Drew: This past weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of attending Boston’s own Comic Con. Like Peter and Shelby‘s recent experience at C2E2, this was my first con. I arrived a little late, and found the line stretching around the block (the entrance to the convention center is around the corner and down a looong city block from where I took that picture), but was only the first of many lines I would enjoy that day. Continue reading
Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Birds of Prey 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.
Patrick: Birds of Prey found such a strong, clear voice early in its run. I knew who Dinah was, I knew who Eve was and I understood their dynamic. They even had a cool villain that could control minds and make heads explode. As the team grew, so did my enthusiasm for the series. But the narrative waters are getting murky, and when my expectations grind so violently against the book that was delivered, my enthusiasm wanes. Continue reading
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: The Art of Mark Dos Santos
Who Would Love This: Batman fans, Norman Rockwell fans, fans of irony and Americana
Price: $10.00
This edition of the Vault is special, because NOT ONLY did I get the distinct pleasure of meeting Mr. Dos Santos at C2E2, I actually purchased this fine print, along with two others. This is one of those sorts of prints that I call “secret nerd art.” These are probably more obvious than, say, my Firefly vintage travel posters, but they still count. I love things that, at a glance, are not nerdy at all. It’s only if you look closer and are a nerd that you see just how big of a geek I am. I am going to frame all three of these lovely signed prints and hang them proudly in my living room. Plus, Mr. Dos Santos informed me that is going to be starting a Kickstarter to make a coffee table style art book of his prints, so keep your eyes open for that.
Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Green Lantern Corps 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.
Shelby: We talk a lot on this site about the balance of action and plot in the titles we read. Comic books have a fine line to tread, between providing enough action to keep things interesting and also creating a plot that’s deep enough to keep things interesting. Last month’s issue of Green Lantern Corps was one of those action-light issues, and I thought it was boring. More specifically, I thought the necessary plot points that were executed were done so in a overwrought and cliched way. This month we have another action-light issue, but happily Peter Tomasi has written a story that advances the plot into the next arc in a way that keeps me interested.
Continue reading
Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing Captain Atom 7 and 8, originally released on March 21st, and April 18th, 2012.
Peter: As we continue in the post modern world of Captain Atom, we are seeing a lot of references to time and not-so-intuitive nature of cause and effect. The running clock which accompanies every scene-change ensures that this theme remains pervasive throughout. Time is ever moving around us, but in the world of Captain Atom, it’s something entirely different.
Continue reading
Today, Patrick and Shelby are discussing Wonder Woman 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.
Patrick: Last month, we were promised a trip to Hell. Given all the characters in-play in Wonder Woman, I foolishly assumed we’d get something of an Orpheus story. But that assumption proved too narrow and too literal: Brian Azzarello may have been given license to explicitly alter the Wonder Woman mythos, but he takes the same liberties with Greek mythology. The result is a trippy adventure through the underworld that is recognizably epic (in both the traditional and modern sense of the word) and wholly, boldly new.
Continue reading
Today, Drew and Peter are discussing Nightwing 8, originally released April 18th, 2012. This issue is part of the Night of the Owls crossover event. Click here for complete NotO coverage.
Drew: Scott Snyder has said that, for Batman, the Night of the Owls is all about his relationship to Gotham. That singular focus on a theme so close to Bruce’s identity can be felt throughout that title, and all of our favorite books have a similar thematic focus; Wonder Woman on family, The Flash on time, etc. While these themes all focus on aspects of their heroes’ identities, Kyle Higgins has managed to refract the events of the Night of the Owls onto identity itself, Nightwing’s own pet theme. Last month’s reveal that Dick had been earmarked (okay, toothmarked) to be the next Talon struck a powerful blow to his sense of self, which was still on the mend from his recent costume changes (plus the inherent issues of being a kind of unmoored twenty-something). Continue reading
Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batman 8, originally released April 18th, 2012. This issue is part of the Night of the Owls crossover event. Click here for complete NotO coverage.
Drew: Batman 8 begins with a tight shot on a Gotham City manhole cover. As the camera pulls up and out, revealing the city around it, Bruce’s voiceover questions whether his attention to detail has prevented him from seeing the bigger picture. This attention to detail explains why Bruce could have been unaware of the presence of the Court of Owls in what he thought was his city, but it also acts as a cutting interrogation of our own experiences with Batman (and superheroes in general). I’ve long lamented the favoring of point-by-point plot details over “bigger picture” concepts like character and theme, but writer Scott Snyder seems to suggest that the devotion to the minutia may actually prevent us from truly understanding what is going on. It’s a bold suggestion, and one that would risk alienating fanboys if it weren’t so deftly handled. Continue reading
Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Justice League 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.
Shelby: I love a good mystery. As a wee lass, I loved Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys; though my tastes have strayed somewhat since then, I still believe there is nothing better than mystery (big or small) to hook someone into a plot. Apparently, Geoff Johns agrees with me, because this month’s Justice League is loaded with mysteries of varying height and weight. Even though I’m not crazy about the actual events that took place in this issue, the mysteries Johns is beginning to uncover are tantalizing to a curious cat like me. Continue reading
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: Zazzle
Who Would Love This: Blackest Night fans, deputy enthusiasts, people who thought The Flash wasn’t already over-powered
Price: $56.20
There are actually a bunch of products with this image on it. I chose this one specifically, because if you own an iPad and you’re on this website, you’re probably reading comics on that thing from time to time. ADMIT IT! This iPad cover depicts the single coolest moment of Blackest Night – the moment the rings seek out deputies on Earth to aid in the fight against Neckron and the Black Lanterns. It’s not likely that we’ll ever see these characters like this again – one of the few downsides of the relaunch… Immortalize this once-in-the-multiverse moment by using the entire emotional spectrum to protect your $600 tablet.
Retcon Punch 