Quick Hits: Nightwing #83 And Wonder Woman #778

While I cover the Super-titles here on the site regularly, occasionally something super-centric will happen in another book that warrants a quick look here.

In the last couple of weeks, we have seen a Superman sighting in Nightwing #83 and a Phantom Zone trip in Wonder Woman #778. I collect both books monthly so I didn't need to seek them out. They fell into my laps. And both scenes are worthy of at least quick coverage here.

I started buying Nightwing when writer Tom Taylor started his current run with artist Bruno Redondo. It is an interesting read given Taylor is also writing Superman, Son of Kal-El. Here Nightwing has inherited over a billion dollars from Alfred and plans to use that money to help solve social wrongs. This is sort of a more stable way than Jon's approach. Add to that a nice side plot of Dick suddenly having a half-sister with the last name Zucco and this has been a good read.

I have been collecting the Wonder Woman title for a long time but was interested to see what writers Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan would bring to the table. With artist Travis Moore, they have been crafting a great tale of Diana recovering from post-Metal amnesia. We have seen her travel from Asgard to Earth to Olympus all in pursuit of the god/dess Janus who split themselves in two.

I'd definitely recommend both books. Let's see what I stumbled across.

Supergirl Sighting In Future State?

The cancellation of the Supergirl title.

The end of the Brian Michael Bendis run on the Superman books.

Future State and Infinite Frontier re-imagining the whole DCU.

No mention of Kara in any of the solicits.

It made me wonder if and when we would see Supergirl again.

Well, maybe just maybe we got a little glimpse. And in Future State Wonder Woman Immortal of all places!

In that series by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, and Jen Bartel, an immortal Diana has witnessed the universe basically be destroyed by something called the Undoing.

Here she muses on how the Legion tried to fight this threat which ate stars. (Hmmm, big classic Legion vibes there.) Unfortunately, they lost. We see the scattered bodies of the Legion floating in space.

But take a closer look!

Con Prep: Boston Fan Expo

We are approaching Con Season which means that time is growing short for me to get my preparation done including thoughts about commissions, signatures, and possible gifts for friends.

That means preparing for Fan Expo Boston right after Terrificon. Here is a link to the con:
 https://www.fanexpoboston.com/en/home.html

Now unlike Terrificon, this is more of a Pop Culture convention with a corner for comics creators. Born from the ashes of the dearly departed Boston Comic Con, Fan Expo is about a true cross-section of popular culture. As a result, there isn't as much heavy lifting from a comic point of view.

That said, I am very much looking forward to this convention because it is also a cross-section of the comic community on-line I am part of. Rob, Shag,and Ryan from the Fire and Water Podcast Network will be there. Diabolu Frank from the Rolled Spine Network. Darrin and Ruth Sutherland from the R and D Network, Derek Crabbe, Keith G. Baker, and who knows how many more folks I hang out with in social media will be there. Hoping we head out to Karaoke!

Anyways, that means if any of you are going, we should try to meet and greet!

But onto the preparation and guests.

Brian Wood Taking Over Supergirl

Over on Bleeding Cool, Rich Johnston has posted that Brian Wood is going to take over Supergirl some time within the next few months. Here is the link:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/04/06/brian-wood-to-take-over-supergirl/

With James Peaty's storyline almost over and Kelly Sue DeConnick already saying she is on for just a three-parter, I have to look upon this as good news. Hopefully the phrase 'take over as writer' means that Wood will be on the book for longer than an arc.

After being worried that DeConnick's last issue would have the 'final issue' tag, to hear even a rumor that the DC is planning more on the title makes me optimistic. And I promised optimism here!

As for Wood himself, I will admit that the only thing I have read of his was the recent Vertigo Demo 2 mini-series he did with Becky Cloonan. But

I absolutely loved this mini-series. Demo featured 'done in one' sort of Twilight Zone stories that focused on people's relationships. What was amazing to me was the amount of depth Wood was able to give his characters in the span of one short issue. So whether it was the obsession of the woman in Demo 2 #1 as she careens to a predestined event, or the struggle with morbid addiction of the man in Demo 2 #2, or the obsessive-compulsive behavior of the woman in Demo 2 #3 (my favorite issue of the series), Wood made these characters three-dimensional. And there was always, always just a hint of tragedy and sadness there, something which made the Smiths-playing Anj happy. Add to that Becky Cloonan's work (which I love) and this book was a winner. I highly highly recommend it.

I have only heard good things about the other titles Brian Wood has worked on like DMZ, Northlanders, and New York Five as well. So this announcement sounds like the shot in the arm this book has needed.

Of course, it is still just a rumor on Bleeding Cool and since I am not reading a Jamal Igle penciled Birds of Prey, I have to take it with a grain of salt. But I'll remain optimistic.

Granite State Comicon: Becky Cloonan Commission

Last Sunday, a couple of friends and I decided to drive a little ways north and go the Granite State Comicon ( http://www.granitecon.com/), a semi-annual comic convention in New Hampshire. While I have known about the con, I have never had to opportunity to attend before, something which irked me last year when Jamal Igle was the guest. Unfortunately I was working that day and couldn't go.

This year's line-up looked very good for a con of this size. It was really the artists that were attending that prompted us to go. Talent Caldwell, Becky Cloonan, Tim Seeley, Khoi Pham, and Craig Rousseau were amongst the notables. With the thoughts of getting a couple of commissions, we grabbed some coffee and piled in the car.



The con itself was bigger than I expected with a large area for collectible card game and video game tournaments, an expansive artists alley with pros and locals, and a decent amount of dealers. All in all a top-notch 'local con', one I am sure I will go to again.

For me, the goal was to get commissions from Becky Cloonan and Talent Caldwell (in that order) and I was thrilled when I was able to get them from both. Here is the Becky Cloonan commission.

I sort of lump my commission collection into three sort of categories: artists who are well known for drawing Supergirl, artists whose work I really like, and artists who I think will have an interesting interpretation of the character.

Cloonan falls into 2 categories. One I really like her work. It is described in some places as 'manga-influenced' but if it is, it is not overt. Her layouts, angles and perspectives, and subtle but expressive characters all make for great storytelling. Her books flow like movies, giving a dynamic feel to the issues. Two, I also thought that her style would make for a unique take on Supergirl. Cloonan is best known for work on Vertigo books and I wondered how that background and her style would mesh with a Supergirl piece.

I love this piece which shows a sort of shy and sweet Supergirl. It is a great addition to my collection. I couldn't thank her enough.

If you want to see more of Cloonan's work, I highly recommend getting the Vertigo mini-series Demo. These are 'done in one' haunting (but not necessarily horror) stories written by Brian Wood. They are up to issue 4 of the 6 issue mini. In particular, I would look for the first issue which is a suspenseful story about dreams and self-fulfilling prophecies. Great stuff.

Here is a link to her blog: http://inkandthunder.blogspot.com/

As a fan, it is always cool to meet creators you like. Cloonan was great to talk to and get some art from.