Or - “I Think We Can Be Certain It’s Not Really Final…”
I started to try and write a big clever open, but y’know what?Â
RACCOON WITH A HEAVY MACHINE GUN!!!!!
How am I s’pose to top that?
Or - “Because I’ve Fallen Further Behind Than Ever Before…”
I have to tell you, two weeks of being unable to type without crying like a little girl really makes your work pile up. The last couple of weeks of comics have been a tumultuous ride, with a whole lot of minor things happening that made me happy. An old favorite disappoints, while a surprise contender impresses the heck out of me. British vampires, time-lost Arcturans, underground civilizations, the chupacabra, and a fifty-foot stalk of marijuana await you, beyond the fold!
Or - “Manhunter!”
It’s been a while since we’ve been treated to the adventures of Kate Spencer and her extended family. Mark Andreyko’s Manhunter has actually escaped cancellation yet AGAIN, and now the armored Bird of Prey returns to active duty, with a new artist and a slightly new attitude. But, what new wrinkles are in store for the best book you probably never bought the first two times it was cancelled?
Sean McKeever announced on his website Sunday that he was leaving DC’s Birds of Prey with issue #117, due out in April.
I was offered both Teen Titans and Birds of Prey at the same time. It became clear that I was going to be a bit behind on Teen Titans from the outset, and I unfortunately took longer to get up to speed than I would have liked. Because of this, I kept putting off Birds of Prey, where my debut was set for the end of the year. The thing is, I generally pride myself by being timely with my work, so the lateness on Teen Titans was stressing me out. The stress bred more lateness, which in turn bred more stress…and by late fall I was behind schedule on both series.
Due to these circumstances, I’ve had to leave Birds of Prey. My last issue will be April’s #117. I miss the characters already, especially considering the long-term plans I had for the title, but I’m pretty proud of the five issues I did write.
Birds of Prey #117
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Nicola Scott & Doug Hazelwood
Cover by Stephane Roux
Misfit and Manhunter are captured by the man responsible for the bizarre magical technology that has been threatening the Birds and all of Metropolis…leading Oracle to decide to relocate the team to try to take this new nemesis down for good.
Word on the street is Tony Bedard will be returning to the series as writer for issue #118 (cover after the jump.
Or - “The Next Big Thing You’re Probably Not Reading.”
Comics ain’t what they used to be. That’s certainly not a bad thing, especially if you use 1993 as your definition of “used to be,” but in a world of Attacking Amazons, Hulking World Wars, hugely vaunted relaunches and basic empire-building, you gotta question why a classic story of a woman fighting for justice and the people who support her has had such a hard time finding an audience. It’s a throwback to the old days of superheroing, with some fresh twists on classic material, and it’s been cancelled twice in the last twelve months even though it seldom fails to bring the awesome. Manhunter: It’s What’s for Dinner.
Or - “What’s In A Name? You Wouldn’t Ask If Yours Was ‘Hortense.’”
In the DC Universe (or, to be honest, the streamlined and updated DC/Quality/Fawcett/Charlton/Etc Universe), the name “Manhunter” has carried with it a bit of a stigma, for some reason. The first Manhunter (from Quality Comics) was Dan Richards, a police officer who put on the mask to clear a friend’s name. He was retconnedly brainwashed, and later murdered by a later claimant to the name. Paul Kirk, the second Manhunter, had an abbreviated run in Adventure comics, was trampled by a Rhino, cloned, killed, cloned, killed, cloned, ad infinitum. Mark Shaw, next up for the pain train, was brainwashed as well, and found the only thing in his life that he valued to actually be a secret cult run by alien robots. Chase Lawler had to wear one of the worst costumes I’ve EVER seen, and was murdered shortly after taking on the role. Kirk DePaul (a Paul Kirk clone), murdered. the 1986 ‘Manhunter’ movie with William Peterson was better than “Red Dragon,” another take on the same book. Even J’onn J’onnz, the Martian Manhunter, gets no respect (his new look reminds me of the Cocoa Puffs Cuckoo). And now, poor Kate Spencer lives her comic life on the edge, a few issues at a time, cancelled thrice. The worst part of it all? She’s probably the best Manhunter since Archie Goodwin’s run in the 1970’s.
