Winning (and Losing) the West: Red Wolf #1

The following is my review of Red Wolf #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

There was a time when the Western narrative had its own VIP section in the realm of pop culture. Then, Clint Eastwood got old and superhero movies took their place in that VIP section. While Westerns still embody a unique element of the American mythos, it'll never generate the $1.5 billion box office that a solid Avengers movie makes.

Nobody is going to mistake William “Red Wolf” Talltrees for Clint Eastwood, but he is one of the few remaining embodiment of that Western mythos, albeit in an atypical fashion. He's not some grizzled old white man looking to thumb his nose at the law. He's basically the Native American version of Captain America. He embodies the power, spirit, and grit of his people. He has the same commitment to justice, but gets only a hundredth of the attention of Steve Rogers. In some respects, it's reflective of the limited attention real Native Americans get.

With Secret Wars, Marvel is giving Red Wolf a chance to join the growing pantheon of diversity in comics. It's becoming a rather crowded pantheon with Kamala Khan, Moon Girl, and Sam Wilson. But there's still room in this mythos for another hero who embodies another minority. Red Wolf #1 makes the case that William Talltrees can be that hero. He ends up being the hero the stereotypical western town of Timely needs. On top of that, he’s way more hero than they deserve.

There are a great many obstacles that the Tony Starks, the Steve Rogers, and the Peter Parkers of the world have to overcome. Those obstacles have made for plenty of memorable stories. However, these heroes all have one thing in common. Their race has never caused them any hardship. That’s not to make light of genuine patriotism and murdered loved ones, but it’s easy to overlook how much easier life is when you don’t have to worry about racism, slurs, and Fox News anchors.

Red Wolf #1 does not shy away from these racist obstacles. In fact, it’s downright blatant about it. Nobody in Timely calls Red Wolf by his name, his superhero name, or even his title as Sheriff. Instead, they use the kinds of words that went out of style back in the 1950s. These are words that would get most people crushed by Twitter trolls if they used those words today. But Red Wolf shows a level of restraint that makes him unfit for Twitter, but more than fit for being a hero.

Having inherited the role of Sheriff from a John Wayne version of Steve Rogers, Red Wolf is responsible for maintaining order in Timely. He does this despite the people of Timely making clear that they trust him about as much as they would trust Al Sharpton. Red Wolf’s authority is so poorly respected that he struggles to settle a dispute over a couple of cows. There’s little doubt that if Steve Rogers had intervened, the conflict would be resolved without inspiring any new Twitter hashtags.

Yet despite the racism he faces, Red Wolf does his duty. He upholds the law, even when neither he nor his title are respected. It offers a unique perspective that can’t be found, even with Miles Morales or Kamala Khan. At least they live in an era where overt racism gets most people sent to the principal’s office or to sensitivity training. In the old west, six shooters and slurs rule the day.

Red Wolf’s commitment to his duty establishes a theme for his story and his struggles. This story unfolds in the form of a fairly generic murder mystery that would probably fit right into at least two Clint Eastwood movies. But this mystery quickly takes a turn that seems more befitting of Tim Burton.

The main purpose of the story isn’t just establishing who Red Wolf is and the racism he has to deal with. The purpose of the story is to put Red Wolf in a position to become part of the larger Marvel universe. In the same way Miles Morales and Old Man Logan have become part of that universe, Red Wolf is set to join them. Since he’ll be entering a time where minorities can get arrested for sneezing on a cop the wrong way, his commitment is all the more admirable.

While the purpose of this story is accomplished in a way that feels satisfying and compelling, it does feel rushed at times. The mystery that unfolds doesn’t get all that elaborate. It barely has the depth of a Scooby Doo rerun, minus a creepy guy in a costume.

One moment, Red Wolf is dreading some dangerous killer who wields magic that a six-shooter can’t stop. The next, this killer just shows up and trolls him. There’s no duel. There’s no horse race. There’s no whiskey-fueled trash talk. There’s just one of those mysterious villain that Captain America takes out at least once a week.

The battle he has with Red Wolf isn’t going to inspire Steven Spielbergs, but it does provide some action that doesn’t just involve angry cows or racist lynch mobs. It also acts as the catalyst that brings Red Wolf out of Timely and into a Marvel universe that is eager to embrace more diversity. Compared to a world racist, redneck stereotypes, it’s definitely an upgrade.

Red Wolf #1 succeeds in most of what it seeks to accomplish. It establishes Red Wolf as character worthy of respect and intrigue. At a time when characters like Peter Parker and Cyclops keep finding new ways to spit on their superhero credibility, his arrival in the All-New, All-Different Marvel universe couldn’t be more appropriate.

