Brilliant # 1 - Bendis & Bagley

“Can the best and brightest college minds turn science fiction into science?” When I read the premise of Brilliant I instantly knew I was on board. After reading literally thousands of superhero comics, it’s always refreshing to find a new take on the genre. In the first issue of Brilliant, Brian Michael Bendis doesn’t write about superheroes but about people with superpowers. There are no flashy suits or supervillains, only a group of young men that can prove that sky is not the limit.

A group of college students ask themselves why -not too long ago- there was an almost symbiotic dynamic between science fiction writers and scientists. Many of the inventions of today were first imagined in sci-fi novels. Many of today’s genius (such as Stephen Hawking) have admitted that they’ve been inspired by sci-fi writers in order to come up with certain theory approaches. The link is clear. And this group of nerdy kids demands to go beyond this correlation, and to actually create that which they have only read about in comic books: superpowers.

But can this be possible? Is there a scientific base for, say, invulnerability or telekinesis? And can they substantiate their theories? In the first pages of Brilliant we see Amadeus robbing a bank. Of course, he doesn’t need to pull a gun in order to walk away with a bag of money. He’s not a normal human being anymore, but why isn’t he rescuing kids from a flaming building or stopping petty burglaries? Perhaps because Amadeus is a fine example of today’s youth or because he’s hinting at something else.

Philosopher Slavoj Žižek studied market driven consumerism in “The Ticklish Subject”. And Amadeus’ behavior exemplifies the discourse of later capitalism. That’s why, according to Žižek, he “does not appeal to subjects in the name of any collective cause justifying individuals’ sacrifice of jouissance”. The sacrifice of joy is what defined the superheroes of the golden and silver ages. Noble men and women would sacrifice everything in order to save the American people. But we are in 2011 now. And there’s a different idea of what to do if you have superpowers. This new tendency can be seen, for instance, in the movie “Jumpers”, in which Hayden Christensen has the power of teleportation: when he’s watching the news and sees people in peril because of a flood, he doesn’t move a finger. He has teleported into bank vaults long enough to be a millionaire. And that’s all that matters to him. Be honest now, if you had superpowers wouldn’t you use them to get rich instead of altruistically saving others?

robbing a bank / asaltando un banco

Amadeus doesn’t need money to cover his needs but rather to give into consumerism. This is made evident when he gives his friend Albert an expensive iPhone as a birthday gift. Perhaps one of the most typical scenes in silver age comics was the bank robbery. In the hands of Bendis this is no longer typical but rather a clever way to make us think about how we, as readers, feel towards banks nowadays. Bertolt Brecht once asked "What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?". A bank robber can get away with a few thousand dollars, a bank owner can get away with millions. Let’s think for a moment about the US financial crisis, the super-rich and the current Wall Street manifestations. Yes, everyone is fed up. And if people had superpowers now, they wouldn’t protect a bank, they would probably rob it, just like Amadeus did.

Off to a very promising start, the first issue of Brilliant presents a very interesting cast of ambitious, young people. At the same time, Bendis makes us think about what motivates our actions in the 21st century. Half a century has elapsed since the days of the silver age, and the writer makes sure we notice the changes.  

___________________________________________________________________________________

birthday party / fiesta de cumpleaños

"¿Pueden las mejores y más brillantes mentes universitarias transformar la ciencia ficción en ciencia?". Cuando leí la premisa de Brilliant supe al instante que me gustaría. Luego de leer literalmente miles de cómics de súper-héroes, es siempre refrescante encontrar una nueva interpretación del género. En el primer ejemplar de esta nueva serie, Brian Michael Bendis no escribe sobre súper-héroes sino sobre gente con súper-poderes. Aquí no hay trajes vistosos ni villanos, sólo un grupo de jóvenes que demostrarán que el cielo no es el límite.

good friends / buenos amigos

¿Pero puede esto ser posible? ¿Hay alguna base científica para, digamos, la invulnerabilidad o la telequinesis? ¿Podrían estas teorías sostenerse? En las primeras páginas de “Brilliant”, vemos a Amadeus asaltando un banco. Desde luego, no necesita armas para salir con una bolsa llena de billetes. Ya no es un humano ordinario, pero ¿por qué no está rescatando niños de un edificio en llamas o impidiendo atracos? Tal vez porque Amadeus es un buen ejemplo de la juventud de hoy o tal vez nos está dando pistas de algo más.

El filósofo Slavoj Žižek estudió el consumismo y el mercado en “El sujeto espinoso”. Y la conducta de Amadeus ejemplifica el discurso del capitalismo tardío. Es por ello que, de acuerdo a Žižek, él "no apela a los sujetos en nombre de una causa colectiva para justificar el sacrificio del goce de los individuos". El sacrificio del goce es lo que definía a los súper-héroes de la edad de oro y plata. Hombres y mujeres nobles los sacrificaban todo con tal de salvar al pueblo norteamericano. Pero ahora estamos en el 2011. Y hay otras ideas sobre qué hacer si se tiene súper poderes. Esta nueva tendencia se ve, por ejemplo, en la película “Jumpers”, en la que Hayden Christensen tiene el poder de la transportación: cuando ve en las noticias a gente en peligro a causa de una inundación no mueve ni un dedo. Se ha transportado al interior de bóvedas de banco tantas veces que se ha hecho millonario. Y eso es todo lo que le importa. Sean honestos, ¿si tuvieran poderes no los usarían para enriquecerse en lugar salvar a otros altruistamente?

Amadeus no necesita dinero para cubrir sus necesidades sino para ceder al consumismo. Esto es evidente cuando le regala a su amigo Alfred un costoso iPhone. Tal vez una de las escenas más típicas de los cómics de la edad de plata era el robo a un banco. En las manos de Bendis, esto no es algo típico sino una forma astuta de hacernos reflexionar sobre cómo nos sentimos ahora en relación a los bancos. Bertolt Brecht tiene un dicho: "Nunca se sabe quién es más ladrón, el que roba un banco o el que lo funda". Un asaltante de bancos puede escapar con miles de dólares, el propietario de un banco con millones. Pensemos un momento en la crisis financiera norteamericana, en los súper ricos y en las actuales manifestaciones de Wall Street. Sí, todos están hartos. Y si la gente tuviese poderes no protegería los bancos, probablemente los asaltaría, al igual que Amadeus.

