1. I know this is a DC Comics blog…

    But I just wanted to voice my full support for Tom Gabel in her decision to undergo gender reassignment. Living with transgender dysmorphia must have been incredibly difficult, but this should help her cope, no longer feeling “trapped.” I am amazed at the level of support she has received. On a day filled with anger and hate at North Carolina (And rightfully so), I wanted to mention the other side of the coin.

    2 weeks ago  /  3 notes

  2. Warning you guys now; NSFW. Wonder Woman’s Leaked Sex Tape: The Unaired Episode of Super Friends.

    2 weeks ago  /  0 notes

  3. dccomicconfessions: “Barry Allen is my favorite Flash” Now and forever. Don’t get me wrong; Wally’s awesome, Bart’s a cool kid, and Jay’s a rock star. But there’s something about the way Barry refuses to give up. Even when he thinks everything is lost, he finds a way. He was the first superhero death I cared about. He may not have been the first hero to die, but he was the first one to make me tear up and ask “Why?”

    dccomicconfessions:

    “Barry Allen is my favorite Flash”

    Now and forever. Don’t get me wrong; Wally’s awesome, Bart’s a cool kid, and Jay’s a rock star. But there’s something about the way Barry refuses to give up. Even when he thinks everything is lost, he finds a way. He was the first superhero death I cared about. He may not have been the first hero to die, but he was the first one to make me tear up and ask “Why?”

    2 weeks ago  /  41 notes  /  Source: dccomicconfessions

  4. EARTH TWO PREVIEW →

    actioncomics:

    And a few words from writer James Robinson summarized below:

    • Jay Garrick is an “honest, open, likable everyman” who will be the readers’ point of entry in Earth 2
    • “The Alan Scott of Earth 2 is a type-A personality, a go-getter,” he adds. “When the decision comes, ‘Do you want to be Green Lantern?’ he’s like, ‘Hell yeah! I’m going to save the world! If the world’s in danger, I’m that guy.’ ”
    •  ”Hawkgirl, too, has a distinct personality, and a brusque, fun way of handling situations and handling Jay’s lack of experience.
    • Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman will not be at the forefront of this book.
    • The first five-issue arc of Earth 2 will feature a major DC bad guy, whom Robinson teases as “instantly recognizable and equal parts a Justice Society villain and an Alan Scott Green Lantern villain.”
    • Robinson has talked with Levitz as well as Justice League scribe Geoff Johns about planning large-scale crossovers between worlds, but that will all come later
    • All the main heroes from the Justice Society of before will appear, including shrinking do-gooder Al Pratt (aka The Atom)

    3 weeks ago  /  12 notes  /  Source: actioncomics

  5. New releases for the week of 5/02/2012

    Another week, another batch of awesome DC releases. I mean, the other companies will be having their releases for the week, but if you want that, you came to the wrong Tumblr, buddy. So here you go, a breakdown of the week’s titles from DC. A dash (-) means I will not be purchasing the title, a star (*) means I will.

    *Action Comics #9- Grant Morrison’s run on Action has been great, though it has slowed down quite a bit of late. While it’s not as quick paced and action packed as previous issues, it’s clear that Morrison is continuing to do what he does best; build. He is creating a new Superman mythos, and issue 9 should be a nice continuation of that. This issue may get a little Final Crisis-y, though, as we see Superman of parallel Earths join the fray. Although it sounds like it could be entertaining, with three Supermen, including President Superman based on President Obama. Gene Ha will be filling in on art duties, including a backup of President Superman trying to stop a nuclear attack, but unable to leave the White House.

    *Animal Man #9- One of my favorite DC titles. I love the first week of the month because of Animal Man and Swamp Thing. This issue begins the Extinction is Forever arc. The Bakers are separated from Buddy and are on the run to reach Alec Holland before the rot can reach their youngest. John Constantine will guest star, and I’m truly hoping they touch upon his history with Swamp Thing.

    -Batwing #9- One of the stronger Bat titles, Batwing enters the Night of the Owls. This should prove a very interesting outing for the newest member of the Bat family. He is out of his element and most likely far outgunned. Can he survive without his greatest asset; knowledge of the terrain? Doubtful, but it will be an interesting tale of Batwing in Gotham.

