The newest take on Batgirl began at the end of 2014, when Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, and Babs Tarr gave us a Barbara Gordon who dressed realistically (colored Doc Martens-looking boots!), moved somewhere hip, went to college, and made new friends that represented a more diverse society. It was a breath of fresh air for the well-known-but-derivative hero. But there’s been another line relaunch since then, and Rebirth brought Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time, Goldie Vance) on as writer. […]

DC Super Hero Girls: Hits and Myths is the second graphic novel in the branded series, and I’m glad to say that I liked it better than the first, Finals Crisis. That may be because, now that the characters are established (although most of the main ones are already well-known), writer Shea Fontana and artist Yancey Labat can create a plot a little more complex than previously. They’re the same creative team from the first book, and they’ve got a […]

I normally don’t care much for the supernatural-focused stories of Astro City. Although there’s a long tradition of the combination in Bronze Age comics, I’ve never liked the way magic mixes with the more science-fiction-y superheroes. So I was surprised at just how much I liked this issue of the long-running series by Kurt Busiek, illustrated by guest artist Carmen Carnero. It begins with the origin of the Hanged Man. Think the Spectre mixed with the Watcher, an ominous ghostly […]

I’m glad to see that, in all the material they’ve brought out to sell under the DC Super Heroes Girls brand, that they remembered to make a comic. This original graphic novel (written by Shea Fontana, art by Yancey Labat) is actually thicker (128 pages), glossier (with colorful, shiny paper), and slightly smaller than a typical comic, which allows it to be sold in bookstores and provide more kid appeal and value. The cast and plot of Finals Crisis is […]

I heard a lot of people recommend the digital-first nostalgia-fest Batman ’66 while it was running, but I haven’t heard anyone talk about the similar Wonder Woman ’77. Which is a shame because it also tells new stories using likenesses from the fondly remembered TV show version while reminding us how rich the portrayals were. (I can say this authoritatively because I recently binged on season 2 of the TV show starring Lynda Carter. That’s the one where they move […]

I love the premise of this Black Canary revamp — the hero’s on the road with a scrappy band — and I like the way we’re already learning more about the bigger picture. Kid-looking Ditto, who plays guitar, is being pursued by a mysterious group, and this issue lays out the back story, via Kurt, Black Canary’s estranged husband (!) and member of a secret military organization. (I hope it turns out to be related to what’s going on in […]

Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu put a new twist on the long-running fishnet-clad hero in Black Canary. Looked at after reading, it’s a terrific choice, but not one I would have ever expected. Here, Black Canary is the name of a touring rock band. The blonde on the cover is D.D., a fighter with a mysterious past neither her bandmates nor we know anything about yet. It’s a great idea to give her some female compatriots, since she’s previously been […]

I’ve been trying a number of the new DC #1s, particularly the ones promising something other than the usual legacy white male hero, but I’ve found some of them unsatisfying. Too many of them are prologue, trying to establish a setup but not giving an accurate taste of what the actual series will be about. Not every #1 has to be an origin issue (or, like Prez, the first half of an origin). A #1 should make me want to […]