in which I read comics
Comics from today and last week and from...however long I've been procrastinating this.
(Mostly) new comics:
Batman & Robin #17
Nothing really happened, but I didn't care because I like dreamy, introspective things and slice-of-life things. Damian's dreams in particular are done really thoughtfully, and the art is super gorgeous. Like, seriously, look at this. So pretty.
Nightwing #17
Ahh, at first when I saw Babs I thought she was Raya come back from the dead. People with the same hair color need distinguishable features! Also, why do Dick and Babs always fight now? Why does she always get mad at him for not living in the past? Or is she trying to be nice, and her face is just angry? It's hard to tell if she's actually being a jerk to him, or if the art is setting the wrong tone...anyway. I guess you know things are bad when Damian is the calmest person in the room. Which I would believe right now, since he probably has the least traumatic history with the Joker, and, via Grant Morrison, even had a weird pseudo-working relationship with him at that one point when everything was completely nuts and Bruce time-traveled back from the dead and jumped out of the fireplace. Ah, the good old days. Wait, what was I talking about again? Anyway, this was okay, but there was less hanging-out-with-Damian than I thought there would be.
Red Hood & the Outlaws #17
This was a weird mashup of "Oh, isn't that nice" and "I have only been reading DC for six months and even I know that's wrong." Like, Roy teaching Damian to play football: cute. Jason getting family bonding/acceptance (and offering it to Damian): also nice. Jason saying he never thought of Bruce as his father, why would he after he had such a bad experience with his parents? Uh, didn't Bruce adopt him, and didn't he really love his mom? Kori telling Jason he is the first person she's known only as a friend? Uh. Kori refusing to come inside, and Dick refusing to say hi to Kori, even after Jason tells him to? Uh. (Apparently it is too hard for him to get close to people. Uh, right.) And then Dick tells Jason to "watch over" Kori, which on the one hand, is kind of sweet, but on the other, a) she can shoot starbolts, and b) get your butt out there and talk to that girl yourself, Dick Grayson. Seriously, dude.
Justice League of America #1
I mostly bought this because Catwoman and Katana and Stargirl were in it. I don't read Catwoman because I hear it's terrible, so I was hoping she would get to be awesome, and I am vaguely interested in Katana but not interested enough to buy her comic. And Stargirl has been returned from retcon limbo, so I felt compelled to support such endeavors, even though I don't really know her except from Batgirl crossovers. Nothing really happened in this issue since they were still setting up the team. They spent what seemed like an unreasonable length of time on a really boring conversation between Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller about whether he would lead the team or not, and whether or not it was bad that Wonder Woman and Superman were dating. I wish that Wonder Woman and Superman would stop kissing everywhere. There was a half-page "surveillance shot" of them that was kind of unnecessary and annoying. Anyway, Stargirl was adorable, Katana broke some windows, and Catwoman was disappointingly not very exciting. She mostly talked to Steve Trevor about herself in the third person, which confused me. Oh! And Green Arrow ran through the forest trying not to bleed out, while Wonder Woman said something about like, "I fear our creators wish to destroy him." I doubt it, Wonder Woman, but I fear that for many characters, which is why I bought this comic. Stay alive, Courtney Whitmore, the fate of others may depend on you!
Batwoman #17
This wrapped up kind of fast, and I am not sure how I feel about Bette's weird new costume, but I don't even care, because the comic was SO PRETTY, and THE END THE END THE END. Kate told the DEO to shove it when they asked her where her recorder was. AND THEN SHE FOUND MAGGIE IN THE PARK AND IT WAS ADORABLE AND SHE ASKED HER TO MARRY HER. IN COSTUME. AND THEY KISSED. I am sorry, I cannot, the panels were so pretty and after all the things where I was like, grr, DCnU, this was a COMIC OF HAPPINESS. And apparently Beth is back next month? So that's cool. BUT BATWOMAN KISSED MAGGIE. I can't hear you over my happy capslocking.
Li'l Gotham #5
Adorable. Adorable and hilarious. Is that even a question?
