Four this time.
Harley Quinn 7
Ivy has figured out where the threat to Harley is coming from, but who put the hit out on Harley is nothing I saw coming. And neither did Harley. Fun stuff. In a whacked out, outrageous, crazy way. I like whacked out, outrageous, and crazy.
Astro City 13
A single-issue story about a being called the Dancing Master and the lives he changes or affects in a single moment. Good stuff, but that psychodelic cover annoys me, probably because I hate yellow and pink together.
Red Hood and the Outlaws 32
The return of Scott Lobdell to writing chores. I was happy when I read he was coming back to the book, but now, I'm not so sure. I suppose the repetition and reiteration of the relationships will help newcomers to the book, but I really think we're past Jason tuning out Roy and wishing he wouldn't talk so much, yadda yadda yadda. Because it seems that Lobdell is taking the book back to where he left off, rather than moving forward from where the book was just last issue. Not everyone liked Tynion's long story, though I did, but it happened and I hope Lobdell isn't treating it like a dream someone had. The three Outlaws have grown and developed so much over the past year and I want the book to reflect that as it moves on with new stories. As for the actual story, it was okay. I've already forgotten it, though. So, nothing special. And I wish the art was nicer. I don't like the faces in a lot of the panels.
Red City 1
Anything set on Mars is something I have to try and I had high hopes for this, but I don't think it's for me. I'm not thrilled with the art, the lead character leaves me cold, which given he's narrating the book, is not conducive for me to keep reading. A noir mystery set on a Mars populated by humans and aliens; should be fun. Instead, it felt so ho-hum to me.
Showing posts with label Red Hood and the Outlaws. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red Hood and the Outlaws. Show all posts
Monday, June 23, 2014
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Character Studies
Spoiler Edition
In Red Hood and the Outlaws 20, James Tynion IV delves deeper into Jason Todd's psyche, and therefore, deeper into his first story arc for the book. Having had his bad memories erased, Jason is a happy dude, but Roy isn't buying it, even after being shown the horrors of Jason's life, because as he says, they've all been through horrible times, which he's then reminded of by the little All-Caste memory stealing guy whose name is escaping me. Shown the memory of when Jason helped Roy out back in Jason's Robin days, Roy learns something new: that was the night Jason later learned his mother was alive, leading to the sequence of events resulting in Jason's brutal murder. But Tynion isn't done with stripping away the mental blocks our heroes have built up in their minds to protect themselves. Kori resists the attempt to reveal her secret, something apparently connected with her one-time relationship with Dick Grayson. But Roy does learn she'd been lying to him, that she wouldn't forget him if he wasn't there, that her emotions are even stronger than humans. And while Roy feels the one thing solid and dependable is falling apart, the team the three of them have become, we learn there is more going on than Jason denouncing his painful memories; the entire team is in deadly danger. Then Green Arrow is thrown into the mix, to lead into the RHATO Annual coming out in two weeks.
What I really liked about this, aside from Tynion's skill with dialogue and his feel for the characters, is how he's building on the earlier stories in the book. This might or might not be in any way similar to where Lobdell intended the book to go, but it fits, with one little hiccup. Ollie declares at the end that he needs to go rescue Roy again, but he didn't do a thing when Roy was about to be executed in Qurac. It was up to Jason, with Kori's help, to do the rescuing that time. I hope Tynion deals with that inconsistency in the annual. Why wouldn't Ollie help Roy then, but will try now?
Still, the transition from one creative team to the next is fairly seamless, which is how a change in creative team should be, and the art by Julius Gopez is lovely.
Nightwing 20 has Dick/Nightwing in Chicago, continuing in his hunt for the still alive Tony Zucco. Nightwing is not welcome in a city that has a serious distaste and distrust of costumed crimefighters, while Dick deals with some complications with the sublet he's staying in, introducing a new set of characters. It will be interesting to see if he ends up settling in Chicago for the long term or if he returns to Gotham City after this adventure. There isn't much character development here, mostly just continuing setup for the main action as Dick seeks info on where Zucco might be holed up. But it's a nice start for a change of direction for the book, while continuing with the theme of "it's personal" for Dick, first with the circus and Owls storylines, and now the hunt for Zucco, the man responsible for his parents' deaths.
Arrow (TV version)
Arrow ended its freshman season on a high note. This is a series that started strong, if not polished, slowly built up the tension and mythology, and despite a bit of slowdown to get in a lot of character bits and backstory, finished the season with a sorta cliffhanger finale that's as good as it gets in network TV.
The showdown between Arrow and Merlyn finally happened and it was a doozy. Malcolm Merlyn proved to be a formidable foe, both in archery and other physical skills, and his intelligent scheming. While Felicity Smoak talks Quentin Lance (why his name is Quentin is beyond me) through disarming the Merlyn's earthquake device, unknown to them, a second device is ready to go off. Which is does, leading to a death of a lead character (nope, I'm not gonna spoil that one), a death that should resonate through the second season.
The actors are an appealing bunch and the characters are fully realized. Merlyn isn't evil. He's just a man made bitter after his wife's murder who thinks his solution, to blow up the poor, unruly neighborhood called the Glades, is the only way to save the city he loves. That he's ruthless in that ambition, killing as he feels necessary, are acts he rationalizes with a cliched but plausible ends justifies the means defense. John Barrowman has been pitch perfect as Malcolm, oozing with charm and barking with anger as required, the emotion impossible to miss. Stephen Amell makes for a perfect Ollie despite not having blond hair, I can't imagine anyone playing Lance now other than the man brilliantly cast in the role -- Paul Blackthorne -- and Coltan Haynes as Roy Harper, despite not being a redhead, is wonderful. The rest of the cast shines, those playing characters from the comics and those playing original ones.
