More NonSense: Eddie Berganza vs C.B. Cebulski

Eddie Berganza

Thor: Ragnarok, which was inspired by Marvel's comics adaptations of the Norse apocalypse, and fan favourite story Planet Hulk, is the 16th film from the ongoing Marvel cinematic universe. It's as solid an entry as any of them, with a healthy dose of swashbuckling space adventure more typically associated with Guardians of the Galaxy. But as a continuation of several plot threads going all the way back to 2011, it works very much like the middle chapter to a bigger story. This hasn't hurt its box office performance or dampened enthusiasm for the MCU. If anything, people want to know how it will pan out in the end.

What does set it apart is how it ties together Thor's sordid family history into a pointed commentary on the revisionist nature of imperialism.

Abraham Riesman lists five Thor comics to read before seeing the latest film. He also recommends eight comics for November.

Justice League is the other superhero tent film of November, and has opposite concerns. The news isn't good for those hoping it would build upon the positive reception of Wonder Woman. Much like Zach Snyder's past directorial contributions to DC's cinematic universe, Justice League is overstuffed with references  that are mostly unearned. It's a half-formed world trying hard to fool the audience into believing that it's a fully developed universe. Background information is haphazardly doled out about the new characters to make them more sympathetic. But the only reason why Flash and Aquaman are at all likeable is because of the performances of Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa. Overall, Justice League is notable for the ways it sets the stage for the future cinematic universe than for its own modest merits.

The modern superhero film is today's equivalent to the classic movie musical.

Publisher's Weekly lists its best comics for 2017.

Tony Isabella interviewed about his return to the character her created in 1977, Black Lightning.

These Calvin and Hobbes strips are a nice reminder of how we love to exclude outsiders. Seems particularly relevant today.

A page of Maus is lauded for its' aesthetic qualities.

Eddie Berganza was accused of sexual misconduct in a recent Buzzfeed article. Comics professionals reacted. Then DC first suspended Berganza, only to fire him a few days later. Even more women have since come forward. Rumours about Berganza's terrible conduct are nothing new, and DC was criticized in the past for its tepid response. The difference now is that these allegations are finding new life as part of a wave of similar allegations against other powerful male figures within the larger entertainment industry, and society in general.

What's particularly upsetting is how Berganza was tolerated despite having long developed a reputation within the comics community for being a jerk:

But Berganza’s editorial skills aren’t all he’s known for in the comics industry. At best, he developed a reputation for making offensive jokes or line-crossing comments in the presence of or at the expense of women; one former staffer recalls hearing Berganza tell a female assistant that a writer needed to make a character in a book they were editing "less dykey." Asselin recalled Berganza once telling her that the reason he didn't hit on her was because he had too much respect for her spouse. But at worst, he’s alleged to have forcibly kissed and attempted to grope female coworkers. One woman said when she started at DC, she was warned about Berganza — advised to keep an eye on him, she said, and to not get drinks with him. "People were constantly warning other people away from him," said Asselin, a vocal critic of gender dynamics in the comics industry.

Berganza's reputation spread throughout the comics industry, so much so that Sophie Campbell, an established writer and artist, turned down an opportunity to work on a Supergirl comic two years ago because Berganza was the editor overseeing the project, even though she wouldn't have had to speak directly to him during the job. It would've been a cool gig, Campbell told BuzzFeed News, but it also "felt scuzzy and scary."

"I didn't like the idea of being in professional proximity with him or having his name on something I worked on," she said.

A former DC employee said Berganza’s reputation was "something that I didn't like, but I stomached it. Everybody did. It was a gross open secret."

C.B. Cebulski

Meanwhile, editor C.B. Cebulski replaced Alex Alonso as Marvel's Editor in Chief, in a year the publisher experienced weak print sales while making controversial statements. He then admitted on Bleeding Cool that he once masqueraded as a Japanese writer by naming himself Akira Yoshida. He found himself penning comics such as Thor: Son of Asgard, Elektra: The Hand, Wolverine: Soultaker, and Kitty Pryde: Shadow & Flame. This was done to get around Marvel's policy of not allowing staffers to write or draw any of the publisher's comic books.

I stopped writing under the pseudonym Akira Yoshida after about a year. It wasn’t transparent, but it taught me a lot about writing, communication and pressure. I was young and naïve and had a lot to learn back then. But this is all old news that has been dealt with, and now as Marvel’s new Editor-in-Chief, I’m turning a new page and am excited to start sharing all my Marvel experiences with up and coming talent around the globe.

