Trusty Plinko Stick

Top 12 Comics of 2011

2012-01-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

Is it too late for a Best of 2011 list? Probably. Is that going to stop me? Nope. Just because I've fallen behind doesn't mean I don't still have opinions to share. So here are my top 12 comics of 2011 (because I couldn't really pare it down to 10 without feeling bad, and besides donuts come in twelves, and they're good, so...), presented in the best way possible, alphabetical order, a system of organization so effective they went and actually named the alphabet after it.*

The Adventures of Superhero Girl - Faith Erin Hicks' weekly webcomic about the everyday problems of a superhero is exactly the sort of genre send-up I enjoy: it plays with the established tropes, sure, but it never goes right out and calls attention to them in that "WE'RE MAKING JOKES ABOUT THINGS YOU KNOW LAUGH NOW PLEASE" sort of way and instead weaves them into the fabric of the story in such a way as to make them completely accepted, normal, and even mundane. It's Hicks' artwork and comedic timing that make this excellent. That it also features ninjas and a Bear with a Monocle is just icing on the cake.

Animal Man - Grant Morrison's Animal Man run is one of my most favorite superhero comics ever, so much so that I've long been afraid to read almost anything else featuring Buddy Baker and family for fear that it won't live up. Jeff Lemire brings the goods here, though, with a story that is frequently compelling and ALWAYS freeeeeeeaaaaakkkkkyyyy. Travel Foreman's artwork is the perfect, terrifying complement to the story, though I'm now legitimately afraid to ever meet the man because if this is the sort of imagery he's capable of, what must he be like in real life?

Aquaman - I enjoy me some Aquaman (remember, I'm a certified Friend of Aquaman!), so I was excited to see Arthur get a regular series again, but my experience with Geoff Johns' work has always been hit and miss. When I think he's on, I think he's one of the best storytellers around, and when he's off, well, I want that character dismembering punk as far away from my kid as the law will allow. Luckily, it's the former Johns that has showed up (so far) for this Aquaman series, and though I worried at first he was taking the "Aquaman is the Rodney Dangerfield of the JLA" thing a bit too far, it's clear he both wants to tell good stories and prove to the world once and for all that Aquaman is so much more than the guy who "talks to fish." Good on ya, Geoff. Keep it up, and stay away from sharp objects, okay?

Batgirl - I truly regret that I didn't really discover this book until the end of its run, especially since going back and reading from the beginning in the trades proved that this was a fun, unique read from issue #1. Steph Brown has frequently gotten the shit end of the stick as a character, and being brushed aside for Babs' return as the New 52 Batgirl just continues that trend. But for a couple years, at least, she got to soar, strut her stuff, and prove to be one of the most trustworthy members of the Bat-family at last. This was proof that you can still tell stories that are both exciting and fun within the confines of the ever-darkening DC Universe, so thanks for restoring my faith, Bryan Q. Miller. I will be re-reading these trades soon, you be sure of that, and if any book on this list stands out as my very favorite of the year, it is this one.

Batman - Sometimes you just want a Batman book where he does a little detective work, uses cool gadgets, and kicks people in creative ways. Scott Snyder has been delivering that in spades, and is telling an exciting yarn to boot. The Court of Owls and their assassin the Talon have been among the best villain created to fight Batman in years, and if there's anything that will keep me on this book despite the upcoming price increase and threatened crossover, it's that. Greg Capullo's artwork is fantastic, too. Haven't seen his work since I dropped Spawn WAAAAAAAAAY back in the early 90s, and I may need to now go back and see what else he's been up to since.

Comic Book Comics - The history of comics, as interpreted by Ryan Dunlavey and Fred Van Lente, has been an amazing, if frustratingly sporadic, read. Even on the rare occasion when I disagreed with one of their conclusions, I still thought their points were well-argued and, of course, entertainingly presented. As good as their Action Philosophers was, I liked this even better, and hope we'll still be getting their promised Action Presidents somewhere down the line.

Daredevil - Never been much of a Daredevil fan, if only because even the good stuff just constantly kept loading up the Matt Murdock Pity Party Train. I'm just not interested in a character who never has anything good happen to him (yet again, I chalk this up to modern creators failing to understand what it was that actually made Frank Miller's 80s output so good). Mark Waid, though, has really turned this around and made the unthinkable (to me) happen: making me not only want to read Daredevil, but also making a Top of Stack book whenever it comes out. His take on the character, his clever use of Matt's powers, the characters and situations he's adding to the pile... it's all top shelf stuff. Add in artists like Paolo River and Marcos Marting getting to go to town with their excellent senses of storytelling and page design, and yeah, this is must-read stuff.

Demon Knights - Even though I like Paul Cornell, I was initially planning on skipping this one because I'm not a big Fantasy fan, and I also kind of hate Etrigan the Demon. Glad I gave this a shot, though, because so far it has been a hell of a ride, like a really good Dungeons and Dragons session, but with characters who kinda-sorta skirt the definition of superheroes (or at least occasionally interact with them). Even though this initial arc has been largely "getting the band together," it's still interesting to see how these very different characters are interacting and learning to co-exist.

