Thoughts on Iron Man 3 (Spoilers!)

Iron Man, Iron Man,

Does whatever an iron can!

Makes a pleat, grills some cheese,

Bashes crooks in the knees.

Look out!!

Here comes the Iron Man!

OK, I'll admit that maybe I don't have a career as a cartoon theme song writer in my future.

So in the last few days a couple of friends have asked me some questions about Iron Man 3, which you probably now is now playing at your local theater (unless you've been living under a rock, in which case, congratulations on figuring out how to get access to the Internet down there so that you can read this).  I did intend to write a blog to address some of this stuff the weekend that the movie premiered, but as I thought about the movie, I realized that I wouldn't be able to say much without revealing some stuff about the film.  So, SPOILER WARNING...if you haven't seen IM3 yet, and don't want to potentially have some plot twists ruined, then stop reading now.  Or at least scroll to the end of the post for a surprise.  Now, in no particular order, here are some things that may have confused you, and some general thoughts about the Iron Man films and where they might go from here.

Question 1: What the heck is Extremis?

Answer:  The bulk of the movie's plot is based on the first story arc of the fourth volume of Iron Man, called Extremis (reprinted in the Iron Man: Extremis trade paperback, shown above).  In the comics, Extremis is described as a (presumably non-contagious?) virus that re-writes the human genome, basically rebuilding the body from the ground-up and imparting a set of predefined powers in the process.  It was originally intended to help promote the healing process in cases of catastrophic injury or illness, but this tech has been weaponized and fallen in the hands of terrorists.  This theme comes up over and over again in the history of Iron Man comics; the "good guys", often Tony Stark himself, lose control of technology due to unscrupulous corporations or terrorists, and then Iron Man has to run around trying to put the genie back in the bottle (see the excellent Armor Wars trade paperback for one of the most significant examples of this theme).  In the comics, the military version of Extremis is the result of another attempt to create a super soldier like Captain America.  (Remember that Dr. Erskine, who created Cap's Super Soldier serum, was assassinated by Nazis and took his formula to the grave with him, leading to repeated attempts to replicate the success of the original program by other means in the Marvel Universe).  This isn't mentioned in the movie, but wouldn't have been much of a stretch, considering that other Marvel films introduced the idea that Bruce Banner's failed attempt to recreate the original Super-Soldier serum resulted in the creation of the Hulk.

Question 2: What's AIM?

Answer: In the movies, Dr. Aldrich Killian (played by Guy Pierce) is the leader of Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM, which is described as a defense think-tank, sort of like the Rand Corporation in the real world.  In the comics, things are significantly different.  AIM is a technology-worshiping offshoot of the terrorist organization HYDRA, the opposite of Nick Fury's SHIELD.  AIM agents are hilariously dressed like beekeepers for some inexplicable reason (I've always guessed it's a call-back to the way the SPECTRE agents are dressed at the end of Dr. No), and are obsessed with the promotion of anarchy through the use of technology.  In the film, Killian is the founder of AIM and the mastermind behind the Extremis plot, but in the comics, Killian isn't associated with AIM at all and dies in the first ten pages of the Extremis story arc (though he is the co-creator of the Extremis virus).

A typical AIM Agent, obsessed with the latest technology and possibly Honey Smacks

MODOK, a "fearsome" giant robot created by AIM.  I just can't be intimidated by Humpty Dumpty with a bad haircut.

Question 3: Is the Mandarin really just a washed-up actor?

Answer: If I have one big gripe about Iron Man 3, it's the reveal that the Mandarin is just some alcoholic actor playing a part.  In the comics, the Mandarin is Iron Man's archenemy, wielding 10 alien rings of power, each of which shoots a ray with a different, devastating effect.  The idea that the whole character is a farce is like finding out that Heath Ledger's Joker was actually a hapless circus clown in the last half hour of The Dark Knight.  While the character's origin in the comics is very firmly rooted in the Cold War era, the films had done a pretty good job of alluding to the Mandarin here and there and rooting him in a more contemporary setting (watch the original Iron Man closely to see what I'm talking about), which makes the reveal all the more troublesome to this viewer.

