The drama kicks into high gear as it is the Mob vs the Triad, Arrow vs the Mob, Arrow vs The Huntress? Huntress vs the Mob? Okay I going to need to write this down.
Follow me on Twitter @BAClend
Showing posts with label Huntress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Huntress. Show all posts
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
NEWS EDITION # 23 - A PULP HERO RETURNS, DC DROPS 6 THEN GETS 6, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO COMIC & THE VIEW OF AN AVENGER
Here are your news stories for this week. And oddly enough, not a single story from EIC Frankie Rodriguez.
Return of The Shadow
By Hector Ramirez
Dynamite Entertainment, like IDW, is known for bringing back old comic titles and revamping them has done it again with one of my favorite older titles. And so far, there have had ample success with such titles as Red Sonja, Vampirella, the Green Hornet and Zorro. Yet, this time, Dynamite is taking another classic hero from the early 1930s and bringing him into the 21st Century.
The Shadow will be returning to comics this April and Dynamite Entertainment is pulling out the red carpet. The legendary pulp hero will grace pages in a new ongoing series thanks to the team of Garth Ennis and artist Aaron Campbell. Dynamite believes Ennis was born to write for The Shadow where as Ennis himself has admitted that he was on the list of established characters that he’s wanted to write for.
Garth Ennis said, "The Shadow is probably the last established character I like that I haven't gotten around to writing yet, certainly on this side of the Atlantic. It makes a kind of bloody, bullet-riddled sense: I always had a feeling our paths would cross sooner or later."
From radio hero to comic book hero, Ennis promises to leave his stamp on The Shadow.With Shadow having farther reach, now dealing with events that have worldwide consequences, this reboot has promise and I will definitely be following the series. The Shadow #1 written by Garth Ennis with art by Aaron Campbell will hit shelves this April.
Taken from the pages of Entertainment Weekly, Joss Whedon speaks about his approach to the Avengers.
Out With the New, In With the Newer
by Hector Ramirez
Come May the “Second Wave” of DC’s new 52 will start when 6 current titles are cancelled to make room for 6 new titles. The following titles will be cancelled, “Men of War” ,“O.M.A.C.”, “Hawk and Dove”, “Mr. Terrific”, “Black Hawks”, and “Static Shock”. Although these books are being cancelled, their characters will be seen in other titles.
The new titles include, “Dial H for Hero”, “Batman Incorporated” “Earth 2”, “Worlds Greatest” “GI Combat” and “Ravagers”.
“Dial H for Hero” is about a magic phone that grants its users super powers when they dial ”hero.” “Ravagers” is a spin off of “Superboy” and “Teen Titans” involving the rogue agents from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. “Batman Incorporated” pits the Batmen from around the world against Talia al Ghul and her forces with Damian Wayne in the middle of it.
“Earth 2” is the new JSA title done by the prolific James Robinson and artist Nicola Scott.
“World’s Greatest” is the story of Earth 2’s Power Girl and Huntress stuck on our Earth. And finally “GI Combat” deals with the war time forgot.
Obviously there will be readers disappointed with some of these cancellations and I admit I’m not too thrilled about losing Static Shock. Another thing that catches my and possibly the attention of others is that they are introducing a revamped Earth 2 and a revamped JSA that should be interesting. Another interesting choice making Power Girl and Huntress Earth 2 characters I’d like to see how that plays out. DC has been doing great things(new logo excluded) and it seems it will continue with this new wave .
Video of the Week
J1 Studios makes our Video of the week!
EDITORIAL
New Logo for DC
By Hector Ramirez
As most fans know DC comics has changed their logo just a few years ago from the classic 4 stars in a circle around the DC to the current single star shooting around the DC. Well apparently DC has decided that it’s time for another change and I for one couldn’t agree less. The new logo will have a very plain D being peeled off of a very plain C. This is one of the most foolish decisions in marketing history. What gave them the idea that this logo needed changing the current logo is iconic. The new one sucks .
For more of EZ Rider, go here:
One of the few Tokusatsu Reviews I know. Great guy with a good set of reviews, a few countdowns and some specials. Tokusatsu is special effects in japanese but it is what the genre of live action stuff like Power Rangers and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight are based off of. Toku Time or Reviewtopia: Toku Time is where you can find him.
It's the new, BRAND NEW, Super Mario Dubstep Album. Listen as your favorite music from Super Mario has been transformed into remixes. The album is so addicting, you will feel like you're an addict!
GREEN MUSHROOMS & SUPERSTARS
And don't for get the recently released Sonic Remix Album, SPIN DASH AUDIO is also available now.
Return of The Shadow
By Hector Ramirez
Dynamite Entertainment, like IDW, is known for bringing back old comic titles and revamping them has done it again with one of my favorite older titles. And so far, there have had ample success with such titles as Red Sonja, Vampirella, the Green Hornet and Zorro. Yet, this time, Dynamite is taking another classic hero from the early 1930s and bringing him into the 21st Century.The Shadow will be returning to comics this April and Dynamite Entertainment is pulling out the red carpet. The legendary pulp hero will grace pages in a new ongoing series thanks to the team of Garth Ennis and artist Aaron Campbell. Dynamite believes Ennis was born to write for The Shadow where as Ennis himself has admitted that he was on the list of established characters that he’s wanted to write for.
Garth Ennis said, "The Shadow is probably the last established character I like that I haven't gotten around to writing yet, certainly on this side of the Atlantic. It makes a kind of bloody, bullet-riddled sense: I always had a feeling our paths would cross sooner or later."
From radio hero to comic book hero, Ennis promises to leave his stamp on The Shadow.With Shadow having farther reach, now dealing with events that have worldwide consequences, this reboot has promise and I will definitely be following the series. The Shadow #1 written by Garth Ennis with art by Aaron Campbell will hit shelves this April.
Through the Eyes of Cap
by Darryll “YTC” Carter
Taken from the pages of Entertainment Weekly, Joss Whedon speaks about his approach to the Avengers.“So much of the movie takes place from Steve Rogers’ perspective, since he’s the guy who just woke up and sees this weird ass world. Everyone else has been living in it,” says Whedon.
I don’t know about you guys, but I didn’t get enough of Captain America from his solo film. With the Iron Man franchise working toward its third film, I’m surprised Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) isn’t the keystone character of the film. It is good to see that the audience will be following the team’s leader, Cap. We look forward to seeing what Whedon does with Captain America in the film. The Avengers hits theaters near you, May 4th and select theaters in 3D.
Out With the New, In With the Newer
by Hector Ramirez
Come May the “Second Wave” of DC’s new 52 will start when 6 current titles are cancelled to make room for 6 new titles. The following titles will be cancelled, “Men of War” ,“O.M.A.C.”, “Hawk and Dove”, “Mr. Terrific”, “Black Hawks”, and “Static Shock”. Although these books are being cancelled, their characters will be seen in other titles.The new titles include, “Dial H for Hero”, “Batman Incorporated” “Earth 2”, “Worlds Greatest” “GI Combat” and “Ravagers”.
“Dial H for Hero” is about a magic phone that grants its users super powers when they dial ”hero.” “Ravagers” is a spin off of “Superboy” and “Teen Titans” involving the rogue agents from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. “Batman Incorporated” pits the Batmen from around the world against Talia al Ghul and her forces with Damian Wayne in the middle of it.
“Earth 2” is the new JSA title done by the prolific James Robinson and artist Nicola Scott.
“World’s Greatest” is the story of Earth 2’s Power Girl and Huntress stuck on our Earth. And finally “GI Combat” deals with the war time forgot.
Obviously there will be readers disappointed with some of these cancellations and I admit I’m not too thrilled about losing Static Shock. Another thing that catches my and possibly the attention of others is that they are introducing a revamped Earth 2 and a revamped JSA that should be interesting. Another interesting choice making Power Girl and Huntress Earth 2 characters I’d like to see how that plays out. DC has been doing great things(new logo excluded) and it seems it will continue with this new wave .
From Film to Panel: “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
by Darryll “YTC” Carter
Stieg Larsson fans rejoice. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is being redone again… But for a different medium; the graphic novel. The book is being published by DC Entertainment and has already been given a creative team.
Denise Mina will be scripting the book. Lee Bermejo is doing the cover, while Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti are on ink and pencils. Each member of the creative team has worked on a Vertigo (DC’s grittier label) graphic novel . Mina, Manco and Bermejo all worked on Hellblazer.
Karen Berger, executive editor of Vertigo had this to say about the creative team; “We’re thrilled to be adapting this incredible story into a series of graphic novels. Denise, Lee, Leonardo and Andrea have such great passion for the material and stylistically they’re a perfect match to bring it to comics life. Their beautifully dark and visceral work will certainly blow us all away.”
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a part of Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy. In the United States
Video of the Week
J1 Studios makes our Video of the week!
