Nnn, I really need to be more on time with my reviews. I've been bummed b/c I think I failed a math test and I was so pleased with myself being on top of things before this happened...

Lately at the comic shop Darrin's been teasing me more than usual. About buying Batgirl. (I just spent two minutes trying to describe our argument regarding Batgirl but I really can't. Suffice to say, he teases me about buying it, and it's not like I can really defend the quality as top notch or anything, but I enjoy it, and he's all "You know it's bad but you don't want to admit it" and well, NO, that is not how I feel at all,,, then I got into it with this guy who always hangs around about Stephanie...he doesn't like her because of War Games, and I tried to explain to him it was bad writing, but he seems to have a hard time realizing a character can be written badly and that they don't actually have a mind of their own- if he even brings it up again I have a list of reasons WHY it's was out of character for Stephanie, so there. I will decimate his argument.)

Also, a few regulars seemed to have pegged that I'm a feminist. And 'Darrin has too. Well, he probably pegged it my first visit, probably, when I complained about the fact that the females in Umbrella Academy ended up being broken and mute while the boys were fine, but now he's mentioning it a lot more. So now whenever Darrin tells me to do stuff, some wiseguy will be like "She's going to tie you up and take over the shop like a strong woman should!" And I just ignore it, though now that I think of it, I should have told the guy that he would be lucky if he ever got tied up by a girl.

I don't mind being teased. I have a sense of humor. But the attitude of "look at that strange feminist comics girl!" annoys me a bit. I mean,  I don't really think I'm obnoxious about it, I tend to be pretty quiet irl, so I don't see why it's such a big deal. There are other girls who come to the shop, but I guess I just stand out b/c of my opinions and the fact I work there.

What really annoys me is I got myself pulled into the most INANE discussion- a Wonder Woman vs Superman thing. It was like being on CBR. But it wasn't about WW vs. Supes. I just got derailed.but my issue was the "boys club". Basically, for some stupid reason, the guys were discussing what the "next wave of gods" in the DCU would be. Superman, Batman, Flash...they stalled on who next.

I said, semi incredulously "Wonder Woman". Duh.

The guy who started the discussion: "No, I don't think so"

Me: Whhhhy not?

Guy: Because she's not as powerful as Superman.

Now, rather than asking what the hell that has to do with being a god, pointing out that WW is a cultural icon, that she has power over the force of truth, that she has inspired women in REAL LIFE and has her own anti domestic abuse event, that she was an extremely effective and important superhero and force in the DCU, that she has gifts of the gods (actually, I did point that out. I also pointed out she was Goddess of Truth once. My nemesis blathered about some god saying Superman was a cosmological being and Wonder Woman had to be MADE a Goddess or some crap like that) I got sidetracked by WW vs Superman.

I cited how Wondy and Supes had been shown to be equals in various fights, that Wondy has better martial skill and canonically faster reflexes and she had the lasso of truth ("But she doesn't have heat vision"!) He just would. not. accept. it. It was ridiculous. He was so scared of having a girl in his little boys club of gods. Or maybe he just didn't like Wonder Woman. But anyway, I felt really stupid that I got dragged into a "who can beat who" fight like I was 12 when it was really his stupid boys club mentality that ticked me off. The way he just dismissed me, the sole girl in the shop who was sorting comics while he was geeking out with his special guy friends, saying "hey, maybe this chick could be in your special gods club" right off the bat was just...agh. I felt like we were 12 the whole time, to be honest.

The guy who argued with me about Stephanie agreed with me about Wonder Woman though, and last time I went to work, I had two comics somone had bought for me: Wonder Woman #37 and Superman: Secret Origin #1. I thought it had to have been Dad, but when Dad came byand I asked him about it, the guy (I, uh, really should remember his name) said that he had done it. Isn't that sweet? And kind of weird and surprising.

So, let's review those comics:

Wonder Woman #37:

I  loved the Zombie Ares scene. It was well wriitten and just wonderfully creepy.  I read it to my Mom and I could feel her shivering beside me. Ares must have way more up his sleeve. I'm thinking the whole thing is a massive Xanatos Gambit. I knew he couldn't go down so easily!

I really liked the scene between Donna and Diana too. It's cool to see the depth of their relationship and Diana's utter selflessness and love for her sister. And Artemis returns! Yay! She'll whip everyone into shape.

On the other hand, it seems really out of character for Hippolyta to submit to her island being controlled by  crazy Alkyone. She's willing to be chained up to "protect" her island- by leaving it to utterly unstable gods and violent rulers? Wha? I hope there's more to this.

Chang's art didn't do much for me here. His Zombie Ares was good but the other figures seemed sticklike and just not that detailed. It seemed worse than usual, maybe he rushed this issue.

4/5

Superman: Secret Origin #1:

I actually kind of enjoyed this. not enough to get the sequel, I don't care about Superman having another origin story, but I really liked how utterly a kid Clark is, bouncy about using his powers to help people, reluctant about wearing a silly outfit, upset to find out he's so different and has another set of parents to contend with when he just wants to be Ma and Pa's son, worrying that Krypton might be a bad place- and I really liked the moments between him and Pa.

