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Review: Shade the Changing Girl #8

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Thousands of comic books have taken place in Gotham City, not to mention the plethora of films, cartoons, live action TV shows, and video games set in its dark, sometimes Gothic/sometimes a stand-in for New York, Chicago, or Pittsburgh streets. So, it’s really refreshing to see the most used city in the DC Universe through the new eyes of an Avian in the body of a teenage girl in Shade: The Changing Girl #8 by writer Cecil Castellucci, artist Marley Zarcone, and colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick with some inking done by Ande Parks. Shade has left the drama of high school behind to experience the world that she has read about through the poetry of Rac Shade or the 1950s sitcom Life with Honey.

It’s invigorating to see Shade literally transform the environment with her M-vest with Fitzpatrick turning the usually drab blacks and greys of Gotham into a real kaleidoscope of a color palette. Zarcone’s pencils and inks bend and flip with each whim that Shade has going from being cramped on public transportation to seeing a couple plays and even going to a museum and “talking” with dinosaurs, who honestly she has more kinship with humans because both Avians and dinosaurs had feathers.

Castellucci doesn’t give Shade #8 a straight ahead plot, but meanders with our narrator building up a kind of tone poem about how city dwellers take the wonder of theirs for granted. I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and was kind of amazed by the beauty of the Roman style gardens by the Art Institute, the fact that the play Hamilton is showing there, and the overload of good pizza places, which is something that someone who works downtown sees every day. Castellucci and Zarcone (Through Shade) find the every day beauty of the city and intensify it using the M-Vest and poetic narration.

One thing I liked about Shade #8 isn’t that aside from a joking reference to Batman (It’s the Gotham equivalent of small talk about the weather or local sports team.) that Castellucci and Zarcone avoid using guest stars, which would only stifle Shade’s pure experience of a day in the life of Gotham City. Sure, there are sub plots featuring her boyfriend LePuck being forced to wear an experimental version of the M-Vest, and people from her last city looking for Megan. (The girl whose body she is in.) However, these are seeded in for long term payoff, and in the here and now, we can revel as Shade easily understands the significance of a Statue of Liberty stand-in to welcome “aliens” of all kinds to Gotham, or how humans reveal more about their emotions through art (Like a Shakespeare or Henrik Ibsen play.) than every day conversation. And next issue is teased as being a musical one (And connected to the Life with Honey backup drawn gorgeously by Josie and the Pussycats‘ Audrey Mok.), which provides even more opportunities for Castellucci, Zarcone, and Fitzpatrick to play with emotions and colors in a magical way.

One thing that I have enjoyed about the Young Animal imprint as a whole in the sheer amount of imagination it adds to the DC Universe, and Shade the Changing Girl #8 is no exception. Using poetry, snatches of conversation, a whirlwind travelogue, and bursts of pop art colors, Cecil Castellucci, Marley Zarcone, and Kelly Fitzpatrick craft a comic that will even make the most jaded Batman fan smile and maybe scratch their head a little bit. The book is a lot like those music videos that Prince, Seal, and others did for the Burton/Schumacher era Batman movies, but with like 100 times less darkness and man pain.

Story: Cecil Castellucci Art: Marley Zarcone Inks: Ande Parks Colors: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Backup Art: Audrey Mok Backup Colors:  Kelly Fitzpatrick
Story: 8 Art: 10 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics/Young Animal provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Mother Panic #2

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mother-panic-2-coverWith timely flashbacks and outbursts of violence, Mother Panic #2 continues to be the darkest vigilante comic set in Gotham City. Writer Jody Houser digs deeper into Violet’s screwed up mind and unearths her motivation to become a crime fighter: she was manipulated and used by the man she trusted most, namely, her father. And her quest for vengeance continues at a pretty twisted Gotham social outing (A supervillain themed costume party.) as she uses her social status, gadgets, and even sexuality to get close to Hemsley, a wealth child trafficker so she can take him out.

