Nightwing 88

 

Tom Taylor's Nightwing run is one of the best comics I've read in a long time. It's fun, action-packed and absolutely beautiful thanks to Bruno Redondo. Bruno has an amazing ability to really bring emotion across in the facial expressions and body language of 2d page drawn people that, frankly, I've never seen done better. I totally should've shot some images of the pages so I could show you what I mean. I'll try to add some later or maybe next time. 

Bruno's art combined with Tom Taylor's heartfelt storytelling is just nailing all the feels for me. This book is everything I want Superheroes to be. I love that Dick has learned what being a good hero is. What failed before. How sometimes, the legends that came before him failed because their focus was on the wrong thing. It mirrors what we are seeing in our own society. How old systems don't serve the whole but a privileged few and sometimes no one but the system itself. Good systems have been corrupted and some, we learn, have never really been good at all. Dick trying a new approach and it being met with resistance from all sides and how he choses to move forward and who comes to aid in that are really making for a great comic.

Spoiler time.

The Titans showing up in this issue to back Dick was so good. The message about family. Too many of us find ourselves estranged from those who raised us or brought us into this world due to so many things. Empathy, politics, religion, identity, equity, understanding. No one can do it alone and most of us in our 40s have learned that the hard way. It's nice to see that in print. To see a found family so supportive & loving is a beautiful thing. 

Nightwing is such a positive, optimistic book in such a cynical, pessimistic time & that is really what I love about it. That's what I always loved about comics. That feeling that doing better was possible. Somewhere, sometime (the 90s), Superheroes really got depressing. The hope got lost. The "being our best selves & having empathy" just went right off the page. I'm glad it's back. It's good to find it again. It feels like home. 

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 7 Review

Issue 7 of Tom King's Supergirl run dropped this week. We have one issue to go. I'm still miffed DC Comics didn't let him have the usual 12 and cut it down to 8. It is what it is. If you aren't reading along, there will be spoilers ahead. If you don't want to have the issue spoiled, please stop reading here.

Okay, still with me? Spoilers are dropping in 3, 2, 1...

This issue we start, as usual, with Ruthye continuing the tale of what transpired years in the past when Kara Zor-El, Supergirl, helped her track her father's murderer, Krem, and bring him to justice.  We've seen her fight to get ahead of Krem and his genocidal killing sprees only to come upon planet after planet of slaughtered citizens. 

We've learned of what she truly witnessed as a young teenager whose planet came apart beneath her feet. How she lost everything, more than once, and how that trauma has defined her. 

Now we see her finally catch up to Krem, capture him, only to have to run from every murderous brigand in the universe. Until she doesn't anymore. She places Ruthye on a safe beach with Comet and Krem, who is tightly bound to a tree and blindfolded and gagged. She returns to space to fight the largest collection of ruthless killers ever assembled in one place. 

© DC Comics (N. Scott variant)

I've never read comics by a writer that loves characters like Tom King. Loves them for who they are, not what they want them to be. Understands all the lore that has come before and digs into the parts that so many gloss over because they're uncomfortable or maybe not so bright and cheery. With Supergirl, Tom respects all that Kara Zor-El has been through and gives us insight into why she is who she is. Why she goes by Supergirl. Why she is so kind. Why she can't help but come to Ruthys's aid. 

Will she kill Krem? Even kind people have a line. Everyone does. He certainly deserves it. Is it her place to be the executioner? Is there some part of her that wants revenge or is it that it has all come down to it being her moral obligation to stop such an uncompassionate genocidal psychopath? Or will Ruthye take that burden from her. Kara certainly wouldn't want that for her. Although for Ruthye, it is not such an alien thing, or so she thinks. 

Will this be the event that changes Supergirl into the "Woman of Tomorrow"?

It might be. There has never been more of a justification to end an existence of such a horrid vile person, if one could argue there ever is justification.

I'm afraid all of the beautiful, terrible things Mr. King has shown us about this character will be completely missed by readers being outraged if she does indeed kill Krem. Of course, with King's work, that is often the case. Readers missing the message, depth, and beauty and being outraged at what they feel is unjustified or out of character when it has been so eloquently laid out right in front of them. I don't think that matters much to him & I'm glad. A good story is the goal. 

