Tim, I’m so sick of looking at my bloody computer I’ve spent the majority of the day typing. Whatever you get from computer screen radiation I’ve got. How’re things with you?
No radiation on this end. I just watched the Fall Finale (ah, TV changing its own rules, gotta love it) of Heroes and I’m still trying to catch my breath. It has been a long time since a work of fiction legitimately surprised me so I am sort of marveling at that right now.
In real life (in other words, the one I don’t constantly watch unfold on my television) things are just fine. Working like crazy (the holiday season is notoriously rough in the mental health field”¦it is like retail without a lunch break) and doing my best to decorate my house so I keep a festive attitude.
Links – one word edition.
Broken Dial = Music
Beyond the Threshold = Darkness
The DVD Lounge = Video
Inside Fights = Ouch.
Machine Gun Funk = Beyonce?
Moodspins = Interesting
Not a True Ending = Wii
Popcorn Junkies = Drama
Primetime Pulse = TV
Retro Grading = SNES
Tailgate Crashers = Sports
Also check our our DC Boards = Red, Raw & Sore!
My favorite blog Glyphs announces Wu-Tang’s return to comics and Kyle Baker meeting up with Jingle Belle?
I’m sure you’ve got something to link this week Tim.
Oh, you know I do. This week, I’m linking to one of my favorite blogs, Comics Should be Good, because they are doing a little something called 31 Days of Seven Soldiers where they go through, issue by issue, the maxiseries and parse out its themes, what it all means, etc. Great reading so far and you are not too far behind to catch up.
What I Read Last week
The Flash #6 – Some questions answered, but others raised. Most importantly; when will this book get better?
Green Lantern #15 – I actually reviewed it. Short review; I liked it.
Ion #8 – Also reviewed it. Didn’t like that much.
And I did, almost for the same reasons you didn’t?
Superman/Batman #30– Final issue, for me that is.
Guy Gardner #1 – Reviewed it. It’s got a great cover.
Teen Titans #41 – I’m a guy who doesn’t really dig Jericho, so the issue was only kind of cool.
I reviewed it for the main page and though that it showed signs of moving in the right direction for the first time in a long time.
Deathblow #2– Great post 9/11 commentary by Azz. This book is both fun and serious. It’s a weird combo, but it works. As with Azz’s stuff I’m looking forward to next issue.
American Virgin #9– We got a bit of closure this issue. But now that that’s over I’m anxious to see where this book goes next.
Me too. Fingers crossed on it all working for me at some point in the future.
Ultimate Power #2 – Dug the problems speaking. Dug the rationale for coming over. Basically I dug this issue much more than the first one.
Batman/The Spirit #1 – Really fun book. Great to see Cooke’s art again. I’m certainly going to be picking up the monthly.
Black Panther #22 – Decent issue, but I’d much rather not get sucked into Civil War any further than I’ve got to be.
52 Week Thirty – Loved the return (of sorts) of the Ten Eyed Man. That was pure Morrison. Don’t really see why folks are complaining about the issue.
I do. Too many expectations. At least, that’s why was disappointed.
Batman #659 – Interesting concept. The “Black Bruce Wayne” thing was funny, but it’d be funnier if he didn’t already exist in the form of Mr. Terrific.
Loveless #13 – These flashback issues are great. This one was a heartbreaker. It really sucked to get to the end.
Crossing Midnight #1 – Interesting concept, compelling first issue. I’m hardly Jim Fern’s biggest fan, but his art has really grown in the past few years and Hunter’s inks work perfectly. I’m eager to see where this book goes.
Onto the column.
Glen Davis has a question, but I forgot it.
Who are these faceless hunter guys in Green Lantern #15? I know there was one in the Forgotten Villains, but I thought there was only one of them?
Ahh, but Soak1313’s, his I remember
Could you give me a run down of all the characters that appeared in the newest GL issue? Not Amon Sur I unfortunately read that Winick story and not the Rocket Red brigade. Basically all the people on global guardians, and the weird faceless bad guys called the Faceless Hunters. Hell might as well give me a run down on Star Sapphire.
