SENYC Report: Reimagining the Female Hero

Following Marvel’s Next Big Thing, room 1E19 was turned over to a very different sort of panel. At once more important but less serious, Reimagining the Female Hero was my favorite panel at Special Edition: NYC and, judging from the reactions I’ve seen, I get the sense I wasn’t alone in that.

In a stark inversion of horror stories from previous conventions where feminist panels were trolled by attendees waiting out more traditional fare, I noticed many fans sticking around from The Next Big Thing. In fact, despite taking place in the same room as DC and Marvel’s offerings, the panel gave us reason to hope and easily held its own in terms of attendance.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the panel had some pretty excellent creators. The line-up included Jenny Frison, a talented cover artist for series including Revival and Red Sonja; Emanuela Lupacchino, the artist on DC’s Supergirl and the Superman: Lois Lane one-shot; Marguerite Bennett, the writer of Superman: Lois Lane and Batgirl #25 and #30; Gail Simone, feminist icon and writer on Batgirl; and Amy Reeder, the artist behind Madame Xanadu and Rocket Girl, who arrived from her dedicated panel a short while into the discussion.

It’s also worth mentioning that the panel had an excellent moderator in the form of Professor Ben Saunders of the University of Oregon. While I hesitate to devote too much praise to the only man involved with the panel, Professor Saunders did an excellent job of keeping the focus on his panelists, encouraging their relevant digressions, and recognizing their celebrity while keeping the mood light yet respectful.

In short I left the room with a greater respect for everyone involved.

Rocket Girl #5 – Review

By: Brian Montclare (story), Amy Reeder (art)

The Story: I saw the lights go out in New York City…

The Review: I don’t think every story in the world has to have a purpose beyond pure entertainment, but it sure can’t hurt for their longevity to have one. It’s kind of a game for me to gauge where in the silly-serious spectrum a story lands, but it’s also an important task for doing a proper review. As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t weigh every story on the same scale; how I think of a story largely depends on how it wants me to think of it.

After five issues, I’ll hazard a guess that Rocket Girl wants me to think of it as an exciting thrill ride that’s also capable of dangerousness when the occasion calls for it. Vague as the causes of Dayoung’s dissatisfaction with “The Past” were, at least here we can see there are very serious consequences to what she’s doing in “The Present.” A distinct feeling of dread looms over “The Past” as darkness rises from the bottom of the city until all of NYC is in shadow, suggesting that maybe LeShawn was right and Dayoung’s meddling with Qintum’s history did “erase everything this city is built on!”

Rocket Girl #4 – Review

By: Brian Montclare (story), Amy Reeder (art)

The Story: So these two kids walk into a bar…

The Review: Here’s the thing about rockets: they’re great for a thrill ride, but they don’t really let you take in your surroundings. Appropriately enough, that’s been the core strength and weakness of Rocket Girl. Dayoung’s high-speed, chaotic adventures have been almost overwhelmingly fun, like taking one Six Flags coaster after another for five hours straight. At some point, though, you need at least short break to catch your breath for the next ride.

You don’t need much of one—you don’t go to Six Flags to sit on your hams, conversing quietly—and this issue gives us just enough calm in the scene where Gomez and LeShawn assess the situation in a bar. It’s here that, maybe for the first time in the series, you get a more nuanced idea of who these characters really are and what they stand for, which often happens when you separate the supporting players from the star.

Rocket Girl #3 – Review

By: Brandon Montclare (story), Amy Reeder (art)

The Story: If there’s one thing a teen cop can’t stand, it’s a talking-to down at the station.

The Review: In #1, I was curious whether Montclare had made a mistake referring to 2013, the ostensible future of Rocket Girl, as “The Past,” but if it was, then he has made it repeatedly and consistently across the next two issues.  Clearly, there’s meaning in it, and the most obvious one is that Dayoung’s era is destined to become a thing of the past.  But it could also mean that 2013 is only the past for right now, while the real action of the story advances in 1986.

