Rage Kittens: Comics for the discerning nerd

Lesbian Super Heroes: Mainstream Comic Books Featuring Lesbian Characters

2010-06-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it seemed time to take a look at the L side of GLBT comics. If you're interested in a pictorial history of lesbian comic book heroes (key word is heroes; I tried to avoid villainous queers as much as possible) go ahead and follow the link below for more information.

Lesbian Super Heroes: Mainstream Comic Books Featuring Lesbian Characters

What Did We Really Expect From DC's Brightest Day?

2010-06-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

If you recently read my article about the worst comic books ever, you might have noticed most of them were complaining about immature depictions of sex and violence. A number of comic fans share my sentiments that murder and childish depictions of sex do not equal mature (in fact, many even more so) and were heartened to see that DC Comics follow up to Blackest Night would, appropriately, be Brightest Day.

Much like with Marvel's Age of Heroes, the assumption was that it would usher in a new age of goodwill and family friendly comics. Once people started reading the new issues of Brightest Day, what we got were two issues in a row of pretty blatant, senseless murder.

Suffice to say, I was put off. The sequence above, of a mother murdering her family, is both graphic and extremely unpleasant. It felt gratuitous and, more than anything, I just plain felt uncomfortable. But it also got me thinking: why exactly did I think that Brightest Day would be such a joy fest?

After all, DC never promised it would be uplifting or an end to violence. The only thing they really flat out told us was that it was going to end the cycle of constant death and resurrection that have been a near weekly occurrence in the pages of DC's books. No word on changing the status quo on violence.

And really, it is my own fault. Blackest Night was one of the goriest, most violent mainstream books to hit the shelves. The villains were constantly ripping vital organs out of characters big and small. To use the most violent book in the world to lead into a kinder, gentler era of all-age fun wouldn't just be stupid, it would be potentially damaging.

How would DC sell their continuity to the supposedly family friendly readership of their new, cuddly title? "Oh, yes, this horror show of a comic brought about the return of Silver Age wackiness. No, no, no, you should really read up on how the Hawks got their hearts ripped out so you can understand what's going on here."

In the end, the only people trying to fool us in regards to Brightest Day's content is ourselves. I've made my peace with DC not being as sweet-natured as I'd like. There are plenty of books where violence is handled tastefully and sex isn't presented as a juvenile fantasy. And if I'm really hard up for cuteness, there's always Tiny Titans.

But I won't make a mistake of assuming anything about an entire series based on the title again any time soon.

The 5 Worst Comicbook Series Ever: Terrible Comic Books

2010-06-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

More offsite fun, this time a look at some of the worst comic books ever written. This is mainly inspired by my unabiding hatred of the recent Cry For Justice/Green Arrow/Rise of Arsenal story lines.

It made me sit back and really evaluate what I don't like about comics instead of what I do. I try not to be, but every now and then I have to be a bit of a rage kitten myself.

So, what ARE the worst comic books of all time?

The Art of Batwoman

2009-10-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Batwoman has quickly become more than just the word "lesbian" attached to a bat emblem. Currently, she stars in one of the most amazing examples of comic book art in the history of the entire genre. J.H. Williams masterful pencils have elevated an already excellent story by Greg Rucka to masterpiece status. As time goes by, the art only gets better and comic book fans would be foolish to miss out on this one of a kind book.

Featuring eye-popping colors, often psychedelic layouts, and beautifully stylized from start to finish, Detective Comics has the best art in town. But what exactly is going on on the page...? (READ MORE)

Death and the DC Universe

2009-07-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

With the Black Lanterns running rampant as part of the Blackest Night summer event, the DC Universe is showcasing one of their largest rosters of B-List characters: the deceased ones. Fans may joke about characters dying and being resurrected before the end of the issue, but it wasn't until the dead began to rise it became apparent just how short a lifespan heroes have in in DC comics.

In the first issue alone, more once-beloved characters are brought back to life than can be shown reasonably in the pages of the book, earning only brief mentions as the book focuses on those Geoff Johns has chosen to share with us thus far. A single splash page featuring all the deceased Green Lantern Corps members illustrates the mind-boggling losses this one small section of the DC Universe has experienced. Indeed, readers might have noticed a lot of deaths during the Sinistero Corps War, but now that they're all in one place, illustrated in all their gory detail does it become obvious how many recognizable characters were lost over just a single year.

Halfway through the issue, Hal Jordan shows the recently returned Flash, Barry Allen, just how many people have died since he himself departed the world of the living. It takes two pages just to show them all, and even then some are left for later in the issue to illustrate. The number of characters who have died and remained dead since Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity reboot is almost without measure.

The number of deaths in the past decade have been on the raise, as well. The disappointing Infinite Crisis featured Superboy Prime casually killing half of the Titan's reserve membership during a battle with Conner Kent (soon to be deceased himself). Major events in the DC Universe have become a house cleaning for unwanted characters (along with a few big boys to add some shock value to the events).

Marvel Comics is certainly the grittier of the two major publishers, featuring more real world cities, politics, and stories featuring social upheaval. In contrast, the DCU is a sunny place where heroes are venerated, the JSA has bake sales, and Superman is there to save the day. Why, then, are DC events a slaughter house while Marvel's most recent event brought more people back to life than it killed?

Perhaps it is just because of that dichotomy: Marvel has nothing to prove because their real world is slightly more plausible. Comic book readers skew older than they did twenty-five years ago and they expect more realistic and mature stories. In a world where Ma Hunkel can regularly put on a stove pot to fight local street toughs, a war without a major deathcount might not seem realistic.