First off Winick was only half responsible for the Green Lantern story, Ben Raab (a true class act) provided the other half.
And while Amon and the Rocket Reds (doesn’t that sound like a great 50’s band?) may go off and cry in the corner I’m going to continue on.
The Faceless Hunter was originally a solitary dude. He showed up first in Strange Adventures #124, where he tried to take over the world and failed.
He originally hailed from the sub atomic world of Klaramar on the surface of Saturn. He was thought to have been a mutant, y’know with the lack of facial features and all. But given he’s got a buddy with him in his latest appearance I guess he’s not a complete anomaly.
He’s had the ability to absorb anything and turn it into a weapon, but now they’ve got telepathic powers, which are really run of the mill for folks from Saturn.
What boggles my mind is that they’re microscopic, yet when then change size they feel the need to get larger than folks on Earth. What’s up with that? Clearly they’ve got the ability to alter their size, why do they feel the need to get larger than necessary? Are they overcompensating for being microscopic? I just don’t get it.
Tasmanian Devil was a member of the Justice League International and of the original Global Guardians. He’s got your typical hulking feral beast type abilities. Oh and he’s openly gay.
Gloss was a member of the New Guardians. She was supposed to be part of the next evolution of humankind, but that kind of fizzled out. She’s Chinese and gets her powers from the ley lines that run across the Earth.
Freedom Beast is from South Africa. His helmet give him the ability to control mind. Oh and he can also merge two animals into one and control it. It’s some pretty nutty stuff.
Crimson Fox we actually went over awhile back.
First things first; Crimson Fox was indeed two different women. Twins in fact. Vivian and Constance D’Aramis. Their mom died as a result of a toxic perfume. Their father was killed too and the twins, inspired by Batman (which is odd because I didn’t think that everyone in the DCU knew that Batman was driven by the death of his parents, but whatever), they adopted the identity of Crimson Fox.
Furthermore, Constance’s death was faked so that they could be the same person. They joined the JLE and headed a major company. All was good. But then a kind of triangle began with Metamorpho. It was nutty. Basically Vivian was killed by a foe and Constance was killed by the Mist on the pages of Starman.
The new one is her successor. This is her first appearance of note.
Sandstorm is equally new.
The original Manticore was part of the Jihad, a group of Suicide Squad foes. His hands could fire bullets and his claws were tipped with explosives. Oh, and his tail could fire grenades. But he was killed by Deadshot, leading me to believe that this new guy is decidedly less evil.
Finally we come to Jet, who died in the rather short New Guardians title. She was like Gloss in that she was to be part of the future of mankind. She had electromagnetic powers. But she died. Apparently she’s back and hopefully we’ll get an explanation.
As for Star Sapphire here’s what we wrote last time.
Oddly enough I’ve touched upon this one in the past. Unfortunately I can’t find that particular column, so I’ll just wing it.
Basically, in the Silver Age there were two Star Sapphires; Carol Ferris who fought (and loved) Hal Jordan and Deborah Camille Darnell who hooked up with the Secret Society of Super Villains.
This Star Sapphire was a regular in Secret Society of Secret Villains. She was so much a regular that she had three identities. She masqueraded as “Camille” a French Real Estate agent and as Debbie Darnell, Captain Comet’s girlfriend.
Her secret origin was to be told in Secret Society of Super Villains #17, unfortunately the book was canceled with issue #15. They had one more appearance (as the main characters) in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2.
I know that sounds made up, but actually, Mathan is being 100 percent legit with you.
Basically she was a queen from another planet. The Zamarons selected her to be their queen, but she refused. Then they gave her a star sapphire and told her that there were four others in the universe. She decided to collect them all. She came to Earth to get Carol’s, and hooked up with the SSOSV as a means to an end. Of course every bit of information in this paragraph was explained in a letter column in Justice League of America #174.
As to your point about a new Star Sapphire popping up in Green Lantern let’s look at the facts; we’ve already seen a new Tattooed Man, a deadlier Black Hand, a creepier Hector Hammond and a possibly deadlier Shark. So basically I’m saying all signs point yes.
