Serendipity and Comics: Teen Titans Lost Annual #1, A New Historicist Perspective

"[T]he great justification for a historical approach to literature and criticism is that we must know everything--the life, the times, the intricate internal argument, the shape of the language. When a subject truly engages us, every detail is precious, every shred of evidence is worth considering"- Morris Dickstein (as cited in Latrobe and Drury, 2009). 


Sometimes it is strange how the universe is serendipitous when your mind has become pre-occupied with other things. In the last few weeks, I had become a bit bummed because of the continued failure of the American government to work things out with the debt ceiling and....well about a million other things. While I have no political party allegiance ( I prefer to always listen to the candidates and do my homework before voting), I can honestly say that recent events has made me reflect a bit on the years between 2000-2008, when the country was not exactly running as quite I hoped as a citizen and voter. It was a bad time to be a mid-twenties, educated, lower middle class public school teacher (and comics fan) trying to make a difference. Cynicism was in the air and it was blossoming in many arms of the arts, more so than it had seemed previously (for example, No Country For Old Men and  There Will Be Blood were two of the most popular films at the end of the middle point of the decade! Talk about a darkness).

Even my cherished comic book heroes and heroines were struggling to re-connect to a former glimmer of the idealism and heroics I had fallen in love with as a youngster. DC comics, whom I have always had the strongest allegiance to, was mired for most of the decade in a cycle of crisis (Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis), and the whole comics industry seemed to still be in the shadow of the realistic, violent, and gritty stories and characterizations that had emerged almost twenty years previously.  With all that, however, there were some glimmering moments that I was aware of for DC Comics (and yes, I am aware of Johnny DC and the all ages tag, but I want to focus on my age demographic) in the darkness of the first decade of a new century; one major one and one minor one (that I had not been aware of) I just recently came across. The major one was  Darwyn Cooke's 2003-2004 The New Frontier, a story about the dawn of our superheroes at the cusp of a new age (the comics categorized Silver Age ), that Cooke parallels to the cold war and optimism of the John F. Kennedy presidential administration.

The second moment came as I was going through my LCS pull box this past week and I found DC Comics Presents: Teen Titans 100-Page Spectacular was sitting at the very bottom. It was odd because I didn't order it, and I was just about to tell the owner to put it on the rack until I looked closer at it. There, on the cover, was the name of Michael Allred. This was enough for me to not only buy it, but to start reading it as soon as I got home, bumping back the more high profile Daredevil and Flashpoint titles. (Later, I would look up Jay Stephens, who is the actual artist on the book, and my jaw dropped at how I didn't realize who he was!). Coming to the end of the story (this particular issue includes some other work than just the Titans story I am examining) my mind started to do that magic work of moving the furniture around upstairs in that way in which one notices a change within themselves or ones thinking/perceptions (thank you Neil Gaiman) as it came apparent to me that this story, this particular work of art was a wonderful example of how the comics medium explores, in some stories, our own constructed history and alters it just slightly in a positive, inventive, and optimistic way to make one feel...well... better. So off my mind went, as it so often will in such situations, and it led me to historical criticism that is often utilized in literary studies.

Applying New Historicism To Comics
So having decided that historical criticism would do the job, I went back and looked at Teen Titans Lost Annual #1 through my own interpretation of a branch of that type of criticism, specifically New Historical criticism. There are two things I decided to focus on. First, using the definition of new historicism put forth by Murfin and Ray (2003) , I looked at the story as both having "[...]influence and [being] influenced by historical reality"(p. 295). Basically, I think that Haney, Stephens and Allred are creating what the comics industry excels at like no other medium of communication- a hybrid intertextuality that co-mingles word, image, idea, and discourse on a multiplicity of levels (in this case a specific historical persona and time period) to be interpreted and understood by a wide demographic range. But that was a bit too broad you see, so I needed to whittle it down some more, so,  to further investigate my ideas I sent my brain off to those other places and it came back with a specific analytic tool associated with new historicism-- evaluating a text through the context and milieu.

The Context and Milieu
For this I used Latrobe and Drury (2009), who suggest when examining work through a historical criticism lens, one should consider the context and milieu by asking: "What is the setting; what are the principle characteristics of time/place/circumstance?; What historical aspects (e.g., political, social, cultural, economic) does the work portray?; Verisimilitude: In considering elements of the work's context, did the author take liberties (e.g., omitting the impact of significant historical events)? If so, why might the author have taken such liberties?" (p. 174). These questions felt satisfactory in my need to dig a bit deeper at why an artifact like Teen Titans Lost Annual #1 had me feeling better, and moreover, why I feel like such a title can contribute to a larger discussion about comics from a different perspective (which, if you read this blog often, you know I am always digging at).