Usually, I’d say this ambiguity doesn’t matter because the necessary outcome is for Dayoung’s 2013 to be altered out of existence anyway, if only to give purpose to her time-traveling.  But now I’m hesitant to make any guesses as to the story’s future, seeing as how this issue purposely upends a lot of your usual expectations for how a story like this is supposed to go.  That’s the way it should be, honestly, even if it does blunt all the analysis a reviewer can bring to the table.

Rocket Girl #2 – Review

By: Brandon Montclare (story), Amy Reeder (art)

The Story: Dayoung starts her mission to save the future from utter perfection.

The Review: As much as I enjoy the melodrama and ridiculousness of time-travel stories, I have to admit that whether the characters are going to the future or the past, the plot always boils down to one thing: changing history.  Sometimes it’s about correcting events that should’ve never happened; other times it’s about avoiding a later outcome too hideous to stand; in pretty much every case, success is guaranteed, since failure would be anticlimactic in the extreme.

If Rocket Girl distinguishes itself from the typical time-traveler’s tale in any way, it’s in how Dayoung’s mission to change the past isn’t premised on righting any noticeable wrongs in her time.  Yes, Quintum Mechanics has obviously been profiting from a contained, self-looping time paradox, but there’s no signs of any corrupted, dystopian society beneath the pristine world Dayoung comes from—quite the opposite actually.

Rocket Girl #1 – Review

By: Brandon Montclare (story), Amy Reeder (art)

The Story: She’s still preoccupied with 1985—I mean, ‘86.

The Review: As much as I like to stress the value of realism in a comic book, there’s a part of me that equally appreciates some good, old-fashioned escapism, too.  Heck, the fact that I read comics at all should be evidence enough of that.  So it’s sometimes disheartening to see how few genuinely fun, melodrama-free titles there are out there.  I mean, I can’t rely solely on Batman ’66 for my monthly dose of good times, can I?

That’s why I tend to think Rocket Girl is tailor-made for people thirsting for pure entertainment like me.  A story about a teenaged time-traveling cop going back to the eighties to stop an evil corporation from retroactively guaranteeing its worldwide dominance?  Montclare-Reeder might as well reach into my wallet and help themselves to some cash, because with that kind of premise, that’s how easy it is for me to sign up.

Creepy #11 – Review

By: Gilbert Hernandez, J. Torres, Dan Braun, Peter Bagge, Alisa Kwitney, Archie Goodwin & Jamie S. Rich (writers), Hernandez, Amy Reeder, Bagge, Zullo, Johnny Craig and Joelle Jones (art), Hernandez, Reeder, Bagge & Nate Piekos (letters)

The Story: What do you want me to say?  You know what Creepy is!  It’s a black and white anthology horror comic.

Review: If you had to draw up a checklist for a great issue of Creepy it would look like this: (a) zero stories that suck, (b) great black and white art, (c) “Oh, Henry!” endings galore and (d) one stellar story.

The only place this issue stumbles a little is that it doesn’t have that ONE story that really sticks out.  Everything is very, very good, but nothing quite rises to that level of awesomeness that it can carry the entire $4.99 issue by itself.

MQ’s Favorite Things of 2012

So, against all odds, we managed to make it through the year, doomsdays and raptures notwithstanding.  Congratulations, all—and very, very happy to see you.  Granted, we’ve all experienced some fairly grisly things in the past twelve months, but it’s worth keeping in mind all the good we can, if for no other reason than to prevent yourself from weeping helplessly.  In that spirit, it’s time again to look at my favorite things of the year.  Now remember, no judgments—we are all entitled to like what we like, whether or not they are qualitatively “good.”

Ghosts #1 – Review

By: Way too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Proton packs won’t work against these ghosts—not even if you merge streams.

The Review: Early in my reviewing career, I covered an intermittent anthology series called The Gathering (which has no relation to the card game that somehow survived my prepubescent years).  At the time, I felt most of its offbeat features were raw and unpolished, on both the story and art sides.  Vertigo’s Ghosts takes up pretty much the same format, only with established talents on board, resulting in a much more impressive book.  Get ready; this one’s a doozy.

