Thursday Thoughts - 3-29-12

Welcome back to Thursday Thoughts comic book fans. This weeks' thoughts all deal with comics, which shouldn't surprise you, but who knows. I'm starting off with a few topics dealing with some awesome female stars.

1. Witchblade was pretty bad until Ron Marz took over. I struggled to get through it before he took over. It really was bad. I started reading the series with a run of issues from #115 or 116 through 125 or so. The writing and the art made me an instant fan. I then spotted the compendiums and figured she's awesome maybe she's got a ton of great stuff behind her. Wrong. The first volume especially was quite horrid. As I've already stated, I struggled reading it. That was until Marz' pen guided Sara's adventures. I honestly would not recommend anything before he took over unless you really just want to read it all.

2. I think Power Girl’s costume with the tit window was one of the worst visuals ever. Other than that, I liked the costume. Simply put, it was stupid. Seriously. And I believe they even tried to explain it in a conversation with Superman. But I could be wrong. People only knew about her because of her large breasts. Just unnecessary. And her new one sucks too by the way.


3. Pre-ordering is great for everybody. It guarantees you a copy of a book you want. Plus it gets creators paid. With that, it increases the chances of creators doing more solo work. But I hate the idea of pre-ordering subsequent issues of a book before I even get the first in hand. I was thinking about that when I put in orders for the second and third issues of a series. Just odd. But that won't stop me from pre-ordering though.


4. There should be some kind of ongoing ninja vs. pirate book. I'd like to write one. This match-up is a favorite on the internet. Just google or bing it and have a laugh or a hundred. Now we ALL know ninja would destroy pirates, but it'd be nice to see it play out on the pages. What side are you on?


5. John Stewart and Guy Gardner are the best Green Lanterns. They really are. Be honest, Hal and Kyle are kinda weak and boring. John and Guy just hold my interest more. And they have more imagination.

What do you think people? Have a subject you want to know my thoughts about? Let me know and I'll throw it in. Keep it nerdy my friends. Thanks for looking.

Black Characters You'll Love

Black History Month is about to wrap up, and you know what that means? Nothing really because I celebrate Black history year-round. So even though I did not provide as much content this month as I stated I would, that will be remedied throughout the year. Celebrations consist of many things, and one of those, which I'm doing by posting this is just showing some love for the characters that look like me. Black characters get stereotyped a lot, and as a Black man and a fanboy, I encounter that often. Some of these characters have those within their character. But that's a discussion for later. For now though, let's see who we got.

Let's start off with Black Lightning. I love this pic. It's just so full of energy. His Year One mini was a good read and I was digging his time in the Justice League before that series got all boring and whatnot.

Black Panther. King of Wakanda. Husband to Storm. He's had several series, the recent ones I've followed included his current role as he took over for Daredevil. And that series is being cancelled too. I feel as if they just don't know what to do with T'Challa sometimes. He's rarely just in comic book limbo, but he's rarely doing what he really could be doing. More proof that they don't back Black leads as much as they should. Here's hoping he gets back on track and gets another ongoing. And you better believe that when he does, I'll be reading.

Luke Cage. Power Man. This character has grown much and I'm quite happy about that. He's played a huge role in the Avengers and has developed quite a following because of it. He's also been getting serious action in Thunderbolts. And he's far removed from his tiara wearing days. I'm esctatic about that. I cosplayed him at C2E2 last year and will be doing so again at this years show, with several improvements.

The lady Vixen. I want to read her mini, Return of the Lion, but I'm still missing a few issues. In their relaunch, DC placed Vixen within the pages of Justice League International. I chose to avoid this title, but I am curious as to what she's been up to.

Mister Terrific is an interesting character. Here's a guy I had little knowledge of but was excited to see get his own comic, which I didn't hesitate in reading. I have been enjoying it and am still unhappy about the news of its cancellation with issue 8.

I have little doubt people don't know who this is. Michonne stepped on the scene in Walking Dead, holding a katana (which I love) and two walkers in tow. That's quite an entrance, especially in this comic.

Yo Joe! Here's my guy Stalker. And I'll be honest, in my Joe-verse, he's top man. Hawk may or may not have a spot as General, but I place Stalker above Duke and Flint. He's had a healthy role in the Joe comics over the years and I hope that continues.

Now my man Roadblock. Another of my favorite Joes. As with Stalker, he's played a decent role in Joe happenings in their published years. Also along with Stalker, I hope IDW keeps that going.

GL John Stewart. My favorite Lantern. And that's not totally because he's Black. He's just better to read than the others. I was actually supposed to cosplay him at C2E2 this year, buuut that's not gonna happen.

The original Spawn, Al Simmons, sat at the throne of "Rat City." While he no longer wears the suit due to you know, killing himself about 30 issues ago, he's still special to me. I read him as a kid, and he was my favorite second to the X-Men. As with G.I. Joe, I'm still in the process of hunting down the rest of the issues and I still have a ways to go.

During the process of this I decided to save the best for last. So I present one of my absolute favorite characters in comics. This reaches beyond gender, race, role, or any other aspect. Storm, X-lady supreme holds a special place in my heart.

Don't take this list as being exhaustive or that these were just my favorites. I did not include Blade, Bishop, Cole Train, War Machine, Agent 355, Static Shock (who's getting cancelled too), Prodigy, and so many others. These are just some that I've read over the years. There are many more Black characters out there who will no doubt interest you. I recommend you check them out and get some diversity in your reading. This is Dragon, black and proud, signing off. Thanks for looking.