Comics Round-Up: Week of 5/19

by Teresa Jusino

I had this ALL READY ON SUNDAY, but then I got caught up in Lost hoopla – like the really cool Lost exhibit going on at the Vilcek Foundation in NYC (through June 5th) and going to watch the Lost finale with friends – and didn’t click send. Sorry. But TV history was being made, people! I have my priorities.

However, this was a really good week in comics. This past week was one of those times where I’m actually encouraged by the presence of women in the medium, both on the creative end and as characters in the stories! This week out of 12 titles I read two had both female writers and artists (Girl Comics #2, Rescue), two had female writers (Black Widow #2, Air #21), one had a female artist (DV8 #2), and six had female main characters (all of the above plus Zatanna #1). Wow. Half the comics I read this week had heavy involvment from women. It’s easy to complain about how far we have yet to go in this, or any, industry. But look how far we’ve come! Look at what we can do!

OK, I’m done squeeing with sisterly pride now. Let’s get to some comics!

RATINGS:
***** So good it cures cancer!
**** Amazing!
*** Solid. Possibly the middle of a story arc.
** It had A redeeming quality?
* Don’t bother.

BEST OF THE WEEK (TIE!)

Age of Heroes #1**** and Girl Comics #2 ****
Marvel

I swear on everything that’s holy that I don’t work for Marvel (though I certainly wouldn’t mind it!), but they’ve been hitting it out of the park lately, and I’m really digging this Heroic Age business! Not to mention the Women of Marvel business!

Age of Heroes #1 is the first of a four-issue introduction to the new world order in the Marvel Universe. It’s a world filled with hope as it recovers from the Dark Reign. This issue contains four great short stories, each focusing on a different perspective on the changes going on. While they’re all wonderful, my favorites were a J. Jonah Jameson tale called “Thumb on the Pulse”, written by Kurt Busiek and drawn in a great, pulp style by Marko Djurdjevic, in which JJJ is gleefully determined to expose how the events of Seige were all the fault of superheroes, only to have public opinion sway strongly in the opposite direction; and “Diplomatic Incident”, a hilarious Captain Britain & MI:13 story in which Steve Rogers asks Captain Britain to become an Avenger, much to the delight of most of MI:13 and the chagrin of Pete Wisdom.

Dear Marvel,
Future Avengers movies should feature Captain Britain, as ripped men in skin-tight clothing who have British accents are hot. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Anglophile Female (and Gay Male) American Comics Fans Everywhere

Girl Comics #2 was even better than the first, as the short stories found here do a bit more to examine issues and themes beyond gender. For example, in Kathryn Immonen’s Shamrock story, “Good to Be Lucky”, drawn by Colleen Coover, a little girl learns that she doesn’t have to have super powers to be a hero. My favorite, however, is a story called “Do You Ever?”, by Faith Erin Hicks, which features Tabitha and Elsa from Nextwave. In it, Tabby asks Elsa if she’s ever considered using her powers for evil instead of good. I loved that! I loved that this story had superpowered individuals, women no less, contemplating the possibility of being selfish with their powers. It’s something we rarely see, but it’s such a human response. It’s great to be introduced to more obscure female Marvel characters like Shamrock, or to be introduced to characters I’d never read before, like Tabitha Smith. The thing that really makes Girl Comics great, though, is that it contains feature stories that spotlight women who are working or have worked in comics. This issue features stories on June Tarpe Mills, Marvel’s first female creator; Ruth Atkinson, creator of the original Girl Comics as well as of the Millie the Model character recently revived in Models Inc; Valerie Barclay, one of the few female artists/inkers working at Marvel during the Golden Age; and Linda Fite, creator of The Cat, and writer for Night Nurse and Uncanny X-Men.

WORST OF THE WEEK

American Vampire #3 * 1/2
Vertigo

I wanted to like American Vampire. I really did. I mean, it’s about vampires! American ones! And each issue contains a vampire story by Stephen King! Yes, THAT Stephen King! However, three issues in and I give up. Truth be told, I gave up after Issue #2. I bought Issue #3 as a reflex, but then every time I’ve picked it up to read it, I sigh a heavy sigh and put it down again, uninterested. Not a good sign. I still haven’t read it all the way through, and I don’t plan on it. Despite some phenomenal artwork by Raphael Albuquerque – and I really would love to see his work in a story I care about – I’ve never read such dry, boring stories about vampires! While there are some interesting and new vampire conventions being set up here, there’s nothing in either story in this issue (in addition to the King story, “Blood Vengeance”, there’s another story by Scott Snyder called “Rough Cut.”) that makes me care about any of the characters, and the pacing of both stories is really slow. I just don’t care anymore.

SOMETHING NEW

Zatanna #1
DC

I had never read anything that featured Zatanna before. At most, I’d seen her pop up briefly in other DC stories. I picked up this issue, because I imagined that she was like Doctor Strange; a female “Sorceress Supreme” for the DCU. Lady, I’ve met Doctor Stephen Strange, and you are no Doctor Stephen Strange. Zatanna made me angry! Like, punch-babies-in-the-face angry. First, Paul Dini’s dialogue is some of the most stilted and clichéd I’ve ever read. He writes this as if he’s never heard people speak before. Next, Zatanna makes a living as an illusionist? Really? And according to this issue it’s because “The world’s a scary place. If I can show people a friendlier aspect of magic, it benefits everyone, mystic or mortal?” If she’s truly as powerful as all that, why would she “hide in plain sight” at all? It’s difficult to take this character seriously, especially when Vertigo has Madame Xanadu, another woman of magic who has also interacted with the Phantom Stranger and for whom magic is a way of life. Zatanna seems like Madame Xanadu Light by comparison. I mean, Zatanna uses magic to change her clothes, for crying out loud! Madame Xanadu would never use her magic in such a mundane way. Also, Zatanna’s clothes are stupid. I’ve never liked that outfit, and I’m sorry, but a top hat is hella impractical when you’re whooshing magical energy around. Check out Madame Xanadu if you’re looking for a woman who really knows how to handle her magic.

OTHER READS THIS WEEK

Wildstorm
DV8 #2 ***1/2
Ex Machina #59 ***

Vertigo
Air #21 ***1/2
Joe the Barbarian #5 (of **

Marvel
Invincible Iron Man #26 ***1/2
Black Widow #2 ***
Rescue (ONE-SHOT) ***

Teresa Jusino was born on the same day that Skylab fell. Coincidence? She doesn’t think so. She is a contributor to Tor.com, a website that covers sci-fi, fantasy, “…and related subjects.” Her work has also been seen on PopMatters.com, on the sadly-defunct literary site CentralBooking.com, edited by Kevin Smokler, and in the Elmont Life community newspaper. She is currently writing a web series for Pareidolia Films called The Pack, which is set to debut Fall 2010! Get Twitterpated with Teresa, Follow The Pack or visit her at The Teresa Jusino Experience.

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