Archive for September, 2011

They’re supposed to save the BEST for last, what the hell?!

September 29, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

A very small week, compared to the rest of the month. Five books, one of which is a, gasp, Marvel. I don’t know why I’m acting so surprised, mainly because it seems like Kick-Ass 2 is going to be running on time now. Shall we get down to it?

It’s not often that I pick up a comic that makes me curse out loud but damnit, Kick-Ass 2, you’ve managed it. Cop-killing, child-murdering, rape, and various other acts of gore are splashed across the pages of the fourth issue of this series, and I don’t know if I love it or hate it. On one hand, such violence doesn’t really bother or offend me. On the other hand, the former Red Mist (I’m not using his ‘supervillain’ name, because it’s stupid) hunts down, gang-rapes, and beats up a girl that he believes to be dating Kick-Ass…on false information. It’s not just offensive, it’s gross. Though I will admit to enjoying the character Mother Russia. She’s refreshingly bloodthirsty, yet shows no emotion while committing deplorable acts of violence, as well as being paid for her services. I’m torn on my feelings for this issue, but I wouldn’t recommend it to the faint of stomach.

Justice League Dark was…odd. It’s a magic title, that’s the first indication that it wasn’t going to exactly be normal, but then it’s also DC’s way of pulling older Vertigo characters into the DCnU. Namely, John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, and Shade the Changing Man. The story centers around Enchantress going insane, and Xanadu needing to pull together people strong enough to fight her. The first issue is basically a setting up issue for the rest of the storyline, but it’s still pretty good in itself.

I was sort of wary of the New Guardians book, just by idea. The promo shots have all shown one Lantern of each Corps either working together, or fighting each other. The Lanterns are as follows: Bleez from the Red Lantern Corps, Glomulus from Agent Orange, Arkillo from the Sinestro Corps, Kyle Rayner from the Green Lantern Corps, Saint Walker (who wasn’t actually in this issue) from the Blue Lantern Corps, Munk from the Indigo Tribe, and Fatality from the Star Sapphires. The issue starts with Kyle Rayner’s origin from when he first became a GL. The years quickly pass as all across the galaxy, Lanterns of the different corps lose their rings, and said rings make their way to Earth, seeking out Kyle Rayner. And then the brawl ensues. You know, I like this issue. It’s an interesting concept, that Kyle Rayner has been chosen to be the sole guardian of the emotional spectrum. and that the people whose rings were taken don’t want him to be. The art is spectacular, the Kirkham/Batt team really know how to draw women. And the writer is Tony Bedard, who I’ll probably keep throwing money at so long as he’s writing books set in space. So long as the next issue keeps up the quality, I can see myself reading this book for a long time.

Right off the bat, before I even open the issue, let me tell you what I don’t like about the new Flash series. For starters, the last Flash series starring Barry Allen wasn’t that great, and the sales reflected that. It was dull, the supporting cast was next to nonexistent for the first arc, and the second arc had everyone wondering why the fuck Barry was being so distant from all the people he supposedly loved. Newsflash, Barry my man, ‘dark and brooding’ doesn’t work on a character that wears bright red pajamas and had his nephew for a sidekick. What’s my point? If the last Flash series starring this incredibly dull character didn’t do well, why are you trying again? And, as an added kick, they’ve made it so that he and Iris were never married. Okay, this I take a major issue to. If Barry and Iris were never married, how does Kid Flash exist? It can’t be Wally, because de-aging him and putting him back in the yellow tights is a big FUCK YOU to everyone that worked on his series, or spent time developing him as a character. And it can’t be Bart, because that’s basically telling us that yup, Barry and Iris are going to end up together anyway, which would make every relationship he cultivates in this new series completely moot. Anyway, enough of my bitching. Time to open up the first issue of the brand new Flash series and see what I think.

Okay, the introductory credits are pretty cool, credit where credit is due. Francis Manapul is a ridiculously talented artist and, while his Barry and Iris looked very young for their ages in the last Flash series he drew, the style fits here. Barry is supposed to be a man in his late twenties, and it shows. The story, when focusing on Barry and not the women in his life, is actually really interesting. Barry is at a tech symposium when it’s robbed, and one of the wannabe thieves is killed in the escape. As it turns out, said thief is actually an old college friend of Barry’s, which is a shock to him. The bigger shock comes later in the issue when Manuel, the supposedly dead man, shows up at Barry’s apartment, alive and well. The twist at the end of the issue was something I kind of called as soon as I saw that Manuel was alive, but it was still a good reveal. Overall, this seems like it could make for a good story. Who knows, maybe putting Francis Manapul in the writer’s seat was good for the series. Maybe Geoff Johns, who was also writing Blackest Night, Brightest Day, Green Lantern, and a Superman mini over the course of his run on the last Flash series, simply had too much on his plate to write a good Barry Allen story, and removing him from the equation will let the series flourish. Whatever the case, Francis Manapul’s Flash has definitely made me proud to be a fan of those who ride the lightning, for the first time in a while.

