Judging from DC's Titans preview on their blog, Donna's going to be leading the Titans. And Cassie's leading the Teen Titans. Now we just need Diana to lead the JLA and the Wonder Family can TAKE OVER THE DC UNIVERSE! How awesome would that be?

Which reminds me I forgot to go to the comic store. Will it still be open, I wonder?

Another thing I found on the blog (besides Superman being a sweetheart on New Krypton...I'm liking that series

Computer’s on, the day begins… 45 emails overnight, argh. Start with the easy ones first. No, wait—Executive Editor Dan DiDio is pulling the Bat Group down into his office for an urgent meeting. Topic: BATGIRL.

So I guess the series is still going...on the other hand, the delay, along with an urgent meeting? Maybe this means they changed their minds and put someone besides Babs in the cowl. At least, that is my naive hope.

Also:

plot discussions, more plot discussions, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Misfit…

I fangasmed at those three being mentioned in the same sentence. Can you imagine if they formed their own team? No, you can't, because it's so awesome it BLEW YOUR MIND!!! *crosses fingers for good things for those three*

Here's the link to the entry by Bat-editor Mike Marts: dcublog.dccomics.com/2009/04/03/a-day-in-the-life-of-the-batman-group-editor/ Other stuff in the blogs worth checking out as well, like a badass picture of Ravager by the artist of her backup which almost makes me think I might actually enjoy it, price increase and all.

What I forgot to talk about yesterday was the Black Canary being relegated to a backup in her own title. As demeaning as that seems, it might mean Ollie and her break up, which would please me. Also, she's basically a secondary character in the book now anyway, so there's really no difference. If a writer who really GETS her is assigned to the backup? I will be estactic (GAILPLEASE) and actually have to buy Green Arrow.

That's all for now.

Edit: Also, Mom randomly bought me the Watchmen motion comic DVD. Yay!  I wonder if it will be good.

Been reading Robin to my Mom lately, and it makes me a weird mix of happy and depressed. I'd forgotten how utterly adorable and likable I found Tim under Dixon. He's such a nerd! And he's always preoccupied with the latest teenage drama, and not angstangstangsting about every fifth person he knows dying. Granted, he's a dick about his secret identity, but that's just one of his lovable flaws almost.

But, onto modern comics.

Last issue of Blue Beetle came out! Much sadness. I did an review of the issue and a very long image packed overview on the awesomeness of the series at BSR: www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/4282

*sigh* It really is depressing that an awesome last issue had to be permeated by a really forced plotline and cliches the series always avoided. Also, ugly art. Barberi was good on Impulse, but he just plain doesn't fit here.

Wonder Woman #29

Now here's a title I can always count on. The only weirdness was Donna blaming Diana for Terry's death under Genocide's influence. How does that work? Genocide makes people think Diana is responsible for car accidents? Really odd.

Etta noooo! She'll be okay, she must! Really awesome scene between Wondy and Cheetah. Deflecting missles with Amazonian bracelets is always for the win. Steve showing up made me fangirl. Hi Steve!

Also, Zeus was well...Zeus. That is, a dick. He killed the hot god! Was probably jealous of his hotness. Diana has her work cut out for her. She has to restore Athena and the godly beefcake (at least, I hope she restores the godly beefcake) as well as defeat Genocide and the Olympian and rescue Etta and seek medical attention.

Love the "Son of Posiedon" splash.

Origins and Omens. Hmm, I wonder what Hippolyta's speech means. Is Diana using Tom? What's it he should beware? And when is it supposed to take place? I can't imagine Hippy going out from the Island and NOT helping her daughter. And isn't she supposed to be waiting for her Amazons or being threatened by Zeus or whatever?

The pregnant Amazon...well, there was a pregnancy also in Teen Titans O&O so I was worried about Cassie...but on second look Preggers Amazon appears to have either very short hair or none at all. So unless Cassie cuts her hair short or decides to wear it in a bun...pregnant silhouette in TT had long hair...

If not Cassie, I'm betting Alkyone due to the lack of hair. Would be interesting, considering how bad she wanted a kid. I HOPE it's that, and not Cassie. Please Gods above, not Cassie.

Anyway, solid issue nevertheless.

4/5

Teen Titans #68

Another decent issue. Cassie is supportive yet stern, Jaime is worried and supportive. I do wonder about Eddie's mental health, with what how quick he was to exchange an eternity of hellish slavery for three years of superheroing. I mean, just completely straightfoward this time! Who in their right mind would even consider the choice presented like that? Like Kid E said, what is WRONG with him?

Some funny lines, my particular fave being the super awkward hug.

For Ed Benes, Origins and Omens was surprisingly non-cheesecakey. One Cassie ass shot though, of course. The main part was again, decent (though I have no idea WHY they would even CONSIDER letting Bombshell on the team) but the last page has the pregnant silhouette that worries me and worse...Cassie kissing Jaime. Or possibly Black Beetle. What. the. hell. If it's Jaime, that's so many levels of wrong. IEven if it's not....I though Cassie was SUPPOSED to be getting better? I thought McKeever said he didn't want her defined by relationships? Is she going to mack EVERY GUY ON THE TEAM?

This had better be misleading! Or I'm dropping again!

3.5/5

S'all for now.

So! That thing that I didn't like last post appears to have been miraculously taken care of! Frabulous day!

And comics this week weren't bad!

Reviews!

Wonder Woman #28

Man, this kicked so much ass. Aside from the random Tom stuff, I still don't fully understand it. There's a mystery about it though, and I think we'll get our explanation soon.

But who cares about Diana and Tom macking? What I care about is Diana, Donna and Cassie being a GLORIOUS TEAM OF AWESOME that LOVE EACH OTHER also. Hells yeah! It's about freaking time! Donna and Diana haven't been depicted as being close in...have they ever been? Not from what I've read. But in here, Donna is there for Diana and is all "Get the hell off of my sister!" when Diana is threatened. I LOVE it. And Cassie is a member of the team again, who is confident and wants to help.

Also they have matching armor. Sort of. Impractical wings aside (Gails said on s_d she doesn't like them either, but she came up with a use for them. I can't wait to see it) it looked really cool, especially on the splash page where it was revealed. Especially Donna's, which is all starry and pretty. And I really like the differentation. Diana is gold, Donna is silver, and Cassie is bronze. Not only does that go in order of their age and poweset (Diana's the first "age", Donna's the second "age" and Cassie's the third "age") Diana does tend to favor gold in her costume, while Donna does silver, and Cassie wears bronze. Also, Diana's the eagle, Donna's the hawk and Cassie's the dove. I wouldn't have known this if Gail hadn't told me, but at second look, the beaks of the birds are different. Oh, and Cassie's randomly bares her navel. Like bluefall said, I can only imagine she breaths through it, and that's why she always keeps it exposed.

