This week, no Revamping, no Tirades, no real mail to speak of. Just straight News and Views. God, I hope I can hold your attention.
One way to find out”¦NEWS TIME!
And to Think, I Mentioned It First
Though he was scheduled take the reins of DC’s Supergirl as the series’ new regular writer beginning with issue #7 in June, the solicitations for Supergirl #8 list Joe Kelly handling the writing duties.
According to both Rucka and sources at DC, Kelly will be the series new writer, taking over for Rucka.
Yup, that’s right Newsarma I mentioned The Rucka being off Supergirl three days before you put up this article. So deal with it.
Supergirl, the pretty girl that no one seems to want. You kind of feel bad about mocking her weight now, don’t you?
So we still get an issue of Supergirl as written by The Rucka? As part of a multi-part story that Kelly is then finishing off or is this a one shot thing now? Is Kelly going to follow The Rucka’s plots or does he have different ideas for the story? Man, there is so much missing from this article. Arrgh, frustration. I guess, it is good that The Rucka pulled out now in anticipation of the quality suffering rather than waiting for it to suffer. Still, another hit for the fledgling title. Between this and delays, it must be hard to be the Girl of Steel. Or not. Given that she’s a fictional character and all that.
The Royal Artist of the Amazons
He’s responsible for giving Wonder Woman a new look upon her return to the DC Universe following the events of Infinite Crisis, and he’s also part of one of a very few husband-wife art teams in comics.
He’s Terry Dodson (his wife and inker is Rachel), and we sat down with him for a chat about his upcoming work, working with writer Allan Heinberg, as well as a first look inside June’s Wonder Woman #1.
Visit Dodson at the palace known as Newsarama
The small tweaks that Dodson made in Wonder Woman’s costume that are discussed here are kind of fascinating for me. First, that he made them in the first place, since I didn’t notice it and second that he would even think to. Being wildly inartistic, I always interested in how artists approach a project and Dodson’s eye for things that I take for granted or do not even notice is a good peek and a bit humbling all at once.
It goes make me wonder though, if Dodson went all out with DC’s corporate icon and ditched the bathing suit entirely. Kept the color scheme, the eagle breastplate, tiara, etc., all of it but the bathing suit presentation of it. Do you think we’d all just go crazy? Would fandom be outraged with the changes or would we all be okay with it? Would we view it as “about time” or an act of political correctness run amok?
I honestly do not have an answer or a guess, even. I mean fandom tends to be rather entrenched and focused on maintaining the way things were rather than changing them (sort of a better the devil you know thing), so the “go crazy” thing seems likely until I stop to consider that big Wonder Woman fans are, on the whole, pretty rare. So, maybe some outcry, but not much? Heck, I don’t even know how I’d react. I’m guessing that, at first, I’d be all, “But I liked to see Diana’s gams,” and then sort of stop worrying about it or perhaps even grow to prefer the new look.
On the other hand, if the new costume was lousy, well, that would be a bit of disaster all around, I’d expect.
Ahh, the things I think about. Anyway, what do all of you think? Could Diana stand to have a non-bathing suit costume? Or are we tampering with a good thing unnecessarily if we start to think that way? Let me know at the message board or drop me a line at parallax2@juno.com.
One Side of the Face
Joining Don Kramer in bringing James Robinson’s “Face the Face” story to life in the pages of Detective Comics, veteran artist Leonard Kirk is getting a rare opportunity in comics, that is, to help set the tone of an icon.
So far, in its first three parts, the inaugural “One Year Later” Batman story has established that Batman and Robin are again a team (although more akin to partners rather than teacher and student), Tim Drake lives on the grounds of Wayne Manor (and has a new costume), Poison Ivy is back, Commissioner Gordon is back, Harvey Dent is kinda not Two-Face (perhaps only for the moment), and Magpie and the Ventriloquist have had”¦serious accidents that will make further criminal activity impossible.
We caught up with Kirk to talk Batman, and to find out more about his art, influences, and advice for young artists.