Con un inicio prometedor, el primer ejemplar de Brilliant presenta un interesante elenco de jóvenes ambiciosos. Al mismo tiempo, Bendis cuestiona nuestras motivaciones en este siglo XXI. Ha transcurrido medio siglo desde la edad de plata, y el escritor se encarga de que percibamos los cambios.

Kick-Ass by Millar & Romita Jr.

Big Daddy & Hit Girl

But what other similitudes are shared by Kick-Ass and Watchmen? In a way, they both work as a parody to the superhero genre (just like Don Quixote was a parody to chivalric literature), although in a different manner. Contemporary philosopher Fredric Jameson stated that parody and pastiche were not synonyms. Postmodern world can be defined by pastiche and a historicity crisis. Parody would require a moral judgment or a comparison with societal normativity (here Don Quixote fits in nicely as parody); on the other hand, pastiche is prone to “collage and other forms of juxtaposition without a normative grounding”.

America winning the war against Vietnam is a milestone in Watchmen’s universe. And it all comes down to Jameson’s historicity. As it has been said, a crisis in historicity permeates our postmodern era: “there no longer does seem to be any organic relationship between the American history we learn from schoolbooks and the lived experience of the current, multinational, high-rise, stagflated city of the newspapers and of our own everyday life”. This is why everything in Watchmen feels so genuine, insofar as it rejects historicity (what we might have learned or not in textbooks). Kick-Ass, however, disregards the historicity crisis, and as a result it is a parody disguised as pastiche, which perhaps could explain why it caters to highly intellectualized readers as well as to the common audience.  

Red Mist

Another supporter of the pastiche would be Quentin Tarantino who, coincidentally, has created an aesthetic of violence that shares a few traits with Millar’s bloody battles and brutal fights. The filmmaker and the writer are incapable of producing gratuitous violence, they turn it instead into something of purely artistic value, which is by far one of the most difficult feats I could possibly imagine. Violent sequences are cannon in most of Millar’s works, and Kick-Ass is no exception. Perhaps the embodiment of this is Hit-Girl, a child that has been deprived of her childhood and forced to train every day of her young life. And at such a tender age she already is a force to be reckoned with. Her mentor is also her father, ‘Big Daddy’, a man that acts like Frank Castle AKA Punisher and has sworn to annihilate the mob. When Kick-Ass is saving a guy from being mugged, or rescuing a cat from a burning building, Big Daddy and Hit-Girl are taking down mobsters in a most brutal and bloodstained fashion.

Kick-Ass is a delightfully charming adolescent partly because of his verisimilitude and vulnerability, but mainly because of his goofiness and clumsiness which is contrasted by the efficiency and ruthlessness of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. Dave is only human, and because of that he makes mistakes all the time and even though he can struggle in the streets he’s unable to get a date with Katie, the girl he likes. There are some hilarious moments in which Dave pretends to be gay just so he can get closer to the girl he loves. But it’s also this need for companionship that prevents him from realizing the true intentions of the Red Mist, another masked youngster.

comic book treasure / un tesoro en cómics

As I’ve said before, the pastiche relies on collages, which in this case can be seen as constant references of pop culture that the protagonists find either demeaning (famous ‘super stars’) or distinguished (here comic books exemplify grandiosity); such is the case of Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men or the first issues of some of the most pivotal Marvel titles (Amazing Fantasy, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Tales of Suspense, Journey into Mystery, etc.).

Millar’s success has helped him to get into Hollywood with ‘Wanted’ and now with Kick-Ass. I really enjoyed the filmic version, although I was a bit irked to find out that there were some unfortunate changes. Now I really don’t give a damn about how they made the suits or if the actors looked like the characters in the comic book, in my opinion those are nimieties. There are however certain points that are strongly conveyed in the comic book and that are either toned down or simply discarded for the big screen version, namely the true sadistic nature of Kick-Ass’s nemesis. Indeed, Red Mist admits that the very notion of torturing his opponent has sexually aroused him on many occasions.

But perhaps the greatest failure of the movie is the ending. Part of Millar’s strength lies in surprising us, and that’s what he does in the final pages of the 8th issue of the series: Dave plays his final gambit to win the heart of the girl he loves, but Katie simply repudiates him and humiliates him by sending him a picture of herself practicing a fellatio on a rather ‘big’ Afro-American male. Perhaps in one of the saddest and yet shocking pages I’ve ever read, Dave can’t help but to masturbate while looking at the picture and crying afterwards. Who could come up with a more demoralizing and yet formidable ending? The movie, of course, chooses a typical Hollywood ending… he gets the girl in the last minute. So, once again, I have no choice but to say that the source material is better than the cinematographic adaptation.
_________________________________________________________________

Kick-Ass

¿Pero en qué más se parecen “Kick-Ass” y “Watchmen”? Ambos parodian el género súper-heroico (así como El Quijote parodia la narrativa caballeresca), aunque de modo distinto. El filósofo contemporáneo Fredric Jameson afirmó que parodia y pastiche no eran sinónimos. El pastiche y la crisis de historicidad pueden definir el mundo postmoderno. La parodia requiere un juicio moral y una comparación de la normatividad social (El Quijote es una parodia); por otro lado, el pastiche incluye "el collage y otras formas de yuxtaposición sin fundamentos normativos".

La victoria de Estados Unidos en Vietnam es fundamental en “Watchmen”. Allí entra la historicidad de James. Esta crisis de historicidad permea la era postmoderna: "no parece haber relación alguna entre la historia norteamericana que aprendemos en los libros escolares y la experiencia vivida en la actualidad [...]". Por ello todo en “Watchmen” parece tan genuino, porque rechaza la historicidad (lo que podríamos haber aprendido en los libros). “Kick-Ass”, no obstante, desdeña la crisis de historicidad, y como resultado es una parodia disfrazada de pastiche, lo que quizá podría explicar por qué apela a lectores más intelectuales y también al público común y corriente.

