Comic Book Issues

Comic Buzz: The Rebirth of CrossGen

2011-04-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

This post should have gone up a month ago, but I still think the series sound like they are worth checking out so I'm going to post this anyway. The first issues are already available, so check them out now!

Ruse
Creative Team: Mark Waid (W), Mirco Pierfedeici (A)
Marvel, miniseries, 4 issues, $2.99
Available now!

Sigil
Creative Team: Mike Carey (W), Leonard Kirk (A)
Marvel, miniseries, 4 issues, $2.99
Available now!

I was browsing the Marvel solicitations for March (months ago), which may surprise a few of you since I obviously have a bias toward DC. But I like looking at the solicits because, while I don’t want to dive into the Marvel universe right now for lack of budget and patience, there are some books Marvel puts out that interest me and are very accessible. And this month I found three solicits that jumped out at me as interesting. The first was the already plugged 5 Ronin. The other two were a pair of miniseries called Sigil and Ruse. Those who know more about comics than I do may recognize these names, but at the time I had no idea what they were. All I knew was that they both sounded really cool. Sigil had the added draw of being written by Mike Carey, author of one of my favorite comics the Unwritten. Ruse had the draw of being a Victorian detective story, and you know I can’t say no to that.

So since both were minis I figured I’d pick both up and I might not have thought any more about it. But later while I was browsing another internet blog that talked about the new solicits they mentioned the titles as well. The blog mentioned that these titles were Marvel’s first use of something called CrossGen. So being the curious creature I am, I searched for it on Wikipedia to see what this was all about.

I learned that CrossGen was a defunct comic book publisher that existed from 1998-2004. I learned about the many series that CrossGen put out that were all canceled when the company went bankrupt. I learned that the rights to those comics were bought by Disney, who then did nothing with them. After Disney acquired Marvel someone put two and two together and realized that Disney owned a bunch of comic book properties that they could possibly cash in on now. Marvel revealed last year that they were going to do something with CrossGen, and details trickled out slowly. The books would be introduced as their own imprint outside of the existing Marvel universe in order to help diversify the Marvel line.

Marvel is starting out slow with the re-launch. Sales will likely dictate if and when more titles are released and if we see more of these series beyond the minis. It’s also a good strategy as Marvel realizes that with the current economy most people cannot afford to add half a dozen new books to their pull list at once (I’m looking at you 16 Flashpoint miniseries). By going at a slow pace they allow new readers to try things out and allow old fans to pick up everything they want and not have to compromise due to their budget. Also appealing is that the books will have a $2.99 price tag.

When CrossGen existed I was reading Robin, but I always bought it from the magazine rack and I don’t recall ever seeing these books at the store. I didn’t know comic book shops existed, much less where to find one (how things have changed!). I’m rather sad about this fact, because there are many CrossGen titles that I can guarantee I would have bought if I had known they existed. CrossGen specialized in titles outside of the superhero genre, so called “genre titles” (a term I personally hate, since everything is part of a genre, mainstream or not). They had sci-fi space operas, sword and sorcery tales, Victorian detective stories, Bond like spy thrillers, and pirate tales among others. This is what I wish there was more of in mainstream comics and I would have devoured these books if I had known they existed the first time around. As it is, I am anxious to seek out some of the trade collections (that I’m hoping get new printings) and now I am interested in what Marvel is going to do with them.

Although CrossGen featured a variety of types of stories they did have a shared universe. This seems to have had a mixed reaction from the fan base (based on comments on the internet anyway). It seems like an interesting concept, even if it didn’t end up working out for some people. It appears that Marvel is keeping the shared universe idea, but not forcing the shared concepts that the line had previously (for example, one character in every book had to have magic powers).

This looks to be a reboot and not a continuation. Many fans of the original series will probably lament that the series they loved will still go without an ending, but it makes sense to keep things new reader friendly (especially with so many of the trades currently out of print). Although many will defend that the company went bankrupt more due to mismanagement and poor business choices than the quality of the titles, the fact remains that the company as a whole did fail. This is still a business move and Marvel is going to cherry-pick the concepts and ideas that they think can succeed for the widest possible audience. The preferences of the new creative teams will likely also play no small part in what is kept and what is reworked or cut out.

For example, Mark Waid was the original writer of Ruse and is returning for the Marvel relaunch. He is happy to be ignoring the shared universe ideas as the constraints they placed on the book never really fit into the story well (and he admits that he ignored them anyway the first time around). Waid describes Ruse as “about an arrogant, Victorian-era detective named Simon Archard, his partner, Emma Bishop, and their wild adventures debunking the supernatural," and that at its core it’s "a steampunk Sherlock Holmes with romance, witty repartee, and a hint of magic." This is pretty much identical to what the series was the first time around. Read more of what Waid has to say about the series here.

Sigil on the other hand seems to bear little resemblance to its namesake. The original was a sci-fi space opera, but the new book is described as an epic fantasy. Based on the solicit, this book seems to take the idea of the shared universe and condense it down into a single book. In the old shared universe characters in many books possessed a sigil (also the company logo) somewhere on their bodies that gave them special powers. There was a big crossover war that involved all the characters with the marks, but it was never finished due to the company’s bankruptcy. I doubt we’ll see the sigil mark in many (any?) of the other CrossGen books that trickle out down the line but it was important to the old books and it seems like this is Marvel’s compromise to the whole idea. After all, it was an interesting idea and it is a nice homage to the company this whole new imprint came from. Also interesting to note is that the main character has a very similar name (although a different gender) as the main character of the original series. And while Sigil may not be the Sigil of old, the second issues solicit ties directly into another old CrossGen title as the main character ends up on the pirate ship El Cazador. I would guess that this book will visit several of the old series as sort of a primer for other series to come.

Carey explains the series as “the story of a young girl who has inherited a unique talent and destiny from her dead mother and has also been enlisted without her knowledge or understanding in a war that spans all of space and time.” CrossGen is known for playing within many genres and Sigil follows that tradition; “Sigil is a sci-fi fantasy, a war story and in this opening arc it's also a pirate story.” Reading an interview with Carey this was referred to many times as the initial miniseries, implying that Carey already has plans for another if the pieces fall into place. You can find out more in this interview with Carey.

As we have one book rebooting very close to the original and one completely different I wonder what old fans of CrossGen think. Until the books come out fans can gush over this image. While on the surface it’s a teaser for Ruse, those items on the table are by no means random. I didn’t know without being told, but apparently many of those items are related to other CrossGen series. And I would have to assume that the series they chose to show on the table are not a random sampling of old CrossGen titles, but a representation of titles Marvel wishes to pursue. I’m sure fans will be speculating about this image for a while to come.

If you’re an old fan and your favorite series isn’t among the first to launch, you might consider picking up at least these first issues anyway, to show Marvel that you are interested in the CrossGen imprint. If you have never read CrossGen before (like me) the titles will be very accessible and not require any prior knowledge from the previous runs. If you think they look interesting, and want to encourage Marvel to diversify their line, consider picking these up.

By the Numbers – March

2011-04-04T07:24:00.001-07:00

Total comics for the month: 72 -_-;
Change from last month: +11

Company Run Down
DC: 37
Vertigo (DC): 5
Wildstorm (DC): 1
Marvel: 5
CrossGen (Marvel): 2
12 Gauge: 1
Aspen: 1
Boom!: 5
D. E.: 1
GG Studios: 1
IDW: 2
Image: 9
Oni: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $2.18

First Issues: 7
Last Issues: 8

Ongoing: 39
Mini-series: 27
One shot: 4
Half Trade Thingies: 2

Batman Issues: 17

This is the most comics I have ever ordered in a month. There were several one shots this month, as well as a lot of final issues of minis and ongoings, so I’m hoping we will drop back down closer to 50 next month. I also ordered my 5 Free Comic Book Day Comics this month, but did not include them here since they won’t come in until May, and would skew things like average price paid. This is also the last month that Wildstorm will appear on my list. I know it hasn’t existed for a while now, but I stubbornly kept track of it until the last mini I was getting from them ended.

Comic Buzz: 5 Ronin

2011-03-02T23:48:00.000-08:00

Creative Team: Peter Milligan (W), Various Artists
Marvel, miniseries, 5 issues, $2.99
Weekly in March, first issue March 2nd

As most of you know, I currently live in Japan. I’ve been interested in Japanese culture for a long time, and living here has only increased my interest in the history and traditions of the country. So it’s really no surprise that the solicitation for Marvel’s 5 Ronin caught my eye. This 5 issue miniseries reimagines the characters of Wolverine, Psylocke, the Hulk, the Punisher, and Deadpool in Feudal Japan. Each character will have their own spotlight issue (each by a different artist), but their stories are linked.

I’m pleased to see it reported that this is a finite story. If this turns out well I would be happy to see similar projects down the line, but it’s nice to know that this story will have an ending and isn’t the set up for something else. For me this seems like the perfect Marvel book to pick up because I won’t be bogged down or distracted by continuity references, and there won’t be continuing plot threads in four other books that I’ll need to buy once this is finished.

The covers were a huge draw for this book. Once I saw them, they stuck in my mind. Not the normal covers, although a few of those are interesting (though I’m not fond of Wolverine’s), but the covers by David Aja. They really tie the series together and are absolutely stunning. The sketch work and the single color palettes are just gorgeous. And the best part is that they are not incentive variants!

If you already like these characters, this series will probably be a fun diversion from continuity. If you’re not all that in to Marvel but are interested in seeing what they have to offer, and the Japanese theme is up your alley, give this a shot. The first issue is in store now, so head on down to your local comic shop and give them a look!

By the Numbers – February

2011-03-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

This marks the one year anniversary of my keeping track of my comic orders in this way.

Total comics for the month: 61
Change from last month: +6

Company Run Down
DC: 36
Vertigo (DC): 3
Wildstorm (DC): 1
Marvel: 1
12 Gauge: 1
Archaia Entertainment: 1
Aspen: 1
Boom!: 4
D. E.: 1
IDW: 2
Image: 8
Oni: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $1.94

0 Issues: 1
First Issues: 3
Last Issues: 0

Ongoing: 39
Mini-series: 18
One shot: 3
Half Trade thingie: 1

Batman Issues: 16

Waiting for Trade? Morning Glories

2011-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

Creative Team: Nick Spencer (W), Joe Eisma (A)
Price: $9.99
Available Now!

It should be no secret by now that I love this comic. Seriously, seriously love it. It is the first or second comic I read in my giant stack of 50-60 comics every month. Under the Shadowline imprint of Image comics Nick Spencer has created some great characters and an amazing environment to push them to their limits.

It is surprisingly difficult to describe this series without venturing into spoiler territory. The series has been described as Runaways meets Lost. I can’t speak for the Runaways side as I have not read the series (but really want to check it out) but, like Lost, this series is a long form mystery. Spencer envisions this series being 75 or 100 issues in length, and he is building toward a planned ending. He assures audiences that he is not making things up as he goes along, but since we are only 6 issues in, sometimes it might feel that way. I have faith that things will be explained at their proper time and am having more than enough fun along the way. That being said, if you are someone who wants answers RIGHT NOW, you might not enjoy this book as much as I do.

Our story takes place in the prestigious Morning Glories Academy and follows the six newest students as they find out that there is much more going on at the school than was mentioned in any recruitment brochures. The characters are what drew me into this series, and they are what has kept me coming back excitedly every month (more on my favorite Glory here).

I’ve heard some criticize that the characters are too stereotypical. Again, I would counter that we’re only 6 issues in and haven’t had a ton of time for multilayered character development. We all knew (or were) these sorts of people in high school; the flirt, the nerd, the “emo” girl, the sleazy jerk. It’s a comfortable place for us to START the story. We recognize the types of characters and it makes it easier for the reader to get into their heads in this first arc. If the characters do not develop further, then yes they are stereotypes and it’s a strike against Spencer for poor writing. But at the moment we are in a great place for continued development and for the characters to surprise us.

I absolutely love the covers for this series. I’m not sure if this matters to those who read in trade, as I am not sure if the covers are included in this volume or not. I will admit that I prefer the art style of the covers to the interiors, but that’s not to say that the interiors aren’t great. They have their own charm and depth to them, and I feel like it is a solid fit for the series. Faces are very expressive and the characters each have a unique look that is easy to tell apart. Backgrounds are descriptive and help set the mood.

Image is geniusly releasing volume one, containing issues 1-6, the week before issue 7 hits the stands. Any reader who picks up the trade and is enthralled with the series can start to follow the monthly releases the very next week on February 23rd (or wait the grueling six months for the next volume). This quick of a trade release is nearly unheard of, so take advantage of the opportunity to discover ~~your~~ my new favorite comic. To top it off, the trade is only $10 (which is like half of what I paid for the monthlies, seriously you have no reason not to try this!). And as an added bonus for all readers, issue 7 will be the first issue with the newly discounted price of $2.99.

A look at Morning Glories: Hunter

2011-02-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

I have realized that I haven’t talked much about the wonderful comic Morning Glories. I was excited about it before it came out, but once I got the first issue in my hands I was hooked. It exceeded every expectation I had. As the first arc comes to a close (and the first trade on sale February 16th for only $10) I felt the need to gush over it some more and decided that a fun way to do that would be to take a look at my favorite character of the book, Hunter. Hopefully in introducing him to you I can give you all a small taste of why I love this comic so much.

Morning Glories features an ensemble cast of six new students to the prestigious Morning Glory Academy. As to be expected from such an honor, all the kids are intelligent and gifted, although some have demonstrated their talents more than others at this point. Of course, there is more going on at the school than advertised and it may take every gift the students have just to survive.

One reason I like Hunter so much is that I relate to him. Looking at the kids in Morning Glories I think that I was somewhere between Hunter and Casey when I was in school. I wasn’t quite as shy and awkward as Hunter, but I also didn’t have Casey’s insane drive. In the initial teasers for this series Hunter was described as the “Most likely to quote Star Wars at inappropriate times.” And he has. And that is something I can see myself doing. All of the kids are “smart” but Hunter seems to be the only “nerd” in the group. And for that, I love him.

While many of the students seem to have had complicated home lives, Hunter’s seems to rank right up there with the worst. We only get a brief look at Hunter’s life before coming to the Academy, but it seems clear that even if they escape the school Hunter won’t have much to go back to. While I did not get an outwardly abusive vibe, I would say that it’s pretty obvious that Hunter suffers from severe neglect. His father seems to have already forgotten about him before he even walks out the door. I’m sure we’ll get a better look into it down the line, so for now I can only speculate on what kind of disconnect could occur to cause his step brother to refer to him as “Uncle Hunter.” But this sad home life has shaped him in many ways that I will get to in a moment.

Upon arriving at the Academy, Hunter immediately made a connection with Jun, physically the strongest of the new students. Jun recognizes Hunter as someone who doesn’t have the same toughness that he possesses and tells Hunter to stick with him if things get out of hand. As someone who is capable of defending himself and others, he sees that Hunter lacks this but is someone worth sticking up for. This is not an open offer for just anyone, as he tells their third roommate, Ike, to stay away from him. But Jun sees something in Hunter and he seems like the type of friend Hunter could really use in a place like the Academy. I hope that his relationship with Hunter will be explored in the issues to come.

Now that I have called Hunter weak and all, I want you to take a look at this picture. This picture was the whole inspiration for writing this post, as I was originally just going to post the picture and gush about it. But I realized that without a bit of context the image was pretty but didn’t have the same impact. This was supposed to be the cover for issue 8, but recent solicitations have a different cover for the issue. I’m guessing that this cover has just been pushed back a few issues as it is a fantastic image and I can’t see them wasting it. *crosses fingers*

Here’s Hunter, and at first glance you can see that he isn’t the strongest of the bunch. I’d wager this is not Hunter’s first black eye. But if you take a closer look at the image (click on it for a larger version) you will see something in his eyes that speaks to an inner strength. This is a kid who is going to get knocked down, but you can see in his eyes that he’s still going to get back up again. There is a quiet determination there. He understands that if he gets up again he will probably end up back on the ground, but that isn’t going to stop him from doing it anyway.

I think I can explain a bit of his motivation here. In the comic, when Casey comes to him for help he agrees to help her before she can even explain what she needs help with. I would say that this behavior is only about 40% motivated by his teenage hormones and the fact that he has quickly developed feelings for her. The main factor in this behavior, I think, is his incredible excitement at being noticed. He gushes to Jun about how Casey came to him, him of all people, to help. As I said before, Hunter didn’t seem to have much of a home life. I would wager that Hunter’s good grades, and possibly even his application to the school, were driven by his need to be accepted by his father. It doesn’t seem like he was able to achieve this, but suddenly he has someone important in his life who notices him and confides in him. As such, he is very eager to please. He wants to help, wants to continue this relationship. And that has brought out a stronger side of him.

I think if you hit Hunter for no reason, or just because you like to beat up on other kids, he might not get back up. He’s not looking for punishment. But if he believes that his actions can help his friends, even a little, he will get back up and take anything you will throw at him.

Hunter has already had a few very strong moments in the comics. I won’t spoil them here for those who have not yet read the series, but rest assured that he is someone who you can trust in an emergency. He may not always know the right thing to do, but he is going to try his best to help out those few he is close to. And yet he’s still this awkward, geeky kid who is just trying to get by. Not all the kids like him or understand him which I think is something we can all relate to.

I look forward to seeing Hunter and the rest of the characters in action every month, and, if you’re looking for a great story with some great characters, you should give it a look too.

The Beasts are coming back!

2011-02-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

I cannot explain how excited I am about this image announcing that the Beasts of Burden series will continue in 2011.

I gave a glowing recommendation of the first volume and thoroughly enjoyed the one shot with Hellboy. I’ve been checking Dark Horse’s solicitations every month hoping that a new miniseries would pop up. And now they have released this teaser image!

I’m assuming that this will be another miniseries. As much as I would love it to be an ongoing series, I have a feeling that Jill Thompson’s beautiful painted artwork requires a bit more time than a monthly schedule would allow for. While there is no specific date listed I’m hoping that the first issue will be solicited for a May release. I guess we’ll find out toward the end of the month. There will likely be another Comic Buzz column about this one once we have some more details. In the meantime, check out the first collection so you can see why I’m so excited about this.

By the Numbers – January

2011-02-07T22:18:00.000-08:00

Posting this a little late, but here's the comics I ordered for January (note: not all of these shipped this month, this is just what I ordered)

Total comics for the month: 55
Change from last month: -6

Company Run Down
DC: 31
Vertigo (DC): 3
Wildstorm (DC): 1
12 Gauge: 1
Antarctic Press: 1
Archaia Entertainment: 2
Boom!: 4
D. E.: 1
IDW: 1
Image: 7
Oni: 1
Th3rd World Studios: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $1.87

0 Issues: 1
First Issues: 8
Last Issues: 4

Ongoing: 35
Mini-series: 19
One shot: 1

Batman Issues: 12
Brightest Day books: 5

Comic Buzz - Jimmy Olsen

2011-01-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

Creative Team: Nick Spencer (W), RB Silva (A), Amanda Conner (C)
DC, one-shot, $5.99, 80 pages
March 30, 2011

When I heard that the talented Nick Spencer was going to be writing a Jimmy Olsen back-up in Action Comics I almost laughed. “Jimmy Olsen?” I thought, “Who wants to read about him?” And to further confuse me, Spencer was really excited about the whole thing. Jimmy wasn’t a character that I expected someone to be so committed to. I wouldn’t even call him a B-list character. In my mind he was more of a supporting character than anything. I know he’s been around for a long time and has a firm place within the Superman universe, but I didn’t figure the story would hold any interest for me.

Then I found out that Spencer would be introducing the wonderful Chloe Sullivan into the DCU in this story and I did a little dance. And suddenly I cared about the story and really wanted it to be good. But I still wasn’t willing to buy the comic only for the back-up story.

I was playing around with my iPod in Tokyo, one of the few places that I can get a Wi-Fi signal, and as I browsed the free comics on Comixology I noticed that I could read the first chapter of the Jimmy Olsen back-up story. I figured why the heck not since it was free and all. On the train ride back home I decided to give it a read through and was amazed by how great it was. The dialogue was fantastic and very, very funny. I found myself laughing quite a bit for such a short story and more than once had to lean over and share a line or two with my fiancé. And by the end of the story I was really bummed out because I didn’t think that I would get to read the rest of the story.

But then I got some great news. As a result of DC canceling their back-up stories in all their books, in order to cut page count and price, the Jimmy Olsen story is no longer featured in Action Comics. But the seven part story had not finished yet. DC assured readers that the back-up stories would all find new homes somewhere and would be released. In March DC is releasing a one-shot that not only finishes the Jimmy Olsen story, but reprints the first four parts as well! So now I, and all of you, can enjoy this story in its entirety.

This is a rather long set up to explain what you should be buying, so I suppose I should touch at least a bit on why it’s so wonderful. The story is focused on Jimmy and while Superman is off on his walkabout he’s being a bit of a slacker. After his girlfriend, our wonderful Chloe, dumps him he finds out that she is doing a story about his rival, who happens to be a Lexcorp employee, and what a week in his life is like. This energizes Jimmy and motivates him to show that he can have a far more interesting week than the jerk who is now hitting on his ex. And he’s going to start by stopping a well timed alien invasion!

The story is lighthearted and fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. There have been so many crazy stories involving Jimmy Olsen and I feel like the tone of this reflects that. So if you’re against that sort of thing and like the darker more serious comics that seem to dominate the market at the moment this might not be for you. You are meant to have fun while reading it, and it may be a bit crazy and over the top, but Spencer’s ultimate goal is to put a smile on your face. The colors are bright and fun and some of the facial expressions are just priceless. There are some great little details thrown into the backgrounds that made me want to examine the pages on more than my tiny screen. As started before the dialogue is really good, which I’ve found is one of Spencer’s selling points. I haven’t read much of the character before, but I really felt like I understood his voice by the end of the issue. Jimmy is a normal person who is very comfortable in a super powered world and that gives us a different take on the DCU than we get in most books. I also thought Chloe was very well handled and love that she’s a decorated blog reporter, keeping her on the cutting edge of technology and letting her be a reporter while explaining why we’ve never really seen her at the Planet before.

Spencer’s love for the character is clear (he thinks of writing Jimmy as a dream project), and he apparently has more in mind for the character (apparently like a year’s worth of stories). So if this sells decently we might very well get more, and that’s always a good thing. I think it’s a good sign that DC has decided not only to release the end of the story, but the story in its entirety (not all of the back-ups are being given the same treatment). Clearly this story has generated some buzz and I’m sure I’m not the only one who missed out on the story and wanted to read it.

However, I’m always excited when you don’t really have to take my word for any recommendation. Everyone can read the first part of the story on the iPod/iPad/iPhone. It’s free and a decent way to preview these kinds of things. There is an interview about the story here.

Remember, there probably isn't an option to "wait for trade" here (unless of course we get a bunch more Jimmy Olsen stories that can be collected together), so if this looks interesting tell your local comic shop to order you a copy or pick it up online while you can.

Top 10 List!

2011-01-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

I like top 10 lists. They are easy to digest and compare your own picks with. They can say a lot while only saying a little. So I decided to write up a quick top 10 list of my own.

Below you will find my top 10 ongoing series. I picked them by looking at my pull list as though I had to drop all of my ongoing titles except for 10. If that were to happen, these are the books that would make the cut. The top few spots were hard to assign and in a few months they could easily shift around. But as of now, this is what I would pick.

Honorable Mention: Stuff of Legend – it can’t be on the list because it’s a series of miniseries and not an ongoing title. But I enjoy it so much that I felt it needed a mention and if I was dropping all of my books but 10 and a book had to be cut from this top ten list to keep this one I would probably make that sacrifice.

10. Batwoman – I admit it, this is a cheat. This book isn’t even out yet. But I have such high hopes for it that it still sneaks in at the number 10 spot on the list. When I actually have the book in my hands it could jump to an even higher spot, especially if the previous run in Detective Comics is any indication, but the new creative team has to prove themselves a little before that can happen.

9. Darkwing Duck – What can I say, I’m a sucker for nostalgia. The comic will never be as good as the cartoon (and the cartoon will probably never be as good as my memories of the cartoon) but it’s the only way I’m going to get new stories with these characters. And Darkwing, like Batman, has a great rogues gallery (and Batman doesn’t have a Negaduck!) and a fun family of relationships to explore.

8. Zatanna – I love magic. I always have. And really, who doesn’t love the very idea of magic? We all wish we could be magic, or at the very least, wish we could watch someone else being magic. This book is doing a nice job of treading into the magical side of the DCU that has been more or less ignored lately. Here our normal world and the magical world collide and it’s up to Zee to make sure that things don’t get too messy.

7. The Sixth Gun – I really like the weird west setting. Every time they give me another tidbit about the universe I am itching for more. The villains are scary and the heroes are maybe not so heroic. It’s a muddled environment without the clearest sense of who you can trust and who you should believe. And that helps to make it great. I saw someone describe this series as a western horror series but I don’t feel that really fits. It’s a western with fantasy elements (some of which, admittedly are scary). I look forward to seeing where this one will take me.

6. Batgirl – This book had so much to prove. It fought a hard battle to prove that it was a good book with an interesting character who deserved her place in the DCU. I have to say that I think the writer has a great sense of voice as the first year was full of Bat family guest stars and they were all portrayed believably. The stories have been great and the stakes have been high. This book doesn’t have to prove itself anymore, and now it can simply focus on being awesome.

5. Red Robin – Tim Drake is a great character. I HATED the idea of him being Red Robin, but the past year has really made it fit for the character. The book has a lot of great things going for it right now with some serious long term plotting going on. I hope the creative team can stick around for a long time to come because when Tim Drake is written well he is amazingly interesting and fun to read about.

4. iZombie – I figured I’d like this story because I like zombies, but this book is full of concepts that just really click with me. I love that one of the main characters is a were-terrier. When they sat down and laid out how vampires and ghosts and zombies and mummies exist in the world I really liked the explanation behind it all. With such iconic monsters it’s easy to just hand wave their existence as some sort of magic that doesn’t need explaining. But this book lays out easy to understand rules and shows a lot of forethought on the part of the writer. Also the art is fantastic. There are a lot of places this book can go and I look forward to being along for the ride.

3. Unwritten – This book continues to surprise me, and every surprise makes me excited to read the next volume. The characters are well developed and the threat they face is interesting and mysterious. And it has an adorable flying cat that I demand a plushie of immediately if not sooner. The pacing in this book is really solid and its one of the first things I read every month without fail.

2. Morning Glories – I’ve only read five issues so far, but the first one alone was enough to get me hooked and more than enough to earn the number 2 spot. This one could go down the list if it can’t keep up the insanely high standards it has set for itself, but it’s just starting out and with a long form mystery like this it’s an exciting time to be reading. The characters are fun and different and have great personalities that play off of each other in entertaining ways. The pacing of these issues has been fantastic with each issue ending in a way that makes me disappointed that there are no more pages that month and excited to see how things turn out as soon as the next volume is in my hands.

