From The Desk of The Don #1: I Have No Idea What I'm Doing

Is This Thing On?

Hello, everybody out there in comic book land. My name is George Serrano aka The Don, and this is the very first edition of From The Desk of The Don, a new blog that allows me to connect with you guys when it comes to current events, news, and updates over here at ComicBookClique.com! This way you guys can get my opinions on things not on the Major Issues Podcast, and get a sneak peek at next week’s content. It’s been a while since I wrote a blog, so bear with me. Let’s get this show on the road and you will realize- I have no idea what I’m doing.

I started Comic Book Clique over 4 years ago, as a way of battling my anxiety when it came to talking to others about the things that interested me, comics included. Since then we’ve created merchandise at TeePublic (Shop CBC), our very own podcast that is 126 episodes in, and now we write articles! I’m so proud of hard far we’ve come, and I’m always looking for new ways to add to CBC’s legacy and build its audience. Then Coronavirus arrived. My heart goes out to everyone who’s been affected by this pandemic that has no bias, and seemingly no quick end. To the front line workers, you are the heroes of this generation, keeping us safe as you risk your lives in this uncertain time. Thank you all.

Planning During A Pandemic

Art by BossLogic

Planning content for CBC is always a fun but arduous task. We look at the calendar in hopes of providing hot topics to discuss on the podcast. If there is a new comic book movie out, we do our best to cover the comics it's based on and provide an in-depth review. If there’s a recent season of comic book television out, we do our best to binge as much as we can and do a full analysis of its character and themes. We had to set up schedules months in advance to give ourselves the time we need to tackle the subject matter at hand. This year we were prepared to cover the theatrical releases of Black Widow, New Mutants, and Wonder Woman 1984, the latter voted the most anticipated movie of 2020 by the Clique, but to prevent the spread of Covid-19 all those films had their releases postponed. 

So what did we do? Well, we took a second to look at the world that was changing in front of us. The first film release impacted by the virus was Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel, which was removed from theaters around the globe. To compensate, we covered Justice League: Amazo Virus, a story that dealt with the team dealing with a dangerous contagion. As more cancellations came down the pike, we scrambled for new topics to cover. Luckily, my co-hosts had a list of comics and films they always wanted to cover but never had the time. Hopefully, it provides some entertainment until everything gets back to normal.

Comic Book Catch-Up

Read Justice League by Scott Snyder ASAP

Just like millions of Americans, I was furloughed from my job at a sign shop, giving me more free time than I was used to. In the meantime, I’ve managed to catch up on a few comics. Thanks to a recommendation by fellow Cliquer Yogi, I finished Scott Snyder’s Justice League run! Snyder wrote the first run of Batman that I followed issue to issue, so his Justice League run was right up my alley. Scott managed to bring big stakes to the Justice League book while changing some of the lore for the better. Lex Luthor also takes things up a notch in a way I’ve never seen before. Snyder understands the mechanics of that team and their villains, and I cannot wait for DEATH METAL, the sequel to Dark Knights Metal, which we covered here.

Dan The Comic Man mentioned wanting to reread A History of Violence, a graphic written by John Wagner which was adapted into a motion picture of the same name starring Viggo Mortensen. I had never seen the film but managed to finish the entire story in one sitting! What a tense and action-packed story that uses flashbacks and reveals to increase the pressure surrounding the main character. The next step is to watch the film, which I’m sure I’m going to enjoy. What I am NOT going to enjoy is having to rewatch Iron Man 3 for our Iron Man: Extremis review, where GT Rebirth and I will get into the psyche of one Tony Stark. As a Captain America guy, it will be fun to jump into the mind of a billionaire, playboy, genius, philanthropist. Lastly, I am hoping to read some Wonder Woman comics soon. I have never read a full Wonder Woman run and I feel she deserves some time on my reading list. Please recommend some good Wonder Woman stories to choose from!

Coming Up Next

The topic of the next episode of the Major Issues Podcast: Twilight of Superheroes!

As stated above, we are getting ready to tackle the 2018 run of the Justice League, which ran for nearly forty issues. It seems to have a lot to do with where the DC Universe is going in the future. Those issues are pretty dense, but I love talking to Yogi about the DC Universe because he is incredibly invested as a fan and as someone who works with comic books as a whole. I sometimes fear we might be a bit DC Comics heavy, so after our next couple of episodes, we will be walking back into the Marvel territory. There are also some Indy titles I’d like to review, and ultimately we have to return to Doomsday Clock, Sex Criminals, and all the other stories that have continued since we last covered them.

