Kurt Kritiques
Ever since he and an up-and-coming comics painter by the name of Alex Ross brought maturity to the world of Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man with Marvels, writer Kurt Busiek has been a prominent creative force in the realm of super-hero comics. Still, his profile has waned a bit as of late, but 2008 promises to be another big year for the writer. This summer, DC will launch Trinity, a new weekly series that promises to recapture the sales heat the publisher saw with 52 and lost with Countdown to Final Crisis. And Busiek will be at the helm.
He's been writing Superman as well, and a new jumping-on point released last week is what's sparked this focus on his recent work and my perception of a disparity in quality.
Superman #674
"Shadows Linger, Part One: Bright Tomorrows"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Renato Guedes
Inks: Jose Wilson Magalhaes
Colors: David Curiel
Letters: Comicraft
Cover artists: Guedes & Magalhaes
Editor: Matt Idelson
The solicitation copy for this particular issue proclaims that this is "a new beginning for Superman," and it also marks Renato Guedes's first issue as the regular artist. Along with Busiek's name attached, that was enough for me to revisit this series to see what's going on. It turns out my visit is going to be a short one, as there's nothing in this issue that makes me want to read what's coming next. Busiek brings back an obscure, one-off Justice League villain to fill a role that one of the Man of Steel's regular rogues could have filled, and what's more frustrating is that this "new beginning" seems more focused on addressing ongoing plotlines than exploring new ones.
As Clark Kent unveils some swanky new digs to his family and considers the problem of Phantom Zone resident Mon-El's lead poisoning, he has no idea that Paragon, a long-forgotten villain with the power to duplicate super-powers, has escaped from prison. But an even greater threat is approaching as well, and it's coming from deep space.
I enjoyed Renato Guedes's artwork in the past. His detailed approach brings realism to the fantasy of super-heroes, but it's also rather stiff. That still holds true, so his style doesn't really work for action-oriented scenes. He's also redesigned the Paragon costume. That's a smart move, since his original look was definitely a product of the '80s. But the new look is so generic and unremarkable, I think I would have preferred the original purple and yellow, campy costume.
There are so many elements in the script that strike me as ill-conceived or awkward that I don't know where to begin. Busiek doesn't provide the reader with any background information on Chris Kent, and since this is billed as an accessible gateway into the current in-continuity adventures of the title character, that would seem to be necessary detail. Why Busiek opts to use Paragon in a role that the Parasite, a longtime Superman villain, could have easily filled is perplexing as well. The writer also dedicates several pages to revealing the Superman family's version of the Batcave early on in the book, and I honestly couldn't be less interested. Mind you, I suspect that scene is the result of an editorial edict rather than the storyteller's decision to give the Man of Tomorrow a cozier home. I don't care for the high-tech apartment for another reason as well: it seems too cushy for Clark Kent, who's supposed to be something of an average joe, a grounded, everyday component to the ultimate icon of power, heroism and idealism. 4/10
Perhaps what's most frustrating about this comic book is that I know that the talent involved in its creation is capable of so much more. Fortunately, there's recent evidence that the writer of the above comic can still being a lot of intelligence, inventiveness and emotion to a super-hero story…
Astro City: Beautie #1
"Her Dark Plastic Roots"
Artist: Brent Anderson
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Cover artist: Alex Ross
Editor: Scott Peterson
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions
Ever since Busiek launched Astro City in the mid 1990s, the Barbie-doll super-heroine Beautie has been a mystery, and not just in terms of her origins. I didn't really see why Busiek had created such an odd character. Now, I don't know if he had this story in mind from the start or if it just came to him over time, and I don't really care. I'm just glad he told it, because it's surprisingly fascinating. I say surprising, because the title character is such a cold, distant, inhuman figure that I wouldn't think that she'd serve as the foundation for such a thoroughly human and emotional story. Busiek dresses up what could have been a typical sci-fi story about a robot in search of a soul with social commentary and some effective pathos. I never dreamed that such a seemingly superficial, gimmicky character could serve as the foundation for one of the most intriguing Astro City stories to come along yet.