The Mandarin, Iron Man's archenemy, painted by the incomparable Brothers Hildebrandt

Question 4: Does Pepper really wear the armor in the comics?  

Answer: In the movie, Pepper Potts (her real first name is Virginia, by the way, but Stan Lee loves alliteration) gets to use the Iron Man armor to save Tony's bacon when AIM helicopters attack Tony's house.  She uses the armor like it's not a big deal, which might seem suspicious, but there's precedent for this in the comics.  Long story short, at one point Tony is a fugitive on the run and it's up to Pepper to come to his rescue in a suit of armor that Tony made especially for her.  She appropriately chooses the name Rescue, and has become a break-out character in the series.  It only took her fifty years, but she's come a long way from being the perpetual damsel in distress.  You can find Pepper's debut as Rescue in the Invincible Iron Man: World's Most Wanted Book 1 and Book 2 collections.

Pepper's alter ego as Rescue

Question 5: Why did Rhodey change his name to from War Machine to the Iron Patriot?  

Answer: This was a weird inclusion to me, though I thought the movie came up with a plausible reason for the change (it was supposedly a PR move because the name War Machine sounds too aggressive).  In actuality, when Tony Stark's friend Jim Rhodes has worn the armor, it's only ever been in the guise of Iron Man (where he filled in for Tony in the mid-80's) or as War Machine.  The Iron Patriot was an alter ego devised by Tony (and Spider-Man's) enemy Norman Osborn, who you might know better as the Green Goblin.  When Tony was on the run, he lost his day job as head of SHIELD (which he took from Nick Fury) to Normie, who then seized all of Tony's armor variants and repainted one in red, white, and blue.  He then proceeded to make the lives of Tony and everyone else in the Marvel U hell for the next year or so.  The inclusion of the Iron Patriot armor was a neat nod to fans of the comics, but didn't really have anything to do with the plot of the film.

Norman Osborn and his crazy hair in the Iron Patriot suit

So where does the film version of Iron Man go from here?  A lot of speculation is going around about whether Robert Downey, Jr. will return to the Tony Stark role now that his contract is up.  Marvel Films certainly seems to think that someone will be back in future films...just look at the Bond-style "Tony Stark Will Return" tag at the end of the credits of Iron Man 3.  And while not every Avengers story needs Iron Man, and the other actors all did a great job in The Avengers, both RDJ and Marvel would be stupid not to sign up for another go in 2015's Avengers 2.  Tony is a fan favorite, and a lot of that has to do with RDJ's charisma, which anyone with half a brain knows.  So I think that it's just a matter of getting down to brass tacks and settling on a price now.  As for other Iron Man movies, I'm not so sure, and the end of Iron Man 3, rushed as it was, could serve as a end point for Tony's individual story.  One big area that still needs to be explored is the idea of Tony's alcoholism.  In the early 80's, Tony Stark's drinking caught up with him in the comics in the classic Demon In A Bottle storyline, and Tony lost everything, which eventually lead to James Rhodes becoming Iron Man for a time.  Other than Tony's heart injury (which was eventually fixed by the end of Iron Man 3 when Tony undergoes the Extremis treatment, as it was in the comics by other means), alcohol is Tony's weakness, and is a unique vulnerability seldom explored in comics.  I really hope that future films go there, but other than some drunken shenanigans in the armor in Iron Man 2, I feel that the films have been disappointingly mute on this issue to date, and it might be too far along to introduce the topic now.

Tony Stark hit rock bottom during the classic Demon In A Bottle storyline, as exemplified by this cover to Iron Man #128 by Bob Layton

I'll leave you with the real Iron Man theme song from the 1966 Marvel Super Heroes cartoon.  You can hear an instrumental version of this played several times in the background of the first film if you listen closely.  After hearing these lyrics, I'm not so sure my theme song is so lame after all.

The Only Thing Better Than Comics? Free Comics!!

