THE POWER OF ONE: THE DAYS, ISSUES, & DOLLARS OF AN AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

The major players, the  triple-A Big Two characters that top each publisher's  'A-Lists' of characters, are impossible to control completely, even by the companies that own them.  Fan-films like Batman: City of Scars clearly illustrate this point: some superheroes -- Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Green Lantern, Captain America, and Spider-Man, for example -- have 'lives' of their own, their destinies often beyond the reach of the editors, writers, and artists whose job it is to forge them.  From both a  creative and a business standpoint, then, it's interesting to observe the machinations of Marvel's and DC's respective A-List business units and watch them exert the control they do have.

Marvel Comics' Spider-Man group under the direction of Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and Editor Stephen Wacker may be one's best bet to observe the editorial in action process. Wacker, who made an abrupt departure from DC Comics as editor of the experimental weekly comics title 52,  in September 2006 to join Marvel and fell in with the Spider-office soon after, is the guy in charge of Spidey's day to day and as such, he deserves much of the credit for reigning in - even salvaging - Marvel's flagship wall-crawler.  But How Wacker pulled that feat off must wait until we explore the one big Why. 

 THE TERRIBLE TREE

As a creative property, Spider-Man is unique among his fellow A-Listers as the only character not to have the privilege of being killed and inevitably resurrected.  A-list superhero deaths, from Superman to Green Lantern, and Wolverine to Captain America, may have served to make  a statement now and again, but in nearly every case, their main function has been to reign in a property that's spun completely out of editorial control.  In dramatic storytelling, readers' interests are raised  (as are sales) anytime a writer pushes the protagonist higher up the metaphorical tree and sometimes, there's no way to get them back down other than putting them six-feet under. 

Marvel and writer Mark Millar sent Spider-Man up into that tree in 2006-2007, when the hero publicly revealed his Peter Parker secret identity during the company's Civil War mega-event.  Spider-Man's unmasking achieved its goal of gaining major exposure and drove Civil War's sales -and those of the three Spider-Man titles being published at the time - even higher. But it also sent Spider-Man higher into the terrible tree, the same tree that would claim the fictional life of Marvel's Captain America just mere months later.  

NOT DEAD...YET

To necessarily undo the genre-disabling damage that Millar's Spider-Man unmasking caused, Marvel's 'brain trust' took, upon editorial mandate, a more novel if not completely dissimilar approach to recreating their character: they - or Spider-Man - made a deal (literally and figuratively, it seems) with the Devil, the longtime Marvel character and demon, Mephisto.  In the 2007 storyline One More Day, Mephisto agrees to undo all the harm Spider-Man's unmasking caused (including Aunt May being mortally wounded as a result) by making everyone forget whose face was under the Spider mask. The caveat was he'd  only do so in exchange not for Peter's soul, but for his marriage to Mary Jane Watson.  Peter Parker made his secret ID known to Mary Jane and married her in 'The Wedding' - a seminal comics event (and one of the most important in Peter Parker's life) that occurred in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 in 1987.

Spider-Man's - and perhaps Marvel's - deal with the Devil set Peter Parker's life - and the stability of his fictional world - back to normal, though in true tragic Spider-Man form,  Peter alone would remember what he sacrificed. Beyond the comic book pages, however, the story was different. Then head Spider-Man scribe and screenwriter Michael J. Straczynski, who wrote the events of One More Day, dismissed the editorial directive as "infuriating and downright disrespectful to anyone who has come to love Spider-Man comics over the years " and resigned as a result. His sentiments were shared by, we'd daresay, the majority of Spider-Man's fan followers, perhaps one of the most loyal - if not the most loyal - fan base in all of comics.

For a great many Spider-Man loyalists, the character they'd grown up with had died; for Marvel, the publisher had found the one way to rejuvenate Spider-Man and Peter Parker, which according to Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, was necessary for the longevity of the Spider-Man franchise.   While one single, all-important, life-changing decision by a character is the basis of all great drama, Spider-Man's pact with Mephisto was more than many readers could handle, and the unenviable duty of damage control has belonged to Stephen Wacker's group ever since. 

 BACK TO WACKER

It would be incorrect to assume Marvel's plans to ret-con Spider-Man were reactionary in the least; indeed, Stephen Wacker's move to Marvel from DC Comics weekly 52 project is just one indication that Marvel editorial had been planning to un-marry Peter Parker for quite some time. Immediately following the conclusion of One More Day, both Sensational Spider-Man and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man were canceled, and Wacker became the editor of the one remaining title and the franchise's flagship, Amazing Spider-Man.  The move was a consolidation of control and a concentration of creativity. It was also a gamble; along with its price point increasing by one dollar - from $2.99 to $3.99 an issue --  Amazing Spider-Man would now be published three times a month instead of just one.  

To find the tomorrow after One More Day, Spider-Man would make yet another ambitious move into his future.

