“…Even though it was the end of the racially charged 1960s when Schulz introduced Franklin, the cartoonist wasn’t attempting any kind of political statement, and Franklin being darker than his friends was never something commented on in the strip. Franklin’s debut and the appearance a few months later of The Jackson 5, fronted by the otherworldly talented Michael Jackson, was a wonderful representation of black adolescents. Franklin proved to be wise and dignified and has never done anything he should have to apologize for except for the strange dance he did with the other kids in ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’”

Not much for me to add here, except I believe the writer grossly overstates Franklin’s importance in black comics history. By all means, give Charles Schulz credit for introducing the character and making him somewhat visible, but let’s be honest: the kid’s got zero personality. He’s nowhere near as memorable as even secondary characters like Schroeder or Pig Pen - at least they’ve got a shtick of some kind.

I used to have this fantasy that if I were to take over Peanuts from Schulz, I’d make radical changes. I’d move Charlie Brown, Sally and Snoopy into Peppermint Patty’s neighborhood and center the series around Chuck, PP and Marcie, and Franklin would fill Linus’ role as CB’s best friend. And I would’ve given him a personality, you can be sure of that!

And as far as historical significance, there are others whom I would place way before Franklin - Morrie Turner’s Nipper, Brumsic Brandon’s Luther, and yes, sports fans, even Will Eisner’s Ebony. Still, who am I to gripe? He’s made it this far.

The fanboy in me is naturally thrilled at the thought of the Milestone characters returning in all-new adventures. I remember well when the multicultural imprint launched in 1993 through DC Comics, and I enjoyed buying comics like Icon, Static, and Shadow Cabinet, among others. I was pleased to see Static become a breakout hit, one that crossed over into a critically-acclaimed animated series. And I’ve tried to support co-founder Dwayne McDuffie in this blog whenever possible. But I find I cannot support him in this decision to integrate the Milestone characters into the greater DC Universe. In fact, I believe it is a terrible mistake, and to understand why, one need only look at history.

In 1972, DC bought the Fawcett characters Captain Marvel and the Marvel family. During its heyday, Fawcett’s Captain Marvel outsold Superman. It was immensely popular – until DC took Fawcett to court for copyright infringement, claiming CM was too much like Superman. Fawcett settled out of court, which led to them shutting down altogether. DC’s Shazam comic had mediocre sales, and in 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, CM and the family were integrated into the DCU proper, and never again reached the same level of popularity. Currently the characters have changed to the point of near unrecognizability: the wizard Shazam is dead, a white-haired CM has taken over for him, and Mary Marvel has been corrupted by archenemy Black Adam. Recent Shazam revivals by Jeff Smith and Mike Kunkel that have brought the character back to its roots have not sold as well as during the character’s heyday.

In 1983, DC acquired a number of superhero characters from Charlton Comics. At one point Charlton was home to legendary creators like Steve Ditko, Dick Giordano, Roger Stern, Bob Layton, John Byrne, Dennis O’Neil, and more, but the company hit hard times in the early 80s and would go out of business by the 90s. While some Charlton characters thrived for awhile, like Blue Beetle and the Question, today new characters inhabit these identities, and the rest have fallen into obscurity despite occasional revivals. And of course, the Charlton characters were originally going to be used in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen until DC changed their minds and the creators ended up using new characters inspired by the Charlton heroes.

In 1994 Marvel purchased Malibu Comics after that company suffered financial decline. Malibu hit its stride in the 90s with its Ultraverse line of superheroes. Marvel did a brief relaunch with them, which included a bunch of crossover specials, but they too, never reached the same level of popularity.

In 2004, Disney acquired the assets to CrossGen after that publisher also had money problems. For a brief time, CrossGen came close to revolutionizing the entire industry, attracting A-list creators like Mark Waid and George Perez, developing a production system that emphasized eye-popping artwork, utilizing multiple distribution systems and reprint formats, and launching initiatives designed to attract a wider reading audience. But Disney’s plans to further develop breakout hits Meridian and Ruse have yet to see the light of day, and though certain CG titles have been reprinted by Checker Books, no new material has been forthcoming.

