Tim Hanley's Blog, page 34

The new Wonder Woman has officially begun! And good lord, was this overdue. I’m glad DC’s going with a linewide relaunch to try to address some of the New 52’s many deficiencies, but a new direction for Wonder Woman should have happened a couple of years ago, really. Instead, they just left the character in poor hands across multiple titles, leading to a rather unpleasant run for Diana. But she’s in steady hands now, and seems poised to be one of the breakout stars of the “Rebirth” initiative. So let’s dive into this first issue of her direction, written by Greg Rucka with art by Liam Sharp, right after this:

SPOILER ALERT!!

I am going to discuss ALL of the significant plot points in this issue!

If you haven’t read it yet, look away!

So how was it? It was good. A solid first issue, for sure. I wasn’t blown away by it, there were no real exciting reveals or shocking turns or the like, but I definitely enjoyed it. I particularly liked what it’s setting up; there are a lot of little things in the issue that I loved or found intriguing that have me looking forward to this run even more than I was already, even though this first issue as a whole was more “very good” than “OH DANG, IT’S GREAT!” for me. There’s always a lot of setting the table in a first issue, and I like what Rucka and Sharp have laid out.

The issue starts with Wonder Woman in the African jungles of Bwunda, searching for someone we eventually find out is the Cheetah. The art in the Wonder Woman section of the book is gorgeous. I love the lush jungles that Liam Sharp creates, as well as the locales and poses in which he places Wonder Woman. Visually, it’s very compelling, and Laura Martin’s colours highlight Sharp’s detailed linework beautifully. The chaos of the Cheetah’s attack at the end of the issue is particularly well done; the art gets more scratchy and blurred as the Cheetah assaults Wonder Woman, communicating the speed and ferocity of the attack.

However, the story we get out of the Wonder Woman pages is fairly minimal. She’s mostly walking through Sharp’s lovely scenery, looking for someone. She makes some bad ass declarations about warnings and how after the third warning, all bets are off, and that’s all pretty cool, but the dialogue is sparse and we don’t really learn much of anything until the final page, when Wonder Woman tells the Cheetah that she can’t find Themyscira and that she wants her to help her do so. It’s a big reveal that could set up a fun team-up moving forward, but getting there, while a visually striking, is a bit meandering.

The other half of the book is dedicated to Etta Candy and Steve Trevor, and it sure is nice to have them back in Wonder Woman after their complete absence from the book in the New 52 era. They are two of the most important characters in the Wonder Woman mythos, and leaving them out of the series for so long was a ridiculous decision all around. What’s more, Rucka and Sharp have corrected one of the New 52’s unfortunate trends of turning curvy women into thin supermodels; Etta was one of the many characters affected by this universal slimming, but here she’s more like her old, pre-New 52 self, sporting the curves she is known for. It’s a small change, but it indicates that Rucka and Sharp a) understand the character, and b) know where the New 52 went wrong.

The Etta/Steve section has a bit more going on, with Etta communicating with Steve from Langley while he’s also in Africa with a special forces group, tracking down a war lord named Cadulo. The scenes are very well written; Rucka is one of the best writers in comics for capturing military lingo and making everything both realistic and accessible for readers. We also get a bit of backstory, with Steve telling Etta that he hasn’t spoken to Wonder Woman in some time. Steve appears to be in Bwunda as well, and presumably their paths will cross soon, especially because of what Steve discovers there.

This is what intrigued me even more than the Themyscira reveal: Steve ends up in a village where all of the girls have been kidnapped by Cadulo, a clear reference to the horrific Boko Haram kidnappings in Nigeria from two years ago. For the past several years, Wonder Woman has stayed far away from current events, but this might signal a return to a more relevant Wonder Woman, which I would be glad to see. Plus, in Rucka’s hands, I think it could be a very compelling story. The obvious superhero solution is that Wonder Woman swoops in, defeats Cadulo, saves the girls, and rah rah Wonder Woman, but I imagine that Rucka will make things a little more complicated than that. I’m excited to see how he has Wonder Woman engage with this issue; it’s exactly the sort of thing that I think Wonder Woman should address.