EDITORIAL
New Logo for DC
By Hector Ramirez
As most fans know DC comics has changed their logo just a few years ago from the classic 4 stars in a circle around the DC to the current single star shooting around the DC. Well apparently DC has decided that it’s time for another change and I for one couldn’t agree less. The new logo will have a very plain D being peeled off of a very plain C. This is one of the most foolish decisions in marketing history. What gave them the idea that this logo needed changing the current logo is iconic. The new one sucks .
For more of EZ Rider, go here:
One of the few Tokusatsu Reviews I know. Great guy with a good set of reviews, a few countdowns and some specials. Tokusatsu is special effects in japanese but it is what the genre of live action stuff like Power Rangers and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight are based off of. Toku Time or Reviewtopia: Toku Time is where you can find him.
It's the new, BRAND NEW, Super Mario Dubstep Album. Listen as your favorite music from Super Mario has been transformed into remixes. The album is so addicting, you will feel like you're an addict!
GREEN MUSHROOMS & SUPERSTARS
From J1's own Shinigami (Ray Riley) & Forafire (Forrest Shamlian). FREE TO DOWNLOAD! NOW!
And don't for get the recently released Sonic Remix Album, SPIN DASH AUDIO is also available now.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
THE REPLACEMENTS # 1
The Replacements!by Darryl "YTC" Carter
Birds of Prey Edition
Hey there Clashers! Here’s something we hope you’ll really like. A few days ago, the lot of us over here at CBC began thinking. (Startling, I know.) What if the members of a comic book team were decommissioned (due to any reason imaginable) and forced to recruit from other continuums and continuities?
You get the Replacements! This is our new segment where we take an existing comic book team and replace its members with suitable counterparts from other mediums. This week we are starting things off with Birds of Prey and substituting them with video game characters.
The following is the cast of Birds of Prey pre-New 52. We will get to the NEW 52 Birds of Prey eventually.
Oracle First Appearance: Detective Comics #359  | Cortana Halo Series  |
Barbara Gordon, leader of the Birds, is a tech wizard, adept strategist and high level martial artist. Her guidance and intelligence are the cogs and gears of the teams operations. Once an active member in the field, since her paralysis Barbara issues commands and provides support through her tech and planning. | Cortana is a viable replacement for Oracle. She posses the technology and skills to assist the Birds in their daily operations. She can simultaneous manage several programs and cyber operations and processes at a speed no human can muster. She lacks Barbara’s fighting knowledge and strategic ability, but being an AI gives her the capacity to learn at an accelerated pace. With the ability to hack and decipher ancient alien technology to boot, Cortana may be overflowing Barbara’s shoes. |
Black Canary First Appearance: Justice League of America #220 (Nov ’83)  | Tifa Lockhart Final Fantasy VII Series  |
Dinah Laurel Lance is a master martial artist equipped with an earsplitting sonic scream. She has fought the best fighter on the planet, Lady Shiva and lived. Capable of snapping a man’s bones in multiple locations in seconds, Dinah is a formidable opponent. | Tifa Lockhart is the substitute for Black Canary. Tifa is an adept fighter. She jumps off walls and does somersault kicks for breakfast. Tifa lacks Dinah’s technical fighting ability, but makes up for it with raw force and an unlimited arsenal of materia to choose from. Who needs a sonic scream when you can wield every element at your fingertips? Psshaw… Just call on Knights of the Round. |
Huntress First Appearance: Huntress #1 (Apr ’89) | Nina Williams Tekken Series  |
Helena Bertinelli is cold blooded. She will kill you if she has to and she has the martial training to do it. She’s trained in various weapons, but often favors the crossbow. Helena has been known to cross the line 9 out of 10 times, but she is bound to her friends and will do anything to get them home safe and accomplish her goals. | Nina Williams is a trained assassin and adept martial artist. She’s ruthless and goal oriented just like Huntress. Nina is a systematic, skeletal dissector in combat, trained with her hands and firearms. If Nina’s put a target on your back, watch out. Frankly, I think she’s the best match on our list. |
Lady Blackhawk First Appearance: Blackhawk #133 (Feb ’59)  | Jill Valentine Resident Evil Series  |
Zinda Blake is feisty, beautiful and great in a bar fight. She is a member of the legendary Blackhawks, an expert pilot and adept marksman. Zinda finds her place as the Birds’ wheelman. | Jill Valentine is stepping in for Zinda. Jill is a top level operative, hardened by mankind’s war on Umbrella Corp. and biological weapons. She lacks Zinda’s zesty personality and piloting ability, but Jill’s tenacity and determination make her more than applicable. Her connections in the BSAA can provide vehicles and adept drivers. Besides, not every non metahuman can take out a Tyrant with a Beretta and a combat knife. |
Hawk & Dove Hank’s First Appearance: Showcase #75 (June ’68) Dawn’s First Appearance: Hawk and Dove Vol. 2 #1 (Oct ’88)  | Ryu and Chun Li Street Fighter Series |
Hank Hall and Dawn Granger are the current faces of Hawk and Dove. Hank is an anger and testosterone driven powerhouse, while Dawn is gracefully agile and a voice of reason. Essentially, these two are War and Peace. | Ryu is by no means a Hawk doppelganger. He is calm, cool and collective. Ryu relies on his training and peace of mind to defeat his foes. In fact, Ryu could just as easily be Dove. But for color (red, white) and gender parallels we cast him as Hawk’s replacement. It’s a definite improvement if you ask me. Chun Li is the perfect mesh of power and grace. Like Dawn, Chun Li would rather find the peaceful solution to a dispute rather than resort to her more than capable kicks. With the power of the Hadoken and Kikoken at their wrist, this duo outshines the first string. |
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
NEWS EDITION #2 - THE MIGHTY, UDON's MEGAMAN &STREET FIGHTER HARDCOVERS, NILES' 30 DAYS ONGOING And ENNIS' STITCHED
Welcome again to CBC's NEWS EDITION! Here, J1 gives you the news that you need for your comic book addiction.
FEAR ITSELF: THE WORTHY VS . . .THE MIGHTY!
As we all know, Marvel's current event, Fear Itself has already been gaining a lot of press with its globe shaking attacks and the death of Bucky Barnes, the current Captain America. The Worthy, composed of villains and Heroes of the Marvel Universe, are the lead Generals of the evil Asgardian God of Fear's army. Sin (aka the new Red Skull), Juggernaut, Absorbing Man, Titania, Attuma, Grey Gargoyle, the Hulk and the Thing. (Yes . . . Bruce Banner and Ben Grimm fell under the sway of the power of the Serpent, the Asgardian God of Fear).
And while Odin is making Asgard a war machine to purge the Earth, a new group is coming in to stop the Serpent and his Worthy. Look at the first teaser of THE MIGHTY . . .
The Mighty are slated to make their debut in Fear Itself #6 . . .
Okay folks. Some of these are REALLY apparrent while others are not. So let's do with some interesting guesses shall we:
EDITORIAL GUESSES ON THE MIGHTY:
Let's go with the easy ones that are apparent: Ms. Marvel with that BIG AXE, Iron Fist, Hawkeye
Not so apparent: The one on the far right is probably Spiderman, the one with his legs out is probably Wolverine, the one coat and holding a staff is probably Stephen Strange, the one in the middle is either Iron Man, War Machine or Pepper Pots aka Rescue.
Leaving the last two, which seem to be females . . . that are NOT apparent either. The One with a large sword could possibly be a She- Hulk or a taller woman .. . but if its not a girl, which I am pretty sure it is, that opens the door to a LOT of possibilities. Same with the woman between Wolverine (?) and Hawkeye. Spiderwoman? Mockingbird? Jessica Jones - Cage? (which I am hoping for)
Either way we are looking at it, we will see what the Mighty can do against the Worthy coming Fear Itself #6 & #7. Plus, just note that Brian Michael Bendis, who is writing both Avengers and New Avengers, has stated that there would be some MAJOR roster shake ups for both groups and we may be looking at the beginning of it here. Find out this September. Fear Itself is written by Matt Fraction with art by Stuart Immonen from Marvel Comics.
AVENGERS 1959 BY CLAYKIN COMING THIS OCTOBER
With the recent success of the storyline in New Avengers issues #9-13, iconic comic book creator Howard Claykin is gearing up to give us more of the Avengers Intitiative team he created alongside Brian Michael Bendis. The 5 issue mini series will be written and drawn by Claykin himself, featuring Nick Fury's Avengers team he formed during the aforementioned storyline which includes: Dum Dum Dugan, Kraven the Hunter, Namora, Silver Sable's father, Mr. Amos Forture, Bloodstone, Sabertooth and Fury himself.
For the new miniseries, Claykin stated that it will pick up where the New Avengers storyline left off and that there will be some changes in the line up.
CLAYKIN
Yes. I opted to lose Bloodstone and Silver Sable, because I felt that they were a bit redundant to what we were doing. We needed something a little more different. I added the Blonde Phantom, who I've always wanted to use. The rest remains the same.
