Girls Gone Geek

Love and Capes: Do You Want to Know a Secret? Vol. 1
Writer/Artist: Thomas F. Zahler

Superheroes aren’t having much fun these days. While there’s some great work being done in the capes-and-cowls genre, it’s often so relentlessly grim that fans seeking lighthearted reading might as well head straight to the kids’ section of the comics shop (and I often do).

You should be reading this.

Thank goodness for Thomas F. Zahler’s Love and Capes, a funny, smartly written — and, yes, lighthearted — series about the intersection of heroics and romance. Bookstore owner Abby learns that her mild-mannered accountant boyfriend, Mark, is also a superhero known to Deco City as The Crusader. After he reveals his true identity, Abby experiences the perks (15-minute flights to Maui) and perils (picnics interrupted by crises) of dating a member of the cape community.

It’s appropriate that Love and Capes is billed as a “heroically super situation comedy,” because the quick banter and likable cast give it the feel of an especially good TV show. Zahler makes good use of the familiar: The Crusader is clearly a Superman analog, and his best friend, Paul, aka Darkblade, stands in for a certain serious billionaire who fights crime at night. Most of the derring-do takes place off of the page, so even when we see these two at work, they’re rarely talking shop. In one of the book’s many funny panels, Darkblade — while dangling a bad guy over a rooftop — tells Mark that his ill-timed request for relationship advice is “seriously killing my creature-of-the night vibe.”

Amazonia: Trouble in high heels.

Like all newly smitten, cute couples, Mark and Abby are just this side of annoying. (In this first volume, Mark’s only noticeable flaw is that he’s a tad jealous of Arachnerd, a web-slinger who is at the center of a blockbuster film franchise.) Zahler spices things up considerably by introducing Amazonia, an Angelina Jolie/Wonder Woman hybrid who happens to be The Crusader’s ex-girlfriend. How intimidating is she? In one of the book’s many funny panels, Abby’s sister, Charlotte puts it this way: “Amazonia? Whoa. I’d do her.”

Speaking of Charlotte, her tart asides and single-gal perspective bring a lot of wit to Love & Capes. She’s an utterly charming second banana — a Rhoda Morgenstern to Abby’s Mary Tyler Moore (Cue readers born after 1980 saying, “Who?” in unison).

This book has such genuine, across-the-board appeal, and I was bummed to hear two LCS owners — both fans of the series — say they couldn’t interest enough readers to justify stocking the single issues. People, where is the love? The next time I hear a fellow comic lover complaining about the Big Two offerings on his or her pull list, I’m going to ask (in a slightly judgmental tone) why that person isn’t reading Love and Capes, among other things.

Do yourself a favor and check out the first two trade volumes, or head over to the Love and Capes website for a taste of the series. It’s mighty good.

For E. Peterman and me, Girls Gone Geek is a labor of love. We love comics. We love writing. We love writing about comics. It’s how we roll. So when Newsarama(!) invited us to join the Best Shots Review team, we may have shattered a few windows with our squeals of joy. If your dog experienced hearing loss last Monday, well, our bad. We are thrilled beyond words, which is saying a lot. We don’t excite easily.

Girls Gone Geek will remain very much alive and well, and now you’ll be able to find our fangirl commentary in more than one place. E. and I jumped in headfirst, and our first articles will be posted for your viewing pleasure TODAY! To read our inaugural reviews of Wonder Woman #600, Green Lantern #55, Madame Xanadu #24, JSA #40 and much more, go here. You can also find us, and the rest of the Newsarama Best Shots team here.

Maybe I had low expectations, but I was surprised by just how good my comics were this week. Everything I pulled was a page-turner with top-notch art.

Green Lantern Corps #49
Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Ardian Syaf
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes
Colors: Randy Mayor w/ Gabe Eltaeb

My love of the Green Lantern books began with the Sinestro Corps War, a great story arc that got me invested in the characters. I was ever so curious to see where the War of Light would lead, and, well, here we are at Brightest Day (aka the Über Meh). I dropped BD from my pull list, and with the writer Peter Tomasi’s departure, I was going to drop GLC, too. This issue has officially changed my mind. Kudos to Ardian Syaf, who is really getting better with his pencils. His powerful facial details impressed me (although thumbs down on Natu’s Wolverine-inspired hairdo). The story was fast-paced with a tinge of suspense. You knew that the Alpha Lanterns were up to some craziness after last issue, but Boodika resorting to maniplulation and trickery … that was unexpected. Now I’m dying to know how they came under the control of Cyborg Superman. I guess it’s a robot thing.

