I love comics by Gail Simone and Dan Slott. In my opinion, they’re two of the best writers working in mainstream super-hero comics. Any Wednesday where I get comics from both of them is a good day.
Slott has the second issue of GLA, a parody of recent Marvel mega-events. I had expected to like it very much. From Simone, there’s Villains United, part of the run-up to DC’s next mega-event. I picked it up because Simone’s writing, but my expectations weren’t terribly high.
Turns out my reactions were reversed from my expectations. GLA has left me a bit cold, and Villains United looks very promising.
I think part of the problem with GLA is that the stories it parodies are so stupid to begin with. When the target (primarily “Avengers: Disassembled”) is laughable on its own merits, I think it must be difficult to find ways to effectively mock it. In the two issues that have come out so far, Slott has come uncomfortably close to doing precisely the kind of story he’s satirizing. The self-awareness the characters display about the story’s depressing mechanics doesn’t really differentiate it enough from its source material.
Part of the problem might be what normally is one of Slott’s biggest strengths. He routinely makes oddball, marginal characters extremely likable and engaging. It’s no different here, as in the case of throw-away Spider-Man/Iron Man fusion Grasshopper. While I’d never argue for the viability or value of the Great Lakes Avengers, it’s strange to see Slott make them appealing, sympathetic sad-sacks just before they meet a variety of grisly, humiliating fates.
GLA 2 isn’t without its charms. There’s plenty of good throw-away stuff. I love Monkey Joe’s running commentary (and wish Marvel would hire him as an editor, if such a thing was possible). Bits of the recruitment drive, particularly a rather tart look at the customary reaction of loner characters, are smart and funny. But overall, the book is kind of a bummer for me in many of the same ways as the stories that are meant to be bummers.
This seems to be the summer when Gail Simone tests my loyalty. I’m thrilled that she’s getting high-profile gigs like Action, but she’s being assigned with artists I’ll timidly call “polarizing.” Then, there’s Villains United, part of DC’s Infinite Crisis prep. I’d hoped to ignore the pre-Crisis hoo-ha entirely, but I can’t seem to pass up a comic with Simone’s name on it.
I’m glad I didn’t skip this, because Villains United turned out to be a lot of fun. It reminded me a lot of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad, with a largely unsavory cast put in an impossible situation and managing to emerge oddly sympathetic. It’s also got plenty of Simone’s trademark character-based humor and smart, clear plotting.
In the fallout of recent events, high-profile villains are strong-arming lesser criminals into a sort of collective called the Society. They’re playing on the fear that heroes are routinely dishing out psychic lobotomies and offer a measure of protection. (They also threaten hold-outs with death, so they aren’t quite the Villain Civil Liberties Union.)
Simone focuses on a small group of hold-outs, six super-villains who decline the Society’s rather menacing offer. Maybe it’s just my personal tastes as a reader (I really dislike DC’s current direction), but seeing a group of characters refuse to play along by the prevailing rules is really rewarding. Their bid for independence and subversion has instant rooting value for me.
Most of the character work is excellent. Simone has been talking enthusiastically about her re-imagining of Catman, and it wasn’t just hype. She’s made him both more menacing and more layered, which almost never happens these days. I’ve always liked Simone’s take on vicious, utterly selfish Cheshire, too, and I’m glad to see the poisonous character take a leading role here.
Villains United isn’t perfect. I still don’t have a clear idea on who Scandal is or what she does, and I wonder if my recognition of some of the other characters might not be shared by a more casual reader. And the benefits of signing on with the Society (aside from not being horribly killed) are still vague, but that could be part of the point.
Overall, though, it’s a solid beginning to what promises to be an interesting mini-series. Simone has a solid cast in place and has made strong steps towards generating interpersonal chemistry. She also has fresh and interesting ideas, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they play out.
So, that’s one unexpected misfire (GLA) balanced by one pleasant surprise (Villains United). And really, even with minor stumbles, I’ll still always try anything by these two talented writers. Super-hero comics are much better for their participation.