MEANWHILE ZATANNA AND THE HOUSE OF SECRETS GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR KIDS & TEENS 741.5 DC’S NEW YOUTH MOVEMENT SPRING 2020 - NO. 40 PLUS...KIRBY AND KURTZMAN Moa Romanova Romanova Caspar Wijngaard’s Mary Saf- ro’s Ben Pass- more’s Pass- more David Lapham Masters Rick Marron Burchett Greg Rucka. Pat Morisi Morisi Kieron Gillen The Comics & Graphic Novel Bulletin of satirical than the romantic visions of DC Comics is in peril. Again. The ever- Williamson and Wood. Harvey’s sci-fi struggling publisher has put its eggs in so stories often centered on an ordinary many baskets, from Grant Morrison to the shmoe caught up in extraordinary circum- “New 52” to the recent attempts to get hip with stances, from the titular tale of a science Brian Michael Bendis, there’s hardly a one left nerd and his musclehead brother to “The uncracked. The first time DC tried to hitch its Man Who Raced Time” to William of “The wagon to someone else’s star was the early Dimension Translator” (below). Other 1970s. Jack “the King” Kirby was largely re- tales involved arrogant know-it-alls who sponsible for the success of hated rival Marvel. learn they ain’t so smart after all. The star He was lured to join DC with promises of great- of “Television Terror”, the vicious despot er freedom and authority. Kirby was tired of in “The Radioactive Child” and the title being treated like a hired hand. He wanted to character of “Atom Bomb Thief” (right)— be the idea man, the boss who would come up with characters and concepts, then pass them all pay the price for their hubris. Fitting off to others to complete under his guidance. It that Kurtzman’s first EC assignment, didn’t work out that way. To the detriment of reprinted in this Fantagraphics volume, both creator and ccompany, Kirby was under- was a public health giveaway comic about mined by DC management’s timidity and short a randy rodeo star who catches VD. Hints -sightedness. Examples of this dysfunction at of both Kurtzman’s famously real war comics and his magnum opus MAD lie within these beautifully drawn comics, now available at Central and Tates Creek. Harvey Kurtzman always stood the junction can be found in TwoMorrow’s latest, Dingbat Love. The Love part showcases work Kirby intended to compete with apart from his colleagues at the Marvel and Warren’s black & white comics for mature readers. The legendary Entertaining Comics. titles actually released were buried by the company. True Divorce True, he shared the same Caniffian Stories and Soul Love didn’t even make it to the presses. Despite influences as Johnny Craig and Jack his discomfort with being a fifty-something white guy writing for a Davis, the thick swirl of brushwork, black audience, Kirby still brought his trademark mix of power and the expert placing of solid blacks. ZATANNA, Mistress of Magic, humanity to Soul Love. True Life Divorce is more personal, as the But Kurtzman was a humorist at happily married artist tried to make sense of love and matrimony heart, and a realist. Thus he wasn’t at the height of the Sexual Revolution. Avatar of the rage that stars in the latest of DC’s always simmered within the ghetto-born Kirby, “Good Looks” was fond of EC’s horror comics and his the leader of The Dingbats of Danger Street . This throwback to his work for the company’s renowned graphic novels for Young kid gang comics of the Forties was one of Jack’s last strips for DC. science fiction titles was far more Adults of all ages! Even Kirby’s failures were fascinating, as shown by Dingbat Love! Zatanna, Mistress of Magic, has Zatanna Zatara is the daugh- both the House of Secrets… I’m biased; after all, from where I been a long-time fan favorite ter of the World’s Greatest and her family’s secrets! sit as I type this, I can see three among DC’s heroines. The first Magician. She and her father Zatanna is joined by Pocus Zatanna figurines. But Zatanna and the House of Secrets is one of the legacy superhero, Zatanna followed live in the House of Secrets, in the footsteps of her father, the rabbit, about the only best of the DC graphic novels for Golden Age great Zatara. True, which is filled with all kinds friend Zatanna has left after teens and kids. Described below, much of her appeal is the sassy riff of tricks, puzzles and myster- she alienates her nerd pals the books for older readers are on the traditional magician’s outfit ies—foremost being the fate and the popular kids. Then