WTF Wednesday: I seriously cannot resist a joke about Uranus

Honestly? Context really wouldn't help this make much more sense, but any Love and Rockets comic is just so freakin' charming and well-done it doesn't matter. Just go with it.


Panel from Maggie and Hopey Color Special #1
Jaime Hernandez, writer and artist

The Pull List (4-30-08): Wait, what do you mean Blue Beetle speaks Spanish?

The return of old favorites, unexpected shake-ups and at least one shocking resurrection — it's like a Mexican novela around here! Speaking of fun things with an accent y con sabor muy Latino — vamos a la lista!

Blue Beetle #26: You might have guessed from the espanich, but I'm pretty excited about this month's issue of Blue Beetle. I'm sure some people are grousing about it, but DC deserves some credit for publishing a comic in a language that's now spoken by a fairly large amount of people in this country (not to mention others). And it's pretty canny — Latinos make up the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, and it makes sense to start feeling them out as a potential market.

But really I'm mostly stoked that someone at DC realized that for a lot of people, particularly those living in border towns like El Paso, English is not necessarily the default language. The social situation that Jaime and his non-Spanish speaking girlfriend (the awesome Traci Thirteen) find themselves in when they go to a family gathering where no one is speaking English isn't far-fetched at all (even if most people along the border tend to be bilingual). This is particularly true when the border cities are so deeply integrated that having business, friends and family on both sides of the border is so common it's taken for granted.

This story is a great way to touch on aspects of Jaime's character, as well as the cultural background that is an integral part of him and the city he calls home. As I've mentioned before, I grew up and lived most of my life in El Paso myself, so it's nice to see some attention paid, not necessarily to the spot of geography itself, but to what that geography means in terms of culture, history and the people who are a part of both.

Of course, Marvel already did a Spanish-language issue with Fantastic Four: Isla de la Muerte, but I'd argue that Blue Beetle has a chance to resonate more because while Isla translated characters that normally speak English into Spanish, speaking Spanish would be a natural part of who Jaime Reyes is — it would be more remarkable if Jaime didn't speak Spanish once in a while. And in a smart move, DC is including the script in English for those who don't know Spanish (or those who are, er, not as fluent as they should be ... ahem ...), which is something Isla could have benefited from. Especially since Puerto Rican Spanish is a little different from Mexican Spanish ... which is a little different from Cuban Spanish ... which is ...

Is it a gimmick? Sure. But it's a gimmick that will help add another layer to the character of the Blue Beetle, who also happens to be a young Latino named Jaime Reyes. In that case, I'm all for it. Check out the preview and see what you think.

(By the way, I still see it debated here and there, but Jaime's name really is pronounced that way.)


The rest ...

DC Universe Zero (one-shot): You know you want to see what Grant Morrison is coming up with, too. Stop looking at me like that.

Immortal Iron Fist #14: The conclusion to the best mystic kung-fu/super-science/crazy-ass espionage movie that happens to be a comic book.

Local #11 (of 12): Finally! Did you know this series was supposed to wrap up in January? 2007? According to writer Brian Wood, in spite of the sketchy schedule "it's undoubtedly a better book for all the delays." And y'know, I can't argue with him — Local is a wonderful bit of superior storytelling with beautiful artwork by Ryan Kelly. I'll be sorry to see it go when it concludes with #12 in May. Supposedly.


Trading up ...
(Titles I either am, or will be, picking up in trade)

Abyss #4

Green Lantern #30 (a six-issue retelling of the GL origin? Seriously?)

Jack of Fables #22

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #8 (of 8)


Maybe ...

Daredevil: Blood of the Tarantula #1

Thor: Ages of Thunder #1


Recommended ...

Amor Y Cohetes: A Love and Rockets Book: I tend to evangelize for Love and Rockets and almost anything Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez produce, but I'll also be the first to admit that they can be tough to just jump into. If you ever really wanted to start from the beginning — and I mean before Maggie or Palomar were more than nebulous ideas just taking shape — you'll want to get Amor Y Cohetes, which collects the first 50 issues of Love and Rockets ever. It should be considered essential, and at $16.99 there's no reason this shouldn't be added to your library.

The Pull-list: 6-6-07

It looks as if it's going to be a fairly small week here at the Post, with an unprecedented shut-out for the Big Two. That's right - this week's pull-list is 100 percent spandex-free. In place of unflattering bodysocks, we'll be freeing ourselves of the wedgie of superhero fare with the gently prying fingers of indie comics.

Well, mostly indie, anyway. Let's take a walk around, see it how it feels, shall we?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4: I really, really had no intention of getting this. I watched the show, but was never able to catch it regularly and so never became one of the true believers. But then someone lent me numbers 1-3, and now I'm hooked. Everything I like about Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men and all the things that turned me into a Browncoat are here in a fun little package that does indeed both "rule" and "kick-ass." Knowing something about the characters definitely helps, and it's not something I'd recommend going into cold, but if you know enough to recognize the names Willow or Xander, you'll be set.

Death and the Man Who Would Not Die #1: This would make it to the list almost based on the name alone. C'mon, how awesome is that title? If it had been the name of a movie in the early 80s I probably would have watched it a kajillion times. Luckily, the concept - someone stole something from Death and Death wants it back, all in the Old West - sounds like fun. The art makes me think of a less stilted version of what's happening over in the Dark Tower series, with an obvious Sienkiewicz influence mixed in, so there's another plus. Hopefully the follow-through will match the potential. And hey, look - there's a preview.

Strange Embrace #1: While it may put my comic-cred at risk, I have to admit that I'd never heard of this title before recently. But, after reading some reviews and checking out the decidedly creepy Web site, this first of an eight-issue mini-series suddenly became this week's gotta-have. What's it about? I've read three descriptions of this re-release (originally published in 1993) and I'm still not completely sure, but it seems to be a modern, Gothic horror story about alienation, obsession and a malicious clairvoyant. I'm sure I'm not doing it justice, but I will say it's what I'm most looking forward to reading this week. Not to mention it's 32 pages for $2.99, which is a nice chunk of comics for your money.


Maybe ...

MPD-Psycho Vol. 1: But maybe not - a description that includes "unflinchingly grotesque glory" and "inventive torture scenes" leaves me a little cold.


Recommended ...

Human Diastrophism and The Girl From H.O.P.P.E.R.S.: It's Love & Rockets stories in a new series of trade paperbacks - that's all that needs to be said.

Oh, and some of the work in H.O.P.P.E.R.S. wasn't in the hardcover Locas collection. Just so you know.