So, big news affecting ALL of you. Seriously, after this, your lives may never be the same.
Come the end of the month”¦I’m leaving DCNV. FOREVER.
Okay, I’m joking about the forever thing. But I will be going on hiatus. The column will, hopefully, still be around and be taken care of by one of my esteemed (and perhaps more talented) colleagues.
The reason is simple: I’ve been lousy lately. I’ve been late with columns, they’ve been subpar, and I’m sick of it. It’s been because I’ve just been too busy, so I’m taking a month off (approximately) to clear the decks of certain responsibilities (applying to schools so I can go for my doctorate, the beginning of wedding planning) and regroup and refocus. Then, I’ll stop back into the ring and, hopefully, do right by you again. Sorry for any disappointment, but I feel like taking some time off so I can do better in the future is a better solution than continuing to grind out columns that aren’t worth your time or mine.
For now though, let’s enjoy the second to last column before I take my leave of absence, shall we? Here’s the NEWS!
Rucka and Wacker Face the Fabulous Fifty-Two
While the main event of this week’s 52 #15 has been, and is being discussed to death (heh…there’s a pun for you), and DC Executive Editor Dan Didio threw himself in front of the bullet yesterday, 52 editor Stephen Wacker was left kinda twiddling his thumbs when it came to this week’s regular Q&A. So – rather than using Steve’s 8th grade essay on why Charles Dickens “rawked” as filler, we pulled out 52 reader questions, and Steve pulled out a Rucka.
Read on.
See this dynamic duo take on the nasty Newsarama ne’er-do-wells
I do have to echo The Rucka and Wacker on this: what is with all the L-Ron questions? I think I have a vague idea of who he is (the guy in the photo, right?).
Oh wait, I mean this guy
(ahh, Scientology humor)
I know next to nothing about him or why he’s inspired such a following. Is he like DC’s Rom, The Space Knight? Which is not to say that I get Rom’s legion of fans, but it does give a reference point, at least.
I can’t urge against a Norman McKay appearance enough. Okay, maybe a one panel, wink wink thing, but otherwise, no. What is it with the weird obsession with looking for Kingdom Come signs every where? Certainly we all know that it’ll never get to that point, right? DC not going to age/retire/hyperviolence-ize its whole crop of icons, no matter how popular that Elseworlds was? It’s like asking when the Dark Knight Returns is set to become continuity. It is just not going to happen.
Funny thing”¦in the melee that was Infinite Crisis, I completely forgot Airwave died. I’m not particularly sad or anything, but it does make me wonder how many other character deaths I’ve either already forgotten or never really noticed in the first place.
The Art of Looking Too Closely
Grant Morrison is most definitely King of the Meta-Comic.
By this, I don’t mean metahuman, that catch-all term for superpowered folks spandexing all about the DC, Marvel, Image, and other publishers’ universes. No, though Mr. Morrison has unmistakably put his fingerprint on such do-gooders as The Doom Patrol, Animal Man, the X-Men, his recent Seven Soldiers of Victory, and the iconic “big guns” of the JLA, this isn’t about his slant on superheroes. Rather, this is about his approach to readers: He talks to them.
Newsarama proudly demonstrates the benefits of a liberal arts education.
An interesting, if slightly far reaching analysis of Morrison’s maiden voyage on the Batman title. Some of it is very obvious, some of it is very much a round peg being shoved into a square hole for the sake of symbolism. Still, if literary analysis is your thing, this should sit nicely with you.
Rankin It In
The Edinburgh Evening News reports that best-selling Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, author of the John Rebus mystery books, has been asked by DC Comics to create a series of comics or graphic novels.
The comic industry’s where the fat cash is. That’s what Newsarama’s taught me.
I know nothing of his work, but I always welcome a fresh voice to the industry. Rumor is, according to Rich Johnston, that his project is Constantine related.
How Does the Defendant Plead?
So – which side are you on this week? Are you more outraged at the scheduling changes in Marvel’s Civil War, or is the death of Booster Gold in this week’s 52 the focus of your ire?
If you’re a negative on option #1 and affirmative on option #2, well, we can’t say the following is going to make you any happier.
