Black Canary #1

Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu put a new twist on the long-running fishnet-clad hero in Black Canary. Looked at after reading, it’s a terrific choice, but not one I would have ever expected.

Here, Black Canary is the name of a touring rock band. The blonde on the cover is D.D., a fighter with a mysterious past neither her bandmates nor we know anything about yet. It’s a great idea to give her some female compatriots, since she’s previously been a loner or defined through her relationship with Green Arrow (nowhere to be seen here, although there is a hint of a past marriage). And casting her as a singer ties into her vocal powers in a realistic fashion.

It’s confusing and mysterious and something I want to read more of. Wu’s art is edgy and scratchy, well-suited to the story of a scrappy road band playing grungy clubs. The images are allowed to tell the story on their own at key moments, a sign of confidence I liked. This feels really new and interesting.

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Starfire #1

I’ve been trying a number of the new DC #1s, particularly the ones promising something other than the usual legacy white male hero, but I’ve found some of them unsatisfying. Too many of them are prologue, trying to establish a setup but not giving an accurate taste of what the actual series will be about. Not every #1 has to be an origin issue (or, like Prez, the first half of an origin). A #1 should make me want to come back for more by showing me what the actual series will be like.

That’s why I liked Starfire. It jumps right into its “fish out of water” premise, as the alien princess Kori wants to find a job and a place to live, helped by Sheriff Stella Gomez. I thought the story started somewhat abruptly, until I found out (thanks, Panels) that there was an 8-page digital prologue that establishes Starfire moving to Key West. (The existence of the lead-in should have been mentioned in the comic. However, the sneak peek features a whole bunch of characters — I’m presuming they’re the Outlaws from her former title — I don’t know, so maybe better not to confuse the new readers too quickly.)

Starfire is written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, drawn by Emanuela Lupacchino, and inked by Ray McCarthy. This isn’t the first time Conner and Palmiotti have done this premise; Terra, created in 2007, allowed for a similar take as an alien learning about earth with humor along the way. But since I liked it then, I like it now.

Treating the “big orange Supergirl”, as Gomez tags her, light-heartedly and with a sense of fun helps in lot in redeeming the character from what others have made her in the past (in short, a fantasy pin-up). Her innocence, particularly when it comes to sarcasm and figures of speech, makes for old-fashioned but entertaining humor. I especially like her illustrated thought balloons.

The premise, that Kori is tired of the “superhero game”, matches my feelings, so it’s a pleasure to see her get to use her powers in non-traditional ways — defending herself, getting a better view for the sunset, or rescuing a pet. More is promised, since as happens in Florida, there’s a big storm coming. I’ll be back next issue to see how she handles it. I like this humorous take on a superhero trying to build a life for herself that suits her personality.

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Love at Fourteen Volumes 1-2

Love at Fourteen is a poetic, quiet series about first love by Fuka Mizutani. Kanata (she) and Kazuki (he) are mature for their 14 years, taller than the others but set apart by the other kids looking up to them. They feel constrained by others’ expectations, and they don’t feel as old as others treat them. So they bond together, in similar circumstances, and begin falling in love.

It’s the moments that make this manga so involving. Whether or not their assigned seats are next to either other is the definition of a minor conflict, but it means so much to them, so they sneak away for some time just sitting next to each other.

They attend a summer festival, where they take care of each other. A new hairstyle is difficult to look at. Drawing class requires a model. The grumpy Nagai tries to blackmail them after spying on them. Each chapter is a short story about a moment or a meaning. These are everyday situations, made significant by the emotions permeating them. These characters are so cute in their simplicity that they’re a pleasure to watch.

Volume 2 opens with an often wordless chapter that perfectly captures the embarrassment of a casual touch when you’re becoming more aware of changes in both your own body and another. Then there’s scheming to get to share an umbrella together on a rainy afternoon and the complication of another student with a crush.

That student isn’t the only one who gets jealous, as Nagai returns in a chapter involving the attractive music teacher. (I’m not sure what the author is going for between those two, but I have my suspicions.) Then there’s folk dancing, and the required touching of hands that the kids have to negotiate.

Love at Fourteen is a relaxing read, spurring memories of puppy love and emotional moments. (The publisher provided review copies.)

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So, I Can’t Play H Volume 1

So, I Can’t Play H is a manga that feels familiar from the start. It began as a series of light novels (11 in all) written by Pan Tachibana and illustrated by Yoshiaki Katsurai that then were adapted into five manga volumes, drawn by Sho Okagiri, before becoming an anime series.