It’s still only a moderately engaging story. But at a time when good westerns are relegated to commercial-laden broadcasts on basic cable, it’s still enjoyable. It has the potential to succeed in ways not seen since Back to the Future III. Red Wolf just has to make sure he doesn’t hook up with any of his descendants.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

All-New X-men #1: Nuff Said!

For me, a successful road trip is measured by the number of bars I get drunk at and the number of girls I convince to flash me their tits. I imagine the standards for the O5 X-men will be different as they venture off on their road trip in a world mutants, the X-men, and Cyclops fans of every generation are totally and utterly fucked. They agreed to take some time off from being shell shocked time travelers in Uncanny X-men #600. Then 8 months passed, mutants and Inhumans fought, and the Inhumans won by default. So how do the O5 function without shitting themselves in this world? All-New X-men #1 is supposed to explore that and I guess I'm supposed to be a responsible drunk and review it.

So mutants are fucked. The X-men now have to live in fucking Limbo of all places. And everybody hates Cyclops because I guess Brett Ratner has infiltrated Marvel. And what’s O5 Angel doing? He’s skiing with his girlfriend. At a time when opinions of rich white people is at an all-time low, this is not a good way to way to spend his free time.

There’s some nice exchanges between him and X-23, but they sure as shit aren’t the next Reed/Sue of the Marvel Universe. They have the chemistry of a prolonged one night stand, but they’re not as toxic as a typical relationship on Two and a Half Men. So it’s bearable, if only because O5 Jean’s efforts at romance have failed so spectacularly.

Before teen hormones get overly active, O5 Beast calls. Apparently, he’s being only slightly more proactive in this world where mutants and anything Fox owns is overly fucked. He’s hanging out in Florida with Genesis and Oya, which I guess makes sense. It’s not like mutants are the most fucked up part of Florida in the first place. This is a state that elected Jeb Bush for crying out loud.

They seem to be organizing a get-together. They don’t seem to be planning to make any part of their situation any less fucked. They’re just going to hang out like ordinary teenagers. I can’t say I blame them, but they do at least mention that this world really shafted Cyclops beyond repair. They identify him as a lock for the Worlds’ Most Hated Mutant award, as if anyone could ever top Hope fucking Summers. Again, we get no details as to why everybody hates him. We don’t know if he strangled a puppy or beat up a sick Inhuman. We just know that he’s fucked and Brett Ratner is probably jerking off to it.

What about O5 Cyclops? Only his future is fucked, but he’s still stuck in the future so the least he can do is avoid fucking up his legacy any further. He’s doing this by hunting down a gang calling themselves the Ghosts of Cyclops, who randomly show up and scare the shit out of people because I guess they can’t resist smearing more shit on Cyclops’ grave. He’s somehow tracked them to Chicago where cute girls randomly come up and take selfies with you. Don’t know what part of Chicago he’s in, but it’s definitely not a part I’ve ever been to.

The girl randomly starts chatting with him, mentioning how petrified everybody is of the Ghosts of Cyclops. I bet if they named themselves after an Inhuman, they wouldn’t care. But it too late for that. Before O5 Cyclops can make this girl his next psychic affair, the Ghosts of Cyclops show up. They’re not exactly the Brotherhood of Mutants, but they’re not Tony Romo’s backups either. They say Cyclops dared to fight when mutant were being fucked over/sterilized again and somehow that makes him a bad guy. I’m as confused as everyone else.

At the very least, it gives O5 Cyclops a chance to remind everyone that Cyclops can still be awesome. He fights them until the cops show up and he doesn’t even need to use his powers. Seeing as how cops were using mutants as target practice in Extraordinary X-men, this is probably smart on their part. Cyclops doesn’t win the fight, but he does kick enough ass to make him more likable than any Inhuman not named Kamala Khan. It doesn’t help him hook up with the new girl though. As soon as she hints that she’s among the anti-Cyclops crowd who jerks off to pictures of his corpse, he ditches her. Probably for the best.

While O5 Cyclops is doing his best to fight the assholes shitting on his grave, O5 Iceman is helping by doing only slightly more than jack shit. He’s in Austin, Texas making ice sculptures. Will it unfuck the current state of mutants? No. Will it at least give them some good PR? Yes. The people of Austin don’t seem to give a shit that a gay mutant is making snow sculptures in the middle of Texas. That’s why I’m never afraid to get hammered in Austin. It’s just that kind of town.

