The Week In Ink: December 12, 2007

Posted on by

Normally, I like to let these things speak for themselves, but the setup for this one is just too good to leave out:

 

 

Well-done, Kirkman & Co. Well done indeed.

As for the rest of the comics this week, well, it just wouldn’t be the Internet’s Jolliest Comics Reviews if I got my opinions out of the way right here in the introduction, would it? Of course not! So then, here’s the frankly ridiculous list of what I picked up this week…

 

 

…now, let’s find out which ones kept me Grinchy, and which ones caused my heart to grow three sizes today!

 

 

Comics

 

Bat Lash #1: The irony here is astounding.

For those of you who haven’t read it yet, I’ll explain: Aside from the fact that I really like both Sergio Aragones and John Severin (and have no opinion whatsoever on co-writer Peter Brandvold), one of the major reasons that I was excited about the new Bat Lash series when it was announced was that I was hoping it could take the place of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray’s Jonah Hex, which I dropped for an infuriating over-reliance on rape as a plot point. And yet, here we are with Bat Lash #1, which ends with Lash’s lady-friend in iminent danger of sexual violence from the story’s villain.

What the hell, man?

It’s an incredibly disappointing development, and was only made worse by the high expectations I had for the book to begin with. Still, I’m planning on sticking with the title for the next issue or so, and while that might be hypocritical of me given what I’ve already said and my frustrations with Jonah Hex over the very same issue, but I’ve got to think that Aragones at least is a good enough creator that he ought to be given a chance to do something entertaining with the title, rather than just beating the same old plot point into the ground.

 

ISB BEST OF THE WEEK

 

 

Booster Gold #5: One of the most interesting things about writing a daily comics blog is that I often find myself writing out sentences that, five years ago, I never thought I’d ever actually use. Like, say, “No, really: US1 is actually really good!” Well, prepare to check another one off the list, friends:

Man, this week’s issue of Booster Gold was awesome.

Yeah, I know, it feels weird for me to say it, too. Anyway, as you can probably tell from the cover, this issue finds the time-traveling hero heading back to the events of The Killing Joke in an effort to keep Barbara Gordon from being crippled by the Joker, and needless to say, it doesn’t work out so well. But the stort itself works out beautifully: As much as it’s part of the whole overwritten super-seriousness that surrounded Infinite Crisis, the best moment we’ve gotten for the character in recent years has been the scene where it’s mentioned that Booster knew full well what he was getting into when he tried to take on Doomsday, but that he did it anyway hoping that he could save Superman.

It’s a good little character bit, and it’s that theme that Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz are using to propel the story here, and it’s great. Obviously, it’s a pretty huge departure from the hijinks of the recent issues that saw Booster getting drunk and crashing the Time Sphere, but seeing him throw himself relentlessly against the world’s most dangerous madman when he’s got the concept time itself stacked against him is just fantastic, and as he gets more and more determined with each brutal failure, it turns into an incredible show of heroism. It’s awesome, and along with Catwoman and Blue Beetle, Booster Gold might just be one of the best comics DC’s putting out.

…And that’s another one I thought I’d never say.

 

The Engineer #1: You might remember that I was pretty excited about this one back when it was solicited, owing to the fact that it can be accurately described as a comic about a guy with a cosmic pipe organ, and to say the least, that’s right up my alley. Even better, he uses said cosmic pipe organ to search for what appears to be a gear-filled Fabergé egg crafted for the sole purpose of saving the universe.

Just based on the concept, this thing should be freakin’ radical.

Unfortunately, a good idea can only take you so far, and while there’s nothing I’d call bad–or even “not very good”–about this issue, it doesn’t quite live up to the potential of its premise. To be fair, the first two pages are darn near perfect, and deliver the setup in a fun manner with a great punchline, and the last few pages are great, but the stuff in the middle just doesn’t quite hit. Seeing as it takes place on a planet populated by alien cavemen–again, a great concept–the opening action sequence doesn’t give anyone for the Engineer’s weak shots at witty banter to bounce off of, and when understandable characters do appear–in this case, the specters–the dialogue doesn’t mesh more often than it does.

