Ed and Sarah Talk About Comics, Part Three!

The last two weeks of DC's comic releases have had some highs and some lows for me and Ed. The highs being things like Action Comics and Animal Man. The lows being the depiction of women in things like Catwoman and the Red Hood book. There's been a lot of discussion about the audience for cheesecake in comics, and how female readers don't need to be excluded from the audience share, but are being pushed out by awful, objectifying fantasies. Normally, I would use this blog as a forum for that, but I'm saving my thoughts on the issue for another time ... largely because Laura Hudson over at CBR does an amazing job laying out why exactly cheesecake is so awful, socially and artistically for women: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/22/starfire-catwoman-sex-superheroine/.

Also, Ed and I need to finish our last sets of comic reviews. But rest assured, I'll be watching as the round of number 2s comes out and will be back to back up Laura Hudson and numerous other bloggers, should the need arise -- aka, when my thoughts on American culture's involvement with gross nudity solidify. Anyway, controversy with Catwoman aside, here are our thoughts on this week's issues and last week's issues ...

Batman and Robin:
Sarah: While I'm not enamored of the pairing of Bruce Wayne and his biological son Damian as Batman and Robin, I have to admit that Peter Tomasi sets up an interesting dynamic in this first issue, taking Batman out of his wallowing in death, and making his quest for vengeance more about moving on with his life. How convinced I am that he'll actually move on is another story, given the violence inherent in this issue, as well as the grimness of its art work.

That being said, I like that Tomasi spends time having Bruce and Damian (a sociopathic child assassin raised by former flame Talia Al Ghul) debate the nature of reprisal. Damian sees marking his grandparents' death as a waste of time; Bruce sees it as an honor, though it's one he'll be forgoing after noting the anniversary one last time, with Damian. Bruce wants to live a better life. Damian just wants to kick ass. And he's pretty cavalier about it. So, we're left with the question of whether or not Bruce's life will be more or less complicated, as he steps into the role of father here. The best moment of the issue involves Bruce making and launching an origami boat out of the Zorro movie flyer he kept from the night of his parents' deaths. Damian remarks, "You can't just build a boat and hope darkness magically sails away in it." To which Bruce replies, "Why not? It's my boat. "

As intriguing a statement as that is, Batman and Robin is populated by two dark characters. Damian works for me when he's played off the more humorous characters in the Bat-universe, like happy-go-lucky acrobat Dick Grayson or big sister-type Stephanie Brown. Because there's not much difference between Bruce and Damian, in terms of fatalistic outlooks (much as Bruce is trying to let go of his), I wonder if I'll come back to this book month after month. A general problem I have with Batman is that he stopped being fun a long time ago (unless written by Grant Morrison), and I don't know that philosophical musings between two tortured souls is going to hold me over, month to month. Just my two cents, if Bruce's new hope doesn't stick. (And who knows, with a company this fickle in some plot aspects/character traits of its reboot, maybe it will, or maybe it won't.)

Ed: I liked the sort of "It's my goddamn boat" shot at Frank Miller. I like the dynamic of Bruce and Damian, but I still rather enjoyed the sort of "We're both trying to prove ourselves to each other" dynamic Dick and Damian had. I mostly enjoyed this, but it didn't run away with my imagination like some of the other comics we've read.

Batwoman 1:

Sarah: Six months after when it was initially supposed to be released, we finally have Batwoman 1!!! And while that's super-exciting, I wonder where this series is going to lead. Sure, it doesn't have much going on that the reboot affects; Kate Kane is still a Batwoman born into her mission because she was kicked out of the military for being gay; she's still suffering from (SPOILER!) probably having killed her twin sister, who she thought died long ago. She's still pining for old flame, Renee Montoya, even as she starts courting Detective Maggie Sawyer. All that seems to have changed here is that she's got a new sidekick in her cousin Bette, and Jim Gordon has red hair instead of white.

So what's my beef? I think it's that J.H. Williams and company aren't letting me know where we're headed. This is an exposition-heavy issue that still doesn't bother to explain why Kate is taking on a sidekick. It also features two (non-sexy) changing in and out of costumes scenes, which lets me know there's not much plot here to speak of. And frankly, any book that ends with Batman telling our heroine that they need to talk leaves me a little cold. I want this book to be Kate's. She deserves it, and honestly, she's a far more interesting character, going up against far more interesting circumstances than Batman is currently (given the fact that her tragedy is still fresh) -- and because Greg Rucka's original run on her (with Williams as the artists) was phenomenal.

But while Batman and Robin felt psychological and static in its artwork to me, Williams does not disappoint. He is one of the most brilliant layout artists I've ever seen. He transitions styles from Kate's night job to her day wanderings, and it never feels forced or confusing. Not to mention how crazy-great and kooky and involving his action sequences become, like acid trips on paper.

Overall, I'm hoping that the story gets stronger as this run goes on. I absolutely love Kate, and I want her series to define itself with an electric first storyline.

