Adventures West Coast #6: Image Foursquare
I just became the mayor of this website! That’s a little foursquare humor for you nerds out there. One of these days, that’s gonna be a pretty dated reference, like whenever someone says “MySpace” now. In any case, today we’ve got four books from Image Comics that I read recently. These books run the gamut, from early work from newly-minted Image partner, Robert Kirkman, to niche work by indie creators, like Street Angel‘s Jim Rugg.
Tech Jacket Vol. 1: The Boy From Earth
Robert Kirkman’s Tech Jacket was launched back during the shortlived Image Central superhero line, which included Firebreather, Venture, and Noble Causes. Bet you haven’t heard of most of them, huh? Anyway, you can certainly see the origins of some of the ideas that would come to define Kirkman’s most well-known superhero creation, Invincible. Tech Jacket is the story of Zack Thompson, a teenager who’s got a lot on his plate. His crush doesn’t notice him, and it seems that his dad may have entered into a deal with the mob to keep the family business afloat. In the meantime, a galactic war is waging between the Geldarians and The Kresh. The Geldarians, a somewhat weak species, are equipped at birth with Tech Jackets, a pseudo-permanent body armor that acts in a defensive capability. As fate would have it, an intense battle occurs within Earth’s orbit, and a surviving Tech Jacket finds its way to Earth, bonding with Zack. This triggers an alarm on the Geldarian homeworld, who believe that Zack has actually stolen the suit. They show up to put him on trial, but he ends up becoming their greatest champion.
Like his contemporary, Marvel’s Brian Michael Bendis, Kirkman just gets dialogue. His scenes between Zack and his dad really capture a special father-son dynamic that you don’t often see in these books. Instead of Zack keeping the powers a secret, he’s forced to reveal them to his dad in order to save him from mob enforcers. On top of that, instead of the dad taking the typical “this is dangerous” approach, he instead admits that the tech jacket is pretty cool. The parents are also reminiscent of Michael Bay’s Transformers, as they are only present due to the fact that a teenager is expected to have parents, however they’re far from the most responsible characters in the book. His mom is shown as a bumbling shopaholic, while his father is clearly a pretty sad business owner, based on his prior dealings. All of this, coupled with the fact that they went on the run to save their own hides, without truly dedicating any resources to finding Zack when he had gone missing (he was in space, aiding the Geldarian war effort). Their excuse is that they couldn’t go to the police because then they’d have to reveal their involvement with the mob, but I’m not buying it. I think most parents would say “fuck it”, and try to get any help they could. After all, he’d been gone for SIX MONTHS! It genuinely seems like they were acting on instinct, rather than thinking it out, so I don’t think it was meant as a malicious act. It’s clear that it was an act of desperation, but that only serves to support their irresponsible depiction.
The series only lasted for 6 issues, despite the fact that Kirkman has commissioned the artist, E.J. Su, to get started on issues 7 and 8. Based on prior sales, he felt that #6 was a natural stopping point, as it allowed him to tell his intitial story, while providing the possibility to return to the hero at a later time. It’s unfortunate that the book was so shortlived, but it also allowed us to get Invincible, Marvel Zombies, and The Walking Dead – the three books that made his career in mainstream comics. I’d certainly be onboard if he decided to return to the character at any point, and I’m somewhat surprised that he hasn’t fully integrated the character into the Invincible book, as I feel like Zack might find a kindred spirit in Mark Grayson.
I Hate Gallant Girl TPB
Next up, we have I Hate Gallant Girl, by former Image Publisher Jim Valentino, Kat Cahill, and Seth Damoose. This book takes place in a fun little universe where the role of top hero, Gallant Girl, is decided by the results of a pageant. Just as in standard beauty contests, looks seem to matter more than actual talent. Enter Rene Tempete, a capable woman who has always dreamed of one day becoming Gallant Girl. Unfortunately, Rene just doesn’t have The Look. She’s not blonde, she’s got a stockier build, and she’s not a media darling. After being rejected by the Fellowship of Freedom, Rene finds herself fending off an attack at a local airport. While recuperating in the hospital, the Fellowship of Freedom decide to make her an offer. Since the elected Gallant Girl is pretty worthless, they decide that she should only do PR, while Rene could handle the actual threats…as her stunt double. Of course Rene is insulted, but she’s also torn, as she HAS always wanted a chance to be a real hero. Veteran hero Blue Thunder sees this as an opportunity, as he has lost his daughter, and sees real potential in Rene. So, unbeknownst to the rest of the Fellowship, he sets Rene up in a secret base, and trains her to be her own hero, called Tempest. Eventually, she outshines Gallant Girl, gaining the ire of the Fellowship. It turns out that Gallant Girl wasn’t as ditzy as she appeared, and she’s actually been plotting to become the newest supervillain in town. This leads to the inevitable confrontation between Tempest and GG, with Gallant Girl escaping to fight aother day. The book is rounded off by a reprint of Bomb Queen Presents: All Girl Comics, featuring the heroines of Valentino’s Shadowline imprint, such as Black Light, Editor Girl, Tempest, and Bomb Queen.
