Despite what DC attorneys argued at the time, the Golden Age Captain Marvel wasn’t all that similar to a certain Man Of Steel. They could both fly, bend steel in their bare hands and laugh away a hail of bullets, but the Big Red Cheese’s cheerful outlook and whimsical adventures were far different from the more serious Superman’s.

Such differences mattered little to DC, however, who viewed the Captain’s swift and massive success as a serious threat to the Superman franchise and filed suit. By the end of the ’40s, the two publishers had been locked in litigation for more than seven years and were headed for a courtroom showdown.

At that point Captain Marvel was no longer the cash cow of the World War II years (Adventures was published bi-weekly at its peak with a circulation of 1.3 million copies an issue), but still earned enough profit to support an entire line of comics. A judgement in DC’s favor would not only wipe out the Big Red Cheese but every other title published by Fawcett.

In their typical whimsical matter, Captain Marvel co-creator C.C.Beck and the equally legendary writer Otto Binder addressed this situation in Captain Marvel Adventures #97 (Fawcett Publications, June 1949).

Beneath an ingenious cover illustration of a photographed hand “wiping out” the Big Red Cheese, the issue contained the tale of a felonious artist who acquired a magic eraser that could eradicate any person or object.

As a plot device, the eraser worked on a variety of levels. It served as a seemingly unbeatable challenge for Captain Marvel while subtly acknowledging the hero’s entire world as nothing more than a series of drawings on paper.

(C.C. Beck himself even makes a one-panel cameo toward the end of the tale.)

I wouldn’t be surprised if the eraser was also a commentary on the ongoing DC/Fawcett lawsuit. And is it just me, or does the story’s villain resemble a young Jerry Siegel?

As we all know, Captain Marvel was indeed wiped out a few years later after Judge Learned Hand ruled against Fawcett. The Marvel Family and every other character and title published by the company disappeared from the face of the Earth for decades.

A few publishers trotted out their own Captain Marvels before DC revived the one and only Big Red Cheese in the early ’70s. Although a host of talented creators have taken their shots at the Marvel Family (including Jerry Ordway, Mike Kunkel, Jeff Smith, Mike Norton and C.C. Beck himself), no one has ever quite captured the artistic or commercial spark that made the Golden Age tales so memorable.

These days, the Marvels are barely a presence in the DC Universe. Those rare times when Cap interacts with The Man Of Steel – his rival of long ago – it’s usually in the role of a glorified sidekick.

It’s hard to imagine Cap ever being an upper-tier character for the very company that engineered his downfall. But then again, perhaps the Big Red Cheese has already enjoyed the final laugh.

After all, to steal an insight from Grant Morrison’s Supergods, DC was eventually knocked off its lofty perch by a company named “Marvel.”

Here’s “Captain Marvel Is Wiped Out” by Binder and Beck.

Wednesday, August 3 In Our Name: This film follows Suzi, a female British soldier home from Iraq and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Haunted by an Iraqi child’s death, she becomes obsessively protective of her own daughter, eventually putting her in grave danger. This is the last night of its run at the Balboa Theatre!

Wednesday, August 3 Meet the Distiller: Hudson Whiskey Tasting: Hudson Whiskey likes to say that the Industrial Revolution ends at their driveway, but they’re flying all the way from New York to meet with 18 Reasons! Join them for a night of whiskey, stories, and pre-steam engine fun. This is a rare chance to learn from the horses mouth!

Friday, August 5 Killing My Lobster 2011 Prom: Enchantment Under the Sea: This is a fundraiser to keep improv group Killing My Lobster’s programming going strong! Hosted by MC Jelly D, KML Prom features food by Zagat-rated SF Favorite Tonayense, music by Cole (oWNERSHIP), handmade corsages and tiaras available, and a silent auction

Saturday, August 6 Grant Morrison SUPERGODS Signing and Celebration: Grant Morrison (who lists Superman, Judge Dredd, 2000 AD, Spawn, Kill Your Boyfriend and really too many others to list under his accomplishments) will be at the Isotope autographing copies of his new book Supergods.

Saturday, August 6 Regional Bias: A Celebration of Bay Area Music and Culture: Regional Bias is a huge celebration of the things that make living in the Bay Area special. Check out some of the best bands that the Bay Area has to offer — Little Wings, Royal Baths (Farewell Show!), White Cloud, and Sea of Bees — while supporting The Bay Bridged.

Saturday, August 6 Vegan Pig Roast: A Garden Butchery Cooking Series: Drawing inspiration from the nose-to-tail eating of a pig roast, Homespun applies this common sense and interesting approach to the garden, using all of what we kill, from stem-to-root, in order to respect the plants that nourish us.

Know of any other events happening in the Bay Area this week? Post them in the comments section.

And, for once, it doesn’t have anything to do with the usual suspects like Joe Quesada, Tom Brevoort, Dan Didio, Marvel or DC Comics, $3.99 floppies or Diamond Distribution.

It’s the entire industry.

Can’t you feel it? It’s sick. It’s broken. And it’s not getting any better. And it WON’T unless WE do something about it. ALL of us. From the publishers, the editors, the writers, the artists to the shop owners to, yes– even US… The men and women who ACTUALLY PAY for all this four-color madness and GIVE these people these platforms and their livelihoods.

It has taken me a long time to write this piece. The approach is tricky and I am still not certain I’ve gotten it right. The tone is too easy to turn preachy. So I am going to do my best to do NO preaching at all. Just hit the basics and then jump out.

Nothing fancy.

You know why Jose and I do this, right? Because, like you, we love comics. So much so, that– also like you– we both devote MANY, MANY hours each day to discuss and promote them. And yes, we DO promote a shitload of stuff here at Inveterate Media Junkies.

We promote quality: Quality publishers. Quality writers. Quality artists. Quality comics. Quality Films. Quality TV. Quality Music. Quality Novels. And if you can’t see that– if all you see is negativity or capricious fools attempting to be hip by disdaining the very things they profess to love… Then my friend– it is time for YOU to move on.

