In Blackest Day, In Darkest Knight

Oh, not this shit again.

Seriously, I sometimes thought to myself when I read Batman comics, “Well, at least they haven’t pulled that ‘Let’s kill off the Hero!‘ bullcrap with the Dark Knight. That’s why I keep coming back for more, ’cause this one title, at least, has a little integrity.”

No really, I thought that. It was kind of like brand loyalty with me. I’d dabble in other superhero books, but in the end I’d always come back to ol’ Bats. He was as believable a character as you can get on the comic book page. A normal person, who saw something no one should ever have to see, and became a little….unhinged. His exploits were incredible without being ridiculous. You can’t really relate to someone like Superman or the Flash, since they’re something other than human. But Bruce Wayne, there’s something every little boy can imagine himself as.

Now you’ve gone and tainted him for me, DC. The way I see it, this can go two ways:

1. You come up with a deus ex machina to bring him back at some point in the future. Which makes this another cynical cash grab. Also, I hate you DC.

2. Bruce Wayne is really, really dead, and he’s replaced with someone less interesting, like say (gag) Robin. Sales spike for the death issue, and then plummet to earth like Superman in Kryptonite underoos. Also, I hate you DC.

I don’t care if Grant Morrison is involved, you are seriously screwing with the franchise here. I can only pray someone over there will return to their right mind long enough to put a stop to this monstrosity. Or maybe Darkseid can just go knock some sense into them.

Didn’t you hear him? He’s the goddamn Batman.

Na na na na na na na na, na na na na na na na na,
daaa daaaa!

Seriously, Japan…

what. the. f*ck.

Honestly, I don’t know whether to weep or go buy a copy. It’s like Machine Girl all over again.

I Am The Bat

Batman: Gotham Knight drops today. Between this and The Dark Knight theatrical release in a fortnight, I’m catching superhero fever again. Pirates and dragons may be interesting, but a man who dresses up like a bat ninja so he can beat up criminals? That is my dream.

Endings and Beginnings

At the risk of this turning into more of a geek blog than a “my time in Japan” blog, I feel like talking about a few things from this weekend. Saying good-bye to one old friend, and saying hello to…..another old friend.

First up: Scud the Disposable Assassin #24. The final issue.
When I first starting reading indie comics around ‘95 or so, it was because I was just too burnt out to deal with superheroes anymore. The plots were hashed and rehashed to death, characters were often little more than stereotypes, and the industry in general was stuck in a rut of hype and greed (i.e. the Death of Superman). Along with Dave Sim’s monumental Cerebus and Jeff Smith’s delightful Bone, the hyperactive tale of a robot assassin, programmed to die but determined to live, was one of my favorites. Funny, funky and strangely thought-provoking, Rob Schrab’s tale of a mechanical everyman was very profound to me.

When Scud ended on a cliffhanger in ‘98, with Sussudio hacked to bits by an angel, God imprisoned and helpless, and an apocalyptic choice hanging over our hero’s head, I admit I was a little distraught. The story had gotten very dark in the last few issues, and now, just as it seemed there wasn’t going to be any happy ending, all hope for any kind of resolution at all was gone? Bummer.

Cut to earlier this year when I found out Rob had decided to finish things off properly. And I have to admit, he did just that. Old friends and new, we’ve seen how their story ends. Mister Spidergod, tyrant extraordinaire, has become a terrified old man who just wants to be left alone. System and Voodoo Ben are back in hell where they belong. Mess and Drywall are finally reunited with their mother. The angels get their just desserts, and God is set free once again. Jeff is finally dead, and in a strange bit of symmetry, her heart brings Sussudio back from the grave.

And best of all, in one of the greatest comic book finales I can remember, the crack in Scud’s trademark broken heart symbol is painted over, finally making him whole. A bit sappy perhaps, but frankly, I’d rather have a happy ending for Scud; nothing else would really fit the tone of cheerful ultra-violence that made me love the comic almost half my lifetime ago.

So, it’s time to say goodbye to ol’ Heartbreaker Series #1373. Thank you Rob, for taking the time to give your boy a good send-off.

(For those who are interested, in the final issue there is also a excellent interview between Rob and Doug TenNapel. Doug quizzes Rob on what it was like to write Scud, and he doesn’t pull any punches with the questions either. Great stuff.)

And now, for the hello. This one is much shorter:

I have seen the Cinematic trailer, and the Gameplay trailer. I have seen that you did not MMO’ify the great RPG (WoW? no thank you), and I am literally ebullient with glee. I have just two things to say, Blizzard:

1. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou
2. What took you so freakin’ long?