Gotham City Sirens #1: Any way you want it!

I was planning on getting Dark Avengers #6 this week, but I thumbed through it, and it featured Namor flying from his crib to Avengers Tower in 2 pages, and Sentry flying from Avengers Tower to Namor's crib in 2 pages. There was no dialogue in any of these 4 pages. I don't know about you, but I am not going to pay 4 dollars for this kind of comic book.

It was gonna be my last issue anyways, so. . . good riddance I guess! I was hoping that Thunderbolts #133 would come in the mail by today, but unfortunately it hasn't, so we are just reviewing for today

Gotham City Sirens #1

by Paul Dini and Guillem March

So Harley gets out her huge honkin' hammer and whacks an All-New Villain called "Boneblaster." Then she says, "Let's play!" to which 'Blaster responds,

Anyways, this comic isn't too much to write home about. The three girls, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley get together and establish their alliance at Catwoman's behest that "Gotham is worse than ever." A pretty weak premise.

It kinda has the possibility of a sitcom, because Harley is portrayed so hilariously (and adorably!), but then everyone else is generally moody. Dini's writing isn't as strong as it's been before, but hopefully next issue is more focused.

Amazing Spider-Man #596 (or: the many emotions of Harry Osborn)

by Joe kelly and Paulo Siqueira

Here is Harry Osborn bein' all angry at all them wrasslin' what's dergrading our children's minds:

Similarly, here is Harry showing his reaction to Illinoisan Suburb Crestwood's drinking contaminated water for 20 years:

Now, here's Spider-Man when he found out about our nation's economic downturn:

hahaha no seriously. Phil Jimenez penciled the first part of "American Son," and Paulo Siqueira does the second, and I've missed his art soooo bad. He had an excellent number of issues on Birds of Prey, and while I don't exactly agree with the way he draws Spider-Man, I love love love the way he draws facial expressions!

Hahah! Look how affectionately Bullseye Hawkeye looks at his booger!

In terms of the story, I didn't read part 1 and wasn't confused at all. I find it disappointing that in five-part stories, you don't really have to pick up the pace until the third or so issue, but it was fun enough. The issue mainly consisted of random little scenes that had little to do with each other, with one semi-big cliffhanger, but it has Joe Kelly's trademark black humor, so I won't exactly complain. I just won't praise it either =/.

As a little note, this is, what, the first time that Norah's appeared in Amazing since, what, 576? TWENTY ISSUES! That means every writer who isn't Joe has been neglecting her for twenty issues! If I were Norah, I'd be pissed, but then again, Siqueira draws her soooooo cute:

Lastly, here is Harry Osborn enacting a scene from The Karate Kid:

Dark Avengers #3 and 4: There is no Void!

Dark Avengers is becoming a friendly neighborhood fan-favorite here, a lot like the Thunderbolts, and it's for the same reason too: it's just a bunch of bad people who are superheroes who really shouldn't be superheroes.

I love that kinda crap, mostly because there's so much black humor in the titles. You see Osborn parading gallantly in red, white and blue armor in one panel, and in the next panel BAM! he's slamming some poor schmo's face into a tabletop. Hah.

Ever since he saved the world, he's been given charge of its new defenses, including the Dark Avengers, and hey are just a fantastic team.

Dark Avengers #3
by Brian Bendis and Mike Deodato

Even though it cost 3.99, this comic book was pretty awesome. Morgana le Fay casts a bunch of spells on Dr. Doom and sets the entire Avengers into chaos here.

Now that's what I call teamwork! In the meantime, Norman Osborn and V. Von Doom, Ph. D, run away and try to travel back in time to get back at her. All in all, these guys suck at being superheroes.

Strangely enough, the issue opens with a flashback: Osborn undergoes some talk therapy with the Sentry, and tries to help Sentry out with his secondary "The Void" identity. It almost, maybe, kind of. . . . makes Osborn out to be a good, compassionate, caring guy?

com-compassio -- whoa! Had a little head rush there. Better just finish this up. Dark Avengers #3 was pretty awesome. . .

. . . and no. It wasn't just because Ridley, Captain of the Space Pirates had a supercool cameo.

Dark Avengers #4
by Brian Bendis and Mike Deodato

The Morgana le Fay arc concludes here, and this comic book still costs way too much, but it's just so freakin' awesome.