1. Tiny Titans – There is nothing better than this book. I feel like I gush about it all the time and if so it’s only because that’s how much I am enjoying this book. If they had an entire Tiny universe of books I would buy every single one of them and they would all probably be on this list. No matter what happens I know this comic will be fun. It will make me laugh. It will charm me with its whimsy. If I am feeling sad it makes me feel happy and if I’m already happy it makes me happier. Any book that can do that deserves the number 1 spot.

I’m honestly surprised by how many of these series are new (6 of the 10 haven’t even reached issue 10 yet, so in a way this list doubles as my best of 2010 list). I suppose the longer a series runs the more likely it is to lose readers for whatever reason. It doesn’t surprise me that half the books on here are independent titles. More DCU books would probably be on here if I could depend on the creative team sticking around for more than a year. But when I think about comics I want to read for a long time it’s too easy to assume that the writer I like will go away and be replaced by someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. Or that some big DCU event is going to come along and change everything potentially derailing stories that have been building for a while.

I noticed that I didn't talk too much about what these different series were actually about, so I've included links where I could to other places on my blog where I gush about the series in question.
Share your top 10 list with me! If you could only read 10 ongoings what would they be? Do you have less than 10? Share that too!

A few volunteers needed

2011-01-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

The wonderful blog DC Women Kicking Ass is looking for a few volunteers to lend a little of their time for a short research article. To participate you must be female, buy your comics at a local comic book store, and have another comic shop nearby that you don’t frequent. She estimates that it will only take an hour or two of your time. You can contact her by sending an email to dcwomenkickingass (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Unfortunately I can’t participate since I’m in Japan and get all my comics online, but if you or someone you know fits the criteria you should check it out!

Well, that didn’t last long…

2011-01-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

So yeah…this one is going to ramble a little.

*Spoilers for JL: Cry for Justice and the recently released Starman/Congorilla one shot ahead*

Man, where to start. I admit it. I bought Justice League: Cry for Justice. The art was a major draw (although it ended up being pretty offensive in several places and then the artist couldn’t even finish it despite delays) and seemed to contain some characters that I cared about (like Batwoman, who ended up being like three panels of the thing). It ended up being pretty terrible. If you want to know just how terrible it was you should follow the link in the sidebar to Atop the Forth Wall and watch Linkara’s excellent review of it (parts one and two are up now and part three should be up next week).

But as bad as that was, I’m not going to dwell on it too much here. That isn’t what got my attention today. It is important that you know, in case you didn’t read it, that one of the major problems with the series was the insane amount of character death, most of them minor or supporting characters and many of them off panel. The death that got the most attention was probably that of Roy Harper’s (Red Arrow or Arsenal depending on when you are reading) daughter Lian. That one was like a punch in the gut to me, and felt amazingly unnecessary (especially considering poor Roy had just had one of his ARMS TORN OFF). But again, that isn’t what I’m here to rant about.

You may remember a little quote that was floating around after Blackest Night that “dead was dead” from now on. Now of course, we all rolled our eyes knowing that it certainly wouldn’t last. We all know how these things work. But the point was made that they probably wouldn’t be using character death/resurrection as a gimmick for at least a while. The “revolving door of death” in the DCU was apparently going to be closed.

Again, I knew that this wasn’t going to stick for too long. But I figured the editors would be keeping a tight leash on this particular idea and that when the first post Blackest Night resurrection happened that it would be a big deal and would have to have some strong writing to work around the “dead is dead” idea. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, I was wrong.

In the Starman/Congorilla one shot this month (which, for full disclosure, I have not read) the Tasmanian Devil was resurrected by having his remains thrown into a Lazarus pit. Let’s backtrack for a moment. Tas was killed off in the afore mentioned Cry for Justice and, to add insult to injury, his skin was MADE INTO A RUG so that we could all see just what a badass Prometheus was. That’s right. Not only was this character brutally murdered in a rather offhanded manner, but he was skinned and put on display. It was rather distasteful and got quite a reaction when it happened.

One of the reasons that it was a big deal (other than the outright grotesqueness of it)was that Tas, while a rather minor player in the DCU, is one of the few openly gay heroes. And when there are so few of them in the comic universe the loss of even one is felt strongly by fans who are gay and who support gay characters.

Now here’s the rub. Tas was killed in Cry for Justice and brought back in Starman/Congorilla. The writer for BOTH of these works was James Robinson. Wait, what? At first this seemed like it was perhaps some half baked apology for the wonton death of Cry for Justice. But upon reading an interview on Newsarama it seems as though Robinson claims this was “planned all along.” He had always planned for Tas to be brought back and to end up as the boyfriend of Starman (another of the established gay characters). Did I mention that Starman’s previous boyfriend was killed (off panel) in Cry for Justice too? So Robinson’s master plan was to kill the old boyfriend and then kill the soon-to-be-new boyfriend and then bring the new boyfriend back to conveniently take the place of the old (and apparently forgotten) boyfriend?

And now here is the other problem. The big solution to “dead is dead” is the Lazarus pits? Are you freaking serious? Why don’t we just go throw all the bodies of dead superheroes into the Lazarus pit and bring them back too? Why not Lian Harper and Ralph and Sue Digby and all of the other heroes that people miss? Because it’s a terrible idea, that’s why. It has been established many times that while the Lazarus pits are powerful, people have a tendency to come back wrong. Insane wrong usually. Batman decided against bringing Jason Todd back this way. Tim Drake had the opportunity to bring back his parents and best friends (who got better anyway…) and turned it down because he knew that it wouldn’t really be them and this it wasn’t natural. Heck, even when Dick Grayson threw Bruce’s not-body into the pit it was as a last resort that he knew was incredibly dangerous and could have massive side effects. It was a desperation move. But Tas doesn’t seem to have been effected at all. The Lazarus pits were established as a poor solution to death BECAUSE of how broken they are and how many questions are raised if people are brought back with them without consequences.

*Sigh* Even if this was “the plan all along” (which I do not buy at all) it is a terrible plan and some editor somewhere should have put a stop to it. And by it I mean the death in the first place. You want Tas and Starman to hook up? Groovy. You want to kill off Starman’s current boyfriend as a plot device before that? Well…okay, I mean we wish you wouldn’t but it’s not a complete deal breaker. You want to ignore the big status quo change that we have been pimping in the DCU not even a year after it was made so you can kill this character, among a sea of others, for shock value and then almost immediately bring him back? Sorry Mr. Robinson, we’ll have to see another draft of this; I’m afraid this just doesn’t work.

Texas Friends! Meet a Comic Creator!

2011-01-15T02:24:00.000-08:00

There is a new miniseries coming out that looks pretty interesting called “Who is Jake Ellis?” I ordered it and almost wrote up a Comic Buzz about it, but at the time I didn’t really have enough info about it and wasn’t quite as excited about it as I have been about the other Comic Buzz entries and then Christmas happened, so I didn’t. Anyhow, the first issue came out recently and I just found out that the author of the series, Nathan Edmondson, will be making a book tour to various comic stores to promote the book and sign autographs.

I was extra excited when I saw that he would be making not one but four stops in my “home state”* of Texas on January 18th-20th. So if you live in or near the Arlington, Dallas, Houston, or Austin areas I think you should take a look and consider heading down to meet this guy. I don’t know about everyone else, but opportunities to meet real comic creators aren’t exactly jumping out at me all the time, so this might be a fun experience. I mean, he’s not Grant Morrison or Brian Bendis or one of the tip top names in the industry, but he’s still a creative guy who works in the industry we all love. And if his book sounds interesting to you I think it would really be worth your time to head over and say hi. You can find more on the comic itself here and here.

Check out the schedule for details on stores, dates, and times. I’m only highlighting the Texas locations because that’s still where most people who read this blog are probably from (as in people I actually know), but if you’re from somewhere else check out the schedule and see if he’s headed to your neck of the woods as well.

*As an army brat I don’t really have a “home state” in the traditional sense, but I lived there longer than anywhere else, so it counts.

On the cancellation of some Batbooks

2011-01-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

I knew this was coming. I didn’t know for sure which titles would be cut, but it had been too long since DC had trimmed off some of their lower selling books. And since there are so many Bat family books out right now, I assumed that a few of them would be getting the axe. March will see the final issue of three of my current ongoing series. Let’s take a closer look at these titles, shall we?

Azreal

I was very close to dropping this book anyway, but the low sales clued me in that this one might not last and it seemed a pity to drop it an issue or two before it ended (since I was there for the beginning and all). This is a title that severely suffered from a change in writers. When Fabian Nicieza had the book I felt that it worked. It wasn’t astonishingly amazing or anything, but it did several very interesting things. I enjoyed the issue with Ragman where the two characters talked about the differences of their powers. It was interesting religious philosophy without being heavy handed. I was intrigued by the fact that the first issue showed the main character dead at some point in the mystery future. I thought it was an interesting gamble, and while I thought it could be a fake out of some kind, I admired the guts it took to set up a story that way.

Unfortunately, Nicieza left the book and was replaced by David Hine. And his take on having a religious hero went from uninteresting to downright offensive. I’m Catholic. The character of Michael Lane is also Catholic. He is “working for” the Order of Purity, a secret religious sect from the middle ages. Now I’m a big girl and can take digs at my religion in forms of media. Nothing said in a comic book or a movie is going to shake my faith. But you would think that the writer or editor might have taken a step back and said, “Hey, Catholicism is a widely practiced religion. Some of our readers might in fact be Catholic. Perhaps we shouldn’t have a splash page that depicts the Pope (who is very real) as a demonic monster. That might be going a bit far.” Azreal was “safe” when he was under the umbrella of the Order of Purity. You could have all sorts of crazy religious commentary things going on and it was okay because that religious sect didn’t actually exist. But suddenly we decided to tie a lot of real world religion into the book in a very unflattering way and it did not come out the better for it. I get that religious conspiracies are cool and hip, but even that felt stale and overused (oh wow, Lane might be the descendent of Jesus, because he didn’t really die and had kids, and this has never ever been thought of or done before, aren’t we edgy?).

I have no idea where Nicieza was planning on going with the book had he stayed on, but I have to assume it would have been better than what we got. As it stands, this book would have been far better off being canceled when Nicieza left instead of trying to squeeze whatever final blood they could get out of the title. I’ll see it through to the end in the hope that it finds a way to redeem itself, but I’m actually pretty glad this one is going away.

Batman Confidential

It really confuses me that this book lasted over 50 issues. DC NEVER promoted this book. I read a lot of interviews online, and even when people were bitching about not being able to read about Bruce Wayne as Batman no one EVER brought this book up. When they were giving the low down about who would be appearing in what Batbook, this title was never mentioned. It was like DC was trying to hide this book for some reason, and yet they kept publishing it.

This book began as a series of untold tales back from when Bruce Wayne had just started being Batman. His first encounter with the Joker, his first this, his first that. It was all very classic stuff. Easy to follow and far less complicated than most of the other books at the time. But then, somewhere along the line, this book seemed to lose its focus. It seemed like we weren’t dealing with a young Batman anymore. It seemed like we were dealing with whatever Batman the writer decided to write about. The stories were still all very “safe” but there didn’t seem to be any connection between the arcs. One arc we’re in Russia, the next we’re dealing with a ghost/fear monster thing, then we’re fighting vampires and werewolves. It really became the weird Batman miniseries book, except that instead of miniseries it was an ongoing with lots of disjointed arcs.

What really bums me out is that the book seemed to be getting back on track. There was a one shot issue that I felt was very good, and the current and final arc seemed to feel more like we were dealing with a young Bruce Wayne still finding his limits and his place. And it was good! And now that I’ve felt we were getting back to where we belonged the rug is pulled out and the book is canceled. Oh, well.

Batman: Streets of Gotham

This is the only cancelation that really surprised me. And apparently surprised the writer too since he mentioned in an interview that he was working on the next year’s worth of stories for the book. I love Paul Dini. Most of his work I have really enjoyed, and I always found Streets to be an interesting read. But I will admit that it didn’t have as clear of a place in the family of Batbooks as some of the others. You can kinda sum up the purpose of most of the other books in a sentence or so. And while I don’t think its necessarily a bad thing that this book didn't have that, I can see it being tough from a marketing point of view. And with so many other Batbooks out there I guess something had to give. Paul Dini is still an amazing writer and I’m sure they will find a place for any Batman stories he still wants to tell. It’s just always sad to hear that a writer had more stuff planned that they won’t get to put out for the readers.

With as many comics as I am getting I will admit that I’m slightly relived to have three less comics a month. I’m sure I’ll find something to replace them with soon enough. And none of them were my top tier favorite books, so all in all I can’t really complain all that much. But it does serve to remind me to try to help promote those books that I enjoy that have lower sales so that they do not end up cancelled too.

Happy New Year Everyone!

2011-01-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

I’ve added a poll to find out how those who visit my blog enjoy their comics. I’d be very happy if you’d take a second to answer it. It will help me to know what kinds of posts will be the most helpful to those who are actually checking the blog on a somewhat regular basis. Of course I’ll still probably post a little bit of everything, but if one option is far more popular than the others I will know to give it a bit more attention. I like connecting with my readers through polls so don’t be surprised if more pop up in the future.

I’ve been a bit lax at posting here for a spell (as in did not post at all in December…), but I’m sure most everyone had more important things to do during the holidays than to read about what I think about comics. And I too had plenty of other things that kept me busy and away from this blog. I thought about posting a Christmas List post or a Top of 2010 post, but as I thought about what I would write I realized that I would just be repeating myself about the series I already post a lot about here. And since that wasn’t new or interesting I put it off and let it slip by. If you want to know what I thought was really good this past year check out the Waiting for Trade posts or even the Comic Buzz posts. Those are things I can recommend to you and will probably continue to remind you of in the future (until all of you have actually read them all, MWAHAHAHAH!).

I’ll try to keep this blog updated regularly this year with lots of fun and interesting content. I’m really feeling the difficulty of posting things that are timely when I get all my books a month late, but I’ll continue to do my best. It’s hard sometimes feeling like the only comic fan around since I haven’t found anyone here in Japan who shares my obsession (save my fiancé, who at this point doesn’t really have a choice). It’s also tough because when I do venture into the interwebs to find “likeminded” people I’m often overwhelmed by the amount of negativity out there among comic book “fans.” Everyone is free to express their opinions, but some people are so harsh on every little thing that it can be disheartening. Everyone is so vocal about what sucks and sometimes I think people enjoy hating on things more than they like sharing the things they are actually enjoying. While I’m probably going to hate on my fair share of things this next year, I promise to also try to present as many positive recommendations as I can. I set up this blog to share my love of comics with my friends and I won’t convince any friends to read comics if I don’t point them in the direction of things I think are worth a look.

Well, that’s about it for this long rambling post that is probably a bit boring. I promise to be back with more interesting content soon!

By the Numbers – December

2011-01-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Total comics for the month: 61
Change from last month: -5

Company Run Down
DC: 42
Vertigo (DC): 3
Wildstorm (DC): 1
12 Gauge: 1
Archaia Entertainment: 2
Boom!: 4
Dark Horse: 1
GG Studios: 1
IDW: 1
Image: 3
Oni: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $2.32

First Issues: 4
Last Issues: 3

Ongoing: 34
Mini-series: 16
One shot: 8
Half trade thingies: 3

Batman Issues: 21
Brightest Day books: 6

By the Numbers – November

2010-11-28T23:02:00.001-08:00

A look at my monthly pull list from Adventure Comics to Zatanna! These are the books I will soon be receiving for the month of November!

Total comics for the month: 66
Change from last month: -1

Company Run Down
DC: 39
Vertigo (DC): 3
Wildstorm (DC): 1
Antarctic Press: 1
Ape: 1
Archaia Entertainment: 2
Aspen: 1
Boom!: 5
D. E.: 3
Dark Horse: 2
IDW: 3
Image: 2
Oni: 1
Th3rd World Studios: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $2.16

0 Issues: 1
First Issues: 8
Last Issues: 9

Ongoing: 37
Mini-series: 24
One shot: 2
Half trade thingies: 3

Batman Issues: 18
Brightest Day books: 6
Number of different letters of the alphabet my titles start with: 18

Who’s an angry little rage cat? You are!

2010-11-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

My favorite character to come out off all of the different colored Lantern Corps is the Red Lantern Dex-Starr. I mean look at him. He’s an adorable little blue kitty…who vomits blood and will rip your face off. But look at him. He wears his ring on his tail! He’ll probably cuddle you to death!

All great characters need exciting action figures. This was announced at New York Comic Con (here are the other figures in the series):

This is actually his second action figure. His first one was in the DC direct line and was packaged with Red Lantern Mera.

DC recently revealed Dex-Starr’s back story. Like many others I was surprised to learn that he’s from Earth. I assumed he was some sort of alien kitty cat (he is blue after all). Before he turned into rage cat, he was just a tiny kitty named Dexter. I won't spoil what turns this adorable little fluff ball into a ball of rage in case some people are interested in reading for themselves.

My favorite part of this whole thing is the origin story of how this character came to be. In a big group shot of the Red Lanterns artist Shane Davis snuck in a Red Lantern cat as a joke. It was small and off to one side (where normally group shots are done like class pictures with the short people in front and the tall ones behind them). But Geoff Johns saw it and loved the idea. The artist’s only request was that the cat be named Dexter, after his real life cat.

We’ve already been teased that there will be a Valentine’s Day special for Dex-Starr in which he may be getting a showdown with Krypto (although nothing appeared in the February solicitations ;_; ). Now if DC would just make a stuffed animal Dex-Starr I would be a very happy camper.

Pilot Season wants your vote!

2010-11-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I posted a while ago about the Legion of Superhero elections and hopefully a few of you went out and voted. And now I’m here to bring you another vote that wants your input.

Each year Top Cow runs a competition called Pilot Season. A crop of books are released and the readers vote for which one they most want to continue. More than one can end up winning in the end, but the first place winner is guaranteed to continue as either an ongoing or a miniseries. I’m still really pissed that I am still waiting on the last issue of the 2009 competition to ship (seriously, what the hell!) but the 2010 season came out on time and helped to quell some of my anger (but only some).

So here are the important things. Voting goes through November 30th, so you’ve only got a few days left to go and vote (sorry, I’m a bit slow lately). Also, I’ve only read 2 of the 5 titles so far, so I can’t give you a recommendation yet. Fortunately, you don’t need me to tell you what to think because you can read all five comics for FREE online at Newsarama. See, you don’t even need to spend any money! You get five first issues for free! I’m a little ticked off about that, because I did pay for them and now I kinda feel like I shouldn’t have bothered, but my loss is your gain.

So go ahead and read the books, pick your favorite and cast your vote! Once I read the other three this weekend I will update this post with my thoughts. I’d love to know what you think of the books, too! Which title gets your vote?

UPDATE: Okay, now that I've read all the books I have to make my choice. I didn't think that any of the titles were bad, but the two that grabbed me the most were Forever and 7 Days from Hell. Both had great set ups and I'd like to know more about what happens to the characters. Just on reading the descriptions of the series my gut was for Forever as I like long form mysteries, but I don't feel like the issue was quite enough of a hook for such a strong premise. My concern with 7 Days from Hell is that the very basic premise is going to get a bit monotonous after a while. Granted, its up to the writer to be sure that doesn't happen, but the premise itself dictates that we're going to have a guy killing someone every week. And he can't fail or the series ends so they are going to have to find other ways to keep the story fresh and exciting. But even with all those problems, I think 7 Days from Hell is going to get my vote. I was skeptical when I saw so many people recommending this one, as its one of the ones that didn't really hook me with its premise. But the end product was really enjoyable and they put a lot out there in this first issue.

So that's my thought. What about you?

UPDATE PART 2: Well, I'm upset. Despite being told that voting would go until November 30th, I have just gone to the poll site on the 29th (in America its still the 28th) only to be told that the poll is closed. What the heck! I know I was cutting it kind of close, but I still expected to be able to vote. I'm pretty disappointed and more than a little angry.

UPDATE PART 3: Okay, so we can still vote! Got to the Top Cow website and scroll down to the bottom of the page to cast your vote! You have until December 8th.

Tower Prep Impressions

2010-11-24T05:50:00.000-08:00

I recently partook of a story that involved a group of kids at some prestigious school. The kids find out that they can’t leave the school and the faculty is mysterious and claims to only want the students to fulfill their full potential or something and all the kids seem to be gifted or special in some way and there is clearly more to the school than meets the eye.

Amazingly all of the above can apply to either the amazing comic book series Morning Glories or to Cartoon Network’s new live action show Tower Prep. I watched the first episode of the show and figured I’d write up my impressions since its at least tangentially comic book related.

First of all I admit that I am very biased. I HATE the idea of a show like this being on Cartoon Network at all. Count me among those who remembers a time when Cartoon Network said they would only play cartoons “forever and ever and ever until the end of time,” and wishes the network would go back to that standard. Their live action attempts thus far have been pretty terrible, and I don’t see why they continue to sink time and money into these projects.

So when I saw that this show was going to be on Cartoon Network I was already against it. But the premise sounded interesting enough to win me over into checking it out (and the fact that Paul Dini created it helped a lot). And as much as I hate to admit it, it’s not a bad show. The first episode did its job introducing the main characters, the challenges they are facing, and the environment. It also introduced some mysteries to keep viewers coming back for more. The plot of the episode was pretty standard pilot fare and I can’t remember ever really being surprised by it.

The acting was passable, although I felt many of the characters had very flat personalities (a problem that could easily be resolved as the series continues I suppose), especially Ian’s bullying roommates. The show did a lot of telling us about what the main characters were like rather than showing us, and that’s a big no no from storytelling 101. Of our four main students I liked Suki the best. She also has the most interesting gift of those we have been introduced to and I already have some thoughts on how they will make use of it down the line.

I felt like this show was trying to give me a sort of Lost vibe, with a group of people stranded and up against something far bigger than themselves with only their wits to help them. But the problem is that this is a kid’s show. I don’t really feel the same stakes as I did with Lost. None of the main characters are going to get killed off and I can’t see the big reveal of what’s really going on being all too shocking. There certainly won’t be anything like the shocking ending of the first issue of Morning Glories (which had a similar pilot structure introducing kids, a school, and mystery). There wasn’t anything that made me feel like the stakes were high. Sure the kids want to leave the school, but why? Other than the fact that the “evil” adults are telling them that they can’t. I didn’t see any indication as to why they didn’t feel safe or what might happen to them if they don’t get away. They’ll have to go to classes I guess…the horror! I get that they are scared and being kept in the dark about details, but I didn’t feel real concern for the characters or even motivation to root for them because I didn’t have anything concrete to root for them against.

At the end of the program I was left feeling like, “Huh…well that was a show alright.” I don’t have a burning desire to see more or to get answers to the lingering questions. I’m not sorry I watched it and I suppose I could see myself watching some more of it if I’m really bored or happen to stumble upon it, but I’m not chomping at the bit for more Tower Prep.

If you like the premise of this show, do yourself a favor and pick up Morning Glories. Most of the things that are interesting about Tower Prep are in Morning Glories and for me are done much better. But if it sounds interesting, check it out. At worst you waste a little of your time, but you might find that you enjoy it.

UPDATE: Yeah I wrote this article after watching the first episode and now I think they are on like 6 or something. I’m not exactly a timely poster… But if you are interested a very nice interview with Paul Dini and a bunch of the writers can be found here.

I now have opinions on Superman and Wonder Woman!

2010-11-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to reading the previews of the J. Michael Straczynski arcs that appeared in the 700 and 600 issues and were released on the iPod for free. And now that I have actually read part of the story I feel that I can have an opinion!

We’ll start with Wonder Woman. I still don’t like the very idea of this story happening, but the prologue didn’t make me any more upset about it. I still think her branding bracelets are stupid, but the Oracle was a pretty cool character (not to be confused with the Barbara Gordon Oracle). I still don’t understand how this story fits in with the rest of the DCU and I’m to the point of assuming that it doesn’t. It wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t make me want to run to the comic book shop and pick up the rest of the arc (and this has nothing to do with how far away the nearest comic shop is). It didn’t even really make me want to read the trade when it comes out. It was just kind of a forgettable story. I’ll admit that I’ve never been a huge Wonder Woman fan to begin with, but this story didn’t change that for me. All in all it was rather meh. And that’s actually an improvement for my opinion about the book.

Then there was Superman. Oh, god, that was painful. The whole set up of this story doesn’t make any sense and it proceeds to make less sense the more I think about it.

So the whole story is set in motion when a woman slaps Superman, insults him, and then bitches because he wasn’t around to CURE HER HUSBAND’S BRAIN CANCER. I really wish I was making that up or exaggerating somehow. She cries about how she tried so hard to contact him but he was off in space doing “something important.” And now she’ll never see her husband again because he wasn’t there.

First of all, I think it’s a terrible idea to even suggest that your superheroes can cure real life medical issues. If superheroes can make it all go away it cheapens the problem somewhat. This is why a lot of superheroes didn’t go to World War II, because they didn’t want to cheapen the sacrifice of the soldiers who were fighting and dying over there. This is also why Reed Richards must spend all of his time thwarting Dr. Doom and not, say, curing AIDS.

Secondly, the way she wanted Superman to cure this guy seems kinda strange to me. She wanted him to use his x-ray vision to find the tumor and then use his heat vision to basically laser scalpel it out. She claimed that the doctors said that it was “inoperable” but that it wouldn’t have been for him. You know, because Superman is so well known for his vast medical knowledge… Wait, what? That’s pretty precise use of the heat vision. And speaking of, his vision is HEAT not magic atomizing rays. Sure he can melt metal together and can cause a world of hurt to super villains, but I’m not sure that it’s a practical tool medically speaking. Even if he could somehow laser out the tumor, he would still have to get to the tumor, and “inoperable brain tumor” usually means that you simply can’t do that. Sure he could see the tumor, but his heat vision can’t destroy a tumor INSIDE the guy’s brain without cutting through the guy’s brain (which is something I think we generally like to avoid). So it would seem to me that this lady had insane expectations of Superman and that he wouldn’t have been able to help her even if he had been around. In which case it doesn’t really make sense for him to feel guilty about it.

But let’s assume I’m wrong about that (for shiggles). Let’s assume she’s a genius and has discovered a great medical use for Superman’s powers that no one has ever thought of before. And she can’t get a hold of Superman. How tragic! It’s not like there are any other heroes on Earth who have the exact same power set as Superman. It’s not like there is a family of Super characters who should be well known to anyone who lives in the DCU. Like a Supergirl. To be fair, she was on and off of New Krypton for a while, so maybe she wasn’t in Metropolis when the lady was looking for Superman (although I would have to assume that she only looked for like one day and then sat and cried about it), and Supergirl has gotten a bit of bad publicity lately, so maybe she didn’t want her. (WAIT A SECOND! One of the things Supergirl got slammed for in the media was assuring a boy that she would save him when he was dying of cancer. Clearly she couldn’t so this just adds further support to the idea that this could NOT be done.) There’s Superboy. To be fair with him, his heat vision is the last power he got to work and I’m not sure he has complete control over it yet, so maybe he’s not the best choice. Plus he’s hiding out in Smallville and might not have been easy to contact. But then there is Mon-El. And I don’t have to be fair here, because there is no reason why she couldn’t have contacted him. He was in Metropolis. He has all the powers of Superman. He probably wouldn’t have even been that difficult to get a hold of. And let’s not forget about Powergirl. She’s alternate universe Supergirl so she’s got all the powers. She also managed to be completely untouched by the New Krypton drama, so she would have been a great choice to approach about this problem.

