The End of an Era

Damn. I HATE the End of Eras! I'm not sure if they are distributed throughout the rest of the country, but here in New England, we have been enjoying the deliciousness of Grote & Weigel hotdogs, sausages, kielbasa and other meat-based culinary delights for years. And suddenly, the Bloomfield, Connecticut business is going...out of business. No more two-foot hotdogs at Doogies!

I am distraught.

I understand that old family-run businesses are under a lot of strain nowadays, but that doesn't make it any easier. I almost fainted dead away when they closed down Shiek's in Torrington last year, or the Dairy Bar, or any of the myriad small restaurants, hotdog stands, ice cream parlors, and pizza joints that enjoyed my custom. It's purely selfish on my part of course...but one just ASSUMES that these kinds of places that you went to since childhood (or your parent's childhood) would always always be there.

Damn.

Now I need a hot dog.

More Reviews

Well, now this was a fairly interesting week.

All-Star Western #5

Poor Jonah. He really really hates Gotham City. And who can blame him? He is stuck palling around with Doctor Arkham, who is a bit of a wet blanket really, and he keeps getting involved in these absurd situations. Giant bats in the caves beneath the city? Vampire people? Slave labor, and greedy politicians, and all the rest? He'd probably just like to go back west and get shot at by various bandits and owl-hoots for a change of pace.

As good as it always is.

Aquaman #5

Gosharootie, that splash page is insanely gorgeous. It takes up a helluva lot of space, but it IS gorgeous.



Purty, eh?

Anyhoo, Arthur is a bit moody after the mess with the Trench creatures, when he gets a phone call from the U.S. Navy of all people, who found an artifact when they were taking apart the cocoons around those nice people. They want Aquaman to help out, and of course he does. The artifact, which looks a lot like his belt buckle is talking, and he tells them that it is from ancient Atlantis. Naturally, they don't believe him, until a bunch of people with helmets and laser guns show up and steal the artifact back. Artie goes after them, and in the struggle, they manage to blow up their own ship, and he falls to the ground. The hot DRY ground. He's bleeding, dehydrated and hallucinating just a bit, when he comes across the wreck, and some water from the helmet of one of the Atlanteans, and manages to conjure up a holographic image, that blames their plight on the ancient rulers of Atlantis. He's intrigued naturally, and then manages to get rescued by a Navy Helicopter, to the amusement of the media. Oh, and Mera goes into town for some dogfood. What could possibly go wrong?

The art is stunning of course, and I'm enjoying this thoroughly.

Flash #5

The Flash continues to deliver as usual. The story is fun, and the art is gorgeous, and Barry is learning how to do all these wonderful wonderful things. Too bad about his old buddy. And that cliff-hanger is...ominous. Very ominous.

This is a great book, and I love it.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #5

I...I just don't know what it is about this book. I just can't seem to summon up the enthusiasm that I have when I'm reading Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corps. It's not that I don't like Kyle, because I LOVE Kyle. I think it is perhaps, that I'm not that thrilled with the whole concept of him running around with these various other Color Corps members. I also am not thrilled with him being on the outs with the Guardians, but hey, who ISN'T on the outs with the Guardians lately?

I miss having him bounce off Guy, or John, or Kilowog or Hal, or any other members of the GREEN Lantern Corps. I don't have the affection for Fatality or Atrocitus or Munk really. They're...ok. Just not my cup of tea.

Anyway, they go and slip aboard the Orrery, and stuff happens, and Larfleeze is apparently up to no good.

Meh.

Justice League #5

Well, things are just booming along nicely now. Darkseid shows up, as we were all pretty sure he was going to...and He manages to defeat Flash, at least temporarily, and kidnaps Superman of all people, which I thought was interesting. Hal is busy doing his best to defeat Darkseid, with no thought to the consequences, and even manages to get his arm broken. Batman is trying to talk him down, and points out that the two of them are probably the ONLY people on this new team without powers, which makes Hal blink a bit. Heck, Bats even takes his cowl off, and tells Hal who he really IS! Hal of course, the self-centered jackass that he is, hasn't the least idea who Bruce Wayne even is, which I found awfully amusing.

Cyborg shows up,and Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, and they all fight the goons, and Hal is drawing Darkseid's fire, while Bruce goes after Superman, and gets quite a surprise.

It's just good comic book fun. Nothing too cerebral, but it's flashy and a bit fun, and has lots of good old fashioned violence. And a fair amount of Hal, which is always a bonus.

Justice League Dark #5

I do like this book as well. Such pretty art for one thing. The Dark version of the league does manage to get together,and more or less save the day, but not without a lot of angst, and a lot of accusations and outrage. Now that they're together, despite the pleas of Madame Xanadu, they immediately split up again. And poor June Moon is back together with the Enchantress, and Deadman is really pissed, and Constantine is pissed, and oh, it's lots and lots of fun.