Not-as-new comics:
Worlds' Finest #5-6
I read this a while ago so I have already kind of forgotten it. Anyway. Helena and Damian teaming up was really neat, hooray parallel universe siblings! (Also, yay for another girl Robin!) Power Girl's half of the adventure was...really weird. I didn't really know what to make of it. But I haven't been following Worlds' Finest or Earth-2, so that could be part of it.
Batgirl #3
So I finally caved and read some DCnU Batgirl, mainly because I saw this page, and it sounded very much like Dick and Babs to me, and I love their banter. And parts of the issue do seem very familiar, and overall I guess it makes sense? But there are other things that seemed weird. Like in the flashback, Babs asks him about being rich like it's a big part of who he is or something. But in the reboot, didn't Bruce send Dick to, like, the Wayne Foundation and not adopt him until he was 16? So I don't think he'd be all that used to being rich. And even if he was adopted when he was ten or whatever, like before...I don't know. And some of the things Babs says make her sound like she's halfway between Babs and Steph, which is weird, too. Like when she's annoyed at Dick and her internal monologue is, "Grr. So very grr." Also, why does Babs always call Dick "Richard" now? I don't know. Overall it was a good comic and I liked it...just...I am still being grumpy about the reboot.
Nightwing #4
I bought this because it is more Dick & Babs, following after Batgirl #3. It's a very fun comic, and their interactions are much lighter. Also, there are some entertaining acrobatics-type things while they are patrolling. If we must have a reboot, at least we can have Batgirl & Nightwing fun times on occasion. Again, though, Raya and Babs could be twins. Even their eyeshadow matches.
Things I found for free on Comixology:
Impulse #1
Bart Allen, you are an adorable child. Also, this is the most 90's comic I've ever seen. They even made a Keanu Reeves reference. I think they may have made TWO Keanu Reeves references. On the same page. That is how 90's it is.
Tiny Titans #1
I don't have much to say about this, but it is cute, and weirdly meta, in a cracky way.
Trades I got from the library:
Batman: Hush
I had read Part 2 several years ago, without having read the first half, because I got confused. I decided to get both parts from the library and start over. I almost had to put it down at first because Bruce Wayne, I cannot with you and the way you narrate your life like you think you are in a pulp noir novel. Actually, I think Bruce probably does think he lives in a pulp noir novel...anyway, it got better. Especially when he was distracted chasing Catwoman and someone cut the batrope (seriously, he even names his rope?) and then Helena got to be the shining knight saving Batman the damsel in distress. And Batman ACTUALLY APPRECIATED IT FOR ONCE, although he was bleeding into his skull at the time, par for the course Bruce, par for the course. (It was more hilarious to me than it should have been that Babs' way to excuse Bruce's injury was, "Oh, I'll just have Dick wreck the Porsche." THIS FAMILY, I CANNOT EVEN.) Then it was mostly uneventful except for Selina being amusing as usual, Lois being totally and unexpectedly awesome even though she was only around for, like, ten total panels, and surprise Talia working for LexCorp what is happening I don't even know. I think this is just, like, Operation Get Everyone Batman Knows Within 300 Pages Of Each Other. And then when Bruce had to fight Superman and he was like, well, deep down Clark's a good guy, but I'm not--uh, Batman, what? I think deep down you are perhaps very...confused. Deep down you are not very nice. But if you wanted to stop being good, you have had, like, a hundred thousand chances to do it, and, yeah, no. And then in Part 2, basically Dick Grayson was my favorite everything, and the conversation Alfred and Selina had in the Batcave was also pretty fabulous. Batman, you have a wonderful family, you should appreciate them more often.
Blue Beetle: Shellshocked
I actually read Road Trip before this, and I think that maybe worked better as a introduction/setting things up comic. But whatever, this was still cute and fun. And the part where he argues with Oracle, and Black Canary is like, "Did you just fail to recruit a sixteen-year-old boy? I like him." was hilarious. My dad is now saying he wants to read Blue Beetle comics, but only if I can find him one that won't make him get hooked and have to read all of them, which is an entertaining development. He has not said this about Batman, although he read Batman as a kid. I suspect this is because he objects to a) the current gloominess in Batman's status quo and b) he is annoyed that Dick Grayson grew up and is not Robin anymore. Which is also kind of hilarious.
