Sunday, October 31, 2010

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Secret Avengers #6 (Review)

Written by Ed Brubaker
Pencils by Mike Deodato
Cover by Marko Djurdjevic

Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99

It was the ever reliable Secret Avengers book written by Ed Brubaker that stood out in a week where it seemed like every other title came up short in one way or another. The one Avengers book that gets pushed aside - undeservedly - by the more well known Avengers books (Avengers, New Avengers) but is by far my favorite incarnation of Avengers and as a result is the only one I am still reading.

There is something about Brubaker's Steve Rogers that shows off the best he has to offer as a leader, fighter and someone to care about. While Brubaker's Captain America struggles to get free from the past it can not let go, here in Secret Avengers the characters are free from such burdens.

One of the best things I have enjoyed about reading Brubaker's Steve Rogers is how important he has made Sharon Carter and their relationship together to the ongoing story. Too many times, especially lately, the fact that the heroes have another part to their personality besides crime-fighting and numerous characters from the big two comic studios do not seem to have relationships anymore or even be seen thinking of the opposite sex. Normally I would say the writers were staying true to their target audience of young boys, but then the rest of the content in these books seem written for adults instead but that one angle of storytelling is woefully underused.

I will admit to being a little confused to some of the characters in this issue; was not familiar with Shang-Chi, his father or the Prince of Orphans. I loved the casual intimacy between Steve and Sharon, her massaging him while they talk about their day and what is going on with their mission.

Mike Deodato's art fits perfectly for the mood of this book, and while his barechested Steve Rogers might be a tad too buff, his version of Beast is great and Sharon Carter and Black Widow look fantastic. And if that was not enough, the cover by Marko Djurdvejic kicked up the art quality another notch. I am glad Black Widow is a part of this team, and dating Bucky because Brubaker writing Natasha seems like a more appropriate version than the one in her current solo title.

As the only Avengers book that has my interest I hope that the title and Brubaker's presence writing it will be around for a long while. There is also the fact that this group has several characters that I am a fan of but aren't big enough to support their own series like Valkyrie, Beast, War Machine, Sharon Carter. It is fantastic to get Beast away from the Mutant terror/discriminating stories that plague X-books and be a science man. Now if only Brubaker could sneak Agent Brand into this book.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Secret Avengers themed picspam.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

SPORTS: NBA 2010-2011 Predictions (Commentary)


The start of the NBA season is upon us, signaling time for Geek Plate to return to a sports entry for another set of predictions on the upcoming 2010-2011 NBA season. First, team projections:

Western Conference:
1) LA Lakers - 60-22
2) Dallas Mavericks - 58-24
3) Oklahoma City Thunder - 57-25
4) Phoenix Suns 55-27
5) San Antonio Spurs 53-29
6) Utah Jazz 51-31
7) Denver Nuggets 50-32
8) Memphis Grizzlies 50-32

WC First Round: Lakers over Grizzlies 4-1, Mavs over Nuggets 4-2, Jazz over Thunder 4-3, Spurs over Suns 4-2
WC Semi-Finals: Lakers over Spurs 4-0, Mavs over Jazz 4-3
WC Finals: Lakers over Mavs 4-2

Eastern Conference:
1) Miami Heat 63-19
2) Orlando Magic 61-21
3) Boston Celtics 58-24
4) Chicago Bulls 51-31
5) Atlanta Hawks 56-26
6) Milwaukee Bucks 50-32
7) Charlotte Bobcats 48-34
8) New York Knicks 44-38

EC First Round: Heat over Knicks 4-0, Magic over Bobcats 4-2, Celtics over Bucks 4-1, Bulls over Hawks 4-3
EC Semi-Finals: Heat over Bulls 4-3, Celtics over Magic 4-3
EC Finals: Celtics over Heat 4-3

NBA Finals: Lakers over Celtics 4-2

And some individual award projections:

MVP: Dwight Howard (Magic)
Scoring Title: Amare Stoudemire (Knicks)
Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest (Lakers)
Rookie of the Year: John Wall (Wizards)
Coach of the Year: Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Darkwing Duck #5 (Review)


Written by Ian Brill
Pencils by James Silvani
Cover by James Silvani

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99

There were some outstanding issues to come out this week including Tiny Titans #33, Justice League of America #50 and Bruce Wayne - The Road Home - Catwoman #1 but there was no denying the greatness that is Darkwing Duck #5 from returning to the top of the stack after two months away. Writer Ian Brill continues to deliver the spirit of the TV show to the comic pages while bringing in other characters from sister shows like Magica De Spell from DuckTales.

