Gotham City Sirens: A Conflicted Goodbye

I’ve been thinking about Gotham City Sirens a lot lately.  Mainly because in recent months I have really enjoyed it after being indifferent for most of its run.  As a concept I think it was always doomed to fail for two reasons.  The first being that Catwoman, despite her moral flexibility is not a villain, and the second that Harley Quinn, although lovable, is not sane.

The series began with Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy moving in together like some bastardized version of Charlie’s Angels, and right off the bat these three characters lost some of their depth.  One of them would get into a jam and the other two would have to get them out.  Obviously this is a simplification, but to be perfectly honest, not a large one.  I would read it every month and think, “It was okay.”  Selina Kyle and Ivy don’t need partners.  Catwoman is conflicted between looking out for number one and wanting to help the good guys, but she isn’t one to trust people.  Especially not Poison Ivy, who also has severe trust issues.  I will admit, I’m not a lover of Poison Ivy.  She is cold and charmless and was the only character who actually benefited from this series, but that too is a recent occurrence. 

I realize that this is coming across as a very negative outlook, so let me switch over to why lately, this is has become one of the books I really look forward to.  The mirrored relationships of Batman and Catwoman to Joker and Harley Quinn have been established in a brilliant way.  Obviously the issues between Bruce and Selina are staggeringly different from Joker and Harley, but in the end, both are relationships that can’t logically work but can’t end.  The Joker is hands down, the scariest character in the DCU but the unconditional, insane love that Harley Quinn feels for him makes him scarier and her oddly endearing.  We all know that one of these days, he’s actually going to succeed in killing her if the mood strikes him.  Quick sidebar, the implication that Joker and Harley had a sexual relationship was terrifyingly awesome. 

So this most recent arc which is bringing the series to its close has put all three characters at odds because Selina and Harley have chosen the roads we all knew they would choose from the very beginning and Poison Ivy is alone, and more than that, she’s lonely.  What does Poison Ivy do when she’s angry?  She tries to kill someone and right now Selina is at the top of her hit list.  But what’s fascinating is that Poison Ivy is still trying to save Harley, and I like her better for it.

With one issue to go before the relaunch, I have to say that part of me will be sad to see this dynamic trio go.  The new Catwoman series is at the top of my reading list come September but Harley on the Suicide Squad is leaving me feeling hesitant because I can’t help but think it’s going to be the same problem all over again.  

A Little Bit of Everything

Wow, so I’ve fallen behind.  There has been a lot of big stuff this week.  SDCC is going on right now!  Obviously Paul and I aren’t there, but I’ve been following twitter pretty closely.  Today’s tidbit that left me kind of sad was that Wally West will not be part of the new Flash series.

There have been a TON of released previews of the upcoming relaunch pages and I have to say that despite my relaunch reservations, there is some really beautiful art.  Adam Hughes cover of Batgirl #2 is simply stunning.  I did a bit of a double take today though when looking at the Green Arrow pages, I’m really confused about the direction that series is taking.  It’s moving to a place that is just so far from the things that I love about Green Arrow, but I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be pleasantly surprised.  Ollie looks a lot younger and the costume changes seem very tech heavy, not as bad as the new Deadshot design though.  I know I’ve talked about that before, but what can I say, I’m still flabbergasted.

 

Flashpoint has been so much fun.  I know in the midst of the relaunch it’s easy to forget about, but I’m really enjoying it.  The Amazon/Atlantean war is boring, I’m not going to lie, but the Batman story is fantastic!  Who knew that Gotham could get creepier?  The Frankenstein story has completely piqued my interest about the new series.  My indifference has given way to excitement because lets face it, Jeff Lemire is great.

The Amazing Spiderman trailer was released this week.  I know it’s an origin story that we’re all really familiar with, at least in tone, but I still want to see this movie.  Yes, I think Andrew Garfield is a little too pretty to be Peter Parker, but come on, it’s Hollywood and he’s an excellent actor.

The Bane photo…remember the first Bane photo that had great shadows and the promise of something amazing?  Well, seeing the mask full on was a bit of a disappointment.  There is a teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises out, but if you’ve seen the first two films, you’ve basically seen the teaser trailer.



The rumor mill is raging and as soon as announcements are confirmed I promise we will be discussing them.  Before I end this post though, I’m curious to know what everyone thinks about the end of The War of the Green Lanterns.  Sinestro back with the corps, how do you think that’s going to go?

Powers Casting

First of all, if you're not reading Powers by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, you should be.  It is a super fun series about a couple of detectives investigating crimes associated with superheroes.  Obviously there's more to it than that, but I won't ruin it for you.

Recently it was optioned by FX and we've been waiting not so patiently for the casting announcements about who is going to play Deena Pilgrim and Christian Walker and I'm honestly a bit baffled by the choices.

"Maggots, you're eating maggots Michael."

