Batgirl #3

Series: Batgirl
Words: Gail Simone
Images: Adrian Syaf, Vincent Cifuentes
Issue Number: 3
Release Date: November 2011
Format: Comic

 

Batgirl 3 is amazing. We see more discussion of disability issues in terms of Babs. Especially in terms of her frustration with how everyone else is over protecting her. As a woman with a disability I can relate to that frustration. There are times when people step in too much, where there are things that I can do for myself and the people who love me try to take that control out of my life. Experiences like this are not unusual for people with disabilities. I like to see that reflected in Bab's recover. The more I read the less I am worried about Batgirl becoming an able-ist story that ignores the spinal cord injury or the impact that has had on Barbara's life.

 

A total side note.  Minor spoiler but has nothing to do with the actual plot or story line really. Barbara is no longer seeing her physical therapist. I am relived. Working in the disability field. Having a disability myself. Like I said in my last review that was a huge sticking point. There is no way a professional organization would support a physical therapist having a relationship with their client / patient. I am left very happy to see that relationship is over.

 

Nightwing shows up and Simone's writing of Nightwing is amazing. All the character traits that have my back up in the most recent Nightwing run suddenly are given a context. And one of the best parts? One while he still the rich play boy, he is also a human under that. Also, we see him within the rest of the D.C. world. We see a Nightwing that fits into the current D.C. universe that fits in with the existing Nightwing run. I am much more impressed with this over say the many, many, many different versions of Batman.

 

Batgirl is one of the better reads coming out of D.C. these days. If you are not reading it already well then you probably should.

Hatter M the Looking Glass Wars Vol. 1

Series: Hatter M the Looking Glass Wars
Words: Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier
Images: Ben Templesmith
Issue Number: Volume 1
Release Date: 2007
Format: Trade
After reading all these super hero comics Hatter M is a great pallet cleanser. It combines quite a few things that I adore. Alice in Wonderland. Twisting old stories to give them a new life and a new feel. Beddor feeds off of his version of Wonderland from his books the Looking Glass Wars and Seeing Redd. Like in that universe Wonderland exists and is powered by imagination. Princess Alyss flees Wonderland through a seemingly one sided portal connected to our world after her aunt Redd stages a coup killing her family. What we know of as the story Alice in Wonderland comes from Princess Alyss retelling her story to Carroll and him writing it down.

Unlike Beddor's young adult novels Alyss is not the main character. The main character is Hatter Madigan, royal bodyguard ordered by Alyss' mother to protect the princess. While in the portal he is separated from the Princess and the graphic novel explores his journey trying to find her. Of course along the way searching for Princess Alyss Hatter manages to save other children with powerful imaginations.

I enjoyed volume one of the graphic novel more then I did the book series that it came out of. The one difficulty an author runs into with me and Alice in Wonderland is that I have been an Alice in Wonderland fan since I was all of three. I have annotated versions, I have collected versions, I have versions with different artwork inside. I have seen movie adaptations. I have seen T.V. Adaptations. I have played the video game. For me Alice in Wonderland is serious business and the standards I hold things to are high. So when I first read Beddor's young adult novel it did not suck me in quite in the way I was hoping. I think that it is a story that translates well to a graphic novel format. I like that Bedder and Liz Cavalier used it as a chance to expand their universe and characters instead of just adapting the existing story.

It is a fairly dark fantasy graphic novel. Both in terms of the story and in terms of the art work. Most of the colours in the graphic novel are muted. There is a lot of greys and browns. The rare flashes of bright unmuted colours are shocking and they stand out. A butterfly here. A rainbow there. A shocking flash of red hair. Ben Templesmith's art jumps from being amazingly simple but effective to huge levels of details depending on what the story requires at any given point. While it is not art I would hang on my wall it does aid the telling of the story and setting the tone or mood of the graphic novel greatly.
I like that it is a graphic novel that in a few years I can share with my niece. I am always trying to find things to read and share with her as well. It is a story that I wont mind rereading a few times in the future.

Now that Beddor and Cavalier have the stage set and Hatter on his quest I am excited to read more. Luckily for me I just got vol. 2 and 3 as an early birthday gift!

Birds of Prey 2

Series: Birds of Prey
Words: Duane Swierczynski
Images: Jesus Saiz
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic
A month is a long time. The first issue of Birds of Prey left me disappointed. I wanted to make sure that I was actually giving Birds of Prey a chance. I was a little worried that my upset over the loss of Gail Simone writing for Birds of Prey was not totally colouring my experiences.

I am enjoying Birds of Prey a little more after issue two. Yes I am dragging my feet on this. I certainly like the addition to Katana. So I am guessing one part of that disappointment was a dislike change. You are not going to get the same Birds of Prey as you did with Simone but there may be enough there to make it worth giving it a shot.

The more I see the team come together and interact the more they are growing on me. This issue ends with Poison Ivy showing up. I am curious to see how Ivy fits into the team's dynamics. Tentatively keep your eye on this one if I keep warming up to it it  may make my suggested reading list.

On the bright side it is still a female fronted  lead with character who have the potential to develop. Jesus Saiz's involvement with Birds of Prey helps. I have liked a lot of the comics he has done artwork for previously. He worked on Birds of Prey at times pre-relaunch. He worked on Manhunter. He has worked on Zatanna. He has done a ton of work with writers who write strong female characters well. The hope that they actually will is what is keeping me reading for now. So my fingers are crossed.

Nightwing #2

Series: Nightwing
Words:  Kyle Higgins
Images: Eddy Barrows, J.P. Mayer, Paulo Siqueira
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: It reads December 2011 but we got it in October
Format: Single Issue comic

Nightwing is one of the comics we are pulling that I want to like. I am trying so very hard to like. It is a character I never had a ton invested in (outside of his time with Barbara Gordon). But he is a character that the mister includes on his top five.

I left the first issue feeling impressed that it was more character driven then action. After reading issue two? Well I would like to eat my hat. After such a strong start in issue two Nightwing promptly takes a tale spin downwards.

I will probably keep reading it because the mister will keep pulling it. I would probably be tempted to give up on it after this. Not fair since I am giving other runs a longer trial. But well I am emotionally invested in those characters or the potential they can bring to the D.C. universe.

So where in my opinion did it go wrong? This issue was pretty almost totally action based and to be honest I found the action dull. Dick / Nightwing reads like a bit of a Mary Sue at this point. His interactions with the other characters come across as very plastic and superficial. They failed to build on the strengths of issue one which was attention to detail and character development. Nightwing’s muscles did not really need to have muscles on them. He went from being attractive to … scary looking. And that is coming from a woman who lives with a guy who works out twice a day for an hour each time and lifts weights. One of the things I liked about the first issue is while Nightwing was the attention to detail in terms of exercise equipment in the loft.

At this point I would not suggest anyone invest too heavily in the D.C.'s relaunch of Nightwing. I will let you know if it improves. For those of you who left comments saying that you hope that the relaunch would mean less of the Play Boy Nightwing... well please just ignore this entire run. By the end of the second issue he's sleeping with a childhood friend from the circus on a plane in between action scenes. Yes that is right. Nightwing reads like the Transformers movies.

Aquaman #2

Series: Aquaman
Words: Geoff Johns
Images: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado 
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: It reads December 2011 but we got it in October
Format: Single Issue comic

If you have read the review of issue 1 of Aquaman you already know that this relaunch title is one that has impressed and surprised me. I walked into reading Aquaman with disgustingly low expectations and well it has blown those out of the water.
A little research has shown me that this is not the first time Johns has taken the laughing stock of D.C. and turned it into a serious character (the Flash). At this point it is seamless and by issue two the tension is already building. I am no longer picking up Aquaman expecting to mock the character the entire time. Johns has certainly demonstrated enough skill in these two issues that I will be keeping my eyes open for his works in the future. 
The story line itself? Reads like a very well written B movie at this point. I know that seems to go against everything I just said about Aquaman being more serious. But it builds off of the first issue. I am guessing that Johns is using that as a stepping stone into more serious territory.
This issue we see the Aquaman jokes continue. Only this time instead of laughing I found myself actually feeling his frustration.
One of the smartest moves Johns has made with his writing has been to write each issue so that they can be read as stand alones but still contain a story that builds on each other. You can pick up issue two of Aquaman and start reading right away. I have not seen a comic in the relaunch that has done this so effectively. Johns has done the best job so far of making me care about a new character I never have before. He also has done the best job of pacing so that new readers can pick up his series and just start reading. Each of the issues have given little emotional hooks that leave the reader caring about the lead character. So if you were thinking about picking up Aquaman but can’t find an issue one to start with? You can grab issue two and jump in right away.
I love Aquaman’s wife Mera. She is strong. She is powerful. She dislikes being called “Aquawoman” since her name is Mera. In issue two we see a little more of her. In a lot of senses she is presented as being his equal. Even if Johns was not making me fall in love with Aquaman I would probably still pick this up for Mera. I am looking forward to seeing much more of her and during this issue we actually saw signs she will develop as a character. 
One area I have not really discussed in terms of Aquaman is the art. I like how Ivan Reis and Joe Padro compliment the moods of the comic. It is bright and light during touching moments and when everything is fine. The colours darken as the tension builds. The detail in the essentially a horde of villains is amazing.

