Justice League of America

So...it has come to my attention that soon, Dwayne McDuffie is going to be the writer for JLA. I find this to be very welcome news. I like the JLA, but really, it could have been so much better. Mr. Meltzer seems to like his characters, but doesn't really seem to quite know what to do with them. Mr. McDuffie on the other hand is an excellent COMIC book writer, he knows how to come up with actual plots, how to advance the action, and even give proper motivation and characterization to his heroes. Plus, he can be funny as hell, when he likes. Seriously, find some of the old "Damage Control" books that he did way back when for Marvel, they are hilarious.

What DOES have my knickers in something of a twist was the belief expressed by some Neanderthals on various Message Boards, that Mr. McDuffie for some reason doesn't have the "right" to change any characters or alter the roll call in any way, and that furthermore, John Stewart "has his place, and it isn't in the JLA". I'm not really sure why I even bother reading some of the Message Boards anyway, because so often I'm driven into an incoherent inchoate rage.

Firstly, John is a wonderful character, and secondly, Mr. McDuffie has the right to bring in anybody that his little heart desires...just like all of the writers before him, and just like all the writers after him. ALL of the Green Lanterns have been members of the Justice League, not to mention Kilowog. The more GL's that show up, the better, in my opinion. Not that I am biased in favor of Green Lanterns or anything. *snerk*

Hal does have his own book, and John has been hard to find until lately, so it would be rather nice to have him in his own book. Besides, he's the smartest Lantern, and manages to keep his head, while others are losing theirs, so he'd be a terrific addition. Now Hal will have more time to go off and chase women. Or actually patrol his sector for a change.

Sorry to be so snarky, but this REALLY was bothering me.

Well, this is Different

One of the things I love about comics...especially OLD comics, is that you never really know what type of lunacy to expect. That being said, this struck me as being a little out of the ordinary.



That is certainly something that you don't just see every day, no sireebob. That being said, it would have been awfully nice to get ol' Speedy here, together with the girl of his dreams.



Now THAT would have been an interesting story!

Bored, bored, bored.

Nothin' too much going on here, it's hot and muggy and raining off and on. I've read all my comic books, and now have to face giving the dogs a bath, and doing something exciting like laundry and vacumning.

*yawn*

So, it occured to me, that I didn't post the cover to Green Lantern Corps, and it's a doozy. So don't say that I've never given you anything.



Nice eh? You have to say this for Sinestro, he really does seem to enjoy his work.

Random Ramblings

So...my computer was running incredibly slowly for the past few days, driving me into an unutterable frenzy. Fortunately, before I pitched it out of the window in a hard-drive induced rage, my darling oldest daughter came home from school, and proceeded to de-fragmetized...de-fraggmented...defragged...did something MAGICAL to it! Woohoo! Man, the day the last one leaves for college, I am officially screwed!

It's hot and muggy. Yes, I realize that it is July, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I'm one of those odd people that actually like Fall and Winter. I like sweaters, and having a fire in the fireplace and drinking hot chocolate and stuff. I even like snow, provided that I don't have to be the one to shovel it. That's what teenagers are for. That and fixing my computer.

Lo and behold, a Fed Ex truck just pulled up in front of my house! I ordered comics a week ago...could they possibly be here already? Then it hit me, that they are coming by UPS not Fed Ex, and the delivery was for my neighbor, but for a couple of minutes, I was really livin' there. I'll...I'll just go and look at my comics from Wednesday instead.

Hmmmm....some pretty good stuff, and a few clunkers. Green Lantern Corps was spectacular, although it did seem odd not having a Pat Gleason-drawn Guy. On the other hand, I do get to have an Ivan Reis-drawn Guy in a couple of weeks, so I guess I can survive.

Blue Beetle #17 was wonderful as usual. Funny, action-filled, and just a little bit poignant at the end. Jaime takes down the bad guy, by using his brains, (he's been reading the books from Ted that Guy gave him) and even manages to try and bluff Bruce Wayne in a wonderful moment. Unfortunately, he can't quite manage to save everybody, and this haunts him. His Dad is great, though,and manages to get him through it. He is also apparently IMing Tracy Thirteen, which is fun.

Green Arrow: Year One, #2 was pretty gosh-darned good. Nice art, and a good story.

Wonder Woman #11 was pretty gosh-darned bad. It's still a tie-in to Amazons Attack, which is also not very good, and they have the entire Justice League, not to mention the Justice Society, and everybody else that they can manage to round up, and they ALL are portrayed as being completely incompetent. Mr. Terrific, Wildcat and Black Canary are trying to stop a missile from being fired, but are outwitted, and it doesn't work. Then, when the missile is actually fired, neither Hawkman, Power Girl OR Green Lantern can catch it, before it disappears into a portal, headed to Themyscira. Coincidentally, that is where Wonder Woman is. She of course manages to hop on board the missile, and pul out all the wiring, which keeps magically repairing itself.

The reason she's on Themyscira instead of having Mother/Daughter time, is to find the antidote to the killer bees that are slowly...ever so slowly...killing Nemesis. Because that is so much more important than saving Washington. She also yells at the Goddess Athena a lot. Who, points out that in addition to being a Goddess of Wisdom, she is also a Goddess of...WAR!

Well. Crap in a hat.

JSA: Classified was nice. Countdown was ok. Mary Marvel is sneaking out to Cruise ships and taking in the shows for free. Against my better judgement, I got Wolverine. I've been reading it for a long time, but I think the time has finally come to cut this sucker loose. The art by Simone Bianchi is just lovely, but the story by Jeph Loeb makes little to no sense whatsoever. I am one of those odd people that actually enjoy a PLOT!