Otro seguidor del pastiche es Quentin Tarantino quien, por cierto, ha creado una estética de la violencia que comparte ciertos rasgos con las brutales escenas de Millar. El cineasta y el escritor son incapaces de producir violencia gratuita, más bien la convierten en algo con valor artístico (sin duda una de las proezas más difíciles). La violencia es parte del canon de Millar, y Kick-Ass no es la excepción. Hit-Girl es un ejemplo, una niña que no ha tenido infancia y que ha sido obligada a entrenar toda su vida. Su mentor es también su padre, 'Big Daddy', un hombre que como Frank Castle (Punisher) ha jurado exterminar a la mafia. Mientras Kick-Ass impide un asalto o rescata a un gato de un edificio en llamas, Big Daddy y Hit-Girl aniquilan mafiosos sangrientamente.

Kick-Ass es un adolescente encantador en buena medida por su vulnerabilidad, pero principalmente por su torpeza, que contrasta con la eficiencia y frialdad de Big Daddy y Hit-Girl. Dave es solamente humano, y por ello comete errores todo el tiempo; es capaz de luchar en las calles pero no puede acercarse a la chica que ama (divertidísimas las secuencias en las que finge ser gay para hacerse amigo de Katie). Esta necesidad por sentirse acompañado le impide descubrir las verdaderas intenciones de Red Mist, otro joven enmascarado.

the last humiliation / la última humillación

Como dije antes, el pastiche se apoya en los collages, que aquí no son otra cosa que referencias a la cultura pop, ya sea como algo degradante (estrellas súper famosas) o algo distinguido (cómics que ejemplifican la grandiosidad); ese es el caso de Astonishing X-Men de Whedon o de los primeros números de títulos clave de Marvel (Amazing Fantasy, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Tales of Suspense, Journey into Mystery, etc.).

El éxito de Millar se ha traducido en dos películas, 'Wanted' y ahora 'Kick-Ass'. Realmente disfruté la versión fílmica, aunque algunos de los cambios me molestaron. El estilo de los trajes o la similitud entre los actores y los personajes son nimiedades de las que no me preocupo. Pero los puntos más fuertes del cómic son atenuados o simplemente eliminados en la gran pantalla; por ejemplo, la naturaleza sádica del némesis de Kick-Ass… Red Mist admite que la sola noción de torturar a Dave le ha producido excitación sexual en varias ocasiones.

Pero tal vez el mayor fracaso de la película es el final. La fortaleza de Millar reside en la sorpresa, en lo que consigue con las páginas finales del octavo ejemplar: Dave hace un último intento de ganarse el corazón de Katie, pero la chica lo rechaza y lo humilla al enviarle una foto de ella misma succionándole el miembro a un afroamericano. Esta es una de las páginas más tristes e impactantes que he leído, Dave no puede evitar masturbarse mientras mira la foto, sólo para llorar después. ¿Quién podría idear un final tan desmoralizante y a la vez tan formidable? La película, desde luego, elige el típico final hollywoodense... él se queda con la chica. Así que, una vez más, tengo que decir que la adaptación cinematográfica no estuvo a la altura.

KICK-ASS - Mark Millar

We have all fantasized about different lives, different realities. For some the fantasy can be as simple as winning the lottery and for others as far-fetching as having superhuman abilities. Kick-Ass is a comic book that indulges in fantasizing while keeping things grounded in the ‘real world’.

Dave Lizewski is a 16 year-old high school student. There is nothing extraordinary about him. He is a normal kid that blends in the crowd and gets ignored by girls. Although he is also a hardcore fanboy, one of those guys that buys comic books on a weekly basis and spends way too many hours on comic book message boards. The first pages provide us with an accurate image of Dave’s introvert personality, how he isolated himself after his mother died, how despite having a couple of friends he’s unable to relate to people on a larger scale. Ultimately, like any other teen, Dave has fun and gives into masturbatory practices, frequently fantasizing about his biology teacher or the girl sitting next to him.

Up until this point this is a cohesive and solid narration about a teenager that dreams of being a superhero. But it is Millar’s cleverness and acute analysis of the superhero genre which puts this on a whole new level. I’d say that in order to understand Millar’s Kick-Ass we must first remember two crucial works distanced only by a few centuries: Don Quixote and Watchmen.

masturbatory fantasies/fantasías masturbatorias

In Cervantes’ Don Quixote we have an impoverished hidalgo that is so obsessed with books of chivalry that he thinks he can be one of those mythical knights in shining armor and fight against the evils of the world. It doesn’t matter that most of the events in these books are completely outside the realm of possibility, Don Quixote doesn’t believe in the impossibility of his quest. Much in the same vein, Dave Lizewski has a rather profound interest in comic books, and he doesn’t understand why nobody has tried to be a superhero before. Is ordinary life really so exciting?, he asks himself. His friends, geeks like him try to dissuade him. For them everything is clear: the life of a superhero can only exist within the pages of a comic book.

“Watchmen” is rightfully considered the most influential title in decades for one reason: the deconstruction of the superhero genre. Not unlike Cervantes book, Moore’s work also focuses on the most typical elements that define the superhero genre and he finds the structural fissures in the world of masked vigilantes and avenging heroes only to exploit those fissures thus creating an entire new concept of the man behind the mask. There is, however, one difference between Cervantes and Moore. One of them proved that books of chivalry were childish, ridiculous and therefore inadequate for the early 17th century, while the other proved that most comic books had been too self-indulgent, nonsensical and as result the superhero genre needed to evolve, to mature. The Spaniard author singlehandedly destroyed the tradition of books of chivalry whereas Moore ushered American comic books into a new era of unprecedented creativity and maturity.

first mission / primera misión

But that was then and this is now. Many people have criticized Watchmen’s aftermath; the ‘grim and gritty’ approach to comics pretty much became mandatory, which was a mistake because without variety the possibilities to be creative were narrowed. Now, I won’t dare to say that Kick-Ass is as important now as Watchmen was in the 80s, I’ve always hated this kind of irritating comparisons which, in the end, benefit no one. But Kick-Ass is a clear attempt to look into the structures of superhero comics and unraveling pre-established paradigms, clichés and predictable outcomes, in other words, Millar takes apart the whole machinery and reassembles it in a way that is both fresh and enticing.

