Dirty-Blonde and Nerdy

Thought Collage

2011-06-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

Slow summer months? Just throw some stuff together. Have a potluck.

*~* Fall can’t get here fast enough. Over 100-degree weather aside, it’s strange being invested in shows that are still broadcasting new episodes. And I mean really being invested, not the oh-yeah-American-Idol-is-on-tonight or might-watch-this-CSI-episode deal.

Doctor Who aside (still side-eyeing you hard, Moffat) I’ve recently been moored to ABC’s Castle. Brilliant, witty writing, superb acting, and, c’mon, a show about a writer following a New York detective around on murder cases? That’s like inspiration candy corn. Eat it ‘til you’re sick of it. Doesn’t hurt that Nathan Fillion stars, but his co-star Stana Katic (that is such a cool name) holds her own and almost steals the show. The chemistry between the two of them pops beautifully and my only regret is that Netflix doesn’t have the first two seasons on instant watch. Waiting for the DVDs is so tedious, and I really want to get through season three before season four starts in September.

*~*So. DC’s latest relaunch. Big news. Yeah.

I’ll keep my eye on it.

*~*The Avatar: The Last Airbender spin-off Legend of Korra seems to have been pushed back for release in mid-2012. Ah well. It’s slated for 26 episodes now instead of the original 12 so that’s a plus well worth the wait.

Few shows of good quality come out of Nickelodeon (read: anywhere) anymore, but I’ve got faith in the Avatar: TLA creators to continue telling quality stories with their creation. Still very excited for this new series!

*~*One of these days I’m going to sit down and spill my heart out about the direction the Star Wars Expanded Universe has gone. Right now it’s all a jumble of ~feelings~ and keyboard smashing. Characterization askew. Eyebrow-raising plotlines. Why couldn’t Timothy Zahn just, you know, write them all? (Obviously because the man has his own personal projects; I know that. I’m just sayin’.)

*~* Star Wars: Legacy so far has been an interesting read. Mostly because I wonder why they decided to tie themselves down in order to line up the unwritten history that lead to the events in Legacy. And, really, what is this gigantic mess they’ve made of the GFFA (‘Galaxy far, far away’ for anyone who doesn’t know)? No one wants a smooth-sailing, flowers and rainbows happy ending, but really? I dunno; I’ll just have to keep reading and see what they really got going here because so far Cade Skywalker does not impress me at all.

No Doctor Who Until 2013--and some Star Wars

2011-06-15T18:00:00.001-05:00

No full season of Doctor Who next year, anyway. Interesting tidbit. A lot of the fans are going berserk. Well, according to my Tumblr dashboard anyway. It’s cute.

While I’m not entirely for this, it’s better than getting nothing next year. Besides, I can pass the time by watching The X-files. And, most importantly, it gives the DW team the time and, hopefully, the money to make the 50^th anniversary a spectacular addition to Doctor Who’s long history. No stops, guys; I’m waiting to be impressed.

In quasi-Doctor Who related news, apparently Mathew Graham, writer of the second season episode Fear Her and the recent two-parter The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People, has reportedly worked on what we assume is the live-action Star Wars series Lucasfilm has had simmering on the backburner. This isn’t exactly bad news since Graham’s two-parter was marginally better than I had expected (that creature thing at the end scared the hell out of me) but I’m hardly thrilled.

Well, I’m not thrilled about a SW live-action series either. I’ve not given Clone Wars a chance. Yet, I suppose. But I’m willing to keep a close eye on this live-action series as it develops further. Maybe we’ll get a good show out of this, maybe not.

I've heard good things about Graham's television series Life on Mars (the British version) and we've yet to hear who else was on this team of writers for what has been written of these scripts, so, as Palpatine said, we will watch your development with great interest, live-action series. Hopefully you stay clear of the Dark Side.

Doctor Who season 6 part 1

2011-06-09T14:21:00.001-05:00

It’s been nearly a week since the infamous break in the sixth season of Doctor Who, so now’s as good a time as any to finally set my thoughts down regarding the head writer, Steven Moffat. Oh, and talk about the stuff that went down too.

