Pulp of the Week - DC's First Wave Miniseries

Geof Darrow Cover

Pulp of the Week
First Wave #1-6
DC Comics
Writer Brian Azzarello
Artist Rags Morales

I don't know if it is ironic or just sad that the flagship book of DC Comic's First Wave Universe has just  finished its six issue run as the whole Universe is rumored to be scrapped.

Several sites have reported the demise of the First Wave Universe, but as of this writing, DC Comics still has the books listed on their schedule. Time will tell.

J.G. Jones cover

If the line is cancelled, that would be a shame. For all of Azzarello's bluster about changing everything about these characters, he wrote a pretty good story. It didn't hurt that Rags Morales is a great artist. The same can't be said for the Doc Savage solo title as the art has been poor, in my opinion.

The real issue is that the First Wave miniseries ran hopelessly late, and in fact should have been completed as a set up to the solo books, instead of seeming to have nothing to do with them and finishing 6 months late. The miniseries is also a far better story than any of the Doc Savages so far. The Spirit has fared better.

I like happen to like this combination of Doc Savage, the Batman, the Avenger, and the Spirit, although I know many pulp fans don't.

The First Wave miniseries follows Doc Savage and his men, The Bat Man, and The Spirit on a globe-trotting adventure to thwart the machinations of Doc's nemesis, John Sunlight. Along for the ride are Richard Benson (The Avenger), the Blackhawks, and the jungle girl, Rima.

I liked the First Wave mini series and give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Tannhäuser Tuesday - The Bat Man Pt 2

Welcome to the second week of Batman here at Tannhäuser Tuesday. Here is my take of The Bat Man. You can see Miah's take HERE.

 

Enjoy!

Tannhäuser Tuesday - The Bat Man Pt 1

It's Batman week on your favorite Tannhäuser blogs. Miah and I are both doing our takes on the Dark Knight Detective. Miah did some beautiful work on the Bruce Wayne card and tokens shown here, but he wanted to go a different direction with the character, so he's making his own. Why two versions? Why not?

Seriously, there have been many versions of Batman. My interpretation is based on the idea that The Bat Man does not kill. That is what separates him from the evil in the world. The Bat Man's  Special Object Token is Code Against Killing.

I chose this figure of Batman because it is period looking and he is just plain bad-ass. There are many Batman Heroclix figures, so there may be one that you like better. This is the Batman Dark Knight #223 Unique Le WWLA Con Exclusive Heroclix. Troll and Toad via Amazon has it for less than 4 bucks shipped. He was rebased.

I think Miah's will be more... lethal. Look for it here.

 

That's it for today. The Full-Page Character sheet will come next week with the descriptions of all the tokens.

Pulp of the Week - Batman / Doc Savage

Batman / Doc Savage Special
DC Comics
Written by Brian Azzarello, Illustrated by Phil Noto

Cover by J.G. Jones

Alternate cover by Rags Morales

This Review Contains Spoilers!

This one shot is meant as a publicity vehicle to promote DC's "First Wave" line of comic books. Unfortunately, despite beautiful art, the book falls flat. There is neither adventure nor excitement in this tale called, "Bronze Night." This story's sole purpose is to let Doc Savage and The Batman meet.

There is little else in this tale. As an introduction to DC's pulp universe, there isn't much happening. The art is lovely. There are some character bits with Batman and Doc, but these are expressed mostly in 1st person narrative. Doc and Batman find common ground - they have both lost their fathers and are crimefighters because of it. While Doc doesn't like Batman's methods, as long as Batman isn't a killer, he seems OK with it. Batman thinks Doc may not be as squeaky clean as his public persona.

Batman lives in Gotham City and Doc Savage lives in New York City. They are not the same in the First Wave Universe, so these characters may have limited interaction.

I like the way Bruce Wayne and Batman are handled here, Batman is a rookie, operating as a vigilante. He is packing twin .45s ala The Shadow and is a bit reckless.

Some of Phil Noto's incredible art

On the other hand, Doc Savage served in the War and has had some adventures. Doc operates with the cooperation of the police and has his five aids intact. I think that Doc was presented well, a person admired by many. He is the physical and intellectual peak of humanity. As in the novels, he has a dry sense of humor and is self depreciating. Doc is described as being "mixed-race", perhaps in tribute to a oft held belief among fans that his mother was Mayan.

Renny is the only one of his aids to appear in this story, and it is a brief appearance. Renny catches Batman searching Doc's hotel room and decks him.

This story doesn't alter the Doc Savage as much as many have feared. His character and mission seem intact. His father has just died at the start of this story.

In the back of the book are eight pages of character bios by Azzarello that are illustrated by the regular series artist Rags Morales that introduce of some of the other characters in the "First Wave" universe. Doc's Crew gets a full page. Their characters are described and I can only assume that their professions remain intact.

Only Long Tom is described by his profession - a master of electricity. Monk is assigned a bully role and isn't opposed to using lethal force. Monk and Ham retain their good natured arguing and status as best friends.

The Avenger and The Spirit share the next page. Richard Benson is described as a master of disguise and a man blinded by the tragedy of his family's slaughter.

The Spirit will appear as well as Ebony White who will be a "brash girl" in this series.

Black Canary is another New Yorker in this universe, and she is so enamored of Doc Savage that she goes out at night and fights crime.

Rima the Jungle Girl is a South American that is a mysterious "catalyst that drags the real main characters along to their inevitable fates." She may not be real...

The Blackhawks are the second generation, the originals have all either retired, or were killed in the war. They are ethnically diverse and are the best pilots from all over the world.

Finally, there are the villains of this world. They will be "diverse and come from different angles." "There should be major conflict between the crime factions." There are three main factions: The Syndicate, The Golden Tree, and No School.

Anton Colossi, Greek shipping magnate and war profiteer will be one of the main villains. He has a robot bodyguard and lives on the coast of Hidalgo in South America.

John Sunlight will also have some part in these stories.

All in all, I had feared that the changes to the classic characters may have been too much, but Doc Savage certainly is treated respectfully here, and I will buy the new books as they come out to see how the others fare.

Hopefully there will be more story and more adventure in the regular First Wave comics.

DC First Wave - Batman / Doc Savage Special

Today in the DC Universe blog there was a tiny bit more about the Batman / Doc Savage Special. Writer Brian Azzarello says, "“Cities are urban jungles– and there’s also unchartered mysterious countries with their own jungles as well. It’s world where you’re guilty before being proven innocent– something that rarely happens. Little people make big mistakes and suffer the consequences. Life is cheap, and everyone has their price. Where part of the thrill of being rich, is watching the poor suffer. Y’know, my kind of place.”

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Hopefully Doc Savage will not be turned into some kind of vicious killer...

Rags Morales is to be the regular artist on the First Wave book. Here is his cover for the Batman / Doc Savage Special...

DC First Wave - Batman / Doc Savage announced

Today at The Source blog on the DC Universe official website Alex Segura announced the November publication of BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL #1, which serves as an entry into the DC First Wave universe.

On the blog Segura writes, "This November, writer Brian Azzarello teams with artist Phil Noto for the BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL #1, which sets the stage for an entire new world for the Doc, along with a slew of characters that will pop up later, including the Blackhawks and Rima, the Jungle Girl. It all starts here, and I’m not exaggerating when I say you’re really in for a treat."

I really like Phil Noto's work and I'm eager to see what Azzarello comes up with as well. All of this bodes very well for Doc Savage fans who are eager to see new material with their favorite original "superman."

Segura closes with a tease for tomorrow's blog, "So, allow your jaw to drop at the J.G. Jones cover below. Then come back tomorrow for another treat, plus comments from Azzarello himself."