With all sincerity, we truly appreciate having each one of you here (and we are about to announce a phenomenal STAT in the coming weeks) but if you’re here because you think we share your dim view of the industry… Well, we DON’T.

That written, there is something very foul eating at the foundation of the comic book business– and something needs to be done NOW if the medium we love and enjoy so very much is going to survive. If we want this business to be here– even in TEN YEARS– you, me, every fan you know has to STOP BUYING SHIT™.

Yes, I know that seems simplistic (and it has been on the IMJ Sidebar almost since Day One) but it truly is one of those things that is a LOT easier said, than actually implemented. It is one thing to think, “I should stop buying Amazing Spider-man.” than ACTUALLY STOPPING yourself from buying Amazing Spider-man. You know it and I know it. (And yes, the Spider-man reference was just a title/character picked out of thin-air. There are a LOT of comics worse than Spidey clogging the stands that also deserve to languish unpurchased. Not a ton– but still, you get what I mean… It was a RANDOM choice.)

My main point is, a lot LESS people buy comics today than they did just 1o years ago.

If the TENS OF THOUSANDS of people who read Inveterate Media Junkies every week stopped buying certain books they have long since stopped enjoying and/or respecting (either out of habit, a need to keep their “run” complete or misplaced loyalty), just our numbers alone could cause a SEISMIC SHIFT in the market. If just 10,000 people said, “I’m going to pick up the next Thunderbolts– just because Jose has been talking it up for so long”… Then YOU– each one of YOU– would send a sharp and extremely loud signal to some very important people in this business.

And so I know that I am being clear here: If you stop buying a couple of books– the only way this idea works is if you put that money back into some NEW TITLES… Possibly stuff you’ve heard about here or something else you haven’t ever considered buying. If you give other titles a chance, I promise that you WILL find something you like more than the habitual shit you’ve long since stopped admiring… And you WILL be GLAD you did. At the same time, you will also be sending a strong message to the Powers That Be that their complacent fostering of the shit being produced by their SHIT TALENT will no longer be tolerated… Or, at the very least, purchased by YOU anymore.

If we are actually able to accomplish this, heads could most definitely roll. Shitty titles could be canceled. And yes, untalented people could finally lose their jobs… But all that would be a good thing.

Quality will win out. Quality creators will shine through and more such talented people will be hired. Quality books will survive. And if the quality people we currently favor wake one day full of themselves, taking on too much work and their work starts to suffer because of it… We will move on AGAIN… Stop buying their shit and discover someone new that is deserving of our hard-earned money.

And if you decide to join the IMJ Nation™ in this experiment, do you know what YOU will be doing in 1o Years? You’ll be flipping though your collection and you’ll be EXCITED to see your OLD FRIENDS again. You won’t be sitting there shaking your head and asking yourself, “Why did I buy this? What was wrong with me? How IMMATURE could I have been?”

Instead, you’ll be PROUD. You’ll look at a book and think, “This was the year I developed a critical voice. This was the year that I started to realize that, while I was still only one person, I could be part of something MUCH BIGGER… And together our voices helped make a difference in a medium that I love.”

Some of you are already laughing at me. I can tell. That’s not PARANOIA talking. It’s the truth. You’ve heard it ALL before. You’ve seen this kind of thing fail– and sometimes fail miserably. This idea could fail now too. But “scoffers”, I can only respectfully type that I think you are WRONG this time. In fact, I’m not certain you could be MORE wrong.

NOW is the time for all good women and men to take a stand for something they love.

Remember I wrote that a lot fewer people are buying comic books nowadays? While it’s true that the top monthly sellers can still break 100,000 copies sold– even that relatively paltry level is becoming harder and harder to obtain. Most titles today are considered to be super successful at the 50K or 60K per month mark and tons of books are still be published (even by the Big Two) when they barely surpass 10K.

Given these anemic sales figures, you can see how 10K ADDED to a quality title’s print run or 10K SUBTRACTED from a shitty book’s bottom line, would cause quite a stir. But why be satisfied to stop there? As the Inveterate Media Junkies audience continues to grow, hopefully the simple idea to support ONLY quality works will continue to expand as well.

Still, I feel the need to clarify this too: Let’s say you are just a superhero fan. Just can’t get into anything that doesn’t wear a cape or revolves around something that isn’t super-related.

I get it… WE get it. What you need to know is, there are LOTS of QUALITY BOOKS being written about SUPERHEROES right now. Some of them just aren’t being published by companies you’re used to buying from… Or maybe have ever even noticed before.

And know this: This is NOT a call to stop buying comics… Or to “Wait for the Trade”. Far from it. If anything, it is me pleading with you to BUY MORE BOOKS… Because if you really EXAMINE the comic book business TODAY– you will discover something quite PHENOMENAL. The industry, as a whole, is producing the BEST MATERIAL it has produced in decades, possibly in TWENTY– or even THIRTY– years.

In fact, as we sadly watch what may be the comic book business’ dying throes, we might also be ironically witnessing a brand new GOLDEN AGE that, in many ways, may be more imaginative than almost anything produced by this industry back in the 1930s or 1940s.

I’m serious.

That’s why, for all my complaining, criticizing and downright despising some (a lot?) of the material out there– I can’t shake the feeling how I LOVE so much of it too. Maybe I don’t love as much as I dislike… But hey, even GREAT Editors, Writers or Artists can have off days… Right?

And if we’re lucky? If enough of us QUIT sucking at the “Mainstream Only Teat” and start reading and supporting books based on QUALITY only– and not the LOGO in the top left corner of the front cover… If we’re really lucky, a by-product of this will be that we’ll have run some of the NO TALENT, DOWNRIGHT ABUSIVE ASSHOLES OUT OF THIS BUSINESS and we’ll have raised TALENTED CREATORS to a stature they deserve.

