Wonder Woman 2017

Saw Wonder Woman movie last night. From the beginning I couldn't believe what I was seeing because most of my life everybody acted like Wonder Woman's the one character you can't adapt in modern times. It's too big of leap of faith and somehow Green Lantern isn't? That they portrayed Paradise Island and set it in a non-contemporary time in World War I. It was too much for me to hope for World War II because of Marvel's stake on it and there can never be no Justice Society ever, but how often do we see any movie that's during this time that wasn't made during the silent era , or early talkies before World War II drowned it out?

They reaffirmed my faith in Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. I'll never forgive the self-misogynist women and the typical men over that outcry. I bet those same women are the same ones who freaked over the possibility over Adam Driver as Nightwing, but are now over the moon over his portrayal of Kylo Ren, the abuser. You all are obvious in your shallowness.

They made me like Chris Pine in a role. Not Steve Trevor, I already liked the character. Chris Pine has never done it for me as Captain Kirk. I'm so glad to not see him play some cocky blonde guy asshole. He played Trevor just right. He had guilt and the occasional misplaced protectiveness, but wouldn't you if you worried for someone whether they were capable, or not? Here's hoping they don't do some nasty great-great grandson as love interest Sharon Carter bullshit for the sequel. They better not recast him as Hal Jordan either unless they're really serious about that Tom Cruise rumor, in which case, fine cast Pine.

Seeing Remus Lupin as Ares, while an interesting twist instead of William Stryker wasn't as bad as people made it, but I am sick of this idea that Ares has to be portrayed by a British guy. No offense, but the British actors they pick are never scary and imposing and what was with the Burt Reynolds porn mustache in the flashback where he was in chains?

My only real criticisms with the film is the Zeus twist that you could see coming from a mile away, but I give them props that they left the whole conceived, or breathed life into distinction alone. Nothing she knows is necessarily wrong, just that she's the Godkiller, not the sword. For all we know she was still made of clay and had life struck into her as she said previously, like the animated film, but I also know they love Wonder Woman to deal with big lies and maybe I'm just clinging in denial because I want to like this movie. It's odd too me that even with Wonder Woman reclaiming her appeal with women they have to drop the goddess patrons always in favor of Zeus. It's sort of gross and the basic derivative origin to all and every Greek myth hero.

One thing that's telling though is that this film didn't want to piss off the two different factions that are fans of a character named Wonder Woman. I still say Azz's is WWINO and you can fight me. However, I notice that they kept the Marston/Perez Mars/Ares as her archenemy. They left her as the only child on Paradise Island to ease any question of of amazon sex pirates, however making her the only child reinforces that stupid Zeus twist, so… At least we didn't have to see broody origins of the other children bullying her as a freak of nature, so win.

Comics: Two Late Reviews And One Non-Review

Honestly who's reading this blog anyhow? I have five followers on tumblr most. I for a brief second had eight because of my one post about The Flash and Green Lantern, but after they saw all the Led Zeppelin gay I think I scared them off and they unfollowed.

Anyone who notices these things will know I haven't updated for awhile. Part of it is that I'm living in a state of zombified sleeplessness that some how makes me less motivated to throw myself out there in the ether.

Quick Rundown of Comic Book Reviews

Justice League 3001 #9

I admit it took awhile to pick this one up. It's cancellation status has made me less driven to get it right away, but I still want to know how it's going to tie up in a clumsy fashion by the end. So I will continue buying it, but I won't be timely about reviewing it anymore.

I don't have a lot of thoughts about this one. In spite of my ambivalence, I'm actually curious about the Legion Of Death. It reminds me how we'll never see the 3001 version of the New Gods promised issues ago. Ariel and Lois are finally in their right bodies. The question I have though, is if Ariel was housed in Lois's body as stated, shouldn't she have been able to use the body or is there something else I'm missing. Did they drug her to keep her unconscious. I vividly remember Bane carrying her body carelessly and admitting he uses the body like a mannequin to keep him company for tea parties. Unless that was a joke to piss of Lois, but he seemed earnest about it. If that's the case would Ariel have been unconscious.

