Comics of the Week - Icons in Transition

I continue to enjoy Snyder and Capullo on Batman. The Court of Owls story is getting more and more complex as we go along, going back into the past to reveal some startling details about Gotham and the Bat family. This week, we find out that Dick Grayson was meant to be a Talon for the Court. This revelation is sure to cause some controversy among the fanboys. I think it plays right into what Snyder is doing. And what he's doing is ultimately something that needs to be done. As much as I love Batman, he's fallen into the same trap that Superman always ends up in as a character: he's just too much of a badass. Rocking his world like Snyder is doing, making him question his ties to Gotham and his very family, is ultimately something that will ground the character. I'm not sure how I feel about the Night of the Owls event crossing over into the rest of the Bat books, though. One thing I've enjoyed about the relaunch is that I can completely ignore the idea of continuity. I can just read the books I like and not worry about anything happening in other books. Each writer can do what they want, or so I thought. Sure, this idea came from Snyder, but what if Snyder were forced to write in a concept that came from another creator, one I may not like. I think doing a crossover is fine when it originates with the writers, as it is with Swamp Thing and Animal Man. But this seems like DC trying to bring together the Bat books, when having them separate and on their own is kind of working just fine. Either way, I don't intend to read anything I wouldn't normally read just because of this.

Wonder Woman also continues to ground the character in unexpected ways. Three times a year, the Amazons hijack passing ships, then rape and kill all the men in order to get pregnant. Also, when they have boys, they would kill them, if not for Hephaestus, who saves them by trading them for weapons and taking them to work in his forge, building weapons, mostly for the Amazons. Dark, grim stuff. Personally, I like it. I think it's logical and Diana's reaction to it brings a new depth to her character. This complexity of character is something Azzarello is good at and here it is pulled off very well. My concern is that now I'm not sure if Wonder Woman can be a traditional, iconic hero. While I am OK with that, I wonder how you can ever create an all ages version of this history. If the idea of the relaunch was to appeal to a broader audience, a younger audience, I'm not sure this will accomplish that. Up until now, I was looking forward to giving these books to my daughter as soon as she gets a little older. Now, it seems I'll have to wait longer than I thought. And that's fine, since I'm still enjoying it and I think it's an interesting direction to take. I'm just curious as to how long this will stand before DC has to reboot it yet again, because they can't market it to younger readers. This may have worked better as a Vertigo book, much like Marvel does with their Max line of titles.

For the Kids - Wonder Woman

One of the greatest joys for me as a father is reading to my daughter. We try to read a little bit of everything to her from Little Golden Books to Dr. Seuss. At two and half, she's starting to follow along with the actual story somewhat, so I wanted to start giving her some positive female role models to counteract the Disney Princess flood. With me as a father, she's at least aware of who the major superheroes are (hell, she's named after Hawkgirl). She was Wonder Woman this past Halloween and we recently got a couple of books designed to help kids learn to read featuring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and another featuring Spider-Man. One of my proudest moments came recently when I started to read from one of these:

"Clark Kent is a reporter for the Daily Planet. He is secretly Super-"

"NO! I want Batman!!"

Thing is, there's only one Wonder Woman story in the book, so I wanted more. I looked online and quickly realized there wasn't much to go on, so I turned to Twitter and asked for a recommendation from Ali Colluccio AKA Wonder Ali, who's articles I've read on iFanboy. She was nice enough to recommend, glowingly, Wonder Woman: The Story of the Amazon Princess by Ralph Cosentino. (Coincidentally, about a week later, iFanboy posted this article on the subject of young girls and comics, which is definitely worth a read.)

So, I ordered the book and it came in on Wednesday, comic day, which only added to my excitement for it. I opened the Amazon box and looked through it, immediately struck by the bright art. Reminiscent of Power Puff girls, it was clean and cartoonish and it popped. The design, while maintaining a storybook form, called to mind comic style and structure. The story is simple enough, covering all the basic Wonder Woman bits. She was made out of clay. She wins a contest on Paradise Island. She flies her invisible jet. She saves people and animals and battles Cheetah, Circe, Ares, etc. Nothing groundbreaking, but it is presented in a very economical way that still flows for children. It's everything I wanted and more. I hope I can find more material like this, maybe featuring other female heroes, and that are, hopefully, more than just origin stories.

