Looking To The Stars: Pleased To Meet You

Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m a man of wealth and taste. I’ve been around for a long, long time. Stolen many a…

Well, that’s not really true. But I’m on a Stones groove this morning

I’ve stolen nothing other than a few hearts. I’ve been “around” this business for about five years. And all the wealth I have is more spiritual than financial. But apparently, being here now, I do have taste.

As some of you may be aware, in the past I wrote a little column called "The Mount" for a little publication known as Fanzing. Fanzing was devoted towards showcasing fan fiction and art, reviews and news relating to the properties of DC Comics. And "The Mount" was devoted toward my sermons upon many matters related to the comic industry: from the signs of a bad comic book shop to reviews of superhero-themed video games and movies, with the occasional bit of satire thrown in. Note the emphasis upon “in the past” and “was”.

For time was not kind to the editors and most of their free time was spent working upon the magazine. And lo, the cost of said webzine was growing ever higher. Thus it was decided, with heavy heart, that they would bring their great works to a close before a closing was forced upon them.

And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, for many a writer now found themselves without an outlet for their creative energies. And such a writer was I…

Until one day. One magic day, He passed my way. And while we spoke of many things, fools AND kings, this He said to me: “The greatest thing for you, young Stars, would be to write for me.”

The He, in this case, is Ben Morse who is editing this whole little section of web site and will be doing a darn good job, I’m sure!

I’m sure you can all guess what my answer was since you are reading these words right now. True, there was much heavy negotiating over my salary and benefits. I insisted upon a penthouse office, a fully stocked bar of fine sipping tequilas and as many stripped and shaven wenches as my poor, little, innocent (ha!) eyes could stand.

Well, after Ben was let out of the hospital for the heart attack brought on by a “severe bout of uncontrollable laughter”, we talked again and came to an agreement. I would have total freedom to write about anything in the comic genre and they would publish it, for as long as the readers kept reading.

The handle is Starman Matt. Also Know As: Starman Matt, Stars Morrison, Unca Stars and for a brief period before an injunction by Stan Lee’s lawyers, Spider-Man Matt and Spider-Matt. No distinguishing marks, scars or tattoos.

Wanted by 411mania.com for amusing and enlightening the general populace of the world with his humorous and educational writings on current trends and specific stories in the comic book genre.

If you should see this man, do not confront him. He is unarmed except for the most sarcastic wit this side of Peter Parker and should be considered dangerously esoteric.

Tune in Next Week: Same Matt Time. Same Matt Website. Until then, may your clerks be friendly and your comics unbent!

The Mount - I'm Telling You For The Last Time

Okay kiddies. Closing time. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

But before we lock the doors and turn out the lights, I've got one last thing to say. Something I feel the need to share after an extended philosophical conversation I had a few nights ago. Something that may set more than a few of you on edge. But I've never been one to shy away from controversy.

The other night, some fellow geeks and I got to talking about some political matters in addition to the usual shop talk and this question was raised: what side of the political spectrum do you think most superheroes come down on?

Now, there are a few obvious gimmies. Hawkman is an old-fashioned conservative, with old fashioned taking a whole new meaning with a guy who's been steadily reincarnated since the Egyptian dynasties. Green Arrow? FDR/Kennedy liberal with no party affiliations. The Question? Ayn Randian Libertarian.

Of course it's easy for second-tier heroes to have a distinct political identity. Many is the time a writer has used a lesser-known character as a mouthpiece for his own opinions. But honestly, how many readers are going to be seriously offended if Green Arrow calls for Richard Nixon's head on a platter or if Hawkman makes comments against single people who live together?

But the big guns of the DC Universe? The major icons that everyone knows about? Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman? Well, that's a whole other story. Editorial mandate has kept politics out of their books for the most part, for fear of offending the readers who might just stop buying comics if they thought that Superman were a bleeding-heart liberal or Batman was a stone-cold conservative.

Still, occasionally the writer can slip his own opinions into a story. For example, consider how Superman went from a reluctant executioner (John Byrne, during the whole General Zod saga) to being very anti-Death Penalty years later in the 90's. Compare the stories where Batman pimp-slaps the thug who dares to pull a gun on him and talks about the inherit weakness of those who use them to the Chuck Dixon penned story where Batman lectures Robin about the importance of gun safety while giving him a marksmanship lesson.