This weekend marks the 11th annual Free Comic Book Day, an event that brings joy to my heart like no other.  The brainchild of a comic shop owner in 2001, Free Comic Book Day (or FCBD for short) was quickly embraced by the industry as a way to show appreciation for loyal readers while enticing new customers to give a variety of comics titles a try.  Nearly every comic book store in the country (and the world!) participates in Free Comic Book Day to some degree.  What can you expect to find if you venture out to a Free Comic Book Day event on Saturday?  Let's discuss:

1) Free Comics: I would think this would be self-evident, but there are some caveats.  First of all, the majority of shops will only be offering a special selection of comics that are made available just for this event, so don't think you're going to walk in and pick up the first appearance of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 for free.  Many shops will also let customers choose from a selection of comics that normally appear in their "dollar boxes".  Depending on the shop, some of these comics can actually be highly desirable and valuable comics, but maybe they just have a condition issue or they may just be overstocked by that particular store.  If you're looking for older "key" issues on Saturday, don't fret, you may still find a good deal.  Many shops offer extra discounts on Free Comic Book Day to drum up extra sales.  After all, this is a business.

2) Cosplay: People dressing up as their favorite comic book characters have become synonymous in the zeitgeist with comic book conventions, and retailers take advantage of the wow factor associated with these costumed fans to generate attention for their FCBD events.  While not guaranteed, it is highly likely that you will see at least one cosplayer in attendance, either someone hired by the store for the day or just a fan or four off of the street.  Photos are usually encouraged, but be polite and ask first.

3) Signings: In some towns, it's possible that local creative talent will be signing comics or possibly even drawing free (or relatively inexpensive) sketches of characters by request.  This will usually occur in towns where the writers and artists live, and therefore it's not guaranteed that a given store will be hosting a signing event.  It's best to check out your local store's website or to call ahead to see if there is an event going on.  In the case of a big name creator signing, be ready for long, convention-like lines.

In addition to these staples, you may find that stores host coloring contests for kids, raffles, free movie screenings (if they have a movie room), gaming tournaments, or cross-promotions with other community businesses. (Free ice cream seems to be a big one where I live).  It's no coincidence that Iron Man 3 premieres this weekend, as a new Marvel film has been released nearly every year that FCBD has been in existence (a trend that will continue through at least 2015), so you often may find that movie theaters will get in on the fun as well.

So how do you find a local comic shop and get in on the fun, and what are this year's free offerings?  You need look no further than the official Free Comic Book Day website.  A handy store locator on the left hand side will give you a list of participating stores based on your ZIP code.  You can check out this year's free books by clicking on the Comics link in the upper left hand corner.

Note that the free books are divided into two levels, Gold and Silver books.  The Gold books are typically offered by your larger publishers, like Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and would often contain more familiar characters.  Most participating shops would typically stock these titles.  The Silver books are typically offered by smaller publishers or represent new offerings from larger publishers, and may not be available at every shop since stores actually do pay a small cost per issue to receive the giveaways.  With 52 titles available this year, only the largest stores will be able to stock them all. So if you have your heart set on a Silver book, I'd recommend calling ahead to see if your local shop is offering the book before setting out.  You'll also want to note that some issues are brand new stories exclusive to Free Comic Book Day, while others are reprints, and still other books are samplers that feature a couple pages of multiple comics from a given publisher.  Click on the comics on the FCBD page for a description of each issue's contents.

The following is a list of what I'll personally be on the hunt for this weekend.  Each reader's mileage may vary, but these are the titles, in no particular order of interest, that personally have me excited:

1) Infinity from Marvel Comics: Marvel's big offering this year features two superstar creators, writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Jim Cheung, collaborating on a new story that serves as a lead-in to Marvel's big summer event.  Infinity will feature Thanos, the purple guy who appeared in the post-credits scene of The Avengers film, as the primary antagonist.  Thanos is one of the major heavies in the Marvel Universe and will probably feature prominently in next year's Guardians of the Galaxy film, as well as in 2015's Avengers 2.  Hickman is known for writing elaborate, thought-provoking plots with a heavy focus on hard sci-fi and interpersonal relationship elements, so if this follows form it will be more than your typical punch fest.