However the whole mythology of Star Sapphire involves the Zamarons who haven’t been heard from they left with the Guardians in Green Lantern #200. (Ok so we saw one in Millenium, I’m pretty sure everyone wants to forget that mini ever happened.)
My point is that it would be difficult to address the creation of a new Star Sapphire without addressing the Zamarons. I’m not sure that Geoff Johns wants to address that issue.
Furthermore, you’re forgetting that two new Green Lantern linked titles; Ion and Green Lantern Corps, will be hitting the stands pretty soon, which means that a new Star Sapphire could appear on those pages as well.
So I’m saying it’s a 40% chance that a brand new Star Sapphire debuts in the Green Lantern title.
And there you have it. Gee, that felt like a lot of work.
Tim, do you think we’ll see these Global Guardians again?
Probably. They seem to pop every few years to basically do nothing at all. I miss their evolutionary brothers, the Ultramarines, way more than I care about seeing the Global Guardians again though.
See DC, these are the guys we want back. Forget those silly Guardians.
Aaron loves to push our buttons
The Superman/Batman comic hasn’t exactly been met with effusive praise by you or Tim. I’m interested enough to start hunting down back issues, but I’m curious as to what you think are the primary problems with the title. Writing? Art? No chemistry?
The book was fun in the beginning. It had a cool chemistry that was refreshing and new. Reading Batman’s thoughts and how they mirrored Superman’s was really kind of fun.
But as the book when on things got out of control. Personally I think that Loeb tried too hard to create an epic story and it fell flat under the need to be cosmic and grand in scope. Plus the fact that it reintroduced Supergirl to the DCU, killed Harbinger, and saw Batman give Darkseid a beatdown all in one storyline, kind of killed much of the enjoyment.
The art was always decent and the stories were fun most of the time. But the novelty wore off. And actually the most recent issue will be my last.
Tim, where did you find flaws with the title?
Is everywhere an acceptable answer?
My biggest problem was the book just felt very”¦dumb for lack of a better way to put it. It was as if the creators figured if the spectacles were big enough, no one would catch on to how silly and slapdash the proceedings were. Well, I caught on quick.
Other problems included the overuse of the narration device to the point that it devolved into parody during the first arc, Loeb’s love of forcing the Silver Age into the Modern without bothering to make sure it works, and Lex Luthor as drugged up, Amanda Waller macking lunatic.
But you should judge for yourself. However, since you don’t have to shell out coin to do it, I will offer you my copies of 1-6 and 8-13. Send us your address and I’ll get them to you.
Why? Because I’m a giver.
R. Hardin also wonders about Superman/Batman
Just finished reading Superman/Batman #30, thus producing more questions:
Does anyone know where this book fits into the rest of DC continuity? It seems as though nothing from this book ever has anything to do with the rest of the DCU (although I know Lex first dropped the impending “Crisis” bomb here). Just as a side note. Plastic Man? I love Plas’, but the idea of Lex freakin’ Luthor needing Eel O’Brien’s criminal mind just came across as ridiculous.
If you ask some this book has too much sway on continuity (Supergirl?).
The book does take place in the DCU, but I think that the concept of the book is that it’s not too beholden to continuity. The goal of the book is to create epic action for Batman and Superman, continuity be damned. That’s why Kilowog is so far from Oa. It’s also why Kal and Bruce are such good buddies.
But the book is clearly out of place in my pull list, which is why it’s over.
As for Lex needing Plas, I’m going to say that he needed Plas’ skills rather than criminal mind. It’s probably his shape altering skills that he had in mind.
R. Hardin wonders what makes us human
Did Killowog’s reflection of Superman in the mirror/water seem to suggest that Superman doesn’t “really” look human, or what?
I think that Kilowog was just showing Clark that he’s not really from Earth. I’d imagine that it’s much easier for Clark to think of himself as human because he can fit in. J’onn and Kilowog don’t really have that option, they’re alien and they look it.
But Clark can kind of pretend that he’s actually human because he blends in with most of the populace in terms of appearance. I think that the reflection was just a manifestation of “alien” Clark really is.
Tim, what would it take for you to pick up Superman/Batman again?
