sharpest-rose.livejournal.com/1117413.ht
I still haven't ordered it! And now there's a second edition out. But it doesn't have Steph on to cover anymore, as adorable as the cover is. But! Now I have remembered and I'll get this for x-mas!
And Mary Borsellino has an LJ how did I not know this... apparently I did since I linked to it in the Fandom section of the wiki but I just forgot or didn't notice what it was...
Anyway, I friended her and she friended me back! Hi, Mary!
Mary is the curator of Project Girl Wonder and wrote the great paper "A lot like Robin if you close your eyes" and all KINDS of awesome.
I'm really going to have to remember to order this...I can't believe I forgot before.
- Mood:
crazy
IT WAS GREAT.
OH STEPH, I LOVE YOU. YOU TOO BABS.
Seriously, I haven't smiled so much in reading a comic in forever. Screw you, Darrin! You can stop teasing me because this comic rocks!
So lets do our page by page review:
( spoilers and whatnot )
- Mood:
ecstatic
So here we go now.
Batgirl Preview
It tickled me to DEATH that that DKR mutant on the cover is randomly shouting the "What's your scene, baby, we really gotta know!" part of the theme song for Batgirl from the old 1960's TV series. I LOVE that theme song. It's TERRIBLE. I saw it on a youtube video and have been singing it ever since. In fact, back when we were speculating about Batgirl I would randomly include bits of the song in my post titles.
So this really made me giggle. And wonder if BQM is stalking my lj. (I wish! I'd have a list of demands!)
I love the panel where Steph snaps her book shut and is all "you know me, I'll sleep when I'm dead!" That smile! That casual joking around about tragic events! So STEPH! She is a doer, people, and she's always super confident and sassy! Man, I wish I could blow off college homework and kick bad guys in the face and hang with Babs. Steph is living my dreams.
And squee! Thirsty for justice! Babs and her dry sense of humor! You can tell she's enjoying Steph's cheeriness, she's just trying to maintain respectability.
Though seriously, that belt is going to FALL OFF. And I don't know if it's the colorist or inker or Garbett just not drawing Steph as well as he did for the character sketch...but someone's not doing that costume any favors. It's OKAY, but it could look a lot better, as both Noto and Garbett himself have proven.
I'm looking forward to this issue, it looks like a lot of fun, and the Batbooks really need fun right now.
Seriously though, ADDRESS that Steph and Babs still care about Cass and get the Charlie situation fixed. I'm going to repeat this until it happens. If you are truly stalking my lj, BQM, I demand you listen to my...demands! Seriously, like parsi put perfectly in her excellent post why do lovers of awesome female characters have to settle? Why do Charlie and Cass have to be shafted for Steph to shine? Why can't Babs run the Birds and Gotham and the world AND mentor Steph? I love them all, why can't I enjoy them all being friends and teaming up and being awesome together?
Also this made me happy:
"Before Stephanie became Batgirl, she definitely had a checkered past and not the highest success rate of being a hero," said Miller. "The whole world before this comic is saying, 'Stop doing what you're doing. We don't want you doing it.' But Stephanie didn't listen, because she's stubborn in the best kind of way."
so it's certainly something that your girlfriend or daughter might like,
OH NO I DON'T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND OR DAUGHTER WHAT TO DO.
Also from the DC source Miller said: While very much not dead, wearing a goat skull as a helmet in Africa. It might have been a caribou skull.
It was an iba, for the record, which she got from a cairrage of gifts from the village.
Also: There’s no way Stephanie could have taken down a crocodile.
I SAY THEE NAY! Stephanie wins all battles against crocodiles.
Not a stunning resumé, to be sure
I SAY THEE NAY! Best resume ever.
As for the cover, it demonstrates exactly why Steph should put up her hair, and that is one incredibly phallic ship. But apparently that's just how Roxy rolls. But Roxy is an incredibly FUN and fitting adversary for Steph...I cannot wait. Seriously, Batgirl seems to be filling the niche of light hearted, easy to get into Batbook beautifully, and Steph is perfect for such things. *love*
That's all the silliness I have for one night.
Oh frabulous day! Batgirl #3 was mega awesomeness for my Steph and Babs- loving heart. Happy days are here again! As always, I have my complaints, but overall I was very pleased with this issue.
I'm going to try to do what I did last time and do a page by page review, since a few people liked it.
Page 1: Cool, moody opening page that just happens to have a mention of Steph's time as Robin. Hurray!
Page 2: Steph, at least all your college parties haven't been boring. Babs is giving Steph a chance to solve things on her own here, which is the first good sign of things to come. She can't stop Steph, so she's working with her. Her little internal monologue about keeping her alive long enough to kill her is acceptably snarky and again gives me a feeling of Babs/Canary.
Page 3: I really like Steph's trepidation about both needles and Black Mask. Really nice character beats. Also, I LOATHE needles myself. Steph is brave to plunge it in there. Here's hoping Steph conquers her fear of the new Black Mask in the same way and kicks his ass, and we can all watch and enjoy.
5/6: Scarecrow kills thugs, Steph kicks thugs.
7: I lovelovelove the panel where Steph crosses her arms and glares waaaay up at Scarecrow. It's such a Steph pose! She's so small compared to him, but she's totally confident and you know she's gonna kick his ass. Or knee him in the stomach, which she does.
8: Steph remains snarky even while drugged. That's my girl! Scarecrow is disappointed he has a little girl thrown at him, but he's about to find out he can't take her. It's such an old comic book trope, but I love it when the villain underestimates the hero because of her size/sidekickness and then gets an ass whoopin'.
9/10: Ah, the ex-boyfriend of rage. The way Tim's acting lately, he would say that shit too (in fact he has). It's very Steph that Tim's one of her fears- she's always measured herself up to him, and of course, she has issues there. I like that even through the mindscrew torture of Tim attacking her, she still kicks out a him.
11/12: Babs starts to root for Steph and show concern for her. The touching the screen in concern was a nice touch. So was the "We've been here before, haven't we? On the brink of death?" from Spoiler!hallucination. She certainly has.
13/14: Steph starts to break down under all her self doubt. And what's more, Bab's breaks down and calls her Batgirl. I think this is partly what motivates Steph to get her heroic resolve on and wake up- acceptance from Babs at last. I love Steph's expression when she breaks Scarecrow's foot. The pop-psychology stuff she spouts may be a bit stilted, but it's fun to connect it to Steph's situation- she could have become someone else wherever she landed, but she chose to come back to Gotham to make things right. That's what makes her a hero.
14/15: Hell yeah, she's brave enough. You coulda seen the "I'm Batgirl" thing coming a smile away, but I still love it. I love it when heroes proudly shout their names, especially goddamn Batgirls. And Babs reaction is great. Finger steepling and mentory pride ftw!
16/17: Steph pulls a stellar bat exit- no cops push her around! But, unlike Batman, she at least leaves a snarky little note saying thanks (so perfectly Steph...but man, now he's going to have to wash it off his window. What'd she leave it in too, lipstick? I'm going to go with water soluable bat-paint. ) Steph making her Mom waffles is adorable. I love that she's working on her relationship with her Mom.
18/19: Professor Babs is reaching out and helping people! She should be more than an assistant professor but whatever, maybe she's trying not to be conspicuous. Also, like Steph asking for class hours. Shows a bond of respect starting to be built.
20/21: Not sure how I feel about Babs appropriating The Vow. She put her own twist on it, but she should do it somewhere else and make it her own tradition. But I do know I love that Babs is behind Steph 100% and I love Steph's utterly sincere smile when she promised to look out for Babs too. All Steph ever wanted was acceptance: no tricks, no manipulations, no stupid boys club games. And now she's finally got it. She's finally got some sincere guidance. Squee!
