You are here: Home / Archives for Kimberley Griffiths

Marvel NOW! – Why It’s A Huge Step Forward for Superheroines

June 2, 2013 by

I-Have-An-Issue-Banner

‘I Have An Issue’ is a regular opinion column from Kimberley Griffiths, with no fear or favour shown. If you’d like to suggest something for a future column, drop us a line. Also, check out Kimberley’s blog!

You’ve all probably already seen Shawn’s glowing review of X-Men #1, so I’m sure you have an idea of the general consensus around these parts on the new X team. I’m right there with him – I loved everything about the first issue, and I can only hope that high standard is maintained throughout what is hopefully a long run.  While I can’t help but feel disappointed at the cancellation of Red She-Hulk, Marvel really is doing some great stuff for women heroes at the moment.

x-menFirst off, as with most Marvel NOW! titles (I certainly have a few exceptions, and two of them are written by the same writer), the new X-Men treats its characters like just that – characters.  There’s no sense that the team is all women just to tick a box.  Marvel is certainly heading in the right direction if this is their way of respectfully portraying  women in its books, without seeming exploitative or simply attempting to jump on the feminism bandwagon.

Along with Brian Wood’s excellent writing, we also have artist Olivier Coipel at his absolute best.  One of my criticisms of many female characters, has always been many artists’ lack of ability to draw characters that look different, without falling back on obvious cues like hair colour and costume (yes, I’m looking at you, Greg Land).  Every one of Coipel’s characters is well defined, consistent, and beautifully executed, with obvious differences in facial structure, and not just using skin colour to identify diversity.

As with Captain Marvel, X-Men has shown that we don’t need characters driven by romance, abuse, or disturbing past events (remember Women in Refrigerators?) to enjoy reading about them.  We can be aware of these events in characters’ histories without having to be reminded of them continually, and for them to be the primary motivation for their actions.  While there are plenty of shippers out there – hey, I’m one of them – romance is not something we need to keep things interesting in comics.  Do we even really want it at all?  I would much rather see Carol punch a dinosaur in the face, than having [shippy hero of choice]’s tongue down her throat.

FD9In addition to characterisation,the plethora of costume redesigns over the past year or so are a real breath of fresh air.  The movement away from the ‘traditional’ bodysuit and/or thong was badly needed, and while some detractors have called the new tac suit inspired costumes of Psylocke, Jubilee, and Captain Marvel boring, I think they are the exact opposite.  Valkyrie is also getting a makeover in issue #8 of Fearless Defenders, and it’s finally farewell to the ridiculously impractical and dangerous metal boob cups, and hello to a more simple, comfortable looking outfit, that still has nods to Asgardian styling.

Speaking of Asgardians, the Sif led incarnation of Journey into Mystery is going from strength to strength.  A combination of astonishing writing by Katherine Immonen, and the incredible artistic talents of Valerio Schiti on pencils and colourist Jordie Bellaire, is one of the best creative teams out there right now.  While I’m not as much of a fan of the fantasy elements that JiM brings – I’m more into stories rooted in what passes for the real world – I can’t deny that this book is excellent in every way that matters.

While there is still a distinct lack of female led books out there, you can’t deny that Marvel is heading in the right direction.  Less than two years ago, the only superheroine led book was X-23, and when it was cancelled, it left nothing on the roster with a female focus at all.  Now, we have X-Men, Fearless Defenders, Captain Marvel, Journey into Mystery, all with full rosters of women, or with a single focus female lead.  In addition to that, Uncanny X-Force, FF, and even Hawkeye are pushing forward with core heroines.  The only one of these failing in its characterisations is Uncanny X-Force, but it has to be a hard ask coming back from Rick Remender’s run, that was so well enjoyed by many.

Many have criticised Marvel in the past for its treatment of its women characters, but I think it’s safe to say those days are sliding into the rear view mirror.  This year we’ve had so many incredible titles featuring some of the most badass women in comics.

Women who are dangerous, powerful, and menacing, but haven’t lost any of their humanity.  Women who are characters we really want to read about, rather than just tinsel to hang around the male heroes who dominate most titles.  Women who don’t need a male presence in their team to motivate them when they lose their way.

Good on you, Marvel.  Good on you for employing writers who interact with the fans, and talk to us about what we really want in modern comics.  Don’t get me wrong, you still have problematic moments, and there are areas that need work, but over all, I’m impressed with Marvel NOW! and the clear determination to recognise more diversity, not just gender, but also sexuality, gender identity, and race.

Now if you could just give us that Spider-Woman solo, it would be greatly appreciated.

