Anarky # 1-4 (Ltd. 1997) (DC Comics) [COMICS]

 I was reading the Batman line when Anarky first appeared, and I was blown away by the character.  A brilliant teen libertarian/anarchist, Anarky really highlighted just how fascist and regressive Batman's brand of vigilantism could be.  I actually found myself rooting for the underdog even though I knew, of course, he'd ultimately be defeated--it was Batman's comic, after all.

I wasn't the only fan of Anarky, as the character went on to a four-issue limited series (discussed here) and then a short-lived ongoing.  Writer Alan Grant packs this limited series with deep dives into radically revisionist histories and accounts of social psychology, capitalism, and the state.  I like to think of myself as well-read, but there are some fascinating ideas in this little comic that I'd never considered before!  Honestly, I think many of the ideas here are more thought-provoking than we get in an ostensibly deep Vertigo comic.  Of course, Anarky is a mainstream ad-supported super-hero comic, so the interesting philosophy has to be fit into a story with brawls, demons, and Darkseid!  But that also means Norm frikkin' Breyfogle doing the art--nice!

Issue # 1 (re-)introduces us to Lonnie: 15 years old, rich, presumed dead, and obsessed with saving the world from its present slide into stupidity, oligarchy, and exploitation.  One might say the themes are even more relevant today than they may have been in the more-optimistic 1990s.  Lonnie/Anarky decides the best way to cure evil is to learn the cause of it.  To that end, he summons a demon named Blasfemy so he can ask some questions.  This attracts Etrigan's attention, and there's a battle and stuff.  Anarky ends up taking Blasfemy as a mindless servant.  I'm not convinced that this was an ideal context for Anarky to start.

In Issue # 2, a homemade teleportation device allows Anarky (and Blasfemy) to reach Apokolips so the former can witness true evil.  Darkseid could crush Anarky like a bug, but is intrigued by the mortal's ingenuity, and humors him--even going so far as to give him a class on the differences between Plato and Aristotle!  Anarky is allowed to leave Apokolips, and even has the temerity to steal some of Darkseid's powers.  Again, I really like the character, but I don't think the character works well in these more fantastical settings.

Issue # 3 has to feature Batman.  Realising that Anarky is alive and having him watched, Batman tries to turn the tables on Anarky but ends up captured.  Anarky's plan is to broadcast a signal that will affect everyone in Gotham to . . . I'm not sure--make them not evil anymore?  I'm fuzzy on that bit, though I have to admit Anarky makes a persuasive case that the status quo in Gotham is about as bad as it gets so there's not much to lose.  In a nice twist, although Batman breaks free, the signal is broadcasted.

What a great cover to Issue # 4!  The issue inside though is pretty weak.  Apparently, Anarky's device makes everyone tell the truth and makes them renounce violence.  But Scarface is immune, and somehow Gotham descends into cannibalism and concentration camps?  It doesn't make a lot of sense, and is then revealed to be only a dream.  Anarky realises he was wrong to try to force things.  Kind of a cliched (and defeatist) ending, and everything seemed very rushed.  A potentially interesting concept, but one that would need a lot more room to work.

Come for the interesting character and a cool bibliography, but don't have high hopes for the story.