Throne of Atlantis (Aquaman & Justice League #15) Review

Contrary to what pop culture may claim, Aquaman does not suck. This preface shouldn't be necessary, thanks to the Justice League cartoon ("King of the seas, remember?" said the man who cut off his own hand and replaced it with a harpoon to save his son), Brightest Day, and most recently, Geoff Johns' run on Aquaman and Justice League. I've mentioned before how I am a fan of Aquaman, and how in the hands of a talented writer, he can be one of the most impressive heroes in DC comics.

As such, it is my pleasure to review issues 15 of Justice League and Aquaman, the first two parts of the "Throne of Atlantis" arc. Written by Geoff Johns, who revitalized Aquaman with his inclusion in Blackest Night and Brightest Day, as well as his excellent run in DC's New 52 (see my earlier reviews for my thoughts on that), we now get to see an all-out Atlantean war against the surface, and Aquaman struggling to maintain peace between his two worlds.

It begins in Justice League #15, so I'll discuss more than just Aquaman in this part. While it begins with an attack on Atlantis, the way that it happens makes it clear that someone is playing them against each other. As such, Atlantis is acting in self-defense (from an Atlantean perspective), no matter how excessive the counter-attack might be. With that in mind, one might wonder: is this a metaphor for the Israel-Palestine conflict? I'm going to say no, it's a comic, stop trying to politicize everything and let me enjoy my comics in peace, theoretical reader asking me this sort of charged question.

Still, every good action needs setup, and we see a very humanizing moment for Wonder Woman, as she goes out with Superman. Now, I was never on the Supes/Wondey ship. I'm still not, but if you like it, I can't particularly blame you after seeing this scene, as Clark helps bring Diana closer to earth. It's a sweet moment for the two characters, showing a side of Wonder Woman we haven't seen in a while, and a side of Superman we don't see enough of in his current runs.

Of course, there's no shortage on action, either, starting with Batman and Aquaman taking down some thugs, with Mera once again proving that she's more than a badass in her own right.

Speaking of Mera, she gets a crowning moment of awesome in Aquaman #15. Her hydromancy is taken to its limits, but she alone saves more lives than the rest of the Justice League combined after the initial assault. That said, the lives lost number far greater than those saved regardless; in a war against Atlantis, there will be casualties on both sides.

Also in Aquaman is a little more on the New 52 Aquaman's backstory. The latest arc took us through a chapter of his life from before Atlantis, before Arthur was the Aquaman we know today, and now we learn a little more about what he did when he returned to the ocean and took his place as king. Suffice to say, he's not proud of the things he did, which are now being used against him.

However, the characters aren't going through the regular motions of "let's fight everyone until we figure something out." This is a classic brother versus brother conflict, with Aquaman wanting to stop conflicts by talking to his brother, Orm. Aquaman wants peace between the two worlds he lived in, but with such a high body count, there's no stopping the conflict. He wants to do what's right, but in a battle orchestrated by unknown forces, with each side itching to get revenge, what exactly is the right thing to do?

If you want to jump in on Aquaman or Justice League, this is a great place to do it. If you're reading one already, perhaps this will get you interested in the other. The story is great, the artwork wonderful, and they tie together seamlessly. If you're a fan of Aquaman, you'll like the start this storyline is off to. If you're not a fan of Aquaman, maybe this will change your mind.

Marvel Now: X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, and Deadpool

Not one to be outdone by DC's massive reboot, Marvel comics has launched its own "Marvel Now!," starting several series over from issue 1. While this isn't as much of a reboot as DC's, it is still reassembling new teams, starting new adventures, and generally trying to make a good starting point for new readers. I've picked up quite a few comics from this relaunch, so let's take a look at some of them.

As always, there will be minor spoilers.

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X-Men Legacy

Before the relaunch, I was following X-Men Legacy, and it was mostly focused on Rogue, her team, and her romance with Magneto. (I, of course, will always support Rogue and Gambit, but that's neither here nor there.) The new Legacy takes it far away from that, and instead focuses on David Haller, son of Professor Xavier.

This is a character I'm only somewhat familiar with, and my understanding about him is pretty limited. As such, I got to look at this issue from the point of view of someone with minimal knowledge about David and his powers, but from the looks of it, he seems to have multiple (mostly evil) personalities locked away in his head, and he can channel the various powers of each one. If this is vastly wrong, please feel free to correct me, but that's the impression given by this comic.

The first issue is mainly spent giving us an idea of his personality. In spite of all the evil personalities locked away inside his head, he wants to do good, but knows that he's got a lot of insanity to deal with. He also has some serious issues with his father, which may be causing just as much trouble as the many personalities.

That said, the story is structured well enough; the scenes in the "Qortex Complex" and in Kangchengyad (where David resides) get linked together nicely, without having to spell anything out, even if it may make things seem odd at the beginning.

However, I wasn't drawn in to this comic particularly much. I haven't really connected with David's character, and I can't bring myself to care where his story goes. They're setting up some interesting things, but whether or not those make it worth buying has yet to be seen.

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All-New X-Men

This is a bit of a backwards title, given that the main sell of the comic is that it features the return of the original X-Men. Not that they ever left - they're just a lot different than they used to be. Beast became all blue and furry, Jean died, Angel turned evil, returned to the side of good, went evil again, died, then came back an amnesiac, Cyclops jumped off the slippery slope, and Iceman… actually, Iceman hasn't changed quite as drastically.

Still, even though the last part of the chapter features Beast going back in time to bring the original five to the present, saying so is in no way a spoiler, since that's all that's been advertised about it. Until then, we get to see some of the new mutants popping up around the world, and just how far Cyclops will go to recruit them to his cause. I don't even need to point out the parallels he has to Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, although Cyclops still claims the title of "X-Men."

The new mutants we've seen so far don't have the most unique powers (by which I mean there were characters on "Heroes" with the exact same powers), but their personalities are at least somewhat different from what we've usually seen. After all, they're struggling with these new powers they suddenly found, which is something we haven't been able to see in an X-Men comic since Hope's five lights.

The main thing that has me reading this is Beast, everyone's favorite fuzzy blue mutant (aside from Nightcrawler). Let's just say that things are not going well for him, and he believes this to be his last chance to try and set things right and see his old friends as they once were again.

I have to wonder how long this will be able to go on for, since there's no way he can keep the old team together in the present for too long without having serious ramifications on the timestream, but it will be an interesting read at first. Brian Michael Bendis has an even amount of fans and detractors, given his style, but one can't deny that the man can write comics well.

All in all, I'll give this one a little time. I'm mostly interested in seeing how the classic X-Men react to seeing them as they are now, but I don't know how long I'll stick with it.

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Thor: God of Thunder

Now we get away from the X-Men stuff, and start looking at everyone's favorite hammer-throwing, golden-haired god of thunder. Rather than focus on Thor beating up frost giants and other baddies on Earth, we start by seeing him perform his godly duty of answering prayers. Even on planets far away, if someone prays to Thor, he'll give it a listen.

As this comic starts to look at Thor's status as a god, it also expands upon the various other deities, both on Earth and other planets. We know that the Norse gods are far from the only ones on Earth, although with Thor they do get the most focus. Other planets have their own gods, though, which this comic uses to an interesting effect.

As such, it's important that he fight an enemy worthy of a god. Normally that would mean some other wicked god (Loki is no longer available to fulfill that role, of course), but this time it's a threat that can make even other gods cry out in terror. Judging by the last few pages, it's far from a threat to be taken lightly.

Still, this is not a traditional Thor comic. There's little focus on other Asgardians, and the only time spent on Earth is in the past. It's a different look at the god of thunder, which some might enjoy more than others. So far, there's been more "acts of god" than beating up bad guys, but when Thor summons rain, he at least makes it look cool.

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Iron Man

Fresh off his success with "Journey Into Mystery" (which you better have read. Seriously.), Kieron Gillen is taking on the genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. This time, Iron Man's got to deal with the Extremis nanotechnology, which is reappearing in the wrong hands.

The writing has all the signatures of Gillen's style, with clever dialogue, quite a lot of text boxes, and themes of the past coming back to haunt someone. The characters are smart, even the ones you wouldn't think to be, and when the action kicks in, we get to see Tony kicking ass, taking names, and showing what he's learned from his years as Iron Man and his last experience with Extremis.

I can't say much for the art, but while I like the designs and coloring, there's something about the faces that doesn't sit well with me. Maybe it has something to do with how everyone seems to close their eyes while smiling, but that's my only complaint with the artwork.

I'm a fan of Gillen's work, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses. Normally I don't read the Iron Man comics, but I trust Gillen to make the characters not only relatable and likable, but to put them through situations that make us both cheer and cry for them.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to his take on the Young Avengers, especially since Loki is joining the team. Seriously, I can't wait for that one.

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Deadpool

For all your comedic, sociopathic, fourth wall-breaking, stabbing and shooting needs, Deadpool is here. While Dan Way's take on Deadpool has met with mixed reviews, it did well enough to keep him on the title for quite some time, but now Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan are taking over, and boy are they off to a great start.

