Secret Science Alliance

A recent great find was the graphic novel by Eleanor Davis,

"The Secret Science Alliance (and the Copycat Crook.)"

Aimed at older 'kids,' it is the highly entertaining and fun

fight for the under-dog science kids..with a twist! While the

story starts out as a POV of Julian (who, perhaps not

coincidentally, looks reminiscent of Dexter of Dexter's

 Laboratory?) as the incoming science geek at a new school.

His introduction to the new digs, his dealings with

family, and his attempts at assimilating as a popular kid

are heroically and tragically relateable, yet hilarious in the way

they are depicted.

Soon enough, he meets some fellow science geeks in

unusual packaging. I loved how the very believable

takes on Greta and Ben as 'non-traditional' science geeks

both introduces some much-needed kid characters of

different race/ethnicity, but also turns the nerd/geek

dynamic on its ear. (Similar to Percy Jackson, any

ADHD/ADD kid, alternate learning, dyslexic, etc. can

relate to the Ben character in particular!)

(The adults also get fair treatment, unlike so many 'kids'

books!)

The very tight and crisp art is a joy; lots of awesome

cutaway views, large dioramas, blueprints and other

intricate cool stuff. (Comic geeks will perhaps note

their appreciation if they are fans of Ty Templeton,

Kano, Chris Ware, and other fabulously talented

craftspeople.)

This is definitely an all-ages accessible book, an

engaging and light read, but filled with your usual

outsider-fights-back inspiration. Great for all the

bullied/ignored/misunderstood kid...of any age!

(Bloomsbury publisher.)



George O'Connor

I found these graphic novels shelved in the

"Juvenile" section (sigh) of our local library.

I was intrigued by the cover art and opened

them to find a real gem.

George O'Connor is a graphic artist who

had the idea to do a graphic novel per god in

the Greek pantheon. The first was of course

"Zeus" and then "Athena."  (Volume 3 releases July 19th!)

The books are incredibly well done!

They are vibrant and fun, while still

very adeptly managing to maintain all

the perversity of the Greek stories.

(Hey, we don't refer to Bible stories as

'myths,' so...)

The art is crisp and simple, elegant line use

(think P. Craig Russell, Tim Sale, Mike Mignola)

but has its own flavor and style. The coloring

and pacing and lettering are all tremendous,

and the story actually made the convoluted

story of the prior gods easily accessible.

There were some really beautiful and creative

choices for depicting the majesty and magic of

the weighty elements, too.

These are available pretty much everywhere.

You can also check out the artist's website at

http://www.geooco.blogspot.com/

or the website for the graphic novels at

http://olympiansrule.com/

Olympians Graphic Novels;

 Volume One; Zeus, King of the Gods

and

Volume Two; Athena, Grey-eyed Goddess

Hot New!

Well, I might have thought it was great

to see equal time for beefcake on comic

covers, but the wind got taken out of those

sails when I saw the very irritatingly

positioned UPC panel on that middle

cover above.

ERB's characters still remain a source

of great T 'n A satisfaction in the

4-color world, but Dynamite has some

'splaining to do over this double standard.

Frost my biscuit.

Ummm....NO!! "Epic Fail, Party of One!"

I'm not a curmudgeony old man who wants his stuff left

alone, and I'm not a Mega-Fanboy who can't stand change.

Most of the comics I still partake of are unusual twists on old

notions or characters. I like diversity.

Change for its own sake? Not so much.

That said, I was really disappointed to hear the news of how

DC Comics is relaunching their entire line of titles later this

year.

These sorts of publicity stunts rarely succeed. The energy and

distinctness of new creative teams in the comics industry has

a shelf-life of about 3 months, and then the status quo comes raging

back into the vacuum.

Also, this is so desperate, so grand,

it really is whelming. You expect regular readers to test drive

52 new series, with finances what they are?

What is the appeal to new readers or non-comics

folks? To try out what seems like a sales gimmick?

What about all those years of stories, now--once again--

tossed to the roadside? Yes, it's challenging to find new things to say.

Yes, continuity is a bear. (But if the weight of continuity is

the restriction they are attempting to unload, who wants to bet

how many weeks before the coordination of an entire

universe's shared history gets shafted by a lack of

editorial coordination in the new DCU?

It's just kind of sad. All the homogenization I see in

the new, streamlined costumes is just a bad idea. One

artist to give a visual spark to an entire line of characters?

Where's the feeling? Where's the history?