Coming Attractions: Full-On Awesome Trailer For THE LAST AIRBENDER

We haven't been on an 'bender' for -- wow, time flies -  FOUR months, and the movie most deserving of the name 'Avatar', M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, has come full circle in that time.  Although promising clips from the action/adventure borderline Eastern fairy tale flick -- an adaptation of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series -- have been teasing audiences for nearly a year, everybody and their brother's been eagerly awaiting Airbender's 'big-hitter' - the full-throttle trailer that will prove their wait worthwhile.

Dabblers, that wait is over. Paramount Pictures released Airbender's 'big hitter' over the weekend, and it's amazing.  If you're new to the magical realms of Airbender, a quick read of our short synopsis will be all you need to protect you from the elements:   

  

The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is one in which the four elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air can be controlled, and those who control them are  known as "benders".   In Airbender, the powerful Fire Nation is waging a ruthless war to control the others, whose only hope for stopping the war rests on the shoulders of a reluctant young boy named Aang. The last known Airbender and survivor of the peaceful Air Nomads, Aang is  also the Avatar. He's  the physical embodiment of the world; he can control all four elements and draw upon the combined power, knowledge, and experience of all the Avatars before him. His duty is to maintain a peaceful balance between the four nations and the spirit realm, but it's a balance threatened for upset by the Fire Nation's war. 

Aided by the protective teenage Waterbender  Katara and her warrior brother Sokka, Aang begins a perilous journey to restore harmony to their war-torn world. Standing in their way is the ambitious Fire Nation Admiral Zhao, and Prince Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation who seeks to capture Aang to regain his honor.

While the proof will ultimately be in the pudding, any concerns we've had of M. Night directing a movie of this magnitude vanished after seeing the latest trailer. From the utterly awesome way the film uses its over-the-top special effects to the fact that we get to hear the characters speak for the first time, the new High-Def Airbender trailer suggests we're in store for a four-star feature.  

That's our opinion, anyway. If you liked the Airbender teaser Coming Attractions brought you in January, you just might need to change your Jockey shorts once you've seen what's on tap today. Check it out ...

Pretty darn sweet, huh? Yeah? Were we right!? Hell yeah we were! Damn!! The Last Airbender will easily be one of this summer's blockbuster kings after it hits on July 2nd; that it'll be an experience of the three-dimensional kind just adds to the wow factor.  Almost too much to handle in one afternoon without having a nervous breakdown.  Whoa...can...can somebody get me my clonopin...   

Visit the official movie site of  

The Last Airbender  
[ here].

Marvel Sneak Peek:DARK AVENGERS #13

Sure, we know we've barely started abbracadabbling thru the DCU, but an early detour will keep all of us on our toes. Besides, how could we pass up this look ahead to next week's Dark Avengers? Prolific Portlander Brian Michael Bendis has easily made this one of our favorite Marvel titles of the last year, and while the series' ultimate fate may be uncertain in light of Siege, we're going to enjoy the hell out of it no matter what the future holds. The future's not looking good for The Sentry, though. Our preview below hints that Marvel's version of Superman will have his fate -- and the mystery surrounding the Void, the source of his powers -- decided very soon, and it's probably not going to be good for him. Whether you're an Avengers fan or not, Dark Avengers #13 looks to be a great read we're sure you'll enjoy. For more info, check Marvel, HERE.

Comic Stuffers: AGE OF REPTILES Won't Be Outgrown

If you are a boy, were a boy, have a boy, or know a boy, then chances are very good you know all about the 'Dinosaur Phase'. Springfield Home Office statisticians estimate that 79.46% of all boys have been fascinated by Dinosaurs at some point, and if our Dabbler is any indication, the Dino-Phase may pass but it's never really gone. Just have your boy find Age of Reptiles #1 in his stocking, and you'll see exactly what we mean. 

Dark Horse Comics' Age of Reptiles isn't like any comic we've read since Marvel's "Nuff Said" experiment back in 2001 -- all the meaning really is in the 'seeing'. It's a comic without words, and the story itself is relatively and necessarily straightforward: a large group of many different kinds of dinosaurs - including triceratops, stegosaurus, and pterodactyls, herbivores all - must migrate south for the winter to find a warmer home that can sustain them and their 'families'. The action mainly focuses on a herd of brontosaurus, and the lengths the mother of the bunch must look after her young. When a rebellious young bronto strays and is attacked by a hungry Tyrannosaurus, the herd attempts to save one of its own. 

Age's creator, Richard Delgado, is an experienced storyboard artist, with films like Pixar's The Incredibles and as well as hits like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Matrix to his credit. So his attention to detail is incredible, and it's this that pulls the reader - or viewer- into the tale and establishes empathy with his dinosaur characters that can't help but be felt. It's on this level that the comic really excels, and does so simply because it lacks any text. Some information, like the fact that the seasons turning is the cause for the dinosaurs group migration, isn't as completely obvious as it might be were there words in the book, but most readers should pick up on those fine points easily. 

Age of Reptiles also conveys the dinosaurs of Cretaceous North America accurately -- from behavior to appearance, Delgado follows the historical record with his illustrations. Dinosaur buffs and anybody interested in paleontology should find his treatment very enlightening; however, as the comic's realistic, it's no Land Before Time, and there's as much violence - or the potential for it - in the book as there would be in Nature or on The Discovery Channel. 

