The Tenth Circle: "Suffer the Little Children"
Writers: John Byrne & Chris Claremont
Artists: John Byrne(p), Jerry Ordway(i), Dave Baron(c)
Publisher: DC
"Batman. I owe you my life."
"Yes...I suppose you do. Call it self-preservation, Superman. I don't much fancy the idea of a super-vampire flying around."
--Batman Action Comics Annual #1 Byrne/Adams/Giordano
This is not the first time Justice League members encountered vampires. The very first encounter occurred in 1939 where the deadly Bat-Man seemed to be evenly matched against the Monk, a hybrid creature of werewolf and vampire. Using a pulpy .45 caliber automatic pistol loaded with silver bullets, the Bat-Man dispatched the Monk and his more sympathetic thrall Dala. Later Denny O'Neil and Mike Grell would whittle away the seconds that Batman had before the Dark Knight can locate and destroy a different vampire's heart.
Perhaps inspired by Bob Kane's and Bill Finger's original tales, Doug Moench introduced the earth one version of the Monk and later with Kelley Jones pitted Batman against Dracula in the memorable Elseworlds graphic novel Red Rain. In an Elseworlds sequel by the same author, Batman would struggle against a vampiric enemy within his ranks. During the pre-Crisis, in Brave & Bold Batman met with Andrew Bennett, a vampire seeking atonement for his crimes. Under the title, "I...Vampire" Andrew Bennett's adventures could be found in the House of Secrets.
After the Crisis, in his second team-up with Superman, Batman crossed swords with a countrified vampire named Skeeter. A pivotal moment in the careers of the heroes, this episode likely no longer exists. Batman, after surviving a refreshing dip in quicksand, stakes Skeeter before she can turn Superman into her undead slave. In the Vertigo universe, there exists no Batman. Skeeter never finds herself on the wrong end of the stick wielded by the World's Finest. Instead, she joins a motorcycle gang whose membership is exclusive to female vampires.
Vampires simply have not often appeared in DC's long, sixty plus years history of super-hero comic books. Perhaps, it's simply because the creatures of the night are wickedly outpowered by the roster of DC's heroes--even the comparatively weaker post-Crisis versions. It's difficult to prey upon the blood of the innocent when Kryptonians having twin suns at their very command soar the not-so friendly skies. Make the wrong move, and you can even meet a humbling end by a super-powered dog.
The reuniting of John Byrne and Chris Claremont, the men who made the X-Men a phenomenon, justly overshadows the idea of the Justice League combatting vampires. Face it. If this story were written by John Q. Public and drawn by Jane Doe, nobody would care.
Despite having behind it the experience in terms of art and writing, the newest JLAstory is not critic-proof. Looking at the story in absence of the names, the readers may find some glaring hiccups. On the whole "The Tenth Circle" is a pretty decent effort by all parties. Mostly continuity trips up the authors' well-meaning steps.
The Crisis was supposedly meant to fix problems that didn't really exist. The forty-plus-year super-hero cosmology of multiple earths was not really inaccessible to new readers. Any reader could comprehend an earth-one and earth-two because it was explained in one panel with a duet of representatives from each parallel world. Regardless, since the Crisis, DC has never actually recorded what from the past counts and what does not count toward each character's history. Coherency is a word alien to the DCU.
We open the book on the Badlands. As any Trekker will tell you, the Badlands is the region of space where Voyager captained by Katherine Janeway pursued an escaping Maquis ship. I'm kidding. Star Trek has no pertinence to JLA and the Badlands as well as its inhabitant--a spooky Native American dressed like Tonto has no real pertinence to DC history.
Manitou Raven was introduced during the lowest point of JLAhistory--that which is comprised of recent issues. That's really all I and I'd wager most people know about the character. I know more about and feel a greater affinity for Apache Chief--"Kanukchuk!"--of The Super-Friends and Owlwoman from the Global Guardians. Manitou exists to pay lip-service to current alleged continuity and isn't really important as far as I can see to the chapter.
More lip-service can be heard through the presence of the ending hero Faith. Another generic character introduced during the Joe Schmoe recession of JLAthis nobody could have been replaced by the post-Crisis Supergirl who has identical super-powers and give the cliffhanger's conflict a bit more impact. Not as much as if it were Kara, but a nudge more than that provided by Faith, whom everybody knows is--Faith, and not the Vampire Slayer. Pity.