Hark! A Vagrant - Everyone loves Hark! A Vagrant, so there's probably not a lot I need to write here other than to add my name to the list of fans. So whether Kate Beaton is telling jokes about history, interpreting the plots to Nancy Drew novels based on the covers alone, or having snarky fun with Wonder Woman, I'm in.

Jimmy Olsen One-Shot - Most of this originally came out in 2010, and it was excellent then, but I'm glad we got to read the rest of Nick Spencer and RB Silva's Jimmy Olsen feature that originally ran in Action Comics (before being cut off), because the story stayed outstanding right up until the end. Spencer's version of Jimmy, an extension of the Silver Age and All Star Superman versions who were normal enough guys who just happened to lead bat-shit insane lives due to being Superman's pal, was exactly the sort of Jimmy Olsen I've been wanting to read about for years, and would have gladly followed into a full-fledged series. The one-two punch of Spencer going Marvel exclusive and DC rebooting their entire universe made it pretty clear that this was never going to happen, but that doesn't mean I don't still want it to all the same.

Moriarty - Though initially curious, I was afraid that this would be just another merely-okay-at-best comic taking advantage of the fact that Sherlock Holmes and company were in the public domain and popular again due to the BBC series and Guy Ritchie movies, but the first issue quickly put those fears to rest. Daniel Corey's take on Holmes' archenemy, Professor James Moriarty, and the world he now inhabits (having actually survived Reichenbach Falls) is a fascinating one. Moriarty, of course, is Not A Nice Person, but a compelling protagonist all the same. Add in a plot twist at the end of the first arc that I kind of expected but not in the way it was developed, and it's easy to see how I got hooked, and why I think more people should be reading this.

Snarked! - Roger Langridge's previous works, especially his Muppet Show comics, have all been good, but Snarked! is, I think, his best yet. It's the best parts of Disney and Warner Brother cartoons, 30s screwball comedy, fairy tales, adventure stories, sea shanties, and all manner of other influences all served up in a coating of Lewis Carroll. But you don't even need to be a big Carroll fan to enjoy this, I don't think. Maybe you'll get the references a little better if you are, but those are mostly just Easter eggs, and you'll be completely able to enjoy this even if you're only vaguely familiar with the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland (like me). Brilliant, and brilliantly funny.

*At least that's what I heard.

Yes, this blog is still a thing, and no, it isn't going anywhere.

2012-01-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

But, you know, life is busy, given the whole full-time job (with terrible hours), full-time family (with all-the-time hourse), and part-time grad school thing, it's hard to keep up with regularly. Add in the holiday season and a whole lot of illness and family tragedy that made this The Worst December Ever, and things even more neglecty than usual. But I still can't bring myself to pull the plug, so here it sits, waiting for content and, hopefully, people who still care to see it. Hoping to get some more stuff up on here in the next few weeks, though, before school's back in session and bloggy time gets more sporadic again. So, please, stay tuned for that if you're so inclined.

In the meantime, I've been getting a bit more active lately over on my Tumblr, Better Living Through Junk Culture. All quick hits of stuff, but hey, it's something.

Pretty Sketchy: Hail to the Junior, baby.

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

A little while back, I won a free commission from Mike Schwartz, creator of the finished-for-now web strip Oceanverse, for ordering issue #5 of the Oceanverse comic from DCBS. Mike's a hell of a nice guy, a great artist, and Oceanverse is a lot of fun, so I was happy to order, anyway, but winning free art was icing on the cake. Anyway, having recently finished up the first (and, to date, only) Shazam Family Archives volume from DC, I had Captain Marvel, Jr. on the brain. Know how much influence Elvis Presley took from Junior, I figured it was time that influence got paid back, so I asked Mike for Junior in the style of an Elvis album cover. Well, clearly Mike delivered, mashing up the iconic titling of Elvis's debut record (even doing a good job matching the font!) and the karate-style posing of later Elvis. Yeah, I'm pretty pleased with this, and it is already hanging in a place of honor in my nerd cave.

You may remember that I have two other pieces from Mike - B'wana Beast and an Aquaman that still gets me a surprising amount blog traffic nearly 3 years after first posting it. So I'm not surprised this piece was good, but still, it blew me outta the water with awesomeness. So thank you, Mike, thankyewverymuch.

Going back to the comic shop.

2011-12-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

So after 6 years, I am no longer a regular Discount Comic Book Service customer. However, I cannot stress enough that this is not a reflection on my experiences with DCBS. They're excellent people over there in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and they offer both amazing customer service and some of the best discounts around. If you're going to buy comic books online, do so through them. You'll be glad you did.

No, I'm walking away from them so that I can walk back to being a regular local comic shop customer.

