As much as I could complain about being chronologically drained by my work, it really only takes about 45 minutes or less to crank out one of these posts. I had the time - that's not the issue. I just never had the inspiration.
See, I tend to get the most enthusiasm for writing in this thing whenever I read a comic I really really like, or have some ideas that have been making me think of comics, and at some point along the line I get narcissistic enough to think people actually want to read what I have to say about funnybooks. And lately, the comics I've been reading haven't been giving me that spark. And I regularly pick up DEADPOOL, UNCANNY X-MEN, ASTONISHING X-MEN (soon to be dropped), GREEN ARROW & BLACK CANARY, THE WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, CRIMINAL, and probably a few others I'm not recalling at the moment. Sure, the best books like FABLES and SCALPED are missing from the list, but I pick up those in trades.
Lately, my trips to the comic book store have been about every month, so I tend to get all of these titles in one big bag. It's usually about 10-12 books, enough to give me a few hours of reading the day of purchase. And honestly, in those few hours, I get at most a surprise here, a chuckle there, and even, God forbid, the occasional "Gee whiz!" But honestly, not a whole lot else comes about. Nothing to write home about, and certainly nothing to write the one or two people that read this blog either.
I picked up DETECTIVE COMICS #854 for a couple of reasons. One, there's an awesome creative team at the helm, with consistently good Greg Rucka writing and the sublimely awesome JH Williams III, who wowed me considerably with his work on Alan Moore's PROMETHEA.
Second, it features Batwoman, a character who I always thought was cool ever since her introduction in 52 but has unfairly gotten a bad rap since.
Third, and most importantly, guilt.
I say that because I've found from my years of comic book shopping that you can't just walk into a comic book store without buying anything. You walk into a store that, if you're lucky, has about one or two other people in it besides you and whoever's working there. The owner greets you with a friendly howdy, asks you if you need anything, and maybe even chats with you a bit and asks you where you're from. You spend about ten minutes browsing the wares, maybe even get a recommendation or two, and then you just... leave?
No, that's not right.
You can't walk out empty-handed from these things. You just can't. So through a sense of guilt and moral obligation, I picked up the only book that looked halfway decent, which again, happened to be DETECTIVE COMICS #854.
Holy smokes, did this book surprise me.
I must confess, as much as I built up my enthusiasm for this book, I can't really say much about the story. The real kicker hasn't really hit yet - more than anything this book is just reacclamating everybody to her character. "Oh yeah, she's a lesbian!" must have been a response from at least one comic book fan who hasn't even thought about her since 52. But still, the script is packed with that classic Greg Rucka wit to it. Like, in case you were wondering how a any chick could effectively fight crime with that flowing red hair of hers, she loses it about six pages in, on a tip from Batman, no less, who says "do something about your hair. One pull, the fight's over for you."
But the real treat of this book is really JH Williams III's delicious art, which is absolutely spellbinding. Take note - that's a word I don't use often. I reserved it specifically for this moment.
I'm also going to go out on a limb and gamble a lot of my credibility when it comes to fiction and narrative and say that even if the story doesn't go anywhere, the art is so good it doesn't even matter. Saying this goes completely against my ego, as I hate, hate, hate it when people say "Comics are all about the art" or "I didn't like it because I didn't like the art."
"The art's meant to tell a story - dammit!" has always been my mantra, and I have to break the rhythm this time around because Williams' art is that fucking good. Rarely have I seen an artist that is so strong on all fronts, whether it's detailed photorealism, deeply communicative facial expressions, or even just quick pacing. He's even good at the really angular, dynamic looking grids that Bendis is famous for, something that even big time artists like Bryan Hitch and Alex Ross have never really been able to pull off well. Christ, even if the story bores you, if nothing else you're left with a dynamite 4 dollar art book.
And speaking of 4 dollars, while I've been really frustrated with the price point hikes that the publishers have been pulling (I mean seriously, couldn't they just have jumped to 3.25 or 3.50?), I have to hand it to DC for having the good sense to give us more value by giving us a second feature. That's right, kids - the story doesn't end with Batwoman in this book. At the very end, you get a bonus 8 page comic featuring none other than The Question, also penned by Greg Rucka.
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to what's to come. It might not be something I'm going to be telling my kids about ten years from now, but hey, you just might see me talking about it next month.
Posts
