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What I Bought Yesterday – Supergirl #23, X-Men #4, Batman and Robin #23 (WARNING – SPOILERS)
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Yeah, I know! I finally remembered to do it on time yesterday, and then I forgot to cover three of the four books I got because I got caught up in other stuff. At this point, I don’t even know why I bother calling my comic recaps What I Bought Today…well, other than because Morgan was awesome enough to make the logos for me, and it’d be a huge waste to not use them. Y’know, I just thought of the What I Bought Today Drinking Game: Every time I fail to release it on the day I bought whatever I’m talking about, take a shot. But before you do that, let’s talk Supergirl #23.
So because I just know people probably are already aware of how this issue ends, I’m gonna get right to it: No, Supergirl isn’t really dead. Well, in the sense that even if she IS dead, chances are she’s got a Get Out Of Death Free Card of some sort coming to her next issue. So why do I know that people are likely talking about this? Well, because this issue shows a female character getting axed off, and ever since DC decided to shove Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend in a fridge a long while back, every time a woman is shown to be killed or even possibly killed, DC’s female fanbase (and yes DC, whether you want to believe it or not, you do have a LARGE female fanbase) sets pitchforks on fire and hunt for the head of DC’s head. Now, don’t misunderstand, a lot of times they’re completely right to do so. All I’m saying is that if anyone thinks what happens in this book is gonna be long-lasting, please think again. She’ll be brought back to life, and that’ll lead to a three-way fight of sorts between Supergirl, Cyborg Superman, and Cyborg Superman’s creator, who is confirmed to be Brainiac when he arrives at the end of this issue because Cyborg Superman apparently screwed him over somehow. Other than that, the book is alright, except that Supergirl gets INSANELY angry at the recreations of the people in her memories, but that could just be because of the fact that she was kinda dying at the time.
X-Men #4 was…eh, alright. They got a new artist for this done-in-one story where the X-Men take the Blackbird to save a jet full of people, and the art isn’t that great. Plus, a lot more of the focus is on Rachel Grey and Storm having personal issues, while Jubilee takes Shogo to hang out with Wolverine in Jubilee’s old neighbourhood. But hey, there’re some genuinely awesome and funny moments out of Psylocke, Rogue, and Kitty as they try to save the plane, and the stuff with Jubilee and Wolverine is heartwarming enough. Plus, this is really just an interlude before Battle of the Atom begins, so it’s not like I expect this to be the quality they’ve been at or will stick with.
Batman and Robin #23, AKA Batman and Nightwing, AKA Acceptance. If you didn’t have tissues when you read this issue, you were frakked. Basic premise: Bruce has been running a simulation nonstop for four days of the night where Damian died, trying again and again to save him, because he can’t accept that there was nothing he could do to save him. Alfred brings Nightwing to help, and I can’t help but notice he’s in the costume he wore before moving to Chicago. However, Dick instead joins Batman in the simulation, and between the two of them, they actually do manage to save Damian, and Batman, Nightwing, and Robin are able to take down The Heretic, ending the simulation. Later on, we see Alfred do his own simulation where he manages to stop Robin from leaving the cave, which Bruce catches. Bruce realizes that he’s been alienating the people around him by making the grief all about him and failing to see that he wasn’t the only one to lose someone, and he and Alfred decide to turn off the simulation, finally beginning to move on. Overall, great way to end this particular arc, and a fond farewell to Damian as we see him be badass alongside his father and partner one more time.
So, that’s all for this week. Next week, hopefully on time, we take a look at how Talon’s dealing with the forces of Bane, and we check in on Batman Incorporated, quite possibly for the last time. Ja né!
