Metamorpho: the Element Man!

 

As the screen shot above and the title of this post may have alerted you to, I have, as promised, read the new 6-issue "Metamorpho The Element Man" mini-series from DC Comics.

Just as I did with the recent Supergirl and Fire & Ice issues. I read these on the "DC Universe Infinite" app/service, to which I have an "Ultimate" tier subscription. Again, that means that I can read tons of "Vertigo" titles on the app, and I get access to ALL new DC releases just one month after they hit the shops.

Soon, I'll be posting about how Archie Comics has joined the "Globalcomix" service, which their "Gold" level gives you access to new Archie stuff on the very same day they are released in print. But I digress.

So, first thing's first: was this Metamorpho series intended to be a 6-issue mini?

Apparently not.

Having read all six, it seems there were at least six more issues planned, but the title was cancelled half-way through.

"Luckily," modern day comic books tend to be "written for the (6-issue) trade," so there is a satisfyingly complete story arc contained within what this creative team managed to get out the door, here.

That's not to say these proceedings feel padded, either. In fact, each issue feels pretty packed, almost to bursting at times. 

Al Ewing (writer) places words aplenty to pore over, making use of old-school narrative captions with creative flair to boot. In fact, the purposely retro-stylings used to deliver the information in those captions is almost too stylized, to the point of feeling overly-affected.

In fact, I was very nearly put off from even finishing the first issue by the lengths to which Ewing seemed to be trying to impersonate Bob Haney. I can appreciate, and even cheer, an attempt to bring back some of the spirit of pure, silly "fun" to DC comics. 

I mean, I did just that in my previous post about some new DC comics, mentioned above, not too long ago.

However, Haney-speak is a very specific patois, and too many have tried to mimic it already (and none well enough to make it worth the bother, in my opinion). Sadly, in issue #1 of this series, I did find it off-putting, and, as the kids likely no longer say "a bit try-hard."

Some of that "homage" makes a lot more sense WITHIN the story itself, given the theme of the opening salvo of this six-issue scenario. The villain involved is very much associated with, and pontificates on, the dangerously addictive attractions of "faux-nostalgia." So, perhaps this overdoing of Haney Appropriation was on purpose.

To be fair, it does seem to be tamped down from issue 2 on. Sure, the captions still speak directly to the reader in very retro-cool fashion, but the misguided pseudo-60s pitter-patter fades away, thankfully.

Good thing, too, because once you get beyond that misstep, what's left here story-wise is pretty great. 

There's a heck of an adventure to be had, with tons of enjoyable character interaction and plain old action-action, too. Ewing also digs deep into the DC well, and I mean DEEP, but he never lets the digging become a drag (forgive me) on the pacing of the story. Things move quickly without feeling shallow or sacrificing characterization for plot progress.

I know I spent a lot of time criticizing the writing at first, and all that did need to be said to provide fair warning, but overall, the story told over the course of this abbreviated series is a TREAT.

And that's before we even get to the art. Which is even better than the writing, to be honest.

Steve Lieber was the artist on the 2019-2020 12-issue "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen" series, which is one of my favorite things that DC comics has ever published, so it stands to reason that I would speak highly of his work on these issues.

But man, Lieber really kicks out the jams on this series. His character acting, panel designs, page layouts, and clear, crisp storytelling are all in full, confident strut-mode all the way through these six issues. He sneaks in little details, like periodic table symbols sprouting from Metamorpho's body at times, without even once making the visuals feels cramped or chaotic.

Really, it's just stellar, joyously fun comic book art.

Back to the writing, before I shortchange that, Ewing puts in the effort to acknowledge what was done with Metamorpho in the past, particularly in the much-missed-by-me "The Terrifics" series, and elsewhere. The seeds that he sprinkles down these trails in particular make me quite disappointed that we apparently won't get the chance to see just what he had planned.

Still, despite the untimely cancellation, I still very much recommend that you read these six issues any way you can. If you do so in a way that sends a message to DC (as I don't for one second think they care what I read on the app), maybe they'll even let Ewing and Lieber come back and finish what they started?

Yeah...that'd be nice. 

Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Ripper!

Here's the cover to the latest book I just finished reading this morning:

You can (only) order it here:

https://moonstonebooks.com/ols/products/kolchak

That's pretty much the only problem I have with the book: there is, as far as I've found, no digital option, and the book is nigh-undiscoverable on any online store you could think of.

And that's a shame, as I have really enjoyed previous books by this author, and I don't think that Moonstone is doing their stable of creators any favors by sequestering them offerings in such a tiny, walled-off garden.