It’s tricky to pull off, and the end result isn’t a bad comic so much as one that’s a little rougher around the edges than it ought to be. That said, there are a few scenes where it breaks through its shortcomings, and with the challenge of setting things up that a first issue provides out of the way, I’m thinking that it can’t help but improve from here.

 

Fantastic Four #552: I’ve mentioned my enjoyment of Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Pelletier’s run on FF more than a few times over the past few months, and really, other than the issue where Black Panther puts on the Astro Harness to fight the Silver Surfer in Outer Spaaaaace, there hasn’t been one that quite captures what I like about like this one does.

And it’s not just because there’s a sequence where the Thing just wails on Dr. Doom while explaining his friendship for the best friend that got him turned into an orange rock monster, although I assure you: That makes for some excellent comics. No, the single instant that just encapsulates the strength McDuffie brings to the title is where Reed, right after the rest of the team finally figures out that he just blew the head off of one of Doom’s robots and not the real Sub-Mariner, spins around with a shocked, scandalized look on his face and says “You didn’t think I’d actually killed T’Challa and Namor?!” That’s a guy who thinks so fast that it doesn’t even occur to him to explain why he’s doing something crazy, and doesn’t bother because he knows he’s got the trust of his family, and if that’s not the Reed Richards we all like–rather than, say, Mark Millar’s smarmy know-it-all fascist–then I don’t know what is. Great stuff.

 

Invincible #47: And speaking of great little moments in this week’s books, there’s one in this one that I just loved. And believe it or not, it’s not the kick to the face that tonight’s post led with, either. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I did like that one an awful lot, but I’m thinking here of the scene where Tether Tyrant and Magmaniac–which, really, have got to be the comic-bookiest super-villain names of all time–are robbing a bank, and Invincible shows up to stop them, saying “You guys?! Where have you been? I missed you.”

Ryan Ottley puts a half-smirk on Invincible’s face when he says it, and there’s no doubt that it’s your standard fight-opening tough-guy dialogue, but it’s played in such a way that I can’t help but think that there’s meant to be a little sincerity in there. One of Invincible’s defining moments, after all, is when he meets Allen the Alien and actually tries talking to him instead of just getting in another high-orbit dustup, so it’s not a stretch to imagine Mark Grayson sitting around one day at lunch and wondering whatever happened to those two goofy guys he beat up, and there’s something undeniably appealing about a character who has a certain fondness for his low-rent adversaries, even when they’re standing in front of him waiting to get punched.

Now, there’s a good chance that I’m reading way too much into what essentially amounts to a throwaway line, but for me, it’s yet another great small moment in a book that never stops delivering ’em.

 

Marvel Adventures Hulk #6: I don’t say this often, but man: Paul Benjamin just gets it.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned the Marvel Adventures Hulk title before, and how it sort of blindsided me by being way better than I expected it to, but for six solid months, Benjamin’s hit on all cylinders with everything I love about the whole MA line: Much like ISB Favorite Jeff Parker, who used the format to tell the best Avengers story ever, Benjamin’s creating his own idealized Marvel universe with stories where Bruce Banner, Rick Jones and their pet monkey seek out the help of other heroes in attempts to cure himself, and it’s fantastic.

Admittedly, the fact that every issue other than the first one has been about the Hulk teaming up with another Marvel Super-Hero might turn a few readers off, but I think the record will show that my affection for Marvel Two-In-One leads me to think that that’s just a swell idea. Regardless, in this issue, Banner stands trial in Atlantis, and any thoughts about the lack of Hulk stories that are actually about the Hulk rather than the Hulk’s Special Guest should be put to the side once you find out that there’s a scene here where the Hulk and Namor fight gamma sharks.

Yep: Gamma Sharks. No more need be said.

 

Nova #9: There were a couple of people who were surprised last month when I didn’t mention Nova in the ISB’s weekly reviews, but really: What the heck am I supposed to add to a story where Nova and a telepathic talking cosmonaut dog fight space zombies in a city built in the hollowed-out head of a dead Celestial?