All together, this was a strong first issue that sets up a lot of things I’m very interested to see play out. I love that Rucka and Sharp are doing both real world and mythical based stories from the get-go, with the twin reveals of a lost Themyscira and kidnapped African girls. The parallels of missing women in both spheres of Wonder Woman’s life can’t be a coincidence, and it’s a smart, compelling way to start the series. While the issue was perhaps a little light on story, the art was great throughout and the last few pages had me keen to find out what’s next. It will be a little while until we can do so, though; Nicola Scott joins the book with Wonder Woman #2 in three weeks for the first part of “Year One”, and then Liam Sharp is back in five weeks with the second part of this story. I’m looking forward to both!

DC Comics’ solicits for September were released yesterday, and it looks like Wonder Woman’s got some fun adventures ahead of her, as well as a new series in which she co-stars. How lovely it is to be looking forward to all of the Wonder Woman comics coming out in a given month; it’s been so long since that’s been the case. So let’s see what Wonder Woman will be up to in September, starting with her eponymous series:

WONDER WOMAN #6

Written by GREG RUCKA

Art and cover by NICOLA SCOTT

Variant cover by FRANK CHO

“WONDER WOMAN YEAR ONE” part 3! Diana brings Steve back home, but the reception is not what either of them expected. Amid suspicion and a looming threat, the Patrons pay a visit, and new friendships are forged.

On sale SEPTEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

WONDER WOMAN #7

Written by GREG RUCKA

Art and cover by LIAM SHARP

Variant cover by TBD

“THE LIES” part 4! One god down—how many more to go? Diana takes another step closer to the truth, and Steve Trevor confronts his past!

On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

The cover this month (we’re still only getting one of the two for some reason) is by Nicola Scott, and it’s fun to see Wonder Woman with her animal pals. Perhaps they’re planning an adorable prison escape? I’d be down for that. It sounds like the Amazons don’t love that Wonder Woman has brought Steve to their home, seeing as she’s in jail and all. But the world’s cutest jail break is on the way.

In the present, well, the solicit is very vague. It sounds like a bad time for the gods, since one of them is down and all, but we don’t know in what capacity they are down. Or if they’re even the real gods, I suppose. Everything is in question! Nothing is true! The gods sit on a throne of lies! It’s all very mysterious, but it should be a lot of fun.

Wonder Woman is co-starring in a new book, too:

TRINITY #1

Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL

Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL

Variant cover by TBD

“BETTER TOGETHER” part 1! Together again for the first time! Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The core of the World’s Greatest Heroes…but with a new Man of Steel, the bonds these three share will be tested and redefined by super-star writer/artist Francis Manapul. In this premiere issue, see the trio travel from Metropolis to Gotham City and beyond to learn what forces launched their heroic careers. But how will this journey of discovery lead them to a new threat?

On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Team up! It’s just like Batman v Superman, but hopefully not so terrible. With Francis Manapul at the helm, it could be pretty cool. It’ll be gorgeous for sure, at least. His art is always spectacular. Plus we’ve got the good Superman back now since the New 52 Superman is dead; I’m optimistic, and I’m going to have to check this one out. We’ve got another pretty vague solicit here, but “superheroes teaming up for an adventure” is something I can always get behind if it looks bright and fun.

Finally, we’ve got another Wonder Woman ’77 special, though no cover yet:

WONDER WOMAN ’77 SPECIAL #4

Written by MARC ANDREYKO, AMY CHU, TRINA ROBBINS and AMANDA DEIBERT

Art by TOM DERENICK, DARIO BRIZUELA, TESS FOWLER and CHRISTIAN DUCE

Cover by CAT STAGGS

After narrowly escaping Wonder Woman (and the law) once before, Gault (actually his disembodied brain!) plots revenge…and seeks a new body to house his evil! Plus, “Worlds Collide” when a tape full of government secrets gets swapped for some excellent Super Funk! We peek at “The Man Behind the Curtain” when a dictator tries to fulfill his daughter’s final wish. And in “Seeing Stars,” Wonder Woman proves herself not a just the protector of Earth…but of the universe.

On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 80 pg, FC, $7.99 US RATED E • DIGITAL FIRST

Just look at this line up of creators! There are so many amazing people in the mix here, both writers and artists. It should be a fantastic issue. Plus with that last story, “Seeing Stars”, is Wonder Woman going to space? That would be rad. Lynda Carter in space sounds like an exciting time, and exactly what the series is for, i.e. cool things the show could never have afforded to do. Looking forward to this one.