Gaze at smooth contours at Newsarama
I thought Croc was supposed to go back to his more human (but still scaly) visage post-Hush. I’m okay with his more lizardy look, I suppose, but I preferred him as a man with a skin condition as opposed to an all out mutant. Then again, I also preferred him as a smart, ruthless gang leader as opposed to a creature living in the sewers and eating rats and such. Making a guy who looks scary and different into a brainless monster is so”¦paint by numbers, you know? The fact that he looked like a stereotypical monster but was as accomplished a crimelord as Falcone or the Penguin was a nice twist on the character, I thought.
Oh well, times change, I suppose. Plus, to go on about Croc sort of deflects attention from Kramer. And Kramer is too damn good to deflect attention from. It’s too bad he’s going to Marvel because he’d be a great asset to the Bat office.
The Other Side of the Face
When Batman’s post Infinite Crisis adventures began One Year Later, acclaimed writer James Robinson was there to guide the apparent team of Batman and Robin through the eight part “Face the Face” storyline running through both Detective Comics and Batman. Joining Robinson on the art for the story are Don Kramer (Batman) and Leonard Kirk (Detective). We caught up with both artists, and start a quick two-part series today with a chat with Kramer about Batman.
See hideous scars at Newsarama
Much as I like Krame’s work on the book, though, I gotta say that I think Kirk is better. Not like tremendously so or anything, but still, better.
On another note, am I a sap for finding that shot of the Ventriloquist holding Scarface’s hand oddly touching? I mean, yes, creepy and sad as well, but with a sweet smell of tragedy to it. It’s a nice touch from Robinson’s script and both Kirk and Kramer offered very nice renditions of it.
Go West, Young Man”¦
A peek behind the scene of MANIFEST ETERNITY
By Scott Lobdell and Dustin Nguyen
“¦west into the fantasy genre that is! That’s how they roll at The Pulse
Fantasy is, of course, not my genre generally (although, if we are talking the Shannara books, than yes, it is. But only the first two series. Then they just got too much and became more like a cash grab. A lot of Brooks other stuff is quite good too though, if you like stories where the fantastic “pushes” into the real world. Anyway, where was I? Ahh, yes”¦), but even I have to cop to Nguyen’s art being very pretty here. He and Lobdell seem to have a great chemistry and it will be interesting to see if that translates into a great comic or not.
Check out the latest in Stevens’ Story Selections, available at many fine book emporiums.
My big frustration with this article, though, is that all it is is art and chemistry. I know as much (that is, nearly nothing) about Manifest now as I did before I read that article. Okay, maybe I know that it is a fantasy book now as opposed to a space book (which was my initial impression), but beyond that, I got nothing. There is teasing and then there is withholding all information. This basically falls into the latter category.
OYL A Success Or Merely a Sell Out?
So, if you go and read the original, pre-ordering OYL column, you’ll see that one of the central problems of something like this is “how the hell do you order this type of stunt?” I mean, assuming you don’t just have buckets of money to throw in the direction of stunts?
Most retailers don’t after all. Most retailers aren’t particularly well capitalized enough to take large gambles every month. I could have gone ahead and easily done +50% or more of a title’s base numbers for OYL, or expressed all orders as a (high) percentage of Infinite Crisis — I have that kind of money on hand – but I’ve also learned over the 17 years that I’ve been selling comics that the instant I consider taking the brakes off the conservative-financially train, the market as a whole will snap back and leave the market drowning in books. I never got burned on the B&W bust, or the collapse of Valiant’s heat (Turok #1, anyone?) or Image’s market correction. I didn’t lose my shirt on the Return of Superman (I know retailers who could, still to this day, insulate their houses with leftover copies of Adventures of Superman #500), and I see another glut, call it the “MegaSuperCrossoverGlut!”, ready to burst at just about any moment.
See the retailer perspective at Newsarama
I don’t tend to gravitate towards the Tilting at Windmills columns because they focus on the retail side which I have very little interest even and even less ability to change. However, this article caught my attention, especially consider that this week heralds yet another sell out issue of a OYL title. I don’t know how right or wrong this column is but it raises some very interesting points and shows, rather nicely, that everything in comics is circular. A few years ago, this article easily could have been about Marvel’s sales tactics. Now, it is DC who is (seemingly) no longer retailer friendly. Interesting, no?
