The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1057: GLA #4, September 2005

Now, this is what I was hoping for from this comic. It's silly, it's superhero-y, it's a bit sad, but ultimately a happy(ish) ending. Rather than simply be cruel to the characters, they're put into a situation in which they handle themselves with their own particular brand of aplomb.

And one panel, 4 pages from the end, makes the entire series worth the read: the first meeting of Squirrel Girl and Tippy-Toe. Regular readers of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl will recognize the sassy chum of SG, and it was a really lovely moment when I realized I was witnessing the beginning of their friendship. Lovely enough that I almost blocked out the panel of SG crying over Monkey Joe, her former squirrel BFF.

This was a problematic series. I think it hit its stride way too late in the game, and didn't really evince the affectionate stance on its characters that a superhero comic book should. Even comics that focus on villains tend to offer a sympathetic perspective. This comic is not sympathetic to its characters, and in the kind of superhero writing that this comic demonstrates, that sympathy is important.

Not sure where we're going tomorrow. I have two things I want to do - either a week of adult comics from Eros, or starting on the first 25 issues in my run of Supreme, which will be monumentally bad. Guess you'll have to tune in tomorrow.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1056: GLA #3, August 2005

Now, you all know I love Squirrel Girl, and as far as I'm concerned everything starring her is glorious.

Well, not this series. It's just cruel and unfunny. The first page is a disclaimer page, a trait shared by each issue, that decries the casual way violence against women is portrayed in comics. And then it goes on to reveal that the way that Big Bertha reduces her mass is to vomit everything up. Seriously. It's a bulimia joke.

Which the comic seems to be aware of, and seems to understand is inappropriate, but then goes ahead and does it anyway. I just do not understand what's going on here. If there was even the inkling of the comic presenting its violence as ironic, rather than slapstick, I think the series might be redeemable. And perhaps it is trying to do that and I'm just missing stuff, but it really doesn't seem like it. For example, on the aforementioned bulimia page, Squirrel Girl's sidekick Monkey Joe facepalms, and offers Marvel's address for complaint mail. But then the story goes on as if nothing bad has been said, and the ironic moment that might have saved the story disappears. And it seems to do this with each issue.

I'll admit, I'm a bit annoyed I paid so much for the final issue. Which we'll get to tomorrow.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1055: GLA #2, July 2005

Just about 22 pages of different ways that superheroes can say no to the Great Lakes Avengers. There's literally a couple of pages that are head shots of various characters, most of them Z-list or lower, just saying "No." Until the team runs into Squirrel Girl, who says "Yes," but them regrets it? The GLA are not the most stable of teams, and Squirrel Girl is wise to be picking up on that.

I think that this is simply not my kind of humour. When Doorman has a knife thrown at his head, and he lets it pass through him, like a door, it flies straight into the head of the Grasshopper, who has just joined the team. And then someone makes a joke about a new record for shortest membership in the team. I think the vibe I'm getting is what if you wrote an Inferior Five story but treated the rest of the world seriously. How would characters like that actually fit into the DCU? How does the GLA actually fit into the Marvel U?

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1054: GLA #1, June 2005

Did the Great Lakes Avengers really need a grim'n'gritty reboot? Probably not, which is why it's good that this isn't one. Sort of.

I suppose any comic that begins with the lead character blowing his brains out is at least a little bit grim. And is ample reason for the PSA at the beginning of the comic, Squirrel Girl's only appearance in this issue, jokingly, but seriously, asking kids not to emulate what they see in this comic. It's not often that a superhero suicide is depicted quite so graphically.

So is it grim'n'gritty? Kind of? It's definitely taking place in a dark period for the Marvel U. Brian Bendis's first run on New Avengers set a dark tone for the Marvel U of the time, so why not see what happens to one of the comedic teams when this darkness overtakes them? I think the problem is that it's hard to laugh at the misfortune Mr. Immortal suffers over the course of his life, even though it's occasionally played for some laughs. It's almost as if the comic is telling you it's a comedy, so you laugh, then it makes you feel bad for laughing because what you thought was funny was actually awful.

Hopefully this is not a trend that will continue throughout the series.

To be continued.