Mr. Terrific isn't Terrible

So I'll be completely honest.  I had no intention of picking up a copy of Mr. Terrific when I found out he would be one of the 52 new titles in DC Comics complete reboot.  I've never particularly had an interest in him and also never been a big fan of his overall look (a painted on mask?).  Add that to the fact that I've also rarely ever read Justice Society of America and there wasn't really much reason for me to give this title a try.

However, there is a different feel in the air with both of the two major comic book companies (Marvel and DC) making a conscious effort to address a previous lack of diversity throughout the history of their universes.  Of course Marvel has Miles Morales, the new biracial (Black/Latino) Ultimate Spider-Man and DC Comics has Batwing (the Batman of Africa-which I enjoyed a lot and will be writing about soon) Static Shock (yes he's still around) and Mr. Terrific getting their own books.

I'm fantastic.  I mean terrific.

Efforts such as these deserve at least a consideration.  So at the last second, as I was picking up my stack of comics from Big Planet Comics in Georgetown, I decided to give Mr. T (I'm guessing that nickname probably won't work) a glance.  I've read it twice and while I wasn't blown away, I was entertained, or shall I say...amused.  

Mr. Terrific (aka Michael Holt) is the third smartest man in the world.  The identities of numbers one and two are a mystery (perhaps Lex Luthor is in the top two...if he's even in the new 52 universe).  He's a billionaire.  A former Olympic athlete, and a widow.  His allies include a cute assistant named Aleeka and a 16 year old genius named Jamaal.

The first issue deals with Mr. Terrific trying to solve a mystery involving something that's making people more intelligent and violent with no explanation.  He's also hosting a potential presidential candidate at an event while unaware of the tension between his aforementioned black assistant Aleeka and his current house guest Power Girl.  Yes that Power Girl.  The I have the largest breast in the comic book world Power Girl.

I spent the night at Mr. Terrific's house.  Just don't tell my parents.

We are supposed to believe that there is no relationship between Mr. Terrific and Power Girl despite the fact that she is staying at his place and walking around wearing only a t-shirt.  That's what Power Girl says anyway when she's getting the evil eye from Aleeka.  That's what has me interested in this book.  Not any potential mystery.  I mean if this guy is the third most intelligent man on the planet then clearly he's going to get down to the bottom of any mystery eventually.  It's the drama.  

Eric Wallace, the writer of Mr. Terrific goes there.  Which I was happy to see.  Many times the few black characters we see in comics seem to be immune or unaware of the world they live in.  Everything is always peachy keen.  Which is great for them, but not very realistic.  If Mr. Terrific is supposed to be one of the world's most eligible bachelors, super rich, super smart, a super hero, black and he's possibly getting it on with a "white girl" as Power Girl dubbed herself in issue one, surely there's going to be a woman of color in his life who will have something to say about it.  

I will say that Aleeka goes out of her way to say that she has no problem with the possibility of Mr. Terrific being with a white woman, but is instead concerned with having to compete with a superhero (Power Girl) who herself is also very wealthy.  So the whole black woman angry that the black man is possibly with a white woman is not at the center of this confrontation, but the fact that it was at least acknowledged and hinted at was entertaining for me (or maybe I was just having a flashback).

Oh no she didn't!

That's what I liked the most about the book.  The women in Mr. Terrific's life.  I'm interested to see where that goes and I'll stick around to see what happens.  I can't say the same for MTV Geek, who didn't have many nice things to say about the first issue.  Hey, you can't please everybody.  They bashed this issue for all the reason that I liked it.  Forgive me though, if I assume that there aren't to many "brothas" over at MTV Geek.

Regardless, a book I had absolutely no interest in is now on my pull list. 

Still Digging Spidey's Duds (the biracial one that is)

As I've already devoted a blog post to the subject, you're well aware that I love the new Ultimate Spider-Man's costume.  Having said that here's a look at the cover to issue number 2, which I must say, looks awesome.

Dominican girls.  Puerto Rican girls.  The possibilities are endless.

In case you're wondering when I'll have something to say about the first issue with Miles Morales, which debuted last week, I'm currently working on a write up for the Comic Riffs blog of The Washington Post.  As soon as it's publishsed, I'll provide a link to it.

Truth, Justice and No Trunks

One of my favorite websites Superhero Hype released some on set photos of Henry Cavil as Superman in the Man of Steel movie.  The up close shots confirm what has been suspected by this blog all along.  That Kal-El won't be wearing red trunks.

You can see the pics from SHH here.

The look confirms my suspicion that Warner Bros. and DC Comics (WB owns DC in case you didn't know) wanted to make sure that their newest Superman movie had a look similar to the new Superman duds being worn by the last son of Krypton in the pages of their comic books.

When I spoke with DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio in an interview for The Washington Post, we talked about this particular fashion change.  He told me that the original look for Supes, with the red trunks, was originally designed in the 30's and that considering them when designing a Superman suit for the 21st century, wasn't an option.

Jim Lee's New 52 version of Superman is the best by far.

I myself, think it's a good look.  Especially the comic book version, which seems to be more like Kryptonian battle armor.  From all the different pics I've seen, Jim Lee by far draws the best modern day Superman.