22: I love the purple Batgirl coming down on crooks with a huge smile. But, when I read this to Mom, she said: "So she's going to leave her hair out like that?" DC, even Mom thinks it silly!
So great issue, and finally no more angsty Babs! I do have a few issues
* Needs more Cass, but aparrently we can't have these good things so I at least want the Cass issue dealt with, to show Steph and Babs are still looking out for her.
*Babs abandoning Charlie needs to be dealt with
*The pop-philosophy was definitely a little stilted and anvilicious, and the fight was pretty standard- however, this is incredibly minor, and BQM's writing in that regard improves each issue, so...
Overall, a good issue with lots of awesome moments. Can't wait for the next.
4.5/5
- Mood:
good
The Kara/Steph team-up, for one! I am SO looking forward to seeing Steph and Kara team up! And it's being written by Sterling Gates! Eeee!
See it here with the other Super solicits!
WORLD’S FINEST #3
The Toyman has crafted the ultimate killing machine to protect himself from the Kryptonian menace, and Oracle has sent Supergirl and Batgirl to stop it. But when Supergirl faces off against the Kryptonite Man while the new Batgirl takes on Catwoman, they both find themselves in over their heads.This looks like a job for... Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers, both by Phil Noto, that can be ordered separately. Cover A will feature Supergirl. Cover B will feature Batgirl.
BUT that's not all! It's being DRAWN by JAMAL IGLE! I'ma gonna get to see STEPH drawn by Jamal Igle! That is so flippin' awesome! I cannot wait! My fangirl squee is up to nth levels here people!
Oh, was there content to the solicit? I didn't notice! I guess there was. Huh. Why are they fighting Catwoman? She and Steph are buds and what's more, Selina is NOT a villian.
My guess is either it's a misunderstanding or Selina will be doing something so morally iffy that Kara and Steph are obligated to stop it. Because it's Sterling Gates, I have faith.
Also, my other guess is that Steph and Kara will end up switching antagonists. Because Kryponite wouldn't be a problem for Steph at all, while Catwoman would. And Supergirl would find it easier to take Catwoman out with her powers and stuff.
Also, Oracle! Hurray!
As for the end...well, it's probably just solicits being stupid and lying as usual and trying to lead us into the next issue. I refuse to believe Gates would have Kara and Steph get bailed out by Superman instead of letting them handling the threat themselves. I have too much faith for that.
I'm probably going to end up getting both covers. Because Phil Noto rocks.
Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle doing a Steph/Babs/Kara team up! All my dreams have come true!
Another exciting solicit for Wonder Woman!
NICOLA SCOTT! DRAWING A WONDER WOMAN MINI! WITH GREG RUCKA WRITING IT! NICOLA SCOTT AND GREG RUCKA ON WONDER WOMAN!
Not to mention Wonder Woman FINALLY playing a large and NOT sucky role in a major DC event!
December is going to be the BEST MONTH EVER. And not JUST because of Christmas presents!
On a sadder note, Wednesday comics IS almost finished and I should review the second to last issue.
Batman: Luna is like a complete cliche. And we get to see a bit of her underwear in the last panel. Joy.
Kamandi: NOOOO. THEY DID NOT JUST FRIDGE ORORA! BUT SHE WAS COOL! WHY, KAMANDI, WHY. Why haven't I learned not to get attached to any female characters in comics? Godammit, Kamandi, and I was all enjoying you.
Deadman: And the hot babes turned out to be demons. I only saw this coming because Anj at Supergirl Comic Box Commentary predicted it, honestly, because I'm hopelessly stupid. You can tell I am, because I GOT ATTACHED TO ORORA and didn't think she would be killed off to provide angst! NO, I am NEVER gonna get over it!
Metamorpho: Element Girl and Rex were pretending to be dead! And it was Urania's superawesome plan all along! At least Neal Gaiman knows how to write cool female characters without KILLING them. (Still not over it)
Teen Titans: It was Slade, all along, in a hopelessly convoluted plan! A plan that would probably be more effective if they had actually killed the TT instead of jabbering on while they lay there unconcious. And why would Slade want to kill them anyway? Ravager is his daughter, and even in his current EBIL incarnation, he's never wanted to kill HER.
Adam Strange: forces his enemies to be museum statues. (Unlike Wally West, he doesn't do it on purpose).
Supergirl: Is still cute and hopelessly naive. Almost as naive as I was to think there would be no fridging in Wednesday Comics (Okay, maybe I should get over it) and it's Superpets to the rescue!
Metal Men: Oh noes! They exploded! I'm amused by the super scientific references here.
Wonder Woman: NOT ARES! And Poison mentioning an Amazon working for the Black Dragon is interesting.
Sgt. Rock: Yawn.
The Flash: Oh, Barry. Oh, Iris. Such pretty art.
Demon/Catwoman: Hey, Catwoman actually got to make a snarky comment! Too little, too late, though.
Hawkman: It's Aquaman to the rescue! That doesn't happen often.
And that's it. I don't know how Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Flash in particular are going to wrap up their plots in time, but I look forward to seeing it.
4/5- a whole point knocked for the fridging, because I'm still not over it. That's on YOU, Dave Gibbons!
- Mood:
excited
3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yv74a8XkxJI/Sqgnoy9Jr
This has NEVER happened before. Really, it hasn't. She got a Spoiler Heroclix thing (which I have) (I think I may have lost it though. Along with my Cass action figure) and I think she's a super rare minimate that comes as an extra with bizarro?
BUT SHE HAS NEVER HAD AN ACTION FIGURE.
And don't even get all "but Cass" on me about this. I love Cass, but she has had about ten action figures. Steph deserves one too. And becoming Batgirl HAS GOTTEN HER ONE.
I am so excited right now. And now I have to get this. How much do these things usually cost. Dammit, I have to spend money. Maybe I can rebuy my Cass action figure too. Though first I'm going to look for it.
I hope it comes out in like, January. That way I can use Christmas money or something to buy it.
Now I have to update the wiki.
Speaking of which, can someone do me a favor and resize the Steph!Batgirl pictures available here to 300xwhatever? My laptop has NO image editing software and I need to post these in the costume section of the wiki.
Also, interesting to note on the figure, the batsymbol has been moved up to Steph's cape, and the costume ribbing is down to her boots, unlike in the concept art. Also, her batarang is yellow. I wonder, are these figure innacuracies or is that how it'll be in the comic?
- Mood: ecstatic
No, actually you didn't, but my homework's done, and I must review this Steph-ish peice of comic.
But first, a public service anouncement:
I've been thinking about this for a while...and I'm still very sad about Cassandra. But the truth is, nobody's written her well, and for so many years, that maybe she does deserve a break. I mean, she's going to need some serious TLC after all this Beechen shit, and for whatever reason, DC doesn't seem to be willing to give it to her right now. Anything they do to her now is going to have to build on the seriously crappy mini, but if they give her a break for a few months, a writer will be able to come in and work around that. Honestly, I'd rather her have a break, slowly reintroduce herself in the Batgirl title later on, and get her cowl back or establish her own identity later, than see her get mangled some more.
And her parting may not have been the best ever, but look at it this way: she didn't get killed off horribly. She didn't get tortured with a power drill. She didn't fuck up, get somebody killed and then quit heroing because she's wracked with guilt. She didn't get shot in the spine. She fought the fight, and when she decided it was time to hang up her cowl, she handed it over to her best friend who she trusts. She got the hell out of dodge before the writers could screw her up anymore.
