Superman/Wonder Woman Art

The first is by nogutsnoglory on tumblr. "a commission of a superwedding between superman & wonder woman"
It is so damn perfect. From their costumes that homage their heritage to their tender expressions. 

 The second is by J-Estacado on Deviant Art. A homage to George Perez's Action 600 but done in the new 52 costumes.

Then we have the adorable winner of the Superman-Wonder Woman Go Disney Contest on Deviant Art by Gustavo Castillo

New Superman Writing Team and Previews for # 0 Issues

Come September 2012, a new team will take up the Superman book. This will be the third team. After months of me complaining about the title, I can only hope that third time's a charm. But let me do say, it can't be worse than what we got. I hope Scott Lobdell is up to the task. Kenneth Rocafort's art looks beautiful so I don't think we'll have issue with that.

The title has been boring no end. So far we have had Perez, who complained this was not his Superman and Jurgens who seemed to be there to limit Giffen and more or less want to keep one foot back in the status quo pre the reboot. It feels as if these guys are just too old school and cannot get into the head of a young man who would be Superman in 2012. Any good writer should be able to do this and give us the social crusader envisioned by Siegal and Schuster but with a modern sensibility. Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns ( if and when he can allow the guy to speak) is capable to giving us that guy. So far just the image of Superman on that preview by Rocafort seems to line up with the one in Action and Justice League. This Superman is not the Clark of last canon. He is passionate, proactive and defiant and nothing about him should be naive or black and white, preachy and whiny nor should he define his measurement as a man and hero because of Lois Lane. Superman was never Superman for one person.

September will see #0 issues for Action Comics, Wonder Woman and Earth 2 and seems all of DC's new 52 #0 titles are going into the past.I hope we don't see more whining and moping Superman in Earth 2 who thinks once Lois is dead he has no purpose. (eye roll)

Superman #9 Review

 What can I say. Not much interesting happens in this book. We spend pages of Superman saving a Russian Submarine only to have them hint that there might be some fishy business going on. Cause it's lead-lined and old Supes can't see into it.

We meet the new female villain, who calls herself Anguish, and to tell you the truth, I'm pretty much not all that interested. Then we have a guy called Victor Barnes who claims he has an exclusive on Superman. Because he is certain Superman walks among the populace as a normal person. He claims to have photographs and he is trying to get Lois Lane, executive producer of PGN, to pay him for the scoop of the century. We have the usual mandatory office farce with Clark coming in late and Lois tapping her feet and finger wagging and telling him he has to join her and Lucy for dinner to make up for not picking Lucy up in the last issue. I really don't care about Lucy Lane and I don't see why of all Superman's characters to bring into a new reboot we must drag her in now. Other than it is an excuse to have Lois now in Clark's personal life. Like it wasn't boring enough she was in his face at work for the last eight issues.

Anguish, like all good baddies, go and make a scene downtown and Superman meets her and seems he can't touch her, much less stop her.

Victor Barnes goes to Morgan Edge personally and gives him the scoop. Morgan agrees to run the photos and of course the guy they think is Superman is someone called Spence Becker, who turns out is the father of Anguish.

This issue was rather boring. The new team has not done that much better than Perez. Granted, I like the way Clark is written ( he's not whiny and mopey) but Anguish  is hardly intriguing and the office politics is old school. It's a case of nothing new here. Same with the Lois/Lucy situation and the mistaken identity of who could be Superman. Jurgens and Giffen are stuck back in time with their plot and execution.I believe we are already hearing rumblings of another new writing team and all I can say is...I am not surprised.

I give this 2.5 stars out of 5.

Best panel: Clark doing what I would do if I were him. This is something anyone who feels pressure at work can relate to.

Justice League # 9 Best Panel

I was rightfully corrected by a good friend of mine regarding my review of Justice League #9. While Superman bursting through the wall in Arkham was cool...the best panel really should have been this.

Arcadia, I bow to your infinite wisdom and Jim Lee thank you once again for this butt shot. New 52 Superman is very sexy.

Justice League # 9 Review

The Justice League has a new villain. He is the author of the book Gods Among Men. He was once a believer but now he is bitter and angry at them. He is dying and has nothing left to lose.

Steve Trevor is hurting over Diana's rejection of him. It must be me but my sympathy is marginal. Diana was like a child in the world of male/female dynamics, having just come out in the world and what would she know really? I would assume this guy has some relationships under his belt and Diana's looks and all of that makes her a rather hot package but he should know better. The jab about her leaving him for Superman (or Batman) was amusing. And I am even wondering why the Paps are wasting time with him...when they should be hounding "them"...to get the scoop. But Johns really wants you to feel sorry for poor Steve. We also see he has a sister.

We cut to Batman and Superman and get to see their world as civilians. Both have their own issues. Clark is the odd man out because he chooses to be alone. But he still has a reason to smile. He has a friend in none other than Bruce Wayne. They team up to kick some butt and are joined by Cyborg to search for someone called the Key in Arkham.

Meanwhile Flash and Green Lantern do their hilarious good cop/bad cop routine. Which fails utterly and they have to call Wonder Woman in. Diana does her thing with her lasso. And we see her memories and possibly guilt over Steve.

Essentially, Graves wants to find out how to hurt the Justice League and I assume by showing Alfred, the Daily Planet, Trevor...we are seeing how he might do that. His plan is to get Steve to help him because Steve is close to the League and knows a lot about them. He tortures Steve until he breaks.

