Brenden Fletcher

As the world of comics tries to keep up with the changing times and tries to keep rebooting itself, it can, admittedly, get a little confusing. I think that a really good example of this is that of DC’s Batgirl. When DC launched their “New 52” reboot series, giving many of their characters brand new origin stories, one of the new iterations was Batgirl. Gail Simone took the helm, and while there was criticism about erasing Batgirl’s disability (she’s no longer wheelchair bound, and show more therefore no longer Oracle), it’s pretty agreed that she did justice to Barbara Gordon. Her time with Batgirl ended, showing Barbara’s future years and years down the line. It was pretty dark stuff (no spoilers here though). But then….. Batgirl was rebooted again, even if DC claims that it wasn’t really a reboot. Now the “Batgirl” title is DC’s answer to Marvel’s “Ms. Marvel”: a bit more aimed towards teen girls, with a quirky and flawed, but endearing protagonist who has very real life problems along with the Superhero ones. I mean, just look at the cover of this book: Batgirl is taking a selfie in a hipster club bathroom.

Admittedly, when I first saw this I was like "what???", BUT, I decided to give it a chance because I love Barbara Gordon, and I do recognize that comics appeal to a wide array of audiences now. And I’m glad that I did decide to give it a try, because while I find “Ms. Marvel” fine and important but a but a tad precious, I think that this new Batgirl is just the right balance of aware and action-y.

Barbara has been updated to fit the modern sensibilities of a brainy girl who likes to code and do STEM things. While I’m still a bit bitter that she hasn’t quite taken on the librarian mantle (though I think she eventually does go to get her MLIS!), I love seeing her tackle computer science and code writing, and I LOVE seeing it treated as just something that she does because why wouldn’t she? Not only is Barbara a badass lady coder, so is her roommate Frankie. I really liked the introduction of Frankie (though I wish that Alysia Yeoh could have been another roommate, because I love her to death), as she added a new voice of reason along with adding some much needed diversity to the DC Universe. In fact, a lot of the new faces in “Batgirl” add quite a bit of diversity, not unlike that which you WOULD see in Brooklyn these says (as Burnside is the Brooklyn to Gotham’s Manhattan). So not only do we have an empowered and positive role model of a young woman who is adept at science, she surrounds herself with people from all different backgrounds and experiences. Every character feels real and grounded and not just thrown in for the sake of having a token Muslim, or trans woman, or African American, or etcetera.

Even the villains and the danger scenarios feel like they fit a modern aesthetic without seeming overwrought. One of the first people Batgirl goes up against is an Internet wizard who has been giving out his digital blackmail services to people, willing to ruin lives for a price and a profit. Given how revenge porn is certainly a problem that society hasn’t quite figured out how to wrap it’s head around in many ways, this felt like a pretty relevant threat. Sure, Babs may not be fighting crazed supervillains like the Joker, but villains based in real life awfulness are a-okay with me. And it’s done in such a way that it never feels like it’s being spoon fed to the reader. You don’t need a known and super big bad guy like Joker or Penguin to be behind these realistic maladies, because that just doesn’t feel genuine. Along with the villains, one of the biggest obstacles Barbara has to face is the trauma she is still feeling from when Joker attacked her. You see flashbacks of when she was in recovery, and how dark and damaged her mind went, focused on the past and revenge instead of healing and the future. While I am a staunch defender of the original story of her becoming wheelchair bound, as Oracle became arguably the MOST powerful member within the Bat Family and her wheelchair provided representation to a group that is overlooked, I think that this series has done a good job of addressing the long term mental affects of it all. It’s a shame that they’ve erased that side of Barbara, but now they are tackling the story of a woman who is living with PTSD. I won’t say tit for tat, but I will say that it’s not nothing.

