Girls With Comics

So last night someone asked me if I read the series Murderland. Now, I do know Murderland is a nickname for Maryland (see the title), but at that point I had not heard or read said title. I’m really curious as to why I didn’t pick up on this, since I…

1) I’m in comic book stores all the time

and

2) will eat up anything Baltimore related. There’s like a thousand flamingo things in my house and in my yard, and I only drink Natty Boh (ok, I drink other beer, but at 42 cents a can c’mon).

So off into the depths of the internet I went, finding this comic online, finding out about the author (I found zilch!), and coming to the conclusion I’m not crazy about this comic. The idea is cute; think of the X-Men coming to Baltimore to save it. The main character is a reformed criminal who becomes an arabber* and wants to bring peace to the city. You could also compare him to Wolverine, as he shares many qualities with Wolverine. Yes, that is a great idea. However, the comic moves at a snail’s pace. Baltimore, does not move at a snail’s pace. If this is going to be a mini series, I sure do hope it picks up, or at the very least, have one helluva ending. If this is an ongoing series, well, still…I’m falling asleep here! It is pretty accurate with setting, characteristics of the city and yes, the crime. I want this series to do well, but it really is a slow series.

The other thing I can’t help but to do, is to compare it to The Wire, the most recent and accurate description of actual life on the streets of Baltimore…if you’re somehow involved in the drug game or are a cop. (Or a union worker, a teacher, or a journalist.) The Wire is one of those shows where you either hated it because you live in the city and don’t need to hear anymore crap about the problems we have, or you loved it because you don’t live in the city. (Or you just like damn good television.)  I look at the comic the same way I do The Wire; You love it or hate it. (Granted I love The Wire, a few of the characters on the show were/are real Baltimore cops.) The same would be true if I lived in New York, which is saturated with stories, movies, and who knows what else all dealing with it. You either love it or can’t stand it. I would love to love this comic, but I just can’t.

I guess what I’m really sick of, is Baltimore being shown in a mostly negative light. In issue two, a character quips on a rooftop in West Baltimore* “So you stand on any rooftop and crime just comes to you?” You know I stand on tons of rooftops in Baltimore and the only thing that’s ever happened is someone gets too drunk and falls off of them. John Waters shows Baltimore in a cheesy, dingy light, but it’s never negative. Are we all really duped again and again into romanticizing the crime in Baltimore? That’s a real shame, because there’s so much more to this city that is really looked over. I would be tickled pink if someone wrote a comic series, or a television show, or did a movie (AND THE PERSON WAS NOT JOHN WATERS) about Baltimore that had nothing to do with crime. Seriously, Baltimore is awesome.*

*Arabber; More or less, a horse-drawn cart carrying food. I’ve only ever seen one in Baltimore.

*West Baltimore:

*Baltimore is awesome:

-Lauren

Oh, let me tell you something adorable. Archie and the Tiny Titans are currently in a three-part mini series where the two universes meet in an adorably adorable fashion. In general, I find Tiny Titans to be a really cute comic (it’s also funny), and we all know my obsessive love for Archie, so naturally the two go hand in hand!

Issue 1 came out recently, and oh! So cute! Robin and Archie accidentally got each other’s uniforms because of a simple mix up at the cleaners. Easily fixed. Archie has a tic-tac-toe board on his head, easily loltastic! Mr. Weatherbee is secretly a party animal! Oh my…There’s alot to this kids comic, and I think all us big kids (we are grown men and women talking about men and woman fighting bad guys in tights, come on now) should go get a copy. It’s too cute.

-Lauren

So far, this re-boot series has been terrific! If you are familiar with the Bird of Prey, it won’t be hard for you to jump right into this series. If you aren’t (like me), it won’t be hard for you to jump into this series, either. If you’re reading this blog, chances are good that you know who most of these women are. Oracle, the brains, is Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl. We have Black Canary, who happens to be involved with Green Arrow. We also have Lady Blackhawk, Dove, and Huntress. These team of kick ass women battle Gotham’s (or the worlds) underworld in an effort to keep you and me safe…If we lived in the crazy world that is DC comics.

In issue five we are still following the fight between Black Canary and White Canary. This fight while mostly physical, is somewhat of an emotional fight for Black Canary as well. However, we are still mostly unsure about the real motivation White Canary has against Black Canary, but the end of this issue will surely mess with you if you think you have it figured out. The other plot points seem almost moot compared to what Black Canary is going through. In my opinion she is the most interesting character in this series so far.

What really irks me, is that the art style changes in the middle of the comic. And it’s obvious too. I know lots of comics have more than one artist working on them, but the difference is usually muted, or if it is noticeable, it still looks good. This, does not look good. The art goes from really awesome, to really crappy, and back to awesome. If you don’t read this series, please pick up issue 5 and look through it. I can’t be the only one who gets annoyed at that crap.

All in all tho, this is a superb comic series.

-Lauren

Special thanks to Dan Parent of Archie Comic fame for taking the time to answer a few questions about Kevin Keller, Archie 616, and the future of Archie!

-Of all of the conservative political figures to work from, how did Sarah Palin get elected (so to speak)?

Dan: We needed to go with someone who had the political “star power” that Obama has, on the GOP side of course. And Sarah Palin is definitely the face of the GOP right now.

-Is she going to be a parody like Tina Fey, or will she just be a normal conservative gal caught up in the craziness that is Riverdale?

Dan: We’re not going to get too political, the characters will be treated as public figures who get involved with the students, but we won’t see any hot button issues discussed.

-Also, will she say “donchaknow” or “you betcha” anywhere in there?

Dan: Maybe a ” you betcha” will find its way in there. In fact, it does!

-Will Kevin be in any future Archie stories? The way he was introduced into the Archie-verse was done with taste and fierceness, and I really hope to see more of him!

Dan: Kevin will definitely be back, there are already 2 more stories completed with him, with more to follow.

-What else can Archie fans look forward too in the upcoming months?

Dan: More new characters, more crossover stories, and 70th anniversary special issues for 2011.

-Lauren

Check out more of Dan Parent at www.danparent.com as well as www.archiecomics.com!