Category Archives: DC Comics

August 30, 2010 · 5:37 am

Review: DV8 (Part 5 of 8)

I love this trend of having awesome writers take lost and forgotten titles from yesteryear and hotwiring them into today’s new hotrods. For example, Andy Diggle did just that recently with “The Losers” without any reverential care to the title’s back story. Too much respect can get tedious. The same here with Brian Wood’s take on “DV8,” published by Wildstorm. This is far from a retread. It is a whole new ball game.

It’s enough to know that Wood found the original interesting. No need for him to canonize it. Instead, he draws inspiration for his story from one of John Huston’s greatest films, “The Man Who Would Be King.” If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and grab it. Michael Caine and Sean Connery, in their prime, are two rogue British Victorian soldiers who decide that, between the two of them, they can exploit all the tribes of Afghanistan. A finer cautionary tale, for individuals and superpowers alike, is hard to come by.

And so a somewhat similar tale unfolds with a band of rogue young punks with superpowers. Sean Connery’s character, Daniel, explains to a bewildered clan of natives who have just witnessed his use of a firearm, that he is a god that has fallen from the sky. The DV8 team literally falls from the sky and crash land onto an alien planet. They sort of take it in stride as part of their latest mission until the full implications of what has happened have some terrified and others excited. Just like the Michael Caine character, Peachy, is left to tell the tale, so too one of the DV8 crew, Gem, takes on the role of narrator as part of her debriefing from some unseen authority.

For Issue Five, Rachel is at the height of her powers as a “god” ruling over a settlement. So drunk with power is she that her comeuppance can not be too far behind. It certainly doesn’t help that she’s been running ragged one of her DV8 mates who she has reduced to the role of a pet.

The collected trade of “DV8” will be a thing of beauty. It is quite a beautiful collaboration between writer Brian Wood and artist Rebekah Isaacs.

This eight issue limited run is so sweet that I highly recommend picking up the remaining issues if you are still new to this. It is quite a stylish treat down to the last page. Huge props too for Fiona Staples’s cover and such sublime colors by Carrie Strachan and spot on lettering by Jared K. Fletcher. If you’re just discovering “DV8,” then consider yourself lucky to what awaits you and congratulate yourself on your good taste.

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Filed under DC Comics, Wildstorm

August 30, 2010 · 4:05 am

Wonder Woman vs. Captain America

Just for fun: if Wonder Woman and Captain America suddenly had to fight, who would win? And I’m talking about what is currently running: the JMS Wonder Woman and the Ed Brubaker Captain America. My point? Well, I respectfully say here that poor Wondy is really drifting away from us. But it’s not too late. I really feel the story needs to pick up and maybe that means a rewrite and a shifting of course. Is that possible? Anything is possible.

The Correctness Superhero Smackdown is onto to something with their match-up of Cap and Wondy and they give it to Wondy. But, between the current runs, it’s gotta go to Cap. But I would be more than pleased to see Wondy give Cap a run for his money.

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Filed under Captain America, comic books, Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Wonder Woman

August 29, 2010 · 1:55 am

Review: Wonder Woman #602

With all the ruckus over J. Michael Straczynski taking on the writing of both “Superman” and “Wonder Woman,” the best bet here is keep the quality up and remain consistently good, not just in the writing but it in the artwork too. The art in Wonder Woman #602 falls short way too many times that it is distracting and pulls you out of the story. Don Kramer takes the lead in #601 and it shows. But he shares art duties with a number of artists in this issue and it just feels like a busy mess. It’s certainly not the first time that this has happened in a comic. Not too long ago, Wonder Woman #44 suffered a bit from a clash in styles, although the art was superb throughout.

With #602, the problem might be chalked up to a rushed work schedule for the artists. Some of these compositions are simply ill-conceived. Only four pages in, and we get a filler montage of Wonder Woman taking on a army. Arms outstretched in a big portrait, apparently she’s using her bracelets to fend off bullets. Three smaller portraits have her running into the melee. One small portrait seems to be emerging from Wondy’s crotch. Is there deep meaning behind this? Wonder Woman giving birth to Wonder Woman? No, probably not.

