Flashback Friday: "Superman: The City of Tomorrow Volume 1," AKA I Suppose Superman Can Be Entertaining After All!

I made a Facebook post once where I don't remember exactly what I said, but it was along the lines of: Superman as a character generally bores me and I usually only like stories with him that are out-of-continuity and have a great writer ("All-Star Superman," by Grant Morrison) or involve him acting out-of-character ("Red Son," and, "Injustice," come to mind). My statement was how the DC comic Universe Superman generally just doesn't have yarns that interest me. One of my friends, Brian Lan (who also does great work with the Hero Initiative) saw this and didn't so much take offense as he wanted to school me on how, "Superman," can actually give us some good stories. He recommended a number of books to me and I made a request to my library so I could try them out.

One of the books Brian told me to try out was the collection, "Superman: The City of Tomorrow, Volume 1." It featured a number of Superman stories from the early 2000s that he told me didn't require too much knowledge of Supes to follow along with. Having read the collection, I will admit I was entertained. If one goes into stories keeping one big thing in mind, they can work well. the main thing to remember is that Superman is inextricably good and wants to help. If you hold onto that as a focal point you can enjoy many tales of Superman (or sometimes his civilian identity, Clark Kent). 

The concept with Superman is he faces an obstacle and finds a way to overcome it.  The obstacles can be big or small, but Superman's good heart and caring nature help him find a way. He has no ulterior motive, he just wants to help, and there is a kindness and purity to that which I mistook for boring at points but can see isn't boring so much as a starting point. It is a launchpad for stories about how someone who wants to be the best they can be towards others deals with a World where essentially nobody else thinks that way. Superman isn't cynical. Superman isn't spiteful. He's Superman, and the fellow has everyone's best interest at heart, against all odds.

Superman might try to help a man keep his house from being demolished by greedy building developers or he could end up having an epic fight in space with an interplanetary tyrant. He'll always try his and best and attempt to see the best in others. Garth Ennis, of all people (the man generally seems to hate superheroes and writes them as terrible people) wrote one of the best summaries of how Superman views, "Us," as Earth years ago in a comic that wasn't even about Superman--it was focused on a creation of Ennis named Hitman in a different comic than what I read but it bears sharing. Observe...

So yes, when you get some skilled writers (Joe Kelly plus Jeph Loeb and Mark Millar before those two went downhill in storytelling) and great artists (Doug Mahnke and Ed McGuinness to name a couple) you can create some solid Superman tales if you go into the tales knowing what to expect. I suppose my friend Brian had a good point and I thank him for turning me onto some solid Superman tales. I plan to pick up a book chronicling the recent, "Warworld," stuff as he told me that was excellent as well. I look forward to reading that too now!

"Avengers," #1 Gives Us a Stupendous Start for the Newly Relaunched Series

Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness (with some other artists too) had been doing the, "Avengers," comic since 2018 and that's quite a good deal of time in this era of comics where a book can be canceled or relaunched within six or so issues. Jed Mackay and C.F. Villa are taking over for a new run now, however, and I'm not surprised it starts so strongly. I expected this to be a good debut issue because Mackay is a stellar writer (he's been killing it over on, "Moon Knight," and did a number of superb, "Black Cat," books to name some recent work). C.F. Villa is a superb artist as well, having worked with Mackay most recently on, "Black Cat," in addition to other stuff like, "X-Men." I'm pleased my expectations were met and surpassed.

A whole lot has been happening in the Marvel Universe and Mackay doesn't avoid it or perseverate on it. As Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel assembles her team a variety of things all the characters have been through get mentioned and clearly inform why The Vision or Black Panther might be joining the team, but whether you've followed a solo series or recent event or not, you'll be set as Mackay is setting out to tell a new story while also respecting the recent and longer-ago past. Hence, the book alternates between Carol assembling her new Avengers team, them being stuck in a huge battle, and a little jump forward in time that involves a classic Avengers foe who maybe is at the end of their metaphorical road.

If I'm being honest, I have not read a dedicated," Avengers," title for years (besides occasionally checking out an issue here and there). I followed the Avengers-related books religiously back during the era of, "Civil War," "The Initiative," and, "Secret Invasion," but then started to fall off the books quite a bit ago. This first issue by Mackay and Villa definitely piqued my interest and has me thinking I"ll be picking up an, "Avengers," book again for the foreseeable future as long as they're doing it!

5 out of 5 stars.

The First Issue of the New, "Heroes Reborn," Shows Promise

A bit ago Marvel announced they were doing a new, "Heroes Reborn," event. Unlike the one in the 1990s that featured an alternate Earth, this one had it apparently be the regular reality but rewritten where the Avengers never formed and that altered a lot of history--resulting in the Squadron Supreme being the big-name team. It sounded like a fun mini-event, but a big chunk of tie-ins were announced. That made it sound possibly a bit bloated for a weekly thing. Still, I tried the first issue and I thought it showed some promise. The idea is that the Avengers never formed for some mysterious reason and it seems like only Blade realizes that the World is wrong. Agent Coulson is President and seems to maybe be evil, supposedly Mephisto is involved in all this I read, and there is a lot going on in this different-but-vaguely-familiar World. There is still a Hulk, but he's locked up, Dr. Doom lost his political power and becomes the Juggernaut. Captain America was never found after he crashed into the ocean during World War II, and so forth.

I am a big fan of alternate-reality stories and have a soft spot for the Marvel version of the Justice League known as the Squadron Supreme so that maybe helped me enjoy this odd first issue. Written by Jason Aaron with lovely art by Ed McGuinness, this first issue is dedicated to basically laying out how things are all warped and that Blade isn't pleased by it. Not a ton happens beyond Blade saying, "This is wrong, this is wrong, that's wrong too!" but it is still fun to witness our Marvel heroes all changed about. McGuinness really does a fantastic job illustrating certain scenes, such as when the Juggernaut-powered Dr. Doom fights Hyperion or when some speedsters (one being a clever amalgamation of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) fight. It looks good even if not a lot happens beyond place-setting.

