I love being on Twitter because it helps me know about characters appearances. I probably would have missed Mera's showing up in the pages of Justice League. I have Aquaman on my pull list at the LCS, Ssalefish Comics. I know how Mera became so tormented. I also get that this happens because of the events in Atlantis.
So, it was a no-brainer that I would need to get this issue. It was AMAZING! If you thought Batman could take the League down, then you should see what Mera can do even on the verge of exhaustion. It is a beautiful ballet of systematic take downs. Oh how wonderful.
This is just pure happiness as I watch one of my favorite characters and she is written so well. This is more than Aquaman's Mermaid here. What has been running since the New 52 in the Aquaman title is carried into the DCU. That is nice to see happen.
It could have been a vastly different portrayal. Mera could have been written as a crazy woman lashing out because her man is gone. Instead she is lashing out to make sure what Arthur had fought for in keeping peace between the surface world and Atlantis was held tight. Yes she is hurting, but she puts duty and honor above and because of that the League may have gained a new member that is better than the rest.
Wonder Woman also has a great moment here. Batman gets surprised. Everyone else gets schooled. Worth the price of admission.
BDS
Do you ever buy stuff on a whim at Conventions? C'mon, we do. Sometimes they can turn out to be interesting and very good surprises. Take my purchase of this little card from Zenescope. I have often looked at the covers for their books, skimmed inside, but because of money and who knows what else I pass over them. Sometimes I think I will pick up a trade or back issues one day. Then an opportunity presented itself.
I have not joined the digital reading world until just as the Convention began. I lost my Netbook to battery death or fan death or both. This forced me to make a decision before the Con if I wanted to stay connected online and store my photos as I have no smartphone. I ended up buying a Chromebook. It has been awesome. I even had gotten a free Zenescope comic to try on it, Robyn Hood, thinking of reading it while in Charlotte.
While leaving the Aftershock Comics booth I was looking at the Zenescope booth. I knew that the budget would not allow me to buy any collected editions from them, but it did not hurt to look. While talking with the guy there he showed me the card you see above. It collected the stories that began the series of tales and was on a USB drive. I bought it. It has been great. Works really well on the Chromebook, especially in Tablet mode.
So if you see them this summer ask about this thing. It is cool and a great way to be introduced to their world of comics.
BDS
I have come to realize that I like Aquaman. I think much has been done to malign this character over the years. It is strange because so very talented people have written some outstanding stories over the many years of his existence. Recently I have seen a more cohesive stance taken on this character and his place in the DC Universe. I liked it and have been following for a few years now. The way we see Aquaman as a joke is used here to great effect in a confrontation with Superman.
With the restart of some stories in this Rebirth era it was nice to see some threads remain as Aquaman moved forward. If you recall, Wally saw Arthur and Mera as a positive in a bleak world he was trying to return to and set right. Mera remains a strong female character and in the first six issues shows her commitment to Arthur, but also that she will bust walls and heads to ensure the safety of the one she loves. Her balance as a warrior queen and a surface "wife" works well for comedic tension.
The idea of an embassy on the surface was a carry over and was used in terrific manner as a means to set Aquaman up. Black Manta attacks and the death toll rises. This prompts the US Government to go all paranoid on Aquaman and Atlanteans. The Patriot Act is used and Aquaman surrenders himself after being treated unfairly as a Dignitary on US soil. This sets up a fantastic rescue by Mera and a run to the sea where the Army attacks and Aquaman tries not to kill anyone.
There are two great punches in Issue Six. One is Aquaman laying Superman out. It shows that he is one the power level of Superman and Wonder Woman. We seem to forget that sometimes. He is one powerful meta. It also allows for him to explain to Clark how he is seen as a joke in the Justice League. It is a slight that has been endured by this King. There are many looks at how he commands respect from his people and he shows just how powerful he is as a King.
I mentioned two punches. Mera knocks the Man of Steel for a loop as well. It is a cool scene for a favorite character of mine. It also serves as a reminder of the power in this character and the power that the two combined have. The response by a military observer is priceless.