Sure, sure – we’ve all heard it: “But Booster Gold’s from the future! He can’t die, he’d know it was coming!” Some have even passed off Gold’s return as a forgone conclusion, as at the very least a plot point in the upcoming issues of 52.
Well, you know when Blue Beetle died in Countdown to Infinite Crisis, and there was all that “Blue Beetle can’t be dead!” and here he actually is dead? We spoke Wednesday afternoon via phone with DCU Executive Editor Dan Didio about the reasons behind Booster buying it, and if you’ve got an imminent return theory, he’s got a bucket of cold water for you.
See if Newsarama can beat a murder confession out of Didio.
I have to hand it to Mr. Didio. After reading this article, I almost believe that Booster is really, truly dead. That that skeleton is his mortal remains. That we shall never see him in the “present” again. Almost. I’m still skeptical though. If we get to issue #30 or so and still no Booster, perhaps I’ll change my tune.
The talkback, of course, is gloriously ugly. We have personal attacks of DC’s writers and Didio (especially Didio). We have insinuations that the Booster legacy will be inherited by someone who is unworthy of it, for example, a (and I am quoting here) “gay American Indian weed smoking Booster” because a.) that example is roughly equivalent to everything DC has done before this and b.) lest we forget, diversity is bad Bad BAD! The overwhelming complaint though is the Didio is no longer just anti-JLI but rather anti-fun in comics. If anyone has every laughed at it, Didio wants it dead. So, apparently, the Heckler and Vext should be on the run, paying cash, and waiting for Didio to move on.
This Batman Takes His Time
DC announced Tuesday afternoon that all orders for Frank Miller and Jim Lee’s All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #5 have been cancelled, and the issue will be resolicited in the next edition of Previews for a November release.
He does not go anywhere without his half-caf low fat Newsarama latte every morning. And that’s why he’s still not here.
I know Civil War is bigger noise, but this is my favorite pushed back book of the moment. I don’t know why, but after reading Miller/Eisner and Miller talking about lateness and it being bad, something he strives too avoid, etc., etc., I just got such a kick of out DC and the creators’ inability to put this book on the shelves anywhere near on time. I guess if I was still reading it, I would be significantly less entertained by it though.
Detecting Dini
Two issues in, and already, loads of Detective Comics readers are wondering where Paul Dini has been all their lives.
Well, television for one, obviously. Best known to comics fans for his work on Batman: The Animated Series, Dini already defined Batman for the animated medium, and with July’s Detective Comics #821, set about making his mark on the comic book version of the character, with a run that’ll be primarily made up of single issue detective stories.
We caught up with the writer for a look at the series, the character, and his plans for the coming months.
Never to be confused with Rapping Granny at Newsarama
I’ve been digging on Dini’s run so far. It’s only been two issues, but they’ve been a good two issues AND they introduced a new villain. Too bad it looks like Façade was just a one-off. I liked his gimmick and his look. I mean, who doesn’t appreciate a man who can pull off paisley so dashingly? Oh well, better only one good story rather than 6 “eh” ones.
Dini writing Poison Ivy in the “real” DCU is something to look forward to. She’s a character who I’ve always liked the basis for, but have rarely seen portrayed in a way that impressed in the comics. Much like Riddler and Two-Face (up until around No Man’s Land), I think some of her best moments occurred in Dini’s TV series, not on the page. I’m hoping he can translate her just as well in comic form, especially without her pseudo partner Harley. The Harley/Ivy stories are fun, too, of course, but I would like to see a straight up Ivy portrayal and this seems to be it.
Is it just me or does Poison Ivy wear the least practical supervillainy costume ever?
The upcoming Penguin issue should be good, but I’m not all that excited for it. Penguin’s never really got my blood pumping. I don’t hate him, but if I never read another Penguin story either, it probably would not bother me all that much. That said, I do like the crooked businessman incarnation that Dini appears to be working here. My favorite of the various Penguin interpretations I’ve read or seen.
So, They’re The End?