Halloween Eve #1 – Review

By: Brandon Montclair (story), Amy Reeder (art)

The Story: This Halloween, it’s all about Eve.

The Review: I have a confession to make: I hate Halloween.  In fact, I’d say I hated it even when I was a kid.  I hated traipsing around the town at night, mooching off third-class candy off some of my least favorite neighbors, like Mrs. Wheezer (probably not her real name), who once screamed at me for about ten hours when my soccer ball went astray and landed in her zinnias, which were mostly dead anyway.  I also hate giving candy as much as I hate having to ask for it.

Most of all, I hated getting into costume.  First of all, I stink at arts and crafts of any sort; I pretty much failed Folding, Cutting, and Gluing in elementary school.  Second, I’m of a mind that if I’m gonna wear a costume, I’d like to look good in it, and short and muscle-less does nothing for any outfit.  Third, I never really saw the point of wearing a costume unless you’re in a play or maybe if you have a good joke behind it—like wearing a suit and introducing yourself as an IRS agent auditing for candy, or dressing up like a Greenpeace communist, or going as Land Shark.

Batwoman #8 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (writers), Amy Reeder (penciller), Rob Hunter (inker), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Kate demonstrates she’s not exactly girlfriend material.

The Review: A black friend of mine once told me that to make it in this world, “you can’t work as hard as a white man; you have to work harder.”  A dim outlook, but one no less wise for it.  I think the same philosophy applies to women as well, perhaps even more so, and perhaps especially to women in the superhero business.  One of the long-running, subtle themes of this series is Batwoman’s struggle to craft a heroic identity beyond “the female Batman.”

The first step in that struggle involves her lack of resources.  Though independently wealthy, she doesn’t have the technological connections and inventiveness to be as well-equipped as the Dark Knight.  Working for the D.E.O. has clearly caught her up some.  Here, she gets to put her voice-controlled throwing dart (with the bit of alien A.I. inside) to use against Medusa’s monster minions.  As cool as the dart’s versatility is, it takes away from Batwoman’s abilities to a certain extent as it takes down all her enemies for her, all in a row.

Still, considering she’s outnumbered by supernatural foes, the extra help is warranted.  Besides, she proves her chops later in the issue (but earlier in the story) by singlehandedly executing a breakout at sea, clearing two boats full of GCPD cops, including her girlfriend, in the process.  The scene plays out yet another complication in Batwoman’s life: the overlap between her civilian identity and her night job.  Batman’s had a long time to separate his personas, but now that Kate’s dating Batwoman’s direct competition, such divisions don’t seem feasible now.

Batwoman #7 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (writers), Amy Reeder (penciller), Rob Hunter (inker), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Don’t be too hard on him, Kate—everyone needs a hook to get by in this world.

The Review: Last issue marked something of a turning point for this title.  The first story arc, appropriately enough, focused entirely on delivering a knockout tale that would get you to fall in love with its tone, its sophistication, and its star—check, check, and check.  Now that you’re hooked, it’s time to expand the scope of the series and get you to sympathize with its world and supporting cast.

With that in mind, Williams-Blackman’s “six story” format works very well, especially in this issue, now that most of the light setup is out of the way and they can really focus on knitting the various perspectives together.  It’s clear that a lot of thought went into deciding which scenes go where, as despite the lack of chronological order, you can still see the plot develop in a fairly clear fashion.

The best example starts in Kate’s story, where she encounters Abbott (a werebeast from the Religion of Crime), who worries Medusa might “run us out of Gotham.”  We cut to Maro, and see Killer Croc complain that the occultist promised to make me big time…to give me the juice I need to eat Gotham alive.”  Both these scenes intersect in the following chapter from Maggie’s POV, where we see Croc, now buffed out and feral, tearing into various werebeasts.  A Medusa agent soon after states, “…the Gator’s gut is full of acolytes and Abbott has gone to ground,” proving Abbott’s concerns from earlier.  This is a situation where you can have your cake and eat it too; the story feels lively from the constant cuts, but you can follow along quite easily.

