What's the Deal with Marvel Comics' Reboots?

Comic readers know at this point how the big companies will reboot their respective comic universes to keep content fresh, and to reorganize their properties into a new status quo.  There's a dire situation, heroes may band together, but despite their efforts either lead to a "reality shattering" event, possibly a time travel mishap or parallel worlds colliding. When the dust settles, readers are re-introduced to a new world with characters and elements, some familiar, others revamped for a more contemporary re-telling or to blend acquired properties and alternate timelines into continuity. DC did it in 1985 with Crisis on Infinite Earths,  which famously destroyed the multiverse and combined the company's disparate properties, onto one earth. And again in 1994 when Zero Hour altered the timeline to include golden age versions of the Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman in WWII (except Superman who always seems to have landed on Earth a couple decades ago) while modern versions continue their legacy in the modern era. In 2006 the series 52 revealed that events of the previous year's Infinite Crisis had separated the single earth into fifty-two identical earths, and by the end of 52 a time-traveling creature altered the timeline altering the parallel earths effectively recreating the multiverse. In 2011 DC broke their ten-ish year rhythm with a story called Flashpoint in which the Flash has to restore the timeline and in doing so altered the entire multiverse. The appropriately named New 52 relaunched the entire DC line with fifty-two titles, mostly relaunches of old titles, some new ones including properties from the defunct Wildstorm comics. Now it's 2015, so I guess it's time for a reboot again. Since my return to reading current books, I haven't caught up on the DC titles, but I've read a whole bunch of Marvel, who are also rebooting their multiverse, so this series of articles will break down what I loved about the era called Marvel Now! (I wanna be clear, this is not a declaration of tribal preference for the company, it's just that the frequent sales on the Marvel app have made it easier to catch up digitally. I'd love to talk about some New 52 Bat-titles when I am properly read-up on those).

Frankie Richards and his ball containing
the Heroes Reborn universe

Marvel have had their reboots and relaunches. Nothing as huge as a relaunch of their whole line, Marvel tends to preserve the "mainstream" continuity known as Earth 616. In 1995 Marvel announced that they were killing off Charles Xavier and cancelling all of their X-titles. They let the confusion from this news hang in the air momentarily before announcing the launch of the first Age of Apocalypse universe. For months, alternate titles replaced all X-books before the timeline was fixed creating a new status quo. The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man were unaffected continuing their adventures in 616 until another event called Onslauht: Marvel Universe. This title was the conclusion of the Onslaught Saga, in which the title character was a being who had the powers of Xavier and Magneto had taken over New York and abducted Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four, in an attempt to add his reality-altering powers. The finale was a truly epic battle, in which saw the combined forces of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, The Avengers and even Doctor Doom. The non-mutant heroes were forced to sacrifice themselves, apparently lost forever. Secretly, or perhaps without knowing himself, the young Franklin Richards saved them all by creating a 'pocket universe' which allowed Marvel to launch Heroes Reborn, a world where the Fantastic Four and Avengers were got all-new origin stories and existed without the X-Men, who were back on Earth 616 watching over Franklin among other things, nor Spider-Man, who didn't show up that day. Interestingly though, during this time, Franklin was often depicted holding a blue ball which was thought to contain the Heroes Reborn world. This too, didn't last, and with the aptly named Heroes Return about a year and a half later reuniting the classic heroes with the rest of Earth 616. In 2000 Marvel introduced a rebooted universe, separate from the 616 continuity. Called Ultimate Comics this line reintroduced classics starting with Spider-Man, and X-Men and eventually the Avengers, and Fantastic Four. Since Ultimate Comics was a completely distinct continuity, it was able to continue without disrupting the rest of Marvel and has since has ended, was reintroduced as its popularity wavered over the years, and is also known as Earth 1610. This universe also introduced the young Miles Morales who, inspired by Peter Parker's self-sacrifice, took up the Spider-Man legacy (look for more on Miles in the upcoming "What was cool about Marvel Now: Spiderman"). All of these re-imaginings are distinct from those of DC comics, in that Marvel's main continuity persisted. 2005's House of M would change that, not through time-travel, or any world crushing event but because of the instability of one classic Marvel character: Scarlet Witch. Her mutant powers have changed over the decades but they were always described as "chaos magic" or "hex powers." In House of M, Dr. Strange explained to the New Avengers that there was no such thing as "chaos magic," instead her mutant powers gave her access to magic, but her lack of formal training just made it seem like chaos. After her lack of control caused the deaths of Hawkeye, Vision and Wonder-Man in the previous story Avengers: Disassembled the New Avengers and X-Men set out to confront her. Before they could, she suffered a complete mental breakdown and an eruption of her magic changed the entire world and its history. Magneto was a world leader, an all-mutant S.H.I.E.L.D. served as his royal guard, Scarlet Witch lived like royalty, Hawkeye never died and Vision not only survived, but was father to Scarlet Witch's twins. It was not technically an alternate timeline, this new world was still Earth 616 albeit magically altered. After having to overcome their magically altered memories, the heroes finally confront Scarlet Witch who restores the world mostly back to normal. Hawkeye stuck around leading to his popular solo series written by Matt Fraction. Scarlet Witch, whose instability and  seemingly limitless power also stuck around, de-powered the majority of the world's mutants reducing the population to about two-hundred, which was a consequence that the X-Men and the rest of the mutants have had to deal with since, and in terms of the brand, was a much needed change to the status quo that I will discuss at length in the upcoming "What was Cool about Marvel Now: X-Men."

