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AICN COMICS REVIEWS: CATWOMAN! WITCHBLADE! WONDER WOMAN! GLORY! & plus some comics with dudes in them!
| Issue #48 | Release Date: 2/8/12 | Vol.#10 |
(Click title to go directly to the review)
Advance Review: ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #7
DC COMICS PRESENTS #6
GLORY #23
GHOSTLY TALES OF LORD GOTHIC VOL.1
CATWOMAN #6
PETER PANZERFAUST #1
EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN TPB
WITCHBLADE #153
WONDER WOMAN #6
Advance Review: In stores today!ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #7
Writer: Brian Michael BendisArt: Chris Samnee (pencils/inks), Justin Ponsor (colors)
Publisher: Ultimate Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Johnny Destructo
Written reviews. Podcasts. Comic shop discussions. Emails. There are only so many ways I can profess my love for ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN before it gets boring, even to me. Yes, it's one of my top 5...no, top 3...ok, it's my number 1 favorite book out right now. It's at the top of the stack every single time it hits the streets.
This here is another issue where we follow Miles through the experience of trying to become Spider-Man. He's watching footage of the late Peter Parker's shenanigans and trying to duplicate what he's seeing on screen, which leads to a very awkward moment with his mother that almost every boy can relate to. I really enjoyed watching him as he bounds around the city, testing himself and his new powers out. It's exactly what anyone would do if they found themselves in this situation. What can I do? What are my limits? How high CAN I climb? Where did Peter get those incredibly useful webs??
I know that people may be bored by these scenes, but they have honestly been my favorite bits, more so then the noisy, punch-filled battles that have to occur every once in a while for it to be a super hero book. While I'm not really enjoying Bendis' AVENGERS titles right now, I feel like his best work has always and will always be on this title. Also, nice Will Ferrell reference, BMB ("I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!")
As for the art, full disclosure: people have been mentioning to me that they don't like the artist on the book for this arc, and I have to say that yes, Chris Samnee is a vastly different artist then Sara Pichelli, but that in no way implies "bad" to me. I am as enamored with Samnee's work as Pichelli's. I will say that I find Chris' black and white sketchbook work to be leaps and bounds above what I've seen in this series, but in those pieces he is concentrating solely on the shadows. Like when you take a black and white photo into Photoshop to increase the contrast 100%. Everything that is light or white appear as the same thing, and only the blackest blacks remain. It's beautiful work, and while his work here is less flashy, it's certainly more practical to storytelling. I love his simplicity of line, the expressions that he's able to convey THROUGH Spidey's mask, and I appreciate that he draws Miles as a 13 year old even when he's in costume. Many artists make Spidey into a full-grown man with a filled-out man's musculature and it always looks strange, like there's a stunt-person in the suit.
Speaking of art, I would be remiss in forgetting to mention the image that is absolutely MADE to be a poster hanging in the man- (and woman)-caves of geeks everywhere: the cover. Kaare Andrews has absolutely wrecked shop on this one. Overall, I've found Kaare's ULTIMATE covers to be lacking in his usual excellence, but this one is such an iconic and beautiful image, it may go down as my cover of the year come December. Jock and Dave Johnson have their work cut out for them this time.
I know that certain people have purposely started picking up this series based on the fact that I cram it down everyone's throats every time it comes out. If you're not reading this book, what are you waiting for? Get ON it!
JD can be found hosting the PopTards Podcast, drawing a weekly webcomic, discussing movies, comics and other flimflam over at www.poptardsgo.com, graphically designing/illustrating for a living, and Booking his Face off over here. Follow his twitter @poptardsgo. His talkback name is PopTard_JD. He is also now co-hosting another Comic Book discussion show on Party934.com alongside Bohdi Zen. They discuss comics and play music, check it out live every Saturday from 4-5pm.
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #6
Writer: Dan DiDioArtist: Jerry Ordway
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: The Dean
I love the idea of this whole DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS thing. It’s the perfect venue to introduce, or I should probably say reintroduce characters, or to tell stories for those without a regular monthly title of their own, as in the series’ inaugural Deadman run (he shares JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, so we won’t call it his own title). The somewhat uninhibited nature of a series like this fills me with so much hope for it, and if it’s used to really explore the lesser known DCU, and they just let the writers go nuts, I really think this title could produce some of the most fun to be had in the entire DC lineup. Maybe we’ll get to see what Mr. Mxyzptlk does when he’s not bothering Superman, or what it would be like if Black Manta took adult education courses! These are things I’ve always wanted to see, and DC UNVIERSE PRESENTS gives me my best chance at it.
For now, though, we’ve got CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKOWN, and so far it’s not quite as exciting as what I think this series or creative team is capable of. This issue starts the Challengers off in familiar fashion – a plane wreck forces them to band together to survive the…well, the unknown. To be honest, there isn’t much banding together in this issue, but future banding is implied. It’s nice to see that the ol’ gang is all here, too, for the most part - we’ve got Ace, June, Red, Rocky, and a smart guy named Clay, who I would have guessed was supposed to be Professor Haley if it weren’t for what happens to him. The Cat Grant blurb in the beginning was a nice touch as well, and did just enough to set up the new reality show take on this new Challengers team, in what I found to be a succinct, relatable way for new and old readers.
Writer Dan DiDio throws a few other characters at us (presumably to be killed in future issues) in addition to the Challengers, and boy are they ever annoying. Personally, I’m hoping the dude obsessed with his Twitter followers is offed first, and brutally, but I’m not going to rag on DiDio for these characters that he probably wants me to hate. What I will rag on him for is a twitchy script, which relies heavily on June fainting, and then waking up in a new setting to transition between scenes. It’s fine if it happens once, twice is pushing it for one issue, but DiDio does it three times here. It might have been nice if during one of those blackouts, DiDio would have switched the focus to one of the other Challengers for a bit, but we’re stuck with June for the whole ride. So far we don’t really know anything about Red, or Rocky, and since Ace is busy being stabby, we’ve only got one clear hero here at this point who we really don’t know much about, except that she should probably see a doctor soon about all that passing out she does.
With Jerry Ordway on pencil duty for this one, the art is looking pretty great, and really stands out in June’s first post-crash interaction with Ace. He’s certainly bringing the most violent interpretation of these characters I’ve ever seen, but I’d like to see him unleashed on this title a little more, since there are a few too many talking head panels for an adventure comic like this for my taste. Also, that mountain monster thing at the end was dangerously close to being adorable. If it weren’t for its giant size and murdering tongue, that big, dumb, sleepy face would have won me over. It even looks like it falls asleep when it’s done attacking them!
Ultimately, though, I’d suggest passing on this one for now if you’re not a big CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN fan already. There are better ways to spend that $2.99, and while it’s definitely a cool concept, it’s feeling a little too rushed at this point for me to recommend anyone invest in until I see at least one more issue. In a fun homage to the characters’ Silver Age origins, June makes a comment toward the end that the group is “living on borrowed time.” What interests me most about this comment is the metafictional honesty of it, since once this story is finished in a matter of months, these characters will be out of print once again. This issue feels like it wants to be two, and I think if CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN were its own monthly title, it would have been. But since the end is already in sight after just its first issue, DiDio brings a bit too much to the table in this one, and leaves the presentation a bit cluttered and underwhelming. Hopefully now that this brief origin part is through, and the chaos of the initial crash is over, we’ll see some better pacing, and less fainting. But it’s certainly not all bad, and I think I’ll be buying the next issue just to see if it improves. Plus like I said, I really want to see that Twitter guy die.
GLORY #23
Writer: Joe KeatingeArt: Ross Cambell
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Though Glory is obviously a riff on DC’s Wonder Woman, Rob Liefeld’s female powerhouse Glory seems to be pretty well known in comics. I can’t say that I have read any of Glory’s past issues, but this issue shows promise. This issue reintroduces modern readers to Glory and does a pretty decent job doing so. I needed an issue like this to reintroduce the character to me, but longtime readers might feel the need to flip forward through the pages in this one.
Most of this issue is dedicated to letting the reader know who Glory is and what she can do. Writer Keatinge does a good job of establishing both her awesome power (in a fun opening sequence as Glory punches the top off of a tank and breaks a Nazi’s spine over her back) and her personality (as she puts Supreme/Liefeld’s Superman in his place in a quiet moment on a beach). In illustrating Glory’s power, Keatinge relies on Cambell’s offbeat imagery and does so smartly, as Cambell does a fantastic job of putting the heroine into interesting action poses as well as battling a menagerie of interesting beasties. Like Doug Mahnke, Campbell has a fantastic eye for alien forms and flexes these drawing muscles greatly in this issue.