All this is the more plotty sort of stuff, but Williams-Blackman also take the opportunity to do some necessary character work.  So far, they haven’t quite managed to pin down Maggie nor Chase, both having assertive, wry voices which just happen to echo Batwoman’s herself.  It’s a case where we have three strong women, each with strikingly similar backgrounds, so it’ll take some doing to define Chase and Maggie’s personalities and make them more distinguishable.

Batwoman #6 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (writers), Amy Reeder (penciller), Rob Hunter & Richard Friend (inkers), Guy Major (colorist)

The Review: Talk up any comics enthusiast, and one of the first things out of their mouths will be something along the lines of how unique comic books are for storytelling.  You hear less about their painful limitations.  I don’t know about you, but the most frustrating restriction on comics, in my mind, is their painful shortness.  Many writers have made the most of the pages they get, but by and large, I find myself wishing there was a little more substance in my hands.

That was the prevailing feeling I got reading this issue.  You shouldn’t take that to mean Williams-Blackman skimped on the story in any way.  After all, it’s fairly ambitious of them to not only play around with a number of different character perspectives in the story, but also to set each vignette at a different time.  All told, you get six mini-tales, each standing on their own, and each with enough drama to support half an issue on its own.

This fragmented structure can easily get confusing, but Williams-Blackman do two things to keep things moving smoothly and clearly.  First, they bookend the issue with the central action, Batwoman facing down the kid-thieving Medusa, which lays down some context for each of the different stories we get here.  Second, while each scene has only faint connections to the others, they have enough common ground to deliver a unified story overall.  Think of it as a mosaic, each scene piecing together to form a bigger picture of where this series plans to go next.

Supergirl #61 – Review

By: James Peaty (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Blond (colorist)

The Story: Supergirl meets Robin—part two!  There’s nothing quite like bonding over the fact that all your biggest arch-villains are out to get you at once.

The Review: Supergirl can be a tough character to get a handle on.  In an attempt to separate her from her good ol’ boy cousin, some writers try to play up her teenybopper image, or her more alien sympathies, or her generally more aggressive, strident attitude.  None of these things are exactly off the mark, but it’s a bit too easy to fixate on them and forget that Kara is, after all, trying her best to live up to her family legacy.

Peaty seems to be a natural at balancing all of the qualities that make Supergirl more than just young, blonde, buxom Superman, and also her eagerness to do good.  Kara comes off tough, but you always get a sense that she’s looking out for others.  She’s a teen with perspective—which is more than what most fictional adolescents get.  She tackles problems very differently from Clark, but Peaty writes her voice so well you appreciate her approach just as much, if not more.

Other characters also flourish under Peaty’s writing.  Their personalities shine not through bold, in-your-face dialogue, but in the nuanced ways they react to other characters and events around them.  It never becomes overt that Damian may have a bit of a crush on Supergirl, but his quick reversal from putting her down to sudden confusion and dismay over her leaving tells you that he may be fonder of the Maid of Might than he’d admit.

And when Lois asks for Supergirl’s help in investigating Cadmus, you get treated to Lois’ take-charge attitude, sensitivity, and sleuthing skills, all in one scene.  It’s the little details that make Lois seem like the coolest civilian in the DCU: her helicopter escort, the rewards of her just investigative journalism (“—since I broke that story on phone tariff fraud last year, I seem to be able to get a free upgrade anytime I want!”), and how she has a cup of coffee for Supergirl when she arrives.

Besides the excellent character work, Peaty executes the various plot threads with finesse, hopping from scene to scene, spicing up the pace with some action via Supergirl and Robin’s team-up versus pseudo-Mr. Freeze and Clayface.  Even though Alex’s background and motivation remains a mystery, little clues are dropped throughout the issue—how he tastes like chalk, his telepathic abilities, how he calls his computer system “Father,” his connections to Cadmus.  With all this to speculate on, and with the Flyover app targeting young heroes, and the ongoing plot with Lois’ Cadmus case, there’s just a ton of material to look forward to.