We're re-introduced to everything that makes Deadpool crazy awesome. He bursts out of a giant dinosaur monster's gut, having teamed up with (and thoroughly disgusted) Thor, then goes on to fight zombie presidents. Yes, that's right, the US presidents have been brought back from the dead, and they're not happy with what has become of the United States of America… so clearly the solution is to do what zombies do best.

Every step of the way, Deadpool has a quip, reference, or joke to make, and the visual gags (keep an eye out for monster pieces in the background) make it all the better. He has yet to address any of his yellow text boxes, but that also means none of the "multiple personalities" that Way gave him (a sad misunderstanding of his medium awareness), and the comic does not suffer for the lack of them.

Even characters who aren't Deadpool get some nice moments, but Deadpool can run with those just as well as anything else. Some cameos from Thor and Captain America, as well as SHIELD's role in Deadpool's new assignment, add some nice variety to this comic, while creating some foils for how Deadpool and how he's viewed by the heroic community.

In short, this is one I'd recommend to any fans of Deadpool. While my favorite comic featuring him is still currently "Cable and Deadpool," this is looking good so far, and promises to be a good run.

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Anyways, that's what I've got so far. I'll try to post something other than comic reviews soon, so I don't get too repetitive. Until next time, this has been whatever I read.

Doctor Who: Shada

If you've spent any time around me, you'll have picked up on a few key facts. In fact, you'll have probably figured these things out even if we've never met, and you've just read a bit of things I've written. First of all, I am a fan of Doctor Who. Secondly, one of my biggest inspirations in writing is the late, great Douglas Adams, creator of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." So you'd think I'd like a Doctor Who novel based off the script by Douglas Adams, right?

You'd be damn well right to think that.

Now, here's a little history on the Doctor Who serial "Shada." It was originally meant to be the season finale of season 17 of Doctor Who, but was never completed because of a strike at the BBC. Instead, the bits and pieces they did record were used in "The Five Doctors." There have been various attempts to recreate it from the pieces that remain over the years, leading us to this novel.

While the novel itself is written by Gareth Roberts, it's still a Douglas Adams piece through and through. Roberts worked off the versions of the script that Adams wrote, adding in scenes to fill any plot holes that were created in the editing process and generally polishing it up as best he could. The voice of Adams is evident from the very first page, while the rest of the book is equally saturated with his influence.

It's clear that Gareth Roberts has a great respect for the works of Adams, maintaining true to his vision and channeling the same type of tone and amusing commentary that he's known for. There are minor comments that reference other works of Adams, including a well-timed tribute to his most famous work near the end that I won't spoil for you.

Of course, that means it goes without saying how incredibly funny it is. The descriptions, the running gags, the ones that come right at you out of nowhere, all with great timing and a well-written tone.

The book is written for the 4th Doctor, famously played by Tom Baker, as he travels with Romana and K-9. Of course, as the novelization was written well into Matt Smith's run as the 11th, it includes some references to later Doctors, such as mentioning the Corsair's gender-changing regenerations and the Doctor's love of edible ball bearings. In spite of those, there's no breaking character, from the perfectly-voiced dialogue to the internal descriptions.


I hope it's not presumptuous of me to say that Roberts' affection towards Doctor Who and the works of Douglas Adams is at least equal to mine. Either way, his love of the series and respect towards Adams shines through in this novel.

As for the story itself, it's filled with all sorts of wonderful characters, and a story that moves at a brisk pace, tying together various story threads into a cohesive narrative. There are plenty of twists, turns, and cliffhangers, as expected of Doctor Who, culminating in wonderful displays of brilliance from all the characters and an ending befitting a season finale.

At this point, it occurs to me that I haven't even said what the story is about. A brief synopsis: the Doctor, Romana, and K-9 visit Cambridge University to respond to a distress call from the Doctor's old friend, Professor Chronotis (who fans of Douglas Adams might recall from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency), a Time Lord who retired to live out his final regeneration in peace. Of course, they arrive right as he's being tracked down by Skagra, a brilliant but bloody crazy alien with a god complex and no fashion sense. He's after "The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey,"which happens to be in Chronotis's possession... or was, until it was lent to Chris Parsons, who mostly tries to use it to impress a girl who actually doesn't need impressing.

This leads to a series of adventures and chases through time, space, and Cambridge, as Skagra attempts to unlock an ancient evil and do something nasty to the universe. And every moment of it was brilliant.

It actually took me a while to complete the book after reading it. It's a large one, at well over 300 pages, but I ended up taking my time just to savor it. Most every chapter had me pause for a minute just to bask in the excellence of Douglas Adams' storytelling, until the end, where I kept going and going to see what would happen next.

Am I a biased reviewer? I'd like to think not, since I set some pretty high standards for Roberts to meet. But they were met and then some, resulting in one of the best expanded universe novels I've had the pleasure to read.

Until next time, this has been whatever I read.

Blue Beetle #11, or: "How DC Ruined Two of my Favorite Characters"

Normally I don't do this. I'm not the type to use my blog just to complain about a single issue that I don't like. In fact, I was really hoping my next post would be my review of "Shada," the Doctor Who novelization by the late Douglas Adams. (Speaking of, it's awesome so far, go read it. More on that later.)

However, this issue just pissed me off so much I had to post something about it. So take note, this is going to mostly be a fanboy's whining, and probably not to the standards of my other reviews, but if you like reading someone complain, you're in for a treat.

Let's begin with a little background on why this issue pisses me off so much. I'm a huge fan of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. Well, Blue Beetle 3, Jaime Reyes, to be precise. His previous run, pre-reboot, was excellent - great storytelling, wonderful characters, and a hero who was really different from the others. He didn't keep his heroics a secret from his friends or family - he had to get his parents permission before going out and fighting crime, but they were proud of him and supported him. As a legacy character, he had to live up to the previous two Blue Beetles, but he did his best and became a great hero in his own right.

That's why the New 52 version of Blue Beetle was so hard to read; it abandoned everything that made the previous title great, and instead focused on making things as bad for Jaime as possible. He's keeping his identity a secret, he's wrecking things for his friends and family alike (nearly killing some of them in the process), and has recently been living on the streets of New York, getting in fights with nearly everyone he meets because no one will even listen to him. There's no heart, no charm, no love to be found anywhere in it - just things going bad for Jaime.

So why did I read it this far? Because I kept hoping things would get better. I'd always think back to the previous run and think "it could be this good again." It might even be a comic-reading version of Stockholm Syndrome, where I'd hold on to anything, however rare, that the comic did right and think "If they just do more of this, it'll get better."

Boy was that dumb of me.

Then we get to this issue. It opens with Booster Gold going on TV and reaching out to Blue Beetle, offering to hear his side of the story on all the disasters that have been following him. "Okay, good," I thought. "Maybe Booster will mention Ted Kord, the previous Blue Beetle. Maybe we'll have some of the Blue and the Gold again. Maybe this won't be such a mess."

Then, when Jaime goes to meet Booster, what does BG do? Punches Jaime in the face. He claims to recognize the reach armor from the future (Booster Gold is a time traveling hero from the future, for those unaware), and intends to "mercy kill" Jaime, who he thinks is being controlled by the armor, despite all insistences otherwise.

This leads to a fight scene where the dialogue consists of them mostly just shouting at each other. Here's some dialogue: "You're a fake, 'Booster Gold'! You're a liar!" "You're an alien death-machine!" "NO I'M NOT!"

It's pretty much just that for a couple of pages, before Jaime's grandmother shows up with a bunch of passerby's and shouts Booster off. While normally it would be a great moment, seeing Jaime's family come together to defend him from an overwhelming enemy... this is Booster Gold we're talking about, not some supervillain!

So we have Booster acting extremely out-of-character, a pointless fight scene that could be avoided and made for much better development if they'd just have Booster listen, no references to the previous Blue Beetle (Booster's best friend, who he was unable to save from dying before Infinite Crisis, in spite of his time traveling), and a completely wasted moment that would normally be great.

At the same time, we have Paco and Brenda, Jaime's best friends who were both nearly killed because of the Scarab, going in search of Jaime, then getting captured and nearly cut up, turning Paco again into the evil backup beetle... thing, who they have dubbed "Blood Beetle." Let the stupidity of that name sink in for a minute. Blood Beetle.

Dammit, DC, are we back in the 90's? There was a reason we left the Dark Age of comics!

At any rate, I know this has just been me complaining, but there you have it. This is why I'm done with the Blue Beetle reboot. This issue alone took two of my favorite characters, ruined one and seriously dropped the ball with the other.

Next time, I'll have an actual quality review, instead of several paragraphs of me raging. Until then, this has been the crap that I read.

Fate/Zero Light Novel

For those of you who know me, you might have noticed how I've been raving about the awesomeness that is the Fate/Zero anime recently. You'll probably have also noticed that I cosplay as a character from Fate/Zero, while I've been looking into commissioning things for another. For those who don't know me, spoiler alert: I like Fate/Zero.

