Oh for...!

Inspired by Sea of Green's mad computer skills, in installing Statcounter on her blog, I resolved to do the same. It would be nice, I thought to myself, to see if more than four people visit me. So, I clicked onto the site, and started going through the motions...all my myself. Yea, verily.

Until I got to the final bit, where you have to somehow install a lot of HTML stuff.

Uh.....!

Cue panic phonecall to eldest daughter.

Eldest daughter shows up, and only mocks me for a brief amount of time. She cracks her mighty knuckles, sits down at the computer and proceeds to tap rapidly away. That is, until she gets onto my blogsite, and realizes that the Statcounter stuff won't work unless I "update" my blog stuff. (stuff is a very technical term) The only problem with that, is that I will lose my cool banner at the top, and I'm very fond of it. But it is saved in my photobucket, so, no problem...right?

Problem, wrong.

We can't reinstall my banner. I LIKE my banner. It was made especially for me. So we UNinstall the update, and put everything back the way that it should be, and I look at Statcounter...and I say the hell with it.

*sigh*

Verily, I am Wroth

I'm still feeling crabby about not getting several of my HIGHLY ANTICIPATED comic books this Wednesday, and unable to shut up about it. You would think at my age, I would be more mature about these sort of things, but you would be wrong.

I have decided therefore, that in protest, I will do nothing except pronounce all of my future...uh...pronouncements, in COMIC BOOK LANGUAGE!

Forsooth.

I will refer to myself in the third person.

BRING ME THE HEAD OF THAT FOOL AT DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS, that I may smite him! I will use a lot of upper case letters when I talk, therefore showing my wrath. My well-deserved wrath.

I'll use a lot of exclamation points.!!!!!!!!

And I'll probably end up sucking my thumb and crying like a baby until next week. Really, it...it's probably just hormonal or something.

*sob*

On the other hand, this DID delight me.



Now that's a dog.

Time to Pause and Reflect

Well...there were some good comics. Some that were a little odd. Some that just keep going on and on and on and on...and so on. My store didn't have Blue Beetle, nor Wolverine: First Class, which was a shame.

Is it me, or was it a little strange to have Marvel bring out practically every book they do with the word "Avengers" in the title all in one week? Is it a little odd that in "New Avengers" there apparently WEREN'T any Avengers, New or otherwise at all? Just a skrull clone of Reed Richards. I've been pretty much NOT picking up the whole Secret Invasion thingie, because it just seems to be treading water. Every week, there are more and more and more skrulls, but nothing much happens. I noticed in Previews that this whole thing is still going on in November, and immediately got a headache. For the love of God, how much Skrullery can one nation take? I don't want to be rude, but in the old days, Jack and Stan would have done this entire story in one or two books. Remember when they took a whole THREE issues to talk about Galactus? It was called the "Galactus Trilogy" and it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Nowadays, three issues just about covers Wolverine and Spider-Man looking at each other...quizzically.

Do you all remember that book that had the Ultimate Hulk tear the Ultimate Wolverine in half? That's right, it last came out a year or two ago. Well, apparently, the writer has FINALLY turned in the next issue. And I thought that Kevin Smith was late. Oh wait. He is. Gosh, I'm just being SOOOOO snarky today.

Rogues Revenge #2 was good. Really good. Don't try to replace the originals son, if you can't walk the walk. Heh.

I was so thrilled that the final issue of Teen Titans: Year One came out. It was...nice. But a little odd for a finale. And it went so quickly, I kept looking back to see if I had missed some pages or something. And Roy wasn't even in it. Still head and shoulders above the REGULAR Titans however. Eeyuck.

Brad Metzler's Last Will and Testament was a bit on the odd side. It didn't seem to mesh too well with Final Crises for one thing, but I suppose that I shouldn't let things like that surprise me. It did seem to dwell an awful lot on Geo-force. I mean...Geo-force? But man, that Joe Kubert artwork was beautiful.

Trinity was good. I'm enjoying Trinity. There, I've said it. Jack of Fables was a hoot as usual. Magog shows up in Justice Society. I hope that they give him some pants. Oh, and Hawkman is being a dick. The last issue of Catwoman was rather fun. James Robinson's Superman had its moments...primarily the last page. Woohoo! I found Superman Beyond to be a bit on the cunfusing side, until I went back and read it a few times. No doubt it will make sense in the end.

So, not a bad Wednesday all things considered. But if I never see another Skrull, it will be too soon. The only book that I've been enjoying in this whole crossover has been the Incredible Hercules.

BOY, am I cranky.

Sweet Sweet Wednesday

Finally, the painting in the dining room is more or less finished. I have to give the most credit to my daughter Maggie, since she did 80% of the work. I take back everything I've ever said about lazy teenagers. Except for my OTHER lazy teenagers...you know who you are!

It is also the first day of school, here in our wee town, so there was a certain amount of dazedness and moaning, although they are probably secretly just as glad to be going back.

And it's new comics day! That always makes me happy. No Green Lantern today, that's been postponed for a week, but I can live with that. All things considered, they've been doing quite well lately on getting the books out more or less on time.

You know something that would be a heck of a lot easier with a Green Lantern ring? Painting, that's what. Or moving furniture. Just think, when a member of the Justice League gets a new house or apartment, they don't have to go off and rent a U-Haul, they just whistle up for Superman, and he moves it all FOR them. And he probably doesn't even drink all of their beer afterwards. Don't call Hal or Ollie though, they'll move your stuff, and they lay around and swill all your alcohol and hit on your girlfriend. Booster Gold would probably be happy to help out, if he's allowed to play with the Christmas decorations...so...shiny. Kyle would get distracted and start reading magazines out of the boxes. Guy would make a giant green truck, and then neglect to tie anything down, so he has to go back and pick up all of his (or your)stuff afterwards. Wonder Woman would be glad to help, and would probably alphabetize your spices.

This has nothing to do with anything, I just like the crazed look on his face. So appropriate.

The Eyes Have It

So...I was going through some of my pictures, and it has come to my attention that Guy Gardner has awfully pretty eyes. Hal has pretty eyes too, but only when he's not wearing a mask. Otherwise...Hooboy, look out!



and



See? Scary as heck. Scipio, over at the Absorbacon knows what he's talking about when he's posted the dark and souless eyes of Hal Jordan.

But that's not why I'm here. While Guy may indeed have a rubber face, and can give even Ralph Dibny a run for his money occasionally, when he forgets to screw his face up, he's actually not bad looking. For example...



Those are gorgeous eyes! Here he is again with Tora.



Awwwww...of course Tora has pretty eyes too.



Of course sometimes Guy's eyes weren't quite so pretty.



Way to go, Hal!



But seriously, how could you possibly resist that look? I know that Kilowog can't. Or even this one...



