Faith is Batman!

Oh, like you didn't think the same thing. Anway, here's the rest of the preview.

Scout Attacks! week 15: Tuocs Skcatta!

It was a decent week though. I forgot to pick up Supernatural: Origins #2 though. I hate it when I do that.

Countdown #47: So, Jimmy Olsen is having freaky dreams, the Monitors are making big speeches and targeting Jason Todd, Donna Troy and Kyle Rayner, the Rogues share a moment, and Mary Marvel gets Black Adam's powers. While the I thought the scene between Trickster and Pied Piper was nice, the Mary Marvel part was the only thing about this issue that was truly interesting. That's why it was too bad that it didn't make much sense. The last time I saw Black Adam he was looking to get his powers back. Now he has them and doesn't want them. It's an obvious attempt to get me to read the upcoming Black Adam mini series, and while I think it was probably successful, I'm very close to dropping this title, so I think DC is losing out in the long run. The basic problem with this series is that it is far too uneven, and unlike 52, which hooked me on the characters from the beginning, Countdown has yet to really make me care more than mild curiosity. It doesn't help that the end of the last issue made a big deal about what it might mean for a god to die and then this issue had no follow through on that. It destroys the whole impact and forward momentum.

Birds of Prey #107: As I suspected, the cover is very misleading, but this was still a rollicking good issue. We've got everyone just brawling, some truly awesome Harley Quinn lines, Huntress and Catman being the sensible ones, while also being flirty (more of this pairing, please), and a really great Deadshot moment. Really great. We do lose a member of the team though, but I think it was worth it to see Zinda take out Spysmasher like that. I am very much looking forward to the Babs/Spysmasher showdown in the next issue. It should be good.

Detective Comics #833: It amazes me that I had dropped this title at one point. Sure I wound up going back and picking up the issues I missed, but there was still a point where I didn't think it was worth continuing to read this title. I am completely flummoxed over how it got from that point to this really great issue. There's so much good here from the character stuff, to the suspense, to a reveal at the end that I really did not see coming. There are also a bunch of Alan Moore references. It's also really nice to see Zatanna clothed here, unlike the last time I saw her where she appeared to be wearing her underwear while helping Superman.

Superman #663: This is one of those issues that is probably essential to the story arc, but feels inconsequential right now. Still, I thought it was fairly entertaining. All the stuff with the New God youngsters was pretty cute. I'm interested to see if anything is going to happen there now that Lightray is dead. It's clear that a lot of stuff is being set up with Arion too. It's no surprise though that Superman has decided not to just sit back and watch civilization crumble. He is Superman after all. I just kind of hope this doesn't lead to a storyline where Superman gets mind controlled and destroys a bunch of stuff, but then snaps out of it and all is better. This whole concept is pretty intriguing and I would like to see the story come to a more satisfying conclusion than that. It's all been pretty philosophical so far, and while there definitely needs to be some action, I don't want things to just end with a brawl.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4: This is the last issue of this arc and it's plainly clear that Whedon isn't even trying to reach out to readers that are not familiar with the television show. Warren, aka skinless guy, doesn't even get a name check. I guess that's OK though since, judging by sales, there are a lot more Buffy watchers than comic book readers. That's probably the biggest flaw with this series, but since I am a Buffy fanatic, I don't really have many problems at all with this series. I will say that it has been a little strange the way the story is unfolding though, because it sort of follows the format of the television series, in that while this storyline has ended, it's really just a set up for things to come, but it's different because what was multiple issues here probably would have been cut down to a single episode. The effect is something unlike a normal comic series, but also unlike the television series and is therefore taking some getting used to. Moreso that any of the action is this issue, what was good was the future potential of what was being set up. Willow is rescued, but Buffy and the slayers clearly have bigger things to worry about, and I love that Whedon is revisiting the issue of what a slayer actually is, while also questioning a lot of what Buffy has done when she chose to give all this power to these young women. Nothing's ever black and white with this franchise and everything has consequences. It will be interesting to see how far Whedon can take this without undermining the female empowerment message that he clearly set out to make with the show's series finale. Also, I've never been one of those fans that outright hated Dawn, though I was often frustrated with the character, so I am interested in seeing what develops in Buffy and dawn's relationship. We know that Buffy loves Dawn so much she was willing to sacrifice her life for her, but ever since then there has been an ever growing gulf between them. I think repairing that bond is going to be very important to Buffy and her humanity in the coming months.

Loners #3: I have a confession to make. I have always liked Phil Urich. Sure I thought it was a bit idiotic to try and be a good guy version of the Green Goblin, but that's one of the things I like about him - that he tried. This issue is told from his perspective, and well, he's a little messed up. He's trying to keep everything under control, for him and the group, but he's obviously ready to snap. It doesn't help that they have some major problems with Julie Power now in the hospital after being attacked by Hollow, formally known as Penance before Speedball stole her name, and the leader of the MGH dealers after them because Hollow escaped. In the end, Mickey makes a mysterious deal to make there problems go away, but nobody really feels good about what has happened. Phil does now have a smitten Hollow sleeping on his floor though (and it is absolutely adorable when she kisses him earlier in the book). I'm really enjoying this series, and I really hope Marvel sees fit to make it an ongoing. It's interesting because it isn't a superhero series at all really, but it deals with the issues of being a superhero in a way that I don't think I've seen before. Oh, and this issues John Hughes movie cover inspiration is Weird Science, for anyone keeping track.