That said, Age of Reptiles is a four-issue limited series; the first issue came available November 4th, and the second issue should be arriving next month. Easy to jump aboard, Age of Reptiles is a comic that asks its readers to bring their imagination to the table, as without any words, some of the story is left up to us to fill in. We feel that makes the comic even more re-readable than most, as the story can change every time the comic's picked up. It's especially perfect for younger readers, with a definite appeal for boys regardless of their Dino-Phase. Girls should like it just as much, too, and both will find attachment to the book's Thunder Lizards from the emotive interaction Delgado's art inspires. 

We've got a few pages from Age of Reptiles #1 just below, and you'll find some helpful links along with our trusty Comic Stuffers Summary at the bottom. Happy Herding!

From: Age of Reptiles #1 (Nov. 2009)

• Age of Reptiles is available at your local comics retailer and online directly from the publisher, Dark Horse Comics. You'll find their own summary and online comics shop at the link! [link]
• The School Library Journal has reviewed this comic for all ages. Read it here: [link]

EXCLUSIVE: IRON MAN 2 Official Trailer Is Here!

Has abbracadabbling got a surprise for you! Actually, we were pretty damn shocked ourselves when this baby came our way. And here we said we were wrapping up the Marvel movie bloggage last night! But good superheroes never quit, and neither do we. Without further delay, your favorite comicsblog is proud to present the first and still unreleased but all-together official trailer to Marvel Studio's IRON MAN 2!!

PAGETURNER POST-RETRO PREVIEW: Batman and Robin Issue #6

The [Captured] Motion Gallery returns later this week so that your comicsblog's Comics PageTurner can be one of the first to present this advance preview of Batman and Robin Issue #6!

LOL! I wish abbracadabbling could scoop the Big Boys out there with an occasional advance preview!

All fanboy wishes and smiles aside, that's not really our purpose here. Not wanting to compete in the online comics environment is tough, but there are nobler ambitions.

Ours stem from our those things most dear to us: imagination, creativity, an inspiring image, well-crafted stories, smart ideas, the sense of community, a fascination with pop culture and pop-psychology, entrepreneurial spirit, and the never-to-be-understated cool factor of comics and superheroes both. Plus, we just really want to be awesome.

That's the magic behind abbracadabbling, and the same stuff we hope -- nope, scratch that, will pass along you to, if we haven't already.

One sure step towards abbracadabbling appreciation would be to gift your imagination with Batman and Robin #6, the next chapter in the adventures of Grant Morrison, Frank Quietly, and Philip Tan's post-retro Caped Crusaders.

There's a reason this title is DC Comic's best-selling ongoing monthly book, and the answer won't be found in the story re-cap you won't find in our blog tonight. In short, Batman and Robin is the pop-culture soul of the Batman you know reincarnated in a future-spinning pastel world split by one thrill of a wicked grin.

Or, you could say the comic's a viscerally drawn 'What Was is What Could Be Concept' in 32 pages -- that concludes its opening arc Wednesday in the tale The Revenge of the Red Hood. Here's how DC sums it up:

In the startling conclusion to "The Revenge of the Red Hood," Gotham's new "protector" reveals his identity to Batman – and surprisingly poses a heart-stopping question to Dick Grayson about the future of Bruce Wayne! Plus, Robin at the mercy of Scarlet!

Everything after the "--and..." propels the action when the series swings into 2010, and why there won't be a Batman and Robin in December. Grant Morrison removed Bruce Wayne from DC's game play last spring, but whether the original Dark Knight's as dead as his comic book counterparts believe or been sent in to the past as only Tim Drake, the former Robin, purports is still anyone's guess. But he builds it up as Issue #6 wraps, and that's where January's Number Seven kicks off.

Artistic swaps can hurt the flow of any series, and if any fault can be found with Batman and Robin, it's Frank Quietly's departure after Issue #3. Quietly's Morrison's best-suited collaborator, but he's an artist in high demand. Tan's pencils are a good fit here, though his style is a departure toward the darker -- as Issue #6's covers [below] clearly convey. Morrison's stories are multi-layered, and both artists have found inspiration at different points in the thematic spectrum.

Tan's stay is nearly as brief as Quietly's, and December's long time-out will leave a blank page for Cameron Stewart's debut when he comes aboard as co-pilot with Batman and Robin Issue #7 on January 27th, 2010.

The Dynamic Duo's final chapter of 2009 comes tomorrow. Looking at our advance preview below, Bat-fans, expect this fiction to pull no punches or candy-coat Gotham City grit. But if true to form, Revenge of the Red Hood may leave us with questions, but it won't abandon the fun seat of Batman's lasting appeal.

Even as the series sets the stage for January's Blackest Knight, this is one Batman and Robin where the bright spark and humor of its heroes will never be overshadowed by the outrageous.

Batman and Robin #6 - Frank Quietly Cover Art

Batman and Robin #6 - Variant Cover Art by Philip Tan

* * * * *

A huge thanks to IGN.com for the graphic assist.

For widescreen Batman action, go here.