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On alternating Tuesdays, Justin Maudslien, aka Sub-Human’s Mr. M., explores weird and little known factoids and shares his skewed observations about the world of comics, cartoons and sequential art.  (All images copyright their respective owners and creators.)

by Justin Maudslien

Tremble in fear, mortals, for the first posting of Mr. M’s Alphabet of the Arcane is here.

Today’s blog is brought to you by the letter “A,” which stands for alcohol – specifically alcohol in comics.  I really enjoy this subject because I’m a bartender who reads comics, so I might be slightly biased.  Mwuhahahaha!

Alcohol has transformed the human race probably more than any other invention, rivaling gunpowder, the television, and even the porn-infused internet.  Many scientists believe that mankind first transformed from wandering nomads to farmers because of fermented beverages, and this transformation proved that we were more than meets the eye.  Ten thousand years ago human could live subsistence, scavenging existence, or they could plant seeds and harvest a crop that, after fermented, would not only be safer to drink than unfiltered water, but could get them drunk.  Later on, the ancient Egyptians valued beer so much, Pharaohs were buried with it to get drunk in the afterlife.  The great pirates of legend all knew that without rum a crew would mutiny.  During World War II, the Soviet Army made vodka a priority over bullets in the supply lines, knowing that without potato juice no one would fight off the Nazis.  Between the world wars, the United States decided Prohibition would be a good idea, and that taught us two things: governments will repeal laws 99% of the people break if it will help the economy, and people will do anything to get messed up.

Now you are probably saying, that’s all well and good, but what does that have to do with comic books?

I’m glad you asked…

While alcohol has been used in comics many times throughout the years, only since the Bronze Age (approx. 1970 – 1985) and the decline of the Comics Code has it been used to its full potential.  Although the Comics Code Authority had only one specific reference to alcohol – banishing all alcohol-based ads – it was clear Captain America would never be allowed to have a cold one after punching Hitler.  After the Code faded away, heroes could finally be seen having a beverage of their choice.  Still, most drinking takes place by goons in the seedy underbelly of dive bars.  However, there are certain comic creators that choose to routinely feature alcohol in the hands of their heroes, either to set a darker tone for their story or as a device to help develop characters.   Most notable are Frank Miller, Garth Ennis, Eric Powell, Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, and David Michelinie.

Here are some of the many uses alcohol has in the medium of comic books:

Covers:

Although writers use alcohol, artists can use it for even greater effects.  Several amazing covers have featured alcohol including, but not limited to, the ones below.

Setting:

I can’t image a Sin City without a good bar scene.  Without Nancy at the seedy nudie bar it would be a completely different comic.

One of my favorite comics to come out recently was an issue of Punisher War Journal #4.  In it (spoiler alert) Frank Castle, the Punisher, disguises himself as the bartender at a bar where all the villains hang out.  He poisons them while they grieve over the loss of a comrade, Stilt Man, who the Punisher took out in a previous issue with a rocket launcher to the crotch.  That alone deserves taking a shot of your favorite distilled spirit.

Note: Contrary to the cover, Dr. Doom does not make an appearance in this comic.

Character Development and Character Flaws:

In the early 1990s we found the Silver Age Green Lantern’s origin rewritten to say that the most worthy person to wear a weapon of unimaginable power, Hal Jordan, was nothing but a lowly drunk driver.

Robert Kirkman used it effectively in Invincible – in that amazing story Invincible’s mother is seen passed out on the couch with an empty bottle after her husband leaves her.

Charlie Huston gives the re-launch of Moon Knight greater depth by making him a drunk who has sunk to the lowest a hero could get.  This creates an even greater sense of struggle and finally accomplishment when Moon Knight can rise up to take on his rogue’s gallery.

On the other hand, alcohol can be used to show off a character’s manliness.  Some of the most macho characters in comic history must prove they can take a shot or down the grog with the best of them.  Conan and Wolverine being two who spring to mind.  Praise Crom.

Preacher’s Cassidy would be a much different character if he was not the vampire who drinks blood and whiskey.