The story was originally a 3-issue mini, so this collection is a pretty quick read. The backup story is a bit interesting, as it does feature Tempest, but it also drives home the point that Bomb Queen is pretty much the only notable character to have come from the Shadowline imprint. While some people can’t stand that character, the fact that she’s currently on her 6th miniseries proves that she does have a dedicated fan base. I’ll write more on Bomb Queen another time. I Hate Gallant Girl is a fun read, and I hope the character comes back one day, as there are certainly more stories that can be told with her.
Jersey Gods Vol 1: I’d Live And I’d Die For You
After Gallant Girl, we’ve got Jersey Gods, by Glen Brunswick and Dan McDaid. Plainly put, Jersey Gods is a love letter to the cosmic work of legendary creator, Jack Kirby. The visuals and characters are analogous to Kirby’s Fourth World/New Gods universe, which actually caused me to hold off on reading the book for a bit. You see, unlike old school purists, I’m not the biggest Kirby fan. Yes, that’s considered sacrilege by some, but I grew up in a Jim Lee world. Those styles are diametrically opposed, as Lee and the other Image creators ushered in the era of the big-boobed “brokeback” pose, while Kirby’s art tended to look like stocky cavemen at times. Before I start getting hate mail, understand that I do understand Kirby’s important influence on the industry – his art just wasn’t my cup of tea.
In any case, Jersey Gods revolves around Zoe, a Cherry Hill, NJ, daddy’s girl who just doesn’t seem to have luck with men. All she wants is a successful relationship, but she seems to drive men away. In the meantime, her well-to-do parents are worried that she might be a lesbian, as they don’t understand why she’s single. Leading up to the Christmas season, Zoe finds herself in the middle of a battle between feuding intergalactic gods…at the local mall. Somehow, their conflict has brought them to Earth, and that’s where she meets Barock (timely, huh?). When he falls in battle, she gives him the motivation to finish the fight. Completely taken by Barock, Zoe invites him to her family’s upcoming Christmas party. Barock returns to his galaxy, but can only think of Zoe. In the meantime, Zoe’s thoughts are constantly with Barock. Eventually, she gets tangled up in his world of intergalatic intrigue, as she becomes involved with a counterfeit jeans scandal (yeah – the kind you wear). With Barock torn between protecting his people and protecting Zoe on Earth, he decides to follow his heart, and proposes to her.
I found this to be a cute story, but I don’t quite understand how it’s an ongoing. I felt that it was nicely contained enough to be a miniseries, but there are more Jersey Gods adventures following this. I can see how that would be possible, as all one has to do is express the sitcom nature of the plot: “Oh, no! What happens when the bumbling landlord finds out Barock’s a god?!” That said, I just feel like it would become pandering. Also, the main draw is the fact that it is so much of a Kirby homage, as the plot isn’t all that revolutionary. I felt that I had read this before, which was further driven home when Image mainstay Michael Avon-Oeming later released God Complex, which is quite similar, only it uses the pantheon of Greek gods rather than some vague intergalactic equivalent. There’s a part of me that’s curious to see where Jersey Gods goes. I mean, they’re just begging to have that wedding crashed! That said, I’m not sure I care enough to spend money in order to find out.
One Model Nation GN
One Model Nation is an Image GN by C. Allbritton Taylor and Jim Rugg. This is one of those books where I’m afraid I may not do it justice by trying to fully explain the plot. As a framing device, a documentarian has traveled to Germany to gather information on ’60s band known as One Model Nation. The main story, told against the backdrop of the actions of the left-wing Red Faction Army, documents what happened in the final days of the group. Now, considering how the books starts off, you’re expecting a lot of political intrigue and perhaps a mysterious disappearance. Not so, true believers.
