52 Catch-Up: Supergirl #1-6

I wasn't expecting to like the first issue of Supergirl, let alone start picking the book up on a regular basis. But this book proved to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the New 52 and perhaps the most criminally underrated. It is also one of the few New 52 titles to have had a complete multi-issue character arc which can still be picked up and read one issue at a time, without any worries about being able to get back into the story - a trait that is rarely appreciated in these days of "writing for the trade".





As I noted in my review of the first issue, writers Michael Green & Mike Johnson were quick to establish Kara's character, showing that she is logical and intelligent as she is able to quickly deduce that she's on an real alien world rather than dreaming. Despite this, she is still portrayed as being a typical teenage girl, as her first thoughts are worries about how her mom will react to her wearing an outfit that she is too young to be wearing. Okay, the outfit in question is the formal garb prepared for her graduation rather than a mini-skirt and fishnets, but the principal is the same.





As Issue #2 opens, Kara is confronted by Superman, who claims to be her younger cousin, Kal-El. She finds this completely preposterous - understandable given that her last memory of Kal-El involved holding him while babysitting several days earlier. The standard "fight-between-two-heroes-over-a-misunderstanding" issue commences, made somewhat less-than-standard by the wonderful internal monologue going through Kara's head. Understandably shaken up as her body begins to react to Earth's yellow sun, her horror at the alien environment and her very being rebelling against her is well conveyed, turning what might have been an ordinary issue-long action sequence into a character-defining issue as well.





Issues #3 & #4 pit Kara against Simon Tycho - a young super-genius who made his fortune by recovering and exploiting alien technology that has come to Earth. He grabbed Kara's spaceship during the fight with Superman and - not content with that find - goads her into chasing after him so that he can have a real, live alien to experiment on. As a villain, Tycho is rather forgettable - a lightweight Lex Luthor, if you will. But these issues are still enjoyable as they do much to further establish Kara's compassionate nature and growing skill in using her powers.





Issue #5 details Kara, newly armed with a crystal from her spaceship, trying to fly back to Krypton in the hope that someone may have survived the cataclysm. This leads her to the remains of Argo City and her uncovering her parents' last message to her. She also finds a being who calls herself Reign, who it turns out is one of the mentioned - but unseen until now - Worldkillers that her father had been designing.




With Issue #6, Kara comes full circle. Refusing to die among the ruins of her people, she returns to Earth in hot pursuit of Reign. She accepts her destiny as a hero and proves herself worthy of the clothes that she's wearing - both by the standards of adulthood on Krypton and by what the S-shield means to people on Earth.




All of these issues are ably illustrated by a top-notch art team. Many Supergirl artists take great license with the character, drawing exaggerated cheesecake poses while giving Kara the body of a porn star. Penciller Mahmud Asrar avoids this, thankfully, giving us a Supergirl who looks like a young, athletic young woman. The backgrounds are also well-illustrated, with several two-page spreads depicting poster-worth landscapes. Inker Dan Green does a fine job of defining and separating everything on the issues Asrar did not ink personally. Colorist Dave McCaig, who colored all the issues save #3, also does an excellent job, using a somewhat muted-palette that only serves to make the bright colors of Kara's costume stand out all the more, seeming all the more out of place in the various places she goes.

In short, this is a wonderful book and you should be reading it!

Sin City: Vol. 3 - The Big Fat Kill - A No Flying No Tights Review

SOURCE: Sin City, vol. 3: The Big Fat Kill
 
   

Following the events of A Dame To Kill For, Dwight McCarthy has a new face, a new attitude and a new girlfriend named Shellie. Time once was that Dwight would have left well enough alone and been content with scaring off Shellie’s abusive ex “Jackie-Boy” after he came a-calling and was sent packing. But Dwight can’t defeat his heroic instincts so easily and pursues Jackie-Boy and his friends to make sure no other innocents get hurt.

Dwight follows Jackie-Boy and his gang into Old Town – a Sin City neighborhood where the ladies of the evening are free to administer their own rough justice to anyone foolish enough to raise a hand against one of their own. They’re also free to kill any pimp, drug-pusher or mobster who dares to enter their turf. The cops are content to leave the women of Old Town to do as they please, so long as the bribes are paid regularly and any cop who crosses the line with an Old Town lady is allowed to live.

Such is the nature of The Truce – beat them or bloody them, steal their pants or send them home in a dress. Just don’t ever kill a cop. Unfortunately, Jackie-Boy is an undercover cop – a fact that isn’t discovered until the ladies start looting his corpse. And with The Truce endangered and The Mob ready to move in and enslave every lady in Old Town, Dwight will find himself playing Knight Errant once again for the sake of the women who once saved his life.

