Ok, I'm something of a continuity freak. Not a total one... I'm not going to sit here and debate things that were back in a long forgotten storyline from 1982.
On the other hand, on the big stuff... I'm pretty fussy.
So, this is a bit of Nightwing's "internal voice"...from his book. It's from the TBP "A Darker Shade of Justice".... I'm guessing issue 30, but I could be wrong (it's the first story in the TPB).
He's just been hanging with Supes, and when Clark flies off
Bruce always tried to warn me about Superman. "Superman's not from our world. His loyalty will always be in question. He's not Human."
I'm not so sure about that. He may be the most human guy I ever met. The flying bit still freaks me though.
Excuse me???? He's freaked out by a flying alien?
Um... wasn't he sort of well... you know... engaged to one? Starfire is a WHOLE lot more Alien across the board than Clark ever was. Not just in her look, but in her outlook as well. Now, I can see Bruce being a bit paranoid, but he's smart enough to know that the "alien" card wouldn't fly with Dick.
Anyway, that doesn't even mention that Dick hung around with a bunch of other people with some pretty freaky powers. If you can get used to Changeling, Superman is nothing.
I'd heard that Chuck Dixon tended to write as if the Titans never happened, but this really seems to prove it. Of course, I did see his recent run in Nightwing where he managed to destroy a pretty large chunk of the "Judas Contract" arc in Teen Titans. Oh, it's not important, just because that arc holds a place in Titans lore akin to "Dark Phoenix" in X-lore.
Yeah, that's the big stuff.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
The Job Interview
"Gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. My name is Edgar Whittlebot, and I'm the personnel director of this fine institution. You are our final two candidates for the job of security guard here. As you may know, we host a number of highly dangerous patients, and keeping them here is vital for the well being of Gotham City. At this time, I'd like to take you on a tour of the facilities. One of your tasks will be to determine what security concerns you may see."
One Hour Later...
"Ah, Mr. Brown, what did you see?"
"Thank you Mr. Whittlebot. I must admit, that I noticed a number of problems in the security arrangements for the patients. There were signs of loose dirt on the trousers of Two-Face. It would be well worth checking his cell, to see if he's possibly been trying to tunnel his way out. Also, do you really think it is a good idea to have the Condiment King working in the kitchen? I know he's pretty harmless as insane types go, but there was that unfortunate incident where he tried to bomb a mall with mustard gas not too long ago. Finally though, when we going past the Joker's cell, there was a clear chemical odor. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but it is certainly something that is well worth checking into."
"Ah, I see. Well, thank you for your frank words. Now, Mr. Smith, what did you see?"
"Um, that Ivy chick is really cute."
"Very well. Mr. Brown, what sort of compensation were you looking for?"
"Ah, well, considering the nature of the job, I'd say that $70,000 a year, with full vacation, benefits and a company car would be fair."
"Mr. Smith, what sort of Compensation did you want?"
"Uh? Compensation?"
"Yes, compensation, you know, pay."
"Oh, well, I'm getting minimum at LexBurger right now. Maybe another quarter an hour?"
"Mr Smith, you have the job."
One Hour Later...
"Ah, Mr. Brown, what did you see?"
"Thank you Mr. Whittlebot. I must admit, that I noticed a number of problems in the security arrangements for the patients. There were signs of loose dirt on the trousers of Two-Face. It would be well worth checking his cell, to see if he's possibly been trying to tunnel his way out. Also, do you really think it is a good idea to have the Condiment King working in the kitchen? I know he's pretty harmless as insane types go, but there was that unfortunate incident where he tried to bomb a mall with mustard gas not too long ago. Finally though, when we going past the Joker's cell, there was a clear chemical odor. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but it is certainly something that is well worth checking into."
"Ah, I see. Well, thank you for your frank words. Now, Mr. Smith, what did you see?"
"Um, that Ivy chick is really cute."
"Very well. Mr. Brown, what sort of compensation were you looking for?"
"Ah, well, considering the nature of the job, I'd say that $70,000 a year, with full vacation, benefits and a company car would be fair."
"Mr. Smith, what sort of Compensation did you want?"
"Uh? Compensation?"