The show is told in two timeframes, Ollie's five years on the not-so-deserted island and current time. The first island year ends with Ollie killing with a bow and arrow for the first time, and the current year ends with the story threads being woven over the year coming to a head. Characters grow, change, and learn actions have consequences. And what the show was at the start, a story of Oliver Queen trying to right wrongs as per his father's last request, becomes something much more. As Ollie's mission changed, the show got stronger and more intricate. This is an Oliver Queen who could exist in real life.
What I most admire about the show is how they're showing respect for the fans of the Green Arrow comics while making the show fresh and exciting, with something for both fans and for newcomers to the character. Just the little references make the show fun, from Bludhaven to Ted Kord Industries. If you haven't given the show a try, and you love Green Arrow, you should. It's one of the best comics adaptations for TV, because it knows it's a TV show, not a comic or even a movie. The show embraces the format, working with TV's strengths to allow a long story to be told nearly in real time, while including shorter stories. For me, it's must-watch TV.
In Red Hood and the Outlaws 20, James Tynion IV delves deeper into Jason Todd's psyche, and therefore, deeper into his first story arc for the book. Having had his bad memories erased, Jason is a happy dude, but Roy isn't buying it, even after being shown the horrors of Jason's life, because as he says, they've all been through horrible times, which he's then reminded of by the little All-Caste memory stealing guy whose name is escaping me. Shown the memory of when Jason helped Roy out back in Jason's Robin days, Roy learns something new: that was the night Jason later learned his mother was alive, leading to the sequence of events resulting in Jason's brutal murder. But Tynion isn't done with stripping away the mental blocks our heroes have built up in their minds to protect themselves. Kori resists the attempt to reveal her secret, something apparently connected with her one-time relationship with Dick Grayson. But Roy does learn she'd been lying to him, that she wouldn't forget him if he wasn't there, that her emotions are even stronger than humans. And while Roy feels the one thing solid and dependable is falling apart, the team the three of them have become, we learn there is more going on than Jason denouncing his painful memories; the entire team is in deadly danger. Then Green Arrow is thrown into the mix, to lead into the RHATO Annual coming out in two weeks.
What I really liked about this, aside from Tynion's skill with dialogue and his feel for the characters, is how he's building on the earlier stories in the book. This might or might not be in any way similar to where Lobdell intended the book to go, but it fits, with one little hiccup. Ollie declares at the end that he needs to go rescue Roy again, but he didn't do a thing when Roy was about to be executed in Qurac. It was up to Jason, with Kori's help, to do the rescuing that time. I hope Tynion deals with that inconsistency in the annual. Why wouldn't Ollie help Roy then, but will try now?
Still, the transition from one creative team to the next is fairly seamless, which is how a change in creative team should be, and the art by Julius Gopez is lovely.
Nightwing 20 has Dick/Nightwing in Chicago, continuing in his hunt for the still alive Tony Zucco. Nightwing is not welcome in a city that has a serious distaste and distrust of costumed crimefighters, while Dick deals with some complications with the sublet he's staying in, introducing a new set of characters. It will be interesting to see if he ends up settling in Chicago for the long term or if he returns to Gotham City after this adventure. There isn't much character development here, mostly just continuing setup for the main action as Dick seeks info on where Zucco might be holed up. But it's a nice start for a change of direction for the book, while continuing with the theme of "it's personal" for Dick, first with the circus and Owls storylines, and now the hunt for Zucco, the man responsible for his parents' deaths.
Arrow (TV version)
Arrow ended its freshman season on a high note. This is a series that started strong, if not polished, slowly built up the tension and mythology, and despite a bit of slowdown to get in a lot of character bits and backstory, finished the season with a sorta cliffhanger finale that's as good as it gets in network TV.
The showdown between Arrow and Merlyn finally happened and it was a doozy. Malcolm Merlyn proved to be a formidable foe, both in archery and other physical skills, and his intelligent scheming. While Felicity Smoak talks Quentin Lance (why his name is Quentin is beyond me) through disarming the Merlyn's earthquake device, unknown to them, a second device is ready to go off. Which is does, leading to a death of a lead character (nope, I'm not gonna spoil that one), a death that should resonate through the second season.
The actors are an appealing bunch and the characters are fully realized. Merlyn isn't evil. He's just a man made bitter after his wife's murder who thinks his solution, to blow up the poor, unruly neighborhood called the Glades, is the only way to save the city he loves. That he's ruthless in that ambition, killing as he feels necessary, are acts he rationalizes with a cliched but plausible ends justifies the means defense. John Barrowman has been pitch perfect as Malcolm, oozing with charm and barking with anger as required, the emotion impossible to miss. Stephen Amell makes for a perfect Ollie despite not having blond hair, I can't imagine anyone playing Lance now other than the man brilliantly cast in the role -- Paul Blackthorne -- and Coltan Haynes as Roy Harper, despite not being a redhead, is wonderful. The rest of the cast shines, those playing characters from the comics and those playing original ones.
The show is told in two timeframes, Ollie's five years on the not-so-deserted island and current time. The first island year ends with Ollie killing with a bow and arrow for the first time, and the current year ends with the story threads being woven over the year coming to a head. Characters grow, change, and learn actions have consequences. And what the show was at the start, a story of Oliver Queen trying to right wrongs as per his father's last request, becomes something much more. As Ollie's mission changed, the show got stronger and more intricate. This is an Oliver Queen who could exist in real life.
What I most admire about the show is how they're showing respect for the fans of the Green Arrow comics while making the show fresh and exciting, with something for both fans and for newcomers to the character. Just the little references make the show fun, from Bludhaven to Ted Kord Industries. If you haven't given the show a try, and you love Green Arrow, you should. It's one of the best comics adaptations for TV, because it knows it's a TV show, not a comic or even a movie. The show embraces the format, working with TV's strengths to allow a long story to be told nearly in real time, while including shorter stories. For me, it's must-watch TV.
