Images of Supreme - The Supreme Posters - #19, September 1994 - Sam Liu and Jonathan Sibal

Images of Supreme - The Supreme Posters - #16, July 1994 - John Stinsman and Danny Miki

Images of Supreme - The Supreme Posters - #14, June 1994 - Chuck Jones and Marlo Alquiza

Images of Supreme - The Supreme Posters - #13, June 1994, Todd Nauck and Marlo Alquiza

Images of Supreme - The Supreme Posters - #12, May 1994, Chris Sprouse and Karl Story

As I read through Supreme, I realized I've been neglecting the big pin-ups in some of the issues. Since my new scanner has a stitch function, I thought I'd share some of these cool pics. The first one is actually quite important - I think this is the first Sprouse/Story Supreme. Their take on the character was absolutely perfect for Alan Moore's Supreme. I'd have gladly waited years if it meant they'd be on every issue. Thank goodness we got Tom Strong.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1124: Supreme #19, September 1994

Supreme regains consciousness and decides to take out the mob.

For...reasons?

There's something about an old girlfriend who was killed, I think, by a mobster, but no other real reason.

Oh, and Kid Supreme shows up. Apparently an explosion during Supreme's battle with Union has imbued this dude with powers. He bursts into a mob hideout secure in the knowledge that their bullets will bounce off because of the knife he "tested on his arm."

I think I have to see these stories as the most basic type of this mythic story, in that they are told with little to no nuance or critical thought. They're surface, and not much else. Again, that depth is added by the later writers who see the plant into which this seed can grow.

But it's a very angry seed, at the moment.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1123: Supreme #18, August 1994

And just like that, Supreme's madness subsides (well, after some more random violence).

I am not entirely certain what the story, what the moral, what the point was of this 6-part story. I can't imagine waiting with baited breath every month to see 20 pages of impossible people beating the crap out of each other. Like, literally half a year of this. But, if the letters pages are to be believed, there are those who thought this was the greatest comic they'd ever read. I'm stunned.

The aforementioned Grizlock confederate, Simple Simon, shows up and hands Supreme his ass, and then flies off, cackling (well, not really, but he may as well have).

I thought breaking Supreme up into manageable chunks would make it easier, but this comic is just dismal. Except that issue with Spawn.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1122: Supreme #17, August 1994

Pitt and Supreme beat on each other. For 20 pages.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1121: Supreme #16, July 1994

Nope. I was right. Random superhero fight.

Yesterday's issue was an aberration, I think, a fluke in which all of a sudden there was growth and character development - Supreme was becoming a rounded individual. Maybe it's every two issues....?

The appearance of Stormwatch in today's issue reminds me of the idea of a recuperation of the old Image titles through the series they would one day become. Stormwatch is pretty basic for the first while, until Warren Ellis gets his dark hands all over it and it becomes some of the best superhero stuff out there. Seeing Hellstrike and Fuji and everyone here was a nice reminder to me of what they would eventually become. And of their grisly fate.

Though perhaps that's been retconned now?

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1120: Supreme #15, July 1994

A welcome return of Pedram Shohadai, or Pedi, to the pages of Supreme. I'd mentioned in his earlier issue (#11) that his art style is far more McFarlane Studios than it is Extreme Studios, which is probably why he ended up drawing this issue. It looks awesome. Inside, anyway. I'm not a big fan of the Jeff Matsuda cover. One detail of his art that I really appreciate is that he actually draws a mouth under Spawn's mask:

I also am eating my words, virtually speaking. When posting a link to yesterday's comic on Facebook, I snarkily wrote "Ah, I see. A series of pointless superhero vs. superhero battles. Okay then." But today's issue is just a sit-down with Spawn. Supreme lands in the alleys and begins telling Spawn his life story, how short-changed he feels that people got worse in the time he was gone. There's some interesting stuff going on here in that Spawn actually knows that the story Supreme is telling is not true. Or perhaps it's the other way around. Perhaps Supreme's version is true, and what Al knows is wrong. Either way, we're getting a bit more background on Supreme - and for perhaps the first time, he's developing character. I've spent 14 issues trying to figure this character out, and one conversation with Spawn clears a lot of things up.

Of course, old Al tells Supreme to suck it up, everyone's got it rough, and he sold his soul to the Devil. Supreme is upset by this and flies away.

I have to say that, overall, this is the best this comic has ever been, in that I felt like I'd had a satisfying reading experience that added something to the overall narrative I'm following in Supreme. But this was a really good comic, not just a really good issue of the series. I was bemoaning the fact yesterday that the character just seemed to bounce around all over the place without having any real reason behind anything. Today's issue gives us the beginnings of a reason. Could it be that Kurt Hathaway came to the same conclusion, and so gave us this gem?

And will this trend continue?