Be sure to pick up all of these books in September! It looks like it’s going to be a great month for Wonder Woman.

Following up on Wonder Woman Rebirth #1 from two weeks back, the new Wonder Woman series is set to officially launch this Wednesday. Yes, I know it’s confusing to have a Wonder Woman Rebirth #1 followed by Wonder Woman #1. It seems like a dumb strategy to me, too. Everything would be a lot simpler if the special was the first issue, but DC wanted to make a whole big thing of it. Regardless, here we are, with the book debuting for real this time.

The first issue picks up where the “Rebirth” special left off, with Wonder Woman trying to understand the discrepancies in her past. It’s set in the present, and written by Greg Rucka with art by Liam Sharp. The next issue will be set in the past, with art by Nicola Scott, and the two stories will alternate for the next six months. Comic Book Resources has a preview of the first issue, so let’s take a look:

So first off, this is pretty gorgeous stuff. Sharp’s been super enthusiastic about his Wonder Woman gig since it was first announced, and you can see that in his art. It’s lush and detailed and just lovely all around. The starless tiara annoys me a bit, just because I’m a traditionalist that way, but everything else looks very nice.

While we’ve got five pages of the book here, we don’t have a lot of story. It seems that Rucka and Sharp just decided to open the issue with a bunch of rad shots of Wonder Woman, and I’m cool with that. I’m sure the rest of the book will have some more meat to it and dig into the mysteries surrounding Wonder Woman. All we know so far is that she’s in an African jungle and that she’s looking for some answers. From the scratch marks on the tree on the final two page spread, I think that she might be looking for the Cheetah; plus the jungle seems a logical place for the Cheetah to hang out. We’ll find out in a couple of days!

Wonder Woman #1 is out this Wednesday online and in comic shops everywhere. Check it out! It’s going to be pretty, and should be a good read. This is a stellar creative team, and I’m very excited to see what they do with Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman’s 75th anniversary is fast approaching. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8, which was cover dated December 1941/January 1942, though if you want to get really specific with an anniversary date, the book hit newsstands on October 25, 1941. From there she launched Sensation Comics and then Wonder Woman, and she’s been a mainstay in the superhero world ever since. DC is preparing to celebrate Wonder Woman’s diamond anniversary, and has unveiled a new logo that will accompany the many books and products they’re planning to release.

People has the exclusive details of DC’s big anniversary plans, but the article is actually rather low on new information. It talks about the upcoming Wonder Woman movie and the new “Rebirth” comic book series, but neither is really news. The article also mentioned a couple of San Diego Comic-Con exclusive toys, like a tweaked version of the Batman v Superman Wonder Woman Barbie and a cool Wonder Woman figure with an invisible jet, both of which had been announced previously. The jet does look pretty awesome, though:

I’m going to have to look into getting one of those.

The only new information in the piece is that Converse is putting out a special edition Wonder Woman leather sneaker, which sounds pretty fun. We don’t have any specifics or pictures yet, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Oh, and the article includes Diane Nelson mentioning that Wonder Woman won’t have an invisible jet in her upcoming movie, which is a little disappointing. The invisible jet is classic Wonder Woman fun. Sort of silly, sure, but enjoyable nonetheless. I’m trying not to read too much into its exclusion, but it does strike me as a move away from comic book fun to a more realistic take on the character, and ugh. Hopefully the film can work in some of Wonder Woman’s other iconic elements in cool ways.

So yeah, the big anniversary is coming! And DC’s got a nice logo for whatever else they decide to do with it. They’ve unveiled some additional plans on their own website, including products coming from Under Armor and Pottery Barn, a special focus on Wonder Woman in DC Super Hero Girls, and curated Wonder Woman themed Spotify playlists from female celebrities. DC also has some fun book collections on the way, including the Wonder Woman: A Celebration of 75 Years compilation book in September and a boxset of four iconic Wonder Woman stories from George Perez, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Brian Azzarello out in November. I anticipate that we’ll see a lot more merchandise and books as the film approaches, and hopefully the anniversary fun will roll on for the next year or so!

My latest “Gendercrunching” column went up last week at Bleeding Cool, and both Big Two publishers posted relatively strong numbers for female creators in April 2016.