Filed Under: Marvel, Opinion Tagged With: , ,

Review: A+X #8 – Duggan/Larroca & Hastings/Brown

May 27, 2013 by

aplusx8So first off, I’m going to be completely honest and say I’ll take or leave A+X.  While it’s basically fun, quickfire stories, I tend to only pick up issues that feature my favourite characters.  So it’s pretty obvious that I was going to pick up this one, seeing as all four featured heroes are on my “A+ 10/10 will read almost anything” list.

The first half of this issue features Spider-Woman and Shadowcat, who along with Lockheed are recovering a meteorite, and fighting the Absorbing Man in an abandoned subway station.  Sounds pretty run of the mill, but I was thoroughly impressed by Gerry Duggan’s treatment of this story.

For starters, the dialogue is great.  Snappy, snarky, and clever.  Straight away we’re reminded that both Jess and Lockheed’s ties to S.W.O.R.D. and Kitty has a couple of great lines in response to not being allowed to know all the details of their mission.  Once they do manage to barge in on the melee, Creel is trying to get his hands on the meteorite while being thwarted by both HYDRA and AIM.

What follows is nothing short of awesome girl power, with added Lockheed brilliance.  Kitty is wonderfully clever as always, taking on Creel while Jess deals with the rest of the goon squad, and when everything is all done and dusted, there’s no way Kitty isn’t taking advantage of the free cleaning squad while they wait for the cavalry.

The art is clean, consistent, and filled with movement.  I often find many conventional comic artists portrayals of Jessica’s (admittedly ludicrous) costume a bit vulgar, but Salvador Larroca does a great job here.  There are very few gratuitous boob shots, and while I’m certainly no detractor of boobs, for that I’m thankful.

The only thing I didn’t like about this story, was Duggan feeling the need to bring up Jess’ pheromones.  While yes, this is part of her character, it’s not something I really need to be reminded of, and the context was kind of iffy.  All in all though, the team of Drew, Pryde, and Lockheed is well worth a read, and will only take up five minutes of your time.

Now for the second half of the book, featuring Deadpool and Hawkeye.  The art here isn’t quite as pretty as Larroca’s work, but Reilly Brown still does an admirable job.  As you would expect, there is more snarky, fast paced dialogue.  This tweet from writer Christopher Hastings pretty much sums up the entire story…

If you were to walk into a comic shop, get A+X #8, you would find that I wrote a story about Deadpool and Hawkeye being total bros with bows

— Christopher Hastings (@drhastings) May 22, 2013

Let’s look at what I want in a comic featuring these two:

Glaringly predictable but still hilarious dialogue… check.

Lots of action with some form of ridiculous vehicluar stunt… check.

Pop culture references up the wazoo… check.

Explosions… triple check.

Hawkeye + Deadpool was everything I wanted in a short story.  Silly, a bit predictable, and filled with things going boom.

So A+X #8?  Well worth picking up if you’re after something fun, short, and stand-alone.

Filed Under: Marvel

Review: The Bounce #1 – Joe Casey, David Messina

May 26, 2013 by

The-Bounce_11-300x461I’ll admit, I was kind of looking forward to the first issue of The Bounce.  Despite the vague description of issue 1, and the costume looking like some kind of cross between Ronin and Spider-Man, I was intrigued by the idea of a hero who finds motivation in superheroing, but the rest of the time doesn’t really do much.

Meet the ultimate slacker superhero for the 21st Century! Jasper Jenkins is a super-head AND a super-hero! He’s relatable AND reliable and he’s embarking on the adventure of a lifetime! The sensational debut of the new feel-good hero of the decade! You can’t afford to miss it!

Jasper Jenkins’ (The Bounce) has a power that is exactly what it sounds like.  He bounces.  The setting is something that’s clearly trying to appear like the ‘real world’.  So we have a hero with an absurd power, in a contemporary, grounded setting.  Nothing new to see here.

Jasper is a slacker and a stoner.  That’s fine, there are plenty of examples in pop culture featuring stoner protagonists that are endearing and witty (see Harold and Kumar, Pineapple Express), or filled with dark comedy and social commentary (Clerks, The Big Lebowski). Sadly, The Bounce is neither of these.

It’s not hard for me to put my finger on why I didn’t enjoy this book.  I really really wanted to, but I ended up quite intensely disliking it, and it had very little to do with the lack of real story, or even my inability to empathise with Jasper.  I didn’t like The Bounce, because it’s trying too hard to be cool.

The book opens with three pages of Jasper, his roommate, and a bong.  How original.  The profanity is also an issue.  While I’m not at all offended by it – that would be hypocritical – it’s incredibly tiresome.  I get that this book is aiming for a certain market, but I’m scratching my head to figure out exactly what that is, considering I’m fairly certain that I fit into the demographic.

