Wonder Woman

The Wonder Woman movie opens on Friday and I can't wait to see it. But I won't see it opening weekend. I prefer to wait for the crowds to thin; usually midday the following week is good. I loved the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series, but a movie has been a long time coming. After all, Superman had movies starring Kirk Alyn, a TV series starring George Reeves, movies with Christopher Reeve, another TV series with Dean Cain, Smallville with Tom Welling, and another movie with Henry Cavill. Batman had a TV series and a bunch of movies, too. (I'm not counting animated versions here.)

Charlie Jane Anders, over on Tor.com, writes about her hero worship of Wonder Woman. And that made me think of my own relationship with Diana of Themyscira. I didn't start reading about Wonder Woman's adventures until I was in my teens, though I'd been reading comics since I was 7. My first real exposure to the character was in Justice League of America, which I started reading when I was 13 -- I was in junior high, so that age is approximate. I started buying her comic a short time later, maybe a year or two later as I needed a bigger allowance as I was already buying a lot of comics by then. And I loved her, but I'm an anomaly. I actually loved her more when she renounced her powers for a brief time and partnered up with the enigmatic I Ching. I loved, and still do, spy and adventure intrigue more than stories based in myths.

The character I idolized and looked to as a role model was not Diana, but Supergirl. She was the one closest to my age (until I discovered Donna Troy in Teen Titans). Kara Zor-El and I kind of grew up together. She was still in high school when I got there. We overlapped for a while in college, then grad school. We both grappled with indecision over our careers and our future. And while I doubt I'll ever see her get a movie, I'll always have the excellent TV show starring Melissa Benoist.

But on Friday, Wonder Woman comes to the big screen and that's a BIG DEAL. It's something I never thought I'd see. Marvel might be doing a Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers movie (Yay!) and maybe even a Black Widow movie someday, but DC is giving us a Wonder Woman movie, directed by a woman, NOW. And that means everything. So let's make this movie a success so we'll get more. Because in the current political climate, we need heroes, especially female ones, for all the kids -- boys as well as girls -- to see and admire, so they can all grow up to see possibilities, that girls can be heroes, too, and that's how it should be.

Bunch of Comics

I thought I'd get a batch of reviews up before this week's comics come out.

Codename: Baboushka 1
I like this! Image keeps publishing intriguing comics. Baboushka, (story by Antony Johnston and art Shari Chankhamma), is a former Russian operative trying to live a quiet life, but she and a friend/colleague Gyorgy, are coerced into doing covert missions for the US government. There's a Modesty Blaise vibe, but Baboushka is definitely her own woman Added to my Pull List.

(rant)I did have issues with the essay in the back, by Maya Rodale, about female espionage heroes. Mainly, that she seemed to ignore characters such as April Dancer, Honey West, Modesty Blaise, and La Femme Nikita, some of the main female heroes in any media. Also, she made an error in discussing the "Mary Sue" trope. Mary Sue  has its origin in Star Trek fanfic, in a parody story by Paula Smith, someone I actually know. Rodale says Mary Sues are "perfectly sweet and pleasant lady characters whose primary function is to blush innocently." That is wrong. Mary Sue, aka Mary Sue Wonderful (and there are male versions, often called Marty Stu), is perfect. She's the one who can fix the Enterprise with a bobby pin and not muss her hair or break a nail. She knows everything. She gets to sleep with the hero. She's the writer's wish fulfillment. She has no flaws. Rodale is right when she says Baboushka is no Mary Sue, but she makes the point for the wrong reasons. "Mary Sue" might have a different meaning these days -- I don't keep up on such things -- but I do know the origin and Rodale missed it completely. (end of rant)

Strange Fruit 2
I don't know where this mini series is going, but it's wonderful. Set in a south suffering from racism, the story involves a levee in danger of flooding a town and the need of whites to rely on black labor, something most of the white citizenry is loath to do. And into this volatile situation comes a giant black man who, so far, is spending a lot of time devouring books from the library, including science texts. He's seen as a hero by the downtrodden minority population, for his strength and indifference to white bigotry. But who he is and what he's after remains a mystery. Good stuff from Mark Waid and J.G. Jones.

Astro City 28
A one-off that focuses on a little boy who was bitten by a rare spider, who was shrunk after being given a cure, and left with spider powers. His mother, a scientist, finally found a way to restore him to normal size and he became a superhero and part of Honor Guard. But when his childhood cartoon heroes seemingly come to life, he decides to join them. Unfortunately, they have reasons to be less than happy about that. Fun fun fun, the way comics once were, all the time.

Barb Wire 5
Barb is given no choice but to accept a gig for the government if she wants to avoid jail. I can't say I love this comic, but I'm enjoying it too much to stop reading.  Mainly, I really like Barb.

Lazarus 20
Forever returns to action and the Carlyle family deals with the usual intrigue. This issue feels like a bridge to future issues. It's good, as always, but not a lot happens.

Velvet 12
We're in the final chapter of the first story, apparently, and things look to get more complicated before they get resolved, if anything in this book ever gets resolved. Hopefully, Velvet will at least be able to clear her name. In this issue, she is busy setting up her next moves and not everything goes according to plan. Well, of course, they don't.

Titans Hunt 1
I really debated with myself about getting this, but the chance to see some of the old characters was too hard to resist. I'm not sure what's going on, other than something seems amiss in the existing DCU, but it's great seeing Lilith and Gnarrk. Roy and Dick are in character for their New 52 versions, and I'm intrigued enough to keep reading.

Feminism vs the Status Quo in Geek Culture

A couple of really good articles on how females are excluded from geek culture by the companies that creature geek media.