With the anime recently ended, and Anime Expo being filled with F/Z events and cosplayers (the only reason I regret missing AX, really), I thought now would be a good time to read and review the light novels that the anime was based off of. Since they haven't been officially translated and released, you can read the Baka-Tsuki translations that I read here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Fate/Zero

Now, Fate/Zero is the prequel to Fate/Stay Night, a visual novel produced by Type-Moon. It was later adapted into an anime, while the "Unlimited Blade Works" route was also adapted into an OVA. And to be honest... I didn't like Fate/Stay Night all that much. I enjoyed it, sure, but I didn't really like the characters or the story as much as I could have.

It was more the idea of the Holy Grail War that intrigued me - summoning the heroic spirits of heroes across time and space to go into epic battles. (That's also why I tried starting up an online text RPG for it, but that... didn't work out so well. Drama ensued, but I still quite like the characters that I made; Robin Hood was Archer and Icarus was Lancer. But that's in the past and not worth talking about.) That's probably why there are so many spinoffs, such as games and alternate stories with all sorts of other Servants.

And that brings us to Fate/Zero.

Fate/Zero is the story of the Holy Grail War, Heaven's Feel, prior to the one in Fate/Stay Night. There were only mentions of it in the F/SN anime and game, such as Saber seeing a large ship that was destroyed in a battle she was in, and her telling Shiro about his father, Kiritsugu, her former Master. Oh, and there was Gilgamesh. This time, we get the full story of all the characters involved.

Now, as a prequel, Fate/Zero suffers the same problem as most prequels tend to: we know how it's going to end. The characters we know are dead will die, and the ending has already been spoiled for us. However, what matters most is the journey, rather than the destination, and Type-Moon knows how to throw a few twists our way.

What I found the most intriguing about Fate/Zero was the characters. Some of them were a given: Kiritsugu, Saber, Gilgamesh, and Kotomine mostly. But then there are the new characters who really make this interesting. I'm going to list all the Servant teams, and there will be spoilers, but they'll be in a similar font to the background, so highlight them to see:

Waver Velvet, the brash young mage out to prove himself, and his Servant, Rider, who proudly proclaims himself to be Alexander the Great, King of Conquerers. (This is not a spoiler, he seriously shouts it to everyone when he arrives.) Waver stole his master's artifact and ran off to enter the war to prove that a mage's strength is not fully dependent on their bloodlines. Rider aims to be truly revived to the modern world so he can once again aim to unify the world under his rule. These two make my absolute favorite team; Waver starts out cocky and haughty, but soon learns and grows thanks to Rider's influence. Meanwhile, Rider is the epitome of badass, but is the sort of person anyone would want to go drinking with. It's truly tragic when Rider falls in battle, but he makes even Gilgamesh acknowledge him, and Waver is a much stronger person for the experience.

Kariya Matou, who abandoned the path of a mage only to be drawn back into it to save the daughter of the woman he loved from his own family. Kariya is one of the most sympathetic characters in the series, in spite of being a member of the Matou family, which tends to breed the most despicable characters. His Servant is Berserker, an armored knight shrouded in darkness who bears a grudge against Saber. His identity is masked until his final fight, but many fans managed to figure out, well, I'll put it in the words of Monty Python: "His name is Lancelot, he visits France-a-lot, he likes to dance-a-lot, you know you do!" (Seriously, someone has to make an AMV of him to that song.) The two are a thematically perfect combination, but Berserker's rage and insanity makes him nearly impossible to control, and Kariya himself has thrown away his life in the hopes of saving Sakura from being adopted by his family. It's tragic, but inevitably futile.

Uryuu Ryunosuke, the serial killer and his equally crazy Servant, Caster, Gilles de Rais. Ryunosuke is basically a Master by accident; the Grail picked him to fill the spot of the last needed Master, but he and Caster cause most of the conflict of the first half. It's their killing spree that causes Masters to band together to stop him, and his obsession with Saber, who he believes is Joan of Arc, that drives Caster further.

Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and Sola-Ui, an engaged team who command Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Kayneth is Waver's teacher at the academy, an arrogant prodigy who believes he is entitled to victory and the grail, and won't let anyone get in his way. While Kayneth and Sola-Ui aren't the most likable of characters, with their overconfidence and occasional backstabbing, Lancer is one of my favorite Servants, with his nobility and chivalry, making him one of Saber's greatest and most respected rivals. He even inflicts a wound on Saber that handicaps her for a good portion of the story, until he lifts the curse as they work together to defeat Caster. His end, in which Kayneth forces him to stab himself, is a true shame, especially as he was engaged in an honorable duel with Saber, but seeing Kayneth and Sola-Ui gunned down afterwards was significantly less tragic. Speaking of, I am looking to commission Lancer's outfit, if anyone is up for it...

Tokiomi Tohsaka, father of Rin and Sakura from Fate/Stay Night, and master of Archer, Gilgamesh. He is a man of nobility and elegance, but also so wrapped up in his own plans that he fails to recognize the true nature of his Servant or apprentice. While he tries to be a good father to his children, it's only as good as mages go, rather than as people go, resulting in him giving his younger daughter, Sakura, to the Matou family. It's this callous disregard for feelings that drives Kariya to hate Tokiomi, but to Tokiomi, the grail war is something that can be won with simple strategy, regardless of the desires of his Servant.

Then we have the main protagonist, as revealed in Fate/Stay Night: Kotomine Kirei. His servant is Assassin - by which I mean the True Assassin, or at least everyone who has born the name. That is to say, one Servant in a hundred bodies, allowing him to monitor all the opposing mages with his advantage in numbers. Of course, those familiar with Fate/Stay Night know he ends up with Gilgamesh as his partner, but seeing him develop from a cold killer for the Church who doesn't know his own desires into someone who wishes to see the world burn is quite a trip.

Then we have the protagonist, Kiritsugu Emiya, and his Servant, Saber, who is King Arthur... or rather, Arturia. Yes, King Arthur is a woman, and she is incredibly tough, but has also condemned herself to the life of a king, living rigidly by the laws and standards she has set for herself. The two are at a sharp contrast - Kiritsugu is a magus killer who will do whatever it takes to kill his target, but only in order to save more lives; he wants to be a hero, but all he can do is kill those who need killing. Meanwhile, Saber is a true knight, who believes there is honor in battle. The tension between the two creates a rift in the team, and internal conflict that drives the characters.

That's not even touching on the other characters, such as Kiritsugu's wife (and the vessel for the grail), Irisviel von Einzbern, or Kiritsugu's assistant, Maiya. Every character gets fleshed out personalities, often their own story arcs, and a lot of development. For many of them, it ends in death, but not always. Seeing how each story ends is a treat and a tug on the heartstrings.

Then we have the story itself. The idea is simple: the Masters summon Servants and fight for the Holy Grail. It's what each of them does that really drives the story: whether it's Saber and Lancer engaged in an honorable battle to the death in one scene, then fighting side-by-side against Caster the next, Rider and Waver causing a fuss as Rider explores the new world he was brought into, or Kirei and Archer having discussions about what it means to be satisfied and have desires, each story arc is intriguing and well-paced. In spite of all the characters, we have a chance to learn about each of them - their histories, desires, and motives. The story flows smoothly, and really gets one invested in their favorites.

However, it's far from a perfect story. There are many elements that can be confusing to readers unfamiliar with the "Nasuverse," such as the mechanics of magecraft, the Church and its executioners, and other elements introduced and explained in works such as Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night. This makes it hard for new readers to jump in, and even those coming to it after F/SN might find a few things confusing to them.

While it may just be an issue with the translations I read, the descriptions and dialogue are very poetic, but also occasionally too much so. It takes so much time using metaphors and flowing descriptions that they run on for a bit and get muddled. For example, in the middle of what should be an epic chase scene, we get paragraphs spent describing a motorcycle with every simile imaginable, instead of the action itself.

Yet other times there aren't enough descriptions, leaving you unsure of what happened until it's put into simpler terms. As such, the paragraphs are often sparse, leaving just a few sentences or lines before jumping to the next, and making it feel like you're just getting pieces of the story.

Still, the issues I have with the style are more than made up for with the story, the characters, and the many twists and turns it throws our way. It's not the sort of prequel that tries to cram in everything and get ahead to what we all know is coming, it takes its time and invests itself in each development and plot point, starting with the characters far back enough that the development to where we know they'll reach is clear and interesting. It crafts characters that we get to know and like before concluding their stories, rather than throwing out people who we don't see again.

How should I put this... if these guys wrote the Star Wars prequels, Mace Windu would not have been unceremoniously thrown out the window. That seems the best way to explain what I'm talking about.

In the end, the Fate/Zero light novels are not necessarily for everyone. They're mostly for those who know more about the Nasuverse and Fate/Stay Night, but for those people, it's great to read. For everyone else, you'll probably still enjoy it, but many parts will leave you behind. The anime, on the other hand, is a work of art, and worth watching even if you haven't seen F/SN.

Seriously, it's awesome. Until next time, this has been whatever I read.

Now who wants to join me in cosplaying from this? I've got a Kariya cosplay already, and as I said, I'm looking to commission Lancer.

Double Update: "Doctor Who/Star Trek" and "Spider-Men"

I know, it's been a while since my last update. I've been reading a few things I want to review, so I'll get posts on that up soon enough, but until then, here's a double update to make up for it. I'm doubling everything - two chapters of two comics that are both crossovers of two other things. So without wasting time with all sorts of chit-chat, let's begin.