1) What is the setting; what are the principle characteristics of time/place/circumstance? The story is a reflection of silver age optimism and, in the resolution, ultimate fantasy for an entire baby-boomer generation. The story is about Robin, the Boy Wonder (Dick Grayson), witnessing President Kennedy being abducted by ultra-mod looking aliens known as Ullustrians, who replace him with a look-a-like clone (fig. 1).

(fig.1)

Robin alerts the Titans to the situation and they soon are teleported off to the planet of Ullustro, where President Kennedy has been brainwashed to command the armies of the Ullustrians in an ongoing war with eerie similarities to all conflict that has occurred within the timeframe of the 20th century. There were times while reading, I must confess,  that these artists attempts at creating a sense of time and place with a real historical figure (Kennedy), mixed with the fictional Teen Titans, felt like an overwhelmingly surreal experience (which in some cases is not always a bad thing). To add to the illusion of reality within the time period of a mixed reality 60's with the silver age, dialogue is peppered with slang and (now) anachronisms being spoken by our young heroes and heroine: Using the term "twist" to describe girls; "blowing ones stack" to describe losing ones mind; "Lover" as a term of affection; and even "Ka-Powing" as a verb!

2)What historical aspects (e.g., political, social, cultural, economic) does the work portray? As discussed above, the artists here use a mix of allegory (war ,conflict, tragedy), historical record (Kennedy), and pop culture (comic book characters in silver age guise) to tell a story that has an appeal that perhaps is due to a mix of modern and postmodern artistic sensibility. What gives comics that extra something is of course the use of the art! Jay Stephens (and Mike Allred, when not inking) have been described as using pop art sensibilities and the utilization of mid-60's futuristic modernism in the work they produce (see fig.2 and fig. 3). To tell a silver age tale, this type of art makes the most sense. Darwyn Cooke's line work can also be considered pop art or even retro, but his style seems to be much closer to golden age than mod-60's sensibility (however, it is all beautiful to me).

(fig. 2)

(fig. 3)

3) Verisimilitude. It is hard to discuss this without giving away the ending, but it is the lynchpin to the story so....Upon rescuing President Kennedy, the Titans return to Earth only to find out that Kennedy's clone has been assassinated. Kennedy, realizing that he can still make a difference on Ullustro, opts to return there and makes the Titans swear to never reveal the truth to the world. This means that somewhere in the universe, Kennedy is still alive and helping cultures to see his vision of what is just and right (fig. 4).

(fig. 4)

This is a lovely sentiment , and one that is often avoided in tales of the future, as it is easy to dismiss it as a narrative choice that is to close to sappy sentimentalism. The ending though, and the story as a whole, is open, as it will effect the reader depending upon the age of the reader or the knowledge they possess of history, both not only in terms of our own recorded textbook history, but the history of the  fictional characters (DC Comics is over 75 years old), the art style (how many people stop to think about pop art vs. modern?), and so forth. The openness in this instance is the beauty for the medium of comics...it is as deep and multi-layered as our own knowledge can allow it to be. That alone makes me happy...the idea that a story, a small story, has such a toolbox full of possible uses attached to it and it is just waiting for people to pick it up.

I'm not a baby boomer, nor a Gen X'er, nor a Millennial. I'm the one in-between the cracks, culturally and politically. Somehow, the lows have been incredibly low in my demographic. But coming across this story by these artists this week and applying the above critical analysis, I found myself smiling again, reminding myself and remembering that our stories, our dreams, have so many avenues that are still open to go down, even if we have to go backwards to do so. That kind of optimism, the openness, is the one that comics constantly gives me. Also, I invite anyone who reads this to explore historical, or new historical, criticism in evaluating comics (especially the things I didn't get to in this story alone, and there are loads I am sure!). By applying avenues of criticism usually reserved for other disciplines, you will be surprised how well they translate. As always, please share your thoughts, opinions, questions and ideas in the comments section.

All images are copyright DC Comics, 2011, and were purchased by the author. These images are intended for scholarly use and debate only. 

References
Latrobe, K.H., Drury, J. (2009). Critical Approaches to Young Adult Literature. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. 
Murfin, R., Suprya, R.M. (2003). The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, 2nd ed. New York: Bedford St. Martins. 