Man, he's got Hal just wrapped around his little finger.



Just remember. Guy Gardner is watching you.

Oh Good Grief, it's Monday

Uhhhmmmm....so what did everybody ELSE do over the weekend? School starts this Wednesday, so the kids are in mourning. It's tough not being able to sleep 'till noon.

I do believe that Green Lantern has been delayed for a week, which is slightly depressing. However, I'll manage...somehow. I DO hope that Diamond Distributing doesn't screw up the delivery like LAST week however.

I'm painting my dining room, with a vast amount of help from my sixteen year old...oops, she just turned seventeen last week. Painting isn't nearly as much fun as it looks. It is also a 17'x18' room, with wainscoting, FIVE doors, three windows, a built-in corner cabinet and a fireplace and crown moulding, so there is a LOT of woodwork. On the other hand, it is going to look so nice when it is done.



Fortunately for me, there aren't any ceiling tiles. And who the heck paints their ceiling tiles yellow anyway?

I did discover that this is my 557th post! I rather lost track there for a while. So I've been inflicting my strange opinions upon you people for almost two years now. And I STILL haven't run out of silly things to say.

I can't Believe I forgot about This!

As you all know, I have made it pretty clear that I absolutely adore the Giffen/deMatteis/Maguire era of the Justice League. It may be twenty years old, but it still holds a warm and fuzzy place in my cold black heart. So I was just delighted that the second collection of the old issues has come out, and that was LAST week! It was nice, because it was the same week that the trade publication of Millenium came out, and quite a few of the stories in JLI tied in with Millenium. For example, the new Rocket Red, is actually a Manhunter! It's a good thing it wasn't Dmitri, although he joins after they discover that the old Rocket Red is up to no good.



Aren't they just amazing? This isn't the actual cover, but what the heck. So, if you are looking for some of those old issues, this is a relatively inexpensive and compact way to get a hold of them. Nobody gets raped or impaled or stuff...although there is violence (this IS a comic book afterall) it's...HAPPY violence! My favorite kind!

Better Late than Never

Whew! Finally! I went as usual on Wednesday to pick up my books and discovered that my beloved local Comical Book store had been stiffed by Diamond, so I had to wait an extra day for the books to show up. I was actually pretty restrained, and only sobbed and stomped my dainty foot a little tiny bit. Of course it was QUITE crowded when I did show up on Thursday, as everyone else was champing at the bit as well. I am afraid that I have irredeemably offended another customer, since I couldn't control myself when he showed me a Youngblood book and gushed about what a fabulous artist that Rob Liefeld was. I tried to hold it in, but my laughter just got the better of me. The poor boy was quite bewildered.

*ahem*

Anyway, there were some good books and a few that I'm not quite sure about.

Birds of Prey #121 I liked this, especially the part with the Riddler reacting to whatshisnames mind whammy as being a better rush than Scarecrow's fear toxin. And really, that kid in the stupid costume WAS annoying. I was slightly more disappointed by the portrayal of Misfit at High School. I know that it was based mainly upon movies, but I have to admit that MY High school experiences weren't anything even close to this, and I attended no fewer than THREE different High Schools, due to my Dad getting transferred twice. Man, that sucked.

The Brave & the Bold #16 Now this was very well done. Funny, and interesting. Some people have had some quibbles about it, but it takes place in the past, and I can live with Catwoman having her current costume. It was just so darned cute, from Superman's extreme politeness towards the Gotham police, to Catwoman's disguise for him, that is basically just Clark Kent. He was EXTREMELY self-concious, which was rather endearing. Lots and lots of fun.

Final Crises: Legion of Three Worlds #1 Originally, I wasn't even going to pick this up, because I am not much of a Legion fan. But I am awfully glad that I did, the George Perez artwork is a joy to behold, and Geoff Johns has come through with an excellent story. It doesn't matter if you are a Legion fan or not, you will GET the plot...although I imagine that there are any number of delightful prizes for the Legion loyalists. Plus Jimmie Olsen as a tour guide is JUST so perfect.

The Flash # 243 A happy ending for a change! Nothing too mindblowing, but I'll take a happy ending once in a while.

Justice League of America#24 Hey, this was pretty good! Yes, the JLA finally get their act together and defeat Amazo, but the WAY that they do it, is rather interesting. And Vixen goes and visits Buddy Baker and they do realize that something is out of whack, since Buddy is a vegetarian and he's eating chicken. That's something you don't see every day.

Rann-Thanagar Holy War #4 I think I am going to be dropping this. Too slow, too dull, and I just don't give a damn anymore.

Superman/Batman #51 I don't usually pick this up, but after seeing the cover, how could I resist? Besides, it has artwork by Rafael Albuquerque, and I can NEVER resist him. Quite frankly, this is utterly utterly ADORABLE! Superman and Batman find themselves besieged and bemused by their dopplegangers, courtesy of Mxyzptlk. Sure it SOUNDS old hat, but you just have to see the artwork and dialogue.

<

Heehee! Tiny Bats yells out "Kneecap!" as he punches Batman in the...well, the knee. They even have a big fight scene with the rest of the cutest little Justice League that you ever did see. Then they all end up in the Batcave, which has the tiny Leaguers just entranced! Poor Alfred almost has a breakdown when he comes down and sees all the shenanigans. Then Robin shows up.

<

Double heehee!

The cute little Batman explains that he learned what Real Evil was, when he saw his parents get shoved right in front of him! And tiny Superman was sent to earth by his parents in a rocket so that he wouldn't get rained on! Superman and Batman just don't have the heart to tell them what it is like in their world. Then all the bad guys show up. And they're just the sweetest and most cute bad guys you've ever seen! I can hardly wait for the next issue! I'm getting diabetes just from reading it!

Trinity #12 Another good issue. This is really starting to pick up for me. Caleb described Trinity the best for me, over on his blog, "Every Day is Like Wednesday" when he said that..."It's like having half of a good issue of the Justice League comic, followed by half of a good issue of the Brave & the Bold." Plus Edward Nigma shows up and fingers...himself?

Tangent: Superman's Reign #6 This is a book that doesn't get much talk, it seems, but I like it. We learn who the Superman of the Tangent universe is, and we get to see more snivelling Guy Gardner, so I'm happy.

The Punisher #61 Wow, this sure came out fast after Garth Ennis's last issue, only a week ago. It really isn't bad at all. But it is going to be tough to live up to Ennis's legacy.

The Incredible Hercules #120 This book is just fun. It is about the only Secret Invasion book that I will actually read, and lo and behold, things HAPPEN in this book. And Snowbird isn't dead, which is nice. Seriously, the first page recap is one of my favorite things in comics.

I hope that everyone enjoyed their books this week.

Greatest Blog Entry, Ever?

