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Count me as another one interested. In competent hands, a good Joker story in an AU could be decent.
 
As stupid as this is, at least it's clearly being done in an alternate reality instead of fucking up the actual characters like Marvel is with Steve Rogers. My only problem with the idea is that 1) I hate superhero deconstruction stories and 2) if you're trying to make a man in a bat costume who fights an evil clown realistic you're just not getting the point.
 
It sounds more original than most deconstructions. My main issue with them is people who keep going for "SUPERMAN WOULD BE AN EVIL TYRANT IF DC WAS REALISTIC" and think they're way more clever than the last 40 people who wrote that. It strikes me as odd that it's more "real" for people to have fantasies about conquest and enslavement. Maybe I'm the weirdo for not having those, who knows.

My concern is if they do anything with Bruce Wayne also being involved in helping Gotham or boil it down to "rich lunatic in fursuit beats up poor people to feel good about himself". Otherwise eh, I love AU tales.
 
RockVolnutt said:
It sounds more original than most deconstructions. My main issue with them is people who keep going for "SUPERMAN WOULD BE AN EVIL TYRANT IF DC WAS REALISTIC" and think they're way more clever than the last 40 people who wrote that. It strikes me as odd that it's more "real" for people to have fantasies about conquest and enslavement. Maybe I'm the weirdo for not having those, who knows.
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It feels like they don't realize there are good people out there with self-control and would use their status and talents for good. I mean, not every muscular high school quarterback spends his time date-raping girls and beating up dweebs. Not every corporate CEO is a greedy scumbag and can be a sincere philanthropist instead.

One thing that would be interesting with this Joker story would be exploring the guilt he'd feel over all the damage his insanity caused and maybe he'd have suicidal thoughts because of it. Or would Harley start to miss the old "Mistah J" since that's the only one she knows?
 
Recently got caught up on the Blue Beetle Rebirth stuff and I am oddly charmed. Teri surprised me. Doctor Fate is always a good time, a little odd that they went back to the Scarab being magical but whatever I can dig it. Ted is adorable, I love him. Took a while to get a good feel for Jaime, though, they're kind of playing up the "reluctant angsty teenager" bit with him, hopefully he'll get over it once he gets his body back. It took quite a while for it to gain its footing, it did not start out on a particularly good note. Definitely improved, though, once it actually got into the story. The dialogue is a little meh sometimes, but it does "teen" dialogue better than any Marvel book these days. I think I'm going to keep this series, I hope it sticks around.
 
I actually kinda like the Jean Grey book. Considering how utterly terrible she's been written since Bendis introduced the time displaced team, this is a massive improvement. Hell, in X-Men Blue she even admits she's been a massive cunt with how she's abused her powers. Also, of the two X-Men books X-Men Blue is much better written and actually enjoyable. Meanwhile X-Men Gold has fem!Trump as the villain and is not very entertaining.
 
[Insert Meme Here] said:
TBH when I first saw her she looked like a slightly less uggo Squirrel Girl.
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Squirrel Girl's "funny" when you look at it and remember that she is adult woman Wolverine had sex with. Also why does she have orange-ish hair in everything when she was a brunette before?

GabeRegan said:
I actually kinda like the Jean Grey book. Considering how utterly terrible she's been written since Bendis introduced the time displaced team, this is a massive improvement. Hell, in X-Men Blue she even admits she's been a massive cunt with how she's abused her powers. Also, of the two X-Men books X-Men Blue is much better written and actually enjoyable. Meanwhile X-Men Gold has fem!Trump as the villain and is not very entertaining.
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I haven't looked at X-Men Blue yet but it amazed me how people who wrote young Jean couldn't understand why fans thought she was a creep and super villain in the making. She's a telepath who always manages to find her way into everything, was shown manipulating people early on, the Iceman thing, wouldn't stop invading people's personal thoughts after getting told 50 different times to stop, and kept going on about people loving her too much. I guess the standards are skewed since she was made by the same man who made Riri, a girl who has to struggle with too many people like her. Is the tradition carried on?
 
