THIS is why I love Comics

I'm going to take a brief break from the mocking of Green Arrow, for an important announcement. Yesturday was Wednesday, which means that the new books are out, and like the lemming that we are, we all scurry to our local Comic Book Stores and greedily snap them up. My standard practice, is to then settle down with some lunch, some good music, and go and visit my little slice of Heaven for a few hours.

So, this week was a pretty darned good week. Green Lantern came out and boy was IT great. There were some other goodies as well. And the final issue of the 6-part Black Adam miniseries came out. It has been written by Peter Tomasi, and drawn by the incomparable Doug Mahnke. It's been a bit on the violent side, has a lot of twists and turns, and all in all has been a darned good read. It has also touched on a point that arose back in 52, when at the end, Black Adam went bonkers and fought everybody, and Captain Marvel finally managed to defeat him, by taking away his magic word. Shazam no longer worked, and Captain Marvel was pretty darned well convinced that poor Black Adam would NEVER EVER figure out the new word that he had given him.

Which is what makes THIS such a work of complete mad and utter genius.



It...it looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. With a twist. This has just taken its place as one of the most perfect moments in comicbookdom. It's as good as the bit where Max Lord's nose goes "sploot" in the Martian Manhunter book where Beetle and Booster steal J'onn's cookies.

A book ALSO drawn by Doug Mahnke.

There's more to the issue of course. Adam gets royally screwed by Faust, who isn't portrayed as an idiot for a change. There is a suitably fabulous ending, and the possibility of still more goodness even after the end. But still, this was the defining moment for me. Heck, it may be the best moment all WEEK!

Still, I do have to get a tiny bit of Green Arrow mockery in.

Geez, Ollie. Just walk over and ring it yourself, you big doofus.

C'mon Ollie...You're just not Trying!

Ok, even I think this one is a little pathetic.



"Twang"?

That's the best you could come up with? You and Speedy each have an arrow with a rope tied to it, and it goes "Twang"? No vacumn, no Christmas Tree ornaments, so dead cats, just a rope? My GRANDMOTHER could come up with a better trick arrow than that! No wonder Speedy turned to drugs.

Green Arrow Week Continues...!

If that picture isn't mind-boggling, then I don't know what is. If you can manage to draw your horrified (but fascinated) gaze off of Batman playing a large boomerang, and Hal pretending to know how to play a guitar, just feast you eyes on Oliver, who is playing the drums, and using ARROWS as the drumsticks.

I hope that they are dull arrows, or that set of drums is going to trashed in pretty short order. I'm not actually positive that this qualifies as portraying a set of "trick" arrows, but still, using arrows in an unorthodox manner will also apply. This is my challenge, and I can make up the rules as I go. So there.

A CHALLENGE, Sirrah!

Well, it's Monday morning, and I'm feeling full of piss and vinegar, and in the mood for a Challenge, by God! Huzzah!

I'm going to make this Green Arrow and his most Insane Arrows Week! We all know and love Ollie's famous Boxing Glove Arrow of course. What is the insane part, is how MANY weird arrows that he managed to come up with! Seriously, who would even think of some of these things? And what was he smoking when he came up with them? And how the heck does he even get some of them into his quiver? No WONDER Speedy turned to drugs!

This is my personal favorite:




An Arrow that can vacumn up pearls! Or presumably, cat hair and dust bunnies. But really, vacumning up pearl necklaces? In midair? What happens when it hits the wall? Can you easily get the pearls back out of it again? Does it have to have its filter changed? Is this how Ollie financed the JLA?

The Gauntlet has been hurled! Go forth and find the most bizarre arrows that you can!

Huzzah!

TOYS!!

Yaaay! Yes, I'm an old lady, but gosharootie, I still love my toys. Newsarama had a nice article about some of the new figures that will be coming out from both Marvel and DC, and I must admit that there are some lovely ones, and some not so lovely ones.

But THIS is the one that really caught my attention.



Ice! Woohoo!!!! She's supposed to be coming out with Fire! I may swoon. And if I may say so, it's about bloody time! I'm not quite so enamoured of the apparent boob window, but what the heck...it's Ice!

And speaking of some nice figures, here's a really cool variant of Sinestro.



Isn't HE just as scary as all get out? Well done.

But I have to admit that THIS one, really has me palpitating.



That is one gorgeous hunk of plastic.

Now all they have to do is bring out a NEW version of Guy Gardner...not just a new head and old body, and I'll be in toy heaven.

A Reasonably Interesting Week

There were some pretty good books out this week. There were some duds too, but I imagine that's true just about every week.

Blue Beetle of course was just spectacular. It really is one of the very best books being put out right now, the art is fun, the plots are wonderful, the dialogue is great, and he has one of the best supporting casts ever. Read it. You won't be sorry.

Wonder Woman was great too. All kinds of stories coming together, with the flashbacks to Diana's birth, and the dire situation currently taking place on Themyscira. The art was lovely as usual. Throw in some Nazis and talking Gorillas, and it all just gets even better!

I seem to remember whining a bit about how much I missed the old Damage Control mini-series. My prayers have been answered, because Mr. McDuffie is writting a new one. Woohoo! We have the whole crew back too. Mrs. Hoag, Albert, John and Robin. AND Eugene! Crazy crazy Eugene. I'm so happy, I could cry. This is going to be good. The Thunderbolts show up at the end, and you just KNOW they are going to be getting their well-deserved comeuppance...somehow.

Teen Titans is a bit of a disappointment. I really have only been picking this up because Blue Beetle is in it, but all the stress, and whining and angst is getting annoying. I also think that Ravager is a bitch, and Cassie has her moments too. Jaime is the intelligent one in the bunch...with the exception of Tim of course, but I'm even a bit annoyed with Tim. Jaime should stay as far away from this bunch of losers as possible. Maybe he could go and hang out with the Justice Society. Ma Hunkle could make him cookies, and he could hang with Courtney and Hunkel Jr.

