Ultimates 2

Written by Mark Millar
Art by Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary
Published by Marvel Comics

Mark Millar’s run on The Authority created a group of heroes based on the Avengers to challenge the Authority. His depiction of those hallowed icons ran him afoul of Marvel. Until they asked him to work for them and do to the Avengers what he did with The Authority. The Authority brought a event movie style to comic books with its larger than life characters, big stories, and big concepts. Keeping the same creative team, that influence is seen here. With The Ultimates, the Ultimate lines’ version of the Avengers, Millar’s come full circle.

Hitch and Neary continue to impress with their detailed splash pages and landscapes, bringing a cinematic eye to their art while still being nuanced enough to make two people enjoying a cup of coffee interesting. These are super-heroes who live in a grown up world, a realism forged in today’s global political climate, and are thus darker and, frankly, not as likeable. The Ultimates retain Millar’s trademark humor and spot on dialogue, but he has crafted a harder edged vision of the Avengers.

A trend in today’s comics is to do story runs as “seasons�. The first season of The Ultimates had the group only participating in two battles, one against the Hulk and another against and alien invasion. Season two picks up in the aftermath of those events with enough sub-plots to put soap operas to shame. However, many of the sub-plots fall naturally from the consequences of their missions and the characters’ actions.

The Ultimates triumphs have made them the focus of media frenzy and they have risen to the heights of celebrity popularity. Even in the best of circumstances, given our society’s need to build people up only to tear them down, you know that it is only a matter of time before they are knocked off their pedestal. We know that their fall from grace will come sooner rather than later because Millar has been exploring these flawed heroes. Captain America, icon for America and also the natural leader of any group of super-heroes, is a strongly moral-centered man who has rationalized his violent job (including his willingness to kill). Yet he manages to retain a certain yesteryear charm and innocence. Hank Pym, so desperate for a place of belonging, has experienced the most fascinating fall from grace, denied his wife (due to his abuse) and his job (due to his continuing embarrassing stumblings). And we know (for anyone familiar with the debacle that was his creation, Ultron) that it will only get worse.

This sort of character exploration might make for a dull book if the creative team couldn’t also stage the grand slugfest, such as when the Ultimates had to battle one of their own, the (possibly) deluded Thor. The reader doesn’t know if Thor is the figure from Norse mythology (as his Marvel universe counterpart is) or a mad man with good intentions. Thor, as the book’s voice of social conscience, has some Cassandra-like pronouncements about not only the group, but on the nature of America’s military imperialism. He sees America as the new Rome. The heroes under government jurisdiction, seem blinded or unconcerned at their treatment as military assets (persons of mass destruction being a particularly clever appellation).

The Ultimates show the dangers of how easy it is for good people to lose their way. They get caught up in their individual missions and can spout the reasons why they do things, but they seem blind or conveniently oblivious to the big picture of where they fit in society. Such a myopic view would be fine if their deeds were the end in and of themselves, but there is a context for those deeds. Something is off when the group replicates itself for its own ends, as if the point of the deed was to build the group, not to do the missional work of the reason the group was established. And along the path that they find themselves, they may wake up and wonder when exactly they became the bad guys or at least the kind of people they were formed to fight against.

The comic book also serves as a reminder to question where our allegiances lie, with our personal agendas (as individuals), our group’s image (whatever that set apart group may be), the national agenda (as the empire), or perhaps some larger missional work (God’s kingdom). Building on Thor’s thought, Christ’s admonishment ring in our ears to "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." We need to remember to be about the mission first, which may not always line up with the interests of the empire. Plus, The Ultimates know how to bring the Jerry Bruckenheimer-esque “big bang� to comics.

The Greatest Game Ever Played

I don’t know a thing about golf. Okay, I know Tiger Woods and have a passing familiarity with some of the top players, but I couldn’t tell you the difference between a fine golf stroke and a baseball swing. The only movies about golf that I’ve seen are the comedy classics Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore. However, have you ever watched someone do or talk about something they love? Something they’re passionate about? No matter how dull or esoteric the object of their affections may be, their passion for it often draws you in. Someone here loves the game of golf.

