Big News from DC

So, after Convergence, which I won't be reading, DC will be redoing their entire line again, continuing some comics and starting a bunch of new ones. No longer to be called the New 52, though continuing with that reality, while diversifying and expanding their approach to characters and storytelling. And that sounds great. I just don't know what to make of it, or what I'll want to read.

I'll continue with Harley Quinn, and read Palmiotti and Conner's Harley/Power Girl mini series. And I'll stick with the fun Gotham Academy. But I'm not sure what else I'll try. The new Black Canary might be worth looking at; ditto Starfire. But Red Hood/Arsenal? I was enjoying seeing Roy with Kori, but she, apparently, will no longer be in the book with him, so does that mean they break up? Or are these completely different versions of these characters? I might try the first issue, but really, I'm getting tired of revamps. I can put up with that in the Marvel 'verse because I haven't been reading about those characters for 50 plus years. With DC, I have.

But I do applaud DC for changing their approach. I think at this point, a comic book publisher needs to be looser and more flexible, able to mix things up as readership and society changes, keeping current. This approach is designed to appeal to more women and to younger readers as well as we older folks. So, we'll see how it works out for them. But for me, Image has become my favorite comics publisher and that isn't likely to change any time soon.

Multi Multiverses

I'm still a bit stunned that the book I didn't want to even look at a year ago is the one DC book I can't wait to read. Yup. Red Hood and the Outlaws. And in trying to wrap my brain around that bizarre concept, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the DCU and the DCnU and that led me to thinking about the multiverse and its place at the center of all things DC.

One idea jumped out at me: Just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Which led to the idea that there are multiple multiverses. When the multiverse collapsed after the first Crisis, that meant a new universe was created that was what a collapsed multiverse would look like, characters from Earths 1 and 2 mixed together, giving us an older Dinah Drake Lance who was Dinah Laurel Lance's mother, and so on. When the multiverse was reborn, the reality shifted for those characters in that relatively new universe. But the original, the one where Kara Jor-El and Barry Allen didn't die in a Crisis still existed.

Using that concept, we can assume any universe we like is still out there. For me, that means a universe continuing on from Flashpoint, where Flashpoint righted some wrongs. In that universe, Ralph and Sue are enjoying life and never died. Ted Kord is alive and happy letting Jaime Reyes be Blue Beetle while he concentrates on his company. Booster and Rip are still fixing attempts to screw up time, while Roy Harper has given up on being Red Arrow, preferring to be Arsenal so he can be his own man. He's operating solo now, having quit the JLA, and is raising Lian, working odd jobs, and fighting crime. Steph is Batgirl, Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne are both donning the Batman cape and cowl, and Babs is Oracle.

And the new 52? That's the multiverse that came into existence as a byproduct of Flashpoint, with a new Earth 1 and a new Earth 2.

Now we all can imagine our perfect universe is out there. What does your favorite universe look like?

Dick Grayson Gets No Respect

Picked up this week's comics, vented at manager a bit about DC's upcoming reboot, we'll purge my pull list in September and start over. He said he was thinking about putting together a "If you like X, you might like Y" list for DC titles for folks like me looking for something else to read other than mainstream DC. I told him I'll buy more toys there with the money I won't be spending on comics.

Still trying to wrap my mind around this whole mess, especially when related to my favorite characters.

Babs/Oracle has probably been the most blogged about. I've lost track of most of the posts, but, many folks feel as I do, that losing Babs as Oracle and getting her out of the chair means DC loses something special. There was a Batgirl before Babs -- Betty Kane -- and when Babs became Batgirl, I didn't know why Betty couldn't have been given a better, bigger role, but Babs won me over. I liked that she was a librarian, which I became! But I think Steph Brown is my favorite Batgirl. But there's only one Oracle and Babs created that persona. She earned that special place in the DCU and come September, that will be gone.

But Babs isn't the only one being forced into a younger, less developed state. Think about poor Dick Grayson. With the character assassination done to poor Roy Harper (the only good from the reboot is that the damage done to Roy the last year or so will be undone, it seems, though I probably won't like what he'll be, either, in the new DCU), I refocused my comics character lust to Dick Grayson who'd been forced to play second to Roy in my heart. It's been clear for years that the PTB at DC don't like him. But finally, with Bruce supposedly dead, he got to become Batman, keeping the cowl warm til Bruce's return. And here's the thing...

If Dick had stayed Nightwing, I would be okay about him being Nightwing again in the reboot.
If Bruce had returned and Dick went back to being Nightwing, I would be okay about him being Nightwing again in the reboot.
But he did become Batman and Bruce did come back and let him stay on as Batman and coming up with the Batman Inc concept so there could be more than one Batman. Dick earned that cowl and he deserves to keep them.

So, two scenarios come to mind in the reboot: Dick goes back to being Nightwing, still a mature man in his 20s, very experienced, whether or not he's ever been Batman, and I'll get to read new Nightwing stories...
Or... Dick is Nightwing, having recently given up being Robin, and I'll have to read all over again about Dick finding his way on his own as this new hero called Nightwing. Sorry. Been there, done and read that. I want to read about a hero leaving his mentor and going out on his own, gaining experience, yadda yadda yadda, I'll find another character to read about.

The second option sucks. The first isn't much better because I preferred reading about Dick as Batman, mentoring Damian, than reading about Nightwing, a solitary hero with a mostly screwed up personal life because he keeps neglecting it to be a hero.

My LCS has a 5 title minimum for a pull list. So far, I've got:
The Lone Ranger
Zorro
Criminal
The Spirit (if it continues)
Doc Savage (if it continues)
Batwoman (because she's still new enough to the DCU to not be much affected by the reboot, I think/I hope)
At least, I've got the minimum covered, but a few extras, just in case, would be a good idea.

