That Which Should Not Be...
February 22nd 2008 22:18
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Howard Phillips Lovecraft, who was the creator of the eldritch and terrifying Cthulhu mythos which was filled with numerous horrors and blasphemous entities from beyond the confines of time and space brought to the world tales that were populated with things that man should not know, the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, the Necronomicon along with a host of things that should not be; as their very existence or even the knowledge of their existence could quite literally fray the fabric of a human beings psyche in an instant. Of course in the events of much of his tales there was always an individual or a group of individuals who sought to push the boundary, to shatter the thin veil that protected the mundane world from the terrifying secrets that comprised reality. Such individuals in these tales of Lovecraft often ended up meeting gruesome ends. The other day whilst wandering the stacks of my local library I came across the evidence of the efforts of such individuals. Yes I really did discover something that should not be; it was a horror that should frankly have never been allowed to see the light of day under any circumstances.
What was this thing? Was it some eldritch nightmare from beyond the shores of the farthest plutonian reaches? A herald of abyssal terror thirsting for my soul? It was none of these things; it was something far far worse, it was the Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predators graphic novel. It was truly a work that could only be described as something that should never have been. One has to wonder what exactly prompted the big wigs at both DC Comics and Dark Horse comics to come up with this particular product. The obvious offender would be crass commercialism as this graphic novel has been released pretty much at the same time as the release of the Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem movie and is no doubt an attempt to cash in on the whole AVP shtick whilst its still viable. There was obviously a band wagon racing through and someone decided to get on it whilst they could.
Now as far as super hero team ups go Batman and Superman are a fairly obvious team to run with for a graphic novel or comic focusing on such. The two do work well and their have been fairly good examples of stories involving this precise combo realised by DC Comics in the past, the most notable of these is the graphic novel Hush Part 1, which was done by the production team of Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Hush Part 1 was an excellent story that was fantastically presented in a hard cover volume and worked well with the two primary protagonists; Batman and Superman. These are two iconic characters of the twentieth and twenty first centuries who when they are portrayed in their own particular and unique milieu work perfectly, they certainly don’t need to be paired up against the Aliens and the Predators.
Still it seems that movie tie ins with these two particular species are the norm, both Superman and Batman have previously had solo encounters with Aliens and Predators over time and thus when they encounter them in this team up they have some idea of what they’re up against. The trouble is that the actual drama that unfolds is nothing short of being a lacklustre affair with little real tension in it whatsoever, even when a mysterious third party is introduced into the mix things are still fairly much ho hum another splatter fest is about to take place. You see this is the problem with this graphic novel; the opponents realistically don’t stand a chance against two protagonists like Batman and Superman. In their respective milieu both Aliens and Predators are solely used to dealing with far more mundane opponents, not men who can fly, move faster than a speeding bullet, have the resources of a major multinational conglomerate at their disposal or are at the absolute physical peak condition for an ordinary human being or have the genius of a master detective who is always prepared for any eventuality. It’s almost like pitting a septuagenarian in an armchair against a raging bull elephant; it’s not much of a contest and doesn’t make for an inspiring story.
Essentially the focus of the story revolves around the fact that in the course of their daily lives both Batman and Superman discover the presence of Predators in Gotham City and Metropolis. What is the rationale behind these appearances and are their more of them? Could this be part of a wider onslaught of Predators across the world, certainly it seems as if this is the case. As the two heroes being looking into this, a mysterious organisation known as the Terrestrial Defence Initiative or TDI for short, believe that this is precisely what has happened, a beachhead has been established and the Predators are starting to begin their campaign of terror and invasion. The irony is that the joke is on them, the Predators have been here for the last fourteen thousand years without them knowing. What they are actively engaged in is trying to find a new home for their people.
It’s not a bad plot device but then when you realise that it’s taken them fourteen thousand years for them to do this then it really does sort of loose its relevance. Especially as this is a technologically advanced species who have the capability to travel faster than light, you’d think they’d have the know how to work out that at some stage the volcano they’ve made a home under is going to go critical well before fourteen thousand years have passed. Still it seems that such is not the case, the years tick by and the Predators remain blissfully unaware about the import of vulcanology until it’s effectively too late. Naturally being a hunter species they have brought alien eggs with them in order for them to hunt, apparently the Aliens are part of Predator culture, the God Creature who tests and challenges the Predators as part of their ancient rituals.
Looking at the artwork in this graphic novel it has to be said it is truly fantastic, it is like watching a movie or a television program. DC Comics and Dark Horse can’t be faulted in that regard, Ariel Olivetti has produced something wonderful, if Leonardo Da Vinci or Michelangelo had been comic book artists this is probably what their work would look like. No the real problem is that the story isn’t all that crash hot, there is no real danger to any of the protagonists and that is the rub. Certainly there is plenty of action and loads of strangeness and wonders but in the end it’s all so much window dressing to hide the fact that the story has no substance, akin to buying a juicy meat pie and finding that all you have got for your money is pastry and no meat. Even having the TDI try and nuke the site from their hidden base doesn’t even make for drama and tension, not when the Man of Steel is involved.