The ladies of Old Town have had a role to play in every volume of Sin City thus far, so it’s only fitting that they should get a story all their own. Too bad this story – despite being firmly focused upon them – is pretty much a direct sequel to A Dame To Kill For and is really about how awesome Dwight McCarthy is. Don’t get me wrong – Dwight McCarthy is my favorite character out of the whole Sin City saga. It’s just that with this volume, we realize just how shallow Frank Miller’s female protagonists are.

We’re told how tough and independent the Old Town ladies are and yet they’re almost entirely dependent on one man coming up with a plan to save them. Most of the women of Old Town aren’t identified by name and with one exception, all the women who do have names are related to Dwight in some way, either having saved his life (Dallas), been saved by him (Miho) or being his ex-girlfriend (Gail). And the less I think about how Gail is apparently turned on by Dwight slapping her in the face after the two start arguing, the better.

Perhaps it’s foolish for me to raise this point in a book that is a tribute to a genre where the heroes routinely slapped women in the middle of arguments, but it seems unusually out of character for Dwight given his previously stated opinions on men who hurt women. Still, this is a world of flawed heroes and Miller – as per usual – paints a disturbing picture, both literally and figuratively. Miller’s artwork is rendered entirely in black and white but do not mistake this for a manga. Miller’s style is all his own, presenting us with images that are vivid in their simplicity.

It should, perhaps, go without saying at this point that the Sin City series is not for children and should be firmly filed in the Older Teen or Adult section of your graphic novel collection. This particular volume features full nudity, generous amounts of violence and numerous disturbing scenes involving a severed head.
Sin City, vol. 3: The Big Fat Kill

by Frank Miller
ISBN: 1593072953
Dark Horse, 2005
Publisher Age Rating: 16

DC Nation - First Thoughts

At what point did I know DC Nation was going to be worth watching? Sometime after the first commercial break, when they did a spot showing how a Boxing Glove Arrow could work at 40 feet. I still want to see the MythBusters crew tackle that someday but I was glued to the TV from that point on.

So let's take a look at the component parts, shall we?

GREEN LANTERN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Seemingly set in the same continuity as the Green Lantern: First Flight anime, this pilot episode - Beware My Power - does a decent enough job setting things up for those who might not have ever seen anything Green Lantern related before now. Hal Jordan is quickly established as a heroic and well-meaning man, who doesn't always think things through. Case In Point - he causes a billion-dollar jet to be destroyed because he left his plane in mid-flight to save a train that was endangered by an earthquake.

After apologizing and making nice with his boss/love-interest Carol Ferris (who, unlike the live-action movie, doesn't know Hal is Green Lantern), Hal is summoned to the planet Oa for a disciplinary hearing. Apparently Hal was asked to preside over some manner of peace treaty and wound up attacking one of the delegates, who was later revealed to be a slave trader. This leads to the line of the episode when Hal, in response to the charge that he punched said delegate in the head, says "No, sir. I punched the Viceroy in the stomach. THEN I headbutted him in the face. Sir."

The hearing is put on hold when a Green Lantern ring lands in the middle of the room, signifying that a Green Lantern somewhere just died. Nobody has any idea jut how this happened but we viewers know, thanks to the opening scene, know that this Green Lantern died at the hands of two rage-empowered Red Lanterns, who are hunting down and killing all the Green Lanterns they can find. The Guardians reveal that the Lantern in question is one of several charged with exploring and protecting the outskirts of known space and that many of these Lanterns have been getting killed.

Hal, naturally, is ready to charge to the rescue but it is quickly pointed out that as far out as the outskirts of the universe are, even at top speed it would take Hal 18 months to get there. This is the cue for Ganthet, who is very much a Trickster Mentor in this incarnation, to show Hal the experimental FTL space ship the Guardians have been secretly working on. Taking the hint and wiping the drool from his chin, Hal hijacks the ship and head off to deep space faster than you can say "To Infinity and Beyond!", with GL Drill Sargent Kilowog in tow.

The story thus far is pretty good for what it is - a family-friendly streamlining of the Green Lantern mythos. Some aspects of the show may bother the Green Lantern purists (i.e. The Red Lanterns aren't mindless grunts, the Guardians bothering with something as menial as developing a spaceship is a little weird) but the basic set-up of the show is true to the spirit of the Green Lantern concept. And you have to love the scene where a Guardians is hovering alongside a speeding spaceship, banging on the glass and motioning for Hal Jordan to land the ship while scowling with disapproval. :)

The voice acting I can take or leave. There's nobody who stands out as being particularly excellent or absolutely terrible. But Nathan Fillion has spoiled me and I can't read the comics without hearing him as Hal anymore.

The animation is better than I expected. I've never been a fan of CGI animation in general, but what we see here is of remarkably high-quality for a television production. The character design seems to blend elements of Pixar's The Incredibles and Darwyn Cooke's Justice League: New Frontier, particularly in the early sequences with Hal on Earth. I suppose comparisons to The Clone Wars is inevitable, since both shows feature exotic-looking aliens. For my money though, the animation in GL: TAS is a lot smoother and more natural looking. The only thing that bothered me was not seeing a glow around the Lanterns when they're flying, but I can understand them eliminating that so it doesn't obscure the characters during the action scenes.