JLA Classified was pretty good. Always nice to see the old bunch in action. John Byrne is even good on the art. He draws a very pretty Hal.

The Punisher was the most violent thing that I have read in a very long time. Good though. Am I a bad person because the thing with the pliers made me snicker?

Countdown to Myster continues to be pretty darned good. I'm having a lot of fun with the new Dr. Fate. And I'm glad that Jean Loring is no longer Eclipso. Let's face it, Jean was scary enough on her own.

Astonishing X-Men was astonishingly dull...at least for me. I started out with the highest of hopes for this book. The art by John Cassaday has been lovely, and it all started out so nicely. But the scheduling makes it hard to remember exactly just what happened three months or so ago in the last issue, and I really am finding that I don't give a tinker's damn about Ord and his bloody planet. In fact I'm rather bored with the X-Men altogether, and that is something that would have been unthinkable for me a few years ago.

I have been going out and getting the trades for the New Atom, and they are a hoot. Gail Simone, I love you.

Blue Beetle #23

Well, boy howdy, the shit has hit the fan, and the ante has been upped. Jaime has figured out what the Reach are REALLY up too, and it is nothing less than world conquest. The problem is that they are such sneaky little buggers...they've covered their tracks so well, and their timeline is so long, that Jaime doesn't really have any evidence to present to the JLA or anybody.

We open with a charming view of Jaime standing at his desk, and staring at the various pieces of paper and pictures oh his bulletin board. Tacked along the top, is a sign that says "W.W.T.K.D.?" Or, "What Would Ted Kord Do?" I tell you, I just...melted.

Paco wants him to go to the JLA, but he says he doens't have enough evidence, and Brenda agrees with him, which leads to the usual hilarious exchange between Paco and Brenda. However, Jaime, who has indeed been studying up on what Ted would do, does have a plan of sorts.



It has finally dawned on the Reach guys, that perhaps Jaime is turning into something of a problem. I get the distinct impression that the head Reach guy is starting to panic...just a tiny little bit. He's definitely letting Jaime get to him, and that can only be a good thing for Earth. Anyway, they are beginning to take some preventive measures.

Meanwhile, Jaime has gone to tell his family what it is that he has to do. Naturally, being his parents, they don't want him to be hurt. But Jaime is a hero, they raised him right, and he's trying to do the right thing. Milagro points out that this is his job...that he's the GOOD GUY, and its his job to save people.



*sniff*

Nobody is happy about what he has to do, but at least they understand that he has to do it. And thanks to his studying Ted's books and notes, he has an interesting plan, to say the least. Somehow, he's appearing simultaneously out of the bleed, and confusing the monitors on the Reach's ship. In other words, he's using the Bleed's Time Dilation to cheat Causality! I don't really know what that all means, but it sure sounds cool! And the reason that he used three versions of himself, was to somehow create triangulation, so that he could find the Reach ship, and attack it.

He and the Scarab are actually doing pretty well. He defeats all the little fighter ships and comes blasting right into the main ship. In retaliation, the Reach decides to blow up his family. Fortunately, Jaime anticipated a move like this, and manages to ring up Paco's cell-phone and warn him to get them all out. Then there is a big WHAKA-KHOOOM! and the Reyes house goes up in flames.

Jaime is terrified, and the Reach somehow uses his emotions to shut down the Scarab, then the Reach guy reaches in and rips it out of Jaime's spine. THAT had to hurt. The Reach taunts him, saying that the Scarab is..."...shut down. Dormant or dead. Not sure which. Not sure I CARE at this point." He then cackles a bit about how powerless Jaime is, and that his family is surely dead...and that "...You are the Blue Beetle no more!"

Whoa! Heck of a cliffhanger!

Of course, the Reach has failed to take into consideration quite a number of things. For one thing, I don't for a minute believe that Jaime's family and friends are dead. The did lose their house however, so I hope they have good insurance. For another thing, dismissing the scarab so cavalierly is a very stupid move on the part of the Reach...but one that is also quite believable. As I understand it, the Reach treats the Scarabs as nothing more than slaves, so I can see why they would underestimate the bond that Jaime has formed with the Scarab. Finally, Jaime has been reading all the books that Guy gave him, along with Ted's notes and such. I also think that he's been getting information from Dani Garrett and anybody else that he can think of. Jaime is a smart kid...much smarter than he's been given credit for.

I can't begin to explain how very much I love this book. It is everything that Spider-Man could be, but better. Here is a young and rather bewildered hero, who has attained vast powers that he only vaguely understands. He tries to do his best, but the thing that really seals the deal for me, is that he has a warm and loving family to back him up. He has friends who help him with his new powers and responsibilities. He doesn't whine, he doesn't angst, he doesn't try to keep secrets. I'm pretty sure that half of El Paso has a pretty good idea who he is. He has one of the best supporting casts in all of comicbookdom...and I LOVE it.

Still Coasting

Yup. Still just coasting along. Too bad about Heath Ledger. He was far too young. Heck I'm depressed that Suzanne Pleshette just died.

It is new comics day, so that is at least one good thing. I was hoping for a Green Lantern book this week, but no such luck. Fortunately, there are some other goodies.

And, for your viewing pleasure, I just came across this.



Isn't that a lovely version of Kilowog? Ethan Van Sciver really is quite fabulous. I haven't really seen too much of Kilowog lately, so I hope that they have him show up in Green Lantern Corps a bit more. Quite frankly, I would think that he'd be delighted to have Guy and Kyle living on Oa. And you can't tell me, that he won't have his own private table at the new bar. Heck, maybe Arisia can go back to work for Guy too!

Gosh, this is Cute

It's Tuesday, and my brain is empty. Completely, totally empty. I have no witty commentary, and no brilliant insight. Not that I usually do, but I'm pretty decent at winging it. Today I'm feeling a bit drained. My teenaged daughter is having boyfriend troubles, while my teenaged son is having girlfriend trouble. I'm running back and forth offering up soothing words and pats on the back, but it does get a bit exhausting.

