THE MINOR OPINION: DC's Rebirth

Hello everyone - let me quickly introduce us before I turn things over to my son! I’m Ian and I’ve been shopping at Paradox since about 1995 (and collecting comics since 1988). My son James though has been visiting Paradox for his entire life! At first he used to come along in his pushchair and sleep but around the age of four or five he started to take an interest in the Transformers & Star Wars stuff that Andy H had on display (there was a massive Hoth Wampa at one point that James would have killed for!) After the Avengers movie came out in 2012 he began to show an interest in superheroes that has kept growing ever since. Our monthly visits to Paradox have become the highlight of his calendar and he is rapidly developing a knowledge and a passion for superhero comics that surpasses even mine! Whenever we’re in Paradox, James likes to join in when me and Andy start to chat about the state of the current comics scene which prompted Andy to ask him if he fancied giving the PCG his thoughts on DC's Rebirth. James agreed and so, with further ado, here’s he is!

Cover Story: The Twelve Progs Of Christmas

Cover Story is an occasional feature that looks at comic book covers from over the years that have inspired us, astounded us, made us laugh, made us cry, but mostly reminded us why we love the medium so much.

By Ian U

“So this is Xmas and what have you done.
Another year over and a new one just begun” - John Lennon

Well, as the song says its Christmas again and what have I done? Not enough articles for this blog for one thing! So here is my last ditch effort to get back into Matt C’s good books before 2010 rolls around. As a follow up to last year’s Top Ten Christmas comics what follows below is 12 top Christmas covers from my all time favourite comic – the mighty 2000AD! Over the years The Mighty Tharg has published a number of cracking covers by some of Britain’s top comics talent so what follows can’t fail to get you in the mood for mince pies, tinsel and mistletoe (Drokk it!)


1. 2000AD Prog 815 (Colin Macneil)

The first of several appearances on this list for art droid extraordinaire Colin MacNeil and one of my favourite Christmas covers, a seasonal Judge Dredd complete with Santa hat and lawgiver.


2. 2000AD Prog 398 (Kevin O’Neill)

A superb bit of festive alien weirdness by Kevin O’Neill and just the kind of thing that 2000AD excels at. By this point in his career O’Neill had already begun working in the States and this was one of the last pieces he did for 2000AD. My only regret is that this is a wraparound cover and I’ve been unable to find a scan of the back bit.


3. 2000AD Prog 296 (Mike McMahon)

Another 2000AD great and another fantastic cover. Mike McMahon depicting a very festive looking Dredd. In actual fact this isn’t really Dredd but we’ll not let that spoil a great cover! Snow, snowballs and festive greetings - what else do you need?


4. Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 3 Issue 6 (Kevin Walker)

More festive Dredd – this time taking down a seasonally-attired creep. The Meg hasn’t done nearly as many Christmas covers as its sister title so it’s always nice to see a good one.


5. 2000AD Prog 450 (Alan Davies)

Another lovely wraparound cover that I’ve been unable to locate the back of! By this point in 2000AD’s history Alan Moore was also on his way to America with his future collaborator Kevin O’Neill so artist Alan Davies was just starting to experiment with DR & Quinch on his own. Sadly his efforts never really rivalled those of the Great Bearded One himself! Still, his fantastic pencil work shines through on this cover.


6. 2000AD Prog 763 (Richard Dolan)

Another nice seasonal Dredd piece which works all the better for not dressing Dredd himself up and instead focussing on Mega City One. The addition of snow to the traditional Megacityscape is a great idea. Doesn’t explain where someone got a massive 50ft Santa hat from though!


7. 2000AD Prog 710 (Colin MacNeil)

Our second outing for the MacNeil droid with a lovely cover depicting many of the stars of 2000AD past and present lining up to give Tharg their Christmas lists, if they can just get Santa out of the way first!


8. 2000AD Prog 44 (Kevin O’Neill)

And now a second outing for O’Neill with this fantastic cover from the glorious early years of the title. A fairly standard 2000AD cover (Dredd smashing through a window on his bike, gun drawn) as depicted many times over the years but with added snow, Christmas tree and Santa outfit. Perfect! Love the X-Wing fighter swooping over the logo as well.


9.2000AD Prog 920 (Jason Brashill)

Aww, how cute! Those stalwarts of 2000AD, Tharg, Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Slaine and Hammerstein, turned into baubles and hung from the tree. Not just a great cover but also a great idea – if someone made these I’d buy a set tomorrow!


10. Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 4 Issue 279 (Greg Staples)

The second of the two Megazine covers in this list brings us right up to date with last year’s festive cover. Last time he was busting a snowman, this time it’s Santa himself. Twenty years for housebreaking – classic!