"We are all in this together": Some great societal/cultural questions in comics this week

Having just finished the recent week in Flashpoint, there were two specific scenes that stood out to me that I feel also fold in nicely with discussions concerning the recent announcements of a new Spider-Man and a resurrected Ryan Choi as The Atom over at DC comics.

Flashpoint #4
The most curious thing about the main Flashpoint title, written by Geoff Johns, is that it is really a centerpiece that focuses more on the characters than the action. This is interesting because it allows for bigger themes and ideas to emerge. One that had been sort of bubbling under the surface but came out in full this week is in a scene with the children who comprise the Shazam-tastic Captain Marvel ( aka Captain Thunder in this timeline) in a conversation with Barry Allen, Cyborg, Batman, and Element Woman. The Flashpoint world is on the brink of destruction and heroes are in short supply to go to the front lines to help. As the rambling and disjointed heroes have come to a house for help, it is Billy Batson, a mere boy granted magical powers, who has watched the world begin to disintegrate from war and hatred in front of his eyes on television, fully capable but much like everyone else scared, who has the following exchange with Barry Allen/The Flash:

Billy: We'll come with you./ We have to, guys. Even if it's only The Flash and us. We can't sit inside and watch TV and hope something good is going to happen./ We have to make it happen.

The Flash: No, No, it's too dangerous for kids.

Billy: It's dangerous for everyone, Flash.

Such discourse in comics is common, but, often it is overlooked as just another component of writing for the superhero/heroine genre: the good guys must rally and someone must give the version of the rally round the flag speech. However, let's take a moment to approach what is perhaps being said here on another level. This is the call to action-- social action and/or social justice. Here, in this "comics summer event", we have substance over style as the characters and situation being faced mirrors our own society yet again (which, I might add, all great literature does). Generations (especially young people) who read this will be faced with the question of whether they themselves are active or passive citizens within their own culture and society and what that may mean. As an adult who teaches, this is one of the most important things I try to impart to students--that transformative social change begins with questioning (born from reading and/or discussion) enough that it moves you to action of some kind.

The World of Flashpoint #3
As one of the ancillary titles, I am sure not everyone who is reading the main event book may be getting this one. While it is not a perfect side story (as some of the side ones are not), there is a very important point about cultural beliefs when the character Traci 13, in a dramatic moment of trying to find clarity for her father, thinks:

Traci: All these champions, both good and bad, are all driven by their selfish motives. Each is caught up in his or her own little drama. / And each of them wants nothing more than to mold this world into the image of what they consider right. / But who is truly right? It's all a matter of perspective...

On the next splash page, she imparts to him (along with psychic imagery):

Traci: The world can be a terrible place, dad./ But it can be a beautiful one. It's a place where people try to make it better./ Each in their own way./ Trying to solve the world's problems, one step at a time./ There are no easy solutions. Sometimes you just have to let go.../...and hope.

Traci's call for understanding perspective in a diverse world is punctuated by the two page splash image of man, woman, alien, cyborg, machine, element, meta-human etc. all wanting to make a change for "A" better. The point Tracy is making, I believe, as many philosophers, educators, anthropologists and social theorists have also discussed the last hundred years, is that the first step in understanding culture is to understand that unity can exist even when it is understood differently based on ones upbringing and moral code. With respect for another cultures perspective, respect for views can become shared via reciprocity, and suddenly light is shed upon that most of what everyone wants, regardless of place on the planet, is basically the same: To live a healthy life with opportunity and chance for themselves and those around them; To be free of war and pestilence and hunger and death; To unshackle those that are oppressed and put in danger by those that only want power; To be educated; To be heroes for one another when the time comes.

Faces of Diversity
So I found it rather wonderful that these themes emerged in a high profile series like Flashpoint as announcements concerning the new Ultimate Universe Spider-Man were made. Marvel revealed that the Spider-Man of that universe would be a young man of mixed race background. While the voices of hatred have emerged( as they always do), there was a very nice post over at DC Women Kicking Ass who gave perhaps the best perspective on why it is important that Spider-Man has changed, and also on DC comics continuing struggles towards diversity in characters with the resurrection of Ryan Choi.  Just click on the linked name for DCWKA and please read, share, respond, and by all means continue the conversation.

