Comics from 10/28/09

More short reviews of the past week's comics.

Detective #858: So much has already been said about this issue by people much more well-versed than I am, so I'm not even going to try. Briefly, Rucka's background on Kate has certainly piqued my interest even if the reveal is a bit of a well-worn device (but is that really true in comics?). Although I'm a little leery of the story because wouldn't there have been a body for the funeral? How much does Kate's dad really know?

The Question back-up finished up its first storyline. All in all, I haven't been too crazy about this story. It just didn't seem to have much meat to it. I'm hoping for the next storyline to pick up the pace a bit. Art-wise, I liked how Cully Hamner doesn't make every Latina look alike. My only gripe is towards the end, when Renee is shown talking to Tot as the man who hired The Question, Hector Soliz, arrives to get his sister. Those panels show Renee wearing barrettes. Barrettes! I just don't buy it.

Wonder Woman #37: I liked how Gail brought in two other storylines with this issue. The Donna Troy storyline was a little too trite for me, but there was a cool fight scene. What I'm really looking forward to is seeing how the Bana-Mighdall tribe integrate into the "new order". But most of all, what I'm looking forward to is a return to the old Diana -- enough of the self-doubt and restraint. And the cameo by one of the white gorillas is always a good thing.

Blackest Night #4: Not too to say that hasn't already been said about this issue either. At least we now have a name, Nekron, for the big bad. Hopefully, the story starts to pick up soon because for a big event it's moving really slow.

Green Lantern #47: Now this is more like it: action packed, good dialog, and fun visuals. I really like how each lantern corp's energy emits in a different wave (yeah, hokey I know, but it makes it fun!). The new member of the Blue Lanterns (does anybody else think he looks like he belongs in Ghostbusters?) was a bit of a surprise.

Guardians of the Galaxy #19: Another title that gets the action right. And the dialog -- Mantis flirting with Kang the Conqueror? Brillant. This title is just so much fun. I'm just not that crazy about Wesley Craig's art.

Thinking about things lately, I've realized that I need to change this up a bit. There are already so many other people out there doing comic reviews and I'm not that good at it. So this blog might start to change a bit and become more of a place for me just to put my general thoughts and ideas, and just an update on what's going on in my life. But I'm still reading comics & I'll still have something to say about them every so often.

Oct 21 Pull List Mini-Review

I haven't done a short weekly review for awhile, so no time like the present. Warning: There may be spoilers.

Chew #5: I'm enjoying this title, but not as much as others seem to (at least on iFanboy). The big reveal wasn't really a surprise to me (I figured Savoy to big a bit of a bad guy when he was introduced). Now that the first arc is over, I'm sure the first trade will be released soon and that should bring in even more readers. The first arc was a good set-up to the "Chewniverse" and intro to the characters. I'll probably continue to read in singles as I'm mostly interested in finding out more about the third cibopath.

Mice Templar Destiny #4: I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the artwork in this title. But the story is really coming along nicely. This is another title where there aren't really too many surprises. And sure, the story isn't anything new in the fantasy genre. But the storytelling is good. All in all, I'd probably switch over to trade for this title but the GF enjoys it (she hasn't read that much fantasy).

Power Girl #6: I really like the "sister/friend" relationship between PG & Terra. It's so rare & refreshing to show two women getting along without a male lead. Hope it stays that way. If I knew a teen-aged girl who was interested in comics, I'd get this title for her (if she was interested in the superhero genre). Really, I like almost everything about this title. And yet, there is something that is almost too "cutesy" at times for my tastes. So with the end of this arc comes the end of me buying this as a monthly.

Streets of Gotham #5: Because Huntress was on the cover, I picked this title up again. And I won't make that mistake again. Chris Yost's writing was pretty good; I liked his use of Huntress's internal dialog to explain her actions & why she isn't a favorite of Batman. But Man-Bat? WTF? I know Yost isn't at fault for coming up with this character, but sweet jeebus it's a dumb one. Also, the "bad guy" in this arc? Lame. I don't even has to read the next issue to see how this one ends. The only highlight of this was the Manhunter back-up.. It kills me that this isn't a lead title. The artwork has improved (was Jeremy Haun the artist on this first few issues of this back-up?). I did have a couple of "wha? no way!" moments while reading, but it just makes me more frustrated that I'm going to have to wait for this back-up to be released in trade to enjoy this story.

Resurrection Vol. 2 #4: Guggenheim is such a jerk. But I really enjoy this post-alien invasion story. Although it's hard not to chuckle at the importance of the Clinton family in this series.

Underground #2: I'm really enjoying this non-superhero, not really a crime or mystery -- maybe a drama? -- series. Steve Lieber's art is well matched to Jeff Parker's writing. I'm already disappointed that this is only a five-issue story. Maybe if the sales are good enough, there will be a series two. Or at least more people looking to become park rangers.