2) Star Wars Flip-Book from Dark Horse Comics: Fan-favorite author Brian Wood, who is known for the DC/Vertigo titles Northlanders and DMZ, as well as the upcoming adjectiveless X-Men book from Marvel featuring the female members of the X-Men, offers up a new Star Wars tale featuring Boba Fett and Darth Vader.  This issue also features two additional all-ages stories, an Avatar: The Last Airbender story and a new Captain Midnight adventure.

3) The Walking Dead Special from Image Comics: By now, pretty much everyone has probably heard of the AMC TV series that is based on Robert Kirkman's long-running survival horror comic.  While I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the comics (I do like the TV series a little bit more), the price is right on this issue that presents one new story and a few reprint short stories that won't be reprinted in the collected editions.  Note that this issue won't be suitable for the kiddies.

4) Damsels from Dynamite Comics: This is a new title that looks like it features an extrapolation on the story of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.  I'm thinking it could appeal to fans of the long-running Fables comic book from DC that features fairy tale characters living in the modern world.

5) Harbinger Wars Special from Valiant Comics: Valiant was a comics company started by former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter in the early 90's to great fanfare, until Shooter was forced out of his own company, which was then sold to the video game publisher Acclaim.  The quality of the comics abruptly went into the toilet and the publisher folded.  The intellectual rights to most of the characters (excepting characters like Magnus Robot Fighter and Solar Man of the Atom that originally appeared in the classic Gold Key line of comics) were bought by a new company about a year ago, and the new Valiant shows some promise, capturing some of the same smart sci-fi superhero lightning-in-a-bottle that made the original Valiant work so well.  I am hopeful that this book will contain a complete story, but it may just be a sampler, which puts it lower on my list of must-haves.

6) Mouse Guard / Rust Flip Book from Archaia Comics: This is the book that probably has me the most excited.  Archaia is an independent publisher that produces truly unique and high-quality comics, and this giveaway features two of the highest examples of the art form currently being produced in two new stories produced specifically for this edition.  I can't say enough good things about David Petersen's Mouse Guard, an all-ages tale set in medieval times about a brotherhood of mice that protect their cities from predator attacks and serve as the glue that holds their isolated settlements together.  Think Lord of the Rings mashed up with The Secret of NIMH and you'll be on the right track.  Petersen's art is incredibly detailed and clever and never disappoints.  Rust, a book written and drawn by Royden Lepp, focuses on a family living on a rural farm at some unspecified point in the future after a war with robots has occurred.  The series deals with the family coping with the loss of their father during the war, while sheltering a mysterious boy who has wandered onto the farm and is more than what he first seems.  Both books feature characters that convey a childlike innocence that is appealing to younger readers, but plots that are meaty enough to also interest adults.  This issue also features other original content, including a story set in Jim Henson's Labyrinth universe.  Archaia's FCBD offerings are usually difficult to track down, but the effort that it takes to find their giveaways are always worth it.

7) The Strangers by Oni Press: From what I've been hearing about this book, it combines the cool spy factor of James Bond and Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD with the monster-hunting vibe of the Hellboy series.  This original story is the actual  never-before-available first issue of the series, with the second issue offered later this summer.  Spies and monsters?  I'm in.

8) The Tick Free Comic Book Day Special: More goofy adventures of everyone's favorite brain-addled superhero.  How can you not love a guy whose battle cry is "Spoon!" for cryin' out loud? 

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Saturday is also the annual Star Wars Day celebration (May the Fourth be with you!), and that it's likely that many comics shops will be celebrating the two events in tandem.  I don't know if my brain can handle awesomeness of that magnitude!

And if all of that wasn't enough, tomorrow is also the premiere of Iron Man 3.  I'm going to a morning matinee, and I'll try to post a spoiler-free review in the afternoon that will get you ready for the big showdown between Tony Stark and his arch-nemesis The Mandarin.