Dark Avengers #4 is SUCH a comic book. Dr. Doom lays the smackdown and casts a spell that forces Morgana back into time -- to 1,000,000 BC in fact!

And after that, Professor V.V. Doom uses the freakin' Cosmic Cube to pull his castle from a different time and erect it on the ashes of his old one.
Because Doom is pimpin' like that.

There are some great lines that really reveal the team dynamic between the Dark Avengers.

There is so much snark between everyone on this team! I love it.

Read all of my Dark Avengers reviews:
Issue #1: the perfect middle finger
Issue #2: Norman Osborn, noble knight
Issue #3 and 4: There is no Void!
Issue #5: starring Tommy Lee Jones

52 vol. 4: SHAZAM! SHAZAM! SHAZAM!

It's about time! You asked for it from the very start of this blog, and it's finally here!

The last chapter! The Final Countdown!

52 Vol. 4

by quadrillions of people

Heh.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Well, if you don't know what it's about by now, go check out the first, second and third volumes. For you latecomers though, the gist is that, for 52 weeks, DC decided to put a hiatus on the Big Three - Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman - and instead tell a weekly comic about DC's other heroes.

It really rocked. This volume concludes the 52-week epic.

WHAT I LIKED: This is why comic books are made. There's one scene where Captain Marvel says "Shazam! Shazam! Shazam!" over and over, calling the thunderbolt from the sky over and over, and then grabbing that thunderbolt to lay the smackdown on people, while phase-shifting from Billy to Cpt. Marvel! That is insane!

Plus, you have that really cool cover with Will Magnus shooting bullets of the Mini-Metal Men at Egg-fu, and then you have the Religion of Crime erecting pits of fire across Gotham, and you have the Planet Green Lantern Mogo stopping Adam Strange's ship from tumbling into a K-type Sun, and you have Booster Gold travelling back in time to see Ted Kord pre-death, and then you have Mr. Mind trying to devour the universe. . .

Well, suffice to say, this is why comic books are made!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Some of the endings for the arc are kind of underwhelming. Steel's confrontation with Lex Luthor left me "meh." So did Renee Montoya's takedown of the Religion of Crime in Gotham. Ralph Dibny's arc too. It's just that they were formulaic and predictable, or so voncoluted that you'd have to remember the details of the past trades.

The biggest irk, though, is the severe plot twist in Black Adam's arc. I just really find it unfair that he can't catch a break. I mean, he gets a wife, a new brother, a new family, a new life! And then these guys take it all away. I really don't see the need to make everything so dark and grim and gory as they portrayed it here. I don't want Black Adam to get angry and wage war on the world. I just wish Black Adam could have a happy life. Jerks.

Art-wise, this isn't pretty good either. Joe Bennett was one of the foundation artists in early 52, but he only shows up for 2 issues or so here, which really disappointed me. Some of the artists here aren't the best.

EXTRAS?: You have 13 issues for 20 dollars! It's amazing, because most trades these days, are 6 issues for 20 dollars! Even more, after each issue, you have page's worth of comments from the writers, and sometimes sketches, cover sketches, or script excerpts! The 52 trades truly excel in the extras department.

And the Metal Men are a really cool concept! I'm thinking about picking up Keith Giffen's Doom Patrol reboot this year, which will have Metal Men back-ups in them.

Read all my reviews of DC's 52:
Volume 1: issues 1-13
Volume 2: issues 14-26
Volume 3: issues 27-39
Volume 4: issues 40-52 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days!

So, for whatever reason, DC is getting villain-happy and doing line-wide "Faces of Evil" issues for several of their titles. Maybe it's tying in to Final Crisis and how "Evil wins." Who knows.

All I know is that in the dominance of superhero comics, it's always nice to get something from the villain's perspective.

Detective Comics #852
by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen

This issue is so awesome. The last time we saw Hush, he lost his entire fortune by Catwoman's cunning, failed in his grandiose attempt to usurp Bruce Wayne's life, and was just plain disgraced. His plastic surgery (to pose as Bruce Wayne) failed him, as his face broke up in scars, and he walked away in the snow. On crutches.

Miraculously, in the first three pages, we see all that turn around!