---- Doctor Who / Star Trek: Assimilation2 ----

First off we have the Doctor Who and Star Trek crossover. It's no surprise that two of the biggest and longest-running science fiction series would get a crossover in the comics eventually, and since the Doctor travels through time and space, it's no stretch of the imagination to find him getting there eventually. I know, we all want a Star Trek vs Star Wars crossover, and Doctor Who/Star Wars would be cool as well, but let's face it, those aren't quite as likely to happen... yet.

At any rate, the crossover, "Assimilation2" (or rather, Assimilation Squared, but I can't do the little squared icon while typing this) kicks things off by setting the scale of the events: by taking over a planet. On a smaller scale, villains might take over a kingdom, or a city, or something to demonstrate that the rest of the country or world is at stake. In this case, we've got galaxies at risk, as the Borg and Cybermen team up to take over an entire planet with ease.

It makes perfect sense for the Cybermen and Borg to work together... to a point. Okay, so "perfect" isn't quite the right word, but it's no stretch of the imagination to see them teaming up. The Cybermen have been willing to team up with similarly robotic groups before, although no doubt they find the fleshy parts still sticking out of the Borg to be "inelegant," while the Borg, unable to assimilate the Cybermen, would find their mechanical forms agreeable enough for the time being. Of course, they might disagree over who gets to assimilate the members of the planets they conquer, but I can see them splitting the inhabitants 50-50. Besides that, I do believe that the Cybermen at least played a part in the inspiration for the Borg, although I'd have to double-check to be sure.

The rest of the first chapter focuses solely on the Doctor. In this situation, it's the 11th Doctor, and his companions are, naturally, the Ponds, Amy and Rory. The cover for chapter 3 shows the ever-popular 4th Doctor and Captain Kirk, though, so I'd have to assume that we'll see other Doctors and starship captains interact in the future. (This is reinforced in chapter 2, where the Doctor says "I seem to be remembering things that have never happened to me," hinting that time is being rewritten as the two universes merge.) Personally, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for 8 and 10 to appear.

It's a pretty basic intro for the Doctor. We see his companions doing what they do best, mainly helping out with things like driving a chariot while the Doctor does something clever, and he saves Egypt from an alien before taking off in his TARDIS. There's nothing too remarkable about it, but it sets the scene for those unfamiliar with Doctor Who. We have the Doctor and his companions, time travel and aliens, and his trusty Sonic Screwdriver. It ends with a lead-in to the actual crossover, where they land in what they believe to be San Francisco, but is shown to be the holodeck when they run into the android Data.

Then we get to chapter 2, which is more Star Trek centered. In this case, we have "Star Trek: The Next Generation," with Captain Picard and his Enterprise crew. This cuts back to a little time before the Doctor arrives, showing the crew of the Enterprise going about their business on an alien planet, while having character-revealing conversations on board. It's a slightly more interesting story than "the Doctor saves Egypt," although with less action, but it leads into the meeting with the Doctor.

This is where things start to get interesting.

The meeting goes the same way that most crossovers go. The Doctor goes about being his Doctor-y self, while his companions and the crew of the Enterprise wonder what's going on and how they got there. As one who travels through time and space, it's not the first time that the Doctor has landed on a spaceship with aliens he can easily identify, so it's no surprise that he identifies Worf as a Klingon immediately... until he says to his companions that until that moment, he'd never heard of Klingons before.

That one line is what intrigued me the most. Now we see time beginning to change, as the Doctor remembers things he's never known before, and sees planets he's never seen before ("I've never heard of Delta IV! Which, considering the fact that I know every planet of every star system, is just a tiny bit concerning!") They're not playing the usual crossover card of "these things exist in the same universe, just go with it," they're showing the effects of two universes crossing over.

Seeing the crew of the Enterprise interact with and react to the Doctor is interesting, as is seeing the Doctor's normal reaction to anything unusual (i.e. calling it "brilliant" and analyzing it out loud to anyone who cares to listen) applied to Data and the Holodeck. There are only so many places crossovers like this can go, but the introductions and confusion ends with this chapter, as they see the threat presented by the Borg and Cybermen working together. It seems issue 3 will show the (relative) past beginning to change, for as I mentioned before, we'll be seeing the 4th Doctor and Kirk work together.

Now, there are some minor issues I have with this. The action scenes particularly don't flow that well; it cuts from Point A to Point C without showing the Point B occurring in-between; we have cause and effect, but none of the action leading up to it. The dialogue is decent, but sometimes fails to grasp the character voices quite right, and it suffers the same problem that crossovers tend to: spending time with everyone being confused and introducing themselves.

I'm also not particularly fond of the artwork. If I knew more about art I could tell you what style it is, but all I can say is that it looks like it's been water-colored. While that may work for some comics, I'd prefer something more solid and detailed for this kind of crossover.

Still, if you're a fan of Doctor Who and Star Trek, you'll probably enjoy seeing the two interact. For those who aren't a fan of either, it'll undoubtedly seem like a jumbled mess with characters you don't really know or care for, but then, you probably wouldn't have considered buying it in the first place. If you're a fan of just one and not the other, I'd check it out in-store and come to your own conclusion. It's not the best crossover we could have hoped for, but it's working so far.

---- Spider-Men ----

Now we get to another crossover. For those familiar with Marvel Comics, there are a few different "worlds" in their multiverse, mainly the "main" one, Earth-616, and the "Ultimate" one, Earth-1610. Of course, there are many, many more, as well as alternate timelines, pocket universes, and so on, but it's just these two that we're talking about right now.

The Ultimate universe has its own ongoing stories and releases, separate from the others, which allows them to try new and innovative things that they can't try in the "main" universe... in other words, they kill a lot of characters off and see what happens from there. In such an instance was Spider-Man, who lost his life in an epic battle against all his biggest villains, defending his friends and family with everything he had. Out of all the ways Spidey could die, that was a great way to do it; it was sad, but he went down fighting with everything he had, and got a chance to say goodbye to his loved ones. I admit, I teared up a little when I saw Peter walking away with Uncle Ben, who told him "you did good, kid." But I digress.

When the new Spider-Man to replace Peter Parker was found, there was a bit of an outrage in the media. Why? Because the new Spidey, Miles Morales, was a half-black, half-hispanic kid. (Of course, the people ranting about it failed to realize that this was Ultimate Spider-Man, but again, digressing.) Miles hasn't been Spider-Man for that long, but the kid is growing on me. He's trying hard to live up to the legacy of Spider-Man, in spite of negative influences trying to turn him. (There was also an amazing Miles Spidey cosplayer at Fanime, so if you're reading this, props to you.)

So now we have the first full crossover between the Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man. The crossover is triggered in a way similar to the "Shattered Dimensions" video game, which was actually pretty decent. Mysterio is doing something nasty, Spider-Man comes in to fight him, screws something up, and gets zapped into another dimension.

Though apparently it isn't Peter!Spidey's Mysterio that's doing it, but the Ultimate universe Mysterio, who somehow found a way between dimensions and is controlling some sort of construct... I admit, I don't know much about Ultimate Mysterio, so his powers are unfamiliar to me. As such, I can't say how well this setup works, but frankly, it's just their excuse to send Spider-Man to the Ultimate universe.

So Spidey, who spent his life trying to protect his secret identity (except for when he unmasked himself during Civil War, then re-masked himself when things were retconned in "One More Day") finds himself in a world where everyone knows Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Past-tense "was." So of course, he's confused, runs around a bit, and encounters his replacement. That's where issue 1 ends.

Issue 2 does the same thing that most crossovers tend to do: the characters are confused for a while, then they fight for a bit. In this case, the fight is an interesting way of showing how their powers stack up. Peter has more experience, and can take Miles in a match of skills and strength, but Miles has some powers that Peter doesn't, such as a venom sting and camouflage. It's a decent enough fight, but I think it undersells how much of a beating Peter can take, and seems to forget about his Spider Senses.

We eventually get to a point where the characters talk a bit to figure out what's going on, as Peter encounters more of the differences in the Ultimate universe, such as Nick Fury turning into Samuel L. Jackson. Like with the other crossover, the characters start working together, only for it to end with the setup for a bigger fight, which just might help explain what's causing the crossing-over.

This comic is written by Brian Michael Bendis, who's experienced with writing Spider-Man. He has the snark and side-comments down, and has a good grasp of the characters, although he can be a bit of a divisive writer for some fans. Still, I trust him to treat the Spideys right in this, in spite of the less-than-entirely-impressive first fight.

Speaking of, I find that Peter taking the first shot by shooting web at Miles was a little uncalled for. I know it's the obligatory "let's you and him fight," but the reason seems too flimsy. Not to mention, Peter tells Miles "unmasking is a big super-hero no-no," but then three pages later unmasks Miles and ignores his pleas to give it back. What the hell, Spidey?

As far as crossovers go, it's nothing too impressive yet, but has its moments. I'm hoping things get better, but if you're not as optimistic as me, I'd wait for the trade paperback before deciding whether or not to buy it.

