Legends Of The Dark Knight... Is Something I Wish I Had More Of (Part 2 Of 2)

Well, if you've seen my first post, you've seen the stories I consider to be excellent Batman stories, but which of them is truly top notch? 

#5: The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller, both writing and drawing)

The only Elseworlds title on my list, and a landmark for good reason: it brought Batman back into the public eye, showing how dark and serious the character was. Like Watchmen, it pushed a new trend of “dark and gritty” comics, though many of those comics failed to understand what made Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns work. It's not about mass killing, grey and brown worlds or acting like an arsehole, it's about bleakness, an uncertainty about the world around them, and approaching things from the perspective that the world may just be broken.

The Dark Knight Returns may be an attack on the politics of its time, but it serves as a backdrop to the story, which is about a much older Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement to reclaim his city from the clutches of Hell.

Frank Miller these days is... well, a bit nuts, to put it lightly. But back in the day, he could tell one Hell of a story. Even though he would later go on to trash Superman in this book's sequel and his All-Star Batman And Robin book, in this story, Superman is written with the utmost respect and the confrontation between him and Bruce is the stuff of legend.

The new Robin, Carrie Kelly, was a great addition, and she wears the mantle proudly. I wish she'd appear in the “main” DC Universe.

If there's one problem I have, it's that Selina Kyle gets portrayed as a prostitute (which Frank would do again in Year One). Seriously, dude, what's your problem with her?

#4: Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader? (Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert/Scott Williams)

First off, the art: gorgeous, especially in the second part, with the depiction of the supervillains. My fave page involves Alfred looking into the mirror, and the rest of that page... yeah, I'm not spoiling.

Set after Batman R.I.P, it involves Batman watching his own funeral (not a spoiler, though) and various explanations provided for his death. The first issue of the two-parter is good, with a nice romantic angle but that second issue... amazing!

And the final pages, a triumph. If this WAS the true last Batman story, it's a Hell of a send-off.

#3: The Killing Joke (Alan Moore, Brian Bolland)

I've already brought this up in a post relating to the DC universe, but it's simply a fantastic story that I need to bring it up again. Despite trying to peg an origin on The Joker, it's up to you (and him) to determine fact from fiction.

What makes it work is that it's such a simple concept, given a grand treatment. Joker decides to shoot Barbara Gordon, kidnap her father and it's up to Batman to find The Joker and stop him.

It's such an intelligent read, too, with contrasting opinions on sanity and the human condition, with The Joker offering his own interpretation on the misery that is mankind. The Joker is even kind of sympathetic, and that's an amazing feat in and of itself. Part of that is the way he's drawn, as he's not always smiling or scowling. Sometimes, he's showing what looks like sincere sadness. Like for one moment, he's actually regretting what he's done, or that he's at the end of his rope.

The final pages are brilliant, with Batman offering genuine help to his archnemesis. The Joker declines, but not in an “Bah! I wouldn't let you help me!” kind of way, but more of an “I'm afraid we've gone far beyond that” way and, again, the way he's drawn, he's almost human in his expression. The joke he shares with Batman is actually hilarious, too, and Batman laughs right alongside him! Plus, the joke has so many interpretations relating to the story.

Simple put, an absolute treasure.

#2: A Lonely Place Of Dying (Marv Wolfman/George Perez, Jim Aparo/Tom Grummett)

The introduction of Tim Drake. I could stop right there, but I won't. I love the character of Tim Drake, who I name as my fave Robin of all (I've read more of Dick Grayson as Nightwing that to me, while he was a great Robin, I'll always see him more as Nightwing) and this arc serves to introduce him in a way that let everyone know he wasn't Jason Todd, and he wasn't going to be a Mary Sue who would be some super-awesome-new-Dick-Grayson clone. He was a humble and clever boy (still is) who had no dream of being Robin, but was granted the role after acquitting himself in a tense situation.

Also, there's a great scene with Two-Face (the villian of the arc) in which he and Batman make a plan to capture the other, with their thought processes being nearly identical, and the scene is drawn as a mirror to those thoughts. I wish I saw more of this, it's just a great concept, especially for a villian like Two-Face.

Until the #1 entry came along, there was no finer a Batman story I could ever hope for, and it's still as great today as when I first read it.

But as for that # 1 entry? Well, it's none other than...

#1: Hush (Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee/Scott Williams/Alex Sinclair)

The grandest of the grand, and not just one of my fave Batman stories, but one of my fave comics all up. Introducing a wonderful new villain, the title character, the status quo was shaken in more than one way (this is the story in which Harvey Dent gets the plastic surgery that “cures” him of being Two-Face, until Face The Face) and it allows one of Batman's old foes to claw his way back to the A-list and prove why he's awesome.

Multiple villains, a compelling mystery, long term effects and set-ups for future stories, simply a masterpiece.

Also, Jim Lee's pencils, plus Alex Sinclair's colouring, just beautiful. Jim is one of the best artists in the industry, and his art is also one of the two redeeming factors of the excrement that is All-Star Batman And Robin.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these two blogs. If you are a Batman fan and you haven't read at least four of these, get out there and find them! If you're looking to get started with Batman comics, I've found that while prior knowledge of the comics history helps, most if not all of these are fully accessible without that much information. Really, with Batman, you could start nearly anywhere and enjoy the book on its own, which is another reason why he's my fave comic book character (Grant Morrison's stuff may be the exception, though. That guy LOVES his continuity...)

Crisis Of Infinite Batmen, When's That Happening? (Part 1 Of 2)

Even though my review of The Dark Knight Rises will be up later in the week, I'm still in the mood to talk about Batman. One of my first comics, and the first hero/superhero trade I ever bought, was A Death In The Family, back when I wasn't even into comics. I knew a little about them, but I still knew who Batman was due to the films. Eventually, I started collecting comics and I discovered the larger DC universe, as well as comics from other companies. In spite of the wonderful stories I've read through all those companies, I've probably read more comics relating to Batman than anyone else (well, maybe with the exception of Spider-Man).

I've read different eras of Batman, different universes with Batmen, his interactions with the rest of the superhero community, stories about the Bat Family and how they truly connect with him. While I haven't always enjoyed everything I've read, I am always eager to read (and re-read) stories about the Dark Knight.