• Author Peter V. Brett laments the lack of female role playing characters in DC's Justice League game.
• A look at how marketing geek media is exclusive by design.

I read a bunch of comics. I'll get reviews posted soon-ish.

Reviews and a Few Thoughts on Race and Gender

I read this article on ThinkProgress about how four legendary white male comics creators were dismissive of race and sex of characters. Michael Kantor, Todd McFarlane, Len Wein and Gerry Conway were at the Television Critics Association press tour and seemed to be making a case for race neutral, sex neutral characters in comics. McFarlane said:

"So we actually stereotype and do it to both sexes. We just happen to show a little more skin when we get to the ladies.”

He also said, according to the article:

“There hasn’t really been historically a comic book that has worked that is trying to get across a kind of message, if you will," ... "So the female characters that work are the ones that are just strong women that actually it’s good storytelling, and the odd character that is a minority that works is the one that is just a good strong character. They’ve tried to do minority characters and bring that label and that surrounding [debate] into it. You’re aware that you’re reading a minority comic book. I think it’s wrong.”

Now, on the face of it, this is incendiary, especially for the people being marginalized: Women and People of Color. But the thing is, he has a point. They all do. When you write about a woman or a character with an ethnicity other than white and you make that the point of the story, then, odds are, it won't be very good on a story level because there won't be much foundation and a fair amount of writers will either revert to stereotypes or run out of ideas without an actual story. And that's largely because, at DC and Marvel, the majority of the writers are white males.

Which brings me to the point these men don't get. Characters differ. They need more than strength. They need their differences, which is why we have so many characters starring in so many books, and not just because their strengths and weaknesses vary. Sure, Aquaman lives in water; Superman inhabits the dry, surface world. But Aquaman is informed by his background, growing up in Atlantis. Superman is a Krptonian, separated in infancy from his family and his world. Bruce Wayne, despite being Batman, is a privileged white male and while losing his parents brutally in front of him when he was young and impressionable, how he reacted to that might've been much different had he not had the advantages his race and wealth afforded him.

Len Wein argued for racial neutrality:

“I think every time you take a female character, a black character, a Hispanic character, a gay character, and make that the point of the character, you are minimalizing the character.” ... “I have written anything you can possibly think of. I have created Storm who was the first black female superhero. I created a number of other characters, and it never matters to me what the color of their skin was. I was writing about who they were as human beings, and it wasn’t Black Storm. She was Storm.”

Again, a good point made. She was a character, an individual. And yet, he denies the background that made her the individual she was. How can you write about who someone was as a human being without infusing them with a racial identity, or include how their sex influenced how they were raised, how they view themselves, how they approach life?

Not all people of an ethnic group are the same. Not all women are the same, nor all men. But comic books don't tell neutral stories. No one is walking around wearing the same neutral body suit as everyone else. The characters aren't all the same shade of green or purple. There are aliens (and that's often been pointed at as an example of non-white characters!) and humans, and males and females. If a comic is set in a real-world setting, for instance, Earth, then it should reflect that reality, as should the creative teams.

These male writers were dismissive of female superheroes as a genre girls will read. Well, let me tell you guys something. I was reading superhero comics when I was seven, over 50 years ago. By the time I was twelve, girl comics (Archie, Millie the Model, romance comics) bored me.

Conway said:

"And I think it’s a mistake to sort of, like, pigeonhole superheroes, or to add so much to superheroes that you’re missing the fact it’s a genre within itself. It’s like saying, ‘Why are there no medieval stories about female knights?’ Because there was only one, you know, Joan of Arc. It’s not it’s an inherent limitation of that particular genre, superheroes.” 

And McFarlane added:

“It might not be the right platform,” he said. “I’ve got two daughters, and if I wanted to do something that I thought was emboldened to a female, I probably wouldn’t choose superhero comic books to get that message across. I would do it in either a TV show, a movie, a novel, or a book. It wouldn’t be superheroes because I know that’s heavily testosterone — driven, and it’s a certain kind of group of people. That’s not where I would go get this kind of message, so it might not be the right platform for some of this.”

A lot of women, myself, included would disagree. Vehemently. First, it's fiction. Second, women have fought in wars while disguised as men. Women have been part of mythology from the beginning, and mythology has been part of comics for a long time, with Wonder Woman the most obvious example. You want to empower your daughters? Let them see role models in all media, comics, included. Let them see females are respected and powerful even in the comics field you work in, Mr. McFarlane. Don't tell them, sorry, but these aren't really for you. They're for boys who need to look at pictures of women with their boobs and butt sticking out.

Not that I mind much of the sexy art. It's the gratuitous art that bothers me. It's how the males are all muscular while the women look like they can be broken in half like a wishbone. Power Girl might have big breasts and shows off her cleavage, but she's no pushover. When written well, she's an excellent role model. We need more like her. And we need more like the Vixen mini-series, that showed how good a story you can have when you work in a black female superhero's ethnicity.

“'I think the bigger question is why are readers not interested in those?' Conway asked."

Good question, Mr. Conway. Maybe the answer has to do with what's actually available. Some people, like me, will read about white male superheroes, but not everyone will be satisfied with just that. It's a different world now. And there are some more good points made in the article, so go read it, if you haven't, already.

And this attitude that comics follow or reflect society and don't or shouldn't lead, is part of the larger argument of: Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? I think it's both, a mix, same as nature/nurture has proven to be. You simply can't separate the two. And as society is diverse, so should be comics, re: sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, on both the character and creator sides.

