Posts tagged Wonder Woman

Lay down your arms, lay down your lives.

August 22, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

The word of the week is ‘sacrifice’, ladies and gentlemen. It’s more trendy than you think, in superhero comics. But sacrifice can come in many flavors, and not all of them are obvious the first time around.

As always, we’re kicking ladies’ week off with the cutest little lady in comics, Maxine Baker! Okay, her dad’s here, too. His sacrifice was that of blood, blood unwillingly given to Brother Blood, which gave him access to the Red. Meanwhile, Maxine continues her search for her brother’s soul. While I can’t say that I’m losing interest in this book, the inclusion of the media, truly America’s greatest tier of leech, has been rather irksome. I mean, I go out of my way to ignore celebrity junk in real life, I don’t need to be reminded of it in comics.

Self-sacrifice is a Supergirl tradition, it seems, but this time was different. This Supergirl was different. Honestly, the New 52 Supergirl has been…grating, at times. She’s quite hard to like, and I think that was deliberate. To match her family, I suppose. In this issue of Supergirl, Kara (again, unwillingly) makes the ultimate sacrifice, her flesh dissolved, scrubbed clean of the Kryptonite poisoning, and reconstituted into the flesh of the man the Cyborg Superman once was, Zor-El! Heh. I just…I don’t even know who I’m trying to fool, here. Ever since the H’El on Earth stuff, I’ve been so lost. That’s the thing with crossover books, you get so lost so easily if you don’t follow everything, it’s absurd. I’m not going to drop Supergirl again, not just yet. But this issue has officially sparked warning bells, and that’s not a good thing.

There’s self-sacrifice, and then there’s sacrifice of self. Ignoring your own ideals for the greater good is one of the hardest things a person can do, and that’s why I’ll never take heroes like Batman seriously. The sheer amount of self-righteous bullshit that writers have managed to stuff into one character over the years is overwhelming. Diana knows that there are other answers, ways to stop an enemy without ending their life, but sometimes…sometimes killing is all that’s left. The Firstborn still lives, but barely. The God of War is dead, long live the Goddess of War. 

You can never empathize with a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Kate Kane gets that. That’s why she turned the needle on herself. Dosed herself with Fear Toxin in order to fully understand what she’d put Maggie through. All the heroes I’ve talked about today have sacrificed their bodies in one way or another, but Kate? Kate sacrificed her mind. Well done, girl.

I’d like to issue a formal apology. I’ve not done a whole lot of reviewing, lately. My mind has been other places. My heart hasn’t been in it. Sometimes, I’ve just had nothing worth reviewing. These are, of course, excuses. But here is a promise: so long as I am able, there will be new content every week. Have a good weekend.

Leave a comment »

Support your supporting characters!

July 18, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

I’m not going to lie, I was a bad girl this evening. Yesterday, the new DC animated movie Flashpoint Paradox was leaked onto the internet. Today, I finally made up my mind whether or not to watch it early. My thoughts on it, directly following my viewing of it: “Oh my god, I am so going to own this movie when it comes out. I’m going to put it in a deep frame and write on the glass, ‘break in case of joy’.”

The movie itself was…well, it didn’t even ring true to the amazing failure of a story that was the Flashpoint comic, and frankly, my favorite bits were the parts that were added in for the movie. It’s a good waste of 90 minutes, if you’re not a hardcore Flash fan. Because when you are…the clusterfuck of character timeline inconsistencies in the opening twelve minutes was enough to send me into minor fits of rage. Just saying. Anyway, onward to this week’s comics!

You know, I’m going to count it. If Animal Man keeps coming out in the third week of the month, it can still be considered a ladies week comic, as it has been focusing pretty heavily on Maxine in the last couple of issues. Good. Frankly, I like her best. The innocence of a child coupled with the instincts of a hero and the powers of a god? Yes, please. This month we see Animal Girl’s first real failure, as she finds that she is unable to bring her brother back to life with just a body, she needs his spiritual essence as well. Oh, and her dad fights these animal men monsters who work for Brother Blood. That’s also a thing that happens.

I was beginning to feel like the writers on Supergirl were having a bit too much fun playing up the ‘lost girl from another world is confused about everything and blindly trusts those who offer her a way home’ angle, so it’s good to see that she’s learning. “When am I going to learn? Boys offering Krypton are not to be trusted.” H’El used her…something, I wasn’t exactly following that storyline, Cyborg Superman was using her memories. Next time on Supergirl, Lex Luthor, masquerading as his own son with a head full of luscious red hair, offers to build her a time machine in exchange for some of her DNA. Shit, I’d actually read the hell out of that book. It’s not like DC is above reusing stories and themes from 1994 these days, am I right?

A moment of silence, as my very favorite New 52 character has died. Lennox, we hardly knew ye. But moving on, New Genesis, wowza. I’m not as intimately familiar with the New Gods as other people I know, so I don’t really have much to compare to/complain about. That being said, it’d be freaking fabulous if a friendship founded on mutual respect were to form between Diana and Orion, as the one that previously existed between Diana and Clark is clearly not going to happen in this universe.

Hey, guess who’s Kate’s fighting this month? Trick question, this is a Bette issue! Ah, little Bette Kane, finally growing into her own. Not trying to copy her cousin, or her crush, fighting grown men as practice, planning her own extraction ops. Even though I’ve been reading about this character on an off for over a decade, it’s only now that she really feels like someone who could hold her own issue. Hawkfire isn’t the name of a supporting character, so the world better watch out.

Phew. I kind of feel like I last-minute-half-assed that. I hope not. Anyway! Trinity War continues this week, a new Batman and book came out, oh and if you’ve not been reading Batman Beyond Unlimited, you should start. There’s a new Batgirl in town, and she’s going to be taking exactly none of your shit. In other news, it’s just past 3 am and I felt my brain start shutting itself down half an hour ago. Goodnight, everyone. And to those of you reading this from a line at SDCC, get some sleep already!

Leave a comment »

It takes a New God to hold off an Old One. Wait, no, wrong mythos.