As for the story, again, it’s not as intriguing as Wonder Woman giving birth to Wonder Woman. No, basically, you have it plodding along with the theme of WW, lost and trying to find her way. A fragment from WW’s Amazon past has lodged itself on Earth. It doesn’t belong on Earth and so it quickly becomes the target of military gunfire. Numerous fight scenes ensue, most of which find Wonder Woman plunging into the fray, arms outstretched. It feels more like a video game than a comic. There’s a drawn out scene of Wondy arguing with a huge bust of a fallen god that smells like filler. It is useless. It does not advance the story. It is filler. It does more to convince me that superhero stories daddle in back story at their own peril.

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Filed under comic books, Comics, DC Comics, Wonder Woman

Tagged as comics

August 19, 2010 · 8:22 pm

Batman Beyond: Complete Series out on DVD November 23

There was a lot of buzz at Comic-Con over this collection of the animated series, BATMAN BEYOND. It is the latest awesome Warner Home Video to catch my eye. Warner Home Video will distribute this limited edition DVD set of all 52 episodes of the series on November 23. All things considered, this would make an excellent gift for the holidays.

The series provides an intriguing new wrinkle into the Batman mythos. The setup is that Bruce Wayne is now an old man, retired and done with crime-fighting. Enter Terry McGinnis. He is just a regular teen boy until one day his father is murdered. This echoes Bruce Wayne’s own family tragedy. To make it worse, the murder mystery leads back to Wayne/Powers Corporation.

This DVD set is loaded with extras, including a movie celebrating the 75th anniversary of DC Comics. There’s also tons of stuff about Batman and his gear. Lots of amazing voice talent, which includes Henry Rollins, from the legendary punk bank, Black Flag; Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) and George Takei (Star Trek). The production team, the writing team, everybody on board this one is providing you with quality product.

Press release follows:

BATMAN BEYOND: THE COMPLETE SERIES

LIMITED EDITION COMPILATION SET! INCLUDES ALL 52 ACTION-PACKED EPISODES

PLUS THREE NEW BONUS FEATURETTES

WARNER HOME VIDEO TO DISTRIBUTE DVD SET NOV. 23

BURBANK, CA (August 18, 2010) – Warner Bros. Animation’s breakthrough

series Batman Beyond comes to DVD for the first time in its entirety.

Featuring DC Comics’ iconic hero, Batman, Batman Beyond: The Complete

Series presents nearly 20 hours of animated action spread over 52

episodes, as well as all-new bonus featurettes and a 24-page, 8”x 12”

collectible booklet. Batman Beyond: The Complete Series will be

distributed by Warner Home Video on November 23, 2010 as a nine-disc

limited edition DVD set for $99.98 (SRP).

Batman Beyond: The Complete Series centers on Terry McGinnis, an

ordinary teenager … until his father is mysteriously murdered.

Suspecting foul play at his father’s company, Wayne/Powers

Corporation, Terry meets Bruce Wayne and learns of a secret identity

hidden for decades. Now too old to don the cape and cowl as Batman,

Wayne refuses to help – so Terry does what any brash young kid would

do: steal the Bat-suit and take matters into his own hands! Vowing to

avenge his father’s death, Terry dons the high-tech suit tricked out

with jetpacks, a supersensitive microphone and even camouflage

capabilities in search of his father’s assassin. It’s 52 action-packed

episodes following the adventures of the partnership between an

ex-crimefighter and his apprentice, starring Will Friedle (Boy Meets

World) as Terry McGinnis and, reprising his seminal role, Kevin Conroy

(Batman: The Animated Series) as Bruce Wayne.

Casting throughout the series’ 52 episodes featured award winners from

feature films, primetime television and the Broadway stage – from Paul

Winfield, Stockard Channing and Seth Green to

William H. Macy, Wayne Brady and Teri Garr – not to mention George

Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), Dan Castellaneta (The

Simpsons), Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid), George Takei (Star Trek)

and Henry Rollins (the front man for the rock band, Black Flag).

An all-star production team was headed by executive producer Jean

MacCurdy and producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami and

Paul Dini. Writers on the series included Burnett and Dini, as well as

Stan Berkowitz, Bob Goodman, Rich Fogel, Hilary Bader and John McCann.

