He’s a much more difficult character to handle because unlike someone like Batman (billionaire playboy by day, brooding one-man-army by night) he isn’t cool. He’s a big blue boy scout and proud of it, but unfortunately for him, since Han Solo came around all the kids want to be Wolverine, not Cyclops. So what can you do? The solution most writers and artists found was to emphasize his god-like power. This meant gigantic alien fistfights and virtually no character development. Yes they’ve killed him, brought him back to life and turned him electric blue, but have we seen these creators truly push the limits of the man of tomorrow? Has anyone tapped his true potential? I didn’t think so until I read All Star Superman.

The series doesn’t really run along a singular narrative (something that the recent animated adaptation suffered from trying to force) but sufficient to say it features a super powered Lois Lane, an encounter with Black Kryptonite, an interview with an imprisoned Lex Luthor, an excursion to Bizarro World, an altercation with Kryptonian explorers and a sun eater among other things. The scale of the series is at once epic and intimate and it succeeds in crossing many subgenres within the realm of science fiction. Presumably taking his lead from Alan Moore, Morrison is hugely respectful of the character’s rich history and revels in the opportunity to turn many of the sillier or ‘goofy’ ideas from the Silver Age into some brilliantly cool components.

This is helped in no small part by the outstanding artwork of Frank Quitely whose style transcends decades of mythology to capture the essence of the character. His depiction of Superman perfectly encapsulates his power and humility; tall, broad and a little bit clumsy. Unlike Bill of Kill Bill fame, I don’t think that Clark Kent is Superman’s critique of the human race. To me they are one in the same sharing strengths and insecurities. Quitely finds the overlap and brings it out for all to see. Together this artist and writer have found the vulnerability in a seemingly indestructible character and proceed to strip him bare with each new adventure.

In the ninth issue, Superman describes himself as ‘a scientist’s son. It’s in my nature to observe and learn…’ This is a quality in the character that helps to anchor the tone of the series. It’s a celebration of life, the universe and everything. He is not humanity’s resident strong man, more a scatterbrained genius with one hundred plates spinning at once. He is an inspiration, a symbol of human potential. This comic put a fresh spin on an already iconic character and in my opinion it is the greatest Superman story ever told. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Joe Read.

The story starts the same as pretty much any other Tintin book… With his trustful fox terrier Snowy at his side, our intrepid young reporter wanders straight into trouble within the first few pages! At a market stall in his native Belgium, Tintin comes across a model of a ship thinking it to be the perfect present for his friend Captain Haddock. After purchasing the model, two mysterious gentlemen step forward and try to forcibly buy it from Tintin, but he refuses to sell and heads home. Back at his flat, Snowy knocks over the model and breaks the mast and once Captain Haddock arrives he is amazed to find it is a replica of a ship his ancestor used to command before suffering at the hands of a vicious pirate attack. I would usually give slightly more of the plot away here, but I am worried that to say more would ruin this brilliant story.

In a first for Herge the plot is spread out over two books, allowing the action to move at a slower pace than usual. The scenes are much longer, and the dialogue is fleshed out a great deal with some brilliant exchanges (an aspect of Tintin that is often overlooked). Eventually though, Herge’s writing does come back to default mode and he finishes the action with an exciting chase through Marlinspike Hall (which Tintin will later move into with Captain Haddock) with gangsters armed with guns and fierce dogs hot on Tintin’s tail.

Lets face it, deep down we all really just want to wake up in the morning and walk into an adventure by lunch time, and if you don’t feel this, then I don’t think you’d be cut out for Tintin. The Secret of the Unicorn has maybe the most sophisticated narrative structure of any Tintin book; Herge’s masterful grasp of adventure is clearly on display as he slowly weaves together a story full of mystery and suspense. Although the action is limited to Belgium (the location where Tintin is based is never actually confirmed as Belgium, but it’s a pretty good bet it is!) Herge uses this to his advantage by having the book finish as an expedition is being planned, you’re really not going to get away with not reading the next book…

The artwork is very impressive, drawn in the same clear Herge style, with vivid colours jumping out from every page. In maybe my favourite sequence in the book, Captain Haddock recounts the tale of his ancestor and a pirate attack on his ship. Unusually for Herge, the action is cut between both Haddock becoming more and more animated as the tale unfolds and a flashback to the events happening, giving the perfect opportunity to draw some beautifully detailed images of a ship on the high seas. Herge was near obsessive about researching all elements of his books down to the smallest detail, and this can be seen not just in the image below but also in all his work.

The Secret of the Unicorn was Herge’s favourite book of his own work, and also his first double length story. Tintinoligist Michael Farr (best job title in the world ever?) has described it as Tintin’s last great detective adventure. The book is full of classic Herge humour but also compelling and adventurous, spreading the action out over two books leaves Herge the space to fully flesh out the characters he would have left in the background before, and lets the plot run at a slower pace than usual. This most definitely gets a rating of awesome sauce.