See, I first went the online route back when my son was born. I knew I wouldn't have the time to stop by on a regular basis in those early, diaper and spit-up filled days and I didn't want to miss anything. Sure, it was weird to lose a vital part of my Wednesday routine, but the convenience of having everything show up on my doorstep once a month helped me get over that pretty quickly. Plus, comics were starting to go up in price, and the DCBS discounts were amazing; so much so that even with shipping costs, I was still saving quite a bit of money.

Plus, it helped that my LCS at the time kind of sucked, and was routinely forgetting to pull books I had ordered. What's the point of a pull list if they won't pull the stuff you've listed, right? And, as it turned out, they went out of business a few months later, anyway.

But a few years ago, we moved into our current house, and there ended up being a great shop just a few miles up the street, The Time Capsule in Cranston, RI. It's a well-organized shop, a pretty wide-selection of monthly books, lots of trades and toys and records and video games and things, and a nice selection of back issues (always 50% off the marked price). I'd stop in once a month or so to check things out, or shop at one of their sales, or just pick up something I'd missed. Then it got to be every few weeks. Then every other week. Then every week. They got to know my name, they'd give me the subscriber discount even though I wasn't yet a pull list customer, and it was just a friendly place to stop and shoot the breeze about comics. Turns out, I really missed that last one a lot more than I thought.

Meanwhile, my tastes have been changing, and I'm not buying as many new comics as I used to, so even though that DCBS discount is still sweet, when I factored in shipping I was still paying as much per month for comics as I would if I were buying them right off the stands. Sometimes even a little more. The choice was pretty clear.

So am I saving as much money as I used to? No, probably not. But it's nice to have a "home" comic shop again. As insular as comic bookery can be, it's good to be reminded that there is a social aspect of it, provided you actually have a decent local comic shop to foster it. For the first time in a long time, I do.

Most people don't realize internet cat videos were invented in Maine in 1980 to promote a bank at Christmas.

2011-12-01T11:01:00.005-05:00

The tree is up, the lights are strung up outside, the sound of Christmas music is starting to feel like it's actually appropriate to listen to now, and the kiddo got to start in on his Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar this morning, so my favorite time of year is officially underway. But I still feel like something's missing.

Ah. That's better. This ad was created for Bangor Savings Bank in 1980 and ran on Maine TV stations for years and years, and as a result is as much a part of Christmas tradition in my mind as Charlie Brown's scraggly tree, Max the dog's one tree branch antler, and wondering what the Misfit Toy doll's deal really was (I say she cuts).

This is a vital piece of my childhood, and I'm glad someone had the smarts to upload it to YouTube so I can revisit it whenever I like. It's depressing to think these cats are probably long dead now, but I try not to focus on that, and invite you to do the same.

I am thankful for the Marvel/Hasbro commercials for G.I. Joe comics.

2011-11-20T20:36:00.000-05:00

(Pop culture has brought me a lot of joy. Seeing as this is the month we talk about how grateful we are even as we greedily stuff our faces, I figured it couldn't hurt if I let the culture what is popular know how I feel about it.)

I was already reading comics by the time these first started airing, so I can't claim to be one of the scores of kids led into comic bookery by these ads, but they captured my imagination all the same. Were they just additional ads for the toyline, sneaking around FCC guidelines for animation in toy commercials by instead featuring the tie-in issues that just so happened to feature the latest figures and vehicles? Sure. But still, they're exciting, well-made, and biggest of all, they were TV commercials for comic books. That's pretty rare even today.

Friday Favorites: I am thankful for this sequence from All Star Superman #10

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Click to Supersize, 'natch.

This page from All Star Superman #10 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant, and Travis Lanham is easily my favorite Superman sequence ever. It's pretty quiet, whether you're judging by the rest of the series or all of Superman ever, but it's very powerful.

Also, when you think of Superman, you probably think of him catching someone (usually Lois) as they fall off a building. It's a clever take on that particular Supertrope to see him actually prevent that happening for once, and given the sort of writer Morrison is, you have to figure that's intentional.

I am thankful for Craig Ferguson's musical cold opens.

2011-11-08T10:45:00.002-05:00

Want to buy some X-Men trade paperbacks cheap? I can help.

2011-10-24T22:20:00.002-04:00

I have the first 5 trades of Matt Fraction's Uncanny X-Men run - Manifest Destiny, Lovelorn, Sisterhood, Utopia, and Nation X - as well as the first X-Men Forever trade available for sale on eBay. Auctions end Tuesday night, so get on it!

Pretty Sketchy: You must be this tall to stomp the park.

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Vacationing Godzilla here was drawn for me by Al Sparrow, a guy I know from the Comic Geek Speak forums who also writes a web strip called Thugs. He said his only regret was that he didn't think of having Godzilla step on Legoland instead. Well, I'm pretty happy with the theme park choice you made, Al. Thanks!