So, I offer up this.




I'm in a better mood already. Then I realize that several of them are dead, or insane, or whatever, and I get depressed again. And really, who thought that putting Batman next to Guy was a good idea? But it IS nice to see Barda, and Beetle, and Max, and Dmitri...!

Now If I was in Charge...!

Seriously, haven't we ALL just fantasized a little bit about how we would improve Comics if WE were the ones in charge? I know I have. Bring back Ted (yaaayy!), Bring back Max as he used to be, STOP KILLING EVERYBODY, and so on an so forth.

Which brings me in a roundabout way, to my current dilemna. What on Earth, should be done with Fire and Ice? Ice is back from the dead which is a wonderful thing. And although magic was involved in a roundabout sort of way, no deals with the devil were made. At the moment, she is just hanging around. She's had a lovely reunion with Fire over in Checkmate, and a slightly less satisfying reunion with Guy in Green Lantern Corps, but she doesn't seem to be doing anything in particular. And I haven't seen much of Fire recently either. She's still in Checkmate, but she doesn't seem to be all that happy about it.

I fully admit that I love the old JLI...the one with Guy, Fire, Ice, J'onn, Scott Free and Barda, Ted and Booster. THAT was MY Justice League, and in a way, it always will be. However, I do understand the meaning of progress, and that things do change. The current lineup is ok too...with the exception of Geoforce, who is a dweeb.

But I digress.

We need to get Fire back with Ice. They just go together so well. Like Chocolate and Peanut Butter. Like Simon and Garfunkel. I understand that Mr. Tomasi has some plans for Ice and Guy in upcoming GL Corps books, and this is pleasing to me. Also, Guy, Fire, Ice and Booster all apparently show up in March's issue of Blue Beetle, which is ALSO pleasing to me. But still, what to do with them?

Birds of Prey would be a perfect location, in my humble opinion. Black Canary is out for the moment at least, running around with Oliver and the Justice League. Misfit isn't really capable quite yet of performing missions, which leaves the bulk of the work up to Huntress and Lady Blackhawk, and Zinda usually is more of a backup person, than the one actually getting her hands dirty...at least some of the time. Oracle could REALLY use some new talent. I like the thought of Manhunter showing up occasionally, but let's not forget that she's a busy attorney AND a Mom, and frankly, I don't know how she has the time. For that matter, I'm not sure how Huntress can find the time to be a teacher, go drinking with Zinda and still beat up the bad guys and infiltrate the Mob, but she's probably better at managing her time than I am.

Babs DID consider Fire as a possible recruit, waaaaay back, but thought that perhaps she was too flakey. Fire in the meantime has undergone quite a bit of personal trauma, and perhaps grown up a bit, so I think that she'd be a much better choice nowadays, than formerly. Besides, I like Fire, and I think she'd add a bit of humor to the Birds.

I also think that Ice would be a welcome recruit to the Birds. She has a pretty interesting power, she's help calm down Misfit, it would be lovely to have her back with Fire again, and she pretty much gets along with everybody. AND, she'd bring Guy into the picture, at least peripherally, which could be VERY interesting. Guy and Zinda are old buddies of course, but since Babs is still technically something of a BAT, it would make for all kinds of tension and misunderstandings, since as we all know...Bats and Green Lanterns don't mix.

Heh heh.

Here's an Interesting Thought

So...speaking of the Sinestro Corps, let's talk about Despotillis, the incredibly nasty sentient virus, who has wiped out countless innocents, not to mention some Green Lanterns AND Kyle Rayner's mother. As you all recall, he managed to infect Guy Gardner in GL #25, causing Guy to feel rather queasy, spit up yellow gunk and go blind.

Fortunately, for Guy, Soranik Natu was there, along with Leezle Pon, the Green Lantern who is ALSO a virus, and who was just ITCHING to find a live body infected with Despotillis, so that it could get a little revenge going. Turns out that it was Leezle Pon's own partner who was wiped out by Despotillis, which may have turned out to have been a major mistake on the part of Despotillis. The trick of course, was finding a LIVE body. The Despotillis virus is pretty quick-acting, and produces any number of rather disgusting symptoms.



Leezle Pon is victorious, and Guy lives, and that's a very very good thing. My question now, is, since Guy is probably the ONLY being who has managed to survive being infected by Despotillis, does his blood now possess antibodies for that particular virus? Could it be used, possibly by Soranik, to make an antidote or a vacine?

Frankly, I think that is an interesting concept. Guy Gardner could be responsible for saving an awful lot of people throughout the Universe, without lifting his ring finger. Of course, Leezle Pon and Soranik are also resonsible. I would love to see this infection thing backfire on the Sinestro Corps and Despotillis.

Heh.

Birds of Prey #114

Why who is that on the very first splash page? It's Manhunter! Beating guys up! And looking darned good doing it. She really doesn't have much to do with the story, but gosh, if it wasn't nice to see her.

When IS Manhunter coming back?

So anyway, Barbara is all obsessed and cranky after the debacle of last issue, and getting chewed out by Superman. These Bat-people, REALLY have to learn to roll with the punches...(which is why I laughed hysterically when Batman gave Robin advice about "moving on" about Stephanie, in the latest ROBIN book. Because Batman is sooooooo good about moving on) But I digress. Misfit is a little bewildered by Bab's singlemindedness. Babs apparently has a whole bunch of people looking into what happened, but nobody seems able to come up with any answers.

