[Guest Blogger Streebo continues his look at Ellis's Black Summer. For more posts by Streebo click his name in the tool bar on the right.]
The artwork by Juan Jose Ryp is very solid. He combines a hyper-detailed Geoff Darrow approach with fleshy form filled Frank Quitely figures. It's not necessarily spectacular – but it presents the world of Black Summer in believable and ofttimes excruciatingly detailed manner. Ryp seems to revel at the task of drawing Tom Noir's crumbling environment with countless pieces of rubble, kipple, and cigarette butts littering his surroundings. The coloring is workmanlike and true to reality. Aside from his attention to small details – Ryp has done an excellent job in designing some of this world's four colored superheroes. I particularly like the design of John Horus – all in silver – surrounded by a floating swarm of spheres. His head is adorned in a silver hawk shaped helmet and the eye of Horus stares off his back inside the ubiquitous symbol of the New World Order and every conspiracy from John Dillinger's escape to JFK' assassination – the pyramid. It is interesting to note that in magickal circles – the eye of Horus is meant to symbolize individual, group, and mass consciousness. What better way to forcibly break superheroes away from an almost century long discourse of political hegemony than with a symbol of newfound consciousness? I'm not sure if Ryp designed these characters with strict direction from Ellis or not – but the end result is that John Horus is a superhero designed for a new age. With fanboyish glee, I welcome John Horus to the fold. Now, who wins in a fight between Wolverine and John Horus? Superman and John Horus? Osama Bin Laden and John Horus? Just kidding on that last one, Mr. Miller.
Warren Ellis explains his intentions with this series in the back matter of issue zero:
“In a situation like that, there are no sides. Not any more. It's about who survives and who doesn't. It's about whether the idea of America lives or dies.”
This seems like a rather noble concept and one certainly worth debating, however the way Ellis chooses to remove John Horus – the catalyzing agent – from subsequent issues makes me wonder if that is his true intent. I think another quote from the back matter is a bit more revealing in light of his decision to basically play his new politically empowered superhero off-screen:
“This is the freedom of doing a piece of superhero fiction outside the auspices of company ownership or the weight of continuity: the big questions can be asked in a very direct and brutal manner. In this world, masked adventurers on the run are not going to be pursued, tricked and trapped by their estranged colleagues. Every last one of them is going to be hunted by the combined forces of the US military structure.”
Warren Ellis basically seems to say that Black Summer is his answer for Marvel's Civil War and that the consequences should be deadly not merely transitory. This saddens me somewhat as I feel the premise of a politically charged superhero going in direct opposition to the current administration is a fantastic concept that deserves to be explored. This is what what superhero comics can exist for – not just to replay endless variations of fistfights with the same participants merely switching allegiances back and forth over the course of sixty years. Comics can and at times should talk about the perceived injustices of our world.
Black Summer contains a lightning-in-a-bottle concept. The design of the new superhero, John Horus, is fantastic. The artwork is strong and very detailed. The characters are interesting. However, the execution at this point tells me that Warren Ellis would rather avoid the very political topic he created the series around, rather than using it to take superheroes to shining new heights. The debut issue of Black Summer was an instant classic in my book. For now, the jury is still out on the rest of the series. I am definitely along for the ride and am still very excited about the potential outcomes that future issues may bring.
Streebo
www.mutantville.com
[This is Ellis all over -- he has great ideas, but does not always fully follow through with their potential.]
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Streebo Reviews Black Summer 2
[Guest Blogger Streebo continues his review of Black Summer. For more posts by Streebo, click his name in the right toolbar. The "2" in the title refers to the number of posts, not issues of Black Summer.]
