Another non-Eve post... this one about Comic Books

So I've discovered the joy of comics on the iPad. Growing up as a kid, I gravitated strongly towards the Marvel comics. I had an affinity for the Avengers and X-Men over the always perfect Justice League. I also felt like the DC continuity problems were becoming untenable from a reader standpoint (and just bonkers from an IP standpoint). And this coming from a guy who loves parallel universes and the like. I felt like they'd gotten out of hand and were actively creating and reinforcing a barrier to entry for new readers.

So the "New 52" reboot seemed the perfect time to jump into a new world of comic books. And boy was I right. They've wiped the slate clean in a reasonably clever way. Some of the big events have definitely still happened. But they've kept the references vague. So while SOME version of Blackest Night did indeed occur, it's far from clear what the specifics were. Batman's history is largely the same, Superman's history is "similar" but vague in details, etc. So these characters are characters you can step into and you understand MOST of the things about them. They tend to act similar to how you'd expect but they can still surprise you and they can still provide interesting backstories that contain new revelations and plot elements.

On a whim, I even checked out some of the other titles. I'm particularly interested to see how they wrap in the Dakota Universe and Impact comics (W.I.L.D.C.A.T.s, Grifter, etc). They moved Martian Manhunter (temporarily?) over to Stormwatch but they seem to be doing little to tie them together as of yet. I hope this changes. They've also kept their best artists for their marquee titles so Justice League and Teen Titans are drawn with verve and dynamism that is incredible while Stormwatch looks like something that any 20 year old art student could have done.

I also wanted to see the much maligned Red Hood title which reboots Roy Harper (here as a bitter, betrayed Arsenal), Jason Todd (as a reasonably well-adjusted Red Hood) and Starfire (as a memory impaired, alien princess, sex pot). Now let me say a couple things here. She's absolutely over the top in the first episode. Starfire's costume has always been, what would charitably be described as, skimpy. But here new costume takes it to a new height. And then there's the scene in which she's wearing the world's tiniest bikini and casually asks Roy Harper if he wants to have sex. It's a bit ridiculous even for someone like me. But they tone that down after the first issue (maybe due to pressure, maybe for other reasons) and move on. What gets me, however, is how the issue (at least the first 4) are entirely focused on Roy and Jason and treat her like an after thought. So far, there's absolutely no reason to believe she would stick with these two. Her presence in the issues appears to be one of hyperactive, teenage boy's dream fantasy. "My buddy and I are super heroes who do whatever we want, fight the bad guys and have the beautiful super-heroine as our loyal sex-buddy."

I take issue with it on many levels but the fundamental one that DC should be aware of is that it's bad writing. It's something that any 14 year old boy could have come up with. It could only be a more blatant male fantasy if she wore a cheerleader costume while fighting crime (Roy Harper and Jason Todd are also geniuses).

But that complaint aside, the writing has been tight and well done in most cases. DC has always been bad about introducing new characters, however. And the new 52 is not different. Bunker and Skitter in Teen Titans are great examples. They're just not interesting. It's not the fault of the "characters" per se. The writers just didn't put anything into them. Their personalities don't shine through and they haven't been explored sufficiently for us to like them. Heck, Bunker and Skitter feel very much like token minorities (Bunker is both hispanic AND gay... a two for one). Comic writers should know and understand that new characters are tough. If you want them to stick, you need to give them a great look, a great story and a great power and make it obvious right off the bat. So far, they've failed to do that.

I am enjoying reading the stories, however.