quote: "I wish people would stop pointing out all the many ways this issue sucked...like how I do wish the white bread (even the African-American woman is decidedly white bread) cast would die, or how Power Girl didn't really do anything of note, or how Ultra-Humanite's really kind of a stupid, whiny, short-sighted moron...and just let me enjoy the two pages of Power Girl in a deathtrap.
Look, I know the book's boring. I didn't go to my comic shop yesterday to get Power Girl, I went to get Empowered, but it was delayed a week...and having two really nice pages of Peej strapped into an uber-trap was a really nice apology from the universe for messing up my day. Just...give me this.
Can we put talks about how boring and tedious this comic is, lacking one-twentieth the flair or eccentric, fun characters of Empowered, until next month, when I actually have Emp's fifth volume to read? Then I'll be ready to go into excruciating detail about how I completely agree that too many pages were wasted on UH's fake backstory and throw in my theory that such waste is proof that...much like Peaty's non-use of Liberty Belle in JSA Classified #34...no one at DC has the foggiest idea how to write Peej as anything but a one-dimensional blow up doll who espouses trite, feminist platitudes, despite the fact that her history means she should be closer to being like Majestic's daughter, Savant, than a twenty-something teenage Supergirl.
AURGH!
I just want to ignore the bad for one issue and breath in the sweet, sweet wonder of a super-powered blond in a deathtrap. Is that too much to ask?"
posted
I didn't enjoy the latest issues as much as the previous ones. The only way I can explain it is that the first two were Silver Age-y in a good way, but the third is Silver Age-y in a bad way. Hopefully the evil-alien-party-girls arc will be more satisfying overall.
posted
I liked it. I liked that silver-agey feel to the book. It harkens back to when comics were actually FUN to read and not just narcissistic grim and gritty melodrama's.
-------------------- Damn you, you kids! Get off my lawn or I'm callin' tha cops!
posted
So I finally caught up with #2 and #3. And I'll try to be as nice as possible, but I must be honest. These were terrible. Not "kinda terrible". This were freaking terrible.
The one good thing: Amanda Conner's art. Its terrific; in fact, it saved the two issues in so many ways because a bad artist would have made this garbage.
Graypal have done such a fantastic job on Jonah Hex, Hawkman and several other titles over the years. But they've shown that at times, they can also deliver some pretty low grade stuff--I think 'Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters' falls into this category although I tried my damnest to love it. But Power Girl is the worst of the bunch.
In fact, I'll give you a little summary of my comic book reading experience: In the last two weeks, I've read 87 comic books by several different comic book companies; part of the reason was so I can review them on LW as a little experiment for myself. Of the entire 87, including several I only browse through because their quality is so low, the worst two are Mighty Avengers (I'll get to that next) and Power Girl, the latter being the absolute worst.
Why is it so bad, you ask?
First, what in the hell did they think they were doing with the Ultra-Humanite's origin? Its one of the best in comics, and he's one of the great super-villains of all time, going all the way back to the earlist issues of Action Comics. That should be celebrated. Instead, they give him the corniest, crappiest origin this side of the Gibbon. He's a freaking Nazi who kidnaps people and beasts and places his brain in their bodies. He is one of the original great horrors in comics. What utter crap to do this!
Second...ripping Manhattan into the sky as an island? That's akin to the legendary Marvel Team-Up issue where Hercules drags it back into the bay. Its so freaking stupid it makes me want to laugh--or cry.
Third: do we really need to invoke 9/11 and have people diving off of the building to their deaths...and have it happen so casually? At no point did that sequence help the story at all; it was done so much in passing that it didn't even invoke the slightest bit of emotion or poignancy to the story. Except of course that such a thing really happened and not that long ago. Pretty poorly done, but hey, this is the modern DC Comics. Still, I expect better from Jimmy Palmiotti, a native of Brooklyn.
And lastly, Power Girl is basically shown to be the stereotype of herself she's always been with no added depth after three entire issues. She hasn't gained an iota of layering. Her story is like a Michael Bay film with ass-shot, breast-shot and other gratuitous pose after one another, complete with punching and explosions.
I have to say it clearly one more time: these is the worst DC Comic Books that I read in the last two months, and I've almost read them all.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, Cobie, I respect your opinion even though I disagree with it, just as you respect that I despise Blackest Night while you think it's a qualified success so far.
I think comparing this book to a Michael Bay movie is a bit harsh. A Joel Silver or Don Simpson movie, maybe -- over-the-top but self-aware.
