Accessibility? A response to Dan DiDio

At SDCC this week, DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio said, speaking about Barbara Gordon becoming Batgirl again, "We're returning the characters to their most accessible version."


Accessible? What kind of accessibility are we talking about? Is it really that hard for the general public to understand that Barbara Gordon was Batgirl, was shot by the Joker, and became Oracle? DiDio used the many cartoon series as an example of fans relating Batgirl to Barbara Gordon. Still, most of those cartoon are telling stories of the early days of Batman so it would make sense that they would use Barbara as Batgirl. Plus many use either Dick Grayson or Tim Drake as Robin, yet neither character is going back to that role. Hey if they really wanted to they could keep Oracle and tell flashback stories of her time as Batgirl. There's no harm in that!


The question I have is what about Arkham Asylum and Arkham City? Arkham Asylum sold 3,480,000. That's a lot of gamers who have been introduced to this version of Batman's world. That's a lot of gamers who understand the concept of Oracle and know that she's Barbara Gordon. That's a lot of gamers who know details of Batman's world because of solving Riddler challenges and reading bios in the game. Instead of attempting an unpopular reboot of the character, wouldn't tying her into her role in the game lead to better sales?


Barbara Gordon has long been a symbol in the comic community. More than Superman, Oracle inspires people to pick themselves up from tragedy and make their world a better place. By ignoring that symbol in favor of some misguided sense of accessibility, DC Comics threatens to spoil the character of Batgirl and Barbara Gordon to a lot of people.

Daredevil #1: A review

Daredevil #1 Written by Mark Waid

Art by Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera, Javier Rodriguez, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente

I know it's a bit late but Daredevil #1 hit stands on Wednesday. With it brought the return of Matt Murdock in more ways then one. Let me start by saying this: After years of writers playing "top this" with Matt Murdock's life, it's nice to see Matt in a happy place as he attempts to make a fresh start in NYC.
Mark Waid does a phenomenal job writing Matt Murdock. Everything from the fight sequences, to the court sequence, to just the radar sense being described is fantastic. He simply gets Matt. Matt smiles and jokes without it feeling campy or a departure from something that worked. That doesn't mean that everything is butterflies and rainbows for the Man Without Fear. This issue makes it painfully obvious that Matt faces some challenges ahead, but it's more about an uphill climb then a decent into a dark place.

For all of Waid's expertise, it's the art that steals the show. The moment you open the pages the art grabs you. It's not the realistic beauty of Jim Lee or the originality of Frank Quitely but some happy blend of the two.  Just look at the way the radar sense is depicted!

Radar sense from Daredevil #1

It's beautiful, elegant, and yet completely believable. That's not to say that it's always used to display such beauty, looking at the Spot through Daredevil's radar sense is an image that is quite haunting. Still it's the little details that make the art pop. Reading books like this one is what brings people to comics in the first place.

That's not the say that the issue didn't have it's faults. While fun, the issue didn't really foreshadow the events of upcoming books and it also didn't address any of the events from the previous Daredevil books. Still that's a small price to pay for the fun of this comic!

Rating: 9.0/10

Does Clark Kent need Lois Lane?

DC Comics recently revealed that Post-Flashpoint, Superman will no longer be married to Lois Lane. It's a move that surprised few but outraged many. Combine this with the undoing of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's marriage and the Big Two seems to have decided that marriage no longer sells books or makes for interesting characters. Still that's not what I'm here to talk about, I'm debating the simple question: Does Clark Kent need Lois Lane?

There are a few things that everyone knows about Clark Kent: 1. He's a reporter. 2. He's Superman. 3. He's married to Lois Lane. Ask about Clark Kent and usually one of those three will be mentioned. For the purpose of this discussion we're going to ignore the Superman aspect and just focus on Clark Kent in this relationship. So how do you go about separating these two iconic characters? Simple, show the characters functioning in the real world independent of each other. Show both to be competent reporters, friendly people, and most of all don't attempt to foreshadow some sort future romantic involvement.  Both characters should be able to be a part of stable relationships that are natural fits with their respective characters. Think about how people in the real world act. The truly good/stable people do not stalk/pine over someone who they wish was their partner when said person is already in a relationship. They feel happy for that person and move on with their life and eventually someone else fills that place in their heart.

Unfortuantly DC Comics seems to have ignored that idea presenting a Clark Kent who is a loner, who is pining for Lois, and who feels defeated after meeting her boyfriend.

From Superman #1, written by George Perez. Art by Jesus Merino

For a bit of context, Clark goes over to Lois' apartment to apologize for something he said and find Lois with her new boyfriend. I have no problems with the fact that he's there to apologize, it's mature and it's a very Clark thing to do. What I do have a problem with is how defeated he looks after leaving. Also, he's listening in on their conversation. No offense but most people, even if they had super-hearing, wouldn't want to listen in on a conversation that (to be quite blunt) is probably going to be a precursor to sex nine times out of ten.

In contrast, look at the John Byre reboot of Superman back in the 80's. (I couldn't find scans so you'll have to take my word on it) In those issues, Clark Kent was not pining for Lois Lane, in fact at times they downright hated each other. Not only that but Clark Kent and Lois Lane date other people without the story attempting to foreshadow any relationship. As such those stories felt much more natural because that's how people in the real world act!

So does Clark Kent need Lois Lane? The answer is quite simply that he shouldn't. Clark Kent is a strong character that is entirely capable of living a complete and healthy independent life. As long as writers portray him this way, the DCnU will have at least one character right.

Welcome!

Hey all! First off a bit of an introduction: My name is "Logan Wayne." It's obviously not my real name because I'm hesitant to give that out on the internet. I'm a huge fan of comics and movies so this blog is dedicated to my love of comics. With San Diego Comic-Con currently running, the DCnU upcoming, and the Avengers movie just over the horizon, I feel now is a great time to jump into the comics blogging game.  But this blog is about more than just me, it's about the interaction. One of the reasons why comics have survived as long as they have is because of the community that has sprung up around the stories of these amazing characters, whether they're superheros, cowboys, zombies, or just ordinary people. So with that said, welcome to my blog!