Hal, Ollie and Dinah

Oh, what a winsome trio they were. And I say "were", because in the present state of DC continuity, their happy little menage is no more. And that's a pity, because the three of them were fun.

In my mind, Hal always works best when he's bouncing off of another character, which is why I always enjoyed Hal and Barry, Hal and Ollie, Hal and Guy, etc. etc. Now, Hal has Barry again, but they are still pretty new to their friendship in the newly formed Justice League, and heck, Hal and Ollie don't even seem to have MET! And the same thing with Dinah. Which makes me sad. This is probably why Hal is running around with Sinestro at the moment...there ISN'T anybody else! I haven't seen Tom Kalmaku lately either, I hope he is still in existance at least.

Ollie just isn't the same without Hal. He's not frothing at the mouth, or calling people "fat cats" or comparing Hal to a Nazi or...or anything! No Arrow car, no Arrow plane, no Arrow cave...wait a minute, with his fancy-ass new corporation, he probably DOES have an Arrow Car and an Arrow Plane! Interestingly enough, he's STILL a pale imitation of Batman!

Haw!

But no Dinah in the picture, so there is a whole lot less angst. And romance. I liked Hal being friends with Dinah, because she had to be just about the only woman that he was genuinely FRIENDS with! As a serial flirt, Hal always seems to see women as potential girlfriends. He didn't seem that way with Dinah...at least much.



But man, I miss stuff like this.

Green Lantern Corps #5

Somehow in all of the excitement, I forgot to do a review of my favorite book! Although I still think that the cover is just ridiculous.

John and his captured cohorts aren't in this very much, basically, they are being tortured by the extremely disgruntled Keepers, for information about how to invade Oa and steal the main Power Battery. Naturally, being Green Lanterns they are remaining mum. The Keepers aren't particularly nice people, but you have to admit that they do have a valid reason for being cranky. Something really weird is going on with the Guardians. Have they really been this ruthless for this long?

Anyway, the rest of the story is mainly Peter Tomasi having fun with his version of the Wild Bunch, the Dirty Dozen, and any number of manly manly old-time movies, starring the likes of Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, and so on and so forth. Guy needs to round up a posse of the toughest Lanterns around, and they don't come much tougher than the "Mean Machine". Attrition has eaten into their numbers apparently, but there are a few of them left, hiding out beneath Warriors, where they meet to play cards and drink Guy's beer for free, I guess. Guy takes it pretty well, all things considered, and rounds up these gruff old veterans, so that they can all go and rescue John and the rest of the Lanterns. Brik and Sheriff Mardin and H'onnu aren't particularly thrilled, and there is a certain amount of trash talk going on. Then they all fly off and raid a bunch of Khund pirates, and take their stash of weapons, and they get to stand around posing with automatic weapons and looking very very macho.

It's perfectly absurd of course. But I don't care. I get the impression that Tomasi is just having a bit of fun with this, and Pasarin's art is pretty as usual, so I enjoyed it.

Reviews

This has been a somewhat...tumultuous week for me, but I have to admit...the comics were amazing this week. Therefore, without further ado...!

Batman #5

I'm not a Bat fan. You all know this, I mention it about once a week or so. But I do have to say that I AM a Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo fan! This has to be one of the most perfect comic books that I have read in a very long time. And furthermore, it is a story that could ONLY be told in Comic Book Form.

Bats has been trapped in the Owl's labyrinth, without food, and only drugged water, and he's slowly but surely losing his mind. Batman of all people, is lost and afraid and going nuts. I love it. He of course thinks that he's in control, and to see him slowly losing it, is amazing. But what is really amazing, is the way that the story unfolds, with the layout going from standard panels, to sideways, to upside-down, all of which reflects Bruce's descent into madness. It is, quite simply, mind-boggling.

Buy This Book.

Neal Adams Batman: Odyssey #4

On a completely different level, this has crazy Batman in it too! Once again, we have a stunningly gorgeous Bruce on the first page, giving his blow-by-blow account of the story. He looks a lot like Hal again, and he's even wearing a Green Lantern T-shirt! My mind is officially blown. There is Deadman, and Robin, and trained giant bats, and trolls, and goblins, and Ras's crazy old son, and a talking hippo, and none of it makes any sort of sense at all...but I don't care, because it is such HAPPY insanity.

Birds of Prey #5

Well, they all show up out on the street, with only fragmented memories of what just happened in the last issue, and Starling's hand is healed, and Batgirl is missing, and what the heck just happened? We have a rather good story with all of the Birds trying to figure out what is going on, and a bit of a look at their personal lives, and it's all pretty darned good.

And gosh, but the art is just so pretty too. They look like real women! The cover is ridiculous of course, but in the actual book they have real bodies, that can actually house real organs, and they do active sorts of things without thrusting their bosoms and butts out. It's such a relief sometimes!

