Where the Boys Are

Last year, a friend of mine had a son, and as a joke, I offered to pay her to name him Bruce Wayne. She didn't accept, of course, but the habit of me calling the baby Batman stuck, so when another one of my friends found out that she was going to have a daughter, it was decided that she would be Wonder Woman. It's weird, I know, but my hope is that one day, both of these children will grow up to love superheroes. That's my gift to them, for better or worse. My intent was to get them gifts that had something to do with their respective superhero mascots. It's very hard at their age, since there isn't much superhero stuff made for infants. So far, I have gotten some stuff for Batman, but I have yet to find anything for Wonder Woman. I was expecting that. Sadly, there isn't a lot of superhero merchandise out there for little girls, if any at all. (I did anticipate there at least being a movie during her toddler years that would lead to more Wonder Woman toys, but I guess that's not happening.)

Anyway, when the DC Super Friends Action Figures came out, I was thrilled. Sure Batman and Wonder Woman were still too young for them, but they would grow into them. I was going to buy them now, so I could make sure I got them. (I remember how hard it was to find some of the figures in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends line when we were getting them for my nephew. I had to order Cyclops from Canada.) The problem is, there is no Wonder Woman. I've looked in stores. I've looked on-line. Mattel doesn't even have the toys listed on their website. I have found Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman though. Aquaman! The character everyone makes fun of. He gets an action figure before Wonder Woman.

So what am I supposed to do? Do I get Batman his toy and not get anything for Wonder Woman? That would suck. It would have been awesome to be able to get a Batman and Batmobile and Wonder Woman and her invisible jet. Now I probably won't get anything. Why don't you want my money Mattel? I really love the My First Batmobile too, and the Batman, with his little smirk. This sucks.

And while I'm bitching about the lack of representation for my gender, is it just me or are the female characters disappearing from the Legion of Superheroes cartoon? I still think it's a really great show, and my favorite characters weren't any of the girls (I like Superman and Brainiac 5 the best), but I at least appreciated that they were there. This week's episode didn't have a single female character in it, not even to just stand there and look pretty. Have we even seen Triplicate Girl since she became Duo Damsel? I would like some follow up on that. On the plus side, we did get both Supermen this week. I love when we get both Supermen.

Oh, yeah, and what the hell was with the JLA forming on The Batman without a single female character. No Wonder Woman. No Black Canary. I expect better from my Saturday morning cartoons, or at least better than Smallville. One would think women would have gained some ground since the 1970s Superfriends cartoon, not lost it.

JLA Movie

There are a ton of rumors going around about the upcoming JLA movie that appears to be getting the fast track at Warner Brothers. Blog@Newsarama has a pretty good rundown of all the news, complete with links to relevant articles.

Frankly, I have a pretty strong suspicion that the movie will suck. I got pretty discouraged when I read the words "OMAC" and "Maxwell Lord." I want Solomon Grundy, damn it! Or the Legion of Doom. Who doesn't want to see that awesome, swamp-dwelling Darth Vader head in live action? No one, that's who. And I'm sure we can all agree that movies would be far more fun if they had more talkig Gorillas. Gorilla Grodd needs to make the jump to the big screen. Basically, I want the JLA movie to be fun.

Then there's the casting news that is sure to make my obsessive compulsive, continuity loving head ache. Neither Christian Bale nor Brandon Routh are going to be in the movie. That makes me sad. I am, however, kind of excited by the idea that Tom Welling might be playing Superman in the movie. Smallville sucks, and they haven't done right by the character of Clark Kent in years, but I still think he was perfect casting for the role. Unfortunately, Millar & Gough are being bitchy about it. They own Welling's soul or something.

Then there's the unfortunate rumor going around about Katie Holmes as Wonder Woman? After not wanting her back for The Dark Knight, would Warner Brothers want to give her such a high profile role? God, I hope not.

Ryan Reynolds seems to still be the go to guy for Flash, which, no complaints here.

The best casting rumor so far though is Laurence Fishbourne as Martian Manunter (via CBR). That would be friggin' cool. He's awesome.

I can't even begin to imagine who should play everyone else. Christian Bale is so unbelievably perfect as Batman that I have a hard time even consdering anyone else. I'm still in favor of Joss Whedon's choice for Wonder Woman, Cobey Smulders. Oh, and I don't know if Green Arrow is going to be in the movie, but if they go to the Smallville well for that too, and cast Justin Hartley, I will be pissed. He can play Aquaman though. I thought he was really good in that pilot.

Just Some Stuff

I'm still catching up. I've been trying to work on some stuff for another project. Hopefully, I will get another batch of reviews before I start reading The Deathly Hollows, but I don't know how long my willpower can hold out. Also, Say Anything was on, and that's never conducive to work. Anyway, just a few things I wanted to mention.

KryptonSite has a first look at Smallville's Supergirl, Laura Vandervoort. I'd say she looks pretty much exactly as I expected her to look. She's a pretty girl, but mostly she looks like every other skinny blond girl in Hollywood, or Vancouver, whichever. Is it wrong that I wish she were wearing more clothing? I should just be happy that she's wearing incredibly short shorts instead of an incredibly short skirt.

Also, Wolverine has a director, and it's not Brett Ratner. I'm kind of optimistic now. I haven't seen Tsotsi, but pulling directors out of the indie worlds has worked really well for comic book films in the past though. Now if we can just make sure it doesn't include three scenes of him crying, we'll be OK.

I did, however, think that it was weird that the Variety article on the announcement (via The Beat), states:

Using several resources that include the Marvel Comics lore, along with the more recent Weapon X graphic novels by Barry Windsor-Smith and work by Frank Miller, "Wolverine" mixes action with an origin story about how Logan emerged from a barbaric experiment as an indestructible mutant with retractable razor-sharp claws.

Did I miss something? I do not remember any Frank Miller Wolverine comics. Nothing about Wolverine is mentioned on Miller's Wikipedia page either. It looks like the article was changed too, since it is quoted at The Beat as reading "Using several resources that include the Marvel Comics lore, along with more recent Weapon X graphic novels by Frank Miller." So, am I just unable to find these comics, or , after Sin City and 300, are they just saying that everything is written by Frank Miller these days? I think I'd be interested in reading a Wolverine comic by Frank Miller. Logan's already just ridiculous enough for it to not make too big a difference.

Finally, there's the news about Seth Rogen writing and possibly staring in a Green Hornet movie. I don't know how I feel about that. They better cast someone who totally kicks ass as Kato though, because I don't really have a lot of faith that Rogen can pull off the action.

Scout Attacks! week 16: Skrull Edition

Before I begin, I just want to announce that Skrulls are going to be my new thing. I'm going to blame everything on Skrulls from now on, or at least until I get tired of it. If it's anything like Superboy Prime's time punch, that could take a while.

Fables #60: James Jean's cover is gorgeous. His covers are always gorgeous, but this cover is particularly so. I wasn't as impressed with the rest of the issue. It was typically good. An average issue of Fables is still better than most other comics. It just felt a like filler. I realize that certain things, like Flycatcher's transformation, the exposition about Lancelot, and everything with Hansel were important to moving the story forward, but they all seemed like relatively minor developments to build and entire issue around. I'm assuming that this was a matter of pacing though. I expect awesomeness in the next issue.

