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Dear 2016, Fuck You. Love, Twitter.
Well, let’s see. We’ve lost, in no particular order and among MANY others…
- Richard Adams
- Alan Rickman
- Alan Thicke
- Prince
- Carrie Fisher
- Zsa Zsa Gabor
- Gene Wilder
- Leonard Cohen
- David Bowie
- John Glenn
- Harper Lee
- George Michael
- Muhammad Ali
- Anton Yelchin
- Kenny Baker
- Elie Wiesel
…Also, an idiot got elected President of the United States, and, on a more personal note to me, my mother had to spend close to a month in the hospital. And I’m sure a bunch of other horrible shit that’s gone down… … …Yeah, this is deserved. If I could maybe have some appropriate music, though?
https://twitter.com/maccamcmanus/status/813826493327507456
https://twitter.com/The01Wingman/status/813442210758819845
https://twitter.com/shadowbird712/status/813818672028512256
https://twitter.com/ahookedhero/status/813825910524645376
https://twitter.com/ivygirl851/status/813807296828571648
https://twitter.com/Joe_Krawec/status/813810415402684416
Got a message for 2016 of your own, or perhaps want to share something positive that happened to you this year? Leave it in the comments below, and let’s all hope and pray with all of our souls that 2017 will be better. Ja né!
My Thoughts On Convergence (WARNING – SPOILERS) + #PoisonIvyLeague
…So, I’ve gone back and read some of Convergence. Specifically, I bought the issues of Convergence: Superman (because like hell if I’m not gonna buy a story involving Lois and Clark having a baby) and Convergence: Detective Comics (because recent events have led to me wanting very badly to read pre-Crisis Helena Wayne), and read what happened in a lot of the other two-part tie-ins and main story. I might also go back and check out Convergence: Titans and Convergence: Batgirl, but honestly, from what I’ve read, it kinda retreads some character development we had with her long beforehand. I dunno, maybe it’s just me.
Anyway, what are my thoughts on the event overall? Well, I think the tie-ins are a LOT better than the main story, and that’s not the first time that’s happened. I think the main reason this time is because the tie-ins focused on pre-Flashpoint versions of beloved characters and were written by people who did their research on the characters so they knew what they were doing and how these characters would behave. And, as a result of that, the tie-ins come off as GREAT for the most part. Conversely, the main story seemed to focus a lot on the New 52 Earth 2 cast, who… … …Okay, here’s the thing. I fucking HATE what has been done with Earth 2 and its cast as of late. Really, from the moment I dropped the book with the reveal that Superman was working for Darkseid (who admittedly turned out to be Bizarro, but let’s not go there). Thomas Wayne being brought back to be Batman was a terrible idea. Likewise, having Dick Grayson take his place when Thomas died (which we all knew was coming) when that version of Earth 2 Dick Grayson had no connection to the Bat Family prior was a terrible idea. It supplants Huntress’ position as Bruce’s successor. Instead, poor Helena has been subjected to character assassination, body horror, and now, following Convergence, is apparently turning heel. NOT FUN READING. Whereas, in Convergence: Detective Comics, Dick becoming Batman made a ton of sense, and even with him in such a position, Hel isn’t taken down at all in terms of importance. Also, for better or worse, the New 52 Earth 0 cast don’t even become active in the story until long after the bulk of the story. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s worse, because that’s the world we’re still primarily following post-Convergence.
However, with all of that said, and more (fuck whoever’s idea it was to have pre-Flashpoint Helena Bertinelli turn heel and die), there is one MASSIVE silver lining that I all but got on my knees and begged, nay, PLEADED for. I said going into this that I wasn’t gonna buy any of Convergence if it turned out the pre-Flashpoint worlds were all just going to vanish and that everyone would die. Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, something that is ultimately kind of a messy situation, but one I am more than willing to let them try to sort out, happened: Crisis On Infinite Earths was averted. The Multiverse has been restored to its original format, consisting of an infinite number of worlds, but most likely with the New 52 Multiverse at the center of it. That means that every single version of the worlds seen in DC Comics throughout its LONG history is now a canonical world again, every story you’ve ever read that got pushed aside in reboots (Crisis On Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, and Flashpoint) means something again, and the door is open to tell new stories about those worlds, and others if someone wants. That is EXCELLENT, and upon learning that, that’s when I realized, they could technically say that the great, GREAT digital first books like Sensation Comics feat. Wonder Woman ARE canon now, just taking place in different worlds in the expanded Multiverse, which people have already referred to as the Omniverse…which I approve of. lol
Now, obviously, this is something that not everyone is gonna agree with, but personally, I love this decision. And frankly, it’s a decision that offers plenty of great storytelling opportunities in the future. While the new DC YOU branding continues to follow the universe established in the New 52, the door is open for anyone in DC to tell stories about any of the other versions of the characters we love. We can see Superman married with Lois Lane again. We can see Stephanie Brown as Batgirl again. We can see Lian Harper ALIVE again. And while I wasn’t a big fan of how Mera came off in the all-female Convergence: Justice League titles, I’d LOVE to see more of that team in the future. And DC Comics can make a ton of money from all of this. Now, I refuse that bringing all of the old universes back and having Lois and Clark back together with a baby and all of that was Dan Didio’s idea. In fact, it wouldn’t shock me if he only conceded to let that happen because everyone else at the office told him he should do it. I’ve gotten a pretty good idea of Dan Didio’s usual ideas and story plans. This is the man who wanted to break up Lois and Clark at LEAST as early as Infinite Crisis. BUT, I will say this: If nothing else, Dan Didio has proven to the world that, if enough people ask for something, he will put his ego and what he personally believes is right and wrong in comics aside to make people happy and, probably more importantly to him, make money.