Some people might consider battling hordes of malevolent aliens while dodging pursuers from every law enforcement agency in the galaxy a bad day, but for the Omega Men that’s just an average day. Beginning this October, the interstellar rebels will experience some of their worst days and perhaps some of their finest hours in the pages of the six issue “The Omega Men” mini-series from DC Comics by writer Andersen Gabrych and artist Henry Flint. CBR News spoke with Gabrych about the series.
Then is Comic Book Resources the beginning?
Placed here for those of you who just love your space opera. For those that don’t, please feel free to follow me in moving along.
BEWARE THE FUTURE’S AWESOME MIGHT
Glad I got one more of these in before I abandoned you all (temporarily). Follow along for the home game by going here
Batman #659– I know that DC really doesn’t have to “sell” this book, what with Kubert and Morrison on it and all, but really”¦
“¦couldn’t they still wrap each issue in a better cover.
Detective Comics #825– A fill-in for Dini already? That makes me sad. But I’ve never heard of these guys and thus I am slightly intrigued. Also, the last time I can remember seeing Doctor Phosphorous was in an issue of Starman so that certainly doesn’t hurt my interest.
Nightwing #126– Huh”¦for some reason the Raptor (he’s the guy who’s not Nightwing on this cover)
reminds me a lot of Cardinal, the Marvel Comics villain.
Anyone else see it?
Legends of the Dark Knight #212– It is rare that I pick up an issue of Legends (I bought two separate arcs last year and I think that more than doubled my collection of Legends) but I’m kind of interested in this one. It sort of reminds me of a Bob Gale semi-prose story from Batman Chronicles a few years back that I very much enjoyed. If Cliff Chiang was drawing the whole thing (not just the cover), I’d be totally sold. As it is, I’ll at least flip through it in the shop.
Robin #156– Another issue of Robin with a Gleason cover equals
another excellent cover. Different than his previous efforts for the title (which tended to be busy in a good way), but I still think it’s great. Love the shadow of Robin and the falling kid on the bricks of the building in the background.
Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter; Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood– Uh-oh”¦two collections in the same month? Is Huntress getting offed in Birds of Prey and no one told me?
Action Comics #845– “Clark Kent and Lois Lane make one of the most heartbreaking decisions of their lives.”
Is the internet ready for this?
Superman/Batman #31– This solicitation for S/B actually interests me. I can’t remember the last time that happened. Does anyone know if this book is maintaining any sort of schedule at all?
The All-New Atom #5– I’m reading the words of this solicitation and I recognize them. I know their definitions and I know how they pronounce them. But”¦strung together in a series of sentences”¦they just aren’t making any sense to me at all. I’m frightened that I am somehow lost my ability to understand English.
Birds of Prey #100– Oh my god! They are killing Huntress!!!!
Not to jump the gun or cause a panic or anything. But they so are!
(I’m kidding”¦maybe).
Put me down for being in favor of Speedy making the cut. I’d be surprised, but put me down for it anyway.
Checkmate #8– Ahh, Checkmate solicitations. Gloriously to the point.
Green Lantern #16– Will John Stewart actually speak more than three lines in a GL comic? Tune in and find out! (Sorry, I’m still kind of annoyed he isn’t the JLA’s GL. Sorry.)
Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage #1– G’Nort? Why, Mr. Chaykin, why?
Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood– Connor Hawke and Chuck Dixon!! YAY!!!!
The only thing that makes me sort of sad is that I was hoping Rodolfo would come out of comic retirement to draw it. Instead we have Donovan. Eh.
Wait, Donovan did Jubilee? Which mini? The one where the art fluctuated between Jubilee as white girl to Jubilee as offensive Asian stereotype? Uh-oh”¦this could be bad.
JSA Classified #19– Man, this book sucks so bad right now it forces me to actually use the word “sucks”. (Thank you Mike Nelson for allowing me to steal that line without your knowledge or prior consent). However, between the Hourman story in 17 and 18 (which has my partial interest) and this Doctor Mid-Nite tale (which has my full and complete interest), perhaps this title is undergoing a renaissance of sort. Or maybe just a second wind. Either way, I’m looking forward to this issue.