To Cambell’s credit as well is the form of Glory, which is not necessarily what one typically thinks when comic book heroine comes to mind, but at the same time, his stout, muscle bound Glory distinguishes her from the herd. I find it refreshing that a different form rather than supermodel was used in the image of Glory.
Occasionally, the dialog does get a bit heavy. Glory’s speech to Supreme on the beach is just that. It is exposition-heavy and necessary for the story, but a bit clunky nevertheless. The dialog from the soldiers is difficult to swallow as well, and comes off as slightly clichéd. Nevertheless, I like the way this story ended, suggesting that even the pale powerhouse has a weakness after all.
All in all this is a good reintroduction to the character with nice action beats, a fantastic artist, and an intriguing cliffhanger. GLORY is off to a good start.
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole/wordslinger/reviewer/co-editor of AICN Comics for over ten years. He has written comics such as MUSCLES & FIGHTS, MUSCLES & FRIGHTS, VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS TINGLERS & WITCHFINDER GENERAL, THE DEATHSPORT GAMES, WONDERLAND ANNUAL 2010 & NANNY & HANK (soon to be made into a feature film from Uptown 6 Films). He is also a regular writer for FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND & has co-written their first ever comic book LUNA: ORDER OF THE WEREWOLF (to be released in October 2012 as an 100-pg original graphic novel). Mark has just announced his new comic book miniseries GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS THE JUNGLE BOOK from Zenescope Entertainment to be released in March 2012.
GHOSTLY TALES OF LORD GOTHIC VOL.1
Writer: Ron VannesteIllustrator: Ron Vanneste
Publisher: Self published. Find out more about this book here
Reviewer: Mr. Pasty
GHOSTLY TALES OF LORD GOTHIC is one of those books that come across your desk that is just so damn hard to categorize. I guess a very crude way to describe it would be if Arthur from Sega’s old GHOULS’N GHOSTS video game fucked his way into Lucifer’s chamber, you might have a fairly good idea of what to expect. Seriously, there’s a lot of sex and gore in this graphic novel and as a kid that grew up reading HEAVY METAL, I was kind of digging it. That’s not to suggest this book is in the same league as the legendary sci-fi magazine, because it does get problematic at times, but fans of the genre should nevertheless find this entertaining.
The protagonist is Professor Erich Faustus, who we quickly discover is “the only human ever inducted into the elfish order of ghost hunters known as the Shadow-Weavers.” I’ve never pledged for a spot on the Shadow-Weaver roster, but I understand you have to have your heart removed and replaced by a creature known as a “Zyxnig.” Kind of makes you long for the old days of banging sheep and drinking beer out of a frat boy’s ass. Anyway, Faustus is trying to stop an ancient and evil race of shape-shifting, hybrid angel-men known as the “Nephelim.” Stop them from what? Well, they’re going back in time, T-800 style, to destroy Noah’s Ark. Let’s face it, all the world’s eggs are in that gopher-wood basket and sinking that sumbitch before it gets to Mount Ararat pretty much gives fish the planet’s top billing. While going back even farther and ambushing Adam and Eve while they were still naked and dumb might be a little easier, I was really into the book’s premise. The execution? Well, that’s another story.
I found the GHOSTLY TALES OF LORD GOTHIC to be difficult to read. The story is presented well and the writing is sharp, but it’s just so damn busy. The panels appear disjointed, dense and heavy on color with a lot of text crammed into a little bit of space. Ron Vanneste pulls double duty here as writer and illustrator and regrettably the artwork is consistently inconsistent. Sometimes it’s just downright ugly. It pains me to say that because there are flashes of brilliance here, but I think this is a question of talent run amok. Vanneste has the chops to make this thing work, but perhaps not the subtlety. I know it’s a strange word to use for a story as preposterous as this one, but I really believe a “less is more” approach could serve him well here. Still, the book has an underlying charm that made me stick with it and I wasn’t sorry I did. At worst, GHOSTLY TALES OF LORD GOTHIC reads like an unfinished piece that could still benefit from a nip/tuck. At best, it’s a wild ride through a startlingly original universe filled with rich characters and unforgettable landscapes. Fortunately for Vanneste, the good outweighs the bad so if you’re looking for a recommendation on purchasing it, I’d probably vote yes. After all, where else can you save Noah’s Ark and get laid in the process?
Web heads who can’t get enough of Mr. Pasty’s word vomit are encouraged to watch him operate as Nostradumbass over at MMaMania.com here. Love, hate and Mafia Wars requests should be directed here.
CATWOMAN #6
Writer: Judd WinnickArtist: Guillem March
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Optimous Douche
I don’t hold to sentimentality. I find lamenting what once was an exercise in futility until we invent time travel. With that, I refuse to compare past iterations of DC titles to the New 52. However, I’m not blind; I can see the clear difference between the New 52 from what was. The new DC was more than a trip to the Lazurus Pits to restore our heroes with a youthful visage; it marked a dramatic turn in story telling where artists reign supreme over dense stories. So to compare this version of CATWOMAN to past iterations is as fruitless as comparing today’s Presidents to George Washington. We are a different people in a different time.
Personally, I think Winnick is hitting this out of the park in light of what these stories are now. No, the prose isn’t as dense as a Brubaker word bubble, but this is also a different Selina Kyle. She is no longer a Silver Age barrage of innuendo or the tragically dark prostitute from Miller’s incarnation of the cat. There is darkness in this character, and innuendo easily transcends to hot cat on bat action, but this is a modern woman who doesn’t need to hide her femininity to show strength, but rather uses it to take…well, whatever she wants.
Where most DC titles are stretching out their first arc to as many issues as possible, it feels like we’ve lived a lifetime with CATWOMAN with each issue serving as an arc--you know, kind of like a monthly should be written as opposed to forcing trade pacing for further upsell. We’ve learned she’s a woman that longs for excitement, but there’s a psychological rationale for this highway to the danger zone that only came to light this issue – a death wish. This is a hard juxtaposition to past iterations of Kyle; in the past she was just a fun loving gal who liked shiny baubles. Personally, I never bought it. I’ll take this rationale any day of the week over a thirst that could be satiated with a trip to Zales.
In the first three issues we saw her death wish send her into a spiral of miscalculated risks that sever the few connections she has to the human race. In the second three issues once again a heist serves as the plot crux, but the true “joy” once again came from her inner monologue.
Now, we need to talk about the white bat in the room by examining Kyle’s relationship with Bruce Wayne. After seventy years of sexual tension the two finally partake in coitus with some ultra violence as foreplay. DC caught holy hell from mommy bloggers about the “love” scene between Catwoman and Batman in the first issue. To those mommy bloggers, this was not sex: yes, sex was alluded to, but if we actually LOOK at the scene, this is called dry humping, especially since it doesn’t get dryer than latex on latex. Other non-puritanical detractors are bemoaning this choice because they say this is not Bruce Wayne or Batman. To them I say, unless you’re under DiDio’s desk, you don’t know who Batman is yet. DC is clearly trying to undue the psychological damage Bruce underwent during his “death” by making him more human. In BATMAN & ROBIN we see him trying to be a father, in BATMAN proper he is a man that feels fear, but overcomes these moments to be a true hero. Why can’t CATWOMAN explore the sexuality of Batman? Sexuality is part of human existence. Whether you choose to embrace it fully like I did as a man-whore in the 90s or cloister away these feelings like a nun, our sexual drive directly affects our life choices. I think it makes perfect sense that two people dressed in animal garb who are adrenaline junkies to the extreme would absolutely engage in animalistic volatile sex.
High action, hot art, sexual tension and fun heists – more please!
Optimous has successfully blackmailed fellow @$$Hole BottleImp into being his artist on AVERAGE JOE. Look for Imp's forced labor on Optimous brain child in mid-2012 from COM.X. Friend Optimous on FaceBook to get Average Joe updates and because ceiling cat says it's the right thing to do.
PETER PANZERFAUST #1
Writer: Kurtis J. WiebeArtist: Tyler Jenkins
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
Apparently there is a revolution afoot, my brothers, and I wish to be at the forefront of it. Oh, didn’t you hear? We’re finally ready to overthrow our Corporate Comic Overlords in the wake of a controversial court case against Marvel and now we’re taking a stand! At least that’s what the Facebook and Twitter are telling me. Are…are we still doing this? Is this still a thing? No one’s going to buy AVENGERS VS. X-MEN now, right? …oh. Well, whatever. Here’s a review for an indie book (by “indie” I mean “moderately successful business entity that has a moderate amount of market share in a top heavy marketplace”) that looked good, was good, and that should be bought regardless of agenda. Consider me part of the “comics should be good” agenda.