Spider-Man Family #3: Usually, the most enjoyment I get out of this title is from the reprints and Mini Marvels stories, which are always adorable, but the new story in this one is really good Tobin does a good job with all the characters and the art is really different and cool. There's just one thing that kept me from loving it. Why didn't Spider-Man see the brick that is floating, practically, right in front of his face?

Uncanny X-Men #487: I had dropped this title during the Shi'ar arc because it was boring and the pacing was all off, but bringing in Storm got me to give it another chance, because, well, Brubaker is good enough for me to think of the previous arc as an anomaly and Storm is cool. So far, this story seems pretty interesting, and given that it is only 5 issues long, I'm confidant that it will hold up better than the last, which also started out as fairly interesting. It seems I did miss quite a bit though, as Corsair is now dead. I wonder if they showed Scott's reaction to that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what's going on with the Morlocks in the post-M-Day Marvel Universe, and I always think it's interesting to see Storm dealing with them. Also, as much as I think everything with Magneto is kind of a mess right now, I'm interested to see if Brubaker brings him back. Somehow I think that if anyone could right Magneto really well at this point, it would be him.

In other news, Smallville has announced that they have added Supergirl to their already over inflated cast. Kara is going to be 19, with a rebellious streak and able to fly...before Clark. This is part of Millar and Gough's ongoing plan to make the lamest incarnation of Superman ever.

Scout Attacks! week 10: More Than the Usual Amount of Ninjas

This week we have Whedon, Whedon, and more Whedon, plus some other stuff...

52 Week 52: So it's finally over, and this issue had little to nothing to do with the rest of the series. Well, that's not true. The end has multiple codas with the various characters from the series, so that obviously relates. My favorite bits are the panel of the man in Kahndaq, clearly Black Adam, walking with a close up on his alligator boots ("Oh, Sobek!"), and Ralph and Sue Dibney as ghostly detectives. I think that is adorable, and I am so happy for them that they are together. What comic book universe couldn't use a ghostly detective couple anyway? The main plot of the issue though is Rip Hunter, Booster Gold and Supernova (but not the one that's actually Booster) trying to stop Mr. Mind from destroying the Multiverse. There are apparently 52 earths now, and it's very convoluted, but fairly enjoyable. I just don't understand why the earths are exact duplicates of New Earth, but then when Mr. Mind does his thing, they become different. It's confusing. The issue ends on the least interesting relationship that this series has presented - Rene Montoya and Batwoman. I'm bitter because when this series started, we had two really cool characters working together - Rene Montoya and Charlie (Vic Sage/The Question). They were awesome together. Now we have Rene Montoya as the new Question being dragged down by an underdeveloped romance with the the bland Batwoman. It sucks. Total downgrade. On the other hand, we have a cute ghostly detective couple. Overall, this series was kind of hit or miss. I'm not sure it was ultimately worth the investment, but there were some really stellar moments. Also, the J.G. Jones covers could not be beat. This last wrap around one wasn't the best of them, but it was still beautiful.

Detective Comics #832: Another fill in writer, which kind of sucks, but it's not a bad little mystery. It's not that great either, though. Had I known it was a fill in writer, I wouldn't have bought it, and I don't think I would have missed out on anything. Also, there were sharks. I hate sharks.

Superman #662: We're back to the storyline that about the apocalyptic future, and Busiek does a great job of getting into Supes' head and showing his thought process about the various mysteries he's dealing with. It's nice to see him investigating. Sometimes it seems like writers forget he's supposed to be smart too. I just really think Busiek is doing a great job with this character, and while some of the stand alone issues weren't the best, this is an interesting story that I'm genuinely interested in seeing how it turns out. Pacheco is also back with this issue and that's a welcome return, except for the fact that Lois still has that unfortunate haircut and Zatanna's outfit is...well...does she really entertain company in that? I realize that her normal costume isn't the most modest garment, but that's underwear. Put on a robe, lady. He's a married man. Oh, and Chris is there, which I'm guessing means he will be sticking around after the Donner/Johns Action Comics storyline ends. I figured that would happen. The issue ends with the New Gods showing up. I have no idea who they are.

Supernatural Origins #1: I'll be honest. This wasn't great. I'm not really sure what it was, but it just fell flat. I'm invested enough in the show (it's one of my favorites) to want to keep reading though. It's a story I really want to find out more about, and I think there's a good chance that when things actually start happening it will get good.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home, Part III: There are so many good individual moments in this issue, and I know the threesome dream moment is the thing everyone is talking about, but I find the presence of the viking/cupid things more noteworthy. They're just weird. There's also a pretty cool witches' battle between Willow and Amy, which concludes with Giant Dawn going all stompy. The Scooby Gang reunion is very sweet, and probably my favorite part of the issue. My one real gripe is that there was this whole big zombie attack happening and we didn't get to see any of it. Also, and this isn't an issue for me, but presumable is for someone out there, this issue would be completely inaccessible to anyone who didn't watch the show. That said, it's another great issue, with a very surprising, and very cool, reveal at the end. And it's still only the second best Whedon comic and surprise ending of the week.