Next, I’ll be reviewing the second part of the adventure; Red Rackham’s Treasure, so keep your eyes peeled… That’s a rather disturbing phrase isn’t it? Keeping your eyes peeled. Have you ever seen that youtube video of a laser eye surgery? Some eye peeling goes on in that, it’s gross – ED.

Will Pond.

And so begins Abe Sapien’s first outing alone…

The Private diary of Sir Edward Grey, British occult detective and special agent of Queen Victoria comes to the attention of the B.P.R.D. It brings to light the whereabouts of a mysterious Lipu dagger, forged by Hindu monks in 300 BC at the command of a statue of the Goddess Durga, Ten were forged, one for each of Durga’s arms, forged for the purpose of destroying Demons.

The specific dagger in question was used by Sir Edward Grey to drive through the chest of a powerful Dutch Warlock called Vrooman, before the boat they were on sunk off the coast of France near the isolated island of Saint-Sébastien. Abe Sapien is simply sent to recover the Lipu dagger and Vroomans’ remains.

Simple? Would Sir Edward Grey have relinquished such a rare and powerful weapon to the bottom of the sea had Vrooman been a pushover? Of Course not!

The resulting story is action packed and exciting yet manages to retain the slow-moving chill and suspense of a good old fashioned ghost story. The Edgar Allen Poe-esque sense of prevailing doom is thick in the air. You read as a helpless spectator to the evil threat Abe Sapien faces as he is guided by the ghost of a witch, who in life was charged with guarding the body of Vrooman. In death she helplessly relies on Abe Sapien as a puppet of her will.

Mike Mignolas writing reaches new highs in THE DROWNING. The haunting story explores Abe Sapien’s emotional fragility as a rookie agent and his guilt at the death of fellow agents and common fisherfolk alike. THE DROWNING is a stand alone graphic novel in it’s own right but it is also a cunning bridge between the Hellboy and B.P.R.D. series, reinforcing hints as to Abe Sapien’s Origins (see B.P.R.D. plague of frogs). It also beautifully introduces us to Sir Edward Grey (from the Witchfinder series).

Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork sets this story aside from the rest of the Hellboy universe, it is a style a mile apart from Mike Mignola’s in all but the extreme use of contrast. It is more the work of a classical artist and breaks with conventional comic book norms. Alexander paints a picture with the ink rather than ink a picture. The result adds to the nightmarish feeling of woe in Mignola’s writing. I am horribly sceptical of artists other than Mignola drawing for the Hellboy universe, as i love Mignola’s style so much. However Alexander’s artwork lends a different mood and blends with Mignola’s storytelling to lead it in a new previously unexplored direction. It works… beautifully!

THE DROWNING is one of the best Hellboy universe stories i have read so far.

John Paul de Quay.

Joe Read

After collecting every part of the twenty-five-issue run of Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassady I decided that it was possibly the greatest run of any creative team in the history of the X-Men.

Let me qualify that. The true function of the X-Men has never been very clear to me. One minute they seem to be super-powered aid workers, the next they’re mutant rights activists and sometimes it’s like watching an episode of Teachers with less swearing and more explosions. As Cyclops puts it, ‘We’ve been taking it on the chin so long, just trying to keep from being wiped out, I think we’ve forgotten that we have a purpose.’ Whedon gave this purpose back to the X-Men. From the first issue they launch themselves as a team of superheroes and that is what they remain in spite of a great many obstacles. Each member of this team gets their moment in the spotlight but there is just as much emphasis placed on showing the full force of their powers combined. In this way we’re reminded how their experiences have shaped and earned them their place among other heroes. We also see relationships within the team develop rather than being kept on a loop for convenience. This results in uncomfortable, moving and sometimes hilarious exchanges.

The versatility of John Cassady’s artwork is incredible. Each story arc presents a fresh threat for the X-Men and his style adapts perfectly to each one. Panels are at once bold, energetic and filled with subtlety. As the series begins in clinical, stark surroundings and gradually builds into a gigantic space opera, Cassady never fails to impress with the consistent high quality brought to every issue.

I don’t mean to disrespect any previous interpretations of the X-Men through my praise. A crucial part of Whedon’s success in this run is the sense of nostalgia he creates. There are countless nods made to the early work of Chris Claremont in particular, from the impending intergalactic threat to the climactic sacrifice of a teammate. Respect is paid in full through bright costumes and elements of romance but kept grounded by snappy dialogue and contemporary themes.

I can’t praise this run highly enough and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone.

Joe Innes

I, unlike the other Joe, did not hunt down every issue to this run. Instead I just purchased the hardcover omnibus, it looks fantastic on my shelf.

I’ve been a fan of Joss Whedon, like most people, since Buffy The Vampire Slayer. His writing was sharp, snappy and full of pop culture references, it’s always been a cup of my tea. In Astonishing, those writing skills breathe new life into some ageing archetypes. You know the guy was having fun writing it, and you know he did his homework for it, and you know he was thinking “I can’t believe I’m writing X-Men, I have the best job in the whole Fing world”.

