#We Are Robin (comis series)

[storypraxis]

Ame-Comi Girls #5 ends the Brainiac story arc with a whimper.

Steel is the most underrated gal of the bunch; her co-operative nature makes her really likeable unlike Wonder Woman whose arrogance, while needed in a team book I think, does get on my nerves. I take it Steel’s comment about not giving Poison Ivy mouth to mouth for obvious reasons means she doesn’t want to get poisoned or taken over by her pheromones. That and she’s not a lesbian.

As for Brainiac, what a weak villain. All she could do was turn Supergirl evil, but settled on wrapping her tentacles around other heroes. All things considered, quite an ineffectual villain. The way Wonder Woman and Power Girl take her down to save Flash is really underwhelming. There’s no plan, no close calls, just brute strength.

I get this line was done to only sell toys, but c’mon! Outside the character designs and aesthetics you really need to make the readers care.

Batgirl, Robin, Steel, Flash, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley, Duela Dent could have all easily been removed from the story and very little would have changed. Those pages should have been used to give us more action surrounding Power Girl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Brainiac.

By the end of the issue, the unconscious Supergirl is used as a plot device and a vehicle to show us how caring and badass Power Girl is and what a jerk Wonder Woman is. Granted, I understand why Diana would distrust Supergirl after her turn to evil. If this was a good story, we’d have a surprise twist where Power Girl and Wonder Woman fight each other with Supergirl’s fate being in the victor’s hands.

The promise of that fight, that scenario should have been the cliffhanger. Instead, Power Girl just flies away with Supergirl and later at the Fortress deems her to be in danger of dying from Black Kryptonite poisoning.

As a reader, I only care because Karen cares. I care very little for Supergirl, Ame-Comi verse or not. Power Girl is the only reason I’ll be covering the future issues. After she’s gone, so am I.

For the first arc, Ame-Comi Girls should have been all style; sleek, action-packed and well drawn. Instead we got underwhelming art and action with a so-so story and barely servicable characters.

Despite what naysayers might say, the idea for this series is a good one. Really new reader friendly. The execution is just so lacking.

#ame-comi #ame-comi girls #power girl #wonder woman #steel #brainiac #flash #supergirl

[crystalmafia]

Ellen Allien - Mind Journey from crystalmafia on Vimeo.

The video was inspired by alchemy. The joining of the sun and the moon, fire and water - the attraction of opposites. All creative acts come out of the union and fusion of these memories. Different characters appear inside a subconscious mind - a half awake half asleep in-between place of surrealism that we all experience when we dream. As an homage to Ellen Allien's long history as a strong energy in electronic music, I wanted to see what it felt like to have an all female cast and crew for Mind Journey. We shot during the night of a full moon with a house of inspiring woman. Fa' Empel, Jessica Comis and Charlotte Carter-Allen are beautiful muses inside and out - together they became the perfect kind of apparitions that Ellen encountered in her sleep to dream journey. Halla Farhat did the styling incorporating a lot of her own personal designs and Siobhan Prior and Shira Kela worked on me with my last VHS video, both as dops, so it felt only natural to involve them again. Anne Timper did the hair and makeup working exclusively with all natural & sustainable products curated by our friends at Berlin-based Amazingy.com.The decision to shoot Ellen’s entire series of music videos for this album on VHS was quite natural- the analog feeling mixed with the artifacts and unexpected variations - for me- only comes when you work with this sort of medium.

Directed and filmed by: Kieran Behan (crystalmafia) Camera 2&3: Shira Kela and Siobhan Prior Edit: Robin Thompson Styling: Halla Farhat Makeup: Anne Timper Special Appearances by: Ellen Allien, Fahrani Pawaka Empel, Jessica Comis, Charlotte Carter Allen

[storypraxis]

Ame-Comi Girls #1 continues where Ame-Comi Supergirl #3 left off.

For an issue #1, it’s not a good place to start. You needed to read two mini-series prior to this one. The change in art, while not bad by any means, is still jarring. The more stylized manga influence would have fitted the book better. I liked the brighter coloring of previous series’ but I guess manga is black and white so the muted colors are a step in the “right” direction, I guess.

Wonder Woman fights against a mind-controlled Supergirl with a magical sword, capable of hurting and killing even a kryptonian. This is good for giving Diana a chance in the fight even though she really shouldn’t go for the kill.

Ame-Comi Wonder Woman however has shown to be more than okay with killing. There have been moments where the canonical Wonder Woman has killed, too, but I’m of the opinion that paragon heroes like Batman, Superman & Wonder Woman shouldn’t ever kill - it’s their greatest strength and a weakness.

Wonder Woman luckily decides not to use her blade and instead lassoes Supergirl. Diana smashes Supergirl to the ground, inadvertently freeing the captured and slowly suffocating Steel. I say inadvertently because there’s no acknowledgment of the fact before or after Steel’s icy prison gets broken - presumably by the tremors caused by Supergirl’s fall. Unless Steel freed herself somehow? The art doesn’t make that clear.

Speaking of, in the following panels we have the Flash basically running past a downed Catwoman and asking where she is. Hey, Flash! Eyes open! Catwoman doesn’t feel too good and makes a joke about her dwindling nine lives.

The issue ends with Robin wanting more backup. While in the middle of a whole slew of heroes. Luckily, Power Girl makes a comeback in the next issue and she’s bringing friends with her.

Overall, the first issue of Ame-Comi Girls is decent, but it lacks in story, characters and even on the action department. The story is your basic alien invasion plot, the characters don’t come to any realization about themselves or about others and the action just isn’t up to snuff.

The series demands better art and longer fight scenes that keep your interest, but it’s all over too soon. Wonder Woman is never in any real danger. Neither Diana or Kara know each other so there’s no tension. Granted, Supergirl just got on the planet so even if she was fighting against Power Girl there’s not much depth between those two. But at least they share the same bloodline, the same family name. That would at least be something.

Next issue also has another plotline that makes me think Wonder Woman and Power Girl should have switched roles. But more on that later.

#ame-comi #manga #wonder woman #supergirl #steel #the flash #catwoman