In House of M Scarlet Witch changes the world with no more than four words

Throughout the years Marvel has avoided using the word "reboot" to describe these events. They could reasonably claim that the full-multiversal- reboot is more of a DC thing, and that Earth 616 has persisted since comics' Golden Age. This was true until just this past year when, as a result of Time Runs Out, a story Jonathan Hickman has been building since the start of 2013's New Avengers, Earth 616 physically collided with Earth 1610 destroying both the Ultimate and mainstream Marvel universes. Since everything is blowing up and starting over, I'd like to get into the last few years of Marvel, the era we call Marvel Now! and why it's got me reading current Marvel comics again.

Short Effects: More News

As much as I nerded-out over the current state of superhero shows in this article, things are about to get even more exciting. Announcements keep coming from both Marvel and DC sides. I'm just gonna run through some recent goings-on.

From the CW camp a trailer dropped for Legends of Tomorrow. The project will be a Justice League style team-up between various characters from The Flash and Arrow. Besides the title characters the team will include a version of Firestorm (Prof. Stein is still around but someone besides Ronnie will be the other half of the hero), Captain Cold, Heatwave, Black Canary, White Canary, and the Atom played by Brandon Routh with newcomers Hawkgirl and the time traveling Rip Hunter. A shot of the team from the trailer can be seen in the season finale of The Flash when Barry is running through the time-stream.  In other CW news, Arrow actor, Stephen Amell announced that he'll never be called Arrow again and that "Arrow is over." One would think this means the show is cancelled, but with season 4 still planned for this fall it's more likely that the character is finally adopting his true moniker from the comics "Green Arrow."

As most fans have heard, season two of Netflix's Daredevil will include classic Marvel anti-hero Frank Castle, the Punisher. Jon Bernthal, formerly of The Walking Dead will portray the gun-toting vigilante. Interesting casting since he played Shane who was often grim-faced and gun-happy on TWD. I predict the Punisher will prove a fitting foil for the title character, as Matt Murdock has frequently referenced his unwillingness to kill to achieve his goals, preferring to bring his adversaries to justice in the eyes of the law whereas the Punisher kills those he thinks deserve it, bypassing the entire system. Set for release next spring, just before Captain America: Civil War is set to debut, it would make sense for major tie-ins between the two stories. If Civil War is anything like the comics, a law called "The Superhero Registration Act" will divide the heroes into opposing camps. Punisher is just the type of guy that such a law is meant to rein in, and Daredevil, being a defense lawyer in his day job may be sought out by heroes who refuse to register.

Marvel recently announced its casting of its prodigal son, Spider-man. Young British actor, Tom Holland will play the Webslinger, set to cameo in the previously mentioned Captain America: Civil War. I'd comment more on the casting itself but I haven't actually seen anything with Holland in it. For more details on the deal between Marvel and Sony over Spider-Man's movie rights, click here. Personally I thought Sony would never share the character. Now, I can't wait to see what Marvel Studios does with such a popular character as they have a history of making lesser loved characters shine.

