Who would have thought that seeing Supergirl and Power Girl argue with Supergirl’s house would be so entertaining? I have no idea what’s been going on in this series — or even who Supergirl *is* — but I enjoyed the dialogue between the two women.

Yes, it’s an obvious joke that Power Girl takes offense to being considered “old”, compared to the teen version. And I don’t know why the house (Sanctuary) thinks that one of them is a clone, or why anyone cares, or where the house came from, or why it’s so snarky (although that part is entertaining). All of this (of course) leads to a big fight, which could have taken up fewer pages to make me happier, but today’s DC superhero comics seem to value punching over characterization, so I should be glad we got as much conversation as we did.

I like how these women look cute (particularly the younger one) and active and related without the story ever taking second place to posing them. I hate to praise the art in part by what it’s not, but any time we have a Power Girl story, it’s a concern.

I would have really appreciated a “story so far” page explaining why Power Girl is hanging out with Supergirl instead of the Huntress, which is where I’ve seen her so far in the new DCU. I guess we’re supposed to use the internet for that now.

A+X #7

“Iron Man + Beast” by Zeb Wells, Dale Keown, and Norman Lee
“Thor + Iceman” by Christopher Yost and Orphans Cheeps

The entire premise of this title is simple, short-story teamups, so it’s a great read without having to follow storylines or crossovers. Particularly when the author uses the kind of humor that keeps exaggerated heroic characters grounded. Sure, there’s usually one big fight, but it’s the conversation around it that I enjoy more.

For instance, when Beast and Iron Man get together, they try to stop a rogue virus infecting anti-Hulk armor built by the Beast, which gives Tony an excuse to be all egotistical and show-offy. There are several gags that make me want to repeat them, but I don’t want to spoil them, plus a surprise ending that made me smile.

The second story pits Iceman against Thor’s enemy, a Frost Giant, in a tale about it being ok to joke and be light-hearted so long as you can perform when the going gets tough. If you’d like to see another great story from this series, look for issue #6, where Captain Marvel and Wolverine play poker and debate a question from the Angel TV show in a piece written by Peter David.

FF #6

by Matt Fraction and Joe Quinones

I don’t follow the lead Fantastic Four title because I’ve never really warmed to those characters, and sending the family off in a self-contained bubble doesn’t appeal to me. But this companion, featuring substitute heroes trying to take care of a gang of super-intelligent kids, I like a lot. Particularly the women, Darla Deering (the celebrity wearing the Thing suit) and She-Hulk.

So many characters means more opportunities for amusing bits. Dragon Man, who gets tagged with babysitting duty a lot, just wants to read his economic news (wearing cute little pince-nez) in peace. The visual gags really rock, as we go from one of those old-fashioned cutaways showing us all the nifty rooms in the superhero headquarters to seeing that Scott Lang wears Fantastic Four pajama bottoms. I’m sure I’m missing a ton of references, since I barely get the Yancy Street Gang, but it’s all done with good humor and there’s plenty more coming along to distract me if I do miss something.

It’s not just jokes, though. The characters actually have substantial moments of realization, whether it’s trying to live up to a reputation or get through the day in spite of grief. A lovely blend of emotion, humor, and adventure — superhero comics the way they should be.

Young Avengers #4

by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Mike Norton

I’ve always loved teen hero books, and this is one of the best, because Gillen’s characters feel the right age. They’re heroes, sure, but they’re also still teenagers, and that makes their choices all the more powerful and difficult.

This particular storyline — where Wiccan wanted his boyfriend Hulkling to be happy, so he tried to magic up his mother, only to get an evil parasite instead — is specifically fraught with the challenges of that age group, where you love your parents but you’re trying to make your own decisions, sometimes in spite of them. A doppleganger parent is immensely symbolic, particularly one that can brainwash adults, setting up a real us vs. them generation gap.

The classic structure has also allowed for a slow introduction of the various team members, since the two boys start getting help from one at a time, only for them to fail and another to show up (to get some of their own screen time). That’s been a help in getting a good feel for how Gillen is portraying such characters as Young Loki and a new Miss America (who in a nice touch appears Latina). This issue, Hawkeye (the young Kate Bishop one) and Marvel Boy show up (after a brief but promising-future-drama scene in issue #1).

McKelvie and Norton are doing astounding work, too. From the realistic attitudes of the cast to fancy layout schematics that pack a lot of storytelling into a double-page spread, the look of the book is as fresh and modern as its pacing. No matter what they do, there’s a joy and an energy that only adolescents can possess, and it comes through every page.