Meanwhile, Zinda and Helena are getting bombed in a bar. This seems like a perfectly normal and reasonable thing for them to do. It is even more fun, when you realize that a major brawl is erupting behind and around them...but they aren't involved in it, in the least. Helena is pretty blitzed, but Zinda is just buzzing along nicely. Hanging out with the Blackhawks certainly does teach you how to hold your liquor. They are both still pissed at Superman AND his holier-than-thou attitude, and a little bemused by Babs's reaction, but they aren't going to let it stop them from having a good time. There is a rather delightful little bit about Zinda getting a drivers licence, and having to deal with the reaction to her birthdate, so she goes out and gets a fake, but can hardly get anyone to give her an A.A.R. P. discount. Helena does a spit-take, which is very appropriate.

The girls stumble out of the bar, and Zinda pours Helena into a cab, then catches sight of someone out of the corner of her eye. She gives chase, but apparently nobody is there, so she gives up and goes home. Apparently she's a light sleeper, because again, she catches a glimpse of someone on the fire-escape and gives chase again...only this time in her underwear. Oh Zinda.

It's Killer Shark! Woohoo! There's some continuity right there! They beat each other up for a little while, but I get the impression that it's really just foreplay...for him at least. Then he takes off in his simply FABULOUS sharkmobile/helicopter thingie.

Barbara in the meantime is pushing and pushing, and finally decides to have a sparring session with poor Misfit. Misfit's glad not to be going dishes, but Bab's snapping her ankle just to see if she can teleport and heal it, seems to be a little on the harsh side. I see that Barbara is still channelling her inner Batman. But Misfit is nothing if not game, and she sticks around, so that Babs can make her do gymnastics and yell at her some more.

Then Black Alice shows up. I can't say that I particularly like the ripped mesh shirt thing, but her little pleated kilt is to DIE for. I used to wear skirts like that when I played field hockey. They probably don't do that anymore.

So...an interesting issue. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. I wish that Barbara would get her head straight and stop obsessing. I hope that Helena's hangover wasn't TOO horrible. I can hardly wait to find out what is going on with Zinda.

Oh, and maybe Manhunter will show up again. I can always hope.

Booster Gold #6

Oh...My...God!

As you all recall from LAST months Booster Gold, poor Booster has been taught a very harsh lesson by Rip Hunter...mainly that there are just some things that you can't change. Booster being Booster however, he doesn't want to believe Rip. And then, out of the blue...(heh) who should appear, but THREE Blue Beetles! Dan Garrett, Jaime Reyes, and some guy from the future, who seems to be running things. And THEY want Booster to come with them and SAVE TED KORD!

Guess who is more than happy to oblige? Rip of course is trying to talk our boy out of this little jaunt, by pointing out that the sudden appearance of the three Beetles is AWFULLY convenient. Hmmm...ya know, he may have a point there. Booster is just in no mood to listen however, and off they go. The visual of the four of them walking away, is a lovely little homage, which I don't have a scan of, so you'll just have to go out and buy it.

Rip is ticked, to say the least, but the Beetle from the Future keeps assuring all and sundry, that they can INDEED rescue Ted, and that the time stream won't be harmed in the least. Booster believes him, because he WANTS to believe him. Rip can't help being a skeptic.

So off they go. Dan doesn't even know who Ted is at this point, so Booster gives him (and us) a lovely recap of just how friggin' awesome ol' Ted is. Then there is some nice back and forth with Jaime, which is fun.

Meanwhile, Daniel is trying to convince his future love that HE's actually Booster, when Rip shows up, all cranky and bearing costumes. This probably won't end well.

So...we're back at the Checkmate Castle, and Ted is confronting EvilMax, when ALL the Beetles...plus Booster come crashing through the window. You have to admit that it is a HECK of an entrance. Needless to say, Ted is slightly confused ,since he thought that Booster was still in the hospital, while EvilMax is just ticked off. Flunkies are dispatched, EvilMax does some bloviating, and then an OMAC shows up. Booster doesn't care, he's just so tickled at seeing Ted alive, that you can practically see him giggling to himself.

Then EvilMax starts to get really nasty, and uses his nasty old mind-control powers to shut down Booster's brain. Ted yells "Rot in Hell, Max!" and Max fires...and Booster jumps in front of Beetle, with the bullet going through his goggles before he falls to the floor! Ted naturally goes nuts and whaps EvilMax before giving him a headbutt, and smashing his face into the chessboard. At which point, Booster sits up and says "Oww." Ted is thilled and amazed that Booster isn't dead, the shot just went through his goggles and grazed his forehead. The other Beetles in the meantime have neutralized the OMAC, but according to Jaime's Scarab, more are on the way, so they all grab Ted, and get the hell out of Dodge.

Booster is just giddy, Ted is still rather confused, Jaime is a little worried about what is going to happen to HIM, and the Future Beetle reasures him, and also points out that in order to preserve history, nobody can know that Ted is alive.

Well. THAT sucks. But I don't care, and I don't think that Beetle or Booster do at the moment either.

*sigh*

So...how do I feel about this? THRILLED TO MY TOES! However, as delighted as I am, I can't help but feel a bit on the terrified side as well. It just can't be this easy. Knowing Comics, I can't help but have that "waiting for the other shoe to drop" kind of feeling.

Is the Future Beetle on the up and up? Can he be trusted? Did saving Ted screw up the Time Stream? What is Rip going to do? What about Dan? What about Jaime? I guess we'll get some answers in next months Booster Gold #0, which is a (slightly) late addition to the Zero Hour mini-series. THIS should be...dare I say it...GOLD!




Look! It's TED! And he's not a ghost, or Everyman, or a clone, or a flashback!

Booster and...Beetle?

So there is this rumor going around. Booster Gold comes out this week, and Ted may be in it. TED! I MISS Ted! So that's nice to hear. On the other hand, it could all just end horribly, so I'm afraid to get my hopes up too much.

It would also be nice to have the old Max Lord back. I like the old manipulative, crafty Max. I didn't like the new crazy-as-a-loon maniacal evil Max.

I know! Mephisto shows up, and in return for Peter and MJ's luuuuuuvvvvv, he changes history, and therefore Ted was never shot, Sue was never raped and murdered, Ralph is still happy-go-lucky, and so on and so forth. Batman is still a dick, but there are just some things that you can't change.