Want awesome story and cool adventure, then read Aquaman. It has mystery and political intrigue as well. Black Manta does something shocking in the end of the book as well. It will be a problem waiting for Aquaman I am sure.
BDS
It took some time figuring out just what I wanted to start with as I began writing about comicbooks again. My comic shop provided the subject as I caught up on tweets and then made it to the shop to pick up my books. I live in North Carolina. The place where our "oh so brilliant" Republican controlled Legislature and Governor's office thought using Transgender people as political pawns would be great for our economy and standing in the United States and Global community. The passage of the so-called "bathroom bill" or HB2 has been a blight on those of us that feel this is just a hate filled attempt to win favor with the extreme parts of a political base and donors. I have felt powerless as I watched my State be viewed as a place of hate. The owner of my shop was tired of this opinion as well and did something about it in the only way a comicbook person would, through art. Ssalefish Comics commissioned an exclusive cover for the first issue of Alters, which stars a realistic transitioning superhero. Chalice is a real T-Girl, not a comicbook version of a fantasy girl that is being called Transgendered.
There will be two parts to this review of Alters #1. A general report and info on the way my shop is raising money for those fighting the hate in my State and a SPOILER review where I just discuss what I thought and not worry about giving some things away.
It is very scary sometimes to dive into a new book. Hesitation can come about when you are not dealing with the familiar companies. I might have missed this book had Ssalefish not done the cover for it. I come into this with my own liberal, christian, and researched opinions. What probably caused some to tune out is the Christian label I used, but when you work as a minister you have that area in you. Plus, I know that as I continue down the path I am own, I will probably encounter a transgender youth that will need me to be ready to show the love and compassion they might not see from my peers. It was with those eyes I read Alters #1
The opening is wonderfully done. It gives us a history
of Alters and provides a viewpoint from a new person to this group.
Then as you adjust to the fact that this is a new person of power in the
world the other shoe drops. The girl you saw was a guy. There is the
twist that is so relevant for today. We the reader learn that Charlie
has two secrets and one has a ticking clock. Charlie is undergoing
transitioning to become the gender he should have been at birth. The
changes will begin to show more and more until eventually she will have
to tell her family. This double secret works so well for the story we
get in these pages.
Charlie, aka. Chalice, is a very family oriented person. I guess that the brother with cerebral palsy
is older. The younger brother is a perfect brat who fits in well with
the average Dad that is shown. A normal looking and sounding Mom rounds
out the family and it really stresses the fear that Charlie has as to the reaction they will have to her transitioning.
We
get a formidable baddie and a group of resistance heroes that might fit
well into a Quantum and Woody story to round out this great beginning
of a comicbook.
It has such promise in the emotions it is setting up. The art is also
just right. Upon rereading and slowly digesting the book, I noticed how
Chalice was not over done as a female figure. Straighter curves and
just enough of a lean body type as to give some reality to the person
that is there on the page. Leila Leiz did a great job with the designs.
Ssalefish Comics will have Paul Jenkins in house Saturday, September 17th
for a signing. The sales of Alters #1 will provide 10% of the profits
to Equality NC. This is a way to support those that are being bullied
in NC. If you can come out Saturday Noon til 3 PM. If not order
through the store's online capabilities.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
So now I can put some other thoughts down. This book does not focus so much on the super powers as on the character
of Charlie. I am sure the action and explosions will come, but to
start we get a look at the hero. This is a great way to begin. I loved
the "Dear Diary" part of the storytelling. It allowed for the art to
show Charlie in natural settings. The fact that Teddy, the brother with
cerebral palsy is sitting beside Charlie in the dinner as she writes is
great. You get the feeling Teddy knows the secret maybe. The average
and natural aspects of the family work so well. They seem nice, but
like Charlie, you wonder how they might react to the news of Charlie as
daughter and sister. You really get a sense of the person that is this
bubbly girl when out as Chalice. There is a sense of realness here that
really comes out.