And if we’re really, REALLY lucky? We’ll still have a Comic Book Business to call “home” in Ten Years. Books will still be released monthly and printed on PAPER, in floppy formats– and not just on DIGITAL PLATFORMS.

Don’t think it can be done? Think I am fucking pie-in-the-sky crazy? Then let me throw this last fact at you: Anybody that tells you that they “always knew” IMAGE COMICS would one day stop aping the Big Two’s Superhero Machine and turn into the PREMIERE PUBLISHER of quality Independent Titles… Well, to put it mildly, they are LYING to you. No one foresaw this, least of all the Founders of Image Comics.

A lot can change in TEN YEARS. A decade is a very long time. You’ve seen big shifts in World Politics. In TV. Radio. Music. Film. Brick and mortar Bookstores and Music shops– once commonly seen on almost every corner– are virtually dinosaurs now. And despite what you may think: You CAN make a difference. RIGHT here. RIGHT now.

Want to join Jose and I– and STOP BUYING SHIT™? Want to stop supporting SHIT EDITORS, WRITERS, ARTISTS– and companies so complacent and cocksure in their position in this dying industry that they have ZERO PROBLEMS shoving their calculated pablum down our throats on a monthly basis?

If you DO think NOW is the time to stand up and finally try something different– I can only tell you that I KNOW you will be HAPPIER. You will discover stories and characters of such wonderment that your love for the medium will IMMEDIATELY be RE-ENERGIZED. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll ALL still be here in 10 Years– still bitching and still attempting to steer people, young and old, toward the good stuff.

Wouldn’t that be extremely cool?

With its’ feet planted firmly and unapologetically in the past, Atomic Robo is publisher Red Five Comics’ biggest, most deserved success. Thankfully, the co-creators of Robo– Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener– have reacted to their budding recognition with the same breezy, unaffected manner that they continue to treat their loveable metal hero with… And it is an attitude that serves them all well.

In short, you get the distinct feeling that these two guys would be creating Atomic Robo comics even if no one were reading them. Their passion shows through that much. Combine that with MASSIVE TALENT and you have big mojo.

I have recommended this book from the beginning. I love the no-nonsense stories, the straight-forward art… The estimable ability to take their character where many have gone before and still, unequivocally, make everything seem brand new.

I have yet to have one reader/friend/acquaintance come back even mildly disappointed after my recommendation. In fact, I am so certain that you will like Atomic Robo that I am going to do something unprecedented– a first for IMJ as it were– I am going to put my money where Brian & Scott’s talents are… Just in hopes I can get some of you off your fences and try this great book!

Buy any Atomic Robo  trade. If you aren’t completely satisfied that I have turned you onto a really cool comic, write me a legitimate critique and send it to imjunkies@att.net

You can tell me you didn’t like it…. But you also MUST tell me WHY you didn’t like it to be eligible for the following offer (see the “Fine Print” details below). Be as thoughtful (and lengthy) as you like. Keep your sales receipt and email it to me and I will soothe your non-superhero hives by sending you a NEAR-MINT, UNREAD copy of the VERY HARD-TO-FIND FIRST PRINT of J. Michael Straczynski’s SUPERMAN EARTH ONE Hardcover.

Keep in mind, these Superman books are NOT promos… NOT given to me by someone at DC Comics or Warner Bros. I purchased them with my hard-earned money too.

And if I actually do receive some less than flattering critiques (anything is possible I guess), I will do my best to write a follow-up column about them next month.

And finally, you should be aware that neither Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener, Red Five Comics or anyone or any entity that has anything to do with Atomic Robo knows that IMJ is making this offer. We have NOT been paid or given any type of consideration to run this promotion or publish this review or even mention Atomic Robo at all. As the sidebar resolutely states, “We Don’t Pay for Play™”.

This offer is open to the FIRST FIVE members of the IMJ Nation™ who send legit negative critiques to imjunkies@att.net. Qualified emails will be counted in the order they are received. You MUST be able to prove that you bought your Atomic Robo Trade on– or after– the day this column is first published on IMJ, 8.1.11. You have until 11:59.59 PM PDT on 8.31.11 to make your purchase and send in your critique and a scan of your receipt to be eligible for this promotion. You must also consent to have all– or any part– of your communications concerning Atomic Robo used in an upcoming follow-up column for the Inveterate Media Junkies website. This includes your name. If you don’t want us using your name, we will be happy to oblige– but you have to at least let use a hybrid like Neil A. or Tom B. for example. That’s it.

Alan Moore Storyteller HC
Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine Premiere HC
Atomic Robo Volume 5 Deadly Art of Science - HOT PICK OF THE WEEK!
Avengers Academy Vol 1 Permanent Record – I own the HARDCOVER too!
Avengers By Brian Michael Bendis Vol 1 – Umpteenth iteration of a bore-fest
Batman Streets of Gotham Vol 3 House of Hush HC
Black Widow Kiss or Kill
Blackest Night Rise Of The Black Lanterns – Own the Hardcover
Blackest Night Tales Of The Corps – Own the Hardcover
Bombyce Network – More HUMANOIDS goodness!
Danger Girl Campbell Sketchbook HC
Dave Stevens Complete Sketchbook Collection HC
Days Missing Kestus Vol 2 HC
Death Valley
Essential Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 5
Iron Siege
Justice HC
Krazy Kat & Art of George Herriman HC
Metal Hurlant Collection Vol 2 HC
MMW X-Men Vol 3
Monster Hunters Survival Guide
Nancy Drew New Case Files Vol 3
Red Sonja Vol 8 Blood Dynasty
Rip Kirby Vol 4 HC
Setting the Standard: Comics By Alex Toth
Spider-Man Blue
Spider-Man Fantastic Four – Own the Hardcover
Stand No Man’s Land HC
Supergods: What Sun Gods Can Teach Us (Prose) - RUNNER UP HOT PICK!
Time Lincoln Vol 1 Fate of the Union
Transformers Ongoing Vol 3
Transformers Prime Vol 2
Transformers: The Complete All Hail Megatron HC
Treasury 20th Century Murder Vol 4 Sacco & Vanzetti HC
World Of Smurfs HC
Wormwood Vol 3 Deviant Edition
Wright Brothers Campfire
X-Men Legacy Aftermath HC

Negima Vol 30
Twin Spica Vol 8
Valkyria Chronicles Design Archive Vol 1

I’m going to take a cue from the publishers and note the author’s name in big white letters: That’s about all I need to make this book the FIRST PROSE NOVEL recommended in any edition of Insideman’s Pull List™.