11. 2000AD Prog 867 (Colin MacNeil)

Here’s the third and final MacNeil cover and this time it’s Tharg’s turn to don the red coat. Apparently this was originally designed to emulate a Victorian period Christmas card design and I think it pays off really well. The gift-wrapped logo is a nice little touch as well.


12. 2000AD Prog 658 (Richard Dolan)

And there we go, number 12. Another festive Dredd, this time doing his bit for charity with the kids (because after all, Christmas is all about the kids!)


Hope you’ve all enjoyed this festive rundown. Maybe it’s inspired a few of you to grab a few old progs out of the attic for a re-read. After all, nothing says Christmas quite like mutants, genetically engineered future soldiers and fascist coppers! Merry Christmas!

From The Vaults: PREACHER #59-66

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections but are always worth revisiting...


PREACHER #59-66

By Ian U

*WARNING - CONTAINS SPOILERS*


It’s very rare, in this day and age, for any comic book series that doesn’t feature a major franchised character like Batman or Spider-Man to clock up a decent sized run. One that lasts several years and manages to maintain a healthy readership for the duration. The number of successful books in the last 15 years that have managed it are few and far between – 100 Bullets, Sandman (and its spin-offs) and Fables all spring to mind. And, alongside those, another title which fulfils all of the above criteria: 75 issues (including the specials) over six years with a healthy following which lasted right up until the double-sized finale. That title is of course Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher.

Created by the pair shortly after completing their iconic run on Hellblazer, the book followed smalltown preacher with a dark past Jesse Custer who, following his possession by an angelic creature called Genesis, set off across America to find an absentee God. Accompanied by his ex-girlfriend turned hitwoman Tulip O’Hare and an Irish vampire called Cassidy, and pursued by the Saint Of Killers and The Grail - an ancient society dedicated to preserving the holy bloodline (God I love comics!!) - Custer crossed the USA from coast to coast, losing his memory, his girlfriend and his friend along the way before coming to a magnificent climax in the 8-part Alamo storyline.


An ambitious, epic storyline that aimed to tie up virtually every single loose end from the series while remaining a tense page-turner in its own right. For all its scale and grandeur it often felt like one of the most personal storylines of the whole run with it’s themes of friendship, romance, justice and just what it means to be a man, all familiar to anyone who has read any of Ennis’ work. It’s in the opening chapters of Alamo that this feeling of intimacy is most evident. Having formulated a plan to deal with both God and the Grail, a plan which will cost him his life, Jesse Custer attempts to make his peace with those dearest to him. He starts with Tulip and his dog, then his spirit guide for the last sixty odd issues, John Wayne(!), before moving on to Cassidy. It would be easy in these scenes to give in to over-sentimentality (and this is definitely something Ennis is guilty of in the final issue) but as Custer parts ways with John Wayne for the final time, having said his goodbyes to Tulip, and restates the core values instilled in him by his father, Ennis pitches the emotional level just right. It takes a hard heart not to be moved by a hero who fully believes he is going to his death.

As the plot begins building momentum towards the climax, Ennis breaks away somewhat to show that at least some of the remaining supporting characters, namely Arseface, Lorie and Jesse’s mother, are going to get a well deserved happy ending in the backwater town of Salvation. By contrast, the supporting characters on the opposing side, namely Featherstone and Hoover, are due anything but a happy ending. Of course, this being Garth Ennis, the author makes a great effort to humanise the characters and make them more sympathetic to the reader before setting them on the path to destruction!

And so we come to what is for many, me included, the pivotal part of the storyline – Custer vs Cassidy. During a previous arc Custer was believed dead and in his absence Cassidy had made a move on Tulip and gotten her hooked on pills. When Custer returned he began to look more closely at Cassidy’s hidden past and discovered an immoral, misogynist, violent animal beneath the man he thought he knew and trusted. As such, he had turned his back on him for good but realising that maybe everyone deserves a final chance Custer arranges to meet him in a bar in the heart of Texas. The confrontation is pure Ennis. Beginning with Cassidy reminiscing with the barman about a film, its' obviously Ennis himself speaking, as he had done throughout the series on pop culture topics as diverse as Laurel & Hardy and Eastwood vs Wayne. Upon Jesse’s arrival the scene progresses to a serious debate about the value of male friendship and whether or not Cassidy has changed over time or if he ever really can. This is immediately followed, in true Ennis style, by a barroom brawl and then, finally, the big showdown itself, Custer and Cassidy, man to man, bare knuckle on the dusty streets outside of the Alamo. Of course the big problem for Jesse is that he is only a man and Cassidy is a vampire, with the strength of 50 men. Although Custer is the better fighter, Cassidy is, ultimately, stronger and finally he has Jesse on the floor with a broken breastbone. It’s at this point that Ennis goes for the emotional punch as Cassidy begs Jesse for his help, pointing out that friendship isn’t always easy and asking him to take his hand.


