My Classic Comics ABCs: U, V, and W!

Just three more letters to go in my Classic Comic ABCs as I wind through the ol' comics collection. Here's U through W!

U is for Ultimate Spider-Man #13

I'm of two minds about Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis has becomes one of comics' top selling writers in the last decade, with his name on about half of what Marvel puts out. He brought a fresh, sharp eye for dialogue -- characters that speak like real people! -- and interesting "reinventions" that got a lot of ink. I wouldn't have thought Spider-Man, Wolverine and Luke Cage would work as Avengers, but he's more or less made it work. But on the other hand, Bendis' quirks can become annoying, and his dialogue can sometimes try too hard to be "hip." He also has a knack for starting a story in a gripping way and having it all fall apart in the end. But anyway, Bendis got his big mainstream start with "Ultimate Spider-Man," which should not have worked -- an "alternate" version of Spider-Man starting at age 15 or so, told from the beginning without all the burdens of existing stories? Yet "Ultimate" has often been more entertaining than the established Spidey in the past 10 years. This issue, #13, is one of Bendis' best -- no villains, no costumes, just an issue-long conversation between Peter Parker and his girlfriend Mary Jane as she learns his secret. Bendis' strengths for human interaction are in full flight here. A great single issue where nothing happens, but everything happens.

V is for V for Vendetta #1

I've written about Alan Moore a couple of times here on this list, so this time, I'll turn to the artist. "V for Vendetta" is Moore's giant "F--- you" to the era of Thatcherism/Reaganism, and as chilling a story of paranoid fear and fascism as comics have produced. There was a movie based on this series a while back, which was better than I thought it'd be but lacked the omnipresent dread of the original. Much of the mood of this series comes down to David Lloyd, whose shadow-drenched art flowed richly on the page. He used chiaroscuro to give his work an incredible depth; the grime and decay of post-war London oozes off the page. The colours in the paperback I have are muted, dulled and nearly sepia in approach, letting the blacks dominate. Lloyd also devised the iconic look of the "terrorist" V himself, all dancing cape and frozen, ever-grinning mask. Back when I drew a few scribbly comics myself, I remember studying Lloyd's panels endlessly for tips. Moore's words often get most of the attention in his comics -- and well they should -- but in "V for Vendetta" Lloyd really rose up to become a totally equal partner in the series' creation. It's hard to imagine it drawn by someone else.

W is for World's Finest #258

Some things just go well together. Peanut butter/chocolate, Lennon/McCartney, fish/chips, Superman and Batman. I've always loved the old "World's Finest" series that ran up to the 1980s where Supes and Bats would team every month in a comradely fashion and fight crime. Back then, Batman wasn't so grim and the duo had a real friendship that shouldn't have worked but did. This tale is hardly the best story of the era but I got it 30 years ago in 1979 -- it was one of these wonderful "Dollar Comics" DC did for a while, a 68-page anthology that besides the Dynamic Duo also included Green Arrow, Hawkman, Captain Marvel and whoever else was floating around at the time. The lead story this issue has Batman turning into... well, a were-bat thanks to some Kryptonian disease. It's the kind of story that scares the hell out of an 8-year-old -- Were-Batman was freaky, man! I can still read the yellowing pages and summon up how the story felt to read some 30 years ago. Batman and Superman still team up all the time these days but darn it, they never turn into werebats or battle giant dishwashing machines or aliens quite like they did back in the day.

(*Previously in this series: A: Amazing Spider-Man, B: Batman, C: Cerebus, D: Doom Patrol, E: Eightball, F: Flaming Carrot, G: Give Me Liberty, H: Hate, I: Incredible Hulk, J: JLA, K: Kingdom Come, L: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, M: Miracleman, N: Naughty Bits, O: The One, P: Peter Parker, Q: The Question, R: The Rocketeer, S: Star Wars and T: Transmetropolitan.)

My Classic Comics ABCs: N, O and P!

OK, it's time to speed this up a little bit, because I began my "alphabetical journey through my comics collection" all the way back in June 2008, and here I am just coming up to "N"! I'd love to finish this series while I'm still hale and hearty, so, it's a three-for-one alphabet extravaganza this time as I look at comics that've blown me away for various reasons in my nearly 30 (urk!) year hobby:

