Batgirl Adventures, Batman Adventures, Mad Love

I finished my final Vertigo box yesterday!

Stats:

Box Summary:

Time spent reading: 18 hours, 54 minutes

Issues read: 144

Issues cut: 19

Highlights (Good or better): WE3 1-3

Project Summary:

Time spent reading: 11 days, 12 minutes

Issues read: 2134

Issues cut: 279

Moving on to my Batman Adventures box.  Apparently I have enough of them to fill a box.  

Batgirl Adventures 1

I have two copies of this.  I guessing it’s because I inherited my sister’s copy at some point along the line.  I remember it being hard to find a copy for myself the first time around, so I kept both.  Turns out it’s a 50 dollar comic now. Woots.

Anyway, not selling it because this comic makes me so darn happy.  I never thought to rank them before, but if this issue is anything to judge by, Rick Burchett is my favorite Batman Adventures-style artist.  He may have started out as the inker to the previous pencillers in the series, but clearly learned a thing or two and grew to surpass his predecessors. His facial expressions are phenomenally expressive.  I was grinning through every page of this lighthearted one-shot. Kudos to Burchett and the incomparable Paul Dini.

The faces!  The fan service!

Every expression is perfection.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy

Mad Love

This is what I think of when I heard “Dini & Timm.”  Harley Quinn’s origin story remains a delightful mix of humor, pathos, and action.  And this page remains one of my favorites of all time.

The combination of text and art cracks me up every time.  “Don’t ya wanna rev up your Harley? Vrroooom vrroooom!”  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Batman Adventures 1-6

This classic run got off to a slow start with these first issues.  Kelley Puckett hadn’t quite figured out that magic formula and Mike Parobeck hadn’t joined the team yet.  Ty Templeton certainly does a fine job, but, he would return in the future to do better work. The potential is there, and things are only going to get better.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Y The Last Man

Y: The Last Man 1-60

I blew through the entire run in two days.  I own issues 1-20, 26-33, and 36. Borrowed the rest.  There’s been an uncommon number of these series in my Vertigo collection - titles that I stopped buying after a while, but still want to know to know the endings for.  DMZ, Unwritten, and Unfollow all fall into the same category.  They’re all stories that are interesting enough to read once, but not to keep around for reread purposes.  Libraries are so useful. I’ll get around to DMZ and Unwritten, but Unfollow and Y have justified my decision to halt my buying when I did.  

I have lots of thoughts about Y.  Braindumping commences now:

The four titles that I mentioned above share two things in common: strong elevator pitches and unsympathetic protagonists.  The first gets me to buy it for a while and the second induces me to stop. Yorick is such an unlikable character. I’m all for making your lead a flawed character, that’s what keeps them from being boring.  (Except for Rey in Star Wars.  She’s perfect and I’m totally fine with her staying that way.)  

Keep kicking all the ass in the galaxy.  Fuck the haters.

Back to Yorick.  Here are the notes I took while reading:

“What an idiot, always thinking about Austrailia” - This guy’s the only surviving male on the planet, he’s got a scientist who might be able to figure out what’s going on, and his only thought it to find his maybe fiancee?  I’m all for true love, but he has got to get his priorities straight.

“What a judgey asshole.” - This was in reference to his automatic condemnation of the former prison inmates.  The group that’s managed to come up with the most stable community he’s encountered since all the men died. But this also could have referred to any number of other incidents - Him catching 355 and Dr Mann, him learning that Beth was going to break up with him, etc.  As a magician who must have had enormous stores of patience to master his craft, Yorick is surprisingly quick to make snap judgments. And they’re usually the wrong ones.

“Such an idiot...Number of times he runs out and gets in trouble.  Hate him. Self-pitying asshole.” - And this come after the suicide prevention that Agent 711 performed on him.  Can’t stand it.

“Staying behind for captain?  Another pretty girl? Hate him.” - For someone who can’t shut up about finding Beth, he’s amazingly prone to doing stupid things for other attractive women.

I get that much of Y is about Yorick growing from an immature brat to someone with a little more focus and gravitas.  But there’s not enough there to make me want to see him succeed in that journey.

Some other thoughts:

The cover of issue 40 is inspired.  Kudos to Massimo Carnevale.

Flying monkeys and sperm.  Bravo, Carnevale.  Bravo.

