The Pact #4

“Dig Now, Die Later!” - January 2006

In this issue of Image Comics’ Teen Titans analog, Invincible, Firebreather, Shadowhawk, and Noble Causes’ Zephyr team up to fight some lava men and Invincible also-ran villain Doctor Seismic. It’s a fun story, filled with the sort of (somewhat) melodrama free and (somewhat) more realistic character moments and interactions that mark most of writer Robert Kirkman’s work. In the Pact, for example, Kirkman is more than comfortable portraying some of his characters as openly freaked out by others, insecure and unsure of their roles in the super-heroic world (one character wonders if a mayor should be ordering them around), and acting in a pragmatic manner that may not be traditionally “super-heroic” (Invincible punches out an evil senior citizen even though the threat he poses isn’t very immediate). It’s a fun story enhanced by Jason Howard’s angular and cartoony art style. Still, the real draw here is the tongue-in-cheek supplemental materials that include campy, Silver Agey covers that have nothing to do with the story, short PSA strips about the dangers of smoking (You smoke… You die!) and the need to duck and cover when a hero fights a nuclear villain (or you’ll end up a glowing green skeleton like the kids in the last panel), an impossible crossword puzzle that includes clues like Invincible’s grandmother’s weight, a “which of these two pictures are the same” game with an answer key “for stupid kids,” and, best of all, a Pact Babies comic that features Invinci-baby soiling himself on panel.

Gen13 #69

“Failed Universe”

Cover Price: $2.50
Bargain Price: $0.25
Cover Date: November 2001

Now this, on the other hand, was more like it. Actually written by Adam Warren this time (although the thing last time was entirely my own fault), it’s a surprisingly strong story, featuring Grunge, Roxy, and the Authority’s Swift. It seems some inconsequential villains have taken advantage of Grunge’s affair with Swift to introduce a virus into the Carrier, the Authority’s massive multi-dimensional transport. Grunge is forced to use his elemental absorption powers to become one with the Carrier, leading to a fascinating reverse Flowers for Algernon story that sees the usually dense and self absorbed Grunge (and eventually Roxy as well), suddenly preternaturally aware of himself and of the terrible way he treats Roxy, his supposed girl friend. The duo have a deep and terribly insightful conversation about their love life as they interface with the carrier and each other, resulting in a reflection on fickle teenage love that is far beyond what one would expect from what is customarily a raunchy teen super-hero comedy. Warren adds another layer by employing nonlinear storytelling, told in part by Swift after the fact and using Swift’s own callow attitudes to compliment Grunge’s journey in the issue. Yanick Paquette pencils the issue with a style that is at once sexy and in keeping with Gen13’s usual status quo and sophisticated enough to carry the more mature story, much as he did for Morrison’s Bulleteer. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s a hell of an issue and a complete 180 from #58.

Gen13 #58

“Gotta Kill ‘Em All!”

Cover Price: $2.50
Bargain Price: $0.25
Cover Date: December 2000

When I was a teen, I loved Gen13. I mean, seriously, boobies. In the years since, however, I’ve pretty much dismissed the whole affair. I mean, seriously, boobies?
At least I had dismissed it until I started to hear tell that Adam Warren’s run on the book late in the series was worth checking out. A quick trip to the quarter bin later and I was the proud owner of a couple of issues of Gen13 for the first time in years (not counting, of course, Gail Simone’s recent revamp, which was really pretty good). I started with this issue, figuring an Adam Warren penned deadly Pokemon story might be something. Unfortunately for me, this was not one of the Adam Warren issues. I decided to give it a try anyway, but, ugh, it is pretty rough. The story does indeed feature deadly, deadly Pokemon and the Gen13 team, who are inexplicably working as a masked Manga style strike force in Japan. It’s all cluttered action and clumsy dialog and, honestly, I just couldn’t get through the whole thing. Seriously, even the early boob-filled J. Scott Campbell stuff was kind of fun, but this issue is just a mess. The sole bright spot is Ed Benes’ art, which fits pretty well with the established Gen13 aesthetic (again, boobies).

Astro City #1

“Welcome to Astro City”

Cover Price: $2.50
Bargain Price: $0.25
Cover Date: September 1996

Kurt Busiek’s Astro City is always a joy. For the uninitiated, each issue of the series tells the story of a regular person living in a world filled with super-hero analogs. This particular issue deals with a single dad and his two daughters moving to the eponymous city and their first experiences with a super-heroic disaster. It’s a pretty low key story and, at first blush, might seem unexceptional or, for your friendly neighborhood blogger, difficult to talk about, but the low key stuff really is the strength of Astro City as Busiek time and again mines the super-heroic world for little moments that, while profound, are dealt with in such a perfectly casual manner that his incredible insight into what it would be like to live in the Marvel or DCU can be momentarily missed. In this issue, it’s the quiet moment when the residents of our protagonist’s apartment building ascend to the roof, some with lawn chairs, to watch the apocalyptic battle taking place in the skies overhead. It’s real Lee/Kirby end of the world stuff, dangerous beyond human comprehension, but the people stand and watch, knowing that, should the worst happen, the brick and mortar of their home won’t protect them, but never truly fearing that such an end will occur. Of course the heroes will win, they always do and you may as well watch, even if, for many of the bystanders, it’s as common as the rain.