Line of the week: "Homeboy? What is this, nineteen eighty-seven on the
classic redneck dial?" (Touch #5)
Runner-up: "Why press bedsheets if you're just gonna throw 'em on the
ground?" (Plastic Man #9 -- it's runner-up because you have to see the
panel to have it make funny. That makes it better comics, but not as
good a quote. The art's not as cartoon-cell-like, my primary problem
with this book, but the captioned text is now a hindrance. I kept
reading them with the wrong panels. Overall, this is a great book of
storyboards.)
I must thank the editors for the prominent "War Games" banner on the
Bat-titles -- it makes it so easy to avoid them until all this crossover
mess is over.
Well, we knew that was going to happen, didn't we, as soon as Lois went
into a war zone? As shown by the cover to Adventures of Superman #631 by
Gene Ha, Lois has been shot. Will she die? I doubt it. If that was a
possibility, then she would been more involved in the
spouse-slaughtering Identity Crisis.
I don't really know any more what's going on in Birds of Prey #72, and
what I do recognize I don't like. Didn't Oracle just revisit her
spine-shattering confrontation with the Joker in Batman: Legends of the
Dark Knight? Is she condemned to always be defined by that moment? Ah,
well, the titles come out of two different editorial offices, so no
surprise that there might be some overlap. I hope the coming conclusion
wraps everything up more clearly.
Hawkman #31 has a villain who's a bit of the Joker, a bit of Swamp
Thing, and less interesting than either. Plus, Hawkman's new love
interest dies, after serving as hostage. I can't find anything new or
interesting about this title under its new writers.
Mark Waid did a great job of incorporating Julie Schwartz into his
tribute tale in DC Comics Presents Atom #1 without making the story
about meeting comic book characters, as too many others have been (and
as the other story here does). From what I've heard, and the small
amount of time I spent myself with him, it's very true to Schwartz's
personality as well.
Brian Vaughan does good work, and that's on display in Ex Machina #3. It
sometimes takes him a little while to get anywhere, though, and while
I'm interested in the adventures of a machine-talking mayor, I'm
concerned that the major plots aren't moving fast enough to keep the
attention of short-span readers month-to-month.
--
Johanna Draper Carlson
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Blogging at http://www.comicsworthreading.com/blog/cwr.html
> I don't really know any more what's going on in Birds of Prey #72, and
> what I do recognize I don't like. Didn't Oracle just revisit her
> spine-shattering confrontation with the Joker in Batman: Legends of the
> Dark Knight? Is she condemned to always be defined by that moment?
I would think so considering it is the important event in her chosen
career. At this point, you might as well ask "Is Peter Parker condemned
to be defined by his Uncle Ben's death?"
Thanks for the post, btw.
That's an interesting comparison. It is the origin of Oracle, just as
Ben's death is the origin of Spider-Man, but it ignores all of her long
career as Batgirl before that.
> Thanks for the post, btw.
You're welcome.
Editors are our friends. They put little helpful hints like that for us,
like "great jumping on" points also are great jumping OFF points.
> Well, we knew that was going to happen, didn't we, as soon as Lois went
> into a war zone? As shown by the cover to Adventures of Superman #631 by
> Gene Ha, Lois has been shot. Will she die? I doubt it. If that was a
> possibility, then she would been more involved in the
> spouse-slaughtering Identity Crisis.
Who you kidding? Lois would no more die than Jimmy or Perry or Aunt May.
> I don't really know any more what's going on in Birds of Prey #72, and
> what I do recognize I don't like. Didn't Oracle just revisit her
> spine-shattering confrontation with the Joker in Batman: Legends of the
> Dark Knight? Is she condemned to always be defined by that moment? Ah,
> well, the titles come out of two different editorial offices, so no
> surprise that there might be some overlap. I hope the coming conclusion
> wraps everything up more clearly.
See? It's that kind of obsession to continuity that a certain ex-
contributing editor has been trying to warn us about. So she repeats the
same actions, next you'll complain Bart and Lisa Simpson have been
repeating the same grade for years without aging.
You must unlearn what you have learned, JoJo.
> Hawkman #31 has a villain who's a bit of the Joker, a bit of Swamp
> Thing, and less interesting than either. Plus, Hawkman's new love
> interest dies, after serving as hostage. I can't find anything new or
> interesting about this title under its new writers.
>
> Mark Waid did a great job of incorporating Julie Schwartz into his
> tribute tale in DC Comics Presents Atom #1 without making the story
> about meeting comic book characters, as too many others have been (and
> as the other story here does). From what I've heard, and the small
> amount of time I spent myself with him, it's very true to Schwartz's
> personality as well.
Did you read the FLASH "Read this comic, my life depends on it?"
Priceless.
> Brian Vaughan does good work, and that's on display in Ex Machina #3. It
> sometimes takes him a little while to get anywhere, though, and while
> I'm interested in the adventures of a machine-talking mayor, I'm
> concerned that the major plots aren't moving fast enough to keep the
> attention of short-span readers month-to-month.
Is Brian's middle name "Michael"?
-- Ken from Chicago
But, if you ignore her long career as Batgirl, you also get to ignore
"Batgirl: Year One"! Not sounding so bad now, is it?
--Gustavo (trying to be positive)
>>Well, we knew that was going to happen, didn't we, as soon as Lois went
>>into a war zone? As shown by the cover to Adventures of Superman #631 by
>>Gene Ha, Lois has been shot. Will she die? I doubt it. If that was a
>>possibility, then she would been more involved in the
>>spouse-slaughtering Identity Crisis.
>
> Who you kidding? Lois would no more die than Jimmy or Perry or Aunt May.
The dark secret of comics' most famous supporting characters is out -
they're all Undead.
Graeme
--
http://members.optusnet.com.au/graeme
"We may as well just play out our roles, then.
I'm the devil and you're the sinner. We both
know where we're going now."
(Hellblazer #83)
I thought the line of the week was from Peter David's blog (when talking
about Fallen Angel's sales woes), "If I want to spend time with a female I
don't understand, I'll talk to my girlfriend."
They have to be zombies since they are out in the sunlight.
-- Ken from Chicago
As opposed to a female he does understnad?
-- Ken from Chicago
>>>Who you kidding? Lois would no more die than Jimmy or Perry or Aunt May.
>>
>>The dark secret of comics' most famous supporting characters is out -
>>they're all Undead.
>
> They have to be zombies since they are out in the sunlight.
Obviously they only hang around Clark for his BRAAINNNZ!!!!
Of course, po' things. They must be starved hanging around the Daily
Planet, filled with people who can't even recognize Clark without his
glasses.
-- Ken from Chicago
Not really, as her history as Batgirl included her LIS degree (Library and
Information Sciences) and her photographic memory, with Oracle as a natural
extension of those traits.
michael j pastor