Not-White Month: Justice League Of America's Vibe.

Okay, one more request, and that will be the end of Not-White Month. This time: Justice League Of America's Vibe.

One heck of a long title, eh?
Vibe is one of those characters who died YEARS ago, and most of us has actually forgotten all about, if we even knew he had ever been part of the DCU. So bringing him back to mainstream comics, and even getting him his very own solo-series is quite risky. To bring back a legendary character like Barry Allen is one thing, because even though he died in the 80's, he was still remembered and known by any DC because of his importance in Crisis On Infinite Earths. But what do we remember Vibe for?
.... Well, he was... part of the JLA... and that's it.
So really, if you want this almost unknown hero to have his own solo-series, you practically HAVE to ad JLA to the title. Here, he gimmick of re-using a name that sells is excused.

Cisco is a young man, who was saved by his older brother Armando during Darkseid's first invasion. Cisco survived, his brother... became the first victim of many that day.
Years later, Cisco learns that he has, due to the magic of science, evolved superpowers from being that close to the dimensional rift that Darkseid used to enter our realm. He can create seismic vibrations and has a sixth sense that allows him to detect visitors from other dimensions.
He meets government agent Gunn(get it?) from ARGUS who invites him to join the JLA. Everything seems to be going pretty great for Cisco... Except, this is a superhero comic, and working with the government is ALWAYS a bad idea. Vibe soon finds out that the dimensional travelers that ARGUS sends him to capture may not be the enemies hey want him to believe they are.
I am usually a sucker for stories about traveling through dimensions, bu this series seemed kinda... okay. Maybe it was that this 10 issue long series had three writers, but the writing didn't really capture me. Sure, it has some good ideas, like how the Darkseid invasion affected Earth, and Vibe's pretty unique powers, but good ideas is not enough. And I'm honestly pretty tired of "government BAAAD" stories(DC has PLENTY of those), so that's a turnoff right there. But I will compliment the outstanding artwork that brought to this series. So if for no other reason, buy the comic for the great artwork.
That's all for now. I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

Not-White Month: Mighty Avengers.

I disliked Mighty Avengers before it was published.

And that was very narrow-minded of me, I admit it. Especially since my philosophy is that you should never judge a comic before you read it, since there is no such thing as a bad idea for a comic-book. Heck, even One More Day has some sort of potential. Yes, is sucks that it annihilated Peter and MJ's marriage, but it could have potential, and, in the hands of the right writer, well... I'm not saying that it wouldn't be a challenge, but if Kaine could be the main character of his own comic, then EVERYTHING is possible.

But we are not here to talk about OMD. We are here to take a look at Mighty Avengers vol. 2.

AKA; the team book with black people in it.

And that's why I disliked it from the start. The same reason to why I dislike Birds Of Prey.

Is it a problem that there are extremely few colored people on the Avengers and the Justice League? Yes. But you don't solve it by making a team with only one white guy, who's role is to be the evil whitey that you stick it to. And that is basically what Spider-Man (possessed Doc Octopus) is; an uptown jerk that needs to be taught a lesson. And just like Birds Of Prey, the series end up being filled up with stereotypes.

And how come it's only Afro Americans? No Persians? How about some Asian superhero, we almost never see those in comics.

But that's okay, really. Stereotypes are not always a bad thing. Especially when it comes to superhero stories. Heck, Luke is THE stereotype-hero of Marvel. I may not like BOP, but I can still recognize that the writing is amazing. So it's not my cup of tea, so what? I dislike the idea of Mighty Avengers, but that doesn't make it a bad series.

But having poor dialogue does. AND that this is ANOTHER Avengers spin-of. And it really didn't have to be. In fact, at the beginning of the series, we see Luke Cage, White Tiger and the second Powerman in action as Heroes For Hire. Now THAT would be great!

But not only is this NOT a Heroes For Hire series; it MOCKS Heroes For Hire! Even Luke, the original super-powered bodyguard/private eye, describing it as a face, something he grew out of.

And the art... Seriously, most of the time, it looks like Luke is telling a dirty joke, but then again; the artist for this series was Greg Land AKA the porn artist.

BUT... calling it terrible is not fair. In fact, it's not that bad, it's... okay. But that's about it.

And that's sadly all for this years Not-White Month. But October is near, so I better find some spooky Halloween reading.

I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

Not-White Month: Luke Cage; Power Man.