I’m honestly not sure. I’d say a new creative team, but DC already did that and I did not come back, so obviously it is more than that. Perhaps an exciting creative team and a storyline I could sink my teeth into? At this point, I almost feel like the book is radioactive. I still have lingering bad feelings towards it and they prevent me from picking up the book regardless of the changing of the guard that has taken place.
Soak1313 needs a numerologist, not a comic book expert.
What do you think the 52 in 52 means?
R. Hardin is a total copycat.
Any ideas where all this “52” stuff is going? Things like the “Monitors,” Kyle Rayner as Ion and the Guardians being apparently aware of something, Red Tornado’s “52 is coming!” rant, and other little hints are everywhere.
I really don’t know. If I had to put together a guess it’d go something like this;
The 52 are individuals, items or concepts that exist out of time or don’t belong on the New Earth. For instance those folks the Monitors are, umm, monitoring (Donna Troy, Nightwing, Supergirl, Ion) are part of the 52. I’d guess that the Tangent Green Lantern is also one of the 52. Perhaps both Jason Todd and the new Terra are 52’s.
Oh”¦wonderful”¦the Monitors. Excellent plots are sure to follow wherever they appear.
We know that the Dominators in the 31st Century know about 52 and that the Guardians are interested in the 52, which seems to imply that it’s a big deal and will be remembered for a thousand years.
Furthermore both the Cyborg Superman and Red Tornado being tech beings who apparently know about the 52 seems to be a hint.
But I really don’t know, that’s just what I’d guess if pressed.
Tim, do you have a theory on the 52?
I could be recalling incorrectly here, but I seem to remember that we’ve already been told that the 52 in question is 52 units of missing time (second, I believe). Of course, what the hell that means or why it is important is a bit of a mystery. My theory? That somehow those 52 seconds disappeared because of the creation of Earth-2; that the cosmic system “borrowed” time in order to produce a companion universe. Why 52 seconds and is there more significance to that number, I do not know. Prior to Skeets going bad or lying, I would have also said that the missing 52 seconds was also why things were not quite working out in the past (that being the present to us) as they were remembered in Booster and Skeet’s present (that being the far flung future to us). But sadly, that’s a bit busted up.
I actually like your idea a lot better, but I have my doubts that that is where 52 is headed. For one, we are more than halfway through “52” and there is no sign of this angle materializing yet in that series. For another, in the OYL DCU, only a handful of individuals have stepped forward that could fit in as members of the 52. Purely from a storytelling standpoint, that seems like bad business. Plus, unless they plan to make the 52 thing a last page of the last issue revelation to be dealt with in another places, there is a lot of ground that DC is going to have to hustle over to reveal and set up the 52 “wrong” people before the end of “52”.
I still like it better than mine though.
Dave Z.’s Earth-2 counterpart calls himself David and has a much cooler haircut
I noticed several references to Wally West living on the all-but-certain Earth-2, and I’m curious about why you expect him to be there, as opposed to, say, Jay, or even Barry (Yeah, I know Barry’s dead, and will probably be the one remaining death in comics that won’t be undone. Humor me).
The reason why I really think Wally is there is because he went out with a whimper. His story is clearly not finished. Let’s do a rundown of why I’m sure he’s still around.
He just became a dad. – You can’t give Wally a family and then remove them all from the equation. It makes no sense.
I agree, but we’ve seen poorer decisions as of late. Plus, in comics, maturing in a relationship (getting engaged, getting married, having kids) is often viewed very negatively. See also: Superman, Spider-Man.
He is a marquee character – He was the Flash for roughly 20 years. He’s one of the few characters in recent memory to break 200 issues with a solo title.
True enough, but I’d argue that Barry Allen had a similar track record (arrgh”¦pun not intended) and we all know what happened to him.
He is story is clearly not over – The guy disappeared during IC with no hint of where he went. Yet we’ve had hints of an Earth-2. Coincidence?
I think not. I certainly hope not.
Barry’s dead – I don’t think that DC would really bring him back at this point. Few creators active today think of Barry as “their Flash” and Wally is universally accepted as having taken over the role.
Just don’t tell that to Alex Ross.
