I wish someone had told me it was this easy!

source

Supes and Wondy sittin’ in a tree

So as you may have heard, the big news out of DC Comics in the past week has been the confirmation that Superman and Wonder Woman will be getting it on in JUSTICE LEAGUE #12. Rawr!

Aren’t you excited? Wait, you’re not?

So far, the reactions I’ve seen have ranged among:

• “so? why is everyone losing their shit?”
• “omg no no no omg lalala I’m not listening”
• “didn’t this happen in the 80s?“
• “whatever, I’m not reading it anyway”

I’m sure there are people who think this is an awesome idea, but I haven’t talked to or heard from any of them. But I’m sure they’re there. (Maybe.)

Anyway, I fall solidly into the “whatever” camp. True, I’m opposed to a Superman-Diana make-out session for a couple of reasons, the obvious one being that Superman + Lois = OTP.* I’m also more of a fan of the Batman-Diana sexual tension they had going on in the Justice League animated series, if we have to give Diana a semi-love interest. But overall, I’m pretending the current JUSTICE LEAGUE doesn’t exist. I prefer the Wonder Woman who is starring in the Azzarello/Chiang series, and I dropped JL like a hot piece of crap aaaages ago. So DC can carry on with their bad selves and it doesn’t really affect me either way.

BUT.

I must voice my main objection to the Superman/Wonder Woman pairing, which is: what lazy fucking storytelling. I’m tired of DC going for shock value rather than taking any care in crafting their stories. This just feels like manufactured drama, made to draw people in and make up for the fact that the story isn’t actually that interesting (and it appears to be working, with people already offering up to $25 for the issue). This Superman/WW snogfest strikes me as being from the same lame toolbox as the “omg these powerful heroes are meeting for the first time let’s make them fight til they realize they’re on the same side!” thing which happened at the beginning of this JUSTICE LEAGUE reboot (and, to be fair, in the AVENGERS movie I loved so much). But it really doesn’t impress me at all as a creative decision. Sorry, DC.

Now, if JUSTICE LEAGUE #13 has Superman and Batman in a kissy embrace, maybe I’ll be interested. Tune in next month.

*One True Pairing

awesome new comic: Hawkeye

I am embarrassingly behind on my comics reading list, but I did manage to read the new HAWKEYE #1 the week it came out (aka, this week) and I am very glad that I did. I’ve started being more selective in my weekly subscriptions (peace out, BIRDS OF PREY, I tried I really did) and I am thrilled to have something so blisteringly good to add.

Written by Matt Fraction with art by David Aja and color by Matt Hollingsworth, HAWKEYE #1 is, according to the intro blurb, about “what [Hawkeye] does when he’s not being an Avenger.” Very matter-of-fact, and then oh joyous day we are not presented with an origin story. If you are one of the three people who didn’t see Avengers, the first few pages give you the all the “non-superpowered dude who shoots arrows” info you need to just jump in and enjoy the story, and we can just get on with the fun.

There’s a lot to like about this first issue, including the fact that it is both a standalone story and a good introduction to how the character will be played in this series. Hawkeye/Clint Barton is a normal man who just happens to be able to do extraordinary things, a man who—even when he’s living his “normal” life—can’t help but be extraordinary. This single issue tells us so much about Barton and what he holds important, with a plot that is both exciting but obviously one step down from whatever his “Avengers-level” adventures are.

The art is amazing, I love this not-realistic style. (Maybe this style has an actual name? I do not know. Someone tell me.) This is also one of those few comics where I, with my amateur’s eye, can SEE the impact of a good colorist, not just hear about it from various artists friends. The color is definitely part of the story here.

So, to sum up: excellent opener to what I hope will continue to be a great series. I’m excited to see what happens next, and I encourage you to jump on board if you’re looking for a good comic!

