Random Bits

Now, I've never been a member of the Michael Turner can't draw humans bandwagon, even if many of his females look anorexic, but I've got to say that this cover for JLA 10 that Brad Meltzer is showing off on his MySpace really gave me a WTF? moment. I mean, is it really possible to push so much mammory gland tissue through an opening in a spandex top so as to form an actual, physical shelf Power Girl could probably use as a tray? Her boobs keep getting bigger and bigger like this, I'm gonna suspect tumors. I'd hate to be her when she has to get a mammogram. Oh, right. She's super and probably can't get cancer, so it's not an issue. sheesh. The thing that really bugs me is that she wasn't created with such huge breasts. Nice and full, but not abnormal like these things.

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Spoilerage. So much has been said all over the comics blogosphere about spoilers in wake of the Captain America death (is there anyone who hasn't seen the news?) that, despite never having read any comic that included him, I have to say there was some good that came out of the controversy. I now know the Cap's name was Steve Rogers. More seriously, I've thought about this and while I hate having things spoiled for me, unless I seek out the spoilers, I think there are degrees of spoilerage. I will now outline mine.

Not for me:

• Spoilers that hit you in the face before you even know they're coming. Hey, give me a warning so I can avoid the thing if I want. It's hard when it's in the newspapers and on the local newscasts, along with blog and website headlines.
  
• Revealing reviews without spoiler space. Pretty much making sure I'll never read your blog again, eh?
  

Okay by me:

• Covers that reveal too much. Recent examples include Ted "Blue Beetle" Kord on Manhunter and Supernova revealed as the supposedly dead Booster Gold on 52. For the first, we now know it was misdirection and not Ted at all, making it a neat bit of gotcha. In the second, it might've given away the secret, but there was still, for me, the whole, huh? how? why? really? questions going on, so I had to read the story to get the answers. Yeah, I missed the clues. I'm middle-aged, easily distracted, and forgetful. So sue me (an expression we "geezers" still use).
• Reviews with ample spoiler space. Cool. I haven't read the book yet, seen the movie, whatever. I'll come back when I do to see if we agree.
• Teasers. This refers to the tidbits Don DiDio has been handing out at cons and the posters that are now ads in DC's comics for the upcoming Countdown. I think they're fun, especially the clues being dropped nearly everywhere, including the books. It's fun to try to figure out what's going on, especially when I'm so lame at figuring out these things. Like, take 52, for instance. it supposedly means something. Now, I've pretty much figured it simply referred to the 52 weeks of the missing year between the pre-52 situation and the OYL titles. So I didn't pay all that much attention to anything that might remotely be a clue to something more. I was simply enjoying the story. Silly me.
  

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Fill-in issues are, well, fill-in issues. Will Pfeifer is a good writer and he writes credible, strong female characters, including Catwoman, but it seems even he can't make a fill-in any more than a fill-in. Sure, Wonder Woman 5 is a nice story about female empowerment, which given the lateness of the Wonder Woman comics the last few months, landed it directly in Women's History Month. But Wonder Woman is a larger than life character, from the gods, one of the big three, so the story seemed kinda ordinary. And given the first story hasn't yet been completed, it seems out of place, too. Just can't disguise a story that was stuck into a tight spot like that, but kudos to Pfeifer for producing something readable, and even moving, even if the excuse to get Diana to the shelter was seriously lame.

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There are thousands upon thousands of names in the world, so why are there so many Kates / Katherines / Katarinas / etc. in the DCU? For that matter, we had Jade as the codename for a superhero and the real name of Cheshire. We've got Cassandra Cain and Cassie/Wonder Girl. I'm sure there are others. I think they repeat names just to confuse me.