Well, the debate has gone on from chatroom to chatroom, message board to message board for years and years. And having thought a while about it, I'm ready to give you a very simple thesis.

Superheroism, by its very nature, is a liberal act.

Think about it: we have a person who goes out and gives of himself or herself, often times risking their life. They do this for no reward, no expectation of gratitude purely because of a personal moral code: because they have abilities that make them greater than everyone else and yet use those abilities to help those in need. Reword that a bit and it sound a bit like one of the more famous Karl Marx quotes: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

When you put it that way, it makes Superman sound like a Commie Pinko, doesn't it?

And Batman? Talk about the poster boy for gun control. It's been shown before that Bruce Wayne has a deep, near pathological hatred of guns. Now Bruce Wayne, in terms of the drunken playboy persona Batman uses as a mask, is probably not openly political, what with moving around some very conservative circles. Still, I'd be deeply amazed if any of the Wayne family fortune were going into the campaign war chest of any politician getting money from the NRA. Also, it's been shown that the Wayne Foundation does a LOT of charity work, putting money into the local shelters and offering jobs to the needy. See the excellent Batman: War on Crime by Paul Dini for a very detailed look as to how Batman fights crime without throwing punches.

And Wonder Woman? Classic feminist. Woman from an island populated by only women, saying they have created a paradise without men, made amazing scientific advances and achieved a lasting peace for several thousand years. I mean, just think of the political subtext here. Ignoring the obvious lesbian issues (And don't think most of us haven't!) it still doesn't look like Diana is going to be meeting with Liddy Dole or baking cookies with Laura Bush anytime soon.

And yes, I know Bush isn't president in the DCU universe. So please don't write in saying that she'd actually be baking cookies with Lana Lang.

Actually, you can't write in at all, will you? 'Cause I'm done. Or am I?

You may be pleased (or horrified) to know that I've just been picked up as a writer for the comics section of the upcoming website www.411mania.com. You can read my new regular weekly column, Looking To The Stars, as well as the occasional comic review.

It's been a blast, folks. Before I sign out, I'd like to thank some people.

First, thanks to Michael Hutchison for having had the sheer insanity to give me a chance writing here. We may not have always agreed on everything, Hutch... but you've always tried to respect me even as we argued like Carter and Ollie. And I think I've returned the favor.

Thank you to David R. Black, who handled most of my writing during the last year and was always polite enough to remind me when a deadline had passed and I had forgotten to e-mail my last article without beating me up too badly.

I'd like to thank the friendly staff and my ex co-workers at Lone Star Comics, who always made sure I'd have something to talk about in my writing.

I'd also like to thank all the fans who have sent me e-mail to thank me for saying what they thought and thought they were alone in thinking. I'd even like to thank the few people who wrote me to question my lineage and my mother's virtue.

Finally, thanks Michele. For listening, even when you had no clue what I was talking about.

Now, and for the last time... may your clerks be friendly and your comics unbent.

The Mount - Looking Back

As I write this, I stand a few days away from receiving my Bachelors degree. I have finals this week, was in danger of failing a few classes, still have to take a test for Graduate school... and I am looking for a job so I have some spare money, assuming I get into Grad school. As such, I haven't had comics on the mind that much this past month.

Looking back though, it's funny how comics are tied into my college life. I got back into reading comics my freshman year... nigh unto five years ago. I was working in a bookstore and saw an issue of Green Lantern on the magazine rack. Surprised by the unfamiliar youth in the robotic mask, I read it... and went on-line that night to find out what had happened to Hal Jordan, who I remembered from the Superfriends cartoons of my youth.

A year later. Sophomore. I was addicted. I bought all the Batman books, everything relating to a JLA member and was slowly getting into Vertigo. I was reading fan fiction and got into some weird little fan magazine for DC books... you might take a guess which one.

Year Two. 2^nd Sophomore year. Started reading an odd DC title called Starman. Also submitted a piece to this fan magazine I loved so much, not expecting anything to come of it.

Year Three: Junior year. After a year of submitting random pieces, I get my own column in this magazine which will remain nameless. Going against all my DC prejudices, I pick up a book called Daredevil, because some movie maker I'm a fan of wrote it. Don't expect much. Put it on my subscription list the next week.