Ed: Ehhhh to this. It was pretty but didn't go anywhere. Dunno why Kate needs a sidekick? I actually don't even know who she is.

Editor's Note: Kate's sidekick is her cousin Bette, who became a superhero sometime during the period of Superman's absence back in James Robinson's run on the Big Blue Boy Scout. I have no clue how this happened (William ain't telling); I just know that it did.

Wonder Woman 1:

Sarah: I can go either way on Brian Azarello. His run on Superman made zero sense because he left important information out of his reader's grasp. So when plot twists started happening, we had no reason to care about them -- because we had no context for them prior to their reveal. But in this first issue of Wonder Woman, the lack of context works in his favor; honestly, Apollo using a self-made set of oracles in order to figure out what Zeus plans to do, and how that involves Wonder Woman makes for a rollicking read, buoyed by the primal art work provided by Cliff Chang. We don't know much of anything about Wondie by the end of this issue, but we do know she kicks butt (and apparently sleeps naked; I see this far too often in her book, frankly).

Case in point: At some point, Wonder Woman may kill a god and take their place, the oracles insinuate before Apollo fries them. Because it's Azarello, this implication is a little unclear, but it seems to be where he's headed. And Diana's also gotta take care of a girl Zeus impregnated. That's a lot to set up in a first issue, and the art team fills the pages with both gruesome and awesome action sequences. This is a book I'm really looking forward to picking up next month, despite the fact that I'm not nuts about Azarello and I really just wish a woman could write this character.

Ed: I actually dug this. more weirdness, more horror. I don't really care for Azaello generally, since he seems to be mean to be shocking or edgy or whatever, but this was exciting, and mostly free of nonsense, though agreed that diana sleeping in the nude is ... pretty dumb.

Ed and Sarah Talk About Comics, Part One!

So, my comics aficionado friend Ed and I have taken it upon ourselves to review a variety of the DCnU books as they come out over the next couple weeks. We've decided, for this first post at least, to share with you some brief thoughts we had about Justice League #1, the flagship title in the revamping of the entire DC Universe.

Below is a synopsis of the book, a look at the art and then our conversation about the book as a whole:

JUSTICE LEAGUE #1

Synopsis: We're five years in the past, when heroes were fresh from the mint. This book begins with an ominous showdown between Batman and some Gotham City cops; he's being chased over roofs for criminal activity of some kind, mostly the crime of being real instead of an urban legend.

But before the cops can gun him down from helicopters or whatever, this happens ...

Well, who else could be behind that little green fire engine that could? Nobody but:

Green Lantern, who can't believe Batman's real, and whom Batman dislikes for drawing attention to himself. As they escape the cops and go after some weirdo monster, mostly they discuss their disbelief in each others' methods and existence. Case in point:

This goes on for a while. Like, for pages and pages, as they debate whether it's better to be a flashy optimistic space-cop, or gritty and fearsome and a scourge of the night.

Then they see that weirdo monster in the sewers, and when it cries out:

... it blows itself up. At least that's what Green Lantern and Batman think it does. Oh, and somewhere along the way, they pick up a weirdo box (better known in pre-DCnU land as a mother box), and wonder what its deal is.

They figure it might be alien technology. And they only know one alien. That guy in Metropolis. So they fly over there in a cool green light jet made from GL's mind and zoom past a young football star Vic Stone, who's got problems getting his superhero scientist dad to come to the big games where scouts want to sign his son for hot college scholarships.

Then Bats and GL land in Metropolis, arguing about who's going to approach this strange visitor from another world. GL decides to saunter right into his quarters and smack him around a bit. Surprisingly enough, Superman isn't having this and punches GL's lights out. Then he stands before Batman and says:

Cliffhanger issue ending!

Sarah and Ed's Thoughts

Sarah Getting the Ball Rolling:

Okay, Ed, after reading the issue a few times, here are my thoughts ...

DC is shifting its Big Three Trinity; no longer is it Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, their three biggest legacy characters. It's now Bats, Supes and Green Lantern, a character with the most convoluted of all origins. This is not a slam to him necessarily, it only tells me that DC's emphasis is no longer on the wonder and impressiveness of their big three anymore, at least not in this book. Justice League will be all about what sells the best.

This is not to say Wonder Woman isn't confusing, but that's because writers made her that way, to fit their whims or what they thought might sell her books. Hal Jordan's GL is a character who's been twisted inside-out often enough, and whose basic ingredients have been rewritten time and time again, all to make him cool to readers in the moment (he's not fallible to yellow anymore, he never killed a planet-full of people -- a bacteria or something made him do it etc.). He's not timeless like Batman (the avenger) or Superman (the symbol of justice and prime male physique) or Wonder Woman (the epitome of female love and danger). Having him present in the first issue of Justice League tells me this rewrite focuses less on the myth of superheroes and more on the accessibility of superheroes.