Seriously. You tell me what else I need to say about that, other than the fact that it’s highly enjoyable–much like every issue of what’s definitely one of Marvel’s best new series of 2007–and I’ll say it. Promise.

Thanks, Guys Who Wrote Teenage Future Space Teens!

 

Punisher War Journal #14: So if you’re like me–a pretty terrifying prospect, I know–you’ve often found yourself wondering what that one J. Michael Straczynski Spider-Man story where the guy’s going around killing super-types with animal powers would be like if it was less about mystical totems and more about good ol’ fashioned Marvel-style ass-kicking, and if that’s the case, then rest easy: Matt Fraction’s done the work for you.

Of course, that’s old news, as this is the second part of the story where Fraction–along with Atomic Robo‘s Scott Wegener, filling in for Cory Walker–pits Frank against Kraven Jr., but there is some new information that I feel compelled to pass along, and that is this: The last two caption boxes in this issue come awfully close to equalling Goin’ Out West‘s immortal “I need to steal a car. I’m gonna drive to Mexico and shoot that guy in the face,” as seen in as the most fun things the Punisher’s said in this run.

Ah, sharkpunching. You never fail to please.

 

Wonder Woman #15: I know I joke around a lot here, but I’m gonna be real with you guys for a second, and I hope there’s someone at DC listening:

I would totally buy a monthly Gail Simone comic that was nothing but Captain Nazi getting the living crap kicked out of him by various super-heroes. Seriously. Heck, you could probably put out a trade–or at least a Prestige Format book–with just the stuff she’s done already!

Anyway, it’s Simone’s second issue of Wonder Woman, and despite a) the complete lack of Wonder Woman’s famed Gorillaplex, and b) the continuing trend of casting Nemesis as the Worst Secret Agent On Earth, it’s even better than her first. I think you can lay the credit here squarely at the feet of another clever, brutal defeat of Captain Nazi, because as I said above, I could just read about that guy being smacked around all day and never get tired of it, but the way Simone’s fleshing out the plot of the imprisoned Amazon Royal Guard is doing a lot to cast them in a far more sinister light than I’d originally expected. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that the whole thing’s being drawn by Terry and Rachel Dodson, who pull off everything from faces smacking into walls to frizzy-haired pre-battle Amazon coif-maintenance with equal, fantastic ability that makes me feel like it might be time to finally forgive them for Trouble.

…But then again…

 

 

And that’s the week! As always, etc., questions and comments, leave ’em, you guys know how it works by now, right?

Right!

55 thoughts on “The Week In Ink: December 12, 2007”

  2. Fantastic Four was a great example of making both the heroes and the villains look badass and portraying their personalities without betraying them for the good of the greater story (Civil War and WWH, Ima Lookin Atchoo)… The Thing smacks Doom into orbit and you say “Man, I love the Thing”, and then Doom smacks him right back Batgod style and you say “Doom’s still got it. I love Doom”, and those exchanges go on and on, and a story gets told. It’s pretty awesome. As I believe you already mentioned.

  3. Enjoy a cool Fantastic Four while you can, Millar’s Reign of Terror is about to start…

    Best,
    Hunter (Pedro Bouça)

  6. Can it be coincidence if it’s intentional?

    Regardless, irony is buying a book that you hope will give you a rape-less western story, only to find out it’s rape-filled. Dont’cha think?

  7. The Bat Lash comic was meh from start to finish. I was really very surprised at how meh it was.

    I thought the Thing’s speech about Reed was one of the best scripted bits of dialog in a mainstream superhero comic in the last six months or so. Pretty much spot on. Building on the character, but also giving you some new insights into him. I’m really depressed that Millar is going to be doing the book, but at least it shows that they can kind of clean up after the Civil War mess with Reed Richards. Tony Stark, on the other hand, is going to take way, way more damage control.

  9. Chris, you may want to reconsider ditching Salvation Run.

    #2 – Joker bashes Psimon’s brains in with a rock, literally!