Ah, well. I happen to follow this author, Chuck Miller, on social media, so I had the inside scoop as to how get my mitts on this, one of his very newest pieces of work. 

Previously, I'd read and very much liked Mr. Miller's first two "Black Centipede" books:

https://a.co/d/e9yU8zw

https://a.co/d/9xVL3Qe

One of his "Bay Phantom" tales:

https://a.co/d/dW8ELuv

And I fully intend to read many more of his books...like I just did!

Now, you may notice that THIS book's title is a bit of a mouthful: "Kolchak: The Night Stalker - The Ripper" doesn't just roll right off the tongue, eh? 

And yes, this book is what I call a "Media Tie-In," in that it's set in the "world" of what was originally a TV series (some TV movies, then a weekly show). 

This Media Entity in particular, "Kolchak the Night Stalker" is pretty obscure, but it has its very devoted fanbase, mostly gentleman of a certain vintage, and its through my association with those types that I discovered the title character and his dark little corner of the fictional universe.

I won't detail the history of the TV movies/series here, because, well: I've yet to watch any of that stuff. Honestly, I'd seen issues of various Kolchak-related publications from Moonstone Books over the years in various comic shops, but I was never inspired enough to pick them up, even though I was an occasional reader of other Moonstone-published things.

Suffice to say this: Carl Kolchak is a reporter who stumbles into opposing supernatural threats, and in the TV productions, he is played by the Dad from "A Christmas Story."

Yep. That guy. With the Leg Lamp, the Furnace, and the Tire-changing incident.

So, having no real familiarity with the franchise; how did my read-through of this book go?

It went really well!

If you know just the basics that I barely related to you so far, which is really all I'd known before I read this book, you will have no trouble at all if you choose this book to be your first foray into the badly-lit streets and alleyways of Kolchak the Night Stalker.

That is due in very large part to the fact that Chuck Miller is a great writer. I did mention that I've liked everything I've ever read by him, yes?

Chuck brings you up to Kolchak-speed mostly organically, wth what few "info-dumps" there are masked well by his practiced skill at the first-person narrative style that the book is written in. Kolchak is a veteran reporter, so the fact that his internal monologue reads in places like a working manuscript for an article feels natural.

Mr. Miller is also a deft hand at characterization, and affects the irascible, roguish charm of Carl Kolchak and those around him really well. This world, while dark and full of death, has a very different tone than Chuck's "Black Centipede" books, which are a downright gruesome mix of pulp-action and full-on horror fiction.

This author knows how to pace a story, too. This slim little book is a mere 159 pages long, and at no point do the proceedings feel either rushed, nor dragged out.

Actually, Chapter 17,"The Manuscript," goes from page 104 to 139, and while fascinating on its own, is the closest that this book comes to the dreaded momentum-killing "info dump" phenomenon. It's a good bit of writing, but it feels like a side-story-within-a-story, and comes right before the final showdown, so I do wonder how this admittedly vital and interesting bunch of information could have been weaved into the story differently.

Don't ask me: I'm no writer. I can barely compose a coherent blog post.

That one little nit-pick aside, and I do feel that I just have to find *one* when I am "reviewing" something, this book not only did its job by entertaining me, it put the hook in.

I now want to read other Kolchak stories, of which it seems there are many out there, and more of them even written by Mr. Miller himself. I even want to watch the classic TV production...if I can find the time!

 

Actual New DC Comics...That I like!

 I know this little blog has focused on older comics and/or non-"Big Two" publications, but there ARE books being put out there right now that actually enjoy!

Now, I don't pay retail for these books (heaven forfend!) but I do read them legally, as I have a membership to "DC Universe Infinite." I even have an "Ultra" membership so I can dive into the Vertigo backlog and so forth.

So, given my "Ultra" status, I also get access to EVERY new monthly book that DC puts out, just one month after it hits the stands.

That being said, this is hardly the reason that I keep my subscription. See, I really DON'T like most of what DC is putting out these days. Too many big events, too many "copy cat" characters (there are like seven or eight members of the "Super Family" in Metropolis these days, and THREE of them are called "Superman."), etc, etc.

However, this post is about some new books from DC that I actually DO like, so, how about we get to uit?

First up:

Yes, I was just talking crap about the Superman books. However, this new Supergirl series takes Kara out of Metropolis (only seven of so to go!) and returns her to Midvale! Yes, her Silver Age home. And that's not all that comes back to visit us from the Silver Age, here. Under the pen of Sophie Campbell, this book just step out and establishes itself as fun, zany, and more importantly, DEEPLY connected to Supergirl's comic book history as opposed to "continuity," all without seeming like a pointlessly slavish "homage" or "pastiche" to the Silver Age books that it lovingly draws material from. 