Green Arrow #75: I don't even know what to say about this issue. It wasn't good. There were several groan-worthy moments. I cannot even fathom why Batman would have developed something that could not only dissolve a wall into a water-like substance, but happens to smell like milk and honey. It is quite possibly one of the dumbest things I have read in a comic book in quite some time, which, given the state of Marvel right now, is saying something. Then there's the fact that the whole thing is basically just a missive on how wonderful Oliver Queen is. My least favorite part of the issue though is when Slade is about to kill Dinah and Ollie pleads with him to kill him instead. This is dumb in so many ways. The first being that Slade obviously intends to kill both of them and Ollie is an idiot for thinking that Slade would just kill him and leave Dinah alone. The second is that the whole scene is obviously meant to show how much he loves Dinah and can't live without her, but the point is completely blown by the fact that he's a superhero, one with no powers I might add, and lays his life down for other people all the time. I am knew to these characters, but it seems to me that the best way to show Ollie's devotion to Dinah would be to show him being a decent guy over a period of time. Grand life and death gestures just don't cut it for people who deal in life and death all the time. It's emotionally hollow. I'm not inherently against the pairing since I'm not all that familiar with the characters, but these issues have done nothing to sell me on it either. There are a lot of things that can be dictated by editorial mandate and rushed into being story-wise. Good romance is not one of those things. Also, as someone who is primarily interested in Black Canary, I am concerned about the upcoming joint Black Canary/Green Arrow series being scripted by Winick. Has the entire series been all wonder and praise to the glory of Oliver Queen while he's been writing it, or has it just been part of the rushed romance and showing that he's changed and is worthy of Dinah? If it's the former, I have no interest in reading a series where Dinah is going to spend all her time gushing about how awesome Ollie is. Anyway, at the end of the issue, Ollie proposes, even though they have only been back together for approximately 2 nanoseconds, and we are left on a cliffhanger for her answer. Given the DC solicits for September, it's the opposite of what I would advise. I'm still totally going to buy all the special wedding issues though. This one especially looks super cute:

Supernatural Origins #2: Things start to get exciting, dark and really morally questionable in this issue. It's clear that this series will be about showing how John Winchester went from normal, loving and good husband and father to the man we saw on the television show. Some mysterious new characters are introduced also, and I am interested to see if they are what they claim to be. One in particular has the potential to be a mentor figure who teaches John how to hunt, but something about him doesn't seem quite right. This is getting pretty good. I also really like the art. It's more along the lines of a B.P.R.D. as opposed to the average licensed property and it really adds to the tone, as well as making it feel more like it was meant to be comic book rather than just something based on a television show.

Avengers Classic #1: Not being up on my Avengers history, I'm really happy about getting to start from the beginning, and I always love reprints of 60s stuff. Lee and Kirby were...well, they were Lee and Kirby. 'Nuff said. But I really like the new stuff too. First of all, the Art Adams cover is gorgeous. Then there's Dwayne McDuffie's story which is seriously fun. I love how the Wasp plays on the team's sexism to get to become the first Avengers (secret) chairman. It fits so well with the way the female characters were written back then, while subtly subverting it. The whole story is very funny. Finally, there's "The real Origin of the Avengers!" by Stan Lee, which follows the "Stan as ultimate huckster" thing that we have seen in a lot of his stories where he meets his characters. It's still amusing. "I'll finally be able to buy a saddle!" is definitely the line of the week.

New Avengers #31: It's pretty pointless to discuss anything but the big reveal at the end, like the fact that the art in this issue is just weird and the story doesn't really flow well from panel to panel in certain places, so I'm just going to get to it. First of all, if the writer has to go around to every major comics website explaining what the huge reveal in the comic means, the reveal doesn't work. Simple as that. I'm not sure why the reveal didn't work. I think part of it was that it was Elektra, as opposed to someone more major or in a position of power in Shield or something. Elektra being a Skrull just doesn't seem to be all that important to the greater Marvel Universe. Also, when New Avengers began, the conspiracy plot was really at the forefront and was by far the most interesting thing about the book, but it got dropped in order to deal with Civil War, thereby causing it to lose its momentum. And then there's the question of why Wolverine couldn't smell the difference in Elektra, but I assume that's an issue that will be dealt with at some point. (I strongly suspect that they are going to reveal that Elektra has been a Skrull since her first death anyway.) That said, I think the concept is pretty cool. While there is absolutely a chance for Marvel to take this way too far and reboot everything, making everything that's happened in the last few years pointless, the stories that can grow out of it in the future have a great deal of potential. Unlike Civil War, which was socially relevant in a heavy handed and insulting way, the idea that anyone can be a Skrull is pretty creepy and socially relevant like really great science fiction or horror. It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. OK, so it's not terribly original, but to my knowledge it has never been done in superhero comics. I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go with this, but I'm preparing myself for disappointment. Other than that, this issue wasn't very good. Really, this arc was only interesting during the flashbacks in the earlier issues. I liked the banter between Spider-Man and Ronin/Hawkeye, but I'm still pissed off that Spidey's characterization is completely different in every book. Also, if either Jessica Jones or Luke Cage are Skrulls, which is very possible with that creepy baby moment, I will personally storm Marvel's offices. I love them, and just...no. They can't be Skrulls. That is final.

I'm starting to think I made a mistake in not picking up World War Hulk #1. I don't really have any interest in the Hulk, but I love John Romita Jr. and I have a strong desire to see Iron Man get his ass kicked.

Do You Know What I Love about Superman?

He's a sport.

I mean, look at that. I bet Batman wouldn't agree to be the entertainment at a bachelorette party.

Also, considering Justice League Unlimited is the reason I started branching out to DC, I'm pretty damn excited about Dwayne McDuffie taking over writing JLA when Brad Meltzer finishes his run.

New and Improved Supergirl

Last night, as I was writing my review of Action Comics #850, with the beautiful Renato Guedes art, I was reminded of the interview I read over at The Pulse with Tony Bedard and how excited I am about his and Guedes' upcoming run on Supergirl. Supergirl is a character I was never all that familiar with. The original was already dead by the time I started reading comics. Also, when I first got into comics, I was all about Spider-Man and the X-Men, only reading the occasional Superman or Batman story when something was specifically recommended to me, like Arkham Asylum. I was exposed to the Matrix Supergirl (that's what she's called right?) during the Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen arcs, and upon asking what her deal was, became thoroughly confused by the answers. She didn't match up at all with the little I knew of Supergirl from the movie, and when combined with the whole Lex Luthor has hair and he's good and Supergirl is dating him thing...well, I just figured it was best to stick with Storm, Jean Grey, Rogue, and Jubilee. Then that Supergirl was gone too (I have no idea how). When Supergirl was brought back this time, it was at a point when I was just getting interested in DC Comics, thanks to Justice League Unlimited and a newfound love of all things Bruce Timm, so I might have been interested in Supergirl. I certainly liked her on the cartoons, but the new comic book incarnation was drawn by Michael Turner. Big turn off.

After all that, it's kind of weird that I can get excited about the character now. Well, Renato Guedes on art helps. As I mentioned in my Action Comics #850 review, I'm in love with his work, and his concept art for Supergirl looks great. She's not emaciated, which is always nice.