Savage Wolverine #4

by Frank Cho

Here’s the surprise of the column — although it’s Cho drawing busty, scantily clad women in loinclothes, I actually like this book. Probably because it’s got Amadeus Cho, one of my favorite modern Marvel characters. And an excuse for the barely dressed: they’re in the Savage Land, which plays well with Wolverine’s conflicts over going berserk and being an animal and all that guff. Here, he’s hanging out with people who’ve gone even more native.

(Although I didn’t like the recent Wolverine and the X-Men storyline set there as much. Probably because it was too weird seeing Wolverine in that setting twice in such different modes. Also, I don’t ever want to read anything again that references the stupid Wolverine Origin series. But otherwise, I really like WatXM for keeping the core concept of mutants training together in a school for heroes.)

Teaming Wolverine up with Shanna the She-Devil is fun, since they both annoy each other, although Cho decided to temporarily kill her off with a penetrating spear. That’s another level on which this comic amuses me — seeing just how blatant he can be with the jungle-girl conventions. I gotta wonder, when you dip a woman wearing nothing but a leopard-skin bikini and a leather belt into a rejuvenating pool (look! she’s wet!), why does she come back to life but the big cat doesn’t? Just being silly. It’s that kind of “turn off the brain” book. Ironic, since Cho’s power is being super-smart.

Anyway, there are also gorillas in this issue, and Wolverine gets his shirt ripped off so there are some hairy torso shots to balance the boobies. Also, it’s a shame the covers of this series all look alike. Makes it hard to keep up with.

Batman: L’il Gotham is one of the “digital first” comics, which means that it contains two stories previously available to buy online. They’re themed by season, which means that this April comic has a Halloween and a Thanksgiving story. Next month, it’s Christmas! That’s a little weird, but hey, holidays are timeless, right?

The Halloween story has the best portrayal of humorless Damian Robin I’ve seen, with Batman having to explain trick-or-treating and costumes to him. The imaginary scene where professor Batman, wearing a cowl, glasses, and a blazer and sweater vest, instructs Robin about the holiday, was terrific. So are the reversals and double-crosses. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, something different happened, all of it funny.

The painted art, where the figures lines are treated more like suggestions for where the chunks of color should go, took me a little while to get used to. The contrast between the fine artistic approach and the silliness of kids in villain costumes provided a tension that kept reminding me that this was a story.

I liked the Thanksgiving chapter even more. It’s so imaginative to see the Penguin leading a flock of turkeys to attack the holiday parade. He bellows, “These birds no longer shall be shackled to your dinner plates. Feel our turkey wrath!” This is the kind of over-the-top drama that superheroes need, a challenge, but one with a certain ludicrousness to it. And the creative responses in battling him! Plus, the heartwarming comfort of seeing all the Batfamily, out of costume, gathering together for a meal, yet still in character. A very nice read.

Update: At Robot 6, Michael May also recommends this title, with lots of art samples, from where I got this panel. Note, though, that he spoils a lot of the first story, so you may want to read his writeup after you read the comic.

Kurt Busiek’s introduction makes some wonderful points about how a funny superhero story that stands on its own isn’t necessarily a parody — it just seems that way if you read too much of the grim continuity-focused universes put out by other publishers. The humor and the powers are just entertaining ways to costume a story that’s really about figuring out life as a young person.

The Adventures of Superhero Girl

And those are the best kinds of superhero stories, those that have amazing occurences but are really about something deeper and more meaningful. That’s nicely summed up by the very first comic, one where a young woman in a cape and mask jumps off a building in order to give a panhandler some spare change. It didn’t take powers for her to ultimately make a difference there.

Superhero Girl does the usual heroic comic things — rescuing a cat, fighting space monsters or ninjas — but she also shrinks her cape doing laundry, worries talking to her mom on the phone, forgets to take her mask off in her secret identity, and fears she’s not a real superhero because she doesn’t have a horrible tragedy in her past. (A disturbingly true comment on current genre expectations.) She’s unsure of herself because she’s that age, at that point in life where she still worries about what other people think and define her as. Her archnemesis isn’t some superintelligent supervillain, but a coffee-swilling hipster who keeps telling her she isn’t doing it right (and who has a disturbingly appropriate secret when he later reappears).

Hicks’ layouts follow a horizontal Sunday comic strip format, but within that size and shape, she’s very creative at laying out the story in unexpected ways. Particularly notable are the vertical panels that she uses to indicate tall buildings or trees or superpowered action throws. These panels are also often used to open a strip, setting the stage for the events that follow.

As the comic continues, we meet more of the supporting cast: her annoying roommate, her overachieving older brother Kevin, bad guy The Marshmallow Menace, and another superhero girl, Spectacle. Superhero Girl struggles with trying to find a job and worries about money while practicing her craft as well as coping with appearance-based expectations. Hicks is genius at turning comic genre conventions into things we all can relate to. So much of what Superhero Girl does are common, everyday things, such as going to a party or taking up a hobby, made funnier by her mask. Under it all, though, she’s a person who seems real, someone I’d want to get to know.