C2E2 Wrap-Up

After giving myself a couple of days to get caught up on sleep and get my house back in order, I thought I'd share some thoughts on some trends that I noticed at last weekend's Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), as well as my general feelings on the convention itself.

C2E2 was a very comics-oriented show, featuring a packed Artists' Alley section.  About 350 artists and writers set up shop in Artists' Alley, which was definitely one of the largest turn-outs that I've seen at  a recent show.  There was a good cross-section of talent, from veterans like Michael Golden, Bill Sienkiewicz and Len Wein to current stars like Olivier Coipel and Rick Remender, to indie darlings like Ben Templesmith and Brian Wood.  One new trend that I noticed was that a few of the artists were actually charging for autographs at the show.  This is pretty rare; in 20 years of convention attendance, the only creators that I've ever seen charge for an autograph were Stan Lee and Neal Adams.  However, a few of the creators at C2E2 were signing in exchange for a donation to the Hero Initiative, the non-profit that supports comics creators who have fallen on hard times in part due to the lack of a fiscal safety net for work-for-hire freelancers.  I think this charity is great, but it will be interesting to see if this trend catches on with more creators, and if retailers will have anything to say about it, as their con sales could be impacted by a potential loss of spending cash on the floor.

About a third of the sprawling, yet packed, C2E2 Artists' Alley

There were also many comics retailers (my informal guesstimate would put the number around 75-100).  This is vastly different from San Diego Comic Con International, where retailers of back issues probably don't exceed more than 20-25 booths.  It looked like comics from the 70's and 80's were the big movers in back issues at the show.  I saw many instances of people digging through long boxes of DCs and Marvels clutching typed, multi-page want lists, trying to fill holes in their collections.  The two most sought-after titles appeared to be Uncanny X-Men (no surprise there) and Superman titles.  I'm guessing the latter's upcoming movie next month may have something to do with spurring back issue sales of those titles.  I spent sometime on Sunday walking the floor and eavesdropping on retailers talking shop, and noticed that more than a couple were talking about how they've completely written off trying to sell at San Diego.  This doesn't surprise me; at San Diego the retailers are relegated to the corner of the floor that is furthest from the "action", i.e., the studio and major publisher booths.  At C2E2 the retailers ruled the floor, taking up about 60-70% of the available floor space.  The other major winners were any retailers selling collected editions at discounts, and sellers offering discounts of 50% or more seemed to be far more common here than at other shows that I've been to recently.

Six (out of sixteen) aisles packed with retailer and publisher booths on the main floor

Toy sellers were almost as significant a presence as comics sellers, so much so that the Travel Channel's Toy Hunter program was recording at the con.  I noticed some vintage toys that you don't usually see at conventions, as well as the usual concentration of recent Star Wars figures, G.I. Joe and Transformers toys, and Marvel Legends and Marvel Universe figures.  The item that caught my eye was a complete Death Star World playset, sealed in original box, from the vintage Star Wars Micro Collection line.  These were plastic playsets that featured small, 2-inch diecast figures in fixed poses...inaction figures, if you will.  The plastic playsets included a lot of features like exploding walls and moving elevators, but they were really more like display pieces, and have always appealed to me along those lines.  However, I tend to look for the loose figures, and there was no way I was willing to pay the $700 price tag that the seller was asking for the complete set.

That's no moon, that's a space station

The requisite slate of TV and movie actors were also in attendance, relegated to the usual signing "ghetto" of tables on the fringe of the show floor where they typically charge anywhere from $25 - $200 for a signed photo or personal picture with a fan.  The Walking Dead was well represented, with Laurie Holden (Andrea), Chandler Riggs (Carl), and Chad Coleman (Tyreese) in attendance.  Game of Thrones also had a strong showing, with James Cosmo (Jeor Mormont) and Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) appearing.  Both of the panels featuring these actors were packed to capacity, but I would argue that the real celebrity draws of the weekend were comedian Patton Oswalt, director/podcaster Kevin Smith, and actor Ron Perlman of Hellboy and Sons of Anarchy fame.  Both Patton Oswalt and Kevin Smith's panels were packed houses in the large IGN Theater, and Ron Perlman had a constant line of autograph seekers all day Friday and Saturday.

