The First Fiancee

Mikel Janin

https://comicbookcovers.tumblr.com/post/185567097775/the-war-of-jokes-and-riddles-2017-covers-bu

Clayface by Frogbillgo

Adrian Nelson's "Batman's Rogues Gallery" WIP

I really like how this piece by Adrian Nelson is coming together. Once it is complete, I will upload the "finished" version here as well.

A Funny Funny

I love Mikel Janin's Artwork

Justice League Dark (2011) #18 Cover
by Mikel Janin

I have been a huge fan of Mikel Janin's artwork since his stint on Justice League Dark. I would argue that his pencils are right up there with Ryan Sook's (who did many of the initial covers for the series and is another favorite of mine).

Of course, Ulises Arreola Palomera's color work must also receive credit for the interior art on these issues. They are absolutely gorgeous!

Interior Art on Justice League Dark
(2011) #5 by Mikel Janin &
Ulises Arreola Palomera)

I was inspired to focus on Janin's art in this post because I ran across CBR's exclusive preview of Janin's cover and interior art (with June Chung's colors) for Batman (2016) #41 on fyeahbatcat's tumblr (via lyrafay) this morning (see below).

I could wax on and on and on about Janin's art, but I'll save that for his creator page (which I'll eventually add to this blog... someday).

http://lyrafay.tumblr.com/post/171073411937/fyeahbatcat-batman-41-preview-everyone-loves

Jae Lee

Cover for Catwoman (2011) #36

In doing my quickie research for this post, I discovered that one of my favorite artists, Jae Lee, is in fact a man (or a human who elects to use male pronouns), and not a woman (or someone who self-identifies with female pronouns) as I had always assumed.

I know this from the bio on his website at jaeleeart.com and this picture:

Jae Lee & his dog, Thor

Meaning no disrespect to Lee or to men in general, but I must admit I was disappointed by this discovery.

Lee works regularly with June Chung (who does colors on his comic book art), and I had this whole lesbian relationship between the two in my head.

It's sorta like when my father read The Lord of the Rings to me and my brothers each night when we were kids. I had always imagined that Merry (Meriadoc Brandybuck) and Pippen (Peregrin Took) were both girls who were in love with each other. It took me a long time to get over my disappointment upon discovering there are no female adventurers (let alone lesbian lovers) in the "Fellowship of the Ring."

Anyway, this post was supposed to be about how much I enjoy the haunting, ethereal quality of Lee's art, but I think I need to waller in my disappointment for a bit, so I'll just leave you with some of his art with June Chung's colors. (You can also check out more here and here).

Cloak & Dagger from Dark X-Men (2009):
The Beginning #2: Utopia

Two-Face & Batman on the
Cover Variant for All-Star Batman (2016) #1

Interior Page from Batman/Superman (2013) #1: Cross World

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #1

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #2

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #3

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #4

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #8

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) Annual #1

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #9

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #11

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #12

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #13

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #14

Cover for Batman/Superman (2013) #15

Super Sons

Patrick Gleason's Cover for
Superman (2016) #10

Visually, I really like what Patrick Gleason & crew have done with the current Robin, i.e. Damien, son of Batman.

I especially enjoy the current Super Sons team-up. These young lads and their attitudes crack me up.

Back in my day, the super sons were depicted as teenagers/young adults as this cover for the collection of World's Finest Comics featuring the pair illustrates.

Superman/Batman:
Saga of the Super Sons

Below are some examples of Gleason's work with Damien and his partner in crime... fighting.

While depicted as younger than the super sons I'm used to, I have a "cutsie" streak in me that enjoys the exaggerated forms in some comics aimed at younger audiences.

Patrick Gleason's Robin Fighting Man-Bat

Robin: Son of Batman (2015) #9

Batman & Robin (2011) #38

Robin from Robin War (2015)

Batman & Robin (2011) #5

From Superman (2016) #11

Superman (2016) #11

Chess: Jim Lee's Cover Art for Batman (1940) #619

Jim Lee & Scott Williams' Cover
for Batman (1940) #619

Visual metaphors can become tired and repetitive, but I find a great one (with beautiful art and specific details) can make up for the reuse of the, perhaps, overly familiar construct.

Case in point is this 2003 cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams that depicts the Batman universe of villains and heroes as pieces on a chessboard.

Even though the chess metaphor has been presented innumerable times across a variety genres and mediums, it still has the power to convey a ton of content.

Here the Riddler is the chess master positioning the players on the board. He is moving Hush (the titular villain of the collection in which this issue falls) into position to take on the Batman chess piece at the front of the image.