PETER PANZERFAUST is a comic about war and charisma. Not to sell this book short, but so far that really is the bulk of the selling point this first issue presents. The setup is simple: via an interview style in the present day with a survivor of the Second Great War and someone who ran with the fabled Peter, whose legend is about to begin for us. From there it’s bombed out buildings, some young gentlemen in mortal danger, and a gaunt, wavy haired Yank with (what looks to be) a MAS rifle appearing from literally nowhere to lead them out of their Nazi-infested peril in France.
Despite being pretty plot-light, this book makes up for it via execution. It immediately sells you on Peter as a rallying point in his first page appearance, in no more than his somewhat aloof stance on a pile of rubble, floppy hair waving and rifle in hand. From there it’s a mix of fight-and-flight as Peter nonchalantly has this ragtag group of survivors jumping rooftop-to-rooftop and dodging artillery while never losing his “follow me, I got this” grin. Never once does he falter, and he revels in what is occurring around him so much so that the characters within buy it, and I definitely did as well.
While the book is ultimately lean, there are some nice hints at some interesting, character-based things to come. Obviously there’s a whole cast of characters to develop here and this little old thing called World War Two to develop plotlines and stories from. But Peter himself, besides the charisma and grin, has a lady he’s looking for and, given what we’re seeing here, he’s going to find her Hell or high water. From what I’ve read from Kurtis Wiebe thus far (essentially his GREEN WAKE series) he has a knack for deeper plot development, and I’m sure that will follow to this title with subsequent issues. Tyler Jenkins’ art nicely compliments this type of story as well, as it has a fine, kinetic charge to it. It’s very spartan where it has to be and then hits the high notes properly, which is really the best way to finish up describing this book.
PETER PANZERFAUST: It’s really good and you won’t be selling your soul when you buy it…
Humphrey Lee has been an avid comic book reader going on fifteen years now and a contributor to Ain't It Cool comics for quite a few as well. In fact, reading comics is about all he does in his free time and where all the money from his day job wages goes to - funding his comic book habit so he can talk about them to you, our loyal readers (lucky you). He's a bit of a social networking whore, so you can find him all over the Interwebs on sites like Twitter, The MySpaces, Facebookand a blog where he also mostly talks about comics with his free time because he hasn't the slightest semblance of a life. Sad but true, and he gladly encourages you to add, read, and comment as you will.
EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN VOL.1
Writer: Jon VinsonArt: Marco Roblin
Publisher: Self published. Available for download on iTunes.
Find out more about this book here!
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
A story starring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, and H.P. Lovecraft? How are you not all reading this?
A young girl is missing. Her father contacts his friend Harry Houdini to see if his celebrity can get more attention to the case. Houdini, whose interest in spiritualism is well documented in that he attempted for years to contact his mother after her demise, in turn consults with his friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose keen deductive mind has aided Houdini in his quest to seek out charlatan psychics attempting to steal from the world-famous escapist numerous times. As the two would-be detectives investigate the case, they begin to uncover a secret society with ties to numerous disappearances of young girls.
EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN is the name of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s essays on spiritualism he wrote examining the escapist powers of his friend Harry Houdini. Writer Jon Vinson has encapsulated the book with all of the trappings of a noir mystery. The fact that Houdini and Doyle were friends in real life is astounding enough. To think of what theses two dynamic characters had to talk about is up to debate, but Vinson’s story casts them as old friends working with one another because of that bond. Vinson gives this bond form in many a scene throughout this trade paperback collection. As many scenes as there are that raise the hackles on the back of ones neck and chill the spine, there are also ones that warm the heart in that this is a story of old friends who will do anything for one another.
The mystery here is a good one. A missing girl. She has ties to Houdini’s past—a past he is not proud of. And with that, he is dedicated to see this case until the end. Throughout this story, many twists and turns are present to keep you on your toes and that’s even before the Cthulhu-stuff shows up.
That’s right, tentacle-philes, at the heart of this mystery, Houdini and Doyle find a secret sect of cultists and a word: “Nyarlathotep”. Doyle and Houdini find nothing upon researching the world, except for a mention of it in a comic book, WEIRD TALES, by an author H.P. Lovecraft. I was in love with this story before Lovecraft showed up, but when he does it adds yet another layer of cool to it.
Needless to say, things get dark. Really dark. This is one of the cooler concepts and even cooler executions I’ve read in quite a while. Roblin’s art is fantastically suited for this pitch black story, though occasionally, due to the dark black and white nature of the art, it was difficult to distinguish one character from another at times. That said, the dark twisted horrors both real and unreal are amazing to see in this book, and that’s all due to Roblin’s work.
If you’re looking for a horror story that is original, clever, and expertly crafted, EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN is it. It takes a page from THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN and makes a deft supernatural mystery out of it. It’s fantastic reading and a must for fans of horror comics.
EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN is available for download on iTunes and the first issue can be read for free here. Do yourself a favor and check it out!
WITCHBLADE #153
Writer: Tim SeeleyArt: Diego Bernard
Publisher: Top Cow
Reviewer: KletusCasady
“…this pussy can’t be tamed.”
This is another comic that I never really paid any attention to. Honestly, the concept just seemed kind of lame to me and an excuse to have a hot lady running around with her butt and breasts hanging out, fighting mystical baddies in a cheesy looking suit of organic metal. Nothing about it was appealing to me and any time in the past 3 years that I’ve decided to thumb through an issue to see what was going on, the art did nothing to raise my interest. About two months ago I decided to flip through an issue, as I tend to do when we get in the new comics for the week, and hot damn…the art was awesome! Also, Tim Seeley (HACK SLASH and the hilarious ANTMAN /WASP team up book) was writing it…so…color me interested…thus my review of issue #153 of WITCHBLADE.
I think that one of the best things someone can do when writing a superhero is give them a job or something that occupies their life when they are outside of the costume. This way, when the superheroics do start, it adds to the suspense and also makes those heroics seem more special (that’s just my opinion, so take is as you will). Tim Seeley does a great job setting this story up in that respect, being that Sara Pezzini’s job as a private investigator is what drives this story forward as opposed to the fact that she is the holder of the WITCHBLADE, which allows us to see her process as a detective as well as a hero. In the first couple issues we learn that she’s an ex-cop, now a P.I. working on a routine case, which then leads to shit getting weird and that’s where we find ourselves now, knee deep in crazy town with a group of folks called ‘The Flesh’ (long live the flesh!) who found a pocket of hell they could use to their advantage and now are learning the consequences of exploiting even just a tiny slice of the Devil’s domain. What I like about this story is that the main character seems like a real person with real problems outside of being in possession of a mystical artifact. This actually makes her an interesting person before she gets in to trouble, and once shit starts to hit the fan seeing how she deals with and reacts to the tasks at hand makes this an interesting and engaging read. Seeley also does a great job with Sara’s inner dialog, which makes up some of the best parts of the last couple issues and really adds to the depth of the story. There’s actually a lot of good dialog in this issue as well, especially when Jackie (of the comic THE DARKNESS) makes a cameo--I laughed out loud at some of the things one of his demons had to say about him: “…you still have a soft spot for Bitchblade,” I want more of that little demon guy in this series.
The art in this comic is really what drew me in. This is definitely some of the best artwork I’ve seen in any TOP COW book (especially in the last few years). I was actually pleasantly shocked when I opened this book and art was as good as it is. It kind of reminds me a little of Ed Benes (RED LANTERNS) or Aaron Lopresti (JL INTERNATIONAL) and it looks kind of like Tim Seeley’s artwork as well--I wonder if he did the breakdowns? Anyway, the colors look great, the detail is good, the panel layouts are varied and dare I say that the WITCHBLADE costume actually looks cool!
As I said last week, art is a priority to me in a comic and this series is doing great in that department. The story is easy to follow, fun and not at all predictable. Seeley does a great job with inner and outer dialog and this book has quite a few funny moments. These last 3 issues of WITCHBLADE have been pretty damn good; I think new and old fans alike can enjoy this book because even though there are subtle hints to things that happened in the past, the reader isn’t bludgeoned over the head with vague references only an avid WITCHBLADE fan could enjoy. This book looks good and is a pretty damn enjoyable…and this is coming from someone who didn’t give a shit about WITCHBLADE 3 months ago.
WONDER WOMAN #6
Writer: Brian AzzarelloArt: Tony Atkins
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Henry Higgins is My Homeboy
Of Kings And Queens.