First off, the man’s a troll. You can’t get past that. He’s loving every single moment watching the fans flail and trip over themselves speculating. I’m not the one causing it and I’m even enjoying watching the fireworks. Were I in Moffat’s position, I’d be eating it all up like candy at Christmas. I can’t and won’t blame him for the mostly free amusement.

His writing, however, I’ve refrained from talking about, save to the few RL people who are writers such as myself, mostly because I don’t speculate. Not openly. I watch for facts and see what theories are cooking with the fans, and I formulate a general opinion of how, not where, I believe a writer will go. For a long time I’ve figured Steven Moffat is the type of writer who will never place all his plot cards on the table at any given moment. He will drag certain points as long as he deems necessary, and then pleasantly smack the table hard enough to startle everyone. Hence why it’s taken close to three years before we knew who River Song was.

And we can’t really say that Moffat hasn’t known, in some form, since her first arrival in the library in season four, with David Tennant’s Doctor. It’s a known fact that Alex Kingston has been in the know regarding River as far back as then. Whether the ultimate fact remained the same is questionable because ideas change as stories progress, but I think it’s safe to say that it never changed drastically.

Moffat’s flash-and-bang style storytelling isn’t my preferred style; in fact, I’ve complained about it many times. I’m not saying I think Russell T. Davies is a better writer either. Some of his plots were undoubtedly questionable, but he always had character emotion to fall back on. Moffat does now, especially with Neil Giaman’s episode, The Doctor’s Wife, hands down best episode of both seasons five and six in my opinion. And with A Good Man Goes to War, even with all its disjointed and jarring execution.

Point is, I honestly think Steven Moffat knows where he wants to end up. Generally, at least. Nothing he’s done has been as random as it appears. Mostly. He has a vision, which I respect if nothing else. Though I fear that in the end his stories fall flat of the hype he builds beforehand. See The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon. But those stories obviously aren’t done anyway. Picture thick threads that went woven together will form a rope. Tie some threads together and they’ve still not completed the whole picture yet.

Am I looking forward to the rest of season six? Yeah, of course. Chomping at the bit isn’t happening, but yeah. I’m not going to speculate over it. No, I find just sitting back and watching a more interesting and far less stressful experience.

Let’s just say I’m keeping some of my own cards close when it comes to this season, this writer. For now.

Bloody Pirates!

2011-05-23T20:40:00.000-05:00

Last time I talked about pirates was when Bruce Wayne had that God-awful beard on the 3^rd cover of Return of Bruce Wayne. But this time, as this blog is branching out into all venues of nerdiness, I’m stepping away from bat-beards and into Disney’s latest addition to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

On Stranger Tides firstly panders to the enlarging mass of 3D filming. Not the best way to start, but the 3D didn’t affect any of my regular movie-watching experience.

I don’t want to give anything specific away as far as storyline but to say that it starts a bit slow at first to reestablish the story, especially since we have a crew of brand new characters aboard. By the time the ball starts rolling, however, you’re all set for the ensuing ride.

Obviously this film does not include Will and Elizabeth, the finally wedded love interest of the first three movies. This is a good thing. A very good thing. Their story is done. Kaput. To bring them back would have bogged the movie down tremendously. Plus I don’t think Bloom or Knightley would have come back anyway, I don’t know.

Johnny Depp hasn’t lost his touch with the notorious pirate captain: Jack is still wonderfully Jack, and this movie only further reaffirms my choice in adding Captain Jack Sparrow to my very short list of Most Favorite Fictional Characters Ever (which might make for an interesting topic). Penelope Cruz’s character, the fiery Angelica, was a great and colorful addition, throwing a bit of insight into Jack’s off-screen past. Her character certainly has room for more development in what was hinted could become another movie. And, of course, Geoffrey Rush returns as the hilarious yet deadly Hector Barbossa.

