Three Reviews and a WooHoo!

Batwoman 19
A lot of little things add up to setup for the next issue and, I suppose, beyond. Nice byplay between Bette and Kate. But, like Bette, I am getting very tired of the DEO and Bones.

Nightwing 19
I wasn't sure how I felt about Tony Zucco being alive and Dick going to Chicago to hunt him down, but so far, this is going well, as in not at all well for Dick in a city as corrupt or moreso than Gotham and where costumed crimefighters are suspect at best. Dick is usually at his best when pushed to his limits and beyond, but really, the guy deserves a break or two, maybe even a relaxing vacation.

Red Hood and the Outlaws 19
Oh boy.James Tynion IV takes over the writing with this issue in what he promises is the beginning of a story arc that will threaten to pull the team apart and deal with some heavy issues in their lives and I'm happy to say this issue, one half of a two-issue story and setup for what's to come, really delivers. Still reeling from being kidnapped and tormented by the Joker and Damian's death, Jason returns to the home of the All-Caste and makes a decision that, well, let's just say that when Kori and Roy show up -- because no way they're leaving Jason on his own -- they're in for a real shock. Roy gets to expresses his fears early on re: Jason's importance in his life:

"These last few months working with the two of you... ...It's the first time in years my life has been worth living. We're good together. It can't be over. I won't let it be."

Now, seriously, this is the writing of someone who gets Roy, in any reality, because at his core, for all his surface confidence, even arrogance, Roy has big self-esteem issues and insecurities. I am really looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds over the next few months.

And now the WooHoo. From reading many other comics blogs today, I learned it was the 75th anniversary of Action Comics 1, the legendary comic that brought Superman and Lois Lane into the world. Lois was one of my first favorite comic book characters, all the way back to 1960 when I became a regular comics reader. Here's to another 75 years and I hope she and Clark/Superman get together in the current reality, even if I'm not reading it.

Here Comes Yet Another Version of Roy Harper

And I'm excited! The CW's Arrow is adding the character of Roy Harper! I'm not familiar with Colton Haynes, not having ever watched Teen Wolf, but I like how he looks, and the background for the character sounds pretty cool. Arrow has been a great TV adaptation of a comic character, grounding the mythology in reality and filling out Ollie's backstory on the island, as did the Year One comic, with the added intrigue of the book of names his father gave him to right the wrongs of the Queen family by bringing down the power movers who have been slowly destroying Starling City (I hate that name).

I've enjoyed the show's version of Huntress, Diggle is a great addition, I like how Tommy Merlyn and his father are being woven into the story, and Paul Blackthorne as Quint (why Quint? Why not Larry?) Lance is just awesome. This show just keeps getting better and better.

Why I Like Red Hood and the Outlaws

I had a few favorite characters when I was growing up: Kara Supergirl, Dick "Robin" Grayson, Lois Lane, Donna "Wonder Girl" Troy, and Roy "Speedy" Harper.

Admittedly, Roy, and Ollie, were pale imitations of Batman and Robin, even if they existed nearly as long. Arrowcar vs Batmobile. Trick arrows vs Batarangs and utility belts. It really was no comparison. Things changed when Ollie lost his fortune and was no longer the millionaire Bruce was.

Roy Harper was always the afterthought in stories, or nearly always. When Ollie got an extreme makeover, complete with facial hair, Roy was nowhere to be found, except the occasional mission with the Teen Titans. It wasn't until drug addiction and fatherhood were thrust on him by editorial and writer decisions that he got interesting. Really, I can't recall why I liked him all along, except maybe he was cute, cuter and funnier than Dick. But suddenly, in the '70s, he got interesting and I couldn't get enough of him, yet DC never seemed to know what to do with him. Speedy. Arsenal. Red Arrow. Arsenal. Make him edgy by being an addict, then taking on a personal crusade against drugs. Make him a single father who had a daughter with an assassin and an unhinged one at that. Put him in the JLA reboot instead of GA, then have him lose his arm and his daughter, the only thing keeping him from the darkness, and once again, we've got Roy Harper, addict. And then, it all goes away after Flashpoint.

Roy was the afterthought. Ollie was the character who got his own book. Roy could barely keep a team book going. It became a character point. He didn't like joining teams, but this is a character who had abandonment issues. Better to stay away, or sabotage yourself, then wait for others to hurt you. It's all there, and the only time it was properly exploited was the Arsenal mini by Devin Grayson. They kept layering so much crap on this character and never seemed to know what to do with what they ended up with, so they layered more on and still had no clue. Except Devin. She got it.

And now, Scott Lobdell gets it.

Jason Todd had it almost as bad. Started out as a Dick Grayson clone. Circus performer, parents killed, Batman takes him in, makes him the new Robin. Changed to punk kid caught stealing by Batman who takes him in, makes him Robin. Obnoxious brat, so not really like Dick. I voted for the Joker to kill him. Good riddance, I thought. Then he's back, as Red Hood, but still obnoxious, still a punk. No character development. No reason to like him.

Until now. This new universe DC made.

We get a Jason Todd who is at the point in his life where he knows he got a second chance and he can learn and grow. He's affected by the people who took him in, cared for him, learned from them and is now continuing his personal journey while helping the only two friends he has.