Hooboy, I've been tagged with the meme going around that I have to come up the best Blog Entry I've Ever Read. This is a VERY difficult thing to do, because I read a LOT of blogs, and snigger my way through any number of them, every day. How do I pick my favorite? It is like picking a favorite child over another, impossible to do. I like them ALL!

For example, it was reading Kalinara and Ragnell that I first decided to start blogging in the first place, and their well-expressed appreciation for all things Green Lantern. And practically everything that I've ever read over at Scipio's Absorbacon is fabulous...(except for the ones about Heroclix, 'cause I'm too dumb to figure out how to play it). Sea of Green's Hoosier Inanitys is the highlight of my day. So is Dwayne's Matching Dragoons, and Googam's Random Happenstance, and Bully, and Chris Sims and Kevin Church, and Mike Sterling and a dozen others.

I do have to admit that Sea's essay on Hal Jordan's love life remains one of my very favorites however.

But one of my favorites has to be the Great Meely Meltdown from a while back, where he went ballistic towards Ragnell and Kalinar and demanded that they never ever link to his site again, which he promptly removed out of spite. This little brouhaha went on for DAYS and practically everybody had a comment. And it was hilarious. Utterly and absolutely mind-boggling from start to finish. It took on a life of its own and spread all over the place. And since I'm not a very nice person, I freely admit to laughing my ass off.

So who can I tag in return? Sea beat me to the punch dammit! So I'm tagging Shelly, Notintheface, K.D. Bryan, Kalinara, and Duskdog.

I'm SO Happy!

So...you've all heard about the new cartoon that is going to make its triumphant debut on November 14th?

There are any number of wonderful characters that have already been discussed, that are going to be making appearances, such as Huntress, Fire and Aquaman. There has also been a bit of curiosity displayed about exactly which Green Lantern was going to show up.



It's not John.



It's not Hal. Although he doesn't understand.



It's not even Kyle.

Yes, you guessed it.



It's Guy. I'm...I'm just so happy I could plotz.


Michael Jelenic has this to say.

"I like our Green Lantern: Guy Gardner. He's got such a great character compared to the others in our story. He's such a...a dick really. But at the end of the episode you come to understand why he's a Green Lantern. Yes, he's a dick, but you can count on him."

I am GOING to be watching this show. Forever.

Still More Reviews

I'm still breathless over the quantity and quality of last weeks books, so I'm still telling you to go out and get them. Because we can NEVER have too many comic books.

Ok, Batman Confidential, is still making me grin like a loon in delight over Kevin Maguire's magnificently expressive artwork. And Fabian Nicieza is doing a pretty darned good job too. Catwoman and Batgirl are STILL trying to get the notebook back, but have just been joined by a properly stoic Batman. Catwoman is all over him, while poor Batgirl is just hoping that she won't get yelled at. Batgirl however IS quite overjoyed when it is she that Batman picks to accompany him in the Batmobile. Nya nya nya!

The Riddler shows up and offers to translate the notebook, but he's far too prissy and fastidious to take part in any of the fighting that inevitably occurs when our three heroes all show up. Catwoman is still trying to free her friend,and beats up on Anatoly the monster Russian. She's not doing too well, so against Batman's advice, Batgirl can't control her heroic impulses, and leaps into help out. Naturally, Catwomans sees her opportunity to grab her friend, and splits, which leaves poor Batgirl in a sticky situation. With what is probably a HUGE internal sigh, Batman decides to intervene.



And that is that. However, Batgirl STILL doesn't have the notebook, since the Riddler has calmly walked off with it in the midst of all the mayhem. Batgirl is able to follow him, since she cleverly planted a battracker in the book, and ends up locked in the middle of Arkham Asylum.

This is probably a bad thing.

It's fun, it moves right along, and each cliffhanger only adds to the excitement. You really ought to be reading this book.

Meanwhile, over in Wonder Woman, Diana has managed to find her way back to the REAL world, hotly pursued by D'Grth, who is the Devil, apparently. The artwork is awfully pretty, and Gail Simone delivers another good story. A traffic helicopter ends up being too curious for its own good, and an ensorcelled Wonder Woman has to reluctantly save the news crew, but she's pretty cranky about having to do so...for which one can hardly blame her.

D'Grth is busy offering her all that she desires, and she actually stops and thinks about it for a moment, before she remembers the doomed wolfpack from a few issues ago, and starts fighting again.

During all of this, Tom Tresser aka Nemesis is back at Diana's apartment, where he has discovered and been discovered by her rather unnusual roommates. Oh, and Donna Troy shows up. They actually manage to have a civil conversation, and Tom decides to call off his goons. Donna and the apes decide that maybe he's not so bad after all. I feel the same way, Tom is beginning to grow on me. Must be his sense of humor.

Diana has managed to get her powers back and defeats D'Grth rather handily, managing to drag him back to the other world, with him pleading and trying to bargain with her the entire way, including a speech right out of "the Princess Bride" which made me laugh. The day is saved, the bad guys get their comeuppance, the good guys realize she's not so bad, and a good time is had by all. The great white apes try to show their newfound appreciation of Tom Tresser by grooming him. Something creepy peeks in the window. And Director Steel is showing a little stress.



Heh.

Booster Gold #11

And here we have Chuck Dixon taking over for a couple of issues after Geoff Johns departure, and I have to say that he's done a very nice job of it. I also just read that Dan Jurgens is going to get the writing chores following this two-issue arc, and I'm pleased as punch.

If you are a Killer Moth fan, then this is the book for you! Killer Moth and assorted henchmen are busy robbing a museum, when Batman and Robin show up to thwart them. Oh, and an odd looking little man with giant glasses is wandering around as well. Unfortunately for him, he's nabbed by...Batgirl! Did I mention that this all obviously takes place in the past? She grabs some sort of doohicky from the guy with the glasses, and unfortunately for her, changes history!

And this is where Booster, Rip and Michelle come into it. They have to go back and fix things, or else Gotham City won't have a Batman in it, and that is not a good thing apparently. So...into the Time Sphere they go, back to find the little guy with the glasses meeting Killer Moth with a proposition. Booster gives Killer Moth a big punch to the face, and assumes his identity, then has to rustle up some henchmen. On the plus side, he DOES get to drive around in the Mothmobile, which looks like a purple version of the old television batmobile, except it has giant purple antennae.

I...I love this book.

Booster is doing pretty good bossing his henchmen around. When one of them questions why they are in such a hurry, he answers..."do I USUALLY explain stuff like that to you?" The henchman replies in the negative, and Booster comes back with ..."Then I'm not starting NOW!" Then when they question whether or not some of the stuff actually has any value, he declares..."Less questions. More bashing and stealing." It is obvious that Booster pretty much loves his job, however much he may piss and moan to Rip.