Interview with Dan DiDio of DC Comics

I had the chance to speak with DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio 24 hours before the debut of the New 52.  The interview ran in the Comic Riffs blog of The Washington Post.  If you'd like to check it out, click here.

I'm talking to David who?  Betancourt?  Is that French?  They read comics in France?

The New Spider-Man is WHAT?

You may recall a post I wrote back in July where I was singing the praises of the new Ultimate Spider-Man costume.  Despite the fact that I was very upset that Marvel decided to kill off the Ultimate Peter Parker (one of my all time favorite characters) I couldn't hold back my awe for the newly designed black and red duds of the new Spidey.

At the time Marvel had not yet announced who was behind the mask of this new web-head.  All I knew was that I'd probably check it out just because I thought the costume was so cool.

So imagine my shock when Marvel released the news that the kid behind the mask of the new Ultimate Spider-Man was named Miles Morales....and that he was half black half Latino (I've read online that supposedly the Latino side is Puerto Rican, which as you can imagine makes me THAT much happier, but that has yet to be confirmed).

Is that one of my cousins from Queens?

I'm not going to get too much into this for no other reason that when the news broke, a good friend at The Washington Post, fully aware of my biracial background, sent me a message and basically said I had to write about this topic for a number of reasons.  So I did write about it, pouring all my heart and soul into the story, which ran in The Post shortly after the news broke.

I can honestly say that my write up on Miles in The Post turned out to be my favorite thing I've ever written for them.  So if you really want to know what I think of the new Ultimate Spider-Man, click here.

Justice For All: Justice League # 1 Review

The New 52 is here!  DC Comics massive 52 title, company wide reboot has arrived.  And with it, the first issue of the brand new Justice League, which DC Comics is using to lay down the foundation for their new, younger, fresher, cooler costume having universe.

So what did I think of the first issue?  I'll say this.  I was surprised.  I liked it a lot.

So far the New 52 reboot is off to a good start

Not that I was expecting to not like it.  It's just that this reboot isn't for me.  I'm an established fan.  I've been reading comic books for over 20 years.  I'll always love the genre.  But DC Comics, and the rest of the comic book industry for that matter, aren't concerned with keeping me happy.  They're after new readers.  Teenagers and younger to be exact, who will hopefully pick up these new books, get hooked and be fans for life, just like I did 20 plus years ago.

One more thing about this new 52 reboot.  It's working.  Mainstream media has taken notice.  Sell outs are being reported across the country.  Second printings are being made.  Want to know the power of the new 52?  Look no further than yours truly.  I cancelled my subscription to Big Planet Comics in Georgetown (aka my favorite place on earth) over a year ago because it was just getting too expensive.  I subscribed to over 20 titles and with comics ranging in price from 2.99 to 3.99, I was spending a lot of cash.

I've been keeping up with the comic book world with online news and trade paperbacks.  It means I'm not reading stuff right when it happens, but it was much more practical to just buy comics in collected volumes.  For the last year that's how I've been reading.

Once the new 52 came though I knew I had to set up a list.  This was history.  A company wide reboot?  New number 1's?  I needed the hard copies, and to avoid missing a copy because of a sell out, making a new subscription list was the way to go.  Behold the new 52's power.

Ok.  Back to the book.  First and foremost you have to look at the team behind it.  Geoff Johns (DC Comics Chief Creative Officer) is writing and the legendary Jim Lee (DC Comics Co-Publisher) is pencilling.  Talk about coming out with all guns blazing.

Johns has established himself as one of the best writers in the business and has single handedly revitalized many of DC's titles (Flash and Green Lantern just to name a few).  Lee, what can you say other than he will go down as one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time.

All-Star collaborations don't always work, but this team up is a match made in heaven.

While I don't want to give away what happens in the first issue for those that haven't read it yet, you should know, that despite the cover, the entire JLA does not appear in this first issue.

We're taken to the past, five years ago to be exact and it's a world that is just getting introduced to super heroes.  And so far, the world isn't too impressed.  The League has yet to be formed and the members are meeting each other for the first time.  Issue number one deals with the first meeting between Batman and Green Lantern.  I thought this was a great choice to get this series started since Johns, while having written many titles, is probably best known for his work on Green Lantern, and Lee's artwork on the Batman storyline "Hush" is the stuff of legend.

We've got to stop meeting like this

Green Lantern has come to Gotham to investigate an alien presence that Batman was already in pursuit of.  What happens next is a lot of great interaction between two heroes that are getting to know each other for the first time who are not very impressed with one another.  Green Lantern can't believe that Batman is just a guy dressed up as a bat with no special powers, while Batman see's that a young Hal Jordan is just a little too sure of himself because of his power ring.

One day they'll look back on this and laugh

I won't reveal it, but there's one scene where Batman shows Green Lantern that having a power ring doesn't mean he's the smarter of the two.  This scene alone made the book a hit for me.

Overall, this book was everything it should have been.  While clearly written for new readers, old time fans will get enjoyment out of it as well.  It's definitely worth a read.