I suppose the tie-ins are kind of necessary to help flesh out this strange World whilst the main weekly comic will focus on Blade and anyone he can recruit to his cause of fixing the World. The second main issue and the first of the tie-in issues will be released tomorrow. I may give them a browse as this first issue had me cautiously optimistic about, "Heroes Reborn." It could all fall apart and suck by the end, but right now it's a fun alternate-reality jaunt.

The Latest, "Heroes Reborn," Sounds Quirky

Back in the 1990s, there was this event of sorts where many of Marvel's major characters seemed to die fighting a villain named Onslaught. They didn't die, however, they warped to World created by Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four (because he was secretly super-powerful). The mainstream Marvel Universe dealt with thinking the Avengers, Fantastic Four, etc. were dead and they got their own comics. The Earth was revisited sometimes and one character from that alternate place--Rikki Barnes--has been living in the regular Marvel Earth for some time. There is going to be a new, "Heroes Reborn," event and absolutely none of what I told you matters because this is a whole new thing. Yeah, comics.

Starting in May, the current, "Avengers," comic by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness will take us to an alternate reality where the Avengers were never formed. Instead, the Squadron Supreme are Earth's greatest heroes and Phil Coulson leads them. Thor never got his hammer, Peter Parker is simply a reporter, Doctor Doom became the Juggernaut (somehow), Captain America stayed frozen in ice, and the only Blade of all people remembers that this is a wonky timeline. This isn't a massive event, it seems, just a fun arc in the current, "Avengers," comic. As someone who likes the Squadron Supreme in its various iterations (basically Marvel riffing on the Justice League) and who thinks Blade is cool, I think this may be interesting. 

I really appreciate this is just a story arc (for now) and not some massive event with a ton of tie-in comics. I'm well-known as being a fan of alternate-universe/what-if tales between this having some cool characters involved and featuring a messed-up timeline I'm gonna check it out. I just don't get why Marvel went with the name they did considering this is nothing like the original, "Heroes Reborn."

DC Nation #0 and Avengers #1 Are Exercises in Mediocrity

I picked up the two big releases out today from DC and Marvel, "DC Nation #0," and, "Avengers #1." Both horrifically underwhelming and besides one aspect of, "DC Nation #0," I liked, incredibly bland/mediocre/etc. It's unfortunate because I was hopeful I'd at least somewhat enjoy reading them, as I quite like a number of DC books these days and at Marvel am a fan of...um...the new, "Exiles," is fun and, "Runaways," is pretty good, I guess I can say?

"DC Nation #0," has three different stories all covering quite different thematic territory. The initial one is about the Joker breaking-in to a random person's house in the hopes he gets an invitation to Batman's wedding sent there, somehow. It is actually pretty enjoyable to read as it is weird, twisted, and darkly funny. It still seems like a random way to cover how Batman and Catwoman are getting married in the Tom King-written series (he writes this too), however, as someone just randomly picking this comic up who hasn't been following that comic--like me!--would maybe just be befuddled and want more info on the wedding. Still, at least the Joker bit was good. The next segment features Clark Kent as Superman and focuses on the Daily Planet, and that's about it.

Things are mentioned about Clark and Lois having an issue, some new lady is introduced who seems a bit evil, and the whole piece otherwise just kind of meanders around. If this is what a Brian Michael Bendis-written Superman reads like that makes me a bit worried. The last part is a mish-mash of a ton of characters and some new cosmic threat introduced at the last second that wasn't terrible, but failed to really grasp me either--it just felt like a series of splash pages and set-up for a new, "Justice League," comic...which is what it is, but yeah.

"Avengers #1," continues the competent-yet-boring vibe with the usually stellar Jason Aaron as writer and artist Ed McGuinness both seeming to be putting forth a bare minimum of effort. There is an opening set long ago in the past with the Avenger's of a million years ago which Aaron has written about previously, then we jump to the present where Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Thor all address the fact that their respective lives have been pretty weird lately. I guess by acknowledging that Iron Man was in a coma due to, "Civil War II," Captain America become a Hyrda-agent in the atrocious, "Secret Empire," and Thor lost his hammer in the meh, "Original Sin," they can now just forget those things occurred with a, "See? We talked about it once!"-styled hand-wave.

After the three heroes chatting we jump around a bunch to show-off a random variety of heroes worried about a mysterious looming threat and then at the climax see what looks like a lot of trouble from the space-bound Celestials coming our way (yes, both comics involve threats from space, its a funny coincidence). It reads like a boring first-draft of an Avenger's comic and McGuinness seems like he barely cared and just tried to draw the damn book as fast as possible. It just feels like a slog to read-through, which is sad as these are some talented creators giving us such forgettable comics.

"DC Nation #0," and, "Avengers #1," are not bad comics. They just aren't especially good ones outside of a brief solid segment with the Joker. I guess in defense of, "DC Nation #0," it did just cost a quarter, so I got my money's worth out the Joker alone, but judging it with the cost aside, it ain't that stellar. "Avengers #1," is so meandering it hurts, and I just expect better from the creators behind it. These books are the epitome of 2 out of 5 stars, just below-average, but not terrible. As my title said, they are exercises in mediocrity. It's a bummer these comics supposed to be big launch-pads for huge-deal titles and events are so weak, but that's what happens sometimes, I guess--you go big but end up just going home, so to speak (with, "Going home," in this case being making something passable-yet-lacking).