One Perfect Moment: Steve and Wulf, The Forty-Niners

[halloweenjack]

This is from the America's Best Comics Top 10 prequel, The Forty-Niners by Alan Moore and Gene Ha. The story concerns the early days of Neopolis, the superhero-only city that was founded after World War II. One of the major subplots involves Steve Trainor, the young aviation hero known as Jetlad (think Airboy) and his growing awareness that he's attracted to Wulf of the Skysharks (think Hendrickson of the Blackhawks). This scene takes place at the end of the story, after Steve has helped save the city from Sharkey, the PTSD-afflicted former head of the Skysharks who had attempted a military takeover of the city.







Is Wulf's prediction accurate? Well, here's an image from fifty years later:

Comments

[brandiweed.livejournal.com]

That's really awfully sweet.

[arbre_rieur]

I loved this graphic novel was Top Ten itself was only lukewarm for me. I'm not sure why.

[neev]

Oh gosh that final image. I'm all awash with d'awwwwwwwwwwwww. So freakin' cute. Kinda want to pick up the rest of this comic now.

[suzene]

Oh, do! It's sooo worth it.

[endis_ni]

Go for it! Your brain will thank you.

[icon_uk]

Wulf and Steve made a lovely couple at any age.

[blackruzsa]

That long a time for love is ALWAYS gorgeous. :D

[icon_uk]

There's a nice moment in the last part of the original Top Ten series after they break up a sleazy paedophile sidekick ring, and Steve talks to Wulf about it when he gets home, and they discuss the age difference back when they first got together and though Steve/Jetlad WAS very young at the start (despite being a veteran pilot war hero already) they are quick to realise that there is a fundamental difference between them and that is that they genuinely loved each other.

[glprime]

Also that, as we see in The Forty-Niners, Steve struck up the friendship with Wulf, Wulf said, "I'm gay, I like you, let's not act like straight friends here, kay?" and then they had a mutual relationship.

Whereas the Young Sentinels were being, y'know, sexually molested against their will (though some tried to argue/excuse that there was an incentive thing, with the fame, money, resources given to them for their "service").

Still, totally different setup, Traynor. Totally different.

[blackruzsa]

I would love to see that D:

[kiev4am]

Aw, this book. I love this book! It's really the book that got me seriously into comics again after a long break. I'd read Watchmen and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and V, but I had no idea Moore was capable of such sweet, unironic, uncynical storytelling. I read this prequel before the main 'Top Ten' series and then carried on. The Forty-Niners deserved every bit of the critical acclaim it got - the artwork is incredibly beautiful (love that muted, sepia colouring), the concept of a postwar Neopolis is gorgeously atmospheric, and the storyline is simple but really affecting. One of my favourite graphic novels.

[geoffsebesta]

I thought "Hein" was French, not German, and would be totally mispronounced if you tried it with anything but French. As far as I can tell it totally hinges on the "h" being silent and the "n" being (practically) unpronounced, so that's just how the French spell "eh."

[halloweenjack]

Could have been a typo, and was actually supposed to be "nein".

[geoffsebesta]

Easiest no-prize ever, eh?

[joysweeper]

Aww.

Huh. The title hasn't been put on s_d before?