The New DCU: Sept. 28, 2011, A Simulblog

As always, this is a Simulblog being conducted by me, Fat Train, Justin of Cavemen Go, Chad of Political Jesus, and occasionally Arthur of Arthur the Lesser.

Justin's blog on week four can be found here...

Chad's blog on week four can be found here...

My post on Justice League #1 and the end of Flashpoint can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

My post on Week #1 of the new #1s can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

My post on Week #2 of the new #1s can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

My post on Week #3 of the new #1s can be found here (with links to the others participating in the Simulblog)

Since this is the final week of the Simulblog (and the fact that I've been sick has made it ridiculously late; after all, this week gives us our first #2s) I have decided to refrain from doing a book by book review and instead focusing on an overview of the entirety of the number ones.

WHAT I'VE LOVED

The surprise storytelling and fantastic art that were on display in Animal Man, a book I would have not been reading at all had I not agreed to take part in this Simulblog.  Having already read number 2 which was released today, I can tell you that the story continues to surprise and the art is even better in issue number 2.  This book is, for me, the clear winner of the reboot/relaunch.

The new take on Superman, returning him to the beginning of his character in the 30s and 40s in terms of story and power (although in a modern context) along with a concentrated effort to have him be the Superman of the people, a Social Justice Superman, that we are seeing in the Grant Morrison penned Action Comics.

The story developing in Batman and in Nightwing capturing two of my favorite Gothamites in a way that none of the other issues devoted to the Bat-family seem to have been able to.  Bruce/Batman is captured perfectly in the first issue, and the story is fantastic.

Speaking of the Bat-family, Batgirl was outstanding as well, and with Gail Simone writing probably will avoid some of the problems the relaunch has had (more on that later).

WHAT I'VE LIKED

The Green Lantern Books (not counting Red Lanterns) including Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and Green Lantern Guardians.  For the most part, nothing new is going on in Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corps, if you were a fan before, chances are good you will still be a fan now.  Green Lantern Guardians is going to be something a little new, and the first issue was interesting, mysterious, and quite a bit of fun as well.  I have never been a huge Kyle Rayner fan, but this book seems to be off to a good start with the character.  It was true to Kyle, but I also enjoyed it a lot more than I have often enjoyed reading about Kyle in the past.

The connections that are building up around the characters, such as Supergirl's super hearing manifesting by hearing dialogue that was taking place in other books such as Aqua-Man.  In Detective Comics #2, a character references Oliver Queen (Green Arrow)'s company in a conversation with Bruce Wayne.  I like the idea of the universe being connected and this relaunch offers an opportunity to build that universe from the beginning and for the most part, DC seems to be doing that.

WHAT I HAVEN'T LIKED

The fact that many of these reboots/relaunches have either been very pedestrian (Green Arrow) bringing none of the real excitement that a number one should have has been disappointing, as has the fact that some of these supposed reboots/relaunches clearly required prior knowledge in order to get into the series, which seems to defeat the whole purpose of starting over at number one (Legion: Lost and Legion of Superheroes).

Another thing that has bothered me is the new time-line which doesn't seem to make sense, or at the very least is impossible to keep track of.  There is a mass break out of Arkham Asylum in both Batman and in The Dark Knight and it doesn't seem like there is too much time difference between any of the four Batman titles, which seems like a bit of a waste.  I enjoy that Action Comics and Superman take place a different times, allowing us to see Superman now, as well as where he came from and how he developed.  A book like I, Vampire, which came out in the last week of the new number 1s was very interesting, but with the epic events taking place in the issue make me think that those are events that would draw at least the attention of some, if not all, of the heroes, but it isn't something that appears to be on the radar of any of the superheroes or the various teams.  The Teen Titans first issue seems to make it appear as if the team is being formed for the first time (especially since Action Comics seems to say that Superman is the first super-powered being ever) yet in Red Hood, it appears that there is still a history of the Teen Titans and that Starfire was once a member of the Teen Titans.  Then, if Superman was the first super powered being, why is Hawkman trying to get rid of the Nth Metal that has made him Hawkman, as if he's been a Superhero for some time.  Obviously Action Comics takes place some 6 years ago, so there is time for these things to develop, but not much time, and it would be helpful if the timeline were a little more clear.

