Johnny Zito

Change of Address

2007-09-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

I know this is two big changes in two months but I'm in the process of refocusing my online presence.

My day job is in Online Marketing and I'm always learning new things about branding. Chief among those rules is to centralize your activity. So I've moved this blog over to my website.

JohnnyZito.com

Until recently I only used the address as a repository for my reel and portfolio. Now that I've added the blog and a "store" - where you can buy t-shirts I designed - it almost looks like a genuine website.

That means I'm shutting down the blogspot. It's one more thing to maintain and it's redundant because I'll be blogging at JohnnyZito.com now. Feel free to adjust your blogroll if you were nice enough to link to me in the first place.

If your in the neighborhood, swing by for regular posts of my cartoons, blogs and merch.

Thanks,

-Johnny Zito

Who Wants to be a Jerk on TV?

2007-08-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

About three years ago I was shopping around a short film that I'd made as my senior thesis. It was about super-heroes; a handicap that kept us out of some of the more popular festivals. We tried everywhere, this is just before YouTube, and I end up sending 500 DVD copies of my short all over the country.

It got rejected from more screens than it played on. Oddly enough though, the judges who rejected us passed the DVD on to their friends. It must have been the professional packaging I sprung for but people took the thing seriously in a comedic way, I guess. Occasionally I get e-mails from people telling me they liked it, they gave it to they're cousin, I should look into such and such a festival... Really encouraging stuff.

Eventually, someone interning at an LA production company tells me about another company they're working with and that company is developing a property for Mtv about super-heroes. He's going to get them a copy of my short. We don't know what the shows' about but Stan Lee is involved.

Fine, whatever. That's a year of my life - show anyone who'll watch.

After a long weekend I get a phone call. It's a pleasant woman from "Stan Lee's Super-Hero Project." Wow. Cool. She tells me they'd like to have the main character from my short, for their series. Amazing. I still don't know what the shows' about.

The woman tells me it's a game show where players compete to have they're super hero published in a comic book by Stan Lee. We'd be dressed as our creations and live together for up to 16 weeks. During which time we'd have to perform super-heroic feats, like battling super villains.

Super villains?

They planned to pitch the show to Mtv and get some of the standard Mtv celebrities to guest as bad-guys. The nice woman tried to sell me on playing dress up with Carmen Electra and Andy Dick. I've always wanted to melt Andy Dick with my laser eyes but I was somewhat underwhelmed and despite having nothing else to fall back on, I politely declined.

Next day she calls back and she's pretending like I didn't turn her down already. She's making plans to send me paper work and she wants to know if I still have the costume from the short. I'm expected to make an audition tape for the DVD casting special they plan to produce. I remind her that I'm not interested. She reminds me about Andy Dick.

There's a valley between us.

She keeps telling me I'm going to regret this, it's a missed opportunity. I should just put on the costume and make the audition tape. Just put on the costume and take some pictures of myself. I mention I didn't even star in the short, it was some other guy. She doesn't care, nobody cares, they need warm bodies.

It's at this point she loses the pleasant twinge to her voice and she turned into someone's mom. She scolded me for every other aspiring comic creator who turned her down. It was beyond her to reason why we were passing at this golden opportunity. She had confused us with the attention whores who'll debase themselves to get on television.

I tell her straight, I know they're going to misrepresent me. They have an agenda and I think it's crummy. They prey on people who don't know the difference between reality game show contestant, television actor and porn star.* Not in the pursuit of better television (as if such a thing as good television were even a regular occurrence) but to reinforce stereotypes about comic book fans that don't even exist anymore. Comic book movies make bank, you're making a super-hero television show, comic books are popular... Sort of.

We parted ways. It's that easy to not wind up an idiot on national television.

I'm pretty sure that show ended up as Sci-Fi's terrible Who Wants To Be A Super Hero?. And though I don't regret passing on the chance to be made a fool of, I'll always wonder what might have been had Andy Dick and I met on the field of combat.

*Actual order of their importance.

Zombie-Facists

2007-08-09T04:28:00.000-07:00

This is that occasional dip back into politics that I was talking about.

Zuda

2007-08-02T03:39:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a big deal. This is a Time/Warner company coming to the internet and investing in a very young and unexplored market. We all know they're only doing this to mine intellectual properties and possible franchises but that's great for would-be creators.

Everyone's inventing on the internet, if you have a web cam or a stylus you can pretty much tell whatever story you want. There's no money in it though. It's very hard to get an end user to open up their wallet for your art. If you aren't giving it away for free on the internet someone else is.

So DC takes the hit up front, paying you despite the fact that you will probably never make them a dime. DC's doing you a favor in the hope that your idea might be licensed as a teen drama on the CW.