As advertised this issue wrapped up the first arc and dealt with the aftermath of St. Canard in the wake of Quackwerks Corporation being now in the hands of Scrooge McDuck and newly appointed CEO Launchpad McQuack. Last issue's last page reveal of Negaduck and Magica De Spell working together is further explored and their plan for St. Canard and Darkwing Duck is put into action. With Launchpad busy and Gosalyn in school, the 'B story' deals with Darkwing being reunited with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Morgana McCawber and his attempts to cure her from the listless state she was put in by the brainwashing from Taurus Bulba and Quackwerks.

The issue I read had the B cover which was drawn by the book's regular interior artist, James Silvana and features Negaduck. One thing I was excited to see was the variety of animal-like characters that were always common in the Scrooge McDuck universe that Darkwing Duck is a part of. And the caveman Darkwing stayed true to the style of the universe and reminded me of the cave ducks like Bubba.

It's hard to imagine this series not staying a consistent contender for best book of the week every time it is released with the great writing and perfect art to match. The only minor problem I have with the series is the fact that the Gizmoduck suit is now in the possession of Gosalyn and I'd much rather have Fenton Crackshell and Gizmoduck around than have the armor as something for Gosalyn to do. The rivalry between Darkwing and Gizmoduck was one of the best things about the show and I'd hate for that to be nonexistent in the comic.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Darkwing Duck themed picspam.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

COMICandTV: Waiting for Wonder Woman Day (Commentary)

With this Sunday, October 24th, being the fifth annual Wonder Woman Day, what better time to put a spotlight on DC's top heroine character and breakdown the recent headlines concerning the Amazon Princess.


First, what is Wonder Woman Day you ask? Well, it is a celebration of one of comics' most recognizable heroines to benefit women affected by domestic violence. Organized by the Wonder Woman Museum website, the free event has grown into bi-coastal festivities that include signings and original art auctions. Anyone that cannot make it to Excalibur Comics in Portland, Oregon or Comic Fusion in Flemington, New Jersey can still participate by bidding on pieces available on eBay.

Recently Wonder Woman has been in the news for several different reasons, both good, bad and even controversial for a character that has been around since December 1941 when she debuted in All Star Comics #8. The biggest waves were made this past June when DC Comics revealed that their classic heroine was getting a costume makeover when issue 600 of her title launched a new storyline and direction for Wonder Woman.

Designed by famed artist and current DC Comics co-publisher, Jim Lee, gone are Diana's star-spangled trunks, red and white striped boots, silver bracelets and golden eagle covered red brassiere replaced instead by dark, tight pants, a modified red top with gold accents around the top and bottom, a choker, a thinner circlet, golden bracelets and a blue jacket with a smattering of stars printed on the shoulders.

Wonder Woman is not a stranger to wardrobe changes, having gone through several over the decades and it is more likely that this outfit will only be a temporary change that lasts until the end of this current storyline. And while it makes sense for a character - specifically a woman since females tend to be more fashionable than men, especially in entertainment - to have multiple versions of an outfit and we have already seen this being done by Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark who uses both a long-sleeved sweater and a tank top as parts of her outfit, I cannot help but think this is a step in trying to make Wonder Woman more accessible to markets outside the USA.

There can be no denying that Diana's classic outfit has specific American themes in it, with the red, white and blue along with the stars (her trunks) and stripes (her boots). This new outfit tones down those details and while she may resemble a biker chick now more than an amazon warrior there is a clear toning down of the more objectionable elements of her uniform that were at times sexualized. Now her appearance may seem edgier but in actuality covers more skin and makes Wonder Woman an easier figure to push as a figure for all ages.