Refashioning the Gothic for a Final Crisis

"We took the breakdown of the rational enlightenment story of progress and development as it succumbed to a horror tale of failure, guilt, and submission to blind authority"- Grant Morrison, Supergods, p. 36

Prometheus Bound by Scott Eaton (2006)

No matter the culture, we take the stories that have been passed to us and read, listen, and/or see them in the moment, the historical epoch to which we belong. In doing so we take old stories, stories of adventure, romance, good and evil, and re-fit them to fit our needs, our temperments, our desires and dreams. This is the purpose of story-it is what stories do, and have been doing for thousands of years. The messages of the medium are really never new, just slightly tweeked.

The myth of the American comics hero/heroine has so often struggled with this, as the nature of the myth of the good versus the evil ends with good triumphant.So how could a writer working in the genre of  comics heroism tweek the story enough to actually make good lose and evil win, with only a slight reprieve at the end?  It would take a combination of two elements. First, a deconstructed and fragmented post-modern narrative structure to cause oft times confusion and dread in the reader. Second, utilizing a type of literary genre or even motif that can support such a story.  I believe that comics writer/artist Grant Morrison does both in his often maligned multiverse epic Final Crisis as he approaches it as a modern re-fashioning of the gothic literature genre and sensibility to fit the comics medium in a major event.

The primary definition I used for looking at Final Crisis as a Gothic story comes as a bit of cross-pollination between traditional mythology, art studies and literature. Much of what I was looking for was, according to Murfin and Ray (2003), the gothic genre as "characterized by a general mood of decay, action that is dramatic and generally violent and otherwise disturbing, loves that are destructively passionate, and settings that are grandios, if gloomy or bleak" (p. 191).
A General Mood of Decay
The story of Prometheus is one of the oldest myths. As it has been passed down it has endured cultural changes and numerous new breakthroughs in mediums of communication. But yet, it still has resonance due to very primal ideas of fire, creation, power and knowledge. Many of us are first exposed to the idea of Prometheus through various literary allusions, most notably via Mary Shelley's romantic/gothic masterpiece Frankenstein, it being sub-titled "the modern prometheus".

As noted in the above quote from Morrison's talk about Final Crisis in his book Supergods (2011), he was aiming for a sense of failure. The DCU of this story is one beset by red skies and darkness with only brief glimpses of the light. Light itself, fire, that power stolen by Prometheus from the gods to bestow upon man, is the central metaphor/allusion used in great detail by Morrison to establish the duality of it as both as a bringer of knowledge and element of power. Fire is utilized in the very first issue of the series in a number of ways: The god/spirit Metron presenting fire to neanderathal man as knowledge; Fire as a harbinger of self-defeat and excess when Dan Turpin comments on lighting his cigarette; Fire as the weapon of gods to strike down the powerful and good as when Martian Manhunter is struck down by Libra while a ragtag quasi- Legion of Doom looks on in shock (which is also a prime example of the disturbing, dramatic violence of the gothic sensibility). It takes Morrison and artists J.G. Jones a handful of pages in the first issue to communicate a darkness, both environmental and embedded in character motivation and demeanor that will not break until the very end of the series, with a very important fire shedding light for a very important person.
Love In The Time Of Apocalypse
Often overlooked in Final Crisis is the subtle parallel narrative of the love of the monitors Weeja Dell and the exiled Nix Uotan. What makes the love destructive (and powerful), is they had never felt love before encountering the stories of the multiverse. Love as a destructive and powerful force is a popular sentiment of the romantic/gothic period. This discovery of love (and subsequently knowledge and emotions) by the monitors is also much like a major point that Shelley communicates about the creature in her story-- it also knows so little until it observes and learns while in exile about feelings and emotions in what it begins to percieve what it is to be human or alive.  Knowledge (in the form of a name, as mythical powers are often bestowed) will help to save us and re-unite the lovers, albeit it after so many have fallen and even, like Bruce Wayne, been lost to time. Love from beings who have just realized its beauty, and one simple harmony from our greatest comic creation, in the end gives the DCU a chance to live again.
Grandiose Settings
In fashioning this story as having a visual aesthetic sense of the gothic, Morrison and the artists of the series create the environment of gloom and doom effectively with buildings associated with gothic architecture (especially in writer Greg Rucka and artist Phillip Tan's Final Crisis: Revelations arc). It's not just red skies and raining blood that are enough (and it does happen near the end). A few examples are:

1) The stronghold of the heroes are castles, watchtowers, and churches/cathedrals.

2) The monitors multiversal orrey, which contains not only the bleed (lifeblood) of the multiverse, is fashioned by artist J.G. Jones as a giant gothic test tube.