I was going to mention Red Sonja Vol 8: Blood Dynasty… But I have kicked this broken-down horse more than once and I don’t see the point of doing it again. (Other than doing what I just did, again, of course.)

The guys reunite this week to give their thoughts on the new Harrison Ford/Daniel Craig picture, Cowboys and Aliens! After, the take the time to chat about some of the movie and TV news from San Diego that was left out last week, such as a new Jurassic Park film and a Voltron reboot. Kenny reviews the new Thundercats TV show, and Blake takes the time to chat with Rebecca Marshall Ferris about her new documentary film Miller’s Tale, about the life of actor/writer Jason Miller. In the picks, Kenny goes with 50 Girls 50 #2 and Blake selects the new nonfiction tome from Grant Morrison, Supergods. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!

Music provided by Music Alley from Mevio.

Episode 231: Cowboys and Aliens and Movies (Oh My!)

“Whatever you think I am, that’s what I’m not.” – Grant Morrison   

Grant Morrison’s comics blew my mind. And just as I was picking up the pieces he blew it again. Before I tell you my encounter with the supergod I’ll begin with my meager comic book beginnings which began with his series The Invisibles… well kinda. It technically began with The Watchmen, allow me to explain…

I began reading comics a few years ago. Despite taking so long to get into the medium, I always believed in the value of comics. One of my uncles is a long time comic book reader, collector and overall lover of awesome geekery (he sends me text messages like: “Winter is coming.“). So I always had comics around me in that sense.

The Invisibles

I started with Watchmen, which of course was great but I wasn’t really sure where to go from there. I found the mainstream superheroes stuff so massive I didn’t know where to begin. It wasn’t until one of my many Wikipedia black hole moments I found myself on The Matrix page (again) and I stumbled across that part that tells you everything that The Matrix had been inspired from but mostly where it stole from and that’s where I first discovered the The Invisibles. The next thing I knew I was knee-deep in Grant goodness consuming everything Wiki and Google could give me on The Invisibles and this Grant Morrison fella. Richard Metzger co-founder of Disinformation described Morrison perfectly in a few words, “A bullet with a candy coating.” I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but boy was I in for a weird ride.

There’s a reason why on barbelith.com/bomb there are comprehensive annotations on damn near each page of the series. It’s that deep. My brain was jumping for joy at how it managed to be intellectual, postmodern, countercultural, brilliant and bizarre simultaneously.  Grant said in an interview, “[I wanted to] see how close I could get to the complete and systematic derangement of the senses.” Well he got pretty damn close. There are countless times while reading where I’ve done double takes at panels, shouted at the comic, “Wait, what?!” and re-re-re-read sections and still didn’t get it. But knew in time I would.

After I finished reading The Invisibles (for the first time) I was like an addict, I needed more Morrison and I needed it weird. I watched his documentary which I recommend Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods, I read Doom Patrols and Animal Mans and  I’m still reading The Filth which Morrison told me is his favorite when he signed my copy. But I’m not done with The Filth yet. I’m slowly and delicately reading it as if I’m walking on thin ice and any wrong step I could plunge into the icy depths of insanity. But its brilliant insanity so I tend to be a bit reckless while reading every now and then.

Of course Grant Morrison is known for much more than The Invisibles, and every Morrison fan has their own “first time” experience with Morrison, The Invisibles is mine. He’s also known for JLA, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, Batman and more.

Now you know why I love the man, moving on when I met him. At Midtown Comics on July 19th Grant Morrison was there for a signing of his new book Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero. I was lucky enough to have him sign not only Supergods but The Invisibles Vol. 1 and The Filth.

I stood in line super nervous wondering what the hell I’d say to this man when I remembered a Twitter follower told me Morrison was a fan of Doctor Who. Until then I didn’t think it possible for me to adore that man anymore than I already did, but there was. He’s like my comic book soul mate. It was decided, I would talk to him about the madman in a blue box. Now that I think about it, that seems to be a reflex when I meet people, “Hi my name is Jamila, do you watch Doctor Who?”

It’s my turn to approach him and first off I’m just glad that coherent words were even able to come out of my mouth. I introduce myself and tell him what The Invisibles and his comics meant and did to me and how wonderful it was to meet him. Then I told him I heard he was a big fan of Doctor Who. He told me he’s been a big fan since he was young and he watched the classic series and now the new series. He said he loves Steven Moffat’s writing style and he thinks Matt Smith is brilliant as the Doctor. I asked him if he’d ever get to write an episode like Neil Gaiman and he said that “The Doctors Wife” was one of his favorite episodes and he’d love to write for Doctor Who, they just haven’t asked him yet. (Ask him Moffat!!!)

He was completely genuine and sincere towards me and it seemed like he was that way to all his fans as I watched him in the most non-stalkerish way possible. He didn’t rush people along and just sign their books, he took his time and talked with his fans, really talked with them not to them. You could tell he really enjoyed meeting and talking with everyone. It was an amazing experience and I’m so thankful to have had it.

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Grant Morrison (Allan Amato) and Gerard Way (Associated Press)

Super friends and cosmic dreamers Grant Morrison and Gerard Way will appear together Thursday at Meltdown Comics (7522 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles) for a discussion of Morrison’s acclaimed new book “Supergods,” which is a sort of meditation on meta-humanity.