Justice League of America #4– This cover is very pretty, but it bothers me.
It bothers me when they solicit a book with its variant cover. Most of us aren’t going to get that cover, no matter how good it looks. It is an unfair tease AND if you are scanning a rack of comics looking for this one, you won’t find it. Thus, perhaps, you walk out of the store without buying it because you didn’t realize it is actually there under another cover.
But, mostly, it’s the tease thing.
Sachs & Violens TPB– Am I the only one that finds the specification of “White Slavery” being a great evil of our society (as opposed to, say, slavery in general) sort of funny? You know, in a very dark, inappropriate, “didn’t they realize what they were writing” sort of way.
The Warlord #10– Oh no! Last issue! Say it isn’t so!
Goodness, I do lay the sarcasm on thick sometimes, don’t I?
Teen Titans #41– Arrgh! More shadow figure Teen Titans covers!
So annoying!
Anyway, I’ll play their game, but this is the last time! (He says, knowing full well it is not.)
The girl has a skirt so Supergirl is the obvious answer.
Buuuuuuuuuut, Johns already mentioned that Supergirl was concerned and then rejected for the team. So, I’m thinking Mary Marvel.
Buuuuuuuuuuut, I don’t think any of the Marvels have powers right now and Johns specifically said that Supergirl was considered for the OYL Titans which might just mean the team that debuted in the first OYL issue (Robin, Cyborg, Kid Devil, Ravager, and Wonder Girl). So maybe it is Supergirl.
Buuuuuuuuuuuut, that’s three different teams and four different books for her (Legion, Outsiders, and her book, of course plus, if she is the shadow, Titans). Even to her fans, that’s got to be overkill, right?
As far as the seemingly male figure”¦I think I’ve got nothing. No cape, a full collar on his costume”¦Red Star maybe? That could be cool, right? Seriously, I’m asking, would it be cool?
Red Menace #1– The concept sounds cool (if JSA-esque) and I like Adam Brody as much as the next pseudo hipster, but three writers, including two of them being the team from the current Flash title, does not fill me with optimism.
Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #2– I have no idea who or what Jitterjack the Divided Man is, but he sounds excellent.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre #1– Have the minds of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning ever been described as “demented”, even ironically, before this? Don’t get me wrong, I like them and all, but that seems like one term that absolutely does not fit their work.
American Virgin #9– I don’t have much to say except this cover is great.
First Appearance Action Figures Series 4– How did Warlord sneak into this lineup? Especially with a cancelled series.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
BATMAN 656
If you read my review of the first issue, you may recall me being uncharacteristically “eh” about the whole thing. Yup, I still love Morrison and yup, I still love Batman. And yup, I remain convinced that they will be two great tastes that taste great together (on a side note, I’m stunned by how much mileage I’ve gotten out of a Reese’s commercial tagline from an ad campaign that largely preceded my TV watching years). I didn’t think the first issue was bad by any means. I just didn’t think it was great either.
But, I think it is poised for greatness or, at least, great fun. There were plenty of neat bits in 655 that I believe laid the groundwork for the whole of this storyline. From here on out, I’m expecting action, thrills, chills, spills, etc a plenty that shall leave me slack jawed and stuttering.
Or, barring that, largely pleased.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 1
I haven’t really heard anything about this book. Apparently it concerns a superhero team and is written by a guy named Meltzer. I pretty sure he’s done something else in comics, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what.
Maybe a Batman story. Batman is sort of the Law & Order of the comic world (in other words, EVERYONE writes or draws a Batman story at some point just like every actor EVER will appear in an episode of Law & Order).
Anyway, I’m excited for it. Always nice to see what a little known does with a brand new title. And Justice League of America”¦that’s catchy, isn’t it?
WONDER WOMAN 2
The first issue of this volume marked the first time since Terry and son drove off a windy road that I enjoyed a Donna Troy story (that might be an exaggeration, but only a slight one). That’s impressive. Especially after that History of the DCU made me hunt down and destroy any and all appearances by her in the hopes that, somehow, it would create a time paradox that would erase those five pages a week in 52 from existence. By the by, I didn’t do that. I suspect that “killing” someone in the past to prevent the future is slightly more difficult than that, so I didn’t waste the funds. Plus, Donna Troy is a fictional character.