Anyway, when the dynamic duo DO show up, Booster/Moth take them out VERY easily, while Skeets (disguised with adorable little moth wings) shows up and takes down Batgirl. The little guy with glasses concludes his business with Booster/Moth and then disappears, proving that he's a Time Traveller as well.

So you would think that that would be that. Except that the little guy with the glasses is actually Wiley Dalbert, a physicist from the 27th century, who created his OWN time travelling device, that forms a tachyon field around himself. I don't know precisely what that means, but goshdarnit, it SOUNDS so impressive. So, this Wiley guy, can only travel in one direction, so he goes back to Gotham City in the 1870s, and lived as a millionaire philantropist. But somehow, all of this creates a glitch in the time stream, since Wiley handing over a million dollar cheque to Thomas Wayne, means that the good Doctor has to go back on his word about taking young Bruce to the movies, so he doesn't get gunned down, and therefore, the world never ends up with a Batman. But Killer Moth DOES take over. Or something like that.

So, the end result is that Booster for some reason, needs to go back and impersonate Batman. Poor Michelle finds all of this HIGHLY confusing, but Booster just thinks that it's cool. And back they go....



Oh Booster. You're such a fanboy at heart.

Unfortunately for them, Alfred shows up. And he's not in a particularly friendly mood.

I've never thought of Chuck Dixon as a particularly humorous writer, but he does a pretty good job keeping things on a lighthearted keel here. AND comes up with a heck of a cliffhanger.

Green Lantern Corps #27

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God, I love this cover.

Another little gem from Mr. Tomasi. Luke Ross is taking over the penciling chores from Pat Gleason for a few issues, I believe, and he does a very nice job, although I have to admit that I'm so used to seeing Guy portrayed by Gleason, that it looks...odd for a bit, to see him drawn by someone else.

Anyhoo. Mongul is defeated, and unfortunately, Bzzd didn't survive the encounter. This depresses me more than I can say, except that he went out as a true hero. Oh, and Guy and Kyle are having their grand opening of the new version of Warriors on Oa.

Heehee! Guy is obviously in his element, while Kyle just as obviously doesn't have a clue. I was pleased to see that there is a long line out front and Kilowog is standing at the head of it.

Bzzd meanwhile, having had a nice funeral, is being inducted into the Crypt, by Morro, who always takes such care in doing things right. I like Morro, he's an interesting character. He is a little startled however, when Saarek shows up and starts babbling about talking to the dead. I get the distinct impression that Morro is a tad on the skeptical side, at least at first, until Saarek says high from Morro's dead brother Marrg. Apparently, the Dead are getting cold. And restless. This does not bode well.

Back at the bar, it is pretty obvious that the boys have had a banner night. I thought I'd throw in this scan, purely for the fact that Kyle's behind is just gorgeous.

<

Well that, and Guy scarfing all the peanuts.

Funny that they should mention Mongul and his digestion. Turns out that Mongul isn't completely devoured. They probably should have taken his rings before leaving, but with all the kerfuffle over Bzzd, I guess they just forgot. Like this isn't going to come back and haunt them eventually.

So, Guy and Kyle are still having their post mortem at the bar, when Guy's ring goes off with a reminder that there are "fourteen days remaining to Big Apple Excursion". Kyle of course, is curious, but Guy gets all shifty-eyed and tries to change the subject. Naturally, Kyle won't let it go, and Guy finally admits that it's a reminder of his upcoming date with Tora, and that he's going to take a week or so off, and Kyle had better mind the till. They have a final toast to themselves, and Kyle wanders off into the dawn, not forgetting to have his ring conjure up some Raybans. Guy continues to clean up, and discovers something unsettling in the trash.
<
Unsettling, indeed!

On the planet of Citcaatana, which is populated by adorable polar bears who live in the cutest little igloos you ever saw, some very dire things are occuring.

Kilowog and Kyle are on a nearby moon of Oa, helping to train some rookies. This is interesting, as I never knew that Oa HAD a moon or moons. I suppose that it also makes sense to have training areas there, as it would cut down on the chance of damage to Oa itself. I also imagine that all of the various Green Lanterns who are suffering from hangovers appreciate it even more.

Soranik Natu just HAPPENS to wander by. Yeah right. She says she wants to check up on some of the GL's that she's helped heal before they head out to their respective sectors, but it is pretty obvious that she really wants to sneak a peek at Kyle's buttocks. And who can blame her? To the unconcealed delight of the recruits, she and Kyle start throwing innuendoes back and forth at each other. What brought this on? A sudden realization of her own mortality? A distaste for bedpans? Iolande turned her down? Guy turned her down? The fact that Kyle is right there, and utterly adorable?

Too bad that it starts to rain. EYEBALLS! Eeeuuw, yuck! As Green Lanterns, there isn't too much that they haven't seen, but even they are grossed out. Being a doctor, the first thing that Soranik does is analyze the DNA in the various bodyparts, and they discover to their horror that they are all relatives of assorted Green Lanterns. Guess somebody in the Sinestro Corps is still hacked off. This is further hinted at by the fact that the Parallax symbol was reflected in the eyeballs of the victims. Saarek shows up and manages to use his "speaking to the Dead" mumbo jumbo to show the face of their killer.

He ain't pretty.

As usual, it is an excellent issue. Tomasi really has a flair for good dialogue and characterization, and the art is very pretty. Blackest Night is really starting to loom up on the horizon.

Conventional Behavior

Ordinarily I would be entrancing you all with my pithy review of Green Lantern Corps. This however, is slightly more important. Over on Bully's site, as well as Kevin Church's and Chris Sims, and a few others, Bully's friend John has written a VERY well-done essay about misbehavior at the large (and small) Conventions recently, and how there is no fixed policy concerning it. Go ahead and check it out at Bully, or BeaucoupKevin, or Chris's Invincible Super stuff. I have them bookmarked over on the side.

I know it would be easier if I had one of those little highlighted thingies, but I don't know how to do it, and there isn't a teenager handy at the moment. Go and read it. I'll wait.

He raises a valid point eh? I have never been to a big convention, but I have been to plenty of comic book shops, and smaller shows and such, and although I'm getting to be a bit long in the tooth nowadays, that was not always the case. I have had my share of getting pinched and propositioned, and it is ALWAYS a pain in the ass, not to mention occasionally frightening. I can't even imagine what it must be like for the women who wear the costumes. Just because a woman is dressed up like Black Canary DOESN'T mean that she wants you grabbing her or leering at her.

Boys, how would you like it if a group of women started grabbing YOU by the ass and making comments? I specifically used the word "Boys", not men. Real men don't do stuff like this.

I am also disturbed by John's discovery that while there are clear and concise rules about smoking and aiming your faux rayguns, there is NO policy concerning harassment nor how to report it. That is ridiculous, and the Convention organizers should rectify this immediately. A few signs posted would be nice, as well as something in the brochures. It's either that, or they can start handing out complimentary tasers to all the women. And wouldn't THAT be fun!