The first issue shows us how devastatingly dangerous it can be for a costumed kid to go out on the streets dressed up as a masked avenger. Dave almost dies in his first ‘mission’, and after several surgeries and six months in hospital he starts recovering. What Millar does is taking to the extreme the consequences of a fight, in a way that reminds me of Miller’s Year One (Bruce Wayne’s first mission is also a disaster and after being shot he nearly bleeds to death). Thanks to this approach, the protagonist immediately feels real to us, the readers, he’s not only likable but also vulnerable.

(to be continued...)

_____________________________________________________________


Hit Girl

Todos hemos fantaseado sobre otras vidas y otras realidades. Para algunos, la fantasía puede ser tan simple como ganar la lotería y para otros algo tan extravagante como tener súper poderes. “Kick-Ass” es un cómic que acepta el fantaseo mientras se mantiene firmemente asentado en el 'mundo real'.

Dave Lizewski es un estudiante de 16 años: un chiquillo normal que pasa desapercibido y que es ignorado por las chicas. Aunque también es uno de esos coleccionistas de cómics que semanalmente gasta dinero en su hobby y dedica horas enteras a los foros en línea de cómics. Las primeras páginas nos dan una imagen exacta de la personalidad introvertida de Dave, cómo se aísla luego de la muerte de su madre, y cómo a pesar de tener un par de amigos es incapaz de relacionarse con más gente. Finalmente, como cualquier adolescente, Dave se masturba fantaseando sobre su profesora de biología o la chica de al lado.

Hasta este punto esta es una narración cohesionada sobre un adolescente que sueña con ser un súper-héroe. Pero es la astucia de Millar y su brillante análisis del género súper-heroico lo que le da especial brillo a esta serie. Diría, incluso, que para sacarle el jugo a Kick-Ass hace falta separar un par de trabajos cruciales publicados a siglos de distancia: El Quijote y Watchmen.

On the streets / en las calles

En El Quijote de Cervantes tenemos a un empobrecido hidalgo tan obsesionado por los libros de caballería que piensa que puede convertirse en uno de esos míticos caballeros de reluciente armadura y heroicidad sin par. No importa si los eventos en dichos libros son completamente imposibles, Don Quijote tercamente insiste en su misión. Del mismo modo, Dave Lizewski tiene un profundo interés en los cómics, y no entiende por qué nadie ha tratado de ser un súper-héroe. ¿La vida rutinaria es acaso tan emocionante? se pregunta a sí mismo. Sus amigos, nerds como él, intentan disuadirlo. Para ellos es clarísimo: la vida de un súper-héroe sólo puede existir en las páginas de los cómics.

“Watchmen” es, con justicia, considerado el título más influyente en décadas por una razón: la deconstrucción del género de súper-héroes. Moore se enfoca en los elementos más típicos que definen el género súper-heroico y encuentra fisuras estructurales en el mundo de los justicieros enmascarados, y explota esas fisuras creando una nueva concepción del hombre detrás de la máscara. Hay diferencias entre Cervantes y Moore, desde luego. Uno de ellos demostró que los libros de caballería eran infantiles, ridículos y por lo tanto inadecuados para el siglo XVII, mientras que el otro demostró que los cómics habían sido demasiado negligentes, desatinados y como resultado debían evolucionar, madurar. El autor español destruyó sin ayuda la tradición de los libros de caballería, mientras que Moore empujó al comic book norteamericano a una nueva era de creatividad y madurez sin precedentes.

the 7 inch-boner / la erección de las 7 pulgadas

Pero los años no pasan en vano. Mucha gente criticó las consecuencias de “Watchmen”; numerosos autores quisieron imitar (mal) el estilo del autor británico, y se olvidó que en la variedad está el gusto. No me atrevo a afirmar que “Kick-Ass” es tan importante ahora como lo fue “Watchmen” en los 80, siempre he detestado este tipo de comparaciones que no benefician a nadie. Pero “Kick-Ass” es un intento de hurgar en las estructuras del género y desarmar paradigmas preestablecidos, clichés y desenlaces predecibles, en otras palabras, Millar despedaza la maquinaria y la re-ensambla de una manera fresca y atractiva.

El primer ejemplar nos muestra qué tan peligroso puede ser este negocio para un muchacho enmascarado. Dave casi muere en su primera 'misión', y luego de varias cirugías y seis meses en el hospital empieza a recuperarse. Millar lleva al extremo las consecuencias de una pelea, de modo que nos remite al Año Uno de Miller (la primera misión de Bruce Wayne es un fracaso total, le disparan y casi se desangra). Gracias a este enfoque en la vulnerabilidad, simpatizamos con el protagonista.

(continuará...)

September comic books / Cómics de setiembre



So I finally finished reading September comic books, and I was pleasantly surprised. Big Lie was so good that deserved its own review, but so were Action Comics, Brilliant and Severed. So in the next days, expect to see these titles reviewed. Kick Ass 2 # 4 was a very intense, powerful issue (I’ll review the whole series once it’s done); Nick Spencer’s Ultimate Comics X-Men # 1 was the best first issue from Marvel Comics that I’ve read in over a year. Witch Doctor continues to be a really fascinating miniseries (deserves its own review too). And, of course, Avengers the Children’s Crusade is still my favorite limited series from Marvel (besides Jim Cheung’s art is top notch). The Boys and Walking Dead Weekly are great (yeah, I know these are technically not September 2011 material). So without further ado, here they are, as per solicitations.

ACTION COMICS #1
Written by GRANT MORRISON Art by RAGS MORALES and RICK BRYANT Cover by RAGS MORALES Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS The one and only Grant Morrison (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN) returns to Superman, joined by sensational artist Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), to bring you tales of The Man of Steel unlike any you've ever read! This extra-sized debut issue is the cornerstone of the entire DC Universe! Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.

AVENGERS CHILDRENS CRUSADE #7 (OF 9)
Written by ALLAN HEINBERG Pencils & Cover by JIM CHEUNG IT'S THE AVENGERS VERSUS THE X-MEN - with the Young Avengers and X-Factor caught in the crossfire -- as all four teams battle to determine who will hold the Scarlet Witch responsible for her crimes. Plus, when the origin of the Scarlet Witch's godlike powers - and the secret history of her murderous rampage in 'Avengers:  Disassembled' -- are finally revealed, the truth creates a rift among the members of the Young Avengers that the team may not survive. 32 PGS./Rated T+

BIG LIE #1
story RICK VEITCH art RICK VEITCH & GARY ERSKINE cover THOMAS YEATES  A lab tech travels back in time on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 to try and get her husband out of the world trade center before it falls, but will the facts convince him before it's too late® A riveting tale of 9/11 by award winning master storyteller RICK VEITCH that exposes 'The Big Lie!'