June 20, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

Welcome, dear friends, to the first actual goddamn post I’ve done all month. I’m sorry, I really am. I’ve been so lazy, and it’s mainly because I’ve been generally disappointed with the cape comics scene. I’ve spent a lot of time and a bit more money than I really should have catching up on comics like Chew and Sweet Tooth, re-immersing myself in the closed-off worlds of done in one graphic novels, and just reading books again. DC has made me so frustrated with their lack of good superhero stories, that I’ve gone and sought outside sources. Heaven help me, I’m even reading a couple of X-titles again.
But today is a good day.
I’m always pleased to have my ladies week, and another favorite book is even on the roster, today!

It seems like DC doesn’t know what to do with Animal Man these days. It’s almost like…they don’t want the book to succeed. Between moving the release date of the issue from the first week of the month to the third and the fact that they’re in the habit of not soliciting the title on their website until the week of release. Seriously. It’s quite frustrating. Then there’s the stuff that’s actually happening within the title itself. Cliff dying, Ellen taking Maxine and leaving, the Red ejecting Buddy while allowing him to keep his powers, Maxine stepping into the role of Animal Girl…it’s been a busy few months since the end of Rotworld. And it’s not looking to slow down anytime soon! This issue has Buddy suiting up again to look for the abducted pets of local residents, with disturbing results. Meanwhile, Maxine agrees to begin her training within the Red, so long as she’s allowed to look for her brother’s essence as she works. But the most interesting thing, to me at least, is the random insertions of the points of view of regular citizens via DC’s version of Twitter. Hardcore Animal Man fans, media gossips, haters, and normal folks posting their #animalman sightings, all chiming in on the current events in our hero’s life. Not since the early days of Booster Gold and the New Teen Titans have we seen the media be so omnipresent in the life of a superhero. Could random paparazzi attacks be more hazardous than fighting actual supervillains? Only time will tell.

It’s a little disheartening to see just how easily tricked Kara is. I mean, I understand why she’s so easy to fool, but it’s still upsetting. She’s a girl alone, adrift in a universe full of strangers, her only relation a baby cousin that’s outgrown her and treats her like a child. She’s fresh-off-the-boat in the most cosmic sense, and until recently, she wasn’t even able to speak the common tongue of her newly chosen homeland. So yeah, anyone who offers to give her back even the tiniest piece of Krypton is going to be accepted with open arms. Wide open, incredibly naive arms. This time around, it’s a robotic planet called I’noxia. When given the right amount of information, this planet and its inhabitants can become any planet and people they choose. And to a girl dying of Kryptonite poisoning, the idea of spending her final days among her people must seem pretty sweet…even if the planet itself is controlled by a robotic version of her cousin. A Cyborg Superman, if you will. Also in this issue is the always-interesting Siobhan, whose main nemesis these days seems to be a rogue toilet clogged by a rude neighbor. You give him hell, honey. As always, Supergirl makes for an enjoyable read, and now is as good a time as any to jump on, what with this being the first issue of a new story.

You know you’ve got a good comic when it can make you laugh out loud one moment, piss you right the hell off the next, and end on a note that about makes you pee with excitement. Oh, hello Wonder Woman. Were your ears burning? So, right then. We’ve got a godly dog pile on our hands, and the bottom pup is named Firstborn. Woof. Diana, Lennox, and even Orion can’t put a dent in this guy. Then again, he’s a god. He’s the firstborn child of Zeus and Hera, the rightful heir to the throne of heaven. And he wants to destroy the world. Worse, he has the power to actually do it…so long as he’s got his bouncing baby prophecy-fulfilling brother on his side. Gonna be honest, I’m glad the months and months of barely-there plot concerning this guy finally came to a head and kicked off an actual storyline. And now to the bad news. A moment of silence, friends, for my favorite New 52 character, Lennox. It’s highly unlikely that he’s dead, but on the off chance that tumbling through a Boom Tube to kick the Firstborn right in his grizzled and scarred (yet somehow still conventionally attractive) mug didn’t off him, well, I don’t foresee him spending much longer among the living. Not if Cassandra, yet another sibling with a revengerection pointed directly at him, has anything to say about it. Oh! Actually! Speaking of! Blonde woman, with the metal throat? That’s Cassandra. He actually raised her from the time she was young, after she accidentally killed her mother. He was the one that ripped her throat out, after it became apparent that she wasn’t the type of person who should have the power to command obedience from anyone who hears her voice. So, he raised her, and then he abandoned her, this blonde woman named Cassandra. HM, I DO WONDER. Oh right, and then the Wonder crew ends up on New Genesis. I’ll give you three guesses on who I hope to see next issue, and the first two don’t count.

(it’s Big Barda and Mister Miracle, that’s who I want to see)

You know, it usually annoys me when a title sets up a big cliffhanger on which they plan to begin a new storyline…and then takes a break for an issue to focus on something else entirely. But not today, and not with Batwoman. Why? Because how often do we really get stories focusing on Killer Croc where he doesn’t come out of it looking like a punch line? This issue…I’m reminded of the Killer Croc issue from the second Joker’s Asylum mini. In both, his motivation for action is the love of a woman. In both, he comes off as human, rather than the monster he’s usually shown to be. Underneath the skin condition, Waylon Jones is still a human being, though since his brush with Medusa, he’s so much more. With Abbot dead, Waylon is chosen to be the next leader of the Church of Crime’s animal men, so long as he avenges their fallen by killing Batwoman. He doesn’t succeed, of course, but still manages to get away and assert his dominance as their new leader, anyway. His first act? Get the hell out of dodge and settle down someplace that will be safe for all of the remaining animal men. Good job, Waylon. That’s sure using your noodle.

And that’s this week in comics! Also out this week is Vibe, which I managed to miss yet again because I’m too fucking nice and gave the last copy, that I was literally holding in my hand, to an older gentleman who only gets out to the shops every few months. Sigh. Also of note, the latest issue of Green Lantern: New Guardians is out, and with it comes an Indigo ring, for those planning on collecting the new ring line. It’s fairly late now, and the rain is making me sleepy. I’ll see y’all back here next week for Flash, Young Avengers, and Batman Inc!

