Bat/slash

To write Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain fic or not to write, that is the question.

And here I am about to delete my girlslash journal as well. Ho hum.

Filed under: Batgirl, Batman , Batgirl, Batman, Cassandra Cain, DC, DC comics, Stephanie Brown

Propaganda

I’m pleased that it’s not just me who has been having a hard time whilst re-watching the 1943 Columbia Batman serial.

I have some fun childhood memories of this series yet, as highlighted by the article and also mentioned on my tokusatsu blog, one of the more striking things I found watching it as an adult in the 21st century was the racism. There is no excuse for this but, like the author of the article for Hero Complex, I think it’s important to consider the time and the context this story was told in.

You’d be hard pushed to find a comic book character from this era who didn’t do the rounds as a propaganda icon in all honesty. Batman is certainly no exception.

And for those of you thinking that the notion of Bats working for the government is far fetched, let’s not forget that Batman has a history of helping out the authorities with unorthodox assignments.

Filed under: Batman , Batman, comics, DC, DC comics

Seven Soldiers, One Liner

Bit by bit, issue by issue, Seven Soldiers is restoring my faith in Grant Morrison’s writing.

Filed under: Seven Soldiers , comics, DC, DC comics, Grant Morrison, Seven Soldiers

Supergirl

It occurs to me that, what with all the continuity upheaval since Infinite Crisis and the new multiverse etc. etc., I no longer have any idea *who* Supergirl actually is now.

The last I checked she was Linda Danvers. Anyone want to clue me as to what happened to her?

Filed under: Supergirl , comics, DC, DC comics, Linda Danvers, Supergirl

The Justice League Are Alright

DC Super Friends + Chynna Clugston = awesome.

Filed under: DC Super Friends, Justice League , comics, DC, DC comics, DC Super Friends

On Not Taking Your Audience For Granted

One of the problems I’ve had with recent iterations of the DC ‘big event’ has been the fact that, whilst labouring away trying to find a new angle, the stories seem to have increasingly forgotten the significance of the genre they’re in. This might sound somewhat hypocritical of me as it seems like I’m judging titles for being ‘too much’ like their predecessors whilst not innovating and, part of that’s true in a way, as any kind of feedback I can offer on these books is going to be subjective.

It’s obvious that Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, et al. have a fondness for the legacy of these characters – it’s just…they have an odd way of showing it. The biggest problem with 52 is that it is, to be frank, boring. It deals with characters not in the mainstream whilst offering very little explanation of who they are or why Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are absent. The other problem is that, in an attempt to be striking, the characters that are familiar are pushed in directions that never seem comfortable – such as Black Adam’s ‘is he/isn’t he a dictator‘ subplot. There’s never enough weight for this to actual appear as a feasible storyline, in fact, as the story progresses it begins to feel more and more like a case of a character being made to fit a ‘direction’ simply for the sake of it.

The two Countdown spin-offs were even worse with their characterisation however, to add insult to injury, neither of these titles actually managed to feature any kind of conclusion whatsoever.

I expected something better from these titles and, oddly enough, I found these very things  – i.e. characterisation – were all to be found in greater degrees in Johnny DC titles such as Batman: The Brave and the Bold and DC Super Friends.

DC Super Friends #3

It’s odd that two titles designed to promote a cartoon and a toyline respectively should resonate more strongly in terms of how these characters think and act than anything currently taking in the mainstream storyline.

Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learnt from this.

Filed under: 52, Batman, Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer, Countdown to Final Crisis, Countdown: Arena, DC Super Friends, Justice League, The Brave and the Bold , 52, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Black Adam, comics, Countdown to Final Crisis, DC, DC comics, DC Super Friends, Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid

Mechanical T-Rex

DC Super Friends #2

I’ve developed something of an obsession as of late with the Batcave’s mechanical T-Rex. I think this is partly because no one seems to notice and/or comment on it, despite the incredible vastness of its size.

Filed under: Batman, DC Super Friends, Justice League , Batman, comics, DC, DC comics, DC Super Friends, Justice League

Countdown Spin Offs

Having read through all of Countdown: Arena and most of Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer recently, I can’t help but think that both these titles were not so much an exploration of the new multiverse posited by the previous ‘big’ event but rather an excuse to trawl through the same Elseworlds twice with little or no significance.

Nice idea, guys, woeful execution.

Filed under: Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer, Countdown to Final Crisis, Countdown: Arena , comics, Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer, Countdown to Final Crisis, Countdown: Arena, DC, DC comics

52

I have spent the better of today reading issues #1 – 30 of 52…and God knows I wish I hadn’t.

Filed under: 52 , 52, comics, DC, DC comics

The Brave and the Bold #15

The World's Greatest...Detectives?

Filed under: Batman, The Brave and the Bold , Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Sherlock Holmes