    -Detective Comics #9- Another Night of the Owls crossover. Granted, I’m not certain HOW this ties in. Batman has been poisoned by Mr. Toxic and there’s a backup story of Harvey Dent. There is almost no mention of the Night, except within the title. Otherwise, the story seems like it’ll be another fairly mediocre outing in the Detective Comics line, and most likely one of the weaker “tie-ins.”

    *Dial H #1- I talked about how excited for Dial H I am yesterday, and won’t worry about doing it here. In fact, I’ll be skimming the new releases pretty hard. If you want more detail, go check the last post.

    BUT HOLY CRAP, YOU GUYS! DIAL H!

    There is some new information that I located while digging through Southeast Asia (I was looking through solicits, but my story sounded better).

    The new H Dial wielder is named Nelson. His enemies include Squid and X.N. Most importantly, a hint about the story. “Uncontrollable obsession.” Remember, kids. Sometimes, it’s not the chemical that gets you addicted, it’s the rush.

    *Earth 2 #1- The title that made me gifpost. That’s how epic this looks.

    -G.I. Combat #1- Another war title. Yawn.

    -Green Arrow #9- And, with this issue, I will once again be ending my Green Arrow pull. I had it initially, but dropped it soon after. When the writers changed, I picked it up again, and am ready to drop it again. It seems like no one can handle Ollie correctly any more. This issue will continue the story of Ollie in the mountains, stranded and on his own.

    -Justice League International #9- Crossing over with this month’s issue of Firestorm, the JLI will be facing off against O.M.A.C. This could either end very well, or very very badly. One of my least favorite titles is crossing over with another of my least favorite titles, with a character that completely astounds me as the reasoning.

    *Red Lanterns #9- I don’t know why I keep reading this, but it gets better all the time. We finally have something of a running narrative; the Red Lantern has been destroyed, and an earlier incarnation of the Corps has risen from the grave to kill Atrocitus. All the while, Earth’s first real Red Lantern is learning to use his new powers as a Civil War brews. Does anyone else feel like this title has gone from having no narrative threads to having too many?

    -Smallville Season 11 #1- If you want this, you already have it. It was released digitally a few weeks ago, and is now seeing an actual printing. The continued story of the TV series.

    -Stormwatch #9- For those keeping up, this will be the issue that reveals V-Man’s connection to Stormwatch as Apollo and Midnighter battle Skallox (Of the Red Lanterns). I may pick this up later, but I’m playing wait-and-see. This will be Peter Milligan’s first issue on Stormwatch, so I’m looking to see if I see a bump in interest for myself.

    *Swamp Thing #9- Alec Holland is Swamp Thing. Finally, it has happened. That’s not a bad finally. Without a doubt, my favorite title of the new 52, Swamp Thing has been an emotional rollercoater. Abigail Arcane has been swallowed by the rot, and it’s up to Alec to save her. He’ll fight his way through the Bone Kingdom to finally face off with Sethe. All of this is leading up to the return of a major Swamp Thing villain. My guess? Dr. Anton Arcane, Abigail’s uncle. 

    -Sweet Tooth #33- This is one of those books I KNOW I should be reading because I’ll love it, but I just never have. I absolutely LOVE Jeff Lemire (As you can tell from my Swamp Thing write-up), but I’ve never had the time. One of these days, though. Maybe after I catch up with American Vampire. Anyway, this will be an entry into “The Continuing Adventures of The Big Man and The Little Boy.” See? That’s the kind of stuff that gets me. When I have no idea what’s going on, I just need to.

    -Teen Titans Annual #1- Superboy, the Titans, and the Legion Lost fight. That’s basically all I know about this. I probably shouldn’t be inserting my own bias as much as I am, but hell. I’m not a legitimate journalist. I’m some schmuck on Tumblr writing about comic books. None of these series are good. They’re all insanely bad, in fact. The only good thing about any of them is that Titans introduced a gay teenager who doesn’t focus on his homosexuality. But even then, Kate Kane is doing the same thing in Batwoman, and it’s being done better.

    -World’s Finest #1- Covered it yesterday. Not too excited about this one, but then again all of my excitement is headed Earth 2/Dial H’s way. Will it be good? Maybe. Based on what I’ve read so far, it’s a male attempting to think like a woman (“You left your black card.” Seriously? There’s an emergency, and she feels a need to SPECIFY the kind of card? We get that Karen is rich, but so was Helena. There’s no need for this kind of crap. Women don’t immediately notice the color of the credit card being handed over).