Leave a comment »

A woman’s house is her foe. Fortress. Wait, what was that first thing again?

May 16, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

DC, we need to have a serious talk about your priorities. As some of you may already be aware of, DC announced its decision to cancel Dial H and Demon Knights yesterday.

Monday, I decided that I was going to start reading Demon Knights, because so many people have recommended it to me.

But really, that’s neither here nor there right now. It’s the third week of the month, which means, you guessed it, ladies week is back! I really get excited for this day, you know. I mean, I’d prefer it if the titles were more spread out, rather than lumping them all together on one day, but it gives me a nifty way to coin it, so I’ll not complain.

First up, Supergirl! If there’s one thing to be said about Supergirl, when your sidekick is a sassy talking house, you can’t be doing too poorly. Until, that is, said house decides that you’re a clone and tries to kill you. That one can kind of lead to a pretty bad day. So, Sanctuary is the villain of this issue! Poor Kara, the girl just can’t catch a break. So, good things about this issue: the dialogue between Kara and Peeg is very natural and relaxed, even when it’s very obvious that Kara is under a lot of stress. I hope this leads to more interactions between my favorite Super-women. Then again, Helena and Damian met a few times, and that ended sort of…yeah. Bad things about this issue: They were fighting a…you know what? No. That’s awesome. It’s silly and campy, and it shows off both Kara’s strength and tactical brilliance, when she puts her mind to it. Supergirl fought her house in this month’s issue of her series, and it was fantastic.

So, I feel like I should mention, Lennox is Cassie Sandsmark’s father. It’s pretty obvious that the creative teams on Wonder Woman and Teen Titans communicate, because there’s no way that a panel like this:

Image

(from Teen Titans #19) could exist without that happening. Why do I mention that? Because Lennox really hates taking care of kids. No, lemme rephrase that. He seems to hate being responsible for lives other than his own. He’s a brawler, but ever since Diana ‘joined the family’, he’s been playing babysitter. Whether it’s for Zola, her baby, Zeke, or even Hera, he’s been having to watch out for someone weaker than himself, and it’s driving him crazy. Now, some of you may be wondering why I’m talking so much about Lennox, when this issue barely has him in it at all. Well, he’s basically my favorite character to come out of the reboot, and I feel like I never talk about him. The meat of this issue of Wonder Woman has Diana beating the crap out of her older sister, Artemis (as in the moon, not the blonde Amazon that was Wonder Woman for ten minutes once), and then some more politics among gods. It’s a good, solid issue that showcases both the strength and cunning of our protagonist, while setting up the next issue at the final pages. The Firstborn is finally entering the fracas! Oh, and as it turns out? The woman he’s been chilling with is family, too! Man, I remember hearing that in Greek mythology, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting one of Zeus’ kids, but damn!

I feel like I haven’t been talking up Batwoman enough, lately. Wonder Woman is about a family of gods, so I feel like it’s always a good idea to end on a family of mortals, and there’s no one out there more mortal than Kate Kane. Her sister, on the other hand…but I’ll get to that. The triumph of Batwoman is that it exists. No, really. How many books with female leads have been cancelled since the beginning of the reboot? How many books have come and gone, yet this one persists…and thrives. It doesn’t hurt that the story itself is based almost entirely in pre-reboot canon, and that aside from bearing the name and the logo of the Bat, Kate has very little to do with him. The series hasn’t crossed over with any other book yet, so far, though characters from other books have come in to play. Batwoman, as a series, is a standalone book that sells. It’s usually in the top 100 comics on any given month, and its creative team is exclusive to it. Batwoman is a prime example of DC doing a book right the first time (though if I’m being perfectly honest, I really do miss Amy Reeder on the art). Onto this issue. The DEO’s reason for entering Kate’s life is finally reaching its endgame. In exchange for the privacy of her family, and her recently-reborn sister, Batwoman is going to unmask the Batman. The Batwoman family joins together for the first time, and Christ on a bike, this new arc is going to be incredible.

My wrists are dead from five hours of typing (don’t ask), my brain is dead from three hours of sorting, and I really, really hope that all of this made some semblance of sense. I’ll be seeing y’all next week when we take a look at Flash, Batman Inc, and Young Avengers. 

Leave a comment »

The best thing about being a female superhero is that you get to punch a lot of dudes in the face.

April 18, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

Welcome back to ladies’ week, one and all! Yes, I know it’s technically Thursday again, but I have a very good excuse!
…
No I don’t, I got distracted reading a trade of Locke and Key. Which, by the way, I totally recommend. The fifth issue of Omega should be coming out soon! In any case, we’ve got three books to look at this week, and about an hour before my brain enters its nightly routine shutdown, so let’s get cracking!

Oh my word, life is sweet again. So, Supergirl. At some point, she apparently died. Yet another thing I missed from H’el on Earth. She and Power Girl both have Kryptonite poisoning, because they are psychically connected, another thing that has yet to be explained. I mean, I’m not even looking for a big speech about altverse selves or the hows and whys of a thing like this happening, just tell me why they didn’t seem to have this power from the beginning of the reboot. I mean, Peeg has been here since the beginning, in Mr. Terrific, and Supergirl has had her own series since the first wave, but this psychic connection is only just appearing? C’moooon. In any case, this is probably the best issue of Supergirl since the H’el on Earth story started for three reasons: 
1. We get to see the two Karas kick ass together.
2. Since I don’t read World’s Finest, I finally got to see the running joke that is Peeg getting her costume destroyed every battle in action.
3. All that costume destruction was leading to something:

Image

 

The blue boots and boob window are back, baby! Power Girl is in my top ten favorite superheroes of all time, and is probably my favorite DC superheroine outright. She’s intelligent, articulate, funny, fun, and she’ll beat the snot out of you if you say otherwise. The costume she was put in for the New 52 was…atrocious. She has a P on her chest. Her name is Power Girl, and she has a big P over her boob. No thank you. Welcome back, boob window. I missed you. 