And this is what it all leads up to. Teen Titans was one of the first comic books I’d ever read as a kid. Well, New Teen Titans back issues. When I finally had the money to start going to comic shops and browse on my own, the book had switched casts completely. Though it only ran for two years, the ’96 Jurgens Titans team is still one of my favorites. Actually, I have a soft spot for younger teams. My very favorite ongoing series is Young Justice. Like the earlier New Teen Titans issues I’d devoured, Young Justice was made up of a set group of teenagers and, aside from adding some supporting cast members like Red Tornado, Snapper Carr, and agents Fite and Maad, the team basically stayed the same for the six years it ran. I wasn’t as impressed by the next Teen Titans team that formed from the Young Justice kids, probably because Geoff Johns was again, taking on too much work (his run on Teen Titans was also when he was writing JSA and Flash), though I really loved the One Year Later team…under the pen of Sean McKeever. But now my babies are being written by Scott Lobdell, who is also the writer on the (now infamously funny/bad) Red Hood and the Outlaws, and Superboy. Hmm. Interesting. Lobdell is writing the Superboy ongoing, and the character of Superboy is going to be in Teen Titans, which he is also writing. Hopefully he won’t get Johns syndrome, which I just made up. Basically, when Geoff Johns was writing Teen Titans, the character Kid Flash would also show up periodically in the Flash book he was on except…maybe it’s because he assumed that kids act differently around their friends, but the Bart Allen in the Flash series was a lot more likable than the Bart Allen in Teen Titans, at least from my perspective. Anyway, enough introspective, it’s time to read this new book.

I hate the world.

No, no, let me explain. This attention-grabbing Kid Flash? His personality was lifted from Teen Titans Year One’s Kid Flash. Except, in the scene with Tim and his magic screens, it clearly says that his name is Bart Allen. Whelp, looks like Barry’s meaningful relationship with Patty Spivot has been shot dead at the starting line. Oh, and speaking of Tim’s magical spy-screens, current recognizable kids on the radar include: Gar Logan as either Beast Boy or Changeling, Virgil Hawkins as Static, M’gann M’orzz as Miss Martian, Raven, Man-Bat’s kids (which, I’m honestly surprised that they still exist when so many other characters don’t), that Bunker kid, someone from Star City (Mia?), Kiran as Solstice, and a girl who could be either Traci 13 or Black Alice, though I’m more inclined towards saying it’s Traci. But back to the story itself. So far, Tim is the obvious star of this series and right off the bat, it looks like his love interest is going to, once again, be Cassie. No, not Cassie. I don’t know who this chick is, but I know she isn’t Cassie Sandsmark. Another thing. Why have all these shiny new characters on the cover when none of them show up? Ahh whatever. I’m going to stick around, mainly because I want to meet these new kids. If I don’t like them, I’m gone.

I’m Touch of Grey, this was the last week of the first month of the reboot, and I need to go lay down. Stay tuned, as I’m going to post my official reboot Want and Do Not Want lists within the next few days.

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Waiter! There’s a Marvel in my DC!

September 22, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Nine books this week! To be honest, I’d assumed it was only eight, but that was because I’d only checked the DC website. However, I was thrown a happy curveball when I got to the comic shop and, lo and behold! Children’s Crusade! Now before I start anything else, let me just say that the books out this week have a 60% chance of making me rage. That’s a pretty high chance of rage, you guys. Let’s hope I do not need my red ring.

Wow. Birds of Prey was really, really…bad. The art was pretty, but just like with Justice League, pretty art doth not a good book make. The story is weak as well; Black Canary is wanted for murder, so she and her friend are putting together a team…for some reason. Seriously, what’s the motivation behind that? This is the worst start to a series, honestly.