So the writing doesn’t have much going for it, it’s not that original, and it’s trying too hard, which is a shame because Joe Casey has done some great stuff in the past.  What about the art?

Ehhhh… it’s okay.  Again, nothing new to see here.  The design is boring, and David Messina’s art, while technically good, isn’t anything special, and lacks any real sense of movement.  I do enjoy his ability with perspective though, and the background cityscapes were probably what I found most interesting about the entire issue.

In summary, and in relation to the summary, The Bounce doesn’t really do what it says on the box.  I didn’t find him relatable, I would actually rather he were unreliable, as that would probably make him more interesting, and I’m really confused as to how this book is supposed to be ‘feel good’.  The only part of the summary I found to be accurate was the slacker bit.

All in all The Bounce gets a D-minus from me.  Would not recommend.  I was originally going to give #2 a go, just to see if it needs some time to find its feet, but you know what?  I can’t be bothered.

Filed Under: Image, Other Companies

Review: Captain Marvel 1-12 – DeConnick / Soy / Rios / Andrade / Barrionuevo

May 22, 2013 by

Captain_Marvel_11In a Marvel catalogue filled with multiple Avengers, Spider-Man, and X-Men titles, it’s easy for Captain Marvel to get lost in the melee.  As one of only three female hero focus books at the moment (the other two being Red She-Hulk and Fearless Defenders), writer Kelly Sue DeConnick (Avengers Assemble, Ghost) must be feeling the pressure for this book to be successful.

Happily, not only is the writing consistently excellent, but the combination of DeConnick and Dexter Soy on pencils for the start of the run tells us that this title is going to be something very special indeed.

I have always been impressed with Kelly Sue’s skills with dialogue, and as usual, the words jump from the page.  From the very first panel in the very first issue, we’re reminded that Carol is a tough, smart woman, who’s happy to point out that she’s better than you.  The snappy conversation with Cap as they’re fighting The Absorbing Man is witty, fond, and has some great moments where Carol asserts herself.  I’ll also admit, I’m kind of glad to see her wearing pants, and the trend with redesigning female heroes to have more practical costumes is something I can really get on board with.

Despite the action packed start, there’s a shift to a more character focus mid way through, and while it could have been a mess with flashbacks, multiple locations, and some pretty serious angst, it reads incredibly easily.  There’s also some foreshadowing that is so incredibly subtle that I’m not even sure if it’s intentional, but if it is then full credit to DeConnick.  Brilliant work.

After the soul searching in issue #1, you would expect the series to continue down a similar path of a character focus with the odd bit of action thrown in.  Think again.  The next five issues are a full blown time travel story, and while it may be a large departure from the themes introduced in #1, it doesn’t at all feel wrong or off.  Soy’s art suits the WWII era setting brilliantly, and Carol’s internal monologue reminds us that being thrown into the past isn’t exactly something she’s equipped to deal with.

The introduction of a group of all-girl commandos, known as the Banshee Squadron, is fabulous.  The interaction between the Banshees and Carol is dynamic and compelling, and while often rapport between freshly introduced and short lived supporting characters can seem forced or rushed, this is not the case here.

There is a change in artist mid way through #4 when, once Carol successfully escapes 1943 to land in 1961, Al Barrionuevo takes over briefly.  Barrionuevo’s art is pleasing, but not as edgy and filled with movement as Soy’s.  The decision to change artists to indicate the time shift is a good one though, and it adds to the feeling that Captain Marvel has been very well thought out indeed.

The remainder of the 1961 (#5 and #6) story is pencilled by Emma Rios, who brings a wonderfully quirky style to the table.  It fits the story beautifully, and while it’s not necessarily what I would normally look for in comic art, after a second look I found myself far more drawn to Rios’ work than at first glance.  These two issues are filled with great moments of strength from the characters, and it’s just so refreshing to have women heroes, and non-heroes, who are independent, witty (for lack of a better phrase) BAMFs.  Often when I come across female characters who are written by men, their strength feels like it’s ticking a box, rather than coming from any inherent character traits.  DeConnick usurps this by not only writing women from a woman’s perspective, but doing it so well.

Carol’s time travel adventure closes with issue #6, which is outstanding.  We see glimpses of Carol’s origin story, complete with original dialogue which may seem like lazy writing, but from a character and story standpoint fits perfectly.  DeConnick knows who her audience is, and she’s taking a moment to remind us who Carol is, and why she is here.  Rios’s art is beautiful, still keeping the element of whimsy that makes it so appealing.   I was also thrilled to see the appearance of Jessica Drew, in a role that really helps push home home how much Carol’s friends care for her.