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Waste of Time
I haven't been reading Batman and Robin, but with issue 20: Batman and Red Hood, I figured I should take a look, given that I've become a big Red Hood and the Outlaws fan. I shouldn't have bothered.
After the first scene during which Bruce behaves like a complete dickhead to Carrie Kelley, we get to the actual story involving Jason Todd. I foolishly believed that, given the re-bonding Jason and Bruce had done in the aftermath of the Joker's attacks, that this story would further that, with Jason helping Bruce through the difficult time following Damian's death. And for a while, that seems to be the case. Until the stubborn nature of both takes over.
Not that they aren't in character. They are. Too much so. They're both very stubborn men. But recent developments in RHATO has shown a more mature, less angry Jason, one who is working through the pain in his life and I just don't buy that he and Bruce would still act like hurt children. The story read like its only intent was to reestablish Jason's anger toward Bruce and vice versa, rather than continue their character development/growth. Which makes me incredibly sad.
Yeah, Bruce misleads Jason re: his intent in asking for Jason's help, bringing him to the site of Jason's death, a very painful thing for Jason, something he doesn't want to remember, all in the hopes Jason will recall something of his resurrection that might help Bruce bring back Damian. And here's where things go awry, because IMO, Jason has gotten past his own pain to forgive. He might not be happy, but he'd understand why Bruce did it. He, too, would want to bring Damian back if he could. It's taking the easy way out, storywise, for them to duke it out like spoiled brats who aren't getting their way.
So we go through all that just to get back to an antagonistic relationship between Bruce and Jason and I'm going to choose to ignore it. Maybe it'll carry over into RHATO, and that will be annoying, but that can't be helped. I just don't want this waste of paper sitting in my comics collection. It added nothing beyond insulting my intelligence and compassion as a reader for these characters. If I felt this was a natural progression of their story, I could accept it, but it felt no way natural. It felt manipulative and nasty. Peter Tomasi is a writer I've mostly liked, but not this time.
After the first scene during which Bruce behaves like a complete dickhead to Carrie Kelley, we get to the actual story involving Jason Todd. I foolishly believed that, given the re-bonding Jason and Bruce had done in the aftermath of the Joker's attacks, that this story would further that, with Jason helping Bruce through the difficult time following Damian's death. And for a while, that seems to be the case. Until the stubborn nature of both takes over.
Not that they aren't in character. They are. Too much so. They're both very stubborn men. But recent developments in RHATO has shown a more mature, less angry Jason, one who is working through the pain in his life and I just don't buy that he and Bruce would still act like hurt children. The story read like its only intent was to reestablish Jason's anger toward Bruce and vice versa, rather than continue their character development/growth. Which makes me incredibly sad.
Yeah, Bruce misleads Jason re: his intent in asking for Jason's help, bringing him to the site of Jason's death, a very painful thing for Jason, something he doesn't want to remember, all in the hopes Jason will recall something of his resurrection that might help Bruce bring back Damian. And here's where things go awry, because IMO, Jason has gotten past his own pain to forgive. He might not be happy, but he'd understand why Bruce did it. He, too, would want to bring Damian back if he could. It's taking the easy way out, storywise, for them to duke it out like spoiled brats who aren't getting their way.
So we go through all that just to get back to an antagonistic relationship between Bruce and Jason and I'm going to choose to ignore it. Maybe it'll carry over into RHATO, and that will be annoying, but that can't be helped. I just don't want this waste of paper sitting in my comics collection. It added nothing beyond insulting my intelligence and compassion as a reader for these characters. If I felt this was a natural progression of their story, I could accept it, but it felt no way natural. It felt manipulative and nasty. Peter Tomasi is a writer I've mostly liked, but not this time.
Friday, February 22, 2013
This Week's Reviews
I really want to get caught up with my comics reading -- and the stacks keep growing! -- but I started reading Game of Thrones, so that might take a while. But there are some comics I read as soon as I get them, so here's what I read this week, with likely spoilers.
Red Hood and the Outlaws 17
This Death of the Family aftermath was a feel-good story until the end. Kori and Roy join Jason as he says his goodbyes to his Bat family. Dick won't come out to see Kori, but Roy tosses a football around with Damian, in a very sweet scene, and Bruce and Jason have a moment. Then Jason puts on his helmet, which has been tampered with by the Joker and ends up getting his face burned. Hopefully, it's something easily treated, but it would appear to be the thing needing to be dealt with for the next issue or two, likely through the promised WTF issue. Sheesh. But nice emotions and interactions in this, which makes up for the filler aspect of the last issue. And the cover? It was great, paralleling Jason's death when he was Robin, with the present reflecting the past. Really nice job. Too many artists worked on this book, but that cover by Mico Suayan really rocks.
DC Universe Presents Arsenal 17
Well, issue 17 of DC Presents
The focus on Roy is nice, showing more of his personality, but adds nothing to what we know so far about him. The flashback showing Croc refusing to kill him for him was pretty much lifted from an early RHATO, though without the more recent flashback that showed Croc pushing Roy toward AA, which left it feeling unfinished for a spotlight issue. Still, it was nice seeing Roy's mad skillz front and center. Next issue is focusing on Kori, which should be good.
Nightwing 17
Another Death of the Family aftermath. This has Dick back on his own, dealing with the tragedies wrought by the Joker. It starts with what looks like right after Bruce defeated the Joker, but moves quickly to Dick, in a tattered costume, retrieving Raya's body. This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy about multi-book stories; they don't neatly fit together. In the cave, when Dick and Jason talk in RHATO 17, Dick's in a clean costume, but here, he's wearing a tattered costume and it's hard to figure out the timing. Not a big thing, but irksome. The circus folks are all recovering and want nothing to do with Dick, which makes me sad because I was enjoying having the circus be part of the book. It was Dick's heritage and this was the first time the circus seemed to be a viable part of his current life, too, not just making an appearance. Still, you really can't go home again, I guess, and now that Dick's lost his own fortune, it means a possible change in direction for his life, and the book, which seems to be the norm for him. The scene with Damian at the end was nice. Damian seems to be useful for a lot of feel-good moments lately. However, the "Next Issue: Tragedy Strikes" seems rather over the top given how tragic recent events have been. Two deaths of circus folks and the fire seem rather tragic, so what next? In this version of the book and in the past, pre-New 52 version. the theme seems to be: How much crap can be dumped on Dick before he snaps?