I
sense that the murder of an innocent man is what prompts Chalice to
seek out the Alters who oppose Matter Man, the big bad of this book. It
is easy to see that Chalice wants to just enjoy the freedom her powers
bring. What happens because she thinks she can just be out there and
not allow Matter Man his control is part of her hero journey.
This is a very great book.
BDS
I have been absent for quite some time. It was not from lack of comics to Blog about. I am still buying current books. I still have a great many older comics to talk about. I guess the biggest reason was I just got down and didn't feel like it. I struggle with depression and it comes in waves. When it does I tend to prioritize what I do and work came first. That didn't really help, as it stressed and depressed me more, but to live life I had to choose to be in the world and let the online stuff go.
Now seems like a good time to try and get back into the swing of things. The heavy schedule of summer is closing out for a more steady and balanced fall transition. I am more likely to review a DC Comicbook if it is new. Sorry, still not back to collecting current Marvel stuff. I took Mr. Quesada at his word and followed that advice, "If you don't like what we are doing just read the older comics." (A paraphrased quote) That is what I do, when collecting it is back issues of Marvel books. I am reading Lazarus, Pink Ranger, ROM, and Future Quest as my something different. I am still floating around Valiant Comics as well.
Recently I did something I have never really done before. Maybe it is a comic addiction or maybe it was therapy, depends on what side of Fandom you are on I guess. I was just tired of my life that week. Things were stressful, the kids at work were especially loud and bouncy that week, I just felt like all things were terrible. My Local Shop had purchased a collection of 120,000 comics, and were having a special sale. I went the second day. I had withdrawn some money and set a limit. I wasn't even sure I would buy, but if I saw some things I wanted to be ready. On the Saturday of the sale I went and spent two hours just looking through long boxes. It was wonderful.
I could have read books with the previous owner. They had similar taste as I have in books. What was cool was the almost complete runs that were there, even after a day of people picking through already. I had two issues of Ultraverse's Firearm, now I have the entire run. I picked up a major chunk of Brubaker's Catwoman. Lots of New 52 singles that i bought cheaper than cover price. I also got those fringe and oddities one collects but really doesn't have a reason for why they collect them. It was a major haul. I am still reading the last of them. On the OLD Fantastic Four issues I bought. It was nice to just immerse myself in my hobby like that and enjoy myself. Really nice considering all the terrible was still waiting once I got back from my fun.
Still, it got me wanting to write about comicbooks again. I have new material and can really feel the reasons why I did this in the beginning again. Here is hoping that I can begin again and share my love and passion for comicbooks with you, the few who have read my blog.
BDS
I need to point out that this is the original cover for this comic. The one I have is a special edition that was part of a $1 comic special where Dark Horse put beginning issues out to allow for new reader's to access them better. The price I snagged this one for was 60 cents. It confirmed what i already suspected, I would be enjoying this book if I were collecting it.
Ghost will be on my list as I look through collected editions at HeroesCon. I will be getting Dark Horse that way for now. They do seem to be producing some good books. I just don't have the cash to commit $3.50 an issue to them.
The character has been around for some time now. This rendering is the first time I have felt I understood and could follow her adventures. The explanation on the inside cover page was helpful. I am told how Elisa Cameron was an investigative reporter that uncovered a demonic conspiracy which lead to her banishment to a hellish dimension. She comes back, sort of, as a supernatural being with fragmented memories. She took down her original adversaries and now hunts down the demons that worked for the demonic mayor she beat.
Ryan Sook is well suited as artist on this book. I know his work from the early days of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. He has a good balance of realistic people and scary good monsters. I am glad that he has pulled back on the use of shadow here that was a trademark of his early Buffy TVS work. Likewise, Kelly Sue DeConnick & Christopher Sebela have crafted a plausible backdrop for this woman caught between to realities. The supporting cast come off as well rounded and all things make you want to know more. It is a good book.
I will be looking to get the first two volumes of this current Ghost series. It has sparked more interest.
