Review: WHO'S WHO Volume 1

WHO'S WHO: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE OF THE DC UNIVERSE VOL. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman
PENCILS: Joe Orlando, Craig Hamilton, Carmine Infantino, Don Heck, Alex Saviuk, Scott Shaw!, Jerry Ordway, Marshall Rogers, Mike Zeck, Keith Giffen, Ernie Colón, Gil Kane, José Delbo, Howie Post, Greg Theakston, George Pérez, Chuck Patton, Steve Bissette, Jan Duursema, Eduardo Barreto, Rick Hoberg, Murphy Anderson, Curt Swan, Tod Smith
INKERS: Joe Orlando, Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, Murphy Anderson, Don Heck, Scott Shaw!, Jerry Ordway, Marshall Rogers, John Beatty, Bob Oksner,  Ernie Colón, Gil Kane, Romeo Tanghal, Howie Post, Greg Theakston,  George Pérez, John Totleben, Jan Duursema, Eduardo Barreto, Rick Magyar
COLORS: Helen Visik, Shelly Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Joe Orlando, Greg Theakston
LETTERS: Todd Klein (production)
EDITORIAL: Len Wein with Marv Wolfman and Robert Greenberger
COVER: George Perez
32pp, Color, $1.00 U.S., $1.35 CAN, 45p U.K. (March 1985)

Who's Who: The Definitive Guide to the DC Universe was an encyclopedia of the characters, places, and things of the DC Universe, but it was published in a comic book format.  Created by Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Robert Greenberger, Who's Who began publication in 1984 one month before the release of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the 12-issue comic book series that changed the DC Universe of characters.  Who's Who ran for 26 issues, but there were updates (in 1987 and 1988) and spinoffs (including one for DC Comic's 1980s “Star Trek” comic book series).

In Who's Who, each of the characters, places, and things (for the most part) has its own page and is depicted in an illustration, pin-up, or technical drawing created by a comic book artist or a penciller/inker team.  Some of the artists are legendary comic book creators or are famous or are at least known for their association with DC Comics.  Others are comic book artists who were active working professionals in American comic books, including in independent and alternative comics, at the time of the publication of the original Who's Who.

At the recent Louisiana Comic Con (October 17 and 18th, 2015 in Lafayette, LA), I found a copy of Who's Who: The Definitive Guide to the DC Universe #1.  I once had several issues of this series, but I don't know what happened to them.  Although I actually once read some of the text, I really bought Who's Who for the illustrations.

First of all, I love the wraparound cover art by George Perez, especially the detail with “Arak: Son of Thunder” sitting on a rock outcropping.  Inside, there is also a lot to like.  I think that it is just great that the first illustration of this first issue is by the late, great Joe Orlando, a depiction of House of Secrets star/victim, “Abel.”  Seeing classic Flash artist, Carmine Infantino, draw “Abra Kadabra,” a character in Flash's “rogue gallery” is a treat.  Fans of Jerry Ordway's 1980s work for DC Comics will be happy to see his double-page spread of the cast of All-Star Squadron.

I can never say no to “Ambush Bug” drawn by Keith Giffen.  I can never say “No” to anything by legend Gil Kane, who offers a drawing of pre-Grant Morrison, “Animal-Man” and a drawing of his version of “Atom.”  I like Ernie Colón, so I was happy to see a few drawings from him, including one of “Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld.”  “Arcane” by the classic Swamp Thing art team of Steve Bissette and John Totleben is a highlight.  Classic Golden and Silver Age DC Comics artist, Murphy Anderson, offers a drawing of one of his signature characters, “Atomic Knight.”  Anderson also inked “The Atomic Skull” drawing by one of my all-time favorite artists, Curt Swan.

Greg Theakston did a good job with an “Apokolips” drawing, but I would have preferred that “Fourth World” creator, Jack Kirby, draw Apokolips for this series.  Eduardo Barreto is a fine comic book artist, but I wish that Jose Luis Garcia Lopez had drawn the Atari Force double-spread.

In the nearly three decades since Who's Who: The Definitive Guide to the DC Universe was originally published, much of its text is no longer relevant.  That is the result of DC Comics' numerous reboots and relaunches and “new directions.”  Still, this series can be of use as a reference source for writers, comics historians, and archivists, and especially for fans of DC Comics' bygone days.  Fans of classic and veteran comic book artists, of course, will want this series.  I plan on hunting down more issues.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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Review: STAN LEE’S HOW TO WRITE COMICS

STAN LEE’S HOW TO WRITE COMICS
WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS

WRITERS: Stan Lee with Bob Greenberger
COVER: Jonathan Lau
ISBN: 978-0-8230-0084-5; hardcover
224pp, Color, $45.00 U.S. ($24.99 paperback), $53.00 CAN

Born way back in 1922, Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) has been a writer, editor, and publisher of comic books. He is most famously associated with Marvel Comics; Lee began with the company back in 1939 when it was Timely Comics. For Marvel Comics, Lee co-created such characters as Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the Hulk, among many others

Stan Lee is an American comic book legend, but he is also known internationally and is the co-creator of a Japanese comic book series, a manga entitled Karakauri Dôji Ultimo. In addition to writing comic books, Lee has also authored several books. Perhaps, Lee’s best known non-comic is How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (1978), co-authored with artist, John Buscema.

