The Bum’s Rush #43
 

Anticipation II: Anticipate HARDER! – Part 1

Over the last few months lots of new and exciting announcements have been made regarding brand new series, creative team changes and special events. I thought maybe it’d be a good time to talk about which ones I’m anticipating the most before they start hitting the shelves.

Truth, Justin and The American Way (Image Comics) – Written by Scott Kurtz and Aaron Williams. Art by Giuseppe Ferrario. Permanent slacker Justin Cannel’s got a lot on his plate. He’s barely holding onto his job, his best friends are constantly getting him into trouble and what’s more, he’s about to get married! As if his life wasn’t complicated enough, Justin accidentally comes into the possession of a powerful suit that endows him with incredible powers, a suit that several not-so-nice people would kill to get their hands on. PVP’s Scott Kurtz and PS238’s Aaron Williams five-issue mini-series, inspired by their love of 70’s and 80’s television shows like Buck Rogers, The Bionic Man, Greatest American Hero and more, looks like the ultimate nostalgia trip. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s and can recall fond memories of some the great (yet cheesy) shows that filled our imaginations and rotted our brains should give this book a try. Heck, even if you don’t have any fond memories of crappy 80’s television just check out the art by Italian cartoonist Giuseppe Ferrario. The man is a master of blending his wacky and fun-filled cartoon style with rich, gorgeously detailed backgrounds that evoke exactly the kind of atmosphere this book is striving to capture. And you can always count on Kurtz and Williams to bring the funny.

Batman and Superman Titles – One Year Later (DC Comics) – Written by James Robinson, Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek. Art by Leonard Kirk, Don Kramer and Pete Woods. Not much has been revealed about the actual stories aside from the fact that each book (Batman, Detective Comics, Action Comics and Superman) will take place one year after the events of Infinite Crisis. What excites me about these books, aside from the amazing roster of talent assembled, is that DC is using the One Year Later event to firmly reestablish Batman and Superman as the two biggest and best superheroes in the world. It’s been a very long time since I was excited to read about the monthly adventures of either of Batman or Superman, let alone multiple books featuring the characters but now with the promise of strongly establishing who these characters are and why they still matter in this post-Infinite Crisis world is too intriguing to pass up. James Robinson will be writing a six-part Batman story that will take place in both Detective Comics and Batman, while Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns co-write the eight-part “Up, Up And Away” which will run through Action Comics and Superman. Once these initial, character- establishing stories are through, new creative teams will be brought in to continue what was started. DC has already announced Paul Dini and Rags Morales for Detective Comics and Grant Morrison teaming with Andy Kubert for Batman. Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco will work on Superman, while the creative team for Action Comics has yet to be revealed. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of these characters, especially if you’ve felt, like I have, that their books have been somewhat disappointing over the last few years.

Blue Beetle (DC Comics) – Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers. Art by Cully Hamner. Yes, I’m going to miss Ted Kord. Yes, he was my second favorite comic book character, right after Superman. And yes, co-writer John Rogers did write the screenplay for Catwoman. None of that, however, can stop me from being excited about this new Blue Beetle series. I like legacy characters, characters that have assumed their mantle from a previous hero, much like Wally West took on the name of The Flash from his uncle Barry Allen, and even Ted Kord, who assumed the role of Blue Beetle from his mentor Dan Garrett. It adds something to a character, having a legacy, a history like that, something that’s bigger than they are. And Keith Giffen, one of the guys who made the previous Blue Beetle such a favorite of mine, is co-writing the book. If he’s on board then surely I can put my own grievances aside and give the book a go, right? Then there’s the promise of a monthly dose of Cully Hamner artwork! Who could resist?

Hector Plasm (Image Comics) – Written by Benito Cereno. Art by Nate Bellegarde. I’m picking up this one shot for a very simple reason. Benito and Nate make me laugh. I first saw their stuff when they began doing regular back-ups in Robert Kirkman’s Invincible and each short strip they did, without fail, had me rolling. Not an easy task in the world of comics but these guys do it and they’re good at it. Sure, you say, they know how to tell a joke but why should I pick up Hector Plasm for that? Aha, I say, yes they’re funny, but they’re also incredibly talented storytellers. Just check out Benito Cereno’s Tales from the Bully Pulpit if you don’t believe me. A hilarious and imaginative romp through time and space with President Theodore Roosevelt and the ghost of Thomas Edison, Bully Pulpit is a blast to read. And once you see Nate Bellegarde’s preview pages for Hector Plasm I think you’ll agree that he’s bound for big things in the world of comics. Hector Plasm is a slightly more serious book than their previous works featuring a young man with magical abilities whose responsibility it is to battle ghosts, demons, witches and more. Think of a young Hellboy, without the support system and the huge right hand. A hobo shaman who’s socially awkward and maybe just a little bit crazy. Tell me that doesn’t sound like fun?