As for today's haul...
Nice ending on the BoP story (Birds of Prey 13), with a cameo appearance by Catman. I was happy to have something to read that isn't part of Flashpoint. Yet.

Batman and Robin 24 indicates this title will go out with a whimper, what with Jason Todd taking over, relegating Dick and Damian to guest roles in their own book. Have I mentioned how much I detest Jason? The main reason I don't want to read the coming title with Roy in it? Yeah, I figured I had.

Booster Gold 45 continues the Flashpoint storyline, which I've completely lost interest in now that the reboot's been announced. I guess this was okay. I felt pretty meh about it.

Oracle vs Batgirl

Comments on this post over at Has Boobs, Reads Comics led to these comments of mine, long enough to warrant a post here methinks:

I'm heartsick about many of the changes, including Dick becoming Nightwing again, but this has me besides myself. I work with blind and visually impaired people and others who can't read standard print, including quadriplegics. I know how powerful a symbol and role model Babs as Oracle is and I know how so many people don't just get to start over or leave that wheelchair behind. I hate that DC is going backward. Just. Hate. It.

And then:

I'm not defining Oracle by her disability. I think people need role models and she's one of the very few who are positive role models for disabled people. She's a shining example of overcoming adversity and doing something special with her life, even more than when she was Batgirl. I don't want her to be a BatGIRL. I want her to be what she's been: a fully realized awesome WOMAN who has played a vital role for the DC Superhero community. Anyone can be Batgirl; after all, there have been others besides Babs (the first one I knew was Betty Kane) and Steph Brown has filled the role admirably and capably and her costume is awesome! In fact, the current Batgirl is one of the most fun comics DC publishes. And Babs, as Oracle, has been the amazing anchor of Birds of Prey. Why anyone wants to go backward from that is beyond me. Well beyond me.

Finally, Barbara Gordon has been many things over the decades: librarian, congresswoman, Batgirl, Oracle, daughter of Commissioner Gordon, girlfriend of Dick Grayson, friend to Black Canary and Huntress and Zinda, mentor to many young female characters from Misfit and Cass Cain to Stephanie Brown and Wendy/Proxy. Babs in her personal life and as Oracle has touched the lives of most of the characters in the DCU. No Batgirl has ever been able to say that. Batgirl is just another costumed crimefighter. Oracle has been so much more. That's what DC is giving up and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Bat Books

No. Just. No.

Not gonna be reading the new Bat books, except Batwoman, unless it relies too much on the new Bat order of things and starts to annoy me, and possibly Catwoman, unless it makes Selina too much of a villain and then, no to that, too.

I wasn't reading Batman and Detective until Dick became Batman and now I have no reason to continue with them. Nor do I care to read about Bruce and Damian as Batman and Robin. That's father and son more than mentor and mentee. I love reading the Dick and Damian team and I will treasure their wonderful run, but I can't go backward. For that reason, I can't bring myself to read Dick as Nightwing once more and that costume! Ugh. The red on the black just looks ridiculous.

Red Hood and the Outlaws sounds even worse. I never liked Jason Todd. Never. I'm one of the readers who voted for the Joker to blow him up. To have Roy teamed with him and Kory? No. Just. No. I don't care that he's got his arm back. I don't care that that cover is pretty. I'm sure he won't have a daughter, but even if Lian is there, this is just wrong. Roy and Jason? I'd read it only if Roy can beat the shit out of Jason every issue. That would be worth the price. However, this makes me feel ill:

Jason Todd finds himself as a leader of a team of antiheroes – including "Green Arrow's rejected sidekick Arsenal and Starfire, a former prisoner of intergalactic war."

Ollie rejected Roy? Ignored him, yes. Tossed him out when he caught him shooting up? Yes. But rejected him? Give me an f'in break. We've finally gotten to the point where Roy and Ollie had reconciled, never mind that crap after Lian was killed. And I don't like Roy called an anti-hero. He was always a hero. A very flawed, very human hero, but a hero none the less.

I think I need to rest and eat some chocolate before I have a fit.

So, I pose a question, to anyone who still reads this blog: Given how infrequently I post while reading 15-20 books a month, and how fewer posts I'll be putting up here when I'm reading 5-10 titles per month, will anyone stick around and keep reading this humble blog?

My Comment on this DC Universe The Source Post

Because comments are closed there, I'm commenting here, and virtually sticking my tongue out at them, so there. Yeah, I can be mature when I want to be. ;)

They say they hate secrets. Well, I hate having to start over again at age 58. Seriously. I've been reading DC Comics since I was 7. That's over half a century, people. I've been through reboots. I adjusted. Of course, there was my boycott in the '80s after the original Supergirl died in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, not that DC noticed. And I'm sure they won't notice when my pull list of DC titles shrinks come September. Because I'm pretty sure it will.

Here's where they're at:

"Yesterday was just the beginning. After all, we don’t want to spoil the many surprises we have up our sleeves. It’s so important to us to make sure you maintain those feelings of excitement and unexpectedness when you pick up a new issue of our books."

And here's where I'm at: I like being surprised. Truly. But I also like familiar and comfortable. Reading about characters I know and love in surprising and entertaining stories is what I want from DC. Reading about interesting and exciting new characters and new versions of older characters who are truly new, is what I want. Jaime Reyes and the new Blue Beetle and Ryan Choi as the new Atom. Seeing characters grow and mature into new roles, such as Dick Grayson becoming Batman and Wally West becoming the Flash.