    4 weeks ago  /  1 note

  6. So, I guess I need to talk about the “Second Wave” of the New 52. For those unaware, DC has cancelled six titles of the new 52; Mr. Terrific, Men of War, O.M.A.C. (Which was probably the biggest surprise), Hawk and Dove, Blackhawks, and Static Shock. Most of these titles weren’t great, and cancelling them won’t upset too many people. It frees up talent to work on better, more interesting characters. O.M.A.C., as I mentioned, was the only surprise on the list and, in my opinion, would have been better replaced with The Dark Knight. However, in response, DC also announced six NEW titles, which would replace those cancelled. In DC’s words, the second wave is about exploring the world the new 52 unleashed. It’s about time I introduce you to these new books. Let’s go title by title. -World’s Finest Writer: Paul Levitz Artist: George Perez and Kevin Maguire, alternating between arcs. Supergirl (Karen Starr) and Huntress (Helena Wayne. You read that right), are stuck on the new Earth, trapped after an accident on their homeworld of Earth-2. Now, if DC is to be believed, this is going to absolutely be the title that explores and exploits this world. Two outsiders having to learn the ropes sounds about right for discovery.  The new bit is this; Helena was Robin, trained by her father Bruce to be the perfect weapon and detective. Why she picks up the Huntress mantle is as-yet unknown, though Huntress #6 teases a reason. As for Karen? Well, the new costume is something. At least she has a logo now… Being completely honest, this is the only one of the second wave that has a preview. I read it and I wasn’t impressed. It came off as very average (One of my favorite phrases). Not bad, but not good. Nothing about it stood out very much, and even in the first five pages seemed to rely too heavily on cliches and happenstance. I really feel, right now, like this book is going to be a very cheap attempt at writing women with lines like “You forgot your black card!” That is an actual line, by the way. -Batman Incorporated Writer: Grant Morrison Artist: Chris Burnham If you’re not a Grant Morrison fan, then this isn’t for you. I am. I love his format of planning years in advance, with payoffs coming one or two years after the gears started spinning. In this case, being a Morrison fan worked against me. Having followed his run on Batman for six years, I was ready for Batman, Inc. Then, with the relaunch, it ended with more of a whimper than a bang. Unlike most other books, there was no arc to cap. The book WAS the arc. Yes, the Bat team got a win, but it wasn’t THE win. A follow-up gave us a little more, but we’ve been left with a huge cliffhanger for a while now (SPOILER: Talia al Ghul may be even more devious than her father). However, the second wave bring Inc back to continue the story. Finally, Grant Morrison is allowed to complete his six years of work. For those who have been following, you know what’s happening. For those who haven’t, Batman has been branded and is being globalized for an upcoming threat unlike any the Dark Knight has ever faced before. Hopefully, this will live up to the new standard in Batman villains the Court of Owls has set. Dial H Writer: China Miéville Artist: Mateus Santoluoco This is one of those titles that I’m REALLY looking forward to. Along with Earth-2, it’s probably one of the few that I think is almost completely appealing. Dial H for Hero was always kind of an offbeat idea. Tell me if I’m talking about a comic or a Twilight Zone episode here; A mysterious dial changes people into superheroes when they spell the word H-E-R-O. Other combinations of letters lead to different effects. The powers, however, fade eventually, and no two power sets are the same. We don’t yet know the possessor of the dial, though it should be a fun ride. The thing that’s really catching me here is the involvement of China Miéville. While this is his first real comic, China has been working for a while now. His work tends to fall into the “weird fiction” area, usually kind of Lovecraftian. I kinda fell in love with the guy after reading Hellblazer #250. His story for that book was my absolute favorite, and one of my favorite Hellblazer stories to date. If you haven’t read that book, find it. Great all around. The first story is a little boring (Considering that it was the main writer of the time, that was a tad surprising), but after that every story gets better and better.  