It is just amazing to see what happens next. "Bruce" seduces a woman. He goes on a cruise. He travels to Jamaica. Australia. Vietnam. All of it on borrowed time in a stolen identity, and throughout the comic, you can't help but get this sense of dread. When will he get discovered? When will his plans fall through? The feeling that he will fail makes him . . . sympathetic, even for all the treachery he engages in!
The cliffhanger ending was a breathtaker, and simply amazing. The flow from one "Face of Evil" to the other in the upcoming issue is completely genius, and completely natural. You rock Paul Dini!

Lastly, I just love all the details in this comic book. Smeared over the "Detective" in the cover logo is a messy "Hush,"and here's Hush's best imitation of Bruce Wayne's imitation of the Fonz:

Ayyyyyyy.

He even goes to Australia and meets a superhero called "Tasmanian Devil"! Check out his insignia!

IT'S JUST A BIG "T!" Dustin Nguyen, you rock.

Detective #852, you rock.

Cover to Cover: It is critical you pay attention at this time!

It is so annoying how people keep pushing the election here at campus. You can't really walk anywhere without someone asking you, "Are you registered to vote? Are you registered to vote?" It's actually pretty funny, because after you say yes, they just turn away from you without saying anything!

And then there are actually people who organize dinners, for the sole purpose of election-pushing! There was a barbecue back when it was still warm, and there are assorted booths selling food now!
The election is so ubiquitous; no matter how far I ran, or how long, I couldn't get away from it!

That said, you probably wanna get to reviewing comic books now. So do I!

Nova #18
by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Wellinton Alves

I told you about how hideous the cover is, right?

The proportions in his costume aren't right, and what kind of face is that for Richard Rider, the man that saved the universe from Annihilus? Ugh, everything about the cover is just so. . . dirty, and ugly.

But --fortunately-- I can't say the same for the interior! The comic played out like a humongous action movie, with explosions and surprise appearances (and reappearances), and loud men yelling, and even more explosions.

Amidst the Skrulls' siege on Project PEGASUS, Nova's sentient computer buddy - the Xandarian Worldmind - is back! He is so bad-ass that he helps dispatch the assault. It was so good to see Worldmind kickin' butt!

At the end of the comic, we find out that Richard Rider isn't the last Nova anymore -- we see more Nova corps. Centurions! This is a nice status quo shake-up, but it could also lead to some inter-meshing with DC's Green Lantern Corps. How original can Abnett and Lanning make the Nova Corps. that they're distinct enough from the GL Corps? Who can say, but hey: the Worldmind is back!

Worldmind. . . it's kind of hard to admit this but, well, I feel like I need to say it to you, except, um, I need to say it--

-- in song:

Have you seen. . .

. . . the "Embrace Change" ads for Secret Invasion? They're in all the Marvel comics this week, or last week, or something. Here's a nifty "Embrace Change" infomercial, although I find it far too cynical and uneven in regards to human nature:

Did you find it a little creepy? If yes, so did I! I believe it was very, very creepy, and if not, maybe this will help you believe.

I also thought it was confusing. By saying "Embrace Change," is this ad asking me to

"Embrace the total destruction of my civilization as I know it and the replacement of said civilization with a Skrullian one, thus firmly eradicating me from the face of the Earth?"

Because, well, that's pretty much what's been going on in the comic right? People killing people? Has there been any kind of negotiation? Why are Skrulls killing the people they intend to enslave/enlighten?

Who knows. Only time will tell. There are still two issues left right? Or one?

Arghhhh, I really wanted to put reviews up today, but 1) my comics aren't with me, and 2) I haven't gotten me to a scannery! Reviews up. . . sometime? My Saturday oughta be free.

Now that's what I call the sixties! (Ambush Bug edition)

Can you believe how awesome this week was?

Not only does Chris Giarrusso at last get his own trade digest in Mini Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Howard the Duck finally gets his own omnibus hardcover! Suffice it to say, my life is incomplete without that hardcover.

In the middle of all this, can you believe there's even more comics gold? I'm referring, of course, to

Ambush Bug: Year None #1
by Giffen, Fleming and Milgrom

This may be my first time reading the Bug, but I will tell you that it is a wonderful read.

Ambush Bug travels through the DC Universe in a series of gags, and his excuse this time is a murder mystery. Specifically, he has to solve the murder of Jonni DC.