Batwoman 17
A really nice end to the current story. From the gorgeous cover that screams "Batwoman Rises" to the last panel, this book delivered, especially with the art. I will greatly miss JH Williams III's art on this book, especially his imaginative layouts. Wonder Woman and Batwoman made for a great team and Bette as Hawkfire was awesome. I love her new costume and her kickass attitude here. Uncle Jake is a great trainer, along with experience, because now Bette takes no prisoners. She's focused and strong, physically and mentally. I hope we see more of her. And the way Kate tells Maggie she's Batwoman and proposes to her is priceless. The teaser for next issue promises more thrills, even with a new artist taking over.
Red Hood and the Outlaws 17
This Death of the Family aftermath was a feel-good story until the end. Kori and Roy join Jason as he says his goodbyes to his Bat family. Dick won't come out to see Kori, but Roy tosses a football around with Damian, in a very sweet scene, and Bruce and Jason have a moment. Then Jason puts on his helmet, which has been tampered with by the Joker and ends up getting his face burned. Hopefully, it's something easily treated, but it would appear to be the thing needing to be dealt with for the next issue or two, likely through the promised WTF issue. Sheesh. But nice emotions and interactions in this, which makes up for the filler aspect of the last issue. And the cover? It was great, paralleling Jason's death when he was Robin, with the present reflecting the past. Really nice job. Too many artists worked on this book, but that cover by Mico Suayan really rocks.
DC Universe Presents Arsenal 17
Well, issue 17 of DC Presents
The focus on Roy is nice, showing more of his personality, but adds nothing to what we know so far about him. The flashback showing Croc refusing to kill him for him was pretty much lifted from an early RHATO, though without the more recent flashback that showed Croc pushing Roy toward AA, which left it feeling unfinished for a spotlight issue. Still, it was nice seeing Roy's mad skillz front and center. Next issue is focusing on Kori, which should be good.
Nightwing 17
Another Death of the Family aftermath. This has Dick back on his own, dealing with the tragedies wrought by the Joker. It starts with what looks like right after Bruce defeated the Joker, but moves quickly to Dick, in a tattered costume, retrieving Raya's body. This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy about multi-book stories; they don't neatly fit together. In the cave, when Dick and Jason talk in RHATO 17, Dick's in a clean costume, but here, he's wearing a tattered costume and it's hard to figure out the timing. Not a big thing, but irksome. The circus folks are all recovering and want nothing to do with Dick, which makes me sad because I was enjoying having the circus be part of the book. It was Dick's heritage and this was the first time the circus seemed to be a viable part of his current life, too, not just making an appearance. Still, you really can't go home again, I guess, and now that Dick's lost his own fortune, it means a possible change in direction for his life, and the book, which seems to be the norm for him. The scene with Damian at the end was nice. Damian seems to be useful for a lot of feel-good moments lately. However, the "Next Issue: Tragedy Strikes" seems rather over the top given how tragic recent events have been. Two deaths of circus folks and the fire seem rather tragic, so what next? In this version of the book and in the past, pre-New 52 version. the theme seems to be: How much crap can be dumped on Dick before he snaps?
Batwoman 17
A really nice end to the current story. From the gorgeous cover that screams "Batwoman Rises" to the last panel, this book delivered, especially with the art. I will greatly miss JH Williams III's art on this book, especially his imaginative layouts. Wonder Woman and Batwoman made for a great team and Bette as Hawkfire was awesome. I love her new costume and her kickass attitude here. Uncle Jake is a great trainer, along with experience, because now Bette takes no prisoners. She's focused and strong, physically and mentally. I hope we see more of her. And the way Kate tells Maggie she's Batwoman and proposes to her is priceless. The teaser for next issue promises more thrills, even with a new artist taking over.
Friday, January 11, 2013
It Figures
Red Hood and the Outlaws is getting a new writer in a few issues: James Tynion IV. There will be a new artist, too, but I'm focusing on the change in writer now.
File this under the It Figures Department. I find one book in the DCnU that I absolutely love, so it's changing, getting a new direction, becoming a "fun adventure book." I love the edginess of the book now, so I'm getting nervous about a new direction. And yet, Roy is the focus of Tynion's first arc, so I'm gonna reserve judgment. I just hope he keeps the personalities of the trio of anti-heroes intact. Scott Lobdell really got these characters and did right by them.
So, I'll keep reading, reserving judgment until I see what Tynion does with the book, and my favorite character, Roy.
File this under the It Figures Department. I find one book in the DCnU that I absolutely love, so it's changing, getting a new direction, becoming a "fun adventure book." I love the edginess of the book now, so I'm getting nervous about a new direction. And yet, Roy is the focus of Tynion's first arc, so I'm gonna reserve judgment. I just hope he keeps the personalities of the trio of anti-heroes intact. Scott Lobdell really got these characters and did right by them.
So, I'll keep reading, reserving judgment until I see what Tynion does with the book, and my favorite character, Roy.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Why I Like Red Hood and the Outlaws
I had a few favorite characters when I was growing up: Kara Supergirl, Dick "Robin" Grayson, Lois Lane, Donna "Wonder Girl" Troy, and Roy "Speedy" Harper.
Admittedly, Roy, and Ollie, were pale imitations of Batman and Robin, even if they existed nearly as long. Arrowcar vs Batmobile. Trick arrows vs Batarangs and utility belts. It really was no comparison. Things changed when Ollie lost his fortune and was no longer the millionaire Bruce was.
