Let's all Bonk Batman!

Er...uh...let's all bash Batman? Bang Batman? Betwaddle Batman? Nope, no matter how you phrase it, it still sounds dirty. Which, believe it or not, is not my intention. I only want to bedevil Batman...a little tiny bit. Because seeing Batman get bipped just thrills me right down to my toes.

Like this...



That's NOT the Joker, or the Riddler or Two-Face, or anyone important. Just your average run-of-the-mill thug. Which for some reason, makes it all the sweeter.

It's Bash Batman Week!

Really, this is a request by Sea of Green, and who can blame her? If there is one thing I love more than seeing Hal Jordan hit in the head, it is seeing Batman get some well-deserved lumps. And since "Whack a Lantern Week" was SUCH a success, I hope that we can do the same thing with Batman.

What IS it about Batman anyway? Unlike Hal, he's not clumsy, unlike Guy, he's not loud, unlike Kyle, he's not adorable, unlike John, he's...well...actually I suppose he is more like John Stewart than any of the other Lanterns, in that he's VERY competent at what he does. And he's angry all of the time. I think that John used to be portrayed as being crabbier than he is nowadays, and who could blame him? The writers gave him a ton of angst and horror in his backstory...the death of his little sister, the murder of his wife, the destruction of Xanshi, losing his legs, and so on and so forth. But at least John doesn't WALLOW in it, like Batman.

I don't know what it is about Batman. I can't help but think sometimes that even if his parents weren't dead, that SOMETHING would have happened to set him off. If you are going to go to the extremes that Bruce Wayne did, you are probably predisposed towards that sort of behavior. It could have been as simple as someone checking out 13 items instead of 12 in the line ahead of him at the grocery store...who the heck knows?

But anyway...since he is SO omnipotent, and fabulous, and smart and well-prepared and cranky, I really get a thrill right down to my toes when somebody manages to get the drop on him, and actually lands a wallop right in the old bean.

Like this.



Haw!

Blue Beetle #31

Gosh, I do love this book. Matt Sturges seems to be finding his balance, and Andre Coelho is pretty good on the art, looking a lot like Rafel Albuquerque.

When last issue, we left our doughty hero, he had defeated those guys with the amped up powers...WITH SCIENCE! Too bad they're all dying. Jaime of course feels horrible about this, as he really wasn't trying to kill them. They've all been rushed to the hospital where Mrs. Reyes works when who should show up, but Doctor Mid-nite! Woohoo! I LOVE Pieter! He's a superhero who's also a Doctor! The thugs are in safe hands. There is also a charming little scene when Blue Beetle shows up, and Mama Reyes just can't resist calling him "sweetie", as Jaime rolls his eyes. I know that I would do the exact same thing, if that were my son.

Jaime and Doctor Mid-nite have a nice little heart-to-heart talk about tiny magnets, moving the plot, and the responsibility of being a hero. You can tell that the good Doctor is a member of the Justice Society...he's just so good at mentoring.

The next day, Blue Beetle flies off to Pecos Bill Park, and is presented with the keys to the city, which is a very nice thing for El Paso to do, for their resident hero. You don't see this sort of thing happen to Spider-Man, that's for sure! Too bad that Bill Chacon, the sleezy District Attorney shows up and manages to manipulate poor Jaime rather neatly into being his muscle for the Border Patrol. You can imagine how THAT goes over.



Oh Jaime. If only ALL of your problems could turn into giant robots. The boys then get interrupted by a phone call from Mrs. Reyes, telling Jaime to get to the Hospital...RIGHT NOW!

Meanwhile, Brenda is taking Mariposa shopping, despite her inner reservations. Mariposa dumps her, and runs off to find La Dama, desperately trying to convince her that she may only be seventeen, but SHE'S BAD TO THE BONE!! You can just SEE La Dama rolling her eyes.

Back at the Hospital more thugs have shown up, kidnapping back the original thugs. One of them has the poor judgement to slap Mama Reyes around! That turns out to be a poor choice on his part, as Doctor Mid-nite and Blue Beetle bust through the doors and start punching. They have to use punching because they don't want innocent bystanders to be hurt. The Thugs know this, and oops...innocent bystander IS hurt. Doc Mid-nite has to let one thug go, and rescue her, but that's ok, because Jaime's Mom shows her stuff, and uses an MRI machine to zap the aforesaid thug. Jaime obviously gets his heroishness from BOTH of his parents. Heck, even Doctor Mid-nite is impressed.

The bad guys still end up getting away, but Doctor Mid-nite tells Jaime that sometimes, that's just the way it goes, and it is more important to help people. Besides, he placed a "subdermal infrared homing beacon" on each of the sick guys, so Jaime can trace them.

Back at the villain's lair, Nichol is less than pleased with the performance of the Intergang thugs. He also manages to make his displeasure known by summarily executing one of them, and scaring the crap out of the rest of them.

Because...



Holy Crapafazoola!

Well Thanks, Valerie, Now I'm All Depressed

When I woke up this morning, it was raining, but I didn't mind. We haven't had rain in a while, and we could use some. Got the kids off to school, made my tea and read the newspaper before merrily heading into the my library to sit down in front of the old computer, and bang out a witty and scintillating review of Blue Beetle #31. But first, as is my wont, I went through and read all my favorite blogs.

Then I got to Valerie D'Orazio's blog over at Occasional Superheroine. I rarely if ever comment there, because although she's a good writer, and usually has some interesting topics, she's a little on the cranky side for me. Well...cranky doesn't even begin to describe it. Today, she launched into a threnody of despair about how so many of us comic fans are self-deluded ninnyhammers who just like to write funny new dialogue to old Silver Age panels, or make jokes about boobies...and how the world is a SERIOUS PLACE, DAMMIT!

Well, duh.

So now I'm sad, because I...I LOVE reading silly dialogue from old panels, kicks to the face, mocking Frank Miller and laughing at the 9 millionth time that Hal Jordon got hit in the head. Hell, the very title to my blog is about Green Lantern behinds. Yes, my friends, I am a one-trick pony... and I REVEL in it.

I DO understand that the world is going very rapidly to hell in a handbasket. I vote, I vote in EVERY election, even the ones where they are just talking about paving Spring Street in my town. I also own stock that has lost half of its value, and I don't even want to talk about my 401K. I think that George W. Bush will go down in history as the WORST president we have ever had, and the Darth Vader music goes off in my head every time I even hear Dick Cheney's name. I think that John McCain is old, and far to temperamental to make a good president, even if I used to like him, and Sarah Palin is the second coming of Anita Bryant. Things are pretty damned terrifying at the moment.