Brian Vaughan makes excellent points about the asymmetric dominance of men in leadership positions around the world, as well as the inequality inherent in numerous other areas.  Women as a collective gender have gotten the short end of the stick historically and presently, and everything should be done to rectify those injustices. But it still pisses me off to know that there are people out there who use that as a reason to hate on the male gender as a whole.  Oppression by Men doesn’t mean that killing all of them is the solution. (Hate the Amazons in the book, is all. I know that’s the point, but still.)

There are an uncommonly high number of standoffs that end with someone getting accidentally shot.  Followed by the shooter’s shocked reaction that someone got hurt. There’s something in there about gun responsibility, but I’m too tired to go looking for it.  Don’t point guns at people.

Pia Guerra is an amazing artist.  She’s perfect for this title. There’s something very Steve Dillon about her work - it isn’t flashy, and is great for showing normal people doing their everyday thing.  But when asked to show those same people in really messed up situations, it’s just as equally capable of depicting those things as well.

Vaughan kills off 355.  That alone is reason enough to not buy the series.  

Whedon-esque in its wrongness.

Sucked then, sucks now.

The death of Ampersand alone is enough to buy the series.  

Death done well.

Still the most affecting hour of television I've ever seen.

At the end of the day (two days), I’m glad I read it.  But I’m also unlikely to ever want to read it again. This was a one and done, for sure.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Nice

WE3, Witching Hour, Unfollow

Unfollow 18

I found the last issue.  Total crap. I don’t get the point of any of it, and I was totally right to drop it when I did.  

WE3 1-3

This miniseries never gets old.  It’s The Incredible Journey, only the animals have been cybernetically enhanced by scientists to be the ultimate killing machines.  And they have rudimentary speech.

The talking animals and the Frank Quitely art combine to make this a minor classic.  The three companions only want to go home, and it’s heartbreaking that they don’t know there’s no home for them to find.  They’re on a fruitless quest as the military hunts them down and the drugs keeping them going wear off. But they do their best, and their best isn’t too shabby.

The ending is way more upbeat than I would have imagined from Grant Morrison, but you’ll get no complaints for me.  GUD DOG indeed.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Witching Hour 1-3

Jeph Loeb and Chris Bachalo combined to create this miniseries.  It must have been the talent that persuaded me to buy this, because it’s a really random story.  A coven of witches give a seemingly random group of civilians the opportunity to confront the issues in their lives, with magical consequences.  The “supernatural beings test regular humans” trope isn’t a new one, but Loeb approaches it from an angle that was unfamiliar to me. The people don’t really know that their actions will have not-normal reactions.  White, Gray, and the rest pop up in their lives and make cryptic remarks, but it’s not really a fair fight.  Let’s be honest, they’re just fucking with these people; They’ve already decided who they’ll punish and who will be given a second chance.  It’s not that their judgment is off, but it feels unsporting of them. They’re like cats playing with their food before settle down for dinner.

Something that confuses me: For the most part, the people get what they deserve - The therapist with a penchant for sexual assault gets caught.  The bartender who kills his wives dies. The gambler who agrees to bury the latest wife’s body dies. But it turns out that Red, who kills the gambler, was also the killer of the wife at the very beginning of the story.  What the what? Makes no sense that she’s also contract killing on top of her usual witching.

This is the best kind of Bachalo - weird but not incomprehensible.  I love how his intersperses his colored art with black and white static-y splashes of the main characters.  They accentuate the off-kilter interference of White and her crew.

White has the same perkiness as Bachalo's Death.

So q.

I like how Bachalo ties in the scarf visual throughout the series.  

Unconvention in its storytelling, this one could totally have gone off the rails.  But it all works somehow, and I came away from it pleasantly surprised.

Not the worst description of magic.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Mage, Superman, Runaways, World of Tanks, Catwoman, Moth and Whisper

New comics!  Though I shouldn’t sound so excited.  This was a lackluster week. Part of it might be because I’m pretty sleepy and that’s affecting my enjoyment of these issues.  But I don’t think that’s why.

Mage: The Hero Denied 12

The Matt Wagner art has officially stopped being enough to make up for a boring-ass story.  So little happens in this issue that it’s hard to believe I spend four bucks on it. But with only three issues left in the series, am I pot committed?  I don’t think I’ve ever felt the need to reread the first two parts of this trilogy, nor do I really want to reread this one. I have much better examples of both Wagner’s writing and art.  So...do I save myself the twelve bucks?