Astonishing X-Men #21: I hate Emma Frost. She just pisses me off, and the more Whedon tries to make me like her by trying to make her understandable, the more I hate her. It's really starting to interfere with my enjoyment of this series. It's also kind of making me dislike Cyclops, which saddens me most of all. What pisses me off is that, a while back, Whedon gave an interview about all the characters and he said that Scott's story has always been dominated by Jean Grey, and that that relationship wasn't really beneficial for the character, but Whedon is essentially doing the same thing with Scott and Emma, and frankly, Emma just is not a good person and it's hard to have the respect for Scott in his relationship with Emma that one had for him in his relationship with Jean. Jean was worthy of that level of forgiveness and devotion. Emma isn't even repentant, whatever her guilt level might be. Also, Jean had earned her place on the X-Men. She was one of the original members of the team, and had always been the most powerful, even before the Phoenix Force. Emma got her position as leader and headmistress why? Because she's sleeping with Scott? Scott just seems pussy whipped. Also, Scott is continuing to act like Mal, who I like, but who is nothing like Scott should be. At least there's still Kitty and Colossus, though not much actual development happens this issue. Ultimately, the most significant thing in this issue is naked Kitty. Kudos to Cassaday, who is always wonderful, for not making it seem exploitative at all. Still, I don't know that I really needed to see that. Also, Kitty is acting kind of erratically with regard to Peter, so I would really like those two to have a conversation soon.

Loners #2: This issue focuses mostly on Ricochet, and it's another good read. This series isn't going to be for everyone, but I'm enjoying it. I like the focus on lesser known characters. I like the teen angst qualities, and that everyone is dealing with issues of identity. I like the art. I like that Penance shows up at the end of this issue. Oh, and I like that Chris and Mickey got together, because that was set up back in the Runaways arc, so it's nice to see that it actually went somewhere.

Runaways #26: This was by far the comic of the week, and it had the line of the century with "Punisher' war journal: Hhhhhhh...." The absence of Vaughn and Alphona isn't as sorely felt this month, and it makes it so much easier to just sit back and enjoy this story and these characters. Whedon's voice may not be exactly like Vaughn's, but he does write the Runaways so well. I am still amazed by how much I am loving Xavin. The turnaround on that character in the last three of four issues is just so great to see, because it's not that Xavin's different, it's just that it's finally clicked for me what he's all about. Molly is still the best thing ever though, with Chase coming in a close second. I'm really intrigued by the old lady and her guardian angel guy. What's his deal? And if she's the Kingpin's client, why do they seem to be working at cross purposes? At least now we know Kingpin doesn't have glands, he just really likes chocolate. Also, there are ninjas. What's up with all the ninjas and zombies lately? Clearly those two concepts need to meet. Ninja zombies would own. The issue ends with time travel, and I am psyched. The cover for the next issue is gorgeous. And that my friends, is Whedon's best last page reveal of the week.

I got Hellboy: Destiny Calls also, but I generally buy those series up and read all the issues at once, so I probably won't be doing a review on it, at least not for a while. Also, seeing as how it's Spider-Man Month and that one was absolutely amazing and one had a huge WTF?! moment and both left me feeling just a hint of dread, I'm going to be doing separate posts on Sensational Spider-Man Annual #1 and the FCBD Amazing Spider-Man. My thoughts on Spider-Man III should be up tomorrow night, and I've got stuff to say about TV also, so hopefully I will get those all done soon.

Scout Attacks! week 6: From Junkie to JLA Member

Ack! This week's reviews are really late. Sorry. They were done in pieces and then I just completely forgot to post them. Also, this week's post is really long because I have a lot of commentary at the end. And I still don't have a regular title for my weekly comic reviews, which really bugs me, but I am sure means nothing to you.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #2: Yay! Giles is back! And Willow! I think that was Andrew in there too, but the likeness wasn't good at all. It was only his geek-speak that gave him away. It's pretty clear that the season long arc is going to be the whole thing with the military and the "frown turned upside down and turned upside down again," as Xander called it in the last issue. Whedon totally got me with Buffy's dream sequence. I was all "Wait! What?! With Xander?!" Then Xander's head fell off and Buffy got attacked by a stone dragon and I was like, "Oh, OK." Still, I have to wonder if that all is going to end up meaning something eventually. Looks like Xander's got another girl interested in him though, which I called in the last issue. I just hope Anya doesn't get completely forgotten. I don't know how I feel about the whole "kiss of true love" thing, but I cannot wait for the showdown between Willow and Amy and the obvious cameos by Angel and Spike. (Will they fight over Buffy once again, or will the finally admit their feelings for eachother?) I'm also looking forward to seeing what Amy's boyfriend looks like. Oh, and zombies. Did I mention there are zombies now? Yeah, Buffy rocks!

52 Week 48: I miss Vic Sage. Renee Montoya is a cool character, but he was cooler. I honestly think they could have spun a mini series at least out of The Question and Renee Montoya teaming up in this series. They were really entertaining. Since The Question's death, Renee's become a lot less entertaining, and I have a feeling that people are just going to resent her. Anyway, she officially becomes The Question in this issue, as she finally gets the faceless mask thing going on. Nightwing fights a tentacle monster. It's a good issue, but everything that happens is a foregone conclusion. Also, Black Adam is still being tortured and now they're auctioning him off. the Birds of Prey origin was really good.

Detective Comics #831: I love Harley Quinn. I should just get that out of the way from the start. I especially love Dini writing Harley Quinn. She's his baby and he takes good care of her. She is awesome in this issue. I love that it showed off her zaniness, but also her intelligence. She's tough too, and despite all the bad things she has done, she's also inherently very sweet at heart. I also love how empowered and independent she's become. It's wonderful to see that despite being reformed and having a better grip on her sanity, Harley is still so joyful and childlike. Her big flip (and I mean the literal kind) when she gets released from Arkham is priceless. This issue also shows off one of the interesting things about Batman. For all his darkness and cynicism, he has a genuine belief in reform, or at least a genuine desire to believe in reform.