Directed by Bill Paxton (Frailty) from the eponymous book by Mark Frost, The Greatest Game Ever Played takes us into the familiar “based on a true story� brand of Disney movie (The Rookie, Miracle). The movie centers around two characters: young prodigy Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf), who has the bearing of a young Russell Crowe; and defending British Open champion Harry “The Stylist� Vardon (Stephen Dillane). Francis, from a working class family and flanked by his 10 year old caddy (Josh Flitter), finds himself competing against his idol in the 1913 U.S. Open.

The movie slightly suffers from a repetitive feel, though that has to be expected since the movie is attempting to derive drama and tension out of rounds of golf. Unlike, say football, golf is a more cerebral game and not particularly big screen friendly. As with any sports based movie, the movie is about more than the game, but about the characters who play it. Paxton does a wonderful job of juggling a cast of characters, painting their stories in a few deft brush strokes. Though he does go for a few too many cinematic flourishes (the distracting close up on a ladybug of all things and going to the well of following the ball too many times) and other such camera tricks prove a little distracting, breaking the illusion and drawing us out of the movie. On the other hand, some of the special effects, like Harry blocking out everything except the hole, are quite effective. The lesson learned here: a little CGI goes a long way.

“Even in our darkest hour, we must remember to never despair.� -Harry Vardon

The movie is surprisingly layered, weaving a series of themes for such a simple, on the surface, movie: Americans vs. British, privileged vs. the working class, father vs. son, young vs. old, their lot in life vs. daring to dream, and ghosts of the past vs. their present reality. Francis has to unlearn the lessons of his father, Arthur Ouimet (Elias Koteas), who often preached that “A man knows his place and makes his peace with it.� And it struck me how often people are afraid to dream of a better reality for themselves, content to stay where they are. In "The Weight of Glory," C. S. Lewis writes, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." Sometimes it takes a game to show us the way.

“He has a God-given talent and this is his chance to give voice to it.� -Mary Ouimet (Marnie McPhail)

We all have gifts, callings. When you’re doing what you’re meant to do–as Francis noted of an opera singer’s voice after attending a performance–“it comes through her from somewhere else.� He tried to deny his gift because of a promise to his father and it made him miserable. The hollowness of what his life had become was evident, all the joy removed from him, because he wasn’t doing what he was created to be doing. The important thing is to know for whom you are playing.

“A game doesn’t give a man what he needs to build a life.� -Arthur Ouimet

Golf is a game of gentlemen, in this case, gentlemen being defined as the old money types that belong to country clubs and the like. It was the great philosopher Groucho Marx that said “I’d never belong to a club that would have someone like me as a member.� Many people see the church as a country club, echoing one characters thoughts about their own country club that “You may have been invited, but don’t get the idea that you belong.� The country club’s “gentlemen�–these guardians of tradition, prestige, and position (Pharisees by another name)–miss the point of their mission. It is not the club that is the end in and of itself, after all the point of the club is not to build the club, it is the love of the game. Like God’s kingdom, the game embraces all who want to play it, rich and poor alike.

The Greatest Game Ever Played is a heart-warming family movie (this is a Disney film) that reminds us that if we dare to dream, we can succeed because of who we are, not because of our lot in life. That's not a bad message to remember.

Strange

“Beginnings and Endings�
written by J. Michael Straczynski and Sara Barnes
art by Brandon Peterson
published by Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics’ sorcerer supreme, Dr. Strange, has been one of the most under utilized (when not completely mishandled) characters in their super hero universe. Partly this is because creators typically don’t know what to do with him or have no particular take on his mission and motivations. They don’t know who he is; for that matter, neither does most of modern day comic fandom. We see him in his typical role, support character in other people’s books, called in when their adventure has taken a mystical turn. Well, J. Michael Straczynski (Dream Police, Rising Stars, Supreme Power, Amazing Spiderman) and creator of Babylon 5, reintroduces Dr. Strange to a new generation of readers and fans in the book simply titled Strange.

