Empowered Volume 1, Adam Warren

"Not only is costumed crimefighter "Empowered" saddled with a less-than-ideal superhero name, but she wears a skintight and cruelly revealing "supersuit" that only magnifies her body-image insecurities. Worse yet, the suit's unreliable powers are prone to failure, repeatedly leaving her in appallingly distressing situations . . . and giving her a shameful reputation as the lamest "cape" in the masks-and-tights business. Nonetheless, she pluckily braves the ordeals of her bottom-rung superheroic life with the help of her "thugalicious" boyfriend (and former Witless Minion) and her hard-drinking ninja girlfriend, not to mention the supervillainous advice from the caged alien demonlord watching DVDs from atop her coffee table . . . 

From Adam Warren comes Empowered, a butt-kicking, bootylicious superhero lampoon that raises the bar for long-john lust and low-brow laughs. Remove all previous notions of superhero entertainment from your puny mind . . . and prepare to be Empowered!"


Empowered is an English language superhero Manga (Warren describes it as being drawn in a manner that will put off American comics readers, and about a subject that will put off Asian Manga readers) that grew out of commisioned sketches of 'cheesecake' superheroines - softcore pictures of helpless women tied up.

So it doesn't really have much in the way of feminist credentials. It wears its interests on its sleeve. It's very clearly a T'n'A book, with the title character spending the majority of the book either naked or chained up.

And yet, for all its standing as a ridiculously uncomfortable public read, Empowered has an incredibly sweet heart, that elevates it beyond gratuitous swimsuit shots, and a wicked sense of humour that lashes out at the very stories it ends up parodying.

Empowered is a woman with serious body image issues, abilities that stem skintight suit that falls apart in combat and can't be covered up without losing power, and a group of villains who are quicker to capture and tie up the superheroes than actually kill them. It's a combination that leads to a lead character who is extremely awkward and unsure of herself - essentially the Marvel method of Superhero creation updated to the modern day.

With the majority of the story focusing on her relationships with ex-minion Thug Boy, and best friend (and ninja) Ninjette, we get a masterclass in creating character.

But the big sell is Willy Pete, a character who appears for less than 5 pages but who steals the book out from under the heroes. Willy Pete (code for White Phosphorous) is the kind of villain who can only appear in creator owned works, and every single panel he appears in is a horror show. For a villain with almost no page time at all he leaves an indelible mark on the book, both in the trauma he inflicts on Thug Boy and the way he sears himself across the mind of the reader.

If I pick up any of the later books, it will be to see what happens with him. The other good bits will just be a great bonus.

Also Try:
Birds of Prey, Gail Simone
She-Hulk: Single Green Female, Dan Slott
Captain Marvel, Kelly Sue DeConnick
Invincible, Robert Kirkman

Bad Science, Ben Goldacre

"Have you ever wondered how one day the media can assert that alcohol is bad for us and the next unashamedly run a story touting the benefits of daily alcohol consumption? Or how a drug that is pulled off the market for causing heart attacks ever got approved in the first place? How can average readers, who aren’t medical doctors or Ph.D.s in biochemistry, tell what they should be paying attention to and what’s, well, just more bullshit?

Ben Goldacre has made a point of exposing quack doctors and nutritionists, bogus credentialing programs, and biased scientific studies. He has also taken the media to task for its willingness to throw facts and proof out the window. But he’s not here just to tell you what’s wrong. Goldacre is here to teach you how to evaluate placebo effects, double-blind studies, and sample sizes, so that you can recognize bad science when you see it. You’re about to feel a whole lot better."

I you don't get mad after reading this book, you probably didn't understand it.

I don't prentent to be any great expert in scientific thought - whilst I enjoy science it's very much of the popular science end. Even my knowledge of my twin interests of space and dinosaurs can be pretty quickly covered by the science i've got from contemplative fiction.

Bad Science is as much a polemic as a science book however, a furious debunking of the worst of pseudo-sceience, media coverage of science and science teaching. It's coolly analytical, content to let the facts set out on the page do the work for it in accusing and damning those with an agenda in the science community.

Sometimes this can seem a little bloodless - Goldacre rarely seems to go far enough, and his attacks on the social science and arts students who make up the media and who he believes missell science because it's beyond them is one of his most outspoken attacks, rarely speaking so harshly against mendacious, misleading and immoral scientists themselves.

Despite this unevenness of tone when hits do land they pack weight - the homeopathy scetion in particular is brutal in it's evisceration of the false teaching and lies told by those with an agenda, as well as the stupidity of those who would believe it.