Well, off to the Comic Book Store!

Woohoo!

It's Been A While, Kyle

Sheesh, I haven't talked about Kyle in the LONGEST time. Well, except for being in Green Lantern Corps, and that was days ago. I AM glad that he's moving to Oa, at least for the time being. There can't really be too much to keep him on earth these days. And while it was smart of him to bring along his Mother's painting, perhaps it would also have been smart to bring along some furniture. My guess is that practically ALL of the stuff in the green moving van was Guy's.

Maybe having Kyle around will help calm down the Guardians a bit. He may not be Ion anymore, but he's still the Torchbearer, and they have certainly been wound a little tight lately. I get the impression that certainly most of the other Green Lantern Corps members like Kyle. He's a likeable sort of fellow. Perhaps he and Guy can bop over and see how Ganthet and Sayd are making out?

It is possible that having Kyle on Oa will put a bit of pressure on the new Ion; Soddam Yat, which could make for some interesting stories. Yat is the rookie now, and I think that there has to be some tension in trying to perform your new function in front of the guy who used to have your job.

Kyle is also pretty much single at the moment. He may be carrying a little bit of a torch for Donna, but I'm not sure that I see that particular relationship going anywhere. Arisia is available...and she's already BEEN dead! Perhaps she can be the one who breaks the jinx!

Anyhoo...I'm just glad that he's back in Green Lantern Corps. He and Guy were so good together in RECHARGE, it's nice to get that cameraderie back on track. Plus, I think that the two of them are going to drive poor Salaak nuts, which is always a good thing. Kyle does such inventive things with his ring too.



Cool, eh?

Ok, now I'm just being Mean

So, I went over to Newsarama, and right off the bat, I read this little bit of blurb...

"The first issue hits in a month and Mark Millar has told us that he and Bryan Hitch are going to
be on FANTASTIC FOUR longer than planned..."

HAW! I do believe that this falls into the category of "no shit, Sherlock". I'm sorry to be so mean, but I just can't help it at this point. I didn't even bother clicking on the doohickey, to read the rest of the blurb, because I was stuck in cynical mode, and just sat here, quietly snickering to myself.

If their track record over at ULTMATES is any indication, they are certainly going to be at FANTASTIC FOUR for a very very long time. Not a lot of issues, mind you, but probably YEARS!

Ok, I've had my mean nasty fun, so I'll stop now.

I think that I'm going to have to break down and start picking up NIGHTWING
. Shelley and Rachelle have both been saying that it is good, and from the looks and sounds of it, it DOES look appealing. Of course, now I'm picking up ATOM as well, and things are beginning to get expensive. However, I was very pleased with Mr. Tomasi's writing on Green Lantern Corps, so I trust that he's doing a good job on NIGHTWING too. Besides, I've been informed that there are supposed to be a lot of shower scenes.

So, some Green Lanterns Walk Into a Bar...

...John is the only one who ducked! Haw!

Seriously, I really have to let this go, but I came across this the other day, and just couldn't resist.




I guess this was the newstand version of the cover. I have the one with the big doors that open out and show the fabulous Bar fight going on inside, myself. All I can say, is that if Mr. Tomasi is serious about opening the new Bar up on Oa, they had better have a REALLY spectacular cover on that particular issue.

The possibilities for characters is mindboggling.

Demented Ramblings

Gosh, it's cold, dreary and raining today. On the other hand, I'm actually ALONE for a change, since everybody is either off at work or at school, so I can play my music. Loudly. Without fear of recrimination.

I got the final issue of 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen, which I must admit I was only following sporadically. My feelings? Needed more Snapper Slapping. That really WAS the high point for me.

Green Arrow/Black Canary has me all choked up and weepy. Poor Connor. Poor Ollie. Poor Roy, dammit. On the other hand, Hal Rocks! And as usual, the art was just lovely. I hate to have to admit this, but Winick actually did a decent job. And comas aren't so bad...just ask Guy. He's been in more comas than just about anybody, and look how HE turned out.

Um...........

I'm still snickering over Green Lantern Corps #20. Did anyone catch the little bit where Hal I think, asks Guy if he's going to call the new bar NEW WARRIORS? Guy snickers and says no, it doesn't ring his ding, or words to that affect. Nice dig, Mr. Tomassi!

I have come to the realization that it doesn't matter anymore whether I liked Civil War, or OMD or anything from Marvel...because they are ALL Skrulls, and therefore, the last ten years or so of continuity mean absolutely nothing. Tony is a Fascist? It's ok, he's just a Skrull! So is Spider-Man, Aunt May and MJ...heck Mephisto is probably a Skrull too! In fact, I imagine that the only person NOT a Skrull is...possibly...Bucky. So, sooner or later, it will all work out. The REAL heroes have just been on vacation for a while. Or sleeping.

I did manage to go back and pick up an issue of the new Teen Titans mini-series, because word was that it was good. And it is. I have to admit, that I think Garth is a hoot. I never knew that he was afraid of fish before, but Scipio gave us all a heads up, for which I thank him.

I don't need Spider-Man. I have Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle. So there.

Apparently, Guy drools while he's sleeping. I just think that's cute. Also, Tora does not.



Awww...isn't that sweet? It took me a while to notice, but I'm pretty sure that she has the window open. I'll also bet that she's fond of ice-cold showers too. I'm on pins and needles wondering where they are going to go for their first date.

Green Lantern Corps #20

Ok. I have to admit that I giggled all the way through this. YES, Mongul shows up, and he's all dastardly and weird, and seriously demented and all, but I can't help it, I just wanted to read about the Guy and Kyle Roadshow...and it was SPECTACULAR!

Peter Tomasi is writing now, and although I was quite fond of Mr. Gibbons, I think that I may say that our boys are safe in Mr. Tomasi's hands. Pat Gleason has a bit of help in the art detail from Carlos Magno, who is excellent, so I have no complaints about the art. Oh, some of it may have been a little bit rushed here and there, but dammit I don't care.

