Kevin Melrose's pick of the week: First Wave #1 (of 6)

I have little to no interest in Doc Savage, or a Spirit by anyone other than Will Eisner (or Darwyn Cooke). Yet I'm still intrigued by DC's "shocking new pulp universe" in which there's no supermen -- or, more specifically, Superman -- largely, if not entirely, because it's written by Brian Azzarello. In addition to being a fan of 100 Bullets, I hold an unwavering belief that Batman: Broken City, by Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, is superior in every way to the "Hush" storyline that preceded (and overshadowed) it. I'll fight anyone who says different. So I'm thrilled to read Azzarello again write Batman -- excuse me, "The Bat-Man" -- especially as a "brash, cocky, inexperienced and daring" vigilante. Also: the under-used, and under-appreciated, Blackhawks! (DC Comics)

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DC Comics’ pulp ‘Wave’ takes the super out of heroes

Image via Wikipedia

By Bill Radford 
The Colorado Springs Gazette
March 5, 2010

It’s a world with heroes — but no superheroes.

The first issue of "First Wave," a six-issue miniseries from DC Comics, arrives in comic book shops this week, ushering in a whole new universe.

The "First Wave" universe has its roots in the pulp adventures of yesteryear. There is a Batman, but there’s no Superman, no Wonder Woman — the "First Wave" heroes are merely mortal.

Standing above the rest of those heroes is Doc Savage — sort of "Superman with a lowercase ’s,’" said Brian Azzarello, who crafted the "First Wave" universe and is writer of the miniseries. Doc Savage may not have powers like Superman, but "physically he’s the best, mentally he’s the best," Azzarello said.

Batman, meanwhile, is the new hero on the scene.

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Azzarello Pulps Up DCU With “First Wave” (Comic Book Resources)

As a huge Doc Savage, Shadow, Avenger and, of course, Spirit fan, this story from ComicBookResources.com's Jeffrey Renaud sounds pretty exciting:

 Art by Rags Morales

Besides Doc Savage and The Batman, other classic heroes inhabiting this world include The Spirit, the Avenger and Rima the Jungle Girl.

“The Avenger is dark. He’s a twisted character. His motivations come from… they don’t come from a good place,” explained Brian Azzarello. “And The Spirit is so much of that time. Will Eisner created that character and he was riffing on a lot of stuff. And with The Spirit, now we get to riff on some modern stuff.

“I’ve got the blessing of the Eisner estate to take The Spirit in a different direction. Not just The Spirit, but also Batman and Doc Savage and we’re tweaking all these characters to sort of make their stories work together in one universe.”

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

The Spirit gets a new DC neighbor: Doc Savage!

Two of my all-time favorite characters are The Shadow and Doc Savage, so you can imagine my delight upon reading at ComicBookResources.com that Savage will be joining Will Eisner's The Spirit and Blackhawk in an alternative branch of the DC Universe.

As a teen, I read all the Doc Savage paperbacks and found them imaginative and thrilling. It will be great to see another comeback for Doc, Renny, Ham and the gang!

Read all about it HERE!