Geoff Johns:
(Again I'm excluding Katz as Johns' familiar story beats bleed into the story.) If you followed a bit of Geoff Johns you know how much the loss of his sister has deeply affected him and his work. The problem with it here is that it seems to give Michelle a completely new personality and confuses the plots that come before and after his reunion scene. I don't have a big problem with Michelle trying to convince Booster to stay away from their father. But I do think she'd get angrier than the almost passive plea for him to clean up his act. Remember that gambling was considered a sin in their house since their father abandoned them and this would affect more than Booster. The scandal would ruin their chances at a better life and bring shame to them all.
No, where Michelle truly seems off is her reunion with Booster. First of all: why is she this sugary sweet? Yes Rip saved her and I could buy him taking her to a hospital to recover--but isn't she a little bit traumatized? She doesn't know how much time has passed (*1) and suddenly another huge change has happened within the ten seconds/day/etc. since she last saw her brother? Why has she apparently been going on and on about what Booster did for them (*2) when she was more matter-a-factly about it before?
Her interactions with the others also ring false. First the minor quibble I have with her offhandedly referring to Rip as "Mr. Hunter" when she was already on a first name basis with him in the first series. Also as stated above, Michelle was never that close to Skeets. Why would she be randomly cooing at him like a beloved pet? Maybe she's glad to be alive? Even so it reads strange against the other material. Michelle doesn't come across like she did before and she certainly doesn't read as if she just saw her brother a little while ago (her POV.)
*1 Okay I'm not sure who is responsible for this but Johns does hold a little responsibility. Batman can somehow tell Booster was older despite him being beaten to a bloody pulp. Giffin/DeMatteis have everyone in the past that saw Booster except Max know by sight that Booster was older--yet his own twin sister didn't know? If she did notice then why is she in such a state of shock when she learns the truth? Why didn't she ask more questions since everything in her brothers' life has changed since she saw him last?
*2 She's thanking Booster for what he did for her and their mother, implying the gambling? Why would she do that? Even if it didn't split the family apart she's randomly bringing it up after they discussed it. For that matter how does Skeets even know she keeps bringing it up if he's been with Booster the whole time?
*1 Okay I'm not sure who is responsible for this but Johns does hold a little responsibility. Batman can somehow tell Booster was older despite him being beaten to a bloody pulp. Giffin/DeMatteis have everyone in the past that saw Booster except Max know by sight that Booster was older--yet his own twin sister didn't know? If she did notice then why is she in such a state of shock when she learns the truth? Why didn't she ask more questions since everything in her brothers' life has changed since she saw him last?
*2 She's thanking Booster for what he did for her and their mother, implying the gambling? Why would she do that? Even if it didn't split the family apart she's randomly bringing it up after they discussed it. For that matter how does Skeets even know she keeps bringing it up if he's been with Booster the whole time?
I...I never really thought about these discrepancies before. Possibly because I am not that familiar with Michelle. I have SOME of Booster's old book, but not a whole lot of issues, because I've been too busy drooling over Guy.
ReplyDeleteBut Booster is also drool-worthy.
Michelle however, does seem to have undergone a rather drastic change in personality. Or at least motivation.
Likely the same for me with Kyle because while I have GLC books I don't think I know him that well.
ReplyDeleteAll of Boosters' books have nice drool-worthy shots of him. It's amazing. :D
I'm not sure why she's written so different since she was only written by one writer before this. The same writer Johns/Katz talked to on a regular basis during this run. Same thing with Giffin/DeMatteis, Jurgens says that Giffin kept calling him up but you'd never know it by reading the book.
I do like Giffen, but I have to admit that he does have a tendancy to suffer from the "Wouldn't it be cool if we..." syndrome. Changing things simply for the sake of change, or as a shock tactic.
ReplyDeleteSadly a lot of writers seem to suffer from this.
ReplyDelete