3) Superman in Limbo is surrounded by the desolate, the trash of ideas and debris of that which is long forgotten. The book of the multiverse stands in the middle of a library of limbo, a non-centralized structure of tall spires and arches.

What I have talked about above is just a few bits I observed while re-reading Final Crisis recently as an attempt at the gothic archetype for the comics medium. Upon completing the cycle this time (which was, I think  my fifth time), I uncovered many more layers, but I leave those up to all who read this to post below in the comments section (or on your own blogs and wikis of course!) about what they perceive about the story through the lenses/experiences that they have with it. As part of my own belief that fans of comics need to continue to push for more wide-ranging criticisms from diverse cultures and fields, I always try to encourage healthy outlooks and avenues of discussion. After all, it is the greatest thing we can give to stories (and that they give to us)--keep them alive with our own "music" for others to engage in discussions about.

References

Morrison, G. (2011). Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, And A Sun God From Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human. New York: Spiegel & Grau

Murfin, R. & Ray, S.M. (2003). The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, 2nd ed. Bedford St. Martin's: New York. 

Why GLBTQ In The DCnU Will Continue To Be A Positive Step, And How We Can Help It Succeed

"Literature is indispensable to the world. The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way a person looks at reality, then you can change it"- James Baldwin.


Why GLBTQ Content In Comic Is Important for Young Readers

According to a report in 2009 from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSN), Kosciw, Greytak, Diaz, and Bartkiewicz (2010) found that in high schools in the last ten years, hostility towards GLBTQ youth has manifested in ways such as “88.9 % of students heard “gay” used in a negative way (e.g., “that’s so gay”) frequently or often at school; and 86.5% reported that they felt distressed to some degree by this; 72.4% heard other homophobic remarks (e.g., “dyke” or “faggot”) frequently or often at school; and 61.1 % felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 39.9% because of how they expressed their gender” (p.xvi). Those are but a few of the numbers the Kosciw et.al. (2010) study uncovered. With so many of our GLBTQ teenage public school students having such limited access to materials, persons, and conversations that allow for context in their personal lives, one would at least assume there were a plethora of books made available for them. However, this is not the case the majority of the time, as research by Cart And Jenkins (2006) indicates that “Books with GLBTQ content remain among the most challenged titles in America’s public and school libraries […] and it appears that the pressure will not be abating anytime soon” (p. xvii).

Even with such staggering odds set against GLBTQ literature for young adults from public institutions and cultural ignorance, the number of books and other forms of media dealing with issues and concerns of the GLBTQ community have risen in the last few decades, albeit slowly (Cart & Jenkins 2006), and of course at a near crawl in the comics industry in regards to the direct market, which has the most accessibility and availability in the comics medium.

Why The New 52 Is A Good Thing 

Flipping through through the recent news stories and solicits for the 52 DCnU come September, I have encountered a few titles (Stormwatch, Batwoman) that show the possibility for the continued step towards a more transformative approach culturally in the medium of the direct market comics. As a medium, comics are one of the avenues in which young adults can find comfort in identifying with stories and characters that reflect who they are. Should it be really any different than the revolution of Marvel's everyperson of the 60's? While that was an anomaly, this does not have to be.

Let's be honest, a transformative change is nearly impossible than a reformation of any kind. While as fans we like to believe often that the power of our voices will save a beloved television series or get a movie made that we want to see ( and it does happen), the bottom line asked often, as is true in a capitalistic market, is the idea going to help profit? Even as allegorically and subjectively wonderful as the comics medium is, and has shown great glimpses of underground sensibilities and marvelous moments of sensitivities, the direct market will not take many chances. Note that I say they will not take many chances. But they do. And when they do, the hope is that the right people are helping to develop a series or idea along that seems to confront our norms, unconscious biases, and provide an outlet for those that are under-represented. Again, this historically has not always been the case, but this does not mean that the future is bleak. But even in the face of the bottom line, that does not mean that the comics buying/reading collective need be silent.

I want to suggest that we, as comics lovers, geeks, critics, artists and educators to take a look at the titles of the DCnU through a lens of literary and cultural criticism know as gay assimilation and queer consciousness. This is not to say that these two methods of evaluation and critique are finite, far from it. Part of enhancing good scholarship is the testing of our ideas to see what works and what doesn't. Essentially, I propose an evaluation of the upcoming new line of comics that are going to be published by DC that will deal with GLBTQ characters and situations and compare and contrast them to other types of not only within the medium (independent and not), but in other mediums as well that tell stories through these two types of established critique. Basically, I am making a call to action-- a call to radical blogging, tweeting, and social networking to stretch towards helping to get a medium that helps to communicate so beautifully with everyone into a larger arena with more readers and creators working together to improve how our beloved medium can begin to reflect this new century better.