It makes the internet the official testing ground for unsolicited work. Not that it wasn't already but it's only a matter of time before DC's model spreads to NBC. Fall line ups will be determined by canvassing YouTube shorts with potential to be expanded into half hour sitcoms.

There's a democratization of media happening there. You don't like the movies/tv shows/music being produced, make your own. If the product is any good you could end up with a development contract. I know work for hire is tricky, in the end someone is going to get screwed and it's most likely not going to be the publishing imprint of a world wide conglomerate.

So, we all know what Time/Warner is really up to but there's more at stake. DC heralds the corporate arrival of content poachers to the internet. The participation of comic creators and readers will influence how the model evolves and is adopted elsewhere.

Remodeling

2007-07-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

I know this might seem abrupt but I've been thinking about it since I started blogging a lil while back. That's why I chose the url I did. Honestly I didn't think the world needed another comic book blog about nothing. The political theme seemed like a natural because it just combines my two favorite things to talk about.

But I'm not enjoying what passes for politics in most books right now. Everyone is war crazy and the intrigue is flat. I'm still going to make crazy, pseudo political analysis occasionally but I think it's time to expand.

There are lots of things I want to talk about without having to figure out a clever way to fit them into some political framework. I want the option to discuss my personal projects and progress if there's any good news worth sharing. I want to talk more about books I really like.

If you bothered to stop in before, please, do so again.

Thursday Night Thinking

2007-07-19T18:16:00.001-07:00

Some thoughts are worth sharing.

One dissenter can easily become two.

Title Undetermined thinks its all a conspiracy.

Op/Eds

2007-07-11T16:58:00.001-07:00

I've been posting on pure speculation lately. I had some trouble cleaning out my bin.

The summer is lean.

But that left me with a huge stack of books and a perfect excuse to start doing reviews. Well, I'll just be taking a closer look at some of the books on my pull list.

Action Comics #851 - Zod's and Jor-El's "new" back story involves a lot of vague political maneuvering just prior to the destruction of Krypton. Like most disenfranchised political leaders Zod was imprisoned, in the Phantom Zone, where he survived the Kyrptonian apocalypse. According to Dev-Em; Zod has since converted most of the inmates there.

Zod's army conquers the world "off panel" but adequately explains away what happened to the rest of the world's defenses. Donner and Johns end on some symbolic points as Christopher rises against injustice and Superman learns to talk with his enemies.

New Warriors #2 - The Revolution will not be an ongoing. That's my prediction after two issues of the NW relaunch. A charismatic, new (or not?) Night Thrasher is recruiting Ex-Men to take a stand against the Super-Human Registration Act.

I understand mutants are more sensitive to the dangers of registration but the slow assemblage of this insurgency leaves me too much time to question the rhetoric. I enjoyed the Beak reveal in issue 1 and it's nice to know what good ol' Jubilee is up to but I didn't sign on for a New Mutants/New X-Men/Gen X reunion.

New Warriors was billed as the Anti-Avengers but New Avengers is already that and with higher profile stars. New Warriors could be the Jr. New Avengers but Young Avengers is already that and with high profile creators. If there's a chance for this series they have to start recruiting some actual NEW WARRIORS instead of old mutants.

Fallen Son #5 - I stand by my pre-release assumptions. The twist at the end didn't do much for me either. Tony lies to everyone again.

Way to start that long road to redemption.

All New Atom #13 - I ditched Countdown for four other titles that'd been getting good word of mouth. First up was the All New Atom's visit to his predecessor's old stomping grounds among a miniature, alien society hidden in the jungle.

There's some sectarian violence in the region; two factions at odds over the divine nature of Ray Palmer, the former Atom. Matters aren't helped by the appearance of a false prophet either. It's up to the current Atom, Ryan Choi, to broker a peace.

My attempt to get away from Countdown is thwarted by the arrival of Donna Troy, Jason Todd and "The" Monitor on the last page. Editorial edicts aside I dig The All New Atom.

Superman #664 - Squad K is the government's latest attempt of to provide you with a false sense of security. They leap into action at the first sign that Superman has gone rouge. It costs the tax payers a million dollars a second when these guys saddle up. Despite this the American government's response force to an out of control Superman is still woefully unprepared. In fact the Prankster's gag was more effective and probably didn't cost the tax payers anything beyond the court fees he'll eventually incur.

Proof, yet again, that private enterprise can succeed where government bureaucracy fails.

This is not the last we've heard of Squad K but it's close. I imagine they'll find the Congress defunds them soon enough. Possibly around the time Speaker Busiek steps down.

Thor #1 - I know lots about Thor and there's lots I don't like. The broad strokes hit in this opening issue include most of the stuff I like. Man/God Messiah complex stuff that so many Kings and warriors are preoccupied with. As long as it doesn't get buried under it's own mythology I could really love this book.

