Tag Archives: Zatanna

Uncanny Greenvengers

by windiebird

(Cover by Mauro Cascioli, DC Comics)

What’s that sound you hear? Would that be the pure, unadulterated joy of my heartstrings stringin? WHY YES IT WOULD BE! Because we have an actual, awesome Green Arrow series going on RIGHT NOW! Green Arrow 5 continues the wonderful as Oliver Queen finds himself battling the dead in Star Forest, the super-de-duper creepy Nix & the encroachment of the Queen on his domain. If you’re still on a J.T. Krul hate-train I will personally build you a replica of the Star City Bridge so you can get over it.

(Cover by Terry Dodson, Marvel Comics)

Uncanny X-Men 529 brings us the fourth and final installment in Hope’s Five Lights arc and it focuses on the Fourth light in the Ukraine! One of these lights is supposed to end up being made up of pure villain extract but who’s it gonna be? We also get some more of Emma Frost’s plans for Sebastian Shaw. Will uglies be bumped? Will ponytails be tied with ribbons? We’ll see today!

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

Avengers has been a big ball of fun so far and Avengers 6 will surely continue the pattern. Kang vs. Ultron vs. the Avengers from every time period? Yeah, it’s going to be another action-focused book alright! A new threat is slated to appear and it’s anyone’s guess how the Avengers will ultimately set time right. The art is a fine piece of work and the writing has been completely enjoyable. Get it!

(Cover by Stephane Roux, DC Comics)

Zatanna 6 puts our heroine in mortal danger as her soul is vulnerable for the taking! For someone so magickally potent and capable, that’s quite a scary statement. It’s up to the other living Zatara to get her back in the fight but let’s just hope Zachary is up to the task!

(Cover by Don Kramer and Michael Babinski, DC Comics)

Wonder Woman 604 pits Diana against the shadowy leader of the paramilitary organization who killed her mother! Say what you will about the costume but JMS is writing a great story with an interesting way to sell it to us. She’s still a badass, she’s just making a pit stop so that new readers like myself can jump on the Amazon Express. Don’t make the mistake of skipping this!

(Cover by Shane Davis and Sandra Hope, DC Comics)

We’re getting a new creative team on Justice Society with JSA 44 and I’m looking forward to it. While I haven’t read anything of Marc Guggenheim’s I have always enjoyed Scott Kollins’ pencils! It’s the JSA against an escaped government experiment gone wrong…in Washington, D.C.! If that’s not the setup for an awesome Society story, I don’t know what is!

(Cover by Cliff Chiang, DC Comics)

Another stellar cover to an exciting title, Justice League: Generation Lost 12 has Ice unleashing her inner elemental against the crazed Metal Men! Can Fire melt this new leap in Ice’s powers with her lesbian kisses hot, hot heat or will a new Ice Age dawn?

(Cover by Felipe Massafera, DC Comics)

Rueben brought The 99 to my attention last year and I’ve tried to keep the name on my radar since then. I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet. However, with the release of the JLA/The 99 1 I can happily get a taste of these Teshkeel Comics heroes alongside a few of my other favorites! What better way to get the whole world involved but a planetary invasion? I’m crossing my fingers that this gets some real love in the comic stores, get out there and give it a go!

-windiebird

International Vampire Fishnets

by windiebird

(Cover by Adi Granov & Paco Medina, Marvel Comics)

X-Men #2 is Marvel’s big interest for me this week and I’m not quite sure how to feel about that? Don’t get me wrong, I’m still riding the high off of Second Coming and loving the recent Five Lights issue of Uncanny. Blade is in town to fight the vampires here and it could be good or bad for our team. The team that is slowly turning into vampires… Anyways, I’m giving this X-Men story a go as well but I just don’t see the appeal of Mutants vs. Vampires. Could just be me though and LaForge knows the art is worth the price! X-Men is a must-buy for so many for a reason, I’m sure I’ll see the light before too long.

(Cover by Alina Urusov, DC Comics)

Speaking of getting a SPIKE TO THE FACE. White Canary is so hardcore her hair wants to stab you. That is the hair of vengeance. Which is only a fraction of why Gail Simone’s new run on Birds of Prey is completely awesome and something you should get on board with while you can! Don’t worry if you’ve never read an issue, you can start at #1 here, I promise! As usual, the art is expressive but ass-y and the script is perfectly paced and lovingly crafted. Come on, you know you’d kill for those fishnets!

Zatanna #4 has our mistress of magic going toe-to-toe with a new, zanier Royal Flush Gang! She’s hot in Vegas (or anywhere, let’s be honest) but a side order of cousinly trouble is sure to give her a Zachary-sized headache. Beautiful comic all around!