Gay Assimilation and Queer Consciousness 

Gay assimilation and queer consciousness are two lenses of literary critical analysis currently being used in somewhat nascent stages in evaluating young adult literature. In my own research as an English educator, and having worked with others dealing with GLBTQ issues in media, these two lenses are a great starting point for evaluating storytelling mediums.

According to Cart and Jenkins (2006) “ “Gay assimilation” assumes the existence---at least in the world of the story---of a “melting pot” of sexual and gender identity. These stories include people who “just happen to be gay” in the same way that someone “just happens” to be left-handed or have red hair”(p.xx). Cart and Jenkins (2006) believe that this assimilation is not an overwhelming positive, but I believe that this idea of assimilation can carry both a positive and negative aspect depending upon how the author handles the content. The idea of assimilation is a positive to me in the sense of using the word assimilation as more of a learning or growth experience for the individual. This assimilation as experience is one that can feed not only the idea of visibility, but also utilizes tapping into the familiarity of themes that are the cornerstones of good literature.

Along with Gay Assimilation, Queer consciousness could be utilized. According to Cart and Jenkins (2006) queer consciousness shows "characters in the context of their communities of GLBTQ people and their families of choice (and in recent years, often their families of origin as well)[...]the audience for "queer consciousness/community" books [e.g. comics] is not limited to readers form within the culture; rather, these titles are---at least potentially---for readers from all points on the sexual orientation continuum" (p.xx).  This lens is very important in that it is the ultimate goal of the story being presented--its the idea of context through universal emotions/ideas (e.g. love, pain, fear, hate).  I also believe this lens to be a positive as choosing content and specific pieces of literature, prose, or poetry (all of which can be utilized in the comics format), both composed by students and authors alike, that allows for conversations and awareness concerning the normalizing of a culture that most mainstream culture has never been able to see as other than a stereotype or in a negative fashion. Don Gallo (2004) echoes a similar sentiment in expressing why GLBTQ literature is important “First, the easy part—gay teens are interested in the same things all teens are: getting an education, being accepted, developing social skills, going to homecoming and the prom, making their parents proud” (p.126). Again, sometimes the simplest explanation (e.g. the universal needs) are the obvious answers.

With recent promotion of GLBTQ culture in programs such as Glee and campaigns such as "It Will Get Better", this new century has such opportunity to be a more transformative place to live in regards to our ideas, dreams, and aspirations.  I love comics. I love the stories they tell and the way they make me and others feel connected to each other. I'm tired of mass media marginalization (unconscious and conscious)-it hurts me, my students and my fellow peoples. The purpose of this post is not to be negative, there is enough negativity out there as it is, and I refuse to contribute to it (and I will continue to battle it when it is encountered). Come September, fans of the DCnU (and comics in general) have a chance to start engaging the stories that are challenging norms on new and more critical levels from the so-called ground floor as new readers are invited in. Even if you do not wish to engage in what I am proposing here, find the critical perspectives in which you feel confident to continue to evaluate so that conversation and creativity can continue to grow.


References


Cart, M., & Jenkins, C.A. (2006). The Heart Has It’s Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004. Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. 


Gallo, D. (2004). Bold Books for Innovative Teaching: The Boldest Books. The English Journal, 94 (1), 126-130. 


Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Diaz, E. M., and Bartkiewicz, M. J. (2010). The 2009 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.

Drawing Impossible Dreams: The Impact of Frank Miller's Ronin, part two

"Just remember, if this is your first comic book in a while, that comics is a form for telling stories, as versatile and full of promise as any other"(Frank Miller, from the collected Wolverine, 1987).

Ronin is not just a representation of where the makeup of comics were about to go in the last part of the twentieth century, but it also needs to be acknowledged as the the evolution of an artist who, when given an opportunity to express his self, truly embraced the chance to put his own stamp on storytelling in a medium that was ready for new avenues to be explored.

The Past is Prologue (stylistically)
Frank Miller could have just been satisfied as the in-house wunderkind at Marvel that put life into the second tier character Daredevil. The popularity of Miller is easy to see in his early work, as his storytelling, pacing, and style popped with movement and electricity, even though bound by the house styles and editing of the early 1980's (Fig. 1).

