So, anyone else read comics in public yesterday?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Read Comics in Public Day
So, anyone else read comics in public yesterday?
Friday, August 20, 2010
Publicly Reading
Oh. My. August 28 is Read Comics in Public Day. Who knew? I certainly didn't. I have enough trouble keeping track of Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is September 19, if you've forgotten, don't know, and even if you don't care.
Of course, I already engage in once a week public comics reading, on the subway on the way home on Wednesdays when I read the comics I can't wait until I get home to read. But this sounds like a "bring comics to work and read in the park on my lunch hour if it's not raining" day, because as luck would have it, I'm scheduled to work that day.
Meanwhile, I read 2 comics on the way home this past Wednesday: Supergirl 55, which I liked a lot, and Power Girl 15, which I liked not as much.
I could've called this post "A Tale of Two Karas." I find it interesting how both Kara books so often come out the same week. Bizarro SG is the more fun Bizarro, and her solidify vision still makes little sense, but it was better than it appeared last issue. A fun read.
Then there's Power Girl. In his first issues, Winick was doing a decent job, and while I didn't like Kara losing her company, it worked in well with the previous arc, so I was okay with it. But this issue, I think Judd lost his grip of the plot. Or his sanity. We suddenly find out one of her staff is a hacker with a history that includes snitching after he was busted for identity theft, which doesn't upset or contradict the previous years' worth of story, but still, seemed to come out of left field. But I was okay with it. Until the end where Nick tells Karen that he's figured out she's Power Girl. Not that that would've been hard to do, given how inane her alibis and excuses have been, especially with "Karen" calling him to help PG. If this was supposed to be a plot twist, it fell flat for me, because I considered Nick a pretty smart guy, so if he hadn't figured it out by the last page, that would've been the plot twist, making him the stupidest hacker of all. Because, really, if you can't see what's so obvious. Which I also didn't like, because this Kara is a very smart woman and she really isn't so stupid as to think he wouldn't or couldn't figure it out. But maybe the surprise was that he bothered to confront her.
The writing on the book is okay, but not as good as the previous writers. Which means, for me, that the art needs to pick up the writing to keep me reading and well... Basri is a nice artist. Kara looks pretty good, she doesn't seem overly sexualized, the action is done well, and yet, coming after Amanda Connor's work, there doesn't seem to be much emotion here. A lack of soul, for want of a better word. The lack of detailed backgrounds, and in some panels, no backgrounds, helps the art look flat in many panels. Coupled with a story I don't much are about, this is not a book I'm loving right now. I'll let this arc play out, and then I'll decide if I'll keep reading.
Of course, I already engage in once a week public comics reading, on the subway on the way home on Wednesdays when I read the comics I can't wait until I get home to read. But this sounds like a "bring comics to work and read in the park on my lunch hour if it's not raining" day, because as luck would have it, I'm scheduled to work that day.
Meanwhile, I read 2 comics on the way home this past Wednesday: Supergirl 55, which I liked a lot, and Power Girl 15, which I liked not as much.
I could've called this post "A Tale of Two Karas." I find it interesting how both Kara books so often come out the same week. Bizarro SG is the more fun Bizarro, and her solidify vision still makes little sense, but it was better than it appeared last issue. A fun read.
Then there's Power Girl. In his first issues, Winick was doing a decent job, and while I didn't like Kara losing her company, it worked in well with the previous arc, so I was okay with it. But this issue, I think Judd lost his grip of the plot. Or his sanity. We suddenly find out one of her staff is a hacker with a history that includes snitching after he was busted for identity theft, which doesn't upset or contradict the previous years' worth of story, but still, seemed to come out of left field. But I was okay with it. Until the end where Nick tells Karen that he's figured out she's Power Girl. Not that that would've been hard to do, given how inane her alibis and excuses have been, especially with "Karen" calling him to help PG. If this was supposed to be a plot twist, it fell flat for me, because I considered Nick a pretty smart guy, so if he hadn't figured it out by the last page, that would've been the plot twist, making him the stupidest hacker of all. Because, really, if you can't see what's so obvious. Which I also didn't like, because this Kara is a very smart woman and she really isn't so stupid as to think he wouldn't or couldn't figure it out. But maybe the surprise was that he bothered to confront her.
