Horror-ible, Part XIX and Guide to Werewolves, Part "I should reopen this": Scratch #2

Halloween POST-A-DAY, October 15, 2016

Sam Keith takes another book to the Maxx

Sam Keith is an Artist.

That's the kind with the capital "A" at the beginning of its name. What I mean by that, simply put, is that his work isn't like anyone else's. If you are like me, you primarily remember Keith as the artist who filled in the  pictures that re-introduced us to Sandman in those first few issues of Neil Gaiman's and gave us shivers from a C-list DC villain we hadn't heard from or cared about in a decade or more. Keith is also the guy who came up with the look and story around The Maxx, a short lived but much beloved MTV animated short. Never mind that it was a comic first that ran for 35 issues.

Keith has a list of credits as long as my arm, but there are a lot of artists who could make that claim. He's a writer too and a good one. Someone who comes up with involving characters and plot, stories that make you beg for more. We'll see that in just a bit.

But in my mind he will always be an Artist.

Keith has a style to his stuff that blends childlike innocence with stark explosive figures full of violent potential. I felt a bit like I was when reading Bill Sienkiewicz's New Mutants upon encountering Keith's art. There is more vibrant feeling going on in a handful of his panels than most artists put in an entire series run. I have no clue how he does it, I'm just glad he does.

It does what Art is supposed to do to you: make you feel something.

Even when that something is a silly tale set in the DC universe about a man infected with lycanthropy who turns into a goofy looking wererat-thing to protect a bunch of mutant children from other, more feral mutant children and a town of bigoted small-minded jerks. With Batman.

Well, okay THIS issue doesn't have Batman, but the first issue does, reviewed by my good friend Chris over at Chris is on Infinite Earths. I don't know how he factors into the rest of the story as The Crapbox didn’t provide more than just this one slim book.

What I do know is that we start this issue with our hero, Scratch the werewolf guy whose real name is Zach, being manhandled by this…THING that is totally a Sam Keith creation. 

Look at that neck with all those eyes and the weird tapering body. I'm pretty sure that comic buyers unfamiliar with Keith picked this up and put it back down after one flip through. Which is sad, because while Keith's character design is a bit "out there," he gets human emotion. Also he knows how to work a panel to maximum effect.

The woman at the bottom is Sage, a kind-hearted soul who is more than she appears. She has formed an emotional bond with Zach and this book on first read through gives me the sense that they are star-crossed lovers.

Anyway the creature has snatched up some of her charges, cute little deformed children that it appears no one wants, and she's trying to get them back. And since morning just broke, Zach appears to be of very little help. He's kinda new at this werewolf stuff.

The creature somewhat understands and complies with Sage's wishes by dropping Zach. Luckily there's a rip in the bag and she gets one child out…

…only to have the creature put her back in. Sage is both spunky and innocent. She has a misaligned eye that I missed in these first panels but that is clearly evident later on in the book. You get the feeling she's been a victim of prejudice but the only way it has impacted her is to make her kinder to those like herself and stronger as a person.

If you find yourself not liking the art, I just have to apologize now and say move on. This art does exactly what it is intended to do emotionally. That's Keith's forte: tapping into our subconscious on an emotional level with his pictures. I LOVE the look of Scratch. It isn't standard comic book pictures, but that is what makes it so good.

Zach doesn't fair very well and the creature gets away with the kids, but not before Sage calls this man that she just met and barely knows "her boyfriend."

Zach mulls that over while chasing the beast. Here Keith uses page layout to stun me and to make my job of scanning quite a chore. These graphics need to be experienced in full though, so here goes.

I'm sorry about the crease. And I mean that for both our sakes. Keith's art deserves to have no marring to it. Notice the juxtaposition of the creature and Zach between these two panels? How the progression shows motion even though neither is in motion? The glint of the coming sunlight as it reflects off their skin is almost like raindrops of white light. I love these little touches that pop out at you.

There are points where the art looks a bit like Richard Corbin's work and I will not complain about that.

Zach continues to chase the creature but decides he needs to revert to being a werewolf. His first attempt at doing this during the day is met with only partial success. He succeeds at getting one arm and claw transformed, but nothing else. 

Which is sad because he is completely surrounded by feral crazed mutant children. And they are hungry. He finds this out as he ascends one stalagmite with a flat top.

It seems like he's stuck trying to make a stand there until he realizes he can reach the roof…

…and that the roof has a crack leading to the surface…

…and on the surface he is greeted by a party of townspeople out to kill all the mutants. Including him.

There's no reasoning with them, so he's forced to use his strength to break free. 