Rewarding an employee who once lied to the world about being an Asian man. Way to go, Marvel. That the two biggest publishers in American comics can put up with the actions of a known sexual harasser, and a self-admitted fraud who brushes off his past indiscretions as acceptable for a person of his lofty position, indicates something rotten within this industry.

Sana Amanat has responded to Cebulski's confession by actually defending him. The revelations have also inspired a hashtag bringing more attention to Asian comic creators. Cebulski is part of a long line of writers creating orientalist portrayals at Marvel, and within the comics industry. Though I can't think of any industry insider who went so far as to extend the practice to fudging their race and nationality for pure economic advantage.

Jim Shooter, Marvel's legendary former Editor in Chief, interviewed  by Chris Hassan.

Nobuhiro Watsuki, best known as the creator of the manga Rurouni Kenshin, has been arrested for possession of child pornography.

Video: Lonely Hulk

Go to: NBC Classics

"The Lonely Man" musical theme to "The Incredible Hulk" 1978 TV series composed by Joseph "Joe" Harnell.

The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman

By Roger Stern, Steve Rude, Al Milgrom, Jim Novak, Steve Oliff

Published in 1999, The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman is one of the more fun crossovers coming out of Marvel and DC in the last 12 years. On further thought, it might be the only inter-company crossover from the period that could be considered remotely entertaining. These kind of projects are naturally targeted at the fanboy contingent, in particular the section of fandom which feels compelled to debate endlessly about the comparative power-levels of favorite characters. The Hulk and Superman are obvious fodder for such bull sessions, and they have met twice before (As far as I recall). The last time was the pandering Marvel vs. DC in which readers could vote for the winners of various matchups. It's no surprise that these kind of stories are usually exercises in self-indulgence, since they require a certain degree of preexisting emotional investment in the characters and their respective continuities to work. IH vs. S certainly works best if the reader already has a preference for at least one of the characters. But its effectiveness comes from avoiding the deep-end of nostalgia and continuity porn, and presenting an uncomplicated adventure tale featuring two highly recognizable properties.

Not that the story can entirely avoid its own metatextual issues. The comic begins and ends with the current version of the characters, with all their accompanying emotional baggage. These sections are unavoidably clunky. But the substantial portion of the narrative takes place in a flashback when the characters are at the beginning of their superhero careers. Given the basically incompatible timelines of DC and Marvel, a certain degree of finagling has to happen just to make them fit. For example, because of DC's practice of rewriting Superman's origins, this version of Superman seems to be the standard post-Crisis version viewed through a Silver Age filter. This is to bring the character's visual identity in line with artist Steve Rude's interpretation of the Hulk, which is clearly based on Jack Kirby. This may sound like an incidental, but it's an essential part of the book's appeal. Setting the story in the past not only allows writer Roger Stern to sidestep much of subsequent continuity, but to also present the characters in a more "innocent" time. This might sound needlessly nostalgic, but the approach allows them to be closer to the iconic versions that even the general audience can recall through cultural osmosis: Clark Kent and Lois Lane are still rival reporters. Dr. Bruce Banner is still working for the military, and dating Betty Ross, who's still unaware of his Hulk identity. So is General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, who's still hunting the Hulk with the resources of the army base at his disposal. Rick Jones is still the loyal teenage sidekick. Lex Luthor differs in that he appears in his post-Crisis identity as a corrupt business magnate. But it could be argued that media exposure to this role had already begun to supplant the more traditional role of rogue scientist.

Rude's art is necessary to this effort, as his retro stylings capture the most "classic" look of the characters without drawing too much attention to itself. The aforementioned Kirby-inspired Hulk is a surly, always hunchbacked figure possessing a massive brow. Dr. Banner wears thick, horn-rimmed glasses and loose-fitting shirts over his scrawny frame. Clark looks like a reporter wearing a cheap striped suit with accompanying fedora. Betty looks sweet and innocent in a white dress and pink neck scarf, while Lois looks more assertive in her blue blazer. Even Superman's squinty-eyed face and lean, athletic physique recalls his Golden-Age design. Only Luthor's Colonel Sanders-style business suit feels like a misstep. The book is full of nice period touches from the hot rod cars, drive-ins, ham radios, small town buildings, to the Kirby-like design of Banner's scientific devices, like the massive Gamma Gun.

The plot itself follows the standard "superheroes fight, then team-up to beat the villain" formula. So predictably, the fight scenes are central to the story. But surprisingly, they're very brisk. They're less calculated to deliver a knock-down-drag-out slugfest that most hardcore fans have come to expect. Instead of a bloodletting, a certain amount of manic glee comes through. The Hulk hurls Superman into Earth orbit in one scene, and later on Supes returns the favor by bouncing him of several large cacti, pinball style. There's less an attempt to make the fight feel epic, than to make it an enjoyable ride for the reader. And Milgrom never neglects the interaction between the two supporting casts by crafting a plot that logically gets the characters to mingle with each other. Part of the fun is in watching how the cast does, or doesn't, get along. There's nothing in his scripting that's particularly original. But in the end, this is an unassuming and breezy meet-and-greet between two icons that have come to be taken far too seriously over the years.