Roy Harper was always the afterthought in stories, or nearly always. When Ollie got an extreme makeover, complete with facial hair, Roy was nowhere to be found, except the occasional mission with the Teen Titans. It wasn't until drug addiction and fatherhood were thrust on him by editorial and writer decisions that he got interesting. Really, I can't recall why I liked him all along, except maybe he was cute, cuter and funnier than Dick. But suddenly, in the '70s, he got interesting and I couldn't get enough of him, yet DC never seemed to know what to do with him. Speedy. Arsenal. Red Arrow. Arsenal. Make him edgy by being an addict, then taking on a personal crusade against drugs. Make him a single father who had a daughter with an assassin and an unhinged one at that. Put him in the JLA reboot instead of GA, then have him lose his arm and his daughter, the only thing keeping him from the darkness, and once again, we've got Roy Harper, addict. And then, it all goes away after Flashpoint.
Roy was the afterthought. Ollie was the character who got his own book. Roy could barely keep a team book going. It became a character point. He didn't like joining teams, but this is a character who had abandonment issues. Better to stay away, or sabotage yourself, then wait for others to hurt you. It's all there, and the only time it was properly exploited was the Arsenal mini by Devin Grayson. They kept layering so much crap on this character and never seemed to know what to do with what they ended up with, so they layered more on and still had no clue. Except Devin. She got it.
And now, Scott Lobdell gets it.
Jason Todd had it almost as bad. Started out as a Dick Grayson clone. Circus performer, parents killed, Batman takes him in, makes him the new Robin. Changed to punk kid caught stealing by Batman who takes him in, makes him Robin. Obnoxious brat, so not really like Dick. I voted for the Joker to kill him. Good riddance, I thought. Then he's back, as Red Hood, but still obnoxious, still a punk. No character development. No reason to like him.
Until now. This new universe DC made.
We get a Jason Todd who is at the point in his life where he knows he got a second chance and he can learn and grow. He's affected by the people who took him in, cared for him, learned from them and is now continuing his personal journey while helping the only two friends he has.
Roy Harper, a new old character. Started over. This isn't a reworking of Roy the way Dick Grayson is and isn't the Dick of the old universe, with details tweaked. This Roy feels new and fresh with Roy's personality but a background still to be learned. He's no afterthought who needs things layered on to make him interesting. He's starting out that way. I can see the room for growth, the things he needs to deal with. The potential. In Roy. In Jason. In Kori.
Starfire. A recognizable secondary female character who couldn't carry her own book but can help carry a shared book. An alien more alien than ever. Alienated on Earth among humans, until she rescues Jason, and meets Roy. These are characters I want to read about. Hell, these are characters I can't wait to read about.
If, like me, you were turned off last year by those scans of the few pages in the book that showed off supposedly bimbo Kori and horndogs Jason and Roy, you're missing something good, something maybe special, the story of three people who become friends in spite of themselves and maybe, even start to care about each other and about life, all while fighting the good fight. Here's a page I think is a better representation of what this book is about.
That last panel tells me all I needed to know.
Admittedly, Roy, and Ollie, were pale imitations of Batman and Robin, even if they existed nearly as long. Arrowcar vs Batmobile. Trick arrows vs Batarangs and utility belts. It really was no comparison. Things changed when Ollie lost his fortune and was no longer the millionaire Bruce was.
Roy Harper was always the afterthought in stories, or nearly always. When Ollie got an extreme makeover, complete with facial hair, Roy was nowhere to be found, except the occasional mission with the Teen Titans. It wasn't until drug addiction and fatherhood were thrust on him by editorial and writer decisions that he got interesting. Really, I can't recall why I liked him all along, except maybe he was cute, cuter and funnier than Dick. But suddenly, in the '70s, he got interesting and I couldn't get enough of him, yet DC never seemed to know what to do with him. Speedy. Arsenal. Red Arrow. Arsenal. Make him edgy by being an addict, then taking on a personal crusade against drugs. Make him a single father who had a daughter with an assassin and an unhinged one at that. Put him in the JLA reboot instead of GA, then have him lose his arm and his daughter, the only thing keeping him from the darkness, and once again, we've got Roy Harper, addict. And then, it all goes away after Flashpoint.
Roy was the afterthought. Ollie was the character who got his own book. Roy could barely keep a team book going. It became a character point. He didn't like joining teams, but this is a character who had abandonment issues. Better to stay away, or sabotage yourself, then wait for others to hurt you. It's all there, and the only time it was properly exploited was the Arsenal mini by Devin Grayson. They kept layering so much crap on this character and never seemed to know what to do with what they ended up with, so they layered more on and still had no clue. Except Devin. She got it.
And now, Scott Lobdell gets it.
Jason Todd had it almost as bad. Started out as a Dick Grayson clone. Circus performer, parents killed, Batman takes him in, makes him the new Robin. Changed to punk kid caught stealing by Batman who takes him in, makes him Robin. Obnoxious brat, so not really like Dick. I voted for the Joker to kill him. Good riddance, I thought. Then he's back, as Red Hood, but still obnoxious, still a punk. No character development. No reason to like him.
Until now. This new universe DC made.
We get a Jason Todd who is at the point in his life where he knows he got a second chance and he can learn and grow. He's affected by the people who took him in, cared for him, learned from them and is now continuing his personal journey while helping the only two friends he has.
Roy Harper, a new old character. Started over. This isn't a reworking of Roy the way Dick Grayson is and isn't the Dick of the old universe, with details tweaked. This Roy feels new and fresh with Roy's personality but a background still to be learned. He's no afterthought who needs things layered on to make him interesting. He's starting out that way. I can see the room for growth, the things he needs to deal with. The potential. In Roy. In Jason. In Kori.
Starfire. A recognizable secondary female character who couldn't carry her own book but can help carry a shared book. An alien more alien than ever. Alienated on Earth among humans, until she rescues Jason, and meets Roy. These are characters I want to read about. Hell, these are characters I can't wait to read about.
