BOUGHT/THOUGHT May 30

[Phaedrus45]

This is the Beechen issue right? Everybody will hate it.

Got to agree here. He is one of the worst writers I've read. Makes me long for the days of Liefeld.

 

[Phaedrus45]

It's French I believe for Bless the Lord or thank to be god, but that "wimp" comment was just stupid dude.

I thought it was pretty funny.

 

[PWN3R]

Just finished Plain Janes, so I can add my two cents now. I love it. Pleasantly surprised. I don't read manga/whatever you call it. I'm so not the target demographic for the Minx line, but this was my cup of tea.

Few More Thoughts:

The Plain Janes: The concept is actually pretty good; it's just the little touches in between that are suppose to make the reader get in touch with the teen in the kids that ring false. A boy crush is developed by the main character, but it's all very innocent. Every one is a stereotype, and the supposed intelligent main character is one too. I believe the book is about breaking through those stereotypes; it just fails.

I agree with you that the different Janes were representing different stereotypes, but IMO it didn't come off as cliche/stereotypical at all. A theater major would never be best friends with a tomboy, or a tomboy with an artsy person. Normally. It was an odd mix which I guess you can argue is cliche in itself, but I thought it worked because they each brought different traits to their P.L.A.I.N. club.

The characters aren't really likeable, the main Jane comes across as a bit of a dimbulb, and the ending is possibly one of the least satisfying ones I've read. There are some cute moments and some nice dialogue that will get a chuckle from the reader; but, the sentimental moments fall flat. I never really felt the main character's plight. Even when one of the other Janes discover her past and tries to reach out, it just seems to go against the characterization previously presented and is never brought up again.

I agree with you but I don't. Make sense?

The strongest aspect of this book, once again IMO, were the likeability of each character. How Jane constantly wrote to John Doe, a random stranger. How he affected her life. How in just a short time, she affected the whole town. How the other Jane's struggled, the theater Jane was so funny. I loved poor James, all he wanted was to be accepted.

The ending was kind of odd, not that it was flat, it just it didn't follow the usual path. I thought it was suiting because at the beginning of her story, she didn't want to accept her new life. Just tough it out, then go back to Metro city. The end has her finally accepting "her tribe".

It wasn't without flaws, but I just wanted to go on record saying I enjoyed it. Good stuff.

 

[Phaedrus45]

The strongest aspect of this book, once again IMO, were the likeability of each character. How Jane constantly wrote to John Doe, a random stranger. How he affected her life. How in just a short time, she affected the whole town. How the other Jane's struggled, the theater Jane was so funny. I loved poor James, all he wanted was to be accepted.

What I found most funny is that Jane's writing to John Doe was more for her than for him. I think she envisioned that she was the only one who cared for him; but, when she wrote or talked to him, the discussion was always about how tough she had it and how lucky he was not to have her problems. Very typical teen behavior.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Again, Thoughts:

Action Comics #850: This comic is getting so close to getting dropped. Why does it seem like so many of the special anniversary Superman comics have to dwell on Superman's origin and past feats? I can give a rat's ass about reading Supe's past adventures anymore. Action Comics seems to be focusing so much on sentimentality lately that I'm completely bored. DC titles really are suffering. 4/10

Justice Society of America #6: I desperately needed a good DC fix; so, I popped this title forward on my reading list immediately. I know some might be bored with the amount of time this story is taking in getting to the point of having the Legion mixed in with the two supergroups; but, I find it just great writing and excellent pacing. Those who remember past JLA/JSA adventures know the highlights were always the dialogue and interaction between members of the two groups. This interaction is just as important to this story as the mystery of Lightning Lad. And, the art is fantastic. 9/10

Amazons Attack #2: Ok, I know many readers who've followed DC over the years don't like this title...but, for the second issue, I find it a lot of fun. (But, I admit I don't know the Amazons very well.) Part of me wonders if this is DC's answer for all the events happening over at Marvel, with the current Inhumans vs. the U.S. or an upcoming Atlantis vs. the U.S.. It really seems like they jumped on this bandwagon out of nowhere. But, I love these ruthless Amazons. (Hey, it's has a lot more action and adventure than we're seeing in many of DC's books right now.) If you can just enjoy a story for the story without getting bogged down in continuity, I think a few more people would enjoy this title. My only problem is something that seems to effect DC quite a bit. Crossover titles just don't mesh well with the main story. I know a couple events in Amazons Attack didn't go with events in Wonder Woman #9 the week prior. 8/10