N is for Naughty Bits #6

It's sad that there are pitifully few comics by women compared to those for the blokes (although I gather manga is doing better in that respect). But one of the great comics of the alt-explosion of the 1990s was Roberta Gregory's "Naughty Bits," which was as raw and unguarded a look at a woman's mind as anything by R. Crumb was for men. Gregory's signature character is, ahem, "Bitchy Bitch," a frustrated single 30-something hugely unpleasant office drone whose life is unending misery and, well, bitching. Bitchy is bitter, cynical and battered by life, and her ranting interior monologues are great visceral fun to read -- Gregory captures a truer voice for women than most comics artists have, even if this character isn't a pretty picture. Her comics are very lewd with plenty of sex, cussin' and bad behavior, but under all the naughty bits is a fair amount of heart, I think, which makes them worth hunting out. Perhaps my favorite story in the series was the three-parter that began in #6, called, er, "Hippie Bitch Gets Laid," which is a both tragic and witty tale set in the 1960s about Bitchy Bitch's teen days, her first time and first abortion. It's hardcore stuff but relentlessly honest. A great sampling of Gregory's bitch-fest is in "Life's A Bitch."

O is for The One #1

I have a particular love for this very oddball, somewhat forgotten 1985 miniseries about the end of the world, an early but kind of amazing work by Rick Veitch. It's a strange bit of 1980s paranoia time-capsule, all Reagan and Soviets and nuclear angst wrapped up in a superhero sandwich and crossed with a fair bit of hippie utopia. It's kind of like Veitch was trying to do his version of "Watchmen" but it's filtered through an LSD experience, with colorful superheroes, goofy punk rockers and plenty of ultraviolence. Veitch swings between loopy cold-war satire and a genial, optimistic dream. For 1985, and published by Marvel Comics of all places, it was pretty out there -- any series that ends with a giant rat devouring Washington, D.C. and a naked love-in probably would be. For my mind, "The One" holds together as a unit better than some of Veitch's other work like Maximortal and Bratpack, which are also quite spectacular superhero-deconstruction visions but marred by feeling rather unfinished. "The One" is a trippy comics experience indeed, and worth seeking out.

P is for Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #72

I know, I already had Spider-Man once on this list (as in Amazing...") but hey, I'm a webhead, so I can do him twice. And I had a strong spot for this long-gone 1980s series with the bulky title, which ostensibly focused as much on hapless Peter Parker, college student, as it did the superhero stuff. There was an excellent run on this series from #50 up to #100 or so, and many issues featured inventive, playful covers by the superbly underrated Ed Hannigan. I picked out #72 as a quite fun representative of the time -- Spider-Man is searching for an escaped Dr. Octopus, but ends up tangled up with a misguided misfit kid who idolizes the villain and has created his own makeshift "Dr. Octopus" costume. The tale of goofy fan Ollie Osnick is a fun romp that touches on Spider-Man's own outcast history. This one wasn't a pivotal comic that changed the medium forever or anything, but for me it sums up the essence of Spider-Man.

(*Previously in this series: A: Amazing Spider-Man, B: Batman, C: Cerebus, D: Doom Patrol, E: Eightball, F: Flaming Carrot, G: Give Me Liberty, H: Hate, I: Incredible Hulk, J: JLA, K: Kingdom Come, L: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and finally, M: Miracleman.

Swinging along for 600 issues with Spider-Man

We mark our lives by odd little milestones. One for me is that I have been pretty consistently buying "Amazing Spider-Man" comics for nearly 30 years now, through thick and thin, red costume and black costume, good stories and dire ones. I bought Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man issues off the spinning comic book rack at Lucky's Drug Store 27 years ago, and I've kept going ever since.

Spider-Man is far and above my favorite comics character, probably because of his quintessential everyman qualities. Plus, the guy is funny and has a great vast rogue's gallery of villains. The comic has gone up and down, but I've been there for much of it – and this week, "Amazing Spider-Man" #600 hit the stands. It got me thinking about the previous "milestone" anniversary issues of Spider-Man over the years, and how they played out – hang on tight for a ride through Spider-Man's "100th anniversary" issues from 1971 to now!

Amazing Spider-Man #100 (1971) - The only anniversary issue I didn't read in the original publication (seeing as I was born the same year it came out), I finally read this one in the nifty "Essential" reprint books a while back. Although it's a milestone issue, I have to admit, this isn't particularly classic – in an attempt to remove his powers, Peter Parker concocts a crazy formula that leaves him hallucinating battling all his greatest foes. But the shock cliffhanger comes at the end when Parker wakes up find he's grown four extra arms - becoming a real "Spider-Man"! It's more than a little corny and cheesy -- writer Stan Lee was clearly running out of ideas in his epic run on the title. It got even wackier and a bit more fun in the next few issues as a vampire super-villain was thrown in for good measure. The big saving grace in this otherwise kind of mundane "poor Whiny Peter Parker story" is the utterly gorgeous Gil Kane artwork. Rating: Three webs (out of four)