It’s a pattern that has repeated itself throughout comics history: whenever the bigger company acquires the smaller company, the latter’s properties eventually become either irrelevant or altered, if not in the short term then over the long term. If they get absorbed into a pre-established continuity, they lose their uniqueness, that certain something that made them special to begin with. Yes, McDuffie is at DC now and will likely be consulted whenever someone wants to use the Milestone characters, but what happens when he’s gone? Can future creators be trusted to care about them as much as McDuffie, who was an integral part of their creation?

Something else about this deal bothers me. DC executive vice-president Dan DiDio insists that it’s not about wanting to diversify the DCU, but it’s about “bringing great material into the DC universe, and being able to add value to everything we do.” Well, that sounds all nice and noble, but riddle me this: why is it that whenever DC decides to throw a bone to readers of color, they put their best efforts into making “legacy” characters connected to pre-established ones? Green Lantern II (John Stewart). Mr. Miracle II. Steel (originally one of the “replacement” Supermen and who is still considered part of the Superman family). Mr. Terrific II. Jakeem Thunder (successor to Johnny Thunder). Firestorm II. And to go beyond black characters, there’s Atom III (an Asian-American), Question II (a Latina), and Batwoman II (a lesbian).

Remember Muhamamad X? Skyrocket? Orpheus? Chances are you don’t. These were original heroes of color created within the DCU but were given little chance to shine for very long and now linger in superhero limbo. Sure, someone could use them again, but it’s so much easier to buy someone else’s characters, especially when they come with their own built-in fanbases. Typical corporate mentality.

I wonder if reviving Milestone at Image was ever considered? Whether as a single book or a series of books, I could’ve easily envisioned seeing Milestone finding a home there, where the characters would’ve remained as they were without any corporate intervention. And certainly the fanbase would’ve followed, just as the fans of Bone and Strangers in Paradise did when those books found a temporary home at Image - and Milestone would’ve probably been an easier fit, given Image’s superhero roots.

Like I said, the fanboy in me can’t help but think it’s cool to see Static join the Teen Titans and Icon to join the Justice League, or whatever plans they may have for the Milestone heroes. And as for continuity issues, well, there’s always some BS way to shoehorn them into continuity, although the impression I get is that Final Crisis will have nothing to do with it and the “Worlds Collide” crossover will be conveniently forgotten. Regardless, I believe this is a huge mistake that will, over time, work to the detriment of these characters instead of their benefit. By losing the uniqueness that made them stand apart from the crowd, the Milestone heroes will, sooner or later, become as far removed from their roots as the Marvel family is now.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope to be proved wrong.

But I don’t think I will be.

Apocalipstix GN
50-page preview (yes, that’s right, FIFTY pages)
CBR interview with creators Ray Fawkes & Cameron Stewart

Post-atomic holocaust rock ‘n’ roll in this new graphic novel.

Also this week:
Justice League of America #23. Written by McDuffie.
Black Panther #38. Written by Hudlin.
Immortal Iron Fist #17. Pencils by Foreman.
New Warriors #14. Written by Grevioux. Secret Invasion tie-in.
Gold Digger #98, GD Sourcebook #19, GD: Tiffany & Charlotte #2 (of 4). By Perry.
Return of the Super Pimps #5 (of 6)

Also notable:
Comic Book Tattoo HC, SC. I am a huge Tori Amos fan, so you know I’m gonna get this - a bunch of top comics creators interpret her music into comics in this great big anthology.
New Avengers #43. Secret Invasion tie-in.
Uncanny X-Men #500
Flight V5 GN. I gotta catch up on this. I only have the first two.

My verdict on The Dark Knight: Good but not great. Got sick of Christian Bale’s Bat-growl very quickly, Heath Ledger had his moments but spent way too much time chewing almost as much scenery as Jack Nicholson did, and there a few too many leaps in logic needed to believe in this story. However, Aaron Eckhart was terrific, the action was mind-blowing, and the ending was a fascinating surprise I didn’t expect. I recommend seeing it, but do not buy into all the hype surrounding it.

Djimon Hounsou has signed up to be in a movie based on Conan bad guy Thulsa Doom.

Drawing Barack Obama is apparently trickier than you’d think.