It could be so much worse. And Cass will be back. I guarantee it. Miller's already said she's reappearing eventually, and while he got her voice pretty off, he didn't do too bad with her , considering he was building on a horrible miniseries. It was really nice to see Steph and Cass fighting together and being friends again, at least. But at any rate, Cass will be back someday, and hopefully with someone who knows how to write her, and actually respects the 70+ issue run of her series.
Meanwhile, Steph is also a character who needs some serious TLC. At least in-universe other heroes acknowledge that Cass is mega-competent (even if she hasn't been acting like it lately). Stephanie, meanwhile, had so much shit dumped on her she became the symbol for all that was wrong with comics treatment of females for a while, and she's been considered nothing more than a screw up by the writers AND other heroes in universe for YEARS, and no writer has bothered to take her beyond that. But it looks like Miller is going to give her some respect, training and hero cred, and that is a freaking long time coming, guys.
Cass has been screwed over. But remember, before Cass was screwed over, Steph was. Maybe they need to fix Steph before they fix her best friend. At any rate, if this series doesn't sell well? DC will blame Steph. They won't blame bad writing, or the fact they booted Cass out. No, they will blame the character. They proved that with the Batgirl mini. And Steph might get worse than Cass got if that happens.
I'm not asking you to buy the series if you don't like it. But just think about it. If you don't like the writing (I think it was a little shaky so far, but Miller has got Steph's voice down and seems to have a promising direction going, and I think he'll get better as he goes along. You may disagree), If you think the series selling well won't stop them from screwing with Steph, or you're too angry about Cass you're ready to go "screw Steph!" , then fine. But I don't want to see two good female characters go down the drain. Cass has a good chance at returning and being written well. Steph might not, if this goes wrong. And if you show interest in this series AND Cass, there's a good chance she'll become a part of the title. Just think about it.
Enough of that. Onto the review!
( Batgirl #1 )
Other comics will be reviewed...eventually. I'm pretty busy! Anyway, good night everyone.
Babs, thank God, is not going to be the new Batgirl, that much is certain. This is completely confirmed by the Batman November solicit:
Will the combined forces of Oracle, Huntress and Catwoman be enough help for Batman?
Babs stays Cyberpunk!
However, she is in the book, so she will probably mentor BG.
In this preview, unless Bryan Miller cannot get character voices right AT ALL, that is way too chatty to be Cass. However, note that in the last panel, a Batarang is thrown at the thugs from an angle the chatty Batgirl could not have possibly thrown it.
Which makes me hope that Cass threw the Batarang and she and Steph are BOTH Batgirl. Possibly Babs is coordinating a Batgirl Corps with Cass, Steph and possibly Charlie switching off in the role. That would make everyone happy. (except for those who wanted Babs!girl) (Meanwhile, my relief it's not Babs!girl almost wipes out all other concerns...almost)
As Scotty points out, the solicits support this idea:
For #2:
As the new Batgirl continues her nightly mission, the mystery of her secret identity intensifies. Now she has become the target of both Gotham City's heroes (who don't take kindly to a new person wearing the cape and the cowl) and its villains (who want to see the entire Bat-family six feet under)!
It's a new look and a new costume for the all-new Batgirl! As crime in Gotham City continues to rise, the newest member of the Bat-family vows to wear the mantle of the Bat and fight alongside Batman and Robin in their war on crime. There's just one problem: She hasn't told Batman and Robin yet!
For #4
It's Batgirl's first night on the job, and as she'll soon learn, it takes a lot more to wear the mantle of the Bat than she originally thought – especially when she has to juggle patrol, the police and a frat party!
I hope very ardently this turns out to be the case, as it seems the only way we'd have Cass still in the cowl.
There is tons of evidence for Steph being either THE Batgirl or ONE of the Batgirls, meanwhile. Looking at the covers, the first one has a background of eggplant, Steph's color. For the third one, Batgirl's EYES are eggplant. The smirk on the first cover is very Steph, and the silhouette on the fourth has something that might be a Spoiler-style legband on Batgirl's leg.
Meanwhile, in the preview, Batgirl is chatty and snarky, makes a Steph-ish style mistake stopping the truck and comments on it, her sound effects are eggplant and she says Boys are STUPID in a way that might allude to recent troubles with Tim.
The final eggplant clue? Check out the cover to The Web. Batgirl's GAUNTLETS are even eggplant.
Like I said, I REALLY want a Batgirl Corps. Because I have mixed feelings on Steph as Batgirl.
I will not pretend I am not absolutely thrilled at the idea of Steph having her own book. She's deserved a mini series for years, and I love the idea I'll be getting a monthly fix of her where she is NOT just "Tim's sidekick/girlfriend/provider of angst." Also, I am all for her finally getting some respect. Her becoming Batgirl might actually get the writers to respect her and let her grow as hero, since it's not a temporary thing like when she was Robin. And she won't merely be an appendage of Tim. She'll be able to be her own character and have adventures that don't involve him, and he can angst off in his own book. She really needs a space of her own.
As much as I love how the Spoiler identity is independent, as long as she is in it, people will probably associate her with Tim and her past screw ups. Maybe she does need to be Batgirl to become a respected part of the Batfamily, instead of just the local whipping girl and screw up. Besides, she can always go back to being Spoiler, or get another identity, once she's done being Batgirl.
Also, she will be in a title where she'll spend lots of time with Cass, Babs and Charlie! It will be like Gotham Girl Power Hour! Instead of being kicked around by Bruce and Tim and told she's not good enough, she's a screw up, etc., she'll (hopefully) be able to cultivate some strong female friendships. Together, they can stick it to the boys club in Gotham (another reason I love the idea of a Batgirl corps. "Screw you guys, we have our own team!" You can't say that dedBruce and Tim don't deserve it at this point.)
And she's going to even GUEST STAR in other books! She's going to team up with Supergirl! SHE IS GOING TO BE WRITTEN BY STERLING G
She was never important enough to team up with Supergirl or meet any cool characters as Spoiler. This is the truth. But as Batgirl, she is, and it makes me squee to think of it.
But, on the other hand, I don't want her to replace Cass. I love Cass, and she's been treated HORRIBLY the past few years. She deserves to still be Batgirl. And there's the very icky implications you get by having the Bat-family's SOLE NON WHITE member booted out of her role by a white, blonde chick (as much as I love said white blonde chick). Also, the white chick apparently gets to show her hair and face off, while the asian chick had to keep it covered. Like I said, unfortunate implications.
BUT, say Steph is Batgirl and Cass isn't. But she's still used respectfully. She's still Steph's best friend and mentor. Maybe she even gets her own heroic identity (I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to be Batgirl anymore). Well, I'd still buy the book then. I just want Cass to be involved. I want her to be written well.
Since it's Steph, I will be buying this book. But if Cass is horribly marginalized, I will have to drop it. And I don't want to. Because I love Steph having her own book.
And, in case I haven't stressed it enough, what I REALLY want is Batgirl Corps. That way, Steph AND Cass can team up with Supergirl! The thought is so happy making. And Kara will just be confused when the switch off! "Hey, weren't you taller and in a different costume five minutes ago?" "...No." "Whatever."
Don't let me down, DC! Let me have my well written Steph/Cass/possible Charlie team Batgirl! I NEED IT!
(But I won't be able to get to the comic shop 'till Friday. *sigh*
- Mood:
geeky
Yes. Red Robin.
