MattBrady
10-19-2004, 10:21 AM
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/BattleHymn2_small.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/BattleHymn2_small_t.jpg" width="175" height="269" border="0" align="right"></a><i>by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean</i>
The war drums are beating for an invasion by B. Clay Moore, Jeremy Haun, Ande Parks, Dave Bryant and Brian Frey when <b>Battle Hymn</b>, a five-issue limited series set in the World War II era that’s making its debut from Image Comics in December.
While comics fans are familiar with the Invaders, the Justice League of America and superheroes from that time in human history, just who are the Watchguard?
<b>Battle Hymn</b> is Moore’s answer to “what would have happened if superheroes had existed in World War II and what would the government have done about them?”
<b>Battle Hymn</b> <i>is</i> Moore and the creative team’s Golden Age of superheroes.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/3cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/3cover_t.jpg" alt="pencils for #3 cover" width="175" height="269" border="0" align="left"></a>Marvel’s <b>Invaders</b>, specifically Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins' version, has been an inspiration to the creation of the WW2 series. How is <b>Battle Hymn</b>, originally called <b>Anthem</b>, different from what's come before in <b>Invaders</b>, <b>JSA</b>, etc? “Well, it's a book with an ending in mind, for one thing,” Moore told Newsarama. “It's a finite, complete story. And it's much darker in tone than those books, I think. Or than what those books should be.
“The Thomas/Robbins <b>Invaders</b> is what got me hooked on Golden Age heroes when I was a kid, and I'm still hooked. Bought a complete run at a Lone Star Comics in Dallas when I was about eleven (okay, my mom bought them for me), and I dug it immediately. I've probably reread that run more than any other books in my collection.
And it’s apparent that the characters created specifically for the series, The Proud American, the Artificial Man, Quinn Rey, Johnny Zip, the Mid-Nite Hour and the Defender of Liberty are nods to the Golden Age superheroes and teams. “Most of them are based on prototypes of the era,” Moore said. “The Proud American and the Defender of Liberty are obviously based on the endless parade of patriotic heroes from the War. They're both government-sponsored heroes, in essence. Although one is a zealot who really seems to exist mainly for photo ops, and the other is a sneaky bastard who exists to keep order. Quinn Rey is a tribute to the water heroes of the era, especially those of Bill Everett. He's a half-breed water breather who doesn't really understand what's going on around him. Johnny Zip is my answer to the second tier super speedsters out there. He's a chain-smoking, womanizing egomaniac who runs 50-55 miles per hour, tops. The Mid-Nite Hour is a character I've had in my back pocket for years. He's a Brit. A super spy who joins the group mainly to keep an eye on things for Churchill, and easily the most sympathetic character on the team. And the Artificial Man is a barely sentient... well... artificial man. He's a freaky combination of science and superstition, and he's not the most predictable member of the team. Most of the time he stands around, silently steaming, freaking people out. But he's capable of serious carnage.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/18inks.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/18inks_t.jpg" width="175" height="265" border="0" align="right"></a> “The government quickly assembles them into a team that's designed to inject some hope and pride into a war weary populace. The problem is that none of them really know how a team is supposed to operate, and they don't all react well to the government's plans once people start dying around them.”
This team is dubbed Watchguard by the government.
<b>Battle Hymn</b> is broken up into four issues, and each issue represents a step forward in the story. “In simple terms, we follow these heroes from their public introduction to what I think would be the natural conclusion of the story. That means we watch them go from slightly confused public icons to battle-tested survivors over the course of five issues.
“In terms of storytelling, it's a little different from your standard superhero comic. We're not spending a ton of time with background stories and dragged out set-ups. The reader is treated like a voyeur in this story, watching things unfold at key moments. I think it's more challenging than sticking to your standard "decompressed" style, but it should keep things moving for readers.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/BH221.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/BH221_t.jpg" width="175" height="265" border="0" align="left"></a>Moore’s other creation, <b>Hawaiian Dick</b> is set in the ‘50s, so surely, he’s done some research into the years prior to and after WWII. What's so exciting about that time in human history, and how do these superheroes fit into the world that he, Haun, Parks, Bryant and Fey have created? “Yeah, I'm interested in eras that we look back on as being innocent and carefree. Because, obviously, they weren't really that way. So I think it's fun to bring a little modern texture to eras of the past. I can't imagine what the public reaction to World War II would have been if the nation was as cynical then as it is now.
“Basically, I just dropped these characters into that era and imagined how the government might have reacted had they showed up, smoking (literally) on newsreels and jumping around in the ocean, punching holes in battleships.”
What’s the fate of these superheroes after the miniseries ends? Will any of them be appearing in the current Image Universe timeline? “Well... It's gonna be tricky for at least a couple of them after <b>Battle Hymn</b>. I think it's likely that at least one of the characters will eventually have an impact on something else I'm putting together, but it won't be related to World War II.”
The Avengers shout "Avengers Assemble!" when they embark on a mission. What's this team's battle cry? “Holy Shit! Nazis!”