Man, we go from worst to best in the blink of an eye! Nightwing was awesome. It doesn’t seem to tie into the new DCU, because it distinctly references Bruce Wayne’s death and Dick being Batman. Since leaving the mantle of the Bat behind, Dick has once again taken up his old Nightwing identity, and moved into his own apartment. I do hope that Tim and Damian guest star in future issues, just because they have such great chemistry as characters and brothers. But meanwhile, in this first issue…uh oh, I sense a time traveler plot. Nameless villain of the first arc says that Dick Grayson is a murderer, but that he isn’t aware of it. Yeah, that kinda screams time travel. Ah well, the rest of the issue was good.

And right back to rage. What the fuck was up with Catwoman? This book was utter shit! The art was next to terrible, the writing was, well, it was Judd Winick. That’s really all I need to say. In this book, Selina Kyle is portrayed as a nymphomanic with a severe clothes allergy. Who happens to steal things. No, I’m not joking. I can’t even talk about this series any more. It’s just…terrible.

I have mixed feelings regarding Red Hood and the Outlaws. On one hand, it’s the orgy book. Kori has slept with both Jason and Roy. It’s also funny, with the opening 8 pages making me laugh out loud several times in a row. The art is also gorgeous, so that’s a big positive factor for me. But on the other hand, Kori’s personality has done a complete 180, the latter half of the book where the plot comes in is totally confusing, and while it references that Jason used to work for Batman, it also hints that he had a whole other life with something called the ‘All Caste’. This is definitely a book I’m going to keep reading, if only because I want to know what the heck is going on.

I’m not sure how to feel about Legion of Superheroes. While Legion Lost has a definite DCnU feel to it, LoSH feels like business as usual. And business…isn’t all that great. I don’t know what it is about Paul Levitz’s Legion, but I just don’t like it all that much. I don’t have any complaints about this book, but I don’t really have anything to praise it for, either. It just exists.

You know what? I like Peter J. Tomasi. He writes a good space book. I’m happy to see him back on Green Lantern Corps, which looks like it’s going to be a Guy and John book now. This series is one that definitely doesn’t tie into the DCnU, as it references Hal not being a Green Lantern anymore, and I’m sort of glad about that. The first story arc seems to be a lot like business as usual; someone out there is killing Green Lanterns, Guy and John round up a posse to track down the killer, yatata yatata. Still, it has good character interaction, and the art is alright. This book gets a pass, and it’s definitely one of the ones I’m keeping.

Supergirl feels like it’s going to be one of those ‘fish out of water’ books. She’s just woken up on Earth, with no memory of Krypton’s final hours, and she’s going nuts with her new powers setting in. She even thinks to herself that what’s happening has to be a dream. It’s pretty obvious that this isn’t the Kara Zor-El that we know and love, but that’s okay. This is a time of rebirth and renewal and, just like with Superboy, I’m willing to give this a chance.

Children’s Crusade is one of those books that I’m willing to wait for, it’s that good. Last time, Wanda not only got her memory back, but her reality-altering powers. With them, she restored Rictor’s mutant abilities, and this issue, she’s offering to do so to anyone who wants them. Only one problem, though. Scott Summers is being an impossible douche. Seriously, Scott. When someone offers to just go with you, and that someone has reality-altering powers that could erase you from existence and only wants to use them for good before you lock her away, you let her do whatever the fuck she wants. Did Scott do this? Nope. Instead, he fired on Magneto, which caused all hell to break loose and a big fight scene to happen. Wanda, for her part, decides to gather up her kids and their friends, the only people not trying to get her to go anywhere, and take them to Latveria. And then exposition and flashbacks happen, revealing how Doom was the one to give Wanda the Life Force power which is the root of her reality-altering powers. But then this happens: When joining together in a magic triangle to give all the mutants back their powers, Wanda accidentally transfers the power of the Life Force to Doom, whose first use of it is…to make himself hot again. Way to really stretch the imagination there, Doom. I want to see how this turns out, so hopefully, the next issue isn’t more than two months away.

I was really, really worried about Blue Beetle. According to interviews, Jaime is going to have to hide his activities as the Blue Beetle from his family, while his openness with his friends and family was one of the things I loved about his old series. But…you know what? This first issue isn’t bad. It has Paco and Brenda being Paco and Brenda, Brenda’s aunt is still La Dama, and Jaime’s parents still seem to have the same personalities. On the not so great side, however, Jaime’s personality is a bit more angsty-teenagerish, the Scarab is immediately revealed to be alien technology, and then there’s the little fact that Dan Garrett and Ted Kord do not seem to exist. The Scarab is said to have passed through many hands, but so far, neither former Blue Beetle looks like he was on that particular list of names. I’m not going to panic yet though. With the ending of the first issue the way it was, who knows how the next is going to play out?