The two are among the elite creators in comics these days with Morrison writing key Superman and Batman arcs in recent years and Way chronicling the surreal adventures of “The Umbrella Academy.” Way also has a day job as lead singer and art director of My Chemical Romance (the band is now preparing to tour with Blink-182) and Morrison portrayed a memorable bad-guy in their music video for the hit “Sing.”

I’ll be there Thursday for sure. Hope to see you there as well.

– Geoff Boucher

RECENT AND RELATED

Flash Fact: Our universe is one of many, grown inside some unimaginable amniotic hypertime.  It may even be a hologram, projected onto a flat mega-membrane, which is, in turn, embedded, along with many others like it, within a higher dimensional space some scientists have dubbed ‘the bulk.’  In the brane model of the multiverse, all history is spread as thin as emulsion on a celestial tissue that floats in some immense, Brahmanic ocean of…meta-stuff.  Got all that?

If cosmologists are right about this (and I’d dearly love to hope they are), the superheroes, as usual, have been here already.

You could certainly argue that Early 21st Century Pop Culture’s Superhero Fixation is little more than a series of risk-averse investments made in response to the billions of dollars grossed by Spider-Man and Batman.  Or, if you’re like Grant Morrison, you could make a pretty compelling argument that our Superhero Fixation is a symptom of something far bigger than box office receipts- as in, the collective, magickal will of humanity sketching the blueprints of the next steps in our own evolution.

That’s the thesis that pops up throughout Morrison’s Supergods, though for the most part the book’s just History Of Superheroes, from the Nazi-Smashing Golden Dawn through the present-day Techno-Terror Renaissance.  A lot of common knowledge for comics geeks more hardcore than myself, maybe, but potentially worthwhile for them too, considering it’s all recounted by one of the best-selling rock star comic-book writers in the medium’s history.  Not only does Morrison offer his inimitable chaos-magick slant on the story of the superhero meme and the role it plays in the human psyche, but he also provides a few illuminating flashes of insider’s perspective on some of the biggest DC & Marvel titles of the past 25 or so years.

Because it’s Grant Morrison, naturally there’s some self-mythologizing that borders on self-indulgence.  Some of the autobiographical passages feel like they’d be better off in an actual autobiography, and he includes several of his own titles in his list of “Essential Collected Editions.”  (I mean I don’t exactly disagree with his choices, but still.)  Nevertheless, it’s hard to stay mad at Morrison’s self-mythologizing, since he spends so much more time mythologizing humanity and our relationship to superheroes, and he does it to an inspiringly optimistic degree.  “We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us,” he writes.  “We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.”  Even the most cynical corners of my psyche have a hard time spurning that kind of conviction.

Supergods is subtitled, “What masked vigilantes, miraculous mutants, and a sun god from Smallville can teach us about being human,” which sounds like a great germinating idea for a critical examination of superhero comics. The first section of the twenty-six chapter, 426 page book comes the closest to living up to the subtitle. Morrison begins at the logical beginning:

In Superman, some of the loftiest aspirations of our species came hurtling down from imagination’s bright heaven to collide with the lowest form of entertainment—and from their union, something powerful and resonant was born, albeit in its underwear. Superman was the ferocious attempt of two young men to show us ourselves at our very best.

Morrison goes on to write an engrossing analysis of the creation of Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, and the small cast of popular early superheroes in the Golden Age. He includes the perfect amount of historical context, pop references, and commentary on the writers and artists to keep the book from becoming overly academic. I found his detailed analyses of the covers of the first issues of Superman, Batman, and Fantastic Four fascinating. Morrison’s prose is full of hyperbole, and his imagery keeps the discussion lively, although at times it’s self-indulgent. At the end of the Golden Age section, he writes:

Alone at night, in the midst of unprecedented luxury after a successfully won World War, Americans were more frightened than ever before… There was the space race, with its launch into the limitless unknown, and Kinsey’s groundbreaking surveys into the sexual habits of Americans, opening the dripping treasure chest of a buttoned-up country’s inner life, revealing a sleep world of polychromatic polymorphous perversity acted out behind a camouflage of pipe-smoking patriarchs and Stepford wives. There were as many different kinds of fear as there were brands of gum.

As the book moves into the Silver Age section, Morrison examines the fifties and sixties era comics in the context of the growing popularity of psychoanalysis and the space race. Along those same lines, He injects his own initiation to comics into the chronology, but this quickly turns from comics to his family life to his belief systems regarding time, the fifth dimension, and the multiverse. From that point the analysis of superhero comics, which is still good, is interrupted by Morrison’s own memoir about his many identity crises, drug inspired occult experiments, and new age philosophy.

The memoir interruptions take over in the Dark Age and Renaissance sections as Morrison’s career takes off, and the organization and logic of the book are derailed. He writes:

If I found some dangerous or interesting ritual in a book, I’d give it a go to see what effect it would have on my consciousness. The results were never less than revelatory. Psychedelics gave these experiences the fidelity of a Star Trek 3-D holodeck experience. Demons and angels had faces now of white-hot, razor-edged purity or grotesque puzzle box monstrosity… I have no really explanations for a lot of this but numerous speculations that may find their way into another book one day. I simply allowed all this to happen under some vague direction from a diamond-interior Protestant straight-edge self that seemed to never lose control.

How Morrison can say with a straight face that his “Protestant straight-edge self” never lost control while he was taking drugs and performing occult experiments is completely illogical to me, especially since he claims to have rejected the Bible at an early age and completely botches the central theme of the Gospel message early in the book.

Between the memoir sections in the last half, Morrison gives an excellent analysis of Alan Moore and Frank Miller’s work. Yet, he could not restrain himself from including his previously mentioned “speculations” about his mystical experiences. He explains that a life-changing drug induced epiphany he had in Kathmandu gave him his “very own superpower.” He can now “’see’ 5-D perspective.” He goes on for the majority of the last section of the book discussing his “experiments” and explaining his new found understanding of time and the universe. His analysis of more recent comics is painfully thin and focuses on his own work. The end of the book loses all coherence with the rest, and a whole chapter is dedicated to movie adaptations, rather than following the established chronological order of the book.