I didn't even mind when Bruce came back because Dick has still been Batman, just one of a few now. And Barry being back is okay as long as Wally can continue as the Flash. But if come September, reading DC comics will feel like reading an alternate universe version of the characters I've come to know and love, well, I'm not sure that's what I want.

I'm just getting too old for this crap. I put up with the big events even if they fizzled somewhat after 52, which was, IMO, the best of the bunch. Even Brightest Day, with its wonderful art and nice start, fizzled in some of the storylines and restoring a status quo of sorts, with the newly undead mostly being dead again, save for Swamp Thing, which was a nice surprise, but really, did we need to drag this out for a year?!

So forgive me for my lack of enthusiasm. But then, I'm not the right demographic, anyway, am I?

DCU Reboot

The comics blogosphere has been buzzing about this news from DC that it's rebooting, sorta, its comics, with 52 number ones coming out in September. I really don't know what I think about it.

On one hand, it conveys some of the excitement that One Year Later had, with the suspense of not knowing what will be changed and what won't. On the other hand, I read comics about characters I enjoy. If those characters are no longer the same, will they still interest me?

And that second question has a variety of possible answers. If they reboot the characters from scratch, it's truly starting over and I can choose what to read similar to how I started reading comics in the first place back when I was a kid. I'll top off my shortboxes and whatever I like and keep reading of the new, I'll consider all new comics.

But if they simply roll back the clock a year or two, or even a bit more than that, it could be good, if it removes the nasty crap done to characters like Roy Harper and restore what was good, or it could be bad if it removes all the good things that happened to them and helped them develop as characters, such as Dick Grayson becoming Batman. What if they go back so far that Dick and Roy are teens again? I don't want to read that. I've already grown up with these characters and think of them as adults. I don't think I can accept them as teens again, still finding their way in the world. Been there, read that. Ditto most of the characters. After all Bruce Wayne has been through, growing in complexity and interest level, to go back to a younger Bruce won't feel right.

I can't begin to guess what DC has in mind, though there's a lot of speculation out there, including my concerns outlined above. I'm going to have to wait and see and then decide what to read, but I suspect my wallet will be much happier come September. I might find fewer comics to read, saving me time and money. Or it might make me unhappy for the same reason because I'll lose so many of my favorite comics to read. The other option, that there will be 52 books I'll want to keep reading is almost too much to hope for.

This paragraph is typical of what I find so confusing about this:

"In addition, the new #1s will introduce readers to a more modern, diverse DC Universe, with some character variations in appearance, origin and age. All stories will be grounded in each character’s legend – but will relate to real world situations, interactions, tragedy and triumph."

A more modern, diverse DCU, if it is, indeed, more diverse, is a good thing. But what does "relating to the real world" really mean. That the tragedies won't come because of super villains destroying cities, but because terrorists destroy those cities? Because it's not as if the DC characters haven't suffered and lost loved ones in recent years. It's not as if they haven't triumphed over diversity, either. And where does a book like Batwoman fit given it was started what seems like ages ago and keeps getting pushed back. Is it still coming out? Is it going to fit the new DCU?

I think I just gave myself a headache thinking about this. It's going to be a long wait til September.

Diversity in the DCU

I suppose I should comment on Ian Sattler's comments in a Q&A at HeroCon that have been sliced and diced across the comics blogosphere (no links because I can't remember all the places I've seen them).

A serious topic came up about how characters who are minorities who happened to be legacy characters like Ryan Choi are killed off so their caucasian counterparts can return and how they feel like they are being cheated or sidelined out of their roles. Sattler took a more serious tone. "It's so hard for me to be on the other side because it's not our intention. There is a reason behind it all. We don't see it that way and strive very hard to have a diverse DCU. I mean, we have green, pink, and blue characters. We have the Great Ten out there and I have counter statistics, but I won't get into that. It's not how we perceived it. We get the same thing about how we treat our female characters."

Now,  I'm going to be charitable here. I'm going to assume that no malice was intended. I'm doing to assume this is simply (and yes, I know the risks I run when I make assumptions) a case of someone just not getting the point.

I believe he's sincere in thinking they're doing nothing wrong. And I believe there's a real story/plot point behind the deaths and the chosen resurrections. It may all end up being one helluva story that we'll be talking about for decades and that we'll all love. Maybe. But that does not negate Sattler's misreading of readers/fans' concerns.

Bringing fictitious ethnicities into the discussion, the blue and green people, while ignoring the many shades of actual humans who are not properly represented both on the pages and in managerial positions, let alone in the talent producing the books is a disingenuous response at best. There are no pink people, no green or blue people walking around our wonderful planet, so mentioning the ones walking around the DCU isn't going to win you new readers. Kids usually want to read about people like them. Sure, a polka dotted alien is cool and can be entertaining, but after a while, you want to see a mocha complexioned woman who speaks like a real person and dresses as someone other than a slut.

Because, women make up half the population, but not half the comic heroes, and that issue is usually brushed aside.

Sure, we've got some great female characters right now and many are headlining their own books. Batgirl has been amazing. Birds of Prey is back. Supergirl has turned into a super book and Power Girl got off to a great start. Wonder Woman has been as good as she and we deserve her to be and I hope that continues. We've got the Batwoman book coming and half of the Secret Six have been female. But do these books represent half the DCU superhero books? Not even close.

There is no reason why characters like Ryan Choi have to die to bring back Ray Palmer as the Atom. There is a whole Corps of guys running around as Green Lanterns, for frak's sake. And wonder of wonders, one of them is actually black, named John Stewart. We've got a bunch of Flashes. We've had some names swapped out without a concern that people would be confused. Nightwing becomes Batman while someone from Kandor becomes a new, different Nightwing. Did anyone worry that we readers would mistake the new Nightwing for Dick Grayson, or that we'd mix up Dick as Bats with Bruce as Bats? No. So call Ryan Choi Mr. Atomic or something and let him live. He was wonderful and far more entertaining than Roy Palmer ever was or likely ever will be.