Amazing Spider-Man #200 (1980) - This was one of the very first comics I remember reading, and I tell you, for an 8-year-old, you don't get a much more awesome cliffhanger than the freaky Mysterio apparently killing Spider-Man at the end of #199 -- I still think that's one of my favorite cliffhangers of all time. #200, of course, revealed Spidey didn't die, but has temporarily lost his super-powers. Peter Parker thinks it might be a chance to live a "normal life," but of course evil interferes once again in his plans – this time in the form of "the Burglar," the cheap hood who, it turns out, shot his Uncle Ben many years ago and is now gunning for his Aunt May. This Marv Wolfman-penned tale is a concise, yet deeply felt little epic – we get a real sense of Spider-Man's never-say-die gumption and courage, and learn it's not the powers that make the hero. I read the heck out of this one back in the day, and it's still my personal favorite Spidey anniversary issue, a terrific little read that sums up everything great about the character. Rating: Four webs

Amazing Spider-Man #300 (1988) -- We're oh-so-1980s now, with young hot talent Todd McFarlane on the art and the introduction of some character called Venom (foreshadowed in another nifty cliffhanger at the end of #299). Now, years later, we're all well and good and sick of Venom, who was never as interesting a character as they tried to make him in the 1990s with endless spin-offs, miniseries and apperances. But in this first appearance, yeah, he's pretty cool, a black-clad maniac mirror of Spider-Man (at the time he struck me as Spidey's version of the Joker), with McFarlane turning in some impressively ornate, if somewhat unpolished art -- Spider-Man and Venom in action look fantastic, while all the human characters look a bit like plastic dolls. As a story, this is a good done-in-one as Spidey faces off against the seemingly unstoppable Venom. Sure, lots of terribly dull and lame tales came in its Venom-frenzy wake, but don't hold that against it. Rating: Four webs.

Amazing Spider-Man #400 (1995) - In which Aunt May dies. No, really! But then it turns out she was a clone. Or an alien, I forget which. Yeah, welcome to comic books. This one came right in the middle of the much-reviled "Clone Saga," and it was actually during one of the rare times I've stopped regularly buying "Amazing Spider-Man" over the years – but this was #400, so heck, I picked it up. It was a dire time for comics, full of gimmicks (witness the hideous "tombstone" cardboard cover). In this comic you've got at least three Spider-Men running about, lots of ponderous villains and hanging plot threads. Yet, oddly, in the midst of all the clutter, writer J.M De Matteis crafts a nicely human, small story about May Parker finally giving in to her fate. It has some lovely character moments between Aunt May and Peter, and a genuinely heartbreaking ending. But... this would've been a much better tale if they didn't erase it from memory a few years later and made it all "never happen." As it is, it just kind of stands as one of the many 1990s oddball turns for Spider-Man as a character, decent at the time but undermined by later editorial tap-dancing. Rating: Three webs.

Amazing Spider-Man #500 (2003) - Curiously enough, even though this came out only 6 years ago, I had to re-read it to remember what happened. Not a good sign! Writer J. Michael Straczynski had a long run on Spider-Man for a while there, full of good ideas but also a little too convinced of his stories' own self-importance. Spider-Man is "lost in time," battling through various dark alternative futures, and, much like in #100, facing off against hallucinated re-enactments of all his deadliest battles as he bounces through space and time. It's one of these stories that strives to feel big and epic, yet I have to admit I find it kind of boring – lots of smash and bash, little heart, a feeling that it's a big "coming attraction" for more stories. Even what's meant as a big emotional moment at the coda, a reunion of sorts with Peter Parker's beloved Uncle Ben, falls flat. Also like #100, though, what saves a rather prosaic tale is some fantastic artwork, this time by perhaps the most reliable Spider-Man artist of the last 25 years, John Romita Jr. But as for Straczynski's rather pretentious writing, this one is a bit of a miss. Rating: Two webs.

Amazing Spider-Man #600 (2009) -- And now the latest anniversary, 47 (!!!) years after Spider-Man debuted. This big-overstuffed 102-page issue is a lot of fun, particularly the main story which features the return of Doctor Octopus, in a new and eerie fashion. And our old pal John Romita Jr. is back on the art – his figures a little blockier perhaps than they once were, but generally a good effort. I enjoyed the main tale here a good amount, as it mixes big action with a generous dollop of heart and humor (missing in some of these anniversary issues). Cameos galore by heroes like Daredevil, Wolverine and the Human Torch, but they don't feel too gratuitous. Some of the back-up stories here are rather forgettable, but none are actually objectionable. It's too soon to tell if this will be a "classic" anniversary issue, but it definitely continues the good strong solid run "Amazing" has been on the last year or two. And it's nice to have a hefty comic that actually feels worth the money rather than some of the quick reads I see these days. Rating: Three and a half webs.

