Despite my best efforts

I know I’m a few weeks behind everyone else, but I finally got to see The Avengers.  Now, if you’ve read any of my other posts you may know that I constantly struggle with my dark, hipster side; I like discovering things before they’re cool, and if large amounts of people go on about how so-and-so is fabulous, I tend to be skeptical.  Yes, I know this is a flaw.  Yes, I know that’s kind of incongruous from a self-proclaimed geek – but maybe it won’t surprise you to learn that I’ve had trouble claiming that term in the past, as it’s become more popular.  Don’t worry, I’ve got all the passion required – but to paraphrase The Birdcage, when I love something I do an eclectic celebration of the dance! Fosse, Twyla, Michael Kidd, Madonna… but I keep it all inside. 

All this to say: even though I’ve considered myself a fan of the majority of his work, well, I’ve been known to roll my eyes at excessive displays of idolatry for Joss Whedon.  When people said The Avengers would absolutely be good because Whedon was at the helm, I thought of the plot holes in Serenity, or that one episode of Glee, and smirked.  Yes, the snark is strong with this one, and as I entered the theater I was prepared to come across something I disliked.

I was so, so wrong.  Damn it, Whedon’s writing was top-notch.  Was it the best writing in the world, ever?  Okay, probably not, especially when it comes to a few niggling plot points. Still, when it comes to writing dialogue that sounds natural and genuine – the one thing that really stands out to me when it’s wrong –  few do it better.  And he’s writing in several voices – each of which are very distinct, each of which have their own brand of humor, almost none of which sound “Whedonesque.”  In fact, I can only think of one line in the entire movie that pulled me out of the story enough to say “Whedon,” but it still fit the character.  Most who are even familiar with Whedon’s other work probably wouldn’t notice.

So, am I a reborn Whedon fangirl?  Well… maybe.  You probably won’t see me shouting it from the rooftops – I keep it all inside, after all – but let’s just say I’m now fantasizing about an anniversary-quality Doctor Who collaboration between Russell T Davies, Moffat and Whedon, incorporating the best aspects of all three.  A girl can dream.

Ray of light

The last ten years have seen quite a few comic adaptations, but The Avengers stands out to me, and here’s why: Think back to that first X-Men movie.  A well-loved property, to be sure, but it was felt that it needed to match the aesthetic of today.  Gone were the yellow and blue uniforms, and in was a lot of spandex and latex and rubber, all in black matte.  The look of the film attempted to match the somewhat darker themes that have always been present in the comic.

Then came the rebirth of the Batman franchise.  Again, campier elements were ditched and for the first time we really had a Batman for adults.  Instead of glossing over or implying darker subject matter, the Batman films really sunk their teeth into discussions of morality and fear and vengeance.  The result was that the movies were hugely popular and critically acclaimed.

Following suit, X-Men: First Class is a more adult take on the film franchise.  Now, other movies that tried to take a darker turn didn’t handle it as well; the third installments of both the X-Men and Spiderman franchises failed to live up to expectations.  The difference with First Class is that the writing isn’t just more adult, it’s better.  Funny how quality writing tends to reinvigorate the enthusiasm of fans, thus leading to better box office results.

Now, The Avengers: it’s quality writing, no doubt about that.  It’s mature writing.  But is it intended solely for an adult audience?  No, I’d say not.  This film is about as family-friendly as a superhero movie can get, I’d think.  And it has all the hallmarks of a big blockbuster: giant monsters, funny one-liners, crazy action scenes, big names.  It’s like Transformers, only, you know… good.  And the box office receipts reflect the difference quality makes when combined with all the usual blockbuster suspects.

Sending a message

So as I’m getting inundated with ads for Battleship – a movie that might well be good, but right now seems like just another summer offering churned out to oversaturate and then be forgotten – I’m hoping that this summer’s box office numbers will send a message.  That it’s more worth the while of movie-makers to spend time on something quality.   That “family-friendly” doesn’t have to mean “pandering,” and, indeed, doesn’t even have to be made with children in mind.  That we will pay, gladly, to see something of quality.  And then we’ll tell our friends.

Old lessons, yes, but apparently ones that need to be retaught every few years.  But I suppose I’m not one to talk – after all, I keep battling that dark hipster inside me every few months.

What about you?  How did you like The Avengers?  Are you on pins and needles for The Dark Knight Rises?  What are you most looking forward to seeing? 