The very next episode of the Major Issues Podcast is going to be a unique one. Instead of recapping a film or reviewing a comic, we’ve decided to try to decipher Alan Moore’s pitch for a storyline titled “Twilight of The Superheroes”, which he tried to get made at DC Comics in the late 1980s. Moore (writer of The Killing Joke, V for Vendetta, and Watchmen) is known for his unique take on the superhero genre. The pitch itself is gritty, violent, and shockingly conclusive. Moore envisioned a definitive end of the DC Universe, and we will go in great lengths to talk about the good and bad of his premise. While probably not to the most mainstream topic, longtime fans of DC Comics need to hear this episode and hear Moore’s take on the superhero mythos in general. Make sure you listen to the Major Issues Podcast every Wednesday to hear us babble about capes, cowls, and capers every week!

Et Cetera

Harley Quinn on the DC Universe app is a riot!

I figured this is where all of my other random thoughts will go, so let's get on with it. Have you been watching Harley Quinn on the DC Universe App? It is amazing! Admittedly it took me a while to get the humor, and Harley as a character can be problematic if you keep her as Joker’s perpetual love slave, but I felt the show had a better handle of the character than Birds of Prey did. Seeing as I haven’t been blown away with 2020 Comic Book films (to be fair, there’s only been two) this show fills that void for me. It knows its audience. Speaking of knowing its audience, DC's Doom Patrol returns next month! Doom Patrol was hands down my favorite comic book show of last year, and I can’t wait to see what DC has in store for Season 2! We are also very close to the series premiere of Star Girl, but I have yet to watch a single episode Batwoman, so maybe there might be too much content out there right now for one Don.

What I was most disappointed by was the finale of the Flash this season. I know that the coronavirus has had massive effects on the shooting and script, but I can't shake the feeling that the show will never reach the heights that it did in Season 1. With Arrow gone, it's important that Flash right the CW ship while new characters like Black Lightning, Batwoman, and Star Girl join the fray. On top of that, CW has gained the rights to Swamp Thing, so a lot of people who had never been introduced to that character might get that chance soon. By then we should have all seen New Mutants, right? It also should be noted that Comic Book Clique stopped planning the podcast schedule shortly before the Fourth of July, so we'll have to come up with some hard-hitting content soon for those dates in the future. Is there a comic book, TV show, or comic book movie you would like us to cover? Let me know in the comment section. This is all I got for this week, but I’ll be back next week for more things "FROM THE DESK"!

Remember…You (yes you) Are Worthy
G.S.

DC's Doomsday Clock Disappointed Me (and why that's ok)

There’s nothing like your first major comic book crossover. They say you can always remember your first time, and I sure do. I remember when the slighter older man typing out this piece was in his late 20s, living from major motion picture to major motion picture, enjoying his fantastical stories of superheroism. I really dug superhero films and couldn’t get enough. In between those long stretches of film releases, I begin to feed my desire for stories of costumes heroics through serial and episodic TV programming and was ultimately semi-satiated with shows like Supergirl and the Justice League animated TV show. While shows like The Flash or Daredevil served as a fine resource for my superhero addiction, it proved to be a finite one. If one was ambitious enough, watching all episodes of the current comic book TV shows of the Arrowverse, or Marvel on Netflix would take only a few weeks. I was ready for something bigger.

Connected universes like the “Arrowverse” sparked my interest in comic books.

When the well of TV and movies ran dry, my hunger for the capers I'd come to love was still not satisfied. At this point, I made the conscious decision to jump into the intimidating world of comic books, a vast well of tales that for some, will never end. I did not embark on this challenge lightly. The superhero comic book lexicon is America's craziest never-ending story (whose cast includes a massive dog that teleports). Despite the many soft comic book reboots throughout the years, you're essentially walking into a story that's already started without you, with some starting nearly a century ago! Huge events have already happened, and then happened again, and then happened thrice over. You can start a story only to learn some notable characters have already died, while other change mantles or retire. Your favorite villains may overstay their welcome with retreads of familiar stories, while some tried and true villains are nowhere to be found.

