Girls with Slingshots Ended and I'm Stupid Sad About It.

Yesterday marked the finale for the decade long run of Girls with Slingshots by Danielle Corsetto. I discovered the comic shortly after it began ten years ago and have been consistently reading it since then. The comic surrounds a cast of diverse characters as they live their lives. There are moments of pure joy, tragedy, and the occasionally humdrum moments that keep the comic feeling like the real world. 

It's absolutely a brilliant comic and now that it's over I'm just stupidly sad about it. I know that I shouldn't be since it's only a comic, but it's a comic that has been there when I had my heart broken and that kept me going. It was there when I met my wife and when my son was born. It's been one of the few constants in my life when I've been moving, switching jobs, and raising a family. 

I'm going to miss it terribly.

About Those New Uniforms for Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman

So DC is introducing some new uniforms for what many fans refer to as the big three: Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman. It's clear from looking at these new designs that DC is going for a completely different feel not only to the characters but for the entirety of DC.

So here's Superman who looks like a more like he belongs in the old Valiant Comics with their "gritty" look that always made their characters seem indistinguishable to me. That said, intellectually the idea that Superman wouldn't run around with a secret identity really isn't all that farfetched. I mean no one could possibly hurt him without kryptonite so why should he fear if anyone knows who he is? I mean except for the fact that any loved ones he might have could be held ransom, killed, raped, and put in constant danger to manipulate him like a puppet.

By far the best redesign out of the group is Wonder Woman. It's just a great look minus the needless Wolverine-esque spikes jutting out from her wrists. Still looks like a Valiant reject, but it's better than Batman.

At this point I don't even know why they're still calling him Batman. He's a giant, robotic, rabbit with a gun. Fuck he'd be more at home in Savage Dragon or the TICK than he would as Batman!

I totally get that at this point DC is trying to go for a grittier feel with the books - all the redesigns, from Batman's smoking gun to Superman's fists dripping blood, reinforce this -  but making the DC universe into a new version of WildStorm isn't the way to go. Look Lee and DiDio are steering this ship and it's clear that they want to go down this way but I'm just not looking for these changes to be long term. If anything I expect them to be in retroconned into an alternative DC Universe at the end of the run when they reintroduce the classic uniforms like Old Coke coming back after New Coke pissed everyone off. 

What do you all think?

Friday Artfest: WHATS UP DOC by Jim "Food One" Mahfood

WHATS UP DOC by Jim "Food One" Mahfood

Jim Mahfood is one of those fantastic artists whose illustrations in comic books always seem to tell a more evocative story than the words that crop up on the page. I'm often impressed by the way that he uses black in his pictures to create a more vibrant feel of color. This illustration is a beautiful example of his skill.

Like most of Mahfood's illustrations this depiction of Alice in Wonderland is wholly his own. He mostly defies the stereotypical depictions of the characters and instead transforms them into something that is unmistakably his own. Alice in the black top with her shades isn't a little girl overtaken by the strangeness of Wonderland but instead appears to be a grown woman who has chosen to subvert the real world for one that is transformed by her mind. Yet it is not Alice that is the focal point of the picture, but the Mad Hatter. The Caterpillar seemingly spews forth from the Hatter's mouth to curl back behind him while his mouth is extended into a madman's laugh that you can almost hear cackling from the page. While rising from the Hatter's tea cup appears the White Rabbit. There's a suggestion here that the tea itself is, if not poison in of itself, a hallucinogenic that has inspired the entire scene.

Jim Mahfood is steadily becoming one of my favorite modern illustrators with his bold lines and distinctive style. If you liked this piece you can check out more of his work on his official website or you can pick up one of his excellent books.

The Walking Dead Should Crawl Back in the Grave

So if you haven't watched or read the Walking Dead and you'd like to be surprised by an old series now is the time to go someplace else. 

The Book Shelf: Rat Queens Vol 1 by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch

I picked up Rat Queens Volume 1 after it was recommended to me by +Martin Thomas. The premise of the series is essentially a group of all female Dungeons and Dragons-esque characters who bounce about their local town performing the stereotypical quests - that is until things drastically change. While the plot may seem a bit trite from afar the crisp writing from Kurtis J. Wiebe takes what could become another boring slog and creates a comic that turns the whole genre on its head. Gone are the plodding and sluggish tropes that have plagued the D&D and Pathfinder comics and in their place is a comic that feels like the people could actually exist in the real world. The characters act like people you've met at bars, drinking far too much and having all the carnal fun that comes along with that, and they speak with a dissatisfaction that feels more at home today than at any time in recent memory.