While reorganizing some comic boxes from the move — I should copy and paste that phrase to use over the next two years — KC found a good memory for me. Amazing Fantasy (Volume 2) #15 was cover-dated January 2006. According to the text page in the back, it was created to “revisit, revamp, or recreate… idle Marvel character names.”

The lead story in the anthology was the introduction of Amadeus Cho, by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa. Given the editor’s comments, I wondered if this was a reuse, but according to the character’s Wikipedia bio, it’s not. That’s good, because I like the idea of Amadeus being totally original.

I admire Pak for being willing to take on a super-smart character. It’s hard to write more intelligent than normal (just like, judging from current superhero comics, it’s hard to write nicer or more moral than you are). That’s one of the reasons I loved Cho — he was different and creative and someone I wanted to see more of. He was also a nice contrast to the more physically powerful characters, and he brought some needed diversity to the Marvel universe. And he had a cute dog (actually a coyote called Kirby).

Cho was used on the titles Pak moved through, supporting the Hulk and Hercules, but there’s not a lot of shelf space or audience attention for quirky books like those these days. At least no one’s killed him off yet.

I also miss the art of Miyazawa. He draws terrific young people with strong feeling. Seems he’s moved to Japan to work in manga.

The Power of Shazam!
by Jerry Ordway

KC’s latest Westfield column takes a look at Fantastic Four #511, by Mark Waid, the much-missed Mike Wieringo, and Karl Kesel.

It’s a wonderful tale, about the superhero family meeting the Creator as the conclusion to Reed Richards’ attempts to bring back Ben Grimm. I loved this issue when it came out in 2004, and remembering it after reading KC’s great description made me tear up. You’ll know why, if you’ve read it. If not, you should find a copy.

For Valentine’s Day, DC Comics has announced a Young Romance Special. To be specific, on February 6, Young Romance: A New 52 Valentine’s Day Special #1 will be in stores, featuring 64 pages of Wonder Woman, Superman, Batgirl, Catwoman, Batwoman, Aquaman, Mera, Apollo, Midnighter, and Dick Grayson.

I understand the need to use the “Young Romance” title to keep the trademark active, but I wonder why they felt they had to call it a “New 52″ special. Isn’t that just the assumption for any DC superhero these days?

I’m curious about the comic, I admit. While I’d rather see real romance comics, at least (I’m hoping) a focus on love will mean less negativity and gore than we get in the usual superhero books. With artists including Gene Ha and Phil Jimenez, at least this should look great. I’m having trouble thinking of Aquaman, Superman, and the others as particularly “young”, but that’s one of the new 52 changes, right? And bravo for including Apollo and Midnighter. I also just noticed that they listed Batwoman and Catwoman but not Batman. Hmmm.

The cover, by Kenneth Rocafort, as shown here, plays up the Superman/Wonder Woman romance that’s current right now. I hadn’t realized Diana’s boots are no longer red in the new DCU.

by Art Baltazar; co-written by Franco
DC Comics, $2.99

This title more and more sums up the entirely of the New 52 to me. Each issue features new versions of characters you think you know, reestablishing themselves through blatant expository dialogue. Each issue is more about reintroducing characters we already know than telling a stand-alone story that’s entertaining on its own, and the book seems to be coasting on the goodwill of readers who enjoy seeing familiar faces more than doing significant things with their ever-growing cast. Compared to an earlier series (Tiny Titans, in this case), there’s less humor and more action.

I mean, I loved seeing Natasha, the smart and capable niece of John Henry Irons created by Christopher Priest, appear once again SOMEwhere in a comic. The DCU, in whatever version, needs more heroic diverse characters (and more created more recently than 40 years ago), and she’s a great one. But all the stuff I loved about her isn’t really on display here. It’s knowledge that I bring to the comic, and without it, she’s just another space-filler. I’m mentally papering in the gaps to improve what’s on the page. Worse, I know that I’m not going to get any kind of significant story with her, which is what I really want. So for me, this is just a tease, a pale imitation, a reminder of the kind of comics I used to get and like better.

I don’t mean to pick on this title, which at least maintains a light-heartedness that’s woefully absent in so many other superhero comics these days. Since it’s for kids, it can get away with being silly and creative without the angst and gore that permeates the genre. It’s so much less than what I want from this publisher, though.

