Writer: Jim Valentino (Plot) Howard Wong (Script)
Artist(s): Marco Rudy and Manny Trembley
Publisher: Image Comics
Plot: A hero with an addiction falls far.
Commentary: Realism and superhero comics. It seems like a contradiction. Yet, from the moody gods of Greek mythology down to modern icons like Spiderman and Iron Man, we still find fascination with heroes who come closest to being like us with all of our failings. Indeed, it could be argued that these types of heroes are better sellers than paragons of virtue like Wonder Woman and Superman (until recently with the road to DC’s Infinite Crisis, and the Infinite Crisis itself).
For all their notoriety and brand recognition, they still have had rocky sales histories and (in the case of Wonder Woman) trouble maintaining any kind of publishing longevity. The characters we relate to best are the ones like Batman--a character who emphasizes not only the tortured, driven child who honed himself mentally and physically to the peak of human perfection, but who is also the paranoid adult genius with control issues.
Jim Valentino realizes this, and he is very good at capitalizing on that dynamic. He gave us Shadowhawk back in the 90’s at the inception of the Image line of comics. There was a character that battled his affliction of AIDS as well as the outside forces of evil. I’m glad to see more than a decade later that he still recognizes how these tragic personal stories tug at us and leave us looking at ourselves long after we’ve closed the covers on a mini-series like After the Cape.
I read up on what led up to this mini-series. Valentino caught wind of Howard Wong’s idea and was more than eager to snatch it up and assist with an area where Wong was weak; plotting. The fact that a seasoned comics veteran like Valentino was willing to invest his own time on a young up-and-comer made me appreciate and respect this story even more.
I opened it with apprehension (not being a big fan of Image these days much less the black and white format), but I put aside my prejudices and forged ahead. I’m glad I did. Wong creates a sympathetic and pitiful character in Ethan Falls (the name foreshadows his destiny all too pointedly).
The situation Ethan finds himself in is easily relatable. Many of us have been where he is in one way or another; short of funds with a family to support. It’s the desperation and how he chooses to address these pressures of life that create the story of his fall from grace. Rather than man up and give up his love and “hobby” of superhero-ing to devote his energies on gainful employment, he chooses rather to hang on to weights in his life and turns to alcohol as a means to relieve the pressures. In other words, rather than listen to the advice of his friends in his super-group he makes a wrong choice that inevitably leads to a series of wrong choices—ending up in his loss of everything he holds dear.
Wong tells his story in realistic voices and, though they are present, the superhero elements take a backstage to the grim reality of Falls’s everyday life. No matter who talks to him or tries to stop him, Ethan cannot see where he’s wrong and so he justifies his every move. For all his power, it’s the addiction that has the most power over him. Wong leaves the story with Falls about as low as he can go. It’s open-ended and begging for a sequel. By stories end, we really want to see more of Ethan set on a pathway to redemption—though we join in his despair at not knowing how this can even be possible now.
The one complaint I’d have about the series is Rudy and Trembley’s art. At times, I found it hard to follow exactly what was going on from panel to panel. I had to go over a few scenes more than once to get it exactly right. Also, there isn’t much differentiation in the facial characteristics among the men in the story. In particular, Ethan needs something distinctive about him to set him apart when he’s in scenes with other characters. I realize the emphasis on the “every man” is prevalent in the story, but more variety among the cast would be helpful if there is another go around. All in all, I found this story an engrossing read and would gladly read another chapter in the messed up life of Ethan Falls.
Final Word: Jim Valentino gave someone a chance to write about a character who’s run out of chances, and I’m glad he did.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!