Justice League of America #7: So the League is finally formed and they have a Hall and a Satellite. I do hope that in a later issue we get a bit of narration that reads "Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice." Also, there's an odd Danger Room reference. (DC allows that sort of thing?) Actually, all the pop culture references are a bit weird, but overall, I really liked this issue. It had a lot of nice character stuff. And I learned that I really like Roy. I like him a lot. His joy at getting invited to be part of the team was infectious, and it was sweet to see how proud Dinah, Ollie and Hal were of him, especially after the whole "My ward is a junkie!" thing. (I just really like that cover. Comedy gold.) However, Red Arrow is the dorkiest name ever. Why on earth would anyone give up a genuinely cool name like Arsenal in favor or Red Arrow? I'm also not a fan of how Meltzer is developing the relationship between Roy and Hawkgirl. It's so heavy handed, and has been since Roy first saw her and said "Pretty bird." (Even I, with my limited DC knowledge said to myself upon reading that, "So I guess they're going to hook up and be the new Green Arrow and Black Canary. Boring.") I also loved how Black Lightning kept asking if Bruce designed everything and kept getting told "no," because Batman shouldn't do everything. However, he should have given them the penny. Finally, I love Dinah being the new chair person, and the resons given for why she'd be perfect for it. I guess DC really meant it when they said that Black Canary was ready to be more high profile. At least their putting their money where their mouth is with one of their female characters.

Superman #661: This was a fun little stand alone, but certainly not anything crucial. I didn't necessarily feel like I wasted my money, but I wouldn't have felt like I missed out on anything had I not bought it. It was pure Silver Age, from the art to the dialogue, to the word balloons on the cover, so it was kind of interesting to see that they aren't just bringing Silver Age elements back to the DCU, but they're willing to tell Silver Age stories as well. That's cool, but it could easily be taken too far. I thought Khyrana was a villain with potential (and it looks like we might be seeing her again) and I liked the interaction between all the characters.

Superman Confidential #4: I'm getting to this a week late, but it's still worth mentioning. I originally picked up this series purely for Tim Sale's art, which is absolutely gorgeous, but I am loving the story too. Darwyn Cooke writes these characters so well, and the concept continues to intrigue me. Most of the action in this issue centers around Superman getting his ass kicked, but it's all good because it's his first exposure to Kryptonite, even though no one knows that he's being exposed to Kryptonite yet. There's a lot of intrigue with Lex as well, which is cool. I can't wait to find out what the deal is with this sentient Kryptonite is. As for the last page, my money is on robot.

Runaways #25: It's obvious that, as great as Joss Whedon and Michael Ryan are, the change over from Vaughn and Alphona is going to be hard to adjust to. Everything is just slightly off. the characters' voices aren't exactly the same. This has to be what it was like to read the first Gerry Conway issue of Amazing Spider-Man after 100+ issues of Stan Lee, only maybe moreso, because as brilliant as Stan Lee was, Vaughn wrote his characters with a lot more consistency than Lee ever did. (It was easier for Vaughn, since he wrote a lot fewer issues and a lot fewer characters in general.) This is still a very good read though, and I am very excited for the next issue. There's some interesting conflict between the Runaways; Xavin continues to work his/her way into my heart; and Molly and Chase continue to be the best ever. However, since I work in lower Manhattan, I was completely distracted by the building they were breaking into and the surrounding area. I'm not entirely certain that the building they are standing on, when they are looking across at the building they are going to break into, is finished being built. Oh well, that's my nitpicky little complaint. Overall, despite some minor problems, I think this arc is going to rock, and I am excited to see how much trouble the Runaways get themselves into.

That's all for the reviews, now for a little rant. Here's a little something from Newsarama's latest New Joe Fridays:

Q: Mundungus 03-30-2007 01:34 AM

If Wilson Fisk is currently permanently expelled from U.S. soil according to the recent Daredevil arc, how is he operating as the Kingpin in the recent Runaways preview? I'll assume Runaways now takes place post-Civil War, so I'm a little befuddled by this. Especially if the Hood is soon to be taking a rise to power. Did someone not give Whedon the memo?

JQ: Joss definitely got the memo, Mundungus...and read it. Runaways is post-Civil War and in continuity. We talked it all over with Brubaker (who is a gentleman, a scholar and Kristin Bell’s #1 fantasy) and he was cool with it.

Here's how it works: just because you quit something doesn't mean that you're easily extricated from it. He's in NY wrapping up some loose ends that he had to deal with. It's only temporary. You'll see a reference to current DaredevilL continuity in Runaways #26. The Runaways have been on the run during the whole "Fisk in prison" stuff and contacted him through channels set up when their parents were in charge of the LA criminal underground. A lot of this will become clearer as the story goes on, true believer.