Readin' - finishing off the new 52 (or what I read of it, anyway)

2011-10-08T21:23:00.001-04:00

Caught up on the rest of DC's New 52 (well, on the rest of the 13 or so books I had actually decided to read, anyway), so here's some super short reactions on those (no sense belaboring the point, seeing as the rest of the comics readin' internet's already digested and passed these by now). Maybe some spoilers, so watch out.

Aquaman #1 - I worry that Geoff Johns is actually overselling his attempt to deal with the usual "Aquaman is lame" criticisms head on. Thankfully he shows Aquaman proving why he's actually an awesome superhero, but by having everyone still outright berate him after he's saved lives might undo all the work put into the awesome parts. But still, it's a new Aquaman book, I like how the man himself is written, and surprisingly for Johns, no one has gotten eviscerated on panel yet, so I'm giving this at least a couple issues.

All Star Western #1 - Or, really, Jonah Hex 2.0, because if you liked Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti's previous Hex series, you'll dig this, too, since only really the setting is different (and neat as it is, I hope Jonah's visit to Gotham is a short one). But still, the story is off to a good start, and Moritat's artwork is amazing, so I look forward to reading more, but I'll probably catch up with it in the trade paperback, which is how I've been reading the Gray/Palmiotti Jonah Hex series anyway.

Wonder Woman #1 - Wonder Woman and all the usual Greek god stuff with a horror twist? I'm intrigued. And enough of a Cliff Chiang fanboy to want to read more if only for his artwork, though Azzarello's story is off to an interesting start. But another I'll probably trade wait on.

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE #1 - I was really looking forward to this, especially after the Frankenstein Flashpoint mini, which was the only bit of Flashpoint I bothered with at all, and that was pretty good. This, though, was a little bit of a letdown. Not sure why, but it just didn't click with me. Even for a book with such a weird high concept, it still felt like there were a bit too many mad ideas thrown around. Maybe it'll come together better when collected. But hey, Jeff Lemire has me as a regular for Animal Man, so it's not like I'm not a fan of the guy.

Stormwatch #1 - Another high concept book that just didn't come together for me the way I hoped it would. This, though, wasn't due to the mad idea content so much as that it just felt choppy. But again, maybe it'll come together better in trade, and I have enough faith in Paul Cornell to give it a second shot then.

Blue Beetle #1 - It feels way too soon to already be rebooting the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle from square one, especially since this new version seems to lack all of the fun, easy humor, and charm of the Keith Giffen/John Rogers-written series. Pass.

Mr. Terrific #1 - I think Mr. Terrific is a great character with a lot of potential, and I was really looking forward to this book, but it just crashed and burned with me. Choppy plot, art that looked rushed, and a story that just didn't connect with me at all. Of the new DC books I read, this was probably the biggest disappointment, especially since I anticipated it so much.

Looking back on all the new 52 #1 issues I read, here's how I'd rank them:

1. Demon Knights (added to pull list)
2. Animal Man (added to pull list)
3. Batman (added to pull list)
4. All Star Western (enjoyed this a lot, but will follow in trade the way I read the previous Hex series)
5. Aquaman (giving it a few more issues to see if it'll be a regular read, trade read, or what)
6. Action Comics
7. Wonder Woman
8. Catwoman
9. OMAC
10. Frankenstein
11. Stormwatch
12. Justice League
13. Batgirl
14. Blue Beetle
15. Mr. Terrific

"Good artists copy, great artists steal." R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T23:51:00.001-04:00

56 is just too damn young.

I was never a big cult follower of his, but he was the sort of guy where I could see EXACTLY why he had such a cult following. A lot of the innovations for the Mac, like the graphical user interface and the use of a mouse, were actually pioneered by the guys at Xerox PARC, but Xerox never wanted to do anything with them for fear of diverting resources away from their copier business (oops). Jobs was smart enough to see that they were onto something, and brazen enough to use it. A lot of people will call him a visionary. I think that's a fair assessment.

And Pixar. Pixar started as a division of ILM, but George Lucas sold it off because he didn't want animation diverting resources away from his special effect business (oops). Thanks to Jobs' drive and his willingness to let some insanely talented filmmakers use the technology to tell their stories (and show off just what that technology could do in the process), movie making was changed forever. Not just animation, mind you, but movie making.

And then, of course, there's the i... well, iEverything. iPods, iPhones, iPads... they've gone from fancy toys to absolute ubiquity in about 10 years. Name another device type that has been adopted so universally, so fast.

So long, Steve. Thanks for it all. I get the distinct impression you were a damn hard man to work for, but I can't argue with the results. And also, thanks for responding to my group member's email when we did a project on Pixar for that multimedia class I took back in college. Your response was the very model of conciseness, but you answered our questions and gave our presentation a hint of that allure that only a brush with celebrity can provide. We appreciated that.

Seven. Even though this card features Eleven.

2011-09-30T00:01:00.002-04:00

I've been typing away on this blog thing 7 years today. Huh. If you've been along for any moment of the ride, I appreciate your time. Updates will continue to chug along in fits and starts, but after all, isn't that how it all started?

