This is a pretty good book. It has the author's own view of the comic syndication process and backs it up with many interviews by current comic strip artists, editors and syndicates. There are a few places where a little editing to remove some of the interviews would be favorable. Some topics are very agreed on by all of the people interviewed. They say "exactly the same thing." After the first few people repeat the idea or concern, any interview after that is redundant. The multiple interviews on each subject do show that everyone seems to have the same or similar issues with the business. This really drives it home, but it also slows down the reading. I guess you could read the first few interviews on each subject and skip to the next section, but I didn't. I kept hoping that the next interview had a little extra in it the others didn't. I rarely found this to be the case. Almost every one was very similar. It was interesting that the views and complaints of each syndicate was similar to the other syndicates. The same could be said for the editors or the cartoonist. Usually, each group (ie. syndicates vs. cartoonist vs. editors) commented about the same thing, but from opposite views. This point was very well brought out by this book. Overall, it is a pretty good book. I would have given it a five out of five, but as described the interviews became too repetatitive. It is still worth reading if you are interested in the subject.
When unfamiliar superheroes meet each other, it often goes something like this:
A: I don't know you, and my city is being destroyed! I will attack you!
B: Wait, wait, it's not me! And who are you?
A: I'm Superhero A, and this is my city!
B: Well, I'm Superhero B, and my bad guy is working with your bad guy!
A: Oh, well, that's different then. Let's team up and go get the bad guys!
And off they go, saving the day.
Now, I'm not complaining. As cliched as it is, many a good tale has been built upon the misunderstanding-turned-partnership foundation. However, when you're pitting entire comic universes against each other to answer the question 'Who'd take who in a fight?', you can't very well take the aforementioned approach without tedium setting in fairly quickly.
When DC and Marvel decided to team up for the miniseries contained in this volume, they realized they couldn't do it the old way. So instead, they give their characters a good reason to fight. As the universes start bleeding into each other, heroes, villains, and ordinary citizens find themselves transported into another reality--several DC characters wind up in the Marvel Universe, and vice versa. There's a science-fiction/metaphysical background story that explains why all this is going on, but in essence, each set of heroes (Superman v. Hulk, Wonder Woman v. Storm, and so on) has to fight for their own universe.
So, rather than building on the misunderstanding turned team-up formula, we're given heroes reluctantly taking each other on, which adds depth and excellent character moments, bringing nuance to an idea that could have just been a grudge match.
The writing is strong, with an excellent framing story, solid characterizations, and just enough exposition to keep the reader involved without getting bored.
The art is also of a high caliber, although some of the excesses of the 90s are on display here and there--check out the hyperstylized X-Men group shot on page 19. But such moments don't detract from the story, they just remind us of the time it was written.
While it's highly enjoyable for a fan (even a casual one) of either universe, I wouldn't recommend this for a new reader. Knowing at least some of the particulars of each universe (beyond knowing the heroes/villain who've appeared in movies) is really helpful when reading this book. For old fans and current fans alike, this is a fun dive into a world where comic book reality gets warped into something unlike any other crossover event that had come before.
Enjoy.
Glenn and Gary McCoy's THE FLYING MCCOYS: HIGH MOM! COMICS FOR A BOLD NEW WORLD offers many hilarious moments which take the form of black and white panels of social commentary and humor. From vampires to yard sales and funny bullet-proof vests, THE FLYING MCCOYS holds something for everyone.
Creating a world where greeting cards heal hospital patients, police officers pull over children driving bumper cars, babies use the patch to quell the pacifier habit, and nudists find out what constitutes a streaker in their colony, the St. Louis area natives alternate writing and drawing duties for the daily panel.
The brothers each have been nominated for multiple National Cartoonists Society awards, and Glenn has won in three categories. Gary McCoy's past as a comedian (he won HBO's Stand-Up Stand-Off contest for the St. Louis area in 1995) also shines through in the strip's offbeat humor.
Their impressive freelance client list reads like a who's who in cartooning: Disney, DreamWorks, and Hyperion, to name just a few.