Okay, so I just skimmed the parts that weren't Steph-related. But the part I did read gave me a pretty good idea of the books tone, and it's one I'm very much not interested in. I'll just list my problems so we can all get on with our lives.
Tim is a complete ass. I mean, he kicks Steph in the stomach when she comes up to talk to him (and I'm really unclear to whether she was walking through the door to say hi and couldn't help but do it stealthily, because hey, Gotham vigilante- or if, as the art indicates, she was lurking in the corner. If the latter is it, what the hell? Did she get there before Tim did? Did she actively walk over to a corner so she lurk in the shadows for no reason and Tim just didn't notice this somehow? Did she borrow the JLA transporter and beam into that corner? What? WHAT? My head hurts)
And it's hard enough to make her want to barf, and he doesn't say "oops my bad" or even HELP HER UP when she asks. I don't care how upset Tim is, that is just rude.
But what really irks me is the continuity thing- Tim gets ragey ranty all over again about how he can't trust her to wear that costume and they already AGREED HE DIDN'T HAVE A RIGHT TO BE MAD O
But no, we're ignoring that and back to RAGEYTRUSTISSUES because THAT'S not getting old. And Tim continues to add to the creepy abusive trend by grabbing Steph's wrist when she tries to pat him on the shoulder, roughly enough that she winces and he doesn't let go for like, five lines of dialogue. Under Fabian, he just swatted her hand away, at least, no "look at me I can crush your wrist I so dominant".
And apparently another reason Steph can't be trusted is because...she said eveyone was worried about Tim and Tim guesses Dick asked her to track him down...and this makes her a lying bitch who can't be trusted. Because Dick was worried and so was she and they collaborated. Yeah! How dare you, Stephanie!
And despite the fact Steph is begging him to talk, he wishes he could talk to her, but he can't, because she's such a bitch! And he leaves. So emo.
Seriously, between Fabian and Yost, I guess the Bat Writers have a pact to dump abuse of Steph- whether physical or just lecturing her over what a lying hor she is. At least Fabian had the decency to give Steph a decent make-up with Tim- only to have Yost undo it. Brutally.
But I'm not really sad about Steph. It doesn't really affect her, though I consider it OOC she didn't yell at Tim to snap out of it- the whole scene made her look like some sort of whimpering pushover (I exaggerate, but allow me my rage)
Nah, it's Tim. He's been through a lot yes. (Though as Bart, Steph and Kon are now ALL back, he really hasn't lost any more than the rest of the Bat Family at this point) But I am really sick and tired of Tim being a grimdark raging mini-Batman. They've been doing it for OVER A YEAR and this was really it's apex- and I'm not interested in it anymore. It's made him unlikable, it's obscured all the qualities I enjoyed about the character. He's just gotten progressively darker and angrier and there's no sign of him stopping, and I am just BORED with it at this point. He's another generic angry "badass" character...and now he's treating his friends and family like crap. It's not Tim. It's not entertaining to me.
So I hope Steph and Tim don't get together again soon, until Tim snaps out of it (If that ever happens). All that happens when they get together these days is Tim yelling at her about what a untrustworthy screwup she is and Steph cringing and crying. Away from Tim is the best place for Steph to be right now. Hopefully Steph will have a fun role over in Batgirl and get to be her sunny self, along with being friends with Cass plzthx. Meanwhile, Angry!Tim can do whatever the hell he wants. I hope he gets better and likable again, but for now, I'm done with him.
Whew! Now that's over, I can talk about good comics! You know, other than Tim I'm pretty happy with DC these days. Assuming they don't mess the Batgirl thing up, I'm perfectly content to let Red Robin suck and enjoy all the other cool titles including...
Wednesday Comics #1:
This was pretty good, just like I expected. I enjoyed most of the features:
Batman: Big panels, nice art. I liked the dialogue between Batman and Gordon about how Gordon feels like he's failed when he turned on the Batsignal. And Batman's replying quip "I don't know how I should take that." Oh Bats! And I feel for Gordon, but seriously? You waited till 11:59 to call Batman and the guy is going to be murdered at MIDNIGHT? I don't think wounded pride is an excuse for that kind of crap. But nice cliffhanger!
Kamandi: is adorable. I'd date him if he were the last boy on earth! See what I did there? Very pretty art, old fashioned monologue, I've always like the scenario and setting behind Kamandi, so this is cool with me.
Superman: Thought this art was a little to dark for Superman, but that alien sure is wacky. Looks like Superman's going to bond with it over how allllooone he feels.
Deadman: I really like this one. Boston Brand is so kitschy and the art was pleasantly kitschy as well. Dead people solving murders are always fun.
Green Lantern: VERY pretty art, set in the late 50's, which is probably the area where Hal best works (New Frontier proved that) not much happening so far.
Metamorpho: Kitschy, 60's style, looks wacky and promising.
Teen Titans: Never been a huge fan of Cheeks art, but TT needs a dose of fun. Not much happening here, we'll see where it goes.
Strange Adventures: Okay. I found it pretty boring.
Supergirl: Adorable Amanda Conner art! Matrix costume! Super pets! Hopefully it won't all be one note gags about Krypto and Streaky destroying stuff, but lead to an interesting plot line. But it was certainly cute and awesome.
Metal Men: Not bad.
Wonder Woman: I actually found this one the most intriguing. A bit confusing, but Caldwell certainly took advantage of the space to put in lots of action and dialogue, and I dig the talking pigeons and Oracles. Definitely the most interesting start to a plotline, and Diana is very much an innocent about to go on an incredible journey.
Sgt Rock: He gets beat up a lot. Boooring. And the art ain't my cup of tea.
Flash: Barry and Iris are MARRIED and he STILL hasn't told her he's the Flash? Isn't that an important thing to tell someone before you take the vows? What a dick. And what a dimwit Iris must be if she doesn't know. Much as that annoys me, I like the gimmick of Iris having her own comic, and the art is cute. (Of course it is, it's Kershl)
The Demon and Catwoman: Oooh, this was cool. I loved the art. Yay Selina!
Hawkman: Somone should led Baker know "flap" is not a very dramatic word. In fact "And so we flap" being repeated so many times, so dramatically, made me giggle a whole lot. And Hawkman is making the hawks fly after them when the weaker ones are falling unconcious and SPLATTING on the EARTH? What a DICK. Filled with compassion, my ass.
5/5, very enjoyable.
Booster Gold/Blue Beetle:
The Booster Gold story was merely decent. How the hell did Starfire and Donna get killed by a grenade? Must have been a hell of a grenade. Nice to see the old school Titans though. Cyborg yelling his typical thing about his "decibels of white sound" and Booster actually being IMPRESSED made me giggle.
The BB backup however, was great. Norton's are really complements the title, I love Milagro's action figures and the quips are on as usual, and the plot has taken an intriguing turn.J aime forever!
Booster Gold 2.5/5, Blue Beetle: 4/5
New Krypton #5
This title is just consistently good. I loved the depth added to Zod, and I actually didn't see the ending coming. Also, more depth to one of the supporting characters, and Supeman being cuddly. And Pete Woods! Such a good title.
5/5
That be it for today! Hope you weren't to whiplashed by the NERDY FANGRRRL RAGE suddenly switching into NERDY FANGIRL LOOOOVE.
- Mood:
bouncy
First, check out my sweet Steph commission! The artist is Leanne Hannah.
( Steph is vengeance, Steph is the night! )
Great, isn't it? I'll get it framed to go with my others.