If, like me, you were turned off last year by those scans of the few pages in the book that showed off supposedly bimbo Kori and horndogs Jason and Roy, you're missing something good, something maybe special, the story of three people who become friends in spite of themselves and maybe, even start to care about each other and about life, all while fighting the good fight. Here's a page I think is a better representation of what this book is about.
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| Red Hood and the Outsiders 11 |
Monday, November 12, 2012
So Here's the Thing About Red Hood and the Outlaws and the DCnU
I just finished reading the first 7 issues of Red Hood and the Outlaws, in the form of the graphic novel Redemption. The titles of each chapter/story is a song title! How cool. With punchlines. I didn't notice that in issues 10-13, so I went back and checked. Yup. So cool.
I enjoyed Scott Lobdell's work on Wildcats back before the old DC/Wildstorm universes collapsed, so I never had a problem with his working on the book. And I've always enjoyed Kenneth Rocafort's art, so that wasn't keeping from reading this from the start. No, my problem was with Jason Todd, a character I never, ever liked, and a Roy Harper seemingly unconnected to Green Arrow/Ollie Queen. My problem was with the DCnU. I hated the concept, hated that everything I loved was wiped out, and hated that my favorite character was seemingly going to undergo the biggest change, and be teamed with the hated Jason Todd. It was just too much, y'know?
But then.... I got enticed into reading Nightwing because a gal who works at my LCS, someone whose taste I trust, kept telling me how good it was. And she was right. So, through Nightwing, I got sucked into one of the mainstream DC characters of the DCnU, because the only books I'd decided to read were the ones not so ingrained in my mind, like the still newish Batwoman. Changes to that character weren't as jarring as they would've been if I'd been reading her adventures for a decade.
So, Dick Grayson was still the same character, with a somewhat different background as regards Haley's Circus, but it fit and the story was good and in my mind, the fact that DC chose to do a half-assed reboot rather than just start everyone from scratch to avoid the age disparities and other weirdness, somehow didn't matter as much. Plus, time can heal grief.
See, of all the characters who deserved a reboot, it was Roy Harper. Only, my preference was to back him up to when he still had two healthy arms and a happy and healthy daughter named Lian who was the joy in his life. A Roy Harper who loved Donna Troy and was just a goofy jerk with a good heart and a good soul who carried a lot of baggage that included abandonment issues and a history with drug addiction. That's what I wanted. And that's not what we've got. What we've got is something, or rather someone, just as good.
Yeah, no one's more surprised I wrote that last sentence there than me. Truly. So, I've come up with a way to deal with this and be able to read about this Roy and other characters, and while I'm not going to read most of the Bat books or most of the Super titles, I can enjoy a few of them without reservation. This isn't our multiverse. That's the only explanation that makes sense, at least, to me.
These versions of Roy and Jason are different enough from the ones from the old DCU that I can easily accept them as totally new characters, living in a separate universe, perhaps even a separate multiverse, perhaps one of many such multiverses layered upon each other, and the ones we knew before are still happily going about their lives and for me, that backs up to the aforementioned Roy and Lian in happier times days, moving forward from there without all that nastiness. In fact, in the old DCU in my memory, Ralph and Sue Dibney are still alive, Ted Kord was somehow resurrected (his death was faked perhaps, in a situation similar to the one that brought back Steph Brown). Steph is still Batgirl, Babs is Oracle, and there's the old version of Earth 2, etc.
But in the DCnU realm, well, things sure are intriguing. Which brings me to the specifics of Red Hood and the Outlaws. I didn't much follow the Red Hood in the old DCU, so I don't know how much of his background after being revived is new here, but his training with the All Caste and how it changed him for the better, has tempered him and made him bearable. The way he's starting to care about his partners and how he slowly stops hating Bruce and Dick show a character who is growing and maturing and becoming, *gasp* likable. To be honest, I'm amazed by that.
Roy's background is still sketchy. I hope they fill that in. I read the GA 0 book, so I know how he became Speedy, but what I need to know is why he no longer is Ollie's partner. And it was only Jason, with Kori helping, who saw fit to try to rescue Roy from Qurac. It seems Roy was a Teen Titan, but what's his relationship, if there was one, with Dick? I have so many questions and I don't know if/when we'll get them and that's all right. Because reading this book and seeing his relationship with Jason and Kori develop is fun. Kori is this Roy's Donna, a woman who can see the goodness behind the jerk. I like this Roy. He's funny, and idiotic at times, and very smart and clever. And when he thaws out a half frozen Kori, she tells him he's a kind man. He responds by telling her, "Shhh. You'll ruin my reputation. I'm supposed to be an idiot." That, at it's core, is the Roy of the old DCU, and as long as the core is there, it doesn't matter if the background details have been changed.
Which brings me to Kori and the outcry when scans of pages were reviled throughout the comics blogosphere last fall. You must remember those pages. Kori flaunting her body. Jason and Roy ogling her like idiot schoolboys. I feared the worst from seeing those pages, another reason I was avoiding the book. And that was wrong because in context, they're just a few pages out of so many that are nothing like that. It's all part of character development and things develop faster than I expected.
It was unfortunate that so many female characters in the new DCnU were started off on such poor footing, thematically and visually. But where Voodoo, for instance, never felt like a real person, or even a real alien person, Kori felt real to me from the start, and never has she seemed so alien. Her alien nature is more than physical here; it factors much more in her behavior than ever. This is a Kori who has hidden from humans because they fear her abilities. She just wants to be left alone. Her memory issues, rather than being amnesia as the few scanned pages and some reviews had indicated, are really a function of her alienness; she recalls what she needs to remember and nothing more. Things humans focus on are often unimportant to her and therefore, not worth her retention of them. Yet she is a strong character, one who makes her own choices and lives with the consequences. She's no one's fool and no one's toy. If anyone's a toy, at least at the start, it's the guys she chooses to take to bed. Yet, she is also damaged, a former slave living alone on Earth, and she finds a family of sorts with two damaged humans.
