By: Jason Vaughn
Hello once again to all of you comic book connoisseurs out there in cyberspace. It’s about that time for another random genre selection as we reach our hand into the musty cob-web covered Meltdown Genius Pull box. Here’s an excerpt from the previous mix for anyone who might have missed it (and exactly why did you miss the last one, hmm?) and may not be sure how this works.
“Every iTunes library now contains a playlist called “Genius Mixes.” It’s a rather intuitive program that cycles through your library and pulls together multiple mixes from the different genre types in your music collection. So this got me to thinking? What if you could do the same thing to your comic collection and pull list? Just *click* and you have a selection of crime dramas, *click* a mix of superhero stories, *click* and there’s a handful of your favorite horror books to lull you into a blubbering nightmare-filled sleep before bed. So until the major publishers catch on and start doing something similar on their own websites, every so often I’ll be highlighting a random genre pull of current upcoming books and compare them to some back issue favorites. (By the way, I take full credit for the idea, guys! You can send the royalty checks to Jason Vaughn courtesy of… oh, who am I kidding.) This way, you don’t have to go digging around in that closet where you hide all of your comics from your girlfriend. And guys, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
So there you have it – the Genius Pull. This week’s selection is the person every guy wants to be, and every girl wants to… well, batter dip his corn dog if you get my drift. So this week we’re going to have an unfortunate run in with the one, the only, everyone’s favorite bad-boy, the “anti-hero!” Merriam Webster defines the anti-hero as “a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities.” We all grew up with infamous screen anti-heroes like Tony Montana, Snake Plissken, The Equalizer (that one’s for you Gaston!), Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name, and La Femme Nikita to name a few. In the graphic novel world, there are also obvious characters to choose from such as The Punisher, Lobo, or even the 80’s version of Wolverine (not the cuddly, everybody’s best buddy, team player guy that graces almost all of the covers nowadays.) I suppose in some circles, even Batman is still considered an anti-hero, but that’s an argument for another column. With that, let’s take a look at some new titles with characters who lack a moral compass and walk the fine line between the light and the dark, and compare them to a back issue favorite who lives a life in true shades of grey.
American Vampire #3 (MR) – Vertigo
Written by: Scott Snyder & Stephen King
Art and Cover by: Rafael Albuquerque
Variant Cover by: Andy Kubert
It took me a couple of issues, but I have to say that I am fully hooked on American Vampire. Each issue contains two stories that span the course of several decades. One story is by Snyder and the other by the maestro of the menacing, Stephen King. The first storyline revolves around a young 1920’s Hollywood extra named Pearl Jones who is on a mission to destroy the men who turned her into a creature of the night. The second story is a western tale about the hunt for an elusive vampire monster. But what both stories have in common is the roguish old west outlaw named Skinner Sweet. (Ok, essentially he’s Josh Holloway with fangs. I think I just found the guy his next gig. I expect the standard ten percent, Josh.) Skinner is a new type of vampire – one who has evolved and living in the “New World.” I find King’s origin story of Skinner’s creation, and the story about the eventual war on the “Old World” vampires who are trying to destroy him, the high point of the book. As an anti-hero, Skinner is the perfect mix of unremorseful bloodlust with a twisted sense of honor; one that he doesn’t feel the need to constantly whine about ala “Angel.” (And let the Whedonite hate mail begin!). He’s a man who’s been wronged and has no issue with leaving a trail of half mangled, half eaten bodies in his wake until he sets things straight. In an over “vamped” world of Twilight, Daybreakers, The Gates, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood etc… Skinner Sweet is an uncharacteristically fresh breath of vampire air.
Nemesis #2 (MR) – Icon
Written by: Mark Millar
Pencils by: Steve McNiven
Ok, I’m going to be honest with you here, I’m very conflicted with the Nemesis book as a whole. I’m a big fan of the guys who brought us “Old Man Logan” and “Civil War,” however; I wasn’t completely sold on the story until the end of the second issue. The first issue felt slightly uninspired, a tad flat, and surprisingly void of any shock value – especially coming from the man who created the “ultra violent kiddie” genre with “Kick Ass.” In Nemesis, Millar has made his very own “Batman gone bat$h*t,” a genius terrorist who is always one step ahead of his targets, and equipped with enough high tech weaponry to rival any other sociopath in a cape and mask. Nemesis, the character, feels like a cross between Batman and Moon Knight in both attitude and resemblance. Like Batman, Nemesis has his very own twisted origin story, one that also deals with the fall of his parents, but in a strikingly different manner from the Dark Knight. Now, this unstoppable international mass murderer has set his sights on the United States, more specifically, the man whom he blames for his parents’ death, the Chief of Police of Washington D.C. So what does keep me coming back if it’s not the story? Well, it’s how wickedly nefarious Nemesis can be. He’s outright evil personified, but he does it with such timing, flourish and finesse, that you can’t not help but admire the methodology while sitting enthralled on the edge of your seat waiting to see what the guy will do next. I may not be completely sold on the story, but it is only the second issue after all and there’s plenty more story left to tell. I have enough faith in Millar to believe he kept a few surprises hidden up his sleeve.