I got distracted by the armor...there was also the creepy reveal of Genocide's eyes (making her silly spikey thing worth it) and Gorilla action. Also axe action. Diana/axe may be my OTP. And Cheetah was a badass.

Also, Zombie Jason and the Argonauts! What more do you need?

Can't wait for the next installment!

4.7/5

Teen Titans #67

A decent issue, if not a particularly exciting one. However, I wasn't scared off my renewed buying of the series, and Cassie is still a decent and confident person. I did a review on BSR fully exploring this: www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/3801

3/5

Blue Beetle #35

A step down from last issue in terms of quality (last issue being made of awesome). I can only imagine because Sturges is being forced to wrap up the series in a short time. Also, no Raf on art. Nooooo....

We did see Ted's notes on various villians, which were in his usual sarcastic manner. And apparently when dispensing advice of how sometimes your own personal needs can get in the way of your mission, he then apparently gave examples of all the times he'd had to bail Booster out, which Jaime believes are exaggerated. I can only imagine how hilarious these tales would be.

The weirdest thing about this issue is Jaime wondering if he'd be willing to purposefully march to his own death the protect people (he believes he would) when...he's kind of already put himself in that posistion. When he plugged himself in to the sattelite to keep the Reach from hurting anybody, he was willing to go foward with it even though he knew he would die. And not only that, when Booster came to the rescue, he actively tried to stay back to save the most horrible person he'd ever met. So why are you even wondering about this, Jaime, of course the answer is YES, you already DID it. Also he randomly wondered a few other things randomly, but nothing that didn't make sense as much as that little question.

Also, Jaime's secret identity was almost revealed (He tried to cover it up by doing the "Oops, I'm leaving...and two seconds later Blue Beetle arrives!" but no one bought it) until people saw him while he was still fighting the guys as Blue Beetle...so I can only assume that is some trick by Peacemaker or Hector or someone. Who knows.

Also, Nadia runs to fight people! I have a bad feeling she might be the one who "dies" next issue. Seriously, people, why does someone have to die? This is BLUE BEETLE, where senseless death does not happen. I'm only hoping the "die" thing is a metaphor or some random villian bites it.

3.5/5

In other news, I got my final Perez Wonder Woman trade in the mail and Robin: Violent Tendencies (the trade of Steph's return. I couldn't find it anywhere, of course, until I broke down and ordered it, then is magically appeared at my local Barnes and Noble).

What I learned from Wonder Woman is Hermes is a huge diva (All camera's trained on me! I'll give you money if you believe in me! Hey, don't turn that news off, they're talking about me!) and it is HILARIOUS. Oh, Greek Gods. 

Also, Julia has menopause. It's an issue not often tackled in comics (and by not often, I mean, I can think of no other instance EVER where it was reference seriously) so I applaud them for mentioning it, but I had to laugh when Diana said "Julia, I am sorry if I and Hermes made you angry" and Julia's all "No, it wasn't you. In a way it wasn't even Hermes. It was something that excacerbated an already tense situation. I suppose Amazons don't have to be worry about menopause." It was just not what I expected her to say at all. She led up to it really dramatically and everything. "The truth is, Diana, it was....menopause!"

And then Diana going "I've read about that!" Way to rub your everlasting youth in, Diana. And then Julia's response "So have I. But it really sucks having it. By the way, I think Hermes totally has a crush on you."

Diana: "Oh, he wouldn't do that."

Julia: "We are talking about the Greek Gods here, right?"

I addition, we got a nice little mini stories about the Amazons when Julia and Vanessa visited Themyscria. All of them were really neat, though they were all done by different artists considerably less skilled that Perez. (It was very odd, to go from Perez's extreme detail and generally believable anatomy to just...your average artist.)

I also liked Myndi better POST death, because her funeral revealed her backstory- she'd grown up in a very sexist and stifling family, who hated her for being more carefree and independent. Her mother worked herself to death cooking and cleaning, and her sister became 2.0 after she died as her father's favorite. She ratted out Myndi to her father about her wild sexual exploits, and Myndi was kicked out of the family. Myndi responded by becoming a successful and respected (if ruthless and tactless, as well as eventually drug addicted) PR Manager. She was close to her little brother, who was also kicked out of the family for being gay. Myndi was the only one who didn't care, and she encouraged her brother to come out. When he did and his bosses attempted to fire him, she sicced her lawyers on them and he was able to keep his job. She also used her influence to make her sister invite him to her wedding.

That alone makes her kinda awesome. I'm pleased and impressed at the title for commenting on the issue of gay rights. Considering people are still stupid about it today, they must have been even more stupid twenty years ago, so it took some gumption to include it.

Anyway, good trade.

I know Perez's work goes beyond these four books. Is there no trade collecting the stuff after this? Because I haven't seen one. I don't want to go scrounging in back issues...oh well.

I also reread the "Return of Steph" arc too. I forgot how...at home Dixon writing Tim felt. He was not grim and gritty! I miss Chuck. Say what you will, but he wouldn't have had Tim bitch at Steph and then release Jason. And he would have had Steph kick ten kinds of ass.

*sigh*

Oh well. S'all for now.

From: www.newsarama.com/comics/010912-McKeever-Titans.html

NRAMA: In the last issue of Teen Titans we saw the departure of Tim Drake. Is it true that Robin has left the team?

SM: Yeah, it's sad but it had to happen. With all the uncertainty going on in Gotham, Tim's priorities have had to shift dramatically. That said, I have to say I'm pretty happy with the send-off we gave him, and I feel people will really enjoy Wonder Girl being in charge.

NRAMA: Wonder Girl's character has grown quite a bit since you took over, hasn't she?

SM: The main thing I wanted to do with Wonder Girl was that when I came onto the book, she was in mourning, understandably. And she was in a relationship with Robin. What I really wanted for her was to be independent; I wanted her to not be defined by who she's dating. I wanted her to be her own person.

And so now we're at that point where she had independence. She's not defined by a relationship. She also has her own power. She's no longer powered by Ares or Zeus, but powered by herself. And, more than anything, that's where I wanted her to be. I think we all, unless we get married right out of high school, we have that period of self-discovery, where you're becoming an adult and are coming of age. And that's what I wanted to have her experience. So that's what she's going to be experiencing now as she takes on that leadership role.