As I’ve recounted elsewhere, The New 52 is really working for me. There are so many things I’m enjoying about it. I love the sharp, fresh writing on Aquaman. I love the redefinition of the Green and the Red in Swamp Thing and Animal Man. I love that there’s an openly gay new member of the Teen Titans…and that it’s not a big deal to anyone on the team. I even love that they brought back Pozhar, one of my favorite Cold War era characters in Firestorm, a comic that almost lost my interest.

What I’d really like to talk about, however, is the new Justice League title, which just concluded its first story arc. This book was the first book to be released, setting itself up as the flagship title of the relaunch. Some people love it, and some people hate it. I am firmly in the former camp.

Since the new League has seven characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Cyborg), I’ll offer up 7 reasons I’m loving it. I’ll warn you now, there are some spoilers ahead.

One: Darkseid

The original history of the Justice League involved them teaming up to fight an alien threat, the Appelaxians, who basically were never a threat to earth again (their appearance in JLA: Incarnations notwithstanding). This series ups the ante by having the alien threat be Darkseid and the Parademons of Apokolips. Darkseid is a fantastic villain, with lots of resonance in the DC Universe, and a serious threat that can show up again and again. Having him be the first major villain that the fledgling Justice League take on makes the series that much more intense and rooted in DC history.

Two: Big Splashy Pages

I’m a sucker for a well-timed splash-page…you know, where one or two pages are devoted to a single image. Well, Jim Lee offers some really great ones. We get an iconic first appearance of Superman in issue 1, a Wonder Woman’s double-page spread in issue 3 (sword in one hand, lasso in the other, and she’s kicking a Parademon in the throat…man, I love Diana!), to Darkseid vs. the whole League in both 4 and 6. But, hands down, my 2 favorite spreads are the Wonder Woman vs. Darkseid single-page in Issue 6 (she just did what to Darkseid’s what?!) and the two-page spread in issue 6 of Superman rallying against Darkseid. These images really make you feel this moment in the action where all attention focuses on a single event. Great stuff.

Three: They Really Aren’t Friends

From Green Lantern’s pig-headed insistence that he can handle everything on his own, to Superman’s casual arrogance, to Aquaman’s natural abrasiveness, to Cyborg and Flash’s reluctance to get involved, this team displays issues. They aren’t Super Friends…not yet. It’s great to see the characters so plainly set-up and the evolution into the world’s greatest super-heroes happening before your eyes. Superman feels isolated, Wonder Woman’s spoiling for a fight, Green Lantern feels overwhelmed by his responsibility to the Green Lantern Corps and wants to impress everyone. Aquaman is used to being obeyed. Cyborg is still trying to come to terms with the end of his old life and the beginning of the new. I’ll be curious to see how the team evolves as the story progresses.

Four: Batman

It’s been an ongoing theme in the Justice League comics of the last 30 years or so that Batman is basically amazing. From the “One punch!” days of JLI to Grant Morrison’s positioning of him as the most dangerous man on earth, Batman has remained a lynchpin of the team, despite the fact that he has no powers. His mind is his true weapon, and his essential understanding of human nature. Batman has a lot to live up to with so many high-profile powers around him, and a lot of the characters don’t initially respect him, since he’s “just some guy in a bat costume”. But it’s Batman who rallies Superman against Darkseid, Batman who helps Cyborg push past his self-imposed mental barriers, and Batman who gets Green Lantern to buck up and stop being a grandstanding jerk. As always, he shows his ability to roll with the top contenders of the DC Universe.

Five: Kirby’s Designs Reworked

I love a lot of the characters that Jack Kirby created for his New Gods stories. Having said that, I don’t love most of his costume designs for them. There’s been this tendency to leave them stagnant, appearing just as they always have, even though their costumes look, well…shall we say a bit dated and silly. Not so anymore. Desaad, Steppenwolf, Darkseid, and the Parademons all look fantastic! They actually look quite scary and creepy, which I found surprising and refreshing!

Six: Love for Aquaman

One of the things that’s been great about the New 52 comics in general is how they’re handling Aquaman. As I’m sure I’ve said elsewhere, I loved Aquaman unironically as a kid. I loved to swim, so being able to swim even better sounded awesome to me. I’ve seen various attempts to make Aquaman more hardcore (cutting off his hand, growing a beard, reintroducing him as a totally new character, etc.) But I think they finally realized how to do it – good writing. Aquaman basically shows up and takes command, shows off his skills with a trident (another delicious splash page), summons sharks to devour Parademons, and even makes Green Lantern back down. Good writing makes all the difference.