Millenium Madness

What a fabulous week! So many good books. And yet, I find that one purchase has possessed my mind to the extent that it even crowds out such sure-fire winners as Green Lantern Corps, Booster Gold and Wonder Woman. What could this be, you ask?

Millenium.

The Millenium trade is now out, as published by DC, written by Steven Englehart and drawn by Joe Staton and Ian Gibson. As you may all recall, I wondered a while back about whether or not Millenium was any good, as I had somehow, in all of my wanderings, never actually READ it before. The general consensus was...not good.

I do believe that perhaps that belief was something of an understatement. For I have now READ Millenium, in one glorious sitting, and I must declare, that Millenium is wonderfully, gloriously, MAGNIFCENTLY horrible.

And yet...and yet, for all of its faults, I enjoyed it completely. Possibly because I was sniggering to myself throughout the the entire book. It made absolutely NO sense whatsoever, the dialogue was frequently painful, and there were plot holes so large that you could have thrown the entire planet of Oa through them...and yet it was also, frequently hilarious. So I am glad that I read this NOW, as opposed to when it first came out, because I am sure that I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much.

Now, Millenium originally came out in the late '80's, in 1988, I do believe. Things were a tad different back in the old days. Steve Englehart was something of a hot writer, and Joe Staton was something of a hot artist, so it made perfect sense to put the two of them together. And really, as a Joe Staton enthusiast, I have no problems with the art for the most part. Keep in mind, that when this takes place, the new Justice League has only recently formed, and that Guy Gardner is currently in his sweet little girl mode of brain damage. Hal is at his stuffiest, and Batman is beginning that swing away from being best buddies with Superman. Wonder Woman is apparently practically fresh off of the boat from Paradise Island. Black Canary is wearing that hideous costume. Geoforce actually thinks that he's important. Jade is alive. Shayera is alive. All the Green Lanterns are living in California. Katma Tui is alive. Dmitri is alive. Aquaman still has short hair and his hand. Barry JUST died. Beetle isn't bestest buddies with Booster yet.

This sucker went on for eight weeks, and also tied in with just about every other book out there. The trade has reprinted the eight issues of the actual mini-series, but not the individual relevant books, so it makes it a little jarring when reading, because characters disappear and then reappear, with lots of events happening in the various cross-over books.

Anyway, apparently, the Manhunters have invaded Earth, and hid out Among Us Secretly, for years and years. They want to undermine our American Way of Life, and you can't trust anyone. Does this sound vaguely familiar? The Manhunters are still pretty pissed off at the Guardians. The Guardians in the meantime, have abandoned the Green Lantern Corps, so that they can go and make whoopie with their soulmates, the Zamorans. That's why Kilowog, Salaak, Arisia, Ch'p and Katman are hanging out on Earth with Hal and John. Guy used to hang out too, but he got mad and went and joined the new Justice League, where he was one-punched by Batman. The Teen Titans, the Outsiders and Infinity are all lurking as well, filled with a lot of characters that nobody really cares about. I mean really, Looker? Halo? Katana and Geoforce?

*shudder*

For a completely obscure reason, a Guardian named Herupa Hando Hu, and his girlfriend Nadia Safir show up on Earth, in order to create NEW immortals...or something. These two get the Green Lanterns to get ALL of Earth's heroes together so that they can drop this bombshell on them. There is naturally a lot of disbelief, and confusion. They also warn the heroes about the Manhunters, glossing over the fact that they were former stooges of the Guardians themselves. There is a LOT of bloviating. Then everybody leaves, but we soon find out that there are Manhunters disguised as a Rocket Red, Firestorm's acquaintance, some Doctor who hangs out with the Outsiders, Wally West's own father, and Pan, who is giving Wonder Woman a hard time. Oh, and Lana Lang.

Next, Harupa and Nadia fly off, and in a VERY public manner, they visit a bunch of people from all over the world, telling them that they are the next step in Human Evolution and so on and so forth. They all seem to take it remarkably well. There is an aborigine from Australia, some girl from China, a Japanese guy, some old fat creep from South Africa, a rather flamboyant individual from Peru, a woman from Iraq, and a Russian, and a Jamaican from Fascist Britain.

I...wait, Fascist Britain? I went back and read that over again at least four times, and I STILL don't get it. I guess somebody didn't like Margaret Thatcher! Oh well. They also throw the Floronic Man and Tom Kalmaku into the mix.

Now, having VERY PUBLICALLY notified all of these people, then Harupa and Nadia step out of the picture for a while, having done their part to paint bullseyes on the backs of the chosen. Who promptly start dropping like flies, courtesy of the various Manhunters. The heroes all flap around for a while. Ronald Reagan shows up, and it turns out that Nancy Reagan is a Manhunter! At this point, I had to take a break because I was laughing so hard, I couldn't read.

Harbinger keeps wandering around for some reason. Oh, and it is all her fault that the Manhunters are even here, since she wrote down ALL of the information that she gleaned during the original Crises, tied it up neatly,and sent it OUT INTO SPACE! Naturally, the Manhunters intercepted her little thesis, and now know everybody's secret identities and stuff.

Meanwhile, a lot of clues point towards the swamps of Louisiana, mainly the Suicide Squad shows up, and Batman, and a bunch of other people. And, as I said, things keep happening in the individual books.

Things like THIS!

<

Eeeewww! Old Blue people sex! My eyes!

Apparently Batman and some other people blow up a crapload of Manhunters in the swamps, while Superman is off doing whateve it is that he does. Superman comes back into the headquarters only to find that EVERYbody is there, and having a Batman party.



Batman is all "shucks, I couldn't have done it without help." But what he is REALLY thinking is that he's so goddamned GLAD that Superman had nothing to do with it! Nya, nya nya!

Once I regained my composure, I continued to struggle on. The remaining Chosen, keep making cryptic remarks, and Guy Gardner continues to look like an idiot. Wonder Woman keeps showing up and gushing, and then being disrespected. They discover a flying saucer. A bunch of them decide to all go out into Spaaaaaaace to look for the Manhunter planet. This part is particularly amusing, as they are all flying and talking in outer space, WITHOUT space suits, or even being contained in a Green Lantern aura or bubble! At one point they all get hit, and Hal is wondering how they are all doing, since their Green Lantern Rings protected THEM. Fortunately, Firestorm and Captain Atom were able...somehow...to protect the rest of them, but how is never explained. Oh, and Doctor Fate screws everything up anyway.

Back on Earth, the chosen are all lying around being transcendental or something. Batman continues to be rude to Wonder Woman. Booster Gold is apparently a traitor, and beats up Guy and Bats. Which leads to one of my favorite lines.
"Every TIME! Every time you think you have them nailed, they prove you WRONG! Gardner, I hate to admit it, but I liked you better BRUTAL!"