Mr. King hasn't changed a single thing about Kara Zor-El. He hasn't tried to make her anything that wasn't already there. Several years ago, Gail Simone had asked Twitter, "What comic character would you want your favorite writer to write & why?" and I immediately thought of a Tom King Supergirl. Why? Because of everything he has hit on in the book and how he writes survivors. How he wrote her in one tiny panel in "Heroes In Crisis".

Kara Zor-El isn't just a survivor of a Holocaust. Of Trauma. Of Genocide. She was a WITNESS.

That fucks you up inside. Forever. It informs every choice you make from here on out.  Kara Zor-El is one of the most powerful beings in existence, yet despite everything she's been through and everything she's capable of doing, she chose kindness. Does choosing to kill one genocidal psychopath destroy all of that?  I guess that is one possible question we will get answered. Can someone like Supergirl make a mistake or make this choice and still be looked at as a hero, or does a choice like this destroy everything in her life yet again? 

I'm excited to see what happens. To see how I feel. And I will feel because I have yet to read one of Mr. King's books and not feel. It's good art. 

Speaking of art, Bilquis Evely & Mat Lopes make it all the more powerful with their art & color. It truly is the book I had hoped for when I first wished it into existence. 

Do yourself a favor, go pick it up.

What are your thoughts on this penultimate issue and how do you feel about Supergirl possibly killing Krem in the context of this story? Let me know in the comments!

Jennifer Walters Returns

© Marvel Comics

 During COVID lockdown here in the USA, which sadly lasted like 2 weeks, and will NEVER happen again no matter the circumstances because CAPITALISM, I decided I wanted to help support some of our local businesses. T & I picked 3 or 4 and focused all our spending on them. One of them was a local candy store that makes the most delicious candied, chocolate, caramel & anything you can think of covered apples you have ever had. When we needed a treat, these guys were our go-to. Another place we focused on was our local comic shop. I've lived in places with no comic shop & I really did not want that to happen again. Our shop was pretty progressive about the whole COVID thing, too. They managed to keep their employees by having him available by phone & email a couple days a week & he would send out any books you wanted via USPS. With all the down time, I actually had time to read! And read we did. T & I got a ton of new books.

I decided I would pick books about heroes that had always been in the back of my mind. Heroes I didn't know, but had always wanted to get to know. I started with Power Girl. Power Girl is a different version of Supergirl & it seemed like a natural place to start since I was really into the character at the moment. 

The next hero I chose was She-Hulk. Jennifer Walters. People call her Jen. I can't believe I had never read She-Hulk. It was soooooo good, you guys. I read this one, to start: She-Hulk  and I loved it so much. I grabbed more. So, to say I have been looking forward to the new run is an understatement. Today was the day. She-Hulk #1 dropped into my local comic shop and I managed to snag two different covers by two of my fav cover artists. ArtGerm and Adam Hughes. Sadly, there was no Jen Bartel cover to be found. Ebay, I'll be seeing you later. 

It was fun. Clearly a bit of a character change from the usually feel of She-Hulk, but one that fits with Charles Soule's run and I suspect will tie in nicely with Tatiana Maslany's version in the new Marvel TV series coming to Disney+. It was a nice start. I'm hoping we get a little more depth. The big fight scene ended hilariously & I felt it in my soul. I will definitely pick up issue #2. 

How about you? Any heroes you've always wanted to jump in and learn about but just never had the time?  Let me know in the comments. 

New Comic Book Day Haul for Jan. 5, 2021

 It's a new week of freshly printed comics and I picked up a few Marvel comics this week as well as my regular DC bunch. I haven't bought any Marvel since Spider-woman #16 last year. They just seem to be a little less with it than DC right now. The stories are all over the place & a little 90's trope-y and just not grabbing my interest. That's for another time though. Let's look at what I got in the haul.

The World of Krypton #2, Justice League Incarnate #3, Crush and Lobo #8, One-Star Squadron #2, Marjorie Finnegan, Temporal Criminal #8, Superman: Son of Kal-El #6, Dark Knights of Steel #3, Elektra #1, and Black Widow #13.