Gail Simone is writing The Movement for DC. It's political, dealing with societal and economic inequities. It has a lot of ethnic characters. Issue 4 shows us the background of many of these new superheroes. This comic reflects the social unrest of recent years, with the Occupy movement, etc. Yet it also is a move into new territory for a superhero comic, with many characters on both sides who can't easily be labeled all good or all bad. My only problem with this comic is the mice. I really hate mice and rats.

Gail's first issue of Red Sonja came out a couple of weeks ago and it's good. I've never read Red Sonja, so I can't compare what Gail is doing with her vs the past, but this is a woman who was beaten down yet not defeated. I won't say she's been empowered, because once freed from captivity, she claimed her own power. As if should be.

I also read the Hawkeye Annual, which focused on Kate Bishop. Kate, on the road with Lucky the Pizza Dog, bumbles her way into a big mess, then gets herself out of it. Kate is young and brash and capable, and she's written by a man, Matt Fraction, who gets it.

More Reviews

One thing that happened after DC rebooted their universe is that I decided to read fewer DC titles than I'd been reading. I went from 25 or so a month, to three or four, and although I added a couple of titles over that first year of the New 52, I haven't come close to my previous totals of DC comics per month. But I do love reading comics, so I made a conscious effort to branch out in my comics reading.

I fell way behind, mostly because I have so much else to read, like books and magazines, and partly because I spend a lot of time playing online. Slowly, over the last couple of months, I've been digging out from under the stacks of unread comics. And I've even added a few new titles.

One of them is Vertigo's Astro City. I reviewed the first issue a short while ago, and now have read the second issue. This comic is sheer joy. It tells the stories of the civilians in a superhero world, with the superheroes typically supporting characters, not the stars. This issue, the first of a to-be-continued story, focuses on the folks who field calls for the heroes, acting as a superhero emergency call center, triageing the thousands of reports of possible villain activity and requests for help of all nature. The point of view is that of Marella, newly employed by Humano Global as a call station operator. Through her narration, we learn how difficult the job is, the rewards, and the frustrations. And when, at the end, a call she apparently mishandled ends up having dire consequences, we feel for her as much as we care that the heroes can fix things. By showing the human side of a superpowered world, writer Kurt Busiek and artist Brent Eric Anderson make us part of that world in a way no other superhero comic ever has, at least, none that I've read.

I also tried the new Lazarus, from Image, a science fiction title by Greg Rucka, with art by Michael Lark. The setting is a future where the world is strictly divided between the Haves and the Have-Nots. A few families have the power, evoking a feeling of Mob rule, and the people who work for them are protected. Everyone else is considered waste. Each family has a highly skilled, superbly trained, and scientifically enhanced protector, known as their Lazarus. Forever is the name of the Carlyle Family's Lazarus and in this first issue, she seems hesitant about what she's required to do. Hers is a brutal existence and she both commits acts of violence as well as suffers them, but the seed of doubt is creeping in, enough that the people in control of her family are concerned. This is a promising start to what I hope will be a thoroughly involving and thought-provoking series.

Captain Marvel 1-12 (2 volumes: In Pursuit of Flight and Down)
Way back in the '70s, despite being a devout DC gal, in the quest for more comics to read, I added in some Marvels. Howard the Duck. Killraven. Man-Thing. And Ms. Marvel. I didn't read them for long, and then in the '80s, due to Crisis on Infinite Earths, I stopped reading comics (heartbroken as I was over Supergirl's death). It never occurred to me to just switch to Marvel. Marvel just didn't have the family sense that DC had. And I probably was just worn out. I devoted my time to reading books, and even after starting back with comics in the '90s, Marvel didn't much interest me. Sure, I've been reading Dynamite titles, an imprint of Marvel, but nothing in Marvel interested me and that's in spite of enjoying their movies. It seemed that DC was best for comics and Marvel was best for movies. Until the glowing reviews for Hawkeye enticed me. And I love Hawkeye so much that I decided to give Captain Marvel a try. Yeah, the logic on that seems odd to me, too, but let's go with it.

Captain Marvcl, aka Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel, has been getting a lot of positive reviews. That, and the fact that a woman is writing the book, appealed to me. The gorgeous cover art didn't hurt, either. I want to support a good female-centric book and I want to support female comics creators. And I can definitely say this is a good book. The art skews from very realistic to highly stylized, and each look works nicely with Kelly Sue DeConnick's stories. And, as with Hawkeye, you don't need to know all about the character to follow along. And if you want to know more, Volume 1 included a detailed biography on Ms. Danvers.

The first volume delves into Carol's history and what drove her to become a pilot, using time travel in a clever, twisty way. Volume 2, annoyingly for a collected edition, ends mid-story. Argh! Carol's got a brain lesion that means she can't fly without painful, dangerous consequences, and on the last page, we learn the reason, in the form of an old enemy. I can't wait to get my hands on what comes next. This book is definitely going on my pull list, to be read in the monthly issues, then bought again in the collected editions, because this is a must-keep title. My only quibble is that DeConnick has a tendency to jump a bit in parts, assuming we know what happened or who someone is, forcing me to stop and think or go back a bit and reread something. It might just be me, partly because I don't know all the characters. One thing I do like is how casually the rest of the Marvel universe is referenced. Tony Stark calls Carol. Other heroes drop by. Carol mentions the Avengers. Unlike DC where such references are either rare or carefully orchestrated as guest appearances, the mentions and cameos are so natural here. Coupled with the snappy dialogue, this all feels very real. As a devout DC gal, I'm impressed. This is one female-centric, written by a woman comic I'm happy to support.

