Wonder Woman Artist Interview!

Drew Johnson talked to Newsarama about his upcoming Wonder Woman stint. He has a change of style in store for us:

I'm in a different place artistically than I was on my previous run with Greg. I feel like I have a better understanding of how to tell a story visually than I did back then---I learned a lot about that working from Keith Giffen's layouts on 52 recently.

In terms of drawing, I relied heavily on photo reference for just about every figure I drew during my last work on Wonder Woman - in fact Greg choreographed and posed for all of our fight scenes during our run. Since then, I've gotten away from photo reffing figures.

My wife Karen is an animator, and when we were first going out, she introduced me to a whole new set of artistic influences and more fluid, gestural ways of drawing the figure. I've been lucky enough to get to work on my pages at a desk in her studio sometimes over the last year and a half, and getting to watch her and other animators draw really inspired me to loosen up my figures--to make 'em look less posed. My art style, I hope, looks a bit more evolved since I last worked on Wonder Woman.

Also, this sketch spoils a supporting cast member, and the interview implies that the Dodsons will be back after this run is over. But I haven't heard any rumors about the writer to follow Piccoult yet.

To My Older Sister,

During the winter holiday season, when the days get shorter and the nights get longer, and the primal fear of the sun never rising again reaches its height, I feel an irrational need to tell members of my family things that I've kept to myself all year long. Since today is the Winter Solstice, that irrational feeling is at its peak. So in the spirit of the season and for my own peace of mind, I have a special holiday message for you:

I want my copy of Soulwind back.

I know you still have it somewhere.

Season's Greetings,
-- Your Younger Sister.

From Doctor Mid-Nite #1:

This is amusing.

On Tamora Pierce's post about writing female heroes, a livejournal user with the name gailsimone1 comments here. That journal has no public content, and no one friended to view any locked content.

This empty livejournal now has 38 people waiting for her to write in it.

I can't help but think of that interview where she said she didn't find herself all that fascinating.

My newest online obsession

This may be useful for those of you who'd like to catalogue your trade paperbacks online, or maybe look at people with similar collections.

They allow up to 200 books with a free account. I couldn't stop there, though. I have maybe a third of my own personal library on there, and I haven't even gotten to the shelf that is filled with trade paperbacks. It's a bit addictive.

I might put a widget on the sidebar later, when I'm done with my entire collection or I just get bored enough not to enter any more.

(Found through Composite)

For Insight

Try Tamora Pierce's livejournal. Especially the part about people who ask her why she writes female character:

It really hurts when girls ask me this. Are they so beaten down by our culture's superior value on boys that they don't understand why someone would prefer to write for them, showcasing their strengths and possibilities? Do they find it so strange that someone would willingly showcase them? So brainwashed that they think there's something wrong with me that I prefer it, or that I prefer girl heroes, and not princesses, or princesses in disguise, or orphans in quest of families, or loner socialites, or rocker wanna-bes, or girl victims? (Not that I don't value the books in which girls begin as victims--I read them myself, and really like the way the characters learn what's going find strength and a way out. But I prefer a different approach, and when girls ask me why I'm doing it, I need to start asking, "Why aren't more people doing it? Aren't you worth as many heroes as the boys get?"

So far, this has been a bad winter for blogging.

However, I still have time to stop in and accept my Time Magazine Person of the Year Award, or rather, my tiny portion of it as a comics blogger.

The annual honor for 2006 went to each and every one of us, as Time cited the shift from institutions to individuals — citizens of the new digital democracy, as the magazine put it. The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web.

I'd like to thank my parents, misogynistic fanboys, and Green Lantern's Butt. (Via)

Green Lantern Corps #7

The only reasonable reaction to this issue is a contented sigh and bouquet of roses for the creative team.

Oh, and letters to Tomasi demanding that Gleason design every costume in the franchise from this moment on.

I Can't Believe I Did This

That image was so hideous it put me off blogging for three days. (Well, I had other issues, but it certainly didn't help my enthusiasm).

The store didn't get most of the comics on Wednesday, so I had to go in today to get mine. While I was there, I did the unthinkable.

I crossed Green Lantern off my pull list.

Don't panic, I'm still me. I'm fine with getting Green Lantern Corps and Ion (loving them both so far), but I just can't muster any enthusiasm for the main book right now. I'd still be getting it if either the POW storyline had never happened, or the artist had the slightest idea about what looked good on a character.

See, it's not even so much the sexism with Arisia and Star Sapphire as it is the sheer ugliness of the two costumes. Add that ugliness to the fact that they make my favorite title something I can't carry in public without hiding the cover. Then add in the sexism of no male character having been drawn in a comparable monstrosity. It's totally soured me on the art.

The writing is annoying me because of the POW storyline, and also because John Stewart is completely absent. They keep promising, but he never actually shows up.

