Category Contributors

Jul 27 2012

The Flash 11

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing the Flash 11, originally released July 25th, 2012.

Patrick:  Flash 11 (and 10, for that matter) is a bit of a place-setting issue. Francis Manapul and Brian Buccaletto are smart enough to fill these issues with self-contained stories, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that this series is currently in the business of establishing a new breed of Rogues. And they’re not just new to the audience, they’re new to the world of the Flash and — more distressing — new to each other. Thankfully, this is done without the slightest hint of an origin story: these bigger, better Rogues have a history together that’s half what-you-already-know-about-The-Rogues and half total mystery. And all of this villain business unfolds gracefully without ever losing sight of Barry Allen. Continue reading →

Jul 26 2012

Aquaman 11

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Aquaman 11, originally released July 25th, 2012.

Shelby: Despite what you are currently reading, I don’t really think of myself as a writer. Art was always my schtick, the only writing I did in school was academic papers and the occasional bullshit artist’s statement. I’ve been a reader, however, since I was 4, so I’m pretty good at figuring out what I like in a story. I know that sometimes exposition is necessary to advance the plot or give character insight, and I think there are natural ways to present that information within the story. Comics, though, have such opportunity to show me what I need to know instead of just telling me, I sometimes don’t quite know why writers chose to have their characters just standing around gabbing when they could be doing something so much cooler to give me the info I need. 

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Jul 25 2012

Green Lantern 11

Today, Patrick and Shelby are discussing Green Lantern 11, originally released July 25th, 2012.

Patrick: Green Lantern has long been a game of science fiction escalation. You could make the argument that all serial narratives eventually encounter the problem of having to out-do what they’ve previously done, but I think this series – especially under the pen of Geoff Johns – makes a specific point to jack the stakes up to such a fever pitch as to make earlier adventures trivial by comparison. As the guardians stand on the cusp of releasing their Third Army and Black Hand returns to Earth with a hankerin’ for genocide, this series is wound about a tightly as possible.

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Jul 25 2012

The Vault – Superhero Coasters

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: Etsy

Who Would Love This: Nerdy people who don’t want moisture rings on their furniture

Price: $8.50 per set of four

I drink lots of liquids at home. Who better to guard my furniture from moisture rings than The Flash? These coasters are really cool. They are made from actual comic book pages, on stone. The artist, Popcycled does lots of different ones, both DC and Marvel so you can show your allegiance in the subtlest way. Coaster racks are also available for purchase so these can be more easily displayed in your home. Coasters are something you don’t really see a lot of today, outside of cardboard ones at bars, or your grandma’s house, so lets bring them back! I plan on purchasing some of these real soon. Since these are made from actual comic books, I wonder if the artist would consider custom jobs?

Jul 25 2012

Cram Session: Night of the Owls

It can be hard to keep up with all the comics you love. But it’s damn near impossible to keep up with all the comics you’re interested in.

Retcon Punch got you covered.

This is one we’ve wanted to put together for a long time. If you only read one or two of these series and you want to get the skinny on what else happened – we’ve got the video for you. Here’s the whole Night of the Owls presented chronologically.

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Jul 25 2012

Chat Cave: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises. Welcome to the Chat Cave.

Hey, here’s the unfortunate reality: The Dark Knight Rises is going to be forever linked to the shootings in Aurora, Colorado. Unless you saw a midnight show, your theatre-experience was affected by the actions of one 24-year old with some guns and a gas mask. You had police officers wandering in before all the major action sequences, you looked twice at everyone that walked in. What happened was terrible and we’re going to be hearing and reading and writing and talking about it for a long time. And while we’re not in the habit of covering current events, we absolutely have to talk about the new Batman movie. No one’s trying to be crass, no one’s trying to be dismissive; our discussion is going to be about the movie we all saw this weekend. Let’s try to keep it that way in the comments.

Oh, and f’real: SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

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Jul 24 2012

Red Hood and the Outlaws 11

Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing Red Hood and the Outlaws 11, originally released July 18th, 2012.

Peter: Red Hood and the Outlaws is a bit of an odd duck. It has the makings of a Bat Family book: it’s got Jason Todd, once Robin the Boy Wonder, now ultraviolent vigilante. It also has two ex-Teen Titans, one of whom apparently was a bad ass space captain, while the other was addicted to heroin. While the early story arcs really focused on Jason, (and the Night of Owls), this current arc is about Koriand’r/Starfire. Turns out, she used to be (and still is) a badass.

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Jul 24 2012

Batwoman 11

Alternating Currents: Batwoman 11, Drew and ShelbyToday, Drew and Shelby are discussing Batwoman 11, originally released July 18th, 2012.

Drew: In their write-up for issue 10, the siblings Ehlers described the “To Drown the World” arc as one about the power of belief. That summary somehow seemed too simple, given the chronological gymnastics that dominated our discussions. The emphasis on the chronology has eased off as the arc draws to its close, taking it out of the realm of gimmick and back to the much more common device of alternating between A and B story lines. What we’re left with are the themes the Ehlers so readily pointed out — how the lies we tell ourselves and others shape the way we perceive the world. I don’t know if it’s intentional or ironic that my faith in the creative team lead me to believe in vain there was more to the narrative gimmickry, but it establishes a fascinating meta-theme for the arc. Continue reading →

Jul 23 2012

Green Lantern Corps 11

Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Green Lantern Corps 11, originally released July 18th, 2012.

Shelby: The current run of the Green Lantern Corps is largely about dissension. It’s a powerful force that any dissenter will tell you is necessary, usually to achieve freedom from oppressors. But it’s also a tool which can be wielded against the oppressed to scatter their forces and further cement the power of the oppressors. So far, the dissent Guy and John sparked has played into the hands of the Guardians, aiding them in their plans to destroy the Corps to make way for the Third Army. This issue might mark the turning point when things finally spiral out of their controlling, blue hands.
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Jul 23 2012

Birds of Prey 11

Alternating Currents: Birds of Prey 11, Drew and PatrickToday, Drew and Patrick are discussing Birds of Prey 11, originally released July 18th, 2012.

Drew: I’ve often said that I prefer questions to answers. Questions stimulate the imagination, where answers play in the realm of cut-and-dried facts; questions keep us guessing, while answers end the guessing. This leads me to seek out narratives steeped in mystery, like LOST. As that series drew to its conclusion, I was often frustrated as we received answers, partially because they weren’t always that interesting, and partially because I didn’t care. Answers to questions I’m not interested in — however well conceived — aren’t as interesting as more guesses about the questions I am interested in. I found myself thinking about this quite a bit as I read Birds of Prey 11, an issue that sets out to give us answers about Ivy’s past I hadn’t even realized were questions. Continue reading →