But none of that matters, not really. They're just characters. Same as with the killing of Lian Harper (a mix of Caucasian and Asian, btw), it's just comics. They're fictional characters, not real people. What really matters is the attitude of people like Sattler who make the decisions. They need to understand how those decisions are perceived. They need to learn how to better read and communicate with their audience. They need to own up to their failings, to own their mistakes, and vow to do better. It's a lesson so many companies don't learn until too late, if at all. They think denial or sidestepping an issue will make it go away or reduce its significance. They're wrong. That just makes it worse, especially in this age of instant, viral communication.

Mr. Sattler, you should have taken your lumps, said your mea culpa, promised to do better, then actually do better. Ask what we'd like to see more of. Ask for suggestions. Suggest ways we can get our concerns to the rest of management. Etc. But don't act like the wounded party. Really, it isn't becoming.

I'll still read the comics that entertain me. And I'll continue to write my opinions of them. But don't expect me to love everything you do because you think it's wonderful. I was going to say that's not how to develop a lifelong reader, except in my case, it sorta was. Because back in 1960 when I read my first comic, there was even less diversity and here I still am. But times have changed. Please make sure the DCU keeps up. Your readers, present and future, will much appreciate it.

Bright Reviews

Well, 2 of 3 are bright.

Birds of Prey 1 is billed as a Brightest Day tie-in, but it's all Birds and it's all good. Art-wise, Benes is better than ever  and story-wise, it's great to have Gail back on this book, not to mention having the book back. The Hawk and Dove story arc promises to be intriguing. Gail excels at intriguing. Best of all, she's bringing me Zinda once a month! Zinda is a great character. I do hope, though, that this go 'round, Gail sneaks in some mention of Roy, because he's a big part of Dinah's life.

Brightest Day 1
I can't decide if I like this. It looks good. The writing is competent. There's a mystery surrounding the back from the dead dozen. Boston Brand is alive if not visible. Arthur and Mera are together again. Carter and Shiera are together again. There are weird goings on. What's not to like, even love? But something feels off. Maybe I'm just tired of big event books. I wanted some of the dead characters back. Aquaman. Shiera. But I also wanted the Dibneys. I had no desire to see Firestorm messed with and I can take or leave the Martian Manhunter.

And I don't want to see a return of the DCU circa the '70s. I was upset to hear that Ryan Choi/Atom was killed off. I don't need or want Ray Palmer back as Atom if it means Ryan had to die. There are a bunch of Green Lanterns and no one minds. I do want comics to be fun, but retreating into the past isn't how to do it.

So, yes, bring back BoP, which never should've been canceled. Bring back Bruce Wayne. Dick Grayson has proved himself worthy of the Cape and Cowl, so there's no reason why Bruce can't return to claim it.

But I don't want to lose all the good that's happened in the DCU over the last decade or two. I don't want to lose the diversity. I don't want to lose the hope and promise. I don't want to lose the chance of being surprised, in a good way. So far, the "surprises" have been dark (the killing of Lian Harper and Ryan Choi) and Lian's death was telegraphed well in advance.

I have no idea where Brightest Day is heading, other than it being a misnomer because it isn't all that bright so far. Give us danger and intrigue and suspense, but give us hope and awesomeness, too, DC. Here's hoping the DCU will be a better, diverse place at the end of this storyline.

And yet...

Secret Six 21 is dark. And yet, most likely due to Gail Simone's writing skills, there's an odd level of hope. These characters might be criminals. They might break the law without a thought, but they have their own code of ethics. They're three-dimensional. They're complex. And in their own way, they're loyal to each other.

This issue continues the storyline focusing on Catman and the flashback to his childhood is telling. Thanks to Gail's writing, he's become one of my favorite characters and this has become one of my favorite books. If you want to write dark and creepy, you would do well to follow this example.

For the Record, Anger Does Not Equal Interest

This, a link found over on Insolvent Republic of Blogistan (great title, btw), is irritating to the extreme.

Here are the quotes that gall me:

James Robinson: "That decision [was] a controversial and one that I know has been greeted with some displeasure by some people... I'm sorry if it upset people. In all honesty, they wanted to kill Speedy too, and I said no, so give me some credit for that."

Ian Sattler: "I'm happy it upset people because it means that the story had some weight and emotion."

Uh, no. Upset means upset. It means the CHARACTERS have weight for us. Whether or not the story does and can evoke emotion depends on the story, how well it's written, for example. And the emotion you want when a child is killed is grief and yes, anger that she was killed, but directed at the bad guy in the comic, not the bad guy in the editorial office. Or the bad guy typing up the words.

Lian has weight and her death matters because 1) she's Roy's daughter, and 2) she's a little girl. That she died is the sad thing, not the way she was killed. That just sucked, story-wise, art-wise, every-wise.

As for Speedy, I'd sooner have had them kill Mia, much as I like her, because she's relatively new next to Lian whose been around 23 years, for fuck's sake. Sheesh. It's a little girl, killed only to give Ollie grief and angst. Roy's angst seems almost an afterthought here. Hmmm.... lost an arm, lost a daughter... toss-up which will drive him mad and maybe to drugs first. But Ollie? He's out there avenging an entire city. Why did a little girl have to die to further that plot point?

