The Decontextualized Adventures of the Superfisters
All of our comics this week have been struck by some kind of diabolic decontextualization ray, leaving them to fend for themselves in the bleak tundra of WTF. From local artist Chris Wisnia come inside-jokes so confusing you won't be able to find your head to scratch it; from Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale come a Superman so divorced from modern superhero style we found ourselves enjoying it in spite of our deep-seated loathing of underwear perverts; and from Steve MacIsaac comes a relatively contextual story about a man lost in a country and relationship he just can't understand. And as always, the information you need to make sense of the world is available at Isotope Comics in Hayes Valley, who are kind enough to point us in directions that sometimes make very little sense indeed. Just how we like it.
Comics aficionados (or "jerks" as they're more commonly known) will understand that Chris Wisnia's Doris Danger in Outer Space is a half-tribute/half-spoofing of the cheap (but beloved) old-timey Jack Kirby adventure style. The rest of us, though, are just along for the bumpy confusing ride. Each panel is laden with overwrought expressions, confusing logic, and more italics, exclamation points, and quotation marks than the text really deserves -- it's sort of like an action-adventure version of Mary Worth. Example dialogue: "Sir! Back here! Clunksky found a 'secret door'! I think we've struck ... 'PAYING DIRT!'" A villain obsessed with the kazoo, some pulpy dialogue about monsters, and an "outer space rocketmobile" that gets "high-jacked" by robots doesn't ever make any sense; but fans of the frenetic genre, whatever that genre is, my find themselves experiencing "chuckling."
Steve MacIsaac's Shirtlifter, on the other hand, isn't confusing at all; it's the characters themselves who are having trouble making sense of things. A kept man named Derek came to Japan when his husband's job was transferred, and now Derek's bored -- cheating on his husband, working out, and drinking are just about all he can do, since he doesn't want to get to know Japan. "Being here is good for Michael," he whines, "but what about me?" He complained about WeHo when they lived there (and who wouldn't) but now he wants to go back. Michael, his husband, loves Derek enough to let him leave if that's what he needs, and that makes Derek's choice even tougher.
If it sounds like a setup or prologue, that's because that's more or less what it is. We get to know some characters and their situations, but just when Derek gets an impending opportunity to return home, the story ends. We could've used just a bit more action to sustain our interest; as it is, Issue One is a little heavy on the back-story and a little light on the story-story. But we'll tune in next time for Issue Two; this Derek creep is growing on us in spite of our irritation with his fickle selfishness.
Hilarious sidenote: we brought the comic to work with us to write this review during lunch. Imagine our delight when one of the executives saw it and puzzled, "what is 'Shirtlifter Magazine'?" Since the first page features frontal nudity, we were eager to distract him -- and the busty (yet clothed) cover of last week's Crossbronx did the trick.
Okay, superhero comics ALWAYS bore us. That's the rule. So we're a little peeved at Superman Confidential for being so damn enjoyable. We're not sure why we like it so much -- maybe it's because the books are set very early in Clark's career as superhero, so there's an unpretentious newness to everything. As though he's the nervous new guy in the office, bumbling through his first few days on the job, Superman frets that he's screwing up, that nobody will respect him, and that he's not good enough for the job that he's taken -- that job being "saving humanity." In this universe, Clark's quiet and confident; Superman's shy and apologetic.
Okay, all that mushy stuff aside, there's still a few panels here that made us want to punch someone. Check this dialogue: "We separate on the lip of salvation in an orchestra of light. My spirit plummets like a star from the heavens." It simply isn't possible to talk about your spirit without sounding like a complete jackoff; and this "lip of salvation/orchestra of light" business could only be excused if it appeared in the margin of a 14-year-old's journal at a poetry reading in a coffee house in Connecticut in 1994. "Oh my god," the 14-year-old would gasp after scribbling down those words, "I am SUCH a great writer." Twelve years later, he's blogging for free about a bunch of Superman comics.
So anyway, the plot: a businessman is building a new casino in Metropolis, and Perry White's suspicious. Hoping to unmask a villain, he creates an undercover mission for Lois, Clark, and Jimmy (who's awesomely drawn to look like a snub-nosed "wanna shoeshine mister" Newsie-type shrimp like you'd find in a book by Mickey Spillane or Eric Powell). While Lois is canoodling with the casino guy, Superman gets distracted by a volcano -- he tries to save villagers, but he panics in all the chaos and screws things up. Upset, he flies home to get a hug from his mom, and a "this is your cross to bear" speech from his dad. It's all very moving, and we can't wait to read more.