Since its inception, I’ve been particularly critical of the new 52. Even beyond my annoyance at inconsistencies present in the universe and my general apathy towards the new direction, I’ve simply found the new books to be lacking. While there are some stand outs (I, VAMPIRE, FLASH, and ACTION COMICS notably), the only book DC has been putting out recently that I’ve been anxiously awaiting each month has been WONDER WOMAN. Under Brian Azzarello, the title has soared, giving direction and purpose to a character that, despite possessing some of the greatest potential of any of DC’s big name heroes, has been mostly forgettable. The book improves with each month, and hasn’t stopped picking up momentum this month either.
Writing: (4/5) This issue, despite its larger than life opening set piece, is more focused on the politics and bickering of the Greek pantheon. Azzarello writes a compelling drama between the remaining gods, and manages to give them personality beyond the clichéd approaches to them. All three are distinct and memorable, and will hopefully reappear during the course of the series. Dialogue is well crafted and realistic here, while remaining very big when it needs to be. Wonder Woman appearing before Hera is one of the coolest scenes I’ve seen with Wonder Woman in recent memory.
Most importantly, it shows Diana’s craftiness, a trait usually forgotten in her series. Wonder Woman is engaging and interesting in this issue particularly, twisting and turning the Gods against one another incredibly well.
Some of the story beats aren’t perfect, but it’s still a solid read.
Art: (3/5) Tony Atkins is reliable for most of the book. The designs for Poseidon and Hades are creative and fulfilling, giving both a sense of grandeur. It’s oddly fitting, too, and that’s a nice change of pace from the tired approach of simply having all the Greek Pantheon be white men in togas. The action sequences are brief and flow well. The fight on the bridge is short and sweet, not wasting too much time on it but not simply forgetting it either. It is also engaging as all hell, being more creative than then typical “Wonder Woman punches something” tact usually enforced.
Where it lacks is in some of the character. There’s a wide margin between how a character will look in one panel to the next. Wonder Woman will go from incredibly bold in one scene to a very bland looking character in the next.
Best Moment: Wonder Woman’s bargain to Hades and Poseidon.
Worst Moment: Some of the faces.
Overall: (4/5) WONDER WOMAN maintains its momentum, and manages to continue on as one of DCs best titles.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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Feb 22, 2012 9:00:44 AM CST
Wonder Woman looks good inside that dogs mouth
by beyondthunderdome2girls1cupbillcosby3000
Inside that dogs mouth
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It's been a very long time since anything has captured my interest. Certainly nothing mainstream. I think there's a BPRD trade I need to pick up, and maybe a new issue of Comic Book Comics...
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Need to get that.
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Henry Higgins must've been jizzing himself over the Gail Simone run.
For me, going from Greg Rucka's run to the "new" Wonder Woman was initially a step down. Rucka did some great work. Then came Simone's run, and I was blown the hell away. Possibly the best run on the character ever, only competitor being Perez's run in the '80s.
Then came the aborted JMS run, which we all know was crushingly sucktacular.
Now we have Azzarello. He's much better than the "Odyssey" storyline was, but compared to Rucka? Perez? Simone? This is amateur hour. It's a'ight, but highly flawed.
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...sounds strikingly similar in concept to the 2000AD book NECRONAUTS published in 2003, which also mixed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Houdini and HPL (and also tossed Charles Fort into the mix)-- I gave it a look in last year's Halloween column: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/51733#11
Wonder if this book was known to the creators of EDGE. -
You actually gave the comic a reason to exist in its current incarnation.
Keep up the good work! -
That Wonder Woman cover reminds me of the time that Krypto grew into a Super giant dog with rabies and Superboy was trapped inside his mouth. He escaped by running his finger along Krypto's teeth, like a stick against a picket fence. That was cool.
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well said, Sir Douche, as you already know, I agree with you wholeheartedly!
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Feb 22, 2012 11:20:49 AM CST
Also when you're at the shop today, check out a new comic:
by poptard_jd
..NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
I reviewed it last night, but I sent it too late to Bug to make this column:
http://www.poptardsgo.com/?p=3234 -
You've sold me Humphrey! Only problem is, my comic shop didn't actually get any IN.
I'll have to go elsewhere, sadly. -
Feb 22, 2012 11:43:02 AM CST
and apparently I've just been waiting for Remender to take over Secret Avengers
by poptard_jd
I tried and tried to like SA and would dip back in here and there to see if I liked it, but never did.
I'm enjoying the last two issues though..
anyone else reading this?
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Am i the only one who has no urge to read ultimate spider-man since they killed off Parker?
I'm kinda hoping they bring him back to life when the Ultimate spider-man cartoon starts... -
i haven't read the latest issue but the cover got me excited!
I liked the last issue a lot...especially Beast and Hardman's artwork is great.
Remender is starting to become the go to team guy...anybody smell a X-force / Secret Avengers fight? -
Far as I'm concerned, he's the only guy who should be writing any event for them.
I dunno... Right now I'm reading old Howard Chaykin series, Hugo Pratt and Manara, and Moebius' 'Blueberry' strips... Because most stuff is just falling by the wayside for me, lately. It reminds me of the 90s that way, when it suddenly seemed very easy to just walk away.
The majority of the new 52 is mid-90s image; and Marvel's ten years of dense continuity needs to end. I haven't talked to anyone who cares in the slightest about 'AvsX'.
Down to FF, Thunderbolts, Batman and Robin, Venom, Secret Avengers... Meh. Maybe it's me. -
Wonder Woman is still quite good, one of my top 5, but I don't like the new artist as much. There seems to be a lot of artist-shuffling as well as some entire creative team shuffling at DC now. Batwoman also suffers, even more, from the artist switch.
I found the end of WW confusing. If someone wants to explain exactly what happened with Hera, Poseidon and Hades I'd be grateful. I understand the deal WW bartered, and the Hera said "NO" to that, and then... I missed something.
I am curious to hear from Pink Apocalypse since she definitely feels Catwoman is over sexualized, and this issue was pretty sexual. But I have never liked Catwoman because I never thought of her as her own person, just an accessory character, and I think this series gives her an independent and interesting character. And sex/sexuality is a very relevant issue in this book.
I'd never say sex needs to be part of comics, since comics still allegedly appeal to a younger audience, but in this particular comic sexuality is necessary, and I think its handled well.
Batman can't have sex? One flaw of Batman, one more reason he isn't really human. So him having sex is a good thing, IMO... and, like Wolverine, for those who dislike Batman getting it on, there are plenty of other Batman books to read where nothing like this will happen.
So last week we got the latest Thunderbolts, just about finishing the T-Bolts through time story arc that has been interesting and given these characters some room to breathe and grow. It got me to thinking about Moonstone.
Karla Sofen has long been a favorite character of mine, and if she hadn't been on the new TBolts, I wouldn't have tried it. But she isn't really the same character at all. She has the same name, powers and background but a whole new personality. The whole books is basically revamped, just within itself rather than across the company. Now I have to think... why do I still like Moonstone, when she definitely isn't the woman from Nicieza's TBolts or even from Dark Avengers. -
Her character's been experiencing (very slight) growth throughout Parker's tenure. This is largely due to the influence of Luke Cage, on whom Carla has something of an unrequited, idealized crush.
So her personality is in keeping with the last thirty or so issues of character development. -
Silver St. Cloud, Vicki Vale, Kathy Kane... I can't even remember all the ladies he had in the 90s.
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That was during the Marshall Rogers run and was classic. Also more than 30 years ago. It's exactly what this Catwoman series reminded me of.
Jam not a huge follower of Batman but this portrayal seems at odds with anything recent. Aren't Kathy Kane. And Vicki Vale from even before Silver St Cloud?
I was under the impressionthatBatman had been a Dark Knight for many years until the reboot, Fianal Crisis time.
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Feb 22, 2012 2:30:15 PM CST
Yeah, I'm just saying that any puritanical view of Batman sex is wrong
by laserhead
He was like Dracula; there was always a sexual element to the character. Unlike Superman.
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I really like you guys, and I like that you're bringing any kind of attention to comic books. But you guys have GOT TO start reviewing some other books. I mean, would a list help?
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I think any of us would be happy to take suggestions. As the end of each column states, "if you have a comic book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email."
Oh, and whoever suggested Gladstones in last weeks talkback, thanks! I picked up the first part today and really enjoyed it.
Also - is anybody reading Blue Beetle? It seems to get better with every issue, and I've been having a great time catching up! -
I don't have a problem with depicting Batman as sexually active, but where do you draw the line? You can't go much further than PG-13, and most comics writers seem to have trouble with subtlety where explicit content is concerned (like whoever "writes" Starfire now.)