As it stands the first issue isn't great. It's a lot of the existential/exposition narration that can choke a book. It is concise and that makes me think JMS is putting it all behind us before we get into some new stuff. So, I'm in for two more.

Omega Flight #4 - I know I'm not saying anything new but why is there only one Canadian on the Premier Canadian super team? There is loads of creative potential wasted in this mini.

The Shaman could be the Canadian Dr. Strange. The Guardian could have been originally cast as a Canadian back during the whole Xorn/Mutant Essenes story line. Sasquatch is quintessential Canada and Beta Ray Bill would work as the alien visitor/odd man out.

Instead the team is made up of nothing but outcasts. The mostly American cast undermines their legitimacy. I know the Universal Health Care is supposed to be great up there but come on, U.S. Agent's defected!

The real super villains in this mini are actually the insurance companies.

The Case for Impeachment

2007-07-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

Until recently I thought President Bush's irrational behavior was due to his fundamental misunderstanding of world politics and history.

Then according to the New Avengers #32 preview; anyone acting out of character is a possible Skrull.

Allow me to submit the previous panels from Dan Slott's The Initiative #2. President Bush is cool, calm and in command following a coordinated terrorist attack on his Crawford Ranch.

Very out of character.

It is my belief that the President is not really the President. That he has been replaced by a Skrull agent and that he is not the poor leader he pretends to be.

How else could you explain the commuting of Scooter Libby's sentence?

The time has never been more urgent. We must impeach the Skrull impostor and reclaim the republic before it's too late.

21 Guns

2007-07-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

The last issue of Fallen Son drops on Thursday. I've been some what underwhelmed by the send off. While Loeb's theme/issue breakdowns are simple and effective the execution has come off clunky.

Wolverine acts as the common thread between issues; perusing his own investigation into Cap's death. As far as devices go, it works.

Of course one of Cap's old war buddies, the grisliest of all, is going to go poking around. Fits especially well with all of Logan's adopted samurai ethics too. But somehow it never really takes off. We keep covering ground that was mined in main-titles and minis/specials that shipped on time.

Not to mention determining the validity of Cap's corpse has been the subject of no less than three Marvel stories since March. Two of which include Wolverine.

Even though much of it was alluded to at the wake in Captain America #26, the actual funeral is the only new insight promised in this book. According to an associated press article the finale intends to see Captain Steve Rogers entombed at Arlington National Cemetery. This turn of events feels especially awkward.

Captain America went down in public disgrace. That's how you take down a hero, his name has to be mud first otherwise you risk the Martyr factor. If Civil War did nothing else it set Cap and his ideals against popular opinion. The stunt burial at Arlington feels like back peddling on that story.

He was at odds with the current administration's policies. Sure, maybe no one wants to speak ill of the dead but they aren't throwing this guy any parades. He was the resistance, he was seeking to undermine the authority of the State. He and his secret Avengers were 100% committed to revolutionary action which effectively amounts to treason when you lose.

The way I see it Steve Rogers gets a plaque in DC at the WW2 monument. Maybe he's laid to rest in Central Park. It would be this final insult to Captain America's legacy. It's lip service to his war time contribution while failing to recognize his life-time service as a United States solider.

This mini could have done more good for Captain America's legacy by trashing it instead of artificially inflating it.

Spin Room - Countdown

2007-06-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Countdown isn't 52 and it never will be.

Hanging out at ...When I Heard the Countdown... it appears I'm not the only one dissatisfied and questioning the future of the title.

I'm beginning to wonder, in fact, if the huge rash of new announcements DC made in the various conventions they attended last week were not a form of damage control.

I agree.

McDuffie and Waid's new assignments are designed to clean up problems left by previous creative teams. Additionally titles like Countdown to Adventure have been announced to make up for the apparent lack of movement and congruity in the weekly series.

This week provided a great opportunity for the Countdown to catch up. Karate Kid and The Rouges' had been cooling their heals waiting for storylines featuring them elsewhere to wrap. The weekly title that's supposed to deftly navigate these events remains out of step.

Countdown is in real danger of become a place holder full of advertisements for minis where the actual action will be taking place. Dini and crew must deliver on the fan's expectations or they're going to find those mini-spin-offs cannibalizing their sales.

If that's the case you can expect Countdown to end ala Flash #13 with a big "We fooled you..." punch line.

Monday Morning Macking

2007-06-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

She swears she's going to leave him but you know it'll never be that simple, Aquaman.

Courtesy The Roar of Comics.

Fifth Column

2007-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Spoilers yonder.

So, what does this mean?

There's a good chance it means exactly what you think and the events of Civil War were engineered by spies and saboteurs from another world. In fact all the terrible things that have been going on can be explained away like that.