#7 and #8 are a short standalone story featuring Carol and Monica Rambeau (former Captain Marvel, Photon, Pulsar) beating the bejeesus out of a giant robot made from the scraps of planes lost in the Bermuda Triangle.  It’s silly, fun, and a brief respite from the intense themes of identity and legacy that make up the first six issues.  We also get Frank Gianelli, the sometimes irritating photojournalist who used to work for Carol at Woman magazine, along with that still ridiculous crush he has on her.  Soy is back, Christopher Sebela joins DeConnick as writer, and they all work together to create two issues that are thoroughly enjoyable, and stunning to look at.

Issues 9-12 are a step in a different direction yet again.  The foundations are being laid for a longer, crossover story arc for Carol here, and while she’s still in costume most of the time, there’s a far more personal, small time tone to these four books.

While I disliked artist Filipe Andrade’s style at first, I’ve grown to really admire his expressive, idiosyncratic style.  The way he puts movement into every panel is pretty incredible, and Jordie Bellaire’s slightly washed out colours add to the feeling that Marvel is really willing to take risks with its art that are definitely paying off.

Carol’s daily life is in the spotlight during these four issues, and as usual, DeConnick’s brilliant skill with character interaction really shines through.  Carol’s interactions with her friends, fellow Avengers, and in particular, the adorable Kit, are clever, heartfelt, and never outstay their welcome.  DeConnick is by far my favourite writer of dialogue at the moment, and probably overall my favourite writer that Marvel has on their roster.

When a serious threat to her powers comes to light, we remember that Carol doesn’t always make the best decisions.  She’s stubborn, cranky, and often self destructive.  This has always been one of my favourite things about Danvers as a hero.  She is often instrumental in her own downfall, and this makes her seem so much more real.  I also love the way her ego and sense of pride contradicts her self deprecating moments.  Even when she’s making bad choices – or perhaps because she makes bad choices – she always feels unerringly human.  DeConnick’s take on this aspect of her character is truly inspired, showing us that while Danvers is tough, brash, and willing to tell everyone how great she is, she will also refer to herself as a glowstick in a circus suit without even thinking twice.

The first twelve issues of Captain Marvel are some of the best I’ve seen from any series.  The consistency of both the writing, and the quality of the art, makes it an absolute must read.  It’s a book full of friendship, heart, and really excellently written, flawed but genuine characters.  If you’re not reading Captain Marvel, you’re really missing out.

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: ,

Review: The Enemy Within #1 – Kelly Sue DeConnick & Scott Hepburn

May 17, 2013 by

Avengers_The-Enemy-Within_1The Enemy Within is a five part crossover miniseries event that kicks off with this book, which is essentially a new issue of Captain Marvel that’s outside the normal distribution calendar.  While it’s not imperative that you read Captain Marvel before this, to fully understand what’s going on I would recommend reading issues 9-12 at the very least.

This book is, at its heart, a mystery.  While there’s action featuring The Grapplers and dinosaurs, the focus is on Carol’s search for Rose the slightly batty old lady, and the quest to uncover who is the mastermind behind all the unsettling events of the past few issues of CM.  All the while, she is dealing with the brain lesion that is supposed to be preventing her from flying.

As usual, Kelly Sue DeConnick’s work is above and beyond any other writers I’m reading at the moment (with the exception of  Matt Fraction’s current work who incidentally, happens to be her husband). She had me laughing out loud by the second page, and I really adore how she’s giving us a lot of Spider-Woman in Carol’s story.  Jess Drew is one of my favourite Marvel characters, so I’m always happy to see any Carol and Jess ‘besties’ interaction.

Jordie Bellaire’s colouring is gorgeous, and consistent with her previous work on CM.  I really adore her use of retro colours like greens, oranges, and pale blue.  It gives the comic an air of the seventies, while still feeling fresh and contemporary.  I really hope she continues to work on Captain Marvel, as she’s doing an excellent job.

Scott Hepburn’s pencil work has me in two minds.  While I really really like it at some points, there are moments where I feel like the faces in particular, are veering too far into caricature territory.  I don’t think I’ve ever read anything featuring Hepburn’s art, and while he’s done a good job here, it is a little inconsistent.  The design of every page is excellent though, and I’m really impressed with the action scenes, particularly during the pages where Thor and Carol battle a couple of dinosaurs to get to Rose.