Well, first I went to a panel where George Perez and Mark Waid discussed how they did the Brave and Bold #4. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my Impulse, so I couldn't get Waid to sign it. Anyway, it was fairly interesting, though the host of the discussion kept babbling questions so we didn't get through all the pages (to his credit, he at least admitted and apologized for what a blabbermouth he was). Mark Waid was really funny, he kept talking about how his job was the easiest ever since he only gave Perez plot synopses a lot of the time, and Perez would lay out a panel. And then he'd read the bits out and say "these are examples of my magnificence!"
After that, I walked around more and got a third Manhunter trade and some bags for my comics. The Manhunter trade was of course, really good, though they didn't specify when the 1 year later jump was in the middle of the trade so I was confused for a while. (Wait, when did Peter get that chick pregnant? When did Kate meet Obsidian? When did Dr. Psycho...oh, this is after IC so it must be...oh...)
Then I went to the Sunday Chat panel. To my pleasure, it was just like another panel where we could ask questions, unlike last year, when it was "chat about your fave comics!" And there were only ten people in the room, so I asked quite a few. I expressed my dismay over the Wondy trades, and Sattler doesn't know anything about that, but he said he'd pass my concerns on. So I fufilled my duty as a Wondy fan.
Also, Scotty, I asked about Connor Hawke. Sattler said there are a bunch of characters inactive right now (Argent, Hotspot...any 90's titan basically) for a reason, and next year or something there will be a team book or something about them all, and Connor is definitely one of them. So...that's good, right?
I also complimented on the co-features, saying I liked Jaime and Manhunter being back, and since Ed Brubaker had mentioned soon all books will have co features when I made him sign my Catwoman, I asked about that. Sattler said no, they're going to make sure the co features they have sell first. So Brubaker LIED to me! I thought his information was fauly anyway, so.
My last question was about Wonder Woman leading the JLA. Sorry guys, but Newsarama screwed you on that one. Wondy is NOT leading the JLA, that was just Bagley talking about how Trinity came about and some ideas Rucka had. No Wonder Woman leading a team book, though I'm sure my wide eyed eagerness made it clear that I wouldn't object to it.
The Tom Lyle panel got rescheduled so I missed it, but I managed to track down the man himself and thank him for co-creating Steph. He says he was pleased that she returned, as both he and Chuck were agrravated when he died, and he was amused he got royalties off her from the Lego Batman game. He said he really liked that in their Detective run he and Chuck managed to give sidekicks and supporting characters important roles, like with Tim and Steph. I shook his hand, and he asked my name. It was very cool.
I got Superman: Up, Up and Away, a DVD of Wicked on Chicago and the first Young Avengers trade (I already read it and those after it at Books A Million, but I wanted to own it).
Then we motored on out. I never got a sig from Stephane Roux, but that was my only loss.
And that, ladies and gents, was my Comic Con experience. I'll update tomorrow with a few tidbits I may have skipped over, but for not, hasta la vista.
- Mood:
calm
Yo, peeps! I'm updating you all on the the Heroes Con from my shiny new graduation laptop,
Okay, let's get started. I need to write quick so I can get some sleep.
First thing I did was go to the DCU panel. Not a whole lot of information there. I'll start off telling you the questions I asked.
Me: So...I have a Bat-Verse question. Is Barbara...Barbara Gordon going to be playing a role in any books...besides Batgirl obviously...hopefully as Oracle...oh and Huntress too...
Ian Sattler answered in affirmative. He also said something to Nguyen I didn't quite catch, but I took it to mean those two will be in Streets of Gotham, I can't be sure on that. But yes, big roles. See, parsimonia, I got your back!
I also took the oppurtunity to assure Jamal Igle that I adored Supergirl's shorts, and he shouldn't listen to what anyone says about them. I kind of wish I hadn't now, because it became a running joke at the panel. Igle had to explain to Sattler what the deal with the shorts was. He also said he "had never seen such a dived between fans over an article of clothing." He said he'd gotten angry emails on the shorts and they were all (predictably) from guys.
Then I asked if Cass and Steph would get to interact a lot in Batgirl. Sattler said yes, but he wasn't going to say what the interaction would be like...I said "Well, they're best friends..." and then gave back the mike, since the guy was getting impatient.
So I'll have to ask the Wondy trade and Connor Hawke questions tomorrow.
I can't think of any questions anyone else asked in the panel that would interest you guys...apparently Blackest Night is going to be the best thing ever in the history of the universe...we will see more Krypto because James Robinson likes dogs... Supergirl will be wearing Kryptonian clothes next issue...
Oh! And Jamal Igle hates Twilight. 'Vampires should not sparkle!" I have no idea how this came up, but that's what he says. And then some girl was all "the movie is crap, the book is better, don't judge by the movie!" And I was all "Actually the movie is better than the book..."I HAVE THE SKIN OF A KILLER!"
...yeah.
Also, there was an amusing conversation about Superman and DNA strands. In summary:
Fan: So, Batman got zapped by Darkseid and yet, someone we think is Batman is in a cave doing a cave drawing somewhere.
Sattler: That's a good summary of it.
Fan: The thing is, Superman's not an idiot! He can read DNA strands! He could have just read Batman's corpse DNA strand and seen it was not Batman! So is he in on the plot, is he covering it up?
Sattler: Okay, we hate to spoil the climax but Superman...is evil. He has been ALL ALONG!
Igle: That's the climax to World of New Krypton #5
Fan: *after laughter subsides* But DNA strands!
Sattler: Okay, we know all of Superman's powers. Let me assure you, we have 20 editors, we know Supes can read DNA. There will be an explanation! For all of this!
Fan: Before I'm old and gray?
Sattler: I don't know you. That could be within a year, for all I know! (after argument, he tells us by next year most of our questions will be answered.)
After the panel, a girl I recognized from last years con ran up to me, saying she admired my taste, and agreed with me on everything from Spoiler, to Babs being Oracle to Supergirl's shorts. I remembered she had asked all the questions about Steph last year (the ones I hadn't asked), so I gave her a backatcha, and asked if I knew her on the internet (she reminded me forcefully of you guys) but I didn't. And then we both went to fangirl over Jamal Igle.
And oh, how I did. I gushed all over him. Fortunately, he seemed to like me, and he told us that as far as Supergirl's shorts go, he had considered doing a storyline to introduce them where Kara found that there was an entire website devoted to people taking photographs of upskirt shots of her while she went around saving people.
...You KNOW that would happen if Kara was real.
He was very pleased when I told him his and Sterling's work had made me like Supergirl, and when I complimented how normal-weight, strong and expressive her drew her, and how he made it possible for me to relate to her and be interested in her. He said that was the best thing I could have said to him.
My fellow fangirl (her name was Margie) asked if there were plans for Linda Danvers. No joy, as so much is going on, though he says he constantly gets that question.
I talked to Jamal again later at the booth, gushing more. He told me he wanted his daughter to be able to grow up and read comics, so he made sure his work wasn't something he'd be ashamed to show her. I'd like to inform you all he is possibly the coolest person ever.
Then again, there's George Perez. You guys want to hear about that right?
Well, I did my stalking, and managed to get in line to see him and get my Wondy trades signed.
Here are the questions I asked, here are his answers:
Wonder Woman? Newbie? Why no year one?
It was editorial's idea. At that time, Wondy wasn't selling enough to hold a year one, and Perez wanted to lay down her definitive origin. He's okay with how it went though.
Romantic interest?
bluefall won't like this, but he was planning to do a bried romance between Wondy and Supes, in an arc title "rendezvous", but Byrne nixed it.
Hermes death?
He doesn't remember killing Hermes. Hermes was still alive when he left. I have no idea if this is true, not having gotten that far.