Seven: Back of the Comic Extras

I hope this continues past the end of the series. Issues 1-5 all have something special at the end of the book – concept art, a S.T.A.R. Labs personnel dossier, an excerpt from Steve Trevor’s debriefing following his visit to Paradise Island, and so on. Elements like this go a long ways to filling in the gaps as we try to get our heads around this new version of the DC Universe. I enjoy reading these a lot, so I do hope they keep going with this concept.

Your Turn

Have you been reading Justice League? Have I missed anything that really stands out about the book? Or maybe you don’t like this incarnation? Let us all know.

I can’t stress the how very valuable a Comic Book Guy can be, and I urge all casual or serious comics fans to utilise theirs to the fullest. The first issues of the New 52 can be a great introduction to the characters and a starting point to building a library of your own. And, since the reboot only happened this past September, most titles are only rolling out issue five around this time, which makes it relatively easy to catch up. Unless you have my luck, and all your locals will be sold out of Issue #2 of every title you’re looking for.

So. DCnU. Good idea. And, overall, great execution. There are some hits (Batgirl), some misses (The Fury of Firestorm), and some undecided (Hawkman). There are a couple titles I have fallen in love with, a couple titles I couldn’t stomach, and a couple big surprises. Aquaman has shocked most of the comic book world by being really, really good. Really good. The writing is sharp and self-referential without being glib. The reboot has also given artists a chance to expand from the usual muscles-and-spandex models of superhero art, which makes some of these titles not only entertaining but visually gorgeous. The gothic titles I, Vampire and Justice League Dark have more in common with Dark Horse or Vertigo blockbusters than Superman, and, my personal favourites Wonder Woman and Batwoman looks like the long-lost sister of Fables. The quirky details in the art of Catwoman also catch my eye every time I turned a page and discovered another perfect feline facial expression.

The influx of new comics into my collection has inspired me to become a little more organised. But as I’m arranging my slim and beautifully bagged-and-boarded Marvel monthlies, I’m starting to long for a Marvel reboot, just to make my filing a little easier. A geek girl can dream, huh?

I’ve been talking about the New 52 on my blog, and I’ll be reviewing some of the new titles more in depth in the coming weeks. In the meantime, what’s your take on the new batch? Which titles thrilled you, which ones have you coming back for more?

What’s that?  You’re not sure whether I’m talking about the movie or the TV series?  Because there are two Sherlock franchises producing new content at the same time and both are quite popular?  Inconceivable!  

There hasn’t been an original idea in film since… well… ever, but eyebrows have been raised even more in recent years with the idea of “reboots.”  Unlike a loosely-related next-generation “sequel,” reboots can continue to profit from well-loved characters, or demand a redo for a franchise that failed.  Unlike a “remake,” reboots can have an entirely new take on the source material – in fact, it’s preferred.

Realistically we’ve had reboots for years – how many versions of Little Women do you think are floating around out there? – but now we have a snappy name for them.  Also, they’re particularly suited for serial properties – comics, book series, even TV, where we’re dealing with a memorable protagonist, but the actual plot leaves tons of room for interpretation.  All this to say that Sherlock Holmes (who’s even more or less in public domain – bonus!) is tailor-made for reboot after remake after new interpretation.

It’s still notable, however, that both the movie and the TV series are enjoying success at the same time.  So let’s say I want to make my own reboot – what factors should I consider while choosing my own property to reanimate?  As it turns out, in my opinion, there’s really only two:

Choose the character, not the actor

Some characters – typically ones that originated on paper instead of film – are their own entity, and actors merely breathe different aspects to life.  Others, however, are nearly inseparable from the actor who made them famous.  Can you imagine a from-scratch reboot of Indiana Jones?  Even if it were done marvelously, it would have a harder time finding success as long as the majority of people remember him as Harrison Ford.  Consider the Mummy movies: in many ways they carry the spirit of the Indiana Jones films, and they’re popular in their own right, but if you’d handed Brendan Fraser a hat and a whip it probably would have been a flop.

On the contrary, a character like Batman has been played by many, many actors over the years.  And since the comics have been ongoing, an actor can choose to interpret the character in nearly any way, find something in the massive source material to back it up, and it’s bound to resonate with someone.

So the idea is to pick something that’s popular or enduring based on the strength of the characters or the plot.  Hmm… boiled down it seems I’m just suggesting we find good source material.