I'm pretty certain the up the skirt Marilyn Monroe shot was done so that we would know that the 16-year-old girl is actually wearing shorts under her skirt as she flies high over everyone's heads. I think my favorite thing is the cape though. It almost seems a little too big for her. This Supergirl is attractive, and and her costume isn't all that different, though maybe the skirt is a little bit longer, but there's an awkwardness about her too. That's the part that gets me. Teenagers are awkward. That's what makes being a teenager suck so much.

More than the art though, which, again, is Guedes, so it probably could have gotten me to buy the comic on that alone, I like what Tony Bedard has to say:

BEDARD: Well, I think that just because they're all "strong females" doesn't mean they're all alike. Supergirl's a teenager and still relatively new to Earth, so she'll be more naive than Black Canary, who's a seasoned veteran. With Birds of Prey, the whole point of the team is that everyone brings a different type of strength to the mix, so you try and write accordingly. Hopefully, I manage to pull it off.

BEDARD: I'd already handled her some in Legion of Super-Heroes, so she wasn't a complete stranger. Then I read through the current run to see what's been done so far. Mostly I try to remember what it felt like to be a teenager and to be the new kid in a strange place, and to slowly discover the complexities of life and the way the world works, which would actually be harder to do if you're super-powerful and have all these expectations thrust upon you by everyone you meet.

I have basic expectations about what's appropriate for a character with the "S" on her chest. I don't think that's a limitation -- it points the way toward the proper area in which to search for fresh material. She's not a dark avenger or Goth punk. She's a strange visitor from another planet who should embody all that's best in humanity and in America. That's right, America. The land of immigrants who make good.

BEDARD: I'm just getting going, so I'm waiting to see what Renato does on this story, but I'm very excited about it. This guy is brilliant! I saw some character studies he did of Supergirl, and they're brilliant. Now, if I was 17 and ruled by hormones, the zero-bodyfat, nearly-naked Supergirl would probably be my fave. But Renato's take is much more like a living, breathing person, which makes her all the more endearing and fascinating. This guy is on his way to Tony Harris-style fame and fortune, and I'm honored to have a chance to work with him.

I'm not familiar with Bedard's other work, but it just seems like he's interested writing the kind of teenage superhero I am interested in reading. I don't know why, but there is something about coming of age stories and superpowers that go together really well, and consequently, I am always interested in new teenage characters. I love Young Avengers and Runaways and my two all time favorite characters are Peter Parker and Buffy Summers. But the whole appeal of these characters is completely blown if the characters don't feel real, distinctive, and relateable. Since comic books are a visual medium, part of that has to be the character's appearance. Would Peter Parker have been half as interesting when he was first introduced if it wasn't for his geekiness? Tony Bedard seems to get that.

Also, he realizes "strong females" aren't an interchangeable type, like spunky sidekick or something, which makes me look forward to the rest of his work, several of which I had already planned on picking up, like his issues of Birds of Prey. The fact that he has a sense of what's appropriate for a character that wears the "S" is nice too. There are expectations that come with that crest and I think to many creators are willing to disregard that, but it's something that has meant a lot to people for decades, and that baggage can't just be erased because a new writer or artist wants to be edgy.

Scout Attacks! week 14: To Grandmother's House I Go

I'm thinking my favorite comic of the week will be as much of a surprise to you as it was to me. It really had no right to be as good as it was.

Countdown #48: This issue wasn't as good as last week's, but it's held my attention for at least another week. I really want to see what's going to happen with Mary Marvel and Black Adam, since he's still got my interest held over from 52. Also, Jimmy Olsen had superspeed this week, so I really want to know what the deal is with his spontaneously appearing powers. Finally, something shadowy and mysterious killed a New God named Lightray. Superman got very melodramatic about it, finishing his sentences in big red letters. They're setting up a lot of potentially interesting things here, it's just not nearly as accessible as 52 was and far less character driven, which was the real strength of that series. All that is making it a bit difficult to get really invested in this series, especially since so much of it is interwoven with what is going on in the rest of the DCU.

Action Comics #850: Renato Guedes is back! I love him. Seriously. I want to marry this art and have its babies. OK. That's an exaggeration. I want to marry John Cassaday's art and have its babies. This art can be my starter marriage. Anyway, this anniversary issue was a nice look at Superman continuity as it stands now in the One Year Later DCU, without giving everything a way so there's still plenty to reveal in the year(s) to come, which is why it makes sense that this issue was written by the three main Superman writers. Also, we got to see Krypto, which was cool (but also a dirty tease since we are still waiting on Busiek's Krypto story), and the look at all the different versions of Superman was a lot of fun. This issue gets bonus points for making fun of his 1990s hair style. I love stories that touch on Superman's isolation. The way the story jumped around, it was hard to get a really capitalize on the emotion of that, but they did a good job of capturing what his life is like in a few key moments. I thought the scene where Flash asked for his autograph, showing that even the other superheroes see him as something other, and his dinner with Lois were especially poignant. What this story did an excellent job of showing was how Supergirl came to understand her cousin better and how much it must mean to him to have her in his life now. I'm sure it's not to everyone's liking, but I find the interaction between them to be pretty realistically familial.

Amazons Attack #2: I think this issue made it pretty clear that there's something wrong with Hippolyta, since even the other Amazons are questioning her judgment now. I'm guessing she's either not really Hippolyta or Circe brought her back from the dead wrong somehow. If this was Marvel, I would say she was a zombie. I liked the first issue of this series, but now it just seems superfluous. What exactly is being provided here that's necessary to the story that we are not getting in Wonder Woman? I suppose we're getting to see what the other superheroes are doing, but since they're really not doing much, it doesn't seem like we needed to see more of them than we did in the last issue of Wonder Woman. We did get the obligatory scene where Batman questioned Wonder Woman's loyalty. Just once I would love to see the inevitable moment of silence while Batman decides whether or not he believes the other person to end with him saying "I'm just messin' with ya. Pretending to be the old un-trusting asshole I used to be. Bad joke. Sorry. My old Bat-dick days are way behind me." It's never going to happen though. The big cliffhanger is Superman rushing off to Kansas to save his parents. Whatever. They're not going to die. They're going to survive so that later in the year Jonathan Kent can die of a heart attack.

Justice Society of America #6: This was a weird issue because a ton of stuff happened, but also nothing at all happened. And the only thing I know about the Legion of Superheroes is what I have learned from the Saturday morning cartoon (I'll miss you Ferro Lad. *sniffle*), so all that stuff was really confusing to me. What I did learn this issue is that Liberty Belle is one of those obnoxious newly married people who want to marry off everyone else. I did like the reference to Kingdom Come (Earth 22) and he fact that the Multiverse is what messed up Starman's head. I do think something fairly intriguing is being set up here between this crossover and Countdown with regard to all that and I just think it sucks that it's going to take all year to get to the bottom of it. There's also a really cool fight with a robot tentacle monster, who I think the reader is expected to recognize as someone, but I don't. It still looks great though. I kind of love Eaglesham's art. He's draws really pretty men too. I'm just saying. His Karate Kid could totally land a starring role on a CW show.