The story is a familiar one: brilliant and selfish surgeon, Dr. Stephen Strange, gets into a senseless accident that destroys his hands and his career. In his attempts to find a cure, and reclaim the life he thinks he wants–in effect, a second chance–he comes to realize that he’s been sought/groomed by each side of the ancient war between shadow and light.

For the sake of the collected trade paperback market, the story takes six issues for what was done in one back in the day. Not much new is done with the character here, but like the character-driven emphasis that typifies Straczynski’s work, the characters are deepened and are given clear motivations and real backgrounds. What is interesting is how the characters are fairly unlikeable (Strange, Clea), still a cypher (Wong), or are given modern sensibilities (like the almost too hip Ancient One). Though the dialogue sometimes suffers from being too ... weighty, the book still manages to inject a bit of fun and wit and remains quite engaging throughout.

Another trademark of Straczynski’s work is how it is grounded in a spiritual sensibility. Dr. Strange seeks (and becomes) a spiritual healer, a caretaker for the soul sick. His role in life is to pursue becoming a nexus, a guardian at the gate between the forces of night and day until all worlds are called into account. We’ve been given gifts for a reason, for the sake of others. Stephen Strange falls into the trap many of us fall into. Full of pride. Successful as modern society defines success: money, freedom, women, able to isolate himself from the rest of the world. Trying to fill a hole that will not be satisfied. However, when all is said and done, this is a book about two things: figuring out your true calling and becoming a disciple.

“Life is about the journey, not the arrival.� -The Ancient One

Dr. Strange is a man of regrets. A powerful theme in the book is how it is his journey, mistakes and all, that make him into the man he is and should be. We have free will and with that free will comes a simple choice. Having essentially two paths, we have to choose which master we want to pattern ourselves. “The Ancient One� or ourselves. Yes, ourselves. The “Evil One�, the Dreaded Dormammu, didn’t try to convert Strange to “the dark side�, but merely needed to keep Dr. Strange focused on himself and his own wants. That kind of self-focus keeps us from not only seeing where we are, but keeps us from fulfilling who we should become. Doing “what thou wilt�, we then “default� onto the path of “Dormammu�.

Like Dr. Strange, it’s too bad that we often have to get to the end of our rope in order to find ourselves and our purpose. We walk in our selfish worlds, not realizing our true state of being hopeless, lonely, empty, and lost. We need to come to the same realization that Dr. Strange comes to, learning that one lesson that while we may not be able to fix what’s wrong with the circumstances of our lives, we can be healed. Look at this prayer, this cry of his heart:

I’ve spent my whole life chasing what i thought mattered, without understanding that I was in love with the gold that covered the bars of my life that I didn’t care that i was living in a cage. A cage of my own making. So I am a fool twice over ... I don’t know if I’m up to this, if I’m doing the right thing or not, I just know that i have to try.

“Some journeys shouldn’t be walked alone.� -The Ancient One

The other theme of the book involves what it takes to become a disciple. We don’t often count the costs of becoming disciples, rarely realizing that it requires sacrifice, a “willingness to do what is right, not just what is easy.� As Baron Mordo, a disciple who stumbles and betrays the Ancient One, points out, many have that power, but few answer the call to serve. Becoming a disciple involves changes in several areas of your life:

-belief (we turn to Christ, our “Ancient One�, expressing our desire to see him as he is, not simply how he’s been represented to us)
-behavior (our lives become–slowly--transformed, centering our lives around living out the kingdom mission; putting feet–action–to our faith and knowledge)
-belonging (we join a specific faith community).

Discipleship, simply defined, can be seen as a process of how we transform everything we do in order to “take on,� or becoming more like, Jesus. You figure out what it means for you to live and work in light of being a blessing to your neighbor and to the world. It takes time and in our culture’s need for immediate gratification, we’ve forgotten this.

