lantern.
Membership: Alan was a founding member of the Justice Society of America.
Personal Life: Alan's first wife was Rose Canton, a schizophrenic with the evil alter ego of Thorn. They had two children - Todd and Jennie-Lynn. Rose put up the children for adoption without Alan's knowledge after their marriage collapsed, and they grew up without knowing their father. Later Alan married former villain, Harlequin.
Notable Friendships: Like all the Green Lanterns, Alan formed a close friendship with the Flash of his age, Jay Garrick. Jay even helped Alan recover from severe depression.
Other Identities: For a brief while, the Starheart merged with Alan's body. During this time he went by the name Sentinel.
Breaks: Alan retired from his career as a superhero after the JSA was investigated by the HUAC for Communist sympathies. During this time he ran a broadcasting corporation and re-united with his children, now sporting the identities of Obsidian and Jade, respectively. When the Society was re-formed, Alan came back to active duty.
Current Status: Active
Trivia: Alan's ring is powerless against wood.

III: Daniel Young
First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 2 #149
Initiation: While he was wounded, the current Green Lantern of sector 2814, Abin Sur handed his ring to Daniel temporarily.
Trivia: Daniel was a Green Lantern for less than 24 hours.

IV: Hal Jordan
First Appearance: Showcase #22
Profession: Test Pilot
Initiation: The most famous Green Lantern of all, Hal Jordan was testing an aircraft when he was summoned by Abin Sur. Sur's craft had crashed and realising he was near death, he passed on the mantle of Green Lantern of the sector to Hal.
Membership: Hal was a founding member of the Justice League of America as well as being the most successful member of the corps.
Personal Life: The archetypal playboy, Hal Jordan was always a ladies' man. When he received his ring, he was already dating Carol Ferris, his boss' daughter. This relationship continued for a while until Ferris was turned into Star Sapphire by the Zamarons, who had an ancient grudge against the guardians. Though she later recovered, their relationship was never the same. Fellow Green Lantern, a teenager from Graxos had a long-standing crush on Hal, but he thought a relationship would be inappropriate given the age difference between them.
Notable Friendships: Hal was a close friend of the Flash, Barry Allen, a co-founder of the JLA. The interactions between him and the stable and introverted Barry were the basis for many stories. Hal's best friend was Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, with whom he undertook a trip across America to see how the ordinary people lived. On the other hand, Hal has never seen eye to eye with the Batman, and they share a mutual dislike.
Breaks: When his home town, Coast City, was destroyed and all its residents murdered, Hal went mad with grief. He used his ring to recreate the city as he remembered it but was stopped from doing so by the guardians who were strongly using the ring for personal gain. Hal went on a vendetta against the guardians defeating the rest of the corps single-handedly and killing two of them, before finally leeching the entire power battery into his ring.
Other Identities: With all the power of the guardians at his disposal, Hal became the villain Parallax who tried to recreate the universe and timeline in a misguided attempt at setting everything right. He was defeated by the combined strength of the JLA, reformed somewhat and finally gave up his life to reignite the sun when it was extinguished by the Sun-eater, thus saving humanity. His soul merged with that of the Spectre, the embodiment of God's vengeance and remained an aloof judge of humanity's actions. Recently his spirit was separated from the Spectre and he fought off his inner demons with the help of fellow Green Lanterns to return to life as the hero he once was.
Current Status: Active
Trivia: Hal's ring was powerless against the colour yellow.

V: Guy Gardner
First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 2 #59
Profession: Social Worker
Initiation: When Abin Sur crashed on Earth, Guy Gardner was one of two candidates his ring selected as his successor. Guy was further away than Hal at that time, so lost out. He was, however, made the substitute Green Lantern and took over Hal's duties on Earth whenever he was away.
Membership: Guy was a member of the Justice League International, and for a brief while formed the Super-Buddies with his former JLI teammates. He is currently helping Kyle Rayner restart the Green Lantern corps.
Personal Life: Brash, macho and boorish, Guy was never very popular with his teammates who merely tolerated him. However, he fell in love with teammate, the shy Norweigian Tora Olafsdotter (Ice), and this changed him. Her death came as a huge blow to him.
Notable Friendships: Guy had very few friends, apart from Ice. His teammates at the JLI used to tire of his overt machismo. His relationship with Beatriz DaCosta (Fire), also the best friend of Ice, was particularly strained.
Other Identities: At one point, Guy lost his ring to the main power battery. However, he found a yellow ring formerly owned by Sinestro and used it for a while. Later he took on the identity of Warrior and became a freelance adventurer. Recently, he joined the remaining Green Lanterns of Earth and took on the title again.
Current Status: Inactive
Trivia: Guy is part Vuldarian. This allows him to reshape his body into weapons.

