Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Young Animal Thread

Doom Patrol has its own thread, but I figure it would be easier to have a single thread for the other titles (similar to the Vertigo thread).

Up first: Shade the Changing Girl #1

A sequel to Milligan's Shade the Changing Man sees an alien from Meta named Loma rebrand herself "Loma Shade" after the legendary Rac Shade, steal his jacket from a museum, and use it to project herself to Earth just like he did a generation ago. She lands in the body of comatose teenager Megan Boyer, who was brain dead after an overdose of pills.

Turns out Megan was the Alpha Queen mean girl at the school and her former friends aren't exactly thrilled when word gets around that she's back (especially since a lot of them are complicit in the original overdose). Shade has her own issues trying to control the Madness and make sense of an Earth she only saw through sitcoms and Shade's poetry.

It was a pretty groovy start, with a lot of continuity back to the Milligan series (including a lot of Shade's poetry). Loma's likeable if naive, and the upcoming clash with high school life looks fun. It's original, but not trying to hard to "vertigo" it up.

SPECIAL SURPRISE BONUS: Unknown to me anyway, was that Shade has a back-up feature. This issue was a far-out Space Ranger & Cryll story drawn by Gilbert Hernandez! Don't have to hype GH in any way I'm sure, but he draws some pretty cool aliens.

Did anyone ever read Cecil Castellucci's work for the defunct Minx line?

HOLY EFFING FECAL MATTER! SPACE RANGER? A character I've been dying to see for ages! And by Gilbert Hernandez? I would pay $3.99 for this back-up alone!

PS - your review actually has me enthusiastic about the main Shade series too, Dave! I was kind of on the fence but this pushes me over. I'll be grabbing it this weekend.

No Sarky, I'm afraid I didn't catch any of that. Shade sounds promising. A teen movies with superpowers.

Space Ranger is probably worth a look on it's own.

Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye #1 was a pretty good set up issue. Cave is in mourning for the loss of his wife, trying to stay connected to his now grown daughter, and also trying to figure out what his cybernetic eye does and why it's suddenly spawning hallucinations. Along the way we get some fun guest stars in Doc Magnus and the Metal Men, Wild Dog, and Ace Morgan. As Cave is sorting things out, it seems his old company, EBX is meddling with underground civilsations, bringing a warning to his doorstep in the form of a tentacle monster. Of all the YA stuff so far, this has been the most straightforward on the surface, but it was still fun and loaded with potential.

The backup by Tom Scioli is a "Super Powers" feature split between a Wonder Twins origin story and Batgirl (on a BMX) vs. the Joker's army of henchmen. I'm digging the backups here and in Shade so far.

I also loved Cave Carson #1. As you say, a great set-up issue with some really interesting cameos but at the heart of it is a man dealing with the loss of his wife and his relationship with his daughter. He also just happens to be one of the coolest obscure characters in DC history and has a strange cybernetic eye. This is the series I've always wanted, I just hadn't realized it.

Meanwhile, Shade the Changing Girl #1 was pretty good too. At first the Meta-related stuff was jarring, but I just have to get used to it, I think. Overall the issue was strong, and grew stonger by the page, culminating in a really terrific surprise ending.

Naturally, I loved, loved, loved the back-up by Hernandez, which was more about Cyrill than Space Ranger. It was brilliant and DC should do about 1,000 more of these. It made me chuckle at the end, and its really kind of all-ages, so they should reprint and use this one again.

So far, 3 for 3 IMO.

DOOM PATROL 2, SHADE 2, and Cave Carson on tonight's list to read; Back with any thoughts tomorrow...

How much of this builds off the VERTIGO series? I'm enjoying this book and am wondering if I should get the Milligan run in trades. Would be esp. interested if they collected the run in one HC...

WHERE IS GROO?!

Ah well, While I'm here I might as well look at Shade...

Not much of a meta-plot (tee hee). There's getting to know the new host, getting to know the inhabitant of the new host, an investigation, and Heathers.

My memory cell tells me that Milli-Shade had arcs involving travelling around to stop some sort of madness invasiony thing affecting the US. There's not really anything like that here.

On the other hand, some of that felt a bit forced "oh look I've discovered poh-lih-ticks" and I like this Shade more than the last. As good as Kathy was in the old one, there's a bigger cast of interest here.

