Random Access Memory: Five Years – October 2016 (So Many Mothers Sighing)

Rand Bellavia takes a look at his growing longbox, and reflects on comics released in October 2016.

Cage 1

Writer/Penciler: Genndy Tartakovsky
Inker: Stephen DeStefano
Colorists: Scott Wills and Bill Wray
Letters: Clayton Cowles

You may not know the name Genndy Tartakovsky but you almost certainly know his work as the director of the first three Hotel Transylvania films and the creator of animated shows like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Star Wars: Clone Wars.

This charming mini-series won me over immediately with the visual references in the second and fourth panels of this page:

If those images aren’t familiar to you, it’s just because I’m old, and you probably haven’t seen this 1979 Jack Davis illustrated comic book ad:

It feels strange to consider that Spalding thought it was a financially responsible decision to place a back cover ad in Marvel and DC Comics (for many months, I should add), but then I recall that I was a huge fan of both comics and basketball at the time.  I still feel love for Rick Barry and Julius Erving (Dr. J to his friends) and have been known to drop the phrase “He plays up in the lights” into casual conversation.  But back to this Cage comic.

Tartakovsky does a good job of acknowledging Luke Cage’s blaxploitation past without wallowing in it.  This issue also features a hilarious X-Men cameo.

Tartakovsky’s Brooding Angry Cyclops is great, and his Running Wolverine brings a smile to my face every time.

The Champions 1: Change the World

Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos first worked together in 1995 on DC’s Impulse.  20 year later, it was a joy to discover that they both remain so great at communicating the lives and personalities of young heroes.

At the time of this book’s launch teenage legacy heroes Ms. Marvel, Nova, and Spider-Man were (kind of insanely) in the Avengers.  This book opens with Nova and Spider-Man quitting.

Ms. Marvel confronts them, and the conversation does not go as expected:

Spider-Man and Nova are used to Ms. Marvel being the “mature” one, so are unprepared for her to side with them, let alone agree with their reasoning.

They decide to create their own team.  Waid understands that if you want kids to read comics, you have to write from the perspective of the kids without writing down to the kids.  This book does that remarkably well.  And by making the classic “re-active vs. pro-active” super-hero argument generational (The Avengers as optimistic Millennials and The Champions as pragmatic Gen Z), Waid gives the new team a distinctive purpose.

They quickly recruit the Totally Awesome Hulk, who takes them to the suburbs:

With Viv on board, they quickly find a super-villain to fight.  And they encounter a real villain.  Pagliacci isn’t a  comically-themed bad guy out of a Hostess Twinkies ad — this guy is involved in human trafficking.

The rest of the Champions stop the Hulk from killing Pagliacci, but are understandably conflicted about it.

As Kamala continues her speech, we see other like-minded young heroes (and future Champions).

Kamala’s words quickly spread and strike a chord with many who hear them.

The Flintstones 4: Domestications

Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris Chuckry
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

In this issue we learn that marriage is a radical thing in Bedrock.  Fred and Wilma are attending a weekend retreat with other like-minded monogamists.

Fred isn’t convinced about marriage, but he doesn’t fear the commitment.  His fear is…

There’s a lot of satire re: challenges to “traditional marriage.”

The angry villagers storm out of the town hall meeting and show up to attack the marriage retreat attendees.  The retreat leader attempts to reason with them.

Then Fred’s friends Adam and Steve show up.

The retreat leader attempts to form an argument to support his hypocrisy, but Fred’s having none of it.

Fred makes the point that communal living requires that everyone pitch in for the good of the all, no matter their circumstances.

After an entire issue of social commentary and mild cynicism, we end with Fred offering a heartfelt appraisal of marriage:

Other Comics I Read from October 2016

• Aliens: Defiance 6
• All-New Wolverine 13
• All-New, All-Different Avengers 15
• All-Star Batman 3
• Amazing Spider-Man 19, 20
• American Vampire Anthology 2
• Archie 13
• Archie Meets the Ramones
• Batman 8, 9
• Black Hammer 4
• Black Widow 7
• Bloodshot Reborn 18
• Bloodshot USA 1
• Briggs Land 3
• Britannia 2
• Chew 59
• Civil War II 6
• Civil War II: Kingpin 4
• Clean Room 12
• Clone Conspiracy 1
• Daredevil 12
• Death of X 1, 2
• Descender 16
• Detective Comics 942, 943
• Doctor Strange 12, 13
• Faith 4
• The Fix 6
• Generation Zero 3
• Glitterbomb 2
• Guardians of the Galaxy 13
• Hellblazer 3
• Howard the Duck 11
• I Hate Fairyland 10
• Infamous Iron Man 1
• Invincible Iron Man 14
• Invisible Republic 12
• Jessica Jones 1
• Jupiter’s Legacy 4
• Kill or Be Killed 3
• Lazarus 25
• Midnighter and Apollo 1
• Mighty Thor 12
• Mockingbird 8
• Moon Knight 7
• Moonshine 1
• Ms. Marvel 12
• Nighthawk 6
• Ninjak 20
• No Mercy 10
• Ody-C 12
• Old Man Logan 12
• Paper Girls 10
• Postal 16
• Power Man and Iron Fist 9
• Powers 7
• Punisher 6
• Reborn 1
• Revival 43
• Romulus 1
• Saga 39
• Sheriff of Babylon 11
• Six-Pack and Dogwelder: Hard Travelin’ Heroz 3
• Spider-Woman 12
• Spread 17
• Superman 8, 9
• Thief of Thieves 36
• Totally Awesome Hulk 11
• Vigilante: Southland 1
• Vision 12
• Walking Dead 159
• Weird Detective 5
• Wonder Woman 8, 9