Monthly Archives: February 2011

Cool Flashpoint Questions Feature!

Biting the Bullet, ,

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/02/18/flashpoint-friday-a-call-for-questions/

I love panels at conventions. Whether they discuss past work or upcoming material it is always great to get creator and company viewpoints on where the DCU is headed. The source listed a “call for questions” about Flashpoint and I figured I would post the link here. I am not always good at coming up with that creative question that may lead to hints but I adore reading answers to those posed by others. If you have that cool question about Flashpoint, now is the time to participate!

FlashPoint news continues!

Biting the Bullet,

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/02/18/flashpoint-friday-three-answers-from-geoff-johns/

Another cool Flashpoint teaser has his the Source blog! I really like that new readers can jump on this event without any prior knowledge but those of us who read classics like Shade the Changing Man are going to feel a cool connection. I am a fan of events including everyone.

One of my good friends was new to the Green Lantern Universe during Blackest Night. We had many fun discussions about Green Lantern history and the overall DCU. This wasn’t because he needed it to enjoy the story. It was because the story sparked that interest. If you have friends who are interested in alternate universe or time twisting stories, Flashpoint might be that cool jump on mini series. Fringe and Dr. Who fans for example are a ready made audience to try out some of this. If you are excited for Flashpoint, let a friend borrow the first issue and have some fun discussing the event.

Wonder Woman revealed!

Biting the Bullet,

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/02/16/adrianne-palicki-cast-as-wonder-woman-for-nbc-and-david-e-kelley/

I have to admit the new announcements and focus of the series are starting to get me more excited. I really want this series to deliver the way Smallville has or even to surpass it, if possible. I think this series could be a great way for people to remember that superhero storytelling can be varied and diverse. I hope they stick to the core values of what makes Wonder Woman work.

DC Cancels Seven Ongoing Titles: Shout out to Ifanboy

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http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/Confirmed__DC_Cancels_Seven_Ongoing_Titles

Thanks to Rafael Sanz for pointing out the Ifanboy article above.

This is really sad because I think these are 7 really strong and diverse titles.

Doom Patrol – This is a title that only got better over time. The opportunity to see how the Chief messed with the heads of his team and that they eventually broke away from that really connected me to this group. As Giffen started to really spotlight the characters, I really started to love this twisted little title. Matthew Clark has been fantastic on art. It brought in some of the coolness of the Morrison run while bringing in all of the nutty history of the Doom Patrol. This book made sense of it all and made you see how these characters work in a modern setting. Negative Man was my personal favorite character in this book. Although the issues involving the betrayal of Elasti Girl by Steve Dayton and the Chief were really stellar.

JSA All Stars – Freddie E. Williams II is a long time friend of the show and amazing artist. I love the Vertigo and Shadowpact work of Matthew Sturgis. This team has been really interesting to follow. It started off with Magog and Power Girl breaking off into a strike force. This team was having a tough time adjusting to Magog. As a reader, this book and Magog’s solo title seemed to mirror each other in the development of the character. Seeing the rest of the JSA react to Magog in a way that I was feeling added a sense of realism to the book. When he eventually was booted from the team, they grew together as a family and we saw the return of favorites like Atom Smasher and Sand. It also led to the intro of cool character Anna Fortune who has a rich connection to Dr. Fate. As the team came together and grew closer, so did my connection to the title.

Continue reading DC Cancels Seven Ongoing Titles: Shout out to Ifanboy →

Supergirl: A Changing of the Guard

Biting the Bullet, ,

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/02/15/supergirl-vs-social-networking/

Supergirl is a series that became VERY important to me under the tenure of Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. I think it is one of the better Superman universe books being published. It’s easy to get worried when a new creative team takes over. How will they handle the character? Will it maintain the momentum of the previous run? Will this feel like a continued progression of the character? These are all questions that I worry about whenever there is a change to a book.