And while we’re looking at other DCU heroes let’s not forget that the Justice League has at least two doctors that this lady could have gone to as well. Either Doc Midnight or Dr. Light probably would have been better choices than Superman since, you know, they have all that medical training and experience. And if Superman’s powers were the ONLY solution I’m sure they would have an easier time getting a hold of him (or any of those other characters I mentioned with the same powers) than anyone else on the planet.

I’m left with only one conclusion to make here. This woman didn’t really try all that hard to save her husband’s life. I didn’t even have to think very hard to come up with the list above, and giving it some more thought I could probably come up with a few more heroes who would have been just as good if not better than Superman in this situation (perhaps the Atom or Soranik Natu). So clearly she didn’t give it any amount of thought whatsoever. And now she is blaming Superman for something he probably couldn’t even have helped her with. Superman shouldn’t be sulking about this. He should be pissed that people are now expecting him to be Dr. Superman on top of all the other crap he’s going through (like dealing with the genocide of his people by the government).

I get that the writer wanted something to make Superman take a step back and say, “Golly, have I lost touch with the people and the needs of my adoptive home?” But this was one of the worst ways he could have gone about it. I would have been more on board with this idea if the lady had hated him because a Kryptonian had killed her husband or if he had been hit by falling debris from New Krypton. Either of those things can at least loosely be blamed on Superman. It’s still a stretch, but a more believable one for a grieving person to make. But maybe he wanted to go for the whole “You weren’t here” angle more than the “It’s your fault” angle. Okay. Well, how about if her husband was killed in Metropolis by a super villain while Supes was away. Or even in something more “normal” like a car wreck or a fire. Since Metropolis is Superman’s city it is not too farfetched to see how a person could wonder if their loved one might have been saved if Superman had been planet side doing the things he normally does. Sure he can’t be everywhere, but those are places you would expect Superman to be on a normal day in the DCU. THAT would be something I think Superman could realistically be expected to feel guilty for. I admit that it still wouldn’t make a lot of sense in the story since it wouldn’t really explain why he is walking AWAY from Metropolis, and if he’s being blamed for something that didn’t happen in Metropolis the question arises about all of the other heroes in the DCU and why we’re not blaming them.

The last couple panels of the preview have a couple of kids who see Superman land in a park and start walking. They marvel at how he is walking at not flying (because I guess that’s never, ever happened before) and wonder where he is going and why. One boy comments, “Whatever it is, it must be important.” Bullshit! If it was important or dire in any way I assume he would be using super speed to get there. There is no reason to think that Superman moving at normal person speed is due to anything important at all. In fact, if I saw Superman strolling down the street I would have to assume that it was the slowest day ever and that there was absolutely nothing to command his attention at that moment.

There’s another thing that really bothers me. While Supes is strolling across the country his Super Hearing is going to be picking up all kinds of things, most notably people in danger or dying. But since Supes is set on staying grounded to “reconnect” he’s going to ignore all of those people in peril. Thanks Superman, but given the choice between you connecting with me and saving my life, I’ll take the later thank you. That’s kind of your job description. If you really want to “connect” try checking in on the people you save after the fact. Make sure they are okay and that their families are okay. Talk to them for a few minutes before you have to run off to the next disaster.

I’ve heard that Superman is going to be facing the “real problems” that Americans are dealing with right now. Why would I want to read a comic book that reminds me that the economy sucks and all of the other problems we are all dealing with? And worse, why would I want to read about Superman not being able to make it all better. I assume Superman isn’t going to sweep in and solve unemployment or some other crisis. So that means, as a reader I am left thinking, “Wow, even a superhero can’t fix our problems. We’re all doomed!” Maybe if he was working to help fix the problems (or even just raise awareness of them) as Clark Kent and making very small dents in the problem as a man and not as Superman I would feel better about things. I could say, “Wow, look at that. Superman can’t do it, but Clark Kent can. We can all be like Clark Kent and work hard to solve our own problems. I feel all hopeful now.” However this wanders dangerously close to PSA territory so there is that to consider as well. I understand that the desire was probably to tell a story that was “relevant” to readers. But the problem is that you are assuming that all of your readers have the same problems (and that you know what they are,) and you are likely seriously dating your story in the process. Not to mention alienating everyone who isn’t in America.

Also, why aren’t the super villains tearing Metropolis up right now? I know that a few are just hell bent on destroying Superman, so they would have no need to attack Metropolis when Supes is very publically not there. But there are a lot of criminals who have targeted Metropolis for other reasons in the past, and I just don’t get why the city would be perfectly safe without Superman for an extended period of time. This time he doesn’t even have Mon-El there as backup and even Supergirl is currently off world. If I lived in Metropolis I would be really pissed at Superman right about now.

This preview cemented my dislike for this premise and this story. I have no desire to pick it up in any form. I hope that it gets better than this and can provide a somewhat satisfying story for those who do chose to follow it, but I hope that it ends as soon as possible and that things can move on.

UPDATE: I just found out that JMS is off both titles and other writers will be finishing the stories with his outlines. I am now even happier that I didn’t get sucked in by the hype. I read an interview with JMS about the whole thing and it really pisses me off. He talks about how he thinks long form story telling is his weak point and how he had been considering leaving monthly comics for a while now. So why on earth did he sign up for two year long runs at all? You’d think if he was worried about the format he would have turned down the assignments or at least only accepted one of them so that he could really devote his time to overcoming his weaknesses and producing something great. I understand that things come up and plans change, but this whole thing rubs me the wrong way.

Apparently the reason he’s off the books is because DC wants to fast track the next Superman: Earth One graphic novel. So in my mind DC shares some of the blame in this situation for ignoring the fans who have committed to a story and focusing on the bottom line. I understand this is business, but I think we all like to think that the companies care just a little about the fans and its sort of a slap in the face when you are reminded that they don’t.

Comic Buzz – Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers

2010-11-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Ian Brill (W), Leonel Castellani (A)
Boom!, ongoing, starts in December

Sometimes some crimes go slipping through the cracks but Boom! Studios is bringing back the gumshoes who can pick up the slack. Boom! struck gold with Darkwing Duck and now they are taking a chance on another of the Disney afternoon lineup with Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers. I could not be more excited about this.

When I was little I had a Chip 'n Dale themed birthday party. I’m sure I saw every episode multiple times. I was in love with this show. It’s probably one of the reasons I am so in love with detective fiction. I also loved this show because the girl on the team was smart and unique and not just some sort of token female. It was easily my favorite show on TV.

The series is being written by the same writer as the Darkwing Duck comic. So far I have been impressed with the voice and the story in that comic, so I look forward to seeing what he can do here. We have three sample covers from the artist, and I must say that the style seems just about perfect.

The story is being crafted so that readers new to the characters can fall in love with them and those of us who are already familiar with them can fall in love all over again. If you enjoyed the Disney afternoon lineup you should give this one a look, because the success of Rescue Rangers could pave the way for such titles as TailSpin, Gummi Bears, or Goof Troop in the future.

So stayed tuned and check in in December when we are reminded that there is no case too big and no case too small for the Rescue Rangers!

Comics on my iPod

2010-11-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

I downloaded the comixology app for my iPod touch right after DC added their app. I’m honestly not all that interested in buying comics to read on my tiny screen. But I don’t have to since many companies offer free comics! Also I was interested in seeing how reading comics on my iPod worked and if it was an enjoyable experience.

Of course, to get the stupid app to work I had to have a wireless internet connection. And those do not exist in Japan. For as crazy future robotic as Japan is known for being, it’s silly that I can’t find an internet hotspot to save my life. I ended up waiting until I went home during summer vacation and then I downloaded a bunch of free comics to be enjoyed at a later date. And that date ended up being MUCH later than I thought it would be.

The past few weekends we had some long car trips and I was in a comic reading mood. I didn’t want to haul a stack of comics in the car. Also the trips were mostly at night where I wouldn’t have much light to read by. I grabbed my iPod and threw it in the car with my DS. After my fiancé and I decided to listen to music on his iPod I was fiddling with mine and remembered that I had comics there. And now that I’ve given an entirely too long back story about how I ended up reading comics on my iPod I’ll get to the meat of the matter.

I really like the portability of having comics on my iPod. I was able to read a bunch of comics on the go without having to drag anything else along. I like that I can easily preview some series that I would not otherwise bother to look at because I can download them easily onto my iPod and read them when I feel like it. I like that I can whip my iPod out at any point in a conversation and say, “You haven’t read The Walking Dead? Well I have the first issue right here.”

See, I have it right here.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the device, when you read comics on the iPod the comics come programmed in a set way to help you view them on your small screen. You don’t look at the whole page at once (although I wish that there was an option to be able to do so, since things like panel lay out are interesting to me). You read one panel at a time and swipe the screen to advance to the next panel. You can adjust your iPod at any time to be viewed horizontally or vertically so the panels fit the screen better. When you have large splash pages the app usually starts you in on a close up of the word boxes and then after the swipe it will zoom out so that you can take in the full picture.

All in all it isn’t a bad system. I actually think that it holds the suspense a little better than reading a printed comic. For example, I was reading the first issue of Chew (which I was amazingly impressed by) and there was a panel that was super shocking and came out of nowhere. I think if I had been reading the book itself my eye might have been draw to it too soon and the effect would not have been as shocking. But since I can’t easily look ahead my eyes don’t wander. However, in the same comics was a huge two page spread that I could not zoom in on at all. I was really frustrated because there was a lot of detail to that page that I was missing. I feel that the impact of that page was lost to me. (I’ve heard people mention before about how the two page spread may very well be an early casualty of the rise of digital comics since you just can’t appreciate them the same way, even on an iPad.)

This format works great for some comics, like the strip formatted Night Owls and ones with very traditional panel structures. Artists who took more liberty with layout felt a bit more forced on my little screen. There were a few comics that, while reading, I was clearly aware that I was reading something that was not intended to be read in this format. They still found a way to make it readable, but sometimes it was a clunky experience.

All in all, I’m very pleased with the app and hope to be able to download more comics in the future. I’m still not really on board with paying for pixels, but I’m happy to sample free comics and glad to share some of my favorites with others. I do recommend trying it out if you have an iPod touch or an iPhone and haven’t already. The app is free after all, and there are enough free comics to make it worth the download.

Also, I'll probably be reviewing some of the things I'm reading from the free downloads, so keep an eye out for that. If you download it and have any thoughts on the app or the comics you read please share in the comments!

Friends, Romans, Vampyres, lend me your ears

2010-11-02T01:44:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the January solicitations and I just really needed to share this:

Blood runs in the streets of Rome as mortal and vampyre clash. Resurrected by the blood of the Dracul, Caesar’s ultimate ambition is finally at hand. Valens is pitted against his former master as he, Brutus and Caesar meet in a 3-way battle for the future of Rome in this epic conclusion to the story of the birth of Draculus Caesar.

That’s the solicit for the sixth and final issue of a miniseries called Ides of Blood. I certainly got a kick out of it and I hope all of you did too.

Pull List Maintenance – Usagi Yojimbo

2010-11-01T00:56:00.000-07:00

In November I will be adding Usagi Yojimbo to my pull list…but only for two issues. When I was browsing the November solicits this story really caugh my eye. Usagi Yojimbo is the story of a rabbit samurai in feudal Japan who wanders about helping those in need. This two part story is about a giant taiko drum a group of villagers built to end a drought and another group threatening to destroy it. Our hero must come to the rescue. I’m a big fan of Japan obviously, and I really like taiko drums. I like watching taiko performances, and I like playing Taiko no Tatsujin.

So I went ahead and ordered both issues of the story arc. But I don’t plan to continue on with the series in monthly issues. Usagi Yojimbo is one of those titles I’ve been interested in checking out (it really looks like a title I should love), but really didn’t want to jump into the middle of since it has so much history (coming up on 200 issues). This story line was an exception because it really grabbed my interest, but I think this is a series that I will have to pick up in trade format. I recently discovered that the first bunch of issues are being recollected in a special gigantic volume (1200 pages!). This seems like a good (though expensive) chance to jump on board and give it a shot.

I’m curious if anyone who reads this blog has read Usagi Yojimbo and what they think about it. If so please let me know your thoughts. I’ll be sure to give my impressions of the issues I am picking up after I get them.

Why would you do this?

2010-10-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is a random entry I’ll admit (and a tad bit late to be topical...). But I was looking at the Bat Family one shots for Bruce Wayne the Road Home which came out in October and something just bothers me.

Check out the covers. They are pretty amazing and I like how they all link together and like even more that the only one I’m not getting is on the end so it won’t mess up the flow (and since that is the book I constantly wonder why they even still group it with the Bat books, I wonder if this was done on purpose).

But if you look at the order you are supposed to read the issues in, then things get difficult. According to a recent interview with Fabian Nicieza, who coordinated the event, the proper reading order is Batman and Robin, Red Robin, Outsiders, Batgirl, Catwoman, Gordon, Oracle, Ra’s al Ghul.

That’s a completely different order! Parts are the same, yes, but the simple fact is that they will not read in the order that the covers connect in. This just seems like a strange choice. Did they not have the order set when they asked the cover artist to make these covers? Did the order change at some point? Or was there just a mix up of some kind?

I know it’s a little thing, but I can’t be the only one who doesn’t visit my comic shop every single week. I’ll get all these books together in a week or so. If I hadn’t read this article then I would have just tried to read them in cover order and would have gotten pretty confused when I tried to read the last chapter fourth. I’m hoping that they will make the reading order clear in the comics themselves. It still just really seems like an odd choice to me.

They are awfully pretty covers though, so I’ll let this one slide.

Vote for the Legion Leader!

2010-10-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

There is an election underway right now that the outcome of which will change the future. I’m not talking about the one all the news stations are covering. That’s for someone else (and probably someone still living in the US) to talk about. I’m talking about the vote for the new leader of the Legion of Superheroes.

In an exciting move DC is having the readers chose who the new leader will be. This is an old tradition that they are bringing back and I’m excited to see the outcome. Readers and fans can go online here and cast their vote for one of the 25 active legion members. The election will last three weeks and end November 10th.

I’ve never read Legion before this new series, but I’m really excited by this whole thing. Letting the readers chose is risky as they could really throw the writer a curve ball. Paul Levitz probably doesn’t have 25 separate results figured out for this event. I’m sure he has a few things in mind for certain characters, but he has no idea who it will be so he can’t devote a lot of time to it. It’s a ballsy move, saying “tell me what you want, my readers, and I will oblige, even if it’s a character I hate (and there is at least one character on the list that Levitz has voiced dislike of in the past…)!” If we do get one of the more out-of-left-field choices it will be really fun to see how he creatively accepts our challenge. I feel more invested in the story now, especially if the character I vote for ends up winning.

If you follow the title I urge you to go and vote based on your own personal preferences. But, if you don’t have a strong preference, or you don’t read the book but would like to vote anyway so that you play a part in shaping the fate of a comic book (it’s cool, I’d be voting even if I wasn’t reading the title) allow me to try to sway your vote in a few of my favorite directions. Here are my top five potential candidates, and I’d be happy with any of them leading the team.

5. The “safe” pick: Cosmic Boy

Character in a nutshell: One of the founding members of the Legion and the first leader. Has magnetic powers.

I see Cos as sort of the Legion’s Scott Summers in that he’s very easily associated with the role of leader. I honestly didn’t know before this election happened that there had been many leaders of the Legion. I thought Cosmic Boy was always the leader. That shows how much I know, but also shows how naturally the character falls into that role. He certainly has experience and would probably serve the team adequately.

This pick isn’t very fun of course, because the whole point of having elections is to create change. And the members have been kind of dumping on Cos’s leadership abilities in the recent issues in order to drum up tension for the election. Also, he recently revealed that one of the reasons he’s always been the “leader” type was so that his best friends Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl could be happy together as they pursued their relationship. And so Cos hasn’t really had that much in the way of romance. The point of rotating leadership is so that all of the miserable responsibility isn’t left to oppress one person for too long. So maybe it’s time for Cos to take a step back and try to do something for himself for a change. I’d be fine with him continuing as the leader, but I wonder if the character would be better served by passing the torch for a while.

4. The gut pick: Mon-El
Character in a nutshell: spent years in the phantom zone to emerge and become a hero of the 21st century, then sent back into the phantom zone for 1000 years until the Legion could cure his lead poisoning. Has all the powers of Superman but is weakened by lead and not Kryptonite.

I realize that I don’t so much have strong reasons to want Mon-El as leader; I just have this gut feeling that he would be a good person to have in the role. Mon-El has been through a lot. Pretty much everyone this guy has ever known or loved is dead (since he’s from our time), except for his Legion family. Not only has he done his share of heroic things, but he’s also had to endure three periods of entrapment in the Phantom Zone, the longest of which lasted for 1000 years of being intangible and lonely. The Legion always seems to need a Superman representative, and Mon-El can fill those big shoes. His role so far in the ongoing has been to exposit about the break up with his long time girlfriend (for which no reason was given), break apart some rocks, and then to go on a fetch quest to retrieve Polar Boy. I’d like to see him more, and being the leader would make that possible.

3. The popular pick: Phantom Girl
Character in a nutshell: longtime member with powers of intangibility.

Several other blogs are throwing their support behind Phantom Girl, and for some very good reasons. She has never been leader, despite her long membership on the team, so many feel that it is her turn. She’s a strong character, and has recently been sort of a confidant/advisor to a number of characters who have been seeking her out for help with their problems. This is a good leadership trait. Also, it would be nice to have a female leader (and surprisingly she's the only one on my list).

She is one of the most deserving members of the chance to be leader. She’s got a lot of support behind her, and I’ll be pleased if she ends up winning (even though she’s only my #3 pick).

2. The symbolic pick: Chameleon Boy
Character in a nutshell: Shape shifter who is the son of the Legion financier RJ Brande

There are a number of good reasons for Cham to be the leader. He’s the son of the man who is pretty much solely responsible for the Legion existing. His father died not too long ago, so it would be a great time for him to step up and take a leadership role to carry on his father’s vision for the future. He just got back from a secret mission to the past to save the bottled cities from Brainiac’s ship and essentially reseed the galaxy with them. This is not just a big deal because it saved many lives, but because many of the worlds they essentially restarted are the home worlds of Legion members a thousand years down the line. Cham even got to release the bottled city from his own planet, essentially restarting his own world. This is no small accomplishment and the Legion owes him a great deal of thanks for this. What better way to reward his efforts than making him their leader?

He’s also a giant middle finger to the xenophobic governments that plague the Legion right now. It would sort of be like saying, yes, here’s our leader. He’s not human. He has orange skin and everything. Deal with it. Cham’s race (the Durlans) are pretty much un-trusted everywhere because honestly, how are you going to trust people who can literally be anyone? But the Legion members do trust Cham and this would be a really nice way to show it. Plus we already know that there is going to be a Durlan assassin group working against the Legion, so I think it could create some interesting story drama.

1. The most interesting pick: Gates
Character in a nutshell: An insectoid alien from the Legion of Earth-247 (the reboot legion) who decided to stay with the Legion of New Earth as they have a shortage of non-humanoid members. Creates teleportation gates.

Gates would be a really fun pick for a lot of reasons. First, he’s a non-humanoid alien and, like Cham, having him as leader would send quite the message in the book’s current climate of xenophobia. It would also probably lead to a very different outlook on things. Gates didn’t want to be in the Legion in the first place. He thought they were a fascist military group but his planet had elected him as their representative and he was forced to join. He grew to tolerate his humanoid teammates and even formed some close friendships…however; he’s left that all behind. You see, Gates isn’t from the same universe as the current Legion. He stayed behind after the Legion of Three Worlds event during Final Crisis.

I’ll admit that his being chosen doesn’t really make a ton of sense in story. The characters have known him for maybe a few months tops (and in story they are the ones voting, not us). They seem to already be making quick use of his abilities, but does that really mean that they trust him? He’s only been in about 2 issues of the new run and his contribution to those has been giving snarky remarks about how he has to do all the work. But I, for one, love his snarky remarks and would love to see how the writer handles the challenge of having him as a leader. I want to see more of him and I think voting for him here is the best way to send that message. And who knows, maybe being from a different universe entirely would give him a unique unbiased outlook on some things.

Plus, just look at him. He’s the coolest looking Legionnaire on the ballot!

By the Numbers – October

2010-10-29T08:34:00.001-07:00

Here are the stats of the comics I bought in October, also known as the month of the one shot!

Total comics for the month: 67
Change from last month: +12

Company Run Down
DC: 38
Vertigo (DC): 4
Wildstorm (DC): 1
Ape: 2
Archaia Entertainment: 1
Aspen: 1
Boom!: 4
D. E.: 2
Dark Horse: 1
IDW: 3
Image: 8
Oni: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $2.20

First Issues: 2
Last Issues: 4

Ongoing: 24
Mini-series: 24
One shot: 15
Half trade thingies: 4

Batman related issues: 19
Brightest Day books: 6

Comic Buzz – DC Comics Presents

2010-10-20T02:29:00.000-07:00

If you looked over the solicitations for DC comics for October and beyond you might have noticed a group of titles under the name DC Comics Presents. These books are each about 100 pages of reprinted material that is hard to find, out of print, or has never been collected in a trade paperback. Ian Sattler referred to them as being “half-trades” at Baltimore Comic Con. And his comment immediately following that statement is why I’m writing up this blurb. “We're doing 3 Young Justice reprints with that,” he said, “Check 'em out when we do them cause we'd like to do more.”

Young Justice is one of those titles that for whatever reason has never been collected in trade. It seems like EVERY convention panel I read about, someone asks about it, but apparently they still think that there isn’t enough interest to print them. So now we have this. And I can only assume that the purpose of these little half trades it to test the waters to see if a trade release would be worthwhile. I’m sure it’s also here to help advertise the new Young Justice cartoon series that will be starting soon (although the show won’t be anything like the old comic or feature hardly any of the same characters…alternate Earth and all that).

Young Justice is a title that I have always wanted to read, but have never had available. I’ve heard so many good things and already really like most of the characters. I’ll be picking up all of these Young Justice half trades for sure to show my support for a trade release.

For those who are interested, the October “half trade” selections are Brightest Day #1 (a collection of Hawkman and Deadman stories from days past), Superman #1, Batman # 1, Green Lantern #1 (focusing on an arc early in Kyle Rainer and Jade’s romantic relationship), Young Justice #1, Jack Cross, and Batman/Catwoman. November continues this trend with Young Justice #2, Batman #2, Brightest Day #2 (this time with Firestorm and Martian Manhunter), Chase, Superman #2, and Green Lantern and Flash #1. December features T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1, Batman Beyond #1, JLA #1, Young Justice #3, Brightest Day #3 (with Aquaman and something from Teen Titans), Batman #3, and Superman #3. January cuts back a bit with only three titles; the Atom, Lobo, and something else about Superman.

You can find out more information (such as specific stories/issues included) on DC’s webpage.

Many of the titles chosen seem to reflect characters that may be of current interest in comics, such as the Brightest Day collections which are just stories about the characters who are spotlighted in Brightest Day. Also they are spotlighting some fan favorite creators.

It’s an interesting format and I do like that DC is trying some new things. I really don’t know how successful these things will be though. The ones that collect a full story or arc should do alright, but the ones that seem to contain seemingly random issues of a series may not fare as well (as some people prefer to read things in order).

The main point here is that if DC is giving this treatment to something you like, by all means support it. There is no “waiting for trade” here as these releases are already essential trades. And if you don’t support it now there may not be further trades for you to wait for.

DC Price Cuts – The Good and the Bad

2010-10-12T03:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend DC announced that come January (almost) all of their $3.99 books would drop back to $2.99. They cite concerns of fans and retailers as the driving force behind the decision. We’re all no doubt cheering for the lower prices and most of us are hoping other companies follow suit. Marvel had hinted at some kind of similar price drop, but it seems unclear exactly what that will entail. But they say that you can’t get something for nothing and this is a true case of that. There’s always a catch and this case is no different.

When I first heard the announcement, I assumed that it pertained to the $3.99 titles that were only 22 story pages such as Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors, Batman Inc., and Batman: Dark Knight. These were the books that were the biggest rip offs and certainly seemed in need of a price reduction. These books are included in the line wide price drop, but so are books like Detective Comics, Action Comics, and Teen Titans which had all included back up features increasing the story page count to 30.

I was actually okay with paying more money for more content. I thought the backups were a neat idea and gave exposure to some underused characters. They weren’t all brilliant, but it was an interesting idea and I enjoyed reading them. All of these stories will simply be gone in January. It ticks me off a little because it seems as though the writers were not consulted on this matter, or even warned that it was coming. A day before the announcement I read an interview about Detective Comics and the backup was included in the discussion as normal. I’d have been happier if the backup stories were given a chance to end and then, once the run was finished, the books dropped their page count and price. We’ve been assured that these stories will finish in one shots or miniseries, but since the stories were coming out 8 pages at a time it may take a while for fans to see the rest of it.

A close read of the press release about this matter shows that not only will the price on these books drop; the page count will too. We’re going from 22 pages of story to 20. Now this almost seems like a fair trade, 2 more pages of ads for a dollar less in price, until you realize that this change is LINE WIDE. Yes, that means that every book, including the majority of DC’s books that were $2.99 for 22 story pages, will drop to 20 pages. And further confounding news, books in the Vertigo line will be affected as well.

So while there are a number of books that we will now be getting a “better” deal on, chances are there are many books that you buy that will be losing content. So you’ll be paying the same price for less. And while the price drop on those few titles is great, this part of the announcement it not good news.

Some people have said that the loss of only 2 pages won’t really matter. If anything it will force writers to condense their storytelling and possibly eliminate 2 page spreads (which are already losing appeal due to the rise of digital readers). But we must also remember that the majority of these writers and artists are freelancers and are paid by the page. Now, company wide, everyone will be paid less per month. It may not seem like a huge loss, but 2 pages a month is 24 pages a year. That’s basically an entire month’s pay check that these creators and their families will no longer have. And an entire month’s worth of story that we will never see.