Whew! So, I am actively reading World of Krypton, Superman, One-Star Squad, & Dark Knights of Steel. The other DC comics I am saving up to read in a binge. I'll review them when I do that. Marjorie Finnegan is my wife's pick. I haven't read those, not sure if I will. I do usually like Garth Ennis though. Well, I liked his Ghost Rider run. Honestly, that's all I've read by him. Wasn't in on the Preacher stuff he wrote. I hear it's good. I did read both Marvel titles already. Let's start with those today.

© Marvel Comics

Elektra: Balck, White & Blood #1. Elektra was someone I met in comics at a very young age through my interest in Daredevil. Daredevil was something I picked up at garage sales, thrift or antique stores, etc. I think she was in some of my Wolverines as well. I liked her. She was a bad ass assassin with a tortured past. I was excited to see them give her a new run. I was excited until I opened the book. 

© Marvel Comics

Rape is sort of frowned on in mainstream DC and Marvel comics nowadays. (Thank the gods) However, there are writers and artists that find ways to get as close as possible sometimes. This felt like that. That image is page one. I kid you not. So, what I thought was a comic about my bad ass assassin lady, turned out to be a very gory, unnecessary, juvenile pile of garbage. Hey, I get it. It's a comic with BLOOD in the title. She's an assassin. And not necessarily a "good" person, but this...this was just...crap. It didn't add anything to her character at all. The book was broken into three stories and not a single one of them even slightly interesting. Spoilers here. In the first story she dies by being burned to death. In the second story she kills an "innocent" kid and in the last story, they basically kill her to death with swords, knives, anything you can use to stab or poke or penetrate. If I didn't know better, I'd think this team really hates women. I will definitely not be picking up issue 2. Gross. 

Now, that said, Black Widow #13 sort of rocked. It was quite the opposite. Black Widow I met the same way. Through Daredevil comics. I loved her instantly. I never really felt like the MCU movies did her justice, although the Black Widow stand alone movie did an alright job. ScarJo would never be my casting choice, but she didn't do a bad job with it. I was entertained. 

© Marvel Comics (Adam Hughes cover)

Kelly Thompson wrote issue #13 and I think she's written the 12 previous ones. It was solid and very Black Widow. Luckily it was also the transition issue from the last arc to the new arc. One thing Marvel does well is the page one recap. If you haven't kept up, they give you a great little synopsis on page one so you know what the hell is going on and you can jump right in. I wish DC would adopt that. It helps a ton. We meet a character that apparently is going to be the main villain for Nat in the upcoming arc. We meet him in her past. I absolutely loved the art in this book. It made it feel old, like a flashback, but still felt fresh. Nat was in the old gray popped collar suit and it was just some solid writing, lots of action and great art. There was lots of gore in this one, too, but it made sense & didn't seem overly gratuitous. I will be looking for the trade paperback of 1-12 of the run and will probably pick up #14. Bonus score of the Adam Hughes cover. 

Well, that's all I've read so far. I'll review as I go. Probably drop the One-Star Squadron, World of Krypton, Superman and Dark Knights of Steel review this weekend. 

What did you pick up this week? Anything that you think is a must read? Thoughts on Elektra? Leave me a comment! Thanks.

New Flash Gordon Art

 I absolutely love the movie Flash Gordon. The 1980 movie is a one hour and fifty one minute amusement park ride of a rock opera. It it, as I often describe it, the absolute perfect B movie. Sam Jones is the himbo hero we all needed and MaxVon Sydow the perfect villain. Prince Vultan and Prince Baron? Both so sexy in their own ways. Prince Vultun, the hawkman, made me long for a DC Hawkman movie that I still have yet to see. Hopefully the "Black Adam" film will fulfill part of that. All of this is just to let you know that Sideshow Collectibles have a brand spanking new piece of artwork for sale that is "Flash Gordon" themed. You are welcome. Here's the link: Flash Gordon Art

© Sideshow Collectibles

Comics and the Holidays

(Last weeks comic haul)

Happy New Year, kids. Hope you made it through and that you got something you wanted. Even if all you wanted was a hug. 

It was another year of T & I just hunkering down and staying put. We got quite a bit accomplished though. She got some great writing/reading/cleaning done & I managed to clean my art room pretty well and set up the home gym. Now we can row, bike & lift in the warmth of home, instead of out in the cold, cold, garage or at the COVID-filled gym. My abs are sore as I write this.