Basically, this is a guy who won me over as a comic writer with a single short story. The man understands storytelling and has brilliant uses of page breaks and how to work within the medium. Dial H will not be for everyone, but if you enjoy vivid, breathtaking fantasies and ideas with images lifted from your darkest and most haunting nightmares, I feel like it will be one you need to pick up. G.I. Combat Writer: J.T. Krul (With rotating backup) Artist: Ariel Olivetti The polar opposite of Dial H. I don’t like war books and J.T. Krul is one of the most hit-or-miss writers I can think of. The guy is great when he starts, but tapers off within 10 issues, like he just loses his focus. His Teen Titans has been forgettable (That’s me being KIND), and once Brightest Day was over, his Green Arrow was actually a little painful.  Really, the only thing this book has is Olivetti. I like the guy’s art usually, but in a gritty, War That Time Forgot book, it will really stand out. He has a way of almost dehumanizing characters while accentuating their humanity, making people seem all very similar which will do the book well. Outside of that, however, I don’t have much faith in this finding its legs. Also, it’s called G.I. Combat. Seriously? That sounds like an off-brand G.I. Joe. The Ravagers Writer: Howard Mackie Artist: Ian Churchill This book spins off of Teen Titans and Superboy. And it furthers the story of Teen Titans and Superboy. You know the story. The one no one likes. Both books have been dragged down by this terrible N.O.W.H.E.R.E. arc, and it needs to be euthanized, not given a third book.  Wow. That was way harsher than intended. On second thought, no. No it wasn’t. End Superboy and Teen Titans. Give them new writers. Both the team and the boy can be compelling, if given distance from one another. The last run of Superboy was superb, and the Titans usually work pretty well if allowed to. These guys aren’t doing it, so get new writers in there to save them before the only thing left of these two burning ships are the rats that jumped overboard. Earth 2 Writer: James Robinson Artist: Nicola Scott I am really looking forward to this one, and have been for a while. I think I may be the last JSA fan alive (I know that’s not true, but it feels true), but I still love those guys. Granted, when it was announced as JSA, I was hoping to see Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, but I’ll take radically different spins on the Trinity, too. Superman is the Earth 2 Supes you already know, just younger. The costume is interesting with the chestplate taking up much more of the area. The corners attach to the cape, making a more regal look. Lois is dead, but he continues to carry on. Hopefully, that will be played well, and not become either ignored or overly melodramatic. Honestly, if issue 50 sees him snap, I’ll be happy so long as it was built to. Wonder Woman looks like Wonder Woman. The big difference is her boots. Character-wise, she’s the last Amazon, which could again prove very interesting. The death of her fellow Amazons is going to be a big part of her story throughout. Batman’s costume is…well…GODDAMN! Batman, is that you? I have no words. Here. Here is a sketch. I just want to point some things out here, that you probably see for yourselves; Are those spiked shoulder pads/arms? You could KILL someone with those! The Bat logo is gone from the chest, only appearing on the utility belt. The part where the grey becomes black still resembles a bat flying, though. The gray area also forms something sort of like but not quite exactly the logo. It’s like the Bat logo filtered through anger. Is that an Escrima stick? Can Nightwing sue? Are those more weapons attacked to the thighs? Damn, man. That is a serious overhaul. That’s what a costume redesign should look like. Yes, it’s Jim Lee, so OF COURSE he has a collar (What is your fascination with collars, Jim?) but it otherwise looks insane. Someone had to have one, and he gave one to the new 52 Superman already. McCullum’s own words make this even more confusing: “Who will Batman kill to save his own daughter? Right out of the gate that should tell you we’re dealing with a different kind of Dark Knight here. More ruthless, dangerous…the costume is familiar and yeah, there is a Wayne under the mask, but we’re looking at a man desperate to save the only family he has left. Earth 2 is about to become a very bad place to be a bad guy.” WAIT, WHAT?!? Is Batman going to kill to protect Helena? And my favorite part; “…there is a Wayne under the mask.” He never says Bruce. YOU GUYS, HE NEVER SAYS BRUCE! Is it Damien? Thomas?  My head hurts… I can use gratuitous GIFs too, sometimes.