Included in the beautifully custom designed package is a 24-page, 8”x

12” collectible booklet with the inside perspective and artwork from

the vaults especially compiled by DC Comics for this release.

Three new bonus features created specifically for the Batman Beyond:

The Complete Series are:

TOMORROW KNIGHT: THE BATMAN REBORN

The “Batman Beyond” creative team gives you a peek into the character

of Terry McGinnis, and what made him worthy to become the new Caped Crusader.

GOTHAM: CITY OF THE FUTURE

A look at Gotham City, circa 2039, and how the team built a realistic

vision of the near future while remaining true to the city they

created in Batman: The Animated Series.

THE HIGH TECH HERO

Explore the technology behind the Bat-suit, its amazing powers and the real world science that inspired it.

The collection will also contain the DC 75th anniversary documentary,

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics.

“Batman Beyond was a landmark series as it created altogether new

directions for the iconic character, and added dimensions for fans

both old and new to the Batman mythology,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice

President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing. “Warner Home Video

is proud to release this important series in an all-encompassing box

set, just in time to make a perfect holiday gift for the ultimate

fan.”

About Warner Home Video:

With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a

Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution

infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s

film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new

and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures,

Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About DC Entertainment:

DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as

Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD

Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with

strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC

Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to

unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not

limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment,

and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic

novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest

English-language publisher of comics in the world.

DC SUPER HEROES and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

About Warner Bros. Animation:

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) has been producing award-winning original

animation since 1930, when it released its first cartoon, “Sinkin’ in

the Bathtub.” Since then, WBA’s characters have set the standard for

innovative, quality animation. Producing for network and cable

television, online, home entertainment and feature films both

domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its

creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the

studio’s rich cartoon heritage. WBA also oversees the creative use and

production of animated programming based on classic cartoon characters

from the Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics libraries. WBA is one of the

most-honored animation studios in history.

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Filed under animation, Batman, Comic-Con 2010, Comic-Con International, Comics, DC Comics, movies

August 13, 2010 · 7:15 am

Preview: Rat Catcher by Andy Diggle

I must confess that I totally missed the boat on “The Losers.” It’s been a very busy year outside of comics. That said, just as I’m getting caught up on the masterpiece by Andy Diggle and Jock, I have another Diggle book to look forward to in November. This is really the sort of stuff I like, offbeat, gritty, quality goods.

From the Vertigo blog:

According to underworld legend, the Rat Catcher is a peerless assassin who specializes in silencing mob snitches. There’s just one problem—he doesn’t exist. At least, not according to the U.S. Marshals who oversee the Witness Protection Program….

Now, there’s a pile of dead bodies in a burning safe house outside El Paso. The Rat Catcher has finally slipped up, and a washed up FBI agent has one last chance to hunt him down before he disappears forever. But as the two master manhunters spiral in towards each other in a deadly game of cat and mouse, each of them hides a secret from the other—secrets that could destroy them both.

New York Times best-selling author Andy Diggle (THE LOSERS) partners with future superstar Victor Ibanez in a tense Vertigo Crime thriller that’s unrelenting to the very last twist.

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Filed under comic books, Comics, DC Comics, graphic novels, Vertigo

August 12, 2010 · 7:48 am

Wonder Woman and Superman: Busted and Grounded

Funny, it occurs to me, with these two runs of Wonder Woman and Superman penned by J. Michael Straczynski, it’s like these two mighty giants of comics have been pulled aside, busted and grounded, as a colossal overhaul is performed on each of them, while in front of their respective mighty readership. Notice on the cover of Wonder Woman that at the top is states, “The All-New,” as if that had to be made clear. Hey kids, it’s the new and improved Wonder Woman! The same with Superman in its own way. These last two covers are so stilted that they could only appeal to the most fevered fanboys holed up in the deepest, darkest, dankest basements.

I was listening to the fuzzy stoner rock of Boston in a shaggy coffee shop, fit for only diehard fans of kitsch, and that really helped as I caught up on the JMS stuff. Wonder Woman #601 rocked for me, as I ingested the syrupy corporate rock of yesteryear. Maybe it was because WW is starting to look like the syrupy corporate rock of yesteryear. I don’t know. Maybe I’d had too much coffee by then. But maybe not. There is one panel in the comic, JMS or not, that really rocks. It is Wonder Woman back in her old gear and looking very freaky, like she led of some stoner cult. A whole issue, no, a whole story, could be devoted to that moment of witchy WW.