That's right folks, Jason Patric is Walker.  The age doesn't bother me so much, Walker is a character outside of time really, but the bulk of the character is concerning.  When Jason Patric bulks up he loses his chin.  I can't be the only one who has noticed this.  There were rumors floating around that Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Super 8) was a front runner and I was on board for that.  I'll say this for Jason Patric though, he is very pretty.

Deena Pilgrim, kick ass hero to women folk everywhere, is not being played by Katee Sackhoff and that is a crime in my humble opinion.  She is being played by Lucy Punch and if you're an anglophile like I am, you have probably seen her pop up in a variety of places.  I don't mind her as an actress, although she has a tendency to go overboard with the kooky expressions, but as Deena Pilgrim?  Can she carry off the ultra sarcastic, sexy character that we know and love?

The Issue of Storage

I’m sure this is an issue that every comic collector deals with.  I love my house, but it’s small and the storage space is limited.  Living in Texas, the garage is out of the question because it isn’t air conditioned.  Paul and I are both a little obsessive about organization, I do a happy dance whenever we need new dividers.  We are the kind of people who clean out the closets multiple times throughout the year, so we have a pretty nifty system but with the upcoming DC renumbering shift we’re a little concerned.  Right now we have four boxes in the living room that house all the current ongoing series we are reading.  Then in the guest room closet, we have boxes for series that have ended or have been abandoned.  The tops are numbered so they can be easily rotated between boxes as we move comics from the living room to the closet.  We have a separate box for duplicates, which we actually have quite a few of for various reasons.  (Marlowe insisted on being involved in the picture taking.)

 

So here is my problem, once the renumbering happens we will have three boxes to add to the closet and that will most likely be full capacity, and our collection is smaller than most.  We’re throwing around ideas of how to handle it, but I want to open it up and I’m curious about how other people deal with this issue.  Do you use a drawer system, build fancy contraptions, or use an off-site space, i.e. your parents house?

DC Relaunch: The End of the Line

The last two days have brought such disappointing news that I really didn’t even care to comment, but I started this train ride, so I’m seeing it through to the end.  Here we go:

Stormwatch by Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda.  This is a Wildstorm group that is now going to include Martian Manhunter.  Meh.

Blackhawks by Mike Costa and Ken Lashley.  You know what I thought when I initially saw this, “Good, something for Zinda.”  But no!  DCU: The Source describes this as “an elite group of mercenaries made up of brave men from around the world”.  Well, there went that.  I hope the “brave men” have a good time, but I’m out unless Zinda is in the mix.  She’s a riot, and she kicks some serious butt!

Men of War by Ivan Brandon and Tom Derenick.  This is about the grandson of Sgt Rock and the Easy Company.  I came a bit late to the comics party, so my knowledge of this is nil.

All-Star Western by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Moritat.  I’m not the biggest Jonah Hex fan, but this has potential to be fun and I’m really glad that Jimmy Palmiotti still has a place in the DCU.

   

Deathstroke by Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett, and Art Thibert.  I thought I would be more excited about this than I am.  But maybe that’s because Deathstroke got a book when Power Girl and Secret Six were both canceled.  Who am I kidding, I’ll still read it.

Grifter by Nathan Edmondson, CAFU, and BIT.  Another Wildstorm character that I don’t know…why couldn't CAFU be put on one of my books is what I want to know?

Omac by Dan Didio, Keith Giffen, and Scott Koblish.  I have no interest in this at all.

  

Suicide Squad by Adam Glass and Marco Rudy.  The team is Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark.  That is an awesome group, but the cover gives me pause because everyone is redesigned in a way I find a bit offensive.  King Shark is a hammerhead, I can deal with that, but Deadshot is wearing some pretty severe armor which I think is unnecessary.  His indifference to his own survival is his charm.  Harley though, holy sexpot Batman. 

Blue Beetle by Tony Bedard and Ig Guara.  This was expected, but still exciting. 

 

Action Comics by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales, yes please!  And you know what else, I am not bothered by the jeans. 

Superman by George Perez and Jesus Merino.  This cover doesn’t ring my bells, hopefully the content will be more interesting.

Supergirl by Michael Green, Mike Johnson, and Mahmud Asrar.  Goody two shoes, that’s what I see and I am not diggin’ it.  Supergirl is supposed to be gritty, she’s conflicted and flawed and that’s her appeal. 

Superboy by Scott Lobdell, R. B. Silva and Rob Lean.  Scott Lobdell got three books in the relaunch.  That’s pretty intense, and I’m curious to see how Conner stands in this new world. 

   

So that’s it.  Apparently, there will be further announcements about projects beginning after September, but Secret Six has officially been canceled.  Power Girl, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown, no word about what happens to them.  Dustin Nguyen and Jock aren’t part of any of the announcements and that is unfortunate, but word is Dustin Nguyen has an upcoming project after September.  I’m disappointed in many of the new books, maybe I wouldn’t be if I had read any of the Wildstorm books, but I haven’t.