Overall, this is fine cartoon and one I'll be keeping an eye on.



AARDMAN ANIMATIONS





Easily the weakest of the new material, in my opinion. Maybe I just don't get the humor but... this does nothing for me. Sorry. Next!



YOUNG JUSTICE





Not a new show, but a good jumping on point for those - like me - who weren't usually home on Friday nights when this show first started airing. Simply put, this is everything a series centering on young heroes should be and somebody needs to sit Scott Lobdell in a chair and force him to watch this, Clockwork Orange style with his eyes wired open, until he gets it.

This first episode of Season Two is basically a retelling of the classic World Without Grownups storyline that kicked off the original Young Justice comic series. Karlion The Witchboy, along with four other mages, do a ritual that splits Earth along two dimensional lines - one housing the adults and one housing the children. Why? Well, to spread chaos, of course! Captain Marvel, who is able to switch between both worlds whenever he changes to Billy Batson (or vice versa), takes center stage as two groups of heroes have to coordinate their efforts to fight the magicians on both sides of the rift.

The biggest change here is that a teenage Zatanna is part of the new Young Justice team. Truthfully, the idea of Zatanna being younger than usual in this reality doesn't bother me too much. I am a little bit bothered that with all of the great teenage heroines that could be included on the team (Can they not use Wonder Girl for some legal reason relating to anything Wonder Woman related?) they decided to de-age one to balance out the team.

Still, this is a good show. I just wish we had a Justice League companion show to go along with it, so we could see what the adults are up to at the same time.



PLASTIC MAN





It's a crying shame that this hasn't been picked up as a regular series and is being limited to a couple of minute long-shorts. If there's any justice in this world, there will be a huge demand for more full-length episodes like this at some point. It's funny in all the ways the classic Warner Brothers cartoons were funny, despite the Ren And Stimpy style animation and the voice acting is pitch-perfect.

All in all, this isn't a bad start at all and a darn fine way to spend an hour of my Saturday morning. What a shame I'll be busy for the next two Saturdays and will have to DVR all this...

Sin City: Vol. 2 - A Dame To Kill For - A No Flying No Tights Review

SOURCE: Sin City, vol. 2: A Dame To Kill For
 
   

Dwight McCarthy used to be somebody – a photographer and Pulitzer Prize-contender, working for the local newspaper. But hard drinking and harder living cost Dwight everything. Now, he’s been reduced to working as a leg-man for a sleazy detective and he lives a largely monastic existence – shaving his head, staying off the booze and staying away from women for fear of letting out “The Monster”.

Then one night “she” calls. Ava. The one that got away. The one that broke his heart. The one that left him four years ago for a richer man. Despite his anger and better judgment, Dwight agrees to meet her. She spins a story of abuse and torture at the hands of both her rich husband Damien Lord and his mountainous manservant Manute – a story that Dwight finds hard to ignore after Manute shows up to “escort” Ava home. When his investigations seem to confirm Ava’s story and earn him a beating at Manute’s hands, Dwight will call in every favor he can and let out “The Monster” to save Ava. But is Ava really a dame to kill for? Or is she playing on Dwight’s chivalric side once again?

Attention must be paid to how effortlessly Frank Miller has blended the continuity of two stories shamelessly. Parts of this story take place at the same time as Sin City, vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye and one can see scenes from that story play out in the background of this one. Marv, the protagonist of the first volume, even plays a supporting role as Dwight’s back-up when he storms Damien Lord’s estate for the second time!

This is one of the more novel touches as one continues to read the Sin City series. Characters we saw in the background of one story are brought to the foreground of another and it’s not unheard of for us to see the death of one character before finding out their full story in a later work. This attention to detail serves to make Sin City seem more like a real place as we slowly see how everything is interconnected.

Dwight McCarthy stands out as one of the most interesting characters to populate Sin City. Unlike Marv, Dwight is not a psychopathic man-child, despite his “monster”. Marv knows that some things are just wrong, but lacks the mental capacity and emotional maturity to appreciate precisely why those things are wrong. By contrast, Dwight has morals enough to feel disgusted by his sleazy job snapping pictures of adulterers for divorce cases and guilty for fast-talking Marv into helping him invade Damien Lord’s estate. Dwight is not a hero yet he has heroic impulses, risking his life to save the life of a strange woman in the opening chapter. Ironically, when he lets “The Monster” out, Dwight begins to act like a more traditionally heroic figure, being brave and bold even as he is devoting himself entirely towards becoming an angel of vengeance.