This was brought to my attention by two people: apparently there’s this popular Mexican comic book called Memin Pinguin, in which the title character look a lot like Ebony from The Spirit, which is to say, like a big-lipped monkey. Wal-Mart had been carrying it until people noticed it and raised a ruckus. Today Wal-Mart has announced that they’re pulling the book off their shelves. The last time Memin made the news here was three years ago when he was put on a series of Mexican stamps.

The Wikipedia entry on the character states that it dates back to the 1940s and is very popular in many Latin American countries. Mexico’s defense is based on cultural differences stemming from the divergent histories of racism in Mexico and America.

Clearly Memin means something entirely different to the Mexican people than to us, which is why it needs to be viewed in its proper context. Picking it up in a Wal-Mart, it’s easy to see it as racist without knowing anything more than what you see on the surface, which is why I’m inclined to think it doesn’t belong there, but then, don’t Mexican-Americans have a right to buy this comic if they like it? The initial article doesn’t talk to any about Memin, which is very unfortunate because it seems as if someone should. If there are any reading this, I’d appreciate hearing what you think about the specific issue of Memin being carried in Wal-Mart.

Thanks to Cheryl and to my roommate Max for pointing this out to me.

Blankman ranks higher than Black Panther.

Meteor Man ranks higher than Luke Cage.

Way too much emphasis on TV and film.

But at least their number one choice is a decent one.

I mean, c’mon, you or I could make a better list than this without even thinking hard.

Is it me, or did they make Darkseid’s human avatar Boss Dark Side look like a white guy? If you’ll remember from Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers: Mr. Miracle mini-series, that’s where Darkseid first manifested as a black human. One could argue that since he’s a capital-G “God” now, he can appear any way he wants, but it is still inconsistent with the way Morrison presented Dark Side in Mr. Miracle. (Then again, from what I’ve been reading on the message boards, Morrison appears to have written Final Crisis #1 ignorant of the events in Death of the New Gods and Countdown, so make of this what you will.) Also, Empress from Young Justice kinda looked white too. This comes hot off the heels of that pic of Vixen as a white girl. What’s editorial for if they’re sleeping at the wheel like this?

I’ve had a particularly bad allergy season this year and yesterday I came home feeling really crappy.

Iron Man: War Machine TP
Wikipedia entry on War Machine
yet another Terrence Howard interview about the Iron Man movie

Now that you’ve seen the movie, rush right out and buy the comics! But start with this one.

JLA Presents Aztek the Ultimate Man TP

N. Steven Harris draws this short-lived but well-received series collected in a trade for the first time.

Also this week:
Buffy TVS #14. Pencils by Jeanty.
DC Special: Raven #3 (of 5). Pencils by Scott.
Infinity Inc. #9
New Dynamix #3 (of 5)
The Question: Poisoned Ground TP. Art by Cowan.
Fantastic Four: The New FF TP. Written by McDuffie.
GRRM’s Wild Cards: The Hard Call #2 (of 6). Pencils by Battle.
Gold Digger #96, GD Swimsuit Special, GD Sourcebook #17, Pirates vs. Ninjas: Up the Ante TP. Story and/or art by Perry.

Also notable:
Rann/Thanagar: Holy War #1 (of 8). The sequel to Rann/Thanagar War, by Starlin & Lim.
Tor #1 (of 6). Joe Kubert. Nuff said.
Avengers/Invaders #1 (of 12). The Ross/Kreuger team behind the Earth X trilogy and Project: Superpowers brings you this new mini-series that unites the Invaders of WWII with the modern-day Avengers.
Invincible Iron Man #1. Which of the six - yes, SIX - variant covers will you get?
Secret Invasion #2 (of 8)
Amelia Rules: When The Past is a Present HC, SC. This new collection of the 4-time Eisner nominee for 2008 includes the critically acclaimed war story “The Things I Cannot Change.”

