Welcome back, Donist World Denizens! For those of you new to our site, I’m Donist, and I am joined by Donist World CFO the Reverse Obie* (my friends’ Boston terrier whose fur recently swapped colors) and by our marketing director / administrative assistant / party planner / Wonder Puppy Tulip (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). Dagnabbit, here we go again. Both members of my puppy executive team are wandering around the corporate office (Mom’s basement) pretending to be Wonder Woman in anticipation of the movie releasing this week. They somehow even managed to make aluminum foil tiaras with matching bracelets. They’re also wearing red tops that I believe were cut from the legs of my comfiest sweatpants. It’s all rather impressive, but given the level of disappointment they’re about to suffer when I sneak out of the window to see the film, I’m willing to overlook the demise of my worn-out loungewear. Anyhow, I thought we would once again take a look at some comics I sadly missed the first time around yet hope to remedy by reading in the near future. So, pour yourself a refreshing beer or ginger ale, sit down, strap in, and think about those comics you might have skipped all those years ago. Thank you for reading!
*Obie, through his dabbling in arcane magics mixed with ancient corrupt business practices, has had not just the colors of his fur switched, but a complete overhaul of his work ethic as well…I think I’m kinda okay with the mishap.
***Possible Spoilers Below***
“What the heck kind of doggone title is that, Donist?! Do we need to be worried about you?! Are you okay?!” Never fear, Denizens, all is well with the Donist and Donist World. I just happened to be sitting in our conference room — the area roped off by hanging sheets in Mom’s basement — and thinking about all of the comics I wanted to read throughout the years but had missed for one reason or another. As I thought about them, I realized there were tons of series that snuck by me somehow, and I’m not even counting any comics from the past two decades. So, let’s have a look and see what can be done about this now that we are in the age of the internet where online shopping and digital services can help remedy this dire situation. As I prepare to stumble into the confessional booth, I want to hear about your regrets concerning comics you missed out on over the years, so please let me know about them by posting a comment. I’m happy to lend an ear, to commiserate, to help you work through the emotions and try to find a way to move on. Together, we can find a way to set things right. (You can check out ”Part 1” here.)
Written by Len Wein, illustrated by George Perez, published by DC Comics. With the Donist World corporate office bursting with anticipation of this week’s official release of the Wonder Woman movie, there’s no better title to start this week’s post than George Perez’s Wonder Woman . Now, as you might remember from my first installment of “The Ones that Got Away,” I had missed out on The New Teen Titans, which was also gorgeously illustrated by Perez, and I had remedied my error by picking up the first three collections through a digital sale — I’m now on volume 2, by the way, and loving it. I did the same dang thing again and picked up this little puppy with some slashed pricing through Comixology. I’m thrilled to finally check it out after all these years.
This run on Wonder Woman is written by Len Wein — who we all know co-created and wrote the first run of my beloved Swamp Thing series — and is one that nearly won my limited allowance funds on many occasions as a kid. This wasn’t only because the art is by Perez, who completely melted my eyeballs with his stunning art on both Crisis on Infinite Earths and The Infinity Gauntlet, but because Wonder Woman is simply badass.
Even before I was old enough to read, Wonder Woman was there every time Lynda Carter twirled into magnificence right before taking out some bad guys or stopping a major calamity. She was there for me on the Super Friends cartoon as a kid, and there on the Justice League cartoon as an adult, while frequently showing up in one comic book series or another. I have read fair chunks of Greg Rucka’s run and Brian Azarello’s run, but the series drawn by Perez is the one that has been sitting in the back of my mind for far too long. Now with this comic ready to go and the movie being released, I have a sneaking feeling I’ll be picking up Wonder Woman: War of the Gods, while it too is on sale. I cannot wait!
Written by Chris Claremont and others, illustrated by Bob McLeod and others, published by Marvel Comics. Seeing this title on the spinner rack month after month was enough to drive this Donist a might crazy. Thankfully, I was usually able to console myself with copies of The Uncanny X-Men, but then again Charles Xavier’s premiere mutant team featuring Marvel’s rising star Wolverine was part of the problem. You see, my brother and I were positively bonkers for The X-Men, and having a second book loosely tied to their universe put this title firmly on our radar. That pesky allowance limitation, though…oh well. Still, we were able to somewhat get to know Sam, Bobby, Xi’an, Danielle, and Rayne as they made the occasional appearance throughout many comics of the Marvel Universe.
It wasn’t just the fact that this new team of mutants is closely tied to the X-Men, but seeing them on the cover of Marvel Graphic Novel #4 definitely caught my eye, especially Sunspot with his Kirby Krackle and the energy encased Cannonball as he launched into battle. I often flipped through the books wondering what enemies they would face and if some of those evildoers might be former X-Men foes. Oh, the torment of it all. Now, I finally get to see for myself who crosses their paths as I anticipate the arrival of Magma and Warlock.
I, of course, just picked up this collection in an amazing sale that I could not pass up and it is now in the queue for this summer’s reading. I do have to say, that as excited as I am to dive into this series, I am most looking forward to the next “Epic Collection” release as it will contain the “The Demon Bear” storyline and art by the amazing Bill Sienkiewicz. Still, getting to that point should be a heck of a lot of fun.
Written by Peter B. Gillis, illustrated by Brent Anderson, published by Marvel Comics. I remember seeing this one on the shelves at the LCS back in the day, but it never really caught my attention as it came out in 1986 and we all know there was another title from another publisher that was soaking up all of the attention back then, namely Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Sadly, I didn’t realize Strikeforce: Morituri was such a revered book in and of itself and that it was one I desperately needed to check out; perhaps if it had only come out a year sooner…
Anyhow, it wasn’t until about ten years ago that I started noticing more and more mentions of this series as something of great import. After some research, I learned the comic is about an alien invasion of Earth and the only hope of stopping the invaders is by giving humans amazing superpowers…unfortunately, those powers will kill its host within a year. Holy schmoley, what’s not to love about that horrific premise?