The Return of Bruce Wayne #3
Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Yanick Paquette
Inks: Michel Lacombe
Colors: Nathan Fairbairn

I’ve come to really enjoy Grant Morrison’s writing. Perhaps it’s my background in philosophy, but I like meta-stories and annotations. I don’t mind working for it with Grant’s stories, because the payoff is often worth it (wildly convoluted, but interesting). After issue #2, I thought I might have to “work for it” yet again. But in comes #3, blazing with clarity and lovely little continuity nuggets tying GM’s obscure references together. I have an idea of where this story is going, and while that could very well change in an instant, I am excited. Grant is a reference junkie; it’s how he rolls. Being that I am one of the two people who LIKED Final Crisis, that makes the references in RoBW even better. Yanick Paquette’s art was a pleasure, especially the background details and his pouty-lipped rendering of Wondy.

Zatanna #2
Writer: Paul Dini
Pencils: Stephane Roux
Inks: Karl Story, Stephane Roux
Colors: John Kalisz

I saved the best for last. I LOVED this issue. Dini’s Zatanna is so damn likeable. As ridiculous as this may sound — she is a magician and all — I could relate to her! After a huge performance, going head-to-head with a mega-sorcerer, and teleporting in to help the JLA, Z. was pooped. The scene of her plopping face-first into bed was perfect! PERFECT! It humanized her, and I found it to be endearing. The most impressive (and powerful) thing about Zatanna though, is her ability to think fast. You’d have to have a quick mind to rattle off words backwards under pressure. It’s harder than you think folks; I’ve tried it. Another highlight of this story is Brother Night. He is creepy¹⁰, horror-movie scary. But the shining stars of issue #2 are the flawlessly executed, beautifully drawn splash pages of Zatanna’s dreams/nightmares. If you aren’t reading this comic, what the hell are you waiting for?

Variant cover art by Cliff Chiang

The best friendships are the ones where, even after long stretches of little communication, everyone picks up right where they left off. There are no awkward pauses or, worse, internal monologues about how it’s just not the same.

For fans of Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey run, reading issue #1 of the revived series is like that great reunion with an old friend. Simone stepped away from the book three years ago, and it was canceled in 2009. However, she and original collaborator Ed Benes have wasted no time in returning the Birds to classic, crime-busting form — and we missed them terribly. (Spoilers await.)

The four-part “Endgame” story opens in Iceland, where Black Canary has arrived to rescue a diplomat’s 5-year-old daughter from a terrorist/kidnapper. The beauty of this sequence is that it firmly re-establishes Dinah Lance as one of the world’s most skilled combatants, obliterating the sad-sack wife nonsense other writers saddled her with. Let’s just say there’s a lot of blood on the snow in Reykjavik, and it’s not Dinah’s. Or the 5-year-old’s.

"Where my girls at?"

Shortly, Oracle begins reassembling the team to deal with an anonymous mofo who has a frightening amount of information about the Birds and all their friends/associates. Zinda is dispatched to recruit Hawk and Dove, one of whom has some serious anger management issues. (I wouldn’t have held it against Hawk if he’d tossed that silly, bank-robbing cheerleader off the roof, but that’s just me.) The addition of these newbies to a well-established group is potentially rich with drama, and I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone adjusts, or doesn’t.

This is the REAL DC Trinity

Simone’s affection for these characters comes through on every page, especially in the funny, familiar banter that flies between Canary, Zinda, Huntress and Oracle. The Birds also look fabulous, thanks to Benes’ gourmet cheesecake illustrations and colorist Nei Ruffino’s glowing, moody palette, which really suits poured-on leather under moonlight. Those panels of Huntress cracking skulls while talking to Oracle via cell phone could launch 1,000 gym memberships alone.

As if that weren’t enough, the Big Villain Reveal on the final page is a total surprise, and still a bit of a mystery. I figured it would be Lady Shiva, or even a tween Sin, but the ending suggests that our heroines are in for even bigger trouble. It is totally on — and I couldn’t be happier.

Barbie has been Supergirl, Black Canary and Wonder Woman, so we know she’s into cosplay. However, Mattel officially confirmed her geek credentials with the recent unveiling of Computer Engineer Barbie. OK, technically, the credit goes to Internet voters who decided Babs’ next career should be in IT (She’ll also be a news anchor in late 2010). But given Barbie’s reputation as a high-maintenance glamour girl, it’s fantastic to see her rocking pink glasses, a binary code T-shirt and the ultimate unsexy accessory — a Bluetooth.

Still, I think Mattel could have kicked this geek thing up a notch by outfitting Barbie with the following:

-  Low-top Chuck Taylor kicks, preferably black. But since this is Barbie, we’ll let her slide with hot pink.

-  A special edition “I heart my geek” Ken doll, dressed in the requisite T-shirt. (I’m not sure I buy the relationship either, but that’s their business.)

- Pink, monogrammed longboxes! Her dream house office should be filled with them.

- Tiny RPG dice for weekly game nights with P.J. and Midge.

- A lanyard with an all-access comic convention badge. Where else is she gonna wear that gorgeous Athena costume?

I haven’t wanted a doll this much since 1978. Available in February 2010, Mattel’s Athena Barbie is flat-out stunning and a treat for fans of a certain Amazon. She’s gonna look great next to my collector’s edition Wonder Woman Barbie doll.