(Mostly) new comics:
Batman & Robin #17
Nothing really happened, but I didn't care because I like dreamy, introspective things and slice-of-life things. Damian's dreams in particular are done really thoughtfully, and the art is super gorgeous. Like, seriously, look at this. So pretty.
Nightwing #17
Ahh, at first when I saw Babs I thought she was Raya come back from the dead. People with the same hair color need distinguishable features! Also, why do Dick and Babs always fight now? Why does she always get mad at him for not living in the past? Or is she trying to be nice, and her face is just angry? It's hard to tell if she's actually being a jerk to him, or if the art is setting the wrong tone...anyway. I guess you know things are bad when Damian is the calmest person in the room. Which I would believe right now, since he probably has the least traumatic history with the Joker, and, via Grant Morrison, even had a weird pseudo-working relationship with him at that one point when everything was completely nuts and Bruce time-traveled back from the dead and jumped out of the fireplace. Ah, the good old days. Wait, what was I talking about again? Anyway, this was okay, but there was less hanging-out-with-Damian than I thought there would be.
Red Hood & the Outlaws #17
This was a weird mashup of "Oh, isn't that nice" and "I have only been reading DC for six months and even I know that's wrong." Like, Roy teaching Damian to play football: cute. Jason getting family bonding/acceptance (and offering it to Damian): also nice. Jason saying he never thought of Bruce as his father, why would he after he had such a bad experience with his parents? Uh, didn't Bruce adopt him, and didn't he really love his mom? Kori telling Jason he is the first person she's known only as a friend? Uh. Kori refusing to come inside, and Dick refusing to say hi to Kori, even after Jason tells him to? Uh. (Apparently it is too hard for him to get close to people. Uh, right.) And then Dick tells Jason to "watch over" Kori, which on the one hand, is kind of sweet, but on the other, a) she can shoot starbolts, and b) get your butt out there and talk to that girl yourself, Dick Grayson. Seriously, dude.
Justice League of America #1
I mostly bought this because Catwoman and Katana and Stargirl were in it. I don't read Catwoman because I hear it's terrible, so I was hoping she would get to be awesome, and I am vaguely interested in Katana but not interested enough to buy her comic. And Stargirl has been returned from retcon limbo, so I felt compelled to support such endeavors, even though I don't really know her except from Batgirl crossovers. Nothing really happened in this issue since they were still setting up the team. They spent what seemed like an unreasonable length of time on a really boring conversation between Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller about whether he would lead the team or not, and whether or not it was bad that Wonder Woman and Superman were dating. I wish that Wonder Woman and Superman would stop kissing everywhere. There was a half-page "surveillance shot" of them that was kind of unnecessary and annoying. Anyway, Stargirl was adorable, Katana broke some windows, and Catwoman was disappointingly not very exciting. She mostly talked to Steve Trevor about herself in the third person, which confused me. Oh! And Green Arrow ran through the forest trying not to bleed out, while Wonder Woman said something about like, "I fear our creators wish to destroy him." I doubt it, Wonder Woman, but I fear that for many characters, which is why I bought this comic. Stay alive, Courtney Whitmore, the fate of others may depend on you!
Batwoman #17
This wrapped up kind of fast, and I am not sure how I feel about Bette's weird new costume, but I don't even care, because the comic was SO PRETTY, and THE END THE END THE END. Kate told the DEO to shove it when they asked her where her recorder was. AND THEN SHE FOUND MAGGIE IN THE PARK AND IT WAS ADORABLE AND SHE ASKED HER TO MARRY HER. IN COSTUME. AND THEY KISSED. I am sorry, I cannot, the panels were so pretty and after all the things where I was like, grr, DCnU, this was a COMIC OF HAPPINESS. And apparently Beth is back next month? So that's cool. BUT BATWOMAN KISSED MAGGIE. I can't hear you over my happy capslocking.
Li'l Gotham #5
Adorable. Adorable and hilarious. Is that even a question?
