Ronin Day!

Frank Miller was born on this date in 1957. Miller was a transformative artist at Marvel and DC in the 70's and 80's. He became a force in the Indy market and expanded his reach beyond comics to films. He created a powerful figure for DC - the focus of today's Dojo celebration -- Ronin. 

For a long time, I really rather resented Frank Miller. Let me explain. When Miller first showed up in the comics world it was clear he had a specific talent, a particular way of telling a story. He proved himself on Daredevil and that's where my dislike set in. Daredevil had long been one of the Marvel books I found refreshing in that for the most part Matt Murdock didn't really whine so much. He was a blind man who had overcome that and more and despite some woes on the romantic front he was a self-assured superhero. Then Miller showed up and the DD backstory was thrown into chaos and a darker grimmer approach to the character dominated and since it sold changed the character utterly for all time. DD quit smiling and for that I resented Frank Miller. 

So, when Miller left to do other things, I admit to not being as open to them as I perhaps ought to have been. That brings us to Ronin. Now at the time I was not focused on DC, preferring to build up my Marvel collection, so when Ronin dropped, I wasn't that tuned in. But seeing it I wasn't all that impressed. It seemed chaotic and confusing. So, despite picking it up many years ago from the back issue boxes, I never really grokked it. At last, I think I get it and I have to apologize to Miller for holding a grudge for so many years. 

The story is set in what a near-future NYC, a city in world which had deteriorated into barbarism save for some few islands of technological civilization. The streets were ruled by racist gangs and cannibals roamed the underground. That near future could actually be today, so it turns out things are better than that. In this future exists a living computer named Virgo in a complex operated by the Aquarius Corporation. But our story seems to begin eight hundred years earlier in feudal Japan when a samurai fails to protect this lord from a demon named Agat and becomes a Ronin.  

Somehow that Ronin is brought into the future world and bonded with a quadriplegic named Billy. They are cast out into the wild of NYC while a woman named Casey McKenna and her troops search for him. He has many wild adventures using his sword to do all kinds of damage. 

It seems the demon Agat has come to the future as well and has taken control of Aquarius and is planning to turn the advance tech there to create new weapons for a new war, which in all likelihood will be the world's last war. Good people try to stop this and pay the price. 

Meanwhile the Ronin has more adventures in the barbaric streets and sewers of NYC saving Casey. It turns out that Billy loved Casey and that motivates the Billy-Ronin hybrid to seek her out. 

Somehow or other Casey comes to possess some sword skills and uses that to infiltrate Aquarius to stop the scheme to create weapons of war. 

In a blistering finale the Ronin meets his ultimate fate with the help of Casey which in turn frustrates the war-making machinery. The ending is a bit of a puzzler though. 

So, I finally read the story and I immediately I read it again. It's compelling but sufficiently opaque in places to require some revisiting, at least for me it did. I find the story a dandy one and Miller really showcases some neat tricks of storytelling. I admire Ronin as a work of art, I really do. 

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Squadron Sinister Day!

 

Sal Buscema was born on yesterday's date in 1936. "Our Pa" Sal was an important artist at Marvel in the 70's and 80's. It's hard to imagine Marvel of the era without Sal. He co-created my favorite villain groups - the focus of today's Dojo celebration -- the Squadron Sinister. 

The Squadron Supreme has been a sturdy and reasonably successful concept for Mighty Marvel over many decades now. Their success of course is doubtless their specific and unusual relationship to one of DC's flagship titles, The Justice League of America. Their creation is a convoluted yarn which goes to a simpler time in comics and bespoke of the first time the Avengers and the League clashed...sort of.

The Squadron Sinister debuted on the last page of The Avengers #69 and were cover featured and the focus of The Avengers #70 as part of the Kang-Grandmaster trilogy which also revived the Golden Age "Invaders" an issue later. There is a ton of creativity in the three issues which comprise this story, a story which made the Black Knight an Avenger.

Roy Thomas (then a boy phenom slowly but steadily taking the reins of the Marvel Universe from the hands of Stan Lee) was the regular writer on The Avengers and had been for several years. A friend of his, Denny O'Neil had just been appointed writer of DC's Justice League of America after Gardner Fox was removed following many, many years of devoted but admittedly somewhat old-fashioned writing.