Make a superior product

The reason the Sherlock movies and series can co-exist peacefully is that neither is really a pale imitation of the other.  It helps that they aren’t retreading the same material – one is modern, the other period, the interpretations of the main character are different – but both feature a charismatic lead actor with relatively clever writing.  They can each stand alone.

Similarly, the first two X-Men movies were pretty popular (even with extreme liberties in beloved source material) but the last few were simply stale sequels.  X-Men: First Class ties in with the original movies, but it’s essentially a reboot, taking the franchise in a different direction, with a completely new cast.  And the movie was so well-written and well-acted that most fans are more than happy to follow the new path (I, for one, will not be upset if we never see Halle Berry as Storm again).

So really, it doesn’t matter how much time has passed since the last iteration – combine a beloved story or character with excellent writing and superior acting and you’ll have a success!  Who would’ve thought?

Save a sleuth

As for myself, if I could choose to see any reboot, I’d love to finally see a good Nancy Drew movie.  I grew up reading the Nancy Drew mysteries, written in the 30s – and the rewritten ones from the 60s, and the Nancy Drew Files from the 80s, and Nancy Drew on Campus from the 90s… clearly the character resonates no matter what the era or situation.  Everyone loves the smart strawberry blonde with the good car and the boyfriend who’s more accessory than savior.  And there’s more than 70 years of material to work from!

And yet, the poor girl has never had one good movie with her name on it.  The most recent film aged Nancy down to 16, which might have flown in the 1930s but made it impossible to take her seriously today.  And before you tell me they were gearing the movie for children, that’s about as keen a move as gearing Superman for kids.  The whole point of the Nancy Drew books was that they weren’t patronizing.

So I’d like to see a cool, calm and collected Nancy who uses her brains to get her out of situations without being cutesy.  Who’s self-assured and physically confident without requiring superpowers or gymnastic martial arts.  Is that so much to ask?

What about you?  What do you think makes a good reboot?  What are some of the best, or worst, and what property would you like to reboot?  

A sneak peek into Santa’s mailbag from the Marvel and DC Universes . . .

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good boy this year! Well, sort of, but nobody’s perfect, right? And that whole thing in Kosovo, we don’t really have to talk about that, right? I’m Canadian, you’re Canadian, I’m sure we can work something out. How’s the Missus? Total MILF, if you ask me. Which you didn’t, but I know you were about to. Anyway, all I want for Christmas this year is the Bea Arthur Memorial Special Extended Edition box set of The Golden Girls, with bonus Bea commentary track and a sealed jar of her last mortal breath.

Or a Real Doll.

That looks like Bea Arthur.

Love, Deadpool

Dear Santa,

I have been a very good boy this year – what with dying, and coming back to life, and saving the world a couple of times. I really think this year is the year for that Boy Scout knife I asked for. You know, when I was a kid. Like eighty years ago.

Love, Captain America

Dear Santa,

Really? Knows everything the mortals are doing? . . . Heimdall, is that you?

The Mighty Thor

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a very naughty boy – and you’ll never find me now! Eh heh heh heh heh!

Love, the Green Goblin

PS. Find enclosed my own little “Christmas” “present” – I’m sure you’ll find it a “blast”!

Dear Santa,

I don’t want anything for myself this year. I just want there to be peace on Earth, goodwill to all humankind, the end of all hunger and disease, and Toddlers and Tiaras to be cancelled once and for all. Also, I think Deadpool really wants some kind of Bea Arthur box set? Thanks, Big Guy.

Love, Cable

PS. Baby Jesus, if you’re reading this, sorry about stealing your shtick. U mad?

Dear Santa,

Yeah, me again. I don’t think I want to be a mercenary any more. I think I want to be a dentist.

Narf!

Deadpool

Dear Santa,

I don’t need anything from you, old man. I am the goddamned Batman.

Sincerely,

The Batman

Intercepted a few more letters? Share them in the comments!

I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for as a geek as this Thanksgiving season passes, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all.

A Fantastic Sequel

When Batman: Arkham Asylum came out a number of years ago, it was one of the best video games I’d ever played. I don’t normally play platform video games, but my husband put the controller in my hands, and I ended up being the first of us to play all the way through. It was such a bold reworking of the Batman image, and it was amazing to be able to control the free-flowing combat style. It was described by the Penny Arcade guys (and I’m paraphrasing here) as a beautiful ballet in which people get beaten up.

The big flaw of Arkham Asylum was that it was so contained. Batman is a hero for all of Gotham City, and it was tough to be cooped up in such a small area. When we heard that the next game would give Batman a much larger area to explore, I know I was excited, and likely many others felt the same.