I laughed and laughed.

Urgh, what else? It turns out that the flying saucer was actually a submarine of some sort, because although the heroes have been weeding out the Manhunters all over the place, there is STILL an outpost inside the Earth, accessible through the Mariana Trench, beneath the ocean. This is nice, since it gives Aquaman something to do. Not MUCH to do, but something. The rest of the heroes who aren't floating helplessly in Spaaaaaaace, all pile into Blue Beetle's retrofitted sub to go chasing the Manhunters. There is angst. There is inappropriate joking. There is a self-destruct button on the bomb, and a lot of fighting. Oh look Booster was a good guy after all! He saves them all from being blowed up, but everybody is still mad at him.

Harupa and Nadia have in the meantime been giving TOTALLy incomprehensible instructions to the Chosen. And I DO mean incomprehensible. Then they start turning the Chosen into hilariously ridiculous-looking Super Humans...such as Gloss! Ram! Extrano! Jet! Oh, and the Floronic Man has seen the light, but he just keeps his old name. Tom Kalmaku wants to stay with his wife and kids, since they are freaking out just a tad over all of this, but they give him the power anyway, which freaks Hal out completely. As they pass on this stuff, Harupa and Nadia are withering away. They finally croak in the end, and everyone stands around and poses for a while, and it all ends with a whimper.

What's really strange, is that mixed in with all of this verbal diarrhea, are some rather interesting concepts that never really turned into anything. There are even a few hints of some of the ideas for Blackest Night and such. If you stick your tongue firmly into your cheek, and approach this as just another version of a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 movie, your appreciation will be greatly enhanced.

I have to go and lie down now.

Why it is a Good Thing, that Aquaman is back

I LIKE Aquaman. He's not my absolute favorite of course, but there IS some green in his costume which helps. But let me make this absolutely clear, that by Aquaman, I mean the OLD Aquaman, in the green and orange, with the short blonde hair and both of his hands. And his finny friend. And the giant seahorse. And the octopus.

Like some of you, I first came to know Aquaman from those blissful Saturday mornings stretched out in front of the television watching Super Friends. Yes...I'm old. So old. But I liked him. And he seemed to have a nice time hanging out in the Justice League with all of his friends, even if he didn't seem to do a lot. But there was potential, dammit!



How can you not like a person who does this sort of thing?



And this? I believe that I filched these from Scipio, who has TONS of really fabulous Aquaman pictures.

And I loved...LOVED the Year One mini-series of the Justice League, where Hal was an ass, and Barry was earnest, and Arthur kept mumbling because sound carries differently underwater than it does on land. Was that Mark Waid who wrote that? I really should actually go and look in the boxes, because I haven't read it for a while, and it was GREAT!

*ahem*

Then of course, they had to go and make Aquaman all grim and gritty, and boring with long hair and a harpoon, and his teeth clenched all of the time. Did anybody in the '90's EVER unclench their teeth? No wonder they were all so cranky all the time.

You know who else did a rather fun Aquaman? Kevin Smith, when he brought back Oliver Queen from the dead, and he meets up with Arthur, who is beating the bejeesus out of the Black Manta, and Ollie is shocked, and starts into his spiel about fat cats and so on, and Arthur is just flabberghasted. Then Ollie tells him that he should never have changed his look, that orange just SUITS him, and Arthur actually listens! And HUGS him! It was a heartwarming moment, and probably the best "OMG, YOU'RE BACK FROM THE DEAD" sequence ever. Considering how often people come back from the dead, you would think that there would be some acknowledgement of that fact once in a while, but they are all so lackadaisacal about it.

Well anyway. I'm glad that Aquaman is apparently back. I say "apparently" because we really haven't been given a whole lot of information yet in Final Crises, other than the sight of him in all of his scaly orange glory, riding on the giant seahorse! Woohoo!

Now, if they could just put him and Barry back in the Justice League....

When Best Friends Disagree

So...in the solicits for October, there is a tantalizing little snippet of information concerning the romantic interests of both Guy Gardner and Tora Olafsdottir. To all the hidden Romantics out there, I say...huzzah! Now that Tora has had some time alone to sit in her nice new apartment and dwell on the fact that Guy ran off to Oa, she's apparently come around the realization that she should STOP wasting time, and go out with the boy already.

I fully admit that I simply adore Guy and Tora together, and I'm SO glad that she isn't dead anymore. They've had their ups and downs certainly over the years, but considering the amount of terrible crap that has happened to Guy over the years, it was always a little comforting to think that at least he had Tora. For most of the time at least. Which is a whole lot better than Hal's, John's or Kyle's track records when it comes to affairs of the heart. I really shouldn't be throwing poor John into the same category as Hal and Kyle I suppose, he was happily married to Katma Tui before Star Sapphire had to go and prove how badass she was, by killing her in her kitchen off-panel in an obscure title that wasn't even...well, I don't want to raise my blood pressure TOO badly by going into how stupid Katma's death was. But needless to say, John's love life is as crappy as MOST Green Lanterns.

Kyle's had a rough time too, although at least he's not actively going around seducing people like Hal. But Kyle's Kiss OF Death, however inadvertent it may be, is well documented. For a while there, I was thinking that it might be nice if he and Arisia hooked up, and then I realized that I LIKE Arisisa, and since she's newly back from the dead as well, it would be just as well NOT to have her taking a dirt nap so quickly. Besides, they seem to be pushing her and Sodam Yat as a couple. Frankly, I prefer Kilowog.

Hal's love life has been pretty graphically portrayed throughout the years. I think that we can all agree that Hal, as much as he may appreciate the ladies, will NEVER find one that loves him as much as he loves himself.

But anyway, getting back to Guy and Tora, I can think of ONE person at least who may be less than thrilled, and that would have to be Beatriz. We all know about Bea's opinion of Guy in the old days at least.


I think that her opinion of Guy has improved over the years however. Besides, I always got a rather odd vibe from Bea in the early JLI days concerning Guy at least. There was a hint...just a tiny hint, that she had an...interest in Guy, she was rather honked off when he was in his sweet little girl stage, and fell for Ice initially...she actually yelled at him, because he hadn't chosen her. His reaction...that she scared him...took her quite by surprise. All the insults, and tauntings...it wa almost flirting, is a weird sort of way. If Tora hadn't been in the picture, I wouldn't have been surprised if Guy and Bea had had a relationship LONG before the one they had in Warrior.