I told him I loved his work, and Mom took a picture of us. He put his arm around me rather tightly, which made me blush horribly I'm sure.
Later, I found him miraculously alone, and since I had been too busy trying to remember my questions and stumbling over myself to gush enough, I decided I should convey my love of his work more. I may have been too enthusiastic, as he said "I seem to have a young lady after me!" which as you can imagine, was faintly mortifying, though I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. And I managed to get another question in. Why the Amazons were in the Bronze age under him!
He says the Amazons believed in a simple, spartan type existance, and that they really had all they needed and were more worried about guarding "what was basically the gates of hell". There's also the fact they wanted to honor the gods, and them getting too many electronic devices would raise the question of communicating with the outside world, and Diana needed to be that link.
Well, it made sense when I heard it. I may not have done a good job transcribing it.
Anyway, got a sig from Phil Noto, and I asked for another Steph commission from this female artist that I'll pick up tomorrow. I was very tempted by a 3 season Kim Possible set and I'm even more tempted by a DVD of the play Wicked.
I found some AMAZING Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures temporary tattoos (it's her as she was on the first ish cover.) I also found two sweet trades: WW: League of One and the first Manhunter trade. (thas right Scotty. And I really liked it! I may pick up the second one tomorrow)
Well, I have to go to bed now. Tune in tomorrow for more details and the report of day 2!
- Mood: ecstatic
First, we'll start with the people I plan to ambush:
Ed Brubaker (He will be forced to sign my Catwoman trades)
Nick Cardy (I saw him last year too) (This time, however, he will sing my Titans Companion)
Benard Chang (He will be forced to sign random issues of Wonder Woman he did)
Todd Dezago (saw him last year, he was fab. I want to ask him how he feels about Bart coming back) (I made him sign stuff last year)
Cully Hamner (He signed my BB trades last year)
Jamal Igle (He will be forced to sign the first issue of his Supergirl run) (Also: SQUEE!)
Phil Noto (He shall be forced to sign Batgirl: Fists of Fury. And maybe I will casually try to ask him who that mysterious cover Batgirl is supposed to look like...or to be more subtle, what he thinks constitute Asian features...)
Dustin Nguyen (SQUEE! He will sign my issue of Detective comics #850)
Craig Rosseau (SQUEE! Bought Impulses he inked, and I might buy his sketchbook)
Stephane Roux (Will be forced to sign various issues of BoP
Jeff Smith
Ethan Van Schiver (Various issues of Impulse)
And of course, George Perez. My Wondy trades are unfortunately loaned out to John, I'm going to try to get them back tomorrow morning. If that doesn't work, I've got a few odd issues of Wondy he did he can sign.
I'm going to buy tons of stuff too. I might try and wrangle a Steph and Cass commission from someone.
As for panels, lesseee.
There's the DC Universe panel at 2 on Friday
At 4 something about th the "New Power of the Generation of Comics" with Brubaker that looks interesting. And maybe I'll be able to do something nasty to Bendis when he ain't looking. Kidding! I just don't like what I've heard of the guy in interviews.
And a heroes Initiative signing for Perez at 3:30 that looks neat.
On Saturday:
The Charlton Comics retrospective looks cool. It's at 12
At 1 there's the DC Nation
I might check out the Steve Ditko celebration at 3
On Sunday:
At 11, Perez and Waid do a thing. I'm going there to complete my stalking of George.
At 2 there's the Sunday convo with Ian Sattler. But I might cut out early, because:
At 2:30 TOM LYLE discusses Superhero anatomy. Tom Lyle! He co-created Steph! ZOMG. Must bring Detective Comics for him to sign.
Questions I plan to ask at the DC Nation:
When will you be trading the rest of Perez's Wonder Woman run (and if they answer it's not happening, I'll be sure to make pointed remarks about how badly Wonder Woman is traded, and how if they really want to convince us they support her as much as Batman and Superman...or I might blush and stammer. Who knows. But I will try to be a snotty fangirl, for the sake of Wondy fans)
Will there be a lot of Steph and Cass BFF interaction in Batgirl?
When will Connor Hawke come back.... and without his amnesia and inexplicable superpowers plz. This one's for Scotty.
Questions for George Perez:
Was it your idea to make Diana a newbie who debuted much later than Batman and Superman, rather than being on equal senoirity with them and having a snazzy new year one? If so, WHY? She's one of the big three, she shouldn't begin a latecomer.
Why were the Amazons perpetually stuck in the Bronze Age, rather than using their thousands of years to develop cool tech?
Did you ever plan a love interest for Di?
How'd ya feel about Nessie and Polly's direction after you left?
Was Hermes death meant to be permanent?
(These will all be asked very nicely, amidst gushing, so he doesn't get the wrong idea)
Which remind me, I still have to read the rest of his Wondy run. I've just been so damn busy lately. Curse you, real life!
Well, I'll catch you on the flipside of the con!
- Mood: excited
Well, looks like whoever the new Batgirl is, Cass and Steph will be regulars in the title. As long as the one under the cowl is not Babs, that means that this book is a MUST HAVE. It looks like the idea of Babs co-ordinating a team of Batgirls is more plausible than ever. Wouldn't it be awesome if Charlie, Cass and Steph switched off being Batgirl? Best team evar.
Even if the cowled one is Babs, at least Cass isn't being thrown to the wayside. That's vaguely comforting.
If we're going by how the other stuff is arranged, it would look like Steph is Batgirl. (For instance, Red Robin is at the top of the row for the Red Robin title, Steph is at the top for the Batgirl title). I could live with that, especially is Cass is around.
PLEASE let Bryan Q. Miller be good. Please.
Meanwhile, Streets of Gotham doesn't appear to have anything to do with Cass or Huntress, meaning I don't have to get it. DC, you liars. Sad, I was looking forward to seeing how the Manhunter backup was (don't worry, Scotty, I'm planning on getting the trades for my birthday) but 3.99 is way too much to splurge on title about Dick-Grayson-as-Batman-who-is-currently-i
So my pull list looks like this:
Batwoman Detective Comics (3.99)
Red Robin until Steph stops appearing
Batgirl (assuming it's not Babs)
Booster Gold/ Blue Beetle (3.99)
Secret Six
Supergirl
Superman: New Krypton
Wonder Woman
Wednesday Comics (3.99) (weekly)
Runaways (apparently 3.99...If the new run's not good, this is dropped)
Still pretty expensive, but Streets of Gotham being gone relieves some of the cost. If all else fails, I can drop New Krypton and Runaways.
I am SO excited for Batwoman and Wednesday comics. The more I see of both of those, the better they look! I want to have the Batwoman art's babies. So badly.
I've finished my re reading of HP. I forgot how many fangasms the seventh book gave me. Dear God, I love Ron and Hermione. I want to cuddle them both to DEATH. I mean, close to death. Anyway, it's made me think about the portrayal of love in fiction, so I might write a long winded essay on that at some point! Also, I'm going back and editing my old HP fanfic and writing some new stuff. It's a dirty job, but I was fourteen when I last wrote some of that stuff, and there's some good ideas in there that makes me desperately want to fix up and polish the stuff. And rereading the series makes me CRAZY about all the missing moments I should write about. Not to mention, I have my own writing to worry about, I STILL haven't figured out the end for the book I'm writing and it's ANNOYING me.
