Still on the Shelf #19 – Noble Causes
Image’s Noble Causes proves that it is possible for a title to be a superhero comic, and still be original.
Back in 2001, the first Noble Causes mini, “In Sickness and in Health,” appeared on stands, and it took me very much by surprise. It was billed as a comic about a superhero family who is regarded as almost nobility by the public at large. Strangely enough, it lived up to that description and still managed to surprise me.
Unlike traditional super-hero books which focus on the conflict between our hero and the villain du jour, Noble Causes is all about strife in a family that is more concerned about their public image than protecting the innocent or fighting evil. Jay Faerber has done an amazing job with this title of answering the question: What if the Kennedys or the British Royal family was made up of superheroes?
Cast of Characters
Gaia Noble, the matriarch of the family, can control the vast powers of the elements. Though her true nature is still something of a mystery, she it at the least a goddess of some sort. She fell in love with her now husband Doc Noble from afar, and came to Earth because of her fascination with him. She now rules over both the family and the family’s image with an iron fist. She is determined to make the public believe that no matter what secret turmoil the Noble family is almost constantly undergoing that they are nothing but the ideal, perfect family.
Doc Noble, her husband, possesses no natural powers other than his intellect. An inventor extraordinaire, he fought crime in his youth through the use of various gadgets he invented. Lately he is more interested in his work than his own family, but his work has proved to be an incredible liability. His robotic creation, Icarus, was responsible for the death of Race Noble and the condition of his other son, Rusty. Icarus felt both jealousy of his human “brothers,” and the need to eliminate what he determined to be a source of disappointment in his creator’s life. Icarus was destroyed, and the tragedy helped draw Doc away from his work, and back into the lives of his family.
Rusty Noble is Doc and Gaia’s eldest son. He was nearly beaten to death, and was only saved when his brain was placed in a robotic shell by Doc. Rusty, of course, resents his new form, and has become bitter and reclusive. His wife, Celeste, is very much the social climber. She married Rusty for the Noble name, and very much enjoys the perks being a member of that family has to offer. She flagrantly carried on an affair with Rusty’s wayward brother Frost, and has recently filed for divorce.
Frost’s place in the family is something of a mystery. It is clear that he is Gaia’s son, and he has been ostracized from the rest of the family because he is illegitimate. As far as the public knows, Frost does not exist. He is resentful for being abandoned by his mother, and has done everything possible to be a thorn in the side of the Noble family, even going so far as to carry on an affair with his brother’s wife. Recently his true father was revealed, leaving even more mystery as to the reason he was abandoned.
Liz Donnely-Noble is the widow of Race Noble, who was killed by Icarus on their honeymoon. Prior to meeting race she owned a bookstore, and was nothing more than an ordinary person with no powers of any kind. Race bringing her into the family caused something of a scandal, but that was quickly shadowed by Race’s own untimely death. Liz, out of necessity, has remained with the family and has gotten to see first hand exactly what does on behind the media curtain of this celebrity family she now belongs to.
Zephyr Noble, the youngest of the Noble clan, controls the wind. As the youngest, she is something of a rebel. She struggles to be seen as something more than a child- and is eager to prove that she is capable of making her own decisions. She does so hastily and without thought, and the most unfortunate result of her impulsive behavior is her pregnancy by her father’s archenemy, Draconis.
Krennick is the son of Draconis. Once the enemy of the Noble family alongside his father, he became fast-friends with Race Noble after being trapped with him in an alternate dimension for a year. He has since become an adopted member of the Noble family, much to the disappointment of his father, who views him as a traitor. He has an ongoing and unrequited crush on Zephyr, who sees him as nothing more than a friend.
Thoughts
Jay Faerber has created a highly complex and believable family in the Nobles. When I first picked up this title, I expected typical superhero action starring this celebrity family, but got something quite different. The “crime fighting” has been stashed in the trunk (not even given the courtesy of taking the back seat), and instead we are treated to what amounts to a highly complicated and entertaining family drama.