BOYS #9 (M)
By Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson The most talked about comic of the year continues from Dynamite Entertainment, writer/co-creator Garth Ennis, and artist/co-creator Darick Robertson! The game is afoot as Hughie and Butcher's murder investigation delves deeper into the Tek-Knight's background. The deeper they dig, though, the bigger the mystery. And what dark secret does Hughie have about the Tek-Knight and his headquarters?

BOYS #18 (MR)
By Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson 'Good For The Soul' concludes with a bang - or a splat! - as a reluctant Hughie takes on the resurrected Blarney Cock in a no-holds barred brawl for it all! Annie January tells A-Train the long and the short of things, Mother's Milk continues to mystify, and Butcher provides some much-needed advice on funeral arrangements. And will Hughie ever be allowed to forget his 'facial incident'?

BOYS #27 (MR)
By Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson & John Higgins New York turns emerald green as Saint Patrick's Day strikes, and Hughie gets to see the G-Wiz boys at their very worst. He also sits down for a pow-wow with Butcher, who lets a couple of secrets slip- to Hughie's extreme discomfort. And back at the G-Mansion, the G-Men face the most vocal component of the G-Empire... in We Gotta Go Now, part five.

BOYS #29 (MR)
Writer: GARTH ENNIS Penciller/Inker: DARICK ROBERTSON Desperate times result in extremely desperate measures, as the foulest secrets of the G-Men are revealed and Hughie leads the Boys to battle. We Gotta Go Now reaches its incendiary conclusion... and things will never be the same. Featuring two covers split 50/50 - one by co-creator Darick Robertson and the other by legendary creator David Lloyd!

BOYS #30 (MR)
Garth Ennis (W) Darick Robertson (A) In the grim aftermath of 'We Gotta Go Now', everyone takes a much needed pause for breath. Vought-American tidy up the loose ends, Mother's Milk delivers some bad news, and the Frenchman makes one last appeal for reason- unfortunately, it's to the Female. Meanwhile, Hughie's not sure he can go on at all, in light of what he's witnessed, and Butcher goes to visit Rayner- with anything but romance on his mind... All under a set of covers, one by Robertson and the other a special alternate cover by Jim Lee! Plus, a select group of artists provides a special gallery of Boys pin-ups! Issue #30 is the biggest and best yet!

BOYS #31 (MR)
Writer: GARTH ENNIS Penciller/Inker: CARLOS EZQUERRA It had to happen sooner or later: the supes get mad enough to go after the Boys. One of the world's most powerful superteams decides to hit our heroes, all guns blazing, and the Female is the first to fall into their lethal trap. Meanwhile, Hughie is still plagued with doubt, and Annie finds herself on the receiving end of the worst new look ever- in THE SELF-PRESERVATION SOCIETY, part one. And this special four issue story arc is drawn by legendary artist and Judge Dredd co-creator - Carlos Ezquerra!

BOYS #32 (MR)
Written by GARTH ENNIS Art by CARLOS EZQUERRA With the Female gone and the survivors left reeling, the Boys find out who's after them the hard way- walking straight into a nightmarish trap. Pulping teenage supes is one thing, but how will our heroes fair against a front-rank supe team of unimaginable power? Blood flies and bones shatter, as Butcher decides to meet fire with fire... in The Self-Preservation Society, part two.

BOYS #35 (MR)
Origins time. In the first of the two part 'Nothing Like It In The World', Mother's Milk tells Hughie the story of his life to date- his upbringing in Harlem, the secret of his massive strength, the catastrophe that struck his family, and the unforgettable boxing championship disaster that led him to join The Boys. Recommended for Mature Readers.

BRILLIANT #1 (MR)
Created by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & MARK BAGLEY Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Pencils & Cover by MARK BAGLEY Variant Covers by DAVID MACK & MICHAEL AVON OEMING The first creator-owned book by ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN co-creators Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, BRILLIANT tells the story of a handful of college-age geniuses who challenge each other to solve the mystery of superpowers. Can the best and brightest change science fiction into science fact? And if so, how will the world at large react? BRILLIANT is a thriller of the highest order. It is a story of how true power can either destroy or protect the strongest of friendships. It is the story of how the world will react when our true potential is finally unlocked. This fast-talking, whip-smart new series will thrill fans of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, POWERS and SCARLET. The first award-winning collection of Bendis and Bagley's ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN has sold well over one million copies. 40 PGS./Mature

GAME OF THRONES #1
(W) George R.R. Martin, Daniel Abraham (A) Tommy Patterson (C) Alex Ross (main), Mike Miller (1-in-10) George R.R. Martin has been called 'the American Tolkien' by Time Magazine, and now his landmark fantasy series is being adapted to a graphic format, starting with the first book of the series: A Game of Thrones. The premiere issue introduces readers to George's world, adapting the prologue and first three chapters of the novel, and bringing onto the graphic stage such iconic characters as Eddard and Catelyn Stark, Jon Snow, young Bran Stark, and Daenerys Targaryen. This novel has also been adapted as a major miniseries by HBO - with HBO's highest ratings to date, since having premiered on April 17, 2011!

KICK-ASS 2 #4 (MR)
Written by MARK MILLAR Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. Red Mist takes on a new identity too vulgar for print and issues a command to all his super-bastards on Twitter to wreak havoc on New York. Meanwhile, the cops are cracking down on all costumed activity and tracing the secret identities of all the heroes. Could Dave get a knock on his door, and has enough spit hit the fan for Hit-Girl to pick up her sword again?

KIRBY GENESIS #3
(W) Kurt Busiek (A) Jack Herbert, Alex Ross (C) Alex Ross (main), Ryan Sook (1-in-10) The explosive cosmic world-changing event picks up speed! As Silver Star, Captain Victory and the Glory Knights form an uneasy alliance, their foes unite as well -- and make their move to claim the all-powerful Proto-Seed. Meanwhile, young Kirby discovers the secrets of the Phantom Continent -- and comes face-to-face with the Primals! And what's the Wanderer's role in all this?