Fig.1

However, in less than a year (literally 11 months later) The infamous Daredevil #181 will seem to come from a completely different artist. In the figures 2 and 3, originally published as a two-page left to right sequence, notice how the action pops, but now with a dynamism that allows for a greater reader immersion--from the sequential pacing to the use of sound effects.

Fig. 2

Fig.3

But for all of Miller's bravado in action sequences, he exhibits quiet control in instances ( the multiple pages of Elektra moving to die in Matt Murdock's arms) or, as in figure 4, the use of playing with negative space and the breaking down of formal structure.

Fig. 4

Miller's evolution culminating in the death of Elektra issue is a clear indication of someone who is ready to take a step into the void of the medium that was begging for someone in the mainstream to put forth something striking, provocative, and entertaining. His use of widescreen cinematic panels, sound effects, and high paced energy would be refined through a more expressionist lens.

Re-imagining your own style
Daredevil #181, the death of Elektra, can be seen as a primer for the way that Miller is working out most of the style that he is moving towards. Just as Jenette Kahn (2008) lets the reader know in her introduction to the Absolute edition of the book,  Miller's art for Ronin, from his pencils and inks (which he handled himself) to exploring color usage (with constant companion Lynn Varley), this story is one that is in an expressionist vein.

Ronin as an expressionist work makes sense, as expressionistic art is "an embodiment of the artist's inward feelings and images into an objective, outward, "expressive"[author emphasis], form" (Barone, 2001, p.22), looking to "distort [the art] radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas", as the artist(s) attempts to "express meaning or emotional experience rather than physical reality" (Thompson; Baldick; Tejera; Oxford Illustrated Dictionary; as cited on wikipedia entry on expressionism).  By looking at this work through an expressionist lens, the ideas presented by Miller unify and coalesce nicely (and it can be argued by people much smarter than me that in essence the entire comics medium is legitimately an expressionist form of art).

Ronin as a story is a fever dream, the best type of science fiction in the vein of post-modern and anti-utopian visions that was at its peak, especially cinematically in the late 70's and early 80's in films such as Ridley Scott's Alien and Blade Runner, or John Carpenter's Escape from New York. While it is unfortunate that this is a story telling template that Miller (and others) will continue to apply as he rips through Batman in The Dark Knight Returns, to return to the point where he first really pieced it all together is still very exciting and refreshing almost thirty years later.

The expressionist style for Miller is in expanding upon what he had already developed in mastering the panel and page driven style of the comics medium. While Ronin truly has more examples than could possible be listed here ( it truly requires a book, one that I hope someone will write someday), I want to isolate three; two of which are an expansion of his previous style.

First, an example of how Miller handles action/violence. If you go back and look at the example above from Daredevil (fig. 2,3) we see the use of the horizontal, widescreen cinematic presentation of action while utilizing onomatopoeia. This evolves in many ways in Ronin as Miller compacts, yet expands the same idea, as seen below in figure 5.

Fig. 5

Here he relies on sound as a transitional barrier and action, sitting it up vertically rather than on the side-- therefore communicating the cutting quick motion of the sword going up and down in a way to transmit a greater impact upon the reader.

Second, Miller's use of negative space grows to want to allow the reader to step back from the page(s) and let the eye find the sequence. Again, in comparison with early work (see fig. 4), look at figures 6 and 7. (I apologize for breaking up the page, but the Absolute edition demanded it!).

Fig. 6

Fig.7

The third, and most revelatory, is Miller using full page spreads as actual transitions. Cinema has of course long used this technique ( e.g. panoramic shots of city-scapes), and Miller openly does it, but more so as an integral piece of information for the reader in regards to the narrative of the sentient computer Virgo gone haywire (fig 8, 9).

Fig. 8

Fig. 9

So what did it all mean?
Comics had to change. While in the 21st century many artists and creators have reverted back to looking at the gold and silver age of comic styles and story telling genres to refine sensibilities (Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier; Wednesday Comics), the decade of the 80's was and remains a very intense time for the medium. What works such as Ronin or even Watchmen opened the doors to was more creator input driven and/or owned work in a market place that had for too long been dominated by just the big boy homes of ideas and flights/tights sets. While the unfortunate drawback of this work was mass imitation via the "gritty-realistic" hero narratives that we still feel the lingering effects of today, Miller's expressionistic dream on paper still stands out historically as a point where the next wave in comics began, and the medium as a whole is better for it.