All of us look at celebrity families in our world with a bit of scorn. No matter how cherished or revered they are, we all know that behind the scenes lies a world of sex, money, betrayal, power, and strife. It is impossible that even the most squeaky-clean of images is anything close to true. This is the reason or the Paparazzi’s unwavering efforts to find any dirt, no matter how small, to satisfy the public’s urge for the gory details of their personal lives. Noble Causes plays into that. The Noble family is chock full of dirty news items that any news-hound worth his salt would be dying to get his hands on, and they do try. Gaia leads the family in combating this, presenting an intricate and idyllic image of the Noble family that must be maintained at all costs. It often seems that the disaster is not what is going on in the family, rather, that it might leak out to the press.
In a word, Faerber’s story is fascinating. The characters are all unique and the story very believable.
The art is interesting, and works well with the tone of the story. Several artists have worked on this title in both minis, back-up stories, and the recent “Extended Family” one-shot- too many to list here. Some of the most interesting work can be seen in the back-up stories found primarily in the “In Sickness and in Health” trade paperback and in “Extended Family.” The vastly different short stories presented also have vastly different artistic styles, which fit the tone of the story being told. Extended Family also features a variety of stories by writers with their own take on the history of the Noble family, including: Gail Simone, Eric Stephenson, J. Torres, Phil Hester, Geoff Johns, John Layman, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Brian K Vaughn.
Bottom Line
I found Noble Causes to be highly enjoyable, and I am very much looking forward to the new mini-series, “Distant Relatives,” the first issue of which is schedules to be released tomorrow. Distant Relatives features art by the team of Ian Richardson, Andy Tong, and Le Beau Underwood, as well as Jay Faerber taking up writing duties on his creation once again.
Noble Causes thus far has come out in short bursts, which is appealing, especially to new readers. Though the title itself is almost 3 years old, there are not dozens of back issues to catch up on. Most of what you need to know can be gleaned from either the In Sickness and In Health trade paperback, or in the Extended Family one-shot- both of which are readily available today.
I really like minis, as it allows you to enjoy a good story without a long-term commitment. Noble Causes fits that bill. Too often I am forced to take a pass on an ongoing title, no matter how good it might be, due to budget constraints. Minis like this allow you to experience a great story, and see it through to its resolution.
Noble Causes: Distant Relatives #1 is due out tomorrow, July 30th. If it lives up to the high standard the previous volumes of Noble Causes set, it should be a fantastic read. I highly recommend checking out this new four-issue mini series.
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July 22, 2003
Still on the Shelf #18 – Captain Marvel
Sometimes a title can have everything going for it: it can have a brilliantly told story, breathtaking art, a familiar character- heck, it can be printed by Marvel itself, and still suffer in sales.
That is not to say that Captain Marvel is doing poorly in the sales department- truth be told, it has been fairly steady over the last few months. But Marvel has cancelled titles that sold far more in the past, so nothing at all is certain.
Captain Marvel has a depth and maturity of story telling that puts most of the top sellers to shame, and the art to back it up. And based on the quality of this book, I hope it does not go away for a long time. And that is where you come in. Though I have to warn you- for all intents and purposes, this is no longer a super-hero book.
Cast of Characters
The title character Captain Marvel (also known as Genis) is, of course, the core focus of this title. He is the son of the original Captain Mar-vell. His core power is the ability to manipulate photonic energy, which is absorbed from starlight. He can use this ability in countless ways, both offensively and defensively, making him extremely powerful. In addition to this, he has been given a “cosmic awareness,” makes him pretty well omnicient. He can comprehend the entire nature of the universe, both time and space. This allows him to forsee possible futures from a grand scale, right down to the specific futures of particular individuals.
Added onto this is insanity. Early on in this volume of Captain Marvel, Genis was presented with a choice- save a single woman about to be beaten to death, or prevent the invasion of a planet. He chose the lives of thousands over the one, and that turned into a dreadful mistake. That one woman, had she been allowed to live, was destined to be the greatest peacemaker the universe has ever known. She would have united even the most bitter rivals, and usher in an era of peace unheard of in history. The magnitude of this mistake drove Genis insane.