The Blonde Phantom is a character from the 40's who is "a gun toting hot babe". As she rounds out the team, they will face an overt threat and a more hidden threat during the miniseries, says Claykin and promises to add on to the relationships and interactions first forged during the storyline. Look for Avengers 1959 # 1 to hit stores this October.
DIDIO WANTS 80 TITLES, DC'S SECOND WAVE?
With 52 # 1s slated for September, there have been characters missing. And with the missing characters, there have also been missing creators. DC recently shed some light on that mystery, revealing that there will be more titles to come. Didio stated that he wanted to have up to 80 titles coming out monthly, that includes the titles from Vertigo and the kiddy books; which leaves some room for possibilities.
Yet there has been some confirmations. Batman Beyond will return with a new ongoing, written by Adam Beechem. Whether Ryan Benjamin will return to pencil is anyone's guess but Batman Beyond will be leading the pack alongside Superman Beyond & Justice League Beyond.
Also confirmed to come out in October:
Penguin: Pain and Prejudice #1 by Gregg Hurwitz and Simon Kudranski
The Huntress # 1 by Paul Levitz, Marcus To and John Dell.
A few other possibilities have not been fully hammered down but there was some confirmations on projects: James Robinson has already written several issues of a new series, which we believe to be the new Shade series; A new Batman Odesssey by Neal Adams, My Greatest Adventure from Kevin Maguire, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents by Nick Spencer. Plus Nicola Scott, Amanda Conner, Scott Kollins and Phil Jimenez all have projects set to debut soon, but without release dates and confirmations of what they are . . . YET. With San Diego Comic Con around the corner, we will definitely see what the future holds. And promises of Batman Incorporated will hit in 2012.
Didio went on record during a tour stop a couple weeks ago in Dallas stating that he wants 80 titles and if a title is doing bad, they will NOT hesitate to cut it. This is all turning into one huge gamble. More on these upcoming titles in weeks to come.
UDON UNLEASHES 3 NEW BOOKS DURING COMIC CON!
First is a Megaman Tribute Hardcover featuring over 300 images celebrating the fighting robot himself, Megaman.The full color art book will feature not only pictures of Megaman but also Megaman X, Megaman Legends, Mega Man Zero and more in nearly various art styles that can be imagined. At the con, there will be a limited edition Hardcover which will also feature a Megaman Manga by Hitoshi Ariga, who also gave art for the tribute book.
Some of the artists in the hardcover tribute book also include Sanford Greene, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway and more. It is going for $ 80.00.
The second book is a Street Fighter Legends Ulitmate Edition Hardcover, featuring the entire Street Fighter Legends series as well as the Ibuki, Sakura and Chun-Li comic series. There is also appearances from your Street Fighter favorites such as Ryu, Ken, M. Bison, Elena, Sagat, Karin, Dan and more. The hardcover is going for $80.00
Finally, we have UDON's original graphic novel collected in hardcover named Randomveus. Randomveus follows the adventures of Raimundo and the One-Dimensional Couriers in the fantastic and wild world known as Randomvenus. What is so wild about it? Well, Robot gorillas, Octopus ninjas, samurai mushrooms and more fill this world, created, written and drawn by Jeffery "Chumba" Cruz. This hardcover is going for $30.00.
All three will have limited copies and artists from UDON will be available for signings during the Comic Con. Those artists in the UDON Entertainment booth include:
Joe Bluhm (Mega Man Tribute), Jo Chen (Street Fighter Legends, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz (RandomVeus), Andrew Dickman (Mega Man Tribute), Omar Dogan (Street Fighter Legends), Sean “Cheeks” Galloway (Mega Man Tribute), Sanford Greene (Mega Man Tribute), Alvin Lee (Street Fighter Legends, Hatsune Miku), Matt Moylan (Mega Man Tribute), Joe Ng (Street Fighter), Ryan Odagawa (Mega Man Tribute), Arnold Tsang (Street Fighter), Eric Vedder (Darkstalkers), Long Vo (Street Fighter, Inception), Adam Warren (Street Fighter Legends, Empowered), Jim Zub (Mega Man Tribute).
NILES TO RETURN FOR IDW'S 30 DAYS OF NIGHT ONGOING
Co-creator and writer Steve Niles has recently stated that he is coming back to the 30 Days of Night franchise to pen the new ongoing from IDW. Niles admitted for wanting to come back to his old stomping grounds for a while and IDW has him for the launch of the new ongoing; which shifts from Barrow, Alaska to Los Angelus, the City of Angels himself. And the artist going for the ride is legendary artist Sam Kieth.
“I've been wanting to get back into the 30 Days of Night universe and shake things up for awhile now. I've just been waiting for the right moment, and the right artist. I have the right artist in Sam Kieth and the time is now.”
Sam Kieth has gotten his feet familiar with the 30 Days of Night universe with his recent miniseries with prolific horror legend Joe R. Lansdale, also published by IDW. The ongoing opens with a curious women getting cryptic warning that leads to desires . . . and possibly her demise in Barrow, Alaska. Meanwhile, in LA, the wheels of what could be the end of mankind start to turn with the resurrection of a vampire.
30 Days of Night #1 by Steve Niles and Sam Kieth will hit stores in October for $3.99.
ENNIS TO PREMIERE 'STITCHED' AT COMIC CON
Garth Ennis is around a LOT these days. He's writing The Boys over in Dynamite. He's writing Crossed, the gory yet entertaining series over in Avatar Press. And now, he unleashes his film vision to the world at San Diego Comic Con. The World Premiere of Ennis's Stitched will be seen during the con, followed by a full panel with Ennis, the cast and producers of Stitched. It will feature a Q& A session as well as the first look at the Stitched ongoing, penned by Ennis.
The 15 minute film follows three American soldiers after a helicopter crash in Afganastan in which they trek through mountains in Taiban territory to find not terrorists . . . but ancient supernatural beings working for a present day evil.
Stitched # 1 written by Ennis with art by Mike Wolfer will be released with Stitched DVD come this November nationwide.
J1 AN-EX #1 COMING SOON
The J1 Culture Force is having their 1st official J1 An-Ex (Anime Experience)!!
You remember us from our Anime Events, but since we are growing/changing I figured we should get a new name as well.
It’s going to be at the Hawthorne Recreation Center (in Philadelphia, PA) on 12th and Carpenter St., which is six blocks down from South St. and two blocks East of Broad St. (near where CAPA and McDonald's are located)
$2 AT THE DOOR (free for children under 12).
$5 FOR TABLES (if you wanted to sell anything). Limited tables (1st come 1st served).
Things to expect:
-Anime to watch
-Snacks
-Trivia
-Commissioned artists
-Accessories/Jewelry for sale
-Gaming
-3DS Streetpass Meeting
-Card battles are welcome (Yugi-Oh, Naruto, Pokemon and Magic)
-Cosplay contest
-$2 Raffle
-PSP and DS players are welcome
-BETA TESTING A CARD GAME BEING REMADE!!!!
-Comic books, graphic novels and manga for sale
Hopefully we'll see you there!
EMAIL J.RICHARDSON@J1STUDIOS.COM
Don't forget to visit this and more J1 Studios and Comic Book Clash Content at www.j1studios.com
We also encourage anyone who wants to place an ad with us, feel free to email me at francisco.k.rodriguez@gmail.com.
Till Then, See you all Next Week
FEAR ITSELF: THE WORTHY VS . . .THE MIGHTY!
As we all know, Marvel's current event, Fear Itself has already been gaining a lot of press with its globe shaking attacks and the death of Bucky Barnes, the current Captain America. The Worthy, composed of villains and Heroes of the Marvel Universe, are the lead Generals of the evil Asgardian God of Fear's army. Sin (aka the new Red Skull), Juggernaut, Absorbing Man, Titania, Attuma, Grey Gargoyle, the Hulk and the Thing. (Yes . . . Bruce Banner and Ben Grimm fell under the sway of the power of the Serpent, the Asgardian God of Fear).
And while Odin is making Asgard a war machine to purge the Earth, a new group is coming in to stop the Serpent and his Worthy. Look at the first teaser of THE MIGHTY . . .The Mighty are slated to make their debut in Fear Itself #6 . . .
Okay folks. Some of these are REALLY apparrent while others are not. So let's do with some interesting guesses shall we:
EDITORIAL GUESSES ON THE MIGHTY:
Let's go with the easy ones that are apparent: Ms. Marvel with that BIG AXE, Iron Fist, Hawkeye
Not so apparent: The one on the far right is probably Spiderman, the one with his legs out is probably Wolverine, the one coat and holding a staff is probably Stephen Strange, the one in the middle is either Iron Man, War Machine or Pepper Pots aka Rescue.
