Category Archives: DC
6 Other Comic Book Captains
I wrote an article last week teasing Captain America and calling him a big, patronizing jerk. That was unfair of me. I’m sure he’s a nice guy. Plus ‘Murica! Amiright? So to make up for that perceived slight against our nation’s greatest superhero, I’ve dedicated this List of Six to the noble act of being a Captain Superhero. Because for some reason, there are a ton of comic book characters who put the word ‘Captain’ in front of their name.
Yaar!
Why not ‘General’ or ‘Private’ or ‘Sergeant’? Why is ‘Captain’ the go-to rank for superheroes? Heck, some of these guys aren’t even in the military, let alone any business that would use the word ‘Captain’. None of them pilot boats or airplanes. Somehow it’s just stuck. One of those weird comic book traditions, I guess. So join me after the jump for six comic book characters who consider themselves Captain of…something.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/9/13
This week kicks off Marvel’s new Big Event comic the Age of Ultron…but it’s kind of a slow build so far. We’ll have to see if it picks up in the second issue, which comes out next week. Talk about accelerated shipping. Beyond the big stuff, we’ve got a good collection of quality comics. I think I liked every single issue I read this week, everything from the important titles like Avengers and All-New X-Men down to the smaller stuff like Green Arrow and Winter Soldier. Though now that I think about it, I need to buy more independent titles. Seriously, can anyone recommend any good comics that aren’t Marvel or DC?
But until then, I’m going to stick with the big guns, and it actually surprises me to say that Comic Book of the Week goes to Avengers #7! Where did that come from? I have really had it in for this series since issue #1, but Jonathan Hickman really knocked it out of the park this week. He actually made me interested in the New Universe.
They look just as surprised as I am
Let’s hope he can finally write a solid superhero story.
Comic Reviews: Age of Ultron #1, All-New X-Men #8, Avengers #7, Green Arrow #18, Green Lantern #18, Superior Spider-Man #5, Winter Soldier #16.
Superman Unchained is the Stupidest Name of All Time
Do you remember a few months ago when DC started hinting at a new Superman series written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Jim Lee? At the time, the comic was rumored to be called ‘Man of Steel’ to coincide with the big movie of the same name.
Instead, DC have revealed that the new comic will instead be called ‘Superman Unchained’ – quite possibly the most ridiculous name ever.
Here is the announcement article at USA Today. Reading that article makes me question – and not for the first time – what the hell even goes on at the DC editorial offices. According to Snyder and Lee – who, don’t get me wrong, are two of the biggest talents in comics today – the series is going to be like every other Superman series ever. It’s going to star Superman as a superhero and include his supporting cast, like Lois Lane. There doesn’t seem to be any special gimmick or pull or reason for the series to exist.
What the hell is the ‘Unchained’ even supposed to signify? Is every cover going to feature him breaking out of chains? And why chains? Since when has Superman ever been chained or had a problem with chains?
Why not call it ‘Man of Steel’ like the freakin’ movie!?
What about the comics already being published, Superman and Action Comics? Why not just put Snyder and Lee on one of those series? There’s no way Superman is going to be able to support three ongoing series. Batman can barely pull it off, and Superman is no Batman.
Speaking of which, DC is also bringing back the Superman/Batman team-up book, because they want to make money. Comics like Hawkman and Blue Beetle are being cancelled to make way for even more Superman and Batman comics. This is the future of comics from the Big Two publishers, people. Soon all we’ll see are Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and Wolverine comics, with other characters only appearing in team-up books.
Still, Superman Unchained is a stupid name and it just seems to me like DC is shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to Superman and Action Comics.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/2/13
Robin Week comes to a close with my official review of Batman Incorporated #8. It’s actually a very good comic, so it’s great to see Damian go out at the height of his awesomeness and popularity; kind of like Seinfeld or Calvin & Hobbes. I would even be tempted to give Damian’s demise the Comic Book of the Week, but that award has to go to Hawkeye #8. Writer Matt Fraction had an amazing week, delivering the one-two romantic punch of Hawkeye and FF, two amazing comics that reinforce why I love the medium in the first place. If you’re not reading either book then you’re definitely missing out.
Who would have thought that coming out of the big The Avengers movie last summer, the two characters with the best comics would be Hawkeye and Thor? Speaking of which, why doesn’t the Black Widow have her own comic series? That seems like it would be a no-brainer, especially for Marvel NOW! Oh well, this is why Marvel is not paying me the big bucks.
Comic Reviews: Aquaman #17, Batman Incorporated #8, FF #4, Hawkeye #8, Talon #5, Uncanny Avengers #4, Uncanny X-Force #2, Uncanny X-Men #2 and Young Avengers #2.
I Support Harper Row as the New Robin
The body of the previous Robin isn’t even cold yet, but already I’m throwing my considerable blogging weight behind Harper Row for the new Robin! I know some of my readers, and probably a lot of comic book readers in general, would rather Batman not get a new Robin, at least not right away. And that’s a perfectly fine idea. DC should go ahead and tell some stories of Batman dealing with the death of his son and being a lone vigilante for awhile.
But Batman needs a Robin. He will get a new one. It’s inevitable. Robin makes the comics richer, he makes Batman richer, he makes the stories richer; Robin is just a good character to have around.
And Harper Row should be the new Robin.
She’s hip and knows the Internets
I also think DC should replace Damian sooner rather than later, for a number of reasons. Mostly because the reboot needs a Robin to call its own. Damian was created before anyone even had the idea of a reboot, and while a lot of characters were tweaked and altered, Damian was untouched when the whole universe was remade. And it’s clear now that he was only on loan to DC from Grant Morrison.
DC needs their own Robin, one who can stand the test of time and exist as his or her own character, not just at the whim of a single writer. Tim Drake was such a character.He wasn’t created to become Robin just for a single story, he became Robin and was allowed to grow and expand over years of stories. If DC plans to make this DCnU continuity a lasting thing, then being able to tell the story of a new Robin from the ground up is a great idea.
And Harper Row is the obvious choice. I mean, c’mon, surely she was created for just this purpose!
Henchman-4-Hire 