My favorite part of the entire GN, which has many wonderful scenes, are the cherished memories they have to leave as collateral while they are seeking clues after an attack on the All Caste. Kori's is about a triumphant moment while in slavery. Roy's is when he tried to goad Killer Croc into killing him, and Croc, realizing what Roy was doing, refused to oblige. And Jason's was the most poignant, that of a night, while he was Robin, that he was too sick to go on patrol and Bruce chose to stay in and watch TV with him. And when Kori and Roy reclaim their memories, Jason tells the holder of his memory to keep it. I actually got choked up by that.
Redemption is the perfect title for this story arc that has these three characters finding parts of their humanity they thought they'd lost and finding a bond with people as damaged as they are. Through their bonding as a team and as friends, they start to heal. They will never be what they once could have been; the damage cannot be undone. But they can be more than they are, and by the end of issue 7, they aren't the same characters they were at the start of issue 1. There is so much humanity in this book, and so much sharp writing. These characters are on an emotional journey as well as embarking on typical superhero adventures, and I'm gonna be sticking around for as long as it's fun.
I enjoyed Scott Lobdell's work on Wildcats back before the old DC/Wildstorm universes collapsed, so I never had a problem with his working on the book. And I've always enjoyed Kenneth Rocafort's art, so that wasn't keeping from reading this from the start. No, my problem was with Jason Todd, a character I never, ever liked, and a Roy Harper seemingly unconnected to Green Arrow/Ollie Queen. My problem was with the DCnU. I hated the concept, hated that everything I loved was wiped out, and hated that my favorite character was seemingly going to undergo the biggest change, and be teamed with the hated Jason Todd. It was just too much, y'know?
But then.... I got enticed into reading Nightwing because a gal who works at my LCS, someone whose taste I trust, kept telling me how good it was. And she was right. So, through Nightwing, I got sucked into one of the mainstream DC characters of the DCnU, because the only books I'd decided to read were the ones not so ingrained in my mind, like the still newish Batwoman. Changes to that character weren't as jarring as they would've been if I'd been reading her adventures for a decade.
So, Dick Grayson was still the same character, with a somewhat different background as regards Haley's Circus, but it fit and the story was good and in my mind, the fact that DC chose to do a half-assed reboot rather than just start everyone from scratch to avoid the age disparities and other weirdness, somehow didn't matter as much. Plus, time can heal grief.
See, of all the characters who deserved a reboot, it was Roy Harper. Only, my preference was to back him up to when he still had two healthy arms and a happy and healthy daughter named Lian who was the joy in his life. A Roy Harper who loved Donna Troy and was just a goofy jerk with a good heart and a good soul who carried a lot of baggage that included abandonment issues and a history with drug addiction. That's what I wanted. And that's not what we've got. What we've got is something, or rather someone, just as good.
Yeah, no one's more surprised I wrote that last sentence there than me. Truly. So, I've come up with a way to deal with this and be able to read about this Roy and other characters, and while I'm not going to read most of the Bat books or most of the Super titles, I can enjoy a few of them without reservation. This isn't our multiverse. That's the only explanation that makes sense, at least, to me.
These versions of Roy and Jason are different enough from the ones from the old DCU that I can easily accept them as totally new characters, living in a separate universe, perhaps even a separate multiverse, perhaps one of many such multiverses layered upon each other, and the ones we knew before are still happily going about their lives and for me, that backs up to the aforementioned Roy and Lian in happier times days, moving forward from there without all that nastiness. In fact, in the old DCU in my memory, Ralph and Sue Dibney are still alive, Ted Kord was somehow resurrected (his death was faked perhaps, in a situation similar to the one that brought back Steph Brown). Steph is still Batgirl, Babs is Oracle, and there's the old version of Earth 2, etc.
But in the DCnU realm, well, things sure are intriguing. Which brings me to the specifics of Red Hood and the Outlaws. I didn't much follow the Red Hood in the old DCU, so I don't know how much of his background after being revived is new here, but his training with the All Caste and how it changed him for the better, has tempered him and made him bearable. The way he's starting to care about his partners and how he slowly stops hating Bruce and Dick show a character who is growing and maturing and becoming, *gasp* likable. To be honest, I'm amazed by that.
Roy's background is still sketchy. I hope they fill that in. I read the GA 0 book, so I know how he became Speedy, but what I need to know is why he no longer is Ollie's partner. And it was only Jason, with Kori helping, who saw fit to try to rescue Roy from Qurac. It seems Roy was a Teen Titan, but what's his relationship, if there was one, with Dick? I have so many questions and I don't know if/when we'll get them and that's all right. Because reading this book and seeing his relationship with Jason and Kori develop is fun. Kori is this Roy's Donna, a woman who can see the goodness behind the jerk. I like this Roy. He's funny, and idiotic at times, and very smart and clever. And when he thaws out a half frozen Kori, she tells him he's a kind man. He responds by telling her, "Shhh. You'll ruin my reputation. I'm supposed to be an idiot." That, at it's core, is the Roy of the old DCU, and as long as the core is there, it doesn't matter if the background details have been changed.
Which brings me to Kori and the outcry when scans of pages were reviled throughout the comics blogosphere last fall. You must remember those pages. Kori flaunting her body. Jason and Roy ogling her like idiot schoolboys. I feared the worst from seeing those pages, another reason I was avoiding the book. And that was wrong because in context, they're just a few pages out of so many that are nothing like that. It's all part of character development and things develop faster than I expected.