On the other hand, I was also thinking to myself, that I own a rather charming old Victorian house, I drive a nice car, my family is happy and healthy and in school or working AND in school. My bills are paid (mostly) and we have heat, hot water and enough to eat and internet access. I have a LOT to be thankful for. And I don't need Valerie telling me that I am an intellectual lightweight because I like to laugh at Folded Soup's spoofs on old comic panels.

By the way, go to http://occasionalsuperheroine.blogspot.com/ and tell Valerie which Blue Beetle You like the best. Maybe it will put her into a better frame of mind.

New Books! Woohooooo!

Gosh, the only thing more fun than going to my beloved comicbookstore and BUYING my books, and coming home and reading them all, is going onto my blog the next day, and blathering about them. End of the month usually means some goodies, and I wasn't disappointed.

Ambush Bug #3.....This...is utterly, and completely ridiculously stupid of course. Some of the jokes are asinine, and some of them fall pretty flat. I don't care. I love this book. Oh look...the rolling head of Pantha! Am I a bad person if that made me chuckle? On the other hand, true love does win out...sort of.

Blue Beetle #31....HooHAH!

Fables #76....and here we have the aftermath to the great war between Fabletown and the Adversary. Gepetto is introduced to the Fables that he did his very best to annihilate, and he's not impressed. Snow White defends her cubs. Bigby lurks. Pinnochio looks worried. And beautiful artwork by Mike Allred. Good good stuff.

Jack of Fables #26...and the plot thickens. I'm rather looking forward to the whole big fight that is brewing, because I'd like to move on a bit. Still, it is enjoyable, and gosharootie, I just love Babd the tiny blue ox more and more.

Superman#680....Awwwwwww! That's one heck of a dog. With big pointy teeth and a one-track mind. Superman loves his dog and vice versa. Lois receives a wake-up call, and will probably not be quite so snarky when Krypto decides to chew up her new shoes from now on. And Zatarra shows up and gets all snarky. This was quite good.

Superman/Batman #52...As I said last month, I don't normally pick up this book, but the tiny cute little heroes were JUST so adorable, as drawn by Rafael Albuquerque, that I couldn't resist. MORE cuteness, as all the tiny little villains show up.

But first...



Aagghh! Cuteness overload! The endearing little villains also learn that bullets have a more...permanent effect in this particular universe when the little Joker decides to experiment. Naturally little Lex is the one making the trouble, even bothering BIG Lex! While the rest of the Justice League goes off to investigate, Batman is the one stuck with monitor and babysitting duty. Good thing he's there when the tiny terrors come calling!



The look on Batman's face is just priceless.

Turns out the whole thing is one of those pranks/wagers between Mxy and Batmite. Too bad about little Supeman though.

Wolverine: First Class#7....You know, I really don't remember Kitty being quite this psychotic back in the day. She not only has a crush on Colossus, but she's actively stalking him at this point. On the other hand, did you know that reindeer hide renders you invisible to thermal vision? The things you learn!

Trinity #17...Good heavens, we're just about 1/3 of the way through already! Where DID the time go? Things are looking ominous. I'm still liking this book. It's not quite as engaging as 52 was, but it is head and shoulders above Countdown.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the heck out of their books.

Death really IS a revolving Door!

As I was pondering my Rebirth post, I also started thinking about how many superheroes have died and been resurrected. And man oh man, it is a LOT! It is quite possible to put together a Justice League that consists of NOTHING but Used To Be Dead, But Are Now Breathing Air Superheroes.

Superman of course. His death was probably the biggie. There's Hal, he went out with a bang, and then got to be all Spectral and stuff. Ollie ALSO went out with a bang...quite literally. Hawkman has been resurrected tons of times. So, for that matter, has Hawkwoman.

Barry is apparently back, and so is Aquaman, or soon going to be. Tora is now back, which is awfully nice. Quite frankly, that's one pretty powerful version of the Justice League. I do find it a little depressing that more male heroes have made it back than female, but I guess that's just how it goes. Katma, Silver Sorceress, Maxima, Barda...are still waiting for their turn at the ol' revolving door.

We could also have one heck of a Justice League that is composed of STILL dead people. You just know it is only a matter of time 'till they are all back amongst the living anyway. We could have Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Scott Free and Big Barda, Rocket Red (Dmitri), Martian Manhunter,Lightray and Orion, Firestorm, Max Lord, Maxima, Black Condor, Manitou Raven, and probably a whole passel of people that I can't remember off of the top of my head.

Then there were characters that we THOUGHT were dead, but really weren't, like Booster Gold and Guy Gardner.

The Justice Society doesn't seem to go through this sort of thing quite as much for some reason. Of course it is also full of old farts who have somehow attained youth and vigor in a number of interesting ways, and a crapload of kids, so it is a different dynamic somehow. The Suicide Squad is supposed to have a high level of mortality, but I think that the Justice League may just have them beat. The Teen Titans have grown up, and more or less all seem to be around in one form or another.

I just think that a League of once dead people would have some interesting things to talk about.

The Best Thing about Rebirth

Well...to be honest, there were a LOT of things that I liked about Rebirth, such a making it possible for Parallax to be blamed on a big yellow buglike entity, so that Hal Jordan could make his dramatic return without being burdened by the fact that he had murdered an awful lot of people. I mean, even if you have miraculously returned from the dead, people tend to REMEMBER being murdered. Some of them even let it rankle.

Rebirth and Parallax also explained why Hal was being such a jerk for so long there, in Volumn II of Green Lantern. Hal had always been the golden boy, and a charmer so it was a bit hard to actually LIKE him when he spent most of his time running around and being a dick.

But what REALLY made me happy, was that Geoff Johns got rid of those goddamned white temples. MAN, I really hated those. Some men look distinguished with white or silver temples, Reed Richards for one, and I think that Jay Garrett looks quite handsome. Even Alan Scott looks nice with a little silver in his hair, not to mention Jason Blood, and that "I, Vampire" guy. Rowr!

But Hal's greying temples just didn't do it for me. It didn't make him look distinguished, it just made him look old. And, as Kalinara so eloquently pointed out in her essay on this very subject, a little creepy. Being a horndog when you're young and dashing may be conceived as charming, and Hal managed to get away with a LOT, but when you are suddenly looking fiftyish and still behaving as though you shouldn't be alone in a room with a woman, it suddenly loses a lot of its appeal.