So, I've decided to do a top ten list on my absolute favourite Batman stories (to this point), just for some variety. It's not that I'm sick of reviewing movies, it's just that I haven't done much outside of them for the past few weeks, so a change of pace is nice.

And remember, these are my favourite stories, not the classic stories, not the ones that new fans should start with (though some will show up).

First up, some honourable mentions, listed by writer first, artist second:

• Batman: Year One (Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli)
• Batman: R.I.P (Grant Morrison, Tony Daniel, but also Alex Ross for the covers)
• Batman: The Long Halloween (Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale)
• Batman: Dark Victory (see above, sequel book)
• Slayride (Paul Dini, Don Kramer/Wayne Faucher, and notable not just for actually having a lack of Batman until the end, but also a one-shot. For anyone interested, it's Detective Comics #826 [Vol. 1] and it's such a great story. But then, it's Dini writing, you should already be scrambling to find it)

With those mentioned, let's get to the list, starting with #10 and working our way down. Though, like most lists, they aren't in any real particular order (with the exception of #1 and #2). 

Also, due to length, this will be cut into two blog posts, with #10-#6 today, #5-#1 tomorrow.

#10: Knightfall (various writers and artists)

One of the earliest stories I knew about, the idea of Batman being defeated in combat seemed unfathomable. But part of what makes it a great story is the message I gained from it: you can break the man, but you cannot break the Bat. Not to mention, the genesis of the events is a stroke of genius: break out EVERY Arkham inmate and let them loose so that Batman can be weakened trying to round them all up. Also, this was the story that put Bane on the map, and made him one of Batman's greatest foes. I haven't read the follow-up, KnightQuest, but it's Knightfall you should be trying to locate.

#9: Face The Face (James Robinson, various artists)

The first Batman story after Infinite Crisis (a discussion for another time), and a year after those events, it's still business as usual for the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. What I like, though, is how it addresses what Bruce has thought of during his year away from Gotham, mostly concerning the welfare of Tim Drake, the at-the-time Robin. The fact that he believes Tim will one day become the world's greatest detective speaks volumes of his respect for the teen, and is a sign that the trip around the world has done him a world of good.

But the best thing about it, it gave Harvey Dent (yes, Harvey Dent, not Two-Face) a chance to shine again, since he was the protector of Gotham during Batman's absence. His conflict with himself (that's Two-Face for you) is the highlight of the story, showcasing how Harvey really does want to redeem himself. Sadly, he succumbs to becoming Two-Face again, restoring the status quo. I'd love it if a few more villains actually stayed on the straight and narrow. Despite that, fantastic story.

#8: Long Shadows (Judd Winick, Mark Bagley)

After Final Crisis (that won't be for another blog, at least not right now, as I have yet to read it), Bruce Wayne was trapped in the past (see the great mini-series The Return Of Bruce Wayne, another honourable mention) and Dick Grayson puts aside his Nightwing costume and dons the mantle of the Bat. I haven't read much of Dick as Batman, which is a pity because he's an excellent Batman, and his relationship with the new Robin, Damian Wayne (yes, Bruce's biological son. Comics are weird.) is a reversal of the whole “Grim and stoic Batman, happy-go-lucky Robin”, which makes for interesting new story opportunities.

Also, it features a villain trying a new approach (or rather, an old approach for him but he's smart enough to take advantage of the current situation) with trying to teleport into the Batcave (for the record, our old friend Two-Face shows up for this story and while I do lament losing Harvey again, at least Two-Face here is written as being smart and with actual humanity. I do like scenes where the villain speaks with one of his smarter henchmen with a hint of respect, and this story has that).

Like Face The Face, it's business as usual with that the Caped Crusader has to deal with, but the inner monologues help us address and adjust to the changes and is a wonderful blend of the classic style of Batman stories with the new perspective. And like Face The Face, it's a shame that the status quo would be restored (though taking much, much longer in terms of how many issues it took), but at least we have this.

#7: To Kill A Legend (Alan Brennert, Dick Giordano/Adrienne Joy)

The only pre-Crisis (another time, comics confusing, blah blah) story on this list and the only one-shot (not counting two upcoming entries, due to their length) and is one of many stories in issue #500 of Detective Comics (Vol. 1). The first time I had ever heard of Phantom Stranger, and enough to pique my curiosity, but the main reason I love this story is twofold (insert your own Two-Face joke here, even though he's not in this story).

First, the way Robin is written. Y'see, in this story, the Phantom Stranger has granted the Dynamic Duo a chance to save Bruce's parents on another Earth. While Batman gains all the information he can before the night of the shooting, Robin finds out there are no other heroes on the Earth, and no Krypton either. Upon observing that the young Bruce Wayne is a spoilt brat, Robin wonders if what they're doing is right. I love the fact that in this story, Robin is playing the clinical detective who thinks things through, while Batman is thinking too emotionally, wanting to save “his” parents above all else.

The other is the ending, which is so heartwarming. Batman does indeed save this universe's Thomas and Martha Wayne, and he and Robin return to their own, wondering what will become of this Bruce Wayne. As it turns out, this Bruce changes his attitude, becoming a lot more studious. It is revealed he will still become Batman, but this will be a Batman that won't be fueled by grief and vengeance, but of gratitude. He will honour the masked man who saved his parents that night, he will be a positive Batman. And really, that just warms the cockles of my heart.

#6: The Man Who Laughs (Ed Brubaker, Doug Mahnke)

With Batman: Year Two out of continuity, this is now considered the canonical events of Batman's second year, primarily his first encounter with The Joker. While I haven't spoken much about the art in previous stories, none of it is terrible (save for one section of Knightfall, but that's for another time. Possibly) but here, The Joker is marvelously drawn (the cover of the comic is simply beautiful too) and the rest of it is great too. While it doesn't always neatly fit with Year One (the setting looks a little more modern than Year One, maybe that's just me) it's a great Joker story and demonstrates an important revelation for Batman: it will only get worse from here.

Part 2 of my personal fave Batman stories will be posted tomorrow. Until then, hope this has inspired you to look for a good Batman story to read.

Captain America? Hell No!