"Yes, compensation, you know, pay."
"Oh, well, I'm getting minimum at LexBurger right now. Maybe another quarter an hour?"
"Mr Smith, you have the job."
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Rhetorical Tuesday
Why would any criminal ever want to work in Gotham?
For that matter, why doesn't every supervillian in the Marvel Universe move to Cleveland, or Topeka or even Cheyenne? Anywhere but New York.
Why do mad scientists insist on trying to take over the world, instead of patenting their ideas, liscensing them off and becoming richer than Bill Gates. "I, Victor von Doom used the proceeds from my micro fusion generator to buy Cleveland!"
Are there any support groups for superhero spouses? "Lois, I know what you mean, sitting up worrying all night. When Peter fought the Kingpin... *sob* I couldn't sleep"
Is every guard at Stonegate, Arkham, the Slab and the like a minimum wage, barely qualifed fool who can't even hold down a job at 7-11?
And, finally...
Is there a rule that requires every female superhero to have at least a DDD cup?
For that matter, why doesn't every supervillian in the Marvel Universe move to Cleveland, or Topeka or even Cheyenne? Anywhere but New York.
Why do mad scientists insist on trying to take over the world, instead of patenting their ideas, liscensing them off and becoming richer than Bill Gates. "I, Victor von Doom used the proceeds from my micro fusion generator to buy Cleveland!"
Are there any support groups for superhero spouses? "Lois, I know what you mean, sitting up worrying all night. When Peter fought the Kingpin... *sob* I couldn't sleep"
Is every guard at Stonegate, Arkham, the Slab and the like a minimum wage, barely qualifed fool who can't even hold down a job at 7-11?
And, finally...
Is there a rule that requires every female superhero to have at least a DDD cup?
Monday, August 15, 2005
What's in a Name?
I suppose I may as well take a moment and explain, since I'll get asked eventually anyway. Where does the name Ashtur come from?
Actually, it's the short from of the name Ashtur an'Vangan, which doesn't help one little bit. Back when I was in college, (ack, 20 years ago), I had a story idea. That was years before I even began to fool around with writing, but a story started to form in my head.
The story has long since been abandoned, on the grounds of being terminally boring, derivitive and pointless. It was a fairly standard Fantasy story, the usual swords and sorcery thing. Post apocalyptic, in that a large scale fire spell had gotten a bit out of hand (whoops!), but otherwise, meh.
Anyway, the story had your usual stock issue, older mentor/wizard, Ashtur an'Vangan. The "an'Vangan" isn't actually a name, but a title. It referred to the order of wizards he came from.
Well, to make a long story short, the world will never see Kaliar Machlar-Ashtara, his sister Celana an'Vangan, or any of the others who were in the mix. You may all breath a sigh of relief. The only remnant is that I've adopted the name Ashtur an'Vangan as my "net nick." It means nothing, but I'm used to it.
It's better than some other things I get called.
Actually, it's the short from of the name Ashtur an'Vangan, which doesn't help one little bit. Back when I was in college, (ack, 20 years ago), I had a story idea. That was years before I even began to fool around with writing, but a story started to form in my head.
The story has long since been abandoned, on the grounds of being terminally boring, derivitive and pointless. It was a fairly standard Fantasy story, the usual swords and sorcery thing. Post apocalyptic, in that a large scale fire spell had gotten a bit out of hand (whoops!), but otherwise, meh.
Anyway, the story had your usual stock issue, older mentor/wizard, Ashtur an'Vangan. The "an'Vangan" isn't actually a name, but a title. It referred to the order of wizards he came from.
Well, to make a long story short, the world will never see Kaliar Machlar-Ashtara, his sister Celana an'Vangan, or any of the others who were in the mix. You may all breath a sigh of relief. The only remnant is that I've adopted the name Ashtur an'Vangan as my "net nick." It means nothing, but I'm used to it.
It's better than some other things I get called.
The Angst Shell Game
Recently, I picked up the better part of the run of Power of Shazam, and I found it to be generally enjoyable.
I already picked up a bit of a dislike for Freddie *L* not entirely sure why.
Anyway, one thing that did aggrivate me a bit was when they pulled out the tried and true "angst shell game."
