A Complicated Comics History II

Early issues of JLA downplayed Supes and Bats because both of these characters had so much coverage elsewhere. Nevertheless, Supes appeared every month in seven titles and could appear, even if briefly, in an eighth. But only one of those titles was about him as an adult and only about him as an adult all the way through. Thus, it was statistically unusual to find yourself reading a comic that focused solely on Superman.

Before and during the Crisis on Infinite Earths in the mid- to late 80s, Superman and Superman in Action Comics were solo Superman titles and DC Comics Presents was a regular Superman team-up title whereas, after the Crisis, Superman (first series), now called Adventures Of Superman, and Superman (second series), simply called Superman, were solo Superman titles whereas Superman in Action Comics had become the regular team-up title and, a few years later, became a thick weekly anthology for nearly a year. 

For a while, when Action was monthly and neither a team-up book nor an anthology, a fourth monthly title and a quarterly were added to transform four monthlies and one quarterly into one weekly with continuous narrative although by different creative teams and the quality went into the Phantom Zone. Things have changed and changed again and I have no idea what is happening now. Alienate old readers as long as you can attract new younger readers if you can.

What's Been Done With Watchmen

A prequel comic series.

A crossover comic series.

A feature film adaptation.

A TV series sequel.

The TV series brilliantly answers the question: "Who was Hooded Justice?"

Powers Unknown

Copied from Poul Anderson Appreciation:

The deal with the blog is that a single word or phrase in a work by Poul Anderson can generate either a reflection or a comparison with a similar word or phrase in a work by another author. We can move in any direction although we always return to our source. And here is one mysterious phrase:

"The Taverners are as merciful as their charter, or whatever it is that was once granted them by some power unknown, allows them to be."
-Poul Anderson, "Losers' Night" IN Anderson, All One Universe (New York, 1997), pp. 105-123 AT p. 108.

There could be a story about an inn-keeping couple at some place or time, the punchline being that, right at the end of the story, they are appointed as keepers of the Old Phoenix - but that alone would not be enough to tell us who the power unknown is. Once appointed, do the Taverners remain in the Old Phoenix or do they, like their guests, continue to lead lives in one of the universes? The inn is outside all particular cosmic times so they could always return to it at the moment they had left.

"...there are some powers that no one, not even the Endless, seeks to inquire into too deeply."
-Neil Gaiman, The Sandman: The Wake (New York, 1997), p. 17, panel 4.

Why not? The Endless are anthropomorphic personifications of aspects of consciousness and include Destiny, who knows all that was, is and will be, although Delirium that was Delight claims:

"...I know lots of things about us. Things not even he knows."
-Neil Gaiman, The Sandman: Season Of Mists (New York, 1992), p. 29, panel 6.

- pointing at Destiny.

That might be a koan: What does Delirium know that Destiny does not?

And does she know the powers unknown?

The Watchmen TV Series

OK. Far out. I didn't think I'd say this but: Far out.

The attached image shows us the Hooded Justice of the TV series within the TV series: one totally different guy. (He looks exactly the same because of the costume.) The Awesome Mage's Watchmen had a comic within the comic so the TV sequel has a TV series within the TV series.

I watched Episode 1 last year with Ketlan and did not get into it yet. It takes some getting into. How does it connect with AM's original masterpiece? That takes time to transpire. For Father's Day this year, Aileen gave me the DVD set. Obviously, I was going to watch it and I also needed to read about the series to try to understand what these guys are doing. The actors speak very fast in very pronounced accents and make obscure references. Like a child watching a film, I have to accept that I do not understand a lot (yet).

So far, I have watched the first 6 of 9 episodes. A lot is still difficult, especially Veidt's strange predicament. The horseshoe theme seems particularly incoherent but it was repeated so maybe its meaning will become clear. I understand that everything does eventually tie together. Episode 5 brilliantly shows how one of the new characters survived the New York event. The Watchtower was appropriate both because it was in AM's series and because Watchtower fits with Watchmen.

Episode 6 is riveting. The newly created origin story for the previously unidentified Hooded Justice:

is as good as AM's Joker origin story (see also here);
explains the noose around the neck;
explains that, even under the hood, HJ needs a painted eye mask as camouflage. (Watch it. Episode 6.)

Captain Metropolis looks good. The other Minutemen are indistinct because we are seeing them through HJ's memories.

In an earlier episode, a newsboy was announcing that the aliens were a hoax just before HJ's first appearance which is chronologically wrong but I think that that was because someone was remembering first the later event, then the earlier event.

Dave Gibbons said that Damon Lindelof would do it right and it looks like Dave was right. I still have three episodes to watch and maybe the whole series to rewatch.

Masked policemen seem bizarre, then make sense as a role reversal.

Other Reading About Telepathy

We saw here that a telepath who can read only surface thoughts talks to a prisoner in order to bring associations into his conscious mind.

Thus, we read, in a book received as a present today:

D'jinn, disguised as a slave girl: Gather all who serve Yussuf's ascendancy together tonight for an important meeting.

Sidi Nouman: Is that wise? In the past we've never congregated more than two or three at a time. Those were always Yusuf's orders.

D'jinn: No Matter. I simply needed to ascertain the fullness of the list which appeared in your mind the moment I inquired of them.
I've captured it complete, and so you are of no further use to me, Sidi Nouman, famous abuser of horses.
-Bill Willingham, Fables: Arabian Nights (And Days), (Burbank, CA, 2006), p. 59, panels 5-6.