I will say this issue was better than the last two. Jim Lee is back. So art is gorgeous. But Jim's ladies, once again, look like clones. Lois and Diana look no different to each other. We also get to see more of the League and Superman actually speaks! Still my quibble with this book is that I want to read Justice League and I feel I have not gotten that. It still feels too much of Steve Trevor guest starring the Justice League. And a Justice League who seems still disjointed and reactive than the truly proactive, well oiled machine that we know. Johns is telling us and truly not showing us. He's busy trying to show Steve Trevor hence cutting the team's panel time.

I give this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Best Panel: Superman busting through the wall.

Wonder Woman #9 Review

War and Strife meet in Damascus and discuss Diana's approaching nuptials with Hades. Strife wants an escort. War is not interested. But what was most telling in this scene was how they sat causally among the carnage of human flesh and blood and suffering.

Hermes, Zola and Lennox sit with Hephaestus and Eros and they discuss Diana's situation. I don't know why but one moment I really love Hephaestus and then the next I am wondering if he is really trying to help or sink Diana. Part of me feels he gave her those pistols knowing full well she could not deflect them. Anyway he has been invited and he is going to take the others as his guests.

We go to the underworld and see Diana. Is she a willing bride to be or is she playing a role? It is difficult to say especially when she reacts to seeing her home in hell and the way she shows concern for Persephone.

We get a glimpse of Aphrodite. Must say I like the way the Goddess of Love speaks. Especially to Zola about being beautiful.

In his lair, Hades seem to be a little disappointed many of the "family" are not turning up. Though Strife makes it her business to appear.  Her banter with all her siblings is always amusing to read. And then we have one of the best scenes. Diana being dressed and made up for her wedding by three gorgon like dogs, who address Hades as "father". Diana is macabre and beautiful.

Hades meets his bride-to-be but he does not trust her one bit. And he is going to subject her to a test. It reminds me of the water and the witch test. Sink or swim. In this case, bind for all eternity or hang.

I continue to really enjoy this title. It is so creative and although there was no Chiang, Atkins once again did a commendable job.

I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Best panel: I love seeing Diana in those Grecian gowns.

Action Comics # 9 Review

We meet a Superman from Earth-23. This is an African-American Superman, who oddly follows the same path as most other Supermen ...ie raised by the kindly Kents as Calvin Ellis...but he grows up to become the President of the United States.  We start off with him fighting his same nemesis, Lex Luthor and discovering a Musical Meta Machine,which I think is like a portal/window to the multiverse.

He meets a Lois, Clark and Jimmy. A creature called Superdoom is following them. It is the curse of Superman. Luthor helps him stop it.

This issue seems just a chance for Morrison to perhaps commentate on the current state of Superman and his status as an icon and brand as opposed to what his creators wanted him to represent. While I enjoy seeing this courageous, honorable, never say die Superman...I am not sure I care about all the metaphors and the multiverse right now. Where is MY new 52 Superman? It's really so distracting and tangential to what I want to read. Isn't Morrison writing Multiversity? Couldn't he have left this for that? Or least later in this run? Did I really want to see an eye patch Lois weeping that she sold out? Not really. I don't care for her corner of the multiverse that much.

The back up story by Sholly Fish was much better. Not so much because Nubia ( Wonder Woman) was in it, but it felt so much more connected to this Superman and what he is about.

The wacky stuff that Morrison likes to write...sometimes I find really lacking in emotional resonance...whereas, this real world story, makes me understand the dilemma of Cal Ellis. I like how Nubia, even as she is a close ally, challenges him.

I give this issue 3 stars out of 5.

Best panel : The smile shared between Cal and Nubia as they deal with a dictator.

Earth 2 # 1 Review

The tag on the cover is :A Different World...A Different Destiny...so here I was all eager to see that come to pass. But this book was just a way to set up the JSA and get rid of the Trinity. I was interested to see how our heroes...if they are worthy of that epithet...even in the face of great adversity...rise above it all and carry on.

Just for once, I thought,we might see a ,Superman, especially capable of being that even after losing all he loves. Why? I guess, in my mind, the Earth ( he swore to protect and its inhabitants) still remain and it would be in this time that people would need him the most. Surely that is the true test of a hero? Superman at times really seems a kind of fair weather hero. He is the whiniest of the Trinity, as well.

The set up is: Apokolips has invaded and the earth is overwhelmed by its armies. The Trinity can end the war. But it is a suicide mission.

Juxtaposed against losing "everything" they hold dear, one might think...awww...let them die like martyrs. I guess, I expect a little more of my heroes. But then this book isn't for my heroes: it's a writer's device to get rid of them and use them as the inspiration for the JSA. Eh, whatever. The art is beautiful. Nicola Scott's art finally gets to really explode with the right inker and colorist. And there are literally a lot of Kal/Diana panels.

We see what it would take for Superman to finally want to kill. Must say love that new design for Steppenwolf. And I am wondering if Superman is really dead now? And if he did not die. What is DC's plan for him? I bet it is something very cliche involving Lois.

Just to add, we get to see a female Robin, who is Batman's daughter, Helena. Where her mother, (Selina Kyle?)  is I am not sure. Dead, perhaps. There is also a Supergirl called Kara. Both young ladies get boom-tubed across the multiverse and will end up on the new rebooted earth and will continue on as Huntress and Powergirl. It is now left to other heroes to pick up the mantle after the Trinity.

I give this a 3.5 out of 5 for story. It's not that the story was bad. It's just not what I hoped for. 5 out of 5 for art.

Best Panel: Is it possible the writer is trying to get Superman to realize he whines too much?

Superman and Wonder Woman by Michael McDaniel

by

MMcDArt

Call Him. Bring Him To Me.

Our shippy moment from the DC Universe Online gaming trailer. It's interesting Luthor knows exactly who to go after to lure Superman into a trap.