“I don’t suppose you could ring up a barf bag, could you?”
Fanboy #2
DC Comics (April, 1999)
WRITER: Mark Evanier ARTIST: Sergio Aragonés “FINSTER’S FANTASIES” ARTISTS: Dave Gibbons, Wendy Pini, Will Blybert, Gil Kane, & Kevin Nowlan COLORIST: Tom Luth LETTERER: Todd Klein EDITOR: Tony Bedard
Finster’s teacher’s style is to just cram information into kids’ heads without context or anything interesting. That doesn’t sit well with the creative-minded Finster, leading to a confrontation with the teacher, leading to her becoming a supervillain. Our hero does have a slight edge…a Green Lantern ring. But whose dream sequence is this?
What they got right: Now this is a more likable Hal…one that only shows up for a few pages. 😀 Okay, okay, I’m kidding. Mostly. Each issue focuses on a different DC comic as Finster learns, although this time it was Finster’s teacher that learned. Still, there’s some great art, especially the “cameo” by Gil Kane.
What they got wrong: While it surprisingly doesn’t take anything away from the story, there is a question about where Finster’s fantasies end and the real world begins. I’m not sure there’s any kind of consistent logic about how Finster’s world works and it’s only by Evaneri’s skill as a writer that it ends up working out. Last issue we heard about Finster’s Uncle Dave dieing, but this issue we learn his Dad also died from overwork at a job he hated. I don’t think that was a necessary addition, although we do learn about how supportive his Dad was about his hobbies and using them to do what he loved, something his father was never able to do. Plus we got the part where he talked to Steve Rude in a sequence that, real or not, is some good advice for anyone wanting to draw comics.
Analysis: It seems even the complaints lead to praise. There are some good comments for would-be comic artists as well as a commentary about current teaching styles that sadly still hold today in 2013. Another great issue.
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