September 11 Vol. 2

DC Comics – including WildStorm Productions, VERTIGO, and MAD Magazine – presents a collection of stories and stand-alone artwork from the vast community of talented writers and artists associated with it. Award-winning cover artist Alex Ross offers a painting (modeled on the legendary Big All-American Comics #1) that shows Superman and Krypto looking – up, appropriately enough – at the heroes whose sacrifice on September 11 served as an inspiration to so many. While familiar characters are featured throughout Volume 2 (in some unfamiliar ways), there are also tales of “ordinary” people who have given and lost so much in the months since the attacks.

Some teams familiar to comics readers are reunited in this historic project, such as Stan Lee and Marie Severin; Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, and Prentis Rollins, who offer a new story of Static in the wake of the September 11 attacks; and a tale of the spiritual impact of the loss of the Twin Towers from J.M. DeMatteis and Michael Zulli. Will Eisner, Joe Kubert, Sam Glanzman, and Darwyn Cooke are among the incredible writer/artists who offer distinctive stories in Volume 2.

Other well-known creative teams sharing their talents include 100 Bullets’ Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso on a story of terror and baseball fans; Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson in a story of a firefighter’s heroism in the super-hero-filled metropolis of Astro City; and JSA’s David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns joining Out There’s Humberto Ramos and Sandra Hope to offer another perspective. Moving photography-themed looks at life in New York City are offered in a new I, Paparazzi story from Pat McGreal and artists Stephen John Phillips and Steven Parke; and a Scene of the Crime original from Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark that finds a photo from September 11 playing an important part in a widow’s recovery.

Other tales pay tribute to some oft-neglected aspects of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. The sniffer dogs at work at the World Trade Center site are celebrated in a Krypto story from Jeph Loeb, Carlos Pacheco and Jesús Meriño, while the unexpected team of Rick Veitch and Sergio Aragonés offer their take on a little-noted sort of heroism that has taken place every day since the 11th. The dreams and idealism of children in the wake of September 11 are well represented in stories by Eddie Berganza and Kyle Baker and a one-page piece by Tim Sale (from an idea by Chuck Kim). Even DC’s Executive Vice President & Publisher Paul Levitz writes two stories, one illustrated by Joe Staton and Bob Smith, the other by WildStorm’s Jim Lee.

Volume 2 features moving chapter-break artwork from Glenn Fabry, Dave McKean, Christopher Moeller, Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, John Bolton, and John Van Fleet. Dave Johnson, Neal Adams, Dave Gibbons, Phil Jimenez, Lee Bermejo, Alex Horley, Ariel Olivetti, Danijel Zezelj, Michael Wm. Kaluta, José Luis García-Lopéz, Klaus Janson, Colleen Doran and Richard Corben are among those contributing vivid standalone pieces to this incredible volume. SC, 8×11, 224pg, FC $9.95