Well, I know I'm breaking away from movies again so soon but I've been wanting to do this one for some time and since I haven't watched any of my DVD's to carry on my review of 2012 movies, I thought it's about time I write this one up (I will be resuming with movies for the last post of the week, I'll be watching Rock Of Ages tomorrow if all goes according to plan). Today, it's a comic review, for the mini series Ultimate Comics: Captain America

I don't think I've gone over the Ultimate Universe in any posts so a little history: Marvel wanted to bring in new readers without alienating their existing fanbase but with the amount of history their titles have, it was going to be a task. The solution was to create a new universe and create new versions of the characters from the main universe, but setting it so that a majority of the characters got their starts in the present day, thus making it a little more modern. This way they could make new origins and adventures for new readers, whilst leaving the main universe alone (in short, not rebooting the whole thing like DC). Ultimate Spider-Man led the charge and was soon followed by Ultimate X-Men, the Ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic Four, as well as various mini-series in between. In 2009, the massive crossover Ultimatum occurred and this lead to a rebranding of the imprint, now going by Ultimate Comics, with the current titles being The Ultimates, X-Men and Spider-Man.

I haven't read much since the rebranding (or much of it before the rebranding) but I absolutely adore Ultimate Spider-Man and despite its faults, I'll happily defend it.

But today, I'm discussing Jason Aaron's Ultimate Comics: Captain America mini-series, drawn by Ron Garney.

After a botched mission in North Korea, involving someone distributing the super soldier serum Cap goes to Cambodia to locate the man behind the serum plot and ends as his captive, with the man revealing himself to be Frank Simpson, aka the “Captain America of the Vietnam War”. Frank is set on “educating” Cap on America's evils, determined to break him.

I have to say, from what I expected, this comic was a great disappointment to me. Before I get into that, I'm going to give credit where credit's due.

The art in this book is pretty good. The scenery is bright and vibrant and the action scenes look impressive. Really, there isn't much more to say and that's not because the art's not worth mentioning, just that I'm a story and character person, so unless the art is hideous, I tend not to get caught up in it. There is one aspect I don't like, however, and I'll go over that now.

The biggest problem this comic has, and this is a criticism for most of the other books in the Ultimate imprint featuring Cap, is that... well, Cap's a prick.

I'm not expecting all of the alternate universe versions of the “mainstream” universe to be carbon copies, but in one-shot stories or alternate futures where we probably won't see that version again, you're allowed to go nuts and experiment. But the Ultimate books are ongoing, so we're going to see these characters again and again. In that sense, some divergence is fine, but a recurring trend I've noticed in the Ultimate books (particularly The Ultimates line itself) is that most of the characters undergo some sort of “arseholeification” and it's off-putting (Thor may be one of the few who escapes it, though in return, he gets labelled a crazy man who thinks he's the God Of Thunder).

Cap suffers from it the worst, as he's always putting down other nationalities and acting all like “America rocks! Go us, screw non-Americans!”

For example, the North Korean bungle (which has a scene with Cap holding a gun with a weird expression on his face, like he's biting down on something to not feel the pain from a needle), he says “You can't blame me for that mission going to Hell. Blame those incompetent Brit-” before he's cut off. And before the mission goes to crap, there's this little gem: “C'mon, ladies, it's not tea time already is it? Move your asses”. Yes, because the British love tea. Cap, you're not exactly free of stereotype yourself.

Oh but it gets better: after turning down some food in Cambodia, after complaining it “smells like a cesspool”, he pulls the classic “Does anyone speak American?” bit. You're overseas, Cap. Stop acting like a damn ignorant tourist. Maybe spend less time training when not fighting crime and maybe take the time to learn about other cultures, since you'd be traveling a lot. It doesn't matter if they do speak some English (not “American”, you ignorant clod), that would most likely be due to Frank's influence. And some of them wouldn't be entirely fluent.

Going back to the art thing for a minute, I checked the whole book to confirm this and you know what I noticed? He never smiles, except for one time. He's almost always scowling. I'm beginning to think Garney was possessed by Frank Miller or Rob Liefeld when drawing Cap's face. I kept thinking “Am I reading about Captain America or did I pick up The Dark Knight Strikes Again by mistake?” based on Cap's personality and the politics (though, at least the political aspects make more sense here).

And that one time he smiles? You can barely tell he's smiling. Hell, maybe it's the goddamn Punisher under the costume for all I know. Wouldn't be the first time...

What makes it worse is that I actually like the villain more. It's one thing to have a well-written story in which the hero is awesome but the villain is also cool or a magnificent bastard or the like (basically Batman and The Joker), it's another where you agree with the villain more because the hero is poorly written. That's a bad sign, guys. Frank Simpson may be trying to brainwash Cap with propaganda, but he actually mixes in some truth, and he's almost entirely rational. He's a little extreme, granted, but in his mind, his country betrayed him and he wants everyone to share his belief on how his homeland is mired in corruption. He's actually a well-written antagonist and it's worth reading the book just for him.

Last negative point, how does Cap counter Frank's arguments? In basic terms “You suck. America has made mistakes but it's still awesome and you're not. Commie!” That's how I see it, anyway. If this was the Cap of 616 (main Marvel universe), I'd expect something like “The nation has problems. Always has, always will. But we can overcome these problems and redeem ourselves. We can prove we stand for truth, liberty and justice”. Corny, yes, but the Cap of 616 is a man of honour, compassion, wisdom and is pure of heart.

And that's what it all boils down to. One Cap is a champion of the people, defending anyone and everyone who is in need of defending. The other is a self-righteous arsehole who believes the Bible is the undisputed guide to living life, even while holding a gun. I know, I know, different attitudes and all that, especially considering when the Cap of the Ultimate Universe was defrosted, but if he's meant to represent the American ideal or way of life... that means the Ultimate Universe is filled with bigger arseholes than the 616! And that's no mean feat! And Cap is widely different from them. But Ultimate Cap? Piss off. He'd better improve for future stories.

Well, that about wraps it up. I will say there was a cool scene involving Cap and snake venom, but besides that, the art and Frank, there's not much to go on. Disappointing, especially since it's Captain America.

