scans_daily | (no subject)

So I've been a little out of the loop lately, for various reasons. Given the current direction of DC, expect that to continue. But I managed to stick my head back in and check in with my girls this week, and a few brief moments stood out as worthy of comment. Or maybe I just feel a need to talk about comics before the coming reboot steals all motivation to ever do so again, idk.

From BoP #12, as Helena attempts to recruit the Question:

I'm not sure I've actually come out and said this, but I'm pretty much wholly on

jarodrussell's team at this point wrt Oracle. So this isn't terribly surprising or annoying from my standard canon-rejecting Babsfan standpoint. But I'm kind of staring askance at the slight to Dinah and Helena, there. Particularly since Gail herself was the one who wrote the most recent and respectful portrayal of Dinah's detective moxie. Sure, neither of them is on Renee and Babs' level, but Helena's not going to come up to Diana and be like "what we don't have is a melee fighter" just because she and Dinah aren't kryptonian-class, y'know? I mean I suppose it's true that they don't have a detective, inasmuch as they, in fact, have three, but I don't think that's what Helena was supposed to be going for here.

From Wondy #612:

Looks like someone's been attending the Geoff Johns school of antitheism. Also, way too much Zeus. I was relatively cool with Psycho's role in #609 because it did at least make sense for the characters and their relationship and said something important about Diana's compassion and inspirational effect, but those justifications don't hold here and it's really not okay for Zeus to take Athena's place next to Aphrodite.

That said, kudos for noting Diana is largely a creature of hope (someone at least has managed to avoid the Geoff Johns school of ring assignation), and for the reasonably slashable Temi death a few pages prior. Since I'm highly suspicious they'll take the reboot opportunity to try to stick her back with Steve Trevor, I'm trying to appreciate this JMS clusterfuck as at least the last guaranteed portrayal of Diana as emotionally independent and potentially queer.

Speaking of, from Sirens #24:

And then Harley proceeds to kick her ass while she's off balance, which... I don't even... what? This is just stupid. Either Ivy and Harley are in (sick, twisted, abusive, supervillain-style, but nevertheless) love, or they aren't. If they aren't, they've just been friends all this time, and this taunt makes no sense. If they are, they've been shagging like demented but hot rabbits for years now, and Ivy's love for Harley isn't in question, and this taunt makes no sense. I mean it's not like I expect better from Sirens but this is just... not how you actually finally address Harley/Ivy in explicit canon.

And to end this post on a positive note, from Zatanna #14:

It's so weird to actually like something Beechen wrote. I mean, he still has no idea how Zatanna's powers work, but Zatanna in this issue is competent, in control, and clashes amusingly with Zach; Zach is the damsel-in-distress while Zee is never even on her back foot; the hero saves the day through quick thinking and an understanding of her opponent; the whole story is a quick, clean done-in-one; we even get a nod to a non-Western mythology. Do we know anything about Zee's coming fate post-reboot? It would be a real shame to lose this title.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

God, Gotham City Sirens just continues to read like bad fic. The tone-deafness of the voices is somehow actually getting worse. If you can't imagine Arleen Sorkin speaking Harley Quinn's lines, you're not writing Harley Quinn right.

Very, VERY true, though Harley interacting with Joker in the DCU is always going to be a pale shadow of the DCAU, since DCU Joker is such a bloody awful one note character unless Dini is writing him.

Like you can kind of sympathize with Harley when she's in love with this guy who TRIES to mass murder people and then Batman stops him.

Not so much when she's in love with this guy who like, actually successfully viciously murders like millions of fucking people all over the place all the time.

i think even in the animate series he HAS killed people.... at least once the series got it's legs and blood was allowed in the show.

I guess probably he's killed people here and there, just not like, huge ridiculous numbers of people and then Batman takes him back to Arkham for five minutes so he can take a nap before he goes out and kills another couple of thousand people, like it is in the regular DCU.

that's why i GET why Jason Todd was pissed (both in Under the Redhood the comic but played EXCELLENTLY well by Jensen Ackles in the film) Forget, Harley, Ivy, Harvey, or Cobblepot. Why not the Joker? JUST the Joker, He's "Crippled friends, and took ME from YOU" of all the people wh DESERVE to be killed, HE should be one of them.