Blue Beetle 1 & 2

Series: Blue Beetle
Words: Tony Bedard
Images: G Guara, Ruv Jose, JP Mayer
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: It reads December 2011 but we got it in October
Format: Single Issue comic
I meant to read Blue Beetle right away. I was the person who threw it on our pull list for the DC New 52. The mister has taken to watching a lot of Batman Brave and the Bold and well the newest Blue Beetle sort of grew on me.

A little surprising because all the reasons why I hate Peter Parker (Spiderman) for some reason in the Blue Beetle are kind of endearing. He certainly fills an important niche in the universe. D.C. potentially can make him relatable to the highschool youth who is sort of excluded, not exactly popular and who wants to be a super hero.

I am glad that I waited until we had two issues to sit down and actually read Blue Beetle. Especially since very little is actually resolved by the end of the first story issue. Hell it spends most of the time giving the back story of the scarab that gives Blue Beetle his powers. My personal preference would have been to not have the back story behind the Scarab and the Reach just yet. I would have liked to get to know Jamie more. I want to care more about his life. In terms of pacing for the story I would have rather learned about the Reach and about the Scarab’s roots as Jamie himself learns of them. Preferably after I already care about both.

For those of you with tweens or teens you are trying to suck into comics so far Blue Beetle may be a great gateway comic for them.

As far as our pulls go? I am  not sure how long we will continue with it. Two issues in there has not been enough story for me to actually get into it. I will continue to give it a chance. It may slowly warm up into something great. I certainly will have my fingers crossed for that.

I like the use of Spanish mixed with English. As someone who does not speak or read Spanish it is a bit tricky to get used to but once I did I appreciated it. I have heard from a few others as far in as I am that they found it difficult to read partially because of that. I think it is more effective when the story is read in larger chunks.
I am pleased to see another hero of colour. Especially one that is so easily accessible to a wide range of youth. One of things that will keep me buying this comic is my desire to see a broader range of stories coming out of super hero comics. Don’t get me wrong I love me some Batman etc. and I think those stories are great and have a place too.

Essentially this comic has potential but I have not seen it live up to that potential yet so we will have to wait and see.

Wonder Woman #2

Series: Wonder Woman
Words: Brian Azzarello
Images: Cliff Chiang
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: It reads December 2011 but we got it in October
Format: Single Issue comic
This second issue has put to rest any of the few concerns I may have had after reading issue one of Wonder Woman (and there weren't really many). Issue two of Wonder Woman still reads like an episode of Xena. And this is still a good thing in my book. We are seeing a little more of Diana getting drawn into the conflict with the Olympian Gods. And I like how it is playing out.
There are a few shifts to the Wonder Woman’s back story. Stife / Eris states while held by Wonder Woman's lasso that they are sisters. Implying that either Zeus had a hand in Diana's creation. At times in the past (though usually in the cartoon movies) it has been implied that Hades lent a hand in Wonder Woman’s creation from clay. Of course this information comes from Strife/Eris and if anyone would be able to mislead while telling the truth it would probably be her.
I really like the mortal and human side kick that Wonder Woman is protecting from Hera. Or at least potentially protecting from Hera. There is this one little side conversation (that is not linked to the plot at all) where Hermes is trying to find out what form Zeus came to her as. And she very quickly and effectively shuts down Hermes’ slut shaming. It pleases me to see sexually expressive women showing up in comics in a way that does not feel like an exploited caricature. My hat goes off to the writing team for finding that balance.
The art is growing on me more and more it seems with every issue I read. I am really starting to adore Chiang’s work. Normally I follow the writers more then the artists but in the last few months I have started paying attention more to the people who create amazing art in comics. I have started watching out for the ones whose work elevate the story beyond just words. Chiang’s style really compliments the story well.
I love that his version of Wonder Woman is less cheese cake then I have seen in the past. She is still a beautiful dark haired Amazonian princess but there is a little more of a classic feel to the look.  
The design behind the Olympians is also very appealing. I cannot imagine it is easy to try and make something flat and two dimensional appear other worldly but still recognizable. Chiang with his use of size and colour has managed to seamlessly express that.
I hope the these two have a long run with Wonder Woman because I am loving what they are doing together.
Well worth picking up. Well worth reading. As a Wonder Woman fan girl I am very pleased with this version of her and looking forward to reading more. It is something that I would consider accessible enough to lend out to friends who are not as into Wonder Woman or D.C. as I am. Especially worth checking out if you enjoy stories that play with old myths or if you like the Greek / Roman gods.
If you know me flip through the first two issues next time you are over. Or borrow the trade when it comes out because this is one I look forward to buying again in Trade.

Walking Dead (a recap)

Series: The Walking Dead

Words: Robert Kirkman

Images: Tony More (at first) followed by Charlie Adlard

Issue Number: n/a

Release Date: n/a

Format: Trades

I wasn’t planning on reviewing The Walking Dead. I figure everyone and their dog has heard of it. Even if you have not read it yet. But this weekend I have been talking to a bunch of people about comics. Quite a few people I was ranting to had no idea what Walking Dead was. Other people were familiar with the show but had no idea it was based off of a comic.

Before I get into reviewing the comic itself I want to give people a few suggestions on timing for when you should read it.

If you have no idea what I am talking about.

If you have never read the comic or seen the T.V. show? First I would wonder what rock you have been living under over the last few years. If you like horror and you are interested in Zombies read or watch as soon as possible.

How you approach this depends on how you enjoy your media. Typically nothing measures up to reading for me. If you are like me I would suggest watching the show first and then reading the comic for the best experience. I started reading the comics before the show was announced and it has taken some effort for me to separate the two enough to actually enjoy the show.

If you have only been watching the TV show?

Wait. Very few people are able to read and enjoy the comic and watch the show at the same time. There are a lot of differences between the show and the comic but if you read ahead you will miss out on some of the dramatic tension the show is building. Since it is a honking long collection of comic books? You may want to buy the trades at the end of each season to catch yourself up with them while you are stuck during the break with no zombie fix.

Waiting though is hard.

We got Walking Dead last year. It was on the list of things the mister wanted for his birthday. Being a good geeky girlfriend I got him the large hard covers 1 to 6 (which had two trades worth in one). I think when he finished with them I read them all in all of a few days.

The art? Is great. I am not always fond of black and white comics. But with the Walking Dead it adds to the whole mood. The black, white and gray world that the survivors live in is very effective. I found that my mind was filling in the blanks while I read. Providing little details about colours itself and that made the characters far more relatable and people I got far more attached to. I cared more about the little boy who had dark hair that my brain had decided matched my cousin's or the woman with dark hair that clearly matched my coworkers.

At various times I have hated pretty much ever single character in the comic. Also? At various times I have felt for most of them and have rooted for them to survive or win or succeed in what they are trying to do.

The comic is much darker then the T.V. show to date. Much, much, much, much darker. Granted the author of the comic can probably push a few more boundaries then something on T.V.. It is probably one of the darkest graphic novels I have read. More often than not in the comic the biggest dangers come from other people. Sure the zombies are there. Sure they are a threat and they will eat people but most of the actual evil seems to come from other humans. With such a long running book there are a whole ton of different scenarios that the author explores from rape to suicide, murder to blood lust, PTSD to hope.  