Rick Jones is the human half of the Captain Marvel equation. He is molecularily bonded to Genis, the effect of which is that they share the same molecular space. As such, only one of them can exist in that space at a time. Through the use of “nega-bands,” he and Captain Marvel switch places on Earth. The other is placed in a sub-atomic universe known as the Microverse. He is a bit of a celebrity on Earth, and now in the Microverse, where he has become something of a rock star. In the past, this served as a sort of “super-hero secret identity” device. Whenever he was needed, Rick would slam together the nega-bands, and Captain Marvel would emerge to save the day. Things are quite different now.
As Genis is incredibly powerful and quite mad, Jones went through a period where he was virtually ignored by his god-like companion. He was trapped in the Microverse for months while Genis pursued his own goals. He eventually learned a “psi-fry” technique, which allowed him to cause incredible pain in Genis’s brain and force him to pay attention. This returned some power to Rick in determining their joint fate, even as their goals and philosophies become more and more divergent.
Thoughts
Peter David’s take on this character is, in my opinion, a very refreshing change. Though this character’s traits are very different from that OTHER Captain Marvel over at DC, they did share a common theme. Though there are still frequent “Shazam” cracks, David changed all of that.
As I said before, Genis’s cosmic awareness has driven him utterly insane by human standards. This in-of itself is not unexpected. In reading this, however, I had to wonder if Genis truly is insane. As it stands now, he is very much like a child, still exploring his potential and trying to figure out exactly what his place in the universe really is. He has jumped from trying to be the destroyer of the universe, a god, to a “judge of right and wrong,” for lack of a better description. The one thing that surprised me most about this title is the complexity of character. Genis possesses truly intricate motivations, and you really have to think to understand, or try to understand them. Rick’s motivations are plain, but deep as well- he shares existence with a godlike figure who has strayed far off the simple good vs. evil path. A once close and amicable relationship has turned very hostile, as he has to fight to the simple right to exist in his own world. He also struggles with the actions of Genis, who comprehends far more than Rick can possibly imagine, but no longer follows the code that Rick holds so dear. Sound complicated? It certainly is. The growing dynamic between Rick and Genis is one of the best things about this title.
Bottom Line
I actually read Peter David’s work outside of this medium long before I examined his comic work, and his style certainly translates well. One drawback of many writers who only write comics is a seeming inability to grasp the intricacies of good characters. Many writers take an existing book with established characters, and tell a decent story on the whole, but do nothing to make you care about the characters themselves. Look back at all of the comics you have read that have taken a turn for the worst. I can guarantee that in almost every instance, it was because the characters lost their dimension- their motivations became transparent, illogical or nonsensical, or they simply stopped growing. Judging by what I have read of Captain Marvel and David’s past work on Supergirl, this title will not have this problem.
The art, of course, is astounding. I certainly miss Chris Cross’s work (I miss Slingers more, but that is another column), but Ivan Reis has certainly done a more than adequate job pencilling this book. Chris Sotomayor’s coloring speaks for itself. It is, as always, astounding, and really makes this title a complete package.
The most recent issue, #12, just came out in stores last week, July 16th. It was the last part of a 4-issue arc; so issue #13 (due out in August) is an ideal place to jump in. If you are curious about this book, and don’t want to risk the cash up front, check out Marvel’s “Dot-comics” free section, where they have Captain Marvel #1 available on-line in its entirety.
If you are looking for a new title to add to your pile each month, Captain Marvel is definitely one worth looking into.
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July 15, 2003
Still on the Shelf #17 – Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker
Not all great comics come from DC or Marvel- in fact; there are some to be found outside smaller companies like Dark Horse, Crossgen, Image, and Dreamwave. The small press offers a wealth of fantastic books- you only have to be lucky enough to come across them, and brave enough to give them a shot.
Take Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker. I came across this book back when it first came out in 1997 at a small shop in Tucson, Arizona, when the comic shop owner took a liking to it. A copy was placed in all of the subscriber’s boxes. I took his advice and gave it a shot, and I could not stop laughing. I have been a faithful Pete fan ever since.
Cast of Characters
Only one character needs mentioned here, and that is Pete himself. He is, of course, a postman, though a highly eccentric one. Pete is an extraordinarily focused individual, to say the least. As revealed in Issue #3, Pete’s father died during the Korean War. After the funeral, a postman delivered a letter to young Pete from his father at the front, in which his father tells him that he loves him. From that moment on Pete decided that to become a postman, and that the mail would go through, no matter what. In his own words- “I treat every letter as if it were a letter from my dad.”
