Dave-El's Spinner Rack

It's been awhile since I posted about comic books so let's do that.

I'm getting the new Shazam series from writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora and if there's a team that can move this franchise viable for the 21st century but still acknowledge it's whimsical roots, it's Mark and Dan. 

Tawky Tawny, the talking tiger from the golden age of the erstwhile original Captain Marvel, is part of this series, helping out in the Vasquez foster home where Billy Batson lives.  Tawky cooks and cleans in exchange for room, board and belly rubs. 

There's even a nod to the golden age Billy Batson's career as a kid broadcaster as Billy hosts a sponsored podcast about his super heroic alter ego. 

In case you're wondering what we're calling that super heroic alter ego since we can't call him Captain Marvel, Billy's friends have taken to calling him "The Captain" after a seafaring rescue went a little pear shaped. Billy isn't happy with it but it seems to have stuck.

Between some more successful super deeds and Billy's podcast, the Captain has gained a rep as someone who extols the virtues of being kind and helping others. 

A rep which goes into the toilet when some sinister mystical entities get hold of the Captain's noggin and make him spout some angry and very insulting stuff about humans. 

Mark Waid has a pretty good handle on Billy Batson. He may be a bit immature and naive but he is still a kid after all. But he's a kid who has experienced things and understands the importance of trying to manage the power of Shazam for good. 

And Dan Mora's art is perfect for this Shazam series with clean lines and expressive faces, capturing the spirit of the classic series while still delivering a modern style of comic art. 

Superman Lost continues to explore the psychic trauma of being lost in the depths of space for 20 years while a single day passed on Earth.  

Christopher Priest examines some of the logistics of taking Superman away from Earth. Superman gets his powers from Earth's yellow sun. But what happens when Clark is under a sun that is not Earth's, a sun that may be smaller or larger or a different color. 

And communicating with aliens can be cumbersome. Superman may be super smart but even with that advantage, it's gonna take awhile to learn an alien tongue. Being bounced around space puts Clark in a constant swirl of different interstellar environments and encounters with different alien species.  It's a lot of deal with and we're only at the beginning of his 20 year sojourn. 

20 years later AND one day later, Lois is dealing with the aftermath, Clark curled up in a ball on the floor, forgetting to breathe. He spent so much time lost in the void of space holding his breath, he sometimes forgets to breathe.  

Superman maybe SUPER but the MAN has experienced trauma and needs time to re-learn life on Earth.

Carlo Pagulayan continues to deliver beautiful art in moments of humanity and cosmic epicness. 

Batman#135 (legacy numbering #900) delivers a multiverse shattering conclusion to Chip Zdarsky's "Bat-Man of Gotham" arc.  Trapped on an Earth where Gotham City is (believe it or not) even more fucked up than normal, Bruce Wayne has become that world's Batman and is in a cataclysmic confrontation with the Red Mask, that world's Joker.  

Batman loses a hand. Which does not slow him down.

Look, Chip had Batman survive a fall from space for crying out loud. Like a little thing like having his hand cut off would actually deter him. 

It seems Red Mask is aware that this Batman is not from around his neighborhood and is looking to cross the multiversal barriers to become the ultimate Joker. 

Or something. Dude's insane. Plot is insane. Leave it at that.

What we get is a wild chase as our one handed Batman pursues the Red Mask from alternate Earth to alternate Earth, encountering different versions of the Joker and different versions of the Batman as seen in various comics, movies and TV shows. 

For example, Batman encounters the Batman from the 1960's TV show where that Batman offers his utility belt to help our Batman on his epic quest. 

A few pages later, Batman runs into some sharks and rummages around in that utility belt to see if there is anything that might---

Shark repellant?!?! 

Wow!  I was geeking the hell out!  

Ultimately Batman stops Red Mask but is still lost in the multiverse. But as established in previous back up stories, Tim Drake with some help from Michael Holt (Mr. Terrific) has been traversing the multiverse himself to find and rescue Bruce Wayne.  

Mike Hawthorne's own hand for the alternate Earth at the start of the issue but is joined by Mikel Janin and Jorge Jiminez as Batman bounces from one Earth to another.

Jiminez does a great job adapting to different styles. For example when Bruce winds up on the Earth where Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns occurred, Jiminez is on point with Miller's style from that series.  

Next week, I'll post a Dave-El's Book Report on a book about the comic book industry.