If the Skrulls were going to finally conquer Earth this is how they'd do it. In fact, they've tried it a few times already.

Unable to best Earth's heroes the shape-shifters decide to become them. The end game; to weaken the infrastructure of their defenses. With the heroes divided their defeat would be certain.

But as bad as Earth is the Skrulls aren't in great shape either. The Empire is in ruin over Annihilation, leaderless since Galactus ate the last one and Hulkling turned down the Crown. Not a great position to launch an invasion from.

I'm holding out hope that this Skrull acted alone.

Of course, even if it were Skrulls all along it doesn't explain everything. For the other inconsistencies we've still got Scarlet Witch.

The Forgotten Wars

2007-06-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was standing my ground as a conscientious objector to The Silent War and Amazon Attacks. I only heard ugly things and since I wasn't following the House of M spin-offs or Wonder Woman there just didn't seem like much of a point.

But it was a light week on the pull-list so here we are.

While I managed to snatch both issues of Amazon; Silent War is on it's penultimate chapter. So I could only find 4 & 5. S'ok though, I read the opening recaps. Looked like I just missed a lot of interior monologues.

There's some interesting play among the royal family of Inhumans. Maximus is attempting some kind of coup from behind bars. Very Eugene Debbs. The government intrigue is a little thin though. Now that Tony Stark and his super-hero army work for the government why don't they invade Inhuman capital on the moon? Instead there's a twist involving post-terrigenesis marines on a suicide mission, win or lose.

Maybe it's because I got in on the ground floor but Amazons Attacks worked more for me. The Amazons return from the afterlife and make war on Washington D.C. There's obviously something weird going on since everyone is back from the dead and the mad witch Circe holds sway over the Queen. But the Amazons do what they do best which is conquer and pillage.

Both titles fall short because they're proxy wars; tie-ins for other books. Silent War's ending will just "to be continued..." into World War Hulk but at least there's 2/3 of a story there. In order to understand AA you have to read Wonder Woman in between.

Now that I signed up I'll probably stick it out for the art. Frazer Irving's Inhumans are hypnotic and I've been looking for more Pete Woods since his run on Superman. Otherwise I'm pretty disillusioned with these wars.

Securing the Borders

2007-05-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'm disappointed in the Monitors. They're turning out to be another self appointed, single minded organization out to police the Universe. Like Oans but with goofier (if that's possible) hair styles.

They've been recast as border patrol; with orders to destroy anyone or anything caught hopping the Source Wall. They're going to keep every Earth pure; no mixing because illegals spread disease, terrorism and genocide.

Fair enough. It almost feels organic considering their namesake.

Here are 52 identical aliens from 52 different dimensions debating over whether to kill multi-verse trespassers a little or a lot. Really it's just one guy talking to 51 copies of himself. And that's the problem.

There isn't a strong enough character anchoring the Monitors and they all look alike. There's facial hair but every artist draws mutton chops differently. I need more variety in the Monitors, certainly more personality. Stands to reason that the Monitor of Earth 3 would be radically different than the Monitor to Earth 22. I'm thinking something similar to the Supermen Squad from All Star a few months back.

Maybe next retcon.

Bureaucracy

2007-05-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Found this list of government agencies in comic books.

Thinking about turning it into a National Budget. Can you imagine the tax burden SHIELD would create? Flying cars ain't cheap or indestructible.

Summer Blockbusters

2007-05-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

New York's 30th Congressional District

2007-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Some time after the actual November elections Nathan Petrelli's campaign site goes live.

Upon completing his military service, Petrelli entered the public sphere where he worked for the District Attorney as a prosecutor. His tireless efforts in the District Attorney’s office were responsible for putting countless criminals behind bars. He left his post in the District Attorney’s office for his campaign run in the 30th District where he hopes he can help shape the laws that he spent so many years enforcing.

No mention of his brother; Peter "political liability" Petrelli.

C-Spandex! - ww3

2007-04-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Flash! Mister and Misses America and All the Ships at Sea! Spoilers; this way!

Black Adam, sovereign ruler of Khandaq has been deposed. After committing acts of genocide around the world he was assassinated by a loose cabal of heroes backed by American forces on Chinese soil.

Victory in Asia; the Third World War has ended.

Adam's rampage began in the middle-eastern nation of Bialya where it's reported that he killed every man, woman and child in less than a week's time. Thanks to the Freedom of Powers Treaty, which Adam championed most vocally, foreign super-humans were unable to intervene. If for instance; a super-powered American citizen were to cross the border without consent from the Bialyan government, Bialyan allies would be forced to retaliate against America. Conversely Bialyan allies' were bound by the same rules.

It's this same Treaty that makes Black Adam a man without a country when Khandaq is razed by agents of the fundamentalist crime organization, Intergang.