While I didn't read it to her that night (I was reading my own comics, thank you!), I did read it to her last night and I am happy to report that we loved it. As I read the opening lines about where Wonder Woman comes from, she repeated "Paradise Island" and kept echoing the end of each section for a few pages. Eventually, she just settled back in bed and listened, drifting off, dreaming (I hope) of being like the strong, empowered princess that protects the world, talks to animals and generally kicks ass.

Custom mask by our good friends at Wonderland Creations.

Comics of the Week - The Feats of Strengh Edition

Heavy week for comics, quantity and quality. These aren't even all the books I really enjoyed.

As usual, here's my Scott Snyder praise. Batman #4 continues to build the mystery of the Court of Owls. Bruce's revelation that he's been investigating them since he was a boy makes perfect sense. Whether or not the conspiracy ties to his origin remains to be seen. Capullo gets better with each issue. That last page is gold. Not sure what else to say that I haven't said about every other thing Snyder has written, though. This guy is on another level.

This week, we had dueling Batmen, with Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes, the much anticipated continuation of his epic Batman story. coming out as well as Snyder's Batman. In the opening pages, there's a note letting us know this takes place before Flashpoint and the New DCU. We get to see Stephanie Brown back in action as Batgirl and Dick Grayson as Batman. All good. But, I feel like the time between that last we read and the reboot hurts the impact of anything revealed here. By the end of it, I am not sure I care enough. I'm not a continuity freak, but this is the type of story that would have ramifications on the characters. If it has no bearing on the current continuity, then I'm not sure what to do with it. On the flipside, because it's taken so long and it's a double size issue, I think it's over hyped. It's a fine story, but when we get the last reveal, I just didn't see the big deal. Had this played out in regular issues, I think it would have had better impact. None the less, it is what it is and at least we get to see where Morrison was going with this. I still look forward to the next installment.

Fantastic Four 601 was, as much as I hate the overuse of this word, epic. It was huge action and huge moments. Johnny Storm returns from the Negative Zone and the moments where his family realizes he's back were short, but just as powerful as the moments we saw when he died. This, like Morrison's Batman story, has been a long time building and it's clear that Hickman has planted seeds for everything we see from the start. Epting's art is, well, fantastic, as usual.

It was just last week that Uncanny X-Force ended the Dark Angel saga. This week, back again, picking up the pieces, Remender continues to deliver on a book that, apparently, will continue to be one of the best books published in 2012 as it was in 2011. I had one small, maybe-problem with last issue in that last bit when Angel comes back. This issue made it clear that having him be "alive" actually does not take anything away from the beauty, sadness and power of the scene with him and Betsy as he died. I also like that this issue is setting up new pieces for Wolverine and The X-Men. Fantomex has quickly become one of my favorite characters. As much I've enjoyed Wolverine develop as a character, I'm glad Remender let them argue naturally to the point that I feel Logan came off looking like a bit of an asshole. That's character depth. Also, this issue, Robbi Rodriguez on art, fitting in perfectly. His style seems a bit rougher than we've gotten in this series, but that fits thematically since, at this stage, the team is pretty much in shambles. I like it!!

Wonder Woman. Man. This is just good. It's really playing out like a Vertigo book. This is a characterization of Wonder Woman and the gods that I'm not sure I've ever seen, but is exactly right. Azzarello really shines here. I enjoyed 100 Bullets for it's twisting narrative which was appropriate to that story, but here he's letting the characters tell the story by just being. It's a much less complex narrative, so far, though I'm sure things are about to get crazy. Chiang's art is so elegant. I find myself staring at his Wonder Woman in admiration. He draws her like a real woman, who is also a warrior. She does not have giant boobs and a pencil thin waist. She feels real and sexy. I've said graceful in previous posts and that still comes to mind, but also, and obviously, powerful. 

