Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals

Writer: George Pérez, Greg Potter and Len Wein
Pencils: George Pérez
Inks: Bruce Patterson
Colours: Tatjana Wood
Letters: John Costanza
Publisher: DC Comics

What’s it about?
Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals collects the first seven issues from the George Pérez run of the Amazonian heroine.  After the Crisis in the 80s, DC Comics decided to clean up their continuity, reboot most characters and get rid of all the alternate universes they started to have.

While Superman started simpler in a clean new direction under John Byrne in Man of Steel and Batman got edgier and more realistic in Year One under Frank Miller, Wonder Woman was left aside for a while.  Perhaps the editors weren't sure how to show Wonder Woman in a new light, or perhaps they thought they should portray her more realistically (by toning down the mythological aspects), or adapt her to the market (ruining a classic character with a tits and ass approach).

It wasn't until 1987 when George Pérez came onboard, revised Greg Potter's suggested pitch and kept everything WW in check that the Amazonian princess finally got a new start.

Smallville - the other teams and some history

Anybody who has been watching Smallville over the last few years will have seen a host of DC's characters imported from the comics world to the glossy, highly polished world of Smallville.  You may be wondering about the origins of these characters, what they were like originally and how their stories changed in the leap from comic to small screen.  And that's where we come in!  This  the last in a series of five posts on Smallville's characters cast of heroes, villains and sidekicks, and the original characters that inspired them.
Today, the other teams from the Smallville universe and a little bit of comic history.

Smallville: the Villains

Anybody who has been watching Smallville over the last few years will have seen a host of DC's characters imported from the comics world to the glossy, highly polished world of Smallville.  You may be wondering about the origins of these characters, what they were like originally and how their stories changed in the leap from comic to small screen.  And that's where we come in!  This will be the fourth in a series of posts on Smallville's characters cast of heroes, villains and sidekicks, and the original characters that inspired them.

Today, the villains!

Smallville: The Sidekicks

Anybody who has been watching Smallville over the last few years will have seen a host of DC's characters imported from the comics world to the glossy, highly polished world of Smallville.  You may be wondering about the origins of these characters, what they were like originally and how their stories changed in the leap from comic to small screen.  And that's where we come in!  This is the third in of a series of posts on Smallville's characters cast of heroes, villains and sidekicks, and the original characters that inspired them.

Smallville heroes - the non affiliates

Anybody who has been watching Smallville over the last few years will have seen a host of DC's characters imported from the comics world to the glossy, highly polished world of Smallville.  You may be wondering about the origins of these characters, what they were like originally and how their stories changed in the leap from comic to small screen.  And that's where we come in!  This is the second in a series of posts on Smallville's characters cast of heroes, villains and sidekicks, and the original characters that inspired them.  Today, the non affiliates!

Smallville heroes - Justice League

Anybody who has been watching Smallville over the last few years will have seen a host of DC's characters imported from the comics world to the glossy, highly polished world of Smallville.  You may be wondering about the origins of these characters, what they were like originally and how their stories changed in the leap from comic to small screen.  And that's where we come in!  This will be the first of a series of three posts on Smallville's characters cast of heroes, villains and sidekicks, and the original characters that inspired them.

Jack Kirby's Mr Miracle

Welcome to our latest guest reviewer, Simon Amphlett.  Simon describes himself as "Erstwhile English Teacher, lover of all the comics, friend to the oppressed and eater of all the foods".  Sadly, he does not have an online home.

Created, written, drawn and edited by Jack Kirby

Inked by Vince Colletta and Mike Royer

Published by DC 

What's it about?

This collection contains issues 1-10 of comic legend Jack Kirby's 1971-2 DC series Mr Miracle.  Conceived as part of an interlocking, ambitious collection of stories woven around the 'Fourth World' theme of Kirby's 'New Gods,' Mister Miracle concerns the master escapologist Scott Free's attempts to outfox the forces of ‘Evil God’ Darkseid, as they seek to punish him for escaping from their nightmarish home world of Apokolips.

International Women's Day! Part two

Following on from yesterday's post, today is International Women's Day and we shall round up with the other books about women we have featured.  No superheroes this time around.

International Women's Day!

In the run up to International Women's Day (8th March) we'd like to celebrate by reccommending you some titles about some amazing women.  We've done over 100 reviews on this site, with over 50% of the books about women.  Take that, people who argue women centred stories can't be good stories.

If you'd like to read about Superheroines, can we suggest:

Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Tarantula

written by Matt Wagner
art by Guy Davis
colours by David Hornung
Publisher: Vertigo

What's It About?
In the decadent world of New York's post-Depression high society a sinister figure stalks the night glad in a trench coat and a gas mask. He is Wesley Dodds whose haunting prophetic dreams have led him to become the vigilante known as the Sandman. The Sandman is about to find himself on he trail of a murderer called the Tarantula, a trail that will lead him into the path of one Dian Belmont, a meeting that will change both their lives forever...

Batman: The Brave and the Bold - The Fearsome Fangs Strike Again!

Writer: J Torres and Landry Walker
Pencils: J. Bone, Carlo Barberi and Eric Jones
Inks: J.Bone, Terry Beatty and Eric Jones
Colorist: Heroic Age
Letters: Travis Lanham, Pat Brosseau and Rob Clark Jr
Publisher: DC 

What's it about?
This is a Batman team up book for younger readers.  Based on the long running Brave and the Bold cartoon, the trade contains 6 issues, each of which sees Batman teaming up with another hero or group of heroes.

In this book Batman works with the Doom Patrol (a group of heroes who have had bizarre accidents leaving them with strange powers), Green Arrow (archer extraordinaire), The Great Ten (China's equivalent of the Justice League of America), Catman (a new character with similar skills to Batman), The Atom (able to shrink himself to fight crime), the Huntress (mafia daughter fighting for justice) and Adam Strange and Alanna (sci-fi adventurers).

They encounter yetis, tentacled many-eyed space octopus's, the moon gang, mis-named unbeatable nightmare mutants, deadly ninja and a force comprised of universe destroying anti matter.