You might recognize the name as a spoof on DC's old-school mascot Johnny DC. In fact, he still talks to the reader if you pick up any kids' DC comics like the about-to-be-defunct The Batman, or The Legion of Super-heroes in the 31st Century, both of which are based on the Kids!WB cartoons.

The entire comic is set up like this, with lots more nods to the DC Universe. There's even a Women in Refrigerators gag, an Egg Fu cameo, and a hilarious new villain based on comics during the sixties. Remember those Go-Go Checks?

(click to enlarge, you hep cat. It's been a while since I've used these happenin' kinds of images!)

Well, I don't, because it wasn't my era, but that doesn't stop it from being any funnier! You only need to be passingly familiar with the DCU and comics in general to love this comic! Some original and genius material include Ambush bug's arch-nemesis Argh!Yle! and Ambush Bug's son, Cheeks the Toy Wonder.

(again: enlarge to clic-- you know what I mean)

As you can tell, this issue was awesome, and if you're not getting issue one, then you better be waiting for the trade!

My only complaint critical-wise is that the story is only loosely connected to the premise. Ambush Bug takes a hell of a lot of tangents before he closes up the case of Jonni DC's death, but those tangents are hilarious in every panel. It also appears that the six-issue mini will probably have six standalone stories instead of one interconnecting one, but with Argh!Yle!, who can really tell?

Newsarama even gave a feature to the Bug. The article is titled, "An Interview with Ambush Bug. Lord Help Us." It's a fun read, and definitely worth your while! You should go check it out.

And a little extra for you: Giffen even takes the time to make references to Chicago jazz!

I had to look up the references myself, which goes to show you the wealth of Chicago pride I have, but that doesn't stop the creative team from telling the hell out of this issue. You can probably tell if I'm psyched up for the next one!

It was the perfect day to. . .

. . . have three blisters in two places. . .

. . . have a throat cold. . .

. . . walk in the rain. . .

-but most importantly-

. . . to go to Wizard World!

This was my second con, so I tried to go about things better. This time I went to one event (still ignored all the panels and all the artists' alleys. . . ), which was the public costume contest.

You can click here for the slideshow of the sixty-four pictures I took, of the contest as well as many many toys, but today, we're gonna look at precisely the costume contest.

To put it short, it's really all about fanservice, and honestly? You can never go wrong with that. People crowded around a hall (and a douchebag got in my camera several times), as cosplayers (costume + players = cosplayers) were let into the room. The audience determined a winner in each group by how loud it cheered for everyone, which is flawed, but is still fun in its own right.

It eventually gets to the point where there's only one group of four finalists left, and the cheering gets insane from there!

The first group was easy. They were the kids, and, well, they didn't really partake in the whole winning part. . .

Check out Squirrel Girl there, from the Great Lakes Avengers, on the right of Smallville Green Arrow! She's so adorable!

There was also a JSA ensemble, which was pretty awesome. I really regret getting some closer pictures of Black Canary, because that person had a really pretty face structure.

Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series appeared too! Snaaaaaaake!

In the video game series, whenever Snake dies, his commlink goes

"Snake, do you copy? Snake! Snaaake!!!!"

so fans are always quick to jump on that when they get the chance!

Okay, this was just adorable. It's a Gotham villain family ensemble, with The Batman versions of Catwoman and Poison Ivy.

Harley Quinn was blowing kisses to everyone, and that just got me right here.

Deadpool was fantastic! He knew how to milk slapstick out of everyone.

Like, he asked the Punisher to hold his grenade, and he always accidentally dropped his guns whenever he entered.

Clark Kent. I wish he could've gotten more applause.

There was also a Superman who absolutely channeled Brandon Routh, but no one appeared to cheer for him either.

Is it true when they say that Superman is a dated character?

Optimus Prime!

He was amazing. His windows actually glowed; his headlights worked, and his license plate said OfficeMax.

If that doesn't qualify for amazing, then you are a deficient human being lacking in humanity.

An ensemble movie X-Men! They had everyone, from Colossus to Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops (I think two of them?), Jean, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and X-23. They even movie-adapted Emma Frost! The only thing is, who is that girl in the blue?

Regardless, this ensemble was just packed with fanservice. When Professor X entered, for example, he said, "To me, my X-Men!" and later on, Wolverine and Colossus even did a Fastball Special!

Beetle and Booster. Just like their comics versions, they didn't get that much love either =(.