Related articles
- Supergirl #23 (comicvine.com)
- Review: Batman and Robin #18 – 23 (Five Stages of Grief Arc) (residinginthefifthdimension.wordpress.com)
- The New 52 Cyborg Superman is Very Different From the Old {SPOILERS} (haveageekasm.com)
- Supergirl’s New Look (novelninja.wordpress.com)
- Why Supergirl needs her own damn movie! (thecomicbookgeekette.com)
- DC’s New 52: How we got there (thereforeigeek.com)
- Comic Releases for August 21, 2013 (comicbooked.com)
- The Killing Joke ending revealed? (comicsbeat.com)
- This Week’s Essential Comics: 07/29/13 (comicvine.com)
- How Grant Morrison and Kevin Smith got the Last Laugh on ‘The Killing Joke’ (talkingeek.wordpress.com)
Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Moments From Earth 2
So I noted earlier that one of my favourite books of the New 52 turned a year old this month. That book being Earth 2, the tales of the Earth in the second universe over from the world the majority of the DC books take place on. So, after 12 issues of this book (13 counting #0), I decided to count down my 5 Favourite Moments of the book that tells of a world without Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman around to defend it, thus leading to the rise of new heroes: The Justice Society.
#1 – Alan Scott Becomes The Green Lantern
This is the point where I realised to just what degree this comic was AWESOME. Alan Scott, media mogul, just went through a horrible train explosion, having to endure the loss of his boyfriend as he was just in the middle of proposing, suddenly presented with the chance to avenge his love and to protect the world from the coming dark. As such, he is transformed into the Green Lantern, protector and champion of The Green, and possibly Earth’s mightiest hero…well, until this guy showed up…
#2 – Khalid Ben-Hassin Becomes Doctor Fate
Khalid Ben-Hassin, a Ph.D, is made to face his destiny, thus wearing the Helmet of Nabu and merging minds with the ancient wizard to become Doctor Fate. This led to possibly the best first-time reveal for a character in their costume in resent times. I just love how everything reflects off the golden armour, it’s so shiny. XD
#3 – Green Lantern Defeats Solomon Grundy By Exiling Him To The Moon
This was a pretty cool way to beat Grundy, hurling him to the moon where the Grey couldn’t reach him and he couldn’t do any more damage. I’ve since come to understand that this method has been used on him before in comics, however it hasn’t been used since the Golden Age. In fact, that makes it all the more appropriate that it was used here.
#4 – FEMALE PRESIDENT! WHOOOOO! XD
So yeah, during the fight with Solomon Grundy in Washington, D.C., Wesley Dodds and the Sandmen have to go in and extract President Lightfoot before she can be lost in the conflict. And because this is an alternate universe and because how could they possibly resist, President Lightfoot is, in fact, a woman. Seriously, I’m Canadian, and I STILL am waiting for the day there is a woman in the White House…You know, not counting Hilary Clinton. BAZINGA!
#5 – Mister Miracle and Big Barda Début
Because it’s Mister Miracle and Big fucking Bardna in a post-apocalyptic Gotham with giant monsters fighting! All arguments invalid! 😀
Anyway, that’s my 5 Favourite Moments From Earth 2. Hope you enjoyed, hope I’ve encouraged people to check it out, and feel free to mention your own favourite moments from the book below. Ja né!
What I’d Do With The New 52 – Part 04: My First 52 Titles (1 – 13)
So I’ve talked big on what I would do with the New 52 for some time now, so I think now’s a good enough time to talk about what I would do with the New 52 if I was in charge from the beginning. Now keep in mind, this is not me saying that my line-up is so superior to the current or anything like that. If you prefer the current line-up, that’s awesome. I’m simply voicing what I personally would have set-up for the initial 52 titles of DC’s relaunch. And if I feel that something worked better as it originally was, I’ll just say so and leave it as is. So, let’s start off with titles 1-13 (in no real solid order), and seeing as how it’s how I started this long-winded rant, let’s start off with…
You remember how I said that I didn’t take issue with Barry Allen? Yeah, that was a while ago, and since then, he has pretty much bored me to tears. In short, I’d either bring back Wally West as the one and only Flash, or have him and Barry work together as a team. Otherwise, as far as the actual plot is concerned, while I understand the need to build everything up for new readers, I think the story could’ve stood to be sped up.
