LITERARY POINT OF LOU – DC COMICS HEROINES: 100 GREATEST MOMENTS
Well hello there everyone!!! It’s your intrepid game reviewer Lou stepping away from his regularly scheduled programming for this very special review of a brand new offering from Chartwell books. Now book reviews are something that I’m not exceptionally proficient with, so this article will probably be about as well written as a mediocre Goodreads review, nevertheless I shall endeavor to convey my thoughts on the second volume in Chartwell’s DC Comics 100 Greatest Moments series. So without further ado, follow me down the rabbit hole as we discuss DC Comics Heroines: 100 Greatest Moments.
Released in October, DC Comics Heroines: 100 Greatest Moments is written / curated by industry veteran, and DC alumnus Robert Greenberger. Now for those of you not in the know, Greenberger has quite the history in the comics industry. He cut his teeth at Comics Scene Magazine in the early 80’s (for you younger readers, magazines such as Comics Scene were what us old fogies used to read before the internet existed, it’s how we got “insider info” about the industry) before accepting a job as an assistant editor at DC comics working under such industry luminaries as Len Wein, Co Creator of Swamp Thing and Wolverine, and Marv Wolfman, Co Creator of Blade, Nova, Bullseye, and writer of perhaps the greatest crossover event ever written: Crisis On Infinite Earths. He was then promoted to a full fledged editor, overseeing such books as Suicide Squad and Doom Patrol. He also enjoyed a short stint at Marvel before returning to DC as “Senior Editor for Collected Editions”.
Following the formula established in his previous work: DC Comics Justice League: 100 Greatest Moments, Greenberger deftly guides the reader through the annals of DC history, highlighting not only the highest profile but also the most influential moments that helped to define the legion of female heroines in the DC Universe. For every galactic level event such as Dr. Light absorbing a star to finally put an end to the Anti Monitor, or Artemis assuming the role of Wonder Woman (I consider this galactic level, as Diana is one of the DC Holy Trinity), there are smaller but no less important character moments such as Amanda Waller threatening Batman, or Cassandra Cain proposing to Maggie Sawyer. Greenberger’s abilty to balance such disparate moments of DC history such as Batgirl kissing Nightwing (yes she kissed him first not the other way around) or the Formation of The Birds of Prey with equal weight is no small task, and his knack for not only providing perspective to these events, but also guide the reader through the various alterations and retcons to the characters backstories is handled superbly, accompanied with richly colored and lovingly restored pages accentuating the individual scenes, and showcasing the various character models used over the years.
You may not think Black Canary having to help Speedy while he overcame a heroin addiction all that important in the grand scheme of fighting extinction level threats such as Darkseid. But seeing Dinah break her established character and display moments of tenderness that readers hadn’t seen from her previously is no less important to her character development. This is what Greenberger has brought to the table. For the DC history buff in your family or friend group this hardcover tome would make a terrific holiday gift, and for the ridiculously low cover price of $24.99 you will get out cheap too!!! At 312 pages it will keep them engaged for days as well as provide a handy reference book. I really want to say thank you to Chartwell for sending us a copy to review, and Kudos to Mr. Greenberger for putting together a fun retrospective on the Fantastic Females of the DC Universe.
Until Next Time Everyone,
Be Good To Your Fellow Nerds,
Lou
P.S. – Make sure to tune in to the Pint O’ Comics podcast this week where the Jo(h)n’s and yours truly give our thoughts on this, and other pop culture related books!!
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