Batman: Arkham City is everything one could want in a sequel to the wonderful original. The story, in a nutshell, is this. Dr. Hugo Strange, a classic villain of the Batman franchise, has gotten Gothan to wall off a large area and declare it Arkham City, using it as a dumping ground for all criminals they can lay their hands on, as well as their criminally insane. As turf wars break out between Gotham’s various crime-lords and crazies, Batman, in his identity of Bruce Wayne, speaks out against it and is thrown inside as are many of Strange’s political opponents. To make matters worse, it seems that Strange knows that Batman and Bruce are the same person.

The story is huge, but the game is even bigger. Even after you finish the main storyline, which brings in many members of Batman’s classic rogues’ gallery, there are still side missions to solve, Riddler trophies to correct, and a separate storyline featuring Catwoman! Frankly, I’ve rarely played a more enjoyable game.

A Wonderful Reboot

Some time ago, when it was announced that Disney was financing a new movie featuring the Muppets, I was cautiously optimistic. I love the Muppets, but, after Muppet Treasure Island, it seemed like the franchise had lost its way. The so-so Muppets from Space was followed by the abysmal Muppet Wizard of Oz. Could anything return the Muppets to glory?

As I heard little tidbits about the plot of the proposed movie, I was intrigued. As talent got attached, especially the brilliant Jason Segel (who also co-wrote the film) and Amy Adams, I got more excited. Then the ads began to appear. Little parody films that seemed to be about totally different projects, then turned around to reveal they were really Muppet movie clips. They were fun, but it was hard to get what the humor level of the movie would really be.

I came back from seeing the movie tonight. If you’re a Muppet fan, then you should be very thankful. This is classic wacked out Muppet insanity. The story is that Gary (Segel), his brother Walter (a new Muppet), and his girlfriend Mary (Adams) are headed to Los Angeles on vacation. Although Gary and Walter are huge Muppet fans, the Muppets have been split up for years. Our heroes discover that the Muppet Studios are about to belong to the oil magnate Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) who wants to tear them down to drill for oil. In order to save the Muppets legacy, Walter convinces Kermit the Frog to reunite the Muppets in order to raise the money needed to get the Studio back.

Basic plot, yes. Very Muppety indeed. But the mayhem that ensues is also very Muppety. This movie feels like classic Muppets, married to an intensely fast-paced direction style. It develops an intense momentum and never lets up. I was nervous as it started, but by the end of the first musical number (yes, it’s a musical), I was excited and laughing out loud.

I’ll freely admit that I cried several times during the film. It manages to take what could be hackneyed and overly sentimental scenes and transforms them to a greater whole. There’s no cynicism in the film, which is part of its charm, as the core question of the film is “Are the Muppets still relevent in today’s cynical world?” The answer? Well, c’mon…it’s a Muppets reboot. I’ll let you puzzle that one out. But it’s just a very funny movie that doesn’t talk down to its audience. And it has a lot of genuine heart, which seems so rare these days.

An Enjoyable Variant

I’ve enjoyed the Sims games ever since that night in California, many years ago, when I woke my poor husband up to the sound of my Sims from the original game accidentally setting the house on fire. I’ve been playing The Sims 3 for some time, building up little lives, over and over. But now, there’s a very different way to play The Sims, and it’s right up my alley – The Sims: Medieval.

I had hoped that The Sims: Medieval would basically be The Sims, but set in a Middle Ages village. This is not the case. In place of the extreme sandbox-ness of the normal Sims games, this game is very story-driven. You play various quests, guiding your Hero Sims in their lives. These Sims fill various Medieval archetypes, from the Monarch, to the Knight, to the Blacksmith, to the Wizard.

Quests often have multiple ways they can be solved, and different heroes can finish them in different ways. Once you’ve achieved a certain level of experience, you can switch into a freestyle mode, putting aside quests in favor of that sandbox quality from the original games.

If you’re a Sims fan, this is a fun and interesting variant. If you’ve never tried one, I don’t know that I would suggest this as a first experience.

Future Awesomeness

If you’re as big a Tolkien/Rings fan as I am, then you seek after every little scrap of news you can get from the set of the Hobbit, the two-part film that will be released in December of 2012 and 2013. I personally enjoy the round-up style employed by TheOneRing.net, and I tend to go there to find out what’s happening in Middle Earth.

