This week I lost the second book I have most enjoyed in the past two years. Power Girl was not a character that I have ever really followed. Mostly Fan Art bought and the Infinite Crisis was how I knew her. Gray, Palmotti, and Conner began a humorous action filled adventure book that I ranked up there with Batgirl as my most anticipated read each month. It was a book that I felt good reading. I was sad as Winnick took over but hung around because I figured it was temporary. I just didn't realize the temporary was a line wide revamp that would eliminate this title.
Matthew Sturges wrote the last story. It would have been nice to have read his run on this title. He brought back the Power Girl I fell in love with at the start. She is smart and confident without arrogance. This is a heroine that despite her impressive curves is to be admired. I like that he included a character here that Power Girl knows well, but that I do not, Cyclone. I kinda figured where Sturges was going with Cyclone, but how he did it was a neat twist. It also displayed just how smart Power Girl really is here in this adventure.
I added the cover without the writing on it. This is just an amazing work of art. No, her chest is not what draws you in either, it is her eyes. They are simple amazing in this artwork. I also am amazed at how her outfit stands out on a white background. It is just breath taking. I read for the stories, but I can appreciate a great piece of art as well.
So long Power Girl. No more reading of you dealing with the stinky cat, neighbor fanboys, or cosmic gigolos. I loved reading and collecting your adventures. Hope they use you soon and in a way that lives up to this run of your adventures. Up, Up. and Away!
BDS
MATURE READER WARNING
The great sci-fi read of ECHO by Terry Moore ended and I was going to let it just fade away as a nice series that I enjoyed, but seeing the end of an over $3 comic eased my woes. Then I get my pull box contents handed to me last week and the thing I had forgotten about was in the stack. RACHEL RISING was staring at me. It is $3.99. It is another investment I had to decide upon.
I decided to take another chance. Besides, it is good to read some grown up comic books every now and then. I do not place this as a MATURE READER comic more for the potential for heavy duty language and themes that are for a more fully developed mind. It is different from when I would give this type of warning to an issue of The Darkness, which might have fetish, violence, gore, and just way too much of the things young minds are not ready for. ECHO had a fair amount of gore, but it was a purposeful part of the story. The "bad words" were plentiful, but again, in terms of fitting the story and not just being used.
What is this about? From what I can tell RACHEL RISING is about a young woman that climbs out of a shallow grave and returns to her life. Is she alive? Is she a zombie? Why are her eyes different? The story is given by flashback after we get the creepy crawling from the grave thing. The characters seem neat. There is a creepy perv who works with Rachel's cool mechanic female friend who is also in a band. Jet promises to be an interesting character. The memory Rachel seems to have of a creepy guy prepared to strangle her is telegraphing something for the reader to pick up on. Like ECHO, we get a small dose and wonderful art. So, I am here to see where the story goes.
Terry Moore is one of those creators who have earned to right to ask $3.99 for his single issues. He has proven he will deliver the goods and you are really not gambling with what you are buying. There will also be no switch in writer or artist mid-stream. He is the writer and the artist and guides his creation. If you want a nice suspense story to sink your teeth into, then now is the time to pick up RACHEL RISING #1.
BDS
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| Batgirl #24 |
It all ends here, for now. Someday Stephanie Brown will return as Batgirl I believe. Like her I have hope. The cancellation of this Batgirl is a sad event. This has been a bright spot in the DC Comics line of books. I fell in love with this title because of the humor and light-hearted banter that was so well done in the book. It was funny without losing the action and excellent story-telling I want in my reading.
The history of Stephanie is and always will be part of the ongoing struggle between DC (and the comicbook industry as a whole) and the segment of our group of readers known as Fangirls. The issue of why she didn't have a memorial case in the Batcave after her death made heads ache at DC. The character was the first in a long line of Batman's sidekicks to be a female. She lead a long character life as Tim Drake's love interest as the Spoiler. Then Bryan Q. Miller brought us Stephanie Brown, Batgirl.
DCnU is eliminating all this of course. But, what Miller did here was some of the best story-telling from any comicbook producer in years. He took years of Bat-history and boiled it down to one lone girl and her journey to become the hero she was destined to be all along. We have a character that we can see grow and struggle with her past as she stepped into a future of helping others. He allowed us to fall in love with her as we watched her make friends across the DCU. Her older sister vibe with Damien was brought to a nice close here in a simple act on the annoying boy wonder's part. We had a slumber party with Supergirl that ended up being a monster movie night. Klarion the Witch Boy was even overcome by the magical personality.
The use of the Mercy Flower to give Stephanie and us a glimpse of what might have been was a nice way to end the series. It also allowed Pere Perez to have seven pages to give us some wonderful images through his art telling a decades worth of Batgirl stories. It is a nice farewell. I have lost many a title to cancellation or company implosion (CrossGen) and I can say that even though I am sad, I am satisfied with the good-bye the creative team gave me.