Movie Wars

The Movie Wars rage on.  The territorial battles are over film rights.  Each movie is a volley of mortar, while all the little news releases are smaller gunshots. Though Sony surrendered its battle over Spiderman, and Fox and Warner Bros. are currently reloading in between blasts, Marvel is by no means resting this year.

Avengers: Age of Ultron features Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. These twin sibling heroes are essentially neutral territory between Fox and Marvel. Though they are mutants and debuted in the pages of X-Men, they have a long history with the Avengers. In 1965, the original Avengers lineup, Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and the Hulk decide to take a leave of absence creating a void that is filled by Captain America, Hawkeye and both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Though they started as X-Men villains they've been associated with the Avengers for as long as Cap and Hawkeye.  Because of this history Fox and Marvel agreed that they could be included in both franchises.  The only question would be "Who's version is more accurate to the source material?" Longtime fans initially balked at the idea of presenting these two as anything but mutants and the fact that Magneto, known to be their father for decades, is still off-limits to Marvel Studios. With this apprehension, and last year's X-Men: Days of Future Past (which had a scene with Scarlet Witch that did not survive the final cut) expertly displaying Quicksilver's power to the tune of Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" (best scene in the whole movie btw) one would think Marvel might lose this fight. Marvel has a weapon that no other studio does: the comics. Wielding the almighty ret-con ("retroactive continuity"), Marvel will reveal that Magneto was not their true father, but rather Robert Frank, a golden-age hero called "Whizzer." Though mostly forgotten, it was Whizzer who was originally thought to be father of the twins until it was "revealed" to be Magneto. The reason for the confusion will take some explaining. Frank took his wife who was pregnant with twins to Wundagore Mountain, a fictional location where a being known as the High Evolutionary had experimented with the local fauna populating the mountain with evolved, intelligent animals. The two had been irradiated after an attack by a villain named Isbisa, and Wundagore was thought to be a place with advanced medical technology. They found help in the form of Bova, a midwife who happened to be an intelligent cow. After Frank's wife died in childbirth, Bova tried to pass another set of twins recently born there, as his own. These two apparently were the offspring of Magda, Magneto's wife. Magda hadn't revealed that she was pregnant before fleeing to Wundagore. She was terrified of Magneto after watching him destroy a village after the KGB burned their house and held Magneto down, preventing him from using his powers to save his only daughter at the time, Anya who was trapped inside. After learning that his wife fled to Wundagore and was pregnant Magneto, sought out Bova. Under duress, she told him that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were his, which came as a surprise since they had worked together on the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants team. Since they're already planning to reboot their multiverse after this year's big Secret Wars event, and there is already a "switched-at-birth" situation with an untrustworthy source of info in Bova, it would be easy to rearrange things to remove Fox's advantage. That'll teach us not to trust talking cows.