Where's the uniqueness and flavor?

Oh well. It's been a while since I could afford a

4-color marvel anyway, and maybe this is the drastic

change the industry needs to reinvent itself.

I just know I've lost any and all interest in seeing characters

I once loved put through yet another blender.

Stick to something, DC. This just smacks of

lackluster sell-out and pandering.

Good luck with that.

Looking Good; John Byrne X-Men

These are some lesser known pieces by John Byrne

featuring his best known characters, the

uncanny X-Men.

The first and third pieces are some beautiful

renderings that Byrne did with the painter Fastner

for one of two portfolios Marvel did back in

the 1980s for the X-Men, and the middle piece

was (IIRC,) from the Fantaco Chronicles'

X-Men issue.

Byrne made great strides in

the promotion of a realistic style of art in the comics,

and certainly had a huge hand in crafting the

more serious edge of the team at the time.

Ruin is the Advent of New Life

"Wonder Woman Can Save the World" by Lynda Carter

(This essay originally appeared in 2010's

Wonder Woman # 600)

“Did you bring your Lasso of Truth?” people ask me, and I have to laugh.

But it’s true—Wonder Woman accessorizes. She is, after all, a very savvy woman. But as we all know, form follows function. Everything she wears has a purpose: Her golden bracelets deflect bullets, her Venus Girdle endows her with superhuman strength, her tiara boomerangs and her lasso holds others to the truth that she, herself, lives by. And that’s just what we can see. Wonder Woman’s intellect is her real power. She’s honest and disarming, and she kicks butt.

I was like every other little girl who loved to read Wonder Woman comics. At the time, there weren’t many strong female role models. There was Archie’s Betty and Veronica, and then there was Wonder Woman. And they actually offered to pay me to play her on television. Imagine that! I would have done it for free. I’d been in Hollywood studying acting and was a fresh-faced innocent in that town. I was just 24, and putting on that costume—the American flag high-cut bathing suit—was the thrill of a lifetime.

That said, her costume and accessories don’t define the essence of Wonder Woman. She is the “Secret Self” inside every woman—the beautiful, unafraid, tenacious and powerful woman we know resides within us. She is the antithesis of “victim.” She is the single mother working multiple jobs, the unsung heroine, the supportive sister, the devoted daughter, the loving wife. She is the archetype of the Liberated Feminine, and that part of us is not confined by any societal role.

Wonder Woman stood apart from every woman of her time. She was always looking for—yearning for—a connection to others in this new world. To whom could she turn? Not only was she separated from her family and her roots, but she also had her alias to protect. It’s this need to connect that, in my mind, has always made her a human, likable and complex character.

I never tried to dumb her down or treat her as a two-dimensional comic book character; I had too much respect for her to do that. I played her for real. She had two faces she showed the world, but she’s one person. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman. They’re different aspects of the same individual.

In truth, I never played “Wonder Woman”—I played Princess Diana (Diana, a.k.a. Artemis, goddess of the hunt and of wild things). She came from an island of women where she wasn’t necessarily the prettiest or the strongest. She wasn’t overly impressed with herself. She was intrigued by Steve Trevor and fought for the chance to be the one to take him home. When she found herself in this other world, the America of the 1940s, her heroic reactions flowed naturally from her values and her powers.

While I am forever identified with the role, Wonder Woman belongs to us all. She lives inside us. She’s the symbol of the extraordinary possibilities that inhabit us, hidden though they may be—that, I think, is the important gift Wonder Woman offers women. Perhaps our real challenge in the 21st century is to strive to reach our potential while embracing her values.

Wonder Woman is fearless. She sees the good in everyone, convinced they are capable of change, compassion and generosity. She’s kindhearted and hopeful, and she has a great sense of humor. These are just some of the important gifts the Adaptable Empowered Feminine has to offer. In an age when femininity is casting off restraints around the world, Wonder Woman remains an important archetype.

I loved Wonder Woman as a kid, I loved Wonder Woman when I played the role, and I love Wonder Woman to this day. She is the goddess within us all.

If Einstein is right, and imagination is more important than knowledge, then maybe what we need is to “wonder”…to open our minds and our hearts, to believe in what we cannot see.

Who knows? Maybe Wonder Woman can save the world.


*********************************************
This essay moved me tremendously. Not only do I greatly admire Carter
(she was a childhood idol,) but this so beautifully and eloquently sums
up everything I love about  the character and her hope.