Pete is fanatical about getting the mail, each and every piece, delivered to the proper addresses on time. To that end, Pete makes his deliveries armed to the teeth. In addition to the mail, his letter-bag is stuffed full of various firearms, blades, explosives, mace, and just about any other weapon you can imagine. Pete makes his deliveries on schedule, even if it means leaving a few corpses in his wake.
Thoughts
You might get the impression up to this point that Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker. is a violent and serious story, a la Punisher, but that is certainly not the case. Though it can get quite bloody, Pete is a hilarious read. Pete’s credo gets put to the test each issue, as his frightened office manager sends him to deliver mail to some of the most obscure, ridiculous, and dangerous locals. Be it mail to Santa Claus, aliens, or the infamous Route 666 (the most dangerous of all postal routes), Pete always comes through, much to the dismay of those he works with (who would like to see him either in jail or in an insane asylum), and everyone who tries to get in his way. Pete has even delivered mail to “timely” locations, like a militia compound, a delivery to Vegas during a Y2K power outage, and a Return to Sender, Anthrax-Positive box of letters to Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Any obstacles Pete encounters are dealt with in the most extreme of fashions. Mail-carrier hating dogs are chopped in half, gang-bangers are shot, sliced, and burned, aliens are blown to bits, and the mail gets through.
Pete, himself, is the funniest part of this title. Pete’s blind devotion to delivering the mail makes him overlook the often-outlandish situations he is in. And, of course, as all good comedies go- hilarity ensues. His single-mindedness makes for the funniest of scenarios. Pete could be standing face to face with an alien threatening to kill him, and all he can think about is having the letter delivered to the right alien.
What’s to Come
I had the opportunity to talk with the writer of Pete, Marcus Meleton (usually credited as Marcus Pierce, Jr.) recently. He was kind enough to share with me some insight into the future of Pete, including a look into the new issue of Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker , set to be released by Sharkbait Press on August 1st.
The next issue features Pete coming face to face with both a pair of kids seeking to make themselves famous, Columbine style, and something of a US-based terrorist cell. We also get a peak into Pete’s mandated “Anger Management” sessions, and what Pete’s tense and hyper demeanor does to an unsuspecting shrink. What I read of this next issue showed me that this new Pete does indeed live up to past Pete goodness, and Pete fans will certainly not be disappointed. Included in this issue is a piece of fan art by some actual postal employees who are devotees of Pete.
In the future, Meleton says that we will see something of a love interest for Pete. The idea itself has loads of potential- How exactly will Pete, the single-minded, obsessive, somewhat demented postman deal with a woman who has fallen in love with him? As to how Pete meets this woman- anyone who has read or will read this title will realize that Pete does spend some time in prison for his zealous delivery tactics. Meleton says that this potential love interest will almost certainly be a woman who wrote to him while he was in jail.
Sharkbait Press
Meleton’s publishing company, Sharkbait Press, has been involved in more than just Pete. One of his more infamous creations is Liberalman; the story of a superhero that is devoted to fighting crime, but feels conflicted by his bleeding heart, liberal, sensitivity. Among Meleton’s other publishing endeavors are Rabbit, Hunting for Lawyers, and the acclaimed novel Nice Guy’s Don’t Get Laid. All of these, as well as back issues of Pete, can be ordered at Sharkbait Press’s website, and at Amazon.com (excluding Rabbit at Amazon).
Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker was developed by Michael N. Smith, and written (of course) by Meleton, and drawn by Pete Garcia.
Bottom Line
Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker has been one of my personal favorite titles since the very first issue. From the beginning of this column, I have wanted to highlight Pete for you to draw attention to a title that all of you should be reading. But with well over a year since the last issue, Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker: War Journal, I feared that I had seen the end of Pete. The news of the 14th issue of Pete was as well received by me as the rumor of a new Deadpool series, and I had to rush to share it with you. Pete will soon be returning to a somewhat normal publishing schedule, so we can expect more issues of Pete in the future.
Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker is a title that all of you need to check out. It can be hard to find, as Sharkbait is a smaller company, and many local comic shops do not carry it. However, it is extremely easy to order online, and Pete is very much worth the effort to do so. Those of you attending the upcoming San Diego Comic Convention can also pick up copies of Pete, and meet Marcus Meleton at Booth #1806 and pick up copies of Pete there. In addition, anyone who mentions this column will get $1.00 of their purchase. I cannot recommend strongly enough to those of you attending stop by the Sharkbait Press booth and pick up a copy of the Pete Trade Paperback, which collects the first five issues. It is a perfect way to jump into Pete’s world.
To everyone else, Sharkbaitpress.com, in addition to the Trade Paperback, offers the Fabulous 5 – Pete Five-packs, for $10 a piece. This is also a great way to catch up on the 13 past issues of Pete.
I cannot recommend this title enough. If you want to check out a new title that will have you in stitches, you have to pick up a copy of Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker.
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July 8, 2003
Still on the Shelf #16 – Way of the Rat
When it comes down to it, I am trapped in the rut that I am sure many of us who enjoy comics find ourselves in. When we think of comics we enjoy, more often than not, it is the superhero mainstays we come up with first. This is probably one of the reasons titles like Batman and Spider-man sell as well as they do. We all like our super-powered protagonists set in what amounts to a very familiar setting, and to be honest, there is not really anything wrong with that.
However, as in my case, that tendency can often times prove to be a liability. After all, comics never have been exclusively of the superhero genre- many genres of storytelling have found their way into comics, and have found great success over the years. Westerns, horror, mystery- they have all been around in one shape or form over time.
On the other hand, there can be no doubt of the sheer dominance of the superhero genre in comics today. Sure, we all have one or two comics that fall outside that realm (or seemingly do). But when it comes to checking out new books, sometimes it is hard to develop enough interest to shell out the cash to try out a new series that falls outside of that familiar formula. Superheroes are safe- we all understand the “rules” of that sort of story, and as long as we find the hero somewhat interesting, and the writer has a reputation of being fairly competent, we can make a reasonable guess as to whether or not the title is worth our hard earned $3 a month.
That very prejudice kept me from seriously investing in any of the CrossGen titles on the market today. Sure, I had some interest, but I never got hooked in. Sure, I saw the “Primer” issue, and thought there was some potential there, but when it came down to it- I knew what I liked, and I knew what I didn’t- and I had no clue where any of the CrossGen books would fit on that scale. So I made the safe choice. And after finally reading several issues of Way of the Rat, I am regretting it.
Perhaps one of CrossGen’s greatest strengths is its diversity of genres that weave together into a vastly complex universe, all of which are tied together by a yet unknown purpose. If you only have a limited understanding of what CrossGen is all about, you know about Sigils, and that those that bear them posses a power of some kind. Way of the Rat is special in that it is one of the titles where the main character does not bear a Sigil, but gains his power through other means.
Way of the Rat is set on the planet of Han-Jin, which is also the home of another CrossGen title, The Path. Way of the Rat has some very obvious parallels to ancient Chinese culture. I have yet to check out The Path, but I suspect that it has similar links to Japanese culture, which would make for an interesting crossover-type situation between the two books somewhere down the line.
Cast of Characters
Boon Sai Hong- Boon, to put it bluntly, is a moron. More accurately, he is a bumbling former thief who lacks common sense. He was sent by his Theiving Guild to steal some artifacts from a noted scholar. One of them, the Ring of Staffs, grants its wearer an instant mastery of any staff weapon. To a special person who is destined to wear it, it grants an even greater, unsurpassable skill with the staff. It just so happens that Boon is such a person. He puts on the ring (and now is unable to remove it), and soon finds that whenever a staff is in his hand, he is a force to be reckoned with.
Boon becomes a hero to the city of Zhumar by single-handedly preventing its sacking by an invading army by using the ring. Even though his stature among the people has grown because of his heroics, there are still some in power who resent him for stealing the ring, and two other artifacts, the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons, and the Phoenix Heart, and wish to reclaim them. In addition, the Theiving Guild, whom Boon has abandoned in favor of being a hero to the people, also wishes vengeance on him for his betrayal. People as high up as the Emperor, who in issue #14 hired an assassin to eliminate him, target Boon for death.