Or - “It’s Like When You Can’t Quite Break Up With The Unhealthy Girlfriend…”
Well, it’s time to review Manhunter, and that means it’s time for…
CANCELLATION WATCH 2007!! *cues dramatic music/graphics package*
Attention Mr and Mrs America and all the ships at sea! Manhunter, originally cancelled with issue 25, then revived, then recancelled with issue #30, has officially been uncancelled. DC, always a bit manic depressive with cancelling Manhunter, announced at the New York Comicon that Kate’s title is ongoing again, and this time it’s for the long haul. None other than Dan Didio announced at the convention that this is not just an extension, Manhunter will continue for the foreseeable future. I don’t know if it’s the cameos (Batman AND Wonder Woman appear this issue), the variant cover, or just the fact that people love the underdog, but the adventures of Kate and company are off the chopping block, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. Wanna see why? Click ‘er and let’s roll!
Or - “Things Are Just About To Get (More) Interesting…”
I’ll say it again: I don’t see why Birds of Prey isn’t DC’s best-selling title. There’s something for everyone here. The main characters have years of history, tying into JLA, into Batman, into the New Gods, even to the old Charlton comics. (Speaking of which, if Renee Montoya does what it looks like she’s gonna do, I’d love to see HER in BoP, wouldn’t you?) If you’re a continuity buff, it’s in there for you. The plots are always involving, the action fast and interesting, with aspects of Action/Adventure, Cloak & Dagger stories, soopah-hero punchouts, even a healthy dose of Jack Bauer-esque run and gun. Add that to some incredibly sweet art (is that not the cutest, sleekest Batgirl you’ve ever seen?), strong characterization, and a healthy disrespect for the status quo. Why am I just talking bout it? Let’s go over this issue, and you can see the awesome for yourself.
Or - “Oh, THAT Cancellation Notice!”
Well, heck, that didn’t last very long. The little book that could has apparently been cancelled again. Initially canned with #25, Manhunter was given a repreive after a tideswell of fan response, and granted another 5 issues. The word out of DC is that this arc is the end for Kate Spencer’s solo book (though she did join the Birds of Prey in issue #100) and I only hope that we’ll get some closure for Mark Shaw, for Cameron Chase, even for Kate’s long-suffering tech wizard Dylan. This issue progresses storylines, has several surprises, but most interestingly, has no appearances by Manhunter in costume, just Kate in a very smart and sexy suit. So, how’d it go?
Or - “Time, Time, Time… See What’s Become Of Me…”
Okay, somewhere along the line I lost track of how many hours there were in a day. I felt certain that there were 24, but somehow no matter how many things I get done, five or six more end up falling by the wayside. Usually those involve bills, or buying pull-ups for little Molly, but somehow, I completely forgot to review Birds of Prey #101. I blame Dan Didio, actually.
It seems like this book comes out more often than other comics (which these days probably means monthly) so we’re going to double up and get back to speed, twice the review at half the price! (Well, half of nothin’ is still nothin.’) You’re welcome! Last time, we left the BoP in two different precarious situations, one fighting an enemy on the cerebral level, with four engaging in a more conventional slobberknocker with corrupt prison authorities, and (accidentally) the United States Air Force. Is Zinda good enough to combat fighter planes in a helicopter?
Or - “Cancellation Notice? What Cancellation Notice?”
So, did you have a happy New Year? Mine was just a big bag of crazy, thanks for asking. Ten pounds of psycho in a four and a half pound bag, but boy did I eat well! And while I don’t make resolutions, per se, (because I don’t need anything to make me feel like I’m already a failure in a brand new year) I’m going to try and do three or four things differently in 2007, including give you more Spoilers bang for your mostly imaginary buck. Speaking of fresh starts, I’m sure some of you have heard the story of DC’s Manhunter and the book’s fresh start/second chance. Initially cancelled with issue #25, DC was so overtaken by the fan outcry that they gave the book another five issues, and a chance for more if business picks up… So, how goeth the restart?
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