Technically, this issue of Wonder Woman could be called a cool down issue. There were no big battles, no one was eaten, and the pages were filled with plot-driving dialogue. And then this happened:

Image

 

Image

Image

I approve! See, the point of this sequence wasn’t ball humor, but asserting dominance. Diana is the leader of this merry band of misfits, and Orion was disrespecting her at every turn. This little chain of events was basically her way of saying, “I am the boss. Since you don’t seem to be responding to threats, I’m going to speak the language you understand: physical pain. Do not try my patience again.” Problem is, Orion, like Diana, has an alpha personality. Lennox may talk a big game, but he still showed throat in the face of his sister’s obviously superior might and training. It’s a pack mentality, y’all. Diana embarrassed Orion in front of people who were below him in status, so he pulled bitch and ran. That’s, uh, probably going to come around and bite her in the ass, just saying. In our secondary storyline, Poseidon and Hades have joined forces against the first born…and the kingdom of heaven. That’s one thing about gods in comics. No one ever gets along! I mean, how long has Loki been trying to kill Thor, now? In any case, Hades betting that Diana will be the one to defeat the firstborn instead of Apollo is an interesting twist. Obviously, Azzarello hasn’t forgotten about the love arrow subplot he set up during the hell issues. I still want to see that explored, damn it. Oh, but going back to Diana and Orion. I’m finding it funny how the writer is trying his damnedest to set the Wonder Woman ongoing as far away as physically possible from everything that’s going on in Justice League, with their kiss being the crowning jewel in the fuck you letter to those in DC creative and editorial who’ve been pushing the hell out of the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship. And once again, I approve.

 

J.H. Williams, please come back to Batwoman as an artist. Blackman can handle the writing, your talents are needed elsewhere. I’ve been trying to get used to Trevor McCarthy, but he’s just not doing it for me. In any case! This issue doesn’t have a singular focus, spending equal time with Maggie, Cameron Chase, Jake and Katherine Kane, and Kate. While Maggie struggles with the aftereffects of Scarecrow toxin, Cameron grapples with a moral dilemma, seeking the council of her estranged sister. Jake is forced to explain to his wife the exact nature of his relationship to Bette and Kate’s vigilante careers, with encouraging results. Kate and Bette take on Shard, then decide to not work together anymore, as Bette feels like she cannot trust her cousin. And in the end, it all leads back to Beth. I’ve heard people call this book the soap opera of the Batman books and, you know what? Who cares? Yes, Batwoman is character-driven. It also happens to be the smartest, best-paced, and best-focused of the Bat-books, mainly because it has yet to fall victim to crossover fever. I respect that in a book, and it’s the main reason that Batwoman is currently the only New 52 Bat-book I lay down money for.

That was this week in comics, it’s almost 5 am, I need to drink an entire bottle of water. Red Hood and the Outlaws officially changed creative teams this week, go ahead and check it out if you’re looking to torture yourself. Kid Flash also has a guest spot in Vibe, something I didn’t learn until after I got home, which means I’ll be making a phone call after I get to work later today. Tune in next week for…stuff. Things and stuff. Probably Flash and Young Avengers and something else. Goodnight, everybody!

Leave a comment »

Team Estrogen, go!

March 21, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

Hey, you know what day it is? Well, obviously it’s Wednesday. But do you know which Wednesday it is? I’ll give you a guess: dicks. Nowhere are there dicks.
It’s ladies’ week! Four books, and I’m excited for every last one of them! Let’s not waste any time, and jump right in.

One thing I’ve liked about DC Universe Presents, is how it gives me the ability to pick and choose what I read. So if I’m not interested in Deadman, the Challengers of the Unknown, or Vandal Savage, I can just skip them and pick up the single Kid Flash issue, and nothing is lost. I’ve actually picked up three issues of this series so far, the Kid Flash issue, the Arsenal issue, and the new Starfire issue and…I hate to say that the characters have all been handled much better here than they were in their own books, but yeah. They have been. Not that it was too hard, as the writer of both the books these characters come from is Scott Lobdell. I mean even Fabian Nicieza (Kid Flash) is easier to stomach than him, and the amazing Joe Keatinge (Arsenal, Starfire), half of the current Glory team? C’mon, you’re kidding, right? In any case, enough creator praise. The Starfire story in today’s issue is, amazingly, not another retelling of her origin. I guess it was decided that five times in one reboot was more than enough. Instead, it’s a story of Koriand’r before she made it to Earth, before she became the captain of the Starfire, but after she escaped enslavement. It’s interesting to read, Keatinge’s interpretation of her. Not my favorite by far, but interesting nonetheless. Here, Kori is a freedom fighter, who seeks to free a village from the threat that is the slavers…but they don’t want her help. DCUP is one issue from over, as the series was cancelled some months back, so pick up the remaining issues while you still can.

Ugh, and here I thought H’El on Earth would no longer apply to Supergirl. Okay, it’s no secret that I don’t like crossover events, and that’s mainly because, every so often, something like this will happen. When did Kara get Kryptonite poisoning? Probably in Superman, Superboy, or Action Comics. SIGH. In any case, Lex Luthor has a robot brain and facial scarring, Kara is psychically connected to Earth-2 Kara, and I am so done with this book for right now.

This issue of Wonder Woman was odd, to say the least. For one thing, two separate artists worked on it, making the visuals a bit difficult to flow with. I’m not sure I like Goran Sudzuka’s  style very much, at least not for Diana. For another thing, that firstborn of Olympus storyline is still going strong, even though the search for Zola’s baby storyline ended this issue. It feels a bit detached, like it should belong in a second feature, rather than intermixed with the main story. That being said, a few things were made clear this issue, such as Orion’s douche maneuver in the bar last issue. God, just pat her shoulder next time, buddy. All in all, it was a good end to the arc, and I can only hope that things get better for Zola from here on out.