Further Proof that DC Just Doesn't Get It

The Twitterverse was, uh, aTwitter with news about a Superman/Wonder Woman book. Really, DC? This is the best you can do? Sure, the promo art is pretty, but, really? Wonder Woman? With Superman? And relegated to second billing, at that?

Supes belongs with Lois. Period.

To DC Comics, I say:

You want to give Diana a second book, great! Good for you! About time! More than about time! But this is not how to do it. It's so not how to do it. It's.... well, it's everything that's wrong with females in comics, especially DC comics these days. Wonder Woman has been around for decades. She was born out of mythology that dates back centuries, millennia, even. She's part of your trilogy of Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman. She's iconic. And you're reducing her to playing second fiddle to her boyfriend (something I find ridiculous, that she's second fiddle to anyone, and that she's his girlfriend)? No. Just. No. I don't have enough words for how wrong this is. 

See, I get that you want to appeal more to female readers, but this is so not how to do it. You do it by creating more female characters who headline their own books and are so interesting, males as well as females want to read about them. You do it by respecting and showing that respect for your female characters on the level that you respect your male characters (though with how you've treated a lot of male characters in recent years, perhaps you are treating the females equally, now, or at least, treating the males the way you have the females for far too long). You do it by respecting female readers the same way you respect male readers (well, at least the fanboys who are your target demographic, because I fully understand that, along with being a female comics reader decades before that was fashionable, I aged out of the target age demographic a lot of years ago).

This is why I'm glad I haven't been reading either the Superman books or Wonder Woman in the New 52. I want Wonder Woman to be a big success. I want her to finally get a movie -- a great one! -- and/or a TV show (one along the lines of the amazing Arrow). I just don't think this is the right path to achieve that. It's wrongheaded and backward thinking, and not what Diana and her fans deserve. This book sounds like the sort of thing a well-meaning but clueless man would come up with.

Playing Catch Up

I'll probably never get caught up, but I'm working on it.

First, the new....

Miss Fury 3
What a confusing yet wild ride this is! And I had my choice of cover, too. Jack Herbert's interior art is stunning, the facial expressions so realistic. And the story has Miss Fury, and the reader, bouncing around in time from the 1940s to 2013, and it seems that nothing is what it appears to be in this alternate reality where the Nazis have the upper hand. An intriguing book.

The Movement 2
I'm still trying to keep all the characters straight, but this is Gail Simone at her best: writing a group book with quirky characters and lots of heart. The art by Freddie Williams II suits the story well. This is a gritty book and I'm looking forward to seeing how things develop. And remembering all the characters' names!

Not as new...

Ame-Comi Girls 1-4, plus the earlier highlight issues 4 (featuring Power Girl) and 5 (featuring Supergirl)
These got some nice reviews, and are written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, so I thought I'd give them a try. They're clearly designed for younger readers, and while the Anime-ish art isn't my cuppa, the books are mostly fun. This is an alternate reality of the DCU where the female characters are front and center as the heroes and the men are in supporting roles. Jimmy Olsen is to Power Girl what Lois Lane has traditionally been to Superman, yet retaining his oft-time annoying personality. Even the villains are female versions of mostly male characters, including Sinestro and Brainiac. But even then, the backgrounds are different.

Supergirl and Power Girl are cousins, a nice switch on Supergirl and Superman's relationship. Even the destruction of Krypton has been reworked to fit the larger story. Fun bits include Batgirl and Robin who are underage and forbidden by their parents to continue their superheroics. These are fun books and it's good to see a series where young women carry the action, on both sides of the battle.

Male vs Female in Comics Art

This article She Has No Head - No, It's Not Equal by Kelly Thompson is awesome and the comments make wonderful points. There were, when I looked, 531 comments, so no, I didn't read all of them. The article was written back in February and I somehow missed it, but saw a link to it on Tumblr and was happy to find it.

I've never had a problem with sexy art. It's the fact that it isn't equal that bugs me. And I, too, hate the "brokeback" posing of the female characters (and that term gives me the giggles because whenever I see it, I think of the movie Brokeback Mountain). I also hate seeing the female supers in thongs with their asses hanging out because that just looks so uncomfortable. Thompson's right about the unzipped zipper phenomenon. Once or twice, it's kind of fun, a bit kinky, a bit playful. All over comics.... not so much. It's ridiculous.

I'm not overly fond of the males with torsos the sizes of mountains, either. Wanna know what my idealized male fantasy looks like? See Magic Mike. Every one of those guys is sexy in his own way and, aside from being in good shape, they don't all have the same body type.

But, as Thompson says, so much better than I can, even sexy isn't evenly drawn in comics, and more and more, I find things to dislike in the art. When the male form is drawn athletic and powerful and the female is drawn to titillate, then there's a real disconnect somewhere. Half the time I can't follow the action because the coloring is so dark and what I do see, if there are females in the panel, are butts and boobs. And it's doubly annoying when the art is otherwise nice. Surely, the artists can do better, and the editors, and the publishers, and we readers need to do better, too. But, do I not buy a comic I love for the story to protest the art? And what about all the comics I'm not reading because I hate the bulk of the new DC52? I can't boycott them twice. And there's the dilemma of wanting to support female-oriented books vs boycotting poorly done female-oriented books. How to make two nearly opposite points at once? That's a dilemma I shouldn't have, not in 2012.

The Nature of Sex and Sexism in the DCnU

I posted this long comment on a post over at Stars and Garters and thought I'd repost it here, to share and to keep it for myself for future reference.


An excellent post. I do feel the need to add a few things, however,

Because not all women are created equal. We don't think alike, nor do we enjoy the same things. Or get offended by the same things.