Well, I'm starting to get cranky, so I'll give you all something to cheer you up.



From one of my favorite issues of GG: Warrior. Parobeck was amazing, and the dialogue is a hoot. Gosh, I feel better already.

Green Lantern Corps #14

And here we are with part three of the Sinestro Corps War saga. I have to give kudos to Pat Gleason and Moose Baumann for the art and coloring, which is bang on...as usual. As for the story, well, things aren't going too well for the corps, that's for sure. Various sectors are being wiped out by the Sinestro Corps, and hope of backup is getting dim.

Meanwhile on Korugar, Soranik Natu's good work is now being rewarded by a group of people who want to use her for their own political purposes. Natu, is busy protesting that she's just a Doctor, and that as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, she's trying to help people and uphold the law. Unfortunately for her, her message is getting lost.

Then Sinestro shows up.



Now that is one heck of a scary picture. Hell, it reminds me of some of the images in "Watchmen", which is interesting since Dave Gibbons is the one writing this. Look at the way the paint has run on the Green Lantern symbols, they look menacing. The one in the upper left corner even looks like a face. An EVIL face.

This is beautiful stuff.

So Soranik and Sinestro fight. More on that in a minute.

Out in space, Green Man is having an existential moment. He's wracked with guilt over his murder of his partner, and he's having a hard time getting over it. There is a lovely closeup of his face, his mouth is all contorted, and it looks as though he's about to cry. He even apologizes for acting like an "earthman", ie: full of emotion. Heh.

And lo and behold, he does find what is left of Stel, whom he embraces, much to Stel's chagrin. Stel isn't in very good shape, but good Lantern that he is, he managed to reverse the polarity of his atoms and thereby survived the attack. Not exactly sure how that all works, but what the heck, I like Stel, and I'm glad that he made it. He does need repair however, so off to Mogo they go. Mogo will know what to do.

"...As us Lanterns have ALWAYS done when we are lost or damaged. The corps would not long survive WITHOUT Mogo."

Oh crap. Mogo's gonna be in BIIIIIIIG trouble.

Back on Korugar in the meantime, Soranik is having a bit of a problem fighting against Sinestro, as her ring won't allow her to use lethal force. Sinestro finds this to be hilarious, pointing out that GL's are basically pussies or words to that effect. Still, Soranik is doing her darndest.

Sinestro however is breaking her down, similar to the way that he broke down Kyle. I must say that Sinestro has this whole psychological attack thingie down perfectly. He's got her completely on the ropes, but he doesn't kill her. In fact, I get the impression that he's trying to convince her to come around to his way of thinking. So he fakes her victory. He wants Korugar to believe that she has defeated him, so that she'll be stuck there, taking care of her people.

And HIS people. He wants her to take cake of Korugar for him. This is an interesting development I think, I get the impression that nutcase though he may be, Sinestro sincerely believes that his way is the best way for Korugar, and he doesn't want anything to happen to his planet and his people. I wonder if this will come up later with the AntiMonitor?

Back on Oa, Kilowog is giving a pep talk to the rookies, and Salakk quietly pulls Arisia aside and tells her to keep an eye on young Sodam Yat. Arisia is a mite confused, but agrees, wondering what the heck makes HIM so special. Salakk who is in communication with Ganthet can't tell her of course, but it is one more seed planted.

Finally, Stel and Green Man make it to Mogo, and notice the damage that he has inflicted upon himself in the attempt to burn out the infection. The two Lanterns are at first relieved, and then a shadow falls across them...and all you can see is the silhouette of a massive construct with a Parallax symbol. Is this supposed to be Ranxx, or something else? Whatever it is, Mogo is in for a heck of a time.

Good stuff, go out and read it!

Let's try this Again.

So...ever have a day like this? I don't really know what is going on in this picture, but whatever it is...must have been memorable. Personally, I think this is the time that Wonder Woman got swacked out on Ouzo, and was dancing nekkid on the meeting table in the Justice League headquarters, and then passed out...only to wake up and see the above faces, frozen in horror, staring down at her. Or in Hal's case, pure lust.

Anybody have a better idea?

Ever have Days like This?

And now, for something completely Different...!

Dinosaurs are fun. Dinosaurs are cool. Dinosaurs aren't even really extinct...they just evolved into birds. There are dinosaurs flying around your backyard!

Anyway, my friend Folded Soup is back from his camping trip in the Idaho mountains and had the very good taste to put up some Jonah Hex pictures. Therefore, I have stolen some really fabulous dinosaur pictures from Scans Daily. They are from Age of Reptiles, by Ricardo Delgado, and they are fabulous.



I guess that's an Apatosaurus or something similar. I'm not the best when it comes to identifying Theropods.



Lunch!


Well, crap in a hat. Tyrannosaurus shows up for a free buffet.



It doesn't pay to piss off Deinonycus. Beautiful art anyways.

Wherein I Wrap Things Up...JLI-wise

Yes, sadly Justice League International week is drawing to a close. They went on of course to have so many many adventures, fighting Despero, Bialya, and themselves on a regular basis. Max gets kidnapped and stabbed, Fire and Ice show up, Wonder Woman shows up and they go and fight Khunds. Mr. Miracle ends up dead...but not really...Ice and Guy go on a date, Kilowog joins, they start Justice League Europe, and Power Girl gets her mangy old cat after it beats up Guy and he puts it in one of the teleporter tubes.