Leaving the last two, which seem to be females . . . that are NOT apparent either. The One with a large sword could possibly be a She- Hulk or a taller woman .. . but if its not a girl, which I am pretty sure it is, that opens the door to a LOT of possibilities. Same with the woman between Wolverine (?) and Hawkeye. Spiderwoman? Mockingbird? Jessica Jones - Cage? (which I am hoping for)
Either way we are looking at it, we will see what the Mighty can do against the Worthy coming Fear Itself #6 & #7. Plus, just note that Brian Michael Bendis, who is writing both Avengers and New Avengers, has stated that there would be some MAJOR roster shake ups for both groups and we may be looking at the beginning of it here. Find out this September. Fear Itself is written by Matt Fraction with art by Stuart Immonen from Marvel Comics.
AVENGERS 1959 BY CLAYKIN COMING THIS OCTOBER
With the recent success of the storyline in New Avengers issues #9-13, iconic comic book creator Howard Claykin is gearing up to give us more of the Avengers Intitiative team he created alongside Brian Michael Bendis. The 5 issue mini series will be written and drawn by Claykin himself, featuring Nick Fury's Avengers team he formed during the aforementioned storyline which includes: Dum Dum Dugan, Kraven the Hunter, Namora, Silver Sable's father, Mr. Amos Forture, Bloodstone, Sabertooth and Fury himself.For the new miniseries, Claykin stated that it will pick up where the New Avengers storyline left off and that there will be some changes in the line up.
CLAYKIN
Yes. I opted to lose Bloodstone and Silver Sable, because I felt that they were a bit redundant to what we were doing. We needed something a little more different. I added the Blonde Phantom, who I've always wanted to use. The rest remains the same.
The Blonde Phantom is a character from the 40's who is "a gun toting hot babe". As she rounds out the team, they will face an overt threat and a more hidden threat during the miniseries, says Claykin and promises to add on to the relationships and interactions first forged during the storyline. Look for Avengers 1959 # 1 to hit stores this October.
DIDIO WANTS 80 TITLES, DC'S SECOND WAVE?
With 52 # 1s slated for September, there have been characters missing. And with the missing characters, there have also been missing creators. DC recently shed some light on that mystery, revealing that there will be more titles to come. Didio stated that he wanted to have up to 80 titles coming out monthly, that includes the titles from Vertigo and the kiddy books; which leaves some room for possibilities.
Yet there has been some confirmations. Batman Beyond will return with a new ongoing, written by Adam Beechem. Whether Ryan Benjamin will return to pencil is anyone's guess but Batman Beyond will be leading the pack alongside Superman Beyond & Justice League Beyond.
Also confirmed to come out in October:
Penguin: Pain and Prejudice #1 by Gregg Hurwitz and Simon Kudranski
The Huntress # 1 by Paul Levitz, Marcus To and John Dell.
A few other possibilities have not been fully hammered down but there was some confirmations on projects: James Robinson has already written several issues of a new series, which we believe to be the new Shade series; A new Batman Odesssey by Neal Adams, My Greatest Adventure from Kevin Maguire, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents by Nick Spencer. Plus Nicola Scott, Amanda Conner, Scott Kollins and Phil Jimenez all have projects set to debut soon, but without release dates and confirmations of what they are . . . YET. With San Diego Comic Con around the corner, we will definitely see what the future holds. And promises of Batman Incorporated will hit in 2012.
Didio went on record during a tour stop a couple weeks ago in Dallas stating that he wants 80 titles and if a title is doing bad, they will NOT hesitate to cut it. This is all turning into one huge gamble. More on these upcoming titles in weeks to come.
UDON UNLEASHES 3 NEW BOOKS DURING COMIC CON!
First is a Megaman Tribute Hardcover featuring over 300 images celebrating the fighting robot himself, Megaman.The full color art book will feature not only pictures of Megaman but also Megaman X, Megaman Legends, Mega Man Zero and more in nearly various art styles that can be imagined. At the con, there will be a limited edition Hardcover which will also feature a Megaman Manga by Hitoshi Ariga, who also gave art for the tribute book.Some of the artists in the hardcover tribute book also include Sanford Greene, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway and more. It is going for $ 80.00.
The second book is a Street Fighter Legends Ulitmate Edition Hardcover, featuring the entire Street Fighter Legends series as well as the Ibuki, Sakura and Chun-Li comic series. There is also appearances from your Street Fighter favorites such as Ryu, Ken, M. Bison, Elena, Sagat, Karin, Dan and more. The hardcover is going for $80.00
All three will have limited copies and artists from UDON will be available for signings during the Comic Con. Those artists in the UDON Entertainment booth include:
Joe Bluhm (Mega Man Tribute), Jo Chen (Street Fighter Legends, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz (RandomVeus), Andrew Dickman (Mega Man Tribute), Omar Dogan (Street Fighter Legends), Sean “Cheeks” Galloway (Mega Man Tribute), Sanford Greene (Mega Man Tribute), Alvin Lee (Street Fighter Legends, Hatsune Miku), Matt Moylan (Mega Man Tribute), Joe Ng (Street Fighter), Ryan Odagawa (Mega Man Tribute), Arnold Tsang (Street Fighter), Eric Vedder (Darkstalkers), Long Vo (Street Fighter, Inception), Adam Warren (Street Fighter Legends, Empowered), Jim Zub (Mega Man Tribute).
NILES TO RETURN FOR IDW'S 30 DAYS OF NIGHT ONGOING
Co-creator and writer Steve Niles has recently stated that he is coming back to the 30 Days of Night franchise to pen the new ongoing from IDW. Niles admitted for wanting to come back to his old stomping grounds for a while and IDW has him for the launch of the new ongoing; which shifts from Barrow, Alaska to Los Angelus, the City of Angels himself. And the artist going for the ride is legendary artist Sam Kieth.
“I've been wanting to get back into the 30 Days of Night universe and shake things up for awhile now. I've just been waiting for the right moment, and the right artist. I have the right artist in Sam Kieth and the time is now.”
30 Days of Night #1 by Steve Niles and Sam Kieth will hit stores in October for $3.99.
ENNIS TO PREMIERE 'STITCHED' AT COMIC CON
Garth Ennis is around a LOT these days. He's writing The Boys over in Dynamite. He's writing Crossed, the gory yet entertaining series over in Avatar Press. And now, he unleashes his film vision to the world at San Diego Comic Con. The World Premiere of Ennis's Stitched will be seen during the con, followed by a full panel with Ennis, the cast and producers of Stitched. It will feature a Q& A session as well as the first look at the Stitched ongoing, penned by Ennis.The 15 minute film follows three American soldiers after a helicopter crash in Afganastan in which they trek through mountains in Taiban territory to find not terrorists . . . but ancient supernatural beings working for a present day evil.
Stitched # 1 written by Ennis with art by Mike Wolfer will be released with Stitched DVD come this November nationwide.
J1 AN-EX #1 COMING SOON
The J1 Culture Force is having their 1st official J1 An-Ex (Anime Experience)!!
You remember us from our Anime Events, but since we are growing/changing I figured we should get a new name as well.
It’s going to be at the Hawthorne Recreation Center (in Philadelphia, PA) on 12th and Carpenter St., which is six blocks down from South St. and two blocks East of Broad St. (near where CAPA and McDonald's are located)
$2 AT THE DOOR (free for children under 12).
$5 FOR TABLES (if you wanted to sell anything). Limited tables (1st come 1st served).
Things to expect:
-Anime to watch
-Snacks
-Trivia
-Commissioned artists
-Accessories/Jewelry for sale
-Gaming
-3DS Streetpass Meeting
-Card battles are welcome (Yugi-Oh, Naruto, Pokemon and Magic)
-Cosplay contest
-$2 Raffle
-PSP and DS players are welcome
-BETA TESTING A CARD GAME BEING REMADE!!!!
-Comic books, graphic novels and manga for sale
Hopefully we'll see you there!
EMAIL J.RICHARDSON@J1STUDIOS.COM
Don't forget to visit this and more J1 Studios and Comic Book Clash Content at www.j1studios.com
We also encourage anyone who wants to place an ad with us, feel free to email me at francisco.k.rodriguez@gmail.com.
Till Then, See you all Next Week
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
#6 BIRDS OF PREY (#1-6) Endrun & Two Nights In Bangkok
Hello again Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the second part of our current bout: X-Factor vs. Birds of Prey. The latest volume of the group of mostly femme fatale will not face off against the collective of socially aware mutant detectives. We saw how X-Factor did (And if not, shame on you and look). Now we are off to deal with those lovely little birds, The Birds of Prey.
VS.
