Justice League #4 Review

This book continues to jaunt along at a fast pace with a lot of action and humor. We see poor Vic Stone in Star Labs, and his transformation into Cyborg and yes, it is no picnic. He blames his father for it and flees the scene angry, bewildered and scared.

From the last issue we know Aquaman is making his debut and he does it in fine style. He shows Green Lantern why he should not call him Aquafresh. We see him conduct a parademon-eating shark orchestra and him skewer one in the brain with his trident. Yep, don't mess with the king of the seas who thinks he should lead.

The heroes then have the military attack them. Wonder Woman does her bullets and bracers thing and we see Steve Trevor wanting them to spare her. Liaison, my ass. You have to be stupid not to know he has a personal vested interest in her. Yeah, he wants to get into her wonderpants at some point.

There is a nice moment between Flash and Superman when they take on the military. Flash thinks he's somehow doing the wrong thing by engaging them. But Superman puts it to him that sometimes those in authority are not always right. Yay, Superman is no longer the naive boyscout that tows the line for the sake of it. He thinks for himself now and acts! Thank you,DC! We also see Green Lantern embarrass himself in fine style when he inadvertently touches Wonder Woman's lasso. The team eventually encounters the befuddled Cyborg and then we start to hear that ominous pinging.

Our villain makes his appearance in fine style.


This continues to be a fun book. The banter, while a little cliched at times, is still funny. Johns does over the top and loud and Lee gives us beautiful art. It's the summer blockbuster of the new 52. Munch your popcorn and enjoy it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Best Panel. Superman just stepping back and taking it all in. While the others argue, he has an amused and knowing smile on his face. I'll just imagine he was checking out Diana who was off panel and to his right on that page.

Wonder Woman #4 Review

Wonder Woman continues to flesh out its characters nicely and introduce another important player in the already intriguing tapestry of Gods.

We open with Apollo meeting the Ares or War as he is called and he is sporting a new look. He is a weathered old man and seems almost world weary but with a cynical sense of humor. Gods seemed destined to be what they are and the roles they play is their Fate. It is his job to create war. No more, no less. We learn that Zeus is missing. It is as if he does not exist. Apollo wants to find out if he is dead and who did it. Because this sun wants to be king.

We cut to London. Diana has gone back home and is trying to let her hair down a bit. You got it. Diana likes hard rock/metal. It is nice to see her doing something normal.Strife is in fine form here. She makes her presence felt and we see how much she enjoys sewing seeds of mischief and discord.

She even tries to threaten Zola and Diana is having none of it.Diana may not be happy with the way she found out about her parentage but she has taken on the responsibility to protect Zola and her unborn child.

Meanwhile, hell hath no fury than a woman scorned. Hera has come to confront and punish Hippoylta for having the effrontery for falling for Zeus and having his child. It's strange how Hera, even knowing her husband is a philanderer, keeps blaming all the women and still wants him. A Goddess fated to her destiny too? It's almost touching to see her wanting to forgive Hippolyta but saying that she could not. It's a good question Azzarello is raising too. The Wonder Woman mythos so often celebrates femininity and at times condemns masculinity. But in the real world, how many women have done this to another out of love or even lust? It's a theme as old as time. And does this necessarily make that woman a bad woman? Love can be a messy thing, that is all I can say.

After a talk with Zola and realizing that other people have really messed up families, and hers weren't all that bad, Diana comes home hoping to make peace with her mother and she finds she is too late. Hera has had her vengeance.

I give this issue another 5 out of 5 stars.

Diana's pain and tears when she realized she had lost her mother and sisters was heartbreaking. Strife continues to scene steal. War/Ares is intriguing. Hera, you feel almost sorry for her. Hippolyta manages to convey her remorse with dignity and sincerity. Zola and Hermes continue to support.

Best Panel: Diana grabbing Strife, before she could lay a hand on Zola. Don't mess with an Amazon and her family.

Thanks

Thanks for the Follow, Tils. :)

Mischievous Kal

Okay, Christmas is gone but this is so funny. I think the art was done by Dan Jurgens and was a design for a card in 1991. Diana is going to smash Lobo's face in and then Superman is so going to get whacked for that prank.

I like seeing a mischievous side to Superman. For the last 10 years he became so goody goody and bland...DC seemed to forget he could have a wicked sense of humor and real personality.

Thanks

Thank you, Matthew, for the follow. :)

Variant Cover to Action Comics # 5

Rags Morales, you rock!

Batman The Brave and the Bold Cartoon :Triumvirate of Terror.

Featured Superman and Wonder Woman. A fun episode. Catch it if you can.

She's A Wonder Woman Magazine

This terrific piece of art was done by Kevin Lovell and don't you just love the tease of the Just Friends trope in the Superman article? Now me, if I were living in the DCU and saw this magazine, I would buy it for sure!

Having Coffee

I really don't know where this image is from but it is a nice one of Clark taking Diana somewhere for a coffee. Seems it was done by Byrne and could be long before DC decided to go with Lois.

Action Comics 598 and 600 vs Justice League # 3

We are able to see here how DC made the boyscout/naive hick version of Superman as a guy who comes across as a bit of a dork who can't even talk to a woman. Action Comics 598 shows him, the guy who supposedly looks like an Adonis, is a smart reporter, who Martha Kent had a hand in raising as a gentleman, who takes the lead in the fight against injustice unable to even say a word to Wonder Woman!?  Did DC really think just because a man is the son of a farmer he should be portrayed this way? How absurd and it was a bit insulting and guilty of stereotyping.

Action 598

 We won't forget in Action # 600 his first word to Wonder Woman was not to greet her and ask how she was. Nope. It was to stick his tongue down her throat. Really, if you consider it, very out of character but he was a farmer's son so...that is what they do apparently. I guess he was so awkward and harmless we were ready to forgive him for it.

Action 600

 But worse  came when he back-pedaled; after claiming to like her so much he changed his mind very quickly and more or less dictated/preached to her that they were too different. It really is a WTF issue in terms of how the meeting and relationship was handled by the company.

I really liked you up until a short time ago but now I think I won't bother to get to know you. We are too different. I know this based on that fight with Darkseid.

Which brings us to Justice League # 3 where Diana first encounters Kal-El. Glory halleluiah, the boy spoke! Yeah, while the others gaped like fish, he looked and opened his mouth. Enough to have her turn in battle and take note of him and some sparks did seem to fly.

Justice League #3

So the tough firebrand and social crusader seems to have more balls than the last Superman. I really have great hope this time DC, under Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns, will show us an intelligent and confident Superman and not the whiner who limped out of canon last year. Though seeing what Perez is doing in Superman title I am wondering if the dim wimp is back. What will Kal (DC) do this time? We can only wait and see.