Earlier this year, I lamented the direction that popular comic publishers, DC and Marvel, were taking their readership. Final Crisis and Secret Invasion were in full swing and I wondered how far these storylines would take the “deaths” of some of their iconic figures. I realize now that 2009 is smack in the middle of a new era in comics. Forget about Silver Age idealism or Golden Age excess; the macabre Dark Age is here and I am embracing the dark-side!
Marvel has been soaking in “Dark Reign” titles ever since the Skrulls were put in their place. The spin here: villains become heroes. Most major titles from Avengers to X-Men have “Dark” spin-offs. The real treat here is in witnessing the slow unraveling of evil as it pretends to be good in the public eye.
The Dark Avengers resemble a dysfunctional family; so much fun, I wish it were a television series! You start with the psychotic father (Osborn/Iron Patriot) who is holding it together with very thin strings. Followed by the seductive Ms. Marvel/Moonstone who is desperately in need of attention and validation. Then we have the mentally-unstable Sentry, who Osborn takes under his wing like a son. Next up is the angry uncle, Ares. And, finally, the three squabbling brothers, Wolverine/Daken, Spiderman/Venom, and Hawkeye/Bullseye, who can’t share a page without suffering an insult or injury. Surprisingly good thus far is the Utopia series crossing Dark Avengers with X-Men. I expect to see heroes, like Cyclops, shine in a manner more befitting a leader of a dwindling mutant population. However, I take special glee in waiting to see how the villains will screw this all up!
Not to be undone, DC sowed the seeds for “Blackest Night” since the return of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. The twist: dead heroes are reanimated as evil versions of themselves. The two issues of “Blackest Night,” thus far released, have been packed with “OH DIP!” moments, with the Martian Manhunter laying a smackdown on Green Lantern and the reborn Flash (Barry Allen), Hawkman and Hawkgirl slaughtered by a viscous Elongated Man and wife, and the return of Aquaman, who with a little help from Aquagirl and Dolphin, make Tempest one of the undead. (Sidebar: There are no plans for a re-launch of an Aquaman series, but Mera, his wife, looks to be a real player in this series and may make an interesting lead in a series – Is there room for an Aquawoman?)
In the coming weeks, we’ll discuss highlights (and lowlights) of these and other titles from Marvel, DC, and beyond. In the meantime, I am looking forward to the demise of Beast-Boy. Some might find a shape-shifting green kid amusing (the TV version was great), but I find him dispensable. I vote reanimation of random Teen Titans, like Pantha and Baby Wildebeest, who catch him when he cleverly transforms into a squirrel to escape. So to all the readers out there: who do you think deserves to be the next hero mowed down in the Marvel and DC Universes?
blackest night?? i still have to read the sinestro corps graphic novel. has it come out yet?