We begin with the Guardians hanging out, doing whatever it is that they do, and watching the various Green and Yellow rings flying around the Universe. I imagine that it is like watching television for them. Fortunately the action soon swings to Guy and Kyle, each respectively trying to figure out what to DO with their lives, post Sinestro Corps War.


< Guy isn't having much luck with his dart method, at least not on earth, and Kyle keeps flipping through tv channels and finding nothing but Cosmic themes. Each thinks that perhaps someone is trying to tell them something. So Guy calls Kyle, and they decide after a bit of back and forth, to meet up and have beer and Thai food, which sounds like a good plan. Meanwhile, Mongul shows up. He HAS that nice little Yellow ring now, and apparently has nothing BUT time, for when the ring explains that it will take approximately 96 hours to give him all the information he requested, he replies that it's no problem. Mongul is obviously not the sort of person to delegate! Next thing you know, ALL the boys are meeting up at the crumbled remains of "Warriors", which was Guy's old bar, sadly destroyed back in "Rebirth". The BAR! I LOVED the Bar! I MISSED the Bar! Apparently, so did Guy. Hal and John are a bit startled to find out that Guy and Kyle want to move to Oa...on a permanent basis...for a while at least. This slightly confused me, since I thought that Guy was ALREADY living on Oa, especially during the whole One Year Later episode in time, but maybe he commuted. Hal and John aren't completely convinced this is a good idea,but really, why is it any skin off of their collective noses? Guy himself points out that ..."It's a hop, skip and a jump...if things get dicey, just pick up the ol' cavalry trumpet and I'll zip in an dsave your sorry asses as usual." Hee hee! Hal of course can't just leave it at that, and checks with Kyle, who to his obvious surprise is also jiggy with it. Frankly, I don't mind in the least, there can't be a whole lot of people LEFT on Earth for Kyle anymore. His mom's dead, he's not in the League anymore, and he's feeling a bit restless. Besides, as Guy points out, they can be there pretty quickly if they absolutely have to. Plus, he's in the Honor Guard now, so it makes a certain amount of SENSE for them to go to Oa. But of course, the creme de la creme is that they (and I DO mean "they") want to get the Bar going again. On Oa this time. I am about to die and go to GL Heaven. There is also a rather sweet moment where Guy is hovering outside the window of Tora's apartment as she sleeps. He just looks sad for a moment and leaves a note for her, before taking off. *sniff*. THAT'S what happens when you play hard-to-get Tora! Then Guy and Kyle are flying through space, with a giant green Mack Truck construct carrying all of their stuff. Kyle is clutching his Mother's painting, which is a nice little touch, while Guy is in his usual flying-on-his-back attitude, while reading a comic book. They have some manly man talk about Tora and their attitudes to life and love, which is amusing. There is also this.

Hee hee! I DO hope that they eventally noticed that their green truck has sprung a leak!

All of which leads to the confrontation with Salaak. THIS is where I completely lost my composure. Guy is exactly as you would picture him to be, bluff and brash, and trying to snow Salaak, who of course is also exactly as you would picture him to be...gruff, curmudeonly, and sarcastic. I love Salaak SO much. For every point that Guy tries to slip past him, Salaak brings up something inconvenient. There has been some question over why the question of money keeps coming up...especially on Oa of all places, but I really just think that Salaak is doing his best to pull Guy's chain. No matter HOW much they bicker, I have always gotten the impression that deep down, Guy and Salaak BOTH completely enjoy these confrontations.

It isn't until Guy and Kyle drop the big one...that they want to move back to Oa permanently, that Salaak completely loses his composure and just bursts out laughing. I have to say that the expressions here are dead on. Guy's going in for the kill, Kyle's trying NOT to laugh, and Salaak is still in the throes of hysteria.

<

Who knew that this would be the deal-clincher? Apparently Salaak decides that the entertainment value is worth the agony of dealing with Guy. Besides, like I said...I really think he enjoys it.

Kyle's happy anyway.

<

A bit on the minimalist side, but heck, it's a start. And they SO need an Ikea on Oa.

Guy also seems to be happy. Tired but happy.

<

Oh, and remember Mongul? You remember Mongul. He's interested in rings. Lots and lots of rings. He's also a lousy housekeeper, as there are dead and rotting still littering his throne room. Including his sister, poor ol Mongal. He picks up her maggot-infested head, and has himself a fine old time taunting her. Mongul in my opinion, is not wrapped too tightly.

I understand that the next two issues are going to cover more of the Alpha Lantern storyline, in order to give Mr. Gleason a little more time to get caught up. I have no problem with that, I love his artwork so.

Anyway...give this a read, if you are looking for something a little bit on the frivolous side for a change. For the nitpickers out there, there ARE some questions that get raised...such as why was Warriors just left mouldering for a few years, DO Lanterns get paid, and why should there be a housing problem on Oa, but frankly, I don't care. Some of it I can rationalize as Salaak trying to mess with Guy, and as for Warriors, well red tape can eat up a lot of time.

So there.

Sweet Sweet Wednesday

Woohoo! Comics are back to being on Wednesday! I admit to being a creature of habit. I expect my books to be there on a certain day and time, and I get VERY cranky when they are not. Which is why Holidays always drive me into a frenzy. It's bad enough having to wait until Thursday, but FRIDAY? Oh, the horror.

Last week was a bit on the light side for me, but there are a ton of goodies coming out this week, so I am already in a benevolent mood. AND a new Green Lantern Corps, which has me giddy with anticipation.

I WON'T be picking up A Brand New Day in Amazing Spider-Man however. I like Dan Slott, and I think that he is a fine writer, but I'm just feeling a bit bruised by Marvel. While I understand that it is foolish to malign a book that I haven't even read, I also understand that to keep going back and expecting NOT to get slugged in the face, when it has happened repeatedly in the past is also foolish. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

So...off to the Comic Book Store.