...I...that sounds so...cool. I mean, he's echoing my thoughts about how Cassie's been defined by her boyfriends since Johns got a hold of her and she needs independence and I'm looking foward to her being in charge and I want her to be cool again...

Now, if it weren't for the crappy costume with no bracers, I'd be almost hopeful. As it is, I'm definitely picking  up the title for the time being. Must...not...get...too...optimistic.

I hope whoever the new artist is knows how to draw better than Barrows.

I realize in my best and worse Mcthing I forgot to include all the wonderful stuff that happened to me as a comic book fan! With links to pertinent posts!

Best


*I went to the Heroes Con, where I met Jann Jones, Dan Didio, Darwyn Cooke, Amanda Conner, Todd Dezago, Matthew Sturges annnnd Michell Poust, who did my lovely Steph commission.

* I got a lovely Steph commission.

(nevermore999.livejournal.com/17353.html#cutid1)

*And a less lovely, but okay one. And a cute chibi Tim sticker. nevermore999.livejournal.com/17760.html#cutid  

* Jann complimented me in her DC Nation column. (nevermore999.livejournal.com/22551.html )

*This blog took off, and I made a bunch of nifty internet friends. ( nevermore999.livejournal.com/14085.html )

*Looking at that post, I remember Gail Simone commented on a couple posts! That was so AWESOME.

*Also I got tagged several times on WFA. ( nevermore999.livejournal.com/tag/when+fangirls+attack )

*My Steph wiki expanded and is now ridiculously  comprehensive, despite the fact I had to do 99% of it all by my lonesome. That's the power of obsession, folks. And someone even added it as a source on Steph's actual wikipedia page! Without any prompting from me! So I did wikipedia a favor and kindly linked them back. (stephaniebrown.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page ) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_Brown_(comics) )

* I got hired for Big Shiny Robot! ( nevermore999.livejournal.com/29332.html )

*I scored an interview with Fabian Nicieza! (nevermore999.livejournal.com/39539.html ) ( nevermore999.livejournal.com/43386.html )

Worst

Hardly any worsts, my comic fan existence has been super cool. But here's two, minor, minor things.

*Jann Jones never answered my letter. I'm worried she's mad at me for slying saying Adam Beechen sucks in my thank you note.

*Various internet arguments, whether at Comic Bloc, Superdickery or Scans_daily, have annoyed me. Oh, Internet.


Now that the year is totally in review...Reviews!

Teen Titans #66

It's a flipping miracle.

I enjoyed this issue of Teen Titans.

OH EM GEE.

Forced to pick it up because Spoiler is in it, I was pleased to see not only did nothing horrible happen to her, she got to be kind of  cool. First, of all, she sparred with Traci 13 and they became friends. Steph is awesome, and Traci is awesome and together they are almost too awesome for the world to handle. Which is why I want them to team up more. Now they have a precedent!

And the scene was neat in general, characterwise. Steph was nice enough to hold back on Traci, but once Traci says "Show me what you can do" she roundly kicks her ass...or bruises it, rather. A nice display of skill (and of course, as always, Steph goes for the face kick) even though, as said, Traci isn't an expert, relying more on magic and awesome than martial arts.

And Traci laughs and says nice one! And Steph helps her up all nice! Clearly, they like each other. This makes me happy. Steph must guest star in Blue- crap, I forgot...curse you cancellations! *sigh* My heart would stop if that happened anyway, from sheer joy, so maybe it's just as well.

And then Bombshell comes in and is all jerkish. She really annoys me, just another example of Teen Titans thinking DRAMA and CONFLICT is someone on the team being a jackass and others inexplicably putting up with it.

But I kinda loved Steph tensing up for the fight, ready to take on a girl with quantum skin. (She could win if she convinced Amy to depower, by calling her chicken a lot. And then, two seconds later, fight over) And then Misfit teleports in. Oh Misfit. I'm disappointed a little she didn't go all "Hey, saw your autopsy photos!" to Steph.

And I liked Wonder Girl being nice to Steph. Some read it as passive agressiveness, but I didn't see it. It was awkward, all right, but how could it not be? She seemes to really be trying.

In fact, I liked Wonder Girl in this issue a lot. It seems McKeever's sticking to this whole "the lasso made her a horrible person, now she's nice again" business.  And she's going to get to be leader! Oh, YJ flashbacks.

Tim bringing Steph along for "moral support"  for when he quits is weird. What KIND of moral support? This was partly why, when I looked back on Steph coming out of Tim's room and realized he was in his undies when Cassie came in, I was all "Wait. Did they have sex or something?"

But I doubt it. Tim is an eternal virgin. He just seems to like talking to his ex girlfriends in his underwear.

....

Okay, moving on. Jaime was cool this ish, despite his inexplicable not wanting Traci to join the team (probably he doesn't want her to die. I know, Jaime, I know). So was Kid Devil. And it is HILARIOUS no one wants to join the Titans. Because why would you? It's a death sentence!

Oh, and also hilarity in how Tim's quitting speech was essentially "This team sucks. A lot. So I'm quitting. Because...um, Batman's missing? You can handle it Cassie kthnxbye."

So....*drumroll*...I think I'll actually pick up this title again. Mostly to see how NewandImproved!Cassie does as leader. I'll drop it like a hot potato when/if it gets bad again tho.

Complaints though: Cassie's new costume is ludicrous. She's an Amazon without bracelets. Why? And how does she expect to deflect bullets and lasers and whathaveyou? And HOW does she move her arms with that metal thing? Come ON. Change costume now please.

The art in general sucked actually. Eddy Barrows cannot leave soon enough. His spines are made of silly putty, his anatomy is off, the girls lips look like they've been pumped with collagen and had glue like lipstick applied, and his boobs are all the same-perfectly round and moving as a seperate organism from the body. Also, the girls have a weird square pelvis thing going, especially apparent on Cassie in the old Titans picture. Oh, and all his clothes are impossibly tight. Not just the spandex, Cassie's outfit and Misfit's and Traci's too. AND, finally, the abdomens are impossibly concave and painful looking.

Yeah. Well.

4/5

Blue Beetle #34

AWESOME. As usual. I absolutely LOVE it. The Scarab's "Oops" and subsequent resuscitation, Jaime's one liners: ("Don't you guys ever stay dead?" "Not traditionally!"), attack of the immigrants, Brenda and Paco being awesome, Brenda being snarky, Jaime's family tackle hugging him and finally, an surprisingly nice resolution to the immigration issue, where Jaime finally gets to speak up and says he's not being dragged into the Border Patrol because he's supposed to be a hero for everyone, but he will follow the laws. And then, the most awesome afterthought "And all this? Caused by a rich white guy. Just sayin'." Oh, Jaime. MARRY ME.