On the other hand, I suppose the grey temples do serve a purpose. If you read an older Green Lantern issue, and Hal has them, then now you can automatically realize that Hal is going to be a jerk. He was being subtly influenced by Parallax, from the time that he started to go grey, and therefore practically ALL of his assholishness can be attributed to that! Of course Hal was a bit of a jerk before Parallax, but he was a lot more loveable.



Here's a picture of Hal with the grey temples. He practically looks as though he's foaming at the mouth! Of course, being Hal, he's still showing off his assets, while posing with a strategically ripped costume. Influence or not, he's STILL Hal.



And here he is, all neat and clean and Un-Parallaxed! He doesn't have the grey temples anymore! His actions are completely his own! So punching out Batman isn't being dickish, it is just Hal being Hal! No seriously, punching out Batman was Loooooong overdue, and besides, think of the joy that he brought to Guy Gardner's heart.

So what are YOUR favorite reasons for the Rebirth Retcon?

Too Many Flashes?

There has been a certain amount of consternation, in relation to the return of Barry Allen lately. A number of people...perhaps rightly...fear the diminuation of Wally West's position as Flash. Some don't see the need for Barry's return, saying that he died a sincere and meaningful death way back in the original Crises. Some are simply rolling their eyes at the perpetual revolving door of Death in Comics. Some people just don't like Barry much.

Frankly, I like Barry, and I'm glad that they are bringing him back. The thing is, is that I like Wally too, along with Jay, Max and Bart. Well...I liked Bart as Impulse. I really HATED him as the Flash. That's one development that I wish could be retconned as soon as possible. But you see, I'm a Green Lantern fan. And the thing about Green Lanterns, is that they ALL have more or less the same powers, they just USE them a little differently. There is practically an infinite variety to the number and nuances of Green Lanterns. I think that it is a fabulous concept.

There are TONS of Batpeople. For a supposed "loner", Batman sure has a huge supporting cast. He's practically got sidekicks coming out the proverbial wazzoo. For being the "Last Son" of Krypton, Superman has a crapload of cousins and pets and various other relatives. There are even a ton of Green Arrows. Considering that being able to shoot pointy sticks at people is a bit of a sucky superpower, there are a LOT of Arrow minions out there. Heck Ollie has managed to practically sire an entire basketball team's worth of mini-arrows all by himself. Diana isn't the ONLY Amazon running around.

I guess my point is, that there is ROOM in the DC Universe for more than one or even two Flashes. Are Wally's powers going to change, now that Barry is back? That is very possible. In his latest issues, it is being hinted at, that he won't be able to go faster than the speed of sound anymore. I'm actually fine with that. Just below the speed of sound is STILL FREAKIN' FAST!
It would be nice if each of the Flashes has a different method, or skillset or way of applying their powers. Wally can do that siphoning thingie, that I don't think Barry can do. I'm sure that Jay can do things that neither Barry or Wally has ever thought of, simply because he has so much more experience. I know that Bart is technically "dead", but we all know how lasting THAT is likely to be...I'm pretty sure that he's simply contained in the lightin rod that the Legion nabbed a while back. I DO hope, that if Bart shows up with those uppity Legionnaires, he'll be young and back to being Impulse again...just to drive them all insane.

Besides...Barry's just nice. It would make Iris happy. And I've always liked the whole CSI thing, which could be used in a very interesting way...sort of like how Dr. Midnite is the super doctor, Barry could be the super forensics guy. Batman can't do EVERYTHING after all.

There IS one teensy little problem with Barry's return however.


I'm not exactly sure what Barry's talking about here, but Hal is looking a tad uncomfortable. And you just KNOW that Ollie's going to be jealous. Didn't he always snip at poor old Barry over Hal in the old days? Honestly, I don't know WHAT it is that Hal has, but they should figure out a way to bottle it.

I think that they should just go ahead and have a League, that consists of nothing but formerly dead people. That would be one HUGE League1

Does Tora Trust Hal?

Good Grief, this title sounds like those idiotic ones over at the DC Message Boards, where the various posters are trying to start a fight. Nevertheless, I stand by the question. I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm trying to figure out how Tora managed to get to Oa.

First off, I DON'T think that she trusts Hal. Tora is just back from the dead, and to the best of her knowledge, she died just as Hal turned into Parallax...so regardless of how he is NOW, she has no reason to trust or even like him. She'd been a witness to his brutal fight with Guy, when he took away Guy's Green Lantern Ring. She'd been a witness to Hal's increasingly odd behavior. The last time that she ever saw Guy, before her own death, was when he and a few of the other members of the League, went scooting off to Oa for a showdown. That's when Hal managed to spank everybody, and sent Guy back home minus an eye and in another coma. Not to mention his murder of Kilowog, of whom she was quite fond.

So here's Tora, come back to life, and in the meantime things have changed considerably. Hal's a good guy again of course, but she would have to be TOLD that, by Bea, or by some of the others. She's also learned of the deaths of practically the entire old Justice League, including Ted, Dmitri, Scott and Barda, Max, Maxima,and Booster. Well...Booster wasn't actually dead, but she didn't know that as her delighted response to him in Blue Beetle #25 demonstrates.

So, Tora has had to digest a LOT of information rather quickly, and it must be difficult to throw our your past perceptions in the face of new facts...especially when you weren't even there to experience the new status quo. So how DID she manage to get to Oa to visit Guy? She claims to have hitched a ride with one Symon Terrynce, who hails from Sector 2515. He's a blossoming telepath apparently, according to the Secret Files. Although he's not right next door to Sector 2814, he's in the general vicinity. Still...Tora wouldn't have any way of knowing that.

I think that she went to John Stewart. She knows him vaguely, enough to know that he's a Green Lantern, although I don't think that their paths crossed very frequently before. She was dead, and he was on the Mosaic. She could have gone to the Justice League headquarters and asked Hal of course, but in light of their past relationship, I don't think that would have happened. I'm pretty sure that she did ask Bea for some assistance, and Bea could have pointed her in the right direction, and I'm also sure that Diana would have helped out too. I can see both Bea and Diana telling her to ask Hal for help, and I can also see where she'd be reluctant to take that help.