It's that “leap before you look” kind of risk that can yield scary results. Am I willing to get lost in years of history and continuity only to be overall disappointed in the story? It was a hell of a gamble. These issues get worse when you finally find a book you like, but that book gets a bit too referential and depends on you knowing the details of what happened decades before to understand what is to come. Navigation through this flowerbed of content can be challenging, especially if you don’t have a solid starting point.

DC announces DC Rebirth in 2016

On May 25th, 2016, DC Comics dropped its first issue of "Rebirth", a company-wide status quo in the form of a comic that would set the stage for its reboot. The emotional story of Wally West trying to escape the speed force was a powerful tale, with the effort rewarded by Barry Allen, when he finally embraces him asking "How could I ever forget you?". The character of Wally up to that point had only existed in the memories of long-time comic book fans. Wally had been missing since 2011, deemed unnecessary when it came to the New 52. His return as part of DC Rebirth was a love letter to long-time fans and an invitation for new fans to fall in love with Wally all over again. Wally West was the true representation of a bygone era that was lost with the company’s New 52 initiative. The New 52, for many, was an alienating project that got to pick and choose what characters mattered. I guess our red-headed Wally wasn’t one of them.

Although it did wonders for new readership, the New 52 was ultimately seen as a betrayal for some, as they considered the reboot a heartless cash grab, that erased decades of history. Some comic book fans can trace their commitment to these characters and stories for generations, their loyalty deeply entrenched in the extended history of some of their heroes. Wally West was one of the heroes comic fans didn’t want messed with. Not only did West stand out by being one of the few “sidekicks” to ultimately usurp his mentor Barry Allen as THE Flash, for many comic book fans he was THEIR FLASH. For years Wally’s Flash was being introduced to children through animation and comics as a declaration of the evolution of the genre by moving past the old guard. The New 52 may have ignored Wally, but with his Rebirth return, the dream of a new status quo that could please every reader seemed closer to fruition.

Wally’s return to DC Comics sparked hope in its fan base after the New 52

Even with all the heavy lifting of the Wally story, something even more ambitious was going on in DC "Rebirth". In a series of panels, we see the Dark Knight, Batman, investigating a mysterious item. Suddenly it is revealed to be the blood-stained smiley face button synonymous with the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Not only did this reveal leave the reader with a reason to come back, but Watchmen as a story was almost untouched to that point. They wouldn’t honestly be planning a crossover, were they? Soon it was made official. In an announcement that would change everything, we were told the mainstay characters of DC were set to meet the characters of Watchmen, in an event book called Doomsday Clock. The news that the heralded Watchmen would crossover with the pantheons in the DC Universe was one of the biggest ever. I had just walked into a larger world of my favorite superheroes, and now I have seemingly walked into an event for the ages! I could not contain my excitement. That's when the Doomsday Clock started to tick down.

So fast forward three years later, and I am burdened by disappointment. I lost faith in Doomsday Clock after only issue #6, once it was clear the book wasn't what I'd hoped it would be. Walking away from this story hurt because, in a lot of ways, I thought this story was mine. It was going to be my first huge comic book event and the first big event in my living journey through comic book storytelling. Unfortunately, it wasn't and after weeks of serious contemplation, and that's okay. As it stood, Doomsday Clock became the personification of my initial fears once getting into superhero comics. I was always hesitant to start comics because I feared I would feel punished for being a new reader, without having years of comic book history at my disposal. I felt DC’s Rebirth was, in many ways, a bridge between die-hard fans and myself. From my initial perspective, I felt misled. An avid Superman Rebirth reader, I was stoked when the finale of “BATMAN/FLASH: The Button" showed the Watchmen button slowly change into the Superman crest. There was going to be a book where my favorite superhero is leading the way? A huge story set to change the maligned New 52 initiative into a DC Comics people recognized? Sign me up! On top of that, this immense crossover will be built up strongly throughout books like Superman, Batman, The Flash, and even TITANS? It was easy to look forward to the event I was told would change the world. Sadly I didn't feel as I thought I would at the end of this journey.

Unfortunately, what I ended up getting was a Watchman sequel that full of new and old characters from a continuity that I had no interest in. I didn’t embark on this journey into Doomsday Clock simply for the Rorschach cameos, and besides some surprises, it's almost like nothing happened for more than half the story. There’s a storyline for the JSA that I simply have no reverence for, a political message that was muddied at best, and as all evidence points to, a rushed ending. Very little of the stories I was told would be essential leading up to this event, felt like they had any place in Doomsday Clock...and that's okay, I guess. I will get to why in a little bit.