The odd cross-section of Marvel and DC comics according to the suits:
Super-heroes are for kids when they're in TV cartoon or toy form, for all audiences when in live action movie form, and in comics form they have to cater to the realistic current audience of males in their 20s and 30s. If you write for an audience of age 25-to-40 males, you can't spoon feed the Super-Hero Squad stories.
But if you add ass and titties to satisfy the immature fanboy, you get reamed for ruining kiddie comics even though most kids need to save allowance for a month to afford your average trade collection. If the subject matter gets TOO mature and thoughtful your name had better be Alan Moore or you've probably got a soon-to be cancelled bomb on your hands.
Hopefully digital distribution will soon correct much of this imbalance. When paper and ink costs are off the board, it can be about the product and not the bottom line. -
This isn't a question of one truly being better than the other, this is a question of style preference.
Me? If you mention Gail Simone or Greg Rucka and George PErez, I start yawning and tuning out the annoying drone of your voice. No fucking thank you, I am not interested. Especially if you mention those names AND Wonder Woman together.
But it's not that they're actually bad (even though I think they suck), it's that those three... like Dan Slott or Mark Waid or Abnett and Lanning or Geoff Johns... they write a certain way. Now, I find it pedestrian, trapped in amber, heavy handed, cliched and uninteresting, but that's because I don't like their styles. It doesn't mean they're necessarily bad, if you like their styles great. Go ahead. Take my share, because I won't be using it.
Where as Azzarello? As far as I'm concerned, he's writing the shit out of Wonder Woman. She is finally interesting and powerful and a character to care about and follow. And I would hold that anyone loving Wonder Woman and this series for the first time, would actually NOT enjoy the past series.
Different styles.
Anyway, I agree With Henry. This is one of the best books DC is putting out right now. -
As you know, I am not a Rick Remender fan, but I have picked up the last two issues and... I'm cautiously optimistic.
Maybe this is his book for me. -
I hope you're the only one not interested, that way you're the only one missing out on a great new character and an incredible and classically superhero book.
Also, I hate to bring this up again, but Peter is still alive and appears in 73 different books in the 616 universe. Give up the dream, Ultimate Peter is dead. -
I don't condone it. I barely condone its existance as a phrase, but most of all, I don't get it. An Event is just a larger story with more character than usual. Is it really that draining.
Plus, you realize you don't have to buy it, right? -
I personally only care if said event has ramifications like "starting over every single storyline and eliminating effects of some but not all previous storylines" across an entire continuity.
Dick Grayson as Batman made me buy a new comic for the first time in over 5 years. While yes, it was inevitable that the Dark CashCow would be resurrected, I actually liked the solution of having be Gotham-specific.
Then the New 52 came along and I'm back to reading old trades I happen across at the Goodwill.
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Usually though I just don't believe them when they're claiming there's going to be a big reset. I think the new 52 is the first one where they actually did. Usually these things are just larger adventures where the status quo gets shuffled around a bit.
Although, if you aren't reading any DC, I would very much recommend Action Comics, Batman and Wonder Woman. They are really fun. -
No, you're not alone. I took the opportunity to jump off the comic. The new kid may wear a spider-man costume and may be called that, but it was Peter Parker that people liked.
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People also like Miles.
Also: Peter isn't dead. If you love Peter so much, there's places you can go to feed your Peter need. -
because I think we are in a golden age of quality at the moment. It boggles my mind to hear all these people talking about how they havent bought a new book in years, how they are dropping books left and right. Wha??? Comics right now are as good as they have ever been, if not better. Please explain to me when this golden age was so I can go back and read the titles. Better yet, provide me with a list of the books back in the day that were so amazing compared to now. Im going to let everyone in on a secret: they werent. Its YOU that have changed. Its simply nostalgia speaking. It reminds me of when we used to have to suffer through that one guy's weekly insufferable rant (Jon Quixote, maybe?) where he would review some "Masterworks" collection and proudly tell us how he wasnt reading anything modern and hadnt in forever. I mean, have you ever tried to ACTUALLY READ any of those books from the 70s and 80s? Good god almighty, god awful. Comics are GREAT right now!! This is a message to the various DC Bitter Bettys out there: I know you predicted doom (DOOM, I TELL YOU!!) for the new 52. I know its doing better then you ever dreamed, creatively and commercially. I know the temptation to take your ball and go home and sulk, now that your doomsayer predictions have fallen short, has got to be overwhelming. But guys, things are really fantastic right now. Everything Image touches is solid gold. There are many indie books of really high quality. Vertigo, while not nearly what it was, produces alot of great books monthly. Even Marvel, never the bastion of consistency by any means, has a few good books. Lets look on the bright side, guys.
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I think I'm taking crazy pills
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Right on, man! Right on! 100% right on.
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Where most DC titles are stretching out their first arc to as many issues as possible, it feels like we’ve lived a lifetime with CATWOMAN with each issue serving as an arc--you know, kind of like a monthly should be written as opposed to forcing trade pacing for further upsell.
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...comic books are also more expensive than they've ever been. Add to that the glut of books that are worth reading and waiting the trades starts to make a lot of sense.
Also, for me personally, there is more than ever outside of the super hero realm that is worth reading. I believe that has a lot to do with people dropping books they used to read.
Lastly, thedean, OK. I'll write up some suggestions and short explanations as to why I think they're worth your time and send them on to y'all. I don't really know who I should send them to as I don't have a "favorite" @$$hole. So I may end up just doing a send to all kinda thing. -
I just get tired of people sad sacking into this talkback being like "Man, I havent even emptied my box in 5 weeks because I just havent found anything to catch my eye". Thats a you problem. Maybe you have outgrown comics. Maybe they just arent your bag anymore. Thats cool, it happens to everyone with any one of a thousand different interests. However, it ISNT because the books have somehow declined drastically in quality, because they havent. They may not be the books YOU want to read anymore, because YOU PERSONALLY may have grown in a different direction, but the comics are kicking wholesale ass these days. If I have to hear one more nostalgia laced soliliquy on Giffen's JLI........yeah it was a pretty good book. You know what wasnt? Virtually anything else published by DC at that time!! This is the golden age, boys. We are living it. Does Jason Aaron write a single book that isnt amazing? Not ok, not good, but amazing?? Does Scott Snyder have any limit to his bottomless well of versatile talent? Does anyone write hard boiled action like Bru? Has there been a wider swath of variety in awesome books ever in history? Horror, superhero action, hard boiled detective, girly fairy type books, you name the genre, and there is a kickass book out there for you. Turn those frowns upside down, kids, and get fired up! Dude, they even managed to turn Liefeld's shitty Image books like Prophet and Glory into really good books! Hell just froze over!!
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definitely send us an email with what you want us to review..
if you email to info@poptardsgo.com,
we'll even review and discuss on the podcast.
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since not everyone knows, the Comic Week In Review podcast (now called SPOILER ALERT!) goes up on tuesdays. Here's this week's:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/53716
We also did a special GHOST RIDER SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE review podcast this week here:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/53718
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Thank you for any interest you might have, but I decline. It's all been said before elsewhere, and I don't spend energy like that anymore unless what I say will make some sort of difference. Here, in case you haven't read it already...
comicsalliance. com/2011/09/22/starfire-catwoman-sex-superheroine/
I'm not an idiot. I am fully aware that I'm a novelty (often barely-tolerated), at best, in male-dominated forums like this. That's because eventually, inevitably, this general topic gets brought up. And then you are reminded of How Things Are, which can leave you frustrated and angry, but more importantly, drained.
I usually try to ignore things that seem deliberately crafted to humiliate and antagonize, and focus on anything positive that may exist.
Ultimate Spider-Man is something positive. And I take issue with the statement that 'people don't like Miles'.
I like Miles. And the last time I checked, I was a people. -
Goose, as much as I enjoy watching someone blow a fuse, why the hate for the classics? Though I love a lot of new stuff, writing off stuff like masterworks is about as ignorant a statement as I've heard in a long time. I loved Buzz Maverik's masterworks reviews and miss them dearly from this column. Sure comics have evolved. Some say for better. Some say for worse, but to totally dismiss everything that isn't right now really makes me feel sorry for your limited world view. Without those masterworks, none of your highly evolved favorites would be here. Damn shame you feel that way.
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...Laura Hudson is one of my favorite bloggers, Homer. I don't always agree with her, but she's more than worth keeping a regular eye on.