And on and on and on. Stuff HAPPENED. And at a pretty good pace, although there was always time for the little personal moments that went such a long way towards establishing the characters of the...well...the CHARACTERS.

And bar none, they had some of the very very best covers around. I give you...



Magquire was just so good at these group shots.



Cool, isn't it? This is the one where Beetle has been brainwashed by Queen Bee, and was trying to kill Max, so Amanda Waller comes in, to deprogram him, except it doesn't work...

And leads to this one...



And how could we forget this issue? Ice and Guy's first date! Sort of. Wherein Blackhand goes completely bananas, and Guy does his best to help him along.



And so on and so forth. Find these and read them. You won't be sorry, and your lives may even be enriched beyond measure.

Apokolips is not a Vacation Spot

Ok! Lobo is now an official member of the JLI! Meanwhile Barda, J'onn, Dmitri and G'nort are STILL looking for Scott. Unfortunately for him, he's just been sold to Darkseid by Manga Khan! Barda and the others have managed to track him to Apokolips, but things aren't going too well.

Back on Earth, Lobo is fitting in remarkably well, all things considered. He hasn't eviscerated anybody yet, and for him, that's quite genteel behavior. He and Guy are even having an arm-wrestling contest, or as I like to think of it...Quien es mas macho? I know, I know, I'm supposed to invert the question mark at the beginning of the phrase, but I don't know how. Sorry.

For some reason, Hawkman is in a REALLY pissy mood. He keeps stomping around telling them that they are a bunch of losers, and even Beetle is getting a little fed up. Hawkgirl keeps apologizing for him, but it isn't really working. Then BANG! Barda shows up with her handy Mega-Rod, and booms them all off to Apokolips...with the exception of Capt. Atom, who wanders into the room just a little too late.

Needless to say, they are all a wee bit surprised.

Hawkman is STILL whining, but Lobo actually has a few answers for the rest of them. From here on out, it is one huge running battle, with the League fighting parademons, and Lobo going after Barda. Oberon falls into a manhole, and ends up face to face with none other than Darkseid, who is sitting in an armchair indulging in a little light reading. (I swear it's Mein Kampf. Darkseid has interesting tastes in literature).

Of course Scott Free manages to escape...that is his schtick afterall. Lobo and Barda have a nice knock-down, drag-out fight, and Barda finally manages to tell the rest of the League that Lobo is ACTUALLY trying to kill all of them. Batman is wandering around asking people to tell him what is going on, while Beetle fills him in as best he can, which leads to the best phrase in the book. Bats asks for suggestions, and Beetle looks up and yells

"...Yeah, follow the Super-Hero's credo...when in doubt...FIGHT!!"

And of course they do.

Then Darkseid and Oberon show up.

Darkseid tells them that they are all being childish, and must leave Apokalips...NOW! He gives back Scott, and telepathically, Manga Khan tells Lobo that he's fired. Basically they are all standing around with their mouths open, when Darkseid BOOMS them right back to Earth.
They all end up in a great pile in the rec room of the embassy, looking and feeling quite sheepish. Oberon can't get over the fact that Darkseid really is a pretty stand-up kind of guy...and he gave him a nice lunch to boot.

Poor Capt. Atom wanders in at this point, still bewildered about where they all went before, and they all blow him off and refuse to discuss it. Even J'onn decides he's had enough, and if they want him, they can find him in the Oreo aisle at the local 7-11.

This is a characterization of Darkseid that I can enjoy!

Nor more Mr. Nice Guy!

God, I love these covers.

Things have been pretty exciting for the JLI in the past few issues. Batman, Fire, Booster and Beetle have gone to Bialya undercover, G'nort showed up, and they all fought Manga Khan, and other cool stuff happened. At the moment, J'onn, Barda, Rocket Red and G'nort are in outer spaaaaaace looking for Scott, who has apparently been captured by Manga Khan. And there is eve L-Ron! And finally, just to spice things up, Khan hires Lobo to kill the Justice League! Hoohah!

Lobo manages to get on their ship and is busy beating them all up, when Barda uses her mega-rod...which looms large in her hands...and boomtubes him to earth, where he shows up and crashes through a window, smacking Guy right in the back of the head...with interesting results.

Yes, our boy is back, surlier and crankier than ever. And he's NOT happy with Lobo.


Beetle, Fire, Booster, Ice and Oberon are all a bit on the flabberghasted side, between seeing Guy and a total stranger trying to kill each other, and destroying large amounts of property in the process. So, they try to do something about it.



Haw! Guy's a hair puller!

It gets even better, when Max invites Lobo to JOIN their merry little group...not knowing that he's really there just to kill all of them. Meanwhile, Ice is having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the new Guy, Dinah quits, and Superman turns down Batman flat, when Bats tries to recruit him. They try to recruit Wally,but apparently he's been evicted, and Hawkman sulks and pouts. Hawkgirl thinks he's adorable when he pouts.

Eventually, everybody is going to end up on Apokalips, and it gets REALLY interesting at that point. Oh, and Captain Atom gets spanked verbally by Max, which is always fun.

...He's SUCH a Sweet Guy.

Things are moving right along for the new Justice League. They've gone international, and are opening embassies across the globe. They are even being backed by the U.N. and have their own classy headquarters! Too bad that the joint is in such bad repair. In fact poor J'onn goes right through the floor, while hefting a crate of cookies. Mmmmm...cookies. In the basement, Mr. Miracle and Captain Atom are trying to hook up security systems and other complicated stuff.