Legend Of Wonder Woman #2

Finally a Wonder Woman comic in the last four years that I can stand reading. I'm glad to find that Alcippe is indeed Phillipus. As my headcanon is her and Hyppolyta are in love, but torn apart by duty, the exchanges between them has more meaning. I'm impressed by the real resentment Alcippe/Phillipus has for Diana. Now it makes sense story wise to do the writing choice of higher ranking Amazons as immortal.

It's impressive that for the most part they manage to write a story of intrigue centered on an isolated island, so far. There's a faction of Amazons who are in league with Ares and want to overthrow Hyppolyta, one of them is her own sister. I think they're establishing Ares as their grandfather. Thank you.

Also Steve!

Black Widow #1

And I couldn't get a ride into town on Wednesday, but it's on my pull list, so I'll get to it eventually.

How the hell did my pull list get so female heavy. Never in a million years when I was first reading comics did I ever think I'd put down the men and actually have a variety of women-led books that weren't softcore. Different times.

DC Releases Underwhelming Rebirth Line-Up

You can read it in the link here

Very underwhelming. Other than Blue Beetle, almost everything announced is already on the stand, some with tweaked names like Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps or Batgirl & The Birds of Prey while other revert to their old names like Nightwing or Red Hood & The Outlaws. Otherwise they removed any C-List title like Starfire for new variants of Batman or Superman concepts like The Super Man, Superwoman, or Super Sons, which I suspect is more fanwankery for a certain character I’d want nothing more than to go away forever.

All in all none of it is exciting. I held my breath for nothing. We're still stuck with the crap that is Earth-2 a garbage concept. No main earth Justice Society as hoped. No more Justice League 3001 or 3002.
The days of having that one ongoing title that isn't a digital compilation of short one shots is getting smaller. I don’t have faith that The New 52 Universe can suddenly flip a switch and exude quality. Especially when we have that Flash, Superman and Wonder Woman around. I've already boycotted Batman because of they won’t get rid of a stupid character. I’ve already boycotted Green Lantern when they wouldn't resolve Carol Ferris's murder of Katma Tui. I'm not saying Pre-Flashpoint has to be canon. I don't care that it is, I ask that they stop forcing terrible ideas previous management knew not to touch or reintroducing and botching what was once good ideas or ignoring problems.

As an exercise, I'm going to list three things from five franchises that I'd like to see, but won't. I'm not going to touch Batman (because I only have one wish), Teen Titans/Titans or Superman who's an untouchable toxic mess.

The Flash:

1. Fix the West family. That's right, racelift Iris already. Stop finding new ways to make sure white men protagonists can't have long committed relationships with non-white women. It's an insulting double standard. It's also an odd message that you can be raised by other races, your future in-law can marry outside their own race, but Oa forbid you Barry (or Reed Richards or Ollie) date long term or marry someone outside of your race. Screw you media. Look at it this way. If Iris is black, she can have an adopted white brother who marries a black woman or she can have bio brother that marries a white woman and has Wally. Everybody wins on all progressive fronts.

Speaking of Wally, he needs to age up a bit, hang out with Dick and Roy and have his old personality back. Yes I mean the former nerdy, young Republican small town kid, who outgrew being selfish and started caring about his community. That's the Wally I miss. He doesn't need to be white to have that background. He doesn't need to be pushing thirty and married with children. He can still have a recognizable personality, recognizable interests and friends.

2. Fix Eobard Thawne or lose him.

3. Bring Barry's mother back and get rid of this nonsense once and for all. Please!!!

Wonder Woman:

I could ask for a lot of things about Wonder Woman. I could ask for her immortality and historical status, JSA membership, Donna Troy as a mentored American teen, Steve Trevor, Etta Candy and The Holliday Girls, the campy villains reinvented. You know cool ideas nobody likes to explore, but I'm breaking it down to the bare-bones of what I require in any WW story. This is my litmus test for readable WW stories.

