DC’s Detective Comics Wins GLAAD Media Award
Last night, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), handed out its annual awards to various forms of media for positive depictions of gays and lesbians, and this year DC Comics has a big reason to celebrate. Batwoman, arguably DC’s highest profile lesbian character, helped to win Detective Comics the Outstanding Comic Book award at this year’s ceremony in New York City. Detective Comics also has a back-up feature in each issue, starring The Question, a former romantic partner of Batwoman’s. Read more
DC Comics Announces Straczynski as Writer for Superman, Wonder Woman Titles
Superstar comic book writer J. Michael Straczynski is going to run out of hands. Already having tackled titles such as Amazing Spider-Man and The Brave and the Bold over the course of his career, JMS will take over writing duties on two of DC Comics’ flagship characters: Superman and Wonder Woman. Coming on the heels of the recently announced shocker that Gail Simone would be exiting her writing duties on Wonder Woman after the soon-to-be-renumbered Wonder Woman #600, news that Straczynski was taking over served to verify excitement Simone mentioned over the next writer in her open letter to Comic Book Resources explaining her exit. Read more
Gail Simone Leaving as Wonder Woman Writer
The Amazon champion must bid goodbye to another of her sisters, this time, one that is essential to her adventures and travels. DC Comics announced today, through their blog The Source, that long-time Wonder Woman writer Gail Simone, known for her current work on Secret Six and her historic run on Birds of Prey, will be giving up her writing duties on the book starting this summer. Issue #42 of the series will mark the beginning of Simone’s final story arc on the book. Read more
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is Punch-Worthy, Mostly Plot-Worthy
If you’ve been following the DC animated universe closely over the past several years, you’ve seen the range of projects span the various heroes, major and minor, in TV and more recently in made-for-DVD projects. The latest comes in the form of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. It’s fitting that the focus on this film deals with travel between two different, yet parallel worlds, as this particular film project was intended to bridge the two worlds of Justice League the animated show and Justice League Unlimited, its successor. The reworked script for this film is fittingly used to reflect the world of the Justice League, who now sport a slightly different line-up from their TV predecessors, and the world of the Crime Syndicate, their parallel earth villain counterparts. The plot as to how these two worlds collide has moments of real magic to it, but the true success of the film lies in the, pardon the expression, blow-by-blow action. Read more
Magog Gone From JSA All-Stars? Good Riddance!
If you’ve been keeping up with the twists, turns and exploits of the Justice Society of America, and really, you should, then you’re aware that the team has undergone some startling changes of late, not the least of which has been the split of the very large super team into two teams and, consequently, two books. Fans now have the option of following the mostly traditional membership in Justice Society of America or reading all about the team of newer members in JSA All-Stars. One of the reigning elements over the first three issues of JSA All-Stars has been the ongoing conflict between co-leaders Magog and Power Girl, which recently came to a full-on confrontation in JSA Annual #2. The end result? Magog’s walking away from the team. Whether that’s for good or just a temporary departure, hopefully this signals a breath of fresh air following the departure of a character that had, sadly, become one-note. Read more
Blackest Night HeroClix on the Way!
Can’t get enough undead fun? Wish YOU could play the part of a zombie villain hell-bent on vengeance and a tasty human heart? You’re in luck! WizKids has announced the May 2010 release of a new entry into the HeroClix universe when the DC HeroClix Blackest Night Starter game lands in your comic book and gaming stores this spring! Even if you’ve never picked up a HeroClix game before, this game provides a great entry point, and a really cool starter pack, to initiate you into the game of strategy and battle between some of your favorite fictional characters. Read more
Wonder Woman #40 Takes Series in a Bold New Direction
When Wonder Woman began its most recent relaunch just over three and a half years ago, it took great pains to establish itself, cleverly, in a new light for a new time and cultural landscape. The lead story focused on who exactly would be Wonder Woman, following the events of Wonder Woman’s murder of Maxwell Lord in order to stop his manipulation of Superman. Donna Troy stepped into the role for a short time, but eventually Diana returned to the role she was destined to fill. Skipping ahead now to issue forty, we find a new evolution and direction for the Amazon, one that appears to be leading her into heavy social issues territory.
Gail Simone recently revisited the mythological roots of Wonder Woman in a sprawling story arc involving her homeland, the gods and the true heritage of Wonder Woman. Now, Simone turns her attention to the seeds of doubt, mistrust and xenophobia that undermine society, beginning with Wonder Woman #40, and it’s been one of the most dynamic and emotional shifts in the series thus far. Read more
Joe The Barbarian #1 Leaves Plenty to the Imagination
Sometimes you just can’t go wrong with something that’s only a buck, saying “Wow, that only cost me a dollar!” Other times you say “I spent a whole dollar on that?!” when the experience proves to be less than impressive. I had a feeling somewhere in the middle of those two extremes after finishing the newest venture from star writer Grant Morrison, the cleverly titled Joe the Barbarian, published under DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint. Just like the two ends of the spectrum mentioned above, the first issue branches off into distinct directions as well, with Joe’s character and circumstances wonderfully established but with the nature of the book slightly (read a bit) frustratingly vague.
Our young (would-be?) hero appears quite content in the first few pages to doodle away as his mother absent-mindedly drives him to his destination for a class field trip: a veterans’ cemetery. The picture painted at the cemetery and the relevance of it comes screaming to the forefront, as this is where Joe’s father is buried. Read more
JSA All-Stars A Mostly Fresh Direction for a Classic Team
There are some things that are just considered American classics, plain and simple. Uncle Sam, Huck Finn, apple pie and baseball spring to mind, all of which have undergone changes, adaptations and reflections of the American culture’s values and beliefs at any given time. In the case of DC’s Justice Society of America, the same truths also hold. A fixture since the days of World War II, this amalgam of heroes, personalities and powers has changed, adapted for life in a post-War, and for awhile post-superhero, world and reflected what we, culturally, have wanted out of our heroes over the last several decades. The newest evolution of this team comes in the form of the overall refreshing JSA All-Stars, which saw its second issue released this week. Just how does this team of mostly newbies stack up against the established veterans they splintered from? Not too shabbily!
Thanks for the Comic Book Memories: Memorable Deaths of the 2000’s
2009 saw some of the most memorable deaths in the entertainment and political realms in recent memory. Icons, legends and established figures were taken from the world, some on the verge of a comeback and some in their prime. Comics have also lost some icons, not only this year but in the past decade. Death in the real world is a vastly different thing from that of the fictional world, with the prospect of return always a possibility where comics are concerned. With that in mind we look back at some of the more memorable losses in comics over the first decade of the new millennium. While not everyone who died is on this list, it hopefully covers those comic book deaths that were surprises, twists or the loss of those who were near and dear to the hearts and minds of readers everywhere for one reason or another. Read more