VI: John Stewart
First Appearance: Green Lanter Vol. 2 #87
Profession: Architect
Initiation: When Guy Gardner was injured, the Guardians chose John to fill in as substitute Green Lantern.
Membership: John has been an on-and-off member of the JLA.
Personal Life: During his tenure as Green Lantern, John fell in love with and married Katma Tui, Green Lantern of Korugar.
Breaks: During a particularly bad period in his life, John was struck by three tragedies. He was unable to prevent the destruction of an entire planet placed under his stewardship, Katma Tui was murdered by a Star Sapphire and he himself was injured in the line of duty, becoming paraplegic.
Notable Friendships: John was a reserved loner. He only formed close bonds with other Green Lanterns.
Other Identities: John never had any alternate identity.
Current Status: After being healed, John was asked by Kyle Rayner to step in again as Green Lantern, as Kyle needed a break. He is currently a member of the JLA.
Trivia: John is the Green Lantern who appears in the cartoon series.

VII: Kyle Rayner
First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 3 #48
Profession: Cartoonist
Initiation: Kyle Rayner was just a random guy, until one day he received a Green Lantern ring by a stroke of fate. After Hal Jordan went renegade, the Guardians decided to channel all their power into one ring. This ring was given by the last Guardian, Ganthet to the first person he met, who happened to be Kyle.
Membership: Kyle has been a longstanding member og the JLA. He was briefly a member of the Teen Titans.
Personal Life: Hal's life has been incredibly tragic. Shortly after gaining the ring, his girlfriend was brutally slaughtered by Major Force. He only continued at the insistence of Alan Scott. Later as a member of the Titans, Kyle briefly dated Donna Troy, until she died shortly thereafter. He had a long relationship with Jade, the daughter of Alan Scott and they were nearly married. However, Jade broke up with him after she cheated on him while he went on a self-imposed exile.
Notable Friendships: Kyle took a long time to be accepted by other superheroes, as they were aware of the circumstances under which he received his ring. However, he and the Flash, Wally West, have a good-natured rivalry going.
Breaks: After the brutal beating of a close friend, Kyle went on an exploration of space. During this time, he handed over the reins to John Stewart. After he returned and found Jade seeing someone else, he allowed John to continue as Green Lantern. Recently he became frustrated with his responsibilities on Earth and is working to restart the Green Lantern Corps.
Other Identities: With a ring of unlimited power and responsible for the entire universe, Kyle became the godlike Ion. However, he was unable to sleep with the huge burden of responsibility and leeched off his power to form a new battery. Then, he worked with Ganthet and is helping bring up a new generation of Guardians who will oversee a new corps.
Current Status: Inactive
Trivia: Kyle has the power to create new rings from his own.

VIII: Jennie-Lynn Hayden
First Appearance: All-Star Squadron #25
Profession: Model
Initiation: Jennie was given a ring by her fiancee, Kyle Rayner. She stood in for him on occasion when he was out in space.
Membership: Jennie was a member of Infinity Inc. with her brother.
Personal Life: Jennie is the daughter of Green Lantern Alan Scott, and used to date Kyle Rayner. She is now single.
Notable Friendships: Jennie is good friends with teammates Starfire, Thunder and Grace.
Currently she is a member of the Outsiders.
Trivia: Jennie no longer needs a ring as the powers of the Starheart have been passed down to her congenitally by her father.

So currently, John is the Green Lantern serving with the JLA, Hal is back and the main Green Lantern of Earth, Kyle is out in space restarting the corps, with the help of Guy, and Jennie is a member of the Outsiders. Other Green Lanterns such as Kilowog, G'Nort and Arisia are also currently present on Earth, but have not been mentioned because they are not of Earthly origin.

Slice of Cheesecake #1

2005-08-15T03:12:00.000-05:00

(This is a rehash from an old post on another blog)

This is Power Girl. She used to be Supergirl, but then someone else took that mantle. Annoyed, she changed her costume and tore a hole in it just so her cleavage became visible. How this helped is as yet unclear.