Tommy Lee Edwards’ art and colors captures the trashy vibe of Gotham’s wealthiest. It takes a special class of sociopath to thrive in this city and Houser’s dialogue for the big social gathering reeks of privilege and bragging about everything from expensive special effects makeup to new sports car. (Of course, sports car guy is an old man talking to younger women and happens to be Hemsley.) Evil and chaos is just a joke to these one-percenters, and these pages reminded me of the time in 2005 when Prince Harry of England showed up to a costume party in a Nazi uniform. When you have enough money, you don’t have to care about the terror that permeates the world around you or have to be a decent human being.

Edwards uses all kinds of gross and garish colors for this scene before filtering them out into pure white and single color tones when Violet switches to her Mother Panic persona. To go along with his color palette skills, Edwards gives characters personality through motherpanicinteriorgesture as Violet flips off some fuckboy she slept with so she could be closer to Hemsley and his special car shipment. She has an air of casual disdain while strolling among the wealthy Gothamites whereas as Mother Panic, she is a blunt instrument with her snarky inner dialogue replaced by single word or syllable outbursts of profanity.

There are a couple pivotal sequences in Mother Panic #2 where Houser and Edwards throw us into Violet’s moral compass. To kill or not to kill is the major question that vigilantes ask themselves with Batman and The Punisher falling on opposite sides of the spectrum. Mother Panic is in a gray area where she has killed but hesitates to now even when she has Hemsley on the ropes. Edwards uses a super intense color palette as Mother Panic totals Hemsley’s sports car with her fists and gadgets and easily gets the information about his child slave ring. However, then he and Houser cut to a light blue flashback of her wanting to not kill a deer as a child even when it’s in her sights.

Except the big twist is that Violet killed her father with his own rifle as a child because he wanted to sell her as a sex slave for money. He was a terrible human being, and the fiery recoil of the rifle as she guns him down is cathartic. It’s also deeply depressing as this is just a young girl doing this. Mother Panic’s trauma-filled past informs her present as she takes out criminals everywhere on behalf of her mother, who a cop thinks is being held hostage by her daughter, and then spills his guts about issues with his husband/boyfriend and how he wants to be a nurse. Mother Panic’s pursuer isn’t some self-righteous Javert wannabe, but probably the most decent human being who has popped up in the series.

Mother Panic #2 continues its fragmented narrative style, but Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards continue to embrace the sleaziness of Gotham City and a new vigilante that is more than a match for it. There is also a three-page backup story about Gotham radio host and Batman supporter who was murdered by writer Jim Krueger and artists Phil Hester and Ande Parks that also looks at the moral implications of being a vigilante albeit with cleaner, more Bruce Timm-esque art.

Story: Jody Houser Art: Tommy Lee Edwards
Story: 8 Art: 9.5 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics/Young Animal provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

We Talk About the Gotham Inspired Cake Wars Winning Design with the Fabulous Cake Girls

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Season 1 of the Food Network’s television show Cake Wars wrapped up this past Tuesday.  The somewhat unexpected theme for the final episode was DC Comics and Good Vs. Evil, with special guest judges Jim Lee, Dan Didio and Geoff Johns and .  The Fabulous Cake Girls from San Diego ended up winning with their Gotham inspired design and we caught up with them to talk about their experience on the show.

cake002Graphic Policy:  I guess the most obvious question is whether you guys are comic fans?

Fabulous Cake Girls:  From an artwork perspective, 100%. Graphic novels are beautiful and they inspire us to take our comic type cakes to another level.

GP:  What is the inspiration for the amazing design which won you guys the finale?

FCG:  We knew it had to be Gotham City. The darkness and mystery surrounding the history of Gotham drew us in and we went with it. The clock tower was such a cool, and detailed building to recreate and we wanted the cake to look like the cover of a comic or graphic novel.

GP:  Poison Ivy is an odd selection for the villain, seeing as there are more obvious bad guy in Batman’s rogue gallery.  Why did you choose her?

FCG:  Because she’s freaking HOT. We loved the idea of trapping Batman and Robin in her clutches and doing the creeping flowers and vines on the building. They told us Good VS Evil, but not who had to win ;)

GP:  How do you go about putting together a cake like that?

FCG:  Hours of planning! We build platforms and other structural support, dowels go through the cakes; whether they are tiered wedding cakes or 3D buildings. They also had to be lifted, moved and eventually delivered to the DC Comics Party.

cake001GP:  How did you guys get involved in cake design?

