I was one day late for New Comic-book Night this week, because I have had to spend a great deal of time, including yesterday afternoon, at the new home, getting it ready for move-in. I wasn't able to get to the comic shop before they closed yesterday, so I went today. I also picked up some digital stuff, including one that came out this week. In the shop I picked up Katana #5, Thor, God of Thunder #9, and Batgirl #21. Digitally, I picked up Worlds' Finest #13, plus some older back-issues (of Red Sonja and X-Men). There are no pictures this time -- my camera is in the new house and I'm still typing this in my apartment.
Katana #5 - I had already decided before picking up #5 that I would go no further with this series unless this issue was a substantial improvement. It wasn't. Although this issue was slightly better than #4, the story-line remains a haphazard mess with no sense of organization or forward momentum. Random stuff just happens from page to page, with no clear cause-and-effect relationship among events. It's entirely possible that writer Ann Nocenti is going to explain things later on, but as I have said before of other series that I've dropped (like Morrison's Action Comics and Remender's Captain America), if there is an underlying order to the chaos here, it has taken too long to be revealed. I'm not going to wait half a year for the plot to start making sense. To add insult to injury, the art in this series has just been downright awful -- sometimes I can't even tell what is happening in the panel, because it's drawn so poorly. There's just not enough to recommend this series, and there are too many other potentially good ones coming out that I see no reason to continue wasting my time with it. I give this issue a 5/10. Thus, I have now officially dropped Katana from the "potential pull list."
Thor, God of Thunder #9 - This series continues to pleasantly surprise and delight me. Although I am not a fan of over-the-top violence, which Thor has in spades, it is handled well here, and the underlying story is compelling. Despite the enormous potential for confusion that could result from telling a story with "Thors" from three different timelines, Aaron makes it work seamlessly, and the interaction between Thor's different selves is enjoyable to read. Ribic's art continues to look fantastic, more like oil paintings than pencil and ink drawings. I have really enjoyed this title to date, and it continues to be solid. 10/10.
Batgirl #21 - Gail Simone turns in another wonderful story-line. As usual, Gail's strength is characterization, and she does another outstanding job with Barbara in this issue. Batgirl continues to struggle with the aftermath of (possibly) killing her brother James. Her parents part company again. And in the middle of all this, Batgirl has to battle the Ventriloquist in a rather gruesome fight. Gail definitely has a taste for the macabre. The art is decent in this issue, but I sorely miss Adrian Syaf, who did a much better job on just about every aspect of the art. 9/10.
Worlds' Finest #13 - Levitz turns in another decent issue about Huntress and Power Girl. Desaad is going after them, apparently believing they may hold the key to getting back to Apokolips. There's some great action as a giant blood-hound of Desaad's keeps attacking the two girls, and Helena does a great job of using the environment to fight him. The dog can take Power Girl's best punches, which prompts her to wonder if she might be getting weaker on this earth. I'm hoping this is not the case, at least long-term, because I see no reason why DC should want to weaken Power Girl. The art in this issue was decent, but nothing spectacular. 7/10.
Overall, a pretty good week of comics. Three of the four were quite enjoyable. And at least now I have made my decision about Katana, which I have bee vacillating over for the last couple of months. This means there will be some room on my pull list. Katana's place will be taken next month by the new Red Sonja, written by Gail Simone.
Showing posts with label Katana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Katana. Show all posts
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
NCN - 5/8/13
For New Comic-book Night, I got two new issues and an older trade paperback. The new issues are today's releases of Justice League of America #3 (which is 2 weeks behind schedule), and Katana #4 (which is a week ahead of schedule, after being 2 weeks behind schedule last month... go figure). I also picked up the trade paperback Supergirl: Way of the World. This TPB collects issues 28-33 of her fourth series, which means I'm now half done with it (there were 67 issues total).
I haven't read the Supergirl TPB yet (I have one more to finish before I get to it), but I did get to both JLA and Katana tonight, so I will review them briefly.
Justice League of America #3 - This was probably the best issue of JLA to date. Last issue we had a cliffhanger where what appeared to be Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman of the Justice League (without the "A") were on the point of attacking the JLA. In this issue, we discover these were robots, and the JLA handles them. They can't find any other sign of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, who own the robots, and they still don't know what the SSSV is up to. Therefore, because no one yet knows that Catwoman has reformed, they have her commit some pretend crimes and get thrown into Arkham Asylum to attract the SSSV's interest. This happens by the end of the book, and Catwoman is left tied to a chair in the SSSV base.
