RIP Batton Lash

This is one I didn't expect to write.

I was unaware of Batton Lash's health problems until last Saturday, when his death was announced. Only 2 months ago I had received my copy of Grandfathered In, his most recent Kickstarter-funded collection of Supernatural Law comics and I had expected there would be many more to come.

Batton Lash's Supernatural Law is an utter delight, a very funny comic which is unique to Lash - no one else could tell a story about Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre, with its unique blend of horror, satire and law. Lash also wrote the incredible Archie Meets the Punisher which did the unbelievable task of telling a story which does justice to both Archie and the Punisher. This is not easily done, as you need only look at any of the mature readers Archie comics of today to see that when Archie is mashed-up with a different genre, the story generally defers to the laws of the other genre's world instead of those of Archie's. That Lash made a one-line joke into a classic comic is quite an achievement.

By all accounts Batton Lash was a fine gentleman, beloved within the comics industry. If you haven't read Supernatural Law, do yourself a favour and check out a volume or ten. Rest in peace Mr. Lash.

Dracula Month Day 19: Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre #6

I have blogged about Batton Lash's delightful Supernatural Law comic books many times before. To celebrate my Dracula Month theme I'm looking at one of his best uses of Dracula, found in Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre #6 (1995): "It Stalks the Public Domain." (It was also collected in the trade paperback Tales of Supernatural Law)

The story concerns a sideshow owner named Lampini who exhibits the skeleton of Dracula along with a Frankenstein Monster and a werewolf. Unfortunately he has competition from a certain Dr. Hammer, an English sideshow owner who also claims to have the remains of Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster and a werewolf; Dr. Hammer claims his House of Horrors is more authentic than Lampini so Lampini has only one option: revive his Dracula and prove who the one true vampire lord is. Thus, Wolff & Byrd are brought in on the case!

This is a very fun tale for fans of horror pictures with many visual gags involving the Universal films, Hammer films and even Blacula. It's a fun story, especially for those fans who like to argue about which version of popular film monsters is the definitive one.

"I don't know what's worse, Wolff -- when they criticize our work -- or when they ignore it!" A Vampire in Hollywood review

Thanks to Kickstarter, yet another collection of Batton Lash's Supernatural Law comics has been produced: A Vampire in Hollywood. It collects the last few issues of Lash's now-completed Suernatural Law ongoing series, featuring lawyers Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd. Lash has indicated this will be the last collection of its type as the series now exists as a webcomic; future collections will be webcomic reprints. Included in the collection is "The Works Speak for Themselves" in which works of art gain the power of speech and begin interpreting themselves; "Werewolves... and the Women Who Love Them" in which a Dr. Phil-style talk show host holds a special episode about lycanthropy; "A Vampire in Hollywood" in which a minor vampire decides to sell his story to Hollywood, much to the irritation of other vampires; "Wolff & Byrd, the Movie" in which one of Wolff & Byrd's friends tries to sell them on a Hollywood adaptation of their lives; "Weird Eye for the Normal Guy" in which Mavis the secretary deals with an ex-con and a trio of not-so-scary ghosts; finally, "People v. Toxic Avenger" is a licensed story featuring the Troma film character Toxic Avenger who needs Wolff & Byrd to clear his reputation in Tromaville.

Once again, these stories grant Lash (and his occasional aides) a chance to mimick the styles of other artists, most notably a letter-perfect imitation of Frank Miller's Sin City in "Wolff & Byrd, the Movie." He even has Art Spiegelman receive criticism from his own Maus work in "The Works Speak for Themselves." Lash also has great fun modeling his characters after famous faces, most obviously in all the Troma people found in "People v. Toxic Avenger" and the aforementioned talk show host in "Werewolves... and the Women Who Love Them," but he also has a ghost who is rather reminiscent of Errol Flynn in "Wolff & Byrd, the Movie."

What makes Supernatural Law so consistently great is how Lash seizes upon familiar tropes and subverts them, usually through the form of litigation (which is not a common solution to problems in fiction). This collection features a woman suing the vampire who bit her, the owners of a haunted house suing the realtor because the ghost wasn't a famous person, and other ghosts sued for being too friendly. Lash's work on the series has slowed down since the ongoing book ended but hopefully there will continue to be an audience for this series for many, many years to come.

"It's bad job security for a horror comic host to get mistaken for a bum that gets killed in every issue!" Charlton Arrow #1 review

It was from following Mort Todd that I learned a new series called The Charlton Arrow had begun, revisiting old Charlton properties with a roster of great comic book talent, some of them from 1970s Charlton books. I wasn't entirely certain about buying the book until it became available on Comixology for a mere $1.99, a great price for an impulse-purchase. What's inside?