Custer tells him that all he ever had to do was ask and shakes his hand. Hooray! Happy ending right? Nope, this is Garth Ennis remember! Cassidy lays Jesse out with one punch and reveals his secret plan. He turns to face the rising sun, revealing that all he ever wanted was for Jesse to forgive him and with that burns and explodes in the sunlight. Talk about ending on a downer eh? But, no Ennis isn’t finished yet… Herr Starr, leader of the Grail, gives the order to his hidden troops to fire and a sniper shoots Custer through the head! A heavily armed Tulip who has come looking for Jesse then slaughters the remaining Grail troops and Starr himself before the issue closes with a full page shot of her crouching over Jesse’s lifeless body. It’s one of Ennis’ greatest comic book moments - “And that’s how they killed him, covered in the ashes of his dearest friend”.



Of course Ennis still isn't done with the twists and turns and pulls one final rabbit out of the hat with the epilogue – Jesse and Cassidy aren’t dead. It transpires that Cassidy made a deal with God before meeting Jesse in the bar and both were resurrected immediately upon their respective deaths. Unfortunately for God this still plays perfectly into Jesse’s plan. God returns to Heaven, thinking himself safe as Jesse’s death has severed his connection to the Genesis being, and finds the Saint Of Killers waiting….

And so Preacher ends, with an exhausted Saint finding peace slumped on the throne of Heaven with the bodies of God and the Heavenly host around him, while on Earth Jesse and Tulip ride off into the sunset and Cassidy rides off into the night. Each one getting and ending both richly deserved and perhaps longed for by character and reader alike. Jesse’s finale resonates with iconic Western imagery, riding into the sunset on horseback with his girl (you can almost hear the Ennio Moriconne score), while Cassidy’s reminds the reader of the modern 20th century vampire myth (Near Dark, Lost Boys et al) as he drives off into the desert night in a pickup truck.

Overall Preacher as a whole is a fantastic read, as fine a modern comic book as you can find, but I think that even this small part is eminently readable on it’s own. This may well be testament to Ennis’ background in British weekly comics and the writing style fostered there. The idea that “every issue is someone’s first so make it accessible” was drummed into virtually all Fleetway/DC Thompson writers, Ennis included. Pick any Ennis story and, while perhaps the individual issues may not be so welcoming, every complete tale he writes can be read and enjoyed on its own. Alamo is definitely no exception to this rule. Although the epilogue may feel slightly flat to new readers, apart from the almost cinematic scenes of the Saint Of Killers slaughtering the Heavenly Host, large parts of the story here come in the form of letters from one character to another. These scenes are by no means impenetrable but the emotion inherent within them will only really hit home if you have followed these characters for the past six years. That said I still cannot recommend Alamo highly enough and my very brief summary here does not do it justice – there’s a lot more to experience if you seek it out for yourself. And if you like what you’ve read then go back, start at the beginning with Gone To Texas and read the entire thing. By the time you get to Alamo again it will be like reading a whole new story.

“Custer, his name reverberates like the clang of a sword.“
Evan S Connell, Son Of The Morning Star quoted by Garth Ennis, Preacher: Alamo Chapter 7.

Thought Balloon: 10 Great Christmas Comics

By Ian U

It’s that time of year again – tinsel and Christmas trees in the shops, Slade and Wizzard on the radio, festive adverts on the telly and over in the wacky world of comics, snow, Santa hats and bizarre guest stars galore!

Past Panels: Top Ten Greatest Batman Moments

Ian U: The original idea for this article was going to be the ‘Top Ten Greatest Comics Panels Ever’, but after nearly two weeks it was obviously becoming a list of best moments from Dark Knight Returns with a few random 2000AD panels thrown in! So I had a bit of a re-think and came up with (hopefully) the first of a new ongoing series of Top Ten Comics Moments (!), each one themed around a different character or creator. And who better to kick things off than the Dark Knight himself…….

My criteria for choosing were that the panels could be from any comic Batman appeared in, not just his own, but that Batman himself had to be present and taking an active part in the storyline (so no Bruce Wayne, Joker or Robin moments). And obviously it had to be a comic I had read (so no obscure 40s or 50s stuff I’m afraid!) All clear? OK, here we go…

From The Vaults: STARMAN #61-73

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections but are always worth revisiting...

STARMAN #61-73

by Ian U

“So who is your favourite superhero then?” It’s a question every comics fan has probably been asked many, many times. As soon as someone finds out that you’re into comics it’s generally the first question they’ll ask you. In such non-comic fan company I always answer “Batman”. He’s a character that I do love and I can talk about him fairly easily, be it the comics, the films or the cartoons. But if I’m ever asked that question by a fellow comics fan my answer is very different. My favourite character without a doubt is Starman, or more specifically the Jack Knight version of the character.