BDS
I had been reading issues I picked up over the summer as I awaited the cash flow problems to subside and allow for new comics to read. It brought this old gem back into my hands. It is a strange combination when the Silver Surfer is paired with any Marvel Hero that is Earth-bound, but especially the Hulk.
This is a time when the Silver Surfer is trapped on Earth. An invisible cosmic barrier prevents him from leaving. It is the punishment he received from Galactus for siding against him when the Earth was on the menu. It also provides the plot for this issue. The Surfer seeks to add the gamma power of the Hulk to his own power cosmic to escape and soar the spaceways once more.
Bruce Banner has found peace though. His own heroic actions placed him with a loving woman and her daughter. Over time he has fallen in love and the Hulk has been away. All that is at risk if he helps the Surfer, or is it? It seems that the Surfer is able to cure Bruce and for that he is willing to gamma power the Silver Surfer.
All is set up for tradgedy. How could it not when you have two of the most tragic characters in the Marvel Universe? The twists and turns that occur is what makes this an excellent story. You feel for both men as decisions are made and life is returned to a status quo neither of them wanted. This is a great issue of The Incredible Hulk.
BDS
This week I did something I never thought I might do. I dropped Buffy The Vampire Slayer from my pull box at the Comic Shop. I have been collecting Buffy TVS since the very first issue back in the late 1990's. I stuck with this title through thick and thin. I was able to get B&W advance issues in the mail in the early days of my reviewing adventure. It is the book that brought me to my current shop when the place I was at started to not have it in my pull box. I was in Divinity School and would pick up my comics as I drove back on breaks back home. Yet, I dropped Buffy. I also cut X-O Manowar, Wonder Woman, The Phantom Stranger, and Witchblade.
These cuts were about money. I found out Phantom Stranger was ending anyway so that was a moot point. Wonder Woman had been meandering for me and I felt i could look to trades now for that book. Otherwise these were just cuts due to the cost of the titles. I have had to become strict with what I will purchase over the $3 price. When in reality you get 22 pages of story it needs to capture my attention every week. I am not going to get drawn in by the crossover fever that hits every company. It just isn't in my ability to buy all your books for you "BIG EVENT" that happens every couple of months. I had to start cutting deeper.
Future's End might have a different effect on my DC buying. I still am digging the Earth 2 books. This five year jump probably will not bother me there. I am looking to stop my Lantern buys possibly. The paths and ends these books took seem to be away from what draws me to love those stories. Might be time for a clean break and look to trades. Aquaman is a toss up. It might be good, but I liked the Mera that was not so battle scarred. I liked the balance of her in a grocery store buying dog food or threatening to feed a terrorist to a sea monster. I just am not sure that Future's End will keep me at the levels I have been.
Money is tight. Medicine is a constant. Pay is stagnant. I have to cut my one enjoyable thing, comic collecting. It is sad. Especially when I have so little that can give me a break from worry and stress. Some love to hit little balls over pastures, others run/peddle/etc., some catch fish and other things. Me, I collect stories. I savor them and love just falling into those worlds and getting lost for a bit.
So fare the well, Buffy. You have been a constant companion since the TV show Savannah was canceled and I watched the replacement in that now gone dorm room in Buies Creek.
BDS
I will be getting this one in just under the wire for Friday according to Eastern Standard Time. I made up my mind at about 10:38 PM to do a Flashback Friday post, but my computer is not behaving well. I think that Microsoft did an update to screw with Windows XP. That is just a conspiracy theory, but why would I still get updates when they said I would no longer receive them? Anyway, we have a tale of Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) and Robin (Stephanie Brown). They will face off against the Penguin in this story.
It is really just a nice action story that has much fighting and major damage. They make the most of the martial arts and the ability of Robin to make an entrance. The light-hearted aspect is balanced by a chilling twist that will place one little girl in the middle of the Gotham underworld. It hits close to home for both heroines, Stephanie especially.
It is cool to see Stephanie and Barbara Gordon together and think of how one day there will be a Batgirl title for Steph and Oracle will be guiding her. The plot is good and this is an issue that one can own and not need to have the preceding or following issues to understand things. It stands alone.