Finally adding Spider-Man to their arsenal Marvel has the green-light to include one of their most popular characters in the growing cinematic universe. Their deal with Sony turned out to be surprisingly copacetic. According to this article from Variety.com Sony retains ownership of Spider-Man's movie rights, Marvel does not have to pay a cent of its profits from movies with cameo appearances and, likewise, Sony will keep all profits from the solo Spider-Man reboot set to premiere in 2017. Though its expected that the hero will appear in next year's Captain America: Civil War, no casting announcements have been made. Asa Butterfield, who played the title character in Ender's Game  is rumored for the role and would make sense as Peter Parker, but fans can't help but wonder "Is it time for someone else under the mask?" A fair amount apparrantly want to see Miles Morales don the webs.  Created by Brian Michael Bendis for the Ultimate Universe, is a black teenager who was bitten by a radioactive spider that hitched a ride in his uncle's bag all the way from Osborn Industries. At first, though he exhibited spider-powers, Miles didn't want to fight, deciding to leave the "Superhero stuff" to the real Spider-Man. Months later in the Ultimatum storyline, Peter Parker sacrifices himself to save his family from Norman Osborn. Arriving late on the scene, Miles is struck with guilt that he had the power to help but refused. Learning the lesson that Parker learned when his Uncle Ben died, Miles pledges to take up the Spider-Man legacy to honor the good man he could've saved. I wouldn't rule out this version of the hero yet. It was Avi Arad, producer involved with all previous Spider-Man movies, who said something to the affect of "Nobody but Peter Parker can be Spider-Man," which Bendis challenged, creating Miles Morales. Though Arad will produce next year's Sinister Six, and later Venom he will not be producing 2017's Spider-Man reboot, which is yet to be titled (all according to IMDB.com).  This is still just a small shred of hope as Peter Parker is still most recognized by the general public as the hero.  I'd like to see them set up a scenario like Superior Spider-Man. One of my favorite recent storylines, it features a Spider-Man whose mind was switched with an aging Otto Octavius as a last ditch attempt to extend his dwindling life. It's interesting because before becoming Doctor Octopus, his life was similar to Parker's. Both grew up with a love of science and physical bullying, but Octavius was abused by his parents rather adversely to the doting attention Parker received from his aunt and uncle. Still possessing Parker's memories, Octavius is forced to learn the tough lessons from Parker's tragic past and actually tries to improve on Spider-Man's ways incorporating advanced technology like patrolling Spider-bots and a computer enhanced visor not unlike Google Glasses. Some habits are tough to shake though as he eventually adopts a set of mechanical arms, amasses an army of henchman, and allows his violent nature to surface tipping off the Avengers and one of Parker's exes Det. Carly Cooper. I'm guessing it'll be awhile before we see this on film, though.

TV Wars

Fans of superheroes today are lucky to live at a time where so many networks are clamoring to get a piece of the live-action pie. Since AMC's The Walking Dead grabbed the mass's attention, other attempts to adapt comic stories to the television with various levels of success. Some miss their mark, though few have managed to balance a fresh take on its material while keeping its characters true to the source.

CW was first in these recent attempts at the superhero genre on prime-time with Arrow. The show found success delivering solid action and character drama, and bringing to the screen not only Green Arrow, but also Black Canary, Red Arrow, Huntress, the Flash and villains Deadshot, Merlyn, Mocking Bird, a very brief Harley Quinn cameo and one of my personal favorites Deathstroke. Also, there is a version of Deathstroke's young lady protege, Ravager whose identity is a twist I don't want to spoil. Other appearances from the books, not exactly accurate to the source are Brother Blood, the Royal Flush Gang, the Clock King, Shrapnel depicted as a serial bomber instead of creature composed of sharp metal and Solomon Grundy referred to only as Cyrus Gold, powered by an experimental serum instead of the Hulk-like undead monster-man in the comics.  While thrilling action scenes and character drama provide mass appeal, the variety of familiar heroes and villains keep longtime fans happy. For fans with sharp ears, the writers of this show like to slip in tongue-in-cheek references to writers and artists. In the season two epsiode "Suicide Squad" Amanda Waller, Mockingbird refers to a room in a hotel as the Ostrander Suite" name-dropping John Ostrander, a writer famous for his work on the Suicide Squad comic among other titles. There was also mention of a "Giffen Street" referring to Keith Giffen, the artist who worked with Ostrander on the same series.  And in the "Birds of Prey" episode the police are looking for the Huntress. Her location is announced over the dispatch: an abandoned building at the intersection of "Gail and Simone," of course name-dropping superstar DC writer Gail Simone who added Huntress to the lineup in her iconic Birds of Prey run. One of the most interesting elements Arrow brings to the table, is its handling of the hero's origin. Oliver Queen was stranded on an island for five years, until his return, seen in the premiere episode. As the show unfolds we get flashbacks of this time period where he learns to survive, making both allies and enemies.  At a rate of about one year on the island per season, the audience is treated to the slow transition from billionaire playboy to hardened vigilante, whose concern shifted from parties and women, to a crusade to free Starling City of corruption. One complaint with this adaptation is that the plot of the first season revolves around a list of names Queen got from his father in his last moments. Green Arrow starts his career crossing off each name by killing them, taking justice into his own hands. I found it hard to root for him as he constantly crossed this line. This flaw stayed in the first season, though. After the death of his closest friend, Ollie decided he couldn't go on killing everyone with no thought of the consequences and rededicated his career to bringing justice without the use of deadly force.