Or Sinestro Corps War, Adapt That One Too

As someone who loves both comic books and movies, the combination of the two is something I always look forward to (unless it involves the Punisher, in which case, it's like taking ice cream and spitting on it repeatedly. Unless it's being handled by Marvel Studios itself, which, as of typing, they actually do have the rights back and are attempting a new film. In that case, I remain cautious but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for the time being).

Over the past few years, DC and Marvel have been releasing straight to DVD films and I very eagerly await every one (well, the DC ones mostly, in part due to Marvel ceasing production of any such DVD's and because the DC ones have always been of higher quality), regardless of whether or not I know the characters or the story. Even if I'm in the dark on the story being adapted (case in point, the upcoming Superman Vs. The Elite, an adaptation of the story in Action Comics #775 “What's So Funny About Truth, Justice And The American Way?”), the productions always manage to score some top talent, create uniquely animated and amazing worlds and often, cast members from the brilliant Justice League/Justice League Unlimited series will “reprise” their roles (I use quotation marks because while they are voicing characters they've had previous experience with, it's not set in the same universe. Comic book movies are weird).

With the exception of the DC Shorts Showcase, which has not seen release down here (at least not that I'm aware of), I own each movie from the DC Universe Animated Original line and not a single one has been short of great. I'll go into detail about the others down the line, with Justice League: Doom getting a post sometime in the next week or two since it was released this year, but I wanted to talk about the revelation of an upcoming project.

After The Dark Knight Returns is released towards the end of the year (split into two films, if Wikipedia's information is correct. Word has not been confirmed whether or not they'll both be released in a pack, on the same day or months apart) it has been said by Kevin Conroy (one of the best known Batman voices ever, if not the definitive voice actor for Batman) that one of the upcoming films is the universe altering story Flashpoint aka “the story that began the DC reboot”.

I haven't read the story, so I can't go into a deep analysis of it, but I can give you this brief overview of the miniseries: the timeline in the main DC universe has been altered, with Barry Allen (the Flash) being one of the few who remembers what it used to be like. He attempts to restore things the way they were and (spoiler alert!) causes a merging of the separate imprints of DC to come together and form one universe, in which there are several changes but is supposedly the same universe we've been reading for years.

I will say this for the record: Kevin could just be throwing us off the scent with what the next project really is, and in that case, I'm getting perplexed for nothing. And I will also say that despite my feelings about the reboot (to be somewhat covered in a future blog), I will still watch the Flashpoint film if it comes to pass and I will try and enjoy it for what it is. But three things bug me about this particular choice:

• Flashpoint is too recent a story to be adapted so soon. I have to figure that the DC higher-ups wanted to push this reboot angle as far as they could take it but seeing as how none of the previous films are connected to each other (with the possible exception of the Superman/Batman team up films, though I'm not 100% sure due to the different animation styles for each film), it's not like Flashpoint has anything to shake up. Granted, Batman: Under The Red Hood isn't exactly something from long ago nor is it the first story I would think of when choosing a classic Batman story, but at least it has been around for a few years, long enough for the effects in the comics to be felt and dealt with. We still don't know what the ramifications of the reboot are. I mean, it hasn't even been a year yet has it?
• The story's not exactly a fan favourite. Because it's the catalyst for the reboot, it's not exactly going to be a crowd pleaser. And I'm guessing most of the fanbase for these films are those who have more than casual knowledge of the DC universe. And if DC lost anyone with the announcement of the reboot, they stand to lose more if Flashpoint leads to more of the newer stories being the basis for the new films (though I wouldn't object if they chose to adapt The Court Of Owls storyline, mostly because despite the reboot's widespread effect, Batman's history has remained relatively retcon-free so any stories for him now are business as usual).
  Besides, if they wanted a big storyline that was recent but better received, two words: Blackest Night. Though I've been clamouring for that one for sometime, even though I haven't read the story yet. At least that one's slightly older than Flashpoint and again, we know what came out of it and where DC was heading.
• The biggest reason, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this, is that with every film announced that isn't The Killing Joke, we lose yet another chance for Mark Hamill's legendary Joker voice to be heard. As much as I love his role as Luke Skywalker, the Joker will always be the greatest role of Mark's, in my very humble opinion. Even with Heath Ledger's juggernaut of a performance in The Dark Knight, Mark has never lost his position as the King Of The Clown Prince Of Crime actors. And with Mark reprising his role for the insanely awesome Arkham video games, that just made great games even more desirable. But there's always talk that he's retiring from the role, or about to retire, and it reminds us that he won't be the Ace Of Knaves forever. One day, he will hang up his seltzer bottle for good. And as much as he needs to be thanked for his loyal “tears of service” (to comic fans, you're welcome), it would be remiss if we didn't get him back one more time for what is considered the ultimate Joker story.
  If you're just getting into comics, The Killing Joke is an excellent pick as one of the first you should read. You need no prior knowledge of the characters, it's a character study with brilliant musings on the human condition, the art is gorgeous and adds new dimensions to the Joker and it even makes the Harlequin Of Hate a little sympathetic! Yes, you read that right!
  I will do a proper review for the story one day but suffice it to say, it is not only one of the best Batman comics, it's one of the best comics, period. Which is exactly why it needs to be adapted.
  So, I'm hoping that one day, it will be adapted. If Mark really is going to stop voicing the Joker, or if he has declared that he has, we need this one last shot. Let him go out with a bang. And while this may seem... tactless, for lack of a better word, if a successor has not been chosen for future work involving the Joker, my vote goes to John DiMaggio, after the magnificent job he did for Batman: Under The Red Hood. If John does The Killing Joke, I'm not going to be too upset. He's a damn good Joker, not quite at the level of Mark, but Mark's been doing it for so long now that he's nearly made the character his own. Both men are outstanding at getting to the root of the character. But DC/Warner/whoever picks these things, please, consider making The Killing Joke one of the next DVD's, and let Mark deliver one last showstopper.

I do reiterate that I am not slamming a release of Flashpoint on DVD, just that I am confused to why this story was selected amongst many others. Stories like Knightfall, Salvation Run, The Judas Contract, even Identity Crisis could just have easily been picked, much like The Killing Joke could have been. But there hasn't been a crap DC Universe Animated Original yet, so I have faith that whatever they make will be a great film.