And those are the pictures I just showed you! You can go to the slideshow for more, such as Pimp Venom or Zatanna Zatara or a Sin City ensemble. The slideshow has some captions from me, and you'll see some of the pictures in that slideshow next post as well!

The contest had three finalists for the final round: Optimus Prime, the movie X-Men ensemble and a Mojo costume that was so huge they had to open both doors to let him in.

I didn't take pictures of that, but rather, a video. If you click the link, you can see some video annotations, but here it is right here:

And (Optimus) won! Yes!

Next post: toys, toys, toys and comics, comics, comics, and the rest of the stuff.

Again, you can check out the slideshow here. I apologize for having a crappy camera, but the slideshow is really cool, and I'm kinda proud of it.

Wizard World Wednesday

Another Wednesday's passed, so you guys know what that means right?

It means we look at this week's comics! There's only one minor kink, which is, uh, the fact that I didn't get any today. I'm holding off on any spending for Wizard World Chicago. Wheeeeee.

So, in lieu of reviewing the week, I'm going to try a little something different.

I'm gonna review this tennis ball I found at the park today.

Note the little turquoise streak. Any tennis ball connoisseur will tell by the hue that this ball has been through a wild ride, and I'm not taking about any roller coaster. This ball's been abused something fierce, but that's not what we're looking at is it?

No, further tests will prove that this tennis ball is severely lacking in one particular practical department.

The piece a' crap doesn't freakin' bounce! How's anyone supposed to play some hardcore tennis with this?

I give this tennis ball one out of five deliriously insane blog posts. For shame, random-tennis-ball-that-I-picked-up-off-the-ground. For shame.

Okay, I apologize for the insane post today. Send me any feedback on how you liked it (or not) if you want, but don't be too harsh now, y'hear? You don't really wanna hurt my feelings, do you?

And don't worry, guys. You can count on plenty of pictures from Wizard World!

Snippets from Marvel's website

Holy crap did you guys know that Marvel released an animated version of the first issue of Astonishing X-Men (reproduced below)?



I have to say, the editing is really well done. Excellent use of zooming in, blurring, music, all done to tell the beginning to a very strong story.

There are a few problems though, where Emma Frost's line of ". . . and I still rate below a corpse" is whispered when she finishes it.

Kitty and Scott's voices are spot-on, but Emma doesn't sound condescending enough and Wolverine doesn't sound mean enough.

All in all, a very smart way to market one of Marvel's strongest franchises and comic books. I'm very impressed with the steps that they're taking to shape modern-day comics.

ITEM: Kneel before M.O.D.O.G.!

At this article, Dan Slott and Marcos Martin tells us about Paper Doll, the villain who's obsessed with Celebrity Bobby Carr. It turns out that she's a meta-comment on fans who got worked up about One More Day. Slott tells us that Paper Doll is an example of how fans can,

"if they're not careful, might get a little two-dimensional."

Is this clever or is this a little condescending? I'm not so sure, because it's a smart way of writing, but I do believe that fans have the right to be indignant.

Feel free to comment on what you will. All I know is that Marvel is taking so many steps forward, no wonder it takes the top share every month.

Yes, DC, I'm looking at you and acknowledging your conglomeracy as a single being. Please get with the times before you're left in the dust.

I mean, Marvel's jointing up with other publishers from other countries (Soleil, France); they've got the Digital Comics Unlimited; they've got videos and blogs on their website; they've got movies every step you turn; they are the market.

And what have you done to keep up with this DC?

Panel by Panel: Deciphering the Winick Code in GA/BC #6

Usually, I make "panel by panel" posts on comics that I really like, or that I really just despise.

Today's is kind of strange; it's kind of an exception.


Green Arrow/Black Canary #6
by Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang

And that exception is due to The Winick. I can never get my hand precisely on his writing. It is absolutely an enigma; sometimes he can just hit it, really get these characters, but sometimes he is just awful, awful, awful.

And this issue was a great example of that. Case in point, Winick really doesn't understand how people talk at times -at times. Does this guy need some kind of coach or something, because sometimes - sometimes - his lack of realism in the dialogue is truly terrifying.

"Heavy duty, mondo, butt-kicking SURVEILLANCE. . ."

How can you be kicking butt when you're surveying the area???? "Mondo?" "Mondo"???? Are we ten years in the past now???