Comics of the Week - Tension and Class

There are many challenges to writing a good mystery. It can't be too difficult to solve or it will be hard for the reader to follow. It can't be too easy of a solution, or the reader will be ahead of the story and if the main character is meant to be a great detective, they will come off looking dumb. Overall, the mystery has to make sense. On top of this, the author has to slowly give you bits and pieces and maintain a level of tension that only more answers will release. All of these challenges are met, with mastery, in this latest issue of Scott Snyder's Batman. Bruce thinks he knows Gotham better than anyone else. He's the world's greatest detective. And yet, this story is about a mystery that was right under his nose the whole time. Watching him uncover it, in all it's creepiness, was to be put off balance, just as he must feel. The story telling in this issue, from both Snyder and Greg Capullo was outstanding. The Council of Owls is a great addition to the Batman mythos. It's creepy, mysterious and menacing. It brings the right amount of conspiracy to the table, and it's somehow quite believable. I could see this story being a David Fincher movie.

There's been some talk on the internets about the changes to Wonder Woman's origin. Some people aren't too happy, but I think they are way off. This is great. Previously, Wonder Woman was made of clay by her mother, Hyppolyta and brought to life by the gods, so she had no father. This issue reveals that this was just a story, a legend, told to protect her and others from the truth. Hyppolyta had an affair with Zeus, who is Diana's father. What makes this work is that the clay story remains. As a matter of fact, the other Amazons used it to taunt Diana, calling her Clay. So, by the end of this issue, it really plays out in beautiful, symbolic form that she is breaking away from her past, as if emerging from a clay shell, while telling the Amazons not to call her Clay anymore, or Diana. She is now just Wonder Woman. It's a very elegant way to re-energize the character without having to go through a whole convoluted identity crisis like they did before the reboot. Azzarello really raised the bar here in terms of using origins to define a character. And Chiang's art is breathtaking really. His layouts are clean and economical, perfectly balancing the story. Wonder Woman looks gorgeous without the need for exaggerated sexuality. It's just plain classy.

Comics of the Week - Three is a Magic Number

It's been a while since I wrote about just one comic. I had every intention of picking only one this week, only the one I really liked best. Then I read book after great book and it was impossible to pick just one. Uncanny X-Men #544 ended the series really well, with nods to the past and an eye towards the future. Supergirl #2 picked up from last issue and delivered good story and character development once again. A lot of potential there for this series. Nightwing #2 had several revelations and several beautiful panels. But at the end of the day, it was these three that took the cake for me.

With the first issue of Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo I was left a little unsure. I'm clearly a Snyder Zombie at this point and with good reason. The dude knows how to tell a story. He hasn't missed a beat yet. But this was a different Batman than what he did on Detective Comics, and the art was screaming just how different it was. Maybe it was just the shock of Capullo's art in that first issue, but I wasn't too enthusiastic, even if I did like it overall. With this issue, I'm all in. Capullo's art works perfectly here, probably because there's a lot more action. Snyder used the first issue as a bit of a re-introduction to the world of Batman, and that's fine, but for me, this is where the story really starts. Batman is up against a secret society that has existed in Gotham for hundreds of years, except he won't accept that they even exist because they are a challenge to his status as a legend. We're going to get Gotham history, which is always interesting, conspiracies, legends and Batman having to come to terms with his status as protector of Gotham. Already, I can tell this will be another legendary run in the making. Right off, we have a new villain in the form of this Society of Owls assassin, that I hope sticks around for a long time. Watching Bruce have to fight this killing machine, as Bruce, was good fun. I can't wait for more.

Speaking of legendary runs, Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang are quite possibly giving us the definitive Wonder Woman story she's never had. It's still a bit early to tell where this is going, but so far, it looks like exactly what the character needed. It's rooted in Greek mythology, but the way it's presented has more of a realistic touch to it in spite of the fantastical elements. The pairing of the story and art style is probably one of the most perfect in the relaunch. The way Chiang draws Wonder Woman is very different than anything I have seen. The emphasis is on her athleticism, though her grace comes through in her posture. She's not oversexualized at all, and as a matter of fact, her costume is quite respectable, but she is still beautiful and sexy. This may not be appropriate for young girls, given the horror elements that have and will be involved, but this is a book I would love to have my daughter read. And yet, the feminist aspect is just an afterthought. I don't believe the creators are consciously trying to do this. Instead, they are doing what good writers and artists are supposed to do, telling a good story. And the story is good. There's action to be sure, but every moment in this book felt natural to me. I even sensed a little Shakespearean touch here and there, when dealing with the Gods and it seemed appropriate and subtle. Working with mythological elements like this sometimes leads to cliche and too much cleverness on the part of the writer. This is likely where most writers have failed with Wonder Woman. Azzarello has, so far, found the right approach, by using the myths, but not being afraid of making them his own.