These frequent deaths lead to both fan excitement and fan frustration. Frequent "shock" deaths or the casual killing of scores of characters can leave those more interested in characters than books bitter. As someone who likes Batman's side-cast (Nightwing, Catwoman, Spoiler, Jim Gordon and the rest) more than the man himself, I'm always terrified of who will end up being the next sacrificial lamb on the altar of entertainment. As Stan Lee famously said, "every character is someone's favorite."

In spite of my own annoyance and fear for my favorite characters, the fact is the less "real" DC Universe has the right of it - in their line of work, superheroes should be dying left and right. They fight the worst evil in the world daily and it should be no shock when someone dies. And let there be no mistakes - randomly killing off characters is more realistic than letting then continue to live just because they have a fanbase. Life is short, cruel and often unfair and deaths are rarely heroic or timed just right to finish off all the "story arcs" left on the white board. All of us are more likely to be popped open by Superboy than to have a perfect moment with our lover before taking down twenty thousand space aliens with us.

Simply put, DC manages to be cynical and realistic at the same time. Through some occasionally cheap writing tactics and an eye towards keeping the stakes high the easy way, they've managed to hit on the reality of life. We will all die and we will all lose the people we love. And it will rarely happen when we expect it and certainly can't be avoided just because we love them.

Gay Comic Book Characters: Starring Rictor and Shatterstar

2009-07-14T23:52:00.001-07:00

Recently, one of the biggest stories in the world of comic books was the "outing" of two mainstream comic book characters, Shatterstar and Rictor. In Peter David's X-Force, these two long-time friends shared an impromptu kiss after a harrowing battle, finally putting to bed fan questions about their sexuality.

To long time fans, this comes as no real shock as the two would often go off on long off-panel "adventures", the contents of which were never revealed. The two shared the first-ever visible, high profile kiss between two men in the history of Marvel Comics. Despite Shatterstar creator (and embarrassment to art) Rob Liefield's complaints, it looks like the two will be batting for the other team for the foreseeable future.

In honor of the event, let's take a look back at some other mainstream comic book characters who tend towards same-sex relationships.

This is a bit less thoughtful than most articles here, so follow the link below to learn more.

The Rise Of Deadpool

2009-07-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Although not much fanfare has been made about the subject, Deadpool has quickly become one of the rising stars of Marvel Comics. Deadpool (AKA Wade Wilson) has long been one of the icons that distinguishes the hardcore comic book reader from the casual fan. Fans have followed Deadpool's antics for nearly two decades and it seems that their devotion is finally paying off for a character that was stuck deep in the B-list, always threatening to float away to the dregs of forgotten C-List comedy acts like Ambush Bug and Slapstick.

Today, Deadpool has two monthly titles, a mini-series, has been hailed as one of the saving graces of the otherwise disappointing X-Men Origins film, and has his own major motion picture in the works. The real proof of the Merc With a Mouth's new A-List status, however, is in the number of monthly guest appearances Wade Wilson has earned himself over the past few months. Deadpool has been a headlining guest star in Thunderbolts, Ms. Marvel, X-Force, Cable, and Hulk. Just like Spiderman, Deadpool has become a name that can get people to pick up a title.

Much of the appeal of Deadpool has been his comedic presence. Although he started as a pouch-laden Rob Liefield creation, Deadpool evolved into a meta-commentary on the comic book industry as his inner monologue often poked fun at the comic book foibles the sometimes-hero found himself involved with. Readers have grown accustomed to a Deadpool who focuses on off-the-wall humor and pop culture references while committing acts of ultra-violence. However, as Joe Kelly's signature run on the original Deadpool title shows, the character can easily provide both the "wacky" humor readers desire while still involving the character in an intelligent, emotional story.

That seems to be where the latest Deadpool run is going now - Deadpool remains the same character he's always been while becoming increasingly involved in the Marvel Universe's serious stories. As Dark Reign progresses, he continues to involve himself in Normon Osbourn's life, providing a surprisingly formidable foe to the head honcho of evil in the Mavel U. Due to his involvement in with anti-Skrull efforts during Secret Invasion, Deadpool now has a personal grudge against Osbourn and has organically fit himself into the battle against Iron Patriot and H.A.M.M.E.R. without sacrificing the wise cracking character that brought the fans to Deadpool comics in the first place.

Will this high profile hold up over the next few years in time for the upcoming Ryan Reynold's helmed film? It seems likely - Deadpool has built himself quite a bit of cache and with some careful handling of the property, it seems likely we'll be seeing even more of Wade Wilson over the next decade.

Because Vomit Cats Is Bad For SEO

2009-07-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Rage Kittens, the latest online comics blog to be run by moderately dedicated young nerds. Often, I've made the mistake of reading online enthusiast news like Newsarama or IGN. The quality of writing at both sites is actually quite good, providing a high volume of news and previews for both major and minor titles. In many ways, the two outlets are the only game in town for any significant "comics journalism."

Where the two fall apart, however, is when it comes to discussing, critiquing, and interpreting the medium itself. Most major news sites make at the very least an honest effort to review major stories or hot new titles. However, there's been very little interest in trying to regularly analyze the overall accomplishments of an entire arc, run, or creator's entire body of work.

Rage Kittens looks to move beyond a weekly treatise on why the latest issue of Green Lantern owns so hard and talk about the art of nerdbooks (AND IT DOES- Green Lantern owns so hard I can't even breathe). New perspectives are important and taking the time to suss out what makes a good book, what makes a bad book, and why we can tell the difference is vital to moving the industry forward.

Talking about doing it is incredibly dull, though, as I'm sure you can tell. Comics are exciting and we want to focus that excitement into more in depth looks at books, characters, creators, and the philosophy behind the decisions made by the publishers. Check back over the next few weeks as these ideas develop!