  10. I buy Booster Gold, and I’ll probably continue to for a while. Like JSA and Green Lantern, it’s written by a guy who knows the character inside out, and has a really strong understanding of the concept. But I do feel it’s missing a trick. If the concept is Booster Gold travels through time saving the universe without any credit, (which I love) then couldn’t the art exploit the writing’s playful reworkings of classic DC stories. I know issue #5 lifts some of the original Bolland work, but wouldn’t it have been great if the earlier pages in the abandoned circus made more of an attempt to look like missing pages from the killing joke. After all, Booster isn’t really travelling in time per say, he’s travelling through the DC archives. Wouldn’t it turn a good book into a fantastic book if each encounter reflected the original art, like a Carmen Infanto pastiche in the recent Flash issue, say. The panel layout and lettering could be “dated” as well. Maybe the current art team aren’t up to the task (the unrealistic dream would be JH Williams), but maybe each issue could have guest artists, either the relevant artist or those with similar styles (I don’t think Bolland would have agreed to this issue, but Van Sciver might have done a good take on his style, and obviously some of the older stories creators are sadly no longer with us, but their styles live on in others) and Jurgens could handle the “present day” action, which would act as framing sequences in each issue, much like Chris Spouse’s work on the ABC line Tom Strong.

  11. No Green Lantern?

    (Spoilers)
    .
    .
    .

    As silly as the “Hal and the Technicolor Dream Corps” makes me snicker, this might bemy favorite comic of the year. A few dozen gorgeous splash pages of every hero on earth punching evil aliens, some great stuff with Guy Gardner, and a scene where a bunch of Lanterns basically smack the Anti-Monitor with the Death Star and even a subtle commentary on the negative ramifications of DC’s increasingly violent stories…I mean, hot damn, I can hardly believe this all spun out of an eight page short story Alan Moore wrote almost twenty years ago.

  12. Chris, you may want to reconsider ditching Salvation Run.

    #2 – Joker bashes Psimon’s brains in with a rock, literally!

    I second this emotion, plus Lex finally shows up. Between all that craziness and the Previews for February, I think there’s some serious upside here. Countdown Arena #2 was… well, interesting, if only because I never read “Darkest Knight” so seeing a universe where Bruce Wayne became Green Lantern was truly awesome.

    Now, if only he used his power ring to smash Monarch in the head with a car battery…

  14. Salvation Run was fun this week, but I’m really disappointed that we didn’t get a follow-up on Mr. Terrible attempting to make Joker that steak he requested. Truly, Mr. Terrible is the Amelia Bedelia of the DCU.

  15. I thought that Booster Gold 5 was absolutely AMAZING until the last page. Not that it spoilt it, but Booster crying about how he finally realises there’s no going back to the life he used to know was a major character defining moment like Chris said. Very well built up through the issue as well.

    Serious Issue of the Year contender for me.

  16. Man, I haven’t punched a shark in weeks.

    Chris, you’re right — it always satisfies.

    Dammit, restraining order from the Baltimore Aquarium or not, I’m getting my hip waders and “Sharky’s Machine” t-shirt on, putting on my best fish-beating gloves, and taking care of some long overdue business.

    I must. I must follow my inner voice. The one that says “Haaaarv…punch out a giant carnivorous fiiiiish…it’s what Frank Caaaastle would do…”

    Later, yo.

  17. Andy G, in my personal opinion, I think you’ve answered your own question. That trick has been done a zillion times in the last decade. They did it on the ABC line, they did it on Stormwatch, they did it in Supreme, they did it in the Sentry, they did it in those Kavalier and Klay Escapist comics. It’s a fun gimmick, but, for me, it’s an idea that has played out.

  18. Fantastic Four followed the perfect formula for making a good FF comic:

    Add one well written Dr. Doom.
    End of formula.

  19. I love this great “Punisher vs. random wild animals” thing that’s suddenly going on. That cover shot of Frank taking on the white whale is still blowing my mind. And on top of that he’s got a whole story arc involving guys dressed as wild animals in War Journal. Simply amazing.