Which okay, fine. But accessibility is impossible! Because superheroes don't EXIST in real life. Why make things edgier with heroes on the run and scared of one another in a five years' prior timeline? What does that running-scared story -- that origin story, nonetheless -- tell me about my everyday life?

I have to say this is a safe comic. Barely anything happens, other than establishing the characters' temperaments. Also, the fact that Geoff Johns writes the most ridiculously exposition-heavy dialogue ever needs to not go unnoticed. Especially considering he has to explain where GL's from for almost two pages and also why these characters aren't accepted by mainstream society -- and in both cases, the explanations take up valuable action time.

I feel bad that I don't have more to say about this narrative or the art, but I legit don't care much about this origin story, when there's little in the way of stakes as to whether or not these heroes care about each other. I assume next issue, Superman and Bats'll fight and learn from their misunderstanding in the way Hal and Bruce didn't. But what does that mean, when we're living in a world where heroes are scarce? I dunno and that's an issue, aka, a problem in a rebooted world.


Ed's Response:

I guess I've never really bought into the idea of the "Big Three." I mean, the book is the Superman/Batman Adventures, you know? So, the idea that they're shifting focus from WW to GL doesn't particularly bother me, nor does it come as a surprise. GL is one of their main properties, especially with the Color Corp and whatnot. I guess my big problem with this whole reboot, and especially this "FIVE YEARS IN THE PAST" conceit, is that I just don't care about these characters with their mistakes stripped away. To me, Hal Jordan was only an interesting character when he was unsure of himself, either be it through his road-trip with Green Arrow, or post-Parallax. Cock-sure fighter pilot Hal Jordan is aggravating, and I found myself hoping Batman trapped him in a yellow room and kicked his teeth in. This complaint goes for Bats, too. After reading the past couple of years of Morrison's work, it's hard to be invested in this sort of clean slate Batman. I vaguely like the idea of GL being a stark contrast to Supes and Bats (both of who are tremendously aware of their power, and their need to control it), while Hal is all "HAI GUYS I FOUND THIS RING AND HAVE NOT SPENT YEARS LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE MYSELF," but I don't feel like it's going to be explored more than "Shut up, Hal." "No, seriously, shut up, Hal."

Pretty much nothing happens here. I think this will read better in trade, but I think it was a big mistake to make this the flagship issue of the DCnU, especially at the price point of $4. How many splash pages were there?

[Editorial Answer: Too many. A lot of people like Jim Lee and he brings a cinematic scope to his work at times. But here a continuing problem pops up, which is the lack of facial emotions in his characters.]

Sarah's Response:

Agreed on your points about this clean slate thing. I don't really care whether or not anyone gets blown up by a mother box because I don't know these characters. I know a lot of people might find the "new yet familiar" approach exciting. I myself have a hard time investing in a story where we learn about the world solely through exposition and not the characters' actions. Because while I love the idea of these guys meeting and having to forge an alliance in theory ... in practice, it gives me the snoozes. Because I no longer know their archetypes or origins, I have no idea of their motivations or their skill sets. I don't know what choices they'd make or why. So why would I spend four bucks and my valuable time on these cookie cutter versions of characters I used to know?

Frankly, I have a hard time believing these guys haven't been heroes for very long (even if in just the public eye), because what they do here is so blah-blah generic superhero stuff, i.e., "Let's handle things attacking us; now let's figure out the mystery; now let's be sidelined by an evil minion, and even more sidelined by another character's surprising arrival (here, Superman)." To me, it all reeks of very calculated plot points meant to not scare people away. Which makes me sad. Because if you're going to go a new direction, why not tell an origin story in a different way?

Ed's Response:

Well, I don't want to sound like I'm hating on the reboot just because it's a reboot. I loved the way Ultimate Spiderman started, the way we got to know everyone involved in the story even before the costume showed up. The stakes were explained, like you mention, through actions and characterization, not through "YOU'RE THE BATMAN. I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE REAL. YOU FIGHT CRIME." word balloons.

It (the story) does feel really... pat, i suppose is the best way I can put it? Bats is grumpy, Hal is cock-sure, there's a monster! There's a mystery! There's Superman! Darkseid! I'm interested to see how Gotham's super villains are explained away, since Batman is still a myth right now.

I guess I kind of wish all the JL-ers had their single titles come out so you kind of knew the status quo before seeing them all meet? I guess I also wish there was a story here.

Well, that wraps up our first DCnU roundtable discussion. Don't be too sore about it, Bats! We'll be back to talk about other titles later this week!

POST-SCRIPT: I know we didn't spend any time talking over the Vic Stone section of this book. It's pertinent in that Vic eventually becomes Cyborg, a member of the Justice League. But this was a snippet of his story, and I can't tell where it's going, based on the scant amount of time dedicated to it. I felt it best not to comment on it until it develops into an actual narrative.