This story was interesting and suspenseful. I thought Selina Kyle (Catwoman) was characterized fairly well (she is a hard character to write, and up to now only Devin Grayson in the late 90s had really done her justice). The business about Green Arrow still being rejected from the team and trying to get on it is extremely wearisome, however, especially since we already know that he is going to end up on this team. Why drag it out? It's rather pointless. On the other hand I've already become a huge fan of Star Girl (not a character with whom I am very familiar) so far. She's a great example of how one can do a teenage superhero without making her brooding, moody, and irresponsible. Star Girl is a good girl, and is looked up to by just about everyone. Which I find refreshing for a change, with a teenage character. I hope they keep this up and don't ruin her. Rating: 8/10.
Katana #4 - Katana's sword was broken by Killer Croc last issue. This month, the souls "taken in" by the sword (with each kill) leak out and start interacting with the world. The Creeper is freed and looks around for a body to possess. Katana's husband chides her for not moving on after his death. Other souls flee the area. A dragon spirit leads Killer Croc somewhere. Katana waits tables and looks for a substitute sword. Her mentor tells her to find a great blacksmith in Japan and have him re-forge it. And then Creeper shows up again and battles her, because he's afraid that if the sword is re-forged, it will trap him again.
This series has had an insane number of ups and downs for one that is only four issues long. The first two issues were mediocre but passable. Issue 3 was exciting and definitely made me think I was going to add this series to my pull list. Now issue 4 comes along and... wow... this is one of the worst comic-books I've ever read. The art was indecipherable. In many panels I had to look and look and I still could not figure out what is going on. The dialogue is equally confusing. The story goes in four or five directions at once, none of which make any sense. I normally like Ann Nocenti, and up until now the series was at least passable, but this issue was inexcusably bad. The creative team has one issue to turn it around, or I'm done.
Not that I think it matters. I keep track of my "pull list" on Comixology, and they tell you there how many pulls each title has. Now, this isn't a statistical sample by any means, and we don't know how many people even use the service. But when I see 2,000+ pulls for JLA this week and Earth-2 last week, and less than 400 pulls for Katana this week, that's really telling me something. I would bet this series will not make it past issue 10 at this point. And it certainly won't if the team keeps turning out raw sewage like they did this month. Rating: 4/10. (And that's being generous.)
I haven't read the Supergirl TPB yet (I have one more to finish before I get to it), but I did get to both JLA and Katana tonight, so I will review them briefly.
Justice League of America #3 - This was probably the best issue of JLA to date. Last issue we had a cliffhanger where what appeared to be Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman of the Justice League (without the "A") were on the point of attacking the JLA. In this issue, we discover these were robots, and the JLA handles them. They can't find any other sign of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, who own the robots, and they still don't know what the SSSV is up to. Therefore, because no one yet knows that Catwoman has reformed, they have her commit some pretend crimes and get thrown into Arkham Asylum to attract the SSSV's interest. This happens by the end of the book, and Catwoman is left tied to a chair in the SSSV base.
This story was interesting and suspenseful. I thought Selina Kyle (Catwoman) was characterized fairly well (she is a hard character to write, and up to now only Devin Grayson in the late 90s had really done her justice). The business about Green Arrow still being rejected from the team and trying to get on it is extremely wearisome, however, especially since we already know that he is going to end up on this team. Why drag it out? It's rather pointless. On the other hand I've already become a huge fan of Star Girl (not a character with whom I am very familiar) so far. She's a great example of how one can do a teenage superhero without making her brooding, moody, and irresponsible. Star Girl is a good girl, and is looked up to by just about everyone. Which I find refreshing for a change, with a teenage character. I hope they keep this up and don't ruin her. Rating: 8/10.
Katana #4 - Katana's sword was broken by Killer Croc last issue. This month, the souls "taken in" by the sword (with each kill) leak out and start interacting with the world. The Creeper is freed and looks around for a body to possess. Katana's husband chides her for not moving on after his death. Other souls flee the area. A dragon spirit leads Killer Croc somewhere. Katana waits tables and looks for a substitute sword. Her mentor tells her to find a great blacksmith in Japan and have him re-forge it. And then Creeper shows up again and battles her, because he's afraid that if the sword is re-forged, it will trap him again.
This series has had an insane number of ups and downs for one that is only four issues long. The first two issues were mediocre but passable. Issue 3 was exciting and definitely made me think I was going to add this series to my pull list. Now issue 4 comes along and... wow... this is one of the worst comic-books I've ever read. The art was indecipherable. In many panels I had to look and look and I still could not figure out what is going on. The dialogue is equally confusing. The story goes in four or five directions at once, none of which make any sense. I normally like Ann Nocenti, and up until now the series was at least passable, but this issue was inexcusably bad. The creative team has one issue to turn it around, or I'm done.