DC Universe Presents: Deadman #5

Another excellent issue, with Deadman going up against Rama. He's actually got the upper hand here, although she is certainly not happy about it...not happy at all. However, as Boston points out, she'd make a pretty piss-poor poker player. He ends up being freed from some if not all of her manipulations, she ends up with a question, and it's all good.

Fables #113

This is a break from the story that is actually going on, with a look back at some of the history of the Fables, and how things that happened before tie into things that happened afterwards, and it's all quite nice, as usual. We have some very nice artists showing up for the various stories, such as P. Craig Russell, whom I adore, and even Adam Hughes. The stories intertwine a bit, and it's a nice little interlude.

Green Lantern Corps #5

Naturally I enjoyed this, and I'll get to it tomorrow, but there is one thing that I just can't let go without a comment.



Please take a look at this cover, by Andy Kubert. Please note Guy's pose. How on earth is that even POSSIBLE? I am reminded of Ami's excellent new blog, Escher Girls, where she shows the insane positions that comic book women are placed by their artists, such as showing both boobs and their butts at the same spine-cracking time. This is one of those positions. His head and his legs are facing one way, while his chest and torso are facing the other. When someone is coming at you with a light sabre, perhaps this isn't the best stance for fighting. I don't care if he WAS a gymnast! That's just not possible!

Moving along....

Wonder Woman #5

Man, I did love this. It may not have had Cliff Chiang, but Tony Akins does a pretty damned good job in his stead. Diana, Pregnant Girl, and Hermes are having a nice chat at a sidewalk cafe in London, when a new player named Lennox arrives, and sits himself down. He knows who they are, he knows WHAT they are. All sorts of interesting things ensue. He ends up in the sewers, and Diana ends up on a bridge, while the most fabulous sea-horses show up, with Poseidon in tow. And WHAT a Posiedon! They have a nice little chat, and Diana manages to bring Hera into the mix, in a particularly clever way. This is SO good.

So...a darned fabulous week, at least for comic books.

In Memoriam

No Reviews today. My Father-In-Law died yesturday, and I'm feeling a bit...bruised.
My Sweet Babboo flew out Tuesday afternoon, after we received word that he was failing fast, and got there late in the evening. His Brother picked him up at the airport in Phoenix, and they were originally going to go home, and see his Dad in the morning, but the nice lady at the Home strongly suggested that they come and see him that night. They demurred, because they didn't want to keep her up so late, but they did go...and got to see him and talk to him, and he knew they were there. Thank goodness they DID go...because he passed away about six the next morning.

He was 88 years old, and would have been 89 in May, so he had a good run. He was tired, and sick, and ready to go...but I'm not sure that I feel the same way. He was smart, and funny and handsome (just like my Sweet Babboo). He fought in World War II, in North Africa, France and Germany when he was barely 20 years old. He came home and married his childhood sweetheart, had two sons, and started as a teller at the bank, and became the President and CEO of the Bank, and loved his kids, his grandchildren, German cars, Marinara sauce, red wine and Pepe's Pizza.

So...no reviews today. Except a toast to Frank J. Pascale/

I'm An Old Fogey

Let us take a travel in time, back to the Good Old Days, of my misbegotten youth. I speak of the early 1970's...a time lost in the mist for so many of you young whippersnappers. In these bygone days, a great many of us were encouraged to take "Typing" so that we could grow up to become secretaries, and clerks and other worthwhile sorts of jobs. Being able to type accurately and quickly were the hallmarks of a good student and a good employee.

We were taught, to always leave two spaces between the period, and the beginning of another sentence. To this day, I continue to do this. It is just something that was hammered into our little heads, and I do it without thinking. Besides...it looks nice.

However...

...apparently this is no longer the rule. Various bloggers and other people of import have declared this habit to be passe', and old-fashioned and unnecessary. Only dinosaurs use two spaces.

To which I say...phooey. Actually, I would say even stronger things, but I'm trying to be lady-like here and not use bad words, like goddamned, shit and piss-off. Why, I ask, is there such a furor over those two little spaces? Is it one of those things like typing out l0l, or wtf, or other text-speak stuff? Do your little thumbs not have enough stamina to type out that extra space? I don't know, and I don't understand.

I have recently learned to text. I am "with it". Whatever "it" may be. I also use capitals, proper punctuation, and I NEVER use text-speech. I write it all out. My texts tend therefore, to be on the long side...but at least they are easy to figure out. I'm not usually in all that much of a hurry anyway. I still can't figure out twitter, but at least I can follow a tumbler account, and I do manage to get myself on and off of my old computer every day, so that is something. I don't have any aps on my phone, nor have I seen the need for them. I don't look at my phone for the time, I have a wristwatch for that. I don't take pictures with my phone, I have a camera for that. I use my phone to TALK on. And I have to admit, texting is highly addictive...and occasionally handy.

BUT...I am damned if I am going to give up my two spaces. You will have to pry my cold palsied fingers off of my keyboard. I LIKE my two spaces, along with finger bowls and fish forks.



I'm sure that the JSA would agree.