Apparently, Jonah Hex does not drink responsibly:

If you start seeing skeletons dance then put the tequila down.  Please.

Finally there’s Hitman, the hard drinking assassin of the DC Universe.  One month DC had every cover feature a close up of the title character.  Every other cover just had one character’s face, but Hitman also had to include the book’s other important characters: cigarettes and beer.

Comedy:

Lets face it – drunk people are hilarious.

Almost all of us have been to a dive bar, only to have some drunk slur out “I love you” at closing time, or had to step over a frat boy passed out in the lawn.  Both of these types of people are endless amounts of fun, especially if you poke them with sticks.  Warren Ellis put the character of the comedic drunk in Nextwave, in the form of Machine Man, a C-list Jack Kirby creation, who is eventually killed off.  During his time in the book, though, if another character mentioned alcohol, hilarity usually ensued.  Take the example below:

Status:

The Hellfire Club is supposed to be a rich group of super villains, but you wouldn’t know it unless it showed at least one villain was drinking only the finest champagne or distilled spirits from the fanciest glasses.

One of my favorite characters in comics is the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing.  Yes, I like Aunt Petunia’s favorite Jewish nephew.  The Thing has never been known as a big drinker, but his mannerisms usually put him in the lower class.  Below is a Marvel Two-In-One cover, featuring the Thing and another working class villain (but sometimes superhero) the Sandman.  This great mid ‘80s story features the two getting a drink instead of fighting.  Although the picture below is cropped the Thing is saying “It’s Miller Time!” a parody of his usual saying “It’s Clobberin’ Time!”

One of my favorite images of Thing comes from a recent cover by a great artist, Mike McKone.  It is obvious Thing’s status has changed with the top hat and tux, but the martini really shows he has arrived.  As a bartender, I can tell you if the Thing ever came to my bar, the last thing I would expect from him is to order a martini.  If he didn’t break the small stem of the glass, his coarse palate would prefer whiskey shots.  Just be warned, the old saying “two rocks and three fingers” would put your bar out of business quickly.  The fact that the Thing would not be a martini drinker only makes this cover better.

Dark Side of the Booze:

Of course, no blog about alcohol and comics would be complete without the subject of alcoholism.  Probably the most important story arc to tackle the subject would be the Iron Man story arc “Demon in a Bottle.”  The character of Tony Stark still struggles with his disease despite his privileged upbringing and super-powered suit.

The Ultimates version of Iron Man has a very intimate relationship with alcohol, calling it “liquid courage,” and explaining that the only way a sane man would strap himself in a flying death machine is after a few drinks.  A toast to you and all the other alcoholics in denial!

Let’s All Go to the Movies:

As if comics did not have enough references to alcohol, some of the first movie adaptations of comics had alcohol use.

Take the Superman III movie for instance, who could forget the “evil” Superman at the bar flicking peanuts at super-speed – breaking bottles and giving bouncers everywhere nightmares.

For the record, if “evil” Superman came up to my bar I would never give him Scotch.  There is no question in my mind that “Evil Superman” would drink Jack Daniels.

My favorite alcoholic superhero makes his drinking film debut in Iron Man.  Shame on you if you didn’t think Robert Downey Jr. could pull it off.

I can only hope the new Watchmen film stays true to Alan Moore’s vision by having a drunk Comedian.

Closing Time:

So, alcohol has been used in a variety of ways throughout the history of comics, and although I’m sure I missed several important references, it is clear alcohol will be used many more times in comics, as well as it should.

The simple truth is, a superhero deserves a drink once in awhile.  They voluntarily fight crime and super villains, usually without pay. If I was going to buy anyone a drink, it would be Wonder Woman…the beautiful vixen that is Wonder Woman.

Justin Maudslien is the artist and writer behind Sub-Human (http://www.subhuman.org), a semi-autobiographical comic about a borderline alcoholic fanboy bumbling his way through the Seattle school system as a substitute teacher.  He is also the West Coast satellite for the Sequential Art Collective.  His more “informal blog” can be found at http://www.myspace.com/subhumanthecomic.