I also liked the art for the most part, especially the scene where Clark is tearing through a cornfield crying and Pa hugs him. Awww. I always enjoy Gary Frank, even if Clark looked like a demented chipmunk in a few panels.

4/5

The Unwritten #6

Back to the story of Tom Taylor! This was another really good issue of the series, and it's really fun to see the story's exploration of how fiction can affect reality. The hysterical parents and captivated little girls are hilariously on point, and it's deep shit for Tommy being in jail and starting to be changed for the worst by his experiences and the stories in his prison walls- and zombies and flying cats aren't going to make him feel better. Both a smart examination of truth and fiction and a really captivating read.

It's fun to compare and contrast "Tommy Taylor" with "Harry Potter". "Sue" seems to be way less cool than Hermione (she doesn't have crazy hair, and the little text experts haven't shown that she has any bossy or kickass tendencies and does anything besides focus on Tommy) but seems to have the worrywart aspect down, Tommy meanwhile, is probably more badass than Harry, since I imagine Harry's reaction to "You will fall for 1000 years'" would be less "At least I'll have some time to myself" and more "OH SHIT!" but I like that Harry's a little squirrely. Oh, and Tommy's school condemns people who run from a fight or steal stuff to dust, so I can't see how they'd toterate Slytherin.

...what? I like to think about these things!

5/5

Detective Comics

Okay, I lied, I can't resist this comic. The art is just amazing, and the story is really picking up. I actually like the twin angle, and the glimpse into Kate's childhood was nice. The military brat thing is fun too, and oh, I just love how JH Williams changes his art for the flashback, and the page where Kate is shut in her cave, slumped but determinedly testing her blood, was great. I'm genuninely looking forward to seeing the origin unfold.

Question was blah again. Hopefully the next arc will be more exciting. Hey, there'll be Huntress at least!

4/5

World's Finest #1

I flip flopped on reading the first two issues of the mini, but decided I might as well.This was a servicable story, nothing special. Tim is still a broody dick, but at least he helped out. I was entertained while I read it, but it was forgettable. Still can't wait for Steph and Kara's team up, though.

3/5

That's all for tonight!

Sorry I haven't been very active lately- I've been busy with the college workload and working on personal stuff. Heck, I haven't even fully updated the Steph wiki. But tomorrow I get my comics, so I figure I should go ahead and review the ones I got last Friday.
( Yeah, there should be a cut. )

Nice day at the comic shop today, I got to see my friend Angel and chat with her.

As for the comics:

Wonder Woman #34:

OMG, Dinah, I missed you! SO MUCH! You are such an endless cascade of dirty jokes and pep and badassery! Stay here forever please!

Meanwhile, Diana cuddles polar bears, and apparently still has her secret identity (boo!) though at least she admits she's terrible at it. Also, Amazons inspired the American flag. I don't REALLY think George Perez's origin for the costume needs to be retconned, but I'll admit, the sheer cracky awesomeness of the AMAZONS inspiring the American flag instead of the other way around is the best retcon I could hope for. I even suggested this myself on a Superfriends post bluefall made a few days back. Superfriends is canon now!

Also, there was a gay joke that flew over my head since I am dense and naive, and the Amazons are upset at Achilles for being Achilles-ish. Hopefully they will revolt, led by Hippolyta (she didn't really say anything this issue, just stood there looking vaguely stunned. Perhaps she is PLOTTING. Or things are moving too fast for her. "Wha- Zeus in a space suit? My daughter gone? I AM SO CONFUSED!") I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this whole thing yet, but we'll see.

And last page reveal... some woman is challenging Diana! I'm not sure who it is. My first thought was Nu'bia but I have no idea...bluefall, do you know? Should be interesting, anyway.

4/5

Detective Comics #855

This art. It is so damn pretty.

Alice is an interesting villian, and I like that she took the time to decorate her razor blade. We see a little more about Kate's past, her tragedy apparently involved losing her Mom. Her detachable wig demonstrates it's use. Her dad is protective. AND MONSTERS! Certainly interesting, and I'd buy it just for the art.

Rene makes lots of puns about school in the backup, and is generally cool. But she gets TAZED! OH NO! The plot really hasn't gotten into full swing beyond "generic bad guy" yet, but hopefully it will get better.

4/5

Wednesday Comics #4

Batman: Man, Bruce and Luna (I thought of Luna Lovegood and my mind was like "No...just no...) sure have some confusing dialogue in the second panels. Bruce is all "You know what they say about looks" and Luna answers: "Beauty is the eye of the beholder" and I'm like "What? No. It's "looks can be decieving". Wrong cliche! Clearly Luna is not the sharpest crayon. Then Bruce is all "Or skin deep" and Luna is all "Mine runs thick". And then they talk about imagination or something and I am LOST. They need to work on their banter. It sucks. Maybe that's why Luna decides to skip straight to the sex. I mean, the conversation ain't that great.

Kamandi: Kamandi is so cute. I want to pat him on the head. But his dog friend is in trouble. Oh no, Dr. Canus!

