Utopian Reviews

Forgive me for wading through the negative before the positive, but I felt some context was needed.

Ok, I’ve always been rather iffy on the casting and promotion of Black Widow in Iron Man II through to The Avengers with posters like these:

And whilst the last one at least has a “I’m about to kick your arse” expression they all feel like she’s on the poster just to look pretty and not much else. Especially with the last poster having her character being the only character out of the cast to show their butts to the audience.

Just like in the promo art here: 

She’s just been window dressing to me. Then this poster came along:

She’s front on, staring the camera down (unusual for women in movie posters) guns in hand walking through some carnage. She’s not just here to look pretty in this poster (though she certainly still is), her pose shows intend and willpower. Now that is bad ass and has succeeded in selling this Black Widow to me. 

I’ll have some words to say about that show very soon

The following is a collection of appearances of Strip Clubs in comics because they are a ridiculously common trope to the point that I actually laugh out loud when I see them. Generally used as “the bad guy hangout” where deals are made or bad guys are taken down. Or just generally as an excuse to have strippers.

of course this doesn’t mean that these are “bad books” per say.

(this list is updated as I find them)

Red Lanterns #3 (2011)

Voodoo #1 (2011) - Voodoo herself is a stripper

Catwoman #1 (2011)

DC Universe Presents Deadman #1

Catwoman #3 (2011)

DC Universe Showcase Catwoman

DC Universe Presents Deadman #004 (2011)

Avengelyne #01 (2011)

gambitgirl1974:

utopianreviews:

Black Canary seducing her new husband on their wedding night. An example of a good use of cheesecake.

It turns out not to be him, but that’s another story.

All Star Batman and Robin.

She’s walking around. On her own. In her own apartment. Dressed in lingerie and little fuzzy heeled slippers.

Why? Who for? Who wears heeled slippers round the house? Granted when you’re on your own you might walk around in your underwear…but why put heels on? Why make yourself a martini and walk around in your sexy undies to do your work?

Now these are about comparable in terms of the pose and the attire but one works much better than the other (we’ll not count the ASS shot that follows after the latter’s panel)

Oh you mean this, where’s she’s apparently pointlessly striking sexy poses and sucking on her finger for no one, and it’s determined that the ass shot is critical to the storytelling? I see your point.

Oh yes that butt is integral to the plot

Black Canary seducing her new husband on their wedding night. An example of a good use of cheesecake.

It turns out not to be him, but that’s another story.

All Star Batman and Robin.

She’s walking around. On her own. In her own apartment. Dressed in lingerie and little fuzzy heeled slippers.

Why? Who for? Who wears heeled slippers round the house? Granted when you’re on your own you might walk around in your underwear…but why put heels on? Why make yourself a martini and walk around in your sexy undies to do your work?

Now these are about comparable in terms of the pose and the attire but one works much better than the other (we’ll not count the ASS shot that follows after the latter’s panel)

And continuing where we left of here

DC Universe Presents (Deadman)

Story: So this is essentially an origins story for Deadman. Again I’m only really familiar with him from cameo’s and cartoon appearance but I’m enjoying this story. It’s a lesson in morals and in being a good person. Deadman wasn’t a good person and starts of in this comic as a self serving person, until he dies. When he becomes a self-serving ghost with a lesson to learn if he wants to move on. I’m a sucker for a redemption story and just as issue 3 comes to a close you can see he’s slowly learning to care about people other than himself…kind of.

Art: The art in this is great. It conveys the story well and the use of colour is fantastic at pulling focus where it should. The lines are clean and the special effects on the ghost transference is great.

Deathstroke

Story: To be honest I dropped this one after the first issue, it was a little to “EXTREEEME” 90’s for me - think Michael Bay in comic form. Which can be great. But I prefer to watch my big dumb explosions and machismo in movies than read it. Some who still enjoy that era of writing may like this.

Art:  The art I found actually really great and dynamic in this and had me flicking through the books despite not reading them. There were a few…odd poses though

Demon Knights

Story: Another I sadly did not continue. I wanted to because it was a genre that’s not as common in mainstream comics but it didn’t grab me. Perhaps I’ll come back to is later. I have heard a lot of people who like fantasy really do love it a lot, so it that’s you your might want to give it a try.

Art: The art in this is great. The line art is wonderfully illustrative and fits the fantasy genre well. The colouring is digital but with a slight painted feel which I love and again fits well with the genre.

Detective Comics

Story: I believe this essentially follows on from pre-reboot Detective comics, which I didn’t read. This is your ‘dark’ Batman book. The book for those who like a bit of psychological horror/thriller detective stories from they’re Batman books. And killer cliffhangers on the final page of every book. I was a bit disappointed at the missed opportunity of a monstrous looking female villain, but oh well. This is a dark and bloody book. I’m not a huge fan of blood and gore but I’d recommend this to someone who is.

Art: The art is great. Yeah I’m pretty much saying this for all of them, but DC has generally done quite well in choosing their artistic teams. We get another short eared Batman in this and the artist has a great time playing with the shadows he casts. The gore and mutilation (and there is much mutilations) are rendered fantastically.

Batman love interest/dating count: 3

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

Story: What if a load of classic movie monsters were part of a secret organisation? Well you’d get this. And it’s kinda so weird and dumb that it’s awesome. I’m not 100% certain on what’s going on or why Ray Palmer is there but I’m enjoying the ride.

Art: The art is odd in this one. It’s loose and a bit messy but it conveys the story and is legible so it does well enough to serve the story.