    So, I guess I need to talk about the “Second Wave” of the New 52. For those unaware, DC has cancelled six titles of the new 52; Mr. Terrific, Men of War, O.M.A.C. (Which was probably the biggest surprise), Hawk and Dove, Blackhawks, and Static Shock. Most of these titles weren’t great, and cancelling them won’t upset too many people. It frees up talent to work on better, more interesting characters. O.M.A.C., as I mentioned, was the only surprise on the list and, in my opinion, would have been better replaced with The Dark Knight.

    However, in response, DC also announced six NEW titles, which would replace those cancelled. In DC’s words, the second wave is about exploring the world the new 52 unleashed. It’s about time I introduce you to these new books. Let’s go title by title.

    -World’s Finest

    Writer: Paul Levitz

    Artist: George Perez and Kevin Maguire, alternating between arcs.

    Supergirl (Karen Starr) and Huntress (Helena Wayne. You read that right), are stuck on the new Earth, trapped after an accident on their homeworld of Earth-2. Now, if DC is to be believed, this is going to absolutely be the title that explores and exploits this world. Two outsiders having to learn the ropes sounds about right for discovery. 

    The new bit is this; Helena was Robin, trained by her father Bruce to be the perfect weapon and detective. Why she picks up the Huntress mantle is as-yet unknown, though Huntress #6 teases a reason. As for Karen? Well, the new costume is something. At least she has a logo now…

    Being completely honest, this is the only one of the second wave that has a preview. I read it and I wasn’t impressed. It came off as very average (One of my favorite phrases). Not bad, but not good. Nothing about it stood out very much, and even in the first five pages seemed to rely too heavily on cliches and happenstance. I really feel, right now, like this book is going to be a very cheap attempt at writing women with lines like “You forgot your black card!” That is an actual line, by the way.

    -Batman Incorporated

    Writer: Grant Morrison

    Artist: Chris Burnham

    If you’re not a Grant Morrison fan, then this isn’t for you. I am. I love his format of planning years in advance, with payoffs coming one or two years after the gears started spinning.

    In this case, being a Morrison fan worked against me. Having followed his run on Batman for six years, I was ready for Batman, Inc. Then, with the relaunch, it ended with more of a whimper than a bang. Unlike most other books, there was no arc to cap. The book WAS the arc. Yes, the Bat team got a win, but it wasn’t THE win. A follow-up gave us a little more, but we’ve been left with a huge cliffhanger for a while now (SPOILER: Talia al Ghul may be even more devious than her father).

    However, the second wave bring Inc back to continue the story. Finally, Grant Morrison is allowed to complete his six years of work. For those who have been following, you know what’s happening. For those who haven’t, Batman has been branded and is being globalized for an upcoming threat unlike any the Dark Knight has ever faced before. Hopefully, this will live up to the new standard in Batman villains the Court of Owls has set.

    Dial H

    Writer: China Miéville

    Artist: Mateus Santoluoco

    This is one of those titles that I’m REALLY looking forward to. Along with Earth-2, it’s probably one of the few that I think is almost completely appealing. Dial H for Hero was always kind of an offbeat idea. Tell me if I’m talking about a comic or a Twilight Zone episode here; A mysterious dial changes people into superheroes when they spell the word H-E-R-O. Other combinations of letters lead to different effects. The powers, however, fade eventually, and no two power sets are the same.

    We don’t yet know the possessor of the dial, though it should be a fun ride. The thing that’s really catching me here is the involvement of China Miéville. While this is his first real comic, China has been working for a while now. His work tends to fall into the “weird fiction” area, usually kind of Lovecraftian. I kinda fell in love with the guy after reading Hellblazer #250. His story for that book was my absolute favorite, and one of my favorite Hellblazer stories to date. If you haven’t read that book, find it. Great all around. The first story is a little boring (Considering that it was the main writer of the time, that was a tad surprising), but after that every story gets better and better. 

    Basically, this is a guy who won me over as a comic writer with a single short story. The man understands storytelling and has brilliant uses of page breaks and how to work within the medium. Dial H will not be for everyone, but if you enjoy vivid, breathtaking fantasies and ideas with images lifted from your darkest and most haunting nightmares, I feel like it will be one you need to pick up.


    G.I. Combat

    Writer: J.T. Krul (With rotating backup)

    Artist: Ariel Olivetti

    The polar opposite of Dial H. I don’t like war books and J.T. Krul is one of the most hit-or-miss writers I can think of. The guy is great when he starts, but tapers off within 10 issues, like he just loses his focus. His Teen Titans has been forgettable (That’s me being KIND), and once Brightest Day was over, his Green Arrow was actually a little painful. 

