Broken Frontier

Hello, everyone! Welcome to Guiding Lines! My name is William Gatevackes. Let’s take a look at the comics arriving in stores tomorrow, August 1, 2006.

The Creeper #1 is the first issue of a six issue miniseries. Spinning out of the Brave New World one-shot, the series is written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and drawn by Justiniano (Days of Vengeance).

The Creeper has been one of the oddest characters to come out of DC’s Silver Age. Created by comic legend Steve Ditko for Showcase #73 in 1968, The Creeper is Jack Ryder, an outspoken, Bill O’Reilly-like TV journalist who had a device implanted into him that allows him to transform himself into the super strong, super agile, slightly mentally imbalanced Creeper.

The character was so odd that it seemed at times that DC didn’t know what to do with him. He started as a trippy, psychedelic vigilante in 1968’s Beware of the Creeper series. He was played for laughs in the early issues of Giffen and DeMatteis’ Justice League run. He returned in a darker form in 1997-1998’s The Creeper series and the concept even received the Vertigo treatment in 2003.

However, none of these incarnations seemed to stick. It seemed that no one could get a handle on the character, so much so that DC killed off the character in 1993’s Eclipso #13 only to have him return a few years later—he was devoured by hyenas, which is probably why the 1997-1998 series was so dark when he returned.

Steve Niles is known for writing horror, so perhaps this version will have a more macabre bent. Could this be the right type of story for the character? If the miniseries leads to a long-lasting ongoing, then the answer will be yes.

Agents of Atlas #1 unites famous Marvel characters Marvel Boy, Venus, Gorilla Man, and the Human Robot into a team to be reckoned with. What? Never heard of these characters? That might be because you’re not old enough.

The above characters come from the Golden Age of Marvel. They are characters the company published in the 1950’s when it was called Atlas (hence the title of the series). They aren’t your typical superheroes because typical superheroes were out of favor at that time. These characters had a mystical or science-fiction bent. So, if they seem more than a little weird, that is the reason why.

When it comes to Golden Age characters, Marvel’s output pales when it compares to DC’s. But recently Marvel has begun celebrating its past, first with a line of Masterworks hardcovers and now with this series. They are re-introducing their long-forgotten characters to the modern day audiences and in the process, we get to appreciate the company’s legacy more.

52 #13 revisits one of the most controversial events of DC’s recent past. If the solicitation for this issue is to be believed, it will feature the resurrection of Sue Dibny, the wife of the Elongated Man.

Sue Dibny’s death in the Identity Crisis miniseries created quite a stir among fans. Sure, she was merely a supporting character, but one that resonated with the audience, and an integral part of any comic she was in.

And now, DC is hinting that she might be brought back to life. This is a slippery slope. If they actually do resurrect her, it will bring up the criticism that always arises about dead characters (not) staying dead. If they don’t bring her back, and this was all a tease, then fans of the character had their emotions played with once again by the company.

Whichever takes place, I’m sure people will talk about it. And perhaps that is what DC wants. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity. But in this case, I hope Sue does come back. While I am no fan of dead characters coming back to life, it is better than hinting about it and not following through. Besides, Ralph could use a little cheering up.

Batman: Son of the Demon is a reissue of a 1987 graphic novel. You might ask why a 19-year-old comic book is being reissued and why I am covering it here. Well, that makes for an interesting story, but one I will have to bring in a spoiler warning for.

This book details Batman working with his arch nemesis, Ra’s Al Ghul. During the story, Batman married Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter Talia, who bore him a son. This event has been treated as being out of continuity by DC, because—rumor has it—they didn’t think that fans could relate to a Batman with a son out there.

However, Grant Morrison’s first arc for his Batman book features the son, who Talia named Ibn al Xu'ffasch, meeting his long lost father. The story brings Ibn definitely into the Batman mythos in a way no one can discredit. If you want to see the comic that set the stage for this current storyline, then pick up Batman: Son of the Demon.

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William Gatevackes is a writer living in Mamaroneck, NY. His wife Jennifer is definitely in continuity, although her father isn’t an international crime lord.  Next to Guiding Lines, he writes the periodic comic review at PopMatters.