And on that disgustingly undecided note, I’m going to bid you all adieu. For you see, I also picked up my copy of New Teen Titans: Games this week, and I plan to rub it all over my body before I read. You know, get my scent on it so that it’s publisher won’t take it back. See you all next week.

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Who has two thumbs and absofreakinglutely loves Batwoman?

September 15, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Nine books this week, hm. Nice to see that the reboot is continuing the time-honored tradition of having the second week of the month be full of books I want/have to look at. What do I mean by “have to”? Well, you’ll see.

Right off the bat, here’s a “have to” book. I don’t want to read Suicide Squad. I wasn’t a huge fan of the old book, the art looks alright if you ignore the fact that the costumes are horrible, and…I just don’t want to. But a couple of people I know have asked me to give this a look-through for them. These people are gigantic Harley Quinn fans and want to support a book with her in it, but are too scared of how bad this book could be to give it a chance, so they’re having me do their dirty work. Oh, what I do for friends. So let’s get to it. Suicide Squad, first issue. Come at me, bro!
…
Go back bro, go back. This book is just…okay, first off? They rip off part of V for Vendetta with the end. And, Savant? That’s supposed to be Savant?! And, and, criminy. Amanda Waller, remember her? Biggest, baddest, non-powered BAMF in the DCU. She’s hot now, apparently. I’m not happy with the new look for Harley Quinn, but the characterization is basically the same as when she first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series. It’s not a great book, with a lot of the “twists” being too predictable, but it’s not a monstrosity, either. Though seriously, someone get Harley a better outfit.

Deathstroke was a book that I was looking forward to, yes, but I was also sort of worried about. Since his introduction (or, alternatively, my introduction to him via New Titans when I was a kid), I’ve been a pretty big fan of Slade Wilson. He’s a badass of the highest caliber. Unfortunately, this new series decides it needs to tell us that. On the first page. Not the best start. Though the action, and thoroughly heartless actions of Slade himself, more than make up for it. This was a pretty good done-in-one first issue, with a ‘mystery suitcase’ that sets up future plot lines. I like it.

Okay, Resurrection Man is a damn good book. I never really read the old book, mainly because I wasn’t aware it even existed until it was over. I saw him back when he guest-starred in an issue of Supergirl, and I think I remember reading a few issues of his series with Hitman in them, but when it comes down to it, I know basically nothing about this character other than after he dies, he comes back to life with a new set of powers. This series, or the first arc of it, at least, seems to be about how both heaven and hell want Mitch’s soul. And you know what? I can roll with this.

Legion Lost is dreck. Total dreck. Seriously, this first issue makes absolutely no sense at all. Who is this villain? What was done to his kind in the future that would cause him to go back in time and try to kill the entire human race? Why kill off Gates and Yera in the first fucking issue?! I just, I can’t. I really hope the other Legion series is better that this festering pile of shit.

I have a question about the emotional spectrum. If the entire DCU has been rebooted, how do the events of War of the Green Lanterns still have meaning? Is Earth the only place that got rebooted? What’s going on? That being said, Red Lanterns is hilarious. I know it’s supposed to be a serious book, but the fact of the matter is, I’m seeing more of a sitcom in this book than anything else. Atrocitus loves his kitty, Dex-Starr, who is probably the most loyal of the Red Lanterns, if the final page is to be believed. Speaking of gratuitous splash pages, Ed “Tits n’ Ass” Benes strikes again! Not fond of Bleez in his style, gotta be truthful. But still, it wasn’t a terrible first issue, definitely looking forward to future issues.

So, um, back to my earlier question about how relevant any of the Green Lantern books are going to be to the new universe. In Justice League, Hal is clearly a Green Lantern. In Green Lantern, we’re going by the old DCU, and he’s not. DC, when you do a company-wide reboot, you cannot pick and fucking choose what you do and do not change. That being said, this was a great book to me, personally. I can’t stand Hal Jordan, so I like to see him kicked at every turn. And the final page, well, the sound you’re hearing is a thousand slash fans firing up their word processors.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I honestly enjoyed the first issue of Superboy. Save the outrage and hate mail until you’ve heard my explanation, though. This is not Kon-El. For that matter, this isn’t Conner Kent, either. The main character in this book is a clone of Superman and an unknown human donor with empathy issues, raised in a tube, and lives most of his ‘life’ via virtual reality simulations. He doesn’t have a name or an identity yet, other than that of “Superboy”. And you know what? He’s kind of endearing. He has no real concept of right or wrong yet, and the head scientist assigned to him may just be the human donor, making her his ‘mother’. The writing is solid, the art is pretty good, and the page of real-world Rose Wilson dialogue was worth the price of admission. Alright, DC. You have me completely sold on another book. Let’s see if you can do it again.

