Continuing a story begun in my last post, I began--several months ago--to look for various graphic novels and comics compilations for donation to my local library. (See that prior post for my tentative target list and my reasons for pursuing them.) To be sure, many of these are readily available for purchase online--but I wanted to make some sport of it. Ideally, I wanted to get them at some significant discount as compared to the cover price. More importantly, I wanted to patronize local vendors if at all possible. So I decided to just keep an eye out while in the course of my usual travels--taking my kids to the local comic store, regional comics conventions, etc.
Ultimately, the best opportunity presented itself in May. As some may know, many comic book stores and chains participate in Free Comic Book Day on the first Saturday in May each year. In addition to promotional comics offered for free--usually appropriate to a wide age range--there are typically really great sales on exactly the sort of books I was seeking. And this past spring was no exception.
I was able to pick up 5 books in total*, 4 from my original list--two of which I describe below. (You can find the others in Part 3.)
* Taking a quick moment here to plug the people at Phantom of The Attic in Monroeville, PA, outside of Pittsburgh. They've got great back issue bins and they've always been super-nice to my family--my kids especially.
THE JUDAS CONTRACT
I'll confess that I was a little put off the first time I ever saw Cartoon Network's Teen Titans Go! It didn't take them long to wear me down with outlandish edgy humor--think Archer, but for a K-8 audience--and the veteran voice acting of Khary Payton, Tara Strong and a stellar cast.
That said, I grew up with the Teen Titans as imagined by writer Marv Wolfman and the legendary George Perez. So while many who watch the CN show may not know the content that it lampoons, the era that spawned characters like Raven, Starfire, and Trigon (i.e., DC's demonic take on Galactus) was actually one of the most serious and dramatic in the team's history.
No story epitomizes this era more than The Judas Contract story-line. Ahead of its time in that it came at the front edge of a wave of darker, consequence-filled stories that pervaded comics in the following decade, this tale introduced one of the most pivotal villains (and antiheroes) in the DC catalog, rebranded a classic hero with a new name and costume, and hinged on a shocking betrayal that remains one of the most memorable in comics history.
If you've watched/liked the grittier Young Justice, you need to read this compilation.
THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN
Speaking of darker, consequence-filled story-lines, I've liked the second half of the "Death of Superman" story arc since I was in graduate school. Some of this is absolutely tied to nostalgia, as I remember the availability of these issues coincided with my moving to a new town and patronizing a new comic store with my wife. So a lot of my feelings about it are likely naturally intertwined with my feelings about that time in general. I don't know that this feeling mirrors general sentiment, as I often hear this story referenced in the same breath as the "clone saga" story-line in the pages of Spider-Man--which was out around the same time.
But the fact is that these stories were genuine page-turners. Superman is dead and Earth is vulnerable. Four mysterious heroes emerge from the wreckage of Metropolis with some claim to his logo and mantle. One claims to be the Last Son of Krypton. Another is a Man of Steel. Yet another appears to be a literal Man of Tomorrow. And a fourth may or may not be his clone. The reader is left to ponder which--if any--is the true heir to (or return of) their champion.
If one of the measures of quality is longevity, then the fact that many of the characters introduced here continued to pepper Superman stories for more than 20 years afterwards should speak for itself. I for one was especially intrigued at the time because I was aware of the parallels between this story and the bizarre true tale of The Four Dmitris from Russian history. (BTW - For whatever it's worth, The Death and Return of Superman game for SNES remains one of my all-time favorite 2D side-scrolling fighting games.)
So, overall, my recommendation is that The Return of Superman (or The Reign of the Supermen) is every bit as worthy of a read as The Death of Superman. While it's rarely given the same consideration as the first half of the story, it is just that--the second half, the completion of a full story arc that sees the title character defeated, deconstructed, re-imagined, and ultimately reborn.
OK--so that's it for my DC finds. Please join me for Part 3 to hear about my Marvel finds and why I chose to pursue them.
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