She'll Cut a Bitch

Having fallen behind on some series, I just finished a Katana marathon, reading the last five issues of the cancelled 10-issue series.  

Wow.  Did that suck.  I shouldn't be surprised, though.  It's my own fault, really, for thinking that anything current by Ann Nocenti would be good.   I like Katana, though, as a character and wanted to be supportive of her solo series.  Correction: I like the pre-New 52 Katana.  This new one is defunct of personality.  When she was a member of the Outsiders back in the 80s, she had a distinct personality that was hard-as-nails, yet she had a mothering instinct toward the naive Halo.  Now we're presented with a character devoid of personality that talks to her sword.  ALL. THE. TIME. 

It didn't help that the entire storyline presented in Katana's solo series was so convoluted and poorly written.  Nobody ever really knew what was going on.  And the New 52 Outsiders is a society formed of various weapon clans?  Yawn.  

I really can't say much more about how bad the series was other than to quote an article I read online about Ann Nocenti's writing:  "It’s like if I was a food critic and you heard that there was a new restaurant down the block –- it’s a dumpster with the word “poop” scrawled across it in spray paint.  Do you really need to hear my recommendation?" 


With that, I bid adieu to Katana (and any future comics written by Ann Nocenti).

Injustice Does Justice to the Justice League

I just finished reading the hardcover compilation of Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1.  It collects the first six issues of the Injustice: Gods Among Us series.  The story is very well-written by Tom Taylor and beautifully illustrated by Jheremy Raapack.  The hardcover that collects the first six issues is attractive itself, too.  I was very impressed by the initial presentation, and then became so thoroughly engaged with the storyline that I read all six issues within the book quickly.   

The series is based on the video game (which I've never played) and serves as a prequel to the events in the game.  The story involves the division of members of the Justice League into two "teams" going up against one another; one led by Superman, one led by Batman.  Superman and his followers want to right the wrongs in the world by any means (Machiavelli's "the end justifies the means" philosophy).   Batman, on the other hand, wants to right the wrongs within legal confines, using the established (albeit broken) justice system.  I won't reveal any spoilers, but I will say that the writer does a fantastic job of not only keeping the story moving, but also with developing each character's personality.   

The real injustice here is that Injustice: Gods Among Us takes place outside of the current DC Universe because this storyline is SO much better than Justice League stories currently being written in the New 52. What a shame that the talents of Taylor and Raapack are being wasted by not giving them a regular monthly series that takes place within the confines of the New 52 and delivers powerful stories with attention to characterization.  Instead, we're stuck with bland writers like Ann Nocenti.  Taylor also wrote the brilliant Rose and Thorn one-shot which was also a favorite of mine.  So, kudos to Taylor on his awesome writing skills. 

And the art in Injustice is so amazing and lifelike, too!   I've rarely seen superheroes like Superman or Wonder Woman look better (although I'm not sure why Lois Lane is a redhead).  

I look forward to reading the new ongoing Injustice series and (hopefully) watching the careers of Taylor and Raapack fluorish.  

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!

Wait...where's the Justice League?  Well, you won't find them in Justice League #1. 

This new series, the first of DC Comics' "New 52," only has appearances by Green Lantern, Batman, and a pre-Cyborg Victor Stone.  We see how the "new" Green Lantern and Batman meet and, as a side story, Vic Stone playing high school football.  Does this mean that Vic was never in The New Teen Titans, one of the greatest comic book series of all time?  How truly sad.

There wasn't a lot of "meat" to the highly anticipated (and sold-out) comic book, especially with a $3.99 price tag.  I sincerely hope it gets better.  Geoff Johns did a wonderful job in the past with super teams like the Teen Titans and Justice Society of America, so let's hope that he can accomplish the same with the new Justice League.  This issue, though, isn't it. 

I look forward to there actually being a Justice League in future issues and seeing more of its teammates.  At least from the cover, we can anticipate that DC decided to de-pants Wonder Woman in favor of her famous blue and white-starred bikini shorts. 

The Lion Queen

Justice League of America #258

In the 1980s, when DC Comics changed the line-up for the Justice League of America to include fledglings Vixen, Gypsy, Commander Steel, and Vibe, I was not impressed.  These newcomers were JLA material?  A girl (Gypsy) running around in bare feet?  Methinks not.  In trying to add a bit of diversity to the DC Universe, it felt as though DC Comics was giving up on one of their most successful team titles.  They even assigned Luke McDonnell to the art chores, whose characters were all stiff-looking and unattractive.  Not surprisingly, this led to "The End of the Justice League of America" storyline which ran in issues Justice League of America #258-261.  I think everyone was thankful to see these new hated characters picked off, one by one. 

Present-day Gypsy

Cut to:  Today.  I have a very different opinion of the two newest members that have survived over the years.  Gypsy has (thankfully) donned shoes and a costume that's strikingly similar to Wonder Woman's new (and much talked about and reviled) costume.  She's also got some pretty formidable powers that make her one of the most underrated superheroes in the DC Universe.  In this regard, she reminds me of Marvel Comics' Invisible Woman.  Once Marvel recognized the extent to which the Invisible Woman's powers worked, she became the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four.  Same goes for Gypsy.  Of the four, she's probably the strongest member.

Vixen, however, has become the best of the bunch.  She's sexy and tough and deserves more recognition than she's currently given.  She was thankfully given her own mini-series titled Vixen: Return of the Lion in 2008, but we haven't seen her since.   The strength of this mini-series is in the solo adventures of Vixen as she returns to her homeland; the weakness is the inclusion of the Justice League.  Vixen can do just fine on her own.  She doesn't need other superheroes to help her carry a storyline, especially in her first solo self-titled mini-series.  Vixen: Return of the Lion was quality storytelling, and I recommend it to anyone who loves good writing (G. Willow Wilson) and exceptional artwork (Cafu).  Let's hope that one day Vixen gets her due.  She deserves a solo comic more than Static or Marvel Comics' new female Black Panther.