  20. For my money, the best part of Booster Gold 5 was when he snapped and told the Joker “Stop laughing at me”. The Joker laughs at everyone, but Booster took it personally because that’s Booster in a nut shell–more than anything, he wants to be worthy of the respect of other heroes. He wants them to stop laughing.
    Also, the team did an awesome Joker. There was something just so… evil when Joker started beating Booster with Skeets.

  21. Chris, I know you’re not feeling Geoff John’s GL run, but man, this week’s GL #25 had a super-intelligent smallpox virus fight an evil super-intelligent virus because it wants justice.

    And Hal totally broke a two-by-four over Sinestro’s face.

    I bet myself that the image of Rick Jones kicking Namor in Namor’s mouth was going to be the kick in the face of the week. And I lost. Luckily, since I bet myself, I still break even.

  23. Good, reviews. I share your feelings on Booster Gold. I loved it. However, I may have missed something since I read it on my break, but did Rip Hunter basically show Booster that he can’t change the past? “No matter how many times you try, Joker wins” or something? If that’s true, why have they had to go back in time to keep people who aren’t supposed to die from dying? Shouldn’t it be impossible?

    I thought the story was good, as a character piece fantastic, but I can’t help but seeing the hole in the logic. If Barbra was going to be paralyzed no matter what, shouldn’t that “Rex” character be destined to grow up no matter what? How was it possible for him to be killed as an infant? IDK, like I said, I must have missed something.

  24. According to Rip, the time anomalies such as Superman never being born and the death of Green Lantern were a direct result of the events of “52” creating pockets of “soft time” that allowed Rex Hunter and Supernova (the Booster’s dad variety) to alter history (hence the title of the arc “52 Pickup”). The events of “The Killing Joke” weren’t affected by any “soft time” anomalies so they couldn’t be changed (because they were part of the “real” timeline).

    As for the Rex Hunter “Chronocide”, it seems to me that Ultra-Humanite and his running crew just don’t seem all concerned about damaging the timeline and are therefore just much less careful then Rip and Booster are. Rip specifically told Booster not to call in Batman because it would damage the timeline too much, but Humanite seems content to go with the “smash and grab” approach to time travel.

  26. Dude! The return of The Pirates of Coney Island! A book YOU turned me onto. Why no get!?! WHY? NO! GET?

    I’m reasonably certain you’re mistaken, as I don’t care for Pirates of Coney Island and don’t own a single issue of it.

     

    Chris, you may want to reconsider ditching Salvation Run.

    I didn’t. I was going to, but I kept it around after the solicitation that I mentioned (hence it being on the list of things I bought this week), and found the second issue to be an improvement over the first.

    Besides, it’s always nice to see the Body Doubles again.

     

    No Green Lantern?

    Nope. I really hate to be the spoilsport here, but I honestly can’t see what you guys like about the Sinestro Corps stuff, especially since the whole thing ends with an ad for next year’s event, where they’re going to be doing the exact same thing again, just with a different color. I just don’t get it, I guess.

  27. Just imagine! One of the 52 Earths could have a Marvel Comics where Millar and Hitch never wanted to do FF, and McDuffie and Pelletier were on the book for decades, making us all happy for ever and ever, amen.

  28. Mr. Sims said

    “Nope. I really hate to be the spoilsport here, but I honestly can’t see what you guys like about the Sinestro Corps stuff”

    Huh?! WHUTz?! I can believe what my eyes are reading here…is that really you Mr.Sims? Or are you his anti-matter version? Sinestro Corps really does deliver. Brutal fights…great one liners…Guy doing his acts…Coast City showing some major balls. It’s was a worth a reading. Oh, and Henshaw’s emotional moments truly make you feel that even a mass murderer cyborg can’t be a jerk all the time.

    What amazes me is that you don’t find Sinestro Corps appealing…but you find Catwoman (Wil Pfeifer’s CATWOMAN!!!??) interesting. Did you even read Ed Brubaker run on the series?

    Reveal yourself! Must be an impostor. :p

  31. Wait –

    you have a picture from the Captain Carrot up above, but no comment? C’mon Chris –

    what did you think of the Captain Carrot issue?