I don't have the issues in front of me, so I don't recall the number, but at one point, Mr. Mind* sends the robot Mr. Atom to Billy and Mary's hometown and he blows the whole town up in one big nuclear explosion. While Billy and Mary were out of town, their adoptive parents (and they'd just brought Billy in not too long before that) were in town. Well, as you can expect, Billy and Mary go practically nutso with grief. Even more pathos since they were already orphans of course.
So, you go an issue or two, with Billy and Mary in deep, deep mourning, when suddenly they find out their adoptive parents were actually out of town (looking for them) at the exact moment.... awwwwww, all is good, Billy and Mary are happy.
Now, first of all, considering that even if their adoptive parents were still alive, their town, school and friends (especially for Mary, since she had roots) were gonegonegone. But, as soon as Billy and Mary heard the good news, they were thrilled, and the mourning/guilt trip was gone. (Guilt because Billy blamed himself, Mr Atom was trying to get him).
Second, that's an example of an all too common shell game. How many times have we thought a character was dead, only to find out that they are really alive? I'm not talking about bringing a character back after a long absence (Hi Hal!), but within an issue or two, voila! Often it is the cliffhanger from an issue. That trick can be very, very effective on occasion, but frankly, it is so badly overused that it carries very little weight any more. Indeed, most comics readers are so jaded that they go by the philosophy "They aren't dead unless you have the body. Even if you have the body, they probably still aren't dead for good."
I realize that with dozens of books coming out a month between DC and Marvel, much less the indies, it's hard not to overuse things like that, but it would be nice if they dug a bit deeper into the well.
---------------------
* By the Way, just imagine how much use that little worm would be for Retcon-o-mania. "Why did Jean Loring go nuts? Mr. Mind was in her head!"
I already picked up a bit of a dislike for Freddie *L* not entirely sure why.
Anyway, one thing that did aggrivate me a bit was when they pulled out the tried and true "angst shell game."
I don't have the issues in front of me, so I don't recall the number, but at one point, Mr. Mind* sends the robot Mr. Atom to Billy and Mary's hometown and he blows the whole town up in one big nuclear explosion. While Billy and Mary were out of town, their adoptive parents (and they'd just brought Billy in not too long before that) were in town. Well, as you can expect, Billy and Mary go practically nutso with grief. Even more pathos since they were already orphans of course.
So, you go an issue or two, with Billy and Mary in deep, deep mourning, when suddenly they find out their adoptive parents were actually out of town (looking for them) at the exact moment.... awwwwww, all is good, Billy and Mary are happy.
Now, first of all, considering that even if their adoptive parents were still alive, their town, school and friends (especially for Mary, since she had roots) were gonegonegone. But, as soon as Billy and Mary heard the good news, they were thrilled, and the mourning/guilt trip was gone. (Guilt because Billy blamed himself, Mr Atom was trying to get him).
Second, that's an example of an all too common shell game. How many times have we thought a character was dead, only to find out that they are really alive? I'm not talking about bringing a character back after a long absence (Hi Hal!), but within an issue or two, voila! Often it is the cliffhanger from an issue. That trick can be very, very effective on occasion, but frankly, it is so badly overused that it carries very little weight any more. Indeed, most comics readers are so jaded that they go by the philosophy "They aren't dead unless you have the body. Even if you have the body, they probably still aren't dead for good."
I realize that with dozens of books coming out a month between DC and Marvel, much less the indies, it's hard not to overuse things like that, but it would be nice if they dug a bit deeper into the well.
---------------------
* By the Way, just imagine how much use that little worm would be for Retcon-o-mania. "Why did Jean Loring go nuts? Mr. Mind was in her head!"
Friday, August 12, 2005
Review: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E
As my first post (mentioning Power Pack) indicated, my tastes don't always fully run to the norm. To that, I have only one answer. Nyaaa.
Ahem, and now that I have that silliness out of my 38 year old blood, on to business.