Not that I think it matters. I keep track of my "pull list" on Comixology, and they tell you there how many pulls each title has. Now, this isn't a statistical sample by any means, and we don't know how many people even use the service. But when I see 2,000+ pulls for JLA this week and Earth-2 last week, and less than 400 pulls for Katana this week, that's really telling me something. I would bet this series will not make it past issue 10 at this point. And it certainly won't if the team keeps turning out raw sewage like they did this month. Rating: 4/10. (And that's being generous.)
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
New Comic-book Night 4/24 - and some older ones too
For this week's NCN, I knew that Katana 3 was finally coming out (I've grumbled about that for the last two weeks, since it was supposed to come out much earlier this month). There is still no sign of JLA 3, which should have come out last week. This is the last week of April comics, and I had some money left in my "entertainment" budget, so I decided to pick up some back-issues while I was in the shop.
Knowing I had the trade paperback Supergirl: Identity on order (along with some Supergirl/LSH and LSH trades), my first impulse was to pick up some more Girl of Steel literature. I already have (and have read) the first two trades from Supergirl series 3 ("Power," which covers issues 0-5, and "Candor," which covers issues 6-9 plus other stuff). Identity covers issues 10-19. Next on the TPB list is Beyond Good and Evil, which covers issues 23-27. Sharp-eyed readers will notice this leaves a gap -- issues 20, 21, and 22 do not seem to be reprinted in any TPB that I could discover. Therefore, I needed to buy those issues individually. The shop had all three for a slightly unreasonable price, but I bought them anyway. I could easily beat the $3.50 price per issue by shopping online, at a place like Lone Star Comics, but the shipping would eat up any savings. So I picked those up. Once I get Identity, I will have all the Supergirl series 3 stories from issue 0 through issue 22 (which is about 1/3 of the 67-issue series). I will also have all 20 or so issues of LSH in which Supergirl appeared, and the Superman/Batman trade paperback that rebooted her. Not bad for a few months' work.
I still had more than enough money to buy Beyond Good and Evil, but instead, I surprised myself by going in a totally different direction. The comic shop still had out in the "current" area (i.e., not bagged up as back-issues), the previous 5 issues of the Marvel Now! version of Captain America, and issue 6 was on the "last week" shelf. Other than trying, and quickly discarding, Avengers Assemble after reading the first four, badly written, issues back in December, I have not touched a Marvel comic in probably 20 years. I gave up on Marvel in the early 1990s after getting utterly fed up with the whole "mutant thing" (which is a topic for another day). But I've always had a special place in my heart for Cap, who is my favorite Marvel character and is second only to Supergirl on my all-time favorites list.
As I say, it's been a long time, and I have no idea what has been happening with Captain America. Well, that's not completely true. I've heard some things -- like he was killed, and then came back. (I am so shocked at that!) I toyed with this series when it first came out (I believe issue 1 came out right around the time I returned to collecting comics) but in addition to being a Marvel title, I was hesitant to buy anything penciled by John Romita. I have never liked his work since I first saw it way back in the 170s of the original X-Men series.
On the other hand, I've read plenty of other comics with good stories and poor (or even hideous) art. Recent examples include the New 52 Wonder Woman (Chiang is good but Akins is horrible), and Supergirl (As I noted in my first article about that series, Asrar's art has its moments but is really not my cup of tea). And perhaps the best example of all time is the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, which for 22 of 23 issues was nauseatingly drawn by Carmine Infantino, who in several panels each issue managed the seemingly-impossible task of making Kara Zor-El look ugly. If I could put up with all that on behalf of other characters I love, I suppose I can stomach Romita's art if it's the price of reading good Cap stories.
Of course, whether these stories are any good or not remains to be seen. I haven't read them yet. I'll certainly be reporting on them in the future.
A couple of things I have already noticed, however. I like DC's cover and inside paper better than Marvel's (DC's is smoother and shinier looking). On the other hand, I absolutely love that I get full access to the digital version of the comic by buying the paper version -- at no extra charge! DC wants to charge me an extra buck for that. No thanks. I really like that Marvel doesn't force me to choose formats. I buy the comic, and it gets me the right to both formats. That is as it should be. It's a nice little "thank you" to the fans for our support, and I have to give that one to Marvel. The other thing I noticed (though I haven't read them yet) is that Captain America has a letter column! This is what I've been telling DC to do for months. I'm looking forward to being able to read the letters.
A couple of final notes: There are some brand new "New 52" versions of DC Covergirl statues coming out for Batgirl and Supergirl!
Batgirl:
Supergirl:
These gorgeous 10" statues are due out in Sept/Oct of this year, so reserve your copy today!
Finally, if you like Gail Simone, her Red Sonja series is due out in July. My comic shop is already letting people add it to their pull list, so if you want a copy of issue #1, reserve it today at your local shop!