Matt Sturges really has gotten his groove. I knew he would, he was nice to me at a comic convention!

They can't cancel this title. Whhhhyyy.

*cries*

5/5

Wonder Woman #27

A really enjoyable issue. Donna was awesomesauce, Genocide gets more threatening, Cassie was caring, and I LIKED Tom. Whoa.

Pretty art too. Excited for the next, as always.

4.5/5


Superman #683

Hi, Zatanna! Pretty art, but not much happening. Poor Kara, though. The punching page was pretty powerful. And nice fragment monologues from supporting heroes. (I could've done with one from Wondy, though).

3.5/5

Whew! Ending this post with a picture I did of Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Girl!

( I kinda like it, too. )
Also, did a review for a Marvel mini I really like, NYX, on BSR! It's written by a woman too! Yay, more women in comics!

www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/3308

Comic reviews, Oh comic reviews!

BoP #124

As kickass as the cover is (excepting the handles) the fight inside left me slightly dissapointed.

I sort of summed it up on Superdickery:

That's what disappointed me about the fight. Wouldn't it have been awesome if Oracle had used her mad skillz to set all these security traps, and the Joker has to go through all of them to get to her, and though he does what pretty much anyone else would fail at getting through them, but by the time he gets to her he's beat the fuck up and she kicks his ass? But he manages to get some shots in because of his special Jokah powahs?

That would have shown respect for both the characters, and we wouldn't have had to see the Joker throw the person he made paraplegic down the stairs, which, I'm sorry, I don't need to see.

I dunno, it's just Oracle's not just a martial artist anymore. It would have been nice to see her use all of her skills against the guy who shot her. And use weapons besides the escrima sticks, ranged ones.

I feel a fight between Babs and the Joker could have been pretty epic and pulled up a lot of good emotional stuff, but Tony Bedard was not the right writer to handle it. For one thing, he doesn't write a very good Joker. It would have needed to last a bit longer too.

And I do think Oracle should have had time to set up her security system. How would the Joker fight a ton of lasers? It would have been interesting. And when he gets there, then the physichal fighting starts. Just the Joker escaping would have dented the victory for Babs, she didn't need to be thrown down some stairs too.

However, I do think it was cool when she totally decimated his mouth. Stealing his smile and all. Sure, he's had many teeth knocked out over the years, but she bashed in ALL of them. That's definitely a cause for the Joker to freak out.

All I know is it's a good (or bad) thing Misfit found the Joker and not Dinah, because you know what she said she'd said she'd do to the Joker if she was ever in a room alone with him (Gail's run)
( BoP reaction comic by me )
( Little BoP reaction toon. )

I'm looking forward to next issue though. I'm cravin' some Dinah and Babs bonding time!

My Dad actually picked the comic up and read it while cleaning my room (I don't ASK him to do it, he's neurotic) because the cover was so cool. He thinks the fight between the Joker and Babs was the coolest thing ever.

Dad: "She smashed in his face and stole his SMILE! I loved her Arnis sticks!"
Me: "She calls them escrima sticks".
Dad: "It's the same thing, it depends which part of the Philipines you are from."

I am constantly boggled by how much he knows about every conceivable form of martial arts ever. He should be in the Batfamily.

Which leaves me to wonder if the Internet has lead me to be cynical and course. Why can't I enjoy the comic for the awesome parts like Dad does?

3.5/5

Wonder Woman # 26

A good issue. I'm not sure it was spectacular enough that fans jumping on because of the event will stay, which worries me. Genocide is monstrous, and her design doesn't bother me as much as it seems to others. I'm very curious about what's up with the gods. And Diana's lasso got stolen! Whoa. I wonder if Dr. Minerva still has the jones for that thing, or Genocide just took it for laffs.

I'm very interested in getting more into Genocide's powers and...personality? Dunno. Right now, I'm not quite convinced she's the worst threat evar, but I'm sure I will be.

And Tom fought hard to keep the nectarine pit, which was endearing. I'm still not sure he's good enough for Diana.

Looking forward to more.

4.5/5

Blue Beetle #33

I feel like crying, because this was great issue. Sturges best yet. The Teen Titans were funny and likable (and the world stopped spinning...) and Tim was cracking jokes like a cutie! Oh, Timmy. I missed your sense of humor. And Peacemaker's eternal search for a drinking buddy...Brenda and Paco smackdown complete with Paco's Twu Confessions...

WHY MUST THE GOODNESS END?

The only thing I'm confused on is why the Scarab isn't exhibiting a personality. Maybe there will be a reason for this.

I now demand Matt Sturges write Teen Titans. I WILL PAY DC TO DO IT. And Rafeal Albequerque draw it. He draws Cassie like a human being! I love her wavy hair. And adorable Tiny Tim.

Oh dreams. You make me sad.

5/5

Superman #66oh like I keep track

I want to have Renato Guede's art's babies.

Oh, there was writing too. An okay story, though apparently Kara has fucked up again. Understandably, because these are her parents long thought dead she's listening to, so I'll let it go. And the Kryptonian madness comes home to roost...Mon El being surrounded by villians made me giggle. It prolly shouldn't have, but there ya go.

4/5
 

Read scans of TT by the way, and they were interesting. Hopefully Cassie not being emo anymore is for real. Her new costume...I agree with scans_daily about the lack of bracers and awkward armoring. Someone on Comic Bloc came up with a better alternative. (Eliseu Gouveia was the name given.)

( Cassie with bracelets. )
Comic Bloc is growin' on me, btw. The intelligence level seems to have gotten higher of late, and they're all so nice. I may even consider rejoining.

I'm glad Cassie is unemo in time for next ish, which I will be forced to pick up because Spoiler.  Here's hoping it sticks, unlike her Wonder Girl mini un-emoness.

So, thinking about Teen Titans.

It's unlikely Steph will join. Skill wise, she doesn't have much to bring to the team Tim doesn't.

Now if I were writing Titans I would point out the things she does have to bring to the team...she knows Tim better than anyone, so is the best equipped to see the holes in his reasoning in times of stress. She understand crime better than any of the others. Crime may have affected their lives but Steph grew up with criminals coming in and out, so she knows better than anyone how they work. That could come in handy.  Her medical skills must be very good now considering the time she spent with Leslie, and if the team ever needed to do a mission in Africa...