When Wally Wood initially wrote her character, he drew her chest slightly larger in each story. At some point, they caught on, but by then she was already a 44D. Nobody bothered reducing it thereafter.

Currently she is a member of the JSA and nobody is entirely clear as to where she came from, especially now that there is ANOTHER Supegirl.She is aggressive and an avowed feminist. I guess having people stare at your chest all day is reason enough to turn feminist.

She's also useful for distracting teenage whizkid inventors, as seen in Superman/Batman #4.

Also got into a catfight with Supergirl in Supergirl #1. Probably annoyed at Supergirl's new costume which rivals hers for distraction quotient.

Soundbytes #1

2005-08-11T01:18:00.000-05:00

John Byrne is a huge name in the comics fraternity. He has written Uncanny X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Wonder Woman and Superman, as well as doing fine work on smaller titles like Doom Patrol and She-Hulk. He created memorable storylines like the Dark Phoenix Saga; revamped Superman and the Invisible Girl, among others; created Alpha Flight; smoothed continuity with neat filler stories and even breached the fourth wall with She-Hulk.

But I come here to bury Byrne, not to praise him.

While he is a creative genius, Byrne has been known to shoot his mouth off on many occasions saying things that are not quite PC, and offend many people in the process. He has had a number of spats with colleagues, reportedly storming out of Marvel after another writer showed the She-hulk breaking razors while shaving her legs!

Recently, on his official site www.byrnerobotics.com, he dropped this clanger after discussing the casting for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, particularly the choice of Jessica Alba for the role of Sue Storm, a favourite character of his.

"Hispanic and Latino women with blond hair look like hookers to me, no matter how clean or "cute" they are."

Ouchhhh!

While I agree that casting the girl with the fantastic navel as comicdom's favourite mom was an ill-concieved move, I wouldn't go that far.

But then Byrne will be Byrne.

India Alert #1

2005-08-10T02:12:00.000-05:00

In Excalibur #5, Magneto is reading a bedtime story to Karima Shapandar, the reprogrammed Omega Sentinal (this is already ridiculous, since it has been established that Karima is a trained police officer, not some sulky child). Seeing as Karima is Indian, he decides to read from Kipling's Kim. The panel shows the following conversation.

Karima: That story is set in Lahore. It belongs to Pakistan now.

Magneto: A lot has changed since Kipling.

Oye Claremont, WHAT were you attempting with this little piece of writing? A belated attempt to show how much you know about other cultures? Yeah, right! This from a man who thinks SHAPANDAR is a common Indian surname. I mean please, the world and its brother are aware of the existence of Pakistan - where have you been all these years. You might as well have had the character say "Apartheid is dead in South Africa". "Really, you don't say!"

There are only two conclusions I can draw from this piece - one, that Magneto has been living under the same rock as Claremont and was genuinely surprised upon learning that Lahore was a part of Pakistan. This also begs the question as to how such a person can be a fan of Kipling.

The other is that Karima is just being plain petty - making it quite clear that Pakistan and India are different. This again is in direct contrast to her established character.

I think Marvel needs to give grandpa Claremont another shot of tranquilisers before he tries to get out of his hospital bed and dislocates his hip. Let it go grandpa, or you'll be known as the only man to have actively caused the downfall of the very title you helped popularise.

What was that again? #1

2005-08-08T00:49:00.000-05:00

From Green Lantern: Rebirth #6, by Geoff Johns

Hal Jordan's inner monologue -

"Gardner’s ring is like a leaky water faucet. Sparks always fly. Even when he’s just standing still. His will power can’t wait to get free."

Umm... yeah, whatever. But seriously, Geoff - if you're looking for an analogy to describe something thats just bursting with power, then a leaky faucet is hardly the best bet. Leaky faucets suggest inefficiency and waste, not simmering will power.

Oh, and aren't we just mixing metaphors a tad too much? Sparks flying from a faucet! Whatever will you think of next?

Goofy Silver Age Cover #1

2005-08-07T02:28:00.000-05:00

The female of the species, etc?

But, please - someone tell me what this is all about.

Moving Comic Moments #1

2005-08-06T04:01:00.000-05:00

In DC: The New Frontier, Darwyn Cooke makes a valiant attempt at creating a single world where the Golden Age and Silver Age characters coexist and, in fact, transition from one to the other. This six-part miniseries is set in USA of the 1950's, in the background of McCarthyism and the Ku Klux Klan.