Oh boy, where do I start? First off, I think I’d have the Daily Planet instead becoming an online newsletter type of company, instead of going out of business and being bought out because newspapers are dying. Second, if editorial mandate was responsible for Clark Kent and Lois Lane not being married or even in a relationship anymore, what I would’ve done is at least have her be his closest friend, know the truth of his identity, and be his supporter while he’s Superman. Also, I would try to have a few stories be less about smacking you about the face with the fact that Superman is an alien, and frankly just have Superman be a little more…nice, I guess? lol
Pretty much leave it as is. Really, the only thing I’d change is elements that were carried over from other books, so I’ll just address them there…which I might as well cover now.
PUT HIM BACK IN BLUE! No, I refuse to let this go! I am sick of all the frakking red these days. There was no reason to put Nightwing in red other than to make him seem edgy or some bullcrap like that. But other than that, I don’t really have much issue with the story, other than that the filler stuff we got in between Night of the Owls and Death of the Family seemed somewhat lacklustre, and while I like the character a lot, I still don’t think it’s a good idea to have Sonia Branch be his love interest.
I would’ve done more to make Batman and Robin feature equally in this book, and it would’ve been nice to see Dick Grayson and Damian have a sit-down talk before Damian teams with his father full-time, but otherwise, I’d leave Batman and Robin as is.
First off, not a fan that the canon of Teen Titans prior to this was completely and utterly erased. Alterations would of course need to be made, but otherwise the existence of the team did not need to be wiped away. Also, I would change the colour-scheme of this team. Maybe make Bunker purple and green instead of purple and red, put Wonder Girl back in her blue jeans, and I’d bring Jackson Hyde as Aqualad in, though maybe have him take on a more sea-green colour-scheme simply because THE TEAM NEEDS MORE COLOUR. Finally, The Culling? *makes throat-slit motion*
Oh, hell no, I ain’t changin’ nothin’. This was actually a situation where DC did the smart thing by not resetting Green Lantern, ‘cuz my goodness, could you imagine if they did after the last thing to happen before the relaunch? Fans would have risen up and slain them.
Again, I don’t really mind the story that was being told with Aquaman at all, but there is one thing that got kind of vexing. You know how people have made jokes for YEARS that Aquaman was useless and whatnot, leading to this book basically being the idiot’s guide to why that opinion was stupid? While I’m in favour of that, the joke kinda played itself out for WAY too long. Like, first issue of the Throne of Atlantis story arc in Justice League, and the people in the story are still making Aquaman jokes. But otherwise, the stories are just fine and work great for the character.
I’m sorry, I know I don’t shut up about this, but dammit, there is no reason Cyborg should be the only member of the Justice League who can’t get his own book. There’s plenty of ways to make it interesting, plenty of villains who could work as antagonists to him. Heck, they could even do build up toward Throne of Atlantis where we see Cyborg meeting with the heroes who form The Grid. As for what I’d replace, probably Deathstroke. Sorry guys, but there’s a reason Deathstroke is getting cancelled. Still, I suppose he could work as a great villain in this book.
Two words: Gail Simone. Even if the story of turning Wonder Woman into the daughter of Zeus and the horrific changes to the Amazons were forced and HAD to be done, Gail could make it work. I think the only bomb on her record is Fury of Firestorm, and she was only co-writing that book. Otherwise, while I don’t mind turning Wonder Woman into Zeus’ daughter all THAT much, the changes to the Amazons were too much and I would fight that to the death if I had to in order to keep it from changing.
Not much I’d change about the first arc, it’s okay. My main gripes with Justice League that I’d change are the Superman/Wonder Woman pairing, the Shazam back-up, and maybe some dialogue choices during The Villain’s Journey. In particular, one thing that annoys me to no end is how in Justice League #7, Batman tells Steve Trevor to shut down the Justice League International, that it was an embarrassment…even though he was one of the founding members of it, and respected the hell out of what Booster Gold was trying to do with his rag-tag team. Consistent continuity, please?
Okay, I get why the first arc focused on Superman’s early days, but after that, they didn’t really HAVE to have it continue to be a Superman solo book. Not that Superman couldn’t be in it or have stories in it, but I think from that point, they could’ve done stories with other characters in rotation. For example, since the first arc, has anyone seen Steel? Or heck, has Livewire even appeared since the reboot? You could do a whole arc focusing on the Supermen of America, and I would.