First, let's talk about what plagued this story. The editorial problems behind the book were well noted and the delays admittedly did not do any favors. The story was originally set to unfold over a year, with an issue coming out once a month. This went off the rails almost instantly, as rescheduling and delays removed the tension of the story. It also presented another issue. Doomsday Clock had been advertised, like many a line-wide crossover event before it, as an event set to change the slate of DC Comics immensely. Then you had all of the currently printed DC stories, all trying to haphazardly catch up to this event taking place one year later. You couldn't help but feel that all the other comics in DC's line were being affected, simply to line up with this story. Suddenly, certain books were being delayed or stalled, just so they could "tie-in" to the overall Doomsday Clock narrative.

Tie-in culture within the comic industry is prevalent and often means reading outside stories that line up with the overall plot of what your reading. Whether a direct tie-in to an event or as works that are leading to a central plot point over time, when things do not go according to plan, tie-ins can fall apart very fast. These ingredients lead to a stew of ambition but overall failure. Expectations and misinterpretation are the slow-acting coughs of enjoyment. They are the symptom of a greater illness. All they do is build up over time & when you're ready to enjoy the victory, you're stuck in bed with the flu of underwhelming payoffs. A stretch of metaphor I admit, all to reiterate the singular point that I built this story up as my first real event.

The image that started it all

It was a badge of honor to a comic reader, to be able to grasp the overarching narrative, and I felt a little duped by what I thought to be the culmination of all the stories I'd be reading, just to build to this moment, that in the end had little or nothing to do with those stories at all. What was supposed to be my “Flashpoint”, or “Crisis on Infinite Earths” simply became a vanity project for those who thought Watchmen needed a continuation. I had me "I was there" shirt printed and ready. I was the potential new reader they hoped to reach with DC Rebirth and I was proud of my time as an issue to issue fan. Alas, it was never really for me, and that's okay. For those of you that saw it as a beautiful story with a happy ending for Dr. Manhattan, the JSA and the Watchmen universe in general. I'm greatly pleased for you and salute your ability to find enjoyment in this tale. For me, it will always represent my first real stumble on my journey to the comic pages and beyond.

But what do YOU think? Did you like Doomsday Clock? Let us know below!

5 Things You Might Have Missed In The Birds of Prey Trailer

The film Birds of Prey is flying into theaters in a month, and Harley and her crew seem poised to make an impact when it does. The film, originally green-lit after fans enjoyed Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, seems to be a female-centric action comedy with a bit of an edge to it. Set to the tunes of Björk’s It's Oh So Quiet, a new trailer has arrived, and it gives us more of a hint of what’s to come when Birds of Prey hits the big screen.

Although it's less than three minutes, the trailer shows more of the film than we have seen before, giving us motivations, teasing set pieces, and hinting at enough comic book related Easter eggs for us to get excited. DC’s latest entry into the comic book movie genre looks to be more adult than previous entries, but what will Birds of Prey be about? How close to the comics will this adaptation be?

All these questions and more will be answered as we do a deep dive into the latest Birds of Prey Trailer and point out five things you might have missed!

The Proof is in the (lack of) Puddin’

The last time we saw Harley Quinn, she was being broken out of prison by her enigmatic boyfriend The Joker at the end of Suicide Squad. While many believed the devilish duo would get away and live happily ever after, there seems to be trouble in paradise. Harley and “Mistah J” are on the outs at the beginning of BOP, as explained by Ms. Quinzel. Although Harley claims the split was amicable, odds are Joker tossed her aside as he has done many times in other incarnations of the couple. Free from that ever-toxic relationship, Harley doesn’t seem to take it well, opting to stuff her face on the couch before trying to venture out on her own (and killing her boo?).

Conspicuous by his absence is the man who brought Joker to life in Suicide Squad, Jared Leto. Leto’s take on the Clown Prince of Crime was mostly panned by critics, although the actor went to great lengths (supposedly) to bring something original to the character. When a Harley Quinn spinoff film was announced after Suicide Squad, it seemed like an easy guess that the former Oscar winner would be returning alongside Margot Robbie to reprise their roles of Joker and Harley respectively. For good or ill, it seems Leto is not going to be in this film. They even go so far as to hint at his death.