From the cover, you may have recognized the Charlton heroine Nightshade. You might also be wondering how she could appear in this book, considering she's been DC property for some 30 years. The answer comes in the lead story, "The Ghosts of Evil Past" by Paul Kupperberg & Rick Stasi. The story involves a reality-spanning villain called the Wraith who evidently received his powers from Captain Atom and sets out to cross between realities, killing every version of Captain Atom and his fellow heroes which the Wraith comes across. This leads to the cameo by Nightshade, along with the Blue Beetle, Question, Sarge Steel, Judomaster and other Charlton action heroes like Yang of the House of Yang. The alternate reality versions also include the Renee Montoya version of the Question and Rorschach! How do they pull this off? Essentially, they avoid naming anyone by name (even Yang) and obscure their appearances. Amazingly, when the true Captain Atom appears in the climax (as "Adam") he's depicted with the silver skin redesign DC themselves came up with in the 1980s (but minus the chest symbol, gloves & boots). The story is a little audacious, but it's nice to have a tribute to the Charlton super heroes who remain the best-remembered things about the defunct publisher.

The other fantastic story in this issue is "The Hosts of Horror" by Lou Mougin & Mort Todd. In this tale, all of the characters who formerly hosted Charlton's horror comics find themselves cast into limbo together and have to discover a new purpose for their lives. It's played entirely for laughs - appropriately, given most of the hosts were intended the lighten the mood of Charlton's horror books - and Todd does a bang-up job of rendering the old ghouls. It is a little distressing to note how the female horror hosts are mostly depicted as catty towards each other, but this seems to have been introduced for the story's pay-off, wherein the horror hosts decide to become reality TV stars (and catty behaviour is what's expected from women on reality TV).

The other features include a text story, "Career Girl Romances" by Larry Wilson & Joe Staton. "Love Me Never" by Michael Mitchell accurately duplicates the ugly typewritten font of old Charlton books. "The Charlton Western Round-Up" by Steven Thompson is a text piece on Charlton's publishing history, and "Spookman" by Roger McKenzie & Sandy Carruthers brings back a horror character I'd never heard of before. I was surprised to learn this was McKenzie's return to comic books after 30 years and I have to wonder what kept him away, given that he wrote some pretty great comics back in the day.

There are also pin-ups by John Byrne, Mort Todd, Javier Hernandez and Batton Lash. In fact, it was seeing Byrne & Lash were involved that first made me interested in this book (Byrne drew a Doomsday+1 pin-up!). The Todd pin-up is a two-page spread with all of the horror hosts meeting up (along with cameos by some DC & EC horror hosts).

The Charlton Arrow is, overall, affectionately nostalgic. "The Hosts of Horror" was, to me, the book's highlight. It will interesting to see how this anthology series develops and what other creators may be lured in to contribute.

The Charlton revival comics can be found on Mort Todd's site here.

You can buy Charlton Arrow #1 from Comixology here!

"It's been difficult to arrange assisted living for the undead." The Werewolf of New York review

Batton Lash recently held another Kickstarter project for his long-running series Supernatural Law, this time for a collection entitled the Werewolf of New York. As before, I happily supported the project. However, whereas the last project was to print the sixth volume in his set of Supernatural Law trades (the Monsters Meet on Court Street), this book is considered a stand-alone graphic novel, running only 100 pages (about 60 pages less than the trades) and telling a single story. Unlike the other trades, there's no celebrity introduction - Lash introduces the material himself.

What really sets the Werewolf of New York apart are the production values - full colour from start to finish! The story itself was first published in full-colour in the webcomic version of Supernatural Law thus the printed copy retains the original presentation's strengths. If you've already read the Werewolf of New York online you don't strictly need the book, but if you follow Supernatural Law online, you'll almost certainly want the book anyway.

The story involves one Leon Reed, a victim of lycanthropy who's retained our favourite Counselors of the Macabre Jeff Byrd & Alanna Wolff to defend him over the damages he caused while in his werewolf form. Leon has entered a special rehabilitation program for werewolves so his life appears to be in order - but there's a werewolf advocacy group lurking about who believe Leon's been brainwashed into denying his true self. Is Leon really happier being a werewolf? Also, there's a senile old vampire wandering around in a b-plot (and occasional family plot).

