Some panels of Silver Scarab and Fury from Infinity Inc, to show what they were really like
For this post, I thought of adding 2 panels I found from Roy and Dann Thomas' mid-80s DC contribution, Infinity Inc, which show a Hector Hall and Lyta Trevor/Kosmatos different from the questionable portrayal in the disgraced Neil Gaiman's pretentious 1989-96 Sandman series:
These panels, from near the beginning and end of Infinity Inc, show the twosome far differently from how it appeared in Gaiman's Sandman series. Hector Hall and Lyta Trevor/Kosmatos are shown as pretty competent talkers, converse without the former being made to look like a crazy nutjob, or the latter like a depressed dullard who's on the verge of being thin-skinned. Whether pre-or-post Crisis, they were depicted pretty much on the level, and it can decidedly be said that Gaiman and company took a very forced approach with their Sandman material, making Hector look dismaying, and Lyta didn't come off much better. And since the Gaiman Sandman series comes up again, we might as well note that David Goyer, Geoff Johns and James Robinson's JSA series - which picked up from the stories previously written by Gaiman with the twosome - hasn't aged well as a result, and is more or less tainted.
Now that Gaiman's Sandman series, among other works of his, are bound to cease print, I think it's as good a time as any for DC to make amends by preparing to reprint Thomas' writings from the 1980s, and they can even do it in their new DC's Finest line (I recently bought one collecting the 1993-2001 Catwoman series, mainly illustrated by Jim Balent). Why, even before that, they'd do well to seriously reprint the Golden Age Sandman tales from 1939-46, featuring Wesley Dodds and Sandy Hawkins, and they can even add bonuses like a Justice League of America story from the mid-70s, and a backup story from DC Comics Presents from the early 80s, featuring those characters. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a few more they appear in from those times worth reprinting as well. And surely most vital is that nobody who cares about past storylines from decades past should let the modern Gaiman scandal sour their reception of the classic Sandman stories written by Gardner Fox/Bert Christman/Mort Weisinger/Paul Norris/Jack Kirby/Joe Simon. I looked on Amazon, and as far as the Golden Age Sandman is concerned, I only found this old hardcover archive of reprints available, originally published back in the mid-2000s, and another example of something that unfortunately ceased print since. Well I think it'd be a good idea if all Sandman stories from the Golden Age be given the serious reprint they could use for a change, whether in paperback or hardcover, and modern readers encouraged to try that kind of storytelling instead of Gaiman's overrated mishmash that didn't do any favors for the characters it misused. The Justice Society, from what I know, has been reprinted as part of the new DC's Finest line, so that's a hopeful sign DC will eventually get around to reprinting the Dodds/Hawkins stories, which aren't much more than 10 pages each, and would be fairly easy to reprint in a large volume wholesale.
There's other stuff they'd do well to reprint from those decades past, including Golden Age Green Lantern and Flash stories, along with Golden/Silver Age Atom and even Zatara, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Johnny Quick and Wildcat, so let's hope that after the Gaiman scandal, DC will turn their attention to more classic stuff and encourage audiences to find some enjoyment in earlier publications that aren't built on the politics ideologies Gaiman exploited his Sandman series for 36 years ago. The time's come.
Anyway, since we're still on the subject of Gaiman, the UK Guardian announced another of his titles has been withdrawn from sales:
Now that Gaiman's Sandman series, among other works of his, are bound to cease print, I think it's as good a time as any for DC to make amends by preparing to reprint Thomas' writings from the 1980s, and they can even do it in their new DC's Finest line (I recently bought one collecting the 1993-2001 Catwoman series, mainly illustrated by Jim Balent). Why, even before that, they'd do well to seriously reprint the Golden Age Sandman tales from 1939-46, featuring Wesley Dodds and Sandy Hawkins, and they can even add bonuses like a Justice League of America story from the mid-70s, and a backup story from DC Comics Presents from the early 80s, featuring those characters. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a few more they appear in from those times worth reprinting as well. And surely most vital is that nobody who cares about past storylines from decades past should let the modern Gaiman scandal sour their reception of the classic Sandman stories written by Gardner Fox/Bert Christman/Mort Weisinger/Paul Norris/Jack Kirby/Joe Simon. I looked on Amazon, and as far as the Golden Age Sandman is concerned, I only found this old hardcover archive of reprints available, originally published back in the mid-2000s, and another example of something that unfortunately ceased print since. Well I think it'd be a good idea if all Sandman stories from the Golden Age be given the serious reprint they could use for a change, whether in paperback or hardcover, and modern readers encouraged to try that kind of storytelling instead of Gaiman's overrated mishmash that didn't do any favors for the characters it misused. The Justice Society, from what I know, has been reprinted as part of the new DC's Finest line, so that's a hopeful sign DC will eventually get around to reprinting the Dodds/Hawkins stories, which aren't much more than 10 pages each, and would be fairly easy to reprint in a large volume wholesale.
There's other stuff they'd do well to reprint from those decades past, including Golden Age Green Lantern and Flash stories, along with Golden/Silver Age Atom and even Zatara, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Johnny Quick and Wildcat, so let's hope that after the Gaiman scandal, DC will turn their attention to more classic stuff and encourage audiences to find some enjoyment in earlier publications that aren't built on the politics ideologies Gaiman exploited his Sandman series for 36 years ago. The time's come.
Anyway, since we're still on the subject of Gaiman, the UK Guardian announced another of his titles has been withdrawn from sales:
DC Comics has pulled a Neil Gaiman title that was due to be published later this year.Marvel likely won't be publishing any more reprints of the 2 titles he'd written for them in the 2000s either.
Death: DC Compact Comics Edition was meant to come out on 2 September, but listings have been scrubbed from online bookshops and Amazon, reported Bleeding Cool.
DC Comics did not confirm that the decision was taken because of allegations of sexual assault made against the author in recent months.
The Sandman spin-off was one of 15 compact edition graphic novels slated for publication in 2025. Unlike Death, listings for the other 14 titles can be found on sites including Amazon, Waterstones, and OK Comics, a comic book shop in Leeds.
Nine women have now accused Gaiman of sexual misconduct. On Monday, one of the women, Scarlett Pavlovich, filed a civil lawsuit against Gaiman and his estranged wife, Amanda Palmer. The lawsuit accuses Gaiman of rape, sexual assault, coercion and human trafficking, and Palmer of “procuring and presenting” her to Gaiman “for such abuse”.
[...] Along with Death being pulled, orders for a DC Comics facsimile edition of Sandman #8 – due to be published on 26 February – have been cancelled. Retailers were told that the edition “will be resolicited at a later date”, though according to Bleeding Cool, similar phrasing has been used for other titles that were ultimately never published. Again, DC Comics did not confirm that the decision was made because of the allegations.
Labels: dc comics, good artists, good writers, history, Justice Society of America, misogyny and racism, moonbat writers, women of dc, Wonder Woman