1. Zeus isn't Diana's father or Cassie's, but definitely not Diana's.

2. Diana doesn't date or sleep with Clark ever. Ewww. Enough with the Kevin Smith fanboy fantasies. They suck and don't make for actual compelling stories unto themselves. If we really cared what stupid crap comes out of the mouth a character played by Jason Lee, Jughead would be another gay character worrying about the dating life instead of one of the few ace icons right now.

3. Diana isn't raised by inhuman barbarians and a deceitful mother with a libido problem.

There. That simple. Of course, fanwanker writer's and their pet fetishes and status symbols will insure I'll never pick up a main universe Wonder Woman DC comic. Good luck Batman being the awkward third wheel in the Trinity book.

Green Lantern

1. Carol is punished for all her crimes, or Katma isn't dead. One or the other. If John has to continue being a grieving widow then let him have his confrontation with Carol. Stop acting like everyone's okay with each other and Carol's more moral and more pure than Hal ever was. I think GL: Rebirth should have been Carol's plot. Hal's fine being morally ambiguous with the ends justifying the means. Carol's just a spiteful, manipulative pawn. She fits the Parallax retcon better than Hal does. All Geoff Johns did was lower him to her level and then pretend she never did anything wrong at all. No wonder I can't stomach modern GL stories.

2. Jessica Cruz is forgotten. Sorry as champion of Earth female Green Lanterns, I'm sick of our only viable options being a spoiled bloodline mutant whose uncreative and uses her green skin sex appeal instead of cool constructs or a random girl with fear problems, whose corrupted by trans-dimensional ring. I suppose there's no such thing as a woman candidate with you know actual bravey, willpower and creativity. Then again of course the Power Ring plot is written by the same guy who decided only predatory stalkers or vindictive, scorned women can feel "love".

3. Dump the Emotional Spectrum. 1. Most the emotions listed aren't emotions, they're virtues and sins. 2. Emotions should not be dictated by base human experiences in a franchise of various sentient species. 3. Colors that the human eye can see should not be the ruling dictate of the inner workings of universe full of sentient lifeforms all guided by this principal. There are colors humans can't perceive just as there are ones other lifeforms can't. A franchise dictated by the emotions of ROYGBIV has no room for a character like Rot Lop Fan (a blind lifeform who relies on sound), nor any possible complex alien that can feel things a human can't.

Justice League

1. Have a bigger rotating line up. Instead of the big seven and some occasional pet plot character, use characters that we want to see adventures for, but can't keep a monthly tile, like Martian Manhunter, Starfire, Black Canary, etc.

2. Put Superman and Batman on honorary status so the other four can shine with other fan favorites without a book.

3. Don't go back to the era of strict continuity and embargo restrictions.

Justice Society

1. Don't ghetto them to another Earth on another Universe.

2. Have the original members be contemporary to Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Arrow, which means those characters should be slightly older (5 years) than the Silver Age generation and 10 years older than the first Teen Titans and 15 years older than Young Justice. Ideally with that in mind, I want Wonder Woman to be a seminal member, but she's too tied up as the token female on the League (or wasted dead on a parallel Earth) for that to happen.

3. No children legacies. You can reinvent both Hourman's as brothers, Rex being older, Rick being younger. Silver Scarab as Hawkman's jealous cousin, Fury as another Amazon, Jade and Obsidian aren't adopted, but separated by divorce and their powers come from exposure to The Green (or starheart or whatever they want to tie Alan's powers in with) and Ian Karkull's shadow radiation.

I think only one thing on the Justice League list will become reality. Either the edict will be Big Seven all the time or all the characters will be divvied up by editorial. So if we lose Batman we're not guaranteed The Flash and c-listers. As for the rest on my list, none will ultimately happen and I'll continue to boycott those titles and they'll continue to service the few who clamor for that crap.