Knowing I had the trade paperback Supergirl: Identity on order (along with some Supergirl/LSH and LSH trades), my first impulse was to pick up some more Girl of Steel literature. I already have (and have read) the first two trades from Supergirl series 3 ("Power," which covers issues 0-5, and "Candor," which covers issues 6-9 plus other stuff). Identity covers issues 10-19. Next on the TPB list is Beyond Good and Evil, which covers issues 23-27. Sharp-eyed readers will notice this leaves a gap -- issues 20, 21, and 22 do not seem to be reprinted in any TPB that I could discover. Therefore, I needed to buy those issues individually. The shop had all three for a slightly unreasonable price, but I bought them anyway. I could easily beat the $3.50 price per issue by shopping online, at a place like Lone Star Comics, but the shipping would eat up any savings. So I picked those up. Once I get Identity, I will have all the Supergirl series 3 stories from issue 0 through issue 22 (which is about 1/3 of the 67-issue series). I will also have all 20 or so issues of LSH in which Supergirl appeared, and the Superman/Batman trade paperback that rebooted her. Not bad for a few months' work.
I still had more than enough money to buy Beyond Good and Evil, but instead, I surprised myself by going in a totally different direction. The comic shop still had out in the "current" area (i.e., not bagged up as back-issues), the previous 5 issues of the Marvel Now! version of Captain America, and issue 6 was on the "last week" shelf. Other than trying, and quickly discarding, Avengers Assemble after reading the first four, badly written, issues back in December, I have not touched a Marvel comic in probably 20 years. I gave up on Marvel in the early 1990s after getting utterly fed up with the whole "mutant thing" (which is a topic for another day). But I've always had a special place in my heart for Cap, who is my favorite Marvel character and is second only to Supergirl on my all-time favorites list.
As I say, it's been a long time, and I have no idea what has been happening with Captain America. Well, that's not completely true. I've heard some things -- like he was killed, and then came back. (I am so shocked at that!) I toyed with this series when it first came out (I believe issue 1 came out right around the time I returned to collecting comics) but in addition to being a Marvel title, I was hesitant to buy anything penciled by John Romita. I have never liked his work since I first saw it way back in the 170s of the original X-Men series.
On the other hand, I've read plenty of other comics with good stories and poor (or even hideous) art. Recent examples include the New 52 Wonder Woman (Chiang is good but Akins is horrible), and Supergirl (As I noted in my first article about that series, Asrar's art has its moments but is really not my cup of tea). And perhaps the best example of all time is the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, which for 22 of 23 issues was nauseatingly drawn by Carmine Infantino, who in several panels each issue managed the seemingly-impossible task of making Kara Zor-El look ugly. If I could put up with all that on behalf of other characters I love, I suppose I can stomach Romita's art if it's the price of reading good Cap stories.
Of course, whether these stories are any good or not remains to be seen. I haven't read them yet. I'll certainly be reporting on them in the future.
A couple of things I have already noticed, however. I like DC's cover and inside paper better than Marvel's (DC's is smoother and shinier looking). On the other hand, I absolutely love that I get full access to the digital version of the comic by buying the paper version -- at no extra charge! DC wants to charge me an extra buck for that. No thanks. I really like that Marvel doesn't force me to choose formats. I buy the comic, and it gets me the right to both formats. That is as it should be. It's a nice little "thank you" to the fans for our support, and I have to give that one to Marvel. The other thing I noticed (though I haven't read them yet) is that Captain America has a letter column! This is what I've been telling DC to do for months. I'm looking forward to being able to read the letters.
A couple of final notes: There are some brand new "New 52" versions of DC Covergirl statues coming out for Batgirl and Supergirl!
Batgirl:
Supergirl:
These gorgeous 10" statues are due out in Sept/Oct of this year, so reserve your copy today!
Finally, if you like Gail Simone, her Red Sonja series is due out in July. My comic shop is already letting people add it to their pull list, so if you want a copy of issue #1, reserve it today at your local shop!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
New Comic-book Night - 4/17
It's Wednesday, and that means it's New Comic-book Night. Once again, one of the comics that normally comes out this week (JLA) did not (I'm not clear on why that is), and Katana is still delayed (it's coming out next week apparently). But two of the three titles that I actually have on my comic-shop's pull list did come out today: Supergirl 19 and Justice League 19. I picked them up late this afternoon, and I've already read both.
These two latest installments have been a definite improvement over the recent issues of these titles.