Lock, Stock And Two Squirting Seltzer Bottles

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 7:38 pm)

 

And welcome to the first blog of the new year! So, what do I have in store to mark the occasion? Oh, something special, something I've been planning for a while, something so out-of-the-box with its thinking and-

Actually, no, nothing like, it's just another comic review. I HAVE been planning this one for a while, though. And it is a little different, for not only is this perhaps the first alternate universe tale I'm reviewing, but also the first DC title I've done. Today, we dive into the work simply titled Joker, written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo.

Before I go into the review, perhaps I should go over the “alternate universe tale” angle a little.

In comics, people will come up with a great story idea but can't utilize it in the main universe because it's often in the future or involving altered versions of previous events. Thus, they write it as an “out-of-canon” (canon meaning the history of the universe) story, or set in the canon of another universe. So, if you want to spin a yarn about Superman fighting the Terminator, you can! (And they did, it's called Superman Vs. The Terminator).

Marvel has its own series that it does every now and then called What If? While DC has the banner Elseworlds. Now, usually what makes the two different is that Marvel goes the “path unchosen” direction, usually taking an event and altering it slightly to produce a different outcome, but otherwise things are the same. DC usually creates whole new worlds with bold new premises, like The Nail, which offers a scenario in which Superman wasn't adopted by the Kents because their vehicle had a tire punctured on the way to the orphanage. Because of that, there is no Superman in the modern day.

Or the classic The Dark Knight Returns, set in an alternate future, where Bruce Wayne steps out of retirement and comes back as the Caped Crusader, ready to deliver fresh Hell upon the scum of Gotham City.

Actually, Batman gets a lot of these. He's been a vampire (Batman And Dracula: Red Rain and its two sequels, Bloodstorm and Crimson Mist), a Victorian era crimefighter (Gotham By Gaslight, the very first Elseworlds title, though not baring the Elseworlds logo), a pirate (Leatherwing) and the Green Lantern of sector 2814 (In Blackest Knight). However, today's focus is on his arch nemesis.

Joker is narrated by Jonny Frost, a henchman dispatched to retrieve the Clown Prince Of Crime from Arkham Asylum, with the implication of money changing hands leading to Joker's early release. What follows is Jonny's observations of the Ace Of Knaves and how he goes about his days, with a little insight into the underbelly of Gotham.

Simple premise, executed masterfully. Joker may be well known for being unpredictable and scary as all Hell, but what makes this one terrifying is that he lacks the tricks of the mainstream Joker (despite the title of my blog). No electrocuting joy buzzers, no flowers that can squirt acid if he so wishes, no Joker venom. Much like the Joker portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, this Joker relies on the simple pleasures in life and has no grand plan, just falls into whatever he wants to do and does it until he gets bored.

Speaking of The Dark Knight, I should address something now. While Joker is drawn to heavily resemble Heath and his mannerisms are nearly spot-on, from what I understand, it's a huge coincidence. Though it was originally going to be called Joker: The Dark Knight, due to the creative team having previously done Lex Luthor: Man Of Steel (another damn fine book), but with the movie on the way and all, obviously they had to trim it to the one word.

About the art, it's really good. The detail in the faces is exquisite, the violent imagery is striking and Gotham inspires a noir-setting. In this universe, Killer Croc's just a regular looking guy and Lee makes him look as menacing as he can and I don't think it would have worked if he had been drawn to look like a large crocodile like in the main universe.

Speaking of the differences, the biggest difference is perhaps the aspect that leads me to declare why I love this story. Besides Batman, there are no other heroes in this story. All other supervillains are portrayed as looking regular and if they have garish clothes, it's nothing to do with a supervillain motif and everything to do with a gangster lifestyle. Even the Riddler's clothes look like they belong on a flashy drug dealer (though in this universe, who's to say he's not a flashy drug dealer?) Slightly off-topic, Riddler gets only one big scene in this book but I love it, makes the Riddler seem more badass and he still gets to be a man of mystery. Kind of reminds me of Ozzy Osbourne, the way he's drawn...

But anyway, my point is, even though I love the exploits of costumed crimefighters duking it out with madmen, murderers and marauders, this is almost like if the Batman mythos was getting the British gangster film treatment. Seriously, I could see Guy Ritchie directing this. Jonny Frost reminds me a little of Paul Bettany's performance (and Malcolm McDowell's narrating) in Gangster No. 1, a British gangster film that while not being directed by Guy, it could pass for it. The character's descent into madness even resembles the Joker's, so it works for both characters. Despite me imagining Joker with Heath's voice and Two-Face with Richard Moll's (the voice actor for the character in Batman: The Animated Series), almost everyone else I can imagine as being characters from a Guy film, whether it be Snatch or Rock'N'Rolla.

Speaking of characters, you know who's barely in it? Batman. Hell, he gets all of four words in this story (three in one sentence) but that might also be why he's so effective: he says little but what he does say is among the most memorable parts of the book. I will not spoil it for those yet to read it but if you enjoy the book like I do, you'll probably regard that as a well-written part. And I should add, he does get more dialogue than Harley Quinn,who gets not a word but she is there to essentially be the sanity for Joker. Ironic that despite this Joker being a bigger bastard than arguably most of the other incarnations, he has more regard for Harley in this continuity and she seems much less of a goofball and more a consort that knows how to keep Joker calm.

So, if you want a fantastic DC story that you don't need years and years of backstory to understand, pick this up. Realistic to a point and filled with great dialogue, it's one of my favourite Elseworlds titles. And once again, I also recommend Lex Luthor: Man Of Steel. But  Brian's run on the Wonder Woman title in the New 52? So far... approach with caution. I may get to that one eventually.

Young Avengers: Thankfully, Not Avenger Babies

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on 4:42 pm)

Well, it's time for another comic review. I know, I know, you're asking yourself “God, why is he punishing us?” Well, about 95% of my entire blog library is punishment (unless you have similar interests than mine, so the percentage fluctuates) so on some level, you knew what you were in for.