Red Hood – The Lost Days #1 – DC
Written by: Judd Winick
Art by: Pablo Raimondi
When I was kid, there was one rule in all of comic-dom that always held true: “no one in comics stays dead except for Bucky Barnes and Jason Todd.” When Bucky was resurrected as the Winter Soldier and later turned into the new Captain America, I don’t think anyone was surprised when the long-thought dead Jason Todd resurfaced around the same time. I was never much of a fan of Jason as the second Robin, and when the fans (including myself) ended up voting for his death back in ’88, I definitely didn’t lose any sleep over it. And actually those years following Jason’s death, when Batman became decisively more aggressive, were some of the best Batman stories I have in my collection. To further cement my dislike of the character, DC completely dropped the ball with his resurrection story by using the idiotic Infinite Crisis “Superboy Punch” element to explain his sudden arrival. The subsequent storylines of Countdown and The Battle for the Cowl’s misuse of the character essentially resorted in making Jason Todd a two dimensional anti-hero adversary for Batman. I guess that old mantra “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” is one that Judd Winick believes in when it comes to the former side-kick. Luckily for us, this time I think he may have actually succeeded. The first issue doesn’t give us much insight into the man that would become “Batman with guns,” but what it does accomplish is giving the character a more grounded return story using an obvious story telling device in the Batman mythos – one of Ra’s Al Ghul’s lazarus pits. Along with a more believable resurrection story, Winick infuses the first issue of this limited series with an emotional depth that was lacking in many of the “tights and flights” books with the turbulent father/daughter relationship between Ra’s and Talia. Each of their motivated reactions to the news of Jason Todd’s death and the drastically different choices made regarding his resurrection is worth the cover price alone. Considering it’s the first issue, admittedly there isn’t much “anti-heroing” going on, but knowing Jason’s appetite for destruction, I’m sure we’re not far away from multiple gunshot wounds and fractured femurs for everyone. I fully expected this book to suck and now I’m eagerly awaiting the next issue to see how Winick just might be able to turn one of my least favorite characters into a surprising addition to my pull list.
Scalped: Indian Country (TPB) – Vertigo
Written by: Jason Aaron
Art by: R.M. Guera
What praise can be said about Aaron and Guera’s “Scalped” that hasn’t already been shouted from the mountaintops? I’m ashamed to admit that I came late to the party when it comes to this title, but wow, I won’t miss a single issue from here on out! Jason Aaron is one of the best writers working in the industry today, and there is no better example of his prowess than in the creation of his protagonist in “Scalped,” the ultimate anti-hero, Dashiell Bad Horse. Brian K. Vaughn describes Bad Horse as a “rare film noir protagonist who’s actually as cool as his name, this is the tale of one mean cop with a big damn secret.” Bad Horse is a full blooded Oglala native who left the reservation at the age of thirteen, and now, as an angry twenty eight year old, he has suspiciously returned to the reservation with a vengeance. He has no friends, never smiles, and often ends up in a fight with most people he encounters including his own mother. Described as a “borderline sociopath,” Bad Horse is a master of Jeet Kune Do and so skilled a bada$$, that he’s able to take on a whole room full of bikers in a barroom brawl with a pair of nunchaku. And let’s not forget Bad Horse’s moral ambiguity and lack of basic ethics when it comes to an old married flame who helps lend to his anti-hero status. Jason Aaron has crafted such an interesting character with multiple layers of motivation and just pure “kickassery,” that I can’t wait to see who Dashiell Bad Horse will punch next.
Sadly, that’s the end of this Genius Pull mix. Hopefully you’ve found a new questionable “good guy” to root for, and if not, check out Meltdown’s vast selection of back issues and trade paper backs to find your own favorite anti-hero. I’ll see all of you Meltdown fanatics on Wednesday for the new books!