So, let’s switch tracks a bit to something that people will think is unrelated to Convergence, but comes around back to it. Anyone who follows me on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr knows that I am part of a group/movement known as the Poison Ivy League. In a nutshell, we are trying to convince DC Comics to publish a Poison Ivy solo title. Personally, I would prefer one written by Gail Simone (who proved to have a great handle on the character in Batgirl Annual #2) and drawn by Stjepan Sejic (who did Ivy’s story in Secret Origins, and you can look at more of here). Recently, we actually gained endorsement by MTV, which we consider a big victory for us. So, the word is now officially out that people want an Ivy solo, meaning anyone who wants such a thing but was maybe a bit nervous about jumping onboard with the movement should feel more than welcome to do so now. In fact, I think this is now the time where anyone who felt it was pointless to voice their opinions and ideas over Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and any other form of social media on stuff that DC Comics could do in the future should feel entitled to do so now. And I say that because Convergence is proof that Dan Didio WILL eventually listen to people if they get loud and numerous enough that they can’t be drowned out. And while we don’t have a Poison Ivy solo title in the works just yet, what we DO have is her being part of an expanded Justice League United that is investigating anomalies and incidents caused by the changes to the Multiverse at the end of Convergence, and will even be leading a mission in the near future with the team. Thank you, Jeff Parker. I haven’t read any of your work prior to this, but it looks like we’re gonna get along just fine. XD
Anyway, those are my thoughts regarding Convergence, and the possibility for future changes to DC Comics. Of course, I may be way off base regarding the majority of fans who read it and their opinions of things going into DC YOU (which I do understand, since we’re going into a universe where Superman is losing his powers, Lois Lane outed him as Clark Kent to the entire world, and Jim Gordon is running around in a Batman mech suit). As such, feel free to leave your own thoughts and opinions below, and we’ll see what becomes of the DC Universe following all of this. Ja né!
My DC Multiverse Questionnaire + Responses
The other day, I decided to ask several people on Tumblr the same question: “If you could build an Earth in the DC Multiverse from the ground up, who would be its heroes? Basically, who would you select to be its Justice League or JSA, and how would they be unique from their standard counterparts? (Black Superman, gay Batman, female Flash, villain turned hero, etc.)” Now, you’ll recall a while back, I wrote stories that I considered to be my own alternate universe in the DCU, but ultimately, looking back on it, it feels less like an alternate Earth and more like my ideal versions of the characters from the main one. Also, I think my Superman story was more-so a jab against Man of Steel and how terribly I felt it portrayed Superman. As such, I WILL be posting my own response to this questionnaire on this blog later on. Until then, though, here’s some of the answers that I’ve gotten so far on Tumblr and Twitter…
ravenalegria13 Answer:
I would love to see Green Lantern and Sinestro switched in this universe. Also Batwoman, not Batman. female gay Green Arrow with Black Canary, Aquaman and Superman the same, and Martian Manhunter the same. Wonder Woman the same and Flash black. Hawkman, instead of Hawkgirl.
Sinestro and Green Lantern (I’m assuming she meant Hal Jordan) switched would be interesting, especially if Sinestro kept the Yellow Power Ring and used fear as a force for good.
tomorrowwoman Answer:
It’d basically be a world of less known versions of heroes. Triumph, Moon Maiden and Regal would be its Triumvirate instead of the Superman, Batman and Wonderwoman Trinity..Other heroes might include the Green Lanterns Alex Dewitt and Jose Hernandez.
