Trade Reviews
On the subject of this week’s trade theme, honestly, we just love foxy chicas. We admire them, we respect them, but face it, we loooooooove them. It’s in our blood and we make no apologies for it. As wktf’s winsome wife would say after she smiles and dead-arms him for catching a look over at a beautiful woman, “Hey! Just because you’re married doesn’t mean you’re dead.” She knows it’s just how we’re programmed and accepts it (within appropriate limitations and reason, natch).
Wktf’s Review
Women of Marvel
Marvel Comics
Writers: Various
Artists: Various
Ahem. Marvel published their Women of Marvel trade only a few months ago and it captures a representative, but by no means complete, scan of the fabulous females in the Marvel Universe. Even though the back cover of this trade refers to it as “a first-issue frenzy,” that’s just marketing hype and isn’t really the truth. Rather than focus on first issue or even origin or first appearance, etc., stories the Marvel editors seem to have decided to pick story categories that provide the best representation of these characters. So, as a result, we have a real mixed bag here. There primarily are (a) Not Origin/Not First Appearance/Major Milestone stories such as the with Black Widow (where she first dons her popular Black jump suit and takes on Spider-Man to make a name for herself), She-Hulk (when she first joins The Avengers), a major two issue cat fight between Storm and Emma Frost, and a Rogue tale that’s probably the highlight of this trade. But we also have (b) Origin/First Appearance/First Issue stories with The Cat and Shanna the She-Devil, a (c) Not Origin/Not First Appearance/First Issue Dazzler story, a (d) Not Origin/First Appearance/First Issue Ms. Marvel story, and finally a (e) Not Origin/First Appearance/Not First Issue Jubilee story.
Umm, did you get all that?
As I mentioned, the highlight of this book is the lone Rogue story from Uncanny X-Men #182, written by Chris Claremont and staggeringly beautifully rendered by John Romita, Jr. and Dan Green (one of JR JR’s best inkers). In this tale Rogue is sharing mind-space with Carol Danvers whose powers and psyche she absorbed in the classic Avengers Annual #10 wherein she made her first appearance (that story, actually, should have been in this book and, to my knowledge, has been reprinted only once in The Greatest Battles of the Avengers trade). Back to this trade, thought, there’s plenty of action in this story as Rogue crashes head long into the SHIELD helicarrier in search of the Colonel she believes she loves, only to discover he’s not her love at all but that of Carol Danvers. Her mental anguish, confusion and pain really are heart-rending and plus, well again, JR JR’s art is just the highlight of this book. Not to be overlooked, though, is the two issue battle between Storm and Emma Frost where Emma and Sebastian Shaw devise and successfully execute a plot to nearly bring Storm down (Kitty Pryde also is a key player in this tale). And there are a couple of all-girl jamboree issues as well, such as The Avengers story where The Wasp invites The Invisible Girl, Dazzler, The Black Widow, Spider-Woman and The She-Hulk to a tea party of sorts only, of course, to have these ladies band together to battle a menace. This is when Shulkie joins The Avengers but also is predictive of when The Invisible Woman and Spider-Woman become Avengers, themselves, and there’s even a scene where Thor invites Spider-Man to join the group (shades of events to come). And, finally, there’s an X-Men story where Storm, Rogue, Betsy, and Allison have a girl’s night out on the town which, also, is Jubilee’s first appearance. A bonus in this tale is Storm and Betsy end up taking a bath together (I kid you not!).
There are some stories that seem obvious in their omission. For example, I’d liked to have seen the first Rogue story, as mentioned above, and Spider-Woman seems strangely overlooked, given her recent revival, other than as a guest appearance, and The She-Hulk’s First Issue/First Appearance/Origin story really should be in here, too. That said, guest-starring Spider-Man, The Avengers and The X-Men and Collecting Avengers #221, Uncanny X-Men #151-2, 182 and 244, Amazing Spider-Man #86, Ms. Marvel #1, The Cat #1, Dazzler #1, and Shanna The She-Devil #1, this is a fine and fun book for any appreciator of Marvel’s fabulous females.
And, finally, while were on the subject of Marvel women, I’d also like to recommend the 253 page The Superhero Women book by Stan Lee. Only the Black Widow, The Cat, and Ms. Marvel stories are redundant with the smaller 223 page Women of Marvel trade. In Stan’s book, published in 1977 and now out of print, you’ll also find tales about Medusa, Red Sonja, The Invisible Girl, a two issue story with Hela (my favorite Marvel chica you love to fear), The Wasp, Lyra The Femizon (a 1971 black and white Stan/Romita Sr. story from Savage Tales #1), and a different Shanna The She-Devil story. Plus you get a punchy introduction to this volume, two-page intros for each story, and epilogue from Stan in that classic hyperbolic style of his. All this and it’s also dedicated “To marvelous Marie Severin, illustrator, cartoonist, and lovely lady – truly, one of the real life super women in our merry, mixed-up Marvel universe.” This, I feel, is the superior of the two books but, again, if you love Marvel women, you simply can’t go wrong with either one!