Superman: Ma Kent agrees with me and thinks Superman should shut up angsting.

Deadman: Boston continues to be old school and fun.

Green Lantern: Hal is cockier than a cocker spaniel.

Metamorpho: Thankfully not another splash page. And we get to see Element girl. And my god, Saphire is an intolerable ditz. Some shadowy figure talks to Rex. Things are picking up!

Teen Titans: Oh, shut up Trident. Shut up, random strawman medic. Nobody cares. And somehow Blue Beetle explodes the boat? Huh.

Strange Adventures: Okay, I was not sold on Adam Strange before, but his girlfriend being a complete badass may have done the trick. Especially since it involved a blue furry thing talking about how boring hairless girls are.

Supergirl: Haha! Streaky and the plane is so adorable. StreakyVision! I love Amanda Conner so.

Metal Men: Mercury is a cranky one. "Shut up and enjoy being saved." Meanwhile, bomb man! The art is clear and pretty, the writing continues to be just average.

Wonder Woman: I don't care what anyone says, I like how much story Caldwell fits into his pages, and I like the ghostly blue theme this one had. Wondy fights another mythical monster, and I found it easier to follow thn usual (I didn't even need a re-read, which I did the last few) so it was very enjoyable.

Sgt. Rock: A woman soldier! Otherwise, bland as usual.

Flash: Ah. Well if Barry can't even be bothered to slow down enough to listen to her or talk things out, I can understand why Iris is leaving. I renege my earlier complaints about her characterization. Meanwhile, time travel shenanigans! I'm enjoying this.

The Demon/Catwoman: What's the point of having them together if Selina can't talk? Etrigan is boring on his own, so Selina better get better soon.

Hawkman: Look! Hawkgirl! Otherwise, bleh.

This issue sure had a lot of girl power in it. I remember reading the first issue, that a lot of the female characters seemed to be in stereotyped, passive roles like vindictive harpy or ditzy girlfriend.(other than the women who had their own features, and Selina) but decided to let a few issues go on before I passed judgement. Now I'm glad I did, because this issue above all proved me wrong. Iris is well aware Barry's the flash and is leaving him because he's a dick, not because she doesn't understand the demands of being a superhero. Element Girl shows up in Metamorpho as a counterpoint to Sapphire's ditziness. A girl shows up in Kamandi and seems reasonably competent (she was well ahead of the apes before Kamandi crashed in) Starfire is take-charge in Teen Titans, Alanna is a badass, and we get a glimpse of Hawkgirl! And of course, Wondy and Supergirl are lovely. Selina has stepped down a peg to being a sabertoothed cat, but hopefully she'll be back soon.

5/5

It was a great week, really!


 

Review time!

Supergirl #43

I only got this this week. A good, quiet story. Kara comes into her own, confidence wise. Lois is not convinced of her sister's death, and goes all maddog reporter (love Lois so). Lana rocks her neat Asian-style dresses...and has horrible medical problems. Kara's still there for her Mom, but is not taking her crap anymore. A good issue, as always. Not much info on Lucy's deal, but things are building up.

4/5


Detective Comics #851

Holy cow, the art. Just gorgeous. I love how Kate has a detachable wig, her relationship with her dad is adorable and just...the nifty panel layout, the colors...it's so pretty.

Only thing that bothers me is the pointy boobs. It's very confusing, because when Kate took off her costume this ish she was wearing an honest-to-god sports bra (and a nifty green one at that, glory be, hallelujah!)...so how the hell are her boobs so pointy. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

I also find it amusing Batman tried to tell her off about her hair, though I wonder why he never extended the same advice to Huntress...or Babs. Maybe he did, and they just didn't want to take fashion advice from a man dressed as a bat. If that was Dick talking, it's possible he digs long haired chicks so was too afraid to voice his concerns about praticality in fear they'd cut it...but knows he has no chance with Kathy, so feels free to tell her off.

The story was decent enough, and caught my interest. The Question backup had nice Hamner art, and I love Rene.

4.5/5

Wonder Woman #33

Okay, so I'm cool with this.

See, I've always wondered when Diana would get sick of the gods pushing her around and treating her like crap. They gave her life, but she's saved their asses multiple times, and they're always screwing with her. So I completely understand her decision here. I wish it hadn't come after her status quo has been messed up so much already...but we'll see where it goes.

And Polly voting to stay with her people makes sense too. Diana can take care of herself, but the Amazons need Polly. (Then again, as bluefall pointed out to me, she should have stood up to Zeus, and it's pretty OOC that she didn't)

I felt it was inevitable Zeus's misoginy and Wondy's feminism clash. Though it's clear Zeus is so insane here, and I blame how utterly broken down Di is for her not spotting this.

There's no way Ares is dead. And I have a feeling this will all turn out to be some plan of Athena's. But we'll see. I may be eating my words, but for now? I'm good with this direction. I think it will be interesting and exciting. Hey, at least we have the Amazons back!

And the Amazons vs. Cthulu monsters was fantastic. Aaron did a great job drawing it.

3.5/5