The Monday Fly: Want to hear something funny, kids?

THE HUMAN FLY

HE'S GOT A MILLION
OF 'EM, FOLKS.

Panel from The Human Fly #14
Bill Mantlo, writer; Frank Robbins, artist; Steve Leialoha, inker

Adventures in Sound — Part 1

From New Gods #2
(Originally published as The New Gods #4 - 1971)

Letterer: Unknown

Reviews: Wednesday Comics hits the tabloids

Don't you love it when some surprisingly good stuff turns up in your comics stack? Me too! Let's take a quick look at some titles that hit the stands this week.

Wednesday Comics #1: Of course, this is the title a lot of people are talking about this week. Printed on a mid-grade, non-glossy paper (think along the lines of a high-grade newsprint), this folded, tabloid anthology draws its inspiration from traditional Sunday comics. And for the most part, it works.

Looking at the cover, I was worried the art and color would be muddier than I'd hoped, but opening it up to the first feature (Batman, by writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso), my first thought was, "Beautiful." On the other hand, those big panels do make me concerned that full-page installments don't necessarily mean readers won't be getting a small overall panel count, and because of that less overall content. (The exception was Ben Caldwell's Wonder Woman, which was cramped and hard to read). And at $3.99 an issue, Wednesday Comics feels a bit more expensive than it should. Still, since the strips are in the spirit of the old-school Sunday funnies, I'm willing to shift gears and go along for the ride.

Favorite features: Paul Pope's Adam Strange, which struck just the right balance between zany adventure and high-concept Golden Age derring-do; and Karl Kerschl and Brenden Fletcher's Flash Comics (especially the clever romance-strip inspired secondary-feature, Iris West — loved it).

Booster Gold #22: This issue was much better than the previous one, which read like an over-extended piece of place-setting. Instead, this time we got a story from writer and artist Dan Jurgens that moves right along and continues to develop a mystery in the middle of all the action. I especially appreciated the way Booster was less mopey and characterized with more intelligence and initiative than before, and there's a brief, one-word exchange that is heartbreaking in the way it sums up the hero's desperate need for acceptance. Throw in some humor and a couple of decent fight scenes, and now I've got a comic I enjoyed and will be looking forward to picking up next month.

The Blue Beetle back-up story was, as usual, a ton of fun. It really feels as if writer Matthew Sturges has found his groove with Beetle, and the story flows naturally with characters that are familiar but not static. The art by Mike Norton is great — energetic and clean — and you can tell both he and Sturges are having fun (there's that word again). And am I the only who hears the Dalek's "Exterminate!" whenever a Unimate says, "Imperfect! Imperfect!" The Blue Beetle universe continues to expand, and it's a treat to watch it develop with every chapter.

Plus, even with all the punching, blasting and exploding going on, Brenda still manages to deliver the cruelest blow of all.

Green Lantern #43: OK, how freaking creepy is Black Hand?! Also, I was really happy to see Doug Mahnke as the regular artist on this title; his work is perfect for the dense, atmospheric tone of Geoff Johns' story, and his talent for expressive characters and detail-packed panels makes this a great-looking comic. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Johns is essentially writing a horror story, and if he can keep up the uneasy tension he achieves in this issue he'll be giving Green Lantern readers a weird, creepy comic tinged with cold menace. I was interested in this crossover before, but now I'm actually eager to see where Johns and Mahnke take it.

A recent acquisition

Of course, I blame Sims.

The Monday Fly: RRROWRRR!!

THE HUMAN FLY

DOES IT
FOR THE FANS.

Panel from The Human Fly #19
Bill Mantlo, writer; Lee Elias, artist; Ricardo Villamonte, inker

Hey, Ben Franklin!

The Independence Day festivities have already begun here at GCP HQ, but that doesn't mean we can't share a refreshing glass of Kool-Aid with our favorite Founding Father, does it?


Hot and thirsty ... for liberty!

WTF Wednesday: Speaking of Captain America ...

... and his anticipated rise from the dead, I was also half expecting this to happen:


Panel from Ruins #1
Warren Ellis, writer; Cliff Nielsen and Terese Nielsen, artists

The Pull List (7-1-09): The rise of Steve Rogers

Yes, I realize this is the latest step in some big marketing plan over at Marvel, and yes, I'm tired of the Big Two cynically killing off popular characters only with the plan to even more cynically bring them back to life eventually and, assumedly, with a bump in profits.