Without getting into a lot of specifics, in case I could possibly be giving you spoilers, I will only say that, after all the difficulty of getting the project started, it sounds like it’s proceeding nicely. I eagerly look forward to the new films, which should complete Tolkien’s great epic in style.

Your Turn

Is there something very geeky you’re feeling thankful for? Maybe The Hobbit doesn’t interest you, but you’re thrilled for The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers? Maybe you’re in the beta for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and you’re thankful that it’s far superior to Star Wars: Galaxies? Heck, maybe you’re just thankful that I didn’t review Heroes of the Feywild yet before you’ve had a chance to read it. Let us all know.

It can be hard to shop for geeks sometimes. Other than just buying out the entire stock of ThinkGeek, you can get kind of stuck. Luckily for you, I have come up with a short list of stocking stuffers for the comic book fans in your life from one to ninety-three.

Comic Books

This might seem like a no-brainer. Pick up a comic book for the comic book fan, right? Okay, which title? Trades or monthlies? Which issue are they on? Which edition? Unless you happen to have the whole catalogue of their collection in front of you, this is dicey gifting territory. I offer two solutions: a gift card (some of the local comic book shops will issue them, or online gift certificates to Amazon will also work) or, if you don’t want to go that route, check out buying them a subscription to one of the major titles. If you know they’re into, say, Teen Titans, a year’s worth of unreleased monthlies can go a long way.

Swag

Comic books are cool right about now. With so many mainstream movies hitting theatres from Marvel and DC, you can find everything from chocolate bars to anti-virus software emblazoned with Iron Man or Batman. If you have an idea of your giftee’s favourite characters or series, you can pick up a t-shirt, belt buckle, wallet, keychain, etc. Comic book shops often have a good stock of these, especially for the less mainstream characters. You can also check out novelty stores and specialty t-shirt shops – I was in one the other day and was severely tempted by a Deadpool tee.

HeroClix and Action Figures

All my action figures are lined up on top of my bookshelves. They occasionally sneak onto my Christmas tree. For a quick, campy gift as desk decor, check out toy stores, comic book stores, and gaming stores. If you don’t want to brave the crowds, Amazon even has a healthy stock of figurines. HeroClix are actually part of a tabletop gaming system – another possible gift idea – but amount to small figurines of a wide, wide range of characters from the major publishers.

Companion Books

If you don’t want to try and figure out what particular trade or monthly you want to pick up for that special comic book lover in your life, you do have other literary options. Both Marvel and DC occasionally release ‘history of’ books around their flagship character. There are half a dozen Batman books of this kind. Some of them are drafting off the latest movie, but the more substantial ones can be full of classic or previously unreleased artwork and behind-the-scenes info. There’s also books like The Marvel Encyclopaedia, Obsessed With Marvel, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z, or The Batman Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual. These companion books can show that you listen and care without stepping on collectors’ toes. Plus, train them how to be Batman. You can find them at your local comic book store, any large bookstore like Borders or Chapters, or online through Amazon or other book retailers.

If it works, let me know.

What else would you suggest for the comic book lover in your life? Have you had success with gifts for them before? Any spectacular failures?

Sometimes an alter-ego is almost unnecessary to the superhero, who leads a public life – like Iron Man or the Fantastic Four. Sometimes an alter-ego is just ridiculous and should be immediately obvious to anyone with eyes – like Hawkeye, whose ridiculously antiquated facial hair should be enough of a tipoff.

Sometimes an alter-ego is created to hide the superhero’s identity, and sometimes an alter-ego is created to hide the regular person’s superheroism. The inherent dangers in discovery have been the topic of hundreds of comic book storylines, and formed the basis of the conflict in Marvel’s Civil War storyline. And, of course, there is nothing like a villain about to rip off a hero’s mask to build suspense. Alter-egos have even added the phrase ‘mild-mannered’ to the world’s collective unconscious.

We all love to see superheroes fight, fail, recover, and win. But the real drama of comic books often lies in the unmasked characters – or, should I say, in the characters’ true selves. Superman and Batman are two of, if not the biggest supes. They’ve been in the funny papers for decades, the movie and TV adaptations are legion. And they could not be less alike in the formation of their day-to-day personas.