Thoughts On Justice League 3001 #8 And Other Comics

I had been late in picking up my pull list for last month, JL3001, the final issue of This Damned Band, Invader Zim for my brother and now The Legend Of Wonder Woman. My mother died last Saturday after a sudden month long deterioration from her cancer. It having come back with a vengeance spreading to her liver. Before that I had attended a memorial service to a departed friend that Thursday and a Record Collector's show the Sunday before that where I bought 15 dollars worth of records and a DVD. That's about as much as I spent on this week's comics. I got to watch my money more carefully. With all that's been going on there wasn't a much room for me to care about my weeklies until I was ready for a distraction other than Star Wars: OT fanfic.

To the review:

Justice League 3001 #8

I'm still of mixed opinions on the direction, but as always just the sheer ride alleviates my worries. Scott Kolins has given the book a different look that I much prefer even if it isn't as packed of details as Howard Porter. His art is sketchy, but bright and cartoony. I like.

I'm glad to see Supergirl rally the troops after almost a whole issue of moping. I love her messy short hair, it suits her. Remember when she had short curly hair for all the fifties and sixties until long straight hair was in and suddenly Power Girl looked revolutionary with a bob? Yeah I wasn't alive at the time, but I'm used to seeing Plastino Supergirl with the short cut in various reprints. It's not a doppelganger tribute if she had it first. Just saying.

Flash has PTSD and Wonder Woman's is frustrated by the retreat. So is Tina who takes her armor out to battle scullions, robots that regenerate. Not a wise move on her part if they're to keep undercover. I'm relieved Tina's obnoxious behavior is called out by Supergirl and Wondy who make time to call each other out as well. That Tina gets as much criticism as the others makes her slightly bearable, she may learn yet.

Fire and Ice address the issue of being outsiders amongst the group while looking around the ruins of Paradise Island, the League's hideout. Guy reminds them they share a past and assures them he has their back. Awww. I don't want his mind to be erased by Shiryalla Tome, but I don't see the story going any other way. Perhaps the dysfunctional team does need a traditional motherly type with sound advice and a level head, but is not afraid to slap a hysterical woman once in awhile.

The last part of the issue sets up Lady Stryx a pre-52 character introduced in 52 or at least a version of her as she doesn't resemble her quite. She's working with a version of the Legion of the Superheroes if Imra Ardeen didn't tip us off. I'm a bit uncomfortable with this plot. I'm by far not a fanatic of that side of the DC Universe, but heroes are heroes whether they're living in a crappy dystopia or not, and I don't trust Giffen's reinventions of these characters. Maybe Dematteis will reign him in, but as Stryx's lackeys or allies I don't have hope. Unless they're part of some cabal to overthrow her, or Stryx is meant to be a benevolent despot in which we're back into deconstruction territory and I won't be too happy. If a deconstruction is on the horizon where the protagonists are in the wrong and the antagonist is ruling the citizens for their own good then I'll probably hold out and then quit in frustration because I want to give the writer's a chance to wow me with a twist I tend to get bored of in Fantasy fiction. I get it vigilante rebellion is bad. The establishment and secret police is good. How many times do modern cape comics have to stress this? And under a guise of flipped traditional white hats vs. black hats skewed and subverted. I get it already.

Terrence Magnus's fate is revealed where he was cruelly lobotomized (just give him a mercy kill, sheesh) before he is zapped by Stryx and is reborn. Whatever that entails, Stryx wants to use him against his sister and the League bringing one backburner plot back to the forefront.

This Damned Band #6

This is a mini-series I probably want to reread in order in one sitting because after a month I can't remember everybody's name each time. Satan makes his appearance and reveals his plan and punishment. The rest of the band getting screwed over manage to make a counter deal and sacrifice the member who sold them out, or at least I think that's what happened. It's sort of hard to keep track of what's going on. When I get around to reading it all as a whole I may do a proper review of the series. There's many interesting observations I'd like to talk about throughout the issues, but I'll leave that for later.

