Broken Frontier

Writers from other medium dabbling in comics are nothing new. In fact, the trend has picked up steam in recent years as writers known for their work in books (Brad Meltzer, Jodi Picoult, Stephen King), movies (Kevin Smith, Bob Gale, Richard Donner), and television (Damon Lindelof, Allen Heinberg, Jeph Loeb) have made comics their second home.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of people from the world of music who are dabbling in comics. The Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart was the creative force behind Virgin’s Walk In series, Coheed and Cambria founder Claudio Sanchez’s The Armory Wars has found a home over at Image, and now My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way is joining the crowd this week with The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite from Dark Horse.

Musicians, on the surface, do not seem to be as obvious a choice to become comic writers as novelists and screenwriters. Comics seem to be closer in style to books, movies and TV shows than songs and albums. But there are more similarities than you might think.

The connections between the world’s of popular music and comic books have been around for quite some time. Superman, Green Lantern, and Wolverine have made their way into more that one song. Comic artists have done album cover art-most notably R. Crumb’s cover for Big Brother and the Holding Company and Todd McFarlane’s for Korn. But the musical output of My Chemical Romance and Coheed and Cambria take the comics/ music connection to a whole other level.

Both bands are masters of the concept album. The songs are chapters in the larger stories that their records tell.   All of Coheed & Cambria albums tell the story of The Armory Wars, the same story Sanchez is adapting to comics himself. Their four albums form three parts of the five-part epic and each one has a science-fiction flavor to its lyrical content.

My Chemical Romance’s most recent, Platinum-selling album, The Black Parade, tells the tale of a man called “The Patient”. The songs tell the story of the man succumbing to cancer and, afterward, reflecting on what was his life. It may be dark and a little bit morbid, but the story might feel right at home in a Vertigo Comic book.

Funny, I should mention Vertigo, because Gerard Way actually interned at DC before he started MCR, coming from NYC’s School of Visual Arts where he trained to be an artist—a comic book artist. He did the cover artwork for MCR’s second album, and lists Doom Patrol artist Richard Case as a major artist.

So, Way’s journey from superstar rock and roller to comic book creator seems almost preordained. And the seriousness that Way approached the project impressed Dark Horse. The singer provided the company with a tight, cohesive pitch he invested a lot of thought and preparation in. His dedication to the project brought around many naysayers. Way’s conviction to providing the best product he can is shown by him recruiting award-winning cover artist James Jean to do covers for the series.

Dark Horse returned the favor by going all out to make sure the series is seen by the most readers. They paired Way with hot artist Gabriel Bá, who has received mainstream acclaim for his work on Image’s Casanova series. The company also made the series its Free Comic Book Day offering for 2007, giving fans a sneak peek at what to expect from the series. Dark Horse also previewed the series on its MySpace page.

The Umbrella Academy is seven super powered individuals who were adopted at a young age by an alien who goes by the code name, The Monocle. He raises them to try and save the world and they form a dysfunctional sort of family. When one of the seven dies, they disband and go their own way. When the Monocle dies, they reunite once again and are drawn back together through a series of unfortunate events.

Some of you out there might think that Way is simply a dilettante dabbling in the world of comics to make a quick buck. But, in reality, he is a long time fan of the medium finally getting the chance to fulfill his dream. Don’t hate him for being a rock star. It’s not his fault that it’s easier to break into the music biz that it was to break into comics.

Also out this week:

Marvel Comics Presents #1:

I have an unmitigated love for the anthology series. Few may know that they are the type of comics all of today’s comics were based on. Back in the ‘30’s and ‘40’s, almost every comic was an anthology comic. This is where new characters would be born, daring takes on established characters would be tried out and creators would have the freedom to experiment.

Marvel brings it’s Marvel Comics Presents anthology back from the dead this week, and I couldn’t be happier. It will give top name creators the chance to work on characters they normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to, give some of Marvel’s lesser known characters a time in the spotlight, and give up and coming creators a time to shine.