DC’s overall percentage of female creators rose to 16.7%, their highest total in almost a year. Marvel dropped very slightly to 18.7% female creators overall, only a 0.1% dip from their record setting March total. All together, it’s one of the best combined totals we’ve seen from the Big Two since the column began.

We also began our biannual tour of other direct market publishers, and saw some decent numbers there, too. Image posted an overall percentage of female creators of 18.2%, IDW came in at 14.1% overall, and Boom! Studios hit a new high with a whopping 39.1% female creators. Every publisher at least in the teens with female creators is big change for the industry; they’re still very much a minority, to be sure, but the numbers are growing.

Head on over to Bleeding Cool for the full stats and analysis!

It’s finally here, gang. A much needed new direction for Wonder Woman. The New 52 version of the book had its ups and downs, but it’s been mostly downs lately. And it looks like Greg Rucka knows this. His first issue back writing Diana, with artists Matthew Clark and Liam Sharp, serves as a definite turnaround from what’s been going on for the past few years. What exactly is going on is a bit murky right now; the issue is more a tease of what’s to come than a statement of a new status quo. But it’s certainly very intriguing, and suggests that a lot of the past might not be quite what we thought it was. We’ll dig into it all momentarily, but first:

SPOILER ALERT!!

Look away if you don’t want to know what happens in this issue!

Wonder Woman is good again so go actually read it first before you read this review!

This “Rebirth” special presents two possible narratives for Wonder Woman’s history: The New 52 origin with a blonde Hippolyta hooking up with Zeus and terrible Amazons, and a brunette Hippolyta who crafted Diana out of clay and happy Amazons, which seems to be rooted in the pre-New 52 DC universe. DC’s big “Rebirth” introductory issue a couple of weeks back revealed that the New 52 universe isn’t actually a different world, but rather the previous universe with some tweaks and a lot of lost time. Wonder Woman seems to be realizing this here, and is confused by the dual memories she now has.

To sort out what’s really going on, Wonder Woman uses the lasso of truth to interrogate herself. It’s a clever move by Rucka, and a cool way to get at the heart of what’s happening. She doesn’t know exactly what’s up, but she does know that she’s been deceived, though she’s unsure who is behind it. When she smashes her mirror in frustration, we see a variety of scenes from her past, some of the New 52 and some of the previous universe, including the Medusa storyline from Rucka’s first run.

Wonder Woman then goes to Olympus for answers, but realizes it’s not the true Olympus. Hephaestus’ automatones attack her, and everything begins to break up in whirlpools of destruction around her. This might mark some massive changes for Wonder Woman moving forward. If Olympus, and thus perhaps the gods themselves, aren’t real, that’s a rather epic level of deception. And if the blonde Hippolyta and the New 52 Amazons aren’t her true family, where are her mother and the real Amazons? The creative team has certainly set themselves up with a lot to work through when the book officially launches in two weeks.

So right now, it looks like the entirety of her adventures in the New 52 Wonder Woman were with impostors and that something resembling the old DC universe is her true past. If this is how things play out, that’s a really smart way to bring back classic elements of the Wonder Woman mythos and return her to a more iconic depiction without invalidating the past five years. It seems that everything that happened to her has happened to her; they are events and people that she remembers. Wonder Woman lived it, but everything around her was a facade.

Presumably everything we saw outside of Wonder Woman took place as well, including her romantic relationship with Superman. He is, rather conveniently, dead now, allowing for a clean break from that part of her past. I’m curious to see how this might play out, whether Diana will grieve the loss or if uncovering the lies that surround her may lead her to reject the entirety of her recent years and start over fresh. Perhaps there’ll be a bit of both.

While this issue was mostly a tease for what’s to come, there was one moment that appeared to be a mission statement for this new run, a reassertion of who Wonder Woman really is. As Diana pondered over her true history, she picked up her God of War helmet and crushed it in her hands, almost absentmindedly. Of all of the elements of her New 52 origin to destroy, her status as the God of War is a telling, symbolic choice. It suggests a renunciation of the past few years, and all of the violence and darkness that’s come with it. Wonder Woman is a warrior, yes, but that’s just part of who she is. In his first comments on Wonder Woman after landing the gig, Rucka pointed out several times that his Wonder Woman will smile more, and undoing her role as the God of War further suggests that a more joyful path lies ahead.