If Adam crosses into countries not covered by the treaty he's sought for arrest on international crimes. Meanwhile, a coalition of the unwilling who have signed the treaty, confront him for trespassing.

This is certainly a world-wide-war but it's status as WW3 remains tenuous as previous platitudes have come and gone. A war implies some form of strategy or endgame. This was more of an unfocused "rapid deployment" or reactionary "military action" than actual war.

It's not uncommon for whole cities to be destroyed any given day on Earth 1. However, the seemingly random disaster of, say, Blüdhaven stands in stark contrast to the willful destruction in Bialya. The world is in a panic and there's certainly a leader-ship vacuum without the big three.

Despite this, forces from America mustered at the Chinese border when state controlled super team, Big 10, finally issued a distress. More of a gang than an army; Justice Society reserves unceremoniously piled on Black Adam. The mad dictator was overwhelmed and presumably executed, possibly by members from within the Marvel Family.

The true international incident is avoided thanks to the steady hand of Alan Scott, former Green Lantern and Justice Society Chairman. Scott commanded the Invasion of Beijing and waited until the call from China before crossing the border. Had the Society violated the treaty Chinese defenses would have been divided across two fronts. If anyone on Earth were to survive the massacre there would certainly be political ramifications.

In the end Black Adam's flawed foreign policy and multiple acts of genocide don't exactly add up to World War 3. His ultimate goals had less to do with world conquering than mutually assured destruction. One must speculate that his actions were manipulated by an unseen force. One who understands how to gain from meddling in the geo-political affairs of Earth.

Having survived ww3 can the Fourth World War be far behind?

Arron Sorkin's Aquaman

2007-03-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Aquaman never fails to disappoint. This week’s #50 was no surprise.

So, picking up the gauntlet thrown down at Lurking Rhythmically, I now present to you Aquaman as written by Arron Sorkin.

(The continuity is loose and fast like the dialogue)

ACT II

EXT./EST. The Atlantean Capital Building – Day

Senators, lawmakers, lawyers and lobbyists, representing hundreds of species of evolved sea life, mull about the capital steps and busy forum.

INT. Capital Building Corridor – Cont

Garth swims along Lorena catches up to him.

Lorena
I need a copy of the Nemo Act.

Garth
Try the library of Arion.

Lorena
Let’s pretend that I don’t know what that is.

We follow them into…

INT. lobby – Cont

Garth
What do you need with a 200-year-old border settlement?

Lorena
Sub-Diego City Council thinks it might clear up some--

Garth
Can I ask you a question?

Lorena
I haven’t finished answering the last one.

Garth
You heard about the Ocean Master thing?

Garth and Lorena continue into…

INT. Senate Chamber – Cont

The underwater environment allows for three-dimensional travel through space. Garth and Lorena enter through the top tier, the Senate is not currently in session and the hall is empty bellow them.

Lorena
He’s the King’s brother.

Garth
I know.

Lorena
If the World Court decides --

Garth
Yea.

They stop moving, hanging motionless in the water.

Topo enters on a lower tier, speeding back the way they came.

Topo
Vulko’s office.

Garth
What?

Topo
It’s happening.

INT. Vulko’s Office – Moments Later

Lori Lemaris floats by the window looking over the Forum.

Topo and Garth enter.

Topo
It’s happening?

Lori Lemaris
I’m not at liberty to --

Topo
Agent Lemaris.

Vulko enters from behind them.

Vulko
The declaration was given at 8 past the tide. Code name: Shipwreck – Blue. A rescue team will cross the reef, retrieve personnel and destroy any proprietary technology.

Topo
Is there time for a release?

Vulko
We go live in an hour. He wants to address the people before he leaves.

Topo bolts out the door.

Garth
leaves for where?

Vulko
He’s leading the operation.

Garth
Does he know about Orm?

Vulko
Yea.

Garth
We have to extradite him.

Vulko
Why?

Lori Lemaris
Death penalty.

Vulko looks back at Lori and pauses.

Vulko
Perhaps Her Highness will draft a letter.

Garth is appalled, he exits.

INT. King’s Chamber – Momments Later

Arthur’s office is huge, filled with maps and books. He dresses in armor.

There’s a knock.

Arthur
Come in.

Garth enters.

Garth
Lord, if I may--

Arthur
What do you want, Garth?

Garth
This is unnecessary.

Arthur
We’ll have to agree to disagree but, OK.

Garth
This is an overwhelming response.

Arthur
I don’t want to meet King Shark and his Axis of Awesome with just --

Garth
Why are you – excuse me – why are you going at all? It’s a rescue mission.

Arthur
I made a pledge to those soldiers.

Garth
You’re running away.

Arthur
Here we go.

