I have a feeling that I’m going to lose any fanboy cred I may have with the next sentence, but I’ll say it anyway; I enjoyed Marvel Divas. Of course, I also liked Twilight, so perhaps it’s no surprise. The best, and most obvious, description of this four ish mini is Sex and the City in the Marvel U. It’s an apt indication of what lies in these pages. Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa’s playwright tendencies show through with great aplomb. He has a terrific handle on dialogue. Witty, casual and sometimes funny, it’s kind of like Kevin Smith or Joss Whedon. Kind of.
Giving a mini-series to four superheroines who are also BFFs is a bold move, but as is the constant cry of fangirls, there really aren’t many titles with chicks in mind. There’s far more talking (about boys, sex and parties)than fighting and this could just as easily work without Hellcat, Photon, Black Cat and Firestar as you’d never know they were superheroines. There’s the occasional Marvel cameo (Black Panther, Son of Satan, Brother Voodoo) and some slightly odd lines that veer closely to fourth-wall-breakers. And would busy superheroines really go to a glitzy book launch? Maybe.
This book is light and fluffy and there’s a loose plot about Patsy Walker’s novel debut and Felicia Hardy’s plans for a detective agency and a last page where one of the Sisters of the Spandex Pants reveals she has cancer. Where this all goes is anyone’s guess, but it’d be a safe bet to say there’s more hugging, tears, and clingy boyfriends. Tonci Zonic’s art fits in to this daytime soap opera like a leather glove on a well manicured hand. Reminiscent of Marcos Martin at his best, it’s simple yet expressive.
It’s not exactly the sort of book that a fanboy can give to his uncertain girlfriend or wife and declare, “Here honey! Finally a comic with girl superheroes! You’ll love it!” There’s too many Marvel U references in it for that, but if you want something different and enjoyed The Notebook, then don’t feel ashamed by taking this to the counter.
Thanks to 
Young Nathan R. Armstrong has invented a teleportation device, which
he plans to demonstrate at his school’s Science Fair. Unfortunately,
as he enters the teleporter, a bear enters the school (it’s a long
story) and sneaks into the device. The two emerge from the teleporter
seemingly unharmed, but with a bizarre mix-up: N.R. Armstrong now has
the arms of a bear, and the bear is left with puny 10-year-old human
arms.
Mauro Cascioli wowed many with his painted art on the Trials of Shazam mini that moved Freddy Freeman to drop the Junior from his Captain Marvel moniker. These pages are lush and realistic, not in an Alex Ross way, but with texture and tone and superb backgrounds. These characters look foreboding and heroic and scary. Thank you Robinson and Cascioli for giving the JLA CPR. It is for DC fans, but Robinson also knows that some of these heroes are more familiar than others and doesn’t act on assumed knowledge. This is going to be an exciting series and thankfully, once it’s over Robinson will be taking his skills, and possibly his new crew, on to the ongoing JLA series.
Now I can’t say I’m a huge fan of horror comics, but I do like a good horror film every now and then. I’m somewhat familiar with Frank Forte’s 
Davis noted that he initially waffled at producing a tribute comic, but after receiving dozens of emails and phone calls he knew it was the proper way to show respect and give fans a lasting remembrance.
Abstract Comics: The Anthology is an impressive collection of old and new work with unique pages covering exactly what the title says. Fantagraphics’ bold book covers the years from 1967 to the present, with a selection of abstract comics from over 40 artists.
Things kick off with a great piece from 1967 by R. Crumb, as originally seen in Zap #1. As you’d expect, it’s only 3 pages, but packs a lot of zest, with rounded figures, cheeky expressions and wild imagery. For the next 200 plus pages I was bombarded (in a good way) with every form and technique imaginable. I never knew what each turn of the page would bring. Black and white, pencil sketches, colour paintings and more – it’s all accounted for. Most of the works are only 3 or 4 pages long, with little or no text and some semblance of structured panels. I found myself treating the book like a portable art gallery as I let the images wash over me and tried to grasp their meaning. With close looks, there are stories of sorts to be told here, but as Molotiu mentions in the intro, abstract comics don’t have a narrative. I couldn’t help myself though and on some occasions examined the shapes in an attempt to form one. However, like all art the point is the enjoyment of the work first and foremost, rather than a desperation to cram it through out structured reasoning.
Molotiu’s work, The Cave was definitely a “wow” moment for me with its bold colours and gem like qualities, as was Andres Pearson’s work, with its swirling organic structures. Through some pages I could see how the panels, or the shapes within those panels, related to each other, which gave clarity to Molotiu’s introductory definition as to why this is different from abstract work done in other fields, such as cinema. James Kochalka’s (American Elf) work is exuberant and playful, as is Mike Getsiv’s. Blaise Larmee’s I Would Like To Live There is simple yet elegant while Life, Interwoven by Alexey Sokolin is 6 pages of increasing fury.
The first issue of this rather special 9th century crime series from Image sold out, which was no surprise. This follow-up is not a suitable jumping on point for newcomers to the title, as they’ll be scratching their heads over what exactly is going on. Even regular readers may be too, with its bi-monthly release schedule. Saying that, this was almost as enjoyable as the debut ish. A lot less actually happens, and there is very little dialogue in the first half of the book, but that serves the desolation of not only the environment but also Egil’s loneliness well.
In a focused effort to give new readers an opportunity to discover Archaia’s unique library of titles, the publisher announced today a program to offer one new hardcover every quarter for the recession-friendly price of $9.95. Kicking off the venture will be the Vol. 1 hardcover collection of the acclaimed science-fiction thriller mini-series, The Engineer: Konstrukt, which will be available this August. 
I’m looking at my hefty haul of new comics this week, including the cheaper edition of the 2007 DC Comics Covergirls, which is a very pretty coffee table book focused on DC’s female stars from the last 7 decades. I’m also looking at three issues with strong female leads. Justice League of America #34 is the last ish written by Dwayne McDuffie, which is kind of a shame, especially since he’s just starting to introduce his Milestone characters into the DCU. However it’s no surprise, as he was getting 
It begins with the leather clad redhead chasing a crim called Rush for information, before a brief encounter with the new Batman, ie, Dick Grayson, who gives her an unnecessary hair care tip. We then see Kathy have a breakup at a cafe before she talks to her stepfather, a Colonel who seems to be her Alfred stand-in. With the visit of pale Alice to Gotham, the new leader of the Religion of Crime and a gun-toting Batwoman staring her down it’s obvious that something odd is being set up. Odd in a good way though. With this new direction, it seems like a Vertigo book in the middle of Gotham. Williams’ fight scenes are beautifully choreographed and he makes the pages his own. When Batwoman kicks butt, wow is the only appropriate response. The dialogue and exposition scenes are designed with more restraint which makes the action scenes pack even more punch.
Marvel is proud to announce the debut of Agents of Atlas #0 today, available free to all fans courtesy of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited! Collecting three new-reader friendly short stories from Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust, Dark Reign: New Nation and Agents of Atlas #7, all written by critically-acclaimed scribe Jeff Parker, you’ll get the answers to your questions! Who are the Agents of Atlas? What role did they play in Secret Invasion? What’s their new mission during Dark Reign? And just what’s it like to take a peek inside the mind of the enigmatic Mr. Lao? Find out 
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