TALE OF THE TAPE
This is what I will be calling background and history behind a comic. Now, Birds of Prey started as a one shot called Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey back in 1996. The two starred in an adventure that began the lost partnership and friendship between the two DC female icons. After that and a few more stories and writers, Gail Simone took over and added Huntress to the mix, to kind of balance out the other two characters, according to Simone. The following is quote from an interview years ago that was posted again in Wikipedia:
Babs and Dinah respect each other tremendously, and each is capable of great things the other is not. Dinah's not just Oracle's legs, sometimes, she's her conscience, or her muse, or just her best friend. And Oracle is far more to Dinah than just the mission controller. They trust each other, and out of that, there's a friendship that they believe in. Huntress... I see Helena as someone who is not a loner completely by choice. Dinah is so accepting, and so open, that Helena sees an opportunity to be part of something without having to force her way in. There's friction, because once Helena puts the mask on, she's really not very good fitting in. But she likes that they're giving her a chance. Whether she blows it or not, you'll have to keep reading."[
For a while, it was those three being the main Birds of Prey, which was basically Charles Angel's but probably hotter and with a female Charlie in a wheelchair who was the best hacker and intel gathering on the planet. Lady Blackhawk joined the group shortly after and the real core was cemented in the Birds of Prey. They had fought alongside each other during the first ongoing books run. Even after Black Canary left the Birds, Huntress, Oracle and Lady Blackhawk stayed on the team. Other former Birds of Prey included the following: Big Barda, Misfit, Vixen, Hawkgirl, Jade Canary (who is actually Lady Shiva, the world's best and deadliest martial arts and she WILL be mentioned later), Manhunter, Gypsy, Power Girl, Vixen, Infinity and Black Alice. Different writers also came and went including Terry Moore, Tony Bedard and Sean McKeever.
Time passed and the Birds disbanded but Oracle was still very much helping heroes throughout the entire superhero community. So much so that she became the chief intel and go to girl in the DC Universe when it came to find out info on any villain or situation. Now fast forward to last year where Gail Simone and Ed Benes are charged with bringing the birds back. Which takes us to the beginning of out story.
CLASH REPORT
The first issue of the latest Birds of Prey series opens with Black Canary going to meet with some kidnappers out in the snow of Iceland. These kidnappers have taken a little girl and Black Canary is not happy about it at all. And while there is a little mention of some of Black Canary (Dinah Lance's) troubles, her inner narrative gives us a view of a woman who is not in the mood for any crap but she will do her best not to endanger the girl. While the henchmen are native Icelanders, the chief terrorist is American named Gregory Chasco and the little girl is a daughter of a diplomat. Chasco's demands were simple: 1. For the little girl's parents to apologize for warmonger in a different country by super-powered soldiers and 2. to kill themselves like political prisoners on live tv around the world. Wow. What happened to money?
Black Canary notices the girl is having issues as she turns to some of the men, giving a bird signal. Suddenly, Lady Blackhawk flies in with a large helicopter, guns ablazing. Black Canary takes the opportunity to use her hand to hand skills, being considered one of the best martial artists in the world, and takes down Chasco. Yet the noise of their fight causes the glacier that they are on to collapse. Black Canary takes the girl in her arms and jumps into the heliocopter after telling Lady Blackhawk to come back. Chasco tries to shoot the girl only to plunge down to the ground below while Black Canary successfully saves the little girl. Chasco ends up hurt but goes to jail, alive and should recover.
Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk return the girl to her parents in a US embassy on Iceland when they get a call from Oracle. Oracle tells them it is urgent and to come right away. Oracle, currently working out of the abandoned Batcave, then radios in Huntress while she is beating up on some thugs. Huntress agrees to come once she deals with the thugs. Then we see how the newly resurrected Hawk is doing with Dove, beating up a gang of thugs who like to dress up as cheerleaders. So that is what happened to the Spirit Squad? Hmm . . . Anyway, Hawk and Dove make quick work of the cheerleaders but not before Hawk holds out one of the gangbanging cheerleaders (seriously, paradox much) over a ledge for a minute. Hawk throws her back in and then proclaims that he was brought back cause " God Wants a Soldier."
Two hours pass and Hawk, aka Hank Hall and Dove, aka Dawn Granger made their way to a bar where Hank is getting drunk while listening to another man talk about people having ethics and the good ole days. Hank decides to be emo, pointing out that he is just there to drink and says while he and the bartender had sex, they don't know shit about him. Dawn sits with her soda at the bar when she is joined by Lady Blackhawk, who orders two shots and asks if Dawn is dating Hank. Dawn answers no but that she is responsible for him. Hank storms out all emo and Lady Blackhawk asks Dawn if he's "fancy." LOL
The 3 original members reunite on a rooftop in Gotham as narrative from Black Canary shows a touch warmer side to one of the deadliest women on Earth. Actually with narrative stating that she wants to cry but does not gives in is a good touch as the three take a moment to take in the moment.After a brief exchange, the ladies get down to business. Oracle aka Barbara Gordon (former Batgirl and daughter to Commissoner Jim Gordon) reveals that a blackmailer gave Oracle some files that had nearly anything and everything you wanted to know about super heroes and super villains and threatened to release them unless the Birds of Prey specifically stop them. And while Black Canary and Huntress try to brush it off as a hoax at first, when Oracle shows them how complete the files are, which include the addresses of every student that Huntress has had for the past five years and every single person that Black Canary loves, these women decide to go on the hunt. Yet, before they can leave, they find a signal in the sky. Yet this one is not of a bat but of a head of a bird instead. Black Canary and Huntress give chase as Barbara goes back to the Batcave to give them help. Huntress and Black Canary arrive in an alley to see the Penguin, yes the Penguin, threatening the person responsible for the light. We find that it is a girl and Black Canary and Huntress arrive to face her. Within a few seconds, Huntress shoots and arrow and Black Canary goes in for an attack. The mystery woman then catches the arrow, kicks Black Canary aside, cuts Huntress with a weapon of her own and stabs Penguin with the captured arrow. The woman stands revealed as it is a new masked villainess calling herself the White Canary.
White Canary fights both Black Canary and Huntress, holding her own through several blows only to look pissed off, which Black Canary notes. Suddenly, the calvary arrives in the form of Lady Blackhawk, Dove and Hawk. Hawk goes in, saying he wants to take the White Canary on his own while Dove helps the injured Penguin. White Canary, who is NOT super human, is able to cut the super human Hawk in his chest then side step him so he can hit a wall. WOW. THIS CHICK IS BADASS! During the fight, Oracle monitors it and several other reports as she suddenly is frightened to hear that Chasco had suddenly died and that his family wanted to sue Black Canary, stating that she did some kind of special delayed death touch thing on him. Wait. WHAT?! The same report says that they are looking for the Birds now in the streets of Gotham. Oracle tells the girls to fall back as suddenly, police helicopters shine lights on the Birds and the White Canary. Oracle then reveals that it is a set up as more police are headed this way. Black Canary accuses White Canary of the set up and the new villainess merely states that one of them will die every hour for the next six hours and they can choose or she will then retreats. The cops pull out guns to arrest the Birds and the Birds fight their way out; technically becoming criminals.
Black Canary calls for a retreat as Oracle watches another report stating Black Canary's connection to Green Arrow, who recently was acquitted of murder and former Mayor of Star City. Before Oracle can say more, a former enemy turned ally, Creote had contacted her, beaten. After he tells her that Savant, another enemy turned friend, had died, Creote proceeds to shoot himself. Oracle takes a moment to get over what she just seen, the Birds follow Penguin's suggestion to hide in his club. As they run, Black Canary's secret identity is announced on the Nightly News, distressing out heroine. White Canary watches while Oracle decides that her grid and info was used against her for the last time and that this means war. FOR SPARTA!!! Oh wait. Wrong book.
During a fever dream, Penguin imagines the Birds, except for Hawk, slowly undress themselves. Dove kindly attends to him while the other Birds are grossed out as Penguin is verbalizing his fantasy. Hawk keeps guard. As they keep watch, the Birds try to figure out who is working along with White Canary to pull all this off. And then things get burry for me . . . for a bit. You see, my copy of Birds of Prey has pages of a Batgirl issue in the middle of it that don't concide with the story. Come to find out, White Canary is back to keep her promise and slices up Hawk, who is seemingly dead after the attack. Meanwhile, Oracle was knocked out then woke up in the arms of the man who just shot himself . . . in the head. Yes, Creote and Savant are both alive and are behind the files that White Canary forced them to issue to start this game alongside a third party. So yes! Two guys just infiltrated the Bat Cave. And honestly, I actually believe it.
We come to find out that Savant was captured and tortured for two days straight. Problem is, Savant, who is almost as smart as Oracle and just as good as a hacker, has a rare mental disorder which has the person have no real concept of time. So Savant is basically relieving the torture again, day after day, year after year. Meanwhile, Black Canary and Huntress have a heart to heart as Dinah decides to take on White Canary on her own. Huntress says to kill her so that this all ends. Huntress, Dove and Lady Blackhawk run off to get Hawk and Penguin to a hospital while Black Canary goes to face off During the beginning of their battle, White Canary hints that the others are in danger by her other partner . . .The Penguin.
Savant and Creote take Oracle, wheelchair and all, to the edge of a cliff. Savant screams that she abandoned him. That the Birds abandoned him. That he was tortured for knowing Oracle. Oracle tries to apologize as Savant reveals that he does not want to kill her and he walks off the cliff. Oracle launches herself from her wheelchair with her upper body strength and catches an arm of Savant. She screams Creote to help her. Creote relents and helps Oracle to bring up Savant. Savant asks why he would help Oracle and not let him die. Creote answers that he loves Savant. AWWWWWW . . .