Wolff & Byrd are actually edged out of the book in this one - it's Leon Reed and the werewolf advocates (People for the Rights, Interests and Concerns of Shapeshifters or "PRICS" as secretary Mavis Munro calls them) who carry the bulk of the volume. Like most of Lash's Supernatural Law books the art, plotting and humour is well-balanced, with some clever wordplay ("I'm concerned that our client's dark cloud has a silver lining") and satire of contemporary culture (in this instance, it sends up "gay rehab" therapy using werewolves). There isn't really an opportunity for Lash to show off his talents as an artist-mimick, unfortunately (although there are some creatures who appear to be inspired by Gorillaz).

Lash is already making plans for yet another Kickstarter project to keep Supernatural Law in the public eye. I'll certainly be there to keep supporting it!

Supernatural Law week, day 5: the best of Supernatural Law

This week I seem to have apppointed myself an expert on Batton Lash's Supernatural Law... so I must have some favourite stories from the series, right? Indeed, there are four tales which I think are the best of the best. Each is available at Exhibit A.

"The Littlest Loup Garou" (found in Soddyssey) features artist Wallace Kneet, a man whose "loup garou" paintings are a sensation. However, Kneet's wife claims to be the true artist behind these works, forcing Kneet to defend himself in court. However, Kneet's paintings are the result of a terrible curse tied to the full moon. This tale at first heads to a conclusion you might have anticipated - then pulls out a neat surprise which changes how the story reads on subsequent visits. The overblown dime novel-style narration is also a treat. "Many moons will pass before this case will rest..."

"Personal Injuries... & Guardian Angels" (also found in Soddyssey) features Benjamin, a guardian angel who looks a lot like Jack Benny (real name: Benjamin Kubelsky; he's being sued by his client Dennis McNulty, who looks a lot like Jack's colleague Dennis Day (real name: Dennis McNulty). If you aren't familiar with Jack Benny, your appreciation for this tale might possibly be nil. It's packed to the gills with references to Benny, including characters based on Frank Nelson & Mel Blanc and Benjamin's behaviour is modeled on Jack's, from his catch phrases ("Now cut that out!"), humming "Love in Bloom" and breaking the fourth wall to glare at the audience. If you know your Benny cast of characters well, then you'll easily "hear" Jack, Dennis, Mel & Frank in your head as you read the story.

"The Death and Times of 'Dr. Life'" (found in Sonovawitch!) was one of the first stories I read; in a take-off on Dr. Jack Kevorkian, one Dr. Bakaleivagin starts reanimating the dead, which has all manner of unforseen legal complications. Can you get a "do not resurrect" order on your corpse? Like many of Lash's best tales, it performs a simple twist on a familiar idea, then mines the riches.

"Griswell's Demon" (found in Tales From the Vault: an Anniversary Special) was inked by Steve Ditko himself. Lash's skill as a Ditko imitator is such that at first glance, you might not even realize Ditko touched the page! It's a brief tale involving a sorcerer who conjures a demon to perform his dirty work, but doesn't reckon with Wolff & Byrd's legal resources.

And this marks the end of my week-long look at Supernatural Law. If anything I've shared has encouraged you to give the series a first look - or a second look - then it was well worth it.

Supernatural Law week, day 4: finally, the introduction

There is one part of Batton Lash's the Monsters Meet on Court Street which I single out for criticism - the part which Lash didn't write, the introduction. Each volume of Supernatural Law has been introduced by a celebrity and this tome's worthy is television personality and dabbler-in-comic book-writing Jonathan Ross. Ross states:

"...Which is kind of what surprises me about Supernatural Law. It's so good, so much fun, such an accessible, dynamite concept that I can't figure out why it hasn't been snapped up and turned into a TV series or a smash-hit movie and maybe even a theme park ride or two. No matter, because we have the comics-and lots of them-to enjoy. And until the rest of the world finally wises up and tunes in, we can all enjoy that nice, warm, smug glow that comes from being part of the avant-garde, the early-adopters, the cool kids with enough brains and good taste to enjoy a pop culture phenomenon before it's actually hailed as one by the people who don't really dig this stuff but really don't want to look like they're missing out."

Although I share Ross' love for Supernatural Law and most of his introduction simply gushes over Lash's creation, reading this paragraph made me ill. I believe Ross means to compliment Supernatural Law when he wonders why it hasn't become a film or television program. Ross' only comic book, Turf, has been optioned for the cinemas and producing comic books as a means of selling scripts is a tried and tested practice Ross's friend Mark Millar indulges in. The problem is indulging the idea that a comic book series is somehow incomplete without being adapted into another medium. In the first half of Ross' statement, it feels as though he's saying, "why, this comic book is good enough to be awarded with art's highest honour: a multimedia franchise! For his singular artistic expression, Lash deserves to pass his work into the hands of people with a lesser understanding of his ideas to interpret in an entirely differently fashion!" It seems that the success of comics on cinema screens hasn't entirely eradicated our old feelings of shame for partaking of a lesser medium - now our favourite comic book doesn't truly attain respect until Hollywood has granted its seal of approval.

