Power Girl 13 Review, Zatanna 2, and Supergirl 53

Power Girl 13 ushers in a new team, Winick and Basri taking over for Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner. Amanda Conner's art was truly exceptional and I enjoyed every moment of her Power Girl books. I'm not alone in feeling like the fans have lost something. The feel of Power Girl has changed with this new issue. However, it is clear to me that the Winick and Basri have tried to continue some of the vibe created by the previous writers and artist.

As you can see by this moment from the first page amidst scenes of Kara at work and dressed as Power Girl fighting crime we get a moment with Terra watching TV. Yet, in the next moment we learn that all of that has changed. Right away they want us to know that this is a new Power Girl and they signal that change very abruptly, but set the stage for what will happen throughout the rest of the story.

Probably the biggest changes in terms of art aside from the obvious different take on faces is the coloring. It's a mix of soft, bright and subdued. The comic fan in me desperately missed Conner's take on everything, but the Literature student in me tried to keep reading with analysis in mind. Change happens. The art is beautiful, but it's different. I'm not pleased with what happened at the end of the story, but we have to see what the next issue brings.

Meanwhile, Zatanna's second issue came out and I decided to pick up Super Girl as well and I'm so happy that I did.

Zatanna and Supergirl both suffer from some terrible nightmares in their respective issue. Dreaming is such a rich trope for writers, but it can go wrong. I'm pleased to say that both issues handle it well.

Zatanna in the shadowy image about to sleep and perchance to dream? Supergirl in the second picture waking up from a nightmare.

Both of these books ended with some incredible moments and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Fishnets and Female Characters!

Here it is, the inaugural issue of Zatanna.

Tub woh si ti?

Maybe we often miss or overlook the layout of the panels and the gutter in comic books, but they are crucial to the story. I really got into reading manga because of way the panels moved in many of the titles.

DC Comics has not disappointed me in its creative layouts. For example in Zatanna the panels sometimes have a clear, white gutter between scenes that then switches to floating over other panels. When Zatanna reads someone's mind in the story each panel is surrounded by a smoky looking and messy frame that really emphsizes the action and what Zatanna is doing with her powers.


Ok, what about the fishnets? They come out when Zatanna has to confront the story's villain. Gl

For a first issue of a series I thought this book worked rather well. There wasn't a lot of back-story exposition and yet we still got comfortably situated into Zatanna's reality.

The ending promises much more to come.

Finally, I had an observation about the two big American comic book publishers that came out of my pulls for this week. A few years ago I passed the time in my life that I happily read media that contained mostly male driven plots and played games with only male PC's. It had never bothered me, but I also don't believe in gender roles aside from the social constructs of individual cultures. I don't fit into what the American female gender role is and I don't care.

At some point in my mid to late twenties I realized that I wanted to see more female characters just being people and doing things like any one else. I realized that male was the default in almost anything I liked and I started to realize that maybe that's what kept so many other women away from the media I liked. Maybe the media saturation of our culture with traditional, outdated ideas about gender is a contributing factor to staunch gender divides and all those related problems. I've always just felt like a "person" and not one particular gender, although due to what I liked I often found myself cast in the role of being masculine.

Well, Marvel Comics declared 2010 their year of women and have done several things to spotlight women artists and have put out some good one-shot titles with female characters. I think drawing attention to the issue and writing about is important. Meanwhile, DC is just releasing a bevy of great comic books with female leads. Both approaches are awesome.

It's Fishnet Friday

S'it
Tenhsif
Yadirf!

Zatanna's Ame-Comi incarnation is the focus of today's Fishnet Friday. This is the first Ame-Comi statue I have purchased and I am pleased with the quality of the sculpt and the attention to detail. Her fishnets are actual fabric and add a nice touch to the overall look of the statue.

I love the magic whisp coming out of her hat. The statue is a whimsical take on Zatanna, but really does justice to a different concept of her character. This is the first series Zatanna and I was able to pick it up at the comic convention this past weekend from the Castle Perilous table.

She can watch over me while I read her new series!

Always Looking Ahead

Yesterday I reserved a copy of Lego Harry Potter for the Wii and bought advance tickets for a friend of mine (Master Justice) to see the midnight showing of Iron Man 2 with me.

Today aside from picking up a few titles I set up a subscription at Castle Perilous (the ultimate geektastic store) for Birds of Prey and Zatanna.

I live very much in the moment and I'm glad that the things I enjoy give me something to look forward to and help me to look to the future every once in awhile. I might end up just playing games or drawing all day instead of thinking ahead! (It doesn't hurt that a lot of this stuff costs money, which reminds me to budget).

There is something inherent to geek culture that encourages anticipating the future. We are always waiting in lines for something to open or to get an autograph. The things that we adore invariably get some kind of pre-order hype and that's part of the fun.

Some of my best memories are the conversations that happen or the things I get to observe when waiting in line for stuff like WoW expansions or even going back to the past, the time I camped out all day to see Jurassic Park. Speculating on the content of upcoming title releases makes for good discussions and often leads to analyzing past stories. For instance today at Castle Perilous I talked to the guy working there about Marvel's Girl Comics versus Her-oes What we were engaging in is the same kind of intelligent analysis that goes into literature critique in college classrooms, but it was right there in the midst of the culture.

To infinity and beyond!