  32. Sinestro Corps really does deliver.

    Yeah, great, glad you like it.

     

    What amazes me is that you don’t find Sinestro Corps appealing…but you find Catwoman (Wil Pfeifer’s CATWOMAN!!!??) interesting. Did you even read Ed Brubaker run on the series?

    Not just interesting, but it’s consistently one of the best titles that DC puts out. And yes, I read Ed Brubaker’s run on the series, all the way from the great beginning (which, I suppose, actually started in Darwyn Cooke’s Selina’s Big Score) to the reasonably terrible story about the cat-people of Shangri-La.

     

    what did you think of the Captain Carrot issue?

    Oh, I thought it was great. The series itself had its ups and downs–Ra’s Alpaca definitely falling into the former category–but the last issue was so much fun, from the New Dogs to the shock ending that’s just crazy, but really enjoyable too.

  33. [Chris: I didn’t. I was going to, but I kept it around after the solicitation that I mentioned (hence it being on the list of things I bought this week), and found the second issue to be an improvement over the first.]

    Ah, apologies sir. One thing, thought it was a tad bit weird to introduce the Flash rogues as main characters in part 1 but not use them at all in #2.

  34. My love for Booster Gold is unending, and it only continues to improve. Jaime looked like a 20-something heroin addict, but aside from that I have no complaints. I’m a little sad that you didn’t pick up Nightwing this week, because I really feel it was an improvement over Robin last week. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, though, because if it has Robin or Nightwing on it, I will buy it.

  35. “Regardless, irony is buying a book that you hope will give you a rape-less western story, only to find out it’s rape-filled. Dont’cha think?”

    Of course not. In that case, irony could be buying a bad book hoping it’s good. That’s just bad luck.

    Irony would be if Chris stopped buying Jonah Hex because the writers kept using rape in the stories, and then bought Bat Lash, only to find out Graymiotti were reassigned to Bat Lash and wrote a story about rape in the first issue. That would be more ironic.

  36. To clarify: ironic situations rely on something happening that can’t easily be explained, or it’s far too coincidental to be normal.

    Rape has become a cliche in comics, therefore it’s really not unexpected to see it come up again.

  37. I read the first two issues of Booster Gold and liked them a lot but due to financial issues I decided to wait for a trade. But your review of #5 inspired me to go buy it and it was awesome. Now I guess I need to find #3 and #4 and fill in the gap. Damn you, Sims!

  39. So you’re saying that it’s not ironic that I stopped buying Jonah Hex because of the use of rape as a plot device, then got excited about Bat Lash, explicitly stating my hopes that said plot device wouldn’t be used, and then purchased it only to find that it’s in there in the first issue?

  40. Nope. I really hate to be the spoilsport here, but I honestly can’t see what you guys like about the Sinestro Corps stuff, especially since the whole thing ends with an ad for next year’s event, where they’re going to be doing the exact same thing again, just with a different color. I just don’t get it, I guess.

    On the bright side, at least it’s not named “Crisis” something or something “Crisis”. Which for DC, is a step up at least.

    But if Hal or Kyle smashed someone with a green power construct shaped like a car battery, you would be on board, right?

    (Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if Guy tried that at least once…)

  41. Having done extensive research on the subject of irony, specifically the use of irony in modernist fiction, I’m going to have to go with Chris on this one: what he describes is indeed irony. Irony often involves the unexpected repetition of the same experience. It would be similar to the kind of situational irony used in suspense movies all the time, where a character attempts to escape a certain danger, only to find that the safe haven he or she sought out also contains that same danger. Or in a war story, where a character dramatically escapes death only to die in some sudden and unexpected way. So, Chris abandoned or escaped Jonah Hex because of its extensive use of rape, then goes to Bat Lash for a similar, but rape-free Western fix, only to find that it, too, contains rape.

    But it’s nothing like rain on your wedding day or like getting a free ride when you’ve already paid.

  42. Man, this is going to bug me now. I started picking up PoCI at the same time as The Damned and Phonogram and several other ISB recomended titles. And checking your old site, its true theres nothing on the title there…

    So who the hell was pushing the book?