This volume opens with a bunch of confusing mythology about a realm of Grim Reapers and their training and contracts and rules, but it’s really about a regular guy, Ryosuke, whose only virtue is kindness, who has an extensive porn collection, and who is obsessed with girls being treasures full of body parts to dream about. Typical of an M-rated series, there’s plenty of fan service, like a full-nude shower scene.

The subject of the scene is Lisara, a cute girl from this other realm who exists just so he can look up at her when she’s wearing nothing but his shirt or get his head stuck in her crotch. She needs him to live, but her use of his spirit energy reduces his libido, which means he leers at her a lot but doesn’t attack her. (All this is explained during one of the talking scenes that are there just to space out the sexy images.) Typical of this kind of manga, it’s all a tease, putting Ryosuke in the place of the reader, while Lisara screams and yells and threatens him violently.

In the second half of the book, she joins him at school, where she meets his well-built childhood friend and the local popular boy. I wish the series had more humor, more cheekiness about its premise, so I could find something to entertain me, but this is clearly aimed at those who want a flimsy excuse to fantasize about naked girls. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

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Scooby-Doo Returns With New Series on Boomerang

Last year, the cable channel Boomerang, which previously aired classic cartoons, announced plans for original content. Now, more detail is available on the nature of that content.

Unsurprisingly, the characters are familiar. There’s a new 22-minute series, Be Cool Scooby-Doo!, promising “a modern comedic twist on the beloved classic. This time, the gang is working as hard to solve their own personal problems as they are to solve the endless, mind-bending mysteries that await them.” So, more interpersonal drama, and as shown here, a new, modernized look for the characters.

Also coming will be Bunnicula, based on the children’s book about a vampire rabbit, and Wabbit – A Looney Tunes Production, with new Bugs Bunny shorts that will feature “classic characters like Yosemite Sam and Wile E. Coyote, along with brand new foes.”

As part of this deal with Warner Bros. Animation, Boomerang will continue to have access to their “classic animation portfolio” of “3,500 titles”, including works from Cartoon Network Studios.

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While We’re Young

I was really intrigued by the premise of While We’re Young, about a childless couple (Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts) in their 40s who start hanging out with a couple (Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver) in their 20s. I could emphasize with the situation, where the couples your own age are most excited about their kids, so if you want to do other things, you wind up with younger people who haven’t “settled down” yet, those who have more time and interests. (In our case, because we’re not young, we never made it out while this was in theaters for the two weeks or so it played locally.)

It’s a bit self-indulgent for a filmmaker (Noah Baumbach, writer/director) to make a movie about the mid-life crisis of a movie maker (Stiller’s character makes documentaries), but it’s also authentic to today’s visual culture that everything’s captured and considered a performance. Once we get to know the characters more, it’s revealing in terms of how they portray themselves to others. There’s also a layer of artistic jealousy as the middle-aged no longer finds creation so easy or smooth. Stiller has been working on a particular project for a decade. Exclusion is necessary, both in terms of editing and in-group definition, but painful, particularly to those left on the sidelines.

The younger couple bikes everywhere and fetishizes old technology (like typewriters and record players) and engages in creative pursuits like making their own ice cream flavors. That can be energizing but it can also be tiring. The contrast section, where the older woman is reading the NY Times on her iPad and her husband pulls up something to watch on his AppleTV, while the younger couple makes pencil notes in a paperback and watches a videotape that needs its tracking adjusted, was oddly hilarious. The older couple is seduced by how creative the younger seems, making their own furniture and coming up with creative social ideas, but it requires money to have all the latest tech toys.

I expected the film to be talky, a spiritual successor to Woody Allen’s New York chattering classes, but the montage sequences like this one are what are going to make this film so interesting to watch in future years, as they capture a particular hipster ethos of our time. No one these days thinks of themselves as older, or even as an adult, but life is better (imo) if you accept that gracefully.

Speaking of not doing that, I actually said OMG when I saw Charles Grodin (who plays Watts’ father). I still remember him best from The Great Muppet Caper (1981), but it’s been a long time since then, and what hair he has left is white. It was also an odd coincidence that I watched While We’re Young just after rewatching Wonder Boys, since both feature artists having a hard time coping with the skill and energy of the younger creator after they’ve aged out of their own youthful success. This film adds in a debate about the nature of truth on film and how documentary functions in today’s capture culture.