The book shows the world through the eyes of well-known DC characters - from the Challengers of the Unknown to all the members of the Justice League. Cooke also puts his own spins on many of the characters - usually for the better.

But the most moving tale is the retelling of the story of John Henry Irons, known in the mainstream universe as Steel.

The black John Henry Irons is a blacksmith who lives in Mississippi and, as was common during that period, watched his house burned down by the KKK, killing his wife and children.

John Henry Irons put his steel driving skills to use and became an avenging hero, using his metal hammer to rain down wrath on the racists who had wiped out his family and countless others.

As his story is told, the famous American folk song John Henry: The Steel Drivin' Man is recited in the background.

John Henry was a steel drivin' man,
He died with a hammah in his han',
...

Buy me a nine pound hammah
An' I'll drive this steel drill down,
An' I'll drive this steel drill down.
Cap'n said to John Henry,
You've got a willin' mind.
But you just well lay yoh hammah down,
You'll nevah beat this drill of mine,
You'll nevah beat this drill of mine.
...

But things do not end happily ever after for this Man of Steel. Finally, the KKK track him down and beat him to within an inch of his life. The battered hero runs until he finds a shed where a little girl with baby blue eyes is sitting. Desperate, he takes off his mask and begs her to help him.

They took John Henry to the White House,
And buried him in the san',
And every locomotive come roarin' by,
Says there lays that steel drivin' man,
Says there lays that steel drivin' man.

Desperation, innocence lost, despair and the sense of impending death - all on one page. Beautiful - and heart-rending.

Gratuitous T&A Watch #1

2005-08-05T01:02:00.000-05:00

DC launched All Star Batman and Robin: The Boy Wonder with much fanfare. Not only did they sign Frank Miller to write it, they also promised a dramatic retelling of the story of how Batman gained his famous sidekick.

The story opens with a character not seen in comics for a long time - Vicki Vale, the sassy journalist who was Bruce Wayne's flame around the time he met young Dick Grayson. However, Frank Miller decided to add a new... dimension to Vicki's character. The comic opens with the following splash.

Umm... so apparently, high-profile journalists like to walk around their apartments in lacy lingerie and high heels while sipping a martini and dictating their articles. (Mental note - ask Motheater, eM, Mangs, et al). This is an interpretation of Vicki we haven't seen before - at least Frank's keeping his word on the dramatic retelling part.

Having treated us to a long shot, we now get a close-up of Vicki's cleavage.

followed by a shot of her sucking on her finger for no apparent reason,

finishing off, quite naturally, with a butt shot (yeah, I know you want to see this one).

Hmmm.

I hope nobody missed the innuendo in the text panels. I knew you were too busy gawking - go back and read them.

Now lets get something straight - Frank Miller is famous for this kind of blatant sex-and-violence approach to comic writing. All his men are remorseless killing machines, and all his women are hyper-sexualised pin-ups. However, while this formula was extremely successful in the dark, noir Sin City, it falls completely flat here. Sin City's Basin City was a decadent hellhole where every kind of perversion flourished and the characters beautifully exemplified the depths of its depravity. Batman's Gotham is crime-infested but not nearly as far beyond redemption. While his darker take on Batman himself is a good step, he spoils it all by throwing in the cheesecake - sex has NEVER been a driving force in Batman's life, and Miller should know that, having written the classic Dark Knight Returns and Batman:Year One. Also unlike the women of Sin City, Vicki is not a pole dancer or a two-bit whore - she is a rich, successful professional in a relationship with the city's richest and most eligible man. WHY was it necessary to write her as a sexpot?

The trail doesn't end there. After five pages of Vale in Victoria's Secret, we are treated to an extra-long sequence of her picking out a dress to wear to a date with Bruce Wayne, that is straight out of Betty and Veronica. In the end she chooses the dress that makes her look the most like a Vegas hooker, and heads for the circus. Then artist Jim Lee restores the gender balance by drawing a Robin who seems far too well-developed to be 12 years old (Nope - no pictures).

Towards the end of the book there is another de rigueur scene that harks back to Sin City - corrupt cop bitch-slaps the prostitute with the heart of gold. Take a look at this,

and now this.