Roy Harper, a new old character. Started over. This isn't a reworking of Roy the way Dick Grayson is and isn't the Dick of the old universe, with details tweaked. This Roy feels new and fresh with Roy's personality but a background still to be learned. He's no afterthought who needs things layered on to make him interesting. He's starting out that way. I can see the room for growth, the things he needs to deal with. The potential. In Roy. In Jason. In Kori.

Starfire. A recognizable secondary female character who couldn't carry her own book but can help carry a shared book. An alien more alien than ever. Alienated on Earth among humans, until she rescues Jason, and meets Roy. These are characters I want to read about. Hell, these are characters I can't wait to read about.

If, like me, you were turned off last year by those scans of the few pages in the book that showed off supposedly bimbo Kori and horndogs Jason and Roy, you're missing something good, something maybe special, the story of three people who become friends in spite of themselves and maybe, even start to care about each other and about life, all while fighting the good fight. Here's a page I think is a better representation of what this book is about.

Red Hood and the Outsiders 11

That last panel tells me all I needed to know.

So Here's the Thing About Red Hood and the Outlaws and the DCnU

I just finished reading the first 7 issues of Red Hood and the Outlaws, in the form of the graphic novel Redemption. The titles of each chapter/story is a song title! How cool. With punchlines. I didn't notice that in issues 10-13, so I went back and checked. Yup. So cool.

I enjoyed Scott Lobdell's work on Wildcats back before the old DC/Wildstorm universes collapsed, so I never had a problem with his working on the book. And I've always enjoyed Kenneth Rocafort's art, so that wasn't keeping from reading this from the start. No, my problem was with Jason Todd, a character I never, ever liked, and a Roy Harper seemingly unconnected to Green Arrow/Ollie Queen. My problem was with the DCnU. I hated the concept, hated that everything I loved was wiped out, and hated that my favorite character was seemingly going to undergo the biggest change, and be teamed with the hated Jason Todd. It was just too much, y'know?

But then.... I got enticed into reading Nightwing because a gal who works at my LCS, someone whose taste I trust, kept telling me how good it was. And she was right. So, through Nightwing, I got sucked into one of the mainstream DC characters of the DCnU, because the only books I'd decided to read were the ones not so ingrained in my mind, like the still newish Batwoman. Changes to that character weren't as jarring as they would've been if I'd been reading her adventures for a decade.

So, Dick Grayson was still the same character, with a somewhat different background as regards Haley's Circus, but it fit and the story was good and in my mind, the fact that DC chose to do a half-assed reboot rather than just start everyone from scratch to avoid the age disparities and other weirdness, somehow didn't matter as much. Plus, time can heal grief.

See, of all the characters who deserved a reboot, it was Roy Harper. Only, my preference was to back him up to when he still had two healthy arms and a happy and healthy daughter named Lian who was the joy in his life. A Roy Harper who loved Donna Troy and was just a goofy jerk with a good heart and a good soul who carried a lot of baggage that included abandonment issues and a history with drug addiction. That's what I wanted. And that's not what we've got. What we've got is something, or rather someone, just as good.

Yeah, no one's more surprised I wrote that last sentence there than me. Truly. So, I've come up with a way to deal with this and be able to read about this Roy and other characters, and while I'm not going to read most of the Bat books or most of the Super titles, I can enjoy a few of them without reservation. This isn't our multiverse. That's the only explanation that makes sense, at least, to me.

These versions of Roy and Jason are different enough from the ones from the old DCU that I can easily accept them as totally new characters, living in a separate universe, perhaps even a separate multiverse, perhaps one of many such multiverses layered upon each other, and the ones we knew before are still happily going about their lives and for me, that backs up to the aforementioned Roy and Lian in happier times days, moving forward from there without all that nastiness. In fact, in the old DCU in my memory, Ralph and Sue Dibney are still alive, Ted Kord was somehow resurrected (his death was faked perhaps, in a situation similar to the one that brought back Steph Brown). Steph is still Batgirl, Babs is Oracle, and there's the old version of Earth 2, etc.

But in the DCnU realm, well, things sure are intriguing. Which brings me to the specifics of Red Hood and the Outlaws. I didn't much follow the Red Hood in the old DCU, so I don't know how much of his background after being revived is new here, but his training with the All Caste and how it changed him for the better, has tempered him and made him bearable. The way he's starting to care about his partners and how he slowly stops hating Bruce and Dick show a character who is growing and maturing and becoming, *gasp* likable. To be honest, I'm amazed by that.

Roy's background is still sketchy. I hope they fill that in. I read the GA 0 book, so I know how he became Speedy, but what I need to know is why he no longer is Ollie's partner. And it was only Jason, with Kori helping, who saw fit to try to rescue Roy from Qurac. It seems Roy was a Teen Titan, but what's his relationship, if there was one, with Dick? I have so many questions and I don't know if/when we'll get them and that's all right. Because reading this book and seeing his relationship with Jason and Kori develop is fun. Kori is this Roy's Donna, a woman who can see the goodness behind the jerk. I like this Roy. He's funny, and idiotic at times, and very smart and clever. And when he thaws out a half frozen Kori, she tells him he's a kind man. He responds by telling her, "Shhh. You'll ruin my reputation. I'm supposed to be an idiot." That, at it's core, is the Roy of the old DCU, and as long as the core is there, it doesn't matter if the background details have been changed.