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1119: Supreme #14, June 1994

Union guest stars today, and does something that I've rarely seen a superhero do: he pretends to be beaten so that Supreme will fly away and leave him alone. And then he basically goes home and doesn't worry about where the mad demi-god with Thor's hammer is off to next.

Someone else's problem, I guess.

That aside, a pretty generic superhero vs. superhero(?) fight. There is an interesting subplot brewing with one of Grizlock's former henchmen, but my hopes that it plays out interestingly are not high. The series shifts directions so suddenly (remember back when Supreme was leader of Heavy Mettle?) that I'm never sure the things I like are going to get continued.

I should also note that between issues 12 and 13, issue number 25 was released. This happened across the Extreme titles, and possibly the Image titles more generally. Each writer jumped a year forward in their story and gave us a glimpse. I'm curious as to whether it was a matter of the writers knowing that far in advance what would be in that issue, or if they had an idea and then filled in the blanks to get there. Either one would be a very interesting way to build a narrative. Priest and Bright did something similar with Quantum & Woody, though sadly they never got the chance to tell the story that would have led to the future issue. I'll rail about the injustice of this series getting cancelled when I read it, though.

The cover of tomorrow's comic promises an interesting guest. I'm actually kind of looking forward to this one.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1118: Supreme #13, June 1994

Only 27 more issues, not including mini series and annuals, until I can read Alan Moore's Supreme again.

Why am I doing this to myself? These comics are just awful. I don't understand why Supreme and Grizlock hate each other, I don't understand the powers of the hammer...I don't understand Supreme's motivation...or perhaps he is simply a character without motivation.

I started scripting out a continuation of the story of Supreme last year. Maybe one day I'll finally find an artist and give it a go.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1117: Supreme #12, April 1994

Somewhere in Supreme's back story there is an error. Supreme, as far as I remember, was only around for a few years during the Second World War before leaving Earth. His story in today's issue with Grizlock seems to take place during those years, but then Grizlock spends 15 years in jail - so when does he commit the crimes for which Supreme holds him accountable?

I'm confused, though maybe that's because I can't actually remember how we last left things with Supreme. He was defeated by Quantum in the crossover, and now appears to be depowered and reliant on Mjollnir.

It's ridiculous and nonsensical, much like the Doom Patrol stuff I've just been reading, but it doesn't seem to realize it's ridiculous and nonsensical.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1073: Supreme #11, March 1994

So what is it that makes comics from Extreme Studios so popular? They are pretty much regarded as some of the more poorly-executed superhero comics ever. And on top of that, their popularity had a significant effect on superhero fare from the Bit Two. Witness titles like Justice League Extreme, or early 90s Avengers. The narrative and visual aesthetics are taken up by the major publishers, even though, as with the Image stuff, it produces some egregiously terrible comics.

I suppose the other question this begs is why on Earth I'm finding them so engrossing. Honestly, they seem to be comics written for very stoned people, something I cannot publically condone, at least not until this July when it becomes legal here. The visuals, though, are just the sort of mad, stylized pictures that entertain the stoned brain. Add to this that there's really very little story and the comics come to resemble the crappy chocolates that satisfy a very definite, though slightly embarrassing, craving.

What I should point out is that this aesthetic is not Image-wide. Each of the studios has a particular look and feel unique to itself. That's one of the reasons today's comic stands out a bit. As part of the "Extreme Prejudice" crossover (which I feel is really riffing on some of the Marvel X-Men crossovers of the same period), there actually substantially more attention paid to building the story, such as it is. The formation of a new team of Newmen provides world-building that is also innately tied to the events of the crossover. From a very basic level, there actually seems to be some plot attached to the action. The other thing that sets the comic apart is the interior art by Pedram Shohadai, or Pedi, as he is credited. An unfortunate choice of pen name, I think. His art is very much more in the style of the McFarlane Studios side of Image, so seeming Supreme and his allies in this style is a bit odd. Interestingly, one of the only other full comics drawn by Pedi is an upcoming issue of Supreme that features the hellspawn himself.

It occurs to me that I still haven't answered my original question. I'll keep pondering on it.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1071: Supreme #10, February 1994

What to say about the origin of Supreme?

Not much, really. He has a fairly standard "experimented on by scientists" back story. What's actually kind of cool about it is that it's revealed that Supreme was only around for about 5 or 6 years before he left Earth. Right after the Second World War, he leaves to pursue his destiny in space. Is it any wonder that no one would remember him 50 years later?

I've decided to break the reading of Supreme up a bit, because, honestly, this stuff is hard to take in such large doses. We're heading into the last few issues for this go around, all of them culled from across the Extreme universe in their first big crossover, "Extreme Prejudice." I don't have the whole crossover, but I'm sure I have enough that we can follow the action. So get ready for some comics that have people fighting other people, and not much else.

Though there's still that nagging future context. *sigh* Do I like these comics or not?