I do caution you that in large doses I was finding myself overdosing on the Walking Dead. As much as I love zombies. As much as I love horror and humanity being evil and trying to survive in horrific situations?  There is so much of it that it does become quite a slog.

If you do not like zombies. If you are sick of zombies. If you just over dosed on zombies. Well then I would suggest staying away from this one. As much as I have enjoyed it The Walking Dead is a huge investment of time and potentially money. There are tons of issues out now and a bit of a back log to get through to catch up.

For those of you who want to catch up I would suggest buying either the trade paper backs or the hard covers that have two trades worth of comics in them. Jumping in with the monthly comic wouldn't give that connection to the characters that makes this such a good story.

Locke & Key

Series: Locke & Key
Words: Joe Hill
Images: Gabriel Rodriguez
Issue Number: 1-3
Release Date:
Format: Trade Paperback

 

I am a little late to the Locke & Key party since it started coming out in 2008. But it is a comic that is new to me.

A horror comic that starts out by naming issue one Welcome to Lovecraft gives itself some pretty big boots to fill. Luckily for Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez Locke & Key seems to be a hit. It has only just come to my attention that on top of writing Locke and Key Hill also writes books with out pictures. I may have to also pick up one of those.

If you like to read horror then Locke & Key is well worth checking out. If you like reading speculative fiction or weird fiction I would also suggest checking it out. I would describe Locke & Key as existing some where in the borders or those three groups. At times it verges on disturbing and a little on the violent side. There is some blending between that and an engaging supernatural story.

You get to watch the characters deal with both real life evil (the murder of their father) and trauma and then also deal with the supernatural evil (the thing that lives in the well house) and the just plain weird (the keys that change reality slightly). Following the murder of their father the kids move to their father’s childhood home in New England with their mother. Each character is imperfectly dealing with their father’s death, their own sense of survivor’s guilt and PTSD. They are all flawed, broken and just trying to keep it together.

By the end of the first trade I was hooked but I had a hard time thinking that the series would continue to live up to expectations. Three trades in and each one has impressed me more and more.

Well worth reading even if you do not usually go for graphic novels.

American Vampires

Series: American Vampires
Words: Scott Snyder & Stephen King
Images: Rafael Albuquerque
Issue Number: 1
Release Date:
Format: Trade Paperback
To be honest? I was expecting to not fall in love with this one. It takes a heck of an impressive vampire story to impress me. American Vampires is a great example of horror with a twist. I loved it. I can’t wait to read more. As a matter of fact I have already lent this trade out to try and suck more friends into reading it (and I have only owned it for a forty eight hours).
It starts out telling two stories side by side that intersect. You have a Western story with a vampire twist and then a more recent (but not present day) story about an aspiring actress who has dreams of making it big.
One of the things that impressed me most about the writing was how seamlessly the two authors worked together. I have not seen two very different authors bend so well since I read Good Omens by Gaiman and Prachett. Usually I can pick up on author changes even in trades. American Vampires was seamless.
I devoured this trade. I will be buying more. I will probably be picking up the rest of the trades next week because well I lack will power and self control and… it was good. What was good about it? American Vampires takes a traditional vampire story and gives it a twist.
It is a great story about the underdog who is fighting against establishment. Really is there any wonder it appealed to me?
And while the writers skirt the edges of creating MarySue like vampires in the female lead at least they give them enough weakness (both in the female leads compassion and caring for others and in terms of working in actual weaknesses) that well it actually seems to balance out.
I love the art. It is not as visually stunning as Batwoman but it does not have to be. The art compliments the story well. The level of detail was perfect.
By the end of the first trade I did not feel like I was reading mostly set up. By the end of what should have been the first comic I did not feel like I was reading mostly set up. What you get is a collection of self contained stories that continue to build on each other and overlap.
American Vampires is another great gate way comic for people who like graphic novels but shy away from the super heroes. If you love horror and you are not reading it you should be.

Sweet Tooth #1

Series: Sweet Tooth
Words: Jeff Lemire
Images: Jeff Lemire
Issue Number: 1
Release Date:
Format: Trade Paperback
This week has been stressful for me thus the lack of updates. Family stress. Life stress. Computer stress. So I indulged in a small amount of retail therapy. One being a new netbook. The other included a whole ton of trades. Sweet Tooth was an impulse buy based off of a random suggestion from the lovely person who works at our comic book store. She knew I was enjoying both new and old Animal Man and I essentially showed up and all but ordered her to help me drop over $100 dollars on graphic novels because I was having a bad day.
Essentially Sweet Tooth takes place in a post apocalyptic future. Most of the world becomes infected with some form of virus. Children born after that point are mutated with animal features. According to Wikipedia it can be considered Mad Max meets Bambi. While some what apt that description does not fully capture the hooks this story has gotten into me.
Most of the first trade sets up the story. I am really glad that I did not read it as a single issue comic. Because as I have established before. I am very impatient and dislike mostly set up.
The story is fairly simple for this trade at least. Future has gone to hell. Everyone is panicked. What is different is hunted down. Everyone is dying and humanity is horrible.
The main character (Gus, who has antlers) vaguely reminds me of a Prince Myshkin type character. A poor and good person thrown into a very corrupt world. For those of you not as obsessed with Russian Literature, that would be a Jesus type character.
In turn the side stories involve Jepperd who is a none mutated human who will likely soon be infected with the plague. I don’t want to give too much away about the story and at this stage talking about Jepperd and not giving anything away is tough. He is probably for all of his flaws one of my favourite characters. He is a probably once good man who has been corrupted by the world around him and is just trying to survive. I am hopeful to maybe see him continuing on with a side story in the next trade that explores more of people doing evil things not because they are horrible people but because they are making the best choice they can with the option they see available.
Personally I love this story. Not just the comic book but watching someone who is pure thrown into a very evil world and trying to navigate it.
It does get bonus points for being Canadian content. Hey do you think if I review enough Canadian comics I will get federal CRTC funding? Or a swanky Global review show (yes I am looking at you Reviews on the Run and Electric Playground)
If you are only into super heroes give this one a skip. But if you want to branch out from them. If you are looking for a cute End of Days story well then it may be worth checking out. Also, if you are a comic book fan who likes to stack their shelves with graphic novels to act as gateway comic this might be a decent buy. I will keep you posted on the next few trades at the very least.
I am certainly not going to wait until my next bad week to buy more.

Manhunter

Series:  Manhunter
Words: Marc Andreyko
Images: Jesus Saiz
Issue Number: 1-5
Release Date:
Format: Trade Paperback

I am a little late to the Manhunter party. And for those of you familiar with the Manhunter mythos I am talking about Kate Spenser. For those of you who aren't familiar with the name let me just say that the D.C. universe had more Manhunter's then it knew what to do with.

I want to get one thing out there. Manhunter is not perfect. I have read criticisms by others about both the character, her body type and the art work are not the step forward people present it as. Curled Up With a Good Book summarizes the criticisms well especially about how the main character is still overtly sexualized through out the series. And while I do agree with the reviewer from Curled Up With a Good Book that Manhunter is not a perfect feminist character, I do still think she is a step forward.  

Her costume is functional and while tight is not overtly sexualized in design. There are no short skirts, there are no boob windows. There are no painfully high heels. Beyond what she wears both Kate Spenser and Manhunter have actual depth to them and actual flaws that they develop and grow beyond. By day she’s a high powered prosecution attorney fed up defendants escaping justice on technicalities. She is driven. She is assertive. She is failing horribly to balance her life. She deals with the realistic pressures of trying to be a good mother and trying to be a professional working woman. And I like that she does not get everything perfect. There is this very fine balance between making a developed female character who is someone I can relate to and starting to break down and disempowering female characters. I felt that Marc Andreyko balanced her fairly well.

There is some great witty banter in the comic that directly pokes at some of the depictions of other women in the D.C. universe. Especially in terms of how impractical a lot of the female costumes can be for running and fighting.

Also it features back ground LGBTQ characters in a fairly positive (for the most part) and friendly way. Kate’s assistant while a little stereotypical (at points) and not as developed as Kate eventually ends up in a relationship with another D.C. character. I like that it is a happy, healthy and functional relationship. I like that some of the issues around family and their lack of understanding are touched on. It is by far one of the more realistic portrayals of a gay male relationship that I have read in comics.