The writing on the book is okay, but not as good as the previous writers. Which means, for me, that the art needs to pick up the writing to keep me reading and well... Basri is a nice artist. Kara looks pretty good, she doesn't seem overly sexualized, the action is done well, and yet, coming after Amanda Connor's work, there doesn't seem to be much emotion here. A lack of soul, for want of a better word. The lack of detailed backgrounds, and in some panels, no backgrounds, helps the art look flat in many panels. Coupled with a story I don't much are about, this is not a book I'm loving right now. I'll let this arc play out, and then I'll decide if I'll keep reading.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
A Comics Pioneer and Some Reviews
How did I not know about this amazing woman? I've been catching up on my Newsweeks and found this article about artist Lily Renee Phillips. She's led an incredible life, escaping to London from Nazi Germany when she was 14, then years later, being reunited with her parents, who also managed to get out of Germany, in New York. She worked in the '40s at Fiction House. having answered a newspaper ad for an artist. The examples of her art are wonderful. I'm sure I've seen these and another examples, but never realized a woman had drawn them.
Batgirl 13 had my least favorite cover of the series so far, but the story, featuring Clayface, was fun. I like how Wendy Harris as Proxy is fitting in and I appreciated the reference to Babs being on "Birds-related business." Continuity is a good thing, and so is remembering characters appear in more than one book.
Birds of Prey 4
This sorta concludes the first arc while setting up the next one, which is really a continuation of the first arc. The identity of the White Canary makes sense and fit in nicely, and I like how the story broke into three sections that paralleled each other, matching the danger and tension: Babs with Savant and Creote, Dinah battling White Canary, and Zinda and Helena dealing with the Penguin. The fill-in pages of art made the sections with Babs look just weird (and what's up with those big, pouty lips?). I also appreciated White Canary naming Roy Harper among Dinah's loved ones she planned to kill. But my favorite part: Babs telling Savant (about Creote): "Don't you know anything? He loves you, you idiot. He loves you." Ah, sweet romance. :)
And then I bought and skimmed something I swore I'd have nothing to do with: Titans 26. Roy was in it. Roy Harper, who I decided was dead to me. I had to peek. I haven't been reading this and I skipped all the pages that didn't have Roy in them, so I have no idea what's going on, nor do I care, but the continuation of the tension between Roy and Cheshire was okay, though I did not like the implication that Roy was on drugs, again and still. But he and Cheshire are up to something, so I'm curious. Damn it. And damn me for not being able to look away.
Batgirl 13 had my least favorite cover of the series so far, but the story, featuring Clayface, was fun. I like how Wendy Harris as Proxy is fitting in and I appreciated the reference to Babs being on "Birds-related business." Continuity is a good thing, and so is remembering characters appear in more than one book.
Birds of Prey 4
This sorta concludes the first arc while setting up the next one, which is really a continuation of the first arc. The identity of the White Canary makes sense and fit in nicely, and I like how the story broke into three sections that paralleled each other, matching the danger and tension: Babs with Savant and Creote, Dinah battling White Canary, and Zinda and Helena dealing with the Penguin. The fill-in pages of art made the sections with Babs look just weird (and what's up with those big, pouty lips?). I also appreciated White Canary naming Roy Harper among Dinah's loved ones she planned to kill. But my favorite part: Babs telling Savant (about Creote): "Don't you know anything? He loves you, you idiot. He loves you." Ah, sweet romance. :)
And then I bought and skimmed something I swore I'd have nothing to do with: Titans 26. Roy was in it. Roy Harper, who I decided was dead to me. I had to peek. I haven't been reading this and I skipped all the pages that didn't have Roy in them, so I have no idea what's going on, nor do I care, but the continuation of the tension between Roy and Cheshire was okay, though I did not like the implication that Roy was on drugs, again and still. But he and Cheshire are up to something, so I'm curious. Damn it. And damn me for not being able to look away.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Stephanie Has Arrived
And isn't she lovely?