It's the second page of this book where a reporter asks a cop "Is it true that Kung Fu related deaths are already up 200% over last year?" And that's when I knew this book was going to be a blast. I wasn't wrong. Wolverine is packing up to leave San Francisco after the events in X-Men Schism (he's going back to Westchester to rebuild the Xavier school). Along the way, he winds up teaming up with Gorilla Man from Agents of Atlas. Together, they uncover a heroin ring that is bringing in the heroin though, well, let's just say unexpected and unconventional means. After reading about Wolverine inadvertently killing his children in the last arc, as much as I loved it, and the events in X-Men, this is a great palate cleanser of an issue from Jason Aaron. The humor in this is right on. Ron Garney's art is clean and bright. This series has been great from the beginning, but it's good to see the tone can change without negating anything that came before. With Aaron writing this book and the upcoming Wolverine and The X-Men, I suspect we'll get more consistency in how he's portrayed and in the events that take place. I am hoping that part of the story will be that he quits the Avengers to focus on the school as it's the only thing that would make sense, unless his other mutant power involves time manipulation of some sort. Or maybe in the Marvel U, the days are 40 hours long. Either way, this is still a great series and I can't imagine anyone else writing Wolverine now.

Comics of the Week - Girls, Boys, etc.

I continue to call this a good time for comics. There's one more week left of DC #1's and for me, it seems to be winding down, but each week, I find something to be surprised by. Meanwhile, other books are coming out that are just as good. But I'll just focus on the DC books this time.

I've been singing the praises of Scott Snyder, particularly his work on Detective Comics, for months now. I was really looking forward to Batman #1 and his teaming up with Greg Capullo on art. I suspected this would be my favorite book of the relaunch. It was good, but I don't think it was my favorite. I may have over hyped myself on it. Snyder is still right on, bringing something new to Batman, this time, Bruce. But something is off. Capullo's art is fine, though, I prefer the Batman scenes. His Bruce Wayne comes off too much like a pretty boy to me. But I think the problem I have is not with either the writer or the artist. The Batbooks were on a roll for the past couple of years, and when the reboot was announced I was worried they'd ruin a good thing. Then we learned that the events of the past few years would still play into the continuity of the Bat Family. The problem is, in practice, that doesn't work. It's easy to say "well, don't think about it too much," and just take the stories for what they are. And I am. But, it's hard to get past the idea that these characters could have grown and become what they are now, and yet, Bruce is somehow younger. I just get the feeling, in the back of my obsessive nerd brain, that the timeline is about to get real muddy, real fast. I'm still reading though. As I said, Snyder is still on point, introducing a new mystery that is sure to unravel into another great story arc.

There are two reasons I read Blue Beetle #1. One is that I'm interested in seeing what is being put out there for younger readers and this is supposed to be a teen book. The other reason is that this a Hispanic character and as a Hispanic character myself, I am curious about DC's diversity initiative (my words). On the first point, I think the book pulls it off. As I was reading the opening scenes, I was reminded of Invincible. I think this has a lot of potential in attracting new, younger readers. The action is there (and beautifully so, with art by Ig Guara and Ruy Jose) and the teen age drama is there. Some of the story is a little convoluted, but I think it will clear up as the series goes along. As for the Hispanic thing, it's complicated. I appreciate that the book is written by Tony Bedard, who is Puerto Rican. And there is nothing to be offended by here. But, and this really comes to personal taste, I am not a fan of minority characters, in this case Hispanic, that are almost exclusively surrounded by more minority characters. Granted, this is one issue and we are only being introduced to the characters, but I wish there had been more diversity within the cast of characters Jaime Reyes hangs out with. Other than that, the Spanglish was kept to a respectable level, although I could live with never seeing a character use the word "Chica" again. I want to see this develop and see how Jaime is incorporated into the rest of the DCU.