Jay’s in JSA – Jay Garrick is on the cover of the new JSA. He’s not there, he’s here.
And thank goodness for that. I can only handle so much upheaval in the fictional characters I read.
Um and that’s about it. I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before (though not when I predicted the return of Star Sapphire last Tuesday night as I wrote the column, only to have her return the next day!)
I honestly don’t care where Wally is, as long as a) he returns quickly b) he slaps Bart back into adolescence and c) his return is part of a good story.
Tim, where do you stand on Earth-2 and Wally’s return?
As I’ve said many times, I’m really not a fan of the multiple earths approach that DC used pre-Crisis and certain peeps have been trying to bring back ever since. With the exception of the Earth created in the Earth-2 OGN, (which was, as I love to remind people, Earth-1; the DCU we know and love was the Earth-2 in question in that story), the one where the CSA lived, I’ve never really seen any displaced characters (the JSA, the Freedom Fighters, etc) that I didn’t think worked just fine on our one Earth and thus needed another one simply to exist. And if we don’t need them, why create them?
Between the existence of our Earth, CSA Earth, and Elseworlds, I think DC has its bases nicely covered, storytelling wise. There does not seem, to me at least, to be a stone that cannot be overturned by those three categories. I’ve heard all the arguments why DC should drift back that way, but I remain largely unconvinced.
Also, it would be a nightmarish thing for continuity nuts. I feel like they are, more often than not, the folks who are most enamored of the multiple earth storytelling approach. However, consider how bent out of shape those continuity fans get with the slip-ups DC makes with one Earth. No consider the creators trying to stay accurate to the continuity of not one Earth, but three, six, or twelve because you just know DC is not going to stop at the creation of Earth-2, don’t you? It’s a nightmare, right?
As for Wally, I’d love to have him back yesterday, and then makes me feel like a bit of a hypocrite. I mean, I still today sort of feel like it was a mistake to bring Oliver Queen back because though I like the character it represented a regression in the DCU and another interesting character, Connor Hawke, got screwed because a wave of love for the past. That said, I’ve thought about it some and I’ve figured out a few reasons why this one does not sit the same with me as Hal’s crackup, Hal’s death, Ollie’s death, or Barry’s death, beyond me simply liking Wally (because, as documented, I also liked Hal and Ollie. Barry I never really knew).
Does anyone else remember when Wally West wore this costume (briefly)? Man I miss Wally, in whatever costume he wants to wear, really.
The first is the way Wally went out. It was no grand heroic moment, just one moment he was there and the next he was gone and Bart told us he was somewhere else now with his family. How the heck is that a proper sendoff for one of the biggest heroes in the DCU? Plus, given the Flash legacy of sacrifice that I feel like DC was trying to emulate with that moment, it becomes even less impressive. Barry, more or less, dissolved saving the world while Wally got bounced to a different time or place unsuccessfully trying to get rid of Superboy Prime. Weak, weak, weak.
The second is that eliminating Wally was a half measure and it felt like it. A big reason for Wally lacking a heroic moment is that DC is leaving themselves a blatant out if things don’t go well with Bart (which, if you didn’t know, they aren’t). People don’t like the move, here comes Wally again. Which is great for Wally fans, but lousy for those who want their comics to have some sort of weight. Look, bringing back heroes from death is not a problem in comics (see also: Hal Jordan, Oliver Queen) so you might as well make the death seem huge and heroic. If you are going in a new direction with the mantel, commit to it, at least story wise. People can sense wishy-washy-ness and it affects their enjoyment of the stories born out of it.
Which brings us to the stories that have come out of it, reason #3. So far, there has been nothing that has proved to the viewer that this move was necessary, or worse, interesting. DC, in essence, robbed fans of two characters they loved, Wally and Bart. Wally’s off doing something and Bart’s been replaced by some guy with the same name who is about ten years older and has a completely different personality. To make that kind of move, you best have a hell of a plan and a character to win over the skeptics. Flash: The Fastest Man has so far seemed to have neither.