I am HORRIBLY embarrassed to admit that I had to Google poor Alex Dewitt to remind myself who she was. I really have no excuse for how I could’ve forgotten who she was, other than just having a brain fart.
theimancameron Answer:
I guess the first thing my DC Earth would contain would be a Black Female Superwoman to lead the Justice League, comprising of Barbara Gordon as Oracle, Vengeance Moth, Mera (who is married to Wonder Woman, and queen of Atlantis, as Diana is of Themyscira), Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern. Wally West (Black, but with pre-Nu52’s personality) as the Flash, Dick Grayson as Nightwing (perhaps with a bionic leg after a fight with Bane), no Batman, Equinox, Alanna Strange, Martian Manhunter, Dinah Lance as Black Canary and leader of the League, and the Movement and Birds of Prey (with Misfit, Poison Ivy, Starling and Deadman training the Movement), as the League’s stealth team! Also the JLD (co-ordinated by Zatanna, comprising of herself, Madame Xanadu, Black Orchid, Raven, Asa or Nightmare-Nurse, Mary Marvel, and Swamp Thing) working to defend the Earth from any supernatural or paranormal threats that may arise! Also Barbara Gordon would have lead the League of Batgirls (as they appeared in Batgirl: Future’s End). And Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (both Ted Kord, and his apprentice Jaime Reyes) would team up on silly adventures together! Not too different from the main continuity, mostly just featuring lesser-known characters in more prominent positions!
So apparently, he really liked that idea I had a while back where Diana and Mera were married and co-ruling Themyscira and Atlantis. 🙂
helenawaynehuntress Answer:
Hmmm…maybe I’m no fun, but I’m quite fond of Earth-2 Classic as is.
At best, I’d transplant the newer characters that debuted with the New 52 Earth-2 as part of the pre-Crisis Earth-2 canon, and have them function as the current generation Justice Society team alongside the second generation Earth-2 Trinity of Huntress, Power Girl, and Fury.
If there are characters I’d definitely borrow from the mainstream universe to be a part of Earth-2 canon, I’d add Barbara Gordon as Oracle (both Black Canaries are already Earth-2 characters), Tom Blake as Catman, Helena Bertinelli as an agent of Spyral, and Renee Montoya as her partner. I quite like those characters.
Honestly, I probably should’ve seen this coming, since anyone who follows helenawaynehuntress on Tumblr knows she ADORES the pre-Crisis Earth-2. 😛 That said, can’t say as I have a problem with these picks, especially the idea of Helena Bertinelli and Renee Montoya as partners in Spyral.
emmythefantasticalbomber Answer:
how about if Barbara Minerva is a Superheroine instead of Supervillain?
Ooh, that WOULD be interesting, especially if her back-story as Diana’s friend was kept intact. 😀
rosenrose851 Answer:
Here it goes.
Oracle overseeing everything
Vixen
Deadman
Poison Ivy
Kate Kane
Mera
Renee
I knew the second I sent the questionnaire to her that Ivy would be on here. lol
So, those are the responses I’ve gotten so far. If you wanna add your own, by all means, post it in the comment section below, and hopefully I’ll have my own posted soon enough. Ja né!
Remembering JewWario
I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not to blog about this, especially since it doesn’t even feel real at this time. But, everyone is doing this, so I might as well give my thoughts on the matter. If you haven’t heard, then I apologize greatly for having to be the bearer of bad news, but Justin ‘JewWario’ Carmical passed away, after committing suicide in his home. And I first heard about it on Twitter in a tweet from Sean Faust, and when I saw that, I practically went into hysterics trying to figure out what in the hell happened, how it happened, and so on. And then the tears came, and believe it or not, I don’t really cry that much. I just don’t. I mean, I get sad to the point where post people do cry, but I just don’t cry that often. I don’t really know why.
I never met J-Dub in person. I DO recall a kind of conversation we had on Twitter, where I was feeling absolutely terrible because the blog wasn’t working out, I was getting ready to call it quits on my show, and…I don’t remember what he said, but I do remember that it made me feel WAY better about everything. And that’s what he did with everybody: He made everyone feel instantly better about whatever was going on with their lives. And, I wanna share something with you all. This is a quote from when he was closing You Can Stream This that PinkRangerWannabe shared on Tumblr last year, and I’ll never forget this quote, when he was looking right at the screen, and he said this…
- Justin Carmical aka JewWario or JDub “You Can Stream This” 3/8/13 (pinkrangerwannabe.tumblr.com)
But yeah, I’ve been sad, trying to wrap my mind around it, been trading stories with friends. I actually sat in on a Skype call with DodgerofZion, PinkRangerWannabe, RiddlePanda, Gomer, Viga, Tom Hyre from MAGFest, and a few others where we did both of those things. And as I’m writing this, I’ve been listening to Nash’s impromptu stream of Radio Dead Air (thank you, new computer), where him, Dodger, Birdman, Linkara, MarzGurl, Roo, Welshy, and many more have been doing the same. But the part that hit me most, that made me realise just how much he meant to us, and has really helped me feel better…Anybody that watches J-Dub’s stuff and follows him on Twitter, you probably know Katie Marie, or Kitty as we call her. She is pretty much THE JewWario fan. He was her #1 crush and her best friend rolled up into one. And somebody started a GoFundMe to raise the money to get her out to where he and his family lived for the funeral, which required about $850, and shortly after it was brought up on Nash’s stream, it was fully funded. That showed how much our fandom can be like a family, and I didn’t think a single act could out-do that in terms of how good people can be…and then Katie told us all that she was donating the money to Justin’s family instead, because they needed it more. That amazed me, and honestly, I felt like Justin would be so proud of her, and that maybe he still lives on through her and anyone else that can be that kind.
