Comics/Graphic Novels

Off-Panel: October 31, 2014

Paul Montgomery

Staff Writer

In addition to comics, Paul thrills to Frank Capra and kaiju movies, crime fiction, TV dramas, professional wrestling, and whatever the Muppets are doing at any given time (hopefully in combination with those other things). He tweets as @fuzzytypewriter

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“When assaulted by a monstrous alien plant, DeConnick’s Barbarella cries out about the “death throes of a deflowering bush” (rather than Seaver’s “death struggle of the rose bushes”). While remarking on the towers of a strange landscape, DeConnick’s Barbarella notes they were “erected on what used to be natural steam shafts” (rather than “natural openings for the steam”). The new adaptation is further infused with sex, in other words, and it reads more obviously as a sex comedy. Inasmuch as DeConnick is able to reframe earlier depictions of Barbarella, she goes as over-the-top as possible, and as a result, Barbarella’s sudden propositions to a new acquaintance reads more like equal-opportunity wish-fulfillment.”

TCJ’s Greg Hunter takes a look at Kelly Sue DeConnick’s new translation of Jean-Claude Forest’s Barbarella.

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“Regarding the premise of the series: Kara at age 12 was sent from her dying home planet of Krypton to Earth, where she was taken in by the Danvers, a foster family who taught her to be careful with her extraordinary powers. After repressing said skills for more than a decade, Kara is forced to use her powers to stop an unexpected disaster. Energized by her heroism for the first time in her life, she begins embracing her abilities in the name of helping the people of her city, earning herself a super moniker along the way.”

Casting details have surfaced for the new live action Supergirl series.

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“It looks like the results of last month’s settlement in the Jacky Kirby lawsuit against Marvel has yielded swift results: Kirby and Stan Lee are now being given co-credit in books including Fantastic Four, Inhumans and the X-men. And Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are being given co-creator credit on Captain America. Among the books already bearing the new credits: All-New X-Men #33, Fantastic Four #12, Inhuman #7, Wolverine and the X-Men #11 and Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1, which has the Simon & Kirby credit.”

Long live the King.