As always, Miller’s art perfectly conveys the world as he means to portray it. As a location, Sin City is not pretty but it has a certain style. The same can be said of Frank Miller’s artwork, which seems to be rough and crude before surprising you with an image of stark, simple beauty, such as nearly every scene where we get a look at Ava.

Speaking of getting a look at Ava, I should mention that we get to see quite a lot of her in this book. Nearly everything, in fact. Indeed, I should mention that this book is chock full of nudity and ultraviolence. This should not be a shock to anyone who knows anything of Frank Miller’s recent writings in general or the Sin City series in particular. Regardless, you have been warned.

Sin City, vol. 2: A Dame To Kill For
by Frank Miller
ISBN: 1593072945
Dark Horse, 2005
Publisher Age Rating: 16

52 Catch-Up: Batgirl #1-6

Batgirl made me more nervous than any other title in the New 52. While Gail Simone is one of my favorite writers and I trust in her, I shared the worries of many fans that restoring Barbara Gordon's mobility and having her take up the title of Batgirl again might be a step backward. While I didn't think we'd regress to the point of her carrying a red Bat-Purse or have her fix her make-up while Batman and Robin were getting beaten-up, I did agree there was a chance that much of the characterization Barbara had built up as Oracle might be lost.





As I noted in my review of the first issue, this fears turned out to be completely fruitless. And while Birds of Prey fans didn't get any confirmation that Barbara's days as Oracle were still in continuity and we didn't get an explanation for how exactly Barbara was walking again, we did learn that she was paralyzed by The Joker's actions. We also learned that Barbara was still the same strong-willed survivor that we all knew and loved.





More, Simone reminded us that Barbara Gordon has always been smart and strong-willed, whether she was working behind a computer screen or back-flipping across a rooftop. Every note that Simone needed to hit with the first issue, she hit perfectly. That quality of writing, coupled with the amazing artwork of Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes (which I cannot find the words to describe, so I've included extra scans with this review to showcase their excellent work) has made Batgirl into one of the best books DC Comics is publishing right now - the perfect balance between action, drama, comedy and romance.





For action, we have the main plots regarding some new villains in Gotham. The first four issues center upon a new baddy called The Mirror, who dedicates himself to killing those who somehow cheated death under miraculous circumstances. To explain more beyond that would be to give away too much of the story but I will say there is a certain dramatic balance in pitting Barbara - an example of the power of hope to so many readers - against a villain whose entire motivation is to destroy the hopes of others.





Issues 5 and 6 introduce another new baddie - a telepathic assassin known as Gretle, who seems to have it out for Bruce Wayne and - at one point - forces him to fight Batgirl! Both these villains allow Barbara a chance to showcase her fighting skills. But more than that, we get a chance to see how Barbara's greatest weapon in a fight is her mind, as she analyzes her enemies and figures out ways to maximize her own strengths against them. We also get to see that she's no mean detective, as she deduces what little she can from what few bits of evidence The Mirror leaves behind at his crime scenes.





For Drama, we have the return of Barbara's estranged mother, who apparently walked out and left Jim Gordon to raise two kids on his own when Barbara was 12. Apparently Jim Gordon and Sarah Essen never became an item in this universe, as we are told Jim never found anyone else.





For Comedy, we have numerous moments of the kind of wacky humor we Secret Six fans have grown used to.





For Romance, we have little scenes like Barbara's date with her former physical therapist.






We even have comedy mixed with romance as Barbara confronts Nightwing for the first time in a long-while and they quickly fall back into their old habits... until Barbara makes it clear, with a sharp edge, that whatever her feelings for Richard may be, she has to fight her current battles alone.





With every little scene, we learned more and more about Babs' past in the new DC Universe as well as her current state of mind as she moves out of her father's home and into a new apartment. Her new roomie - an immigrant from Signapore named Alysia - is particularly noteworthy. Though she hasn't been given much page time, Simone has already established Alysia as someone who should not be messed with - a woman capable of patching-up Barbara's injuries but not without questions, immediately making it clear that if Barbara is a victim of some kind of domestic abuse that she is not going to tolerate it. It's subtle touches like this that make Simone's characters more real.





Indeed, the one new creation who seems out of place is Detective McKeena - a Gotham cop who seems poised to become the General Ross to Batgirl's Hulk. The first issue ended with McKenna's partner being killed after Barbara froze up while staring down the barrel of a gun for the first time since reassuming her activities as Batgirl. Blaming Batgirl for the whole incident, she has apparently spent her time on administrative leave obsessing over Batgirl and indeed she tries to arrest her in the middle of an incident where there is another, far more obvious threat endangering people and only Batman's intervention keeps Barbara out of a squad car. This kind of shallow stereotype is beneath Simone's usual level and we can only hope she gets fleshed out a little more in the future.

Despite that, I have no qualms about declaring that Batgirl is a must-read book for any and all lovers of good comics everywhere.