Yes, rave. (~rave!) Pulps are, IMO, a classic artform. Used to own *hundreds* of them, and I bought *every* Doc Savage book that was issued in my lifetime.
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 9:43 AM, Kelwyn <ravena...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Doc Savage! What a blast from the past! Those pulps were all the rage > during my sane and sober youth (back in the seventh decade of the last > century of the last millennium). You could NOT escape them on the bus or on > book store shelves. > > ~rave? > > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com <scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com>, "brent > wodehouse" <brent_wodeho...@...> wrote: > > > > > http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/apr/07/dc-and-dynamite-reboot-classic-characters-divergen/ > > > > DC and Dynamite Reboot Classic Characters With Divergent Results > > > > By April Snellings > > > > > > It's probably not much of a coincidence that three of the pulp era's most > > iconic characters are getting affectionate reboots in a time that bears > > marked similarities to the age that created them in the first place. Doc > > Savage and the Green Hornet both made their debuts in the 1930s, with > Will > > Eisner's Spirit coming along shortly afterward in 1940. Americans needed > > them; the radio plays, dime novels, and Sunday comic strips those > > characters patrolled were a welcome escape from some pretty ugly > > realities. They kept their heads above existential angst, they always > came > > out on top, and it was easy to tell the good guys from the bad ones. > > > > Stories like that are in short supply these days. Screenwriters are > > falling over themselves to out-grim one another, and even the Big Two are > > filling their pages with so-called "superhero tragedy porn." (Have you > > been following what Green Arrow and Roy have gone through lately? Jeez.) > > It's not bad; some of it is actually quite good. It's just depressing. So > > it's a perfect time for DC's First Wave and Dynamite Entertainment's > Green > > Hornet. One is very good and one is rather forgettable, but both are fun > > throwbacks that revel in their pulpy roots. > > > > By leaps and bounds, First Wave is the better of the two. Brian > > Azzarello's script establishes an entirely new continuity that puts Doc > > Savage, the Spirit, and Batman on the same playing field. From its > opening > > jungle chase scene to its final urban fisticuffs, First Wave #1 embraces > > every pulp convention it can squeeze into 30 pages. You get giant robots, > > mad scientists, villainous Russians, dirty cops, a masked crimefighter, > > and a cracking good mystery. The first issue is light on story, but > strong > > on set-up: Doc Savage has returned home to New York City to confront the > > mysterious circumstances surrounding his father's death, while the Spirit > > is tracking a truck with strange cargo though Central City; there's also > > some eye-gouging jungle action with the aforementioned giant robot. > > > > The heroes' paths don't cross yet. This issue is all about laying the > > groundwork for a multi-plot storyline that will play out over six issues > > and lead into two new ongoing series. Batman is also notably absent; > after > > all, he tends to throw his weight around a bit, so it's best to give Doc > > and the Spirit a chance to play without him for a while. > > > > Azzarello does a bang-up job making each character his own while being > > true to their original creators' visions. He has a great sense of pacing, > > and his dialogue has a classic film noir feel that meshes beautifully > with > > First Wave's pulp characters. Rags Morales' gorgeous art, complemented by > > Nei Ruffino's earthy color palette, does what good comic-book art should > > do: It becomes an active part of the storytelling process, rather than > > just illustrations that accompany the script. Morales uses body language > > to reveal character in every panel; classic Doc Savage villain John > > Sunlight exudes menace as he slouches on a park bench, and the way the > > Spirit clutches his fedora as he's leaping onto a moving truck tells us > > more about Denny Colt than two pages of exposition ever could. The shiny > > new continuity makes First Wave an ideal read for someone who's never > > picked up a comic book in his life, but Azzarello packs the book with sly > > references to and cameos from a small cadre of Golden Age characters. > It's > > a must-read for fans of classic pulp or vintage comic-book heroes. > > > > Kevin Smith's Green Hornet isn't nearly as successful, but it still > > fosters a fair share of good will for its nostalgic take on newspaper > > publisher Britt Reid and his badass sidekick, Kato. Based on Smith's > > rejected movie script, the series picks up at the end of Reid's campaign > > to clean up the mean streets of Century City. After a fast-paced opener > > finds Reid and Kato dusting off the last of the city's crime families, > > Reid hangs up the green fedora and swears off crimefighting. Fast forward > > a bunch of years, and it's time for Reid's playboy son to pick up where > > his dad left off. Some fans might be disappointed to see Britt Sr. pass > > the baton, but masked crimefighting runs in the Reid family. (In case > your > > pulp genealogy is a little rusty, Britt Reid Sr. is the great-nephew of > > creator George W. Trendle's other star do-gooder, the Lone Ranger.) > > > > Much of the first issue falls flat, thanks to Smith's self-conscious > > attempt at witty one-liners. The poorly written action sequences at the > > beginning don't work at all, but the book finds its legs when it turns > its > > attention to the characters. The exchanges between Reid and his wife > about > > the hero's dangerous career feel honest and candid, and the final page is > > a great set-up for the rest of the 10-issue series. The breakdowns by > > veteran artist Phil Hester make for a dynamic read, while Ivan Nunes' > > candy colors evoke a wonderful sense of nostalgia. The weak link is > > Jonathan Lau's pencil work, which doesn't stand up to the book's > sometimes > > manic layouts and vibrant colors. > > > > > -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