R. Hardin’s question makes my head hurt
On the last panel (of the latest issue of the Flash), is it now being postulated that it was Bart (in Barry’s costume, remember) that we all saw “Flashing” back through time way back in Crisis On Infinite Earths? Further, would that also be Bart, and not Barry, that was the lightning that gave Barry the Flash powers in the first place, then? That’s kind of what I got out of it, but I dunno.
I didn’t read the page that way at all. I read it as Bart was returning to Earth as the new Flash and carrying the legacies of his predecessors with him. The scenes behind Bart are how the Barry, Jay and Wally “became” the Flash, and that moment is when Bart “became” the Flash.
At least that’s how I read it.
Tim, which run was worse; the final arc of the last Flash title or the first arc of the current Flash title?
Bart, messing up continuity all over the place.
Ouch. That’s like choosing which ugly baby is uglier. No fun for anyone.
But since you asked, I would have to give the bigger thumbs down for the way Wally’s title was closed out. It was an after thought that existed just to fill time. The first arc of Bart’s title, while no good, was at least trying to do something; trying to build a story. Even in failing, I find that far more respectable than a series of issues that were just marking time until Wally exit stage right.
R. Hardin mentions the “H” word
So, is that “Earth-2” (or “New Earth-2” I guess) that all the speedsters were on in the flashback? If not, what was it? If so, is this definitive proof that DC will ultimately never give up the idea of parallel universes/pocket universes/hypertime/alternate earths?
I certainly think it’s an Earth-2 of sorts. Ok, I think it’s certainly Earth-2. Justice League of America #0 has shown that there’s a parallel Earth in our future. It’s pretty much written in stone.
What I don’t get is your implied intolerance of parallel Earths. I love the idea of a parallel Earth where that Earth’s Mathan ends up with the love of his life and doesn’t cry himself to sleep every night is a Marvel Zombie and writes the Ultimate Marvel Handbook.
The whole reason for getting rid of the parallel Earths was that the continuity was confusing. But the current continuity is a lot less confusing so people shouldn’t have a problem dealing with one extra Earth. Plus Marvel seems to be doing fine and they’ve got tons of Earths and timelines.
I am for parallel Earths. Maybe on this alleged parallel Earth DC actually utilizes John Stewart! Nah, that’s probably asking too much.
Where do you stand on parallel Earths, Tim? Let me clarify before you take me literally like Vicki on Small Wonder and say something like “on Earth-2 I generally stand in doorways because Earth-2 has a terrible problem with Earth-2quakes”; how do you view the concept of parallel Earths?
Damn it, you know I’m a sucker for a Small Wonder reference.
Eh, here’s a pic of my girl robot anyway.
I’d reprogram her anytime (no, I have no idea what that means either).
Before I even answer your question, I have to object to everyone pointing to Justice League of America #1 and saying, “see”¦multiple earths are inevitable.” No, they aren’t. Metlzer has already said that he simply wrote those future stories based on stuff that interested him. Yes, apparently, a couple of them were cool enough to DC that we will see them in the future, but that does not guarantee Earth-2 is one of them.
That said, of course, Earth-2 is coming. I just don’t think Justice League #0 should be presented as evidence at this trial.
As for your question, parallel Earths are the same as multiple Earths to me. Sure, I love the idea that parallel Tim is out there with his long flowing mane of hair watching soccer while eating a pumpkin pie. However, I hate the idea of him showing up at my house one day wanting to team up for who knows what reason, especially when he is followed in the weeks and months to come by Nega-Tim, Tim III, and Thym.
For me, the parallel Earths are not problematic. The inevitable crossovers and team-ups that follow are. DC will almost certainly go crazy for them and, at first, people will think it is cool. But then, one day, ten or so years later, DC will wake up, slap their heads and realize, “Oh yeah, that’s why we had Crisis in the first place.”
If DC wanted to go ahead and do an Earth-2 line of books that existed on their won, akin to the Ultimate line, I’d be fine with that. If DC wanted to do alternate future/past stories that stayed on their own (see early Claremont X-Men on how to do that right, all X-Men after that to see how not to), great. Heck, even an Exiles-esque team, DCU style, would sit with me just fine.
But when it comes to Earths-1 through 12, I just don’t trust DC not to go too far.
