The Boys and Comics

I'm trying to get Aran and Maksim (and Sasha) to read more.  Anything more.  And Aran has shown some interest in comic book characters.  So during a trip to town recently, I took Aran and Maksim into the comic store.  DC is rebooting their universe, and now's a good time to get in on the books without worrying about backstory.

"Do we have to come here?" Maksim asked.

"What are we supposed to do?" Aran asked.

"Let's look at some of the comic books," I replied.  "Here and here and here."

"I want Thor," Aran said, picking up a THOR collection that cost $40.

"How about this one?" I waved BATMAN at him.  "Or this one?  It has Green Lantern in it."

"No.  I like Thor," Aran said.

Okay, then.  Reading is reading.  I steered Aran toward a cheaper collection of Thor comics and asked Maksim what he might want.

"Nothing."  He shrugged.  "These are kind of dumb."

I pulled a few issues anyway: HAWK AND DOVE, JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL, ACTION, GREEN ARROW.  And Aran's THOR.

As we were heading out, Maksim said, "What are we going to do now?"

"We could get some ice cream and read comic books in the park," I said.

"No, thanks," Aran said.

"I want to do something FUN," Maksim said.

I hate to sound grumpy, but when I was nine (and fourteen), if MY dad had taken me to the comic store and said, "Get whatever you want on me, and heck, I'll get a few too," and then said, "Let's get ice cream and read them in the park," I would have expired from ecstasy.  Here I was offering ice cream and comic books to my boys and they wanted nothing to do with either one.

So we went home.

Me and the New 52

Is it too late for me to chime in on DC's New 52?

HAWK AND DOVE was crap. All exposition and dumb "As you know, Bob" dialogue.  Hawk/Hank was so over-the-top, he was all but ripping his hair out as he screamed at his father while they chatted in front of a mirror for no reason other than to give big lumps of exposition to the reader, and all of it just to set up Kestrel's entrance in the last panel, something that could have been done in half the time.  Beyond idiotic.

GREEN ARROW: meh.  No build-up.  Queen lectured the reader about the nature of bad guys, and he never once took a serious hit or seemed to be in danger from the powered-up villains he was fighting, and whenever he had a problem, his Oracle ripoff girlfriend solved it for him.  Snore.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL was trying a little too hard, but the book may have potential.  They're handicapped with the usual problem--a huge cast and trying to give everyone a moment in the spotlight while telling a story.  I'll reserve judgement until they get going.

ACTION was surprisingly fun!  Yeah, they've turned Superman into Peter Parker.  But I found I liked it.  It made Superman more down-to-earth
and sympathetic instead of god-like.  I love the grungy "Gimme a break, I'm trying" costume.  I liked Lois and Jimmy.  And they got me with Lex
Luthor.  I wasn't going to like him, but then the final panel made me say, "Okay, you win."