A double dose of new Wonder Woman and Secret Six, plus two months of solicitations. Also, Books of Magic and Blackest Night: Wonder Woman.
News
DC Comics February Solicitations
JLI trades continue with Vol. 4 in March, collecting issues 23-30 of the Giffen, DeMatteis and sometimes Maguire run. Hopefully, this means we’ll see Vol. 5 and beyond.
Wednesday Comics is collected in hardcover, an 11″ by 17.5″ volume totaling $50 for 200 huge pages, due out in May.
Wonder Woman ships issue 41 in February and will revert to pre-reboot numbering in order to slap a big, round 600 on what would have been the 45th issue in June. Marvel editorial can’t believe they didn’t find some way to put it off till after issue 50 for the double anniversary whammy. I don’t care what number’s on the issue as long as Simone and Lopresti keep me coming back each month. Not looking forward to the $4+ pricetag, though… More importantly, the Ends of the Earth trade isn’t due until March. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the wait for these is ludicrous. To be fair, it’s not like Wonder Woman‘s being singled out. Action Comics trade-waiters are just as far behind (17 issues), and Detective Comics is 13 issues beyond the latest trade. You could also argue that DC wanting to issue Wonder Woman HCs, which cause the excessive trade delay, is a good thing. She’s much better off than Animal Man, whose recent miniseries wrapped up in November, got no HC collection, and still has to wait until March to get a trade, as though it took them a few months to remember he existed. That or they waited for the full sales data before greenlighting a collection. I don’t think Wondy’s so bad off that they have to think twice about that.
Speaking of trades DC took their time releasing, Mysterius: The Unfathomable wrapped up in June of ’09, got no HC, and is only getting a TPB in March. Understandable, as it got good reviews but sold terribly. It’s one of those books that isn’t under the Vertigo imprint because DC refuse to write Wildstorm off, so it isn’t as cheap as it could be. You pay cover price, $18 for six issues.
Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan’s Demo returns with a six-issue mini. I can’t say as I’m jumping for joy. The first series had twelve issues that fit the title all too well. Each one stood alone, introducing a new character(s) with some sort of superpower. Some issues were almost good, but before they could tell a full story or flesh out a character more than a little, they were over. Demos, like videogames offering one level with half the buttons locked, or songs that end before the first chorus. The full story might be amazingly good, but you’ll never get to see it. Wood jotted down some ideas, played around with each one for what amounts to minutes of reading time, and moved on. If you like interesting, unexplored ideas, you’ll get some enjoyment out of the two series. If you want stories, if you want more than a glimpse into the lives of random characters, look elsewhere. You’ll find nothing but frustration here.
In Bizarro Vertigo land, Greek Street gets its first trade, collecting issues 1-5 in time for #9, and your reward for waiting is a $10 pricetag.
Blackest Night ends. Let us all exhale before the next Event hits. Wait, no, we don’t get a break. Brightest Day is directly after. At least they gave the weeklies a short rest. Maybe next time they can have four series that each ship an issue in turn, one per week, with different creative teams and only a loose connection between them.
Nicola Scott is guest artist on Wonder Woman #42. That’s great, but I’d rather get her back to drawing Secret Six, with Aaron Lopresti or Bernard Chang on Wondy. Gail Simone has confirmed that Scott will be returning to Six, so at least it’s only a matter of waiting.
Now that most of the backups are cancelled or being replaced, the big question is, how will that material be collected? Will it be collected? I expect it will in some form, but the latest trade and hardcover solicitations make no mention of any so-called co-features. Batman: Streets of Gotham starts with a HC collecting the first four issues, one issue of Batman, and one of Detective Comics, all by Paul Dini. Those six issues take up 144 pages, 24 per issue, leaving no room for the Manhunter backup. Booster Gold‘s next trade collects issues 20-25 and a Booster-centric issue of Brave and the Bold, totaling 160 pages, one short of 23 per issue. No Blue Beetle there. Jaime Reyes’ backup only went nine issues, so a collection would be approximately 90 pages. The Metal Men lasted a mere seven issues, producing less material than one of DC’s 80-Page Giants.
Power Girl gets a relatively timely TPB, collecting the first six issues in April, when #11 will hit. Same with Red Robin, except his first trade only has five issues for the same price.
The second Secret Six trade collects issues 8-14 in time for #20, and the price? $15. That’s almost Vertigo cheap. Not a great sign for the future of a so-so selling title, but a great deal.