First, I'm a middle-aged white married woman who has been reading comics, mainly DC Comics, for over 50 years (egads, that makes me feel OLD).

I do prefer female characters to be strong. I prefer male characters to be strong, too. I want to read about good, interesting characters. I also like reading about quirky characters, ones with emotional conflicts, flaws that get explored in stories, and lots of other things, but mostly, I like them to be individuals.

I'm shunning most of the DCnU not because of how the characters are being treated, but because I just can't handle another reboot, especially one that negates so much of what I know and love about my favorite characters.

Batwoman is fine. She's knew without a lot of history to have negated. Catwoman, no matter how she's being written now, is out for me because too much is being denied as having happened. I'm sickened by what I've read about how she's being depicted, but my not reading her book has nothing to do with that treatment. I'm not reading Nightwing for a similar reason. I don't want to read Dick Grayson going backward in his life.

So, another book I'm not reading is Red Hood and the Outlaws because I detest Jason Todd (I'm one of the folks who voted for him to be killed). And as appalled as I am by how Kory is being treated, I'm also appalled by how Roy Harper is being treated. He was a wonderfully complex character, one who always tried to do the right thing and even though he enjoyed sex with any woman who was willing, he always respected them. And now, he's a moron, based on the panels I saw if he's willing to take advantage of Kory like that.

As for Voodoo, it wasn't the best way to intro the character, but it's a part of Pris that I remember and I'm willing to see where it's going. She is an alien, after all.

So, when it comes to the DCnU, I'm just annoyed and appalled by a lot of the choices they've made. I happen to like reading about males as much or more so than females. I like beefcake and therefore can't begrudge guys their cheesecake, provided  there's that beefcake for me and stories to go with both.

So yes, we all need to keep protesting how females are treated in comics, but let's also protest how idiotic and misogynistic men are so often portrayed, too, because that just keeps feeding the stereotypes and the wrong attitudes in the readers.

Mera in Plastic

Mera

I got only 2 comics today -- Secret Six 35, which I'll review later, and Batman and Robin 25, of which the less that's said the better -- and the above action figure of Mera. The other new figures were fine, but I'm being selective. I've got the Red Lantern Mera, so I thought I should have this one, too. Here they are together.

Mera and Mera

I forgot to include Red Lantern Mera's trident in the photo. Oops. Anyway, they're long and hard to fit into the frame, so 2 would've been problematic. There's a slight, flat section on Mera's chest, in the same place as Red Lantern Mera has her logo. They had to redo the head, so even with using the same basic body mold, couldn't they fix that one spot? It's a bit weird. Otherwise, she's lovely, though I wish her hands would turn, on both figs, so I could better pose her holding the trident. I've always been a fan of Mera, so it's nice having these figures of her.

Oracle vs Batgirl

Comments on this post over at Has Boobs, Reads Comics led to these comments of mine, long enough to warrant a post here methinks:

I'm heartsick about many of the changes, including Dick becoming Nightwing again, but this has me besides myself. I work with blind and visually impaired people and others who can't read standard print, including quadriplegics. I know how powerful a symbol and role model Babs as Oracle is and I know how so many people don't just get to start over or leave that wheelchair behind. I hate that DC is going backward. Just. Hate. It.

And then:

I'm not defining Oracle by her disability. I think people need role models and she's one of the very few who are positive role models for disabled people. She's a shining example of overcoming adversity and doing something special with her life, even more than when she was Batgirl. I don't want her to be a BatGIRL. I want her to be what she's been: a fully realized awesome WOMAN who has played a vital role for the DC Superhero community. Anyone can be Batgirl; after all, there have been others besides Babs (the first one I knew was Betty Kane) and Steph Brown has filled the role admirably and capably and her costume is awesome! In fact, the current Batgirl is one of the most fun comics DC publishes. And Babs, as Oracle, has been the amazing anchor of Birds of Prey. Why anyone wants to go backward from that is beyond me. Well beyond me.

Finally, Barbara Gordon has been many things over the decades: librarian, congresswoman, Batgirl, Oracle, daughter of Commissioner Gordon, girlfriend of Dick Grayson, friend to Black Canary and Huntress and Zinda, mentor to many young female characters from Misfit and Cass Cain to Stephanie Brown and Wendy/Proxy. Babs in her personal life and as Oracle has touched the lives of most of the characters in the DCU. No Batgirl has ever been able to say that. Batgirl is just another costumed crimefighter. Oracle has been so much more. That's what DC is giving up and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Batwoman and Zatanna

Batwoman 0 is a nice overview to bring in new readers, and the cover is awesome. But much as Batman's narration as he observes Kate works as an introduction to the character and as much as it's in character for him to observe and judge (see the Batman Returns One-Shots!), I wish they'd just told this as a Batman-free story. Yes, she's got the Bat on her chest and in her name, so of course, Bruce would want to check up on her, but it takes the focus off Kate a lot and this should be her book and the focus should be on her for a while. Bruce would've been more welcome by me coming in later in the series.

Zatanna comes across as somewhere between pure fun (a la the first 12 issues of Power Girl) and the more serious books (Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Batman, Batman and Robin, etc.) The tone so far is probably closest, of those I read, to Gotham City Sirens. I enjoyed her cousin Zach's appearance, and the magic is playful with some edginess, and so far, nothing Earth-threatening. In fact, it's been on a mostly personal level. As for the art, I normally don't like so many artist changes so early in the book, but when the artists are as good as this group, I don't mind so much. Roux's issues were nice, if Zee sometimes looked a bit young. Hardin's pencils were fine if average. Saiz did a nice job with Zee, and Cliff Chiang's issue (8) is my favorite, so far. I am looking forward to Jamal Igle's work on the book, starting with issue 11. This isn't a must-read book for me, but it's a fun one to spend time with. With my disappointment in and dropping of Power Girl, it's nice to have another female character step in to entertain me.