As I was saying, getting me to like Donna Troy these days is a feat so Wonder Woman 1 was in the win column. An appearance by Nemesis and a white jumpsuited Diana Prince were just gravy.
Also, Batman makes a great appearance in the first few pages of issue #2. I like Batman.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
52 WEEK 15
First, I’ve got to apologize to all the Booster fans out there. A few weeks back in DC News & Views (DCNV, as the kids refer to it), I sort of jokingly mocked them for this upcoming issue. The thing was that I never really believed that Booster was going to”¦well”¦die. If I had, I’d have never poked fun. That’s just unseemly.
Of course the question is whether or not Booster is really as deceased as he seems. I don’t have the answer to that. I want to say that he’s not. First, it just seems paced oddly. He’s supposed to be a main 52 character. Can you really kill a main character when you are just over a quarter done with the story at hand? Sure, it’s a heck of a surprise, but then what?
Also, there is the matter of the quality of the death. It isn’t exactly heroic. Booster acts like a jerk even up until he gets blowed up real good like. His lifting of the sub seemed completely devoid of any concern for anything but himself. Sure, Booster always been selfish, but was he ever really this obliviously selfish? And, not to cast dispersions or anything, but wouldn’t all those people on the ground still have crippling radiation sickness to deal with? The blast was far enough away not to kill but what of the resulting fallout? Certainly you can’t detonate a nuclear submarine in the atmosphere without there being some sort of issue. Or did Supernova take care of all that somehow?
Finally, does DC really want to play into the “Didio and Co. hates the JLI and, by extension, everything that is happy or funny in comics” by killing the other half of Blue and Gold?
Of course none of this tells you how good I thought this issue was. I’d say it was”¦pretty good.
CHECKMATE 5
I question the results of Checkmate’s selection process. The process, which is very The Recruit (as many reviewers elsewhere have mentioned) meets the beginning 20 minutes of Spartan (which I’ve seen no one mention, but I’m fairly certain was at least an equal influence, especially when it comes to the numbers and the last person standing fight in a tent), results in a French woman taking on the role. I’m all for the international diversity, but my issue is this. The French woman was willing to let her climbing buddy die; in fact, she was eager to help him along by cutting his line. I would assume teamwork is an important part of Checkmate. Abandoning your partner in the field strikes me as sort of antagonistic towards that idea, especially when you know for certain that the way in which you are abandoning your fellow soldier will equal his or her death. The fact that the guy who saves his partne’s life is knocked out of the selection process for it just does not sit well with me.
Then again, this is a fictional organization that used to be led by a mind controlling maniac with a mad on for superheroes, so the protocols could be drawing on a different rule book than the one I’m used to.
Besides my inability to quite understand was Mademoiselle Marie was allowed to reach the final round and, thus, win the coveted knight position, I enjoyed this issue. I enjoyed Alan Scott’s machinations (for good) that should, for now, unravel the US (and Amanda Walle’s) attempts to make Checkmate an extension of their own foreign policy initiatives. I appreciate that it throws a monkey wrench in the Terrific/Sasha relationship as well, but it feels too soon for that. Their burgeoning love, such as it is, has not been given enough screentime to leave the reader invested in its trials and tribulations. Thus, while it makes sense to me that Terrific being the White King while Sasha is continuing to be the Black Queen would present problems, I find myself largely unconcerned with those problems. If we had even a two or three more issues of the unlikely couple, it would probably be enough to bridge the gap from “aww, well isn’t that just a shame, poor kids and their puppy love” to “I can hear their hearts breaking and its breaking mine too”. With such a deliberately paced book, it’s odd that Rucka would’ve rushed through this build up.
Otherwise, thumbs up.
ION 5
Hmm”¦where did the drama go?
Don’t get me wrong, the issue is fine enough. We got the good Tocchini art this time out (which is to say, it didn’t make my eyes bleed just to look at it), Kyle’s finally got his s#!+ together and he gets to show up Hal by dispatching Nero largely without the “GREATEST GL EVER” ‘s patented “NERVES OF STEEL” being used.