We did celebrate Solstice and burned the Yule or Juul log and sing our merry song over the firepit and Santa did find his way inside to leave gifts again. Thanks, Santa! Neither of us opted for alcohol over the firepit this year. I think our alcohol years might be in the past. I'm fine with that. I get why people drink wine now. Or scotch. It's sipping old people alcohol. LOL

I got some fun stuff this holiday. Books, comics, clothes, a cup warmer, one of those deep muscle massagers & even a Supergirl action figure. 

(Look! Krypto & Streaky!)

(I'm on chapter 5. I'll review once I'm finished.)

(It's a hoodie.)

Look at that hoodie! As I've stated numerous times, I am absolutely enamored with Lena Luthor from the CW Supergirl series. At the end of the series she started her own Foundation and the tree of life/world/knowledge was her logo. Already being a tree of life/world/knowledge fan, (thanks Gilgamesh) I was very excited to get this hoodie and am wearing it today. It happens to also be Katie McGrath's birthday today. She's the actress that brought Lena to life and into my heart. Happy Birthday, Katie. Don't tell anyone though, guys. It's a secret. For real. 

(I got both #17 & #18)

Pretty happy that Santa stuffed my stocking with the Raven/Supergirl Brave & the Bold comics 17 & 18 by Marv Wolfman. Gotta love Marv. And look at that weird bodiless head jutting onto the page on the cover! What is that even about?! Guess I'll have to read it. 

Did you see that comic haul photo up top? I'll be reviewing some of those coming up. Especially the Echolands and Human Target. I snagged a Firestorm 1982 #1 and a Hawkman 1986 #1 from my local shop. I loved both these runs so much as a kid. I'm really happy I came across the #1's. 

Hawkman had Hawkwoman (not to be confused with Hawkgirl), and boy did I love me some Shiera. I loved Carter and Shiera's relationship. In fact, it might have influenced the kind of relationship I wanted in the future. Firestorm was just such a cool concept to me and it's still one of my favorite costumes. That flame on his head, too. He's quintessentially 80's. Who were some of your favorite non-A list heroes as a kid? Let me know in the comments. 

Happy 2022, folks. 

 

Catwoman: Lonely City review

 Wow. Wow. Wow! "Catwoman: Lonely City" is a comic I didn't even know I wanted. What a refreshing look at aging superheroes. Cliff Chiang writes, draws, colors and letters an amazing story of a middle-aged Selina Kyle fresh out of prison. I feel every sore muscle, all the back aches, knee pain and out of breath moments our protagonist goes through. Getting old is weird. Your body does weird things and Chiang is fantastic at capturing this in both a realistic and comedic and fun way as well as telling a solid story. This is a DC Black Label comic. I'm not sure how many we get. I have the first two and I know there is another coming in March 2022. If you like Catwoman or just want to read a really good story with a character you might identify with if your in your 40s, like I am, I highly recommend it. The art is beautiful, the colors just exquisite and the story is compelling. Selina really is front and center here. Go grab them at your local comics shop today! 

© DC Comics

Dark Knights of Steel Issues 1 & 2

 Dark Knights of Steel is a Medieval/Fantasy take of the Superman/Batman storyline. It's fun. I'm a King Arthur junkie and swords & sorcery fan, so this is right up my alley. I might spoil some things so if you haven't read it yet or don't want to be spoiled, just know, I recommend it for the fun take on the characters if you like sword & sorcery stuff and Superman/Batman comics.  You can leave now.  

                                                                       Spoilers ahead.

© DC Comics

Okay, for those of you still here, let's look at it a little more. First off, the pod that crashed didn't land in Kansas. Nope. It landed in a grassy open field in what appears to be medieval England or Wales or somewhere similar. Inside the pod, we find more than just Kal-El. In fact, Kal-El hasn't officially been born yet, but he will be, moments after the pod crashes. 

© DC Comics

We skip ahead 19 years and we find young Kal-El and his bodyguard, head knight, Bruce arguing with him to stay put as he assesses a possible threat. There's definitely a bit of a homo-erotic undertone with these two, but I mean, Arthur & Lancelot, anyone? Knights and pirates, Amiright? There's also a brotherhood, brothers thing. So, yeah, whichever. Bruce was apparently adopted by Kal's kingdom after the death of his family. Anyhoo, we run into quite a few of our fellow Justice Leaguers, except here, they are all looked at as threats to Kal-El by Bruce & he is determined to root them all out and either kill them or capture them. Except Harley, the court Jester and Alfred, the sage.