I was initially thrilled by this news and was happy to see DC taking the initiative and recognizing that in the current economy the dollar can only stretch so far. But the longer I look at the situation the more it seems like they wanted to cut content, so they needed something to distract us. If that was the intent it certainly seems to have worked. People aren’t talking about the whole picture as much as I feel they should be. And I’m worried that a lot of people might not even notice…

EDIT: Okay, I just heard a semi-convincing argument for the page cut and wanted to give it some face time here. In a video interview with Dan Didio and Jim Lee they point out that with 2 less pages a month books that are plagued by delays may be able to come out on time and they may be able to fix some of their scheduling problems (see October Batman books). Creative teams who are faster could still be getting that month's worth of pay by producing 13 books in the span of a year (if they produce at the same rate they end up with 2 extra pages a month). I hadn't considered that there is no rule saying you can't be ahead of schedule and that being ahead of schedule is good news for everyone. So that is one point in their favor I suppose, though I still think it warrants more discussion.

I'm also wondering what they will do with things that were already in development like the new Batwoman ongoing slated for February. JH Williams knows he has to get his art done ahead of time to stay on schedule, so how far ahead was he when they made this decision? Will he have to go back and eliminate some pages now? And there have to be at least a few other creative teams who have been working ahead. I wonder how all of this will affect them.

DC has a new Editor in Chief

2010-09-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

The announcement has come that DC has a new Editor in Chief, one Bob Harras, the former editor in charge of collected editions and former Editor in Chief of Marvel back in the late 90s. I was surprised by the announcement as I figured that the Co-Publisher team of Dido and Lee were pretty much covering those kinds of things. I expected this kind of announcement to come sooner and when it did not, I assumed that it wasn’t coming at all. But with the massive restructuring going on I guess this was the point at which they finally decided it was needed. And it kind of adds a fresh start feel to the whole thing. I mean now he won’t be blamed for any of the inevitable firings to come (since that was already in motion before he was named). I really wish that I had a long winded opinion on the subject, that I was familiar, at all, with this man’s previous work and reputation, but honestly I know nothing about this man.

I browsed some user comments on the announcement on Newsarama and Comic Book Resources and it seems to be pretty evenly divided between those who are optimistic and those who are gloom and doom about the matter. From the comments I’ve read it seems like this man, like pretty much anyone ever, has made some really good choices and also some really poor ones. He has impressed people and pissed off people. He didn’t have perfect run while at Marvel, but he did so some good things that people remember. He also did some bad ones that have stuck with people.

And no matter what he did at Marvel, I have a hard time judging a man on his actions over 10 years ago. Sure he seems to have made some really bad choices on some things, but the hope is that he learned from those things and many other things in his many years of experience since then. And he certainly seems to have a lot of experience in comics. The comic world is a very different place than it was back then. The customers are different and the economy is different. Yes, if he runs DC now just like he ran Marvel back then things are going to suck, but mostly because they are two very different times and it will require different things to be successful. And since he has been working in comics this whole time it is silly to assume that he hasn’t noticed the changes along with the rest of us.

I know that there are several good points about his time in the collected division, but honestly, I don’t know what that position is in charge of and I don’t have the knowledge to really evaluate that. It still seems like sort of a weird promotion, as, if they were going to promote an editor, it seems like they would have gone with one working on current titles and not collections. But perhaps my thinking there is wrong. This man worked with all the imprints of DC in that job. Now he is not only editor in chief of the DCU, but will also be responsible for Vertigo and Mad Magazine. Perhaps a single group editor would not have had a firm view on the scope of the company. Also, like his past or not, he does have experience in the position, and that should count for something.

The biggest positive opinion I have is that I am glad that the promotion was from within. I’m very happy that someone under another Warner Brothers department was not shuffled into the mix. Then we would all really have something to complain about. This man has worked in comics for a very long time and, to me at least, that makes him a lot better than many other people they could have moved into this position.

I really feel like I should be telling you all how excited I was for the future of DC with this decision or expounding upon what a poor choice it was. But I can do neither. I suppose we’ll all just have to wait and see how this turns out. There will likely be things that people love and people hate. There will probably be things he is rightly blamed for and things he will be blamed for unnecessarily. He’s stepping into a tough job where he will never be able to please everyone and I can only wish him the best of luck. And of course, I selfishly hope that I am one of the ones he does manage to please.

“Wait, they are ending an entire universe?”

2010-09-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

That was my fiancé’s reaction when I told him that the Wildstorm imprint of DC comics was closing. It’s always sad to see things like this close, mostly because it will mean a lot of good people will be out of jobs.

I don’t read any of the Wildstorm universe titles (and never have), so I don’t feel personally wronged by any of this. The only thing I’m reading from Wildstorm come the December closing is Victorian Undead II, which is a self contained miniseries. I have to assume that it will continue as is, just with a new logo on it (EDIT: Finally found an interview that mentioned it specifically and it will continue with a new logo as I thought).

But I do feel for fans of this universe. It’s going away for “awhile” before these characters show up again under the DC logo. It’s still unclear as to if they will keep their own universe or if they will be folded in to the DCU. I’m really hoping for the former as fans of the Milestone and Red Circle characters seem to have been disappointed with those characters’s absorption into the DCU (and I really can’t blame them). And really (from my point of view at least), with their own universe storytelling is much easier. I think it would benefit the books and the characters to exist on their own. Of course a mandatory miniseries down the line will be required to cross over the two universes for whatever reason, but I think for the most part it will be better for everyone if they can keep to themselves. I honestly don’t think this is likely and assume they will just be added to the already overcrowded DCU, but I will remain hopefully that someone will see the light on this matter.

I will admit that before this announcement I didn’t really have a clear view of Wildstorm’s place. DC was the superhero place and Vertigo was the place for more mature comics and things that had nothing to do with superheroes. Wildstorm had all the licensed comics, but also its own universe and then some series that weren’t related to that universe. I couldn’t really get a hold on the thread that tied the line together that really said, “This title is a Wildstorm book.” With this closure it seems as though perhaps I wasn’t the only one. I don’t want to say that Wildstorm was doomed or anything, but I do feel like we’ve seen it decline in the past few years and as sad as the announcement was it wasn’t completely surprising.

I’ve seen some people fearing for the continuation of Vertigo after the cancelation of EVERY other DC imprint. But I have to disagree. Vertigo pulls a lot of weight at DC, especially in trade sales. Series like Fables and Sandman sell a lot of books so Vertigo has become pretty well known and brand recognition counts for something. It also makes a lot of sense to keep Vertigo around to have a place for creator owned properties outside the superhero genre. From the looks of things it appears that the focus will now be that DC = superheroes and Vertigo = everything else. If DC is dividing things the way I think they are going to then it would be really stupid to get rid of Vertigo. People who are looking for more “mature” comics in terms of content and subject matter know to go to Vertigo. If you suddenly grouped everything under the DC banner then people wouldn’t know where to look for things and thus you could lose sales. Some might argue that the darker more mature subject matter is creeping into our “fun” superhero comics and I would agree. But there is still a difference between a book that sometimes has dark plots and a mature book that revolves around dark plots. Most of the latter are to be found over at Vertigo. I personally feel like the Vertigo books have a sort of flavor to them that makes them distinct from the DC books. And this is what I feel Wildstorm was lacking.

It will be interesting to see how many of the Wildstorm books that were not in the Wildstorm universe find a home at Vertigo. Now that I think about it, the Wildstorm universe might be better served by continuing under the Vertigo imprint. This isn’t going to happen, but it would keep them separate from the DCU and would allow them to maintain their own universe and stories. It certainly is a situation I will be watching as it unfolds.

By the Numbers – September

2010-09-27T05:43:00.001-07:00

Total comics for the month: 55
Change from last month: 0

Company Run Down
DC: 29
Vertigo (DC): 4
Antarctic Press: 1
Ape: 2
Archaia Entertainment: 1
Aspen: 1
Boom!: 4
D. E.: 2
GG Studios: 1
IDW: 3
Image: 4
Oni: 1
Th3rd World Studios: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $2.13

First Issues: 3
Last Issues: 2

Ongoing: 30
Mini-series: 25
One shot: 0

Batman Issues: 15
Brightest Day books: 6

Trade Buzz? – The Saga of Rex

2010-09-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Michel Gagne (W and A)
Image, released in November, $17.99

This doesn’t quite fit with how I normally do Comic Buzz as it’s not a new series but a graphic novel release. But it’s also not a good Waiting for Trade because those recommendations are of things I have read in their entirety and recommend to those of you who trade wait. But it is something exciting coming out that I want to share and it is in the graphic novel form, so I’ll just label it as both and call it a day.

This 200 page story was originally published a chapter at a time in an anthology comic called “Flight” and will now be collected for the first time. This is also the first time the story will be presented in order as the last volume of “Flight” actually had the first chapter of the story. There is a bit of narration in the first chapter but after that the story relies on visuals to tell the story without text.

The story features an adorable little fox named Rex in his sci-fi adventure for love. Yeah, that’s a lot of genres. Rex is kidnapped by a spaceship and taken to another planet full of wonders he has never seen before. There Rex has a variety of adventures with strange creatures and falls for one of the Blossoms who are capable of mating with various species from throughout the universe. Did I mention how adorable it is? I don’t have to really, just look at that cover yourself! How can you not say “Awwwwwwwwww”?

Michel Gagne created, illustrated, and colored this entire work, so you know it’s been a labor of love for him. When I read that he has done considerable work in animation including two of my all time childhood favorites “An American Tale” and “The Land Before Time” I got the feeling that this will really be something I enjoy. Rex's first adventure was a children's book called A Search for Meaning: The Story of Rex (which you can read online here), and hopefully we'll see more of this adorable little guy in the future.

So if you like foxes, adorableness, adventure, love, stories told without words, fun, whimsy, or some combination of the above, you might want to track down the Saga of Rex once it hits shelves this November. It’s certainly on my birthday list!

If you really need more in the way of preview go here for massive previews of 6 of the chapters or here for an interview with Gagne!

Fan Ramblings – Are two Bats better than one?

2010-09-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

*What follows may contain spoilers for Batman if you are not caught up*

DC recently set to rest a lot of the speculation floating around by revealing that once Bruce Wayne returns Dick Grayson will not be stepping down and we will in fact have 2 Batmen in the DC Universe. Dick Grayson will be Batman in Batman, Batman and Robin, and Detective Comics. Bruce Wayne will take the lead in Batman Inc., The Dark Knight, and (the almost always forgotten by anyone talking about the Batbooks) Batman Confidential. Dick Grayson will remain the protector of Gotham City while Bruce takes a more global approach.

I wrote before about the massive number of books in the Bat Family, and mentioned at the time that I didn’t actually want Bruce Wayne back because I wanted more of Dick as Batman. Well, it seems as though DC has helped to settle my trepidation about that. And honestly, it does solve some of the editorial problems I foresaw as well. I think it will be easier to handle two separate Batmen than the same one in every book.

When I first heard that Bruce Wayne was making his completely expected return so soon I immediately thought, oh god, Dick better not just give up the cowl the second Bruce walks in saying ‘Well that was fun.’ If this past year had been nothing but stories with Dick Grayson bumbling around in his father’s clothes, never really fitting in as the Batman role and not really ever getting things right, then I might buy that kind of a reaction. I would also have been royally pissed off and this blog would be filled with a LOT more rage. But that’s not what happened. It is true that Dick Grayson never wanted to be Batman, and at first he felt awkward in the role (and seemingly ever writer working on the Batbooks got his shot at milking that idea). But he grew into it and made it his own.

Here’s an example. In issue 13 of Batman and Robin Dick is riding in the Batmobile with Commissioner Gordon. Now Gordon isn’t stupid and is well aware that this is a different Batman. He points out that Dick calls him Commissioner Gordon while the “other Batman” had always called him Jim. Dick just smiles and tells him that he’ll keep calling him Commissioner Gordon if that's okay. And then Gordon makes the comment that most of the cops in Gotham LIKE HIS WAY OF DOING THE BATMAN THING BETTER. No, I’m not saying that this means that Dick is better than Bruce and that we have no reason to have Bruce around or anything silly like that. But what I do feel it shows is that Dick is doing a damn fine job as Batman, and that he should be aware of this fact. He can’t play the “No one believes I’m really Batman card” anymore. He is Batman. He is a different Batman than Bruce was, but he is a good one nonetheless. After a comment like that (from one of the most respected men in all of the Batman books) it would make absolutely zero sense to me for Dick to just throw off the cowl without a second thought.

Also, it wouldn’t make sense for Bruce Wayne to come back and not recognize what a freaking awesome job Dick has done, not just with being Batman, but with helping to shape Damian as a person. Little shit that he still is, Damian is loyal to Dick. He is Dick Grayson’s Robin. They have a good thing going there. And Bruce isn’t so single minded as to not be able to see that. Come on, Bruce is a strategist. He should be able to look at the situation and say, “hey things are going pretty well. I’ve still got a job to do, but I can focus my attentions elsewhere now that the kids are holding down the fort in Gotham.”

I personally do not feel that Dick Grayson going back to being Nightwing would be a demotion. Dick proved himself a hero outside of the shadow of the bat. That identity is still his, and I’m sure that somewhere down the line that’s what things will return to. I just don’t want it to happen yet. I want Dick to really think about what being Batman means to him. Yes, we ALL know he initially didn’t want to do it. And Bruce didn’t want him to do it. But in true heroic fashion, Dick saw a need and filled it despite his personal feelings. And now, it will change from being an obligation to being a choice. And I think that it makes sense for Dick now to WANT to keep doing what he is doing. He’s found a rhythm and he’s made the cowl his own.

I’m optimistic about things to come. We get more Dick Grayson Batman and people who only wanted to read about Bruce in the cowl have their books too. Things are new and different and it will be nice to see these ideas explored. And this outcome makes far more sense to me than a lot of others would. I know fans are divided on this new idea, and what new idea doesn’t divide the fan base these days? I have no ill will toward anyone who hates the idea of two Batmen. I don’t think I’m right and they are wrong. I simply hope that we can agree to disagree and keep an open mind until we actually see the stories in action. Then we can all react with praise or rage as required.

Fan Ramblings – Sherlock Holmes Comics

2010-09-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

When I was very young I wanted to be a detective when I grew up. I made my own detective kit and routinely went around my house trying to solve mysteries like “The Caper of the Missing Coffee Cup.” I suppose that it is no surprise that my favorite superhero is known as the world’s greatest detective. I have always loved a good mystery and gravitate toward characters who are great detectives both in comics and out (such as House, Psych, Monk, Detective Conan, the Great Mouse Detective, Rescue Rangers, and Phillip Marlow).

"Where could the cup be?"

Since the Sherlock Holmes movie recently our classic detective has been getting a lot of press. With the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle safely within the public domain there are many different takes on the character available. Some are very traditional, while others seem to be ideas taken directly from a fanfiction forum somewhere.

Recently, a lot of Holmes related comics have appeared and I just can’t help but be tempted by them, even by the really gimmicky ones. I know some of them are just attempts to cash in on Holmes’ current popularity, but I just can’t help but think, “But what if it’s good?” So now, I’ll share with you, some of Holmes’ more recent comic adventures.

Sherlock Holmes (Dynamite Entertainment)
By far the most traditional Holmes story of those listed here, you will gain a lot from this story if you are a Holmes fan. Many familiar characters make an appearance, like Inspector LeStrade and Holmes’ brother Mycroft. In this story Holmes is the only suspect in a locked room murder. It wasn’t the most amazing Holmes’ story I have ever read, although the mystery was complex enough to keep me interested for five issues. All in all though, it never shook off the fanfiction feeling for me. Worth a read, but not necessarily worth buying unless you are a Holmes fan.

Sherlock Ninja (Antarctic Press)
I really wanted this one to be decent. It includes two of my favorite things: Sherlock Holmes and ninjas! Unfortunately this was not the greatest match made in heaven. I was disappointed to find that the art was black and white. Black and white art can be done well (like in Walking Dead) but here it simply made everything muddled. Nothing really stood out. And the fight scenes were terrible. I couldn’t figure out what was going on half of the time. And when you have what should be cool ninja fights, that is a big problem. Overall this was a single issue that was pretty forgettable. I don’t regret buying it, as it amused me slightly, but it’s not one that I would really recommend anyone pick up, unless they just want to say that they own something called Sherlock Ninja. And yet if an issue #2 shows up I would probably buy it anyway just to see where they go with it...

Victorian Undead (Wildstorm)
In another I-can’t-believe-they-are-really-doing-this premise, this series is all about Sherlock Holmes vs. zombies! Like Sherlock Ninja above, I was suckered in by the pairing of two of my favorite things. And for what it was, I feel it was well handled. Sherlock Holmes DID get called in on his fair share of strange and unbelievable cases in his time, so this isn’t as out there as it could be. I think I would have liked this story a tad better if it had just been Holmes and company dealing with a zombie invasion. But things are, of course, more complicated than that, and it turns out that the zombies are being led by *SPOILER ALERT* Holmes deceased arch nemesis Professor Moriarty. It wasn’t really a surprise, and unfortunately I didn’t feel like it added a lot to the zombie story. In fact, once that was reveled I felt that the zombies took a back seat to Moriarty zombie in importance. The story changed from Holmes vs. zombies to Holmes vs. Moriarty who happens this time to be a zombie. I wanted to read about Holmes fighting something completely out of his element, and it kinda fell short in that regard. But all in all it wasn’t a bad read and had enough Holmes character cameos to keep me happy. Apparently the series did well enough to spawn an October one shot with Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and a second miniseries starting in November with Holmes vs. Dracula! I’m hoping that this time the series can focus on the undead half of the equation a little more.

Muppet Sherlock Holmes (Boom!)
This title isn’t out yet, but based on the preview images I’ve seen I have high hopes for it. It’s a Muppet parody with Gonzo as Holmes and Fonzy as Dr. Watson. Kermit will make an appearance as Inspector LeStrade and by the end there will probably be more Muppets than you can shake a magnifying glass at. Unlike the other items on this list, this miniseries is retelling four classic Holmes stories; The Speckled Band, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red Headed League, and The Musgrove Ritual. The content has been tweaked of course to stay within the atmosphere of the Muppets and to condense the story down to 24 pages, and while each issue/case is a separate story, there will be threads that tie the whole series together. As this is a parody, I have high hopes that it will take what it needs from the source material, but also never take itself too seriously. If you have kids who like to play detective or like the Muppets this might be a good series to pick up for them!

If they make a Lego Sherlock Holmes game I am SO there!

Whatever may befall our favorite detective I'm sure I'll be along for the ride. How about the rest of you? Any insane story ideas you would like to see in future comics? Do you have a favorite character that you are driven to pick things up for, even when you know some of its going to be crap?

Waiting for Trade? – Superboy: The Boy of Steel

2010-08-25T03:57:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Geoff Johns (W) and Francis Manapul (A)
Price: $19.99
Available Now

I loved this Superboy story. Back from the dead (check out “Legion of Three Worlds” if you missed how that played out, it was a fun ride), Connor Kent is trying to figure out where he fits in. Half human and half Kryptonian, he’s torn as to which of his DNA donors he is more like, Superman or Lex Luthor. So he asks himself the questions “What did Superman do?” and “What does Lex Luthor do?” He tries to emulate Superman, but also finds that his actions sometimes stray toward the other side.

Ma Kent and Krypto are supporting cast (honestly, they had me hooked at Krypto) as he settles back into life in Smallville. We meet some new faces in Smallville as well. Along this personal journey we get to see his reunion with his best friend Tim Drake (currently Red Robin) and girlfriend Cassie Sandsmark (Wonder Girl). (His reunion with Red Robin was technically handled in the pages of the “World’s Finest” mini, but this one was better so I chose to conveniently forget about that one). Some other surprise cameos pop up as well, but I won’t spoil them for you here.

The art is AMAZING! I think I have found my favorite comic artist. The art is fresh and fun and seems softer than some of the other artists out there. And there is something about it that just seems to fit the small town setting. The writing is solid, as Superboy comes off as conflicted without getting angsty or emo about it. I’m sad that Geoff Jonhs has left the title and that the Superboy story he planned to tell (that I assume this was only the tip of the iceberg for) will be put to the side, possibly never to be told. The creative team has moved over to the new Flash monthly (and for the first time in my life I was tempted to buy a comic about a character I didn’t care about on the strength of the creative team alone. But I’m still bitter that Wally is nowhere in sight) so if you are a fan of the team and the character it’s probably worth a look (I’m still reluctantly considering that trade).

I will admit that, unlike the Batwoman trade I recommended, this one relies a little more heavily upon previous continuity. That isn’t to say that someone who has never read about Superboy couldn’t enjoy it. But if you are unfamiliar to the character you may find yourself jumping onto Wikipedia in order to fill in some gaps in the back story. Most everything is touched upon in the pages of the comic, but this may be a case where it helps to at least already be interested in the character.

The collection contains Adventure Comics 0-3, 5-6 plus a tale from Superman Secret Files 2009 (which leaves out the Blackest Night tie-in with Superboy Prime in case you were curious about the skip there). A new Superboy ongoing has been announced with a different creative team, but they claim that they will build off of the foundation set here. I’m willing to see how it goes, but am still disappointed that we won’t get more Superboy from this team anytime soon.

I seriously love Francis Manapul's art. I cannot express this enough.

Fan Ramblings – Potential Batman 3 Villains

2010-08-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

I’m not the first one to talk about this by any means, but I figured I’d better get my two cents out there while the topic is still relevant. Details are scare about the new Batman movie, but that has never stopped fans from having ideas and opinions on what they hope will happen. As soon as we walked out of The Dark Knight Returns my friends and I were already speculating about what the final chapter of the trilogy would hold.

At the end of the last movie, Batman is on the run from the law, the city turned against the man who wants to protect it. Once you decide that your masked vigilante is a problem, it makes sense to call someone in to help you to get rid of the problem.

Enter Bane. In DESPERATE need of a movie reboot after the Batman movie we all like to not talk about, Bane could be a great villain for this movie. In the previous two movies Batman has faced Scarecrow and the Joker both villains who taxed Batman mentally. But we haven’t really seen anyone pull out all the stops and drive Batman to his absolute physical limit. As the final movie in the trilogy some major fight scenes will be expected and this is a character that could deliver. Bane seems like a better choice than other physical villains like Clayface or Killer Croc as he seems to fit into the movie universe more seamlessly (since he basically uses drugs to power up). Bane as hired by the cops isn’t really a new idea as it worked very well in The Batman Animated Series. There is no shame in stealing ideas from cartoon series. Speaking of which…

Seriously badass

ALL of our villains up to this point have been male. I would hate to see the trilogy close out without showcasing at least one of Batman’s fantastic female rogues. And since our last movie heavily showcased the Joker it makes sense for elements of that story to flow into the final movie.

Enter Harley Quinn. Untouched potential as far as movies go, Harley is a great character and I feel justified in calling her a fan favorite. Her origin could be tweaked for the movie universe if necessary, as the most important aspect is her obsession with and total devotion to the Joker. With the tragic death of Heath Ledger it would be impossible to film scenes of Dr. Quinsel, Arkham Asylum psychologist, working with the Joker, but I’m confident that the writers could come up with a creative way around that or a convincing origin for her. If the movie wanted to stay away from characters that had been previously used in movies, Harley is an excellent choice. She’s recently gotten some out of comics exposure with a very creepy appearance in the Arkham Asylum game, showing that she can be adapted to the needs of the media and can fit a more serious role. And while we’re on the topic of female characters…

Fan made poster of just how awesome it could be

With the death of Bruce’s main love interest at the end of The Dark Knight Returns the door is open for another woman in Bruce’s very complicated love life to step in.

Enter Catwoman. No powers, just a girl who likes nice things and is willing to steal to get them. Catwoman has had a ton of interpretations over the years from out and out villain, to gentleman thief, champion against eco-terrorism, to a sort of anti hero. She has a strong, complicated relationship with Batman. While Catwoman has been in a Batman movie before (as well as her own movie that we also don’t talk about) she is such a strong character that she could be interpreted a completely different way and still fit herself well into the movie universe. Depending on the rest of the cast Catwoman could fill the support to Batman role (since Nolan has said he will never include Robin ;_; ), or she could simply be a bad guy who flirts with him and tries to tempt him to the dark side. All in all, she is a comfortable character and one that many people probably expect to see. However, she isn’t the only woman to be romantically linked to Bruce Wayne.

Look at the possibilities!

With many trilogies you want to tie it all together as a nice little package. While it isn’t completely necessary to the success of the film it is often nice to bring up some unfinished business from the previous or first film. I already mentioned how Harley could tie into the events of the second film, but if they wanted to tie all the way back to the first film a different character could take the stage.

Enter Talia al Ghul. Ra’s al Ghul was a bit of a surprise in the first movie and Talia would be another character than many casual fans might not really know. Talia is probably not the first person people would think of when listing Batman’s rogues, and probably not even in the top ten, but she is full of potential. She is dangerous and sexy, which is probably very appealing to Hollywood script writers. Also, she doesn’t have a flashy costume to try to play with and her father is already well established in universe. Talia’s introduction as a love interest could probably be a bit more natural than other characters, as she would be there to avenge her father first and then things could get complicated or not. Either way, she is a great character who could really tie things together. With the city turned against him, it also makes sense for Bruce to look back into the darkness and reconsider the league of assassins.

I'll be happy as long as she doesn't replace anyone's spine

And lastly, in the previous movies we’ve seen Gotham’s mob families take a serious hit. It makes sense for someone to step in to try to fill the void that this has created.

Enter Black Mask. This underworld boss could quickly find his place in the movie universe. He has the creepy factor (his mask is made from the lid of his father’s coffin) and he is skilled in fighting, weapons, and strategy, making him a viable threat. It also helps that his initial rage was against Wayne Enterprises and Bruce Wayne for the amazing offense of bailing out his failing company (which he then took over of course). This could help show development in Bruce’s public image, maturing perhaps from the plucky playboy of the first film. Or that could be shifted to Luscious Fox; attacking Wayne Ent. is still going to get Batman’s attention either way. There is also his history with Catwoman, and while the movie wouldn’t want to exactly echo the events of the comics, there is potential there for an interesting relationship between the two if paired together in a movie. Unfortunately, Black Mask may not have the name recognition to really sell the third movie, especially with expectations as high as they are.

Even as a lego he is going to kill you

And there you have it. Since the villains have been playing in pairs, it’s also important to look at who each villain could work well in a story with (not necessarily working together on a plan, but making sense in the same story). My ideal choice from the above? All things considered, I’d really like to see Bane and Talia. There are clearly lots of possibilities, and they may come way out of left field with someone and completely surprise us.

What do you think? Who would you love to see in the third and final movie of this Batman trilogy?

Fan Ramblings – Villains I doubt we’ll see in Batman 3

2010-08-18T05:38:00.001-07:00

Before we start thinking about who we might see in the third Christopher Nolan film, let’s talk about the character we probably won’t be seeing. Quick, grab a pen and paper and write down as many members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery as you can think of. I’ll wait.

With two movies under his belt, Christopher Nolan has fairly well established his big screen Gotham City. The movies have a dark and dangerous mood to them, much like the city itself. The tone is fairly serious and plays to a more realistic idea of Batman (at least as realistic as a dude in a suit fighting crime can be). It seems pretty certain that they will want to keep with the same mood and tone in the third movie. As such there are some villains that I just don’t think can fit into this version of Gotham.