New Avengers Illuminati: This issue had a huge retcon with regard to the Beyonder, and frankly, my memory isn't good enough to say whether it worked or not. Being free of the burdens of continuity as I am, this was a pretty enjoyable issue. Not as good as the first two, but interesting. (It's also possible that I would enjoy anything with Jim Cheung's art, since I'm still in Young Avengers withdrawal after all this time.) I really liked Black Bolt here with his struggle to remember, and also Namor's understanding of how to deal with the Beyonder because he was the only one who understood how a king relates to his subject, and vice versa. That was a nice touch. I am curious on one point though. Am I missing a crucial part of Dr. Strange's backstory with regard to his love interests or is his greatest desire simply to have a threesome? That seems a little unambitious, considering Namor wants to take over the surface world. Finally, while I'm enjoying this series, I'm concerned about where exactly it is heading. With the gems from the Infinity Gauntlet divided between the members of the Illuminati, all of whom are about to get their asses kicked by the Hulk, and the Beyonder running around somewhere on Earth, it seems like the pieces are being put into place for Marvel to pull their own version of Superboy Prime punching time.

Spider-Man Fairy Tales #1: I fully admit to being a complete sucker for Spidey. I've gotten better over the years. I don't feel the need to pick up every single comic with him in it. I've gotten so good that I am currently only reading one of his monthly titles (though the urge to pick up the other 2 main Marvel universe titles is strong), but when something new comes out I am physically compelled to at least give it a try. What I am saying is, I didn't want to buy this comic book. I had to buy this comic book, and I am so glad I did. It was by far the most enjoyable thing I read this week, and it was a fairly decent week. Anyway, I loved it. It was adorable. I want this to officially replace the actual Little Red Riding Hood story as the one that is commonly known. People should be reading this to their children at night. You might ask why I think that, and I will tell you. First of all, it is Spider-Man, which makes everything better. Second of all, Mary Jane is all about her independence and not being a damsel in distress. She's a much better role model than the average fairy tale character. Peter too is great as a boy who believes he's meant for something a little bit more than just being your average wood cutter. In the end they learn that it's all about working together and being equals. Also, kudos to C.B Cebulski for distilling several years of the Peter/MJ marital life into one little fable. As great a job as I think J. M. Strazynski has done with that relationship, Cebulski managed to get the same point across in one comic. My one disappointment with this story was that I expected the Big Bad Wolf to turn out to be recognizable as one of the regular Spidey villains. I suppose it could have been Venom, or at least the symbiote, but it just looked like a big, black, shadowy wolf.

Spider-Man Fairy Tales also raised another question with me about the Marvel ratings system. It seemed perfectly suitable for "All Ages," but it was rated "A." I'm further confused by the fact that Illuminati is rated "T+," which I would have thought would be for slightly younger readers than "A." However, the "A" rated Spider-Man Fairy Tales was all perfectly innocent, while the "T+" rated Illuminati had two panels of Dr. Strange in bed with two obviously naked women. This is going to require further investigation.

Scout Attacks! week 13: The One Where I Have Memory Trouble

I read these comics on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, but couldn't write the reviews until now because I went away for the weekend. I'm not sure I remember them all that well. I had trouble finding the comics when I sat down to do this too, so I wasn't even sure I remembered what I was supposed to review. This is going to be tough, so don't expect too much from me. Good thing it was a light week.

Countdown #49: This was a make it or break it week for this book. I was set to stop buying it, but this issue guaranteed that I would be back next week at the very least. That's largely due to the last page cliffhanger with Mary Marvel and Black Adam. Also, while the resolution to the previous week's cliffhanger with Jimmy Olsen made as little sense as the cliffhanger itself, the fact that it looks like someone has been slipping him Ralph Dibny's Gingold Juice is pretty interesting. Considering how little I remember of everything else, I'm going to say that it was pretty meh, but I think the stuff with the Monitors and Flash's rogues have potential.

Birds of Prey #106: This issue was pretty much just one big brawl, and tons of fun. All the match ups are entertaining in and of themselves and provide a bunch of nice little character moments. Misfit versus Harley Quinn is just delightful and I am really enjoying the Huntress/Catman interaction. Finally, I know absolutely nothing about Ice, but if her power is to create and control a giant ice monster, that is so cool. So. So. Cool. Oh yeah, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Scandal isn't dead, since there's a coffin on next month's cover. That always means fake out.

Wonder Woman #9: I have to say that while the writing still isn't great, Jodi Picoult is improving with every issue. It's actually a shame that her run is almost over. I think if she had another arc on the title, it might have been really good. It would have been even better if she had worked on a less high profile character first before trying her hand at Wonder Woman. As usual, there's interesting stuff going on here, but the execution just feels a bit off in places. For example, the joke about aiming for a metaphor by toppling the Washington Monument was a good one, it just felt forced. Also, I kind of felt like Black Canary should have said it instead of Batman. And I just never know how I feel about Nemesis. He can be obnoxious, and he's clearly got a super heroine fetish, but sometimes his interaction Diana is cute. I still can't get my head around the idea of them together though. Then there's Diana's interaction with her mother. I love what Picoult is going for here. The blind faith that her mother would never do anything like this coupled with the desperate desire to have her mother back is so real and honest. Anyway, all the players seem to be putting the pieces of the conspiracy puzzle together. Everyman's involvement makes me wonder if perhaps Lex Luthor is involved somehow, since last time we saw him, at least that I know of, he was still working for Luthor back in 52. The book ends with Circe getting a spear to the chest and fading away Yoda-style. Somehow I don't think a goddess can be killed like that though. On a final note, Dodson's art is beautiful, as always, but looks a bit rushed in some places, particularly at the beginning (and I can't be the only person that hates the way he draws Superman's face). Everything at the end looks incredible though.

Captain America #26: I think I would love anything in this book just because of Epting's art. It's phenomenal. Fortunately, Brubaker is still doing great things with this story. This issue had a really good balance between the ongoing storyline with the Red Skull and having the supporting characters deal with Cap's death. It still amazes me how well bringing Bucky back has worked. I don't think it will ever stop amazing me, because it really, really should have sucked. He really shouldn't try and kill Tony Stark though. As much as that might make me laugh, Cap wouldn't have liked it and Bucky really needs to get out of the cycle of violence and death. Also, poor Sharon. Her head's been royally fucked with. that is so not cool. I didn't know that Cap and her aunt were once a thing though. That's kind of creepy. Falcon's the only one of them who's holding it together. One last thing. Does Arnim Zola remind anyone else of Krang? It's the whole exosuit thing.

So, I kind of fucked up Spider-Man month. I'm disappointed with myself about that, but in the past two months, I have been blogging a lot more than I ever had before. That counts for something, right? Anyway, I still plan on doing my post about Sensational Spider-Man Annual #1. That would have been done last week, but my scanner mysteriously stopped working, and the whole fun of that post was going to be the pictures. It seems to have mysteriously started working again, so I will get to that soon. The other posts I had planned I will just do when I had originally planned to do them before I decided to declare May Spider-Man month. And, of course, I'm still me, so there will be other Spidey related posts that pop up, I am sure.