Yup, that’s all I know. Sold! And I’ve been sold on this comic for quite some time now. Thankfully, I askeed my Magic 8-Ball if I will be able to read the first volume of Strikeforce: Morituri in the near future, and it told me, “It is decidedly so.” I can’t argue with that.
Grown Men Whining About Wonder Woman - Oh, yeah, before I go…I would also like to say, “Suck it, man-babies!” to all those “men” crying about the select women/girls-only advance screenings of Wonder Woman. What the heck don’t you get? It’s a movie about a female superhero who is meant to champion women and provide someone for women/girls to look up to. An extra week to wait is not a big deal. Comic books have sat predominantly in the older male realm for far too long, and when more people become interested in comic-related properties, that means more money, more attention, and a higher likelihood of seeing even more fantastic movies and comics in the future. We all win if Wonder Woman is truly as great as early reviews suggest, crying because you don’t get your way this one time is simply pathetic.
The Ones that Got Away (Part 2)
“What the heck kind of doggone title is that, Donist?! Do we need to be worried about you?! Are you okay?!” Never fear, Denizens, all is well with the Donist and Donist World. I just happened to be sitting in our conference room — the area roped off by hanging sheets in Mom’s basement — and thinking about all of the comics I wanted to read throughout the years but had missed for one reason or another. As I thought about them, I realized there were tons of series that snuck by me somehow, and I’m not even counting any comics from the past two decades. So, let’s have a look and see what can be done about this now that we are in the age of the internet where online shopping and digital services can help remedy this dire situation. As I prepare to stumble into the confessional booth, I want to hear about your regrets concerning comics you missed out on over the years, so please let me know about them by posting a comment. I’m happy to lend an ear, to commiserate, to help you work through the emotions and try to find a way to move on. Together, we can find a way to set things right. (You can check out ”Part 1” here.)
Wonder Woman by George Perez
This run on Wonder Woman is written by Len Wein — who we all know co-created and wrote the first run of my beloved Swamp Thing series — and is one that nearly won my limited allowance funds on many occasions as a kid. This wasn’t only because the art is by Perez, who completely melted my eyeballs with his stunning art on both Crisis on Infinite Earths and The Infinity Gauntlet, but because Wonder Woman is simply badass.
Even before I was old enough to read, Wonder Woman was there every time Lynda Carter twirled into magnificence right before taking out some bad guys or stopping a major calamity. She was there for me on the Super Friends cartoon as a kid, and there on the Justice League cartoon as an adult, while frequently showing up in one comic book series or another. I have read fair chunks of Greg Rucka’s run and Brian Azarello’s run, but the series drawn by Perez is the one that has been sitting in the back of my mind for far too long. Now with this comic ready to go and the movie being released, I have a sneaking feeling I’ll be picking up Wonder Woman: War of the Gods, while it too is on sale. I cannot wait!
The New Mutants
It wasn’t just the fact that this new team of mutants is closely tied to the X-Men, but seeing them on the cover of Marvel Graphic Novel #4 definitely caught my eye, especially Sunspot with his Kirby Krackle and the energy encased Cannonball as he launched into battle. I often flipped through the books wondering what enemies they would face and if some of those evildoers might be former X-Men foes. Oh, the torment of it all. Now, I finally get to see for myself who crosses their paths as I anticipate the arrival of Magma and Warlock.
I, of course, just picked up this collection in an amazing sale that I could not pass up and it is now in the queue for this summer’s reading. I do have to say, that as excited as I am to dive into this series, I am most looking forward to the next “Epic Collection” release as it will contain the “The Demon Bear” storyline and art by the amazing Bill Sienkiewicz. Still, getting to that point should be a heck of a lot of fun.
Strikeforce: Morituri
Anyhow, it wasn’t until about ten years ago that I started noticing more and more mentions of this series as something of great import. After some research, I learned the comic is about an alien invasion of Earth and the only hope of stopping the invaders is by giving humans amazing superpowers…unfortunately, those powers will kill its host within a year. Holy schmoley, what’s not to love about that horrific premise?
Yup, that’s all I know. Sold! And I’ve been sold on this comic for quite some time now. Thankfully, I askeed my Magic 8-Ball if I will be able to read the first volume of Strikeforce: Morituri in the near future, and it told me, “It is decidedly so.” I can’t argue with that.
Slice into the Woods
#45 to Withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement - Because of course he would. This was completely expected, but nonetheless frustrating. Thankfully, it should be put back in place once that traitor is impeached and spending some quality alone time behind bars…where he belongs. Enjoy your two scoops of ice cream and your chocolate cake while you can, loser.
Grown Men Whining About Wonder Woman - Oh, yeah, before I go…I would also like to say, “Suck it, man-babies!” to all those “men” crying about the select women/girls-only advance screenings of Wonder Woman. What the heck don’t you get? It’s a movie about a female superhero who is meant to champion women and provide someone for women/girls to look up to. An extra week to wait is not a big deal. Comic books have sat predominantly in the older male realm for far too long, and when more people become interested in comic-related properties, that means more money, more attention, and a higher likelihood of seeing even more fantastic movies and comics in the future. We all win if Wonder Woman is truly as great as early reviews suggest, crying because you don’t get your way this one time is simply pathetic.
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