Being a complete idiot, Atom decides to "help" by plugging in the wrong things, which naturally blows up all kinds of stuff. Normally, Guy would be the one trying to "help", but he's gone to Moscow with Batman. Poor Guy. He just can't understand why the Russians are acting so...skittish around him. He's a nice sweet guy. Really. Which is why he's so shocked when Batman has him scan for listening devices after they get rid of the Russian technicians.

Guy is even MORE shocked when they actually FIND hidden listening devices! Why...it's immoral! So when a Rocket Red comes up behind them and asks what they found. Guy almost blurts out the truth, but just in time, Batman kicks him. And without missing a beat, Guy then says that they just found the...Bathroom! And boy howdy is it fabulous! The Rocket Red is bemused and bewildered, and Guy just saved the day. You know, for a brain-dead thug, he actually did pretty well.

This is also the issue...(#8 by the way) where they land their aircraft on the roof...which is what Superteams DO...and it all caves in. This is where I really began to fall in love with Martian Manhunter. He maintains his equilibrium, and quietly and very very calmly tells Capt. Atom that he needs to find a quiet room in which to practice an ancient Martian Meditation techinique.

It's called screaming.

For the next several issues it just keeps going on like this. They end up in Russia again, except that their new Rocket Red is secretly a Manhunter and is trying to kill all of them. Beetle breathes on the glass of the Bug, and writes HELP! Guy who is flying outside sees it, but also thinks that they are just kidding. Eventually of course, they figure it out, and even save the Bialyans from a serious explosion. Then a whole passel of Green Lanterns show up for some reason, including a giant robot and then Metron yells at Scott Free, and Max is revealed to be a cyborg.

This is back in the good old days. When they had plots that didn't drag on for six issues to be later collected into a trade paperback. If Bendis had been writing this, it would have taken six issues just to look for all the bugs in the Russian Embassy!

One Punch!

Ahhhhh...just savor that brief phrase. A sublime moment in the world of comics, when a fed-up to the eyeballs Batman finally lets Guy Gardner have it.

But in order to understand the true impact of that moment, we must go back in time a little bit. The Justice League has reformed with a whole passel of new members. From the very first moment, Guy was throwing his weight around and being generally obnoxious. The reformation of the Justice League was led into by Legends, and before that, Guy had been hanging around with the Green Lanterns. He's really at the sublime height of his ability to annoy and harrass.

Batman isn't too much more likeable however. HE'S been throwing his weight around just as much as Guy, but unlike our Mr. Gardner, he's able to back it up, due to the respect and slight wariness that the rest of the heroes give him. So, as could be expected, Batman and Guy clash right from the very start.

Guy thinks that he should be in charge and argues with every bit of strategy, and questions every order. Batman KNOWS that he should be in charge and generally treats Guy like a crazed two-year old. The REST of the League is getting a little bit fed up with BOTH of them.

In the meantime, they've mounted a rescue at the U.N., acquired Max Lord and Booster Gold and Dr. Light, and gone to Russia to fight with the Rocket Reds and disable a nuclear threat. It isn't until Dr. Fate and the Grey Man are going toe-to-toe however that Guy finally challenges Batman.

Guy wants some respect and power and he wants it now. Batman gives him neither of course, and manages to diss poor Captain Marvel at the same time. Guy throws a temper tantrum, and pulls off his ring, giving it to Beetle, who immediately tosses it in the corner.



Marvel steps in and tries to calm them both down, but Bats tells him to butt out and shut up essentially. Guy is just beside himself and takes a swing at Batman. Which leads to this.



One punch, and Guy is flat on his back, unconcious on the floor. Mr. Miracle is marveling at Batman's efficiency, and Blue Beetle is about to give himself a hernia from laughing. Martian Manhunter and Black Canary walk in just at that moment and stare in disbelief at Guy's prone body. Canary then goes into hysterics because she wanted to see Batman punch Guy, and MISSED IT! Even J'onn is trying not to snicker.

Eventually things do manage to calm down, and they all have a meeting and discuss the problem that Dr. Fate has discovered. In the meantime, Guy continues to just lie there on the floor...you can see his feet in the far corner of the picture. In fact, he continues to lie there for the rest of the issue, and part of the next one!

Eventually he does come to, and immediately concludes that yes, he's not in Kansas anymore. He's also a bit shocked and surprised that Batman actually did hit him, and naturally concludes that it was a sucker-punch. Then he starts to look for his ring.



He grabs the mouse that Beetle and Booster were looking for by mistake, and clonks his head. Really, he's just carrying on a fine and old tradition established by Hal Jordan in this particular case. However, the ramifications for Guy are a bit different. Instead of a mere headache, he wakes up with a completely different personality, going from his "angry 10-year old boy" to "sweet 8-year old girl" mode. But I'll leave that for another day.

Kalinara has pointed out before that this wasn't really particularly nice on the part of Batman, since Guy was essentially in his brain-damaged mode, and he really couldn't help himself. They played that up quite a bit more in the Green Lantern books, not so much in the Justice League, where Giffen and DeMatteis were more interested in Guy as comedy relief. It must also be pointed out that the only advantage that Guy had was his ring, at this point in his career he wasn't much of a hand-to-hand fighter. So going up against Batman was just ASKING for his head to be handed to him on a gold platter. Nevertheless, in true Gardner fashion, he didn't hesitate.

That's my boy.