Batwoman #0 – Review

by J.H. Williams III (writer/artist), W. Haden Blackman (co-writer), Amy Reeder (artist: Kate sequence), Dave Stewart (colors), Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Bruce Wayne spends time observing, assessing and testing the newest, self-appointed member of the Bat family.

What’s Good: Regular readers of this site will know that I am a HUGE fan of both J.H. Williams III and Batwoman/Kate Kane, and that I’ve been anticipating this book since well before it was even officially announced. With that amount of waiting and hoping (not to mention the bar set by Williams and Rucka’s Detective Comics run) the disappointment potential on this series is relatively high. Not that I was terribly worried—J3’s hands are about the safest you could be asked to be placed in—but the loss of Greg Rucka as a writer is still a big one. Fortunately, this issue delivers in spades, and is 99% exactly what I wanted from this issue #0.

The artwork, it goes without saying, is absolutely gorgeous. And that’s not just Williams’ pages either; Reeder’s Kate Kane pages are very nice indeed, and quite reminiscent of Williams’ own “real world” pages from Detective Comics. The overall design of the book is absolutely brilliant too, divided nearly evenly between Bruce observing Batwoman by day, and Kate Kane by night. Additionally, while the art and design meets the bar that made Detective Comics so brilliant, it contains none of the interstitial panels that made following the story occasionally more difficult than it needed to be.

What We’re Looking Forward To In November

Dean

There is a LOT to look forward to in November. For one thing, there is a lot of neat stuff in the Spider-Man world as Amazing Spider-Man kicks off its new “big” story line Big Time written by Dan Slott with art by Humberto Ramos. This is also the end of the thrice-monthly ASM with a rotating team of creators, so it should be interesting. Also in the Spidey-world, we get Spider-Girl #1 by Paul Tobin. This is not Mayday Parker (who could never find a stable audience) but Arana of Young Allies fame. If you like teenage drama, it should be fun. Finally, we get Osborn #1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick and Emma Rios (who are both really good) to see what Marvel’s favorite villain has been up to since Siege ended.

A few other things in Marvel that I’m looking forward to. She-Hulks #1 launches in November with art from Ryan Stegman. Stegman is a very gifted artist and he draws a mean She-Hulk, so this should be good. Although Invincible Iron Man has had slow pacing, the current story arc, Stark Resilient wraps up this month and Matt Fraction seems to have this title headed to a very good climactic battle. For all those Punisher fans who HATED Franken-Castle, you get plain, old, normal Punisher in the Blood #1 from Rick Remender. And finally, there is yet another X-book with Generation Hope. The idea for this book is to have Hope running around with all the “new mutants” who have had their powers come alive since Second Coming.

Over at DC the big news is in the Bat-books as we get 2 new Bruce Wayne titles: Batman, Inc. by Grant Morrison and Batman: The Dark Knight by David Finch. If you’re into Batman, these are going to be must reads. And….after much waiting and delay, we get Batwoman #0 by JH Williams, III. I am really excited for this book and eager to see if it can maintain the quality that Williams and Greg Rucka established during their run on Detective Comics last year. Also, just to prove it isn’t all about new Bat-books, we also get a whole new creative team on the venerable Detective Comics with Scott Snyder of American Vampire fame teaming up with Jock and Francesco Francavilla on what is sure to be very well done series of Dick Grayson stories.

Not a whole lot going on over at Image, but folks might want to take a look at Utopian #1 by Marc Guggenheim. The story is: “What happens after the heroes win and the world is saved?” Image has become the go-to publisher for many creators to do interesting things, so this has promise.