The Boston Comic Con Report

I spent most of this weekend at Boston Comic Com, my first ever con. It was basically amazing. I loved the energy, the costumes, the artists, the EVERYTHING.

me with Booster Gold and Skeets

I didn’t go to any panels (just not in the mood) but I talked to a lot of artists and fans. I love how at a con you don’t need a reason to talk to someone. Like, if you randomly start talking to a stranger on the bus about how he made his shoes, it’s a little weird, but not at a con! Here it’s one big happy family of geekery.

There weren’t tons of people dressed up, but people generally put a lot of effort into their costumes so they were all pretty fabulous. My favorites were when 2 or more people coordinated, and the best of these was the Flash’s Rogues Gallery (like 8 people). I unfortunately didn’t get a picture, but here is one someone else took. OMG IT WAS AMAZING for real.

Another con highlight was the young girl who was sitting in her father’s booth selling drawings of any superhero you liked for only $1—and you got a cup of cereal! Best deal of the con, frankly. I got a rather lovely Storm from her for my sketchbook.

The sketchbook was quite busy this weekend. I snagged a half-dozen sketches including a rather fabulous Cliff Chiang and the Maris Wicks you can see in this photo of my haul…

clockwise from Wonder Woman: signed Francis Manapul print; signed Michael Golden print; original Katie Cook watercolor (Jay Garrick Flash); signed Stephanie Buscema print (Batgirl); pile of $1 comics; original Kitty Pryde and Lockheed by Maris Wicks (among other sketchbook acquisitions); Flashbacca print by Ming Doyle.

One thing you might notice in that photo is that I have two sequential JLAs, 203 and 204. I randomly got 203 for $1 on Saturday because I like the Royal Flush Gang, but realized when I got home that it was Part 1 of a story arc. Sunday, I found 204/Part 2 in the $1 bins of a different vendor. CON MAGIC!

The one thing I really wanted but didn’t get was an original Francis Manapul. I adore his work, the Flash is among my favorite current comics, but the lines at his table were just too intimidating. So, I’m glad he kept busy, but I had to content myself with the quickly signed Wonder Woman print. Not that I’m complaining.

So overall, a fantastic first con experience. I can’t wait til next year!

Me + my fave Boba Fett. My head is really small in this picture for some reason.

 

a sunday decorating project

The big blank wall in my living room has been bugging me for some time, but I haven’t found the right piece of art to take up the space. Also, I’m not sure how I feel about buying a big piece for a wall that I might not have for very much longer. So I decided, instead, to fill up the space with a bunch of smaller items I already had, and today I finally went to Michaels to get the necessary hanging/framing implements.

So behold! My new living room wall, a mix of Mike Maihack prints and comic book covers:

The Maihack prints were like $5-10 each, the comic books were $2.99 each, and the frames were either $1.50 or $10 depending on size. Totally budget-conscious decorating! When I can get my hands on some more frames, I’ll probably add more comic books. I can also switch them out if I get bored.

Welcome to my living room!

And in case you’re curious, here’s the rundown L-R:

Batgirl/Supergirl cover by Maihack; Batgirl/Supergirl strip by Maihack; Flash #4 by Francis Manapul; Wonder Woman #2 by Cliff Chiang; Thor and Mjolnir by Maihack; Archie 3000 issue 2 by someone; and Batwoman #1 by JH Williams III.

Power Girl: to boob or not to boob?

Today DC Comics unveiled the new look for Power Girl, who will be starring with Huntress in WORLD’S FINEST.

Today DC also released the results from a recent survey they did to find out the demographics of their readership, but I don’t even want to touch that. Too depressing. Read about it on the Mary Sue if you’re interested.

But I am all about critiquing costumes, so let’s tackle Power Girl, shall we? First, the comparison. Old Power Girl:

And New Power Girl:

The main differences can be boiled down to: boobs, pants, color. Let’s start with the obvious.

new 52 shuffle

DC has announced the first DC 52 comics to be canceled:

BLACKHAWKS, HAWK AND DOVE, MEN OF WAR, MISTER TERRIFIC, O.M.A.C. and STATIC SHOCK, all of which will conclude with their eighth issues in April.