Arrow's Ravager

...and her comic version

Spinning out of CW's has quickly become a personal favorite. I've read the words "My name is 'Barry Allen.' I'm the fastest man alive!" so many times that the voice-over in the intro-credits gives me chills.Taking elements from both Barry Allen and the younger Wally West Flash this adaptation shows much respect and love to its source material. Though the hero's classic rogues gallery provides a villain of the week like Captain Cold, Heatwave, the Pied Piper, Girder and the Trickster, the show stays fresh with longer story arcs featuring Firestorm and the Reverse Flash. Any longtime fan who knows the latter's identity as time-traveler, Eobard Thawne would be kept glued to the screen during his gradual reveal with a bait-and-switch, having Detective Edward Thawne rival Barry for the affections of Iris West.  There's also a team-up with Green Arrow and one with DC sci-fi staple, the Atom played by former Superman actor, Brandon Routh. Though some tweaks are necessary to bring comic characters to the TV screen, most of the important elements are true to the characters' original form. Cold earns his moniker with mean calm and ruthless cunning as well as his cold-gun. The Reverse Flash is completely devious and quick to anger. More recently, Gorilla Grodd was brought to screen as a truly terrifying sight to behold, a giant gorilla who paralyzes you with fear, looking like he could rip a person in two, then you realize his voice is in your head. Instead of being a scientist whose sole ambition is to rule Gorilla City and eat anyone who gets in his way, this Grodd was the result of genetic experiments. There are a couple nods to the short-lived 90's version. The lead from that series, John Wesley Ship plays Barry's father who is serving a sentence for the wrongful conviction of his wife's murder, which provides Barry's main motivation. Also, Mark Hamill reprises his role as the unstable Trickster for the third time (acting in the previous version as well as providing his voice in the animated Justice League: Unlimited series). My one complaint is that though the show shares a universe with Arrow, DC content outside of the CW network is off-limits. I would love to see this Flash help found the Justice League but the movie version will likely be different, as the Suicide Squad movie has already announced its cast alternately to the one featured in Arrow.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC was met with mixed reactions. Created by Joss Whedon it follows a diverse and quirky cast of agents lead by Phil Coulson who was introduced in the Iron Man film. Weekly they work on cases that deal with the fallout of the Marvel movie-verse as the larger mysteries of Coulson's return after his apparant death in Avengers and other main character, Skye's unknown past unfold more gradually.The major problem with this show is its lack of costumed heroes. Though they reference characters so obscure even I have to consult the Marvel Wikia, in the first season the only major superhero to appear was Deathlok. As thrilling as his reveal was having him in a handful of episodes was not enough besides the fact that most of the time he's being manipulated by the baddies for their own purposes. To be fair, in the second season they improve this situation by adding to the main lineup Agent Barbara 'Bobbi' Morse, known to comic fans as Mockingbird. She dominates fights with her Amazonian build and a pair of staves, her weapons of choice in the comics. Vice versa, Agent Coulson has been appearing more in the comics and in 2014 the rest of the show's cast  got their comic debut in a title called S.H.I.EL.D.

ABC's "Mockingbird"

...and her comic counterpart

When Agent Carter was announced I thought it would be a story/event within Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or a mini-series taking its place temporarily. Did we need another family-friendly S.H.I.E.L.D.-based show exploring the Marvel movie-verse? Despite my doubts, the show sets itself apart setting it's stories in the past and exploring the history of Howard Stark, Arnim Zola, the Howling Commandos and title character, Peggy Carter outside of the films. Carter provides an interesting perspective as one of the few people to know Captain America as a man as she hears the legends that arise in his absence. I enjoyed the pilot but I will have to wait to finish the season. As it happens, I missed a few episodes and the full season is not available to stream yet.