Year in Review wrap-up: Movies, TV and Comics a-go-go

Right -- after about two weeks into the new year, you really can't get away with "Year in Review" posts much more. So let me quickly zip over my thoughts on 2008 in movies, TV and comics (previous, longer posts on Books and Music already done).

MOVIES
I'm really loathe to do a "Top 10" movies list when I usually only get to the theater 5-6 times a year anyway, and a great many of the year-end Oscar bait movies don't make it here to New Zealand for months. So I haven't seen many of the movies that would likely end up on an eventual top 10 of 2008 list. I did watch a ton o' movies, but they were like, old and stuff. That said, movies I did like? Well, I'm a comics blogger geek, and this seemed like a pretty good year for superheroes on screen -- "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" made for a heck of a tag team, of course. I actually saw Dark Knight in the theatres twice which I never do anymore. While I do have a tendency to rebel a bit against the BEST MOVIE EVAR!! hype you see online, I have to admit it's one heck of an entertainment, Heath Ledger was masterful, and it's the best darn Batman movie since Batman fought off sharks with bat-shark repellent spray. (What? I love Adam West.)

I also really liked Hellboy II and enjoyed the underrated Incredible Hulk. (Wanted, though, might have looked pretty and been brainlessly fun, but it bore about as much resemblance to the comic as my left shoe.) In non-big event type movies, other films I really dug that came out in 2008 were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (probably my current pick for Best Picture) and Tropic Thunder. Guess I'll have to wait and see if Milk, Frost/Nixon and Slumdog Millionaire make it down here eventually to catch up!

TV
No contest, really -- Doctor Who was my favorite show of the year, with Lost and Torchwood a close second. And, er, well, that's actually just about all the TV shows we watch -- I try to catch the hilarious 30 Rock when it airs down here, but that's about it.

I know some quibbled but I really liked the latest Doctor Who series, particularly the apocalyptic everything-and-the-Dalek sink finale. Catherine Tate made a very entertaining companion, although I'm not a fan of her final fate. Like most, I'm not quite sure about the new guy -- I think a black doctor would've been really cool, but hey, let's see where they go with Mr Matt Smith in 2010. Just hope he changes that emo hair.

COMICS
I finally became disenchanted (I know, I should've years ago) with the endless big-event hype by Marvel and DC. Sadly, the hefty price of comics here and the small market makes finding much in the "alternative" comix scene a real chore. So I'm barely in the art comix market anymore, and am starting to get hardcore about dropping the superhero stuff if they don't amuse me. Marvel's Secret Invasion was particularly annoying -- Brian Michael Bendis can't write endings to save his life, just leaping from event to event. The quirks that were fetching to me in his earlier work on Powers and Alias have generally become obnoxious cliches, and the ending of Secret Invasion -- leading into yet ANOTHER crossover -- was the final straw.

Still, there's good stuff out there -- my favorite books this year would include Criminal (the nifty Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips crime noir which I'd probably pick as my favorite ongoing series this year), All-Star Superman, Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-Man (my sole remaining Bendis book), The Boys, Hellboy: The Crooked Man (with superbly eerie Richard Corben art), Omega The Unknown, and a rejuvenated Amazing Spider-Man. While it's not quite perfect, the thrice-a-month schedule has resulted in more consistently good Spidey stories than we've seen in years, with some real gems (anything drawn by Pablo Rivera, the return of the indomitable John Romita Jr., and I'm finally enjoying the return of Norman Osborn as a character). Biggest comics letdown: Ambush Bug: Year None. We waited nearly 20 years for this? Sigh. You can't go home again.

* As we wrap up 2008 for good, let me throw in a plug for the nifty Hype Machine which compiled 774 bloggers including yours truly into the mega master list of blogging album picks!

My Classic Comics ABCs: Amazing Spider-Man #230

I've been reading comic books religiously for 26 (!!!) years now, and I'm having great fun introducing my 4-year-old boy to 'em. (Nothing quite perks up the dormant geek in me like having him say, "Read me a superhero story!"). Thousands of comics by everyone from Kirby to Crumb, tales of characters from superheroes to gods to spacemen to unemployed bookstore clerks, have passed my eyeballs by.

So let's begin an irregular blog series taking a trip down memory lane with My Classic Comics ABCs (a tip of the hat to Comics Should be Good who I shamelessly stole the format from) – head through the alphabet with me picking out comics from my collection that have meant a heck of a lot to me in the past 26 years. Starting, of course, with A and in my humble opinion the greatest comic-book hero of 'em all...