(Cover by Tony Harris and J.D. Mettler, DC Comics)

Generation Lost #7, y’all! The team is re-assembled and attacking Max Lord in his new Checkmate citadel! Judd Winick is all over this story and if you have reservations about him, rest assured he’s on point here. I would love to see this team continue after this story arc ends but time will tell. The drama is here, the quirk is here, the twists are here. The JLI is back in style.

Hey, so there’s another Brightest Day book to buy! Woo, right? Emerald Warriors #1 tells the story of Guy Gardner and Atrocitus on a secret mission to the Uncharted Sectors of the universe. It could very much be Magog All Over Again but I have faith in Brightest Day now (especially after issue 7). But seriously, if it’s just Guy and Atrocitus “sword fighting” it’s going in the recycling. Or is it going in a frame? Choose your own adventure.

-windiebird

Mylant(ern)

by windiebird

(Cover by David Finch & Scott William, DC Comics)

Brightest Day #6 grants us some damn answers! Well, that’s the idea anyways. The full price of the resurrections (if all those deaths and Black Lantern drippings weren’t a clue) will become clear to the Returnees. Deadman learns more about the White Lantern and it looks like Martian Manhunter gets some special attention this issue. The series has turned off many but I think there’s still plenty of hope left in the Brightest Day.

(Cover By Mark Bagley & Jesus Merino, DC Comics)

I am way too excited for this crossover! Justice Society of America #41 is part two of the REAL Lantern crossover and the Starheart is making the Scott’s go bonkers! Please get in on this JLA/JSA event, there isn’t a better time to jump on board. Magic, mayhem and some of my favorite characters all in one book. Love it!

(Cover by Stephane Roux, DC Comics)

It’s Night vs. Zatara in Zatanna #3! The bad Brother is targeting Zatanna’s closest friends and she won’t take that lying down (in her amazingly plush bedding). A magical battle is going down in the sexy streets of San Francisco and it’s sure to be breathtaking.

Batman Beyond #2 has Terry getting up in Catwoman’s (well, a Catwoman’s) grill about the old Batman’s foes becoming the targets of his mysterious foe. I have yet to be grabbed by the story, honestly, but very nicely drawn so far.

The Silver Age is upon us in DC Universe Legacies #3! The original JSA and co. have stepped down and now the heroes more commonly loved nowadays come to the forefront. Not to be missed for any fan of DC. Really a beautiful, simple tableau of the DCU timeline.

-windiebird

It’s Easy Being Green!

by windiebird

(Cover by Mauro Cascioli, DC Comics)

So you may have heard of this Green Arrow fellow? Maybe? Have I mentioned him before, I feel like I have. Anyways, I speak of it here because Green Arrow #1 comes out today!!! That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, my personal hero is back in his own book and coming out (I wish) strong! With the White Lantern giving Star City a verdant gift and Oliver Queen’s trial shaking his life to pieces, how will the Emerald Archer recover? Plenty of action and mystery are sure to abound in this new series! READ IT FOR JESUS!

It’s Green vs. Red in this week’s The Rise of Arsenal #4, the final installment of the mini-series. Roy is on a rampage in his quest for vengeance and we can only hope that Ollie can put a stop to him. This will change the Arrow family forever and finalize Arsenal’s path for the coming years. A frightening prospect to be sure with the dark places he’s been going.

(Cover by Stephane Roux, DC Comics)

Zatanna #2 comes at us like a whiff of fresh air. One of the truly bright beginnings for DC’s Brightest Day, the second issue puts our heroine in perilous danger as Brother Night sics the demon Fuseli on her as she slumbers! San Francisco has never been sexier and magic has never looked so easy, you must be reading this!

Justice League: Generation Lost #4 continues as the former JLI (plus one baby Blue Beetle) are pushed around the world, through portals and painful revisions, to some dastardly end that only Maxwell Lord knows. The heroes may have found salvation in the knowledge that some artificially intelligent beings remain unaffected but will it be enough to reverse the damage done? We’re sure to find out soon!

(Cover by Rafael Albuquerque, Vertigo Comics)

It’s showdowns at sundown in American Vampire #4! Pearl Jones and Skinner Sweet are both closing in on the vengeance they feel so strongly entitled to but nothing ever comes easy for this new breed of vampire. Scott Snyder & Stephen King are both writing phenomenal stories, definitely worth catching up on if you haven’t checked it out yet!