Strange is a wonderful comic book about self-discovery and magic. While I’m not quite down with the light saber action of their magic fights, it is certainly entertaining and worth wrestling with. Then again, J. Michael Straczynski rarely disappoints.


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All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder

"Episode One"
Writer: Frank Miller
Artist: Jim Lee
Publisher: DC Comics

The All-Star line is DC’s answer to Marvel’s successful Ultimate line. The premise is to get rid of the baggage of years of continuity and essentially start over outside the know “universe� of the characters to re-tell a lot of the old tales in a modern setting. They are trying to mine fresh stories from familiar and dated material so it becomes a game of bringing a fresh perspective, and new spins, on the classic stories. Classic stories, mind you, not sacrosanct scriptures (this is actually a reminder to myself whenever I read re-treads on tales that I grew up reading and loving). To tell the stories, the creators have to keep the essentials (the heart) of the well established mythos, while not necessarily sticking too closely to them.

The All-Star formula (much like the Ultimate line formula) is simple: take two fan favorite creators (writer Frank Miller and artist Jim Lee), team them on the book of an iconic character, and let them re-work the history and spin the mythology as they want. Frank Miller after years away from the spandex set, working on books like Sin City and 300 (which is also preparing to make the leap to the silver screen), returns to the character that he helped refocus in the late 80s.

Jim Lee remembers all the lessons that made him such a popular creator over at Image Comics, drawing beautiful, painfully well-endowed women, often posing (scantily clad) for pages on end. Not really delving into the character nor propelling the plot, but giving something for the presumed teenage male fanboys to gawk at. Though he probably takes his cues from the script that he is given.

The story is a familiar one. The circus comes to Gotham City, featuring among its acts, the Flying Graysons. The young aerialist, Dick Grayson, has caught Bruce Wayne’s attention. Vicki Vale, the Lois Lane-styled reporter, prepares for her first date with millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, which finds her overly dressed for the circus. Vicki Vale vacillates between a ditzy dame (“I have a date with Bruce Wayne� whatever shall I wear?) And something just shy of the tough broad reporter she’s meant to be. Dick watches his parents get gunned down and Batman arrives in time to save him from a gruesome fate at the hands of the Gotham police department.

This book may not please a lot of fans. For a start, Frank Miller finds himself operating in a post Warren Ellis and/or Mark Millar runs on the seminal book, The Authority, which kind of upped the ante when it comes to the superhero genre and what passes for edgy and action. You can kind of feel Miller pressing a little too hard around the edges. Plus, this book is supposed to be accessible to new and young readers. Um, not exactly Frank Miller’s forte when dealing with the dark knight. The best you can expect is a Sin City-lite.

Once more we have a taste of the candy-coated nihilism (kind of a Nietzsche for pop consumption) that makes Batman the ultimate hardass. The book has the feel of taking place early in the Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns universe, though there are hints that the focus of the book will be Robin. Miller gives Robin an origin that resonates more with Bruce Wayne/Batman, witnessing his parents gunned down at the circus where they performed. However, with Batman as the uber-mensch, taking brooding intensity and self-reliance to an extreme, he’s unable to be in true relationship with others. He’s remote and often sub-human in his responses and how he deals with people. And not the best parental figure/model for a newly orphaned child. Frankly, there is a seeming creepiness to the fact that a wealthy playboy (read: single guy) is keeping his eye open for young talent. This air of creepiness is matched by his alter egos willingness to draft and train boy targets in his war on crime. It will be interesting to see what sort of Robin Miller writes: a young Batman in training/a young soldier or the comic/humanizing Robin who resists being molded in his mentor’s image.

“On your feet, soldier. You’ve just been drafted. This is war.�

In this telling of the origin of their partnership, Robin is drafted into this war, he doesn’t pester Batman to train him in order to seek justice for his parents’ untimely death. With Robin being so pivotal to the interpretation of Batman, one can’t help but address the issue of drafting one so young into this war on crime.