That, and the art is GREAT. I haven' been this jazzed for a Superman-related book since...

It's not a shock that I enjoyed the first two issues of this mini-series, since I really liked its predecessor ("Welcome to Smallville"), but it was really nice to not be disappointed by a sequel in this day and age, eh?

"When Hell Freezes Over" finds Bea and Tora (Fire and Ice) trying to live their lives in New Kooey (a "landlocked island" on the outskirts of Smallville. 1980s JLI fans will recognize the name), with the added twist that their powers have been swapped.

This is technically a "tie-in" to one of DC's latest (and unending) "events," but you really don't need to know anything about that. Like, at all. This is the best kind of "forced tie-in;" one that simply uses an element of the Big Dumb Event to tell a fun new story all its own.

Hilarity and shenanigans ensue for sure, and this book uses its supporting cast both existing (Martha Kent! Many others from the previous series!) and new (Zatanna's nephew!) to tell yet another character-driven, charming, and visually pleasing tale of two of the best characters from the JLI era and their new friends/frenemies.

Really, folks, I wish DC had many, many more titles with vibes like these.

Next up, I'll be reading the new "Metamorpho" mini-series, which I am generally a mark for, BUT I will say that I've heard the series leans VERY heavily on trying to BE a "modern day Bob Haney" comic book, so I wonder how quickly that will wear thin.

We shall see!  Til next time! 

The THUNDER that Fizzled

I acquired the complete 5-issue set of "Wally Wood's THUNDER Agents" published by "Deluxe Comics" back in 1984.  I had one issue of this series back in the day, but I'll be damned if I can remember which one. All I DID recall was that I was impressed by the grim nature of the "Lightning" feature. The whole "suit gives you super speed but ages you really quickly, too" thing seemed to have originated here, as far as I can tell.

The reason that this is a "complete" set of what was intended to be just one of several ongoing series from the publisher has a lot to do with the fact that publisher, Dave Singer, was mistaken about the "Public Domain" status of the THUNDER Agents characters.

Specifically, he was mistaken that were in the Public Domain at all. The person who did own the rights to the characters took legal issue with Singer's usage, and Singer did not win that argument.

So, there went the flagship title in Singer's rather expensive new business venture. This, combined with a ton of unpaid invoices from various distributors spelled the very early demise of this could-have-been-great little outfit.

And it had to a pretty pricey proceeding, indeed. "Deluxe" wasn't just the name of the company, but it seemed to stand for Singer's standards for his company and its product.

To this day, the paper stock for these issues feels great, which seems to have allowed for better coloring techniques than many of their contemporary competitors offerings. Each issue is pretty thick, too, easily qualifying for a "double-sized special" cover blurb were they published by Marvel or DC at the time.

Sure, Deluxe charged for all of that, with a $2.00 cover price, but it was hard to argue that the books weren't worth the asking price. 

Because beyond the high quality of the packaging, there was the quality of the TALENT that had been hired to fill those pages with content.

George Perez (on interiors, not just covers), Dave Cockrum, Steve Ditko, John Workman, Jerry Ordway. Keith Giffen,  Steve Englehart, and others make up the creative lineups, and not one of them could have come cheaply, even back in the early 80s.

Speaking of "back in the early 80s," it appears that George Perez's penchant for working his belly-dancing wife into the pages of his work goes back at least this far, as her actual stage name of "Phoenicia" (as well as her supposed likeness) is given to one of the brand-new characters that joins the THUNDER roster.

I won't get into too much detail, but suffice to say, that for the most part, all of this expense seemed justified. Mostly. Until the final issue.

I don't know if Singer knew that things were coming to an end, but the final issue of this series finishes off with two of the more uninspired stories of not just this series, but of about any comic book stories I've ever read. Combined with trying to force a "crossover" with one of Deluxe's other series, what started off with a bang really ends with a whimper.

It's a shame, because what came before was seriously A-game, highly engaging stuff. I must admit that Keith Giffen's "Lightning" feature was the flat tire of the first 4 issues for me: the story felt padded, even with its limited page count, and the art was created at what I consider to be the worst of Giffen's "I really want to rip off Jose Munoz's style" phase.  I honestly think the series would be better off without this feature.

Overall, though, I'm left pretty sad that this company's wings were clipped so quickly. I feel like the subpar efforts in issue 5 were either a fluke or a direct result of Singer's mounting legal and financial woes. If those factors could have been alleviated, I think we could have had one truly cool indie comics legacy to look back on at this point in time.