 

 

Alex

While I’m as excited about all the Grant Morrison stuff as the next guy, the Batman title that really has my eye is Detective Comics #871 by Scott Snyder and Jock. It’s an utterly fantastic creative team and Snyder’s promise of a realistic, CSI type Batman has me curious. Of course, there’s also Batwoman #0 by JH Williams III to consider, which anyone with a pulse should be excited for.

Outside of Batman, I find myself confronted by two relaunches of titles I’m either completely unfamiliar with and/or indifferent to. Yet I’m picking them both up. They are THUNDER Agents #1 by Nick Spencer and CAFU and Superboy #1 by Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo. In both cases, it’s the creative teams that have me excited, crewed as they are by exciting new talent with writers that have proven track records outside the superhero realm.

At Marvel, it’s all about Spider-Man’s Big Time. Now bi-monthly with a steady, and good, creative team, I’m happy to be back aboard with Amazing Spider Man #648 and #649 with Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos. Hopefully big times are also good times. Meanwhile, Thor #617 by Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry has my attention as well, with its seeming promise of a reincarnated Loki. Fractions other book, Invincible Iron Man #32, also isn’t to be missed as it concludes the excellent slow-burn of “Stark Resilient” in explosive fashion.

Finally, it’s a big, but sad, month at Vertigo as two excellent titles reach their conclusions. Madame Xanadu #29 goes out with a bang as main series artist Amy Reeder returns for the farewell. Meanwhile,  Unknown Soldier #25 is sure to end things in bloody and tragic fashion, as Joshua Dysart’s fictional tale directly collides with a real world villain of the worst kind. On a happier note, Fables #100 is a giant-sized book of excitement featuring a mega-powered duel; it’s also a landmark for Vertigo, an imprint for whom longevity isn’t common.

 

SoldierHawk

So I’ve been harping on it since it was announced months ago, but my pick for November is, without question, Batwoman #0, the prelude to the new Batwoman ongoing series written and illustrated by J.H. Williams III. I’m quite literally X-ing the days off my calendar until this comes out. Kate Kane/Batwoman are fantastic characters and–perhaps even more importantly–she has a fabulous supporting cast surrounding her. Even leaving all that aside… MORE J.H. WILLIAMS III ARTWORK! That alone will be worth the cover price.

I’m also really, really looking forward both to the first Kill Shakespeare Trade (which collects Kill Shakespeare issues #1-6), and to issue #7. This series has been a gem (albeit a slightly rough one in spots) since its launch last April, and issue #6 set some very interesting plot points and characters into motion. I’m waiting with baited breath to see how this is going to play out, and what other famous Shakespeare creations might throw themselves into the mix.

 

Madame Xanadu #23 – Review

by Matt Wagner (writer), Amy Reeder (pencils), Richard Friend (inks), Guy Major (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Madame Xanadu faces off against Morganna in a final bid to save Betty

What’s Good: It’s sort of neat to see Madame Xanadu behave, in many respects, like an honest to goodness superhero.  Her final confrontation with Morganna and the magical battle that ensues is the kind of epic clash between good guy and bad guy that I wouldn’t necessarily expect from this book.  That said, it works, largely because Nimue is so naturally likable and Wagner continues to do an awesome job in writing Morganna.  I could not imagine a more humorously cackling villain.  I mean, how can you not laugh when a villain says “goblin balls!” as a curse?  With wonderfully written narration that always carries that simultaneous air of determination and vulnerability, it’s impossible not to root for Nimue, while with her continued mad arrogance, it’s equally impossible not to root against Morganna.

Then there’s John Jones/J’onn J’onzz who continues to be a joy to read under Wagner’s pen.  The character is continually written with that sly little wink as Wagner makes so much use of our knowing something that the characters do not.  He also makes us desperate to see J’onn in his true form, but he never quite lets us have it.  Instead, Wagner gives us little hints here and there of the Martian beneath the human form, always, delightfully, just on the periphery of Nimue’s awareness.  A blur of green might rush to her rescue and at one point, we even see a distinctly Martian looking hand reaching out to grab her.  Wagner teases us as much as he does Nimue herself.