Speaking of solo-books, what the fuck is wrong with Batwoman. Like, I actually kind of liked the first issue, though I know it was flawed, as a sort of highlight reel for the character to introduce her, but the pacing on the following shit is just so off. The art is stylish but I don't understand Knife's-or whatever her name was-actual motivation was. So she was adopted by Safiya (who I can only assume was important in the nu52 run? I never read N52 Batwoman even though I heard it was alright) but also her lover? Knife was a kid when she murdered that dude and was found by Safiya, right? The dialogue in their final fight is so disjointed. Why is any of this important. Why is any of this happening. It feels like we missed the first part of the story and the writer said "FUCK IT THEY'LL GET IT."

Like, the literal story is theoretically fine, but it's going by so fast that nothing feels like it fits together or is important.
 
RockVolnutt said:
Is the tradition carried on?
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In X-Men Blue she's the team leader, and I think one of the previews made it look worse than it actually was. I think they had some rotating leadership in one of the previous runs so in this run it's her turn to lead the team. They're trying to be the inspiring heroes Professor X always wanted them to be, but they're also working with Magneto who has decided that integration of humans and mutants is the best way to ensure mutants survive.

In her solo book, she's had a vision of the Phoenix that basically boils down to "I'm coming for you sucka!" After talking to all of the living Phoenix hosts on earth, she decides that anyone who comes into contact with the thing is fucked up for life and wants to train to kick the Phoenix's ass when it comes for her.

[Insert Meme Here] said:
Like, the literal story is theoretically fine, but it's going by so fast that nothing feels like it fits together or is important.
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You just described every Batwoman comic ever. I always feel that her solos have beautiful art, but fuck if I know what's going on half the time.
 
I just read the first two issues of Hero Killers, and... I want to like it so much more, but it's like they just took the lowest hanging fruit they could on the concept. There is a dramatic improvement between the first and second issues, so I'm hoping that this trend continues, because it is fun, but the first issue was just a little too self-aware and trying too hard. I think I'd have liked this book more if it was played straight. Art is pretty good, though. Colorful but not overdone (finding picture of it online are a pain, though, for anything non-cover.)
Hero-Killers-Featured.png

It'll either hit you or it won't.

I also read Accell, which is part of the Catalyst Prime superhero verse thing that's new. Had a real 90s feel, in both art and execution, but I kind of like that.
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I'm always up for new Superheroes, but this interview has me worried that the entire project will descend into utter SJW nonsense. I'm up for having a "diverse" cast of heroes because all the heroes being the same is boring, but... we'll see how it's handled.

The "flagship" book is apparently called Noble, which I haven't read. Anyone check this out yet?
 
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[Insert Meme Here] said:
I'm always up for new Superheroes, but this interview has me worried that the entire project will descend into utter SJW nonsense. I'm up for having a "diverse" cast of heroes but all the heroes being the same is boring, but... we'll see how it's handled.

The "flagship" book is apparently called Noble, which I haven't read. Anyone check this out yet?
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It's sad that these days when we hear someone talk about a "diverse" cast in comic books, you get a bad feeling.
 
What's everyone's estimate on when the SJW fad will leave comics? I know it's mostly just Marvel and some indie publishers doing it but still.
 
RockVolnutt said:
What's everyone's estimate on when the SJW fad will leave comics? I know it's mostly just Marvel and some indie publishers doing it but still.
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A couple years after the SJW fad leaves for good. There'll be a couple holdover writers, obviously, but they probably won't be put on any major books anymore. Depends on what follows on it, actually.
Yaoi Huntress Earth said:
It's sad that these days when we hear someone talk about a "diverse" cast in comic books, you get a bad feeling.
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Apparently the main character of the Catalyst Prime "Superb" book has Down's Syndrome. Heroes with disabilities can be done well, of course, but the fact that this is the first thing they tell you about the book when trying to look it up makes me not want to read it TBH.