It makes for a friendly meet-up between O5 Iceman and O5 Beast. They then meet up with the others in his surprisingly spacious van. Because why do anything about the shitty state of the mutant race and the X-men when they could party and drink slushies? Not going to lie though. A good slushie is valid excuse.

O5 Cyclops doesn’t have time for slushies though. He managed to bum some ID from one of the Ghosts of Cyclops. He tracks him to a university in Chicago where he learns that the internet has completely shit all over our concept of privacy, making it easy to find this kid. He ends up not having to. The asshole finds him as a result. It nicely shows that while the O5 X-men have carved a place for themselves in the future, they’re still very much from an era before everything became a hashtag. Even an 8-month time skip can’t change that.

Modern proclivities aside, the Ghosts of Cyclops waste no time in kicking O5 Cyclops’ ass again. He tries to fight back, just as before. It makes for a nice, brutal fight. All the while, the rest of his so-called friends are taking it easy, dancing in parks, and enjoying the act of not doing jack shit to unfuck their situation. I imagine this is the kind of wet dream that anti-Cyclops fans have been having for years. Every other character enjoys themselves while Cyclops gets his ass kicked. For that crowd, this scene is their new favorite porno.

Again, Cyclops still tries to fight them off without using his powers. He assumes that optic blasts draw the worst kind of attention and he’s probably right. Just wearing a visor probably sends every Wolverine and Hank McCoy in every alternate universe into an uncontrollable rage. But when these assholes who are throwing more shit on his legacy start threatening innocent civilians, he stops giving a fuck about attracting attention. He blasts their miserable asses, insulting himself in the process because I guess that’s a healthy way to deal with his situation. And no, I don’t write that with any sarcasm.

Naturally, the Ghosts of Cyclops are shell shocked and maybe a little star struck. And when O5 Cyclops wears himself out with a pent up optic blast, they see an opportunity. They now have the man behind the legend. That has to do wonders for their street cred I guess. But by using his powers, O5 Cyclops makes himself detectable by O5 Beast’s new Cerebro. And since he happens to have a pet bamf capable of teleporting them across the Country (still the most adorable creature in the Marvel universe not named Kamala Khan), they arrive just in time to intervene. Because why wait until before Cyclops gets his ass kicked? That might actually make them his friends.

So...is it awesome?

Well, to the extent that it reinforces what we already know and slightly more than that. We already knew Cyclops was fucked in ways that even Emma Frost couldn't match. This issue offers a new plot in this All-New, All-Different, Mutants-Are-Fucked Marvel Universe. And while it's slightly more upbeat than the demon-filled clusterfuck in Extraordinary X-men, it offers nothing more in terms of details. We still don't know why Cyclops is somehow more despised than Michael Vick at a PETA rally. But at the very least, his younger self shows that he can still kick ass, albeit in a very bittersweet fashion. That's really the most All-New X-men #1 has to offer, an entertaining yet bittersweet story that would be so much more enjoyable if we didn't already know how badly the X-men were fucked.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Official Trailer 2 [HD]

Not gonna lie. This gave me an erection...a big one. Next year is going to be all about Marvel's big Civil War. There's no way around it. But DC will at least provide a hell of a distraction. Nuff said!

Extraordinary X-men #3: Nuff Said!

The current state of the X-men is a lot like tentacle porn where mutants are cute, big-breasted schoolgirls wearing pink panties. We know what's going to happen. We know it's going to both disturb and arouse us. Some will be disgusted. Some will be turned on. Some will be unable to stop themselves from masturbating. But it's entirely predictable. For the moment, it just makes sense to assume that mutants and the X-men are utterly fucked in the current Marvel universe. That should make the events of Extraordinary X-men #3 less shocking, right? Well for those foolish enough to stay sober when reading comics, I'm here to answer that question.

First, the X-men fight an army of demons. Shocking? Fuck no. The X-men deal with super-powered teenagers who might as well be demons. They’ve fought a queen of goblins who also happens to be an evil clone. This shouldn’t shock anybody who doesn’t have an exceedingly shitty weed dealer.

Shocking or not, it reveals one of the main complications of X-Haven. It’s located in fucking Limbo, aka the South Beach for demons. It means the X-men have more to worry about than killer robots for once. It still makes for some visually stunning displays by Hamberto Rameros. Those with really good weed dealers will appreciate it even more.

It also gives Iceman a chance to show that he’s learned some new tricks during the 8-month gap and no, I’m not talking about tricks that involve anal beads. Apparently, he’s now capable of controlling Icemen armies. He’s like Jamie Madrox and Frosty the Snowman now. Not saying that’s a bad thing. In fact, it’s probably the most useful skill he can offer X-Haven, aside from leading its annual gay pride parade. It makes for more stunning visuals. Rameros can expect a hand-written thank-you note from my weed dealer now.