Teeny Bopper Time

Five titles were announced today that mainly deal with the younger DC teams.  Today was a good day for my pocket book because of the five series I will most likely only be buying two.  Realistically with 52 titles, I have to draw the line somewhere and I don’t read Legion of Superheroes.  I have nothing against it, it’s just not one of my books.  I guess now it’s not two of my books.

Legion Lost and Legion of Superheroes have joined the party.  While I won’t be reading them, the people who do are very lucky to be getting Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods on Legion Lost. 

 

Teen Titans is back and is being reworked as a vehicle for Tim Drake, who is still Red Robin in a slightly different costume.  He will be joined by Wonder Girl, who now has a completely different backstory, Kid Flash, Superboy, and some characters I don’t recognize.  The creative team on this will be Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund.  This is the same artistic team in charge of the recent JLA: Rise of Eclipso, and hot damn that was beautiful and so is the new Teen Titans cover.  It’s a grittier, sexier group and I’m diggin’ it.

Static Shock has me so completely torn, I’m going to need to ponder before I make any decisions about putting this on my subs list.  This series has been talked about for awhile now, so the announcement wasn’t a shock (no pun intended).  I’m pretty indifferent to Static Shock as a character so I was going to give it a miss and then DC had to go and make John Rozum the writer.  John Rozum is currently writing Xombi which is brillliant and I’m gung ho to support him, but Scott McDaniel is not one of my favorite artists and he’s the second part of this team.  It’s a conundrum, it really is.

 

Hawk and Dove by Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld.  I was pleasantly surprised that Hawk and Dove got their own book.  Hawk I can take or leave, but I’m a big fan of Dove.  I really enjoyed her recent appearances in Brightest Day and Birds of Prey…heavy sigh of sadness.  Anyway, yes, I will definitely be reading this.

DC on the Dark Side: 8 New Titles

DC announced eight new titles today that will be debuting in September and I’m intrigued.  Despite some upsetting news, I have to admit that this week has been really fun.  I’m very lucky to have a chill boss who didn’t mind when Paul called me in the middle of a payroll meeting this morning to ask if I’d seen the news yet.  I even took a few minutes to whisper into the phone conspiratorially that I had and that we would talk about it later.  So thank you DC for spicing up my work week. 

Anyway, the new titles are a mish mash of Wildstorm converts, characters from way back when, and some new team-ups.

Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder and Yannick Paquette.  Scott Snyder is just blowing up recently and I’m stoked about it.  His work on Detective was stellar and Yannick Paquette’s art is always amazing.  Paul is way more pro-Swamp Thing than I am, but with this team, my curiosity is certainly piqued.

Justice League Dark by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janin.  In my head this is the greatest comic since sliced bread.  I’m actually twitterpated at the idea of this and if done right it’s going to be worthy of a snoopy dance.  The team includes John Constantine, Deadman, Madame Xanadu, Shade the Changing Man, what looks to be the new Spectre and while she hasn’t been announced yet, I’m really hoping Zatanna is in the mix. Fan freakin’ tastic! 

 

Animal Man by Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman and Dan Green.  There are two things about this announcement that elevated it from indifference to super excited.  The first is that Jeff Lemire is writing it and I love everything he does and the second is the cover.  It is creepy delicious awesome!  It’s got the Vertigo vibe written all over it. 

Demon Knights by Paul Cornell, Diogenes Neves, and Oclair Albert.  This gets a “meh” from me and a “Hell Yeah!” from Paul who loves all things Paul Cornell.  It’s set in the Middle Ages, which could be cool but for now it’s going to be a wait and see.

 

Frankenstein, Agent of Shade by Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli.  Again, we love Jeff Lemire.  Paul is more excited about this than I am and I am ashamed to admit it’s because he has actually read Seven Soldiers and I have not.  I should probably get on that…

Resurrection Man by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Fernando Dagnino.  My first and only experience with this character was in Supergirl #28.  I’ll give it a shot, but I make no promises.

 

I, Vampire by Josh Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino.  Usually I’m all about the vampires.  Let me clarify that and say, well-written vampires bring me joy, but I’m a little surprised to see DC going this route.  The title doesn’t thrill me but the cover is gorgeous and based on that alone I will pick it up.   

Voodoo by Ron Marz and Sami Basri.  I really enjoyed Sami Basri’s work on Power Girl (please don’t let Kara bite the dust!).  This is a Wildstorm transplant about a woman who is an alien/human hybrid, and I can see the potential there. 

 

My final word on these titles is this, if these books are being published instead of titles that are near and dear to me (Secret Six, Xombi, Zatanna) they have some big shoes to fill and my expectations are high.