Lost Season 6 wallpaper (from official poster)

Not about capes and archvillains, Lost nonetheless comes with a compelling story, powerful characters, and veiled commentaries on power, fate, and redemption. Stuff for Superhero Theory.

In anticipation of the sixth and final season, here is a 16:10 wallpaper I remixed from the official poster. Click for the full.

Official poster. Click for the full.

The characters that define my pull list

#1: Superman

My first comic book was The Adventures of Superman #498, part 1 of Funeral for a Friend. I couldn’t believe he died (I knew him since watching Superman: The Movie even farther back) and so I was able to nag my dad to get me the entire Death of Superman saga back in the 3rd grade. I still have all those comic books, terribly unpreserved. The biggest regret of my life.

I am currently following the entire Superman family of books (Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl, Adventure Comics) as they reach their crescendo into the War of the Supermen this year.

I still enjoy the Superman comics, but I’ll never be able to recapture the glory days of 1993. Then Dan Jurgens was the defining Superman artist, but today he is being edged by the fantastic Gary Frank.

I maybe one of the few fans who enjoyed Mark Waid’s Superman: Birthright. I just hoped that DC editorial decided to build on that fantastic, modern retelling of Superman’s origin.

#2: Captain America

This is another character that got me onboard after he died (a pattern?), but what kept me on is the fantastic storytelling work of Ed Brubaker. He is my favorite writer in comics right now, though I have no interest in following his crime work. I rather remember him solely for Captain America.

This character does not speak to me as profoundly as Superman, but there is a nobility in Steve Rogers that we no longer often see in comics. But what made the book even more precious is the evolution of Bucky into Captain America. How he made the role his own is really powerful stuff, and I respect Brubaker for not making this book a cheap vehicle for nationalistic and patriotic pandering (which I initially feared a Captain America comic book to be).

Because of Captain America, I am also following the Avengers work by Brian Michael Bendis — if only to see Steve Rogers take his rightful place once again. Looks like this year will be my year.

#3: Green Lantern

If one reads comics for the sheer fun of it, look no further than Geoff Johns’ work in Green Lantern. This I follow for pure entertainment value. I appreciate how Johns tries to bring in some depth to the work but it doesn’t really matter to me. I am more impressed by his world-building and layered plotting, but all this is really summer popcorn movie fare — all year round. I am just in it for the ride, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

#4: Witchblade/Darkness/Angelus

There are no other comic books I really want to see succeed right now than these trilogy of books from Top Cow. They have the perfect blend of character, world-building, and high production values that I look for from today’s superhero comics. They are incredibly underrated that, if only I could, I would buy a thousand copies every time.

I suspect that my some entries in the future will revolve around these three.

Honorable Mentions

#5: Dick Grayson Batman

The Batman books never seem to be able to keep me around. But since Grayson took over the mantle, this has been the longest I’ve been following the line since Hush. But back then I just followed Loeb and Lee on the main title. Now there is also Rucka on Detective and Morrison on Batman and Robin.

I’ve always liked Dick Grayson as a character. I like how some writers depict him as the Batman-who-has-moved-on, and is thus better and more balanced at what he does. So will I stick around when Bruce Wayne returns? I’ll put it at 50-50.

#6: Flash

I have this funny feeling that I’ll appreciate Barry Allen a lot in the coming year. Superman-level appreciate. And daresay, Johns will surpass himself with his work with the Flash. I’m definitely staying tuned.

And #7: Thor

This is another book that I followed mostly on the strength of the writer, JMS. My appreciation for this title is very similar to how I grew to follow Brubaker Captain America. But with JMS gone from the book, I don’t see myself lasting beyond Siege. We’ll see if Matt Fraction is enough to keep me around, but his pledge to take this book to a more fantastical direction is not too comfortable with me.

Look, up in the sky!

I’ve always wanted to write a superhero blog.

But not to geek out. There has always been something liberating about the idea of having unlimited power yet tempered by both its unexpected consequences and the choices the people beneath the costume feel compelled to make. It is something I can deeply relate to; and since my youth the superhero has been my analogue for growing up.

In this blog I hope to write earnestly about myself and how I see the world, using the superhero as a metaphor. I hope to balance both the simple and the sublime. There will be reviews of books, shows, and movies, and I’ll comment on what I think they say about the War on Iraq or the economic crisis. I’ll talk about post-modern anxiety and angst, and draw parallels with how the producers of Smallville have chosen to depict Clark Kent.

That sort of stuff.

So I hope I come up with something really good.

Up, up and away then.