Fair enough. There's no point in complaining until after seeing whether it's adequately explained, although I can't help but think that this is where those editor's notes that used to be so prominent in comic books would come in handy. I've seen a few lately, like in a recent issue of Amazing Spider-Man, but I don't think it would kill them to put in a few more here and there as long as they don't go crazy and try and explain away everything in those little boxes. But like I said, fair enough. However, this is completely unacceptable:

Q: Spidey616 04-01-2007 12:34 AM

Hey Joe. As much as I love Brian Michael Bendis' take on the Avengers, especially with the first issues of this team division, I just have to say one criticism for New Avengers #28. With Spidey going "Back in Black" to reflect his new dark mindset, this character development seemed inconsistent with how Bendis portrayed Spider-Man, cracking jokes and being as loveable as he ever was. Juxtaposed with ASM #539, Spidey's breaking arms and bodies and not caring whether or not he kills someone. So what I'm trying to ask is if we'll be seeing more consistency with the character, and is this just the tip of the iceberg of Spidey's darker image?

JQ: Okay, to the source one more time!

Brian Bendis: JMS and I have always written different takes on the character. JMS has been putting him through the emotional wringer ever since I was able to get him on the Avengers. In JMS' stories there hasn't been as many opportunities for Spidey to be trash-talking fun loving web-head, those stories demand a more serious focus.

But in Avengers, being the perpetual loner finally on a team, with the group dynamic the way it is, there is more room for Spidey to be that Spidey. I know some think I think I'm writing Ultimate Spider-Man in the Avengers, but I'm just writing Spidey as the neurotic, trash talking, genuinely, funny, hopeful, web-head he is.

Once again I have to ask myself what the hell the editors at Marvel do that this sort of character inconsistency is considered OK. During previous Spider-Man storylines, like "The Other," I appreciated Bendis' take on the character in New Avengers precisely because it allowed for the character's humor to shine through and was a bit of a respite from the gloom and doom of Spidey's main title. However, it was obvious during those other story arcs that whatever was happening in New Avengers was not happening concurrently with the events of the various Spider-Man titles. Here, it is obvious that the issues Spidey is facing in his regular titles are very much still a reality for him in New Avengers. Simply put, if he is wearing his black costume because of what happened to Aunt May, and he is wearing the black costume in New Avengers, then Aunt May must still be in a coma and Spider-Man should absolutely not be behaving in the manner that Bendis is depicting him. Hell, I would argue he shouldn't even be wasting his time with the Avengers. If Marvel insists on producing such interconnected stories and having the same characters appear in every title, then there needs to be consistency between how the characters are depicted in the various titles, regardless of the writer of any given title's personal take on the character. If there isn't, than anything that happens to the character is largely meaningless since it won't be reflected across the board, thereby rendering the interconnectedness of the titles pointless. Now I have to seriously consider dropping New Avengers, despite the fact that, aside from the Spidey depiction, I am enjoying it quite a bit and it's the only place to get Luke Cage.

In a final bit of...well, it's not really ranting here, but whatever...the award for complete non-answer goes to JMS, for this:

Q: freedom fry 03-30-2007 09:47 PM

I have a question about Amazing Spider-Man #539. The issue states that Peter gave up the black costume because it represented a dark time in his life. And he didn't like the message it sent. Reading Amazing Spider-Man #300, I understood Peter to give up the black suit because Mary Jane was hurt by Venom and she was scared to see Peter in the same suit. Will this be addressed in coming issues of Amazing?

JQ: Let’s go to the source!

J. Michael Straczynski: Precisely, which is why I'm being careful in the writing to make sure she either never sees the black suit, or sees it only rarely. It's meant to intimidate others, not her, so he's being discreet about it. If that whole period didn't represent a dark time in Spidey's life, I can't imagine what would.

That's great, JMS! I appreciate that you're writing Peter as taking his wife's feelings into consideration. I really do, and I certainly hope that this means that you won't be using the black costume as a petty excuse to break Peter and MJ up (I can accept a break up if it's based on legitimate reasons, and that just wouldn't be, and frankly, at this point, you're going to have a pretty damn hard time coming up with one), but that doesn't have anything to do with the question asked. In Amazing Spider-Man #300, one reason is given for Peter giving up the black costume. In Amazing Spider-Man #539, a different reason is given. So what gives? I seriously have no idea why they bother with these sorts of questions if they aren't actually going to answer them. At least say, "I was trying to make the whole return of the black costume more plausible and less movie tie-in gimmicky. Changing some stuff was the best I could do. Sorry to those of you who didn't like it." That's an answer I could respect.

OK, finally we hit the good news portion of my weekly comic reviews post, though this one deffinitely falls more into good news/bad news. Aanyway, it was announced in the most recent DC Nation column that Sean McKeever will be taking over for Gail Simone on Birds of Prey. Now, that's potentially some very bad news, because Gail Simone is doing wonderful things on that title. However, it's good news for two reasons. The first is that, like Simone herself, I am optimistic that McKeever will be a good fit for the title because he can write women well. The second reason is that this news, along with Simone's comments that she was leaving BoP to work on her dream project, adds further credence to the rumors that she will be the new writer on Wonder Woman after Picoult, which is awesome because Wondy needs her. It is a shame that comics first all female writer/artist creative team is being broken up so soon though.

Scout Attacks! week 2: Just Because I Haven't Read It, Doesn't Mean I Don't Have an Opinion On It

It's that time of the week again, comic book reviews from my pull list. YAY! You're excited right? And after that, I've got some assorted other comments. It was a light week. So, let's get to it. I'll start with the big one...