Many people look around our society and see that we are in both a cultural and spiritual war (one a reflection of the other). The issue that we then have to struggle with becomes the matter of how long do we wait to teach our children about the rules of combat/engagement in this war. Advertisers target kids as young as four to train them in rampant consumerism. Sexual imagery dominates the cultural media landscape to such a degree that it is nigh unavoidable, training kids up in society’s definition of beauty (self-image) and sexual relations. As corruption works its way throughout society, we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines hoping that it doesn’t get to us (or moving at the first sign that “bad elements� are getting too close to our neighborhoods). The younger we realize this and are trained in how to engage this battleground, the better off we may be.

All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder is a little uneven, probably due to the high expectations that a Miller/Lee team-up on Batman would generate. The terse dialogue wasn’t working for me, but it might be a matter of giving Miller room to develop the proper tone for the book. There is enough of a sense of intrigue and potential to let me be willing to buy the hype machine (trained since the age of four consumer that I am) and ride out at least the first story arc.

Who am I kidding?

It’s Frank Miller on Batman. I’ll be buying this.

Hellboy: The Island

writer: Mike Mignola
artist: Mike Mignola
published by Dark Horse Comics

“Hellboy ... where are you going?�

With that line, Hellboy: The Island begins. Honestly, I don’t know why I pick up Hellboy. That’s nothing against the book, I’ve just simply never been able to explain why I’m drawn to this comic. There’s nothing that I can quite put my finger on. I’m not a fan of the gothic art style of the book, but it certainly adds to the atmosphere. Sure, there’s the great characterization and a compelling, yet tragic, central figure. It's filled with mood and a macabre humor, mixed with a light touch of Poe and Lovecraft. Mike Mignola has created a detailed, rich, and moody world.

"Once on the island, Hellboy has a couple drinks and learns a whole lot of stuff he never wanted to know ...about himself," commented writer/artist Mike Mignola. "In this miniseries I decided to tell a lot of stuff I never thought I was going to tell."

Award winning Hellboy creator Mignola finally returns to the title that spawned a franchise. It’s not like he’s capitalizing on the heat generated by the Hellboy movie. The Island picks up, two years later, after the events from the last Hellboy mini-series, Third Wish. That would be four years ago in our time, and over a year after the release of the movie.

Hellboy spent the last two years at the bottom of the ocean then finds himself on a mysterious island. I guess after spending a couple of years alone with fish, it wouldn’t take much to adapt to the situation and start drinking with a bunch of dead sailors. Hellboy is in no mood to chat with his ancient enemy (Baba Yaga), even if she does bring vague hints about things to come.

Even with the economy of words, the near stream-of-consciousness writing style that he’s chosen, Mike Mignola paints a creepy portrait of a man/demon lost and alone. Again, his work is well-researched and his meticulous attention to detail (he did the production design for Atlantis: The Lost Empire) shows (down to having the sailors sing “The Mermaid,� an old sailor’s song). For those who crave action over atmosphere, he still manages to include the obligatory “Hellboy smash�-styled big monster fight sequence. However, it is characterization that makes this book great, and he has a great character in Hellboy. Part of the dark wit of the book lies with Hellboy being in full everyman mode, a regular blue-collar demon. This time around, there is a pervading sense of loneliness in the book. It may not always be clear what’s going on, but that only adds to the vague sense of unease about the book.

Steeped in religious symbols and tradition, the true horror of the book lies in the (often supernatural) battle between good and evil, the reality of Christ and the devil. But another spiritual connection lies in the continual theme of Hellboy challenging his destiny. He’s lost and at a crossroads in his life. He knows who he is and what he was created to be, the inverse of the situation we find ourselves in. Knowing his true self, his true identity, he rejects it and decides that being human sounds like a better purpose in life. Trying to save the world as a mission sounded a lot better than leading the Apocalypse.

Rooted in folk tales and myths, this series promises to reveal a secret or two about Hellboy. The important thing though is that Hellboy: The Island is an engaging story, full of mystery—with a generous helping of horror—that challenges and entertains the reader. It is one of the finest horror works out there.