While the changes are most likely temporary, hopefully for Wonder Woman it gives her character a push among the mainstream because otherwise she has the danger of falling from her spot as one of DC Comics' main characters. In recent years it has become obvious that her position with Batman and Superman was more in name than in actual power given the numerous Batman and Superman projects that have been developed in other media besides comic books while Wonder Woman only has the 1970's TV show starring Lynda Carter to her credit.

New attempts to get a Wonder Woman movie have been made especially with the new iterations of Superman and Batman films but it never came to pass with script after script getting optioned but never put into production. It has gotten to the point where plans for a Wonder Woman movie have been shelved while other characters get their time on the silver screen: a Green Lantern movie will be released next summer and a Flash movie is on the road to production, not to mention a new Batman and Superman film set to be made in the next few years.

She has had moments of success in the vast DC Animated Universe, starring in several series, straight-to-DVD films and even had her very own origin film in 2009. But that does not seem enough to stave off the inevitable. DC recently released the image of their 75th anniversary logo and much to the dismay of Wonder Woman fans everywhere she was nowhere to be found. It was a big surprise given that DC has promoted their trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman for decades as their main characters but now the proof of Wonder Woman's decline and the rise of stature of The Flash and Green Lantern - thanks to Geoff Johns - came with their inclusion on the logo and her exclusion.

While I am sure their inclusion was probably aided by the fact that each has upcoming movies and Wonder Woman doesn't, it is a blow for a legendary character that has been in the pages of comic books for nearly 70 years. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel that is bringing some hope for fans of DC's Amazon Princess.

News broke earlier this month that a Wonder Woman TV show may be in the works for the near future. David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal", "The Practice") is close to signing a deal to write and produce a new series starring Wonder Woman for Warner Bros. television. With Smallville coming to an end next spring, there will be a void needed to be filled for a DC property on TV and this might be the role Wonder Woman needs to be rejuvenated for a mass audience.

There is that nagging problem that many things could go wrong with such a show, especially if it is made into a show on the CW network. I would hate to see the character reduced to just another female lead in a CW drama. Of course, the CW's roots in the WB did create the phenomenon that was Buffy, so there is a chance of success if done right. One thing for sure is it will be a high risk, high reward opportunity but for Wonder Woman fans it might be just the chance they have been waiting for.


Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Wonder Woman themed picspam.

Monday, October 18, 2010

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Bruce Wayne - The Road Home: Batman and Robin #1 (Review)


Written by Fabian Nicieza
Pencils by Cliff Richards
Cover by Shane Davis & Barbara Ciado

Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

Five weeks ago, when Batman #703 made it to the top of the stack, I thought it was an excellent start to the "Bruce Wayne - The Road Home" Batman event and now that the first set of books involved with the event came out this week it quickly became clear that the quality of the event would overcome the slowness of the yet to end The Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series and in particular, this issue which happens to have the same creative team that I liked so much from Batman #703. Fabian Nicieza handles the writing duties of Red Robin but again shows that he can write Dick Grayson as Batman very well.

The background story for the event can only be partially filled by reading the issues. With The Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series having yet to end, readers are still clueless to the circumstances around Bruce's reintroduction to the DC Universe and Gotham but clearly not everyone knows he is back and this event is about him investigating first hand how those around him got on without him around and whether there was still a place for him among them and if he was needed.

What made this issue stick out to me from the other Road Home event books that were also spectacular with Stephanie standing up to Bruce in the Batgirl issue and the synchronicity of Tim and Bruce fighting crime despite all that time apart was the observation that Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin exceeded Bruce's expectations of him and the continued pushing of Vicki Vale as a thorn in the side of the Bat Family, determined to uncover the truth. I am hoping that this is DC's way of bringing back Vicki Vale to a prominent role in the Bat Universe to a comparable level of Lois in the Superman Universe.

Shane Davis drew the cover and the interiors were handled by Cliff Richards. Both have styles that are not usually typical for Batman books that tend to be dark and grim but they brought an energy that I think represents the direction DC should head toward a brighter, more adventurous universe.