It's a book that should be read, and much like Belching out the Devil, acted upon. Already the tools that Goldacre provides have been vindicated in looking at the front page coverage of new 'science'. Essential reading for anyone interested in science, the media or healthcare.

Also Try:
Belching out the Devil, Mark Thomas
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
The Manhatten Projects, Jonathan Hickman

Exiles: Point of No Return, Jeff Parker

"Heroes are being pulled out of the worlds they know - The Beast. The Witch. Panther. Forge. Polaris. All find themselves in a place out of time with a new mission in life. But something seems to have shifted in the mechanics of the universe, and things may not be quite what we remember. But one thing we know for certain - BLINK is BACK! Collects Exiles #1-5."













Exiles is one of my favourite series, a What-If worlds tour between different realities starring alternate versions of classic X-Men and Avengers righting the course of history in different dimensions. It's a wonderful concept, designed to appeal to those who love the history of the Marvel Universe as much as a casual comics or X-Men fan. The original series, running for 100 issues, is one that I collect to this day, picking up the (many) trade paperbacks whenever I can.

It has an easy appeal to explain: big storylines that were ended by the heroes are taken to their logical extreme. It's a series where writers can do whatever they want - kill all the heroes, let the villains win, destroy all mutants, whatever they want! From realities where Captain America became a vampire (in that reality he hadn't got a collar on when Baron Blood attacked him) to ones where Wolverine killed everyone (he was never rescued from Hydra brainwashing) or Professor X is a supervillain, it served as a replacement for the off-and-on again What If?, or DC's Elseworlds titles.

Whilst it declined in quality when Chris Claremont (and his beloved Psylocke) joined, this first volume of Exiles (2), is a real return to form. So of course, it got cancelled after 6 issues, meaning we never got to see the planned worlds of Magic or Savage Land World storylines.

Split into two basic stories, with the first returning for the final few issues, this see's a new team of Exiles jaunting to realities where all mutants united under Magneto on Genosha, and one where a Cerebro-Ultron programme share retasked all robots to destroy humanity.

The art and story are both excellent, and if you're a fan of reality hopping tales, Marvel history, or just great comics it's really worth picking up.

Also try:
Exiles, Judd Winick
What If?, Various Writers
Superman: Red Son, Mark Millar
Marvel Zombies, Robert Kirkman

Batman and Robin; Dark Knight, White Knight, Paul Cornell

"The Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder face multiple threats and villains new and old, including the mysterious White Knight, the villain Absence and the renegade Robin of the past, Jason Todd--in stories written by creators Paul Cornell (ACTION COMICS, "Doctor Who"), Pete Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS, NIGHTWING) and Judd Winick (BRIGHTEST DAY: GENERATION LOST, BATMAN)"











The last volume of pre-reboot Batman and Robin is a weird book to evaluate. It's an unoffensive read - a very average, middle of the road Batman story, punctuated with a couple of really nice moments.

The real problem with it though is that it's essentially filler, coming off the back of a great Grant Morrison run, part of his epic Batman run that chronicled the adventures of Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne. It was a fan favourite, and it featured some truly excellent arcs.

So this has a lot to live up to, and its position in between the tail end of this run and the start of the New 52 of DC titles means that it's essentially three short stories with little impact or depth. The worst offender of this is a Jason Todd story that closes out the book (and the series). It's an entertaining rehash of Rorschach in prison from Watchmen, which ends with someone breaking him out of jail. Problem being that this 'someone' isn't ever mentioned, so there's no motive, no resolution - nothing!

The whole thing is extremely inconsequential, and you're better off picking up the earlier (or later) books instead. When even Paul Cornell can't save your book, it's time to move on.

Also Try:
Watchmen, Alan Moore
Batman and Robin, Grant Morrison
Batman, Scott Snyder
Knight and Squire, Paul Cornell

Death of Captain America: The Complete Collection, Ed Brubaker

"Captain America was a hero to millions, an inspiration to America's armed services and the representative of his nation's greatest ideals. He lived for his country - and now, he has given his last final measure for the nation he loved. In the aftermath of the superhuman Civil War, Captain America was shot down in cold blood. Those closest to him must come to terms with his death, finding new roles for themselves that will shock readers. Collecting: Captain America (2005) 22-42, Winter Soldier: Winter Kills"







This one is a mixture of stuff that I've read before plus some that I haven't culminating in my last reviewed book (Captain America Reborn), this is pretty much what you can guarantee from a Brubaker Cap book. It's well told, complex and hugely enjoyable, with great art and plotting that rewards a careful reader.

Following the return of the Winter Soldier, this book collects the death of Captain America after Civil War through to the point of his return. It's an interesting period in the life of the book, as for much of the time it's a book wholly lacking in Captain America. Bucky's step up from Winter Soldier to new Cap, juggling his anger about Steve's death, the guilt of his own crimes and the desire to kick Tony Stark in his shiny metal behind.

