Flashpoint!

It's quite a simple equation:

Flash + Elseworld (even if they're not calling it that) = awesome.

I really like the current Wonder Woman storyline, even if the costume takes some getting used to. The Elseworlds line was one of my favorites--it's fascinating to see heroes in different situations than the usual status quo. While there isn't much out about Flashpoint, the brief little character bios (Cyborg, Wonder Woman, the mysterious Outsider) have piqued my interest. Plus, the action figure designs are fabulous, especially the Wonder Woman one. Not sure about Batman, though:

Seduction of the Innocent--Prelude

The thesis for my final reaserch paper this year is on the Great Comic Scare of the 1940-50's and how it has affected comics today. As such, I had to get my hands on a copy of Seduction of the Innocent, the book that started the scare and basically nearly killed comics. 

Man, is this one heck of a book. I opened it up to the table of contents, and someone had written "This book is a fabrication and a lie--be forewarned." 

So, apparently there will be book-sized dents in my walls from when I go into a fit of rage at it and chuck it as far away as possible. Wonderful.

More updates on this project as I finish it. 

Batman The Return: Retrospective

While the actual Batman: The Return comic was slightly disappointing, I figured I would do a retrospective on the entire series.

Overall, the plotline was very good. The Vicki Vale stuff got old about issue two, but the nice little moments between Bruce and the other members were nice. There was a whole host of problems, though.

First off, the editing was pretty crappy. In the Oracle issue, they get Batgirl's costume wrong three panels in a row and then suddenly it gets fixed. Also, Vicki Vale gets told three different stories--very inconsistent.

Second, the series was what I hoped it wouldn't be: Bruce going around and testing each of his allies. Why on earth does he have to do this again? Didn't he learn his lesson from the six other times he pulled this? I almost cheered out loud when Stephanie smacked  him across the face.

Third, although I usually greatly enjoy Fabian Niceiza's writing, this was very poor. All the issues just felt unnecessary. I really wish DC would stop these one-shots that really add nothing to the mythos. While there were moments in each issue I enjoyed, ultimately the overaching story just fell apart. Maybe a three-issue miniseries would have been better. This certainly didn't warrant 7 issues.