I should go and find me some cake and cartoons today. Cake and cartoons are the traditional gift for 7th blogaversaries (and just about everything else), right?

Okay, really, what ABOUT the children? - DC Comics and Young Readers

2011-09-29T03:00:00.001-04:00

Lots of talk all over the inter-ma-nets since the New 52 started about the books' appropriateness (or, often, lack thereof) for children, and people have very strong opinions on the issue. The detractors worry that kids may be exposed to content that they're not ready for, and they say that for an initiative aimed at courting "new" comics readers, none of it seems particularly suited for anyone below high school age. Those that are enjoying the new books think that they're fine, and that DC books (and most major publisher comics, in fact) haven't been aimed at kids in 20-30 years, that kids are more interested in TV and video games, that DC already has their Johnny DC line, and they think that when most people say "comics should be more kid-friendly" they really mean that "comics should be like the comics these people read as kids."

I'm oversimplifying this, I know, but stay with me here.

So regardless of your stance on the issue, what do YOU think should be done? How should DC court the younger reader - through the main books, through a separate line - or should they court them at all?

As for myself, I'm torn on the issue. I think there should always be books for the younger readers. Get the books out there and get the kids hooked... not just on DC or even comics in general, but on reading! Anything that gets kids reading is always a good thing, and if it instills an early appreciation for the comics form, all the better. But even though I haven't appreciated the increased sex and violence (and sexual violence) in a lot of DC books over the past decade (that's not what I want from a DC book), I think I'm okay with the "regular" books being written for an older audience. And that's because of the direct market. If comics were sold everywhere like they were when I was a kid, I'd want them to be more All Ages, because there's more chance of younger eyes seeing them. But in a direct market comic shop, well, you don't get a lot of kids in there anymore. Even the really, really good ones don't have more than a small kids' section. If you want comics in a direct market world, you're actively seeking them out, which means you're likely a little older and have $3-4 a pop to drop on books.

So is the answer a separate kids' line? I think so, but I don’t know that Johnny DC is the answer, at least not the way it currently exists. The reality of Johnny DC is that if a book doesn’t have a cartoon supporting it, it doesn’t last. Some really great books that haven’t been tie-ins have been published as part of this line – Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!; Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade; The Family Dynamic – but none of them made it very long. Billy Batson lasted over 2 years, but a lot of that time was due to production delays. Supergirl was a mini-series that has never been followed up on, despite how well it was received. And Family Dynamic was supposed to be a 6 issue series, but got canceled after 3! Meanwhile, Cartoon Network Action Pack, Scooby Doo, and Looney Tunes continue to have great runs since they have the support of TV shows. Teen Titans Go! and Justice League Unlimited had healthy runs, too, but faded soon after their shows did. This is the final season of Batman: the Brave and the Bold, so you have to figure that book’s not long for this world, either. It’s the reality: with Johnny DC, success = TV, and while the books may be good, I fear that it stifles creativity, both in terms of new properties (like Family Dynamic) and newer, younger-skewing takes on existing properties (Supergirl, Billy Batson).

(Yes, I realize Tiny Titans is an exception to this rule, but one book is hardly a proper refutation.)

I think Marvel does it right with their Marvel Adventures line and associated mini-series that aren’t labeled Marvel Adventures and yet we know they count. First and foremost, the books aren’t “kids’ books” by any stretch. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man is a long, long way from the Spidey Super Stories sort of thing that I bet most comics fans think it is. What you get with that book, whether in its original incarnation or its current run, is fairly traditional, straightforward superheroing, only without the on-panel ultra-violence. The current series even has its own established continuity and (brilliant) supporting cast, so it reads like it actually “counts,” for those that like that sort of thing. Spider-Man, the awkwardly named Super Heroes, those mini-series like Spider-Man and the Secret Wars, Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil, or that more recent Captain America one, they’re all true Marvel Comics in both look and feel. Nothing “kiddie” about them, they’re just truly All Ages.

Another thing Marvel Adventures books have going for them? You can find them EVERYWHERE, and in a variety of formats: traditional comic books for the direct market shops, magazine sizes for places like newsstands and places like Target, paperback digests for the bookstores and, most importantly, school book fairs. Marvel is not only making the content, but they’re actually making it available in places where the intended audience – multiple audiences, in fact – are going to actually see it. Certain Johnny DC titles get traded, sure, but I never see them around much, at comic stores, regular book stores, or anywhere else. And remember, I have a 6 year old at home who likes cartoons and superheroes, so I spend a lot of time looking at and buying kids’ books featuring those characters. I can find a DC Super Friends Young Readers prose book just about anywhere, but finding comics for my son featuring those same characters (or some version thereof) is a whole lot harder.

I think availability is the real key here. Get the books out to where the people are, and you might actually be able to make something like Dean Trippe's proposed Lois Lane, Girl Reporter more than just a dream book for comics bloggers. There’s a young audience out there ready, willing, and able to read about these characters, but it seems like DC has never made more than a token gesture at courting it. The other parts of the Time-Warner media empire have no problem making a Batman available for every conceivable demographic and entertainment format, and yet the comics people seem to fear brand dilution would occur if they tried it. That has never made a lick of sense to me.

