Supernatural Origins - Issue #1

[agt_spooky]

HAPPY SUPERNATURAL THURSDAY, EVERYONE!

Now who can tell me they're NOT totally and completely psyched for tonight's episode?? Man, I can't believe there are only three episodes left this season!


So, who else ran out to their comic book store yesterday as soon as they got off of work to grab issue # 1? :-)



So I'm still extremely disappointed in the artwork. Like, majorly so. Everyone's faces are like...blobs. There's no definition to them. They're like...representations or something, like the artist couldn't be bothered to actually do some research and gather some photos of young Jensen, Jared or Jeffrey (and we've all seen pics of Jensen and Jared as children!) and make his drawings even slightly resemble them.

Everything is drawn with such harsh shadows and simplistic lines - not an art style I enjoy at all. And I'm an avid comic book reader. I've seen a LOT of different styles and I've got to say, this ranks up there with the worst. Which is such a shame, because half the reason you buy a comic is for the artwork. And if you don't care for it, it takes a lot of the enjoyment out of reading it. :-(

Now as for the story itself...

So John never gave Mary a funeral. But we know from Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things that Mary has a tombstone, apparently put there by an uncle that Sam and Dean have never met. Does this mean the uncle gave Mary the funeral or that he just put up the stone?

Nice to see a mention of Dean not speaking, as that was in John's journal.

I liked the bits about John going around trying to get some real answers about what happened to Mary, and of course being met with disbelief.

Now we know that John and the boys were staying with Mary's best friend, Julie, but even she, too, thinks John's off his rocker with how he said Mary died.

Hey, we get to see where Dean gets his pool-hustling skills from - John. But boy, a bar was the last place I'd have expected him to meet Missouri for the first time!

So MIssouri "pulls back the curtains" for John, and tells him all about the evil in this world. Did you notice the drawings of the Scarecrow, the Hookman and the mirror from Bloody Mary? Nice tie-in, there.

Ok, ouch! John had to rip off one of his fingernails??

Missouri does her thing, has a vision of a house and the words "We're coming" written in blood and she and John take off - to find the house a wreck, with blood everywhere. They get the power turned on and see the words "We're Coming...For the Children" written in blood on one of the walls.

John instantly thinks that this message is directed at him, and at Dean and little Sammy so they race back to Julie's house - to find the house wrecked, blood everywhere, and Julie - dead on the floor.

John bursts through the door to Sam and Dean's room - to find them asleep.

Ok, ummm....how would two children have slept through someone being murdered right outside their door??? That part was totally unbelievable to me.

Missouri tells John he needs to take the boys and go, to run, but gives him a piece of...something (a claw, a part of a weapon? I'm not sure what it's supposed to be) that belonged to whatever killed Mary. And with it, John can find the thing.

And that's how part 1 ends.

Now this is interesting. We've never heard that John had a physical piece of evidence left behind by the Yellow Eyed Demon. I'm interested to see how this story is going to proceed in the next five issues.

The remainder of the pages in the comic is a "back up story" and these were the pages that were made available at the CW's site - where Sam is now six years old and Dean is now ten years old.

I've already talked about these pages HERE in my LJ so I won't go over them again, but I wish I knew the overall plan for this comic. I wasn't expecting this extra story at the end, where the boys are so much older. I was hoping for a more linear story telling, not getting bits and pieces of the boys life when they're older thrown in at the end.

But since there's only six issues planned, perhaps this is how it's going to be. The main storyline will be when the boys are still little, with John just starting out as a hunter, and the "extras" will be years down the line. Which I'm really not a fan of. I mean, look at this extra story - so many questions were raised: why did John and Dean lie to Sammy about the way Mary died and when exactly do they finally tell him? If the next extra story suddenly jumps to when Sam is 10 and Dean is 14, we may never get an answer to that.

No matter what, I'll still be buying all six issues, but so far I'm not overwhelmed by it like I was sure I was going to be.

What about you guys? Did you like the first issue?

Comments

[dairwendan.livejournal.com]

First, thank you very very much! I don't want to spend 18 bucks on something I know I'm going to hate, but I still want to know what happens!

Warning now, my reaction is pretty negative!

I assume that the first house John and Missouri go to after her visions is the Winchester house? Why the hell would the YED leave a message in blood AFTER he killed Mary? Why wouldn't he do it simultaneously, so he could be reasonably sure that John (whom I assume it is directed at) would see it? Who the hell is "We"? Him and his kids?

I assume that eventually Julie is going to be found, and eventually someone is going to go into the Winchester house. So there are two dead women and both of their houses are wrecked with blood all over the walls and one connecting person - John Winchester. So is he wanted by the police? At least for questioning?

How the hell did Missouri get a piece of the YED? How long has she had it? Does this have something to do with John having to rip off his fingernail? If so, it's probably a claw, exchanging like for like.

I'm not too thrilled about the "backstory" thing either. The only possible good thing about it would be that IF they continue to skip years, the last issue MAY have the fight when Sam left for Stanford, which could possibly be cool, but going on the writing I've seen so far, will probably suck.