The Internets are on fire this week (again), because Batman and Catwoman had graphic sex in Catwoman #1 written by Judd Winick with art by Guillem March. Well, there's more to what has people upset than that. Here we have Catwoman being introduced, half naked from the start, fumbling along, until Bruce shows up. I won't go into the whole representation of women issue here (maybe later), but I didn't really care for this issue because it came across as a cheap attempt at being titillating. Oh, look Batman and Catwoman are doing it, in costume, for several pages. It wasn't all that interesting, didn't tell us anything about the characters and really just stood out as being superhero porn. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, per se, but at the end of the day, it is boring. The rest of the DC books have ended in cliffhangers that make you want to pick up the next issue to see what happens next. Judging by the last panel of this issue, next month, we'll be treated to Batman taking a nap. Exciting stuff. Once you get beyond the sexy, there's really nothing else holding this together. Had this taken place in issue 4, after some actual character and plot had been developed, I would likely have a different opinion on the whole thing. As it is, although I am curious to see where this goes from here, there are way too many books out that are actually telling stories, so I'll likely just read about it than read the actual book.

Kyle Higgins does a good job re-introducing Dick Grayson as Nightwing in Nightwing #1. There is mention that he took on the role of Batman while Bruce was "away" and that's about all that you really need to know about it. In that sense, I think this book is the one that does the best at dealing with the muddy timeline I mentioned earlier. We're immediately off onto something new for Dick, and although it's related to his past with the circus, it doesn't feel like it's muddled by how much time has actually passed since his parents were murdered and he was taken in by Bruce. At its heart, this is just a story about Dick, and the continuity isn't the main focus. This could turn out to be one of the better surprises of the relaunch as time goes on, if it maintains its focus.

And this is the other book that has the Internets ablaze this week. For my money, the representation of Starfire in Red Hood and The Outlaws #1 is only one part of the problem, though. The whole issue is basically cheap one liners and over the top mayhem. I get that it's not for me. I understand the audience for this is likely 13 year old boys who want to see some badass dudes do badass things and have hot chics run around half naked while they do it. Catering to your target audience however is not the same as pandering to them. You can write something for 13 year old boys without writing it as if you were a 13 year old boy yourself. There is a lack of imagination in this book that I think will be apparent, even to most walking hormones, once they get over the hot orange lady who has sex on a whim. And about that. I'm a father and I'm pretty sure when my 2 year old girl is old enough, if she were to read comics, this would be a huge problem for her. Make no mistake about it, and I know there has been debate online, this is an example of women being objectified, not empowered. Luckily, I'm willing to bet the book won't last long.

A first issue should introduce you to a character, give you some background on them, set up the major conflict and get you interested in the next issue. If that's done well, more than likely, it's done through action more so than a lot of exposition. Supergirl #1, by Michale Green and Michael Johnson, with art by Mahmud Asrar delivers on all counts. From the opening page, there's momentum that continues to build. The inner monologue is minimal, but tells us all we need to know at the right moments. The more I think about this issue, the more I think it was my favorite this week. In a week where Catwoman and Starfire were put through the ringer, it's good to see a female character get introduced in such an impactful manner, without resorting to unnecessary sexualizing. I never read Supergirl before, but I'm on board with this series. I hope they keep it up.

I'm calling it, folks, this is the Wonder Woman series she's always needed. Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang are cooking something here that I'm confident will be considered legendary. Right off, we don't even see Diana until several pages in and rather than try to give us an origin or some grandiose exposition, they just show us who she is. Setting up the mythological aspects in more of a horror tone really brings the whole concept down to earth, too. I think in the long run, it will make her more relatable. Like many out there, I've wanted to like Wonder Woman for a long time, but there has not been a series that really allowed for her to reach her full potential as a character. This is the time for it, and this is the book. Wonder Woman should be graceful, elegant, adventurous, brave, protective and more. Although we only get a small glimpse of her in action here, she is all those things. The pants or no pants argument is completely moot, which goes to show that it's about how the character is written, not so much how they are drawn. Having said that though, Chiang totally captures her personality in his clean, simple style. This is just a good book with a good team on it.