He does his best to not cause any loss of life. Then Zach hightails it out of there, hooks back up with Sage and then locks them both in her house with the unruly mob not far behind in full "torches and pitchforks" mode.

Sage then drops a bomb on him. She knows about the caverns full of mutant children.

Which brings into play the moral quandary: if the children Sage is raising are intelligent kids with physical deformities, then are all the children in that cavern the same. If so, the townsfolk are about to murder a horde of disabled kids. Leaving Scratch probably the one person standing between the two groups able to do anything about it.

But he can't now as the villagers have set fire to Sage's house. She asks if he trusts her.

And we fade out on that cliffhanger.

Sadly Scratch wrapped up after a measly five issues. Not sure if DC audiences weren't drawn to the art, if the pacing of the story was too slow, or if Keith had told all of this story he wanted to tell. It does seem like there wouldn't be much more to do in this corner of the DCU once peace was somehow brokered. I do think that Keith's artwork in this is outstanding. And for me, sometimes smaller is better.

Horror-ible, Part XVII; Ch-ch-ch-changes, Part V; and Guide To Werewolves Part "Are we really doing this?": Captain America #405

Halloween POST-A-DAY, October 13, 2016

CAPWOLF!

Marvel has always been known as "The House of Ideas" but notice how there's no "good" or "bad" conditional statement before the word "Ideas." Well, here is the proof that there should be.

Capwolf.

Someone over that late Summer of 1992 said "let's turn Cap into a werewolf." Now as I've said before, this was during a period where the title was going bi-monthly and that has to put a lot of pressure on your writing staff for new, untried ideas. Additionally any changes made during this time that were reversed would have seemed short-lived. It is easy for an audience to go "dumb story" and move on, given that in two short weeks they would have the start of a new arc beginning. So if ever there was a time to get this out of their system, this was it. And no one would really remember it even happening with the flood of new issues coming after it.

But history?

History always remembers. As does the Crapbox. And neither of them will let me forget.

For those of you joining us with our story in progress, we are up to issue four of a six issue arc. The Crapbox only yielded the issues 3-5 to me, but they are the core of all this silliness. Last issue Cap was knocked out by a mind-controlled Wolverine and taken to the lab of the mad scientist Dr. Nightshade, a young woman who just loves her some werewolves. Nightshade is working for Dredmund, some kind of evil magical weirdo who ALSO likes werewolves for some reason. Also in his employ is Moonhunter, a jerky dick who leaves people turning back to human from werewolf form in the middle of a city street with no clothes.

Why is all this going on? We are unsure at this point. Something, something…take over the world, I think.

OH! And Dr Druid is there too. At least I think he is. The guy is about as handy as a Swiss Army Knife that's been superglued shut.

But where we start is Dr. Nightshade's lab. Hold on to your seats, kids.

Like a bad cliffhanger in an old Republic serial, we begin were last issue ended, with Nightshade injecting Cap with her werewolf juice and using the admonishment "Get ready to howl!"

What exactly is Dr. Nightshade's deal, I wonder? Is she some kind of sick furry that wants everybody to share her penchant for pelts? I mean it's okay to BE a furry, but forcing everyone to become werewolves is taking things too far. That's like forcing everyone to be straight or gay. Let well enough alone lady!

Or maybe she's just a really overzealous dog lover? I don’t know, but I'm beginning to wish I had those two starting issues so I might have a better clue what the heck is up with her. Whatever it is, she certainly knows how to distill a good lycanthropy serum because…

She turns Captain America into a werewolf.

It won't go as easy on them with Cap as it has with the other werewolves. He's still part super-solider. Before Dredmund can wolf-mind-control him…

 …he breaks free.

Note the red boxed thought balloons. Those are CapWolf's and they make this whole book a joy to read because every moment you can hear how mentally challenged he is as the werewolf Captain. Like this next part where he remembers to take his shield.

Or this part where he goes outside.

I'd joke about these but…I can't. It's like talking bad about your neighbor's poorly housebroken German Shepard. You expect Cap to chew up the bad guy's shoes and throw up all over his new rug.

Cap is getting away now and Dredmund can't have that, so he forces a random group of passers-by to transform into werewolves and hunt him. Note this the first look at his face that we've been given. Anyone recognize him? No? Me neither. He's just some random jerkwad with werewolf controlling powers.

Meanwhile Dr. Druid is wandering around the bad-guy's house wondering if Cap thinks he's abandoned him. Which he totally did by the way. Wolverine attacked them both and Druid-baby left. Cause that's his super power: being a big wussy.

He also discovers Dredmund's secret stash of Druid stuff…and his pipe…and his dime bag of good weed.

So it isn't any wonder that Dredmund sneaks upon him and puts on his evil hat. Then the battle of Druidic wills that we've been waiting for all these issues takes place. 