MISC.
Sell Outs/New Printings
ACTION COMICS #837, featuring the second chapter of the “One Year Later” story “Up, Up and Away,” has sold out at DC Comics and is going back to press for a new printing!
Things are red all over at Newsarama
COMING ATTRACTIONS
ION #1
I approach this one with much trepidation, but approach I must.
On the plus side we have Kyle Rayner, a character I like quite a bit, and Ron Marz, the creator of Kyle and one of the few writers who has fully sold me on him as Green Lantern (see also: Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns).
On the minus side we have the art, which from the preview pages we’ve already seen, is muddy and distorted and, if I’m honest, quite a bit ugly. Also, there is the whole “space opera” angle that seems like it might get worked pretty hard here. While I do admit there is some appeal to the stranger in a strange land possibility of dropping Kyle into space, I see that as being short term at best. Kyle is, or at least should be, and Earthbound GL. I understand that’s Hal’s rap now, but Kyle just works better in that environment. Finally, there is the “he’s so powerful PLUS he might be dangerous” plot point that has gotten a lot of play in the GL mythos in the past ten years or so.
It could still go either way. My fingers are crossed.
SEVEN SOLDIERS FRANKENSTEIN #4
It might not be the deepest of the Seven Soldiers minis (although I think it does have some meat on its bones, if you’ll forgive that metaphor), but it is certainly the most action oriented. And the action has been excellent.
Plus, there can be no underestimation of Morrison’s narrative voice for the title that captures a spirit for Frankenstein that is part pulp tale, part high plains drifter, and wonderfully, weirdly fitting.
And, oh yes, Mahnke’s art is insanely good. Even by his normal standards.
VILLIANS UNITED SPECIAL
Best guess, the stuff that is being shown in flashback in the OYL Manhunter issues goes down, at least in part, here. Which is reason enough to buy it.
If you need more though, consider this. Remember when we all thought that Villains United was going to predominantly be about the Society with a little Six thrown in here and there for effect? Remember how we messed that ratio up? Me thinks that this issue will be more like what we were expecting from the miniseries. That is, the Society, in all its villainous glory, being as evil as it wants to be.
The other reason you’ve gotten tune in? Joker. Seriously. He’s got a mad on for the Society and we know he’s showing up in Infinite Crisis 7. This book might be where he sharpens his knives (metaphorically and/or literally) for that appearance.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
BIRDS OF PREY #93
Ahh, that’s more like it.
I was confident that last mont’s OYL disappointment was an aberration, a hiccup, not a new pattern. This issue here proves that was confident was not misplaced.
For some reason, what did not work for me last issue, particularly the great Canary for Shiva swap, works just fine for me here. There is some more information released on why it happened so maybe that helped, but, generally speaking, the writing just feels stronger to me this time out.
The humor that the book has nicely cultivated since Simone signed on also returns here. While the young Catholic school girl who turns out to be a smoking (as in puff, puff, not as in daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, girl), foul mouthed brat is a bit of an obvious gag, the car chase that follows it is great, silly fun that is all the better for generally playing it straight despite things like Zinda’s outfit. Shiva’s dealings with the young girl’s toy is also good for a chuckle.
Where the book slips up is its newest Bird, Gypsy. Or, at least, I think it does. I don’t really know Gypsy all that well, so I could be wrong here. However, her “voice” seems why too naïve and amateurish given that she has a decent amount of experience in the superhero biz. There were a few word balloons I had to revisit because I was convinced that the girl, not Gypsy, should have been the one speaking them.
That’s all I found fault with, however. The rest of the package came together nicely and went down smooth.
And what’s in store for next issue, oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, exciting.
EX MACHINA SPECIAL #1
Just last week I was talking about my desire to see a little more action in the Ex Machina title. Well, this is technically a special (although, why? Different penciller? More Great Machine than usual?) but this nicely satiates that appetite.