Po-Po – Boon’s mentor. Po Po is a wise scholar and accomplished fighter, who happens to be a monkey. Po Po is generally disgusted with Boon for his ignorance, and Boon does little to repair that. In fact, it can be said that Boon really sees Po Po as nothing more than an annoying beast, which happens to be able to speak. Po Po sees it as his duty to mentor Boon, and does so without question, even though virtually all of the knowledge and advice he offers to Boon is completely dismissed without a thought. Po Po also has something of a weakness for the bottle, and often drinks himself into a stupor.
The Silken Ghost- Her motivations are always uncertain. At times she seems to be an ally of Boon, but it is all together too clear that she has her own agenda. Little about who she is has been explained in Way of the Rat, but CrossGen is currently printing a mini-series devoted to the Silken Ghost, which may go into more detail about who she is.
Bottom Line
CrossGen made Way of the Rat #1 available on Free Comic Book Day this year, and I certainly grabbed my copy. But again, falling into the old habit, it sat on my shelf gathering dust. Yes, I had heard good things about it, but trapped in my routine, week after week I would finish my stack of comics, and Way of the Rat would still be sitting there. “Maybe later.” I finally got around to reading it as a potential column, and boy did I feel like an idiot. In short- it was an amazing read.
Chuck Dixon has done a fabulous job penning this series. He has quite seamlessly blended humor and action, all wrapped in a thick layer of mystery (like every martial arts fantasy story should be). The art has been nothing short of breathtaking. The art crew of Jeff Johnson (Pencils), Tom Ryder (ink), and Chris Garcia (color) has remained pretty static throughout its run (with the notable exception being Luke Ross and Drew Geraci’s work on issue 14), and they have done a fantastic job. I find that the more CrossGen titles I read, the more I realize that art is one of their strongest assets, and in this category, Way of the Rat does not disappoint.
I find myself saying this more often than I thought I would when I first started writing Still on the Shelf – Buy it. Especially if you are new to CrossGen books, this title is still young enough to catch up on pretty easily.
Issue #15 is set to come out tomorrow, July 9th, in stores. Catching up on past issues of course would be a good idea, and along those lines, Way of the Rat: Walls of Zhumar, a trade paperback collecting the first six issues is also available. As always, CrossGen’s website is a great resource for getting general information about any of their titles.
Enjoy Way of the Rat, and get out of the “Super-hero rut” at the same time. Trust me- this one is worth it.
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July 1, 2003
Still on the Shelf #15 – Gen13 (Volume 3)
I personally was not a close follower of the original Gen13 series. Sure, I picked up a few issues here and there to see what the big deal was, but like most people, I don’t like coming into a series right in the middle. When the first issue (well, #0) of the DC/Wildstorm’s new Gen13 series came out late last year, I jumped in at the start. I was surprised to find that it was a completely new team, and to be honest, I liked it more because of that.
Chris Claremont has been penning this new series since the beginning, and I have to say that I like it a great deal more than his work on X-treme X-Men. Sure, the dialogue is a bit campy at times, but on the whole, the story is solid. Absolutely nothing has been rushed, and even now, ten issues into the series, there is still a bit of mystery. The slow burn in sorting out the highly complex plots surrounding these new “genies” has made each issue something to look forward to.
At the appointed time, at the appointed place…
This series revolves around a mysterious being named Herod. He takes kids in their teens and turns them into genies, or people with super powers. Along with the powers, they are given a warning- You will be judged. Every person who has ever been turned into a genie by Herod has “flared” by the time they turned 21. In short, they cease to exist. No one is sure exactly what flaring entails, but as evidenced by a young woman by the name of Quickstep’s flare in issue #0, its earthly results are not pretty.
Cast of Characters
So far, the only character that remains from the original Gen13 is Caitlin Fairchild. Though she was presumed dead (along with the rest of the original team), she has been somehow resurrected. She is one of many people and groups hunting down genies. Some, like her, only want to help the genies and hopefully find a way to beat Herod and keep them from flaring. Others, like the government, and the enigmatic Meghan Ford (who masquerades as the head of a comic book company), have more ambiguous goals. She took up residence at Ethan and Dylan’s house, and accepted a job as a Vice Principle of their school in order to remain close to this new group of genies. As fans of the original Gen13 know, Caitlin posseses enhanced strength, agility, and endurance.