BDS
Yes, I am getting a Flashback Friday posted. I am in a very blah mood, but just needed to do something to break this feeling of tiredness I have battled all week. I received the 25 pounds of comics this week and was a bit disappointed in one way. I really question that the kid friendly and teen friendly tags they used and the guarantee of majority Marvel and DC was met. I mean I had an issue of Violator #1 in the kid friendly pack. Anyway a problem I figured did happen. I had a few issues I wanted to pull out and keep for me. Velocity #1 is such an issue.
I have no real connection with the character. I know enough to tell a person on the street that she is a speedster and on a team called Cyber-Force. That pretty much is my know ledge of her. I have always liked the character design for her. The colors work for me. I like the red hair. She of all the Image characters from that period seems to be someone I would like. Otherwise I have little in terms of collecting to do with Cyber-Force.
In this opening book of her 1995 series we get a glimpse of her as a team player. Things stand out real quick about her. Carin is a very sympathetic woman. She cares and that can be enough to sense a reason she is using her abilities for good. She wants to help. It becomes real clear that she feels less than able to help. From her own thoughts we see her as the weakest of her team. She has doubts and fears. We are shown a memory image of her sister Ballistic, whom Image readers would know, but I don't. Carin tells in her narration that her sister is the tough and courageous one.
Now the plot. A serial killer of super humans. Through the turns and twists of the story he separates Carin and we get a look at his powers. They are impressive. He has Velocity's genetic marker and plans to hunt her. We know that this is now a cat and mouse hunt where she will have to become the hero she doubts she is to survive. It really is a good start to a story. Not knowing about this world I still can become invested in seeing the adventure take place. I get enough info to pull for Carin and want to see her prevail. Maybe one day I will find the rest of the story and know how it ends.
BDS
I really should have had this done earlier in the week, but the antibiotics and cough pill have really made me tired and dizzy. Still, I did pull out my guilty little pleasure of comicbook collecting and reading. I didn't fall for the Danger Girls when they first appeared. I saw the cheesecake covers (and yes I do own a copy of the famous Abbey Chase Bubble Bath cover) and was not a purchaser of comics for art. I was in my early days of returning to comics as well. I didn't delve into the Image waters much. It would be many years later that I would find some Danger Girl comics in collected and single forms for a steal and buy them. I liked those early issues well enough.
What has really captured my imagination has been the last ten years or so of Danger Girl. It has comeback in limited series forms many times and I like that. I have bought a few and really have enjoyed how the characters have grown since those early cheesecake days. TRINITY was the last one I purchased and IDW now has the franchise. The downside of which is the cost of a single issue, $3.99. Still, I was doing better back when this came out and picked each issue up off the shelf. I have put the covers I own in the posts. If you know anything about Danger Girl, it is that there are always multiple covers.
For those that do not know about Danger Girl, it is a great spy/action/adventure comic. It all started with the recruitment of Abbey Chase, Archaeologist and Relic Hunter. She gets brought into the Spy group Know as Danger Girl. There are sisters Sydney and Sonya Savage as well as Deuce and Valerie. Deuce is a former British Intelligent Agent and the surly leader of the team. Valerie is the teenage tech whiz that aspires to be like Abbey. It is Abbey, Sydney, and Sonya that are the three main femme fatales. Each gets there own cover this series.
That is good since it reads as a three part action tale that will converge in issue #4. Abbey is abducted very politely by a desert king and taken for some unknown reason. She always is falling into trouble like this and it leads to her Indiana Jones like saving of the day. It was Sydney that got some of the sex appeal action and funny relationship stuff as she is called to save Abbey while with a nice guy. He ends up in some strange situations because of her. Oh, there is also a group of assassins that are after her. That leaves Sonya as she is retrieving a bounty and anther group of killers have it out for her. The guy she has captured ends up as her buddy during many high octane escapes.