So long for now Purple Gal. I will miss your bright and shining stories in a dark and grim world of comicbooks.
BDS
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| Fantastic Four #217 |
Someone turned 50 this week. Yes, fantastic Four matched the President and reached the big five-oh. In honor of this milestone I decided to do this week's Flashback Friday looking at one of my favorite stories of the FF. It is the death of a member of the Fantastic Four. When this member passed by sacrificing their life there was no fanfare and news reports.
Instead, this character made news when he premiered in the NBC Saturday Morning Cartoon Series of the Fantastic Four. H.E.R.B.I.E. was the mechanical replacement for the Human Torch. The big fear was that small boys would see the Human Torch, douse themselves with gasoline and set themselves on fire to imitate the hero. Just like the numerous boys that wrapped a blanket around their necks and jumped off buildings to be Superman. (Still, wearing a cape on the swing set slide was a bit dangerous as mine got caught once and jerked my head back a bit.) The suits decided that the robot would be better as a cartoon character.
So H.E.R.B.I.E. joined the FF and eventually made it into the comics. Here in this issue we see a frantic Reed and Sue differing on where Franklin should be to be safe. Reed is beefing up security with H.E.R.B.I.E.'s help after Blastaar escaped from the Negative Zone and caused havoc. So the Building needs work. While this is going on, Johnny meets the lovely Dazzler and is disco dancing the night away while a maniacal H.E.R.B.I.E. attacks. Seeing Sue easily dispatched reminded me how many times writers just got the female out of the way. Sad as I feel she is the strongest member of the FF.
H.E.R.B.I.E. takes out all the FF and is soon on the verge of winning. Well, not H.E.R.B.I.E., but the evil Dr. Sun The Living Brain. He had possessed H.E.R.B.I.E. after being downloaded as part of the information from the computers of the planet Xander. The Doctor slips into the Baxter Building itself as he attacks The Torch and leaves H.E.R.B.I.E. in a stand by phase. Reed begins switching circuits in the main computer and soon only one place is left for Sun to return, H.E.R.B.I.E.
The little robot commits suicide by smashing into and exploding the main computer and himself to make sure he is not used to attack the FF again. All the banter and stuff from Ben to H.E.R.B.I.E. is boiled down to this quote from the Thing, "Mebbe ya built him better than you knew Reed! I think H.E.R.B.I.E. sacrificed himself to save us. I - I hate to say it, but the little squirt was all right in the end." That says it all. A misguided attempt to "Think Of The Children" gave us a simple story of one small robot showing what it means to love.
Happy 50TH Fantastic Four!
BDS
So I am letting you decide. The Poll is on the side bar over to the right of your screen. I have almost complete runs of these characters, plus some extra issues of minis and other things I can use. I will be doing this like the Mantra Mondays. I have long wanted to do looks at the old Marvel series of the first three. I have collected almost the complete runs of them over the years. As for Huntress, I have the series done by Denny O'Neil where she comes to New York and is a great read. Plus the more modern year one look DC just recently did. So here is your chance to pick the next book I am going to focus on and try to write about an issue each week.
BDS
These pics are from my organizing the other week. I thought since I had them all spread out they would be a nice picture. I am working to get more stuff posted, but I also have to deal with work and life and all that stuff as well. I did decide to put down 52 dollars for all the first issues of the DCnU books. My local shop had this deal that ends Wednesday, August 3rd at 5:52 PM. You get each book for $1. Big savings if you look at the fact that they would be $156 dollars otherwise for all the books. Now I have to decide if I will try to do a review of every book as they come into my hands.
If you want to check out my shop go to http://www.ssalefish.com/
BDS
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| Mantra #10 |
I am continuing with the Mantra Monday posts. Just so happens that one of the two I found at HeroesCon was the next in line for the series as I am progressing forward. This is a double-sized issue but not a double-sized story. It contains the same amount of Mantra with a flip-book inclusion that has teaser panels for a new batch of series that were being produced at the time.
This does have the start of The Archimage Quest. It opens with Strauss being attacked by a Hippie, and Pilgrim looking dude, and a reject from bald magician's school. They force him to get Mantra to enter a trap and soon she is meeting Archimage's Son. Like always they want her body, for its magic of course. There is a twist at the end that is HUGE. You will have to wait until I talk about issue #11 for details.
What is great about this issue is that we get more of Lukasz living Eden Blake's life. He worries about weight gain and how his appearance will affect his job. He deals with a pesky co-worker while snooping about Ultras at work. Has to go buy feminine hygiene products and is so funny when a older lady asks his opinion on a product. It is really what the book needed more of in terms of character. Watching him deal with the kids is just sweet at times now. You see a shift into a caring parent, even if he knows he isn't. Working for the Ultra hunting Aladdin is something that should have been played up more, but always seems more plot device than character development.
The action is great and we get a better but still whiny Lukasz. What is neat is seeing him adjusting to life as a female.
BDS