WHAT I'VE HATED

Quite simply, I've hated the objectification of women that seems so prevalent throughout many of these books and the fact that diversity is still not really been fully addressed.  After all, have you realized that everyone of the members of the Justice League have their own book except for Cyborg, the one non-white member of the team?  That's a little troubling, but the objectification of women has been far, far more embarrassing.

The primary example of this has quite clearly been the portrayal of Starfire in Red Hood and the Outlaws.

The idea of an expansive ideal of womanhood, something beyond the typical or patriarchy driven vision of what womanhood should look like or represent, can be vast and express itself in many different ways; however there is still some question of who gets to envision or portray those new and expansive ideals.  Written by a male, Kory, called Starfire, is portrayed throughout Red Hood and the Outlaws as an object.  Her costume, like many of the costumes of female characters in comic books, is very revealing, but the writer and artist (both men) put her into an even more revealing bikini, and have a teenage male snap a picture with his cell-phone as she comes out of the water.  He then puts that picture up on the internet for others to ogle.   

It is revealed early in the book that she is in a sexual relationship with Jason Todd, the Red Hood, and then she offers to have sex with Arsenal, Roy Harper.  When he protests that she is sexually involved with Jason, she tells him that sex is not for love, but for enjoyment.  This conversation is the only time we are given anything from her perspective.  The author maintains that she is a sexually liberated female, and any uproar over her sexual identity is misplaced, after all, people don’t fret as much about male characters who have multiple sex partners or a liberated view on sex and sexuality.


While that might be true, I don’t think that the uproar is due to the attitude that Starfire has towards sex.  The problem is the fact that throughout the book her character is the subject of objectification, and the desire to have meaningless sex with both of the main male characters in the book comes off across more as a teenage male fantasy of what a sexually liberated woman would be like as opposed to a fully developed female character who happens to have a more loose view of sex and sexuality.



Many of the women that work at DC have acknowledged that they were troubled by the portrayal before the release of the issue and asked the writer to tone it down or use the fact that the character used to be a sex slave on another planet to explain why she might be acting in this manner, but the writer refused, claiming that focusing on her past would only be treating her as a victim, seeming to ignore the fact that by portraying her solely as an object for male fantasies was victimizing the character as well.

This is only one of the most blatant examples.  DC likes to point at Batwoman and claim diversity because of the fact that she is a lesbian, but in the first issue, she spends most of it in some form of undress with another woman (not in a sexual way).  Again, it seems more of a teenage fantasy of what lesbians should do rather than really dealing with issues that a lesbian superhero might face.

Voodoo, released in week 4, is about a bi-sexual stripper who literally becomes a monster that kills as she gets naked, and then takes the form of the man she killed, seeming to make a statement that women are inconstant and monstrous, and have worth only due to their bodies.


It is not that a stripper/alien can't be a strong character, just that the way these characters are being written are as objects, not characters.


If it were just one or two books, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but it is in a multitude of them, and each week as well.


As for Week 4...


NO QUESTION KEEPERS


Flash


Aquaman


Green Lantern: New Guardians


DEFINITELY WORTH A LONGER LOOK


Superman


Savage Hawkman


Teen Titans


Justice League Dark


MIGHT KEEP READING THEM


The Dark Knight


I, Vampire


All Star Western


NOs


Blackhawks


Fury of Firestorm


Voodoo



Until Next Time, feel free to comment on any of these thoughts or bring up anything else the entirety of the new number ones might have brought to the forefront of your own consciousness.

The New DCU: Sept 7, 2011 A Simulblog

This week, DC comics released 13 new issues, all numbered Number 1.

Continuing the Simulblog began last week, myself, Justin Tiemeyer of Cavemen Go, and Optimistic Chad of Political Jesus (with occasional commentary from Arthur the Lesser perhaps as literal comments in our blogs, perhaps on his own blog) take a look at some of these new number 1s and are going to give you our thoughts on the new books, the direction that DC is taking, and anything else that the new number 1s cause us to comment on.