This particular work is a perfect example of why some movie tie ins should never ever be contemplated let alone undertaken and allowed to see the light of day. It makes me wonder if the whole Aliens and Predator shtick isn’t some kind of weird virus cooked up in lab by some black ops section of the US government in a lab out in the boon docks somewhere that has infected the various members of the comic book industry. I do doubt that such is the case although when I see works like this come out it does make me doubt that the companies involved have actually put any rational thought into the project before seeing the dollar signs.
It seems that nothing is sacred or immune to the Alien plague, especially the icons of the comic book world. One wonders if next there will be an Alien outbreak on TVs medical series House, or Predators being interviewed about their culture and ethos on Oprah. Maybe even Supernatural vs. Aliens & Predator or Brittney Spears can release her latest single in a video clip with Alien vaudeville dancers (ala Spaceballs) and the Predator Arcturus Symphony Orchestra as her backing band. As Joseph Conrad once wrote in his seminal work the Heart of Darkness “The horror…the horror…”
Still it seems that movie tie ins with these two particular species are the norm, both Superman and Batman have previously had solo encounters with Aliens and Predators over time and thus when they encounter them in this team up they have some idea of what they’re up against. The trouble is that the actual drama that unfolds is nothing short of being a lacklustre affair with little real tension in it whatsoever, even when a mysterious third party is introduced into the mix things are still fairly much ho hum another splatter fest is about to take place. You see this is the problem with this graphic novel; the opponents realistically don’t stand a chance against two protagonists like Batman and Superman. In their respective milieu both Aliens and Predators are solely used to dealing with far more mundane opponents, not men who can fly, move faster than a speeding bullet, have the resources of a major multinational conglomerate at their disposal or are at the absolute physical peak condition for an ordinary human being or have the genius of a master detective who is always prepared for any eventuality. It’s almost like pitting a septuagenarian in an armchair against a raging bull elephant; it’s not much of a contest and doesn’t make for an inspiring story.
Essentially the focus of the story revolves around the fact that in the course of their daily lives both Batman and Superman discover the presence of Predators in Gotham City and Metropolis. What is the rationale behind these appearances and are their more of them? Could this be part of a wider onslaught of Predators across the world, certainly it seems as if this is the case. As the two heroes being looking into this, a mysterious organisation known as the Terrestrial Defence Initiative or TDI for short, believe that this is precisely what has happened, a beachhead has been established and the Predators are starting to begin their campaign of terror and invasion. The irony is that the joke is on them, the Predators have been here for the last fourteen thousand years without them knowing. What they are actively engaged in is trying to find a new home for their people.
It’s not a bad plot device but then when you realise that it’s taken them fourteen thousand years for them to do this then it really does sort of loose its relevance. Especially as this is a technologically advanced species who have the capability to travel faster than light, you’d think they’d have the know how to work out that at some stage the volcano they’ve made a home under is going to go critical well before fourteen thousand years have passed. Still it seems that such is not the case, the years tick by and the Predators remain blissfully unaware about the import of vulcanology until it’s effectively too late. Naturally being a hunter species they have brought alien eggs with them in order for them to hunt, apparently the Aliens are part of Predator culture, the God Creature who tests and challenges the Predators as part of their ancient rituals.
Looking at the artwork in this graphic novel it has to be said it is truly fantastic, it is like watching a movie or a television program. DC Comics and Dark Horse can’t be faulted in that regard, Ariel Olivetti has produced something wonderful, if Leonardo Da Vinci or Michelangelo had been comic book artists this is probably what their work would look like. No the real problem is that the story isn’t all that crash hot, there is no real danger to any of the protagonists and that is the rub. Certainly there is plenty of action and loads of strangeness and wonders but in the end it’s all so much window dressing to hide the fact that the story has no substance, akin to buying a juicy meat pie and finding that all you have got for your money is pastry and no meat. Even having the TDI try and nuke the site from their hidden base doesn’t even make for drama and tension, not when the Man of Steel is involved.
This particular work is a perfect example of why some movie tie ins should never ever be contemplated let alone undertaken and allowed to see the light of day. It makes me wonder if the whole Aliens and Predator shtick isn’t some kind of weird virus cooked up in lab by some black ops section of the US government in a lab out in the boon docks somewhere that has infected the various members of the comic book industry. I do doubt that such is the case although when I see works like this come out it does make me doubt that the companies involved have actually put any rational thought into the project before seeing the dollar signs.
It seems that nothing is sacred or immune to the Alien plague, especially the icons of the comic book world. One wonders if next there will be an Alien outbreak on TVs medical series House, or Predators being interviewed about their culture and ethos on Oprah. Maybe even Supernatural vs. Aliens & Predator or Brittney Spears can release her latest single in a video clip with Alien vaudeville dancers (ala Spaceballs) and the Predator Arcturus Symphony Orchestra as her backing band. As Joseph Conrad once wrote in his seminal work the Heart of Darkness “The horror…the horror…”
| 40 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Kemmster
Comment by Tom
The Green Lantern
Hopefully the more discerning comic fans will heed my warnings and avoid this work like the proverbial.