Cowboy Ninja Viking #1: Ok, this is my pick for the week. Image's Shadowline unit is putting out some good stuff right now and CNV has shot right to the top, IMHO. I liked the primarily black & white aspect of the artwork (I have a theory about the use of color with this series). With a cast of thousands (even if there aren't that many actual people there), the story is fast-paced & has an intriguing set-up right from the start. My only criticism is the golden age format of the book. This seems to be a trend that Image has been pushing lately and I just don't care for it. Don't wait for the trade on this, pick it up now.

Sugarshock (one-shot): I'm glad that they put this collection out as I had only read the first "issue" online & then forgot about it. It is some of Joss Whedon's most light-hearted and funnest writing and Fabio Moon's artwork is just perfect for the story. It really leads up to some great banter. As tends to be the case with Joss, most of the leads are female, which only adds to my like of this one. My only complaint is that we probably won't see any more stories of the great intergalactic band, Sugarshock!

Spider-Woman #2: LCS was out of this by the time I got there. Gonna have to try to pick it up next week.

Noir, Collection of Crime: I haven't read this yet, but I'm REALLY looking forward to it.

What's Chess Got To Do With It?

There hasn't been anything that's really been wowing me in the comics world lately. This has made my transition to trades a bit easier, but I wonder if other folks are seeing the same thing.

I'm just starting the fourth volume of Checkmate. The first two volumes were really good, but the third volume didn't do much for me. Mostly because I'm not much of a fan of Nightwing (or most things Bat-verse). Or maybe it was Judd Winick's writing (I've never read any of his other stuff). The only surprise from that group were the characters of Grace and Thunder, who I haven't really heard about when gay & lesbian superheroes are discussed. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this next volume of Checkmate, especially now that the last three issues of the series are going be released (tip o' the hat to @jason1749 for heads-up on that one).

This has been really interesting to read while also reading the current miniseries, JSA vs. Kobra. Speaking of espionage mini-series, did anybody else read Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape? It was truly confusing mass of ...... well, I don't know what. The last issue came out last week, so this weekend I'm going to sit down & read all six issues together to see if it reads better. In the end, I hope that we're going to get a new series focusing on the mysterious Global Peace Agency.

If this is the case, I have yet another reason to find & read as much Jack Kirby as possible. And on that note, I'm gonna hippity hoppity myself outta here.

And..... we're back

Holy heck! How did 4 months go by since that last post? Guess I should have put up a 'Closed for the Summer' sign. Next time, right?

Things have been busy lately. A condo was purchased and we moved in last month. It's starting to look more & more like I'm going to have to 'fess up to this adulthood thing. Or maybe not.

Related to the condo purchase, my comics buying has gone down quite a bit. There just isn't the extra cash to spend anymore. Also, I continue to fret about what to do with floppies that have been read but that I don't want to keep. So I'm slowly making the move over to trades on some titles. And picking up some older stuff that I've been wanting to read for awhile. I'm on the second volume of Gail Simone's 'Welcome to Tranquility'. According to Gail's twitterfeed, the third volume will be coming out in 2010 and this makes me very happy.

Nothing has really struck me with the new TV season with the exception of Fox's 'Glee'. If anything, I'm trying not to watch so much television. Not that I think that TV is evil, but because I seem to be unable to do anything else when the TV is on and I'm really trying to get a life so I can be interesting (that's a whole 'nother post right there). Right now, I really really want Netflix to get the most recent seasons of MI-5 so I can catch up on that series.

Still haven't been to a movie since..... Watchmen. Can't afford any shows or concerts right now. I'm missing my reading time & plan on catching up on some books soon. So that's it for pop culture schtuff.

I, for one, am glad that autumn's here. Let the writing begin!

We Can Do Better

Today's post is part of the We Can Do Better than use Violence to Change Minds "blogathon". If you're on Facebook, see http://bit.ly/JqdDr; if you're on Twitter, search #dobetter and/or follow @nerdette for links to related posts.

The timing of this is one of those things that makes you sit back and wonder about the power of universe. See, I've always thought of myself as a feminist but for the last 10 years or so, I haven't really kept up with what has been happening. And I don't think of myself as racist, but I certainly don't make an effort to find out what is really going on in the world. Well, I hear about the "big things" that make the big media outlets, but I haven't been doing much in my personal life to keep up with what has been happening globally or to take a really close look at what is happening around me personally. Why? In all honesty, a lot of it is apathy. You get to a point where you wonder if you can ever make a difference. Also, I'm lucky in that I have never had to face racism pointed AT ME (but I've been around it) and I've rarely had to face sexism or homophobia pointed AT ME. But those few times that I have had to deal with a face-to-face situation were scary. When I look back on those occasions, I realize just how close I came to a violent situation. So many others are not so lucky.