So much for a streak. Batman and Robin was once one of my favorite books. Dick and Damian had a dynamic that I enjoyed. They were brothers, father figure and son, partners. They trusted each other. Bruce, on the other hand, is just aiming to be as much of a jackass to his son as he possibly can. And in retaliation, Damian has reverted to his wilder, more violent ways. Bruce Wayne is a terrible father. You should realize this by now, DC. He wasn’t really there for Damian before he died, and his memory didn’t teach and inspire Damian after he passed. No, that role fell to Dick, who didn’t really have to do such a thing, but did it anyway. Originally, Dick took the role of Robin from Tim and gave it to Damian so that he could keep and eye on the kid. After time, however, I think Dick came to realize that having Damian as a partner was a better idea than having Tim as a partner would have been. Actually, this book raises yet another question about how dedicated DC is to this whole reboot thing. Damian clearly references the time he spent as Robin to Dick’s Batman, yet in the new DCU, Robin is supposed to be a sort of internship program. In the DCnU, Dick Grayson would never have been Batman. So…what’s going on here?

Let me tell you a little story about Batwoman. I owned every issue of 52, and eventually traded them in to just have the trades. I also own a copy of Batwoman: Elegy, as well as the issues of Batman and Robin in which she appeared, as well as a copy of Question: Five Books of Blood. I also have the promo poster from back when the ongoing was first announced, somewhere in 2009. It’s on my wall. In short, I loves me some Kate Kane. I have been looking forward to this book for some time now. Does it live up to my expectations?
Yes.
This book is just…I have no words. It’s everything I could want in a Batwoman book and more. On the Kate Kane side of her identity, she’s slowly but surely moving away from Renee and towards another officer of the law, Maggie Sawyer, whom she danced with at a party during Elegy. I’m glad for her. DC has this tendency to only let their characters have one real relationship ever. I call it the Black Canary Syndrome. Think about it. Dinah Laurel Lance was ever really romantically linked to one man, Green Arrow. There are tons of characters like that; even after her death, Barry Allen was only ever really linked to Iris (even if he was going to marry again, but that never happened), no one ever expected Superman to marry anyone other than Lois Lane, even if Lana Lang, Luma Lynai, Lori Lemaris, Lex Luthor, and whoever else with an LL name was hanging around, and no one ever expects that Hal Jordan will get serious with anyone except Carol Ferris, even though I think she could do better, personally. But I’m off on a tangent. Bette Kane has made a reappearance! For those not in the know, Bette Kane was a tennis player who had a hopeless crush on Nightwing, so she took on the identity Flamebird to try to impress him into loving her. She wasn’t a redhead, so it failed. Though Bette made her Flamebird identity infinitely more badass after she decided to stop fighting crime for love and start fighting crime for justice, she has never the less been stripped of it by her (elder?) cousin and remade into Batwoman’s masked assistant, Plebe. Speaking of characters long thought gone, the D.E.O. (Department of Extra-Normal Operations) is going back to Gotham with a new objective: discover the identity of Batwoman. Oh, and for those wondering how well this series was going to link to Elegy, it seems to come directly afterward. Kate is still mad at her father for having known that Alice was her twin sister, Beth, and has taken Bette on as a partner in his place. Now, I personally don’t think Alice is actually dead and gone, but that’s just me. Still, I hope Kate manages to reconcile with her father over the course of the series. Batwoman: the writing is top-shelf, the art is amazing, and the story is flawless. I foresee this as being one of DC’s top selling books for 2011. This is an amazing example of a Bat-book done right.

Well, that’s all I have to say about this week’s comics. In short, rush out and buy Batwoman while there’s a first printing running, but skip Legion Lost, unless you’re a diehard Legion fan like I am…or you want to torture yourself in some way. Anyway, it’s late, I’m hungry, and y’all are probably sick of reading. ToG out, folks. I’ll catch you here next week.

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It’s just so rebootylicious, I can’t handle it.

September 8, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

This is the first real week of the reboot, with a new universe to explore. I’ve got five of the books here, the ones that interest me personally, and I’m going to see if they’re worth the paper they’re printed on.