    Really, the only thing this book has is Olivetti. I like the guy’s art usually, but in a gritty, War That Time Forgot book, it will really stand out. He has a way of almost dehumanizing characters while accentuating their humanity, making people seem all very similar which will do the book well. Outside of that, however, I don’t have much faith in this finding its legs.

    Also, it’s called G.I. Combat. Seriously? That sounds like an off-brand G.I. Joe.


    The Ravagers

    Writer: Howard Mackie

    Artist: Ian Churchill

    This book spins off of Teen Titans and Superboy. And it furthers the story of Teen Titans and Superboy. You know the story. The one no one likes. Both books have been dragged down by this terrible N.O.W.H.E.R.E. arc, and it needs to be euthanized, not given a third book. 

    Wow. That was way harsher than intended.

    On second thought, no. No it wasn’t. End Superboy and Teen Titans. Give them new writers. Both the team and the boy can be compelling, if given distance from one another. The last run of Superboy was superb, and the Titans usually work pretty well if allowed to. These guys aren’t doing it, so get new writers in there to save them before the only thing left of these two burning ships are the rats that jumped overboard.


    Earth 2

    Writer: James Robinson

    Artist: Nicola Scott

    I am really looking forward to this one, and have been for a while. I think I may be the last JSA fan alive (I know that’s not true, but it feels true), but I still love those guys. Granted, when it was announced as JSA, I was hoping to see Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, but I’ll take radically different spins on the Trinity, too.

    Superman is the Earth 2 Supes you already know, just younger. The costume is interesting with the chestplate taking up much more of the area. The corners attach to the cape, making a more regal look. Lois is dead, but he continues to carry on. Hopefully, that will be played well, and not become either ignored or overly melodramatic. Honestly, if issue 50 sees him snap, I’ll be happy so long as it was built to.

    Wonder Woman looks like Wonder Woman. The big difference is her boots. Character-wise, she’s the last Amazon, which could again prove very interesting. The death of her fellow Amazons is going to be a big part of her story throughout.

    Batman’s costume is…well…GODDAMN! Batman, is that you? I have no words. Here. Here is a sketch.

    I just want to point some things out here, that you probably see for yourselves;

    Are those spiked shoulder pads/arms? You could KILL someone with those!

    The Bat logo is gone from the chest, only appearing on the utility belt. The part where the grey becomes black still resembles a bat flying, though. The gray area also forms something sort of like but not quite exactly the logo. It’s like the Bat logo filtered through anger.

    Is that an Escrima stick? Can Nightwing sue?

    Are those more weapons attacked to the thighs?

    Damn, man. That is a serious overhaul. That’s what a costume redesign should look like. Yes, it’s Jim Lee, so OF COURSE he has a collar (What is your fascination with collars, Jim?) but it otherwise looks insane. Someone had to have one, and he gave one to the new 52 Superman already.

    McCullum’s own words make this even more confusing: “Who will Batman kill to save his own daughter? Right out of the gate that should tell you we’re dealing with a different kind of Dark Knight here. More ruthless, dangerous…the costume is familiar and yeah, there is a Wayne under the mask, but we’re looking at a man desperate to save the only family he has left. Earth 2 is about to become a very bad place to be a bad guy.”

    WAIT, WHAT?!? Is Batman going to kill to protect Helena? And my favorite part; “…there is a Wayne under the mask.” He never says Bruce. YOU GUYS, HE NEVER SAYS BRUCE! Is it Damien? Thomas? 

    My head hurts…





    I can use gratuitous GIFs too, sometimes.

    4 weeks ago  /  4 notes

  7. kickassnormalhuman: At the end, he’ll whisper something lovingly into Guy Gardner’s ear.

    kickassnormalhuman:

    At the end, he’ll whisper something lovingly into Guy Gardner’s ear.

    1 month ago  /  39 notes  /  Source: actioncomics

  8. 1 month ago  /  164 notes  /  Source: actioncomics

  9. Blog Post: Why DC

    It seems like every day, without fail, someone asks me why I’m a DC fanboy. And let’s not get confused here; I am, without fail, a fanboy. I am overly critical about the product, but freak out even when I know something will fall to crap. I will give my favorite characters chance after chance, only to have my heart broken time and time again (I’m looking at you, Ollie). Every day, I have to defend my fandom, even though Aquaman is the number one selling book in America for the past three months and DC has frequently outsold Marvel since the relaunch. So why am I a DC fanboy? Let me outline a few reasons.

