Trending: JL8

In which I address online news, web content and trending issues.

Every now and again I get sucked into really specific obsessions.  Lately that obsession has been webcomics, all thanks to stumbling upon JL8: a webcomic that reimagines DC's expansive cast of characters as eight-year-olds.  It's adorable, hilarious and endlessly addictive.

As of this article, the series is 200 comics of concentrated awesomeness.  After coming across it one night after a closing shift, I stayed up until after three in the morning: reading them all in a single sitting.  I told myself when I started to hear the birds rousing outside that I was going to go to bed after just one more strip, but that clearly didn't happen.

The thing about JL8 is that it is hopelessly earnest.  It's a heartfelt slice-of-life comic with strong silver-age sensibilities and a true understanding about what makes each of its characters tick.

Bruce and Clark are friends, even if they don't see eye to eye on most things.  Barry and Hal are the immature pranksters, even if one's more of a clown and the other's basically Benny from The Lego Movie.  Diana is a princess who hates the idea of being some kind of damsel in distress, while Karen wants nothing less than to live inside of a fairy tale.  J'onn is the icing on the cake: an exchange student from Mars who plays the straight man to everybody else's increasingly zany antics.

While the strip does wax from adorable to joke-of-the-day, the focus generally on larger story arcs, most of which clock in at around 50 strips.  The first narrative arc has the boys incredibly self-conscious after a local newspaper refers to them as kids (exacerbated by the 4th grade bullies - Toy Maker, Bane, Poison Ivy, Cheetah, Lex Luthor, Captain Cold and Joker - picking on them).  Their solution?  Get super serious by changing into their New 52 costumes, a change that doesn't sit well with Clark.

The second - and my personal favorite - takes place in the days leading up to Wonder Woman's birthday party.  Antics include Bruce giving Clark advice on how to pick up women (specifically Diana), Diana trying to set Karen up with Clark, Barry eating all of the snacks and Bruce's crippling fear of clowns.

The most recent arc - concluded just before the comic went on hiatus in May - has Hal going on a camping trip with his boy scouts-themed Green Lantern friends.  Barry and J'onn tag along to go Bigfoot hunting and win a bet against Bruce.

The comic is short enough to read in just one setting (or several smaller ones if you don't have a single stretch to read them in) and well worth the time you invest into it.  Casual fans of DC comics will still find a lot to enjoy in this Peanuts-styled comic strip about adorable children finding their way in the world.  More dedicated fans, however, will find tons of in-jokes and on-point references that greatly enhance the surface-level narrative.

Although currently on hold, new strips should start cropping up sometime in the next couple of weeks.  Feel free to check them out here.

So what are your favorite versions of DC's heroes and villains?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: DC Pulls Batgirl #41 Variant Cover Amid Controversy

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

It seems that DC's every decision as of late - at least since they decided to turn Starfire into a nymphomanic draw for their New 52 comic reboot - has been mired in sexualized controversy.  The latest hot-button issue that they've been the focus of - a variant cover of Batgirl #41 featuring the Joker - has resulted in the publisher from pulling the art from publication.

The cover (shown above) is an homage to Alan Moore's 1988 comic Batman: The Killing Joke.  In that story, Batgirl was shot, paralyzed and implicitly raped by the Joker.  It was scheduled as one of 25 Joker-themed variant covers to be released in June, but was pulled at the artist's request after he realized how upsetting it was proving to be with the comic's fans.  In a statement made about the cover's cancellation, artist Rafael Albuquerque wrote

My Batgirl variant cover artwork was designed to pay homage to a comic that I really admire, and I know is a favorite of many readers. 'The Killing Joke' is part of Batgirl’s canon and artistically, I couldn't avoid portraying the traumatic relationship between Barbara Gordon and the Joker.

For me, it was just a creepy cover that brought up something from the character’s past that I was able to interpret artistically. But it has become clear, that for others, it touched a very important nerve. I respect these opinions and, despite whether the discussion is right or wrong, no opinion should be discredited.

My intention was never to hurt or upset anyone through my art. For that reason, I have recommended to DC that the variant cover be pulled. I'm incredibly pleased that DC Comics is listening to my concerns and will not be publishing the cover art in June as previously announced.

While it's only natural for a company as stories as DC to reference an incredibly memorable and well-received storyline from their past - and regardless of how excellent the would-be cover actually looked - it was more than just a little short-sighted of them to ever approve that particular piece, especially given the incredibly youthful and ultimately optimistic direction of the title and its characters in recent years.  Simply put, 1988's Batgirl doesn't jive with 2015 Batgirl.  Concerning the cancellation, DC has stated that

We publish comic books about the greatest heroes in the world, and the most evil villains imaginable. The Joker variant covers for June are in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Joker.

Regardless if fans like Rafael Albuquerque’s homage to Alan Moore’s THE KILLING JOKE graphic novel from 25 years ago, or find it inconsistent with the current tonality of the Batgirl books - threats of violence and harassment are wrong and have no place in comics or society.

We stand by our creative talent, and per Rafael’s request, DC Comics will not publish the Batgirl variant.

So what do you think of DC's decision to pull June's variant cover of Batgirl?

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