Roy and Denny apparently concocted a scheme to cross their titles over (unofficially) by Roy creating a doppleganger team of JLA members and Denny doing likewise. Roy, effectively the editor of his book, followed through and gave the world the Squadron Sinister. Denny, forced to go through Julie Schwartz was unable to follow through, and in JLA #75 had a tiny scene with a trash can lid supposedly filling in for Cap's shield and that was it.

 Here's a look at the original artwork for this iconic clash cover. The artwork is by the dynamic duo of Sal Buscema and Sam Grainger. This was only Sal's third Avengers story and his fourth Avengers cover. He came to the game well developed and hit them out of the park from the get-go.

Over a year passes and Roy decides to try it again. This time he has the Avengers travel to another parallel dimension and there they meet not the Squadron Sinister, but the larger Squadron Supreme, the heroes of their world .

We first meet new members Lady Lark, Hawkeye, Tom Thumb and American Eagle.

And then along comes Nighthawk, Doctor Spectrum, The Whizzer, and Hyperion. As it turns out these Squadron Supreme members were the template for the Grandmaster's creation of the Squadron Sinister to begin with.

The Squadron members are under the mental control of a child-genius named Brainchild and the Avengers help to defeat him and free the Squadron from his control. Weirdly, the Squadron Supreme did not appear on either cover of this exciting two-part adventure. In all likelihood that was to limit the exposure to criticism from DC should they object to these unusually familiar counterparts.

At that same time, new JLA scribe Mike Friedrich concocted a team of heroes called "The Heroes of Angor" who resembled some of the Avengers cast. So at last Roy had accomplished his stealth crossover, and this kind of insider wink-wink-nod-nod type of event would be all we'd have for many years to come.

But the Squadron Supreme was now officially part of the Marvel mythology and that allowed Steve Englehart to dig up the team and face them off against the Avengers once again. This time they get cover treatment and two dandy ones they are too.

This one by Jack Kirby is one of my favorites he produced on his return to Marvel in the mid 70's. Some new members such as Amphibian were added to the ranks and American Eagle became Cap'n Hawk and Hawkeye became the Golden Archer. Once again the Squadron was under mind control, this time because of the Serpent Crown. The battle was furious and despite their heroic status on their own world, the Avengers became all too familiar with the Squadron's propensity to fall sway to outside forces.

Ironically this was the first time that George Perez ever drew a crossover between the two teams, even though officially it never happened.

It happened again in the pages of the Defenders when that team traveled across the dimensional barriers to face off against the Squadron. This time they were controlled by the Over-Mind, a villain from the pages of the Fantastic Four.

This exposure though led to perhaps the Squadron's finest moments. When Mark Gruenwald, a notorious historian of comic lore, took on the team in a twelve-part maxi-series the intent was clearly to do something serious and lasting with a superhero story. Similar in many ways to Alan Moore's Watchmen, this was an attempt to take doppleganger heroes and explore some of the darker aspects of being a hero. Gruenwald though was more sympathetic to the general notion of superheroes though. Also sadly, the book was not as powerfully visually as it could have been with several artists stepping in before the end.

The Squadron did though rate a Graphic Novel of their very own when some time later plot threads dangling from the series were wrapped up, at least partly.

Many years pass and then Kurt Busiek and George Perez make me downright giddy when they revive the Avengers after its moribund year in the hands of the Image boys. I absolutely adored everything about this fan-favorite explosion of superheroes, with Busiek writing concise stirring stories and George Perez at the absolute height of his skills. The Avengers rarely looked better, even (gasp) in the days of John Buscema.

The two brought back the Squadron again and refurbished them for the modern world. And of course the Avengers immediately suspected their minds were not their own.

They even rated a special or two along the way as we explored further the distinctive characters who made up that team. This was a universe in which things could and did change, forever. It made for great storytelling.

Then Michael Stracynski and Gary Frank took advantage of the brief MAX imprint to give the world a more robust "adult" version of the team. They were re-imagined top to bottom and many of the "heroes" proved to less so. It was often a brutal read.