    -The set up. Compare/contrast time. Let’s look at the two big crossover events this Summer from each of the big two. In the red corner, we have AvX, which has the Avengers fighting the X-Men. In the blue corner we have Night of The Owls, the Bat-family crossover. So, how was this set up in each camp?

    AvX has roots going back to last year, with Avengers: X-Sanction. Cable returns and…you know…fights the Avengers and stuff. His logic is iffy and none of it makes a whole lot of sense, but in the end, a lot of fighting occurs and Hope Summers becomes the new Phoenix host, leading to this event. Really, it feels like last year, a group of guys sat in a board room and said, “Well, Avengers is coming out, how can we market that? Let’s have them fight the X-Men. We’ll figure out a reason later.” X-Sanction was pointless until the last few pages, which isn’t a good setup.

    Night of the Owls stretches back almost the exact length of time, but has done so consistently, placing Bruce in situations we never thought we’d see him in. By issue two, he is battling a nagging at the back of his head that maybe his city isn’t as much his as he believed. We see just how little control he has over the next several issues. He is tortured and beaten, and the reader is taken along for the ride. It’s Batman in a way we’ve never seen him; powerless and scared. In issue 6, he openly shows his fear. In the latest issue, he shies away from the light and accepts that Gotham is not the home he believed it was. Entering into this, we have a hero on his last legs who cannot take any more against the challenge of his life, one that drags in not only the Bat-family, but the Justice League (Issue 8 of JL). 

    Basically, what we see is that Marvel has the heroes fighting because heroes fighting is cool. Cyclops attacks Cap for no reason other than a disagreement, leading to a battle that shakes the Marvel U. The only thing that KIND OF explains Scott’s rashness is the level of the threat, but given that, as leader, one would expect a more level head.

    DC, on the other hand, has heroes fighting because the story demands it. What will Bruce do when pushed further in the corner than ever before? Will he snap or will he fight back? Can he even fight back against this force? That makes for a good story. Something that has been built to and not hastily thrown together from bits and pieces.

    -The characters. I swear, if one more person says “Deadpool” to me, I will lose it. Deadpool is that guy who, to me, used to be funny. The one who would tease the teacher in middle school, walking in late, blah blah. He’s the class clown. He hasn’t grown as a character since…ever. This will probably earn some backlash, but Deadpool is a one-trick pony. He comes in, cracks wise, and that should be that. He’s the Ralph Wiggum of the Marvel U. Somehow, though, he’s managed several series. I will never understand this. He’s not a strong character and he has no defining traits besides “crazy.” He should be good for a few quick jokes and that’s it.

    Now, let’s look at a minor character. Booster Gold. Booster started out as a joke. He was looking for fame and fortune by using 25th century technology. He wasn’t just an anti hero, he was a thief and an idiot. However, in the twenty years since his creation, the writing of him has changed. With the things he’s seen and gone through, he became a real hero, who put the lives of others before his own. Yes, he still had fun quirks (He once fought a giant robot strictly because it was interrupting his morning coffee), but he’s become a truly tragic figure. With his position as the man defending the timeline, he can’t tell people about all the heroics he’s performed. He’s still seen as an idiot to most heroes, even though he has moved past that. A poignant moment from Time Masters has Green Lantern reminding him there’s no camera crew to film his good deeds, and he plays it off, knowing he’s better than the other heroes believe. He really is “the greatest hero you’ve never heard of.”

    (Obviously, this is all before the relaunch. Are there Marvel characters I like? Yes. Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Man, and Moon Knight. That is the complete list.)

    (And I hate Spider-Man, too. Does that guy have any setting besides “whiny?”)

    This will probably become a series. “Why I fanboy” or something like that. The long and the short of it boils down to this statement; Most of the time, Marvel does things because they are the coolest choices. It’s the choice that makes the most immediate impact and will make things look neat. DC does things because they are the best choices. It’s the choice that will have the biggest long-term impact. It may not always look cool, but it will be important.

    1 month ago  /  2 notes

  10. This is kind of impressive. And by kind of, I mean really.

    1 month ago  /  11 notes