Cross off of your list:

Anyone with “powers”

The movies have played it pretty straight with the villains they have chosen. So far they have all been incredibly resourceful dudes who use weapons and violence and mind games to battle the caped crusader. None have had special augmentations or abilities (it was never stated whether Ra’s had any life sustaining powers or not, only that his “idea” was immortal). Suddenly throwing in a character who can shoot mud from his hand or command plant life is going to be jarring for an audience. If you can explain the powers away with drug use or technology, we may still be in business, but if it’s a part of you you’re probably out.

Anyone who doesn’t look like a person

So far all of our rogues have looked like more or less like normal people. Two Face had his scarring, but it wasn’t anything that helped him. It was just half of his face blown off. Scarecrow had a mask and Joker had his makeup and Ra’s had his beard. They all look like someone you could potentially see in the real world. This has nothing to do with costumes, as a good wardrobe department could take the most ridiculous costume and make it work within the story. I’m doubting the third movie will throw in a giant man-bat, a walking pile of mud, or an alligator man.

Anyone with a distracting gimmick

All Batman Rogues have a gimmick. Some characters can downplay them, and some really can’t. They are that gimmick and if you take it away they don’t really make sense anymore. Scarecrow worked because his gimmick is fear. That’s a basic human emotion. Not distracting. The Joker’s gimmick is being a clown. This was only touched on with his costume and his playing cards. There were no acid spitting flowers or circus hideouts. It was downplayed so that it wasn’t distracting. Two Face’s gimmick is duality. In the past this has gone as far as twin henchmen and always robbing things with names like Deuces Wild and the Second National Bank. But at its core it is all about that coin, and that’s what the movie focused on. Now let’s think about another villain, the Mad Hatter. His gimmick is Alice in Wonderland. His entire motive revolves around looking for his Alice and he often quotes Lewis Carol. His gimmick isn’t something that can really be boiled down into a simple emotion and without it the character just doesn’t work. You could have a guy who uses mind control hats, but without the Alice stuff it’s just not the Mad Hatter anymore. And this movie is about Batman, not Alice in Wonderland. We don’t want the audience’s minds wandering to other movies or other Mad Hatters.

So with those things in mind, who do we have left? Any who of those villains could be the best fits for the next movie? See my picks tomorrow! And if you wish to amuse yourself in the meantime check out the Wikipedia page for the list of Bat Family enemies (you know, in case you had trouble making a list of your own) and enjoy the insanity of the foes of lesser renown.

By the Numbers – August

2010-08-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Total comics for the month: 55
Change from last month: +3

Company Run Down
DC: 30
Vertigo (DC): 5
Icon (Marvel): 2
Marvel Authors: 1
Image: 3
Ape: 2
Aspen: 1
Boom!: 4
D. E.: 2
IDW: 3
Oni: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $2.05

First Issues: 5
Last Issues: 4

Ongoing: 33
Mini-series: 22
One shot: 0

Batman Issues: 15
Brightest Day books: 6
Books with a number in the title: 3

Fan Ramblings – Chloe in DCU!

2010-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Back when I was in high school I started watching a little show called Smallville. My favorite character was one Chloe Sullivan, intrepid girl reporter, classmate, and friend to our hero Clark Kent. While in the first few seasons Lana struck me as the highly annoying center of Clark’s hopeless romantic delusions, Chloe was the good friend and helper. She was curious and caring. And even though you understood that she had some feelings for Clark beyond friendship, she remained loyal and helpful.

I only watched the first two seasons regularly and the third season sporadically before I went off to college and my evenings became filled with homework and group meetings and dinners with friends. I pretty much stopped watching all TV except for Adult Swim. The last episode I remember seeing my senior year was the cliff hanger season finale in which they set up the idea that Chloe may well have died in an explosion! I was upset and worried that they were writing my favorite character (who wasn’t DC cannon after all) off of the show. Luckily, it was not so. I know a few things that have happened thanks to the internet, but I’ve avoided most news. I have a LOT of Smallville to eventually catch up on. And one day I’ll find the time and the means to do so (despite advertising it, my local video store doesn’t have Smallvillle DVDs and Hulu doesn’t work outside of America).

When I left the show Chloe had not yet learned Clark’s secret. I always wanted her to do so, because I pictured her really helping Clark test his own limits and learn to control his powers. I saw her functioning sort of like the big sister from The Secret World of Alex Mack (anyone else remember that show? I used to love it!). I pictured her setting up experiments and gathering data and being really amused by the whole situation. Her character was established as a trustworthy companion and I wanted that relationship to expand. And, of course, I wanted Chloe to have a bigger role on the show since she was my favorite character. I am happy to know that she does in fact learn his secret in a later season.

Recently I was thrilled to discover the news that Chloe will finally be coming to the DCU proper! She is a great character with a lot of potential and I am so excited that she can now play a role in the comics. It will be interesting to see what her comic back-story will be. Reportedly she is still from Smallville and is a reporter. Is she still the childhood friend of Clark Kent? From what I’ve heard of the show recently Chloe fills sort of an Oracle like role, being the go to girl for information with a vast network. Clearly that role is already filled in the comics but will she retain any of those skills? And I suppose most importantly, does she still know Clark’s secret?

With Smallville preparing for its tenth and final season I was really worried that her character would fade from popular radar and never find her way into the comics. There has been talk of potentially adding her character for some time now, but I was beginning to fear that we were never going to get beyond the talking about it stage. But to Nick Spencer who finally made this happen, I say thank you! And best of all, he is a fan of the show and the character and is trying to fit her into continuity with as much of her character in tact as possible.

Chloe will be appearing in the Jimmy Olson back up in Action Comics. I can’t imagine she will have the largest role, but just getting her into the comics universe was probably her biggest hurdle. Now that she will be established as a character in the DCU any writer can use her in a story. And I really hope they will take advantage of this opportunity.

Chloe isn’t the first character to make the jump from media property to comic book cannon. Two other amazing female characters from the Batman universe got their start on Batman the Animated Series. They would be, of course, René Montoya and Harley Quinn. Both characters have had a great run in the comic’s universe growing and developing as characters. With those two in mind it’s easy to look forward to Chloe’s comic future.

Welcome to the DCU Chloe Sullivan!

Fan Ramblings – Aw Yeah, Kid’s Comics! UPDATE!

2010-07-27T04:34:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well, it seems as though looks can be deceiving. According to the coverage of the DC Kids line at Comic Con, the Billy Batson and Batman titles aren’t being canceled after all! And they didn’t get uncanceled due to fan backlash or anything, they were never going anywhere in the first place. This seems to be the end of the current chapter for the books but they will keep right on coming with a new chapter.

According to the Newsarama coverage, these books will continue under new editorial leadership. Basically, it seems like an excuse to generate new #1 issues. And this may in fact be the only time that I can understand, and possibly support, the idea of a (more or less arbitrary) new #1 issue. The point was brought up during the panel that high numbers seem a little contrary for a kid’s comic. “Keeping them lower makes them seem younger for the kids,” Didio said. To me, this really makes sense. Kids can see a comic and they can feel the potential to have all the issues. They won’t be scared away by a high number that could seem intimidating to young readers (and the parents! I’m sure some mothers might worry about picking up issue #378 for their kid thinking, “How many of these things am I going to have to buy?” A number like 10 is much friendlier). The kid’s are young and the books for them should echo that youthful feeling. If the numbers get too high, it’s not just meant for them anymore. When you are trying to hook kids on the idea of comics, it makes sense to aim for something that feels uniquely theirs. Having said this, I rather hope that they don’t renumber Tiny Titans. I’d like that to be the exception to the rule, to really show how far kid’s comics can go. Plus I want Geoff Johns to draw a cover for issue #100.

On top of that a new kid’s comic was announced: “Young Justice.” Now many of us expected to see something for this upcoming cartoon series since DC seems to legitimately be trying to tie their TV properties back into the comics, but the best news of all was that it was hinted that the same team working on Billy Batson will be doing the Young Justice book! That means yet another kid’s title from the extremely talented Art Baltazar and Franco! I could not be happier with this news and will be picking up this title without fail.

Also of note, The Barenaked Ladies, at Comic Con for The Big Bang theory which they sing the amazing theme song for, apparently bought Tiny Titans books and gave the creators tickets and backstage passes to their show. The band was already swimming in cool points, but this breaks the flood gates on cool in my opinion.

Didio said more plans for kid’s books are in the works and that they plan to put out 6-8 kid’s books each month. I am curious if this is 6-8 books total including Looney Tunes and Scooby and the Cartoon Network stuff, or if this is 6-8 books involving DC characters and then those other books too. I’m assuming the former, but really hoping for the later. I’m actually very excited for the future of the DC Kids line right now.

The other bit of news that excited me was that DC addressed a few factors that might help these books sell to children! DC is looking into a potential $1 price point for an all-ages book so that KIDS CAN AFFORD COMICS! The issue of trying to get comics into other stores was mentioned too! And apparently the Tiny Titans/Little Archies crossover may be the best thing to happen to the comic. From the article Didio said:

“The Archie people have this amazing ability to get into areas that sometimes are harder to get into. So, as they put together the material with the Tiny Titans, you'll be seeing them out in grocery stores and department stores. There is a lot of regulation and stuff behind this. It's a lot of red tape but we will get them out there through the Archie folks”

YAY!!!

But my point from the last post still remains. At the same panel Dan Didio said, “If the demand is there, we want to do as many of these books for the kids as we can.” So they still need your help and support and I still strongly encourage you to go pick up some books for kids you know the next time you visit your comic shop.

Fan Ramblings – Rotating Writers

2010-07-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

I’m tired of rotating writing teams. These days it seems as though many ongoing titles are plagued by the fact that they can’t keep a consistent writer. As a writer myself (unpublished), not of comics but fictional prose, I know that it takes some time to find your character’s voices. With fiction I can draft a lot and change things before anyone ever reads it. But with periodicals the deadlines are quicker and you are dealing with characters that you did not create. Especially with team books, it’s going to take a while to figure out all your players. You have to balance the main characters and figure out the relations to their supporting cast and enemies. Some of these relationships are very easy, but others are complex and will take some time to get just right. Even if there are plenty of resources to help the writer it takes practice to get the voices out on the page convincingly.

Probably my biggest pet-peeve with changing writers is the loose story ends. Often a writer has some “big plan” in mind when they start a book, some big reveal they are working toward, a relationship they are building for a specific reason, or hints and teases at something bigger down the road. And then for whatever reason the writer goes away. It seems like nine times out of ten the new writer won’t even look at what was going on before. They have their ideas, which may not mesh well with where the story was going or even recent growths in characters. Do writers not talk to each other?

A big example of this that is eating at me right now is the mystery Judd Winick ended his Batman run with. Dick Grayson found something about an old case, and possibly about his parents’ deaths, that Bruce was hiding from him. Winick was the regular writer at the time, and took a break for Tony Daniel to do an arc. The whole time I was reading that arc I realized that I cared less about who Black Mask was and more about what was on that flash drive. I couldn’t wait for Winick to come back and continue that story. But then Winick started writing JL Generations Lost and Daniels was upgraded to the regular writer. I will honestly be shocked if anything comes of that flash drive now. It will probably just be a loose end that hangs around in the air.

I don’t know if Winick doesn’t want to tell Daniels about it because he figures he’ll be back on Batman at some point and can tell the story himself or if he did tell Daniels about it and Daniels doesn’t want to tell that story. I’m sure those aren’t the only two options either. But I feel that it’s hurting the book. Instead of focusing on the story at hand I’m wondering about the story they aren’t telling.

When the Batwoman ongoing hits the shelves it won’t have Greg Rucka’s name attached because he’s focusing on his creator owned work at the moment. He had a three issue arc planned out to explain the origins of Alice, a new enemy introduced in his recent Detective Comics run. This was supposed to be the end of his Detective Comics run, but for whatever reason he didn’t do it. Now I KNOW that this story won’t be picked up by the Batwoman ongoing because in an interview JH Williams III said that its Rucka’s story and he thinks Rucka should be the one to tell it. I understand that thought as a creator, but as a fan it just makes me mad. That’s a highly interesting storyline that I really want to know about. And now we may never get to see it. By the time Rucka gets back to DC someone else may have messed with Alice making the origin he planned when he created her not fit anymore. At the very least it will have been so long that fans may not care about Alice any more. The buzz is hot right now and it seems a shame not to take advantage of it.

Chris Yost has recently left Red Robin. I’m not too fazed by this particular case for three reasons. First is that the major storyline he had going seems to have ended. Since he seemed to know he was leaving, he had time to wrap things up. Second is that the writer taking over is Fabien Nicieza who was writing the Robin series before it was cancelled for Battle for the Cowl. Since this writer already knows and loves the character I feel a little less apprehensive about the change. But third, and most importantly, I’m not that worried about it because I know that Yost and Nicieza have talked. In an interview with Yost he mentions talking with Nicieza about the things that were still up in the air. Just knowing that makes me feel like things won’t be ignored. Clearly egos didn’t get in the way of these two talking about the book and the character they both love. And even if Nicieza doesn’t do things the way Yost would have at least he should be touching on these things rather than ignoring them.

But since Nicieza is taking over Red Robin he’s dropping Azrael, a book he’s been on since it started. This one bothers me in particular because the very first issue of Azrael showed a future scene with him DEAD. At the time I thought it was a ballsy move, because if the readers know the character is going to die then as a writer you’d better make it damn interesting for the reader in the meantime so when he dies it actually means something. It just seemed like Nicieza had a plan to get him to that point, but now that could all go out the window. Maybe David Hine knows where the story was going, but I’m worried that they are going to try to stretch it out. The sales aren’t great either, which makes me wonder why they even bothered to replace Nicieza. Why not just let him finish the book with an ending that would be satisfying to those of us who were reading it? I won’t judge yet; I like some of Hine’s other stuff, but my view on the whole situation is rather pessimistic.

Most of the time I dread a writer shift. I know many people see it as a jumping off point for a book. I think a lot of those people follow writers more than they follow characters, but I too have dropped a book at a writer change. I dropped Outsiders when Dan Didio took over. I picked up the book because it was tied to the Batman universe after Battle for the Cowl and because I liked Tomasi’s work on Nightwing. The solicits after he left the book seemed to take the team away from the Batbooks. And I was frustrated because I felt that most of the upcoming teasers from Origins and Omens would never happen (honestly, did they hold true for any book?). I don’t hate Dan Didio as a writer or anything (although I am still of the opinion that editors shouldn’t be writing anything more than a mini here and there. If you want to be a writer, quit being an editor and be a writer like Tomasi did. If you are an editor you should be focusing on editing /end rant).

I suppose the other thing that chased me away from Outsiders is a common problem that plagues team books (I’m looking at you Teen Titans). Every time a new writer comes on board we have to have a new team lineup (normally with the tagline of a “bold new direction”). I HATE this. I’m buying the book because I like the characters that are in it. If you want to add one or two new characters during your run that’s alright. I don’t mind meeting new faces, and it’s a team after all. And if you are going to have someone leave, that’s okay too, but it better damn well feel organic to the character and not just put them on a bus because you don’t feel like writing them.

Teams work because the members trust each other, know each other, and are able to depend on each other. The “bold new direction” the books always claim to have often works out the same way: the team DOESN’T know each other and so they don’t trust each other and so they get their asses kicked and fight a lot until they can learn to be a team. This can be a good story. However, it is only a good story when it doesn’t keep happening every few years (or months in some cases…). Because the end result of this kind of story should be the team functioning as, you know, a team. Then you can get back to telling real stories about bad guys and how the good guys stop them. It seems like writers don’t remember how to do that lately. It seems like it’s easier to tell the “team doesn’t trust each other” story than the “team working well together playing off of each other’s nuances and getting the tough job done” story.

As I was thinking about this, I remembered another loose end that never got tied up. In the Nightwing comic there was an arc in which Nightwing was targeted by a braces wearing assassin who was rather obsessed with his iPod. He kicked Nightwing’s ass and buried him alive (we’ll ignore the fact that shooting or stabbing him would have been much more effective, and he would have had proof to show who ever hired him). Anyway, Nightwing digs himself out of the grave and survives. As far as I remember there was maybe one more scene with the mysterious assassin (I don’t think he never got a name or even a clear shot of his face) finding out that Nightwing was still alive. And then the writer changed and this was never brought up again. This feels like a wasted plot. He was established as a real threat to Nightwing and honestly, what assassin wouldn’t go to correct their mistake. It’s a matter of professionalism. And it would ruin your rep. It’s always been something I wished they would pick back up, mostly because I want to see Nightwing kick his ass this time around.

I understand that things come up and sometimes can’t go as planned. Someone who had planned to be on a book for a while has some important personal issues and needs the time away or just can’t handle the schedule they are on. Sometimes company politics get in the way and writers leave for long periods of time. Sometimes writers get a better offer. However, it happens way too often to be excusable and there has to be something that DC can do about this. I simply refuse to believe that this is an unfixable problem. Two of the bestselling books right now are Green Lantern and Batman and Robin. Geoff Johns has been on Green Lantern for a good chunk of time and has been able to develop huge stories (and thankfully for fans of the book, has no plans of leaving). Grant Morrison has been on Batman for several years now and is working on the newest chapter of his ongoing epicness. This is what happens when you give writers a chance to grow a title and work with it over time. This is how you keep fans reading a series and excited about what is to come. When it comes to writers I and many fans appreciate some consistency. Even if they don’t click at first, give them a little time to work it all out.

I could continue rambling about the importance of consistent art on a book, but I think this one has gone on long enough. I can’t be the only one this bothers. Share your thoughts below!

Comic Buzz – The Sixth Gun

2010-07-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Cullen Bunn (W) Brian Hurtt (A)
Oni, ongoing, 1st and 2nd issues available in July

I had no idea that I liked the genre of the “weird west” before I read the first issue of this comic. I have nothing against westerns in general; they just aren’t my normal cup of tea. I’ve seen a lot of good old western movies, but it’s not a genre I would ever call my favorite. But throw in supernatural stuff and you’ve easily got my interest.

You may have seen “The Sixth Gun” already as the first issue was Oni’s offering for Free Comic Book Day this year. Not a preview of the first issue; the whole first issue. But if you missed out, have no fear because Oni has wisely put the entire thing on the web for you to read at your leisure. And the issue is available for reorder (although this time it won’t be for the low, low price of free) to come out on the same day as issue 2 hits stores (which was last week, I'm slow getting this one up, sorry).

The story is set after the Civil War and centers around a magic gun sought by many a nefarious fellow. One of a set of six, the gun falls into the hands of a young innocent girl. Her best hope is the none too saintly Drake Sinclair, who has an agenda and secrets of his own.

The world is set up beautifully with a smattering of magical items and totems that I hope we’ll learn more about as time goes on. The most interesting thing to me is that even though this is a first issue, everything that they placed in this world genuinely feels like it belongs there. Nothing feels out of place or forced into the setting. The first issue was able to make me feel comfortable with the setting while still doing a good job of introducing characters and plot. My favorite part of his world so far is the Gallows Tree. The artist did a great job capturing the creepiness of this unnatural thing, while at the same time making it spellbindingly intriguing.

This series is already getting a lot of attention. There are several interviews online with the writer. There is a prose piece to help further introduce you to the world of “The Sixth Gun” which involves zombies and cannibals (I’ll also link parts two, three, and four to make them easier to find).

Fan Ramblings - Kid's Comics

2010-07-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

I was rather sad when I looked at DC’s solicitations for October. Not one, but two of the comics in the Johnny DC line will see their final issue that month, “Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam” and “Batman: the Brave and the Bold.” This is not too long after the cancelation of the “Super Friends” comic in the same line. The only surviving kid’s title with DC characters is the amazing “Tiny Titans” (which was mysteriously absent from the October solicits for some reason). We’re left with “Looney Tunes,” “Cartoon Network Action Pack” and “Scooby Doo, where are you?” This is really sad to me.

This does absolutely nothing to detract from the idea that comics aren’t for kids anymore. And really, if the industry wants to keep going in the future, they need to tap into that market. They need to make comics that kids enjoy. I refuse to believe that these characters are simply not marketable to that demographic. Kids love superheroes. They watch them on TV; they dress up as them for Halloween; they buy their action figures. So why do the kid’s comics sell so badly?

Not every kid has a parent who reads comics. And as it stands right now, the only place to find comics, kid’s or otherwise, is in a comic book store. There are online options too, but they seem less feasible to the 7-12 demographic I assume we’re aiming for. They may all have cell phones these days, but I still think credit cards are beyond most of their means. The problem isn’t that kids don’t read comics, it’s that they often don’t have the opportunity to buy them or even have them bought for them.

Most comics are never going to make it back onto the magazine racks at grocery stores. But I think it could benefit sales if some of the all ages books could. I mean, who could see a cover of ANY issue of “Tiny Titans” and not think, wow, my kids would love this! I’m sure many parents are scared of comics and think they are all full of sex and violence. And that’s part of the problem too. Parents need to be able to see these kid friendly comics and know at a glance that this is something intended for their kids. We talk about judging a book by its cover, but most parents are going to do just that. They are going to glance at the cover and make a snap judgment about if the book would be okay for their little angels. I’m not saying that all of these books need to watered down or sport adorable crayon like covers like “Tiny Titans” but something needs to be done to really scream to parents “I’m okay for your kids to read!” And a small logo may not do the trick.

Comic companies always seem to throw out the line about really caring about their kid’s books, but the reality often seems to suggest differently. Kid’s comics cannot be handled the same way as mainstream comic books if they want to be successful. Marketing and distribution needs to be suited to the unique challenges faced at targeting kids.

But none of that gives us a solution, and I don’t like complaining about things without suggesting something that could be done to help if possible. So I propose this. Next time you are out shopping for comics, take a look at the kid’s comics. Pick up a few that you think should continue and give them to kids that you know. Tell their parents where you got them, so if the kids enjoy them they know where they can find more. Perhaps offer to go with them and show them the kinds of books to be looking for or even offer to pick up a few during your normal comic book runs. Talk to teachers you know or local librarians. If your shop doesn’t have kid’s comics ask why. Try to stir up a market for these comics and increase the sales, if only by a few units.

Why do I want to support kid’s comics so much? I don’t have kids of my own, but to me the matter is simple. Kid’s comics are fun to read. I read “Tiny Titans” every month and it puts a smile on my face. I have a couple of Marvel Adventures titles over here to use as prizes for my students. I read them when I’m having a bad day. A few have even had to move from the prize pile into my keep pile because I enjoyed them so much. I like drama and action and maturity in my comics too. But not all my comics. Some days you just want to read something that is fun. And that is what well written kid’s comics offer. Don’t get me wrong, not every kid targeted comic is going to be a good comic. Not all are going to make you laugh and some are just going to be stupid. But when there are good ones out there we need to support them or they will go away. And the more support we give to them the more we can hope that the companies will invest in them talent wise. And more good comics is good news for everyone. Don’t be scared off by an all ages label.

Waiting for Trade? – Stuff of Legend Book 1: The Dark

2010-07-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Mike Raicht and Brian Smith (W), Charles Wilson (A)
Price: $13.00
Available Now (special signed edition available from Th3rd World's website with original sketch!)

During the 1940s a young boy is kidnapped by the Boogieman and taken into the Dark. It’s up to his loyal toys and pet dog to journey into the unknown to rescue their boy. I know some people were skeptical of this one saying that talking toys were nothing new. I’ll agree; that part of the premise has been interpreted in several different ways before, but this is no Toy Story.

When the toys enter the Dark they change. The toy soldier and Indian princess become real flesh and blood versions of themselves. The teddy bear becomes a fierce grizzly. And there isn’t a happy fairyland waiting inside the closet for them. Instead they must do battle with the Boogieman’s army of forgotten toys and journey through his mysterious and hostile world, all in the hopes of somehow finding and saving their boy. As with Beasts of Burden, this isn’t really a little kid’s book. There are some darker elements to the story, like death and betrayal, that are probably too much for very young readers.

The toys are all very individual with different opinions on what they are doing and how far they should go. The toy soldier is very loyal, while the highly intelligent piggy bank has some doubts about if they can succeed. The toys interact well off of each other and create an interesting group dynamic. The boy’s dog, Scout, is the only character to not change in the dark, remaining an un-upgraded puppy amid shooting cowboys and bayonet wielding soldiers. Some of the toys are wary of him due to his habit of chewing on them back home, but others are more understanding.

The art alone was enough to sell me on the project. I saw the preview of the book from last year’s Free Comic Book Day (which you can read for yourself here) and was floored by the art. It’s done in a sepia toned shaded pencil and it really captures the feel of the story, adding to the atmosphere of the book (for a process piece on how he does it read here). The characters are amazingly drawn, adorable in toy form and fearsome in the Dark. The Boogieman is scary and unsettling and everything the terror of childhood should be. I was shocked when I learned that this is the artist’s first work in comics. I would not be surprised if we see more of him in the future (he has deservedly been nominated for a Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award).

I usually try to post a lot of interview to let people see as much about the book as possible, but I really feel this one speaks for itself in the previews. But I'm a creature of habit, so here are some interviews with the writers and artist about Volume 2. Here is a quick video interview with the gang. Here are a few older interviews from when the first issue was announced in case you are worried about spoilers or just want to see what the buzz was like and the pitch that got me and many others very interested.

This book contains the first volume of the tale, which was released in two huge no ad comics last year. Due to the fantastic response to that first volume several more are planned. The story will continue to be told in miniseries with the second volume beginning this week (which you can preview here, according to that cover we're getting a cymbal monkey!). The creators know how the story will end, but how long they have to tell the story of the journey depends on sales. The better it does the longer the story can continue and the fuller the picture will be. I encourage everyone to pick this one up and give it a try. I really can't recommend it enough. Lots of other people have good things to say about it too. And like many of those that I recommend I will probably be picking up this trade even though I own the floppies for the fantastic extra content.

Fan Ramblings – Bat overload?

2010-07-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

Wow. In July I ordered no less than 14 comic books that have to do with Batman or characters from the Bat-universe and Gotham City. This week seems to be Batman announcement week and on the not so distant horizon we have a new ongoing by David Finch, a new mini featuring Knight and Squire, and yet another mini tied into Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham. And let’s not forget that we are still waiting on the upcoming Batwoman ongoing that doesn’t have a release date yet.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Batman. I wouldn’t be getting this many (read as all) of the Batman titles if I didn’t love him and his universe. I’m just beginning to wonder if there can be too much of a good thing. With this many books, the editors are going to have their hands full. Things need to make sense between the books and character developments will need to be consistent. This is not going to be an easy job. And they haven’t always been on top of this sort of thing before…

Granted, some of these books are more or less self-contained. Azrael is kinda off in his own corner of Gotham. Knight and Squire will be in DCU England. Batman Confidential is doing whatever it is doing. The Red Hood mini is set in the past, Batman Beyond is in the future, and Batman Odyssey is outside of continuity. That helps to lighten that load a little, but there is still a lot that needs to work together.