rendered in a two-color palette, (image left) that’s made her a cos- of Zatanna’s long-lost mother. the new boy in school turns eg. The lovely aquamarines of Me- ra: Tidebreaker. Full color and a play fixture. Zatanna stars both The sudden disappearance of out to be Klarion the Witch solo and with the Justice League in smaller format make the likes of graphic novels and animated car- her father leads the young Boy! Magical hi-jinx abound Black Canary: Ignite a pleasure to toons available via lexpublib.org. mystic-to-be into the heart of in this rollicking YP novel! read. Get ’em all at lexpublib.org! The daughter of the Devil Princess Diana breaks Harleen Quinzel arrives in Fleeing an abusive home, This upcoming novel stars Mera of Atlantis makes Rich or poor, good or bad, Coming soon, this novel 13-year-old Dinah Lance Young Bruce Wayne gets Teenage assassin Cassan- yearns to live like an ordi- Amazon law and unleashes Gotham City and joins a teenage Selina Kyle lives, one Barbara Gordon, alias landfall and meets a boy cat or bat, the students of follows big top star Dick wants to be 1) a rock star, his first bad girl crush dra Cain lives in the public nary girl in this novel chaos in the most intense troupe of drag queens loves and fights on the Batgirl, left anything but named Arthur in this gor- Gotham High chase grades Grayson before he became and 2) a cop-- if she doesn’t when he’s swept away in library, a refuge from the about the popular Titan. of the DC YA releases. against a cruel developer. mean streets of Gotham. helpless when evil strikes. geously drawn YA novel. and follow their dreams. Robin the Boy Wonder. get kicked out of school! a clandestine class war. brutal past hot on her trail. MEANWHILE bringing her down. She’s chasing all the latest thrills and taking all the latest pills. Panic is her addiction, anxiety her art. Sadly, that doesn’t get her into art school. Happily, Moa swipes her way into the affections of a famous TV star. Most of Goblin Girl (Fanta- graphics) concerns Moa’s on-again/off-again relationship with the older man who would be her lover, but settles for being her patron. But all that action takes place offstage and online. We see the affair blossom and wilt in a series of texts hilariously dissected by Moa and her galpals. Moa the character is a hot mess moving through Moa Romanova the cartoonist’s wiggy world. Romanova’s art comes on like a manga version of the film Yellow Submarine, a loopy deco style with a creative balance of color and black & white. is the last of its kind. At least it’s pretty to look at, the larger European format giving Caspar Wijngaard’s art and Mary Saf- ro’s colors room to breathe. Ben Pass- Summer of Love, and the killing is easy. more’s got no problem smothering the Well, two summers past, actually. 1970, page with detail and action in the tradition the year the Fab Four fell apart, and they of his underground forebears. Pass- weren’t alone. “This dark cloud over the more’s hyperactive style shows just how city,” as Johnny the guitarist says. “Like much Sports Is Hell. As an after-game riot the dream died.” But Johnny’s dreams of explodes into revolution and reaction, the being a star do come true. His songs are creator of My Black Friend jumps head hits. Literally— they’re based on the mur- first without a helmet into the mad vortex ders Johnny’s done for hire. Meanwhile, of tribalism, sadism and capitalism that is Johnny’s bar buddy Jackie the private eye sports in America. Helena Bertinelli ain’t takes on a case and cops a cig from juve- playin’. Waging a vendetta against the nile delinquent Lucy. Once Jackie’s Uncle gangsters who murdered her family, the Raul shows up, everyone’s locked in the former Mafia princess takes on the guise Killer Groove (Aftershock). Fans of 100 of the Huntress! The canonical origin Bullets and David Lapham will grok this story, this tie-in with the Harley Quinn hard-boiled hippie noir by Masters and movie reprints the mini-series by Rick Marron and its jaundiced look at the wan- Burchett and mystery maven Greg ing of the Love Generation. Bohemia never Rucka. Reserve it from lexpublib.org! dies, though. It just mutates. Moa is a modern girl in the modern world and it’s A Silver Age footnote, Peter Cannon, Thun- derbolt was created by ex-cop cartoonist Pat Morisi. The character stood out on the crowded stands of the Sixties thanks to Morisi’s stylish artwork and the hero’s stark, stylish costume.