Please note how he still hasn't given up on the innuendo.

I'm sorry Frank, but this book needs to be published with a large red 'R' posted across the cover. What happens in Sin City should stay in Sin City.

International Character Watch #1

2005-08-03T18:08:00.000-05:00

Country of the day - Afghanistan.

Afghanistan occupies an interesting place in the American mind. It was only after Rambo III that Americans learnt of this nation's existence. Even then, for a number of years, it was assumed to be your generic Middle Eastern country with camels and sand and still more sand. However after the events of September 11th, 2001, the country burst into the public consciousness. Suddenly everyone was offering expert commentary on this unfortunate state. Pop-culture gurus were not to be left behind. You had Afghan villains appearing in obscure Hollywood flicks, and reams of pulp fiction being churned out on the plight of the burqa-clad brigade.

It was only natural that comic books would follow suit. And so they did. Since 2002 Marvel Comics has introduced two Afghan characters into their pantheon. One is an established character, who was retroactively revealed to have been brought up in war-torn Kabul, while the other is an entirely new character. Interestingly, both are women - an oppressed minority in an inhuman patriarchal society. This made them ideal candidates for the X-books, which have always been written against a background of a prejudiced world that hates those it does not understand.

Character 1:

Name: Sooraya Qadir
Age: mid-teens
Code Name: Dust
Powers: Can convert her body into a cloud of abrasive dust.
Introduced: In December 2002, in New X-Men by Grant Morrison
Currently in: New X-Men: Academy X by Nunzio DeFillipis and Christina Weir
USP: Raised in a conservative Sunni Muslim family, she never appears in the open without her burqa and shows strict obedience towards figures of authority.

Background: She was found by Wolverine in a camp on the outskirts of Kabul, while he was on a mission to extend a helping hand to oppressed mutants in countries where the X-Corporation had no presence. She had manifested her mutant powers during an attempted rape and killed her would-be rapists by chafing the flesh off their bones. Wolverine brought her to the nearest branch of X-Corporation, in Mumbai, and she later joined the class of special students at the Xavier Academy, taking the code name of Turaab (later changed to Dust). She remained loyal to Xavier during Magneto's attack on New York, even though her classmates switched loyalties.

Current Status: After the school restarted, she joined regular classes and became one of the regular cast members of New Mutants (later New X-Men: Academy X), the book that focused on the students of the school. She is a member of the Hellions house, under the charge of Emma Frost. She has never questioned the orders of her team leader, often in spite of her own feelings. Her relationship with her roommate, Noriko, a brash low-rise jeans-wearing feminist from a rival house is one of the plot points of the current book. The differing ideologies of the two girls leads to frequent clashes and the authors have cleverly avoided taking sides in the argument.

Character 2:

Name: Tessa (last name unknown)
Age: early thirties
Code Name: Sage
Powers: Her mind is a living computer.
Introduced: In March 1987, in Classic X-Men by Chris Claremont
Revealed as Afghan: In 2004, in X-Treme X-Men by Chris Claremont
Currently in: Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont
USP: She was Xavier's first student, but he made her his spy in the Hellfire Club. Constant betrayals have hardened her to a point where she trusts no one.

Background: Tessa was introduced as the Black Rook of the Hellfire Club, right hand of the Black King and power behind the throne. Using her mental powers, she became the most trusted member of the club. However, she was not herself evil, and she did help the X-Men out on a number of occasions, though there was no mutual trust between them. Much later, after the dissolution of the Club, Tessa reappeared and was revealed to have been Xavier's mole inside the Hellfire Club. Apparently as a teenager, she saved his life in Kabul, killing a gang of bandits. He trained her, but did not consider her worthy to be an X-Man, relegating her instead to a demeaning and secretive life in the highly misogynist Hellfire Club. It seems she turned away from him due to this treatment, but her exact feelings are never known. She joined the team of the one X-Man she trusted, Storm, before they fell out with Xavier and went their own way.

Current Status: Sage's recent actions have been inexplicable to say the least. She left the team and rejoined her former mentor in an attempt to restart teh club, but caused a fight and ended up installing a new Black King, at the same time installing notable villains as members. She seems to have a grand plan, but nobody knows what it is, thus leading to frictions with her old teammates who are not sure if they can trust her.