The history and analysis of superhero comics is excellent through three quarters of the book, but after the Silver Age, the reader has to pick through the new age philosophy and identity-crisis memoir to find the good stuff. I’m sure there are readers, especially diehard fans of Morrison, who will find the memoir and personal philosophy interesting. But as Morrison even seems to recognize, those topics would be better suited for another book. I will say that my advance copy of the book has obvious signs that it was a draft and would be edited.

Also chats about Matt Smith’s Doctor Who at the end.

Our two-part interview with Grant Morrison on his new book Supergods, which hits bookstores this week, concludes today. We’re going to be blunt and say that this part is a free-flowing discussion of Morrison’s thoughts on recent trends in comics, some of his favorite all-time books, and what it’s like working on DC’s new relaunch. Also, why more comics need to be written by kids. Read on! 

Read the full interview here!

Grant Morrison’s has long held a reputation as one of the most imaginative (and occasionally surreal) creators of comics out there. This week, readers get a chance to understand what made Morrison the man he is with the release of his new book Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human.

Equal parts history and autobiography, Morrison takes us through the history of superhero comics from the Golden Age to the present, incorporating his own life history in the process – from growing up as a comic fan to being abducted by fifth-dimensional aliens in Katmandu. In the process, he examines the fundamental themes and aesthetics behind particular books, looking at how they tie into their respective eras – and further looks into how comics will affect human development in the very near future.

Read the full interview here!

In 24 hours we’ll be in San Diego and getting ready for San Diego Comic-Con 2011!  Wee!  Until then…. here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs:

The New York Times – Superheroes, Surveyed and Sized Up – A look at Grant Morrison’s Supergods.

Geekweek – Joe Johnston Interested In Winter Soldier, Boba Fett Movies – Ok….

Con Coverage:

I Am Rogue – SDCC 2011: Sunday Schedule

Comics Alliance – Comic-Con Preview 2011: What to Do Friday

Bleeding Cool – Are You On The List? Parties For San Diego Comic Con Week

Bleeding Cool – Hulk By Jason Aaron And Marc Silvestri To Be Announced At San Diego Comic Con?

The Beat – SDCC11: What if you have to pee?

Bleeding Cool – Defenders By Matt Fraction And The Dodsons To Be Announced At San Diego Comic Con?

The Beat – SDCC11: What if you have to eat?

The Beat – SDCC11: Video Games take it to the streets

Around the Tubes Reviews:

Alien Guide to Planet Earth – The Griff

Books and Movies – Pariah Vol. 1

Publishers Weekly – Comcis Reviews July 2011

After that, my next planned reads are:
Evolution for Everyone
How We Became Posthuman
Supergods

I’m too thrilled to have these all lined up. I’m ready to go wild until class starts again. I’ve got a comic convention to look forward to next month.
And today I’m going to have burgers and beer and play old arcade games. Be jealous.

Announcing the first selection of the FT Book Club: Nick Harkaway’s The Gone Away World. But what else have Dave and Paul been reading?

Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

A Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry

Supergods by Grant Morrison

The Astounding, The Amazing, and the Unknown by Paul Malmont

The End of Everything by Megan Abbott

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

Music: “Summersong” by the Deceptionists

Download this episode.

In terms of upcoming reviews, here is a list of titles:

David Hine & Shaky Kane, The Bulletproof Coffin (Image Comics)

Alejandro Jodorowsky & Moebius, The Incal (Humanoids)

Alejandro Jodorowsky & Moebius, Madwoman of the Sacred Heart (Humanoids)

Grant Morrison, Supergods (Spiegel & Grau)

Brian Bolland, Kevin O’Neill, et.al., Judge Dredd: Mega-City Masters Volume One (Rebellion/2000AD)

John Wagner, Alan Grant, et.al., Judge Dredd: Mega-City Masters Volume Two (Rebellion/2000AD)

Jill Thompson, The Little Endless Storybook (Vertigo)

Jill Thompson, Delirium’s Party (Vertigo)

Allan Say, Drawing from Memory (Scholastic)

Craig Yoe, Krazy Kat and the Art of George Herriman (AbramsComicArts)

Winshluss, Pinocchio (Knockabout/Last Gasp)

Brian Bolland, Bolland Strips! (Knockabout/Last Gasp)

Denis-Pierre Filippi, John Lord (Humanoids)

John Wagner, Alan Grant, et.al., Judge Dredd: Mega-City Masters Volume Three (Rebellion/2000AD)

Additionally, I am also writing an essay on Frank Frazetta’s White Indian collection from Vanguard and the concept of White Indians in comics.

Books Preview: Spotting Summer’s High Fliers

Summer is a strange time in the publishing world — most houses are waiting to publish their marquee books in the fall, heading back to school and into the holiday season with their weighty novels and Pulitzer contenders. And yet, summer is the season of pleasure reading, when some of us have the blessed free time to make a dent in reading lists and take a new discovery to the shore, devouring it over boat drinks and freshly shucked oysters (or insert your fantasy heatwave meal here). Publishers know this as well, and so they roll out a handful of their most thrilling titles in the hot months, providing readers with a few gems to fill the long vacation hours. This is the season for action, adventure, romance and fantasy, but it is also a time for some stellar novels and nonfiction, pearls of serious literature to cut through the humidity. Here’s a preview of some of the most promising titles coming out in June, July and August.

State Of Wonder
By Ann Patchett, hardcover, 353 pages, Harper, list price: $26.99, pub. date: June 7

Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto, a story about terrorism in an unnamed South American country, was a revelation when it was published in 2001, winning the Orange Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Now, Patchett returns again to South America for her sixth novel, set in the Amazon. In a modern take on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Patchett’s protagonist, research scientist Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down a former mentor, now 70 years old and obsessively studying the native population deep inside the jungle. And much like Conrad’s antihero Charles Marlow, Singh struggles with her own demons as she machetes her way through the wilderness. Patchett has crafted a story that is both an adventure tale and a deep psychological study, complete with mosquitoes, poison arrows and, of course, a tribe of cannibals. If you’re looking for an escape that doesn’t abandon literary elegance, this is it.