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Feb 23, 2012 12:08:14 AM CST
I TOO like Miles. I'm more into Ult Spidey than I have been in years..
by poptard_jd
though, Ult Spidey has been my fave title since it began
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Guess Im in the minority here but oh well.
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than it doesn´t matter if it´s classic or modern.
by all the shit DC and Marvel are throwing at us there is always something good.
Animal Man, Batwoman, Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man.
in every medium you have to walk trhough the valley of shit before you come to salvation.
if you wanna meet some people who have love for all kinds of comics and none of the hate then check out
www.comicscube.com
or check the International Comics Society on Facebook.
where discussions don´t end in cursing.
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Superman, Aquaman, Action, and Batwoman.
oh yeah and Flash -
love the connecting of Spidey, Daredevil, and Punisher. Rucka is tearing it up on Punisher.
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Feb 23, 2012 7:38:59 AM CST
I haven't outgrown comics, but, I have no interest in New 52. Instead, I pick up Old 52 GN's from Amazon.
by bat725
Lots of Batman classics to catch up on. Probably enough to last the rest of my life. But, I'm glad to hear that readers are enjoying New 52 (at least, the crtitics are).
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Well maybe some will think the new stuff is bad simply because "bad" is so subjective.
We're in a new age, the age of "less is more" when it comes to communication.
Perhaps I'm making the transition easier than most because of my day job in marketing where brevity is a must not an option.
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...is there a specific number of issues always done that go into trades? Because I'm starting to notice are weird sort of 'restart' vibe in a few titles. But not all of them are doing it on the same issue number.
I just read Green Lantern #6, and it strangely felt like reading the first issue all over again. It wasn't a bad thing (actually I liked it quite a bit), just...strange. -
I never had an issue with Buzz, for the record. I just always got a bit of an "old stuff elitist" vibe from those columns. Where is he now? Does he still read comics? I see he doesn't really post anymore..... Anyway, in the interest of fairness to the old works, I've always considered Death of Jean Dewolff and the Masters of Evil mansion invasion story to be timeless classic arcs. What's your take, Bug? Your the dean emeritus of AICN comics, do you think this is a classic eta currently?
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Has anyone said or done anything to make you feel that way? Sincere question here .
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I don't think this is the Golden Age,but it's good. Better than ten years ago? I don't know. Different strengths and weaknesses. Vertigo is dead to me now, for example.
I think I sound sour, but Im really not a all. I am not just re-reading old stuff, Im always looking for new stuff.
I am a total consumer. I want to buy at least six books a week and if there aren't that many I want I might grab something random and check it out.
I do think a lot of writers are over rated. Im surprised Joe doesn't like Rucka, I love him. I like Simone, except not on Wonder Woman. Nor Perez and loathe Mark Whitebread Waid.
Bendis, Millar, Bru are all over rated. But I suppose no one is perfect. I like a little Brubaker, but then he gets boring and dry. I watned to try Winter Soldier, but flipping through it, naw. Same with Remender's X-Force. I am surprisde people like the art. The faults of Bendis and Millar are well documented, but they can tell a story.
I agree with whoever posted that Marvel is too continuity heavy right now. I will NEVER EVER buy another comic with Norman Osborn in it, and I'm not into any Avengers books that include Wolverine or Spider-Man. It's overly dark.
A lot of old stuff doesn't hold up, true. I have the TP of Knights of Wundagore storyline from the Avengers, and I still looove it, but my friends think it's boring. OTOH, I just grabbed Avengers 250, a double sized issue teaming up Avengers with the then-newly-formed West Coast Avengers battling Maelstrom. Was the art terrible? YES! Art nowadays is generally 1000% better, with numerous easily named exceptions. But the story was actually good, very entertaining. A wide mix of characters.
My current beef with Marvel is that the women get short shrift and there's too much focus on the Big Guns. Re-reading this book from like 1987 or so, I felt it had MORE diversity than current Marvel, and was more fun.
I was very leery of the New 52, but it was better than expected, though mostly because it was "new" and not bogged down, rather than being particularly innovative, it's just solid writing. That said, I've gone from 19 to 13 to 11 of the 52 that I'm buying and last night I got 5 Marvels compared to 2 DC, so am looking forward to the second wave books.
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Nostalgia is bullshit distortion at the behest of present needs. But we're certainly not in any kind of golden age now. Sure, there's good stuff out there. There always is.
But it ain't the new 52, that's for sure. I was totally rooting for it, bought every issue the first two months, just out of solidarity to the medium. Then I soon realized that most of the books were substance-less garbage written by hacks who's careers peaked 20 years ago.
Sure, there's some good stuff there. There always is. But, what, 7 out of 52? Not exactly a winning average. So it's like movies: there's always some worthy work out there, but when most of them are total shit, you don't call it a golden age. Selah. -
It's like this.
Here, in these comic talkbacks, generally I don't.
But.
The comic industry often has a way of making women feel unwelcome by gross objectification. And if you point that out, then have it denied, and persist, you are quickly made to feel unwelcome within the subculture as a whole. So in order to maintain at least some conversation in hope of gradual change, you try to ignore certain things. When you can't do it anymore, you just bail.
Take other talkbacks (pretty much *any* other talkback) as an example, with USELESS CUNT, FACT Tuesday and 'which bitch takes anal' Friday.
I try to pretend that I'm observing monkeys in a cage, to cast a tone of humor onto it. Or translate what they say into Latin, and make it sound noble.
I have geeky interests. In absence of other geek girls, I prefer geeky guys because they're usually more intelligent than the rest. But it's a weird row to hoe. You have to fend off nut-job man-haters who make you look bad, while calling out actual misogyny when you see it, and it's making you feel sub-human.
Sexuality in comics isn't a bad thing, and I'm not ready to throw the blame of what companies like DC have done at something like the defunct Comics Code Authority. I blame people like Jim Lee. He was a major force in bringing about the Chrome Age in comics, and this is shades of that all over again. The fleecing tactics will be different, but the misogyny has been doubled down, as if it's a price that must be paid for good female characters like Batgirl. I can view something sexual and respond favorably to it. I not only can, but do, and often. But there's a visceral sort of gross, humiliating vibe you get from some things, and that would be a few creative choices from the 52.
I met Jim Lee once (the particulars aren't important...you either believe me or you don't). He came across as a complete and total tool. There's a video floating around where he responds to a woman who calls him out on something at a convention. His reaction to her, and the way the entire room full of guys reacts to her, said everything. The anger I felt prompted me to start posting, which has since been fine. But that anger has never gone away.
The problem is systemic. And there's nothing that will be done about it, because why would they change? It's making money. And there's plenty of people ready to make arguments as to why It's Actually A Good Thing, or how It's Our Fucking Problem.
I can't bring myself to Just Get Over It. But I can at least pretend to. -
When I was little, my absolute favorite 'epic event' was Invasion. I was riveted the entire time, and still consider it a memory high-point...
http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Invasion!_(DC_Comics)
Does anybody else remember that? Maybe it wasn't as great as I remember it being.... -
I like to ask you questions since there aren't that many girls around here...
I am a guy who prefers female leads. I think because as a homo, I don't relate to the alpha males, and I don't relate to the "nerd" characters like Peter Parker. I relate to the outsider types and I think I like women leads because there's a barrier to over come, which I relate to...
But obviously since I'm still a guy I see things differently than a woman. And Catwoman is a controversial character and her book was reveiwed this week, so thats why I'm asking,but Im not trying to antagonize you in any way. -
DC mostly sucks ass anyway. I bet Marjorie Liu, Gail Simone, and Colleen Coover can echo your sentiments on a professional level. While Marvel isn't exactly known for representing realistic women who stand naturally, I can't recall and instance where Axel Alonzo yelled at a female fan who wondered where the female creators were like Dan Dido and I can have personally seen Brian Michael Bendis being very respectful and down to earth with female fans unlike your experience with Jim Lee. I'm not going to talk about indies and such because you're intelligent enough to already understand that route, so betwixt the big two maybe you're just backing the wrong horse? I mean, Miles likes you too!
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Laser-
I think Goose was claiming this is a Golden Age (The Age of Bendis... admit it.) not just because of the New 52 (which I think we all agree was, at the very least, fumbled a bit at the starting gate). It's not just because of what Marvel and DC or even Image are putting out, but the amount and variety of other small press and Indie books. It's that and the generally raised level of art and storytelling. Look back 15 years, 20 years, 25 years. I grew up on those and the classics beyond them, but I can't revisit them, because they're a little lacking. I mean, sure, theres a nostalgia in me for the time when you weren't a man in the Marvel U unless you wore a turtleneck and a blazer, but the reality is... the story's don't read as well. We have all changed. The industry has reflected that change. I think the hard truth of the rant is that some people (even some people here) have either refused to grow with the rest of us or have outgrown comics. It happens. I don't mean you, of course, I'm just talking generally, but I join Goose in wishing that people would ask themselves: Do I like comics. And if the answer is No... go find something else to do.
