Over in another thread, Morgenstern pointedly noted that I'm beginning to sound like a grumpy old man. So I thought I would address his question and open the floor for the rest of you to voice your opinions.


I like plenty of things. I like SECRET SIX and BATMAN BEYOND. I like JONAH HEX and BRIGHTEST DAY.

I like anything Gail Simone or Greg Rucka writes. I like anything J.H. Williams III draws.

Although it's probably cheating to call these "current," I like the DC Chronicles series of collections (especially WONDER WOMAN: Golden Age Wonder Woman is a pure delight). I like the Showcase collections, even for books that I probably wouldn't or didn't otherwise read.

And of course I like Superman and Batman, even if I'm not currently reading their comics (because I'm a capitalist, and I believe that my purchasing power is my vote). Just because I don't care for the current environment where Superman suddenly forgot what made him Super and Batman now murders gods with guns, doesn't mean that I don't passionately care for Truth, Justice, and the American Way and the Dark Knight Detective.

The DCU is my preferred artificial reality. And if you don't like that, you can get off of my lawn! >waves cane threateningly<

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Well I would no hav gone that far, but it felt kind of that you don't like the general direction the DCU is taking.



I tried Gail Simone's work several times, but it is simply not for me. It is not like with Morrision that I can even pin point what is wrong with it..it is simply not my cup of beer. Except maybe that I do have kind of have a problem with the way female heroes are usually shown in comics. While I do understand that they are drawn in an idolized way just like most male characters and need outfits that are reconcilable...is it really asked too much that at least some of them get to wear pants? At least the teenaged ones? (Am I the only one that thinks that flying/hovering + short skirts are not the best combination?)

I never watched Batman Beyond, hence little interest in the comic. I am not a Fan of Western Stories..and I did start Brightest Day but found it quite boring and uninteresting (the selection of Characters did not help either. We got two Hawks back, but no Ted?)

Superman:

I can see why he does appeal to many, but he is simply too good for me. Not just “overpowered” but his character is too flawless, to selfless. There is no point in wondering if he will do the right thing, or save the world in the end. I like my heroes “weak”. Not unbeatable, nor immune to temptations or simple human flaws. Which I guess makes it obvious why I read Booster Gold^^

Batman:

Is a character I could like...if he had not become so absurd “talented” (for the lack of a better term). There is not one situation he has no plan for, not one field he is no master in and no enemy he cannot beat, despite being a normal human. He has become simply boring by being so unbeatable.

What I generally miss in the DCU is simply..fun. Almost all stories seem to get darker and more violent. Shock over substance..I was actually looking forward to Brightest Day as I assumed that it would be an attempt to bring a bit more “light” into the DCU, instead and I got splatter and gore. There are few comics right now (that I know of) that actually give you the feeling that you are reading a story about actual Super-Heroes. Jaime's BB Series was one that pulled it off great in my opinion..but that one is long gone.

Gail Simone and Rucka: I can see what you mean about Simone, there are things about her work I love and then there are titles that don't work for me. I quickly got bored with BOP (sad but true) and there are some things she's done that really don't work for me. Rucka can be really good but there were things like his Max that I didn't like.

Love the tv show Batman Beyond so I'm a little leery over seeing that in comic form now.

Superman: I love the set up of the character but he's not someone I can follow long term. Not much can change in his world. Even his adoption of Chris didn't last long. I think I would have read it if he had someone like Booster to play off of. One of things I thought would have been perfect was Booster having a rivalry with Lex Luthor and Superman.

Batman: I love the mythos surrounding the character, the tragic elements and the mission that unites so many people. I could read his title much longer than Superman but for some reason I find myself reading his "kids" titles before the main one. The unbeatable part does take some of the fun out of it but I can overlook it for those moments where he's human and a decent friend/mentor, etc.

Power Girl is a lot of fun at the moment. Okay the current issue is a little dark, and yeah it has been dealing with JLGL but there's such a fun vibe in the things she does. I mean she fought lab experiments including a giant four armed ape and Krpytos' clone.

Green Lantern is a really good book currently, though it has Hal so you may not like it but hes less of a dick in it. Also Green Lantern: Emerald warriors is quite and focus' on Guy Gardner who is being awesome

There are not currently any books being published by DC that I haven't sampled and formed an opinion about. A concrete, inflexible opinion.

My problem with Green Lantern is that I really don't care for space opera in comic books. Super heroes on Earth with ridiculous powers are one thing, but I really don't care for the space angle. I find that it typically makes the experience far too alien to be relateable to me. Add a bunch of new colors and corps and it only gets worse. It's just too, too much.

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You may want to read GL #62 as Hal gets his arse handed to him though personally i like the different corps, especially the red

Forgive my ignorance, but is Gail Simone widely known for using female characters exploitatively? I haven't read much of her work, and am more familiar with her from JLU, but from general internet word of mouth I'd gotten the impression she was against that sort of thing. I am disappointed to hear that is not the case.

Unrelated, as for GL, I get thta a lot of people dig the new corps. I sort of feel like they're overusing them, TBH. The GL cast is inherently huge, and upping that exponentially is just going to make the book that much more daunting for new GL readers.:-/

I am way to new to comics to answer that questions (though I am pretty sure that there are writers/artist who are much more guilty in that regard), but looking at the outfits of BOP regulars like Black Canary, Blackhawk, or huntress who seem to have switched from a full body costum to one that more resembles a bikini with a mask and cape. Maybe I am doing her wrong, but I could not think of another title in the DCU that features enough female characters that would serve as a good example.

I don't want to put words in Morganstern's mouth, but I think the point he was making was that women in comic books are drawn exceptionally unrealistic (physically), not that Gail Simone writes unrealistic women.

Gail Simone writes savory characters. She also tends to favor writing female characters. Female characters in comic books always look incredibly unrealistic thanks to comic book superhero art traditionally being a field of boyish masculine fantasy. So it is true that there is an unfortunate marriage of Simone's writing groups of females and those females looking like total pin-ups. But that's quite different from accusing Gail Simone of exploiting women.

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that is very close to it, though I feel more "annoyed" by the costumes than the bodies.