Meanwhile, Penguin attacks, striking Lady Blackhawk with a serious wound. Penguin reveals himself to be the mastermind, stating he will soon have the files and become the King of the World. Huntress threatens him but Penguin stands tall till she states that why doesn't he have the files yet. As Penguin has a battle with doubt and scared of the White Canary, Dove, after a heartfelt talk with Hank that made her promise to make sure if he died again to not get resurrected, punches Penguin dead in the nose, breaking some teeth as she did.
Finally, Black Canary and White Canary duke it out as Black Canary realizes where she is from and some of who she is. Years ago, there was a group of martial artist known as the Brothers in Silk. The master of the Brothers of Silk had given birth to making children, making 12 of his sons the Brothers and killed any female children; which according to the master, he was not allowed to have girl. After the master orders the death of the baby girl who would be White Canary, she is struck dead by Lightning. Hmm . . . I didn't know Thor did drive bys. The master decided that something wanted the baby to live. The Brothers in Silk were ruthless assassins that were never defeated . . . till they met the Black Canary. Once they were defeated, they returned home. White Canary, finding this unacceptable, decided that she could not live with their shame. So she killed them. Yep. All 12 brothers. Killed by their baby sister. DAMN. Black Canary and White Canary battle in haste as the villainess brakes Dinah's wrist. Black Canary then takes the gloves off, using her Sonic Scream against White Canary and defeats the assassin. White Canary awakens as Black Canary has her cuffed and asks her if she killed Chasco, framing Black Canary. White Canary answers no and that it was Lady Shiva who killed him. And that if she wanted to see her adopted daughter, Sin, again, she would help her kill her. Thus ending Endrun. Onto Two Nights In Bangkok.
Two Nights in Bangkok opens with Oracle getting helped back to her wheelchair by Savant and Creote. She feels happy for them, according to narrative and promises to help Savant through his mental issues. Oracle checks in on the Birds, starting with Black Canary, who says she is beaten up and ends up leaving with White Canary. Black Canary apologies, saying she quits the Birds and good bye. Huntress talks with Oracle, who wants to kill Penguin but releases him at Oracle's request after she promises that the Birds will get Penguin back big time for this. Huntress then offers over communicator to go with Black Canary but Dinah says no, she loves her and then good bye. White Canary and Black Canary head to the airport where a jet is waiting for them. They fly to Bangkok. Meanwhile, Oracle, Savant and Creote go to a new site for Oracle's new base where they can stay on as staff. Back in the Hospital, Hank Hall dreams of the original Dove, his brother Donald Hall. Don says that it is not Hank's time yet. Hank says he's failed in his mission but Donald says no it is not. Hank says he only feels alive as Hawk; after that he wakes up in the hospital room. Hank asks what happened to his wounds but Dawn explains that they have already healed. Hank sees his room surrounded by flowers, which all but one are for Dawn. The one bouquet that is for him had a card that says "You Have a Purpose." . . .DEEP.
Huntress visits Lady Blackhawk(Zinda) and fills her in about Black Canary. Huntress explains that Penguin didn't hurt her as badly as he thought he did. Zinda gets to her feet, stating that Dinah didn't get permission from her to quit. The two arrive in Bangkok in post haste, Zinda raving about the food. As they enter a cab, they get attacked from behind by a woman one side and a guy on the other. Huntress and Lady Blackhawk fend off them and another group of attackers, students of the White Canary away but are starting to get overwhelmed when the fight is stopped by the appearance of Dinah . . . where a White Canary outfit and arm in a sling. She states that they are not welcomed here yet takes them back to White Canary's lair, which is a large temple that had been modernized.
Dinah explains that White Canary orchestrated most of what happened and forced her into challenging Lady Shiva in a death match or she'd kill Sin and Sin's foster parents. The woman that attacked Huntress offered to free them but Dinah rejects the offer, knowing that it would be the woman's death, as well as Sin's. Hank recovers and is ordered by Oracle to stand by and leave the others be. Hank agrees to it but Oracle tells Savant and Creote that she does not trust him. Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and Black Canary eat a meal which is to be Dinah's last meal then she is to challenge Shiva. Black Canary, still hurt, asks Huntress to do it on her behalf. Now, Simone gives us some great inner monologuing as readers are treated a little to Huntress's background growing up in a mob family. She knows about honor codes. Huntress goes over to Shiva, who is sitting with White Canary, talking for a moment. Shiva states she takes no joy in "her duty" and asks Huntress to do what honor demands. Huntress then decides to take a drink and splash it into Shiva's face, spitting the face of this match. She makes the challenge . . . only for it to be her in Dinah's stead. White Canary agrees to it and the deathmatch becomes Huntress vs. Shiva. Dinah is furious and Zinda is worried, stating that Helena (Huntress) has lost her mind. Helena merely tells them that no one really cares about her and for Zinda to get her outfit. After a quit prayer, it is Shiva vs. Huntress. As the death match goes on, the woman (Terry) and Dinah go to where Sin has been held captive and frees her. Dinah then has Terry take Sin. Dinah orders her to find the foster parents and hide them with Sin. Huntress and Shiva go at it as it looks at first that Huntress is clearly out much, letting blood fly. Huntress though proves to be stubborn and determined as she takes a moment to use her own blood to blind Shiva. Huntress gets Shiva off her feet, even after Shiva beats the hell out of her. Huntress promises that even if she goes down, Shiva will be heading to the hospital herself. Yet, before the match can continue, Dinah stops it. Dinah proclaims that she's freed White Canary's prisoners and that this match does not have to end here . . . as the death match never specifies when a person is gonna die. Shiva agrees and sides with the Birds, suggesting that White Canary to give up or face all of them. White Canary gives in but states that death will eventually come. Huntress falls down only to get helped up by Zinda and Lady Shiva; who is actually impressed by Huntress. Dinah hugs Helena and Helena goes on to say it is nice to have people who care, ending the 2 part Two Nights in Bangkok.
CLASH TACTICS
I am gonna do this like X-Factor. With that said, I will say artistically, this book suffers from the same issue X-Factor did; multiple artist working on the book. Yet, except for issue 1, there were at least 2 artists for each issue. And while artistically, that may be a hiccup for some people, this did NOT hurt the book at all. Seriously, the styles were noticeably different but not in the same terms as X-Factor.
Adriana Melo's style seemed the cartoonist of the three artist that worked on the issues. Yet, it conveyed emotion well, great job with proportions and really kept the Birds looking feminine yet powerful. Mariah Benes & J.P. Mayer's ink gave Melo's art that edge that seemed to help it blend it with the other two artists. And while I liked the art the least, it was still vibrate and enjoyable, not affecting the flow of the story at all.
Alvin Lee is up next, as he did pencils for issues #5 & 6 alongside Melo. His style was crisp and sharp. The women were stunning. The guys were very individualized and clearly seen. Kept with the grit and grimy street style that the Birds is known for. Jack Purcell did a great job inking his work. The action sequences were well illustrated and did a great job conveying whatever story or emotion that Simone wanted the readers to feel at the time. Mixed with Melo, it is different but still does not interrupt the flow of the story.
Finally, for Ed Benes. His work is as stunning as always. He inked his own work and did a wonderful job conveying emotions. His pictures were stunning. His inked this differently to make sure you had the mood of the street level that Birds of Prey is known for and he achieved this in spades. I think back to when he was pencilling Justice League of America where the scene where Roy Harper first becomes Red Arrow and shows Dinah the outfit. Benes work looked great then. Now, it is absolutely electrifying. His panels are a marvel and even with the other 2 artists, Benes shines enough to get noticed but still makes sure the issue flows well. Great storytelling Ed Benes.
Gail Simone comes back to one of the books that put her on the map with a vengeance. And while I know people who do not enjoy her martial arts style, the lack of named styles actually is a great idea on Simone's part. Why? This gives the reader the chance to really decide for themselves what kind of style does Black Canary, Huntress and other characters have. Getting readers more personally involved. Bravo, Gail Simone.
Bringing back the core that Simone built was great. And I love the fact that Gail does put the emotional spin on the resurrection of the Birds of Prey. Barbara's, Dinah's and Helena's reunion was one of the best scenes in the first issue. Not only did it set up the storyline, it really established the personal relationships these women have with each other, even with the changes their characters have endured since their separation. I personally applaud the fact that these women know each other well but still are very much in touch with who they are. Simone uses inner monologues very well to help move the story along and give us feelings that may not have been conveyed by the panels. She does not use the monologues to tell the story but to show feels, much like David did.
