Pretty much the title is self explanatory. Fan favorite artist, Evan Van Sciver, will be taking over as main artist on Batman: The Dark Knight as of issue # 16. After a recent stint co-writing Firestorm, Van Sciver will now be tackling Batman. And funny how the picture in his background is of a female with blonde hair ... playing Robin. Hmmmm .... couldn't be Stephanie Brown could it?
He announced this about 30 minutes ago on his personal twitter after announcing that he will not be making the NYCC after all due to his ailing wife. Congratulations to Van Sciver.
This does leave the question of where will David Finch will be going. While rumors surrounded that he was one of the candidates to take over Justice League from Jim Lee, we had recent confirmation that Ivan Reis will take over the book. Which now makes you wonder.
Eitherway, see the first issue of Batman: The Dark Knight with Evan Van Sciver on art duty come this January.
Over in CBR & Robot 6, they hinted that a new fan made webseries called Batgirl:Spoiled was gonna be released. Now, it has hit the net. Batgirl: Spoiled features the adventures of fan favorite and long demanded character Stephanie Brown as Batgirl (the Batgirl before the new 52 happened). Batgirl:Spoiled will follow her adventures.
Starring Marisha Ray (and co created by her & Sax Carr), the series focuses on Stephanie being a hero and whether or not she wants to stay one while juggling her life. Here is the first episode with a slew of guest stars:
The Robin Movie: An Unhealthy Obsession Film by Saul Kramer Review by Hector Ramirez
So Frankie and I were enjoying Free Comic Book Day when I’m approached by one Mr. Saul Kramer. He had noticed me in my Robin caped t-shirt and figured me a Robin fan. So, he came up to me and pitched this movie that he posted on youtube to me. Well, I went online and looked it up.
Ok. Jay is a young man whose father left him with nothing more than an obsession with Robin the Boy Wonder. None of his friends understand why he likes Robin so much and the neighborhood bullies don’t make life much easier. Jay gets sick of the bullies and decides to put on his father's old Robin costume and take care of the bullies himself. Of course, he didn’t stop to think that all those to take on the mantle of Robin went through vigorous training whereas he thought he could simply beat the guys with a broomstick. His sister-in- law explains to him that he took things too far; that being kind and generous is heroic in its own right.
The New 52 have been out for a while and it has garnished a lot of attention and results. Yet, there are still things from the old DCU, Wildstorm and Milestone books that I would like to see pop up. Here are my list of the Top 10 things I want to see in the New 52.
by Frankie Rodriguez
10 - STEPHANIE BROWN
The Former Spoiler/Robin/Batgirl has been very much missed by fans since the New 52 began. She had a critically acclaimed series before the new 52 and people had just gotten used to her as Batgirl, being mentored by Barbara. But with Barbara back as Batgirl, Stephanie has not been seen . .. yet. Fans have clamored for both her and Cassandra Cain's return. Yet, it seems fans are speaking up louder for Stephanie. Will she return? DC says yes. I say ... it needs to be sooner than later.
9 - XOMBI
David Kim had just come back about 7 months before the new 52. And it came back to much fan fare. Many of the original fans and new fans flocked to the book by John Rozum and Frasier Irving. What is even odder was that the book was a direct continuation of the original but with a time jump. With DC big on diversity and the Edge & Dark books doing so well (ie.Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Stormwatch) this book would fit right in. Heck. It does not need a reboot. Continue where it left off and fans would be happy.
8 - WILDCATS
As much as Grifter is interesting and Voodoo is AWESOME, I still miss the rest of the team. Sure, I know that Warblade is gonna show up (as a villain) on Superboy and rumors are that Zealot is gonna appear soon, I'd love to see the WildCats come back together in the DCU in some fashion. I mean, where is Spartan? Where is Ladytron? Heck, Tao would make a great villain for not only the WildCats but for Batman and other members. I would just love to see the Cats back, maybe connected to an infamous DC company. Heck, Mr. Majestic and Savant would be welcome editions. I guess we will have to wait and see.
7 - STARMAN (other than Thom)
I am sorry but we honestly can use a new Starman. I'd like to see a present day Starman. He's had such a great legacy. Whether it be one of the Knights or Mikaal, a Starman would be fighting and make a get edition to DC's cosmic universe or even Earth heroes. Mikaal had enjoyed some popularity before the New 52. It would be so much fun to see him in this new universe.
6 - L.E.G.I.O.N.
Not R.E.B.E.L.S, L.E.G.I.O.N. Why? I know R.E.B.E.L.S. got cancelled but honestly, it just needed better promotion. And go back to calling it L.E.G.I.O.N. We need to see Vril Dox in this universe to see how the bastard is doing. Plus, characters like Strata, Stealth, Captain Comet, Lady Quark, Adam Strange and more would all make a great collection of people in this book. To really tie in to the current DC cosmic landscape more, have one of the Lanterns join L.E.G.I.O.N. as well as possibly Lobo, who we have seen back. Definitely a book that has a lot of potential.
5 - ICON (& ROCKET)
They just appeared on Young Justice. The title was the love child of the late great Dwayne McDuffie. A super powerful man on par with Superman who was also a lawyer can prove interesting in a day in age where Law & Order and spin offs were addictions for people for two decades. Apply it to the DCU, you have a book that can be versatile. Rocket always helped showed the way to Icon and vice versa. She is one of the strongest female characters that has ever been created and needs to be seen again. And with DC's objective to have diversity would make a great fit into this new world.
