What? Not Impressed?

DC Comics is "..living the interesting times" lately - where can they not go wrong? Type "DC Comics controversy" on Google and see what you get.

It seems they got their Forever Evil event going, but with an old trick from the 1990s: the gimmick cover. What's being described as a "3D cover" is what I alwys identified as a "Wiggle card", but upon close inspection, is a combination of wiggle and 3D; the image does not wiggle, but it has the depth of field promised by 3D, and the image is clear and viewable without kitschy glasses.

The big controversy surrounding this event is that gimmick may have been added late in the game and there are more "standard" editions on stands then copies with the 3D covers. Retailers are hoping that people will buy the regular copies anyway to check out the stories because they're otherwise stuck with unsold comics that will eventually end up in the half-dollar box, particularly if it features a character that's unpopular.

Anyway...when I went to the comic shop, I only saw two comics with 3D covers available: The Riddler & The Creeper. The Riddler story was tied-in to a Batman arc that I haven't been following (I wait for the library to carry trades of a lot of the recent superhero storylines; I'm waiting for them to carry Before Watchmen as well, and Batman: Death of The Family - NOT "A Death In The Family", in case you were wondering). As for Creeper ... the cover looks fantastic, but the book is offering a new take on the character...a character who...well, most creators have had a hard time figuring out who or what The Creeper is; his appearance on Batman: The animated Series was a rare lucky break. The new take by Ann Nocenti & Chriss Cross (not Christopher "sailin'" Cross, in case you were wondering) seems inspired by legends/folklore from Japan about demons - Oni (not Oni the comics publisher, in case you were wondering). It's okay, but I wonder if the original Steve Ditko design has been given the boot, or if this was just some new mythology Nocenti was setting up. I did notice that the cover was a faint nod to the Creeper's first appearance in DC Showcase.

I flipped through the  standard issues offered...none of the stories really caught my attention, although the event is not finished yet - there's supposedly a revival of the Duela Dent "Joker's Daughter" character coming up (also by Ann Nocenti)..and I'm sure the 3D covers WILL turn up - marked-up, of course. It's really saying a lot that this event is the one bright spot in a rather schizzy summer for the company.

The Apocryphal Scrooge McDuck

This is the first of several entries/essays about children's books featuring "The richest duck in the world"...with no Ducktales logo in sight...

"Scrooge and The Magic Fish" was part of a series of children's books featuring Disney characters called Disney's Fun To Read Library, published by Bantam in 1986. The author and illustrator were not credited, but the art style is not unlike how the characters appeared in the Disney comics of the 1960s and 70s. Published just one year before the premiere of Ducktales, it offers an image of Scrooge that's a bit more complex than he would ever appear in other children's books, aside from adaptations of Mickey's Christmas Carol.

The book adapts the fable of "The Fisherman & His Wife" with Scrooge cast in the role of the fisherman. In the fable, a fisherman catches a fish that will grant a wish for whatever the fisherman desires in exchange for sparing its life. The fisherman agrees, but his greedy wife pressures him into constantly going back and forth to make more demands for a greater prize, each trip trying the fish's patience until he decides the fisherman was better off in the state he was before their encounter - with nothing.

The adaptation changes things considerably by playing off Scrooge's manic, dark side within the context of a simple fable - and he does have a dark side : his vanity, his greed, his insecurity, his bipolar tendencies (content, self-possessed, confident, resourceful one moment...frantic, hapless, paranoid, cynical and fickle the next) - all in a convincing way, along with the change of atmosphere; things literally get darker - storm clouds form, Scrooge's undeserved sense of entitlement makes him oblivious to the dangerous weather, the fish's slow burn... it all works.

Donald Duck appears in the story - he does play the role that the wife played in the fable, but he steps out of character to play the voice of reason and show that even he can be wise. Sometimes. Instead, all the conflict is really supplied by Scrooge, who sees his fortune as "half-empty" and is desperately trying to seize/exploit an opportunity that was only meant as a show of grattitude by a magic creature.

The story ends with the status quo restored: Scrooge is still a tightwad, but he appreciates his hard-earned fortune better than he ever did, as this tale seems to argue.. I really wish I knew who wrote this. There's not a single false note to be found. It wasn't Carl Barks, was it? Could this be a lost tale by The Duck Man?

Here's a hint about the book I'll review next time: scratch and sniff.

Brickbats! #Batfleck !