Women of DC in 2 and 3 D

I like the January cover scheme with the logo design, but it's a bit annoying to have to read the fairly small header font to get the titles, especially for books that feature the same characters or that have a "guest" character on the cover.

That said, the cover for Birds of Prey 8 is very nice, with Dinah front and center. The interior art by Guillem March is quite nice, so until we get the new regular artist here, I have to say the fill-ins have included some great stuff. Penguin is looking rather bizarre and well, Penguin-like! The Calculator vs Oracle storyline is a good one, and I like that Gail is using what happened between the two in Batgirl. Nice continuity there! I'm still way behind on my comics reading, especially the Bat books, so I'm a bit out of it when it comes to Batman and had to read a bit to know we were seeing Bruce, not Dick. I wonder if I'll ever catch up. Maybe when I retire! ;)

Batgirl 17 has my favorite of the January DC covers so far. Steph just looks great and her pose works nicely with her Bat logo. The story was lightweight, but worth it for the Steph/Damian interactions. I loved when she realized he doesn't know how to play. Cool stuff.

As for the 3D DC woman, here's a photo of something else I picked up this week. Along with the Black Lantern Wonder Woman, Mera was the only other Blackest Night figure I wanted. Doesn't she look fantastic? They did an awesome job on her, I think.

Blackest Night Mera

Gal Pals

Birds of Prey 6 ended the current story better than I was expecting, given Dinah's behavior last issue. I do trust Gail Simone, though, so I wasn't worried. The cover was nice, and Helena really owned the issue. For a character I didn't much like when she first showed up in the DCU -- I was too big a fan of the original Huntress, Helena Wayne, to warm up to Helena Bertinelli -- she has become a favorite, and that's not just Gail's doing. Helena has simply evolved over the years to the point that she's more sympathetic, is more considering of her actions while maintaining her hardass approach to crimefighting, and is a fully realized, 3-dimensional character. And it's also nice to see one young girl rescued, safe and sound, when Dinah finds Sin.

My only complaint with the issue is that the art wasn't as nice as the cover. I didn't like the long, almost gaunt faces and half the time when only headshots were visible, I couldn't tell Dinah and Zinda apart. This book deserves better art.

Batgirl 15 was total fun. The opening sequence of Steph's drawings summarizing the state of the Batverse over the years was priceless and Dustin Nguyen's pencils suit the book nicely. I loved the cover, too.

In other female superheroes of the DCU news, I officially dropped Power Girl. The fun is gone. I wanted to give Judd Winick a full shot on the book, reading through the end of the first full arc, but this is not the book I want to read. I loved how in her own book, PG was lighter than in her JSA adventures. We got to see her warm, fuzzy side, while she could be tough and badass whenever the situation called for it. But the main selling point was that the book was a joy to read, bot for the kickass, retro feel stories and the lovely art. Now, the art is nice, but the stories don't live up to the high bar the previous team set for the book. Sorry, Judd, but there are characters you should not be writing, and this is one of them. And I don't care if you were required to tie your stories into the Max Lord stuff I'm not reading elsewhere. PG's been inept and annoying lately, and that is your doing. meh

Diversity in the DCU

I suppose I should comment on Ian Sattler's comments in a Q&A at HeroCon that have been sliced and diced across the comics blogosphere (no links because I can't remember all the places I've seen them).

A serious topic came up about how characters who are minorities who happened to be legacy characters like Ryan Choi are killed off so their caucasian counterparts can return and how they feel like they are being cheated or sidelined out of their roles. Sattler took a more serious tone. "It's so hard for me to be on the other side because it's not our intention. There is a reason behind it all. We don't see it that way and strive very hard to have a diverse DCU. I mean, we have green, pink, and blue characters. We have the Great Ten out there and I have counter statistics, but I won't get into that. It's not how we perceived it. We get the same thing about how we treat our female characters."

Now,  I'm going to be charitable here. I'm going to assume that no malice was intended. I'm doing to assume this is simply (and yes, I know the risks I run when I make assumptions) a case of someone just not getting the point.

I believe he's sincere in thinking they're doing nothing wrong. And I believe there's a real story/plot point behind the deaths and the chosen resurrections. It may all end up being one helluva story that we'll be talking about for decades and that we'll all love. Maybe. But that does not negate Sattler's misreading of readers/fans' concerns.

Bringing fictitious ethnicities into the discussion, the blue and green people, while ignoring the many shades of actual humans who are not properly represented both on the pages and in managerial positions, let alone in the talent producing the books is a disingenuous response at best. There are no pink people, no green or blue people walking around our wonderful planet, so mentioning the ones walking around the DCU isn't going to win you new readers. Kids usually want to read about people like them. Sure, a polka dotted alien is cool and can be entertaining, but after a while, you want to see a mocha complexioned woman who speaks like a real person and dresses as someone other than a slut.

Because, women make up half the population, but not half the comic heroes, and that issue is usually brushed aside.

Sure, we've got some great female characters right now and many are headlining their own books. Batgirl has been amazing. Birds of Prey is back. Supergirl has turned into a super book and Power Girl got off to a great start. Wonder Woman has been as good as she and we deserve her to be and I hope that continues. We've got the Batwoman book coming and half of the Secret Six have been female. But do these books represent half the DCU superhero books? Not even close.