Readin' Supplemental: Catwoman #1

2011-09-28T23:36:00.003-04:00

Okay, all the talk here and elsewhere led me to actually pick up Catwoman #1 at my LCS today. And actually, I didn't think it was too bad. I don't believe Selina wasn't written terribly "out of character, per se,at least not based on what I've read in the past (admission: I've read very little solo Catwoman), just more like the thrill-seeking sneak thief of older versions than the "Robin Hood with a fantastic bottom" we've had for the past decade or so. She's the bad girl, she's pretty irresponsible, she's not above using anything at her disposal to get what she wants, and you'd do well not to cross her. I can see why this didn't appeal to the people it didn't appeal to, but as for me, I may actually give this a second issue. Emphasis on "may."

That Sex Scene... it was garbage, put in there (and in the way that it was) just for puerile shock value, and if I don't pick up issue two, it's because an otherwise decent story was sidelined in the last few pages by scene that just screams "Shit is EXTREME, yo!!! They shud call thiz LOLCatwoman becuz Batman's all like 'I CAN HAZ FURBURGER?' HA HA HAHAAAAA ROXXXXORRZZZ!!!1!!1 Hey where's my Ed Hardy shirt, bro?"

Yeah, I can see why that pissed so many people off. Doing "sexy" in comics is difficult no matter the genre, and with superhero comics its even tougher still. It works in something like Empowered, where it's done with fun and a surprising amount of heart. Here, though, not only is it really out of place, but at best it's forced, and at worst it's... well, pretty much what we got. Le sigh.

And, also, if I can be all That Guy for a moment, that's pretty flimsy body armor Bruce is wearing if Selina can pull it up his chest like it's a sweatshirt. And his abs have abs! Given that I liked the art in the rest of the issue, I was asking why reality and anatomy suddenly went out the window in the final page. Beside the point with content of the scene and all, I know, but still, it bothered me.

Readin'

2011-09-27T10:11:00.000-04:00

Haven't done one of these in a while. I've been reading comics where and when I can, but with grad school, it's hard to keep up on everything, and most of the rest of the inter-ma-webs have already long since discussed and digested these (particularly the DC New 52 books), so these will mostly be just brief reactions rather than reviews. Maybe a little SPOILERY, too, so you've been warned.

Daredevil #s 2 -4 - Loved the first issue, as I said, and it continues to stay excellent. Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Marcos Martin are just killing on this one. The fights with both Captain America and Klaw were both cleverly written and amazingly depicted, and really, they're both the perfect opponents for DD on two different levels, so I'm surprised he hasn't tangled with either of them more often. I also enjoy the new status quo for Matt Murdock's legal career, and I'm looking forward to seeing where that goes. Top of the pile material whenever it comes out, and I never thought I'd say that about a Daredevil book.

Moriarty #s 1-4 - No shortage of Sherlock Holmes-related comics in the past few years, but this is the best of the bunch by a long shot. It's an interesting take on Professor Moriarty - broken and beaten, but determined to get his empire back, even if it takes a little anti-heroing along the way (though only because it serves his purposes). Writer Daniel Corey, like many non-canon Holmes writers, gets out as many of the toys and characters as he can fit into the story, but they're used well and not just there for set dressing. There's a twist at the end of #4 that I kind of expected, but it's delivered in a way that I was not expecting and it floored me as a result. Read this, people. Read the hell out of it.

Action Comics #1 - Better than I was expecting, yes, but still not the sort of thing I feel the need to follow every month. Especially not at $3.99. Superman-as-working class hero does seem interesting, and there are some hints at the new status quo that I'm curious to see unfold, but I can wait for the trade on it.

Animal Man #1 - This I'll be buying regularly. Jeff Lemire's story hit all the right beats for me, blending Buddy Baker's home life, superheroics, and downright creepy creepy creepiness at the end. And the Believer interview that opened the book was a clever exposition trick. Travel Foreman's artwork took a little getting used to at first, but once the creepy creepy creepiness set in, I realized he was the perfect artist for the job.

Demon Knights #1 - Even though I loves me some Paul Cornell comic bookery, I was wary of this because I hate the Demon. But he, as well as the rest of the cast, are used brilliantly, and I'm anxiously awaiting the next issue. I was wrong to doubt Paul Cornell. The Magnificent Seven in a D&D setting featuring characters from the DC Universe? Of course I shouldn't have doubted him!

Batman #1 - Simply put, everything I look for in a Batman book. Some detective work, some creative face kicking, gadgetry, Gordon and Bullock, Batman actually using his Bruce Wayne public mask to do some good... yes, definitely. More, please.