Until next time, this has been whatever I read.

DCnU Second Wave: Earth-2 and World's Finest

The first wave of DC's New 52 has come and gone, and now they have the second wave, another release of new comics, hoping to replace the titles that sizzled and died.

So far, the only one that I was following that ended was Static Shock, and after the kerfuffle that happened between the author and artist, that's no surprise. It came to a mediocre end, just as the rest of the run.

For other comics, we have Justice League International and Resurrection Man about to crossover with Firestorm and Suicide Squad respectively, so it seems I'll have to shill out another three bucks a piece to get the full story on those, while Blue Beetle will be meeting with Green Lantern: New Guardians soon. While crossovers are nice, at this point it seems like an attempt to drum up support for the titles that they're worried about. That might explain why JLI has been seeing a wave of cameos over these past few issues, with Batwing, OMAC, and now Firestorm and the Nuclear Men appearing in rapid-fire succession.

Meanwhile, two of my favorite titles, Swamp Thing and Aquaman, have managed to avoid the crossovers and are remaining as awesome as always. I've dropped the other two Justice League titles from my weekly grabs, but I'll still follow them casually.

Of course, comic fans have a lot to look forward to this week. First we've got "The Avengers" movie premiering soon, and most of us have high hopes for that. There's also Free Comic Day this Saturday, so I'm looking forward to seeing what freebies they're offering us.

Anyways, I've rambled on for long enough without getting to what you're all reading this for. Two of the Second Wave releases I've been interested in are "Earth-2" and "World's Finest," two connected comics about heroes from another Earth in the DC multiverse, which as we know consists of 52 universes... except two of them were combined with the main DCu... and then that one split and sent the Justice Society members back to Earth-2... okay, there's somewhere between 50 and 52 universes in the multiverse. Continuity can be weird sometimes.

So let's begin with "Earth-2," written by James Robinson, with penciling by Nicola Scott and inking by Trevor Scott.

While Earth-2 begins with the main trinity of heroes (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman), we know they won't be the main focus of the story. Instead, we see a world slightly different from the one we usually see, as evident in the character designs, Helena Wayne (the daughter of Earth-2 Bruce) as Robin, and the fact that people are dying everywhere as the world is overrun by Apokalyptian creatures. This is what would have happened in "Justice League" if the JLA didn't come together, and instead, all hell broke loose.

As an added note, I like the extra work they put into making the little details different. For example, Wonder Woman worships the Greek gods in Earth-1, but the Roman ones in this one. While they are the same gods with different names, it's a nice touch, and I always appreciate a good mythological reference.

Although the focus begins on them, later issues will focus on the emerging heroes in a world once ravaged. Yes, while the Justice Society is older than the Justice League, this comic goes over their origins first. So far we've just seen Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, but more will come soon.

While the dialogue can be a little clunky at times, the story still gets told nicely. While it draws us into the action immediately, it still manages to tell the setup story through dialogue and minor flashbacks, and we have some touching moments, like the parting dialogue between Batman and his daughter. Once things settle down, we get right into the new characters, one at a time, and leaving things with the sense of rebuilding and reconstruction that it was aiming for.

Then we have Huntress and Power Girl in "World's Finest." This ties directly in with "Earth-2," as you see how the two found their way into Earth-1. We learn a bit about how the two have adapted, but it's also clear where their endeavors lie. While Huntress is content to make do with what she's got, whether she likes it or not (she doesn't), Power Girl is actively searching for a way back home.

It gives us a good feel for the characters, and the chemistry between them is nice. They work with each other nicely, bouncing off one another's setups and meshing quite well as characters go, in no small part thanks to their different actions and personalities while still being connected by their original home.

While I'm not particularly fond of the costume change for Power Girl (and no, it's not just about the boob window), we don't see too much of it this issue. And for those of you who miss the fanservice, don't worry, you'll get that as well. Huntess shows less skin, but the main design remains the same, so there's no real reason to complain about her's. The artwork is fine, with George Perez doing the pencilling and Scott Koblish as the inker. All in all, worth a read, for those who like the characters.

So that's what I've got so far. I might end up checking out "Dial H" as well, but at the moment, I've got my hands full following these titles and "Avengers vs X-Men," but more on that later.

Until next time, this has been Whatever I Read.

Round Table Discussion: DC's New 52 - Six Months Later

Following up on the previous discussion post, myself and other friends held a round table discussion about DC's new 52 as a whole. What do we like? What sucks? What comics are worth reading and which should be cut. All this and more as four geeks discuss whatever comes to mind about the DC reboot.

Robbie P. 6:37 PM 

Hello everyone, and welcome to our round table discussion: The New 52 - six months later

Kee

HELLOOOOOOOOOO

Alyx L. 

HI!

Kenneth G. 

Evening, all.

Robbie P.

For any new or unfamiliar readers, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Robbie, writer of "Whatever I Read."

Alyx L, 

Alyx from "The Geeky Cat"

Kenneth G. 

I'm Kenneth Godberson a.k.a. the Disgruntled Scholar.

Kee

I'm Kee aka Havocluver

Robbie P.

And we'll be discussing how DC's new 52 comics have been doing. It's been half a year. Some have survived, some couldn't make the cut, but this is our thoughts on them.

Alyx L.

w00p!

Kenneth G. 

What has been good, and what has not been so good.  And above all else, was this reboot worth the effort.

Robbie P.

We've got several topics to discuss, so let's start with the first one: our own histories with comics. Who'd like to begin?

Alyx L. 

I suppose I can start?

Kenneth G. 

Go for it

Alyx L.

Alrighty, whelp, I was introduced to comics in 2010 by an ex friend of mine. She was more into DC then she was Marvel so all she had me read was Birds of Prey and Batman.

I knew about Marvel comics but never delved into them fully until I met my friend Courtney. As much as I can say I know a lot about characters, I don't… therefore the new 52 has been really helpful for me!

Kenneth G.

I do have to say, in regards to certain characters, the New 52 has been very helpful in introducing characters to new readers.

Robbie P.  

Personally, I suppose my gateway was the 90's animated cartoons. X-Men, Batman, Spider-Man, those got me into the super heroes, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I really started buying comics and following the stories, but I managed to get caught up on the important things pretty quickly.

I follow both Marvel and DC titles, so I don't take one side over the other; one has Deadpool, the other has Booster Gold, how can I chose between them?

Alyx L.

I got into the animated stuff last year but pretty much I'm all caught up with what I missed from the 90s ha

Kee

I mainly grew up with the movies of DC as well as shows, and then I delved into the world of comics a couple of years ago, but mainly with a lot of DC comics, and then I believe in 2010 I picked up The Walking Dead, and then last year I REALLY got into DC comics, cause that's what I familiar with, so I never delved into the marvel world only really kind of started last year when I picked up Marvel, but when I learned about the New 52 I was really excited.

Kenneth G. 

I first read comics back when the third generation (Tim Drake, Bart Allen, Conner Kent) were rising in popularity.  I did fall out of it (thank you, anime) after awhile.  However, due to a my dear friend Robbie here introducing me to series such as "Blue Beetle" and "52", I started getting back, but only in trades.  As you can tell, I'm mostly a DC fan.

Alyx L. 

Nothing wrong with that!

Kenneth G. 

The New 52 allowed me to follow stories as they're being released instead of waiting for trades.

Robbie P. 

So it looks like none of us can really boast being "long time comic fans," but still long enough to have a good understanding and feel for the books and characters.

Alyx L. 

Pretty much, haha

Kee 

Yup

Robbie P. 

Now that everyone knows what sort of background we have, let's move on to the new 52 itself: What expectations did we all have upon its announcement?

Kenneth G. 

Well, I thought of this really as a publicity stunt, really to advertise their same-day digital service.

Just tell good stories, let the writers control their stories.  That's how you get people.

But it was a jumping on point for me, so who am I to complain?

Alyx L. 

I was really pumped. I knew  I would have a chance to get to learn more about the characters from the beginning... or "beginning," without having to research which story arcs were the best to read to get to learn about them. But since I knew A LOT about DC prior to the 52 I can say the first thing that turned me off was the costume changes..but that aside I was pretty happy/excited.

Kee 

I thought this was a good tactic for attracting a new a generation of comic book readers

Robbie P.  

I was a mix of nervous and skeptical; how big was the reboot going to be? What would change and what would remain the same? I didn't want all the continuity I had enjoyed up until then to just be thrown out the window, after all.

The news we got about it kept being both good and bad, with the occasional "Wut?"

We got Booster Gold leading the JLI and a new run for Blue Beetle? Excellent.

Clark and Lois no longer being together? Bad.

Batgirl has her legs back and Harley is on the Suicide Squad? Wut?

Kee 

I really thought that the costumes changes were good and bad, and also I was really quite mad about the Batgirl reboot/

Robbie P.

Sorry, I should say Barbara Gordon, since there are multiple Batgirls I could be referring to.

Kenneth G.

Yeah, that is something we have to discuss.

Kee 

I felt like it was a cop out.

Robbie P. 