Shit. This just makes me angry. The story sucked. I did not buy it. I skimmed it in the store (don't tell FPNY, okay?), because I knew it was gonna suck. If, maybe, it looked like it wouldn't suck, or Lian wasn't dead, I would've bought it, but it sucked. SUCKED! If the idea is to get people to never want to read anything James Robinson writes ever again, congrats! Because I sure won't. I just don't trust him. (Yes, I bought the Starman books. Yes, I still plan to read those, as I have no emotion invested in that character.)

No, Mr. Robinson. I will not give you any credit.

No, Mr. Sattler, the story did not anger me because it was evocative. It angered me because it was crap.

Yeah, I'm pissed.

Lian Harper, 1986-2010: A Tribute, Part 2

Continuing a look at the short, sweet life of Lian Harper. Not that Lian's life was perfect. From the start, she was used as a by her mother against her father. And in the next appearance I read, she was kidnapped as part of a plot to control Cheshire.

The team-up of Batman and Arsenal in the Batman plus Arsenal (1997) one-shot was wonderfully played and with Batman (and Dick)'s help, Lian is rescued, Cheshire is captured, and "Uncle Batman" becomes an important part of Lian's life. The art was especially nice, even if there's no hint of Asian features in Cheshire, or Lian.

From here on, it was hard for me to choose comics to scan, or even pages/panels. I've tried to show an array of art styles, while keeping the total number of images presented in this two-part essay to ten.

The Arsenal 4-part mini-series (1998) is a classic. Rick Mays has a cartoonish style that worked nicely for Roy and Lian, and Dinah who appeared in key scenes.

There are so many wonderful scenes in these 4 issues, but this nicely showed how seriously Roy took his role as father. He's taken Lian to the hospital after she's fallen on her arm after crawling out of her playpen. Which makes her a bit younger than her previous appearances. No matter. Her age seemed to fluctuate from story to story and sometimes, panel to panel. Drawing children seems to be a problem for many artists. Some draw them too young, some get the proportions wrong, and some just draw them as short adults. But there were enough who got Lian just right.

Lian got to join Roy and his fellow former Teen Titans for lunch in Titans 1 (1999). She was cute as could be without being annoying. I loved when she called Aqualad "Gill-head," something she no doubt picked up from Roy.

This panel from Titans 24 (2001) is part of a alternate time/reality mashup that brought a grown Lian Harper into our reality where she and our version of her younger self meet. We'll never see our Lian grow up to be this beautiful young woman.

In the years since her birth, Lian was kidnapped a few times and had to cope with injuries to her father, the worst of which had him shot 5 times. She had to cope with having a mother in prison for blowing up a country, among other crimes. Through it all, she remained a sweet little girl who made Roy proud to be her father. He learned as much from her as she learned from him. She made him a better man.

Roy will have to cope with losing her and we might be treated to an excellent story, but however this turns out for Roy, wherever he ends up, Lian will still be gone and the unique view she brought to the DCU will also be gone. I can't imagine the PTB can come up with a plausible way to bring her back someday. Even if they would try, which I doubt. People who can kill off a child for no reason other than shock and effect, when other plot devices would have worked as well without being so cruel. J.T. Krul will have his work cut out for him, to make me not hate what happens with Roy.

I'll end with this lovely page from Justice League of America. Roy is introducing Lian to Hawkgirl, before things soured between him and Kendra.

Lian Harper. She'll be missed.

Lian Harper, 1986-2010: A Tribute, Part 1

Here's a post I never wanted to write, and it got long enough that I'm splitting it into two posts. Mainly, I present a photo essay on Lian, who in her brief life lit up the DCU. She will be missed.

I thought I'd start with her first appearances (the ones I have/know of, at any rate). Note her red hair, no doubt colored as such to make it clear that Roy was the father.

Cheshire dropped the bombshell about Lian in New Teen Titans 21 (1986). Roy had romanced Cheshire when he was a government agent and had no clue he'd fathered a child with her. At the end of the story, he goes to see Cheshire so he can meet his daughter. After a moment's hesitation, Cheshire relents, and Roy's life as a father begins.

A year later, Roy tricked Dick Grayson into helping him get to Lian, wanting to see her for her birthday. The story took place in Action Comics Weekly. In issue 618 (1988), in the concluding chapter, Dick brings Lian to see Roy in the hospital where Roy is recovering from a dose of Cheshire's poison.

Dick was a true friend in this, forgiving Roy for his deception and helping him get Lian. At the end of the story, Cheshire has been arrested, and Roy is going to try for custody of Lian.

We'll forgive the silly, girlish bonnet; Roy was new at this and he probably figured a little girl should wear something cutesy and girlie. Or maybe one of the nurses picked it up for him. No matter. Lian was in jeans before long.

This is an important panel in Roy's development. He says he believes Lian is going to change him, and he was right. She made him a better person, a responsible person. He sure took his role of father seriously, more than Ollie did when Roy showed up or when he found out about Connor all those years ago.

The next appearance of Lian that I know of was in Green Arrow 75 (1993). I had stopped reading Green Arrow around issue 45, tired of waiting for the creative team to even acknowledge that Roy existed in Ollie's life. A few things are worth noting. Lian's hair is still red (the scan's a bit off) and Lian demonstrates a never seen again power of changing her height from panel to panel. She's barely at Roy's waist in the first panel above, but in the last panel, she comes to Roy's mid-chest. Holy growth spurts, uh, Batman.

And Batman played a role in the next story I saw that featured Lian, which I'll show in part 2.