The original Batgirl is looking on from the background. :)
Only picked up 2 comics this week. Haven't read Brightest Day yet, but Secret Six 24 was entertaining, if a bit odd, with a wild west setting and the gang all getting killed. With the one-off last week, I'm a bit confused, wondering if this is also a standalone story by Gail, or if it's the start of something. I guess we'll find out next time. Maybe. :)
The original Batgirl is looking on from the background. :)
Only picked up 2 comics this week. Haven't read Brightest Day yet, but Secret Six 24 was entertaining, if a bit odd, with a wild west setting and the gang all getting killed. With the one-off last week, I'm a bit confused, wondering if this is also a standalone story by Gail, or if it's the start of something. I guess we'll find out next time. Maybe. :)
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Overdue Reviews
I meant to get these up a day or so ago, but wasn't feeling well. And now I've gotten deeply into reading an actual book that might slow down my comic reading even more than usual. I'm abut 160 pages into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and despite a slow start and plodding writing style, which might be a function of the translation, it's quite engrossing.
On to the comics....
Power Girl 13 and 14
Nice cover on 13, although I'd prefer to see her soaring upward. Sami Basri's art is a nice transition from Amanda Connor's, but lacks the full range of facial expressions that's Connor's specialty. The cover of 14 is nice, too. So far, the good Winick seems to be writing the book. Karen's company is now bankrupt thanks to a thieving Head of Finance. Obviously a plot device to 1) provide some personal life angst for PG and 2) to possibly minimize the use of her company or eliminate it completely as an element in her life, it nonetheless is used fairly effectively to keep her off-balance while she deals with more typical superhero goings-on. I'm reserving judgment on the new team until the first arc is completed, but I'm heartened that so far, it doesn't suck.
Supergirl 54
Jimmy Olson takes center stage for a fair amount of this issue, which surprisingly to me, was a good thing. I've never much liked Jimmy, but he's used well here, getting himself captured by the Bizzaro Supergirl. The art by Igle and Sibal is especially nice, with some wonderfully expressive faces. I'm not sure why the opposite of being able seeing through someone would be to make someone solid, but that's a minor quibble and I look forward to seeing how Kara is desolidified in the next issue.
Batgirl 12
And thus ends the first year of this remarkable book. Remarkable in the sense that I've enjoyed it so much. I hadn't really read much about Steph til the storyline in which she'd been supposedly killed and didn't have an opinion about her one way or the other. But curiosity, a love for the Batgirl identity, and the face that Babs would be in the book got me to read it and I've been rewarded by a thoroughly entertaining book with nice art, engaging characters, and well-written stories, with the drama broken up by light moments and a marvelously self-aware narrator in Steph. The use of Wendy, Calculator's daughter, in the book has been great and I'm happy to see her becoming part of Oracle's team. I hope Gail works Wendy into the Birds of Prey book sometimes, for continuity and to see what she would do with the character. Some coordination between the two books would be much appreciated.
Speaking of Gail Simone...
Birds of Prey 3 continues to deliver the goods. The plot thickens, with a typical Gail Simone plot twist. Savant and Creote are the baddies with the goods on Babs, reports of their deaths not only greatly exaggerated but designed to throw Babs off the scent until they could nab her. But the assassin's identity is still a mystery, but the possibility of a suddenly aged Sin is possible. Or someone else from that time Dinah spent perfecting her skills when she met Sin. As for the Penguin, it looks like he's orchestrating some if not all the plot. Or is it someone else yet to be seen? Gail feeds out the clues slowly and it's hard to know for sure if one is guessing correctly. She's one of the best when it comes to building suspense.