Mom reserved a hotel for us. We're going to the Heroes Con again this summer! My mission is to stalk Jamal Igle. And TRY to stalk George Perez, though I have a feeling that will be difficult. But somehow, some way, he is signing my Wonder Woman trades and getting pelted with questions. Actually, I don't know what I should ask him. Bluefall, any suggestions? At any rate, there will be much stalking going on. And I'm going to try to find out about Batgirl.
- Mood: bouncy
The end is tediously predictable. I'm glad I didn't buy it, especially with the lying about Spoiler appearing and all. Though judging from the treatment of women in this book, she would have just gotten a quick cameo with all the other girls as they all sat back and let the men handle things! Only Squire seemed to have any role at all, and she got shoved aside or something so Damian could be crazy (according to s_d. I just flipped through. Like I said). Also, Jason has issues. I never would have guessed! I wonder what his dark secret will be! A secret darker than getting his head beat in with a crowbar and then blown up while his Mom watched in a bored fashion? Maybe he's secretly related to the Joker or something.
...That would be SO AWESOME.
So, Gotham Gazette and Wonder Woman next week. There's some Ravager art up at the dc blog that is super pretty. I'm impressed they got a decent artist for the backup. I still won't be buying the book though, my pocketbook can't afford it, and it looks like TT has gone back to "Kill random Titans for dramatic effect! That's not getting old at all!" So I'm quite glad I'm well out of it.
What I did get today was Supergirl #26.
I missed Jamal Igle greatly on this one, the fill in artist's art wasn't as expressive as his at all, he gave Kara a slight super torso a few times, drew her skirt much shorter (with no apparent shorts underneath) and was just generally not as good as Igle. He could have been much worse though, and it was generally okay.
As for the finale- not much was revealed about Lucy's reasons, and Kara apparently accidentally kills her, though who knows. General Lane is very sad about this, naturally. Kara is as gutsy and determined as ever, and how that super suit works remains mysterious. At one point Lucy tried to frame Kara for a detectives murder, so that must have played into her plan in some way.
Oddly enough, a mention is made of the current going ons in Wonder Woman. I wonder if it was just a reference, or it will be important.
It was a decent issue, but not as good as the previous ones. Not much was revealed despite Kara spewing a constant stream of questions. I'm looking forward to next issue a lot, though. Hopefully some stuff will get answered.
4/5
Edit: Actually, it would seem SG WAS wearing shorts, looking over my issue. I missed them because they were a dullish purple color. I am pleased!
S'all for comics today. In real life, I got the senior yearbook back yesterday, but I'll do a post (probably friendslocked) about that later.
P.S. Landry Walker friended me! Hi, Landry! I love your work! I've said that a billion times, but it CANNOT BE SAID ENOUGH.
- Mood:
listless
Also, it's for charity, so, that's good. In other HP related news, I finished reading my Dad PoA.
Now what is left is to consider the state of my pull list. Come June, I will be adding three titles to it: Red Robin, Streets of Gotham and Detective comics. Two of these titles are four bucks. Not only that, come July, Wednesday Comics will be gotten weekly. Also 3.99! And on July, if it's Cass or Steph under the cowl, I'll have to add Batgirl.
My pull list is pretty meager compared to a lot of fans, I rarely buy as many as four a week. BUT I also use my parent's money to buy it (though I'm planning on a job this summer) and once I'm a college student, I imagine I will be very poor.
So cuts have to be made. I've already decided to drop Teen Titans. Cassie leading the team or not, it's been dreadfully boring, especially this stupid deathtrap thing, and I doubt the fill in writer will do much. PLUS, it's going up to 3.99 with the Ravager backup, and I don't really care about Ravager enough to pay an extra dollar for her.
But let's look at my pull list otherwise, shall we?
Wonder Woman- can't drop this, of course. Gail rocks!
Secret Six- See above!
Supergirl- Also of high quality, and going in a direction I whole heartedly support. Another must have.
Booster Gold- Would have been dropped long ago (I skipped buying it this month) if not for the news of the Jaime backup. Now I CAN'T drop it. I have to support Jaime! I love him so!
Power Girl- If the cost gets to be too much, this is what I'll be dropping. In fact, unless the next issue is utterly fantastic, I might just drop it before the new titles come along. I love the art, and I really want to support this book, but the writing's mediocre, so it won't be that sorely missed.
New Krypton: If I still feel a cut is needed even after Power Girl and Teen Titans have gotten the axe, this is next in line. I hope it doesn't get to that, because I absolutely adore both the writing and art on the book, but I suppose it would be the least missed.
And for the news titles:
Red Robin: Unless the writing's fantastic, this will be dropped the second Steph stops appearing.
Detective Comics: The art is utterly fantastic looking, and I generally love Greg Rucka's writing. I'm looking forward to it immensely, and I hope Rucka makes Kate a likeable and interesting character because I do love her look. It will be dropped if the writing doesn't live up to my expectations, but I doubt that will happen.
Streets of Gotham: I love Dini, I love Nguyen, but if Huntress and Cass DON'T appear frequently as promised, I will drop it. The solicits are making it looked it might be focused on whoever the new Batman is, and I have no interest in that. No matter how awesome the Manhunter backup is made, 3.99 is too much if the main story doesn't feature characters who I love and have nowhere else to go.
Wednesday Comics: It looks utterly fantastic and well worth the 3.99. I see no reason why I'd ever want to drop it, if it's as good as advertised.
Batgirl: If it's Cass or Steph under the cowl, it will be religiously bought, regardless of quality (well, okay, if it's Adam Beechen level, I'll drop it like a hot potato). If not, it will not be touched.
And those, ladies and gents, are my pull list deductions. Sorry, Power Girl! Also, I vow to give comics a good look before I buy them, making sure they're up to my standards. No more randomly buying issues of say, Oracle or Beechen's Batgirl, just to find out they're sucky as predicted and I'm wasting my money. No more impulsive purchases. Purse strings, tightened!
- Mood:
chipper
Well, except Deadpool. I know and love enough about him to be offended. But hey, they're making a spin off movie so...
ANYway. Today in Art we just fooled around, but Fuller and I talked comics (remember, Fuller is the fashionable and popular girl who just happens to like superheroes and is good at art. Yet I cannot really be her close friend or anything, because she has a million of them and I do not fit in). She got to do her Senior Exit on Superheroes. I am so jealous. Our teacher demanded we do ours on literature, and apparently comics don't count (I argued that the 80's comics were really wordy. She didn't buy it) I wanted to do it on Wonder Woman and her impact on society! But I had to do it on "The Yellow Wallpaper." Though I did do a comic version of the Yellow Wallpaper for my product! Huh, I should scan that sometime.
But, as I was saying, she had a teacher who was NOT AP so she got to do hers on our four colored friends. And she's dressing like Batgirl for the presentation (She dresses up like Batgirl a lot, actually, I ran into her at Halloween a couple years ago and she was in the costume. It was the same Halloween I dressed up as Steph!Robin. She yelled "Stephanie!" and I yelled "Babs!" and John was like "...huh.")
Actually, we were talking about just that. Here is out conversation:
Fuller: I also saw someone dressed up like Poison Ivy. I gave her a wave and pretended to go into kung fu mode. She gave me a weird look. I was like, seriously? You don't know who I am? How can you be Poison Ivy and not know who I am?
Me: Huh.
Fuller: I should go by the comic store today. The new one.
Me: It's right near my house, I went there yesterday. The guy's nice.
Okay, I actually can't remember how the conversation turned to this, we were discussing sexism in comics for some reason and she all:
Fuller: It was lame. Like the end of Birds of Prey when Huntress was all like "I'm off to teach"
Me: I don't think she...
Fuller: And Black Canary was all "I'm off to raise this kid and get married!" Bleh!