So far the Road Home event is 4 for 4 with the issues I've read, but with the next few issues dealing with more supporting than main Bats like Commissioner Gordon and Catwoman and the end of the Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series still yet to arrive there are still more questions than answers in the city of Gotham.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Batman themed picspam.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

FILM: Marvel Movie Surge (Commentary)

On July 14, 2000, when the first X-Men movie was released into theaters there was no expectation for the comic book movie market that had been dormant outside of a handful of Batman movies over the previous ten plus years to explode. Yet we sit here ten years later finding multiple comic book releases flooding into cineplexes with Marvel out in front leading the charge.

While DC and Warner Bros are only just starting to rev up their movie adaptations of DC stories (Green Lantern, Superman 6 and Batman 3 on the way), Marvel has three comic book films coming in the summer of 2011: Thor in May, X-Men: First Class in June, and Captain America: The First Avenger in July.

All three are from Marvel's big name franchises, the first movie for both Thor and Captain America (not counting the 1990 direct-to-video Captain America movie that I have enjoyed in the past) and the fifth movie under the X-Men banner. These are safe bets to garner a mainstream audience and with the rising ticket prices all should easily cross $200 million domestically in the U.S.

But for every The Dark Knight, there is also a Jonah Hex, where a smaller and even more niche comic book franchise gets greenlit into a film and the quality of the product begins to wane in an attempt to change the material enough to get a mainstream audience to even look at the film.

Marvel has had their own misfires (Elektra, Punisher: War Zone) and with a solid decade of having produced a steady stream of Marvel films, including three Spider-Man movies (a fourth is on the way), two Fantastic Four movies (a third/reboot movie is being talked about) and the previously mentioned four X-men films (with fifth out in 2011), Marvel has widened their adapting gaze at their entire comic book library and as a result I fear audiences are in store for some films from smaller books that won't have the built-in brand name audience to support their creation.

Instead because of the interconnected universe that is created with comic book companies like Marvel, it would be a better idea to introduce the movie adaptations of these smaller characters by making them a part of a much bigger film. Marvel did this smartly already with the Fantastic Four sequel, where instead of giving Silver Surfer his own film that would probably not do well as the character has not been able to even support his own solo title with this generation, they took the character and his story and made it the defining tale to be told in the Fantastic Four film, surrounding the newcomer with characters the public already knew and loved.

Marvel President Kevin Feige has talked about possible movies with Iron Fist, the Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, all titles not starring top tier characters of the Marvel universe and I have to think that it would be best for some of these characters to be introduced in other Marvel films (like Black Widow was in Iron Man 2) and even then the subsequent films should be created as films solely on their own merit and the inclusion of the superhero should be secondary with absolutely no need to focus exclusively on the character's origin unless its ancillary.

I know that the Avengers movie has been cast and moving towards production but with this being a Marvel movie-centric commentary I wanted to mention my idea for dealing with the problems Marvel had with Edward Norton. Now Marvel merely recast the role for the Avengers movie but with my love for continuity between films and the fact that they had already recast the character once in the last five years I would have liked for them to have gone in a different direction.

That direction being exchanging the Hulk's spot in the Avengers with his just as gamma-radiated cousin, She-Hulk. Bringing in Jennifer Walters would give movie audiences a different perspective to the powers and prison of the Hulk, and it would help balance out the male to female character ration that is awfully lopsided for the Avengers film. In the way that James Cameron and Avatar made giant blue women attractive, Marvel could have used similar technology to bring everyone's favorite green gal to the screen and be visually appealing at the same time.

Unfortunately that is a path that was not chosen and with how much trouble Marvel has had with the Hulk franchise, I can't see another Hulk film in the foreseeable future let alone a chance to introduce She-Hulk, unless they decide to go that route in following Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. films. Either way, next summer will be a good measuring tape for Marvel's movies and whether there can be such a thing as overexposure in the movie industry.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Marvel themed picspam.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Toy Story #7 (Review)


Written by Jake Black
Pencils by Diego Jourdan
Cover by Diego Jourdan

Publisher: BOOM Kids! (BOOM! Studios)
Price: $2.99

All ages books have always had a place in my reading lists and the amount of titles that fit that criteria has grown in recent years. With a week of comic books that seemed to lack headlining titles due to last month having five weeks in it, it was the perfect opportunity for an all ages book to jump into the spotlight and Toy Story #7 from the BOOM Kids! line of BOOM! Studios did just that.

