AMBIDEXTROUS #238: THE QUESTIONS

[MattBrady]

by Brandon Thomas

click here for an 11page Miranda Mercury #295 preview

Since The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury appeared in Previews this month, people have been asking a couple questions about the series…

This piece is meant to answer a number of them, especially for those that haven’t made the final decision on whether they’ll be onboard come February. In a few words, here is everything you need to know about Miranda Mercury and her many adventures. There are also some clues strewn about that hint at future stories and character appearances down the road. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and thanks for coming back here for more. Suppose we should start at the very beginning…

Who is Miranda Mercury?

Miranda Mercury is the star of the sci-fi adventure comic The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury, which will begin publication in this very dimension through Archaia Studios Press in late February 2008. Some have called her the greatest adventurer in this or any other galaxy, but she doesn’t believe that impressive tagline for a second. Like all great heroes whose greatness and influence continues to escape them, Miranda exists in this kind of emotional vacuum where her actions are somewhat commonplace, a train of thought every intelligent being should logically follow. What person wouldn’t devote their life to experiencing every new world and culture one could experience? Or dedicate themselves to fighting injustice and intolerance on more planets than they could ever possibly visit? What kind of person does the impossible, and then does it again just so you know the last time wasn’t no joke? They say one person can’t make a difference---that their relative insignificance makes them easily ignored, destroyed, or corrupted. Miranda Mercury would call these people cowards, offering the same level of disdain reserved for those who are causing a universe worth of problems in the first place.

Ridin’ with her until he stops breathing is Jack Warning. Jack is a super genius that was the only non-powered graduate of the Sidekick Academy, and whose ex-girlfriend Zamanda Rival was voted by a consortium of intelligent worlds as “this year’s great super heroine,” an annual distinction usually reserved for Miranda Mercury. Though in nearly a decade, she’s never actually shown up to accept the award. Oblivious to her own greatness, Jack Warning has devoted some of his time to being a witness, a noble chronicler of the adventures of Ms. Mercury, who claims to need no further record than her own memory. Warning is dedicated to the idea that when the worst comes, people will know what Miranda accomplished, the battles she fought, the lives she changed, the effect she had. The only thing more important to him is saving her life from Cyrus Vega’s adaptive poison…a condition that he isn’t supposed to know anything about. But then, what kind of super genius would he be if he didn’t, and what kind of friend would he be if he didn’t do everything possible to stop it?

This relationship, and the secrets both of them are carrying, form the main arc leading to the oversized 300th issue, which will also reprint a couple of earlier Miranda stories, in addition to the main narrative which involves a funeral for a character with the last name of Mercury.

What is Miranda Mercury?

An intensely personal, yet very public love note to the comic book medium. Miranda Mercury is everything that I’ve loved about comics since I was introduced to them in the seventh grade. The kinetic storytelling, the unexpected twists, the intensely complicated partnerships, the crazy villains and gadgets, the imagery, the morality---more than anything else really---the possibility. Only nothing is impossible in comics, and this romanticized notion is at the core of the Miranda Mercury concept---anything can and will happen, so why the hell isn’t it? Why aren’t there more comics pushing against the walls the marketplace has built up around them? When did we just start accepting everything we’re told---that female characters can’t headline books unless they’re running around half naked, or that titles with minority characters don’t have a chance in hell of making it past their sixth issue. This book endeavors to take the rules and restrictions, expose their lack of validity in public and say with every bit of possible intensity that can be mustered---I DON’T BELIEVE YOU.

It’s designed to never stop moving, to never stop thinking of how to make things better and ultimately more compelling. That’s why all the stories are self-contained, because I love a samurai genie with a transparent brain as much as the next dude, but what sort of statement does it make when he only appears on a few pages of the book before we’re on to something else? Why were we crazy enough to decide that the cover of every issue will also serve as the first page of every story? What happened to the other 294 issues? We want everyone asking these kinds of questions after they read the comic; along with a dozen more I’m not smart enough to even anticipate. If you’re not, then clearly we’re not doing our jobs. Everyone involved is endeavoring to deliver the work of their young careers, have a great deal of fun, and contribute to the landscape of comics storytelling that inspired us to get involved in the first place.