Wolverine and the X-Men #19

written by Jason Aaron; pencils by Nick Bradshaw; inks by Walden Wong
Marvel, $3.99

I don’t care about the Marvel Now! branding (although it makes me think of the Steven Wright “breakfast anytime” joke, “So I ordered French Toast in the Renaissance”; when am I supposed to be reading their comics?). I just like the imagination on display here, as we open with some weirdo made of living Nazi bees meeting up with the living grounds of the school, which results in the bizarre war cry of “Sting the grass!” It’s one of those “only in comics” scenes that has to be seen to be believed, and yet, in this context, it still somehow fits.

That leads into one of the classics of the genre, the team recruitment issue, only this time, it’s school leader Kitty Pryde trying to find replacement teachers. Oddly, the ones that we see are particularly badly suited to the job: Blade, Deathlok, Hellstorm, and it goes downhill from there. Plus, Beast is still hanging around, and I’m glad, because he provides a way to put even more invention into the series with his gadgets and studies. Kudos to Jason Aaron for getting the characters to introduce themselves in character-specific voice for readers like me who don’t know all the ins and outs of Marveldom, so I can get the jokes, too. He’s done an amazing job of freshening over-done and played-out concepts like the Hellfire Club.

I love the way this series makes the most of the school and classroom setting. It makes it unique among the X-Men titles, and it plays up what’s so great about this team, the idea that the young mutants need to be guided. I’m also impressed by how much detail Nick Bradshaw puts into the panels while still coping with Aaron’s lengthy dialogue, which I enjoy for its humor and insight.

And ooh, every page is a surprise! Imagine how tickled I was to see one of my two current favorite Marvel superheroes making a guest appearance, in a role perfectly suited for him! Plus, an underused icon looks to be joining the cast, in a wonderful callback to the glory days.

Hawkeye #3

written by Matt Fraction; art by David Aja
Marvel, $2.99

Now that I’m ever-so-slightly losing interest in my previous superhero favorite, Daredevil — I blame the increased shipping velocity, which made me get behind and feel pressured to keep up, as well as the crossovers — I’m glad that this series has come along to keep me happy.

Hawkeye is stylish and distinctive (in both look and tone) and fresh and funny and exciting. Best of all, as the credits page makes clear, the title refers both to our old buddy Clint AND the younger, tough Kate Bishop. Yay for girl heroes!

Due to David Aja’s use of many panels per page when appropriate, the comic feels dense and fulfilling, as though I really got my money’s worth. (More and more a concern with slight content and escalating prices.) It’s also beautiful and modern. Matt Fraction takes a classic reason to make fun of archer superheroes — the trick arrows, the ones with the nets and boomerangs and bolas and all the other visually weird old-school gimmicks — and actually makes it the basis for a gripping, nail-biting story involving a possibly stolen muscle car and various chase scenes. It feels like a movie, but in a good way, not in a “I’m embarrassed to be doing comics and really want to write films” way.

Oh, and Clint reinforces his status as superhero most likely to make a bad decision. Which leads to my favorite cheeky panel in the book:

Mudman Volume 1

Mudman Volume 1

by Paul Grist
Image Comics, $9.99

In contrast with the fast-paced Hawkeye, Mudman feels stodgy. Grist’s art always impresses, but his pacing is so slow one is tempted to say reading it feels like slogging through, well, mud. This first collection reprints the first five issues, and I wish more happened than the introduction of young punk Owen, who gains the ability to turn into mud.

The rest is cliche — the caring but not involved enough Dad, the annoying older sister, the buddy, the bully, the crush, a prophetic dream. Typical of Grist’s stories, everyone, cops, criminals, superheroes, just stumble into things. There’s an opening page of cosmic hint that attempts to give the work some longer-term meaning, but since we don’t get back to it, it’s useless. Later, there’s a mystery girl wandering around muttering similar things. Grist follows his usual technique of constantly introducing more characters to show different facets of the tale. If you like his work, you find it interesting to see the various perspectives; if you don’t, you wonder why he keeps repeating himself instead of advancing the plot.

In another industry, with another creator, I’d try to have more faith that our questions will be answered if we sign onto following the comic, but this is Grist, notorious for walking away from plans and series, and I think book collections should be more stand-alone and have more resolution to the questions they raise than this. As it is, I find it too frustrating for him to build and tack on and hint and continually expand without ever pulling it all back together.

Cast your vote for the Legion’s Leader! All active members (except those LOST in the 21st Century) are eligible. Send your vote to

Legion Election
DC Comics
1700 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

Final date for ballots: November 16, 2012!

The tradition of fans selecting the Legion Leader was first established in 1968 in Adventure Comics #364 (as reported here), with 7,810 readers voting and the winner, Ultra Boy, announced in issue #368. They continued on and off through the series history, with the most recent elections held online in October 2010. Here are some reactions from that time of who’s voting for whom and why. My favorite reason is “to make things difficult for the writer”.