Pretty much the same thing here, though I’d replace the Batman part with whoever was highlighting the book at any given time. For example, there’s plenty they could do with Red Robin in a solo book. Or perhaps they could do a story where various members of Batman Incorporated have to work together WITHOUT Bruce to lead them because he’s otherwise occupied. Gates of Gotham did that, and it was pretty damned good.
So yeah, as you can see, I didn’t really change all that much with the first 13 books, though I did introduce a new one and axe an old one. Trust me, though, there’s plenty more I plan to change as time goes by, so I will see you all here next time when I look at the next 13 books I’d do for the New 52. Ja né!
Tales of Dumbassery: Damian In Injustice
Yes, my friends, it is time to take your aspirin, as your sanity creates a headache from having to be ground against…
So y’know, even after all this bullcrap involving Superman killing Lois Lane in the prequel comics to Injustice: Gods Among Us, I’ve still been trying to keep a positive attitude about this game. And I should note that, even after learning what I’m about to share with you all, I do still plan to buy it. If nothing else, I’m sure that I can enjoy it from the perspective of it being a fighting game, and let’s be fair, if there’s one thing NetherRealm Studios knows how to do, it’s make and maintain a good fighting game franchise. However, I will also say that my positive attitude has diminished ever so slightly due to idiotic things like THIS:
That’s right, apparently Damian Wayne murdered Dick Grayson, took his place as Nightwing, and betrayed Batman to Superman’s new regime. *inhales deeply*…Okay, so let’s count down the wrong here as calmly as possible.
- The mere idea that Damian Wayne would betray Batman to ANYONE is so contrary to the character that it’s sickening. If he wasn’t gonna do it for his own mother, he wouldn’t do it for anybody. Period.
- Honest to God, I actually think that if Damian had actually asked Dick for the mantle of Nightwing, he would’ve GIVEN it to him. Seriously.
- Damian would not kill Dick Grayson unless he was being controlled somehow. The two were like brothers.
- What the frickety frakkity fudge is up with Damian’s appearance in this game? Now, I’m going to assume that Damian’s done a lot of growing since he’s now at an age where, height wise, he can be mistaken for Dick Grayson, but what’s up with his hair? Damian would not grow his hair out, especially after that talk he had with Stephanie Brown about the dangers of letting longer hair out in combat to be grabbed at. Between that and the red Nightwing costume (which admittedly, Dick DOES wear these days, although the default appearance for Nightwing in the game is of him in blue), we can assume they’re going for dark and edgy and all that bullcrap. Then again, of the Bat Family members, I think Dick himself holds the record for most ridiculous heel turn costume with Renegade.
- While I admit that this heel turn/revelation is shocking as all heck, which I’m sure was the point, I will also note that it doesn’t make a single lick of sense, as evidenced from above.
- The timing of this is so HORRIBLE. Now, on the one hand, it is good to see that Damian is in the game, but to turn him heel? Especially after the way we saw him go down in Batman Incorporated recently? It’s such an emotional whiplash that I’m starting to feel sick to my stomach all over again.
Damian As Nightwing = FAIL
So that’s my thoughts on the matter. Leave a comment below, and I will see you guys when Injustice: Gods Among Us comes out, and on the next Tales of Dumbassery. Ja né!
What I Bought…Erm, Yesterday – Talon #5, Batman Incorporated #8 (WARNING – SPOILERS)
Well, I was kinda busy doing up the eulogy and tribute video for Damian yesterday, and by that point, I was kind of exhausted beyond the point of even really wanting to type this up, so let’s make up for that by looking at…
So let’s start off with the comic that everyone is talking about (including Burt Ward, believe it or not), Batman Incorporated #8.