Red and Orange Lanterns

If you have been following the late Sinestro Corps war storyline, you know that they have come up with a virtual rainbow of colors and corresponding emotions to fit. The Green Lanterns are the ones in the middle, they serve to "balance" out the other ones. On one side of the spectrum, you have the Red Lanterns, which symbolize Hate or Rage. Then the Orange Lanterns are Greed, the Yellow Lanterns are Fear of course. On the other side of the Green, are the Blue Lanterns for Hope, Indigo for compassion or something, and finally, the Zamarons, and Violet for Love.

This is all very interesting of course, and I can hardly wait to see what Mr. Johns is going to be doing with the concept in the future. However, it occured to me this morning, that I have a perfect candidate for either the Red or Orange Lanterns.

Mace.

Ok, granted, Mace Gardner is supposed to be dead. Harumph to that, I say! If I remember, Major Force killed him, and his body was taken by the Quorum. We never saw it after that did we? Kalinara once pointed out that it would be so very easy for them to resurrect Mace.

Mace is a great character. He's Guy's older brother, the golden child, the parent's favorite, and he could do no wrong. Everything was easy for Mace...unlike poor Guy. Mace was a bit on the lazy side however, and certainly came across as having a real sense of entitlement. He gave up on college and became a cop instead. Then, he became a dirty cop. Unfortunately for Mace, he ended up getting shot and paralyzed, so he dragged himself over to the canal, and all they found was his wheelchair. Except that the Quorum found him, fixed him up and gave him a supersuit and used him for any number of missions.

You would think that this would be enough to make ol' Mace happy, but he just couldn't deal with the fact that his little brother had managed to make something of a success out of his life and ALSO became a superhero. Mace's resentment and jealousy made him REALLY eager to take Guy down a peg, and they had some pretty spectacular fights there for a while back in the old "Guy Gardner" series.

All of which makes me think that if...IF...they could resurrect Mace, he'd be tailor-made for either the Hate or Greed corps. I really don't think that he inspires fear, so he'd be pretty useless to Sinestro, and heaven knows, he isn't much for compassion, hope or love. He's a selfish little bastard, and he wants WHAT he wants,and he wants it now! I actually think that he'd be better as an Orange Lantern than a Red one. He's been a greedy little snot his whole life.

Plus his hair would look MUCH better in an orange outfit than a red one. Red would clash.

Green Lantern Sinestro Corps: Secret Files & Origins

I can't believe that I almost forgot to tell you all about this little gem. Well...little is actually a misnomer, this is pretty thick, and concentrated and DENSE! It is just like a little Green Lantern encyclopedia!

There are pictures and descriptions of a TON of Green Lanterns, including some pretty obscure ones, and ones that are not so obscure. Some of them have had their appearances changed considerably, and there have been a few subtle retcons, but it's fun to go through it and see who is who. I don't imagine that this would appeal to the casual fan, but for a true Green Lantern nut, it is practically required!

It even has a listing of who is actually dead. Man...when did K'ryssma kick the bucket? And who the heck is Holltha Ronn? SHE'S that unidentified GL that I couldn't figure out on the amazingly huge and beautifully painted mousepad that my daughter bought me for Christmas. I knew who everone was except her. STILL haven't a clue, but at least I've got a name now.

There is even a nice little story about Morro, the GL Cryptkeeper as told by Guy to Kyle. It's very nice, and a pleasant nugget of still more Green Lantern Lore.

My New Battle Cry

Take a gander at this little gem...



I have to admit that I blatantly stole this from Adam over at "Comics Make No Sense", one of my absolutely favorite sites. I don't have the foggiest idea what the original scan is from or who that is yelling it, but "Sockamagee" has just become my new favorite thing to say.

I now plan to yell this as often as is possible, preferably when it is also completely inappropriate.

"What's for dinner, Mom?"

"SOCKAMAGEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

*hee hee*

Hmmmm...Bit of a Slow Week

I've been awfully spoiled lately. Three out of Four weeks in December had magnificently abundant and fabulous books. Here we are, the first comic book day of the new year, and...well, not a whole lot.

Jonah Hex was good, Countdown was a bit on the bizarre side. I guess I had better re-read it, because I'm STILL not quite sure what happened with all the Monitors. Oh, and Monarch shows up. Well crap.

I picked up Thor, which I should actually have picked up last week. It was nice, but some of the art of Thor's face makes it look as though he has been hit with his own hammer. I guess he should lay off of the lutefisk for a bit.

Got the new Atom. Like Blue Beetle, I was a latecomer to this book, but I find that I am enjoying it immensely. Time to start ferreting after the back issues.

I also picked up the Four Horsemen/Countdown thingie. Not that I really care, or have been following it particularly closely, but there was ONE scan that I had to see.



Heh heh. Gosh, this just made my day. Batman pastes Snapper Carr right in the snout. In fact, I give you a hearty Bwhahahahahahahahaha!

I feel so much better now.

Blue Beetle #22

Gosh, but I love this book. I will admit that I was a latecomer, but since I finally had the wit and good taste to pick it up, I can only say that there hasn't been a boring or bad issue yet. It is one of the most consistantly good books out there.

We have the proper writer and artist back for this issue, which is nice. John Rogers is a genius, and Rafael Albuquerque's art is quirky, but sensational. His expressions alone, just MAKE this book.

Jaimie is off rescuing some guys in danger from flowing lavaand an erupting volcano. Unlike MOST superheroes, Jaime also points out that they were awfully stupid to get caught by the lava in the first place, which is a hoot and a half. However, the volcano is important, because Jaime and the Scarab are finally beginning to piece together exactly what it is that the Reach is up to. Jaime is then joined by none other than Danni Garrett, the granddaughter of the first Blue Beetle in one of Ted Kord's Bugs, and together they plunge into the heart of the volcano. Danni is a little bit out there, but again, that's part of the fun.

