Lois Lane: Fallout Read-Along discussion
Random Discussion (maybe Lois and Superman related, maybe not)
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Gwenda
(last edited Mar 21, 2016 04:40PM)
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Mar 21, 2016 04:37PM
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I have a rambling story around this. I wanted to see it downtown at the IMAX theater only because of the reserved seating which makes it easier. For some odd reason no movies are playing at that IMAX. I have no idea why. So we're going to a regular (which I much prefer over 3D anyway) Saturday 9 am show a few miles outside the city that has free parking. I bought the 4 tickets without asking anybody. I then broke the news to everyone. My daughter pointed out that she likes to wake up at 9 am on weekends. Too bad. Early bird not only means less expensive tickets but hopefully not as crowded and we'll have a chance to get good seats.
This movie is a nonnegotiable family event.
I'm excited. I can't wait to see Wonder Woman on the big screen. I hope Lois has a lot to do, I know it probably won't be as much as she did last movie but I hope it is substantial.
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Same! I think we're going to see it at 4 p.m. on Friday maybe. I'm dragging Christopher. ;-)
There was mention about Superman and Wonder Woman relationship in the chapter 1-4 discussion thread. I figured I respond to that here. First, I firmly believe entering in to shipping debates are futile. There is nothing more subjective than how an individual relates to pairings (not to mention single characters). We all come to things with our lens formed by our unique experiences.
Disclaimer over? Yes.
I don't like the Superman/Wonder Woman pairing at all. For so many reasons. My OTP is Superman/Lois but what bothers me even more is how the Clark/Diana relationship falls back on traditional gender roles.
Superman is physically more powerful that Wonder Woman. This is the usual dynamic. When Diana is paired with a human (my favorite is Steve Trevor) she becomes the physical alpha.
With Steve Trevor in particular, a military man, there is an opportunity to explore in an atmosphere of "women and children first", a world that has a more traditional view of masculinity, how a man part of that world adjusts to be second line.
He's the one who has to step back while Diana fights the super villain. She's on the front lines when that is usually his role.
I think there is an opportunity to explore gender roles. What is masculinity? What is femininity?
I am hoping with DC's rebirth (whatever that means), they'll go back to Steve and Diana (which really hasn't been around since the Crisis) and explore some of these stories which I don't think has been told.
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First, I firmly believe entering in to shipping debates are ..."
Agreed! When I do events and tell non-comics people that WW/SM are together in the comics the general reaction tends to be "Ew!" ;-)
Can I use this thread to say that I really wish DC had an affordable comic archive subscription? I really want to be able to go back and catch up on all the old stories. I used to read Superman comics at my best friend's house when I was a kid (my parents wouldn't buy comics for me), and I loved them, but now, I read mostly Marvel because I can pay a flat, very reasonable rate, and read any comic I want back to 1939. I'd LOVE to do that with DC, but no such program exists. If there is such a program and I've overlooked it, please let me know!
Also, since some of you probably read the Superman comics here, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Gene Yang's writing. He's one of my very favorite graphic novelists and a brilliant storyteller in general, and when I heard he was writing Superman, I was excited for him. I haven't been able to read his Superman yet, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I agree, DC should really follow Marvel's lead with that model. I wonder if they have digitized their archives? Yang's Superman has been marred with editorial interference. The writers across the books (Superman, Action, Batman/Superman, Superman/Wonder Woman) told a connected story called Truth. In it Clark is revealed to the world (by Lois but she has very good reasons for doing it but Clark doesn't see it that way for a good chunk of the story) and also loses a lot of his powers.
The story was very uneven. I'd have loved to see what Yang could have done with more freedom and not bound by the New 52 continuity.
Hmm, that's disappointing. Have you read any of his other work?
I read Secret Coders. I want to read American Born Chinese. I heard his Airbender books were good?
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American Born Chinese, Boxers/Saints, and Shadow Hero are all phenomenal, moving, and profound. Haven't read his Airbender yet.
Mod
I forgot about Airbender, haven't read that either. But so agreed on the rest. I'm still a little disgruntled that Boxers/Saints didn't get a Printz honor. :-)
Timothy wrote: "Can I use this thread to say that I really wish DC had an affordable comic archive subscription? I really want to be able to go back and catch up on all the old stories. I used to read Superman com..."The inaccessibility of older comics has been the major hurdle that has kept me from reading comics. By this point in the worlds, there is so much backstory, so many things to know that it's very difficult for a new reader to jump in. :/
So I try to keep up through novelizations and the movies and TV shows, but I feel like I'm missing a huge piece of the superhero universe by not reading the comics.
When I started reading (1969, I was 5), I think it was a lot easier because there wasn't this level of continuity that there is now. Not to mention, multipart stories were contained and didn't run through the line. Disclaimer: I was never a big crisis fan. I used to argue against it on Usenet back in the day. However in hindsight I do think there were some good things which came out of it.
DC had a reboot a few years ago called Flashpoint. The "New 52" world. They are on the verge of another line change this summer called "rebirth". What that means is anybody's guess. Is it a reboot? Or just targeted fixes?
I can see how it's intimidating to start now. However *if* you want to give it a whirl? This rebirth business might be a good time to check it out.