An Appreciation for the Justice League

And by Justice League, I mean the BEST incarnation of the Justice League. Yes indeedy boys and girls, gather around and listen to a stirring tale. Lo, these twenty years ago, three nice boys got together and created something. Something MAGICAL! And their names were Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire. And this is what they wrought...



My favorite version of the League. Others amongst you may not agree with me, opting instead for a more "classic" version or a more "grim and gritty" version or simply a newer version. But for the old farts among us...or the younger farts with taste, this was simply the ginchiest.

This lineup did NOT include the "Big Three". Oh Batman was there, and he did his best to be intimidating, but there were some definite second stringers. Even third stringers. They started off with a lineup that had Batman of course, along with Martian Manhunter as is right and proper. Then they threw in Dr. Fate, Dr. Light, Mr. Miracle, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Captain Whitebread...er...Captain Marvel, and Guy Gardner. A lineup designed to thrill and inspire awe! A lineup...for the AGES!

Or not as the case may be. Some of the original members didn't stay around too long. Whitebread...er...Marvel didn't hang around too long, neither did Fate or Dr. Light. Black Canary was wearing that ridiculous outfit, and also took off for greener pastures eventually. They were replaced however, by some real humdingers, such as Booster Gold, Fire and Ice, Huntress, and Ralph Dibny! Woohoo!

This is also the series that introduced Max Lord to the world. Gosh I miss Max. The REAL Max, not the one that was offed by Wonder Woman. The REAL Max is being held prisoner somewhere, but some day...SOME day, he'll escape along with Ted Kord, and come back and the world will be a better place...

...where was I?

Anyway, I have mentioned before in an earlier post that basically this version of the Justice League was one enormous Hero Day Care Center, and I stand by that assertion. But by GOD it was fun. It was a clubhouse atmosphere. Sure they went out and fought crime and saved the world, but it was really just incidental to the REAL purpose of the book, which was to show the superheroes in their off moments. They fought and bickered, and formed little cliques, laughed and cried and drank beer and made fart jokes and so on. They acted like real people. And while there was plenty of humor, there was plenty of action and drama and pathos and sometimes death and sadness too.

The art was pretty spectacular as well. Kevin Maguire is unsurpassed in his ability to draw clean and believable human anatomy and does some of the very best expressions in the business. You also had other excellent artists such as Ty Templeton and Adam Hughes pitching in.




They introduced the concept of Kooey Kooey Kooey! For that alone, they ought to be knighted!



So, I'm going to wallow in nostalgia all week. It has been twenty years after all.

Booster Gold

You know something? I've been missing old Booster an awful lot lately. And Ted of course, but that goes without saying. Which is why I am eagerly looking forward to his new adventures as written by Geoff Johns in a couple of weeks.

Booster managed to make it out of "52" more or less intact. Yes, he "died", but that was actually his body from the future, so that he could pull off the masquerade of being Supernova. It has occured to me however, that as a whole, doesn't the rest of the heroes still believe that Booster is dead? Ralph Dibny figured it out, but now he's dead too, and I don't believe he told anyone. To the best of my knowledge, Bats hasn't figured it out, or at least I haven't seen it yet. Which therefore, makes Ralph smarter than Batman.

But we all knew that anyway.

Booster's been through the wringer lately, poor baby. Losing Ted, the whole mess with the Omac's, Fire getting hurt, Dmitri getting killed, Batman being a prick...he's had a hard row to hoe. Then he starts acting all obnoxious in 52, but it is for the greater good...except that nobody knows that.

So...here it is a year later, and no mention has been made of what happened to Supernova, and while you know it, and I know that Booster is still alive, for all that they know, the rest of the world still thinks that he's dead. And there hasn't been a word about it. Ted at least gets a little bit of love, but Booster hasn't even rated a passing mention. And it's not fair.



Boster...BOOSTER GOLD was the one who came through in the clinch of 52, and basically saved the world. No, he saved the MULTI-VERSE! And nobody knows about it, except Rip Hunter and Daniel Carter. Knowing about Booster's healthy ego, this must be a bit on the annoying side.

I'm terribly glad that Ice is back, but one she's been reunited with Guy and Fire, somebody is going to have to sit down and explain just what happened to the rest of the Justice League...and it isn't going to be easy. I'm rather surprised that Fire hasn't said anything, since it was hinted at a few times that she and Booster had a little fling. On the other hand, I think that Fire has had a little fling with just about everybody. I also don't know if Guy even knows what happened to Booster, since he was on Oa for most of the time during 52. If nobody ever bothered to tell him when Ice died, they SURE as heck aren't going to tell him about Booster. Because if he DID know that Booster was "dead", he'd be upset.

So, I hope that there will be some acknowledgement of Booster's triumphant return with his new book. Or something.



Because let's just face the facts. Booster Gold is FABULOUS!

Hal Mockery: part Two

Gosh this is fun. And it is so easy!

This particular scan is for Sea of Green...!



Ah...a TRUE classic. Hal doesn't even need to be in a fight to be bonked on the head...he can do it to himself just as well. Shame about the whole towel thing though. It's not quite as bad as what happened to poor Guy however. HE got chased into the shower by a pushy reporter, then teleported by a brain-dead Wally and his friend Chunk. THAT was an interesting issue!



Hmmmm...Guy was getting HIS head bonked too. At least he wasn't doing it to himself. Hal on the other hand...



Why do you keep hitting yourself, Hal?

A little Hal Mockery

Admit it. You love it, you know you do. I do love Hal, but it is just so much FUN to crack wise at his expense.