The Legend of Wonder Woman

The book has a lot going for it because it's not connected to the crap in the main universe. We see the history of the Amazons. Why the Gods turned away from man's world, which probably correlates with the gradual disbelief of them by modern man. We see Diana's childhood on Paradise Island and her frustrations with her lot in life as a do nothing Princess while she senses something off about the Island. It turns out she isn't the only one, but her mother's in denial.

I have a few quibbles about this one. Why grant the top official Amazons immortality to rule over the mortals of the tribe? Seems misguided. In theory a long lived ruler would collect all the experience, but in reality experience corrupts and corrodes idealism and justice, or maybe I'm bitter about politics. My other quibble is that Hyppolyta doesn't fashion Diana out clay herself, Diana just forms from the clay beach of the Island or something and Hyppolyta's hope. I guess this is to make the old tale less about playing god or whatever offends people about classic Wonder Woman these days. It's certainly a step up to the many offenses done to Wonder Woman since the reboot and knowing that it could be a lot worse.

That's it as I've not caught up with Invader Zim and we still haven't found an issue of number 3 though we have the rest from day one.

Some Thoughts On Justice League 3001 #7

I wonder if this cover was drawn in advance before they decided to kill all the males off? I swore I saw this with a different solicitation many months ago before they announced it was going all female. Was Wonder Woman initially set to die?

Batman is predictably killed off to make way for another arrogant descendent with prodigal tech skills. Yawn...

Hal and Barry are killed off as well. That probably means Hal's sinister ties to Takron-Galtos's justice system and Barry's mental state as alluded to some issues ago are a no go.

Beetle and Booster are missing, which means they have time to come back as the occasional male allies non-teammates if Giffen/Dematteis can ever stop to find a plot for them.

Cadmus confirmed destroyed along with all its DNA banks. Does that mean Firestorm and Terry Magnus are dead once and for all like the rest of the DNA files or was it destroyed before the Scullion battle back before Guy was created on the cheap?

Speaking of Guy, good thing they acknowledged the slap to Ice's face is out of character. That moment does scream of an outraged, emotional mother type that Guy was overwritten on to. I predict that character will completely over write Guy by the end of the arch. It doesn't make sense to keep his conscious around as the token male voice in an all girl team as much as Giffen and Dematteis like to write him.

Something tells me that the Injustice League plot will either die or fester into something rushed and anticlimatic much as Zeus and his New Gods was aborted before it was even written in, which means Darkseid will also be dropped. Good.

Diana and Teri are becoming closer friends, which will give Fire and Ice competition or contrast.

Art by Chris Batista was too stretchy for my tastes. Colleen Doran last issue was better. Scott Kolins in the next issues will do. I like his sparse, bright, cartoony approach though it will contrast with the crowded, dirty future created by Howard Porter. I'm not that big of fan of Porter, but he was superior on this title than he ever was on JLA in the 90's. For all his ugly characters, they had expressive quality and his layouts were creative. I hope someday Kevin Maguire's first issue art sees the light of day above all, but that's all in the past.

Justice League 3001 #6 Preview & Interview

A preview for Justice League 3001, the only DC title I read in floppy any more with a following interview from co-writer Keith Giffen.

Preview & Interview Here

Some thoughts from the interview:

I love this title, even when I don't always agree with the choices they make, which I'll get to later. It is one of the few books out there where I can compare it to old comics I've read in my younger days (and reprints) without it being an out of context comparison of a dead continuity. Here's a universe where The Silver Age-Bronze Age and Post-Crisis can exist at the whim of the writers. Fingers crossed that The Golden Age makes its way in even if it can only be done through the Big Five, Superman, Batman, Aquaman (missing), Green Arrow (missing) and Wonder Woman. I'd love for some indication that this Universe had their own JSA, Freedom Fighters, Fawcett City and anything else from that publication era if the writers should choose instead of giving into to the nonsense of embargoing those vast characters onto separate Earths exclusively.

