Mar 13 2012

Detective Comics 7


Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing Detective Comics 7, originally released March 7th 2012.

Peter: Tony Daniel has a great history with DC Comics. He has written and/or drawn some great books. In fact, he drew one of my favorite books, The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #13. His art couples with a great story, and unfortunately, results with the death of Bart Allen. In his new run of Detective Comics, Daniel does a great job with the art, hands down, giving it that noir, shadow-y feel that I would expect in a detective story. However, Daniel is still leaving something to be desired from a story point of view. I have enjoyed some of his previous writing, such as Battle for the Cowl, or even Detective Comics #1, but as his story progresses and comes to a close in the second story arc, I’m still dazed and confused as to what is going on and why should I care.

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Mar 12 2012

Swamp Thing 7

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Swamp Thing 7, originally released March 7th, 2012.

Patrick: Alec Holland dies after taking a chainsaw through the torso.  Spoiler, I guess. No, I didn’t just ruin a twist or anything – in fact, Alec suffers this wound at the end of the previous issue. As is so frequently the case for characters in superhero comics, the drama continues to play out past the point of death, into the cerebral nether-space between living and dying. It allows Alec to decide that he needs to embrace his destiny and become the Swamp Thing. It’s a regular stop for heroes nearing the end of the Heroes’ Journey (capital H, capital J), but Scott Snyder manages something subtly different, emotionally unique to this very specifically reluctant hero.  Continue reading →

Mar 9 2012

Animal Man 7

Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing Animal Man 7, originally released March 7th, 2012.

Shelby: I am pretty new to Animal Man. After listening to Patrick and Drew rave about it, I knew I had to pick it up. I just got caught up over the weekend, and I’m so glad I did. No exaggeration: reading the first 6 issues of this in one sitting gave me nightmares. I am a grown-ass woman, and I can’t sleep because of a comic book? That, my friends, is awesome.  Continue reading →

Mar 8 2012

Batwing 7

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batwing 7, originally released March 7th, 2012.

Drew: At the end of issue 6, I had mixed feelings about this title. I liked the stylized art, particularly Brian Reber’s atmospheric, almost dusty colors, and I appreciated the idea of distilling the idea of Batman down to it’s essence and seeing how it plays in different cultures. At the same time, I wasn’t sure I actually liked the approach writer Judd Winick had applied to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I complained that the title was exploitative, but it really isn’t guilty of doing anything any frank (or, more importantly, action-focused) depiction of subsaharan Africa wouldn’t do. I’m still not convinced that this title isn’t exploitative, but this month’s issue comes a long way in making me more comfortable with the world David Zavimbe inhabits. Continue reading →

Mar 7 2012

Chat Cave: The Five Year Rule

When DC re-launched its entire line in September, they allowed individual writers and artists creative control over just how hard they wanted to throw the reset switch. With one exception: DC management decreed that in the “present” of all the books, no superhero had been active for more than five years. This holy edict seems to have served some characters better than others, and it also upsets some fans more than others. The Retcon Punchers weigh in on this universal change. Welcome to the Chat Cave.

Shelby: You know, I really don’t think about this all that much. Honestly, my first reaction to Patrick’s posing the question was, “Wait, what?” I kind of forgot; it just doesn’t enter into my brain while I’m reading. Continue reading →

Mar 6 2012

Birds of Prey 1-6

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Birds of Prey 1-6, originally released September 21st, October 19th, November 16th, December 21st, 2011, January 18th, and February 15th, 2012.

Patrick: You know how the common perception of Aquaman is that he’s lame and talks to fish and is generally useless in a peer group that includes the likes of Superman and Batman? That is exactly how I’ve always seen the Black Canary. Too frequently in the old continuity she was made to function solely as the Green Arrow’s wife or ex-wife or ex-wife-that-still-fucks-him-from-time-to-time. After being marginalized by a hero as boring as Green Arrow, the very mention of the character’s name signaled petty, tedious bullshit. This largely-domestic history, coupled with a super-sonic scream super-power, paints the image of the ultimate shrew. I never imagined that I’d be reading a book that features the character so prominently. And I certainly never thought I’d be enjoying it this much. Continue reading →

Mar 5 2012

Deathstroke 1-6

Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Deathstroke 1-6, originally released September 14th, October 12th, November 9th, December 14th, 2011, and January 11th and February 8th, 2012.