The second half of the paragraph is at least a little reassuring. After first wondering why Supernatural Law isn't on film, Ross backtracks and assures the series' fans that we're the "avant-garde, the early-adopters, the cool kids," which is certainly what fans like be told. Back in the days before comic book-to-film adaptations had become immensely profitable and ubiquitous, I myself wanted to see certain comic books brought to film because I knew it would be a means of sharing some aspect of the stories I liked with friends and family who would never deign to read the original stories themselves. Telling ourselves we're the "avant-garde, the early-adopters, the cool kids," is a fine way to bolster ourselves. It's not that comic books put up barriers of price, format, availability or content which many television & film projects do not - it's just that we're too cool for them.

Would a Supernatural Law film or television series bring new readers to the series? Sure, it would be bound to lead folks to either Exhibit A's shop or Amazon, even without a marketing effort. Would such a film or program actually be any good? It's possible. Is it something Batton Lash wants for the series? Dunno. Would such films or programs enhance the experience of reading Supernatural Law? Not for this fan.

Supernatural Law week, day 3: My life in comics

To raise funds for the publication of the Monsters Meet on Court Street, Supernatural Law creator Batton Lash created a Kickstarter campaign. As a fan of the series I was all too happy to lend my support, but rather than simply donate a token amount, I was taken aback to see at a certain level, one could donate enough money to become drawn into the book itself, appearing as a juror during a trial scene. Did I possess the willpower to resist being immortalized for all time as a comic book character?

No.

As someone who became a homeowner in the last year, it may not have been the most responsible way to spend my money, but at least it's a one-time indulgence.

In this short story, Wolff & Byrd are defending a Frankenstein-ish Monster from the accusations of a woman who claims to have been assaulted. Wolff quickly resorts to blaming the victim - or, rather, identifying the "victim" as a professional witness.

My juror character doesn't receive any dialogue - he's just a face in the crowd who appears for three panels, then races off-panel with the other jurors when they mistakenly think the monster wants to eat them for lunch.

It was my childhood dream to create comic books. At age twelve, when I first realized I couldn't draw, I was a little disheartened. Gradually, I began to think I could become a writer instead, but eventually I let that dream die. For years I thought it was enough to just be a fan - especially when I began using the internet to create websites about comic books. And yet, somehow I wound up leaving a mark on comics, spending most of eight years freelancing at Marvel, contributing articles to Proof: Endangered and now making a cameo in Supernatural Law. I intend to keep supporting Kickstarter projects which interest me, but I don't need any more validation - I'm pleased to be just another fan again.

Supernatural Law week, day 2: The Monsters Meet on Court Street

Although Batton Lash has never stopped producing new Supernatural Law comics, it's taken some time for his trade paperback collections to catch up to his output. The most recent collection, the Monsters Meet on Court Street is only the sixth such trade and is mostly concerned with material from 2003-04.

 

After a brief new story (more about which tomorrow), the collection gets underway with a run of stories connected (at times) with a subplot about Chase Hawkins, a lawyer who's been in a relationship with Alanna Wolff since the first volume, but it's been a problematic affair as Chase isn't particularly faithful. Chase receives more attention in this volume than in any previous book and while as a reader I extend some hope for Chase to turn his act around, it's only really because I've been made to care about Alanna; Chase has terrible self-control, from his inability to give up smoking to his philandering. By the end of the book, Alanna seems to have moved on from Chase and he's left unredeemed. But perhaps his story will continue in the future?

 

The Chase Hawkins tale comes to a head during "the Mamamomo Matter," easily my favourite chapter of the book. In this tale, Chase is representing a client who's been passing off his various crimes on his childhood imaginary friend, Mr. Mamamomo (who I think is meant to resemble Mr. O'Malley of the Barnaby comic strip?). Naturally, Wolff & Byrd become Mr. Mamamomo's lawyers, but as his one-time friend continues to spurn him, Mr. Mamamomo's physical presence diminishes, providing a "ticking clock" for Wolff & Byrd to race against. Unfortunately, Mr. Mamamomo fades whenever people ignore him and at the moment, Alanna is preoccupied by her troubles with Chase, Jeff is distracted by reporter Roberta Bronski and normally-reliable secretary Mavis is out-of-sorts after having heard her ex-boyfriend Toby is getting married. The story has plenty of great jokes about imaginary friends, a lot of character development for the series cast and even ends on a heartfelt moment.

