A primer to the non-Two-Face stars of Walt Simonson's "The Judas Coin" (mildly NSFW)

[about_faces]

For the past couple weeks, I've been working on my review of Walt Simonson's new graphic novel, The Judas Coin, watching my post get increasingly long-winded as I filled it with more scans, tangents, links, gifs, and all manner of distractions until the actual review itself was dwarfed by everything else! The post is currently huge, and I haven't

Comments

[abqreviews]

Bat Lash is a delight. I bought the Showcase TPB (Which is one of the thinnest) a few months ago and enjoyed it a lot. One of these days I'm going have to compare and contrast it with Jonah Hex

[about_faces]

I did however, really enjoy the Adam Strange reprints (Now HIS dark and gritty deconstruction was one that pissed me off)...

Yeah, well, the problem with that is that it was treated as canon. At least Twilight feels like an Elseworlds in every way but name, and since the characters rarely ever interact with the mainstream DCU, it can be easily forgotten or ignored. The fact that the original Space Cabby showed up in Robinson's Starman pretty clearly showed that Twilight doesn't count, so it's "safe" to enjoy the story without worrying about how it'll screw up these characters forever and ever... at least until the next retcon.

The Enchantress, who I thought was a cool character that could have been developed more instead of being turned evil. Maybe if she'd worn fishnets she'd still be a heroine.

I only know of her from Ostrander's Suicide Squad, where she definitely was a malevolent personality. What was she like before?

Too bad that it wouldn't make DC a cent, because I'd love to see the whole run reprinted.Hold your tongue.

[psychopathicus]

Well, if there's all this stuff in it, I'm definitely getting it - sooner or later, anyway. If its inclusion on my wishlist is sufficient and/or if my financial situation improves enough for me to browse around for comics on the internet, then it'll be sooner. If not, well...
Regarding the Viking Prince, I guess I needn't feel guilty anymore for my wondering just who the hell he is - the people who wrote him didn't seem to know either, given how many revised origins he got

[about_faces]

Well, if there's all this stuff in it, I'm definitely getting it...

Man, if only all this stuff--these actual stories, I mean--actually were in it! Since my biggest problem with The Judas Coin is really in the price tag for such a slim book, I now really wish it also included one great story from each character in addition to Simonson's work! Oh, well.

... the people who wrote him didn't seem to know either, given how many revised origins he got.

Yeah, I have to wonder how that happened. Did his actual stories keep changing, or was there just one issue where they just decided to give him several possible origins just to keep him mysterious, ala what they did with the Phantom Stranger? Well, until the New 52. Now he's just Judas. The end. Way to ruin the defining interesting trait about the character, DC.

Is it possible, I wonder, that Captain Fear sounds like that due to the nature of his origin? I mean, if he learned Spanish by way of his own Carib dialect, and from there trace amounts of English, French, etc., during his time

[psychopathicus]

There is, I think, an unfortunate tendency with modern comics writers (or, possibly more accurately, editors) to think that resolving decades-old, purposely-encouraged ambiguity is a brilliant idea, because think of the publicity! Never mind what happens after that, or that pinning down characters meant specifically not to be pinned down could be construed as a bad idea - sales, dammit! In recent years, this has been applied first to Wolverine, then Gentleman Ghost, and now it's the Stranger's turn. Bah.
OK, so maybe it is meant to be a straight-up Spanish accent - if his first non-Carib language was Spanish, my theory would still apply. After all, there are former French colonies in Africa where the prominent accent is French, even though the native languages are of course still spoken.

[lego_joker]

the mentality of far too many writers is an egotistical, lazy scortched-earth "screw trying to build upon what came before, my way is the ONLY way it should be!"... and this right here sums up a large portion of many DC characters' publishing histories, especially post-Crisis. The most high-profile of them is probably Wonder Woman. Even George Perez couldn't create a definitive enough version for future writers to follow, like Miller had done with Batman and Byrne with Superman

[ext_768836]

SO. COOL.

I only knew Bat-Lash, but Captain Fear is amazing. I'm a sucker for pirates, sure, but this one has something different... seems even better than the normal ones, dunno.

Aaaand thanks for the comic scan links... see you guys in a month or so! ;)

[about_faces]

I'm a sucker for pirates, sure, but this one has something different... seems even better than the normal ones, dunno.

I think it's because he has a very sympathetic origin and motivation, but he's still ethical and honorable even for all that.

You're very welcome! Those two blogs, plus Grantbridge Street, are the best damn blogs for reading complete classic comics. I visit them every day, and could easily spend months going through their archives.

[ext_1303270]

Awesome, informative post. And thanks for the plugs, Amigo!

The Groovy Agent

[about_faces]

Thanks for the comment, and special mega-super thanks for all the great work! Your site is a treasure trove that I visit everyday! Keep up the great work!

[barcavolio]

Captain Fear seems really interesting! And the Golden Gladiator bears a startling resemblance to Sulla, oh dear...

...my friends' production of Romeo and Juliet done as pirates and ninjas!

I... don't want to know, do I. Although I'm kinda intrigued now.

[about_faces]

Sulla...? Why "oh dear?"

I... don't want to know, do I. Although I'm kinda intrigued now.

Yeah, it happened!

[mothy_van_cleer]

Sulla...? Why "oh dear?"

Lucius Cornelius Sulla, the military consul-turned-dictator of Rome who led several successful campaigns against the kingdom of Numidia, turned the city of Athens into a ankle-deep puddle of blood during the First Mithridatic War, and was enough of a notable historical figure to have three operas penned about him by Handel, Mozart and Bach. Had no nose, smelled terrible.

[barcavolio]

He had a nose, but the early Christians lopped it off all the statues (because he was a PAGAN oh no). He was known for having a blotchy complexion which led to the Athenians calling him a mulberry with oatmeal scattered across it...