And there are familiar faces as well! My girl Dinah Lance is involved in this first arc, there to provide a needed level of snark, but also to remind Batgirl of her duties and not to let things get out of her control. I am pretty sure this was the predecessor to the “Black Canary” comic that I liked so much (note to self…. get your hands on the next one), and her angst and rough edges are on display in their full glory. She is also there to make sure that Babs, while the selfie and social media culture is fine and part of our lives now, doesn’t lose her endgame all because she loves the likes and tweets. The old school mentality of comics and superheroes in the context of Batgirl still has relevancy, and her reboot is blending well with her origins.

And the art is really fun in this one. It’s very colorful, not as dark and dour as the Gail Simone story that preceded it. I am very pleased with the new life that Batgirl has been given with “Batgirl (Vol.1): The Batgirl of Burnside”. Barbara has been given a new lease on life and I am very happy with where she’s going with it! show less

*A special thanks to Edelweiss+ and Image Comics for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

The Blurb:

Isola Vol.1 is a fantasy and adventure comic book series brought to you by renown Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl (Gotham Academy creators) and MSASSYK (Gotham Academy colorist).

Olwyn, Queen of Maar, has been changed into a gorgeous black-and-blue tiger thanks to an evil spell. Accompanied by her loyal Captain of the Guard, she will travel far and wide to show more reverse it in hopes of finding Isola, a mythical island also known as the land of the dead.

Embark with them on this grand and surprising quest! Be ready for beauty, brilliant colour choices, spirituality, and an emotional journey you won’t regret.

Introduction:

When I first lay eyes on this comic book, the colours and strange animals in this adventurous scene caught my attention. I’ve got to admit I’m a real sucker for bright and/or thematic colours. Also, Isola? What does it mean? Such a beautiful word! Did you see the glyphs that represent an unknown fictional language? As a polyglot and language lover, this appealed to me!

Then, I read the summary. A queen, stuck in a tiger’s body, travels the world with her Captain of the Guard to reverse the curse placed on her? Fantasy and adventure? Plus, a queen as a main character?!

There was no other choice: I had to read this book.

Thanks a lot, Edelweiss+ and Image Comics!

The Positive Sides:

Since I have several positive points, I figured it’d be nice to present them in a… bullet list, yay!

- It is INSANELY GOOD! (see other points)

- I love the colour themes and contrasts! They add a lot to the story and the emotions, mostly.

- Gorgeous drawings. There, I said it. They’re a beautiful mix between American and Japanese comics (manga), which is simply lovely.

- Speaking of drawing, the depth techniques the artists used resulted in amazing effects! The characters and important items somehow look closer to the reader than the background itself. It’s mesmerizing, honestly.

- As for the characters, their facial expressions are great and quite believable!

- The Queen, dear Olwyn, I love her (I hope that’s clear) and she looks AWE-FREAKING-SOME as a human! I love her skin colour—it’s a surprise but a very pleasant one at that.

- Also: LGBTQ+ representation, YAY! This time, it’s lesbians, yes! FANTASTIC *throws confetti*! It’s so rare in general and even more in comics! Excuse me while I sit there squealing about this oh-so-cute relationship in Isola.

- Did I tell you about my emotions while reading this work of art? No? Here I come: AH, my emotions! The story tugged on them so hard I feared for my safety. And damn, how I love Olwyn and Rook (her Captain of the Guard)!!!

- There is tension and a hella lot of mystery. The story’s also mystic and spiritual (in terms of these characters’ beliefs, not ours).

- Animals play a big part in this story (the ever-present fox is awesome!) and it’s so refreshing.

- Last point but a very important one to me, the symbols of unknown languages (at least to us) are just woooow. As a polyglot, let me tell you they excited me!

The Negative Sides:

Hmmmm… None?

Perhaps the fact that the story is sometimes confusing due to a lot of spirituality and flashbacks involved, but really, it’s not off-putting. But then again, it fits the story… This is not a negative side per se, only a small confusion.

In Conclusion:

Seriously? If this were an attraction at a park, I’d stand in line again after every. damn. time. I get off it. I genuinely loved Isola! All-in-all, I want to KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS STORY! I’ll be damn sure to read the rest of the series and subscribe to Image Comics newsletter just to know when each issue is out and all that jazz. Count me in as a big fan!