For example, this little gem.



Geez, Hal. I know you get hit in the head an awful lot, but you really should know the words to your own oath by now. Maybe Barry can have them printed on a nice little laminated card for you to carry around.

Now, I don't want to say that Hal is VAIN or anything...although he did peek at himself in a mirror while fighting Star Saphhire...but come ON already.



Showing off his chest AND spectacular buttocks at the same time! I can honestly say that this is a real example of male objectification...and it would ONLY have happened to Hal.

But THIS is the coup de grace.



Now this just cracks me up. THAT is some expressive art work!

Green Lantern #21

Gadzooks! In case you didn't pick up Sinestro Corps a little while back, Sinestro is back and he's loaded for bear. He's STILL pissed at the Green Lantern Corps, and he's brought a few friends with him in order to even the score. Oh, and he kidnapped Kyle, fed him to Parallax, freed Cyborg Superman and his Manhunters, Superboy-Prime and the Anti-Monitor for good measure. Say what you will, but Sinestro is a man who loves his work.

Geoff Johns starts us off with a little recap, and a flashback.

That's PRE-Parallax Hal by the way. It was nice to see Katma and Ch'p and a few others who are pushing up daisies. There is then a nice explanation of the Corps, and Rebirth and a few other plot points, that makes it nice for those people who are just coming to this. And then...

...Wham! We are back in the present, and things aren't looking so good. The brutal attack on Oa by the Sinestro Corps has left the Lanterns reeling in shock and decimated in numbers. Numbers which by the way, keep increasing, as more and more Lanterns are being attacked across the Universe.

Hal is feeling just a tad overwhelmed at the moment, but he realizes that Tomar Tu has been hurt and needs help. As he tries to give him aide however, those cranky lost Lanterns step in, and tell him in no uncertain terms to butt out. Hal is uncharacteristically humble about their treatment of him, and backs off immediately.

Guy however isn't feeling quite so kind at the moment, and says so, with his usual bluntness.

"...We got HURT Lanterns all over this place. Cyborg-Superman and Super-Psycho Junior MISSIN' from their Sciencells, Sinestro's band a'MERRY MEN lightin' up the Universe, Kyle Rayner's been kidnapped...and YOU buncha babis wanna CRY and hold on ta stupid GRUDGES?"

Thank you Guy. We can always count on you for brutal honesty. The lost Lanterns are STILL feeling pissy however, but Kilowog, bless his heart comes over and defuses the situation.

Meanwhile, everyone is wondering where the heck the Guardians are. Salakk is covering, and says that they are "assessing the situation". John, who is feeling a little blunt himself, points out that what's to assess? They just got their asses handed to them, and the least the Guardians can do, is come out and admit it, and provide a little moral support.

They aren't going to be geting it anytime soon however, since the adorable little power-mad muchkins are argueing amongst themselves. Sayd and Ganthet...the only two Guardians with brains apparently...are pleading their case. Things have gone to hell in a handbasket and they had better face up to it and act. The rest of the little psychos on the other hand, are still in a case of complete denial, and decide that expunging the final chapter...the HIDDEN chapter with the dark prophecy...from the Book of Oa is the right thing to do. Apparently, in the belief that if it isn't written down, it doesn't exist? The Guardians would fit RIGHT in with the present administration!

Meanwhile, the Sinestro Corps continues its killing spree.

It is rather cool that they power their rings from the batteries in the Manhunter's heads. It is also rather good strategy on Karu-Sil's part to just follow the rings, from newbie to newbie, picking them off.

Super-Psycho Junior meanwhile (I REALLY like that name for him) is pouting. He wants mayhem, and he wants it NOW! Gosh this kid is annoying. When the villains eventually start to turn on one another, I hope that he's the first to get wasted.

Back on Oa, Ganthet and Sayd are contacting Hal on the QT. They definitely don't want the rest of the Guardians to know that they need Hal to stop moping and step up to the proverbial plate. Hal, understandably is feeling a little worldweary, and keeps reiterating that he's not sure he's up to the challenge.

"...You do realize there've been exactly TWO Green Lanterns the Guardians have asked that of. ME and SINESTRO. And under all that pressure, we BOTH broke. We BOTH became renegades."

A nice little bit of insight there from Hal. Ganthet is buying it however and continues to give Hal a pep talk. Guy and John come over and Guy points out that while the Lanterns are calling in the rest of the Corps to defend Oa, they are also sending the lost Lanterns to Qward to find Ion. The three of them decide that they need to be going after Kyle themselves, and start to charge up from the battery. They are in the middle of the oath, when suddenly yellow tendrils fly out of the battery and grab first Guy, and then John, pulling them right into the battery itself. Hal tries to stop the charge, but he's grabbed too, and comes face to face with Parallax.

Suddenly it is another trip down Memory Lane for Hal, as he once again relives the plane crash that killed his fathe. Hal KNOWS that Parallax is taunting him, but he still tries to save his doomed father. Then they show his last words, but Hal can't hear them, as Parallax tells him that he'll NEVER hear them, that his father died in fear...

...and then who should show up but Kylellax! Cool. Now Hal is just spitting mad that Parallax is using Kyle, and he also is worried about Guy and John.

He SHOULD be worried!

...Speaking of Weddings...!

I DO hope that Dinah has better taste than Jean Loring (shudder) when it comes to her bridemaid's dresses and colors. They all have big hats and are wearing lime green. Obviously, Jean had a mean streak, even then.

