 | The Cavalier daily Friday, February 26, 1971 |  |
The Comic Revolution (ZOK?)
By Steve Grimwood
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
"DC COMICS, which gave
you Superman, he of the
impervious Kishkas, and goody
two-shoes Jimmy Olsen, the
30-year old cub reporter, wants
you to know that Comics have
changed."
So reads the promotional
copy from an industry that
decided to go "relevant." But
what they say is true. The
self-named "comic revolution"
is in full swing.
Drop into Paul's one
afternoon and take a look at
the racks. You will find that
the super heroes of your
childhood in "stories straight
from today's headlines,"
battling pollution, racism,
sexism, and a host of other ills
that every good citizen should
be alarmed about.
"Relevancy" has only gone
so far, however. The War, the
draft, homosexuality, and
other "touchy" topics have yet
to enter the colorful pages, but
it is a bit unreasonable to
expect a business to jump that
far in one step.
But the changes that have
been made are numerous and
broad.
Superman began the real
rise of the DC empire, and still
popular super-hero ever
invented. Calm, implacable,
nearly omniscient in his
wiseness, Supie had only the
many varieties of Kryptonite to
bother his otherwise
trouble-free life.
No more. Kryptonite has been
eliminated through a freak atomic
explosion which changed it all into
iron. The Daily Planet has been
bought out by Galaxy
Broadcasting. Mild-mannered
reporter Clark Kent is now hot-shot
TV newscaster Clark Kent, roaming
around in a souped-up mobile
studio. "Wow! Now there's a freaky
set of wheels!" says Supie when he
first sees his new rig.
Sounds pretty good so far, but
overall Superman came out with
the short end of the stick.
When Kryptonite was
neutralized, a strange being was
created. A sand replica of
Superman now flies about, and
whenever he comes near the Man of
Steel, Superman loses one of his
powers. Though the loss is
temporary, it does create some
hairy situations.
Superman has also developed
another "problem," a social
conscience. "Could you survive in
this jungle without your super
powers?" asks a black slum dweller.
The seed of doubt is planted, and
grows rapidly with each issue.
But the topper change of them
all is the one you would least
expect. Our savior form Krypton is
now suffering from self doubt.
Suddenly he is reflective about his
unique situation. "I am but a
stranger in a strange land,"he
muses. The pangs of alienation have
begin to set in.
Number two on the DC line has
been, and still is, the Batman and
Robin the Boy Wonder. Under the
guise of millionaire Bruce Wayne
and his ward Dick Grayson, the
caped crusaders have been battling
crime and their share of strange
creatures for many years. Their
verbal banter while battering
criminals will be remembered by
many former readers. In fact, many
a child learned the definition of
pun reading Detective Comics.
Today, thank god, nearly all the
puns are gone. So is the famous
Batcave. Bruce Wayne has moved
his millions to the center of
Gotham City where he has set up a
self-help foundation known as
Victims, Inc. If you are the victim
of a crime, go see Brucie for help.
Not only will he put you back on
your feet financially, but when
darkness falls, the cowled crusader
will attempt to nab the one who
wronged you.
Eternally young Robin has
finally shed his Little Orphan Annie
complex and is now a Big Man On
Campus. This change of venue has
initiated a whole new series of, you
guessed it, stories on riots,
confrontations, and other typical
college events. It's also given DC
artists a chance to show their stuff
in drawing coeds. If you ever find
Hudson University, you'll never
want to leave.
Batman doesn't seem to meet up
with normal old run-of-the-mill
criminals anymore. In Batman No.
227 he tackles a coven, and falls
for a girl who was not really there.
Detective Comics No. 406 sees him
saved by a miracle.
Brave and Bold No. 94 and
Batman No. 230 have him fighting
for slum dwellers. Check the
dialogue:
"They're not hoodlums — Just
kids, hurt and embittered by the
ghetto that's been their only
teacher!" "Some of you are
slumlords...who profit from the
ghetto! You're more responsible
for Gotham's plight than these
suburban sanctuary, to live in the
heart of that sprawling urban blight
— to dig gangsters out where they
live and fatten on the innocent!"
Enlightened stuff from the man
who used to say "You'll get a kick
out of this!" as he swings a giant
shoe toward an evildoer.
Remember Green Arrow and
Speedy? The two masked archers
who could open a can of beans at
200 yards with one of their
spectacular shafts? Well, they still
have the arrows and quite a bit
more.
G.A. has grown about four
inches taller with a corresponding
number of inches added to his
biceps, which he ripples
unmercifully in his new sleeveless
outfit. The blond hair is still there,
but now it curls down the back of
his neck and around the ears. A
turned up goatee and moustache
finish the transformation. Green
Arrow is one rough looking dude
these days, using his fists more
often than his queer quivers.
Speedy has gone off to school,
and is rarely seen. But G.A. has a
new partner. Green Lantern, with
the "power ring," and Green Arrow
now co-star in their own mag.
"All-New! All-Now!" reads the top
of the cover, and DC pulls out all
the stops in making this their most
relevant comic. Cultists, racists,
exploiters, polluters, and bigots of
all kinds have been met and dealt
with since the "revolution."
The premise for - the new
combination mag is unique. Both of
our heroes have become embittered
with the way things are going in the
good of U.S.A., so they have hit
the road in an attempt to discover
America and right all the wrongs
which they happen to come across
during their travels. This they do
with a vengeance.
Occasionally "beauteous" Black
Canary joins them in their search
for truth. This fairly new character
is definitely one of the best ideas
DC has come up with because she is
beautiful. All kinds of romantic
hassles are evolving around her.
Green Arrow has been totally
snowballed, but Black Canary is
still overwrought by the death of
her first husband. Batman also had
his eyes on Bird Lady, but she
recently told him she thought of
him as a father. So much for that.
The best supporting characters
are still in there fighting. Lois Lane
doesn't moon over Superman quite
as much as she used too, but has
taken to wearing pants and
spouting semi-Women's Lib
doctrinaire. She's gone the relevant
route too, witness the atrociously
titled "I Am Curious (Black)" story
in which she becomes
"Afro-America For a Day."
The Flash zips about as usual,
but now he is married and spends
quite a bit of his time fighting
witchcraft. Aquaman is still King of
the Seven Seas, recently getting
very angry about all the oil slopping
over his territory. Even Superboy
has gotten into the pollution act,
fighting negligent oil transporters of
the forties.
Taking an overall view, DC
Comics come up on the plus side,
when comparing relevancy with
mad scientists. The idea, however,
is still fairly new, and hopefully DC
artists and writers will stay on the
relevancy kick but also try to get
back to writing good stories.
Some old-time comic fanzines
may have noticed the absence of
Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen. He is
part of what I consider to be the
real revolution in DC comics, a man
named Jack Kirby.
More on that later.
| The Cavalier daily Friday, February 26, 1971 | |