NBC has Constantine. Admittedly I am not extremely familiar with the character, but from what I do know this adaption is more faithful to its source than the 2005 movie. John Constantine is a blond trenchcoat-wearing Brit who practices black magic to fight demons and protect innocent souls, not as much the unblinking Keannu Reeves version that the film gave us. More than that, the framing, camera angles, lingering closeups, and dialogue feel very comic book-y. I hate using such a vague description, but watching the show I feel like I'm enjoying comic story-telling. The only problem I see has been the delays between episodes, but if they're taking their time in order produce the same level of content they can take as long as they need.

Gotham on Fox is a show that I wanted to like. It follows the perspective of James Gordon just starting at his new post in Gotham City. He takes interest in a young freshly orphaned Bruce Wayne. While I really like the premise of the police procedural set in Gotham pre-Batman I have a few issues with the show. Some are superficial like Donal Logue's portrayal of Sgt. Bulloch. The gritty voice he's using sounds more like Batman than the Brooklyn accent from the animated version. Also the scenes with Bruce Wayne are few and far between. Other more major issues show problems with the entire structure of the show. The inclusion of characters like Catwoman, Bulloch, and other police Crispus Allen and Rene Montoya don't really mesh with Batman's timeline. These are characters who are depicted as less experienced than Batman and in this show they're all much older and in already in play. I can't see Montoya or Allen donning the heroic identities, the Question and the Spectre respectively if they're already adults maybe a decade or more before Batman enters the fray. Also the character played by Jada Pinkett Smith, Fish Mooney is an odd addition. She plays a believable crime lord, but I can't help but think that the role was created in order to shoe-horn in some star power. One error that I'm sure had Bat-fans everywhere scratching their heads, occurred in the premiere episode. Detective Gordon is chasing a criminal through an apartment building, when he encounters a young red-headed girl. You can see abundant plants inside her apartment and when he asks her her name she sheepishly replies "Ivy." If you had seen the acclaimed animated series (from the same network as this show, mind you), or read one of her many comic appearances you'd know that if this kid was supposed to be Poison Ivy, her name should be Pamela Eisley. Are we supposed to believe young Pamela is already experimenting with plants and has adopted her alter-ego after school? It's more likely that this is a blatant mistake that even the universally hated movie, Batman and Robin was closer to getting right.

Daredevil's costume in Season 1

Makeshift costume worn in Daredevil: Man without Fear

Marvel Studios' latest in the TV Wars is Daredevil on Netflix. The exclusive release has allowed Marvel to create content targeted towards a decidedly adult audience. Though violent, the show avoids being gratuitous, by revealing character details through action, relentless to the point of brutality and at least once, beyond. Early on Matt Murdock describes how his father, boxer 'Battlin' Jack Murdock would corner his opponents and pummel them relentlessly. Also his father was known for being able to take a brutal beating as well. As Daredevil, he does both throughout the series, honoring his father who was killed after standing up to the mob by refusing to continue taking falls for bribes. In twisted contrast, the main antagonist, Wilson Fisk was raised by an abusive man. In this case, the violence that formed his character was directed towards a neighborhood bully, as Fisk was forced to beat him by his father. Later his father mercilessly beats his mother. This history manifests in the adult Fisk in the show's most gruesome scene, as Fisk murders a subordinate in a rage that continues after his victim's death. Vincent D'Onofrio delivers a frightening performance, fitting Fisk, known as the Kingpin in the comics. One thing the show excels at is its fresh take on common superhero tropes. They avoid the cliche of the hero's origin by showing the perspective of his father, who finds young Matt just after the accident that took his vision and elevated his senses to a hyper-keen level. I like the depiction of his enhanced senses, which sets this adaptation apart from the 2003 film. By showing subtle reactions, actor Charlie Cox tells us he's aware of information most others are not. Daredevil doesn't don the familiar red costume until the final episode, instead wearing a more stealth-friendly black costume referencing a makeshift uniform he used in the story Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller. There are plenty of other references to the comic universe for fans to look for (which I don't want to list because youtuber, Mr. Sunday Movies beat me to it here.) There's one notable nod to the movieverse. Fisk talks about his ventures in reconstruction in the wake of an otherworldly disaster, establishing the setting in New York after the first Avengers film. Unlike the S.H.I.E.L.D. based shows, its link to the movie-verse is less of a crutch allowing for a quality show that stands on its own. I highly recommend Daredevil mostly because it satisfies my Bat-cravings far more than Gotham tries to.