Things are good, but they’re not good enough, and don’t trust anyone who tries to tell you different. Miranda Mercury wouldn’t and neither should you.

When is Miranda Mercury?

The present, the past, and the far future, sometimes in the course of the same issue. Starting in February, her current adventures will be published on a bi-monthly basis by Archaia Studios Press. The 294 issues that have come before---well, that’s another matter entirely, but negotiations are ongoing to secure the publishing rights to some of these classic stories. Fan favorite tales like Miranda Mercury and the Gravity Smashers, Miranda Mercury and the Great Known, and Miranda Mercury Marooned on Planet Noir will soon be available, if sufficient interest is there. You see, in our dimension the most amazing thing anyone has ever heard of are weekly comics, but where the original Miranda stories were published, their comics were released daily. Yes, these people did have a slight advantage, experiencing 96-hour days, but let’s just call it how it is---things here are running slightly behind but even with our shortened days, there are ways to correct this. If enough people are interested in the story of her impending death, just perhaps people will be curious to see her life leading up to that terrible point.

A conversation for another time then, but the answer to the original question is…soon.

Where is Miranda Mercury?

With any luck, come February she’ll be at your local comics retailer, sharing shelf space with characters that have existed for decades. To ensure your copy of the series that Archaia Studios Press has called “a sure-fire hit,” head over to
http://www.aspcomics.com to print off a PDF ordering coupon. If that doesn’t work for you, as many retailers have already placed their orders for February shipping product, Discount Comic Book Service has the first issue listed at nearly 50% of the cover price.
Miranda Mercury #295 for only $2.17 until December 31st at the following location-
http://www.dcbservice.com/highlight.aspx?id=4. Scroll to page 4 of their monthly specials page and be amazed at the discounted products. Have used this service for a couple years myself and they’re really good folks…something for people like me that have refused to pay full price for books.

Why is Miranda Mercury?

Why not?

The Cool-

Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War (DC Comics)

Wow…that was kind of excellent. Praise Geoff Johns and everyone else involved with the staging of DC’s surprise hit, which delivered where other so-called events simply couldn’t. Like the great action movies it was obviously inspired by, it’s a fluid marriage of incredibly staged action, powerful character moments, and shocking twists that propelled everything to a fantastic conclusion that teases the potential for an even greater story. And come on, raise your hands…who in the hell expected this from the Green Lantern franchise of all things!?

For years, Green Lantern was one of the books that my father shoved into my giant stack of Batman and Spider-Man related comics back during my first few trips to the shop back in ‘92. This got Hal Jordan’s adventures almost permanently relegated to the boring mystical realm of “Dad’s Comics,” that also included things like Fantastic Four and The Flash. I just didn’t get why these books were supposed to be interesting, but thankfully, Geoff Johns does, because just like his run on The Flash redefined the character, his tenure on Green Lantern has not only accomplished that, but did what the 12 year old version of me would’ve sworn was impossible…he made Green Lantern cool. Cool, and the best book DC published all year. Again, raise your hands.

Sinestro Corps succeeded because of a tight, engaging narrative that only spread across about a dozen titles, many of them unessential to enjoying the main story. If you wanted to follow this exclusively in Green Lantern you could, even the Corps tie-ins (which I personally followed) weren’t necessary to the main plot. A plot that included any number of incredible moments, including but not limited to, the initial assault by Sinestro’s Corps and the rain of Lantern rings leaving the battlefield to find new bearers, the revelation of Sinestro’s partners, the possession of Kyle Rayner, the Guardians forced to change the rules of their organization, the New York arrival, and mind you this doesn’t even include what happened in the final chapter, which gave you revelation after revelation. When I first heard whispers of instituting a spectrum aspect into the title, I thought it would be tough to pull off. Johns makes it look easy and obvious at the same time. The way it’s presented makes it strange that no one else has tried it before, as it imbues the entire franchise with the one word all of them needs to survive…possibility. They are nearly endless here and I will be buying this book every single month from now on. And here I thought dad was wrong about everything.