 

Also noteworthy is "Appeal of the 800-lb. Gorilla," a sequel to a story from the previous volume which involved Nicky Gorillo, a man transformed into a gorilla. In what seems to be a joke based on DC Comics' one-time belief in selling comic books by placing gorillas on their covers, Gorillo returns in this story to become rich and famous due to the public's inherant fascination with talking gorillas. So Julius Schwartz really was on to something!

 

The book concludes with the great "13 Court Street," in which cast members see their possible futures reflected within a magic mirror. It proves to be a great means for the characters to confront their personal issues and undergo a bit of growth.

More about the Monsters Meet on Court Street tomorrow...

Supernatural Law week, day 1: what is Supernatural Law?

Comic book creators who self-publish have an uphill battle when it comes to remaining on people's minds. Having to create, publish and promote themselves (practically) solo usually means promotion gets short shrift. Being bound to Image guarantees some coattails to latch upon, but it's a small wonder so few self-publishers survive; who can produce their most creative work, make the right decisions on how to print it and do right by promoting the work as well?

And yet, Batton Lash's Supernatural Law (sold at Exhibit A Press) has existed in one or more forms since 1979, appearing as a newspaper comic, a National Law Journal cartoon, a comic book (now bound together into trade paperbacks) and a webcomic (which can read here). I'm still a relatively new Supernatural Law fan, but today I'll do my best to summarize the series for you.

The lead characters are Jeff Byrd and Alanna Wolff, occasionally dubbed "Counselors of the Macabre." Their particular expertise lies in cases involving the paranormal - the supernatural, extraterrestrial and otherdimensional . Frequently, they find themselves defending a paranormal client who would normally be the antagonist of a horror story, but through his lawyers, is finally able to give his perspective. Sometimes the clients turn out to deserve whatever scorn has been heaped on them and a suitably "ironic" resolution closes the case. Jeff tends to be good at dealing with the clients, while Alanna is at her best in the courtroom.

I could divide the kind of humour in Supernatural Law into three basic types:

TYPE 1: Monster jokes

Lash's stories use many of the monster types you might expect - vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein-ish monsters and so forth. Often they subvert the usual media tropes (such as in the above image, where the readers are led into thinking the vampire and werewolf are going to fight up until we see them fist-bumping). Other times, the monsters are played fairly straight as they react to our culture - such as when Dracula pays a visit on a Ann Rice expy ("Bad Blood").

TYPE 2: Lawyer jokes

Not being a lawyer, I couldn't tell you how many jokes about the law are contained in the series, but often the jokes seem to be drawn from real life legal cases which are well-known to the public, as in the above story which satirized the Lorena Bobbitt case. Other cases are less specific and refer more generally to types of court cases in the real world, such as when Frankenstein's Monster's impending wedding is used to satirize same-sex marriage ("The Life Partner of Frankenstein").

TYPE 3: Comic book jokes

Finally, there are jokes which come from the comic book medium, usually to allow Lash to show off his incredible talent at mimicking not only popular super hero artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, but the likes of Bernie Krigstein or Winsor McCay (above). Lash has indulged in everything from a somewhat affectionate Chris Ware homage ("The Scariest Kid on Earth") to a somewhat unaffectionate Dave Sim homage ("Huberis the Dybbuk"). Lash samples styles from across the medium, truly benefiting those of us readers who appreciate the references.

Tomorrow: beginning a look at Lash's most recent Supernatural Law collection, the Monsters Meet on Court Street!

Supernatural Law - now on Kickstarter!

I've become a fan of Batton Lash's series Supernatural Law, which has been running in print for decades now but most recently as an internet series. If you're not familiar with the concept, it involves lawyers Wolff & Byrd who serve in cases which involve the supernatural. Stories are usually inspired by real life legal cases or social issues; it doesn't just feature flamboyant courtroom drama, but also delves into small civil cases. What all stories have in common is the presence of the supernatural and Lash's outrageous sense of humour.

Lash is preparing a new print collection of Supernatural Law and has taken to Kickstarter to fund it. Go donate to his Kickstarter now and you'll find there are some great incentives, including being drawn as a character in his story! If you've never sampled Supernatural Law before, I think this is the perfect opportunity - why not donate a little something to the new collection and be rewarded with something from the Supernatural Law library while you're at it?