Supergirl 19 - The Supergirl series has been in the absolute toilet since #13, first with the cringe-worthy H'el on Earth crossover into the other S-family books (#14-17), and then with the highly questionable "aftermath" issue, written in obvious haste (and without any coherence) by a fill-in writer. It's truly a shame that Mike Johnson is leaving Supergirl after this issue, and that he wasn't allowed to write the stories he wanted to for the last half-year. This issue is the best since #13, and shows just how good this book could have been if it hadn't been for the H'el crossover. It's a shame after starting up this new story-line that Mike will not finish it. Also, the way the book ends, leaves no doubt in my mind that Mike was basically forced off the book. If he was leaving voluntarily, surely he would have planned an "ending" to wrap things up instead of starting a new story arc and then leaving one issue into it. That said, Supergirl 19 is well worth a read. This series, despite being about Supergirl, was hovering on the brink of being yanked from my pull list (an event that should be unthinkable -- heck it should violate the laws of nature). That's how bad it had gotten. Issue 19 redeemed it (and convinced me that all the "bad" in the last few issues happened because people other than Mike Johnson were calling the shots). I'll be around for a few more months at least, to see what the new writer does with it.
Justice League 19 - JL has had its ups and downs. The first story arc was incredibly strong for five issues and then fizzled at the end (with a very disappointing treatment of Darkseid). This then started to become a pattern, with each story arc building up well and then coming to an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion without a real climax. The most recent of these was the Throne of Atlantis crossover with Aquaman. Then we were treated to an issue 18 story that was all over the place, and honestly between that and Throne, I was starting to question Geoff Johns' writing (which had, up until JL #14, been quite strong with the exception of those pesky climaxes). Issue 19 redeemed Johns as well here. He did a good job with the story. This issue is probably a lead-in to yet another crossover (Trinity War), which is set to consume the Justice League family of titles this summer. I can only sigh. Enough with the crossovers. This one seems like it may be interesting at least (much more so than Throne). However, Johns needs to work on his conclusions/climaxes or this is going to be just one more disappointment.
Overall, I was fairly happy with both books. Although neither is a 10 out of 10, we've at least been able to move up out of the 6s and 7s (or worse) that these titles have been hovering in over the last few months.
These two latest installments have been a definite improvement over the recent issues of these titles.
Supergirl 19 - The Supergirl series has been in the absolute toilet since #13, first with the cringe-worthy H'el on Earth crossover into the other S-family books (#14-17), and then with the highly questionable "aftermath" issue, written in obvious haste (and without any coherence) by a fill-in writer. It's truly a shame that Mike Johnson is leaving Supergirl after this issue, and that he wasn't allowed to write the stories he wanted to for the last half-year. This issue is the best since #13, and shows just how good this book could have been if it hadn't been for the H'el crossover. It's a shame after starting up this new story-line that Mike will not finish it. Also, the way the book ends, leaves no doubt in my mind that Mike was basically forced off the book. If he was leaving voluntarily, surely he would have planned an "ending" to wrap things up instead of starting a new story arc and then leaving one issue into it. That said, Supergirl 19 is well worth a read. This series, despite being about Supergirl, was hovering on the brink of being yanked from my pull list (an event that should be unthinkable -- heck it should violate the laws of nature). That's how bad it had gotten. Issue 19 redeemed it (and convinced me that all the "bad" in the last few issues happened because people other than Mike Johnson were calling the shots). I'll be around for a few more months at least, to see what the new writer does with it.
Justice League 19 - JL has had its ups and downs. The first story arc was incredibly strong for five issues and then fizzled at the end (with a very disappointing treatment of Darkseid). This then started to become a pattern, with each story arc building up well and then coming to an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion without a real climax. The most recent of these was the Throne of Atlantis crossover with Aquaman. Then we were treated to an issue 18 story that was all over the place, and honestly between that and Throne, I was starting to question Geoff Johns' writing (which had, up until JL #14, been quite strong with the exception of those pesky climaxes). Issue 19 redeemed Johns as well here. He did a good job with the story. This issue is probably a lead-in to yet another crossover (Trinity War), which is set to consume the Justice League family of titles this summer. I can only sigh. Enough with the crossovers. This one seems like it may be interesting at least (much more so than Throne). However, Johns needs to work on his conclusions/climaxes or this is going to be just one more disappointment.
Overall, I was fairly happy with both books. Although neither is a 10 out of 10, we've at least been able to move up out of the 6s and 7s (or worse) that these titles have been hovering in over the last few months.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
New Comic-book Night - 4/10/13
It's New Comic-book Night once again... and this week, I finally have a new comic to actually buy (most of the comics I buy are digital, so I don't need to buy them on "the night" or go to the comic shop). Actually, I had expected two comics tonight -- Batgirl 19 and Katana 3, but for some reason, Katana was not published this week. Either it was delayed, or the poor thing has been canceled already (not an unprecedented move for +DC Comics these days). On the other hand, I saw a solicit for Katana 6, so my guess is, there was just some sort of delay, or perhaps +DC Comics decided to change the publication week to match JLA and the other JLA-based books like Vibe.