The book assumes that the reader already has some knowledge of the events of post-World War II Germany, which is not the case. Sorry, Kaiser, but we were too busy fucking and cashing in those war bonds. Apparently, by the 1960s, the youth of Germany began to publically question their leadership, as those in power had been the same in power during the Nazi years. Instead of peaceful discourse, however, their protests took the shape of guerilla warfare, as they specialized in terrorist attacks against authority, like bombs and shootings. One of the more notable figurehead groups of the time was the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Now, for the fictional stuff: the Baader-Meinhof members, as well as other followers of the movement, were really big fans of One Model Nation, who were essentially a low-rent German Beatles. The band members, themselves, didn’t really have any political leanings. They were all about the music, man. It just seems like everyone around them was batshit crazy about shooting cops and blowing shit up; the OMN boys were too busy playing with their new keyboards.
I’ve got to say, One Model Nation‘s certainly not your “standard” Image book. It makes me wonder why they published it. Maybe they decided to “diversify yo’ bonds, nigga!”, but it’s the kind of book that you would get from a more…literary publisher. I also didn’t really understand what kind of story was trying to being told, as the thesis gets a bit lost. The band is used as a vehicle to explain the plight of Germany youth, but the band has and wants nothing to do with all of that. When focusing on the band members, the writing is a bit…whimsical, for lack of a better term. Things happen that just don’t make sense. For example, the cops bust up One Model Nation’s recording studio, and group member Sebastian decides that he can’t take anymore. His father’s old and sick, so he decides to leave the group to take care of his father. Fine. He makes the trip to the Bavarian Alps, where he and his father have a really disjointed conversation about life. It’s one of those where the father seems to impart some kind of wisdom akin to “You kids today don’t have it like we did. We HAD to be Nazis.” I guess this changed Sebastian’s mind, as he’s next seen riding up to the new One Model Nation recording studio on his bike. The guys don’t say anything about him leaving. Either there was soething missing in the writing, or that was just something he did a lot. In any case, it’s a scene that makes it glaringly obvious that the book lacks any real character moments. Most of the dialogue reads like, “Where is Gunnar?” and “I will be at the store”. It was like an ESL course! In fact, the book reads like it has been translated into English – almost like certain quirks and colloquiolisms may have been lost in the translation.
The band ends up playing a huge unlicensed gig in Frankfurt, which seems to be their last gig. While it takes place, the Baader-Meinhof Gang launch a pretty big attack, which lands EVERYONE in jail. The Kultureminister comes to visit the band while in jail, and decides to let them go, as he realizes they had nothing to do with the attacks. Now, here’s where I had to use my detective hat. While the band didn’t really involve themselves in the whole movement, it becomes obvious that they get off on the fact that the followers of the movement are their most devoted fans. It gives them a bit of street cred. So, when the Kultureminister basically says that One Model Nation are harmless, it makes them feel as if it had been all for naught. While people were actually out there doing things, here was a group that had merely profited off their association. The Kultureminister essentially blew the wind out of their sails. I believe THAT was the reason for the demise of the band. Without an introduction, foreword, or afterword, the story lacks a bit of context. Again, what is the reader supposed to take away from the story? I feel that I was supposed to get a better understanding of the Red Faction Army movement than I did, and it might have been more of a success had they omitted the angle of the group entirely, and just focused on the actions of the Baader-Meinhof Gang.
I will say this: the most memorable part of the book is when the band travels to London and they get to meet David Bowie. Bowie, however, is the only character in the book drawn by Mike Allred, one of the book’s “producers” (I’ve never known a graphic novel to have “producers”, so i’m not sure what that role entails. I figure he’s the guy with clout, who begged Image to do his friend a solid by publishing this thing). Not only is Bowie CLEARLY a work of Allred, but it also makes it apparent that everyone Allred draws is basically Bowie. All these years, Madman, X-Statix, Red Rocket 7, and everything else were ALL Bowie, with certain tweaks made here and there. It just took this book for me to finally realize that. Anyway, if you want some weird-ass German history lesson, pick this up. Otherwise, this feels like the kind of book that you’d be assigned in college, where you’re all like, “Wow, my professor’s kinda cool ’cause he’s having us read a graphic novel”, and once you read it, you think, “That tweed wearing bastard!”