I can also see Hal being too self-centered to understand her reluctance. John has a bit more on the ball. I wonder if any of this is going to be addressed, or if I'm just blowing smoke, and all of this is after all, merely conjecture. Since Symon Terrynce is a budding telepath/telekinetic, I suppose that it is just possible, that he read her mind, showed up and provided taxi service for her, to Oa. However, I think that is stretching things pretty thin.

Or, it could all be a plot by the Star Sapphires, I suppose. I know that they show up in the next issue, which has me both intrigued and terrified. Tora just got back from a very prolongued dirt nap, and I really don't want anything to happen to her. ( I still think that she and Bea would be great in Birds of Prey).

So Hal has a problem. He still is in the process of regaining the trust of the Guardians and his fellow Green Lanterns, not to mention his colleagues on Earth. Now he has to regain the trust of former dead Godessess as well. Thats a tall order, even for Hal.

Clueless

Here it is Friday, and I literally do not have a single thought in my head. The sun is shining, the trees are just beginning to have a hint of color, and my sweet Baboo is coming home to drive me around in our sportscar. That's all the excitement I can handle in one day.

So here's a nice picture of Kyle's bottom in the meantime.



Oh Kyle. You should be on America's Next Top Model. You're ALWAYS posing! I'm sure your runway walk is to die for.

Bounty

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by my comics this week. There were more of them than I expected, for one thing. And a few that I was feeling ambiguous about, but which turne dout better than I had anticipated. That's always a good thing.

All-Star Superman has come to a close, alas. It took a while, but the story and the art were so amazing that I didn't mind. When it came out, I was delighted. When it didn't, I shrugged, and moved on. But now it's over, and I'm sad...because this was one HECK of a Superman story. There were so many little things to like. For example, Superman revealing himself as Clark, and they just can't bring themselves to believe it, so Jimmy asks all bright-eyed if Clark is hanging out at the Fortress, and you can almost SEE Superman sigh, and agree with him. I also liked him calling Lex on his fantasy that Lex is going to save the world once Superman is gone. If Lex REALLY wanted to help people, he'd have done it by now.

Very satisfying, and very very very good.

Birds of Prey was nice. Always good to see Zinda, Huntress and Misfit, not to mention Babs. Pity about poor Manhunter, but Kate deserves a little vacation. Also, Barbara really should check out who is actually at the door before she opens it. Seems to be a thing with her.

Action Comics was nice. I really can't believe that they had to change the cover, to make it ABSOLUTELY SURE that Clark and Pa Kent were sucking down sodey pop, and not demon rum...or something. Please. Kara has hissy fits, and Brainiac emotes.

DC Universe: Decisions. This was something of an impulse buy for me. When it was first solicited, I curled my lip, and raised my eyebrows in disdain...but I have to say that it really wasn't bad! Of COURSE Ollie would be impulsive and a knee-jerk Liberal. Of COURSE Hal would have a fit about it. Wonder Woman's reaction actually made me laugh...and I'm REALLY looking forward to the next issue. A certain red-headed Green Lantern is on the cover, and I can hardly wait.

Trinity continues to deliver a good story...or actually pair of stories. It's not getting as much buzz as 52 or Countdown it seems, but it also isn't receiving the hatred that Countdown engendered either.

I keep reading the Tangent book. I'm always slightly surprised when it shows up, but it has been a decent read...not spectacular, but not bad either.

I LOVED Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam. Loved it. It is a surprisingly dense read, there is a LOT of story packed into this book. The art by Mike Kunkel is adorable...there's no other way to put it...and using little Theo Adam as a schoolyard bully is just SO appropriate.

I liked the Flash. It was nice to see that there were indeed consequences for what happened with the kids last issue. And super bees are always fun. It looks as though there are going to be changes in store for Wally, and it is an interesting that the used continuity to make those changes.

The Incredible Hercules has to be my favorite Marvel book, this one was hilarious from start to finish, with Herc and Namora making whoopie on an island, while Amadeus resignedly reads a Namor comic book. The deli scene with Ares and Hippolyta is also a hoot. I am SO looking forward to the next issue..."Aqua-Herc vs. Sub-Jerk!" Heh.

The Punisher was...ok. I'm still missing Garth Ennis, but it was adequate. Fortunately, there is going to be a Garth Ennis mini-series with the Punisher coming out in a few months. Ma Gnucci! I do hope that he punches a polar bear again.

I actually bought a Secret Invasion book, Matt Fraction's version of Thor. I couldn't resist because...well, because it was Thor, and because it had Beta Ray Bill in it. Actually pretty good, but BOY am I tired of Secret Invasion...and I'm not even reading it! It seems as though it has been going on for months and months and months...and yet nothing much ever really seems to happen. Look, Hercules KILLED off the Skrull God, LAST! Shouldn't that mean that the whole point of the invasion is moot? Stupid Skrulls.

Hard to Top

Hmmmm...my little dissertation on the showering habits of Green Lanterns seems to have struck a chord. Alas, I don't have any further pictures. Well, actually, I have some more of the Guy Gardner ones, but they're pretty silly.

And speaking of silly...



Here's John, with a milk mustache. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with anything, but it makes me smile, so what the heck. Nevertheless, there is a serious shortage of pictures out there, of John making a fool of himself. OR Alan for that matter, but Alan is old enough and secure enough that I don't need to see Alan being made a fool of. He just has too much gravitas for that.

John on the other hand...is always in control of himself. Oh, he angsts a bit when he's in the mood...there WAS that whole "blowing up the planet" incident after all. But he doesn't seem to slip on banana peels or even bars of soap. Yellow ceiling tiles do NOT fall upon his head. He does not get hit in the face with pies, sit on whoopie cushions, and not even Green Arrow seems to yell at him. He's simply quiet, competent and focused. Perhaps a little TOO competent and focused.

Frankly, I think that John Stewart is waaaaaay overdue for something silly to happen to him. I hope something silly happens and soon, or else he'll be in the hospital for a heart attack or something. Stupid things happen to Green Lanterns ALL of the time, and it's simply not right that none of them happen to John.

Unless...unless HE'S the one making all the stupid things happen! Loosening those ceiling tiles, planting those exploding cigars and so on.

Showers can be Dangerous to your Health

Well...they can be dangerous if you happen to be a Green Lantern at least. I originally thought briefly about including some of these in our recent Whack a Lantern week, but then, awed by the sheer pulchritude of the subjects, decided that such beefcakery deserved a separate post.

First off, here's Kyle in all of his soggy glory.