I'm glad to finally read a Supergirl that seems like Supergirl. The determined, do what it takes type who has an honor code but is still has her patience tested amongst thick people. I feel like those traits got passed onto Power Girl who had her own traits and issues that didn't always mesh with those. Off topic they then had to make every subsequent Supergirl a whiny, angst-ridden, jerk with identity issues to make her the anti-Power Girl which is dumb because Peej absorbed a lot of original Supergirl's traits. This of course wouldn't be the first time a legacy stole the traits of their inspiration with the various Robins and Batgirls borrowing each others personalities, costumes and backstory. The Wonder Woman cast of course got the worst of it with Donna siphoning all of Diana's compassion and romance among a lot of other things while the new 52 abomination calling itself Donna steals Diana's origin and craps on it while DINO (Diana In Name Only) stole Cassie's already derivative and boring origin.

I'm glad the Guy thing is getting addressed and that he is only default female (to go with the all-themed team) because of his host taking over gradually and not because of him. I say this as a trans-male, if a body switch cliche had to happen at least they're going down this route to explain Guy's out of character traits rather than blaming hormones which I thought was a commentary on Guy's stupidity more than the writer's assumed lack of research.

As a disclaimer I was reading this book back when it was Justice League 3000 before the Guy debacle. It both annoyed and amused me that the one book I read became a hotbed for trans issues being one myself. I was reading a book for characters I liked not scrutinize the impossible setting. Of course the idea of overwriting your DNA down to gender sounds fascinating to me as someone put off by the long term expense of hormones and getting the surgery to fix something that can't be truly be fixed so long as I have this body. I can't say I care to have any trans-representation if the writer's thoughts weren't in it to be honest. I'm also not going to count out explorations of gender just because it doesn't line up with the scientific reality of transitioning. The book's setting is in an alternate 3001 where fantastical science such as mind to body swapping (as what happened to Lois and Ariel) or ghost genetics (which has no basis in reality) happen regularly. To then introduce a trans-character who has to go through the real life process would seem jarring or hand waved as a class issue which brings a whole other issue. It begs the question which is the more convenient route for the trans person? Which is legal? Which is more expensive in the long run? In the short run? Which puts you more at a health risk? A person more close the subject at hand could write a psychological story around this premise. Maybe that will be me someday even if the hard science snobs were to dismiss the pulpy premise. Fantastical super-science is just a window dressing and a means to explore things we'll never figure out in 986 years hence.

Also what a shame they can't make a Wonder Woman romance happen because she's just too badass and one of the guys for it to work. Seriously she's one of the better written Wondie's in comics currently. They not only give her moments to shine and be inspirational, they also steer into the skid when it comes to her sexuality and violent antics without making it gratuitous or disgusting or do it half-assed to make her demure and virginal at the same time to make her safe. In regards to possible romances, I'd have liked to see her with Hal Jordan or Barry Allen and be the Big Barda to their Mr. Miracle, but alas nobody can really make badass women romances unless said badass woman is an established wife or mother like Mera. Why else has Black Canary failed to click romantically with anyone not Oracle post-crisis? Back in the Silver Age her and Ollie worked, but enough retcons and modern times work against that now.

I hate to be that guy but:

Oh great new Batgirl, the bratty teenager is also another superhero bloodline legacy, two character types I can't stand. I knew they had to introduce blood legacies eventually but of course it had to be Bruce Wayne's who sires some of the worst superheroes. This means of course everyone else will eat Tina up like they did two other heroes I won't dishonorably mention who've worn out their welcome. Hopefully Tina's just a nuisance (though her teenage status prevents her from getting punched in the face Guy Gardner style sigh...) and not a pet character that will make me drop this book fast.

If this Harley Quinn is another bloodline legacy, I call shenanigans. Why does it have to be a blood dynasty thing? Why is it hard to think an unrelated person would idol worship someone else to the extent of roleplaying that person or to reinterpret the motif into your own? If it sounds crazy then that would be another reason to take a villain identity. However, if she's supposed to be sane then it worked for Ted Kord too and Hal and Barry depending on the continuity.