Mitch Shelley is a man with a problem. He can’t die. And when he does die, he comes back to life with some sort of freaky power that is related to the way that he died. Now, you might be asking yourself, “Self? How is that a problem? I’m all about things that don’t suck. Freaky powers and immortality don’t suck!” And you might be right, unless you’re Mitch Shelley.
RU-486 is their kryptonite.
Saw this on both Comics Alliance and io9 – an artist named Alexandre Nicolas has made a series of sculptures in which he imagines a superhero as a fetus. Except with a full head of hair. And costumes. One wonders if they will also spring forth from the womb with housing and paying jobs?
Also, he made one of Hitler.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This review contains spoilers. How many spoilers? Well, I’m going to include a scan of 9/10th of the last page of the fucking story. The only way to more effectively ruin a climax involves a Donkey Punch. You are warned.
I would like to start by saying, clearly and unambiguously, that I liked New Avengers #16. The story is excellent, the art is spectacular, and the action is almost unrelenting. This is a good comic book. Are we clear?
Good.
Because now I am going to rank it out for a little while.
When it comes to creative teams, DC’s New 52 is turning into Thunderdome: 52 teams enter… one team leaves… and if recent DC history’s any guide, that team will be Grant Morrison, an A-list artist to be named later, and a terrifyingly large pile of mescaline.
Last week it was John Rozum walking away from Static Shock, which was a shame because I had some hope for it; sure, the first issue didn’t grab either Amanda or I enough to review it, but Rozum’s responsible for writing 2002’s terrific and woefully underrated Midnight, Mass. from Vertigo, so I was hoping things would improve.
Instead, he chose to leave the title, absolving pretty much all parties involved of any blame by name, then saying with one breath that he was looking forward to doing more books with DC Comics and with the NEXT saying, “…if you are in the position to give me work, please let me know.” Which only tells me that if you want to know what REALLY happened there, you should attend next month’s New York ComicCon and fill that man with bourbon. And then send us an email. And then fill US with bourbon. But I digress.
Yesterday afternoon brought us another man down: Green Arrow writer J. T. Krul announced that he was leaving the book after the third issue:
Ding Dong - Candygram!
Wow! Check out Harley Quinn on the cover of “Suicide Squad” #1! That’s quite a makeover you’ve undergone there, ma’am. Trying something different to regain the Joker’s interest after his disappearance in Detective Comics #1, huh? It’s a good look – and I don’t just mean the multi-tonal hair and the push up, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bustier (and, just between us girls – how do you keep that on when swinging that sledgehammer? I have a running theory that involves dress tape and transdermal snap implants – am I close?). No, I mean that extra sprinkling of crazy. It looks good on you, and I’m not just saying that because you’re holding a knife. Really.
Over the weekend, the artist on the upcoming DC New 52-renumbered Teen Titans announced that the team will be introducing its first openly gay member in the third issue.
Penciller Brett Booth let the news about new character Bunker, a new character with the power to create brick-shaped force fields that he can form into apparently any shape, slip via the following Twitter exchange with Batgirl writer Gail Simone:
Gail Simone: Tomorrow I am on a panel not listed on the schedule, WHERE ARE THE GAY SUPERHEROES, at 11:00 am, in Mezzanine 1. It’ll be great!
Brett Booth: We got at least one in Teen Titans:)
Gail Simone: Really? Who is the gay superhero in TT? Can you say?
Brett Booth: Bunker is gay (the purple guy, I know, not my first color choice!)
Booth followed up with some more information on his blog, including a character description by Titans writer Scott Lobdell:
His real name is Miguel Jose Barragan. He was raised in a very small Mexican village called El Chilar. He was very loved by his family and the village as well — and they were as accepting of his homosexuality as they were to his super powers when they first manifested. To that end he grew up in an angst-free environment. He was born out of the closet and so he has a very refreshing outlook on life.
You didn’t ask for it. We didn’t want to do it. And yet we own microphones and whiskey, so Crisis On Infinite Midlives is proud to present our the first episode of our podcast: The Sack Of Justice!
EDITOR’S NOTE: You might ask what the title means. It means we had whiskey, and sack is a funny word. Don’t overthink this. God knows we didn’t.
This weeks topics include: the first two weeks of DC’s New 52 (Including Batgirl, Deathstroke, Detective Comics, Red Lanterns, Men At War, and Hipster Douchebag Superman – I mean Action Comics), Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales, Williams’ Batwoman and associated Bat Nipples, and Atomic Robo vs. Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. vs Hellboy!
Let’s make this a drinking game: every time you hear us slur or misname a creator, drink! Then by the time this is done, you’ll be as drunk as we were when we recorded this!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:52 — 33.8MB)
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On September 21st, Evelyn, Evelyn, a joint comic book/dark fantasy/music project conceived of by Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) and Jason Webly (um…him) with art by Cynthia von Buhler (an illustrator for childrens’ books) will drop into comic stores. In an interview with Comics Alliance, the book is described:
Evelyn, Evelyn is a violent fairy-tale of the kind no longer told to modern children. Blame it on a more politically correct culture or just the simple, thankful fact that death is less often a part of everyday life, but the type of grim fables told to kids a hundred-plus years ago just aren’t around anymore.
The story open on the titular twins, who lose both parents only to be raised as caged chickens, until later being housed by child-pornographers at a camping ground and ultimately ending up in a low-rent traveling circus. And in a tongue-in-cheek reference to a modern tragedy, the twins are born on September 11th, 1985.
Ok. Conjoined twins. Traveling circuses. Lack of political correctness. Sounds promising.
However, there’s been some controversy.
EDITOR’S NOTE: It turns out that this “new release” is actually a second printing of a book that was initially released in July. Normally I would put the review aside and start on something more recent, but it’s almost beer o’clock. So fuck it.
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Witch Doctor is what House M.D. would be if the diagnoses were supernatural and House were allowed to skip the medical pretense and just physically abuse his patients. If that makes Witch Doctor sound to you like a derivative knockoff with an originality problem, that’s because it is and it does.
If it also makes Witch Doctor sound to your like it’s fucking full of awesome with a dark, cynical and filthy sense of humor? That’s because it is, and it does, AND you are a dirty, dirty misanthrope. Which only means you are in the right place, both with your choice in comics Web sites, and in choosing to read Witch Doctor.
Witch Doctor is the story of Dr. Vincent Morrow, an M.D. whos been chucked out of the medical community and who now treats supernatural infections, and before you pick up the phone, your herpes doesn’t count. Just because you don’t remember banging that skank doesn’t mean you got it by magic.
Ok, I found this via BoingBoing. It seems to fit the pattern of everything I’ve watched this weekend somehow being Star Wars related. By the way, thanks Star Wars Episodes 1-6 Blu-Ray release. I am in no way scarred for life by the godawful yellow sweater vest Mark Hamill wore in the Special Effects Of Star Wars featurette included in the bonus materials you get for buying the whole enchilada.
But anyway, here’s kittens with light sabers:
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