Delays have put this book under the radar, but with the Toy Story 3 movie still fresh in my mind I have kept an eye out for the title and with this issue I am glad I did. Issue seven was written by Jake Black, who like the book is under the radar despite having written issues for a number of comic book titles ("Tales of the TMNT", "Spongebob Squarepants") over the last half of the decade.

In this issue Andy's toys decide to stage their own campfire campout while Andy is off at a sleepover. Woody does his best to recreate what he remembers from the time Andy took him along to Cowboy Camp and that means campfire songs and scary stories. Each toy gets a turn to tell their version of a scary story but it is an unlikely toy that gives the other toys a fright.

As entertaining and true to the characters the story was, it was the wonderful art that put the comic at the top of the stack. The interiors and cover were drawn by Diego Jourdan, a veteran of drawing licensed characters including the Finding Nemo book that is also a part of the BOOM Kids! line of BOOM! Studios. His simple, cartoon style works well with an animated property book giving the title a cute, friendly look that is visually appealing upon sight.

While this is the first time Toy Story has made it to the top of the stack that has more to do with the release schedule than the quality of the series. That is why I am fine with the possibility of this just being a fill-in issue because Jesse Blaze Snider's stories have been just as fun. BOOM! has done a bang-up job with their licensed properties and I recommend picking up any of these titles to read because they are all gems worth the look.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Toy Story themed picspam.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

FILM: Rebooting Spider-Man (Commentary)

This December filming starts on the next film of the Spider-Man franchise. Gone is Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and the Sam Raimi-inspired emo-dancing. Coming in is Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer") to direct and a new cast of actors to play the characters of a Spider-Man universe that is being rebooted back to high school.


When it comes to playing a role in a franchise that is looking to make three to four films in the span of a decade, it takes casting a youthful actor that will stay at a believable age during the run of movies. That became a noticeable problem in Spider-Man 3 where Tobey Maguire was 32 at its release and it showed, making the idea of Peter Parker being just out of college harder to pull off.

That was why I was surprised when of all the young teen and early twenty-something actors that were rumored to be cast as Spider-Man that actor Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network") was chosen for the role. He has the boyish good looks to pull off a late teen version of Peter Parker right now, but at the age of twenty-seven he is already two years older than Tobey Maguire was in the first Spider-Man and production has not even started on the new movie yet. I fear that it will be inevitable that Garfield will start to look older than the part calls for as the eventual sequels come to be.

While I might be worried about that casting decision, news on another role being filled broke in the last week with Emma Stone ("Easy A") being cast as Peter Parker's high school sweetheart, Gwen Stacy and I could not be more thrilled with the decision. She will be just twenty-two once filming starts and has a smile that can light up the room. Webb has even said Emma is a natural blonde which should help quell some of the questions the public had since many thought she would be perfect for the role of Mary Jane Watson, a character that is rumored to also be in the new reboot.

If MJ is in the first movie - she definitely will be in sequels I am sure - then the casting of that role should be one of the next news stories to come out of the films, along with the casting of Peter Parker's best friend, Harry Osborn. Some might question the rushing of another set of Spider-Man films so close to the last three and while some of the reasoning might have to do with Sony wanting to keep the movie rights away from the now up and running Marvel film studio that didn't exist when the first Spider-Man trilogy was started but in the end the success of this reboot will come down to the quality of the story and the ability of the cast and director to sell it to an audience.

And sometimes just a brand - like Marvel or Spider-Man - will bring people in. Spider-Man 3 was not the most critically acclaimed movie but it still made a successful box office take in its run. We will just have to wait and see.