In the first issue we get Black Canary, Green Arrow, in a very Robin Hood like fashion and Green Lantern. In the second issue, we get even more exciting twists on characters as we are introduced to the rival kingdom run by Black Lightning and his daughters Anissa and Jennifer and son Jacob. Constantine also makes an appearance. Amanda Waller is in the mix and we find ourselves on another island with another kingdom. Amazon island. Lois Lane has come to inform Hippolyta of what has transpired in Kal-El's kingdom and she sends her off to find Wonder Woman and this world's version of Supergirl, Zala Jor-El. 

Now, I want to pause her a moment. Mainly, because I find this hilarious. Zala is clearly Kara and the only character in the whole realm that does not have her original character name. There is clearly only one reason for this. She's queer. Wonder Woman is her girlfriend. As we have learned, multiple times over, IF Kara is used in any "Elseworld" or non-Prime world and even has the hint of queerness about her, they change her name. Kara Starikov, anyone? It has happened multiple times. It is absolutely absurd. Kara Zor-El is very queer. Why DC Comics won't let her be is a mystery. Is it creator issues? Her link to their Big guy? Fear? Homophobia? Idiocy? 40 year old white dude readers that love that virginal teenager purity? I don't know, but it has almost become a running gag at this point. I wish they'd just let her be queer, but that's a whole other post for another time. This Kara, er, um, Zala is queer. Hooray! Funny, lately Wonder Woman also only seems to be queer in non-Prime storylines, despite the contrary. At least she gets to keep her name.

© DC Comics

Zala leaves Amazon Island to exact revenge because she knows her brother, Kal-El, won't. Yeah, they are brother and sister rather than cousins in this timeline. What has transpired and how Kara, er, um, Zala responds, it seems, will lead to war. 

And that's where we leave off at the end of issue 2.

Again, it's fun. Bruce's paranoia is used quite well here, aliens or people with powers vs. people without powers is a theme, representation is very visible and I am excited to see where we go. It's good storytelling. The art is gorgeous. I mean, Yasmine Putri's pencils are glorious and the colors by Arif Prianto complement them perfectly. Tom Taylor just writes good stories, ya'll. So, yeah, looking forward to issue 3. This is a limited series. Unlike Tom King's Supergirl, DC gave Tom Taylor a full 12 issues to flesh out his tale.

Are you reading this one? Tell me what you think.

 

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 6

 It's no secret that I love this run of Supergirl. It's all over my various social media sites. I might have even mentioned it here. (I did.) This week brought us to issue 6 of an 8 issue series by Tom King with art by Bilquis Evely and colors by Mat Lopes.

Issue 6 is one of the issues I've been eagerly awaiting. In the 60 years of Supergirl comics, we have never really gotten Kara's perspective on what happened in those last hours of Krypton, then the desperate scramble to protect the survivors from radiation (kryptonite poisoning) and the last hours of Argo City. We always skip that part and go to Earth and fast forward to her pretty little smiling face full of hope. 

Supergirl Variant cover by Steve Rude © DC COMICS 

Not this time. While we don't get it straight from Kara, we do get a very good retelling of the tale from her traveling companion, Ruthye as we continue our journey to find and kill Krem. It's not as long and as detailed as it could be, (thanks DC, for forcing Tom to whittle it down to 8 from 12 issues, asshats) but it's powerful and it's gut-wrentching and it's one of the main reasons I've loved Supergirl these last 6 years. It's the thing that drew me to her, initially due to Season one of Supergirl on CBS, where they first made me aware of it, but on a deeper level by reading her comics, from her very first appearance to this comic. I haven't read them all yet, a ton of them, but not all, but I can tell you this, Tom King and I saw the same things. The same strengths. The same amazing woman under all the pretty skirts, sexualized teenager variations, the forced smiles and virginal white savior bullshit that has plagued Supergirl on and off for years. This kid has been through it. Over and over again. She's tough. She never gives up. Plus, she's smart. One of the smartest characters in DC. I love that Tom keeps reminding us of this. This character has amazing potential and DC has just largely ignored it. 