Justin should always be remembered as someone who was kind to everyone he met, who made everyone feel like they could be the absolute best they could be, and was practically Superman mixed with Mister Rogers mixed with Kamen Rider in just how GOOD he was. And J-Dub, I wish one more time, I could see ya in the Jareth costume doing your Dance Magic Dance with your magic balls. Thanks, Justin.
Related articles
- For Justin’s Family (gofundme.com)
- On Justin… (nashscribblings.tumblr.com)
- JewWario (youtube.com)
- TWiG tribute to JewWario (thisweekingeek.net)
Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Most Badass Wonder Woman Moments
So, it’s been a while since I last did a Favourite 5. What inspired this one? Well, basically, a friend of mine on Twitter, @HowBatmanIAm, talking about a tweet she received by some guy saying how, and I quote, “Wonder Woman sucks at everything”…There is NO WAY that a sane person could ever make that kind of claim and even think for a moment that they could get away with it. But I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, he’s probably just some guy that just loves manly heroes that punch shit, and therefore would be detracted from superheroines”. Well, it’s true that Wonder Woman IS a feminist icon (although not so much as of late), and is the symbol of compassion and love in the DC Universe (again, not so much lately). That being said, the guy is still an idiot. Why? Because, while Wonder Woman is all of these things, she’s also a frakking badass Amazon that you NEVER, EVER WANT TO PISS OFF! So, just going solely based on the male demographic’s view of superheroes punching the crap outta stuff, here are my 5 Favourite Badass Wonder Woman Moments, be they in comics, cartoons, or movies.
#1 – Wonder Woman Fighting Mongul in ‘For The Man Who Has Everything’
Okay, despite the image I’m using, I’m actually basing this pick off of the episode of Justice League Unlimited that was based on the original comic, as I haven’t actually read the book yet (I REALLY should someday, just to write up a comparison). Also, granted, in this fight, Wonder Woman spends most of it on the defensive, since it’s clear Mongul is far more powerful than her. However, give her some credit, even when Superman comes at Mongul in a rage afterwards, the Man of Steel’s only barely got an advantage. And even then, Superman relents for a moment and gets caught off-guard, which leads to Wonder Woman having to save him and put an end to the fight. So yeah, I’m counting this as a badass moment for Wonder Woman. Oh, and while I’m generally against the idea of DC heroes using guns, I CAN be okay with it in some circumstances, and the moment where she starts blasting Mongul is just too frigging awesome, and admittedly kinda hot. lol
#2 – Pretty much ALL of “The Circle”
Kinda cheating, but let’s be fair, The Circle really DOES feature Wonder Woman going full-blown badass for the majority of it. She fights gorilla soldiers, wrestles Captain Nazi, and defeats a group of rogue Amazons that tried to kill her as a baby. Don’t know who Captain Nazi is? Well, he was Shazam’s arch nemesis for a long time, and is basically a genetically altered super soldier. And yeah, I know, sounds more than just a LITTLE familiar, let’s just move on. Point is, you don’t fuck around with this guy, and Wonder Woman beat him in a straight-up fight. AWESOME. And, for those that love the more compassionate Wonder Woman, we get plenty of that too, as we see her deciding to spare Captain Nazi, as she has empathy for him and what he was turned into.
#3 – Mind Controlled Wonder Woman vs The Justice Ladies in ‘Grudge Match’
Basic premise: Roulette of the Legion of Doom decides to open a new fighting spectacular, where mind controlled Justice League superheroines are fighting each other. As the Justice Ladies start to free themselves, however, they find themselves face-to-face with the last one still under Roulette’s control: Wonder Woman. At this point, even Hawkgirl is afraid that they’re going to die, and I’ll explain why that is a little later, but suffice to say, the ensuing fight gets outta control pretty quick. Really, the entire episode is frigging awesome, but that moment when Wonder Woman is revealed as the last opponent is where you just go…well…someone wanna help me out here?