So here we have two characters - one who was just shoehorned into a role and expected to fit it, and another who was built up from scratch. Its quite obvious who is more believable. Apart from Tessa's flashback scene 17 years after she was introduced, revealing her first meeting with Xavier, there has never been any indication of her Afghani heritage. Claremont just picked the only character whose past had not been revealed and retroactively cast her as Afghan. The fact that her mutation causes her skin to be deathly pale helped, as her ethnicity was hitherto unverifiable. But her retro-nationality was clearly just a gimmick because her only overriding characteristic is super-secretiveness. She could just as well have been Finnish, and it wouldn't have affected anything. Nor is this the first time Claremont has pulled such a rabbit out of a hat. Around the same time, he revealed Bishop to be aborigine, effectively taking the total number of African-American X-Men to zero.

On the other hand, Sooraya has been beautifully handled. She is not written as a mute victim, but as a girl whose actions are dictated by her strong religious beliefs. She chooses to wear the burqa out of choice, not compulsion (there is a beautiful scene with her mother where she explains her ideas of modesty). In another beautiful Morrison-esque touch, it is revealed that she is technically naked when she changes to dust form, so her power offers her all the freedom she needs. She is not a fundamentalist but quietly firm. This together with her inability to question authority are perfectly in synch with her purported background. This is how comic characters should be written.

Characters over the ages #1

2005-07-31T17:17:00.000-05:00

We kick off this blog, appropriately with Wonder Woman. I think WW is a fascinating sociological specimen. Here - in a skimpy, spangled nutshell - you have an idea of gender relations - particularly the strange and laughably contradictory views that men have of how their women should be.

A little history lesson first. Wonder Woman was introduced into the world gingerly in 1942. At that time, the big guns of comic books (Superman, Batman) were all male. The prevailing idea was that a female lead couldn't sell comics. To cover up for her unfortunate gender, the writers added a few ingredients - patriotism (star-spangled girl, also her debut was around the time of Pearl Harbour and she was married to a US airman); mythology (very bad rewriting of the Greek myths in her back story); and of course gratuitous T&A. To begin with WW had only female villains to fight. To expect a woman - even with those cool bracelets and lariat - to kick the asses of male supervillains was too far-fetched for the public to swallow.

Also WW was shoehorned into this odd relationship with the good Capt. Trevor. This is where the complex politics of man-woman relationships entered the picture. Note that Superman could marry mortal Lois and Batman could (briefly) woo the winsome Vicki, but when you have a strong (and they don't come stronger than her) woman in a relationship with a decidedly ordinary man, things tend to look bad for the guy in question. To save Steve from the severe embaressment of being regularly saved by his girlfriend, the authors played up his military history, his courage and fighting spirit IN SPITE of not having any superpowers. Finally Steve never realised that Diana and WW were the same person and often rushed in to save his damsel, believing her to be in distress. At times like these, WW was only too happy to simper "Oh Steve", and give our hero a long kiss.

Cut to the post-feminist era. Now superheroines are accepted with open arms (yeah right!). In the DC universe, decidedly sexual women - Black Canary, Zatanna (Why would anyone fight crime in fishnets?) and more recently Huntress - take the stage. With kickass attitudes, they can take down any villain - male or female - and are incredibly slutty to boot. Now the focus is back on our lady. She has the first-mover advantage. So she is already queen of the scene. Time to start taking WW seriously. So her godly powers are accentuated and she is made a UN ambassador (there has never been that much collective cleavage in any security council sitting). Now remains the problem of the insignificant other. Being a product of the 1940's, WW was strictly monogamous. So opportunity to position her as the pristine queen - to be admired and desired, but never attained. But what of Stevie boy? Well, take the easy way out. Steve (like all men with powerful girlfriends) has sudden ego hassles, walks out on her and marries the comic relief. So he is now a complete jerk (courageous World War heroism notwithstanding) and she's better off without him.

Now in this new avatar, WW is strictly kept out of any relationships. Subtle sexual tensions vis-a-vis Batman and Aquaman are being explored, but they are never overt (nor should they ever be). The new WW is a beacon for her entire gender. She is smart, bold, ethical, and responsible. A complete role model, a woman to be looked up to. She can kick ass on an Olympian scale and remain the heart of the JLA. In other words, someone to be taken VERY SERIOUSLY.

Oh, and she still wears a high-cut, backless, strapless swimsuit that masquerades as a costume.

Men, you see, will always be pigs.