We have two issues to go. I'm very interested in how he's going to wrap this up. Who she's going to be after this. I hope DC doesn't just ignore this run and go back to the up skirt sexualized virginal teenager with doe eyes full of hope and let's her be who she has always been underneath. One of the strongest, most powerful, full of potential heroes in their hands. Let women write her. Let Tom King write more of her. Let Tom Taylor write more of her. Let her be a little angry and anti-social and messy. She would be and it has been explained to you why. I'd love to see her grow into the Kara that Tom Taylor wrote in the one-shot story in "Nuclear Winter". It was my favorite Supergirl story before "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow". "Being Super" is another favorite. These all work together. 

If you've never read a Supergirl story, I 100% encourage you to pick up all three of these Supergirl stories, but definitely Tom King's "Woman of Tomorrow".

From "Nuclear Winter" story "Last Daughters" by Tom Taylor with art by Yasmin Putri © DC COMICS

Nightwing

 Looking for a great book to start your tween or teen kids on in order to share your love of comics? I have a suggestion. Tom Taylor's first addition to the Nightwing stories.  

Most of you know who Nightwing is. Dick Grayson. The first Robin, the boy wonder. Tom Taylor really hits you in the feels with this run and in my opinion, this is a great entry book for young tween or teen boys or girls. Barbara Gordon is in this run, as well as an adorable rescue puppy. 

I won't lie, a few of these pages made me cry. Tom Taylor really knows how to write emotional dialogue and the fantastic art in the book by Bruno Redondo just adds the exact right atmosphere for serious feels. There's some great ethical and moral choices in this book as well. It's a perfect stocking stuffer. Drop by your local comics shop & pick up a copy.

©2021 DC Comics

Nightwing, Vol. 1: Leaping Into the Light 

ISBN: 1779512783

ISBN-13: 978-1779512789

160 pages

"World of Krypton" review

 "World of Krypton" takes place before the destruction of Krypton and on the day that Zor-El and Lara are introducing Kara to their world. There are 3 covers for the first issue. One featuring Zor-El and Lara, one with baby Kara and the very rare one featuring Kelex.

© DC COMICS (D'Amico cover)

The comic is a six-part mini-series written by Robert Venditti with art by Michael Avon Oeming. I'm not thrilled with the art style, but it works. The comic is a reboot of an old title that was the basis of the SyFy TV series "Krpton" and unlike its predecessor, seems to follow Zor-El, Kara's father, rather than Kal-El's father Jor-El. 

©DC Comics (Francavilla cover)

It was bit of a slow start for me & seemed to focus on the politics of the time. We did get glances of the planet and some of the flora and fauna. Hopefully we'll get more. Kara is a baby here and Krypton didn't explode until she was older, depending on which canon we're playing with here. I hope we get to see her explore her planet and wonder at the marvel of it while also watching the meltdown of the council and ultimate failure to save the planet. Not only would it be more impactful, it would help us see the loss through Kara's eyes. The last survivor of a lost culture.

I will pick up number two and as long as we get more Kara, I'll keep picking them up. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes to follow anything new with Kara Zor-El or loves Kryptonian history, otherwise it's probably a skip. I'll keep you informed.

Action Figure Links

 Cleaned up and double-checked all the action figure links. If you come across any issues, let me know. Now, go explore!

Review of "One-Star Squadron"

 

I picked this one up because it had Power Girl in it. And Red Tornado. I've always loved Red Tornado. 

Mark Russell is the writer with artist Steve Lieber & colored by Dave Stewart. 

I really enjoyed the art & was drawn in well with the storytelling. I was planning on waiting for the trade paperback to finish this one, but the story was compelling enough to make me want more. I'll probably grab issue 2. 

Okay, I'm going to spoil some things, so stop reading now if you want to read it.

****SPOILERS****

The story starts by giving us a rundown of what your 3rd or 4th tier heroes do to pay the bills. Which is basically anything but sex work. Birthday parties, private security, etc. It's called "Heroz4U" We cut to some nursing home/private care facility workers deciding to drop some dude off at the place. 

This is the real heart of the story. No one wants this guy. Not even, apparently, his wife. We figure this out when Red Tornado takes him to his last known address & she pretends not to know him. 

We learn that he is the old hero Blockbuster & that he's had a few too many blows to the head. Red Tornado gets him settled in at "Heroz4U" headquarters on the pull out couch. We also learn just how much Red Tornado depends on this job.

