Another big week for comics. I might soon have to drop the iffy titles -- I'm looking at you, Blue Beetle! -- so I can better keep up. Especially, since I keep adding titles.
Champions 2
The newly formed team goes camping so they can bond. It's as cute and precious as you'd think.
Superman 10
Jon Kent/Superboy meets Damian Wayne/Robin and it's as explosive as you'd think, especially when their dads get involved. Damian thinks he needs to keep an eye on the super amateur, especially given that Jon is still in the process of discovering his powers. This storyline is intended to lead into the upcoming Super Sons book, another title I plan to add to my reading list.
Action 966
I'm not reading Action. Really. I just bought this and the previous issue for the Lois-centric story. This is the concluding chapter and it's pretty emotional, with Lana telling the other Lois what happened to her Lois, and the other Lois uses the password Lana's Lois had sent her to access a file on that Lois' computer. (Confused yet?) The file is a doozy, with that Lois saying she's probably gone if Lois is watching the video and asking her to continue her work. Which Lois decides to do, taking the deceased Lois' place at the Daily Planet. A nice interlude in the midst of whatever else is going on in this book.
Green Arrow 10
Nothing beats an assassins-on-a-speeding-train story. Things get complicated quickly. I love this book.
Frostbite 2
Our wanted trio gather supplies and a vehicle for their trip north in this new ice age story. I'm still not sure about this, but the art is really nice and I feel cold just looking at it.
Nightwing 8
Wow. I can't say enough good things about this. So many writers have tried to fill in or alter character backgrounds over the years, and the New 52 was a DCU-wide attempt at it, and so many of those efforts fail or fall flat or get ignored. At least, that's how I usually feel about stories altering reader perceptions of Batman or Flash or Superman. But for some reason, when it comes to Dick Grayson, there are more successes than failures for me. The New 52 Nightwing was one of the few New 52 titles I read, and I loved how the circus Dick grew up in became part of the Owls storyline that permeated the Bat books. It enriched the character without diminishing his history, and of course, this was a different Dick Grayson than pre-New 52, yet he remained so recognizable. I didn't read the Grayson comic in single issues because I was annoyed by his secret identity being outed and his death faked, but I've been reading it in trades and loving it because Dick gets to be the best version of himself. And now in his Rebirth Nightwing book, we get the best of all versions. The way Raptor tied into Dick's history, the way Dick remains a positive, hopeful character despite everything Raptor has tried to do to change that, the way the story concluded with this chapter has made it one of my favorite Dick Grayson stories ever.
I'll admit, I was skeptical when I heard Dick was getting a new mentor, but I've learned to not believe hype all that much. So much of it is misdirection. But I remained wary as I read the first chapters, unsure where things were going, but I soon realized this was really personal for Raptor. He seemed to have a real stake in bringing Dick to his view of the world, to force Dick to choose his way over Batman's way. But Dick, bless his heart, despite a few missteps, never wavered. His flaw, as always, was trusting too much and yet, that proved to be not a flaw, but his, and Bruce's, salvation. That's what Dick has always represented in the Batman and Robin dynamic. Hope. Dick tries to find the best in people. He doesn't always succeed, but I don't want him to ever stop trying. And that last page was everything.
Showing posts with label Dick Grayson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dick Grayson. Show all posts
Thursday, November 03, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
Grayson
I wasn't going to read this. Nope, not for me. I was limiting my New 52 DCU reading and what they did to Dick Grayson, having his identity as Nightwing exposed, then presumably killed, did not sit well with me at all. But I kept reading nice reviews about the Grayson comic, and I do love spy stories and intrigue and well, when I saw the first two paperback collections were out, I caved and bought them. And just finished reading them. And yeah, I liked them.
First, the art is great, mostly that by Mikel Janin. The book features some nice layouts and Dick has never looked better. Tim Seeley and Tom King are crafting a doozy of a story, and the end of volume 2 comes off as a game changer, leaving us to wonder just what Spyral is and what they're really after. The book features Helena Bertinelli with frequent appearances from Midnighter. Dick is truly at his best here, which is my favorite part of the book. His personality is intact, he's skilled, confident, at the top of his game. If I can't have him as Nightwing or even Batman, this will do.