Here are some choice quotes from the final chapter that I’m sure most of you will recognize…

“Seven Corps will be born…Seven Corps will be at war.”

“…The Green Lantern Corps is authorized to wield lethal force. The universe will fear Green Lanterns. And the universe will be better for it.”

“John Stewart to Kilowog. We’ve got an idea.”

“Come on, then. The both of you.”

“You’ll never be without fear, Jordan. As long as there is life, the universe will never be without fear!”

“We have initiated the first of the ten new laws of the Book of Oa. It is time to initiate the second.”

“If the skies grow black, we will do what we told Hal Jordan we could. We will hope.”


LOST: Season 4-

“We have to go back, Kate---we have to go BACK!!”

Say what you will about the third season of LOST (and trust me, I have) but the season finale was easily one of the most amazing and gripping hours of television that the series has ever produced. It was also another fine example of just why Matthew Fox is the man and why the show is so much more interesting with Dr. Jack Shepard around. I have this argument with my mother about his character every couple weeks during a season, she of the mind that his self-righteousness, control issues and intense stubbornness make him incredibly dull and emotionally rigid. Obviously, I couldn’t disagree more, but then again, Cyclops is and always has been my favorite X-Man. Something about the psychology of someone that believes he has what it takes to “lead” is supremely fascinating. Though in the case of Jack Shepard the question really is---how far will a man go to prove that he has what it takes to lead?

Forgive me if I’m projecting, but Jack’s constant struggle to distance himself from the influence and criticisms of his father is something I will always relate to. And seeing this guy reduced to the pitiful state glimpsed in the finale was pretty heartbreaking---and my own personal heart is one of those cold, unbreakable things---ask anybody. So it is with great joy and excitement that I present this trailer for the upcoming season, but also with great dread because the stuff that appears to happen in this briefest of clips seems to confirm everything I suspected about the finale. There will be a terrible massacre visited upon the survivors of Oceanic 815, a large number of them will never make it home, and it is all Jack Shepard’s fault. What is it they say about the head that wears the crown?
The end begins on January 31st people…until then, check this out and allow horrible dread to wash over you, as it has me…



All right folks, that’s it for one week. In our next installment, there’s a great chance that I’ll be talking at length about the conclusion to the “controversial” One More Day storyline and what it really means for the future of comics storytelling. If the ‘net isn’t already broken in half, I’ll do my best to finish it off…

B

Last time: The Unusual Suspects

[Marius665]

John's is a badass writer, he see's characters in a whole different perspective from the rest of us, his Flash and GL stories were great, kinda wish Zoom was a member of the Sinestro Corps

but all in all, I'm a have to pick up this Miranda Mercury book and see what it's all about

[Equinox]

Oh I am so there for Miranda Mercury. Looks like its taking the best of Indiana Jones, Fantastic Four, and Buckaroo Bonzai and throwing it up all over a comic book Andy Warhol style. If that doesn't sound appealing, er, well, I'll think up a better description.

[Knowbrainer]

I'm definitely jumping into the deep end of the Miranda Mercury pool.

And that Lost trailing is, dare I say, chilling.

Sinestro Corps: quite possibly the best comic story to come out in the past 5 years.

[Grievous]

sinestro corps war was a tour de force,

simply beautiful.

[PatrickWedge]

I like how the team didn't just think of the story but also thought of the back stories, the whole landscape of the project, the history of the characters (seen and unseen) and are trying different approaches (such as the cover) to build the book.

Kudos to all involved. I'll be buying this for sure!

[Illustr8r]

Sinestro has the haircut Guy Gardner should have had...

[LeeFerguson]

Sinestro Corps was awesome...

You still have that Miranda Mercury/GL Corps pitch, B..?

;^)

[MarcD]

This book endeavors to take the rules and restrictions, expose their lack of validity in public and say with every bit of possible intensity that can be mustered---I DON’T BELIEVE YOU.

And this is the reason I signed up. I don't believe it either.