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1070: Supreme #9, January 1994

The other day I was talking about the drawn-out manner in which these stories seem to play out. I've realized that the difference between what I see in these comics and what Ellis was attempting in Transmet is that nothing is added to the narrative of Supreme by drawing out these sequences. There's absolutely no reason that the battles with Thor and Khrome needed to take so much time. But what about the idea of story arcs, you may ask. Here's the thing: there's no arc to these multi-issue stories. In fact, there's very little story. Khrome comes to Earth and they fight. Thor comes to Earth and they fight. There are glimpses of back story happening in each issue, but that's basically background to a superpowered fight. The fight should come at the end of the arc, after the hero has discovered the villain's plan, or there has been some kind of development leading up to the confrontation. Instead, we get confrontation without build up. As I mentioned a few days back, Supreme lacks the weight of history that his inspiration has. Both Thor and Khrome have histories with Supreme that appear to warrant this level of violence, but we, the readers, aren't aware of that history. Or we are, but only slightly. Which is not enough to justify a 3-issue slugfest. One thing that more expert comics do is offer very clear context for violence - Supreme does not.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1069: Supreme #8, December 1993

This was Supreme and Thor beating each other up, much like the last few issues were Supreme and Khrome beating each other up. I think there's one more issue of them beating each other up tomorrow.

Oh, but I realized we have a Lois Lane avatar here in a news reporter who wants revenge on Supreme for...reasons.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1068: Supreme #7, November 1993

Five of Supreme's kids, who all look like they're around the same age, appear and warn him of a grave danger in his future.

Yep.

It's called trying to be a Dad to five infants.

What is kind of interesting about today's comic is that we get a bit more of Supreme's backstory filled in, as Thor (yep, that actual god) appears, searching for his former comrade Adolf Hitler! We're been so conditioned to see Thor as a hero in Marvel Comics that we might sometimes forget that he was part of a pantheon that the Aryans hold quite dear. So Thor's a Nazi, I guess?

And I don't have much more about this one. The next few comics have been in my collection a while, so I've seen the upcoming cover proclaiming Supreme the "God of Thunder" - now I'll finally get to find out what that's all about.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1067: Deathmate Blue, October 1993

So I'm having a pain day, and I'm quite medicated. Apologies if this rambles a bit.

Our first (and only?) sojourn of Supreme into another company's universe. Sort of. I am only very vaguely aware of the characters published by Valiant Comics. I read some of their stuff under the Acclaim banner, but they'd sort of fizzled out in the mid-90s when I got back into comics. I know some about the old Dell characters they have, and some about the original properties, and I've had the recent Valiant stuff highly recommended to me. I just can't get past them not having Christopher Priest back to write Quantum & Woody. Criminal, if you ask me.

What's pretty neat about this issue is that we get a real glimpse into Supreme's character. In fact, it's so significant a glimpse that I wonder why it happened in this crossover, rather than in his own title. He teams with Doctor Solar to stop an oil fire in Northern Alberta after which Solar asks him for help in stopping his future self from destroying the universe. As one does. Supreme, all beardy here, agrees, and then waxes a bit lyrical about how upset he is to find the heroes he's returned to after 50 years in space little more than corporate mercenaries. And all of a sudden, the anger he displays is slightly, but only slightly, mitigated, and the tear that we see in his eye at the end of the first issue is perhaps explained. I guess the idea is that Superman returns after 50 years to find the DCU populated by narcissistic assholes.

Am I giving Supreme too much credit for self-awareness here? I'm not sure.

Anyway, what Deathmate gives us is a brief look at a more thoughtful Supreme. Not quite the naive paragon of Justice of Alan Moore's run, but certainly more of a hero.

To be continued.

(Edit - I forgot to say that the apocalypse that threatens the universe is demonstrated in the far-flung apocalyptic future of April 8, 2018! Don't say you weren't warned!)

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1066: Supreme #6, October 1993

Bill Clinton's guest appearance in this comic is quite a rarity. Usually we either have shadowed silhouettes who might be the Commander in Chief, or we have fictitious (but no less white male) Presidents interacting with the characters. How his decision about Supreme plays out will be interesting.

The rest of the comic is Supreme and Khrome beating the hell out of one another, much like yesterday's comic. Which is not so bad. I remember reading Transmetropolitan, and there was a particular story arc where a mega-storm was approaching the city, and Warren Ellis noted in an interview that he had wanted to take this event and stretch it out, allowing the reader to catch every nuance of what was happening in the run up to this cataclysmic event. He suggested that it's a technique that is used in manga fairly often. I try to notice things like this now. While I can't say for sure that this is what Brian Murray was doing over the last three issues, they have basically been one extended fight sequence. Advance, retreat, advance, retreat. And in between those things, we see at least a few reactions to the situation, both from those involved and those outside.

You may have guessed that Supreme wins, eventually. He very basically microwaves Khrome, and it's as gross as you might imagine. And then his daughter from the future shows up.

??

To be continued.