And that could be a major issue with the “big deal” that is sure to be Bruce’s return. And I suppose my biggest problem is that DC keeps reminding me that Bruce is coming back and I DON’T WANT HIM BACK YET! I’m really enjoying Dick Grayson as Batman. It works. It’s successful. It’s fun and new and different. I always knew Bruce would be back and that that would probably reset the status quo, but I was hoping we had more time. I could be wrong I guess. There could still be some surprises in store. But DC doesn’t seem to be being coy about the idea at all, which leads me to believe that they don’t have a reason to be. They don’t have a reason to say, “It might not be what you expect,” because it’s going to be exactly what everyone expects: Bruce back as Batman. I really do hope I’m wrong.

I’m also wondering if we will see some of the current Bat lineup canceled in the coming months. Not all the books have had fantastic sales. I’ll also admit to being worried about the prices of these upcoming books. DC has snuck some $3.99 comics (with no extra content) at us in recent months and a new series is probably a decent place to try out a new price point (I’m looking at you Emerald Warriors). I’m against this, not just because I don’t want to pay more, but because a higher price point is not the way to gain support for a new series.

And as much as I love Batman, I’d rather they focused on making all the current books really top tier books, before throwing more into the mix. Less sometimes really is more when you are working to make the less the best it can be. Several of the books are very strong right now (Batman and Robin, Red Robin, and Batgirl come to mind) but others could use a little more support or a little more creative freedom or a little more something to push those books up the charts.

All of my rambling aside though, I will likely pick up all 3 comics. Knight and especially Squire are really fun characters. The fact that a British writer is taking then on adds a bit of genuineness to the comic that makes it hard to resist. I’m excited to get to know DCU England. The idea of Batman the Road Home isn’t a bad one, although it’s hard to imagine that the big things won’t be covered in the main books. It will be nice to get a closer look at some of Bruce’s various relationships, but it does strike me a bit as milking this “event” for all its worth. And as for Batman the Dark Knight, as much as Batman doesn’t really need another ongoing when there are so many other characters out there deserving a shot at their own book, it has to do with the more magical and supernatural side of the DCU and focuses on Batman as a detective and those are big draws for me. But if he doesn’t write Etirgan as a rhyming demon I’m going to be upset. I wish they’d have tested the waters with it as a miniseries before making the jump to ongoing, but whachagonnado?

By the Numbers – July

2010-07-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

Another abstract look at my pull list in number form!

Total comics for the month: 52

Change from last month: -6

Company Run Down:
DC: 29
Vertigo (DC): 5
Marvel Authors: 1
Image: 3
Ape: 1
Aspen: 1
Avatar Press: 1
Boom!: 3
D. E.: 2
IDW: 1
Oni: 3
Th3rd World Studios: 1
Zenoscope: 1

Average price I paid: $2.04

0 Issues: 0
First Issues: 5
Last Issues: 5

Ongoing: 28
Mini-series:24
One shot: 0

Batman Issues: 14
Brightest Day books: 5

Pull List Maintenance - 6 comics I’m in danger of dropping

2010-07-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

In no special order:

Doom Patrol

There’s nothing really wrong with Doom Patrol. It’s enjoyable enough, but it just doesn’t really grab me. I don’t feel this rush or anticipation to read the next issue. I actually enjoyed the Metal Men back up far more than the Doom Patrol comic itself, but with that canceled my tie to the book has weakened. I probably would have dropped it when Metal Men went away, but my fiancé wanted to stick it out a while longer and see what the book could do. It really needs to wow us soon though or it’s gonna get cut.

Sweet Tooth

Again, there is nothing wrong with this book. I was really enjoying the first few issues, but I feel like we’ve hit a lull. I don’t know, maybe this one will read better in collected form. It’s just not wowing me like some of the others, and I’m getting so many comics that it’s hard to justify an ongoing that isn’t wowing me. I really like the characters though, so I’ll probably end up sticking it out to see where it goes.

Powers

I’m still mad about the delays. This book seems to come out when it feels like it. I still like the story, but figure that switching to trade might be more enjoyable. I’m not really enjoying (or usually even reading) the letters column in the back, which I assume won’t be printed in the trade, so really it’s not a great loss. Also, I never read the first series of Powers, and I’d like to get caught up on what came before. The series hasn’t really been confusing, but I do feel like I’m missing out on some things. It’s a good series but with the delays I feel like I don’t even remember what happened in the last issue sometimes, so it would probably flow better in trade. And at the moment the story isn’t grabbing me to the point that I can’t walk away from it. Still on the fence with this one.

Greek Street

I was really enjoying this story when it came out, but I feel like the focus is going to shift soon (based on solicits). This could be an okay thing, or it could be unfortunate. I won’t judge till we get there, but I am nervous about this one. Again it’s a pretty good read every month, but it doesn’t compel me to put it at the top of my stack. When I get to it I get to it. Also, I’m worried about the sales. I don’t know how Vertigo goes by those things, but it doesn’t seem to be doing too well. And if it’s going to be canceled soon I’d like to see it out for its full run. I don’t want it to be canceled (although my checkbook wishes something I read would be so I had the excuse to drop it).

Batman Confidential

This book has just gotten weird. It was originally advertised as some of Batman’s earliest untold adventures. Which was cool and fun and different writers were doing interesting things with it. It seemed to still be in cannon, just in a detached back-story kind of way. But now it seems to have morphed into the weird Batman miniseries book. I probably won’t actually drop this book because, let’s face it, if these stories were advertised as miniseries I would probably buy them anyway. It just seems like a weird shift happened when I wasn’t looking. And now I don’t really know what to expect from it anymore. Is this cannon still, or have we wandered away from that?

Teen Titans

I’ve been cutting this book a lot of slack. I’ve been ignoring the fact that we can’t seem to have any consistency on the team either in the book or creating the book. I’ve been overlooking it because I like a lot of the characters. I’ve been overlooking it because it’s the only place I can find most of these characters. But man, the last issue I read (not the most recent issue, but I can’t remember the number) was just terrible. The dialogue was dreadful. It didn’t flow worth a damn and was disjoined and distracting. And, as is often the case with badly written dialogue, NO ONE TALKS LIKE THAT! I was glad when the issue was over. The story wasn’t very good, but I’d seen worse, and I appreciated seeing Static’s old supporting cast. But overall it just left me shaking my head. And why is Cassie mad at Connor? They reunited in Adventure Comics and everything seemed fine. What the heck did I miss that now she isn’t talking to him or whatever? And what’s with the fantasy animal kick from Beast Boy? And what exactly did he do to protect the team in the explosion? Did he turn into a phoenix and absorb the blast or something? Does that even work? I have so many questions and most of them are along the lines of “…Huh?” This fall the book is expecting yet ANOTHER new writer, so I'll probably stick around to at least see how that goes.

Now that that is out of my system I’d love to let others vent as well. Are there any monthly comics you are reading that you are in danger of dropping? Or any comics you’ve dropped recently?

Fan Ramblings – Wonder Woman’s new look and new direction

2010-07-02T04:42:00.000-07:00

So, it seems that DC has decided to change Wonder Woman’s costume to go with her “bold new direction” under JM Straczynski’s pen. Announced on DC’s the Source blog, her new costume is supposed to make her feel more modern and reflect some big changes for the character.

I’m not all too thrilled about the contents of the announcement. Let me just establish that this is not a knee jerk reaction against change. Change can be good (Dick Grayson Batman, Whoop!). But their announcement was designed to generate buzz and to get people excited about the new concept. For me, it has rather failed in that regard. I don’t want to completely write off the book before it even comes out, and I certainly won’t advise anyone against getting it, but it certainly doesn’t make me want to spend my money on it (what is this strange sense of déjà vu?). I wasn’t following Wonder Woman to begin with, but I have some interest in the character, and this simply doesn’t appeal to me. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look.

Let’s start with the costume. Random side story: When I was making a bulletin board about American superheroes for my Japanese students it was difficult to find a picture of Wonder Woman that seemed appropriate. Now, Wonder Woman has some curves (not Power Girl level, but still) and I understand that the artists want to show them off. And I suppose it lets her keep a feminine aspect to her warrior like character. But her costume looked more or less like a swimsuit, and while I wasn’t really worried about “scandalizing” the kids, I was worried that the school principal might think that it was inappropriate for school. I did find some great images, but she was by far the most difficult superhero to do so for. While her look is iconic, I personally can’t argue with the idea of a bit of updating.

Overall, this new look isn’t too bad. I’m glad to see she isn’t in ridiculous heels. The pants are a nice touch (although if Supergirl got complaints for wearing shorts under her skirt, then I can only imagine what that particular group of fans will think about this…). There are still enough elements of her old costume that give her a distinctly Wonder Woman feel, although I will admit it seems more like something I could picture Donna Troy or Wondergirl wearing that Diana. It is still strongly feminine. But that jacket…it looks like something out of a 90s comic where everyone had HUGE shoulder pads. It gives her a really biker-ish look. For me it really throws the whole look off. While I have some criticisms of the outfit it isn’t a disgrace or an abomination in my eyes. It could work but it doesn’t have me clamoring for a poster or action figure or anything.

According to Mr. Straczynski the look “reflects her origins in both the outside world and the world of Amazons” (more on that later) and that “it’s a look designed to be taken seriously as a warrior.” As I just mentioned, I see a lot more biker in this costume than I do warrior. She looks like a fighter I guess, but to me that isn’t exactly the same thing as a warrior. Maybe that’s my issue. I can see her beating up thugs on the street, but it’s hard for me to picture her with, say, a sword and shield fighting a mythological beast or a god. And for me, that’s a big part of who Wondy is.

Moving on, JMS says the costume helps to answer some fan questions from over the years such as “how does she fight in that thing without all her parts falling out?” and “where does she carry anything in that outfit?” I’ll give them credit for trying the more practical route, but the whole pockets issue wasn’t keeping me up at night. If I’m willing to suspend my disbelief about Amazons existing and Greek gods and superheroes in general, I think I can live without knowing if she has pockets. She has an invisible jet; maybe her pockets are invisible too?

And then we get to the part that sent me into a fit of giggles. It was honestly hard for me to take this next part seriously. About Wondy’s trademark bracelets JMS said, “The bracelets are still there, but made more colorful, tied on the inside and over the hand, with a script W on each of them that form WW when she holds them side by side…and if you get hit by one of them, it leaves a W mark. This is a Wonder Woman who signs her work…letting her enemies know that she’s getting closer.” Oh, where to begin. The whole WW thing when held side to side made me think of something like Power Rangers or Sailor Moon with her smacking her arms together unnaturally crying out, “Wonder Woman powers activate!” It’s not like she doesn’t have a W elsewhere on her costume and really needed that to be incorporated. When I read that they leave marks my mind went back to the Phantom movie, where he punched people and left skull shaped scars. It just seems a bit campy to me to see bad guys sprawled out with a W on their forehead. And if you look at the drawing those Ws are on her wrists. So unless she is smacking people around with her forearm…ouch…then she can’t be leaving marks on them. I have no problem with how they look; it’s what he seems intent to use them for that is hard for me to take seriously.

Okay, now that we’ve taken a good look at her, let’s take a look at the reasons for this redesign. Apparently our new Wonder Woman arc begins with an alternate timeline courtesy of the Greek Gods. For reasons one assumes will be revealed down the line, the Gods have changed the timeline so that Paradise Island was no longer under their protection. It was attacked and most of the Amazons, including Hippolyta, Wondy’s mom, were killed. Three year old Diana was spirited away before the battle and raised in an urban setting. Now 20 years later she is beginning to discover her Amazon powers. She’s still on the run as the surviving Amazons are being hunted. And she has little to no memory of the pervious timeline. So Diana must fight for her survival, protect her fallen people, and probably restore the timeline by the time this is all through.

Now, when I first read this I thought that this would be a really great story…for an Earth One graphic novel version of Wonder Woman. The Earth One graphic novels are supposed to retell superhero origins in a more modern setting and are to be more accessible to new readers as they are self contained and out of continuity. So far Superman and Batman are getting this treatment. Wonder Woman would seem like an obvious character to consider for this. And honestly, this story sounds like a failed Earth One pitch to me (more modern look, discovering her powers, all new enemies, etc.). And if it was an Earth One story, I would probably have read it and actually been looking forward to it. It’s not a bad story idea; I’m just not sure how it’s going to work in the shared DC universe.

This timeline change could affect more than just Wonder Woman’s character. What about Donna Troy and Cassie Sandsmark (Wonder Girl)? Donna is in the Justice League and Cassie is central in Teen Titans. Will they suddenly not exist and never be mentioned? And let’s not forget that Wonder Woman broke the recently resurrected Maxwell Lord’s neck when he was controlling Superman. It was the only way to stop him. So does that mean that in this new timeline Maxey is still controlling Superman? Because then he should never have died which is going to wreck havoc with the Brightest Day stories. And what does this do to the JLA? Clearly Wonder Woman wasn’t a founding member since she is just now getting her powers. In fact, it sounds like no superhero should even recognize her at all. Except maybe Booster Gold.

I would imagine that this story will be rather self contained so as not to cause all of those problems listed above. It still raises a whole lot of questions as to how this could possibly work in the shared DCU. The short answer is, it really can’t without some DRASTIC changes to stories already in progress. That’s why I think it sounds better as a standalone, outside of continuity story. Which is what I seem to remember JMS saying he likes to write. That’s why he’s good at “The Brave and the Bold.” It isn’t in continuity, it can be forward in time, backward in time, it’s completely free reign. Wonder Woman can’t be without slipping into some sort of pocket dimension that separates her book from everything else going on and then catches up again once it’s finished. I think the fans could deal with that. If that is the case I’m hoping it is spelled out very clearly in the issues or else it could be very confusing.

But good or bad, I’m sure this will all only be temporary. After a year or so things will be restored to how they were because Status Quo is God. Even if people really like this change and sales go up it probably won’t last. After all, the sales of “Batman and Robin” have been top 10 since the book started, but that’s not stopping them from bringing Bruce back after just a year. I understand that Wonder Woman’s book hasn’t been selling very well and that DC felt that some sort of drastic change was needed to make her relevant and get people interested. But if you have to completely change who the character is in order to get people interested I think you are kind of missing the point. I’m not saying that’s what JMS will do. The book’s not out yet, so I can’t judge, but he is changing most of where she came from which has a great effect on the person she turned out to be. As someone on a message board pointed out, now her new origin is really reminiscent of Superman. If I was a longtime Wonder Woman reader, only to see everything that I had been following basically ignored, I would probably be pretty upset. So while they may pick up a number of new readers with this, some who have been loyal to Wondy in the past may jump ship. It’s a risky ploy.

And I am one potential new reader who won’t be jumping on board. If the reviews for the series are amazing I will consider the trade, but at the moment I’m content to let this one pass me by. And like I feared the Superman story could be, this entire premise seems to be INCREDIBLY polarizing of the fans. There are those who are outraged by it and those who are very excited about it. There are also those who want to support it just to spite those who are outraged by it (those kinds of people always confuse me). And there is the quiet middle ground of those who are unsure but perhaps cautiously optimistic. One thing is certain, the announcement of the new costume on the Source has gotten more comments than any article I’ve ever seen on the site (the Superman “Grounded" stuff got about 40 comments, as did DC entering digital comics. This Wonder Woman entry already has over 160). So if one of the goals was to get people talking (in the no publicity is bad publicity vein) then so far it’s already been a big success.

Fan Ramblings – Superman gets “Grounded”

2010-07-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

No, Ma Kent didn’t tell him to go to him room. But DC comics is beginning a year long story line in which the man from Krypton will be voluntarily pinned down to Earth and walking across America to reconnect with the people he’s been away from. And I have some reservations… I’m not going to bash a book that hasn’t even come out yet, but I am going to give my opinions and impressions of the idea. I don’t even want to discourage others from giving it a shot. I’m simply going to explain why I’m not too keen on the idea and therefore won’t be buying it.

A little catch up for anyone who hasn’t been following lately. Over a year ago now Superman fought Brainiac and managed to unbottle the city of Kandor. Brainiac’s obsessed with learning and possessing all knowledge so he would fly around from planet to planet and steal a cultural center of each world to study, shrink and put it in a bottle. Then, so that no new knowledge is created from that world, he implants something in the planet’s core that makes it explode after he leaves. In current continuity, this is how Krypton was destroyed.

So Superman managed to get Kandor back and make it regular sized again and we had 100,000 Kryptonians wandering around on Earth and then later on the new planet of New Krypton on the other side of our sun. Superman saw this as a chance to reconnect with his birth heritage and really get to know where he came from. So he spent a year not on Earth dealing with the various issues that surrounded New Krypton including the death of his uncle and the fact that the Kandorians got Zod out of the Phantom Zone and made him the leader of their military. During this time Superman did not appear in the “Superman” comic book or in “Action Comics” where he got his start. He was in the “World of New Krypton” miniseries while the other Superman books focused on Superman’s more extended cast and how they were dealing in Metropolis without him. But because this is comics and Status Quo is God New Krypton was destroyed and Superman is back on Earth.

J. Michael Straczynski is taking over the Superman ongoing comic now and his first arc will apparently be a 13 issue run with Superman walking across the country. And I’m honestly not impressed with the idea. It’s really risky to say the least. Fans have been complaining for months now about wanting Superman back in his own book, so this should make them happy I guess, but it also takes away a lot of Superman’s supporting elements. Like his wife. Who he has already been separated from for a good long while. You would think he would need to reconnect with her. And here we have another year long story arc that could strongly polarize fan reaction.

One of the themes behind this whole story arc is apparently to get the country talking about Superman again. It’s an ambitious goal. One of the ways DC is trying to accomplish this is by having a contest in which people can write in to petition to have their own hometown be one of the places Superman visits. At first I thought this was a great idea. I started to get excited about it. I thought, hey, it would be really cool to get Superman to College Station, Texas! I bet I could write up all my college friends and together we could flood the contest with a bunch of entries supporting College Station. Even if people don’t particularly like Superman the chance to have your university featured in a comic book would be pretty cool. For a brief moment DC’s plan seemed to work. I was ready to spread the word about Superman to friends who didn’t even read comics and to try to get them as excited about the idea as I was.

And then I kept reading. Turns out, this contest is only open to people who live within 50 miles of nine predetermined major cities. None of them near Texas or anywhere in the south at all. My excitement immediately faded. I felt cheated. I understand that the route is more or less set so that the book can come out on time. One Nebraska town is about the same as another Nebraska town I suppose (at least those within 50 miles of Omaha), so there will only need to be minor rewrites to the script in order to make the winner’s town fit. But it took an idea that I saw as grand in scale and as really having the potential to get the whole country talking down to a very small scale gimmick.

Now if I lived within 50 miles of one of those cities I would probably still be very excited. But again, knowing that a lot of it is probably preconceived and pre written there is a chance that your wonderful little town is going to be in an issue all about teenage prostitution or drug dealing or how depressed everyone is because the economy sucks. Are these issues really going to show what makes these towns great, or are they simply going to be fill-in-the-blanks on the setting and maybe reference photos for the artist? Will these cities be prominently featured in the issue at all? Or will Superman just pass a “Now leaving Your Town” sign, making it merely an Easter Egg? Or will it be background while he walks along talking to someone about something? Will he even bother to stop in these towns?

There are a lot of questions we can’t know the answers to, but I certainly feel that the scope of this project isn’t as grand as they are making it out to be. On top of that, the deadline for submissions is July 12, just under 2 weeks away. The essays are short (750-1,000 words, this rambling blog entry is already that long) but I’m not sure if that’s really enough time to “get people talking” about it. And if the writing quality of the entries matches the writing quality on most comic book message boards (the audience I assume will be most aware of this contest and likely to enter) DC is going to be shifting through a lot of garbage to get to the well articulated essays. I could be completely wrong about this, but I’m just not sure that the response to this will be what they are expecting/hoping for.

On a final note, I don’t read superhero comics to be reminded of the things that suck in my life. I don’t really want to read about Superman seeing the parts of the US that suck and the things that not even the mighty Superman can fix. I don’t want to be reminded about the poor economy when I pick up most comic books. I don’t need my flying man to be in a more realistic world. I also feel this could date the comic. Will it still be accessible or meaningful in five years? Ten years? Anyway, I will have to judge the success of this book based on reviews of people who actually read it, because I will not be. I do admire the balls it took to green light this project and hope that it doesn’t blow up in anyone’s face.

And why can’t I shake the Forest Gump vibe this thing sends me?

By the Numbers – June

2010-07-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

A look at what I'll be getting in the mail soon, my June comics reduced to statistics!

Total comics for the month: 58
Change from last month: +7

Company Run Down
DC: 33
Vertigo (DC): 5
Icon (Marvel): 1
Marvel Authors: 1
Image: 6
Aspen: 1
Boom!: 4
D. E.: 2
GG Studios: 1
IDW: 1
Oni: 1
Zenoscope: 2

Average price I paid: $ 1.97

0 Issues: 1
First Issues: 9
Last Issues: 4

Ongoing: 27
Mini-series: 29
One shot: 2

Batman Issues: 19
Brightest Day books: 5
Series with colors in the title: 5

Comic Buzz – Morning Glories

2010-06-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Nick Spencer (W) Joe Eisma (A) Rodin Esquejo (covers)
Image Comics, ongoing series, starts in August

This is how teasers should be done. I first stumbled on the teaser ads for this series on Newsarama. I didn’t know anything about the series other than what the weekly teases told me. I really liked the look of the ads. And by the third one “Most likely to quote Star Wars at inappropriate times” I was really interested in where this was going. It took until the fifth one for me to find the interview Nick Spencer did with Comic Book Resources. And now it’s on my list to be added in August (which means ordered in June). The first issue will be double sized to give fans a really good taste of what is to come.

Described as “Runaways” meets “Lost” details are still being kept pretty quiet. The information in the exclusive CBR interview is our best look at what is to come for now. Our setting is a school, the prestigious Morning Glory Academy, and our main characters are students. But the school holds some major secrets and our students find themselves facing more than they may be able to handle. Many twists and turns are promised, but Spencer promised that he already has the ending set and won’t just be making it up as he goes along. All the mysteries and clues will mean something somewhere down the line.

Waiting on the final teaser to be revealed I expected a girl, and I was hoping for something like “Most likely to kick your ass at video games” or “Most likely to cause collateral damage.” After the flirt and the emo girl I felt we needed a strong girl to balance out the cast. But I think the confident looking Casey who is “Most likely to save the world” does that job nicely, even if the young blond does remind me of another tagline referring to saving the world. I just hope she’s not a cheerleader. (Seriously, the more I look at her the more she reminds me of Claire. Their names even sound similar.)

I’m already sold, but I can’t help but want it to be a big thing so it can keep going as long as possible. Another interview with Spencer came out recently letting him expand on the characters since they are all much more than their simple yearbook descriptions. We’ve been promised a look at some pages from the first issue soon, and I’m chomping at the bit for more.

Fan Ramblings – DC goes Digital

2010-06-24T09:02:00.001-07:00

I’m excited to see DC branching out (all at once, with no advanced warning in fact) onto the digital scene. I know digital comics can be a bit of a polarizing topic among fans, and while I prefer to read comics that I can hold in my hand and not off of a screen I do recognize that this is a big step for the publisher. Anything that can get comics into the hands (or onto the screens?) of more people is a good thing, and DC really seems to be taking care of a lot of the concerns people have had about it. I’ll be very interested to hear more about their “Retailer Incentive Program” that could not be in place for launch but they promise is coming soon.

DC kinda one upped Marvel’s big announcement of releasing their Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 online on the same day (June 30) as it comes out in stores by offering their bi-weekly Justice League: Generations Lost series as a same day release from here on out (starting exactly one week before Marvel’s big online experiment), and at the same price as the actual comic. Honestly, I think it was an okay choice to experiment with, but apparently not for the same reasons that DC does.

In an interview with CBR, DC co-publisher Jim Lee spoke about why this title was chosen, “Creatively speaking, I think it was ideal for our day-and-date experiment because it has some of the world's most recognizable and well-known characters. So if you're interested in pulling in a lot of new readers coming in via a Justice League cartoon or game they've played, and having seen these characters in other media, that title will showcase those characters first.” I hate to argue with Jim Lee, but has he seen who the lineup is in Generations Lost? It certainly isn’t the Justice League from the cartoon. As far as I am aware it’s Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, and Captain Atom (former members of the Justice League International) along with Blue Beetle (Jamie Reyes). Of those, I think the only character to even appear in Justice League Unlimited was Booster Gold. As much as I like some of those characters I certainly wouldn’t call them “some of the world's most recognizable and well-known characters.” Honestly, of the list I would say Blue Beetle is currently the best known outside of comic book folks because of the Batman the Brave and the Bold cartoon. I could be very wrong about this series, because I honestly have not read it. But from what I understand about the series from interviews, reviews and solicitations this just doesn’t seem to be a comment that holds water. Just because Justice League is in the title doesn’t mean that it’s going to appeal to fans of other things called Justice League.

I will whole heartedly agree with the next part of his statement though, “The fact that it also comes out on a bi-weekly schedule is something that speaks to the digital environment. Having something that comes out more frequently helps because, as we know, everything online happens at a quicker pace. The idea of a book coming out every two weeks works well in that format.” People want things on the internet to be fast. They don’t want to wait a month for an update to their story. Two weeks is a much better jumping on point for a reader, who feels like they can get a story fast without losing too much steam in the process. Also, from DC’s point of view they will get twice the data from this title than if they had used a normal ongoing. Since it comes out twice a month they can get more detailed data on the rise of this service and how often people are using it. And since it is a limited series (24 issues last I heard) if it turns out that this was a huge mistake for whatever reason they aren’t committed to it forever. They have a good set time period to look at the data and make observations from there.

He ended his response with this, “And also the fact that it's launched more recently meant that it would benefit from the additional press attention and marketing that this announcement would garner, and that will help drive not only digital sales but print as well.” I would agree that it could help print sales, but probably not of this specific comic. This comic is under the Brightest Day banner, dealing with characters brought back from the dead after Blackest Night. If they do it right with advertising and teasers for other books this could bring people into the other Brightest Day comics.

All in all, when I saw that Generations Lost would be offered as a simultaneous release it really didn’t surprise me. Whatever the reasons that drove the company to choose it I think they could have made a far worse choice.

Looking over the rest of the initial release titles there are a few things that stand out. Most of the selected titles make a great deal of sense in one way or another. They released the first 6 issues of Jonah Hex, which would have been a very smart move to go along with the movie release, except that I have heard that the movie is terrible and strays so far from the source material that it probably turned most of the mainstream off of the franchise, and even if someone did like the movie he wouldn’t find a continuation in that same vein in the comics. The first twelve issues of The Losers are available, again probably with movie hype in mind. There is a strong Green Lantern presence again for the upcoming movie. Superman and Batman have strong showings here while Wonder Woman is notable absent again supporting the idea that DC has a Big 2 and not really a Big 3 as they claim. I’m thrilled to see Tiny Titans offered here! Anything that can bring more sales to that title is aces in my book.