Friends and neighbors, a new standard has been set for superhero movies. Iron Man was everything a superhero movie should be and more. Everyone was on top of their game, including director Jon Favreau, who took a character looked upon by many as a tough sell to the non-comics crowd and made it the buzz movie everyone agrees on. I should also note that when I went to see it, the crowd was extremely diverse. Black, white, young old, men, women - this was a film that cut across all lines, going by what I saw of the audience, and that’s nice to see as well. By now you know to stay after the credits for the Sam Jackson scene. I’d say somewhere from a fifth to a fourth of the audience at my showing stayed, and what surprised me was that among those who cheered loudest at the mention of “the Avengers Initiative” (well, besides me) was a small group of black women in the upper deck. Go see it if you haven’t already.

Here’s a roundup of African comics and comic strips.

I got home kinda late last night and didn’t feel like doing any posting. That’s why this is late.

Tangent: Superman’s Reign #1 (of 12)
interview with Tangent writer Dan Jurgens

First issue of this mini that continues the stories of the parallel earth where Superman’s a black guy, among many other changes. (BTW, Jamal Igle takes over as penciller beginning with the second issue.)

Also this week:
Batman and the Outsiders #5. Cover by Braithwaite.
Justice League of America #19, Avengers Classic #10. Written by McDuffie.
Everybody’s Dead #1. Zombie mayhem on the campus in this new mini illustrated by Dave Crosland.

Glyph Comics Awards news: Jamar Nicholas is returning as host this year. I’ve sent out a statement announcing it; hopefully you’ll see it turn up on the comics blogs or elsewhere. He’s a terrific guy and the perfect one to host the show, so I’m glad to see him back. Also, ECBACC has updated their website.

Cheryl lays the smack down on DC for the Vixen whitewash. Valerie provides her two cents as well. I don’t see any way DC can spin this. From what I can tell, this goes beyond a coloring mistake; it looks a lot like the artist was not told Vixen was a black woman. And that makes you wonder what the editor of this book is smoking. Either s/he wasn’t aware of this basic fact, which makes you question what they’re doing editing a DC comic in the first place, or it was a deliberate mistake. Neither option looks very good. It’s the kind of thing that makes you wonder… like this guy does.

Also: Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s progeny are set to star in a new film based on a graphic novel.

And on a sad note… when I was still editor of UVC, I recruited a young woman named Sharvonique Fortune to write a piece for our Black Women in Comics issue about black women in animation. I’ve just been informed by my pal Jen Hachigan that her husband has suddenly died. Don’t know any details. My condolences go out to her and her family.

… well, frankly, I don’t believe he is. Bendis has invested too much time and effort into building this character up, throughout at least four different books (Daredevil, Alias, Pulse and now New Avengers) only to take all of that away. While Secret Invasion will likely put Luke and many other characters to the test, I believe Bendis has a genuine affection for him.

New Avengers #38 continues themes played out in New Avengers #22, a story beloved by many Avengers readers, but it also draws comparisons to another character-driven done-in-one issue by Bendis: Ultimate Spider-Man #13, the issue where Peter tells Mary Jane he’s Spider-Man, another popular story. He even got his old Alias artist Michael Gaydos to draw it. Clearly, he’s trying to establish a visual and emotional connection here with these characters above and beyond the rest of the New Avengers cast.

When you also factor in Bendis’ use of Luke in Daredevil and Alias, which predates his run on New Avengers - and Bendis has said that the idea for Secret Invasion started around the time he took over the Avengers - then it seems very unlikely that he would suddenly turn around and say it was never really Luke Cage all along. Then again, stranger things have happened…

Oh snap.

He’s back.

“My last big writing project was Green Lantern: Sleepers Book Three for iBooks/Simon & Schuster. It kind of ruined me for comics because it was immensely freeing. It was so much fun, and so much work (for so little pay), but it allowed me to discover things about myself and my writing, and to fall in love with writing again. So, I hadn’t been that anxious to write comics again. But there, in all of that email, was an offer to write more prose—the Gunplay dime novels. That was the first thing that caught my attention.”

Christopher Priest

He also talks about his most recent comics work and the frustrations he went through in getting them out. By his admission, he’s not that eager to get back into comics (his Gunplay story is prose), and if so, that would be a shame, because he was one of our leading lights in this business for a long time. One would like to think the climate at Marvel has improved enough that Priest could come back there, but maybe this is for the best. He should go where he’s wanted, and if the Big Two doesn’t value his talents like they should (as evidenced by Marvel’s treatment of The Crew), screw ‘em.