Tag Archives: creative team

Review: Wonder Woman #38

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ww38covThe newest run on Wonder Woman has been a fairly divisive one only three issues in.  Not even considering the comments made about the character by the creative tea, the direction which they have taken the character has either been applauded or criticized.  There are those that are comparing it to Azzarello’s run, perhaps unfairly, and other that are trying to enjoy it for the return of the Amazon heroine to the mainstream of the DC Universe.  After the most recent issue it would seem as though there are more chinks in the armor for the creative team than first seemed, and that some of the criticism against them could be justified.

Too much of the problem here seems to be that the creative team is not ready to venture out on their own and to embrace a story that is theirs, or in the case that they do embrace their own story, it is one of the less interesting facets of the character, namely that she has responsibilities also as a queen of the Amazons in addition to that of goddess and superheroine.    In the history of the character there has likely never been a really engaging story about Diana being the queen that has struck a chord with readers.  There is some sloppy storytelling here as well, in the form of a dream sequence which is a bit misleading  to the readers and some dialogue which is both expositional and dismissive at the same time.  Additional while David Finch has his own style of art, it is a bit out of proportion at times in this issue.

There is a maxim in sports that rookies should not be judged before the end of their third season to see their true potential, but if this were to hold true for the Finches after three issues, it might appear that they are on shaky ground already.  As it stands there is still some potential here, and this issue is likely to be popular enough for the surprise arrival at the end, but the overall effect was lost with too much dialogue where it didn’t belong and too little action where it did belong.  The Finches still deserve chance to see where it is that they can take this series, but on its present heading, it would seem as though it is going in the wrong direction.

Story: Meredith Finch Art: David Finch
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Pass

Review: Batgirl #38

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bg038Since the launch of the new creative team on this title, this series has been less of a pure comic book superhero series and more of a hybrid with other elements, notably a story line which closely mirrors that of new adult fiction.  So far it has been a refreshing take on the superhero genre, instead of infallible and inhuman superheroes, the reader is treated to a hero that is forced to deal with the problems of day-to-day life in addition to the perils of superheroics.  So far one of the major themes that this series has been focusing on is the spread and importance of social media in young people’s lives, in that it is essentially something that is impossible to live without in the modern day.  This issue focuses once again on this same theme, here pitting Barbara against a living representation of the easy-social-media-celebrity, a reality television star that breaks the rules and gets away with it.  In this case the villain is no real supervillain, rather just a drag racer that gets away with it because of celebrity.

While this forms the backbone of the story, there is more going on here, in that there are some personal developments for Barbara, as Dinah continues to act as an unlikely voice of reason, sometimes in unforeseen or unconventional ways.  The story here does get a little bit weaker towards the end.  There are some consequences of Barbara’s heroics that she did not realize, and what is worse is that she only seems to get the message by checking into her social media account and seeing what it is that people think of her and how quickly their opinions have changed.  It highlights one of the problems going forward for this series, in that it is OK to explore such a theme as the proliferation o social media, but that other themes also need to be explored.  If this just becomes an odyssey of a heroine to balance her superheroics and her twitter account, then there is not going to be as much promise here in the long run, even if the new direction is impressive.

As an entire experience, the story here comes across, even with the reliance on the same general theme for storytelling.  There are a lot more directions in which to point this series while still staying edgy, and the creative team is talented enough to do so.  There is no sense of immediacy yet, because they are still keeping the story relevant, well paced and full of strong characters.  This issue is proof of what the ensemble is capable of, still ending up being a good finished product, even if there is a minor cause for concern.

Story: Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher  Art: Babs Tarr
Story:  8.6 Art: 8.8  Overall: 8.6  Recommendation: Buy

Review: Wonder Woman #37

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ww038The previous issue of Wonder Woman was a significant change in direction for the series with the introduction of a new creative team, and many felt that it was filled with more than a few bumps along the road.  While there were some obvious reservations with the previous issue, at the same time it indicated the delicate balance which the creative team was trying to achieve between their own stories and those that preceded it, as tough an act to follow as that was.  In this the second issue of this new creative team, there is a little bit less of the immediate reaction away from what came before, but also better clues that the creative team does indeed know what it is doing here.

While still under pressure from various parts of her life, Diana takes time to work through some of her problems, both with Clark and then with her sisters.  While the plot is at times a little forced, the different layers of storytelling are evidently being well-played against one another.  This is a creative team that is juggling a lot of balls, but as is evident with the surprise final page, it would seem that they do have a plan on how to manage the task in front of them, and to do so in a way that will please the fans and do justice to the characters.

The end result is one which is not as obvious as the first issue for the new team.  The previous issue was more of the clean-break as opposed to this one which instead rests a little bit on the shock value of what has come before.   While it may be evident as well here that some of the developments of the previous issue may in fact be more of misfires, it is also evident that while this series might not yet be running on full cylinders, that the promise is there to do so.  Admittedly, Azzarello’s run on this series was a great one, but people seem to ready to write off this team before they have even had a chance to prove themselves, and this issue represents another step forward for them as they try to carve out their own part of this iconic character’s history.

Story: Meredith Finch Art: David Finch
Story: 8.2 Art: 8.2 Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Buy