Attention, Internet! Today is our good friend and fellow contributor Patrick’s birthday, so make sure to leave him some nasty comments well wishes!
Author Archives: shelbykpeterson
Before Watchmen – Dr. Manhattan 1
Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing Dr. Manhattan 1, originally released August 22nd, 2012. Dr. Manhattan is part of DC’s Before Watchmen prequel series. Click here for complete Before Watchmen coverage (including release dates).
Shelby: Dr. Manhattan is a tricky character to deal with. He is all powerful; he can control any matter in any way, can see all time, and knows how everything will happen. That’s difficult to even really comprehend as a reader, let alone to understand it enough to write about. Once you get over the hurdle of writing about an infinitely powerful being with seemingly no weaknesses, there’s the fact that you’re writing a prequel story that the readers already know. Dr. Manhattan gets the most detailed origin story in Watchmen, so how do you write more about a story that we already know without completely derailing the character? I will admit, I was doubtful J. Michael Straczynski would pull it off, solely based on my disappointment in Nite Owl so far. I was surprised and immensely pleased to find this title is very, very good.
Continue reading
Chat Cave: New Sandman Story
At San Diego Comic Con this year, Vertigo made the surprising announcement that Neil Gaiman will be writing a new Sandman story arc, with Retcon Punch favorite J. H. Williams, III. Even though we don’t currently cover any Vertigo titles, Gaiman’s return to this game-changing, original, and incredibly unique title is definitely worthy of a discussion. What have been the fan reactions? What does DC’s current preponderance of prequels reflect of the current state of the industry? Are you incredibly excited for this dynamic artistic team-up? Retcon Punchers sound off: Welcome to the Chat Cave.
Shelby: I am stupid excited for a new Sandman story. When Patrick first started talking to me about working on this site, my response was, “DC Comics are great, when will we talk about Sandman?” The universe Gaiman created is unlike any other I have ever experienced, except maybe in other Gaiman books. He has a great way of blending multiple cultures’ mythologies; I never would have guessed stories featuring the Muses of the Greeks could exist next to stories of Odin and Thor, and that it would all work. What really intrigues me, though, is the comparison of fan reactions between this prequel (super positive) and the Before Watchman prequels (often negative).
The Vault – Superhero Makeup Looks
The Retcon Punchers spend an awful lot of time looking for ways to celebrate our nerdy obsessions. This means a lot of time sunk into scouring Etsy, Deviant Art, Think Geek or whatever. Sometimes we see things so great we just have to share them… and then clutch them fiercely to our collective chest. Throw it in The Vault.
Website: Makeup By Siryn
Who Would Love This: Comic geeks, makeup geeks, looking awesome geeks
Price: NA
This Vault is a little different from most; there’s no product for sale. But I am so in love with Siryn’s comic-themed makeup looks, I had to feature her here. This is her Ice themed look (remember Ice, Guy Gardner’s ladyfriend?), and I adore it. It’s maybe a little much for everyday wear, but it’s such a great way to capture a character without doing a full costume; how fun would it be to do a look like this to go out dancing? She’s done a ton of different hero looks, as well as makeup reviews and the like. My favorite look has got to be Wonder Woman; it’s pretty, I can see the influence, and it’s basic enough that I could potentially wear this to work. Time to find me some golden eye-liner.
Birds of Prey 12
Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing Birds of Prey 12, originally released August 15th, 2012.
Shelby: Why do we form teams? Is it to seek the support of others? Is it to accomplish big tasks more quickly? Is it to bring together different skill sets in order to solve more kinds of problems? These have to be at least some of the reasons why Black Canary decided to form a team to do some good in Gotham, but she has obviously made some mistakes in choosing her roster. You know that guy in the group who just won’t play ball with the plan and forces everyone to do things his way? Well, imagine that guy is an eco-terrorist metahuman holding you and the rest of the world hostage to do what he wants, and you can begin to see the dilemma Black Canary has on her hands.
Continue reading
Batwoman 12
Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing Batwoman 12, originally released August 15th 2012.
Shelby: Oh, the life of a superhero, balancing personal relationships by day and caped ass-whupin’ by night. I have a hard enough time balancing office drone by day, nerd by night, so I don’t know how Kate Kane manages. She is beginning to fall into the classic (and seemingly inevitable) trap all heroes face: your loved ones assume you are sneaky and selfish, going out every night and keeping secrets, when in fact you are working harder than anyone to keep your loved ones safe. Kate starts on this downward slope as J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman begin a new arc, again with stories nestled within each other. At least this time it looks like everything is happening in the same chronological order.
Continue reading
Batgirl 12
Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Batgirl 12, originally released August 8th, 2012.
Shelby: I am no stranger to the feeling of being unable to put a book down. There are some authors out there whose stories get their hooks in your brain; as you read, you reach a point of no return, a point that leaves you still reading at 2:30 AM on a work night because you just HAVE to know what happens next. Luckily for me, Batgirl is doled out in little bite-sized portions once a month, otherwise I would quickly reach that point. This title is so good, I can’t tear my eyes away.
The Vault – Haly’s Circus Print
The Retcon Punchers spend an awful lot of time looking for ways to celebrate our nerdy obsessions. This means a lot of time sunk into scouring Etsy, Deviant Art, Think Geek or whatever. Sometimes we see things so great we just have to share them… and then clutch them fiercely to our collective chest. Throw it in The Vault.
Website: DC Collectibles
Who Would Love This: Fans of vintage posters and signage, lovers of secret nerd art, trapeze aficionados
Price: $19.95-$34.95
I have obviously browsed the DC Comics official store on occasion, and while I’ve always found things I like I have never been blown away by an item that I feel I need to have. They have recently expanded their line of high-quality prints, however, and these change everything. Once again, I have found the kinds of posters that, from afar, don’t look like anything other than faux-vintage hipster wall art. Look again and you’ll see it’s actually faux-vintage hipster nerdy wall art, and I eat that shit up. I think the Flying Graysons poster here might be the best, and would look great with the Beware Crime Alley propaganda poster, but the Kandor, Themyscira, and Coast City travel posters would look pretty sharp together, too.
Swamp Thing 12
Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Swamp Thing 12, originally released August 1st, 2012. This issue is part of the RotWorld crossover event. Click here for complete RotWorld coverage. Not caught up on Swamp Thing ? No problem! Get up to speed with our video Cram Session. Also, we’ve got Animal Man 12 coverage, supplying commentary on the first half of this story.
Shelby: I love seeing heroes working together. I don’t mean like in Justice League, on an established team (also, they aren’t really working together anyway); I’m talking about the almighty Crossover Event. Swamp Thing and Animal Man’s Rotworld isn’t a traditional comic crossover, with multiple books dealing with the same issue and borrowing characters. Snyder and Lemire have instead told the opposite sides of the same story, and now those two halves have finally come together so seamlessly I had to check the cover multiple times to remember which title I was reading.
Before Watchmen – Comedian 2
Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing Comedian 2, originally released July 25th, 2012. Comedian is part of DC’s Before Watchmen prequel series. Click here for complete Before Watchmen coverage (including release dates).
Shelby: History has never been my favorite subject. There’s something about it that just flows through my brain like water, I can’t seem to retain any of it. I have tried so many times to read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, with zero success; I know I should read it, but it just reads too much like a history book for me to enjoy it. Comedian 1 was housed in American history, in a way I thought was a clever subversion of both Watchmen history and American history. I’ve had a lot of trouble getting into the second issue, however, and I think Brian Azzarello may have crossed the line into too much history for me to enjoy.
Retcon Punch 