Beautie, the robotic super-heroine shaped like the world's most popular fashion doll, feels like something is missing. She and her fellow members of the Honor Guard have no idea where she came from, who built her or why she was crafted to look like a toy. She feels more and more disconnected from the society in which she's tried to live. But her thoughts keep drifting back, and back, and back. When she stumbles upon a lead, leading her to a long-dead inventor/villain whom the Honor Guard has fought in the past, an answer seems within reach. Unfortunately, it threatens to slip through her fingers.
Brent Anderson's artwork has always stood out as one of the strengths of Astro City, and his work on this one-shot is no exception. He conveys the title character's creepy, immobile face and awkward form quite well; her cold, emotionless face makes for an unsettling contrast with her personal quest and muffled sense of isolation. I also appreciated the shift in style that Anderson employs for the flashback/memory scene; he adopts a seemingly cruder style that reflects the child-like nature of the character in the scene and the burgeoning consciousness of the protagonist at that moment.
I think the most interesting in the book is the one in which Beautie visits a local bar and deals with the advances of the male patrons. It's such a disconcerting moment… not when Beautie replies inappropriately, but when one realizes that a child's plaything represents something of a fantasy to a grown man. The guy is attracted to the purely superficial qualities of the form before him, even in light of the fact that she should be a symbol of innocence. A doll shouldn't be a fantasy. Busiek says so much about the still-unfortunate state of gender relations in this day and age with that scene.
Ultimately, this extreme story is clearly an analogy for the experience of being an outsider in society. At first, Beautie identifies with homosexuals, who find themselves isolated culturally and socially. But the analogy fades before long, given that that isolated sector still has its own sense of community and family. What Beautie truly represents on a focused, personal level is the adopted child, desperate to find out where she came from and, more importantly, why her creator has never sought her out. She seeks an identity, and as a foundation, she needs to know her origins. Given the tone of the narration, it's a surprisingly moving story.
I needn't have worried about that issue of Superman. Kurt Busiek's still got it. 9/10
Quick Critiques – March 25, 2008 → ← Mind the Currency Gap
14 thoughts on "Kurt Kritiques"
Busiek's Superman has been pretty disappointing. Very sad considering how much I enjoyed his Secret Identity series. Hopefully James Robinson will pump some new life into the series.
I was also disappointed because this issue was suppoused to have introduced Chloe Sullivan (character from the show Smallville) and having enjoyed her character it was a big disappointment to see it not happen.
Brandon Schatz says:
I'm willing to give Busiek the benefit of the doubt for his Superman book – in interviews, he's stated that he had quite a few plans for the book, but the delays involved with Carlos Pacheco turned his lead story into… well, his entire run almost. And then, right after Busiek had written the script and arc leading to Supe's #675 featuring Chloe, he was made to scrap it when Warner Brothers did a "take-backsies" on their OK to integrate her into DC proper.
Yay, corporate comics!
fil says:
Waned nothing. His output has gotten less with his premiere title, Astro City, but his quality really hasn't lost it for me. I love most of his Astro City output (the recent being a great example). His one-shots set in that city are even better at times than the longer drawn mini series. More of those any day.
What really grabbed me in the last couple years is catching up on his Conan books. He wrote some fantastic comics, capturing a great iconic character and he was paired with some fantastic artwork. These were some of the best all around comics I have read in a long time.
A blip with a character like Supe who, unless you do something out of context with continuity (like his own Secret Identity or Morrison's run on All Star Superman), just is tough to write. It is cool he made the attempt but put him back writing Superman stories with his own characters. Give me Samaritan any day of the week over a Supes story.
Fil, you make a good point about Busiek's Conan comics. He has been an integral part of reviving not only that property, but the barbarian niche in general. I guess it really doesn't come to mind for me because my interest in barbarian/sword-and-sorcery comics is low.
Simon DelMonte says:
I remain convinced that Kurt and DC are not a great match. I like almost everything he does, but his DC work never feels that strong.
Simon wrote:
Busiek's great at bringing out the humanity in icons, but he seems better at it when he's not saddled with dealing with the icon iteself. The analogs of super-hero icons in Astro City give him more freedom, for example. And his best Superman story is Superman: Secret Identity, in which he dealt with a much different version of the Man of Steel.
