Now that I have had a nice rest from buying comics, thanks to the annoying and absurd "K.O." crossover, let's take a look at what is next: DC's "Next Level".
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| Given that this was an excuse to have heroes fight heroes (because DC STILL can't stop itself from aping Marvel) that brought back tedious Darkseid only minutes after we were told we were finally RID of him (which is basis for the nugatory "Absolute" line of comics). I can only hope that the "Next Level" is UPWARD rather than downward. |
Lobo
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| Well, THAT hope was short-lived. |
Sigh.
Batwoman
Well, we all like Batwoman, of course; she's like parfait. However,
But since she was 10 years old, Kate Kane has lived in the shadow of a prophecy and the machinations of a religion devoted to the end of all things. How do you fight the devil when the devil is real? And how do you win?
it sounds as if no lessons were learned from her last run. Batwoman is a great concept but she was badly weighed down by the "Church of Crime" nonsense (and to a lesser degree by her one-note battle against her own sister). The only elements they needed to KEEP about Batwoman were: ex-military (the "don't ask don't tell" part is much outdated now), lesbian, Bruce Wayne's cousin, and The Best Costume Design Ever. They had a chance to jettison the rest and they seem determined to blow it.
Deathstroke
See entry for "Lobo".
As a comic book fan, it is not the Penguins or The Erasers or Dr. Dominoes who embarrass me. It's the Deathstrokes-the-Terminators and the Banes and the Promethei.
And The Rest
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| Sigh. |
Etrigan? Firestorm? Zatanna? Why, oh why does DC continue, decade after decade, to INSIST that these are "fan favorites", let alone ones that merit ongoing series? At least we have (for now) been spared Captain Atom.
The Legion
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| "Mark Waid gave his blessing for [Josh] Williamson’s new take, promising a beloved team for all Legion fans." |
PHEW! Finally, something truly positive. The DCU has three main "pillar" teams: The Justice Society from the past; the Justice League from the ongoing present; and the Legion from the (far) future. However goofy their history has been
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| (which is "plenty", by the way) |
the DCU is a wobbly table without them. Whatever the flaws of its various incarnations, the Legion stands as a PROMISE: the heroic adventures you have read and are reading of present-day heroes are not for naught. They MATTER and make a long-term difference. The Legion is the living proof that heroic legacy and its ideals in the DCU is never fully extinguished.
I can't pretend I am familiar with Williamson's work, but my fingers are crossed. Ignorable dross like Deathstroke and Lobo are worth it if we are also getting the Legion back.
6 comments:
Increasingly, I believe that the only heroes who can make it long-term are the ones that represent a theme, virtue, or other abstract value of some kind. (Or maybe a vice, theoretically.) Superman: civic-mindedness and restraint. Batman: mastery. Captain America: freedom. Spider-Man: responsibility. Lobo: the Id.
I'm not convinced I'm right about this, but it feels right. I think about the heroes I DON'T give a dang about, and I can't even tell you what they're thematically about.
Not sure what I would even do with the Zatannas and Etrigans. Let me float a crazy possibility with Firestorm though: suppose he's not just two people fused together but more. And then the virtue he represents is consensus and cooperation. Maybe. Sounds like it could be stupid, but I wouldn't be the first to tell stupid Firestorm stories.
- HJF1
I like the "theme" idea -- it gives a hook to keep the character consistent, something that DC sorely needs.
Zatanna has always been a problem, starting with her powers. They range from near-omnipotent to parlor tricks, and nobody has really tried to nail that down. She's also been positioned as DC premier magician, and I don't think that works either. That role should be filled by Dr. Fate (who they should stop rebooting but I digress). I think if I were forced to write Zatanna I'd sharply limit her abilities to very localized magic with a time limit after which the spells fade and things go back to normal. I'd probably try to lean into the "performing" bit, sending her around the world as a magical trouble-shooter or even demon hunter. Which sounds a lot like Constantine, but at least it's a motivation. No giant fights with Satan or gods or that crap -- covens of evil sorcerers, vampires, minor demons possessing people, etc.
Honestly, I'd do the same thing with the Demon though. It would be a lot like the old Hulk TV show where Bill Bixby wandered around getting into trouble. But there's just not enough call for two mystical characters doing that sort of thing.
What is The Flash's theme? Scipio already convinced me he might not represent anything deeper.
Strictly my concussed opinion, but it depends on the Flash:
Jay - good manners (his Golden Age career doesn't really lean into that, but the past 20-30 years of him do)
Barry - Not really sure. Possibly the scientific method, depending upon how he is being portrayed. The Barry I like best is the one who observes, hypothesizes, and tests; the fact that he is a police scientist is more than a means to hide from Iris.
Wally - legacy (either carrying it or building the next generation to carry it)
Bart - impulsivity, of course
Max - perfect self-control
- HJF1
m buying more DC than ever on my life. !Or at least since 7 Soldiers and Solo). It's fun when heroes fight! And it's more an Epic/mythic thing than a Marvel misunderstanding because you were sitting next to the Human Torch's girlfriend on the bus.
Scip's whole thing is looking at the contradictory mess of DC history through a Marvel style shared universe model. I can't believe he's complaining about a little copying!
"It's fun when heroes fight!" This is where we disagree.
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