What actually happens in WW #601 is less compelling than a witchy WW. It’s looking more like a comic book that has been slowed down to the pace of a television soap opera. There’s a little of this and a little of that. WW talks to the shaman again for awhile. The shamn asks for gum again. Is that supposed to be what the cool street kids do? Ask for gum all the time? And then there’s another faux gritty urban scene with a kid demanding an “Orange Doodle Whizbang” popsicle from a strange clown in an ice cream truck. Finally, WW pursues the baddies that are after her for a bit. The art to all this is fun. Don Kramer gets in a lot of sexy determined looks from WW, including that really freaky look.

For Superman, I caught up with #701 and #702 and, again, music helped while I read. This time out, Blue Oyster Cult fit in nicely with “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” Some critics are dismissing the JMS Superman out of hand but sitting on the fence about Wonder Woman. Well, I say, just enjoy the spectacle. Superman is Superman, always vulnerable to hokum. But it is when the genre is fully embraced and done with style that you get gold like Richard Donner’s “Superman.”

Of the last two issues, I got a kick out of Superman doing his level best to help a girl in crisis. Superman puts on his therapist hat and gives a potential jumper all the time she needs to calm down. When she asks if he could do something about the spotlight shining right in her eyes, he zaps it off. Given enough time, Superman could keep at it with his super therapy and zap Prozac right out of existence. Now, that’s a superhero.

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Filed under comic books, Comics, DC Comics, Superman, Wonder Woman

August 9, 2010 · 5:52 am

Gail Simone and the Love for Comics

Gail Simone has a love affair with comics, we know that. Moreover, she loves to write, we know that too. If you’re a really good writer, you make your readers feel that you’re writing just for them but not only that, you’re also writing for yourself, your story and your characters. I think that’s what it comes down to: a love for the craft of writing and for comics. I see it clearly in how Simone keeps her characters moving. Like many a good writer, Simone has a distinctive voice and style. Her characters, who tend to be down-to-earth, even when they’re not from Earth, are people who like to talk, to open up, to reveal who they are or, if they aren’t so receptive, are in touch with who they are and can articulate that.

Opening up Simone’s recent return to her creator-owned comic about a retirement community for superheroes, Welcome to Tranquility: One Foot in The Grave, #1, we find another jaunt into character-driven mayhem. Simone, in interviews, always likes to talk about her characters. For this new six-issue arc with Wildstorm, Simone has said she was interested in pursuing why Tommy, a young African-American woman, decided to become a cop. The story, ostensibly, revolves around Mayor Fury and his being accused of at least one murder and one attempted murder. But that would never be enough for a Simone story. Keep an eye on Tommy.

Taking a look at where we are with Birds of Prey, at Issue Three, Simone has hit her stride. I don’t know that I need to have those little hard to read neon captions anymore that repeatedly describe what the characters are about. I suppose they’re residue from Blackest Night/Brightest Day. As I say, Simone has hit her stride and we’re ready to fly with this new arc without further introductions. You can’t go wrong when the birds just get to talk trash and be themselves. That alone is enough reason for me to keep up with this series. In this issue, we have the added bonus of the birds mixing with one very foul bird, the Penguin. Again, just give us interactions with the birds and the Penguin and I’m totally there. Considering how steamy things can get with such sexy characters, this issue exercises just the right amount of restraint.

And next we check in with Secret Six at its latest, #24. I can feel that Simone has a really soft spot for this ragtag group of antiheroes. The latest arc has the gang thrown into a Western and what a throw down. Of the pile of comics I’ve read lately, this one really had me lost within its pages. It gives Jonah Hex a run for its money. Page per page, this is a standout. The whole thing with the Punch and Judy dialogue interlaced within the story is inspiring, not to mention way cool creepy. It is the perfect vehicle for the harlequin character, Ragdoll. And there is some formidable girl power with a dynamic force of three key women: sheriff, barmaid and prostitute.

Getting back to this love for comics, I can’t help but equate it with a love for superheroes. They do seem to go hand in hand, don’t they?