Ethan and Dylan York are twins who lost their firefighter father when the World Trade Center collapsed. Though it was Ethan who gained powers from Herod, it was Dylan who was the chosen one. Since Ethan interfered and gained the powers in this brother’s stead, Herod views him as an “Abomination” that must be destroyed. Ethan’s power revolves around control of the celestial fire. Not only is he seemingly impervious to actual flame, but he can suck the life energy out of a person, or restore it. Dylan, though powerless, helps out this group of genies whenever he can.
Hamza Rashad is a third generation Arab-American, and a devout Muslim. Herod granted him the ability to “Clockstop,” or stop time within a certain area around him for a limited amount of time.
Gwendolyn Matsura, daughter of a Japanese buisnessman, could best be described as a raver-chick. Herod bestowed this sometime D.J. and drama-queen with a sort of psionic dragon, which rests on her body in the form of a large tattoo. When needed, Sweetie (as she calls her) springs from her body and becomes a very real threat. Though vicious in combat, any damage taken by the dragon affects Gwen herself. Since she often finds it hard to control it, this often becomes a problem when the dragon confronts someone much more powerful. The dragon has become the preferred mode of transportation for the group of genies, as it seems to have no trouble flying the four of them where they need to go.
Ja’nelle (Janet Eloise) Moorhead was a short, pudgy girl before encountering Herod. Gaining an array of telepathic powers along with impressive new height (over six feet) and a perfect figure, this stands as proof that all super-heroines must be, at the very least, a perfect specimen of woman. Ja’nelle can project herself and the other genies into the astral plane, possesses limited telepathy, can communicate with the recently dead, and can sense the truth in what others are saying. The minds of her fellow genies are still very hard for her to read, however.
The Story So Far
The most recent story arch deals with the death (again) of Caitlin by a mysterious group called the Chrome. These faceless beings copied Caitlin’s genetic material, and used it to create a copy of her for some unknown purpose. The real Caitlin was resurrected by a freak combination of Ethan, Ja’nelle, and Gwen’s powers a short time later. Unfortunately, immediately upon her resurrection, Herod appeared to her and marked her as he did the others.
There are many plot lines that are still sorting themselves out from the beginning of the series. Among them- Gwen’s father is being pressured by a Japanese mob to turn his company over to them. Ja’nelle deals with pressure from her mother, who is a high ranking advisor of the President, and the necessary Secret Service officers who are always present, as well as her sudden physical change. Ethan and Dylan face family turmoil revolving around the loss of their father. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this story is the personal strife of each of the characters, which is only made worse by the fact that they now have all of the benefits and downfalls of having powers.
Thoughts
While there are still some elements of T&A in this title, it is not nearly as pronounced as it was during the original Gen13 run. The main draw of this title is certainly the story over the pin-up shots of barely clothed heroines. Not to say that the art is not good, in fact, the recent work by Ale’ Garza and Sandra Hope has fit the story well. To his credit, Claremont certainly seems to have a long-term plan for the story, and the fact that he is taking his time in telling it right is appreciated.
And even though the dialogue is a bit cheesy at times, the conflict between the team is also interesting to read. They are four very different people who would under normal circumstances never associate with each other. The fact that they find a way to work with one another, while all the while bickering, makes for some interesting tension. The fact that none one of them really has any idea what to do with the powers they have been granted also makes for a compelling story. All too often you have the same formula – kid (person) gets super powers, decides to fight crime/evil/whatever. These four have no idea what they are supposed to do, or why. But the fights seem to come to them anyway.
Bottom Line
Though I have read some less-than-stellar reviews of this book, in all, I feel this new incarnation of Gen13 is a good read. The story is currently mid-arc, but as it is only at issue #10, scrounging up back issues should not be that hard to find. Along with the release of #12 on August 13th, DC is releasing Gen13: SEPTEMBER SONG, which collects issues 0-6, which will be a great way for new readers to catch up on back issues. Meanwhile, issue #11 is due out in stores next Wednesday, July 9th.
For fans of good, well plotted-out tales, I have to recommend this Gen13. It is good fun and a great ongoing story rolled into one.
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