J.H. Williams, please come back to Batwoman on art. Please? Not that Trevor McCarthy isn’t fantastic, because he is, but he’s not quite the right fit for Kate. In this issue, the Batwoman family extends, and the DEO officially become the villains. Hey, remember that time Bette Kane finally got her wish of being Robin? So she goes by the name Hawkfire, she’s still the sidekick to a bigger Bat, and she’s still the funny one. I like the chemistry between the cousins, they work well together, even if they both have different voices in their ears. Jake Kane is still coaching his niece, and Cameron Chase is still ordering around Kate, but they both seem to be displaying a certain lack of control over their charges. Good. Beat the system, ladies! Oh, by the way, Maggie said yes! Remember? When Kate asked her to marry her? Well, she said yes, and they’re looking for an apartment to share before they get married. Ahh, I love a happy ending, don’t you?

That was this week in comics! By the by, Requiem continues, sort of, in Nightwing, if you feel like being sad about Damian Wayne again. Saga also came out today, and holy cow. If you’re not reading this book, you’re obviously living in a very small town whose comic shop only orders from DC and Marvel, and I am very sorry to hear that. See y’all back here next week, when I cover Young Avengers, Batman Inc, and the start of a new story arc in Flash!

Leave a comment »

In which my Wednesday is full to bursting with Amazonian might

February 21, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

I’m not going to lie, folks, this is my favorite week of the month. Yes, it’s a little sad that the majority of female-lead books came out today (Catwoman, Sword of Sorcery, and Birds of Prey came out too but shh, I didn’t tell you), but…no. Come on, DC. You have nine books with female leads out of your fifty-two, and one of them is a team book. Six of them should not be coming out today.

In any case, Supergirl! Once again, I really can’t say anything about this book, though I’m fairly sure that H’el on Earth is almost at an end, so we should be back to normal next month. Wonder Woman makes an appearance here to fight with Kara, and ignoring the weird storyline it ties into, it’s actually a really cool sequence. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure Diana shows up in all of the DC books I bought today. So at least DC is finally starting to utilize her?

 Something that has annoyed me about the Superman/Wonder Woman romance that DC has been shoving down our throats is, it’s only really talked about in Justice League. Now, I no longer buy Justice League, but from the big fuss with the Young Romance Valentine’s special and all the online stuff they’re doing, I assume that it’s supposedly going strong? Meanwhile, over in Diana’s own series (which, by the way, is a dollar less than Justice League and actually worth the money), nothing. Superman and Steve Trevor haven’t been mentioned once, with the book focusing more on Diana’s quest to retrieve Zola’s baby from the gods that stole it. And you know what? I like that better. Yes, I love it when a series focuses on a romance within the story, but not when it’s the defining trait of any particular character. It’s why I love the Kate/Maggie relationship in Batwoman so much, Maggie is a cop first, and Kate’s girlfriend second. In any case, this month’s issue of Wonder Woman brings our motley crew (thank you Lennox) to the bar that Zola and Hera had absconded to, to have a drink with War. And then it’s off to Demeter’s realm for the god and demigoddess, to take on Hermes and try to solve their situation once and for all. I haven’t mentioned it much, but I’m actually fairly invested in where this alternate ‘first-born of Zeus’ plotline is going. I assume that he’s being set up to be the series’ next villain, but you never know.

Oh gosh, there were so many good parts in Batwoman this week. I feel like an excited kid on her birthday, and the present I just unwrapped was a trip to Islands of Adventure. We finally, after seventeen issues, reach the conclusion of the missing kids storyline! This is a big deal for me. I’ve been rooting for the safe return of those kids since day one. Medusa is vanquished, Ceto is free to live her life in obscurity, and even our little vigilante that could is back with a brand new identity, socking it to the villain that laid her low. I’m going to miss Bette’s Flamebird identity, mainly because it was just so amazingly flamboyant. Not since Nightwing was in disco feathers has a nonpowered hero been so…garishly awesome. Still, Hawkfire? Great name, great costume, and the girl shoots fireballs from her gloves. Fireballs that sometimes take the form of a bird. Hello, I love you. Finally, the Kate and Maggie and Batwoman storylines all meet. This moment, I feel, can only be shown, not described. After bringing the missing children back to Maggie, Kate reveals herself, through her words, and asks,

Image

Of course, not everything is peaches and cream. A moment of silence for Mr. Abbot, who nobly leaped to a pretty pointless death at the eyes of Medusa. And guess who’s back, after years of being assumed dead? Well, maybe not years…unless you’re a comic book fan who has been waiting since 2009 to read a real conclusion to the story in question. That’s right, welcome back, Alice! This issue was basically perfect, and left me squirming in anticipation for next month.

And so ends another week. If you’re into that sort of thing, DC Universe Presents focused on Arsenal this month, and it was actually pretty good, especially the art by Ricken. See, DC? Roy can be interesting when Lobdell hasn’t got his mitts on him! Secret confession: You know who I’d like to see take over Red Hood and the Outlaws? Judd Winick. Yeah, that Judd Winick. What can I say? He wrote Roy well in Outsiders, and was the one to literally breath new life into Jason Todd. If anyone could make that mess of a series work, it’d be him. Saga also came out today from Image and if you haven’t been reading Saga, seriously, start reading Saga. I’ll be back next week with Flash, Batman Inc, and Young Avengers. Good night, moonies!

Leave a comment »

Comings, goings, continuings, and chicks

January 24, 2013 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Welcome one and all to an ending. Two endings, in fact. If I’m going to be completely accurate, two endings, a beginning, and several continuations. This week marks the end of two books; the Before Watchmen mini-series Minutemen, and the young adult book not quite allowed to reach its peak, Blue Beetle. Meanwhile, flip the coin to the Marvel side, and the Young Avengers are back! With…well, you’ll see. 