Watch Her Pull A Rabbit Out Of Her Hat

I admit that I've never been a big fan of Zatanna, the magical sorceress in the DC Universe.  I've always felt she was a weak character and wore a costume too closely resembling Black Canary's.  Mostly, though, it's always bugged me to have to read her magical spells written sdrawkcab.  (That's "backwards," folks.  See?  Annoying, right?)  It's always slowed down the reading process for me and made me lose interest when she'd jump into the ring in a Justice League of America battle. 

When DC Comics announced that Zatanna was getting her own monthly series, I wondered why.  I wondered why because I was curious why the Powers-That-Be thought that this supporting character was strong enough to carry her own series.  With so many interesting heroines, why should Zatanna warrant a starring role?  

I picked up Zatanna #1 this past week and found myself enjoying it (despite the backwards spells).  What intrigued me most was the writing.  Paul Dini provides some sharp dialogue and witty banter between Zatanna and her newly introduced supporting characters.  I felt like I was watching an early episode of Moonlighting.  I also love it when writers incorporate the hero's (or heroine's) personal/private life into the comic, as Dini did in issue #1.  I feel like after thirty years, I am finally getting to know who Zatanna is.  Lastly, I appreciated that the story (and hopefully future stories) takes place in San Francisco, away from popular cities in the DC Universe as Metropolis or Gotham City.  Sure, the Teen Titans make their home in San Francisco, but are they really ever there anymore?  (See my TT review.) 

As long as these elements hold true, I'll be reading Zatanna.  Or rather, I'll be reading (albeit slowly) Annataz.   

Miscarriage of Justice

What happens when you push a superhero too far? DC Comics' seven-issue mini-series Cry for Justice answers that question. So as to not give away any spoilers (as if you probably already haven't heard), I won't go into detail about the story's content. However, I will tell you that the book leads into a new roster for the Justice League of America and into some major character changes in the Green Arrow family.

While the series ended on a powerful note, the entire story throughout felt a little bit convoluted and pieced together without much thought of cohesion. I felt that the writer, James Robinson, wasn't quite sure what the story was, how to develop the characters, how to have the characters interact with each other, or how to get the characters from Point A to Point B. And I'm sure "scheduling delays" with the release of the comic didn't help with my waning interest either. The first five issues were issued monthly and then the second two every other month after that. Hopefully, the graphic novel as a whole reads better. But most likely, it doesn't, since the story doesn't naturally flow.

Anyway, besides the "shocking" finale, the best part about this series was the amazing artwork. AMAZING. And when I say "artwork," I literally mean works of art. Each panel by Mauro Cascioli felt like a well-crafted painting. I only wish the story was as well-crafted. This book's artwork is worth the purchase alone.

Filler

Filler. Yup. That's what DC Comics' Faces of Evil "event" is.

Using only a handful of writers (e.g., Geoff Johns, Gail Simone) on their regular staff instead of employing more talent (they won't even consider submissions for writers), DC has gotten behind in producing comics on schedule. So what's a comic company to do? Stage an "event." In this case, it happens to be the well-intentioned, great-on-paper, and poorly executed Faces of Evil concept. I've found that besides not really being about the villains' points of view, most Faces of Evil stories across the DC Comics' comics aren't even part of the current storyline. And basically...suck. Why? They're using "guest" writers and artists to fill the spots so the regular writers and artists get some time to catch up on their work.

Case in point, I just finished Justice League of America #29. This story --surprisingly-- actually was from the villain's point of view. Which villain, you ask? Starbreaker? Who? Um...Star...breaker? Starbreaker first appeared in Justice Leaague of America (vol. 1) #96 in 1972. Wow. That's a pretty generic name, you may say to yourself. And you'd be right. A pretty generic name, a pretty generic villain, and a pretty generic story. In fact, reading JLA #29, I felt like I was actually reading a comic book from the 1970s (note: that's not a good thing). There was the cheesy, generic villain; the cheesy, generic dialogue; and the cheesy, generic battle sequence. My brain hurt from reading JLA #29.

I'm very disappointed in DC Comics' execution of Faces of Evil. It was an "event" I was looking forward to, but ended up being sadly disappointed in. So much for the villains getting their day in the sun. Perhaps they should have hired some "new" talent who could have actually done something special instead of just providing "filler."

Identity Crisis

I'm still catching up with reading past storylines and just finally read the mini-series Identity Crisis. All I can say is...WOW. That was one of the most amazing storylines I've ever read and, despite already knowing the outcome from current series I read, I got weepy at the end.

Brad Meltzer dove into the characters of the Justice League of America better than anyone I've ever read. He showed their human side, that they do err and aren't "perfect." Plus, he answered a lot of questions that readers have probably had since comics began. "Why hasn't anyone figured out the superheroes' secret identities?" Now we know. And we're a bit grateful. Not only for the answer but because the answer showed that our favorite heroes do what they have to do sometimes to keep things in check. They're real people, with real choices. Choices that have consequences they sometimes just have to live with.

I also loved that this series was very adult-oriented. Meltzer didn't dumb down the storyline or go easy on the characters. As an example, I point out the rape scene of Sue Dibny, wife of the Elongated Man. My eyes opened wide. My heart skipped a beat. I actually felt a sense of dread and panic for a character in the "funny books." THAT is the sign of a fantastic writer. Kudos to Meltzer and the entire Identity Crisis storyline. Now currently struggling to enjoy Final Crisis having been mildly shocked by the events in Crisis on Infinite Earths, and been underwhelmed by Infinite Crisis, Identity Crisis stands out as the leader in the Crisis pack.