Year Four: Senior year. Said movie maker is now the patron saint of my two favorite art forms. I rename myself, in reference to my favorite comic. Everyone now swears I am Jack Knight incarnate. Reading more Marvel books and some independent works. The Batman books dip in quality and I drop them.

And now here it is... Year Five. And what has changed in the comic industry since I got into? Well, Kevin Smith... the unknown filmmaker who wanted to write a few comics is a big dog who can do pretty much whatever he wants. My favorite comic book ever ended its run. I joined a Rocky Horror cast in my hometown and became known to my fellow actors, technicians and fans as "Starman Matt", after my Yahoo ID. My pull list now numbers an even mix of DC, Marvel and Indie titles, since I decided to read books based on writers and characters not just which universe I liked better. (On that note, if you aren't reading Mark Waid's take on the Fantastic Four, just because it's a Marvel book... kick yourself). I've written "The Mount" for longer than I ever thought possible. I even got a job at my comic book store over the summer and found a new look at the industry and how things are done.

But most astonishing of all, this year, I rediscovered an old hero. Thanks to a new movie, a new book, a new batch of writers and a new editorial direction, I found myself thrilling again to the exploits of a character I had long thought past FUBARed. This hero, who got me into super heroes in the first place, with a little help from his amazing friends. The hero who taught me that you didn't have to be the best or the strongest in the world. That it was enough for you to try your best and hope things would work out. Even when everything in life told you that was about as likely as the pretty red-haired girl accepting your invitation to go out. The guy who gave me hope for my own lack-luster love life when he DID get the girl. The guy who was, like me, a geeky wise-cracker with brown curly hair, glasses and a desire to do the right thing all the time even if it made him miserable. The guy that I dressed up as for Halloween, inspired by my sudden weight loss over the summer and a childhood dream.

Sorry Jack. And sorry to everyone who can't believe a writer at the biggest and best DC fanzine there is, is saying this... Peter Parker is back at the top of my list of heroes.

Things change. That's the way of life. But wherever I go, I'll always remember these things... Knowledge is Power. With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.

And With Great Knowledge, Comes Great Big Student Loan Bills.

One more to go before we close up shop, kiddies. Come back next month for the final shoot-out before I mount my horse and ride into the sunset.

The Mount - So It Has Come To This...

Come back Peter David! All is forgiven... except for the Earth Angel Supergirl! But I take back every other nasty thing I ever said about you and your writing. I apologize for laughing at every crack Gail Simone or Kevin Smith ever made about you. I'll even write a formal apology for turning people away from your Star Trek novels while I was working at the bookstore! Just please, please... PLEASE come back and write Aquaman again before it is too late!

Now long time readers may be wondering what on Earth could make ol Starman Matt be screaming piously like Pat Robertson when he needs a new house. "Don't you really not like Peter David's writing?" they might ask.

The answer is a resounding yes. I can't stand Peter David. I can't stand his prose style in general. I think most of his plots are lackluster. But most of all, I can't forgive his apparent need to reinvent every character he writes. The creation of the hook-handed Aquaman and Earth-Angel Supergirl in particular.

"Then what ( and I hope he gets to the point soon, you think) could make you scream these apologies, Unca Stars?"

I quote now from the most recent issue of Previews...

"Banished from Atlantis? Branded a traitor? Every deizen of the deep programed to deliver him a death sentence... It's Aquaman as you've never seen him before.

The Aftermath of the epic JLA storyline "The Obsidian Age" has left Aquaman hated by his former subjects and exile from the life giving ocean he once called home. The king they called Orin is judged guilty of high treason for crimes committed during The Obsidian Age. His sentence: death.

Left to perish on an exposed reef, Aquaman discovers- to his horror- that all the creatures of the sea are instructed to attack him without mercy and that he must now turn to other bodies of water for sanctuary. In a mysterious freshwater lake, he finds refuge and much more, as he is granted amazing new powers and a new mission in life.

The oceans may be off limits, but the Lady of the Lake has presented him with his true destiny...."

Am I the only one who reads these words with dread of what is coming? I mean, I'm all for giving a new book or a new take on a character a chance... but there is only so much bending you can do before things break. And I thought Arthur Curry/Orin or whatever he calls himself now had already hit the breaking point after the hook incident.