But.

But in the case of Captain America: Reborn #1 it all comes down to one simple thing: Ed Brubaker. Brubaker is a capital-W writer, and he's been laying the groundwork for this story — which should already be considered a milestone in the character's history — for years. YEARS. And, with very few bumpy issues here and there, it has been exceptionally solid. Wait, rewind, let's edit that: It's been exceptional. Period.

With Captain America, Brubaker brings his noir sensibility to what could easily be tossed off as just another superhero comic. But in a way he's brought Captain America back to its espionage roots, rounding up and tightening a supporting cast that spans decades and myriad storylines and making it mean something. It's a complex (but not complicated) plot, and no easy feat, but Brubaker makes it seem like a slice of warm pie.

How good has Brubaker's run been with Captain America? Good enough that the Captain America character has been "dead" for more than two years and the series is as strong as ever. I'm sure there has been plenty of direction from the Marvel editorial honchos, but I'm pretty confident that the story is Brubaker's. It makes a difference.

So yes, I'm looking forward to seeing the return of Steve Rogers, because I'm looking forward to seeing where the story itself goes next. Want to get a jump on it yourself? Here's a handy prelude!


What else is on the list

Agents of Atlas #7

Batman and Robin #2

Greek Street #1

Muppet Robin Hood #2

The Muppet Show #4


And maybe ...

Justice League: Cry for Justice #1

Star Wars: Invasion #1


Waiting for the trade

El Diablo: The Haunted Horseman (trade paperback)

Secret Six #11


Waiting for the library

Chew #2

Daredevil: Noir #4


Recommended

Tales Designed to Thrizzle Vol. 1 (hardcover)

The Monday Fly: 'I found myself once again in a hospital bed, from where I am writing this letter."

If you've been following along (and if you haven't, what's the matter with you?), you may remember some mention of the Human Fly's failed attempt to jump 26 buses in Montreal using a rocket-powered motorcycle, and you might have even caught the subtle hint that the Fly might have been considering a musical career.

But "subtle" was never the Human Fly's bag, so even though Marvel had helpfully announced his rock 'n' roll plans and dramatized the fallout from the bus jump, the Canadian stuntman thought the fans should hear it straight from the Fly himself. After all, he was the wildest superhero ever — "because he was real!"

It's an interesting bit of cross-promotion, further blurring the lines between the real-life Human Fly and his comic book counterpart. Marvel would do it again in a later issue when it turned the Fly's visit to the company offices into a two-page photo spread (complete with added word balloons and running commentary). First, though, came this letter, purportedly written by the daredevil after he found himself back in the hospital after the disastrous Montreal stunt.


Sorry about the scan quality; this comic's more than 30 years old, y'know! But click the image for a bigger version, and then tell me — does anyone else find the Fly's writing style oddly formal? Who knew he was such a man of letters?

Letter from The Human Fly #13

Oh ... hello.

You may have noticed, but things have been a little quiet around these parts. Let's chalk it up to a suddenly busy day job and a vague sense of exasperation, and wrap it up with some Perry White mind-bending:


I suspected as much!

Aaaanyway, things will be back on schedule from here on — thanks for hanging in there!

The Monday Fly: ... Only chance is a DIRECT ASSAULT!

THE HUMAN FLY

PITIES YOU, TOO, BEAR.

Panel from The Human Fly #7
Bill Mantlo, writer; Lee Elias, artist; Mike Esposito, inker

(That's right, it's a call-back, bitches!)

Friday Night Fights: Dimebag has a posse

If I had to suddenly get some men together to go round up those no-good Bolling boys, I think my first choice might be the members of Pantera — they seem to have the right attitude for the job.

Here we come, reach for your gun
And you better listen well my friend,

You see, its been slow down below,
Aimed at you, we're the cowboys from hell!

Deed is done, again we've won
Ain't talking no tall tales friend,

Cause high noon, your doom,
Comin' for you, we're the cowboys from hell!

Second choice: Willie Nelson and the Ghost of Johnny Cash.


Panels from "Luke Short's Bounty Guns"
Adapted from "Bounty Guns" by Luke Short; comic writer and artist uncredited

Lyrics from "Cowboys from Hell" by Pantera

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