DC Has To Stop and Marvel Should Too

DC are you listening?


Maybe I'd read Secret Invasion if it had cool sound effects like this:

Nah... it's just glitz...

-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Doctor Who Classics #1.

Shadowpact #20, DC Comics.

The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman #1, DC Comics. I’m a big fan of DC’s multiverse stuff going back all the way to Crisis on Infinite Earths, that’s why Infinite Crisis was such a letdown. I’ve been staying away from Countdown despite the fact that I love the whole alternate earths idea. It’s a favorite comic book concept of mine. Well, I broke down and picked up this one issue because of the whole reversed gender of Earth 11. I always thought it would be a great concept for an alternate universe ever since What If # 34 (vol 1). I enjoyed this comic, except for Wonder Man’s costume, which is ridiculous. His “300” atmosphere was a kick, but his femmy suit didn’t work at all. Taken as joke, it’s OK I guess. I liked the women though; they looked like real gals not fake-boobed, steroid freaks (think Power girl in Infinite Crisis). Plus, having Columbia leading the Freedom Fighters shows that somebody is paying attention. I just gotta’ see earth 11’s version of Ambush Bug, Bizarro, and Swamp Thing. So does this mean the male version of Kate Kane is gay?"THIS IS SPARTA... ...ah, I mean THEMYSCICA... no wait... ELYSIUM ISLAND!"

Red Sonja #28, Dynamite Entertainment.

She-Hulk #24, Marvel Comics. I’m kinda lost. I think some stuff must have happened in other titles I’m not reading.

Star Trek: Year Four #5, IDW.

Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Orions #1, IDW. These Alien Spotlights have been good.

Savage Tales #5, Dynamite Entertainment.

Doctor Who Classics #1, IDW. Reprints the comic book adventures of the 4th Doctor (Tom Baker) as drawn by Dave Gibbons.

Robotika #1, Archaia.

Trade Paperback
Golden Age Spotlight Vol#1: Phantom Lady AC Comics.

Magazine
Alter Ego #74, Twomorrows Publishing. The Stan Lee 85th Birthday Issue.


-Swinebread

My New Comics

I’ll have more info on my trip to Japan soon. Just getting my regular comics post outta’ the way. There is so much to talk about that I’m still organizing it in my brain.

This week’s... er... last week's best cover is Living with the Dead #2.


The Un-Men #4, DC Comics.

Living with the Dead #2, Dark Horse Comics.

Spider-Man/Red Sonja #4, Dynamite Entertainment/Marvel Comics.

Captain Carrot and the Final Ark #2, DC Comics. Yessss!

The Amazing Spider-Girl #14, Marvel Comics.

After the Cape #1, Image Comics. Impulse buy.

Howard the Duck #2, Marvel Comics.


-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Captain Carrot and the Final Ark #1. Of Course. Duh!

Black Summer #3, Avatar.

Star Trek: Alien Spot Light: The Gorn #1, IDW.

The Amazing Spider-girl #13, Marvel Comics. Looks like a I gotta’ read a Spider-Girl comic to get a decent Spider-man-like story.

Captain Carrot and the Final Ark #1, DC Comics. Wow, they sure packed a lot into this one issue: reintroducing all of the characters, explaining the anthropomorphic world of the zoo crew, lots of in-jokes about the comic industry, overcoming the grim and gritty Zoo Crew that appeared in Teen Titans vol.3, #30-31, and starting a coherent story with many plot points, not to mention using lots of puns. Yeah, there is lot of exposition, but its fun the way they do it. Plus, Scott Shaw is drawing it so that just multiplies the Captain Carrot goodness.

Deadlander #1, Dark Horse Comics. Looks to be a Western with a Zombie Gunfighter.

Suicide Squad #2, DC Comics.

The Un-Men #3, DC Comics.

Living with the Dead #1, Dark Horse Comics. Portland’s own finally offers their own zombie horror comic.

Spiderman/Red Sonja #3, Marvel Comics/Dynamite Entertainment.

Sword of Red Sonja: Doom of the Gods #1, Dynamite Entertainment.

Trade Paperback:
X-men: Days of Future Past Marvel Comics. Reprints X-men #138-143 and X-men Annual #4. This trade has been out for several years but I noticed it on a reorder for the store. I read the Days of Future Past storyline long ago. Heck, I went out and bought issues 141 and 142 as expensive back issues when I was a kid just so I could read ‘em, but the other stories contained in this collection… I never have. Although, I do own that X-men annual in German… This book nicely fills in the gaps at the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga and Kitty joining the team. Plus it’s, I believe, John Byrne’s last artwork on the X-men title. Ah, the good old days…


-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Criminal Macabre: My Demon Baby #1.

Shadow Pact #17, DC Comics.

Criminal Macabre: My Demon Baby #1, Dark Horse.

Green Arrow & Black Canary Wedding Special #1, DC Comics. Yeah, yeah, I picked it up… what the hell, why not.

Spider-Man/Red Sonja #2, Dynamite Entertainment/Marvel Comics.

Zerokiller #2, Dark Horse.