Demon action is all well and good, but how about a little melodrama? That’s what O5 Jean and Old Man Logan supply in abundance. And for once, it’s not done in a way that caters to those with very fucked up tastes in porn. There’s no romantic overtones here. Don’t expect to jerk off to this conversation. It’s not supposed to get your dick hard. It’s supposed to give you a case of the feels.

And it does. Old Man Logan doesn’t even believe she’s real at first. She manages to convince him and endures entering his shitty excuse for a trailer. There are probably meth labs that are nicer than this, but O5 Jean doesn’t care. She tries to convince the old geezer to rejoin the X-men. She also mentions that Cyclops is dead, which Storm already mentioned in the last issue. Does she give more details? Fuck no. Did Brett Ratner proved that people don’t mind killing off an iconic character off-panel? I guess someone didn’t get the fucking memo.

The conversation is intense. Again, it’s not done in a way meant to get your dick hard. Old Man Logan makes clear he doesn’t trust himself. Joining the X-men just puts him in a position to kill them again and he’d rather not put himself through that shit again. He’s already dealing with graying hair, wrinkly skin, and a growing prostate. O5 Jean, being the nosy bitch she is, reads his mind and gets the Wikipedia version of Old Man Logan’s world. It’s about as pleasant as having root canal by Freddy Kruger. But it sends the message. Old Man Logan is destined to gut the X-men.

It’s good drama, but it’s still not as fun as watching the X-men fight demons. It’s a lot more strenuous than fighting giant robots. Even with Iceman’s army of Icemen, it’s not an easy fight. These X-men are under-staffed, outnumbered, and overwhelmed. All the while, the Inhumans are probably having a circle jerk in their fancy palace while watching the TV show that glorifies them while ripping off mutants. All the X-men have is a pet Sentinel. That’s right. The X-men have been reduced to teaming up with killer robots. You happy now Disney?

The action is still solid. Some of the new mutants in X-Haven even get to contribute. That adorable little girl that Storm and Iceman rescued in India earlier shows her gratitude, using her powers to turn demons against one another. I’m not sure how the fuck it works, but Hamberto Ramos’ art makes it a sight to behold. Normally, a cute girl manipulating demons is seen as a sign of the Apocalypse. Here, it’s just awesome.

What’s almost as epic? How about a teenage girl arguing with a temperamental old man? It’s not a Sienfeld rerun. It’s a real clash between O5 Jean and Old Man Logan. He tells her it doesn’t matter what they do. He’ll end up killing the X-men. She’ll end up dying. They can’t do shit about it. Spoken just like a bitter old fart.

But O5 Jean is a stubborn teenage girl. And if history has shown us anything, it’s that stubborn teenagers usually win out over bitter old farts. It also makes for a nice moment where O5 Jean promises to keep Old Man Logan in check if he gets overly murderous. She probably throws the puppy-dog eyes in, which no old fart can resist. Sorry O5 Jean, but that’s just not fighting fair.

The demon battle continues to rage. It’s still visually stunning, albeit chaotic. Wasn’t this shit a direct result of Magik getting jumped by Sinister? Well, those of us who sober up from time to time remember that. And no, this story offers no details on that. It offers no details and anything. Nothing about Cyclops. Nothing about the mutant/Inhuman war. Nothing about Sinister. It’s just more X-men fighting demons. Not that I have anything against X-men fighting demons, but a little context couldn’t hurt.

Instead, we get Storm having another vision of Professor Xavier. Is he really there? Is she going crazy? Does Limbo have an even better weed dealer than I do? Again, some details would be very helpful, but we get jack shit and everything in between. If nothing else, it gives Storm an excuse to be a real badass, as though she needs any.

In addition to extra badassery, they finally get some reinforcements when O5 Jean and Old Man Logan arrive. They probably don’t call expecting to arrive in the middle of a fucking demon war. But should they be shocked, given all the shit they’ve endured? Fuck no. If anything, they just get pissed off. Maybe they should just imagine that all these demons are actually Inhumans. That’ll make it easier for everybody.

So...is it awesome?