Shelby: I picked up Deathstroke at the recommendation of my local comic shop. I was looking to broaden our pull list with something the guys weren’t reading. Plus, Deathstroke is a virtually unknown character to me; I first encountered him when I read Identity Crisis last year, and I what I learned from that book was the limit of my knowledge of Slade Wilson. He’s classified as a meta-human, with enhanced strength, speed, tactical abilities, and a regenerative ability allowing him to heal faster than your average blogger from nearly all wounds. I have, in previous posts, compared titles to action movies, but I have been forced to take it all back. Deathstroke is the ultimate killing machine; he does so with precision, accuracy, and impunity. It’s almost kind of refreshing; so many superheroes make a point of not killing their enemies, enough so that on the rare occasion when they do, it’s shocking (Wonder Woman, I’m looking at you). There is something really appealing about a character who exists solely to kill others. Moreover, if this character isn’t a villain, isn’t someone I despise, then I think we’re onto something interesting.

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Mar 2 2012

Green Lantern: New Guardians 1-6

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Green Lantern: New Guardians, originally released September 28th, 2011, October 26th, 2011, November 23rd, 2011, December 28th 2011, January 25th 2012, and February 22nd, 2012.

Drew: Creatively, the concept of the Green Lantern Corps is a tricky thing for DC to deal with. On the one hand, the density and vastness of literally an entire universe’s worth of mythology and intergalactic police stories is the perfect setting for the kinds of expansive, sprawling stories comics are so well-suited for.  On the other hand, that same density and vastness makes the title incredibly impenetrable to newcomers, which lowers their crossover appeal. Characters like Batman and Spider-Man can make the pop-culture leap into movies and television precisely because their mythologies can be so easily summarized. The reasons comics fans like Green Lantern are the same reasons that make a film adaptation so impossible (or at least ill-advised). Continue reading →

Mar 1 2012

Justice League 6

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Justice League 6, originally released February 29th, 2012.

Shelby: I can appreciate the appeal of tradition. There is something very appealing to me about doing things “the old-fashioned way.” This isn’t to say that I can’t appreciate innovation, either, far from it. I just enjoy the comfort of doing things the way they’ve always been done. To me, this issue of Justice League is definitely a “classic comic book story.” Two parts action, one part cheesy dialogue, it’s precisely what you expect, and sometimes that’s what you want. There’s a fine line, however, between the enjoying the comfort of a classic and being frustrated by the same nonsense you’ve seen again and again. A very, very fine line… Continue reading →

Feb 29 2012

Chat Cave: What embarrasses you about comics?

Comics have always been stigmatized, from the homophobia that led to the comics code to the perennial perception that comics are for kids. Fans have long tolerated these stigmas, but have recently enjoyed more mainstream acceptance. Between the regular presence of graphic novels on bestseller lists and superheros on theater marquis, comics readers need no longer feel embarrassed for their fandom. At least, not totally. This week, the Retcon Punchers discuss what aspects of comic books still embarrass them. Welcome to the Chat Cave.

Drew: This subject is very near and dear to my heart. In fact, one could argue that my first attempt to tackle this subject (posted on my blog devoted to subjects of such social stigmas) set me on the path that led to the formation of this very site. Suffice it to say, I’m maybe a little too sensitive to what people might be thinking about my comic fandom, but those sensitivities aren’t necessarily directly comics related. The thing I’m most embarrassed by is people assuming that I’m the kind of hyper-sarcastic, socially awkward pretentious hermit that has become the stereotype of the modern comic fan, but that has more to do with the culture surrounding comics than anything in the comics themselves. Continue reading →