Scout Attacks! week 11: Playing Heroclix With Darkseid

Countdown #51: I have no idea why I allowed myself to get sucked into another weekly comic, but I'm fairly certain it had something to do with the name Paul Dini, Darkseid, DC's clever ad campaign, and instant gratification. Anyway, I was completely confused during this issue. Isn't Red Hood a bad guy? Where did all these Monitor guys come from? Didn't there used to just be the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor? And didn't they both die or something during Crisis on Infinite Earths? I'm guessing the whole bit about the monitors will be explained. I'm not so sure about Red Hood. I did like that the book opened up with Darkseid and his minion playing with DC Heroclix though (not really, but that's what it looked like). I'm going to give this book a couple more weeks before I make my final decision.

Green Arrow #74: I bought this book because of Black Canary and the lead up to next issue's proposal. I picked up the last issue as well, because it was part one of the storyline. I liked it. I can't attest to characterization or anything like that, because I know nothing about these characters besides liking Green Arrow a hell of a lot on JLU, but there was good humor and action and character stuff that I thought was interesting and came together nicely. I didn't feel completely lost as a new reader, which is something I have grown to really appreciate. I didn't like this issue as much. Ollie and Dinah apparently spend 40 hours having sex, which is fine, if a little weird considering how much is going on, but then they get all conversational. That's when it gets not so good, specifically when Dinah starts gushing about how much Ollie has changed. I can see her appreciating the changes he's made, especially when it comes to Roy, but it gets way too sappy. This whole thing just reads like the editorial mandate, and far too rushed. I kind of hope that when he proposes, she says no, just stretch it out a bit and make it seem more natural.

Amazing Spider-Man #540: I'm having trouble buying this story. Spider-Man is throwing people out windows and talking about how he's going to kill the person responsible, but it's pretty obvious that's not going to happen. He's going to come to the realization that he's not a murderer and Aunt May wouldn't want him to be come one, etc., etc. Haven't we been there before, maybe not with Aunt May specifically, but just in general? It certainly feels like we have. It shouldn't take Peter this long to think of that. MJ being all, "You go bash in some heads, honey. I'm totally supportive of that" seems way off too. The story seems rather contrived and cliche as well. On a more nit picky note, no one in Manhattan just says "the train station." It's Penn Station or Grand Central. How did Spider-Man know which one to go to? He figured it out though, since he went to Grand Central and managed to track down the sniper there. Then there's the fact that Spidey is just standing around in Grand Central, letting his spider-sense seek the sniper out, or whatever. That seriously bugged me. Spider-Man is supposed to be a wanted criminal. New York City's train stations are crawling with cops and National Guard and nobody notices the guy in the black costume with the big white spider on his chest and calls in Shield's cape killers? I call bullshit. It wouldn't have bothered me a year ago, but if Marvel Comics insists on taking a "realistic" approach to superheroes, then they have to actually deal with the realities of the world we live in.

The New Avengers #30: Never being an Avengers reader, I have no real prior exposure to Clint Barton, but now having met him, I think I love him. He's almost as awesome as that lawyer that was in the last issue. (It still would have been cooler if Ronin was Zombie Cap though.) The most interesting thing about this issue though is Luke Cage bringing up the idea of some sort of conspiracy going on, which was one of the interesting concepts that Bendis was playing with when the series started, but then got ignored. There's also a crazy purity spell that made no sense and Doctor Strange getting killed by some ninjas. I'm betting it won't take.

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #2: I love this book. It's so much fun. Sure it's completely superficial and the alien threat is barely worth caring about, but the characterization is great. Also, I love how polite the aliens are, and how they retain a certain amount of personality. When the people are assimilated, they don't just become Borg wannabes. I thought that was a pretty clever take on a fairly average alien assimilation story, and it fits much better with the light hearted tone of the series. Anyway, with Reed going off on a fact finding mission in space, Spidey's the team's science guy for the time being. It should be fun to see the remaining members of the Fantastic Four completely flout his authority. One thing I don't understand is why this book has an "Adult" rating. I think it could easily be an "All Ages" or at least "Teen" title, as could X-Men: First Class, which also carries and "Adult" rating. I just don't see what grounds there is for this story to carry the same rating as one where Spider-Man threatens to kill people and Doctor Strange gets gutted by a ninja.

OK, that's the end of that. I know it's already halfway through the month and I haven't done any of the Spider-Man Month things I said I was going to do, but I promise I will get to it, and hey, there were two Spidey books in this week's reviews, so that counts for something. Doesn't it? Oh, and I decided that for the season finale of Smallville, I am going to blog my reactions as I watch it. Based on spoilers, I thought it would be fun. We'll see.

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 9: The One Where It Got Its Name

X-Men First Class #8: I recently mentioned that Marvel editorial still had not done anything recently to win back any points with me. Obviously, I erred in that statement, because I forgot about the fact that they decided to make this comic and ongoing series. Thanks, Joe Quesada. I'd say I owe you one, but I bought Civil War and Civil War: Frontline, so I still think you're in the whole there, but maybe a little less than before. Anyway, this is the final issue of the mini series and it may be the best of them. For starters, it has a talking Gorilla. (Note too self: get Agents of Atlas trade.) I love how Parker has captured all of their personalities so well in this series. Scott, though rigid, is not a dick and does have a sense of humor (and no Joss Whedon, he is not Mal). Jean does indeed have a personality. Bobby is funny and sweet (and a complete scene stealer in this series). Warren is completely content with who he is and does not angst about it. Hank is a complete nerd. These are things that so many writers have completely forgotten over the years. Well, nobody has forgotten that Hank is a nerd. He just looks like a freaking cat now. (I will never stop hating that.) Another thing I have really loved about this series is the yearbook pages at the front of each issue with notes on all the characters from the perspective of one of the other characters. They are so insightful, this month's especially because it is from Professor Xavier's perspective, and there is a bonus one at the end from Ken Hale, the aforementioned talking gorilla, who has an outsider's take on the young team. Anyway, this issue is a fun jungle adventure. It gets bonus points for having a hippo attack and hinting at Jean's developing psychic abilities.

52 Week 51: This penultimate issue starts out with our space travelers arriving home. First is animal man, who, as it turns out, really had nothing to worry about as far as his wife hooking up with some other guy. He does however, have to worry about more of Lady Styxx's bounty hunters, who arrive at his front door right in the middle of his welcome home party. Fortunately, a very fatigued Kory, who is returning his jacket to his wife because she thinks he's dead, falls on them. Adam Strange gets new eyes, which is nice for him, but I thought it was pretty cool that he could do all that stuff, like fix his ship and pilot, blind. Lobo is obviously off the pacifist kick now too. We also find out why Skeets went all evil, and it is really unattractive looking. This series has pretty much just petered out. It's a shame, because it has been really strong at points. A really amazing final issue could save it, but since we all know about the return of the Multiverse, it's unlikely that will happen.

Action Comics #848: I really like this issue in concept. I think having Superman deal with a metahuman that is using his powers to enforce a specific set of beliefs, and being forced to confront his own beliefs, could be very powerful. I loved when Lois asked Clark "Whose truth? Whose justice? And what the heck does "the American way" mean exactly?" because if Superman is going to fight for those things, he should understand them. The story just seems to completely lose its way, and its ambiguity, when it becomes clear, through heavily shadowing his face and an overall ominous tone, that the minister is going to be the big bad guy of the piece. There's also the art, which I kind of hate. It is so very stiff and lifeless. And Clark is a little too muscle bound for my tastes. Either that, or he needs to buy sweaters that fit.