Which brings me to Kori and the outcry when scans of pages were reviled throughout the comics blogosphere last fall. You must remember those pages. Kori flaunting her body. Jason and Roy ogling her like idiot schoolboys. I feared the worst from seeing those pages, another reason I was avoiding the book. And that was wrong because in context, they're just a few pages out of so many that are nothing like that. It's all part of character development and things develop faster than I expected.

It was unfortunate that so many female characters in the new DCnU were started off on such poor footing, thematically and visually. But where Voodoo, for instance, never felt like a real person, or even a real alien person, Kori felt real to me from the start, and never has she seemed so alien. Her alien nature is more than physical here; it factors much more in her behavior than ever. This is a Kori who has hidden from humans because they fear her abilities. She just wants to be left alone. Her memory issues, rather than being amnesia as the few scanned pages and some reviews had indicated, are really a function of her alienness; she recalls what she needs to remember and nothing more. Things humans focus on are often unimportant to her and therefore, not worth her retention of them. Yet she is a strong character, one who makes her own choices and lives with the consequences. She's no one's fool and no one's toy. If anyone's a toy, at least at the start, it's the guys she chooses to take to bed. Yet, she is also damaged, a former slave living alone on Earth, and she finds a family of sorts with two damaged humans.

My favorite part of the entire GN, which has many wonderful scenes, are the cherished memories they have to leave as collateral while they are seeking clues after an attack on the All Caste. Kori's is about a triumphant moment while in slavery. Roy's is when he tried to goad Killer Croc into killing him, and Croc, realizing what Roy was doing, refused to oblige. And Jason's was the most poignant, that of a night, while he was Robin, that he was too sick to go on patrol and Bruce chose to stay in and watch TV with him. And when Kori and Roy reclaim their memories, Jason tells the holder of his memory to keep it. I actually got choked up by that.

Redemption is the perfect title for this story arc that has these three characters finding parts of their humanity they thought they'd lost and finding a bond with people as damaged as they are. Through their bonding as a team and as friends, they start to heal. They will never be what they once could have been; the damage cannot be undone. But they can be more than they are, and by the end of issue 7, they aren't the same characters they were at the start of issue 1. There is so much humanity in this book, and so much sharp writing. These characters are on an emotional journey as well as embarking on typical superhero adventures, and I'm gonna be sticking around for as long as it's fun.

More Actual Comic Book Reviews

I'm on a roll! Thanks to Frankenstorm Sandy, I've had time to catch up on some reading.

Batwoman 11-13, 0
Other than not being all that impressed with Wonder Woman's appearance, this book continues to entertain. I love the art and the feel of the book, and Kate Kane is a great character. But my favorite scenes was the one between Jacob and Bette in the hospital. Kate's origin was retold, tweaked for the new DC. It was a decent reworking of Kate's backstory, but I prefer the original.

And now for the surprise....
I bought issues 10-13 of Red Hood and the Outlaws, and liked them! I was curious, and with an entire year having passed since the reboot, my grief and outrage have diminished enough that curiosity was strong enough to win out. I decided to get just these issues which focused on Kory, and I was pleasantly surprised. The art was nice and the return to Tamaran gave Kory the chance to assert herself as a warrior and now I'm inclined to seek out the earlier issues.

But what really surprised me is that I like Jason Todd in this. I hated him in the old DCU. He was a brat. An obnoxious brat, and even changing his background from one that paralleled Dick Grayson's to being a punk caught stealing a hubcap off the Batmobile didn't help. I was one of the folks who voted for the Joker to kill him. His background is virtually unchanged from his Red Hood days in the old DCU, but he seems less obnoxious here and I can see that he's trying to be a good guy, that he cares about his friends. It's almost ironic that one of them is Roy Harper, who was once as close as a brother to the first Robin, Dick Grayson.

And Roy! Wow. I want to know more about this version of the character, because he's like an entirely new person, only he has the original's inner heart. He's as much an idiot as before, but a lot smarter, too, especially when it comes to tech and science. Plus, he's called Arsenal again. While I liked him as Red Arrow, I always preferred Arsenal, to emphasize that he was no longer in Ollie's shadow.

These are three emotionally damaged characters, for whatever reason, and they've bonded, forming a dynamic that I really like. Roy's relationship with Donna Troy in the old DCU was among my favorite things I miss greatly, but his relationship here with Kory feels like it could be as special. So yeah, I think I'm hooked. I'll be adding this to my pull list and it had better not make me regret that decision.

Superman and Lois Lane

I left this comment on this post, and thought I'd repeat it here.

One thing I love about Superman and Lois being married is that it shows a nice, happy marriage, which is a rare thing in comics. They're partners in every sense. The only other DC marriage that worked as well IMO is the one with the couple already married (and I sure do miss Ralph and Sue Dibny!) Even Barry and Iris doesn't have the dynamic that Superman and Lois have. 

The other thing I love about Superman and Lois being married is that it fits perfectly with his ideals and with his upbringing. He grew up in a loving home with the Kents. He witnessed a near perfect marriage firsthand. It makes sense for him to want that and when he meets Lois, he finds his lifemate/soulmate. It makes sense for them to be married.

Marriage does not have to be a jump the shark event. It just takes good writers to write a loving partnership and the Superman writers for the most part have done a great job with it.

And because it's Father's Day, the last time Roy and Lian were together...

Roy and Lian

This is how I remember them. This is always how I'll remember them. Roy Harper went through a lot in his life and it was discovering he was a father that finally gave him the purpose and stability he needed and craved. Here's to fathers everywhere, especially my own, on Father's Day.