Garth
A human court has your brother –

Arthur
He’s my brother but let’s not make this like he’s my brother.

Garth
It requires a political solution.

Arthur
He’s a criminal.

Garth
They’ll kill him!

Arthur
He murdered my son!

Garth
We pick and choose the Atlantean’s we protect now?

Arthur pauses, stops himself from shouting.

Arthur
You may go.

Garth
I --

Garth chokes back his emotion and straightens up.

Garth
As you wish, Your Majesty.

Garth exits…

Arthur dresses in armor.

End of Act Two

Civil War Games!

2007-03-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

While preparing my Civil War wrap-up this week I found a few fun items worth sharing.

Stumbled over this awesome button at PostModernBarney. Someone needs to get this on a T-shirt. (EDIT: "Cap Was Right" button is by Mark Hale. Thanks, Dorian.)

Meanwhile, Shane Bailey of Near-MintHeroes produces some propaganda with links back to the actual war posters that inspired them.

ExtraLife managed to squeeze a laugh out of Steve Roger's passing.

Newsarama's story on the "new" Captain America was dug 884 times at Digg.com on Wednesday.

The top comment comes from chocobomog:

"So the hero who represents America changed from a strong, moral, boy-scout who fought using defense (a shield) to a savage, crazed, gun-toting vigilante?

"I keep having a feeling that they are trying force some sort of message in our faces."

And, finally, what's an assassination without a good conspiracy theory?

Captain America #25; Reviewed!

2007-03-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Spoilers Ahead...

Yesterday was my first day back at work since undergoing a small operation. I spent 8 hours buried under 5 days worth of work. In all the confusion I never caught any news.

I was clueless speaking to my comic shop clerk, he mentioned I was lucky to get a copy of Cap #25 because of all the publicity. I nodded vacantly, assuming he meant all the buzz on Newsarama.

My buddy PJ even tells me to put Captain America at the front of my reading list. Again, I barely register the comment, I assume it's due to the fact that practically everything I bought yesterday was a post Civil War tie-in...

So here I am, the only guy in the country reading Captain America #25 spoiler free.

I was pretty confident that Civil War was going to end the way it did. Editorial gave it away for me when they said there'd be a winner and a loser. But I never considered that Marvel would tell this story; The Death of Captain America.

The symbolic implications are obvious and powerful, I'm not surprised how much media attention it garnered. What's much more interesting to me is what a good issue it was.

From Steve stepping into the sniper shot to the big reveal at the end; Bru and company really crank out the A+ material. Bonus points for having so much happen at once, too. Cap is bleeding to death by the half way point of the issue; an event usually reserved for the last page. Not to mention a handful of flashbacks and a helicopter chase.

I kept waiting for the cliche to creep in. The manhunt for cap's killer, the bait and switch or deus ex machina were all cleverly subverted on our way to the real cliffhanger.

While I was disappointed in Civil War I'm glad to see the individual writers pick up the threads left over in such a big way.

C-SpanDEX! - Civil War 7

2007-02-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

Spoiler Hats on, kids...

Civil War asks the question: Is a little less freedom worth a little more safety?

Captain America recognizes this fear mongering and decries the registration act for what it is; a super-human draft.

Operating underground won't change legislation, this begins and ends with Tony Stark and Cap is out to slug another fascist in the face.

...But then he doesn't. Faced with the destruction he has wrought Captain America surrenders to a pair of New York City's finest. Defying character and reason Cap gives up after being convinced he's lost the moral high ground.

This isn't the first time Captain America waged war on an ideology. After seeing blown out buildings and displaced families he didn't surrender to the Nazis. When did a population too scared or too stupid to fight for themselves become Cap's kryptonite? The handful of EMT and Firefighters that overwhelm him are selling out longterm prosperity for the immediate illusion of safety.

The 616 American Government is making a huge power grab. Countless attempts to breed the perfect super-solider have all failed and this ad hoc army is the next best thing. While Tony is full of good intentions it's only a matter of time before a Skrull, a robot or Another Bush infiltrates the White House and screws everything up.

If Captain America is heartbroken from the violence he's inspired against registration; he's going to be absolutely devastated when those secret-terrors are unleashed because he stopped fighting.

President's Day!

2007-02-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's President's Day and I'm reminded of the squandered Superman plot; President Lex.

Luthor, an independently wealthy candidate with a history of alleged criminal activity, assumes the Presidency during a period of peace and prosperity. Allegations of election fraud are ignored and no sooner has he settled into the Oval Office than we find OUR WORLDS AT WAR.

Story lines similar to the 2000 elections unintentionally mirrored the public sentiment post 9/11. Stuck with a President he didn't want and a war he didn't ask for Superman is thrust into battle. By 2003 Clark Kent is even investigating allegations that Luthor had manipulated the truth just as CNN was first reporting the selective honesty of our own leaders.