Am I the only one who thinks that Power Man is a great name for Luke?
No one but me? Really? COME ON!!!
... Fine, let's just review "Luke Cage: Power Man"

The series follows the adventures of Carl Lucas, a tough-guy from Harlem who get's framed for a crime he never committed. The life behind bars is less than pleasant, especially since the guards... well, dislike him is one way to put it. But Lucas get's the opportunity for a early parole by becoming the test-subject in a very dangerous medical experiment. unfortunately, one of the guards who hates him sabotages the machine, hoping that it would end Lucas' life... But instead, it gave Lucas superhuman strength as well as bulletproof skin.
What? It happens!
Lucas uses his new strength to escapes, and decides to become a superhuman private eye/body guard AKA; a hero for hire. Changing his name to Luke Cage, he is now ready for a new and better life life.
Cage's adventures can seem a little... odd. It's like it's walking on the line between Silver Age and Daredevil grittiness. It's suppose to be a more realistic series about street crime and how hard life can be when you are black, but it can be hard to take serious when Luke are fighting villains who makes Spider-Man's rouges seem... normal. But it somehow works, believe it or not. One of the more uncomfortable tales s about a racist super-villain named Wildfire who are attacking a family of colored people. And none of their neighbors are doing anything about it due to the fact that they are the only black people in the neighborhood. Heck, most of them are just watching, some of them even cheering for the pyro-bastard.
"Luke Cage: Power Man" is a tale of one man's search for redemption and how a streetpunk tries to make a proper purpose with his life. Besides real-life problems(sorta) and some weird but creatively made bad guys for Luke to pummel, there are also a fair dose of humor, even if it's unintended with the outdated 70's talk.
It's sad that Luke is mostly a team-book character nowadays, because he is a pretty great character. I used to think of Luke as some black superhero, but that was a mistake, since Luke is THE black superhero. Yes, Black Panther came first, but Luke is truly a hero of the people. He don't care who you are, he ain't gonna take shit from no one, not even Doctor Doom(long story there). Luke is a man who let's his actions speak for him. It doesn't mater who he used to be, but who is is right now. And if you have a problem with that, then you are more than welcome to say it to his face.
Seriously, we need this guy out of the Avengers, and back on the streets in his own series!
That's all for now. Next time, e will take a look at my least favorite Avengers spin-off of all time.
I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

Not-White Month: All New Atom.

You ever feel like wanting to shrink down and just disappear from the rest of the world?

Ray Palmer did that. Literally.

And who could blame him? His ex, who he was about to get together with again KILLED one of his closest friend's wife in a rather horrifying way.

But even though Ray Palmer is gone, the world still needs The Atom.

"All New Atom" follows the adventures of Ryan Choi, Ray Palmer's pen pal from Hong Kong. After Ray's disappearance, Ryan moves to Ivy Town in order to take Ray's job as university teacher. But he also takes the role of his idol's identity as the Mighty Mite. Not so much for the sake of being a superhero, but for the joy of being a science experiment on legs, and the trill of being on the size of an atom.

But Ryan has to take the role as hero as well, because Ivy is one weird-ass town, filled with flying heads, giant women, alien gods and monsters form crappy Japanese movies.

The Atom's world is a strange mass of magic and science-fiction, which makes the stories wonderfully unpredictable. Anything can really happen. Seeing the world through Ryan's eyes is not boring at all, and has plenty of smart-ass quotes from some of the smartest men in the world, both those from the real world and them that only exist in the DCU(my favorite being a Lex Luthor quote).

Did I mention that the series was written by Gail Simone? What do I really have to say but; Gail Simone wrote this series?

That's all for now. Next time; the hero who's keeping it real.

I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

Not-White Month: Prince Of Power.

You eve feel... cheated... when you read a Greg Pak comic?
Surprisingly many of his comics has... well, similarities is a word for it. They are mostly about a hero with extreme power who are misunderstood by those he wish to protect, often hunted by them.
Like the Hulk.
Or Hercules.
Or War Machine.
Or Storm.
Or Alpha Flight.
Or Superman.
That's right, SUPERMAN! Superman is, when Pak writes him, and misunderstood giant, hunted by those he protect! You see my problem here?!
Don't misunderstand, I love Pak's writing(the exception being his Storm series). It's exiting, it's funny and he does plenty of research on the heroes he write, and even use characters that has been in comicbook limbo for years.
But today, we will take a look at a four issue mini, with a hero he created himself as main character.