What’s wrong with the Alpha Lanterns of Oa in Green Lantern Corps #49? We’re about to find out as John Stewart, Kyle Rayner & Ganthet are muscled into joining their brainwashed ranks. Who’s behind it all and what’s the connection to Brightest Day? It’s a storyline that’s picking up steam from Blackest Night, I’m curious but not yet personally invested. I have faith that time will change that.

(Cover by Andy Kubert, DC Comics)

The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 is our halfway point on the Big, Bad Bat’s return to the present. Yep, he’s a pirate. A PIRATE FOR JUSTICE! An interesting series that I’m missing now but hope to pick up as a trade.

The Legion of Super-Heroes #2 has Saturn Girl looking for her missing (or possibly dead) children and a Legionnaire deciding between the Green Lantern Corps or the Legion itself! Drama for these intrepid, re-rebooted heroic folk!

-windiebird

MaD Episode 17: 3 Mics and a labie!

by mutantaday


 

Rueben, Windiebird & Aaron M. talk X-Force, Movies, Daken &  NOM NOM NOM NOM!

While They’re Poppin’ Fresh

by mutantaday

Since we will not be able to smack you in the face(s) with our…podcast…this weekend, I thought I’d share a quick rundown of the highlights and lowlights for me in this week’s comic releases!

(Cover by David Finch, DC Comics)

On Brightest Day #2, I have this to say. CALM DOWN CALM DOWN. Everyone, it is seriously only issue 2 of a 26 ISSUE SERIES, about %7.69231 of the entire story! To make sweeping judgments and accusations concerning where Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi are taking the characters is hasty and premature. I’m not saying the subtle threads of racism aren’t there or that the extreme violence isn’t off-putting at times but give the creators time to create, you know? I care to see what happens to these characters so I’m reading, plain and simple. I have faith that Johns isn’t here to do damage but to really shake things up, to rearrange the DCU into fascinating new shapes and let other authors do the same. I think that’s almost always a good thing. I’ve seen him write a diverse, inspiring JSA story or ten in his day and I know he’s got the talent to make this amazing.

I expect greatness and I hope to see it happen soon but let’s keep a little perspective as a readership, please.

(Scan from JLA #45, art by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter)

As a new reader to JLA, I’m glad as a goose that they’ve taken a few issues to deal with the fallout from Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall. I dig the new team, love the interplay and that they’re already getting put through the paces in this new JLA/JSA crossover! I loooove the JSA so anytime they can get more attention and amazing story arcs, I’m all for it. Plus I have a major hearton for Alan Scott in his Green Knight outfit. Even if he is insane and he’s going to destroy the universe with his gay son. Story of my life.

Zatanna by Cat Staggs

Zatanna #1 is starting off strong and I’m liking it. An ass-kicking woman who is sure of herself, heroic & a vegetarian? I’m in like flint! Luscious art and an all-around success. Anyone familiar with Identity Crisis might feel a little uneasy about the opening scene but I think it’s an appropriate choice. Here’s why: the average person in the DCU (and in Zatanna’s audience) has no idea that Z was forced to do horrible things in response to Dr. Light’s reprehensible rape of Sue Dibny in the past. All they know is that he’s a villain. It’s a symbol from Paul Dini and a secret ritual for Zatanna herself, I feel. These beings who have done much wrong are easily overcome. Her part of Identity Crisis is dealt with, she’s recovered and rises above it. I can get behind that concept.

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

Avengers #1 was two tons of fun! We’ll see how the other new Avengers titles turn out but the team banter already has me hooked. Plenty of humor, action and intriguing plot points. I’m down for more and I’m so glad Rueben has me more and more interested in the Marvel side of the aisle.

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

All I wanted to do was press the big red button in X-Men Legacy #236! Hope is here to stay and the Nimrods are flooding in at full force! The Avengers aren’t doing much good but I’m sure they’re there for a reason. I know Greg Land gets much hatred for his work but it’s cinematic and neat. Maybe if he put ‘digital artist’ or ‘visual creator’ he’d get less flak but I really am only concerned with the end product when it comes to what I’m reading. Shiny people and some gorgeous scenery, me likey. He could draw his women with a little distinction but he works those pages out.

X-Factor actually makes sense to me now! Huzzah! Looks like they were playing Trask for a fool and they’re about to strike back HARD! I’d never read them before but I’m very much considering continuing once the dust settles from Second Coming. Quirky and offbeat always grab my attention and this team seems to have it in spades.

We’ll be heading to Zeus Comics this weekend for their quarter backissue sale and if you’re in the DFW area, do the same!