The next installment, issue one, begins with Tom Noir – the broken down ex-superhero. We follow him as he survives an attack from black op federal agents – namely the previously unknown and pronounced dead member of the Seven Guns – Frank Blacksmith. This entire issue details Tom Noir's plight as he is the first to feel the backlash from John Horus' actions. I was extremely disappointed by this decision to ignore our shining new superhero of silver in order to follow a one-legged, unshaven, non-costumed, alcoholic ex-superhero whose only accessory seems to be an assortment of ashtrays filled to the brim with what appears to be one million cigarette butts. With his lack of a costume, admitted alcoholism, and an apparent crippled state, Tom Noir seems to embody Ellis' widely known cynical distaste for superheroes. There is enough action in the fight between Noir and the agents to make it entertaining – but it is hardly groundbreaking. As in the debut issue, there are flashbacks showing the genesis of the Seven Guns, filled with enough tech-speak to keep things interesting. Through these flashbacks, Ellis shows us a potential future filled with shining superhero possibilities, but whenever the narrative returns to the present, he only shows us the ashes of those same dreams.
The one moment in which we see John Horus in this issue really irritates me. Horus appears long enough to talk to Tom Noir via an implanted communication device connecting the Seven Guns. What bothers me is this statement delivered by Horus from the top of the Empire State Building before he quietly disappears from the series again:
“You're supposed to be screaming and pointing at the Big Bad thing on top of the Empire State Building. And then sending fighter planes to shoot me down. You people just don't try anymore.”
Then, John Horus flies away. No fights. No speeches. No superheroics. He just leaves. I don't know if Warren Ellis is reflexively referring to the superhero event stories currently populating the comic shelves courtesy of the Big Two – or if he is being irritatingly ironic in admitting that he is not going to try anything new or exciting with this fantastic concept at his command. Issue one ends with the appearance of Zoe, the speedster of the Seven Guns, at Tom Noir's doorstep. She delivers an ominous warning that “John Horus is insane because all of the original team are insane.”
On a somewhat related side note, at the Heroes Convention in 2006, I actually asked Mr. Ellis about his feelings on superheroes and how he could despise them – yet create moments of such wonder in the pages of Planetary. He did his best to avoid answering but did reply that superheroes had always contained such wonders and we just needed to look for them. I like to speculate that his widely publicized contempt for the genre is not directed at superheroes per se – but is instead directed at the exploitive use of populist superheroes at Marvel and DC. That said – why he would seemingly take lightning in a bottle with the concept of John Horus and bury it underneath a stump only to place a cynical, broken down and outright boring non-superhero Tom Noir on top of it is beyond me.
The third issue of Black Summer, issue two, finally brings the Seven Guns to the fore. We finally get to see some four-colored superhero action as we meet the rest of the Seven Guns super team. Names like Angel One, Kathryn Artemis, and Dominic Atlas Hyde excite me at the as yet untapped potential of superhero actions. This issue is almost entirely dedicated to the plight of the Seven Guns as they work together to remove Tom Noir from harm's way and deliver him to a safe house. We get some fun superhero bits as Kathryn Artemis is forced to defend herself in the streets from a troop of US Army soldiers. Angel One must take lethal action as well when confronted with lethal force from military helicopters. Decisions are made in the interest of self-preservation that result in the Seven Guns becoming seemingly more complicit with John Horus' actions. Finally by the end of the issue, the team has made it to safety long enough to bicker amongst themselves. Although the brawl between Tom Noir and Dominic Atlas Hyde lacks the charm and fun of a Ben Grim and Johnny Storm squabble – it keeps the pace moving long enough for Kathryn Artemis and Dominic to debate John Horus' actions. Finally at the end of the third issue of the series – the characters actually start to discuss the political topics inherent in the series design.
Streebo
www.mutantville.com
The next installment, issue one, begins with Tom Noir – the broken down ex-superhero. We follow him as he survives an attack from black op federal agents – namely the previously unknown and pronounced dead member of the Seven Guns – Frank Blacksmith. This entire issue details Tom Noir's plight as he is the first to feel the backlash from John Horus' actions. I was extremely disappointed by this decision to ignore our shining new superhero of silver in order to follow a one-legged, unshaven, non-costumed, alcoholic ex-superhero whose only accessory seems to be an assortment of ashtrays filled to the brim with what appears to be one million cigarette butts. With his lack of a costume, admitted alcoholism, and an apparent crippled state, Tom Noir seems to embody Ellis' widely known cynical distaste for superheroes. There is enough action in the fight between Noir and the agents to make it entertaining – but it is hardly groundbreaking. As in the debut issue, there are flashbacks showing the genesis of the Seven Guns, filled with enough tech-speak to keep things interesting. Through these flashbacks, Ellis shows us a potential future filled with shining superhero possibilities, but whenever the narrative returns to the present, he only shows us the ashes of those same dreams.