Batman Incorporated #8 - Wow. Not a good note to end the book on, guys. Ugly, confusing, utterly skippable in every way (sort of like that all-text Joker issue of the regular Batman book that Morrison wrote a few years back). Reminded me entirely too much of Batman: Digital Justice, and not in that nostalgic "oh, remember when that looked mind-blowingly ahead of its time?" kind of way, more like how you look back at it now and wince.

DCnU Math: Amanda Waller

2011-09-15T23:48:00.000-04:00

Seriously, DC, why'd the hell you do that to Amanda Waller? That's not the Wall. She's barely even a shelf now! And it's not even like she looks like Pam Grier (who played Amanda on Smallville) or Angela Bassett (who showed up as her in Green Lantern). That actually looks more like Aisha Tyler. And while Aisha Tyler is hilarious, a great performer and, by all accounts, a cool person, she's not the Wall.

As usual, DC Women Kicking ass goes into much more detail, and wonderfully at that.

Friday Favorites: The Elongated Man (and Sue, of course)

2011-09-09T22:49:00.003-04:00

Ralph Dibny, a.k.a. the Elongated Man, and his wife Sue Dearborn Dibny. Adventurers. Globe trotters. Bon vivants. Detectives. Essentially, The Thin Man's Nick and Nora Charles except one of them is a stretchy superhero and they don't have a dog. And fun as hell.

If you read superhero comics, you know DC spent the last few years being very, very unkind to the Dibnys. Bad, bad things happened to Sue, all in the name of giving other heroes something to react to, and then she died (well, actually, she died first, with the bad, bad things being revealed via after-the-fact retcon, but whatever). Ralph moped around a while, got some measure of justice for her death, then died, too. We got a quick hint of a post-mortem silver lining for them as ghost detectives (or, really, detective ghosts), then nothing. Probably because after all the grimness they had been through, trying to rework them as "The Thin Man by way of Topper" was too much, and too late.

However, as they're quick to remind everyone, DC's running a whole new (or at least really, really revised) ballgame right now. Some of the old continuity remains, a lot of it seemingly doesn't. Seems to me that some of the more unpleasant bits could easily be swept under the rug, don't you think?

Come on, DC, give us back Ralph and Sue. Alive, well, and fun as ever. You're all about diversity of titles, and I think a light-hearted, globehopping superhero detective book is something that has been sorely lacking for a good long time.

Pretty Sketchy: Doctors Who

2011-09-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

My Tony Fleecs 1-a-day sketch cards came in! I requested "any two incarnations of Doctor Who you like," so I got this cool diptych of the Matt Smith and Tom Baker Doctors, which is cool because I had yet to get solo sketches of either. What's really cool about this for an over-the-top Whovian like me, though it comes across better in the actual art than in this scan, is that the respective Doctors' TARDISes are differing shades of blue, just as their actual TARDIS props were/are on the show (Baker's being much a much lighter shade than Smith's).

Thanks, Tony! Also appreciated were the Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano card I commissioned for my son, which will be the subject of a future Pretty Sketchy post.

Justice League #1: meet the new boss, who so far is not noticeably different from the old boss.

2011-09-05T07:29:00.001-04:00

This will probably sound funny, but it didn't matter to me whether I loved or hated Justice League #1. I just wanted to have a strong reaction one way or the other. As it happens, this first issue was pretty good, which was sort of my problem with it.

This re-boot/launch/start/whatever is kind of a big deal, as major company superhero comic bookery goes, and it should really start off like an explosion, energizing reader minds into thought and action, whether positive or negative. Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, however, put out a decent comic book, which I suppose is something of a big deal considering I've never been the biggest fan of either man's work. The story of how this particular version of the band gets together kicks off well-enough, has a few fun character moments, leaves us to ponder a few questions, and starts off the whole storyline with enough happening that you get a good amount of story going on without it feeling like it's just padding for the inevitable collection.

But still, there's not a whole lot of "wow" here, or at least not enough. For a kick off of this alleged magnitude, merely decent isn't really enough.

I'm curious to see where things go from here (though I'll probably wait for the collected volume to hit my local library), and I'm looking forward to some of the remaining 51 first issues we've got headed down the pike to us this month (like Frankenstein, Aquaman, and Mr. Terrific, to name but 3). But even though I liked Justice League #1 alright, the new 52 didn't kick off with a bang, nor even a whimper, more of a "that happened."

(I still hate Superman's battle armor costume, though. God, that's fugly.)

Another Awesome Thing Canada Gave the World: The Man They Call Reveen!

2011-08-29T18:00:00.001-04:00

Okay, according to Wikipedia, it was Australia that really gave the world hypnotist Peter Reveen, a.k.a. Reveen the Impossibilist, a.k.a. The Man They Call Reveen, but Canada is where he's most famous, so I say it counts.

Anyway, one of the joys of growing up near Atlantic Canada was getting some of their TV commercials in the daytime, since some of our channels broadcast up there (and we used to get CBC, too, which is why I still hope to one day have hair just like Nick from The Beachcombers). And right around the mid-to-late 80s, one of the stations ran a lot of ads for Reveen's touring stage show as it hit the Maritime provinces, and something about them really seemed to captivate my entire middle school.