There is no reason why characters like Ryan Choi have to die to bring back Ray Palmer as the Atom. There is a whole Corps of guys running around as Green Lanterns, for frak's sake. And wonder of wonders, one of them is actually black, named John Stewart. We've got a bunch of Flashes. We've had some names swapped out without a concern that people would be confused. Nightwing becomes Batman while someone from Kandor becomes a new, different Nightwing. Did anyone worry that we readers would mistake the new Nightwing for Dick Grayson, or that we'd mix up Dick as Bats with Bruce as Bats? No. So call Ryan Choi Mr. Atomic or something and let him live. He was wonderful and far more entertaining than Roy Palmer ever was or likely ever will be.

But none of that matters, not really. They're just characters. Same as with the killing of Lian Harper (a mix of Caucasian and Asian, btw), it's just comics. They're fictional characters, not real people. What really matters is the attitude of people like Sattler who make the decisions. They need to understand how those decisions are perceived. They need to learn how to better read and communicate with their audience. They need to own up to their failings, to own their mistakes, and vow to do better. It's a lesson so many companies don't learn until too late, if at all. They think denial or sidestepping an issue will make it go away or reduce its significance. They're wrong. That just makes it worse, especially in this age of instant, viral communication.

Mr. Sattler, you should have taken your lumps, said your mea culpa, promised to do better, then actually do better. Ask what we'd like to see more of. Ask for suggestions. Suggest ways we can get our concerns to the rest of management. Etc. But don't act like the wounded party. Really, it isn't becoming.

I'll still read the comics that entertain me. And I'll continue to write my opinions of them. But don't expect me to love everything you do because you think it's wonderful. I was going to say that's not how to develop a lifelong reader, except in my case, it sorta was. Because back in 1960 when I read my first comic, there was even less diversity and here I still am. But times have changed. Please make sure the DCU keeps up. Your readers, present and future, will much appreciate it.

Modesty's Creator Dies

The news that Peter O'Donnell, creator of Modesty Blaise, possibly the greatest, non-super-powered female comics character, has died greatly saddens me. Inspired by a young refugee O'Donnell met during World War II, Modesty is a tough, skilled crimefighter who started on the wrong side of the law. After she and Willie Garvin, her loyal friend and helper, retired, they were convinced to use their skills to help bring all manner of bad guys to justice.

Along with the Modesty Blaise comic strip, O'Donnell also wrote a series of books using the characters. I discovered Modesty in the '70s when the strip was being reproduced in an anthology periodical that repro'ed a number of strips. It was instant love. Modesty and Willie loved each other, but it was platonic, the ultimate friendship between a man and a woman. Willie, owing his life to Modesty, would do anything for her, would die for her if he had to. Modesty was far from modest, and while the art, drawn over the years by a number of talented people, was sexy without being exploitive, IMO. The strip was one of the best action/adventure strips and if you haven't ever read them, you'd be doing yourself a favor in picking up one of the softcover collections.

Attention Female Comics Fans

This article on Early Word about female readers and female characters, with a focus on the cheesecake art makes for interesting reading. I left a comment, now in moderation limbo, and you might want to add your two cents, too. As I've said in the past, I don't mind the cheesecake, even if it's exploitive; just give me some beefcake, too. But I do agree that the art is a turn-off for many potential female readers and it would be to the benefit of traditional superhero books for them to appeal to male and female readers. There's a way to do sexy art, of both sexes, and still not have it be exploitive or demeaning. The good artists, ie Adam Hughes, know how to do it.

Ladies Day

Brave and the Bold 33

It's become the norm for there to be a comic featuring a female lead each week and on some weeks, more than one. This was one of those weeks when both Karas had their books come out, but there was also this treat by J. Michael Straczynski and Cliff Chiang.

When I read the solicit for The Brave and the Bold 33, I figured we'd get a traditional heroes join up to fight some great evil in one issue, only with Diana, Zee, and ... well, Babs, so I figured maybe a flashback issue. Then I started reading it and didn't know what to think because no big evil was showing up and it seemed like a frivolous character piece, some fluff, but then I got the feeling I knew what was going on, and then Diana starts telling Babs about Oracles and well, this brought a tear to my eye. Nicely played, Mr. JMS. And Chiang's art, as always, is a delight.

Power Girl 11
This shows the true heroic nature and good heart of PG, and her friendship with Terra is one of the best written friendships in comics, with a nice touch of mentoring thrown in. The issue also sets up a nice showdown for Kara and Satanna next issue, the last for the current team. I'm going to miss Gray, Palmiotti, and Conner on this book. A lot.

Supergirl 52
I haven't been reading all the books in this story, so came to this chapter a bit cold, but it read fine and there were some nice character bits with Kara and Brainiac 5, lovestruck genius that he is. I might have to read the next chapter in Superman.

New Team for Power Girl

I have reservations about this announcement on DC's Source. Sami Basri, the artist, is new to me. The preview cover looks nice, but PG doesn't look like PG. A minor problem, because even Amanda Conner's version didn't look like the more realistic PG art we saw in JSA. It's the writer, Judd Winick, who's giving me reservations.

I have enjoyed many stories Judd has written. He did a nice job on Kyle Rayner, GL, and his work on Green Arrow was decent and often good. If it's a character he has a real affinity for, he can write a good story. It's all the other ones who give him problems. I have no idea if PG is someone he can write.

I really hate new directions every time a new team takes over. I understand it; every creative person want so do their own thing, write or draw things their way, put there own spin on things. And when a new team takes over after 2 years or longer, it can make things feel fresh and exciting. But 12 issues? Palmiotti had barely finished setting things up and now we're getting serious changes? I wasn't reading comics during the whole PG in JLI era, so that means nothing to me, so tying her storyline into that does nothing for me.