FCG:  Jennifer went to The California Culinary School in San Francisco, worked in restaurants, trained with incredible pastry chef’s in city and moved back to San Diego so we could open Cake. We contacted a ceramics guild, here in San Diego, a few years ago looking for raw talent in figurine and sculpting work. They referred the fabulous Sami to us and we have been a powerful team of talent ever since.

GP:  How did you get selected for the show?

FCG:  We are good friends with the pastry chef at The Hotel Del in Coronado, California. She got an inquiring email from The Food Network and immediately sent it to us. We had appeared on The Cake Challenge five years ago, so we wrote to them. They invited us to participate right away.

GP:  Were there some other designs which stood out for you on the show?

FCG:  We were extremely impressed with Aquaman. Honestly, until they announced that we won, we truly thought it could have been them

GP:  What does the future hold for you now that you have won Cake Wars?

FCG:  Total world domination.

Review: Convergence Titans #1

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titans001Of all the characters to receive a makeover in the new 52, it is perhaps the original Teen Titans that have fared the worst.  The team was replaced almost completely with newer versions of older characters, and those older characters were left behind in part in the old continuity.  This Convergence title focuses on three DC heroes that have been trapped in Gotham City under the superpower nullifying dome – Donna Troy, Starfire and Arsenal.  The choice of these three is interesting as their histories are full of some controversy already.  Donna Troy had her origin story told and retold numerous times since the post-Crisis Wonder Woman was introduced, to the point that her own character’s history is confusing.  Starfire didn’t live as much controversy until she was introduced in the new 52 as a purely sexual creature (though the writers have backed off from that since) and her fans yearned for a return to the pre-Flashpoint version of the character.  It is perhaps Roy Harper who was the most controversial though, as fans had found a favorite in his daughter Lian, and when it was revealed that she had never existed in the new 52, they got the opposite of what they wanted.

This story focuses mostly on that of Roy, still trying to deal with the death of his daughter.  The heroes have moved on since the imposition of the dome, although Roy is ready for the return of something vile.  They get this return when the Extremists show up on Gotham’s doorstep after being gone for so long.  The Extremists are an interesting footnote in DC history.  They formed one of the main villain groups which fought the Justice League and Justice League Europe, but the group of villains were all loose facsimiles of Marvel villains (Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Magneto, Sabretooth and Dormammu).  Thus while other heroes or anti-heroes from this same Gotham are facing other foes (such as the Zoo Crew) this group of heroes is facing villains from not only a different place, but also kind of from a different company.

The main problem with this (and many other Convergence titles) is that it is hard to see exactly where it is going.  At the same time the concept is not really gripping, and doesn’t really draw the reader in to its world.  It is still interesting to see where this can go, but this interpretation of the cherished and missed characters feels like they have forgotten what made them popular to begin with.  It is after all likely that every single group of characters will prevail against the somewhat random selection of foes it has to face, most of whom are not relevant to modern readers, even those from before Flashpoint.  Therefore this kind of feels like a fluffy but also mostly fun interlude before we find out what exactly is going to happen to these other characters

Story: Fabian Nicieza  Art: Ron Wagner 
Story: 7.7  Art: 7.7   Overall: 7.7  Recommendation: Read

Review: Gotham Academy Endgame #1

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gaeg001So far in its short but excellent run, Gotham Academy has managed to capture interest due to its close connection to Gotham, but also that it skirts the connection to create its own unique narrative.  The stories have thus been focused in a particular direction and they have thus maintained similarities in tone and content.  This issue is the first break in that trend, focusing instead on activities which would be something much more closely linked to the activities of young people.  At the same time, while this is essentially a loose collection of horror stories, it does the same as always with this series as it balances some connection to Gotham with its own stories, even if it is more of an aside than anything.