As I was saying, my tastes run a bit different. I'm not hugely fond of "grim n gritty," for instance. Oh, I'll read some of that now and then, but honestly, those sorts of things leave me a bit meh. On the other hand, one thing that I really do like is books that are fun, with an overlay of innocence to them. Power Pack (the original) of course is the ultimate example of that, and one of these days I'll expound on the brilliance that my favorite sibling team brings to the printed page.
So, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E is another book that is in something of the same mold (fun, a bit light, and with a bit of innocence and discovery). I just got the complete series today (thank you eBay), and while we were having some storms, took the time to read them.
Now, I was a fan of Stargirl/Star Spangled Kid already, from her JSA appearances, so this was a series I wanted.
I won't go through issue by issue, but bring out some of the things I really liked (and some things that leave me a bit flat). Overall, for the series, I'd have to give it a nice solid B, or even a B+. It's not brilliant, but it has some great moments.
The overall premise of the book is a bit of a stretch, I'll admit right out. "Angry teenaged girl finds out her new stepdad used to be a superhero, and has nifty power belt lying around. She steals the belt and goes off to annoy him to no end. Oh, and he has a flying 'bot that he follows her in, trying to keep her head and shoulders attached to one another." Heh, of course, you can make anything sound lame if you want to write a summary that way.
The first issue (#0) is rather interesting, and would have served well to set up the characters. I already knew Courtney, so I didn't need to be introduced to her. Still working on getting the Starman graphic novels, so no comment on Jack in this book (if he's good or bad).
Issue #1 brings us to what is easily the largest plot hole in the series. All of these kids are disappearing and being brainwashed into the baddies private army. But they are the "middle" kids, so no one will notice. Um, not even their parents? Sorry, you'd have had the FBI, Director Bones' outfit (I forget their name) and probably half the superteams in the DCU going over the town inch by inch.
I found the two "Young Justice" issues to be a huge disappointment. The best moment was when the resident supervillian blew up the invaders, just because no aliens would invade his town.
As a general rule, a book is only as good as the villian that's running around, and in this case, that's not a strong suit. The "breakout" villian of the series is obviously meant to be Shiv, and she just never quite "resonates" for me. I think one of the biggest things is the artwork. She honestly doesn't look like she's Courtney's age. She looks like she's 30, maybe 35. Still, she makes a fairly good protaganist, both as supervillan, as well as the school's popular girl.
Doesn't sound like I liked it all that much, does it? Well, I did, because the thing that I really liked in this book was the personal development and relationships. As I said before, those are the things that really "hold" me in a book. I can go past the big fights and not ever really worry about it. "Oh, neat, Cyclops pinged his eyebeam off of 5 mirrors before hitting Toad in the butt. Nice shot." It's there, but very, very rarely is it what grabs me in a book. The way that character's relate to one another? That's what I really am around for. Wonder Girl hugging Robin after he reveals his dad has just been murdered is worth more than 50 scenes of her going medieval with her lasso. For instance, in recent comics, my favorite scene (by a fair margin) was in Birds of Prey a few months back, where first of all, Dinah went to Bats, and acted as a real "momma bear" defending Helena and Babs to his face, and then later on, when she said what she'd like to do to the Joker. Too bad the chemistry between Helena and the others went to pot after that, but we'll see how that story comes out.
Anyway, back to Stars, what really held me was the development of the relationships, especially the "triangle" of Courtney-Pat-Mike. It's wonderful to see Courtney come to respect and actually like Pat Dugan. The scene where she "hugs" S.T.R.I.P.E (in 13) after having torn it apart a few moments earlier is just great.
Issue 14 was a really good way to end the series for all of those reasons. The return of Courtney's biological Father was a really well done moment. I'd already seen him in JSA All Stars (more on that a bit later), but this was great. Her father showed himself to be utter scum, tracking down his daughter, just so that he could get her to give him a family heirloom (which presumably was hocked within the hour). What's great is the scene where Mike and Pat are down in the garage, and check the security monitors. Seeing Pat irate at the vision of Courtney crying on the porch was good enough. Seeing Mike looking no less upset is even better. You can get a real sense of this "family" bonding. I don't have the entire Degaton Arc in JSA (yet), but I can see how "killing" Courtney's family would have really hit her. Having read S&S brings the scene where she rushes home even more impact.