It read that way as well. "A miracle happened?" We need more than that

Plus regaining coordination, the strength in her legs, etc, it would take more than a miracle to get back into the peak physical condition being Batgirl requires

Kenneth G. 

My problem with it is that, frankly, Barbara did more good as Oracle then she ever did as Batgirl.

Kee 

I second that completely!

Alyx L.

I was introduced to her as Oracle, therefore I wanted her to stay Oracle.

Robbie P.  

Not to mention how empowering her being Oracle was to the handicapped community. She can be a hero without her legs, without needing to fight.

Kenneth G.

As Oracle, she was an invaluable information broker.  As Batgirl, she's just another grunt.

Kee 

I felt like the birds of prey alone shouldn't have been tampered with, but that's just me

Robbie P. 

And there was a perfectly good Batgirl she pushed to the side to take the cowl back at that

Kenneth G.

Not to mention it has put Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain, someone who was just coming back from massive character derailment, on the back burner.

Robbie P.  

This is bringing us to the next point quite nicely: how did it pan out? We had our expectations, how were they met?

Kenneth G. 

Some were met, some not so met. For example, not only were my expectations met on Batman by Scott Snyder, but they far exceeded my expectations.

Kee

I felt like they could've done better with some series, and some others were fantastic. it was really off balanced.

Alyx L. 

I honestly didn't have much going into it, because I only knew about Batman, the Robins, and Green Lantern. So I didn't know honestly what to expect going into it because not only did I know nothing about majority of the characters but I am (and still am not) familiar with writers and artists.

Kenneth G. 

Then there were books like the aforementioned Batgirl, as well as Justice League Dark that felt kind of clunky.

Robbie P.  

Some books met my expectations (Justice League International) some exceeded them (Aquaman), and others fell flat (Static Shock). I felt that Justice League, the main title, was pretty good, just with too much setup and too little payoff.

Of course, we have some incredible titles, such as Swamp Thing, and while I didn't like Animal Man personally, I hear it's been quite good.

But then, we also have Red Hood and the Outlaws, which is starting to receive praise, but I still can't forgive for what it did to Starfire.

Alyx L. 

I expected Birds of Prey to be the ones I started with but the lineup was changed completely… not that I don't like it. In fact, Starling is actually my new favorite BOP girl.

Robbie P. 

We'll get back to Red Hood in a minute, since I'm curious as to what appeals to you about it.

What comics are you all still following now?

Kee  

I am really enjoying Batwoman, as well as Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E, I haven't been picking up many because I want to get more into the world of Marvel

Kenneth G. 

Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Justice League International, Batman & Robin, Demon Knights, Batman, The Shade, Aquaman, Teen Titans.  Justice League Dark, Green Lantern, and Green Lantern: New Guardians I will only be following in collections.

Alyx L. 

Action Comics, Animal Man, Aquaman, Batgirl, Batman, Batman: The Dark Knight, Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, DCU Presents, Deathstroke, Detective Comics, Frankenstein, Green Lantern, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Justice League, Justice League Dark, Justice League International, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Suicide Squad, Superboy, Supergirl, Teen Titans, The Flash, Voodoo and Wonder Woman I have been reading since issue 1

Kenneth G. 

Dayum!

Robbie P.  

Justice League International, Swamp Thing, Resurrection Man, and Aquaman I've been following, and Blue Beetle I'm sticking with in hopes of it leaving its "darker and edgier" phase. I'm sticking with Static Shock since it's about to end, while I just dropped Justice League and Justice League Dark. I read the Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman Green Lantern, and team comics at bookstores when I can.

Looks like we've got quite a lot of comics we can talk about. So, let's go around for the next topic: advantages and disadvantages of the reboot. Kee, why don't you start?

Kee  

Wellllllllll

I think a HUGE advantage to the reboot like I said, was that it will bring in a whole new generation of comic book readers, I think that would be the main advantage of it. and also more characters get introduced into the universe like Alyx said about Starling in the Birds of Prey.

And then I guess a sort of disadvantage that I found was that it sort of shadowed some of the other characters that were is those comics before hand like the Batgirls cassandra and stephanie.

Kenneth G. 

I have a feeling we will be coming back to the Batgirl issue a lot in this roundtable.

Robbie P. 

Oh yes. Alyx, your thoughts on advantages/disadvantages?

Alyx L. 

Well as far as advantages, to repeat myself it does help someone like me who has been into comics but didn't start from the beginning get to know the characters in the universe. It also has been really nice seeing everyones writing styles and artistic styles to help further identify them in the future. And because I feel like throwing it in there… you can't miss all the cosplay opportunities!

Kenneth G. 

Good luck with Red Robin's new wings though...

Alyx L. 

And for disadvantages, if you've been into the universe for a long time and want to dip a toe into the reboot there is too much change going on for anyone who isn't new to the universe to enjoy fully. Also, a disadvantage is although they are reaching out to the newer generation they aren't providing enough of a span to incorporate anyone under the age of 12 who might like comics. Yes they have things like Tiny Titans for kids..but there was this article I read about this girl who really loved Kory and was REALLY disappointed with Red Hood and the Outlaws because of how she was portrayed sexually (http://io9.com/5844355/a-7+year+old-girl-responds-to-dc-comics-sexed+up-reboot-of-starfire). Granted, not all the story lines are for kids… but you can't STOP kids from wanting to pick up comics if they wanted.

If that made sense.

Kenneth G. 

It does

Robbie P.  

I'd say so. Kenneth, your thoughts?

Kenneth G. 

Well, one advantage that we have discussed is that it does provide a jumping on point for new readers who would be scared off by years of continuity.  It also allows for a clean slate for some characters whose continuity is more difficult than Chinese Arithmetic.

Having said that though, there are some disadvantages, specifically to this reboot.

1. Yeah, the reboot does provide a jumping on point...at least for a good degree of books.  Several of the books, in particular Batman and from what I've heard, Green Lantern, still require you to have a degree of knowledge.

While Batman is very mainstream, if you want to get into Green Lantern, you've got to go nearly to the beginning with "Green Lantern: Secret Origin".  Going from that all the way to "War of the Lanterns" is time consuming.

If they were going to do a reboot, they should have gone all the way, instead of us playing a guessing game with the continuity.

Secondly, this reboot has made the DC universe a bit more darker and edgier.  I'll get more into this when we talk about the worst books of the relaunch, but there are not a whole lot of optimistic books out there.  I think it is because DC, like so many other people, has this notion that "Darker and Edgier" are better because they are more "realistic".

1. We threw realism out when Superman was juggling planets.

2. You know that a realistic setting would balance the light and the dark.  Good and Bad.

Not to mention, if you make books that combine light themes and dark themes, you can make books that can be accessible to all ages.  It truly is sad when "My Little Pony" seems more realistic than a comic.

Robbie P.

You guys have covered most of what I'd like to say. I also like how the reboot lets some canceled titles get a second shot, and some old characters a new life. We've got the JLI back, a new run on Swamp Thing, Blue Beetle's second chance, and even Resurrection Man has a run of his own.

On the other hand, there's still no clear indication as to what previous events are canon anymore. Blackest Night must have happened, given the events in Green Lantern, but how much of it did? I'm sure the Superman and Green Arrow stuff in BN was retconned, and who has even died and come back before nowadays?

That's not even getting started on the various Crises. So many things left unanswered, and I hope we get some answers at WonderCon and Comic Con this year.

Kenneth G. 

Well, we know Cry For Justice is gone.

Robbie P.  

One of the good things to come from this reboot

Kenneth G. 

Yeah, but they also missed the point of retconning that schlock out

Robbie P. 

Yep. I'm not even sure how Green and Red Arrow are connected any more, given Oliver's de-aging.

Let's move on to the next topic. In your opinions, what are the best stories so far? Alyx?

Alyx L. 

Oh man… alright, let's see...

Aquaman (as we discussed in our previous round table), Batgirl, Batman and Robin (which I am reading and forgot to mention above), Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Deadman is surprisingly good... Frankenstein, Justice League International, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and The Flash

Robbie P. 

I'd have to agree with Aquaman, and I'm just going to beat Kenneth to the punch by saying Swamp Thing; beautiful art, good story, and a unique type of comic book character. I've also been enjoying Justice League International, although I wouldn't say it's among the best, and Geoff Johns is doing a great job on Green Lantern, as usual.

Kenneth G.

A lot of people have been giving Batman and Robin a lot of flack.

Alyx L. 

I am a Damian fan. I love his PERSONAL storyline in Batman and Robin.

Kenneth G.

They think its too slow.  Those people don't understand the B&R book.  It's not about the action.  It's about the building relationship of a father and son.

Alyx L.

Exactly! And its been a GREAT story so far.

Robbie P. 

Oh yes, Damian has had some great development in Batman and Robin, both with Grayson and Bruce.

Kenneth G.

And I think the arc is ending soon, since Issue #9 ties in with the Court of Owls.

Robbie P. 

I was worried that he wouldn't work as well with Bruce as he did with Dick, but they've got their own dynamic that helps develop him just as much, albeit in different ways.

Kee, your favorites?

