The Four Color Media Monitor

Mark Waid is to write 2-page origin stories for some of DC's superheroes in 52:

Starting with #12, 52 co-writer Mark Waid will begin painting a picture of New Earth’s history in the form of two-page origin stories featuring some of DC’s key characters, including Wonder Woman and Power Girl by Adam Hughes, Elongated Man and Adam Strange by Kevin Nowlan, Black Adam by JG Jones, and Animal Man and the Joker by Brian Bolland. Other artists slated to contribute to the weekly installments include: Eric Powell, George Perez, Dan Jurgens, Joe Bennett, Dale Eaglesham, Ivan Reis and Jerry Ordway, with many more to come.

“In addition to the weekly dose of excitement that is 52, we’re always looking for ways to add a chunk of ‘extra’materials for the fans,” said 52 editor Stephen Wacker. “And with so many questions coming up about just how different ‘New Earth’ is after ‘Infinite Crisis,’ this was a perfect opportunity to present exactly what we know for sure about these characters' back stories and showcase them in the best light possible thanks to some of the most talented artists in the business.”

Trouble here is, with all this talent featured, I find myself forced to wonder if it's more their own show than it is Waid's. Still, it remains to be seen if he's got any more respect for the accepted origins of the many characters than say, Geoff Johns does, or did. And if he actually goes along with what Dan DiDio decided upon, than I'd have to figure that he's lost it.

Also, how can one really credit a year-long limited series with as numbingly bizarre a "history" as what issue number 9 features?

The History of the DCU backup is great because it helps to show how awful the how Identity/Infinite Crisis stories were (and Jurgens does a GREAT job of making his art look like Rags Morales’!).

So, not recommended!

I'd say that's a perfect way of describing it. And recalling that "Prime" was what the real-life Earth was called in the DCU (Gardner Fox, Cary Bates and Elliot Maggin were some of the most notable writers to come up with it, and even put themselves into the scripts along with Julius Schwartz), I think that should help give a clue that Superboy-Prime is meant to be - what else? - a display of the writers' (Johns' and a few others) own astonishing contempt. (It should also point out an important rule: don't try to literally copycat other artists' styles, certainly not one as questionable as Morales, because it only makes your own turn out sloppy. Make the art good, but always your own ideas and design.)

Labels: dc comics