KevinA. says:
Busiek has lost much of his, for lack of a less-corny phrase, "superstardom mystique". It used to be whatever he touched turned to gold. I was impressed with the initial few issues of Supes, but dropped it after struggling to hold onto the title while hoping some magical muse would kiss his forehead and turn out some great stories. Pheh.
Astro City has been his most consistent, high-quality fare and I'm glad, since this has been one of my faves for years.
I would be down to check out the Conan work but I am still boycotting Dark Horse because they print their trades in China. I don't think they print everything in China, but the trades I wanted to buy were. It is hard to do, especially since the Amazing Screw-On Head was reprinted, but I am strong.
I was kind of digging Busiek's Superman early on, until the delays in his Arion story hurt everything. On top of that, the Jimmy Olsen issues, while entertaining, just weren't the same. I dropped all of my monthlies around that time (due to moving) and haven't really looked back since.
One title I wish had done better was the Aquaman title Kurt was working on. I loved the first trade, where it was like an underwater Conan or something. It was neat, it was fresh for the character and I didn't actually hate the new guy.
Honestly, I'm not even picking up any of the current stuff and haven't for months. There's nothing that's interesting me. It's given me a chance, however, to try some new stuff, like Blankets and Promethea.
garbonzo says:
I am a huge fan of the bulk of Busiek's work. However, I will agree that much of his more recent work for the "Big 2" has left me cold. I have never been a big fan of Superman, but picked up both Action and Superman on the basis of Busiek's name alone. However, once the initial arc was over, I just couldn't muster the strength to keep going.
I didn't last nearly as long on Aquaman. I think 4 or 5 issues was about it for me. I had a chance to talk with Busiek at a in-store signing about the time it was announced that he was leaving the book. He said that he had a long-term plan for the character that he never got to fully explore/explain. Even with the idea, there just wasn't enough there for me (the even less than casual fan of the character).
But, that being said, his other work has been SPECTACULAR! Arrowsmith, Astro City, Conan – all were must reads. Even with Conan (a character like Aquaman, one with whom I had a less than casual frequency of reading) he really was able to tell amazing stories that gripped the reader.
Once again, I will be picking up the Trinity series based solely on Busiek's name alone. He has far more "hits" than "misses" in my book. And the fact that he is an all-around nice guy at signings and conventions doesn't hurt at all.
While Busiek has had much success with DC's and Marvel's super-hero icons, it's his creator-owned and non-continuity work that has stood out as his strongest. I'm thinking of Arrowsmith, Astro City, ShockRockets and Secret Identity.
I agree. Another creator-owned I'm also reading an old book of high fantasy of his that is beautifully painted work by David Wenzel, entitled The Wizard's Tale. Good reading.
I think what I really like about Busiek is his genuine love of the comic book medium for long form storytelling. This isn't always true for every big name writer. As much as I love (or in some cases had loved) Ellis, Ennis, Miller, Bendis, Millar or whatever these guys can also come across and deeply cynical about the comic book form and it shows with some of their work. For every great run these guys can have, they also have runs that just make me scratch my head. I love Ennis's Punisher but his The Boys comes across as too cynical and mean-spirited to be funny (as a one-shot The Pro it was cute…long form? Bleh). Busiek always seems to embrace the comic book medium with more genuine love for the characters that comes across even when his writing isn't his strongest.
And I will say again, for those that haven't read any, get the Conan. Even the ones printed in China. Alternately, go back and buy up the old issues in the long boxes at your local comic store if you don't want to give money to the Chinese. 😀 It is that good.
Androo says:
Kurt Busiek is the reason I read super hero comics….I didn't think they were for me, but then I read Avengers Forever followed by catching up on his Avengers series with George Perez, and now I have a completely irrational love for wacky superhero comics that I don't think I'll ever lose….I've heard hes not done too well at DC, well damnit, get him back at Marvel!!! (my personal fantasy creative team -> project is Busiek/Perez on X-Men, just to see what it would be like :D)