Despite the title of the blog, I should point out that DC has a title known as Tiny Titans, which emphasises comedy and isn't doing long term story arcs, and I actually want to read that. Likewise, Marvel itself has the Mini-Marvels strips and they're a hoot. What's my point in all this? That those work because of the comedy angle. But if there WERE actual Avenger babies (not the kids seen in Next Avengers: Heroes Of Tomorrow, plus that story's kinda dark anyway), that would be a stupid concept. Hell, I'm not even that supportive of the Muppet Babies show.

But with that out of the way, let's get to the review proper, starting with the synopsis/overview of the Young Avengers, in our comic for today, Young Avengers: Sidekicks, which collects the first six issues of the Young Avengers title. As usual, there may be spoilers (yeah the story's over five years old but if you haven't read it, it's new to you, which is my stance on most media).

After the events of Avengers Disassembled (in which a few of the Avengers were killed off), the Avengers as a team ceased to be (hence the title), due to the fact that Tony Stark cannot sustain both the Avengers and his company due to lack of money at the time. With no financial support, the Avengers called it a day.

In the Young Avengers title itself, four youngsters popped up, with looks similar to well known Avengers, doing good deeds. Led by Patriot (inspired by Captain America, so much so that he was referred to as Lieutenant America by J. Jonah Jameson), the team consists of Asgardian (also known as Thor Junior, again coined by Jameson. He would later changes his code name to Wiccan), Hulkling (gee, wonder who he shares his name with?) and Iron Lad (...yeah, that's a headscratcher). New members join up later but we'll get to that.

Captain America and Iron Man seek out Jessica Jones (at the time, former crimefighting hero Jewel, these days better known as Power Woman and wife to Luke Cage) to help them find the youngsters, since Jameson has tasked her to get more information about them. Upon finding them, they find out that Iron Lad is actually a younger version of recurring Marvel-wide supervillain Kang, and not too long after, the version they know appears from even further in the future with the intent of taking Iron Lad back to his timeline and restoring things to the way they should be. Naturally, he is defeated but Iron Lad still must go back or else the time stream will suffer even more. And so, the story ends with the remaining Young Avengers (including the two new recruits mentioned earlier) swearing that despite being told by Captain America and Iron Man they will be stopped if they go crimefighting without their parents knowing about their secret identities, the kids will continue to be Young Avengers.

Created by writer Allan Heinberg and penciler Jim Cheung, it's a damn good read. It's a great origin story, the major action sequences are intense and the character interactions are well written and often funny, with exchanges like this:

Asgardian/Wiccan: “Okay, this completely violates Growing Man continuity”
Iron Lad: “What do we do?”
Hulkling: “We're fanboys, aren't we? So, we collect them all”

One of the key elements to writing a team book is how the team interacts with each other. For a team like the Justice League, each member is usually cordial with each other, with only minimal confrontation, which usually ends in debate (and in most incarnations throughout the mediums, it's usually Green Arrow in debate with someone else). Meanwhile, with the Avengers, while they generally do get along, theirs is a more dysfunctional team, with Captain America usually being the one stuck in the middle trying to find a resolution. Usually, Hawkeye is the instigator (so, is this a trend with archers? Not content with just shooting literal arrows, they have to shoot verbal ones too?)

Initially, the team squabbles with each other, mostly over tactics but with the addition of Cassie Lang (who later dons the mantle of Ant-Girl, before changing that to Stature, honouring the second Ant-Man, her father, Scott Lang) and Kate Bishop (the new Hawkeye, the original being one of the casualties of Avengers Disassembled), debate then shifts to whether or not they should join.

The team's arguments seem authentic to me, like the natural thought processes of savvy comic book crimefighting teens (now there's a sentence I never thought I'd say or type). While they are relatively efficient, not everything is a clean victory and that's something that they bring up with each other, mostly Patriot chewing them out.

Now, since this blog might get a bit too long, I'll just go briefly over the character traits on display in the first arc.

Patriot does start off as being a little bit dickish and that pops up again when Kate joins the battle with them (not really sure if they get into a relationship later on but I picked up on what seems like flirting between the two).

Asgardian/Wiccan comes off as sensible but unsure about his abilities (he's a magic user) and whether or not he will be able to deliver in a fight

Hulkling is similar in nature to Asgardian, though much more confident in his abilities (shape-shifting) and a little more easygoing. Piss him off, however, and he will quickly act like his namesake. And for some reason it is he, more than anyone else, who objects to the team being named “Young Avengers” by the press, never mind his own name pays tribute to one of Marvel's biggest names and a founder of the original Avengers (a founder who left less than 10 issues into the book's run but a founder nonetheless). Also, just want to put on record, he was my favourite character in the book.

Iron Lad is a mature young man, with a clear goal of getting the Young Avengers together, though he does freak out at the thought of having to go back to his time to restore the timeline. He's also very respective of Cap, Iron Man and Jessica and just about everyone he comes into contact with.

Ant-Girl/Stature is very keen to become a Young Avenger, and clearly had a lot of respect for her father. In fact, when the timeline starts to change, she believes he may still be alive and wants to go looking for him but her request is turned down. To an extent, she is headstrong but listens to reason and is easygoing too.

And Kate (I'm going by her first name because it would be less confusing) is extremely stubborn and argumentative to Patriot (as mentioned above), but is clearly not someone who can just stand around and not do something (as evidenced in the first issue where she attempts to pick up a gun to use against the men holding the church she's attending in a bridesmaid capacity hostage). She also forms a bond with Cassie, and the two get along really well.

So, all in all, a good start. Combine the sharp writing with the fantastic art (loved the designs on Asgardian/Wiccan and Iron Lad) and you have a semi-lighthearted adventure debut. Hopefully, the second arc will prove to stand up just as well.

Iron Man: Rage Against The Machines

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 4:01 pm )

I wasn't going to do another comic book review so soon after X-Men: Second Coming but with this week being very busy in my work schedule, I've pushed my original plans back a bit and decided to once more dive into the comic realm with the few titles I've been reading when I've had the chance.

Today, the review is on Iron Man: War Of The Iron Men, collecting Iron Man Legacy #1-5 and the one-shot Iron Man: Titanium.