Not to mention she's not the type to angst, which the team so needs. Combat the despair of Cassie and Tim!'

So if I were writing the Titans, I wouldn't put Steph on the team. Not right away anyway. I would have her as a reserve member, popping in and out every few issues, until I figured out how to make her useful when the team already has Tim. She would be a huge help if Tim ever went missing, for example, so that could be one reason for Steph to come in temporarily.

Now this is my point of view. From DC's point of view, they clearly don't mind having redundant members on the team. I mean, Supergirl, Wonder Girl and Miss Martian were all on the team at one point. Three super strong flyers, that's not redundant at all. And consider Kara and Cassie were both pretty much interchangable powerful snippy blonde girls the way they were written. So saying DC wouldn't let Spoiler on the team because she's redundant has some truth to it, but it isn't like DC cares about that TOO much. Also, having Spoiler would lead to Tim n Cassie angst and we know DC loves that.

But right now, I wouldn't be surprised if Sean, or DC sees Steph as some plucky little screwup who's not actually useful, so I wouldn't hold my breath for her joining.

As for Traci 13, I think she would be extremely handy in a well written Titans, so she'd totally be in right away if I wrote it. Just seeing her and Jaime working together within the team would be  entertaining. She's ALSO not angsty, which is good. For real life, I see a 50/50 chance of her joining.

Misfit is already in BoP, but McKeever kind of has a mad on for her, so she might join.

Supergirl, well, Sean was making a big deal of her return over in his q & a thread at Comic Bloc, so maybe. She's in Robinson's Justice League or whatever, so I doubt it.

Speedy's a big possibility. She already was a Titan once, and nobody's doing anything with her, so I see her joining. I dread the clunky references to her HIV Sean will inevitably make. I would put her on the team because I really like her.

The Ray is also a possibility. He was on YJ, and nobody's doing anything with him either. I might put him on if I was a writer.

The rest, I have no idea. The New/Old Bombshell is a mystery and I never read Seven Soldiers. I just know that no way is Klarion joining. He's NOT a superhero!

All  I know is if Steph joins, they'll force me to pick up the book, whether she sucks in it or not. If that happens, well played, DC, well played.

For your entertainment:

( A toon )

And I was just discussing covers!

( Dubya Tee Eff )

My computer has been broken pretty much all week, which is why I haven't been posting and commenting hyperactively.

But now it's back, and I am pleased.

I finally got some frames for my Steph comissions, so I am doubly pleased.

Instead of focusing on my studies, like a good little girl, I have used my free time to draw up a few pages of a Spoiler mini and come up with an entire plot.

Yeah, I have a problem. But I'm kind of addicted to drawing like I am to the computer, so I needed something to draw.

Plus, it helps quell my anxiety over how Steph DESERVES a mini, dammit, fangirl!discontent.

I'll scan 'em later, I guess. I'm rather proud of some of the ideas. They probably suck, but I'm proud anyway.

I'm actually getting Discreet Math so far! Sure, we're on Chapter One but still.

Our teacher, Mr. Ross, is the most boring person alive though.

Reviews later, but I saw the scans for Teen Titans and WOW. First of all, I can't believe Current!Cassie was kind and mature and not bitchy at the thought of Tim's girlfriend being back, but HAPPY for him, and asking him why the hell he's not thrilled. In addition to being concerned about her team, and offering to help Tim out with his stress and WHAT?

Cassie just got points from me. My God.

Then the other thing (as well as Tim's never ending angst and the horrible art) totally ruined that.

This is getting so overdone, it's pathetic. The Titans should just disband, and I GOT INTO COMICS watching animated Titans, so I heart the Teen Titans.

These are not the Teen Titans. I don't know what they are, but it's badly written.

( Spoilz )
So, writing a Steph mini makes me feel better about things like that too.

Well, off to surf the net and see what I've missed.

Reviewwws:

Huntress Year one #2

This book continues to be awesome. Actually, the amount of content in this one was amazing. We see Helena failing to break her cousin Salvatore out of prison, wondering who keeps helping her NOT get arrested, fall in love with a boy from the Angelo Mob family, show a bit of her religious faith, see her female  cousin be a victim of sexual violence from said boy's father, then her cousin says Helena hit her, making her estranged from her remaining family members... We see her engage in her first vigilante style beatdown, Salvator dies, she turns 21, she finds out someone's been stealing some of her inheritance, threatens a mob lawyer, goes on another vigilante raid...

Oh, and some more feminist sentiment, we have flashback to Helena at an opera with her tutor, and Helena asks why their aren't any girl heroes, and her tutor explains there was in fact a female pope once, but history has buried her, and besides, the purpose of women in operas is to be young, innocent, and die.

Of course, this doesn't extend outside operas!

        

Moving on....

This book is a real gem, and it's great to have another quality female writer in the biz. I hope Madison gets lots of work, including the Huntress ongoing she mentioned!

5/5

Blue Beetle #27

Eh. Average issue.

That's really all I have to say.

Traci's cool, though.

3.5/5

Teen Titans Go! #54

Yes, that's right I JUST got this in the mail.

2nd to last issue! *sniff*

It really is a shame, because this was pretty awesome.

We get YJ era Cassie, not the mopey one we have now. And she's exactly as she should be- a little on the bratty side, but full of spunk and tenacity. She idolizes Wonder Woman, she's super competitive, she's hyperactive and she LOVES flying and punching things. This is a Cassie who stole artifacts from a museum so she could be Wonder Woman's sidekick, who has a yellow skateboard and spraypaints a red G on her Wonder Woman T shirt. She flies to Paradise Island and challenges seasoned superheroes. She squeals in joy when she thinks she gets a T communicator, only to find out Mom grounded her!

Donna's not bad either. In fact, this is the coolest Donna I've seen in a long time. She's remarkably self assured and comfortable in her own skin. She's friendly, and good at what she does. She's sweet, and in command, obviously good leader material. Yet her obvious competitiveness gives her an edge and keeps her from being a Mary Sue. She says "I'd like to see you try" when other Amazons and Superheroes try to beat her, she scoffs at Cassie when she first appears and makes a comment about her size and age.

Oddly enough, this issue of TTG got the heart of what it MEANS to be Wonder Girl. The way I see it, the main traits of Wonder Woman's sidekicks are being ridicuolously confident and comfortable in their own skin, sure of their ability to lead and do. After all, isn't Wonder Girl supposed to be a role model for teenage girls?