MORNING GLORIES #12 (MR)
story NICK SPENCER art JOE EISMA cover RODIN ESQUEJO With a slew of unexpected deaths rocking the very foundations of the academy, the faculty are on high alert - and suspicions arise among the Glories as they learn there may be a killer in their midst. The stage is set for the action-packed third arc right here!

SEVERED #2 (MR)
story SCOTT SNYDER & SCOTT TUFT art / cover ATTILA FUTAKI  'NEW SKIN' Jack learns the road is full of swindlers. And in Chicago, the most devious one awaits him: a travelling-salesman with shark-like-teeth who craves the flesh of the innocent.  SCOTT SNYDER (American Vampire, Detective Comics), SCOTT TUFT and ATTILA FUTAKI ("Percy Jackson") are back with 2011's most terrifying horror series. SEVERED.

ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #1
Written by NICK SPENCER Penciled by PACO MEDINA Cover by KAARE ANDREWS (POLYBAGGED) Variant Cover by Paco Medina The biggest mutant cover-up has gone public as the true history of the x-gene is revealed. As an identity crisis rocks the mutant world, the mistrust between man and x-man gets deeper. But a bigger question remains: who are the X-Men? Nick Spencer and Paco Medina make their thunderous Ultimate debut in one of the most anticipated series yet!

WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #37 (MR)
Story: Robert Kirkman Art/Cover: Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn  The ninth month begins...

WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #38 (MR)
Story: Robert Kirkman Art/Cover: Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn  Preparation for war.

WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #39 (MR)
Story: Robert Kirkman Art/Cover: Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn  BIRTH.

WITCH DOCTOR #3 (OF 4)
story BRANDON SEIFERT  art / cover LUKA KETNER  It's Dr. Morrow's biggest case yet: 'The Patient From The Black Lagoon!'  What's the secret of the Deep Ones® How do they fit in with the Relapse, the Extinction Event that's coming for humankind® And why are Morrow and his medical staff at each other's throats®  'Basically, I'm jealous.  Bastards!' -- Ben Templesmith

____________________________________________________

Ya me leí todos mis cómics de setiembre, y he quedado gratamente sorprendido. “Big Lie” fue tan bueno que merecía su propia reseña, pero también lo fueron “Action Comics”, “Brilliant” y “Severed”. Así que en los próximos días verán reseñas de estos títulos. “Kick Ass 2” # 4 fue un número intenso (comentaré toda la serie cuando esté completa); “Ultimate Comics X-Men” # 1 de Nick Spencer ha sido el mejor primer número de todo lo que he leído de Marvel Cómics en el último año. “Witch Doctor” sigue siendo una miniserie fascinante (también merece su propia reseña). Y, por supuesto, “Avengers the Children’s Crusade” todavía es mi serie limitada favorita de Marvel (además, el arte de Jim Cheung es de primera). “The Boys” y “Walking Dead Weekly” están muy bien (y sí, ya sé que técnicamente no son de Setiembre de 2011). Y sin más que decir, aquí está la lista.

ACTION COMICS #1
Es… el Hombre de Acero como nunca antes lo habéis visto.

AVENGERS CHILDRENS CRUSADE #7 (OF 9) 
¡AVENGERS versus X-MEN! Con los Jóvenes Vengadores y X-Factor atrapados en el fuego cruzado… todos luchan para determinar quién juzgará a SCARLET WITCH por sus crímenes. Además, se revelará el origen de su casi ilimitado poder así como la historia detrás de sus asesinatos.

BIG LIE #1
Una laboratorista viaja en el tiempo hasta la mañana del 11 de setiembre de 2001, para intentar rescatar a su marido de las Torres Gemelas.

BOYS #9 (M)   
La investigación prosigue pero el misterio sigue sin resolverse.

BOYS #18 (MR)  
Conclusión de la saga “Bueno para el alma”.

BOYS #27 (MR) 
En el día Saint Patrick, New York está de color verde. Y HUGHIE ve a los integrantes de G-WIZ caer a su punto más bajo. 

BOYS #29 (MR) 
Comentario: Tiempos desesperados, medidas desesperadas. Los secretos más sórdidos de los Hombres G son revelados.

BOYS #30 (MR) 
Tras los recientes acontecimientos, todos los integrantes del equipo necesitan un merecido descanso.

BOYS #31 (MR) 
Los más poderosos súper equipos deciden perseguir a THE BOYS. ¿Y qué papel juega la Sociedad de la Auto-Preservación?

BOYS #32 (MR) 
¿Quiénes son los perseguidores? ¿Qué trampas han preparado?

BOYS #35 (MR) 
El origen secreto de uno de los protagonistas es revelado.

BRILLIANT #1 (MR) 
Ellos son un puñado de genios que estudian en la universidad y  se retan a sí mismos para resolver el misterio de los súper poderes. ¿Podrán los mejores y más brillantes convertir la ciencia ficción en ciencia a secas? ¿Y si lo logran, cómo reaccionaría el mundo? ¿El poder los corromperá?

GAME OF THRONES #1
Adaptación del prólogo y los tres primeros capítulos de la novela de George R. R. Martin, Juego de Tronos.

KICK-ASS 2 #4 (MR)
RED MIST asume una nueva identidad tan vulgar que no puede ser comentada, mientras que convoca a todos sus secuaces usando redes sociales. Mientras, la policía investiga la identidad de los enmascarados.

KIRBY GENESIS #3 
SILVER STAR, CAPTAIN VICTORY y GLORY KNIGHTS forman una difícil alianza al mismo tiempo que sus enemigos se unen. Mientras tanto, el joven Kirby descubre los secretos del continente fantasma y sus habitantes.

MORNING GLORIES #12 (MR)
La cantidad de muertes inesperadas afecta a la academia, la facultad está alerta – y las sospechas se dirigen a los nuevos alumnos.

SEVERED #2 (MR)
Jack descubre que la carretera está llena de charlatanes. Y en Chicago está el más retorcido de todos: un vendedor, un viajante, con dientes filudos como los de un tiburón, en busca de carne inocente.

ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #1
El más grande encubrimiento de los mutantes se ha hecho público. La verdad del gen X ha sido revelada. El mundo mutante entra en crisis, y la desconfianza entre la gente y los X-MEN aumenta.

WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #37
Empieza el noveno mes.

WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #38
Preparación para la guerra.

WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #39
Nacimiento.

WITCH DOCTOR #3 (OF 4) 
El caso más importante del doctor Morrow: El paciente de la Laguna Negra. ¿Cuál es el secreto de estas criaturas de lo profundo? ¿Cómo se relacionan con el Evento Extinción que amenaza a la humanidad? 

The Big Lie - Rick Veitch

September 11 -2001- doesn’t feel like a remote date for any of us, it’s a persistent moment that continues to have an impact in our lives, one way or another. Although, after a decade we might have a different understanding of what happened on that day or the aftermath of 9-11. Rick Veitch tackles this difficult subject and creates a story that reminds me of Zeitgeist, the popular documentary that investigates the terrorist attack as well as the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission Report.

Thomas Yeates

Rick Veitch & Gary Erskine

The Big Lie starts with Sandra, a scientist specialized in tachyons and subatomic particles that was part of the Hadron collider scientific group. She has found a way to travel back in time so that she can warn Carl, her husband, and everyone in the World Trade Center about the impending destruction of New York’s highest buildings.

She manages to arrive in the proverbial nick of time, and with only an hour to spare, she hurriedly breaks into the office of her husband. Carl is there, in the middle of an important business meeting with his colleagues, the best risk management consultants of the world.

Sandra tells them that the Twin Towers will be attacked in less than an hour, but nobody believes her, not even Carl who sees in her an inexplicably aged version of his wife. The risk management experts start explaining why such an attack is inconceivable. Thanks to military intelligence, NORAD, FBI, CIA, radars and state of the art technology, the US is impervious to air assaults... or isn’t it? This is how a discussion starts between the woman from the future and the men from the past. Sandra tries to convince them that this strike will happen, but everything seems so unbelievable to her interlocutors that they refuse to believe in her.

Rick Veitch makes a parallel between the distrust and stubbornness of these consultants and the Americans contradictory feelings regarding the explanation behind the destruction of the Twin Towers. How could something like 9-11 take place? The producers of Zeitgeist and Veitch seem to come to the same conclusion: it’s not the crash of the planes that takes down the skyscrapers but the placing of thermite explosives in the main columns of the buildings. Coincidentally, on that same day the entire air force was scattered throughout the country, participating in simulacrums of aircrafts getting hijacked, and couldn’t react in time when the commercial airplanes plunged into New York’s financial center.

Rick Veitch & Gary Erskine

Today, many people consider the claims of Zeitgeist as exaggerations; after all, conspiracy theories seem to be as American as baseball and apple pie. Personally, I can only say that watching the towers collapsing when I was 17 years old was traumatic. And I was millions of miles away from it. How did the Americans feel during and after this tragedy? Perhaps, they experienced this event as a transition between the milliseconds after we get injured, and the seconds before we start experiencing actual pain. The shock sometimes can be too overwhelming and numbing. The idea that somebody influential within the government helped to orchestrate this would be impossible to believe if not for the aftermath of 9-11: the entire country rallied after Bush and his “war on terror” became very profitable for certain economic groups.  

Contemporary philosopher Slavoj Žižek explained it better: “September 11 is the symbol of the end of this utopia, a return to real history. A new era is here with new walls everywhere […]. It is an era with new forms of apartheid and legalized torture. As President Bush said after September 11, America is in a state of war. But the problem is that the US is not in a state of war. For the large majority, daily life goes on and war remains the business of state agencies. The distinction between the state of war and peace is blurred. We are entering a time in which a state of peace itself can be at the same time a state of emergency”.

Even a decade later, the world is still recovering from 9-11. It doesn’t matter if you are satisfied or not with the official commission reports, it’s always important to have another perspective. Rick Veitch, in association with Truth be Told Comics (www.truthbetoldcomics.com), Architects & Engineers (www.ae911truth.org) and Image Comics offers precisely that: a new perspective on an all too familiar incident.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Rick Veitch & Gary Erskine

El 11 de setiembre de 2001 no es una fecha remota, es un momento que continúa teniendo un impacto sobre nosotros. Ha transcurrido una década y ahora podemos interpretar los eventos de ese día, y sus consecuencias, de otro modo. Rick Veitch aborda esta difícil temática y crea una historia que me recuerda a Zeitgeist, el popular documental que investiga el atentado terrorista así como las conclusiones del reporte de la Comisión 9/11.

"The Big Lie" empieza con Sandra, una científica especializada en taquiones y partículas subatómicas que formó parte del equipo científico del colisionador de hadrones. Ella ha encontrado la forma de viajar en el tiempo para salvar a Carl, su marido, y por ende a todos los que están en el World Trade Center.


Con tan sólo una hora en sus manos, ella se apresura en encontrar a su esposo, que está en medio de una importante reunión de negocios con los más reconocidos consultores de gestión de riesgo.


Sandra les explica que las Torres Gemelas serán atacadas en menos de una hora, pero nadie le cree, ni siquiera Carl que sólo ve en ella una versión inexplicablemente avejentada de su esposa. Los expertos en riesgo quieren explicar por qué semejante ataque es inconcebible. Gracias a la inteligencia militar, NORAD, FBI, CIA, radares y tecnología de punta, Estados Unidos es inmune a un asalto aéreo... ¿o no? Aquí empieza una discusión entre la mujer del futuro y los hombres del pasado. Sandra tiene que convencerlos sobre la veracidad del ataque, pero todo parece tan inverosímil que sus interlocutores se niegan a creerle.


Rick Veitch hace un paralelo entre la desconfianza y terquedad de estos consultores con los sentimientos contradictorios de los norteamericanos en relación a la explicación de la destrucción de las torres gemelas. ¿Cómo es posible que el 9-11 sucediera? Los productores de Zeitgeist y Veitch llegan a la misma conclusión: no es el impacto del avión contra las torres lo que ocasiona su destrucción, sino los explosivos de thermite en las columnas principales de los edificios. Curiosamente, ese mismo día toda la fuerza área se hallaba dispersa en simulacros de secuestro de aeronaves, y no pudieron reaccionar a tiempo cuando los aviones se estrellaron en el centro financiero de New York.