Howard Chaykin and artists I don't even recognize revived the series again but I did not read a single issue of this and know nothing of how good or bad it might be.  This Squadron Supreme universe has recently been eliminated save for a few survivors.

Currently the team has been revived yet again. This time we have heroes from many different universes allied to bring a distinctive justice to a world they feel needs a heady dose of it.

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The Spirit Archives - Volume Two!

Let's pick things up in the winter of 1941. The Spirit sections seem to be finding an audience and Will Eisner's gamble seems to be paying off. Eisner was always assisted in creating the Spirit stories. The stories here among others were colored by a very young Joe Kubert. The strip is still developing its character and most of the most famous characters haven't yet been introduced, but we are about to meet a few. Let's dive into volume two. 

The Black Bow January 5, 1941

The Black Bow is a criminal who preys on the people from an Eastern European country which long suffered under the cruel hand of his ancestors. He uses his weapon without remorse and the Spirit takes more than a few hits before he can bring this dashing but vile baddie down. Basil Rathbone came to mind as I read this as a possible influence for the Black Bow. The movie serial The Green Archer had shown up in the cinemas the year before. That serial was most certainly an influence here and on DC's Mort Weisinger creation Green  Arrow as well. 

The Silk District Beat January 12, 1941

When a proud young cop fulfills the family tradition and takes to the streets as a policeman he is immediately tempted by graft. He rejects it soundly and so is beat up and make to look as if he was drunk on his beat as some furs were stolen. The Spirit is on hand to see what's up and eventually turns the tables on the baddies with the help of a strange blind man. This is a legendary splash page, one of the best ever in the long run. 

Pancho de Bool and Peppi Tamale January 19, 1941

Homer Creep returns and this time he has married Peppi Tamale. But her brother Pancho de Bool, a renowned gangster is determined to put an end to the marriage and Homer. The streets are alive with both cops and criminals as they await the appearance of the legendary crook. But it's Ebony who discovers the strange truth first. This is a full-blown comedy, with all the characters living in awe of a man who possesses strange secret. I am glad to see that Home found someone after Ellen dumped him so summarily in favor of the Spirit. 

The Conquistadores January 26, 1941

The Spirit heads south to the small country of Santa Vera to confront a small army who dub themselves "the Conquistadores". Their leader is a typical arrogant knob who imagines he should be the master of other men's lives. This one has a delightful side story featuring a young boy who brings news of these enemies to his small village, but they cannot be roused enough from their siesta to care. If Eisner is suggesting something larger about real world affairs, I'm not certain. 

Davy Jones Locker February 2, 1941

When a disgruntled sandhog gets a few of his mates to set up shop at the bottom of the river and start blowing up ships to get their booty, it's a problem for the city and Commissioner Dolan. The Spirit steps in and find himself at the bottom of the river with a few cops in a terrific struggle. The ending shows how well Eisner understands human nature, and what men might do when faced with the ultimate end. 

The Substitute Spirits February 9, 1941

It's thought that the Spirit is dead after the previous story, so three unusual fellows don a mask to get to bottom of a psychic's racket. The men are Dolan, a cop named O'Rourke, and a tall lean character named Finnegan. Finnegan has been in more than a few of the Spirit's adventures, always seeming mostly effective but always silent. He speaks for the first time in this story. I always got the feeling Finnegan was Eisner's spin on Dick Tracy's Fearless Fosdick, at least visually. 

Radio Station WLXK February 16, 1941

A radio station comes under threat from fifth column forces and it brash and brave lady owner refuses to kowtow, even after an explosion which nearly destroys the station. The Spirit comes to her rescue and with the aid of Dolan defeat the evil forces. When she wants a kiss from the Spirit, then he turns chicken and runs. One can feel the clouds of war in real world increasingly affecting the series. 

Invasion from Argo February 23, 1941

In a truly strange one, a humble man named Sam is accosted by two seeming aliens from the planet Argo in his apartment. They tell him they have been sent to check out the Earth as a possible place to conquer in a thousand years' time. Despite his doubts he goes to the authorities and is locked up in a mental ward. When he gets out, he decides to take matters into his own hands and the Spirit is on hand to help. This one struck me because the Spirit played such a relatively small role. Eisner is getting his groove. 