Plus, it’s going to look great. Matthew Clark does a fine job on the bulk of the story, but Liam Sharp, who will be one of the regular artists on the book moving forward, takes over for the last few pages, and it’s lovely stuff. His Wonder Woman is powerful and regal, his linework is detailed and expressive, and he’s got some killer hair in the mix too. Laura Martin’s coloring is excellent as well, and I particularly loved the little sparkle that she put in Wonder Woman’s eyes on the final page. It’s little things like that that make me optimistic about this run.

So, things are in a state of flux right now. Wonder Woman’s New 52 life might’ve just been a series of lies, and the old Wonder Woman might be coming back. Or rather, her old world might be coming back, and it may be up to Wonder Woman herself to navigate what aspects of her new self to keep and what to leave behind should it return in full force. It’s a fascinating premise, and if it’s executed well it could be an interesting counterpart to the more typical cycle of full on reboots we’ve seen in superhero comics as of late.

I’m excited to find out what happens next, and luckily we won’t have to wait too long! Wonder Woman #1 comes out in two weeks with “The Lies”; drawn by Liam Sharp and set in the present, it examines the deceptions mentioned in this “Rebirth” special. Then on July 13 we’ve got Wonder Woman #2 and the start of “Year One”; drawn by Nicola Scott, it’s set in the past and digs into Wonder Woman’s early days and her true origins. The storylines will alternate from there. I’m really looking forward to it, and boy is it nice to be excited about Wonder Woman again!

I haven’t posted a preview of Wonder Woman in quite a while now. I used to post them every month, because I was excited to read each issue. Then I got less excited about the book, started to dread it each month, in fact, and just stopped with the previews all together. But now, I’m excited again! As part of DC’s “Rebirth” initiative, Wonder Woman is relaunching with a new creative team and a new direction.

I’m not yet sold on “Rebirth” as a whole; DC sort of feels like the boy who cried wolf now when it comes to relaunches that promise big things, and their kickoff special two weeks back didn’t do much for me. But what I am sold on is the new Wonder Woman creative team. Writer Greg Rucka is returning after a decade away from the character, and he seems excited to right the ship and present a more iconic take on the character. Artists Liam Sharp and Nicola Scott are both ridiculously talented, and are enouragingly keen to take on Wonder Woman and her world. The book could be good again, gang! All signs are pointing to a strong run for Wonder Woman.

And now we’ve got a preview of the Wonder Woman: Rebirth special that will launch this new direction tomorrow. Let’s take a look:

Right off the bat, we’re digging into what I’m most curious about, Diana’s origin. The New 52 relaunch changed the classic clay creation into a Hippolyta/Zeus hookup, but this first page suggests some confusion. There appear to be two Hippolytas even, one brunette and one blonde. Perhaps the universe bending shenanigans that have been mentioned elsewhere might be utilized to bring back Wonder Woman’s classic origin? There’s a weird melding of the pre-New 52 and New 52 universes that’s going on right now that could lead to big changes for Wonder Woman.

I could speculate more, but I’d rather find out what’s up tomorrow when I read the issue. Instead of thinking it to death, I’m just going to enjoy the first issue of Wonder Woman that I’ve looked forward to in several years. THEN I’ll speculate it up like crazy, though we’ll only have to wait two weeks to find out what happens next, which is cool. Pricey, but cool, and a lot of fun if the book turns out as good as I hope it will be. Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1 will be available in comic shops and online TOMORROW. Pick it up!

It’s the grand finale of The Legend of Wonder Woman! Or, perhaps more accurately stated, it’s the grand finale and a tease of what’s to come, since a sequel is now in the works. And good thing, too; I’d have been very sad that the book was over if I didn’t know that there were more adventures with the whole gang coming. This has been the best Wonder Woman story in ages, and I’m delighted that we’re going to get more of it. I’m also glad to report that the final digital installment is a fitting end to this fantastic series, the last scene especially.

When we last left Wonder Woman, she was punching through the heart of the Manhunter that was bent on destroying the Earth, saving the planet and defying the gods in the process. That turned out to be the final blow, because this issue opens up with the complete destruction of the Manhunter, as well as the return of an old friend. The destruction of the Manhunter momentarily knocked out Wonder Woman, and in her unconscious state she was visited by the spirit of Alcippe, who gives her a pep talk and tries to tell her that a mace would be a better weapon than a lasso. Wonder Woman decides to stick with the lasso, though.