The additions of Hawk and Dove to the Birds of Prey are great choices. For Dove's innocence and calm demeanor will definitely work for and against her as we have already seen during the Birds altercation with Gotham's finest. Hawk is pretty much the alpha male who wants to show off but there is much more to it. Hawk knows that he is there for a mission. Hawk wants to help. Simone lets reader in on that through his scenes during the book. Zinda is still the spicy little woman from the past who seems to have adjusted to the present but still tough when she needs to be. Huntress started as this woman who cared about this group but still felt detached like no one should care about her. By the end of #6, she knows she has something to fight for and she will fight for the death for it. Black Canary had the most to deal with during the storyline yet still pushed herself to overcome. Although, kudos to Simone for Dinah to giving in a bit at the beginning of Two Nights in Bangkok. Oracle was truly smart yet open enough to feel and take responsibilty when the need arose. Simone only hinted at the changes this woman is gonna undertake and I am definitely looking forward to more.
Overall, the art was pleasant and really gave life and emotion to Gail Simone's story without any kind of disorientation. Simone proved a great starting point with wonderfully deep and intense characters that resonate with readers. She also allows readers into the heads of the characters but still allows for the reader to add a little something extra to it.Simone giving readers a more personal stake in the story will allow them to care about the characters and the overall story. A spendid job Simone as you got me hooked on the Birds of Prey.
For the first time in CBC history, the clash is a tie as I award Birds of Prey: Endrun and Two Nights in Bangkok the rating of World Heavyweight Contender.
Well everyone, Team Book Month Continues Next week as out next battle begins. Till then, if you are on the side of evil, say goodbye. Everyone else, good journey.
VS.
TALE OF THE TAPE
This is what I will be calling background and history behind a comic. Now, Birds of Prey started as a one shot called Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey back in 1996. The two starred in an adventure that began the lost partnership and friendship between the two DC female icons. After that and a few more stories and writers, Gail Simone took over and added Huntress to the mix, to kind of balance out the other two characters, according to Simone. The following is quote from an interview years ago that was posted again in Wikipedia:
Babs and Dinah respect each other tremendously, and each is capable of great things the other is not. Dinah's not just Oracle's legs, sometimes, she's her conscience, or her muse, or just her best friend. And Oracle is far more to Dinah than just the mission controller. They trust each other, and out of that, there's a friendship that they believe in. Huntress... I see Helena as someone who is not a loner completely by choice. Dinah is so accepting, and so open, that Helena sees an opportunity to be part of something without having to force her way in. There's friction, because once Helena puts the mask on, she's really not very good fitting in. But she likes that they're giving her a chance. Whether she blows it or not, you'll have to keep reading."[For a while, it was those three being the main Birds of Prey, which was basically Charles Angel's but probably hotter and with a female Charlie in a wheelchair who was the best hacker and intel gathering on the planet. Lady Blackhawk joined the group shortly after and the real core was cemented in the Birds of Prey. They had fought alongside each other during the first ongoing books run. Even after Black Canary left the Birds, Huntress, Oracle and Lady Blackhawk stayed on the team. Other former Birds of Prey included the following: Big Barda, Misfit, Vixen, Hawkgirl, Jade Canary (who is actually Lady Shiva, the world's best and deadliest martial arts and she WILL be mentioned later), Manhunter, Gypsy, Power Girl, Vixen, Infinity and Black Alice. Different writers also came and went including Terry Moore, Tony Bedard and Sean McKeever.
Time passed and the Birds disbanded but Oracle was still very much helping heroes throughout the entire superhero community. So much so that she became the chief intel and go to girl in the DC Universe when it came to find out info on any villain or situation. Now fast forward to last year where Gail Simone and Ed Benes are charged with bringing the birds back. Which takes us to the beginning of out story.
CLASH REPORT
The first issue of the latest Birds of Prey series opens with Black Canary going to meet with some kidnappers out in the snow of Iceland. These kidnappers have taken a little girl and Black Canary is not happy about it at all. And while there is a little mention of some of Black Canary (Dinah Lance's) troubles, her inner narrative gives us a view of a woman who is not in the mood for any crap but she will do her best not to endanger the girl. While the henchmen are native Icelanders, the chief terrorist is American named Gregory Chasco and the little girl is a daughter of a diplomat. Chasco's demands were simple: 1. For the little girl's parents to apologize for warmonger in a different country by super-powered soldiers and 2. to kill themselves like political prisoners on live tv around the world. Wow. What happened to money?
Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk return the girl to her parents in a US embassy on Iceland when they get a call from Oracle. Oracle tells them it is urgent and to come right away. Oracle, currently working out of the abandoned Batcave, then radios in Huntress while she is beating up on some thugs. Huntress agrees to come once she deals with the thugs. Then we see how the newly resurrected Hawk is doing with Dove, beating up a gang of thugs who like to dress up as cheerleaders. So that is what happened to the Spirit Squad? Hmm . . . Anyway, Hawk and Dove make quick work of the cheerleaders but not before Hawk holds out one of the gangbanging cheerleaders (seriously, paradox much) over a ledge for a minute. Hawk throws her back in and then proclaims that he was brought back cause " God Wants a Soldier."
Two hours pass and Hawk, aka Hank Hall and Dove, aka Dawn Granger made their way to a bar where Hank is getting drunk while listening to another man talk about people having ethics and the good ole days. Hank decides to be emo, pointing out that he is just there to drink and says while he and the bartender had sex, they don't know shit about him. Dawn sits with her soda at the bar when she is joined by Lady Blackhawk, who orders two shots and asks if Dawn is dating Hank. Dawn answers no but that she is responsible for him. Hank storms out all emo and Lady Blackhawk asks Dawn if he's "fancy." LOL
The 3 original members reunite on a rooftop in Gotham as narrative from Black Canary shows a touch warmer side to one of the deadliest women on Earth. Actually with narrative stating that she wants to cry but does not gives in is a good touch as the three take a moment to take in the moment.After a brief exchange, the ladies get down to business. Oracle aka Barbara Gordon (former Batgirl and daughter to Commissoner Jim Gordon) reveals that a blackmailer gave Oracle some files that had nearly anything and everything you wanted to know about super heroes and super villains and threatened to release them unless the Birds of Prey specifically stop them. And while Black Canary and Huntress try to brush it off as a hoax at first, when Oracle shows them how complete the files are, which include the addresses of every student that Huntress has had for the past five years and every single person that Black Canary loves, these women decide to go on the hunt. Yet, before they can leave, they find a signal in the sky. Yet this one is not of a bat but of a head of a bird instead. Black Canary and Huntress give chase as Barbara goes back to the Batcave to give them help. Huntress and Black Canary arrive in an alley to see the Penguin, yes the Penguin, threatening the person responsible for the light. We find that it is a girl and Black Canary and Huntress arrive to face her. Within a few seconds, Huntress shoots and arrow and Black Canary goes in for an attack. The mystery woman then catches the arrow, kicks Black Canary aside, cuts Huntress with a weapon of her own and stabs Penguin with the captured arrow. The woman stands revealed as it is a new masked villainess calling herself the White Canary.
Black Canary calls for a retreat as Oracle watches another report stating Black Canary's connection to Green Arrow, who recently was acquitted of murder and former Mayor of Star City. Before Oracle can say more, a former enemy turned ally, Creote had contacted her, beaten. After he tells her that Savant, another enemy turned friend, had died, Creote proceeds to shoot himself. Oracle takes a moment to get over what she just seen, the Birds follow Penguin's suggestion to hide in his club. As they run, Black Canary's secret identity is announced on the Nightly News, distressing out heroine. White Canary watches while Oracle decides that her grid and info was used against her for the last time and that this means war. FOR SPARTA!!! Oh wait. Wrong book.
During a fever dream, Penguin imagines the Birds, except for Hawk, slowly undress themselves. Dove kindly attends to him while the other Birds are grossed out as Penguin is verbalizing his fantasy. Hawk keeps guard. As they keep watch, the Birds try to figure out who is working along with White Canary to pull all this off. And then things get burry for me . . . for a bit. You see, my copy of Birds of Prey has pages of a Batgirl issue in the middle of it that don't concide with the story. Come to find out, White Canary is back to keep her promise and slices up Hawk, who is seemingly dead after the attack. Meanwhile, Oracle was knocked out then woke up in the arms of the man who just shot himself . . . in the head. Yes, Creote and Savant are both alive and are behind the files that White Canary forced them to issue to start this game alongside a third party. So yes! Two guys just infiltrated the Bat Cave. And honestly, I actually believe it.
We come to find out that Savant was captured and tortured for two days straight. Problem is, Savant, who is almost as smart as Oracle and just as good as a hacker, has a rare mental disorder which has the person have no real concept of time. So Savant is basically relieving the torture again, day after day, year after year. Meanwhile, Black Canary and Huntress have a heart to heart as Dinah decides to take on White Canary on her own. Huntress says to kill her so that this all ends. Huntress, Dove and Lady Blackhawk run off to get Hawk and Penguin to a hospital while Black Canary goes to face off During the beginning of their battle, White Canary hints that the others are in danger by her other partner . . .The Penguin.
