I've noticed my digital reading is starting to build up as much as my print reading. I'm glad I have this blog to keep me on task.
So here are my mini-digi-reviews this week. This week is full of titles I'm a relative newbie to. Completely quick thoughts. Warning: Most likely contains spoilers.
Birds of Prey #1
As an English teacher, I always tried to make sure my female students had strong powerful female characters as role models. And these women are certainly strong.
Re-cap: Canary and Starling are being stalked by a reporter determined to discover their secret having been tipped by an anonymous source. Meanwhile, Canary is trying to recruit Barbara Gordon and others for her team. Trying to flush out "Deep Throat," Dinah and Ev put themselves in grave danger.
What Soars: I like that this goes back to the beginning of BOP and the assembly of the team. I think it's a good way to lure those new readers (yes, I've said it before). I also like the way this brings the reader in without feeling the need to "explain" too much. It truly allows the reader to discover the characters ("Show, don't tell," the teachers always say). Finally, I LOVE when there's that fine line between, "Are they hero or criminal?" Not only does it make us wonder, but it puts us in the shoes of the public who might wonder that about any super-human.
What Crashes: The penciling seems pretty inconsistent. In some panels it's clear and detailed while in others it seems sloppily rushed. I suppose I'm being a perfectionist, but I like consistency throughout. Also, why can't DC seem to find strong women writers and artists to support their strong female titles (or any titles for that matter).
Legion of Super-Heroes #1
I knew nothing about this group until the cartoon on TV. And I've still only seen a couple episodes.
Re-cap: One team goes to investigate the lost contact on a Watcher World, while the rest of the Legion stays back and does their thing.
What Soars: Um. I love the art in this book. You can tell a great deal of attention was dedicated to this book and I really admire the quality and the detail involved in so many of the really intricate scenes. I also like the identifiers throughout the book helping the noob meet a character and know his ability.
What Crashes: There is too much going on here. There were so many characters introduced and the story switched so many times, my head was spinning. Also, I'm bugged by the pull to read Legion Lost as a companion to this. Do I really need to be reading MORE? Besides. I'm confused enough by the overabundance of characters in this book. Last time I was this lost was reading Anne Rice's The Witching Hour. Finally, the cover. Actually, I can't quite say if this is a crash or not. The art is AWESOME, but it looks so 1960s. Representing the 31st Century, it seems too retro. Almost like watching an episode of Star Trek TOS. Is that part of the allure?
Nightwing #1
Red? I thought Nightwing was blue? I have to admit, if anything drew me to the original Batman it was Dick Grayson. Not the Burt Ward version, and not just because of the name Dick, but because he was a kid, he was athletic and acrobatic, and he could fight. Maybe because he was everything as a kid that I wasn't.
Re-cap: Dick Grayson has been filling the role of Batman for the past year, but with Bruce Wayne back, he's free to be himself again. After resuming his role as Nightwing, Dick visits Haly's Circus, his old troupe that is traveling through Gotham and discovers a hired killer has been sent to eliminate him.
What Soars: I love the two-page, slant panel spreads in this book. For some reason, the slight askew gives the feeling of motion, of action although it's not necessary to move the story along. In general, I'm not normally a fan of the same character appearing more than once in a panel, but this book does it well and with purpose. To show the acrobatic action of a chase or a fight sequence, the character is drawn in various poses, throughout the progression of movement, (transparent, like a ghost image of where he was) until you get to the point of where he IS, fully opaque and still in motion. Pretty darn cool. I love when things in comics look transparent.
What Crashes: What is with these obscenely awkward poses? First Batgirl, now Nightwing. I'm just saying. I thought this was rated T for teen. And the proportions seem off, even with foreshortening. The title page makes Dick look like a creature out of the evolutionary chain. But if that's all that I can find to complain about with this title, I'm pretty happy.
WOW! Two "Bat" reviews this week from someone completely not into the Bat Franchise. Maybe that's how they creep into your world. Hmm...
And as always, if you agree or totally think I'm full of crap, let me know in comments below.
And as always, if you agree or totally think I'm full of crap, let me know in comments below.
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