Vital issues and stuff over the last few weeks:

So... Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman in Batman vs. Superman - or Superman vs. Batman, or World's Finest, or ... I'm sure they'll think up a proper title. Keep in mind that this is the improved, post-"Argo" Ben, which implies that we'll be seeing the work of a more seasoned actor..one that may surprise us the way Robert Downey Jr. did when he played Tony Stark & Sherlock Holmes. 

This will also be a new take on Batman...just for fun..how about it if Ben played Tlano, the Batman of Planet X, with Verne Troyer as Bat-Mite by his side? By gum, that will either fill seats..or leave me sitting alone in an air conditioned theatre during a heatwave..I welcome either outcome.

Another thing that's come up is the word "tricky", used by executives trying to get a Wonder Woman movie off the ground. I think it's wise of Warner Brothers to not want to crank out a film that might arrive with a thud, but I'm convinced this is simply because they haven't found someone to play that character. It's like solving a jigsaw puzzle with only half the pieces - they were almost ready to fast-track Megan Fox into the part before she let slip her indifferent & apathetic opinion ("Wonder Woman is a lame superhero...I just don't get it.") which can easily be reversed if someone wrote a screenplay that was persuasive...no such thing exists. In fact, the last time anyone paid attention to a Wonder Woman comic book was when Walt Simonson 

wrote a storyline in which ... she got a haircut.  Before that, there was the Stan Lee event "Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating The DC Universe" in which he collaborated with Jim Lee on a new take on Wonder Woman that had elements of Xena and She-Ra mixed in. I'm not so sure if what your average Hollywood screenwriter conceives will be more or less ridiculous.

One more thing - Grant Morrison got attention this week for dusting off an old debate about Alan Moore's "Batman: The Killing Joke": had Alan written the "last" Batman story? Did he have Batman kill the Joker in the final page by strangling him off-panel? Morrison believes that was EXACTLY what happened in that story and Moore got away with it by keeping it subtle. 

There are strong clues that support this: that Sheldon Moldoff-drawn "Batman Family" portrait in the Batcave; Barbara Gordon looking noticeably older than she was as Batgirl in her last few appearances,  along with the implication that she had retired a long time  ago; Batman's famous "Hello" monologue/soliloquy, implying that he WILL kill the Joker someday, but it would take a game-changing catalyst to do it; finally, the finite nature of the way things happen in the story, as if THIS is as far as anyone should go - this is the end, the Joker has made Batman's code against killing a joke, so the "killing joke" is...Batman surrenders to his darker impulses and kills theJoker. The last Batman story. Moore's storytelling skills remain without peer in comics -  there's no topping him, that's why superhero comics are the way they are -  we can only imitate what he did already. 

Of course we know DC chose to interpret that story as just one more story, so this remains moot, but the debate makes me want to read it again - mission accomplished. 

Elmore Leonard , RIP

The reports are coming in as I write this: novelist Elmore Leonard passed away early this morning. He was 87.

I'm sure journalists will write that he was a "crime writer" as opposed to "mystery writer" because his novels were stocked in the mystery aisle of most bookstores and libraries. He wrote seriocomic novels focusing on criminals, often in unlikely romances , which may have been the secret to his popularity. His characters start off gritty, then faintly funny before turning sweet.

The books were often adapted into movies, particularly in the 90's in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Quentin Tarentino's Pulp Fiction (the three best-known adaptations are Get Shorty, Out of Sight and Jackie Brown,  which adapted the novel Rum Punch) and inspired several TV Series (Maximum Bob, Karen Cisco and Justified, of which its lead character, Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens, appeared in three novels and one short story/"novella" - the most Leonard wrote about any particular character). He didn't focus on archtypical characters - his characters were posers, bluffers, film buffs, punks - his world was too decadent for anyone to be steadfast and true, though his Raylan comes very close, which probably explains why Justified is the most successful TV series based on his books...just don't assume I'm a fan - I found Raylan to be cardboard. He was a supporting character in his debut, Pronto, and the real star of that book (in my humble opinion) was aging gangster/Ezra Pond fan Harry Arno, who was played by Peter Falk when it was adapted into a film.