Well, let's channel our inner divorce lawyer and make a list. Intense action? Check. Heavy drama? Check. Wolverine being a dick. Double check. It tics all the right boxes. It has all the basics we've come to associate with X-men comics. So what's the deal? Well in the same way basic porn doesn't cut it after a while, a lack of the advanced, refined shit is lacking. At most, Extraordinary X-men #3 will give you a semi-boner. For Cyclops fans, it'll give you another reason to punch the nearest brick wall. But there are still too many goddamn plot-holes. Like smoking only half a joint, you'll only get somewhat high. But you'll still get high and that still counts for something.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Moonlighting Diversity: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1

The following is my review of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

In an era where being petty and politically correct isn't mutually exclusive, there's a right way to promote diversity and a misguided way. It's never inherently wrong to expand the diversity of a shared narrative with the cope and breadth of the Marvel universe. However, the instances where that expansion felt right rather than misguided have historically been the norm rather than exception.

Fostering greater diversity in comics is not like choosing a new version Dr. Who. It's trying to build on a crowded foundation for an audience with limited attention spans and patience. There is this perception among fans and internet message boards that promoting diversity means destroying part of that foundation. It doesn't matter that this perception is more flawed than the North Korean legal system. It creates a seemingly insurmountable barrier between those that want to push diversity and those who go into convulsions when someone does something different in their favorite comics.

The recent success of diversity initiatives like Kamala Khan and Miles Morales have shown that Marvel is capable of doing diversity the right way and without having to rely too much on retcons, time travel, or clones. Now, Marvel seeks to build on that success with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1.

In many ways, they're playing the game on easy mode because they're using a more obscure title. There aren't too many message boards that will be taken offline by the news that the protagonist in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is now a cute black girl. Chances are Fox News won't do a special segment on it either.

However, it still faces a unique set of challenges. This series must establish itself as part of the new wave of diversity that attempts to show that comics can appeal to more than the coveted young male demographic that marketing teams have fought over since the days of MTV. Can Moon Girl really compete with the likes of Kamala Khan? While it doesn't succeed to that extent, it doesn't fail either.

The main goal of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 is to get the reader to fall in love with Lunella Lafayette. And from the beginning, we find out that there's a lot to love about this girl. She's not spirited, but not sassy. She's smart, but not overly arrogant. She's cute, but not in the Jessica Rabbit sort of way. She basically goes out of her way to avoid the stereotypes and cliches that has been depicted in every John Hughes movie.

It would be easy for a smart, cute-but-not-sexy black girl to lament about her struggles and get overly melodramatic in a way that happens at least twice in a Saved By The Bell rerun. But that's not how Luna carries herself. Sure, there are some elements that would make John Hughes smile.

Being way too smart for her age, she gets made fun of by some of her peers, many of which can only cry themselves to sleep at night over how much better her grades must be. However, her struggles and her motivations are unique. She's not looking to go the Mean Girls route to fit in. She's not looking to impress a cute boy, as is often required by a typical teen sitcom. She's motivated by some of the same challenges that motivates real minorities.

Those challenges include getting into a better school, which in any world is often a stepping stone to a better life than one built on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. These challenges even incorporate events from other ongoing events at Marvel, namely the spread of the Terrigen Mists. This helps give the story a sense of place within the greater Marvel landscape, which is not easy to do in a world where clones and retcons seem to occur every other week.

Luna demonstrates a responsible understanding of these events that can't be found on any message board. Where others see spectacle, she sees opportunity. Sure, pursuing that opportunity means opening a portal that dinosaurs and ape men come out of, but every opportunity carries some level of risk. It's even somewhat appropriate that a girl who happens to be a minority has to take these kinds of risks. It paid off for Oprah. Why shouldn't a story be built around that concept?

It's a concept that shouldn't be ground-breaking on the level of quantum mechanics, tying a character's development with actual struggles that actual people deal with. But for better or for worse, it still feels refreshing. Luna isn't looking to become Moon Girl. She's just trying to use her gifts in hopes of pursuing a better life. And those gifts don't involve super strength, flight, or having access to Tony Stark's credit card. It makes her one of the most relatable characters Marvel has come out with in quite some time.

While Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 succeeds in its main goal in establishing Lunella Lafayette's lovability, it lacks other connecting details to make the story feel refined. There's a minor, albeit not minimal, effort made to cover Moon Boy briefly. But his part in the story is basically a commercial break prior to Luna's story. His story still connects, but just barely.

Even if the story lacks refinement, it still feels complete in the end. Lunella Lafayette is established as a character. We understand who she is and what her motivations are. And it also established how Devil Dinosaur ended up in Manhattan. It won't be mistaken for a Michael Crichton book, but it does put all the necessary pieces in place in a coherent manner. And when those pieces include a dinosaur and a cute Black girl from the Lower East Side, that in and of itself is an accomplishment.

Final Score: 8 out of 10