DRAWN & QUARTERED
Graphic Arts As Literature
I hate Capes. Think this city is their playground. And who has to make sense of their broken toys? Me, that's who. Did I graduate from Notre Dame with a degree in journalism to chase around men -- make that boys -- in tights? No, I did not. And is that the beat that the Daily Bugle's 'rookie chick' has been stuck with for the last year? Yes, it is." ‘Deadline’ comic off to
a promising startBy Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.comSo opens one of Marvel Comics' newer titles, "Deadline," by writer Bill Rosemann and artist/indie talent Guy Davis. It's representative of what direction the superhero genre has taken over the last several years. In the past, regular human beings were most often used as background masses or individuals in distress dodging debris, the occasional stray death ray and explosions while superheroes and supervillains were busy fighting for the future of mankind or, better yet, the Universe (Marvel or DC). Sure, superheroes fight for our safety and survival, but who has to clean up after them? Us, that's who!
The relationship between "us and them" was expanded in a memorable series Marvel put out called "Marvels," in which the humans told their side of the story of coexisting with the "mortally challenged." The main character of that story arc was an old-time newspaper reporter. Change the age, attitude and gender, and you've got Kat Farrell of "Deadline."
Readers meet her as she questions a hostile and suspicious Johnny Storm, who, in his super alter ego form of the Human Torch, accidentally sets fire to a park while responding to an emergency call. Question is, was it because he was up late partying and was still hung over?
Of course, what Farrell really wants to do is get into feature writing -- that is, after she figures out how to get noticed, get a promotion and get her own column. But she learns there's going to be an opening on the crime desk. All she has to do is land that big story that proves she's worthy.
The story that kicks off "Deadline" is the mystery of a missing judge who was appointed by the governor to a special arm of the Circuit Court to handle the explosion of "Cape" activity in Manhattan. Apparently the judge had been locking away "Capes" with a vengeance. Is his disappearance linked to an angered "Cape"?
WHILE IT'S TOO early to pass judgment on "Deadline" (the first issue came out last week), it looks promising due to Rosemann's and Davis' involvement.
Next, what if a superhero decided to hang it up but still wants to fight crime? Well, he could be a character like homicide detective Christian Walker who, with his Farrell-like rookie partner Deena Pilgrim, are the main protagonists in the hot title "Powers" (Image Comics), drawn by Mike Avon Oeming and written by the godlike Brian Michael Bendis.
Bendis deserves his lofty status because anything he sets his mind to, whether independent or mainstream, is pure gold -- or at least entertaining due to his command of dialogue and spinning a riveting story. He made his name with a series of real-life crime comic books, transforming his run-in with Hollywood into the hilarious "Fortune and Glory" (Oni Press) and taking his notoriety into the realm of the mainstream, specifically on Marvel titles "Ultimate Spider-Man" and "Daredevil," plus the more adult "Alias," a title for Marvel's mature offshoot Max line about a superhero turned female private investigator.
This could be getting redundant, but you can tell Bendis puts his all into "Powers." His take on superheroes is crime-related, as Walker and Pilgrim investigate murder cases that involve superpowers hiding disturbing all-too-human secrets. The series' two story arcs, "Who Killed Retro Girl?" and "Roleplay," have been collected into trade paperbacks and are worth getting.
Whether it's "Capes" or "Powers," being a superhero ain't what it used to be.
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