Month: February 2005

So were the TRS-80 Whiz Kids ever considered part of official DC continuity? I don’t remember seeing them in Crisis.

My favorite lines of dialogue from this week’s comics:

• Ex Machina #8: “Sorry, I thought you two be familiar with City Hall Park from all of your late night ‘cruising.’ Kidding, of course. Everyone knows you people stick to the Rambles for that.” — Mayor Mitchell Hundred, greeting the two guys whose wedding he’s agreed to perform.

  I love this comic more than anything. The artwork by Tony Harris is tremendous, but it’s really Brian K. Vaughan’s character interactions that make this series so delicious. I’m actually annoyed whenever the story turns away from the political and personal story and fills in details of the more comic-booky story happening in the background.

• Birds of Prey #79: “I went to Catholic school, Canary. One thing you learn, right away…never screw with the crazy girl.” — The Huntress, explaining why she’s trying to talk to Rose/Thorn before she gets into a fight with her.

  I avoided this book for so long because it seemed like such a goofy idea, and because the loosely-related TV show looked so cheesy. I’m so glad I finally discovered the best-written female characters in the entire DC universe. I jus the artwork wasn’t always so absurdly cheesecakey.

• Teen Titans #21: “Hey, listen, if I get…hurt…just let me take care of myself, all right?” — Speedy, joining the Titans in a fight against Dr. Light before she was able to tell them that she’s HIV+. I totally sympathized with her concern.

  I’d already heard about how the new Speedy was going to be dealing with HIV, and I’ve been hoping that the writers handle it gracefully. I don’t know if it’s working in Green Arrow, but the first hints of that twist in this book seem OK so far.

• Ultra #7: “Beaver Girl, I love your lips!” — unseen fan to unseen heroine on the red carpet to the Annual Super Hero Awards. Heh, beaver. Get it?

  Actually, there’s endless good dialogue in this whole series, both the funny kind and the natural kind.

• She-Hulk #12: “Guys, there’s a big superhuman battle nearby. Why haven’t you taken off?” “Please! Nobody gets hurt in those things.” “Except maybe a beloved character. For added sales…and the rubber-necking factor” — Jen Walters (She-Hulk) and some guys in a comic store. On the very next page, may favorite supporting character in the book, Awesome Andy, gets his head ripped off.
• Astonishing X-Men #8: “I know you wanted to cement your standing in the group, but if that geek was sharing my bed…I think I’d try not to wake up.” — unseen entity addressing a comatose Emma Frost, as the geek looks on.

  Like Ex Machina this book has sucked me in with great characters and who interact brilliantly. The action has mostly been used to propel the characters from one point in the story to the next, which is usually fine. That’s pretty much all this issue is, though, so even though this issue set up a lot of interesting story developments, it felt a bit like filler. Tsk, tsk, Joss — that’s just what ruined so many of Buffy’s last episodes. Don’t get sloppy on us now.

Looking for yet another way to waste hours of your time? Check out the hilarious collection of covers at Superman Is a Dick. It’s a shame they don’t write stories about all Superman’s attempts to murder, humiliate, or double-cross his friends and loved ones anymore. The world needs to know!

In Young Avengers #1, J. Jonah Jameson says that after Bucky was killed, no one wanted to be like him anymore, and sidekicks were only things that were seen in comic books. Thinking more about it, I realized he might be right: except for Golden Age characters, Marvel’s never really used the sidekick gimmick that much. They’ve had teenage characters galore, but none who were really sidekicks working as partners with or teen versions of adult characters. (Rick Jones, for instance, was always more of a tag-along than a costumed crimefighter.)

DC, on the other hand, has done it so often that there ought to be a metahuman version of social services to look into the whole thing.

So my question is: can you think of any true sidekicks in the Marvel Universe? Who am I forgetting?

In general, I’m fussy about my comics and fussy about my porn, so rarely do the two mix very well. Porn is tricky because often it’s either too generic or too specifically constructed to punch someone’s buttons other than my own. In the realm of illustrated erotica, where so much loving attention is paid to the artist’s own interests, my appreciation is usually limited to a sort of cool, non-sexual interest in the technique, or a critical roll of the eyes. On top of all that, It’s hard to tell a good story in a comic book, at least in a way where the writing, the art, and the appeal to someone’s imagination all come together in just the right way. Although I’ve seen lots of gay comic art that’s sexual in nature, it’s almost never struck the right balance of all those elements.

That’s why Sticky, from Eros Comix, was such an enormous, pleasant surprise. It does a beautiful job of telling a story in the comic medium, and it’s also pretty hot. My pal Andy mentions in a review of his own that it’s not very plot-heavy, which is technically true, but misleading. When I finally got my copy, I was actually pretty blown away by how well Dale Lazarov’s plotting and Steve MacIsaac’s artwork (there’s no dialogue, so I’m actually a little unsure where the the writer’s role ended and the artist’s began) told the story of one couple’s roll in the hay in exquisite, vivid detail. I don’t mean the sometimes excruciating detail of a porn movie, but the kind of details you might notice when you’re actually having sex with someone — a string of moments that can be hot, playful, tender, mischievous, and even a little funny.

I think that’s why this works as both porn and as a comic: the illustrated story feels real and not too contrived, with enough of the right elements thrown in to call to mind enough of my own romps. At the same time, it has great artwork that’s suited really well to this particular medium, and uses that to string together a story that wouldn’t be quite so compelling if told (or shown) another way. that’s quite a trick (oh god, I totally did not mean that as a pun), and I’m impressed they pulled it off. Now I’m all excited to see what the second issue has in store!

(Disclosure: Dale Lazarov wrote and asked me if I was interested in getting a review copy of the comic. I had already heard about it and wanted to read it, so I happily agreed. I warned him, though, that I would tell the truth. Since I’m such a pussycat, though, I’m glad I was able to tell the truth and still say good things about it.)

I don’t know exactly what’s in store for the Robot Chicken, an upcoming treat from Adult Swim, but based on these frame grabs from its tantalizing preview clip, I’m already twitching in anticipation.

I’ve always had a soft spot for action figures thrust into irreverent situations: as a youngster I made Princess Leia into a private eye (modeled after Jessica Drew) with an office in a bookcase high-rise, and in college my annual Celebrity Nativity (Cher, Luke Skywalker, Jason Priestley, and the Hulk dolls all were used) was a dorm favorite. Adult Swim is loaded with excellent moments, but I find a lot of it hard to stay with for very long. I hope Robot Chicken doesn’t let me down. But with a start like this, I’m certainly rooting for it.