...the latest chapter in Power Girl’s life finds her inching closer to her former JLI teammates...

“It is with GREAT fear and excitement that Sami and I leap into this gig. Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Amanda Conner have bought an amazing, fresh, and inventive rebirth to this character. Our greatest challenge will be to remain faithful to what they’ve created and also take Power Girl to a new place. As far as the course that the story will take, I’ll be uncharacteristically forthcoming : The story is tied to JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST. Not CHAINED to it, but tied. Power Girl has a history with the JLI that will be explored. A lot.” (said by Judd Winick, I assume)

I'm sorry, but this doesn't excite me. I want to see a continuation of what we were getting, with Karen balancing her work at her company with whatever new threats the new team can come up with. Then, after another year or so, have a natural progression into new territory for her if that feels right. But this constant change every year, especially when trying to establish a new book is, IMO, counter productive. Usually.

In the case of the current version of Supergirl, it was a must. The reboot of the book sucked and drastic measures were needed. Better stories. Better or rather, more suitable, art. Tying Kara more closely to the Superman family. But there were no problems with the Power Girl book. It was fun, with an interesting dynamic that was only beginning to be explored. Is Judd going to keep Terra around as Karen's friend? Could he even write her and the friendship at the level both deserve?

I started writing a whole stream of consciousness about the way characters are treated over the years. I thought perhaps more female characters get reworked more than the males, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. But some females, especially Wonder Woman who has had her role change with each creative team, seem to be written more inconsistently than others, and I would hate to see that happen to Power Girl. I expect differences between their roles in team books than in their own books, but not in their own book from year to year.

I hope Judd does well by Power Girl. I love the character and want only what's best for her. But I'm not counting on it.

Recent Reads The Whirlwind Tour

Here's the latest batch, and I still have so much more to read. Forbidden Planet had what is now an annual 20-per-cent-off one-day sale a few weeks ago, and along with the Tonner Catwoman doll, I bought a bunch of graphic novels. I dream of getting caught up on my reading. Ah, someday....

Detective Comics 860
The cover by Williams is stunning. His interior art is nice, too. The conclusion of Batwoman's origin is a real kicker, proving once again that Rucka is one of the top writers of comics today. The Question backup was nice, with Huntress, but more character bits and exposition than moving the story forward. Things should move into high gear next issue.

Gotham City Sirens 7
I read this for Selina, but Harley and Ivy have been enjoyable here thanks to Paul Dini who really excels at writing female characters. A character study issue that gives us some insight into both Harley and Ivy and now that we've met Harley's family, I can honestly say that she's the best adjusted one. (Can't believe I just wrote that.)

Wonder Woman 39
I was honestly getting bored with this story. I'm not the biggest Greek mythology fan and I much prefer seeing Diana deal with "Man's World." But Gail Simone gave us an ending to this arc that was truly moving. Lopresti's cover is gorgeous; he's one of the best artists for WW.

Batman 694
The book continues to excel as it nears issue 700. And another awesome DC cover this month. Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea make a good team. Dick has really grown into the Batman role.

Streets of Gotham 7
Again, great cover, featuring Manhunter. A rather odd, icky Batman story, with a neat moment of Damian showing he's still a boy and a rather human one at that. The tone here is different than in the Batman book, more like Batman and Robin, I think, and it works well. The Manhunter story rocked because it featured Dylan and I love Dylan. Apparently, the plan is to drop the backup features and without Manhunter here, much as I love Dick as Batman, I'll have to seriously think about dropping this book. I get it for Kate and Dick/Bats appears in enough other books. And I don't want to reward DC by sticking with this without Kate, cuz I'm annoyed with them. They bring on a new character I fall instantly in love with, give her a book right from the gitgo, cancel it, restore it but after perhaps too much time has passed, cancel it again, then give us this backup only to take it away again... it's just plain cruel. But I'm happy for what we've gotten.

Booster Gold 27 (Blackest Night crossover)
Ted Kord made a fun (could that be the right word?) Black Lantern, my favorite of the resurrected BLs so far. Jaime guesting was nice and I will miss his backup feature, too. Rip is, well, Rip, and I wonder if Booster will ever learn the truth and if so, how much it will affect.

Secret Six 16
I love this cover, probably my favorite of the month. Black Alice is so perfect for this book. Gail continues to make quirky characters among DC's best.

Supergirl 48
When I think I was actually dropping this book, until I decided to give Gates a chance to make Kara a great character again.... and he hasn't disappointed. Kara is firmly in the DCU now, a vital part of the Superman family, and her stories have significance and consequence. What more could anyone want from Superman's cousin?

Power Girl 7
An old-fashioned fun superhero book. I thought for a moment I was reading a book from the '60s, an issue of Lois Lane, perhaps, but with a '00's sensibility. Gray, Palmiotti, and Conner might not be giving us the serious, somber PG of the JSA, but they are giving us a character who's comfortable in her own skin who doesn't always take herself seriously. Conner's exaggerated facial expressions can convey so much, you almost don't need the words.

Batgirl 5
I can't believe how many good, female-centric books I now have to read. Stephanie makes a fun, capable Batgirl even if she screws up now and then and doesn't do things by the book, or even as Babs would've done things. She is her own person and she's not like anyone else out there who pulls on a costume and fights crime. She has her own voice, her own way of doing things, and despite setbacks, they work. Her scenes with Damian were great. He's such a little prick.