Sprouse and Story do a fine job aping the “house style” of Ex Machina. It is almost too good a job, in fact. I like the art because I do like the normal Ex Machina style. However, with a different team, it would have been nice to see a noticeably different style, especially as this is a “special”, meaning that, in theory, it is different than the main book.
However, this is mostly just quibbling on my part. This issue feels like the strongest Ex effort in awhile and, as you know, there is plenty of competition for that title. There is an interesting impetus for the Great Machine flashback (which takes the bulk of the issue) and some nice, if ultimately fruitless, political tap dancing on the part of Mayor Hundred.
The big news, however, is the introduction of a must-have in the world of comic book logic: an opposite number. For Mitchell that means a man who can talk to the animals and does not much care for the status quo (something that Hundred, more or less, seems dedicated to). He’s always quite a bit insane as demonstrated by the trophy he keeps in his “hideout”. It’s a dangerous dance, introducing a super villain into this largely “real world” comic book experience, but Vaughan pulls it off mightily.
MANHUNTER #21
Manhunter shifts gears this month as we return to the courtroom to watch Kate make ribbons of opposing counsel’s witnesses. The only difference this time is that Kate’s not on the prosecution. Instead, she is representing the villainous and creepy Dr. Psycho in part because the DEO has told her to. And she’s not exactly loving it.
What’s most interesting here (and there is plenty to choose from) is the question it raises about Kate’s ethics. Yes, she was already a woman who would go after a villain while wearing a costume if she could not get it done in the courtroom. Yes, that is a conflict of interest of sorts. However, the difference here is that she is poised on the precipice of violating one of the central principles of the law, lawyer-client confidentiality (and don’t think I didn’t catch the reference to doctor-patient confidentiality the Andreyko nicely drops into the script). If DEO’s plan is what it seems to be, Kate is trying to earn Dr. Psycho’s trust be vigorously representing him in the hopes that he will then reveal”¦something (that part is not so clear). If Kate goes all the way with it, she has, in essence, rejected her other occupation. She is a superhero now and willing to make a mockery of her legal career to maintain her costumed one. As I said, it raises interesting questions.
The subplots do not get much play this time out, but what is there are great hints at things to come. The tabloid journalist from OYE (One Year Earlier) makes a brief cameo, Mark Shaw shows up in a less than promising situation, and a killer seems to be punishing smaller crimes with extreme force and a straight razor. It is all very tantalizing.
This is also an issue that features Doctor Mid Nite. Issues that feature Doctor Mid Nite are things I appreciate. Yes, I do seem to have an odd thing for blind superheroes who maintain professional careers. No, I don’t care to get into that right now.
ROBIN #149
Good news. That first issue, that was not misleading. Beechen does have a great handle on Tim Drake and an interesting plan on where to take him. As promised in his interviews, Beechen is nicely balancing Tim’s physicality with his detective skills as Robin manages to escape a police precinct with his life (and some stolen evidence), get the drop on Shiva (however short lived it was), and translate a clue left in Navajo. All in all, not a bad day’s work. Beechen is also nicely tapping into Robin’s past, particularly his first miniseries as he has now brought Shiva into the fold (as well as Lynx’s demise last issue). It’s a good use of continuity that makes sense but does not mire the plot in “you best dig out your back issues to understand this”-itis. Even the departure of Mr. Kerschl does not slow him down.
Although, that last one, he has Williams to thank for that too. Williams grew over the course of drawing two issues on Mister Miracle and here he is being good here too. I think he still has some maturation left to do, but this art leaves nothing to complain about. Even the costume. Now, having seen it in action four or five times, I accept it. DC can officially breathe a sigh of relief.
Thanks for coming everybody. Be back next week for”¦well, who knows, really? And isn’t that part of the fun?
Okay, one thing I know I will have”¦a Tirade”¦on OYL. Prepare yourself.
Un Gajje Juggles Knives Because Danger is Like Breakfast to Him”¦The Most Important Meal of the Day