Our "villain" turns out to be one of our heroes. Someone who has given up the good fight & decided to go all in for capitalism. Power Girl. There's no place for empathy in capitalism. She throws Red Tornado under the bus to "the board". They suggest she keep an eye on him & report back to them. She's making a play to takeover.

I admit, I wasn't happy about Power Girl being the "bad guy", but it is interesting to see them doing something different with her. And ultimately, I hope she learns a good lesson & sees the error of her ways. I'm already slightly invested.

Great job, guys.

If you want something different but with characters you enjoy, I recommend it. I'm excited to see where they go. 

George Perez

 I can't even begin to do this man justice with my small words. George Perez just announced he has stage 3 cancer and has a max of 6 months to a year left. I'm mad and sad. F*ck cancer, man. 

George Perez is one of the greatest. He posted to facebook here: George Perez

T & I were lucky enough to meet him. He was so incredibly warm & friendly. Just a happy human being that radiated his love of comics. T had brought some old Marvel cards she had and I brought my Wonder Woman 1-5. When he got to her cards he lit up even more and was so excited. She brought a huge stack and he started signing them all. He said he hadn't ever actually seen them in person and really looked at each one. It was so much fun going through them with him. He thanked her so much for bringing them. It was a truly amazing moment with the legend. 

I'm glad he knows how much we all love him & I'm glad we get time to tell him again. So much of what you see on the screen today in Superhero movies & tv is because of George.  He helped lots of people that probably wouldn't have been able to break in get their start in comics and the whole industry is better for him being here. 

I wish you nothing but peace, strength & calm as you bravely begin you final journey, sir. You are loved. 

Here's some George Perez art.

© DC Comics

© DC Comics

© Marvel Comics

©DC Comics

 

Reindeer

You can fit exactly two reindeer in the freight elevator. Yep, two reindeer. 

Meet Comet. He put in a good word for me with Santa. 

I cannot tell you how much I love my job. When a Monday morning consists of figuring out how to get two reindeer from the Mammal Collection down to the gallery, you know it's a good day. LOL. 

Happy Holidays Everyone.

 

NCBD (New Comic Book Day)

 I have a lofty goal of reviewing comics each week on New Comic Book Day. However, my shop doesn't open on Tuesdays, which is when DC drops new books each week, so I have to wait until Wednesday. No big deal, other than avoiding spoilers for an entire day. Now, being a HUGE Supergirl fan, I will most assuredly be reviewing anything with Kara Zor-El or any other version of Supergirl. I've already seen two mentions of her this week alone.

She will be making an appearance in Tom Taylor's "Dark Knights of Steel".  That's all I'm saying. It was spoiled for me, but I'm not spoiling it for you. If you're a Supercorp fan though, you might consider going out and grabbing issue 1 & 2. Tom's one of my top writers currently. I'm reading his Superman run as well as his Nightwing run. Both are excellently written and heartfelt. Everything Superhero comics should be. I love how he's changing what it means to be a Superhero with this second generation. Evolution of the genre is something the comics industry has needed and this guy is nailing it.

Dark Knights of Steel issue one was fantastic. I'm not going to spoil it here, even though it's been out for a month, because I think you Supergirl fans might go get it this week, but I will tell you it was a fun "elseworld" type beginning. We're in Medieval times, Kal-El's pod crashed near a castle & you never know who's going to show up where & in what context. If you like King Arthur or Robin Hood or sword swinging knights and you like superheroes, this book is for you. Go get it. 

(Image ©DC Comics)

Kara Zor-El is also supposed to pop up in the new book "World of Krypton" issue 1. It also comes out today. If you love Krypton or have ever wanted to learn more about Krypton, you might want to check this out. I'm going to. I'll give you more on the book later this week after I've read it. Kara does seem to be a fairly important part of the book, though. 

(Image ©DC Comics)

I like that DC seems to be embracing Kara Zor-El more. She's a great character with a super interesting past (pun intended) and so much trauma and hope and interesting things to explore. Past, present & future. While "World of Krypton" seems like a place we might get to see a young Kara growing up, which oddly enough in 60 years we NEVER have. Tom King's run explores Kara's present/future.