Since the one-shot has little if anything to do with the main story, I'll do a brief synopsis and review: in a story set before Civil War, Iron Man's locked in combat with a giant robot, which Tony says is reminiscent of a robot he has seen before, called Ultimo. During the fight, he's in communication with S.H.I.E.L.D's director, Maria Hill, about how to deal with the situation.

As a one-shot, it's good. The art is good, the characterization is true to what we know for Tony Stark and it could be seen as a tiny pre-cursor of things to come with Civil War (though obviously now it wouldn't matter so much, unless you haven't read it. If that is the case, you should do so, it's actually a pretty damn good story) with the idea of how far is too far when it comes to firepower and how do you measure success in the superhero world. It's not always going to be about being able to save life, limb and property and vanquishing the villain for good. Sometimes the best you can settle for is a low mortality rate, a couple houses gone and the supervillain running off to lick their wounds

But now, onto the main story: in the country of Transia, the Iron Man technology has been duplicated by persons unknown and being used in a civil war. Tony travels to Transia to track down the tyrants responsible, which leads him into conflict not just with Dr. Doom, Ivan Vanko and the Radioactive Man, but also the citizens of the country and the United States over the proper way of ending the bloodshed.

That's as far as I'll go for a synopsis, so as not to spoil. Written by Fred Van Lente and penciled by Steve Kurth, it's an enjoyable story. One of the biggest recurring themes of the Iron Man mythology is that of the Iron Man technology falling into the wrong hands or facing a rival version from one of Tony's enemies (usually, the Crimson Dynamo or the Titanium Man) and Tony questioning whether or not this is his doing for bringing Iron Man into the world. It's nicely handled here and Tony doesn't let himself fall into a guilt trip over it. Rather, he reacts much like we've come to expect: he gets a bit repulsor-happy and sets off to blast someone or something to smithereens until they give in. He retains his rapid-fire wit and never loses his cool, which is something I'm very glad the movies retain.

There's a real life parallel with Iron Man's interference overseas with that of the idea of Americans getting involved with struggles not related to them and people acting out on their own, often not thinking about how this reflects on the government's stance. But then, that's integral to Tony's character, with interpretations that he's just that altruistic (with great power comes great responsibility, y'know) or that it's more of an ego-stroker (quite valid, but who says it can't be both?)

Tony's supporting cast don't get very much to do, though, with Pepper actually in jail for a good portion of the story thanks to Tony's actions (since the government doesn't know the entire situation with the renegade Iron Men and assumes Tony's behind it in some way)

Finally, I just wanted to bring up one really damn good moment (slight spoiler): with his plans foiled, Dr. Doom says this to his royal biographer, in the calmest manner possible (Doom's nothing if not classy)”Plan number seven hundred and forty-six shall be tabled indefinitely. Make a note of it. I am moving on to plan seven hundred and forty-seven. Ready the Venom symbiote satellites.”

I just love how once his schemes go up in smoke, he just shrugs his shoulders and says “Well, that's one plan down, time to pull another one from up my sleeve”. Granted, he can still be prone to usual stock villain lines like “You'll rue this day!” or “One day, I will be victorious!” but to be fair, a lot of that is aimed towards his arch nemesis Reed Richards, so naturally it would get under his skin. But still, scenes like that paint why Doom is one of the best Marvel villains: he notes his failures, he moves on, and always has a contingency plan (in his case, his never-ending supply of Doombots and yes, one was present in this story.

So, all in all, a good story. Sorry for the short blog but I have a bit of catching up to do.

She May Be The Messiah, But She's A Very Very Confused Girl

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Friday, November 11th, 2011 at 5:24 pm)

This is going to be a recurring thing for this blog, a blog devoted to reviews of different mediums. Films, seasons of TV shows, etc. Today, we're looking at comics. Now, Australia has never really been a huge market for comics, or at least in my experience. Trade paperbacks are hard to come by and most newsagents only seem to stock Simpsons and Futurama comics. While I do collect and enjoy those, superhero titles aren't all that common. Sure, I'll see issues of Amazing Spider-Man or Action Comics, but I can never be sure if the title will be stocked next month and I've had to rely on mini-series and one shots when going comic shopping.

Luckily, my local library often has plenty of trades for me to indulge in, or at the very least, I can order them from another library at no cost.
So, most of my reviews will be based on what I can find through the library or from what I have read in the past and can remember a lot of. However, I acknowledge that I am nowhere near as good as Lewis Lovhaug (better known as Linkara) at reviewing, he's a frickin' genius and I'm some schmuck with a blog. That being said, I will try my best. Today we're looking at X-Men: Second Coming.

The arc is comprised of at least fifteen issues ranging from three issues of Uncanny X-Men to three issues of X-Force and various in-between.
Now, I've long held the thought that amongst all the different series of comics, past and present, finished and ongoing, the X-Men franchise is the hardest to follow. The biggest reason I have for this is the character roster. I mean, before M-Day (or, the end of the events of House Of M), you couldn't swing a dead cat in the Marvel universe without hitting a mutant (chances are, that dead cat WAS a mutant). And not only did you have the various X-Teams and the Brotherhood, but various Avenger teams had mutants at one time or another (most famous of those being Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Beast and Wolverine, though what team hasn't he been on?). Then you have your mutants that strike out on their own, whether they be hero, villain or in-between. Mutants like Apocalypse, Proteus, Namor, Sebastian Shaw and the ever-loveable Merc With The Mouth, Deadpool (who, incidentally, is one of my absolute favourite comic book characters).
There are so many characters within these comics (and let's not forget the non-mutant supporting cast and antagonists, like Moira MacTaggert and Arcade) that its easy to get lost. Often, I've played the game of “Wait, Who's That Guy? And You, What's Your Power?” while reading an X-Men comic, that's how out of the loop I am with modern X-Men comics. And this was AFTER the numbers were reduced to under two hundred mutants. New X-Teams spout up all the time, then disband, then reform with new members. It's hard enough keeping up with rebooted volumes, how can we be expected to keep up with the constantly changing line-ups?
Reducing the population to under two hundred didn't exactly help, because now the game changes to “Who Kept Their Powers?”, even though we all know most of the A-listers would have because you can't change status quo TOO much, lest you actually try and be daring.
Though, on that subject, that is one thing I'll give the Marvel universe credit for. While these days I slant more towards the DC universe (having Batman is a major drawcard, though heavy hitters like Green Lantern and the Flash help, not to mention wonderful series like 52 and Identity Crisis), Marvel almost always tries to keep its changes stuck the way they are and if they don't stick, the resolution is at least either acceptable or was always planted from the start so at least they put some thought into it. Unlike DC, which seems to say “This is boring. Reboot, reboot, REEEEEBOOOOOOT!” and push a big red button. Of course, sometimes Marvel gets an attack of the stupid (or, in the case of One More Day, a near fatal case of total freaking moron. I really, really hate that story. Like All-Star Batman And Robin, the beautiful art is the sole redeeming feature to a story that makes my brain want to cry) but sometimes the changes in one story escalate to something more universal and the resolution seems natural in light of those events (like the events of Civil War kind of being resolved after Siege, with the Superhuman Registration Act being abolished. It didn't take magic or time travel to fix it, just pure simple logic.)