Ron Perlman is a large man who could fold me into a pretzel, which is why I made sure I was far away when I sniped this pic

Major publishers were highly visible, but not across the board, as both DC and Image Comics had no booth presence on the main floor.  Marvel, Archaia, Dark Horse, Valiant, and First Comics all set up large booths and were giving away some cool freebies to attendees all weekend.  DC did have a significant panel presence, anchored by fan-favorite author and comics curmudgeon Brian Azzarello, and they were also in the freebie-distributing business at their panels.  The publishers did make some announcements for upcoming projects during their panels, with Marvel going so far as to include an MTV filming crew during their X-Men panel.  This is a shift from previous years where the publishers would wait until San Diego to make all of their announcements.  In the last couple of years, these announcements have gotten lost in the buzz of major studio film announcements and celebrity appearances take the spotlight, and so the publishers have wisely started to shift some of their breaking news to the other conventions across the country.

Marvel set up a significant booth at C2E2, though it was underwhelming by the standards of San Diego and NYCC

Finally, it's not a comic con unless there are cosplayers, and they were certainly in force at C2E2.  I have to admit, cosplaying is not my thing, though I do have a lot of respect for the fans who spend hours putting together the elaborate costumes, sometimes to spectacular results.  Among the usual Batmen, Stormtroopers, and Spider-Men, I did see a couple of unique costumes that were really well done, including a kid dressed as a particularly convincing Carl from The Walking Dead, a very elaborate Pixie costume from the X-Men, and a really cool WWII-era Dum Dum Dugan from Marvel's Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos book that featured a younger Nick Fury.

Don't yield, back SHIELD

Pixie, who is not as ridiculous a character as she sounds

In conclusion, I have to say that C2E2 was just about as perfectly executed as a mid-to-large sized comic book convention could be.  I'd guess that the show had a total of 50,000 to 60,000 attendees, yet I didn't feel that the con was as congested as others that I'd been to.  The company that runs the show, Reed Pop, did a great job of insuring that there was ample aisle space and that the booths had a decent amount of real estate available.  The access to and from the show floor and panel rooms was also managed well with no choke points, a nice contrast to the horrible experience that is navigating around NYCC (also run by Reed Pop).  There were even large open areas at the ends of the show floor where fans could get out of the way to stow their signed treasures in their backpacks or just take a break from the bustle of the show for a few minutes.  My only real criticism, which isn't unique to this show, is that attendees don't have many dining options unless they bring their own snacks or are willing to shell out $15 for lunch in the convention center's food court.  If the staff running cons wanted to address this issue, I think they'd start working out deals with local food trucks to set up shop in the parking lot.  In exchange, those trucks could distribute flyers for the con for a couple of weeks prior to the show to try to draw in fans.  But other than this minor gripe, C2E2 really is one of the premier comics conventions being held in the country right now, and is definitely worth the trip.

Road Trip

The bags are packed, the want list is assembled, and the panel schedule is highlighted, and it's finally time for the event that I've been anticipating for months, the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo, or C2E2 for short.  C2E2 is biggest con in the Midwest and is the first of what I consider the "big three" annual comic cons.  (July's Comic Con International in San Diego and October's New York Comic Con are the other two members of the triumvirate.)  While there are tons of other great cons around the country (Emerald City Con in Seattle, Baltimore Comic Con, and Heroes Con in Charlotte are the other biggies), the "big three" are usually where the bulk of news occurs, with publishers wheeling out the big writer/artist teams and letting details slip about upcoming projects.