The new Spider-Man movie swings into theaters on July 3, 2012.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Spider-Man themed picspam.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

FILMonBLU-RAY: Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time (Review)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
2010 - Disney
Released on Blu-Ray & DVD on September 14, 2010

# of Discs: 3 (Blu-Ray, DVD + Digital Copy)
Runtime: 116 minutes

Dastan is an adopted prince of the Persian empire but must flee into the desert after being accused of murdering his father, the king. However, he is not alone and is accompanied by the beautiful priestess Tamina, who after having her city invaded is focused on delivering a glass-handled dagger to safety. That dagger happens to be in Dastan's possession and holds powerful time-manipulating magic. Danger and deceit lie ahead for the unexpected duo, as they try to make right what has gone terribly wrong.

Dastan and Tamina's adventure for the truth leads them to some exciting moments and equally interesting characters. The city of Alamut that Tamina presides over is beautifully designed and the scale of it is jaw-dropping when shown on the screen. Their journey leads them to the Valley of Slaves where they meet the unique Sheik Amar and his knife-throwing accomplice, Seso. There Tamina gets to experience being a waitress and they witness Ostrich races. But perhaps the most majestic scene is the path Dastan and Tamina take to Sandglass caves, the destruction of the underground tunnel and Dastan's escape from danger brings comparisons to Aladdin and the Cave of Wonders.

The era of poorly designed extras in DVDs is apparently not over and has leaked over into Blu-Ray with this release. There is a disturbing lack of accessibility to the special features from the menu system. The only way to get to the extras on the disc is to rewatch the entire film but from a special selection in the menu where the extras pop up throughout the film an become watchable at that time. Normally I do not mind having the option of viewing the movie with the extras but when it is the only way to see the extras it rubs me the wrong way.

My viewing experience was plagued with the problems of having a bad disc that froze, jumped back and had the video/audio unsync. Exchanging the disc and updating my blu-ray player's firmware did help the problem and make the second viewing a much more pleasant experience. That said, it is a fun, adventure film with enough action and mystery throughout the story to keep viewers enthralled and has a stellar cast: Jake Gyllenhaal ("Brokeback Mountain"), Gemma Arterton ("Quantum of Solace"), Ben Kingsley ("Shutter Island") and Alfred Molina ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice"); All together they are worth watching in their own right. Even with the viewing troubles I had with the first disc I had purchased I could not help but enjoy the quality of the movie, easily worth a rental at the very least.

Look to buy the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Blu-Ray/DVD Combo over at Amazon for only $18.99.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Gotham City Sirens #16 (Review)


Written by Peter Calloway
Pencils by Andres Guinaldo
Cover by Guillem March

Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

Gotham City Sirens has been a title I have tried to make into a guilty pleasure but my lack of satisfaction with the stories have kept it from attaining my status. That said, I have continued to check out the series every few issues or so hoping that I would get a story that excelled with the Sirens characters.

So it was a pleasant surprise when in a week with solid issues of Star Wars: Blood Ties and Justice Society of America, Gotham City Sirens stepped up to the plate and hit a home run with it's newest issue making it easy to select it as the comic at the top of the stack.

Writer Peter Calloway has written for a few TV series - including an episode for the new CW Hellcats series - as well as some comic books, including Joker's Asylum II: The Riddler #1 which he was previously teamed up with Andres Guinaldo, the artist on this issue of Sirens.

In this issue readers are treated to a hazy reunion between Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne and it takes the length of the issue to understand the context behind the meeting. Once again, Selina's knowledge of Bruce's identity as Batman is the crux of the story and it's up to the other Sirens to save her from whoever is after that secret. What made the story so appealing to me is that Calloway made use of the book's place in the DC Universe and brought in other females from the Bat Family, like Zatanna and Talia al Ghul.

The original series artist Guillem March drew the cover and while I was not a fan of his interiors I think covers are the perfect place for his style. The interiors were done by Andres Guinaldo who has been on the book for several issues now but is only now beginning to express the art of the book in his own style and it is a change for the better.

With Dini off the book, and Calloway starting off his run on Sirens with a pretty solid first effort, I am looking forward to seeing this book gain some stability and start a streak of solid stories readers will enjoy seeing these characters in. Let us hope that Calloway gets a chance to move this book in the right direction and that readers will be willing to give Gotham City Sirens a second glance with this creative team behind it now.

Check out Geek Plate's Tumblr for today's Sirens themed picspam.