I’m not…gonna…talk…about…Disney…
Oh, hello there. I was just debating with myself. See, the comic book industry had some pretty big news this week. But since this column is supposed to take a look at what’s inside the funny books, I can’t discuss the news here. So, instead I’m gonna focus, and I’m using that term very loosely, on something else!
For instance, kids in comics. Now, my first entry talked about how much I hate the kids of Wally West. Since then, Geoff Johns is taking care of that in Flash:Rebirth. But it got me thinking, that I might look like a guy who doesn’t like kids. That can’t be! I love kids. They’re great slav…Well, nevermind. The kids I want to mention real quick, are Franklin and Valeria Richards. I did talk about Franklin before, telling you to read his solo book. Which was great. The book, not my article.
Now, I’m gonna tell you to pick up Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four: Dark Reign mini. It’s not only the perfect pre-cursor to his on-going FF title, but also the best depiction of kids I read in comics for a long time. On the one hand you have the brave Franklin, always ready to go into action. On the other hand, you got the super-smart Valeria. Together, they’re facing off against Norman Osborn. As the Man would say: ‘nuff said.
To balance the Marvel talk, I wanted to take a moment to applaud. Applaud the genius of Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly. It’s no secret that they’re among the top-talent in the industry right now. It should also be no secret that I’m a huge fan of both.
(Plus, this fits in nicely with the kids theme, I established.)
Now, Batman & Robin. I can’t even start to describe the awesomeness of this book. As we all know, Bruce Wayne is (somewhat) dead. Dick took over the mantle (protection and all), with Damian Al-Ghul (Bruce’s son) being the new Robin. Being raised by a the League of Assassins as a prince, he’s more than a brat. He’s a brat that will kill you. I can’t tell you how much fun it is, watching a ten year old beating up thugs.
But it’s not just beating up: It’s the interplay between the characters, the well-choreographed action sequences, the thought that was put behind every single scene, that makes this book something special. GO, read it! 
Whew, I got through it, without mentioning a giant mouse. Or a certain Spider fighting against that mouse. I know, in two moths, this will look kinda stupid and antiquated. In a year from now…Let’s not talk about it. Go on, read them funny books. And watch out for singing characters…
Pete Schueler is currently residing in Berlin, Germany. He’s desperately trying to get his writing career somewhere. Where that is exactly, is not defined yet, but it should be somewhere where it’s visible. He’s been a comic book and pop culture geek all his life, but started reading them funny-books again on a weekly basis just three short years ago. In this time he matured from reading just DC books, to preferring mostly Indie titles. He still has a reverence for the Big Two and superheroes in general, and consumes them at a regular rate. The books, not the heroes. 
Merin on 