The one moment in which we see John Horus in this issue really irritates me. Horus appears long enough to talk to Tom Noir via an implanted communication device connecting the Seven Guns. What bothers me is this statement delivered by Horus from the top of the Empire State Building before he quietly disappears from the series again:
“You're supposed to be screaming and pointing at the Big Bad thing on top of the Empire State Building. And then sending fighter planes to shoot me down. You people just don't try anymore.”
Then, John Horus flies away. No fights. No speeches. No superheroics. He just leaves. I don't know if Warren Ellis is reflexively referring to the superhero event stories currently populating the comic shelves courtesy of the Big Two – or if he is being irritatingly ironic in admitting that he is not going to try anything new or exciting with this fantastic concept at his command. Issue one ends with the appearance of Zoe, the speedster of the Seven Guns, at Tom Noir's doorstep. She delivers an ominous warning that “John Horus is insane because all of the original team are insane.”
On a somewhat related side note, at the Heroes Convention in 2006, I actually asked Mr. Ellis about his feelings on superheroes and how he could despise them – yet create moments of such wonder in the pages of Planetary. He did his best to avoid answering but did reply that superheroes had always contained such wonders and we just needed to look for them. I like to speculate that his widely publicized contempt for the genre is not directed at superheroes per se – but is instead directed at the exploitive use of populist superheroes at Marvel and DC. That said – why he would seemingly take lightning in a bottle with the concept of John Horus and bury it underneath a stump only to place a cynical, broken down and outright boring non-superhero Tom Noir on top of it is beyond me.
The third issue of Black Summer, issue two, finally brings the Seven Guns to the fore. We finally get to see some four-colored superhero action as we meet the rest of the Seven Guns super team. Names like Angel One, Kathryn Artemis, and Dominic Atlas Hyde excite me at the as yet untapped potential of superhero actions. This issue is almost entirely dedicated to the plight of the Seven Guns as they work together to remove Tom Noir from harm's way and deliver him to a safe house. We get some fun superhero bits as Kathryn Artemis is forced to defend herself in the streets from a troop of US Army soldiers. Angel One must take lethal action as well when confronted with lethal force from military helicopters. Decisions are made in the interest of self-preservation that result in the Seven Guns becoming seemingly more complicit with John Horus' actions. Finally by the end of the issue, the team has made it to safety long enough to bicker amongst themselves. Although the brawl between Tom Noir and Dominic Atlas Hyde lacks the charm and fun of a Ben Grim and Johnny Storm squabble – it keeps the pace moving long enough for Kathryn Artemis and Dominic to debate John Horus' actions. Finally at the end of the third issue of the series – the characters actually start to discuss the political topics inherent in the series design.
Streebo
www.mutantville.com
Free Form Comments
Say whatever you want to in the comments to this post -- random, off topic thoughts, ideas, suggestions, questions, recommendations, criticisms (which can be anonymous), surveys, introductions if you have never commented before, personal news, self-promotion, requests to be added to the blog roll and so on. If a week goes by and I have failed to add you to the blog roll TELL ME TO DO IT AGAIN, and KEEP TELLING ME UNTIL IT GETS DONE. I can be lazy about updating the non-post parts of this site. Remember these comments can be directed at all the readers, not just me.
ALSO. You can use this space to re-ask me questions you asked me before that I failed to answer because I was too busy (but now might not be). That is often the reason I fail to get back to people, and on a blog, after a few days, the comments thread dies and I just kind of forget about it. Let's use this space to fix that, because it does need to be fixed; I look like a jackass sometimes, leaving people hanging. I will TRY to respond to any questions here.