Leonard's writing style was a softer approach to classic, cliched hard-boiled detective fiction. The crooks are the sympathetic characters, while the federal agents, undercover cops, bounty hunters and other law enforcement officials ...in Leonard's world, they're the wild cards, the double and triple-crossers. Raylan Givens appears comical in the novels because everyone around him is making deals on the side and have no clue how deal how to deal with a righteous cowboy with a trigger-finger. Most of Leonard's books were usually set around Florida and were meticulously researched to capture the local color. From an outsider's perspective, this was  the opposite of so-called "yuppie porn" - it was "lowlife porn": stories about people living it up while living low and thinking small. Reading between the lines, life was all about understanding game theory.

There are a lot of writers whose writing style was similar to Leonard: Carl Hiassen, Pete Hautman, Donald Westlake, Lawrence Block, Ed McBain. They all make up a generation of writers that deconstructed the hard-boiled/ film noir/police procedural and rebuilt them into sitcoms. They saw how funny it all was.

Elmore Leonard. RIP.

WHO Are You? Who? Who? Who? Who?

The BBC is going to announce who will replace Matt Smith in the role of The Doctor in Doctor Who today. Officially, the new arrival will be the twelfth actor to play the Time Lord, making him, or her  "The 12th Doctor". Your friendly South London bookie will tell you that Peter Capaldi & Daniel Rigby are the odds-on favorites believed to get the role; both are virtually unknown in the U.S., but in Britain they are better-known than Smith when he got the part. Some people think Benedict Cumberbatch might get it, since Sherlock and Doctor Who don't appear to pose scheduling conflicts (they're both BBC programs;  he could do both) and Steven Moffat runs both shows.

The truth is NOBODY KNOWS. They did a really good job of keeping it a secret - so good, that the announcement is planned to be simulcast on BBCAmerica today at 2pm.

I'm certain about two things: the new doctor will probably stick around for three, four years, tops...there's never talk of pay raises or "points on the back end" for any of these actors when their likeness adorns merchandise that makes a lot of money for the BBC - the only reason why Tom Baker is the only actor to have played the part the longest (seven years) might be because he had co-written a script for a feature film titled Doctor Who Meets Scratchman that was almost fast-tracked into production but was grounded by a lack of financing...and...Tom was forced out by enemies he'd made with his ego. Anyway, the point is, only the Beeb makes the money. No contract negotiations or producer credits or other American showbiz dealspeak; I'm sure David Tennant didn't leave to do that remake of Fright Night; he had become THE most popular incarnation of the Doctor, rivaling Tom & his scarf with his own pinstripe blue suit & eyeglasses. It's no secret that the Matt Smith years are often regarded as "Tennant jr." or Doctor Who Babies.

There's always talk about whether an American version of the series will be made ... doubtful. Two reasons: the ratings would need to average 20 million every week (it averages around 10 million on a good day, 15 on a better day, 8 or 5 at bad times - good for the CW, you might say, but only if the budget was at rock-bottom - Supernatural / Vampire Diaries , dim-lighting, walking-around-shrubs-in-a-studio-lot-at-Burbank bottom). The one time Who saw 20 million was in 1979, when an idustrial strike shut down the only other network in Britain and people who would rather watch the soap opera Coronation Street on ITV were watching part 2 of "City of Death" instead. Low-wattage potboiler detective shows like New Tricks get the same ratings as Doctor Who, which means us yankees would be hoping the U.S. incarnation could do as well as Castle. Another reason? It's too British! Americanize it and you get something we've seen before here: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Back To The Future, Sliders, Angel, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Tru Calling, Dollhouse...even The Ghost Whisperer..with it's mushy, pious, sometimes condescending sentimentality.

The other certainty? Hard core fans are on pins and needles in anticipation...arranging live tweets and recording their reactions as it happens on YouTube, Vine, Skype, Instagram, Keek, etc...

Oh, and  another certainty...there will be plenty of merchandise with the 12th Doctor..and his/her costume - the real dealbreaker that will gauge his/her popularity and appeal...is still a secret.

Oh...one other certainty.. Jenna Coleman is still in the show, whether "graduating" into The Doctor ( as many fans, including myself, are inclined to think could happen, because of the nature of the current, wonky storyline - that Clara co-exists within the Doctor's lifespan and is dependant on him to stay alive - I think), but also, she's the new Sci-Fi Babe/"It" girl - a title held by alumni such as Eliza Dushku, Jessica Alba, Charisma Carpenter, Jeri Ryan, etc...I suppose she might turn up on the cover of Maxim soon. For now, we're settling for photoshopped pictures of her in vinyl catsuits...

