Category Archives: Comics
The 6 Characters on My Teen Titans
Let’s talk about the Teen Titans. I do it a lot on my blog, I know, but they’re worth talking about. The Teen Titans are a very popular comic, with a history dating back to before I was even born. And they’ve been on the air in one cartoon form or another for more than a decade. Heck, they even have their own TV show coming up! So why is their comic book so terrible? Why can’t DC Comics make it work? Maybe because they just don’t know what to do with the Teen Titans. But I know someone who does!
It’s not Batman
In our discussion last week of the highs and lows of DC Comics’ New 52, Henchman Gordon Bishop asked what my ideal roster would be for the Teen Titans. And seeing as how I am totally open to you henchies suggesting Lists of Six, I decided to take him up on his suggestion. It helps that this is one of my favorite games. I’ve already done dream rosters for the Avengers and Justice League, among others.
I’ve also done a previous List on things I would fix about DC’s current Teen Titans comic. So along with those fixes, join me after the jump to find out which New 52 teen superheroes I would write if DC handed me the reigns of the Teen Titans!
And please share your own roster ideas below in the comments!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/14/15
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Or at the very least, I hope your Friday the 13th yesterday wasn’t so bad. We’re all about love here at Henchman-4-Hire, especially a love for all things comics.
So it’s really kind of terrible that a comic I once loved, Secret Six, is now breaking my heart. I know other reviewers are enjoying the new Secret Six, but I am awash with horror. It’s like seeing the ex you still have feelings for turn into a meth addict. So it’s a good thing I’ve got Darth Vader, Boba Fett and an evil wookiee to keep me happy!
The sensational character find of 2015!
His name is Black Krrsantan and he’s now in the running for my favorite New Expanded Universe Star Wars character. I just keep falling more and more in love with him. And Darth Vader #1 has a lot more than just an evil wookiee to make it Comic Book of the Week.
You can also check out my review of Thor #5 over at Word of the Nerd!
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #14, Batman Eternal #45, Captain Marvel #12, Darth Vader #1, Divinity #1 and Secret Six #2.
Gamer Girl & Vixen – Valentines!
Happy soon-to-be Valentine’s Day, everybody! Seeing as how I’m making a romance comic in Gamer Girl & Vixen, my creative team and I decided to celebrate this most Hallmarky of holidays with some Gamer Girl & Vixen valentines! Designed by the one and only Gemma Moody, these Valentines are offered to all of you free of charge! Print them off and hand them to your loved ones. Or e-mail them. Or better yet, save them and then post them to Facebook or Twitter when the big V-day comes. And be sure to link people back to my articles, or to our Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr! Spread the love, my henchies!
So please share and celebrate! They’re all yours!
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The 6 Best and the 6 Worst Parts of DC’s New 52
The New 52 is over; long live DC Comics. After more than three years of sticking to their rigid, grim and gritty house style, the second biggest publisher in comics has decided to try something different — and I couldn’t be happier. I quickly soured to the New 52 and have barely hung on all these years later.
Get out of there Cyborg, you’re not Justice League
When DC rebooted their entire comics lineup in 2011 — including everyone from Superman and Batman to Green Lantern — they decided that the best way to reach fans was with dark, gritty comics aimed at teenage boys and young men. They published 52 comics a month and called the whole event the ‘New 52’. But comic book fans are prone to change, and nowadays we want a variety of different comics and styles, definitely not just grim and gritty. Marvel Comics, the biggest publisher, understands this and routinely beats DC in sales.
So starting in June, DC will abandon their New 52 way of thinking and will start offering new comics with new styles for new audiences. It’s a great plan! But before it’s gone, I wanted to take a look back at 6 things I liked and 6 things I loathed in the New 52. Hopefully DC can learn from this.
Review: Saga #25
The long wait is over, and our beloved Saga has returned, as good as ever. A lot has changed since the start of the last volume: Hazel, Alana and Klara are prisoners of Dengo the Crazy Janitor, Marko and Prince Robot IV have forged an uneasy alliance and are in pursuit, and Lying Cat and her homies are on a quest to save The Will! We’re spread across the galaxy in the new issue, but writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples take the time to check in on everybody for updates. It’s a solid issue with a lot of forward momentum.
Saga #25
Saga #25 also has the requisite single line of narration that threatens to tear my heart to shreds.
Comic Review: 9/10 – Great.
Don’t worry, though, my heart is fine. It wasn’t that bad, but Vaughn really knows how to stab the knife. How can you tell if you’ve created beloved characters? When the simple promise that ‘they’re in a story, so drama has to happen to them’ is enough to make your readers wince in pain. I can’t be the only one who wants Marko, Alana and Hazel to live happily ever after from this second forward.
But the story must move forward, drama must happen, and hearts must be broken. That Vaughn and Staples are able to so expertly craft such a tale is a testament to their skill as storytellers. Every single character feels real and full, and I’m excited to catch up on all their storylines. Once again, we have no idea where Vaughn and Staples are taking us, and I’m as excited as ever to find out where we’re going. It will no doubt be an emotional roller coaster.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