However, a lot of our questions about this particulkar backstory can (sort of) be answer by the information here on the publisher's page. It says that the backstory was written comic book writer Geoff Johns, NOT Peter Johnson. BUT even so, SOMEONE from Supernatural SHOULD have had to approve it before it was actually penned and inked, so I'm still really disappointed at how little sense it makes.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

First, thank you very very much! I don't want to spend 18 bucks on something I know I'm going to hate, but I still want to know what happens!

Hey, no problem!

Warning now, my reaction is pretty negative!

Ha, that's ok, go for it. :-)

I assume that the first house John and Missouri go to after her visions is the Winchester house?

No, it's not the Winchester house. Missouri describes the house and it's near a resevoir and also the exact street name. John says that he knows where that street is. If it'd been his OWN house he'd have had an extreme reaction. He simply says that someone there must be in danger, like Mary was and that they need to go there.

Why the hell would the YED leave a message in blood AFTER he killed Mary? Why wouldn't he do it simultaneously, so he could be reasonably sure that John (whom I assume it is directed at) would see it? Who the hell is "We"? Him and his kids?

Well now you know that it wasn't the Winchester house, but it still begs the question - how would the YED know that John would somehow hook up with Missouri and then go to the other house to see that message? And I guess the "we" in "We're coming for the children" refers to the YED and his demon minions.

I assume that eventually Julie is going to be found, and eventually someone is going to go into the Winchester house. So there are two dead women and both of their houses are wrecked with blood all over the walls and one connecting person - John Winchester. So is he wanted by the police? At least for questioning?

Yeah, with the way Missouri told John to grab the kids and just go he's obviously not going to be the one to go to the police and tell them about the first house (though no dead bodies were shown there, just a lot of blood) and Julie's body. Perhaps Missouri will? But I don't think it'd be too hard for the police to figure out that John and the kids were staying with Julie and yeah, where are they now? You've got to think that the police want to talk to him, for sure.

How the hell did Missouri get a piece of the YED? How long has she had it?

Although they don't show it, she finds it at Julie's house. She's holding it in her hand and it has blood on it, like she picked it up off the floor. So that's why I think it's either a claw or a weapon. It's also got all these funky symbols all over it, so I'm leaning toward a piece of a weapon.

the last issue MAY have the fight when Sam left for Stanford, which could possibly be cool, but going on the writing I've seen so far, will probably suck.

Yeah, I wonder how far along they're going to take this - all the way up to the Stanford fight or leave off before that?

However, a lot of our questions about this particulkar backstory can (sort of) be answer by the information here on the publisher's page.

Hmmm, I notice that for the description of issue 3, it's John taking his "first step" on his journey, so you've gotta think that the boys are gonna be the same age they are now. I wouldn't have expected it to take 2 or 3 years until John fully becomes a hunter. He's too driven.

It says that the backstory was written comic book writer Geoff Johns, NOT Peter Johnson. BUT even so, SOMEONE from Supernatural SHOULD have had to approve it before it was actually penned and inked, so I'm still really disappointed at how little sense it makes.

Yep, Peter didn't write the "extra" story, but like you said, is anyone proofing this stuff??

I wonder what issue # 2 will hold for us to pick apart and scratch our heads.

[khek.livejournal.com]

I had already decided, based on the artwork, not to buy it. (I was really into comics for awhile--even worked in a couple stores and met some artists--so I'm a bit of a snob about what I like.)

Honestly? It doesn't sound like I'm missing much. Did the publisher miss the part where things should actually be based on the show, and have some kind of common sense involved? Because, based on the reviews I've seen, they kind of missed those points...

I'm really hoping the novelizations will be better. I know, based on the authors, they should be!

[fergus80.livejournal.com]

Well, I already am disappointed in one of the books, since it is supposed to take place before Croatoan, but it is set in a town by the Grand Canyon. Anyone remember Dean saying he had NEVER been there? UGH.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Oh man, good point! I guess if Dean doesn't technically go TO the Grand Canyon it's the author's way around it. [shrug]

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know what you mean about the art. I've passed on reading several titles because I didn't care for the art, but because I was SO interested in the storyline in the SPN ones I decided to overlook the sub-par artwork.

Did the publisher miss the part where things should actually be based on the show

And that's what kills me - Peter Johnson is a producer on SPN and there are still all kinds of inconsistencies!

I'm really hoping the novelizations will be better

I'm holding out more hope for those myself. :-)

[duffy-99.livejournal.com]

I decided not to buy the comics, because I hate the artwork just that much. So I hope you don't mind if I mooch off of you for the story! I am totally psyched for tonight's ep, but also getting quite sad that the end of the season is coming up so fast. Noooooo, boys, don't go!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

So I hope you don't mind if I mooch off of you for the story!

No, not at all! That's why I post my reviews. :-)

but also getting quite sad that the end of the season is coming up so fast. Noooooo, boys, don't go!

I know! Only three left?? Say it isn't so! This season just flew by, didn't it?