Follow on Twitter: Jason – @GoTodash
Genius Pull – “Anti-hero”
By: Jason Vaughn
Hello once again to all of you comic book connoisseurs out there in cyberspace. It’s about that time for another random genre selection as we reach our hand into the musty cob-web covered Meltdown Genius Pull box. Here’s an excerpt from the previous mix for anyone who might have missed it (and exactly why did you miss the last one, hmm?) and may not be sure how this works.
“Every iTunes library now contains a playlist called “Genius Mixes.” It’s a rather intuitive program that cycles through your library and pulls together multiple mixes from the different genre types in your music collection. So this got me to thinking? What if you could do the same thing to your comic collection and pull list? Just *click* and you have a selection of crime dramas, *click* a mix of superhero stories, *click* and there’s a handful of your favorite horror books to lull you into a blubbering nightmare-filled sleep before bed. So until the major publishers catch on and start doing something similar on their own websites, every so often I’ll be highlighting a random genre pull of current upcoming books and compare them to some back issue favorites. (By the way, I take full credit for the idea, guys! You can send the royalty checks to Jason Vaughn courtesy of… oh, who am I kidding.) This way, you don’t have to go digging around in that closet where you hide all of your comics from your girlfriend. And guys, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
So there you have it – the Genius Pull. This week’s selection is the person every guy wants to be, and every girl wants to… well, batter dip his corn dog if you get my drift. So this week we’re going to have an unfortunate run in with the one, the only, everyone’s favorite bad-boy, the “anti-hero!” Merriam Webster defines the anti-hero as “a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities.” We all grew up with infamous screen anti-heroes like Tony Montana, Snake Plissken, The Equalizer (that one’s for you Gaston!), Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name, and La Femme Nikita to name a few. In the graphic novel world, there are also obvious characters to choose from such as The Punisher, Lobo, or even the 80’s version of Wolverine (not the cuddly, everybody’s best buddy, team player guy that graces almost all of the covers nowadays.) I suppose in some circles, even Batman is still considered an anti-hero, but that’s an argument for another column. With that, let’s take a look at some new titles with characters who lack a moral compass and walk the fine line between the light and the dark, and compare them to a back issue favorite who lives a life in true shades of grey.
American Vampire #3 (MR) – Vertigo
Written by: Scott Snyder & Stephen King
Art and Cover by: Rafael Albuquerque
Variant Cover by: Andy Kubert
It took me a couple of issues, but I have to say that I am fully hooked on American Vampire. Each issue contains two stories that span the course of several decades. One story is by Snyder and the other by the maestro of the menacing, Stephen King. The first storyline revolves around a young 1920’s Hollywood extra named Pearl Jones who is on a mission to destroy the men who turned her into a creature of the night. The second story is a western tale about the hunt for an elusive vampire monster. But what both stories have in common is the roguish old west outlaw named Skinner Sweet. (Ok, essentially he’s Josh Holloway with fangs. I think I just found the guy his next gig. I expect the standard ten percent, Josh.) Skinner is a new type of vampire – one who has evolved and living in the “New World.” I find King’s origin story of Skinner’s creation, and the story about the eventual war on the “Old World” vampires who are trying to destroy him, the high point of the book. As an anti-hero, Skinner is the perfect mix of unremorseful bloodlust with a twisted sense of honor; one that he doesn’t feel the need to constantly whine about ala “Angel.” (And let the Whedonite hate mail begin!). He’s a man who’s been wronged and has no issue with leaving a trail of half mangled, half eaten bodies in his wake until he sets things straight. In an over “vamped” world of Twilight, Daybreakers, The Gates, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood etc… Skinner Sweet is an uncharacteristically fresh breath of vampire air.
Written by: Mark Millar
Pencils by: Steve McNiven
Ok, I’m going to be honest with you here, I’m very conflicted with the Nemesis book as a whole. I’m a big fan of the guys who brought us “Old Man Logan” and “Civil War,” however; I wasn’t completely sold on the story until the end of the second issue. The first issue felt slightly uninspired, a tad flat, and surprisingly void of any shock value – especially coming from the man who created the “ultra violent kiddie” genre with “Kick Ass.” In Nemesis, Millar has made his very own “Batman gone bat$h*t,” a genius terrorist who is always one step ahead of his targets, and equipped with enough high tech weaponry to rival any other sociopath in a cape and mask. Nemesis, the character, feels like a cross between Batman and Moon Knight in both attitude and resemblance. Like Batman, Nemesis has his very own twisted origin story, one that also deals with the fall of his parents, but in a strikingly different manner from the Dark Knight. Now, this unstoppable international mass murderer has set his sights on the United States, more specifically, the man whom he blames for his parents’ death, the Chief of Police of Washington D.C. So what does keep me coming back if it’s not the story? Well, it’s how wickedly nefarious Nemesis can be. He’s outright evil personified, but he does it with such timing, flourish and finesse, that you can’t not help but admire the methodology while sitting enthralled on the edge of your seat waiting to see what the guy will do next. I may not be completely sold on the story, but it is only the second issue after all and there’s plenty more story left to tell. I have enough faith in Millar to believe he kept a few surprises hidden up his sleeve.