This series was also my introduction really to the Department of Extranormal Operations. I am not entirely sure why but I adore the DEO. This is odd because I typically end up disliking the government organizations whose goal is to monitor, control and contain.  At times there is some great interactions between the department head Bones and Kate especially in terms of race. Bones (if it wasn’t for his skin and organs being translucent) would be a person of colour. Kate at times tries to use that to pressure Bones into helping her dig into areas that he has clearly ordered her to stay well away from. The play out of a liberal white woman essentially bullying someone of colour to get her way in terms of creating what she thinks should be social change for people of colour (and the consequences) are interesting. Personally I found it slightly reflective of second wave feminisms and some branches of feminism that have come out of that where feminists of power and feminists of privilege try to force their values inappropriately. Like most of the social issues touched on in Manhunter it is very briefly done and it is not perfectly executed but I am pleased to see these conversations start to appear. I am hopeful that we will continue to see more of them.

As a generic comic reader one of the biggest issues that I had with Manhunter was the pacing. In some cases I found that there were huge gaps of time in between the story lines of each trade paper back. During these gaps there are some pretty big shifts and changes. If you are going to pick up the trades keep that in mind going into the story. Manhunter was cancelled by DC in 2006 and issue 2) was supposed to be the end of her run. Due to fan pressure D.C. pushed that back to issue 30 (end of vol. 4). I get the impression that volume 5 of the graphic novel is mostly wrapping up a lot of extra loose ends. It is mostly a look at the characters in the distant future with her son’s graduation. While I was glad to have more things resolved I just felt that it was rushed. I am a little sad that we did not get to slowly explore the stories that got them to that point. However, I am pleased to see that Manhunter will be appearing in some of the post relaunch teams.

I found the strongest volumes to be the first trade and the fourth. I have to admit my love of the fourth may be how heavily it featured Wonder Woman and some outside D.C. storylines that I am familiar with. I probably would not suggest Manhunter as a D.C. starting point. While not essential having back ground knowledge of what is going on in the D.C. universe is helpful. Certainly to get the most out of Volume 4 I would suggest having already read Infinite Crisis

If you are familiar with D.C. and want some stronger female leads then I suggest Manhunter may be a good addition to your collection. Overall I will be keeping my eyes open for this author’s future works.

Batwoman

Series: Batwoman
Words: J.H. Williams & W. Haden Blackman
Images: J.H. Williams
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: In reality October 12, 2011  but our cover reads December
Format: Comic

As soon as I could I was tearing through the pages of Batwoman. The art in this comic continues to be amazing. For issue number two I think that art is even better then the stunning first issue. This is really unfair because it sets a very high standard for other artists. There is this blending of art styles and methods of drawing both characters and backgrounds that set a shifting and effective mood and tone for the comic. During one of the early fight scenes the image of x-rays is used to provide an illustration of how much physical damage is being done in a fight. And you do not have to just take my word for it Comic Book Resources had a preview of the comic (link here) that quite effectively show cases how amazing the art style is for story telling.

If you are a comic book fan you can also enjoy trying to find Warren Ellis' Desolation Jones in one of the panels. A great little Easter egg of sorts for longer term comic readers.

Stepping beyond the amazing art (which alone almost justifies buying this comic or buying Batwoman when it comes out in a trade) is this enjoyable story. It took a while for me to realize but most of this issue is filler and set up and getting the characters to where they need to be. I normally get very impatient with books or comics during these periods. I know I need this information for what comes next to make sense. But I don't want to wait. So usually I end up getting frustrated. Some how though the writers managed to slip me an issue filled with almost all set up and it was so enjoyable that I did not notice or mind. Instead of frustrated I am excited to find out where the story goes.

There is a little bit of relationship development between Batwoman and her side-kick. We get to see the first date with Kate Kane and her love interest Detective Sawyer. And as Detective Sawyer is upset that Batwoman interfered with her investigation in issue one I see foreshadowing for tension and conflict here. Issue two also marks the introduction of the Department of Extranormal Operations setting up all sorts of potential both good and bad. I've only recently become familiar with this department through the Green Lantern film and because it is also featured in Manhunter (which I am currently reading all of the trades of to review).

The only time I was taken out of the story was during an interaction between Batwoman and Batman where he cautions her that sidekicks have a tendency to die and come back as super villains. Being familiar with that back story in Batman's history it came across as a little flippant and a little out of character to me. But it did also get quite the chuckle out of me.

The only big concern I have with the story is the possibility of Batwoman joining Batman Inc. I am not sure if there is a way for that move to be spun with out her losing some of her strengths and some of her development. Currently Batwoman while within the Gotham / Batman universe was not trained by Bruce Wayne, she simply saw his costume and decided to take what she liked and operate on her own. At first her father was the person supporting her, helping with extra training and materials but at this point she has branched out on her own and is now training her own side kick.

The further into the story Batwoman goes the more difficult it is going to be to just pick up the latest issue and read. The story flows from one comic to another building on a foundation. I will update you when this story arch ends and the next starts. It they continue with the artwork and the great stories then this is going to be an amazing trade paperback / graphic novel to own.

If you were going to read just one of the D.C. new 52 in either graphic novel or comic formats this should be the one you get.

Batgirl #2

Series: Batgirl
Words: Gail Simone
Images: Adrian Syaf, Vincent Cifuentes
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: In reality October 12th but our cover reads December 2011
Format: Comic

With the first issue I had a whole ton of concerns about Batgirl. Especially in terms of Barbara Gordon's ability to walk again. I just read the second issue while the mister and I were driving to his parents place. Luckily he was the on actually driving. In terms of disability? I am a little more reassured at this point. I am still not happy about the lack of people with disabilities in DC but Gail Simone has not used the reboot to magically sweep it under the rug. There is mention of the character not physically being able to maintain stunts and fights because while her spinal injury has greatly improved her physical stamina is still lacking. I am slightly reassured by this. I am still sulking a little bit (I hate change) but I'm also really excited to read more.

PTSD and Babs also has not magically disappeared especially with lines like "He pointed that gun at me, just where the Joker tore up my spine three years ago and I froze... the gun triggered something I thought was long over" A fairly classic symptom of PTSD is experiencing either a flash back or a dissociation when presented with stimuli that resemble or remind of the traumatic incident.

 One of the few things that took me out of the story is Babs going on a date with her physical therapist. There is no way in heck this guy could have any sort of relationship with Babs and it be okay with his registration board. As an allied health professional who works in the disability field it gave me pause. If you do not work in the field well then it will probably be a none issue for you. In retrospect I can understand why Simone opted to approach a relationship with the physical therapist. It gives more chances for her to explore some of the back story of how Babs' got from a wheel chair to standing. Gregor's background means that some context. Comments can be made about how sometimes with spinal cord injuries the unexpected does happen but it is very rare making this a much more realistic process.

I am very pleased to see that the return of Batgirl has not meant we have lost the strengths she had as Oracle. Physically unable to take the villain down Babs has to resort to her brains. Her ability to research and her ability to make computers do magical and wonderful things that no one else in Gotham or the D.C. universe can do.

Simone also made some commentary on class and social inequality during this issue of Batgirl that really impressed me. Slipped into the story are little gems along the lines of "... The only cemetery in downtown Gotham that hasn't been demolished. Oh, they've tried. Real estate developers have made a multitude of heatbreaingly sincere please to disinter the occupants of this place. Because we need more shopping and parking, you see. But it turns out, rich people don't like the idea of their loved ones switching accommodations for a new frogurt boutique. And unlike poor people who feel that way... they have the juice to make it not happen. Even here, there is a class system in Gotham." I am pleased to see more and more comic book authors making sociopolitical commentary.

I am really enjoying the level of depth given to the characters in Batgirl. I do have to confess that this issue of Batgirl made me cry. wince and smile. I found myself sniffling at the villain's back story. I have to admit he is quickly becoming one of my recent favorites among villains.

Again the colours and art were impressive. I love how the dark grey of Gotham is broken up with flashes of purple, a bright blue, and green tones consistently though the entire issue. The physical design of women in this comic has continued to impress me. There are more realistically sized. Babs has actual muscle and tone. There were a lot of moments where some of the great character development could have been set back by sexualized depictions of character taking away from Simone's work of developing her. Luckily for the story, the experience and the reader the Ardian Syaf and Vincente Cifuentes masterfully and smoothly avoided doing so.

