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[usuallyhats]

Is there a site that has upcoming comics release schedules on it? I've been going by the "pre-order by" dates on Forbidden Planet's website, but that led me to believe there'd be new Hawkeye this week, when it's not for another two weeks yet. :( My journey to Forbidden Planet wasn't wasted, though: I got...

Captain Marvel #9, since I'd heard it was a good jumping on point. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. My comics squee has been feeling a bit dented recently, thanks to DC (have I mentioned how bitter I am that "The Killing Joke" is still in continuity, but Oracle is not?) - I still love all the stuff I love, but somewhat defensively - but this issue restored it to me. Humour and heart are basically the two things I want out of anything I read, and this issue delivered in spades. I was a bit iffy on the art, but I loved it some of the time, and the rest of the time it was "not sure this is to my taste" rather than "oh help my eyes" or "good Lord, what are those things on her chest?", so that was ok. And I ADORE Carol. Even after only one issue, I am gnawing my knuckles at the ending and what its implications might be. I'm also crossing my fingers we get to keep Wendy as Carol's very own Pepper Potts. ♥ So... what should I read for MORE CAROL? The library has a few of the Ms Marvel trades, so I've reserved the first one of them (and the first Captain Marvel one!), but what else is good?

Saga #9: I'm not a huge fan of The Will, so this wasn't my favourite issue (and I'm sad that The Stalk isn't really back, because killing her off is a little fridgy), though I do love the Lying Cat. And Gwendolyn was pretty great: I really liked her take-no-prisoners attitude and the reveal that she's never actually killed anyone. I'd like to know more about her. I've been somewhat worried about the storyline with Slave Girl (she's going to get a name, right?), but Gwendolyn made some of the points I was worried about, which assuaged my fears a bit. In conclusion, Saga is awesome, even when it's not about my favourite characters.

This entry was originally posted at http://shinyjenni.dreamwidth.org/195126.html.

Comments

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

I have been reading about (although, at this point, not actually reading) the New 52 Batgirl, and from what I hear it sounds like Babs having been Oracle is still in continuity. But obviously she can't be Batgirl and Oracle at the same time, so she's not Oracle anymore, which is sad.

I hear good things about Captain Marvel! What is she like? Speaking of Marvel Comics, I also hear lots of good things about Hawkeye, which apparently features both Haweyes (Clint Barton and Kate Bishop), and is mostly isolated from the rest of continuity? Probably the best thing I have heard about it is what latenightcuppa told me, which is that Clint is "wonderful" and Kate is "similar to a more grounded version of Stephanie Brown." One of my best friends from college reads it and she is like, you should read it, in the first issue Hawkeye saves a puppy. Only like, six issues have come out so far, so it's suppose to be easy for new readers to pick up, and basically the only thing that's stopping me is that I know I would love it and I'm afraid if I get into ongoing comics that I actually want to read every month I will never have money again. :P

[usuallyhats]

I thought it was still unconfirmed, but probably she wasn't? But then, I haven't been reading Batgirl either! I was mostly basing that on Gail Simone saying things that I thought implied Oracle was in her future. The DCnU confuses me. :(

Bearing in mind my entire exposure to Carol is this one issue, she kind of reminds me of a grown-up Buffy? (Which probably explains why I liked her so much!) She's tough, confident and funny, and she shows how much she cares about people through her actions, not her words. She has a roll-up-her-sleeves-and-deal-with-it attitude that I really like. Also in this issue she fought a dinosaur. :D

Hawkeye is really cool! Again, I've only read one issue and Kate wasn't in it much (her few panels were awesome, though), but it has really stylish art and packs a great punch, and made me laugh a lot. I think the stories have tended to be one-offs or two-parters, so it's easy to get into. The first five issues are coming out in trades in... March, I think? so the current one (#6) is a good one to start with!

and basically the only thing that's stopping me is that I know I would love it and I'm afraid if I get into ongoing comics that I actually want to read every month I will never have money again. :P
Ahaha, yes, that's what I was telling myself too, and then Saga happened, and now there's Hawkeye and Captain Marvel, and then I'm probably going to get the new all-female X-Men title when that starts in April... oh dear. I don;t know whether to say "go for it, they're great!" or encourage you to stay strong. ;D

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I was reading reviews on batman-news.com and they said things that sounded like her work as Oracle, as well as her being more self-assured as Oracle (since apparently she is sort of re-finding herself, or whatever now that she is Batgirl again) were being mentioned in continuity.

I think the DCnU confuses EVERYONE, including DC itself. :P

She FOUGHT A DINOSAUR? What is this amazingness?

Yeah, I heard the first Hawkeye trade was coming out soon. It looks like since it's in paperback, it's going to be pretty cheap on Amazon...but there are a lot of other comics I was thinking about buying this spring, too. Hmm, if it's mostly standalones, though, I suppose I could get #6 to see if I would like it, since that wouldn't be in the trade....