Thank you. ^_^
#4 – Wonder Woman BLINDS Darkseid in ‘Justice League: Origin’
Y’know, at first I was gonna suggest that maybe the guy that sent the tweet was going based on the New 52, since Wonder Woman is admittedly a lot different here. But that theory is kinda blown away by THIS. Darkseid is levelling the Justice League, and they realise they need to take his Omega Beams out of the equation, so Wonder Woman decides they need to blind him. So, what does she do? She shoves her sword INTO HIS EYE SOCKET! And then, to follow that up, Aquaman, the other hero that’s supposed to be ‘useless’, stabs his trident into the other eye! How can you possibly argue against that being badass?! SWORD! DARKSEID! EYE!!! Oh, and for anyone that didn’t read Justice League: Origin, either go do so now or check out the animated movie Justice League: War when it comes out.
#5 – “Wonder Woman Doesn’t Have A Kryptonite”, from Justice League #20
Okay, this technically isn’t really a badass moment, but it further validates my point. If you haven’t read JLA: Tower of Babel, Justice League #20 of the New 52, or watched Justice League: Doom (I’ve done all three, actually), I will explain this: In many cases and continuities, Batman has created contingency plans to neutralise other members of the Justice League, in the case that one should turn evil, be brainwashed, or replaced with a duplicate. Kinda paranoid behaviour, but considering that all three have occurred at one point or another, not irredeemable actions. In Justice League #20, he has each of these in a little box locked up in a vault in the Batcave. However, when he shows Superman Wonder Woman’s box (stop giggling, you know what I mean), it’s empty. The reason: Wonder Woman has no specific weakness. In Tower of Babel and Justice League: Doom, the contingency plans stolen from Batman and adjusted to kill the Justice League include nanomachines that make Wonder Woman think she’s in a fight she cannot win, but because she’d never surrender, she’ll just keep fighting until her heart gives out. In the New 52, the contingency plan is for Superman to disable her if necessary, and even then, you gotta wonder if that would work, considering Wonder Woman is a demi-goddess in the New 52. What does all that mean? Well, that people should be glad Wonder Woman is as good and compassionate as she is, because if you thought people were terrified of Superman when he pretended to go bad in ‘What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?’, that’s NOTHING compared to what Wonder Woman could do if she wasn’t the paragon of kindness that she is.
…Hmm, still feel like that’s kinda cheating, though…Oh, I know. Here’s an unofficial #6 to balance it out…
#6 – Wonder Woman Riding A Pegasus in Batman/Superman
Okay, the reason this is unofficial is because I haven’t read the issue this picture is featured in, a crime I plan to rectify next year, and I’m going solely based on the image itself. With that said, LOOK AT THIS! This is AWESOME! I wanna take this picture, blow it up, and put it on my fucking ceiling, so that every day can start off EPIC! XD
Anyway, if I’ve reached anyone who isn’t a big fan of Wonder Woman, and I’ve shown you how awesome she can be, I hope you’ll also give her a look based on her more compassionate side as well. I know, she can be a great fight in contrasts, but speaking as someone who is still writing a Wonder Woman fanfic, I can honestly say that it’s the contrast that makes her so much fun to write. She’s a sisterly, motherly, compassionate, and loving individual, but may God have mercy on those that anger her. As for people who DO love Wonder Woman, be it for the depths of her compassion or how badass she can be, lemme know in the comments what some of your favourite Wonder Woman moments are. Ja né!
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NaNoWriMo Project Revealed: Infinite DC – Wonder Woman + Basic Rundown of Wonder Woman’s Origins
So, if you’ve been following my Twitter today, I’ve decided to throw my name in the hat and write a story for National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it’s called. This unfortunately means updates to Birds of Prey: Dark will be a little less common, and What I Bought Today will be pushed to every other week instead, covering what I bought within two weeks of each other. But, comic fans that follow me can rejoice, for I’ve learned that among the MANY forms of literature accepted for NaNoWriMo is Fanfiction. So, for the month of November, I will be aiming to write a 50,000 word fanfiction of a DC Superhero I have never written before. My friends, I give you Infinite DC – Wonder Woman!