My only quibble is there's a disjointed feel to a lot of the writing, and given I read both volumes this weekend, that's saying a lot. Stories seem to start in the middle and the explanations aren't always complete. And stories don't always pick up where the previous one left off, so there's some gap remaining that can be a source of confusion. But that's a minor annoyance.
I still have no intention of reading the monthlies -- I end up double paying for enough books as it is, buying trades to replace monthly comics which stand nicely on the shelf and take up less room -- so I'm trying to not think about how far ahead things have progressed already in the story with no clue when I'll be able to read more via the next collection.
But I'm happy to read a New 52 book that truly has a fresh feel to it while maintaining the essence of the starring character. It's rare I get to say this: Well done, DC.
First, the art is great, mostly that by Mikel Janin. The book features some nice layouts and Dick has never looked better. Tim Seeley and Tom King are crafting a doozy of a story, and the end of volume 2 comes off as a game changer, leaving us to wonder just what Spyral is and what they're really after. The book features Helena Bertinelli with frequent appearances from Midnighter. Dick is truly at his best here, which is my favorite part of the book. His personality is intact, he's skilled, confident, at the top of his game. If I can't have him as Nightwing or even Batman, this will do.
My only quibble is there's a disjointed feel to a lot of the writing, and given I read both volumes this weekend, that's saying a lot. Stories seem to start in the middle and the explanations aren't always complete. And stories don't always pick up where the previous one left off, so there's some gap remaining that can be a source of confusion. But that's a minor annoyance.
I still have no intention of reading the monthlies -- I end up double paying for enough books as it is, buying trades to replace monthly comics which stand nicely on the shelf and take up less room -- so I'm trying to not think about how far ahead things have progressed already in the story with no clue when I'll be able to read more via the next collection.
But I'm happy to read a New 52 book that truly has a fresh feel to it while maintaining the essence of the starring character. It's rare I get to say this: Well done, DC.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Dick Grayson Gets No Respect
Picked up this week's comics, vented at manager a bit about DC's upcoming reboot, we'll purge my pull list in September and start over. He said he was thinking about putting together a "If you like X, you might like Y" list for DC titles for folks like me looking for something else to read other than mainstream DC. I told him I'll buy more toys there with the money I won't be spending on comics.
Still trying to wrap my mind around this whole mess, especially when related to my favorite characters.
Babs/Oracle has probably been the most blogged about. I've lost track of most of the posts, but, many folks feel as I do, that losing Babs as Oracle and getting her out of the chair means DC loses something special. There was a Batgirl before Babs -- Betty Kane -- and when Babs became Batgirl, I didn't know why Betty couldn't have been given a better, bigger role, but Babs won me over. I liked that she was a librarian, which I became! But I think Steph Brown is my favorite Batgirl. But there's only one Oracle and Babs created that persona. She earned that special place in the DCU and come September, that will be gone.
But Babs isn't the only one being forced into a younger, less developed state. Think about poor Dick Grayson. With the character assassination done to poor Roy Harper (the only good from the reboot is that the damage done to Roy the last year or so will be undone, it seems, though I probably won't like what he'll be, either, in the new DCU), I refocused my comics character lust to Dick Grayson who'd been forced to play second to Roy in my heart. It's been clear for years that the PTB at DC don't like him. But finally, with Bruce supposedly dead, he got to become Batman, keeping the cowl warm til Bruce's return. And here's the thing...
If Dick had stayed Nightwing, I would be okay about him being Nightwing again in the reboot.
If Bruce had returned and Dick went back to being Nightwing, I would be okay about him being Nightwing again in the reboot.
But he did become Batman and Bruce did come back and let him stay on as Batman and coming up with the Batman Inc concept so there could be more than one Batman. Dick earned that cowl and he deserves to keep them.