Green Arrow

Story: Sadly this is one where the reboot didn’t fit with me so I didn’t read beyond the first book. I like my Green Arrow to be a grumpy older man with an awesome goatee and a chip on his shoulder and a soft spot for the down trodden. I don’t know, I might come back to this later down the line.

Art: It’s Dan Jurgens so you get a very solid feel to the art work which is great. It was a little odd for me to see his style not being applied to Booster Gold where I know him best. He gets kudos for drawing a very monstrous female villain in the first issue.

Superman’s turn.

The most recent incarnations of Superman paint him as a bit of a boy scout. He’s nice, loves his parents and loves his girlfriend/wife, pretty much all that a good hero should be. Of course he has a temper and when he loses it he loses it. There’s nothing quite as scary and awesome as a pissed off Superman with glowing red eyes. But generally he treated everyone cordially like the good country boy like Ma and Pa raised him to be.

DCnU’s Ma and Pa Kent are dead….So thiiiis Superman is a little less nice. Or he seems to be in Action Comics anyway.

Well start with Action Comics set early in Supes’ career. I’ve made no secret that I think this book reads a bit too much like a Batman book. I’ve also not read too much Superman outside of the Superman/Batman book and the Justice League. That said these books are for new readers, so that shouldn’t matter.

Superman: channelling his inner Rorschach or Batman. So Superman comes in “guns” a-blazing looking for his bad guy, finds him…then does this.

Whoa, steady on there Superman, he’s only human. He’s all squishy on the inside you know? After he drops him just to scare a confession out of him (he catches him of course)…Batman anyone?

After this he gets corners by some cops just coming to stop the lunatic that just threw a man off a building. To which he’s a cocky a little brat and then channels much darker heroes with “criminal scum”

The issues that follow are much kinder to Superman’s characterisation, so I guess it might be put down to former Batman writer Grant Morrison finding his feet after writing Bats for so long. Or Supes finding his feet as a hero. 

In the main Superman title set in the present he seems to be mostly back to the nice guy we know, perhaps a bit broody over Lois’ new job and boyfriend, but a fair bit more polite. Same can be said for his appearance in Supergirl.

I’d look into how he is in the Justice League, but aside from punching first asking questions later after Hal Jordan barges in on him just after a fight he hasn’t really done much yet.

(PS: this is no way saying that Action Comic isn’t a good book, I rather enjoyed it despite not really being a Superman fan)

utopianrants:

The following is a collection of appearances of Strip Clubs in comics

(this list is updated as I find them)

Red Lanterns #3 (2011)

Voodoo #1 (2011) - Voodoo herself is a stripper

Catwoman #1 (2011)

DC Universe Presents Deadman #1

Catwoman…

I’ve been to strip clubs at the very least about five times since turning 18 (I’m 24). Generally to celebrate a male friends birthday or to escape the drunken rabble outside. I have nothing against the girls that work there, in fact I admire their strength and skill (no way I could climb a two story pole in lingerie and heels) and the ladies I’ve spoken to are generally paying their way through college. I also have nothing against guys/girls who go to these clubs (though if they go on their own accord and are in a relationship, that’s a bit off) As for male strip-shows the atmosphere at those is more about entertainment and humour than titillation, and as far as I know they rarely ever get fully naked - at least here they don’t.

This list is more to point out the shear number of times that when you need a bad guy to be meeting somewhere or is just generally lounging about it’s nearly always in a stripclub. It’s just kind of lazy writing, there are plenty of interesting places for your bad guys to hang out, having it happen in a stripclub is just cliche. It’s like a lazy short-hand to show that your bad guy is a bad guy and an excuse to show sexy ladies. You rarely ever see the male equivalent show up in any kind of media (Birds of Prey and an issue of the X-men are the only one I can recall in mainstream comics, and both of those were hens nights.)

(Source: utopianreviews)

Have you noticed? 

First up Hal Jordan in Justice League. I mean, he always was a bit of one anyway, but wow is he a big one in Justice League. He spends the first four issues going about being cocky, treating everyone but the flash as if they’re nothing.

“yeah Batman I’m totally the best, what can you do so I can judge you?”

Yes  Hal he is, yet he’s still a legend in Gotham. (though astonishment is a logical reaction)

It can be noted that Batman spends all four issues one upping GL…which is fun.

Just push people around Hal, like a real hero

Hal Jordon: too busy showing off to realise that civilians are being taken

Calling “dibs” on Wonder Woman like she’s the front seat in a car. Classy.

Just an entire page of him being a dick to Aquaman

Then we get to see this and just how shallow Hal really is. (also, why was your hand so close to Wonder Woman’s butt Hal?)

Now that was Hal from “5 years ago”, he’s not still like that right?

Well in the now in Green Lantern #1 he asks his long time love interest out to a romantic dinner, talks about the future, and moving forward with his life, that he has something he never thought he ask to say to Carol…couldn’t be a proposal could it?

He gets a drink to the face for that.

He teams up with Sinestro after that so I don’t think it’s fair to judge him for being dickish to his nemesis.

Next up: Superman!

(PS. I do like the Justice League, they are a good read, Hal is just written highly unlikeable for some reason)

The following is a collection of appearances of Strip Clubs in comics because they are a ridiculously common trope to the point that I actually laugh out loud when I see them.

(this list is updated as I find them)

Red Lanterns #3 (2011)

Voodoo #1 (2011) - Voodoo herself is a stripper

Catwoman #1 (2011)

DC Universe Presents Deadman #1

Catwoman #3 (2011)

DC Universe Showcase Catwoman

DC Universe Presents Deadman #004 (2012)

And that’s just DC in the last few months!