Homer-
You're missing out on Osbourne's current taking apart of the Avengers, man. He is a world class villain. He's Marvel's Lex Luthor and I love the fact that, besides his crazy man obsession with Spidey, his main enemy is becoming Luke Cage. Anyway, The Avengers books had become a bit of an uneven slog recently, but the last few have really felt back on track and cool. Take a peek at the trade eventually and you'll see.
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I dunno Dogsoup, I cant remember Marvel having such an up-front character like Wonder Woman with such a high ranking place in their "pantheon". This is such a difficult question. The problem is, and this is the sticky part, no one wants to read Wonder Woman. They have tried for years, literally, to make that book a hit. They have thrown zillions of really talented creators at that title, and its never been a hit, never. The vast majority of comics readers dont care about Wonder Woman. In fact, the vast majority of comics readers dont care about books headlined by women or minorities. I'm assuming thats because the vast majority of comics readers are white and male, and want to read about that which is like themselves. Is this a bad thing? A good thing? Who knows. On some level its certainly discouraging, but are we holding up comics to a higher standard? The vast majority of white males dont watch Desperate Housewives, or read any number of African American focused romance novels, and no one seems to think the world is coming to an end, or even find it odd. Im not kidding myself that Wonder Woman's career long lack of success doesnt have something to do with comic buyers' psychosexual hangup with women, but do we read too much into all this? All of this is like reading The Boys, where you combine some of the most horrible objectification of women ever and Hughie's relationship, which is one of the best written, most 3 dimensional, and dare I say it, sweet in all of comics. After all, its not every day that a guy would be willing to kick your rapist's head off til it lands 3 buildings over!! The moral of all this is: Garth Ennis is a complicated guy, and Jim Lee is a douchenozzle.
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Why would you read DC at all, if you were interested in "character"?
DC is about the mask, not the person beneath, that's why they never wear normal clothes or even anything with pockets.
Marvel, at least, whether they always succeed or not, is about the person beneath the mask. I mean, sure, there's always that asshole Hank Pym all giant in and in costume, sitting on the sofa and making Jarvis make a 6 gallon cup of tea in a giant ass tea cup, or the occasional West Coast Avengers BBQ with Hawkeye wearing an apron over his costume and Iron Man drinking a beer through his helmet, but other than that, the folks at MArvel wear real clothes and have lives that their superhero lives mess up.
With the exception of a couple of new 52s, I think it's undeniable, Marvel is the one with characters, DC has the icons. You want characters, go to Marvel. -
Read Animal Man. Besides being mind blowingly brilliant in every possible facet, its also like the best comic that Marvel never put out. Its the Marvel template taken to its absolute highest possible creative expression.
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A. Garth Ennis sucks.
B. The current Wonder Woman is awesome
C. It's not about having "more" female or minority or GLBT characters necessarily, (Well, it is a little bit, but...) more so it's about making the existing ones less of puppets, more relatable and more real, more stand-out and less background to white blonde guy. It's about making the industry feel more all inclusive.
D. Garth Ennis sucks. -
I treat them as good things, but they're still exceptions...
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Batwoman.
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I dont disagree about the New 52. I think we can all agree, we all have about 10 books that we read from the new 52. Just so everyone knows my taste, mine are: Snyderbats, Suicide Squad, I Vampire (absurdly great), Aquaman, Red LAnterns (losing steam fast), Green Lantern (Sinestro is the most compelling character in the DCU, but man was that last issue weird, I've never read such a blatant weird reset), Animal Man, Batwing (stunning art, just stunning), Demon Knights (meh, so so guilty pleasure), Resurrection Man (strangely compelling), Captain Atom (hugely underrated), and last but not least, Red Hood (one of my top 5 books by any company, crazy I know). Now.........is that a great batting average? Meh, I guess not. BUTTTTT.........take DC from 2 years ago. How many books were good? Say they published 50 titles.......how many were truly compellingly good? These were the days of Wonder Woman's tiny jacket and Superman walking across the country. Maybe 10 in 50? MAYYYYbe? And here is the thing: the better books now are WAY better then the better books of 2 years ago. The top 10%, the cream, is exponentially higher quality then the "cream" of DC from 2 years ago. So as a ratio of good books to total books, is DC better then they were. Marginally I suppose. As a comparison of where DC is now as far as 2 years ago, as far as top quality creative output? Way better now. Thats just one guy's opinion.
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Right now, Action, Snyder's Batman and Wonder Woman are great. Great
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I cant conceive of a universe in which you dont find that book amazing, you absolutely should be if you arent.
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I keep intending to...
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I'm being com
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Pletely sincere, Joe, animal man is brilliant, and I don't throw that around often. Read it. Now.
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But I just picked up the first Remender X-Force trade, so it might be awhile.
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What makes the new WW so good is they smartly got rid of the made of the made of clay nonsense and gave her an interesting relatable life story. WW's problem hasn't been just bad writing, it's that no one can relate to her as a real person. So they make her a feminist, or a warrior for peace, or a bad ass - and it never works. Now though, they have a hook - she's got bad relatives - everyone understands that. Other writers can build on it - the recent arc almost reminds me of a light version of a Vertigo book.
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Except for the latest issue. I hope that was a fill-in because it killed the momentum. This hasn't been a good month for DC.
As I mentioned, I agree that comics mostly feature white guys because most readers are white guys. I prefer group books because almost every group has some kind of diversity. But I am a "comic minority" and there aren't enough readers with my taste to make books I like popular.
It is, perhaps, changing a bit. I don't really think readers are becoming more diverse, but I do think readers are maybe a bit more open to books featuring characters not like the readers, as long as they are well written.
Wonder Woman, just by her name... hard for a lot of guys to get over that. -
I'm one of those who wasn't too found of killing off Ultimate Pete and doing a gimmicky replacement. On the plus side, the result hasn't felt gimmicky and Bendis has done a good job in building the character. I like Miles too, on the other hand, I think his fans are overselling the book. It's nice but not memorable or original and personally, I thought bringing in Prick Fury and revealing Miles identity to Ultimates/Shield was a bad move. It's as if Bendis just can't allow anyone a secret ID. That and I'm really sick of Ultimate Prick Fury.
Having Electro job to Miles right after taken down the likes of IM also stretched the credibility of a story that's supposed to be about Miles slowly learning the ropes. -
The last Golden Age was of course when I first really got into comics in the mid to late 80's (all Golden Age's occur during the youth of the writer). That era featured the books that are still talked about today as well as some of the biggest comic events, also still talked about today.
However, I think a good argument can be made that there are more good quality books now than ever before and more unique stories being told. What has deteriorated significantly, is the great "event" stories. The current Big Two annual events are just sad marketing con jobs compared to Crisis or even Secret Wars. There's nothing that's broken out to the larger public like DKR or Watchmen (Walking Dead?).
I also think the shared universes of the big two pop anymore. Marvel, more than anything used to have just the right amount of continuity between books and just the right amount of interaction between characters. Now, it's over the top ridiculous. In this way alone, there's something to be said to going back to the Silver Age style where characters crossed over once a blue moon rather than the way they all practically live together now. -
I think you're using buzz words.
Not memorable?
You mean, besides everything that happened when the book started right? He's the new Ultimate Spider-man, after the very popular previous version died. How is that not memorable?
Not original?
This is a nonsense word only employed when there is a lack of any critique of value. Of course it isn't original. It's not supposed to be. It's a new hero struggling to find his way while under the shadow of a bigger hero's legacy. That's not what is supposed to be original. That is what makes it classic. It's the things that happen in the story that make it special and great.
This book is a throw back to all the classic books that "fans" purport to love. He's a kid learning the superhero biz. That's what it's supposed to be. The twist is that the Ultimate Universe is also "Realistic" There is no way Nick Fury wouldn't have gotten involved. He feels responsible for Peter. He is the top cop over superpowered stuff and a new Spider-man shows up? It would actually NOT make sense for him to not be involved.
I think this is another case where a comic reader is looking for something OTHER than what a book has ever been or claimed to be. Miles beat Electro because he snuck up on when he was invisible. He didn't best him one on one, he's still an amateur. Tired of Nick Fury? So tired, you come up with an un-clever nickname? Come on, man. I think you should stop reading the Ultimate titles, because they are what they are, always have been and they won't ever be what you wish they were.