Stan Lee’s latest how-to book is Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics, which is available in both hardcover ($45.00 U.S.) and paperback ($24.99 U.S.) editions. Apparently, the purpose of the book is for Lee “to teach everything he knows about writing and creating comic book characters.” Lee offers tips, advice, and even a few secrets (or at least what he thinks are secrets).

Truthfully, this book has a misleading title. Yes, it does offer some how-to advice, and yes, it is rather interesting. However, this probably should be titled “Stan Lee’s About Writing Comics,” because the book is really about writing comics rather than being a how-to, guide to, or advice book, although this tome does all three things at different sections of the book.

Unless you open this book, you won’t know that Lee has a co-writer, Bob Greenberger. I wouldn’t be surprised if Greenberger did much of the writing in this book based upon interviews he conducted with Lee. Reading Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics, I got the sense of a collaborative process in which Lee strolled down memory lane recalling how he wrote, how he created, and how he collaborated with different artists, such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.

Much of this book includes quotes from current comic book creators and editors like Alan Moore, Kurt Busiek, Bryan Hitch, Doug Moench, Jerry Ordway Richard Pini, and Mark Waid, among others. There is even a script sample by Neil Gaiman. That’s why I say that Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics is about writing comics rather than a pure how-to book.

Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics is lavishly illustrated by pages, covers, and details from a wide assortment of comic books. There are also reproductions of original art, pencil art, and preliminary art of various kinds. To me, this book is worth purchasing because there is an entire chapter devoted to the benefits and shortcomings of using the full script or “Marvel Style” script, which is a plot-first way of telling the artist what to draw.

Upon first glance, I honestly didn’t expect much of this book, but Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics is a book that beginning and novice comic book writers should have. Even if they keep it for simple reference, they will like having this book because it has a lot to say about writing comic books.

B

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS - work by the following artists appears in this book:
Neal Adams, Ross Andru, Erica Awano
Mark Bagley, Diego Bernard, John Byrne
Aaron Campbell, J. Scott Campbell, Chris Caniano, Milton Caniff, John Cassaday, Cliff Chiang, Gene Colan
Steve Dillon, Steve Ditko
Glenn Fabry, Francesco Francavilla, Frank Frazetta,, Frank Kelly Freas
Dick Giordano
George Herriman, Bill Hughes, Bryan Hitch
Dan Jurgens
Gil Kane, Jack Kirby
David Lafuente, Jonathan Lau, Bob Layton, Sr., Larry Lieber
Mike Mayhew, Bob McLeod, Frank Miller, Tom Morgan
Katsuhiro Otomo, Richard Outcault
Carlos Paul, Frank Paul, George Perez, Windy Pini
Joe Quesada, Frank Quitely
Carlos Rafael, Caesar Razek, Wagner Reis, Paul Renaud, John Romita, John Romita, Jr., Alex Ross, Mel Rubi
Edgar Salazar, Manuel Clemente Sanjulian, Mike Sekowsky, Joe Shuster, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Sim, Vin Sullivan
Rodolphe Topffer, Michael Turner,
Mike Zeck

I Reads You Review: HELLBOY II THE GOLDEN ARMY

Author: Robert Greenberger
Publishing Information: Dark Horse Books, paperback, 268 pages, $6.99 (US)
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-59307-954-3 (ISBN-13)

You didn’t know it until now, but I thought Hellboy II: The Golden Army was the best comic book movie of 2008 – even better than The Dark Knight, which I was crazy about. I also consider Hellboy II to be the second best movie of 2008 (behind the brilliant WALL-E).

As is often the case with science fiction and fantasy movies, a novelization of Hellboy II’s screenplay accompanied the release of the film. Hellboy II The Golden Army may only be a tie-in novel, but it captures Hellboy II director, Guillermo del Toro’s uncompromising vision. Author Robert Greenberger adapts del Toro’s script (written from a story created by del Toro and Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola), transforming an unusual summer event movie into something like a summer potboiler novel.