Strangely, they’re apparently not allowing electronic voting this year.

Comic readers may already be familiar with a manga called Battle Royale (based on a novel), in which a group of schoolkids are forced to fight to the death on an island. Readers of any kind have likely heard of William Golding’s modern classic Lord of the Flies, in which a group of shipwrecked schoolboys on an island become feral (especially once it started being taught in English classes). The Marvel series just takes the same premise and makes the students superheroes. And although I doubt they’ll mention it explicitly, they are clearly taking inspiration from the covers of these sources.

Avengers Arena #1 cover	Battle Royale DVD cover
Avengers Arena #2 cover	Lord of the Flies book cover

Worlds’ Finest #5 gives artist George Pérez a break by featuring the Huntress and Power Girl in separate adventures drawn by fill-in artists Jerry Ordway and Wes Craig. It’s nothing particularly memorable — and Pérez can’t draw a hairbrush in perspective — but it’s nice to see two adult female heroes and friends. (Thank writer Paul Levitz.) The Power Girl story is just a big fight with a robot-thing, but the Huntress chapter provides some dark context, as she attends a “Take Back the Night” rally and takes down a misogynist sniper. It’s a tad ham-handed, but dang, it hits those emotional buttons. And bless Paul for not using the event as an excuse to reveal some previously unknown sexual abuse in Helena’s life.

National Comics: Rose & Thorn #1 was frustrating, in that it’s a one-shot that doesn’t resolve its central conflict, but the character revamp was compelling. Rose and Thorn are still two sides of a split personality, but they’re very modern teens, with Rose worried about fitting in at a new school, while Thorn is much more tough (although playing slutty schoolgirl to take the bad guys off guard) in attitude. Tom Taylor and Neil Googe capture well how horrifying Rose’s situation is, waking up with a new tattoo she doesn’t remember and someone else’s blood on her. This girl has the best excuse in superhero comics for a truly secret identity, but here, she’s a character, not just a plot device or a cardboard good girl. I’d like to see more. The teen school setting, and the Gossip Girl-like drinking and sex that comes with it, makes this feel fresh, even if it does have a touch of Revenge to it.

Hawkeye #2, by Matt Fraction and David Aja, features the amazing Kate Bishop, who used to be a young Avenger. She’s a great character, another modern take on heroing, a snarky counterpoint who grounds the older archer and even saves his bacon. They banter, not like Nick and Nora, but like Castle and Alexis, a more father/daughter relationship.

Here, they fight a circus of thieves, an old-fashioned comic concept that’s drawn so beautifully it all seems new. Aja’s art on this title is indescribably wonderful. Greg McElhatton has samples and explains more about why. It’s a dense book that looks like nothing else out there, and I fear for that reason it won’t be around nearly long enough. I want to spend a lot more time with Kate and the old guy.

(Issue written by Dan Slott, art by Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba)

I see that kids hanging out in the Marvel universe still know who Superman and his supporting cast are.

I was also surprised to see, although no one makes this comparison, that Alpha is basically Ultra Boy — has all the high-level powers, but can only use one at a time.

In Justice League #12, out August 29, Geoff Johns is pairing up Wonder Woman and Superman as a couple. “’This is the new status quo,’ says Johns, adding that the relationship will have a seismic impact on all the heroes and villains in the DC universe.” The cover shown here is by Jim Lee, who “took inspiration from Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss and Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day in Times Square photograph.” With added bondage elements. I wish they looked a little more romantic or passionate, instead of like posed plastic action figures.

Also, I think I liked this idea better when it happened in Action Comics #600, back in 1988, but that’s probably because I like George Pérez’s art more than Lee’s.

I also dislike the growing trend of removing all the humans from the superhero comics, such that we’re only left with stories about “demigods” pounding on each other. Superman and Lois Lane belong together … and while I’m sure DC will eventually bring that relationship back as well, since their modis operandi is rewriting older stories and reintroducing pre-existing characters, I’m not that interested in how they get there.

Especially since this seems to be another stunt done to raise controversy and thus sales. As the article says, “Johns and Lee expect some outcry and certainly some debate. Actually, they’re counting on it.” Of course they are. It’s easier to sell superheroes these days based on fan emotion instead of good stories.

J. Caleb Mozzocco, as part of a lengthy links column, said:

Don’t like stories of The Joker raping people? Why not try Batman’s sister book, wherein we’ll be exploring Batman’s issues with emotional intimacy.

You know, sometimes I think I might no longer be in DC’s target audience anymore. The times when I hear them announce things and parts of my brain explode.