I myself read 10 of the 13 new books deciding right off the bat that Swamp Thing and Men of War didn't really interest me and that OMAC looked a little odd, although I did almost add that one to the list.  At any rate, even when you are going in with other people, 13 new comic books in one week is kind of expensive (and there are still three more weeks of number 1s to come!)

For the most part, all of the books I read are good and certainly worth picking up, so for more detailed thoughts on those books, read ahead, but....

Remember, there will be SPOILERS!!

You can find Justin's thoughts on the new Number 1s here...

You can find Chad's thoughts on the new Number 1s here...

So, without further ado, my thoughts on 10 of the new number 1s...

SUPERMAN - ACTION COMICS #1

Of the ten that I read, this was probably my favorite.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of Supes.  My three favorite heroes as a kid were (in no particular order) Spider-Man, Ralph Hinkley (huge nerd points if you know who that is, and if you do, I have a feeling I know what song just got stuck in your head), and Superman.

Perhaps because of when I grew up, the eighties meaning the Superman movies staring Christopher Reeves were a BIG deal, perhaps because my grandparents had all of the Fleischer Superman cartoons on VHS (an ancient way that we watched things prior to DVR and Blu Ray), perhaps because my Grandmother made me a Superman cape (that doubled as a Ralph Hinkley cape if I turned it around, BEST. GIFT. EVER.), but whatever the reason, I loved Superman, and some of that childhood love has stuck around to this day.

I recognize that Superman is overly powerful, making it harder to come up with dramatic stories.

I recognize that Superman's morals and boy-scoutedness get on people's nerves.

But I believe that those morals and his super (really, really super) powers while limiting still can lead to great storytelling.

Grant Morrison is a great writer, and I believe will give us that great storytelling.  Here's an article on his new take on Supes, a Social Justice Superman.

Morrison gives us a Superman who still has the same morals as he's always had, but the world at large doesn't know that and view him as a very scary and unstable element.

Despite still being the good guy, Supes finds himself at odds with the law, which definitely erases some of that "Boy Scout" shine.

Morrison writes, "Superman stands for justice, not necessarily for the law. And I think that's what makes this guy different."

I won't lie, it is a little fun to see Superman threaten to throw a dude off of a balcony.  Which also leads us to a nice Smallville reference...

Somebody Save Me....

Since it's a reboot, and Smallville might be some new readers only experience with Kal-El (the Kryptonian name of Clark Kent/Superman), I'm interested to see how much of Smallville makes it into the new history of Supes.

After all, with the reboot Supes has some of the biggest changes of all of the DC heroes.  For instance, you might have heard that Clark and Lois are no longer together, but it might surprise you (I know it surprised me) to find out that Lois and Clark don't work together either.  Clark works for not the Daily Planet, but instead works for the Daily Star, the Planet's rival newspaper.  (Good to know that Metropolis still has two papers, considering it is a dying medium.)

Overall, the new take on Superman worked extremely well for me, and I enjoyed reading a Superman comic more than I have in quite some time.  I look forward to growing with the new incarnation much as I once did with Superman as a kid.

BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS: #1

Detective Comics on the other hand did not impress me nearly as much as Action Comics.

The writing and the art are both brought to us by Tony S. Daniel.  His art is beautiful.  The writing... well, not so much.

On the first page, Batman says of Joker, "His modus operandi changes with the wind...  and it's been windy in Gotham City."

Seriously.

I wish that was the worst of it.

The story is pretty interesting, and I definitely will keep reading to see where it goes, but I wish the dialogue and especially the inner monologue (my friend and Batman expert Adam, not West, said the Batman psychology felt off and I thought that was a good way to put it) were a match for the fantastic art in this book.

As disappointing as the writing was, the last scene of the story does enough to really grab you and keep you reading.  I won't spoil that (although I'm sure that if you really want to find out without reading Detective Comics #1, it won't be hard to do).

If the writing doesn't improve, it isn't like there aren't plenty of other Bat Books out there to allow you to get your Bat-fix.
 
BATGIRL #1

Such as, for instance, Batgirl.

Barbara Gordan is back in the suit, but her time as Oracle isn't simply erased.