Okay, I gotta judge this comic fairly, and thus, I gotta point out a small problem I have with this: If you did not know that Robin was gonna die from the spoilers DC was giving away, you’d still know it was coming. Why? The scene with him and Nightwing. Granted, it’s awesome seeing them working together here, and their team is probably one of two things I’ll miss most about Damian, and I’ll get to the other one in a sec, but you read this scene with Damian telling Dick he was his best partner and that they were the best team and you go “WOW, you are SO gonna die, Damian!” Then we come to the fight with The Heretic, and there’s a scene where I admittedly had to take a second to chuckle, as Damian aims a crossbow at The Heretic and basically says “I promised my father I would never kill again”. And as we all know, every time Damian says that, it means he’s fully ready to kill something. But yeah, Damian fights The Heretic, all the while yelling at his mother to stop all this madness, but The Heretic murders him as Batman arrives too late to save him, and Talia sheds a single tear. Aww, yeah that makes up for EVERYTHING, you psychotic bitch. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there’s a twist later where it turns out the Talia that was complex in her motives and characterization has been physically replaced by a clone. After all, THIS Talia LOVES cloning. Still, for all its ups and downs, I am enjoying this book for the most part, though I will admit to some stuff happening on the side of the main story that I am COMPLETELY in the dark about.
Oh, and real quick, I suppose I should address this. Readers of DC Comics occurring within the New 52 have probably noticed within the past month or so that there’s this little two page strip at the end of each issue called “Channel 52”, where these newscasters recap events within the New 52 for that week or so. Well, this week they decided to play up what was going on in Batman Incorporated, specifically that Robin dies. A few people, in particular Waffles For Stephanie, have been VERY offended by this, saying they’re making a show of the 10 year old’s death. Personally, I just found it more stupid than anything, much like how I find the entirety of Channel 52. However, if you WERE offended, I recommend you check out the link at the end of this post.
Talon has officially become my favourite comic to get on the last week of the month. If James Tynion IV can keep up this kind of writing for Red Hood and the Outlaws, I might actually pick it up. I’m thinking I may have jumped the gun saying that Sebastian Clark was going to inevitably turn heel, or Tynion changed his mind on what to do with him, as he’s shown interacting with Casey and Sarah in a kind manner and saying that it’s times like Calvin has enjoyed as of late with Casey and Sarah, time as a family, that they’re fighting for. Casey also gets some moments of awesomeness in here, and we learn a little more of her backstory. We also see that Felix Harmon, AKA The Gotham Butcher, has tracked Calvin back to Gotham and is just a bit out of the Court’s control when he needlessly murders a couple in their apartment. Also, Batman is here!…Yeah!…Umm, Batman!…Okay, I knew darned well Batman was gonna appear in Talon at some point, but I kinda figured it’d be a little further down the road. As we see, though, he’s found out about the bank heist that went wrong in the past couple of issues, and he’s concerned that Calvin Rose taking on the Court of Owls directly could force a war that they’re just not ready to fight yet. However, it seems that things only get worse when Calvin tries infiltrating an impenetrable building run by the Court and it turns out one of the staff in the building is actually the Grandmaster of the Court at this time, and faster than you can say Admiral Ackbar, Calvin walks into a trap to end the issue.
So yeah, this was a mixed week to say the very least. Come back again next week as we venture back to Earth-2 and sleuth about in Detective Comics. Ja né!
Related articles
- ‘Batman’ Star Burt Ward — Hey DC Comics … DON’T KILL ROBIN!!! (tmz.com)
- Five Ways Robin Could Come Back To Life (geek-news.mtv.com)
- Robin the Boy Wonder killed? Grant Morrison speaks out (herocomplex.latimes.com)
- DC Comics’ Bat-Family Reacts To Robin’s Fate In March’s Covers (comicbookresources.com)
- I wasn’t going to do this DC, but now I am happily willing to raise you my other hand. (wafflesforstephanie.tumblr.com)
Wonder Woman In The New 52 – I NEED TO VENT…AGAIN
Okay, I know I already talked about this before, but I feel the need to bring up the problems occurring with Wonder Woman in the New 52. Namely, I feel that there’s a definitive lack of respect for the character at times. Before I start on that, though, I would like to point out that I got a lot of these images, as well as some additional info I wasn’t already aware of, from DC Women Kicking Ass. She writes an awesome Tumblr, and you should all really give it a look sometime.
