Monthly Archives: August 2012

New JLA Book and a Rant

2012/08/28
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DC announced that there will be a new Justice League of America title. The members of the team will be:  Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Catwoman, Hawkman, Steve Trevor, Stargirl, Katana, Vibe, and the new Green Lantern, Baz.

The following picture of the new team was released.

For the most part, the group shot is good. Most of the team members are in dynamic poses or standing at the ready. Except Vibe, who never gets any respect. Stargirl’s costume – as always – is a bit iffy, but at least she looks ready for battle and happy to be there. (Although I have to wonder where her staff is, since she’s never had any powers of her own before.) I’m not much for the costuming, but for the most part it does work.

Unfortunately, Catwoman completely ruins it.

What DC wants you to think when you see Catwoman’s costume:

  1. Boobies!
  2. Bondage!

Desired final thought: Catwoman is hot! I’m going to buy her book!

What I think when I see Catwoman’s costume:

  1. Catwoman doesn’t know how to work a zipper.
  2. Catwoman doesn’t realize that going bra-less in a fight is a bad idea.

My final thought: Catwoman is a moron! I’m glad I’m not buying her book!

Sadly, I’m not surprised by this treatment of Catwoman. It’s hard to be after the infamous cover of her anatomically inaccurate butt and boobs. And her first issue of the reboot had her in her underwear for the first pages without showing her face. (And ended in a sex scene, naturally.)

Look, I don’t mind her having sex with Batman. I don’t mind Catwoman being sexy. But this over-the-top crap is getting on my nerves. Every preview and picture I’ve seen for Catwoman post-reboot is advertising Catwoman as a sex-object instead of a person. What’s her personality? Her dreams? Her goals? Who cares? She’s sexy!

If you advertise a character purely on cheesecake, it can hurt the character’s portrayal, because all the readers will see is cheesecake. Maybe there’s more to her portrayal in the books, but with the way she’s being portrayed in the ads, I’m not going to buy her book to find out. Pin-up style poses and outfits may attract some new male readers, but it’s a good way to turn off female readers.

I don’t even like Catwoman as a character, so when I start getting annoyed by crap like this, you’ve probably gone too far.

To any DC Comics artists or writers that read this, I’m asking one thing. Please, please quit treating Catwoman like nothing but a pair of boobs and a butt. If you want to sell me on the character, you need to sell me on her personality. Not on her rack.

Scott Pilgrim: I Don’t Get It

2012/08/14
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Not too long ago, I saw Scott Pilgrim at my local library, and I decided to check it out. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the comics . . . but I couldn’t finish it. I read the first four volumes before losing interest.

It’s not that I didn’t get the various nerd culture references. I got a lot of them. The world of the story didn’t ruin my suspension of disbelief. I’ve read things that are far weirder and easily accepted them.

It wasn’t the art style. Once I got used to the huge eyes that some of the characters had, I enjoyed the art style. And it seemed to fit the story really well.

It’s not because the comic is aimed exclusively at guys. Most of the media I enjoy is aimed at men. Comics, science fiction, action movies … Even most of the manga and anime I enjoy is aimed at boys and men. Heck, I’ve enjoyed some Michael Bay movies, and those are definitely not geared towards women.

I don’t think the story is a bad story. The plot seemed like a fun – if goofy – premise.

So why didn’t I like Scott Pilgrim?

I think it’s the characters. When I read or watch something, the characters are one of the main things that will make or break my enjoyment of the story.

I’ve never particularly liked slacker protagonists. They tend to be fairly passive characters, and I hate passive characters as main characters. (It’s one of the reasons I was continually angry at the characters during my Modelland sporking.) Passive characters tend to let the story happen to them rather than take an active part in driving the plot.

Along with tending to be fairly passive, slacker protagonists tend to go through little or no character growth. (And heaven forbid they actually mature and grow out of being a slacker.) It’s one of the reasons I’m not a fan of the Bill & Ted movies. I want to see protagonists that grow and change, or at the very least, work hard for their victories. From what I read of Scott Pilgrim, it didn’t really feel like Scott was working for his victories.

I never felt I had any reason to root for Scott. I didn’t like him, but I never hated him either. I was just indifferent to him. And in the end, that indifference was enough to make me stop reading the series.

Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne

2012/08/12
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After a long time without posts, I have something completely different to post: a review of an urban fantasy book.

Not too long ago, I read Hounded by Kevin Hearne, the first in The Iron Druid Chronicles. Hounded is the story of Atticus O’Sullivan, the last Druid living in modern times. Atticus is over 2000 years old and is infamous for the theft of the magical sword, Fragarach. But now the Celtic god Aenghus Óg wants it back and is determined to kill Atticus to get it.

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