Tom Grummett and the MC2

Recently I've been thinking about well-established artists in the comics industry who's take on the MC2 characters we've yet to see. Then I remembered there are a bunch of artists outside of MC2 mainstays such as the wonderfully talented Ron Frenz, Pat Olliffe, Paul Ryan, Ron Lim or Todd Nauck who've in some way worked on my favourite fictional universe. Every so often I'll try and dedicate a short post to each artist's brief foray into the MC2 Universe.

Tom Grummett

Tom Grummett kind of flew under my radar for the longest time as a young comic reader. I was aware of his work on books like Thunderbolts and it was his artwork alone that got me through New Exiles. But it wasn’t until later I learned of his iconic run drawing Superman and Batman over at DC. Truly, Mr Grummett deserves the comic industry’s respect. But we are going to take a look at the two occasions Tom Grummett drew May Parker aka Spider-Girl.

Tom Grummett actually worked with for Tom Defalco’s novel X-Men & Spider-Man: Time’s Arrow Book 3: The Future which was first published in 1998. We got two chapter illustrations pencilled by Tom Grummett with inks by Doug Hazelwood. The art was presented in black and white, but as I’ve mentioned in my Spider-Girl 2020 post, the first illustration was partially coloured for a composite image in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005. So, technically, Tom Grummett was one of the first artists to draw May Parker as Spider-Girl.

Speaking of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005, Mr Tom Grummett’s art not only appeared within the book, he also produced a new piece of art for the cover. This was one of -if not the- first Official Handbook I bought and it was all thanks to that gorgeous art. It certainly helped that it features Tom Grummett’s rendition of May ‘Mayday’ Parker aka Spider-Girl AND Rina Logan aka Wild Thing!

There’s a world out there somewhere in which we saw more MC2 titles and issues, and I believe a prime candidate to fit the style and tone of the MC2 imprint would be Tom Grummett. My appreciation of Tom’s Spider-Girl 2020 design from the novel has increased through the years. I’d love to see him pencil a crossover between the MC2’s Spider-Girl and Spider-Girl 2020. Someday, friends! Someday!



Until I stop building imaginary comic titles and crossovers in my head, I remain



frogoat

The problem with recurring villains

I've been hanging around tv tropes lately and, aside from loosing several hours I'll never get back, I've learned a few things. Case in point: Villain Decay. It goes a little something like this; the hero defeats the villain once, twice, thrice...why take the baddie seriously after it becomes clear they no longer pose a threat?

Electro is a good example: He robs a bank, Spidey defeats him using 'shock-proof gloves' (rubber gloves...I'm not making this up), Electro teams with the Sinister Six, Spidey stops him again. Eventually, Electro becomes something of a one-trick pony, he get's a power boost or upgrade, suddenly he might be a credible threat again....and then Spidey takes him down once again. *sigh*

There are bunch of ways to avoid falling into this trap, as I see it, but here are a couple to consider: The villain wins. Not all the time, just occasionally. This works best with your major crime bosses and villains who normally sit back and pull strings, the behind-the-scenes players, like the Kingpin, even Doctor Doom. It lets the reader suspend their disbelief, instills faith and credibility in the villain, and  adds to the drama stakes if the hero has to lick their wounds and come back and try again, or escape the life-or-death predicament in front of them.


The second option means cleaning house, in some respects, because *gasp* the villain has had a change of heart and decides to reform. Yes, this can become just as much of a cliched and hackneyed plot as the constant re-matches OR can lead to all sorts of story telling opportunities. Ever hear of the Thunderbolts, Marvel's team of villains-posing-as-heroes-becoming-genuine-heroes? Yeah, that. Not to mention all the fertile character exploration reforming can mean. MC2's Normie Osborn only became such an enjoyable, fleshed out character after the classic Spider-Girl #27 in which both May, our hero, powerless and tied to a chair talks Normie out of his planned suicide-by-way-of-hero. Now, he's a supporting character, fully fleshed-out with a long storied history of rehabilitation, reform, atonement, romance and marriage. By choosing the reformation option, the series gained both a great supporting character in Normie, and a defining direction for the series star, Mayday, who often attempts to talk her villains out of the crooked life.



I'd love to here your thoughts on this, especially if you'd like to see the other options.

Until one-trick pony stops making me giggle, I remain

frogoat