Captain America #25: OK, so I didn't actually read this one. My comic book shop was sold out by the time I got there. I tried to avoid spoilers until I was able to get my hands on a copy, but that proved impossible. This is why I hate when comic book stuff gets mainstream media attention. All those people who give me weird looks on the train for reading comics start thinking that something is going to be worth money and they buy up my damn comic books and plaster the events all over CNN.com. Look people, he's coming back. Still, I'm going to go on record as saying it sucks. I know what you're going for Marvel. Death of liberty, blah, blah, blah. I know I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. This is not why I read superhero comics!

Mighty Avengers #1: I didn't read this one either. I was going back and forth on buying it. I really wanted to see the return of thought bubbles. Honestly. That was why I wanted to read it. I think thought bubbles are cool. If I ever write a comic book, it's going to have thought bubbles. Finally, after deciding that I was in fact going to buy it, after reading several good reviews, I was about to pick it off the rack and then I saw Iron Man. I don't think I will ever be able to read a comic with that guy in it again.

Justice League of America #6: Wow! It's hard to believe it's been six issues already. Let me rephrase that. It's hard to believe that so little actually happened in this whole six issue story line. What were there? Three issues of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman sitting around a table gossiping about the other superheroes? It's not so much that I didn't enjoy it the storyline. I did. I just think it could have been told in three issues. As it is, for everything that happened, everything's back at zero, so the whole thing seemed kind of pointless anyway. I really felt sorry for Red Tornado though, so he at least has earned my good will for a while. I'm still not sold on the other characters, especially Vixen. She lost me in the first when she walked into a trap because The Question sent her a note and she though he wanted a date. That was just dumb. Since then she has mostly just confused me. I did appreciate that there was less of the characters calling eachother by their first names in this issue, but I think that was more for lack of characters actually addressing eachother. I wish Meltzer would cut back on the narration also. I hope he doesn't do that in his Buffy Season 8 storyline. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm fairly neutral on this book. I'll keep reading in the hopes for more cool Black Canary stuff.

Detective Comics #829: How come the fill in writer gets to break the stand alone story rule? Or did I miss something and did Dini finish his run? Anyway, this wasn't that great. I can't help but feel that stories like this are a bit misguided. It was OK though. The pacing was good and the tension pretty high. It was nice to know the context for Simone Bianchi's cover. Liquid explosives. Right. I never would have guessed that. It looks kind of...pornographic. Eh, that's pretty much the most interesting thing about this issue.

52 week 44: Page two and there's the half eaten corpse of the cripple kid. Nice. Then there's some really cool action. Well, first Sobek turns out to be one of those villains who won't shut up. Fortunately, Black Adam kills him. (were we supposed to feel bad for him when we saw the pain induced fear? Sense his humanity and therefore the wrongness of Black Adam killing him? Didn't work.) Then there's some really cool action. Black Adam takes out the Four Horsemen of Apokalips, but not before Isis gets taken out by Pestilence. I knew that was going to happen eventually, but I'm still disappointed. I really liked Isis. Anyway, before she dies, Isis reverses her anti-killing stance and tells Black Adam to avenge her and Osiris. Personally, I'm not one of those people who think that superheroes should be allowed to kill people, but when the bad guys are forming a crime based religion and are capable of starving out an entire country, then they go and kill Black Adam's newfound family, it's rather hard to argue against it. I'm totally on Black Adam's side in the upcoming World War III thing. I probably won't read it, but I'm still pulling for him. Kill 'em all, I say. Also, Rene Montoya gets handed The question mantle, but that's a foregone conclusion and not very interesting. Another amazing cover by JG Jones too. That's always worth pointing out.

I found this, which expresses something that I felt pretty strongly about from Civil War #7. I would just add that, coming after Tony Stark telling Maria Hill to get him coffee, I didn't take kindly to him calling (I can never remember this character's name) the mother of the kid who died at Stanford "sweetheart." It's jarring too, since it does seem so blatantly out of character for Tony. That doesn't make me hate him or this story, or Mark Millar's writing, any less though. I know I'm in the minority here, but I think Maria Hill is a great character. I don't like the things she does, or how she acts, but I think it was really interesting that she was a woman doing a man's job. She was acting the way she had too, and she didn't get any respect for it. The institutionalized sexism that she was up against was obvious, and I was disappointed that she willingly gave up her position in New Avengers #25. Now I think maybe it was Bendis' way of letting the character he created go out with some dignity. Too bad Millar took it away with one stupid line.

Newsarama has a report up on two panels from WonderCon: "Girls Kick Ass!" and "Gender and Genre." There was some pretty interesting stuff said, and I think Phil Jimenex especially made some interesting points. It makes me a bit upset that I have never read any of his stuff, especially on wonder Woman. That's what trades are for though, right?

Also from Newsarama, according to their report on the WonderCon '07: DCU: Great Expectations Panel, it looks like I am going to have to start reading Green Arrow soon, since Black Canary and Green Arrow are going to get engaged. I read somewhere else that the title of the book was going to change to Green Arrow and Black Canary, or something like that. I'm glad. Marvel should have done that for Storm when she married Black Panther. (Storm is the better known character, after all.) I just hope Judd Winick writes her well. He was at the "Girls Kick Ass!" panel, so I guess he at least cares about writing female characters well. Gail Simone mentioned in a recent interview that they asked her to co-write the series. That would have been awesome, but she didn't think she could do that and continue to write Birds of Prey. Obviously, someone needs to clone Gail Simone, or get some more women writing comic books. I'd be happy with either.