And I do think that there have been attempts at making Power Girl a deeper character, but it is, after all, only the first three issues.
Re: The Ultra-Humanite's new origin, I must confess I don't have emotional investment in too many characters from the DC Universe. The way I see it, original incarnation of the Ultra-Humanite took center stage in several memorable stories, but I think it was taken as far as it could go.
I agree that the 9/11 reference was tasteless, but I guess I'm too jaded about the entertainment industry's frequent exploitation of real-life human tragedy to let it bother me too much.
Finally, as long as we're tracking the ups and downs of GrayPal, I think their absolute worst was Battle For Bludhaven, which I found in the quarter bin yet still kick myself for wasting even a tiny amount of money on.
And I forgot about Battle for Bludhaven--I must have tried to dislodge it permanently from my memory. I agree, that was the worst ever by Graypal. Maybe the worst DC story of the decade (besides Countdown of course).
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
You know I love DC, Cobie but I think I love reading you tear them a new one even more! That review was great!
I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this book but I'm also not really surprised. Despite being a huge fan of Amanda Conner's art, the unfavourable Hit/Miss ratio of GrayPal's writing led me to leave this one on the shelf.
And after reading your negative review, as well as many others, I'm glad I did. It sounds awful.
From: Australia | Registered: Dec 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Okay, even I'M not going to try to defend the latest issue, an obvious last-minute fill-in of the most horrific sort, albeit by the regular creative team.
posted
It sounds so bad, I almost want to read it!
What a shame the series has turned out to be a bomb. Like Blacula, I love Amanda Conner's art, but am very leery of Power Girl stories. There just doesn't seem to be enough to distinguish her apart from the outrageously big boobs. She does need depth to her character. It's a pity, since Power Girl is probably now a bit toxic to DC - how does she recover from this? Rebuild through team stories and try a different approach in a few years?
posted
Let's face it -- Power Girl was never the same after her best friend, the Earth-2 Huntress (the REAL Huntress) was killed off in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
posted
Hmmm. Okay, maybe its just me. I liked the book. From the guest appearance by the guys from Big Bang Theory to the "supervillain" to the personal time given to Karen, it was all fun.
I have to say that since the late eighties, comics haven't been as much fun to me. I get so very tired of each young turk writer trying to outcool every other young turk writer with grim "we are tearing the character down to build it up. There are gonna be some tough times ahead for "x"!" storylines.
Its not even a grim and gritty feel anymore. Its just Bleak in comicland. There seems to be little genuine joy to it. Thats why Firestorm was so much freakin' fun. The charcter enjoyed being a superhero. I don't want the "want it would be like if there were superhero's in real life" storylines. Real life is boring and depressing as hell most of the time.
I read comics for the fun and wonder of it. A chance to have a little lighthearted fun. Thats what the original legion was like for me, and i started in the early part of the grell run. Somewhere that was lost in the shuffle. Seems like everyone wanted there hobby to be respected, and figured the only way to do that was to go realistic.
well, PG is fun. It is gonna have all those moments, but hopefully wont make me want to shove a poker into my brain from depression. I like that its lighthearted and has moments of joy. Don't we all want that in life?
Whats depressing is that readers are seeming to categorically dislike it in favor of the same old same old. Given this I don't see a long life for the book, and that is a real shame.
-------------------- Damn you, you kids! Get off my lawn or I'm callin' tha cops!
posted
Ya know the book ain't bad all things considered. I'm a PG fan and I've got to say, while it's a slow start, at least it's something ya know?
From: Bismoll, baby! Yeah!! | Registered: Apr 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just think the re-imagining of UH pales when compared to the original. And didn't we just see an inferred UH origin in the Booster Gold "Time Breakers" arc? A suspicious albino gorilla cub(?) was taken by Per Degaton, I believe...?
I was okay with the plot mechanics of hoisting Long Island, actually; I've got to believe anyone smart enough to do so would have thought out how to keep it all together. The release and descent, however...
-------------------- "Anytime a good book like this is cancelled, I hope another Teen Titan is murdered." --Cobalt
"Anytime an awesome book like S6 is cancelled, I hope EVERY Titan is murdered." --Me
From: Up a Gumtree | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic | Subscribe To Topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[LOL]](graemlins/lol.gif)
That review was great! ![[sigh]](graemlins/sigh.gif)
![[sob]](graemlins/sob.gif)
![[Hmmm?]](graemlins/hmmm.gif)
![[shrug]](graemlins/shrug.gif)