He's actually NOT in danger in this particular scan...unless of course he has a less than firm grip on that towel.

Hal on the other hand...!




Oh...Hal. You really can't blame that on anything or anybody but yourself. No Sinestro, no yellow ceiling tiles, no lamps, birds or toy airplanes. Let's just face it...Hal's a klutz. I don't care HOW fabulous a test pilot, nor how suave he may be, the man is just clumsy.

This however, is my absolute favorite, when it comes to the inherent perils of daily hygiene.



Yeah, that's a highly befuddled Wally, and his friend Chunk, who are scaring the pants off of Guy. The story is a bit on the confusing side, but it DOES have its moments of hilarity. I've actually shown these before, but it's been a while, and what the heck.



Nothing like repeated blows to the head, to make a Green Lantern feel right at home. Hal would be proud.

I guess the moral of the story is...laugh and the world laughs with you. Shower, and you shower alone. Or SHOULD, at any rate.

Why don't these sort of things happen to Batman?

Green Lantern Corps #28

Well, it took me long enough, but I WAS distracted by Whack a Lantern Week...but I finally got around to doing a review of Green Lantern #28. Written by Peter Tomasi, with the art chores by Luke Ross, this was the second of a two-part story, and it was quite nicely done.

As you may recall from last month's issue, something or someone is going around and instilling fear, by killing off rookie Lantern's relatives. The Lanterns themselves discover this in a particularly horrifying fashion, by having the eyeballs of the aforesaid relatives rain down upon them. You may all recall that this was originally Amon Sur's idea...killing Lantern relatives in order to keep the Sinestro Corps going. Laira offed him for that idea.

Here, we have Kyle, Guy, Salaak and Kilowog all staring a really big jar of eyeballs, and pondering the wisdom of calling in Green Lantern Saarek, who has this rather unnusual ability to communicate with the dead. Guy is trying to crack jokes...mainly because that's his defense mechanism for dealing with bad situations, but as usual, Salaak doesn't get it. Saarek is perfectly willing to help out, and handles their skepticism fairly gracefully. He hops INTO the big jar of eyeballs, and to the disgusted fascination of the rest, all the eyeballs promptly glom onto him, then there is a big FAAASSHHH of light, and we have the picture of the murderer...or murderers, it's not exactly clear.

Nobody recognizes the face, but Salaak has a few ideas, and Kyle, Guy and Kilowog are more than happy to go out and dispense a little payback. In the meantime, the rookies are understandably restless, it is THEIR families that are getting slaughtered after all. Tomar Tu, Brik and some of the other vets are trying to calm them down, but it's starting to get ugly. The rings keep issuing platitudes, and the Guardians are nowhere to be found. Kyle is drawing weird pictures again. Guy goes off to Warriors in order to recharge his ring, and to his annoyance, discovers a pesky guest, who apparently can't read the "closed" sign on the door. He stomps over to the door, throws it open...

...!!!



Oh be still my heart!

Turns out that Tora just couldn't wait the additional two weeks or so until their official date. I'm just glad that she finally came to her sense! It was clever of her to hitch a ride to Oa however. I don't really remember just who the heck Symon Terrynce is, and I'm too lazy to look it up, so I'm just assuming that she went over to the Hall of Justice, and looked up John Stewart and asked for cab service. John checked his ring to find out who was in the neighborhood, and voila! Tora's on Oa!

Guy's just beside himself of course, and tries to feed her. Just then...wouldn't you know it...Salaak interrupts with the news that the murderer's have been sighted or something, and Guy, to his chagrin, has to run off and hunt them down. Tora understands of course.

Off they all go, Guy hunts down one, and she decides to kill herself rather than surrender, which grosses him out a little. Of course she's not the only killer, Kilowog has cornered another one. Kyle, Guy and Kilowog all get together, and with a little more help from Saarek, who questions the dead killer, they find out that they are known as the Quintet. The Lanterns manage to hunt down the remaining three murderers, and take them into custody, locking them up in the sciencells with the usual threats. Guy rushes back to Tora, Kyle and Kilowog decide to go back to Warriors for burgers and beer, while Salaak reassures the rookies that justice has been done. Saarek ends up being summoned by the scarred Guardian for a mysterious errand.

The art was different from Patrick Gleason of course, but I did find something familiar. Look at the last two panels of the scan from above, and compare them to this.



Heh heh. Homage! It works rather well I think,with the circumstances having changed in the meantime.

All in all a nice little story. To be frank, I was just so glad to see Guy and Tora that I didn't even really CARE about the rest of the story, although I do think that Kyle and Kilowog had better be careful when they go into Warriors for their beer.

heh heh.

And Now, our Grand Conclusion to Whack a Lantern Week

Oh Hal, I'm going to miss your little bandaged head. It just summed up the lunacy of Whack a Lantern Week SO well.

But alas, all good things must come to an end, and so we draw to a close of a full week of violence. Sweet sweet violence. And, like a fireworks show, I think that I'll end with a LOT of stuff all going off at once. Please imagine the 1812 Overture playing in the background.























Wow! That's a lot of pummelling! I think I almost need a cigarette...and I don't even smoke. Thank you all for participating. Maybe we'll do this as an annual event!



Thank you Hal. I'm sure that is how we all feel.

Day Five of Whack a Lantern Week

Oh, and what a week it has been. You've ALL been so wonderful for participating, and really coming up with spectacular examples. It is truly amazing just HOW many people really really enjoy whacking assorted Lanterns. And if there aren't any villians or friends to do the aforesaid whacking, the Lanterns themselves are more than happy to oblige.

<

Let today's whacking commence!

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This one has always amused me, particularly if you imagine that it is Frazier and Niles slapping at each other.

<

Here is one of Hal being clonked by an inanimate object! Just by accident!

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Good heavens, even animals are getting into the spirit of things.

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I'd expect this from Alan, but even Hal isn't immune to wood. Hmmmm...that sounded dirtier than it was supposed to.

And finally,

<

Yes. Hal is whacking HIMSELF!

We Briefly Interrupt Whack A Lantern Week...

For an important message. Mainly, a meme that Kalinara has going on over at Pretty Fizzy Paradise. I'm a sucker for a meme, what can I say? You get assigned a letter of the alphabet, and have to come up with five fictional characters, whose names begin with that letter, and explain who they are, and why you like them. Kalinara had the letter "B", which is a HECK of a good letter.

