Everything's Different Now

Here’s some stuff I’ve gotten lately. It’s not from DC, nor Marvel.

Yes, such things exist.

I got RONIN HOOD OF THE 47 SAMURAI from Beckett; it was given to me at a con. It’s a graphic novel – never was flimsies.

We open with arrows killing a couple of guards who’re escorting some people through the woods. On page 3, the head of the attackers jumps out of a tree to the ground and introduces himself. He regrets that he can’t give his true name in introduction, states that he’s honored to fight, and asks to be forgiven for the death of the man he addresses. His opposite number, leading the guards, introduces himself, and expresses regret that he can’t know the true name of his opponent.

And then everyone busts loose.

Jeff Amano knew of the story of the 47 Ronin, and realized that here were some guys in an unfair governance system, who got caught between loyalty and what was right, and had to live in the woods for a while and get vengeance while constantly avoiding capture and entrapment, and it reminded him of another story. RONIN HOOD echoes the Robin Hood story in many ways… except it’s not just a retelling – people die where, in the English story, they wouldn’t. It’s a lot more tragic. But they aren’t fighting over taxes and blood spilt, but over honor and ideals. The clean style and soothing greys and browns of the coloring give a feel of another time without having to do it in black and white or, say, sepia tones. It’s good.

Beckett’s with Image now, so there’s two symbols on the inside front cover… but RONIN HOOD’s not there like a book that’s found a cave to shiver in as the rain falls outside, but as one of a fleet of ships that’s in a large, calm harbor.

That’s how it is now.

That’s how it is for the collection of RUULE: GANGLORDS OF CHINATOWN, probably the best-looking Christian-themed comic ever. The back cover says it very well: “Image Comics presents Beckett Entertainment’s controversial first series: The story of Gideon from The Book of Judges – boldly retold as a futuristic biker gang war epic.”

I guess that’s why it’s better than superhero comics: it’s got supernatural beings, revenge themes, violence, and a flawed character who gets more flawed as he gets older – quite a change from the perfect, righteous leaders you see in most comic book epics.

This isn’t for what you think of as the Christian audience. It’s not for the LEFT BEHIND crowd. It’s too violent – too exciting. Christians hate comic books anyway. They all know they’re perverse. They’ve known it since the 50s.

This is for other people. Comic book readers who happen to be Christians. Comic book readers who have an open mind about Christianity and are willing to learn more if they aren’t preached at. Christians who have an open mind about comic books and are willing to learn more if the fannishness of the medium isn’t shoved up their nose.

And there’s no shoving preachiness here. We’re adapting naturally from one sort of setting, from one violent form of warfare, to another, just like RONIN HOOD did. Jeff Amano didn’t write this book, but it was his idea. It’s not INSPIRED by the story of Gideon, it IS the story of Gideon. You say, this part or this is too violent (and it’s not bad by Frank Miller standards, I just wonder what non-fan Christians must think of it), but it’s all there in the Bible.

This is something different from the old CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE or when Archie and Jughead would clue Big Ethel into how God digs her just like He digs all of us. This is offering a bible story and trying to keep the excitement and action and change the milieu to something that fans might find palatable. It’s not preaching. It’s just a sort of suggestion. “Here, here’s a good story. It comes from the Bible. But come on, Star Wars ripped off Joseph Campbell eight different ways and you love that. Religion in a story doesn’t have to mean it’s for squares.”

It’s different.

And in a way, it’s at Image.

I’ll say this about Image: if you’re somebody they feel like letting in, they’ll take what you’ve got no matter what genre it is. There’s no “it doesn’t fit what we’re already publishing” at Image.

But Image isn't the only way around the Big 2.

Boom Studios offered to let me in on their review list, and I agreed. Why not?

First they sent me JEREMIAH HARM, by Keith Giffen with script by Alan Grant. Some alien convicts break out of prison and escape to another planet. The prison wardens figure the only way to bring them back is to release the bad mofo who brought them in in the first place, who the prison’s ALSO holding (until now): Jeremiah Harm. Jeremiah checks with a source and learns that they’ve gone to his homeworld: Earth. The art looks like Eddie Campbell meets… well, Keith Giffen. Harm himself looks like Steve Dillon draws THE GOON. But it’s a decent tough-guy actioner. “FROM KEITH GIFFEN, THE MIND BEHIND MARVEL’S ANNIHILATION AND DC’S 52!”

This statement blows my mind. One reason is that it uses the ADVANCE hype of events that haven’t even started yet. (Or if I’m wrong, it blows my mind that I’m so out of the Marvel/DC loop that they’ve started and I don’t know it.) Another reason is what this is saying – “Look! This is by a GOOD WRITER!” On one hand, that’s quite a turnaround from the last ten years, in which I’ve often felt like “Art is all that matters, who cares who writes the puny words? Art smash!” On the other hand, there’s humor in this book, but it’s a little more subdued than Giffen normally is, because he’s not doing the scripts. Less wordplay, no running gags per se (so far). Hope that this doesn’t throw Giffen fans.

You start reading Jeremiah Harm and you think, “This is pretty good. And it’s got two big names attached to it that I associate with DC. Wonder why it isn’t there?” Then you finish reading it and you realize… DC doesn’t do this sort of thing any more, doesn’t take the chance. This is the sort of thing that gets written because the writers just felt like it would be fun to do.

Jeremiah Harm will please readers that are looking for this kind of book.

But unlike ten years ago, I feel like people will see it.

NEXT TIME: Wait, I have more to say about Keith Giffen… I’ve got more comics to talk about, too, but it’s time to post this now… more next time.

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