So, two scenarios come to mind in the reboot: Dick goes back to being Nightwing, still a mature man in his 20s, very experienced, whether or not he's ever been Batman, and I'll get to read new Nightwing stories...
Or... Dick is Nightwing, having recently given up being Robin, and I'll have to read all over again about Dick finding his way on his own as this new hero called Nightwing. Sorry. Been there, done and read that. I want to read about a hero leaving his mentor and going out on his own, gaining experience, yadda yadda yadda, I'll find another character to read about.
The second option sucks. The first isn't much better because I preferred reading about Dick as Batman, mentoring Damian, than reading about Nightwing, a solitary hero with a mostly screwed up personal life because he keeps neglecting it to be a hero.
My LCS has a 5 title minimum for a pull list. So far, I've got:
The Lone Ranger
Zorro
Criminal
The Spirit (if it continues)
Doc Savage (if it continues)
Batwoman (because she's still new enough to the DCU to not be much affected by the reboot, I think/I hope)
At least, I've got the minimum covered, but a few extras, just in case, would be a good idea.
As for today's haul...
Nice ending on the BoP story (Birds of Prey 13), with a cameo appearance by Catman. I was happy to have something to read that isn't part of Flashpoint. Yet.
Batman and Robin 24 indicates this title will go out with a whimper, what with Jason Todd taking over, relegating Dick and Damian to guest roles in their own book. Have I mentioned how much I detest Jason? The main reason I don't want to read the coming title with Roy in it? Yeah, I figured I had.
Booster Gold 45 continues the Flashpoint storyline, which I've completely lost interest in now that the reboot's been announced. I guess this was okay. I felt pretty meh about it.
Still trying to wrap my mind around this whole mess, especially when related to my favorite characters.
Babs/Oracle has probably been the most blogged about. I've lost track of most of the posts, but, many folks feel as I do, that losing Babs as Oracle and getting her out of the chair means DC loses something special. There was a Batgirl before Babs -- Betty Kane -- and when Babs became Batgirl, I didn't know why Betty couldn't have been given a better, bigger role, but Babs won me over. I liked that she was a librarian, which I became! But I think Steph Brown is my favorite Batgirl. But there's only one Oracle and Babs created that persona. She earned that special place in the DCU and come September, that will be gone.
But Babs isn't the only one being forced into a younger, less developed state. Think about poor Dick Grayson. With the character assassination done to poor Roy Harper (the only good from the reboot is that the damage done to Roy the last year or so will be undone, it seems, though I probably won't like what he'll be, either, in the new DCU), I refocused my comics character lust to Dick Grayson who'd been forced to play second to Roy in my heart. It's been clear for years that the PTB at DC don't like him. But finally, with Bruce supposedly dead, he got to become Batman, keeping the cowl warm til Bruce's return. And here's the thing...
If Dick had stayed Nightwing, I would be okay about him being Nightwing again in the reboot.
If Bruce had returned and Dick went back to being Nightwing, I would be okay about him being Nightwing again in the reboot.
But he did become Batman and Bruce did come back and let him stay on as Batman and coming up with the Batman Inc concept so there could be more than one Batman. Dick earned that cowl and he deserves to keep them.
So, two scenarios come to mind in the reboot: Dick goes back to being Nightwing, still a mature man in his 20s, very experienced, whether or not he's ever been Batman, and I'll get to read new Nightwing stories...
Or... Dick is Nightwing, having recently given up being Robin, and I'll have to read all over again about Dick finding his way on his own as this new hero called Nightwing. Sorry. Been there, done and read that. I want to read about a hero leaving his mentor and going out on his own, gaining experience, yadda yadda yadda, I'll find another character to read about.
The second option sucks. The first isn't much better because I preferred reading about Dick as Batman, mentoring Damian, than reading about Nightwing, a solitary hero with a mostly screwed up personal life because he keeps neglecting it to be a hero.
My LCS has a 5 title minimum for a pull list. So far, I've got:
The Lone Ranger
Zorro
Criminal
The Spirit (if it continues)
Doc Savage (if it continues)
Batwoman (because she's still new enough to the DCU to not be much affected by the reboot, I think/I hope)
At least, I've got the minimum covered, but a few extras, just in case, would be a good idea.