The comics seem to be going fast. Some people on twitter have started saying that stores are sold out. If you like interesting female leads with a varied supporting cast I would suggest checking out Batgirl.

Aquaman #1

Serise:  Aquaman

Words: Geoff Johns
Images:  Ivan Reis, Joe Prado

Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic

So the mister made me read aquaman. Don't get me wrong. I like my DC as you have seen. But Aquaman? My thought on him typically run along the lines of Hark A Vagrant's take on the character . I have never ever considered him a serious character. Ever. And my live in lovely has forced (bought and let) me watch almost every modern DC cartoon in all of ever (and most of the Marvel ones). So at his request I read Aquaman. When he first added it to the pull list I was planning on skipping it. But when the person who does all the garbage removal and recycling for the apartment asks you to do something it is in your best interests to listen. Thank goodness he can not cook or really he would have way too much power over me.

Aquaman was fun. It was hilarious. The author made fun of and played with my opinions on the character. There are some great moments like him trying to order did and chips and the entire restaurant freaking out. Or cops worrying about the teasing they will get for being saved by Aquaman. I found myself amused but also engaged way more then I was expecting.

 Somehow this incarnation of the Atlantian king became a relatable and interesting character. Some how Aquaman became an actual hero outside of water. And the true strength of the writing was I was so busy laughing at the comic making fun of both me and the character I did not notice how it was setting up for some potential serious business. There is of course only so long that joke can continue to be funny so hopefully in the following issues we will see more of the seriousness and a little less of the laughing at itself. But for a reintroduction a character who is mostly a joke it was perfect. The author is now set up to actually develop the character beyond being a joke. I have a decent amount of faith that the author will. With how it was eased into through the first issue impressed me. 

This comic is not for everyone. It is good but it is by no means a gateway comic. The biggest impact will be with people familiar with DC and with people who like reading hero comics but want something fresh. That being said it is one of the stronger reboots that I have read. It entertained, it amused, and most importantly it left me excited to read more about a character I had never cared about previously.

Grifter #1

Serise:  Grifter

Words: Nathan Edmonson
Images:  CAFI, Gorder
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic

Like I mentioned in my review of Voodoo I had written a review of Grifter when it first came out and just forgot that I hadn't uploaded it. Tragically right after I promised to upload it ASAP I managed to break my desk top computer and lost it.

So sorry for the delay but life happens.

Grifter was another one of those “well I may as well try it” adds to our recent pull. Grifter was far more science fiction then what I was used to from D.C. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If your sole reason for reading comics is because you like to read about SuperHeros doing SuperHeroicThings well then Grifter certainly is not for you.

Heck I am pretty open about none super hero comics and I was at first going to give it a skip. Then I read a summary of it and it seemed worth checking out.

However, if you like science fiction. If you enjoyed Falling Skies. If you liked the original miniseries of V. If you thought there were good ideas in Puppet Masters. If you liked Earth the Final Conflict. Then it very well may be worth checking out.

The Grifter seamlessly blends conspiracy theory with alien invasion in a way that was page turning instead of cheesy. Over all? It makes for a good set up for a potentially good series. It is well worth keeping your eye out for and if it continues on an upswing it will be well worth reading.

At this point there is not too much for me to rant about in terms of deconstructing. But with science fiction that usually ends up slowly coming. The art while not as mind blowingly amazing as Batwoman is good. And in the artist's defense the same style of art probably wouldn't transfer over quite as well. It complimented the story very well and is probably above average in general. I was not taken out of the story because of little cheats like everyone having the same facial expressions. One of the biggest strengths in the art work is the designs behind the alien creatures (as of yet unidentifiied) when they are not passing themselves off as human. Rather then giving the reader too many visual details the alien's themselves are mostly see through and that works. It works really, really well.

As a comic. To be honest? I wouldn't suggest the average person buy it in single issues unless you have the patience of a saint. This has all the makings of a great graphic novel and I think it will read much better when you can get larger chunks of the story. Walking away from the first issue I was left wanting more but I am very impatient and with stories like this far too often I want to read it all in one big sitting.

Voodoo #1

Series: Voodoo
Words: Ron Marz
Images: Sami Basri
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic


I was planning on doing an update on this comic last week. It was one of the first ones I meant to read of our pull. I was the one who insisted we get it and mister boyfriendface wasn't overly sold on it. Somehow though it ended up hidden away almost immediately and I've only just got a chance to enjoy it.


He did very kindly suggest that I read the comic that I wanted us to buy because it was “pretty good”.


So I'm writing this as I read for a change. And I'm sort of glad. Apparently the main character Voodoo is a stripper. I have all sorts of worries about this. The main character is certainly hyper sexualized in the art on the first panel. She after all is crawling around on a stripper floor in very little.


The male investigator watching Voodoo is sorta a dog. He's very unlikeable so far. He doesn't hide the fact that he's enjoying watching women take off their clothing for a steakout.


His partner though is another story. She's pretty kickass. She also doesn't seem to like him much which makes her so easy for me to identify with. Despite my total inability to beat a crowd of angry young men who threaten me with my fists.


Half way through the comic the writer puts some of my fears at ease. One of the women while trying to find a replacement for her baby sitter out of the other strippers announces “Look around it's single moms, kids trying to afford community college or just pay the rent.”


And the page by page update ends here because holy my goodness it really did redeem itself in a big way. We've got ourselves a shape changing cliff hanger giving potentially mind blowing goodness. It vaguely reminds me of the Grifter whose review I apparently forgot to upload here (coming soon). Looking into the history of both characters apparently this is because they are two slices in the same story. The alien's in Grifter are the same alien's in Voodoo. Only Grifter was written from the point of view of a human alone who was fighting against an alien invasion. Voodoo seems to be a monster / alien / some creature trying to pass itself off as human for who knows what reason and trying to use hyper femininity as a guise to collect information. I see all sorts of not only cross over potential but complimentary story lines showing the same story from several different points of view which excites me.


The use of a hyper sexualized female lead is totally explained within the context of the story and it shifts. So far one of the few comic's I have read where the author has gone out of the way to give a context behind why the female main character is an extreme of hyper femininity and overly sexualized. And my feminist self bought the explanation and is looking forward to reading more. Of course when I see an author doing that it means I look them up . This time that was not much of a help. To be honest I'm not familiar with pretty much any of his works. I have no idea if they are just as amazing or if they are able to balance women in comics in a way that does not fill me with rage. I am in love with what I have seen so far with Voodoo and I hope it lives up to potential I have seen in issue number 1.


Voodoo is not traditional D.C. not by any means. I would heavily suggest it for anyone who likes science fiction. Who enjoys alien invasions and is interested into expanding into comics. Or if you just want something different. It is well worth picking up in single issues and I will get back to you as the story progresses if I would also suggest it in trade version. Because I'm pretty sure I'll also be buying that.

Justice League Dark #1

Series: Justice League Dark
Words: Peter Milligan
Images: Mikel Janin
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic



Now this was one my additions to our pull box. I was curious. I like Zatanna. I wanted to read more with her in. That was pretty much my total motivation. I have not read much else by Milligan (though I have been meaning to read Tank Girl since the mid 90s) and Janin was not ringing any bells.


From page one it is pretty melodramatic. The comic opens with “My name is Madame Xanadu I have looked into the future. The future looked right back at me and told me to mind my own business. But I saw enough, enough to know that we are entering time of terrible danger....” And really that does set something of a tone through out the rest of the comic. It is a big giant dramatic magical feature.


We are introduced to each team member via their representation in her deck again on the very first page.


The first team member we actually meet is Shade. I'm not very familiar with Shade but so far my impression of him is he's vaguely creeptastic. Though my research into the back ground of the character shows that he's been used (sometimes even by this author) to explore some really interesting topics. Essentially this incarnation of Shade uses his Madness Vest (a magical vest that will warp reality to his will) to create a woman who will actually love him. Creepy. Of course when she threatens to leave him his magical vests sucks her back out of existence. Extra creepy.


We only get a small peek at Enchantress. Currently withered and haggard and more mad then well Shade.