Cassie and Donna, as they were originally concieved, both shared the traits of being very confident, very comfortable with themselves (despite Donna's unsteady origin), competitive, and powerful. Leader material. Yet Donna is very down to earth. She's everybody's therapist too. Have a problem? Go to Donna. She's so sweet it makes your teeth hurt, and so good with other people it's scary, but as I see her, she should have a feirce temper and too self assured sometimes.

Cassie is 2.0 and a more modern version. She lacks Donna's down to earth ness and therapist qualities, yet she's such a strong personality, it's overwhelming. She's a self starter, and extremely gung ho about everything she does. She's impulsive, but a good thinker. She'll butt heads with anyone and everyone, and she loves what she does.

Look at Donna and Cassie now. Due to bad writing, shadows of what they once were. Could you look at modern Cassie and believe this is the girl who was gutsy enough, lively enough to steal powerful artifacts to go face a huge villian because GOD, she wants to help Wonder Woman! She wants to be hero! Could you believe Cassie as she is today could stand up to Zeuss, and demand her give her superpowers because she's brave enough and strong enough for them, dammit!

Well, I can't.

And Donna Troy...well, Countdown. So not Donna.

Wait, I was talking about TTG, wasn't I?

Yeah, this issue was great.

5/5.

Well, that's it. 4 days till the Robin/Spoiler special!

This post will cover solicits, reviews and meaningless small talk...ALL AT ONCE!

First, I am upset. About many things:

Written by Chuck Dixon; Art by Chris Batista and Cam Smith; Cover by Freddie Williams II

They thought the Penguin was bad, but he was nothing compared to Sin Fang! It's an all-out brawl, and Robin, Violet and Spoiler will have to work together if they want to get out alive. By the end of the night, casualties will be counted and the ultimate mystery of Spoiler's true identity will finally be solved!

Batman  |  32pg.  |  Color  |  $2.99 US

On Sale May 21, 2008

***

WHAT??? I have to wait until MAY? MAY? FRIGGIN' MAY? THAT IS LIKE THREE MONTHS FROM NOW OR TWO I DON'T KNOW GAH!

*calms down*

How will my sanity survives this?

Dammit, DC, you are so manipulating me. I know that's what a business does, but it is ANNOYING. I want Steph back NOW. And if the new Spoiler turns out NOT to be Steph after all this and just some other random blue eyed white chick, I will be angry. Because you have found my weak spot. This better be worth it.

I'm glad I saw the solicit before I picked up Robin #171, so I was prepared to be dissapointed. It was a good, solid issue and I felt actual affection for Tim (man, that has not happened in forever. It's official, I think Tim is awesome again. As long as Dixon writes him.) But Steph was only mentioned for two pages and it was just Tim thinking he saw her again and doing that cliche where it turns out to be a purple piece of cloth. ("A flash of purple. Not violet." No, Tim, eggplant. How many times must she tell you?) I expected a bit more with her being on the cover. Damn misleading covers.

*sigh* But I won't hold this against the issue.

4.5/5

(By the way, I do love the artwork in the solicited cover. Though I'm not sure Steph's mask works that way)

The other thing I am upset about is Will Pfiefer is taking over Blue Beetle for a bit. All I know about Pfiefer is he did Catwoman, which people say is good, and also Amazons Attack, which is of course, atrocious.

All I know is I don't want John Rogers to leave. Even for a little while. What if he leaves forever? I'm just so protective of Jaime, I want him to keep being awesome, and Rogers brings such a unique voice...man, I'm just worried.

*sigh* Come back quick, John.

Onto happier topics. Batman and the Outsiders was pretty good. Cass's dialog was on, and she was shown as a very competent martial artist for the first time in well, forever. Sure, Green Arrow got a shot in, but it was pretty clear she kind of let him do that, and she was the better martial artist. And arrow dodging and working out your problems through violence! That's my girl! And Ollie decided he liked Cass, so I won't have to put up with his dickery in the future. Towards Cass anyway. Maybe.

And the art is freaking gorgeous. I'd buy this just for the art. I love the way the guy draws Cass, and Ollie and Katana and everyone. The action sequences are awesome.

4.5/5

Wonder Girl #6

Surprisingly, this fell kind of flat for me. I like the interaction between Cassie and Diana, and this is still the best Cassie characterization we've gotten since Young Justice but...well...it didn't really come together. #2 and #3 were really this mini's high points, I absolutely freaking loved those two issues and loved Cassie in them, but then it was kinda like "Um, fight? Rarr?" So. Still, decent miniseries. I would really love for Cassie to get an ongoing. I think Torres would be great on it, and she deserves some major rehabilitation, which he can offer.

And "Sisterhood of the Star Spangled Pants" made me laugh. But a lot of it was just people explaining stuff, and "Oh, must go on quest", so a very flat ending.

3/5

Birds of Prey #115

I didn't think it was possible, as I like them both, I now want Misfit and Black Alice both to die, quite horribly. And Sean McKeever? ANTI DEPRESSANTS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY. They are supposed to perk you UP, not mellow you out. I mean, I've been on anti depressants for years. Do I seem mellow to you? Didn't think so. Whatever diagnosis you could put on what Lori had wrong with her, it wasn't depression. Depressed people do not go out and beat up drug dealers. They don't have the energy for that. They can't bring themselves to get pissed off like Lori did. Her DAD, who was missing work and moping around the house and having Lori take care of him, HE was the typical depressed guy. And then you say HE made HER take the anti depressant meds? HA, I don't think so, unless that was a cover for him hocking happy pills.

In fact, I think the thing that would have helped Lori the most is NOT medication, unless it was some meds for anxiety, but THERAPY and LOTS OF IT. Grief counseling. You know, for her grief? Over her Mom? Who died of a drug overdose? Which makes it pretty unlikely Lori would take meds, and yes, I know that was mentioned she had a hard time doing that because of that, it's still not something she would do.

McKeever, do not write about things you don't know shit about. When you do research, actually TALK to someone ON the medication. If you had called me, I could have straightened you out in two minutes. For god's sake, Google exists for a reason.

Geez.

Yeah, so Misfit was totally emo here, and she called Lori emo which just adds to the hilarity.  At least Babs did not break any bones.

McKeever at least writes a decent Zinda. But Huntress is not as inexperienced as he makes her out to be. And oh look, brain washing. Yawn.

Tony Bedard, don't let me down. For you must save this title.

1/5

I think that's it. Yeah, sure is. Now, feast your eyes on this lovely Wonder Woman cover in the solicits.



Oh yes. I am drooling. Clearly, Lopresti was an excellent choice for this title.