 

(Actually have to give a point to Doc Druid here, that was a third degree burn there)

Cap is hounded (ha!) by the werewolves, still mentally slow and beginning to more and more resemble Rocket Racoon. I know Ric Levins is doing what he can here, but there are seriously some issues with the costume staying intact on a werewolf body and not looking completely and totally goofy in most panels.

Captain America has always been about hitting with both his fists AND his ideals, and it is during panels like these that you can't help but chuckle a bit at his inability to articulate his thoughts.

It's about this time that our special guest from last issue shows up to again, that guest being mind-controlled Wolverine. 

Cap may not be able to remember Logan's handle, but he does recall enough to know how to handle him.

Or at least he does for a bit. Then he gets cut. And it all goes to the dogs from there.

CapWolf literally screws Wolverine up, and then uses his limp body to take out about six other werewolves. I hate to admit this but aside from how flipping crazy those panels are, I'm smiling at seeing Logan brushed off so easily.

With all this fisticuffs going on outside, it is time we check back in with Dr. Druid's battle with Dredmund. 

So they are just standing there? That's it? Sweet jeebus, what boring ass powers are at work here? At least Dr. Strange gets to shoot mystic bolts and make magical shields. These two are battling with all the intensity of two kids having a staring contest.

Imagine, if you will a Dr. Druid ongoing. Every issue he meets a new foe he has to defeat. The battle starts and the penciler draws one panel of the two of them "fighting", he then takes that panel to the Xerox machine and copies/pastes it on each page for the remainder of the issue.

It looks like the two of them will be a while, so let's move on shall we. Off to Moonhunter, who decides it is a good idea to lasso CapWolf…

…and promptly realizes how wrong he is. I do love this reaction though:

"I've used terrible judgment, but I'm a tough supervillain, so I'll just let him DRAG ME until he gets tired." I don't know what to say. I hope Moonhunter gets the worst case of rugburns ever recorded for thinking such a stupid thought.

Deciding things were too interesting, the writer switches back to Dr. Druid who makes a stupid mistake and gets knocked out by Dredmund. Our villain has something in mind for Doc D. And to finish off the issue, Cap makes it back to the Dredmund's headquarters (dragging Moonhunter, I might add) and appears to fall under Dr. Nightshade's sway.

And as silly as this issue was and is, you ain't seen nothing yet….

Horror-ible, Part XVI and Guide to Werewolves Part "I thought we were done": Captain America #404

Halloween POST-A-DAY, October 12, 2016

Cap vs werewolves sounded like such a cool idea...

And then I read the actual comic.

Okay, so as you can see from the above, I'm a bit into this six issue arc in Captain America, so you're thinking maybe my mocking of this book is off base. It IS a Mark Gruenwald story, a guy who did a decent job with Cap throughout most of the late 80's-mid 90's. It has Rik Levins on pencils, who steered the book for over three years. The book has werewolves. And a Wolvie vs Cap fight, which are always fun.

And then you open the cover and realize a few things.

First off, the issue features Dr Druid, a blatant rip-off of Dr Strange, which would be okay if he was from DC or Valiant or wherever, but it's not. Because these two characters occupy the same universe.

Lame.

I mean it's not like Marvel needs two Spider-Mans or two Hulks or two Deadpools or two Captain Americas or …okay, maybe not such a good argument given the very recent Marvel trends, but this was early 90's. Druid ended up mind controlling the Avengers for a short time before being killed trying to take over the team for good. That being a storyline I take to mean someone at Marvel looked at the character and said "why do we have two Dr Strange-types?", then offed him.

Second is the villains in this bit all seem rather new. Don't get me wrong, new villains are a blast if they are correctly menacing or interesting. These guys probably had backstories explained in the first two issues of this six parter, however I'm not really feeling any interest in hearing what those origins are. Mainly because of their lamestatic naming: Dredmund, Dr. Nightshade and Moonhunter. I'm not even sure Dredmund isn't already the name of a Reggie band.

Lastly, the issues were done during a time the title was being pushed bi-monthly. Six issues normally would mean half a year of character growth and you wouldn't invest in a silly storyline like this one. Here six issues means three months. With those shorter deadlines that means there was less time to edit ideas and art. So we have three inkers on this issue: Bulanadi, Hudson and Kryssing, who all do a decent job. The story, however…this arc is just way out there, is all I'm saying. And not in a good way.

I will admit that I sought these issues out. I knew what they contained. I bought parts three through five and I didn't get all of them on purpose because even I can only spend so much on comics this trashy. 

But I got them for you because YOU deserve them.

You'll find out what a dubious honor that is as we go along.