"OLIVER. . . MY LOVE. . . You are going to HAVE to push back that OCEAN OF RAGE -- that MONSOON OF EMOTION that kicks around in your body like a RABID BEAR on STEROIDS."

HUH?? Wha. . . wha. . . HUH??? Where are we? Is this still Dinah? Ocean of rage???? Monsoon of emotion?!?! RABID BEAR ON STEROIDS?!?! Is this the same woman who said (and I don't agree with either quote),

"Huh, so THAT'S why he couldn't JUMP MY BONES? Not even ME?" (or something like that.)

Winick, why do you do this? Why do you make such inappropriate dialogue? Is it because you've never heard any real person talk before? Is it because you want to get back at Ollie and Dinah? What have they done to you? Is it because you've never spoken to a real person before? Is that it? Do you just need a friend, Mr. Winick?

So there: Winick seriously needs to work on his dialogue. That's what I find extremely flawed in his writing.

Yet he has so much fun with the dynamic between Ollie and Dinah! It made me endlessly happy to try to figure out the opening scene, in which a Russian arms dealer (and his "accountant") are talking to vendors of the "cloud" (it's really a ship) that shot Connor:

Guess who they are.

Go ahead, guess!

The two turn out to be (Ollie and Dinah!) fishing for clues of the ship! They eventually get discovered, but not before causing a ruckus, kicking some mobster tail and then jetting it! It's fantastic; this is the kind of stuff I expect from a GA/BC team-up!

And then back to the bad.

<-- Is Oliver bipolar or something? This really worries me. Is this the real Oliver? Why does he get so angry about this? He makes a similar outburst in issue #4, when he is a complete jerk to Hal about extracting the bullet from Connor, so it appears that Winick is trying something.

I seriously don't think this is a healthy sign of Oliver's character, or a real part of Oliver's character. It doesn't fit with all of his past portrayals, and this is severely disturbing me.

This outburst leads Dinah to try to comfort Ollie, and that utterly heartwarming scene that just tore my heartstrings.

I mean, it just provoked a monsoon of emotion from me, and I couldn't control my ocean of sympathy for the two.

All mockery aside though, it was nice to see them feeling warm for each other.

Which brings us to Dinah's role in the comic as a whole. Ever since Ollie came back, it's been the All-Ollie Hour with Dinah occasionally coming to support him and tell him that he's a good man - so she's basically a side character.

I can see why so many people have no faith in Winick's writing, but then we see this delightful three-panel sequence of Ollie and Dinah being chased by a ship:

Arrowcar, arrowplane, dumpy van, whatever it is, you can drive it, Ollie, but motorcycles? I think you better leave that to Dinah.

So they eventually beat the ship that's chasing them, and they find out: ALIENS! ALIENS shot Connor!

Okay, first get the initial "Uh. . . What?" out of your system. These aliens aren't established aliens in the DCU, so why could they be here?

My theory is that the aliens are somehow tied into Final Crisis, which'd be a damn shame, because I hate when mega-events interfere with my books. There is, though, the big, big chance that I'm wrong and Winick has something else in that dialogue-murdering (I kid, I kid) mind of his.

But I can't get a handle on your writing, Mr. Winick. You write some great moments and some great action, yet you need serious help with crafting dialogue. You drive your plots with catastrophe after catastrophe yet you make sure to emphasize the humanity of these heroes. You are so confusing.

You're spinning me around and around in circles, Mr. Winick.



Circles.

A little note about the art:

Cliff Chiang is back! Fantastic!

I'm really sad that next ish will be his last, and I wish this would have been one of the books that he helped shape a la Hester and Smith on Green Arrow or Simone and Benes on Birds of Prey, but at least we'll get covers from him, right?

There were two changes I noticed over the months: Cliff is drawing eyes more realistic and less over-cartoonishly, and he's working on his cheeks more to make them seem less baby-esque. It's great. There's also a distinct age difference between his Dinah and his Mia, evidenced in their different cheek sharpness, which was great to notice, and. . .

. . . and is it just me, or did Dinah become a lot prettier (if that's possible)?

Aw Dinah, there's no need to be shy. It's part of the blog, after all!

If you guys want me to give this comic a numerical value: speak up!

I'm not sure if a number will do Winick's strange writing, but I'll sure as hell try!

Or maybe you have something to add, it's the same: don't be afraid to speak up!