Streets of Gotham 13
The Carpenter is a fun antagonist -- I can't bring myself to call her a villain -- but it's the Manhunter story that keeps me reading this book. Ramsey is quite a kid and Kate's got one of the best families/supporting casts you can find in comics, with each quirkier than the other. A nice end to the story and Dick Grayson inviting Kate to dinner at the end was an intriguing development I hope is explored.
Green Arrow 1
I have no idea where this book is going and I hate hate hate the state of the Arrow family right now, with Roy pretty much dead to me and Dinah and Ollie split up. That said, J.T. Krul is writing an intriguing story that ties into Brightest Day (or so says the banner on the cover) and with Green Lantern showing up, this could turn out to be an entertaining book.
On to the comics....
Power Girl 13 and 14
Nice cover on 13, although I'd prefer to see her soaring upward. Sami Basri's art is a nice transition from Amanda Connor's, but lacks the full range of facial expressions that's Connor's specialty. The cover of 14 is nice, too. So far, the good Winick seems to be writing the book. Karen's company is now bankrupt thanks to a thieving Head of Finance. Obviously a plot device to 1) provide some personal life angst for PG and 2) to possibly minimize the use of her company or eliminate it completely as an element in her life, it nonetheless is used fairly effectively to keep her off-balance while she deals with more typical superhero goings-on. I'm reserving judgment on the new team until the first arc is completed, but I'm heartened that so far, it doesn't suck.
Supergirl 54
Jimmy Olson takes center stage for a fair amount of this issue, which surprisingly to me, was a good thing. I've never much liked Jimmy, but he's used well here, getting himself captured by the Bizzaro Supergirl. The art by Igle and Sibal is especially nice, with some wonderfully expressive faces. I'm not sure why the opposite of being able seeing through someone would be to make someone solid, but that's a minor quibble and I look forward to seeing how Kara is desolidified in the next issue.
Batgirl 12
And thus ends the first year of this remarkable book. Remarkable in the sense that I've enjoyed it so much. I hadn't really read much about Steph til the storyline in which she'd been supposedly killed and didn't have an opinion about her one way or the other. But curiosity, a love for the Batgirl identity, and the face that Babs would be in the book got me to read it and I've been rewarded by a thoroughly entertaining book with nice art, engaging characters, and well-written stories, with the drama broken up by light moments and a marvelously self-aware narrator in Steph. The use of Wendy, Calculator's daughter, in the book has been great and I'm happy to see her becoming part of Oracle's team. I hope Gail works Wendy into the Birds of Prey book sometimes, for continuity and to see what she would do with the character. Some coordination between the two books would be much appreciated.
Speaking of Gail Simone...
Birds of Prey 3 continues to deliver the goods. The plot thickens, with a typical Gail Simone plot twist. Savant and Creote are the baddies with the goods on Babs, reports of their deaths not only greatly exaggerated but designed to throw Babs off the scent until they could nab her. But the assassin's identity is still a mystery, but the possibility of a suddenly aged Sin is possible. Or someone else from that time Dinah spent perfecting her skills when she met Sin. As for the Penguin, it looks like he's orchestrating some if not all the plot. Or is it someone else yet to be seen? Gail feeds out the clues slowly and it's hard to know for sure if one is guessing correctly. She's one of the best when it comes to building suspense.
Streets of Gotham 13
The Carpenter is a fun antagonist -- I can't bring myself to call her a villain -- but it's the Manhunter story that keeps me reading this book. Ramsey is quite a kid and Kate's got one of the best families/supporting casts you can find in comics, with each quirkier than the other. A nice end to the story and Dick Grayson inviting Kate to dinner at the end was an intriguing development I hope is explored.
Green Arrow 1
I have no idea where this book is going and I hate hate hate the state of the Arrow family right now, with Roy pretty much dead to me and Dinah and Ollie split up. That said, J.T. Krul is writing an intriguing story that ties into Brightest Day (or so says the banner on the cover) and with Green Lantern showing up, this could turn out to be an entertaining book.
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