The characters in Astonishing are incredibly well fleshed out. Whedon spends time with seemingly insignificant ‘newbie’ characters to brilliant effect, when they’re struck with tragedy or given a chance to stand their ground you really feel for them just as much as you would for Beast or Wolverine. The classic characters are familiar, but Whedon plays with them enough to shed light on personality traits that haven’t fully been explored. Beast cracks at least two Star Wars jokes, showing him to have an awesome sense of geek humour, and Kitty Pryde is made into a fantastic female role model, incredibly strong willed and with a hilarious distaste for Emma Frost’s wardrobe. He handles stuff like love and evil with a very grey brush, which is always good to see, and sex is well portrayed without being smutty or exploitative or anything.

The stories are incredibly compelling. My favourite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were always set in the holo-deck. I think Whedon gets that because he takes the idea of a sentient danger room and just runs all the way with it. The arcs are perfectly planned, with smaller stories all coming together to make a big picture. The set-up is subtle, the problem is big and the solution makes sense, all fitting together like a big awesome puzzle. The stuff Joss Whedon brings to the table is still echoing through Uncanny X-Men right now, which is a testament to how good his ideas are.

So yeah, Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men is awesome, one of the best runs of its kind. Now I need to read Grant Morrison’s run… I love my life.

Jokes we couldn’t fit into this article: The front cover of Giant Size Astonishing #1 looks like X-Men Lemmings. Teenage Mutant Suicide (Don’t Do It).

X-Men Lemmings

In the immortal words of  Julie Andrews; Let’s start at the very beginning (I watched The Sound Of Music today, it gets awesome once the Nazi’s get involved doesn’t it?). For the first time machine, I’ll take a look at the most valuable comic book in the world, the very first appearance of Superman.

Here in the future, armed with hindsight and nostalgia, we’ll look at this legend of comics and hold him up to modern scrutiny. Is it good? Did Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel create the character we know today, or does evolution apply to fictional character biographies too? Find out here (or merely read my opinion).

This is invisible

Here it is…

Imagine that! The Superman origin has hardly changed at all, although a child lifting a car is INFINITELY more impressive than a child lifting a chair.

I think it’s funny that the Superman we all know and love today is probably less believable than the one found in this first issue, given that I always believed as audiences got more sophisticated then this kind of stuff became more realistic (like say, The Dark Knight).

If Superman could bend the laws of physics and fly rather than merely jump 1/8th of a mile, then that would’ve been plain silly. But of course, now he gets his powers from our yellow sun, that explains flight perfectly.

The little aside about ants and grasshoppers is great to see too, found again most blatantly in Spiderman, that jerk who has the same relative strength as a spider.

So the whole Clark Kent/Superman act hasn’t changed, but the most telling thing is that his first job as a vigilante is breaking up domestic violence. He beats up the perp too. These days, when Superman gets involved with drug abuse or domestic abuse, the people say ‘wow, it’s so brave and modern how comics are tackling real life problems’.

J Michael Straczynski’s current run on Superman reads exactly like this. In Superman #705, the guy restrains himself from killing an abusive husband and father. Nuts, the same thing happened in the very first issue.

Here, we see a sign of the times. Lois Lane, as a woman, is found working on ‘sob-stories’. The Lois Lane I know wouldn’t be caught dead working on sob-stories, rather risking her neck trying to break the latest war crime scandal or political cover up. It was probably unheard of for a woman to be anything higher than a secretary in the 30s, so the character we see here is definitely a victim of the era.

This is great, not only do we start getting a taste for Lois’s strong character, but we also see Clark Kent as the ‘act’. It’s almost impossible to identify Clark Kent as Superman, the glasses aren’t the disguise at all. This really reminds me of Grant Morrison’s Clark in All Star Superman, a completely spineless caricature of humanity, and it works from the start.

Don’t worry about Lois, she definitely gets her own back on Clark, by um, whipping him…

You may not have known this, but Joe Shuster was a perv! Well, upset and down on his luck after losing a battle for his copyright, he began drawing Lois and Clark in ‘adult’ situations. The pictures were published under the counter in magazines called Nights of Horror, and ultimately banned by the U.S. Senate.

You can find out and see more in: Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster.

Invisible

I’ll skip the issue ahead a couple couple of pages now…

And obviously, Superman breaks up some political conspirators and tortures someone, while giving them a lesson on electricity. Brilliant. Neil Adams’ Batman Odyssey had a similar science lesson, a lecture about why a hydrogen car doesn’t explode when shot because the tank was composed of a metal hydride. Comic books eh? Fun AND informative.

In my opinion there’s little difference between Superman then and now, though he’s obviously gotten a little more sophisticated. This issue does cement why he’s such a great character, and why he’s still popular after 73 years. The original super-guy, and probably the most iconic example of the genre. Good Stuff.

Oh, and the paper he works for used to be called The Daily Star. I think they changed it because the actual Daily Star sucks.

Joe Innes.