A Villain's Beauty is Only Skin Deep

Another DC Comics' villains month has come and gone.  After DC Comics' Faces of Evil concept disappointed me in 2009, I had low expectations for the latest villains month event/gimmick in September 2013.  Then came all the hype and positive reviews for the 3-D lenticular covers, the news of their limited availability, and the mad dash to collect them all, even if it meant spending ten to one-hundred times their "value" on eBay (see The Joker's Daughter #1).  

Fortunately, all of mine came pre-ordered, so I wasn't involved with all of the hair-pulling and name-calling. My monthly shipment comics arrived at the end of September, and I was mesmerized by the covers.  They really were pretty awesome.  I've almost finished reading all of them and all I have to say is that their beauty is only skin deep.  Some are origin stories.  Some are present-day stories.  Pretty much all of them, though, have been average storytelling.  There was no consistency or cohesiveness to them.  It would have been better if they were either (a) all origin stories set in the past or (b) all set in the present-day New 52 world.  The only good thing about them is that there has been some decent artwork from artists I've never heard of before. 

Two of the most interesting villains issues I've read so far have been Poison Ivy #1 and Killer Croc #1.  Both are set in present day with flashbacks to when they were young.  Both present terrible events in their childhoods that give us insight into why they've become the villains they are today.  I felt sympathetic toward them; the events humanized them.  Additionally, the Poison Ivy comic did something very creative with its flashbacks.  It presented the art with an old-timey look in pastel colors.  This is the kind of comic I'd love to see blossom into a regular series, as it really gives us an in-depth look into the life of Pamela Isley.  

Conversely, my most anticipated read, The Joker's Daughter #1, was a complete letdown, thanks mostly in part to writer Ann Nocenti's inability to actually, um, write. Nocenti's already killed Green Arrow, Katana, and Catwoman for me.  So, let's give her another title and see what else she can fuck up.  Does she have some sort of blackmail against DC Comics' Powers-That-Be that keeps landing her regular gigs?  What should have been an introduction to a new, reinvented, creepy character just turned out to be a big, convoluted mess.  Don't just take my word for it, though.  

Maybe one year DC will actually get a Villains Month right.   What a wonderful month it would be to have dazzling covers mixed with well-written stories and terrific artwork.  But, seriously, why limit it to a month?   Shouldn't we always get these things for our hard-earned dollars?  With the abundance of untapped talent that's out there, why waste time on spotty storytelling and crappy art?