Lex Luthor has always represented the evil establishment. During the age of atomic power Lex was a scientist on the verge of destroying us all. During the 80's Lex became a "Gordon Gecko" manifestation of corporate greed. Finally, in a time when we couldn't trust the motivations of our political leaders, Lex had become the President of the United States.

DC could have grabbed headlines the same way Joe Q. has done with Civil War and returned Superman to his roots as a hero of the people.

When Superman was created 65 years ago he was cracking down on wife beaters and public corruption. Now I'm aware that doesn't make for the most exciting comic adventures in the modern era but the concept is more relevant than ever.

By taking on the President, Superman reclaims his golden age appeal as a hero of the people instead of the flag waving, tool of the establishment he's often portrayed as.

Obviously, most of this was plotted far in advance of actual events but I hoped the writers might capitalize on these odd coincidences. Unfortunately the President Lex story ends abruptly when Luthor goes bat-shit-crazy to and tries to kill Superman in a battle suit on live television.

...Not exactly the Manchurian Candidate twist I was expecting.

Happy President's Day.

Procrastination!

2007-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

I was gearing up to review DC's Freedom Fighters mini but Don MacPherson beat me to it and stole my thesis.

There’s a story, released in the same time frame as Civil War, that didn’t require crossovers, that didn’t require massive change and didn’t alter classic characters in implausible ways. In other words, DC did it better; you just didn’t realize it.

The Tribunal is still out since both books have yet to drop their final issue.

When that happens I hope to revisit these two series in a piece I'm calling; President Gonzo -or- How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Thor Clone!

Know Your Meta-Rights!

2007-01-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Matt McCaffrey, an English Lit major at Colorado State, discusses the Orwellian Ideology of FOX's 24.

Another principal problem of the program is that it of course glamorizes the illegal actions of the state and convinces the viewer first, that Americans are always at risk from all manner of terrorists, and second, that the only thing preventing these potential disasters are the adrenaline-fueled adventures of federal agents. Both of these claims are of course patently false, but they are useful to the state when it attempts to subvert or reinforce public opinion.

Though it isn't technically sci-fi, 24 it is set in the future, so I'm throwing it in the mix.

Frank Miller Thinks You're A Nancy!

2007-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns) stops by my favorite NPR show; Talk of The Nation.

The legendary comic creator joins in a conversation following this week's State of The Union for a literal discussion on the state of The Union.

Skip thirty minutes in to hear Frank Miller question your contribution to the war effort and frame the conflict in Iraq as a war of ideologues...

...No mention of his previously announced Batman Vs. Al Qaeda.

2 + 2 = 5!

2007-01-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

George Orwell's classic,1984, makes its comic book debut. The first two chapters of this web-comic are up and avaliable in B&W and Color.

The site features extras like INGSOC spray paint stencil, badges and Big Brother flyers.

C-SpanDEX!

2006-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

Star City's Mayor Queen just inked a huge deal with Wayne Industries to build a series of high rise public housing projects.

Housing Projects built in this fashion don't work. Population density and public indifference cultivate all the best intentions into a crime and drug ridden slum.

The destruction of deteriorating buildings to make room for public housing often created problems in adjacent neighborhoods. An excellent example of this phenomenon can be found in Brooklyn. When blocks of slums in the Brownsville district were cleared to make room for public housing in the 1950s, thousands of displaced families moved into the neighboring district of East New York, which at that time was a predominantly white, middle-class area with a stable economy. The sudden influx of large, lower-income black and Hispanic familes from Brownsville strained the physical and social services of the community. A mass exodus of the white population began (see white flight). Within six years a healthy community became one of the most decayed and dangerous neighborhoods in the United States.

The destruction of tenements and eviction of their low-income residents consistently created problems in nearby neighborhoods with "soft" real estate markets.

In recent years, many such projects have been torn down, renovated or replaced after criticism that the concentration of poverty in economically depressed areas, inadequate management of the buildings, and government indifference have contributed to increased crime.

Government has been building tenements since the 30's and tearing them down since the 50's. They create just as many problems going up as they do coming down.

At least this way Green Arrow will know where all the drug dealers are.

Source: Wikipedia

C-SpanDEX!

2006-12-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

Following his resignation; this week saw the release of several Rumsfeld Memos. President Bush, of Earth Prime, appears even more responsible for the mismanagement of the War in Iraq than previously assumed.

This got me thinking about a similar situation getting ready to play out in the Marvel Universe.

Director Hill has stepped down from SHIELD. Tony Stark, architect of the Registration Act and the Civil War, is expected to take her place.

Until now Hill has received the brunt of criticism concerning the way the war has been carried out. With the spotlight exclusively on him; Stark may finally be seen as the incompetent war-time commander that he truly is.

