Comics 9/10/08

EX MACHINA #38 ~ Now that EM is Brian K. Vaughan’s lone ongoing series, and has been so for several months, his voice has become more distinct and separate from the rest of the voices in the medium. Vaughan’s been the comics writer that I’ve admired most for two or three years now, and while his output in the comics medium has dropped off while he works on “Lost”, it continues to impact me in new ways. In this story arc of EM, “Dirty Tricks” I’m troubled by the fact that I seem to have a lot in common ideologically with the main antagonist. (See what I did there?) It goes to show that an exceptional writer like Vaughan will make me step back and see where my thinking fails and where it succeeds. This is not to mention the stake Tony Harris, Jim Clark, and JD Mettler have in telling the story, which is monumental.

KICK DRUM COMIX #1 ~ Jim Mahfood’s style stands apart from other artists working in the medium, and his humor keeps me interested. The second story in this inaugural issue, “Coltrane’s Reed” is evokative and touching, reflective and thoughtful in comparison to the first story in this issue.

INTERIORAE #3 ~ Gabriella Giandelli’s art caused me to purchase this book, in spite of the fact that I haven’t read the first 2 installments of this book. So, I’m sure some of the nuances of the story were lost on me, but the phantasmagorical nature of the story had me rapt.

Comics 8.27.08

DMZ #34 ~ The release of this issue of DMZ is definitely prescient, given the state of the current political atmosphere in this country. While the world depicted in the book is infinitely more turbulent than the environment in this country, it’s hard not to see parallels between what’s going on in the book and what’s happening in the real world. I’d posit that the moral of this story is that the most important thing we need to get from our leaders is inspiration, especially during difficult times. Parco Delgado is an effective leader in DMZ because he’s able to unify people in a time of violence and unrest. Brian Wood always allows some ambiguity to surround the actual morality of what he writes (it could turn out that Delgado is a horrible leader, and corrupt at that) but I have to say that I found reassurance and motivation in this story.

Black Panther #40 ~ I thought the art in this issue set the perfect tone, and it was the Secret Invasion tie-in story that I enjoyed the most. I don’t know if Jason Aaron and Jefte Palo are the ongoing team for BP or not, but they should be.

Northlanders #9 ~ Another Brian Wood Vertigo book came out this week, this one very different in setting. I wasn’t sold on Northlanders at first, but I’ve really started to get into it and enjoy it. I have to say, it’s a credit to Wood’s talent that he’s able to write a book like DMZ and a book like this one, and a book like New York Four or Local, and be able to pull all of them off.

ADONAIS

Summer's breathing its last gasps, and while this was hardly The Summer of Ted, (2010, watch your ass!) a number of events and people made this melancholy baby a receptor of joy. I met a lot of cool new people, I went to my first Comic Con, met Brian K. Vaughan, I started this blog, I got a bunch of great new ideas for GN's, I got to see Micheal Phelps dominate, and I got a new series of the Venture Bros! The Venture Bros. series 3 is complete, and while a lot happened that is worth mentioning and remembering, the thing that sticks with me is the death of the nameless "Henchman 24".

While death awaits us all, I think we all hope for some kind of heroic death. Consider Royal Tenenbaum's epitaph, "Died Tragically Rescuing His Family From The Wreckage Of A Destroyed Sinking Battleship". While it wasn't literally true, it still smacked of the truth. Henchman 24, however, dies in a pathetic manner that he had mocked in "The Lepidopterists", only a handful of episodes previous. No one is saved by his death, and he drags no one down with him. In death, he is neither hero nor villain, neither Valjean nor Ahab. He is the guy who absent-mindedly steps off of the curb too soon and gets hit by a bus. This, by the way, is the kind of death that awaits 99% of the world's population.

Henchman 24 will likely only be mourned for any degree of time by his best friend, Henchman 21. The Monarch considers 21 and 24 his "best men", but I don't think he'll be lighting any candles for 24. Notice how nonchalantly he decapitates one of his own henchman while engaging his "Death's Head Panoply". Dr. Girlfriend loves The Monarch, and adores her Moppets, but the rest of the henchmen mostly give her the creeps. Henchman 21 is left abandoned with no one to participate in sitting shiva with.

In a series highly populated by duos, (Hank & Dean, The Monarch & Dr. Girlfriend, Brock & Doc) 21 & 24 stood out as a pair that were intimately tied to one another. It's hard to imagine 21 without 24 to bounce off of. What's to become of the widowed 21 now? Will he continue to hench for The Monarch? Will he find someone to take 24's place? Will he become overwhelmed by sadness and retire? Or maybe he'll finally become that "Viceroy" persona he imagined?

Henchmen 21 & 24 were iconic in their representation of heroic loserdom. While neither men could be considered competent at their jobs, their enthusiasm and love made them stand out as the best imaginable henchmen for The Monarch. 24's sudden elimination from the universe, punctuated by 21's reception of the man's flaming noggin, pulled at my heartstrings not because of how it happened, but because of who the character was, and how I imagine what the effects, or non-effects, his death will have.

I've heard Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick say that they fell in love with one another, jokingly, shortly after they met. Best friendship is a kind of love, and it's not unreasonable that one could find their soulmate in a non-romantic relationship. 21 and 24 were without a doubt, soulmates, and there's no worse tragedy than to lose your soulmate. 21 will survive, but it remains to be seen if his heart will, as well.

24. 1969 - 2008. RIP. You were loved