The Man of Steel

Superman! By day, he is the mild-mannered reporter named Clark Kent. Only a suit and a pair of dorky glasses differentiate the two, and yet somehow, no one has yet figured it out. I love Supes for one reason: because he doesn’t really exist. Okay, yes, I know, he’s a comic book character, but that’s not what I meant. The personality that is ‘Superman’ is completely fictional – Clark is the real guy. In midair wearing his underwear on the outside, Superman is still a gawky, dorky, do-gooder farm boy from rural Kansas. He helps little old ladies cross the street. He smiles bashfully when pretty women address him. He says stuff like, “Statistically speaking, flying is still the safest way to travel.”

I know I’m about to stray off-canon into movies, but in both Superman and Superman II, Clark is almost unable to reveal his secret identity to Lois. Even in character as Supes, and with all the supposed confidence this gives to him, he loses his nerve. Clark Kent is a creature of humility and earnestness, and that is carried through into ‘Superman’, not the other way around. He is even willing to give up the persona of Superman when it endangers the happiness of Clark.

The Dark Knight

Batman! On the other hand, the playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne is the false front for Batman, the Caped Crusader. The recent series of movies highlighted this point. Batman lives for revenge and crime-fighting, and maintains his alter-ego of Bruce only for its necessities in masking and furthering his own activities. I don’t even think I really need to provide much proof for this one. Batman is one twisted S.O.B. who enjoys kicking the shit out of bad guys. He would much more willingly give up living as Bruce Wayne than wearing the mantle of Batman, which he does only reluctantly and only when a suitable replacement can be found.

It’s interesting, then, that Batman has the less revealing costume of the two – speaking of identity, of course. He is entirely the Bat, while Supes is Clark Kent in spandex. Of course, part of that is the difference between mental/mechanical power and physical power. And perhaps because Batman’s identity is so closely tied to Batman, the persona of ‘Bruce Wayne’ is threatened far more times than is Clark Kent’s. Maybe because of the drama of ripping off a mask, but that’s neither here nor there.

If you want to get really psychological about it, you could say that Clark Kent and Batman represent the ego and the id – one (Supes) acting rationally for the greatest long-term happiness, and the other (Bats) acting irrationally to satisfy momentary needs and desires. But I’m pretty sure people have written term papers and stuff on that already, so I’m not going to exhaust my limited mental resources on the topic. Superman and Batman have always been two sides of the coin – dark and light, law and vigilantism, day and night, a little bit country and a little bit rock’n’roll.

So what do you think? Which heroes are putting on a false front to the world like Batman, and which heroes are true to themselves behind the mask like Superman? If you were a superhero, which would you do?

Pay attention, there will be a test at the end.

Middle School

(I originally titled this ‘Elementary’ but remembered that outside of my corner of Canada, elementary schools generally don’t run past grade five or six, and almost anything that isn’t Archie might be too old for that crew. Reader’s discretion is advised.)

For the preteen and young teen comic audiences out there, it can be hard to find a title that isn’t only age-appropriate but also actually enjoyable to read. Slip this into your kid sister’s lunchbag and you might create a future comic book nerd. Especially with my first choice, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. Don’t let the title turn you off. The title – which is up to twenty-five issues and has been collected in trades – follows the adventures of a high-school-aged Mary Jane. While it isn’t as action-packed as other Marvel hero tales, the romance is played light and won’t turn off male readers, even ones who think cooties are icky. It’s a surprisingly fun read, even for serious Spidey fans.

Darker than Mary Jane is Runaways, a series which follows the children of a notorious band of villains called the Pride. When the kids discover what their parents are up to, they take off and form their own team, using their inherited powers, abilities, or technology to fix the damage the Pride had done. This is still running, it’s up to three volumes and over fifty issues. The Runaways have also appeared in the Civil War arc, fighting alongside the Young Avengers. This is not the Boxcar Children. Okay, maybe a little – if the Boxcar Children had telepathic dinosaurs and superstrength, and were being hunted by both villains and Avengers.

Another title that might serve as a gateway drug into comic books is the long-running Fables. This has the appeal of taking familiar characters – the Big Bad Wolf, Snow White, Cinderella, Prince Charming – and throwing them into all-out war against each other. I wouldn’t recommend this for young kids, despite the Disney Princess line-up. It’s got nightmares all its own, and enough violence and treachery to keep any boy hooked.

And if you can get your hands on them, younger readers might enjoy some of the classic Golden or Silver Age issues – Batman and Superman before continuity became a consideration. They’re a lot less bloody and realistic than what’s currently running, even if they usually aren’t terribly politically correct.