Created by James Robinson and Tony Harris back in the early 90s Jack Knight was an attempt to breathe new life into the stagnant Starman title following the Zero Hour crossover. Jack was a man who never wanted to be a superhero, he was happy to leave that to the rest of his family. He was a collector and trader of collectables who was drawn into the superhero world by the assassination of his brother, who had taken the Starman mantle that had originally been created by their father in the 1940s. Jack’s intention was to track down his brother’s killer and then return to his cosy life, but, over the course of the next 80 issues, Jack gradually grew and matured into a hero who first equalled and then surpassed both his brother and his father.

The entire 80 issue run is one of the finest pieces of superhero literature I have ever read (in my eyes it’s up there with Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns) and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s all available in trade paperback and is currently being released in Absolute hardbacks so do yourself a favour and have a look. But, if I try and talk about the whole run, we could still be here at Christmas so I’m going to focus on what I consider to be the pinnacle of the whole run – the year long “Grand Guignol” saga.

Following on from the heavily criticised “The Stars My Destination” arc which had taken Jack into space for over a year “Grand Guignol” finally returned both hero and readers to Opal City, just in time for chaos to ensue. Robinson had been dropping hints for several years that a great disaster was due to befall Opal and finally here it was, in a story that truly shows what a story arc REALLY means. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comic writer create such an intricate plot which draws together so well over the course of 70 odd monthly issues of a comic. While other writers have certainly produced runs of an equal length I’m not aware of anyone who has so successfully used all of that material to tell one overarching story from what appeared to be 20 or 30 unconnected tales. Every story ever told in Starman, or about a Starman character, contributed something to this story. The “Times Past” stories, The Shade’s seemingly random personality, the ghost of pirate Jon Valor - even the seemingly stand alone Shade mini-series and Showcase ‘95 and Showcase ’96 issues. They are all pieces of a much larger mosaic that no-one could see except Robinson. To create a story so complex, so detailed, and yet fit together so elegantly is a testament to James Robinson’s ability as a writer.

Over the course of 13 issues Opal City is invaded, captured and taken to the brink of destruction with no way for the heroes of the DCU to help so it’s down to Jack and his allies to save the day alone. Literally everyone who has ever put in an appearance in the pages of Starman is there to help, from long time Opal cop family the O’Dares and invulnerable ex-mob enforcer Bobo Bennetti to Ralph & Sue Dibney, Adam Strange and Victorian consulting detective Hamilton Drew!

Between them they are facing off against a formidable assembly of villains that includes Solomon Grundy, The Ragdoll and Dr Phosphorous as well as such memorable Robinson creations as Dr Pip, husband and wife thrill-killers the Modines and Culp the evil dwarf (I swear I’m not making this up!)

And yet despite the grand scale and epic feel of this story, and there are some summer blockbuster moments – the destruction of some of Opal’s historic buildings, Ted Knight fighting Dr Phosphorous single handed, the reveal of who and what Culp is, the heroes escape from City Hall - it is the small moments of human emotion that truly make the story great. Ralph Dibny, meeting his lifelong idol Hamilton Drew, receives a salute from him which renders him speechless while Sue, sat next to him, reveals to the reader that “that tea cup salute is perhaps the greatest thrill of her husband’s career”.

Matt O’Dare, a dirty cop when the series began, finally redeems himself in his family’s eyes in the heat of battle. The eulogies at the memorial service in the epilogue include some of the great names of the DCU humbling themselves. And then there is the final climactic rooftop meeting between Jack and his father and the Mist and her father. It is one of the few comic book scenes to ever bring me close to tears as Jack meets his baby son for the first time and one long-standing character makes the ultimate sacrifice. It is also a fine example of Robinson’s on-going commentary on the passing of the superhero mantle from one generation to another as Starman Sr and Mist Sr watch their children fighting on in their names.

At the same time that the final issues of "Grand Guignol" were being published, DC and Robinson announced that the series would be ending within the year and I doubt that anyone was really surprised. There was a distinct feeling of finality around the climax of the story and it was obvious that best was now behind us - of course Robinson still had a few tricks up his sleeves in those last few stories! Looking back it was the right decision and retiring Jack Knight has meant leaving behind a piece of comic book perfection which is unsullied by inferior writers or artists. I’m going to end this article by saying, if you have never read Starman then DON’T just read "Grand Guignol" – read the whole of Starman, in order, from beginning to end! It’s that big. It’s that important. You could go back and enjoy this or any other Starman trade on its own but you’d only know it as “a” story. Read them all and you’ll get THE story. You’ll thank me for it!