Update: NBC has finalized their decision not to pick up Constantine Season 2. This bad news comes with a granule of hope. Showrunner, Daniel Cerone has begun shopping around other networks like Fox, SyFy and CW. CW acquiring another DC property is exciting enough, but Arrow actor Stephen Amell has shown interest in a collaborative crossover. We'll have to wait and see where this show ends up.

In other more recent Superhero/TV-related news, CBS has released a trailer for Supergirl. At over five minutes it plays like a short film. I didn't even realize this project was in production but I'd say I'm fairly excited to see it. I want to see how they present a world where Superman has already been operating and how they will deal with his absence. It may be perceived as anti-feminist to focus on a female who is forced to exist in her male-counterpart's shadow, but that's her main character arc. Supergirl has to discover her own identity, distinct from her cousin. She'll find that she can be powerful, smart, sexy and independent, and that there is no shame in being called "girl."

Comic Effects Update

Apologies for the lack of new posts. The last article up, I actually finished in late December. I just needed to add pictures. On January 1st, the unthinkable happened; my father died of a heart attack very suddenly. He was lively as ever until his last moments, never hinting at any problem. Even after a long tearful goodbye some days I still cant believe he's gone.

Needless to say it was hard to get myself to do anything besides trying to balance providing emotional support and needing it myself.

I returned to my day job, and in February I finally got the promotion I'd been working on. Though I needed the increased pay I gave up my regular schedule. This is an obstacle for my writing endeavors, but I plan to get back into game. I've got two articles on the back-burners and I finished watching Daredevil *ahem* twice, so watch this space.

Gender Diversity in Comics

After the recent gender flip in Thor, my sister tweeted me this article from NPR. Normally I'd submit that NPR is a bastion of informed and balanced coverage, there's something I find disconcerting there. It seems to indicate that male comic fans are misogynists, who stand united against any change to the status quo especially with regards to allowing females to infiltrate the comics, in the halls of the creators, convention centers, and on its hallowed pages. Yes, there are those who would harass female fans and creators, but I have to believe that they are not the majority of comic fans, just the most vocal.

First of all, it's been recognized by the industry that comics have been male-dominated over the decades, and that it need not be. In 2000's Reinventing Comics, artist and writer Scott McCloud outlines twelve revolutions that the Comics industry must embrace in order to survive. Among goals like embracing digital technology in creation and distribution, cementing public perceptions of comics as "art," genre diversity, and gender balance.  Basically, gender balance is important because a percentage of comic fans will grow up to become the next generation of creators, who will in turn inspire the next generation of fans. If content is exclusively directed toward males it creates a negative feedback loop, leaving females out at every level, but by expanding content to include more positive female characters they can reach more female fans, some of whom will grow up to be artists and writers, which will lead to a greater variety of content. A push in this direction is not only in the best interest of female fans and creators; a balanced industry benefits the art form itself as well as the entire community of fans.

There are entire books on the role of female characters in comics throughout history. Early figures like Lois Lane, even the first Batgirl were hardly paragons of feminist literature. Lois wasn't the dedicated journalist we see today, she was obsessed with Superman eternally trying to uncover his secret identity only to be foiled by the hero. And while Batman and Robin slugged it out with a bunch of thugs, Batgirl would be off to the sides with, "Oh no!" a tear in her leggings. Inevitably this would distract the criminals, allowing the Dynamic Duo to prevail. By the time I was reading comics in the 90's things were not too much better. Women were getting more presence in the pages, but the female role models you might find in Justice League or X-Men were largely overshadowed by the "Bad Girl" trend. This marketing strategy was designed to deprive male teens of their pocket money depicting female anatomies in a way that requires a compass to draw, and costumes that were either a series of straps or seemed to be on the verge of falling off. Extra points if the character had a demonic or vampiric nature. See Vampirella, Lady Death, etc. Sex appeal had always been a part of the female comic character, but the "Bad Girl" comics not only put it front and center, they did so with zero subtlety. Fortunately this trend stayed in the 90's and is regarded as a dark time in comics when character and story took a backseat in favor of flashy images.