Amazing Spider-Man #230, July 1982

Nothing quite like coming in on part two of a two-part story, but what a part – this story is universally regarded as one of the finest Spider-Man stories in the character's 45+ year history, and with good reason. Spider-Man's swell against foes on his playing field, but what happens if you put him against someone with Hulk-like strength? "Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut" takes one of the X-Men's classic villains and pits him against the wall-crawler, and Roger Stern's fantastic script takes a rote notion and turns it into near Greek-myth level pathos as poor Peter Parker just keeps on fighting against a seemingly unbeatable foe.

Picking this up at the Lucky's drugstore spinning comic book rack in spring 1982, I was thrown right into the action – part two, like I said, and basically the entire issue is one big chase-fight scene as the hulking Juggernaut walks out of Manhattan, with a hopelessly outmatched Spider-Man trying to stop him. Spidey uses fists, webs, construction equipment, even, in a dazzling sequence illustrated by the young John Romita Jr., a loaded gas tanker. Nothing works, until the most humble of solutions presents itself. As far as underdog stories go, this is one of the greats.

Perhaps the defining element of Peter Parker's character over the years has been that he's constantly beaten down, but always gets back up again. This story takes that element and pushes it to its limits, with crisp, clean storytelling. Roger Stern wrote a run of Spider-Man in the early 1980s that most consider among the character's best moments. For an 11-year-old kid picking up comics for the first time, it kinda felt like having the Beatles be your first rock band. I still have my battered 1982 Amazing Spider-Man #230 somewhere, and fondly recall it as one of the kindling sparks for a lifelong love of comics and an abiding appreciation for my favorite character, the good ol' Amazing Spider-Man.

Movie review: 'Spider-Man 3'

"Part III" movies don't usually fare too well with folks – I'm thinking "The Godfather Part III," "Superman III," "Batman Forever," et cetera. "Spider-Man 3" is certainly coming in for a surprisingly strong amount of bashing, but y'know what – forget the pundits and fanboy nitpickers. While not quite in the same league as the first two movies, maybe, this dyed-in-the-wool webhead fan found "Spider-Man 3" an action-packed summer movie romp that still keeps the characters in mind at center stage. If it tries to do a little too much with its triple villain storyline, it mostly pulls it off – in its very excess, "Spider-Man 3" is consistently entertaining.

I think what keeps "Spider-Man 3" afloat is the same steady hand of director (and co-writer) Sam Raimi, who's helmed the entire trilogy, and the returning cast. It makes all three movies feel like a single story to have this consistency.

Is it perfect? No – there is an awful lot going on. Sure, the Venom plot could've been an entire movie on its own, but I kind of liked the pack everything in go-for-broke feeling of this flick, as Peter Parker's entire life careens out of control. Raimi pulls this chaos off a lot better than, say, the godawful "Batman Forever," which also crammed in several villains, a new sidekick, love affairs, etc., but came off as pop-colored cornball kitsch. Character is king in these movies, despite some great action sequences and special effects.

My random thoughts (SPOILERS ahoy, of course):
The good:
All right, so the movie is balancing three major plotlines at least (and that's just the villains) – yet for most of its running time, Raimi is a master juggler as he zips around the tales. The final act is a bit rushed (and you can practically feel the strain where, rumor has it, the studio forced Raimi to include Venom in the film), but it really does all tie together pretty nicely in the end.

OK, so this movie is basically about Peter Parker's ego and its rise, fall and redemption. And thanks to a plot device that introduces his "dark side," Tobey Maguire has a heck of a lot of fun with "evil" (or perhaps "ego") Peter Parker. Raimi balances the nasty acts of Parker with the silly, pushing the envelope in how over-the-top he can go with his behavior. Was the "disco Peter" stuff ridiculous? Of course – that was the point! Parker's a nerd, so when he becomes cool he's still going to be a cool nerd, isn't he? I had fun watching Maguire break out of the "noble suffering Parker" mode for a few scenes, and thought he brought a nice barely-contained rage to these sequences.

I loved James Franco's Harry Osborn in this movie (the underrated Franco has also been a bright spot in the previous flicks). The arc of his character is a tragic one, and in lesser hands might strain credulity, but Franco really sells the character's personality changes throughout.

Thomas Haden Church is a terrific Sandman – in that silly striped shirt, he looks exactly like the comic character. While he turned into too much of a muddy King Kong ripoff in the final act, I thought the effects used to bring Sandman to life were remarkable (particularly in the "birth" sequence, which attained a haunting beauty).