In any case, that means the only new book for me to get on NCN this week was Batgirl. I haven't read it yet, but I'm already ecstatic, because Gail Simone is back! This means Batgirl will probably return to the top of my favorite comics list, since it has suffered badly in the 2 months Gail was gone. Note to DC: Gail Simone is Batgirl. Do not take her off this book, ever again. If I were running things, whoever fired Gail would have been fired instead.
Along with Batgirl 19, I also picked up two more trade paperbacks involving Supergirl's 3rd incarnation (the second version of Kara Zor-El) -- Supergirl and The Legion of Superheroes. The two TPBs the comic shop had were "Adult Education" (the second of four trades starring the Girl of Steel in the 31st century) and "Dominator War."
One TPB remains ("Quest for Cosmic Boy") but my comic shop did not have it, so that will have to be ordered at some point. Following this, there are two more TPBs of this version of the Legion, which I will also have to order, since the comic shop has very little "Legionalia."
What I really wanted to pick up tonight was Supergirl: Identity, which is the third TPB in the third Supergirl series. Unfortunately, that seems to have sold out not only of my comic shop (and it was there three weeks ago -- ARGH!), but also of everywhere else for some reason. I'm not sure why there is suddenly a "run" on that particular TPB, but I may have to wait a while before I can continue collecting that series -- or else try to buy the individual comics, which are issues 10-19 of that series. It's an option (they are not that expensive), but I'm really trying to stick with TPBs this time around (I would have for the Peter David series but there really aren't any TPB versions of that one).
Well, that's it for NCN this week. Next week there should be three or four new titles to pick up (JLA, JL, Supergirl, and possibly Katana).
In any case, that means the only new book for me to get on NCN this week was Batgirl. I haven't read it yet, but I'm already ecstatic, because Gail Simone is back! This means Batgirl will probably return to the top of my favorite comics list, since it has suffered badly in the 2 months Gail was gone. Note to DC: Gail Simone is Batgirl. Do not take her off this book, ever again. If I were running things, whoever fired Gail would have been fired instead.
Along with Batgirl 19, I also picked up two more trade paperbacks involving Supergirl's 3rd incarnation (the second version of Kara Zor-El) -- Supergirl and The Legion of Superheroes. The two TPBs the comic shop had were "Adult Education" (the second of four trades starring the Girl of Steel in the 31st century) and "Dominator War."
One TPB remains ("Quest for Cosmic Boy") but my comic shop did not have it, so that will have to be ordered at some point. Following this, there are two more TPBs of this version of the Legion, which I will also have to order, since the comic shop has very little "Legionalia."
What I really wanted to pick up tonight was Supergirl: Identity, which is the third TPB in the third Supergirl series. Unfortunately, that seems to have sold out not only of my comic shop (and it was there three weeks ago -- ARGH!), but also of everywhere else for some reason. I'm not sure why there is suddenly a "run" on that particular TPB, but I may have to wait a while before I can continue collecting that series -- or else try to buy the individual comics, which are issues 10-19 of that series. It's an option (they are not that expensive), but I'm really trying to stick with TPBs this time around (I would have for the Peter David series but there really aren't any TPB versions of that one).
Well, that's it for NCN this week. Next week there should be three or four new titles to pick up (JLA, JL, Supergirl, and possibly Katana).
Thursday, March 14, 2013
New Comic-book Night - 3/13/13
It is once again New Comic-book Night. For 2-3 weeks each month, NCN doesn't require me to visit the comic shop, because either nothing I collect comes out that week, or else I buy the issues digitally. However, twice each month (usually weeks 2 and 3, although it can be weeks 3 and 4 in a month with 5 Wednesdays), I actually purchase new print comics on NCN. Yesterday was one such Wednesday.
Also, in the past, I have been using NCN to pick up print copies of the third Supergirl series (Peter David's series about the Matrix Supergirl). With my recent completion of that collection, I had no individual back issues to purchase. However, I have begun collecting another Supergirl series -- series four, which ran for 67 issues from 2005 to 2011.
Unlike the previous Supergirl series, series four was published during this modern era of "trade paperbacks," in which a series consists of story arcs lasting 5-8 issues (on average), and those story arcs are then re-printed a year or so later as a single paper-bound volume (the "trade paperback" or TPB).