Justice Society of America #5: I have never read this comic before, but it is amazing how different in tone this series has to Justice League of America. For one thing, stuff actually happens. It's also all moody and atmospheric, while JLA is very bright. It's almost hard to believe this is a continuation of the same story. Still, there are fun and interesting character interactions and some cool action. I loved when they were fighting all those Batmen. Was it just me, or was one of them fat? Everything in the Fortress of Solitude was great too, though I could not believe it took them so long to realize that there was an extra Legionnaire in that display though. I noticed right a way. He was the only guy without a name underneath him.

Wonder Woman #8/Amazons Attack #1: This all just felt very rushed to me. The Amazons are awfully quick to buy into everything that Circe is feeding them, which seems odd to me because I thought she was their enemy as well as Wonder Woman's. I'm not too sure I liked Diana and Nemesis' interaction in this issue either. It's kind of up and down, which is a shame, because despite some of my gripes, I do like Tom as a character. The inconsistencies in how Diana is being written continue in this issue, as she understands a reference Tom makes to the Washington Capitals. So that's a "yes" on the NHL, but a "no" on pumping gas? Right. I completely buy that. Still, I remain ever hopeful, because there is interesting stuff going on. It's just not being executed all that well. I'm looking forward to seeing what transpires between Diana and her mother. Also, as much as I think it is dumb to change artists mid-story, it is good to have the Dodsons back, if only because Nemesis no longer has a soul patch. Meanwhile, in Amazons Attack, the Amazons attack. It's kind of cool. Men and boys get slaughtered. Good times. I enjoy Pete Woods' art. The jury's still out on Will Pfeifer's story though. I'm mostly interested in seeing what the effect of all this will have on Wonder Woman's standing in society when it is all over. The way I see it, it can go one of two ways. Either public opinion of Wonder Woman will drop even further and her status as enemy of the state will be reaffirmed, or she will be redeemed in the eyes of the government and the public when they see her go up against her own people in order to stop the war. While I could see them going the first route as a way to reaffirm her decision to take on a secret identity, I would prefer option number two. I think it would be a lot more interesting to see Diana carry on as Diana Prince because she wants to instead of because she thinks she needs to.

I haven't really checked out any comic book news in the past few days, so I don't really have and happy news this week, but Spider-Man 3 comes out on Friday. I am so excited. I am going to see it on Saturday, which is also Free Comic Book Day. Could things get any better than that? Actually, yes they could. It's Spider-Man Week in NYC and on Wednesday night I am going to see the Spider-Man comic collection that's on display at the New York Public Library. And here on These Things Matter, I've decided that May is Spidey Month. I've got a few Spidey related posts planned for throughout the month, including a review of the movie, a commemoration of Peter and MJ's 20th wedding anniversary, and a look at my favorite issue of JMS's run on Amazing Spider-Man (hint: it relates to the Spider-marriage, guest stars a recently deceased hero, and features DOOM!). Let's just hope I don't get too lazy to dig out the back issues I need.

Scout Attacks! week 8: Unterrifying Batman Is Weird

This week, it's straight to the reviews...

52 Week 50: First of all, let me engage in a bit of self-congratulation. I managed to have enough willpower to not buy the World War III tie-ins. Go me! Even after reading some positive reviews for those tie-ins, I'm not sorry. This issue was pretty self-explanatory, and it dealt with what happened to Black Adam, which is all I really cared about. I'm sure the tie-ins explained a whole lot of stuff about the DCU One Year Later, but I don't read any of that stuff. There's some great art in this issue. The splash page where everyone is charging at Adam and he's just standing there, waiting for them, defiant, is awesome. I still feel really sorry for Adam, despite everything he's done. When he's wandering the streets of what I assume is Khandaq, powerless, muttering magic words hoping to stumble across the right one, finally reaching "Osiris. Isis. Batson. Eternity." it seems so tragic. Captain Marvel swears he will never think of the new magic word. I'm sure he will eventually, but I am really curious as to what it is. There's only two issues left. It was really nice of the characters to just wait their turn to do anything so that everyone could have a week to themselves to resolve their plots. Animal Man was so desperate to get home, but he's kindly stood aside so that Renee Montoya and Black Adam could do their thing first. He's a class act.

All Star Superman #7: Another comic that I forgot to buy the week it came out. Thankfully my comic shop didn't sell out. It occurs to me that this comic book could not have a more inappropriate acronym. I really don't like Quitely's art, but Morrison writes Silver Age crack so well, that it's easy enough to over look. And Lois didn't look disturbingly similar to Kristin Kreuk in this issue, so bonus points for that. This issue focuses on Bizarro World, and features all that crazy stuff one would expect. I don't really know what to say excpet that it's a really good, fun story and I can't wait to see what happens next. The Zibarro reveal at the end was awesome. Also, I had pretty much forgotten the plot point set up way back in issue #1 that Superman is dying. I think it's a nice touch to see him preparing for this by doing things like writing the formula for Bizarro repelant in Lois' Christmas card. I wonder if he included helpful little notes like that for everyone.

Birds of Prey #105: This issue starts off with a little lesson in Russian history, which I totally dug. That's probably just me though, because i don't know how many comic book readers are Russian history buffs, specifically into that whole period right before the Revolution. Surely I'm not the only one though. Anyway, everything seems to get out of control this issue, and it's fun to see all the reveals and reversals. Gail Simone does a great job of building up the tension and there's a pretty cool fight between Hawkgirl and Scandal. Also, Harley Quinn makes an appearance as the newest member of the Secret Six, and you know how I love her (though I am not sure this doesn't undermine her recent, and superior, appearance in Detective Comics a bit). Anyway, all this is just set up for the big Birds of Prey versus Secret Six showdown in the next issue. I predict that it will be crazy good.

The Brave and the Bold #3: This issue is about Batman and Blue Beetle. I absolutely loved their interaction. I could stand to read a whole series where Blue Beetle just goes fanboy on different superheroes, but something tells me that it could never be as amusing as the following exchange:

Batman: For future reference, if you know the answers, it's not really detective work.
Blue Beetle: I didn't mean to take the fun out of it. Sir.

Still, Jaimie is adorable and I am seriously thinking of picking up the Blue Beetle series. I am loving the storytelling device of getting in the head of one of the characters to get a look at his reactions to the other character, the added bonus of which is that it comes with thought bubbles, continuing their triumphant comeback tour. It's good to know I'm not the only one who's a little freaked out by Batman acting so nice. Also, I have to thank Mark Waid for the usage of the Lord of Time. His sense of theatricality lead to him feeling the need to give big introductions to each member of the Fatal Five, whom I would have not known otherwise. You have gotta respect a pompous and overly dramatic villain. This issue also sets up the next team up of Supergirl and Lobo, which I expect to be hilarious and provide a lot of inappropriate humor. Still, I don't know which I am looking forward to more, that or the following issue, which will undoubtedly deal with the last page's reveal. That was just badass.