It’s just that it all feels very”¦ perfunctory. For such a horrible and devastating force, Nero goes down with very little trouble. Plus, he goes down via the old “You like my power so much? Here, have it all!” trick that it seems like Kyle is required to use roughly once every 25 appearances. Beyond shaking Kyle’s hand and “getting his back”, why is Hal here?
After two of being on a good track, the book diverts here in what should have been a most excellent climax to the book’s opening concerns. Instead, all the momentum we have going into next issue is the question of “what’s the deal with the Guardians (one of which is looking very Dick Cheney on that last page) not helping out?” It’s a bobble. Not a fatal one, mind you, but a bad one certainly.
MANHUNTER 25
I can’t figure out if this book was written with the cancellation in mind or not. Or if it was, if the script remained unchanged when Vol. 2 was announced or it was altered some. I suppose it does not really matter, but I am curious. While this issue hauls from subplot to subplot, it does not seem particularly concerned with doing anything more than just moving each of them ahead a step. The only sign of a rush to close up shop is evident in the Sweeney Todd/Manhunter conflict; a moment that could just as easily be read as a sign of Kate’s ruthless efficiency in dispatching meta crime when compared with her costumed brethren.
So as a final issue, I’m sure this one would’ve left me frustrated and perhaps slightly annoyed. However, since I know there’s more on the horizon, I appreciate the open-endedness that will propel us over the hiatus into Vol. 2 (or #26 depending what DC decides to do). As an ending, it would be like Aztek #10. As a temporary stop, it’s Runaways Vol. 1 #18. If you know me, you know those are both compliments.
It should be noted that the script did not work for me in one place though. Kate as Pete’s new child’s godparent. No divorced couple in the history of the world has ever gotten on that well. (I’m only half to three quarters joking here).
So, for now, a strong, and gloriously temporary, close to Manhunter.
ROBIN 153
Goodness, Robin’s a bit of dick isn’t he? Oh”¦that’s a pun, isn’t it? Ugh, sorry about that.
Anyway, Tim’s being a jerk pretty much consistently throughout this issue. I mean, he’s entitled. He’s stressed, he’s looking for a nuclear bomb, teaming up with the son of his fathe’s killer (who happens to dress roughly the same as the killer in question), and missing school to do it. So I’m willing to cut him some slack. Still, with Batman being all kinder and gentler these days, it feels like Tim is stepping up to pick up the “not in my city and no, I have no forgiveness or good cheer to give” slack. If that’s the long term plan for him, that could be a problem.
But all of that’s okay, because this issue is a large slice of fun. Beechen nicely grafts the “large props of death” storytelling (see such greats as the giant typewriter) on to modern approach. The image of a giant orange multi armed sword wielding robot who just happens to be wearing a rather striking chapeau and ruffled collar warms my heart, it does.
Williams is nicely up to the task of conveying the ridiculousness and danger of these themed death traps. However, he does stumble in another aspect. Much is made of the age of “Dodge” (Tim’s wannabe sidekick teleporter), Tim, and Captain Boomerang in relation to one another. Apparently, how it breaks down is that Boomerang and Tim are both older than Dodge and roughly the same age as one another. The problem with that is, according to the art, it looks more like Dodge and Tim are roughly the same age (with Dodge actually appearing a bit older) and Boomerang older than them both. The Boomerang thing, admittedly, is an ongoing thing as he has always been portrayed, artwise, as in his twenties. Dodge, however, is brand new so he has no template to be followed. I guess I can accept that Tim is talking big and pretending to be older than he is as a further conceal of his identity. But in terms of what’s on the page, it is never a believable bluff.
That’s largely a quibble though and did not bring my enjoyment of this installment down for a moment.
Okay, second last column before my break. Hope it was as great for you as it was for me. E-mail me at parallax2@juno.com and let me know if it was as well as any suggestions about who you’d like to see fill-in for me.
Un Gajje, Dragging, Dragging, Dragging
