Let's talk about comics.
So there's lots and lots of comic book related stuff going on. Some even made the news today. I'mma talk about it. I'mma talk about it by company, in fact. So this time, DC. Next entry, Marvel. Be warned, that one will have bile and vitriol.
DC
You know, I always considered myself a Marvel Zombie, but I've always had a soft spot for some of the DC books. As a kid it was Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League International that grabbed me (also, where I developed my love and adoration for the characters of the Blue Beetle (ave atque vale, Ted) and Booster Gold). It was DC who showed me comic book deconstructionism (with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns), and reconstructionism (with Robinson's Starman, and later JSA). So... maybe I was less of a Marvel Zombie than I thought.
Anyways, DC had this Infinite Crisis story. Maybe you've heard of it. It was... I liked it, personally. Was it Crisis on Infinite Earths? Well, no, but expecting it to be wouldn't have been fair. It was a good story and even though it cost us Superboy (more, I suspect, due to legal issues regarding the 'Superboy' character than anything else) it was pretty good, on the whole. But that's old news.
What isn't old news - but will be in a few months when it wraps up - is 52. Which has been surprisingly fucking good. Even the storylines I don't like (see: Montoya's storyline, because dammit, I want Vic back) or didn't much care about (see: The Outer Space Trio, where the only character I give a shit about is Buddy Baker) have been told well. This week? Black Adam gets to be a BADASS, which he deserves, and I think there's a lot more badass comin'. Actually, you know, let's go down the major storylines.
* The Outer Space Trio - eh. Don't much care. Good to see Buddy get some spotlight, though.
* Ralph Dibny - am I the only one thinks this storyline's not quite over? I mean, he did say "I changed the wish"...
* Montoya - I liked you better as a cop, Renee Montoya. I don't like you taking on Vic Sage's mantle, for all that you actually tried to not take it on this week. You may be an interesting character in your own right, but honey, you ain't no Vic Sage.
* Steel/Natasha/Luthor's Everyman Project - I have no particular affection for Steel or Natasha, so really, I don't care. Seeing Luthor get to be Evil Genius-y was nice and all, but... something doesn't ring true.
* Booster Gold/Supernova/Evil Skeets/Rip Hunter - more. Fucking. Like it. Booster is getting to shine, baby, and that plain rocks. I wonder what happened to his modern-day descendent, though - and the implications of this storyline for DC Time Travel in general are kinda neat.
* Black Adam - this is the storyline I like the most. For the past decade or so, Black Adam (the "evil opposite" of Captain Marvel (who isn't named Shazam, it's... look, it's complicated)) has been featured in a number of redemption-type stories. He's always been shown as trying to do the good and noble thing... and never quite reaching the level of 'hero.' And we're seeing the payoff, kids, I really think we are. The upcoming World War III event is being billed as 'Black Adam Versus Everyone Else' - and that says to me that BA's gonna get to be the badass he really and truly deserves to be. I'm looking forward to this one, I really, really am.
Anyways, upshot is, 52 has been a success. It's been firing on all cylinders and I'm really impressed with it. That's the Big DC Event Thingy; let's look at some of their other stuff.
*The new Justice League of America series is... well, I can pick out some of Meltzer's quirks, having read some of his novels (The Book of Fate was fucking excellent, BTW, but The Millionaires just bored me). And they're good, if you like that sort of thing. But the series seems kind of scattershot to me. Maybe in a few more issues where there's some coherency, but as it stands... well, seeing Arsenal get his due is great.
* Conversely, the new Justice Society of America book makes me squeal with glee. I understand some of the criticisms - there's a good deal of 'shock tactic violence' - but the characters just seem to sing. I haven't hit a characterization yet that I'm not comfortable with.
* Darwyn Cooke Wins The Universe. No one else could have picked up The Spirit after Will Eisner and done so wonderfully. The magic of the Spirit had very little to do with the character - who really isn't, let's be honest, anything all that special - and everything to do with the fact that Eisner was a master technician and storyteller (if comic books were viewed as an art form on the level of painting, Eisner would be our Monet - I think Monet is apt, I'm not enough of an art buff to know, but you get the idea). And Cooke has shown himself capable of approaching that level. I've loved Darwyn Cooke for a long time, and started adoring him unconditionally right around The New Frontier, and he's just a masterful talent.
* Gail Simone's work on The Atom has been refreshingly fun.
* Richard Donner on Action Comics has not turned out to be anywhere near as cool as it sounded.
* Manhunter has been saved from cancellation yet again, and I'm thrilled.
* The new Blue Beetle... well, it ain't Ted Kord, which means it'll never be as good as it could be, but I have to say, it's growing on me.
Mostly, DC definitely seems to be on an upswing, quality-wise. The number of books they're putting out that I'm looking forward to is vastly larger than the number I'm dreading. Which is a nice change.
