Captain Marvel-less

When I heard last year that Ms. Marvel was being "promoted" to Captain Marvel and getting her own new series, I thought, "Well deserved!"  Back in the day, Ms. Marvel was created as Marvel Comics' answer to DC's Supergirl; she was the female version of a male powerhouse.  I've always liked her character since her days as Ms. Marvel in the 1970s and Binary in the 1980s.  I also loved the connection between she and Rogue (back when Rogue was ultra cool, a bit wicked, and not some hooded no-personality with a daddy fetish).  There was such animosity between the two that led to some great tension in the X-books.  Ms. Marvel may have started out as a "super girl," but she became so much more.

My first reaction a year ago to the released images of Ms. Marvel as the new Captain Marvel was, "Why are they making this once-sexy woman look like a bird-headed dyke?"  Yes, that was a brash and stereotypical thought and comment.  However, it wasn't far from the truth.  Her new hairstyle did look like that atop a cockatoo, and not unlesbian-like. 

Despite my initial reaction, I gave the series a try, and I recently had the chance to read the first year of the new Captain Marvel series.  Sadly, I'm underwhelmed.  The stories and characterizations are very mediocre.  The time-travel saga with the female pilots felt like I was caught in a time loop and couldn't get out.  The highlight of Captain Marvel's first year was probably the guest appearances of Monica Rambeau, the 1980s Captain Marvel, another character I really liked. She could make for a great regular supporting character. 

Fortunately, in the later issues, Carol Danvers is letting her hair grow long again and gaining back some of her feminine appearance, but the stories still feel lacking to me.  Worse, the art has gotten poorer with Filipe Andrade's distorted imagery of Captain Marvel.  For instance, what's happened to her face?   It's enough to send children screaming.  Is there a new Cubist movement?

I don't see myself continuing to read the new Captain Marvel series.  It feels like such a letdown, which is disappointing because Marvel has so many great female characters in their universe, but too few solo female comic books.  There's Captain Marvel and, um...Red She-Hulk.  Is that it?  Am I missing any?  Even Marvel Comics' new upcoming female-only X-book is simply titled X-Men.  What's that about, ladies?  Marvel would probably reply, "Female-driven comic books just don't sell."  The reality, though, is that crappy comic books don't sell.  It doesn't have to do with sex; it has to do with quality storytelling (and art). 



 

Say Hello to the Newest Supergirl

I like the idea of Supergirl.  Besides her cousin Kal-El (better known as Superman), she's a stranger to Earth.  However, unlike Superman, she doesn't come to Earth as an infant.  She comes as a teenager/young adult, so her reception is a bit more jarring.  But, seriously, how many different versions do we need or can we handle for Kara Zor-El?  She's died and been brought back to life more often than a soap opera personality.

I wasn't crazy about the Matrix version of Supergirl or the most recent version of her before the Flashpoint event (but I was getting used to it).   Now we have DC Comics' latest version of her in the New 52, post-Flashpoint.  Rather than crash-landing in Smallville or Metropolis (how convenient), this latest incarnation of Supergirl lands in Siberia, fully clothed in her "S" regalia.  She's unsure where she is and why the sun looks different.  Russia's army of robots comes after her and she's sure that she'll be killed.  That's when she begins to realize that she has some strange powers.  

The comic held my interest throughout, so that's a good sign.  I look forward to seeing where DC takes her.  

As for her new costume, it's not bad, but it's definitely an older version than the previous teenager's bare midriff one.  I miss the playful skirt, though, and I'm not sure about the above-the-thigh one-piece that the latest version wears.  I think that part could be a bit lower on the sides and that maybe she could lose the big red "V" in the front that basically screams, "Here's my Vagina!"

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.

Congrats, Matt Camp!

It's great to see that DC Comics is using Matt Camp again for a regular series. With Supergirl #47, he rejoins the DC family. After the Infinity Inc. reboot was cancelled, I was sad to see his stunning art disappear from DC Comics titles. Congrats, Matt!

What's New With Superman?

Question: What's New With Superman? Answer: LOTS.

I haven't been a fan of Superman comics since John Byrne revitalized him back in the 1980s. Even throughout the "Death of Superman" and Doomsday storyline in the 1990s, the stories lacked luster. This was then followed by four new Supermen all vying for the title. Yawn. Wait...that sounds vaguely familiar. Oh, yeah...now I know. It's been 15 years since Superman "died" and now Batman has recently "died," and there are "new" characters from the Batman Family popping up everywhere in the new "Battle for the Cowl" storyline. Thankfully, this time around the concept seems more intriguing as they're using pre-existing characters that haven't gotten the attention they deserved over the years. But I digress...

Today, though, new life has been breathed back into all of the Superman-related comics (Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl, and the new Superman: World of New Krypton) and I now get excited to read each of them. What's the big deal? First, Jonathan Kent, Superman's adoptive father dies. As Superman tries to come to terms with the death, he suddenly finds 100,000 Kryptonians now living on Earth (from the lost Kryptonian city of Kandor that was kept shrunk aboard Brainiac's ship). The citizens of Earth become fearful and all Kryptonians except for Superman are asked to leave. Superman leaves Earth to return to his "homeworld" to be amongst his people, but more importantly, to keep an eye on them (especially General Zod, head of the military) because he doesn't trust them. New Krypton is also led by Supergirl's mother and after the death of her husband and Supergirl's father, Superman is a bit unsure about her stability as well. There are so many characters to enjoy and conflicts to witness that I'm never sure what's going to happen next. In her own title, Supergirl is discovering the mystery of "Superwoman" who uses unorthodox ways to issue justice. Is she friend or foe? Exciting!

Meanwhile, back in Action Comics and Superman's own title, someone has to take up the reigns during his absence. Enter: Mon-El (from the Legion of Superheroes), the Guardian, and the new duo of Nightwing & Flamebird. Mon-El provides a fish-out-of-water storyline that Superman probably had way back at his beginning in the 1930s/40s. Nightwing (not Dick Grayson from the Batman mythos) & Flamebird offer some mystery and...well, action...to the Action Comics title. The Guardian is...kind of average. I think we can do without him. He's probably my only disappoint with the new direction of the Superman comics. I just try to overlook him, but admire the shininess of his costume.

Way to go, DC Comics! Thanks for getting me interested in the Superman Family again.

The "New" Supergirl

I'm just now reading the "new" Supergirl comic by DC Comics and catching up with the past 30+ issues. The first few were exceptionally written by Jeph Loeb, but I was still trying to figure out what happened to the Supergirl that I used to know and love (before she was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths oh-so-many years ago) but who received little credit. Thankfully, Jeph was helping me get there. I was getting into the groove and then DC did their "One Year Later" storyline across all their comics and Supergirl's storyline went haywire. It became some weird sci-fi storyline with armageddon-like themes. WTF? Thankfully, now that I've caught up to Supergirl's 30s issues, good storylines that include a dying boy and New Krypton -- stories that actually make sense and exhibit true writing ability -- are coming back into play. Thanks for not totally f***ing up our "Girl."