I don't know though. I think it's been very frustrating to be a comic book reader these last few decades (before this latest reboot).
I think the event driven culture of the 90s really hurt the storytelling.
Fallout was such a breath of fresh air for me after these last few years of watching Lois marginalized in the comics.
My two cents as it were.
For what it is worth? I loved Mark Waid's Birthright mini (pre infinite crisis, early 2000s) It's available in trade. I also loved Kurt Busiek's post infinite crisis run on Superman. A lot of it is available in trade too.
The Death and Return of Superman is also available in trade.
Maya wrote: "When I started reading (1969, I was 5), I think it was a lot easier because there wasn't this level of continuity that there is now. Not to mention, multipart stories were contained and didn't run ..."Thanks for the advice! I'll have to keep an eye out this summer. :)
I know my new library does have more comics than the last one, so I may go look for a few of the versions you mentioned.
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Hi Kara!
I feel like comics does make it hard for new readers to navigate getting into them -- especially Marvel and DC titles. Such an odd business strategy.
I always recommend Superman: Secret Identity by Kurt Busiek to people who want to try some Superman comics, because it's a miniseries and is easily found in trades (and is one of my all-time favorite Superman stories!). It stands alone. And your library may have Noelle Stevenson's brilliant Nimona; so wonderful. If you want more recs, just let us know what you're looking for and I bet we can muster a bunch.
For keeping up with the current stuff or tracking down some older volumes, my husband is addicted to using Interlibrary Loan -- he just makes a list of graphic novel volumes and sends it to our ILL officer at the public library and voila, they show up for him. We've also become big fans of Comixology, because those comics take up zero space -- I think that's a really great gateway to reading single issues too; you don't have to physically go somewhere and set up a folder (though I love our local comic shop too).
Ha! I was just coming in to mention inter-library loans. Great for sampling stories you don't know if you want to sink the money into (or can't fit them into your budget). There are even online portals you may be able to use directly.And I heartily concur with all the recommendations made by Gwenda and Maya, above.
Ooo! I hadn't thought of ILL! Great idea! Still want a DC archive subscription though.
Mod
Congratulations!! This is really exciting news. After Fallout my daughter asked me if there were more books in the series. I told her not yet, so she asked for any other books of yours. I got her Girl on a Wire. She loved it (as did I). She isn't a comic book reader. I think this is a great gateway in to the genre. I sent an email to my LCS ( Local comic book shop) giving them a heads up that I want to add it to my pull. 
I am so excited for the new Girl on the Wire comic books!! Also anyone else watch tonight's Supergirl!!
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Thank you, guys!
Also OMG we just watched the Supergirl/Flash cross-over -- my heart. SO MUCH FUN. I loved them both as written here and at the end with dreamy Jimmy (sorry, James!)! And then the other ending. I think this show's getting better every week. I adored watching Barry go up against Cat too.
Also so excited for your new comic book miniseries, Gwenda! You rock!
Hijacking this thread for more news: YA superhero novels coming soon!!! http://mashable.com/2016/03/31/superh...
Honestly, I'm amazed at the sheer volume of superhero novels out there these days - and in series, too! Maybe I'm starry-eyed or just lucky, but I haven't read a bad one yet. And there's a lot of variety, too! Middle grade, YA, adult, male, female, young, old, heroes, villains, straight adventure, literate themes, coming-of-age... it's exciting!
Mod
http://mashable.com/2016/03/31/superh..."
Yeah, I'm super-excited for these guys! Great writers, all. (And before anyone asks, I assume these don't have any impact on whether there will be a Lois book three -- I've been told that just depends on this spring and the first two books! So keep telling friends and strangers. ;-)
I really love the direction DC is going these days. Marvel is kicking butt on the big screen unfortunautely, but DC is excelling in all other areas. Great TV series (animated and live action), animated movies, and now YA Novels and DC Super Hero Girls. It's seems they are acknowledging girls more and marketing to them which I am 200% here for. I'm glad they aren't just trying to copy Marvel and are branching out to do their own thing.
Double Down is out! Right on time too. Because Sunday my daughter received an invitation to a birthday party for a friend. I have a spare minion funko (I can't stand minions, sorry) that I bought for a birthday present for her friend last year but she was sick and didn't go.
So I suggested she just use that. Apparently a year changes a lot of things. No. What does this girl like? Books. She loves to read.
Bingo. So I suggested paperback Fallout and Double Down together. She thought that was a great idea and so it goes. (I suggested throwing in a bonus minion but no)
Sorry, complete and utter tangent of no value. What I wanted to say?
Check out Keith's post on tumblr (link below) about reviewing and getting the word out and if you have a tumblr account, maybe reblog? Because we all want book three!!
http://godzylla.tumblr.com/post/14380...
Congratulations Gwenda and YAY for us. Just announced on twitter, we're getting a book three. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/08...
Maybe we reconvene same time next year for a double down re-read in preparation? ;)
Hello, all!Just in case anyone is unaware, Entertainment Weekly put up a preview of the first 2 chapters of Triple Threat, the 3rd Lois Lane novel by our very own beloved Gwenda Bond!
http://ew.com/?p=5587169&preview_...
