MARKLEY’S FEVERED BRAIN: DYNAMITE THE RADIO

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Wayne Markley

by Wayne Markley

I have discussed in the past that I am not a big fan of Dynamite publishing, but I have to be fair and admit there are a growing number of their titles I really enjoy. practically all of them are the comics based on classic radio shows and pulps. Yes, I am talking about the Shadow, the Spider, green Hornet, Masks and just to mix it up, Dark Horse’s Captain Midnight. I really like these titles because they seem to capture the feel of the old radio shows (or pulps) they are based on. I typically listen to old radio shows when I am writing these blogs; in fact as I write this blog I am listening to Dashiell Hammett’s, The Fat Man. (Actually, because the Fat man weighs in at 240 pounds he really is not that big compared to Nero Wolfe or TV’s Cannon).

The Spider

I think my favorite of the pulp comics is The Spider. In the original pulps, the Spider was one of the most violent and brutal characters. The comics carry on the violence, alas toned down a little, but the storytelling is terrific and is filled with crooked politician, cults, Nazis, mad scientists and much more, just like the pulps. The art is reasonable and dark, and because many of the Spider’s action takes place at night, it is appropriate. The stories are written by David Liss, who I loved on Marvel’s mystery men and Black Panther, the man Without Fear. It is worth your time to check out this action packed series with terrific storytelling.

The shadow Year One #7

Dynamite also publishes The Shadow. The shadow is much better known than the Spider, and Dynamite publishes at least three different shadow books. There are the monthly Shadow, shadow Year One, and The shadow and green Hornet: Dark Nights. The monthly title is written by Victor Gischler and it is solid pulp stories filled with mystical villains, Nazis, and crooked politicians (yes, just like the Spider). The stories relocation at a quick pace and are very enjoyable. The first six issues were written by Garth Ennis for those who might be interested. shadow Year One is possibly the best of the shadow titles and that is not a real surprise as it is written by Matt Wagner. I would argue no one writes comics set in the past better than Matt Wagner (for example, check out Wagner’s Madame Xanadu series). I have not read a lot of the old shadow pulps so I cannot say how closely he is following the origins from the pulps or the radio shows, but the stories he is telling are a pleasure to read. Dark nights is only two issues in and I should say I do not care that much for this crossover. I typically like both the shadow and the green Hornet, but somehow these two characters do not seem to mix in this miniseries. I am guessing it is due to the storytelling, which seems forced. possibly this team up would work better with a different writer. If nothing else, it is worth your time to read shadow Year One.

Masks #1

Dynamite recently concluded an interesting eight part story called Masks. This was a crossover book of a bunch of pulp characters including the Shadow, Spider, green Hornet, Zorro, green Lama, Black Terror, miss Fury and other pulp heroes. I really liked this series but I found it uneven. Over the eight issues, the beginning started out really strong but in the middle it seemed to lose its direction. I will admit though, by issue eight it reached a satisfying conclusion. I think if I went back and read this title in a collection it would read much better. I also think this is one of those books that reading month to month takes away from the enjoyment of the story. Overall, it is a well told story by Chris Roberson. It is a basic story of crooked politicians (that easily could be found in the shadow or the Spider) who form their own army to take over new York. I think the story was inspired by the modern day Tea party movement. If you are a fan of all of these pulp heroes then I would suggest you give this book a try. but I do not think it is for everyone.

Mark Waid’s green Hornet #6

Dynamite has published a number of green Hornet titles over the last few years. Currently, they are down to three titles. green Hornet; green Hornet Legacy; and mark Waid’s green Hornet. I was not a fan of some of the earlier green Hornet books, which included a Kato mini-eries, an adaptation of Kevin Smith’s proposed green Hornet film (which never concerned be), and a modern day version of the green Hornet. story wise or art wise, none of these books appealed to me. They were all good and competently done books, but they lacked that something compelling that made me want to come back month after month. When Dynamite announced mark Waid’s green Hornet I was thrilled as mark Waid is one of my favorite writers. I think his Daredevil and Hulk are two of the best books on the market. Unfortunately, I cannot not say the same about his greenHornet. I think it is much better than the other version of the green Hornet that have preceded Waid’s version, but it is not good enough for me to recommend it. It seems to lack the insight and passion that I find in his Daredevil or Hulk writing.

Captain Midnight

The final book I am going to talk about this time is Dark Horse’s Captain Midnight. I first read this in the pages of Dark horse presents (which were collected in the zero issue of Captain Midnight) and I was really taken by the storytelling and the art. Unlike the shadow and the Spider, which I really like because they are set in the 1940s, the time the pulps originally came out, Captain Midnight is set in the present day. The good Captain went through the Bermuda triangle and landed up in 2013. What I like about this storytelling is even though Captain Midnight is from the past; he is still smarter than all the present day military leaders, spies, etc. It is a very well told story with very good art. I really like this book and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

That wraps up this week’s column. As a general rule, I really like all these books. I do not delight in Masks or green Hornet enough to recommend them outright, but if you are a pulp fan you might delight in them. I would recommend the Spider, shadow (Year One in particular) or Captain Midnight to practically anyone. All are very well told stories that carry you into the past and offer terrific entertainment. Dynamite (and Dark Horse) ought to be applauded for taking the effort to publish these heroes from the past. I hope with time the books I do not care for will improve with new creative teams or an editorial change. Either way, I wish them the best of luck.

As always, everything I have written in this blog is my opinion and in no way reflects the thoughts or opinions of Westfield Comics or their employees. I welcome any thoughts, whether you agree with me or not, or review copies at MFBWAY@AOL.COM.

Thank you.