Maine was never a hotbed of hypnotism fandom, so I figure it has to be the song, which is awesome.

Hell, he was still using that song as of 2008!

And come on, wouldn't you?

They, whomever it is They are, call him Reveen. I suppose They could be Everyone, seeing as Reveen is, in fact, the man's given surname, but whatever. He has an excellent song, he makes money making people humiliate themselves, and he makes Canadians of a certain age very excited. That's livin', friends.

And I totally want to be known as The Impossibilist from now on.

You better stand back... there's a HURRICANE comin' through!

2011-08-27T14:50:00.003-04:00

And, sadly, it is not professional wrestler Gregory Helms, but in fact an actual hurricane. Rhode Island doesn't get a lot of these, so a lot of people are freaking out, thanks in no small part to the news media, who are pretty much promising everything up to (and by now, maybe even including) zombies. Ever since they got huge ratings showing Katrina coverage, every storm is the next Katrina. Sigh...

All media-drive promises of an apocalypse I doubt very highly will actually come aside, if you've already dealt with Irene, I hope you made it through okay, and if you're in the path like we are, stay safe.

Man, we had tickets to go see Juliana Hatfield tonight and everything. I'ma take a page out of Helms' book and shining wizard the hell out of this actual hurricane.

THIS.

2011-08-24T07:16:00.002-04:00

That this is a thing, it perplexes me. And yet, the very… THISness of it all, makes it strangely compelling.

Not $29.99 plus shipping and handling compelling, mind you. More like $3 at a yard sale compelling. Which I’ve always thought is the best kind of compelling.

(cross posted from my Tumblr, Better Living Through Junk Culture)

The Protector: not Robin, but the 5th next best thing

2011-08-16T23:00:00.000-04:00

The November solicits for DC are up in all the usual places (here, for instance), and what to my wondering eyes should appear but this solicitation for Tiny Titans #46:

TINY TITANS #46
Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR
On sale NOVEMBER 30 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E
What happens when Robin is called away on a secret mission with Batman? The team will need a replacement! Enter: The Protector! Will he be welcomed with open arms? Or will someone like, say, Talon, have something to say about it? And where does Nightwing fit into all this?

Well, this made me weirdly happy. If you don't know, the Protector was a character who appeared in three special issues of The New Teen Titans co-produced by DC, the Presidential Drugs Are Bad M'kay Council (or, you know, whatever it is that was actually called), and various corporate sponsors. One of those sponsors was Keebler. One of Keebler's competitors, Nabisco, had the licensing rights for Robin, so he had to be replaced by our boy the Protector here (so sayeth Marv Wolfman and George Perez).

Anyway, I remember these comics being a pretty big deal at the time (they even managed a write-up in The Mini Page, the newspaper insert kids' supplement of record in the early 80s), and they were EVERYWHERE. I even remember we read this one:

out loud as a class in second grade as part of our nascent, pre-D.A.R.E. anti-drug educational time. And even when you're only 7 or 8, reading comics for class credit is awesome. It didn't hurt that it was actually a pretty decent story as these things go. I remember everyone in class was floored by the revelation that Speedy had once been an addict, even if none of us knew who the hell he was at that point.

(Funny thing, though... even though we read these in class, they never actually gave us copies. We had to hand them back. Seems like it might have been a better education tool if we had actually gotten to take these home. Might have led a few more kids into reading comics, too. I'm just sayin'.)

But even though I had never read New Teen Titans before this point, I knew from house ads in other DC books that the team was led by Robin, so this new guy, who even then I realized was probably just a redrawn Robin, was a bit of mystery to me. Only a bit, though, since he had no real character of his own... our boy the Protector is pretty bland, and probably intentionally so, since if they couldn't make him Robin, why make him cool? Hell, he's almost shunted aside completely in favor of Speedy in the above issue, as I recall.

But still, as a mostly forgotten (wisely or otherwise) bit of DC lore, a guy whose only other appearance was a Who's Who Update 1987 entry, he's got curiosity value going for him, and I can't wait to see how Art and Franco manage to drag this particular also-ran out of the cold.

Pretty Sketchy: The (Ginger) Ghost in the Darkness

2011-08-14T20:00:00.001-04:00

Every holiday season the Comic Geek Speak forums, there's a Secret Santa sketch trade. Participants get another forum member's name, and everyone sends their people some books and their attempts at artistic endeavor. I feel badly for the people who get me as their Santa, because me and the good drawing, we're not so well acquainted (admittedly, I try to make it up to them by sending as much additional swag as I can manage to affordably send). I got this Hellcat a few years back from a fellow forumite I know only as Filthy McMonkey, and I wish I could've scanned it better, because I love the effect of Patsy coming out of the darkness there, which is surprisingly badass for a character best known for exclaiming "cheese and crackers!" in times of stress.