We begin part three of this tale with Cap and Dr. Douche, er…Druid surrounded by "twenty-three growling werewolves." That's the narrator's count, by the way. It was important that it be less than two dozen, I suppose. The duo was looking around Starkesboro, Massachusetts for Cap's pilot-friend John Jameson, known to most of us as Man-Wolf and the son of J. Jonah Jameson.

John disappeared near here and this sudden appearance of LESS than a two dozen werewolves would lead one to believe he's around somewhere. Except John's werewolf-ism never seemed to make others into werewolves in those Spider-Man comics, so what really gives here?

The answers are coming, but trust me when I say you won't like them.

The key thing is, our heroes have to escape from this mongrel horde if they are going to find John, who they seem to know isn't one of these hairy fellows.

So Cap attacks them…

While Dr Druid floats away and does absolutely nothing to help him.

Alright so maybe he does a little to help Cap. First he acts like a dog toy held out of dog's reach. Then he hypnotizes a few of them…

And then he makes them fight the other werewolves. Cap meanwhile is preoccupied with what I would worried about: lycanthropy.

In an odd rumination, later we find that Cap is immune to this type of lycanthropy infection. I wonder what other viruses Cap's super-strength serum could fight off?

That's a thought for another time. First we have to finish off these werewolves.

So Druid's wolf-hypnotism powers seem to be working and Cap is doing his share of werewolf tossing. Then Druid floats over to the roof and plucks the good Captain out the fray like he's a stuffed animal in a claw machine. Then he makes him vanish.

While we wait for Cap and Druid to figure out how to dial the city dog pound, we switch over to two of our bad guys who've captured THE most marketable character of the 1980's: Wolverine. The hidden figure in back is Dredmund, who is the leader of the nefarious trio. His assistant here is Dr. Nightshade, a young lady with a penchant for turning folks into werebeasts. 

Here she has a go at turning Wolvie into a werewolf for what must seem like the umpteenth time.

 

Annnnd No Dice!

Might have something to do with his pesky mutant healing factor. Am I the only one that finds it funny that Wolverine would turn into a silver haired wolf instead of a brown one? He looks like a sweet pooch in that middle picture.

Anyway, Dredmund decides to mind-control Logan instead, turning him into a feral, bestial state.

While Dredmund and Dr. Nightshade converse, Cap and Druid watch as Moonhunter searches fruitlessly for them. Druid has made the pair invisible to all of Dredmund's minions, leading to lots of frustration. Moonhunter seems particularly annoyed and thus treats his werewolf companion very poorly, leaving the creature to turn into a naked human in the middle of town at night.

I wonder if I could use that excuse next time I'm caught nude in public. "I was a naked werewolf and I just changed back, officer." Guess I'll have to try it to find out.

So dicky Moonhunter returns to the house Dredmund is using for his evil werewolf headquarters and after landing and walking inside, he goes to the door outside Dredmund's alchemy lab and this happens…

Moonhunter is perplexed, but perhaps he shouldn't be. He drove a noisy-ass flying bike around the house, probably slammed the door coming in and quite possibly asked everyone there in a very loud voice where Dredmund was at. It's not like the guy's psychic or something.

And when he reports his failure (which Dredmund would know already if he was psychic, duh!), the big D-man chews him the heck out. 

Wait, is Moonhunter's hair made out of barbwire? That has GOT to be hard to comb. Either way I love the very stupid "Aw, come on, boss…" line he spits out like a wounded twelve year-old. On his way out, he's heard muttering "Shucks."

Cap and Druid find their way to the same place undetected due to Druid mind messing with everyone they come in contact with. However they burst in to this awaiting surprise.

That's Dr. Nightshade behind our mutant friend, out of scrubs and into a studded latex bondage getup. No clue how those dreds fit under that gimp mask, though.

And at this point we get to the fun part of the book, where the two heroes fight. Cap always has Wolvie's number though, especially when he's in his feral state. It is a bunch of fun to watch them both tumble around and to wonder how any of this would look in a movie that we will never get because of how the licensing of these two franchises are held right at the moment.

Cap keeps tossing Logan around hoping it will knock the sense back into him while looking for Druid whose mind-bending power would come in handy right about now, but to no avail. We get a couple more pages of this stuff…

…and then Logan head-butts Cap with his admantium noggin. Which ALMOST knocks Cap out, but when it doesn't Dr. Nightshade is on hand with a tranquilizer dart to finish him off.

All of which is leading up to this:

Yup. Next issue folks you are going to witness something "ruff" and it will make you wonder how the writers could have been barking up the wrong tree with this storyline. Prepare yourselves for the coming of CAPWOLF!