Even if I don’t like the other Mage’s the second time around, I don’t see myself cutting them from my collection.  It’s unlikely to happen with Hero Denied, either.  The art’s still too good to get rid of.  From that point of view, the completionist in me will want the last three issues.  Sigh. Looks like it’s got me hooked for now. (And not in a good way.)

Runaways 13

The first real misstep by Rainbow Rowell on this title.  I hate Alex WIlder, with his sanctimonious “I know I’m right” attitude, the way he assumes control of the group, and his arrogant presumption that he can behave as if he’d done nothing wrong.  So much hate. I’m not enjoying this at all.

Also, Kris Anka isn’t around with his wonderful art.  David LaFuente takes over, and his work isn’t nearly as good.  It doesn’t suck, but it just isn’t in the same league.

Catwoman 3

First of all, Stanley “Artgerm” Lau does some of the most beautiful covers in the world.

Second, what the heck is up with DC’s digital comic program?  The first issue was available to redemption, but the next two weren’t.  It’s frustrating. Marvel lets you add just about all of their titles, which is really sweet.  

Third, this might very well be my final issue of Catwoman.  Joelle Jones continues to draw a good looking book, but I haven’t cared about the hero or the villain for the last two issues.  Raina Creel’s flashback origin doesn’t provide any insights - I don’t need further reinforcement that she’s really really evil. Selina’s in full self-destruct mode, and she’s not doing it in an interesting way, either.  

I’ll flip through the next issue in the store, but its prospects of making it home aren’t good.

World of Tanks: Citadel 5

Complete failure on all counts.  The story isn’t driven by character, which is a usual hallmark of Garth Ennis’ war stories.  The art by PJ Holden looks worse than in previous issues. The storytelling is confused - there were plenty of times where I couldn’t tell what was going on.  I’m hoping that the failures in story are due to editorial directives from the World of Tanks IP, and not Ennis losing his touch. That would be a tragedy.

Superman 3

No digital redemption for this issue either :(

I’ll keep posting David Mack covers as long as he keeps doing them.

The streak of poor issues this week continues.  Rogol Zaar convince Jax-Ur, a Kryptonian trapped in the Phantom Zone, to attack Earth with him.  Superman asks a bunch of people how to get Earth out of the Phantom Zone. They don’t know. That’s everything that happens.  It’s making me sad, but I may have to drop this title. (I’ll keep going with Action for a while longer; the story there’s a little more engaging.)  We’ll see how the next issue looks on the stands.

Moth and Whisper 1

It’s sad that the best issue of the week is a first issue that looked intriguing in the solicitations.  (Not that a new title can’t be awesome, but because it’s only decent.) The protagonist takes over the identities of both his parents when they go missing - Moth and Whisper, two of the best thieves in the city.  It’s fun enough, and the art has a nice indie feel to it. I don’t know if that’s sufficient to warrant continued purchase, but I’ll keep an eye out for it next month.

Some nice work by Jen Hickman.

US, Vertigo Pop: Tokyo, Vertical

US 1-2

This came out in 1997, right on the heels of Kingdom Come.  I was riding the crest of the Alex Ross wave at the time, more than willing to read the next big thing from him sight unseen.  What a mistake.

Steve Darnall’s written a garbled mess of a story, ranting about America’s history of atrocities for the better part of two issues before tying it up with a fistfight (!) between disillusioned America and corporate greed America.  I don’t have an objection to a close examination of the sins of America’s past, nor of the problems of its current state of affairs, but there’s no substance to any of Darnall’s observations. He gives each topic nothing more than a cursory pass, allowing me no time to consider anything more than, “Yep, the slaughter of Native Americans sucked.  JFK’s assassination sucked too. Oh yeah, I remember slavery. Definitely a low point.” Filtered through the fractured mind of our Uncle Sam protagonist, it’s even more of a jumbled mishmash of scenes.

Alex Ross’ work is never hard to look at, but his talents are not maximized on this title.  The colors are muted, and nothing is really gained by making this a painted work. The last page of the first issue is pretty effective, though.