Curse of the Black Pearl still remains my favorite of the set, but each one, On Stranger Tides included, follow so closely behind that it’s barely a competition at all.

It’s an amazing relief that a franchise of movies is keeping up with its foundation of good storytelling and dazzling—yet not sparkling—array of characters. I had my doubts about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides when it was first announced, worried that maybe this time they’d slip up on the quality of the movie, but now I’m pretty sure, on the off-chance they make a 5^th one, I know I don’t have to worry a bit.

Yo ho, it’s definitely a pirate’s life for me

Like a Dog Chasin' It's Tail

2011-05-16T16:26:00.003-05:00

In some ways I can’t believe how long it’s been since updating here. Mostly, though, I can. When I began this blog, it was in the middle of a personal rough patch. Now, however, I’ve never been as certain as I am.

So let’s get rolling again.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A lot has transpired these months. I’ve ploughed through more fandoms in the past eight months than I have my entire life. Funnily enough, it eventually came full-circle, right back into what I adored in the beginning.

Science Fiction.

I’m not just talking alien invaders, flying cars, robots, laser weapons, moon bases and space ships. But also time travel, hidden dimensions, plausible advanced technology, parallel worlds, and the delicate intricacies of interstellar politics. The guts of humanity tackling only what the imagination could conjure. The whole gambit.

Other nerdy things have my love too, though. Disney reeled me back in with the brilliantly done Tangled, info on the Batfamily still intrigues me, owning the Wolf’s Rain complete series boxset would be great, Smallville ending saddens me for unknown reason since never watched the show, Shakespearean Tragedies (except Romeo and Juliet) and Comedies are my favorite, the Harry Potter series was a better read than I anticipated, and ninjas and pirates are still cool.

But there’s something about Science Fiction I can’t escape. Especially parallel worlds. Total sucker for parallel worlds and alternate universes. That’s why Fringe finally got my attention, and why DC’s Crime Syndicate is the most fascinating aspect of their comics in my opinion. Polar opposites. Gotta love it.

For a while I dismissed Sci-Fi (Sci-Fi, not Sy-Fy, thanks) after I figured I was “too old” for Star Wars, my very first nerdy obsession. Then I got caught up in anime, which is “more mature” how I will never know. I was such a silly young person.

What’s my overall point here? Self-imposed rules. Hang ‘em. Why focus just on one thing you really love anyway?

So things are—hopefully—about to get much more interesting around here. I hope someone’s stuck around to see it.

This also means I’ll need a new header.

It’s good to be back.

Dear Life,

2010-08-26T11:54:00.002-05:00

Quit slapping me around for two seconds so I can slap you back, kthnx.

In the same news, I’ve been absent for a while. Which does have a perfectly legitimate reason—not excuse.

No comic money.

And I’ve been obsessing over Doctor Who.

How "no money for comics" = "watching all of the recent Doctor Who seasons" works out I’ll leave to your imagination. Just don’t get crazy with it. (Unless you’d like to spill some totally off-the-wall sci-fi theory to explain it. I’d love to hear that!)

Funny, how, to bring back that first point, not really having the funds for comics didn’t stop me before. We all have our Screw the World! Rebellious moments now and then, but Maturity stomped it out like a boot to a flame. So for now I’m riding coattails and whatever else I can get my hands on to stay within some semblance of the loop I had before.

Sigh.

To be completely and brutally honest I haven’t been paying attention to the comic book world for a decent while. I get distracted so very easily. Distracted and hopelessly single-minded. It’s like I glance at my bookshelf and wonder, what are those...oh, right...comics...huh. I wonder what Batman would do with a TARDIS. (Epic things of extreme epicness would be the correct answer to that. If you think Return of Bruce Wayne is a pile of awesome, just imagine how the universe itself would implode if we added not Time Traveler, but effing Time Lord to his resume. But we all know he probably wouldn’t use a time/space travel machine much, if at all. Thanks, Bats. Killjoy.)