When I finished issue 14... I was reminded of the Stargirl short in JSA All Stars, where Courtney meets her dad again. Without digging it up, the line that she uses to Pat at the end. "You're doing it again. Every time I don't think I have a father, you remind me that I do."
Wow.
For all of the limitations of the series, that's why I really enjoyed it.
Ahem, and now that I have that silliness out of my 38 year old blood, on to business.
As I was saying, my tastes run a bit different. I'm not hugely fond of "grim n gritty," for instance. Oh, I'll read some of that now and then, but honestly, those sorts of things leave me a bit meh. On the other hand, one thing that I really do like is books that are fun, with an overlay of innocence to them. Power Pack (the original) of course is the ultimate example of that, and one of these days I'll expound on the brilliance that my favorite sibling team brings to the printed page.
So, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E is another book that is in something of the same mold (fun, a bit light, and with a bit of innocence and discovery). I just got the complete series today (thank you eBay), and while we were having some storms, took the time to read them.
Now, I was a fan of Stargirl/Star Spangled Kid already, from her JSA appearances, so this was a series I wanted.
I won't go through issue by issue, but bring out some of the things I really liked (and some things that leave me a bit flat). Overall, for the series, I'd have to give it a nice solid B, or even a B+. It's not brilliant, but it has some great moments.
The overall premise of the book is a bit of a stretch, I'll admit right out. "Angry teenaged girl finds out her new stepdad used to be a superhero, and has nifty power belt lying around. She steals the belt and goes off to annoy him to no end. Oh, and he has a flying 'bot that he follows her in, trying to keep her head and shoulders attached to one another." Heh, of course, you can make anything sound lame if you want to write a summary that way.
The first issue (#0) is rather interesting, and would have served well to set up the characters. I already knew Courtney, so I didn't need to be introduced to her. Still working on getting the Starman graphic novels, so no comment on Jack in this book (if he's good or bad).
Issue #1 brings us to what is easily the largest plot hole in the series. All of these kids are disappearing and being brainwashed into the baddies private army. But they are the "middle" kids, so no one will notice. Um, not even their parents? Sorry, you'd have had the FBI, Director Bones' outfit (I forget their name) and probably half the superteams in the DCU going over the town inch by inch.
I found the two "Young Justice" issues to be a huge disappointment. The best moment was when the resident supervillian blew up the invaders, just because no aliens would invade his town.
As a general rule, a book is only as good as the villian that's running around, and in this case, that's not a strong suit. The "breakout" villian of the series is obviously meant to be Shiv, and she just never quite "resonates" for me. I think one of the biggest things is the artwork. She honestly doesn't look like she's Courtney's age. She looks like she's 30, maybe 35. Still, she makes a fairly good protaganist, both as supervillan, as well as the school's popular girl.
Doesn't sound like I liked it all that much, does it? Well, I did, because the thing that I really liked in this book was the personal development and relationships. As I said before, those are the things that really "hold" me in a book. I can go past the big fights and not ever really worry about it. "Oh, neat, Cyclops pinged his eyebeam off of 5 mirrors before hitting Toad in the butt. Nice shot." It's there, but very, very rarely is it what grabs me in a book. The way that character's relate to one another? That's what I really am around for. Wonder Girl hugging Robin after he reveals his dad has just been murdered is worth more than 50 scenes of her going medieval with her lasso. For instance, in recent comics, my favorite scene (by a fair margin) was in Birds of Prey a few months back, where first of all, Dinah went to Bats, and acted as a real "momma bear" defending Helena and Babs to his face, and then later on, when she said what she'd like to do to the Joker. Too bad the chemistry between Helena and the others went to pot after that, but we'll see how that story comes out.
Anyway, back to Stars, what really held me was the development of the relationships, especially the "triangle" of Courtney-Pat-Mike. It's wonderful to see Courtney come to respect and actually like Pat Dugan. The scene where she "hugs" S.T.R.I.P.E (in 13) after having torn it apart a few moments earlier is just great.