It was unfortunate that so many female characters in the new DCnU were started off on such poor footing, thematically and visually. But where Voodoo, for instance, never felt like a real person, or even a real alien person, Kori felt real to me from the start, and never has she seemed so alien. Her alien nature is more than physical here; it factors much more in her behavior than ever. This is a Kori who has hidden from humans because they fear her abilities. She just wants to be left alone. Her memory issues, rather than being amnesia as the few scanned pages and some reviews had indicated, are really a function of her alienness; she recalls what she needs to remember and nothing more. Things humans focus on are often unimportant to her and therefore, not worth her retention of them. Yet she is a strong character, one who makes her own choices and lives with the consequences. She's no one's fool and no one's toy. If anyone's a toy, at least at the start, it's the guys she chooses to take to bed. Yet, she is also damaged, a former slave living alone on Earth, and she finds a family of sorts with two damaged humans.
My favorite part of the entire GN, which has many wonderful scenes, are the cherished memories they have to leave as collateral while they are seeking clues after an attack on the All Caste. Kori's is about a triumphant moment while in slavery. Roy's is when he tried to goad Killer Croc into killing him, and Croc, realizing what Roy was doing, refused to oblige. And Jason's was the most poignant, that of a night, while he was Robin, that he was too sick to go on patrol and Bruce chose to stay in and watch TV with him. And when Kori and Roy reclaim their memories, Jason tells the holder of his memory to keep it. I actually got choked up by that.
Redemption is the perfect title for this story arc that has these three characters finding parts of their humanity they thought they'd lost and finding a bond with people as damaged as they are. Through their bonding as a team and as friends, they start to heal. They will never be what they once could have been; the damage cannot be undone. But they can be more than they are, and by the end of issue 7, they aren't the same characters they were at the start of issue 1. There is so much humanity in this book, and so much sharp writing. These characters are on an emotional journey as well as embarking on typical superhero adventures, and I'm gonna be sticking around for as long as it's fun.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
More Actual Comic Book Reviews
I'm on a roll! Thanks to Frankenstorm Sandy, I've had time to catch up on some reading.
Batwoman 11-13, 0
Other than not being all that impressed with Wonder Woman's appearance, this book continues to entertain. I love the art and the feel of the book, and Kate Kane is a great character. But my favorite scenes was the one between Jacob and Bette in the hospital. Kate's origin was retold, tweaked for the new DC. It was a decent reworking of Kate's backstory, but I prefer the original.
And now for the surprise....
I bought issues 10-13 of Red Hood and the Outlaws, and liked them! I was curious, and with an entire year having passed since the reboot, my grief and outrage have diminished enough that curiosity was strong enough to win out. I decided to get just these issues which focused on Kory, and I was pleasantly surprised. The art was nice and the return to Tamaran gave Kory the chance to assert herself as a warrior and now I'm inclined to seek out the earlier issues.
But what really surprised me is that I like Jason Todd in this. I hated him in the old DCU. He was a brat. An obnoxious brat, and even changing his background from one that paralleled Dick Grayson's to being a punk caught stealing a hubcap off the Batmobile didn't help. I was one of the folks who voted for the Joker to kill him. His background is virtually unchanged from his Red Hood days in the old DCU, but he seems less obnoxious here and I can see that he's trying to be a good guy, that he cares about his friends. It's almost ironic that one of them is Roy Harper, who was once as close as a brother to the first Robin, Dick Grayson.
And Roy! Wow. I want to know more about this version of the character, because he's like an entirely new person, only he has the original's inner heart. He's as much an idiot as before, but a lot smarter, too, especially when it comes to tech and science. Plus, he's called Arsenal again. While I liked him as Red Arrow, I always preferred Arsenal, to emphasize that he was no longer in Ollie's shadow.
These are three emotionally damaged characters, for whatever reason, and they've bonded, forming a dynamic that I really like. Roy's relationship with Donna Troy in the old DCU was among my favorite things I miss greatly, but his relationship here with Kory feels like it could be as special. So yeah, I think I'm hooked. I'll be adding this to my pull list and it had better not make me regret that decision.
Batwoman 11-13, 0
Other than not being all that impressed with Wonder Woman's appearance, this book continues to entertain. I love the art and the feel of the book, and Kate Kane is a great character. But my favorite scenes was the one between Jacob and Bette in the hospital. Kate's origin was retold, tweaked for the new DC. It was a decent reworking of Kate's backstory, but I prefer the original.
And now for the surprise....
I bought issues 10-13 of Red Hood and the Outlaws, and liked them! I was curious, and with an entire year having passed since the reboot, my grief and outrage have diminished enough that curiosity was strong enough to win out. I decided to get just these issues which focused on Kory, and I was pleasantly surprised. The art was nice and the return to Tamaran gave Kory the chance to assert herself as a warrior and now I'm inclined to seek out the earlier issues.
But what really surprised me is that I like Jason Todd in this. I hated him in the old DCU. He was a brat. An obnoxious brat, and even changing his background from one that paralleled Dick Grayson's to being a punk caught stealing a hubcap off the Batmobile didn't help. I was one of the folks who voted for the Joker to kill him. His background is virtually unchanged from his Red Hood days in the old DCU, but he seems less obnoxious here and I can see that he's trying to be a good guy, that he cares about his friends. It's almost ironic that one of them is Roy Harper, who was once as close as a brother to the first Robin, Dick Grayson.
And Roy! Wow. I want to know more about this version of the character, because he's like an entirely new person, only he has the original's inner heart. He's as much an idiot as before, but a lot smarter, too, especially when it comes to tech and science. Plus, he's called Arsenal again. While I liked him as Red Arrow, I always preferred Arsenal, to emphasize that he was no longer in Ollie's shadow.
These are three emotionally damaged characters, for whatever reason, and they've bonded, forming a dynamic that I really like. Roy's relationship with Donna Troy in the old DCU was among my favorite things I miss greatly, but his relationship here with Kory feels like it could be as special. So yeah, I think I'm hooked. I'll be adding this to my pull list and it had better not make me regret that decision.
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