This was in response to a con report about the upcoming Detective Comics #0. I’m with Caleb — I’m clearly not the kind of reader or customer they are interested in, because I’m repulsed by much of what they seem to find selling points. I do appreciate people like Caleb keeping me aware of what’s going on, though, so I know if it’s ever safe to come back.

I’m not going to comment on the rest of the book — although Brian Hibbs lives up to the “Savage Critic” name on it, and I can’t argue with his points — but this particular exchange struck me. Both for what it might say about how comic creators are viewing franchise superhero work these days, and how it echoed thoughts I’ve been having about my own 20-year career talking about comics online.

Like much of its genre, on further reflection, this piece of advice strikes me as rather immature. Adults don’t do things solely because they’re meaningful — they also do them for income, to build a career, to take care of their family, because you don’t throw over your life on a whim or a bad day. There’s also obligation, living up to your word if other people are depending on you continuing what you said you would do. However, adults also don’t put on costumes to punch people, so perhaps this is as starry-eyed misguided as what that type of story has become. As an argument against self-reflection, though, I reject JMS’s “advice”.

Writer: Christos Gage
Penciler: David Baldeon
Inker: Jordi Tarragona
Marvel, $2.99

Rogue and Ms. Marvel face off as part of the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover, a particularly fraught battle due to their history. (I assume she’s still Ms. Marvel for now. I couldn’t find her name in the issue.) Ms. Marvel wants to talk about the danger the Phoenix Five represent, while Rogue has taken their side in the “war” against the Avengers.

It’s a good conflict, one that helps personalize the big event, with lots of intriguing concepts. For example, is it fair to stop someone based on what could happen? Ms. Marvel’s fears are more hypothetical than actual at this point, although we all know that power corrupts, especially in superhero comics.

What really struck me about this issue, though, is that Gage manages to sum up the difference between the two mega-teams in simple phrases. As Rogue says,

Guess that’s the difference between us and the Avengers. The world already looked pretty good to them. They fought to keep it as it was. We fought to make it better.

And that’s what drives most political debates, right? Whether you feel as though you’re part of the establishment, or left out of it.

I also like Baldeon’s chunky figures, who have good action poses that convey energy while still seeming achievable. It’s refreshing to see a super-comic featuring women where the emphasis is on their power, not butt shots. In this issue, they’re fighting, struggling to come out on top, without posing for the viewer.

Resident Alien #2

Writer: Peter Hogan
Artist: Steve Parkhouse
Dark Horse, $3.50

I can’t really recommend buying this issue, #2 of 3 (not counting the #0 introduction), because at this point, I think you should just get the eventual collection. I like this tale of an extraterrestrial masquerading as town doctor, shanghaied into investigating a murder mystery.

This issue fills in much of the history, of the victims, of the visitor (and how he arrived), and of the nurse, the only person who suspects the doctor isn’t what he seems. Her family — she seeks guidance from her dad — ties the story back to the Southwestern location as well as explaining, a bit, her unique status. He also provides good advice, restraining the American need to do SOMEthing about weirdness, instead counseling acceptance and patience.

The characters and setting are well-delineated, a pleasure to view, with distinctive coloring and personalities, expressed both through voice and visually. There is a bit of fortuitous circumstance, as a patient I don’t recall seeing before gives the doctor the clue he needs to start tying the killings together, but I like the plain-spoken man’s take on how to be healthy: “I eat well, I sleep well, I walk a lot, and I don’t take crap from anyone.”

Angel & Faith #11

Writer: Christos Gage
Art: Rebekah Isaacs
Dark Horse, $2.99

This series keeps surprising me. This issue is part one of a new “Family Reunion” storyline, which means we see several well-known characters reappear to cause trouble. There are three big names here, which I won’t spoil, one of whom is my favorite, one of whom is always a pleasure to see (although I thought he was dead), and one of whom I can’t stand.

I’m not sure how I feel about the structure of this series. The TV show, back when, revolved around “there’s a monster, we must stop it.” This story is more proactive, with Angel trying to do something stupid. It allows for more different types of tales, as there’s an excuse for Faith and Angel to go do something instead of waiting for trouble to come to them, but invariably, we still get the “zompire” battle scenes. It’s a difficult line to walk, too, with readers wanting to know what’s going on with their favorite characters, but at least in my case, I need a series that still works if you remember very little about the details and didn’t read all of Buffy Season 8 or the previous Angel comic series.

So far, this is balancing well. Devoted franchise followers may find some of the discussion here exposition-heavy, as one of the guest stars has her own quest that intersects with Angel’s desires tangentially. I found it helpful to remind us where we’d left things, and it’s leavened with plenty of humor. (I’m quickly becoming a Gage fangirl.) There’s an underlying theme running through the series, too, which is how the lack of any magic in the world is making it a worse place to be. (Except that there are still plenty of residual artifacts and demons and such — it’s not a consistency that bothers me, though, because with absolutely no magic, we’d have about 20% of our cast members.)