Burdened by her new powers and the responsibilities they bring, an awakened Wonder Woman decides to leave her friends behind to be the champion of Gaea full time, which doesn’t set well with Etta Candy and the Holliday Girls or Steve Trevor. But there’s not much they can do after she zooms off.

The rest of the book catches us up on other characters and teases potential future storylines. We return to Themyscira briefly, where we see Hippolyta caring for a comatose Alcippe and a bunch of Amazons turned into stone. Clearly something terrible has happened to the Amazons, and with Alcippe giving Wonder Woman a tip on how to return home, I’m guessing that Diana will get to the bottom of it all in the sequel.

There are also some villains still on the loose. Priscilla Rich survived, like I hoped she would, but it seems a dark feline force has taken a hold of her. I’m crossing my fingers for a lot of fun Cheetah adventures in the next series! The Duke of Deception is torn between his past life and his new powers, and we seem him sitting at the temple of Ares on the planet Mars, which I LOVE. In the Golden Age Wonder Woman comics, the gods lived on the planets that corresponded with them, so Ares and his minions were based on Mars, and it’s so fun that Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon are continuing that here. Plus it’s a gorgeous panel.

The menace of the universal darkness remains as well, with many more Manhunters at the ready and a mysterious new character seemingly behind them all. I can’t quite put my finger on who this is; at first I thought it might be a guardian, like Krona or some such, but they’re more purple than blue. Someone with more knowledge of the Manhunters might be able to enlighten us. If you know who it is, hit the comments!

Finally, we get the best scene in the issue and the perfect ending to the book. It’s eight months later, and after following Wonder Woman’s outings and triangulating her location, Etta Candy arrives in a boat at Diana’s isolated island home. And she’s coming to stay. Wonder Woman’s costume is all torn up and needs some fixing, and it’s clear that there’s no way that Etta is letting Diana run off and leave her again. New powers or no, they’re a team, and Etta will be beside her every step of the way. It’s a fitting end to the book, because the real heart of the series has been the friendship between Diana and Etta. So often in Wonder Woman stories, we see Steve Trevor set up as her connection to the outside world, and he plays an enjoyable role in this series, but I love that Etta is Diana’s home base here. Friendship and sisterhood, not romantic love, define this Wonder Woman; not that the latter is bad, but the former is what’s always been special about the character, and Etta’s stubborn refusal to leave Diana alone brings everything back to that in the end.

Thus ends The Legend of Wonder Woman, my favourite Wonder Woman story in I don’t know how long, and inarguably one of the best Wonder Woman stories of all time. Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon have done an amazing job here, and I can’t wait for them to return to tell more stories in this wonderful universe they’ve created. The Justice Society is coming! And Gateway City! It’s going to be so much fun.

Steve Rogers: Captain America #1 hit comic shops a week ago, and comics Twitter has been aflame ever since. SPOILER ALERT: The issue revealed that Captain America was an agent of Hydra, and interviews with writer Nick Spencer and editor Tom Brevoort suggested that this wasn’t a gimmick or a fakeout and that Steve might have been a sleeper Hydra agent all along.

And so the war began. A few idiots harassed creators and made death threats. Creators got indignant and defensive. Valid, thoughtful critiques were dismissed out of hand. Everyone got SUPER mad, and all sorts of blocking, muting, and fiery language ensued based on which articles someone retweeted. It’s exhausting to watch, and seems to be taking an emotional toll on many people.

Now, I know that a few dummies on both sides, the threatening trolls and the dickish creators, are never going to change, but everyone else in the middle of all of this probably can, and thus calm it all down. And I’m sure this piece will catch on like wildfire because everyone loves a call for calm and rational thought. I jest, of course; I’ve been writing on the internet long enough to know that angry pieces do SO much better. But for the few of you reading this (thanks, by the way!) maybe we can learn some things and help tone things down a bit.

So, here are my thoughts:

1) Creators are being harassed and threatened. That is NOT COOL.

And also indefensible. Harassment and threats are terrible and wholly uncalled for in any situation, much less over a comic book. This should not be minimalized or swept to the side; this is a scary, unpleasant situation, and entirely undeserved for those dealing with it.

2) Because of this, creators are upset.