Savant and Creote take Oracle, wheelchair and all, to the edge of a cliff. Savant screams that she abandoned him. That the Birds abandoned him. That he was tortured for knowing Oracle. Oracle tries to apologize as Savant reveals that he does not want to kill her and he walks off the cliff. Oracle launches herself from her wheelchair with her upper body strength and catches an arm of Savant. She screams Creote to help her. Creote relents and helps Oracle to bring up Savant. Savant asks why he would help Oracle and not let him die. Creote answers that he loves Savant. AWWWWWW . . .
Meanwhile, Penguin attacks, striking Lady Blackhawk with a serious wound. Penguin reveals himself to be the mastermind, stating he will soon have the files and become the King of the World. Huntress threatens him but Penguin stands tall till she states that why doesn't he have the files yet. As Penguin has a battle with doubt and scared of the White Canary, Dove, after a heartfelt talk with Hank that made her promise to make sure if he died again to not get resurrected, punches Penguin dead in the nose, breaking some teeth as she did.
Two Nights in Bangkok opens with Oracle getting helped back to her wheelchair by Savant and Creote. She feels happy for them, according to narrative and promises to help Savant through his mental issues. Oracle checks in on the Birds, starting with Black Canary, who says she is beaten up and ends up leaving with White Canary. Black Canary apologies, saying she quits the Birds and good bye. Huntress talks with Oracle, who wants to kill Penguin but releases him at Oracle's request after she promises that the Birds will get Penguin back big time for this. Huntress then offers over communicator to go with Black Canary but Dinah says no, she loves her and then good bye. White Canary and Black Canary head to the airport where a jet is waiting for them. They fly to Bangkok. Meanwhile, Oracle, Savant and Creote go to a new site for Oracle's new base where they can stay on as staff. Back in the Hospital, Hank Hall dreams of the original Dove, his brother Donald Hall. Don says that it is not Hank's time yet. Hank says he's failed in his mission but Donald says no it is not. Hank says he only feels alive as Hawk; after that he wakes up in the hospital room. Hank asks what happened to his wounds but Dawn explains that they have already healed. Hank sees his room surrounded by flowers, which all but one are for Dawn. The one bouquet that is for him had a card that says "You Have a Purpose." . . .DEEP.
Huntress visits Lady Blackhawk(Zinda) and fills her in about Black Canary. Huntress explains that Penguin didn't hurt her as badly as he thought he did. Zinda gets to her feet, stating that Dinah didn't get permission from her to quit. The two arrive in Bangkok in post haste, Zinda raving about the food. As they enter a cab, they get attacked from behind by a woman one side and a guy on the other. Huntress and Lady Blackhawk fend off them and another group of attackers, students of the White Canary away but are starting to get overwhelmed when the fight is stopped by the appearance of Dinah . . . where a White Canary outfit and arm in a sling. She states that they are not welcomed here yet takes them back to White Canary's lair, which is a large temple that had been modernized.
Dinah explains that White Canary orchestrated most of what happened and forced her into challenging Lady Shiva in a death match or she'd kill Sin and Sin's foster parents. The woman that attacked Huntress offered to free them but Dinah rejects the offer, knowing that it would be the woman's death, as well as Sin's. Hank recovers and is ordered by Oracle to stand by and leave the others be. Hank agrees to it but Oracle tells Savant and Creote that she does not trust him. Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and Black Canary eat a meal which is to be Dinah's last meal then she is to challenge Shiva. Black Canary, still hurt, asks Huntress to do it on her behalf. Now, Simone gives us some great inner monologuing as readers are treated a little to Huntress's background growing up in a mob family. She knows about honor codes. Huntress goes over to Shiva, who is sitting with White Canary, talking for a moment. Shiva states she takes no joy in "her duty" and asks Huntress to do what honor demands. Huntress then decides to take a drink and splash it into Shiva's face, spitting the face of this match. She makes the challenge . . . only for it to be her in Dinah's stead. White Canary agrees to it and the deathmatch becomes Huntress vs. Shiva. Dinah is furious and Zinda is worried, stating that Helena (Huntress) has lost her mind. Helena merely tells them that no one really cares about her and for Zinda to get her outfit. After a quit prayer, it is Shiva vs. Huntress. As the death match goes on, the woman (Terry) and Dinah go to where Sin has been held captive and frees her. Dinah then has Terry take Sin. Dinah orders her to find the foster parents and hide them with Sin. Huntress and Shiva go at it as it looks at first that Huntress is clearly out much, letting blood fly. Huntress though proves to be stubborn and determined as she takes a moment to use her own blood to blind Shiva. Huntress gets Shiva off her feet, even after Shiva beats the hell out of her. Huntress promises that even if she goes down, Shiva will be heading to the hospital herself. Yet, before the match can continue, Dinah stops it. Dinah proclaims that she's freed White Canary's prisoners and that this match does not have to end here . . . as the death match never specifies when a person is gonna die. Shiva agrees and sides with the Birds, suggesting that White Canary to give up or face all of them. White Canary gives in but states that death will eventually come. Huntress falls down only to get helped up by Zinda and Lady Shiva; who is actually impressed by Huntress. Dinah hugs Helena and Helena goes on to say it is nice to have people who care, ending the 2 part Two Nights in Bangkok.CLASH TACTICS
I am gonna do this like X-Factor. With that said, I will say artistically, this book suffers from the same issue X-Factor did; multiple artist working on the book. Yet, except for issue 1, there were at least 2 artists for each issue. And while artistically, that may be a hiccup for some people, this did NOT hurt the book at all. Seriously, the styles were noticeably different but not in the same terms as X-Factor.
Adriana Melo's style seemed the cartoonist of the three artist that worked on the issues. Yet, it conveyed emotion well, great job with proportions and really kept the Birds looking feminine yet powerful. Mariah Benes & J.P. Mayer's ink gave Melo's art that edge that seemed to help it blend it with the other two artists. And while I liked the art the least, it was still vibrate and enjoyable, not affecting the flow of the story at all.
Finally, for Ed Benes. His work is as stunning as always. He inked his own work and did a wonderful job conveying emotions. His pictures were stunning. His inked this differently to make sure you had the mood of the street level that Birds of Prey is known for and he achieved this in spades. I think back to when he was pencilling Justice League of America where the scene where Roy Harper first becomes Red Arrow and shows Dinah the outfit. Benes work looked great then. Now, it is absolutely electrifying. His panels are a marvel and even with the other 2 artists, Benes shines enough to get noticed but still makes sure the issue flows well. Great storytelling Ed Benes.
Gail Simone comes back to one of the books that put her on the map with a vengeance. And while I know people who do not enjoy her martial arts style, the lack of named styles actually is a great idea on Simone's part. Why? This gives the reader the chance to really decide for themselves what kind of style does Black Canary, Huntress and other characters have. Getting readers more personally involved. Bravo, Gail Simone.
Bringing back the core that Simone built was great. And I love the fact that Gail does put the emotional spin on the resurrection of the Birds of Prey. Barbara's, Dinah's and Helena's reunion was one of the best scenes in the first issue. Not only did it set up the storyline, it really established the personal relationships these women have with each other, even with the changes their characters have endured since their separation. I personally applaud the fact that these women know each other well but still are very much in touch with who they are. Simone uses inner monologues very well to help move the story along and give us feelings that may not have been conveyed by the panels. She does not use the monologues to tell the story but to show feels, much like David did.The additions of Hawk and Dove to the Birds of Prey are great choices. For Dove's innocence and calm demeanor will definitely work for and against her as we have already seen during the Birds altercation with Gotham's finest. Hawk is pretty much the alpha male who wants to show off but there is much more to it. Hawk knows that he is there for a mission. Hawk wants to help. Simone lets reader in on that through his scenes during the book. Zinda is still the spicy little woman from the past who seems to have adjusted to the present but still tough when she needs to be. Huntress started as this woman who cared about this group but still felt detached like no one should care about her. By the end of #6, she knows she has something to fight for and she will fight for the death for it. Black Canary had the most to deal with during the storyline yet still pushed herself to overcome. Although, kudos to Simone for Dinah to giving in a bit at the beginning of Two Nights in Bangkok. Oracle was truly smart yet open enough to feel and take responsibilty when the need arose. Simone only hinted at the changes this woman is gonna undertake and I am definitely looking forward to more.
Overall, the art was pleasant and really gave life and emotion to Gail Simone's story without any kind of disorientation. Simone proved a great starting point with wonderfully deep and intense characters that resonate with readers. She also allows readers into the heads of the characters but still allows for the reader to add a little something extra to it.Simone giving readers a more personal stake in the story will allow them to care about the characters and the overall story. A spendid job Simone as you got me hooked on the Birds of Prey.
For the first time in CBC history, the clash is a tie as I award Birds of Prey: Endrun and Two Nights in Bangkok the rating of World Heavyweight Contender.
Well everyone, Team Book Month Continues Next week as out next battle begins. Till then, if you are on the side of evil, say goodbye. Everyone else, good journey.
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