In any case! There’s a quick update, or Much To-Do About Nothing Really. Maybe I’ll talk about my experience when watching Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and how my opinion differentiates with someone who actually read the books beforehand.

Now, here’s a parting picture for your entertainment.

Intervention

2010-08-11T12:23:00.005-05:00

Let’s do something different. Reviews are nice, but I’m anything but a one-trick pony. Why realizing this has taken so long, who knows? Sometimes my head is so thick even I can’t convince myself of anything.

This is just a heads up so no one wonders why I’ve gone off on some strange tangent.

Then again, that’s always fun.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

In other news, whilst I’ve been contemplating the meaning of my blog’s life, the new Batman Inc. avenue down which Grant Morrison will be taking us fans had been brought to my attention.

Ugh. The yellow oval. And now according to the Fan Book of Proper Etiquette I’m obligated to throw a fit and start hating Grant Morrison. But I don’t really feel like it. That sort of constant bashing takes too much time and effort I’m not willing to spend. So I think I’ll just take a second and get over it instead.

Having just finished the Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn hardback, courtesy of my local library, I have a greater appreciation for Grant Morrison and his storytelling. I didn’t have that sinking feeling like when I read Return of Bruce Wayne. It’s nice. So whatever Grant does in Batman Inc. I can imagine will be a pretty good storyline. I'm definitely eager to see how everything pans out once Bruce is back home.

Also, the lineart for The Road Home looks great. Shane Davis is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. Spiffy stuff.

Last but certainly not least—and on a different subject matter entirely—has anyone actually seen The Last Airbender movie? Because, by God, if that actually happened, then I have one more reason to see it other than just this. Whoops! I mean this.

Reviews for the Month

2010-07-30T13:29:00.008-05:00

Well, I’m back after SDCC. I didn’t go, but the influx of information was staggering. And depressing since I couldn’t be there. Eh, the crowds would have eaten me alive probably anyhow. In any case, this week’s reviews follow the Trinity’s solo books with the first issues after their big numbers.

Batman #701

I for one am glad we got to see Bruce back in his natural habitat again for the first time in a while. Sooths the soul. But I’ll come right out and say that, in terms of catching whatever hints Grant Morrison left in this issue, I sure didn’t see them. The fact that I haven’t read Morrison’s previous stories for Batman is most likely why. I tried, but so far it seems Batman isn’t really a "go ahead and climb aboard" book right now with ol' Grant at the helm. Which is fine. I enjoyed the issue anyway, and do look forward to the rest of this in-between chapter. Though, strangely enough, Tony Daniel surprised me with the artwork, and not in a necessarily good way either. But enough complaining!

Superman #701

Well...ah, ok, here’s a bit more complaining. The artwork for this issue was nice. Eddy Barrows did a good job, and a few of the panels made me laugh a bit. But of the two stories JMS is writing, I would have to say that Superman is the weakest. For now. I’m not letting the hammer drop right away, but I wasn’t very impressed. This could be backed by my overall apathy for Big Blue; I’m not a particular fan. The execution of "grounding" Superman was so overtly blatant that I eventually lost interest and began skimming the issue instead of reading. As I did when Supes got preachy, which was often. Seems to me, if he knows all this already, what’s the idea behind walking? I really don’t have anything against the story, but I’m wondering if Superman himself foretold the future for this run: the reporters will get bored just following a man around as he walks. Maybe the readers will too.

Wonder Woman #601

I know it’s a little early to start laughing at the people who lost their heads when Diana’s new outfit and storyline was announced last month, but you can bet I’m damn well chuckling. While I didn’t walk into my LCS with a bouncy step and ultra-high hopes—this was after I read Superman #701—I ended up pleasantly surprised. Where my apathy for Superman wasn’t even rattled in his book—I keep ripping into the big guy, don’t I?—I found myself very intrigued by this issue. It’s pretty much everything we knew already from the interviews, but the presentation by Don Crammer’s artwork really pulls those facts together. We see how Hippolyta died, which got her a few Badass Brownie Points from me. What I loved the most was after Diana witnessed the destruction of the Island, she mourned for her mother and her people and vowed to find those responsible practically in the same breath. You can bet she’s not looking to just have a serous chat with these people either. Bottom line is I feel a little better for supporting JMS’ run. Here’s hoping he won’t let me down.