I haven’t read this in quite some time, and I can see why.  I’m strongly inclined to cut this, as I really don’t see myself needing to peruse it ever again.  And even if it doesn’t stand out as one of his better works, it’s still Alex Ross...Sigh. I’ll keep it for him.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Stupid

Vertigo Pop: Tokyo 1-4

Seriously, what the hell was I thinking when I bought this?  Jonathan Vankin writes an insane story about a J-Pop singer, the insane girl who obsesses over him, the incompetent yakuza who are trying to hurt him, and the useless gaijin who’s been unwittingly dragged into the whole mess.  It’s an incomprehensible piece of garbage, made barely tolerable by Seth Fisher’s wonderfully delightful art.  

It’s not enough to keep this in my collection, especially since I have his work on Flash: Time Flies.

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Hated (Cutting)

Vertical 1

Take a comic book, slice it in half lengthwise, and move the fold to the top.  That’s what Vertical is shaped like.  I’ve never seen this format before or since.  

Today is not the day for good writing.  The Steven T. Seagle story is uninspired, telling the story of two artists who meet at Andy Warhol’s Factory.  On top of that, Seagle only lets Allred take advantage of the unique page size in a few places.

I’m usually not the biggest fan of Allred’s art.  His pop art sensibilities never worked for me in the modern comic setting.  That also means that this is the perfect project for him. His Lichtenstein-esque panels and flat coloring (along with Laura Allred) could not be a better match.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine

To All the Boys I've Loved, Unwritten, Unfollow, Cover

To All the Boys I’ve Loved

With this and Crazy Rich Asians, my romantic comedy cup runneth over.  (Set It Up, while fine, didn’t give me the joy both of these did.)  When I looked up To All the Boys online after watching it (I’d kept myself spoiler/article free up until then), it seemed like the all the articles about the movie were written by two groups of writers: Those squeeing at the way Peter Kavinsky (played by Noah Centineo) looked at Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) while wishing for someone to look at them in the same way, and those praising Lara Jean’s character and her exquisite fashion sense.  

Peter’s charms didn’t do so much for me, but I was certainly smitten by Lana Condor’s performance.  Her confidence, her, anxieties, her love of family, the adorable way she strides with purpose with her arms stiff at the elbows - all of it.  I’m well acquainted with the practice of writing unsent letters to unrequited crushes, and thank god none of those ever got out.  (Let’s ignore the ill-advised 3am emails that slipped out…)

Lana Condor charmed me completely, and I’ll be watching this quite a few more times with my wife.

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: Yes

Rating: Really Good

Only one new comic this week:

Cover 1

Bendis and Mack.  Yum. The hook is fun enough - With all the travelling comic book creators do for conventions, they are prime candidates for CIA spy work.  But let’s be honest, it could have been about an artist sitting in his chair all day long doing nothing by creating, and I’d still read it. As long as I get pages like this:

Unfollow 11-17

I read the available issues of Unfollow on readcomics.io.  No final issue, but it was nice to catch up to that point. Rob Williams really picks up the pace in the last couple issues, wiping the 140 contestants down to four in short order.  I don’t care enough to find out how it all ends, but there are two things that I particularly liked:

Javier Pulido guest pencils issue 14, which shows Larry Ferrell’s original motivation for his twisted game.  It’s completely petty, and I kind of love it for that. I love Pulido’s art even more. Check out how Bethany gathers her leg up as she sits down, and how Pulido remembers that continuity at the end of the page.  Love the attention to detail.

For all his insanity, Larry says some stuff that resonates with me:

Would read again? No

Rating: Fine

Unwritten 50-51

I came back to Unwritten after two years because it crossed over with Fables for its final 5 issues.  (Before wrapping up with a 12-issue miniseries.)  I’m glad I did. Mike Carey co-writes it with Bill Willingham, and it reads a lot more like a Fables story than an Unwritten tale.  It’s a continuation of the Mister Dark saga, and there are real stakes as the Fables struggle to survive against an implacable foe.  

I spent most of the read wondering why Willingham would allow such a major storyline to take place in a different title, until Fables started dying left and right.  This timeline gets wiped out/reset, but that doesn’t make it any less epic. I’m tempted to file it with the rest of the Fables run so that I don’t miss it on subsequent rereads.  

Cool stuff:

Heh.  “The exposition is part of the spell.”

He’s literally standing there with opposable thumbs.  He’s not fooling anyone:

Dark biting off Snows face is legit disturbing.  Also, Dean Ormston is credited with the finishes on this page.  It looks a lot more like he flat out pencilled it.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good