Randomized Posting and My Latest Roy Harper Rant

Caught up on Blackest Night! Whew. I won't review individual issues, but I'm still enjoying this. I'm not reading the GL Corps, but I guess I'll have to read the next one which is part of the conclusion. I really liked the one-shot return issues of canceled series, especially Catwoman and The Question. Both of those stood out for the strong character development. Mera's painful secret, that she never wanted kids, coupled with the guilt over her son's death, really gave her appearances an extra kick. A nice bit of retconning or whatever that doesn't negate what happened, yet enhances it. That sort of character bit is rare in superhero comics, so it was much appreciated: a real, human emotion!

The Secret Six/Suicide Squad Blackest Night crossover was excellent, with the Black Lanterns more window dressing for the actual story, which focused on Amanda Waller's manipulation as she orchestrated a battle between the Squad and the Six in an attempt to get Deadshot back in the Squad. Black Alice is fitting in nicely with the rest of the Six and everyone was as loony as we've come to expect. And Waller is probably the only tough, mean bitch in comics I actually enjoy.

Batman 695 was a solid issue, with a nice appearance from Catwoman. And it looks like Dick's in the thick of it now, so typical of his short reign as Batman.

Batgirl 7 was sheer fun, nicely capping off the current story. Steph and Damian are so funny together I almost wish they could be a team, but the banter would probably get annoying over time. Best to keep it to guest turns.


Wonder Woman 40 was a bit creepy with those persuasive kids, but the story took a back seat, at least for me, to the scene of Diana reuniting with Etta. Etta telling Diana she's actually in Checkmate was very cool. I love the friendship between these two women.

I also read the last two Green Arrow and Black Canary issues, even though I'd dropped them from my pull list. I was curious how they were going to resolve the annoying Cupid storyline and I must admit it was better than I'd thought. Carrie was more than your run of the mill troubled woman/sociopath/psychopath/all around nutjob. I'll be reading this book for the follow-up to Roy being hurt, so this bodes well that the book hasn't fallen into a cesspool of sucky writing. (Now there's an image for ya!)

Which brings me to... Roy Harper. Of course. Nothing I've read or seen has dissuaded me from believing Lian is dead. Promos that claim Roy's lost everything. Things Dinah says in JLA (I peeked while in the comics shop) and Donna has said in Titans lead me to this conclusion. Losing his arm would be horrible enough for Roy, but not "everything." Lian is his everything.

So I'm torn. I want to not read the upcoming Justice League: Rise of Arsenal (not Red Arrow, I noticed) because I don't want Lian to be dead, but I want to read it because it's Roy and because I'm starting to think it might actually be well written.

But this, from the April solicits for the second issue:

"And sparks fly when Roy's old flame Cheshire shows up…to kill him!"

has me very nervous. Why would Chesh suddenly show up to kill him if not because she blames him for Lian's death? Right?

It's this sort of crap promoting of comics (or any media, really) that really bugs me. There are a few possibilities here.

1. Lian is dead. No mention of her, cagey references to Roy losing everything, leads to the very likely possibility that she's a goner.
2. Lian is alive. Then where the hell has she been/is now? Her father is fighting for his life right now. And no one's mentioned her. So, not likely.
3. Lian is alive, but Cheshire took her. This is possible, and her wanting Roy dead is so that he never takes Lian away from her again.
4. Lian is alive, but hurt. Again, no one seems worried about her, yet they hover at Roy's bedside. So, not likely.
5. Lian is alive but ran away to get as far as possible from the lunatics in the DCU. And who would blame her?

 And with so few likely scenarios, why the big hush-hush and the teasers? There's enough going on to sell this storyline. Roy's lost his arm, for frak's sake and clearly, there will be a rift between him and Ollie, and it seems, between Ollie and the JLA over some decision he's made/is about to make. Isn't that enough to get people to read? Does anyone really believe the make or break point would be to discover if a 5 or 6 year old girl is alive or dead? Besides me and a couple of other people who give a damn?

If Lian is indeed dead, then those of us who have feared that all along will be right, damn it, and can say we told you so. If she's not dead, it'll be a relief, but hardly worth the secretiveness. I just don't get why they're dragging this out. This simply isn't anywhere near the level of Blackest Night, Brightest Day, or even the crap that was Cry for Justice in DCU-shattering importance. Except to Roy and the other characters who love Lian. And some readers, me included.

And what happens when this is over? Will Roy be back in the JLA with Donna, Dick, Vic, and Kory? Will Bruce be back by then and replace Dick, anyway? I guess I should be happy Roy's appearing anywhere, but why can't he have a nice, normal superhero arc like everyone else. Why does he get singled out for bad things happening? I shouldn't complain. It all has made him the character I love. Still... But that's a rant for another day.

DC Bobblehead Widget

There's a DC Comics Bobblehead widget over at SpringWidgets. You can choose among 6 DC characters. I selected Wonder Woman. She's over in the sidebar. Just click her and watch her head bob.

May Solicits

There are a number of comics from DC in May that look interesting, even cool, but none has me as eager to read it as this one:

Secret Six 9
Written by Gail Simone; Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood; Cover by Nicola Scott
Not one, but two members of the Secret Six feel they deserve to wear Batman's cowl, and they return to Gotham City with a semi-delusional Ragdoll determined to be the new Boy Wonder! Unfortunately, everybody in Gotham has other plans!

Seriously! I can so picture Ragdoll as the Boy Wonder. Can't you?

Guess I'll Be Saving Some Money

This news has me almost as depressed as a McCain/Palin win would. Two of my favorite comics were canceled: Birds of Prey and Nightwing. The annoying thing is that both were starting to really hit their stride. Bedard has finally gotten the hang of the Birds and Nightwing is relevant again. Coupled with losing Catwoman and Manhunter and the dramatic fall of Checkmate after Rucka left, it's getting so I'm not gonna be reading many DC titles, anymore. And that 3 of the titles among my faves have female leads is rather disheartening.