Marvel's leading heroine Captain Marvel

I can safely say in the last decade things have been improving. Classic Marvel character, Carol Danvers has historically had been reinvented several times. She started as a government agent who encountered alien technology of Kree origin that rearranged her DNA granting her super-strength, flight and invulnerability.  As Ms. Marvel she established herself as a valued member of the Avengers, when in battle with the then-criminal Rogue, lost her powers and memories and fell into a brief coma. With Professor X's help she regained some memories and later got new star-themed powers calling herself Binary. She later went on a space adventure with the Starjammers, a group of space-pirates led by Corsair, Cyclops' father. After returning to Earth she rejoined the Avengers as Warbird. As if the writers of the time didn't know what to do with a strong female character, her heroic identity and powers constantly changed.  After decades of being a secondary character for the Avengers and X-Men. Returning to her original alias, Ms. Marvel she began to take more of a leadership role among the Avengers. In 2009's "Civil War" she sided with Iron Man and fought as his second in command. In the aftermath she was given leadership of a team in a series titled Mighty Avengers.  In 2012 after the "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline, inspired by the sacrifice of a clone of Mar-Vel, the original Captain Marvel, she took on the role becoming the third Captain Marvel and the second woman to adopt the alias. Carol who for decades bounced from identity to identity, in and out of comas and was even violated in a controversial story-line in the 70s, finally commands the respect she deserves within the Marvel Universe as well as from the fans. When Marvel Studios announced its plans for phase III, the news that Captain Marvel would be the Carol Danvers version garnered almost as much applause as the title itself.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announces Captain Marvel

X-Men (2013) focuses on the women of the team

Ironically one of Marvel's titles that has always featured rich female characters is X-Men. Though it seems women are excluded from the outset, the word itself is not used divisively. They all self identify as "X-Men."  I would argue that these heroes fight not as man or woman but together as "X-Men."  This is one franchise in which female characters are as important if not more than their male counterparts. Storm, one of the most iconic X-Men is known for her leadership skills and regal personality. Jean Grey who as Phoenix has controlled more power than any other single Marvel character. Often a new character is introduced to a series to allow the writer a reason to explain background elements to the audience especially for newcomers. In X-Men, this role is traditionally filled by a new female student. When the series debuted in the 60's it was Jean Grey.  In the original "Days of Future Past" story and the 80's animated pilot (that didn't get picked up as a series) both feature Kitty Pryde as a new student. In the 90's animated series Jubilee is introduced to the school. And in the 2000 film a young Rogue inherited this role. Newcomers to the franchise can take on the perspective of new students and by proxy are welcomed to the ranks and guided into a new world as they discover they are far more powerful than they thought possible. The repeated use of a female perspective character, is no less than an open invitation to girl readers everywhere.

Short Effects: Remembering Steve Koch

One of the men I thank for my enduring love of comics passed away recently. Steve Koch was the owner of Comic Headquarters. Open since 1988, this was the longest standing comic shop in the area I grew up. I remember as a small child riding by, seeing Spiderman on the sign, and begging my parents to stop. But it wasn't until I could drive that I started to shop there regularly. This was the store that, (when I was doing a bit better money-wise) I visited ritualistically every Wednesday to pick up the latest issues of my favorite titles. This was where I discovered "Free Comic Day." Of all the comic shops I've frequented, I could honestly say he was the nicest owner I've encountered.  I could always rely on a friendly greeting when I stopped in to the HQ. Never a nasty word said about some kid's greasy fingers touching the merch.  Though its been a few years since I was a weekly shopper, whenever I went back, if he was working, I'd hear, "Keith, where've you been?" While I can't imagine the pain that his wife, Carla or his daughter must be feeling, I can't help but feel the loss of a fixture in my community.

Most of my memories of Steve are not of us talking about comics or superheroes. Of all the times I came to the store donning superhero t-shirts (some of which I bought from him), the only one he commented on was my old Beatles- Let it Be t-shirt. From what I understand, the quickest way engage with him was to talk about classic rock. Mostly I remember how approachable he was. Always wearing a genuine smile, you couldn't leave without hearing him say "We'll see you next time!"

Steve, thanks!