Sam Wilson’s Review
Catwoman, When in Rome
DC Comics
Written By: Jeph Loeb
Drawn By: Tim Sale
Tim Sale: Definitely an a$# man…
Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb are arguably one of the best creative teams to work on the Bat-verse ever, period. I gotta say though, personally I find not enough credit is gived to Tim Sale’s pencils for making their works unique. I was first turned onto Sale when he took over for Jim Lee way back in 1993 on the Wildstorm book “Deathblow”, and followed him throughout the years as he brought his talents to the Bat-verse every Halloween, and damn, foxy all the way. Weather it was Catwoman, Poison Ivy or whoever he brought a sense of ‘40’s style mixed together with modern “foxyness” to make a dude sit up and take notice (check out his Lois Lane in the new “Superman Confidential”). It is for this talent that we include Tim Sale as one of our very special artists in our “foxy chica’s” review week…
Catwoman, When in Rome comes hot off the heals of Loeb and Sale’s Bat-collaboration, Batman: The Long Halloween, a sequel of sorts to the Loeb/Sale’s Batman Mafia stories. Batman only shows his face in this book in Selina’s (you know, Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, sheesh, I hope this isn’t news for to many of you…) dreams, and we get six issues of Catwoman, looking fine and getting into all sorts of Gotham spawned trouble in Rome, home of the Vatican, Caesar and blonde haired assassins. Our story begins with Selina heading to Rome to take a break from Gotham, and to honor the invitation of a top Mafia boss. This invitation intrigues Selina, because she has many unanswered questions concerning Carmine Falcone aka “the Roman”, the Don of Gotham’s mob. For some reason or another, she brings Edward Nigma, aka The Riddler in tow, and soon we are hip deep in an adventure involving Joker gas, Mr. Freezes gun, the Cheetah, blonde assassins, and a legendary ring that makes the barer king of all Mafia’s. Oh yeah, and Catwoman gets framed for murder and is on the run. Oy, nothing to complicated for a simple European getaway…
As the story progresses, we find out Selina has been double-crossed (shock), and finds herself in battle with several Mafioso and the Cheetah. Everyone wants to know who has “the ring”, and Selina still hasn’t gotten her questions about Falcone answered, and we still don’t know who the blonde fella is other than he’s a good shot and probably has the hots for Selina, but worry not, all is answered. Loeb inserts a lot more humor in this series than any of his previous outings in the Bat-verse, and damn if Sale doesn’t draw one fine looking Catwoman. Yeah, her “features” are over exaggerated, but everyone he draws has exaggerated features, Batman’s “ears”, the Riddler’s nose, the Joker’s Chin, that’s part of his charm. It’s stylized art, but it’s well done and eye-catching in its own way. Sale uses the Jim Balent Catwoman costume, and I must say, even though it’s not as cool or tough looking as her current goggles, ears, and sh$# kicking boots costume its still damn sexy. So pick this book up, its readily in print and if you are a Loeb/Sale fan you won’t be disappointed.
Kdawg59’s Review
Birds of Prey: Sensei and Student
DC Comics
Written by: Gale Simone
Drawn by: A slew of foxy chica artists, but most important to my review... Captain low-angled crotch shot Ed Benes..
Covers of course by captain Foxy Chica Greg Land.
Let's talk story in a nutshell. The Birds of Prey simply kick ass. Out of all the supporting books surround Batman, this is the book that IMO escapes the shadow of the bat the best. It's become its own living and breathing entity. We've got the ever brilliant and lovely Barbara Gordon: Oracle. We've got the "OH so foxy" Dinah Lance ...AKA Black Canary and we have a character who has really come into her own of late. Helena Bertinelli... you might know her as the Huntress. This particular trade... and it's a good one, centers around The Birds... a little internal team trauma, Oracle's life sucking ass and oh yeah Lady Shiva (the deadliest and foxiest chcia assassin in the DCU) comes calling and want to make Dinah her new student. Hence the title... Sensei and Student! This leads the Birds on a wild ride and Gail Simone steps up to the plate and delivers a great collected volume. The only thing that's sometimes hard in a trade is that you want the same artist all the way through. It's mostly Benes, but there is some Michael Golden, Joe Bennett issues and pages in there two, which depending on what you expect can be a biot off putting.
These 3 together and singlehandedly must be the foxiest foxy chica team around. There's only one way to pull it off however... You need an artist who delivers the goods.
You have the striking covers of Greg Land. The always look hot and like models don't they? No brainer to at least pick the book up and open it.
Then you have Ed Benes... If you need to see an example of what this cat can really do... check out his web site
http://edbenesart.com/. His style has evolved tremendously since his days on Birds of Prey and he's really come into his own now over on Justice League. If you haven't picked that up, just look at Dinah kicking ass in #3 and you'll see just how foxy and deadly she can be Ed Benes style.
Ed Benes on any given panel draws pouty lips, Almond eyes, crazy round booty and cleavage for any fan boy. When he was on Birds he was finding his own style and putting behind his Jim Lee clone mixed with Joe Mad days and now he has completely found it on JLA...
What else is there to say about Birds of Prey that my broheim Sam hasn't already said. He has touted its praises time and again here in the reviews each month and I in fact checked this volume out because of him. The guys at the LCS highly recommend getting ever BOP trade published and getting on board as well. I can at this pointy only say the same. It's rare that you get a foxy chica series that actually has anything other than well drawn ass and breasts. When the art goes, so does the series... But BOP delivers regardless of the artist, because of the characters themselves, their relationship to each other, their unique niche in the DCU, ect... The art is definitely a bonus, but a bonus nonetheless...
That in my opinion is what makes the Birds so damn foxy... that and Ed Benes bootyliciousness