Dead Duck Dolan March 2, 1941

Dolan's long-lost father turns up in the city for a visit, to see his son and meet his granddaughter for the first time. Dead Duck Dolan is or was a sheriff in the West and he's proud that his son has grown up to be the police commissioner. But he's outraged that Dolan is forced to consider political forces when confronting a gangster. He prefers the Spirit's more direct approach and tags along as the Spirit brings in some more baddies. 

Toy Planes March 9, 1941

Drones are used to attack industrial plants by saboteurs from a vaguely named foreign land. The Spirit and Ebony capture a couple of spies, but they reveal how committed they are to their cause. The Spirit decides he and Ebony will foil this plot by using toy planes full of nitro to take out the drones before they have a chance to strike. One nifty trick is that the Spirit uses a gliding suit in this story to help him rout the villains.

Introducing Silk Satin March 16, 1941

We meet one of the major femme fatales from the series in this story which introduces Silk Satin. In this story she is attempting to steal a valuable golden amulet and is assisted by two cronies. During the course of the battle between the Spirit and Satin they kiss, and she falls in love with our masked hero, so much so that she takes drastic steps to save his life in the end. This one felt like a fully mature Eisner story, full of emotion, danger, and fun. 

Dipsy Dooble March 23, 1941

Dipsy Dooble is a boxer who is treated with a strange chemical which makes him imperious to pain. The plan as far as I can make out is to set up a boxing event and make a bundle with the fix. They decide weirdly to do this at a police convention. Ellen has decided to become a boxing promoter and has found and a large and loquacious fighter to serve her needs. There are some great moments of character and fun in this one, but the plot rather bewildered me. 

Captured by the Underworld March 30, 1941

The mob realizes they will have to join forces to rid themselves of the Spirit and they do just that. They lure him into a trap and capture him. It's up to Ebony to save the save with some sound tricks. As is is often the case in these kinds of situations the reader is left to wonder they didn't just shoot the Spirit when they had him in a cage, since rubbing him out was the point. We do get to see how some folks respond when they think that the Spirit is well and truly gone. 

Introducing Scarlet Brown April 6, 1941

Ebony finds love, but to prove himself to his new sweetheart he must get to the bottom of a mystery which eventually does cost her father his job. The reader is hardly fooled that the bearded man who skulks behind Ebony and helps him in crucial moments is the Spirit himself. After it's all settled the man gets his job back and Ebony gets his sweetheart. Eisner is really feeling strong to allow the strip to put so much emphasis on Ebony at this time. The Spirit is in very panels, a trend that continues in the next story. 

Croaky Andrews' Perfect Crime April 13, 1941

Croaky Andrews and his moll Poison Maggie escape the Spirit after a big robbery by means of a boat which turns into a submarine. Andrews has spent months preparing and has an island all to himself and Maggie and protected from the encroachment of the Spirit. The Spirit for his part feels defeated. But unbeknownst to him Croaky's paranoia overwhelms him with tragic consequences. Again, this is a Spirit strip in which the titular character is hardly around, save in the mind culprit. This one has a nice dark tone. 

The S.S. Raven April 20, 1941

The S.S. Raven is the third story in a row in which the Spirit's role is diminished. Mostly our salty narrator tells us of a ship which has killed men and been the cause of misery and pain since its creation. No captain lives beyond a year and even the U.S. military gives up on it. But that's not the end of its litany of terror as it eventually passes onto the hands of a gambler, one who robs banks. We're left to wonder if the Spirit will be the Raven's latest victim. The identity of the narrator offers up a nifty twist as well. 

The Ellen Dolan Detective Agency April 27, 1941

Ellen Dolan is a detective and is drawn into a deadly game when she is hired to find out what has become of Professor Ravel's latest explosive. The Spirit is on the trail as well, but finds it difficult to give Ellen the help she'll desperately need when he gets conked on the head. Both the Spirit and Commissioner Dolan try to talk Ellen out of her latest career choice as the story closes. This is a very clever splash, showing Ellen through what seems to be her office door. 