Next time we cover Marvel, where I will be a good deal less positive. Paul Jenkins is dead to me.
DC
You know, I always considered myself a Marvel Zombie, but I've always had a soft spot for some of the DC books. As a kid it was Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League International that grabbed me (also, where I developed my love and adoration for the characters of the Blue Beetle (ave atque vale, Ted) and Booster Gold). It was DC who showed me comic book deconstructionism (with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns), and reconstructionism (with Robinson's Starman, and later JSA). So... maybe I was less of a Marvel Zombie than I thought.
Anyways, DC had this Infinite Crisis story. Maybe you've heard of it. It was... I liked it, personally. Was it Crisis on Infinite Earths? Well, no, but expecting it to be wouldn't have been fair. It was a good story and even though it cost us Superboy (more, I suspect, due to legal issues regarding the 'Superboy' character than anything else) it was pretty good, on the whole. But that's old news.
What isn't old news - but will be in a few months when it wraps up - is 52. Which has been surprisingly fucking good. Even the storylines I don't like (see: Montoya's storyline, because dammit, I want Vic back) or didn't much care about (see: The Outer Space Trio, where the only character I give a shit about is Buddy Baker) have been told well. This week? Black Adam gets to be a BADASS, which he deserves, and I think there's a lot more badass comin'. Actually, you know, let's go down the major storylines.
* The Outer Space Trio - eh. Don't much care. Good to see Buddy get some spotlight, though.
* Ralph Dibny - am I the only one thinks this storyline's not quite over? I mean, he did say "I changed the wish"...
* Montoya - I liked you better as a cop, Renee Montoya. I don't like you taking on Vic Sage's mantle, for all that you actually tried to not take it on this week. You may be an interesting character in your own right, but honey, you ain't no Vic Sage.
* Steel/Natasha/Luthor's Everyman Project - I have no particular affection for Steel or Natasha, so really, I don't care. Seeing Luthor get to be Evil Genius-y was nice and all, but... something doesn't ring true.
* Booster Gold/Supernova/Evil Skeets/Rip Hunter - more. Fucking. Like it. Booster is getting to shine, baby, and that plain rocks. I wonder what happened to his modern-day descendent, though - and the implications of this storyline for DC Time Travel in general are kinda neat.
* Black Adam - this is the storyline I like the most. For the past decade or so, Black Adam (the "evil opposite" of Captain Marvel (who isn't named Shazam, it's... look, it's complicated)) has been featured in a number of redemption-type stories. He's always been shown as trying to do the good and noble thing... and never quite reaching the level of 'hero.' And we're seeing the payoff, kids, I really think we are. The upcoming World War III event is being billed as 'Black Adam Versus Everyone Else' - and that says to me that BA's gonna get to be the badass he really and truly deserves to be. I'm looking forward to this one, I really, really am.
Anyways, upshot is, 52 has been a success. It's been firing on all cylinders and I'm really impressed with it. That's the Big DC Event Thingy; let's look at some of their other stuff.
*The new Justice League of America series is... well, I can pick out some of Meltzer's quirks, having read some of his novels (The Book of Fate was fucking excellent, BTW, but The Millionaires just bored me). And they're good, if you like that sort of thing. But the series seems kind of scattershot to me. Maybe in a few more issues where there's some coherency, but as it stands... well, seeing Arsenal get his due is great.
* Conversely, the new Justice Society of America book makes me squeal with glee. I understand some of the criticisms - there's a good deal of 'shock tactic violence' - but the characters just seem to sing. I haven't hit a characterization yet that I'm not comfortable with.
* Darwyn Cooke Wins The Universe. No one else could have picked up The Spirit after Will Eisner and done so wonderfully. The magic of the Spirit had very little to do with the character - who really isn't, let's be honest, anything all that special - and everything to do with the fact that Eisner was a master technician and storyteller (if comic books were viewed as an art form on the level of painting, Eisner would be our Monet - I think Monet is apt, I'm not enough of an art buff to know, but you get the idea). And Cooke has shown himself capable of approaching that level. I've loved Darwyn Cooke for a long time, and started adoring him unconditionally right around The New Frontier, and he's just a masterful talent.
* Gail Simone's work on The Atom has been refreshingly fun.
* Richard Donner on Action Comics has not turned out to be anywhere near as cool as it sounded.
* Manhunter has been saved from cancellation yet again, and I'm thrilled.
* The new Blue Beetle... well, it ain't Ted Kord, which means it'll never be as good as it could be, but I have to say, it's growing on me.
Mostly, DC definitely seems to be on an upswing, quality-wise. The number of books they're putting out that I'm looking forward to is vastly larger than the number I'm dreading. Which is a nice change.
Next time we cover Marvel, where I will be a good deal less positive. Paul Jenkins is dead to me.