AND you can use this space to comment on posts that are old enough that no one is reading the comments threads anymore. For example, if you thought of a great quote for the great quote commonplace book, but now no one is reading that, you could put it here.You do not have to have a blogger account or gmail account to post a comment -- you can write a comment, write your name at the bottom of your comment like an e mail, and then post using the "anonymous" option.
WRITING FOR THIS BLOG. If you think your free form comment here might be better as its own post, but you do not want it to be public yet, email it to me. My email address is available on my blogger profile page. If I think it will work on this site, your post will be published here with your name in the title of the post. You can propose what you will, I am always looking for reviews of games, tv, movies, music and books.
ALSO. You can use this space to re-ask me questions you asked me before that I failed to answer because I was too busy (but now might not be). That is often the reason I fail to get back to people, and on a blog, after a few days, the comments thread dies and I just kind of forget about it. Let's use this space to fix that, because it does need to be fixed; I look like a jackass sometimes, leaving people hanging. I will TRY to respond to any questions here.
AND you can use this space to comment on posts that are old enough that no one is reading the comments threads anymore. For example, if you thought of a great quote for the great quote commonplace book, but now no one is reading that, you could put it here.You do not have to have a blogger account or gmail account to post a comment -- you can write a comment, write your name at the bottom of your comment like an e mail, and then post using the "anonymous" option.
WRITING FOR THIS BLOG. If you think your free form comment here might be better as its own post, but you do not want it to be public yet, email it to me. My email address is available on my blogger profile page. If I think it will work on this site, your post will be published here with your name in the title of the post. You can propose what you will, I am always looking for reviews of games, tv, movies, music and books.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Streebo Reviews Black Summer 1
[Guest blogger Streebo reviews all the issues of Black Summer that are out in the next three posts. He actually sent me one big review and I cut it into three parts, so any complaints about the organization should be directed at me, not him. This post, for example, is mostly summary, but was not intended to stand alone -- the review proper comes in the next two. I have decided it is OK to do stuff like this since blogs are messy.]
“There are some who feel like – that the conditions (in Iraq) are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on.”
George W. Bush
July 2, 2003
With those words, President George W. Bush revealed himself to be the political embodiment of Lacan's obscene father-of-enjoyment. Who better to go up against this obscene father than comicdom's own obscene father, Warren Ellis? Ellis was the writer responsible for helping modern superheroes transition from the “superego/superhero as responsibility” to the “superhero as obscene enjoyment” (as outlined by Geoff in his superhero book) in the pages of The Authority. Due to the political hot topic at the core of the concepts in Warren Ellis' Black Summer mini-series, I was initially hesitant to discuss this book in an open community, in part due to my desire to avoid sparking many needless political debates, as well as feeling singularly unqualified to discuss such matters for the academia. That said, let's take as brief a look as possible at Warren Ellis' new creator owned superhero comic Black Summer published by Avatar press.
The first issue of Black Summer opens with a montage intercutting scenes of a crippled man living in squalor with the opening of a typical presidential press conference and the images of silver clad superhero, John Horus, strolling calmly across the White House lawn. As we wonder what this seemingly innocuous confluence could lead to – Ellis entertains us with a bit of his detailed sci-fi techno-babble in a flashback showing the possible genesis of this world's superheroes as the men who would become known as John Horus and Tom Noir talk of a “second cerebral cortex”, “data clouds”, and a future where five senses will not be enough. Through expository flashes on the news, we are given the names of this world's premiere superhero team, the Seven Guns. Ellis does not make us wait long to find out exactly what this series is about and on page four John Horus emerges behind the President's podium covered from head to toe in blood. John Horus describes his actions to the assembled members of the media and the world at large:
“Good morning. I'm John Horus. Ten minutes ago, I executed the President of the United States. And the Vice President. And several of their advisers.” He continues, “We're supposed to fight evil. . .but we're supposed to stand by while this administration commits crimes. It is my belief that the war in Iraq is illegal and predicated on lies. It is my belief that our people and theirs are dying for corporate gain. It is my belief that our silence condones the widespread use of torture by our elected authorities. It is my belief that this administration stole the last two elections, and that we are living under a governance of criminals.”