In many cases, buying TPBs is the most efficient way to read older stories. The TPBs are often more readily available than individual back-issues, and are frequently much less expensive. For example, a single near-mint copy of Superman/Batman 19 (which is the launch story for the fourth Supergirl series, then continued in Supergirl 1) can cost upwards of $8 on its own, while Supergirl 1-5 cost $4, $3, $3, $2.50, and $2.50 respectively, or $23 total. On the other hand, the TPB of Superman/Batman 19 plus issues 1-5 of Supergirl costs only $14.95. TPBs also save lots of space and are much easier to keep in good condition (because of their firm spines and their more durable covers). Therefore, at least for this first story arc, I went with the TPB instead of the individual issues.
And so, for NCN this week, I bought two new comics - Batgirl 18 and Katana 2 - and one TPB - Supergirl: Power.
I've already read the two single issues. Katana 2 was interesting. The art is a bit questionable in this series -- perhaps it's the inker's fault, but most of the panels look like they could use some additional "finishing." The story is fairly good and has me curious about what is coming next. I haven't decided to add this series to my long-term pull list just yet, but it's getting close.
Batgirl 18 was a decent issue, but the writing is decidedly inferior to Gail Simone's. I'm hoping Gail will be back for issue 19, because this series loses a lot without her unique voice behind Batgirl. The other problem with the Batgirl series is the need for it to regain its own path and identity. Batgirl has been leading into, participating in, or leading out of, cross-family storylines for 6 months now -- #0 is the last issue that has been just a Batgirl story. It's enough already. Let's get back to some real stories focusing just on Barbara and her supporting characters. For instance, we haven't even seen her room-mate in three or four months. Again, I think this will be fixed once Gail returns -- at least, I hope so.
I've also gotten about 2/3 of the way through the Supergirl: Power book. Although the overall plot is interesting, the writing is juvenile. The way all the superheroes just blindly attack not only Supergirl but even their friends without stopping to talk is simply absurd. I might, perhaps, be able to understand the "punch first and ask questions later" mentality when they go after a villain, especially a known villain like the Joker or Lex Luthor. But to behave that way with a girl you've never met but whom you have every reason to believe is a hero (and Superman's relative to boot) makes no sense. And to do it to your own fellow team mates (as the Teen Titans do to Superboy in this story) is simply inexcusable, no matter what they think about his powers being "out of control."
I'm honestly rather surprised by this story arc, because I thought Loeb's writing was quite good in the Superman/Batman: Supergirl storyline that re-introduced Kara to the world. But the "Power" story arc is written like the kinds of stories I dreamed up when I was 10 (with lots of silly fights between heroes for no reason other than to just have fights). Hopefully the last 2 stories in the TPB will be an improvement.
Also, in the past, I have been using NCN to pick up print copies of the third Supergirl series (Peter David's series about the Matrix Supergirl). With my recent completion of that collection, I had no individual back issues to purchase. However, I have begun collecting another Supergirl series -- series four, which ran for 67 issues from 2005 to 2011.
Unlike the previous Supergirl series, series four was published during this modern era of "trade paperbacks," in which a series consists of story arcs lasting 5-8 issues (on average), and those story arcs are then re-printed a year or so later as a single paper-bound volume (the "trade paperback" or TPB).
In many cases, buying TPBs is the most efficient way to read older stories. The TPBs are often more readily available than individual back-issues, and are frequently much less expensive. For example, a single near-mint copy of Superman/Batman 19 (which is the launch story for the fourth Supergirl series, then continued in Supergirl 1) can cost upwards of $8 on its own, while Supergirl 1-5 cost $4, $3, $3, $2.50, and $2.50 respectively, or $23 total. On the other hand, the TPB of Superman/Batman 19 plus issues 1-5 of Supergirl costs only $14.95. TPBs also save lots of space and are much easier to keep in good condition (because of their firm spines and their more durable covers). Therefore, at least for this first story arc, I went with the TPB instead of the individual issues.
And so, for NCN this week, I bought two new comics - Batgirl 18 and Katana 2 - and one TPB - Supergirl: Power.
I've already read the two single issues. Katana 2 was interesting. The art is a bit questionable in this series -- perhaps it's the inker's fault, but most of the panels look like they could use some additional "finishing." The story is fairly good and has me curious about what is coming next. I haven't decided to add this series to my long-term pull list just yet, but it's getting close.
Batgirl 18 was a decent issue, but the writing is decidedly inferior to Gail Simone's. I'm hoping Gail will be back for issue 19, because this series loses a lot without her unique voice behind Batgirl. The other problem with the Batgirl series is the need for it to regain its own path and identity. Batgirl has been leading into, participating in, or leading out of, cross-family storylines for 6 months now -- #0 is the last issue that has been just a Batgirl story. It's enough already. Let's get back to some real stories focusing just on Barbara and her supporting characters. For instance, we haven't even seen her room-mate in three or four months. Again, I think this will be fixed once Gail returns -- at least, I hope so.