And understandably so. Threats are frightening, and seeing their colleagues dealing with this must be unpleasant and perhaps bring up memories of their own past experiences with harassment. As such, they’re a bit defensive. They want to defend their friends, and also take a stand against this sort of reaction generally.

3) There are legitimate, valid critiques of Steve Rogers: Captain America #1.

And of all comics, really. But this issue especially. Marvel turned Captain America into a Nazi, basically. That’s going to upset people. Particularly Jewish people, who have written some very thoughtful, emotional critiques of the issue. Moreover, it’s all obviously a stunt; whatever Marvel may say about Captain America being Hydra for real, this is comics. It’s going to be undone, probably sooner than later. Captain America was created by two Jewish men, and punched out Hitler before America even entered the war, so turning him into a Hydra agent for a brief story/sales gimmick is going to irritate some people.

4) Some folks are conflating the harassment and the criticism.

And that’s not cool either. They are very different things. Harassers are a bunch of idiots, while critics have valid points to make, and are part of art generally. If you make something, you will be reviewed and critiqued. That’s how art works. Conflating harassment and criticism is a way to dismiss all criticism out of hand, which is dumb at best, and willfully ignorant at worst.

5) Others are conflating harassment and calls for representation of marginalized groups.

And this is just super dumb. The superhero genre is not great at telling stories that star anyone other than straight white dudes, but some people seem to think that wanting more diverse characters, be it gender, sexuality, or race, is “fan entitlement” that goes hand in hand with harassment. This is obviously stupid.

So what can we do? Well, we all can chill out. Things have gotten heated and it would behoove everyone to take a step back and try to get some perspective on the situation. For those who are outraged at the fan reaction, separate the trolls from the legit criticism and maybe listen and reflect on why people are upset about the comic. They’re not trying to crush freedom of speech or squash creators’ ability to tell a story; they’re passionate, often well-versed fans with valid points, and Captain America means a lot to them.

For those who are outraged at the issue, and the comic book creators who defend it, consider that death threats are ridiculously uncool and scary, and that it must be difficult to see your colleagues deal with that. Also remember that they are human beings, and that a tweet or a retweet is not the sum total of who they are. Moreover, these are people who love telling stories, and being defensive about their ability to do so unfettered and without fear is a fairly natural response.

Now, I don’t want to create a false equivalency here. Yes, a lot of people are getting upset on both sides and I think that we could all do with a little bit of calming down and moving forward, but the whole situation highlights some systemic problems within the superhero industry and its fandom. This current bout of harassment is awful and contemptible, of course. However, while people are understandably upset about harassment right now, harassment is a daily problem for those who write about and critique comic books, especially women and people of colour; threats are the norm. It’s also the norm for female comic books creators. That all of these folks, mostly men, are vocal about harassment only now feels a bit disingenuous, and this combined with the conflation of harassment with legitimate viewpoints and calls for diversity is very frustrating indeed. There’s a degree of privilege at play here that doesn’t sit well with me, as well as a degree of punching down. Critics are upset at the actions of a massive corporation, and those who back the corporation so wholeheartedly while dismissing these critics are definitely the Goliath of this scene. In many ways, this situation has turned into an avenue for gatekeeping and downplaying marginalized voices.

At the end of the day, though, everyone could benefit from a cessation of hostilities. Let’s just be kind, and remember that threats and harassment are terrible and that reasonable, well thought out criticism is good and healthy. People can disagree without being jerks about it. Nick Spencer and Jesus Saiz are going to tell their story, and some people are going to like it and some people are going to think it’s dumb and problematic, and there will be various discussions therein. Let’s be civil, try to see the other side, check our privilege, and just be reasonable human beings. It’s not that hard.

Marvel’s on quite a run right now, hitting some of the highest numbers of female creators they’ve ever had over the past six months. This coming August will be no exception, with Marvel besting their own record set just a couple of months back. Lots of women are working on lots of fantastic books at Marvel right now, giving readers a wide variety of options to choose from other than dumb stuff like Nazi Captain America. Go buy Ms. Marvel or Patsy Walker a.k.a. Hellcat! instead! Anyway, let’s take a look at who’s doing what at Marvel in August:

Afua Richardson: Amazing Spider-Man #17 (variant cover)
Alti Firmansyah: X-Men ’92 #6 (interior art)
Amy Reeder: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #10 (co-writer, cover)
Annapaola Martello: Civil War II: Choosing Sides #5 (interior art)
Becky Cloonan: The Punisher #4 (writer)
Brittney L. Williams: Patsy Walker, a.k.a. Hellcat! #9 (interior art, cover)
Chelsea Cain: Mockingbird #6 (writer)
Elizabeth Torque: Hyperion #6 (cover)
Emanuela Lupacchino: Gwenpool #5 (variant cover)
Erica Henderson: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #11 (interior art, cover)
Faith Erin Hicks: All-New, All-Different Avengers Annual #1 (co-writer, interior art)
G. Willow Wilson: All-New, All-Different Avengers Annual #1 (co-writer), Ms. Marvel #10 (writer)
Gurihiru: Civil War II: Choosing Sides #4 (variant cover), Marvel Tsum Tsum #1 (variant cover)
Helen Chen: Captain America: Steve Rogers #5 (variant cover), Silk #11 (cover)
Irene Strychalski: Gwenpool #5 (interior art)
Joelle Jones: Mockingbird #6 (cover), Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #10 (variant cover), Scarlet Witch #9 (interior art)
Kamome Shirahama: Star Wars: Darth Vader #25 (variant cover)
Kate Leth: Patsy Walker, a.k.a. Hellcat! #9 (writer)
Kate Niemczyk: Mockingbird #6 (interior art)
Kelly Thompson: A-Force #8 (writer)
Marjorie Liu: Star Wars: Han Solo #3 (writer)
Ming Doyle: Power Man and Iron Fist #7 (variant cover)
Natacha Bustos: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #10 (interior art), The Mighty Thor #10 (variant cover)
Nik Virella: Hyperion #6 (interior art)
Robin Furth: Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three – Bitter Medicine #5 (co-writer)
Rosi Kampe: Civil War II: Choosing Sides #4 (interior art)
Ruth Gage: Captain Marvel #8 (co-writer)
Sara Pichelli: Black Panther #5 (variant cover), Spider-Man #7 (cover), Star Wars: Darth Vader #25 (variant cover)
Stacey Lee: Gwenpool #5 (cover)
Tana Ford: Silk #11 (interior art)
Tula Lotay: Captain America: Sam Wilson #12 (variant cover)
Vanesa R. Del Rey: Daredevil Annual #1 (interior art, cover)
Veronica Fish: All-New, All-Different Avengers Annual #1 (interior art)

All together, there are 34 different female creators set to work on 28 different comic books in August, big jumps from July’s 25 and 18, respectively, and the highest totals we’ve seen at Marvel since this project began. Heck, when we started this project a few years back, there were months with only FIVE women at Marvel. So this is an excellent change of pace. While female creators are still a significant minority at Marvel, things have definitely changed.

Now, there are a bunch of variant covers in the mix this month, with at least 11 of the women listed above working on one. Marvel seems to have brought in a lot of female artists for their special “Tsums Tsums” variant cover promotion. Variant covers are an enjoyable gig and all, but they are the least stable of positions so chances are that a lot of these women won’t be back next month. We’ve seen variant cover gigs eventually turn into steady, interior gigs later on though, so while in the immediate future we might lose some names, they could be back down the road.

There are some new creators in the mix for August, which is always fun. I think that August might mark the first gigs at Marvel for Irene Strychalski and Rosi Kampe, and they’ve both landed interior art jobs, which is impressive. It’s also nice to see some returning favourites, like Ming Doyle and Tula Lotay, as well as Faith Erin Hicks, who’s done the occasional variant cover for Marvel lately but here is doing a short story in the All-New, All-Different Avengers Annual #1 which should be great.

There’s not a lot of new news for female characters, what with Marvel in the midst of Civil War II and pretty focused on that. Marvel did announce a new publishing initiative for the fall called Marvel Now (again) that seems set to bring another dang round of relaunches. That’s always worrisome, because neither DC or Marvel are particularly good at featuring female creators when they do a big relaunch initiative; the numbers ALWAYS go down. Hopefully Marvel’s learned to do better. We’ll see in a couple of months.

As for right now, Marvel’s doing very well with female creators and they’re putting out some fantastic books. It’s great to have women making comics, but it’s extra fun to see all of my favourite Marvel books listed up there. More ladies are making comics at Marvel than ever before, and they’re making some of the publisher’s very best books too. Keep it up, Marvel!