Now then, back to poor Diana. Her origin story has been altered so that, rather than being sculpted from clay and granted life by the Gods, it turns out that was a lie and that she’s really the result of a one night stand between her mother and Zeus. Now ultimately, this one didn’t bother me quite as much, since it just meant she’s a Demigod instead of a Golem (she was made from clay, that technically makes her a sort of Golem), though it does irk me that Hippolyta would lie like that. Plus, it pretty much makes the events of The Circle either non-canon or based around complete bull. What bothers me far worse is THIS.
…Seriously, what the hell? Turning the Amazons into killers, rapists, and slave traders was not only unnecessary, but it completely RUINS them as characters you want to see come back. And because they’re tied to Diana’s backstory, that in turn hurts her as well. Oh, and don’t even get me started on THIS.
But that’s just her solo book. Y’know, the one where the character is supposed to excel the most? Then there’s Justice League. I mentioned before that her current characterization works for the first arc, and I still stand by that. However, all that changed when THIS happened…
All of a sudden, Wonder Woman has gone from a strong, independent woman who forced a sword through Darkseid‘s eye socket to basically just being Superman’s girlfriend. And no, it’s not JUST because they’re dating, it’s HOW their relationship is unfolding, where we see Superman trying to teach and lecture her on humanity and how best to hide among them, and, oh good grief, does it make me wanna vomit!
Look, I get that at the beginning of Justice League, she was new to Man’s world, but as of this time in JL, she’s been a part of it for FIVE YEARS! She does not need Superman to teach her this stuff. She would have picked all this up while here. But no, we have to have Superman teach her because…well, just because. And that’s the problem in a nutshell: These two do not come off as equals in this relationship, as I’ve stated before. And it’s made all the worse by the fact that Supes is likely still holding a torch for Lois, and storylines suggest that their relationship will eventually end BADLY. And the sad thing is, it could actually still be worse. Don’t believe me? Read Frank Miller’s work that includes them as a couple. It makes me feel like DC will someday drop the pretences and just go ahead and release adult love novels featuring DC Superheroes. Hell, if Fifty Shades of Grey can become a best-seller, I’d believe anything could sell that much.
And then there’s her appearances in Batwoman as of late, where she’s……..um, actually pretty well written. I’m serious, while I don’t pick up Batwoman on a regular basis, what I’ve read of it depicts Wonder Woman pretty well. Powerful, confident, and compassionate. I WAS cringing for a moment when it became apparent that Batwoman was harbouring a schoolgirl-like crush on her, but thank goodness they didn’t go in the direction of a Batwoman/Wonder Woman/Superman love triangle, and we instead see Batwoman proposing to Maggie Sawyer…Um, Batwoman IS a DC title, yes? o.O
Anyway, that’s all from me for now. Post your thoughts, opinions, whatever, and let’s hope that things don’t degrade much more. Hell, this makes my brain ache, and I already have a really bad cavity in my mouth right now. I don’t need any more pains in the region of my head. Ja né!
Related articles
- She Has No Head! – Is the Destruction of The Amazons The Destruction of Feminism in DC Comics? (comicbookresources.com)
- “Because they are both heroes and wear red and blue” (dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com)
What I’d Do With New 52 – Part 03: The Current Characters
Okay, these are just touching on a few characters already present in The New 52 that need some tweaking. And since I’ve already gone to great lengths talking about what’s wrong or what I’d change about them, no Red Hood, Starfire, Power Girl, or Superman here. So let’s begin with a character that has had some serious downs as of late, Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman
Problem: Okay, as I mentioned before, I like how Wonder Woman’s new incarnation worked in Justice League: Origin. It’s not the greatest interpretation of Wonder Woman ever by far, I personally would suggest that honour goes to Gail Simone‘s. However, I should note that I don’t read her solo title, where her origins have been retconned so that she’s actually Zeus‘ bastard and the Amazons were made into pirates and rapists. I honestly didn’t think anything could ruin Diana‘s mythos anymore than Amazons Attack, but there ya go. Also, since Origin, Wonder Woman has gotten into a relationship with Superman. And honestly, I wouldn’t mind that so much, if not for the fact that they way they’re writing her now has her being just Superman’s girlfriend, and that is WRONG.