-windiebird

By Odin’s beard!

by mutantaday

(Cover by David Finch, DC Comics)

What’s that month-old fish smell? Why, it’s Aquaman! Here to save the day with some seriously fetid calamari! It’s Brightest Day #2 and we’re delving deeper into the mysteries of the white light of ~*~Feelings~*~ once again this week! Firestorm on the fritz, Aquaman commanding the dead, forests popping up in city ruins and 12 living once-dead folk, I’m hoping we start really getting to the meat of the story. The art is pretty, the story compelling (if vaguely and arguably racist at points) and it’s giving me a Green Arrow story. Heaven!

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

Bastion is cooking up even more pain and anguish for our favorite X-people this week in X-Men Legacy #236 (Chapter 8 of Second Coming) as his plan to trap the mutant race on Utopia becomes a frightening reality! The X-Club trapped outside, Pixie stuck in Limbo and hardly any help on the way it’s looking damn bleak for the team. I’m sure they’ll manage a win by the end but I can’t fathom how. Be reading this if you haven’t been!

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Age of Aquariuuuuuuuuuuus! Earth-616 is getting all bright and shiny itself with a brand new Heroic Age! If you haven’t heard, the end of Siege is giving the Marvel universe a re-haul (as well as four new Avengers books). With this Wednesday bringing us the first in the promised quaternity, Avengers #1! Kang the Conqueror is back from the future for a mysterious purpose sure to put the newly ASSEMBLE’d team through their paces.  We’re also getting a backup feature of the oral history of the Avengers which will be…pleasurable.

I’m also excited uptown, downtown & midtown this week for the new DC Universe: Legacies series starting up, a 10-part book covering the entire history of the DCU! From the earliest masked heroes of World War II (where this issue begins) to the current day’s generation of super-people, we’re slated to get it all. Quite an undertaking but the previews up so far have my hopes up.

We also have the prologue to the new JLA/JSA crossover this week in JLA #45. Supergirl and Power Girl are locked in battle and no one knows why. With Alan Scott and his daughter clearly in trouble with the Starheart, that can’t be a good thing. Should be a great read. Then of course we’ve talked about the ongoing Zatanna series starting up, be sure to give it a go! Dini, Roux & Story, what could go wrong?

If you haven’t picked up an issue of American Vampire yet then you’re missing out on some beautiful horror. Issue 3 is out this week and both Stephen King and Scott Snyder are hitting their stride for their 5-part run together. The characters are real and their tribulations are visceral. Can’t ask for more in this flapper-era vampire masterpiece!

We also have the second part of X-Factor’s story during Second Coming and it’s sure to be bloody fun, the conclusion to Pixie Strikes Back (with one amaaazing cover!) & the second volume of Girl comics, a grab bag of amazing talent that you should absolutely pick up if you can afford to.

Don’t forget the abundance of Heroic Age comics that will provide extra background and clarity for the new books (bam, bam & bam!).

The Legion of Super-Heroes is back with another 1st issue, a Green Lantern tie-in and the destruction of a major planet are all promised in this one, check it out.

And lastly, the War of the Supermen rages on in the third installment of the series, sure to shock and amaze the world.

Phew, quite a lot of comics this week but be sure to check them all out at your local comic shop!

-windiebird

Rege Zatanna!

by mutantaday

(Art by Stephane Roux, DC Comics)

This Wednesday we’ll finally be getting a taste of the Backwards Babe in her very own series! Brother Night is attempting to topple the existing San Francisco crime scheme and replace it with his own, using the darkest of magicks to accomplish the task. Who better to show this dastardly devil who’s really wearing the pants in the magick-family than one badass chick in fishnets! With Paul Dini helming this surely fantastic vessel and Stephane Roux painting our picture I couldn’t be more excited. Be sure to pick it up this Wednesday along with the multitude of other promising titles out this week!

-windiebird

Zatanna Update!

by mutantaday

Zatanna by Cat Staggs

Paul Dini’s Zatanna series has been pushed back a month, so the series will premiere in May 2010.  

Dini has revealed that she will still be a JLA member, but we will see all new villains, friends, and allies.  There will even be appearances by her younger cousin Zachary, who appeared in Teen Titans.  With Paul Dini taking the helm the series should be magical.
 
 
Aaron M

Hat Trick: Zatanna!

by mutantaday

Art by Chad Hardin

In April 2010 the zexy Justice League member Zatanna will be getting her own series!

If that wasn’t exciting enough, Paul Dini will be the writer for the series! Stephane Roux will provide the art staritng off the series along with Chad Hardin. This is such a treat for me because Dini’s version of Zatanna is by far my favorite.

-Aaron M.