But Tora WAS in the picture, and her relationship with Guy was a lot more healthy for him than one with Bea would have necessarily been. And now Tora is back in the picture again, and I'm dying to know what Bea's feelings will be, or if they will even go into her reaction. She's been portrayed as wanting Tora to take things slowly, which I suppose is natural. Is it concern, or even a touch of jealousy? I do think that she will want to do whatever makes Tora happiest. And while he will always be the "crazy" Lantern, Guy has changed a LOT since Tora died. He has his brains back, which is the main thing, and he's a Lantern again, and he's actually made some friends in the meantime, and earned a little respect as well as authority.

So, I guess I can see Beatriz coming around. What will also be interesting is the reactions of Guy's fellow Lanterns. I imagine that Kyle will be thrilled, John will be pleased enough, and I hope to God, that Hal can restrain himself from hitting on Tora.

...And speaking of "Spurts"

God, I am SO juvenile sometimes. Well...all of the time. So I just HAD to post this.



Yes, that's Guy, and yes that's Beetle. This is right before Ted lends Guy that gawdawful prototype suit of armor, because Guy's yellow ring is being...unreliable. Ted of course WOULD jumpt to the conclusion that he jumps to, and it is a darned good thing that Booster isn't around.

You know, Guy and Ted did fight a lot, but it's interesting that Guy would pick him to go to with his troubles.

...Uh...!

Talk about drawing a blank! I not only can't really think of anything that is remotely important or even interesting, but I also can't think of a title. That's rather sad, really. Sadder than Mike, the Human Flame being lobotomized over in Final Crises. Sadder than Hawkman's retcon being retconned...again. Sadder than Jonah Hex burning down his nice spanking new log cabin, because he realized that he'll never ever be able to escape his past, and it's no use even trying.

Wow! There was a lot of heartbreak this week!

There were a lot of questions too. As much as I like Final Crises...and I DO, I just don't understand how heat vision can keep Lois's heart beating. No doubt there is a reasonable explanation for this, but I ain't seein' it.

And why, oh WHY did they feel the need to give ANOTHER origin for Hawkman? I rather thought that it was all cleaned up, more or less a while back. It may not have been perfect, but it was something. And then all of a sudden, out of the blue, all that is swept away by Jim Starlin...who then decided NOT to put anything in its place. Bwuhuh?

Man, I'm cranky today! Normally, I like to look at the good things in my comics. And there are some bright moments. I don't care what anybody says, I'm glad that Barry Allen is back. And so is Iris. (wink wink, nudge nudge) Heck, I 'll bet that eventually, even Bart will be back. And apparently, Ethan Van Sciver is going to be doing a new costume for Wally. THAT should be interesting.

Aquaman is back...I think. At least there he was in all of his orange-shirted and short-haired glory, sitting on a giant Seahorse! That's the Aquaman that I fell in love with at a very young age, from watching the Superfriends. I also had a crush on Race Bannon, but that's neither here nor there.

It's going to be the second tier heroes that go up against Darkseid. This pleases me, because all of my absolute favorite heroes ARE second tier. That's not to say that I don't like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, because I do. But there was a REASON that my favorite incarnation of the Justice League was the old Giffen/DeMatteis one. I just adore second stringers. Heck, I adore THIRD stringers in some cases.

On the plus side, Snapper Carr did not show in any of my books this week. Jimmie Olsen did, but you can't have everything.

And finally...



The thought of Hal and the word "spurt" in ANY sort of context, just cracks me up.

A rather Interesting week in Comics

Well...that was an interesting if slightly puzzling week.

Final Crises #3......Holy Crap! This seems to be generating a lot of heat, between the people who loved it, and the people who hated it. Put me in the category of loving it, I still can't believe that despite all the warnings, Grant Morrison actually went ahead and DID it! Bad bad things are happening, and Morrison has rather cleverly cleared the table of most of the heavy hitters. Batman is kidnapped, Martian Manhunter is dead, Superman is moaning over Lois, and Hal has been framed for the attack on John Stewart. Wonder Woman is in deep deep doodoo.

And Alan Scott of all people, is the one holding things together, or at least trying to. He's assembled a motley crew of heroes, and it's going to get very very interesting from here on out.

Oh, and poor Mike, the Human Flame! I first gained appreciation for poor old Mike, over at the Absorbacon, due to Scipio's lovingly recounted tales of his origin. Mike is soooooo screwed. The Rogues were right, Libra is NOT somebody that you want to hang out with...as Lex Luthor is about to discover. On the other hand, considering that this IS Lex, I can only assume that Libra is going to be in for an upleasant surprise shortly.

The only thing that threw me, was the information that the next issue won't be out for two months, and in the meantime there will be a number of related one-shots, which is a...novel way of presenting a mini-series.

Hawkman Special.....What the hell? Not being a huge Hawkman fan, I have to say that I didn't understand a whole lot of this. I know that over the years that Hawkman has had a...rather convoluted past, but I can't say that this cleared that up. In fact, now I'm MORE confused. Although I had to snicker at the end, when the other Rannian soldier comes back from his patrol to find the Rannian soldier who got blowed up, and Hawkman just standing there saying..."oops" or words to that effect.

This was just on the weird side for me. Your mileage may vary.

Jack of Fables #24.....Woohoo! Bigby beats the crap out of Jack! Not that this was much of a surprise, but still, I was waiting for it, and it all worked out so nicely. Oh and Babe the little blue Ox shows up at the end for his obligatory daydream, which is always nice.

Jonah Hex #34.....I rather liked this one. Pretty artwork, and a very sad story...but a GOOD story! It doesn't go quite the way that you think it is either. Normally a pretty blonde showing up on the hero's doorstep means that he's going to help her out. Jonah doesn't help her at ALL, and he's basically pretty much of a jerk throughout the whole thing. Actually that makes it better in a weird sort of way. Good stuff.

Manhunter #33.....Ah, the plot thickens. It's full of flashbacks and stuff, and Ramsey's dog is a little on the odd side. Kate is in a bit over her head, but fortunately Oracle is there to lend her a helping hand...whether she wants it or not. Oh, and the Suicide Squad shows up, which is a delightful surprise. Boomer looks very dashing.

Nightwing #147....Two-Face needs some help from Nightwing, and after a lot of blustering, Nightwing agrees to help. There is corruption, fake FBI agents, or their equivalent, Two-Face being noble, and Dick showing off his assets. It's lots of fun. I never thought I'd like a Nightwing comic, but ever since Tomasi took over, I've been enjoying the heck out of it.

Trinity #10......Well, things seem to be picking up here! I'm starting to get into the groove of this book, which seems to be improving with each issue. The JLA is here, and they go out and do stuff, and Superman is cranky, and Batman is helpful, and Tim and Dick get to fight a girl gorilla in a bustier. Fun!

So much for Intellectualism

Don't worry, yesturday's post was a fluke! I'm right back, and mocking the Justice League again. You have to admit, that some of those earlier stories were infinitely...mockable.