As for today's haul...
Nice ending on the BoP story (Birds of Prey 13), with a cameo appearance by Catman. I was happy to have something to read that isn't part of Flashpoint. Yet.
Batman and Robin 24 indicates this title will go out with a whimper, what with Jason Todd taking over, relegating Dick and Damian to guest roles in their own book. Have I mentioned how much I detest Jason? The main reason I don't want to read the coming title with Roy in it? Yeah, I figured I had.
Booster Gold 45 continues the Flashpoint storyline, which I've completely lost interest in now that the reboot's been announced. I guess this was okay. I felt pretty meh about it.
Monday, June 06, 2011
Bat Books
No. Just. No.
Not gonna be reading the new Bat books, except Batwoman, unless it relies too much on the new Bat order of things and starts to annoy me, and possibly Catwoman, unless it makes Selina too much of a villain and then, no to that, too.
I wasn't reading Batman and Detective until Dick became Batman and now I have no reason to continue with them. Nor do I care to read about Bruce and Damian as Batman and Robin. That's father and son more than mentor and mentee. I love reading the Dick and Damian team and I will treasure their wonderful run, but I can't go backward. For that reason, I can't bring myself to read Dick as Nightwing once more and that costume! Ugh. The red on the black just looks ridiculous.
Red Hood and the Outlaws sounds even worse. I never liked Jason Todd. Never. I'm one of the readers who voted for the Joker to blow him up. To have Roy teamed with him and Kory? No. Just. No. I don't care that he's got his arm back. I don't care that that cover is pretty. I'm sure he won't have a daughter, but even if Lian is there, this is just wrong. Roy and Jason? I'd read it only if Roy can beat the shit out of Jason every issue. That would be worth the price. However, this makes me feel ill:
I think I need to rest and eat some chocolate before I have a fit.
So, I pose a question, to anyone who still reads this blog: Given how infrequently I post while reading 15-20 books a month, and how fewer posts I'll be putting up here when I'm reading 5-10 titles per month, will anyone stick around and keep reading this humble blog?
Not gonna be reading the new Bat books, except Batwoman, unless it relies too much on the new Bat order of things and starts to annoy me, and possibly Catwoman, unless it makes Selina too much of a villain and then, no to that, too.
I wasn't reading Batman and Detective until Dick became Batman and now I have no reason to continue with them. Nor do I care to read about Bruce and Damian as Batman and Robin. That's father and son more than mentor and mentee. I love reading the Dick and Damian team and I will treasure their wonderful run, but I can't go backward. For that reason, I can't bring myself to read Dick as Nightwing once more and that costume! Ugh. The red on the black just looks ridiculous.
Red Hood and the Outlaws sounds even worse. I never liked Jason Todd. Never. I'm one of the readers who voted for the Joker to blow him up. To have Roy teamed with him and Kory? No. Just. No. I don't care that he's got his arm back. I don't care that that cover is pretty. I'm sure he won't have a daughter, but even if Lian is there, this is just wrong. Roy and Jason? I'd read it only if Roy can beat the shit out of Jason every issue. That would be worth the price. However, this makes me feel ill:
Jason Todd finds himself as a leader of a team of antiheroes – including "Green Arrow's rejected sidekick Arsenal and Starfire, a former prisoner of intergalactic war."Ollie rejected Roy? Ignored him, yes. Tossed him out when he caught him shooting up? Yes. But rejected him? Give me an f'in break. We've finally gotten to the point where Roy and Ollie had reconciled, never mind that crap after Lian was killed. And I don't like Roy called an anti-hero. He was always a hero. A very flawed, very human hero, but a hero none the less.
I think I need to rest and eat some chocolate before I have a fit.
So, I pose a question, to anyone who still reads this blog: Given how infrequently I post while reading 15-20 books a month, and how fewer posts I'll be putting up here when I'm reading 5-10 titles per month, will anyone stick around and keep reading this humble blog?
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