Oh, and Spoiler's going to keep playing a role in Gotham Underground, so looks like I have to keep getting it. Damn my Steph addiction (I sure am damning things a LOT in this post)

So, meaningless small talk. I am on a major Avatar: The Last Airbender kick right now. Which of course means Nickelodean is not showing it for some reason. But I recently got the first and second season DVD's, and watched the whole third season, so...HOW CAN ONE SHOW BE SO GOOD? I have fallen hard. I mean, I was sort of into it before, but now I'm hardcore.

Love. So much.

Also, I have about four/five pages of the War of the Wild done. Maybe I'll post him. But I don't think anyone cares, so meh.

My ranting to no one is done! On to other things!

So, because I'm lazy and waited too long I'm going to have to give my thoughts on the comics this week and the solicits all in one post. Buckle up!

	ROBIN #173
	» View Larger Image		Written by Chuck Dixon; Art by Chris Batista and Cam Smith ; Cover by Freddie Williams II Girl trouble doesn't even begin to describe Robin's situation when he finds himself caught between Violet and Spoiler! Meanwhile, the Peguin's net is getting tighter, and all three of them might find themselves sleeping with the fishes…if another supermafioso on the scene doesn't get to them first! Batman  |  32pg.  |  Color  |  $2.99 US On Sale April 16, 2008

*SQUEEEEEAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL* Oh my God, this ups the possibility of Steph coming back like a billion. I mean, SPOILER! And I doubt it's someone ELSE being Spoiler, because Robin wouldn't become romantically involved with someone in a Spoiler costume who isn't Steph...

Unless "caught between" means this new Spoiler is evil...

No, Chuck Dixon wouldn't do that. I refuse to believe that...

... Dammit, why isn't it Febuary 20th, I have a feeling that issue will have my answers!

BOOSTER GOLD #8
	» View Larger Image		Written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz; Art and Cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund "Blue and Gold" part 3! Booster and Beetle come face-to-face with the all-new, all-different Freedom Fighters as time continues to crash down around them. Can a makeshift super-team really stop Maxwell Lord and his O.M.A.C.s? Plus, the continuing evil machinations of Supernova and Black Beetle! DC Universe  |  32pg.  |  Color  |  $2.99 US On Sale April 9, 2008

Ted is still alive here. This is good.

TEEN TITANS GO! #54
	» View Larger Image		Written by J. Torres; Art by Ethen Beavers; Cover by Todd Nauck The Teen Titans visit Paradise Island for some fun and games, but someone who wants to take down Wonder Girl is about to put a wrinkle in their plans! Meanwhile, the villiainous Trident has plans of his own for the Amazons and their friends! Johnny DC  |  32pg.  |  Color  |  $2.25 US On Sale April 30, 2008

Om nom nom YJ-style Cassie in TTG! Here costume looks A FREAKIN' DORABLE!

And Om nom nom Titans on Paradise Island!


Okay, onto reviews.

Wonder Woman #16

This was awesome of course. Though I find it hard to be concerned for Hippolyta's fate when she just got rezzed, AND the note on the issue preceding this said "takes place before Countdown #30" and Hyppolyta's very much alive in Countdown currently. She'll be fine.

But my fave moments are when that Nazi make fun of Wonder Woman's "scary bondage rope" and Diana comes and is like "Is this what you wanted, wretch?" with her lasso and the Nazi is all "Agh, no, not sexy!" Not only a funny reference to Marston's...eccentricity, but a great rebuttal to the stuff that's been going on concerning Diana's sexuality...Playboy and whatnot, though  this was scripted before that, I know.

4.5/5

Blue Beetle #23

FREAKING. AWESOME. WOWWWWWW...

From Jaime's comment about the Titans to his interaction with his family (woobie, ah) to the joke about Booster Gold to the Scarab speaking english and the heartbreaking and terrifying ending....WOW. This is comics, what comics should be.

It just makes me so angry people aren't buying this. If we want DC to change, we need to show support for books like this. I just wish I knew what to do.

Maybe I'll convince some freinds to buy it, though most don't follow superhero comics.

Man...just...wow.

5/5

TTG #51

I LOVED this. A perfect cap to "Things Change". FINALLY. What a nice Terra origin as well. And Beast Boy! Such a woobie! I loved how li'l Terra seemed to hate her frilly dress, that girl was such a tomboy. The art was fantastic. Man, this filled me with love.

5/5

Teen Titans #55

Wow. Good thing Wonder Woman, Blue Beetle and TTG provided me with so much win to balance out this suck. Let's see.

Cassie: Kara, I kick you off the team because I realize I only like you because you remind me of Conner!
Kara: WTF?
Tim: WTF?
Cassie: SHUT UP! I'm trying to get over Conner! Even though I already did that in my miniseries! Everyone who reminds me of Conner must die, this is a healthy way of dealing with my grief! By the way Tim, we're breaking up.
Tim: ...
Miss Martian: *angst*
Rose: *flirts with Jaime*
Jaime: I have a girlfriend....
Eddie: Look, he's totally hitting on Rose!
Jaime: Helllllooo? I just said I didn't want her to flirt with me!
Tim: You are not nearly angsty and bitchy enough to be on this team, Jaime. Sorry.
Jaime: Okay, then. You guys are clearly too ineffective to help me against the reach. Bye.
Dreadbolt: Why are we even trying to take down these guys? They never get any crime fighting done anyway!

I'm glad Tim and Cassie broke up though. Now he can mack with Steph when she gets rezzed.

1.5/5

Gotham Underground

Only two pages of Spoiler-person and we didn't find out her identity! Rip off!

The rest didn't interest me at all.

3/5

Okay, that's it. Catch ya on the flip side.

Okay, sorry I didn't review the comix I got last week. I'm not sure if anyone is even reading my blog, so I have no idea who I'm apologizing to. But I will now...AFTER I tell you of my THEORY of WHY STEPHANIE BROWN IS BACK!

So I was reading Showcase: Batman where Alfred came back to life (Alfred died in the '60's. Weird, eh?) Basically, this guy found Alfred in his coffin, where he'd been for MONTHS and he was still alive. There was a note about death being a state of mind and people come back from dying of drowning and stuff (Yeah, A COUPLE MINUTES after dying, not months!) because of their will to live, and basically, Alfred's will to live so he could save Dick and Bruce because he *loved* them, kept him alive. For months. Without food or water. Or air. Realistic right?

But when you think of it, what boils down to is ALFRED IS SO BADASS HE REFUSED TO DIE AND KEPT HIMSELF ALIVE FOR MONTHS.