Kee 

Batwoman, Frankenstein, Batgirl, Justice League, and Aquaman for me~ I haven't picked up batman and Robin yet but I really want to, and also I only have a couple issues of Huntress and I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm in love with the artwork of Batwoman, I wish they didn't switch artists in the 6th one.

Kenneth G. 

Indeed.  J.H. Williams III is an extremely talented artist.

Alyx L 

Speaking of art, I said it before and I will say it again: Batman #5 was impressive.

Kenneth G. 

Well I do enjoy the scenery and such with Batman, I have one problem with the art.  Greg Capullo seems to have one style for male faces.  I don't know, it's very jarring for me.

Alyx L. 

Haha all the background males are Bruce...

Robbie P. 

The man's got a lot of secret identities, I guess

Kenneth G. 

I'm Batman... and I can disguise myself as a half-caucasian, half-arabic ten year old.

Robbie P.  

Who's gonna tell him otherwise?

Kenneth G. 

Okay, Robbie beat me to the punch, but....

OH MY GOD, SWAMP THING IS ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT PURE AMAZINGNESS!

Scott Snyder (who in my opinion is the best writer of the relaunch andnoimnotsayingthisbecausewebothliveonlongislandandhecanhavemekilled) has crafted a wonderful tale of a hero at first refusing the call to adventure, but then accepting his destiny when his loved ones are put in danger.  He's aided by the STUNNING artwork of Yanick Paquette.  Seriously, the detail the man puts in his work is a once in a life time sight.

There were some comics that surprised me.  Like Demon Knights, which is kind of like "Justice League Medieval."  A lot better than I thought it would be.

And of course, Batman.  I have to say, I am more intrigued by Snyder's Court of Owls than Morrison's Leviathan.  Which, has anyone else read "Leviathan Strikes!" in January?

Robbie P.  

I wasn't able to, no

Alyx L. 

The Court of Owls is great...and i haven't read that, no.

Kee

No, I haven't.

Kenneth G.

Oh, well do you mind a spoiler?

Alyx L. 

Nope.

Robbie P. 

Go ahead

Kenneth G. 

The leader of Leviathan is Talia Al Ghul.

In my opinion, this kind of left me underwhelmed.  Because, I have never seen Talia as anything more than a VINDICTIVE, INDECISIVE BITCH WHO CAN'T MAKE UP HER FUCKING MIND ON WHETHER OR NOT SHE'S ON BRUCE'S SIDE OR HER FATHER'S!  MORRISON'S BATMAN HAS MORE OR LESS GONE DOWN TO A GLOBAL SPANNING CUSTODY CASE!

Anyways, I'm done.

Robbie P. 

I think we can be sure you're not keeping anything to yourself.

Kenneth G. 

Oh, just you wait...

Robbie P.  

Now then, there were a few comics that came up a couple times that we should discuss before moving on.

We talked about Batgirl for a bit earlier, and I think we're all in agreement that taking her out of the chair was a bad move.

Kenneth G. 

Eyup. It wasn't so much that as it was taking her out of the Oracle chair.

Robbie P.

I'm curious, what would you guys have preferred for a Batgirl comic?

Alyx L.

Honestly, I am not sure. Just c'os I know i knew her as Oracle… so I just expected there to be someone else.

Robbie P. 

Well, we basically have three options for a Batgirl comic: Barbara, Cassandra, or Stephanie, unless they introduce a new one.

Cass is working as Black Bat, but Stephanie didn't need to lose her role.

Kenneth G. 

I would have loved to have seen a kind of group book, focusing on all three of the Batgirls, despite Stephanie is now Spoiler again and I'm assuming Cassandra is Black Bat.  Maybe called "Gotham Girls" or something.

Kee

Honestly, I would have loved if maybe they rebooted with stephanie cause she sort of disappeared, it would've been cool to see her return.

Robbie P.

If they really wanted to use Barbara, I'd have preferred we see her flashing back as Oracle to her times as Batgirl; that would also help us see what has changed in the DCu's past

Kenneth G. 

The fact that Steph and Cass are kind of Schrodinger's Characters right now doesn't help.

This does bring up something I've noticed about DC over the last couple of years: the resurrection of many of the Silver Age legacy characters. Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, Barbara as Batgirl again.

DC keeps saying that these are the "most iconic" characters under the legacy.  The first Flash I knew of was Wally West and the first GL I knew of was Kyle Rayner.

Robbie P. 

I suppose to them, and the older fans, they are the most iconic, but that's a matter of perspective.

Kenneth G.

It could also be that Dan DiDio and Geoff Johns are self-admitted Silver Age fans.

Just sayin'...

Robbie P. 

That too.

Kee

I honestly don't know why they did it.

I think it may have been for the older fans and such, and them thinking oh we can bring these beloved characters back with a BANG.

Robbie P.

Not to mention how little truly changes for good in comics. Nobody stays dead, after all.

Kenneth G.

Except Lian Harper.

Robbie P.

Which reminds me: Red Hood and the Outlaws.

Kenneth G. 

Why the hell isn't Jason Todd back in his casket yet?

Robbie P. 

I've raged about what they did to Kory, but Alyx, you've mentioned enjoying it. Tell us about what makes it enjoyable

Alyx L. 

I don't appreciate what they did to Kory, no way. I hate that she's this drone with 'no attachment problems because her people don't fall in love' or whatever that crap was they made her say...

BUT

i have been a fan of Jason Todd since I saw Under the Red Hood, so I was stoked to see he was a part of the team. And I am a Roy Harper fangirl. So I blame my attraction to fictional characters.

But the interaction that Jason and Roy have together is just great. The art is alright; I am not wowed by it... but I have been enjoying the arc with the exception of Kory.

Roy in the comics is way better than what you see in Young Justice (for those who watch it).

Kenneth G. 

Okay, valid points.

Robbie P. 

Yep, fair enough. I do hope they correct everything they've done to Starfire, though.

Kenneth G. 

I think I wasn't as enraged as many because, apart from 52, I don't really know a lot about Starfire in the comics.  Like I said, I came aboard when the third generation was making names for themselves.

It was offensive, but not to the level that I got militant about it.

Kee  

Yeah, I haven't read the Red Hood and the Outlaws series, but after reading the article about the little girl saying how different Starfire was in the comics, I'm a bit bothered.

Alyx Laufeyson 8:28 PM 

Animal Man is funky...but a good kind of funky

Kenneth G.

Damn skippy it is.

Robbie P. 

I was turned off from Animal Man because of what it did to the happy family he had.

Dogs are dead, family's falling apart, all that nasty stuff.

Kenneth G. 

Trust me, Robbie, you should've kept with it.  The family dynamic is still intact

Robbie P.

I have heard that it's very good, though, so I'll check out the trade when it comes out.

Alyx L. 

It is.

Kenneth G.

Plus its crossing over with Swamp Thing.

Robbie P.

That too

Kenneth G. 

Speaking of, I guess I'll let you guys know, I'll be buying all the tie ins to "Night of the Owls" come May and giving opinions.  My wallet is gonna hurt come May

Robbie P. 

Worth it.

Kenneth G. 

Oh, we gonna talk about the "Second Wave?"

Robbie P. 

That was actually the next topic. So yes, let's.

Kenneth G.

Okay, for those who don't know.  Come May, DC is dropping six monthlies and adding six

"Men of War," "Mister Terrific," "O.M.A.C.," "Hawk and Dove," "Blackhawks" and "Static Shock" are gone come May

Let's start there.  What's your opinion?  What could have saved these books?  Who wants to start?

Alyx L. 

Didn't read any of those past issue 1 so I can't say. All I know is I despised Hawk and Dove

Kenneth G. 

Was it because of the comic punch line, Rob Liefeld?

Kee 

I haven't read any of those titles, so I don't have any say, really.

Alyx L. 

it just rubbed me the wrong way... I couldn't take it seriously.

Kenneth G.

I called "Men of War" the second it was announced.

Robbie P.

I've been following Static Shock, but it's been lacking cohesion. I'm not surprised it's ending. I thought it was off to a good start, but it went downhill quickly.

Apparently there was a lot of creative differences between author and artist that caused no small amount of strife, so of course, the comic suffered.

It's a shame; I really liked the cartoon, so I was hoping the comic could meet its level of quality. Sadly, it did not.

Kenneth G. 

"Mister Terrific".  I don't know.  I mean, I liked the guy.  But you had to be a pretty hardcore fan of JSA to know who he was.  Maybe if it was a mini-series, it would have worked.

Robbie P. 

Yeah, Mr. Terrific is fine in the JSA, but on his own, he lacks a certain "umph" to make it last.

Kenneth G. 

So I guess we'll go through each of the new in the Second Wave and voice opinion?

Alyx L.

If I have anything to say, I will say.

Kenneth G.

Okay

Number One:

BATMAN INCORPORATED – Writer: Grant Morrison. Artist: Chris Burnham. The acclaimed ongoing writer of ACTION COMICS, Grant Morrison, presents a fresh take on BATMAN INCORPORATED, in which the Batman brand is franchised globally in preparation for a major international threat.

Think I've made my opinion on this one quite clear.

Robbie P. 