Batman is in a "ready-for-action" pose, but he is face forward as if blind to all the peripheral pieces on the board as well as to the arrival of the Hush chess piece.

The cover artwork's metaphor basically functions as a plot summary for the content of the issue (including potential spoilers).

Lovely details include the custom text on Joker's T-Shirt ("I killed Jason Todd, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt") and the postures of the female villains. Poison Ivy is seductive with her chest out and her hand on her hip.

Catwoman is crouching like, well, a predatory feline (while also somehow managing to stick her chest out), and Harley Quinn has her signature boardwalk carnival mallet (yet she, too, is turned incidentally, I'm sure, to reveal her ass and chest at the same time).

Seriously, though, Catwoman is revealed as an ally of Batman given the color of her chess piece's base (gold like Batman's while the villians' bases are all silver).

I find this cover to be a very effective use of chess as a visual metaphor.

Medieval

http://haffpint.tumblr.com/post/169897921147/vikaq-medieval-bat-this-really-made-me-chuckle

Steampunk to Rockabilly

Steampunk Batman for cancelled
Infinite Crisis Video Game 

For some reason, I have always been attracted to Steampunk versions of classical figures & comic book characters.

It stems, no doubt, from sharing in human culture's wrestling with the technological transformations that evolved the Victorian Age into the Modern one. And our Modern one into the 21st Century and beyond.

However, I ran across another blended historical sub-type called Rockabilly, which seems to share features of the Steampunk archetype.

Rockabilly Batman
by Ardian Syaf

A little bit of research later, I learned that Rockabilly features elements of late 1950s Americana style: "Rockabilly fashions are inspired by rock n’ roll icons of the '50s with a splash of modern country" (source).

I also learned that there are many variations on these "styles" throughout the sci-fi/fantasy/cosplay/fashion fandoms. For example, I encountered an interesting explanation of the difference between Steampunk and Cyberpunk on "I am Attitude," a site that:

"...showcases the best alternative clothing designers, brands, labels & boutiques from around the globe. You can shop direct through our marketplace and discover items [you] won’t find on the high street.

"This is clothing with attitude for anyone into metal, rock, clubwear, rave, goth, emo, skate, industrial, cyberpunk, steampunk, burlesque, pinup, rockabilly, punk, latex, rubber, cosplay and much more!"

Having never been into fashion for myself, I clearly have a lot more research to do. What is Skate, for example? ...

Action Comics #252: Logic Mishaps

Ugh, Lois. No. Just, no.

As should be abundantly apparent by now, I am finding these classic issues of some of DC's finest creations a bit arduous to get through. Thus, I'm gonna fast-forward a bit, so I can get to some Marvel and Indie mags more quickly.

To generalize (perhaps far too much given the random and slight sampling), one of the key features about these classic issues that is driving me absolutely bonkers is what I'll call the "stumbling plot plugs."

I'll illustrate this malady by focusing on Action Comics #252's story, "The Menace of Metallo!" However, this is not to suggest that Robert Bernstein (writer) & Al Plastino (artist) are particularly egregious purveyors of this problem. These stumbling plot plugs can be found dang near everywhere in these early comics.

Most Amusing Panel Prize:

To make it clear that Lois starts out a bit "icy" towards John Corben (aka Metallo) with his sexist come on ("I go for you, Baby"), her dialogue balloon drips blue. (I love it when Lois tells off the creeps.)

Plot Plug 1:

My theory is that "plot plugs" come into play when the creators have a cool idea (let's make a human robot powered by Superman's greatest weakness: Kryptonite (and we shall call him Metallo)), and then they concoct a story around that idea.

Unfortunately from there, it seems, the plot is haphazardly stitched together as the panels go along (instead of mapping out plot points in advance), leaving sometimes huge logic gaps in their wake.

Plot plugs are then necessary between panels in an attempt to fill in the logic gaps created (often with little success). The creators have a character summarize in their dialogue what has happened "off-stage" to address these logic problems.

For example, when Metallo raids nuclear sites in order to obtain the uranium he needs to stay alive, he is described as a Man of Steel who has the strength of Superman.

So, when the TV news reports on these raids, how do they know that Superman is not, in fact, responsible for these crimes (especially since Metallo is not depicted as being caught in the act/observed committing them)?

Well, "lab tests" prove that no "human" could have committed these crimes. (What tests those could be boggles the mind, and Superman is not "human," so he still could be a suspect.)

But wait, there's more. These tests actually prove that ONLY a "robot" made of "pure metal" could have committed these crimes. Oh. I see...