Various (W), Various (A), Marvel Comics, $3.99.Ongoing Series.

Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special #1:

This is it. After about thirty years of an off and on relationship, Ollie Queen and Dinah Lance are due to tie the knot. And this is the issue where it all will happen. That is, unless, Deathstroke and a bunch of the world’s worst villains can succeed in trying to stop it.

So, will Ollie and Dinah be married at the end of this issue? Perhaps a better question is: will Ollie still be alive at the end of this issue. Something big is going to happen in this issue, and the new Green Arrow/Black Canary series features Connor Hawke donning the quiver. Could Ollie be destined for the graveyard again? And if so, who will do him in? Deathstroke? Merlyn? Or perhaps that rogue Monitor who is killing continuity blips over in Countdown? Or are rumors of his death just overrated?

Judd Winick (W), Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti (A), DC Comics, $3.99, One-Shot.

Jack Kirby's Galactic Bounty Hunters #6:

This is it. The Mainframe’s search for his son is at an end. All that stands between him and reconciliation is a lopsided battle in Dangerland. How will he prevail against overwhelming odds? Can he afford not to?

Jack Kirby would have been 90 years old last month, but, unfortunately, he did not live to see this series to fruition. Working from his notes, Kirby’s daughter, Lisa, guided the series into reality, having a personal connection to the familial storyline—how it metaphorically dealt with her relationship to Jack. It is a bit ironic that considering the history Jack Kirby has had with Marvel Comics that the company’s Icon imprint might have just published the last comic story created by Kirby that we will ever see.          

Lisa Kirby (W), Mike Thibodeaux (A), Icon/Marvel Comics, $3.99. Last Issue.

Criminal Macabre: My Demon Baby #1:

Seeing his ex-wife’s horrifying transformation into a minion of the vampire Nosferatu was a little bit too much for Cal McDonald. He has hit the downward spiral of drug abuse fast and hard. He is down so low that he can no longer see up. He’s homeless, hopeless and just wants to be left alone.

Unfortunately, that is not an option. There is a case that only he has the skills to deal with. A group of Satanists out in Southern California might have just succeed in bringing the Devil to life—in the form of a bouncing and beautiful baby. Could this little bundle of joy, one that looks so sweet and innocent, be the one who brings about the end of days? And if it is, what can Cal do about it?

Steve Niles (W), Nick Stakal (A), Dark Horse Comics, $2.99. Four-Issue Miniseries.

Countdown to Mystery #1:

Back in April, we were supposed to get the first issue of a new Doctor Fate series. Written by Steve Gerber and with art by Paul Gulacy, DC led up to it with a series of specials to raise consumer interest for the series. Then it never appeared.

In a blog post dated May 20, 2007, Steve Gerber announced that he was diagnosed with a disease called pulmonary fibrosis in 2005, a degenerative disease of the lungs which turns the insides of the organ into scar tissue. This renders the patient unable to breathe and is usually fatal. With Gerber, the disease is in its final stages. The only option for the creator is a lung transplant.

Gerber has been continuing to write Doctor Fate scripts and DC will be running them as part of this series. This is a classy move by DC. Just by having “Countdown” in the title might mean that it will sell more that the regular Doctor Fate series might have. And, from what I understand of the royalty agreements, this will mean more money in Gerber’s pocket to help with Gerber’s life-saving operation. So, this could be the one Countdown tie-in you should feel good about picking up. Not only will you be getting one of DC’s best characters written by a comics legend, you will be helping that legend out in his time of need.  

Steve Gerber & Matt Sturges (W), Justiniano & Stephen Segovia (A), DC Comics, $3.99. Eight-Issue Miniseries.

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer. He also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters, is a weekly contributor to Film Buff Online and writes title descriptions for Human Computing’s Comicbase collection management software. Links to his writing can be found at his website, www.williamgatevackes.com.