We do get to see some of the generic Justice League trying to go up against magic of Enchantress and failing. It was sorta fantastic to see the Justice League not be good at something for a change.


Even better was seeing Zatana stand up to Batman and inform him he was out of his league. I like that she stood up to Batman. I like that she restrained him. I like that she told him off. I'm not overly sure I like that she views herself as expendable and he's not.


Instead of dragging Batman along she brings along John Constitine. Squee! Totally missed that addition and I'm very excited to read more with him.


The final team member to show up is Deadman though he barely gets a nod. Just a page and no witty banter.


As a whole I enjoyed it. The comic started strong. It sorta fell into a bit of a lull and then picked back up. I have high hopes though that Justice League Dark will hit it's stride and continue to get better and better.


I wouldn't suggest this for someone who is heavy into super heroes exclusively. However, if you like urban fantasy. If you enjoyed things from Vertigo or Wildstorm that verged on the supernatural. Then this might just be the comic for you.


Hell my heavy superhero mister who apparently doesn't enjoy fantasy (I had to lie about the dragons to get him to watch Game of Thrones) even says it was “pretty good”.


What I didn't like? The art is mediocre but has potential for improvement. There were a few panels that were good but over all it was very... okay-ish. I dislike Zatanna's costume. Though the entire internet has already exploded about that. If you missed that geeky internet explosion she now wears leather pants, a PVC bodice and fish nets on her arms instead of some variation of a magician costume. I know, I know the magician costume Zatanna was usually hyper sexualized so I should be happy. I'm not. The arm fishnets just look stupid. The corset isn't all that great either. And her shiny pants don't translate well into drawn format.


And so far in terms of physical character design it's leaned heavily towards big giant absurd beef cakes for males and pouty lipped big breasted women in low cuts for women. I actually stopped reading to count Superman's abs because they seemed inhuman. Batman, Wonderwoman and Superman didn't fit with any of the reboot incarnation's that I have read so far. The lack of consistency is starting to well... annoy me. What is the point in rebooting the universe if you are just going to set up the need for another reboot in 10 years?


I will be pulling the next one. Though unless the story improves drastically I wont be buying the trades when they come out.

Wonder Woman #1

Series: Wonder Woman
Words: Brian Azzarello
Images: Cliff Chiang
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic



I have been avoiding reading Wonder Woman out of fear of crushing disappointment. I adore Wonder Woman. At least most of the time and with most writers. She also sometimes fills me with huge amounts of rage. Since my reactions to the DC new 52 and women seems so far to be very hit and miss and very ... well love it or hate it I was a little scared of reading this one.


So I opened up a bottle of wine and I slowly worked my way through the pages. There was also emergency chocolate and olives near by just in case it was that bad.


Over all? I liked it.


What a huge weight off of my shoulders. It was not horrible!


Honestly? The story read like an episode of Xena (which isn't a bad thing in my book). It was cheesy and campy and fun. It is involving a lot more Olympians then a lot of what I was reading of her before. I like the return to the mythical roots. But then I've always had a weak spot for mythology and campy dark haired warrior women. Especially when they rescue cute blond women (See... totally an episode of Xena)! I'm actually looking forward to reading more.


The story itself features a new character. A mortal woman named Zola. Who in a great nod to myth is carrying the product of one of Zeus' marital indiscretions. Apparently Hera was not happy (again). And things are heating up with the Olympians and some of the other children. Honestly if it was not steeped in myth I was be a little put out by the story. But it does read like a modern update to Greek and Roman mythology. And well lets face it Zeus never did learn in the old myths.


I was pleased with the front cover of issue one. It seemed to be a blending of modern comic style with something more historic. Very iconic and very almost I want to say pop art. Though I'm sure my graphic design friends will correct me later.


The costume has switched back to a more traditional Wonder Woman costume. Which I was a little disappointed by. I was one of the few people who seemed to like the new Wonder Woman costume. While I understand it was less iconic it was certainly a little more realistic. I have no idea how she manages to keep that costume on. I swear in addition to a lasso of truth she has magic costume holding on tape.


Women in wonder woman is something I've always been interested in. She's been one of the most slowly developed characters in the D.C. universe in some ways. She's frequently regressed. In terms of Wonder Woman's actual character development? There isn't enough story yet for me to get a sense of where they are going to go with her development.


In terms of how women in general have been handled in the comic? Certainly the villain seems to view women as expendable. Though it was explained within a Greek/Roman context of tapping into the three fates.

I am amused that there was this minor comic blog explosion over the Batwoman change scene (not mentioned in my review because honestly it didn't register as anything untoward on my several readings). But in the week or so since Wonder Woman has come out I haven't seen people up in arms over the bed room sleeping scene.


One part of me did a little geek dance to find that the hot amazon slept nakedly and I got to see some drawn leg. The other part of me wondered about what that actually added to the plot?


I would not suggest running out and buying the first issue. I would however suggest adding it to a trade paper back list when it comes out that far.

Nightwing #1

Series: Nightwing
Words: Kyle Higgins
Images: Eddy Barrows, J.P. Mayer
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic

After the crushing disappointment of Birds of Prey. I decided to opt out of reading Wonder Woman (one of my favourite female super heroes) to read Nightwing. I'm less invested in Nightwing and I'm less likely to freak out over issues of representation and regressions of female characters (hopefully). Now that I have said that I am going to curl up on the sofa with a tasty drink and devour Nightwing.

And oh my goodness my pallet has been cleansed.

Once again Gotham is all shaded details and harsh lines. It is a very good look on Gotham.

In the first issue of Nightwing we get to see Dick Grayson faced with his old troupe coming back to town. You find out enough back details about his family, his parent's death, his time in the circus and his later adoption by Bruce Wayne / Batman to discover enough of his back story that a new comer would not feel totally lost.

There are small details I noticed that were great. Grayson's apartment? Had weights in it. Like he magically wasn't cut the way he was. I liked that attention to detail and that practical reality put into the background of a comic.

Unlike Birds of Prey the nod to Babs made me smirk. For those of you new to the D.C. world it's a little in joke you may have missed. Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon have a huge history a mile wild. They are on again and off again as quickly as either one changes authors.

So when Dick Grayson makes the comment he's always had a weakness for red heads... I did have to giggle quite a bit.



Unlike most of the others I've read in the relaunch this issue was less action and more direct character development. And I loved it. If you like the Gotham universe or you like Batman or you like the thought of Batman's slightly more human son as a super hero well this is the comic for you.



If you aren't interested in Gotham or the Batman universe well then maybe check it out because it is fairly well drawn (nothing as heart stopping as Batwoman but still good work mister art person) and the writing so far is top notch. I have a sneaky feeling it would make a great gateway comic for people who have already been exposed to graphic novels and feel like testing the water.

There certainly is potential for the story line to get me up in arms. Especially in terms the main character's relationship with women. But I'm willing to at least give this one a shot.

Birds of Prey #1

Series: Birds of Prey
Words: Gail Simone Duan Swierczynski
Images: Jesus Saiz
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic



Okay so Birds of Prey is one of the few Gotham settings influenced by the reboot. This arbitrary nature of the reboot is getting to me. Heck! Even Batgirl spent her time in a wheel chair!



Instead D.C. just totally erased all the lovely character development that Gail Simone did with some of these characters. And there really was some mind blowingly good stuff in her run or Bedard's run or McKeever's run.

So that you have a context for my sheer fanrage. Birds of Prey pre-relaunch was founded by Oracle. I understand that Babs is no longer free to be in charge of the Birds. What with her sudden move back to Gotham from Metropolis following her sudden ability to use her legs again. I'm not happy but I can live with it.

Essentially her next in command would have been Black Canary. Canary was the second member of Birds of Prey. Through the pre-relaunch version you watch her come to terms with a horrific assault that left her feeling completely powerless. Watch while during her drive to never be that powerless again she almost loses herself totally. See her rediscover her sense of connection to the world in the form of a child she shelters from being the next Lady Shiva. And have her come full circle and semi retire from the hero field in order to avoid making her mother's mistakes. Of course like all good super heros she eventually is drawn back into the Justice League.