Issue 14 was a really good way to end the series for all of those reasons. The return of Courtney's biological Father was a really well done moment. I'd already seen him in JSA All Stars (more on that a bit later), but this was great. Her father showed himself to be utter scum, tracking down his daughter, just so that he could get her to give him a family heirloom (which presumably was hocked within the hour). What's great is the scene where Mike and Pat are down in the garage, and check the security monitors. Seeing Pat irate at the vision of Courtney crying on the porch was good enough. Seeing Mike looking no less upset is even better. You can get a real sense of this "family" bonding. I don't have the entire Degaton Arc in JSA (yet), but I can see how "killing" Courtney's family would have really hit her. Having read S&S brings the scene where she rushes home even more impact.
When I finished issue 14... I was reminded of the Stargirl short in JSA All Stars, where Courtney meets her dad again. Without digging it up, the line that she uses to Pat at the end. "You're doing it again. Every time I don't think I have a father, you remind me that I do."
Wow.
For all of the limitations of the series, that's why I really enjoyed it.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Team vs Solo Books
I have a very strong preference for Team Books, vs Solo books. Oh, there are Solo books I've read over the years, and still do. (Currently, Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing). However, I've always enjoyed team books much more, and the reason for that is fairly simple.
When it comes right down to it, I'm much more interested in character interaction than anything else. Yeah, the whole "hero vs baddie" thing is interesting, and provides a nice backdrop, but I find myself more interested in how the heros connect and relate to one another. Team books give much more room for that sort of thing. Of course, any solo book also has its cast of characters. Spidy has Mary Jane and Aunt May, Supes has Jimmy and Lois and Lana, and so forth. However, the fact that the character's in team books are "more equal" helps establish the connections more strongly.
I find that as I read, there are certain connections and friendships that I look to again and again. Sometimes they are the romantic ones, and sometimes they are simple friendships (as if that's ever really simple.) They are the ones that reach out and grab me. Perhaps that's why Outsiders hasn't really grabbed me. The interactions are so utterly disfunctional (other than Shift and Indigo), that it's not even funny. Of course, it doesn't help that I can't stand Arsenal. Naturally, with the events of issue #25... well.. oi.
So, current "connections" that I'm really interested in:
Capt. Marvel and Stargirl. I don't have the issue (yet) where Billy really fouled this one up, but this is such a nicely convoluted relationship it's great. I'd really like to see Mary stick her nose into things at some point. I've been reading through a partial collection of Power of Shazam I got the other day (I'm also a sucker for boy scouts.. that's a future post). While Billy hasn't really been "drawn" as being quite so neurotic, you can really see the reason for him to make the decision he did, considering his own past. Living on the streets for those years, it's easy for him to desparately want to hold onto any place where he belonged and was accepted. Of course, he would have been accepted anyway, but the poor kid is a teenage boy after all. I think the relationship is over, but I still hope they can come to some resolution with the friendship. It could be really well done.
Black Canary and Oracle Obviously this one goes in the friendship category. It's been great to see them develop, not only respect for one another, but also a real, deep seated caring for one another. Misguided at times (when Babs tried to "fire" Dinah), but still, very, very real. In the last issue of BoP I have we can really see Dinah's heart breaking out of all of this. I know it's cheap melodrama, but I hope that Dinah's the one that finds Babs with that scalpel stuck to her throat (as I said, I tend to be behind).
Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy I don't have the old Young Justice issues, but just from what I've seen in Teen Titans this is a pretty interesting setup. You have the "best friends" thing with Conner and Tim, the budding romance between Conner and Cassie, and then there seems to be an almost sister/brother sort of feeling between Cassie and Tim (thinking of the way they related to one another win Tim told what happened to his Dad, and then later, when Cassie was trying to process beserk-Conner)
Well, I need my sleep, or I could keep this up for awhile.
When it comes right down to it, I'm much more interested in character interaction than anything else. Yeah, the whole "hero vs baddie" thing is interesting, and provides a nice backdrop, but I find myself more interested in how the heros connect and relate to one another. Team books give much more room for that sort of thing. Of course, any solo book also has its cast of characters. Spidy has Mary Jane and Aunt May, Supes has Jimmy and Lois and Lana, and so forth. However, the fact that the character's in team books are "more equal" helps establish the connections more strongly.