Avatar: The Last Airbender continues in Legend of Korra

2010-07-21T13:44:00.005-05:00

For those of you who enjoyed Avatar: The Last Airbender (lumping the movie with that is completely reader discretion) we got some good news between the time I went to sleep last night and ate breakfast this morning.

According to some of the Avatards (of which I have recently become associated with) Legend of Korra has been all the news out there for some time. Well, just today, probably early this morning, the interwebs went abuzz with confirmation and information concerning the new Nickelodeon series based in the Avatar world (not including blue cat-people with living ponytails).

I’m very excited. A female lead who bends my favorite element: water. Bring it on Mike and Brian. Bring it on.

Here are a few of the links, including the officially official Nick page, Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo Movies.

Man! What a way to celebrate my tenth DBN post!

Mug Shots: Cover of the Week

2010-07-19T14:39:00.006-05:00

Alright, let’s go ahead and get this over with, shall we? This week’s Mug Shots features two covers, both from different Batman issues, and both very awesome in their own separate ways. And I threw the second one in just for the heck of it.

First up there’s Batman #700 by David Finch.

That there is the epitome of Batman. Need I say more?

Next is Return of Bruce Wayne #1, the Caveman Batman.

What can I say other than I pretty much love all of the Return of Bruce Wayne covers? Andy Kubert did a great job.

Guest Article At Girls Gone Geek

2010-07-14T11:33:00.002-05:00

I literally stumbled upon this blog while still in my infancy stage of comic fandom. The title alone gave me a bit of hope in the fact that, no, I really wasn’t the sole female who enjoyed comics. From the get-go, both E. and V. (the masterminds behind the Girls Gone Geek site) have never let me down in suggesting titles to read.

Dirty-Blonde & Nerdy was inspired by G3 and their to-the-point, usually in-your-face attitudes. Recently I’ve been given the honor of writing a guest article for Girls Gone Geek. Check it out, but I strongly suggest (as in, don’t ask questions just do it) you read the awesome articles written by the G3 gals themselves.

Mug Shots: Cover of the Week

2010-07-12T13:51:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the first addition of Mug Shots, presenting covers so awesome it’s criminal.

This week’s cover drawn by David Luvisi is from Secret Six #10 and Trade Paperback Secret Six: Depths, not a new cover but one that quickly became one of my favorites.

When I first glanced at this puppy in my LCS, I didn’t give it a second thought. It was one of those times where you try and ignore anything you might actually want because you’re there to just look. Yeah right. Second time around the display rack, and the color contrast demanded more of my attention with the smoky gray bleeding into the black.

Aside from the cinders breezing past everyone, Bane caught my attention first because he looks so...very Bane-ish, then Ragdoll, and finally Deadshot. Three out of six ain’t bad, and I suppose I’ve just been spoiled by Nicola Scott’s Catman to let it go here. As for the ladies, well, I think I’d much rather stay out of their way.

The meaningful simplicity of this cover speaks for itself, and quite frankly, I find those to be the best kind.

Batbooks: Red Robin #14 & Batman: Odyssey #1

2010-07-09T14:00:00.008-05:00

There’s no doubt that I love Batman. And I mean Batman Batman, not Nightwing Batman. Though the concept of a different dynamic for the Dynamic Duo is very interesting and will probably be something I enjoy. Just haven’t gotten around to reading Batman and Robin yet. I have, however, caught up following after Tim Drake in his series Red Robin, and looked into Neil Adams’ Batman: Odyssey.