Dammit, that needs to be on an album cover. lol
So, what will this story be like? Well, like with Infinite DC- The Man of Tomorrow and Infinite DC – Tales of the Caped Crusader, it won’t be her origin story, instead taking for granted that you know her origins…However, because I know that Wonder Woman’s one of those trickier characters with an often changed back-story due to retcons, reboots, and just different interpretations of the character, here’s the basic rundown of her origins, and get ready to hear me reference changes to it in different continuities A LOT. lol
Wonder Woman, AKA Diana, is the daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons inhabiting Themyscira, an island cut off from the world of man. The Amazons are a group of immortal warrior women that had been slaves at one point (to whom changes depending on continuity, but it’s usually Heracles), but managed to free themselves with help from the Greek Gods and escaped to Themyscira, or Paradise Island as it’s alternatively called. At some point, Hippolyta had a daughter named Diana. The usual story given is that she moulded her from clay and the Gods brought her to life, though in recent years with the 2011 reboot, AKA The New 52, it’s been retconned that this was a lie to protect Diana from Hera’s wrath, as she was actually the bastard child of Hippolyta and Zeus. Now, while I don’t necessarily mind what it does to Diana specifically, making her a demi-goddess, I probably won’t be incorporating THAT into my fanfic version of Wonder Woman since it carried with it some seriously bad changes to her mother and the Amazons in general.
The birth of Diana
Anyway, the point is, they were cut off from the rest of humanity, though they were able to watch from the island, usually through some sort of device or magic or a combination of the two. However, this all changes when a man named Steve Trevor, who works with the US military (be it as an Air Force pilot or an intelligence agent), crash-lands on Themyscira. After it’s determined that Trevor is no threat to them, Hippolyta decides that the greatest among the Amazons will escort him back to America. Thus, a tournament is held, and while Hippolyta forbids Diana from entering, she does so under disguise anyway and is able to emerge victorious. Hippolyta’s reaction changes based on continuity, but the one I like best is probably from the 2009 animated film, where she accepted Diana’s decision and recognizes her as the one best suited for the job.
…Okay, I know Linkara already did this joke, but tell me you don’t hear porno music in the back of your head while reading this. XD
Thus, Diana becomes Wonder Woman, and is granted many gifts to assist in her new role, as Steve Trevor’s escort, as an ambassador for her people, and as a champion against the forces of evil. First, she is given her costume (again, in the movie, it’s supposed to resemble the American flag to honour the land she visits), along with a tiara that doubles as a throwing disc and can grant her some telepathic abilities, a golden lasso that she can use as a whip or noose, and a pair of bracers made from Athena’s indestructible shield that reflect all manner of attacks. In some continuities (specifically the TV show from the 70’s), she could immediately change clothes into her costume by spinning really fast, which I’m SORELY tempted to include here. As for the version of the costume I’ll be going with…Eh, I suppose the classic swimsuit-like costume works best, though probably with the Gladiator-style skirt, a nose-guard on her tiara (which is actually one thing Frank Miller did with Bonkers Betty that I kinda liked), and the ponytail she’s been seen rocking in the upcoming Justice League: War animated movie.
Wonder Woman as seen in Justice League: War
Her other gifts change depending on interpretation, but I’ll be going with the blessings the Greek Gods gave her in the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths interpretation of the character for the most part: Demeter grants her superhuman strength and rapid healing. Athena imparts great wisdom, intelligence, and tactical skill, both in armed and unarmed combat. Artemis blesses her with enhanced senses far beyond normal humans. Hestia grants her control over the “Fires of Truth”, which not only protects her from flames, be they natural or supernatural, but are also channelled through the Lasso of Truth to reveal a person’s true intentions, make them tell her secrets, or free people from mind control. Hermes gives her great speed, enough to deflect bullets with her bracers, and the power of flight. Finally, Aphrodite bestows great beauty (so if you ever wondered how she can be so hot, you can thank the Goddess of Love, lol) and a seemingly endless amount of compassion for the world and the people around her.
Lastly, Wonder Woman possesses an invisible plane. Again, this is something that changes between continuities. Sometimes, it’s a jet that Batman built her. Sometimes, it’s a pegasus that transforms into a jet. In the movie, the Amazons just kinda had it sitting around with no frigging explanation as to where it came from, which is both a little annoying and funny as hell. Me personally, I kinda like the version where it was a mass of magic, malleable goop that took the form of an invisible jet, or other invisible vehicles and objects if the situation called for it, and was actually self-aware and worked freely alongside Diana. I thought that was really neat, and provided for one of the most awesomely surreal moments you’ll ever see in comics, when she looped it with Green Lantern’s constructs around the moon and all the super-powered heroes PUSHED THE FRAKKING MOON.