In the "real" DCU, Lian is still alive and Roy is happily raising her. The current DCU is an alternate reality and the upcoming DCU is merely another alternate reality. I'd love to have this DCU back, but I know that['s probably impossible. I can hope only that a better DCU will be along in another year or so after the upcoming one crashes and burns. A gal can hope, right? ;)

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?

Reading This Made Me Ill

If this is what Roy Harper is and will remain, I will never read another book with him in it. Not that I've been reading Titans, anyway, but still... I read this preview out of curiosity, in the hopes that maybe, things might change for the better at some point, but this is just disgusting. If I'd known what Roy was going to become, I would've just wished for them to kill him off with Lian and be done with it. I don't think I have enough words for the rage I feel about this.

Yet Another Reason Why I'm Glad I Stopped Reading Titans

Because this is just too annoying. Sometimes, I think the writers/editors handling Roy Harper today felt deprived that they didn't get to write him as an addict. Denny O'Neill got to do that. So they got him hooked on drugs again, and made him more of a jerk than he ever was. And now he'll have a confrontation with Dick. Sheesh.

Someone let me know when Roy's clean again, his friendship with Dick is restored, and it's safe to read about him again. Thanks. And if Lian is ever brought back from the dead, I want to hear about it pronto. ;)

The Evils of Addiction

I admit it. I'm addicted to Roy Harper. I had to look at the new Titans issue. I hope someone's around to stop me from looking at the next one. Because it stinks mightily what they're doing to and with Roy. And so help me, I can't seem to stay away.

I just looked at the pages with Roy. He's indulging his addictions, for drugs, for Cheshire, for self-pity, and for playing hero even though he doesn't believe (at the moment) that he is a hero. And while all this crap is in character, it's in character for where Roy was 20 years ago.

I can imagine the discussion. Someone said: "Let's make Roy an addict. We never really got to write it. It was over and done in 2 issues of GL/GA, and while we got to mention it over the years, and have him tempted, and in the one-shot, even let him get high, we still didn't get to write him as a crime-fighting addict. So, how do we get him addicted again."

And someone answered: "Well, if he loses his daughter, that would drive him off the deep end."

And a third person said: "True, but what gets him to take that first hit?"

And someone, maybe the second person, says," That's easy. If he's hurt, he'll need a painkiller and with an addict, once they taste the high again, they'll be hooked."

And the first person said, "I've got it! We'll maim him. We'll have some baddie slice off his arm and then he'll have real pain and phantom pain, and then the baddie will kill his daughter."

And the third person said, "Perfect! Now that's a formula for success." Or what they consider success.

So now Roy is a dope using costumed crimefighter who keeps sleeping with his baby mama even though the kid is dead, and they can call the stories edgy or something, and Slade Wilson, the villain everyone loves to hate is in the middle of things with Cheshire trying to off him and using Roy to help because Roy's so full of self-hate right now and thinks he owes Chesh for getting their daughter killed. And the readers are expected to think this is good storytelling.

I'll tell you what it is. It's crap. And for me, it's 4-color crack and I need to stay away from it. I can stay away from Wonder Woman until she's Wonder-ful again, but I can't seem to stay away from Roy, even when he's unbearable. And that's not just DC's fault. It's on me, too. Because even though they gave Roy what should be the perfect reason to turn to dope, it was manipulative and lazy and all sorts of wrong. And I don't have even that good a reason to stay away from it.

Damn you, DC Comics!

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.

Thanks for Nothing, J.T. Krul

I've been composing this post in my head for the last half hour on my way home, after reading Rise of Arsenal 4 on the train ride back from my comics shop. I am very upset and annoyed right now, so if this is a bit more rambling than usual, sorry, but I'm typing this as the words come to me.

And of course, there be spoilers here.

First, I want it known upfront that I'm an easy audience. I'm the sort of reader and viewer who most willingly checks my disbelief before entering some fictional realm. I'm easy and forgiving, so it takes a lot -- a helluva lot -- to piss me off. Yet, that's exactly what J.T. Krul has done.

Second, I wanted to like this. I had high hopes for this. I told myself to wait til after I read the last chapter before passing judgment. And so I have, and it isn't pretty.

Third, I shouldn't take these things personally, I guess. The death of the original Supergirl cut so close and it turned me off comics, especially DC, for nearly a decade, so I should know better than to be so emotionally attached to characters. And there they went and killed Lian and it hurt because there was no reason for it. Ollie could have gone off the deep end and killed whathisname just for taking Roy's arm and destroying most of Star City. But now I know the real reason and it sucks bigtime.

And I can't just turn my back on a character I have loved for 45 years. Roy Harper wasn't my first male comics character crush. Back when I started reading comics, it was the Bat books and the Superman books and that included the LSH in Adventure, so my favorites were Dick Grayson and Element Lad. Gradually, I added in Elongated Man and Roy, with Roy leapfrogging to the top of the list.

I don't know whose decision it was to do this to Roy. I don't know if Krul came up with the idea and got the go-ahead, or editorial did and Krul was just the hired gun. It doesn't matter. I thought Krul got Roy. His first effort, in Titans, showing Roy and Lian, was wonderful. So I had hopes he would make this mess into something wonderful, surprising, even. That he didn't is as great a disappointment as when it turned out Lian was dead as many of us suspected.