Instead, she is recently recovered from the Joker-given gun-shot injury which had left her paralyzed and in a new Bat-role (on a new Bat-channel... sorry, couldn't resist).

This recent injury along with the fact that she is in a hurry to resume her old role as Batgirl while perhaps not in either the physical (or mental) state in which to do that effectively set up an intriguing character driven story that definitely deserves its own book in the Batman world.

Gail Simone's writing is terrific, and having Batgirl in her hands is great as I know that she will keep Batgirl interesting, relevant, and smart.

BATWING #1

Batwing is a member of Batman Incorporated serving as the Batman for all of Africa.

The character was strong although I wish they had played up the detective elements that the issue hinted at.  I would have liked that to have been drawn out more than it was.

Part of the reason I (and so many others) really like Batman is because of his brains.  In fact, I love Bats for his brains probably as much as if not more than his brawn.

An African Batman having those same brains (and the tech  from everybody's favorite mad-man Bruce Wayne) has some promise.

I was glad to see that he clearly has had some criminal justice training, but I would have loved it if it had been even more clearly highlighted.

ANIMAL MAN #1

The reason that I wrote that Action Comics was "probably my favorite" is because there is a better than decent chance that Animal Man was actually my favorite.

Okay, okay, I admit it.  I'm right there with you.  Animal Man is a terrible name for a super hero, but his powers are cool.  I didn't really know much (full disclosure: anything) about him, so as I read I was struck between the similarity between his power's and Vixen's (who is in Justice League International, see below) powers.  Doing a little research, I see that Vixen actually gained her powers from something that had been talked about in the Animal Man storyline.

I'm not sure if Animal Man would have been one of the books I would have chosen to be in the new 52, but put together with the utterly brilliant writing of Jeff Lemire and the creepy yet oddly beautiful art of Travel Foreman, it becomes the book I am most looking forward to continuing.

The combination of a great character in Buddy Baker (the alter-ego of Animal Man), the outstanding characterization of his family-life, and the dark, disturbing turn the book took at the end of the first issue (combining the character and family-life quite spectacularly) not only surprised me, but completely enraptured me.

How good this book is means I'm probably adding Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. to the books I'll read since it is also penned by Lemire and it also makes me way more excited for Lemine's take on Superboy.

This book is that good.  I dare you to read it and not become a fan of Lemine's instantly.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1

Okay, I'll be honest, they had me at Booster Gold.

But to be truthful, this book was really, really good, and I can't say that I expected that.

I loved the Guy Gardner ass-hole-ery and look forward to his joining the team for good.

Batman was WAY better (by which I mean it actually felt like Batman) in this book than he was in Detective Comics.

I thought the other heroes chosen for the book (Vixen, Godiva, August General in Iron, Rocket Red, and Fire and Ice) were intriguing and mesh well together.  The interplay between the Russian Rocket Red and the Chinese August General was fantastic, and when Guy Gardner joins the team full time I'm sure he'll get on everyone's nerves, and Booster Gold trying to keep the bickering at a minimum?  That'll be classic.

Definitely worth a read in my opinion.

GREEN ARROW #1

Growing up, I was never a big Green Arrow fan (although I always loved the interplay between he and Hal Jordan/Green Lantern).

The Justice League (and Justice League Unlimited in particular) cartoons won me over to the character a little more.

I liked the character on Smallville (although he was much closer to a Bruce Wayne/Batman type than the comic version of Ollie).

But what has finally turned me into a pretty big Green Arrow fan is that my cousin named his son Oliver, so I pretty much had to become a fan of the superhero named Oliver (Queen in the comics, which sadly is not my cousin's last name).

I have to admit, I really enjoyed the book.  It wasn't anything mind-blowing, but it was fun, and Ollie was awesome.  I missed the left-wing/liberal/social-justice-loving aspect of the character (which was extremely present in Superman in Action Comics #1, but there is room for two social justice superheroes, isn't there?) and hope that it makes it into the character in future books.

Beside that point missing (and nothing very earth-shattering happening) it is a fun read and worth, in my opinion, picking up.