True, Supergirl is improving, but really, how many good female books are we left with? The team books don't count because the women share panel space with male co-stars and are often outnumbered. Supergirl and Wonder Woman? Yeah, the two oldtimers. The former struggled mightily and is finally worth reading, if the improvements last. The latter is good, but not Gail's best work, IMO, and I guess that's mostly because her real skill is in writing quirky characters.

Yeah, I'm upset. I hope Obama wins. I could use the emotional lift.

 

This Just Sucks

How many times can a comic die? Characters die all the time, then usually get resurrected. And the Manhunter comic has been canceled, only to be brought back. And now it's been canceled again. I don't think it'll be coming back this time. And we lost Catwoman this year, too. Damn.

Why can't good books featuring female characters thrive? Or more accurately, why can't more than 2 or 3 of them thrive, or at least, stick around? DC is now left with Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman for quality headlining female books and possibly Supergirl, if the last issue wasn't a fluke. I can't think of any others, certainly not that I'm buying. And there are dozens of male headlining titles from DC, only some of which I buy. Some share, ie Green Arrow sharing with Black Canary, and all the team books. But some male characters have many books, ie Batman and Superman, and we can't keep Catwoman and Manhunter around. Where are the buyers? I thought people want quality books. I thought there's an interest in publishing characters that are good role models for girls. Okay, maybe Selina isn't the best role model, but she sure is her own woman.

Why can't we readers support these quality titles in sufficient numbers to make them profitable? Why do I keep having to lose the titles I love? Just. So. Annoyed. Right. Now.

If it Ain't Broke, Don't Change it!

Was checking the DC Comics site for this week's comics (which I always do to see if there are changes) and to see if the new solicits are up for October (they are) and found the site's in the midst of being redone. DC has a nice, clean white background, but Vertigo and Wildstorm have not yet been changed, nor has DC Direct. I didn't see any place to leave feedback on the site (nothing under Contact Us seemed to apply), so I'll rant here.

I always print out the new month's solicits to use as a shopping list. The whole thing wouldn't print. I had to copy and paste into WordPad after two failed attempts. There seems to be no easy way to switch from one line to another for each month the way you could/can in the old format. The site might look spiffy, but it's less usable, IMO, which to me is a poor reason to make changes. Change should included ease of use, improved navigation, etc, not just fancy layout and a new color scheme/design. feh.

Upcoming DC Direct Figures

Now that I've seen the figures in person, the Black Canary is starting to grow on me. I think I'll be buying her. On display at NY Comicon.

Reinventing Females in the DCU

First, a disclaimer. This is a somewhat rambling, unedited essay I threw together over a week or so, with thoughts I've been having about Wonder Woman and her place in the DCU, in light of the new weekly series, Trinity, scheduled to start in June that will focus on her, Batman, and Superman. And when I think of Wonder Woman, I can't help but think of that other iconic female DC character, Supergirl.

Not quite retconning, revamping tired characters is nothing new. Akin to putting a fresh coat of paint on an old house, it's the sort of thing every new creative team engages in when they take over a book, whether the ideas are theirs or dictated by the editor(s). Sometimes, it involves characters that headline many books. The decree will be that Batman stories in Detective will focus on his detecting skills while his stories in Batman will focus on his going head to head or fist to face with larger than life villains.

Other times, things are more drastic. The reworking of the Golden Age characters of DC to the Silver Age, for example, along with creating new versions of old characters (Flash, Green Lantern), dusted off and polished up others (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman). And then there's the outright retconning, changing origins, revamping the universe after such events as Crisis on Infinite Earths, and so on.

There's been a lot of blogging recently about the old which is better, Marvel or DC? And much discussion of how DC treats females and minorities in its comics. And in general, I think DC has done a decent job, once the inequities have been pointed out to them, oft-times with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but still, they do seem to try. While infrequently creating new minority or female characters that stand alone, when it comes to legacy characters, more and more, a female or a minority group has a fair chance of being included. So, after a white male replaced a white male Atom, we now have an Asian in that role. Along with the white Green Lanterns, we also have a black male. And of course, there are GLs of all alien colors and cultures. Other planets have been better represented for years in comics than the diversity here on Earth.

There is, however, still room for improvement. While DC has many strong, female characters, they seem to have a spotty record when it comes to creating a solid identity for them. And it's two of the iconic female characters who seem to have been revamped more than any other, female or male. They're Wonder Woman and Supergirl.

I understand that there was a time that female characters were treated less seriously than the males. Growing up, I wasn't all that bothered by Wonder Woman or Supergirl facing less than all-powerful enemies or worrying about their hairdos and outfits or whether the guy of their dreams will notice them. Those were things I was worrying or wondering about, too, so it seemed perfectly normal. And meanwhile, they were kicking butt. Even Lois Lane got to shine, especially in her own book, and she didn't have powers. But looking back, I can see that no one could ever decide what the essence of these characters are. It isn't so much as focusing on one aspect of a character, the way Batman's detective skills might be emphasized or Superman's inner goodness. At least with them, the rest of their traits were included, if not in a given story, than in others. And they headlined more than one book, so they could have a different focus in each. Batman had Batman and Detective. Superman had Superman and Action. And for a long while, they shared World's Finest. Supergirl got stories in other books, before finally getting her own. And Wonder Woman had just the one title.

Let's look at some of the revamping by character.

CAREER of Secret Identity

Superman: Newspaper reporter. For a while, tv reporting was part of the mix. With all the changes in his life over the years, the Clark Kent identity has been very stable, other than his adopted parents being brought back from the dead during one of the reboots (the time period I wasn't reading comics, so I'm fuzzy on the details).