Gail Simone in her own words, from Women in Refrigerators:

I tend to like the bright shiny heroes the best, and when comics went grim and gritty a while back-that was a period where comics had lost their appeal for me. It was books like “Kingdom Come” (which was still fun despite the apocalyptic tone) and Grant Morrison’s “JLA” that brought me back. So, maybe I can admit to a bit of a bias regarding the really grim superhero stuff.

In any case, having a uterus myself, I found that I most enjoyed reading about the girl heroes, or Superchicks. And it had been nagging me for a while that in mainstream comics, being a girl superhero meant inevitably being killed, maimed or depowered, it seemed.

Well, that was part of one of Simone’s manifestos about a need for more Superchicks and not women stuffed into refrigerators. If I were to write a manifesto, and I believe I have already on occasion, I would say we’re always in need of good writing, period. I think I’ve gotten into a little trouble, or let’s call it a misunderstanding here and there, when I mention examples of bad writing in comics. Oh, yeah, there’s enough of that to go around. And why is that? I don’t know, maybe it’s a reactionary need to go for what is considered a known property without much or any thought to quality: violence, action, genre glorification and, well, whatever leads to women being stuffed into refrigerators.

This thing about comics and superheroes runs deep. It is hardwired into us. Take the camp in the old “Batman” TV series, for instance. That wasn’t just camp. That was, and is and likely will always be, our collective understanding of comics: Pow! Zap! Boom! It’s our modern mythology. Even in the world of alternative comics, the supposedly anti-superhero world, references are repeatedly made to superheroes. It’s part of the comics DNA. So, yeah, when superhero comics are done with care, with whatever elements of sex and violence and gore are required, and you go that extra mile with quality writing, well, you’ve struck gold. It’s a theme you can count on me coming back to again and again because the reasons for coming back to it are always going to be around. Thank goodness that Gail Simone is around to provide us with some of the good stuff we appreciate about comics.

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Filed under comic books, Comics, Commentary, DC Comics, Essays

July 22, 2010 · 10:16 pm

Comic Con 2010:Geoff Johns

Spotlight on Geoff Johns: The take away moment was when someone from the Q & A said he had something for Johns. He presented Johns with a poster he created with a variety of children’s breakfast cereal characters made up as the characters from John’s work with “The Green Lantern Corps.” For those of you out there who have no clue as to who Johns is, he is known for his writing on a number of the biggest titles at DC Comics that include megahit series, “Infinite Crisis” and “Blackest Night.” He has a magic touch when is comes to character development and this has led to him rising at DC Comics to become C.O.O. So, he’s a very big guy. And he happens to be a really nice guy too.

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July 19, 2010 · 5:07 am

Wonder Woman Could Take Her Cues From Batwoman

After all the ruckus over Wonder Woman’s new look, it’s nice to see how it’s really done by the masters, Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III. Talk about thoughtful detail: “The cape only comes to five points forming a very clearly stylized giant red bat design when completely unfurled.”

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Filed under Batwoman, DC Comics, Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III, Wonder Woman

June 30, 2010 · 10:54 pm

Review: Wonder Woman #600

The prologue to the JMS run of Wonder Woman in Issue 600 shows a spirit and edge that is missing in the JMS Superman prologue from last week’s Superman, #700. Things may pick up for Supes but, for now, WW is in the lead.

I wanted to see these two runs as a sort of package deal and I was a little suspicious about the whole JMS deal, I will admit. But, I have to say, you never really know until you read it yourself and, so far, the new WW run has a kick to it.

I said earlier today that I suspected that JMS would turn in something that only helped to boost the title but would fall short otherwise. Now, I’m open to seeing more. I would even go as far as to say that this little prologue manages to bridge the gap between the Simone vibe and the JMS vibe. I really like the exchange between the oracle and WW and the oracle repeatedly asking for a stick of gum. That’s pretty cool.

So, you can see here WW in her new threads in action and it doesn’t look too bad. I well imagine that this is a most temporary look and will go away soon enough, at least by the time we’re ready for the next WW run, post-JMS. Anyway, no hard feelings to JMS. I am open and look forward to more WW. And I’ll keep an open mind to the Superman run as well. I guess I just need to see more.