Cover for Batman #48. Cover illustrated by Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and Francisco Perez. Photo courtesy of DC Entertainment.
Written by Scott Snyder, pencils by Greg Capullo, ink by Danny Miki, colors by Francisco Perez.
Everyone thinks Bruce Wayne died (gasp!) with the Joker (double gasp!) a few years back, so the mantle of Batman is held by Commissioner Gordon. With this wildly striking cover by Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and Francisco Perez, issue #48 revolves around a new villain named Mr. Bloom. Mr. Bloom is a giant plant-creature whose seeds are churning up the bodies in Gotham. As he snatches Commissioner Gordon in his titan grasp, Bruce has to decide if it’s finally time to come out of hiding. The artwork in this issue is unsettling, with Mr. Bloom portrayed as a garden variety “Slenderman,” and the writing (though monologue-heavy) does a good job of asking hard questions about equality among citizens.
Cover for Captain Marvel #1. Cover illustrated by Kris Anka. Photo courtesy of Marvel Entertainment.
Written by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, art by Kris Anka, colors by Matthew Wilson
Carol Danvers, a.k.a., Captain Marvel, got supernatural powers after an alien ship explosion. Now she’s a tough-as-hell badass who talks smack and punches things very hard. In this first issue of her new series, Captain Marvel takes a job with an intergalactic defense force. Her first order of business? Punching asteroids. The writing by Fazekas and Butters (showrunners and writers for Marvel’s Agent Carter on ABC) is snappy, crisp, and playful. The art by Anka showcases characters of all different shapes and sizes, and shows them all as equally capable. And Wilson’s coloring takes a cue from Guardians of the Galaxy, with glowing neons contrasting against solid primaries. Captain Marvel #1 is firmly set in the sci-fi world, but it’s a great jumping-in point for new fans.
Also new in comics this week, Copra #1 and Immolation #1. Read all about them at The Creators Project!
I am so sick of comic books. They’ve gotten so utterly stupid to the point where the only thing they can think to do is tease-shock their readers. “OOO we gonna kill BATMAN” Like anyone gives a fuck anymore? It’s as bad as the made-for-tv adventures: “OOO a TWIST ENDING” No, really? It’s all twist endings: you can tell who the culprit is because they’re the person you’d least expect. Etc.
And, while I approve of degendering superheroes and I approve of not costuming them in bikinis, it’s like that’s become the “edgy twist” now, too. I think it’s great but if they’re just doing it to make the fanboys howl, how’s that in the service of a great story?
I want a great big wipe on all the superheroes. No more superheroes. Start over with a blank slate and lets have interesting backstories, non-ridiculous costumes, non-ridiculous characters, non-jingoistic cardboard cut-outs, some respect for causality and physical law -- AND GREAT STORIES. The whole superhero thing makes me want to puke: being able to shoot laser beams out your ass does not make for a great story. If shooting laser beams out of your ass builds toward a great story, then it’s a useful plot device and have fun with it, but for fuck’s sake: SPANDEX IS NOT A PLOT DEVICE.
Kill all the superheroes! And don’t make a movie about it. Just … Stop. FFS we’re going to have nothing but league of justice legends of warcraft summer potboilers (EXPLOSIONS!) coming at us for a decade until people stop paying for the shit and Hollywood dries it up.
Oy, sorry. I was ranting. Did I mention that’s my special power? ZAP!
s/degendering/regendering/
I don’t know if that was a freudian slip; I think it was a typo, I had my fingers offset on the keyboard and when I get steamed I don’t even look at what I’m writing.
I don’t care about Batman, but that artwork is bloody stellar.