So, I say, what works for Alfred works for Steph. Basically, she kept herself alive in her coffin through sheer will to live for MONTHS and then kickboxed her way out, burrowed out of her grave, dusted herself off and got a soda. Tim will find her and he will be all "That's impossible!" and Steph will be all "Pfft. Tim. Death is a relative state of mind."

So basically, Steph was so badass, she cheated death and reality and nature just because she's Steph.

I want this to happen. Now.

Which brings me to my next point: Robin #170. Was. Awesome.

I did not expect Steph to go unmentioned by Chuck Dixon. But this exceeded my expectations.

1st, A new vigilante is on the scene. So says a gangster who looks mysteriously like Dan DiDio



OH SNAP! This new Vigilante is probably not Steph, she's a redhead and doesn't act like Steph at all, i.e. her banter sucks. Her right hook is very solid though. Hmmm...

Anyway, anything purple reminds Tim of Steph or something.




And Batman is a dickish hypocrite, but we already knew that.



And THIS panel made me squeal VERY loudly and spit water all over the page. For real, my mom was mad at me afterwards for startling her:



YES! ACKNOWLEDGEMENT! GO FORTH AND CRUSADE FOR A CASE TIM!

And most exciting of all:



COULD STEPH BE ALIVE? COULD SHE? I'm trying not to get my hopes up, honestly, it's hard...

But he remembers the way she walks! Even though she's been dead at least a year! Oh, that's my sweet Tim. Or my Tim who looked at Steph's ass and how it moved with studious fervor. Whichever.

I so can't wait for next issue!



Oh, and what of other comics?

Booster Gold was awesome. Seriously awesome, everyone should buy it. 5/5

Birds of Prey was all right. Better than last issue anyway. Maybe because Onyx made a cameo. 3.5/5

Last week I got The Teen Titans Lost Annual, by the late Bob Haney. Yeah, that Bob Haney. Check my post on it here:

http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4761645.html#cutid1

It pretty much speaks for itself...

Oh, and Wonder Girl! It was great! FOOT BREAKING ACTION! CASSIE IN THE LEAD WITH TIM, CISSIE AND ANITA! CISSIE COMMENTING ON IT! MRS. SANDSMARK PUNCHING PEOPLE! And a New God died, stupid "Death of the New Gods..." But other than that, it was great! 4.5/5

Sooo.....eventually maybe I'll use this blog to post some original work as well as review comics. There's a comic I've been SORT of working on...I'll explain the premise next post.

I leave you with these Deep Thoughts concerning Geoff Johns recent statements:

SO. Wednesday tomorrow, which means I shall be getting Batman and the Outsiders and Birds of Prey. And maybe Supergirl, since I didn't get it when it actually came out. So I figure I might try doing comic reviews here, see where it takes me. Last Wednesday I got Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, Booster Gold and the Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood trade paperback.

Wonder Woman #15

This was fantastic. #14 was good, but it didn't really wow me. But this issue convinced me that Gail and Diana are a match made in Olympus. Gail seems to capture that "essence" that is Diana- incredibly compassionate, but also slightly regal as well as determined, straight foward, down to earth and in love with kicking ass. Also, Hyppolita (sp?) looks to be on her road to redemption, not to mention totally BADASS. I love how she cut her hair before going into battle and her cool armor and her prayer to Athena "Grant me the wisdom to avoid further bloodshed...and forgiveness for my enemies...but failing that, goddess...at least grant me the gift of good aim." Also, the GORILLAS! The inclusion of the Polynesian god is great, not only because it's nice to see a lesser known mythology but because he was HOT. The plot with Diana's birth continues to be intriguing, and well as the character Alkyone (which is just a cool name, as well) Finally, Wonder Woman is as it should be: awesome.

5/5

Wonder Girl #4:

Was not as good as #3 which was fantastic (Cassie told Cissie and Anita she was FINALLY OVER CONNER (YES GOOD RIDDANCE MOPEY CASSIE) and kneed Hercules in the groin AND used her earrings as weapons. Doesn't get much better than that) but still really good. I still don't like the fact Cassie's "warrior" outfit has heels, but I love this snarky, determined Cassie who uses strategy and fighting skills and has a brain! Really, Young Justice fans should get this mini, because it brings back great memories. And for the capper? EMPRESS AND ARROWETTE are going to help Cassie get her mom back! And this is J Torres, so don't worry about anything bad happening to them. Can't wait 'till number 5.

4.5/5

Booster Gold #5

Hm. Well, I liked it less than the first four issues. I'm kind of torn about the use of Babs between "geez, she was just...a prop..." to "well, it wasn't as bad as everyone's making it out to be and the books about BOOSTER not Babs..." Both sides have a point. And I've had a pretty easy time understanding Booster's time travel until Rip's "solidified time" speech? Wha? It makes no sense. But I'm trying not to think about it to much. And the last page: JAIME! DAN! SOME OTHER GUY! Ted may have a chance of coming back yet!

3.5/5

Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood.

This was amazing. Well, the Batgirl parts were. The Robin parts sucked, but this was back when Willingham was writing and Damion Scott was drawing, so what do you expect. But the Batgirl parts...so much squee. And win. From the very start Cass trying to figure out the difference between journal and diary and talking about how Nightwing acted out the parts to Cinderella to her and made her laugh? (I would have liked to see that) to her little eulogy on Stephanie (it broke my heart) to the dynamics between her and Tim...it was a clear clash of personalities and ideals there (I like Tim's speech on how Batman's mission is an ideal...but not reality and we can't force reality to conform to that ideal. THAT is one hell of a well written Tim: very smart, down to earth and a little geek who know what's up) but they found a common ground. And of course, there was just amazing dialougue. My personal favorites:

Tim: blablabla...you'll never be Batman!
Cass: And you...talk too much. *kicks him in the face*

The Penguin:...like that hot little blonde number who was traipsing around as Robin ever so briefly. What happened to her? She get killed too? Oh, why do the girls always meet such tragic-
*Cass headbutts him*

(That is just pure win, there, on textual and metatextual levels)

*Cass explains how she and her father used to play "two for flinching"...with bullets.*
Tim: Whoa...that's horrible.
Cass: It's nothing. Stephanie and I used to laugh about...wait...I...Tim...I'm so stupid...
Tim: You're not stupid. Want tea?

Seriously, this book, as well as being awesome Cass/Tim action, provides the best examination on Steph's death that she ever got. I love it so.

5/5 for the Batgirl parts.

Well, that's it! I can't wait to see Cass in Batman and the Outsiders tomorrow. There may be hope for DC yet!

Bye!