Solution: Well first off, I wouldn’t make the changes to Wonder Woman’s or the Amazons’ backstories. It just raises too many questions. However, even with the changes in place, one thing I’d do is that I’d put Gail Simone back on as writer for Wonder Woman, or at least co-writer. As for the relationship with Superman, I’m just gonna say this: They have to be EQUALS for this to work. And I’m sorry, you can make whatever argument you want, but they have not been written as equals in this relationship since it started.
Lincoln March
Problem: Okay, admittedly this isn’t so much a problem as it is me saying what needs to happen with Lincoln March for whenever he comes back…
Solution: Keep it ambiguous as to whether Lincoln March is really Bruce’s brother or not. Don’t answer the question. It works a lot better as a mystery, and plus it makes the antagonistic relationship between him and Batman all the more unique.
The Teen Titans (and The Ravagers)
Problem: The Titans of the New 52 just seem too dark and gritty. And maybe my opinion is coloured by having my first exposure to the group being the animated series, but I have have read Titans comics since, and I gotta say, this seems a bit too big of a change. I don’t so much mind the new members, but can we have some of the fun back please? Also, this bares repeating, while I haven’t read the Ravagers and might be way off here, every image I’ve seen of Beast Boy since the Ravagers started has depicted him as being really angry. Again, I prefer him as being green, but at least having him be red due to his powers coming from The Red makes sense. But the angry thing really needs to go.
Solution: Okay, I’ve mentioned this before, but the Titans and the Ravagers need to be made into a single group, or two sub-groups of the same faction with some members changed up. That way they can have a more upbeat and positive group of Titans and the dark and gritty group of Titans that DC seems obsessed with having. Also, I’d have Beast Boy go back to being a bit more happy. Maybe through a series of events he finds himself being able to be more laid back. Oh, and one other thing, I’D BRING BACK TITANS TOWER!
Alfred Pennyworth
Problem: It looks like they’re gonna kill Alfred. If I had all day, I still wouldn’t be able to list the number of reasons that’s a bad idea.
Solution: Don’t kill Alfred…Either that, or have him return as a hologram in the Batcave. Because as silly as that would be, it would also be admittedly awesome. ^_^
Harper Row
Problem: Okay, this is kinda weird, since I actually like Harper Row as a character a lot, but I do have a single problem with what they’re doing with her, and that’s that the seem to be planning to make her Oracle.
Solution: Don’t make Harper Row Oracle. Oracle-like works, in fact it works a lot. But don’t make her Oracle.
Arsenal
Problem: Hey, I only said I wouldn’t talk about Red Hood or Starfire, I didn’t say anything about the other third of their group, and really, I haven’t talked much about Arsenal in the past, so I guess here’s my chance to. Put bluntly, Roy Harper is a character that has lost a LOT since even before the reboot. While I don’t necessarily mind the current version too much, minus that stupid fucking hat he wears, I feel that he has a lot more uniqueness as a character when he was someone who had conquered drug addictions and was caring for a child he’d fathered with a villainess, all the while being one of the Titans and later even the Justice League’s best. Cry For Justice and then Rise of Arsenal took that away from him, and now the reboot has made it so they never happened at all. Nowadays, he’s more the comic relief guy on the Outlaws that never shuts up, and while I don’t necessarily mind him all that much, it’s possible that’s just because Jason Todd and Kori being present make him seem not quite as bad as he should.
Solution: Obviously, because Roy apparently never had sex with Cheshire (in fact, I’m uncertain as to whether she even exists in the New 52), bringing back Lian would be problematic at best. However, I did think of a way to have the character appear for a short time: The Multiverse. Basically, do a storyline where Roy encounters a version of himself that’s loosely based on pre-Cry For Justice Red Arrow and have him interacting with him and Lian and change into a more positive character as a result, maybe even becoming Red Arrow. Also, lose the fucking hat, Roy. You look like a twit.
