8/7 Comic Reviews: Putting in the Work

Public Domain #7 by Chip Zdarksy

“Life is embarrassing. Like, non-stop.”

The second arc of Chip Zdarksy’s comic about comics continues with Cynthia Mann being introduced to Dallas publishing as their new editor. Right off the bat, she establishes herself as someone who will not mince her words when it comes to her job. She critiques Tanya, Miles, and David in that order and the way in which they respond to that criticism provides another delightful bit of insight into their characters. Tanya is the youngest and used to excelling at everything she does, so she is the least equipped to deal with criticism when it comes her way. Miles is initially offended, but is willing to defer to Mann’s experience and at least try to acknowledge his weaknesses. David responds... well, “positively” might be underselling it. Of course, Cynthia isn’t just there to tear them down. After pointing out their weaknesses, she identifies their strengths and quickly sets about organizing the workload to get the best out of each of them. So far, it’s felt tenuous if Dallas publishing would ever actually manage to get their book off the ground and turn in something worthwhile, but Cynthia’s presence seems to be the push everyone needs to act like professionals. Syd is ecstatic about this, but his enthusiasm fades when it becomes clear that Cynthia isn’t necessarily on his side either. Things get even more complicated when their benefactor, Domain superfan Mohammad Jameel, arrives to see how the work is going. When he sees their reimagining of his favorite hero, he’s immediately put off that he won’t be getting the same book he grew up loving. He even goes as far as to fire Cynthia for refusing to give up her final say. This leads to a three-way face-off between Syd, Cynthia, and Mohammad and Syd’s first real outburst. He makes it clear that no matter how big of a fan Mohammad might be, fans don’t get to dictate where the story goes. He also reminds Cynthia that he’s as much of an industry vet as she is and deserves a voice in their discussions. His argument with Mohammad also helps clarify that he isn’t driven by nostalgia in the same way as his fan. The stories he told in The Domain mattered to him and that’s what he’s fighting for. The three are able to come to an understanding and Mohammad leaves them to it, but Syd’s overall issues with his new group haven’t changed. They begin to discuss letterers and colorists and we’re reminded that the industry has changed in ways Syd isn’t comfortable with. The idea of hiring a colorist living in Spain is completely alien to him and leaves him once again feeling that his voice isn’t being heard, leading to him storming out.

In the meantime, Jerry Jasper goes through similar woes as he visits the home of his new co-writer, Carter Dusk. He’s not pleased in the least with Dusk’s reinterpretation of his character. Given the inspiration behind Dusk, you may be able to imagine some of the changes that have been made. I won’t get in to all of them, but the brand new(?) term “clerical fascism” is thrown around at one point and it seems like the whole thing is giving Jasper a case of vertigo. They are also joined by the book’s new artist, Teddy Krank, who is jacked about the Domain’s jacked new look. It’s interesting to see the two reinterpretations of The Domain contrasted with one another. On one hand, you have the Dallas crew who are trying to create a more grounded, inclusive interpretation of the character that carries the themes of the original, but presented for a modern audience. On the other hand, you have Dusk’s clerical-fascist exposing the fundamental flaws and inner conflicts of humanity as a whole. Pretentious? Oh, yeah. But it’s that way of thinking that has produced some of my all-time favorite comics and elevated the medium to something more than spandex and BIFF-BAM-POW. It’s easy to write off Dusk’s version as “wrong” because the guy is shady as hell, but it’s as valid an interpretation as any other. Given where I’m at in my life right now, the Dallas version sounds like the kind of optimistic, humanist approach I’d really love to read, but I’d also like to check out Carter Dusk’s version too. At the end of the day, the problem isn’t the interpretation itself, it’s the idea that both Syd and Jerry feel like they’re being left behind by an industry they helped build. 

This is what brings us to the final scene of the book where Syd and Jerry inadvertently end up in the same bar together. For the first time in years, the two have something in common and they share a drink while commiserating over how old they both feel. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Jerry shares how much he respects Syd’s decision to take the comic back and make it something more than fodder for movies and streaming services. He even goes as far as to ask Syd to work together with him again, but, sadly, time doesn’t heal all wounds and Syd isn’t close to forgiving how badly Jerry screwed him over. They get into a heated argument which hints at even more wounds unspoken of. 