Justice League #8: I'm sure a lot of people are going to complain about this issue. Their going to complain that nothing happens. They're going to complain that the fight between Batman and Karate Kid (not being familiar with the Legion of Superheroes, I know that name will be making me giggle throughout this storyline) happened almost entirely off panel. And I am sure that people will complain that the chit chatting between the heroes on the final splash page completely throws off any sense of urgency that the problem they are facing is supposed to have. I've decided just to ignore all that. It's clear to me that Melter's run isn't going to be about stuff happening. It's about superheroes being chummy and having a good time and throwing out a lot of references to Justice League of America history. I think I'm OK with that. It's kind of fun. I don't know who most of these characters are anyway, so nothing they say or do can really bother me one way or the other. I'm just annoyed that I am going to have to be buying issues of JSA too.

Finally, I have happy news. Behold the wonder of Phil Jimenez's Spider-Man. Marvel at seeing Peter Parker drawn on model. No photo-referencing here kids. I can't be the only one who finds looking at those pages refreshing. It's not that Garney isn't good (and yes, I know he doesn't use photo-referencing), it's just that this looks more like Peter Parker to me. I'm pretty sure it's the hair. Peter's just got to have those two curls in the front. Also, I think that's the most attractive Betty Brant I have ever seen. There's also this, but I don't know if it's happy or just disturbing. Frankly, I think I'm a little bit scared.

All the World Is Waiting for Her

So for all the problems the Wonder Woman title - Heinberg and his many delays, the fill-in story for issue #5, the dubious talents of Jodi Picoult - all is not lost. There is good news too. Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told came out today, finally righting that long injustice, and it's been confirmed that Gail Simone is going to be taking over the title with issue #13. Apparently, the fans have spoken and DC has finally listened. It's almost enough to make me stop bitching about how much editors suck, at least at DC. (Marvel editors haven't done anything to redeem themselves yet.)

Newsarama posted this interview with Simone on Friday, and she just put things in perspective. This, particularly, gets me excited about the character:

The book is about the best goddamned warrior planet Earth has ever known, and she happens to carry a mystical arsenal around just for the hell of it.

If a writer can’t make that interesting and fun, they really shouldn’t be writing superheroes.

There are layers upon layers of the character, and we’ll get to them all. But let’s just make it very clear that Diana is the premiere asskicker in the DCU, period. Batman and Superman have other things that make them special. Diana is the one who occasionally carries an axe if someone gives her lip.

This is actually in my first issue, but the quote is, “When a giant robot attacks Metropolis, send Superman. An alien attack? Get Green Lantern. When a car is hijacked by an escaped loony, turn on the bat signal, by all means. But if an ARMY shows up on your doorstep, that’s when you call in Wonder Woman.

Simple.

This part isn't bad either:

This is a great question. First, I hate the supposed ‘dichotomy,’ that she preaches peace while fighting. This is not contradictory at all. It’s not ‘a’ or ‘b,’ it’s ‘a’ AND ‘b.’ It’s like saying a cop is a hypocrite when they say they want to keep the peace, just because they might have to wrestle a perp to the ground on occasion. Diana’s both. She loves the light, but she’s right at home in the dark, too. She can do dark.

Actually, I have to say that this was the thing about Wonder Woman that got me a while back, the fact that, as Simone says, "She loves the light, but she's right at home in the dark, too." I think it's that ability to be both that sets her apart from Batman and Superman as more than just the girl. When I realized that, and I can't even say how and why I realized it (but I'm sure it was probably while I was watching the Justice League cartoon, since the work of Bruce Timm is pretty much the source of all my DCU love), it's when I started to really get the character, and love her. Sure, I still think it makes absolutely no sense that an Amazon is a great symbol of peace, since the Amazons raped, plundered and pillaged with the best of them (which is why they were cool), or that the Greek gods would care about sending an ambassador of peace to humanity, since they were all about messing with and screwing over the humans, but once you let go of all that, there isn't any reason why a person can't preach peace and be a warrior. It's not like she's out there committing random acts of violence.

Anyway, all that character stuff is great, but this is what really made me think Gail Simone was writing specifically for me: "Of course, since she’s punching a monkey off a waterfall on page three, maybe that’s not the best example." Let's just take a closer look at those words: "punching a monkey off a waterfall." MONKEY!

So, in honor of that bit of awesomeness, and, of course, in honor of Gail, I give you:

And if that fills you with joy, like it does for me, you are going to want to watch Smallville this Thursday (4/19). I know that watching that show isn't normally conducive to the bringing of joy, but this week it has Lynda Carter! For her, I would watch even if I wasn't a complete masochist who watches the show every week even without something as awesome as Wonder Woman herself to look forward to. She's still gorgeous too. It looks like it might be a halfway decent episode too.

Supernatural is going to be new as well, so that you definitely don't want to miss.

Scout Attacks! week 7: Still No Title and It's Too Late to Come Up with Anything (except there's a title now)

OK, really late this week. I blame the weather. Monsoons just make me depressed and lazy. Fortunately, this week's comics didn't.

52 Week 49: The JSA have come to Mad Scientist Island to rescue Black Adam. Will Magnus has recreated the Metal Men and I don't think that all the king's horses and all the king's men could put Egg Fu back together again. Also, Atom Smasher really didn't want to believe that Black Adam killed an entire nation's population. Too bad it's true. I'm still on Black Adam's side though, even now that World War III is going to start because of him. What do I care about the people of Bialya. It's fictional, and I know zilch about it. On the other hand, the image of poor Osiris getting eaten is still burnt into my memory. Perhaps Black Adam should just show Atom Smasher that issue. This was a pretty exciting issue. I don't think I'm going to pick up the World War III miniseries (I'll judge whether it's worth the expense on the reviews), but I am interested to see how it ends up. This issue also brings up something that I've never seen dealt with before (though it might be old to people who know the DCU better than I), and I think it's interesting. If your super team has America in it's name, you really should expect that other countries are going to think you are in some way representative of America.

Wonder Woman #7: Well, I thought this was better. The opening fight with Circe was decent, and it was cool to see Diana get pissed off. Some of the humor this time around was actually funny. I liked when she dropped Nemesis on his ass after his "desert toppings" comment, and for some reason, Nemesis' willingness to eat dog biscuits makes me like him more. Best of all, Diana's inner monologue is no longer annoyingly repetitive. It still has a lot of problems. The pacing is off, and I really think Picoult is out of her depth in the medium. I think there's a lot of really interesting stuff going on that's not being served as well as it should be. Still, we've now got the reason why the Amazons are going to be attacking in the near future, which is something I'm looking forward to, and the reasons why Wonder Woman is wanted for questioning, even after being cleared in the World Court, is becoming clear. I do, however, wonder if Diana will be spending the next four issues being held captive by a Nick Fury wannabe and a bunch of Shield rejects.

Fables #60: This is more like it. You can just tell that some huge things are coming up. My heart breaks for Flycatcher, and I thought Ride was way too harsh on him, but I guess that was what he needed. It looks like a lot of interesting secrets are about to come out as well. I love the way Willingham turned around what was an amusing little subplot about Bufkin so that it ultimately is going to have a much bigger impact. That's the sort of thing that is what really makes this such a wonderful series. There's so much going on, and the characters are so rich that you never really know what seemingly minor thing could turn out to be something majorly important. Actually, the fact that we are now getting an entire arc about Flycatcher probably exemplifies that better than anything. Also, Beauty is a lousy interrogator, and I feel stupid because I never even thought of the fact that Frau Totenkinder is still killing kids in some way or another. She makes an interesting references to all her investments being legal though. I wonder what that's all about. I can tell already that this arc is going to be awesome.