The not great:
Unlike some, I do think Topher Grace gave a mighty good show as Eddie Brock/Venom, and think the movie script considerably bettered the character's tangled comic origins (some of the disappointment by fans seems to be that Venom isn't precisely like he was in the comics; having never considered him one of my favorite foes, I don't mind that he is a little underused). I love Brock here as Peter Parker's twisted mirror, a Spider-Man without soul or conscience; as opposed to the steroid freak, inconsistently motivated comic goon Venom became (the superb Madgoblin has a two-part essay series looking at how the comic Venom's potential was lost, by the way).

All that said, it was just too long in the movie until Venom appears, and his story feels very rushed. Grace packs as much scenery-chewing as he can into his limited time, but another 15 minutes or so could've fleshed this arc out and kept the same action-filled four-way battle at the end. There are some very awkward transitions into the final act (The overwrought television camera crew narration, very lazy storytelling, was my least favorite part of the film). Venom and Sandman's abrupt alliance also feels very forced.

I kinda fell in love with Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane in the first two movies (the final shot of her in "Spider-Man 2" might just be one of my favorite movie moments), yet it felt like she phoned it in on this one. Her conflicts with Peter Parker weren't as organic as they might have been, and she often seems glaringly self-absorbed. Although she was really a minor role in this movie, Bryce Dallas Howard's Gwen Stacy was enjoyable eye candy – fans shouldn't go in expecting anything much like the comic character, though.

The ugly:
Isn't it a little absurd that the climax of all three of these movies revolves around Mary Jane getting kidnapped?

There's no real elegant way to do an "alien symbiote" entrance into what's been a kind of earthbound series, but the meteor from the sky was clumsy – if a nice nod to old-school monster flicks like "The Blob." I might've liked to see the symbiote be the result of a science experiment instead, though.

So why does Peter Parker spend half these movies without a mask on? It got rather ridiculous in "Spider-Man 3," but y'know, I thought about it, and actually, it makes a lot of sense from a moviemaking angle. That mask is hardly very emotive, and even Marlon Brando couldn't deliver a great performance shackled by it. While it looks awesome in the comics, there's a reason that Maguire keeps ripping it off in the films – it's the only way he can really act in a scene (I know some folks think he's a little too stoic an actor, but he works for me). There was an awful scene in the first "Spider-Man" with Spider-Man and "Power Ranger" Green Goblin having a heart-to-heart talk, yet you didn't see a single mouth move during the scene. So awkward as it can get, I can understand the "Amazing Mask-less Spider-Man" being so prominent in these movies.

Like I said, though, quibbles aside, I had a fine time at "Spider-Man 3," which I'd give a strong "A-/B+." I'd have to say these three together make the finest superhero trilogy we've yet seen (with "X-Men" following close behind, I think). A "Spider-Man 4" is probably inevitable, but part of me wishes they wouldn't think about it without Raimi, Maguire and even Dunst. Through the highs and lows, they have defined Spider-Man on screen, and without 'em, I'm not sure I'd like what I'd see.

Sweet Spider-heaven.

The Spider-Man 3 teaser is here!

Yeah, it's Superman's week and all, but man, "Spider-Man 3" looks cool. I was a little wary of them trying to cram at least two, maybe three villains in this one (Sandman, Venom, and Harry Osborn) but I've got pretty high faith in Sam Raimi after the very good part 1 and downright superlative part 2. If they can make the comics' rather convoluted Venom backstory into something that works, it could be fantastic. Summer 2007 suddenly seems a long time away...

COMICS: Spidey's got a secret

COMICS: Spidey's got a secret

Well, if you don't troll the comic book shops and haven't heard the news, there was a minor earthquake in superhero comics this week. In the pages of "Civil War" #2, the latest "everything must change"-type miniseries from Marvel, we had a heck of an ending – Spider-Man calls a press conference, and in the view of the entire world, reveals his secret identity: "My name is Peter Parker and I've been Spider-Man since I was 15 years old. Any questions?"

It's a bold storytelling move, although how strong the tale is ultimately depends on what's done with the idea. I liked the first two issues of "Civil War," which manage to combine writer Mark Millar's knack for shock theatre with a genuinely interesting political hook – what if superheroes were forced to register themselves with the government? Would they agree, or would they go underground? Who would fight, who would give in?

But right now, I'm just interested in how this story will affect my favorite superhero, Spider-Man. One of the things I've liked the most about reading Spider-Man comics since 1982 or so is that the character has grown and matured over the years. We've watched Peter Parker grow up, from a 15-year-old in his earliest adventures to whatever age he is now (nearly 30?). He's fallen in love, gotten married, gone from outcast to team player, and now discards his secrecy. Lots of fans seem to hate the move, but I'm cautiously interested in seeing what happens next.