This is what the League likes to do, when there isn't an emergency.



Nothing at all wrong with that. Everybody likes to hang out around the old water cooler and exchange stories. Knowing Batman however, I'm sure that his little idea can only lead to pain.

Or kinkiness.



I...I don't even WANT to know what the Flash and Superman are up to. Or the Atom for that matter.


That's right Barry. You tell 'em.

No wonder Batman actually used to smile.

Goethe was a Hack!

So, I was reading an excellent book the other evening, entitled "The Natural History of Stupidity" by Paul Tabori. In chapter VII, he showed that any number of people that we consider to be geniuses and great men, were derided and scoffed at by their contemporaries. For example, here is a critique of Goethe's "Faust" by Franz von Spaun, a contemporary of his.

"No delirious, fever-ridden man mumbles as many idiocies as Goethe's "Faust". The pen falls from my fingers. To clean up THIS Augean stable would need more than the strength of Hercules. I won't speak of the clumsiness of the verses, whatever I read showed sufficiently that the author cannot compete with even the most mediocre talents of the old school..." and so on and so forth.

There were an awful lot of people who thought that Shakespeare was the worst playwright ever, including Samuel Pepys, who thought that Romeo and Juliet was the worst play he'd ever seen, that Twelth Night was "silly" and more.

Others wrote of him:

"He is much too difficult to understand. He has neither tragic nor comic talent. His tragedies are the products of the playhouse hack. His comedy is much too vulgar and produces no laughter. He isn't original, just a copyist...He writes for the mob he delights in horrors, he has no charm, no grace, he is witless, boastful.."


I had to laugh. You just KNOW that if the internet had been invented about 500 years earlier that these guys would have been blogging. It DID tend to put things into perspective however. There has always been criticism, and I'm pretty sure that there always will be. There has ALSO always been fanboy/fangirl entitlement. I don't know if there is any fanfiction about Romeo & Juliet, but if there was, I am sure that there would be Romeo/Tybault slash, and a happy ending somehow.

So the next time that somebody starts reviling Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison or Brian Michael Bendis, I suppose we should take it all with a grain of salt.

Except for Judd Winick of course. He really IS a hack.



But THIS? This is...Literature!

JLA or the JSA?

Two fabulous Super Groups...bands of heroes who together fight the villains that are just too big for any single person to take on. Each group has their own quirks and oddities. One for example, is packed full of egotistical and narcissistic whackos...while the other is the JSA!

Here's the Justice League.



That may not be the current group, but it is probably the one that is the most iconic. Gosh, they certainly are a heroic bunch.

Then there is the Justice Society of America.



Frankly this is the bunch that I would want to hang out with. You have the Norman Rockwellian artist in the lower corner who has just finished painting this mixed up bag of people in proper Heroic fashion...similar to the Alex Ross painting of the JLA...and then you have the REAL people (or as real as Comic Book characters can be) released from their posing, and behaving like REAL people.

The Justice League goes out and fights megavillains. So does the Justice Society, but they also mentor the young heroes, and attend pancake breakfasts and do charity work. All the time, being the one group of people that the Justice League actually looks UP to. And respects. Even Hal. Even Roy. Hell, even Batman.

No Marching for Me

And here we are, it is already August, and we are deep in the volunteer Firehouse Parade season. You get to dress up in ruffled shirts and tricornes, march a couple of miles on hot asphalt, shoot off muskets, and tootle and thump on your fifes and drums. Then you get a "meal" of sorts, usually hotdogs, sandwiches, or possibly pizza. Oh, and you get the BEER GARDEN, which is the main reason that they all put up with this sort of thing, and lots of bad carnival food.

Tonight, the parade there is a parade in East Hartland, and everyone is going except for me. I'm going to my sister's house because her husband is ALSO marching in the parade. While they are all off sweating and such, we'll be floating in the pool, drinking Margaritas and eating perfectly grilled steak. This is what we did last year, and had such a good time, that we've decided to make a tradition out of it. What really made it more fun, was that everyone showed up all cranky and hot and cranky. Did I say cranky?

There is probably a word for having someone else's mild misfortune make your good fortune seem all the sweeter. Hal and Ollie probably don't know that word, but trust me, they're livin' it.

I am SUCH a bad person.

Blue Beetle #29

Well now, this was fun. We have Blue Beetle wandering around and just happening to come across a grudge match between two idiots who both want to lay claim to a supervillain name. And we have Peacemaker hanging out with some Border Patrol bunch. Naturally, he comes across something more than simple illegal aliens.

I have to admit that some of the wackiness had gone out of this book, but it's back, Baby! Two guys are fighting over the right to the name of Hellhound, who unfortunately for him, perished during Salvation Run apparently. One guy was his cousin, so he thinks that HE's the best successor, and the other guy looks like a coyote and pontificates a lot. Jaime, trying to use logic points out that they could just simply chose a new name and be done with it. Coyote Boy points out that that is rich coming from someone calling himself Blue Beetle...and you have to admit that he does have a point.

But like the good boy that he is, Jaime keeps trying...

"Ok, check it out. YOU could do an ancient Egyptian theme and call yourself Anubis. He's the God of Death. That's pretty menacing. And you could call yourself, I don't know...Devil Dog"

Too bad that the one guy had already gotten the Hellhound tatoo! Keep in mind that these two morons are trying to lay claim to a SUPERVILLAIN's name! That probably means that they want to become supervillains too! And Jaime is just so helpful and reasonable about it all...until he finally loses patience and boots them out of HIS city.

Meanwhile Peacemaker's found a cache of weapons and stuff. The Border Patrol tosses four guys and a girl into the truck, where the guys promptly inject themselves with...something, and promptly freak out!

Also, the sexual tension between Brenda and Paco is still simmering.

Jaime shows up as Peacemaker is in a standoff with the recently injected bad guys, when they decide to take the girl who is still sitting in the truck hostage. Peacemaker thinks they are bluffing, but Jaime, ever the gentleman decides that it isn't worth the risk and saves the girl while the guys escape. Jaime also thought that he could simply track them, but the Scarab can't find them due to a magnetic interferance. So they are stuck with the young lady, and do the chivalrous thing, by taking her to Paco's mother's house. Jaime then makes a fool of himself while being interviewed by television reporters...much to Milagro's amusement.

Oh and that girl who was taken hostage? Turns out that she's not quite so innocent as she seems. There are plots being laid, and twists and turns ahead. It was very nice to have Rafael Albuquerque back on the art, it just doesn't look right without him. Although the cover says John Rogers, this is actually by Matthew Sturges, and he does a pretty darned good job of it. While I like Traci Thirteen, it was nice to get back and see the core members of Jaime's support group again.

Unlike the All-New Atom and Checkmate, I am sticking with Blue Beetle. 'Cuz it's still good.