Which brings me to the fourth thing. I don't mind heroes who kill. I understand the reasons behind the act and when done well, it can add to a character. Many years ago, on Magnum PI, one of Magnum's close friends, his contact in the Navy, was killed by someone with diplomatic immunity and the most that could be done was to deport the asshole. And that wasn't good enough for Magnum. It wasn't justice. So he waylaid the car taking the killer to the airport and as the episode ended, you see him aim his gun and fire. It's a close-up and you don't see the killer die. The camera is on Magnum and you know this is not about revenge but justice. This was cold-blooded, an act of quiet desperation, perhaps, but one that had been decided and carried out with care. There were no witnesses who would come forward. Magnum got away with it. He'd been in war, so he knew what it was like to kill. He knew what he was doing and it was an act that fit the character.

In Rise of Arsenal 4, Roy kills the Electrocutioner, while Ollie pleads with him to not do it, and while dozens of prison guards and prisoners look on. Roy's act is not one of justice, but of revenge, as he's goaded on by hallucinations of his dead daughter. Roy has escaped from the drug treatment facility, he's in physical pain, and he's suffering the lingering effects of the narcotics in his system. And what happens after he kills the bastard? He walks away. He burns his house, says goodbye to Lian's ghost and he walks away. At least Ollie went on trial for the murder he committed. I can only conclude that the reason behind Lian's death was to make Roy a killer. To make him as sanctimonious as his mentor.

The book ends with the note that Roy's story continues in Titans Villians for Hire, a book I have no intention of reading. This is not where I wanted/hoped Roy would be. I'd hoped he might be able to return to the JLA, along with his fellow Teen Titans grads Dick, Donna, and Wally. But the days of following Roy to whatever book he turns up in are over. I have no interest in Titans now and what Roy is right now is not anyone I want to read about.

Roy has been a character routinely dumped on. The drugs were just part of it. But no matter what, Roy always came through the bad times a better, stronger person. He might not have been able to turn to Ollie who was rarely there for him, but he could lean on Dinah and Hal, Dick and Donna. Now, he's alienated everyone who cares about him. No matter how much darkness he had in his soul, there was a basic core of goodness that never died. It's what made him a better person than Ollie at times. It's what made him a hero. And now, the death of his daughter destroyed that. Realistic, perhaps, but this isn't a real person we're reading about; it's a freaking comic book character. The opportunity to do something special with him was tossed away so he could become just another vigilante.

Perhaps the next time the DCU hotshots are questioned about the apparent racism and sexism in their books, they could point to Roy and say, "See, we disrespect white male characters, too. Just look at how we continually botch the writing of Roy Harper!" I'm sure they're proud of what they've done to Roy, when all they've done, that I can see, is alienate Roy's fans. This is one fan who can't bring myself to care about him anymore. So congrats, DC. You've managed to destroy my love for Roy Harper. And the sad thing is, the folks at DC will never know that, and if they did find out, wouldn't care.

As a reader, I know I'm not in charge. I write, so I know and understand that the audience should not dictate to the creators. And with so many people over so many years involved in writing comics and individual characters, there will be different interpretations and some inconsistencies. But I also know that if you want to be read, you would do best writing what people want to read. And while I might not have liked, at all, this storyline, I would have been fine with it if it had been good. If it had been true to character. If it had been more than a predictable, cheap shot. Because this is not the Roy Harper Brad Meltzer wrote joining the JLA a few years ago. This is someone unrecognizable. That Roy Harper would have gone through the denial, anger, and other stages of grief, but he would have emerged stronger, wiser, if sadder, and with a strong sense of purpose, of what's good in the world and of doing good, not as some dark avenger, but as someone who sets an example. The true Roy would have found that goodness inside him.

If I had written this story, Roy would have, with the help of his friends, found a way to rise above the bad and tap into the good inside him. He would have finally started to believe that he had worth after all. I would have kept his flaws, his doubts, but had him start pushing them aside and start really believing all the good things he pretended to believe about himself. If that's the ultimate goal for Roy here, it's taking too long and I have no interest in continuing to read in the hopes that's the case. Now that I see where this is headed, apparently, I almost wish he'd been killed, too.

I have a short box of comics that feature Roy, plus the short box of Teen Titans/Titans books. I have even bought dups of some of the JLAs with Roy so I can keep them in his box as well as the JLA box. That's how much he mattered to me. And now, I'm going to toss out this mini-series and content myself with rereading all the old, wonderful stories that showed Roy for the youth, and then man he truly is. Because the man who emerged from this story isn't him. Maybe someday, the true Roy Harper will return, but I'm not counting on it. Though, given how often he gets revamped, it might happen in another 3-5 years.

Unless Roy guests in a book I'm already reading, I guess this is it. Farewell, Roy. It's been a helluva 45 years. But it's time for me to move on. There are plenty of characters for me to read: the gang in Secret Six. The gals in Birds of Prey. Batgirl. Supergirl. Power Girl (I hope!). Batwoman. Batman or whatever book Dick Grayson is in. A few others and a bunch of non-DCU books. That's more than enough. So take care, Roy, and maybe we'll be reunited someday. With comics, one never can know for sure where the stories will lead.

The To Read Stack Gets Whittled Down

And yet, I've hardly made a dent. I keep wondering if it's worth posting reviews for old books. Anyway, here goes.

Detective 864
No Batwoman; no doubt she's busy getting ready for her new book. The Batman story was just creepy, though well told. The Question story was okay. I've never been a big Vandal Savage fan.