Jungle Girl #0, Dynamite Entertainment. Hmmm… aren’t you supposed to release a 25¢ teaser comic before issue one comes out?

Jungle Girl #1, Dynamite Entertainment.

Trade Paperback:
52 Vol #3, DC Comics. This has been good so far, too bad it all went to crap with Countdown and its related series.


-Swinebread

Countdown to Captain Carrot

Captain Carrot, for me, seems to be one of the few bright spots of this Countdown mess. There might be a few more, but as I have pretty much abandoned DCs new comics I wouldn’t know what they are. Well, let the turmoil swirl around the entire multiverse as it get destroyed again, as long as Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew have a chance to shine. The anthropomorphized animal superheroes are back! Yes!. There have been gripes and groans, by some who can’t take a joke, but for me with all the “serious” garbage going on in comics nowadays, it’s nice get into something that is simply fun. …And what’s a big part of fun? Funny, which I’m sure this Zoo Crew resurrection will be.

From DC's site:

The Zoo Crew is back in a 3-issue COUNTDOWN tie-in miniseries! Captain Carrot reunites the team to face a threat that begins at the "Sandy Eggo Comic-Con" and quickly menaces the entire world ! The gang's all here: Fastback, Pig-Iron, Yankee Poodle, American Eagle, Alley-Kat-Abra, and the Captain himself, taking on the Salamandroid!

I only have to wait until October!

Here’s a nice thread at Comic Book Resources with the lowdown. It’s great because Scott Shaw, the artist, is actually answering questions about the series. I’m tired of getting angry or sad when I read comics. I want a big fat smile on my face for a change and I feel, -NO- I believe, this series is gonna do it. I have a sneaky suspicion we will get a good parody of the DC craziness of late. It will be nice to read Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew: the Final Ark. They don't call 'em funny animals for nothing.

Now if we could just get a Captain Carrot-Spider-Ham crossover...!

Oh and don't miss the Showcase Presents collection that reprints the original Zoo Crew issues. It's coming in September. Yes, this is the 3rd time I'm mentioning this. …hmmmm maybe I really want this project to succeed.

EDIT: The SHOWCASE PRESENTS CAPTAIN CARROT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

-Swinebread

The New DC Implosion?

Wow, and I though Marvel was F***ing up. Apparently my “wait and see plan” on buying new comics (otherwise known as “buy the trade if the series gets a good response”) was a much better idea than I thought. Rumor has it (yuck, yuck) that Countdown sucks hard. It’s ill-conceived, poorly written, and totally unintelligible unless your reading dozens of other titles a month. Amazingly, DC has centered their whole line on this loser. Countdown is the Heaven’s Gate of Comic Books and no Director’s Cut is gonna save it.

Now, I’ve been reading the collected 52 trades as the response was positive, but I was weary after Identity crisis, Infinite Crisis, and a multitude “no resolution” miniseries. But now I realize that 52 was a fluke. We’re back to the murder and rape fest that’s typified mainstream comics of late.

Valerie D’Orazio's insightful post at Occasional Superheroine lays it bare in a 12-point argument that’s very illuminating. Dan Didio is in trouble. He knows it. We know it. Dogs know it.

After reading the Newsarama interview with Dan Didio, I have come to the conclusion that the situation at DC has become so dire that to continue to publically mock "Countdown" would be in bad taste.

Honestly, I do not see the current regime at the company lasting any more than 6-12 months tops. "Final Countdown" will indeed mark the end of an era, an era that started strongly -- if not controversially -- with "Identity Crisis," reached its peak with "52," and crashed and burned with "Countdown."

Some of her arguments really stand out for me such as: #3 Didio has helped launch a renaissance in feminist comic book activism. # 4. DC is just doing “the Crisis” over and over again (boring), #8 DC is pissing off the Big Dogs at Time/Warner with their “DC Hates Women” storylines. #10 Sales are tanking, and #12 investment in the short-term as opposed to the long-term (which has been one of my biggest gripes).

The “DC Hates Women” has gotten so bad it’s making its way into mainstream press. See here for the Mother Jones article that Valerie mentions. Also in a following post, she notes how the new Batwoman, a character I was really enjoying from 52, disappears from the DC universe. I guess the neo-con fundies can’t allow a gay character that’s related to one of the big three (Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman) and so DC caved. This tells me that that all the work that went into 52 was quickly undone by Countdown and other DC titles.

Oh and for the fanboys out there who defend the “DC Hates Women” storytelling lets use a little analogy. It would be like Uhura on Star Trek, who didn’t get a lot of screen time but was present and accounted for, suddenly getting raped and murdered to get a rise out Captain Kirk. Sure women in comics haven’t always been well presented but what’s happening now is altogether different. The difference in this case being sexism from the greater society reflected in comic stories vs. the misogyny of a few creators and editors that pull the strings. Do you get it now? The old stories were sexist. The new stories “hate women.” These are two separate issues, with the later being the most insidious.

So I guess I’ll buy the last two trades of 52 and wonder at what could have been.

-Swinebread