I'll be tweeting news and photos to my Twitter account (@4colorchronicle).  At least that's the plan.  It turns out the Absent-Minded Professor (yours truly) forgot his cell phone charger at home.  I have two charged batteries, but those will last about a day at a busy con from my prior experience.  I'll likely buy a new charger in the morning, so no worries, I should be online as long as I have a signal in the convention center.  In addition, many of the panels will be streaming live and can be found at C2E2's official website.

My very tentative panel schedule, always subject to change based on something cooler coming up, and/or general exhaustion, is as follows:

Friday, April 26th

• 1:30 - 2:30 So You Want to Be a Comic Book Retailer, Now What?
• 4:30 - 5:30 DC Entertainment - All Access
• 7:00 - 8:00 Spotlight on Nick Spencer

Saturday, April 27th

• 11:00 - 12:00 Marvel: Age of Ultron
• 12:15 - 1:15 Spotlight on Brian Wood
• 12:45 - 1:45 Imaginative Sci-Fi Authors of C2E2 (Going to miss part of this one.)
• 3:15 - 4:15 Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski OR Comics and Pop Music (I'm torn.)
• 4:30 - 5:30 Spotlight on J. Scott Campbell OR Marvel: From NOW! to Infinity (Marvel probably wins.)
• 5:45 - 6:45 Vertigo: A View From the Cutting Edge of Comics

(Something will likely give here...I don't think I want to spend the whole day in panel rooms.)

Sunday, April 28th

• 12:45 - 1:45 Marvel: X-Men (My must-see panel at every con.)
• 2:45 - 3:45 Marvel: Next Big Thing
• 4:00 - 5:00 Game of Thrones Q&A with James Cosmo & Natalie Dormer

Geez...that makes me tired just looking at it. :p

Comics for Fans of Justified

The season finale of the FX redneck crime drama (how's that for a genre you never thought you'd see?) Justified airs tonight at 10 PM EDT, and I for one am saddened by the prospect of waiting until next January for more Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder.  But it turns out that there are some great comic books that can help fill the void left by the absence of everyone's favorite Duputy U.S. Marshal on Tuesday nights.  Here are some suggestions for comics that might interest fans of Justified:

Whiteout by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber (Oni Press) -
This series follows Carrie Stetko, a lone deputy U.S. Marshal, in her pursuit of a vicious murderer.  Standard fare?  Not really, as Carrie is stationed as the only law enforcement at a remote Antarctic research station, and is trapped inside with the cold-blooded (see what I did there?) killer during a fierce winter storm.  Carrie can only rely on her self and her wits to survive and solve the mystery where the killer could be hiding at any turn and help will not arrive in time.  The original four-issue series is currently available as a trade paperback edition featuring a new cover by Frank Miller.







Scalped by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera (Published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint) -  At first glance, it's easy to categorize this book as The Sopranos on an Indian reservation; an undercover FBI agent who returns to the reservation that he was raised on to take down the crime boss who rules the reservation.  However, outstanding characterization and a hard look at life and conditions on the reservation set this series apart from the typical story of Wise Guys versus G-Men.  The monthly periodical editions of this book ended with issue #60 in August 2012 as part of the shake-up of DC's Vertigo line of comics, but the entire series is still available in a collection of ten trade paperback editions.

Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka (DC Comics) - What would it be like to work as a cop in a world of caped crusaders and psycho supervillians?  This series focusing on the detectives of the Gotham City Police Department attempts to answer that question.  This is a Batman book in which Batman rarely appears, and the Bat-signal shines on the everyday heroes of the police force as they try to thwart the chaotic madmen of Batman's Rogues Gallery.  This series ended in 2006 and is currently available as a series of four trade paperback or hardcover editions.








Early comics were influenced heavily by the gritty detective and crime pulp stories (called pulps because of the cheap pulp paper that they were printed on) of the 30's.  These series represent just a few examples of that legacy that continues to modern times.  Other excellent examples include Frank Miller's Sin City series from Dark Horse Comics, Matt Fraction and Kieron Dwyer's Peckinpah-inspired Last of the Independents graphic novel from AiT/PlanetLar (out of print, but worth tracking down), and Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's ongoing Powers series, currently published under Marvel's Icon imprint.  Parents, keep in mind that all of these books are intended for mature readers.  You can find any of these titles at your local comic book store, or at online retailers such as In-Stock Trades or Amazon.