And Hal had BETTER be wearing a tux dammit. That medallion is unbelievably cheesy.

Donna Troy's wedding with Terry Long was pretty horrible too. So horrible, that even I cannot post it here, for fear of bleeding from the eyes. Let's just say that I'm convinced he went around and hit on all the bridesmaids afterwards.

Frankly, I'm hoping that Oracle will be her Maid of Honor. Sin can be a Flower Girl.

Thank goodness this is happening at DC. If it were at Marvel, Iron Man would be throwing everybody in jail, and they'd be making zombie statues of Dinah in her wedding dress. (gag)

Who should be jumping out of that cake?

Ok, I have posted this particular picture before, featuring Black Canary's Bachelorette party. For some reason, a fully clothed Superman is jumping out of the cake.



Why Superman? Surely there are others that the ladies would be more thrilled to see jump out of a cake.

So, then I thought, how about Hal Jordan? He's just so terribly pretty, and he has SUCH an awesome behind. Then I found this.


Ok, scratch that.

Then I discovered this. Oh baby yeah!



Besides, he's a readhead. And no problems with an adopted stepson...sort've...like Roy. And Wally's married.

Go Guy!

Justice League or Justice Society?

Gosh darn it, I must admit that the Justice League looks so very very impressive. That's a lot of heavy hitters, not to mention the inclusion of the Big Three. Pretty hard to compete with a team that fabulous-looking. They have a cool new headquarters too.

On the other hand, you have the Justice Society, which consists of a lot of old farts and teenagers, which is a rather odd combination when you think about it.

And yet...and yet...

I'm a sucker for the Society. It's chockful of legacies and family, which I find rather endearing. You have Alan Scott working with his son, Obsidian. Wildcat has his boy, Wildcat Jr. Liberty Belle and Hourman are newlyweds. Hourman is the son of the previous Hourman. Alan and Jay Garrick are happily married. The closest thing to family in the League, is the relationship between Dinah, Hal and Roy. It's nice, but the others don't seem to have that personal connection.

Both teams have smart and powerful members of course. Mr. Terrific is certainly the intellectual equal of Batman any day, while Power Girl is as strong as Superman. Now that Wall is back, you have a speedster who can compare with Jay. They each seem to have a Hawk Person. They each have a Green Lantern.

They both have headquarters that were designed by John Stewart. I must admit that I personally prefer the Society's headquarters to that of the League, it is a bit more on the elegant side. And presumably doesn't have tours of bored Sixth-Graders wandering through it.

Each team has its share of oddballs. However, I must say that I find Thom's earnest schizophrenia to be far more endearing that GeoForce's pomposity.

And seriously, which would you rather have...Ma Hunkel baking cookies and making lemonade for the group after a battle...or Snapper Carr. Doing whatever it is that Snapper Carr does.

I think that the Justice Society just has a bit more panache. After all, they have THIS!



Alan Scott has panache. In spades.

Those are some Covers!

I have to admit that this may be my all-time favorite cover...ever.



It just fills me with an unholy glee. I must have spent ten minutes trying to figure out all of the various pieces of junk that they used to construct the rocket. The teacup and pencil on the nose are especially endearing for some reason. As is the wedge of cheese.

Oh, and the issue itself was pretty good too.

I also really liked this cover.



I don't even READ Runaways. But this is one really beautiful cover. I'm always a sucker for good art.

Oh Ted.

I've been waiting patiently, so when oh WHEN are they going to bring back Ted Kord? Ice is back, which is marvelous, they just brought back Wally, and even Thor is back. Turns out that Booster wasn't REALLY dead, which is a very good thing, and his book is coming out next month.

So where is Ted Kord?

I MISS Ted dammit. It took me a little while, but I have to admit that I adore Jaime, the new Blue Beetle, and I don't want anything to happen to him, but I see no reason why they can't have both Jaime and Ted in the DC Universe. Just call Jaime "The Scarab" or something. Or "Dentist Boy". Or let him keep the Blue Beetle moniker, and let Ted go back to being a rich inventor, which considering his heart condition, is probably a good idea.

Oracle misses Ted. Black Canary misses Ted. When she finds out what happened, Ice is going to be devastated. Mr. Dideo, do you want to be responsible for bringing tears to the eyes of Tora Olafsdottir? You're just going to make Guy mad by doing that.

I know that I've brought up this topic before, but it is like picking at a scab that just won't heal. Rachelle just wrote a lovely article at Newsarama about the various friendships in comicbookdom, and one of the best, is the relationship between Ted and Booster Gold. Without Ted, Booster has had to do a lot of growing up lately which may be a good thing, but it is still sad.

Besides, Ted would have been the PERFECT choice to jump out of the cake at Dinah's Bachelorette party.

What IS a Baltimore accent?

For those of you who may be new to this blog, Guy Gardner is my favorite Green Lantern. Part of his appeal...apart from being an obnoxious red-head... is that he is from Baltimore.

My Mother was born in Baltimore. My Grandmother was born in Baltimore, and so was my Grandfather. Hell, my great great great Grandfather, Joshua Lee was born in 1783, in the Freedom district of Baltimore County. So we were there for a long time. I however have never ever even been to Baltimore, and one of these days, I really ought to go.

Anyway, a great deal has been made of the idea that Guy as a pronounced Baltimorean accent. Now my Mom does put an "r" into words like Washington, so that it comes out as "Warshington". Is this an example? Maryland was a southern state, even though it did not join the Confederacy. Nevertheless, a LOT of Marylanders fought for the South. Not my ancestors, we had a fight with our Lee cousins in Virginia and had become rabid Abolitionists. Is it a variation on the Virginia Tidewater dialect?