Let’s start with Minutemen. Last issue, we saw that Hooded Justice might not be as noble as we’d always presumed. This issue…well, I’m not quite sure how to explain it. It’s certainly a roundabout plot, something that could only really be concocted by someone as cracked in the head as the Comedian. The man who had been kidnapping and killing children? Not Hooded Justice, but a circus strongman. Possibly the same strongman who had tormented HJ in his youth, if a picture found by the Comedian after he murdered him is any indication. I’m not a fan of the Comedian. Never have been, probably won’t ever be. At best, he is a murderer and a maniac, a sociopath on Uncle Sam’s payroll. At worst, he’s a scum of a man. A rapist. The type of person children tell scary stories about. Masquerading himself as a hero, wearing the colors of the nation he calls his home, lying in his very name. And that’s what this book came down to, in the end. A lie to keep truths from being printed. A massive, all-encompassing lie that ended the life of a possibly innocent man. And guilt, a lifetime of guilt for a man the world knew as a true hero. Did the ending of Minutemen disappoint me? No. Yes. Sort of. The legacy of this world’s first masked heroes was many things, but it was never happy, or glamorous. Of their team, one died of a stupid mistake. One was murdered because she dared to love. One, supposedly, killed himself. One was murdered because of who he was. One was murdered in revenge. One ended up in an asylum, wasting away in an addled haze. One lived a near-perfect life, until it became clear that her nature was going to have her end up completely alone. And finally, one was murdered by people he once fought beside. No matter how pretty or poppy or gritty or psychedelic the art is in all of the Before Watchmen books is, the stories will all end the same. With tragedy. Because Watchmen is not, nor was it ever meant to be a happy story. The villain wins, people die, and they thank him for it. Because that’s what it is. That’s Watchmen.

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s having feelings about guys named Blue Beetle. I’m gonna be honest with you, folks, for a while? I hated the new Blue Beetle comic. In the wake of Ted’s death pre-reboot, it took me a long time to come to grips with Jaime having the scarab, but once I did? I loved the kid. He was, and still is, one of my favorite teen heroes. He filled a hole in the DC universe that I didn’t know we had. He was the everyman. He kept no secrets from those he was closest to, and his great power trip was being a dentist, so that he could make sure that his parents and sister would have good lives free of debt. That was the Jaime Reyes I got to know, and love. The New 52 version of Jaime was…not that person. His series was initially disappointing, falling back on strange plot twists and odd guest stars. Tony Bedard was attempting to imitate Keith Giffen and by god, the man was no Keith Giffen. Still, as the series progressed, a strange thing happened. Bedard found his voice as Jaime and slowly, I began to care again. And now here we are, on the brink of a new series written by the man who gave us Jaime in the first place. The final issue of the Blue Beetle series was fairly eventful, but that wasn’t the point. The point was the message Jaime sent to his parents, and sister, and friends. Pretty much any comic fan would be willing to pick up Threshold. It’s full of aliens and space adventures and characters we thought we left in the old DCU for good. But the message Jaime sent out, coupled with the fact that The Hunted is, as Jaime said, an alien’s Battle Royale, was meant to hook us, the Jaime fans. We love this kid. We’ll follow him anywhere. Now, I didn’t actually get to pick up Threshold when it came out last week, as it wasn’t at either of my local comic shops. But as soon as it’s available, you can bet your ass I’ll be getting it.

I’m not sure what’s going on in Supergirl anymore. Unlike with Death of the Family, where I don’t actually have to buy all the books to know what’s going on, all of the H’El on Earth books interconnect to tell one ongoing story. I kind of hate that, because until the story ends, Supergirl is just another Super-book to me. 

The cover of this month’s Wonder Woman made my skin crawl. I live in South Florida, and we’ve got fruit trees in our backyard. One time when I was younger, I fell asleep in a lawn chair near our mango tree, and I woke up covered in little fruit flies. And that’s why Diana’s other brother, Milan, is officially the creepiest member of her family that we’ve met so far, to me. However, he’s also the one who has proved himself the most useful. Hermes is hiding Zola’s baby with Demeter, and the child is said to be the beginning of the end of the universe. Meanwhile, Zola and Hera have a drink with Ares. I’ve said before that the way the various gods are presented is one of my favorite things about the Wonder Woman book, and that hasn’t changed. Strife is back! And she brought Dionysus! Sigh, and here I thought I couldn’t love this book any more. It’s no secret that my favorite reboot goddess is Strife. I mean, that design! That sarcasm! We last saw her months ago, on Olympus. In the words of…someone, most likely, what brings a lady like that to a bar like this?

I need a moment. I just need a moment to sit back and process everything that happened in Batwoman this month. First off, we’re finally given the skinny on Medusa. The threat we’re looking at is no story, or fake. This is the real damn Medusa, daughter of the goddess Ceto, who she’s bringing back in a big way. A big, destructive way. The art and the layouts go together beautifully, as usual, but it’s something more. I really feel like we’re seeing J.H. Williams’ full range, finally. We know he’s fantastic at drawing beautiful women and majestic backgrounds, but holy shit are his monsters and destruction scenes incredible. Like I say every month, if you’re not reading Batwoman, there is clearly something off about your choices. It’s easily one of the best books out right now.

The last time the Young Avengers had an ongoing series, that wasn’t a mini connected to a crossover event, I was in high school. Let that sink in a moment. It has been almost a decade, eight years, since the first Young Avengers series wrapped at a grand total of twelve issues and one special. Since then, they’ve crossed over with the Runaways, twice, had their name stolen from them by Norman Osborn’s Young Avengers, gone on a series of little adventures, fought alongside the actual Avengers to protect the world from Asgardians, and had a bit of a ‘disassembling’ of their own, which ended with the deaths of Stature and Vision. Patriot has quit, Iron Lad has gone full evil, and lord only knows where Speed is. Kate Bishop is running around with Clint Barton, and Billy and Teddy quit the heroing thing. So, who are our new Young Avengers?

Kid Loki, Marvel Boy, Kate, someone named Miss America Chavez, and reluctantly, Billy and Teddy. Okay, I can work with that.

