Apostrophe S

I had kind of avoided picking up the Hellboy: Weird Tales TPBs because I knew that they weren’t Mike Mignola originals. I had kind of considered myself a “Mignola purist” when it came to Hellboy. But when I found both books under the Christmas tree this year, I decided to give them a shot. And I’m glad I did.

Weird Tales (named after the defunct pulp magazine) opened me up to other artists and writers that I likely would never have otherwise. Some of the authors’ own original material has been added to my wishlist, such as The Blackburne Covenant by Fabian Nicieza and Stefano Raffaele. Their short Hellboy story showed that they really understood the characters and Mignola’s style. Other contributing artists didn’t get it as well, at least in my opinion. But that was the fun part of the books, seeing how different people interpret the characters in different ways.

Another added bonus were the Lobster Johnson serials. If you know who Lobster Johnson is, you’ll know why it was cool to read about his adventures during his prime.

For those of you who are Hellboy fans, you’ll be pleased to know that “Hellboy: Strange Places” will be released in April. This trade paperback collects “The Third Wish” and “The Island” series, as well as new material. I’m really looking forward to this.

Also on the way is “Hellboy: Makoma, or, A Tale Told by a Mummy in the New York City Explorers’ Club on August 16, 1993″ #1 and #2, a two-parter drawn by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben, famous for his stories and illustrations in Heavy Metal magazine.

And as if that weren’t enough, there is an animated Hellboy series in the works. I’m still up in the air about this. The creator’s screen credits include Darkwing Duck and Rescue Rangers, so there is reason for pause. But it sounds like Mignola is pretty heavily involved, so it shouldn’t be all bad. It sounds like there will be a couple of animated features and maybe a series.

Oh, and it sounds like Guillermo del Toro has turned in the script for Hellboy 2, due out sometime next year.

I have very little perspective and therefore very little opinion on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Personally, I don’t understand why these two cultures can’t coexist. They’ve locked themselves into a cycle of mutual violent reprisals, and I wonder if that cycle will ever be broken.

What I do know is that Steven Spielberg has caught flack from both Palestinian and Israeli sympathizers for his new film, “Munich”. That usually means story in question is pretty fair.

Basically, after a group of Palestinian terrorists kidnap and murder several Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympics, Israel sends a secret revenge squad consisting of 5 guys to travel around Europe and kill 11 people believed responsible for planning the Munich murders. Their leader is Avner, played by Eric Bana. (He gets angry in the movie, and I kept expecting him to turn green, but that’s a different story.)

The story unfolds from the point of view of the Israeli hit squad, but it is sympathetic to neither side, and to both. Avner and his crew are committed to the cause, but they seem to be only barely capable. They wouldn’t last long in an “Ocean’s 11″ movie. They have problems, their equipment fails, they miscalculate and they overcompensate. Avner is also a new father, and nervous about his job. Each of the crew struggles with the morality of what they are doing, and whether or not they are actually accomplishing anything.

In my opinion, the revenge squad was about hate and pride, and not about Israel protecting its citizens. Each side of the conflict seems to believe that they must convince “the world” that they are right, or at least that they won’t be bullied around. This is why attacks are planned to have high publicity, and why the hit squad uses bombs instead of guns. They want people to know what they’re doing. (Which was strange since Israel went to great lengths to disconnect itself from the hit squad.)

The movie ends with a shot of downtown Manhattan from Brooklyn, and the World Trade Center towers are plainly visible. They were built the same year that the Munich murders took place, and were the tallest buildings in the world from ‘72 to ‘73. (It is strange that after 9/11 filmmakers rushed to remove such shots from movies, and now they add them.) Their presence of course underscores the connection between our own national security problems and those in the cradle of civilization. America has become a target for terrorism primarily for our involvement in the Middle East, and a large part of that hatred stems from our unconditional support of Israel.

In the film, Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (played by Lynn Cohen) justifies the revenge squad when she says “Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values.”

Spielberg is asking us to consider what values our own government has compromised in dealing with terrorism at home and abroad. Avner questions the rightness of his actions by the end of the film. I have to wonder if U.S. military personnel around the world often ask the same questions.