Batgirl 10
This is getting better and better. Steph and Babs make a great team and I'd love for Gail to use Steph as a guest star in BoP. The Calculator, meanwhile, is just getting weirder and creepier, and ever more dangerous. Gotta love that! ;)

Streets of Gotham 11-12
Damian front and center in 11. That kid is a fun Robin. And in 12, the Carpenter is a cool character I'd like to see more of. The Manhunter second feature is also good and I can't wait for the conclusion. Ramsey is a cool kid, but he needs Kate to sit him down for a long talk.

Gotham City Sirens 11-12
Two concurrent storylines in each. In 11, Harley hyenas cut down the neighborhood's dog population and Ivy starts her new job. In 12, Selina's sister demonstrates how unhinged she really is and Ivy's cover ID is blown. This book has been much more than I'd dared hope for. The odd friendship of these 3 characters makes for pure fun.

Power Girl 12
Ah, the end of a delightful run was a most delightful read. I can't say how much I will miss Palmiotti, Gray, and Conner on this book. I'll give the new team a chance, but if Terra isn't a part of it, I won't likely be reading for long. PG's friendship with her has been a highlight of this book, along with the sheer goodnaturedness that infused each story. PG is no pushover here, but she gets to show her human side, something that she rarely has gotten to do elsewhere. Kudos all around.

Wonder Woman 44
A solid end to this intriguing tale that reaffirms all that the Amazons are and mean to humanity. Gail Simone spent her run on this book exploring who Diana is and what it means to be an Amazon. The thought that the next writer will be doing the same, according to the solicits, has me wondering why? Why can't we just get stories about Wonder Woman? Why do we have to keep going back to the well and redefining an iconic character? Sure, Batman's scribes and Superman's scribes have often put their touches on those heroes' origins, but not every 12-24 issues. Sheesh. All that usually happens is that each WW writer reinvents the Amazons and their history grows more and more complex and confused to the point that I don't know which end is up. Gail set up what I consider the best WW scenario in a long time, bringing back Etta and Steve in a fresh, satisfying way, and brought in other DC characters for guest roles that solidified Diana's place in the DCU. Going forward from her does not mean going back to her roots yet again. It means going forward. And I'd like that going forward to include what is currently in place.

The Rise of Arsenal 3
This book has me in a quandary. Roy Harper, for those new to this blog, is my favorite comic book character, going back to the '60s. Okay, I was a teen and had a crush on him, if you must know. There was Roy and Dick Grayson and Element Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Those were my three favorite guys. And on the female side, it was the original Supergirl, Wonder Girl, and Lois Lane. I will always have a fondness for those characters, which is why I'm so happy to see the current SG back on track as the original's replacement. But, as I so often, do, I digress.

Roy Harper. I'll read pretty much anything with him in it, regardless of quality, unless he's being done a disservice. And in this book, well... I can't decide.

The book is based on events prior to its first issue: the death of his daughter and the loss of his arm. That's the reality we the readers and Roy the character have to deal with. I hate that reality, but I can't ignore it.  J.T. Krul is a competent writer who often shows a deft touch with characterization and emotion. Many of his scenes are elevated from solid if ordinary storytelling, packing a real emotional punch. And yet...

I can't put my finger on where exactly this book is failing, because it really isn't failing overall. All the right notes are being hit. Roy's grief, his anger, his lashing out, and his hiding in drugs. Yes, I would've liked Roy to be stronger than that, but I can't argue with the characterization. Roy is flawed. Roy has abandonment issues that have never been fully resolved. Roy is emotionally weak. And I'm trusting Krul enough to wait to the end of the story to see where Roy ends up before I judge the story overall.

The scene with Cheshire was a strong one. Roy might now deny he loved her, but his feelings for her in the Titans book(s) was fairly well established, even though he knew he shouldn't feel that way. Her lashing out at Roy fits with her grief, too. And the scene with Dick is powerful. The fight echoed the one after Roy got shot (and that shooting and the scars to go with it, seem as forgotten as Roy's Navaho tattoo). These two men are not so much friends as "brothers." They have a powerful emotional bond.

So, all should be good, right? Not really. Because underneath all this emotion is something flat. Krul clearly wants to write an emotional journey for Roy, and unlike Wonder Woman, whose psyche gets explored with each new writer on her book, Roy has not gotten this treatment for a while. I'm happy to have him front and center of a book that bears his name, even if he's Arsenal again instead of Red Arrow (which connected him too much to Green Arrow and made him seem less independent, anyway), and even if it's because his daughter was killed (ruthlessly by the PTB). And I am feeling the emotion of the tale.

But I can't shake the feeling that Krul read a book on grief, swallowed it whole, and is regurgitating it on the page. It fits, but perhaps too well. It isn't messy. It isn't surprising. Yes, that's what's missing here. The element of surprise. I'm not reading and getting the sense of wonder, of being bowled over by brilliance. I wanted brilliance. I craved the unexpected. I longed for an emotional wringer that came from more than the starting point of an unbelievably sad situation, the death of a child. Damn it, J.T. Krul. I wanted more. I hope I might still get it.

Finally, the art. I can appreciate the phone book list of artists was to make a deadline, which I can appreciate and I'm happy to get the book on time. But the art of the last pages was not up to the quality of the first and middle, and that was disappointing.

