Pre-Crisis Primer: Fill-In Vigilante

Vigilante 17-18

“Father's Day”

I love how the handle is shiny, but not the blade. That shit is rusty.

Admittedly I'm only making this detour from our usual 'Pre-Crisis Primer' titles because Alan Moore wrote it, but we were introduced to both Adrian Chase, DA as well as his vigilante alter-ego, uh...Vigilante, in previous stories so it makes sense to do a bit of follow-up. It doesn't hurt that 'Father's Day' is an excellent story that introduces readers to some heavy conflict, well-written characters, and completely deflates the way Vigilante runs around thinking he's solving problems.

Alan Moore was not the 'regular' writer of Vigilante at the time this story saw print. Regular writer in the sense that the same writer is writing successive stories, similar to what Moore is doing with Swamp Thing, which was coming out alongside the Vigilante title. 'Father's Day' is what's referred to in comic-book parlance as a fill-in story. With how comics are produced today (today, for future reference being the early days of 2013), fill-in stories are a thing of the past. Now, how is this possible? Well, glad you asked dear reader. Up until recently (let's go with roughly the year 2003), comic books were run as just another periodical, which means the most important aspect of the book was shipping the damn thing. If a series' regular team, the writer and artist creating most of the issues on a monthly basis, fell behind in the schedule, that's when a fill-in was called to task. Fill-ins are usually one or two issues that primarily exist not to drive the main plots, or even sub-plots, of the series forward but only to keep characters and plot swimming in place until the regular team can get back on schedule and back in the business of telling their stories. Nothing terribly important happens in a fill-in issue; a reader can even skip a fill-in issue and not miss anything relevant to the main characters or story.

He's gotta make sure he gets dressed before rescuing the damsel.

As comics 'grew up' and grew out of the periodical business in the sense that the monthly issue became less important than the inevitable collected edition (meaning a trade paperback collecting, usually, four or more issues that comprise one whole story; for the pretentious: graphic novels), the fill-in disappeared. With the focus on 4-8 part stories, (how many stories we've seen thus far go for that many issues?) comics evolved in production to where most titles do not have a regular artist, but a rotating cycle of artists who work on one story with a regular writer. As I mentioned before, stories are longer and also less connected; meaning that main plots and sub-plots usually wrap up in a single story rather than being carried between several stories in a series as we see with Batman or the Teen Titans. Sort of a similar to a novel. Neither good nor bad, but I do prefer older-style monthly comics. Big surprise, I'm sure given the focus of this blog. I'm full of surprises.

'Father's Day' is both a relic given how monthly comics are produced today as well as a rarity in the realm of fill-in issues as it attempts to introduce some very powerful changes to the main character. I enjoyed this story so much I was wishing I had other issues in the series just to see if the developments here are followed up with at all. I doubt it, but damn if I'm not interested.

To sum up quickly: the story is about a man, Carl Linnaker, just released from prison, eager to reunite with his daughter and not going to let a little thing like his estranged wife get in his way or anyone else who crosses his path. The murders attract DA turned Vigilante Adrian Chase who takes on the task of both rescuing the kidnapped little girl as well as bring the murdering madman to justice. He's joined in this task by a woman, Fever, who's friend, Louise, was killed by Carl. Working together to navigate the New York neighborhoods, Fever and Vigilante finally track down Carl and his daughter. Carl is killed in the altercation and everyone lives happily ever after.

Vigilante: winner of the 'leap into a small pistol' medal.

Well, the ending may have been a bit too simplified.

Instead of being another example of the superhero going up against an evil being and triumphing much to the adulation of the masses, readers are treated to a more even-handed approach to typical conflict.

The city eats Vigilante alive. He's so naive.

The focus of the story are the two newly-introduced side characters, Fever and Louise. Roomates and best friends, Fever makes money by growing and selling marijuana from her apartment while Louise works as a prostitute. Normally portrayed as victims or villains in comic books, both characters are the most sympathetic and even-handed in the story. Louise shows the most kindness to Carl's daughter, where Carl or Vigilante react to her as something to own, the Macguffin to the story; Louise actually treats her like a human being going through a traumatic experience. After Louise is killed, Fever is the only character to react to murder on an emotional level. What's collateral damage to Vigilante is a life that meant something to Fever.

 Vigilante is hesitant to work with these characters in the beginning of the story, after all, they're criminals right? In Vigilante's world, on is either innocent or criminal. His worldview leaves no option for another classification. He also finds it hard to navigate the neighborhood that makes up the setting of this story, seemingly lacking any kind of street smarts. People he tries to question regarding Carl's location think he's a lunatic for wearing a hood and costume in broad daylight and at one point his bike is stolen. Fever does most of the sleuthing and navigation.

When Carl and his daughter are finally located, Vigilante picks a fight almost immediately, the conflict ending with Carl dead. Unexpectedly, Carl's daughter is furious and upset that her father is dead. There is no adoration in Whoville for our friendly neighborhood vigilante. 

When murder doesn't solve all your problems....

Not every conflict can, or should, be solved with fists and not every solution requires a fancy costume. The story ends with every character I a worse place than when they started and Vigilante alone in his apartment. Do things change after this? Does Adrian Chase become more tolerant of people. Less likely to flat-out murder someone for what they have done?

I'm not sure, like I mentioned before I do not have another issue in the series, but from what I understand is that, regardless of what this fill-in tried to accomplish, or the growth introduced to the character, none of it stuck. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me, I would love to have some more information. Regardless of any larger impact, like most of Swamp Thing, I whole-heartedly recommend these stories as they constitute an amazing short story.