Total Number of Ratings: 10
Cat Fight: DC vs Marvel
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 11:28 PM
As a girl who likes comics, my interest is usually piqued when I hear about a new book with a strong woman as the lead. So when both DC and Marvel put out titles with female ensembles, one week after the other, I naturally took note.
Gotham City Sirens, one of the new on-going series to come out of Battle for the Cowl, is written by the wonderful Paul Dini with art by Guillem March. After a rough couple months for Gotham (and for Selina Kyle) Catwoman decides there's strengths in numbers and proposes an alliance with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.
Marvel Divas is a four-part mini series with Hellcat, Black Cat, Firestar and Photon... er, Captain Marvel. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa dishes up the everyday misadventures of Marvel's under-used leading ladies with art by Tonci Zonjic. Patsy Walker's book about super hero singledom has just been published and her friends Monica, Felicia and Angie are there to get her through the release party.
At first glance, I was much more excited about Sirens. Paul Dini was a big draw for me. I think his characterization of Catwoman is pitch perfect, and he created Harley Quinn. To top it off, these new Batbooks have been pretty stellar so far. Divas was a dark horse for me. I'm not familiar with either of the creators and at first glance it seems like Sex and the City with superpowers -- there's nothing wrong with that, it's just a tough dynamic to get right.
Sirens definitely met my high expectations. There is quite a bit of set up in this issue, but Dini balances it well with humor and a couple of fun action sequences. The last page left me wanting to know what happens next. March's art is something to behold. He captures the fluid, sensual nature of these women without getting too cheesecakey. A lot of the reactions I've read to this book is that it's nice, light fun. I'm not sure I agree with that. Yes, compared to some of the Batbooks, this is a pleasant departure. However, just because Sirens is not overly dark and weighty, that does not mean it's a frivilous book. These are strong women in one of the roughest cities in comics. They shouldn't be trifled with separately, let alone in a group. Both Dini and March do a great job capturing that.
Like I said early, I was a bit sceptical of Divas at first. I mean, just look at that cover, it's ridiculous! Then I read the book. And it truly was smart and funny and real. This was four women dealing with everyday stuff -- relationships, finances, work issue -- and every once in a while they suit up to fight the odd alien invasion, secret war or company-wide crossover. Aguirre-Sacasa has a wonderful grasp of these characters and he makes them relateable and likeable. What I liked most about Zonjic's art is how each character has their own distinct look and style, and they're not at all cheesecakey. Divas was very different from the majority of capes and tights books and quite refreshing.
Now, I had originally intended to pick a winner for this "cat fight", but I really think these two books are too different to compare like that. Sirens is a solid superpowers book, and Divas is a well executed slice of life story. I'm not sure which I like better, but I know they are both great titles.
hrm...if i find myself near a comic book store, i just might pick both of these up. i hope i remember the titles enough not to need to ask the clerk and embarrass myself :)
depending on the store, sometimes being a girl who doesn't know what she wants gets you an eyeroll and some serious smugness.
when shopping for scott pilgrim 3, i discovered a clerk who hadn't heard of it, and suggested that i check the FYE store down the street.
I haven't read Divas (Though you have my interest peaked). But Sirens was sooo good.. I will read anything Dini does and this book proved to me that he can do no wrong when it the Bat-verse. And I agree, just because it isn't Dark doesn't mean it lacks credibility.
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loved sirens, divas not so much. i think divas suffered mostly from me not having any clue what was going on in the universe (or which character was which), but the story setup didn't really grab me. it seemed a bit too much "sex in the city" (which is mostly just an umbrella term for "stories about urban single women"), and not enough superpower girlpower.
sirens, however, didn't need as much setup for me (as i jokingly told jimski, "i've played the lego game"), and i already know i like the characters. i'm interested in seeing where it goes, certainly.