Also mentioned at that panel is Frank Miller's Holy Terror, Batman. They're actually letting him do his Batman vs. Osama Bin Laden story? Is Dan DiDio on crack? That was possibly the worst idea I had ever heard. (Well, it was the worst idea I had ever heard until Spider-Man: Reign #3 and Spidey's deadly sperm. Now the two ideas are duking it out for which is more offensive. Misogyny versus the degradation of the efforts of the men and women in America's armed forces. Who will win? It's tough to say, since Andrew Kaare threw the obvious image referencing of 9/11, but knowing Miller's penchant for making all women whores, it could go either way.) I'd like to think that comic book fans are better than that, and that they will avoid this like the plague. Then I remember that people are buying Spider-Man: Reign, All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, Civil War, and any number of insulting books. I can't begin to tell you how ashamed I am of my hobby lately.

Wizard has a story about Buffy Season 8, where they talk to the writers of the first three arcs (Whedon, Brian K. Vaughn and Jeph Loeb) where Jeph Loeb shares this bit of information: "There were times I enjoyed 'Angel' more than I enjoyed 'Buffy.' That may just be a male thing; sometimes Joss’ feminist manifesto would get to me, whereas 'Angel' was just a big rollicking detective show with great characters." And this is why I can't get any really great female characters in comic books, people. I think that what Whedon did with his representation of women was great, and a real step in the right direction, but I would hardly call it a "feminist manifesto." I'd be disappointed, but then I remember that he spent years writing Lana Lang on Smallville.

Finally, since I always like to end on a happy note. I am really excited about the upcoming Superman: Doomsday and New Frontier animated direct to DVD movies. (I'm tired of finding the appropriate links, so you'll have to do that yourself.) Bruce Timm's involved, so I really don't think I'm going to be disappointed about them either. It is going to be a bit weird to hear new voices out of all the characters, though. I'll especially miss Kevin Conroy as Batman and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor, but I do find the voice casting that has been announced already very interesting. With Adam Baldwin as Superman, James Marsters as Lex Luthor and David Boreanaz as Hal Jordan, it's clear that Timm's love of the Whedonverse carries on. Now if we could just get Bruce Timm and Joss Whedon to work on a project together, it would be the best thing ever.

Catching Up

I'm a bit annoyed with myself that I went a whole month without posting a new entry, but I honestly didn't have anything to say in December. It was a slow month and my mind was on things besides pop culture. (I didn't know it was possible either.) I thought about doing a review of Spider-Man: Reign #1, but my thoughts on it pretty much began and ended with "It's okay, but I already read Dark Knight Returns" and "GAH! Old people sex!" Since then I've expanded those thoughts to include speculation that it would be revealed that Mary Jane was raped and murdered. It's what Frank Miller would do. I bet the Black Cat has become a prostitute too, because Frank Miller loves whores. For good measure, an elderly Peter Parker punches out J. Jonah Jameson, who, one would assume, is roughly 200-years old for undisclosed reasons. This, I assume, is because Frank Miller would want Spider-Man to be an asshole. Sadly, it's not All Star Spider-Man, so we won't be subjected to the comedic gold of lines like "I'm the goddam Spider-Man!"

Then I thought about doing an entry on Spider-Man 3, and some of the new information that's surfaced, including the article in a recent Premier magazine (an article in which a fourth movie was all but confirmed and Raimi said he couldn't imagine doing Spider-Man without Tobey Maguire, which is just funny considering how quick the guy was to put in a call to Jake Gyllenhaal last time that looked like a possibility), but I already posted about the first trailer (convenient link). At this point, I'm mostly just anxious to see the movie. May cannot get here soon enough. I'm ridiculously excited about it, but I'm also afraid it's going to suck. Sam Raimi pretty much rules my world (and would even if the only movie he ever made was Evil Dead II), but can he possibly do justice to so many characters?

There was also this announcement, which I didn't say anything about for your own good. Nobody likes an overly emotional blogger, and Spidey, MJ and dear old Aunt May's future in regular continuity comics tends to make me a bit on edge lately. I wonder why. I will say one thing about it though. It seems odd complaining about the artist on this project, since it's Joe Quesada, but part of me would really rather see John Romita, Jr. doing it. He's pretty much the definitive Spider-Man artist of my lifetime, and if "One Day More" is going to be the capper on the era of Spider-Man comic books I grew up with, I would have liked him to be a part of it. Also, just in case I get so upset I have to stop reading Spider-Man comics, I'd like to see him draw the web head one more time before I say good-bye.

There were only two non-Spider-Man related, and therefore potentially safe and emotion free, items that tempted me to blog during December. The first was the Donner Cut of Superman II, which I have mixed feelings about and I will probably do a review of soon. The other was the announcement of which writers would be joining Joss Whedon on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 comic book, but how interesting would "Oh my GOD! Brian K Vaughn, Drew Goddard, Jane Espenson, and Doug Petrie! This is going to be so awesome!" be? Brain K. Vaughn is also joining the writing staff of Lost, thereby ensuring that I will be sticking around at least long enough to see an episode penned by him. Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in. That J.J. Abrams is mighty sneaky.

It's also worth noting that I read Occasional Superheroine's "Goodbye To Comics" in December, but that didn't so much inspire me to blog as much as it made me feel a little ill, very depressed, and kind of want to burn my copy of Identity Crisis.

Well, that was my December 2006. Hopefully 2007 will be awesome and there will be plenty of stuff to blog about, with this blog having a lot less bitterness and bitching and a lot more fun. I's unlikely though. I can always find something to bitch about. I do anticipate to be blogging more in the coming year. I already have several ideas, so hopefully I'll stop being so lazy. Happy 2007.