On this joyous note, I give Isola a rating of *gasps* 5 out of 5! (I swear I would give it more if I could, like 10 out of 5, but hey!) show less

Access a version of the below that includes illustrations on my blog.

I've been a fan of Black Canary since I first encountered Dinah in Green Arrow comics and fell in love. I followed her from there into Birds of Prey, which continued to develop her and her history-- but I felt she was immensely poorly served by the "New 52" reboot, which replaced her long history with a dull one. But from the moment I saw a cover of her New 52 solo series, I was excited. This looked like the Black Canary I show more knew, in that her visuals had returned to their fishnets-and-leather-jacket roots, but it also looked different, in that Dinah was now the punk-styled leader of an alternative band, spinning out of events in writer Brenden Fletcher's excellent Batgirl series.

In Kicking and Screaming, Fletcher and artist Annie Wu create one of those perfect comics books, one that is wholly itself. It's hard to put into words how much I liked this, especially the first few issues, because there's nothing for me to compare it to-- this is the lone exemplar of the superhero-and-rock-band comic book. Panel after panel provides delights. Wu's Dinah is sexy and stylish without being objectified, and completely kick-ass. Usually too kick-ass, as the concerts of Black Canary (here the name of the band; Dinah is just "Dinah" or sometimes "D.D.") often end in violence when Dinah has to fight off government agents and/or protestors. Like I said, I've loved Dinah ever since I first encountered her, but this is the most I've loved her; she's everything I want my female superhero characters to be, violent and attractive and in charge.

Wu's art is amazing, and Lee Loughridge-- always the best colorist in the business-- adds so much to the book's aesthetic too. A couple issues are also drawn by Y: The Last Man's Pia Guerra, who is an excellent artist but maybe not as "punk" as this book requires; her linework is a little too straightforward, while Wu's is dynamic and energetic.

The book's plot is kind of weird, but honestly it's one of those books where I don't care, because it's all about hanging a wacky music-based adventure off it. It's filled with great stuff: Dinah's bandmates include characters named Byron and Heathcliff who actually do look like contemporary kids, one of Black Canary's enemies is the band's disgruntled former singer who now has superpowers, the issues are interpresed with excerpts from a self-produced Burnside music zine, and there's an issue where three "enemy" bands turn up to challenge Black Canary to battle for no readily apparent reason.

I was surprised that this book actually drew on continuity established by the New 52 Birds of Prey and Team 7: Dinah's ex-husband Kurt Lance turns up, as does Amanda Waller, and the book picks up on their situations as of Soul Crisis. Even more surprisingly, the book does more emotionally with Dinah's raised-in-a-dojo backstory than Birds of Prey itself did. There were also some appreciated tie-ins to the Burnside-era Batgirl comics, including an appearance by Operator.

It's not a flawless book (I found the last couple issues, resolving the big ongoing storyline, not entirely satisfying), but it is a unique one, in a way that few DC superhero comics are, but all ought to be. I loved this book despite its flaws, and I'm really looking forward to reading volume 2.

Green Arrow and Black Canary: « Previous in sequence | Next in sequence » show less

Holly sweet honey cakes!
This was AMAZING

When I started this I was annoyed by Olive, and up until the second part I only like Maps (who can possibly not like her), but I was intrigued with the idea of the ghost that was going around and those weird rituals and what the hell happened that bloody summer.
But as the story progressed I started liking the characters more and my curiosity kept growing. I needed to know what was going on.
I must admit, that a lot of things still have this huge show more question mark on then but hopefully things will get clearer in the next books.

Now, let's speak about the elephant in the room:
HOLY SWEET POTATO!! Bruce Wayne has a son! He's called Damian, he's the cutest thing ever AND he's gonna start going to Gotham Academy.
I am ready to die.
My life, is now complete

*immediately started the next issue* show less