And those are my thoughts on the characters currently in the New 52, which I’m pretty sure covers all I had in mind for what I’d do so far, but if I come up with anything more, I’ll blog about it. Ja né!
And the New Official Full-Time Writer for Batgirl is…(Plus Thoughts On The Apocalypse, lol)
So, some interesting news came out today. It has been announced on Twitter the new full-time writer for Batgirl, following Gail Simone‘s departure. I’m not sure what this means for Ray Fawkes, though. He MIGHT still be doing those 2-3 issues, maybe not. We’ll have to see. In the meantime, the new official writer for Batgirl, taking over the book full time is…
…Gail Simone?!?! :O
Yep, Gail’s got her job back, much to my relief and the relief of several fans of her hers and the book. However, at the same time, I think more than a few people are ridiculously confused regarding this matter. My own guess on the matter is that someone higher up in DC than the person who made the call to can Gail either didn’t approve it in the first place or decided it would be more advantageous to DC Comics (more money, in other words) to have her stay on board and keep her happy.
So yep, more awesome goodness like THIS! XD
And call me negative if you please, but frankly, I refuse to believe that Gail was given Batgirl back because the fans called DC out on a dumb call. Why? Well, because fans have been calling DC out on dumb calls for YEARS now, and it has RARELY stopped them before. So yeah, to anyone celebrating that DC listened to the fans and that this is a sign that they will consider our input more seriously from now on, I hate to burst your bubble but I would’ve sooner believed in the so-called apocalypse that people were saying was supposed to happen today.
Speaking of which, in case anyone’s wondering, I did extensive research regarding why the end never happened, and after finally getting access to satellite footage, I managed to find shots of some sort of blur that seemed to be moving at a speed that should not be humanly possible all across the planet. I will now show you one such an image.
…Your guess is as good as mine, folks. I don’t pretend to know everything, I’m just a mild-mannered blogger. But anyway, that’s my thoughts on the Gail Simone matter for now, and as always I’ll keep people that read my blog posted if I learn anything more. Ja né!
Gail Simone’s Replacement is…Someone I Do Not Know? (UNCONFIRMED FOR THE MOMENT)
Happy Storm Day to everybody in the Saint John Region! XD Okay, for realsies, I was checking Twitter for info on the Gail Simone situation, and I discovered that apparently solicits have been listing the next writer of Batgirl to be a fellow by the name of Ray Fawkes…And when I heard that, I pretty much had a “Who the fuck is Serg” moment, because I can honestly say that I’ve never heard of Ray Fawkes up to this point. I even tweeted Linkara on the matter, and his response was…
And I quote…
“He’s the writer of… *Checks his site* …a lot of stuff I’ve never heard of before.” And so I turned to the all-knowing powers of Google for answers, and I eventually learned that, starting with Justice League Dark #15, he’ll be co-writing that story along with Jeff Lemire. He’s also the author of One Soul and Mnemovore, the aforementioned “stuff I’ve never heard of”. So yeah, clearly he’s an up-and-coming type.
Anyway, for the moment I can’t 100% confirm that this is true, but if it is, all I can say is “Thank God it wasn’t ANYONE that myself or Gotham Spoilers were afraid it was”. Because I was terrified it’d wind up being Dan Didio, who honestly, while I disagree with a lot of his decisions DC, at least he hasn’t killed it, but I can’t think of a single book he’s written that I liked AT ALL. Meanwhile, Gotham Spoilers, or FHIZ as he’s known on Twitter and is always fun to call him that, thought it was Tom DeFalco. And yeah, I get why that would frighten him. DeFalco writes a really good Nightwing, most of the time, but just basing off her cameo in Nightwing #13, he CLEARLY doesn’t get Batgirl at all.
But yeah, once I get confirmation one way or the other regarding Fawkes, I’ll let’cha guys know. Ja né!
Jyger's Rant 