The only two of those I’ve read were two of the only books with black lead characters. (Two of only three in the new 52, according to CSBG.) One of them, Mister Terrific, let’s be honest was pretty dreadful. I’m not surprised. Static Shock was weak but I was holding out hope.

But apparently rather than make their minority-lead books better, DC is just canceling them. Guys, the black lead is not the reason the books didn’t sell. They didn’t sell because they were bad. So don’t go pulling these out as examples the next time you get blasted for the lack of diversity in your comics, because all this shows is that a poorly-written book doesn’t sell, which is probably for the best.

I am kind of excited by this, though:

DIAL H – Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco. The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.

mini book review: The Trial of the Flash

Just finished reading my first book of the new year, Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash. It covers a bunch of issues from 1983-85, when the Flash (Barry Allen) is on trial for murder.

We all know I love me some Flash, and overall I loved this (even though it wasn’t my boy Wally), but man were the Carmine Infantino layouts hard to follow sometimes. Like, headache-inducingly difficult.

And it’s not like a few issues in you could figure out the method behind the madness. No, Infantino would use the exact same panel layouts (usually involving diagonals) and expect you to read them in different directions on different pages with no indication as to which. I’d be halfway through a page or panel and realize I was reading things out of order. It got kind of frustrating, but I’m glad I persevered because the story rollicked right along. It was fantastical at times, and I’m not sure all the law checked out, but hey. I can deal with some over-the-top 80s-era stories and some Perry-Mason-esque legal squibbles if the story is great. Which it was.

Also, there’s one panel where Barry has a really nice butt. It was pretty exciting.

Yes, here at Gracetopia we cover the most important parts of a book in our reviews.

hope you didn’t think I was done talking comics

It’s been almost two months since I lasted posted on one of my favorite subject, comics. This is partially because I’ve been super busy and not posting much anyway, but I’ve also had the problem of being subscribed to more books than I actually have time to read. I took stock at one point and I think I was up to 14, mostly DC but a few Marvel and indie. So I’m weeks behind except on a few faves, and I really shouldn’t spend that much money on comics anyway, so I came to the conclusion that I needed to winnow down to 6 books.

Yikes.

So I started by looking at the list of books I’m subbed to and thinking about which ones I would miss the most. And… I got it narrowed down to 8. Plus 5 more.

Sigh. I’m bad at this game.

Definitely keeping:

• Archie Marries Veronica and/or Betty
• Batgirl
• Batwoman
• Blue Beetle
• The Flash
• Morning Glories
• Wolverine and the X-Men
• Wonder Woman

On notice but I’m not quite giving up yet: 

• Batman
• Birds of Prey
• Justice League International
• Static Shock
• Supergirl

Extras: 

• 4-issue miniseries Archie Meets Kiss. (b/c I mean really. Archie and Kiss.)
• The Intrepids (a series that seems to be ended, but I’m keeping my sub in case it starts up again)

So that didn’t accomplish much, since I’m still subscribed to 13 ongoing comics, plus 2 extras. But… well, I sorted them out? I know which ones are on the verge of getting the boot?

Ok, so yeah I accomplished nothing except making a list of what comics I’m reading. Anyone else reading these? Reading others I’m missing?

52 shakedown

So last month I was all over DC’s New 52, then this month happened and pfffft. I’ve been reading, just haven’t had time to post on any of the books. SO. I thought I’d do some 1-month-in reactions, now that I’ve read #2 in most of the series and started figuring out what I’m dropping and keeping and loving and tolerating.

It’s a lot of books, so there won’t be a lot of words on each one. I’m going to do them alphabetically I guess, but if you want to just skip to what I think is the best book of the New 52, you’ll find it under W.

After the jump…