Kid Loki is just coming off a very, very emotionally-charged run on Journey Into Mystery that I need to read, though a friend on Tumblr insists that doing so will destroy me emotionally. Noh-Varr, also known as Marvel Boy, is a Kree warrior who actually already had some contact with the Young Avengers, back during their Civil War crossover with the Runaways. He was an Avenger, briefly, and apparently likes rock from the 60s. You go, Noh-Varr. Miss America Chavez is…new? Okay, according to Wikipedia, she appeared in the limited series Vengeance, which I literally have never heard of until now. Her character design is excellent, though. Okay! To the actual issue. I’m going to do a full play by play of this, because I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book since it was announced. That’s a nicer way of saying MASSIVE SPOILER WARNINGS FOR YOUNG AVENGERS #1

The issue starts off with shipping, a half-naked, disgustingly hot alien, and a Skrull attack. I’m in love. I mean, the simple fact that on the credit page, they note what Noh-Varr was listening to (and wow, what excellent taste in girl groups he has. The Ronettes? You go, Kree) has me over the moon. So I’m easy to please, want to fight about it? Ughhhhhhhhhhh Billy and Teddy just gave me cavities. This is Kieron Gillen’s writing? This is what I’ve been missing from my life? Hell to the yes. Not particularly fond of their new designs, mainly because I’ve been utterly spoiled by the likes of Jim Cheung and the amazing YA fanartist CrisArt, but Jamie McKelvie has been doing a good job otherwise. I think it’s just Billy’s hair that irks me. I mean, wow. Gurl look at that hair part. Gonna be honest, this is the first time I’ve read anything with Kid Loki and Miss America Chavez in it, and I’m not sure if I like them. Never been a huge Loki fan in the first place (sorry Hiddlestoners!), and a kid version feels kind of…weird. Still, I assume I’ll change my mind once I get my mitts on his JiM run, right? God, someone needs to tell me all the issues I’d need for Kid Loki’s JiM run, because I need to know if i’m supposed to hate him or not. Because so far, I just. I love Noh-Varr a lot because I’ve loved Noh-Varr a lot since the Young Avengers/Runaways Civil War crossover, but I didn’t think I could love him as much as I do right now, dancing to the Ronettes. And I love Kate, because Kate is badass and so smart and so confident. Pilot an escape pod? No prob, I’ve never done it, but I can totally do it. And Billy and Teddy are just so. They’re just so. They’re perfect. I mean, they’re not perfect, no one is. But their chemistry and dynamics are just so wonderful, and they’re being written so well. Because that’s something that wasn’t really brought up at the end of Children’s Crusade. Teddy was just kind of, okay enough. And Billy was like, okay, and then they became Avengers. But now they’ve quit again? Also, weren’t they somewhat engaged? Or did I misread that? Back to the comic. Oh dear, Billy literally caused a disturbance in the Force that Kid Loki could feel. Hm hm, posturing, fight scene, ya ta ta…hello! Okay, wasn’t expecting that! So, Billy used his powers to go surfing the multiverse and pulled a successful Booster Gold; pulling Teddy’s mom out of an alternate universe just before she was killed. Except…he seemed to have pulled a very different version of her, a version that can apparently touch someone with her melty fingers and pull a Plasmus on them. Gross. Also, a moment of silence for Billy’s adoptive parents, because this is a Marvel comic and no one is allowed to have parents. 

My verdict? I liked it. Teddy’s mom is being set up as their first villain, I have a feeling that Kid Loki is set to be the main villain, and I really want to know how Kate Bishop ended up hooking up with Noh-Varr. That seems like it would be an interesting story.

It’s almost 4 in the morning, I’m completely brain dead, and my right eye keeps falling shut. Next week we’ll be covering the Flash, Batman Inc and uh…I’ll find something else. Maybe. Hopefully. Stay gold, kids.

Comments (1) »

Ladies Week! Don’t call me ‘hero’, baby!

December 20, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

I read something interesting the other day. A wise person said, “Stop reading comics you don’t want to read, stop buying comics just because they have your favorite characters in them.” They’re right. It’s midnight, on Thursday. I’ve literally spent all day putting off touching my new comics, because three books that I did not want to read were covering the ones I did. So you know what? Nope. Nope. I don’t want to read any more Death of the Family crossovers. I don’t want to read Legion of Superheroes. Francis Portella draws an amazing team, but damnit, I haven’t been interested in these guys since they went back to being the Original Legion instead of the post-Zero Hour Legion I grew up on. So, I’m not going to. I have $9 worth of comics sitting to my left that I’m going to pass off to one of my friends who likes Batman. Go team.

In other news, I think I’m just going to initiate Jaime into the estrogen club, because I can’t rightly keep calling this Ladies Week with him penising up the joint. This issue is the next to last one and…wow, that’s poorly thought out. How the heck are they going to wrap up a giant space storyline in one issue, especially after Lady Styx was suddenly brought in? Okay. Look. Jaime, we need to talk. You’re a wee bit too trusting. Just a bit. Alright, a lot. Come on, kid. You’ve got common sense, use it. You’re many, many sectors away from your home, you just blew up the Reach’s utility planet, you’re hanging out with a wanted criminal (whom you accidentally hit on within ten minutes of meeting him), and you’ve got a dead guy seriously warm for your form. If I were you? I’d just go with Lady Styx’s representatives and hijack their ship.

Like I said last month, so long as Supergirl is entangled in the H’El on Earth storyline, I’m not going to bother with a review for it. Aside from Kara learning English, there probably isn’t going to be anything from this story that’ll effect the rest of the series past this crossover, so really, why bother? I know it sounds a tad cynical, but think about it. Did Night of the Owls really affect anyone other than Batman, in the long run? The fallout from Death of the Family is probably only going to really be shown in Batman and Suicide Squad, maybe in Batgirl. I say maybe, because with the new creative team, who really knows? What I’m trying to say is, this crossover will not change the status quo in Supergirl, and that’s what matters to me. Also of note, as of two issues ago, Mike Johnson took on sole writing duties. Hm. He hasn’t done a bad job so far.