Another Bat-title... I would hope that would replace "Batman: The Dark Knight," but I like the idea of Batman Incorporated nonetheless. Not enough to buy it quite yet, though.

Kenneth G. 

I think I'll just wait for trade.  Again, the idea intrigues me.

Alyx L.

I have a "What's Next" issue of Incorporated... I liked that one, but another Batman title seems to be too much.

Kenneth G.

They should at least do away with Batman: TDK

Kee

I enjoyed the Batman Incorporated series , but like Alyx said, I think they already have too many batman titles, and they aren't even getting rid of one, so why add one, ya know?

Kenneth G. 

Okay, lets go on to Number Two:

EARTH 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.

James Robinson working on Justice Society characters?  God is in his kingdom, and all is right with the world.  If it is as good as The Shade is right now, damn straight I'm picking it up.

Robbie P.

It's good to see the Justice Society again, even if they've been booted to Earth-2. I'm going to buy the first issue, then decide from there if I want to keep going or not.

Kee 

Don't know what it's about until I pick it up.

Kenneth G.

Okay

Number 3:

WORLDS’ FINEST – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs.

Alyx L. 

Sounds like a good read. I miss Huntress in my life, and I am assuming this is Power Girl sans boob window.

Kenneth G.

Yep.

Robbie P. 

Ah, now this one I'm interested in. Power Girl and Huntress are usually an interesting team, and it's connecting both the Earth 1 and Earth 2 books together.

Kenneth G.

I felt a great disturbance in The Force, as if millions of horny adolescent males cried out in terror... and were suddenly silenced.

Robbie P.  

The costume changes I'm a little unsure of, but if Power Girl has found a reason to replace her "boob window" and get a crest of her own, then I can't complain. It's about her character, not the fanservice.

Kenneth G. 

Yeah. But seriously, this book seems very intriguing.  I do look forward to it.

Kee

I'm excited for the third one~ I love both Power Girl and Huntress, and I think they will make a great duo~

I know a lot of people were against the costume change, I like her with the boob window moreso than without, but I'll still give it a go no matter, I don't think a costume change will effect the storyline at all.

Kenneth G. 

So we're all agreed, "Do this stuff more?"

Robbie P. 

Sounds that way.

Kenneth G. 

Okay

Number Four:

DIAL H – Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco. The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.

Robbie P.

It sounds interesting, although not as "new" as they claim. Doctor Manhattan, anyone?

Alyx Laufeyson 8:54 PM 

probably passing

Kenneth G. 

Well, I have mixed feelings here.  I was intrigued, until I read an article where it described China Mieville as a "novelist and political activist".  Sorry, that makes me slam on the brakes hard.

Kee

That sounds very interesting, I may pick up the first issue and decide from there.

Kenneth G.

The art looks interesting, so I'll probably get the first issue.

Number Five: 

G.I. COMBAT – Writer: J.T. Krul. Artist: Ariel Olivetti. Featuring the return of a classic DC Comics series, THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT, along with rotating back-up stories and creative teams – including THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, with writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Dan Panosian; and THE HAUNTED TANK, with writer John Arcudi and artist Scott Kolins.

Okay, this is confusing.  They're canceling their only two military-based books and adding one in?

I would have loved to be in the meeting where that was discussed.

Alyx L. 

Passing

Robbie P. 

I see no point in this one, and have no intention to read it. It just doesn't appeal to me, and I doubt I'm the only one to feel that way.

Kee

NAH.

Kenneth G,

Kind of sucks because its got some good writers, but as the last six months have proved, there isn't a strong market for war books.

Number Six: 

THE RAVAGERS – Writer: Howard Mackie. Artist: Ian Churchill. Spinning off from TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY, this series finds four superpowered teens on the run and fighting against the organization that wants to turn them into supervillains.

Oh dear God.

I don't know if you two say the art for this book.

Robbie P.

This is what they've done with Beast Boy. And they made him red.

Kenneth G. 

This book is straight out of the nineties.

Alyx L. 

I'll check it out

Kenneth G.

And they're using it to introduced Caitlain Fairchild, a character from Wildstorm.

Kee

This seems interesting, I'll check it out when it hits shelves.

Kenneth G. 

I did a review for Teen Titans #1 where she showed up, and i got flock for not knowing her name.  Let me say this to anyone who reads this: I DO NOT, NOR WILL I EVER, CARE ABOUT WILDSTORM!  THE ONLY REASON THEY'RE IN THE RELAUNCH IS BECAUSE JIM LEE HAS MAJOR CLOUT AS CO-EDITOR!

Robbie P. 

I'm not familiar with the Wildstorm titles, but I'm willing to see how they get integrated with the DCu. I'm skeptical about this one, but I'll check it out if just to see how it ties in with Teen Titans.

Kenneth G. 

I think this may be a read in store for me.

Again, I am reading Titans, but I doubt I'll stick with it.

Okay, so that's Second Wave

Robbie P.

That leaves us with any bad books; what are we hoping gets cancelled next?

Kenneth G. 

You want to start us off Robbie?

Robbie P. 

Honestly, I don't have any comics I hope get cancelled at the moment; I haven't been reading the ones I don't like, so I can't really judge them. But I really hope Red Hood and the Outlaws fixes the damage they did to Starfire, then it might be worth reading. As she is, it's not.

Alyx L. 

In short, all the ones I don't read. Not that they get cancelled, just as far as what I don't like.

Kee

I haven't had any complaints with the ones I've read, and I can't really say anything about the others in the new 52.

Kenneth G.

I don't necessarily think this one should be canceled.

But man-oh-man, have they fucked this one up in six issues.  And it's a shame because It has a good writer and artist.  But I blame the whole darkening of the DC verse for this comic going down the fucking drain for me.

Say it with me, Robbie.

Blue

Robbie P. 

Beetle

Kenneth G.

Again, Robbie introduced Jaime Reyes' original series to me, and I love it.  It was light hearted, but knew when to take itself seriously, and had a great supporting cast.  A LAYERED supporting cast.

This fucking Blue Beetle comic... they're turned it into a generic teen angst book... AND a Spider-Man rip off, complete with its own Venom!

Issue six, which I have right next to me, really cemented it for me.

Because Jaime, knowingly and willingly, slapped his friend Brenda, a victim of parental abuse, in the face.

And people tell me, "He had no choice.  It was the lesser of two evils."  To which I say, BULL FUCKING SHIT!

And you want to know the worst thing, there will be some douchebag online that says, "Well Jaime had to keep his pimp hand strong!"  I swear, if I ever hear someone say that, I WILL FUCKING KILL THEM!

And judging by the press release for Issue 7, not to mention the darker nature of the relaunch, I severely doubt it will get better.

Robbie P.

Alright, I'll offer my two cents about Blue Beetle.

Now, I've also been enjoying his previous run, which I just finished, and the dark turn this new series has taken has not been a pleasant one.

I agree with your criticisms, but I'm really hoping it lightens up sooner or later. It's okay if he has to struggle to get control of the scarab at first, in spite of how really, really bad things have been going for him, but I want things to get better for Jaime.

Kenneth G. 

I do too, man.

Robbie P.

His previous run ended too soon, and his team-ups didn't last long enough, so I want to support this. I just hope they learn to make it better for him. Just being a teen hero is tough enough without having to hurt his best friend.

Kenneth G. 

But lets look at the mentality DC has with this relaunch. That's why I don't think this is Tony Bedard.  I really think this is, at least partially, editorial driven.

Robbie P.

Then let's wrap this up with our final, big question: Was this reboot necessary?

Alyx L. 

The reboot is only necessary for those who have no idea what to do with the Universe. n00bs like myself.

Kee

Ummm yes and no. I felt it was necessary in the sense that some of the new titles got the spotlight they deserved, and also it redeemed some of the characters that sucked. And also they were just kind of getting out of hand what with how many issues of comics were being sold. So I felt it was a good invigorating restart, and that way we can all be on the same page.I think it was unnecessary to sort drop one story line and start another like with birds of prey, and batgirl and such.

Kenneth G. 

In the long run, it's not necessary, since the continuity is inevitably going to get convoluted again. As I said in the beginning, just focus on telling good stories, and the people will come. You don't have to darken your whole universe or copy Marvel.  Just focus on good stories, and let the writers dictate how a story goes, not the editors.

Robbie P.

I think that using Flashpoint as a trigger to integrate the other continuities is fine, but they went too far with the reboot.

Changing too many parts of the past and causing continuity snarls with uncertain retcons is begging for trouble, and it has yet to gain cohesion. They've integrated outside comics before without rebooting everything.

Still, it brought back some old comics and introduced some new ones, so it has done plenty of good.

I suppose we'll just see if it works out for the best.

Kenneth G.

Indeed.

Robbie P. 

So, any final thoughts before we sign off?

Kenneth G. 

Go read Jaime's first series.

Alyx L.

Thanks for having mem guys!

Kee

Thanks for having me as well~

Robbie P.

Alright then, thank you all for joining me. Until next time, this has been whatever we read.

Kenneth G.

And the Disgruntled Scholar, and we will be back in April for another roundtable, this time heading over to the Marvel camp with "Avengers vs. X-Men."