All this leads to Abbey figuring out who is the baddies and who needs help. Her Danger Girl pals arrive and everything gets explosive. This is a group of characters that are used as typical sexy women in comic art ways, but stories like this feel more rendered as it has some well done writing to accompany all the great art. People will buy Danger Girl stories for different reasons. So far, I have enjoyed the recent adventures. I would urge you to not just judge these gals by there covers, but try out the stories. You might be surprised at how independent and strong these female characters have become.
BDS
One great thing about going to a Convention is that you should be able to get trades for bargain prices. I love the $5 trades at HeroesCon. That is what this week's Flashback Friday is and I am so glad. Captain Midnight is a book I would be reading if I could afford the $3.50 price that Dark Horse has on their books. They have many titles I would love to read, I just can't afford to do it. So for me, finding Captain Midnight in a $5 trade book was outstanding.
It has the Free Comic Book Day Captain Midnight #0 and collects #1 - #3 of the ongoing series. It really is a great introduction for the character and series. It also plays into the Black Sky mystery that Dark Horse has running through many of their titles. Here we get a time lost hero returning to find a brave new world, just not the one he envisioned. He expected flying cars and rocket packs.
Jim Albright might be from the World War II era, but he has the smarts and moves to outmaneuver the tech of 2013. He will need it as the daughter of the man he let die is out for revenge. She was lost in time as well. She just reappeared in the 1980's. Fury Shark is her name and she has been a busy little Nazi. We get action and adventure in an old school feel as Captain Midnight picks up the fight for Justice.
The book is filled with great humor as you read along and see both an old style of story being presented and a modern conspiracy tale. This would be a great movie franchise. It reminds me of the Indiana Jones movies or what I wish The Rocketeer had become. Search out and find the Captain Midnight books. It is well worth your time.
BDS
"And now for something completely different...." as the saying goes. Deep Space Nine you wonder? Yes, if I also remember correctly, Malibu Comics received the license to produce the first of the DS9 comics stories. I had to get this at Heroes Convention this year. I have a confession that might anger any of you who are of different opinions when it come to Star Trek, but here it is, DS9 was the best series. Captain Sisko is the best Captain. The entire franchise is best viewed through the DS9 portal to the Star Trek Universe.
Those of you still reading and not screaming how Kirk is best, or Picard, or Janeway, can just accept that buying this was a guilty pleasure in my quest for the Malibu Comics lines. I did open this poly bagged issue and will be putting the poster that came with it up in my building where my Comics live. I know for some that is bad, but I believe in reading my comics. So I opened a bagged book and devalued it.
This is a great start to the comic. All the characters are there and have really cool looks. Even O'Brian's wife along with Jake and Nog are present. Seeing Odo shift into a rat and jump in goop that had covered Quark was awesome. The entire story just took me back to those early episodes. It was outstanding. I picked up another one and will do a write up on it, but it just seemed right to begin with issue #1.
BDS
I was really good at Trade surfing the Convention floor this year. I picked up a few good collections. I filled in some of my reads in trade form like Noble Causes. It was a good weekend. Like always I pick up and look at books I have in the single issue format. When I picked up No Honor I was in for a really cool surprise. On the back was not one, but two quotations from me about the book and it's author. Yes, that second and last quotes under the name of Hatcher is me.
I started out writing reviews under the alias of Hatcher for a small site called PaperBackReader. We merged for a bit with ComiXtreme.com before splitting back off. It was the loss of my alias that stopped my work online as a reviewer. My hobby was used by unscrupulous people and I had to give up something I liked a great deal. It was at a time when I was being recognized for being an honest reviewer and reaping some perks of that unpaid job. To see something that I said used to promote a book I really liked was just a bit of nostalgia and way awesome.
If you get a chance, read No Honor. It is really cool. A buddy team up between an art thief and a restless spirit of a long passed samurai. Fiona Kai Avery really can write the culture of Japan and just has a great sense of subtle comedy. The action rocks and it just was a great read.
BDS
#HeroesCon #HeroesConvention #comics