Issue #1 of <b>Battle Hymn</b> hits in December.
The war drums are beating for an invasion by B. Clay Moore, Jeremy Haun, Ande Parks, Dave Bryant and Brian Frey when <b>Battle Hymn</b>, a five-issue limited series set in the World War II era that’s making its debut from Image Comics in December.
While comics fans are familiar with the Invaders, the Justice League of America and superheroes from that time in human history, just who are the Watchguard?
<b>Battle Hymn</b> is Moore’s answer to “what would have happened if superheroes had existed in World War II and what would the government have done about them?”
<b>Battle Hymn</b> <i>is</i> Moore and the creative team’s Golden Age of superheroes.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/3cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/3cover_t.jpg" alt="pencils for #3 cover" width="175" height="269" border="0" align="left"></a>Marvel’s <b>Invaders</b>, specifically Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins' version, has been an inspiration to the creation of the WW2 series. How is <b>Battle Hymn</b>, originally called <b>Anthem</b>, different from what's come before in <b>Invaders</b>, <b>JSA</b>, etc? “Well, it's a book with an ending in mind, for one thing,” Moore told Newsarama. “It's a finite, complete story. And it's much darker in tone than those books, I think. Or than what those books should be.
“The Thomas/Robbins <b>Invaders</b> is what got me hooked on Golden Age heroes when I was a kid, and I'm still hooked. Bought a complete run at a Lone Star Comics in Dallas when I was about eleven (okay, my mom bought them for me), and I dug it immediately. I've probably reread that run more than any other books in my collection.
And it’s apparent that the characters created specifically for the series, The Proud American, the Artificial Man, Quinn Rey, Johnny Zip, the Mid-Nite Hour and the Defender of Liberty are nods to the Golden Age superheroes and teams. “Most of them are based on prototypes of the era,” Moore said. “The Proud American and the Defender of Liberty are obviously based on the endless parade of patriotic heroes from the War. They're both government-sponsored heroes, in essence. Although one is a zealot who really seems to exist mainly for photo ops, and the other is a sneaky bastard who exists to keep order. Quinn Rey is a tribute to the water heroes of the era, especially those of Bill Everett. He's a half-breed water breather who doesn't really understand what's going on around him. Johnny Zip is my answer to the second tier super speedsters out there. He's a chain-smoking, womanizing egomaniac who runs 50-55 miles per hour, tops. The Mid-Nite Hour is a character I've had in my back pocket for years. He's a Brit. A super spy who joins the group mainly to keep an eye on things for Churchill, and easily the most sympathetic character on the team. And the Artificial Man is a barely sentient... well... artificial man. He's a freaky combination of science and superstition, and he's not the most predictable member of the team. Most of the time he stands around, silently steaming, freaking people out. But he's capable of serious carnage.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/18inks.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/18inks_t.jpg" width="175" height="265" border="0" align="right"></a> “The government quickly assembles them into a team that's designed to inject some hope and pride into a war weary populace. The problem is that none of them really know how a team is supposed to operate, and they don't all react well to the government's plans once people start dying around them.”
This team is dubbed Watchguard by the government.
<b>Battle Hymn</b> is broken up into four issues, and each issue represents a step forward in the story. “In simple terms, we follow these heroes from their public introduction to what I think would be the natural conclusion of the story. That means we watch them go from slightly confused public icons to battle-tested survivors over the course of five issues.
“In terms of storytelling, it's a little different from your standard superhero comic. We're not spending a ton of time with background stories and dragged out set-ups. The reader is treated like a voyeur in this story, watching things unfold at key moments. I think it's more challenging than sticking to your standard "decompressed" style, but it should keep things moving for readers.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/BH221.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/BattleHymn/BH221_t.jpg" width="175" height="265" border="0" align="left"></a>Moore’s other creation, <b>Hawaiian Dick</b> is set in the ‘50s, so surely, he’s done some research into the years prior to and after WWII. What's so exciting about that time in human history, and how do these superheroes fit into the world that he, Haun, Parks, Bryant and Fey have created? “Yeah, I'm interested in eras that we look back on as being innocent and carefree. Because, obviously, they weren't really that way. So I think it's fun to bring a little modern texture to eras of the past. I can't imagine what the public reaction to World War II would have been if the nation was as cynical then as it is now.
“Basically, I just dropped these characters into that era and imagined how the government might have reacted had they showed up, smoking (literally) on newsreels and jumping around in the ocean, punching holes in battleships.”
What’s the fate of these superheroes after the miniseries ends? Will any of them be appearing in the current Image Universe timeline? “Well... It's gonna be tricky for at least a couple of them after <b>Battle Hymn</b>. I think it's likely that at least one of the characters will eventually have an impact on something else I'm putting together, but it won't be related to World War II.”
The Avengers shout "Avengers Assemble!" when they embark on a mission. What's this team's battle cry? “Holy Shit! Nazis!”
Issue #1 of <b>Battle Hymn</b> hits in December.