JLA in this way is representative of DC's indecisiveness. They want a shared universe--Manitou and Faith--and they want a shared universe in which you ignore the implications of a shared universe--Oracle being crippled. JLA's creative talent rotation is supposed to make the book more palatable to new readers whose only exposure to the Justice League comes from the current Cartoon Network series or The Super-Friends. Manitou and Faith are maelstroms of unnecessary confusion. We are supposed to know these guys. We're not supposed to know the identities of the mystery guest-heroes. Their revelation is part of the story, yet well placed suspicions lie on a team having strong exposure in both DC cosmologies. Ironically, we are likely to know more about the mystery guests. Manitou and Faith, although somehow League members, are complete blanks.
A more annoying problem with the story concerns the characterization. Superman is supposed to be an experienced super-hero. He has encountered a vampire before--assuming continuity besides the ever so important presence of Faith and Manitou has any relevancy--and fought against that vampire's hypnotic control--magical in nature. In this story, an ingénue’s mental manipulation ensnares the Man of Steel far, far too easily. Superman is almost a patsy in this tale, and his being such an easy mark is a major conceit to accept in order for the story to work. If I were to translate the same scene onto the Justice League cartoon or even the Super-Friends Superman would have fought back against the mental control, but we see no indication of a fight.
So what do the big guns of creativity get right? Plenty. At the top of my head, the Justice League in alleged continuity books hasn't looked this good since--never. Howard Porter's League was perfect for Morrison's run but only for Grant Morrison. Those who followed could not. Byrne and Ordway make the heroes look as they are supposed to look in a comic book. They imbue a sense of realism to the art through anatomy. You'll not find any distorted muscle mass. Instead, expect to see exceptional athletic physiques of men and women in costumes.
DC's indecisiveness toward continuity sometimes allows benefits. The Byrne/Ordway Batman sports long ears as god intended and not that stupid Jim Lee helmet thing. His cape expressively grows longer to flap majestically in the nocturnal air as he perches iconically atop a Dark Deco construct. Byrne and Ordway also draw Batman meaner and leaner than the incarnation seen in Byrne's Generations books. Byrne and Ordway furthermore give Batman a greater visual depth. His wrinkled brow and his calculated body language identify him as a detective.
An attention to the dynamics of each character can be considered "The Tenth Circle's" greatest boon. Superman hasn't looked this good in ten or twelve years. Gone is the ugly anime influence. Byrne and Ordway return a classic sense of action to the Man of Steel's movements. Wally West is no longer a teenager, but Byrne and Ordway ignore that continuity and make him as youthful as the television Wally whose dialogue often recalls the delivery of Michael Rosenbaum.
Every iota of artwork is a lush treat to the eyes. I may not give a damn about the continuity behind Manitou and Faith, but they look good. The villain appears to be a suitable cross between character actor Reggie Nalder and Pee Wee Herman. The creature just exudes smarminess and decay. The settings from the Badlands to Gotham City bear detail that gives each place a distinctive character.
The story while not matching the quality of the artwork is enjoyable. Apart from the Superman plot point, Byrne and Claremont work in the Justice League smoothly and keep every member in character.
Some of the writers' narration is superfluous, and some of their choices regarding continuity are poor, but in just one page they characterize Batman as "the world's greatest detective." You know that Ed Brubaker's fans will just howl in protest, but that's just tough. Howl all you wish. Batman is fully capable of dropping down to a crime scene and within seconds discerning every clue unseen to the even above average eye. Batman is no mere gumshoe. He is the successor to Sherlock Holmes, and in JLA he acts like it.
The pacing to "Tenth Circle" is quick. It lacks padding and contrived impediments to slow down the League's progress. In addition, the creative team conveys a sense of urgency that heightens the suspense. You do not listlessly turn these pages. This story generates excitement. You run out of pages.
One caveat that some may have with the story is unrelated to the vagaries of comic books. Instead, it involves the vampire's bite. If a vampire bites a victim, she will become the undead lest the vampire that bit her is destroyed before sunrise. The vampire's bite in the story seems to indicate a degree of permanence. This is not really the case. Vampire rules are as consistent as DCU continuity. Their association with bats for instance is an invention of cinema not folklore. Joss Whedon's vampires unless invited cannot enter an abode, but this "rule" from folklore is the one that is most often ignored by media. In other words, the vampires of "The Tenth Circle" should be considered distinctive from Dracula and will follow different rules from those governing the vampires seen in Doctor Who or Kolchak.
"The Tenth Circle" in JLA indeed deserves to be lauded. While the usual lack of DC continuity causes mild headaches and Superman is caught too easily, the story's quality, the artwork's beauty and the handling of the characters offer the best read since Grant Morrison left the book.
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