Chip Zdarksy is a funny guy. He may even be the funniest guy working in comics, but when it’s time to put the jokes aside and have the characters be real with one another, there’s no one who can deliver like him. The inside references to the history of the industry are a lot of fun, but what hooks me is the fact that each of these characters feels like a person even when they’re obviously meant to be a reference to someone or something. I care about all of these people, even Jerry Jasper, and it makes me sad when they don’t get what they want. All that is to say, Zdarsky is an excellent storyteller and he’s firing on all cylinders in this book. The fact that he’s also the artist and absolutely killing it in that department is just insane. Working on the art in a comic is an intense job and one book takes a long time to make. How he manages to find the time to draw this book along with writing all of his other books is a mystery, but the result is a book where the writing and art are perfectly synergized in the story they’re telling. If you love grounded, slice-of-life stories you’re going to love this book. If you love comics as a medium, you’re going to love this book. If you love both, then you’re in for the treat of a lifetime. 

Venom War #1 written by Al Ewing with art by Iban Coello

This is it, the showdown we’ve been building towards. In one corner, we’ve got Eddie Brock, the King in Black, time-traveling heir to a cosmic throne, joined by three symbiotes piloted by versions of him from different timelines. In the other corner, we’ve got Dylan Brock, the Chainbreaker, human-symbiote hybrid, joined by two kids armed with their own symbiotes, a symbiote cat, and Flexo the Rubber Man. The prize? The Venom symbiote. If you think I’ve said “symbiote” too many times, then buckle up cause you ain’t seen nothing yet. Father and son have been ripped apart since the first issue and each sent on their own journey, learning about who they are and embracing the strange powers they’ve inherited. Along the way, both were shown visions of what would happen if the other were to possess the Venom symbiote again and neither future looks pretty. They both want to spare the other that fate and now they’re going to have to throw down over it. All the while, Meridius, another potential future for Eddie Brock, watches and plots. He also has designs on the Venom symbiote as it seems to be the only thing capable of freeing him from the destiny he is desperately trying to escape. Eddie may be a good person at his core, but this version is removed from anything remotely resembling humanity. He’s ready to take advantage of this father-son clash and he’ll kill anyone who gets in his way. 

Throughout these events, the story keeps cutting back to the Venom symbiote itself. We’re shown it’s earliest memories after being ripped away from its hive are ones of violence that left it sick and mentally broken. Thankfully a ray of light appeared when it bonded with one Peter B. Parker who it refers to as “Saint Peter”. Connecting with someone so devoted to helping others, so willing to shoulder the responsibility of his power, so profoundly good, proved to be the influence capable of setting the symbiote on the right path. Modern reinterpretations often show how the symbiote was bringing out Peter’s dark side and making him more aggressive, but the original story simply had him reject the black suit when he found out it was alive. Of course, it was also piloting his body while he slept, trying to continue Peter’s mission to save others in a misguided attempt to help him. The rejection broke it once again, and it ended up bound to Eddie Brock who was also at his lowest point. Sadly, that led to them bringing out the worst in each other, but it also created a bond of dependency which was able to develop into a more positive bond of trust and love way later down the line. From there, the symbiote briefly takes us through some of the other major hosts it’s had over the years. It gives a nice acknowledgment to Flash Thompson, who has always been one of my favorite Venoms. It’s touched on briefly here, but the idea that Flash was the first Venom to truly embrace heroism seems to have played a key role in the symbiote’s moral course correction. It eventually reunited with Eddie, now with both determined to atone for their sins and together they’ve become someone that even Captain America has acknowledged as a true hero. After Eddie became the King in Black, the symbiote bonded with Dylan to keep him safe, though having failed to do so, it’s now run away to live out the rest of its days hiding in shame. 

However, those days of hiding are brought to an end, when Peter, returning home and rushing to find a costume to change into, pulls out a familiar black suit... The symbiote head poking out of the suit asking Peter not to freak out is easily the funniest scene of the book while also reminding us that the symbiote has grown and become able to articulate in a way it simply wasn’t able to before. This creates the opportunity for the two of them to finally have a heart-to-heart after all these years. Peter has never been comfortable with the symbiotes, but here he’s able to look past that and see someone struggling with  guilt and indecision. In fact, he’s the one to point out that the symbiote now has a developed sense of morality and the ability to choose its own path. And, naturally, he caps it off with the “with great power comes great responsibility” speech. To me, having that line said clinches the symbiote’s transition into a force for good and the two old enemies resolve to work together to help bring an end to this conflict. 

