AJASONT SYSTEMS

Okay, it’s been - well, a minute since I’ve been here. And I’m here to write something short that exercises the muscles that I know aren’t atrophying, but haven’t been pushed lately because of changes in my day job/work life. Anyway.

I’ve REALLY enjoyed this series. It started as a riff on teenaged detectives (think Encyclopedia Brown) and added elements of fantasy and science fiction like a great story from Doctor Who (but without the TARDIS) to become wholly something else. And yet, at its detective fiction heart, it’s a damn fine mystery. This is what I expect from Brubaker on the regular, though, and especially his RECKLESS series and other recent work with Sean Phillips. In this case, it’s Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente on the art and color and it is so evocative of the genre it’s speaking to that this old guy really felt transported while reading.

Pay the writers. There's enough money to do that, so pay them. Then compensate them when you use their words to teach AI how to write like them. There's enough money to do that, so pay them. Studio executives all know the Harlan Ellison mantra: Pay The Writer! Because they are slaves to the money they make AND the money they spend, they want to cut corners. Reality TV only goes so far, and reality films? Look the Jackass The Movie thing wasn't all that great and no one wants any more of that so just put that out of your mind. Instead, pay the writers. There's enough money to do that, so pay them. They will give you great ideas that will draw subscribers and theatergoers alike. They will talk about their work to whoever will listen. Writers know the Harlan Ellison mantra: Pay the Writer! They will heighten reality and reveal truths about the human condition because it's what they are trained to do. Keep that in mind.

Here’s the back cover copy:

A galaxy-spanning empire needs people who know things.

Until they know too much.

From a forced, comfortable retirement, Walt has learned that long-term plans for a coup are coming to fruition. The consequences will be disastrous for billions across the myriad worlds of the ancient Sah Empire.

As he gathers the people he can trust most to help him, Walt must find out who is behind the coup before he can stop it. If he can’t, too many innocents will suffer terribly.

If he can, it will change everything.

At Planet Comicon, I acquired a Batman book I’d been looking for since I was a kid for a great price. Since I didn’t table this year at the show I was able to spend time in the comic boxes looking for the stuff I would like to have in my collection, even though I recently downsized it considerably. Finding that DC Special inspired me to search further for the others in that line with the Flash and Superman. I’m pleased that now I have all three and treasure them as much as if I’d been able to buy them at The Town Crier back in the day. 

I'm keeping track of the comics I’m reading this year here. Hope you’re digging it.

When one talks of the great comic book creators, George Perez will always be mentioned and most often honored for his body of work. To be sure, Perez is a legendary collaborator on flagship titles for both DC and Marvel with a penchant for handling team books like no one else. (I particularly admire how he handles backgrounds but that’s me being geeky about comic art.)

His run on Wonder Woman stands head and shoulders above all others. But perhaps it’s his collaboration with writer Kurt Busiek on the long-gestating, often stalled but finally realized JLA/Avengers book that dropped in 2003.

When he was dying of cancer, Marvel and DC finally agreed to reprint this with bonus material in order to honor him and help defray some of the costs of dying. Of course the printing sold out and it will be forever before it’s released again, if ever.

So when I was cleaning out my comics collection, I pulled this four issue series out to read for the first time since 2003ish.

The book was first proposed in 1979 with Gerry Conway plotting, Roy Thomas scripting, and Perez on art (he even drew some pages that were reprinted in one collection). When the two companies disagreed, the book was shelved but Perez maintained his contracts so that even if he was exclusive to one company or another, he would be free to draw this story. Every so often the crossover would be mentioned and everyone was always hopeful it would happen.

Finally, it did.

Previous to JLA/Avengers, company crossovers were not in-continuity and that was okay (even though the Batman/Hulk event deserved to affect both timelines but that’s a digression for another time). In the right hands, these huge crossovers were effective stories (Batman/Hulk and the X-Men/Teen Titans are my faves) and more than just fun like the Superman/Spider-Man tales. This company crossover is the one to top them all.

Busiek brought his A-game to the project and Perez - who was meant to draw this story - delivered all the promises and more. It’s a terrific story with 48 pages each issue packed to bursting with action, power, and MasterClass-level storytelling from both. Starting with Arkon and ending with Metron, it's a series that definitely stays with you.