It is my belief that Warren Ellis just sprayed my conspiracy ladened gray matter into a four-color superhero comic. I haven't felt this energized by a simple concept behind a comic book since Grant Morrison's unjustly overlooked opus The Invisibles. With that declaration, John Horus walks out of the White House and basically leaves Black Summer for the next few issues. We just don't know that going in. The first issue ends with Horus's former crime fighting companion, and currently alcoholic and crippled, Tom Noir staring at the television screen in stunned disbelief over his friend's actions.
I'll briefly go over the events of the two follow up issues of Black Summer next time, before discussing Juan Jose Ryp's artwork and concluding in a third post.
Streebo
www.mutantville.com
“There are some who feel like – that the conditions (in Iraq) are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on.”
George W. Bush
July 2, 2003
With those words, President George W. Bush revealed himself to be the political embodiment of Lacan's obscene father-of-enjoyment. Who better to go up against this obscene father than comicdom's own obscene father, Warren Ellis? Ellis was the writer responsible for helping modern superheroes transition from the “superego/superhero as responsibility” to the “superhero as obscene enjoyment” (as outlined by Geoff in his superhero book) in the pages of The Authority. Due to the political hot topic at the core of the concepts in Warren Ellis' Black Summer mini-series, I was initially hesitant to discuss this book in an open community, in part due to my desire to avoid sparking many needless political debates, as well as feeling singularly unqualified to discuss such matters for the academia. That said, let's take as brief a look as possible at Warren Ellis' new creator owned superhero comic Black Summer published by Avatar press.
The first issue of Black Summer opens with a montage intercutting scenes of a crippled man living in squalor with the opening of a typical presidential press conference and the images of silver clad superhero, John Horus, strolling calmly across the White House lawn. As we wonder what this seemingly innocuous confluence could lead to – Ellis entertains us with a bit of his detailed sci-fi techno-babble in a flashback showing the possible genesis of this world's superheroes as the men who would become known as John Horus and Tom Noir talk of a “second cerebral cortex”, “data clouds”, and a future where five senses will not be enough. Through expository flashes on the news, we are given the names of this world's premiere superhero team, the Seven Guns. Ellis does not make us wait long to find out exactly what this series is about and on page four John Horus emerges behind the President's podium covered from head to toe in blood. John Horus describes his actions to the assembled members of the media and the world at large:
“Good morning. I'm John Horus. Ten minutes ago, I executed the President of the United States. And the Vice President. And several of their advisers.” He continues, “We're supposed to fight evil. . .but we're supposed to stand by while this administration commits crimes. It is my belief that the war in Iraq is illegal and predicated on lies. It is my belief that our people and theirs are dying for corporate gain. It is my belief that our silence condones the widespread use of torture by our elected authorities. It is my belief that this administration stole the last two elections, and that we are living under a governance of criminals.”
It is my belief that Warren Ellis just sprayed my conspiracy ladened gray matter into a four-color superhero comic. I haven't felt this energized by a simple concept behind a comic book since Grant Morrison's unjustly overlooked opus The Invisibles. With that declaration, John Horus walks out of the White House and basically leaves Black Summer for the next few issues. We just don't know that going in. The first issue ends with Horus's former crime fighting companion, and currently alcoholic and crippled, Tom Noir staring at the television screen in stunned disbelief over his friend's actions.
I'll briefly go over the events of the two follow up issues of Black Summer next time, before discussing Juan Jose Ryp's artwork and concluding in a third post.
Streebo
www.mutantville.com
The Opening of Heaney's Beowulf (Commonplace Book)
The first word of the original Beowulf poem is "Hwaet," which has variously been translated as "lo," "hark," "behold," "attend" and "listen." Heaney though that "Hwaet" was a word "that obliterates all previous discourse and narrative, and at the same time functions as an exclamation calling for immediate attention." Wanting his translation to have a "forthright delivery" he translates "Hwaet" as "So." It works surprisingly well. Here are the first three lines of his Beowulf:
So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by
and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.
We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.
So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by
and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.
We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.
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