Nah, he should just be a character who doesn't kill another thousand people every five minutes, and instead, just gets put in jail and spends most of his time being kept there by a passably competent justice system, and when he very rarely escapes, is thwarted by Batman before he's able to kill anybody.

Pretty much everything I could say about the argument for Batman JUSTKILLING the Joker is said by the fact that people think Jason Todd is a credible figure to have advance it.

I mean

JASON TODD

Like, come on, I can't be the only person seeing this.

see but i LIKE jason todd, always have. and i am EXTATIC that he is going to be in a new series (though i still want my steph, and cass too! damit!)

now, mind you some writers have written him terribly, but when he was written good, he was sooo good!

No I mean, I don't really have a problem with Jason Todd. I mean he's not my favorite character I guess? I mean this really isn't about my personal problems with Jason Todd.

I"m saying there is this viewpoint that the way to totally 100% solve the Joker Problem forever is for the Batman (and it can only ever be the Batman, he is the only one with the magic Joker-Killing powers that it takes to kill one asshole in clown makeup, for some reason, I guess) to kill the Joker. And the spokesperson for this viewpoint is JASON TODD.

No please Jason Todd, tell me how killing this guy will totally ensure that we never see him, EVER AGAIN.

Please BY ALL MEANS, Jason Todd, tell me how killing this guy is the 100% FOOLPROOF SOLUTION that you, JASON TODD, guarantee will make sure that this guy is gone forever.

Really Jason Todd, I would love to hear more about your views on this issue.

Maybe Batman could beat the Joker up with a crowbar, and then, blow him up in a building full of explosives, Jason Todd!

I am sure that would be the most sure-fire way to deal with the Joker forever, Jason Todd!

i don't care WHO kills him, im just saying there are badguys, threre are villains, there are super-villains, and then there is THE JOKER. if anyone needs to be put down, its THAT bastard, almost everyone of those others has shown they are capable of changing, EXCEPT the Joker, he has no empathy, or even sympathy. (even under morrison's run when he played Jack, or what ever he was? the detective? he was still bat shit crazy)

the joker should not be alive.

For barbara:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfH3bDPNGHw

the joker should not be alive.

Sure! Works for me.

So: How do you suggest we go about making the Joker not be alive?

"I suggest killing him! A proven-effective method."

Thanks for that point of view, Jason Todd!

I think of it as more, "I suggest killing him! That's the best we've got, and at least it'll probably take longer for him to come back."

I suggest decapitating him, having Clark throw his head into the sun, dividing what's left in half, incinerating one half, and dissolving the other half in acid. That oughta keep the bastard down for at least half a dozen issues!

I always preferred it when the Joker DIDN'T kill, it was more of a challenge and made him much more creative.

see i'm torn. I agree in some ways. for one, what he did to Tim (oh poor Timmy *SAD FOREVER*) in the animated series was... horrible! and the way Barbara put it, even then he got the last laugh, he got Tim to "break the code" and Bruce, Barbara and Gordon to cover it all up. To know THAT's what broke up the bats was heartbreaking, fitting, but heartbreaking,

and then there is heath ledger and the killing joke (not THE moment, but the over all portrayal) and i;m like, damn mofo is TWISTED

See, Heath Ledger never convinced he was the Joker. It may be heresy to say it, but his performance as a monster of a man, whilst extraordinary, never said "Joker" to me.

mmm you know what, i CAN picture Arleen's voice, but its a mix between her "Harley" and Harleen voices, the keenly intelligent psychologist with the slight edge of Harley-Quinn.

you are right though (save for the bat/cat scenes) it is poorly written, the story ITSELF on the other hand could have worked if the writting was better.

one question... WHAT went down between Dick and Selina a while back that is constantly being mentioned?

one more thing, as much as i love Ivy, the plant got what she deserved, i LOVED Selina paying her back out of pure sweet revenge, you do NOT Fuck with Selina Kyle