Tom King's "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" is so much of what I've wanted to see of Kara Zor-El. The trauma, the fight, the inability to give up no matter the odds. Stripping away the male gaze and the sexed up teenager in a short skirt that's always portrayed as some sort of perfect virginal vessel of hope & goodness.  An object, rather than a multi-layered being with emotions & imperfections & bad days. Having Bilquis Evely on the pencils really made sure of that. We get one of the most beautiful depictions of Kara Zor-El that I have ever seen. Mat Lopes colors just make things even more stunning. 

There's a lot of people that don't like this version of Supergirl. I really don't know how you couldn't, but hey, to each their own. I'm more than happy to see her elevated beyond fap material for 40 year old men. Some argue about her swearing. A being as intelligent as Kara Zor-El would swear. There are scientific studies out there about swearing & intelligence. Just google it. 

(Image ©DC Comics)

It's a character driven story about boundaries, trauma, aloneness and personal morals. Kara is one of the only (if not only) character in all of comics that has lost everything. Everything. Her loved ones, her friends, her home, her planet, her culture, her language, her gods, her technology, her way of life. Kal-El maybe a Kryptonian by DNA, but Kara Zor-El is really the last survivor of that culture. That world. Kal-El is a human. An Earthing in every way except his DNA. DC has sat on this character for far too long & I am really happy to see her evolving into someone women and young girls can connect with on a deeper level, rather than just being the same unsure sexualized teenager in a short skirt. 

"Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" is an 8 book run and issue 6 will be the next issue out in either January or February, possibly the 21st of December if the paper shortage has been fixed & the release dates are to be believed. There should be a nice Hardback edition planned as the series ends that I would guess would be out late spring or early summer, unless DC decides to skip the usual fancy hardback. Tom King usually gets 12 books in a series and was very upfront about how DC didn't feel Supergirl warranted his usual 12 and only gave him 8, so it's possibly they'll just go straight to trade paperback. I certainly hope not because despite collecting every cover of every issue, I also plan on buying that hardback. Do you hear me, DC? 

All of this just to let you know that this space will be reviewing comics from now on. Weekly, if I don't utterly fail & fall into a hole of self-loathing laziness. This week, "Dark Knights of Steel" and "World of Krypton". Stay tuned.

I Want These!

 Look what I found over at UDReplicas!!!  These would be prefect on the Motorcycle & they're hi-tops! 

Hey...*ahem*...Santa? I've been so very good. 

***Update***

The sizes are men's and they are really wide.

There's no way those would fit me.

Bummer.

Art Links Updated

 Trying to get everything working on the blog here. I've updated the Art links. They should all link to the artist mentioned. If you come across one that doesn't, please let me know. I will be adding artists over the next few weeks/months. 

Have fun!

Supercorp Zine

Fandoms are cool. Especially really active ones that help boost causes. I was and still am active in the Xena fandom. It was my second fandom. Beauty and the Beast from CBS 1987 with Ron Perlman & Linda Hamilton was my first. I was very active in that one as well. I used to get the International Beauty and the Beast fan zine. I even got some art in it. 

With Xena, most of what I did was online. I even did some illustrations for the virtual 7th Season. I run the Netforum over on Tumblr now. 

The Supercorp fandom reminds me of the Xenite fandom. Especially when it comes to the art and fanfic and charity. The very last Supercorp zine just opened submissions. Check it out here:

Supercorp Zine

I have never seen a more talented pool of artists and writers in a fandom and we had a ton in Xena. I'm always blown away. I'll be adding artists from this fandom to the artist list over to the right. There's a few over there now. They do way more than fan art. I mean, fan art is real art, but they get paid to do art as well. Many have stores. Need a cool gift for a fan? Art is always a cool gift. 

The best thing about this zine is that all the profits go to charity. 

These charities:

Trevor Project, the Transgender Law Center, and Futures Without Violence

The zine isn't available for purchase yet. I'll let you know when. If you want to give submitting art or a story a shot though, go for it. I'm going to. 

I love this fandom and I hope we are still around to celebrate our 25th like Xena. 

Supercorp Endgame

One for the Supercorpers

 It's no secret I was/am a huge Supergirl fan. I mean, I cosplay her for goodness sake. I was also a big Supercorp shipper while watching the CW Supergirl show. So much so that I made a fan video. Here ya go, kids. 

Supercorp