It’s become clear over the years that symbiotes are not easy to draw, but there have been quite a few exceptional artists that have proven up to the task. Iban Coello is certainly one who can go toe to toe with the best of them. He’s great at drawing humans and the contrast with the twisting, oozy symbiotes makes them feel even more alien. We don’t get a ton of it in this issue, but seeing what he’s capable of has me excited for what’s to come. The final page promises plenty of web-slinging action in the mix as well. 

Venom War is off to a great start as all the players are brought together and the stakes are set. The tone is balanced between being bombastic and fun without forgetting that it’s been brought about by the strained relationship of a father and son. This conflict has been brewing for years and now that it’s here, I can’t wait to see what happens next. 

C.O.W.L 1964 #1 written by Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel with art by Rod Reis

My secret shame is that I never finished the first run of C.O.W.L. I read the first four issues as they were coming out in 2015, but life and budget got in the way and I ended up not being able to keep up with it. I’d really enjoyed what I’d read and have always meant to get back to it, but it’s remained in the to-be-read pile in the near-decade since. When I heard that a new run of the series was going to start, I thought it would be a good time to jump back in with the understanding that I might be lost having not read the previous issues. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was this book incredibly new-reader friendly, it also avoided explicitly spoiling anything that happened in the final few issues. The team working on this book clearly understands that this will be a lot of readers’ introduction to C.O.W.L and are  making this book with the intention of encouraging readers to go back and read the previous run. That isn’t to say this is simply a commercial for a series from ten years ago. There’s been a two year time jump and a lot has changed in the interim. C.O.W.L, the “Chicago Organized Workers League”, is a workers union for superheroes. It helps maintain communication between Chicago law enforcement and the city’s masked defenders while also making sure the heroes are fairly compensated for their service. All of this is taking place in 1960’s Chicago with much of the strife that historical worker’s unions had to struggle through during that era. The organization is run by Geoffrey Warner, formerly the Grey Raven, who is dedicated to keeping it alive and thriving. To that end, he’s now proposing to expand C.O.W.L nationally by opening branches in New York and Los Angeles. 

Of course, not everyone is going to be happy about that. Expanding out of Chicago means the mayor won’t have C.O.W.L under his thumb any more and there’s also the fear of Warner gaining more control over the country’s superpowered population. There’s also the people that Warner has stepped on in his crusade to keep C.O.W.L alive. The retired superheroine Radia, aka Kathryn Mitchell, has been doing good work in New York and Warner’s encroaching on her territory threatens to disrupt that. As with any union, the ability to negotiate is key and the issues shows Warner doing just that with the various parties he needs cooperation from.

Meanwhile, C.O.W.L deputy chief Reginald Davis, aka Blaze, receives the news that his days of superheroics may be approaching the end. The idea that everything ends appears to be the driving theme of this book. That leaves the question of deciding what their legacy is going to be. Whether it’s creating an institution which lasts forever, performing acts of public service, or raising up the next generation, there are many forms that legacy can take and I expect that we’ll be seeing many of these characters making that decision over the course of this new series. However, the reveal at the end of the book makes it clear that we don’t always get to decide our legacies by ourselves.

Rod Reis’ art is truly something to behold. The pencils are incredibly detailed, but there’s a certain haziness to the colors which casts the story into uncertainty and ambiguity. It’s absolutely perfect for a period piece set in 1960’s Chicago. It keeps your eyes glued to the page even when the scene is simply two characters talking. There’s a brief action scene in this story which looks amazing too. The action is intense and visceral, perfect for this grounded take on superheroes. People get hit and they get hurt. It’s nice to see books which make the violence scary instead of glorifying it. The tension rises every moment the fighting continues because the longer it goes on, the greater the chance of it escalating into something tragic. 

Not only has this issue locked me in for the next one, it’s also moved the previous C.O.W.L series to the top of my to-be-read list. Every character we see is engaging and I’m dying to go back so I can better understand what’s driving each of them. The choice of time period also provides more than a simple backdrop. In the time between these two series, President Kennedy has been assassinated and the country has entered into an era of chaos and uncertainty. It’s that very uncertainty that makes them desperate for heroes and it remains to be seen if Warner and his heroes are going to be able to rise to those expectations before their own sins burn it all to the ground. If you haven’t read any of C.O.W.L before this issues, don’t let that stop you from picking this one up. In fact, you may have the advantage, because this issue is going to leave everyone dying for more.