Hawk and Dove is not terrible. It honestly pains me to say that. The art is godawful, but the writing is actually very good, even if the plot so far is sort of odd. Some things from Brightest Day are still intact, too. For instance, Dawn and Boston are still dating, and yeah, he’s still dead. Crisis on Infinite Earths was referenced too, surprisingly. But Hank’s characterization is just…weird. He’s really, really angry all the time, and he seems to hate that Dawn is Dove. And apparently, Dawn used to date Don? Why she’s telling Deadboyfriend, I have no idea. Further the plot, I guess. Ah well. Still, this book has science politics and zombie monsters! That’s always a big plus for me.

I’m in love with Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man. I wasn’t even born during Grant Morrison’s run on Animal Man, so when I finally found issues of the title, it was from the Vertigo run, from the mid-90s. I didn’t like those issues much, so I never got an affinity for the character. I liked him well enough in 52, Countdown to Adventure, and the Rann/Thanagar minis, but he never really stood out. He was a guy with a family that happened to be a superhero, that was it. Hoo boy, was that the tip of the iceberg. I don’t have any kids, I doubt I ever will, so I can’t really understand the I-would-do-anything-for-them attitude a lot of parents are portrayed as having, but this is just…the ‘villain’ of this issue is a man driven mad by grief after the death of his own daughter, who takes a children’s ward in a hospital hostage. Buddy, who has been pretty inactive as a superhero, takes him down and saves the kids. But that isn’t the main focus of this issue. That’s not even the focus of this arc. Maxine, Buddy and Ellen Baker’s little girl, has animal powers, too. Only, unlike her father, her powers affect animals themselves. She brings them back from the dead.
Like I said, I’m in love with this book.

You know what I have to say about Justice League International? It could have been worse. It pisses me off that Blue Beetle was passed over for being ‘a rookie’ and that apparently, the entire JLI history has been stricken from the record, but this wasn’t terrible. Booster, while showing his trademark shallowness from the early days, still seems to have retained the credibility he had from his own, recently ended series. Gavril is just as ridiculously cute as ever, though they’re really playing up the ‘addled foreigner’ with him, and Guy and Ice seem to know each other, which may mean that they’re back together? This is a wait-and-see book for me. It’s pretty good, for a first issue. We’ll see if it holds up over time.

Oh my god, I’m smiling so hard. Three good books in a row?! What did I do to please you, oh comic book gods? Static Shock is hands down my favorite book so far. It’s just…holy crap. He’s talkative. He’s a science nerd. He’s got a good relationship with his family. You guys don’t understand. I own Rebirth of the Cool. I’ve read nearly every issue of his Milestone series. I’ve seen every episode of Static Shock. I loved him in Teen Titans. Static is hands-down one of my favorite comic characters of all time. And this book…I can’t even. It’s fabulous. Virgil is going to high school and interning at S.T.A.R. Labs in New York City by day, superheroing by night. His sister has apparently been…cloned? Eh. All I know is that there are two Sharons now, and that it hasn’t been explained yet. Also, for some reason, it looks like the Power Rangers are the bad guy for this first arc. What’s up with that? Anyway, odd villain choices aside, this book has me happier than anything else today.

I have mixed feelings on Batgirl. The new book, I mean. I’ve always loved the character, but my Batgirl? That was Cassandra Cain. I’ve read, and own, every issue of the first Batgirl series, as well as the second, starring Stephanie Brown. To me, the woman currently in the Batgirl costume will always be Oracle. Batgirl is a step backwards for Barbara Gordon. But…this issue was actually sort of good. Babs has some questionable dialogue, and a line a villain spouts, about her ‘spoiling’ everything, was sort of a twist of the knife to those of us who love Steph, but it really wasn’t terrible. There’s a Renee Montoya lookalike cop that shows up near the end, name of McKenna, but I have no idea where that can go. Oh, speaking of the ending, that pissed me off. Yes, it showed that Babs was traumatized by guns in a way that most people can’t even imagine, but at the same time, it was a kick in the face to the strength that makes her who she is as a character. And as for this new villain, Mirror, he’s sort of…dull. He hunts down people who survived accidents that ought to have killed them. That sounds sort of familiar, kind of like the plot of a Final Destination movie. I can’t really go and say I like this book just yet, but I don’t hate it.

That was this week in comics. I’m not going to give up and say I like the reboot, especially since two of the four comics I read could have existed in the old DCU. Heck, even the JLI book could have worked without a reboot. But what I’m trying to say is, I’m giving it a chance. I don’t love it, and I’m probably never going to like it as much as I did the old universe, but I can’t deny that it has its moments. This is Touch of Grey signing off. See you next week, same place, probably an earlier time.

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