Update: Peter Capaldi IS the new Doctor...and people are already debating if his age and appearance will send female viewers running the opposite direction. Those in support of the decision call him a "silver fox", all opposed recall his track record of playing only  foulmouthed  bastards - Malcolm Tucker of "The Thick of It" in particular. The irony here is I recall Matt Smith fell under the same scrutiny and people already miss him. So that means all IS right with the world. We've got a new Doctor Who. Cheers. :)

Silver Dollars: Ducktales Anniversary, Part 5

For this installment,  I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the original children's books that were created to capitalize on the success of the Ducktales TV series.  There are plenty of articles and discussions devoted to the comic books and the magazine, but this venue - prose fiction - has been left unchecked.

All of the books featured in the gallery below are presented in order by the year they were published - 1987, 1988 & 1990 - in groups of two, although there was a third title published in 1990, Ducktales: Journey To Magic Island, which I don't have, so there's no picture to offer...yet.

Some notes:

1987:
The Hunt For The Giant Pearl : has the best-looking cover of the lot. I think it was drawn by Daan Jippes, who drew many Donald Duck comics and  illustrated the covers for the Ducktales comic book when it was published by Gladstone Comics in the late-80s. The cover art is uncredited,  so that's my guess. A different artist (also unknown) worked on the interior art, which is not as lush as the cover. The real charm is the plot, which features Flintheart Glomgold teaming up with Magica De Spell for the first time, though it seems odd that Scrooge would fail to notice them together in an early scene (pictured), plus a neat gadget from Gyro Gearloose.

The Great Lost Treasuse Hunt:  is not credited to any author, but it appears to have been inspired by the 2-hour TV premiere, "Treasure of The Golden Suns". Mrs. Beakley did not accompany Scrooge and company on any treasure hunting expeditions afterwards, but the author assumed she would be and hazzarded a guess as to the direction of the series!

1988:
Webby Saves The Day :  is the book that most fans of the show might recall the most because it was promoted as a selection of "Disney's Wonderful World of Reading Book Club". This was a mail-order book club that often advertised in magazines - most of the books offered were adaptations of Disney films. WSTD offered an alternative take on the plot of "Treasure of The Golden Suns" , in which Donald Duck is not joining the Navy but "...away on a trip", there is no lost treasure, no wooden ships and crazed sea captain, just a retelling of how Mrs. Beakley & Webby met Scrooge and the nephews, and how the Beagle Boys tried & failed at robbing Scrooge in a home invasion. At this point, the book sounds a lot like the plot to "Donald Duck: Instant Millionaire" an older book with an attempted burglary  at Scrooge's mansion.

The Secret City Under The Sea:  is the first book to be credited to a writer and artist.Writer Paul S. Newman is often referred to as "King of The Comic Book Writers", simply for being very prolific - he wrote the original Turok comic book for Gold Key and a batch of Darkwing Duck comics for Marvel, as well as a lot of Disney comics. His approach to writting a Ducktales story shows a writer who's done his homework and is consistent with the tone of the show. Bill Langley's art captures the look of the show.

1990:
Down The Drain: 4 years later, the tone of the books changed, appealing to much younger readers. One thing all the books on this list have in common is this: the nephews are just along for the ride, Webby gets to be the hero. Justine Korman's story resembles many of the Webby-centric episodes of the show, which often involve her left to her own devices (and the assistance of some cutesy animal friends) to confront a challenge....not unlike most Disney movie heroines, really. In this case, she befriends two talking rats (which seems odd, since there always seemed to be unspoken rules regarding anthropomorphic "funny animals" interacting with "real" animals - I think Korman was inspired by Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers when she wrote those scenes). The book has the Beagle Boys adapt the urban legend about alligators-in-the-sewer for their latest crazy-gimmick crime wave. Willie Ito's artwork has fun with it, particularly the sewer scenes.

Scrooge McDuck's Birthday Surprise:  Cindy West has the good fortune of having Bill Langley illustrate her story - a Little Bear-esque romp in which Scrooge lets a series of vague messages lead him to a "surprise"...on his birthday. This book depicts Scrooge with a blue top hat, which has a glossy look to it. We get to see Gladstone Gander in his 2nd children's book appearance (more on that another time). This light tale may be a fitting finale;  it ends with a celebration - a wrap party! Few children's book series ever get to have a graceful finale these days. It's unlikely there'll be any more prose fiction based on this series. It will do just fine.