The little poetry balloons become little bubbles and bounce off my disinterested brain. Fortunately, there are more interesting words still left in there.

Distortion keeps things visually interesting. I was thinking of saying that the story depends on the art a bit. But actually, I think the writer is comfortable to let the art show us the various perception shifts, rather than beat us about the head with a meta vest about it. That's a plus.

As for Pov's question, there's the clothing, the fan of the old Shade and the investigator. But I've never felt that anyone went to great pains to build worlds out of any of what went before. So you can read the old ones on their own merits, and not feel you have to.

I really remember the colouring on it, and there's cues to that here. But I'm sure there was lots of other things too. ...thinks... some of it's coming back. >pops back up post to insert "Kathy" line as if I remembered all along< I did buy the thing so it can't have been that bad.

Li'l thoth liked Heathers, but how much of that opinion can be trusted?!

I liked Space Ranger but was a bit meh about the Legion/Wanderers one.

So far it is a direct sequel set an indeterminate amount of time later. A lot of the poetry she quotes is from the Vertigo series, and of course it's Vertigo Shade's Maddness Vest she steals, and all the trappings so far are direct from that as well (the vest rots your "real" body while you are on Earth, etc.) . All that said, the series so far has been readable on it's own and you don't need the Vertigo to enjoy it (but the original is one of my all-time favourite series, so I'd certainly recommend it).

After three stellar Young Animal launches, "Mother Panic" falls flat for me. I get they want to do an "Adult" noir story in Gotham, but it doesn't offer anything new and all the mysteries fail to get me interested.

Young Animal backups continue to pull in all sorts of strange and wonderful combinations. In the Cave Carson #2 back-up we have:

- Flipper Dipper from the Newsboy Legion teaming up with the Sea Devils
- Freddie Freeman crucified on the Rock of Eternity
- A warning from the wizard Shazam
- The Thaddeus Brown Mr. Miracle conning Nazis
- The Wonder Twins trying to release Gleek back into the wild.

I bought "Mother Panic" for one reason - Tommy Lee Edwards. I'm a big fan. The story didn't totally grab me, but I'll check out a few more to see where it goes and to see MP's origin explained.

I was a HUGE fan of the Milligan/Bachalo "Shade" series, so I checked out the new Shade series. It had a lot of interesting elements, but it somehow didn't add up to something I need to pick up.

Latest issue of Shade has a "Dial H for Hero" backup. It revolves around a waitress at a hero-themed restaurant who discovers their H-Dial memorabilia is the real deal. What starts out as an exciting adventure though, quickly devolves into horror and despair.

Like last issue's backup, it's a meditation on transformations or "Change".

Absolutely loving the back-ups. The Sea Devils / Flipper Dipper one was wild, and the Wendy & Marvin one was actually kind of surprisingly heartwarming.

Loving Cave Carson, which is emerging as a new favorite series for me. The whole thing is just enjoyable weird but played straight. And I love the inclusion of Wild Dog.

DP rocks--loved the recent issue.

Shade I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about.

Mother Panic #1 was okay. I have to give it a few more issues before I can see if its really grabbing me. Its certainly good enough to keep going. And the back-up story was really interesting...I want to see where it goes.

All in all, I'm looking forward to the next issue of each series!

Shade didn't appeal to me but the Dial H backup is enticing. I may wind up getting these for the backup stories. Haven't tried Mother Panic - yet another Gotham character, just didn't have enough pull, and the reviews have been tepid.

I'll stick with Cave Carson & DP, though.

Continuing with The "Super Powers" backups in Cave Carson, this issue has:

-More Wonder Twins
- Superman Robot as a suitcase 'Build-a-Friend' (from OMAC)
- The REAL Origin of Green Arrow (Featuring Starro and Xeen Arrow, as well as some potent "herbs")

I give up. This line is "too cool" for me. I don't get Doom Patrol at all. Cave Carson and Shade are just trying too hard IMO.
I will take another issue of Mother Panic (but I don't have high hopes)

Shade just feels like a comic book version of "Girls" for me... and I can't get into either

I enjoyed the back-up feature in Shade more than the actual comic, mainly because it had the return of a famous Sandman-related character.

