Comic Stack 03/18/15

C.O.W.L. #1 by Kyle Higgins
Publisher: Image Comics
Genre: Superhero, Crime

Chicago 1962. The Chicago Organized Workers League, or C.O.W.L., is a labor union for superheroes both powered and non-powered led by Geoffrey Warner, alias The Grey Raven, and they’ve just eliminated the last remaining villain of the Chicago Six. Now, their relevancy is questioned. If they’ve gotten rid of all the top villains, is there even a need for superheroes anymore?

I’m all about superhero comics that focus on the “less heroic” aspects of heroes or give them more of a realness that puts all their humanity out there, whether you have the all out depravity of The Boys, which pits a superhero watchdog group against a largely immoral superhero community, or Irredeemable, which follows a Superman-esque hero who isn’t allowed to be a human so he decides to become a god instead. I love when superhero tropes are challenged in deeper ways than what Marvel or DC can give me. This book falls into that category.

Not only are the heroes in this book faced with a cynical public, but it’s very clear that, while not on The Boys level of depravity, some of these heroes do things that aren’t very heroic and some of them really care about their “job” (because that’s essentially what it is since they’re unionized). They’re just as cynical as the public, and in the case of some, that cynicism boils over into their personal lives. While this is certainly gritty in its on right, it made me think of a less refined Watchmen for whatever reason. I didn’t exactly fall in love with this book from just this one issue, but it tackles a subject that I enjoy very much and I’ll read the first volume to see if it delivers.

Evil Empire #1 by Max Bemis
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Genre: Political, Leading Ladies

This book wasn’t even a book that I was going to read for the week. I’d actually planned to read Minimum Wage, but I realized that book was a whole graphic novel and pushed it to the side for later reading and review. I shuffled through my pile briefly and chose this one because I enjoyed Polarity, which is also written by Bemis. I’m glad that I did give this one a chance, but this book certainly isn’t for everyone.

I had no idea what this book was even about, but when I started reading, I was intrigued with this story that was already showing some very nuanced and overt political tones. The story begins at a point that hints that society has degraded, but there’s some totalitarianism hinted at as well. Reese’s (the protagonist) rap serve as a lyrical narrative for the story as it shifts from the future to 25 years earlier, which Bemis labels with phrases like “Exactly Right Now Plus Twenty-Five Years” and “Exactly Right Now Plus Three Days.”

Comics can relay many things in its pages through the words and art. I’ve read books previously that had some allusions to politics or politics factor into a complex story with many other elements, but there are so few that I would say are purely political comics. This book is strongly political, but more from a disillusioned standpoint where both sides of the coin are treated with suspicion by the main character.

I thought it was interesting that Bemis chose to tell this story from a black female rapper’s point-of-view, as well. What I think many people forget in the whole “rap” condemnation is that many performers do have a lot to say about politics and their view of life in their lyrics. Reese makes me think of modern rappers like Kendrick Lamar who pens angry lyrics venting frustrations of black Americans, or J. Cole who writes sorrowful laments about how life can harden people, or Lupe Fiasco who tries to raise awareness to the plight of the inner city. There are stories to be told in a profound way, and that’s why I really get ticked off with people who are ready to jump on the “Rap is crap!” bandwagon without listening to the stories many of them (outside of your money, cash, hos rapper types) are trying to convey.

Reese scoffs at the idea of supporting platforms, but her lyrics are politically charged while being scarily prophetic in nature. I was impressed with Bemis’ ability to pull off this character, considering there was ample opportunity for him to ruin this character and make her feel like a caricature. There were some bits of it that felt a little too out there, especially in terms of the ending. And there’s one angle that I’m kind of skeptical of altogether, but I won’t write it off just for those two issues alone. I’m very curious to see how this one is going to go and Reese’s role in this political craziness. I have the remaining issues of this comic, and I’m hoping that Bemis was able to keep this comic together to its conclusion.