But for whatever reason, and I truly can't pin it down as to what the turning point was, a few weeks ago I started following a lot more feminist and anti-racism blogs. And I'm mad. I'm mad at myself for turning a blind eye for so long. I'm mad that this shit is still going on and madder still that we have a long way to go in stopping homophobia, racism, and sexism. And I wonder why we let this happen. But then a funny thing (not ha ha funny, but open your eyes funny) happened last night. As I was walking my dog, I saw some young boys (11-13 years old maybe?) harass some girls (12-14 years old?) who were walking their young charges home. The boys on bikes started yelling at the girls to "show us your boobs and we'll let you go by". I was on the other side of the street watching this and felt my heart start pumping. Luckily, the girls just ignored the boys and kept walking. The boys saw me watching them from across the street and let it go. But if I hadn't been there, would they have let it go? But more disturbing to me is that I didn't go over and say something to those boys -- something like, "would you talk to your grandmother like that? how would you like it if someone said that to your mother?" The answer is fear. Unfortunately, it is all too likely that in Chicago, there are children that carry weapons or that have no qualms about attacking another person. I was also fearful that I would say something to the kids and that some supervising adult would then come out and question me about why I was harassing the boys. And that that conversation could lead to yelling and/or violence.

What does this mean? It means I can do better. I can do better in explaining to those around me why what they've said or done might be interpreted as violence even if it was "only words". It means that I can do better in standing up to make sure a situation doesn't become violent by keeping calm. It means asking questions so I can understand what people are really trying to say. These aren't easy things to do. But I'm willing to do it so the world can become a better place for all of us. What about you?

Random Thoughts

As I write this, I'm not even sure what my topic is going to be. So I guess I'll steal an idea from some another blogger (sorry, I forgot where I saw it) and just do some random thoughts.

Random Thought #1: I enjoyed Power Girl #1 except for the "I don't really understand the science. It's over my head." that she uttered more than once. How did that fit into the storyline? Don't we have enough 'girls aren't good at math & science' messages already?

Random Thought #2: Looking forward to the publication of "A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge" in August. Josh Neufeld's graphic novel was serialized first at http://www.smithmag.net/afterthedeluge/.

Random Thought #3: Although I'm more of a DC fangirl than a Marvel fangirl, I've only just started reading JSA. What is up with Stargirl and Atom Smasher? I mean, how much of an age difference is there? I can see where should could have a crush on him, but for him to reciprocate? Eeeew. Like I said, I only started reading it so I don't know how old Al is supposed to be in this storyline. If anyone can enlighten me, please feel free to do so.

Random Thought #4: I'm trying to decide which cosmic universe I should read first -- DC or Marvel. I've gotten feedback from one person that Kirby's 4th World stuff is pretty boring, but it's DC & I feel like I need to know it. On the Marvel side, I don't even know where to begin.

Random Thought #5: I've come to the conclusion, with the help of same said friend above, that I'm a dork. As much as I'd like to be a geek or a nerd, I'm a dork. And I guess I'm alright with that. They say the first step is acceptance. Of course, we all have our own definitions of geek, nerd, dork, dweeb, etc.

Random Thought #6: Now that the summer TV season is here, it's time to watch all those episodes of Reaper and Damages that I have on the DVR.

Finally, Random Admission #1: I'd like to start a Women & Comics group for creators & fangirls in Chicago but I'm scared to do it. I wish I had the confidence to start this group, but I feel like I don't have the contacts to do it or the ideas to maintain it.

Be careful out there, folks.

Memorial Day 2009

I'm not really one for war comics, movies, or books. Maybe it's the girly side of me or maybe it's my way of rebelling against my dad's side of the family (Navy to the Nth degree). For whatever reason, if the subject matter involves war I tend to leave it and move on. The one exception to this is the Image title, Guerillas, by Brahm Revel. This is a nine issue (#4 just came out a few weeks ago) series written AND drawn by Mr. Revel. He recently announced that the remaining issues would come out on a quarterly basis (hopefully). This can be the kiss of death for a title, but if I have to wait that long to get a comic that is as well-written and well-drawn as Guerillas, then so be it.

First, the art... Each panel in this black & white comic expresses so many nuances that multiple readings are necessary. There is a lushness that doesn't seem possible with black & white but it's there. I want to call it "simplistic grittiness", but that just doesn't do justice to his art. All I can say is that I can spend several minutes just looking at one panel, admiring the action and feeling that is being conveyed. Some of his work for this series can be seen at www.elrevel.com. I would love to see Mr. Revel do some artwork for some noir stories.

Now, for the story... The setting is the Vietnam war in 1970 and we're introduced to new recruit John Clayton on his first day on patrol. I think it's safe to say that John represents how most of us would feel if we were in that situation. It doesn't take long for the action to begin and it's as horrific as anything you've seen in the movies. We are eventually introduced to the band of "guerillas" of the story. Let's just say that they may or may not be the apes and chimps that you were expecting. And that German scientist guy that may or may not have been a Nazi? Well, you're just going to have to read the comic to find out. The latest issue has some of the most tense, heart-pounding writing that I've come across in a long time. I caught myself holding my breath while reading it. Jaded person that I am, I thought I knew what kind of story this was going to be. It's not and I've been wrong with just about each twist & turn. I can't wait to see where this story goes next!

I know it seems like $6 is alot for a comic these days, but I'm here to tell you that this one is worth every penny. Go pick it up today and let me know if you share my enthusiasm or if you think I'm whack. If you're really not sure, check out the first part of the first issue online at http://www.elrevel.com/Issue1_1.html.