My final version / mi versión final

El día de hoy, muchos consideran que las afirmaciones de Zeitgeist son exageraciones; después de todo, las teorías conspiratorias parecen ser tan estadounidenses como el baseball. Personalmente, puedo decir que ver el colapso de los rascacielos cuando tenía 17 años fue traumático. Y eso que estaba a millones de kilómetros de distancia. ¿Cómo vivió Estados Unidos esta tragedia? Debieron haber experimentado este evento como la transición entre los segundos después de ser heridos y los segundos antes de sentir dolor de verdad. Y por ello, el shock debió ser abrumador. La idea de que alguien en las altas esferas del gobierno planease este ataque sería imposible de creer si no fuese por las consecuencias del 9-11: la nación entera apoyó a Bush y su "guerra contra el terror", que resultó siendo muy lucrativa para ciertos grupos económicos.

El filósofo contemporáneo Slavoj Žižek  lo explicó mejor: "El 11 de setiembre es el símbolo del fin de la utopía, un regreso a la historia real. Una nueva era con nuevos muros por doquier [...] Es una era con nuevas formas de apartheid y tortura legalizada. El presidente Bush ya lo dijo: después del 11 de setiembre, Estados Unidos está en guerra. Pero el problema es que Estados Unidos no está al pie del cañón. Para la gran mayoría, la vida diaria continua y el estado de guerra sigue siendo asunto de las agencias estatales. La distinción entre el estado de guerra y el estado de paz se difumina. Estamos entrando en una época en la que el estado de paz puede ser al mismo tiempo un estado de emergencia".

Incluso una década después, el mundo todavía se recupera del 9-11. No importa si estás satisfecho o no con los reportes oficiales de la comisión, siempre es útil contar con otra perspectiva. Rick Veitch, asociado con Truth be Told Comics (www.truthbetoldcomics.com), Architects & Engineers (www.ae911truth.org) e Image Comics ofrece precisamente eso: una nueva perspectiva sobre un incidente más que conocido.

La palabra y la forma / Juguetes imposibles



I spent New Year’s Eve in Key Biscayne. And it was the worst December 31st of my life. I was working at the Ritz Carlton in 2006-2007. My job consisted basically in carrying the silverware and the dishes and the glasses from one storage room to the other, and then to the ballroom or any other area of the hotel where they were needed. Sounds easy, but every time I had to put dishes or whatever it was in the trolley it meant I had to lift the damn things and then place them inside of the trolley. And the hotel has the heaviest porcelain you could think of, and the most delicate china too (broke a few things here and there).

My drawing (final version) / mi dibujo (versión final)

At the end of the day my back was killing me, my shoulders and my arms were about to quit, and every muscle in my hand was in pain, and the feet, I couldn’t wait to take my shoes off. I was in charge of the silverware room once, which is a room where they store all the expensive silver forks and knives and stuff (by the way, I hate silver as a metal, it weighs a ton, it was impossible to lift that). I worked for three weeks and then I got my first paycheck and that’s when I said to myself “I didn’t sign up for this”. I was supposed to make 10 bucks an hour, and my first paycheck was for my first fourteen days of work, and the amount was supposed to be 825 bucks. Then came the FICA tax, the state tax and the eight thousands taxes and withholdings and all that crap and in the end I was left with 385 bucks. That was the draw that broke the camel’s back. And so I quit and I returned Lima, and in the plane I watched Little Miss Sunshine which made me cry for a lot of reasons, but that’s a story for another time.

Oh, by the way, I finally finished my drawing / homage to Durero, I fully inked it with a nib and Chinese ink.
___________________________________________________________________________________


Juguetes imposibles


El miércoles en la noche se inauguró la muestra colectiva “La palabra y la forma” en la Galería Yvonne Sanguineti, que reunía el trabajo de destacadas artistas limeñas: Carolina Bazo, Olga Lamas, Rosa Tomatis, Jessica Schneider, Silvana Pestana y Patricia Eyzaguirre (que también tuvo una muestra individual en la misma galería hace unos meses). Con propuestas diversas pero finamente imbricadas por una sensibilidad femenina, cada cuadro aporta algo novedoso al conjunto. La muestra fue un éxito absoluto, la galería se llenó y hubo visitantes como Gerardo Chávez y Lucía de la Puente, que comentó que estaba a ‘walking distance’ de Yvonne Sanguineti. Mientras tomaba vino tinto saludé a Julio Garay, grabador, Alejandro Romaní, artista, y a Ramiro Llona y Meritxell Thorndike.

El jueves en la noche se inauguró la muestra “Juguetes imposibles” de José Carlos Vargas en Dédalo, una divertida y simpatiquísima propuesta, sumamente lúdica, que recrea personajes del imaginario colectivo peruano y los transforma en juguetes, en figuras de acción. Saludé a María Elena Fernández y a Eduardo Lores (que me tomó una foto que, supongo, estará ahora en la página de Facebook de Dédalo). Allí me encontré con el poeta Walter Espinoza y Guido Cuadros, un amigo suyo experto en cómics. Nos quedamos conversando mientras yo seguía y seguía tomando chilcanos y después pisco puro. Le entregué a Guido Cuadros los ejemplares 2 y 4 de THE GATHERING y me pasé un buen rato explicándole cuál había sido el origen del proyecto y lo que significaba para mí haber sido publicado en Estados Unidos.

El día de hoy me di una vuelta por la Galería Wu Ediciones, en Sáenz Peña, y aproveché para tomar fotos a todos los cuadros de la muestra “Animales Familiares” de la joven artista Ana Teresa Barboza. Sus cuadros son un trabajo fascinante en donde confluyen su pasión por el dibujo a lápiz con la costura, el resultado son imágenes con un extraordinario nivel de detalle y al mismo tiempo con una textura muy especial, en donde las telas sobresalen y enmarcan siluetas de grafito y sombras en degradé. Sin duda, es la mejor muestra de Wu Ediciones de todo el 2011.

Y finalmente terminé mi dibujo / homenaje a Durero, entintado íntegramente con plumilla y tinta china.

Ana Teresa Barboza