The art by Roc Upchurch is clean and has a crispness to it that harkens back to the best in the industry. It perfectly suits the story being presented and mirrors the tone expressed in the script perfectly. Though if you like the art as I do you should be aware that Roc will leave the comic in coming issues due to some deeply troubling personal situations that came to light.

I can think of no higher praise to give a comic than to say after years of dissatisfaction with the comic book industry as a whole Rat Queens has brought me back into the hobby and happily searching through the back issue boxes trying to catch up on everything I've missed. If you're looking for a great comic to read that will have you wrapped up in its story from practically the first page then this is the book for you.

You can pick up Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery from Amazon for $6.31.

Bob the Angry Flower is Still My Guide Through Life

I'm just going to leave this here so that those of you who never got the chance can understand why 90s underground comics mattered, and why they're still better than so much else out there today. 

Bob the Angry Flower in Shark in the Pool by Stephen Notley

You can read more of Bob the Angry Flower here. Check it out because every strip is fucking outstanding. 

Can You Name Them All?

Deadpool 27 Cover

Seriously, can you? Because I've been reading Marvel off and on for twenty five years and I can't.

What More Could Be Said?

Galactus and Silver Surfer by Mike Del Mundo

This is Why I Still Read Penny Arcade.

I know that there are people out there raising hell about things Mike and Jerry have said (see Of Dickwolves and Things for more) but I don't care. They have consistently put out an amazing comic that has only gotten better with age. And if I'm lucky, then my son will be this wonderful and he will burn the heavens as he lays waste to his enemies.

I am counting down the days.

Spring is Here, Even if it Is 17 Degrees Outside.

The Avengers in Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit Special #1

Get your swimsuits ready and - why is Iron Man wearing swim trunks? What the what! Tony you rich bastard, stop being a drunken slob and show those super powered punks what your pale, sallow skin looks like. 

Put them to shame rich boy!

Kick It!

This is the sort of stuff that makes life completely worth living.

Why You Should Be Reading Direman Dave.

Find more at Direman Press! And while you're there leave 'em a note and tell them to go back to updating Squishy Comics.

But How Do I Know If I Should Like Something?

While it's easy to pretend like none of us are affected by peer pressure the truth is that it not only exists, but that it's a bitch. So here's a lesson in life: just because others like something, and feel you should too, doesn't mean shit. You are the only person who can determine what you like and why. Listening to others and doing what they say, because they tell you to do so, is bullshit.

Dork Tower, Still Kicking Ass

Batman's a Chump.

Forgive me for a moment as I take a dip in the crazy pool of a comic fan's what ifs. If you don't like it, here, read this instead it's role-playing related and funny.

This morning I saw a group of posts asking the question, "Who would win in a fight between Batman and Captain America?"

Naturally the majority of respondents slavishly proclaimed that Batman would win because he has his utility belt and that means that he's prepared for anything and blah, blah, blah, he punched Superman in the face, blah, blah, blah, totally could kick everyone elses asses in the DC universe, blah, blah, blah.

No. 

Batman would no more win this fight than would the Flash lose a foot race to him. Captain America isn't some punk who holds back his punches and has these long moral crises where he wonders if he's doing the right thing. Cap kills motherfuckers for breakfast and doesn't think twice about them.

I know, I know, in the crossover they drew with neither of them fighting the other and blah, blah, blah.

That was a company conceit and not a realistic result of the contest. 

Sure, Batman is this great guy who's pushed his body to it's peak, but in the end he's still a regular guy fighting a super human in Cap - you know, a guy who has a healing factor, super strength, intellect, and is deadly as fuck all. Look, you can argue that Bats has fought some really dangerous guys and I suppose that's true, considering that the creatives at DC have forgotten that he's just a fucking human being, but in the end he's not fighting guys like the Red Skull - you know, real villains who aren't laughable caricatures and actually pose a real threat to their imaginary world.

Sure, Batman fights the Joker who ain't shit on the big scale.

Look, Batman's villains are only on the small scale. They fight over Gotham and on the rare occasion that Batman steps out of his city they organize quasi-nation spanning conspiracies that don't even come up on Superman's radar. Compare him to the Red Skull who literally tries to burn the world (and may have succeeded on multiple occasions depending on which continuity you follow) and the Joker doesn't even rate. 

He's not even on the same scale.

Hell, while we're at it, let's be real honest for just a second. Until you get to Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and the Green Lanterns DC's superheroes and villains don't even come into the same conversation as Marvel's. 

Tell Me This Doesn't Make You Want to Read a Book About a Raccoon and I'll Call You a Liar.

Rocket Raccoon by Scottie Young

You can read the MTV interview with the artist Skottie Young here. While you're doing that I'm off to buy a metric shit tonne (that's a scientific measurement right there) of Guardians of the Galaxy books in the bargain bins - if they haven't had their prices jacked up already.