There is a bit of a forced setup as the girl’s are forced to camp out in the school gym because of a virus spread by the Joker.  It is a bit of a disconnect that something so dangerous is treated in such a cavalier manner, but it does work to get the characters into tents to tell spooky stories.  What is particularly interesting in this story is the combination actual urban legends with that of the Joker.  There are only three stories told, but each connects in way, either to the Joker or to the Red Hood, and adds a bit of background to the character who has none.  Although the background is usually considered to be much more mundane (falling in a vat of acid) as the Joker represents true chaos and anarchy, there is no reason to think that in some way that he is not tied to these stories in some way.

There is perhaps a bit of a disconnect between this standalone issue and the rest of the series, but it doesn’t really matter.  While this does not advance the main plot of Gotham Academy in any way, it is also nice as it helps to develop the characters in a more complex way, even if they did not need much more development as opposed to a lot of other comic characters.  This issue also ties the characters together with Gotham once again, though also really doesn’t at the same time.  It is this balance where the series finds its success and it finds it here too, even if it is relatively unimportant to the overall narrative of the series.

Story: Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher  Art: Jeff Stokely
Story: 8.3 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy

52 Reviews, Part 4

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So, for the fun of it, I collected all 52 DC #1 issues. And I’m offering up my final reviews of the entire group. Keep in mind, though, that I’m generally a Marvel fan and, while I’m working may way through DC’s recent big events, I’m only up through the middle of Countdown and I haven’t read any of DC’s non-event comics in a long time, so I’m coming at these stories with a bit of a disadvantage in terms of chronology and character knowledge. Since DC is certainly trying to attract new readers, though, this makes me come at them with a perspective similar to their hypothetical new fans… Tomorrow or the next day, I’ll have a post on my overall thoughts on the whole reboot.

All Star Western #1 (DC) – I was prepared not to like this too much. I liked Jonah Hex as a kid, but I hadn’t read it since then. And I generally don’t like anything Western. Add to the mix that Hex wears a Confederate uniform and is anti-science and anti-urban and there’s no reason I should’ve liked this. And yet I loved it. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti tell a very well-written tale that incorporates Western tropes, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes and the mythology of Gotham City. It all fits together very well, although a possible turn with the villains of the story could upset me if it goes the way it looks. I could probably do without another dead hooker story, but since it’s a Jack the Ripper homage, I’m okay with it in this case. It’s hard to argue that Moritat’s art isn’t perfect and while I don’t usually notice color artists in comics, Gabriel Bautista’s work is good enough here to get a shout out.

Story: 9.5 Art: 10 Overall: 9.75

Aquaman #1 (DC) – Aquaman is a character I’ve never really liked. I bought all the jokes about how lame he and his powers were, so I never really paid much attention. Which played me right into Geoff Johns’ hands in this one. This is a funny comic book, maybe the funniest of the entire New 52. It makes fun of all of those jokes and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It also puts all of those jokes to rest and shows us that Aquaman isn’t the joke we think he is, he’s much more powerful than that. This issue also sets a new paradigm for the character and is a great way to re-introduce him to the world.

Story: 10 Art: 8 Overall: 9

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (DC) – Hands down the Batman books are the backbone of the New 52. Every one of this is good to great and they give us a lot to look forward to. This is the worst of the bunch, but it is still readable, entertaining and looks good.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Blackhawks #1 (DC) – My deceased father was a childhood fan of Blackhawks and he always talked about them, even into his 60s. They weren’t really ever around much in my comic reading days, so I was interested in giving this one a shot as a way to connect with my dad’s comic book tastes. I think he would’ve liked this one and I thank the creators for giving me that connection to my father once again.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1 (DC) – Another character I haven’t read much of since my childhood is Firestorm. The way the character(s) work here is quite a bit different, so far, than what I remember. The issue is pretty good and Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone do some pretty strong writing in terms of tackling stereotypes and race. I will say the ending to the issue left me a bit confused, but hopefully that will be cleared up next month.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

The Flash #1 (DC) – This one was a bit of a spoiler for me, since I’ve only read major DC events up to Countdown. I had no idea Barry Allen was back. This is a pretty nice story with a good mystery and a pretty awesome last page. Brian Buccellato’s art is quite good, too.

Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5

Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 (DC) – The Green Lantern comics have also been pretty strong across the board and this one adds to that. The story here is quite interesting and leaves with a pretty good cliffhanger that will definitely have me back next issue.

