Hank McCoy (Before the Fur)

Tedd Riccio is a comic book aficionado chock full of useful comic history knowledge. So why not tap into that knowledge for the betterment of you, the reader? Welcome to Hank McCoy (Before the Fur), a weekly column by Assistant Editor Tedd (just Tedd will be fine). Leave all that you know at the door when reading, and make sure to not speak ill of Dazzler (that will anger Tedd). And also make no mention of films The Howling or Event Horizon. I have to give DC one thing- exotic locales. I mean, it isn’t that I don’t like New York City. Some of my best friends live in New York City. For years and years, Marvel has dedicated itself to not just promoting comic books superheroes but promoting…well, New York City. They love it. I mean, how many comics by Marvel have you opened up and seen the following narration: (WIDESHOT of Statue of Liberty) Narrator (Uatu?): New York. (Pan in on city streets) Narrator: The Big Apple. To many, it is the greatest city on Earth. (pan to tense body part of action-hero) Narrator: But TODAY… (Cut back to reveal full scope of huge super-hero battle) Narrator: For (title character or characters), it has become a (BLANK)! I swear, this is a sketchy outline of 85 % of the opening lines of most Marvel comics. There are a couple of variations. But you totally know what I’m talking about, don’t you? The idea of having almost the entirety of the superhero community stuffed into one city always seemed a little strange to me. I mean, the advantage is you don’t have to work too hard to explain why characters are running into each other. When Superman shows up in Gotham City, there has to be a reason he went out of his way to do so. But Wolverine could just turn a city block, run into Punisher, and well, cue fight sequence, usually. When I was a kid, I always thought it was silly that DC had so many made up cities. Metropolis, Gotham…Wonder Woman used to spend less of her time on Paradise Island, and more of her time in a place called Gateway City- Flash and the Rogues still duke in out in Keystone, Green Arrow lived in Star City… And then there was Coast City. I was genuinely taken aback when DC bit the bullet and had it obliterated by Mongul during the Death and Return of Superman. I remember thinking it was such a copout, killing Superman off and then bringing him right back. But the truth is, I really loved the whole “Reign of Supermen” thing, when everyone had a different theory about which Superman was the REAL Superman…I still look back and think the whole affair, no matter how cliché, was one of the coolest, epic arcs ever told in that comic. But yeah, the point was- Coast City. DC obliterated it and everyone in it. It was pretty horrific. And the end result- that is, driving Hal Jordan a little over the top and into the arms of evil/crazy-town remains one of my favorite DC arcs as well. It wasn’t seeing Jordan bad that I liked- it was seeing him bring it all back together during The Final Night. That Green Lantern chant thing- you know, “In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night…blah blah blah”? I always thought it was ridiculous. But I love seeing Jordan belt it out as he reignites the frickin’ sun. I love that story so much. Where was I? Ah yes. They blew it up. Their city. And you see? That’s the nice THING about fictional cities. You can blow them up. No wait, what I mean is- you can do what you want with them. The naturalistic, real-world gig is appealing, I admit. It can make the story you’re telling very pertinent. I remember this opening to Amazing Spider-man shortly after 9/11. It was so tastefully done. I truly recommend it (Volume 2: Reflections), if you’re looking for the trade paperback. Because, after all, even in a world with supervillains and mutants there are some tragedies that are entirely HUMAN that everyone has to deal with. But see, let’s say I want to tell a story about corruption in the police force. Can I tell one, in New York City, without offending the entire REAL NYPD (not that I think the NYPD has a lot of time to read comics)? It gets dicey- really, it ties your hands. DC has told stories about industrial-military complexes, corruption at the state and government levels, anarchy, and all sorts of fun, pertinent stuff. But they’ve really got the leeway to pull it off because they don’t have to worry about offending anybody when they do it. The locales give the writers lots of room to explore the hero. Not to mention the latest trend with the DC writers. That is to say, they have become remarkably skilled at giving each city and location a flavor fitting and unique to the hero or heroes that live there. I mean, one of Superman’s old “tags” was “The man of tomorrow.” And in a lot of ways, that’s kind of what the story is about- he’s this guy from a “future” civilization that accomplished lots of great, fabulous things. The only thing is? They blew themselves up. The moral of the story? Progress is a great thing. But it has to be monitored. It has to be kept in check. By the government. By the press. People have to know what’s really going on in their city, in order to make good choices about the future. See? That’s why the bad guy is Lex Luthor. Because he doesn’t care what happens when progress happens- he just wants money. But that’s what Metropolis is like- it’s bright, vibrant, and filled with technology. Gotham needs little explanation or analysis on my part. I really think Dark Knight brought it to life in this amazing way I could only have dreamed to ever see on the big screen. But ever since No Man’s Land…it’s kind of like, Gotham has almost been a character in and of…it’s…er…self. You know? I mean, when the quake hits in No Man’s Land- why doesn’t Batman just leave? Okay, there are people stuck in Gotham. That’s the whole point of the story. But why not save them and THEN go fight crime someplace else? WHY Gotham? Why rebuild Gotham? So is Batman about fighting crime? Or is Gotham almost like…this character in the comic book? He’s fighting to save it…or her…or him, whatever. You know what I mean. Or Gateway- it has this history of being a mixing pot for so many different cultures. And that’s what Wonder Woman is trying to do- bring people together. She’s an ambassador (or she was, at one point. I can’t always keep track). And Keystone? They say “life moves fast” in Keystone. Bludhaven is like Gotham, but…it’s even more hopeless, more apathetic, if you can imagine that. Perfect for its resident hero Nightwing, who is as dark as his mentor at times, but in a way more optimistic. So maybe places like Bludhaven- almost missable in Gotham’s shadow, to a point where it might never get help- really need someone like Nightwing, not Batman, at the helm. I mean, not for nothing- Marvel has a variety of fantastical sites that the characters travel to as well. But usually, it’s all ‘into the lion’s den” and what not- Latveria, The Savage Land, the Negative Zone…they’re places you DON’T want to go if you don’t have to. Marvel has taken one or two passes at “spreading out”- they’ve set comics in L.A., Britain, Canada…at one point the X-Men set up shop in Australia. And actually, come to think of it- I’ve heard the X-Men are setting up shop in L.A. themselves. I always liked the idea of “spreading out’ a little bit more in the Marvel Universe, and we’ll see if it lasts or not. Well, if DC wants to “get in the game” a little more, I highly suggest that this be the angle they take. The setting is, in some ways, such a huge part of these comics. I’d love to see a Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman movie get the same kind of care and attention that Batman has received. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to DC Universe online, at least, because like the laundry list I’ve run through in this post implies- there are plenty of places to go…