I really enjoy the idea of a free issue 0 as with Fringe and Mirror’s Edge, making preview possible before committing to a title. However, I’d be happier with a policy of first issues being free or $0.99 as a standard policy. As it stands here, the first issue of The Unwritten is twice the price it was on the stands and, as I recall, it is available for free on Vertigo’s website. I’m not sure why someone would want to pay $2 for it with those things in mind. But that’s really the only issue I can see that seems to really drop the ball.

And while licensed titles from video games and such might not sell that well in print form they are exactly the kind of product that DC should be pushing on the digital market. That’s the kind of potential reader that this service will appeal to. Those licensed comics could well be someone’s first comic. We already have a lot of overlap with the video games community, but there are plenty of people out there who play video games and aren’t reading comic books.

There is a good variety of titles from DC, Vertigo, Wildstorm, and even Zuda. I think it presents a good cross section of DC’s lines to new readers who might be surprised to find that DC does more than just superheroes. There are a lot of first issues here and the whole launch group just seems to scream “new reader friendly!” And while it might not offer a whole lot for the dire hard comic fan, there is certainly potential for more to come and a nice safety net to explore what is available.

Now what’s missing? I’m surprised that there are no Young Justice issues here. If we don’t see it soon I will be shocked. With the cartoon coming out soon and fans ALWAYS asking about collected editions at cons it seems like a no brainer to reprint those stories in this format (people want to give them money for these stories!). I suppose that’s what I’m really looking for from this service. Comics I can’t find anymore. Old comics, things that have never been collected, that sort of thing. I’m talking first issue of Batman old. Now I’m sure the royalties issues with these older works is going to be a pain in the ass to figure out, which is probably why we don’t see them here, but I hope they make their way here in the future.

I’m also surprised that none of the classic Teen Titans stories are here. The Wolfman and Perez run is classic and would probably appeal to fans of the cartoon looking to get back to the comic roots. Again, no Wonder Woman. You’d think with her 600th issue hitting the same time as Superman’s 700th they could at least have gotten equal hype with a preview here. Flash is also missing, but with his movie push coming along, this will no doubt be corrected sooner rather than later. But I suppose the trouble is in deciding which Flash to put up. Do they put up old Barry Allen stories? Do they put up the more recent Wally West stories, even though he seems to have been more or less shelved at the moment and the movie will no doubt be only about Barry? Or do you wait a few months and then try to put some of the very recent Flash stuff up? And if you do that, could it affect the trade sales? Ah, I can clearly see why there is no Flash presence here.

All in all, I’m rather pleased with this initial release. I’ll probably go download all of the free issues and play with the app and see how it reads. I only have an iPod touch, so I’m not sure how it will be reading on the small screen. But I’m willing to give it a shot and see how it works and am not completely against giving them my money in the future.

Waiting for Trade? – Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites (hardcover)

2010-06-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Evan Dorkin (W) and Jill Thompson (A)
Price: $19.99
Available: June 23, 2010

A few years ago in the various Dark Horse “Tales of” anthology books there were some short stories of adorable pets that had to deal with ghosts and witches and the super natural. These four short comics were well received (winning Eisner Awards for Best Short Story and twice for Best Painter) and the series was continued with a four issue miniseries (which has been nominated for the Eisner awards for Best Publication for Teens and again for Best Painter). All of those stories are gathered here in a single collected volume.

These pets are your average pets, except that they live in your not so average town of Burden Hills. Creepy stuff is happening in the town and one of the old and powerful Wise Dogs recruits our heroes to help manage the evil lurking about. The stars are a group of dogs and one cat who are still learning how to deal with these strange occurrences when our mini begins. Jill Thompson describes it as Lady and the Tramp meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I feel that’s a pretty accurate description.

The writing is very well done. All of the pets have their own clear personalities which shine through in their dialogue. They all have regular dog names like Redd, Pugs, Rex, and Ace. They regularly get overwhelmed by what they are facing and have to find a way to push through and overcome without the benefit of, say, opposable thumbs. The art is gorgeous. Jill Thompson’s watercolors are amazing and beautiful and haunting in all the right ways.

But be warned: there are cute animals in this book, but it’s still a horror book. Bad things happen to our characters and not everyone makes it out unscathed. If you don’t want to see bad things happening to house pets you might want to skip this one. It’s all very tastefully done, but you should be prepared. That being said, while it is probably too dark for the little ones I think this book would be good for older kids who might be ready for a little more maturity in their comics but still like the whimsicalness of talking animals. Dark Horse suggests it for ages 14+ on their website. If you have kids, my best suggestion is to preview it to decide if it’s appropriate for them.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Dark Horse has provided the first three short stories on their website for you to preview. If you like what you read there, you’ll love the mini where they had more pages to devote to the characters and their story. And most of those early stories play a role in the mini at some point, so you feel a strong sense of continuity and repercussions. You can also preview the first 10 pages of issue one of the mini series here.

Although I have all the single issues I will most likely get the trade myself in order to collect the previous stories. The creators seem excited about doing more stories with these character in the future, but until then this collection will have to tide me over. At least until the Hellboy crossover. Words cannot describe how awesome sounding that is.

UPDATE: With the release of the trade there are two new interviews posted that I wanted to link you to! You can read them here and here. Enjoy!

Comic Book Issues: Doubles Feature of Awesome!

2010-06-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

The other day I read several really good comics. There were those that I expected to be good and were good (The Unwritten, Tiny Titans, Joe the Barbarian) and then there were some that were new that were pretty good (iZombie, Birds of Prey, Zatanna). And then there were 2 that really blew me away. So in a happy change of pace, today’s Comic Book Issues isn’t about a bad comic I had issue with, but two comics that were really really good and stood out to me. As always I’m a month late, and these comics are from May. It’s LONG (about 1000 words for each title) and rambles, but its happy rambling and not ranting!

Let’s dig into Batman and Robin 12 and Red Robin 12!

Spoilers ahead, you have been warned.

Let’s start with Batman and Robin 12. Now, I talked before about how I was enjoying this series up until the ridiculousness of Damian’s spine being replaced. And honestly, that still bothers me and makes me roll my eyes. But as long as I’m willing to ignore the silliness of that plot point and just go with it, things are okay. It turns out that that whole “new spine” thing had a purpose since Talia is now controlling Damian’s body through implants or something in his new spine. Rather, she’s letting Slade control Damian to kill Dick Grayson. And she wants Grayson dead because she doesn’t think he’s worthy of wearing the cowl of Bruce Wayne. And she doesn’t like that he’s “indoctrinating” Damian in the ways of heroic good. So why doesn’t she just send some ninja’s after him? Because she wants Damian to feel guilty for killing Dick. Yeah….she’s up for worst mother of the year already and I haven’t even gotten to the kicker.

I finally feel like Grant Morrison is showing me the Dick Grayson that I love. I was worried that this was going to be an excuse for Damian to look badass and kick Dick around, but no. Once Dick realizes that Damian is being manipulated he takes control of the situation and resolves it rather quickly. I thought it was a little silly at first that Talia got Slade involved, but it ended up creating some awesomeness that I wasn’t expecting. Dick doesn’t just best Damian physically in order to stop this mess, he uses the knowledge that Slade in involved to overload the guy’s heart through their connected nervous systems. The line as he held up the tazer to Damian was great. “Your heart can take this. His can’t.”

Then we got a fantastic bit of storming Talia’s stronghold (“My mother is going to kill you.” “She can try.”). Dick is not only pissed about Talia messing with the nervous system of a 10 year old, but also has unfinished business with Slade. Dick had no fear going to face Talia and her army of assassins, and that made me quite pleased. The best scene with Dick Grayson for me though, was when he confronts the recovering Slade in a hospital bed. Slade tries to pull a gun and Grayson smacks him in the face with his IV stand all while surrounded by men holding automatic weapons. While normally I might find this sort of action a bit unnecessary, Morrison reminds us of some unfinished business between the two. Slade ordered Chemo dropped on the city of Bludhaven, which Dick protected as Nightwing. The loss of an ENTIRE CITY obviously still weighs heavily on Dick’s mind, as it should. That’s not something a hero is ever going to forget. But it’s not unrestrained fury. Dick knows just how far he can take the situation while, you know, standing in a room full of armed assassins. He gets in one good hit and a promise of pain to come. All in all, I found it pretty badass. Dick is certainly more cheerful than Bruce, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to kick your ass when you really deserve it.

But the real strong point of this issue for me is something that I’ve felt was missing since issue one. I’ve felt Morrison’s Dick Grayson was hit or miss, but I have never really liked Damian. And during this issue, shockingly, I found myself LIKING Damian. Not just tolerating, but actually thinking positive things about the character. I’m still in surprised. Damian goes off with his mother to talk about the whole controlling his body thing and Talia, apparently concerned that she wasn’t being a horrible enough mother already, reveals that she is literally growing another Damian, in the form of a clone because Damian is turning out to be a disappointment. Ouch Talia. Damian handles this all rather well for a freaking 10 year old. He tells his mother that this is the life he has chosen, even if his father were to return, that this was what he wanted to do. Talia tells him that he can leave with Grayson, but that if he does he will be an enemy to the House of Ghul. I think it was Damian’s response to this that really cemented the character for me: “I hope I can be a worthy one, mother.” The art fit this really well too, and didn’t set it up as a sarcastic remark. This is a defeated kid who is truly hurt by the actions of his mother and is trying to get through the best he can. This is a painful choice for him but he is sticking to what he believes is right.

I was so worried when I saw the solicits for a “Batman vs. Robin” arc, but this storyline has really shown Damian’s growth as a character. In the beginning he was an arrogant punk who was “tolerating” Dick Grayson as Batman. And now he has grown to respect him, understand him, and share in his vision and ideals. He’s still a little punk, but he’s been taken down a peg or two. Last issue was probably when I started to feel for the character when he asked Dick if Bruce Wayne came back if they (Damian and Dick) would still get to be Batman and Robin. It wasn’t a dig at Grayson or a gloating statement of any kind. He was concerned with the fact that he could lose what he had come to love, not only his job as Robin, but I think his relationship with Dick and Alfred. So I must give credit where credit is due. I didn’t think Grant Morrison could make me care at all about Damian, but I was wrong. I’m still not sure how he did it exactly, but I’m rooting for the little guy. He’s still awfully low on the totem pole of Bat Universe characters in my mind, but he has a place there now.

It took him twelve issues, but I am really satisfied with this title now. Unfortunately, I finally became happy with it during the “Return of Bruce Wayne,” so I may not get to be happy very longer. I still don’t understand what the rush to bring Bruce back is when this title is doing amazing without him. But, that’s an issue for another column.

Moving on to Red Robin 12. First of all, I must apologize for EVER doubting Chris Yost. I was initially worried about this darker version of Tim Drake. I thought we were going in a whole new direction to completely change his character. I thought that Chris Yost didn’t understand Tim’s relationship with Dick Grayson. I thought a lot of things. But honestly, I haven’t thought most of them for a while.

This issue tied up all the loose ends from the last year. It showed an amazing amount of forethought and planning. Chris Yost wasn’t telling a year’s worth of stories. He was telling one story that took a year to tell. And the payoff was worth it.

I was worried when Tim teamed up with the League of Assassins. I was upset when he started settling for gray areas. But as he went through his journey I saw that he was upset for doing it too. The Robin series ended on a rather downer note. Tim felt responsible for the deaths of some innocents that he inadvertently put in harm’s way. It wasn’t really his fault, but he still blamed himself. Then during Battle for the Cowl, Jason Todd nearly killed him and left him for dead. Did I mention that Tim Drake is the one who let Jason out of prison to have a second chance? Yeah, none of the writers have brought it up either, but that has to sting.

So Tim really was in a darker place. And I guess he convinced himself that it was okay to compromise. It really seemed out of character, but that was the point. It was. And he knew it. And along the way he realized that he didn’t have to compromise. It was a big deal, not just some instant realization. It was something he had to work through, and looking back, the journey has been an excellent one. Yost didn’t forget who Tim Drake was. But he had to help Tim Drake remember who he wanted to be.

The other thing that I didn’t figure out until this issue was that Tim Drake cannot be Tim Drake without his connections. Tim had distanced himself from pretty much everyone important in his life. It was honestly weird to read about him completely on his own. Tim doesn’t have powers and he isn’t the world’s greatest or strongest fighter. And he knows all of this. He has always relied on his friends, in a very similar way that Dick Grayson does. And in that way, both of them are superior to Bruce Wayne. They are both natural leaders who can coordinate groups in effective ways and are not afraid to ask for help. So it made so much sense for Tim’s entire supporting cast and then some to show up to help him defeat Ra’s. I wasn’t expecting to see Superboy, Wondergirl, and Kid Flash but it was perfect that they were there. It was even more perfect that people like Manhunter and Man Bat were involved, as it shows that Tim can reach out beyond his circle when the threat demands it. After cutting himself off and running away from his friends, hiding behind a mask that wasn’t his to distance himself from them he came back to a place where he realized that he could not do it alone. And he didn’t have to.

This issue made everything make sense. I’m not sure that EVERYTHING was planned from the start. For example, I’ll believe that there was a decision that Tim saw something in the manor that made him believe Bruce was alive. It’s harder for me to believe that a year ago they knew it would be that specific painting. But I will believe that Tim taking over Wayne Enterprises was planned so that Lucious Fox could send his daughter looking for Tim. Things tied together too well for Yost to have been making it up as he went along.

The one thing that ALWAYS bothered me was why Dick made Damian his new Robin. The reasoning behind it never really rang true to me, even with the excuse that Dick couldn’t see Tim as a sidekick and saw him more as his equal. I still didn’t like that he never even talked to him about it. But this issue made up for it, at least a little bit. When Tim fell out of the window toward certain death I already knew what would happen. I remembered Batman flying off after kicking ninja butt at the beginning and I knew that with the innocents out of harm’s way Dick wouldn’t just stand by while Tim was in danger, especially with Ra’s al Ghul. So when he was falling I knew Dick would catch him. But later in the Batcave Dick asks Tim how he knew that Dick would be there to save him. And Tim’s answer was the same as mine really. “You’re my brother Dick. You’ll always be there for me.” It sort of completed the circle from the last issue where Tim asked Dick to trust him with hardly anything in the way of an explanation. And Dick did. There is a brotherly bond between Tim and Dick that goes a lot deeper than a single argument. Tim was mad at Dick, and heck I’m still mad at Dick for that decision. And maybe it wasn’t the right one, maybe he made a mistake. Or maybe not. But Tim has put that bit behind him and remembered that no matter what his friends and family are going to be there for him. And that’s a pretty good place to be in.

I am so excited for the future of Red Robin. At the end he mentioned having the costume altered, so it’s his now. He’s not hiding anymore, not distancing himself from others. He has reclaimed his own identity. If you have ANY interest in the Bat titles currently, I suggest finding the back issues or trades of this series, because it has been unexpectedly great.

Waiting for Trade? – Tiny Titans Volumes 1-4

2010-06-15T02:30:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani Price: $12.99 each
Volumes 1, 2, 3: Available now, Volume 4: Available September 1st

If you are a fan of any incarnation of the Teen Titans/Titans franchise you really need to check this book out. And I mean any. If you liked the recent cartoon incarnation, if you like the old Teen Titans from the 80s, if you like the New Teen Titans there is something in this book that you will love. And if you have children and want them to get hooked on characters you know and love, or comics in general, look no further than this book.

At the same time, if you know nothing about the Titans it won’t hold you back. They sneak in continuity references here and there, but they are just Easter eggs. Everything you need to understand this comic is in this comic.

The premise is simple. All your favorite Titans characters are attending Sidekick Elementary School and get into various adventures. If you follow current DC continuity, there are cute references to things happening inside the main DCU (such as when Darksaid, who is the school janitor, becomes principal for a day and demands that all the students take their finals without having studied! It was a Finals Crisis!). Battle for the Cowl, Blackest Night, as well as others have been parodied, but if you’re not following the main DCU I don’t think it will be distracting. It will just seem like quirky fun. Which is what it is. Make no mistake, these stories stand all on their own and will be just as easy to read and follow in ten years as they are now.

“Tiny Titans” is a joy to read. In a time when so many comics seem to be pulled down into this dark, depressing place it’s really nice to have one title that is just fun to read. This is the only comic book series I am reading that I can say with certainty that not a single issue has ever let me down. I never finish “Tiny Titans” and think, “meh that could have been better.” Instead I always think, “Aw yeah! That was great! I can’t wait for the next one!” How can you not love Beast Boy turning into a puppy?!

The book is part of the Johnny DC Kids line and the stories are very simple. Sometimes they take up a whole issue. Sometimes all of the short stories in the issue revolve around a theme. Sometimes it’s just a bunch of short cute stories. The art is simple but clean and fun. The colors are bright and the characters are adorable. And the single issues contain bonus pinups and puzzles for the kiddies. I’m not sure if these extras have been included in the collections or not.

Excitingly the Tiny Titan’s franchise has expanded into short chapter books (recommended for ages 4-8), one for the science fair and one for a camping trip!

If awards impress you, it won an Eisner last year for Best Comic for Kids (and it has shown up on a bookshelf in the comic) and is a New York Times Best Seller. Every interview I have seen with the creators shows that they are having a great time with this book. And you can tell from the finished product. If you have kids who enjoy superheroes or are a kid at heart yourself this is definitely worth a look. And you can take a look here on the DC kids website and preview the first issue and here for a sample from this years DC kids Mega Sampler from Free Comic Book day! Also, check out this video to see the guys in person. I was amazed at how tall they both are!

Waiting for Trade? – Batwoman: Elegy

2010-06-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Greg Rucka (W) and J.H. Williams III (A)
Price: $24.99
Available now

I don’t plan to do many Waiting for Trades on main DC Universe ongoings. A lot of them are okay, but the continuity in them sometimes makes it hard to recommend just one storyline to a casual reader or someone who isn’t looking to follow a title for the foreseeable future (or until they switch writers and everything has a “new direction”). If you like the character you will probably pick it up anyway, and if you don’t then it better be one hell of a story to get you interested. So when you see me recommend one of them, I’m serious about it. The collection of Batwoman’s recent run on “Detective Comics” is one such example. This collection inculdes issues 854-860.

These comics really blew me away. I know there were people who were doubtful when it was first announced. They wondered why they should care about Kate Kane/Batwoman. And that’s what this story did. It made you care about Batwoman. This title quickly moved up in my read order every month as the story got more and more exciting.

What we have here is an introduction to Batwoman and her place in Gotham. If you’ve never read anything else with Batwoman before (and there isn’t a whole lot you could have) don’t worry. I hadn’t read anything before this, and while there is reference to a previous plot she was in, I felt that everything was explained well. They didn’t go over every detail, so if you still want to check the story out I’m sure it will be a fun ride, but they tell you enough so you don’t feel like you are missing any big pieces of the puzzle.

The comic isn’t just Batwoman though. She has a supporting cast of her own, some characters that Bat-fans will be familiar with and some new. Her father plays a huge role in her crime fighting persona and their dynamic is a lot of fun. Maggie Sawyer of the Gotham PD makes an appearance as does Renee Montoya, the current Question, although only in flashback. An interesting cameo is made by Bette Kane, Flamebird (of the Titans variety, not the Kryptonian one), and later issues suggest she could play a big part in Batwoman’s future.

Batwoman’s first story here features a villain named Alice (who seems to speaks only in quotes from the Lewis Carol books, which must have been a pain to write) who is the new leader of a secret cult, and old nemesis to Batwoman, called the Coven. I’m still sad that the Mad Hatter never showed up to investigate Alice, since he’s always looking for her. She would have blown his mind. The confrontation with Batwoman ends with a huge impact and the story flows seamlessly and logically into Batwoman’s origin story. Back stories can often feel forced in comics, but this one is set up so that you are asking all the right questions that only a back story can answer and are glad to see it. Not only does it answer a lot of those questions, but it continues to build Kate Kane as a character.

The art is incredible. And even more amazingly for me, it came out on time. Since I get my comics monthly I could be wrong and it could have been a week delayed somewhere in there, but it never missed a month. Some of the page layouts are breathtaking. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it blew me away. And was good enough to earn a few Eisner nominations as well for Best Penciller/Inker, Best Cover Artist, and Best Coloring.

News has surfaced of a new Batwoman ongoing on the horizon, but unfortunately Greg Rucka won’t be attached. He’s leaving DC to take time to work on his creator owned projects. This is a major bummer as he was planning to write a three issue arc explaining Alice’s origin and now there is no telling if we will ever get to see it (because unless Rucka writes it I doubt anyone else will touch it). I’m bummed because Rucka IS the voice of this character, but I’m happy to give the future a chance to impress me as well. But if you haven’t yet picked up this introduction to Batwoman and her adventures I heartily recommend that you do so.

Waiting for Trade? – The Unwritten Vol. 1 Tom Taylor and the Bogus Identity

2010-06-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Mike Carey (W) and Peter Gross (A) Yuko Shimizu (C)
Price: $9.99
Available now

I have so many good things to say about this series from Vertigo. It is near the top of my read pile every single month (normally only behind “Tiny Titans”). I have enjoyed it so much I am picking up the trade, even though I have all the floppies. The series has received Eisner Nominations for Best Single Issue (#5, included in this collection), Best Continuing Series, and Best New Series.

Tom Taylor doesn’t have a lot going for him. His father, who has disappeared, wrote a supremely popular book series about a young boy wizard named…Tommy Taylor (in the same way that A.A. Milne wrote about his son Christopher Robin in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories). The character very closely resembles Tom and, as his other ventures fail, he reluctantly rides the coattails of his father creation, attending book signings and making convention appearances.

During a convention panel a girl in the audience questions Tom’s actual identity, claiming that records pertaining to his birth and childhood have been falsified. The public is outraged and fraud accusations abound. Tom just wants to lie low until things die down and go back to his normal life. But if the mysterious group involved in a conspiracy spanning all of literature gets their way, Tom’s life will never be normal again.

“The Unwritten” reminds us that every story has a story. And teases us with the idea that perhaps there is a single story behind ALL of the stories. This series blurs the line between reality and fiction. It touches on how stories affect us as readers and how we in turn affect those stories. It is compelling in a way that I feel many comics today are lacking. The writing is solid and the art fits the story really well, both in the real world and in the many fictional worlds we get glimpses of. The cover art by Yuko Shimizu is beautiful too and they are included in the trade along with some sketches unseen anywhere else. The story is smart; the dialogue feels natural with some good humor. I hope that this is one comic that will keep going for a long time.

You might be thinking this is some sort of Harry Potter rip off, but I’d have to remind you that the Harry Potter idea itself wasn’t new. Magic has always been a draw for people, and the exploits of young witches or wizards has been a popular way to present magic to people. I for one loved the movie “The Worst Witch” when I was a child. I won’t say that parallels can’t be draw between Harry Potter and the Tommy Taylor story, but “The Unwritten” is about so much more than just the Tommy Taylor books. Also, this is a more mature title with cursing, violence, and death with a darker tone than Harry Potter. The fairest comparison is probably that the two are drawing from the same inspirations and working in the same ideaspace.

But, as they used to say on Reading Rainbow, you don’t have to take my word for it. You can download the complete first issue from Vertigo's website. Then you can get some extra insight on all aspects of that first issue from the writer, artist, and cover artist. There are a good number of interviews with the creators on the net as well, and every time I read one I get more excited about the future of this comic. The interviews I’ve linked here are mostly from early in the comic’s run and thus are spoiler free.

If you’ve been waiting on this one I hope that you will pick it up now and enjoy it. I envy that you won’t have to endure the wait through the many surprising cliff hanger endings as I did (although the last one is a dozy!). And as its only $10, what have you got to lose?

Volume 2 Inside Man comes out August 11th and will cost you $12.99. It includes 2 more issues than the first volume, hence the price hike. And it’s still worth every penny.

Summer Reading List

2010-06-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

The main reason I made this blog was to have a place to share my love of comics with others. And if we are reading the same books, it’s likely to spur conversation. And since for most of you summer is beginning (summer break in Japan doesn’t start until mid July) you should have some of this so called “free time.” And I think that reading good comics is a great use of anyone’s free time. So now you just need to find the good comics.

While I prefer to buy the monthly copies I know that a lot of people are now trade waiting in order to save money and to be sure that the product that they get is worth it (and some people simply don’t have a local comic shop where they can follow titles monthly and must depend on the collections in their local bookstore or library for their comic needs). For those of you who prefer this option I want to recommend a few things I think are worth your time and money. I have had these recommendations typed up and ready to go for several months now. So in the name of a better and more often updated blog I will be bringing you a summer reading list of the comic book variety. Not only will each entry have a brief synopsis and my personal recommendation (whatever that’s worth) but all entries will have links to interviews, previews, and anything else I can find that might be useful for someone who is trying to decide if they wanted to buy the book.

I want to get these entries up this week and next week. If you want to help encourage me to update this thing, PLEASE leave a comment on the entries. If you have read any of the titles I’m recommending, PLEASE comment on that entry, even if you disagree with me. I always want my reviews to be honest and I don’t mind other people’s opinions especially when they could help someone who is considering buying the product. And if you know anyone who likes comics, or who you want to start liking comics, please consider linking them to this blog. The recommendations here are all pretty accessible to new comic readers, and if there are issues with complicated continuity I’ll be sure to point it out. I won’t say there is something for everyone, but I there are several types of books represented, so even if one entry doesn’t stand out to you, you can check out the next one.

Quick taste of what's to come follows. Check back soon for updates!

The Unwritten
Tiny Titans
Batwoman: Elegy
Adventure Comics: Superboy
Stuff of Legend
Beasts of Burden

Comic Buzz – Darkwing Duck

2010-05-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Ian Brill (W) James Silvani (A)
Boom! Studios, ~~miniseries~~ ongoing, first issue available in June

Let’s get dangerous!

I almost feel I don’t need to be making an article about this series. When it was announced that Boom! Studios would be releasing a 4 issue miniseries starring DW called “The Duck Knight Returns” the internet exploded. This seems to be one of those “duh” projects that everyone was waiting for. It sort of seems like an excuse to print money, since, let’s face it, I love Darkwing Duck and so do you.

What’s more, the buzz surrounding this project has been so intense that it has been upgraded from miniseries to ongoing BEFORE the first issue has even hit stores. This decision was made based on the preorder numbers from issue one alone. So the buzz is already that insane. I’ve never heard of anything like this before, so it’s pretty exciting.

The comic is set about a year after the end of the TV series and a lot has changed. Drake Mallard has given up being Darkwing and St. Canard is under the control of a nefarious corporation. And of course when evil rears its ugly head, it’s time to get dangerous once again (I never get tired of saying that). The story promises to feature a selection of Darkwing’s fantastic rouges gallery in the first arc with more to come later.

Based on interviews with the writer Ian Brill and artist James Silvani it seems like there is a lot of love for this project. With so much buzz I’m sure there is an unbelievable amount of pressure to please the fans. A lot of eyes are on this project but they seem to be confident that they can deliver the terror that flaps in the night every month. They’re working hard to “make sure the comic has the same feel of anarchic fun of the TV series, while still presenting a whole new adventure in the life of Darkwing.”