So far, Red Robin has captured my attention right from the start. Chris Yost penned great stories in his run, bumping Tim Drake up a few spots on my list of awesome characters. So, naturally, I was less than thrilled to find that Yost’s run ended with the twelfth issue, passing the torch to Fabian Nicieza. So far I’m still less than impressed. Then again, I enjoyed the darker tones in Yost’s stories, the internal struggle, and the way Yost captured Tim’s conflicted but determined voice. Now, with Nicieza, Tim’s found his direction again with his new hit list, which has more than one surprise behind the reason Damian finally flat-out attacked him. That made for an entertaining bit. Still, Tim’s deep-rooted determination that drew me in before isn’t as domineering. However, I am very willing to continue following the story and give the new writer a shot. It doesn’t hurt that illustrator Marcus To stayed on the book, continuing to draw what has become my favorite rendition of Tim Drake. I don’t even mind the fact that Tim’s new outfit covers his awesome hair.

As for Batman: Odyssey I felt very conflicted and confused. Neil Adams artwork for Batman was defining back in the day. I love his older Batman work. This, however, is a very different approach in style. I was expecting clean lines and smooth panels, but instead it’s very gritty. Quite frankly I’m not sure if Adams pulled it off at all. The issue itself started off with Bruce giving his narration of the story behind the scans we’ve all seen with Batman wielding two guns in a fight with a few thugs on a train. Since that narrated story is one of Batman’s first nightly escapades, I supposed we should forgive the fact that Batman is, um, wielding two guns in a fight against a few thugs on a train. Other than that, the story came across as slightly weird and thus far very unclear, the dialogue was scattered, and, again, the artwork fell horribly short from what I was expecting. To be fair, I’m still going to follow Odyssey, but out of a somewhat morbid curiosity if nothing else.

Speaking of Natural Disasters...

2010-06-30T12:32:00.003-05:00

Today begins with it’s set of natural disasters. The oil spill is still a problem, Tropical Storm Alex is now a Hurricane, Wonder Woman got a new outfit.

Wait.

Here’s what I don’t understand. Okay, I kind of understand the upheaval, but I don’t get the maniacal frothing. This is a new direction solely in the aspect of the costume itself, not that Diana actually has a new costume. And I’m talking the late ‘60s to early ‘70s change to what was then fashionable civilian clothing. Then we had the brief six-month period in the ‘90s where Diana lost her Wonder Woman title to Artemis and opted for black bikers short, black bra, and jacket. And that hair-do/wig thing or whatever. Egad.

At first glance, this new outfit brought that ‘90s disaster to mind. Maybe it was the jacket, or the too much black. I’m not sure. But, granted, the latest trend for Wondy is a far cry from her last serious costume change-up. But I’m still not entirely digging the new look.

I love Jim Lee. His artwork is some of my favorite, but I don’t think he tried enough with this. The shirt itself is very cool. The detailed gold trim with the subtle ‘W’ fits the upcoming storyline, and the gold traps on the shoulders we catch a glimpse of are neat too. The lining on the bodice gives good detail. Now if only we can uphold the same level of cleavage coverage Jim had set, and I’d say we’re off to a pretty good start. The bracers are a nice touch; the red and gold are borderline flashy in a good way, and the fact that it ties together on the underside and wraps around her finger are promising little details. The subtle tiara looks cool but it’s very thin, though I haven’t seen her actually toss that thing at anyone in a while. Could be looking in the wrong places; who knows.

However, the choker is a no-no. Seriously. The jacket, while trying to be a nod to her previous blue bottoms, isn’t pulling it off. And, finally, the pants. The pants themselves are perfectly fine. Wonder Woman in pants! Ooooh! Let the woman wear the damn pants. But please don’t make them black. Or look like the bottom half of a onesie. Really. The top half of the outfit has a great color scheme—sans the jacket, but I will admit that it doesn’t look quite right without it—but then it dies at the bottom. I think they could have added yet another nod to her normal costume in having some red and white detail to indicate her famous boots. Because, really, we love the boots. I love the boots. They didn’t even have to be boots, just something other than the gold...rings?

