DC Previews Picks: August 2015
(Yeah, about that trend I have going for Monday’s posts: I just got back from Fanime and am completely wiped out. This is the last post I have in the bank, so it’s going up now. Expect a review of “Black Lagoon vol. 10” to make up for this oversight later in the week.)
I’ve been thinking about the Joker’s new look in “Suicide Squad” and I think I know how to make that dumb “Damaged” tattoo on his forehead actually work in the film. Because make no mistake, regardless of what you think about his other tattoos this one is so on-the-nose that it just becomes laughable. Yet that’s the solution here: Have the character embrace its obviousness. Make one of his team members, preferably Rick Flag or Deadshot, come up to him and ask what’s up with the whole “Damaged” tat? Then have the Joker respond in perfect deadpan fashion, “How else would they know?” and then he starts laughing (of course). I don’t know if that tattoo will actually make it into the film or if they’ll just edit it out. But you can have this idea for free if you want it, DC.
DC Comics Bombshells #1: You love the statues! Retailers ordered lots of their variant covers last year! Now these re-imaginings of famous DC superwomen in the style of 1940’s pinups are getting their own digital first series. Find out how the second world war was won on the frontlines and behind the scenes with their help. It’s a cute concept and we all know that more female-centric titles are needed in this industry. I’m not expecting much since the whole idea sounds ultra-gimmicky. Of course, I’d love to be proven wrong.
Prez #3: Okay. I’m more interested in reading this maxi-series at some point after reading the solicitation for this issue. It contains: an anti-Smurf intellectual, literal pork-barrel legislation, and Boss Smiley imprisoning his critics in gerbil cages. I mean, how do you not read about all these things and not wonder how they’ll fit together in the same issue? The answer is that you don’t.
The Multiversity Deluxe Edition HC: Grant Morrison’s multiversal epic was years, YEARS in the making. To the point where few thought it would actually ever see the light of day. So you can imagine everyone’s surprise when it finally started shipping last year. The story takes the reader on a trip through some of the more notable of DC’s 52 parallel universes, such as the one that’s home to the Marvel family, another where the Nazis won WWII thanks to Superman’s help, and another where YOU are made a part of the story itself. Morrison has yet to disappoint with his big events at DC and I’m expecting the world from this one. Or, worlds, as the story would have it.
Suicide Squad vol. 1: Trial By Fire: Offered again four years after its initial printing. I picked it up immediately because this title’s reputation has persisted for a couple decades now. While some series from the 80’s haven’t aged all that well, this one has. It would’ve been nice if DC had continued to reprint the series — it even had a “1” on the spine, indicating that they were ready to — but it apparently didn’t sell well enough to meet the company’s expectations. Now, with the upcoming movie, they’ve giving it a second go. I’m hoping things will go better for us getting subsequent volumes if only for the fact that this stands as the definitive take on the concept. I.E., the one that you will want to read if you come out of the movie wanting to see more of the concept.
Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi: I picked up the original “Get Jiro” graphic novel a few years back at Comic-Con. It was… underwhelming. A foodie-centric take on “Yojimbo” (which Sergio Leone adapted into “A Fistful of Dollars” with Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name), the execution of the plot wasn’t all that special and the title character never made much of an impression on me. The art from Langdon Foss was pretty good. He managed to channel a brighter and appealingly cartoony style that reminded me of Frank Quitely’s work. The man also made the food look good, which is key for a story like this. Now, co-writers Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose are back with Jiro’s origin. Turns out that before he was a killer chef, the man was heir to a Yakuza family and was set on following in his family’s footsteps before discovering the rich history of Japanese cuisine. Ale Garza illustrates this volume. While he’s not bad, I can’t say that he’s the kind of artist that’s going to get me to reconsider skipping this.
Astro City #26: Celebrating 20 years of “Astro City.” So far, I’ve only bought two volumes of the series. There’s no exclamation point at the end of that sentence because that’s not something I’m proud of! I did get around to picking up the first two last year and found them to be really entertaining. Yes, writer Kurt Busiek is just taking a lot of famous heroes and filing the serial numbers off of them, but he creates a palpable sense of mystery and wonder within the title city and its myriad inhabitants. He’s also able to get away with a lot of things with his characters that you wouldn’t be able to do with the ones that inspired them. So it’s got that going for it as well. As for the “anniversary” issue itself: It’s not a “base 25” number or possessing an extra-sized page count. We just get to see what Samaritan is dreaming about now, the future of Astro City.