I've been assigned the letter "M"

Also a good letter. Alrighty then.

1.....MANHUNTER, also known as Kate Spencer. I'll admit it, I came a little late to the dance, when it originally came to Manhunter. It took me a while to appreciate it. And then it was cancelled, and I was sad. I bought all of the trades, and enjoyed them completely, and then they brought it back! And happiness once again reigned.

Kate is a very complex character. She's an attorney, originally a prosecutor, now a defense attorney, and she just happens to be a mask-wearing vigilante with a super suit. She's a smoker, a drinker, and a divorced mother, and she just happens to have this slightly world-weary air about her, that I find irrisistable. And she has SUCH a wonderful supporting cast. There is Dylan, a former henchman-for-hire, whom she more or less blackmailed into becoming her support person, who is a fabulous character all by himself. There is Damian, her assistant, who is holding hands with Todd, AKA Obsidian...the only cheerful and non-angsty gay couple in comics! Her son Ramsey is adorable and wears Green Lantern pyjamas.

She's well-written and well-drawn, and I love her to death.

2.....Martian Manhunter. Oh J'onn, I DO hope that you'll be back from the dead soon. J'onn J'onnz is of course, the Martian Manhunter, our favorite tall green shape-shifting telepathic, turning invisible, flying hunk of burning love. Well...not BURNING. There was that itsy bitsy little problem of fire. But I love J'onn for his deadpan sense of humor, and his endearing love of Chocos. And the fact that he was the head babysitter for the old JLI.

3.....Mace Gardner. Guy Gardner's older brother was the apple of his parent's eye, a good student, excellent athelete, all-around hero, that Guy worshipped, and could never quite live up to. Everything in life came pretty easy for Mace, so he had a tendancy to take things for granted. He decided to skip college and became a cop. He did help out Guy when Guy was headed in the wrong direction, straightened him out and probably saved his life. Too bad he went to the bad, and became a dirty cop. One who was shot by the very same thugs he was blackmailing. Shot through the spine, and left in a wheelchair, to the undisguised horror of his parents. Couldn't face NOT being the hero, and apparently committed suicide. Was rescued by a shadowy, faceless organization,and given a super-suit that let him fly and walk, and stuff, and called himself Militia. And who incidentally did his best to kill his younger brother because he was jealous. Mace was an excellent character, and it's a shame that they killed him off again.

4....Michael Carter. Better known as Booster Gold. How can ANY one not like Booster Gold? He threw a football game in the future, was exposed in disgrace, and stole a bunch of superhero artifacts in a museum and came to the past to be a superhero. Best buddies with Blue Beetle. Obsessed with wealth, and not too picky about obtaining it. Likes shiny things. Just happened to SAVE THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, but can't tell anyone about it.

Now he bops around time travelling with his boy Rip Hunter, doing fun things like drinking with Jonah Hex, and dressing up like Elvis and driving around in the Batmobile. Oh Booster...you're such a scamp.


5.....Milagro Reyes. She's Jaime Reyes little sister, and simply wonderful, along with Jaime's entire family and supporting cast. She's spunky, she's funny, and I wouldnt' be at all surprised if she has a serious crush on Guy Gardner due to their utterly hilarious interaction back in Blue Beetle #25. If she doesn't grow up to be in the Teen Titans some day, I'll be quite disappointed.

Still At it!

So...many...pictures...to chose from. But here is what MUST be admitted is a classic.




Batman's "One Punch" of Guy Gardner back in the old JLI. The beginning of a running gag that is STILL going on. A truly cosmic bonk on the ol' noggin...giving an already brain-damaged Guy two black eyes, and probably a concussion, not to mention having lie on the floor unconcious and ignored by the his comrades for at least a day.

And causing a certain amount of angst in Guy, that lead to this...!



Yeah, Guy loses in the end, but he certainly made Hal work for it!

And Whack A Lantern week continues for day Three

Good Heavens, we are all still at it. So far, we've had some lovely entries from Nick. Googham over at Random Happenstance has one with Hal that will make you wet your pants. Sea of Green continues to delight us with multiple examples, including Jimmy Olsen. JIMMY OLSEN! If that's not embarrassing, then I don't know what is. Notintheface over at Stars & Garters has Hal and Superman, and there is some Blue Beetle hilarity over at Fanwank, and that's just today or yesturday. I appreciate all of your devotion to the idea of Green Lantern buffoonery.

Now THIS one is a little bit on the...odd side.



I know that when I mention Whacks, I usuall mean blows or pummellings. And yet this one certainly involves Guy voluntarily touching G'nort...and MESSING WITH HIS HEAD!

Seriously.

You just KNOW one of G'nort's legs was twitching.

A little Something for Rachelle

Over at "Living Between Wednesdays", Rachelle has been having a little contest that combines her love of Superheroes and Hocky. Two tastes that go great together. Sea of Green has put up some of her hubbie's pictures up over at "Hoosier Journal of Inanity" and they are fabulous.

This is my version of Green Lantern Hocky Night.



I did this yesturday afternoon. I apologize for any inaccuracies. I haven't actually been to a game in quite a number of years...ever since the Hartford Whalers left Connecticut for South Carolina...or is it North Carolina? Anyway, they became the Hurricans, but they'll always be the Whalers to me. We may have never won much, and we played in a mall, but by God, we had our own song called Brass Bonanaza, that they played whenever they scored a goal. It's a GREAT song!

Whack a Lantern Week, Day Two

And the carnage continues.



I'm using this particular scan as my mascot for the week, just because it is so darned appropriate. Heh.

But moving on, I'm so pleased with the wonderful examples that you've been displaying. And in that moment, let me show you all my next example.



Yes, that's Alan Scott, and yes, he's getting bludgeoned with a wooden cudgel. That used to happen a whole heck of a lot more in the olden days, than it does presently. I don't know if it is just because Alan is more adept at dodging attacks by now, or if it seems rather bad form to attack someone old enough to be your grandfather.

But a sexy SEXY grandfather.

Why it's Whack A Lantern Week!

And another Monday dawns, bright and beautiful...and I am staring deep into the well of Inspiration. Inspiration alas, has gone to sleep, and I'm getting desperate. So...inspired by Sea of Green's recent depictions of various heroes beating up Hal...I was struck by an idea. Presumably, if you visit this site, you have a passing fondness for Green Lanterns. ALL right-thinking people do of course.

