Microcollections 1.1: More Superhero Ephemera

A few years back I posted a short write-up of some of the weird things that accumulate around a superhero-heavy comics collection. These were mostly toys from fast-food restaurants or Kinder Eggs, little tiny avatars of the bigger ideas represented by superheroes. A chunk of my dissertation would have looked at this ephemera, considering it in the same way that we might the various religious trinkets that people never tire of making, selling, or buying.

Aside from the toys, there are other bits and pieces that have accumulated. Every so often, when a big event is happening, publishers will release promotional items. Or, back in the old days, many of the comics magazines (Wizard primary amongst them) included special giveaways. That's what some of this is.

I honestly have no idea where I got these stickers. I think they're from a Wizard magazine.

This bookmark, as I noted above, was a promotional item when the Marvel Knights line started up. I enjoyed all of these series, though the Black Panther one by Priest and Texeira stands out. So good.

Go on. Guess which crossover this was a promotional piece for.

     

I've had these stickers for a long time. Again, no idea where they came from. They're copyrighted 2001, so I probably found them at a garage sale.

And finally, some commemorative Superman stamps from a couple of years ago. We Canadians like to lay some claim to Superman, as creator and artist Joe Shuster was born in Toronto, though he moved to Cleveland quite early. But that's okay. We'll accept a bit of credit, quietly and politely, and we know that all the good bits of the character - they're the Canadian bits ;P.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1026: Superman v.2 #165, February 2001

This is one of my favourite Christmas comics. It features Superman, whom I adore, stars what I think is the best line-up of the JLA ever, and has art from Arthur Adams and Ian Churchill, two of my favourite over-the-top superhero artists.

It's also a timely piece of reading, or perhaps would have been last Christmas too. Superman is pondering the decision of the American People to elect Lex Luthor as President. The comparison was brought up numerous times last year after the Orange Man was elected, but it rings a bit false for me. 45 is so obviously a puppet of a much more sinister manipulator, whereas Luthor is actually the brains of his own operation. I think I'd have a hard time saying which is worse, though.

This issue is a "jam" issue, in that each 3-4 page vignette is illustrated by a different artist. It demonstrates quite nicely the way that the Man of Steel can translate through a number of different styles, from Liefeld's early-Image to Wieringo's Manga-meets-Disney. And the issue also highlights an oft-forgotten side of Clark's personality - his sense of humour. Each of the presents he bestows upon the JLA are amusing in a way particular to each member. Except Wonder Woman's, which perhaps betrays Clark's deeper feelings for her than for the others.

Welcome to Christmas at the Giant Box of Comics! To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 668: JLA #60, January 2002

As with music, I often find myself realizing that I'm stuck in a particular era. Not that I can't appreciate, or even love, the comics that come out now (witness the perfection that is Squirrel Girl), but when I go back and read the JLA from the end of the last century, I realize that this is what I imagine when I imagine the perfect superhero comics. Morrison's, and then Waid's, JLA encapsulate for me perfectly what this team is about. Much like Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four, this run of the world's mightiest heroes focuses not only on their world/universe-saving exploits, but also on their interpersonal relationships, on their navigation of being amongst the most powerful creatures on the planet and also being people, with lives, thoughts, and beliefs.

Waid's very short follow-up to Morrison ends with this lovely little Christmas tale, being told to Woozy Winks' son by his "Uncle Plas." The devil Neron decides to co-opt Christmas, and hands out awesome toys to children with the caveat that they must be used for evil, rather than good. Santa is trapped in Hell, and it's up to the JLA to rescue him. While this might sound a bit exploitative, and the scenes of Santa beating the heck out of little demon elves is a bit much, the final sequence, in which Santa defeats Neron by offering him a gift without requiring a deal (Neron's M.O.) is a nice reminder of how we, that being those secular amongst us, might incorporate Christmas into our lives.

I've been raised in the tradition of Christmas - being born in, and moving to, countries whose foundations are solidly in the Christian tradition, it's hard to avoid that. Part of me wonders if celebrating Christmas without the religious connotation is tantamount to cultural appropriation, but then I grab some Christmas cookies, turn off the critical voice in my head, and enjoy the warmth and love that radiates this time of year. I get the feeling that Christ, either the mythical or the real one, would have been okay with people using his birthday (not really) as a reason to be extra loving and kind to one another, regardless of faith. He'd probably have even got a kick out of today's comic.

Onward.