This issue is very talky, as much of the premise is set up, and given what they set out to do and where they’re going, I expect it will be balanced out in the rest of the storyline with more action and wild visuals. Isaacs’ characters are nicely done, with enough resemblance to the actors we know, but with the kind of expression lacking in more heavily photo-referenced works. There are lots of feelings on display, as folks reunite and get sad and yell at each other. Very nice hair, too.

Archie #634

Writer: Dan Parent
Penciler: Dan Parent
Inker: Rich Koslowski
Archie, $2.99

The “Archie Marries Valerie” storyline concludes by satirizing the company’s tendency to run these kinds of events. The writer appears to have gotten tired of pairing off Archie and Valerie as a musical family, giving them a prodigal daughter named Star, so eight pages in, Valerie goes walking back down Memory Lane. That’s the magical lamppost that shows characters their potential futures.

Since she (and the reader) are bored of the story they’ve been reading, we start getting glimpses of Archie alternately marrying every other female character in Riverdale — Cheryl Blossom, Sabrina, Josie, Ginger, even Midge and Ethel. None are happy, based on what we see, leading Valerie to disavow planning for the future in terms of relationships. That makes sense for the characters, perpetually stuck as teens, but it’s not so great a message for the readers. It’s also a ridiculously over-the-top “resolution” to this event storyline, running the concept into the ground.

The book ends with (the sadly non-paired) Dilton telling us no one can know the future, so we should “seize the day”. Which leaves Archie and Valerie smooching, a state of affairs I suspect won’t be followed up on until the publisher needs another “ratings boost”. Or maybe they want to see which possible marriage for Archie catches the attention of readers.

It’s a fairly typical “we’re going to fight you!” superhero team pose, drawn by Timothy Green II, inked by Jeff Huet. However, the way the White Tiger was standing struck me as remarkably silly. Look, here’s a closeup:

First, it doesn’t appear that she’s actually putting any weight on her feet, especially that one extending off the page. Weirder, though, is how she’s pulled her arms back. No one prepares for a punch by forcing their elbow behind their back. That pushes your fist out to the side, not drawn back to hit. The other arm’s just kind of hanging there in space, as though she’s showing you she has a bicep. This is a “I’ve got boobies!” pose, not an “I’m going to kick your ass” stance.

It shouldn’t surprise me that this was considered a reasonable drawing, given the usual state of superhero comic art, even that used in books with a really good balanced and diverse cast of characters. I think I was struck by the pose because it was the last thing I saw in the book as my eyes tracked down the final page of the story.

Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Neil Edwards
Inker: Karl Kesel
Marvel, $2.99

Wow, a combination of two of my favorite superhero comic things: the girls’ road trip and the uplifting message.

The wolfgirl Rahne has been indulging in a bout of depression after having, and hating, a baby god, so Banshee and Polaris take her on a road trip. There’s a convertible and gossip and creative use of powers, but what makes this story so surprising is the women’s destination. They wind up meeting of of my favorite weird supporting characters of the Marvel universe: John Maddox, one of Madrox’s duplicates who’s gone off on his own and gotten ordained as a minister. It makes for an odd but refreshing, even faithful, portrayal of religion, something we don’t often see. More importantly, Maddox’s little speech about forgiveness is actually touching and inspiring. I didn’t realize I needed to hear it until after I’d read it.

I like the illustrations of the various expressions of the characters, which cover a gamut of moods. They can be a bit static, but they give me a good idea of what they’re feeling. Since so many emotions are covered in this story, that’s a good thing.

(I appreciate the character listing on the story so far page, but since when do we call Layla Miller “Butterfly”?)

Back Issue #57

TwoMorrows, $8.95

Most of this issue is taken up by a lengthy interview with former DC Comics president Jenette Kahn, conducted by Bob Greenberger, and it’s fascinating. I’ve only read about a third of it, and I’ve already learned so much about her career and how she came to DC. There are a lot of “I don’t remember” answers, as you might expect when talking about history from 25-35 years ago or so, but what is discussed is still worthwhile.

Backup article subjects include Dollar Comics, plans for a never-realized DC kids’ line in the early 80s, the short-lived Wonder Woman Foundation, PSA comics, and the birth of Vertigo. Overall, it’s a great issue that presents a lot of examples of some of the creative and outreach activities DC was once known for.

You can read a preview at the publisher’s website.