Me: Right, and then that thing with the kid, where Green Arrow made her go away and faked her death and she didn't even get mad at him for that!
Fuller: I know!
Me: Such an ass! Can't believe they made her marry him.
Fuller: And the lady...that lady in red...
Me: Manhunter?
Fuller: Right! She got scared because they planted a fear about her kid in her skull and then she...
Me: She's appearing as a backup in Streets of Gotham.
Fuller: Right, whatever.
Me: But what ticks me off is Babs being all mopey and leaving...they better not make her Batgirl again!
Fuller: Really? I think that would be good. I dunno, that way she could kick ass.
Me: But she's so much cooler as Oracle! And she's like, thirty, she's not a girl! And what about Cassandra, I like Cassandra!
Fuller: I don't like what they've done with Cassandra lately. You know, there was the evil thing...
Me: ...Yeah. *tries to pretend she hasn't been complaining about it on the Internet for the last two years*
Fuller: And then it was like, her Dad pumped her full of evil serum, that made no sense. I was like, what?
Kate (sitting near us): Wow. He's a sucky dad. Whoever you're talking about.
Me: Just a little. Anyway, I know. But, Babs! Cooler as Oracle! Not a girl!
Fuller: I dunno...it's like, she's stuck at the desk job she always hated. You know like in her origin [she means BG: Y1] how the FBI was like "You can't do this because you're short, and a girl, and you should do desk work?" and she was like "screw you, I can kick ass?" Now she's stuck being like behind a desk. Which she never wanted to be.
Me:... huh. *gets distracted by picture I'm drawing*
Fuller [to Kate]: And also, what ticks me off? This new writer who came on and made She Hulk switch jobs! She was this cool and funny lawyer before, and now she's like a bounty hunter, and it's BORING, with some kind of Skrull, who she has some sort of lesbian thing with, well, not really, but you know, actually really. It's really boring. And now it's CANCELLED.
Kate: I have no idea what you're talking about it.
Me: *thinks to myself* Congrats, PAD. You have earned Fuller's ire.
Anyway, that was my wacky comics related conversation with a girl who is not only one of the most popular in school, but likes comics! Take that, stereotypes!
(I don't agree with her about Babs though. At all.)
- Mood:
bored
You know, there was also a part in between the poster DIDN'T post where Supergirl said to Dark Angel, and I quote, "I'll PMS you into next week" which is...my problem with Joe Kelly's run summed up.
Seriously, how could that man right that line with a straight face and be like... "I'm totally relating to women here!"
(Also the part where Power Girl was like "No. No I do not forgive you for being a horrible person automatically." That was gold. Go Karen!)
Anyway, I responded with an outpouring of emotion regarding my feelings on Supergirl:
Yeah, epic missing of the point there, Kelly. Nobody wanted Supergirl to be perfect. She isn't perfect in the Gates run and people love that, including me. I just didn't want her to act all "darkanedgyomg" and be trapped in confusing, trite storylines with hackneyed dialogue. I also wanted her to act like a TEENAGE GIRL and not a parody of one. Being a teen girl with problems, I can tell ya, old Supergirl was...was not someone I could relate to. Not at all.
I love current Supergirl. I love her shorts and her attitude and how she tries hard to be good but still manages to be a relatable girl with problems.
Maybe Joe Kelly should have talked to a teenage girl or something. They could have told them "No. No, I do not relate to Supergirl's dad stripping her naked and sending her to kill people. That's not really a common problem. People who have those problems are probably not reading comics. In fact, I find it lazy writing, and not entertaining at all. Also, give her some clothes and a sammich plzthnks."
Current Supergirl is dealing with trying to be loyal to her mother and her father's memory without sacrificing her own individuality. She's trying to reconcile her own culture with one she's recently become interested in. She's trying to get people to like her and trust her. She's torn between two worlds, trying to keep a bit of both. She loves her friends and family, and has Lana Lang as a cool older sister type. She's also kicking lots of ass. She's trying to build her own life and be her own person.
That? Hell, I can relate to that. I can also relate to her wearing clothes, and not having perky boobs and a wasp waist. I can also say, it's a jillion times more entertaining and less confusing than the Supergirl series before it.
Thank gods above Sterling Gates took the time to understand young women and also construct a good story.
There's a lot of crap wrong with comics, but the fact DC responded to us about Supergirl fills me with hope. I specifically remember visiting the Sword and Grail once, and a girl from my school, Fuller, came in. She was a fellow comic geek who works at the store sometimes (I should mention she completely doesn't fit the stereotype of comic geek in any way. She's pretty and popular (unlike me) and all into fashion and stuff, but she knows just as much as I do. We've had a few nice debates. Unfortunately, when I mentioned Steph was my favorite character she was like "She started that gang war, didn't she? What a bitch." Which made me sad.) She was flipping through a Supergirl trade, showed me a picture of Churchill!Supergirl and said, "I love how she's supposed to be a girl like us but she looks like that. How am I supposed to like this comic?" I shrugged.
But I like the comic now. And that gives me hope.
And the feeling I always got is...Supergirl's supposed to be about hope, isn't she?
- Mood:
hopeful
This video still has the same problems as the last one, and I worry some of the panels go by too fast and might make people nauseous. Ah well.
Witness the chronicle of Steph's return!
www.youtube.com/watch
I'm off to add it to my wiki.
- Mood:
busy
www.youtube.com/watch
Still haven't fixed that weird wobbly thing the panels do when I fade in, but if I ever do figure it out, there will likely be a third version. Speaking of which, how do you delete videos?
Anyway, the final four pages I did for the Steph mini last year, as well as dialougue for all the pages (granted, this is dialougue off the top of my head)
( mini! )( mini! )( mini! )( mini! )
And there's my rather decompressed nine pages of mini which totally doesn't work in continuity anymore, but who cares. Hope you enjoyed!
Edit: Yeah, I have no idea why the cut tag repeated four times.
- Mood: geeky
It totally sucks, and I'm going to go back and edit it and fix it up sometime, I was so excited and in such a hurry to make it I didn't even crop some of the panels right, and the pics do this weird wobbly thing when I fade in...does anyone know how to get rid of that? Any other tips? (Also some panels are on too long and some don't fit and some are superflous aggggh)
The story behind it is my cousin gave me this mix CD for Christmas. I didn't know any of the songs or who any of the artists were, but three reminded me of Steph. Because I'm weird like that. One was a depressing, mellow-yet-poppy sort of one that fits her so well it's almost creepy (mostly the aspect of her "death" and return), the other just kind of fits superheroines in general, so I think I might make a Cass-Babs-Steph video of it if I ever do make a video of it, and the third was really rock-like and upbeat and sort of fit Steph, and I liked it, so I decided to use it for my first video. It turned out to be by Ani Difranco, and it's called "Both Hands".
It's my first video ever with Windows Movie Maker so, yeah. I spent half the afternoon on it too, so I might have rushed it.
www.youtube.com/watch
Also, remember how I drew some pages for that Steph mini idea I had last year? Here they are, finally.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
stephsvoice reminded me about them, so I finally figured out how to scan them in darker.( The first few pages of the mini that will never be published! )
Things to do this Spring Break:
*Study for AP exams.
*Do fanfic.
*Find journal that has the second part of my "Caged" Book and begin typing it up.
*Work on either my "War of the Wild" comic or Steph mini thing
*Do second music video?
*Shop for hippie clothes and a sports bra.
It will be miraculous if I get half of that done, knowing my laziness.
'Til tomorrow!
- Mood:
nauseated
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