Also, another part of what makes the X-Men hard to follow is all the allegiance changing. Juggernaut kept flip-flopping around for a while, though I believe he's currently a freelancer who'll be on either side provided they pay for him; Gambit, for a time, was one of Apocalypse's Horsemen; and Magneto, well, he goes all over the spectrum any given day (currently, he's kinda-sorta not a villain, but I wouldn't say he's an anti-hero or anti-villain either).

But anyway, enough rambling about that. Time to ramble about the arc itself

So, the plot is laid out thusly: Hope Summers (ugh, that's yet another confusing thing, the goddamn Summers family tree. I'm not going into that here) is the first new mutant born since M-Day. Cyclops' son Cable (damn it, I said I'm not going into it!) has taken her into the future (...not going into that either) to protect her and train her.
Well, that's actually the set up to this story. This arc deals with her coming back and being hunted by a highly evolved Sentinel known as Bastion and various human factions bent on eliminating the so called “Mutant Messiah”. Cyclops is leading the X-Men against all those who wish to see the mutant race ended once and for all but not every decision he makes is being followed without question.

Overall, it's a good story. I wouldn't say great, partly due to its length (it really, really feels a lot longer) and the fact that some of the villains can have their dialogue replaced with “Those muties are nuthin' but scum, we gotta git them keeeeled, yeeeee-haw!” and you'd get the same thing. Really, that's partly why I like the DC universe more: the humans are a lot more appreciative of their superheroes and crimefighters, which was a huge point in 52. But the Marvel universe is filled with ungrateful assholes. I mean, I know that mutants are basically racism and homophobia parallels in comics but if people are willing to accept a chemically enhanced soldier, a man who can go giant and ant-size and a thunder god, it just comes across as petty jealousy and that's why they smear mutants. Humans are just pissed that they got their special status taken away and don't like the fact that some mutants ARE better than they are, because of their attitude.

Anyway, I quite liked the relationship between Hope and Cable, it's reminiscent of Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor, only making the relationship one of surrogate father and daughter, rather than a romantic one (which would be really squicky). Hope's in a world she doesn't know and Cable's the only one she feels comfortable with and while she's with him, her character is tolerable. When he's not... well, let's just say, the words “You better be worth this, I swear to God” sum her up really well. She had better improve next time, or I won't bother reading about a petulant child. She may be confused and scared but it doesn't give her the right to act like Dawn Summers (different Summers family this time, not comic related) circa Buffy Seasons 5-6.
Cyclops I really liked in this story. For a long time, Cyclops was treated like the butt monkey of the X-Men and barely anyone (in-universe or out of it) gave him the time of day. Now, I think he started getting really awesome around the time Joss Whedon began an X-Men title, Astonishing X-Men. I've read a few of his arcs and damn if they don't kick ass. Now he's the full-fledged leader of the X-Men. But it seems a few of his long time friends don't see things the way he does and they let him know about it.

But now, for what I actually hate about this book. There will be spoilers, I warn you now.

Death in comics is pretty common. So common it gets joked about. And the X-Men has one of the most well known with Jean Grey (I think she's dead as of this blog... possibly?)
But that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt when a beloved character dies. Whether it's pointlessly (see the Atop The Fourth Wall review of Cry For Justice for an example, and Lewis is right on with the reasons why these deaths can hurt us so much)
And, it is within this arc, one of the most beloved X-Men, Nightcrawler, dies. He dies the death of a hero, teleporting in between Hope and Bastion to take Hope to safety and gets impaled by Bastion because of it. He gets a worthy send-off, with so many of his comrades speaking about his warmth and compassion, his sense of humor. Even Wolverine has his moment, when he says that Nightcrawler always treated him like a man and with respect. “He was my best friend and he never treated me like a damn animal.”
Beast calls Cyclops out at the funeral, saying: “This is yours. You own this. Now and forever. Do you understand? Do. You. Understand?”, further cementing that there are those who question Cyclops' methods
Now, it may be asked, why do I hate this if Nightcrawler died valiantly and he was given a heartwarming send-off? Well, remember that quote I posted earlier about Hope? That is the reason. Since I found the character uneven, I have to wonder if his death is in vain. I guess time will tell, but so far, I'm not impressed.
Also, well, he's one of my favourite X-Men. In fact, second only to Beast. He had a wonderful heart, he was courageous, he had a great sense of humor and a kick-ass power. He had his hang-ups, but he never let them defeat him.
And, like Linkara says in the Cry For Justice review, not everybody comes back to life in comics. Hell, it took over twenty years for Barry Allen to return to the world, and I don't think anyone actually saw that coming.
So, who knows if he's coming back or not? Especially with Marvel supposedly having a “dead is dead” policy now. That being said, at least this is a better send-off than the logic-bending death of Nightcrawler of the Ultimate Universe. I mean, death by drowning? A teleporter dying by drowning? Maybe if they were weakened or knocked out or something, but come on!

So, all in all, mutantkind looks to the future with new mutants popping up, perhaps suggesting that while not every former mutant will get their powers back, they also will not be going extinct. But whether or not Hope is a messiah remains to be seen.

While I did have a few problems (especially with the length), I do recommend the story. Out of 5, I'd give it a 3. However, if your knowledge of X-Men is from the movies only, I'd suggest boning up on X-Men history first.