Mark my words: this will be the Electric Superman all over again. The book will sell a lot at first and a few people will cheer the new change and an end to the old clichés... but then, things will shift back.

The die-hard Aquaman fans (and let's be honest... what other kind are there?) will protest and keep protesting... and things will go back to the way they were. So it has happened before. So it shall be again. And I think I can say this safely, as the only exception to this rule I can think of is Kyle Rayner still being Green Lantern, despite the protests of many Hal Jordan fans.

Until next time, may your clerks be friendly and your comics unbent.

The Mount - Lucifer: The Best DC Book You Aren't Reading

This month, I look at a Vertigo title that is indescribable in so many ways. Its' stories.. its' plots... and the sheer goodness of it can not be described to one who has not read it. Put it simply? Impossible. The tale cannot be told without telling it. Summarize it? Now that is slightly closer to possible, but would prove nearly as long as telling the story in the first place.

I speak of "Lucifer", a comic that started off as a spin-off of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series and has, over the last three years, evolved into a worthy replacement of that legendary series. In time, it may prove to be an equal. Not too bad for a nearly three-year-old comic that boasts the King of All Evil as its' hero.

Well, not quite the King of All Evil. True, good (?) ol' Lucifer was once the most highly placed angel in all of Heaven and got the boot during an attempted management reorganization. He found himself, and those who stood with him, in the most not-nice place imaginable. They took it over, putting his legions and various other beings (not all "demons" are fallen angels) who joined them to work torturing the souls of those who felt they deserved to be punished for their deeds in life.

But in time, Lucifer got bored with running what had become known as Hell and realized that in a way he was still serving God by running his realm of punishment: without Hell, Heaven has no meaning. He also realized that there was nothing that said he could not quit being the Ultimate Adversary of all Good. So he quit, had Morpheus (Sandman and Lord of Dreams) cut off his wings, thus robbing him of much of his power and then returned to Earth, where he moved to Los Angeles (the City of Angels, ha-ha) and opened a nightclub.

This all happened during the run of "Sandman", but it is all helpfully explained in the first issue of Lucifer. So while the book is geared towards those who have explored this wonderful world before (in Sandman and The Dreaming and the countless mini-series) a newbie to the world of Vertigo can easily jump into this series with very little confusion.

The series is very quick to start off. We find that Lucifer has just been given a 'letter of passage' by God in exchange for a favor. The events of this battle are detailed in a three part Lucifer mini-series, now available along with the first four issues of the current monthly series in the ("Lucifer: Devil in the Gateway" ) Trade-Paperback. Coming up with a plan which only he knows the full details of, Lucifer embarks upon a quest (mirroring that of Morpheus in the first arch of Sandman) to find his wings and regain his old powers. This too, is all quickly and easily explained in the first issue.

Keeping track of what is going on once the series gets started, however, can be confusing at times. "The Sandman" got flack from some readers for being too involved and having several subplots that took years to play out, usually connecting together at one major point. Now while some people, Uncle Stars included, just love this kind of spider-web writing, it is not everyone's cup of tea. It is a necessity to have started reading the book since the very beginning, because of these same plot threads. Characters who appeared once briefly will reappear again in large roles as late as two years later. Consider for example The Basanos: a magical living tarot deck which has the power to reshape reality. Appearing in the first story arch as a tool Lucifer uses to divine his potential futures, it appears again after two years as an independent villain out to rule the universe.

Despite being a bit slow to take off and potentially confusing to newbies to the Vertigo Universe, Lucifer does succeed in holding the same tone as its' source material. The epic feel remains throughout the series as Lucifer travels through many unique realms- from the Japanese afterlife realms to the suburbs of Hell, where dead souls are farmed to create drugs for demons and the demons act like characters from a Jane Austen novel. Mythology buffs will also be glad to know that aside from the usual groupings of angels and demons, the story is chalk full of allusions and references to Japanese, Indian and Romany mythology.

More than this, I cannot say. But the first few issues of the series are now available in two trades. The aforementioned "Devil In The Gateway" and ( "Children And Monsters" ) I highly recommend that all of you who didn't start this journey with me grab these horses, that you may catch up.

Until next time, may your clerks be friendly and your comics unbent.