Plot Plug 2:

Later, when Corben/Metallo is thwarted in obtaining the uranium he needs, he returns to Professor Vale's lab. The Professor Vale whom Corben had callously left on the floor to die after an avalanche caused Vale to have a stroke. The Professor Vale who had saved Corben by putting him in the metallic shell to begin with.

Corben: "Good! You've recovered from your stroke!... What was that second substance I can use? You collapsed before you could tell me!"

Did they just change their minds about killing Professor Vale off? Was he always intended to recover from his stroke so he could finally share this vital information with Corben? (And, why would Vale help the man who had left him for dead?)

Plot Plug 3:

Towards the end of the story, the creators clearly need Lois to discover that Metallo is faking being Superman, but because they are running out of panel room (?), they have Metallo's Superman costume rip on Lois' doorknob (?) revealing his metallic body to her.

The sudden contrivance is amusing, but holy heck, a doorknob?

Final Notions:

Essentially, the "plot plug" is just a modern spin-off of deus ex machina (which can be found throughout classic literature). Nonetheless, it bugs me.

Which parts of the story should be depicted in the art panels and how much should be conveyed by words (in dialogue/thought balloons and narrative boxes)? I hadn't realized how sophisticated and important these story-telling choices can be.

I find I have little enjoyment of comics that do not incorporate the elements of good story-telling (pacing, characterization, logical structure) to convey their creators' very cool ideas, but I am beginning to appreciate just how hard a task it is to craft a good comic.



The Comics Read But Left Behind:

Series: World’s Finest Comics (1941)

Issue #: 071

Copyright: DC Comics

Cover Date: July-August 1954

Cover Price: 10¢

Page Count:  28 pages

Print Release: 26-May-1954

Digital Release: 18-February-2016

Writer:	Alvin Schwartz
Penciler:	Curt Swan
Inker:	Stan Kaye
Colorist:	None Listed
Cover Art:	Win Mortimer
Source Links:	comiXology / Comic Vine / Wikipedia
Story Title:	“Batman – Double for Superman!”

Writer:	Ed Herron
Penciler:	George Papp
Inker:	George Papp
Colorist:	None Listed
Story Title:	Green Arrow: “The Invisible Death”

Writer:	Dave Wood
Penciler:	Nick Cardy
Inker:	Nick Cardy
Colorist:	None Listed
Story Title:	Tomahawk: “Feathered Fighters for Freedom!”

Series: Showcase (1956)

Issue #: 004

Copyright: DC Comics

Cover Date: October 1956

Cover Price: 10¢

Page Count:  24 pages

Print Release: 22-August-1956

Digital Release: 13-August-2011

Writers:	John Broome; Robert Kanigher
Penciler:	Carmine Infantino
Inker:	Joe Kubert
Colorist:	None Listed
Cover Art:	Carmine Infantino; Joe Kubert
Source Links:	comiXology / Comic Vine / Wikipedia
Story Titles:	“Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!”; "The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier!”

Series: Adventure Comics (1938)

Issue #: 247

Copyright: DC Comics

Cover Date: April 1958

Cover Price: 10¢

Page Count:  25 pages

Print Release: 19-February-1958

Digital Release: 24-March-2012

Writer:	Otto Binder
Penciler:	Al Plastino
Inker:	Al Plastino
Colorist:	None Listed
Cover Art:	Curt Swan
Source Links:	comiXology / Comic Vine / Wikipedia
Story Title:	Superboy: “The Legion of Super-Heroes”

Writer:	Ed Herron
Penciler:	George Papp
Inker:	George Papp
Colorist:	None Listed
Story Title:	Green Arrow: “The 13 Superstition Arrows”

Writer:	Jack Miller
Penciler:	Ramona Fradon
Inker:	Ramona Fradon
Colorist:	None Listed
Story Title:	Aquaman: “Aquaman’s Super Sea-Squad”

The Comic Covered Here:

Series: Action Comics (1938)

Issue #: 252

Copyright: DC Comics

Cover Date: May 1959

Cover Price: 10¢

Page Count:  28 pages

Print Release: 18-March-1959

Digital Release: 30-July-2011

Writer:	Robert Bernstein
Penciler:	Al Plastino
Inker:	Al Plastino
Colorist:	None Listed
Cover Art:	Curt Swan
Source Links:	comiXology / Comic Vine / Wikipedia
Story Title:	Superman: “The Menace of Metallo!”

Writer:	Robert Bernstein
Penciler:	Howard Sherman
Inker:	Howard Sherman
Colorist:	None Listed
Story Title:	“Congo Bill Dies at Dawn!”

Writer:	Otto Binder
Penciler:	Al Plastino
Inker:	Al Plastino
Colorist:	None Listed
Story Title:	“The Supergirl from Krypton!”