Having a secret identity was an integral part of Peter Parker's character for the first 25-30 years of his existence. He started out as "puny" Parker, teenage outcast and glasses-wearing nerd, picked on by bullies and only able to enjoy himself as the wisecracking, carefree Spider-Man. Gradually, Parker became less of a failure in his civilian life – he bulked up, lost the glasses, found steady girlfriends. Tragedy still dogged him, but he had come a long way from the sweater vest-wearing egghead seen back in "Amazing Spider-Man" #1.

I've actually really enjoyed the changes to the Spider-Man dynamic the last few years have wrought, even if the execution of the stories isn't always great. His joining the Avengers, being part of a team rather than the weird loner, offers real opportunity for his talents to be appreciated. (Although in "The New Avengers," very little of this has been explored to its full potential.)

Spider-Man's "secret" identity has gradually been less and less guarded the past few years anyway. Dozens of his allies have learned his identity, many of his foes. Some of these came in great stories – the "Sin-Eater" tale in the late 1980s where Daredevil and Spider-Man learned each other's secrets, or the superb "Spider-Man/Human Torch" miniseries of 2005. The final issue of the latter series, where clueless Johnny Storm finally figured out after all these years that Peter Parker = Spider-Man, was a real pleasure, particularly in the warm inviting scenes at the end where Peter's family and the Fantastic Four "family" enjoy some leisurely family get-togethers without a supervillain in sight. It felt like the "happy ending" Peter's so long been denied. Even Peter Parker's ancient Aunt May has learned the secret in the comics. So "coming out" to the general public has been foreshadowed for a few years now in the Spider-Man comics.

Of course, there are purists who want Spider-Man to eternally be the outcast teenager, always falling short in love, affection and success. Even Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada has frequently voiced his disapproval of Spider-Man's marriage (as if this were a recent event; it took place in 1987, after all, nearly 20 years ago now!). Yet what appeals to me about Spidey is that he DOES grow – other characters, like Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman, seem mired in a stasis, with little real changes over the years that aren't quickly fixed. But Spider-Man's stayed married, he's stayed out of high school and he steadily continued to age (at a far slower ratio than the 44 years worth of comics he's starred in, obviously).

"Civil War" is only two issues in of its seven, and it's uncertain which way Millar & co. will go yet with the unmasking story. I'm genuinely curious to see what comes next. How can Spider-Man remain married, protect his aged aunt, or have a normal life now? Is his stand of principle worth the cost it'll demand? Nothing lasts forever in comics (the list of characters who've died and come back could fill Valhalla), and the cynic in me is pretty sure they'll come up with some giant deux ex machina to correct it all (alien memory-erasing pixies? plastic surgery? it was all a dream?).

But the fan in me kinda would like to see them ride with this a while, explore the idea of a public identity and what it would really mean for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Done right, it would provide further opportunities for growth for Spidey – and change is far better than stagnation for comics' most fascinating, multi-layered hero.

COMICS: Quick Comic Reviews!

COMICS: Quick Comic Reviews!

All Marvel comics, all the time! Honestly, I do have fairly diverse comic tastes, but for some reason I'm in a spandex-craving mood lately. Here's a few reviews of recent comix:

Amazing Spider-Man #529. After the colossal mess that was "The Other" crossover, this issue doesn't look so bad. The big deal, of course, is that Spider-Man gets a new high-tech costume this issue courtesy of his bestest friend Iron Man. While obviously the costume is a passing phase, and nowhere near as iconic as the old red-and-blues or even that underrated '80s black costume, it's an interesting development. Writer J.M. Straczynski's run the past five years or so has been all over the map for me; he's written some great stories and also some of the worst Spider-Man stories ever. What I like about this issue is the interesting mentor/student relationship Spidey's forged with Iron Man, not at all what I might have expected out of Spider-Man's membership in the Avengers. While that whole idea's been mixed in execution, at the very least it's offered some new dynamics for the Spider-Man mythos to chew on. Mostly set-up for the upcoming "Civil War" crossover (yep, another one), this issue isn't a classic, but it's promising enough. Grade: B-

Ultimate Spider-Man #91. This book of tales of an "alternate" teenage Spider-Man went through a bad patch a year or so ago with the anticlimatic "Hobgoblin" storyline, but it's back near its peak as of late. This issue kicks off a four-part story introducing "Ultimate Deadpool," but it's mostly an issue about Peter Parker's relationship with the X-Men's Kitty Pryde. Peter's new girlfriend is one of the things that's energized the book, and is a lot of fun (and not feasible in the "real" Marvel universe due to the characters' age difference, but here they're both about 16). Writer Brian Bendis clearly enjoys playing off the idea of Peter dating a fellow superhero, and the banter and wit recapture a lot of what "Ultimate Spider-Man" so much fun in the first place. Still the best ongoing "Spider-Man" title, despite some meandering in the plots. Grade: A-