[usuallyhats]

I think the DCnU confuses EVERYONE, including DC itself. :P
:D I remember reading that an issue of Teen Titans had to be edited for the trade because a later issue had already contradicted it, so yep, looks like it does!

She and Spider-Woman teamed up to fight two dinosaurs! It was awesome. Carol was mostly just annoyed because it was her day off and she had appointments and lunch plans and things to do, and now she's going to have to reschedule everthing, stupid dinosaurs. ♥

but there are a lot of other comics I was thinking about buying this spring, too.
Yeah, I know the feeling! I do recommend Hawkeye, though - there's some scans of it here, in case you haven't come across any yet and want to see what it's like!

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

and now she's going to have to reschedule everthing, stupid dinosaurs
Haha, that sounds pretty fabulous. :)

Ahhh, thank you for the scan links, they were amazing. I had actually been looking at the Comixology previews of Hawkeye last night and gotten really excited over the one for that issue, when Kate asks Clint why he would ever need an arrow that came back to him and he was just like, "Because...boomerangs. " XD

I have too many Batfamily feelings already and probably should try to conserve them, but I don't know how I am going to resist something this ridiculous. Especially since DC obviously does not currently understand the need for comics that center on sarcasm, adorableness, and the color purple. :P

(Speaking of DC, I have heard there is an issue of Batman & Robin where they fight zombies. And go to spaaaaace. Possibly these two things are related, I am not sure. I am also not sure whether this is potentially a plus, or a minus. I can never decide how ridiculous I want Batman to be, or not be. :P )

[usuallyhats]

"Because...boomerangs. " XD
:D I've seen that panel somewhere too, it is awesome.

Especially since DC obviously does not currently understand the need for comics that center on sarcasm, adorableness, and the color purple. :P
*shakes head sadly at DC's foolishness*

Zombies in spaaaace! I'm not a huge fan of zombies, but I'm definitely a fan of as much ridiculousness as possible. :D

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Further research indicates it may have been zombies and space, rather than zombies in space. :P

[usuallyhats]

That's a shame! But nevertheless, spaaaace. :D

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

I had to bring you a rec and I didn't know where to put it so here it is! Someday we should just, like, trade recs posts or something, but this was so perfect I thought you needed to see it right now. It is Babs and Cass hanging out and BOTH EXISTING in New 52-continuity fanfic. If only it were real.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/402070

[usuallyhats]

Ooh, thank you! I wish it were real too. :( Oh, and that reminds me: I've been meaning to rec this great pre-52 Cass fic for ages! It's one of those fics that I sort of want to print out and file in with my actual comics, because it would fit so well. ♥

(Apologies if you get this comment twice, btw, LJ is being wonky for me...)

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks for the link! I had seen that fic around, but never actually read it because it's so long. But you are generally right about things being good, so I should probably take another look! :)

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Thanks again for the rec! I finally finished reading. Steph and Cass are adorable together. Which brings me to a question about Batgirl!Cass. This (http://www.tradereadingorder.com/character/batgirl-cassandra-cain/) was the post I'd been referring to when I'd been trying to keep up with her series, and I just realized that there appear to be some large gaps--did issues, like, 30-50 or so, just, not get collected or something?

[usuallyhats]

Yeah, there's a whole stretch that never got collected, outside the odd issue (*checks spreadsheet* #12 is in Officer Down, #s24, 29 and 33 are in the Murderer/Fugitive books, and #s55-57 are in War Games (spit)). I've been picking them up on ebay - there's a few issues that are proving a bit tricky to get hold of, but most of them seem to be reasonably findable! The Comic Book DB has pretty exhaustive information on most issues of everything, including whether it got collected or not, but it's not so good for an overview! (Hence the spreadsheet...)

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Ahh, okay, thanks. It looks like they're on Comixology, too. Are there any particular standalone or short-arc issues that you recommend, especially with Cass hanging out with Steph (or Dick, or, well, anyone, really, because BATFAMILY ♥).

[usuallyhats]

Hmm, 30-32 has Cass teaming up with Steph, Tim and then-Green Arrow Connor Hawke, and it's pretty fun. Steph's also in 38, but she and Cass fall out and I'm not sure if it ever gets resolved on page. :( She's in 53 as Robin, but that's one of the hard to get hold of ones, so I haven't read it yet. In 39 and 40 Cass and Babs go on a cruise! (Babs buys Cass a tiny tiny bikini and is surprised when Cass isn't keen on wearing it, which struck me as a little odd, but I do like the premise, which is Babs trying to teach Cass the concept of time off from heroing.) 41 follows on from that, with Cass going on a surprisingly sweet date with Superboy. I haven't read anything post that yet! Dick and Cass don't seem to interact much, which is a CRYING SHAME because they would surely be adorable together. ♥ They do some plot stuff together in... 29, I think. One of the Murderer/Fugitive ones, anyway. And there's a panel in the Fresh Blood trade in which Cass remembers a bit of interaction with Dick which I REALLY wish we'd seen. I've seen a few panels of them floating around tumblr but haven't been able to find out where they're from, alas.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much, that is super helpful! :)