STORMWATCH #1

It seems to me as if the events in this book might have a lot to do with the greater DC storyline.  There definitely seem to be some connection between the events in this book and the mystery touched on in Justice League International, and it directly refers to events in Superman #1 which comes out the Wednesday of the month.

I'm a huge fan of the Martian Manhunter and am excited for him to appear more often (especially since Stormwatch revealed that he will be a part of the Justice League when JL finally gets to modern day.

The history of Stormwatch (especially in a reality where superheroes are a new phenomenon, Superman's appearance shortly before the events in Action Comics #1 taking place roughly six years ago being the first appearance of a superhero) seems to be something that will add an interesting dimension to the developing story.

Although considering I have never read the book (which I believe existed before the reboot) this history might be something that to older readers is already common knowledge.

Either way, I have to admit, I'm intrigued.

HAWK & DOVE #1

I almost didn't pick this one up.


I'm glad that I ultimately did.

I didn't know too much about Hawk & Dove, and was confused to see that Dove was female, since the last time I had given Hawk & Dove any attention they were made up of two brothers.  Hawk is still Hank, but Dove is now Dawn instead of Don, and apparently that has been the case for some time now, not just with the reboot.

This book touches on the origin (which was the Hank Hawk and the Don, read male, Dove) as well as setting up the point of the duo, which is as I remembered, Hawk being a representation (or avatar) of the idea (or god) of war and Dove being a representation (or avatar) of the idea (or god) of peace.  The idea being that both war and peace are more powerful when balanced by the other.

As an aside, I'm not sure how much I actually agree with the idea that Peace needs to be balanced by War, but for a comic book set in a reality filled with Super Villains, it is more palatable.  And it is at least an idea that is worth examining.  I'm still probably not going to buy it, but it is fun to think about and look at in depth.

Plus, the hint of mystery surrounding Dawn's appearance as Dove in place of Don that apparently would shake Hank (Hawk) has me intrigued.

I don't know if Hawk & Dove is a book that I will have to keep up with every month, but I'm probably going to stick with it for a little while just to see where it is headed and if it can continue to keep my attention.

STATIC SHOCK #1

I was really looking forward to this book, and I did really enjoy it.  Virgil is a great character and there are some very interesting things going on in this book.

However, Static feels way too much like Spidey.

The book is set in New York (although unlike Spidey, Static grew up in Dakota and is a recent NYC transplant).

Like Spidey when he began, Static is 16 (okay, okay, I know.  Peter was 15 when he became Spider-man, but it's close enough) and in high-school (part of the story-line involves Static trying to talk his dad into letting him get a driver's license).

And when fighting, Static lets the one-liners fly much like your favorite neighbor-hood superhero.

It felt so much like a Spidey book that I was shocked (no pun intended) when the book cut from Static leaving for school to after school heading into his secret HQ.

Spider-man definitely would have had some drama at school.

One portion of the book that didn't feel like Spidey was while Virgil was interacting with his mother, father, and sister at home (none of which does Peter Parker have).  It wasn't much of the book, but it was a portion of the book that served to differentiate for me Static from Spidey.

Hopefully Static will continue to work towards feeling like a distinct and original book, but in the meantime, feeling very similar to Spider-man isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Until Next Time, next week will bring us another 13 books (including Batman and Robin and Green Lantern) many of which you can read about right here on Fat Train as well as here and here (and maybe even here).

The New DCU: Aug 31, 2011, A Simulblog

So DC went and rebooted their universe.  You've probably heard about it (been hearing about it) as it has been pretty widely discussed.

We here at Fat-Train, along with our friends Justin Tiemeyer of Cavemen Go and Optimistic Chad of Political Jesus, are going to walk you through the first month of the new DCU.  There will be spoilers, there will be snark, and there might even be a few surprises.

Justin's article can be read here

Chad's article can be read here


First off, let me briefly talk about Flashpoint, the series that set up the reboot.

When I first heard about the decision to erase decades of continuity and reboot the DC Universe, I, like I suspect many of you, was upset.

Then I began reading Flashpoint, and the story was fun and intriguing, and I found myself buying in almost despite myself.