But I really liked Accell. I want this 'verse to be good.
 
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[Insert Meme Here] said:
A couple years after the SJW fad leaves for good. There'll be a couple holdover writers, obviously, but they probably won't be put on any major books anymore. Depends on what follows on it, actually.
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Well the fad itself is in the process of dying and it looks like 2018 will be the "death" of it in the mainstream (It'll always be around to some extent, ideologies don't really "die"). Damn shame if it does survive a bit into next decade, not even the edgy 90s stuck around for that long.
 
I read XIII once more, and as I thought, only the issues that came out in the 80s really holds up. It gets too convulted in the end, but it is a solid comic with some great artwork. I may be a bit bias, as I prefer the 80s look of the first storylines. It also remindes me that it is a shame that the game did poorly, as it ended on a cliffhanger.
 
Got Accell #2, that Catalyst Prime SUPERB book I mentioned, Superman #27, Super Sons #6, and the new DuckTales #0.

ACCELL #2
Man, the art quality manages to fluctuate without really changing in tone or style. One image earlier in the book makes Daniel look positively pinheaded from failed perspective, but the running shots are positively gorgeous. Story took a turn for the weird. He heads out to the desert to actually figure out what the limits of his powers are and trips out, and is found by a man who lived on a Seneca Indian Nation Reservation, but "was never much of a joiner." He tells Daniel about something called the Dagwanoenyent, which is presumably the name of the sand monster that chases Daniel later in the book. Maybe the old man was the Dagwanoenyent? He got away from that thing, but the end of the book is left with him running into the weird thing that he saw while tripping out in the first place.

I feel like this type of issue is happening WAY too early in this story. It's issue 2 for god's sake. I think we're already getting into ACCELL's version of the Speed Force shit. But I'll probably pick up issue 3. I weirdly enjoy this one.

SUPERB #1
So, to understand this, you have to know that the Catalyst Prime series of books has a meta-origin story. Basically, all metahumans ("enhanced humans" in-story) are the result of some meteor storm or something bullshit. Very comic-book, it's dumb but whatever gets the story rolling.

Anyway, people who are detected as having this metapower, even if they don't know themselves and have no idea that they have powers, get carted off to be poked at by scientists. This is to prevent events like, as told in-story, one metahuman who spontaneously developed powers in the middle of a school who incinerated everyone in the library. It's a prevention thing. I can dig it.

Our main characters are a young black girl named Kathy and a childhood friend named Jonah. Kathy's parents a couple of the scientists in charge of the poking, and they had moved away and recently moved back to town. Jonah is a comic book nerd. He gets bullied a little by some jock and she saves his ass on the bus. So, y'know, they're just alright friends. But a redhead girl sets off an alarm as they get off the bus-turns out she's a meta, so away she goes! Everyone is horrified and concerned, since meta-ness is apparently gained spontaniously, and no one wants to end up like her.

In scientist land there's some hubub about a guy who used some super-strength in some video that went viral. The guy is named after the same comicbook hero that Jonah was reading earlier, so it's all but spelled out that he's the guy (named Cosmosis). The scientists are worried that this means that some metas are "slipping through the cracks" of their search for metas, but before they can try to hunt Cosmosis down Cosmosis tries to break into their lab (presumably to rescue redhead, but it's not stated.)

Issue ends with Cosmosis turning a corner and having a teamed of armed men pointing guns at him.

As far as a #1 goes, it's a pretty alright introduction, but not knowing the meta-origin story would impede your understanding of what's happening. A pretty solid start though, IMO.

SUPERMAN #27
This is a filler issue. Seriously, you could skip this one and be okay. It's alright if you're super invested in the characters, but TBH it was kind of boring. It's just a breather.