All images and words from Absolute: Ronin is copyrighted 2008, Frank Miller, Inc. and DC Comics; All images and words from Daredevil and Wolverine is copyrighted Marvel. All work represented here was purchased by the author, and is intended for scholarly use and debate for those who wish to engage in it. 

Black and White Surprises & Morrison's Superman

Last night our Coen bros. chronological film festival continued with "The Man who Wasn't There". I had only seen the movie once when it had been released on dvd back in 2001-2002, so I was prepared to either be pleasantly surprised or abysmally confounded. In viewing the films in the manner in which we have (chronologically), I have noticed a pattern these artists have of going up and down from film to film with the creative and narrative content of these films, really seeming to follow sensibilities that do tie closely to some aspects of genre but ultimately end in being a hit or miss by choice, not by meddling from others.

So keeping that in mind, I was ready for either awe or disappointment. Which Coen bros. film would show up? Or would it be something completely different? Well, this film is something completely different while maintaining certain narrative trappings that help them to construct these stories. Do we have a shmuck or shmoe who is potentially a patsy but yet is a protagonist? Check. Do we have a everyday, regular life context to spill into the fantastic, giving us a sense of that when life gets shaken up out of our routines that strange shit happens? Check. Is there bribery or reward involved. And check again. So everything is in place- The Schmuck living a regular life who gets involved too deep. Classic.

While this formula continues to work for the Coens, for this film they put a spin on it. By tinkering with the ideas of pop philosophy and psychology centering around the idea of existence (some would say existentialism, some would argue for the gestalt debate) of the post WWII era that began in Barton Fink, the Coens hit stride with the idea that to be an independent thinker is to be alone. While Barton Fink is a one trick pony of a writer who has used up his one idea, Crane the Barber (played by a tremendous Billy Bob Thornton) has been introspectively keeping to himself his whole life, watching and listening to the world. When we meet him, it seems as if it is the right time to move on his impulses that he has forsaken his whole life. These impulses ( taking a chance on opportunity, righting wrongs, etc.) initially seem to betray him when he tries to blackmail his wifes boss/lover and is put in a precarious spot. But even with the mistake of what happen (I'm not into spoilers, sorry) he does try to correct it on a karmic level constantly. But the rest of the world does not seem to understand, and even Crane the Barber seems to struggle with it as well.

"The Man Who Wasn't There" is also a cinematographic black and white wonder. I watched the film in HD via streaming and the picture quality was absolutely breathtaking. Roger Deakins scores for the brothers time and time again as director of photography (having come on board for Barton Fink), and this could very well be considered on level with the wide lens Kubrick-esqe flurishes of his heist film "The Killing". This film demands a re-watch simply to just soak in the lighting and atmosphere that are created. It is also of note that this film continues the Coens playing with film making in technical ways that began with "The Big Lebowski", e.g. how the camera moves, framing, subtle digital effects and of course lighting. Each film since Lebowski up to this point have had little tweeks in those areas. With this, the 9th film of the canon, the Coens are still taking chances, and it is very much worth the ride. Feel free to watch the film and tweet me about it @jldprod2002 or just comment here at the blog.

In a previous post this week I talked about the DC comics re-boot and my reactions to it. Yesterday, DC revealed the final four new titles centering around Superman. The biggest of those announcements was that comic scribe superstar Grant Morrison, whom many consider to have already written one of the greatest Superman stories ever (All-Star Superman), and has kept the Batman franchise vital in the last decade, would be writing for the grand daddy original flagship- Action Comics #1. This announcement puts fanboys and girls in the precarious position of having a very large question finally answered- Can Morrison work magic on someone like Superman like he has on Batman? All-Star allowed Morrison to work outside of continuity to create a unique and loving space, but here he will be presented with a launching that we will for now assume have continuity placed upon it.

Action Comics #1(probably not final art)

But lets pause here for a moment. The previous statement about continuity is an assumption, and one of many this week not only by me but by others. What if DC is not that concerned with continuity any more? What if this is the beginning of some really great isolated stories that many fans have called for over the years after suffering supposed "event fatigue" and convoluted re-boots? This is the most interesting thing about what DC is doing--we have no idea how this is going to roll. And to this comics fan, that is a very exciting prospect.

So will Morrison work on Superman? It will take three to four issues, but by the end of the year we shall see.

Next week, we have a double feature planned for the Coen- fest 2011 with "Intolerable Cruelty" and "The LadyKillers", two films that are sure to be perplexing and polarizing. I will tweet the times for these films on Friday and Saturday, and should have commentary on the blog on Sunday barring injury.