This is the first post in an ongoing series that I hope will reveal comics that may interest fans of popular movies or TV shows.  Have a favorite show or film and want to know if there's a comic book that will scratch that same itch?  Leave a suggestion in the comments or on Twitter at @4colorchronicle.

Secret Origins

Welcome to The Four Color Chronicle.  My name is Neil Sobleski and I have a comics addiction.

I’ve recently found myself with some time on my hands and have decided to give a comics blog a go.  Friends and acquaintances often ask me questions about comics that can turn into hour-long (if not longer) discussions about storylines, characters, and comic book history and theory.  In some cases people just want to know what comics are all about, or have decided that they want to give comics a try but don’t know where to start.  This blog will be for all of these people, as well as long-time fans in the know.  While I won’t limit myself strictly to discussions about comics, they will be a central focus of the blog.

Why would you care to read anything that I have to say about comics?  Well, I’ve been living and breathing these things a long time…33 years, since the tender age of four (aww), when my mom bought me a subscription to Marvel’s Star Wars comic.  Star Wars #34 is the first comic book that I can remember reading, and I think that even if I wasn’t in the throes of Star Wars mania (which I still am to this day) I would’ve been hooked.  The dynamic art and story unleashed my imagination in ways that other media have seldom matched. (Although some of the finer points of art, like perspective, were lost on me at the time; I vividly remember asking Mom why Luke Skywalker was going to cut the Millennium Falcon with his lightsaber.)  As I grew older, my tastes branched out, starting with my second regular title, G.I. Joe (I felt like such a traitor to the Rebel Alliance), and eventually to super heroes and beyond.  
Comics today have come of age as a truly American art form that features stories focusing on everything from Spider-Man to historical epics to very personal relationship stories, and I try to read all of it sooner or later.  And after 33 years, I’ve read A LOT.  There really is something out there for everyone, and I hope that those of you that join me for the ride will find the blog interesting and will use me as a resource to help you discover how to navigate these new worlds.  And for the comics initiated among you, don’t worry, I also hope to throw in plenty of geeky minutiae that you’ll appreciate. 

This blog will really come alive with regular feedback, and I encourage my readers to leave plenty of comments and questions.  While I’ve got the first few posts pretty well planned out, your feedback can steer this blog to places that I haven’t considered, which is an exciting idea to me.  I don’t claim to have all of the answers, but if I can’t directly address your comment or question, I’ll do my best to track down the answer for you (and will get to learn it for myself…bonus!)  No question is too basic or too esoteric, so let ‘er rip.

Let me leave you with some bonus introductory trivia:

1)    I’ve named the blog The Four Color Chronicle after the four-color printing process used in comics for many years.  Comics, along with most other forms of printing, rely on a basic four-color spectrum of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, blended together to produce a wide range of colors (look at your basic color ink jet printer for a home application of this process).  In the old days, a series of dots in these four colors would be applied to the paper to make your eyes register different colors.  This would lead to the stipple effect that may be so familiar to readers of newspaper strips to this day.  Comic books went the way of computer coloring in the 90’s, and comics today feature literally millions of colors without the distinctive dot stippling.  Yet comics are still remembered for the distinctive four-color look of those classic years, and I’ve named the blog in honor of that legacy.  (There are plenty of great resources online about the four-color process if you’re interested; just type “comic book four color process” into your search engine of choice.)

2)    Secret Origins was a DC Comics series that ran in three volumes intermittently starting in the early 60’s, but really reached its heyday in the mid-80’s.  As you might guess, the series related the origins of major (and not-so-major; do we really need to know the background of a character named Ambush Bug?) DC characters on a monthly basis.  The origin story is a big deal in comics, as it is often (but not always!) the first appearance of a character and sets him or her on their path.