Ms. Marvel #1. It's like 1979 all over again lately, as all the old superheroines from that era are making comebacks. Joining Spider-Woman and She-Hulk in new books is Ms. Marvel, who's always been a good character in search of a decent comic book. This first issue is a solid launch... female superheroes have always walked the line between sex objects and actual heroic characters, and Ms Marvel's stripper-meets-Mardi Gras costume doesn't help matters. Yet writer Brian Reed's got a nice hook, presenting Ms. Marvel as a "B-list" hero who desperately wants to live up to her potential. This issue is mostly set-up along those lines (Ms. Marvel hires a publicist!) but it's got some good crackling dialogue, a nice sense of characterization and eases up on the cheesecake. Plus, slimy aliens The Brood invade! There's a good idea here and it'll be interesting to see if this survives the "curse of the solo female character" comic book – after all, Ms. Marvel's original series back in the day only lasted 25 issues or so. Can Ms. Marvel battle reader indifference? Grade: B

Daredevil #82. OK, so you're a blind superhero whose identity has been revealed and you're going to jail. Just another day in the life of Daredevil. New writer Ed Brubaker kicks off his run here, left in the rather interesting storyline that Brian Bendis, writer for the last five years, wrapped up with. It's an excellent start to a book that had begun to feel a little drawn-out and plodding under Bendis, as good as his work had been. Brubaker and artist Michael Lark bring a claustrophobic dread to this issue, as Matt "Daredevil" Murdock settles into prison life with dozens of men who'd like to kill him. It's "Oz" meets "Batman," and Brubaker's work is wordier, denser and somehow a bit more fulfilling than Bendis' recent scripts - I didn't flip through this issue in three minutes, in other words. He's helped by the fine dark and detailed art of Lark. Where do you go from here, with your main character in jail? Don't know, but I'm keeping "Daredevil" at the top of my reading pile to find out. Grade: A-

ETC.: Wake me up before I go-go

ETC.: Wake me up before I go-go

Woke up at 4:30 a.m. or so this morning absolutely alert, and that was that. Eurgghhhggg. It's going to be a long long day. Did manage to read some more of "The Golden Compass" before stumbling out of bed to shower, quite an interesting book. I'd heard it was fantasy in the lines of "Harry Potter"/"Narnia" type stuff, Avril read them a few years ago and liked them, but it's actually quite a few shades darker, and quite inventive stuff so far. Be interested in seeing where it goes and if I'm up for reading the rest of Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy...

Anyway, sleep deprivation means random unfocused posting*!
(*As long as freakin' Blogger cooperates and lets me post this sometime today; I only wrote it six hours ago...)

ITEM! At one point in one of my geekier moods I was planning on posting a huge dissection of the awful recent storyline in the Spider-Man comics, "The Other." This story is shocking in its sheer badness, ineptness and failure to succeed on almost any level (not to mention extraordinarily bad editing, such as a character breaking an arm one issue and being totally fine the next). It had potential, but wow, was it dribbled away. Anyway, I'm saved from having to write this because one of my favorite Spidey bloggers, MadGoblin, is back in action and delivers an excellent analysis of this inept story that echoes my feelings exactly. One of my favorite comic reviewers is spot-on as always; check out his Web site (under re-construction still a bit).

ITEM! I missed the boat on the whole "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" thing way back when, because while it was really critically acclaimed it was one of those shows it looked like you had to get in on the ground floor to appreciate, and because to an outsider's eyes the vampire makeup looked a little dorky. But now that I am Joss Whedon's bitch thanks to "Firefly," I decided that I should take advantage of Netflix to catch up on "Buffy" and see what all the fuss is about. So my ambitious (likely TOO ambitious) goal is to watch all seven seasons gradually in coming months. We watched the first three episodes recently and quite dug it; it's clear now the plastic-vampire look is part of the show's mojo, and while in the early episodes it's still a little clunky, there's already a lot to like - it's all like "Beverly Hills 90210" meets "X-Files." Watch this space as I become a "Buffy"-braniac in coming months...

ITEM! Finally, piss away some time today (er, sorry) with Urinals.Net, perhaps the most fascinating Web site of our time. Ever wanted to know what the johns look like in Berlin, Sudan or Chicago? I find this site mysteriously addictive. Best of all, one of Roseburg's proud establishments is featured on this page – and I might add, this urinal is freakin' gigantic. It dwarves moral men and makes us all feel inadequate. And that's a fitting note to leave for the weekend on...

Man, my brain feels fuzzy.