Bad Medicine #1-2

Writers: Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
Artist: Christopher Mitten
Oni Press, $3.99

The first two issues of this new series wrap up their medical mystery just as it’s getting interesting, which is a good thing. I was concerned that we were going to keep wandering through weird science pathology for much too long, but a simple setup/conclusion is nice to see.

Issue #1, which you might remember from this year’s Free Comic Book Day, introduces Detective Huffman, who winds up investigating a dead body with an invisible head. There’s a mystery involving a retrovirus, telekinesis, and an increasingly wacky gang of scientists.

The series reads so far like a blend of CSI and Law & Order, with more weirdness. It’s very dialogue-driven, but Mitten’s figures are nicely stylized, and he conveys the gritty feel of an urban environment. The art is something worth spending time with.

Like those procedural shows, I’m not sure the stories will be particularly memorable, but I’m curious to know more about the detective and Dr. Horne, who talks to a dead woman. Looks like the next story arc is a three-parter that involves either zombies or cannibalism.

Castle Waiting #16

by Linda Medley
Fantagraphics, $3.95

After some uncertainty about the future of the series after the release of the second collection in 2010, I was thrilled to see Medley’s down-to-earth fantasy continue. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to pick up with all these characters, too.

This issue continues the celebration of everyday noble Jain and her baby’s move into new quarters. It’s also a callback to the original Castle Waiting story, The Curse of Brambly Hedge, as the original ladies-in-waiting to Sleeping Beauty go overboard with decorating. Patience, Plenty, and Prudence have furnished Jain’s new quarters in outrageous fashion, leading to an amazing two-page spread by Medley. But it’s her character work, the small bits of perfectly realized dialogue, that make this series so rewarding. Who else could spin a whole issue’s tale around a group of friends relaxing after a move? It’s fantastic, with her visually exaggerated characters, and yet so very realistic, in the warm feelings among the cast.

There are also plenty of hints as to what might happen in the remaining two issues of this storyline, with unusual creatures (who charmingly help watch the baby) plotting to save their space and hints as to the child’s heritage. Plus ghosts. It’ll all be beautifully cartooned, of course.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure the result is that good a value, since it’s high-priced for what you get, and the material doesn’t contain much new information that isn’t already known from the movie. The magazine is 32 pages for $4.99, which seems very slim. There aren’t any ads, though, unless you count the page urging you to subscribe to future issues (8 issues a year are planned) and the one asking you to provide your opinions on the publication. (Shades of manga!) There’s also a release form for readers and their parents to sign if they want to submit a letter, art, or photograph.

Cover by Craig Rousseau, I think - no credit given

The magazine seems to have a bit of difficulty navigating the differences between the comics (or maybe the cartoons) and the movie. The cover features the film characters, while the first page also sticks Black Panther, Ant-Man, and the Wasp in around the edges.

It’s more of an issue with the comic content, a two-part Thor story by Joe Caramagna, Kevin Sharpe, and Terry Pallot that runs a total of 11 pages. It was originally published in Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes #19 at the end of last year, and it features Thor and Loki fighting over the hammer Mjolnir. It’s not a bad little story, if it does have an obvious moral, but it turns on the idea that Thor, without his hammer, turns back into Don Blake, an idea not familiar to media viewers. It also makes Odin out to be a jerk and gives me a lot of sympathy for Loki, who’s used as a pawn here, although he also acts stupidly.

The magazine pages are full of art, sometimes overwhelmingly so, with call-outs and captions and all very shiny with computer coloring. It made my old eyes tired, but I am clearly NOT the audience for this, which wants to show kids how cool these characters are. It does a good job, with nothing I found particularly objectionable. (The interior art is even credited.) There are no movie photos or images, although a battle profile shows Loki fighting the team.

There are two pull-out posters. One on the inside cover features Iron Man against Loki; the other is a standing team shot, including the Scarlet Witch. That’s not the only activity that encourages you to destroy the mag: there’s a cut-out mix-and-match as well. Several puzzle pages include a maze, a rebus, and my favorite, the logic puzzle in which you have to determine which Avenger has been replaced by the Space Phantom. Of more interest to me were the Who’s Who-style bio pages. This issue profiles Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America, and the historical team. (Although I don’t buy Hawkeye gets a 5 out of 7 in intelligence when Black Widow gets a 3.)

It’ll be interesting to see what the next issue, out in July, looks like, since it’s dedicated to Spider-Man (in connection with the next movie). You can subscribe to the magazine at a discount to the cover price, and giving a kid the thrill of getting her or his own mail may be worth the cost. (By the way, that site doesn’t work if you don’t let them set cookies.) The magazine is also available through Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Barnes & Noble, which seem the right audiences for this product. Someone shopping at comic book stores will be happier with the Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes comic.