[andromakhe001.livejournal.com]

Honestly the contradictions are just too much for me. No way do I believe John met Missouri in a pool hall. I also think it was strongly implied in the show that John went to her, not vice versa.

Nor do I particularly believe the bit about Julie. The version in John's Journal with Mike his old partner and his wife Kate is much more fitting and believable with the tone of the show. The story with the older boys at the end is just unbelievable to me--they did not make up some story about a car accident for Sam. Sam was not ignorant of the supernatural. In Something Wicked he clearly wishes for an innocence he never had not one he wishes he had and lost. Also in SW, John is doing his research right out in the open, he and Dean talk right out in the open. Nothing even remotely like anyone is trying to keep anything hidden from Sam and Sam was already old enough to ask questions and be quite underfoot when he wasn't watching Thundercats. :) AND the story Max's family originally gave was about his mother dying in a car crash, if Sam had a similar story used on him, there is NO way that would not have been brought up.

Then there is the Impala. The Impala they had in the pilot while watching the house burn. And not even a hint anywhere that Nov 2nd was there mom's birthday all this time with everything that happened?

I just can't believe this version of their backstory, not a bit.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

No way do I believe John met Missouri in a pool hall.

That part totally threw me! I thought that John would find Missouri maybe in the way that Sam and Dean did - through the phone book maybe, or perhaps someone he knew suggested he go see her. But a pool hall?? Weird, that's for sure.

And yeah, we talked about the car accident thing in another post here - like you, I don't believe for a second that John and Dean would've lied to Sam like that. Makes absolutely no sense, especially with the way that John certainly didn't hide the fact that he was hunting. That was the biggest thing that turned me off from issue one - that lie.

As for the Impala, I suppose that the station wagon was Mary's car, as she probably toted the kids around more than John did. And the Impala is on the cover of issue # 2, so it'll make an appearance shortly. :-)

And the second big thing that turned me off was the fact that Mary died on her birthday. What?? And this fact wasn't important enough to bring up in the actual show?? That's huge!

I'm left scratching my head, but I know I'll still buy the other issues, just out of curiosity. It's a shame that canon stuff is so messed up in the comics, because I was hoping to use things in there about Sam and Dean's childhood in any stories I write in the future. But now? Certainly doesn't seem likely since nothing matches up with canon.

first ish of "Origins"

[feldspar2.livejournal.com]

Okay, I just got Origins:1. What did I think?

First, I'm glad there's a comic(I NEVER use the term 'graphic novel'), and I do want to read all of them. What didn't I like? The artwork in 'Chapter One.' I do think that the art in an SPN comic should be sort of harsh and unpretty, because that's the world John and the boys are hurled into. But I do wish that the faces had somewhat resembled that of the actors, since we see them every week. I mean, when they get the hair color/texture wrong, that is trouble. (The cover of #2 looks promising, but we'll see.)

I don't have any problems with Missouri and John meeting in a pool hall--after all, these are events that happened over 2 decades ago--but why did John have to sacrifice his fingernail? Ugh. Neither John or Missouri refer to that in the series. And what's with the claw/stake thing? That's not mentioned, either. Or Julie's death. Continuity or canon seems not to be a big deal.

I liked the second tale better; made my heart break for the boys, since they can't even use the pool in this crappy motel. But why on earth would Dean or John lie to Sam and say Mary died in a car accident?? In "Home," Dean perfectly remembers the fire, the heat, and carrying Sam out the front door, which Sam didn't know. (Lovely scene, wasn't it?)Dean said they both asked John often enough what happened, but they both knew Mary burned on the ceiling. I kind of got the idea that DEAN told Sam the car crash lie, and John had nothing to do with that. Again, I simply don't buy it. Dean ALWAYS mans up and tells Sam the truth, and I don't believe that even at that age he would have lied to Sam. Who are the guys that bust through the window? And did Mary have a sister? I've never heard of this aunt, and why haven't we seen John's brother, who I assume paid for Mary's tombstone.

But the last 2 pages, with the boys in the car, were very moving and as close to SPN as this whole issue got.

I'll give Origins #1 a 10 for getting published, a 5 for "Chapter One", a 7 for "Speak No Evil" for the adaptation/new storyline, and an overall 3 for the artwork.

Re: first ish of "Origins"

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I'll give Origins #1 a 10 for getting published, a 5 for "Chapter One", a 7 for "Speak No Evil" for the adaptation/new storyline, and an overall 3 for the artwork.

Wow, yeah, I'd pretty much give it the same ratings, just a bit lower on the Speak No Evil story - simply because like we both pointed out - I don't believe for a second that Dean and John would lie to Sam about how Mary really died.

There were just too many things in both storylines that contridicted canon and I don't understand why. This comic was marketed as a way to fill in the gaps, yet they're ignoring everything that's already come before. And that disappoints me.

I, too, like the cover of issue 2, but the cover artist rarely, if ever, also does the interior art. I think the guy that did the interior art for #1 will be the artist throughout the six issues. :-(

I do agree with you about the last two pages. There's the Sam and Dean we know. :-)