American Vampire – DC’s attempt to compete with/cash in on the Twilight craze. An ongoing series about vampires who are “powered by the sun.” Could be bad, but there’s some name value attached. Stephen King and Scott Snyder will write, presumably with Snyder adapting King’s scripts to the comic format, and Rafael Albuquerque’s on art. Could be good. True Blood (and the novels it’s based on) proved you can have a setup similar to Twilight‘s and still be good, albeit not as popular.
Reviews
Employee’s Pick
[DC] Books of Magic Vol. 2 #63-68
Writers: Peter Hogan (issue 63), Peter Gross (issues 64-68)
Pencilers: Gary Amaro (issue 63), Peter Gross (issues 64-68)
This series is greatly improved by taking a long enough break to let recent events fade from memory. Ignoring the latest slaughterfest and the fact that Tim Hunter is an unappealing protagonist, this six-issue chunk is fairly enjoyable, especially the parts by Gross.
We start with a fill-in issue, a standalone flashback that captures Tim’s character all too well. Would that there were more to capture. After that, it’s back to the present for genderbending escapism. Tim dons a Faerie glamour stone that belonged to his mother and finds he looks like her at his age. He takes this remarkably well, using the glamour and his mother’s name, Mary, as a disguise for several issues. Let’s go over that again. A teenage boy turns into his mother and he says “that’s brilliant” without a hint of sarcasm. Granted, he needs a disguise right now since he’d be as good as dead if The Other knew he still lived, but he could at least use the stone grudgingly. Or, if he isn’t disturbed by walking around as Teen Mom, there could be something about how much he misses his mother, who died when he was young. I’d almost prefer a creepily overeager acceptance, which is there if you squint at it but doesn’t seem strongly implied.
Instead, he’s numb. I guess that’s his preferred way of dealing with things, as we’ve seen before, though I’d kidded myself that the magic tattoos were keeping most of his emotions in check. He goes through massive trauma, basically losing everyone he knows, and his strongest reaction is petulance towards his annoying step-brother. Girlfriend left you? Evil twin killed your family? Look like your mom? No problem! Pretend it didn’t happen and get on with your life.
So he does, exclaiming “I choose magic!” which would’ve been music to my ears about twenty issues ago, but gives me cognitive dissonance now. Issues 64-68 are almost totally detached from the rest of the series, like one of the tangent universes Tim unconsciously created to let a part of himself escape reality. And it’s fun if you go along with Teen Mom on a series of wacky adventures. She hooks up with a group of seemingly random strangers en route to the Inn Between Worlds. As is always the case with these stories, not everyone reaches the Inn. The journey doubles as a sort of crucible and a way to learn more about the new characters through observation.
Once at the Inn, Tim once again shows his disdain for his adopted father, the only father he knew for 99% of his life, by dreaming of his birth father. This being the guy who was around for a few issues at the start of the series before nobly sacrificing himself to save Tim. His adopted dad has issues, but it’s not like he was abusive. He tried to be a good father, and while his human flaws held him back at times, he had bouts of success. Not only does an alternate Tim – considered by his mentor to be the best of all Tims, and for good reason – live in a castle with his mother and real father, keeping adopted dad around as a third wheel, now Tim dreams about his dad, the shapeshifter Tamlin. In doing so, he gives Tamlin life, of a sort, in the Dreaming. Normally, that would be of no significance, but a certain plot development means Dream Tamlin can hop over to visit Tim. For all the time they’re together, Tim only thinks about how best to spend time with his super awesome magical dad, never once imagining what it might be like to see the father who was there for him again. There’s also a scene where Tim meets his stepmother, who apologizes for being mean to him in dreadfully normal ways. And he forgives her.
…Now I’m numb. I can’t be bothered working up the outrage I’m fairly sure is justified. Maybe that’s why Tim doesn’t react. Things won’t be getting any better and they haven’t been good for ages, might as well shrug it off and do something else.
New-Type Books
[DC] Wonder Woman Vol. 3 #38
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciler: Aaron Lopresti
This series is so jumpy. Issue 36 ended with Diana and Giganta beating Achilles and his army, but letting them go after Achilles revealed he held Hippolyta captive. Next issue, Giganta’s gone, Diana’s back in her apartment. Fair enough, but she soon decides she gave up too quickly before and sets off to rescue Mom. That issue ends much the same, with Hippolyta telling Diana and guest-ally Donna Troy that they can’t rescue her. Then Alkyone takes her stuff to play Amazon dressup. This issue starts with Artemis trying to bust Diana out of jail. ‘Cause that’s where she went between issues.
It’s only a little jarring, to be honest, and only because I’m reading this in monthly installments. In collected form, you’ll still go from a shocking page to a more subdued page that skips ahead in time, but it’ll be easier to figure out that the time skip is due to there being no further conflict after the latest bubble of tension popped. You might even expect Diana to give up over and over before buckling down and fighting for serious this time.