R. Hardin is lost in the wonder that is Flash vision
Did I blink and miss some key still-unexplained points? So, when did Bart get older? Was he running for years and years? In IC #7, he said he was “the only one who could still run.” This was not the case in Flash #6 (at least it didn’t come up). What gives?
First things first; as a title Flash is not really well written, so let’s take that into consideration. I mean this column isn’t Shakespeare, but I’m also not getting paid to write it.
You don’t? Wow, now I feel even more guilty about pulling down six figures for editing your work.
I’m going to pretend that in IC #7, when Bart admits that it’s a long story he just cut some things out for the sake of clarity. What he would have said, he’d had the time was that “I was the only one who could still run the potentially fatal path back here with a clear conscience and nothing to lose. Obviously my grandpa’s dead so he couldn’t do it. And I’m pretty sure that Max is dead too, but not 100%. Anyway Wally’s completely whipped. I mean Linda’s got him running errands and changing diapers. You’d hardly believe he was the same guy who bagged Tina McGee. The poor guy had to ask permission to battle Superboy Prime and only got the ok when he promised to get home in time for How I Met Your Mother. As for that Earth’s Jay Garrick, he smelled like mothballs, and he didn’t really know how to get here. So rather than having to explain everything to him, I decided that I’d better make the trip. See, didn’t I tell you it was long story?”
At least that’s how I saw it going.
And I’m going to say that his aging came from absorbing the Speed Force in total. It took him a minute to adjust to all that power and in that minute the Speed Force manifested itself by aging him quickly. This would also explain why he’s apprehensive about tapping into it in the early issues of the current title.
Tim, got any theories on the topics at hand?
I refuse to even think about it. It all just ends in terrible, terrible migraines.
Juan Francisco Gutierrez Santiago
What do you think DC should do in order to improve their image as “women in the fridge” publishers? After reading some of your old columns and visiting some sites, I do believe there is kind of a tendency of “mistreating” the female characters. Of course, I know Marvel has something to say with their gay characters. But I’m mostly a DC reader so that doesn’t really bother me. In any case, do you think these tendencies to “mistreat” these ficional characters has something to do with the times, the culture or is just a coincidency not really important?
Very interesting question.
I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I’ll start by saying that I don’t think this is just a DC comics or even comic book issue. I think it’s an issue of the entertainment industry as a whole.
We live in a patriarchal society. As a result men are powerful and women are often cast as the damsels in distress. And I think that we’ve grown so accustomed to it that it barely registers. We’ve completely accepted the paradigm that men are powerful and women are victims. It’s the premise of most horror movies and probably accounts for more than half of the storylines on procedural dramas like the CSI’s and Law & Orders.
I think that a distinction also needs to be made about when a damsel in distress evolves into a woman in the fridge. I wasn’t reading comic books (or alive ) when Gwen Stacey was killed, but I don’t think that there were charges of misogyny. I don’t think that there was really an outcry when Iris Allen was killed by the Reverse Flash.
But I’m guessing that at some point be it people being desensitized to violence or the constant need to outdo the next guy, stakes were raised and things became more gruesome.
Thus we had Kyle finding Alex in a refrigerator and Black Mask becoming a sadistic torturer.
But the industry seems to reward it. After all in the latest issue of Wizard the magazine awards The Walking Dead’s The Governor as the Villain of the Year and then describes how the incident which put him over the top was his rape of a main character.
And on one hand Wizard is acknowledging the horror of rape. But on the other hand they’re kind of rewarding the character (and those involved with the book) for the act. Since I read this write up after I read the much talked about Occasional Superheroine blog, I’ll admit Wizard’s write up made me kind of queasy.
As a guy who’s close to the female members of his family, rape is something that I worry about. It’s not something that’s always on my mind, but it’s really one of my worst nightmares and something that I try to push to the back of my thoughts.
But we live in a society that demands bigger and better. I’m as guilty for buying into this as anyone. I’m a huge fan of Se7en and I’ll readily admit to having my curiosity piqued by Saw. It’s not an appetite that needs to be fed, but I occasionally find stuff like that entertaining.