So when I saw Black Canary on the cover with what I have seen from the rest of the Gotham based comics in the relaunch. I was expecting that Babs decided to step away from Birds of Prey (understandable given that she was attracting them a lot of negative attention and potential take overs). Handed over control to Black Canary and vola it can now grow and develop even more with out Oracle or Babs.

Imagine my surprise when I open up the only Gotham based comic that was actually rebooted.

“And as much as I would like to believe there's a some covert ops team run by a bunch of super criminal hotties... I still need this teeny little thing journalists call facts.” My hopes were dashed by page two when I read that line. Still I soldered ahead like only someone who was emotionally invested could.

And I got my “facts”.

There was no handing off of Birds of Prey. The new reboot totally ignores Babs' involvement. Instead in this version they are started by a criminal Black Canary. Who then recruits other criminals. And yes they are super hotties. Corsets and boob shots and all. There is a great little side story into the reporter trying to track down Canary and her team. Where you watch them at a bar acting like hottie little bar stars getting wasted.

So yes they devolved some of the best developed women in the D.C. universe.

There was an attempted nod to the old Birds of Prey series. There was an interaction where Black Canary tried to recruit Babs. into the team. There is some brilliantly painful and ableist interactions between the two:

Babs: Dinah lance as I live and breath.
Black Canary: Good to see you, Barbara living, breathing and walking.

The interaction is brief and to the point and totally awkward. Not what I would expect for two characters who were supposedly very, very, very close friends.

Over all it was a total disappointment.

In order to ease my fears that I was too invested in the creator and the original writer. I had my boyfriend read the comic. Thankfully he still loves me after I stopped cooking to follow him with kitchen stuff tapping him with them until he broke down and read the comic. I am a lucky lady that this man puts up with me, I know.

Of course he watches Survivor and has a Grease mashup in the car and I still love him.

So I figure we're pretty much even.

Anyways back to my point. Even he was disappointed with the Birds of Prey reboot.

My advice is maybe buy the first few issues. If you dislike those then don't bother with the trades at all. If you read and liked Suicide Squad this is probably right up your ally and by all means go crazy with it.

Batwoman #1

Series: Batwoman
Words: J.H. Williams & W. Haden Blackman
Images: J.H. Williams
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic

One of the things that sets Batwoman ahead of the rest of the comics out there is the art. If this was a story just told via pictures I would still buy this comic every month and would still buy the trade paper back of it just to see the artwork inside it. J.H Williams is an amazing artist, I heavily suggest having a peek through his website especially the link to his flicker.

Of course the comic also does have words and a story. Luckily the artist is also one of the writers. The art and the story blend together so seamlessly. I loved how the artist makes style differences depending on if he's drawing Batwoman or her alter ego Kate Kane. It really stresses the personality shifts the character goes through when she puts on the mask and goes out.

One of the things that I like a lot about the modern Batwoman as a character is the blending of the supernatural with superheros. I was glad to see this trend continue with the relaunch. It makes for an interesting and refreshing twist on an old style superhero story for the supernatural to make up the primary focus of the villains of a very logical detective style hero with no actual powers. It ends up reading for me more like an urban fantasy that occasionally features Batman and company instead of a more hardcore super hero comic.

Issue one of Batwoman gives snippits of what happened in the pre-relaunch run Batwoman had with Detective Comics. I also adored that book so I am glad to see it still fits within the entire universe. I was sorta bemused that they just decided to ignore the relaunch and keep on going from where they were. But then again if it is not broken why fix it?

I first discovered the Batwoman character when friends of mine started demanding I read about the gay Batwoman who dates police officers. And that was their big hook for me to read the comic. Honestly it sorta worked. When Batwoman started appearing as a lesbian character there were mixed feelings about it some groups were worried it was less about diversity and more about hypersexualizing lesbians to fit into straight male fantasies (see here ). Of course it has also won some awards for having a lesbian character from

For the most part I like how the authors handle Batwoman's sexuality. It's there but it's not hyper sexualized for public consumption. I am hopeful with a little time she will shift from being the LESBIAN character into being a character who is lesbian. Yes there is a difference. As she develops and grows as a character (and she is showing potential signs that she will) then her sexuality will just become one part of who she is rather then how she is defined totally by the people consuming the comics.

I also like that Batwoman was the character chosen to have her back story slightly altered to make her LBTQ. For those of you who do not know Batwoman's history the character was introduced because people thought that Batman was gay. So way back in the day DC introduces Batwoman to act as a love interest and ease those fears.
Now she's the poster girl gay character.

And yes this amuses me endlessly. A character introduced out of homophobia is now the D.C. poster girl for queer inclusion.

I heavily suggest checking out issue one if you can still find a copy since they have already had to go into reprints of it. Otherwise wait for the reprint and have a gander at it if you can. Or if you have far more will power than I do well certainly buy this as a trade paperback.

Suicide Squad #1

Series: Suicide Squad
Words: Adam Glass
Images: Federico Dallocchio & Ransom Getty
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic

I wanted to like Suicide Squad. I tried really hard to like it. Honest readers I did. I've recently started to really enjoy Deadshot as a character. I love to hate Amanda Waller. I don't have much emotional investment in the rest of the team but I do enjoy reading about teams (I have discovered) and that has sucked me into caring about some of the strangest minor characters in the past (I'm looking at you Catman).

Even with lowered expectations (I had advanced warning that other people were disappointed). Even with a desire to actually like the series. I was a fair bit disappointed with Suicide Squad. I am not going to be pulling issue two.

Now I will give them some credit they did do some things very well. The art work is sound even if I didn't like some of the actual physical character designs.

The comic is an effective prequel to the Suicide Squad that sets up the rest of the serise well. You don't need any prior knowledge of the team or of the Squad to be able to pick up this issue and follow it. The entire comic takes place hopping between a flashback back story of each individual member's arrest and their later incarceration in Belle Reve Penitentiary and their recruitment from there to the suicide squad. I found that set up for the team very, very, very well done.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough to salvage the comic for me.

I was left disappointed. I didn't like how Deadshot was characterized. Deadshot should not have a weakness that is easily exploited. Part of the fun of Deadshot is he is almost seems to have antisocial personality disorder at times and yet ends up almost always doing the right thing for one reason or another. He's a slightly more sane and slightly less abrasive Deadpool.

I was annoyed at the redesign of Harley Quinn's costume. I actually had a flash back to when a teenage ex of mine tried to get me to watch / read Heavy Metal with him.

I was very annoyed at how much weight Amanda Waller seems to have magically lost. It's an issue I've been having ever since I saw the Green Lantern movie. When she finally appears late in the Suicide Squad story you could fill the hollows in her cheeks with soup and eat a full meal. The woman is skin and bones (and tits). Amanda Waller should not look like she is in desperate need for a sandwich. She is a solidly built power house of a woman both physically, socially and politically. She was also one of the few women of colour in comics who didn't fit the “thin” ideal and yet was some how a huge force. And while I love to hate the character in general because of her approaches.

Ideal if you are a teenager. Ideal if you want to oggle some pretty comic boobs. Ideal if you want something fairly light to read.

But not the Suicide Squad I wanted to read.

So in the end. Issue two is not being purchased and I will cross my fingers for the return of Secret Six.

Justice League International v.s. Justice League International

On the weekend the most magical of things happened. A friend of mine phoned and he was having to pass his comic book collection on to loving new homes. We greatly relocated 100+ of his comics into our apartment. There was a large supply of old school Silver Age Wonder Woman for me (these will show up later), piles of strong female characters popping up through D.C. and since he'd been trying to sell me on it Justice League International  from the 1980s run. Thus thanks to my friends great generosity I bring you a battle of the ages. 1987 Justice League dukes it out against 2011 Justice League reboot.

Series:	Justice League International	Justice League International
Words:	Dan Jurgens	Keith Griffen and J.M DeMatteis
Images:	Aaron Lopez	Willingham
Issue Number:	1	1
Release Date:	In reality September 2011 but the cover reads November 2011	1987
Format	Comic	Comic

The Art

I have no huge complaints about either versions art work. They are both very different but also enjoyable. To steal the wording of the friend who donated us the many comics the relaunch is very photoshop pretty. It is certainly sharper and clearer artwork. However, I don't think through the course of time the relaunch will hold up as anything exceptional.