Demon Fish: Travels Through The Hidden World Of Sharks
By Juliet Eilperin, hardcover, 320 pages, Pantheon, list price: $26.95, pub. date: June 14

The Discovery Channel’s insanely popular “Shark Week” series (kicking off this year on July 31 and hosted by Saturday Night Live‘s Andy Samberg) proves that we can’t digest enough information about the carnivorous fish. Every child jumping into the ocean or the deep end of the pool for the first time learns to fear Great Whites, even without seeing Jaws. (Side note: Several Hollywood blogs have been buzzing about a rumored 3-D remake of the film). But it has been years since we’ve had a serious investigative inquiry into the species, and this summer we get it. Juliet Eilperin, a seasoned journalist who has written previously about national politics, dives — literally — into the world of sharks, examining the ways different cultures have responded to and treated the fish over the centuries. She traveled the globe to report the book, spending plenty of time underwater, in close contact with the most deadly predators. What emerges is a detailed and thorough glimpse into the story behind the feared (and often misunderstood) creatures.

Before I Go To Sleep: A Novel
By S.J. Watson, hardcover, 368 pages, Harper, list price: $25.99, pub. date: June 14

This summer will see many thrillers come and go, but undoubtedly one of the most memorable will be this debut from S.J. Watson, an audiologist who wrote the book while on night shifts at a London hospital. Watson’s main character, Christine, struggles with a big problem: Every time she goes to sleep, she forgets her name, her identity, her location, even her husband (due to a rare kind of amnesia). Each day is a new day, but in the most terrifying sense. Christine starts to keep a journal to remind herself of the basic details, and through it she learns that her husband, Ben, is keeping facts from her. Is he trying to protect her from a dark past, or is he concealing something more sinister? The structure of the novel — Watson shows us Christine’s world through her diary — is heart-racing. We can never really tell what is real and what is invented, and as any keen reader of thrillers knows, the blurry line between truth and fiction can be scarier than blood and gore.

The Storm At The Door
By Stefan Merrill Block, hardcover, 368 pages, Random House, list price: $25, pub. date: June 21

Summer is the best time to read a great love story, and you’ll get it in Block’s novel, inspired by his grandparents’ own experiences. In the book, Katharine Merrill is a woman torn; she loves her husband, Frederick, but his behavior has become increasingly erratic in the decades following his return from World War II. When he ends up being arrested after a cocktail party, Katharine makes the difficult decision to put her husband in a mental asylum. The novel switches back and forth between points of view — Katharine’s ruminations on her marriage, Frederick’s meandering and regretful mind inside the asylum — but ultimately the lovers converge again. The Storm at the Door is a beautiful book — the kind that will linger with you long after the leaves start to change.

Bright’s Passage: A Novel
By Josh Ritter, hardcover, 208 pages, The Dial Press, list price: $22, pub. date: June 28

Josh Ritter, NPR Music’s perennial folk singer, has a debut novel coming out that reads a lot like one of his long, mythical songs: Henry Bright returns to West Virginia after fighting in World War I to find that his wife has died and he must raise an infant son on his own. Fortunately, he has the help of an angel that has followed him from the battlefields of France to Appalachia, an angel who wants to assist Bright and his son on their treacherous travels. Bright’s world is one of nightmares and forest fires, haunting war memories and hope for his child’s future. The novel is written in Ritter’s unique voice — that of a troubadour and soothsaying songwriter, and it is as pleasing to read as his music is to hear.

Once Upon A River
By Bonnie Jo Campbell, hardcover, 348 pages, W.W. Norton, list price: $25.95, pub. date: July 5

Bonnie Jo Campbell’s last story collection, American Salvage, won her nominations for the National Book Award and National Book Critic’s Circle Award, and now she has emerged with an anticipated new full-length novel, a kind of Huckleberry Finn through female eyes. Sixteen-year-old Margo Crane decides to sail the Stark River by herself after her father’s death, armed with scant supplies and a biography of Annie Oakley. As Publisher’s Weekly wrote of Campbell’s wonderful heroine, she is “never a cry baby, as able as Sacagawea, with a strong and unapologetic sexuality.” Margo is the kind of narrator you want to stick with, even throughout difficulty — hers is the kind of voice you miss after the book ends.

The Kid
By Sapphire, hardcover, 384 pages, Penguin Press, list price: $25.95, pub. date: July 5

With the release of Precious, the film based on Sapphire’s first novel, 1996′s Push, the author was rocketed back into the public spotlight — and in turn, she decided to write a hotly anticipated sequel 15 years later. The Kid follows Abdul, Precious’ son, as he navigates the world of Harlem at age 9 following his mother’s death. As he moves into adulthood and blossoms into an artist in New York, Abdul has to confront his past, tracing all the way back to a Mississippi dirt farm, in order to fully embrace his future.

Turn Of Mind
By Alice LaPlante, hardcover, 320 pages, Atlantic Monthly Press, list price: $24, pub. date: July 5

Alice LaPlante’s debut has already started to get serious buzz months before its arrival. A literary thriller about a retired surgeon who suffers from dementia, the book has been described by Ann Packer as “funny, tragic … masterfully done, a tour de force that can’t be a first novel — and yet it is.” LaPlante introduces us to Dr. Jennifer White, whose best friend has just been murdered and has four fingers missing from her hand. As an orthopedic surgeon, White becomes the prime suspect — and given her fading mind, she cannot even remember whether or not she was responsible. What results is a fascinating look at the unspooling of a mind, and how dementia can lead one into the darkest alleys of consciousness.