I'm still liking Shade, but it is starting to drag out the whole "how do I cope with being a vicious teenage girl" bit. There's a lot of character progress, but it does need to introduce a bit more plot to keep things moving, or it will start spinning it's wheels on this.

The Element Girl backup was decent. As per the last few, it's another meditation on the theme of "Change".

Cave Carson is just getting better and more fun with each issue. It's one of my favorite series right now, and I love the batshit crazy feel to it within the narrative of a traditional superhero story.

Meanwhile, both Shade and Mother Panic are losing me. I haven't quite decided but I may not pick up the latest issues when I go to the CBS next. I appreciate what they're trying to do, but it just isn't working for me.

SHADE really speaks to my "Alien Trapped in a Bitchy Teen Girl" side...

Latest issue of Cave Carson continues with the mystery of what happened to the underground civilisation Cave's wife came from, while giving hints about EBX's motivations.

In the "Super Powers" backup, we get movement on a few of the stories:

Etrigan the Angel is tempted in a very Miltonesque way with the coming of Man.

The Wonder Twins learn the astronaut they saved was carrying genetic samples of Superman. Unknown to thme, the "Sphinx" has the samples and is trying to build a clone army.

Batgirl follows Wonder Woman's Lasso (a sentient "Lassie") to the Invisible Jet and rescues/revives an unconscious Wonder Woman, just as the Green Lantern Corps arrives to take control of Earth.

I'm really pleased with the line overall. I love Doom Patrol and Shade, like Cave Carson, meh on Mother Panic. The line as a whole feels like it recaptures the energy of pre/early Vertigo, while still being fresh. If that experimentation means an occasional misfire like Mother Panic, that's a price worth paying.

My only real gripe is that for a line positioning itself as edgy/alternative "Outsider Art," it sure is blindingly white. A great job of female representation, but three solo books starring white characters, and a team book that has been foregrounding the white characters so far? That kind of thing was understandable 20 years ago when those kinds of issues of inclusion were first breaking into the mainstream of comics, but it's kind of embarrassing now when so many of Marvel's main titles are SO much more colorful than DC's arthouse line.

I'm enjoying Mother Panic more than I originally thought I'd be. I'm genuinely interested in seeing where this is going and learning more about what Violet had to endure. I honestly did not realize "Mother Panic" was supposed to be a nun reference until the end of the third issue, and I hate myself for that.

New Young Animal series: The Allred's take on Kirby!

It's a mini, so you know Allred will be on it for the whole ride. Hopefully Seriously, though, I'm onboard for BUG!

When I saw this, it was an immediate buy. Allred on Forager and other random Kirby charcters? Can't wait!

Can Allred handle two books at once? I'm torn between excitement and concern for Silver Surfer.

The back-up in Cave Carson brings the "Super Powers" vol. 1 to a close, as the New Gods intervene, but Joker and Penguin make a getaway. The reader is implicated as the real villain in all of this and the Wonder Twins take on new styles to make them fit in better on Earth.

In the main book, Cave and his team continue to try and stop the big bad from awakening (failing, naturally). The line of the week for me goes to Wild Dog when Cave's daughter asks why he doesn't own a rocket launcher.

"Bug! The Adventures of Forager" was all kinds of awesome. Allred is at the top of his game, and the whole book krackles with Kirby goodness. Looks like it's set to be a team-up book with this month being the Garret Sanford Sandman (with Brute and Glob in tow). If the visions Bug has are to be believed, upcoming guests include Deadman, the Golden Age Sandman, Golden Age Paul Kirk Manhunter, OMAC, and Atlas!

Wait WHAT? GARRET SANFORD??

Take that mopey Gaiman Sandman!

Garret?? The son Fred disowned, leaving his junkyard to that dummeh Lamont??

Agreed. Bug! the best Young Animal book yet? Probably, with the caveat that it's probably not sustainable, and making it a mini will likely turn out to be the best call.

I could actually get behind a series of Young Animal Mini-series, bringing in talent like the Allred's for limited engagements on B & C-listers would keep things fresh and the quality high.

BUG!!!!! Picked it up today - it does an amazing job incorporating the hero's history into his current adventure
There's some magic in being able to pick up this idea, brush it off, and put some PIZAZZ on it

Now that the first arc of Doom Patrol is over, can anyone explain to me what Terry None's deal was?