Two Reviews

Wonder Woman 43
I could look at this cover for hours. Just lovely. Diana's family troubles continue with her supposed aunt ready to destroy earth. Etta and Steve have been wonderful supporting castmates and I hope that continues with the new creative team.

Rise of Arsenal 2
I have no idea where this is going and where Roy will end up or even if I'll like it, and while I know some people haven't liked this, I have gotten caught up in the emotion. The art has been wonderful, and Lian, in Roy's dreams, looks like a real little girl, and the grief on Roy's face and everyone else's at the funeral, is palpable. Roy's acting like a jerk, but he's also going through the stages of grief. He seems to be past denial, and he hasn't really gotten to bargaining yet, but anger and depression are well established, especially anger in his lashing out at his friends. Roy's always been one to push people away, out of fear of losing people. After all, he's lost everyone he's cared about. For a while, it looked as if he finally had a solid, dependable love in his life: Lian. But now she's been ripped from him. Old hurts and anger at Ollie resurfaced when he learned Ollie denied him vengeance for his daughter's death. He's popping pills, but so far, hasn't fallen all the way into addiction, though the drugs have to be affecting him negatively, keeping him from dealing with his loss and the grief. And all of it is just a way to deflect the anger from himself, because he wasn't there for Lian, which haunts him in his dreams. She died, and he blames himself and, no surprise, Cheshire blames him, too.

Will he be able to fight her? Does he even want to? Does a part of him want to give up, crawl into a hole, die? Or will his inner strength, his enormous capacity for survival, kick in? This is an emotion-packed story, giving Roy some of his most dramatic, angsty scenes, but was it really worth killing a little girl for one storyline? If Roy is to remake himself, yet again, could there have been a way that did not involve killing Lian? I guess I won't be able to begin to answer that until I see where he ends up.

Quick Catch-Up

I am so far behind. Here are a few comics I recently read.

Secret Six
Gail Simone at her best. And it's a child in jeopardy story. And the child is a boy. And I'm betting the outcome will be better for the boy than it was for Lian Harper in Cry for Justice. And no, I can't get over her death. So, expect more ranting now and then. Cheshire is such a fascinating character, so the next installment should be most entertaining.

Batman 697
Creepy. As long as Dick successfully fills the role of Batman, I'm happy. Let's just say, I'm happy.

Supergirl 51
This issue really packed a punch and not just on the cover. Some major action for Kara and her mother. I'm not reading the Superman chapters, so this is a bit disjointed for me, but as long as Kara shines here, I'm happy. Let's just say, I'm happy.

Batgirl 8
Red Robin visits. Not as much fun as Steph and Damian, but a solid issue, given Steph's history with Tim. However, since I don't read Red Robin, I won't be reading the follow-up there.

And from this week...

Power Girl 10
If Gray, Palmiotti, and Conner aren't the perfect team for this book, no one is. I'll miss them on this book. Kara handles a blackmailing teen and a strangely acting Terra, the latter which is harder than the former.

I did read Rise and Fall of Arsenal 1. Looks like they're going down the druggie path, as I expected, at least for a bit. And we finally got, in flashback, the action between Prometheus and Roy that reveals how Roy lost his arm. The book didn't suck. I want to think on it a bit more before making more in-depth comments. Maybe I should wait til the story concludes before I really tackle the story. But the good news is, it didn't suck and even had some real emotion.

More on Titans 23 Plus Green Arrow 31

I thought I'd hallucinated the solicit for Titans 23, so I went back to DC's site and no, I was not wrong. Here it is:

"Spotlight on Red Arrow! As Roy Harper lies in critical condition after the events of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #5, his fever dreams show him the perfect future life he wants for the Titans. Unfortunately for him, it's a life the Titans will never see."

Am I the only one who got the issue but didn't get that story? Seriously. Was Roy having a dream about a perfect future life? Was he even dreaming? Because the story I read flashed back to the past, with what seemed to be everyone's retconned memories except Roy's. And it was the story in the solicit that I wanted to read and was the reason I bought the book, not the story I got. That was untruth in advertising. Does anyone else who read it feel cheated?

As for Green Arrow 31, the start of the actual Fall of Green Arrow storyline, it went mostly as expected. Ollie was the usual stubborn, arrogant, self-righteous prick who thinks he knows best, even to the point of treating Dinah like the enemy. This isn't out of character. It's the whole vigilante killer that's out of character. Connor provided a philosophical counterpoint, which was no surprise, and Mia came in at the end and is fully in Ollie's camp. The art was nice, though. Dallocchio has a nice touch.

Krul's doing a decent job with this mess so far, but there's nothing special here yet, nothing that lives up to the hype. And while this might end up being a strong arc for Roy and Ollie and they'll end up stronger than ever, Lian will still be dead in the worst case of plot device I've ever read.

Titans 23

Spoilers.

Uh, who are these people? In some panels, they're definitely the Teen Titans of old, but in others, I'm not so sure. Because, as well written this is (when compared to Cry for Justice, which admittedly, wouldn't take much skill to achieve), there's a whole lot of retconning going on. And for this longtime (as in 45 years or so) Titans fan, it was disconcerting to say the least. The group didn't know about Roy's addiction until after the fact. I'm at work and can't root through my comics boxes, but there was a panel in the revival of the TT book in which one of them says that GA mentioned Roy's "trouble" at a JLA meeting (as I recall). And Roy took up heroin because Ollie pretty much abandoned him to travel the country with Hal. So, yeah, retcon in Donna rejecting him (and he would've been around 16 then, though various estimates put that time in the 14-17 age range) as a contributing factor, but Roy had a lot of other problems back then. There was one flashback, I think in a Titans book, showing him being obnoxious at TT headquarters and Dick (probably) giving him hell, but never was there a sign he was shooting up.