Issue starts with Superman flying home late and falls out of the sky for falling asleep while flying. Which was kind of cute. Lois decides that they need to take a family vacation, so she rents an RV (which was a little funny, and Jon jumping around all excited was cute too) and the rest of the issue is them telling Jon about the history of various shit they visit. There's a tolerance, respect, and love theme, though they do take time to bodysurf down Niagra Falls. I got a little concerned when Lois and Jon talked about one of those dumb COEXIST bumper stickers you see around, but unlike most Marvel books these days, the conversation sounded like one you could have with a kid irl, and the conversation ended rather than being drug out until the end of the book.

Clark cleans some grafitti off a WWI memorial and they invite a handicapped veteran to dinner with them. The hostess tries to throw the guy out because they "see him on the street all the time around here. This isn't a shelter." Clark insists. She relents without a ton of fuss. Y'know, like a human being.

They chat with him some, but after dinner, the handicapped vet is offered a job as a dishwasher. So things work out nice for him. A little out of left field, but whatever. That's nice and all.

Jon falls asleep roasting marshmallows so they put him to bed, then hop up on the RV with some wine and almost kiss before Superman's JL communicator goes off. Issue ends with him flying off while Lois reminds him to be in DC tomorrow, and Clark promises to be back for breakfast.

Like I said, not exciting but it was an alright family piece. The whole time reading it, though, I couldn't help but wonder "If this was a Marvel book, how would they do it?" and it's always terrible.

Super Sons #6
If you haven't read any Super Sons, this is the start of a new story arc and I recommend picking it up. The art is gorgeous.

It starts off with this weird monologue by some dude who was "creating" something that was to be remembered throughout history. He has apparently created several humanoid beings out of clay or something.

Outside that monologue, Superboy and Robin have been given permission to do their own superheroing so long as they stick together. As Jon is new at this, this is exciting for him. There's some entertaining scenes of them running around, solving some relatively mundane things.

However, the Teen Titans show up, requiring Robin's help. Raven has detected something. So Robin sends Superboy (who is disheartened at not being able to go) home, they begin the search. They eventually are ambushed by the things Mr. Monologue made in the beginning. One of them, named the Time Commander decides that the Titans alone will not be enough to prove their superiority, and decides to "show we're serious" by using his powers on Robin.

Cut to Superboy, who fell asleep on the couch, being awakened by shouting. When he investigates, you see the defeated Titans and a now old-man Damian.

Overall, 10/10, enjoyable and has a decent enough hook to the next issue. Seriously, if you've never taken a look at Super Sons, jump on now. I want this book to stay so bad!

DuckTales #0
Wasn't expecting to pick this up today, but my curiosity won out when I saw it. I am not a religious follower of Duckverse comics, but Uncle Scrooge > Donald Duck comics. Scrooge doesn't appear in this issue, though, since this one is set before the show (presumably).

It's definitely for kids, but it's pretty in line with the other Duckverse book style in terms of story and humor... just in this particular DuckTales universe. So if you like those you'll probably like this. Donald is basically comic Donald, but the personalities of the boys are actually varied. Louie is a bit of a smooth talker who's interested in money, Dewey is kind of hard to pin down but seems to be the 'normal' one, and Huey is the idea/gadget guy. Interesting to see how that translates into the show.

This issue tells two stories, one about them getting stranded on an island and one about a haunted hotel. They're not ultra intricate, but as far as a kid's story goes it's nice. Both stories are self-contained and you don't really need any prior knowledge to get it. Dunno what else to really say, if you're excited about the show or love the Duckverse comics this'll be fine for you. A perfectly acceptable comic to give your kids if you have any.

Art looks like the new show and is very clean but expressive.

I thought Blue Beetle came out this week but no, not till next week. Damn it. I'm seriously considering buying NOBLE (which is part of the Catalyst Prime thing), but no one I've spoken to has read it and flipping through it doens't really grab my attention. If someone else wants to take the plunge for me, I'd appreciate it.
 
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