A New Era Begins

So I just read "Green Arrow and Black Canary" #15 and I have to say, it's not bad.

When this book first launched, it was really a continuation of Judd Winick's GA run as opposed to a new title. In my opinion, you don't relaunch unless you plan on doing something differently, and nine times out of ten that also includes a new creative team (JSA breaks the rule). JSA had the same team, but the book's mission changed. It WAS a team book about aging superheroes in modern DCU continuity. When it was relaunched, the teams directive was to track down all the superpowered youth (re: legacy characters) and train them to maximize their potential (also preventing Kingdom Come from becoming a reality).
GA/BC was the same. exact. book. as Winick's GA...the only difference was that the two main characters were married....except that technically Dinah married and then killed Everyman and not Oliver Queen.

So after a year of crappy Judd Winick GA stories, we finally get the "Green Arrow and Black Canary" #1 the fan (I'm pretty sure I'm the only person that was still a fan after Winick wiped his ass with the character for the last 5 years) wanted and it's a great jumping on point for anyone interested in the characters. That being said, the story only is so so. It's the classic Watchmen swipe where the whole issue takes place in 5 seconds....which is cool if you never read Watchmen. Kreisberg uses flashbacks to tie up the Winick run nicely (and a brief Green Arrow Origin). We see the Green Arrow family trimmed up with Connor leaving to find himself and Mia moving to London to spread HiV...I mean be with her new boyfriend. All that is left are the title characters. The tone of the book is very similar to the Mike Grell run and I think fans of the Grell's Green Arrow could really dig it, after all this is how Longbow Hunters started. It's really too early to say if this is good or not, because the whole issue is spent tying up Winick's loose ends. Kreisberg has a clean palette to work with, let's just hope it's not too late in the game.

Dallas Comics are Rockin

So I buy my comics from the coolest shop in town, Zeuss Comics. This store plays the best music I've heard since I moved to Texas. I've head everything from MGMT, to Yelle, but today I was caught off guard when I walked in and heard "Rock me In" (which is my favorite song on the new album).

Anyway, I picked up...
Punisher: War Zone - read the first 2 pages, badass (although not as badass as "Splat Foo")
Dark Reign - (Bendis and Maleev ummm sick)
Justice League of America
Action Comics (at least Gary Frank did the cover)
Green Arrow/Black Canary - I'm pretty excited about this. Not because there is a new writer, but mostly because Judd Winick is gone. I have to say the news of Geoff Johns leaving JSA this close to Judd freeing up a book really scares me. I get this creepy feeling we haven't seen the last of Judd Winick crapping over what was once a great title. When I mentioned my excitement of Winnick leaving the Green Arrow-verse, my comic shop owner laughed and chimed in with a comment that echoed the wise Jay Kretzer..... "Winick started off strong with Exiles!".

It's always nice when your dealer chimes in with some inside knowledge. The only thing cooler than reading comics, it's talking comics (and it seems these days that's becoming harder and harder to do). While I'm looking forward to the Watchmen movie, I'm not looking forward to every conversation I will have with someone that reads comics that starts with "Have you ever read Watchmen?". I've been reading comics for nearly 20 years, of course I've read Watchmen. Who hasn't? That's like starting a conversation with Quentin Tarantino and asking him if he's seen a movie before. In order to alleviate the tired conversation, I will offer (free of charge) the following suggestions of cool stories that are newer than Watchmen.

Preacher - It's what made Ennis. Ennis.
The Authority - Before The Ultimates, before Wanted, before Civil War, before Kick-Ass, there was The Authority. Read it. (other people that have worked on this book include Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker, Bryan Hitch, and Art Adams...yea)
Daredevil - Before Bendis rocked the Marvel U with his Avengers, he was making his mark on Daredevil. His run goes back to the core of the character Frank Miller helped define. Once you finish this, you will want to go right into the Brubaker run because it's just sick. Lady Bullseye, The Hand, Iron Fist, Black Tarantula, Dakota North(yes that Dakota North), did I mention ninjas?!?!?
Captain America - The best book Marvel is putting out. Hands down.

So yea, add these to your Christmas list and thank me later.
-G$

It's that time of the New Kryptonic Month...

I read the New Krypton #5 Supergirl and #6 Superman last night. I have to say the Superman issue sucked really bad.  I mean it's the worst issue of New Krypton yet.

Whereas, Supergirl #35 was freaking awesome!

Finally, a writer comes along, like Gates, who knows how to write an exchange between family members that doesn't come off seeming like an obvious tampon commercial featuring a budding teenage girl and her very out of the closet father.
Case in point, in one scene Supergirl and her father were talking...

Her father says, "Do you have sudden mood swings, shifting from one personality to another in a moment's time? Was it hard on you to concentrate on what you were doing?" (btw they bolded the word 'hard' in that sentence in the comic... felt like a Beavis & Butthead joke waiting to happen --)

Then she replies with, " I bleed" (Bleed bolded again... come to think of it, it looks as if they just bold the middle and the last word of every balloon)

A moment later, her father, in what we like to refer to as a 'Fields' headband', places his hand over his mouth in a very straight manner,
and says....

PMS...er, I mean "Kryptonite poisoning."

All this time with Supergirl and we don't have to deal with some demon erasing history and memories or some lame ass mechanic as that, instead we get outer space rock poisoning that caused her to have false memories.

Freaking classic.

Best.
Story.
Ever.

Sincerely,

'Bizzaro' Jay

ps...Me thinks Jamal Igle is drawing a drop dead gorgeous version of Supergirl.

-JaY k.