I haven’t read the 600th issue yet, so this is just my take on the new look. Maybe little by little some things could change about the outfit as the story progresses. If you want to toss chunks and cry about it, fine by me. But I’m looking at a shake-up that’s drawing some much needed attention to Wonder Woman. If DC planned this, then kudos to them. They’re on the right track far as I can tell, so long as a certain number of these changes aren’t permanent. Which I honestly don’t think they will be. At this point, all we can do it wait and see.

The Return of Bruce Wayne #3: Ringing of the Bells

2010-06-25T16:26:00.008-05:00

Two days ago marked the third and midway installment of Grant Morrison’s The Return of Bruce Wayne, the time-leaping journey of our latest doomsday plot. Though it could be considered an extension of Final Crisis I suppose. In both cases, that title lies.

I’m not gonna lie, however, when I say that after reading each of the three titles thus far I scrambled for the enlightening annotations by David Uzumeri. Some of us don’t have the in-depth understanding of every alluded piece of DC history here.

In this third issue—which is wonderfully illustrated by Yanick Paquette—the story unfolds in such a way that I found easier to grasp. It’s fairly straightforward. Bruce is starting to remember something, but it’s still a bit fuzzy. Blackbeard wants to find treasure, and enlists Bruce’s help since only a ghost can show them the way through the caves. Inside the caves we revisit the four symbols Bruce drew, which have faded with time. Oh, and don’t forget the guano methane.

Cut to the future and we have Dick Batman and Damian Robin back at the site where the cloned body of Bruce was found, looking for something (There are still an awful lot of somethings, but bear with me here). Likewise, the Justice League, with Wonder Woman in charge, have somehow gotten word not just of Bruce’s imminent return but also the pretty big problem he’s dragging along with him. You know, the whole doomsday device ploy. Their job is to stop Bruce from returning, and have looked to Red Robin for ways to accomplish this.

Might I add that I believe that’s Hal Jordan sitting there on the Watchtower when he’s supposed to be with Superman and his motley crew of time travelers? I’m just sayin’.

Thank you, Blackbeard.

Back in 1718 we catch a glimpse of Bruce back under a cowl. Not the cowl, but one very similar. Proceed to pirate-butt-kicking mode. With swords. While Blackbeard’s beard is all lit up. Two words: intense and insane. I love it.

Once the pirate control part of the job is over, the Miagani, the bat-people, show Bruce a shrine draped with his cape and cowl, boots, and utility belt.

The original cult classic.

Bruce then leaves his makeshift cape and cowl, and his recollections, with the boy Jack Valor, the one who’s journal entry followed us through the story. Jack’s conclusion explains his role in adding a list of names and places to a box with a bat symbol on it inside the Van Derm household at Gotham Town. In his reverie, Jack expresses his fear of having just participated in something much greater that had yet come to a conclusion.

As a wrap, we get a glimpse of the cowboy era and an awesome splash page of Bruce.

To date, I believe ROBW #3 is my favorite. Favorite story, favorite artwork, great lead into the next issue. Still, there’s one thing still bothering me. With all the treasure hunting, fighting, and ghost story telling, Morrison never got around to solving the biggest pirate mystery of all: why is the rum always gone?

Birds of Prey #2: Verily Untitled Thereafter (Just Read It)

2010-06-19T18:59:00.007-05:00

First thoughts: Ed Benes’ art is just so darn pretty.

Coupled with the darker color palet brought to us by Nei Ruffino, it really brings this story to life. Great stuff. However, the hiccup here is where the artwork suddenly switches from Benes to Adriana Melo, whose style is close enough to Benes’ that I didn’t quite catch it at first. Luckily the story itself kept pulling me along and it wasn’t until afterwards when I realized that, yes, the artwork had in fact changed.

As for the story itself, we still don’t know who this White Canary is, only that she can go toe-to-toe with Black Canary and Huntress and still lay down some serious whoopass.