I've also gotten about 2/3 of the way through the Supergirl: Power book. Although the overall plot is interesting, the writing is juvenile. The way all the superheroes just blindly attack not only Supergirl but even their friends without stopping to talk is simply absurd. I might, perhaps, be able to understand the "punch first and ask questions later" mentality when they go after a villain, especially a known villain like the Joker or Lex Luthor. But to behave that way with a girl you've never met but whom you have every reason to believe is a hero (and Superman's relative to boot) makes no sense. And to do it to your own fellow team mates (as the Teen Titans do to Superboy in this story) is simply inexcusable, no matter what they think about his powers being "out of control."
I'm honestly rather surprised by this story arc, because I thought Loeb's writing was quite good in the Superman/Batman: Supergirl storyline that re-introduced Kara to the world. But the "Power" story arc is written like the kinds of stories I dreamed up when I was 10 (with lots of silly fights between heroes for no reason other than to just have fights). Hopefully the last 2 stories in the TPB will be an improvement.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
New Comic-book Night - 2/13/13
Once again, it is New Comic-book Night (or NCN, for short). For the last couple of weeks, I have only purchased back-issues of the older "Matrix" Supergirl series, because I did not need any of the new releases on those weeks. It's not that I didn't want to read any of the comics that came out over the last two weeks, but rather, I mostly read digital comics now, and those can be bought any time. I'm still frantically trying to catch up on most of the New 52 series from +DC Comics, having gotten current so far with only four (Batgirl, Supergirl, Superman, and Justice League), and one of those (Superman) is about to get the hook. For most of the other titles I collect, I am many months behind, still (for example, I just read Wonder Woman #10, and #17 is about to come out this month).
However, there are a few titles that I want to collect "on paper," for various reasons I shall not discuss here. Those include one that came out this week, Batgirl. Indeed, Batgirl is on my pull list at my comic shop (one of only three titles to earn that distinction, the other two being Supergirl and Justice League). Also this month, the new JLA title is being launched (but it's not out yet), and one of the new series affiliated with it is Katana, debuting at #1 this month. I don't know much about Katana as a character, but I tend to like Samurais, and I will be picking up JLA for the first few months, at least, to see how it is going, so I thought I'd give Katana a try. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know if I will like it or not.
Along with those two new comics, I also picked up a few more "matrix" Supergirl issues -- 61, 65, 67, 70, and 71. Now, before tonight, I did not have any issues of that series past 60, so you might be wondering why I didn't continue to move up in chronological order. Well, I wanted to, of course. But my comic-shop was missing most of the 60s. The three I purchased were the only ones they had. They're also missing about half of the 70s as well, so I am going to have to do a lot of mail-ordering to complete the series.
I noticed with some dismay that Gail Simone did not write Batgirl #17. I wonder if this issue was written during the brief period after she was fired, but before she was re-hired. It wouldn't be surprising to have one such issue, but I'm a bit befuddled that it would come out so quickly. They fired Gail in early December, and this is only two months later. I always thought comic-books had a longer lead time (3-4 months from scripting to publication). But maybe these days they are not so far ahead as they used to be. They did re-hire her, so hopefully Gail will be back by #18.
However, there are a few titles that I want to collect "on paper," for various reasons I shall not discuss here. Those include one that came out this week, Batgirl. Indeed, Batgirl is on my pull list at my comic shop (one of only three titles to earn that distinction, the other two being Supergirl and Justice League). Also this month, the new JLA title is being launched (but it's not out yet), and one of the new series affiliated with it is Katana, debuting at #1 this month. I don't know much about Katana as a character, but I tend to like Samurais, and I will be picking up JLA for the first few months, at least, to see how it is going, so I thought I'd give Katana a try. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know if I will like it or not.
Along with those two new comics, I also picked up a few more "matrix" Supergirl issues -- 61, 65, 67, 70, and 71. Now, before tonight, I did not have any issues of that series past 60, so you might be wondering why I didn't continue to move up in chronological order. Well, I wanted to, of course. But my comic-shop was missing most of the 60s. The three I purchased were the only ones they had. They're also missing about half of the 70s as well, so I am going to have to do a lot of mail-ordering to complete the series.
I noticed with some dismay that Gail Simone did not write Batgirl #17. I wonder if this issue was written during the brief period after she was fired, but before she was re-hired. It wouldn't be surprising to have one such issue, but I'm a bit befuddled that it would come out so quickly. They fired Gail in early December, and this is only two months later. I always thought comic-books had a longer lead time (3-4 months from scripting to publication). But maybe these days they are not so far ahead as they used to be. They did re-hire her, so hopefully Gail will be back by #18.
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