Look, it’s Dotted Line Girl! (Infinite geek points to the first person that gets it, ROFL)
But yeah, that’s the basic rundown of the character’s origins. So, what’s my story gonna be about? Not telling, partly because I want it to be a surprise, and admittedly because I’m still going over it in my head. Oh, and the reason I’m not giving it a fancy name based off any nicknames or titles of hers, like The Man of Tomorrow or Tales of the Caped Crusader, I just do not want any confusion as to what this is. Also, I’m not really planning on doing any other solo stories for Wonder Woman, but if I do, I can just call it Infinite DC – Wonder Woman II or something like that.
The first issue of the Post-Crisis Wonder Woman comic
Anyway, wish me luck on this one, and we shall see if I make the 50,000 word minimum by the end of November. Ja né!
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No Further Pokémon X Journey Posts
…So yeah, I’ve decided to quit it with the Pokémon X Journey posts. I’ll still be doing my Twitter posts on some of the stuff I do, specifically the new PokéDex entries, but as far as the mock journal entries I was doing on here, those are done. There’s a few reasons why, but I’ll try to simplify them as best I can.
- It made playing Pokémon feel like a chore, and that’s NEVER a good thing.
- Too time-consuming. Took away from actually PLAYING the game and doing other stuff, like blog on other topics, chat with my friends, write my Birds of Prey fanfic, etc.
- My proofreader hasn’t been reading them since I’m ahead of her in the game, and offering her spoilers is like offering your head to a shark. lol
Anyway, I’ll still be giving a review of the game once I’ve completed it. Until then, it’s back to my usual blogging on here…which reminds me, tomorrow’s Wednesday, isn’t it? Which means it’ll be time to talk about…
Ja né!
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Tales of Dumbassery – No Wedding For Batwoman
Well, it’s that time again, folks, and this one hits pretty close to the chest for me. So, let’s once again open up…
Hey, remember the February 20th edition of What I Bought Today when I mentioned Batwoman proposing to Maggie Sawyer?… … …Nevermind, here’s my reaction…
“So that’s it for what I bought today, but there’s one other thing I thought I’d report, and that’s what happened in Batwoman #17…
“SQUEEE, a wedding!!!… … …*ahem* Anyway, that’s all from me.“
…Yeah, I squeed! What can I say? I’m a sucker for finding out people are getting married and being happy, especially in cases like superheroes that go through who knows how much angst and sadness in their lives. This was a positive note for Batwoman, and it’s what got me to keep a closer eye on what was going on.
So, what do I see on Twitter when I got up at an admittedly absurd time today? Lewis Lovhaug getting into an angry rant on Twitter because JH Williams III and Haden Blackman are leaving Batwoman, ending with Issue 26, because DC editorial decided at the last minute that there was not gonna be a wedding…At this point, I would normally have to warn that an angry rant was coming up, but honestly, I feel more sad and confused than angry, and most of what I could rant about, Linkara already covered. Instead, let’s dig out the brainy specs and cover a few points about why this decision by DC makes no sense.
First off, I should point out that DC has recently tweeted that their decision to not do the wedding had nothing to do with Batwoman’s sexual orientation…and in doing so, it’s thoroughly clear that they miss the point entirely as to why people are pissed off about this. I’m not saying that no one is accusing them of being homophobic or whatever, only that if there is anyone doing that, they’re wrong. If DC had a problem with Batwoman being gay, she never would’ve been gay in the first place. And guess what, people? The modern Batwoman has been gay since her first appearance in June 2006. On top of that, if they were ever gonna undo that, wouldn’t they have done it in The New 52? Plus, we’ve seen women get married in DC Comics before. Hell, Secret Six actually had THREE women get into a polygamous marriage… … …Long story. lol
So no, sorry to disappoint anybody, but DC did not do this because Batwoman’s a lesbian. No, the issue is actually much WORSE than that: DC doesn’t want their superheroes married. Period. The only heroes I can think of that are married right now are Aquaman and Animal Man, and even they have their families royally screwed around with on numerous occasions. Why is that? I DON’T KNOW! I don’t think anyone knows! The closest theory I can come to is the same as why Marvel Comics broke up the marriage of Spider-man and Mary Jane: They didn’t think Spider-man could still be an effective superhero while being tied down by anyone, and they didn’t want the reality of Peter Parker married to someone infecting the escapist fiction of him swinging around a city and fighting bad guys.
And if that’s the case, I have to ask DC to do us all a favour: STOP. MIMICKING. MARVEL. Stop doing things just because Marvel did them. They may put out great stories, but they’ve also put out their fair share of horrible stories too, and One More Day was one of ’em. You keep trying this, to mimic what Marvel does in an attempt to win some kinda war with them, instead of focusing on what’s wrong with your own product and trying to fix it. This is not helping your standings, DC, it’s HURTING it. And while Batwoman being gay may not have anything to do with why you decided against the marriage, it should’ve been a HUGE part of the reason to let it go through. You’ve actually won awards from organizations like the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for Batwoman. You would’ve benefited so much from this, especially given the fact that gay marriage is now legal in a crap-ton of countries, and a recent poll showed most of America was in favour of it too.