The Loners #1: I picked this one up for a few reasons, the first being that I really enjoyed the appearance of Excelsior (now just a nameless support group for former teenage superheroes due to the fact that Stan Lee has a copyright on "Excelsior") in the first volume of Runaways. I thought it was a really great idea, and really did want to read more with those characters. Also, I have liked Moline's art since his work on Whedon's Fray, and Penance from Generation X is supposed to show up at some point. (That's the real Penance, not the former Speedball Penance, who has that crappy, emo, self-cutter costume with the no eye holes. Dumb.) Anyway, this is a really promising start. Moline's art is great, and I love the Breakfast Club inspired cover. The support group set up is a clever conceit to the fact that readers are going to need an re-introduction to a lot of these characters, and Cebulski is pretty adept at giving them little moments that help give a feel for their personalities. There's nothing earth shattering here, but it's entertaining, and despite the fact that it's about characters facing their demons and their pasts, has a nice, light tone. I do have some questions about the group's standing in light of the post-Civil War MU, and what happened to them since their Runaways appearance, since things seem markedly different than they were left off. It's only the first issue though, and there's time for all that, and ultimately, if the story's good, I don't know if I will care if those questions are answered or not. No Penance in this one though. (Why the hell hasn't Generation X been collected in trades yet?)

The New Avengers #29: You know who owns this issue? A friggin' lawyer, that's who owns this issue (and if you knew me, you would know how hard it is for me to say anything nice about a lawyer). Danny Rand's lawyer completely shuts down the Mighty Avengers in this issue. (Too bad the whole exchange just got me wondering why none of the superheroes who have outed secret identities but oppose registration haven't fought the law in the courts. Honestly, if they are going to expect me to view the current Marvel Universe as more like the real world, then I'm going to do just that. As far as most Marvel books go, I have no more suspension of disbelief.) Dr. Strange was fairly awesome too, just not as awesome as when he's being written by Brian K. Vaughn. Still, making all Mighty Avengers confront their worst fears is a nifty trick. I can't help but think that the fact that Iron Man's worst fear is a zombie Captain America is significant, and possibly foreshadowing something to come. There have been an awful lot of zombies at Marvel lately, and he is a futurist. Anyway, the Mighty Avengers eventually track the New Avengers down to Dr. Strange's place and that's when they decided to beat a hasty retreat to Japan and rescue the former Ronin. I assume that Jessica, the baby and Wong are back on the plane, because they couldn't have just left them in New York, though it's possible that one of them is the new Ronin. Am I the only one who thinks it would be cool if Wong were Ronin? Probably. There's also ninja stuff and Elektra's crotch. It's an OK issue. I'm still pissed about the whole Spider-Man thing I talked about last week, so that didn't really help my enjoyment. (ETA: Maybe Ronin is Zombie Cap. It could totally happen.)

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #1: I really liked this. Much like Parker's X-Men First Class series, it's just fun. Not surprisingly, it's either out of continuity, or set at some point in the past, because it is impossible to right a fun, exciting story with these characters actually acting like superheroes for a change in current continuity. The Spidey angst isn't of the extra strength variety. Mr. Fantastic isn't going on about the joys of McCarthyism. It's nice. Also, there are aliens, and Mr. Impossible, and a story that looks like its going to be pretty cool.

Hmmm...happy news? I think I'm going to hold on to that for now, since it's late and I want to go to bed, but look how pretty. (Well, modern Peter isn't pretty. He looks like he has a soul patch, and modern Mary Jane is pretty, but looks a little to much like Liv Tyler for my liking. Everything else is really pretty though.) I don't normally read Sensational Spider-Man, but I am excited to pick up this annual. I'm such a sucker for flashback stories.

I Wouldn't Count On That, Robert Downey, Jr.

I found this Robert Downey, Jr. quote talking about Iron Man from The Telegraph via CBR:

"He's a superhero who is just a man," says Downey. "Not that I wouldn't play a guy who got bit by a spider or who has some freaky connection with bats, but I think this is a little more accessible. I guess that when Stan Lee created the character back in the mid-1960s -- to see if he could base a superhero on a hard-partying, womanizing billionaire who manufactures weapons, and still make him likable enough to sell comic books -- he clearly won his bet. Tony Stark is someone who has the ability to be right at the forefront of science and we are finding out more and more nowadays that science and mythology are becoming somewhat interchangeable. Some of the things that seemed really far-fetched aren't any more." [emphasis added]

This just strikes me as funny, because those are Iron Man's likable traits. I bet Iron Man was a lot more fun when he was on the sauce. In theory, I always liked Tony Stark because of his potential to be a cool, Howard Hughes, minus the obsessive compulsive keeping his urine in a jar crazy, style superhero. There's fun to be had there. I just never found the execution all that interesting. I was (note the past tense) kind of looking forward to the movie because I thought we'd get to see some of that. So I guess Downey's right. Stan Lee did succeed. Then Mark Millar and Joe Quesada stepped in, but then, those guys clearly think any character assassination is a good idea.

(Seriously. Click on the link and read all about it. Then consider yourself lucky that you weren't subjected to the scan I saw last night, which constituted the first time I was learning about this comic. Remember the rumors from a while back that said Marvel was going to do a story revealing that Uncle Ben molested Peter? This isn't that bad. I think it's got "Sins Past" beat though. The sad thing is, a romance comic with the Dodsons on art is a good idea. The ick factor is just way too high here.)

The CBR link also includes the news on the latest superhero casting news. Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. I'm a little bit shocked by that, knowing how picky he is about his roles, but I can't say it isn't perfect casting. I'm one of the original film's few defenders, and I was disappointed that not only was this movie going to be another Marvel licensed project scripted by Zak Penn, who sucks, but also that Eric Bana wouldn't be returning. I think they may have actually traded up here though. This movie suddenly got promising.

Sadly, this bit of positive comic book movie news comes after the news that David Goyer plans on making a Green Arrow movie without Green Arrow. Not only does this sound like it could be a Steven Segal movie from the 90s with any old hero filling in for Green Arrow, but it's not going to have favorite thing about the character. No, not the bow and arrow, or the frequent need to call people fascists and fat cats. I'm talking about the goatee. It is mighty. Does Green Arrow even have any big villains that belong to him to even make this project interesting? The only plus side I can see to this is that, being set in a prison, the homoeroticism will be rampant. That's always amusing. But wouldn't a Green Lantern/Green Arrow Hard Travellin' Heroes type movie be just as effective in that regard?

I had previously heard that Warner Brothers was going to make a Green Arrow movie based on "Long Bow Hunters," which was going to have a more gritty, indie movie feel. The only thing I know about "Long Bow Hunters" is that Mike Grell Women in Refrigerator-ed Black Canary, which I'm not so keen on, but I thought more low budget take on the superhero genre would be really interesting. I was a little bit excited about that movie.

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.