As for "nothing breaking out to the larger public". You're wrong for two reasons.
1. As you said: The Walking Dead. Plus, you may not like it, but Secret Invasion had a whole spread in People Magizine. Also, you may not be aware of it, but I heard that they may be making an Avengers movie...
2. The larger public hates us and what we like. Nothing is ever going to break out and bring them to us. They will only take certain things, tweaked for their pleasure, and ignore the rest. That's the way it works. That's why they call them Graphic Novels. Because they hate comic books and they hate us. -
No worries, I never think you have any sort of bad intentions (just occasional bad taste, if you like Catwoman).
I really like hearing your opinions on comics, but I'm weary when it comes to this topic. Despite being gay friendly, I've never known any gay man very well before. I have seen and heard things more than enough times to be aware that their opinions and attitudes of women can be the same as any straight man.
But I don't necessarily buy the old saying that says, 'scratch a gay man and he will bleed pure misogyny forever...there's no sexual interest to clot the wound'. I tend to believe in empathy instead. Just like you've articulated. -
My first experience with the current Fury was with Miles, and I thought that he came off overly asshole-like ('you can write about the disappointment on your blog'). Recently we dumped Justice League, and my bf decided to start reading the Ultimates, and picked up the first issue. Fury feels like kind of a one-note asshole in that, too. Glad I wasn't the only one that felt that way.
I agree with you about Miles & Electro, how golden ages are defined, and I *totally agree* with your point about crossovers.
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I am not guy, nor am I a woman. But I am a human being. I've also been reading comics for a very long time, and have had my share of problems relating to women. I don't know how much blame I can place on the objectification of women in comics, but my personal view of what is attractive in a woman was definitely colored by what I saw with my impressionable young eyes. Now, I know that's more of a criticism of me as opposed to the comics industry. But, now that I'm older and (hopefully) more mature I am, I don't want to say offended, but maybe disappointed by the way women are portrayed physically in comics. I know that most people will argue that women in comics today are more empowered and portrayed as self-sufficient, strong and independent. But they are still depicted as unnaturally sexy. And I think that is a bad thing for the typical young person. Which is one of the reasons I really enjoyed Gladstone's School for World Conquerors. But those were high school aged girls so it was ok to show them as you would expect a teenaged girl to look. But I think comics need to show some respect for the female form and depict some women as just as self-sufficient, strong and independent but with a more believable physique. But as long as the comics companies are majority run by males, I don't think that's ever going to happen. Which is a shame, because the feelings that Pink Apocalypse is experiencing now are just going to keep being perpetuated and she and any other female comics fan is eventually going to say enough and turn away from comics altogether. Which is a crying shame.
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Because one really good comic was Manhunter, and DC did try to promote it. While the lead had a fit body, she was fully clothed and not a total "hottie" which is probably a large part of the reason the book never really made it.
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...I jumped on board Birds of Prey with issue 4 (the addition of Batgirl compelled me).
I'm liking it so far, but thinking I should get the first three. Katana and Poison Ivy don't really seem to have any developed personality beyond 'brooding'. I'm hoping they were filled out a little more at the beginning. -
I'd agree that in terms of sheer variety, there's a lot of material to choose from, so you can call it, uh, 'the golden age of variety'. Also agree that Image, for some reason, has been hitting nothing but triples and homers.
New 52 still smarts with me a little because it was a real chance to start smart, learn from history, and reinvent a universe. Instead of that happening, DC EiC decides to make like it's the mid-90s and brings all his Marvel mid-90s creators over, who proceed to produce books of the type Marvel overpublished in the mid-90s. Not only that, but DC almost instantly mortally fucked their own newly established continuity. They could have at least started free from continuity, but no: Robins, five years ago, blah blah blah, and their brand-new continuity is already jug-fuckled. So, for me, sure we can all agree that there's 7 to 10 good books in the new 52, but the other 42 are so, so egregiously bad, that it further sucks down the perceived average. They're not stumbling to me, they're tumbling down a lightless abyss with no bottom in sight. Still--
My new 52:
1. Wonder Woman, 2. Action Comics, 3. Batman and Robin, 4. Frankenstein, 5. Aquaman (Ivan Reis), 6. Swamp Thing, 7. Batman (with reservations)
But I haven't read anything new this year that's been as entertaining or innovative as the thirty or so issues of American Flagg! I just read. -
Who is writing the new Resurrection Man? I just recently bought the collected version of the old run (because it was written by Abnett and Lanning, and I will read ANYTHING those two write!) and, although I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, I was wondering who was writing it now.
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...and it's a ton of fun
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Thanks JD, I'll be sure and pick up the new Resurrection Man when it comes out in trade. Are D&A writing any of the other new 52?
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I know I'm a couple days behind but just wanted to throw in my two pennies:
Homer, to me, Brubaker is solidly eh when it comes to the mainstream stuff but his Criminal and, currently, Fatale are fantastic reads.
Pink, you are not alone. Invasion was an excellent event comic. I spotted it today at my lcs as a set for $6. Score. -
Goose is a talkbacker, right? He's not one of the All-New, All Different @$$holes?
Here's the deal, Goose. Pros and especially fans got really serious about their comics since the 1980s when pros and fans started telling us how serious and sophisticated comics had become. You wanted to talk comics, you didn't like their comics, then you didn't like art and literature. OK, so if it's art and literature, then it behooves us to know and appreciate the classics, right? Because that's what we do with art and literature.
The benefit for a serious comic fan (that should be an oxymoron but unfortunately isn't) is that they can see through the bullshit. This genius didn't CREATE that plot line or even do a similar plot. He did that plot. Or that character wasn't ALWAYS like that, etc.
I get what you're saying. I tried to go all the way back to what it called the Golden Age (let's agree to call it the Golden Age, because everyone will know what we're talking about and it sure isn't now anyway, bay-bee!) and I couldn't read 'em, couldn't stand 'em, at least when it came to superheroes in the 30s and 40s. Crime, humor and the risque stuff fit my tastes.
EC and faux-EC from the 50s was also a blast. Superheroes, well, only as icons.
Marvel in the 60s was something truly different, although Stan was smart enough to evolve the differences gradually. That's why the Spider-Man and Iron Man movies are really taken from Lee/Kirby/Ditko/Colan. What worked in Hulk, Daredevil and Thor can be credited to Stan, Jack, Steve and Gene.
I still can't figure out why the X-Men movies were so popular. I only like the Ratner one that everyone hated, the Wolverine solo flick because it was a great B-movie and everyone hated it, and FIRST CLASS (except most of the X-Men and Hellfire goons were lame characters).
The Captain America movie wasn't 40s Cap as much as it was 60s and 70s Cap, which usually featured raids on vaguely Nazi, vaguely Masonic organizations.
In the 60s, you had incredible monster comics. The 70s gave us trendy horror, martial arts, blaxploitation comics, which I'm glad I sought out.
They innovated in the 80s and let popular artists put out comics with middle school plot and dialogue toward the end.
Somewhere around the time the @$$holes mutated, comics started talking and they slowed down. Way down. Comparing them to comics from the past was dumb, but since the comic pros and companies themselves were comparing them to other media, it seemed like fair game.
The comics didn't look so good.
Any genre movie, T.V. show, or book that moved that slow and talked that much would have died a fast death, the only thing fast about them. Comic because the equivalent of the Imperial Senate scenes in those last 3 STAR WARS dogs, where anyone with brains and testosterone just wanted to scream: "Blow something up already!"
Unfortunately, comic fans are the crack addicts of media. Nobody really discusses whether it's good crack or bad crack, they just gotta have their crack and don't say nothing bad about crack because then they may take away all the crack....
So I stopped reading comics because if I wanted something slow moving and talky I'd ... well, why the hell would I want anything slow moving and talky?
I'm sure there are some great comics being done right now (don't tell me about 'em, I don't want to know). There always are. Those are the ones that don't adhere to the rules of the past or present, that don't limit themselves, but are classic storytelling (not classic comic story telling but the intangible that makes a book, movie, comic work).
But right now is not a golden age for comics, at least not for the big companies. No one is going to create anything new for them because of ownership. Look at the Ghost Rider guy or Marv Wolfman and Blade. So we get numbed versions of the same stuff with more sex (always a good thing), and every few years they temporarily kill a character, have another character take their place, have the dead character return in the stupidest way possible, have those two characters fight to see who gets to be who...
Let me conclude by saying that if any of my reviews made you suffer ... well, we used to try to live up to the name @$$hole.
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