Batman: Rich person, philanthropist, runs Wayne Enterprises. For a time, the business end was featured, with Lucius Fox (a character I really liked, and a minority, at that) introduced. He ran the everyday operations. While Batman has had his darker, brooding side emphasized some years and his lighter, detective side emphasized in others, Bruce has remained essentially a rich ladies man.

Wonder Woman: She's been in the military, lost her powers and became an adventurer (with I Ching and Patrick McGuire as her helpers; I think of this as her Modesty Blaise phase), and somewhere along the line got her powers back and the focus at times has been on Diana the Amazon Princess and ambassador from Paradise Island to "Man's World." I missed some versions of her during my boycott of comics in the '80s. And now, Diana Prince works for the Department of Metahuman Affairs. Her love life has been a mess, not that Batman's has been much better, but at least, his affairs have the feel of reality while hers barely rise over schoolgirl crushes in tone and treatment.

Supergirl: High school student, college student (a nice, natural progression I liked), reporter (upon graduation, also nice because she was actually growing up), then back to college as an advisor because it was decided she worked better in an academic setting. Then she got killed off. And we've had varied versions of a Supergirl til Kara was brought back a few years ago and she has no secret identity to speak of and every writer on the book has been emphasizing a different aspect of her to the point she's undergone personality transplants. She's younger than she's been since the original graduated high school. And while I don't expect her to be the sweet, innocent character she was way back when, I would like some consistency. Today, Kara has been a different character depending on who's writing her.

Note that there has been far more changed about the 2 best known female characters than the 2 best known males.

And then I got to thinking about some major plot developments for the two main males during my comics boycott/hiatus. Batman had his back broken and was replaced for a while. And Superman died, but he came back and after some nonsense, he was still Superman. The major change in his life was marrying Lois and it was about time. That was such a natural progression for his character that I would have been disappointed if they hadn't gotten married.

But the thing that stands out for me, the impression I get, is that when things are written to shake up Superman and Batman, it's out of a writing perspective, the thrill and challenge of doing something interesting with them, the chance to have circumstances screw up their lives and with them in character, act upon whatever, cope, even die as the hero they are if need be.

I don't get that sense from the changes in Wonder Woman's various iterations and especially not with Supergirl. With them, I sense a bit of desperation beneath the chance to do something new. And the something new doesn't seem a natural outgrowth of the characters. Even when Diana renounced her powers and became human, I still got the sense back then that it was a plot device and Diana was coping as best she could. The only male character I read regularly who'd had circumstances thrust on him for editorial reasons that changed his very nature was Oliver Queen. But since the new Green Arrow was so much more interesting and sexier than the old version, I quickly forgave the powers that be and would never want to go back to the old, boring Ollie.

I even forgive the silliness of the '60s. The male characters weren't immune to it, but it was the females and their silly pursuits of the male of the species (or sometimes, humanoid aliens), in stories full of stereotypes, that suffered more indignity and faced a greater risk of becoming irrelevant.

Killing Supergirl and keeping Power Girl after Crisis on Infinite Earths made some sort of sense, I guess, because PG had her own look and a strong personality, a good female role model for the '80s and '90s. Bringing in a new version of the old Supergirl would've cheapened the original's sacrifice and would have complicated things unnecessarily. And when the need to keep the Supergirl name active, I suppose, a new character was created. I read a few of those issues and couldn't get into them. I couldn't see why she had to be Supergirl. She could have had her own name and identity. And when Kara finally came back, in the previous Supergirl book, she retained enough of the original's sweetness to bring cheer to my heart. And then, she's taken away, a new version shows up, and things just get ugly.

It could have been great. The potential was there. I was ready to love her. But the writing wasn't up to the challenge and Kara came across like a spoiled brat. As her youth on Krypton came to light, things just got uglier. And every writer since then has tried to "fix" her and has done little more than confuse and complicate what should be one of the most basic characters to write. A super-powered teen who shares a bloodline with the greatest hero in the galaxy: Superman.

After some similarly muddy attempts to revive Wonder Woman's iconic status, Gail Simone has taken over and in her first story arc has done what I was starting to think was impossible, though I had faith she could do it. After all, she elevated Birds of Prey to a must-read. Gail writes Wonder Woman and Diana as capable women, each with a role to play. She's deepened the character's background without negating anything, has made everything she's written come naturally and out of Diana's personality and place in the DCU. Nothing seems forced or imposed on the character for plot purposes. Finally, Wonder Woman is being treated as a true member of the Trinity and not as a character who needs to be fixed.

I'm still waiting for someone to do that with Supergirl. Someone who won't keep trying to reinvent her and will simply enrich her background and character (without resorting to silly implanted crystals and himbo would-be boyfriends). Oddly enough, the most endearing scenes in the book have been between Kara and Boomer. One thing the book needs is a set of supporting characters who would have a natural place in Kara's life who are not Superman or Batman or characters who live in other books. Diana has her Department of Meta Human Affairs colleagues and the Amazons. Who does Kara have? In the old version, it was her adopted family and school friends (well, mainly Dick Malverne), plus Streaky and Comet. They chose to not go the adoption route, but she's not working, either. She has no other identity. And that has hurt the character and the book because it forces everything to be about the powers and not the person. And that identity doesn't have to be a traditional secret ID. It can simply be a life out of the spotlight that isn't about sitting home and moping about what happens every time she goes out. Yes, we've seen how Kara is dealing with those powers and the responsibility that comes with them, but still, everything seems to start with the powers.

Let me repeat that.

Kara has no other identity. And that has hurt the character and the book because it forces everything to be about the powers and not the person.

When was the last time -- and has there ever really been a time? -- when we said that about Superman?