And what is it that happens to Green Lanterns on a regular basis? Other than showing off their well-muscled behinds that is? Why getting smacked around of course! So I thereby, using the power invested in me by...well, myself... declare this to be OFFICIALLY, Whack A Lantern Week!

I'll start this off on the right foot by having Hal and Guy whack THEMSELVES! With gusto.



All you have to do, should you chose to participate, is show a Green Lantern...ANY Green Lantern getting punched, bonked, slapped, clonked, smacked and or whacked. Hal of course is easy. Guy too, has had his share of whackiness. John a bit less so, so extra points for John. Or Alan. Kyle really is just too pretty to hit, but what the heck.



Go forth, my pretties!

Green Lantern #34

Geoff John and Ivan Reis continue to delight me with their latest issue of the origin of Hal Jordan. And it just keeps getting better and better.



We begin with Atrocitus trying to use William Hand as a weapon, while Sinestro and Hal are doing their unpowered best to stop him. With his usual youth and arrogance on display, Hal refuses to back down, and to his disgust, Sinestro has to keep bailing him out. I have to admit that Sinestro is displaying a lot more common sense than Hal is, even using a handy dandy pocket dimension to keep his lantern in, so that they can recharge. Hal keeps HIS lantern in his locker. You just know that Sinestro is rolling his eyes.

There follows a very satisfying fight in the cemetary in the rain. Atrocitus brushes off Hal fairly easily, and he and Sinestro go toe to toe. Atrocitus is smart enough to know his enemy and his weakness, so he clobbers Sinestro with a big yellow back-hoe. He's about to administer the coup de grace, when Hal screams and hits Atrocitus with a giant green fighter plane construct. Atrocitus is just astounded, that this stupid rookie is able to somehow overcome the yellow weakness. Sinestro hasn't seen what actually happened, since he was face down in the mud, but he manages to rally and puts down Atrocitus once and for all. It is interesting that Sinestro used ring constructs that looked like Abin Sur and Kilowog.

Hand in the meantime, after a lot of cowering, has discovered the little gold thingie that Atrocitus was going to use, and slips it into his jacket. He runs off, as Hal tries to see if he is all right. Hal is all pumped up and pleased with himself for beating the yellow weakness. Sinestro didn't see it, and quite franky doesn't believe it, so once again they start bickering like a pair of two-year olds. Well...actually Hal is the one acting most childish, and Sinestro has had it up to HERE with the attitude.

So...Hal stomps off and decides that he's got to confront his problems head on, and tells the ring to take him to Carl Ferris...the man that he's blamed for his father's death for years. Hal is rather astonished to be taken to the Ferris house outside of Coast City instead of to Florida where Ferris is supposed to be golfing. He's even more astonished when he storms in and finds that Carl Ferris is actually a very sick and bedridden man. Carol has been covering up for him, and trying to keep the company going for him. Carol and Hal actually have a moment of understanding, which is rather poignant. I like Carol in this light, and I like that Hal actually forgets to be all manly and opens up for a change. Hal is finally able to let his father go, and as a deep moment of introspection.

Sinestro shows up and gives him a nice little pep talk, and even shows a bit of empathy for him. In a lovely moment, he passes on some advice that he had received from Abin Sur...that overcoming fear is what they do best, but that dealing with sorrow and loss...that's tough even for Green Lanterns.

Awwwwww....! It's the origin of the speech that Hal gives to Kyle much much later. I can't believe how interesting Sinestro is in this stage of his life. He's arrogant and smug and full of himself, but then so is Hal. He's also very very very good at what he does. And in their questioning of the Guardian's motives, he and Hal have a lot in common. I can understand why they became friends. It is all the more tragic when you consider what eventually happened to him.

Anyway, their little bonding moment is disturbed by a message from Oa. Apparently fraternizing is against the rules, and they are called back for some disciplinary action. Man, those Guardians are so strict!

Who would have thought that Hal's origin could have been so well-fleshed out? All kinds of things make sense now. Although I have to admit that I'm not entirely convinced that Hal really figured out a way to beat the yellow weakness. I prefer to have him getting blinded by mustard and locked in yellow safes over the years.

Why this is Delightful

Usually the first week of the month is a bit thin for me, but not THIS week! Of course there were actually three books that I SHOULD have gotten last week, that finally showed up, such as Ambush Bug, Blue Beetle and Wolverine:First Class. (Curse you Diamond!) Oh, and Green Lantern was a week late, but I finally got my greedy mitts upon it. However, THIS week, Diamond had to go and not deliver Manhunter! Gah!

I can't win for losing.

But anyway, it was a very nice week, lack of Manhunter not withstanding. I'm talking about Jonah Hex, and some VERY bizarre shenanigans, all teamed up with J.H. Williams artwork. More people really ought to be reading Jonah Hex. Dwayne and I can't carry this book by ourselves, people!

There was the first issue of Secret Six, and I am just giggling with joy. So much goodness...and it is only the first issue! Floyd Lawton is just SO fabulous. So is Catman of course. And Ragdoll and Bane of all people. And I even felt a little sympathy for poor Scandal. They may be morally ambiguous, but by gosh, this little group of people WORKS so well together. All this and Butter Brickle icecream! Yum!

Fables is nice and thick this month. We come to the conclusion of the war against the Adversary...and I have to admit that I did NOT see that ending coming. Too bad about...well, you'll just have to read it yourselves. Fabulous!

Nightwing was good, with Rags Morales back on the artwork. Some very very nice moments with Dick and Alfred.

I'm enjoying Trinity. Hawkman is an idiot, but a badassed idiot, and Vixen has the gumption to stand up and tell Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman that they're behaving...oddly, and to snap out of it.

I even picked up the Submariner book from Marvel, because I do secretly harbor a slight fondness for Namor. Quite claustrophobic and atmospheric, I'm looking forward to the next issue.

I finally got Ambush Bug, #2. It is utterly, and completely ridiculous of course. There isn't even a smidgeon of a plot, just a lot of terrible terrible jokes...and I loved it.

Blue Beetle was great, it seems that Sturges is starting to really find his voice on this book. Rafael Albuquerque's art is also sensational as usual. I love Paco's mother.

I'm enjoying Green Lantern of course. Who knew that Sinestro could be a sympathetic character? More on Hal tomorrow.

Did everyone else enjoy their comics?

Finally!

Woohoo! It's Wedne...wait, it's THURSDAY, and the new books are finally in. I enjoy a holiday as much as anyone, but dagnabit, I get cranky when it interferes with my schedule. I fear that I am a creature of habit.