1980s JLI's art is some what simplistic but holds up well. It would be passable artwork in a modern day comic. So when you consider that it is twenty four years old and can still hold a candle against modern comics? I have to admit I am impressed.

One of the most significant artwork differences I noticed was in how the female characters were drawn.

DC's 1980s Black Canary

Cover of JLI 2011

Putting aside how amazingly 1980's her costume is. Which is really difficult because holy my goodness that is quite the 1980s costume. I'm baffled by how much physical female character (and costume) design has changed.

The reboot female character's show much more skin, have skin tight costumes and some how their boob sizes seem to be growing exponentially. I will give the DC artists credit. Their female characters often still manage to have muscles and abs that would make most men I know stew with envy fitting of someone who is as physically active as they are. It does leave me wondering what that says about how comic books as a sub-group and society views women. If you are interested in BMI and body types in comics I suggest Comparative Sex-Specific Body Mass Index in the Marvel Universe and the "Real" World one day if I have enough free time I would love to do something similar for the DC world to see how the two hold up against each other.

Winner: 1987 JLI.


The Line Up
 

JLI 1987		JLI 2011
Character	Country of Origin	Character	Country of Origin
Booster Gold	American	Booster Gold	Future America
Batman	American	Tora Olafsdotter – Ice	Norway
Martian Manhunter	Martian	Mari Jiwe McCabe – Vixen	Zambesi (fictional African country)
Dr. Fate	American	Beatriz Bonilla Da Costa -- Fire	Brazil
Black Canary	American	Gavril Ivanovich – Rocket Red	Russian
Guy Gardner	American	Zhifu Fang – August General in Iron	China
Mister Miracle	New Genesis (alien planet)	Guy Garner	American

Winner:  Since it has actual international members outside of aliens? JLI 2011. Though it still has a heavy American bias (especially with the support cast of Batman) and I'm sad to see the lack of a Canadian hero! 

The Actual Story
I have some huge issues with JLI's 1987 story line. A part of those issues probably come out of reading it outside of the time frame it came in. Within the first few pages of the issue there are jokes cracked about low IQs, promptly followed by jokes about soliciting services of a Geisha in Japan, promptly followed by the sexual harassment of Black Canary by one of her team members, promptly followed by gay jokes. These not only age the comic but make it more difficult for modern readers to relate to it.

It also does have some strengths. Black Canary's dealing of the sexual harassment is great. She effectively and quickly shuts down Booster Gold in the span of one panel. It is nice to see a female character do that. The writer also gets huge bonus points for having mentions of StarTrek within the first few pages. My inner Trekkie squealed right away. When the dialogue wasn't pressing my buttons some of it was rather witty and the story line does overall evolve into one that could be taken as a story about other-ing.

Since this issue came out more then 20 years ago I'm not going worry too much about spoilers. But consider this your warning.

There is a very great but very tiny back and forth between the Martian Manhunter J'onn Jonzz and Dr. Fate. When J'onn calls Dr. Fate's disconnection from the awe of new experiences into question as a sign of a lack of humanity Dr. Fate dismisses J'onn as not being human enough. Of course then the othered J'onn ends up being the hero of the issue. As the rest of his team and the civilians around them are taken over by a mind controlling cell J'onn's martian anatomy leaves him resistant to it.

Later he is attacked for his difference and his resistance to the mind control. Over all it was a good story that mostly holds up but a lot of the subtle -ism's contained within the context give me pause.

JLI 2011 on the other hand was much less of a stand alone story. It is in no way self contained and that gives it some major negative points. There were fewer moments of me being horribly offended by it. On the whole it was a good show case of the characters that are joining JLI. It was a great introduction but it felt much more like a prequel then anything else. I also found myself having flash backs to Marvel's avengers. Especially since they are now a UN controlled team. There was some great starts to stories around loss of faith in government. Dissatisfaction with the appropriation of public spaces. And some mention of tensions between different group members but the issue was just too short to flesh anything out. 

Winner: JLI 1987 because it actually did have an entirely self contained story. I think with more relaunch issues they have the potential to go beyond what was done in 1987.


Overall
 Overall 1987 wins for now. With a few more issues of JLI 2011 I may revise my views on the story.

Considering I pretty much avoided the Justice League outside of their cartoon the fact that I am planning on now working my way through both quite actively does have to say something.  

Batgirl #1

Series: Batgirl
Words: Gail Simone
Images: Adrian Syaf, Vincent Cifuentes
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: In reality September 7th but our cover reads November 2011
Format: Comic



Seconds after finishing the Action Comic post my will power crumbled and I tore through Batgirl in moments. Ever since DC announced that Batgirl would be in the relaunch and they were relaunching Barbra Gordon I have had some huge reservations.

For those of you who have not been cornered by me in person or ranted at online let me give you some context to these reservations. Babs. is by far one of my favourite heroines in either universe for many reasons:

1. She starts out as a side kick and actually grows and develops into a hero in her own right. That is right a female character who starts out as a side kick turns into an actual developed character that goes through hardship and grows beyond her side kick role.  No refrigerator's for that girl!

2. She's disabled. I am rarely a fan of how most of the top two handle disability. It is usually portrayed as a temporary plot device that is quickly overcome either with new powers, magically overcome, end in retirement or just totally forgotten. Babs was the exception to that rule. As Batgirl she's shot in the spine and eventually becomes Oracle. From a wheel chair she kicks some serious ass both physically and mentally. Add to point one and my love of the character may start to make sense.

3. And a part of what Oracle does pre-reboot is she gathers together a group of female hero's who work under her. From side kick to hero to group founder and leader. Rebooting the character seemed like a regression that took away a large portion of her growth and development.

4. I did not want Gail Simone to stop writing Birds of Prey. While I will give the new writer and the new line up a chance I will always have a soft spot for that series under Simone. Oh dear, maybe I do really hate change.

If it had been handed to any other writer I would have been up in arms. But I trust Gail Simone. As a girl I grew up in a house with a comic book collector for a father. When I stumbled upon Women in Refrigerator's all of a sudden I had a way of framing some of my own issues with the comic industry. When I branched back into hero comics I devoured her works. I love her writing style and how she seamlessly manages to blend concepts of oppression and privilege into engaging story lines that I can relate to. It was a very smart move on D.C.'s part.

So going into it with a love of the character, a fangirl crush on the author and a huge pile of reservations / fears of able-ism?

First, the artwork is amazing. Of this entire pull (and I suspect the relaunch) Batgirl has the best cover art. It is something that if I had a print of I would frame and hang in my apartment quite proudly. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the detail on the cover was fairly consistent with the art in the comic. Far too often I see comics that have graphically stunning covers but bland or dull artwork inside with flat colours.

There was brilliant use of partial views of the main villain that taunted and teased and left me wanting to know far more about them.

Also, I was impressed with how well proportioned Babs was considering she was a comic heroine. The character design while still very slender was built. She had muscles and something of a realistic torso with the definition that someone as physically active as the character would require. My hat goes off to the entire team for those details.

Stepping aside from my fangirl self and my reservations it was a good story. It emulated everything D.C. seemed to want from a relaunch. You can pick up this issue with out any familiarity with the character or her previous history and start reading. By the end despite everything I was left wanting to know where the story goes. Anything that reaches back into pre-relaunch territory is covered by the end of the first issue.

It certainly ran smoother then Action Comics #1 and was far less choppy.

I liked that Babs wasn't magically cured. I like that they didn't totally ignore her spinal cord injury and that her van still has a wheel chair lift. I enjoyed a great deal that there were nods to that history of the character. And that there was some talk of able-ism expressed via interactions with other background characters.

I'm still not happy to have lost Oracle. I'm still not happy that boom Babs can walk.

I was very happy to see PTSD being addressed in comics. I was overjoyed to see a hero with nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety. I can see huge potential in this area especially with the stigma around mental illness. When I think of mental illness in the top two I think of a small handful of villains for the most part. Though writing female characters who actually overcome trauma and develop is a strength of Simone's (she did great work pre-relaunch with Black Canary).

It also made the character seem more human. More real. I hope we see more of that as the series goes on.

In the end I am looking forward to reading more. I am excited to read more but I still have a lot of my original reservations in terms of able-ism and retrogression of a developed female character. Hopefully in the hands of this team she will grow and develop again.