Just when I was thinking about how the women in this film play second fiddle and aren’t given much to do, Seyfried gets a really meaty scene that puts things in new perspective. The movie changes from low-key realistic to more dramatic, but someone who doesn’t have the patience for your typical art-house talkfest might find that aspect more entertaining. Suffice it to say that youth can also be harsh and heartless, out only for itself. I’m not sure I can wholeheartedly say I liked the movie, but I appreciated watching it, and it certainly started some discussions.

The extras on the disc are minimal, four press-clip-style featurettes, about 2 minutes each, covering:

• The Cast
• Director Noah Baumbach
• Charles Grodin
• Generation Tech

And two very short behind-the-scenes for particular setups: Ayahuasca Ceremony and Hip Hop Class. (The studio provided a review copy.)

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Wizard World Launches Con Radio

To go along with CONtv, their online network, Wizard World has announced CON Radio, a combination of live audio streaming and podcasts.

They’ve got nine programs available now, with more promised for later this summer and “live streaming from Wizard World Comic Con shows nationally.” Here’s the program list, planned to update weekly unless otherwise noted. The Classics show sounds most interesting to me, although I haven’t listened to any yet.

Common Room – A female-take on the geek culture and nerd lifestyle, with no topic off-limits.

Con Smash – Con Radio’s flagship program, featuring pop culture news & rumors, debates, celebrity interviews, contests & more. Hosted by Wizard World’s Mo Lightning & Billy Patterson.

Crazy 4 Comic Con – The most comic book-leaning podcast on Con Radio. Join host Tony Kim and special guests as he talks comic books, art, writing, and of course, the joy of comic cons all across the world. Monthly.

Every Day is Halloween – Celebrating all things scary, Horror Guy Keenan creates a podcast experience unlike any other. Clips from classic movies, forgotten TV commercials, movie reviews, and industry analysis are just the proverbial tip of the knife. Monthly.

The Game Fix Podcast – No pop culture hub would be complete without a spotlight on video games. Gamers can get their fix from a gang of radio personalities who’ve spent their entire lives gaming, from the NES to the latest and greatest consoles.

The Modern Geek Show – Fashion, flirting, fitness… How does today’s geek find time to balance all of this, work, and his or her pop culture interests?

Talking TV WITH Liz and Lindi – Team Supernatural Drama isn’t just a title, it’s a lifestyle! Regulars on the con scene for a while, hosts Liz Pochop & Lindi Smith have recently expanded their reviews to Entertainment Weekly’s website (ew.com) and now this exclusive-to-Con Radio podcast.

Wizard World Classics – Missed a favorite celebrity on his or her panel? That’s OK – Listen to it here! Wizard World presents brand new, and classic, clips from various celebrities in short segments that keep the show flowing!

WrestlingAudio Presents… – Simulcast sports entertainment (pro wrestling) programming from the 10-year podcast veterans of WrestlingAudio.com. Includes news & rumors, celebrity interviews, contesting, more. Recorded 1-3 times per week.

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Ani-Imo Volume 1

Ani-Imo by Haruko Kurumatani has one of those “only in manga” premises. Be sure to keep it away from parents or busybodies, because it plays with implications of incest as comedy.

Youta is a caring boy. He fixes breakfast for his family, and he particularly takes care of his twin sister Hikaru (so much so that rumors swirl around their high school regarding his “sister complex” and how freaky the twins are). She’s quiet and reserved, but he finds her adorable and can read her moods, except for one big secret.

Their parents haven’t bothered to tell him that the two aren’t actually related. They were born on the same day, yes, but with other partners before the parents got together, so they don’t share any blood. Which allows Hikaru to plant a kiss on Youta, since she wants to date him.

But wait! That’s not all! There’s an accident, and after, the two wake up in each other’s bodies. Thus the tagline: “Big Brother becomes Little Sister; Little Sister becomes Big Brother.” Youta (as a girl) wants to figure out how to fix things, but Hikaru (as a boy) sees this as her opportunity to see her brother’s body naked and get what she wants in a relationship.

Sadly, what could have been the fodder for entertaining comedy or exciting drama winds up flatly sitting on the page. Youta’s constant nattering and worrying becomes boring. Like the writing, the art is standard, with nothing that particularly stands out, and the girls appear particularly young, troublesome for the plot.

The other cast consists of Mayama, who’s constantly trying to grab or kiss Hikaru against her will, and Oda-san, a pretty girl. Youta was crushing on her, but she was playing up to him to get closer to Hikaru for some girl-girl action. The sexual drive of these characters leads to my assumption that the author was more interested in pushing boundaries than developing realistic characterization. Particularly when it comes to the creepy doctor who knows their secret and seems to want to get with either or both of them. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

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