Buffy Sing-A-Long

I know this is several days later than I said it would be, but look! I have visual aids! Those are the "instructions" for the audience participation. I was going to type them out until I remember I've had a scanner since February that I have never used and that Blogspot has a nifty little photo insert feture that makes it really easy. This is a momentous event. I posted my first picture on this blog. Look forward to many more in the future...or not. The fact that I now how to do it now doesn't really preclude my laziness. Anyway, on to my account of the Buffy Sing-A-Long...

My friend and I arrived at the IFC Center at around a quarter after 11PM and there was already a really long line of people waiting to get in. Soon after we arrived, the line became much longer. All the tickets sold out in advance of the show and there were actually people going up and down the line offering a minimum of $20 for the $10.75 tickets.

Inside, the theater was small and very crowded. The organizer, a thirty-something, heavy set man dressed like a watcher, was selling paper bags with the various items that would be used during the show for $2. Some of the bags were "special challenge" bags, meaning that there were some extra things that the people who chose those bags would have to do. My friend and I didn't take those bags because we didn't want to be made to do anything we didn't know about in advance. Next time I am so going to take one of those bags.

Before the show, there were a couple of competitions, or whatever you want to call them. First up was a Spike line reading competition, followed by an Anya line reading competition where three people were chosen to read a line in the manner of the character with the winner being chosenby the audience applause. The Spike line used was from "Tabula Rasa," when an amnesiac Spike realized he was British: "You english men are always so... bloody hell! Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks. Oh god.. I'm english." The Anya quote was from her seduction of Xander in "Harsh Light of Day": "I like you. You're funny and you're nicely shaped. And, frankly, it's ludicrous to have these interlocking bodies and not... interlock. Please remove your clothing now."

After that was Buffy-oke where three sets of people were chosen to act out a scene karaoke style. For this competition, the organizer chose the scene from the season 2 episode "Innocence" where Buffy went to go find Angel in his apartment the day after they had sex not knowing that Angel was now Angelus. He chose it because, in his opinion, it was the most heart breaking scene in the history of the show (and I agree that it deffinitely ranks near the top of the list) and because "a dulcet choir of pretty little birdies" was one of the best lines ever. While the other two competitions were entertaining, this one was especially hilarious, especially because two of the pairs chosen were same sex, one made up of two women, the other of two men. It was the mixed gender pair that one though, since they were by far the best actors.

Then they showed the musical, "Once More With Feeling." Finally. This was so much fun. I, of course, did not need the subtitles to know the lyrics to any of the songs. They are indelibly etched on my brain from numerous home viewings of the episode and countless hours spent listening to the soundtrack. Anyway, everyone sang and cheered and waved their little monster finger puppets around. During "They Got the Mustard Out," some of the people with special challenge bags had to get up on stage to dance around with dry cleaning bags. During "Walk Through the Fire," other people with special challenge bags had to throw around red streamers. Unfortunately, neither my champaign popper nor my kazoo worked. My odd vampire mouth noismaker did though.

After the show, they showed the unaired half hour production pilot, which I had seen in college when it was making its rounds on the internet, but that was several years ago. It was very bad, and there was the "very bad, terrible, wrong Willow" (an actress named Rif Reagan, not Allyson Hannigan, played Willow in the production pilot and she could not act at all), but all the seeds for what would become an amazing show were there. Having just watched the two hour premier, "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "Harvest," on Sunday I can say that the production pilot may not have had the production values, or the Willow, of the final product, but the humor, charm, and originality were all present. Thank god the WB had the foresight to see past the low-budget to see the brilliant concept.

Well, that's it. Hopefully, this will become a widespread phenomenon and everyone will get to enjoy it in their own cities. The IFC Center already has another Buffy Sing-A-Long weekend planned for November. I'm going to finish up by posting the questions from the Buffy Trivia Challenge that was also in the goody bag. If you reply to this entry with your answers, I will post a reply with the correct answers in a few days.

1. Name the Broadway musicalthat launched Hilton Battle's career. (hint: It was made into a 1978 film staring Diana Ross)

2. Name one of the songs sung by Giles on BTVS before the musical episode.

3. In which episode does Anya forst reference her fear of bunnies?

4. "Respect the cruller and tame the doughnut!" is a reference to what movie?

5. What pop singer was going to provide Buffy's singing voice before SMG decided she needed to do it herself?

6. Which season 7 episode features a flashback sequence with another musical number from Anya?

7. Who is the only character to appear in the original Buffy production pilot and the series finale of Angel?

And Now I Turn Into a Total Fangirl

I am really struggling to control my excitement right now, because this is totally awesome. I don't normally blog at work (yeah, even us amateur supervillains need to have day jobs), but I just couldn't resist. I have been looking foraward to the Buffy Season 8 comic books for so long, and now my excitement is doubled, or maybe tripled. My excitement is expotentially higher. I am completely unfamiliar with Georges Jeanty's work, but that cover is gorgeous. I look forward to seeing his rendering of the other characters. I also look forward to finding out if Xander will still be sporting a patch or if he will have gotten himself a glass eye. Now we just need to get an announcement about when it will come out and what other former Buffy writers will be working on the series (I'm hoping for Drew Goddard).

Between this and the Best Of She Ra DVD, today is just so cool.