4 - SECRET SIX
Suicide Squad is great and all but ... I want Secret Six back. I want Gail Simone writing it. I want Scandal Savage. I want Ragdoll. I want Catman being all bada**. And I want it now. Not tomorrow. Not in a year. NOW. Even with Bane, Deadshot and Harley not part of it, there are sooooooooo many characters that can be implemented into the Secret Six and make this team stand out in a new era. For the love, Simone made Bane cool again. Let her have her book back!!
3 - WALLY WEST
There have been hints that Wally still exists. There have been drops that Wally will return. Yet, nothing. I want Wally West back. Sure, Barry is Flash and is awesome. Still, I want Wally there too. We need to see him. People love him. He doesn't need to be The Flash but bring him back. We still have Dick Grayson, we can do plenty with Wally. So much. Bring him back DC. Please. And if you bring him back, bring back ...
2 - DONNA TROY
I know that Cassie got upgraded and Diana is now the daughter of Zeus. Zeus is a man-whore. Bring back Donna into the Wonder Woman mythos under Azzarello's control. We can make it interesting with Donna. She is such a beloved character that fans have asked about her as much as Wally West. Bring them both back would be amazing. Donna can always fulfill a new role in the DCU. I hope we get to see her.
1 - BLOOD SYNDICATE . . . & SNOWFLAME
Yes. I could not choose between them or who I want more. So they both share the # 1 spot.
Blood Syndicate was, without a doubt, one of my favorite books while growing up. It was my favorite Milestone book and I loved it cause it was so different. It was about a Super powered gang that was learning to survive in their world and keeping their turf while being part of a bigger conspiracy. And you know what, they fight perfectly with the new 52. DC, you want Diversity ... this team is made up of so many nationalities that it makes the UN jealous. It can be gritty and dirty cause its about a gang so have it Teen +. Heck, if you can get the original writer Ivan Velez Jr. to write it and let him go off, that would be amazing. Even if not him writing it, allow the writers to let them play with this gang and the characters to build itself a new place in the DCU. I want this book ... NOW!
AND
Snowflame was brought to my attention because of Linkara. A Super Villain powered by cocaine. Lord, what a glorious idea. Bring this man back. Make him an A Level threat. Let him being a cult figure like Brother Blood but more awesome. He is powered by cocaine; you can have everyone from Stormwatch to JLI to Superman to Batman fight this villain. He is insane. He looks like he's got a Santa suit. He's got super powers and he's powered by cocaine. He is EPIC! I WANT SNOWFLAME NOW!!!
BOW DOWN BEFORE THE SNOWFLAME. HE IS COOKOO FOR COCAINE!!!
Thanks To Linkara for producing such a fine video.
And these are what I like to see in the new 52. I enjoyed this list. How are you?
You have to give credit where credit is due and I assure you, Bryan Q. Miller’s credit is due. Miller wrote all twenty four issues of the previous Batgirl ongoing series. He turned a spoiled brat into a wisecracking, mature (sort of), confident and respected heroine, affectively transforming Stephanie Brown into my favorite Batgirl. That’s why Batgirl #18 (Apr ‘11) is my Valentine. Here’s the review.
For those that don’t/didn’t know, Stephanie Brown, formerly known as Spoiler and one time Robin inherited the title of Batgirl from her predecessor, Cassandra Cain. She is then trained by Barbra Gordon, Oracle, also formerly Batgirl, but also currently… (BlameDCfolks.)
This issue was an interlude timed correctly with Valentine’s Day, but unfortunately thrown in the middle of an ongoing story arc. Placement aside, Batgirl #18 functions much like a one shot or an episode of Batman the Animated Series.
The readers are thrown right into the story where, a were-cat is going around ripping out persons’ hearts on Valentine’s Day evening. As it turns out this were-cat was not always a were-cat, but the familiar of one Klarion the Witch-Boy. In a mild bit of irony, pointed out by Stephanie, the cat is rampaging around ripping out hearts because Klarion denied him (the cat) a chance at love. Stephanie for most part takes the side of the audience and the phrase “are you fricking serious” comes to mind. After being trapped in a miniature globe and a few witty exchanges later; Stephanie and Klarion decide to form an “alliance” and track down the cat.
Once the duo reaches the cat, Teekl, they trap him in a globe and take him to LimboTown, home of the Witches and find him a mate. The story closes with Klarion touring Gotham U campus with Stephanie and a short but, humorous run in with the campus “witch (euphemized)”, Jordana, being turned into a frog.
The story was great for what it was, a seasonal piece. It captured the spirit of the holiday and at the same time didn’t get too deep into it to turn someone off. The best part of the story was waiting to see what Klarion and Stephanie had to say next. The two characters really played well off of each other.
The artist for this issue is Dustin Nguyen (Batman: Streets of Gotham). Nguyen produced 9 covers for the series and performed as penciller for a number of the issues. His art style is unique and there really isn’t anything quite like it. It stands out. When you see his art you can stop and say, “hey that’s Dustin Nguyen”. He does a great job at capturing facial expressions and just adds a sort of ‘fine art’ feel to the medium. Just look at the painted sequences he did for yourself. Two words; gorgeous and elegant.
In all Batgirl #18, while an untimely detour from the ongoing arc, was still a delightful treat and beautiful Valentine’s day gift from Dc and the creative team. If you want a light read with a fair share of laughs instead of the usual gooeyness of Valentine’s day, this comic is for you.
The Hype factor this time around consists mostly of artwork and whimsical banter. Enjoy and…
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