Birds of a Feather

So, why have the women in this film decided to team up? At first glance, the team of Cassie Cain, Huntress, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, and the ever-unpredictable Harley Quinn seems hobbled together, but the women are on the same side for a reason. From what we can gather all these women have drawn the ire of Roman Sionis the crime boss known as Black Mask. 

According to the narration, Cassie stole something from Sionis, Renee who is a cop, is trying to put him behind bars. Rumor has it Harley is protecting the young Cassie from harm and Huntress gets on Roman’s radar by killing an associate of his. Black Canary who is shown in the trailer singing in Black Mask’s nightclub, seemingly betrays him at some point in the film (for reasons that are unclear) making her a target as well.

Harley and her cohorts are seemingly the Birds of Prey in name only. The group who debuted in 1996 originally consisted of Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl/Oracle and Dinah Drake aka Black Canary. The two urban crime fighters were joined by Helena Bertinelli, The Huntress, when Gail Simone took over the series in 2003 and that’s the trio most associate with the Birds of Prey moniker, meaning Harley Quinn and her crew have some big shoes to fill.

(M)Ask and You Shall Receive

Roman Sionis, who goes by the supervillain name Black Mask, is set to make his live-action debut as the big baddie in Birds of Prey. The mobster and crime lord, played by Ewan McGregor in the film, has been a menace since his debut in 1985. Once it was announced that McGregor was bringing Sionis to life, speculation started to run rampant about whether McGregor would don his trademark black mask. Fans waited with bated breath, but sadly most Birds of Prey’s promotional material had Ewan sans-mask.

Fortunately for us die-hards, we finally see Black Mask in all his glory when Ewan McGregor dons the disguise for the first time in cinematic history, completing his classic comic book look in the trailer. What’s the story behind the mask you ask? In the comics, Roman was a wealthy and spoiled child who eventually falls in love with a woman his parents didn’t approve of.

When he realizes they will never approve of this woman, a young Sionis sets the family mansion on fire killing both his parents. Lacking the business acumen of his parents, Roman runs his parent’s company into the ground before he is removed from the board. Sionis, having nowhere else to go, chooses a life of crime. The mask he wears is sculpted from broken pieces of his father’s black casket and serves as a morbid reminder of the past he destroyed.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roller Derby

After the success of Joker in the fall of 2019, Warner Bros was said to want to make more R rated comic book films in the future. Birds of Prey looks to earn its R rating with some adult material scattered throughout its 120-minute runtime. Having been described by the MPAA as having strong violence and language throughout, with some sexual and drug material, we wondered what form these more adult scenes would take.

These grittier elements are all apparent in the trailer as we explicitly see a scene where Harley inhales pure cocaine, causing the anti-heroine to plunge herself into a drug-fueled fight scene. Not only is this one of the first instances of a real-life drug existing in a DC film, but the idea that the protagonist of this film would be on cocaine while engaging in copious amounts of violence proves this isn’t your grandma’s superhero movie. As far as the sex is concerned, Black Mask is long-rumored to be homosexual in this movie, a first for Roman Sionis, and Renee Montoya is canonically a lesbian, both issues to be addressed in the film presumably.

The film also seems to be going for a bit of fun, as showcased by a scene in which Harley seems to be in some sort of Roller Derby. We sure were surprised when some merchandise was shown of Harley wearing the skates and helmet, but we’ve yet to see how the Roller Derby fits into the plot.

A Declaration of Emancipation

Harley Quinn, as a character, has always been someone tethered to her more popular beau Joker. Their poisonous connection is an integral part of Harley’s backstory, but Birds Of Prey proves it isn’t her defining one. The name of the game is emancipation (the act or process of being set free), which seems to be a motif that will be apparent throughout the movie. Not only does Harley wish to be “free” of her ties to the Clown Prince of Crime but hopes to be freed from the image she created for herself while dating the madman.

Ms. Quinzell, who since leaving her main profession as a psychiatrist, hasn’t experienced life without Mistah J, making this a huge deal. Fortunately, Harley will not be alone in her quest for freedom. Renee Montoya feels shackled by her limitations as a detective, while Huntress who grew up in a life of crime, is also looking for a way out. Black Canary and Cassie both seem to have ties to Black Mask, and hope to release themselves of his company.

The villain himself could be hiding his true self behind the Black Mask moniker for all we know. We also see a hyena being kept as a pet. What are the chances Harley felt the hyena deserved a new lease on life too? Here’s hoping for a Bruce Wayne the Hyena prequel in 2021.