Red Hood – The Lost Days #1 – DC
Written by: Judd Winick
Art by: Pablo Raimondi
When I was kid, there was one rule in all of comic-dom that always held true: “no one in comics stays dead except for Bucky Barnes and Jason Todd.” When Bucky was resurrected as the Winter Soldier and later turned into the new Captain America, I don’t think anyone was surprised when the long-thought dead Jason Todd resurfaced around the same time. I was never much of a fan of Jason as the second Robin, and when the fans (including myself) ended up voting for his death back in ’88, I definitely didn’t lose any sleep over it. And actually those years following Jason’s death, when Batman became decisively more aggressive, were some of the best Batman stories I have in my collection. To further cement my dislike of the character, DC completely dropped the ball with his resurrection story by using the idiotic Infinite Crisis “Superboy Punch” element to explain his sudden arrival. The subsequent storylines of Countdown and The Battle for the Cowl’s misuse of the character essentially resorted in making Jason Todd a two dimensional anti-hero adversary for Batman. I guess that old mantra “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” is one that Judd Winick believes in when it comes to the former side-kick. Luckily for us, this time I think he may have actually succeeded. The first issue doesn’t give us much insight into the man that would become “Batman with guns,” but what it does accomplish is giving the character a more grounded return story using an obvious story telling device in the Batman mythos – one of Ra’s Al Ghul’s lazarus pits. Along with a more believable resurrection story, Winick infuses the first issue of this limited series with an emotional depth that was lacking in many of the “tights and flights” books with the turbulent father/daughter relationship between Ra’s and Talia. Each of their motivated reactions to the news of Jason Todd’s death and the drastically different choices made regarding his resurrection is worth the cover price alone. Considering it’s the first issue, admittedly there isn’t much “anti-heroing” going on, but knowing Jason’s appetite for destruction, I’m sure we’re not far away from multiple gunshot wounds and fractured femurs for everyone. I fully expected this book to suck and now I’m eagerly awaiting the next issue to see how Winick just might be able to turn one of my least favorite characters into a surprising addition to my pull list.
Written by: Jason Aaron
Art by: R.M. Guera
What praise can be said about Aaron and Guera’s “Scalped” that hasn’t already been shouted from the mountaintops? I’m ashamed to admit that I came late to the party when it comes to this title, but wow, I won’t miss a single issue from here on out! Jason Aaron is one of the best writers working in the industry today, and there is no better example of his prowess than in the creation of his protagonist in “Scalped,” the ultimate anti-hero, Dashiell Bad Horse. Brian K. Vaughn describes Bad Horse as a “rare film noir protagonist who’s actually as cool as his name, this is the tale of one mean cop with a big damn secret.” Bad Horse is a full blooded Oglala native who left the reservation at the age of thirteen, and now, as an angry twenty eight year old, he has suspiciously returned to the reservation with a vengeance. He has no friends, never smiles, and often ends up in a fight with most people he encounters including his own mother. Described as a “borderline sociopath,” Bad Horse is a master of Jeet Kune Do and so skilled a bada$$, that he’s able to take on a whole room full of bikers in a barroom brawl with a pair of nunchaku. And let’s not forget Bad Horse’s moral ambiguity and lack of basic ethics when it comes to an old married flame who helps lend to his anti-hero status. Jason Aaron has crafted such an interesting character with multiple layers of motivation and just pure “kickassery,” that I can’t wait to see who Dashiell Bad Horse will punch next.
Sadly, that’s the end of this Genius Pull mix. Hopefully you’ve found a new questionable “good guy” to root for, and if not, check out Meltdown’s vast selection of back issues and trade paper backs to find your own favorite anti-hero. I’ll see all of you Meltdown fanatics on Wednesday for the new books!