Split between a number of artists over the course of 21 issues, there's a consistently high quality, whether illustrating wet World War II missions, brutal one-on-one combat or giant brawls.

It's hard to talk about Captain America under Brubaker without at least mentioning the tone of the book.
This is essentially SHIELD book, pretty much an even split between Agent 13, Nick Fury and Bucky (with very little Captain America-ing). It's not until the last few issues that Bucky takes up the shield to take the fight to the Red Skull.

But it's the maturity of the work that's the biggest difference. This isn't the Red Skull of Uncanny Avengers, using a telepathic brain to control the world. This is a Red Skull who mainpulates stock markets, crashes the American Economy, bribes senators and congressmen and engineers a shoot-out between law enforcement and protesters.

The Red Skull is an incredibly Political villain (most of Captain America's enemies are), and it's nice to see this side of him played up, just as it was in Geoff Johns' Avengers: Red Zone. He works best as the anti-Cap, and positioning him as the architect of the actual threats to real people is a neat touch. It also means Bucky has to face the recession, something he can't punch in the face.

In amongst all that smart stuff though we still get some great action sequences, notably the takedown of a SHIELD team by Bucky's detached arm, and his first pistol packing fight with AIM.

Again, not a great starting point (go back and pick up Winter Soldier), but brilliant if you love Captain America, or comics.

Also Try:

Geoff Johns, Avengers; Red Zone

Rick Remender, Uncanny Avengers

Mark Millar, Old Man Logan

Captain America Reborn, Brubaker

"Steve Rogers was Captain America, the world's greatest hero since the days of WWII, a champion for all citizens of the world. One fateful day, the Sentinel of Liberty was struck down - and how the American Dream died that day. But now there may be a way to bring back the world's greatest hero! Collects Captain America #600 and Captain America: Reborn #1-5."







The sad thing about Captain America Reborn is that it was released so close to that other superhero battles through time to return from the dead epic, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. They're totally incomparable, mostly because Batman is utterly insane (although CAR takes a good stab at equalling it). The thing that's always great to read Brubaker on Cap for is that he grounds the character in a more recognisable world than most. Here, that's a problem: it's somehow too serious (I hesitate to say Realistic) a setting for a tale about a man unhinged in time, whose fate is controlled by the brain of his worst enemy, in the body of a robot.

When I say that this ends with Captain America (reborn) and his sidekick, (also) Captain America, fighting a giant robot Nazi on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, it's because I want you to understand that this is a pretty crazy book. But it never really embraces that concept. The best 'thrown through time' stories can go anywhere, but this sticks to Cap's life from WWII through to the present - hardly boring, but not actually all that bizarre by the standards of most Marvel comics.

The main thing about Captain America, and the reason why Reborn works less well than Bruce Wayne does, is that he's better as a symbol than an actual character. One of the most interesting things about the Brubaker Captain America books is that Captain America (the person) transitions from a character to an ideal. Cap (the person) is constantly held up as Captain America (the myth), until his death creates a void that is filled by Bucky Barnes, former sidekick and now the new Captain America.

So the previous stories have been the passing of the torch, just as how Batman has Dick Grayson take up the mantle of Bruce Wayne. But what always felt like a place holding for Batman's inevitable return actually felt natural in Captain America. It felt right that Cap's sacrifice should inspire his friend to become more than just a man.

And in undoing that it lessens Bucky's growth. He's no longer the man struggling to fill the shoes of his mentor. He's the other Captain America. The less good one.

Cap should be an ideal, an icon. He works better that way. It's one of the many reasons why Civil War was so ill conceived. Pitting the very spirit of America ( Marvel's Superman, the embodiment of Truth, Justice and the American Way, who inspires all around him to strive harder) against an alcoholic with a metal suit ran into the brick wall that even in a post-9/11 world fans didn't want to support the 'realism' of Iron Man over the 'idealism' of Captain America.

In a war between the humble patriotism of the past and the hardheaded pragmatism of the present, the only side the audience would ever choose is the one that's less like their own. Why ruin your escapist fantasy with a slice of real life?

The story itself is good, and Brubaker has a handle on all of the characters that works well. The opening #600 issue is by far the best part (it features Rikki Barnes!) but nobody draws people fighting giants as well as Bryan Hitch.

This is worth checking out, but try Batman first. That book is AMAZING!

Also Try:
Batman; The Return of Bruce Wayne, Grant Morrison
The Ultimates, Mark Millar
Thunderbolts: The Geat Escape, Jeff Parker