From Kara To Omega

We’d like to take a moment to honor a great craftsman who is responsible for bringing some of our favorite comics characters to life - Jim Mooney.

The artist passed away Sunday and left behind a legacy of work that still moves fans to this day. He drew the definitive Supergirl and was brought vivid detail to some of Steve Gerber’s most memorably creepy and audacious work on Man-Thing and Omega The Unknown.

The aspect that unites all his output is an ability to draw some of the most expressive figures in comics. A reader could easily identify with Kara’s insecurities or recoil at the horrible crimes of The Scavenger because the character’s emotions were depicted so clearly in the art.

It’s a skill too few artists possess today, no matter how closely they trace magazine photos and movie stills.

We send our best wishes to Mr. Mooney’s family and friends.

Sunday Pin-Up

Daredevil by John Romita Jr. & Al Williamson

Ever since Frank Miller redefined Daredevil in the 1980s, Marvel writers and artists have taken an almost sadistic glee in tearing Matt Murdock’s life apart.

Although the stories weren’t exactly happy-go-lucky, we liked the Ann Nocenti • JRJR • Al Williamson run because it took the spiritual components of “Born Again” and explored them to the point that Mephisto - who would seemingly be out of place in an urban-based strip like Daredevil or … Spider-Man - actually became an effective reoccurring character.

Another key point to the run’s success was JRJR’s development as an artist. Following an eye-opening stint on X-Men, Romita Jr. refined his style to the point where he is easily the best “action guy” in the business today.

In an era where static, photo-realistic art has threatened to make super-hero comics as exciting as a Brothers Hildebrandt calendar, Romita Jr.’s thrill-packed renderings are always a pleasure to the Keeper’s eyes.

Truth, Justice & Superman

Congratulations to the Siegel family for winning the copyright to Superman material published in Action Comics #1, the comic that basically created the entire super-hero genre.

After enduring so many indignities through the years - injustices that are not erased by stipends and bylines - it’s reassuring to see the family score a victory against the evil corporate empire.

As for the “fans” who consider the Siegels greedy and ungrateful, get a friggin’ life.

There are a few things more important in life than getting your monthly dose of four-color, testosterone-fueled melodrama. National Periodicals, and later Warner Communications, have made millions upon millions of dollars on the Superman Family.

The men responsible for creating that character deserve more than a pittance for making such profits possible. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of Superman comics, movies and other crap to purchase.

(We’re always amazed by fans’ allegiance to corporate publishers. If you’re all so supportive of big business, why not take a cut in your own pay so employers can rake in even more dough?)

The Mighty One

Against our better judgment, your hopeless host actually read Countdown To Final Crisis #5.

We may rail against comics that exist as little more than excuses for SHOCKING PLOT TWISTS™, but this old and grizzled Kamandi fan still wanted to see how DC 2K8 would handle the Great Disaster that created the strange world of the Last Boy On Earth, where men acted like beasts and beasts acted like men.

(So, see? We’re no better than the most fanatical fanboy.)

Not surprisingly, the Keeper was underwhelmed.

Excluding the nonsense about the Pre-Crisis Legion Of Super-Heroes and the Challengers of the Whatever, a bizarro virus followed by nuclear annihilation seemed … well, less than imaginative.

Sure, the Countdown team managed to destroy the Earth in less than 30 pages. Somehow, the hints Jack Kirby dropped to readers in the original series were far more epic … and certainly didn’t evoke grisly images of Triplicate Girl being devoured by rats.

Despite such pleasantries, however, we were especially disappointed by this image …

It is all too common these days to illustrate the devastating nature of a villain and/or disastrous situation by having Superman succumb to its might. It’s the ultimate example of the Worf Factor, and provides creators a great shortcut for selling new characters and plot developments without relying upon such old-hat techniques as in-depth characterization and well-constructed stories.

It also touches upon another favorite trope of the Big Two: the failure of heroism. Since the death of Gwen Stacy, creators have attempted to wring out as much drama as possible by showing beloved characters fall short at critical moments.

While shocking and inventive the first time out, such “tragedies” are, of course, de rigueur these days. It is also a stark contrast to a Great Disaster scenario presented by The King himself way back in Kamandi #29.

After a few years of Kamandi and his allies encountering and battling various tribes of intelligent animals, the issue opened with the Last Boy on Earth and his mutant friend, Ben Boxer, encountering this startling sight …

Essentially, the images depicted how Superman spent his last days saving as many lives as possible. It showed, in two pages that frankly contained more excitement than the entirety of Countdown #5, how a heroic individual can still make a difference in times of great - even apocalyptic - tragedy.

As the story progresses, Kamandi and Ben discover that Superman’s uniform somehow survived the Great Disaster and struggle to prevent its symbolism from being subverted by would-be tyrants.

The issue ends with a dramatic declaration …

Even in situations where all appears to be lost, Kirby never allows his characters - and by extension his readers - to lose hope.

Hope is a facet of the human experience that is all too lacking these days, and perhaps we’re being a bit unfair to the creators of Countdown by expecting them to buck these cynical times.

After all, even the combined talents of such individuals as Paul Dini, Jim Starlin and Keith Giffen can hardly equal one Jack Kirby.

Over Eze

Night shifts at Borders prevented your friendly neighborhood Fortress Keeper from scoring his American Idol fix in a timely manner.

Thanks to the wonder of Tivo, however, we were still able to enjoy the triumphant comeback of Kimberley Locke!!

…

Yeah, we kinda forgot who she was as well.

At any rate, here are a few random observations from this week’s performances.

• Chikezie Eze has a decent voice and a surprising ability to revamp songs. When he sings straight-out soul, however, Mr. Eze lacks the charisma successful lover men need to woo audiences. The Keeper isn’t terribly surprised by Chikezie’s elimination after Tuesday’s Quiet Drizzle.
• We have nothing against goody two-shoes - the Keeper likes the Silver Age Supergirl, for frak’s sake - but David Archuleta is getting to be a bit much. The guy just loves to emote ballads with important lyrics, a la “Imagine.” The only problem is that after the John Lennon anthem, the pickings among such songs are pretty slim. It’s a straight downhill ride from “Imagine” to “Another Day In Paradise” to David Foster’s wretched, wretched “You’re The Voice.” The Keeper shudders to think what Little Archie will come up with on country music week.
• Carly Smithson’s amazement over all the “lingo” and “complicated equipment” in modern recording studios appeared a bit disingenuous since she did spend three years in Los Angeles putting together a major label album. Smithson’s excitement over downloading her own song on an iPhone was similarly galling.
• David Cook is one smug S.O.B., but he gets better and better while the supposed front-runner, Archuleta, finds himself lost in Disneyland. Fortress Boy predicts Cook and Brooke White will make the final two, which really isn’t that bad a bet.
• Michael Johns does know how to sing Queen songs. After the competition ends, Johns should easily find work fronting a Freddie Mercury tribute band … or maybe even Queen itself. He’s a much better fit than Paul Rodgers.
• Why was White praised for her “professionalism” after flubbing the intro to “Every Breath You Take” while Archuleta was slammed for a similar mistake a few weeks back?
• Kristy Lee Cook probably lost the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s support by singing “God Bless The U.S.A.” but probably gained enough votes from the Red states to ensure her presence in the competition a few more weeks. We still don’t consider her the new Sanjaya Malakar, though. Unlike the elaborately tressed one, Ms. Cook does have some vocal chops.

Aaannnnnd …. that’s about it this time around. Dolly Parton shows up next week to guide the kids through the ins and outs of country music, which should make for a real train wreck treat.