There WAS None. O:)

I really feel she's got some connection to Mr. Nobody

I had her down as being connected to Number None from Nobody's brotherhood.

The last scene obviously is setting her up as the key player in the next arc (and certainly not as friendly as she seems). Now when the next arc comes out is anyone's guess since it's off the schedule for a while.

BUG! #2 was equally as fun as the first one. Forager is thrown through time and end up in the Himalayas during WWII. It seems General Electric is active in this time too and he's found his way to Namba Parat. Bug stumbles across an Allied strike team sent to liberate the mystical city, consisting of the Golden Age Blue Beetle, Sandman & Sandy, the Losers, and the Bazooka Boys. In a fun bit, they mistake Forager for the Red Bee! The team-up is fast, fun and Allred's art is amazing as always. There's not much too the overall plot, as it's really an excuse to move Bug into unlilkely team-ups, but those have been rewarding unto themselves.

I finally got around to reading Bug #1 and #2 after my Dad horded them at his house for weeks. I had a feeling I would love them, and man...I fucking LOVED IT!

This is Allred at his best, and I just wish each issue was 100 pages and came out daily. Immediately filling out Forager's character from the get-go, the series is the typical awesome mix of indie craziness, whimsy & humor, high octane action, past Age motifs, and all around love of the medium.

#1 awesomely included the Kirby Sandman with Brut & Glob, but #2 was full tits out with The Golden Age Blue Beetle, Sandman & Sandy, the Losers, and all kinds of fun. I couldn't help but think of Lash as the Allred's loaded the issue with hilarious jokes and winks to fans, such as the makeshift Mother Box curing Sandy's acne or Sandy thinking Forager was the Red Bee. The Losers were perfect as the stereotypical gritty Kirby GI's, and Abominable Snowman bit was like Giffen & Co at the old school funniest without all the modern snark and grumpiness.

This is one of those series you have to scoop up when it comes around. EDE, if you're reading this, you have to pick it up ASAP.

Shade the Changing Girl #12 brought all of the plot threads together in a very satisfying way. It also ends in a way that makes me wonder if it shouldn't have been a 12-issue maxiseries. I guess we'll see what happens when it comes back from hiatus, but I think it's possible we may have just passed the high-water mark of the series.

Bug ins it's Ron on a fantastic note. I have to admit that I had completely lost the plot along time ago, and was just enjoying the weirdness in the fun. But the spinal issue managed to get me back up to speed in a way that felt surprisingly natural. A great ending to a great series.

In other news, the future of young animal post-milk wars has been announced. Shade, mother panic, and cave Carson will all be returning with new number ones, new titles, and new directions, but all with the same creative teams as before. The only news about Jim patrol is that it will be continuing alongside the other books. That makes sense, since it still hasn't even finished it's original 12 issue run. I'm still really enjoying it, and I'm happy to let it come out of its own pace and enjoy it when I can. It's not like this line of titles is deeply interconnected, and it's slow release schedule is damaging the other books. If the artist was the cause of the delays, I would be fine with replacing them with someone who can keep a schedule up better. But my suspicion is that the writing is what is keeping it slow

Seems Doom Patrol's staying the same though? Or has it been cancelled?

Doom Patrol is so far behind on it's publishing schedule that they'll just keep plugging away until they make it to issue #12 like the other series. I'm sure they'll make a decision then as to where the book goes.

Looks like Young Animal is closing up shop. All current series will end with #6. They are promising a return of Doom Patrol and new projects at some future date. Time will tell.

I'm still enjoying Shade and Mother Panic, but I can't say I'm heartbroken by the news. The Eternity Girl mini is the best thing they've got going right now. With the success of that and Bug, minis may be the way to go if they do return.

Eternity Girl is such a clear stand-in for Element Girl as portrayed in Sandman that I'm not sure what the point is. The powers, the origin, the starting situation, the personility, particularly the desperate desire for death... she even has trouble looking human. Even the names are similar. Why isn't this just an Element Girl mini? Set it out of continuity to get around the obvious problem that "she died in that story."

Loved DP. I always referred to it as Gerard Way's Doom Patrol fanfic, and I loved that the ending showed that he was aware that was what it was. Hoping for more.

Well it looks like Young Animal's coming back like Gerard Way said.