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years since the show first aired. If the buzz continues to grow like this maybe Disney will finally release the third season of the TV show on DVD. Here’s hoping that this will help introduce a whole new generation to the wonders of Darkwing Duck. If you know a kid who would love this (and honestly who wouldn’t?) you should pick them up a copy when you go buy yours.

The first issue (available for preview) hits June 16th, so better watch out you bad boys!

Comic Book Issues – Nemesis 1

2010-05-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

I don’t really know what I was expecting from this book. We got it mainly for my fiancé because he greatly enjoyed Kickass (although he was very displeased by the delays). I personally liked the premise of an evil, crazy Batman/Joker combo. But I don’t feel this first issue delivered.

I like Blake Morrow. I feel the comic did a good job of setting him up to be the one to face off against this crazy criminal mind. But Nemesis himself didn’t impress me as much. The opening was great. I felt that he was a threat and a large one at that. A very calculating criminal mind. But the scene later with Air Force One simply left me cold. I’ll buy that you knew how to explode a building to make it fall over in the direction of train tracks. I won’t buy that you can walk around on an airplane in flight with no equipment without falling off. And that you can walk all the way down to the nose from the wing. But I’d be willing to overlook that. Surely he did have some sort of special equipment that we just weren’t shown.

But then he crash lands the plane, mini explodes it as it goes under a bridge, and then big explodes it when it hits a “petrol” container. First of all, if you are setting your story in America the truck should have read Gasoline. I get that the writer is Scottish, but I expect him to know the difference. Maybe this is nitpicky. Maybe they do label these truck petrol and not gasoline sometimes in the states, but it distracted me. It was enough to take me out of the story. But my main complaint is that we don’t see Nemesis get out of the plane. Later we get to see that he is alive and well (and seems not to have suffered a single scratch in the whole affair) oh, and he also got the President off the plane as well and now has him hostage. Wait. So I’m supposed to believe that he not only was able to get away, but that he was able to get a hostage out in all that commotion too? During a crash landing?

This would have been a great place to show me how cool Nemesis was. Instead I just feel like the comic is telling me Nemesis is cool because the story says so. It goes back to the old showing versus telling argument. This comic tells me that Nemesis got off the plane with the President instead of showing me how he did it. The fact that he got off the plane was, I guess, supposed to be shocking and amazing. But since he’s the title character I was never really nervous that he wasn’t going to get off the plane. So its not shocking. And since I don’t get to see how it happened it isn’t amazing to me. It’s more magic than anything. And since they were going for kind of evil Batman, I have a feeling magic wasn’t what they were going for.

If the plane had not exploded none of this would bother me really. Then it would just have been a case of getting away during the chaos and confusion following the crash. I buy that. But with the explosion none of that makes sense to me.

Also, the gore in this issue was silly to me at times. The shootout in the hostage situation made me wonder what kind of magic exploding bullets Morrow was using since the people’s heads seemed to be exploding. I could be wrong, I’m not a gun expert, but as far as I know more entry wounds are pretty small. The exit wounds are gruesome and would be more explosive and bloody. But these guys’ heads seemed to just be bursting from the inside. I’m not adverse to blood and violence in my comics, I like that people who get shot do in fact bleed. But I don’t like it to be gratuitous and silly. Again it takes me out of the story.

Overall I felt like this was a pretty sad start to the mini. And with only four issues it has a lot of work to do to win me over.

Comic Buzz – iZombie

2010-05-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Creative Team: Chris Roberson (W) Michael Allred (A)
Vertigo (DC), ongoing, first issue available now

Vertigo is on fire right now (and not the bad kind that involves hospital visits). All of the titles I’m pulling from Vertigo at the moment are very satisfying, with "The Unwritten" at the top of my read pile every month. This new title looks like it won’t be far behind.

I like zombie stories. Zombies are probably my favorite of the mystical monsters (vampires, werewolves and the like). There is just something cool and scary and awesome about the idea of zombies. I love the “Walking Dead” (and before anyone cries foul as to why it isn’t on my pull list, it’s one of the few exceptions that I pick up in trade. I started reading it in trade form and now I’m kinda stuck with the six month wait). So even just the title was enough to grab me and make me want to read more.

It sounds like a book that will be fun to read with a quirky fresh take on the zombie idea. Instead of a post apocalyptic dark tale, this book offers a modern world with monsters infused within it. Our main character Gwen is just your average zombie gravedigger detective. As a zombie she must eat a brain once a month to keep her own memories and personality and not become a mindless shambly thing. But as she digests a brain she shares the memories of the deceased person for a week and is compelled to help resolve any unfinished business they may have had.

The title features an amusing cast of characters including a hippie ghost and a were-terrier. We’ve also been promised future characters in the form of monster hunters, vampires, a sexy mummy, a mad scientist, a Teen Frankenstein, a ghostly pulp avenger, a fish-man, a cultist, secret agents, Soviet Zombie Super Soldiers, and a talking chimpanzee. Roberson seems to have a lot planned for the world of "iZombie", and I look forward to being along for the ride.

But don’t take my word for it. Links are your friends. You can find the solicitations for the first three issues on Vertigo’s website. There are not one, but two interviews with the creators of the project, the second of which contains a preview of some pages from issue one. And there is another bonus preview, seven pages that were published in the “House of Mystery Annual” back in February. I have no idea if this is a separate thing or a preview of some pages from a later issue, but it lets you see the art and some of the characters. I can’t imagine that it’s really a standalone though since it doesn’t really resolve anything, but what do I know. However it’s worth a read if nothing else than to see Gwen dressed up in a “Shaun of the Dead” inspired Halloween costume.

I’m really excited about this one, and in wonderful Vertigo fashion the first issue is only be $1. You have very little to lose by trying this one out. It was released May 5th, so you still have time to get to your comic shop and find it. I won’t get this issue until early June, so you can enjoy it before me!

By the Numbers – May

2010-05-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

I won’t get the comics noted here until the end of the month, but here’s a look at a numerical representation of the comics I’ve ordered for May. Comments and speculations welcome!

Total comics for the month: 51
Change from last month: 0

Company Run Down
DC: 30
Vertigo (DC): 5
Icon (Marvel): 1
Marvel Authors: 1
Image: 5
Antarctic Press: 1
Avatar Press: 1
Boom!: 3
D. E.: 1
Dark Horse: 1
IDW: 1
Oni: 1

Average price I paid: $ 1.90

First Issues: 8
Last Issues: 3

Ongoing: 24
Mini-series: 27
One shot: 0

Batman Issues: 11
Superman Issues: 4
Brightest Day books: 5

Comic Book Issues – Powers #3

2010-05-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

My issue with this comic was its nonexistence. This issue was meant to come out in January. It’s didn’t come out until the tail end of March.

I understand all too well that delays are common in the comic industry. Something has to be changed at the last minute, the artist can’t draw fast enough or is injured, a personal matter arises that causes the schedule to be thrown out the window in favor of more important things, there is a mess up at the printers, computers crash, or any number of other things that can cause a book to be late.

Since I get my comics monthly I normally don’t even notice if a comic is a week or two late, unless its released at the tail end of the month and thus won’t be shipped until the next month. It’s frustrating when comics I was excited to read aren’t in the box when it arrives, but I usually have enough to keep me distracted from being too upset about it. And sometimes when that happens I get two issues of the series the next month and that makes me very happy.

The reason Powers upsets me more than most delayed comics is that they advertised to the fans that this wouldn’t happen. I believe the words “And yes it will ship monthly” were in the solicit for the first issue. I’m new to Powers and so I’m not up to speed on what happened with the last volume of the series, but from what I read it seemed to lose steam because of massive delays. Which would explain why this time they advertised that there would not be those kind of delays.

Now if I was going to make such a promise I would have 6 issues ready to go by the time the first issue was solicited. That way, even if something came up, you could go half a year without missing a shipping date. Which would keep the fans happy and would help you to keep the promise you made to them. Because I think that missing the shipping date on your THIRD issue by what is likely to be over two month is rather embarrassing.

Now Powers #3 is not the only January title that is still AWOL on my list, but it is the only one that seemed to suggest that this would not happen. All of these delays are made more frustrating by the fact that things like Rucka and William’s Detective comics with Batwoman came out on time every month. And while event comics are normally plagued by delays Blackest Night shipped on time for its entire run. I know they skipped a month, but it was a planned skip so that everything would ship on time in later months. I appreciate the forward thinking.

Powers isn’t new. They should know what the hold ups will be, who the slow people are. And if they say they’re going to get it right the second time around, it would be nice if they tried a little harder. Powers is getting close to becoming a series I drop to eventually pick up in trade (if I even remember or still care about it by the time that eventually happens). Issue 4 is on its way with my April comics, but if there is another massive two month delay I will put my money where my mouth is and stop supporting the title. What about you? What comics series do you read that are plagued by delays and are delays a factor in seeing a series through monthly?

By the Numbers – April

2010-05-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

This is pretty late, but I’ll post it for continuity’s sake. And since I still haven’t received my April shipment it’s not as late as it could be. I’ve decided not to post my monthly 50 anymore. I don’t think anyone will read it apart from me anyway. The Monthly 50 might eventually come back once I am in the states and will be getting comics at the same time as everyone else and can thus review them while they are still relevant. But for now, its shelved.

By the numbers however, is slightly more interesting if I didn’t just post the same info in list form, so we’ll keep it around. Now it allows for speculation about just which comics I’m getting and speculation might lead to discussion somewhere down the road once people wander onto the site.

Total comics for the month: 51
Change from last month: +10

Company Run Down
DC: 27
Vertigo (DC): 5
Wildstorm (DC): 1
Icon (Marvel): 2
Marvel Authors: 1
Image: 3
Top Cow (image): 1
Aspen: 1
Blacklist: 1
Boom!: 3
D. E.: 2
Dark Horse: 1
IDW: 2
Oni: 1

Average price I paid: $2.05

0 Issues: 2
First Issues: 5
Last Issues: 5

Ongoing: 25
Mini-series:25
One shot: 1

Batman Issues: 10
Superman Issues: 6
Brightest Day books: 3 (plus Blackest Night Directors Cut)

Comic Book Issues: Batman and Robin #7

2010-03-01T02:38:00.000-08:00

Oh Grant Morrison. You had me, you really did. Up until issue 7 of Batman and Robin I was really enjoying it. I had mixed feeling about R.I.P. I felt like you were trying maybe to do too much with the story, but I didn’t hate it, and the outcome led to my favorite character getting to be Batman.

And when Batman and Robin started I was pleasantly surprised. Your Dick Grayson wasn’t a perfect representation of the character in my eyes, but at least he didn’t piss me off like some other takes on Dick Grayson have. I still don’t like Damian but I was willing to tolerate him to see where the story went.

I didn’t really care for your Jason Todd (or even to see Jason again so soon after Battle for the Cowl). I thought your obsession with considering everything in continuity went a little far when you made Jason a red head again and claimed Bruce made him dye it to be more like Dick. I don’t feel Bruce would do that, but what makes matters worse is that Jason’s origin as the second Robin has been told with him having dark hair. So by trying to make sense of some comic issues that current continuity says didn’t happen you make current issues in continuity not make sense. I also felt like it was a bit lazy and boring to have Jason revert to being an all out villain again. (And way to make Tim Drake look like an idiot for helping Jason escape from prison at the end of the Robin series. At that point there had been character development and Tim felt Jason deserved a second chance. Although I can’t blame only you since Tony Daniel did the same thing in Battle for the Cowl by having Jason nearly kill Tim.) Parts of the story were still good (the Flamingo was incredibly creepy) and overall I still had a positive impression of the book.

But I just finished issue 7, and that one, sir, made no sense. I don’t mind the story line, what bothers me is that you gave me no reason to feel like Dick Grayson should be thinking that this is a good idea. I’m fine with characters making bad choices, so long as I have an understanding of what led them to make those bad choices. And I feel like we’re missing that here. Dick is being really stupid and I don’t see why he should be acting this stupid.

As recently as the Blackest Night tie in issues Dick Grayson was shown to accept the death of his loved ones. He, like Bruce before him, is mortal. He knows that what he does will probably kill him. And he knows that in most cases (revolving door of death aside) that is the end of it. So why does he suddenly feel like the best solution is to try to cheat that and bring Bruce back?

Perhaps he is feeling the stress of the job, or perhaps he is upset about Daimian. But you didn’t give me any proof of that. All you did was put Dick in this really odd frame of mind that seems out of character. Especially since Damian is apparently going to be fine and Dick has every reason to be aware of that fact. And while we’re on the subject of Damian…

Seriously, I’m supposed to buy the idea that Damian is just getting a brand new spine? I’m willing to suspend disbelief while enjoying fiction. I bought the Catwoman’s heart being out of her body and her being kept alive by a machine in recent Detective Comics. Because we do heart transplants in the real world. And because Hush is a doctor and had the help of Mr. Freeze. So their tech is going to be better than our tech and can do cooler things. And their tech was impressive to the superhero doctor and master of tech that Batman called in for consult. I felt it was impressive and advanced and “possible.” But Damian’s new spine floating above his body in the giant water tank? Sorry Mr. Morrison, but that was hokey. Talia isn’t a character that strikes me as having that kind of ridiculous technology anyway. And a new spine? You can’t just pull out the spine and stick in a new one. Your spine protects a bundle of nerves that control your entire body (which is what is so dangerous about damaging the spine). If that complicated bit had been touched on or shown at all, I might have been more receptive, but from the picture it really just looked like we were dragging and dropping a new spine in there. And if he was going to be fine in one issue anyway why have his spine be damaged at all? Shatter a femur or a hip or something and get that replaced with a metal one. It’s more believable and then you’re not just going for the shock value of it being a horrible crippling injury that you are going to instantly handwave away. *sigh*

The other problem I have with Dick Grayson’s actions is that I don’t think that Bruce would want to be brought back to live with a Lazarus pit (and Dick should know this). That’s crossing a line. He turned down Ra’s time and time again at the offer of immortality. Bruce accepted that death would one day claim him in a way that Ra’s never could. I think Bruce would be really pissed if he was brought back to life this way. And I don’t think Dick is selfish enough to just not care what Bruce thinks about the matter. And honestly, in all the years they have known each other, this had to have come up one night in the Batcave (“Wow, Ra’s al Ghoul is one crazy dude, huh Batman? By the way, if you ever died saving the world would you want to be brought back with a Lazarus pit?”).

And what about the possibility that Bruce was finally at peace? This man has spent his entire life living with the torment of his parents’ death. He has always been dark and brooding and rather messed up because of that. Dick Grayson saw all of this. He saw how Bruce tried to help him so that he would not turn out the same way. And he didn’t. Dick got past his parent’s death in a way Bruce never could. And he had to have seen how hard it was for Bruce to keep up the good fight. So when it was finally over, why would Dick want to do anything more than let him rest? To perhaps be with the parents he lost in some form of afterlife, or to just not have to fight so hard anymore. Now Dick can fight for him. Why would he think that Bruce would want to be ripped from what is potentially a peaceful afterlife back into the never ending fight against the criminally insane, metahumans, aliens, and gods?

Also, I can’t help but think back to the Return of Ra’s al Ghoul. During that arc Tim had a similar dilemma. Ra’s offered to help Tim bring back everyone he had lost (and Tim has lost more loved ones than most in capes and tights). He had the chance to bring back his father, his best friend (who came back anyway) and his girlfriend (who apparently wasn’t actually dead). Now, it’s been a few years, but I remember Dick showing up at the scene and making it clear that he didn’t approve (there was a throw down of brotherly love as I recall). In the end he let Tim make his own choice, but he certainly didn’t want him to do it. So what has changed?

My other problem (which I admit is nitpicky) was that you had Dick referring to Bruce as his “brother.” I just don’t see that. Bruce is Dick’s father. It’s really that simple to me. I’m good with the best friend line. Yeah, Bruce and Dick were close (and then grew apart, and then mended things) and they have a very deep respect for each other. But the age difference and the fact that Bruce was always a mentor to Dick makes the brother thing just weird to me. A brother is your equal. Time Drake (Wayne) is Dick’s brother. And even though I think Dick is in many ways Bruce’s equal (and in some ways better than his mentor), I don’t think that Dick would ever lower Bruce to his own level.

Now I’m willing to see the story out and give it a chance to prove me wrong. Maybe Dick will have a what-the-hell-was-I-thinking moment and will realize what an incredibly stupid idea all of this is. I’m still willing to let it play out. I’m just not as optimistic as I was.

Pull List by the numbers – March

2010-02-23T02:09:00.000-08:00

Yet another bunch of numbers about my particular comic book pull list. Feel free to compare and comment!

Total comics this month: 41

Change from last month: -1

Company Run Down
DC: 24
Vertigo (DC): 4
Wildstorm (DC): 1
Marvel (icon): 2
Image: 2
Dark Horse: 1
BOOM!: 2
Dynamite Entertainment: 2
Radical: 1
Avatar: 1
Antarctic Press: 1

Average price I paid: $1.99

On-goings: 24
Miniseries: 17
One Shots: 0

First Issues: 8
Final Issues: 2 (3 if you count Titans, and I do)

Batman related books: 9 (10 if you count First Wave since Batman is in it)
Superman related books: 5 (6 if you count the Free Comic Book Day one I ordered)
Blackest Night related books: 3

The Monthly 50 – March

2010-02-23T01:59:00.000-08:00

And we’re back again for another at a glance look at my pull list for a coming month. Here is my pull list for books scheduled to be released in March, in alphabetical order:

Action Comics #887
Adventure Comics #8
Adventure Comics #9
Aladdin Legacy of the Lost #3
Azrael #6
Batgirl #8
Batman #697
Batman and Robin #10
Batman Confidential #12
Batman Streets of Gotham #10
Blackest Night #8
Captain Swing #2
Chip #1
Choker #2
Dadoes Dust to Dust #1
Detective Comics #863
Devil #2
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep #10
Doom Patrol #8
First Wave #1
Gotham City Sirens #10
Great Ten #5
Greek Street #9
Green Lantern #52
Green Lantern Corps #46
Joe the Barbarian #3
Kevin Smith Green Hornet #1
Legendary Talespinners #2
Nemesis #1
Nemesis the Imposter #1
Powers #5
Red Robin #10
Shuddertown #1
Supergirl #51
Superman Last Stand of New Krypton #1
Sweet Tooth #7
Teen Titans #81
Tiny Titans #26
Titans #23
Unwritten #11
Victorian Undead #5

Free Comics Book Day Titles (I could only get 5)
Atomic Robo and Friends
Doctor Solar Magnus Robot Hunter
Shrek & the Penguins of Madagascar
Owly & Friends
War of the Supermen #0

Total: 41 + 5 free comic book day titles

Note should be made that although the Free Comic Book Day titles are ordered here they don’t ship till May, so it will be a while before I can get my hands on them. But I wanted to mention them so I didn’t forget later.

Most Anticipated:
Blackest Night #8 – the final chapter in this event, I’m looking forward to seeing how things turn out. I’m also excited to see if the book comes out on time, as that would speak well for DC and all parties involved. The stage has been set to be so dark and bleak and freaking impossible to overcome that I’m really interested to see how it all plays out. A bad ending can ruin a great event, but I’m hopeful that this one will be satisfying.

Kevin Smith Green Hornet #1 – While this title is really for my fiancé I find that it is growing on me. I have really been enjoying Smith’s Batman the Widening Gyre. I feel that his characters are strong and his writing is solid. The only complaint I’ve ever really heard about him is that he tends to not finish things or gets really delayed. But Dynamite Comics has already stated that all the scripts for this 10 issue mini are in. So hopefully that won’t be a problem (although DC said the same thing with Batman and it still managed to get behind a few months). I’m really interested to see where this one goes. I know pretty much nothing about the character this time around, so he has a clean slate to impress me with.

Bottom of the Stack:
Superman Last Stand of New Krypton #1 – I’m picking us this title based on the involvement of the Legion, who I became a fan of in Geoff Johns Legion of Three Worlds tie in to Final Crisis. I’m hoping that is enough to make this an interesting comic, but I’m still nervous about the decision. I like Supergirl and Superboy (and Nightwing and Flamebird although I don’t know if they are involved in this), but I have not been following Superman and the whole New Krypton thing. Since Supergirl’s story crosses over here I wanted to get it to get a more complete story. I’m not dreading it coming in and it may not actually be the last thing I read once the comics are in front of me, but I am nervous about it.

Titans #23 – I am not looking forward to the last issue of Titans. They are my favorite team and it’s been hard watching this comic flounder with no purpose, waiting to be canceled. I’ve already spoken in great detail about what I feel about the changes coming in “Titans” so I won’t rehash it all here. I’d hope for at least a respectable send off, but at this point I think even that is asking too much.

And that’s March for ya. Agree, disagree? Comments are always welcome. What did I get right and what am I missing? But remember when commenting that spoiler free is the way to be!

Pull List by the number - February

2010-02-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

A bunch of numbers that don’t really mean anything, but I find interesting to look at. It helps me see where my interests are going with comics.

Total comics this month: 42
Change from last month: 0

Company Run Down
DC: 27
Vertigo (DC): 4
Wildstorm (DC): 1
Icon (Marvel): 1
Image: 1
Top Cow (Image): 1
Dark Horse: 1
BOOM!: 1
Dynamite Entertainment: 2
Oni: 1
Radical: 1
Avatar Press: 1

Average price I paid: $2.06

On-goings: 28
Miniseries: 13
One Shots: 1

First Issues: 4
Final Issues: 2

Batman related books: 12
Superman related books: 4
Blackest Night related books: 4

Have an idea for another stat I should keep track of? How does your pull list compare?

The Monthly 50 – February

2010-02-17T01:43:00.000-08:00

Normally these entries will come out much earlier, around the time I am ordering the comics, but since I’m just starting this blog I figured I’d go back a little for perspective. After all, these are the comics that are coming out right now, so I feel that it’s relevant to start here. So there will likely be a bunch of these posts (about 3) in rather short succession as I play catch up. Then The Monthly 50 will become a monthly entry.

So read more for a look at my February comics, listed in alphabetical order:

Action Comics #886

Adventure Comics with Black Lantern Superboy #7

Aladdin Legacy of the Lost #2

Azrael #5

Batgirl #7

Batman #696

Batman and Robin #8

Batman and Robin #9

Batman Confidential #41

Batman Legends of the Dark Knight Special #1

Batman Streets of Gotham #9

Batman Widening Gyre #5

Blackest Night #7

Booster Gold #29

Brave and the Bold #32

Captain Swing #1

Choker #1

Complete Alice in Wonderland #4

Detective Comics #862

Devil #1

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep #9

Doom Patrol #7

Gotham City Sirens #9

Great Ten #4

Greek Street #8

Green Lantern #51

Green Lantern Corps #45

Joe the Barbarian #2

Justice League Cry for Justice #7

Legendary Talespinners #1

Pilot Season Stellar #1

Powers #4

Red Robin #9

Resurrection Vol 2 #9

Supergirl #50

Superman #697

Sweet Tooth #6

Teen Titans #80

Tiny Titans #25

Titans #22

Unwritten #10

Victorian Undead #4

Total: 42 comics

Keep in mind that these are the comics that were scheduled to come out in February, but the actual release dates often get delayed for various reasons. For example, I’m not really expecting my Complete Alice in Wonderland, Pilot Season, or Powers to actually come in with this shipment as their January issues have yet to be released at this point.

Most Anticipated:

Tiny Titans #25 – It’s an anniversary issue and Geoff Johns helped write it. I’m not really a Johns fan girl (although I am enjoying Blackest Night) but I just think the idea that they were able to get someone so high profile to help with this comic is great! I’m sure they all had a lot of fun and I can’t wait to check it out.

The Unwritten #10 – This comic falls under the want-more-now category each time I finish an issue. The last issue was a bit out of the action, but I have a feeling it was all to give us perspective for the coming issue. Very excited!

Bottom of the Stack:

Justice League Cry for Justice #7 – I’ll just be glad when this one is over. I thought the art was pretty awesome from the previews I saw and I really hoped it would be decent, but so far as I have read at this point I feel it’s rather flat and uninteresting. And the whole thing with Roy Harper just seemed amazingly unnecessary. Maybe the ending will surprise me, but I’ll admit that this will probably be the last thing I read when it finally makes its way to me. And that I’ll be glad not to see it on my pull list from now on.

That’s my month in a nut shell. Feel free to weigh in on all the great books I’m missing out on or the titles you’re skipping this month. But I won’t get to see these comics till March, so in your comments remember that spoiler free is the way to be!

Pull List Maintenance – Dropping Titans

2010-02-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

Many will say I should have done it long ago. But I couldn’t help myself. I love the characters and I just kept hoping they would turn things around. But with the new direction of Titans becoming Titans: Villains for Hire I am finally dropping the book. To me it doesn’t even really feel like dropping a book. I feel like my book was canceled and this new thing with a similar name is popping up at the same time.

I understand that the Titans book needed a new direction. The book has been without a strong direction since it came out. All the writers had been able to come up with was Titans fighting other Titans. I could forgive the first story with Raven. It was a way to bring the team back together. Fair enough. But the whole Jericho thing dragged on forever and seems to not really have had much of a point.

So then half of the team went and joined the JLA. Okay, well some of them were already members and seemed to be pulling double duty just fine, but I can understand that for continuity and such it is easier to have them more prominently featured in just one of the books. Fair enough (just don’t tell Batman and his 8 other books…). And Red Arrow has been…on second thought, let’s not talk about that. Or else this will turn into a maiming/killing Titans rant, and that’s not the point here.

What DC decided would be a great solution to the new direction and new team member problem was to have Deathstroke, sworn enemy of the Titans, set up a new team of villains and become some sort of mercenary group. Under the Titans name. His team includes Cheshire (who almost makes sense, as she has a connection to Titans member Roy Harper/Red Arrow) and the Tattooed Man (who makes no sense as I was pretty sure that after Final Crisis he had become somewhat of a reluctant hero but is not palling around with straight out villains again). There are other members but I don’t know who they are and am already so against the idea that I don’t care as it won’t change my decision about dropping the book.

There are a lot of characters who have ties to the Titans. The decision could just as easily (and for me more satisfyingly) been to bring back some of the older Titan supporting characters and to give them stronger roles. The argument could be made that these old character wouldn’t have a strong fan following and so couldn’t support a book, but I disagree. The Titans (and Teen Titans) have a very strong fan base and many of them have long memories. And if the team was a mix of existing Titans and old Titans there would enough consistency to keep the fans on board. To me, this makes sense. A lot more sense than what they are doing.

Now I’m not against Deathstroke having a team or another villain book being out on the market (I know some people are already comparing the premise to Secret Six). I just really don’t like that it’s under the Titans banner. I already had to watch my favorite team fall apart, and now I have to watch their name be dragged through the mud. But I’ll be watching from afar. Titans: dropped.