After finishing Flashpoint, I was more at ease with the decision, especially upon learning that many of the intricate story-lines set up and played out over the last couple of years in Batman and the Green Lantern books would remain relevant in the new continuum.

However, the way that Flashpoint ended kind of (okay, okay, really) disappointed me.

For one thing, it felt extremely rushed.

And while I can appreciate that Flash's decision to save his mother could butterfly effect through those closest to him (namely the Justice League) and change things dramatically, I still don't buy that Aquaman and Wonder Woman would get so wrapped up in their own enmity that they would destroy the world in the process.  Oh, boo-hoo, the political marriage between Wonder Woman and Aqua-Man didn't work out and Wonder Woman killed Aqua-Man's wife in (she claims) self defense (although he doesn't buy it).  Still doesn't seem like enough to destroy the world they both have sacrificed so much to protect.

Still, Flashpoint (despite its weaknesses) made me somewhat warm to the idea of the reboot, and yesterday I read Justice League #1.

Overall, I'm intrigued and looking forward to the future of at least this book.

Set five years in the past, JL1 looks to set up the Justice League from the beginning.  In the first book we get a hint at a future threat that will likely end up requiring the team up (Darkseid), we got a new world order that could certainly provide some interesting stories (Superheroes are not yet thought of as heroes, but treated by the Air Force as a shoot first, ask questions later type threat), and we get to see the first interactions of three of the big names in DC, Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman (although to be fair, Supes's part in the process is brief).

We start with Batman in action, while also trying to avoid an angry Air Force, against some shape-shifting alien being.  The fact that an alien being is in Gotham brings in the guardian of this sector, Green Lantern (aka Hal Jordan).  Neither of them know too much about the other.

Green Lantern gets to show of some of his imagination and ability while Batman is the Batman, leading Hal to try and workout exactly what Batman's super powers are.

cracked me up

After destroying the alien threat they decide to go question the other alien they know about, that dangerous alien being in Metropolis.

Hal Jordan decides that as the alien expert on the planet he should deal with the alien super being alone, but Superman doesn't have too much trouble taking care of Jordan (who goes in a little too sure of himself and completely unaware of what he is about to be facing off against, I'll be interested to see how Chad feels about the amount of cockiness that Green Lantern is showing here early on).

That sets up our cliffhanger, and if you're rebooting, let's be honest, you have to get to this sooner rather than later...

Superman vs Batman.

Overall, it was a great start to introducing the team, and I certainly want to keep reading.

But I do have a few qualms.

The photo that leads off my blog entry is one of the most common photos I've seen regarding the new Justice League, and the lack of diversity it provides is a little disturbing.  When rebooting, take advantage of the opportunity to add some diversity to your heroes.

The full version of the cover is a little better, since it includes Cyborg (Victor Stone) in the lower right hand corner.

The variant cover, on the other hand,

is almost embarrassingly lacking in diversity.  And why does Wonder Woman have to look so seductive while all the men get to look all angry and brooding?

It is really disappointing.

While Batman Incorporated isn't going to be a book in the new 52, Batwing is.  Batwing is an African Batman for Africa.  Surely some will point to this when the diversity issue is raised.

That's all fine and good, but the continent of Africa is quite large, and the population is incredibly numerous.  Despite those facts, there is only one Batman for the entire continent of Africa while the city of Gotham has Batman, Batgirl, Robin, the Birds of Prey, and probably some help from Nightwing as well?  Seems some more diversity could really have occurred here.

And there has got to be some other non-white superheroes that can be in the original Justice League beyond just Cyborg.

I really feel an important opportunity was missed here.

As much as I abhor the Ultimate Universe in Marvel, I am pretty impressed that their new Spider-Man is half Mexican and half black.

I'm not saying DC should have replaced Super-Man with a black man, but they could have at least let him have a few multi-cultural teammates.

Ultimately, I'm in on the reboots, but I may swear off DC forever if they end up rebooting the reboot and go back to the status quo as if nothing ever happened.

If you're going to do something like this... STICK WITH IT.  Then I'll be more likely to stick by you.

Until Next Time, I look forward to seeing what you think, join Justin, Chad, and I for the discussion, and we'll do it again next week when more of the new 52 arrive in stores.