That’s what this four-parter is all about. Warkiller is a series of surrenders and delays designed to set up dramatic moments. Artemis claims to give up on rescuing Diana, then gathers an army to save her. Donna heads off to find Hippolyta, who’s been secreted away since the last time we saw her or Donna, when they were close enough to touch. A few pages later, she has a cool new costume, but not only has she made no progress, she has to be told to go do what she set out to do. Maybe I read too much into Alkyone saying “you won’t find her” and Donna answering “we’ll see,” but if she wasn’t trying to find her, it’s an awful convenient coincidence that Artemis tells her to after dressing her up. It would’ve worked better if Hippolyta’s freedom being key had been revealed after Donna got her spiffy new duds. Bonus if said duds served some purpose to justify the time it must’ve taken to tailor them specifically for her.
Achilles dons a new costume this issue, too, not half as spiffy as Donna’s, as if to say “yes, this is all the ‘Wonder Man’ hype amounted to.” So many dramatic moments peppered throughout this arc, yet so few matter enough to evoke emotion.
More references to Diana’s guest spot in Secret Six. It’s not essential to read Secret Six in order to understand Wonder Woman, but Wonder Woman is written with the assumption you’ve read Secret Six. It’s a missing chapter, or at the very least, a missing paragraph, clipped from one book and secreted away between the pages of another.
[DC] Wonder Woman Vol. 3 #39
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciler: Aaron Lopresti
The good news: most of the things I worried about were resolved, as such things tend to be by good writers. The bad news: it’s all tied up too neatly. I’m happy with the results, but the methods leave something to be desired.
Zeus has a change of heart for no apparent reason. It occurs to him that his motivations in this story are completely insane, so he just… knocks it off. Crazy ol’ Uncle Zeus went on one of his spells again. Let’s hope he stays on his meds this time. The big finish has practically everyone rallying to Wonder Woman’s side against her now massively outnumbered foes, all agreeing that they were fools to ever oppose her.
As loveable as Wondy is, she isn’t made more endearing by having the cast heap praise on her or reiterate how beloved she is and should be. It helps that she returns that love, but maybe some people could just like Wonder Woman, and maybe she could impress the audience instead of the cast. The Circle, the rogue Amazons who’ve hated Diana since birth, are fixated on the belief that no one should love her. They got it in their heads that she would be the doom of the Amazons, and seeing Amazons love her fries their circuits. Why is that? Is their position so weak that they can be swayed by emotional appeals? You’d think that would make it worse. Clearly, Diana’s the Amazonian Anti-Christ and she’s fooled everyone but you. I’m having trouble seeing how they can hold a grudge for all these years and still be openminded about it. “Could we have been wrong?” one asks. Could you not have considered that earlier? She’s so universally beloved that you have to turn to a hated enemy to get any help against her, and that very love is what makes you question your hate. Really? Ares had his head rented out for axe storage and he’s firmer in his convictions than you.
Except for Ares, all the baddies turn out to be incompetent or confused. Fish. Barrel. A disservice to the buildup in previous issues. I’m left wondering how things could appear to be so dark when they were so easily brought into the light.
I could be overthinking it, but as cool as all the dramatic declarations are, it seems like so much style over substance. I don’t feel like the good guys won for any particular reason. It’s more like Simone ran out of time and had to wrap things up, though I don’t know why there’d be any rush. There certainly wasn’t with Rise of the Olympian, which laid the groundwork for this arc. Lovely art, though.
[DC] Secret Six Vol. 4 #15
Writer: John Ostrander
Penciler: Jim Calafiore
It’s rare that you can point to an issue as the worst in a series and still call it good, but that’s the case here. As fill-ins go, this is above average. The problem is, Simone and Scott have set the bar so high that anything less than greatness is a letdown. Which is not to say I wouldn’t buy a comic like this month in and month out, praising it all the while. Ostrander knows Deadshot like none other, and this is a very good Deadshot story. What it’s not is any kind of Secret Six story, though it is relevant to the series. It would also be a weak argument for a Deadshot solo series, though it would fit well as a standalone issue there. The supporting cast is basically limited to Deadshot’s conscience, in the form of Generic Preacher Guy. The rest of the Six are absent, and Deadshot’s the only character to display three dimensions.