Two little surprises awaited me this morning when entering the kitchen. First, my youngest decided to do a load of wash after we had all gone to bed, which is fine, but she managed to leave the detergent teetering on the edge of the washer, and it fell on the floor, and spilled concentrated detergent ALL over the floor, from a mostly full bottle. That stuff is a bitch to mop up! AND, my son had decided to make little pizzas for himself and forgot to turn off the oven, so that was on all night. I guess we're lucky the house didn't explode.

So, I'm feeling SLIGHTLY stressed, and feel the need to wallow in some good comics. Or even mediocre comics, or possibly some downright awful comics. Because if you are in the proper frame of mind, even awful comics can be a lot of fun.

More fun than being hit on the head with a giant yellow hammer.


Heh.

The Moment I realized that John Stewart was...Interesting

No, it wasn't in Mosaic, although that certainly helped me realize that John is a remarkably cool character. This moment came a little bit earlier, back in the days when Gerard Jones was writing the Green Lantern book, when Hal was juuuuust coming under the influence of Parallax, and Guy Gardner was still just a smartass

This was always one of my favorite little bits of characterization. In a single page, we learned that Guy was feeling a bit put-upon, that John liked both Streisand AND Bobby Short, not to mention coffee, and that Hal Jordan was a bit full of himself. This was back in the days when the Guardians were recreating the Corps, and had their hands full with the whole Mosaic. John of course, ended up taking care of the Mosaic, a truely fabulous series, that was cancelled for NO GOOD REASON, while Hal ended up taking on the recruitment duties, and Guy ended up taking care of Earth. Much to his surprise, by the way, he was pretty sure that either Hal or John would end up with that little plum.

Anyway. It was a good story. Lots of things happened, their personalities were fleshed out a bit more, and it didn't take twelve issues to cover roughly twenty minutes worth of plot. There was even a hint of...dare I say it...cameraderie between the boys. Hal was pretty dumbfounded when he found out that Guy had Earth, but he took it pretty well, all things considered. Guy was even considerate enough not to gloat...much.

All this sweetness and light made it all the more reprehensible when Hal decided to take Earth BACK from Guy in issue #25, but I blame that on Parallax. Thank goodness for Parallax...otherwise I'd STILL be pissed at Hal.

I'd rather like to be reading about Hal right now, but with Labor Day and all, the new books won't be coming in until tomorrow, so I have to wait.

*sigh*

But it will be worth it.

But I was actually talking about John, when...as usual...Hal and Guy hijacked the post. Up until this point, I had considered John to be rather on the dull side. He was an interesting contrast to Hal when he first made his appearance, but after Katma's death, he disappeared into the background for me. But with this particular issue, he suddenly started to be interesting again, and that was only continued in the Mosaic series. Then of course, Mosaic was cancelled, Kyle came in, and John again began to fade into the background. Then they crippled him, and had him fail to save Xanshi, and all that dead sister stuff. Thank goodness he's back in the books again, actually doing things and being competent and such. He's making quite a splash in Trinity as well as showing up in Final Crises and in Justice League, plus we have all the Blackest Night stuff to look forward to.

Wow. I actually ended up talking about John after all.

Egad!

We all pretty much know that Hal Jordan is something of rogue with the ladies. What we DIDN'T know, is that he may have inherited that particular trait from one of his parents. And I don't think that it was Martin.



I saw this on "Polite Dissent" and simply had to have it. That's Zatarra, who is the Father of Zatanna. And I swear, that has to be Hal's Mother. Was she ever given a first name? I seem to recall seeing her name on a tombstone a while back, but I can't remember what it was, and I'm far too lazy to go and look it up. Besides, this may be her middle name or a pet name or something.

But there's nothing like a transatlantic voyage to stir up a little romance. I can only assume that Martin is below decks heaving his guts out. While he may be one heck of a pilot, that isn't to say that he's one heck of a sailor. I'm also assuming that they are travelling in the company of his rich uncle, who's name I also can't remember, but they used to go to Jordan Family Reunions at his mansion all the time, back in the old days.

I wonder if she thought back to this later on, when she was a widow, stuck with raising those three kids out in the California desert?

Too Much Negativity

Is it me, or are there an unnusual amount of crabby posters lately? I'm not saying that it all has to be sunshine and rainbows, and LORD knows, there is nothing like a really good rant or a little bit of shadenfreude to cheer me up, but the number of people who never post anything BUT negativity seems to be rising.

I've said this before, sometimes, I'll read my books and not be enthralled. Sometimes, I'll be out and out appalled. But those instances are pretty rare for me. I LIKE my comics. If I didn't like them, I wouldn't be buying them. Simple as that. Not everyone likes the same comics that I do. I snicker at their bad taste, and move on with my life. If someone is ecstatic over a comic that I do not care for, I try not to rain on their parade (see snickering at bad taste)

I was a bit startled therefore, to read a column over at CBR by a fairly new poster, who keeps listing all the things about comics that he hates. He's been at this for quite some time now, and I'm finding it a bit tiresome, but I do know that coming up with new topics can sometimes be difficult. What DID take me aback, is that he's now listing blogs and bloggers that he doesn't like as well.

This seems unnecessarily rude. There is nothing wrong with listing blogs and bloggers that you like, that is why I have a list on the side over there of some of my favorite places to visit. What I don't have, and will never have, is a list of places and people that aren't my favorites. What is the point of that? Why go out of your way to insult people that you don't even know? It all seems to smack of wanting to call attention to oneself by any means possible. And I'm getting a bit too old for that crap.

Speaking of getting a bit too old. There was another gentleman on "When Fangirls Attack" who had a meltdown at a convention over middle-aged useless women getting in his way. Apparently everyone else at the convention was just swell, except for those horrible fat, unmarried, childless, unattractive middle-aged women.

Being a middle-aged woman, I was a tad on the miffed side. Granted, I've managed to fulfill my biological function and foal no fewer than four times, but I AM in the throes of menopause and I have managed to put on a few pounds over the years. This apparently renders me a blight on this fellow's landscape. Fortunately, Colleen Doran settles his hash rather nicely.

So...to sum up...the sun is shining, the grill is burning, good comics are coming out this week, and school is starting. There is an awful lot to be cheerful about. Well...comics are actually going to be delayed till Thursday because of the holiday...but we can LIVE with that!

Have a nice Labor Day.