But hey, let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment and suggest that there was some reason beyond utter stupidity for undoing the plan to marry Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer. I dunno, maybe they’re planning to have her get together with someone else, or maybe Renee Montoya will finally come back and it’ll become a love triangle of some sort. Well, if that’s the case, then I have a question, and it’s one I actually posed to them on Twitter: If you were against the idea of the marriage to begin with, why would you clear it at all? Like, you realise this issue wouldn’t even exist if they were never engaged to begin with. You could just say they were living together. You could’ve worked something out with Williams and Blackman when it was first suggested, and say “We’re not sure we’re completely comfortable with the idea, but we really like your creativity on this book, so let’s see if maybe there’s something we can brainstorm together that we can all agree on”. This isn’t a hard thing to do.
So, now the question becomes, who is gonna be writing Batwoman starting with Issue 27? Frankly ,there’s only one person working for DC now that I can honestly see taking the reigns of this book with Williams and Blackman gone, and unless a miracle happens, she’s not getting it. And the sad thing is, no matter who it is, they’re pretty much screwed. Snyder, Johns, Rucka, Nocenti, could any of them do anything with this character that could possibly get fans interested in their run with the book? I honestly can’t think of anything. Plus, there’s the whole situation of Batwoman vs Batman and Batwoman being forced to work for the D.E.O. that I honestly feel hold the book down a bit, and I shudder to think that with Maggie gone (‘cuz let’s face it folks, that will probably be the end result, is Maggie either leaving Kate or getting killed somehow) that that’ll be the primary focus.
I honestly do not know where this series goes from here, other than what I just stated. And to be blunt, at this point, with people being as upset as they are over this, if I was running DC, I’d do ANYTHING to try and get Williams and Blackman back. Let them do the marriage. Let them do ANYTHING, if it meant putting the kibosh on the current outcry of pissed-off fans and trying to save this book. ‘Cuz if you think your readers’ input doesn’t matter, I wonder how much you think their money does.
Anyway, that’s my general take on the situation. Vote below if you think this was a good idea, leave comments, whatever. Hopefully, the next Tale of Dumbassery will be less painful than this for me. Ja né.
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Linkara Headed To Florida For Convention, This Will Not End Well (NOTE – CONTAINS A FICTIONALIZED NEWS ARTICLE)
So apparently, Linkara is headed to Orlando for a convention called Mythicon. This should prove to be quite the event, and as always, I look forward to seeing what comic he decided to review for the live show. But as we were reading this, PinkRangerWannabe and I decided “Wait, wait, there’s a joke to be made here”. And I tweeted most of what we came up with, but I realized a ways in that it was simply too much for a series of tweets to contain, so instead I decided to write it up here. So, while this is a parody of a news article, and therefore you do not have to do this for realsies, kindly imagine yourself downing headache medication, as we we open up the fictional file of…
So let’s get right to the headline that I would piss myself laughing if I found myself reading it…
Tourist Is Arrested After Punching Out Police Officer, Witnesses Claim He Said “You Might Be The Law…BUT I AM A MAN!”
“Orlando police responded to a disturbance at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant located on Colonial Drive, apparently started by a tourist from Minnesota who had traveled down to Orlando for the upcoming Mythicon convention. The accused was said to have been demanding free chicken tenders after a teenager working in the kitchen got his order wrong. A yelling match and a fist fight lead to an employee calling the police. The man is said to have been threatening to unleash an army of Cybermats, a fictional insect-like cyborg from the popular British television series, Doctor Who. Said Cybermats turned out to be plushies, which the Minnesotan made himself, that several women on the force have decided to ‘confiscate’.”
Oh wait, people, it gets better. “The man was apprehended and taken into custody, but became violent again after kicking over a lamp at the OPD. When asked why he did this, he proceeded to simply grumble to himself about the shape and colouring of said lamp, and refused to comment further. After failed attempts at questioning him, the Minnesotan was placed in a jail cell, following a phone call and a request for reading material. 4 hours later, a man who looked surprisingly similar to the arrested man arrived to provide bail, but had to be detained as well because he had brought a tommy gun into the police department. Both men were forced to remain at the OPD until the next morning, when they were bailed out by the first man’s mother and what appeared to be a blue robot made out of cardboard.”
…Yeah, Lewis is gonna murder me for this one. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first ever fictionalized Tale of Dumbassery, and lemme know if this is something I should ever try again. Ja né!
Jyger's Rant 