I find that as I read, there are certain connections and friendships that I look to again and again. Sometimes they are the romantic ones, and sometimes they are simple friendships (as if that's ever really simple.) They are the ones that reach out and grab me. Perhaps that's why Outsiders hasn't really grabbed me. The interactions are so utterly disfunctional (other than Shift and Indigo), that it's not even funny. Of course, it doesn't help that I can't stand Arsenal. Naturally, with the events of issue #25... well.. oi.
So, current "connections" that I'm really interested in:
Capt. Marvel and Stargirl. I don't have the issue (yet) where Billy really fouled this one up, but this is such a nicely convoluted relationship it's great. I'd really like to see Mary stick her nose into things at some point. I've been reading through a partial collection of Power of Shazam I got the other day (I'm also a sucker for boy scouts.. that's a future post). While Billy hasn't really been "drawn" as being quite so neurotic, you can really see the reason for him to make the decision he did, considering his own past. Living on the streets for those years, it's easy for him to desparately want to hold onto any place where he belonged and was accepted. Of course, he would have been accepted anyway, but the poor kid is a teenage boy after all. I think the relationship is over, but I still hope they can come to some resolution with the friendship. It could be really well done.
Black Canary and Oracle Obviously this one goes in the friendship category. It's been great to see them develop, not only respect for one another, but also a real, deep seated caring for one another. Misguided at times (when Babs tried to "fire" Dinah), but still, very, very real. In the last issue of BoP I have we can really see Dinah's heart breaking out of all of this. I know it's cheap melodrama, but I hope that Dinah's the one that finds Babs with that scalpel stuck to her throat (as I said, I tend to be behind).
Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy I don't have the old Young Justice issues, but just from what I've seen in Teen Titans this is a pretty interesting setup. You have the "best friends" thing with Conner and Tim, the budding romance between Conner and Cassie, and then there seems to be an almost sister/brother sort of feeling between Cassie and Tim (thinking of the way they related to one another win Tim told what happened to his Dad, and then later, when Cassie was trying to process beserk-Conner)
Well, I need my sleep, or I could keep this up for awhile.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Suspension of Disbelief
Ok, I'll jump into things with one of my bigger "pet peeves" in comics. I realize that it's almost inevitable by the mix of things, but it's still really annoying.
The isolation of books from one another can drive you absolutely beserk.
For instance, take the "legendary" No Man's Land storyline from the Batbooks. Aside from the fact that no Congress would ever consider "walling off" an entire city and leaving it to its fate, the thing is absurd on the face.
There is no way that Bats would be left "hung out to dry" in Gotham like that. For instance, Superman would have done everything he could to "end" No Man's Land within a week. Superman would have addressed Congress, or the nation. Clark Kent would have written scathing editorials, and Superman would have been all over Gotham trying to fix what he could, whether Bruce liked it or not.
Or, the recent storyline in Robin where Tim's had a whole run of assassins after his hide. Instead of falling in with this rather weak storyline of (yet another) governmental spy agency, he'd have handled it by getting on the phone. "Yo, Conner (or Cassie, or Bart, or Vic...), can you give me a hand for a bit? Thanks."
Robin's situation brings out one of the worst reasons this happens. When you have someone who has both a team book, as well as a solo book, it's hard to understand why their solo adventures are every really "dangerous." Sure, if you are dealing with your garden variety muggers, do it yourself. No big. But, if things get big, Bart can be along to help out in oh... half a sec.
I realize that we more or less have to "grin and bear it," but that doesn't make it any easier sometimes.
The isolation of books from one another can drive you absolutely beserk.
For instance, take the "legendary" No Man's Land storyline from the Batbooks. Aside from the fact that no Congress would ever consider "walling off" an entire city and leaving it to its fate, the thing is absurd on the face.
There is no way that Bats would be left "hung out to dry" in Gotham like that. For instance, Superman would have done everything he could to "end" No Man's Land within a week. Superman would have addressed Congress, or the nation. Clark Kent would have written scathing editorials, and Superman would have been all over Gotham trying to fix what he could, whether Bruce liked it or not.