King Kohl, Emperor of the World May 5, 1941

A gangster gets notions of grandeur and assembles a virtual army of thugs to rob and plunder. Their first target is an armory and despite having an actual tank on their side they are of course frustrated in their efforts. This one is filled with classic action and the flying car is featured. The Spirit and Ebony battle the criminals with all their might as the cops play catch up. The rivalry between the Spirit and Commissioner Dolan his highlighted as well. 

A Dull Week May 11, 1941

A dull week of course leads to lots of interesting action as Ebony, the Spirit, and Ellen Dolan all three hit the streets looking for adventure. Their efforts to frustrate crime are to some extent frustrated by each of them in turn. They manage to make a dull week quite interesting indeed. I was pleased to note a specific reference to the previous week's adventure, which sharpened the continuity in the series. 

Marta and the Renaissance Primitive May 18, 1941

It's all about forgery in this one. Things are not what they seem inside the frames and outside as well. A famous painting is stolen, and the Spirit is on the case immediately. The museum director seems a bit suspicious and when he kills himself it gets even more confusing. Marta is a gorgeous woman connected to all of this, and she has a stunning secret to share. This one was fun to read with its many twists and turns.  

Thomas Hawkins May 25, 1941

Why do criminals commit crime? This story about a safe cracker who has finished his sentence and is released from prison confronts this question. The Spirit puts forth the proposition crime is a disease and society must seek healing. When Thomas Hawkins is rejected by job after job because of his past he is seemingly forced to return to his criminal ways as everyone, even Commissioner Dolan predicted. But the Spirit is there to offer perhaps another way forward. It's clear that Eisner is speaking plainly in this story about what thinks of society and crime. 

Killer McNobby June 1, 1941

This story is presented in rhyme and reads more like a fable or tall tale than anything else. Killer McNobby is a deadly menace and only the Spirit is strong enough it seems to confront him. The fight between consumes page after page. Eisner is really playing with the format here, using both words and his drawing to get the reader inside the events. It's a fun departure from the normal story and again shows that Eisner is now confident in what his audience will tolerate. 

Five Passengers in Search of an Author June 7, 1941

This one is a confusing yarn, I think intentionally so. We have a story which might be told by a kid but it seems is also real as well. There are murders and spies and all sorts of things in this one which ultimately presents the reader with the mystery of an empty plane. This one also has a fantastic surprise at the end, which I would be remiss to reveal. 

Dusk and Twilight June 15, 194

The Spirit is forced to confront perhaps the weirdest menace yet. Dusk is his name and murder is his game, murder by means of his powerful hands as he strangles his victims. Dusk is married to Twilight who likewise is a deranged murderer. When the Spirit is lured into their underground lair it's all he can do to survive. Dusk is presented as totally made killer and reminded me of the Joker, though his preferred means of murder is much more direct. 

The Tale of the Dictator's Reform June 22, 1941

When a notorious dictator decides to visit America he confounded by the resistance to his calls for revolution, even among the poorest of the population. He finds himself lost to some extent in a land which makes no sense to him because its people seem to value democracy over power. The Spirit is able to put the dictator on a different path, though it's a tragic one. Reading this one, I could not but be reminded current events which are seeing ascendancy of a power-mad lunatic to the highest office in the land. We seem to have forgotten some fundamental lessons. We will have to learn them again, the hard way it seems. 

The Balkan Ball June 29, 1941

This is a wild and wooly story which starts by giving fans a peek into the Spirit's Wildwood Cemetary headquarters. He goes to invite Ellen out but discovers she already has a date with a prince, but a prince who turns out to be bogue. With Ebony's assistance, the Spirit is able to set things right, but it's a wild ride indeed. This one also features a bonus for Spirit fans who has been following the series, a kiss between the Spirit and Ellen, and not just any kiss. Ebony does well too. 

In this second archive we have seen the series fully mature. Eisner is using the Spirit series to tell all sorts of stories, and he is not limited by the original noir atmosphere which began the series. We get comedy and romance and horror, it's all here. 

More Spirit in a fortnight's time. 

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