The problem lies when there isn’t parity. In comic books you have women who general play roles that range from sex object to damsel in distress to potential victim, but there are few women who are actually fully realized three-dimensional heroes like their male counterparts (particularly on the DC side of things). And that disparity is what many find troubling. If there were more females in powerful roles I don’t think that the outrage would be present to the same degree. The company would certainly have a better defense.
How do I think DC should fix it? I think that DC should probably have a two pronged approach. First they should actively recruit more female creators. DC already looks outside of the industry for writers. Chris Gage, Tad Williams, Mark Verheiden and Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson are all professional writers from other mediums. Yet Denise Mina is the only female writer from outside the industry that DC has tapped, and she’s writing Vertigo’s Hellblazer.
Gail Simone has a huge following and I loved Devin Grayson’s work. DC should probably invite a few more females to write for the DCU.
I’d also probably give some female artists a chance to redesign some of the female characters costumes. We’ve all seen sketches of how popular artists would redesign iconic characters. I remember when Wizard did a piece on the an Ultimate DC, and a Queer Eye piece. But wouldn’t it make sense for female artists to have a shot at redesigning female characters? I mean I love Adam Hughes’ work as much as the next guy, but I’m sure that Amanda Connor would have a much better idea of what an All-Star Wonder Woman would wear.
And if DC did allow women to completely redesign their female characters costumes an entirely new ante would be raised. By doing that DC would effectively be saying “we might be a boy’s club, but we at least have the good sense to know when we’re out of our league.” To which Marvel would have to respond by having a gimmick month, which featured one issue of every title with nothing but female creators. It would be called “Woman’s Work.” And it’d be a huge success.
From there both of the Big Two would go crazy trying to secure female talent. All of the major exclusive deals would feature (newly) prominent female creators. Comics would suddenly become cool for girls and Wizard would launch a literal sister publication Witch.
Clearly I’ve gone on too long. What’s really funny is if I’d gotten this question a month ago the answer would have looked nothing like this. And if I’d gotten it two weeks from now it’d probably look equally different. But it didn’t, and this is what came out of me.
Tim, this is where you add your two cents.
Well, like you, that particular blog is weighing on the forefront of my mind and that is no doubt influential in how I feel about this question.
I like Mathan’s ideas a lot. The idea of recruiting more women for the Big Two is, I think, a huge necessity. Not necessarily because of what Mathan cites (women know women better and thus can draw them better) or those who question why more women aren’t working for the new Minx line (women know women so they write them better). I’ve never bought into that idea fully. However, I have always believed that one of the biggest cures for any sort of bigotry lies with exposure. Simply put, the more women in the workplace, the more men there are either forced to review there sexist views or those that don’t are marginalized. Sunlight, as they say, is the best disinfectant and more women in a traditionally “boys club-esque” environment equals more sunlight.
I think the suggestion of more redeeming, multifaceted female characters is sort of a no-brainer, but it still needs to be said for some reason, so there it is.
I know we all hate those “education” sessions we are forced to attend at work about being culturally sensitive, but sometimes they are necessary. Sometimes, there are people who are “accidentally” bigoted or sexist because of ignorance. They may not even be aware of how unacceptable their views are. The chances are slim, yes, but still worth it.
The sad fact though is that there is no miracle cure, no magic bullet, for this problem. It is going to be a hard slog, like turning back any kind of prejudices. My most cynical thoughts are that this generation of creators and administrators are largely set, be it positively or negatively. Their attitudes are set, they will not be changed. However, DC and Marvel has a chance with the next stock to make sure they hire people that are a.) diverse and b.) tolerant. It is then that we will see substantial changes. Until then”¦I don’t know.
But, like I said, that’s me being cynical today.
Since I’ve effectively sucked all of the fun out of the column we’re going to end it here.
But don’t worry, we’ll be back next week discussing diversity and the forecast seems to indicate that some GUNFIRE(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) is in our future.
You can email me or post your questions on our thread!
Before I go here’s my question to you; how do you think DC could improve it’s image in terms of treatment of female characters?
“I keep it a secret so my friends don’t peep it.”