The terrifying expertise of White Canary commands the need for backup, which arrives in the form of Lady Blackhawk, Hawk, and Dove (That’s adorable, isn’t it?). However, when White Canary proceeds to give Hawk a lash that surprises even him (it’s apparently very hard to make Hawk bleed, yet she accomplishes this with ease) the situation grows even worse. Murder accusations placed above Black Canary’s head are brought forward via a newsflash, and the news choppers are right above the fight on the ground. Oracle immediately calls for Canary to pull back as the police are soon to appear.

More threats are inevitable at this point, and White Canary makes her intentions quite clear: one of the Birds will die on the hour in the next six hours. As police turn up to arrest the suspect, a decision has to be made: fight or flight. For Black Canary, there’s only one course of action here. Fight.

Which, incidentally, leads to my favorite panel of this issue: Huntress’ special hello from her booted feet to a cop’s face.

Look at that pure rugged poetry.

Meanwhile, as Oracle watches everything unfold on the screen side of things, more bad news arrives not from the front lines, but from Creote. Creote discloses that Savant has been murdered by a woman because of his affiliation with the Birds, and then shortly takes his own life.

As the issue nears its end, the field flock escapes the police and heads for the Penguin’s (Oh yeah, he was there, wasn’t he?) Iceberg Lounge for safety only to come across a conveniently placed television. In a staggering blow, Black Canary is finally brought to her knees by the continuing broadcast now pouring out intimate information regarding her life outside her hero identity.

To top it off, Oracle, having realized a huge mistake she’d made in allowing the grid to proceed completely mechanized on its own without her personal interference, prepares to bring down however many houses it takes to catch whoever is behind this.

All in all, issue #2 of the new Birds of Prey is an excellent example of how writer Gail Simone wraps her stories with awesome served on a platter of beautiful artwork, courtesy of both Ed Benes and Adriana Melo, and all for $2.99. I’d like to see a value menu with that kind of a payoff.

Comics. They Aren’t Newb-Friendly, But I Fought Them Anyway

2010-06-18T16:13:00.001-05:00

Haven’t won yet, though.

About nine months and counting is how long since I’d tripped myself and fallen into the world of the superhero genre, and if nothing else there is one important thing I’ve come to understand. The Superhero Genre Law and its Golden Rule, which reads as such:

Know your facts well enough to distinguish which is past and which is present because anything from the past could quite possibly become part of the present again at any given time. Or simply stop reading for a while and come back when events are favorable once again. Forever and ever, amen.

This law is set before us in various displays of Multiple Earths, Elseworlds, alternate realities, possibilities, impossibilities, improbabilities, why-nots, and what-is-that-stench-coming-off-the-page. It all boils down to one word that could bring salvation or cast into the fiery pit: retcon.

So what exactly is the point then? Why read superhero comics—or any comic for that matter—in the first place?

Well, I do believe I just told you, didn’t I?

Viva la Intro

2010-06-14T18:17:00.003-05:00

Classified geekus nerdamus for about as long as I remember, I’ve roamed from Nintendo64 to computer games, from Star Wars and a bit of Star Trek, to Lord of the Rings and other various classical books, to manga and anime, and finally the Xbox 360 when the mood strikes, superhero comics and Doctor Who. I love movie soundtracks and listen to them more often than songs with actual lyrics.

This trend will never cease. I will be a total geek/nerd for the rest of my days. What can I say? I wear glasses. (Those are mine, by the way, at the top. Aren’t they neat?)

Ok, so what’s the catch? The real kicker?

I’m a girl. A self-certified femme fatale with a plastic lightsaber and two very full, very heavy bookshelves. (Don’t worry, though; I’ve taken my cootie shots.) I’m a fangirl, yes, and we all have our crazy moments, but I am also an aspiring writer. Both of which are perhaps the two halves of the same side of a coin that hasn’t been flipped yet.

As a fan, I’ll just do what we seem to do best: give our opinions.

As a writer, well, there's something on the horizon. It's a bit hazy, but I'm headed towards it. We'll just have to wait and see.