Lawton’s been having a bit of trouble dealing with his history of mass murder. It’s not that he feels guilty; he worries he’s growing addicted to killing, to the point where he’d kill without wanting to. That’s never good, especially in a team setting, so he seeks professional help. That and a brief trip through Lawton’s history comprise the entirety of the story. Part filler, part clips show, it’s still entertaining. Calafiore does an adequate job with the material, but he’s a huge downgrade from Scott. This is the first time I feel confident in saying Secret Six was not the best comic in a given month. I don’t know what was, but it was definitely something else.
[DC] Secret Six Vol. 4 #16
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciler: Peter Nguyen
Quick, bring back Calafiore*. Or Carlos Rodriguez. Hell, let Amanda Gould draw a whole issue; at least it’ll be cute. Nguyen is not ready for primetime. Easily the worst art in the series, dating all the way back to Villains United. Thanks to Nguyen, this beats #15 for worst issue. Rodriguez wasn’t good, but his guest issue was so charming, it stands up as one of the best overall.
This issue, Black Alice meets the team and tries to join, filling the vacancy relucantly left by Scandal two issues prior. In hindsight, it’s a wonder she hasn’t appeared before. Gail Simone creation, can’t decide whether she’s hero or villain or villahero sandwich, mentally unhinged… Perfect fit. Only she’s several leagues above the Six in terms of power. Alice helpfully exposits her weaknesses, but wielding unlimited power for any length of time is longer than anyone else in this series. Her greatest weakness isn’t that her power can cut out, it’s that she lacks a firm direction and the intelligence to use that power efficiently. She could singlehandedly obliterate most, if not all, of the enemies the Six have faced in their time as a team, but she could easily get hung up on “making them pay,” or waffle when faced with the decision to kill or spare a deadly foe. She can be everything or nothing, whatever the writer wants.
The script seemed weaker this issue. It’s hard to tell when I’m wincing every few panels at artwork that, if it’s at home anywhere, certainly doesn’t fit here. Simone and Nguyen don’t seem to be on the same page. If they are, Simone must not have tried to get the usual quirks of posing and body language into the script. Simplification or miscommunication, it makes for a ho-hum read. No one looks right or moves right, and the dialogue lacks its usual sizzle. The main problem, I think, is that Black Alice doesn’t fit in, mostly because she’s not interesting. The focus is on her, and all she does is put off a menacing aura and force her way into scenes like an annoying kid sister who promises to tell on you if you don’t let her tag along. Everyone has to respond to her, rather than playing off of each other, so the whole cast are dragged down. There’s more to Black Alice than whining and bratting it up, as Birds of Prey readers know, but any depth is buried under layers of teenage tedium. It’ll be years before she rises above her loose cannon status, if ever, and I’m not sure I want to be along for the journey.
*I know, he’s coming back next issue.
[DC] Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1
Writer: Greg Rucka
Penciler: Nicola Scott
At least it’s pretty.
I’ve ranted before about the Max Lord debacle. No need to repeat all that. For this issue, I prefer to focus on the words “the ring wears the body.” Max Lord does not appear, nor does anyone claim he does. Wonder Woman fights a monster pretending to be him.
That’s the best view I can take of the story. The art’s wonderful, the treatment of Wonder Woman respectful. It’s everything you’d expect from the title and cover credits, maybe a little more. But it’s not essential reading for anyone. Blackest Night fans gain nothing, because the whole story is Wondy fighting zombies with no greater plot implications. Wonder Woman fans gain a decent Wonder Woman adventure, but not one that has particular significance to the character. Rucka takes the premise of Blackest Night (what if superzombies tried to take over the universe through angst?) and shows us how Wondy would react. It’s good for what it is, but what it is ain’t much. Faux Lord does his best to get a rise out of Diana, who, thanks to Rucka, reacts in character. With another writer, this could easily have been dreck. As it is, the art’s all that keeps me from thinking I wasted my money. This’ll be the only part of the miniseries I buy.
I can easily see this having no lasting effect on Wondy, and there was nothing in this issue that merits a reference in future stories. It won’t even be terribly important to the next two issues, since you could sum up all the relevant details in a few sentences. Actually, this issue is slightly confusing if you haven’t read certain other parts of Blackest Night. Diana mentions needing “light” to defeat the Black Lanterns, but never specifies what kind. Other issues have shown the white light of peace to be an effective weapon. She might have meant that. It isn’t clear.
Truncation
Books of Magic – Kinda nice out of context.
Wonder Woman #38 – Full of false starts and false drama.
Wonder Woman #39 – Not a bad comic, but unsatisfying.
Secret Six #15 – The worst issue until the next one. Still good.
Secret Six #16 – Disappointing. I think I should cut down on raving about this series. Nicola Scott can’t get back too soon.
Blackest Night: Wonder Woman – Skippable, but OK.
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