Story: 8 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

I, Vampire #1 (DC) – Wow. That’s really the best word to describe this, which I think is the best issue of the entire New 52. And I generally hate vampire tales. But this one is so well-written and so beautiful that I am now officially hooked on this series. The plot has such a great apocalyptic feel to it that I find myself wondering if the old I, Vampire tales were quite this good. I don’t remember them ever getting to this level.

Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10

Justice League Dark #1 (DC) – Magic tales are not usually my cup of tea, but DC seems to have been getting them right in recent years and this is no exception. Unlike most of the new issues, this one really is the start of something new and it is a good beginning that really makes me want more. There are some amazing visuals in this book, particularly the June Moone splash. Some of the dialog and text is superbly written as well, such as the line: “The reek of skinned babies and sliced eyeballs.” Man, is that creepy or what? There’s more where that came from.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

The Savage Hawkman #1 (DC) – No question this is the weakest book of the week. For one, I’ve never really been a huge Hawkman fan, but this issue is confusing, makes no sense at times (Hawkman starts off by shooting his old costume) and doesn’t look very good at times. It’s not terrible, but with all the other great comics DC put out this week, this one pales in comparison.

Story: 6 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.25

Superman #1 (DC) – George Perez re-introduces Superman here with a tale told in a throwback style with lots of third-person narration, a nostalgic tale of Metropolis’s history and a strong introduction to the themes and supporting characters in the series. Oh, and there’s some kind of epic battle with a fire-monster alien, too.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75

Teen Titans #1 (DC) – Another tale launching a new team with introductions to some of the team members, this one is entertaining and has a lot of potential. Scott Lobdell does much better here than on Red Hood, so much so it’s hard to believe this is the same writer as that crap. Red Hood looks even worse now that we see that Lobdell can write a strong female character (in this case Wonder Girl).

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Voodoo #1 (DC) – This issue conflicted me the most this week. After two weeks with controversies over female characters and their depictions as weak or nearly naked, it was disappointing to open this issue and see a half-naked stripper jump out at me. And then to see page after page of half-naked strippers for the entire issue. But Ron Marz shows that he isn’t writing as simplistically as you might expect. The opening page, as Brett pointed out to me, says “Are you ready gentlemen? Because this is why you’re here!” as if the near-nudity is meant as a tongue-in-cheek (no pun intended) thing and a slap at the fans who buy books for that purpose. But I kind of got the same feeling from this as I got from a story on Fox News where they condemn pornography while showing a clip from a porn movie. Marz does make sure to show us that the female characters in the issue are, at a minimum, intellectually, physically and even morally superior to the male characters (except for maybe the end of the issue where moral superiority drops off). This is definitely a comic where the female characters are the only characters that matter, but I wonder if that same point couldn’t have been made by having Voodoo work as a waitress instead of a stripper, since that would’ve fit the logic of the story just as well.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Around the Tubes

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It’s a new week and there was definitely some interesting news when it came to comics yesterday.  While you were reading your work email that built up over the weekend, here’s the news you might have missed.  And remember, it’s Tuesaday so head over to Twitter and discuss #comicmarket with others who love comic books.

Around the Blogs:

Publishers Weekly – Digital Graphic Novel on CIA’s 1953 Iran Coup – This is definitely on the “to read” list.

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund – How to Keep Customs From Seizing Your Comics – I’m also going with, don’t take comic books across the border.

The Beat – Comic-Con finally gets its SlamDance: TR!CKSTER – Crossing my fingers I get accepted as “press.”

Bleeding Cool – Bryan Hitch Teases Creator Owned Comic For 2012 – It’ll be ever more interesting to see how creator owned plays out with the major publishers.

Kotaku – Batman Goes Multiplayer First-Person Shooter with Gotham City Impostors – Another comic book related video game to look forward to.

Kotaku – Before Playing Gotham City Impostors Read Batman: Impostors – DC’s knocking it out of the park when it comes to comic books that tie into video game releases.

Around the Tubes Reviews:

The Comics Journal – Stigmata

Kuriousity –Twilight the Graphic Novel (Vol. 01)