Short Pamphlet Reviews

Make mine Marvel...or not


Incredible Hulk #601-602 by Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Ariel Olivetti, Michael Ryan, Guru-eFX, Simon Bowland

Greg Pak returns to writing the Incredible Hulk, but only after Jeph Loeb has his way with him and leaves him a de-powered shell of his former self. The experienced fan should already know that's not going to last. Even the characters are genre-savvy enough to know this. In the meantime, Hulk's ingrate of a son is going to fill his big shoes. Skaar wants to kill his father, but settles for being trained by Bruce Banner until he can Hulk Out again. Just to prove that he's up to the task, Banner has him fight the Earth's biggest human punching bag, the Juggernaut. Once again, the fight demonstrates that the Juggernaut is literally an unstoppable moving object, but he's a bad guy so of course he's beatable when the plot demands it.

Bruce Banner uncharacteristically starts becoming more proactive. In one subplot he intervenes in a child abuse situation by creepily keeping tabs on the father, Big Brother style. How long is he going to keep that up? But what bugged me was this scene were Bruce picks up the Hulk's giant sword like it was nothing. What's this, anime? The digitally painted art is too stiff and the backgrounds too generic for my tastes. There's also a backup story about a She Hulk from one of Marvel's many alternate timelines that leaves me feeling indifferent.


Spider-Woman #1 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Cory Petit

The first from Marvel's motion comics initiative. The story is sandwiched between crossover events Secret Invasion and Dark Reign, making it a bit behind other serials, and a terrible jumping on point for a first issue. Jessica Drew sulks in her apartment, then gets recruited by secret organization S.W.O.R.D. to exterminate Skrull agents and other hostile aliens. I know it's standard operating procedure for Marvel characters to whine endlessly like teenagers in a high school drama, but when a 4th-string character tries to out-angst an A-lister like Wolverine, I stop taking the character seriously (That's not really true. The cover, complete with boob sock, immediately eroded my confidence in the title). Alex Maleev's photo referencing isn't too egregious and his style is appropriate to the morally ambiguous spy milieu. But he often sacrifices clarity for mood and atmosphere.

Thor Annual #1 by Peter Milligan, Tom Grindberg, Mico Suayan, Tom Grindberg, Edgar Delgado, Chris Sotomayor, Joe Caramagna, Marko Djurdjevic

This is a throwaway story about how Egyptian god Seth tries to kill Thor. If the Marvel Universe pantheon were like high school, then the Asgardians (minus Loki) are the handsome, mostly blond, jocks, while the Egyptians are the freaks and suspicious looking foreign exchange students called by weird names. Seth senses weakness from Thor since he killed his grandfather Bor a few issues back. But a pep talk from Donald Blake sets Thor straight, and he bashes the Egyptians back to the underworld.

Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #1 by Warren Ellis, Steve Kurth, Jeffrey Huet, Guru-eFX, Joe Sabino, Brandon Peterson

The Armor Wars story arc is updated for the Ultimate Universe by Warren Ellis, which means that Tony Stark is an even bigger asshole when drunk than he ever was, at least at the beginning. After the events of Ultimatum, Stark Enterprises is in shambles, and the corporation's technology is being stolen by as of yet unrevealed enemies. That doesn't stop Stark from podcasting about his woes, tech savvy entrepreneur that he is. But a damsel in distress situation reawakens just enough altruism to get him behaving like a hero again. Not that saving the world from rogue organizations using his technology won't help his reputation and credit rating. This is the only Ultimate title I've read were New York still looks like it's still recovering from the Ultimate Wave.

Ultimate Comics Avengers #2 by Mark Millar, Carlos Pacheco, Danny Miki, Justin Ponsor, Cory Petit

The origin of the Ultimate Universe Red Skull. Marvel is populated by characters who wallow in self pity, bemoaning their terrible childhoods or how their dads didn't love them, so it's okay to kill them. I don't buy it. It feels like a short cut to characterization, especially in this series. The Red Skull, like the rest of the world, presumably thought that his father Steve Rogers is dead. But after he learns that he's alive he suddenly wants to kill him? That makes sense. What the reader does get is catty dialogue between Carol Danvers and Nick Fury, and a lot of ass-kicking from Captain America and Red Skull.