It’s too soon to say but so far I am happy with the start of the run of James Peaty and Bernard Chang. The book looks good and they seem to have a handle on the personality of Kara. Kara is a character who developed from being a bratty and almost unlikable character trying to distance herself from Superman to a character who has become VERY accessible and enjoyable to read. We’ve seen her really turn into a hero and take pride in trying to use her powers and intelligence to make a difference in the world. I really like how her Kryptonian upbringing gives her a skill set slightly different than Clark’s because she actually spent more time in the culture than he did.

If you haven’t been reading Supergirl, I recommend picking up trades of the work of Gates and Igle to really get a flavor for how cool this character can be. I also recommend issue 60 to check out the start of the new team’s run. Nick Spencer does the cowriting on that issue. I am loving his work on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents so that caught my eye immediately. Supergirl is a book worth checking out. I hope the new team continues to build on the terrific foundation that came before.

I love Birds of Prey!!!

Biting the Bullet,

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/02/14/valentines-day-is-just-a-made-up-day-but-so-is-wednesday/

The source blog just posted a cool teaser of the upcoming date between Catman and Huntress. If you are a listener of our podcast over the last 5 years, you know about my love for the Birds of Prey. This is a team book that has consistently showcased strong character development and real human emotional drama. It also has had some of my favorite fight scenes within a comic.

Throughout the years, this book has had some amazing art teams that have really made this consistently an A list title. The writing of Gail Simone remains whitty, exciting, wicked and just plain smart. The series is filled with twists and turns where you start to think it is heading in one direction and it takes a sharp turn and throws you for a loop. For me, half the fun of the series is trying to figure out the various clues and teases laid throughout this web because I actually care about these characters.

If you haven’t checked out the adventures of Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and the rest of the BOP crew, do yourself a favor. While is is a book set in the Bat Universe, it is very contained and offers something for everyone. This is superhero storytelling at it’s best. Highest possible recommendation.

The All New Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Biting the Bullet

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/02/14/this-valentines-day-brings-the-wedding-of-batman-and-wonder-woman/

I am a big fan of the Batman Brave and the Bold cartoon. It’s good classic superhero fun. It’s a modern take on all ages superhero story telling. I love that it acknowledges major players in the DCU while not being afraid to give some screen time to the very interesting “smaller” characters within the universe.

That brings me to the recently relaunched tie in comic “The All New Batman: The Brave and the Bold.” This is a great example of how to do a media tie in. Each issue feels like an episode of the cartoon. Justice League Unlimited did this brilliantly. Every so often, I really like to read a book that is just fun and dull of adventure. If you like the cartoon and haven’t given the book a try, give this a shot. It fills a unique spot in my reading library.

Episode 243 is up: Smallville,DC News,Batman and Robin, Titans, Secret Six and more!

Episodes, , , , , , , , ,

Episode 243: We chat about the Smallville episode “Collateral” and “Beacon” from Season 10. Next, we look at some recent DC news and shout out Weird Worlds #2, the Hero Initiative and CBLDF. Finally, we look at Batman and Robin 20, Secret Six 30 and Titans 32.

Note: We also announce the 3 winners from the Sensei Super Snuggie Caption Contest. All entries will be posted on the site this week.

Show Notes:

0:00 Show opening, http://www.heroinitiative.org, http://www.DCBService.com, http://www.Instocktrades.com,  our ongoing contest (Ragingcontest@gmail.com), senseiofwhatnot@gmail.com, http://www.geturgeekonradio.com, http://www.comiccollectorlive.com , http://www.nycomiccon.com show voicemail line 1-440-388-4434 or drnorge on Skype,and more.

3:20 Smallville chat

1:02:20 DC News, Weird Worlds #2, Hero Initiative and CBLDF

1:27:35 Batman and Robin 20, Secret Six 30 and Titans 32

2:34:35 Sensei Super Snuggie Caption Contest Winners

2:38:37 Show Closing (Hawkman song by friends of the show “Wednesday Heroes”) http://wednesdayheroes.com/wordpress/

We’ll be back next week with our next episode.  Check Ragingbullets.com and the forum for regular updates.

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