The Last Werewolf
By Glen Duncan, hardcover, 304 pages, Knopf, list price: $25.95, pub. date: July 12

Yes, yes, I know — the vampire trend is dying down and the werewolf trend is ramping up. You can expect plenty of books and films about the howling set to appear over the next year, but none are as compelling so far as Glen Duncan’s The Last Werewolf. Duncan, a British author who consistently churns out compelling prose, writes in this book about Jake, a 21st-century werewolf who is the last of his kind. With no other werewolves to commiserate with, Jake becomes depressed and suicidal, and he would likely kill himself, save for the fact that there are two groups pursuing him whose mission is to keep him alive. By placing the werewolf myth in the modern day, and giving us a narrator who is sensitive, smart, and sexy, Duncan has written a book that is essentially irresistible for the summer reader.

Sex On The Moon: The Amazing Story Behind The Most Audacious Heist In History
By Ben Mezrich, hardcover, 320 pages, Doubleday, list price: $26.95, pub. date: July 12

Ben Mezrich’s last book about the infighting among Facebook’s founders, The Accidental Billionaires, was the basis for the Oscar-nominated film The Social Network, so his follow-up has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, Mezrich has uncovered another high-stakes, fascinating true story, this time about a heist involving NASA, moon rocks and intense romance. Thad Roberts, a NASA fellow, devised (with a cohort of friends) a plan to break into NASA lab headquarters to steal precious moon rocks for his girlfriend. A grand romantic gesture, the heist took months of planning. When completed, it was almost as intricate and impossible to believe as the plot of Ocean’s Eleven. Mezrich digs through FBI records and interviews to discover the truth behind the crime; part love story, part madcap caper, part astro-geekery, the book is one of the summer’s most fun reads.

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, And A Sun God From Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human
By Grant Morrison, hardcover, 464 pages, Spiegel & Grau, list price: $28, pub. date: July 19

Grant Morrison is one of the world’s leading experts on comic books, and he draws on his entire body of work in Supergods, charting the history of superheroes from the very beginning. Morrison places the figures we all know — Superman, Spider-Man, the X-Men — in a broad cultural context, invoking art history, science and mythology to explain why we are so fascinated by the superhuman.

Northwest Corner: A Novel
By John Burnham Schwartz, hardcover, 304 pages, Random House, list price: $26, pub. date: July 26

John Burnham Schwartz’s 1998 novel, Reservation Road, was a big hit, becoming a feature film starring Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly and Joaquin Phoenix. The novel and movie told the story of Dwight Arno, who, driving home to his wife one night, hit a young boy and kept driving, not aware until later that night that the blow killed the child. The book followed both the Arno family and the family of the dead boy throughout the news cycle, each side trying to piece together a new life after a tragic accident. In Northwest Corner, Schwartz revisits Dwight Arno, now 50 and out of jail after serving time for the hit-and-run. Dwight has a college-age son who needs his support, but he is unable to let go of the grief and shame wrought by the accident, and needs something to pull him out of extreme depression. The book follows the father and son as they try to grapple with ways to move forward. Written in Schwartz’s sparse, affecting style, it is a work that will move even those readers who have not read his earlier work.

Skyjack: The Hunt For D.B. Cooper
By Geoffrey Gray, hardcover, 352 pages, Crown, list price: $25, pub. date: Aug. 9

D.B. Cooper is the name the press used to describe the man who, in 1971, hijacked a Boeing 727 en route to Seattle from Portland, Ore., demanding $200,000 midflight and then parachuting out of the aircraft before officials could capture him. Despite an intense manhunt and an extensive FBI case (which continues today), he has never been captured. Investigative journalist Geoffrey Gray decided to track the history of the case, interviewing several of the main players and trying to understand why the case remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of the ’70s. In the process, the writer becomes personally obsessed with the mystical Cooper, leading to a narrative that is infused with passion and curiosity about a man who managed to fly away from his crime, never to be seen again.

Ghosts In The Wires: My Adventures As The World’s Most Wanted Hacker
By Kevin Mitnick, hardcover, 432 pages, Little, Brown and Company, list price: $25.99, pub. date: Aug. 15

In our new Internet-saturated age, hackers are much more prevalent than they once were, but also much less prominent. During the early years of the Web, however, a hacker could attain national fame by breaking into mainframes, which is exactly what Kevin Mitnick did — he hacked his way into Motorola, Sun Microsystems and PacBell, and ended up eluding the FBI for years through stolen identities and other elaborate ruses until a dramatic final showdown. Mitnick was a criminal, to be sure, but he was also a visionary: Due to his hacking exploits, we have dramatically shifted how we protect online information. Ghosts in the Wires is much more exciting to read than it should be — Mitnick manages to make breaking computer code sound as action-packed as robbing a bank.

Anatomy Of A Disappearance
By Hisham Matar, hardcover, 240 pages, The Dial Press, list price: $22, pub. date: Aug. 23

Hisham Matar has enjoyed great success already; his novel In the Country of Men was an international best-seller. But with all of the recent upheaval in the Middle East, and especially in his native country of Libya, Matar is experiencing a newfound cultural significance. His latest novel is already an acclaimed work overseas, and it arrives in the States in August. In it, Matar tells the story of Nuri, a man living in Cairo whose father suddenly and mysteriously disappears. Matar writes from experience; as he discusses in his recent interview with NPR’s Renee Montagne, he also dealt with a disappearance in the family, and with the gaping hole that it leaves in one’s

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….there’s still that little scratchy voice in the middle of the night: I don’t want to be alone. I want there to be something bigger, something that moves in mysterious ways and wants only the best for us. And I will forgive it, the disgusting state of this world, and all the things in it that want to crush and kill me, and have faith that something incredible and invisible and unknowable will make things better. And so (in SUPERGOD), just to make sure, I will build it and keep it by me. I will pretend it’s a weapon, a defensive capability, a computing object or a construction machine – but really it is a Messiah.