I might pick it up again when the Star Sapphire storyline is over, not sure though. I'm not sure I'd be willing to read a resurrection storyline with Katma Tui right now. Can you imagine what sort of costume that stupid artist would put her in?

Beyond the Pale

Soyo told me that the cover for Green Lantern #18 was out today.

Peter Tomasi, Green Lantern Editor
DC Comics
1700 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

This was too easy.

Actually, it is way too easy. I dare you all to make a nonsexual joke about it.

Something to Smile About

Wonder Woman #6 Solicit from Newsarama:

WONDER WOMAN #6
Written by Jodi Picoult
Art by Drew Johnson & Ray Snyder
Cover by Terry & Rachel Dodson
Best-selling author Jodi Picoult (The 10th Circle, Sister’s Keeper) takes the writing reins, setting Wonder Woman on a collision course with her long-missing people, the Amazons!
Special Agent Diana Prince of the Department of Metahuman Affairs is assigned the impossible task of capturing Wonder Woman! How she can capture herself is just the start of Wonder Woman’s problems, as Diana Prince must relearn how to exist as a human woman and a deadly foe begins closing a net on the Amazon Warrior that will lead to a catastrophic outcome! With gorgeous art by Drew Johnson and Ray Snyder (52)!
On sale March 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

So the Amazons return, the secret identity stays, and most importantly Drew Johnson is back. I love what the Dodsons have been doing, but damned if I didn't miss this guy to death. He draws the most incredible women, and the most incredible Olympians!

I hope this means he'll get to modernize Hermes. I hope this means the gods are back.

I hope this means it ships on time.

I hope this means I won't pan the crap out of this book because of I hate the writing.

How can a meme so accurate make such a glaring mistake?

(Just a screencap because the image doesn't fit my blog. Here's the actual quiz.)

I'm not going to rant, I'm just going to display it and shake my head. I know no one meant anything by it, but I hate that I can't even do a quiz in this fandom without somehow running into that "girls don't read superheroes" attitude.

On a lighter note...

Those of you on livejournal may be interested in Karen's new mood theme, which showcases many wonderful different emotional states, as drawn by Greg Land.

Martin Nodell passed away.

From Blog@Newsarama:

Mark Evanier is reporting on his blog that comics legend Martin Nodell, creator of Green Lantern, passed away today at the age of 91.

That makes three in a very short period of time.

You Can Never Have Enough Free Webspace

Oh, and as long as I'm posting -- I have been asssimilated. Everybody else has one and the layout is not obnoxious yet. Not sure what I'll do with it, except place links to my other sites and gauge my popularity.

Maybe I can do political cartoons with dreadful art or something like that.

White Tiger #2

Better than the first issue. I still hate the art, but the writing's much smoother.

Another villain displays sexism, but its seems like there's more of a point to it. It's setting up a personality, specifically a leadership style, and makes more sense.

Less Spanglish, too. Though isn't "puta" a bit profane for an all ages book? I could be wrong about the meaning, it's been a while since I lived in Texas.

Same sort of stuff slipped by editorial in the Gorgon storyline in Wonder Woman. Weird how TV and radio are getting more restricted, but comics are getting more slack right now.

(And the sad thing is that this isn't even the most trivial thing I've ever criticized. I'd say that the most trivial thing I've ever posted was the rant about Captain Comet's name, but I'm sure there's something more miniscule in my archives that I'm forgetting about.)

Let's Keep This Simple

In honor of this, my five hundredth post on this blog, I have prepared a very special treat for all of you.

Present behind the cut.

From the pages of Green Lantern #50,

in its very first appearance,

Kyle Rayner's butt.

Green Lantern: The Other Series #8

Lest you think I hated all of the Green Lantern books last week, I wanted to do an in-depth review Green Lantern Lite (mysteriously marketed as Ion for 8 issues now). Instead, I read the archives of the Invincible Super-Blog all night. You only get a short summary.

Surprisingly, despite some definite openings for feminist critique and a looming refrigeration unit on the horizon (you'll hear about it if it does indeed manifest, because I really like the threatened character), I was really happy with this issue. The story was cheerful, entertaining, and full of action that kept moving. I'm already very fond of Kyle. So yes, Ron Marz the only Lantern-writer not to piss me off last week.

I think it's mostly the art this time. There were two fill-in pencillers (Paco Diaz and Yvel Guichet, not sure who did which set of pages) which pleased me greatly. For various reasons I despise the regular artist and I shovel steaming mounds of criticism onto his work whenever possible.

I was pleasantly surprised by the art, and the writing was enjoyable.

Almost Carnival Time!

Final Call for Eighth Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans is up at Dance of the Puppets. Nominations/Submissions due December 7th.