High School

For the high school student, I’d really recommend any of the major heroes. Avengers, The Mighty Thor, The Return of Batman, any of the classic heroes. But I’m going to throw in Cable and Deadpool as a specific example. It’s got chaos, carnage, and excellent one-liners. The two main characters drag in heroes and villains from every corner of the Marvel universe while they address Cable’s saviour complex and world issues at the same time.

For a bit of culture and history, throw in Marvel 1602. This was a short run comic written by Neil Gaiman for Marvel, and since then it’s continued in Marvel 1602: Spider-Man, The Fantastick Four, and New World. It asks the question: “What if, instead of showing up in the twentieth century, what if superheroes appeared in the seventeeth?” So Peter Parquarah, Sir Nicholas Fury, Matthew Murdoch, Scotius Somerisle, and an impressive roster of ye olde doppelgangers get involved in the politics of King James VI and the discovery of the New World. It’s beautifully done, and hey! It can even be considered history, right?

I think I would have to hand in my Canadian card if I didn’t mention Scott Pilgrim as recommended reading. The movie just came out, amping up the awareness of this graphic novel, which follows Scott as he fights for the love of his awesome new girlfriend. It’s a strange world that is half-reality, half-video games, and all Toronto. Nothing like politics or history to be found here. Consider it the free period in your schedule.

College

Oh, college. In addition to condoms and a churchkey, make sure you stock up on Transmetropolitan, a wordy comic about a dystopian future, as seen through the eyes and pen of a bitter, slightly insane journalist named Spider Jerusalem. Required reading for journalism students. The run ended in 2002 but you can pick up the trades, sixty issues collected in ten volumes, plus a couple bonus issues. This comic picks apart social issues like a table full of stoners at meal hall. Nothing is sacred in this frightening vision of a future where anything can be bought, sold, pierced, drunk, inhaled, or have silicone added to.

I’m a big fan of alternate realities, but I have to suggest this one for the anarchists (and/or political science majors) among us: Superman: Red Son. It takes on another what-if: What if the escape capsule containing the infant Kal-El had been launched twelve hours later? Instead of crashing in Kansas, the future Superman would have landed somewhere in the Ukraine, on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Instead of fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way, he becomes a superpowered comrade of the ruling party, making Communism seem unstoppable. Batman and JFK both make appearances (one in the greatest bat-hat ever devised) as well as a few other DC staples. The run was only three issues long but it’s been available in trades since then.

I left the darkest and most twisted for last. This is most definitely not for kids. It’s bloody, it’s disturbing, there’s a scene involving chicken rape. Yes, I’m talking about Preacher. If you have ever had some doubts about a higher power and enjoy Irish vampires, this is the comic for you. After discovering that God made a mistake and then ran away and hid, the Reverend Jesse Custer sets out to find God and make him answer to humanity for giving up. Things go decidedly downhill from there. Preacher is gory and gruesome. It probes the darkest parts of human nature, and also the most uplifting ones. You can get the whole thing, start to finish, from Vertigo in trades, and I highly recommend that you do.

Now I want your five-hundred word essay entitled ‘What I Did On My Summer Vacation’ on my desk by tomorrow.

Disagree with my curriculum? What would you put in a kid’s school bag? What did I heinously overlook aside from Watchmen (yes I noticed that)?

D&D Related

• As you all know, updates to 4th edition are already posted on the WotC site.
• LivingDice linked to a cool kit you can use to make plastic-coated power cards.
• Phil at ChattyDM wants to know what your gaming group eats.  Yum!
• I posted this earlier this week, but please check out these neat dynamic character sheets for 4e.
• Yax at DungeonMastering made his first video post!  Lookit that face!  Oh, yeah, the video is about why you should switch to 4e.

General Geekery

• GeeksAreSexy had a link to a cool site where you can argue for/against anything via video.  The challenge?  You only have 12 seconds to do it.   Oh, and what’s your geek quotient?
• Allison at BingeGamer asks the question, “What does Nintendo think of girl gamers?“
• GeekNews had a link to the cutest knitted d4 dice bag.  I’ll stick to my dice penguin, tho.
• Speaking of knitting, Geekologie found these adorable knitted versions of Link, Jack Sparrow, Indiana Jones, and more!
• Here’s your moment of cute: Baby Batman from Neatorama.
• I love urban art projects.  Here’s one in Geekologie called IT Everywhere.
• Hawty McBloggy tipped me off to an awesome site where you can buy Guitar Hero-style shirts, but with just about any instrument from viola to sitar.  I soooo want a viola hero shirt!

That’s all, geek friends!  Hope you enjoyed these tasty treats!