I also never got the sense that Roy went into rehab. That's such a modern-time concept. I suppose since he's not really in his 40s or 50s now, we have to move the timeline up a few decades, but he kicked cold turkey with Dinah's help and then went out on his own. I had the sense of a character as independent and stubborn as Ollie. I had the sense that Roy was not someone to go into rehab. He'd kicked heroin and he figured he was in the clear, that he could keep fighting the urges on his own.

And while Roy and Wally had their differences, I never got the sense that Roy and Dick had strong disagreements. Different temperaments and goals, but those weren't causing antagonism between them. Wally and Roy were competing for Donna, while Dick was never really more than a brother to her.

The Titans, the original members, were about family. They admitted as much in the revival of the Titans book. That's how Devin Grayson wrote them and that's the version that felt right. To keep putting in "revelations" about past problems in their relationships is just piling more crap on the crap pile of Cry for Justice.

Yet, Donna saying that Roy wanted family was dead on, because if there's one constant in Roy's life, it's that he's continued to lose family. Also, Wally rushing home to hug his kids was a nice touch, something much missing from the Rise and Fall Special last week.

The art didn't stand out. Not awful, not all that interesting. Serviceable. The present-time was better looking than the flashbacks/dreams which just made everyone look weird with squared or angular jaws. The cover was nice, however.

Bottom line: I have no idea why this needed to be written, other than to slam the door, again, on a past, that gets revisited and reworked every decade, if not sooner. It didn't further the storyline and it didn't evoke much emotion in me. And that's a shame.

Not a Review, Just Some Thoughts

I can't do a proper review of Justice League Rise and Fall Special. I want to, but my thoughts about the issue run more toward feelings than any commentary on the actual story. First, J.T. Krul did a much better job with this monstrosity of a storyline than James Robinson did in the Cry for Justice (which I just skimmed) lead-in. But there's only so much anyone can do with this material. To be fair, Ollie's narration showed a semblance of self-awareness, as in he seems aware that he's being a complete jerk, a total douche, a self-serving maniac. But still, he's not stopping to take a deep breath and figure out what's really important, like, perhaps, being there for Roy. Oh, no, not Ollie. And in that sense, he's in character. Because, after all, this is the insensitive idiot who threw Roy out when he caught Roy shooting up heroin and this is the Ollie who more recently, when Roy was shot 5 times and which already seems forgotten, when some of the Titans formed a new Outsiders group, rushed out to find the bastard who was behind it all rather than stick around while Roy was in a coma (sound familiar?). So, in character.

Even the killing of Prometheus could be considered in character, because he is hotheaded, though I'm on the fence about him leaving the body to rot and waiting for the deed to be discovered and not mentioning it to anyone until he said something that led Dinah to realize the truth. Ah, Ollie. Such an asshole.

But then, I hope Krul keeps in mind that Ollie is, at his core following the loss of his fortune back in the Green Lantern/Green Arrow days, a bleeding heart liberal out to right the wrongs of the world (over population, pollution, racism, fanaticism, the ism of your choice), which led to some debates/arguments/fights with conservative Hawkman, until lesser writers just wrote Ollie as being argumentative without an actual agenda.

So, Roy doesn't actually appear in this issue, except for what seems to be a flashback, with him staggering down a corridor leaving a bloodtrail from the stump where his arm once was. Which led me to this bizarre thought...

Why couldn't they rip off his other arm instead? The left one, with the Navaho tattoo that no one ever remembers to draw in anymore. I remember when Barry Kitson took over the Titans book near the end of its run (that time) -- at least, my memory is telling me it was Kitson -- he was a fairly regular poster on the DC boards, as was I back then, and he was quite happy to draw the tattoo once we who actually remembered it, mentioned it on the boards. If they'd just ripped off that arm, then no one would ever be vulnerable to the accusation that they forgot/didn't want to draw the tattoo.

Here's another thought/omission. In the conversation Wally and Dick have, they discuss how it's been perhaps just luck that's kept them from being hurt the way Roy was. Never mind that Roy almost died from that shooting a while back, or that all of them have been hurt seriously -- especially Dick, in all the Bat books, including his own as Nightwing -- but not once do they mention Lian and how awful it is that Roy's six-year-old (or thereabouts) daughter was so horribly killed. Lian played with Wally's kids. Dick helped Roy get custody of Lian. Can they/did they not shed a tear for her? Are they not upset? Can they really calmly discuss Roy and how Wally "graduated" into his mentor's role before Dick, or Roy, did, without showing any sadness for Lian's death?

So, while what was there wasn't bad and some of it was pretty decent, I ended up not liking the book for all that wasn't there, the emotion, the sadness, the horror that a little girl was dead which is as awful as Ollie killing her killer or Roy lying unconscious and unaware the light of his life is gone. I'm looking forward to the Arsenal mini-series. At least in those books, the story should focus on Roy and all he's lost and will have to deal with, and not focus on Ollie, because so much of this so far feels like "all Ollie, all the time."

feh

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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.