A Fictional Language II

See A Fictional Language.

I know that some people are elaborating Klingon (see image) so maybe they are way ahead of us here. Let me just try to demonstrate some more of Alan Moore's ingenuity.

p. 14, panel 4
Alanna: D-duss maol olt? Fao Adam AEL? (How is he? Will Adam be well?)

Sardath: Sa. Adam fao ael. Qu dral ol VIER, tertel bu. (Yes. Adam will be well. You can see him...)

p. 14, panel 5
Alanna: Iu, Sardath-cho, Ba ONAMAO qu! (Oh, Sardath. I love you!)
Sardath: Ba onamao QU emsec, Alanna. (I love you too, Alanna.)

p. 15, panel 1
Alanna: ADAM! Iu, onamaol bu... (Adam! Oh, love they...)

p. 15, panel 3
Alanna: Qu fao zon ililoc huls CHECHEDOR Rann, di tomta ILIOCTIBANI. Olf fao doh rette RANN leps THANAGAR. (You will be able to talk to the new Ambassadors to Rann, during the Conference/negotiations. They will (or have?) come to Rann from Thanagar.)

p. 15, panel 4 
Adam Strange: THANAGAR? THOM KATAR HOL? (Thanagar? Not Katar Hol?)

Alanna: Tho. Thom KATAR HOL ool SHAYERA. Olf fao HAKKESTRANG! (No. Not Katar Hol or Shayera. They are (will be?) Hawkpeople!)

p. 16, panel 1
Keela Roo: Ael, Sardath-chat. Ol wa ililoc THANAGARRU wo? <... (It is well, Sardath. Should we speak Thanagarru?) (Her Thanagarru is represented by < and by similar signs which are not on my keyboard.)

p. 16, panel 2
Sardath: ADAM-CHI! Ol fa aeli qu fao ael! Olf fao KEELA ROO ep SCIRA EK, checheder leps THANAGAR... (Adam! It is good that you are well! These are Keela Roo and Scira Ek, ambassadors from Thanagar...)
Keela Roo: < etc.

p. 16, panel 3
Keela Roo: ...absorbacon-linked translator should simplify the discussions.
(She holds a glowing pyramid which emits the sound "Veep" as it makes everyone present understand everyone else's speech.)

p. 17, panels 5-6
Adam Strange, speaking while running beyond the range of the absorbascon: Yes, yes. It's okay. I know... "It's a dirty job... (VEEP!) ...claab APOCHAN masraut fao ol!" (Give it to the ape man.) (Or something like that.)

p. 28, panel 2
Adam Strange: Lam TALSA, Keela Roo. Qu glispi SARN. (Good morning, Keela Roo. You look "sarn.")
Keela Roo: Lam Talsa, Adam Strange. Bas Hakkestrange ETHMET glispi sarn. (Good morning, Adam Strange. But Hawkpeople always look "sarn.")

p. 28, panel 3
Keela Roo: Ba murrn ililocta-unulacon bu... (VEEP)... so that we may talk more easily.

p. 34, panel 3
Alanna: ADAM? Voryegger ilioc INGLISH? (Adam? The monster speaks English?)
Adam Strange: Uh, tra. Ol utu "SMALSH-YEGGER," aps URTH. (Uh, yes. He was "Swamp Thing" on Earth.

p. 35, panel 6
Alanna: ADAM? Duss ililoc qu ap Smalsh-Yegger? (Adam? What are you talking about with Swamp Thing?)

p. 36, panel 1
Adam Strange: Ep URTH, epo GOTHAMAGAR, Smalsh-Yegger faor lurshastrang. Fao ol lurshastrang ep RANN? (On Earth, in Gotham City, Swamp Thing made vegetation. Will he make vegetation on Rann?)

p. 36, panel 2 
Alanna: Mamoon. Iu, Smalsh-Yegger, MAMOON. (Please. Oh, Swamp Thing, please.)

I am starting to decipher more but enough is enough. One sentence of Planha in Poul Anderson's "Lodestar" has made me revisit and re-appreciate Alan Moore's Rannian dialogue.

The Structure Of A Series: The Boys (90 Monthly Issues)

I: The Name Of The Game (1-6)

II: Get Some ("Get Some," 7-10; "Glorious Five Year Plan," 11-14)

III: Good For The Soul ("Good For The Soul," 15-18; "I Tell You No Lie, G.I.," 19-22)

IV: We Gotta Go Now (23-30)

V: Herogasm (miniseries, 1-6)

VI: The Self-Preservation Society ("The Self-Preservation Society," 31-34; "Nothing Like It In The World," 35-36, "La Plume De Ma Tante Est Sur La Table," 37; "The Instant White-Hot Wild," 38)

VII: "What I Know," 39; "The Innocents," 40-43; "Believe," 44-47)

VIII: Highland Laddie (miniseries, 1-6)

IX: The Big Ride ("Proper Preparation And Planning," 48-51; "Barbary Coast," 52-55; "The Big Ride," 56-59)

X: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker (miniseries, 1-6)

XI: Over The Hill With The Swords Of A Thousand Men (60-65)

XII: The Bloody Doors Off ("The Bloody Doors Off," 66-71; "You Found Me," 72)