Not-as-new comics:
Worlds' Finest #5-6
I read this a while ago so I have already kind of forgotten it. Anyway. Helena and Damian teaming up was really neat, hooray parallel universe siblings! (Also, yay for another girl Robin!) Power Girl's half of the adventure was...really weird. I didn't really know what to make of it. But I haven't been following Worlds' Finest or Earth-2, so that could be part of it.
Batgirl #3
So I finally caved and read some DCnU Batgirl, mainly because I saw this page, and it sounded very much like Dick and Babs to me, and I love their banter. And parts of the issue do seem very familiar, and overall I guess it makes sense? But there are other things that seemed weird. Like in the flashback, Babs asks him about being rich like it's a big part of who he is or something. But in the reboot, didn't Bruce send Dick to, like, the Wayne Foundation and not adopt him until he was 16? So I don't think he'd be all that used to being rich. And even if he was adopted when he was ten or whatever, like before...I don't know. And some of the things Babs says make her sound like she's halfway between Babs and Steph, which is weird, too. Like when she's annoyed at Dick and her internal monologue is, "Grr. So very grr." Also, why does Babs always call Dick "Richard" now? I don't know. Overall it was a good comic and I liked it...just...I am still being grumpy about the reboot.
Nightwing #4
I bought this because it is more Dick & Babs, following after Batgirl #3. It's a very fun comic, and their interactions are much lighter. Also, there are some entertaining acrobatics-type things while they are patrolling. If we must have a reboot, at least we can have Batgirl & Nightwing fun times on occasion. Again, though, Raya and Babs could be twins. Even their eyeshadow matches.
Things I found for free on Comixology:
Impulse #1
Bart Allen, you are an adorable child. Also, this is the most 90's comic I've ever seen. They even made a Keanu Reeves reference. I think they may have made TWO Keanu Reeves references. On the same page. That is how 90's it is.
Tiny Titans #1
I don't have much to say about this, but it is cute, and weirdly meta, in a cracky way.
Trades I got from the library:
Batman: Hush
I had read Part 2 several years ago, without having read the first half, because I got confused. I decided to get both parts from the library and start over. I almost had to put it down at first because Bruce Wayne, I cannot with you and the way you narrate your life like you think you are in a pulp noir novel. Actually, I think Bruce probably does think he lives in a pulp noir novel...anyway, it got better. Especially when he was distracted chasing Catwoman and someone cut the batrope (seriously, he even names his rope?) and then Helena got to be the shining knight saving Batman the damsel in distress. And Batman ACTUALLY APPRECIATED IT FOR ONCE, although he was bleeding into his skull at the time, par for the course Bruce, par for the course. (It was more hilarious to me than it should have been that Babs' way to excuse Bruce's injury was, "Oh, I'll just have Dick wreck the Porsche." THIS FAMILY, I CANNOT EVEN.) Then it was mostly uneventful except for Selina being amusing as usual, Lois being totally and unexpectedly awesome even though she was only around for, like, ten total panels, and surprise Talia working for LexCorp what is happening I don't even know. I think this is just, like, Operation Get Everyone Batman Knows Within 300 Pages Of Each Other. And then when Bruce had to fight Superman and he was like, well, deep down Clark's a good guy, but I'm not--uh, Batman, what? I think deep down you are perhaps very...confused. Deep down you are not very nice. But if you wanted to stop being good, you have had, like, a hundred thousand chances to do it, and, yeah, no. And then in Part 2, basically Dick Grayson was my favorite everything, and the conversation Alfred and Selina had in the Batcave was also pretty fabulous. Batman, you have a wonderful family, you should appreciate them more often.
Blue Beetle: Shellshocked
I actually read Road Trip before this, and I think that maybe worked better as a introduction/setting things up comic. But whatever, this was still cute and fun. And the part where he argues with Oracle, and Black Canary is like, "Did you just fail to recruit a sixteen-year-old boy? I like him." was hilarious. My dad is now saying he wants to read Blue Beetle comics, but only if I can find him one that won't make him get hooked and have to read all of them, which is an entertaining development. He has not said this about Batman, although he read Batman as a kid. I suspect this is because he objects to a) the current gloominess in Batman's status quo and b) he is annoyed that Dick Grayson grew up and is not Robin anymore. Which is also kind of hilarious.