Or, the recent storyline in Robin where Tim's had a whole run of assassins after his hide. Instead of falling in with this rather weak storyline of (yet another) governmental spy agency, he'd have handled it by getting on the phone. "Yo, Conner (or Cassie, or Bart, or Vic...), can you give me a hand for a bit? Thanks."
Robin's situation brings out one of the worst reasons this happens. When you have someone who has both a team book, as well as a solo book, it's hard to understand why their solo adventures are every really "dangerous." Sure, if you are dealing with your garden variety muggers, do it yourself. No big. But, if things get big, Bart can be along to help out in oh... half a sec.
I realize that we more or less have to "grin and bear it," but that doesn't make it any easier sometimes.
Greetings and Salutations
Well, just getting this thing "up at at em" as it were.
As the intro space says, I'll use this to comment mostly on comic books, but to a lesser extent on anything else that interests me. Perhaps I'll take some time to talk about my favorite fantasy novels at some point.
I've collected comics off and on over the years, but I can hardly say that I'm nearly as well read or informed as many others. I've been "out" of things pretty much for 5-6 years and have just started to work into the mix the last 6-8 months. Believe it or not, Identity Crisis is the thing that really got me back into things.
That's one thing about me, I'm not as negative as many in the Blogosphere about things. I enjoyed IC, even if it did have some holes in it.
Favorite books of all time?
Claremont X-Men up to #211 (the Mutant Massacre is sort of the 'breaking point' for me with that title, I love that story line, but the book fell to pieces after that)
Davis Excalibur, especially from 1-25 or so.
Power Pack up until about issue 40 or so. Yep, that's what I said. So sue me.
New Mutants from around 11 through 50.
Now, in the more recent books I've been reading, there are some things I like, but it really focuses on two books.
JSA I love this book. I've seen alot of comment that it's getting a bit "tired", but I've been spending time catching up on it, and I find it consistantly entertaining.
Birds of Prey If Identity Crisis got me back into things, the Birds have kept me there.
What do I look for in books? Oddly for someone who is a comics fan, I'm not a hugely visual person. Oh, there is art I like, and don't like, and there are things that will "set me off", but writing and story are for me the biggest issue. I'll take a well writing but average book in looks over a pretty book with rotten writing any day of the week.
I'll update now and then with thoughts and the like. However, I live sorta in the boonies, so I have my pulls on a monthly mail order (to save postage), so I'll usually have a bit of a time lag on everyone.
Well, I'll make my first "real" post here in a bit.
As the intro space says, I'll use this to comment mostly on comic books, but to a lesser extent on anything else that interests me. Perhaps I'll take some time to talk about my favorite fantasy novels at some point.
I've collected comics off and on over the years, but I can hardly say that I'm nearly as well read or informed as many others. I've been "out" of things pretty much for 5-6 years and have just started to work into the mix the last 6-8 months. Believe it or not, Identity Crisis is the thing that really got me back into things.
That's one thing about me, I'm not as negative as many in the Blogosphere about things. I enjoyed IC, even if it did have some holes in it.
Favorite books of all time?
Claremont X-Men up to #211 (the Mutant Massacre is sort of the 'breaking point' for me with that title, I love that story line, but the book fell to pieces after that)
Davis Excalibur, especially from 1-25 or so.
Power Pack up until about issue 40 or so. Yep, that's what I said. So sue me.
New Mutants from around 11 through 50.
Now, in the more recent books I've been reading, there are some things I like, but it really focuses on two books.
JSA I love this book. I've seen alot of comment that it's getting a bit "tired", but I've been spending time catching up on it, and I find it consistantly entertaining.
Birds of Prey If Identity Crisis got me back into things, the Birds have kept me there.
What do I look for in books? Oddly for someone who is a comics fan, I'm not a hugely visual person. Oh, there is art I like, and don't like, and there are things that will "set me off", but writing and story are for me the biggest issue. I'll take a well writing but average book in looks over a pretty book with rotten writing any day of the week.
I'll update now and then with thoughts and the like. However, I live sorta in the boonies, so I have my pulls on a monthly mail order (to save postage), so I'll usually have a bit of a time lag on everyone.
Well, I'll make my first "real" post here in a bit.
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