Meanwhile, Jaime's mother has to deal with a slightly out-of-control Peacemaker at the hospital, which of course she does with aplomb. And Jaime's Dad handles the invasion of La Dama and a small army of her goons, when she shows up to bring Brenda home. He not only stands up to her AND her armed goons, he makes her ashamed of herself. Have I mentioned before that I adore Mr. & Mrs. Reyes?

Back inside the volcano Jaime and Danni are looking for a Reach outpost, as the Scarab seems to be developing something of a sense of humor. The trick is, that nobody can SEE their outposts and various shenanigans except Jaime and the Scarab. They land inside what seems to be a lost city, and are promptly attacked by Tovar the Lava King! I LOVE Tovar the Lava King! He's just so perfect, keeps referring to himself in the third person, and wants revenge upon the Atlanteans and so on and so forth. Jaime doesn't really want to fight him, but he does manage to pull a World-Ripper Station from N-Space into Three Dimensions!

Needless to say, the Reach aren't happy. In fac, they are becoming just a little bit more than pissed with Blue Beetle. I'd say that the gloves are going to be coming off as of now. Jaime has managed to piece together their nefarious plan, which involves releasing a chemical agent into the world's water supply that over decades of time will render our brains more succeptible to their machinations, so that in a century or so, they can simply take over. Tovar is actually just a creation of theirs, his outposts will explode, setting off the whole shebang in 100 years.

Poor Tovar is a bit bummed out to realize that all of his memories are false, but he handles it like a man. They are attacked by some Reach Probes, who are there to destroy the evidence, and if possible, Blue Beetle. Danni and Jaime run for the Bug, while Tovar insists on covering their escape. At first Jaime is trying to get Tovar to escape with them, but comes to realize that Tovar must do this, in order to show them who he really is...he's a hero, not just a construct. It is magnificent and full of pathos all at the same time.

Jaime has finally decided that enough is enough. He tells the Scarab to send a message to the Reach...to say that "I'm coming." The Scarab demurs, and the message becomes "WE'RE coming!"

Oh baby, I cannot wait!

Green Lantern #26

So much for my fears of a letdown after the tumultuous ending of the Sinestro Corps War! No letdown here, although Geoff Johns does pause to take a deep breath, before plunging right back into the fray. Ivan Reis is taking a little time off to get his sanity back, and the art chores are very beautifully handled by Mike McKone.

We begin with the Guardians hanging around and checking out their latest creations, the Alpha Lanterns. Green Man and Boodikka both seem to be having power batteries inserted directly into their chests which is probably as uncomfortable as it looks. Then the scene changes to "yesturday" and the rest of the tale is told in flash-back.

There is an absolutely gorgeous panel of Sinestro squatting in his cell and looking quite sinister, while he only says two words. "I won." Turns out that he's talking to none other than Hal, who is being rather skeptical. When Hal points out that due to Sinestro's actions hundreds of Lanterns were killed, some of them friends, Sinestro looks tragic, and admits to only two friends...Abin Sur, and...Hal.

I am finding this take on Sinestro and Hal's relationship to be quite interesting. Mr. Johns is delving into all kinds of new territory here, making their attitudes towards one another quite fascinating. Sinestro isn't just a standard "bad guy" any more. It also becomes rather poignant when Hal admits to his "old friend" that he's not just in prison...he's on Death Row.

Meanwhile, John is off sitting on a floating piece of Xanshi and musing to himself. They all have different ways of coping with the fallout of the war. It is perfectly in character for Hal to find a woman, Guy and Kilowog to drink each other under the table, and for Kyle to lock himself in his studio and paint. John on the other hand, goes and reflects on his greatest failure as a Lantern. He doesn't let it hurt him anymore however, he uses it as fuel to make himself a better Lantern. There is a marvelous moment when John is trying to reconstruct Xanshi, and the ring says that his willpower is exceeding the power ring capabilities., which is utterly astonishing! I love the way that John's character is being fleshed out, he's been ignored for far too long.

The Lost Lanterns in the meantime, have been granted permission to take Ke'haan's body back to his family. Laira's having a tough time of it, much to Boodikka's consternation. As Hannu explains, she and Ke'haan were secretly in love, but never did anything about it, since Ke'haan was married and had children.

Just as John was speculating, Hal has indeed gone off and found himself a girl. He's back at the Airforce base, and ready to go up and fly with Jillian, aka Cowgirl. She's a little bit standoffish at first, which I think confuses Hal, but once their two jets are up in the air, they manage to get together in a nice little green bubble and get funky. Hal always manages to do things with SUCH panache.

John is back in Coast City, helping in its construction and such. There was a lot less damage here than in Manhattan, but being an architect, Johns still determined to help out, especially with all the influx of new inhabitants. He's talking to Graf Toren and Tomar Tu via his ring about the rumor of the lost prophecy, when they are interrupted by Salaak, who tells them that they have permission to take Ke'haan's body back to his family. Salaak is having something of a tough time himself, as he's just about the ONLY Lantern that the Guardians have confided in, and I imagine the pressure must be intense.

Finally, we end with the Lost Lanterns going and finding out that Ke'haan's entire family has been slaughtered by none other than that rotten little coward Amon Sur. The little weasel then tries to surrender. His motive apparently is that all the other bad guys will hear about what he has done,and no Lantern's family will be safe. This nasty little plan backfires on him however, as Laira has lost what ever restraint she had, and blows him up. Nastily. Bloodily. The other Lanterns stand around shocked, as Amon Sur's ring then flies off to earth.

How's THAT for a cliffhanger? What is going to happen to Laira? Was she completely justified in what she did? What do the other Lanterns, and most of all, what do the Guardians think? Afterall, they are the ones who opened up this particular can of worms. Sinestro is probably going to laughing in his cell. Who is going to get the ring?

Gosh, I love this book.