Writing, Spawn, and Scientology

Well, it's been a while.

I've been writing quite a bit, and I'm on track to hopefully self publish my sf novel, tentatively titled "Diplomat to the Abyss", some time in March. I've had the flu so I'm a little off schedule, but I should be able to make it up this week.

Anyway, I've recently made my way through the first six volumes of the Spawn Origins tpbs. I bought the first from Amazon for around $10, and the rest of the volumes I got for $5 a piece at a nearby comic show a few months ago. The story has highs and lows, but I love the art by McFarlane, and later Greg Capullo. Annoyingly, some of the best issues are missing from the collection, not just Neil Gaiman's Spawn #9 and issue #10 featuring Cerebus the Aardvark, but important miniseries: Gaiman's "Angela" and Alan Moore's "Violator" and "Blood Feud". I've been able to get everything but the last in single issue form (I even found all three issues of Angela for $1 each at a local shop totally unexpectedly). For the price at which I picked up the trades though, it's hard to complain. I know more complete hardcover editions exist, but I'm not sure if they contain the miniseries or just #9 and #10. Those two single issues cost me $10 between them, or the cost of two of the trades at a show. I think I've made out quite well.

The series is a lot of fun in general. If anything I wish it were more over the top and less...broody. Also, I can't make heads or tails of the "devil" Malebolgia's plans for Spawn, and I think it's because McFarlane didn't really think that far ahead. Their is a hilarious moment in which the Violator is punished by Malebolgia for doing something that made no sense, and I really think it's because McFarlane realized it made no sense, after it was already written. There are a few really great story moments by McFarlane as well, such as when Spawn severely punishes an abusive father in typical badass hero fashion then leaves thinking everything will be fine. The reader is shown that the violence escalated after he left and things got much worse. But Spawn never knows, and even arrogantly references the good he did in a later issue.

Still, the series is at its best when focusing on over the top action between Spawn and evil dudes, be they demons, cyborgs, or other Image characters. Say what you will about '90s comic character design, in this book, it works. Maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough to be unimpressed, but every two page spread depicting a fight between Spawn and some massive...thing...made me smile like a kid. I look forward to reading more of the series. The only thing holding me back is that I'm a cheapskate. (But another comic show's coming up soon!)

On the book side, I just devoured Lawrence Wright's "Going Clear". It's a fascinating investigation of Scientology. Even if you've read other books on the subject, such as the completely free-and also excellent- "A Piece of Blue Sky" available here, you'll want to read this book. L. Ron Hubbard's life and the story of his legacy, the "Church", is powerful, absorbing, shocking, and heartbreaking. After you've read it, go to Scientology's official site and watch their impeccably produced introductory video featuring young and attractive people happily pondering their meaning in the universe. Knowing what Scientology actually is, the effect is utterly chilling.

Well, I guess it's time for me to jump back into Lord of the Rings...man, I am bad at reading fantasy.

The Infinite Crisis Omnibus

Great for DC fans

Quite a volume!

This omnibus collects the comics of the Infinite Crisis event and its tie-ins. The stories included:

Countdown to Infinite Crisis: A cool little story about Blue Beetle, great for fans of JLI. Leads directly into The OMAC Project.

The OMAC Project: A story about Batman losing control of a creation he made in response to the events of Identity Crisis.

Sacrifice: Just as the OMAC Project deals with the abuse of Batman's power (Brother Eye and the OMACs), this story deals with the consequences of Superman under an evil influence.

Villains United: A great lead up to the main event. Follows low ranking DC bad guys resisting the army of villains Luthor is putting together for the main story in Infinite Crisis. It's actually the standout of the lead up stories for me. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read much of writer Gail Simone's work before, but I certainly will now.

Lightning Strikes Twice: Another story about a malevolent force taking control of Superman. This time, the source is magical and Captain Marvel and Shazam work to stop it.

Day of Vengeance: Here we go again. The Spectre, arguably DC's most powerful magical being, is manipulated and his power abused, with terrible consequences for Earth's magic users. Like Villains United, it's a great showcase for some lesser known heroes who come together to stop the Spectre, and a fun story. Written by Bill Willingham of Fables fame.

Rann-Thanagar War: The homeworlds of Adam Strange and Hawkman are at war. I'm not terribly familiar with either character, but even knowing the basics I could still enjoy the story. It's a space adventure on a large scale, like a good Green Lantern event. It ties into the Infinite Crisis nicely.

Crisis of Conscience: The JLA deals with the fallout of the events in Identity Crisis (in which Zatanna, with the cooperation of other League members, used magic to alter the minds of certain villains, and of Batman). This story retcons away what I disliked most about Identity Crisis, which was the suggestion that Superman knew what the other heroes did and chose to ignore it. Here, he only learns when Batman tells him, and is rightfully disgusted.

As for Infinite Crisis itself:

The event serves as a direct sequel to the Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which the the DC multiverse was reset and turned into one universe. There were a few survivors from the multiverse who were able to observe the new DC from a "heaven" created by the heroic Lex Luthor of Earth-3. Their decision to interact with the new DC universe serves as the main plot thread, and the strongest, with the Golden Age Superman's disappointment with the darkness in Post-Crisis DC being one of my favorite stories.

As Final Crisis would later question the nature of giant crossover events themselves, the Infinite Crisis questions the often grim direction the company took after the first Crisis. The events of Knightfall, The Death of Superman, Emerald Twilight, Identity Crisis (a story I really hated, and one that is a must read before reading this volume), and the earlier events that occur in this volume, specifically Wonder Woman's actions in Superman: Sacrifice, all serve as a catalyst for the Golden Age Superman (the first superhero) to take drastic action. There are, of course, twists in that story, and I won't spoil them here. It works brilliantly as an acknowledgment of the problems in DC stories of the 90s. I loved it.

The plots from the earlier stories in this omnibus all come together here as well, and the issues that directly tie into the main series are placed in proper reading order here. All in all, it comes together very nicely.

This event is a must for DC fans, and this omnibus is the definitive volume, filled with lots of great little stories that all lead to something bigger and better.