Once Upon a Time in the DC Universe

Liberty's silhouetted arm reaches up into the sulfurous night sky above the city that never sleeps, its skyline brightly etched in the swirling waters of the Hudson. The red beacons atop the Brooklyn bridge blink as a tug boat trails a plume of smoke below.

So begins DC's 'Legacies', an old man looks back on his life long obsession with the mysterious masked men of Justice, his bookshelves crammed full with old newspaper articles, photographs, cuttings from magazines. He introduces himself as Paul Lincoln, a once upon a time street punk growing up on the hard streets of Suicide Slum. Together with his friend Jimmy they earn their keep making collections for Moran, a gangland boss running protection rackets on local business'.

Paul has a conscience and a heart and isn't so sure, but his friend Jimmy sees only the quick lucrative buck and a path leading out of the gutter where the have not's huddle round burning oil drums to keep warm. In this era of mobster rule we see the first costumed avengers swing into action, determined to clean up the city, to bring back law and order and give back hope to the honest man.


The two boys have their first run in with this new breed of hero when the masked Crimson Avenger bursts in on Moran's hideout with guns blazing, and again whilst helping to move illegal booze from a warehouse down on the docks when the Sandman and the Atom drop in, leaving the boys a calling card. It is at this point that the two boys choose their separate paths. Jimmy continues to follow a life of crime but Paul is enthralled by the mystery and daring do of these fearless vigilantes of justice, and it isn't long before a group of them team up to form the Justice Society of America.

So begins a new day, the dawn of the Golden Age. Written by Len Wein, and drawn and inked by the superstar father and son team of Andy and Joe Kubert, by the second issue we reach the end of the Golden era and the disbanding of the Justice League in the cold war era. Pulled before a special congressional hearing into un-American activities the members of the JSA are asked to remove their masks and reveal to the world their true identities, but they refuse and in a blinding flash they vanish from the building.

I've loved this series so far, the artwork has been great, very atmospheric, giving the reader a tangible whiff of prohibition America. It would have been nice if the friendship between Paul and Jimmy had been fleshed out a bit more and I was reminded of Sergio Leone's gangland movie epic 'Once Upon a Time in America', the four hour long tale of Jewish youths growing up on the streets of New York to become prominent crime figures.

Only in the evocative Kubert rendering of life on the streets, the colours and attention to detail opening a portal between now and 1984 when I sat uncomfortably watching as the haunting soundtrack of pan flutes hard wired itself indelibly into my brain.

Still from the film - Once Upon a Time in America

Gardeners reading

Jessie here is reading about the lives of agricultural labourers in the 1800s. The guy photographed on the cover is a ditch digger, and at the time this photo was taken he was in his 80s and still working long hours and not even able to afford to buy a loaf of bread. The life of a Victorian labourer was not a good one!


David's taste for dystopia is well and truly met here with this set of essays by Huxley. Its a return to Brave New World, Huxley's fantasy vision of a future mired in over population and individuals controlled through scientific progress. It is within these pages that he argues that his fictional prophecies aren't too far wide of the reality checkpoint.


For good comics you can't go too far wrong with the 3 times monthly episodes of the Amazing Spiderman. This is the final part of the 'Shed' storyline. Army doctor Curt Connors has spent a lifetime researching cellular regeneration after losing an arm in combat. The downside being that he has been infected by the lizard serum that he's been using and the lizard side of his brain is looking to take control of his body.

Animal instincts such as territory and strength come into play when his current boss at a pharmaceutical company engages Conners' pretty female assistant in a romantic affair. Jealousy triggers the Lizzard and results in a carnage, that includes the death of Conners' own son. The Lizard seeks ultimate control and as we see Conners slipping away, Spiderman is stretched both physically and emotionally to breaking point.

It would not be a spoiler alert to inform you that Spiderman wins the day, but in the end it is an exhausted and distraught Peter Parker who turns up at his Aunt May's doorstep seeking solace, and in there lies another story. Top marks!

Destination: Further

From DC's Brightest Day, issue no.3


Hawkman and Hawkgirl have tracked the evil Egyptian priest Hath-Set deep into the Peruvian jungle where he has used the bones of Hawkman and Hawkgirl's many incarnations to activate a gate/portal to another world. The Hawk couple arrive just after Hath-Set has crossed over. Either that or the Hawks have traveled back in time to a Grateful Dead concert and are now 'enjoying' the visuals during the hour long Space/Drums section of the show.

Charming!

I arrived at work this morning to find this phone charm draped over the top of my 'Garden Soundtracks' blackboard. I'd like to think that it was a little token gift for me in recognition for all my hard work that I have put into chalking up these daily playlists for last couple of months, although I know its more likely that someone dropped it nearby and a helpful soul has placed it there. For what its worth I'm going to pretend it was for me.