Baltar On The Spot!

2006-12-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

At least Nixon's portrait hangs in a stairwell... Maybe they'll put a Glade Plug in there for him.

War Criminal!

2006-11-20T19:08:00.000-08:00

"War seems to be a common theme in American comic books right now. I can’t imagine why…" ~ David Hine

He's right.

The Marvel Universe is a war-torn place. You can't even go off world without stepping into some sorta sovereign conflict.

No ambiguity about it, this means war; Secret War, Civil War, Silent War, World War Hulk...

Joe Quesada is a war monger. We can't get that guy into The Hague fast enough.

C-SpanDEX!

2006-11-15T07:31:00.000-08:00

Looks like there's a new President on New Earth.

Before we meet the new boss let's say goodbye to the old boss; President Jonathan Vincent Horne.

What's that? Never heard of him? Horne was elected in 2004 after then-President Peter Ross (Kansas) refused the nomination. It's been a tumultuous term for Horne and in a world where Superman can save the day without so much as a joint session of Congress, he’s remained relatively ineffectual.

Horne wasted billions on the reconstruction of Coast City; now a literal ghost town, it’s home to some Air Force Personnel and family. Meanwhile, citizens of Star City are refugees in their own neighborhoods and desperately seeking federal aide.

He was "for" Checkmate before he was "against" it. Labeled a flip/flop he was rendered irrelevant after the UN adopted the Covert Organization to an international agenda.

I personally believe Horne was disengaged during the events of Infinite Crisis as well. The National Guard was never mobilized during the Battle for Metropolis and mismanagement of the Blüdhaven relief effort was highly publicized.

Most recently his government-funded super-team, The Freedom Fighters, have been rumored AWOL and associating with known terrorists.

A deciding factor of the elections was no doubt the endless alphabet of secret government organizations like S.H.A.D.E. – D.E.O. – Taskforce X. Horne obviously supports these groups and their culture of cronyism. His whole administration has been categorized by catastrophe and incompetence.

And so we bid farewell to President Horne; a one term failure.

Congressional Oversight!

2006-11-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

There is no Civilian control of SHIELD.

It is an instrument of military might, run by the military for military gain. They report to no elected body of oversight; free to enforce their unilateral agenda around the globe.

For years Nick Fury used the sovereign army to wage Secret Wars, force illegal detentions and conduct senseless witch-hunts.

This Fury guy is immortal, too. Some nutty scientist injected him with cosmic-level crank at the end of WW 2. Now he's hooked on the junk, keeps him young.

In other words, the most powerful political force in the world has been run with impunity for the last 50 years by one man; a drug addled veteran with no depth perception setting a scary precedent for anyone who might one day inherit his post.

The rest of the U.S. Military, on the other hand, is under Civilian direction through the Pentagon. If not the Joint Chiefs could orchestrate a coup. Imagine the world wide take over that SHEILD is capable of and empowered to.

The solution; make Director of SHIELD a Senate confirmable position just like Secretary of State or Defense.

Someone with power like Nick Fury's should be forced to resign from active duty and take a seat at the grown up table. Where, hopefully, he'll be tied down by so much bureaucracy he'll remain as ineffective as the rest of the government.

Firehawk's October Surprise!

2006-11-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Ms. Lorraine Reilly won her bid for office, she now serves in her father's seat as the Junior Senator from New York.

Ouch.

Being responsible for the massacre of a hundred people isn't enough to lose an election even in a fictional world.

Her opponent must have been gay or something.

Marvel Mid-Terms

2006-11-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

If the Marvel Universe 616 is right next door to ours than it can be assumed Americans there recently held mid-term elections of their own.

With "Civil War" in full swing and post-human violence rising these election results would have decided the political climate of the Marvel U. for some time to come.

Mark Miller makes no claim about the Democrats' or Republicans' position on registration. As near as I can tell no politician would support Cap and his secret Avengers if they were hoping to get re-elected this fall.

After a few years full of huge super-human tragedies it's possible that there was no great shift; that the public supports the current administration policies.

Magneto's attacks on New York, Avengers’ decimation, the Rykers Prison break, the bombings in Philadelphia and the New Warrior's horror are all sources of public discomfort. I'm sure there were a few otherwise good people that breathed a sigh of relief on M-Day. I'm sure those same people cheered Iron Man when he came out in favor of registration.

It's just as likely that voter outrage might have changed the electorate some how.

There are those who don't want the government in command of walking, talking A-bombs. Could they have mobilized behind candidates, possibly across separate party lines, to fight against the hostile government conscription of super-soldiers?

To hell with the fourth amendment, these guys can see through walls or read your mind and now they work for George W. Bush...

Or a reasonable Marvel trademarked substitute.