What IS a Baltimore accent?

It's the Fourth of July!

No great comic thoughts for today. I'm going to give the dog a bath, make lemonade, and have my sweet baboo grill up hamburgers and hotdogs. Watch some fireworks, and listen to the Boston Pops perform the 1812 Overture...COMPLETE with cannons!

And in the interests of patriotism, I give you:



Superman and Perry White, with Jimmie Olsen stuffing himself as full as a tick. What could be more American than that?

Have fun and be safe.

John Stewart is Amazing

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John doesn't have a huge role...(as usual)...but by God, he has an amazing one. Plus, I'm just happy to see John again.

I rather liked the scene in the cafeteria, with all of the various Lanterns. Ke'haan and Laira and some of the other "lost" lanterns are being on the dickish side to Hal, shoving him, and being rude. Hal tries to be noncommittal about it, but John is getting pissed...as well he should. This is a rather nice bit of characterization, hearkening back to the very first time that we ever saw John, when he tells off a couple of rude cops. John doesn't start punching people, but he IS indignant, and surprised that the Guardians aren't putting a stop to it. Which just reinforces my belief that the Guardians are acting like idiots.

Then when Kyle is kidnapped right from under their noses, and all hell breaks loose, John is definitely the one who keeps his cool. Bedovian is the sniper and picking off rookie and veteran Lanterns right and left. John is calm, cool and focused. He assembles his rifle, which is depicted so beautifully by Van Sciver and Moose Bauman, and unhurredly takes his shot. And draws first blood FOR the Lanterns, who up to that point were pretty much getting creamed.

Then of course, things go from bad to worse, and the sciencells blow up, and all the dead Lantern's rings are flying overhead. That final scene of John, Hal and Guy all standing staring at the Parallax symbol where Superboy Prime's holding cell used to be just sends shivers down my spine.

John may not be the most flamboyant Lantern, but he is certainly handy to have around.

Kyle is in deep doodoo.

I think that we can all agree that with the recent events portrayed so lovingly in Sinestro Corps, that Kyle Rayner is in for a world of trouble. For one thing, back in Rebirth, he had the misfortune to seriously piss off Sinestro himself, and I think that there is one thing about Sinestro, that we can ALL agree on...he never forgets, and he never forgives. He is also very single-minded when it comes to skullduggery...he's been laying his plans to destroy the Green Lanterns for quite some time. All the crap that happened to Kyle during the Ion mini-series, seems to have been initiated by Sinestro, up to and including the death of his mother by Despotillis.

After being snatched right from the presumed safety of Oa, Kyle wakes up on Qward, the proud possessor of a new yellow ring, which eve deigns to talk to him. Kyle's not too impressed at first, but that soon ends when he begins to realize just what he's up against. There are literally thousands of Sinestro Corps members...and they ALL want his guts for garters. Kyle does put up a valiant resistance, but the odds against him are pretty overwhelming. Or as Kyle put it so eloquently...

"...$#?% Me!"

You can tell that he's been hanging out with Guy.

I am impressed with Kyle's constructs when he trying to fight off the thousands of Sinestro Corp members, a giant axe-swinging Viking and a giant robot. Kyle may be in huge trouble, but he still has flair. And admit it, he does get taken down from behind. Lousy fear-mongers!

Sinestro now has Kyle pretty much where he wants him, hurt, bleeding and restrained by some rather creepy looking corpsmembers. Kyle is still defiant however...not that it's going to do him any good. And let us remember that like Hal, although he's incredibly brave and sweet, Kyle isn't the brightest in the brain department, so of course he's going to take everything that Sinestro tells him as gospel. Then Sinestro rips the living embodiment of Willpower, the essence of Ion right out of his chest.

That HAS to hurt. A lot.

It also renders Kyle completely powerless, he's naked and alone, in another universe, and surrounded by people who really really want to kill or maim him. Sinestro just won't let up with the psychological attacks either, and finally really hits Kyle where it hurts the most, through the death of his mother. It was pretty obvious from the last issues of Ion, that the death of his mother may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back moment for Kyle. Now Sinestro tells him that HE was the one responsible for her death, that being a hero is what has doomed everything and everone that Kyle has loved. Subconciously, Kyle has to agree with what Sinestro is saying...at least to some degree. Everyone...EVERYONE has a weakness.

And that's when Sinestro feeds him to Parallax.

Now I do have a quibble or at least a question here. As far as I know, Parallax was imprisoned once again in the Central Power batterly on Oa. In fact we see him, in the scene where Ganthet is whispering to Salakk, just before Guy butts in. Did the Sinestro Corps free Parallax when they freed Superboy Prime and the Cyborg Superman? That's the only explanation that I can come up with.

Also, the fight on Qward seemed to be simultaneous with the battle on Oa, but I'm not completely sure that it is. Kyle gets snatched from Oa, and BOOM! The evil hordes start attacking, Bedovian starts sniping, and in fairly short order, things get completely out of hand. Not that much time seems to elapse between the attack on Oa, and the freeing of Superboy Prime, and the others from the Sciencells. I think however, that more time has elapsed on Qward before Kyle actually arrives and wakes up, his battle may have taken more time too, so that there would indeed be time for all the baddies to show up and check in with Sinestro, before Parallax makes a tasty meal out of Kyle. At least that is my theory so far.

Fortunately I have faith in Geoff Johns.