Fantastic Four: First Family (Marvel Comics) – Written by Joe Casey. Art by Chris Weston. I don’t care too much for the Fantastic Four. They’ve never been able to hold my interest for very long. No, this one is more about the creators. My love for Joe Casey has grown tremendously over the years to the point where I’ll pick up just about anything he writes. I’ve come to view him as one of the most unique and underappreciated writers in the biz. This book follows on the heels of his excellent Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes mini-series and takes a similar approach, exploring the history of some of Marvel’s most beloved characters that happened in-between the early issues. This kind of retroactive storytelling doesn’t always work out well but on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Casey’s love and respect for the characters and their history was clear, while his unique take added something special to the mythology. Plus, there’s that Chris Weston guy. Weston draws beautiful comics; so solid and richly detailed you might wonder how he manages to finish just one issue of a comic in a timely fashion, let alone a whole mini-series. Uh… knock on wood.

Quick Bits

Warning! Nothing you read here in Quick Bits should be considered FACT until it actually happens. Which it might not. How do you know I’m not just making all this crap up? I could, you know. You’ve been warned!

1. I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of amazing artist, Seth Fisher, a few weeks ago. His work on books like Flash: Time Flies, Green Lantern: Willworld and Vertigo Pop: Tokyo was beautifully strange, intricately detailed and bursting with life. The final issue of his most recent book, Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan, written by Zeb Wells, shipped just recently. An announcement from his family indicated that Fisher fell seven stories from the roof of a club in Osaka, Japan. I’ve no doubt that given a little more time Fisher would have become one of the hottest artists in the industry, and I for one will sorely miss his presence.
2. It’s rumored that Dick Grayson won’t be the man behind the mask when Nightwing jumps forward a year in DC’s One Year Later event. So if not Dick, then who? Based on my own astute observations, as well as those rumors I mentioned, it seems as if it will be the other former Robin, none other than Jason Todd himself!
3. Image Comics will be releasing a new six-issue Death Dealer series based on Frank Frazetta’s famous series of paintings of the same name. Steve Niles will write the series with Nat Jones handling the art chores.
4. Rumor has it that one of Pixar’s next animated features will be Will Eisner’s The Spirit, with Incredibles director Brad Bird attached.
5. Starting with issue 42, Wolverine will be getting a brand new creative team - writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Humberto Ramos. Guggenheim was once an intern at Marvel Comics before becoming a writer on TV shows such as “The Practice” and “Law and Order” and then a Supervising Producer on “CSI: Miami”, “Jack and Bobby” and the new series “In Justice”. Ramos recently finished up work on the Dark Horse mini-series, Revelations, with writer Paul Jenkins.
6. In conjunction with the release of the new Superman Returns movie there will be a huge 14-disc Superman box-set which will include special edition versions of all 4 films. Also included in the set will be the long-rumored “Donner Cut” of Superman II. This version of the film will reportedly include almost 50% never before seen footage directed by Richard Donner before he was fired from the film by the producers. Donner himself apparently has no involvement in the production of this new cut of the film, stating that he is not interested in revisiting the film. Instead the film is being put together by editor Michael Thaw based on the original shooting script and Donner’s production notes. Unfortunately the film will only be available with the collectors set and will not be sold separately. Which means you’ll have to buy Superman III and Superman IV. A small price to pay to see what just might be the perfect version of what was almost one of the best superhero movies ever. Thanks to my buddy, Mike Marrs for the heads up on this story.
7. Dark Horse will soon launch a brand new Star Wars series that will take place 100 years after Return of the Jedi. In Star Wars: Legacy, the Jedi are losing their power and their only hope against a new evil that seeks to wipe them out once and for all is the last remaining heir to the Skywalker name. The series will launch in May with a special 25 cent issue #0.

NEXT WEEK: More books I’m looking forward to!

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