Aquaman Guest Stars in Monty

This made me chuckle.

Posted this on DC's Facebook Page

They said they were reading feedback, positive and negative and appreciated everyone's passion and hoped we'd be reading the new 52 in Sept. So I posted this:

There are precious few DC comics I'll be reading come Sept. I'll give the ones that aren't characters I know and love and don't want to see retconned a try: Batwoman, Voodoo, and Grifter. I might try something else, too. Not sure yet. But everything I love about the DCU will be gone. Better to have started the whole thing from scratch than take the characters I love and destroy them this way. Sticking Roy Harper with a character I detest (Jason Todd) is no way to make up for killing his daughter. Taking the Batman cape and cowl away from Dick Grayson is a step backward. I've read him as Nightwing. I'm past that now. I want to read his adventures as Batman. So, I'll go from reading 30 or so DC books a month to 3-5. Somehow, I figure that'll just be a drop in the bucket of DC's profits. And I'm sad that after reading DC Comics for 50 plus years, starting when so few girls like me read superhero comics, I'm no longer a reader DC wants.

The End of the Super Marriage is Big News

The NY Daily News had something to say about Superman in the DCnU. Just reading the two pages that have been circulating all over the comics blogosphere today, I've got to say: I can't go through this again. I've read Clark as dweeb for so many years, decades, even. And while I don't read all the Superman books, I was thrilled that good guy Clark finally got the woman of his dreams. I really don't want to read all that angst until he wins her over, again.

I get that it's new to a lot of people. I get that the younger writers are itching to write it. Don't mean I gotta read it. And I won't.

Counting Down to DCnU

Just two more months of the old DCU. And here are reviews of 3 books I'll miss more than I can say.

Detective 879 is everything a good Bat comic and a good comic should be. The focus is on Commissioner Gordon and his son James. The back-and-forth storytelling that alternates between goings-on with the Joker's latest escape scheme and Jim trying to figure out what his son is up to is masterful, and next issues climax promises to be great. Scott Snyder is the perfect writer for this book and Francesco Francavilla's art has been the perfect complement to the writing. Kudos all around. This team deserves a longer run on this book, with these characters, Dick as Batman, and the DCU as is.

Batgirl 23 is another book that epitomizes the best of comics, especially for folks young and old who like their comics to be fun as well as full of chills and thrills. Steph gets a little help from powerful friends and that last panel promises the next and last issue will be a fitting end to this incredible ride we've been on.

Geez, I feel like I'm at a never ending wake. Birds of Prey 14, however, is less than the perfection it is in Gail Simone's hands and most any other artist who's worked on the book. The story, featuring Zinda, the original Phantom Lady, and Black Canary, is ably being written by Marc Andreyko who has a proven track record with female characters, especially the current Manhunter. It's too bad the art isn't up to par. After a lovely cover by Billy Tucci, we get into the story, which has its roots in the past. The flashback scenes are fairly nicely drawn, but the present-day scenes just make the women look ugly. Based on Tucci doing the cover, I'm guessing he did the flashbacks and Adriana Melo, credited as the second penciller, must have done the current scenes. I'm not familiar enough with either's work to know for sure. And to confuse things, the first page is a rather nice full page panel with the gals looking fairly nice, but as soon as you turn the page, things take a nasty turn with pinched faces that make them all look like they're wearing ancient girdles that are too tight. I hated that Gail wasn't bringing the book to a close, herself, but was fine with Andreyko doing the writing. I just wanted it to be nice to look at, too.

October in the DCnU

I didn't think the DCnU could get worse after the big announcement of the 52 #1 books, but I was wrong. The solicits for October make me even less enthused. Aside from some of the descriptions saying nothing of any note, between the non-costume Kory is wearing, the unusual tattoo Roy is sporting (doesn't looking Native American to me), and the second issue of Catwoman sounding even more soap opera-ish than the first, I really don't see myself reading more than Batwoman and perhaps one or two others. DC might be jumping a herd of sharks with this reboot.

Meanwhile, Secret Six 35 rocked, as usual. Bane wants to take the offensive and go after the people important to Batman. This cannot end well, but the sad fact is, that after the next issue, it does end. Damn.

Mera in Plastic

Mera

I got only 2 comics today -- Secret Six 35, which I'll review later, and Batman and Robin 25, of which the less that's said the better -- and the above action figure of Mera. The other new figures were fine, but I'm being selective. I've got the Red Lantern Mera, so I thought I should have this one, too. Here they are together.

Mera and Mera

I forgot to include Red Lantern Mera's trident in the photo. Oops. Anyway, they're long and hard to fit into the frame, so 2 would've been problematic. There's a slight, flat section on Mera's chest, in the same place as Red Lantern Mera has her logo. They had to redo the head, so even with using the same basic body mold, couldn't they fix that one spot? It's a bit weird. Otherwise, she's lovely, though I wish her hands would turn, on both figs, so I could better pose her holding the trident. I've always been a fan of Mera, so it's nice having these figures of her.

Hard to Keep Up Enthusiasm

Knowing I'm reading the last few issues of my favorite comics is making it hard for me to stay enthused. But now that it's July, I've got just 2 more issues to look forward to for darned near every DC title I read and y'know... that just plain sucks. At least, most seem to be going out with a bang and I'll be able to look back, and reread, and know they were fine entertainment.

Here are two of the comics I won't be reading or able to read come September.

Detective 878
Dick gets out of a jam with sharks, then figures out the bit of a puzzle that's been eluding him. But more intriguing is the side story that will be coming to the fore featuring Commissioner Gordon's son. I suppose this story could be told with Bruce as Batman. I suppose it could even be told as a Nightwing story. But I can't see either option being better than the story as written for Dick/Batman. Scott Snyder owns this book and Jock's art has set the bar so high, I don't know if anyone could ever do as much justice to Batman regardless of who is under the cowl.

Gotham City Sirens 24
I'm not sure what they'll end this. The solicits for July and August aren't particularly informative, but this issue sure marks a change in direction with Harley going back to the dark side. Selina rocked in this issue. She's become one of DC's better female characters, so complex, her morals ambiguous and yet, she usually does the right thing. What she sounds like in the upcoming DCnU just makes me want to cry. "Addicted to Batman"? Sheesh. Bruce and Selina love each other, plain and simple, but the way things stand, they can't be together unless Selina steps out of the shadows of ambiguity and she can't do that and remain true to herself. It's that dynamic that makes for such powerful scenes between them.

Have I mentioned lately how much I despise the DCnU?