I started crying while I read Batwoman. Over and over I have to remind myself, Kate Kane may be the title character, but she’s not the only hero in this book. Batwoman, as a book, is so much more than just Kate Kane. Batwoman is about Bette Kane. Jake Kane. Cameron Chase. And Maggie Sawyer. So often in the year this book has been running, Maggie is put on the backburner. Shown as the frustrated girlfriend, the failing cop. The strong woman who care so much for so many that she can’t bring herself to let a single missing persons case fall to the wayside. When the bullets are flying, and Batwoman and Wonder Woman are too busy with the big, scary monster, Maggie Sawyer is there. She’s fighting for the people of her home. She’s fighting to bring a husband back to his wife, to bring children back to their parents. And I started crying because, thank you, thank you, thank you DC. Thank you for leaving me one. You’ve taken away so many, but thank you for leaving me one significant other that is just as strong as her superhero mate. Thank you for leaving me Batwoman.

I can’t. I spend a lot of time being able to accurately express my feelings for the newest Wonder Woman title, but this time, I can’t. Because…I love the New Gods. I’m loving Diana’s family line. I mean, her brother, upon meeting Orion again after heaven only knows how long, greets him with a friendly headbutt. Which he requests. And Orion’s like, oh, no problem bro. Let’s do this. And then there’s Zola and Hera’s interactions. And just, Lennox. I usually rank Wonder Woman as my fourth favorite title, under Flash, but I think that this arc might be bumping her up some. We shall see as time goes by.

Sometimes I wonder why I’m still writing this thing. It’s really just a vanity blog, me spewing my opinion out onto the internet. But honestly, I do the exact same thing on Tumblr, on a daily basis. So why here? I don’t know. I am Touch of Grey. It’s only just Thursday. I think I’m going to go make myself some eggs.

Leave a comment »

Don’t mess with the e(S)trogen!

November 22, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

Due to the uninspiring art and sleep-inducing storyline, I plan to drop Legion of Superheroes from my review list for a while. Welcome back to ladies week on the ToG Blog, comic fans! And when I say ladies week, I really mean it. Four books to go over today, three of which are female-lead.

Let’s get the testosterone out of the way first. Blue Beetle has gone from being one of my least-favorite books I still buy to being the teen-superhero book I recommend to people…after Supergirl, of course. It’s like Tony Bedard woke up one day and realized he’d never be Keith Giffen, and he’ll certainly never be the kind of writer who could get away with grim and gritty-atizing a fun character like Jaime. So he shrugged, watched a few episodes of Batman: Brave and the Bold, and went from there. Not a bad fit. Anyway, Sky Witness? I’m sorry honey, but you and Khaji-Da are never, ever getting back together, and you really need to come to grips with that. I could write forever about that nut, but lucky for me, I don’t have to. I’ve got another nut to focus on. Khaji-Kai has had a taste of freedom for the first time in years, and it launched him off cuckoo plateau. Because yeah, sure, let’s blow up a planet. That’s cool. Though, I’ve got to hand it to him, uploading the different armor skins Jaime could use to Khaji-Da was pretty inspired. I mean, speed mode? Freaking adorable, I just wanna cuddle him. Still, ditching your new pal to fly off with a black market trader, even if it is on accident, is kind of a jerk move, Jaime. Especially because you might have killed him.

I’m really planning on writing off the next few issues of Supergirl, so long as the H’El on Earth storyline is going on, mainly because I don’t plan on picking up Superboy, Superman, or Action Comics. They don’t interest me in the slightest. However, there are some things worth noting from this issue. Wee bit of a spoiler alert, but Siobhan is turning back into the Silver Banshee, whether she wants to or not. Then there’s Kara’s compassion towards Kon, whom she, er, didn’t exactly meet under the best terms the first time around. Finally, H’El has given Kara the ability to understand, and possibly speak, English. Way to go! That is literally all that I’m going to remember about this issue!

Stick a fork in me, I’m done. I can’t praise Batwoman highly enough. I’m not a fan of magic, and lord knows I’ve tried to be, but I am a fan of kickass woman with unshakable spirits and wisdom that puts most others to shame. Kate his never been better than now, because she’s trying to live up to Diana’s expectations. And Diana has never been more magnificent, doing nothing more than being exactly who Kate thinks she is, a Wonder Woman. Maggie Sawyer and Harvey Bullock are also given semi-center stage as part of the front line in combating Medusa, who has decided to just storm the heart of darkness, the city of Gotham herself. Damn, between the Joker and a barrage of man-made mythical monsters, the city is having a pretty bad week. Let’s not even start on the newly-made hydra downtown. I’m trying my best to be coherent, because my other option is to just smash on my keyboard frantically and hope words come out. It’s hard.

Wonder Woman is the book I pretty much force on people new to comics. Because unlike books like Batwoman, Supergirl, Animal Man, even the Flash, her comic is a fresh start. Completely. Her origin is revised, but her core personality is intact. And best of all? She isn’t boring. The last time I was able to say that about Wondy, I was about ten years old and reading the Perez books I found in the library. They were, at the time, thirteen years old. But enough about that. We get to hate Hera again for a little bit as Siracca and her mother’s final fates are revealed. Well, not ‘final’. Not really. As a demigoddess, Siracca isn’t really good at dying and staying dead, after all. Still, Diana proves that her godly ability is to make pretty much everyone love her and want to help her, so after a short, pointless fight interlude, Siracca agrees to help her locate Hermes. Too bad she sort of failed at it. But no matter, Diana is off again on the hunt for yet another sibling, Milan of New York. I wonder how long it’ll take before someone is directing her to her unnamed brother, the firstborn son of Zeus. You know, that naked guy in the arctic. Ooh, and on the closing pages, we get a better peek at Orion! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m totally pumped to see New Gods in the pages of DC again. Their story came to an unfortunate end for absolutely no reason back in 2007, and I’ve missed them dearly.

Well, that’d be this week in comics. The new issue of Glory is also out, you should totally grab a copy. Oh, right, and Death of the Family also continued in Catwoman today, I guess you should get that if you’re intent on following the whole story. In any case, it’s past midnight and I’ve yet to really eat today, so I think I’m going to go do just that. Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers, see you next week to everyone else.

Leave a comment »

« Previous entries
Next Page »