Beneath all of this action, humour, and intrigue, there’s an undercurrent of unease.  Carol’s brain lesion is worsened by flight, and while she tries her best, there are moments where her stubbornness gets the better of her – she really, really hates Cap’s old flying motorcycle.  Just how much of Carol’s story is real, and how much is a hallucination?

All in all, The Enemy Within #1 is an excellent start to a mini event, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.

The story will be continued in Avengers Assemble #16, Captain Marvel #13, Avengers Assemble #17, and concluding with Captain Marvel #14

Filed Under: Marvel Tagged With: ,

Marvel is Building Bridges I Don’t Need

May 10, 2013 by

I-Have-An-Issue-Banner

‘I Have An Issue’ is a regular opinion column from Kimberley Griffiths, with no fear or favour shown. If you’d like to suggest something for a future column, drop us a line. Also, check out Kimberley’s blog!

There’s this strange disconnect between Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios at the moment, and while I’m loathe to be critical of franchises I usually love almost in spite of their foibles, I’m certainly feeling some trepidation.

While Studios seems to be doing its utmost best to define the clear, vast, and very welcome difference that is the gap between 616 and the Cinematic Universe (MCU), some of the current comic writers seem to have missed that memo.

When looking at a film like Iron Man 3, you can see that Marvel Stuidos has placed a clear this is a completely different part of the multiverse stamp all over it.  The changes to The Mandarin, and the Extremis storyline were, in my opinion, inspired.  They bought a cheesy, more than a little bit racist villain into the 21st century and placed him in a context that made sense in the MCU.  Extremis was adapted to fit far better into this less fantastical universe, and even then you only really need to look at Tony himself to recognise that Marvel has the right idea here.

On the other side of the coin, the increasing desire to bring elements of the MCU into the primary continuity is strange at best, and incredibly frustrating and a little creepy at worst.  While I’m certainly no detractor to the occasional snippet of blatant fanservice, I found myself immediately uncomfortable with one book in particular.

SA1Nick Spencer’s Secret Avengers is only four issues in, and within the first half of issue one, the tone is set for the aforementioned MCU capitalisation.  Marvel has attempted to suck in fans of The Avengers movie, particularly those who latched on to one line in particular – You and I remember Budapest very differently – and in doing this have created one of the strangest books I’ve come across in the last few years.

The insinuation that MCU fans will require a clear path to follow as a way to bridge the films and the comics is frankly insulting.  To those of us who are long time Marvel comics fans, the sudden and pointless addition of 1610/MCU ‘Nick Fury’, explained away as being the older model’s son with a nice matching eyepatch, and the clumsy introduction of Phil Coulson as a 616 character, is jarring and uncomfortable.  While I understand the desire to get some of these fans to crossover into comics, the minimally advertised, low key release of SA Vol 2 meant that the concept is largely redundant. And many of those fans who did take notice, have been alienated by the creepy mind-wipe aspect of the storyline. That then begs the question: if you’re cashing in on a line like that, what’s the point of ensuring neither of the characters involved remember ‘Budapest’ at all?

So all in all, Secret Avengers is failing at all its attempted tasks.  It’s not as edgy as it’s trying to be, it’s aiming at a market that it’s not reaching, and what lip service it does pay to those fans, it completely undermines by using illogical plot points and pointless references.  Luke Ross’ art is patchy, and at points it’s obvious he’s tried to give Natasha the same look as Scarlett Johansson, but the inconsistency means this really doesn’t work.  Coulson also, is obviously designed using Clark Gregg as a reference, but then we have Clint who is… something else entirely.

SA is a S.H.I.E.L.D. book, and shouldn’t be trying to masquerade as anything else, particularly with issue #3 having a focus on Daisy Johnson (Quake), who is the new yet still unconfirmed director of the organisation.  A book focussing mostly on Johnson, Hill, and the rest of the SHIELD team would hold my attention far better than SA has managed just four issues in.

IM3P1For those MCU fans wanting a great starting point in comics, Marvel already has the film tie ins.  These have proven to be well put together, standalone stories. With some better marketing, these could really increase readership not just of the MCU titles, but of others featuring fan favourites too.  Fraction’s Hawkeye has proven to be hugely popular with fans of the The Avengers who are new to comics, and thus far has stuck firmly in the existing primary continuity, with a couple of subtle nods to Cinematic Universe  imagery.

With Avenging Spider-Man #20 also featuring the crack team of Widow, Hawkeye, and Coulson, it looks like this is a path Marvel is keen to pursue in multiple titles.  I can only hope that other writers can give it a more refined treatment.  SA #1 hit us over the head with about as much subtlety as Mjolnir travelling at terminal velocity.

Filed Under: Marvel, Opinion Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page