Hello, I’m Caleb
Posted by Caleb | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 01-09-2010
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I’ve just recently joined the team here at the Warriors Three, and am here to start a new “division” if you would, of writers on the site, rather than just Podcasters. From this post onward, I hope to review and talk about Comic Books in Trade forms, or Graphic Novels, though I do despise that term oh so much. Maybe that’ll be a topic down the road, but I though I’d let people get to know me, by posting my top 5 favourite comics, and why I like them so:
5: All Star Superman, The Seminal Superman story from the smartest man in the Universe, Grant Morrison. This story is so heartwarming for me. It contains so many little moments I just don’t see in Comics these days, having been swept to the side by events and serious business. It is both reminiscent and completely different from the Silver age of comics, both using their ideas, yet making them wholly original. The art by Frank Quietly is brilliant as he ever is, matching perfectly with his partner in mind Morrison, as it always does. If Johns and Sciver, or as it seems to be becoming, Johns and Reis are the Dream Team of comics, Quietly and Morrison are a that 4th Level of Inception team of Comics.
4: The Invisables, If you disagreed on the “Grant Morrison, smartest man in the Universe” thing, you have yet to read this story, when you have read all there is to the Invisables, you’ll think you hadn’t. This is a book you read, and then put down, scream to the heavens what the hell you just read, go to sleep, and then wake up the next morning understanding it, not fully, but just enough to either infinitely confuse you, or love the book for being how smart it is. The same thing is said for Zenith, or any other Non Super Hero work from Grant Morrison that isn’t Zoids, because you should never talk about Zoids.
3: Road to Perdition, When I first read this story, I had seen the Movie. It was a good movie. I rather liked it. I was also a fan of the Paradox Graphic Mystery series, and at this juncture, it is my favourite of all DC Comics Imprints, although Elseworlds and Vertigo are eternally tied at second. I opened this book expecting something great, some like Green Candles, History of Violence, or one of the many other fantastic stories from the Paradox line. When I was about to close the book, I got one of the better Paradox mystery series books, but nothing great. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever read, and by far, is it even close. Then, I turned to page 302. I read the page once. I read it again. In fact, I read it 16 times. I put it down, and I knew, I knew, it was one of the best Books, not just comic, but Books, I have ever read. I cannot fathom why Sam Mendes disagreed with the ending, but by God, do I thank him for not having it in the movie. I cannot say you will have the same reaction as me, but this is a fantastic read, and makes the movie look awful in it’s greatness.
2: Superman: Red Son, Again, despite Millar’s pen having wrote this, and like Max Allan Coming’s work above, this book’s greatness is thanks to Grant Morrison, and it’s ending. I will not, and could not explain the ending to this book, but chances are, you already know, and you’ve already read it. So then know this, it is thanks to again, the smartest man in the Universe, Grant Morrison, for giving him the idea for the ending. But rather than “despite” in may just be, in spite, that Millar’s pen having wrote this. Morrison may be the smartest man, but Millar, Mark Millar, is the better man, the better writer. Only he could have made this book work. Only he could have made the idea of Superman being a Soviet not only speak volumes to both political, social, psychological, and philosophical ends, but speak so loudly to the entire mythos of Superman, and Comics in general. To the idea of both Heroes, and Villains, with not quite switching Clark Kent’s and Lex Luthor’s Places, but putting them at equal ground, and then not only making that figurative, but literal, in a way that not only isn’t offensive, like so many literal representations of non literal ideals, but in fact makes it even for poignant. If All Star Superman is the seminal Superman Story, then Superman Red Son, is the Seminal Hero Story.
1: DC New Frontier, And with this, I start again with a comparison. If Grant Morrison is the Smartest man in the universe, and Mark Millar is a Better man than Morrison, or a Better writer, then Darwyn Cooke is simply the Best Man. Mark Millar will forever be known as the man who made Kick-Ass, and Morrison will always have Zoids somewhere on his record. But Darwyn Cooke, he has no mark, no blemish, no mistake. Nothing he has done could be considered wrong. Yet, by comparison to New Frontier, every other Comic Book is the quality of Deadpool Team up written by Rob Liefeld and drawn by a web comic artist who uses MS Paint from a windows 95, printed on moldy construction paper. If you like any of the Magnificent Seven of the DC Universe, or any of the Justice Leaguers of the Silver Age, you will not find a better representation of them than here, even their own writers and creators couldn’t do a better job at making these characters to their best, than Darwyn Cooke. If only a chance I had to see his pencil, maybe his talent would rub off on me. Put frankly, If All Star Superman is the seminal Superman Story, and Superman Red Son is the seminal Hero Story, then The New Frontier is the seminal Comic Book Story, showing precisely what comic books can be.
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Caleb is a big comic fan, and one day, he found his stack at his comic shop was 40 books, so he did the sensible thing and moved to trades.
You can follow his non-sequitor BS on his Twitter page here, at CalebTTT