"Prince Of Power" takes place after the "death" of Hercules, and is about his sidekick; Amadeus Cho, a 17 year old punk and one of the 7th smartest humans on the planet. After Herc's great sacrifice, Cho is now the go-to guy whenever a mythic monster needs to be slayed.
But Cho discovers that Hercules is not death, but lost in the omniverse, and the only way to find him and get him home is by achieving godhood.
That's right, AMADEUS CHO, sociopath teen who sided with the Hulk during the World War Hulk is going to become an actual god. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?!
When I read a Marvel comic with a god in it, I sometimes wonder; do they even TRY to make this guy like the actual god? Seriously, Marvel Thor has NOTHING to do with the actual mythic god! He is not even red haired, for Christ sake!
But in this series, it really seems like Pak did his research. He actually got the Egyptian after life right of the bat. He actually knows what kind of god Hathor/Sekhmet is. It feels good to read a comic written by a guy who knows what he is talking about and doesn't just make Loki the god of Evil because, hey, that's easy! Pak even points out that Thor's followers were a bunch of hooligans who killed monks while being high on mushrooms!
And it's also great to see Cho in action as the new Prince Of Power. If you don't know Cho, then let me explain how he works: You know that Iron Man is a superhero because he is smart enough to build high-tech armor, right? and that Hank Pym is a superhero because he is smart enough to invent science that's like magic? Well, Cho is a superhero BECAUSE he is smart. Sure, he is armed with Herc's trusty mace and a force-field, but he mainly kicks ass because of his chocolate fueled brain. He is just as destructive as the Hulk, only he smash up everything with his brain, so to say.
Even though "Prince Of Power" was mainly build up to the badass crossover event "Chaos War"(that for some bizarre reason had no effect on the Marvel U) it's still good. It was, most importantly of all; fun, something superhero comics should be by definition, and if you ever doubted that Amadeus Cho was awesome, then you will, after reading this four issue mini, no longer be in doubt. 6 out of 5 stars.
That's all for now. Next time, ANOTHER Asian superhero who are bearing the mantle of a white guy.
I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

Watchmen in 5 panels(W2 style)

(I know Linkara already made one, but I want to try it anyway)

Dear diary, I assaulted some guy who barely talked to me and broke two of his fingers. I am the bestes vigilante ever.

I had a sexual relationship with a blue superhuman for YEARS, and he can still find ways to surprise me and/or make me fell unconformable.

I'm on Mars, building a castle of glass. If I had human enthusiasm, I would have considered this "awesome."

I will not let the Russians blow up America!

YAY!

I am going to do it myself!

Yay?

 Aaand this is pretty much my one contribution to the plot...

I'm a bloody genius!

(Honestly, Watchmen is the comics answer to the Godfather-movies, but you already knew that, right?)

Special thanks to Eyz, please check out his blog(eyzmaster.blogspot.dk) as well as his Deviantart(theeyzmaster.deviantart.com).

Not-White Month: Who Is The Black Panther?(the comic)

Hello, and welcome to Not-White Month 2015. The month where I take a look at comicbooks that, believe it or not, DOESN'T have a white guy as the main character, even though it's "normal" and "to be expected". As a half-Persian, I have always been irritated over the assumption that being white was considered normal, something that has bugged me ever since my teacher from second grad told me that I had made a mistake by painting the father in my color-book brown.

But enough of that, let's get this theme month started with probably the second-most successful black superhero known to man; the Black Panther.

"Who Is The Black Panther?" is a TPB that has the first six issues of the fourth Black Panther series. It has the retold origin of the mighty king of Wakanda as well as introducing us the his country and it's culture.

Even though I like the series, I'm not sure how to feel about the... retcons. YES, retcon is a regular thing in comics, and is close to impossible to evade when we talk Marvel, since they don't have events like DC to excuse shacking up the continuity. But... WHY is Klaw a stereotype assassin with a mechanical arm? How come the Radioactive Man is Russian? How come The Black Knight(one of the few great British superheroes) has been reduced to a religious nut? Sure, it's not the end of the world, but imagine if we retold Spider-man's origin and mad Shocker a criminal headbanger without powers, Doc Octopus a drug addict and Vulture a mean-spirited banker. Sure, you COULD do that, but... WHY?

Another thing is, well... do we really need Black Panther to stick it to the white man, showing that he doesn't need America and that they can go to hell for all he knows? Do we really need a black power story? Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it has been done before. Besides, Black Panther is awesome BECAUSE he is awesome, not because he is a black superhero. I mean, seriously; he is the sponsor of Mandela? MANDELA?! Do we REALLY need Mandela in this series? We get it, HE IS BLACK! Gee...

Besides that, it is a pretty cool start or the series, with a lot of action as well as some surprisingly good social satire. I will eventually get the second TPB in order to follow the adventures of the mighty ruler of Wakanda. The "Who Is the Black Panther?" TPB also has the silver age origin if you 

That's all for now. Next time, we will take a look at an Asian superhero.

I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.