Like the movie, the book opens with a young Hellboy enjoying a bedtime story told by his adoptive father, Trevor Broom. The story, a kind of fairy tail, involves an ancient war between mankind (the Sons of Adam) and magical creatures (the Sons of the Earth), started by Man’s greed. After the humans initially defeat the forces of the magical creatures, King Balor, the one-armed King of the Elves, commissions the goblins to build him an indestructible army. They do, the Golden Army, an indestructible mechanical army. The Golden Army devastates the human forces to the point that the bloodshed leads Balor to call a truce. Mankind agrees to stay in their cities, while the forests would belong to the magical creatures.

Cut to modern times, and the truce is broken. Balor’s son, Prince Nuada, declares war on humanity and searches for the missing pieces of a golden crown that will give the wearer control of the Golden Army, which slumbers in a secret location. All that stands between annihilation and mankind is Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.), and both are in a state of turmoil.

Hellboy and his girlfriend, Liz, are having relationship issues. Hellboy and Tom Manning, the F.B.I.’s liaison to the B.P.R.D., are clashing because Hellboy wants the world to know that he exists, while Manning lives to keep Hellboy’s existence a secret from the public at large. However, Hellboy and company meet Nuada’s identical twin sister, Nuala, which forces them to focus on Nuada’s war. Meanwhile, amphibian B.P.R.D. agent, Abe Sapien surprisingly has romantic feelings for Nuala, and Washington D.C. sends a new agent, the ectoplasmic medium Johann Krauss, to take command of the B.P.R.D. Now, these outcasts must come together to stop the unstoppable – the Golden Army.

Using straight-forward and rather plain prose, Robert Greenberg conjures the creepy Gothic and weird rococo world of Hellboy II – from the exciting action to the fantastic realms and peculiar creatures that inhabit them. For anyone who has seen the film, the novelization is a good way to relive the fun. This isn’t a great fantasy novel; it is simply something that readers don’t always find – a prose adaptation that is worthy of the original film.

Sequart Announces Book about 1960s Batman TV Series

PRESS RELEASE:

Sequart Research and Literacy Organization’s Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s TV Series Matters is now available for order through comic shops (use Diamond order code OCT101262). The book, edited by Jim Beard, is currently listed in the books section of October’s Previews catalog (page 332) and is set to hit stores in late December.

A sell out at New York Comic Con, Gotham City 14 Miles offers 14 essays that examine the equally celebrated and derided show from varied, sometimes surprising viewpoints:

*Bats in Their Belfries: The Proliferation of Batmania, by Robert Greenberger. (Covers the genesis of the show and explosion of Batmania.)

*Batman: From Comics Page to TV Screen, by Peter Sanderson. (Delves into Batman’s comic-book roots.)

*Such a Character: A Dissection and Examination of Two Sub-Species of Chiroptera homo sapiens, by Jim Beard. (Compares / contrasts the 1939 Batman with Adam West’s.)

*Notes on Bat-Camp, by Tim Callahan. (An effort to answer that age-old question, “Was Batman truly camp?”)

*Aunt Harriet’s Film Decency League, by Becky Beard. (Weighs the caliber of the show’s most significant guest stars.)

*POW!: Batman’s Visual Punch, by Bill Walko. (Looks into the impact of the show’s visual design.)

*Known Super-Criminals Still at Large, by Chuck Dixon. (Compares / contrasts TV versions with comic-book portrayals.)

*May I Have This Batdance? by Michael S. Miller. (Looks at the most famous TV theme and the songs it inspired.)

*The Best Dressed Women in Gotham City, by Jennifer K. Stuller. (A compelling argument for its female denizens and their place in Batman.)

*Holy Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor! by Michael D. Hamersky. (Addresses the topic of youth culture as presented in Batman.)

*Gotham City R&D, by Michael Johnson. (Examines Batman’s gadgetry.)

*Theatre of the Absurd: Batman: The Movie, by Rob Weiner. (Discusses the 1966 feature film.)

*Jumping the Bat-Shark, by Will Murray. (Delves into the third season of Batman.)

*Some Days You Just Can’t Get Rid of a Bomb, by Paul Kupperberg. (The show’s legacy beyond its original broadcast.)

*Afterword, by Jeff Rovin, co-author of Adam West’s Back to the Batcave. (Offers a few personal anecdotes about the show and working with West.)

*Episode Guide, by Joe Berenato. (A rundown of episodes with airdates and fun facts.)

Don’t miss out on this critical discussion of one of the most influential yet misunderstood TV shows of all time. (Softcover, 6”x9”, 300 pgs, B&W, $22.95 cover price, ISBN 9780578064611.)


NOTE: Don’t assume your comics store will order copies – some stores might not even notice it in the catalog. The best thing you can do is tell your local retailer ASAP (they have to place orders before the end of October) that you want them to order you a copy. And because the book is buried in the catalog, it might help to give them the book’s order code, OCT101262.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Batman and related characters are trademarks of DC Comics. This book is not endorsed by DC Comics.