  43. “So you’re saying that it’s not ironic that I stopped buying Jonah Hex because of the use of rape as a plot device, then got excited about Bat Lash, explicitly stating my hopes that said plot device wouldn’t be used, and then purchased it only to find that it’s in there in the first issue?”

    It’s like rain on your wedding day or getting stuck in traffic when you’re already late – that is, not ironic, just coincidental bad luck.

  44. “Irony often involves the unexpected repetition of the same experience.”

    No repetition need be involved at all, unless you mean a permutation of an expected event that you’ve experienced before in the past.

    “It would be similar to the kind of situational irony used in suspense movies all the time, where a character attempts to escape a certain danger, only to find that the safe haven he or she sought out also contains that same danger.”

    Out-of-the-frying-pan-and-into-the-fire isn’t necessarily irony, but it can make for good comedy by raising the stakes.

    “Or in a war story, where a character dramatically escapes death only to die in some sudden and unexpected way.”

    No, that isn’t necessarily irony either. Irony is if that soldier escapes enemy fire and runs to the rescue chopper, only to be cut down accidentally by the chopper’s blades. Thus, despite escaping death, the very thing that would rescue him has instead brought him death.

    There was no expectation for Bat Lash to be rape-free, merely hope that it would be.

  45. Michael–
    I think your mistaking my explanation as providing necessary conditions for irony, when my qualifications like “often” suggest only sufficient conditions. So, while repetition is not a necessary condition of irony, it is often a characteristic. My example was not the same as “out of the frying pan and into the fire,” but “out of the frying pan and into another frying pan that didn’t, at first, look like a frying pan.”

    Your example of death by rescue chopper is analagous to Chris’s situation. The rescue chopper is equivalent to Bat Lash.

    That is, I think there was a reasonable expectation, and not mere hope, that Bat Lash would be rape-free. The character has a tradition of being light-hearted and humorous, and the presence of the character’s creator, Sergio Aragones–who is also known almost exclusively for his humor–leads the reader to expect that tradition to continue.

    Irony is a slippery concept, because it requires a kind of contract or agreement between writer and reader. It is one of the few literary concepts that takes into consideration the author’s intent, but the reader also has to “get it” in order for the contract to be fulfilled. There are also so many different kinds of irony (dramatic irony, situational irony, sarcasm, etc.) that it’s difficult to narrow down to a precise definition. For every example of irony that I could come up with, you could come up with several similar examples that don’t qualify, and vice versa.

  46. ” I think there was a reasonable expectation, and not mere hope, that Bat Lash would be rape-free. The character has a tradition of being light-hearted and humorous, and the presence of the character’s creator, Sergio Aragones–who is also known almost exclusively for his humor–leads the reader to expect that tradition to continue.”

    I don’t think it was ever a factor either way. Whereas a rescue chopper is pretty much expected to serve one kind of purpose, a comic book is supposed to serve any variety of purposes in terms of content.

    In the end, it’s not really worth worrying over, as most people really wouldn’t know better that Chris’ example doesn’t constitute true irony, but it really is another misuse that robs the word of its true implications. Irony SHOULDN’T just be rain on your wedding day.

  49. Um, wow. Chris’ ‘irony’ comment seemed fine to me. The ridiculous over-analysis of it? Not so much.

    Booster Gold was great, but man, was GL #25 awesome. Geoff Johns just put out two of the best issues of the year IN THE SAME WEEK.

  50. Man. Someday I hope I’ll know how to construct a proper English sentence. Maybe somebody’ll actually pay me for that kind of knowledge!

    It’s nice to dream, I guess.

  51. I find it ironic that you should say he’s contributed nothing to the discussion, when he’s contributed the most sensible comment on the matter. ;)

  53. “It seems that the cat has been caught by the very person who was trying to catch him.”

    “How ironic.”

    Now that’s irony!

  54. Naah, irony is dropping Jonah Hex because of the use of rape as a plot device and I don’t believe Gray and Palmiotti have used rape since that issue. Certainly not in the October El Diablo issue or in Russ Heath’s issue.